Whispers in the Roses

Whispers in the Roses

Flora Winters

I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

Summary: Vincent wants to put Cloud’s heart back together again, but will Cloud let him. This story will contain boy love, some language, and violence.

Chapter Four

In this world you tried
Not leaving me alone behind
There’s no other way
I’ll pray to the gods: let him stay

--Within Temptation

The sun was shining brightly down on his spiky blonde head and a cool breeze seemed to keep the nasty heat at bay. It was a beautiful morning and the golden star seemed to paint the canyon in hues of crimson and orange. There wasn’t a cloud in the blue sky and it caused him to suddenly feel very nostalgic.

“What’s wrong, Cloud?” Vincent asked, stepping up to stop beside him on the trail. Cloud turned his head to see that the taller man had a concerned look on his face.

“Nothing,” he said, smiling almost as warmly as the yellow sun beaming down on his pale cheeks. “I was just taking notice of how big the sky looks today.”

Vincent cocked his head to the side, looking at him with a raised brow. He looked like he didn’t believe him at all.

“So,” he said, looking away from those burning ruby orbs. “Which way do you want to go now?”

“Hmm,” Vincent said, looking one way, and then looked another. “Do we take the road most traveled…or do we take the one not traveled at all?”

Cloud chuckled and caught himself before he could snatch the taller man’s hand. He blushed and quickly acted like he had meant to scratch his head. “How about we take the road less traveled?”

Vincent nodded, kicking a pebble. “That’s what I was thinking.”

Cloud followed along behind him, admiring how he walked with such graceful confidence. The raven haired man really did walk as though his feet never touched the earth. He looked over at a painted wall because he had taken a moment to admire Vincent’s butt. It wasn’t really his fault. It was just that he had never seen it before until today and last night. The guy’s ever flowing cloak had always been in the way.

Vincent just looked so damn good in a pair of jeans and a deep red t-shirt. It was kind of comical really. The sexy stud had skin the color of paper and he was out in this really hot sun. But, Cloud knew better. The sun couldn’t hurt Vincent’s skin. Hell, the sun hardly had any effect on his pale complexion either. All the Mako in their veins was the perfect SPF.

“How did you sleep last night?” Vincent asked with a chuckle.

Cloud came to a halt before he could bump into his broad back. “I slept all right…the bunny kept me company.”

Vincent turned around with a big smile on his face. It made him look odd and kind of spooky, too. He had such a sexy smile.

“I’m glad,” he said, turning back around and continued walking up the rocky trail.

Cloud could still remember the dream. Vincent had embraced him with his dark wings and held him in his arms as they soared through the star filled sky. He could still taste the rosy sweet kiss on his tongue. It nearly caused him to stumble and fall over flat on his face.

“How did you sleep?” He asked, quickly catching up to him.

“Well,” Vincent said, continuing to walk. “Pretty normal…I guess.”

Cloud blinked and wished he had some sunglasses. “You guess?”

Vincent laughed. “A bed is so much better than a wooden coffin.”

Cloud rolled his eyes. “Um, yeah.”

“How about we take a break over there in the shadow of that giant boulder?” Vincent asked, pointing with a golden talon.

Cloud nodded and followed him over to plop down beside him. He rested his back against the smooth surface and sighed.

“Are you tired?” Vincent asked, stretching his long legs.

Cloud shook his head, closing his eyes. “I was just thinking.”

“And the world holds its breath,” Vincent said in an ominous tone.

Cloud playfully punched him in the shoulder. “Shut up.”

Vincent chuckled, rubbing the spot where he had hit him, looking like he was pretending he had actually felt it. It caused him to roll his eyes in order to keep from blushing. Vincent had such a nice laugh. It was warm. Usually it was colder than the Northern Continent and sent chills racing down the spin.

Cloud closed his eyes again, letting the warm wind dance through his hair. There was a scent of flowers on it and they smelled wild. It caused his mind to wonder.

“Midgar Full of Flowers, Wallet Full of Money.”

It was something he had heard Zack mumble in his sleep once. He had always talked in his sleep. Even when he had been dying…

“Can you see all the flowers, Cloud? They smell so nice. I think…I think I want to walk among them.”

He had only continued to sing to him and spoke in perfect key. “Don’t step on them.”

“Don’t worry,” Zack had softly laughed, fighting to keep breathing. “I won’t hurt them.”

Cloud’s eyes snapped open and he immediately pushed back the swelling flood. He would not break. He refused to do so. He would be happy in order to make them happy, goddamn it!

“You look so sad,” Vincent said and he turned to look up at him with wet blue eyes. He really hated the silence. It caused him to think. He hated thinking. “What’s gotten you so sad all of a sudden, Cloud?”

He shook his head, wiping at his nose with the back of his palm. He felt like a moron. He was supposed to be having fun.

“Flowers,” he whispered, turning away. “They bring back so many memories…”

That little word echoed all around them and he felt those golden talons gently grip his shoulder. “I know this is corny and not really my thing…but I’m here if you want to talk.”

Cloud couldn’t. He knew that if he opened his mouth, it would never close. He would just scream and he feared it wouldn’t end. The tears would fall and they wouldn’t stop. All he wanted to do was cry, scream, and break things. He wanted to smash things into the ground and laugh as he sat fire to everything around him with his magic. But, those were dark emotions. They were wicked. He wouldn’t become like him. He wouldn’t allow his pain to break him. He was stronger than the emerald eyed demon.

“Do you want to walk around some more while we’re here?” Vincent asked, letting him go, rising to his feet with sensual grace. “We might find something.”

Cloud sniffed, wanting the scent of flowers to fade, but they wouldn’t. The sweet floral aroma seemed to get stronger as he got to his feet. It smelled so pretty and so familiar now.

“Do you smell them?” He asked.

Vincent nodded. “They smell nice. Do they seem familiar to you, too?”

Cloud nodded his head. “They smell just like…”

“Cloud!” Vincent shouted from behind him as he took off running like the wind. He was fast. His legs could carry him for miles. He looked to see that Vincent was keeping easy pace with him.

The raced up the steep slope, leaving a trail of red dust behind them, and that was when they came to sudden halt. The two of them were standing on the edge of a small field that was nothing but yellow flowers.

Cloud couldn’t believe his eyes. They were the same flowers that Aeris had growing in the church and all around her home in the slums. Were they still there? He didn’t know.

“Beautiful,” Vincent said as he very carefully walked out among the golden throng.

“Ah,” a voice said from behind him. He spun around, seeing Nanaki. He was sitting on a boulder. “I see you’ve found the offspring from the seeds Aeris gave me.”

Cloud tried to smile, but felt like his face would break.

“I call them Aeris Smiles,” he said, hopping down, landing on all fours with ease. “I love how their petals chase away the darkness.”

“Fitting,” Vincent said, going down on his knees among them. He looked like some kind of dark angel among all the golden-yellow hues. He really was beautiful and stunning to look at.

“Mary often asks me to bring her here,” Nanaki said, sniffing a flower. “She really likes them and she always refuses to pick a single blossom.”

Cloud looked to see that there had to be over a thousand of them. He remembered buying one from her the first time he had ever met her. It had been after blowing up a reactor.

“Midgar Full of Flowers, Wallet Full of Money.”

“What?” Nanaki asked as Vincent got back to his feet.

“That sounds familiar,” Vincent said, running his talons through his long dark hair.

Cloud looked over at him. “Huh?”

“I overhead Aeris one time,” he said, walking carefully among the bright yellow smiles. “She was praying among the trees, telling someone she was sorry that their flower business wasn’t going so well. I think that’s what she called it. Midgar Full of Flowers, Wallet Full of Money.”

Cloud tried to keep his expression blank. Had she and Zack tried to start a flower shop? It so seemed like something he would do. He had always been such a dreamer. He was always dreaming of striking it rich in some way. He had always never had any money in his wallet. But, that never stopped him from being happy. The respect people had for him was all the riches he needed. “You’re my idol, Zack…”

“What is it, Cloud?” Nanaki asked, padding up beside him.

He just shook his head and bent down to sniff a perfect golden blossom. It smelled sweeter than the sunshine and the petals were soft as silk. He turned to see that Nanaki had his nose up to the sky. “What is it?”

“A storm is coming,” he said, wagging his tail. “I can smell it.”

“Perhaps we should start heading back,” Vincent said.

Nanaki nodded and turned to lead the way as Cloud got to his feet. “It’s too bad you two don’t have four legs. We could take my shortcut.”

Cloud followed along behind the two of them and turned to look back at the flowers. His eyes widened. There they were, waving at him.

“Just smile, Chocobo Head. There is nothing to frown about.”

“Hey, Nanaki!” He called, causing the two ahead of him to turn. “I’m in the mood for some exercise. Let’s take your shortcut anyway.”

Nanaki grinned. “A race?”

Cloud tapped his bottom lip with his index finger and nodded. “Yep.”

Vincent laughed.

Cloud won.

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Cloud was sitting on his bed, holding his bunny close. There were just so many things about Zack and Aeris that he didn’t know about. He was sure the two of them had always been very close, even after he had come tripping into the picture. He had always been such a puss.

“You’re so beautiful, Cloud,” Zack had snickered, pulling on his hair like a three year old, suddenly becoming very serious. “Why do your eyes look so tragic?”

People had always told him that his eyes were like a sad ocean that was all alone with itself. Well, they hadn’t told him, he had just heard the whispers. There were always so many whispers.

“Who is he?”

“Is he new?”

“Why does he look like that?”

“Have you seen his eyes?”

“Oh, spooky…”

“He’s such a snob. He doesn’t talk to anyone.”

“He’s such a pretty little wimp.”

“Well, look at me now,” he told the voices in his head. “I killed all of you, saved the world from total destruction, and I’m still breathing…so fuck off!”

All was silent in his world. No past echo could argue with him on that.

He squeezed his pink fuzzy close and looked up at the ceiling when he heard a soft boom of thunder. It looked like the storm had finally arrived.

“Hey, Cloud!” Nanaki called, pawing at the door. “I’ve got us some lunch.”

“All right,” he said. He wasn’t feeling very hungry at all, but he needed to keep up appearances. He didn’t want to cause anyone to worry. That was the last thing he needed right now.

A soft cough came from the door and he spun his head around. Vincent was standing there and he had a strange look on his face.

Cloud’s face burned brighter than the giant bunny in his arms and he quickly pushed it away. It fell off the bed with a fuzzy thud. He was so embarrassed.

“Sorry,” Vincent quickly apologized, clearing his throat. “I did knock…Nanaki wants you to get out the emergency candles from under the bed in case the power goes off.”

Cloud got up. “Huh?”

“He thinks this storm might be a bad one.” He said.

“Oh,” Cloud said, feeling like the stereotypical dumb blonde. He got down on his knees and crawled halfway under the bed. That was when he found the box easy enough, cursed the hairy spider for scaring him, and crawled back out with them. He hated spiders.

“I can see it on your face,” Cloud said, sighing. “Just ask me.”

Vincent shook his head, leaning off the doorframe. “Ask you what, Cloud?”

“The bunny,” he said.

“What about it?” Vincent asked. “Does it not make a good pillow?”

Cloud blushed like a rose. Now he really felt stupid. He shook his head. “Well, thanks for winning him for me.”

“You’re welcome,” Vincent smiled, stepping aside for him. “Him?”

Cloud almost tripped over his feet and pretended he hadn’t heard him. Being a blonde had its advantages.

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A giant red planet floated by Cloud’s head, twirling around with a ruby glow. There were little black clouds around the center of it, looking like they were huge thunder storms. It was amazing that they shared the same galaxy with the massive revolving giant.

“Can you hear all of them?” Cloud asked, turning his head to look at Vincent who was sitting beside him. “They’re singing to each other.”

Vincent nodded with a small smile on his face. Cloud noticed that he was looking at the tiny blue planet that looked as though it were frozen in time. It didn’t move, and it didn’t revolve either, but it had the sweetest of all the voices. It was the smallest of all the planets in the galaxy.

“I never noticed that one before,” he said, pointing at it. “How come it doesn’t move like all the others?”

“I don’t know,” Cloud said with a small shrug. “Maybe it fears change.”

Vincent chuckled. “Why do you say that?”

“That’s just what it feels like to me,” he said, looking up where it hovered in stasis. “Out of all the planets, it’s the only one that never changes. It’s constant.”

“I had a nice time with you today,” Vincent said, leaning back against the wall that looked like the deep edges of space. He looked like a dark god that could slap a planet out of his path at any moment. “Are you still going to come to the Gold Saucer with me?”

Cloud nodded. “I love being here in this place, but I need a change of space.”

“Look,” Vincent said, pointing to the planet in which was their own. “There were shooting stars zooming by the planet. “If only it wasn’t for the storm. We could go out and see them for real.”

The two of them sat there and Cloud moved his head to the side when a star went zooming by him in a silver blaze. He turned and watched as it vanished into the deep darkness.

“Did you make a wish?” Vincent asked, looking at him with twin red jewels. They were glowing with a fiery heat. They reminded him of a blazing furnace.

“Yes,” he said, smiling with white teeth. “I did.”

It was a small lie. He hadn’t made a wish. He hadn’t made a wish in a long time. There was no point in wishing anymore. Wishes only came true in books and in poorly made films.

He was about to ask Vincent a question when the two of them were suddenly enveloped in a cloak of darkness. A loud blast of thunder nearly deafened them. It was so dark he couldn’t see his hands in front of his face.

“Look’s like Nanaki was right,” Vincent laughed. “We shouldn’t have come up here while it’s storming.”

Cloud looked over. He could see those burning red eyes.

“Wow,” Vincent said. “You’re eyes glow in the dark.”

Cloud snorted. “So does yours.”

“Cloud!” Nakaki yelled up from below. “Vincent! Are you two all right in there?”

“Yes!” Cloud called out, carefully fumbling to his knees.

“Look out!” Vincent yelled, but was half a second too late.

Cloud yelped in sudden pain, falling over backwards into a surprising embrace. His head was pounding like a drum. He had rammed his face into something hard. It had probably been the control board.

“What happened?” Nanaki yelled, barking up at them. “Cloud!”

“We’re good!” Vincent shouted. “We’re just in the dark…like everyone else!”

“Just sit tight!” Nanaki called. “I’m not sure how long this will last! You could be trapped up there for some time!”

Cloud could suddenly smell roses. The scent was intoxicating. Vincent’s embrace was so warm. He felt like a gentle flame.

“Are you okay?” Vincent asked in concern and Cloud could feel a warm wetness trickling down his face.

“You can see?” Cloud asked.

“Hojo’s little experiment, remember?” Vincent asked. “You’re bleeding.”

“What did I hit?” He asked, closing his eyes against the thumping pain.

“The corner of the control board,” Vincent said and Cloud could hear the near silent ripping of cloth in the darkness. “Hold still.”

Cloud did so. He let Vincent lay him down flat and felt the way his talons gently lifted up his bangs.

“You gashed your forehead,” Vincent said, gently pressing the cloth to it. “Good thing you have long hair, Cloud. Nobody will see the bruise you’ll get.”

Cloud’s tummy suddenly felt like there were some crazy ass butterflies flying around in drunken circles inside. Here he was, all alone in the darkness with Vincent, who was doctoring his wound.

“Does it hurt?” Vincent asked.

Cloud opened his eyes to gaze into those twin red orbs that were looming over his face. He could feel the gentle tickle of long dark hair. “A little, but its nothing a potion can’t fix.”

“I wonder what’s taking so long with the power,” Vincent said, tearing some more cloth. Was he tearing his shirt? Cloud let him lift his head up and felt him tie the cloth around his forehead, holding the other in place.

Cloud didn’t answer him.

“Cloud?” Vincent asked and his voice was filled with concern. “Why are you shaking?”

“I, uh,” he said, scooting closer to where his hip was touching Vincent’s knees. “I don’t like the dark.”

“Oh,” Vincent said, making Cloud wish he could see his face. “Then how did you make it through all those dark caves and the Shin-Ra mansion?”

“Don’t you remember?” Cloud asked, squeezing those golden talons. “We ran the whole time and I was surrounded by friends.”

Vincent snorted and then his voice was serious. “Will you feel better if you rest your head in my lap?”

Cloud’s cheeks warmed. “You’re not going to think me weird?”

“I already think you’re weird,” Vincent said, gently helping him so that he was comfortable. “I’m weird to, Cloud.”

Cloud rolled his eyes, suddenly wishing he hadn’t done so. Now he was dizzy.

“You smell like roses,” he mumbled, fumbling with his right hand until they were grasping gold.

“Do I?” Vincent asked. “It must be that shampoo down in the inn I used.”

“No,” he said, smiling up into those rose red stars. “I think you’ve always smelled like roses…I’ve just never noticed it until now.”

“Well,” Vincent said, gently running his white fingers through his soft blonde hair. “I think that bump might have muddled your senses.”

Cloud very carefully reached up with a quivering hand and gently caressed a bone white cheek. He was so cold, but he refused to complain.

“How about you let me use your bike on my next mission?” He asked, tracing the almost faded scar on his cheek. Zack would never tell him where the scar came from. “If you love me, you’ll let me.”

“Cloud?” Vincent asked. His petal sweet breath was so warm against Cloud’s chilled fingers.

“…When I die, I hope you bury me in a nice place on top of a hill with a view.”

“Cloud? Cloud! Nanaki! GET US DOWN!”

TBC…

Please review and tell me what you think.

Flora.