Homecoming

by Skylark

Disclaimer/Authors Note: I do not own any of the characters from FF VII; they belong to their owners and PLEASE DON’T SUE!I’M POOR!! WAAAAHH! *Clears throat* Okay, now that I’ve gotten THAT outta my system, I can also tell you that I’m trying something different here, so please bear with me. Wow! My shortest note yet! (Ever!)

Thought this up on August 3, 2000

Finished this on August 4, 2000

Well, here I am. Nothing here has changed much since I first left, but for one important feature. The defining mark of the town, so much in fact, that that was how this town got its name. The rocket, the Shinra No. 26, is gone now, launched at Meteor in an attempt to stop it.

Looking around, I can see a lot of the familiar faces, faces I recognize from years of living here, most of them mechanics who used to work on the rocket that no longer exists except as space rubble. I can even see that old man who would stare at the rocket – my rocket – for hours on end. He wouldn’t say a word, just stand there and stare. Now, he’s staring at the empty supports.

There is a reason to my return. If there hadn’t been, I woulda just given up on this town, and the neurotics who live here. I shake my head and wonder where Shinra found them all. Well, it mustn’t have been hard, the people of Midgar weren’t much better, and that’s where most of these people came from. They just picked out the “extra special” people for this place.

Looking up from my boots, I look at the house surrounded by a white picket fence. My house.

And Shera’s.

Shera.

The reason I came back. The only reason I came back. I have to tell that woman that … that I’m sorry for the way I’ve treated her over the years.

I can see Shera looking at me through one of the windows. She’s probably been expecting me since the arrival of the Highwind; it’s not hard to miss the airship, and wherever it goes, I’m usually there as well.

I look down at my boots again and retreat into the Inn, heading towards the bar. Who would have thought that this was going to be so damn difficult? I hate the fact that I can’t face up to her, but what am I going to say? Apologizing has never been one of my strong suits.

I sit down at the far end of the bar and lean the Venus Gospel up against the wall. I have gotten my materia back from Yuffie.

“Hey, Captain! Great to see you’re all right! Can I get you something?” asks the bartender.

I nod, not looking up. The bartender hands me a drink. I really don’t care what it is; I’m not planning on drinking it.

Good plan, shit for brains, my mind snaps, run and hide. What happened to the Cid Highwind who faced down WEAPONs, Jenova and Sephiroth and lived to tell about it? Afraid to talk to a girl. Barret’s gonna have a %&$#@% field day with this.

“Shera’s been worrying herself sick about you. Have you told her that you’re back yet?”

I nurse my drink for a bit before replying.

“No.”

“Well, why not?”

I silence the bartender with a dark glare. He returns to wiping out glasses while I return to staring into the depths of my drink. Someone approaches and sits down next to me. I pointedly ignore him. He clears his throat and asks, “Captain Highwind?”

The voice is familiar, but I can tell right away that it isn’t anyone from Rocket Town. I’m just ‘Captain’ to everyone in Rocket Town. In fact, the only people who ever called me Captain Highwind were the crew on the airship. Well, and President Shinra, but that’s another story.

I look up and find myself facing the pilot that I had trained from level three to full pilot.

“What do you want?”

The guy looks a little nervous, and I quickly realize that I’m scowling at him. I drop the look and turn back to my drink.

“We, the crew and I, we couldn’t help but overhear you talking about Shera on the flight to drop all your friends off at home. Well, it’s just that we were watching you from the airship and noticed that you seemed to be avoiding talking to her.”

“What’s your $%^&#@ point?”

“They figured that you might want someone to talk to. I’m the lucky guy who got chosen to be that someone.” The guy started to wring his hands nervously. I can’t but help being reminded of Shera by that simple action. “Do you want to talk about it?”

I smile slightly into my drink. Justin had seemed like such gutless pansy when I first met him, too scared to even be able to simply land the Highwind, but I realize now that he’s got more balls than I first thought. I mean, he’s here, sticking his nose into my relationship with Shera, ain’t he?

“Not much to talk about,” I reply finally, hoping he’ll go away and stay out of my business.

“Oh,” he responds, but he doesn’t get up to leave. I sigh in irritation; I really don’t want to talk about it, but it seems Justin’s going to stick to me like glue until I tell him something. He waves to the bartender and orders a drink.

I raise my own glass to my lips and take a sip. I make a face. I’d forgotten why I never get drinks here, just beer that was bottled elsewhere on the Planet.

Damn, that’s evil.

The only time I ever order drinks here is when I’m already so sloshed that I don’t notice the taste of ‘em anyway. Justin doesn’t seem to mind though.

We sit in silence for a few moments before I get thoroughly pissed off. “Listen, why don’t you just &^%* off and stay out of my damn business?”

Justin just shakes his head, and the bartender gives me a look, silently asking me not to bust up his bar. I ignore him and grab Justin by the lapels of his uniform, hauling him off of his stool. My face is inches away from Justin’s, and I can tell the guy is scared shitless.

“Look,” I growl, “when I tell you to %$#@ off and stick you nose into someone else’s business, you’d better damn well listen!”

I throw Justin to the floor and he lands with a dull thud. Still burning with rage, I grab my drink and hurl it into the wall on the other side of the bar before grabbing the Venus Gospel and making my way to the exit. The glass shatters against the wall, and a muffled voice from inside the bathroom that’s located on the other side calls out, “I’m in here.”

If I wasn’t in such a pissy mood, I might have laughed.

I step out of the Inn and look up at the sky. Dusk is nearing, but the storm clouds gathering in the distance are obscuring the sun, casting Rocket Town into an early darkness.

Great, I think, weather to match my mood.

I glance back to my house. Shera’s not at the window anymore, and I feel a twinge of guilt for not going straight home. My luck, she’ll be bawling her eyes out when I come in.

And who’s fault would that be? my conscience asks savagely. I just ignore it, scowling, and walk up to the door. It’s open and I walk in. Shera’s nowhere to be found in the house. This in itself is a little strange, and there’s no tea on.It’s like Shera didn’t see me when she looked out that window, but I know for a fact that she did. It’s something I learned to recognize about her, the way she stiffens when she spots me or I enter a room she’s in.

And you know why she does.

Damn conscience. Why can’t it just shut the hell up and leave me alone? But I know it’s right. A sudden thought occurs to me. If Shera’s not in the house, maybe she’s out back.

I set the Venus Gospel down and head to the back door. It’s open as well and I step out into the back yard. I was right. There’s Shera, sitting in the middle of the yard, just looking up at the sky. The clouds obscure the stars now and a light pattering of rain is beginning to fall. Thunder rumbles ominously in the distance.

I walk over to her side and sit down beside her. She doesn’t move or acknowledge my presence. We sit in silence for a few awkward moments. I scratch at the back of my neck and get ready to speak when Shera silences me.

“Don’t. Just … don’t.”

I look at her quizzically, but she doesn’t expand on her meaning, nor does she say anything else. There’s a bright flash of lightning, followed almost immediately by a deafening crash of thunder, and the clouds open up and start to pour. I cringe involuntarily. I turn back to Shera and start to suggest that we should move back into the house, but she gives me a glare that I’ve never seen on her before and I shut my mouth and retreat into the house. Shera stays out back.

I wasn’t outside for long and already I’m sopping wet. Shera’s going to get sick if she stays out there much longer, but I’m not planning on going out and retrieving her. Thunderstorms have never been one of my favorite things. To tell the honest truth, they scare me, ever since … then. I try not to think about it, but I can’t stop the images from running through my head. I shake it vehemently, trying to clear it. It doesn’t work well, but it’s enough.

I peek out the window. Shera’s still out there, but she’s standing now. She knows I’m not about to go out there; it’s probably why she didn’t come in. In fact, it’s probably why she went out in the first place. She knows I’m no big fan of thunderstorms, and she knows why. It’s not a fear I’m going to conquer any time soon.

I find myself growing angry with her. It’s not her fault that I screwed up again, and I get angry with myself for blaming her.

I wheel away from the window and kick the wall.

“Dammit!”

I came home to apologize and I went and %$#@#& it up again.

I jump in surprise and shock as a crash of thunder accompanies a hand reaching out and touching my shoulder. I twist about and come face to face with a soaking wet Shera. I hadn’t noticed when she came in.

“&^%$ Shera, don’t sneak up on me like that!”

She looks at me and shakes her head as her hand falls from my shoulder, then walks away from me, heading to her room. It’s like she just assumed that I didn’t change at all.

Damn it, woman! Don’t walk away from me when I want ta apologize! my mind screams, but I can’t make myself come out and say it. I stand there for a moment, silent. Then I shake my head.

“&^%$.” I gather the Venus Gospel and head to my own room. Looks like I’m gonna hafta try again some other time.

The End.

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