Across the Divide and Through Valhalla

What's in a Word

Chapter 11

Silence settled on the room after Sherry's outburst. None of the men knew quite what to say at first. For Zack and Cloud, they both wondered how she could possibly understand what Sephiroth and Genesis had done and still feel sorry for them. They didn't say anything as they both knew someone that was the same way, but they didn't understand her behavior either. As for Noel, he understood painfully. He had already been trying to save Caius from himself. The last thing he wanted was to kill his mentor, and he couldn't stop a blossom of hope at the thought that he might finally be able to keep the world from ending and help Caius at the same time.

The silence was finally broken when Caius called out to Sherry. "I cannot claim to understand what you have said, but from what I have gathered, it does not surprise me. I can see how my duty could possibly put me at odds with the rest of the world and what they believe to be right. As much as it pains me to think I might succumb to madness as well, I will not discount your words. I have no doubt that, at the very least, you believe what you are saying."

Sherry wanted to give him a hug in the worst way but managed to refrain again. She was confident he would not appreciate it. Instead, she gave him a nod before she tried to wipe away the worst of her tears. She took a step back and looked at all of them. "There is still so much to go over, but I think the rest should be done one on one. What would be good for one of you to know might not be for someone else." She paused when she saw several of them glare at her, and she shook her head. "I know you aren't all on board with my decision yet, but I cannot take the chance that what I tell you might cause more harm than good. This is my focus, after all. If I'm wrong, I'm sure there will be consequences for me. Besides, you always have the option of revisiting this after I speak to each of you. If enough of you feel that it would be better to share with everyone, then I will reconsider. I won't promise, though."

She saw several nods before Sephiroth spoke up. "Very well. We will listen and decide afterward." He paused at that and looked outside before looking back to her. "It has gotten late. Will you be handling this tonight or tomorrow?"

Her eyes widened in surprise at the fact that he was willing to give her a choice. She looked at them all once more before she finally responded. "We still have several other things to handle tonight as well, like dinner for starters. Why don't we take care of those decisions first? Afterward, I can decide if I will be able to handle it tonight."

When he gave her a nod, she turned to the kitchen. She noticed that Cloud was still giving her an unreadable look, but Zack was grinning as he spoke. "Is there anything I can help with?"

She found she was still able to laugh as she chuckled at his enthusiasm. "Let me see what I have first. My last round of shopping was for the camping trip, so I don't think I have a lot here."

At that, she moved to check what was in her freezer. She noticed that both Cloud and Zack followed her. Sephiroth had taken a seat again and was talking quietly to Caius with Genesis watching them both from nearby. Noel had also taken a seat, but he was simply watching Caius. She was glad to see that they could be normal for a little while, at least.

Once she got the freezer open, she found that she had more than she expected, but it was all frozen, and it was unlikely to thaw in a reasonable amount of time. She pulled out a package of chicken and stuck it in the fridge before she turned to the cabinets. She hadn't been looking in them long before her attention was drawn by Cloud. He was looking at her refrigerator with scrunched brows. His voice was wary when he spoke. "These sentences, they're all about Sephiroth, aren't they?"

Sherry's eyes widened again. She forgot that she had the word magnets, and she did have many sentences about several of her favorite characters. She groaned when his question drew the others in for a closer look. Zack looked over Cloud's shoulder and then clapped his friend on the back. "Not all of them, see, this one's about you. 'Cloud is friendly.' Huh, I guess that's right, but it isn't nearly as expressive as the rest of these. Look, this one has to be about Genesis. 'She swooned when she kissed the fiery-"