Chapter Text
"Cloud?"
The call was startling, nearly enough to cause the ex-SOLDIER to nearly stumble over on his own usually grounded feet. It wasn't the action itself nor the pressured mindset he was in that stirred this uncharacteristic reaction—as realized by himself during the spur of the moment—but rather, who was making the call.
Cloud Strife was almost too afraid to turn around. Her voice, as sweet and melodic as he last remembered, could have been recognized amidst a crowd of chattering dozens. She called his name again, softer this time, though with an obvious tinge of reluctance—as if she might have actually made a mistake.
So again, she repeated, "Is that you?"
Cloud turned around.
"You're not gonna bail on me, right?"
Cloud looked at her blankly, with a fold in his lips that was frustratingly indecipherable. The girl's usually playful scowl was replaced with a strange, solemn expression—tinges of desperation, maybe even fear. To his silence, with heat rising to her cheeks, she looked away.
"Fine then. Don't answer."
Some seconds passed, Cloud pondering the commitment of his newfound acquaintance's request for just a moment; not much more thought was put into the notion.
"Okay," he then said, pulling the sword off his back and laying it absentmindedly against a nearby wooden stump. He fell back onto the grass. "Sure."
She was bright, Cloud remembered. Not physically—her wardrobe was actually quite dull in color, typically clothed in grays and browns and other hues blunt to the eye—but more so in attitude. Spirit. Never once had he seen her without a grand expression, whether that be a massive, toothy grin or a grouchy old scowl. He liked them both—he liked them all.
And while she looked exactly how he remembered—even wearing similar clothes: a grey, tight-fitted long-sleeve with small open buttons at the lowest point of the collar, black shorts, and striped stockings layered beneath the same heavy-duty boots—there was something about her that was startlingly different.
It wasn't the mere result of time. Besides an inch or so added in height, it was as if she'd barely aged a day—at least, no more than expected. Maybe her lips were a bit fuller, maybe her lashes had grown just a tad, or maybe it was the slight development in her anatomy—but no, that definitely wasn't it. That wasn't what caught him off guard.
"Cloud."
Cloud realized he'd been staring. After a millisecond of self-loathing for his stupidity, he settled on a blunt, "hi."
Another moment passed. She was looking at him quietly, studying his face as if there were some deeper meanings hidden beneath his own mako-infused eyes—a trait the both of them shared. Her lips folded, and it was obvious that there was something she was dying to say but opted to keep to herself. There was a lot he wanted to tell her, too.
But he remained silent. Allowed her to study as she pleased.
Then, without so much as a second thought, she smiled. Her smile wasn't quite how he remembered it.
"Cloud. How are you?"
Cloud felt something stir within his chest. How was he? He was a traitor, was what he was, only capable of broken promises and doggedly bullshit commitments. Why was she here? Why was she talking to him? He didn't deserve her pleasantries, didn't deserve her kindnesses—he didn't deserve the warmth nor the comfort of her presence, of seeing that after all these years—after all he'd done to her—that she was okay.
Was she okay?
With clenched fists and a locked jaw, the ex-SOLDIER looked up. He finally caught his first thorough look of her.
And she, just as he had left it, looked exhausted.
"Why are you here?" he asked, trying to hide the seething tone of the words passing through his teeth. His voice almost broke.
She shrugged, either not noticing his strange demeanor or simply deciding against commenting on it. He doubted it was the former.
Empty eyes innocently glanced around at the evening's bustling surroundings.
"Wall Market can be a nice place—" she then paused, even chuckled, "—sometimes. And I was hungry."
A joke. He was glad she could still make those.
The girl continued, "What about you?"
"What?"
She remained indifferent to his request for reiteration. With the same polite tone, she said once more, "I asked what you were doing here."
"I want tea. Hot tea, with lots of sugar."
Cloud clicked his tongue. "That can't be good for you."
She skipped ahead, pointing at one store in particular that seemed to have gathered a crowd. A short line formed outside, to which Cloud frowned at. They were running late to a job south of the Sector 5 slums. No time to stop for tea.
"It's busy," deadpanned Cloud at her silent request. He kept walking.
"C'mon," whined the girl, tugging on his arm. "We have the money. Just one drink? It's good for mercenaries to rejuvenate every now and then, you know."
"What?" He'd heard her perfectly clear, which she knew damn well.
Begrudgingly, she jogged forward, shoulders slumped as she strode by Cloud's side. "Whatever. I hate it when you do that."
And silently, his mouth twitched upwards at her defeat.
"Just... wandering," Cloud answered. It wasn't entirely false; once he was done here, him and the others would head topside to look for Aerith. He'd come to Wall Market to see what he more he could do before his departure, with Barret and Tifa covering other territories. He wouldn't have expected to find her here, well-off despite her faulty state of mind.
She began speaking, though he only heard every other or so word. He noticed her fluctuated weight, her heavy eyelids, the pale-yellow tints to her skin; as pretty as she was, the girl looked blank. Dull. She wasn't the same person she was when he had first met her.
Resentment sparked, spreading throughout his nerves and heating each vein like a flame to brittle skin. He wanted to be mad at her for her twisted sense of forgiveness, for speaking to him as if he'd done nothing wrong—but to her, there was nothing to forgive him for. She had no recollection of his mistakes, couldn’t remember any of it. The impact of his betrayal had taken its toll, though even now, she withheld it with a fraction of a smile. Not like she could do much else.
Cloud's frown deepened. The only person there was to blame was himself.
"We should go," was the first sentence he finally processed. He didn't respond, only looking to her with a crease in his brow as if to ask for further clarification; he was too afraid to put that request into words.
"To the tea shop," she said again. She always had a knack for reading his expression.
Cloud's heart skipped a beat. "Tea shop?"
"The one in the Sector 5 slums. It's really not too far, not with the chocobo service."
Oh. Cloud released a breath. "Right. Yeah, I've seen it."
"Do you want to go?"
He probably shouldn't. With Aerith and Shinra, time was of the essence. What would Barret say about him going off with an old friend for the fun of it?
An old friend. Cloud bit his lip, eyes grazing her meaningless smile as she awaited an answer.
No. He wouldn't make that mistake again.
"Okay," Cloud nodded, his gaze falling to the floor. "Sure. Tea."