Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 3: Pursuit

TWENTY-FOUR

Costa del Sol was hot, sunny, and clear as we walked slowly outside onto the pier, the cargo ship floating at anchor next to us. The sky was blue, not a cloud in sight, and I could hear the rolling waves of the vast ocean and the occasional cries of seagulls overhead as the salty smell of the sea filled my nose. After the battle with Jenova, we'd all gathered up our things while Tifa, Yuffie, and Barret had changed into their normal clothes like the rest of us. Then we'd slipped off the ship as soon as the sailors had started unloading the cargo.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Jessie smiled, looking around. "Way more than I thought. This is gonna be so much fun!"

Barret wiped sweat off his forehead with his good hand. "Speak for yourself, girl. Damn, it's hot here! At least I don't hafta wear that sailor suit anymore. Now I know how ya feel, merc."

I smirked faintly. "Good. Then you won't tease me about it."

"Never said that," he chuckled.

"It's too bad, though," Aerith grinned. "I like Barret's sailor suit. He was so cute! Did you get any pictures, Tifa?"

She giggled. "Yep! The other day, when he wasn't looking."

"The hell?" Barret blinked. "Cute!?"

"Right, well... how about you use your sailor suit as pajamas?" Tifa suggested, trying to keep a straight face and failing spectacularly. "That might work. What do you think, Cloud?"

I scratched my head, then glanced at Barret. "Well... you look like a bear wearing a marshmallow in that thing."

Jessie laughed. "You really do!"

"Shit!" Barret snorted. "The hell's that s'posed to mean? It's actually pretty damn comfortable, so jus' give it a rest!"

I shrugged. "If you say so."

"Could we move along already?" Red grumbled, panting heavily as we stood on the dock. "The heat is drying my nose."

"Mine too!" Yuffie added.

I nodded. "Alright. We had a rough time on the ship, and the battle was a hard one. So we'll take a break today and set out again tomorrow morning. Try not to wander too far off, though."

Barret waved dismissively. "I'll wander wherever I damn well want! But listen, everyone. Try to blend in an' mingle like regular folks while we here. Don't wanna draw attention to ourselves."

"Says the guy with a gun on his arm," Yuffie quipped.

"Who asked you, kid?" he grunted.

She laughed as she ran off down the wide boardwalk toward town. "Don't even bother trying to find me, guys!"

"Have fun!" Aerith called.

"Well, my mane appears to have gotten all messed up," Red sighed. "I think I'll find somewhere cool to rest."

After he left, Jessie turned to me, her eyes dancing. "I guess we'll be off, too. Shopping trip! Right, ladies?"

"Yeah!" Aerith laughed.

"Count me in!" Tifa agreed.

Jessie giggled. "Alrighty, then! Gotta find us some bathing suits and other stuff before we can hit the beach. And don't worry, Cloud. I'll get something hot that'll really catch your eye!"

"Huh?" I blinked.

"Can't go really swimming without a bathing suit, you know," Jessie teased. Then she whispered suggestively in my ear. "Well, you can, but we'll save that for tonight when we're alone."

I felt my cheeks burn bright pink. "Ah, okay... yeah."

"Then it's a date," she winked. After stepping back a little, she went on in a normal voice. "Think I oughta get a tan?"