Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 3: Pursuit

TWENTY-FIVE

The beach was fairly crowded, with lots of people sitting, walking, sunbathing, talking, swimming, and more. Soft white sand covered the shore in both directions, and high overhead, the sun shone brightly in a clear blue sky. I smiled contently as I made my way off the stairs with Cloud and the others. A perfect day to relax.

"C'mon, guys!" I laughed, motioning to the others. "Let's go find a good spot and get set up! The water's calling to us!"

"I hear it, Jessie," Tifa chuckled.

Aerith pointed. "Over there! Straight ahead and left."

I followed her gaze, and sure enough, there was a wide open patch of sand nearby amidst the rows of towels, beach chairs, and umbrellas. We went over, put our things down, and spread out our own towels all in a row, with mine next to Cloud's. Then I took some sunblock out of my bag and started putting it on while Aerith and Tifa did the same for themselves. Cloud just watched, adorably confused.

"Mind getting my back for me?" I asked.

He nodded. "Uh, sure..."

Once he'd finished, I motioned to him. "Your turn now."

"Huh?" Cloud blinked.

"Put it on!" I giggled. "Unless you want a sunburn. They're hot and itchy, you know. Really uncomfortable. And with pretty skin like yours, you'd be all red and crispy before you know it!"

He started spraying himself at once. "Ah, yeah. Got it."

"You're so adorable," I teased.

When he was finished and I had sprayed his back for him, we went down to the shore with Aerith and Tifa. The waves rolled in again and again in an endless, soothing rhythm, and the sand was warm and wet under my toes. For a moment, I looked out over the ocean, my eyes on the horizon, and just took in its vastness. When we'd been on the cargo ship, I'd spent most of my free time standing over at the rail gazing out at the rolling waves. The sight of it had calmed me inside, and I'd found that I was able to forget my fears for a while.

Cloud guided me into the water as Tifa helped Aerith, and we went in until it rose up past our waists. I was a little nervous but did my best not to show it, trusting that Cloud would keep me safe. He taught me a few basics about swimming over the next hour or so while Tifa did the same for Aerith, and by the time our little lesson was finished, she and I had learned at least enough that we could float, tread water, and do a simple forward stroke. It was pretty fun, actually, and I managed to get Cloud a few times with some nice splashes.

After lunch, Aerith, Tifa, and I put on some suntan lotion and laid out on our towels to relax. I let out a soft moan of delight as I stretched out on my stomach and felt Cloud rubbing the lotion onto my back for me. He'd been totally clueless about what to do at first, just sitting there and holding the little bottle with a cute blank look on his face, but once I'd explained what I needed, he'd gotten right to it. Once he was done, I sighed contentedly and gazed over at him and his lovely baby blue eyes as he sat down next to me on his own towel.

"Thanks, merc," I smiled, resting my head on my arms.

Cloud nodded. "Sure."

I reached out a hand. "Having a good time?"

"It's not bad," he admitted, taking it.

"Awesome," I laughed softly, seeing right through his cool. "I think we oughta do this kinda thing more often."

Cloud shrugged. "Maybe, once our journey's over."

"Something to look forward to," I giggled.

"Yeah," he agreed. "So, Jessie... while you three are all getting your tans and laying here in the sun, what should I do?"