While Valerie, Heather, and Angel whispered quietly among themselves, discussing his request to search for the ancient temples of the Cetra race, Alex carefully slipped the shimmering Red Materia back into his pocket and took a deep drag on the thin cigar.
He was already certain of their positive answer: the girls were going to explore the expanses of Gaia anyway in order to carry out the assignments of his wives, and the mention of the runaway android Chadley, who had risen against the mad Hojo for the sake of his own freedom, only made their task easier.
Exhaling a ring of gray smoke into the sky, Alex turned to the others. Nearby Barret and Tifa were enthusiastically chatting with Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge, discussing the details of recent events and what they might lead to.
Shifting his gaze to the right, Alex noticed Claudia: she was carelessly leaning her back against the side of the armored personnel carrier, arms crossed over her chest. Their gazes met briefly, but Claudia immediately and demonstratively rewarded him with an icy, detached look and turned away.
Aerith, standing nearby, instantly noticed this change in mood. Smiling slyly, she bounced over to Claudia and began prying into exactly what had happened between them before the group discovered the two of them in such a piquant pose.
Claudia bestowed upon Aerith an empty, murderous look and demonstratively turned away. But that only egged Aerith on further as she continued to bombard her with tricky questions. Watching this unsuccessful siege, Alex couldn't help but laugh quietly, admiring the amusing picture.
"Hey, choom, we're done with the meeting," Valerie's voice sounded right by his ear as she boldly tugged on the sleeve of his coat.
"I'm not some choom, you little hooligan… Well then, girls? What verdict did you reach? Are you going to dig up the secrets of the ancient temples for me?" Alex rolled his eyes, sharply spun around, and playfully pinched the tip of Valerie's nose, shifting his gaze to Heather and Angel.
"We're not against it. We have to travel around the world and complete the rest of your wives' assignments anyway, and this android kid will probably give us the right coordinates of the ruins," Angel answered calmly with a shrug, shoving her hands into the pockets of her sports jacket.
"Then the question of payment remains. What does your little heart desire in return?" Alex smiled and finally released Valerie's nose; she immediately playfully hung on his arm, trying to twist it in protest.
"We haven't decided yet. Personally I haven't thought of what I want yet, and I'm not sure about V and Angel either," Heather drawled, throwing her arms behind her head and lazily stretching, nodding toward her friends.
"I'm still thinking too. Work isn't a wolf—it won't run off into the forest, so there's no rush with the price tag," Valerie added with a sly smirk, continuing to hang with her full weight on Alex's outstretched arm.
Alex nodded understandingly and didn't insist on an immediate determination of the price—he knew perfectly well that Valerie, Heather, and Angel wouldn't demand astronomical sums for a friendly favor. After talking a little more with the girls, he lightly beckoned Valerie to follow him, making it clear that he had a one-on-one conversation.
Noticing the gesture, Valerie slightly tilted her head to the side but obediently followed him. Moving a safe distance away from the main group—so that Claudia and Red XIII, who possessed incredibly keen hearing, definitely couldn't overhear them—Alex leaned toward Valerie, preparing to voice the second, more delicate request.
Hearing that a confidential conversation was coming, Valerie demonstratively rolled her eyes, but curiosity still won out: she became damnably curious about why solitude was needed. Leaning closer to her ear, Alex pulled a smartphone from his pocket and brought up on the screen a photo of a skinny man in a tattered robe, on whose shoulder a characteristic tattoo with a serial number was visible.
Valerie stared skeptically at the display, completely failing to understand why she needed to look at the portrait of yet another tramp. Noticing her skepticism, Alex immediately explained that there were quite a few of these "robed" wanderers scattered around the world, and behind their outward wretchedness lurked a deadly threat.
"So you want me to just clean up these will-less marionettes of the local psychopath villain so that he… What?" Valerie drawled lazily, slightly raising an eyebrow and skeptically poking a finger at the smartphone screen.
"These poor bastards serve as walking receivers for Sephiroth's consciousness—or now for a multitude of Sephiroths… Anyway, it doesn't matter. The main thing is that he is capable of possessing any of them at any moment and seizing control of the body. You don't need to chase after every single one across the whole world; just quietly eliminate them if they cross your path. I'll deal with the rest myself," Alex explained with a short nod and put the phone back into his pocket.
"We-e-ell… Fine, to hell with it. Taking out a couple of crazy dummies isn't a dusty job. And in general, what a pathetic name—Sephiroth? Sounds like a cheap doll from the porn simulators in the Clouds," Valerie smirked carelessly, lazily shrugging her shoulders.
"Hold on, hold on… Where do you even know about the Clouds from? Don't you want to share with your wise older brother, V? Why the hell did you end up in a place like that?" Alex asked, narrowing his eyes slyly and looking down at Valerie.
"I didn't do a damn thing special there. Just closed a couple of dirty jobs for Judy, and that's the end of it," Valerie waved off carelessly, spreading her arms wide and with her entire appearance depicting crystal honesty.
"Fine, let's say I believe you. Let's go back to the others before they start taking bets," Alex said with a sigh and carelessly ruffled the top of Valerie's head.
"Hey, get off! And stop ruining my hairstyle, you unfinished pervert!" Valerie rolled her eyes and irritably slapped Alex's hand away from her hair, heading back toward the armored vehicle.
Looking at his grumbling younger sister, who with manic persistence continued to smooth the wind-tousled strands, Alex laughed quietly. Stretching out his hand, he grabbed Valerie by the cheek and good-naturedly pulled her toward himself, forcing her to pull a funny face.
Feeling this light teasing, Valerie merely lazily rolled her eyes, not even trying to resist. Returning to the main group, Alex met Dean's gaze. The latter barely perceptibly raised an eyebrow and tapped a finger against his temple—unlike the others, Dean, thanks to his sharp hearing, had perfectly overheard the entire conversation about eliminating the robed clones and mentally requested details.
Exchanging a short, understanding nod with him, Alex wordlessly conveyed the essence of the plan, to which Dean, frowning, nevertheless approvingly nodded his head, acknowledging the logic of such a decision. Finishing the internal dialogue, Alex stepped up to the armored personnel carrier and carelessly leaned his shoulder against the armor next to Falco, exchanging a couple of cheerful phrases with him in honor of the meeting.
The short rest stop on the wastelands was coming to an end, and it was time to part ways. Valerie, Heather, and Angel were the first to climb into the cabin, literally dragging the resisting Nobukatsu after them—he continued to prove to Yuffie with foam at the mouth the superiority of taijutsu over her beloved ninjutsu.
Watching this circus, Alex with one hand caught Yuffie around the waist and with the other softly covered her mouth, interrupting another emotional outburst. Only when the hurricane admirer of the "Power of Youth" was finally thrown into the armored vehicle did Alex release Yuffie, who for a couple more seconds huffed angrily, mentally continuing the argument.
Meanwhile Biggs and Wedge warmly said goodbye to Tifa and Barret, promising to keep an eye on the situation in Midgar while they were all away, and also jumped into the vehicle, preparing to return to the megacity. Following the departing ones with his gaze, Alex noticed Jessie heading toward him. She walked with a soft, mysterious smile, hands clasped behind her back.
"Well then, time to say goodbye, sweetheart… Will you miss me?" Jessie cooed, stopping right in front of him and playfully rising onto her tiptoes.
"Oh, wait, let me guess: now you're going to deliver the classic drama about seeing a soldier off to war? Typical plot: I walk off into the sunset—or rather the sunrise—to anxious marches, and you—the faithful combat girlfriend—stay behind waiting for me at home, gazing at the floating clouds and praying for the hero's return. Did I get anything wrong, Miss Director?" Alex interrupted her with a light chuckle, softly cupping her cheeks in his palms and amusingly stretching her lips into a little tube.
"Hey, that's not fair! I spent the whole night, by the way, rehearsing a monologue about letters full of longing and about how I would faithfully wait only for you!" Jessie protested indignantly, puffing out her lips, crossing her arms over her chest and proudly lifting her chin.
"Well, as for letters and communication we can solve the issue far more technologically. Here. With this you'll be able to write, call, and even hold video conferences anywhere in the world. Oh, by the way, a special ID with unlimited access to my account is built in—just in case. And that's not counting the ten million gil I already left with Elmyra for pocket money," Alex smiled, shaking his head, reached into the pocket of his coat, and extracted a futuristic smartphone, holding it out to Jessie.
"Well then… You've killed all the romance at the root. Sweetheart, sometimes you're such an incorrigible pain in the ass, but I still adore you…" Jessie sighed playfully and carefully accepted the gadget from his hands.
"I can take it back if the gift isn't to your liking. You'll send me messages via courier Chocobos," Alex winked cheerfully, pretend-reaching for the smartphone in Jessie's hands.
"Don't you dare! Once you've given it—it's mine. Hands off, Mr. Generosity, shoo-shoo!" Jessie hastily hid the device behind her back and playfully waved Alex away with her free hand.
"Fine, fine, I'll shut up. Got anything else romantic to say for the road? Because the people in the vehicle are already looking sideways," Alex smirked, indicating the waiting crew with a nod of his chin.
"I won't promise romance… But I will definitely say one thing: until we meet again. And something tells me we'll see each other much sooner than you think. And I think I should give you my farewell gift so you don't forget me," Jessie whispered, changing her tone to soft and affectionate, putting the gadget into her belt pouch. Easily swaying forward, she rose onto her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around Alex's neck, and enclosed him in a warm, firm embrace.
Finishing the phrase, Jessie softly touched Alex's lips, closing her eyes for a moment and tightening her arms around his neck a little more. Not fully realizing herself when exactly they would get to see each other again, she instinctively wanted to leave something truly memorable behind.
Despite the smartphone he had given her and the constant connection, the cold abyss of distance still frightened her. In the moment of their kiss Alex smiled quietly and silently transmitted a mental impulse to her—a small encrypted array of information about who he really was, sealed in her consciousness so that it would unpack exactly at the moment when she sank into sleep.
Mentally he was already imagining her stunned face when in the morning she would realize the full scale of this secret. Finishing the kiss, Jessie reluctantly pulled away, lightly ran a finger over his lips, and a bright, embarrassed blush bloomed on her cheeks. In that moment she even managed to mentally scold herself for not giving in to the impulse earlier—simply because she hadn't expected how intoxicating and incredibly pleasant this kiss would turn out to be, making her want continuation.
But no matter how strongly she wanted to prolong the moment, common sense whispered: it was time to say goodbye. Once more wrapping her arms around his neck, she pressed her cheek to his shoulder, hugging him tightly, tightly in farewell. Softly hugging Jessie back, Alex laughed quietly and habitually reminded her that they were far from parting forever.
Hearing this right by her ear, Jessie sighed playfully and puffed out her lips, reproachfully shaking her head: you're still a master at chopping all the romance off at the root! Meeting his cheerful, sly gaze, Jessie couldn't hold back, laughed ringingly, and in farewell quickly brushed her lips across his cheek before finally releasing the embrace.
"Watch yourself! I'll be texting you every single day so you don't even dare forget. And if you decide to ignore me, sweetheart, I'll personally gather a squad, rush to the ends of the earth, and pull your ears myself," Jessie warned in a threatening tone, shaking a finger at Alex and narrowing her eyes slyly.
"Write and call any time of day or night, I'm all for it. I'll diligently flood you with photos from every new corner of Gaia we end up in. And now go. Take care of yourself… And keep an eye on these two goofballs so they don't get into trouble again," Alex smiled warmly and affectionately ran his palm over her hair.
Hearing Alex's words, Jessie walked around him and met the gazes of Biggs and Wedge, who instantly turned away, throwing their arms behind their heads and putting on maximally innocent faces—as if a second ago they hadn't been staring with all their eyes at the farewell kiss.
Watching their awkward maneuvers, Jessie felt her eyelid twitch for a moment, after which a long, crushed sigh escaped her chest. Shaking her head at the sight of these two hopeless goofballs, she turned and pressed herself tightly against Alex one last time.
Pulling away, Jessie lightly bounced over to Tifa, enclosing her in a warm friendly hug. Aerith came next: Jessie hadn't even managed to open her arms when the latter had already pulled her headlong into a firm surge of tenderness.
Feeling these sincere embraces, Jessie laughed quietly and, leaning closer to her friend's ear, whispered a request to keep an eye on their shared handsome guy. Hearing the instruction, Aerith rewarded her with a sly, unambiguous smile and confidently nodded.
Instantly deciphering the subtext of that smirk, Jessie merely clicked her tongue in resignation, complaining that she understood everything perfectly, to which Aerith laughed ringingly without even thinking of denying it.
Slightly sighing at the realization that she was leaving the guy in such reliable and predatory hands as Aerith's, Jessie hugged her once more in farewell and quickly said goodbye to the others. A moment later the doors of the APC slammed shut, and the armored vehicle hastily sped back toward Midgar, leaving only a dense cloud of dust behind it.
Watching the departing vehicle, Alex unhurriedly took a drag on the thin cigar and raised his gaze to the azure sky, exhaling an upward translucent stream of smoke. Barret standing nearby also followed the APC with a silent gaze, thinking only of his little Marlene.
However, the thought that loyal friends and Elmyra remained with the little one brought him tangible relief. Dean, on the contrary, was looking not toward the departing megacity but deep into the rocky wasteland, trying to make out the curves of the road and estimating their further path.
At that moment Aerith softly intertwined her fingers with Alex's palm. A strange, hitherto unfamiliar feeling overcame her: she had finally broken free from the steel cage of Midgar and would no longer see the metal ceiling hanging over her head. But contrary to expectations, quiet nostalgia for her native home still stirred in her soul, even though the entire boundless world had now opened before her.
Sensing Aerith's tremor and slight confusion, Alex softly squeezed her warm palm. With a kind smile he leaned down and affectionately nudged his nose against her forehead, wordlessly making it clear: the most interesting part was only beginning, and an incredible, fascinating journey awaited them ahead.
"Well then… What now? What are we going to do, guys?" Tifa suddenly inquired, breaking the silence and sweeping her gaze over the entire gathered company.
"Sephiroth… As long as that creature or its copies remain somewhere out there, we are obligated to put an end to this. Once and for all," Claudia said firmly, directing a piercing gaze into the distance, at the desert road disappearing beyond the horizon.
"Damn, I was counting on us having finished that bastard off completely. And it turns out he's multiplied," Barret exhaled irritably, transferring a frowning look to Alex and Claudia.
"Even if he's not alone, we'll handle them all. Together we can do this," Aerith said loudly and encouragingly, intertwining her fingers more tightly with Alex's palm and sweeping her friends with an inspired gaze.
"You don't even have to ask—I'm in! Taking down the main villain and saving the world—that's one hell of a cool, legendary adventure worthy of the Great Kunoichi of Wutai herself, Yuffie Kisaragi!" Yuffie yelled enthusiastically and, without thinking long, nimbly jumped onto Alex's shoulders, victoriously raising her index finger to the sky.
"I'm with you too. Without me you'll definitely get up to some nonsense here," Tifa stepped forward with a soft smile, placing a hand behind her back.
"Since we're talking about hunting on the trail of a beast, you'll definitely need my nose. So you can count on me," Red XIII added solidly and calmly, taking a step out from behind his comrades' backs and smoothly swaying his tail.
"Agh, fine! To hell with it, I'm in too! This bastard wants to destroy the planet, right? And an enemy of the Planet is my personal enemy!" Barret growled, finally resigning himself to the inevitable and fiercely baring his teeth.
"Excellent, back on the road! I was already starting to wither in that stupid Midgar. Arrange a crazy journey, beat up an overreaching psychopath, and save the world. How I love this classic," Dean smirked cheerfully, playfully punching his fist into his palm.
"Then our next destination is the town of Kalm! And now, gang, march to the nearest bus stop—time to open the adventure season!" Alex proclaimed enthusiastically, pointing with his hand somewhere into the distance and drawing Aerith after him.
"Alex… I'm terribly sorry to ruin your plans, but there have never been any bus stops here. Regular buses don't run between cities at all. Did you completely forget?" Tifa said quietly, blinking embarrassedly and softly catching him by the sleeve to stop the impulse.
"Fuck…" Alex exhaled heavily, face-palming as he realized the full comedy of the situation and completely dropping out of reality from such an obvious fact.
Raising his gaze to the scorching sun, Alex looked at Tifa once more, hoping to read on her face at least some hope that buses between the megacity and the provinces still existed. But Tifa in response only guiltily and embarrassedly shook her head, finally destroying his illusions about a comfortable journey. Letting out a long, crushed sigh, Alex tried to resign himself to the inevitable, mentally christening the upcoming hell a "little walk in the fresh air."
Dean also grimaced for a short moment, clearly not thrilled at the prospect of trudging on foot several dozen kilometers. And the situational melancholy only worsened when Barret loudly voiced the approximate distance to Kalm, adding that in the most successful scenario they would spend the entire remaining day on this road. Feeling the general frank reluctance to move from the spot, Aerith with a smile pulled Alex by the hand, calling on him to stop the senseless lamentations and finally take the first step.
Nodding resignedly, Alex obediently trudged after her, getting used to the thought that the beginning of their great adventure was turning out far more down-to-earth and exhausting than planned. Trailing at the very tail of the stretched-out group, Alex froze for a moment. A quiet, barely perceptible smile bloomed on his lips, and he stretched out his hand to the side as if carelessly patting the shoulder of an invisible companion walking past him.
"Good luck, hero… Save your sleeping princess and save your world while you're at it," Alex said in a barely audible whisper, lowering his hand and continuing to walk forward, holding Aerith's hand.
Hearing Alex's quiet muttering, Aerith curiously glanced back at him and slightly tilted her head to the side, surprisedly inquiring with whom he was whispering. Alex merely smiled warmly and waved it off, playfully complaining about the harsh hardships of the upcoming forced march on foot. Receiving such an innocent answer, Aerith sweetly wrinkled her little nose and with an affectionate smile pressed her cheek to his shoulder, quietly noting that this path could well be considered their first joint romantic walk under the scorching sun.
Alex tenderly ran his palm over her silky hair and with a sly squint threw a cheerful glance over his shoulder—straight through the layers of reality itself. At that very same moment, but in a different, parallel timeline, Zack Fair was heavily trudging across the same rocky wasteland toward the beckoning lights of Midgar, carrying the unconscious body of Cloud on his shoulders. Suddenly Zack distinctly felt how someone's firm palm amicably touched his shoulder, and a confident male voice sounded in the air, calling him a "hero."
Sharply turning around, Zack for a moment lost the power of speech: right in the middle of the scorching haze before him, woven from the air, stood a translucent silhouette of a guy in a thin black coat, arm in arm with a girl who was painfully familiar and dear. But what struck Zack most of all were the stranger's eyes—brightly rainbow, shimmering with otherworldly light; they looked straight at him as if seeing through all the boundaries of worlds and timelines. Quickly recovering from the shock, Zack saw how the guy smiled and openly raised a thumb upward, wordlessly making it clear: he believed in him and his path.
Looking at this sincere gesture, Zack simply couldn't hold back a response—a wide white-toothed smile bloomed on his exhausted face, and he likewise victoriously raised a finger in reply. He didn't know who this mysterious stranger was, but with his whole being he felt: under different circumstances they would certainly have become best friends.
Already preparing to turn away, Zack suddenly remembered that very touch on the shoulder: the warmth emanating from the ghost's hand was exactly the same as that incredible divine magic that had only recently brought him back from the dead and healed his fatal wounds. Zack sharply looked back—but the mirage had already vanished without a trace in the hot air, leaving only the silent, boundless rocks.
"So it was you after all… Heh. Hero, you say? Well then… I'll do everything in my power, buddy, since you're counting on me like that," Zack muttered with a quiet, daring chuckle, adjusting Cloud's slipping arm on his shoulder and gripping the Buster Sword more comfortably. He confidently stepped forward, dragging his helpless friend toward distant Midgar.
Seeing Zack off with his mental gaze, Alex couldn't help but smile. He clearly saw in the young man the pure potential of a true Hero—one whom the very Fate of the World would lead through storms to triumph. Besides, Alex was perfectly aware: Jenova, being the author of all this madness, was still plunged into deep sleep and incapable of directly interfering in Fair's fate. And that meant Zack would have to face only one of the fragmentary incarnations of Sephiroth trying to tear the world apart.
Understanding that because of the Black Whisperers' and the Harbinger's blunder their timelines had become forever intertwined and would inevitably cross again in the future, Alex felt only healthy excitement and anticipation. For him this multiversal chaos was not a problem but an amazing show worth watching—and, if necessary, extending a helping hand. Lifting his mood with these thoughts, Alex cheerfully shook his head and, continuing to firmly hold the Aerith who had settled on his back, strode after the rest of the group across the scorched wasteland toward Kalm.
The road promised to be long, exhausting, and boring to the point of teeth-grinding. After only an hour of continuous marching the tired Aerith without further ado jumped onto Alex's back, settling comfortably and throwing her arms over his shoulders in order to relieve her legs that were buzzing from the heat.
Yuffie, meanwhile, openly and loudly complained about the boredom reigning around: nothing but dull rocks and dust, and the scorching sun was frying them as if it had decided to incinerate them alive. However, no one particularly reacted to her emotional complaints—by this time they had already grown used to her explosive character.
At the head of the column walked Dean, Barret, and Red XIII, whiling away the tedious path with unhurried conversation. A little behind them walked Tifa and Claudia, quietly discussing some purely girlish trifles. Against their background only Alex stood out: thanks to his unique body he felt neither the scorching haze nor physical fatigue at all, and therefore entertained himself in the habitual way.
"You don't believe in no fate… Every day digging a grave / Step in the pit with the snakes / City of dreams, city of gang…" Alex cheerfully began to sing, raising his arms to the imaginary beat and slightly dancing as he walked.
"Hey, listen, can you put on something more normal? Not this cacophony?" Dean turned around, grimacing at the unfamiliar rhythms.
"Wouldn't dream of it!.. You don't believe in no fate… I might just dig up your grave / Step in the pit with the king / City of dreams, city of gang…" Alex countered with even greater enthusiasm, continuing to rock rhythmically under his breath.
"What a strange, daring melody… For some reason it painfully reminds me of the gloomy streets of Lower Midgar," Aerith drawled thoughtfully, softly rubbing her cheek against his shoulder and shielding her eyes with her palm from the blinding rays of the sun.
"Who knows in advance… Skully in the gully's, Bully in the boroughs / Finna take your money, That ice too, cos we thorough / We too thermo. Pack that heat. We too ghetto, Run the streets, Read that memo / Live that creed, All I need is, Greed in green…" Alex drawled with a smile, adjusting Aerith more comfortably on his back and continuing to stride confidently along the dusty road.
Hearing Dean's disappointed grumbling, who had taken a liking to this dark vibe, Alex merely smirked but didn't argue. The others, for their part, didn't particularly care what exactly the companion was humming—the main thing was that the rhythmic motifs helped somehow brighten the endless monotony of the road.
Finishing with his cyberpunk composition, Alex switched to a far more upbeat and cheerful rhythm, beginning to dance lively right as he walked, still carrying Aerith on his back. From such sharp and amusing movements Aerith laughed ringingly, grabbing Alex's shoulders and trying to sing along in unison.
After a couple of minutes Yuffie joined them as well—her irrepressible energy demanded an outlet, so she was ready for any foolishness just to drive away the boredom. Watching how Alex performed pirouettes around the walking group, Tifa smiled quietly, feeling how the tension accumulated over the sleepless night was finally receding.
Even Claudia allowed herself a fleeting soft smile, continuing to move forward with an even step. Looking at the general high spirits, Barret couldn't hold back and belted out with his powerful, rolling bass, causing a friendly explosion of laughter from everyone.
However, he himself didn't get embarrassed and proudly declared that his little Marlene had always been a fan of his vocal talents. Step by step the atmosphere in their group became lighter and warmer.
Another hour of the journey passed, although the surrounding landscapes stubbornly refused to change: around them still stretched scorched sandy dunes and jagged rocky hills as far as the eye could see. By this moment the rested Aerith had already jumped down to the ground, continuing to walk beside Alex and firmly holding his hand.
Deciding once again to drive away the gloom, Alex pulled a phone from his pocket, tapped the screen a couple of times, and snapped his fingers ringingly in time with the suddenly playing dynamic chords.
The moment Dean heard the first familiar notes, his face lit up with a wide smirk—good old Earth classic! Catching the general interested looks, Alex swayed in place and began to sing with gusto.
"Lord Almighty, I feel my temperature risin', mmm… Higher, higher, it's burning through to my soul!" Alex sang cheerfully, sharply spinning around and drawing Aerith into a playful dance.
"It was high time to put on a normal track! Girl, girl, girl, girl, you're gonna set me on fire! My brain is flamin', I don't know which way to go, yeah!" the laughing Dean picked up, instantly joining the high spirits and comically rocking to the beat.
"Your kisses lift me higher / Like a sweet song of a choir / You light my mornin' sky with burning love, mmm…" Alex sang even more ringingly, in passing softly running a finger over Aerith's lips, causing her to blush deeply and hide her smile.
"Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, I feel my temperature risin', mm! Help me, I'm flamin', I must be a 109, mmm!" Dean picked up, shouting over the wind and depicting the signature stage moves of the "King of Rock 'n' Roll."
"Burnin', burnin', burnin' and nothing can cool me, yeah! I just might turn into smoke, but I feel fine!" Alex, bursting with laughter, jumped over to Tifa walking nearby, easily caught her by the hand, and spun her in a quick dance, causing her to laugh ringingly and carefreely.
"'Cause your kisses lift me higher / Like the sweet song of a choir / And you light my mornin' sky with burning love…" Red XIII unexpectedly drew out in a soft, surprisingly velvety baritone, flawlessly hitting every note and solidly swaying his tail to the music, completely plunging the entire company into shock and delight.
To be continued...
(I had intended to reach the town of Kalm in this chapter, but I decided it would be better to save that for the next one. Finally, Alex will be able to properly enjoy his adventure instead of being stuck in dusty Midgar, and Dean will finally have the chance to become a legend in Queen's Blood. It's time for Dean to become the world champion! Plus, there will be all sorts of little things happening along the way. I don't think we'll be lingering in Kalm for very long; we'll head straight to Junon to crash Rufus's parade—who does that jerk think he is, acting all cool? Well, tough luck for him—Alex is going to be there to ruin everything, and he'll do it in the most ridiculous way possible. Alex even has the perfect costume in mind for the occasion. Here's a little hint for you: *Kupo!* Time for me to grab a bite to eat. Peace, love, and *Kupo-kupo-kupo!*)
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