Time and Tides Archives

Tifa was sitting in their room at the castle when she received the message. Her heart leapt with relief at the first part, then sank again at the second. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance. Didn't Aerith realise how sick Denzel was? It was cold out there today, cold that wouldn't do Denzel any good.

She texted Aerith back. "Could you meet us inside the castle instead? It's better for Denzel if he stays indoors."

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Sitting himself beside Tifa, Cloud hooked an arm lazily around her shoulders, leaning in to look at her phone. "Aerith? I can go and meet her if you want me to?" Cloud was in particularly a good mood today. Spending so much intimate time with Tifa could do that to him. Of course, having the others around was great as well.

Reaching for his gloves on the table, Cloud wrinkled his nose as he pulled them on. He didn't fancy the idea of having to go out in the cold but if Aerith couldn't find her way to the castle, or her way inside, he'd be able to get her in.

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xnotyetaherox.livejournal.com

Denzel was curled up in his bed. He didn't have the energy to get up and play, in fact he didn't have the energy to do anything. He had a book by his side, but he couldn't focus on it enough to read. Huddled down into his blankets, he simply stared at the wall.

He didn't want to say anything to Cloud or Tifa, or even Eiko, but the appearance of the man with silver hair on the network had really shook him up.

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Tifa smiled at Cloud. "Good idea."

She quickly switched to the voice function on her phone so that she could talk to Aerith. "Okay, Cloud's going to come and fetch you, is that okay? See you."

She wasn't actually in a good mood despite all appearances, and despite being with Cloud and her friends. She felt emotionally up and down, but at least once Denzel was cured that would be one huge load off her mind.

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"That's more than fine." Aerith replied with her usual smile. While she wasn't feeling up to showing any kind of cheer, the girl didn't want to seem to despondent towards her good friends. Glancing around for brief a moment, Aerith began to observe the landscape she forsook earlier.

The city was different, different from any town she's ever been to. There wasn't a place in her world that mirrored the grand streets of royal Lindblum. While she was certain she would just end up getting lost if she tried to navigate the busy streets on her own, Aerith decided to try anyway in a vain attempt to make up for lost time. Traveling cross-continent really took a lot of her but at least this long journey was finished.

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Tugging on his boots, Cloud snatched up the First Tsurugi, kissed Tifa's cheek and made for the door. It took him only a short while to head towards the Financial District, catching sight of Aerith on her way towards him.

"Aerith." A smile briefly passed Cloud's lips and he tilted his head, wondering vaguely if he should offer her a hug or not. This wasn't the same Aerith from the last time he'd seen her in person. That Aerith had vanished and she'd come back again, here, in Gaia.

"The castle is this way, come on." Of course, he wouldn't make a point of the fact that he was now the older person here.

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Turning her head once she heard him call her name, a faint smile lingered upon her face as she strolled over. If he wasn't going to hug her then she definitely was going to hug him. Before Cloud got the chance to run off ahead, the flower girl caught him a friendly hug. "Cloud!" She cheered happily with a girlish laugh. He looked a little different from what she last remembered but he was still the same Cloud who came crashing through roof of the church all those years ago.

"The castle? So Tifa wasn't lying about being friends with the king here." Aerith stated aloud without much thought. Wondering exactly how the black-haired woman managed to do that feat, Aerith decided not to ponder too much about such unnecessary details.

“How’s-“ She hesitated for a moment before asking. “H-how’s Denzel, Cloud?”

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The hug was returned and Cloud smiled in secret against her shoulder, letting it vanish once they pulled away. Cloud shook his head with a small sigh. "He's not well."

Turning to lead her towards the castle, it'd be obvious perhaps only to someone like Aerith that he was in a very bad way inside. Generally, today, he was in a good mood but everything was weighing him down now. It made him feel sick himself.

"Zack's staying in the castle, too. He's probably off exploring it, or the city." And no, that wasn't a hint of jealousy that sparked in his voice. Or at least he'd deny it if Aerith picked up on it.

He felt childish for wanting to keep Zack to himself but they'd been apart so long, he and his oldest friend (if you didn't count Tifa as that, considering their relationship), so Cloud was being pretty territorial.

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Meanwhile, back in the castle, Tifa sat down on Denzel's bed and nudged him gently. "Hey, sleepyhead. Guess who's coming over?"

From:

xnotyetaherox.livejournal.com

Denzel blinked up at Tifa, yet made no other attempt to move. Everything hurt. Every movement was an effort. He was just so tired. He wanted to close his eyes and sleep forever.

At Tifa's question, the boy looked at her in question. "Who?"

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"Aerith." Tifa smiled. "Aerith's going to cure you. Pretty soon, you'll be right as rain."

She brushed back the hair from his forehead, checking for the black stain that was a symptom of Geostigma. Time was running out for Denzel, she could tell. But Aerith was so close...

Please make it, she thought.

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Lowering her eyes towards the pale cobblestone streets, Aerith could have kicked herself for taking so long to reach here. She honestly had no idea it would take this many days to get to Lindblum despite how hastily her and Delita traveled. Without the knight’s help, she would have been doomed but Aerith felt horrible either way. At least now, she could make up for her carelessness and take care of Denzel’s illness before it became too late. Geostigma was something she never heard of before, a disease that she never heard of until now. However, despite that truth she was certain that her healing touch could be of some help.

“Oh, he is?” Noticing that slightly bitter tone, Aerith chose not to think of it since she honestly needed to keep a clear mind. She didn’t want to be distracted from the task ahead of her, no matter how much anxiety she felt.

Walking up the stairs to Lindblum’s grand castle, the realization began to dawn on her finally that this was a completely foreign world. Walking down the long red-carpeted corridors, Aerith nodded her head sheepishly at the hawkish guards nearby. They were being watched with utmost scrutiny all the way towards the lift that leads to the royal chambers above.

“Lead the way.” She said with a somewhat happy cheer once they stepped off the elevator. “I’m ready.” It was time to get this little show on the road.

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Cloud took Aerith into the room that Denzel was in, instantly resting a gloved hand against Tifa's shoulder once he was at her side. "How is he?" His voice shook just enough to prove how upset he was but there was no hint of emotion on his face.

Except in his eyes, were a sparkle of worry glimmered.

"Aerith's here, she can help now..."

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"Very sick," Tifa murmured in reply.

She looked up at Aerith, relief obvious in her face. "Aerith... You're finally here. Please, can you help him?"

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xnotyetaherox.livejournal.com

Denzel had tried so hard to react to Tifa's words the way his mind wanted him to. He wanted to jump for joy. He was truly going to be cured and everything was going to be okay! All he could manage though was the slightest of smiles.

By the time Cloud and Aerith entered, he was pretty much unable to move. He could barely even pick out their voices. Everything was a blur, it hurt to even open his eyes. The mark on his forehead began to weep, the black ooze rolling down his face, his body breaking out into a shivering mess.

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