Switched

Another Reason

Chapter 20

When Sephiroth woke, the warmth that surrounded her made her want to slip back into sleep again, but she pushed the feeling back. She knew they had a lot to face still. When she opened her eyes, she realized with a start that the warmth was not all due to the furs. Somehow during the night both she and Genesis must have moved to face each other and huddled close for warmth. Currently, she found that she was tucked into his chest and he had an arm across her waist.

Her mind immediately went into overdrive as she tried to figure out how she was going to get out of the awkward position without waking him up. As she was contemplating how best to slip away without moving him, she realized that she was close enough to smell his unique scent clearly. It was something she had never noticed before, but it was sharp and spicy and somehow reminded her of a sunny fall day.

Unfortunately, her contemplation of what he smelled like proved to be the delay that allowed him time to wake. She watched in horror as his eyes opened and he realized their predicament as well. His eyes widened and, luckily for them both, he quickly moved his arm and sat up. She repressed the shiver the sudden cold air caused and followed him up.

Neither of them said anything about it as they looked around. Sephiroth noticed they were alone on the upper platform. The thought that the man that gave them shelter had seen the two of them wrapped up together was pushed violently from her mind. As far as she was concerned they would pretend it never happened, especially as Genesis seemed to be of the same mind.

She turned when she heard him speak. "I see Angeal must have decided to sleep upstairs. I will assume our host is there as well. Why don't we see what the day has in store?"

She wasn't looking forward to trying to tackle the great Glacier, but she was still glad to head upstairs. When they arrived at the top Angeal looked over and gave them a smile. He had a steaming cup in his hand and they both realized their host had made coffee. The man turned to them as well and pointed to two more cups on the counter. "Help yourselves. A hot cup is always welcome in the cold up here."

Neither of them spoke until after they had their first sip. Genesis turned to their host with his signature smile. "There is no hate, only joy, for you are beloved by the Goddess. Without your assistance, this journey would be bleak indeed."

The old man gave him a funny look at his words, but Angeal spoke up before he could ask what that was supposed to mean. "Ah, pardon Genesis. He has always had a bit of a flair for the dramatic. He was actually trying to thank you for your hospitality."

Their host nodded at Angeal's words slowly, as if he were still trying to make sense of it. Finally, he shook his head. "If you say so."

Sephiroth couldn't hold back a laugh at the consternated look Genesis shot the old man at his words. There was still laughter in her voice when she spoke. "I understand. We've had years to learn to translate his words and there are still sometimes when we wonder."

At her teasing, Genesis stood stiffly and moved to get another cup. Both his friends had to stifle their laughter at his next mumbled words. "There are no dreams, no honor remains." No one responded to them though.

As he sat again, their host spoke up. "You all came in so late last night that it's already late morning. I would recommend that you hold off on trying to tackle the glacier until tomorrow. That'll give you the chance to leave early and make it up while it's still daylight. I don't know what your plans are, but there are some caves up there that you can stay in if you can't make it back in the same day. I wouldn't recommend staying more than a day, though. It'll end up getting you killed if you do."