Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It is late evening and the people of Edge are now finding shelter from the heavy rain that started to fall over their heads. The lights are still bright inside the seventh heaven bar, and lousy discussions animate the main room, as a gather of old friends share their late tales. Barret, tifa and cloud are sitting at one of the table in the center, a few bottles of alcohol stand there opened and half empty. Tifa sits close to Cloud who’s sitting next to her, a drink in one hand and the other arm on the back of Tifa’s chair, both are facing Barret. Vincent stand still in a corner looking at the scenery and enjoying the background sound they make and the jukebox's old tone. Marlene and Denzel were both sleeping in their room for quite some time, so it was just the "adults" here.

Barret : “I’m just sayin’ you could have been a little less harsh when talking to them. They’re just doing their jobs.”

Cloud : “Why would I ? They sell shit, I’m telling them. I’m not at fault if they can’t even take care of a few greens.”

Tifa : “I'm sure you could have avoided pulling your blade at him…”

Tifa is looking at cloud trying to make it sound like she’s reprimanding him, but he can see the glimpse of amusement in her eyes as she listens to the tale. She knew him enough to not be surprised by his (in)voluntary lack of social skills. Cloud shrugs as in to show he's unaffected but his grimace tells another story. He goes to put his feets on the table to get comfortable but one glance from tifa causes him to rethink his course of action and just expend his legs under the table instead. Barret continues.

Barret : “Seriously…You should have seen ‘em ! they argued for twenty minutes… screaming an’ all… before the man told him that if he wanted a chocobo that much he could just cuts his hair and stick them up his ass.” He tries his best to keep the story going but his laugh takes over as he remembers. “You should have seen his face… and how furious he was ! ...I would have hold him if I weren’t too busy laughing !” They lost Barret on that one.

Barret laughs again and Tifa’s light laugh sings with his. The blond man just shrinks and puts his free hand over his eyes, visibly hiding his shame and annoyance.

Cloud's eye twitch : “…And you clearly didn’t help at all you asshole.” He whispers angrily more to himself than anyone in the room.

Barret : “Eh ! I’m sure you had it all under control.” He smiles softly and spots a slight smile that Cloud tries to hide. “So ?” the gunman keeps going. “How are the kids doing ? I’ve came to help Cloud with the job today and I didn’t get to see ‘em when we got here.” He straightens to reach for another drink.

They talk about Denzel and Marlene for a bit before they hear a knock on the door and a beautifully chosen swear that makes the group turn in recognition. They see as Cid enters the room all wet from the rain, spear in his hand, blood, dirt - and too many other unknown elements - splashed all over his weapon and clothes. He looks at his old allies and friend’s shocked expression with a bright malicious smile on the face.

Cid : “@#!$~& !! Wouh !! You should have see the shitty thunderbird I came across while coming here ! I’ve landed the highwind beyond edge field and came on foot and this ugly fuckermother thought he could get some of me.”

Tifa lets a sigh, relieved. Cid shakes his head and got Barret groaning displased by the splash of water droplets on him.

Barret : “Hey ! Watch it !”

Cloud looks at cid, he straightens in his chair looking somewhat serious at the short blond man. 

Cloud : “You okay ? How did it come here…It’s far from it’s territory.” His low tone seems somewhat too worried for such a simple event. Vincent is looking at them listening.

For all answer Cid flicks some rest off his top and takes a cigarette out and light it with a shrug as if to brush the younger man's worries with his light demeanor.

Cid : “I can take shits worse than that... It was alone, might have been lost and - What the heck is that weather anyway ?“ He cuts himself.

Barret : “Huh ? Rain don’t come your home ? Is that why you smell that way ?” replies Barret, big smile on his face, as a come back from the water splash, drinking another sip of his drink.

Cid : “That’s right smartass ! The perfume is monster guts. Want some ?”

He then tries to hug barret all smelly clothes on. Barret screams at him to get away from him in surprise as he runs around the table, a laughing Cid on his back. Tifa is saving the drinks from crashing on the floor when they move, Cloud secures his own drink and Vincent looks away.

Tifa puts the glasses on the table and glances at the liquid on the floor, angry, she slams her fist on the wood. “Alright ! THE BOTH OF YOU BETTER STOP RIGHT NOW !” They immediately go to a stop, as barret gets his hold on Cid collar. “I don’t want any of you waking the kids up ! And I don’t want you…” She points at Cid “…putting blood everywhere in my home, get in the bathroom to clean yourself up. Now !” Vincent is smiling his corner and Cloud hides his smirk to Tifa with his glass.

The big man finally let go of Cid brushing him away slightly.

Cid : “Fine ! Fine !” Holding his hands up in quick surrender before the glaring crimson eyed woman. Smirking, amused, he crosses Cloud, slapping his shoulder on the way and goes away for the bathroom.

They all sit back down while barret is smoothing his clothes.

Cloud looks slowly looking at the window : “…Cid isn’t wrong. The weather seems pretty weird tonight.” He looks at Tifa calmly. “Once the rain stop, I’ll go check if Cid’s incident was really an isolated one.”
They hear some water running in the bathroom and a muffled swear from Cid.

Tifa looks back at Cloud, he seems pretty relax tonight. She thinks about him and how it is still hard to get him to smile. Small gather, like this one, always seem to put his thoughts at ease... At least for a short time. But she also knows that the man easily goes back into his own somber thoughts. He still feels the need to carry so much on him and him getting worried so easily, is just proof of it for her.

Barret growls at Cloud : “We’ll get home with Cid on the highwind, Vincent and I can check that on our way back. Stay here with Tifa and the kids.”

Cloud turns his look at him and jerks his head at him : “It doesn't bother me to take care of it.”

Barret : “if I say so damnit ? Can’t you Just stick yo’ damn ass here.” He puts his arms on the back of the chair beside him and seems to relax too. Tifa smiles, seems like Barret understands it too... In his own way.

For a short moment, they all stay here listening to the rain outside, the jukebox getting to a stop as the last note pop and dies and a few muffled swear from the bathroom. Cloud finishes his drink and closes his eyes, acknowledging the peace and warm silence of the seventh heaven brings at this instant. Curled up slightly on himself, drowsy from the beverages and as if to conforts him further, he listens to the breathing each inviduals in the house are taking. His enhance senses serving him in this instance, instead of the overwhelming it can brings sometimes, to let him know of the livings roaming in his current life. He genuinely smiles.

Suddenly - breaking the short moment - he hears a knock on the back door. Cloud opens his eyes. They all look at each other questionning.

They hear cid says still muffled away : “Shit ! For gods sake, who are you waiting at a time like this ? I’m getting it. Don’t move !” he orders.

They wait. Tifa is looking at her friends, one brow arched up. Barret is holding his hand and shrugs, confused, wondering the same. Cloud is getting slightly alerts and Vincent still does not react at all in his corner. There are a few walls between the main room and the back door so they cannot see anything at the moment. The door opens, followed by a short silence and followed by a gasp and one of the most creative swears Cid may have come up with yet. They all turn toward the door sensing the alert in his tone. Tifa is the first to stand up.

Cid says finally seemingly in shock : “Wh…what the fuck is that ?”

Tifa : “something wrong ?”

Cid : “Well…I’m not sure.”

Barret slightly angry : “what is it then ?”

Cid : “Arh… I really don’t know how to describe it - Well yes ! Yes, I know how to describe the shit ! it’s a kid...” His voice cracks, annoyed by his own lost of words. “…but…”

Tifa : “A kid ? then get him in. It’s cold outside.” They finally get to the back, Tifa in front and Barret blocking Cloud’s view.

Cid : “Well, thank you ! I know that !” this time it’s more pissed. “…but it’s… Just look !”

Cid looks at them visibly confused and stunned. Holding the door, he leaves space for the gunman and the red eye woman to see for themselves. Cloud hears Tifa gasps too and Barret’s back tensed suddenly and fumbles a little backward.

Barret : “What the… ??? How the…???” He scratch the back of his head and, him and Tifa slowly turn toward Cloud as they look at them visibly puzzled at their worried looks. The man frowns in return and walks further to see what, or who, surprised them that much.

He takes the door in one hand looking past it looking down and stops as he see the small figures in front of his doorway. It is visibly is a child, a toddler even, of one year only. He wears a, way too large, black sweatshirt that holds him tight and warm against the weather but his nose and cheeks are still red from the cold outside. The small child visibly confused and looking around in a very unstable sitting position, as if trying to understand where he is. He’s holding a little piece of paper in his tiny round hands.

The blond warrior tries to get a sound out of his mouth but he can only look with wide eyes. A child is only a child and Cloud has seen some before, but what makes it peculiar is some very short, wet and very recognizable silver hair surrounding his small face. And the look of large green irises around (oddly) round shaped pupils that are, finally, looking back at the big man. For all reaction, the little one yawns. And for all response, Cloud’s confused, surprised expression darkens, and his brows furrows into fury.

Chapter Text

Rain was still pouring, and the wind came up now smashing at the windows. The group is back in the main room of the bar. Vincent has now walked up to them, his arms crossed on his chest with his golden claws standing near his chin. Cid, after closing the back door has his hands flat on the table and his head down trying to grasp what just happened, he wears one of Cloud’s black clean T-shirts. Barret is walking wildly in a circle, groaning, stopping at the time as if to say something before resuming his maddening march. Tifa is silently sitting down at the table. The drinks have been put away, most of them not willing to drink again as if to sober up, their thoughts and questions floating in the silent warm space.

Sitting in the middle of the table was a chubby small toddler looking rather curious at Tifa’s hand, his big peculiar green eyes looking at her palm and comparing it to his as in awe in front of such a difference in size. The red-eye women had taken a towel and dried the small child's silk silver hair. As he was playing, he let a few giggles and “Baah !” communicate his discoveries with no care for the heavy atmosphere, he was the source of. He let out a bright smile to Tifa in front of him, his hair fluffing around the towel. She was worried but she smiled back.

In response to these noises, there were some muffled swears and furious crashing in another room. Right after their discovery, Cloud had just rushed into one of the rooms and locked himself up, they heard a few beautiful phrasings that might have been inspired by Cid’s poetry.

They all looked at each other and eyed the kid. After a short time that seemed an eternity, Barret finally broke their trance looking at the blond older man.

Barret : “Cid ! There was really nothin’ with the kid ? He can’t have popped up here all alone ! Someone must have put them here !”

Cid straightens and shrugs looking at Barret, he was pissed and sniffed before responding to the gunman: “I should have known ? I’ve looked. Just the little shit, the clothes on him and the piece of crap he was holding.” He jerks his head toward a piece of paper that Tifa was holding in his free hand.

Barret gets behind Tifa and looks at it. it was not big, just a small fourteen by twenty-one-centimeter scrap of paper. Nothing more. The paper was a little bit wet because of the rain. And only a few lines were noted on it, all in computer writing, nothing handwritten. There was Information of birth, age, weight, facial features, and a few medical notes on it. there was only one piece of information missing, a blank line right after the word : Name.

Barret reaches the back of his head his brows furrows confused and angry: “What’s these scraps of information they give us ?! whoever they are they better get back ‘ere right now and explain all this bullshit !! They can’t expect us to deal with it like that ?! He clearly looks like…” His voice got down “…You know.”

His last sentence is punctuated with a new crash from Cloud’s room. His enhancement betrayed him as he heard the last bit. They all turned toward it before going back to the little shape on the table, who was currently fighting against the towels that were hiding his face, only his feet were now visible under it.

Barret got closer to the toddler and put away the towel from his little face: “I’m not okay with this situation. I don’t like it at all. ‘Feels like a trap to me.  “

Cid : “For fuck sake ! What do you expect us to do ? Leave it outside ? We can’t just ignore him.” He took a cigarette out of his pocket ready to light it up. “Still…Do you think the look is just a coincidence or…Do you think that… that guy… could have had smut and put enough effort to get the job done ? “

Another yell rises from the room away.

Barret : “Stop that !”

Cid shrugs smirking at the big man’s annoyance : “Stop what ?”

Barret grits his teeth : “Don’t say it ! I don’t want to imagine Sephiroth banging anyone in this world ! My mind isn’t ready for this ! That just gives me the creeps !”

Cid smirks : “Eh…As far as I know, he still has the package. We couldn’t check at the end-“ Another thing crashes in Cloud’s room.

Tifa and Barret : “Cid !” “Just stop godsdamn !”

Cid holds up his hands in the air : “Alright ! Alright !” Vincent’s shoulders shift slightly and hide a smile behind his coat.

Tifa was still staring at the small silverette then his eyes got to Cloud’s room. She finally got up to go see him, leaving the three men in the room as the silence settle back again.

Barret hummed thinking hard in anger then as his thoughts formed, he lets out almost in a whisper. “Still…What should we do ? I mean…We can’t…get rid of him ?”

Cid’s eyes widen in shock, the cigarette almost falling from his mouth as he gapes.

Cid : “Wha…what ? How can ya think of doing something like that ?” his neck muscles were tense, he still kept his voice low as much as he could. “He’s just a kid !”

Barret’s brows furrow, his glare did not move from the kid playing on the table who was not looking back. He was deep in thought, unsure about anything. They had done things far worse than this before. Maybe he was trying to find an excuse for thinking like that, but he had been a terrorist and he did blow up places. Even though the damage was to protect the planet, he cannot just ignore the fact that they did hurt people at some point. He did not like this idea…And he did not like this situation, but this was no mere event that they could just ditch as if it were nothing. Looking at the kid, there was no real doubt about his traits. He knew he sounded monstrous and sweat ran down his face.

Vincent’s voice raised and got both men's attention back to him. “Who said it was innocent ?” He asked bluntly.

Cid turned at Vincent, one eyebrow up in confusion “eh ?”

Vincent : “What makes you think the kid isn’t a danger to us all ?”

Cid brows furrow at Vincent phrasing, this is closing into madness territory for him : “All I see is a kid. Don’t try to put yar paranoia onto him ! …And we won’t raise our weapons on the face of a frickin’ toddler, whatever their look.” At this point, he just took the little silver-haired toddler in his arms which seemed completely surprised by the move, and yelped as he was pushed into Cid's chest. Stuffed against him, he pushed with his little chubby hands to get his head out and be able to breathe again. Barret didn’t move at first, he was straight looking at Cid and the kid in his hands. He then holds his hand in the air and moves his gun arm away to finally calm his friend fury : “ok relax Cid. We won’t hurt the kid. I was just asking questions because this…this is just fucked up !”

Vincent stayed still, he didn’t react when Cid took the kid, he wasn’t acting hostile either. He steeled his gaze maybe just to try and mess with the blond man : “This is still a legitimate question. He can’t be his kid since his birth date does not align with him being alive…So…there are only a few options here. The kid is Sephiroth, we saw him come back before and he didn’t age so something might have happened, and we just don’t know what. Or, Someone used Hojo’s knowledge to make the kid that way and there is far more going on that we don’t know yet.” He lets the silence settles between them. His breath was slow. “…Quite the enigma. Killing him would just put a big part of the problem away, we’d still have to deal with how he came up here.”

Cid shakes his head : “Tch… I didn’t think you were that crazy. Might have thought too much of Turk. I won’t kill a child.”

Vincent : “So killing a kid is your limit, but killing a man is fine ?”

Cid yells : “shaddap, Vince ! I know what you’re trying to do here. What do you take me for ? I’m not that @&!#% stupid.” At this point, he’s just pissed by Vincent and it shows. The kid is pouting toward the EX-Turk now as to mirror Cid’s annoyance.  

Vincent bows his head down and closes his eyes : “…Still…Only his appearance is holding your arm here.” Vincent had seen these men battle and he knew that they had the strength and could get the job done if needed to. The questions were legitimate in his opinion, he was never going to act on it since there were still too many unknown variables for them to act…yet. But he also sees how pissed Cid was right now so he might just let go of the question for now.

He let his hands down on his sides looking at Cid : “Do not worry. I won’t touch him.”

This seemed to calm Cid and he let his head bow down in a heavy sigh, he looks at the kid whose green eyes are looking back at him with one of his eyebrows going up wondering what’s happening before yawning and rubbing his little eyes.

Cid : “Hmph, I’ll just do what I think is right. I don’t want to regret something I did just because we weren’t sure. ” He points at Vincent as a warning.

Vincent shakes his head : “That’s remorse not regret.”

The silver toddler grasped and was pulling the collar on Cid’s neck and he had to battle to get it back with a grimace as he obviously did not know how to deal with a kid here. Barret was looking at both and finally sat down on a chair groaning as the tension dropped a little bit.

Barret : “…Still…we don’t know what to call him.”

~~~~

Tifa went into Cloud’s room.

She silently opens the door. A small table was now wrecked on the floor, might be the source of the crashing noise from before. Some papers had obviously flown in the process, an old PHS was smashed against a wall, the bed was moved, obviously kicked on the side and some other laid here and there. Cloud was standing against the window on the far end of the room. His head was against the glass looking down at his feet, and both hands were trembling against the wood bordering the window, he was holding the border so tight, his finger was white, and the wood crushed under his strength. Tifa walked over him avoiding some stuff on the floor and closed the distance. He heard her feet moving softly closing the distance between them, but he didn’t react.

Tifa : “Cloud - ”

Cloud : “I must be cursed at this point.” He cuts her words.

Tifa : “…”

Cloud turned toward her suddenly and stopped his icy blue gaze lock on her. He was furious but she could discern some pain in his eyes. He was shaking, he was confused, and his voice was trembling and cracking. He was not sure why this happened, but it happened, and he was shocked by how much it was affecting him. But here he was…Emotions storm inside of him because of the silver hair enigma. His hand rose to his head, gritting his teeth.

Cloud : “Or maybe it’s a set ? And I’m the joke at the end. How many do I have to kill this bastard for him to stay dead ?!” At this point, his voice was rising again.

Tifa leans to get to look into his eyes : “Cloud…”

Cloud : “Maybe I should end it all here and now and we won’t have to deal with this at -”

Tifa shouts getting his attention this time : “Cloud ! Calm down. There is no solution to find as long as we don’t know the problem we’re facing here.”

Cloud : “Tifa…” He looks at her hurt. “You’ve seen him. That can’t be a coincidence. If it was, why would it be right at our door ?” He walks away from the window and sat down on the bed, head in his hands and breathing slowly. “I thought…I really thought we finally got rid of him last time. I know It might just be his appearance….” He shuts himself not sure what to add. He senses arms surrounding him, she kneeled in front of him to get to his level.

Tifa : “I know. But that was then and…this is now.” She cups her head around his cheeks and caresses him with her thumbs to calm him down. “You’ve come this far. Don’t let some bad possibilities distract you from the fact that you’ve come this far. You can deal with that !”

She felt his shoulders going slump under her arms.

Cloud : “…” He pouts. Maybe he didn’t want to deal with that, he thought. He didn’t say it because he knew that he couldn’t really put that into Tifa or anyone’s shoulder. But still, he was angry at what was going on.

Tifa : “Or maybe… let me ?”

Cloud : “Huh ?”

Tifa : “Eh ? You’ve let me deal with Marlene and Denzel for some time, I can deal with the little one too. He doesn’t look that bad.” She says smiling moving her head toward the door. “…And while we take care of him and make sure he’s nothing like Sephiroth, we can also do some researches as to where he comes from. How does that sound to you ?”

Cloud : “That's not your job to take care of it all... But I’m not sure I can take care of him the way you want me to.” Here it is again, the feeling of having to take care of everything.

Tifa smirked and crossed her arms on her chest : “Well, you’ll still have to help with bathing and changing clothes even though I know it might be hard for you to do that.”

Cloud’s brows furrowed and grimaced at her remark : “Please, I’m not that clueless Tifa ? And I already said that I was sorry about Denzel’s clothes !” He knew she was trying to distract him from his thoughts, and he thanked her for that, a slight smile appeared on him as he moved his face to hide it from her.

He got up too and crossed his arms on his chest to mimic her pose, adjusting his pose.

Tifa puts a finger on his chest : “We all have our strengths and weaknesses, you should know it well.” She took his hand and moved toward the door to bring him back with her. Cloud stops her before she could reach for the door.

Cloud : “…I’ll try.” She does not say a thing and let him finish. “But I can’t really care, trust or love him. Not in this situation. Not yet.” Once he said it, his eyes flickering, he let her move him again. He kicked the table in the process, and he heard Tifa sigh. He hummed embarrassed. “I’ll…I’ll take care of that.”

~~~~

They join with the group, just to see that Denzel and Marlene have woken up and are now in the room with the other. The little silver hair toddler is back on the table, Cid’s collar on his hands munching it. Barret is holding Marlene, legs balancing, and she is leaning on the table to play with the newcomer, eyes sparkling. Denzel is looking at him and pokes his hair.  

Tifa : “Weren’t the both of you supposed to be in bed.”

Marlene shrugs : “It was difficult to sleep when you were screaming everywhere. So, Denzel and I, though we should come to see what’s going on.”

Barret : “Ha ! I got to see my sweet baby Marlene, so I’m fine with that !”

Denzel looks at Tifa : “So, who is he ?”

They all look at each other getting back at the beginning. Cloud is watching them all in the entry he and Tifa came from. His vision narrows as the green eyes finally return his gaze. No recognition or understanding was in his pupils. Cloud’s expression just grew darker and darker.

Chapter Text

Cloud had nightmares. Since the - way too many - events that occurred in his life, nightmares were just a part of his life. Fighting, dying, being experimented on, being impaled and the list goes on. Those were twirling round and round in his mind during the darkest hours of the day and stopping when waking up suddenly gasping for air and covered in cold sweats were normal for the man. After some time, with the help of the people he cared about and cared about him, he found some kind of balance and started to accept these nightmares as part of his life and even had a few nights of calmer dreams. But one of those dream sequences was making him shiver for hours after waking.

The sequence was quieter than the others, instead of having images of fires, apocalypse falling from above, and screams filling his ears as remnants of old memories still trying to be digested. Here the silence was surrounding him. Instead of a peaceful silence – like the one he felt while being in Aerith’s church - here, the silence was a burden. A sort of confusing eerie feeling accompanied him. And as he tried to make out where he was with the fog covering his mind, he hears a small noise, like liquid drops. His eyes falling, he always gasps as he realizes the noise comes from a wound in his flesh, blood running slowly from it.

Pain rises. He feels the blade breaking his bones and cutting every single layer of him and the pain is insufferable. He knows what he must do, but fear doing it. He raises his hands and takes the blade and slowly…inches after inches try to remove the cold steel from his frame. As he does it, the pain is simply becoming more present. At some point, he does not even feel his body and feels his limbs becoming heavier and heavier. The blade is not even half out, sweat is running down his face, but he wants it out. He wants it out more than anything, so panting and sweating he keeps going. Now the pool at his feet is becoming a weird mixture of blood and sweat, but the blade is slowly coming out. The point does not show on the other side anymore. And as he pulls one final time, a raspy growl comes out of his mouth as every muscle tenses. One. Last. Time.

The steel falls and slouches on the pool on the ground. Cloud is panting and he cannot even stand straight as his knees simply cannot hold him anymore. Feeling lighter, he finally takes a deep breath, mouth open as if to take the most air possible. Hands-on his sides, his heartbeat becomes steady at least.

…But…The fog in his eyes has yet to disappear. Taking air once more, he feels something holding his breath once more. He closes his eyes as if to hope it is not what he thinks it is. But as his eyes open once more and fall on the steel, once again, in place between his lungs.

Pain rises. This night was not a calm one.

~~~~

Cloud wakes up in his bed, opening his eyes to a still sleeping Tifa beside him, feeling her breath on his shoulder. He is not surprised, the sun has yet to show up. He does not caress her hair as he gets out of bed. Taking the first clothes he can get; the man goes out of the room quickly. A cold glance at the small form sleeping in a basket beside the bed, the warrior simply leaves without a word.

Once out, the cold air of the morning greets him…as well as a lone man in a red coat at the front porch standing here, surely waiting for him.

Vincent : “I thought you might need some company.”

Cloud : “Did you wait for me all night ?”

Vincent : “No. I was just… keeping watch.”

They eyed each other for a minute before Cloud walks out and with a move of the hand, invites Vincent to come with him. They both walk in respectful silence beyond Edge’s borders where Cid’s Highwind ship had landed the night before.

Vincent : “I’ve checked the area before coming to the Seventh Heaven. The thunderbird was alone. He started to fade away.”

Cloud : “…”

Vincent : “Cloud…you can’t think that the boy has something to do with it or that he calls for danger in any way.”

Cloud sulking : “…How do you know what I’m thinking.”

Vincent crosses his arms : “Please Cloud. From the little time I spend with you, I can at least see when you’re not in a good mood.”

Cloud : “I thought I was always in a bad mood ?”

Vincent : “Well…yes. But I know how to actually differentiate your normal brooding and you being tormented by your thoughts.”

Cloud stopped. He looked at Vincent in a visibly hurt expression: “I’m not - …Please I’m not that tormented !”

Vincent stopped arms still crossed glaring back calmly, almost smiling, at his old partner, not missing a beat.

The younger man finally gave in, a small smile on his face, and puffs heavily : “I’m just...I'm feeling unsure right now.”

Vincent : “What will you do about the child ?”

Cloud thought for a moment before saying : “I don’t know. I think you ain’t wrong about what you said last time. It’s way too much to be just some weird luck. And…Vincent.”

He looked at the man in the red coat with a serious almost distressed look.

Cloud : “I’m sure it’s the same color. The eyes are the exact same color as Sephiroth had.”

He pressed his hands together, as in to relieve some stress. He really thought his last battle with the ex-general of Shinra was finally the end.

Vincent saw the distress in the warrior's behavior and put his hand on his shoulder.

Vincent : “Cloud. I know it’s a weird and complicated situation for you. What I’ve said yesterday was what I really thought. But even if you raised your sword against armed soldiers before, it is not you to raise that same weapon against a defenseless being. It never was.”

Cloud thought he was not so sure about it. He did hold his sword to a defenseless person once. He did not say that. Instead. : “Yeah…But I won’t be able to take care of it the way a parent should.” His face fall down. “I know I won’t.”

Vincent started walking again.

Vincent : “Yes. But you’re too afraid to let him be with someone else. So, for now, if it is your choice, you’ll have to deal with it. You already know that, if needs be, any one of us is here. “

Cloud really smiled at that. He followed Vincent until they got to the body of the monster. Inspecting it, Cloud concluded the same as Vincent. It was a lone monster that got lost and found its way here.

But something was bothering the younger warrior. Looking at the corpse, small volutes of green light were dissipating slowly as it was collecting the life into the river of life. Finally, it tilted.

Cloud : “How long has it been here ?”

Vincent : “Cid came around 0932…so around eight hours and 14 minutes. If we take the time it takes to get from here to the bar into account.”

Cloud scratches his head.

Cloud : “Isn’t the lifestream…kinda slow ?”

Vincent stayed silent, Cloud knows that he is thinking about it, the silent warrior finally says : “During our battles, the lifestream would take the life of the creatures between 1 or 2 hours. It was the time to get the meat out or anything of interest if we needed to. But here, the corpse has stayed far longer than it was meant to.”

Cloud gets up after one final glance at the corpse, one hand holding his chin.

Cloud : “I hope you’re right about this being only me putting too many thoughts into this…  But we’ll need to make absolutely sure of it before we miss something and it’s too late.”

Vincent : “…Where do we start ?”

Cloud sighs : “I’ll have to check for the birth paper about the kid. I suppose I’ll go see Rufus; he might know something about it. You should check if anything happened out of the ordinary yesterday.”

Cloud activates one of his materia and sets fire to the corpse of the thunderbird and making sure no traces are left and both start getting back to the Edge.

~~~~

While Cloud and Vincent go roaming the city. Tifa and the kids started the day as always. Marlene and Denzel went out and the lady took care of the bar…except she had a toddler to take care of on top of it. She had to make sure she had everything for him. Unless they wanted to make him drink the alcohol in the bar.

Some music was playing in the jukebox, the woman was attending the drinks and setting the tables, while little Sasha was sitting on the ground, playing with an old stuffed chocobo Tifa had found in the attic. She was still eyeing him at times. Vincent and Cid’s discussion the earlier day was still trying to get through her. Even with what she told Cloud, she was having doubts about herself.

Completely unaware of the emotional turmoil he was causing to the people surrounding him, Sasha was sure of one thing, and it was that he was absolutely bored. He loved his new chocobo but after a few hours of playing with him he wanted to get some excitement out of this long day that just started. So as such, humming and chirping softly, he was looking around for something interesting. And he finally found it, when some morning light reflected on a shining new bottle of Rhum that had yet to be put in place. Alright, the objective was set, he just needed a path.

Tifa was going through some dirty glasses before readying for the opening of the bar when she heard a giggle. She turned around and saw the little-haired boy who found a way up on the table and was now looking at the bottle of alcohol with sparkles in his eyes. The shine of it certainly helped his obsession with it, he was now showing it to his stuffed animal. Tifa saw the chair and understood how he got there. With a stern look on her, she put her hands on her hip to appear more intimidating than she normally reserves for Cloud when he was being stubborn or just to mess around with him.

Tifa : “Eh ? You’ll have to wait for this young man. Unless you want to become like Cid. And I’m sure you don’t.”

Sasha, hands around the bottle, stopped and looked at Tifa with wide eyes.

Tifa : “Now give me this.”

He pouted and held the bottle more with a frown on his face, with half his face squished on the bottle and started moving back.

Tifa : “What do you think you’re do – “

But before she could finish her sentence, she saw that the little monster was not looking behind him and started falling headfirst. So, she dashed forward and jumped over the bar table with one hand to catch the small child and the bottle in separate hands before he could reach the ground. Completely flabbergasted by the action that she did not expect, she put the bottle back on the table with a cold sweat running down her face while panic slowly cooling down. Yup…not expecting that at all.

Tifa : “I almost got a heart attack from this, why that move from anything else ?” she says to the little boy that almost hit himself.

For all response, the silver-haired boy giggled even more, with a very light tone in his voice that clearly melted Tifa on the spot. Marlene nor Denzel had put something like this before, certainly, because they were older and mature for their age. The kid just started to put his head away as she tried to steady him in her arms and whines before finally straightening himself and looking at Tifa in the eyes.

Tifa : “Well…Quite the calamity aren’t you ?”

A bright smile on him, he put on his newly acquired chocobo and started poking her face with some ordering noises.

Tifa : “Alright ! Alright ! I get it ! Stop that will you !” She finally chuckled too and sat down on the ground. The opening of the bar could wait.

~~~~

Cloud went to the penthouse where the remnants of Shinra lived since the fall of their company. Thinking about it, he was not happy to have to ask the help of Rufus, but he did not have a real choice right now, since he was the only person, he could think of that was in Edge to get some answers. So, after a heavy sigh, he knocks on the door.

No answers. He knocks a second time, harder this time. He finally hears some heavy and speedy footstep before the door is burst open on a nose scrunched and irritated Reno that feels like he had just been woken up with hair going up further than cloud’s own spiky hair and abs showing up with pride since the red hair was only wearing slim pants.

Reno : “Yo seriously dude ? Nobody ever told ya about needing at least nine hours of sleep ? You can’t just come to people’s homes this early in the morning !”

Cloud : “It’s past 9 AM Reno, we’re more around eighteen hours a night with you. Can I see your boss ?”

Reno : “Hin ! Hin ! Hilarious ! And no you can’t see the boss !” He tries to keep the door blocked as Cloud is literally beginning to enter the house.

Cloud : “Don’t start. You know how it ended last time.”

Reno : “Yo ! The fuck ??! You’re the one who's starting here seriously ! And why do you want to see Rufus that badly ? Do you want to confess or what ? I knew blond was your type.”

At that Cloud frowned hard and a look of disgust on his face he said high enough with a hard expression. : “Rufus ! You better come look for your ratdog before I take care of it myself !"

Another voice from the inside of the house : “Reno, leave him. You’re pushing your luck again and acting like a retard.”

Reno : “Mrgrgrr !”

He lets go of the door.

Rufus is sitting down on a sofa and takes a sip from a coffee he just poured in. Cloud came in and found the ex-president in the living room in casual clothes for a change. Reno was eyeing the warrior with his arms crossed and an amused expression, interesting pieces of stuff tend to follow the blond everywhere.

Rufus : “So ?" he started, a journal in his hand, he did not even glance at the newly arrived visitor. "What do you need ? I’m sure you’re not here to visit us as a token of our friendship.”

Cloud : “…” The blond hesitates before ruffling through his pocket and holding the piece of paper to the ex-Shinra president.

Rufus : “A birth certificate ?”

Reno chuckled and puts his arm on Cloud’s shoulder as a mean to hold his pose.

Reno : “Eh ? And you didn’t even tell us ? I didn’t even see her being pregnant. Good job !”

Cloud just stares at his arm then at him.

Reno : “What ?”

Cloud : “It’s not mine nor Tifa’s. Cid found it in front of the back door of the bar yesterday with only this paper in hands and no orphanage has heard of him…”

Rufus puts his coffee and the journal back on the leaving room small table and folds his fingers together coldly glaring at the warrior.

Rufus : “Hmm… 'IT' certainly comes from somewhere. If no orphanage has heard of him, then maybe his parents must have abandoned him or her. But…” He gets up from the chair and walks toward Cloud. “What makes him or her so special that forces you to come to seek me and no one else ?“

Cloud kept his look as neutral as possible : “HE has silver hair.”

Reno gasps and his arm falls from blondie’s shoulder.

Reno : “Is that a joke ? Man, I thought you got rid of him last time !!”

Rufus is visibly shocked for a second before regaining control of his expression, he clears his throat.

Rufus : “Well ! That certainly is a special trait. But that does not mean he has any links to Sephiroth or my company as far as I know.”

Cloud : “Are you sure about that ?” He crosses his arms. “Are you sure nobody tried to recreate him during the few years I didn’t check on you ?”

Rufus : “Cloud, you didn’t check during those three years, but everyone has their eyes set on us. After meteor AND the geostigma event, people are way warier about Neo-Shinra. They trust us for many of the reparations, but they know that Sephiroth came from our company. This is enough of a warning for anyone and even gets some resentment from some of them. Tseng has found about groups that started to form that would actually want to see me pay for all of Shinra’s past crimes. On top of it, there is no scientist left from the “golden age” of Shinra, and all research concerning Sephiroth’s creation were either burned, destroyed, or disappeared with Hojo.”

Cloud stood there thinking about what Rufus had just said. He saw his surprise, so that meant that if this had a link with Shinra company, their boss was not in it. But, again, maybe he was really going too far with his fear.

Cloud : “Could you, at least, check for any information about the kid’s origin ?”

Rufus sat back down and stretched himself.

Rufus : “And why would I do that ?”

Cloud : “Because if there is any link with Shinra’s company, official or not, I feel like you want to know about it. And you owe me your life since the geostigma event.”

Rufus : “Right. And what will you do while I use my stuff to help you ?”

Cloud : “I have things to deal with on my own.”

The younger warrior was already going for the exit.

Cloud : “If you find anything, call me. I’ll answer.”

Rufus : “For once.”

Once the door is closed, Reno sat in front of his boss in another chair and set his feet on the coffee table.

Reno : “Eeeh ! Quite a surprise to see him actually ask for help ?”

Rufus : “…”

Reno : “There’s no way this has to do anything with the old general.”

Rufus : “Let’s not jump to conclusion... Not yet at least.”

Chapter Text

With Tifa completely taken by the new occupant of their home, it was not so long before Marlene and Denzel started to warm up to him too. Cloud was the only one that kept his distance. He was still caring for his family, but he was careful around Sasha. He even resorted to staying outside later and longer for work or his own research to keep busy and to avoid having to face the silver-haired boy. And for the few times he actually had to be close to him, he always had that uncomfortable look in his eyes.

The child was oblivious to it all and, as such, was eyeing this strange man with narrowed baby eyes that had some very odd similarities to his plushie… Yeah. Very odd. There must be something behind it.

Some time passes and the days go by ever so slowly. Marlene and Denzel are having fun playing with Sasha, and surely finding some quirks about him. Like almost purring when they scratch his head, oddly humming lullaby to himself, snoring when sleeping on his back, liking to pull Denzel’s hair specifically, and such. On the contrary, they found out that he reacted badly to being hugged or put in a closed room alone or not, to the point of scream, cries, and punches for the one who dared the hug.

One night, he had difficulties getting to sleep.

Marlene : “What should we do ? He’s been like that for an hour now. I can’t find another idea to get him to sleep.”

Sasha was now pushing any toys out of the bed.

Denzel : “You don’t have any other storybook left ?”

Marlene : “That’s the third time I told him the “chocobo on the golden mountain”. I’m out of idea here.” She plopped down on the ground and the little silver-haired boy was looking at her softly.

Tifa : “What’s going on here ?”

Denzel : “Can’t find any story to tell Sasha.”

They were now both lying on the ground. Tifa hums.

Tifa : “Alright gather up, I have an idea.”

The two children sat up and looked at Tifa. She started telling one of the stories that happened during their trip after their first escape from Midgard. She saw as Sasha slowly started to focus on her storytelling. As the first story end, the two children laughed, and the third kid was eyeing them tilting his head to the side in a confused expression. So, she kept going. For all the story she told was about her, Cloud and their group, the toddler was trying really hard to stay focus but sleep finally came to him and the woman told the two left children to go to their beds too. That made Tifa decides to keep doing it for the next night, and the next, and the next. And Sasha grew more and more obsessed with them, to the point where it become some kind of ritual to the family, he waited on them silently in his bed, only his head poking out for Marlene and Denzel to sit down by his sides and Tifa coming once she finished with the preparation of the bar – to the exception of Cloud but he was still present in the stories that his mother figure told them.

~~~~

The days went, without any news from Rufus, and nothing on Vincent’s end. Both men spend time together to look for anything, but they had to leave it as it was for now. During that time, Vincent simply stayed around the seventh heaven.

Sasha started speaking and, to Marlene and Denzel's disappointment, his first word was Tifa’s name – weirdly said but still. While still growing up, Tifa saw as Cloud was still ignoring the little child, so one day she decided to try out something. Cloud was sitting down on one of the tables of the main room in the bar, sipping a drink and looking at some photos in a magazine. She had Sasha in her hands, and she went to him and placed him in his lap. Cloud almost jumps.

Cloud : “Wouah ! What are you –“

Tifa : “I need to do something quickly, Marlene and Denzel are outside so you’ll have to take care of him while I’m busy ok ?”

Cloud embarrassed : “But…” He lost his words as he saw Tifa placing her hands in a pleading pose and winking at him.

Cloud rolling his eyes : “…Alright. Go do your stuff, I’ll watch over him.”

Tifa smiling and in a winning tone : “Thank you so much !”

He watched as she left the room. His attention got caught back by the humming boy in his arms. He was playing with his stuffed chocobo and seemed like he could not care less for the world around him.

Sasha : “…Bô !” That was the name of his toy. Cloud simply limped in the chair and balanced his head behind in a heavy sigh. He sulked; he did not like to do this. Clearly, Marlene and Denzel were easier to deal with. He could actually talk to them and he did not have to keep watching every minute of the day in fear for the kid…or of the kid ?

He was brought back of his thought when the little silver-haired boy stopped his dialogue to look at the man intently. Green eyes focusing on blue eyes. Cloud’s discomfort grew, even more, when the young boy started scrunching his nose in a weird expression. The blond tense started calling for the only woman that could maybe help him with what was going on here. Before he knew it, he heard a small noise and a puff from the toddler. He looked at him and he was rubbing his eyes and humming with a tired look when Tifa got back and looked at the two with a confused look.

Tifa : “What is it ? What happened.”

Cloud visibly confused : “I…I think he sneezed.” He was frowning and Tifa just tilted her head to one side.

Tifa mused : “I mean…It does happen sometimes. I even saw you sneeze on very rare occasion.“

Cloud raised his voice lightly, sulking anew : “Tifaaa ! I’m not stupid ! I know that ! I just – “ he searched for his words “I wasn’t expecting him to do it.”

At this point, she couldn’t hold it, she snorted before letting a laugh out. He leaned back and turned his head to hide his embarrassment and pouts. “Stop laughing. You know what I meant !“

Tifa : “…I-I know…It’s just funny how you said it.”

Cloud is having more difficulties keeping his serious look with the woman : “I’m not really laughing here.”

He looked down and saw as the kid was giggling with the woman, he did not understand why but he laughed with her, before looking back at Cloud. The expressions on the man went soft at the confused look in the all too big green eyes that were still making him uneasy. And, ever so slowly, raise his hand to pat the head of the boy on his lap. The silver hair was soft under his palm and it was still so very strange to him. The boy simply started cuddling the man.

Chapter Text

Another day later, Marlene and Denzel were looking for Sasha outside the house. The little boy was 5 now, so he started going around the house of his own even though Tifa made sure he was staying in her view. This time he slipped away.

Denzel was calling him when Marlene heard sobs behind the house. She called out Denzel with a hand wave and both moved toward the noise. Some bright hair was poking out from behind a small wall. He was clearly hiding, cuddling around himself and sobbing.

Marlene : “Sasha ? Why are you hiding here ?”

The sob stopped with a surprising hiccup.

Sasha defensive : “I…I’m not hiding !”

She looked at Denzel with a worried look before jumping from the wall and crouching in front of the boy, one hand on her knees and with the other, she patted his head slowly.

Marlene : “Hey… if you need to cry you can tell us. You don’t need to be alone for this, ya’ know.”

She tilts her head as a means to look at his face. Denzel came too and sat down beside the younger child. The sobs were held and he moved his head away from them to hide his tears. His vision was blurry from them and Marlene could see a slightly snotty tiny nose out.

Sasha : “It’s stupid. You’ll laugh.”

Denzel : “No we won’t.”

Sasha jerks his head toward Denzel, a big pout on his face : “Yes, you will ! You did it when my toy broke.”

Denzel shrugged : Well…That was funny, you thought it would fly away when you threw it out the window.”

Sasha : “It was a dragon ! It should fly !”

Marlene stopped Denzel before he could reply : “And why are you crying now ? If it’s another toy that broke, we can take one from Denzel’s.”

Denzel sulking : “Heeey !”

Sasha straightens and rubs his snot away : “No it’s not that. But it’s still stupid. I… I think Cloud hates me.”

Marlene surprised : “Wait. Why do you think that ? Cloud doesn’t hate anyone ! Well… maybe uncle Reno.”

Sasha confused : “He doesn’t like me as he likes you ! I’m not dumb ! When he comes home he always comes to you and talks to you about stuff. When it’s me, he always looks me weird.”

Marlene : “I’m sorry, shasha…”

For all answers, he pouts. Marlene and Denzel looked at each other not knowing what to say to the younger boy they considered their sibling.

Sasha finally says : “…Why ? I did wrong ?” he looks at Denzel and Marlene.

Denzel : “I don’t think Cloud thinks you did anything wrong. I think he’s just unhappy.”

Sasha : “I don’t want him unhappy. I want to be like him later.” He holds his head with his little chubby hands.

Denzel : “Hehe ! You want to be grumpy all day ?”

Marlene : “Well he yells at people every day, because they complain about the deliveries…”

Sasha shakes his head : “No ! No ! You don’t get it. I want to be a hero ! Just like Cloud and Tifa in the stories !” He puts a little fist in the air as if holding a sword. “I want to fight dragons and monsters ! And I want to fight Sephiroth too !”

Marlene sat down, holding her posture with her hands behind her on the ground, she laughed.

Marlene : “I want to fight monsters too ! Except I want to be taught by Uncle Vincent. He knows how to fight, I've seen him spar with Cloud before.”

Denzel put his hands on his hips in a means to imitate Tifa's reprimanding pose : "Yeah, that's more because he looks like a vampire.”

Marlene: “No you dummy ! But I’m sure he’s stronger than Cloud. Did you see how fast he moves ? Wait... you didn’t see it last time.”

Sasha giggles : “He can’t be stronger than Cloud. He doesn’t even have a sword.”

Marlene put her arms on her hips and puffed her chest with pride : “Well... That's because he uses a gun like daddy Barret."

They kept debating for a long time before Sasha realized that he stopped crying. Marlene and Denzel were laughing with him and he felt better until they tried to cuddle him in their arm. But the smaller boy pushed them away after they called him cute.

- Sasha at 3, 6, and 8 years old -

Chapter Text

Early morning, in one of the fields just outside Edge, Tifa and Cloud are in the middle of a short training session, to release tensions.

Hair damp, Cloud is pushed once more from his feet by a kick in the stomach and gets shot a few meters away by the impact, before getting back up, rounding around the brawler still high guarded in front of him. Cloud pants and scrunches his nose after brushing some dirt over some bruises on his cheek.

Tifa mused : “Pff ? We reached 15 to 6 in my favor today. Or was it 16 to 5 ? Want a break ?”

Cloud puts his hands back in position and snorts at the tease : “Nope.” And dash toward the brunette to give her a high kick that she dodges by getting down. She uses Cloud momentum to grab his legs and throw him over and make him fall directly on his back. Without losing a second, she tries to punch him where he landed right on his open chest, so he instantly rolls to the side on his arms before pushing himself up and ready himself for Tifa’s next attack. Right punch. Left punch. Jab. Jab. while the blond man tries to keep his defense up for the next punch, Tifa sees him trying to guess her next attack so instead she simply gets down once more, but this time she kicks his legs and makes him lose his footing and falling again on his side. He tries to stand up but her punch is by his face already stopped.

Cloud lets himself fall to his back with a heavy groan. Tifa laughs and lays down beside him.

Tifa : “Ok, I think I found what’s making it difficult.”

Cloud : “Hmm…?” he puts his sweaty arm over his head, nose on the creak of his elbow obscuring any outside lights.

“You’re expecting my moves to be straightforward because you're actually anticipating a sword to come at you, so you're looking at my hands. And while it has some similarities, brawling has more flexibilities that lets me completely overwhelm your body while being right under your nose. The entirety of the body is the weapon, not simply the tool I'm holding in my hands."

“Old habit die hard.”

“After all our sessions ? You should get a grasp after all this time.” The tone is not heavy, only tease in it.

“Maybe you’re a bad teacher.” He smirks.

“Maybe you’re a bad student.” She pulls at one of his spikes. He laughs.

Silence except for their heavy breathing.

She turns her face toward him, faces filthy from dirt. She looks at him, still hiding behind his arm.

"Do you want to talk about it ?"

- Well, maybe I could teach you swordfight instead.

- I'm talking about Sasha.

- ...I don't really want to talk about this now.

- I can’t force you into liking Sasha if you don’t. But I can tell you that you’re wrong about him.

- Now am I ?

- Yes, you are. I think the man that tried to kill us all, three times now, has too much ego to play in the mud with plastic toys just to get to you.

- Maybe he is, but there's an... odd ? ...thing about him.

- What if there’s nothing ? And I’ll be honest with you like I’ve always been and tell you that if you didn’t find anything after all this time, then maybe there is nothing. This is getting into paranoid territory at this point. I know you’ve been looking for something with Vincent and the Turks."

Cloud frowns : “But what if there is something ?”

“Then you’ll be looking for this something all your life. And you might even miss the things at hand and you know what I mean.”

Cloud does not answer. He flinches when Tifa cups his cheek to turn his gaze to her.

“I know but I still need to make sure. Thought it was done twice already.” He looks away before getting over her, standing by his hands beside her head. “I can tell me that I have to move on, if I block on it…”

She snorts, and at that, cloud pouts. He then falls on her all sweating and hugging her.

“Ho no !! Cloud ! Get off me you stink !”

“That’s what you get for mocking me !” Before brushing her face with his damp spikes.

“Yikes !” And she punches him in the limbs lightly to get him off.

“Ow ! Ow ! Hahaha ! Alright, I’m sorry !” He gets up again, holding himself by his arms once more.

Tifa : “One last stuff. Marlene talked to me yesterday, she said she wanted to start training with Vincent. She said it was her time to explore the world as we did. What d’ya think ?”

Cloud : “…uh ?” She hums thoughtfully. “That’s something else. Why though ? and why Vincent ?”

Tifa : “Something like ‘same as Barret’. Weirdly Vincent thought it was a good idea too. Saying ‘need to prepare the ones after us’.”

Cloud lowers his face in the crook of her neck: “I’m not sure, I want to ask Barret too. I think she’s old enough but I don’t want her to be put in a dangerous situation because we made a wrong choice.” He frowns hiding his face again. Cloud starts kissing her slowly : “…Let’s discuss that later. We can…We can be a little late for breakfast.”

Tifa nods slowly. Putting her free hand behind his head and brushed his sweaty spikes.

Chapter Text

Marlene left a few days later. She bid her goodbye to a crying Sasha and promised him to talk to him on PHS about her journey. So it left Denzel to take care and play with Sasha. Imagining stories about being heroes.

They gathered at a meal, the two kids and Tifa discussed while Cloud is looking at his PHS for news from Vincent or Rufus but still nothing came up. He then jerks suddenly when he hears the PHS ring loudly. Tifa who was chastizing Sasha for eating with his hand and Denzel stopped to listen to Cloud's discussion.

Cloud picks up : “Ya ?”

And the three just look at the following of wild emotions displaying on Cloud’s face until.

Cloud : “Hah ? Wait Yuffie – “ He groans. « …but can you...Ok but maybe I can see with –“ He facepalms.

The two kids start giggling and Tifa puts her head into her palm visibly having fun too.

Cloud losing it : “Fine ! Fine ! I’m coming if you want it that much. Eh ? Who’s Aki ? Huuh ? You ? A teacher ?? “ He pauses again. “Yes. Yes, I’m judging you... Next week. Bye !” He then hung up and pushed the PHS far from him.

Tifa : “mh. You just lost to Yuffie and she just had to use words.”

Cloud frowned at Tifa : “There’s some sort of festival and Yuffie wants us to come and she didn’t warn us before.”

“But I can’t close or leave the bar, I don't have anybody to take over while we're away." She frowns.

“I know but she insisted. You heard.”

Tifa thinks looking at the kids : “Hmm…Then you should go.”

Cloud : “Huh ? I’d like to go with you.” He is almost sulking.

Tifa : “That’s for Yuffie and I’ll take care of the bar.”

Denzel : “Can I go too ? I’ve never seen Wutai !”

Sasha turns to Denzel : “Then me too !”

Cloud : “Not both. I can take only one on the bike and someone needs to stay with Tifa. I think you’re too young for a trip like that Sasha.”

Sasha sulks. Denzel pats his head : “Don’t worry. You’ll go with me next time.”

~~~~

Sasha watched Denzel and Cloud leave on the motorbike and that left him more alone than before. He tried to keep playing but it did not have the same energy without Marlene’s angst and Denzel’s sass. So…

no fun !

Tifa being busy with the bar left him to wander around Edge by himself. He felt freer to explore, discover some still broken old squares that had yet to be rebuilt by Shinra, to skip crowded roads. Since he did not like being in shut places, those sceneries became what he would try to find and that became one of his new hobbies since the ones entertaining him were not here anymore.

But also…he did not like the look of others lingering on him. At first, he thought it was just in his mind… but he could not deny it longer. He was still little but it was making him uneasy. He did not say anything, not willing to bother Tifa and he could take it too. This went on for the next few days.

One day, Sasha finds one of the road to be empty too, some rocks from a fallen nearby building is blocking the way for the passerby. The weather was getting colder so he was wearing a black sleeveless sweat on top of a sleeves white t-shirt and short Bermuda jeans and heavy tiny boots that Tifa bought him. He decides to climb and see what’s beyond, but still being small and having tiny hands that can’t quite get the grips, he has to try a few times to reach the top. He pants and has scratches on his knees and palms but he then turns around and these just disappear in his mind as he sees something that is hidden by the roof of the house on the side. He climbs it and now that the view is not hidden anymore he just can’t hold the,

“Woah…”

That escapes his mouth almost a whisper as he can see a big part of Edge and its vicinity from this height. He realizes that he stopped blinking when his green eyes started feeling itchy and dry, but he didn’t care, this instant was already memorized. So he didn’t hear the footsteps and laughs coming his way.

“What are you doing ‘ere white hair dirt !”

The little kid turns his face to the new voice and see another kid twice his size with brown short curly hair held by a red cap, a simple oiled stain sweat and hands in his dark red baggy pants pockets and looking at him with an annoyed frown as he walks from one roof to the other. Four other kids with a similar look of different age following the biggest of them. One of them had a red with white pattern bandana around his neck and stained white sweat with a few holes on it, the second holds a black backpack and short dark blue jeans that were ripped in place and was the smaller of them all, the third a simple blue t-shirt that had words written on it but the time had made them unreadable and the fourth was the bulkiest and had a chain hanging at his hips from his dark pants. They all seemed from the neighborhood as they knew how to travel from one place to another easily and they all looked at him.

Sasha : “…” He looks around not sure what the other boys wanted and not really feeling at ease.

Leader Kid : “ ‘m talking to you ! Do you see another kid with white hair here ?”

Sasha : “I don't know. I'm just looking at the view” He points to Edge confused.

Leader Kid : “Hah ?! you mocking me ?”

Sasha staggers back a little seeing as the other gets angrier : “…not really ?”

A low snickers can be heard from behind the taller kid.

Leader Kid : “Tsk. You shouldn’t even come here. That’s not your place.”

Sasha : “I know I can fall from the roof but I got up there, I can climb down too. I won’t fall since I know the path.”

Bandana kid angrily : “I think he’s just screwing with you. I wanna punch him already.”

Backpack kid : “Maybe he’s deaf ya know ?”

Bulky kid : “She’s saying that you shouldn’t even dare show your face around town calamity boy.”

Sasha angrily : “Am not a calamity !” He tightens his hands into fists and changed his posture as if to look more intimidating, but it doesn't seem to have any effects on the other kids.

Backpack kid : “Ah ? Maybe not deaf. Maybe just a retard. I’m insulting deaf people to make them like you, white demon.”

Bandana kid : “Or maybe you should make him fall actually. Might be fun.” He then lets out a weird breathy laugh.

Blue t-shirt kid : “…”

Sasha is still looking at them and putting himself in a more wary pose. Feet apart and hands up. He’s also looking around thinking he should maybe find a way to run away.

But before he can do anything, the kid who seemed to lead the ground grips by the neck of his sleeveless black sweat and puts him up. Sasha closes his already afraid watered eyes and holds his breath.

Leader kid : “Nobody wants you around ! You already wreck our lives once. We won’t let you do it again !”

And right after, Sasha feels himself being pushed and does not feel the floor as he stumbles and falls from the rumbles below. Every collision with the different layers that he had climbs makes him tremble and sends a shock inside him. He doesn’t even know the difference between up and down for some very long seconds and can’t seem to find a way to stop the fall before it all stops. Facedown the dirt and breath cut from his lungs, the shock of the situation still on his mind before trying to slowly gets up on all four. Suddenly, as if the information just reaches his mind, he feels the pain of deep cuts, scratches, and inside his stomach from the fear submerging him all at once, and a saddening yell comes out his mouth as heavy and numerous tears and sobs run down his face in a mess between hiccups and trying to breathe still cut from the shock. And he can hear laugh above him from the group and being eyed by the leader severely, arms crossed.

Bandana kid : “Make sure to not rise up this time dickhead !”

He watched them though they’re only a blur still sobering and holding his chest as they walked away from the border of the roof. Sasha stays here at first, not daring to move as he felt blood dripping from some of the cuts. Slowly he got up and walked away to the old playground that he used to go to with Marlene and Denzel.

Upon reaching it, he simply stopped in front as his two other friends were not here anymore, and being here after all this… their absence was a new addition to the pain he felt in him. And as the sun lower down and the eerie silence sets on the playground, Sasha felt truly truly alone. So he simply sat down right where he stood and cried anew. He cried cried and cried until he thought he dried out of all the water in his body, and then cried more to the point of ache. The sky was now completely dark, and he stayed there until his tremor calmed slowly. He never felt that way before and he absolutely couldn’t understand why it happened. His eyes were swollen, and red. Snots had run down his nose and the tears had started drying on his cheeks. The weather was getting colder and as he started shivering, he got his knees up to curve around himself and keep some warmth. His look was dull at this point, thoughts still swirling, and he didn’t hear the footsteps slowly coming toward him.

Raspy voice : “Heya kiddo. Where have you been all day ? I come ‘ere to get some news and I’m greeted by some yells and panic from Tifa. Thought she might kill me this time before – “ Sasha is still hiding his face but he recognizes Cid’s voice. The older man has been visiting them more than a few times and each time he came with a gift for all three kids. The older blond stopped as he saw the little form still shivering from the cold. He understood it was a bad day for the kid.

Cid : “A’ight !” He took the kid under the arms, sat back down, and put him in his lap. “Wanna tell me what happened ?”

Sasha : “I don’t know. Some older boy said that Cloud was a monster and then they…they pushed me. C-Cid, it-it-it hurt so b-bad.” He stuttered with the cold and the tears starting to come back.

Cid looked at him and was thinking really hard at what to say to comfort the kid, especially since he felt some kind of anger rising in him thinking at Sasha being annoyed by others. That didn’t help that he didn’t get why would any kid think that Cloud was a monster after the popularity he got from the event on top of Midgar tower a few years ago.

Cid : “Wait… What did they say exactly ?”

Sasha : “I don’t get it either. What’s a calamity ?” He turned his still red face toward Cid. His green eyes almost shining. That’s when he got it. The kids thought Sasha was Sephiroth’s kid or something.

Cid : “$@#*@ !! They’re as dumb as a Shinra executive ! ...ha !” He realized he cursed after the words were out. Sasha pouted and scrunched his nose.

Sasha : “Eeh ? What’s a $@#*@ and a Shinra executive ? And you didn’t answer my question !”

Cid : “Shit !”

Sasha : “I already know that one !”

Cid facepalmed from his lack of delicacy, he wished Tifa was here instead of him.

Sighing, he took the boy's head with one gruff hand on top of it and squeeze it a little to make sure he had Sasha’s attention.

Cid : “Listen boyo ! Stop making me cuss and hear what I’m going to tell you. Ya’re not a calamity ! Yar dad isn’t a calamity ! You tell them that to the other kids who think wrong about ya ! And if they don’t believe you ! Then you simply show them, the same way they showed you !”

Sasha : “But I don’t want to hurt them. I didn’t like it when I fell.”

Cid : “Ya ? See, you're nice ! Well, don’t make them fall…but don’t let them make you fall either.”

Sasha nodded sharply. That he could try.

Cid : “You’re a good kid ya know.”

They sat in silence, Cid reach for a water bottle and some bandages he had on him as security for his trips and made sure to clean some of Sasha’s wounds. He made sure he didn’t hurt his head and that none were too serious.

After that, he thought he could wait sometime before getting back. Stars started to be seen on the sky ceiling. Cid looked at them, as memories and thoughts came to him. Memories from long ago now. Sasha looked too and the older blond wondered what he might be thinking while they were watching the same sky.

Cid : “Tell me kiddo.” He scratched the beginning of a white beard on his chin. “Do you know of the stars ?”

Sasha : “Huh ? The sparkles on the sky ? They’re like the one Tifa bought for Marlene, Denzel, and I, and that stick to the ceiling…but further. What about them ?”

Cid : “Ah ?” Cid looked at him with big eyes before breaking into a big loud laugh.

Sasha pouted : “Hey ! Why are you laughing ?”

Cid : “Do you see the sun ? Like a big giant ball of fire. Well it’s a star, and the ones you see during the night are the same, but they are so far away that they simply can’t light the sky as much as the sun.”

Sasha : “No way ! I don’t believe you. There are so many, they should be even brighter than the sun then.”

Cid, then, tries to explain how far the sun is from Gaia, how far the other stars are, and how small they are on a planet with rocks and showing him little by little, the boy is slowly starting to get it.

Cid : “I went up there once.”

Sasha : “Eh ? How ?”

Cid : “On a rocket. We only reach so far before we had to get back down. But it was enough to see the planet from up there. She was…beautiful.”

Sasha looks at Cid’s blue eyes. They felt used and old, but weirdly still full of wonder and almost sparkling as he looked at the starry sky.

Cid : “We still reached up there once. So I’m sure we can do it a second time. It’s just a matter of waiting…Ya hear that kiddo ?”

Sasha hummed and looked at the sky too.

Cid : “We can fail as many times as we want. The only thing stopping us from getting what we fucking want, it’s time. I’ll get to see a rocket reach the star. And you’ll get to beat the shit out of those kids.”

Sasha : “Could you teach me ? Like to actually beat the shit out of them ?”

Cid : “ Don’t use that word. Ask Tifa and Cloud. I think they’re better teachers than me or at least Tifa is. And I feel like teaching you to use a sword might even be good for Cloud.”

Sasha scowled : “If he wasn’t busy being a shitty parent. He’s never here.”

Cid : “Don’t use that word, I said ! Ask him. Or force him, I don’t know. Cloud is a good kid too; you just don’t see it.”

Sasha hummed at his words. They waited a little longer, with only the late-night sky for light and the silent noise of the city for music before Cid saw Sasha’s breath even after a yawn and fell asleep in his lap. He took him in his arm and got up.

Cid : “Alright. Let’s get you back before your mum punches Edge upside down because of you.”

Chapter Text

Cloud is brutally tackled by his side before he even opens the first door of the Wutaian house. The streets were filled with people and tourists enjoying the early spring and the coming of the new year, so they were staring at the event that occurred right under their noses. Laying on his back, Cloud hears a scream far too close to his ears.

Yuffie : “You’re slow Blondie ! What took you ! I was expecting you ages ago !”

The now fully grown brown hair thief stands up to a good 5 centimeters higher than the swordsman remembered. She did have grown up since their journey through the world and even since the event of the Geostigma disease. To add to this, she had let her hair grow and worn them into two buns on top of her head, tied by two green long strips that fell behind her. And two bangs on the front of her head that stopped right under her chin. She was wearing some traditional clothes, obviously for the festivities of the day. Overall made her look older and more mature than she actually was. Cloud laughed before finally getting up.

Cloud : “It’s good to see you too, Yuffie. I’m sorry for being late, we had to walk after the boat dropped us near the city. I couldn’t take Fenrir with me this time.”

Yuffie : “Ya ! Ya ! I don’t care about your excuses. Now come inside, our friends are waitiiing for uuus ~” She grabs Cloud’s arm chanting. “And you too, pipsqueak. Don’t think you can escape !” She grabs Denzel’s arm too and guide them through the corridors and panels of the houses finely decorated for the event until they stop at the front of a bigger room with two rows of low dark wooden tables. But before they could enter the place, they stop the two boys.

Yuffie : “Wait !”

Cloud : “Wait what ?”

Yuffie : “Since they’re not all here yet… We have time for you to change. Because I know you didn’t take any other clothes than these did you ?”

Cloud : “My clothes…are just fine Yuffie. I don’t need anything else.” He shrugs unsure about all this.

Yuffie puts a hand on his mouth to make him stop talking and looks at him with a heavy glare. Cloud’s eyes widen.

Yuffie : “Did I stutter ?”

The blond sighs and shoulders going down, he did not have the energy to argue against Yuffie’s energy.

Cloud : “Alright.”

Yuffie : “Great !”

She punches him on the back and Cloud jerks under it. Not that it hurts, but Yuffie’s actions were always unpredictable. Denzel watches the scene but keeps quiet, not sure what to say. They guide them into another smaller room and put two sets of light summer traditional clothes for them. She pushed Cloud in and as Denzel hesitates, she grins at him and pushes him too.

Yuffie : “Change quickly so you can join us.” And as she leaves her footsteps run on the tatamis. “Daaad ! Where did you put the Getas for Cloud and Denzel ? I can’t find them by the door…”

A somewhat silence falls into the room right after the storm, that is Yuffie, left it. Cloud looks lightly at the door, a tiny smile on his lips and hands on his hips as he seems at peace, with fond memories coming back to him.

Denzel already started changing and the two boys hear the citizens walking in the street and talking while the events take place and the last lights of the sun slowly die away.

While changing, Cloud takes his PHS out and starts looking for new messages from Rufus and Vincent.

Vincent :

‘We’ll stop by Wutai tomorrow. Marlene wants to see you and Barret. She insisted.’

Cloud :

‘Ok. We’ll wait with Denzel. Anything else ?’

Vincent :

‘No. Rest.’

He sighs. He checked Rufus or any messages from the Turks but still no messages. He sighs, but this time, it felt like good news. He watched as Denzel finally got ready and finished changing too. Cloud’s cloud was a light blue with grey patterns on it. While Denzel’s were green with Brown carp koi drawn on the sides. Denzel turns around himself.

Cloud : “wrong size ?”

Denzel : “No… I just love it. So much better than wearing pants.”

Cloud : “Huh ? …ok. So you like here already ?”

Denzel : “Ya ! It’s so nice to be here. Too bad, Tifa and Sasha ain’t here too.”

Cloud : “… yeah.”

Denzel : “…”

They don’t have the time to keep discussing as Yuffie comes back and brings them to the living room where most people were already sitting. Cloud sat down beside Barret who came from Corel town for the night. They take the time to discuss and eat, Yuffie tells stories about some of her most recent adventures and about stealing some of Shinra’s propriety, which makes her father reprimands her. Being the new master of Wutai’s Dojo made her have more responsibilities, but she still slipped from time to time to journey through the lands. Denzel was listening silently. Yuffie sat down beside Cloud and Barret.

Cloud : “So… You said you teach now ?”

Barret : “No way ? ya’re a teach’ ? And what do you teach those poor souls? Can’t be discretion.”

Yuffie throws the pillow under her in his face as he laughs : “I’m perfectly fit to teach, or do you want me to teach you this lesson again, old man ?” She smirks as she then holds two materia between her fingers to the surprise of the bigger man. Cloud is wide eyes before he laughs barking at Yuffie’s slight hand movement. Denzel is awestruck and Barret’s jaw is on the floor and grumbles. Proud of her act, she throws lightly the materias back to Barret.

Cloud : “What do you teach then ? How to pickpocket really ?”

Yuffie slowly sit back and try to gather herself back : “Well, logically, I’m teaching martial art since I’m the new master of my father dojo. And it’s been 7 months since I’ve started teaching to one student. She’s already pretty strong but she insisted on learning from me, so I accepted. She’s honored to be taught by me obviously.” She says with a proud exaggerated move with her hand. “She’s a good listener and she has some interesting fighting techniques. Maybe Tifa should spar with her someday. She mostly uses hand-to-hand combat. That’s why she asked me to teach her about long-distance fights.”

Cloud hums, jaw on his palm to hold his posture, he listens to Yuffie’s obvious proud story. His gaze wanders around when he catches as Denzel’s stare at Yuffie and stories.

Barret : “What’s she look like then ?”

“She’s Wutaian, tall, long black hair, a big bang on one of her sides hiding it and always frowning kinda like Cloud.”

“I’m not frowning.” He says while doing it. “…not always.”

They keep exchanging for the rest of the evening before they part each other in their room early in the morning already. Cloud laying back done on his bed, hands behind his head, thoughts are rummaging in his head. He still feels anxious about many things, but they seem calmer with the recent event. He starts to think that maybe, Tifa is right. On this thought, he smiles and falls asleep.

Cloud wakes up, late in the morning, for the first time, feeling well-rested. Denzel already got up and he walks into the mansion before finding him and Yuffie seated while eating with Vincent and Marlene who just arrived. Cloud stops suddenly, as he watches Marlene standing up and sees how much she changed in such a short time. Now wearing a full gear that matches Vincent's color palette with a short dark red jacket, and heavy dark baggie pants that stop right under the knees that are covered in protected plates, similar that the ones on her shoulders. She looks taller and a high braid falls behind her head. She walks up to Cloud and hugs him as a form of greetings. He flinches, still uncomfortable with touches but accepts, nonetheless.

She’s 15 already, he looks at Denzel and realizes that he is the same age as Marlene too. He pulls his hands behind her back in a short embrace.

Marlene : “Heya ! I’m so glad I could make it before you left.”

He joins them and they finally eat together. Denzel and Marlene are visibly enjoying their meals, Denzel didn’t change back to his usual clothes and is questioning Yuffie about Wutai.

During all this, Cloud sits beside Vincent.

“…I thought about something Vin…”

Vincent looks at him but keeps silent.

“Maybe we should stop searching for anything regarding Sasha…Six years…it’s a bit too much. I’m sorry for being that pushing on you.” He stopped eating and simply poked at the food. He put his hand on his mouth as a means to hold his face, he’s frowning again.

Vincent folds his fingers together and replies : “It’s okay Cloud. I know why you’re doing all this…And you know how to question yourself and your actions. And if you push it too far, I’d tell you.”

Cloud smiles and nods.

Vincent : “…but otherwise, I’ve seen nothing around a white hair boy since Sasha appeared. Nothing about the lifestream, but the few encounters we had with Marlene are still getting slower over the year. Now it almost takes 10 full hours to get sucked by it.” Cloud straightened and listened closely, he completely stopped caring about the food. “Chaos feels it too, but they have no idea why it’s occurring since the last few years.”

Cloud : “Rufus didn’t tell me a lot. Aside from the few group movements in the cities, similar to Avalanche at the peak of Shinra’s power, they don’t seem to have found anything about Sasha nor the lifestream.”

Vincent : “You trust Rufus ?”

“No. I think they’re hiding something, the Turks are still active in some places, but I don’t think I want to get into their shit.”

“And Reeve ?”

Cloud shakes his head. He had asked the older man to keep his eyes open too. After a few years, they heard about different groups who felt that since Meteorfall and Advent Day, Shinra did not even have the right to keep any kind of authority or rights over their people and should withdraw everything to someone else and leave the city. The majority still felt grateful for their change of heart and their help in building Edge up for them, but they also seem to be a minority group that was more extreme and, as such, had more extreme methods and goals. But the events were isolated and with different outcomes, it was difficult to know which attack was linked with which group.

There was also a possibility that the motive of one of the groups goes back to the Wutai war and resentment against Shinra and old Midgar never really dying. For now, they were on standby and keeping a role of observant until they had a name to put on all these movements. In the end, nothing to actually act.

Cloud was back in his thought process and didn’t see Denzel getting closer.

Denzel : “Cloud ? Can I ask you something ?”

Marlene : “You’ve just asked something.”

Yuffie snorts and Denzel elbows her.

Cloud : “What is it ?”

Denzel fidgets in place trying to find his words, Yuffie to help him, puts her arms and head over Denzel's as a way to hold herself and says.

Yuffie grinning : “He wants to be my student too.”

Cloud dumbfounded : “Heh ? why Yuffie ?” 

Yuffie : "Hey ! I'm a great teach' Assh- " Cloud shuts her up, putting his hand over her mouth and glaring at her.

Denzel almost whisper : “Well…I like it here and…I feel the same way as Marlene. I want to help you and Tifa and there are things I can learn here for it, I believe.”

Cloud takes a moment and hums slowly. Yuffie is smirking at him.

Yuffie : “Kaaam’ ooon ~ Chocobo tuft ! You can’t say no to this cute face !!” And she squeezes Denzel’s cheeks as she says it, making him grunt and pushing her aside while she laughs.

Cloud nods slowly and sighs : “…Alright. I guess if it’s your choice I can’t really hold you. Same as Marlene. I trust the both of you, you know it.”

Denzel’s face illuminate as he gasps and with Marlene and Yuffie, the three of them jump and cheer gleefully in victory, laughing. Vincent already left to let them enjoy and Cloud looks at them with a genuine fond smile.

Chapter Text

Once he said goodbye to everyone, took the time to ruffle Denzel’s hair, and mocked Yuffie one last time, he parted from his long last friends and started the journey toward the new harbor that had been built right down the valley and roads of Wutai’s lands, where he could get a boat and get back to the continent, to Fenrir and then riding for Edge.

Taking the way down the sinuous roads, he thought about how to announce to Sasha that he wouldn’t see Denzel for a while… He thought this will sadden the boy and didn’t know how he would react since he saw his face when Marlene left. He thought he saw that he felt abandoned…Maybe he should call him, or send a message to Tifa ? He sighed… He felt a little bit like a coward to not be able to face a kid.

Lost in thoughts, he didn’t see that another person was walking the same road as him but going toward Wutai instead of leaving it. Keeping his pace, he simply remarks on the person and eyes her quickly before going back to minding his own walk. As he goes past them, he heard calling in his back.

Unknown : “You’re Cloud Strife ?”

Cloud stopped and slightly turned his face toward the stranger, now that he took the time to look, he saw the person was a tall woman – taller than him by a few inches without his tuft of hair - with black ebony hair that was falling on her shoulder, simple dark blue clothes on her that was a mix between traditional Wutaian clothes that were falling just over her knees over tight dark leather pants. One hand on her hips, looking straight toward Cloud. One eye was hidden behind a bang of hair, but the one visible was looking straight at him impassive. The blond frowned but he simply closed his eyes and started moving again.

“Not interested.”

The woman laughed.

Woman musing : “You really are the Shinra Soldier.”

Cloud stops : “Don’t call me that.”

Woman : “Yes I shouldn’t, I’m sorry. You never were a soldier if the stories are true. But you’re easy to recognize anyway…”

Cloud turned around, and she simply moved her hand and pointed at her hair to symbolize Cloud’s remarkable spikes with a smirk.

“How do you know of me ?”

“The question is ‘who doesn’t ?’ You’re pretty popular now with all the feats you’ve accomplished in the past. From mouths to ears, it’s difficult to know what’s true from what’s false, but if you dig enough, you can get some interesting bits here and there.”

The blond crossed his arms, he was perplexed about what the woman wanted with him. He did not like fans, but she did not look like one. He tilts his head on the side, to show his questioning.

Cloud : “So ? You’re a digger ?”

“The term is more like a historian. I’m interested in past stories and especially events surrounding Shinra, pre and post Meteorfall era…and you’re part of it, ain’t you ?”

Cloud was not at all interested in sharing any of his personal histories, especially about Shinra. He was tensing by the minute.

Cloud : “Maybe you should bother a Shinra then."

“Hoo. I might do that later. But I'm actually quite sure you're the one who might want something from me."

Cloud smirked and put a hand on his hips looking at the woman with a jerk of the hand as if it could push the idea away : “And how do you see that ?”

“Because of a white hair kid –“

She didn’t finish her sentence that Cloud had already pulled out his always hanging heavy sword in his back so fast that, in a ripping sound in the air, the edge of the blade was already on the throat of the person in front of him. Cold glowing eyes were staring at the surprised expression of his interlocutor. His expression partly hidden by the shadows of his spikes just made it even more intense to the woman who flinched away from the anger the man displayed. But soon the surprise weakens, and she simply stared back.

Cloud : “You better care about what you’re going to say next.”

“You’re jumping to conclusions.”

“I’ve got good instinct.”

The woman simply stared back without adding another word, mouth thin as a slit and lowering her head to withstand Cloud’s scrutiny. Her expression was unique. Puzzled, he tried to understand what it reminded him of. Oddly, it reminded him of Sephiroth's, yet not at all. The difference between the woman standing in front of him and the old warrior he had fought far too many times, is where the General's eyes were as cold as Shiva’s heart and denuded of expression outside of his battle glee, the stranger displayed a fiery fury. Her jaw was tensed and she felt like contained raged. Cloud was even more distraught by this, he was familiar with a cold condescending gaze that wanted to show control. Here, the woman barely showed controlled but it seemed further impressive from the fact she was still ruling her emotions at bay so close to outburst. 

It was a detail... But that is the most impactful element that she left on the Blond.

Woman coldly : "As I said, I'm kind of a historian in my own ways, and I was currently looking about different groups and entities who could be similar to your Avalanche band... Except some of these could be more extreme than you even were. We found one hideout that was already left some time ago and left in shambles, we didn't find a lot about the groups."

She stopped, looking at Cloud’s reaction. The man’s expression remained tense, but he was listening.

Woman : “...but we found Shinra documents. Specifically Professor Hojo's research document about their precious old Silver general."

“…”

“A year after, a toddler appears out of nowhere with similar features to the ex-general of Shinra in the front of the group who took him down, the effect of the lifestream change and seems to slow ever since then.”

“How do you know about all this ?”

The woman leaned closer to the blade to face Cloud : “I dig. That’s my job and make sure to find the truth behind all, especially since it’s linked to Shinra.”

Cloud lowers his weapon but keeps it in his hand : “I’ve got my intels. If they had left traces, I'd have known.”

“Maybe they’re not good intels, maybe they don’t want to share them with you or simply not looking at the right place... I don’t know. For my part, I was looking through groups that were forming against the new Shinra and their dogs. Seem like they were interested in this research as well.”

Cloud moved around and placed a hand on his chin and narrowed his eyes toward the woman who he still didn’t know the name : “You’re not giving me all this info for free. What do you want ?”

The woman smiled genuinely : “I want to know what their research was about. I have some tracks, but they’re not safe for me. I thought I’d ask Yuffie, but since you’re here…I feel like you might be interested ?”

Cloud stopped, thinking for a moment. He didn’t know her, but it seemed like she was Yuffie’s student and she might help in what he was looking for. He ‘tsked’ and frowned as he thought how he was just trying to get away from this.

Cloud : “I don't trust you.”

- You don’t have to. We just have some similar interests. I’m not really looking to become your friend with this at all.

- …Alright. Where can I find you ?

- I’ll be in the Icicle Inn in 2 weeks, we can start from there.

The blond sheathed his blade and sighed : “What’s your name ?”

“The name’s Aki.” She smiled and waved.

Cloud remarked that she had particularly long nails that made them look like claws. He was starting to leave when he heard one last time.

Aki : “Cloud !” He turned his head and watched as she smiled down at him. “I was wondering about all the stories from your fights with Sephiroth, there was a thing I didn’t get. If, as I heard, you were under Jenova's illusion when fighting it, then who acted during that time ?"

Cloud frowned visibly upset, yet left without another word.

- Visual for Aki Ladashina - 

Chapter Text

Sasha was walking around town, naked feet. He had just reached 8 years old. He was humming slowly while walking, taking his time, face looking down and blurry. Marlene left, Denzel had chosen to stay in Wutai, so far, he couldn’t visit him often, Tifa was busy with the bar and Cloud… was somewhere. Rubbing at his swollen eye, he felt abandoned and lonely as he passed an empty broken part of the older city of what was Midgar's upper plate that had fallen, making the ground falls down and go up almost to the point of having to climb some part. His two best friends had left him without even really telling him goodbye. He felt betrayed and pouted as he furiously kicked a rock.

Today, he was wearing a simple white T-shirt with light pants and new bruises on his face. He had just come out from a fight and just before he was beginning to lose, he had run away. He was still badly treated by the kids, but since he wanted to keep exploring the secret of Edge, he thought he had to stand up for what he thought was his rights. The ill-treating didn’t lessen for now, but at least he was able to get out, and sometimes, some kids were too afraid to start a fight, so they let him.

Upon reaching the outer side of the city, he ended in a plainer part, where the ground was finally flat, and he could see the horizon of dry land and empty space lay in front. This is where he found Cloud while he was taking care of his motorbike protected from the sun by one of the debris of Midgar tower. He seated beside it, his clothes covered by oil, sweat and dirt from cleaning the different pieces and faces of the bike. The place being empty, he seems to be lost in his mind enough to even begin humming. Sasha looked at him not knowing what to do. He crept closer and hide behind a big chunk of rock that might have been the ceiling of someplace, a long time ago. Looking at what the blond was doing.

Suddenly, the blond jerked his head and looked toward Sasha who hid quickly behind the rock. He breathed heavily to try and calm his heartbeat, when he tried to turn back to see if Cloud had seen him, he bumped into the man himself, crouching and looking right at him. Sasha’s breath stopped and he hiccupped before trying to run away from the man. But before he could even go anywhere, he got caught by his t-shirt and lifted mid-air.

Sasha : “Eek !!”

Cloud frowning : “…what are you doing ?”

Sasha : “I’m sorry ! I’m sorry ! I’m sorry ! I…I just wanted t..to look at what…at what you were doing !”

He was trembling fearing from Gaia knows what. Cloud looked at the boy and sighed.

“Then why didn’t you come directly ?”

Sasha hiccupped holding a sob and his stick close to him : “I…I didn’t want to bother you.”

Cloud’s eyebrows raised. He let go of the kid slowly to his feet and moved back toward the bike.

“Then come.”

Sasha hesitated then ran toward Cloud and the bike. The blond sat down and got back to cleaning the engine. Sasha gently looked at it, he didn’t know what he was looking at but he got that it was long since Cloud took his time for every element. After a time, the blond started humming softly again.

Sasha waited but then gathered his courage to ask : “…Why is this taking this long ?”

Cloud thought for a moment to his question before answering, he didn’t really want to talk but the boy’s eyes were waiting on him : “hmm…If I want it to work well, I need to take the time to get the best out of it. I suppose that’s why.”

Sasha nodded : “What’s that big part for.”

“That’s the cylinder.” He looked at the kid who simply nodded but was still confused. He opened his hand toward Sasha, and the kid looked at him before giving him his stick. The blond, then, drew a small very simplified diagram of the bike engine. “Here is the big piece, it’s called a cylinder, inside there are two sticks and they moved together. You use some liquid in it that gets pumped and a tiny flame lights the liquid, and makes the sticks move. If it moves, it can make the wheels turn and I can move.”

It was clearly simplified and looking at the confused look on the kid, Cloud thought he wasn’t clear, he handed back the stick to the kid and got back to the engine after being unsure what to add and feeling uncomfortable.

“…hum…Can I help you clean it up ?”

Cloud looked at him unsure.

“I mean…I already help Tifa clean the bar, maybe…maybe I can help you too ?”

Cloud looked at the pout and unsure expression on the kid, they both felt awkward. He avoided his gaze.

“I…I’m not sure it’s good for you to clean this. There is stuff that isn’t super healthy and all. Maybe you should… play somewhere else ?”

“There’s nowhere else !”

He jerked back.

“There’s nowhere else to play. Marlene and Denzel ain’t ‘ere. The kids don’t like me, don’t know why. Tifa is busy… don’t want to bother her… And uncle Cid just left two days ago, so he can’t play with me. “

He was looking down, frowning and sad when a hand brushed his swollen eye. He looked up to Cloud.

“Is that why you’re all bruised ?”

The boy looked away, moving away from Cloud’s hand and hiding behind a silver bang. His hair was getting longer by the years and he kept them, just to piss the kids around after Cid had told him that he liked them. After a moment, he saw Cloud standing up and thought he was leaving him. But he suddenly felt getting carried under his arms and getting seated on the bike. Sasha was speechless and touched the shining metallic part of the mako reservoir in front of him.

Cloud : “I know a nice place to look around. I thought you might want to see it.”

He was looking straight in front of him, still avoiding Sasha’s look. The kid simply nodded.

The engine started and roared in his ears and Sasha felt trembling from every part of his body. Cloud handed him his goggles. And then, He gripped Cloud’s arms when the bike started moving a little too quickly to his taste. But once that scare left him, he felt the adrenalin from the fast-moving and heard his heart beating loudly and the wind flapping his hair around. He watched as the décor moved around him and a smile formed on his lips. He almost felt like flying and liked the feeling. He giggled and then laughed as they moved.

They stopped as the moon raised high, at the base of what Sasha knew was the now fallen Shinra tower. They had taken the old routes that were once the upper plate of Midgar and were now at the old main entrance. Sasha didn’t know why Cloud drove them here, especially, since he didn’t have very fond memories of the place. He followed him inside. The now-abandoned building had an eerie feeling to it. The silence was heavy, no lights were working anymore, and some rooms were completely torn.

Cloud flinched when he felt a tiny hand grasps his. Since the elevator wasn’t working anymore, Cloud had to take Sasha in his arms and take the stairs. Sasha giggled when he saw Cloud stop at the 52nd floor.

Cloud : “Why…why are you laughing.”

Sasha : “You look like when you get out of your bedroom late at night.”

Cloud blushed heavily and facepalmed. He kept moving up.

“And why are you still awake this late ?”

“You’re noisy. What are you doing anyway ?”

Cloud got even redder.

Cloud grumbles almost a whisper : “Sorry… It’s nothing.”

Sasha smirking : “…Doesn’t seem like nothing…”

After a while, they got to the very top of what was once the pride of Shinra’s era. Sasha looked around and saw at the bottom, the ruin of Midgar and its city, completely drowning in shadows, then the warm lights of Edge and further, the land that was beyond what was his home. He raised his head and watched the stars lighting the sky and thought about what Cid had told him. He was still in Cloud’s arms and simply folded his around the blond neck.

Cloud : “Cid talked to me about that. I thought about it and…and I was wondering if you’d like to train with me ? I can teach you a few things I know…if you’d like it ?” He didn’t expect his reaction.

The kid’s eyes brightened and he gasped without saying a thing from fear of Cloud taking his words back.

“You would ?!”

“Well…If you respect what I tell you and if you can follow. Then yes, I would.”

For all reaction, Sasha simply jumped in Cloud’s arms and laughed loudly. Cloud stilled at the contact, but looking at Sasha’s reaction, he simply smiled and raised his gaze in the sky.

Chapter Text

Summer seems to shine beautifully today. The sun is high, yet the temperature remains cold even with the sun piercing through. The residents of Icicle town understood that and wore what would be evident for such weather… except for one who look like a stain in the painted background of the small place.

Cloud was hiding under a tree in a corner of the small snowy village. The current climate didn’t bother him that much fortunately but being sleeveless had its flaws too. He wore a heavy coat and kept his hands on the pockets. He remained upright, waiting for his meeting with the Wutaian woman. Surprisingly, he was saluted by a few of the town’s denizens who recognized him, either from the stories or from all those years ago with the event of the northern crater. This was no small event at the time, Sephiroth awakening, then the Weapon and the force field must have been quite something for the people here. This made him acknowledge the fact that he was not really a nobody in the eyes of everyone. Looking around as if he tried to spot any oddities that would set him off. But he currently was more lost in his thoughts than anything else.

What Aki had told him unnerved him, he had to say it. His brain started running as soon as their discussions ended last time. She… knew a lot. His and Avalanche story wasn’t really a secret. It was even gaining popularity since the event at the top of the ruins of Shinra Tower. It might have started being told around, like the way Tifa was telling it to Sasha now and then. But the problem with this method of gaining information was that you couldn’t separate the truth, from the lie and exaggerations. This Aki had been awfully accurate – except for the ancient part. He supposed - since he deduced that she was Yuffie’s student – that she could have heard it from the Wutaian princess. However, Cloud knew that Yuffie had been really affected by Aerith’s death… as all of them, and still got her breath caught when the topic would arise under the high moon in the sky. He couldn’t picture her talking about it with a stranger casually.

He could get where she got knowledge of Sasha though and the boy raised questions to anyone and everyone. Be that as it may, he did not like her knowledge of him. Oddly, he had reacted when she had mentioned the little boy. That had surprised even himself.

The blond simply scratches the side of his head. Perhaps, beyond his doubts, he actually liked the kid… Cloud scowled out loud at that. That was why he was here because he could not like the kid anyway.

Then, he lets a sigh out, grimacing deeply. Then there were the hidden groups. Cloud presumed that maybe the Wutaian woman might be working with the said group to know this much without Vincent or him knowing. But he had to find proof of it. So, it had called EX-Turk and asked him to look for her background. He knew he could trust him for this and avoid danger while being with Marlene. That was also why he did not ask him to accompany him to the Rendez-Vous in Icicle. His luck was that Cid was currently in Edge with Tifa and Sasha, so he couldn’t be his backup either…

Well, he acted as his backup with Sasha, so it was not really a bad thing.

He ended his thought process by scratching his head and sighing once more before letting his hand fall as another silhouette decided to join him under the tree. Hands-on her hips, she bends to look Cloud in the eyes while his gaze is focused down.

Aki : “You seem lost in thought. Want me to come back later ?”

The blond man diverts his eyes from her gaze and moves away from the tree and straightens his harness behind him.

Aki : “Must not be very practical all these belts while in a fight, isn’t it ?” She questions.

Cloud ‘tsk’ as he moves away from her and for all answer says : “So ? What is it you want my help for ?”

She walks confidently in front of him, still serious. Now that he has the time to observe her, he remarks how sure she is in her movements. Or at least, controlled. While she puts her hands on her hips, her breathing is not situated on her sternum but lower toward her belly. This is not something natural, instead, you must learn in martial art to control your breathing and to harden that higher part of the torso. Aki was a fighter and a good one at that. Surprisingly, he knew that from little details but after years of living with individuals with a large variety of skills, he understood the slight differences between a good fighter and an ersatz. He knew that she was Yuffie’s pupil, yet she seems to have abilities far beyond what Yuffie would have taught her.

The woman was wearing combat gear, old and used ones with specific protections on her arms. Her hands were distinctly rough and sharp nails at the end of it gave her a fierce look. Small needle-like daggers were attached to her belts beside small pouches at her waist. She was a brawler, but dissimilar to the always compact aura Tifa was always giving off. Instead of the protective feels Tifa always had, here she seemed turned outside on the offensive.

Cloud wanted to see how she fared in a fight because she clearly had a lot more than she was telling. And again… Why the need for his help more than her mentor and princess as a backup if she knew how to defend herself ?

Aki : “I know for sure that there might be a few members of that ' neo Avalanche’ here in Icicle.”

Cloud  : “And I suppose I have to believe your words only ?” He tugs his heavy coat closer.

Aki stops : “I got that information from one of their members sometime before we met. As they were looking for potential new members, I tried to pass as one and heard their discussion while they were at the Turtle Paradise Bar before they were cut for being too loud.”

Cloud surprised : “I didn’t think you’d tell me, like before.”

Aki : “I wasn’t sure you wanted in before and also… “ She sighs dejected “I suppose I have to give some honesty on my part if I want you to believe me a little… At least. I don’t know.” She shrugs.

For once Cloud is surprised. He follows her as they stride into the small town.

Aki : “It starts here.”

And she simply shows Gast’s old laboratory to a skeptical Cloud Strife.

~~~~

Sasha has bruised once again. Except for this time, it’s because he just finished an early morning training session with Cid. He taught him his stance and a few sets of simple movements before trying to make him endure a few exchanges for his next ‘Bully encounter’. He waved him goodbye with a wide grin still battered from the last exchange.

It has been two weeks, but he already felt better prepared if he were to get ambushed again. As he wanders around town, he stops at a top of a small building to sit down, as the sun is high in the sky. The light shines on the rooftop of the houses of Edge and he can see further into the horizon, into the fields far further from the town and into unknown territories for him… For now.

His mood shift as he thinks about Cloud who came back from Wutai without Denzel. So now, on top of Marlene, he had lost his brother to another stupid training mentor. And to add to it all, Cloud, who had promised to train him, had only passed a few days with him – which were pretty awesome ! Since he had shown him all his blades one by one and the different techniques that went with each. – but had left as quickly as he had come back. He was then left with Tifa and sometimes Cid when he came for visits and taught him and himself to play.

He puts his head on his knees hiding from the world as the thoughts sadden him. He wants to see his siblings but can’t because they are too far away from training. And he can’t show them how strong he is becoming since is far away too. This felt unfair to him. He wanted so much but could do so little. He did not know why his hero was so unnerved by him and from confused and sad, something else was raising little by little. He was angry. Angry because did not want to pass time with him, did not want to train him to be with Marlene and Denzel, angry at Marlene and Denzel for leaving him alone, and angry at himself for not being able to do anything.

Sasha : “Stupid Marlene. Stupid Denzel.”

He looks up with angry tears “Stupid Cloud !”

He stands up from the top of the building, tiny tight fists at his sides. “What did I do wrong ? “

He screams at the top of his lungs : “Why are you always avoiding me ?!”

He cries looking desperate again and swaps the tears away anger flaming up anew, but the flow comes back as quickly.

Sasha : “Who do you think you are for leaving me alone like that ? I… I’ll prove to all three of you… To all three of you that I can be a great strong hero too !”

He takes a rock at his feet and throws it away as it falls on the roof opposite to the one, he is on. Tears still running down freely

“… Even better than you ! Because… Because I won’t leave you as you did me ! I won’t leave Tifa or anyone else !”

He raises his fist and punches the floor in front of him, anger now drifting away with his outburst.

Sasha in a weaker voice : “… I promise you.”

Behind Sasha : “Heh ! We don’t even need to do anything for you to cry now.”

Laughing and snickering raises as he, at first, curls up even more on himself, trying to ignore the group.

“Nara. He’s ignoring us now.”

He hears footsteps closing in and suddenly he’s holstered up by his clothes and sees the same kid that pushed him last time. So, she’s the one called Nara.

Sasha is trying to force the taller kid to let go by pushing on her hand holding him up.

Sasha : “Let me go ! Why are you even doing this if you don’t like me ?”

Nara : “That’s exactly why we’re doing this. We don’t want you here ! Nobody wants you here.”

For all answers, Sasha bites the hand holding his t-shirt to the point of drawing blood and Nara screams before letting him go to cover her bloody hand. Sasha falls on his back as he watches her, and the other kids are all frozen in place. Unsure whether to help the girl or not. Maybe the fear of his title makes up for their pride.

Nara : “Ha ! You’re a freak !”

Sasha, still on the ground : “I am not ! A freak ! Stop doing that !”

He stands up once more, feeling like he had enough. Tears are still in his eyes and he’s trembling, terrified mixed with anger from all the things accumulating in him.

Nara : “Oh yeah ? Then you better be ready to prove what you just said, Calamity boy. Otherwise, you know what you’re going to get next.”

Sasha growls and glares back at Nara.

- Cloud and Yuffie -

Chapter Text

As the two enter the old laboratory, unsaturated colors the place as the only light coming in is from the small open door. Cloud goes straight for the abandoned desk in the middle.

The place is cleaned, empty from all the important documents and files that were left from the last time they went here during AVALANCHE’s hunt for Sephiroth.

But… The place shows signs of having been invaded by someone else not long ago. The laboratory was supposed to still be guarded by WRO, Cloud had unlocked the door himself this time, following on his travel partner's words. The small laboratory shouldn’t have been disturbed since the last time he went here. He wonders how she would have entered the place since he had the only key, and she certainly was surprised to see him pocket it out.

He touches the moldy wood of the desk and then puts one hand on his hip perplexed by who might have been coming into Gast’s old laboratory and why since all the important files and videotapes had been moved out.

He hears a crash behind him that makes him a jerk. Aki is already shuffling through the furniture, a goal in mind apparently.

Cloud shocked : “What are you doing ?”

Aki pauses her action and turns around looking back at Cloud with wide still eyes : “Well… Trying to find a secret door or something.” She grins and gets back to her digging.

Cloud narrows his eyes. He feels really perplexed by the woman, one moment she acts cold and seemingly all-knowing and the next moment she reminds him of Yuffie’s curious and stubborn mindset.

Aki not halting her moves : “You should help me by the way.”

Cloud moving closer : “What makes you think that there is a secret passage here ? We looked everywhere when we emptied the place last time we came here.”

Aki straightens herself and puts her hands on her hips, she sighs seemingly exasperated by Cloud’s questioning her.

She raises a finger : “Firstly, you believing that there is no secret in here is why you didn’t find it in the first place. This is why I’m the “digger” and you’re the mercenary I engaged.”

Cloud crosses his arms on his chest, looking visibly irritated by the woman : “I see you “know” me that well. And, If I’m only your mercenary, I suppose I should give you my emeritus ?”

Aki snorted mockingly and dismissed his words with a wave of the hand : “You’re going to get paid. Don’t worry. You’re here looking for information, aren’t you ? You’ll certainly get them… And I’ll put a good word about your actions here when it’s done.”

Cloud dumbfounded : “Thanks, I guess ?”

Aki raising a second finger : “The second reason I believe there is a secret here is that most of Shinra’s laboratories were constructed on multiple layers. Shinra’s mansion, the one at the Shinra Tower, Hollander’s lab which was south of the icicle town in Modeoheim… Would be surprised if this one was different.”

She returns to her shuffling. And cloud moves away to another corner of the small room, now looking too.

Cloud : “How do you know so much about Shinra’s history anyway ? I don’t believe you can get this many details by only looking ‘round a little.”

Aki moves a rack from one wall and starts poking at it : “That is what’s funny ! You can actually get a lot by ‘looking ‘round a little’.” She mimics. “It wasn’t that long ago; people talk a lot. There are still loads of individuals from that era to discuss with. And most of them love talking ~ Especially, now that they believe it’s in the past. Also, Shinra’s new policy on transparency and their archive helped a lot.”

Cloud hums then crouch, arms straight and posed on his knees, still skeptical about the woman’s objectives and mindset. He waits for her next moves. Suddenly, she jerks toward the giant steel console which is strongly fixed to the wall. The console covers the entire wall.

Cloud straightens : “No way…”

Aki moves closer and tries to peek between the steel planks before trying to move the different panels but to no avail. Cloud walks close to help but she pulls out two of the daggers on her belts and puts them between the small slot and silently moves them around until they hear a small lock break and some short circuit noise. The woman straightens back up and now the panel moves easily, opening a path to a new area for Cloud.

Cloud remains silent, a tinge of annoyance at himself for not seeing this before now. Aki is now lordly looking at Cloud, a small smile at the corner of her lip.

Aki : “To each their skills.”

She tries to move but is stopped by a hand on her arm, she turns with flaring eyes.

Cloud : “You were right about the secret place. Now, let me take the lead, you don’t know where you’re going.”

Aki still looking at his hand on her : “Why ?”

Cloud lets go : “ ‘Coz I’m the mercenary remember ? I can take more damages than you if someone decides to ambush us.”

Aki thinks for a few seconds, then moves out of the way with one hand presenting the space. “Go on Soldier boy.”

Cloud glares at her for the nickname : “…Don’t.”

Cloud advances, his Soldier enhancements on alert. The new area looks even more discarded than the main place. It is a very small passage made of now rotten wood and a small door bar the next room. He opens it, followed by Aki. This new round alcove is empty, even the walls are naked of any decorations. A desk stands on a side and on the other side, an old board with now erased notes on some ancient Shinra research. Cloud recognizes the logo in the up corner. The desk is empty too.

They remain silent.

Another door, another room. This time the place is full of documents that apparently are Shinra Archives that aren’t useable anymore. Aki starts rummaging and as Cloud wanted to move to the next part, he suddenly hears faint murmurs. He stops and focuses on the noise.

Unknown : “…nd what should we do about the Turks ?”

Cloud slowly kneels closer to the source than the ones below their level. This first voice was eager, a feminine voice, even though the sentence was a question, it seemed to already know the answer.

Unknown : “We already got all intel on how to separate them at this time and all the places. You’ll just to keep your groups ready.”

The second voice, male this time, was far more severe than the first, but the serious tone placed him above the other.

Unknown : “And the Shinra Soldier ? We can’t bring him with us.”

Cloud freezes.

Unknown cackling : “Teeheehee. The doc isn’t going anywhere. Should simply put him down now, there are still other remnants of Shinra’s shit everywhere. Or maybe make another one for us… I don’t mind super strength.”

A third voice, this time far more acute than the other two. The other two sulked and shut down the third one. Cloud exhales slowly. An ex-Soldier was here apparently. Cloud guessed these were members of the group Aki talked about. She was right that they had taken the place as their own. And they clearly had something against Shinra. It didn’t surprise him seeing how he obviously didn’t like what they were and even now, he would find any way to avoid having any parts with them.

The prisoner bothered him though. What use did they have with a soldier from Shinra ? Did they simply enjoy having one at their mercy or was there something else ? And knowing that this group was able to suppress a Soldier wasn’t good news either. He needed to get him out of here and ask him directly.

As the blond was already thinking of a tactic to get down, he saw Aki in his peripherical vision moving slowly around and looking at him with a questioning look.

Aki : “What is –“

But she didn’t have the time to finish her sentence as she walked on a far more rotten part of the wood floor and Cloud saw her as the plank started breaking under her feet.

Out of reflexes, Cloud jumped to try and get her, and he simply moved so her fall was cushioned by him. They fall, wooden planks raining down with them and they stop with a heavy crash on a table that breaks under their weight.

Cloud groans when he finally feels the ground. He shakes his head trying to get his thoughts back as his breath got sucked out of his brain.

Cloud : “Fuck…”

Suddenly he hears a clap of hands above him.

Unknown : “Well ! Well ! Seems like we got rats falling down the ceiling now.”

Cloud moves to stand up but is stopped by the click of a gun being charged and pointed at him. Looking at him a dozen of men, mostly Wutaian as Cloud recognizes are standing on guard and feeling heavily ready to attack them at the smallest movement. They wear plain clothes and even the one that Cloud guessed as their leader wasn’t outstanding among the group. He assumed it was their way of not being seen as they did in Midgar with Avalanche when he still considered himself a mercenary. The only outstanding element from him was his high ponytail held tight by a dark blue ribbon and the same color painted in a thin straight line from the roots of his and touching the end of his nose that strangely separated his face in two and made his look sharper. And, from his posture, he reminded him of a facsimile Tseng. Yet, Tseng always held a somewhat calm demeanor and professionalism, this man just seemed rougher. He wasn’t a natural leader, he felt more like he was put in this place against his own will.

They still wore military gear, Wutai mixed with Midgar's old army gear. Since they were surrounded, Cloud decided to simply look around and get the most of it while waiting for their adversary’s next move. The room was plain too, naked cemented wall, dirty from not cleaning them over the years. The table they broke by falling on it was covered by papers, with a quick glance, Cloud discerned blueprints of Shinra’s new house and WRO’s HQ, but only the undergrounds facilities. There were others but the blond’s focus got taken back by Aki’s groaning.

Aki : “Damn… That one hurt a lot…”

Cloud : “You okay ?”

Aki : “No.”

Leader : “You know, if you wanted to join the group, you should have said ‘yes’ when I asked you last time.”

Cloud grunted. Of course, they knew each other. He looked at his woman companion with contempt at the new information.

Aki : “And I said no for a reason… But now that I’m here don’t you want to tell me more about it ?” she grins.

Leader : “Hmm… Tempting but no.”

She shakes her head and gets back on her feet as the people around jerk toward her, weapons still charged and pointing toward them. Cloud crouches in response but still doesn’t move to unsheathe his own blade. The two exchanged a few words, but Cloud’s mind was working hyper-fast. There was an Ex-SOLDIER here and explosive as he looked around. There was obviously more going on but looking at the way the man talked he wasn’t going to share much with them. He needed to get to that SOLDIER, if he could get him out of here safely but also, he was certainly one source of information about what was going on with this group. He thought about simply finishing them off right now but…

Aki : “Your brother isn’t here ?”

Leader : “Please. We’re smarter than that to not gather all in one place.”

Aki : “Won’t make me hold myself against you – “

As she readies herself to fight him, she’s stopped by Cloud in her tracks. She looks at him surprised.

Cloud : “Don’t.”

Aki dumbfounded : “Wha- “ She looks down at him and remarks on his pose as he’s placing down his sword and understand that he won’t fight. “You can’t be serious !”

The leader starts laughing, hands on his hips, at this as the men around them start moving closer : “Seems like you chose the wrong side.”

She starts to hit him in the shoulder to make him move. He rolls his eyes and moves slightly away from her hand.

Cloud smirking at her : “Still not going to pay me are you ?”

Once both have been rid of their weapon and materias, Cloud sees the men moving to tie their hands.

Aki : “Why the fuck did I think it was a good idea to get you on this ?”

Cloud : “I don’t know, I’m not in your mind. I wouldn’t have done that either.”

She scoffs.

Cloud notices that Aki’s bounds are simple ropes but when they tie him, cloud sees that his’ are not simple bounds.

Cloud low : “SOLDIER’s shackles…”

Leader : “Able to withstand SOLDIER’s strength that even the dead Demon of Wutai… “ He spits like fire on his tongue “…couldn’t break. Should be able to hold you too, Cloud Strife.”

Cloud frowns uncertain : “Where did you get these ?”

“You don’t really need to know that anyway.”

“Why not kill us ?” Risky to ask, but let’s play as the loser for now.

“You don’t need to know that either.” He turns toward a dry-looking man that had a grin plastered on his face since they fell from upstairs. “Lan ! You get Cloud Strife in the other SOLDIER’s place. You can get rid of it now that we found a new one. You can bring Aki to another cell… I’ll think of what to do with her later on.” He smiles gently. “Maybe send a message to the young Kisaragi ?”

The man, Lan, moves with four other men around them, laughing. He’s the cackling man he heard before. He grimaces as he lets him lead him away from the room. Even though they’re getting further away, his enhancement lets him hear behind him.

Leader : “Get the others and send a message to Nigami. We’re going to move faster from now on…”

Cloud doesn’t get more as they move away from it.

Aki angrily, still bewildered but low : “I can’t believe you stabbed me in the back like that. I thought you were supposed to be good or something.”

Cloud : “I didn’t betray you.”

“Ok. Then what’s your plan now that you're shackled ?”

“I’m thinking.”

Lan : “Don’t talk. We may still have use of you both, but I don’t mind cutting a few Shinra’s whore and traitor’s limbs in the process. Teehee.”

Cloud’s eye twitches at the calling. He glares at the man behind him and looks down to gauge him. The blond notices a short blades holder in a leather belt. This man was already running on his nerves.

Aki ignoring Lan’s command : “But why not fight them ? I’ve seen records, you clearly are strong enough to kill half-baked soldiers !”

Lan : “No, he’s not.”

Cloud : “Who says I want to ?”

Aki : “We’re not really in a position to indulge in your willingness to get us out of a life or death situation ! We should just kill them.”

Aki’s looking around and her gaze linger on a room with a green haze coming out of it. Cloud just quickly recognizes a materia room similar to the one he’s seen in the old Shinra’s weapons divisions.

The guards around them start to feel uneasy by their exchange and Aki’s fury.

Cloud trying to stay calm : “I try to avoid choosing killing as the first option.”

Lan scoffs.

Aki : “Now that’s a clever answer and shows so much compassion from the man who killed so many Shinra soldiers back then !”

Cloud : “That was then and this is now. Why do I have to excuse my choices to you ? And I thought you didn’t care about Shinra’s soldiers or such.”

Lan angrily : “By the goddess, will you two shut up !!”

Aki : “I don’t care. I promise. I simply see your speech being incoherent and voice it.”

Cloud : “I feel no need to explain my reasoning to you, yet.”

They arrive at the cell’s level and Lan’s limit.

Lan raging : “That’s it. I’m gonna make you both shut it.”

He goes for his dagger and goes to stab Cloud behind his thighs. Targeting a place where he won’t be lethal but still would hurt and might make him limp. But before he touches the man and without seeing it, Cloud grabs his hands with his and moves him up his head, before twisting the wrist. Lan yells and lets go of the blade. The Ex-SOLDIER catches it and as fast, cuts his partner in crime’s ties.

Cloud still annoyed : “Now you get them.”

Aki doesn’t wait for him and takes the blade now and throws it right at the first guard that was moving to get to them. The dagger sinks in the hand holding the weapon and the man scream holding it in agony as blood drips from its impaled member.

Lan catches Cloud by the throat trying to restraint his movement. The blond grabs the arms and as another guard runs closer to get him upfront as he is gripped by the smaller man, he straightens himself and moves his foot to kick the man coming at him in the guts with all his strength. The impact is such that the man gape with no sound coming out of his mouth as he is pushed and crashed at the opposite wall in heavy rough sound as he sinks into it and loses consciousness shape it only. Lan is still on him and as Cloud shifts to push him away, he feels cold steel entering his flesh on his lower back.

He groans and turns slowly to look darkly at the man holding him. Lan stills at this and suddenly feels his body moving as cloud using his’s and his hold on his arm to throw him over his head and making him fall to the floor on his back, breath caught in his lungs.

Aki moved to the third guard and gracefully shifted on her feet to dodge a blow and using her own tantrum to plunge her fist in the other rib cage and breakings inside with her moves. The guard is stunned from the hit and folds himself to himself on his hurt chest, Aki uses his own movement to bring his head knocking on her kneecap. Blood drips from a broken nose and screaming reaching for it. She doesn’t let him though as she finally hits him between the legs and the man falls on the floor, unconscious from the pain. Her fist isn’t as strong as Cloud’s or Tifa’s but she visibly knows human anatomy enough to disable any man. The man with the impaled hand wants to run away, but Cloud comes behind him and knocks him behind the head with his hands still shackled.

Aki’s breath is short, but she is fine.

Aki : “You hurt ?”

Cloud : “He got me on the back but I’ll manage.”

Aki : “Unsurprising.”

Cloud : “You fight well.”

Aki : “I know.”

Cloud : “Alright, let’s –“

He doesn’t get to finish his sentence as Lan who got his breathing back and blood dripping from broken lips launches to stab Cloud once more, but Aki moves first and with a quick swipe from her hands, she cut a completely bewildered Lan’s throat with her sharp hand. Cloud is too surprised by the move but recovers quickly and jerks the Wutaian woman by the biceps away from the dying man as he sinks into his knees looking at his killer with a pleaded look. Cloud looks angrily at the woman but doesn’t say anything and simply goes to scour inside the man’s pocket for his healing materia. He cast a few times, but it is still too late.

Aki : “Why care for him. He was a jerk and tried to kill you and now you suddenly care for him ?”

Cloud : “I don’t know how you see me but I’m the first to know what I’ve done in the past. Doesn’t excuse me from doing it again.”

Aki : “I do not agree with this vision. But fine. Let’s agree to disagree.”

Cloud gets up and sighs. Aki looks away. It seems like they can’t get along, Cloud doesn’t get how she thinks, it frustrates him all the more as he always could understand how his companion worked and accept their differences. But here, he felt… more conflicted.

Cloud : “By the way, I couldn’t have killed all those Soldier back there. I’m strong but they were too many of them. As for the record, for most of my fights, I wasn’t alone during these.”

Aki shrugs “Maybe…”

She follows Cloud as he looks in every cell one by one. They don’t have a lot of time before the commotion they made, gets noticed.

Aki : “What are we looking for now ? This, not the place if you’re looking for information or a way to get the shackles free.”

Cloud : “I don’t care about that just yet, there’s a soldier here and I want to free him.”

Aki : “What ?! We did all this because of a Shinra’s old toy ? You make no sense Cloud Strife !”

Cloud finally stops.

Cloud is frozen in front of the cell; Aki stops her babbling and sees him looking in front with wide eyes and gaping mouth as if he’s seen a ghost. She looks inside the cell too now and remarks the man tied in old Soldier restrains. He looks pale and purple in places, dried blood splattered all over his sides and legs from slices and heavy punches impacts. He’s only wearing worn and stained Soldier pants, the combat boots in the far corner of the room with a small water bottle half emptied.

Oddly, the woman does not understand how Cloud recognizes the man as his posture and dark sweat-coated hair hide his face from them. Yet, the man did recognize him as he whisper in a broken voice almost a whisper.

Cloud : “…Kunsel ?”

- Baby Cloud sketches -