Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 3: Pursuit

TWENTY-EIGHT

Later that night, after the sky had grown dark, we made camp in a small stand of dry, leafless trees a short distance from the tracks. While I helped Cloud and Barret get the tents up with Yuffie, Aerith and Tifa worked on dinner, and soon, the aromas of cooking food filled the air. Red laid down by the fire and watched all the activity, his tail swishing around him, and overhead, the stars came out one by one. Although it was still winter—early February, by my guess—it was fairly warm here, likely due to how dry and barren the land was.

Things with everyone were more relaxed than they'd been in days, and as we all talked and ate together, I was able to put aside my worries and fears about Corel for a while. Cloud sat directly across from me on the other side of the fire, his gorgeous baby blues reflecting the light. It made my heart flutter to see him gazing at me, and I wished I could've snuggled up to him. But for now, at least, I needed to keep my distance. It was just too easy for me to forget about and ignore my issues when I was close to him. And I couldn't afford that now.

"More, Jessie?" Aerith asked, offering me a plate.

I smiled and shook my head. "I'm full, thanks. It was great, though. And I'll return the favor next time we stock up. Pizza for everyone! Oh, and that reminds me, you've got a birthday coming up real soon, right? February 7, I think. Only a few days away!"

Tifa blinked. "What? She does?"

"I'd almost forgotten..." Aerith giggled.

"There's gotta be something we can do to celebrate," Tifa said. "We did it for Barret back at Fort Condor, so it's only fair you get your turn, too, Aerith. We just need to figure out how..."

I snapped my finger. "The Gold Saucer! Johnny mentioned it while he was driving us to the mountains, remember?"

"Right!" Tifa replied. "And we can get there from Corel."

"Some kind of ropeway, whatever that is," I agreed. Then I glanced at the others. "Johnny said it's the fastest way south from there, so it's a good bet Sephiroth'll probably go that way, too."

Cloud nodded. "Makes sense. What's the Gold Saucer?"

"It's this big amusement park," I explained. "Johnny was telling Tifa and I how he wanted to take Sandra there someday."

Aerith's eyes widened. "A park? Like rides and stuff?"

I draped an arm around her shoulder and grinned. "Yep! And we'll probably get there just in time for your birthday!"

"Oh, that sounds fun!" she laughed.

"Long as we don't forget 'bout Sephiroth," Barret said.

Cloud gazed into the fire. "We won't."

"Better not," Barret said. Then he sighed. "I guess it's time I told ya 'bout Corel. My hometown. Used to be 'round here."

"Used to be?" Red asked.

Barret nodded. "Ain't here no more. It burned down four years ago. An' it's all my fault. Corel's always been a mining town, an' I used to be the foreman. Worked underground since I was jus' a kid. The town was dusty an' poor, real small, but it was home."

"You miss it, don't you?" Aerith murmured.

"Yeah," he agreed. "How it used to be. Almost afraid to see what it's like now, though. But anyway, Shinra came callin' 'cause they wanted to build that metal monstrosity we saw back in the valley today. Had us a town meetin' that night to discuss it. An' that was the first time I'd ever heard 'bout those damn mako reactors."

Barret went on. "Almost all of us were in favor of it, even me. Even with how rich the mines were, the work was hard an' took its toll on us. My wife, Myrna... she was tough and helped me all the time, but bein' underground was eatin' away at her health."