No Wish To Be Alone Chapter 5

Jenova Dream

By Chocobo Goddess

She woke, alone, to the cheerful babble of the stream and the songs of morning birds. It took a moment for her to get her bearings. She was lying on his coat, which he had somehow managed to spread beneath them. Her hair was somewhat disheveled, and she was still wearing the sleeveless pink dress, but her red jacket had been tossed aside carelessly. She retrieved it from where it lay in a crumpled heap and shook it out, noticing with a grimace that a few buttons on her dress had been undone, and some were actually missing from the jacket as though they'd been torn off. She felt a jolt go through her at the memory of his caresses, the scent of his skin, the comforting pressure of his arms around her...

The sound of something whipping through the air brought her back to her senses. She scrambled to her feet, gathering their coats in her arms. Making her way back to the camp, she smiled wryly at the thought that they hadn’t even stayed there. The sounds of his katas grew louder as she approached their neglected bedrolls. She came from behind a flowering bush to find herself face-to-face with the deadly point of Masamune’s blade. They both froze for a moment, then the blade was sheathed and he was crossing the distance to her. He looked terrified and his body shook as he pulled her into his arms. She found herself reassuring him, telling him it was all right, she was unharmed.

His expression was one of pure misery. "I—I can’t believe I almost—," he choked on the words. Her hands went to either side of his face, forcing him to look at her.

"It’s all right, I’m fine! You didn’t hurt me!" she soothed, "It was an accident. I. Am. All. Right."

He leaned down, touching his forehead to hers. "For a moment, I thought...I remembered what SHE wanted me to do...," His green eyes searched hers, as though trying to find any glimmer of censure in them. "...I can’t become that beast again. As I got closer to you, in the Forgotten City, her voice faded in my mind, and I believed...that, somehow, I could be...human, again."

She saw he was about to turn away from her, and she decided to take control of the situation. Standing on her tiptoes, she put her arms about his neck and kissed him. He is surprised, she thought, Hmmm...my poor brave warrior...I suppose I’ll have to watch out for you, too. She chuckled against his mouth. He broke the kiss long enough to look at her, startled. Then, finally, he, too, grinned.

"I’m acting like a fool, aren’t I?" He sighed. "Ah, well...just make sure you don’t tell anyone about this."

"Hmmm...now I have something for blackmail—oh!" She gasped as he picked her up and hugged her close. "Um, well, I guess I can keep a secret."

*****

They spent the day relaxing by the stream. He didn’t need the break; he could run tirelessly for hours, as he had when he saved her from her friend. However, she was still not used to traveling, and the pace he had made her keep up to this point had been grueling. He sat by the bank of the stream, coat and boots beside him, clad only in his black pants. He watched her now, playing in the stream again. She was an interesting mix of beautiful woman and innocent child. He wondered if she realized the immense potential she had for wielding magic on a very high level. She intrigued him.

Unaware of his measuring gaze, she waded in the stream. She loved the way the water felt as it rushed past her bare legs. Her skirt was caught up above her knees, tied with her bedraggled hair ribbon. She had washed her hair in the stream that morning, and now it hung in a damp, unsecured braid down her back. When she got tired of walking on the stones, she stretched out on a flat rock that made up part of the small rapids. The face of the rock was dry and warm, heated by the sun. In no time at all, she was asleep.

*****

She was wakened by the sound of thunder. The sunny day had turned cloudy, the warm breeze now held a touch of ice. All the colours around her seemed muted, and the birds no longer sang. She sat up, rubbing her eyes and blinking. Confused, she looked over to where he had been sitting earlier in the day, to find him missing. Better get back to the camp, she thought, Maybe he’s gone to make sure we don’t lose anything to the wind.

The water was now much, much colder than it had been, and she gasped when her feet got wet. She made her way to the bank, dried off her feet and let her skirt back down, then headed down the path to their camp. When she got there, her mouth dropped open in surprise and shock.

The clearing was empty.

He was gone, and had taken everything with him.

She was alone again.

Alone.

The storm broke over the valley.

The first bolt of lightning hit the ground not far from her, galvanizing her into action. She ran back to the water and huddled under the willow tree, soaked to the skin and freezing cold. Her tears mingled with the rain that filtered down through the leaves, landing on her face. She sobbed dejectedly throughout the storm, feeling a sense of loss as acute as though someone she loved had died.

"He couldn’t have left me," she made herself say, "He wouldn’t have left me alone..."

The Planet was, strangely, silent. Not a whisper, not a hint, not a note of music...just...nothing.

Then she heard a woman’s harsh, mocking laughter.

This is a dream, she said to herself, wake up. Wake Up! WAKE UP!!

*****

"...wake up! Come on, love, you need to open your eyes!" His hands gripped her shoulders, shaking her gently. His heart skipped a beat as her eyelids fluttered. When she finally looked up at him dazedly, he could have wept again at the joy in her expression. She threw her arms around him and burst into tears.

"It...was...h-horrible!" she cried, burying her face in his neck. "I—I was alone, and you had gone, an-and a storm...and a woman was l-laughing at me!" Oh, he smelled so good, like air, and grass, and leather...and she was warm again.

A woman, hmm? He thought, My ‘mother’, perhaps? He had believed this place safe from her mental intrusion, but she was apparently growing in power. He sighed, hugging the girl closer to him. "Let’s go back to shore," he said, kissing the top of her head and inhaling the scent of her hair.


Chapter 6

Final Fantasy 7 Fanfic