Chapter Text
Aerith is surprised that Tifa had apparently left the church while Aerith went into the back room to grab something.
She’s more surprised though at the obvious change of Cloud’s weight while she was there.
“Cloud – you’re pregnant.” And obviously so. Which really didn’t make sense seeing Aerith was fairly certain he wasn’t moments ago.
“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” Cloud says. His voice dry.
“No, I mean…” There’s something off about it. Something wrong about Cloud’s pregnancy and not just because of its sudden appearance. It doesn’t feel like any other pregnancy Aerith’s been near. “I mean- who’s the father?”
“If you’re trying to be funny it isn’t working,” Cloud says.
“Nope. It’s an honest question. Promise.” Maybe if she can know that than she can figure out why she can’t shake the feeling of danger at it.
Instead of answering Cloud gives her an odd look.
“Aerith – are you okay?”
“Of course.” The more she thought about it it wasn’t just Cloud or his pregnancy that felt off but everything. The planet itself feeling different.
“Everything okay in there?”
Aerith recognises the voice before Zack even enters the church. And it’s a voice she’s missed as much as she’s missed the sight of him.
The fact he’s alive just makes her confusion worse.
“Sure Zack,” Cloud says. “Aerith just seems a bit off is all.”
“Huh?” Zack asks before looking over at Aerith. Turning his head in the useless adorable expression he always had when he was considering something.
“She seems fine to me,” Zack says before leaning back towards the door of the church. “Hey, Seph – get in here a second. We need your opinion on something.”
Despite how much Aerith wishes otherwise it is Sephiroth who walks through the door.
And the wrong feeling that seems to especially focus around Cloud’s pregnancy is the same as the one Sephiroth gives off.
Aerith has a feeling she knows who the father is now.
Cloud doesn’t look any way distressed that Sephiroth is there though. And surely Zack wouldn’t have just let anything too bad happen and still remain friends with Sephiroth.
Maybe whatever difference that helped to allow Zack to live also allowed Sephiroth to not succumb to the evil-wrong within him.
“What do you want my opinion on?” Sephiroth asks. And he’s watching Aerith closely – she wonders if he can tell she’s the one that doesn’t belong.
“Does Aerith seem off to you?” Zack asks.
Sephiroth could cause a lot of problems for Aerith if he revealed she isn’t the Aerith of this world or time. And he clearly knows it just as how she’s always known where the wrong him was in her world and time.
“No. She seems perfectly normal to me,” Sephiroth says. Only finally moving his gaze from Aerith onto Zack and Cloud.
He must have decided she wasn’t a threat to him.
Or maybe wasn’t a threat to them Aerith realises.
And it’s odd to think of Sephiroth at all being concerned with Cloud’s well-being.
But it’s a nice odd Aerith decides.