Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Got a fire in my soul. I’ve lost my faith in this broken system.
Got love for my home: But if we cry, is there anyone listening?
Follow me on this road, you know we gotta let go. They’ve been holdin’ us down.
They’ve been tellin’ us to change our voices. But we’re not part of that crowd. We made our bed, and we’ll make our own choices.
We may be underestimated, but I know one day we will make it. Time to say it out loud, we are young and we’re proud.
I’m not afraid, to tear it down and build it up again.
It’s not our fate: We could be the renegades. I’m here for you, are you here for me too?
Let’s start again.

— One Ok Rock (Renegades)

55. Renegades

Cloud figured by the many loose straps that she hadn’t worn one before.

“With your permission?” He muttered, trying not to gag on his embarrassment. It would take way too long to undo the entire harness, then it would the one strap.

He momentarily stalled when she cleared her throat and nodded.

Cloud didn’t know how he ended up on his knees in front of her.

But he did, and it was trying to make him blank out when he realised he needed to touch her to get the strap to loosen, then un-kinked. 

Ah.

Wrong word.

He shook the green spots out of his vision, and focused on what he needed to do so she didn’t slip out of the harness on the way down to Midgar.

That would be bad. 

And if he needed to touch her to ensure that, his mind could kick it, and he could return to it later when her life wasn’t on the line.

Yep.

Nope.

Not thinking on that.

He rapidly undid the strap, straightened it up, then put it through the right loops and buckles.

There.

Cloud immediately got back up to his feet, trying to not give into his embarrassment. 

Awkward.

Tifa sided her head. 

“Cloud?” She questioned quietly. 

He looked back to her, his attention back on her in an instant.

She went and tugged his hand. “It’s okay.” She reassured. 

Oh?

She wasn’t upset about the invasion of privacy.

Good.

Great, even.

He needed to evaluate that when they weren’t about to jump off a perfectly intact ship into a place where they were semi-wanted fugitives.

Cloud nodded. 

“Alright.” He nearly coughed, then went about gently tugging her around so her back faced his front, and clipping them together.

He barely had the thought to ensure that his sword was at his back.

“Cloud?” She asked again, looking up to him.

He looked down at her and hummed at her to continue as he made sure all the clips were fastened securely. She would have no control over her movements once they were.

Just before he clipped in the last one, she surged up and managed to kiss his cheek.

Cloud blinked at her, blankly. Head empty. Thoughts gone.

She giggled at his expression. 

“You’re gonna have to carry me over to the edge.” She eagerly reminded him.

Cloud’s brain restarted, and he tugged on the last clip.

“You ready for that?” He asked.

Tifa laughed, and squirmed. 

“Yeah, no. Don’t do that.” Cloud warned.

That was doing things to him, she would be about to feel it, if she didn’t stop.

Tifa looked up to him, with a glint in her eye that told she knew exactly what she was doing, and what she was aiming for.

“Maybe when we’re not about to jump off a ship?” Cloud questioned. 

Her timing was going to need to be addressed. 

Tifa nodded. “As long as we agree to return to it.” Tifa demanded. 

Cloud snorted. “If that’s what you want to do.” He answered.

She nodded enthusiastically. 

Cloud would need to address that, far sooner than he thought she would be ready for.

Alright then.

Huh.

“If you’re gonna stop squirming for me, I’m gonna need to pick you up.” He reminded.

She nodded. “Ready!” She cajoled.

She had terrible timing. He needed to focus.

He wrapped his arms around her middle, and easily lifted her off the ground so he could walk easier. 

She screeched in joy, and lifted her legs up.

With her legs up to help, he was able to walk easier. 

“You wanna go first?” Cloud asked. 

Tifa hummed thoughtfully. “No.” She said after she ended up deciding.

Cloud nodded and turned around, minding his sword at the back of his thighs as he left one arm to grab the nearest pole to pull them up onto the ledge.

“Ready?” He asked.

Tifa let out a joyful noise as she nodded. 

Then he fell.

He let out a laugh when she screeched in joy, returning his arm around her as they fell, his back to Midgar.

Cloud knew when he needed to straighten up, and pull the chute, but until then he could hold her close. He could do three things at once.

He saw that she was waving her legs gleefully, free from gravity in their free-fall.

Cloud could hear everyone else, if he wanted to focus on them, which he didn’t. So he didn’t.

Cloud felt her wiggle into him, and he risked tightening his hold around her middle. He kept them there when he didn’t hear her protest in pain, only hum in curiosity. 

“Hey, Cloud?” She asked.

She knew she didn’t need to shout for him to hear her over the wind. 

He couldn’t help but move his head to crowd the back of her head, he hummed in response, knowing she would feel the vibrations over hearing it.

“Are we gonna find Denzel?” She asked quietly.

He felt himself become empty of thought at her question. 

Denzel would be below them. Most likely scared out of his mind. Needing their help. Probably. If his first family perished in the Plate falling, like the first time. 

Cloud couldn’t help but nuzzle into her. 

“Only if he needs us.” He reassured. 

Cloud wasn’t about to uproot the kid if he still had his biological family to care for him. As much as he had come to realise that he cared for the kid from the future, he wouldn’t take the kid against anyone’s will.

And it would be Denzel’s decision at the end of the day, if he was, unfortunately, by himself, once more.

Cloud heard Tifa agree with him.

“Then let’s go make sure he’s safe.” She ordered. 

Yeah. That he could agree on. As well as the rest of the children in Midgar.

/

/

They all soon found themselves finding dirt side, in Midgar.

Cloud took note that all of them had managed to drift into separate sectors, like planned. 

Since they all knew what they needed to do the moment that they got their harness’ off. 

Find the nearest civilian and motor downward and eastward. 

If they came across the military? Try and convince them to help evacuate people. Or, at the very least, for them to turn a blind eye to the people fleeing. If not, fight them until they got the idea to let them pass. 

It would ultimately be up to the individuals they came across getting the people to Midgar’s edge, to safety.

Cloud knew they were the last to drop, so they would be the last to hit the dirt.

He vaguely knew which sector everyone landed in.

He knew that Zack would have aimed for Sector 5, most likely at Aerith’s plea. They would have the biggest job, with the amount of children in that area. Cloud had to hope they would get a lot of support from the other adults in the area to make sure the children didn’t get hurt.

Knowing where everyone ended up drifting, Cloud headed for the easternmost Sector Midgar had, and work outwards to get everyone out, and create a funnelling system from the other Sectors to the side out.

Hopefully before WEAPON decided to make landfall, or decide it was close enough to attack. 

He ironically landed near enough to the ShinRa building, he was surprised he didn’t gather its suspicions. Either from the army or from the Turks.

But they must be otherwise distracted.

Cloud could work with that.

In the silence of the night and with the current curfew, there was no one around to witness them landing, and he mutely took the harness off.

“Will the others be alright?” Tifa whispered in worry.

Cloud hummed, working all the clips to separate them quickly.

They were too exposed to cameras and surveillance drones, in the middle of the street, as they were. 

“They’ll be fine, it’ll take a minute or two, before they can get to work moving civilians. We better do the same here.” Cloud answered quietly, looking around to make sure they hadn’t gathered attention. 

They hadn’t. 

Cloud took Tifa’s arm and crossed the street, stashing the harness in the nearest large bin quietly.

“Let’s go.” He told her, rearranging his crystal sword back up to his shoulder as he did.

Tifa nodded. “Let’s.” She answered. 

Then they began to sneak through the Sector in order to find a way out for the people who lived there, down into the slums, and out into the wilderness of the Eastern edge of Midgar, where they would be safe.

Once they had their route secure, and mapped out, they would come back for the civilians. 

They needed to get everyone Topside, into the Slums, first.

And with it, they needed people to agree to actually leave.

It wouldn’t be easy. That’s for sure.

It would be made a little harder if the military went against them.

But, Cloud has dealt with being on the wrong side of the military since Nibelheim, so by then, he was more used to being on their wrong side, then their good side. Technically.

It was extremely easy to map their way down from Topside, into the Slums: there were no patrolling ShinRa, and no surveillance. 

If Cloud had to bet, he would place it on Reeve mucking up the system for them. And probably distracting the Turks at the same time, or pleading their case to them.

He would need to thank the man, if that was the case. 

Cloud needed to hope that the man wasn’t actually still inside the ShinRa building. On any level. It would be bound to be fired on.

He hoped the man could come to that conclusion as well.

The Slums were more awake than Topside, and a lot more of the people were blatantly ignoring ShinRa’s curfew. And with no one to enforce it, they were all in a panic about the WEAPON about to fire on them.

Cloud was stumped on how they knew what was happening. 

It must have made Tifa curious as well, because she went up to the nearest safest looking Slummer and tapped her shoulder.

“Excuse me?” Tifa asked. 

The woman jumped, but turned around to her. “Yes?” She answered. 

“How do you know about the WEAPON?” Tifa asked, siding her head, while Cloud looked around for escape routes. 

Too far from the edge of the Slums for even him to see if there were any breaks in the fence yet.

“There was an unscheduled news broadcast!” The woman explained. “Saying we needed to leave our homes! And get out of Midgar! But we don’t know how?!” She added, getting more and more upset.

“It’s okay. Calm down. We’re here to help, okay?” Tifa said calmly, gesturing to herself and Cloud. 

She looked hopeful. “You’ve been tasked to get us out?” She pleaded.

Tifa nodded. “We just need to get closer to the fence to see if there’s any break in it. If not,” She gestured to Cloud, who looked back to her in question. “Cloud, here, will make one, quite happily. As long as the other side is safer than this side.” Tifa explained. 

The woman nodded.

“I’ll show you the fastest way towards the fence. Then help get everyone out!” She urged. 

Tifa nodded, happy to have the help.

Cloud was majorly unfamiliar with Sector 4, as a whole.

But its layout was as similar to 7, that he didn’t have too much trouble navigating it, once he got his bearings. 

The fence that kept the Slums in, had to go. 

But it was there for a reason. Fiends were on the other side.

He turned to the small massing of curious bystanders he got on their way down. 

“Are there any here that can fight?” He asked. 

Cloud wasn’t too optimistic, but he also didn’t want to leave Tifa here to defend the edge of the Slums while he went back up Topside to get the residence there down here.

If the Slums now knew of the oncoming WEAPON, then so did the Topsiders.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too hard or a stretch to get them to come down.

He sighed in relief when several well armed Slummers put their hands up. 

“We’re used to fiends here.” One man interjected. 

Cloud nodded. “Any places where they don’t really go?” He asked. 

The man shrugged. “They don’t go near the tower, over there, much.” He noted, pointing towards the derelict, no longer in use, broadcast tower. 

A landmark.

That’ll do. It was close enough to the slums for a thoroughfare. 

“Good. We’ll check to make sure.” Cloud ordered. 

The group nodded.

And with the fact there was no break in the fence, Cloud easily made one, and was on his way out in the edge of Midgar. 

Cloud only came across several Fiends on his way towards the old broadcast tower.

It was easy to find, and a good halfway point, if they needed to go further away from Midgar’s Slums.

But at the moment, there would be enough of those of the Fiend Patrol to ensure no one would be hurt between the fence and the tower.

Tifa grinned, seeing they had the place cleared out.

“Time to get everyone else?” She asked. 

Cloud nodded. “Yep.” He answered her with a small smile.

Tifa nodded, and they headed back to the fence. 

The head of 4’s Fiend Patrol found them easily, once they made their way back.

“All good?” He asked nervously. 

Cloud nodded.

“All good. Set up your men however you like, to ensure everyone can be funnelled between the fence line and the tower, safely. We’ll make sure everyone else gets here.” Cloud stated. 

The man saluted, then turned to address his men.

With that part that Cloud thankfully didn’t need to do? He turned to Tifa, and gestured his head upwards.

Time to get back up Topside.

Chapter Text

All the arrows that you’ve stolen. Split in half, now bum and broken.
Like your heart that was so eager to be hid. You can’t keep them all caged. They will fight and run away.
Forest walls and starry ceilings. Barren curtains that you’re weaving. Like the stories that you keep inside your head.
She can’t keep them all safe. They will die and be afraid, Mother, tell me, so I say.
Harpy Hare, where have you buried all your children? Tell me so, I say.
Harpy Hare, where have you buried all your children? Tell me so, I say!
She can’t keep them all caged. They’ll be far and fly away.
Mother, tell me you will stay. We’ll be far and fly away.

— Yaelokre (Harpy Hare)

56. Harpy Hare

Getting back Topside? They were suddenly entering pandemonium.

Civilians panicking and infantrymen panicking alongside them.

“Please! We need to leave!” One woman was panicking. 

“There’s nowhere to leave to!” An infantryman said loudly. 

They would be way too scared to listen. Cloud knew. 

So he gathered up his lightning materia and hit the nearest bin, to get them to freeze momentarily. 

Once he threw the lightning, as predicted, everyone froze and stared at him. 

“Cool. This way.” Cloud noted. “Don’t make so much noise.” He grumbled. 

His ears were already ringing painfully. They didn’t need to add to it.

Tifa grabbed the attention of the nearest trooper. 

“If you could, help these people down to the Slums? We have a way out of Midgar there.” Tifa explained what Cloud didn’t. 

The man snapped to attention, saluted her, then bolted for his men. 

Cloud could do it faster, he noted with annoyance, as this lot of ShinRa men went around lining people up.

There was some backlash to leaving, which surprised Cloud. 

“Stay here and die.” He remarked. 

They quickly changed their tune, easily at that, and followed the orderly crowd down to the Slums.

Within the hour, they had the Sector cleared out. 

So they went door to door to ensure no one was left behind in the panic of leaving.

Checking every house? It took so much time, they needed to split up to try and hurry.

Cloud eventually lost track of time, and how many house doors he kicked in. 

He found several people, resistant to leaving, until he showed them the shinier part of his sword, and they then left eagerly. 

He then eventually lost track of how many times he shook to clear his head of the green floaties in his eyes, still left over from the future family leaving in that bright light that took them back.

Cloud had no time for them, shook his head once again and stormed into the next house on his right. 

Empty.

Great. 

Moving on. 

Cloud made his way through the Sector, mopping up civilians with a scold and a glare, at them thinking they could just simply wait out WEAPONs attack, and that ShinRa would protect them.

He nearly laughed at that last one. Truthfully. 

He wouldn’t be meeting up with Tifa until everyone in Midgar funnelled through Sector 4.

He made sure to check his hand every so often as he wielded his sword when a stubborn door decided not to be kicked in easily enough.

He was fine. Not trembling. 

Cloud went on to his next task. 

Every house they checked, they made sure to agree on marking in some way, then to agree on waiting for each other before leaving Topside.

Tifa ended up grinning and made him agree to using the logo for her bar. 

So, when he came to a house flagged with the little logo on the side of the main entrance? He moved to the next one that wasn’t, and back towards the shaft they were using for getting into the Slums. 

Cloud knew he would be one of the first to feel the WEAPON incoming, and knew it was the creature causing the sudden tremors he could feel ramping up as he checked the house on his way out.

With it, he sped up his efforts to make sure he would be leaving no one behind.

No children left cowering behind bins, or under beds, fearful for their lives. 

He found a few children cowering, and once he amassed several, he ensured the eldest of the lot to get them out safely.

He found himself hissing at the cats that seemed to follow him from house to house. 

“Scat.” He ordered them.

Most times they moved off, following their humans down to the slums.

He couldn’t be responsible for animals. They had minds of their own, and no reasoning ability.

When he broke into the next house and the big major quake rocked the building, he rushed to brace himself on a nearby wall. 

With it being that forceful, he had to hope everyone else was aware the WEAPON had probably just made landfall out of the ocean.

He needed to hope those Sectors closest to it had been cleared into their following brethren faster than what Cloud had been able to do.

When he heard the panicked crying of a child, he shook his head to clear it, and took to the stairs, following the cry he heard to under a bed.

There, there was a small girl cowering in her bed, behind a plush bunny. 

“You’re not my Daddy.” She whispered breathlessly.

Cloud had to stall in being angry that so many people had left their children behind, while he was still actively looking for his own. 

Not that he had one. 

But he knew he could have one.

And somehow, once that switch and been switched, his brain now saw children differently.

Cloud shook his head.

“Nope. But how bout we go find him?” He asked. 

Then came the tears, and the tearful nod, and the outstretched arms.

Yeah. Children.

He needed to be thankful to Denzel.

Because he knew what these signs meant, and easily crossed the room to pick the little girl up.

He didn’t complain that the girl was crying into his ear, knowing it wasn’t the girl’s fault she was being too loud as she raced to secure her arms around his neck, as he put an arm under her thighs.

“Alright.” He hushed quietly. “You got brothers and sisters?” He asked. 

She quickly shook her head several times. “Just Maggie.” He heard her sob.

Cloud blinked at her. “... Maggie?” He asked as he left the room, stopping to make sure he wasn’t about to leave someone behind.

The little girl threw up her bunny into his face.

Ah.

Plush animals had names, apparently. 

Not something Denzel had prepared him for. But he could learn quickly.

Knowing there was no one else that he needed to search for, he left the house, marked the door, and was on to the next one. 

She wasn’t heavy.

And once she got over her initial sobbing fest, she went unnervingly quiet on him as he searched her neighbour’s houses, empty-handed.

Cloud had never needed to use his ears this much to hear absolutely nothing, in the hopes of hearing someone yelling out two streets over, or a child breathing in a room above him. As he searched more and more houses, the more quiet his surroundings became.

With it, he knew he had less houses to search in, and to make his way further back towards the Slums to help direct people from other Sectors towards the fence.

“You got a name?” Cloud asked, just to ensure the kid on his back was still coherent. “Mine’s Cloud.” He stated as he kicked a door down.

He heard her giggle.

“That’s a funny name.” She breathed. 

Cloud had to roll his eyes at the overused comment. He had heard it enough when he was her age to know it was a slight against him, when the tone wasn’t in a giggle. Or from Tifa.

“Your name’s Cloud, ‘ight?”

“... Yeah?”

“That’s a funny name! I like you! I’m Tifa! I live next door!”

“I’ve heard that one before.” Cloud muttered as he heard breathing coming from the house, but unsure of where exactly it was coming from.

She giggled again. “Martha. And I’m four.” She told him, waving four fingers over his shoulder so he could see them.

Cloud hummed as he misheard the breathing coming from the ground floor. 

“Well, Martha-who’s-four,” Martha giggled at him from his back. “Hide your eyes for a sec, tell Maggie as well.” Cloud stated. 

He felt her nod, and the small whisper to her bunny. Then her head against his neck to hide herself. With it, he opened the door where he located the breathing coming from. 

By five minutes into their ranting, he was getting annoyed. 

“You can’t storm into our house, young man!” He was being scolded.

“Are you kidnapping children!?” The man of the house yelled.

Cloud felt Martha freeze up.

Cloud sighed. “Why would I go around stealing children?” He muttered.

Children took time and money to care for. He knew that. Anyone would be an idiot to take a child they weren’t attached to, or wanted to be attached to.

They looked at him, stupefied.

“You need to leave before this house entombs you. Now.” He ordered. 

They looked pale at the insinuation, and nodded fast, bolting from the room, and the house.

The house he marked, he noted, was the last one. 

“All good, Martha, you and Maggie can look now.” Cloud noted.

He felt her move her head from his neck. 

“Sorry that took so long.” He added. “Let’s go find your dad, yeah?” He asked. 

Martha nodded, and he headed towards where he knew Tifa would be waiting for him.

Cloud could easily follow her heartbeat all the way from the house.

She had a larger group of people with her, a couple seemed to be with her, and were frantic about something they had lost.

Tifa looked flummoxed, for some reason.

At them coming closer, and at their noise, Martha turned to look. 

Then, Cloud nearly got hit in the head by a plush bunny when Martha was suddenly leaning up on his shoulders and pointing. 

“Daddy!” She was crying.

The frantic couple froze and turned to face him. 

He could see how panicked they were, and in their heartbeats. 

Then they bolted towards him.

“Martha!” The woman, presumably Martha’s mother, was yelling as she ran.

Ah.

Made sense why they were so frantic.

Lost their kid. Not abandoned. 

Good.

Cloud easily handed the kid over to the father.

Who looked so relieved to have her back.

“Martha.” The man rumbled in relief. 

Martha just bawled her eyes out again.

“Love, you shouldn’t run off, when you’re scared!” The mother was gently scolding as she ran her hand over her kid’s hair to move her fringe out of her face.

Ah.

So Martha had run off in the panic, found her safe place, which was starting to become a not so safe spot.

Not that the poor kid knew it. 

“I found her in her room.” Cloud explained as Tifa came up to them.

The parents nodded. 

“Thank you so much for finding her.” The father said, gratefully. 

Cloud just nodded. 

“Go and make it down safely.” He told them

They nodded, and easily made it through the passage down to the Slums.

Cloud just ended up looking towards Tifa, shrugging one shoulder.

“Should we go?” He asked.

Tifa nodded. “All clear up here!” She cheered.

So, they made their way back down to the Sector 4 Slums.

There were more people than what they left it in, but knowing the other Sectors were being funnelled into the Sector they were in, it was a relief.

They directed whoever they could into a sea of people towards the break in the fence, away from WEAPON, and away from Midgar, as they split off from each other again to get towards the passageway between Sectors to help people through faster.

The incoming people wouldn’t know where to go, only that they needed to get into Sector 4. 

But with Cloud and Tifa directing them to the break in the fence, their orderly mass of movement could keep being orderly towards the exit. Without any more confusion about where they needed to go, and spreading out across the Sector to find the exit themselves in a mass of panic.

“Yahoo!” Cloud heard Yuffie, so suddenly. 

He turned and saw the ninja waving her arm at the passageway out of the Sector, with Vincent next to her, herding people. 

“Yuffie.” Cloud stated in confusion.

“We cleared ours out! So we’re coming to help. We landed the closest to WEAPON!” Yuffie informed. 

Cloud sighed in relief to know they had funnelled at least one Sector’s worth of people to safety.

“Help direct the people down towards the fence.” Cloud asked. 

Vincent was easily nodding, and with a glare aimed at a certain person next to him, Cloud figured he was a protestor, if Vincent decided to glare at him, like he did. 

Yuffie was grinning. “Sure!” She said happily. “Barret shouldn’t be too far behind us! Red will be on the other side!” She explained, patting his shoulder quickly and bolting before he could snarl at her.

True to her word, and with several more tremors to go with it, Barret eventually showed up, with a wave of his gun arm, happily as he ferried people through the passage way.

“Heya, Spiky!” Barret cheered. 

Cloud grumbled as the man ruffled his hair, immediately on coming in closer to him.

“Seriously?” He asked.

Barret laughed. “You become a grump when Tifa’s not around, huh?” He asked teasingly.

Cloud couldn’t help but glare at the man, and caused him to laugh harder. 

“I get’chu. I’ll go relieve her so she can come babysit you.” He snarked. 

“Hey!” Cloud protested, but the man was off with a sarcastic wave.

Soon enough, Cid was barrelling down the passageway with more people. 

“Heya, Cloud!” He saluted as he urged a group of children through. 

“All clear?” Cloud asked. 

Cid nodded. “This is the most fun I’ve had in years!” Cid yelled happily as he passed, using his spear to ensure the children stayed with him.

Cid was an odd one, that Cloud could agree on. 

It was rather surprising that it took until Aerith being surprisingly by herself to hear the Relnikas finally lifting off in Midgar’s defence.

Either that Shinra was late in getting the command through, or WEAPON was taking longer in getting towards Midgar on land.

“Cloud!” Aerith was greeting warmly, with the last of the people of Midgar at her side.

“Zack?” He asked immediately. 

Aerith nodded. “On the other side. He made sure to go through every lane way through the Sectors we passed!” Aerith told him. “I had some of the Patrolmen help me, though.” She added. 

She wouldn’t have been fast enough, like Zack would be, in searching for people left behind, without help.

Cloud nodded, then gestured down towards the fence. 

“Exit’s that way.” He told her. “I’ll make sure there’re no stragglers.” He informed her.

Aerith nodded with a smile. “Of course!” She said, then made sure to redirect her group of children as she went. 

He grunted when he was suddenly barrelled into.

“Cloud!” Tifa’s relieved voice yelled into his ear, and he slumped out of fight mode. 

“Tifa.” He answered, pulling her around and hugging her happily. 

She looked up at him, tugging his hand. “Let’s make sure no one gets left behind!” She ordered. 

He nodded.

They were, apparently, efficient. 

No one had gotten lost. 

At least not where they could see, or could Cloud hear. 

But they made their way through into what looked like a junkyard piled up with precarious junk in towers higher than their heights combined, to make sure, in any case.

Tifa frowned when Cloud suddenly paused, and immediately went on edge when she saw the familiar gesture of his hand moving to grab his sword warily. 

She noted that his frown was in confusion, so she knew whatever he was hearing was either far off, had multiple sounds he was dissecting apart, or had confused him.

It wasn’t for long when the ground decided to rumble under their feet, and she saw him look up in panic.

She didn’t need to know that with the noise was the sudden plasma blasts firing over their heads, that the WEAPON had finally decided to attack, rocking their surroundings as it fired, even if she couldn’t see it.

What she did note was the sudden panic on his face when he looked down the now wobbling lane of junk to find a distressed child being surrounded by jagged metal junk.

“No!” Cloud was suddenly yelling in panic.

Everything needed to stop!

In one second, he was next to her, then in the next, he was bolting towards the familiar child, then encased in sharp metal.

“Cloud!” Tifa heard herself yell in fear as she ran.

She slammed into the metal and rushed to find an entry point, and failed to find one.

And failed to find the rest of her family.

Chapter Text

I summoned you, please come to me.
Don’t bury thoughts that you really want. I fill you up, drink from my cup.
Within me lies what you really want. Come, lay me down. ‘Cause you know this… ‘Cause you know this sound.
These burning flames, these crashing waves, wash over me like a hurricane.
I captivate, you’re hypnotised. Feel powerful, but it’s me again.
Just call my name, like you mean it! In the middle of the night, just call my name: I’m yours to tame.
In the middle of the night, I’m wide awake.

— Rain Paris (Middle of the Night)

57. Middle of the Night

She didn’t need to know that with the noise and the sudden plasma blasts firing over their heads, that the WEAPON had finally decided to attack, rocking their surroundings as it fired.

What she did note was the sudden panic on his face when he looked down the now wobbling lane of junk to find a distressed child being surrounded by metal, jagged junk.

“No!” Cloud was suddenly yelling in panic.

Everything needed to stop!

In one second, he was next to her, then in the next, he was bolting towards the familiar child then encased in sharp metal.

“Cloud!” Tifa heard herself yell in fear as she ran.

She slammed into the metal and rushed to find an entry point, and failed to find one.

And failed to find the rest of her family.

/

/

Zack found his way back through to Sector 4, the sector they agreed would be the furthest away from WEAPON making landfall. Whoever got there first would need to secure their exit, as well as evacuate Topside, and the Slums. Not a small feat. A harder job then if they drifted into another Sector. 

Zack knew it wouldn’t be up to him and Aerith. He knew she would want to get into Sector 5 first to evacuate her home.

No, Zack knew it would probably fall onto Cloud’s shoulders.

He knew the blonde well enough that he would make landfall there. 

So he wasn’t surprised to see Tifa had organised a way forward for everyone coming into the Sector that was orderly and neat, despite the panic wave of humans he brought with him.

He also wasn’t surprised to see Barret, there with her, urging her back to Cloud’s side of the Sector.

He might as well be blind to think Tifa wouldn’t agree. She waved at him, then bolted.

Yeah. He wasn’t stupid in that regard. 

She had talked his ear and his PHS off long enough about her questions about Cloud five years ago to know it was Cloud or bust for her. 

Cute to know it was returned. 

He walked up to Barret, who snorted in humour.

“Kids.” Barret muttered in good nature.

Zack shrugged. 

“Could be worse?” He asked. 

Barret barked out in laughter.

“That it could be.” He relented happily. 

And with the last of the people moving towards the fence Zack was sure was either already broken, or Cloud had broken, they made sure to head that way as well, keeping an eye out for stragglers. 

He also wasn’t blind to know that the person barrelling into his side was Aerith, who happily threw herself at his side.

It caused Barret to laugh, and wave them off as he kept with the people he was moving along. 

“You’re here!” Aerith celebrated. 

Oh, how he couldn’t help but smile at her?

“I’m here. Did you see Cloud?” He asked.

Aerith grinned loudly. “Yep! He’s good!” She reported, knowing exactly what Zack was asking in lieu of. 

He sighed in relief. 

“We better keep moving.” He told her.

She nodded happily, grabbing his arm with hers to stay close.

And he was rather glad of it when he heard the start of the attack on Midgar, he was easily able to protect her by moving her under him as he looked up and protectively noted if they were in danger or not.

The surrounding buildings wobbled, and the plate above him held up.

He didn’t know how long it would last for. Or if the plate could last at all.

“We need to leave. Now.” He ordered.

Aerith squeaked in panic when he moved her towards the fence. 

As he got towards the fence, he could count everyone minus two.

Because of course they were going to go missing.

“Where’re Cloud and Tifa!?” He managed to not shout. Barely.

The rest of them paled.

“We thought they were with you!” Yuffie shrieked.

The plate above them creaked ominously. 

“Move. Now!” He ordered.

“But—!” Barret was the one to protest the loudest. 

Zack moved Aerith over to Barret.

“Get out, I’ll find them.” He demanded.

Aerith didn’t exactly like being ordered around, but she simmered down at his pale face.

“I’ll find them.” He repeated.

They nodded, and moved between the break of the fence. The last to leave.

Zack turned around once he knew they passed through the fence.

“Alright. Cloud. Now would be a great time to shout.” He muttered, before bolting off towards where the passage way into the right side of the Sector would be. 

And hopefully where they would be.

He was only halfway up, when he nearly fell flat on his face when he stalled. 

Tifa?

He looked around to try and figure out if he actually was hearing her, or just wanted to hear her. 

There.

He looked off towards his right.

She was yelling.

He took off in that direction as fast as he could. 

He didn’t like the tone she was yelling his name in.

He bolted through a junkyard, and nearly face planted when he came around a corner into her.

“Tifa!” He yelled. 

Tifa looked to him. 

“Zack!” She yelled from where it looked like she had collapsed. “I can’t!” She started to worrying cry.

Not good.

“I can’t get through!” She yelled.

Zack blinked. And looked around.

Where was…?

“Tifa.” He said as calmly as he didn’t feel. “Where’s Cloud.” He asked, looking back to her pale tear stained panicked face.

She hiccuped. 

And for all his worth in luck. She just had to point towards the wall of broken metal she had probably been banging against.

“In there!” She shrieked.

She panicked worse when he must have paled in fright.

Because other than himself and Tifa? He couldn’t hear anyone breathing.

Hell. No.

He was not losing Cloud again.

He growled in panic, and looked up rapidly, figuring out where he could step and where he couldn’t.

“I’m not gonna tell you to leave.” Zack told her. Tifa was on her feet immediately. “But if that plate starts to fall on ours heads? Cloud will have mine. Do you understand? I’ll find him, but you need to get clear if it looks like the plate is gonna come down.” Zack ordered. 

Tifa was immediately nodded.

He nodded back then jumped up several times onto the rubble, hoping to find an entry point on the other side. Or a place where he could hear breathing. 

He couldn’t find a way through, and five minutes passed. 

All the rubble was rusty and jagged, and he worried about stepping and making it worse.

He dropped back down to hear Tifa’s worried whine. 

He looked to her. “Did he go far?” He panted. 

Tifa shook her head. Mute in shock.

He couldn’t tell her he couldn’t hear him.

Damn, he could barely tell himself that. 

He’d go crazy.

Zack eyed the jagged beam that had fallen.

“Alright. Let’s move this, first, then.” Zack muttered. 

If Cloud hadn’t gone far, then maybe he was just beyond the fallen beam, and pinned.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

Damn, he’d give his best friend a whack over the head for worrying him like this.

Zack studiously ignored the gun fire going off over his head, and the Plate protesting and shaking.

He couldn’t think about that right now, especially when he had his hands moving a heavy metal beam.

He paused when he first lifted it a little.

Nothing.

No sounds. 

But at least nothing was shifting.

So he moved the beam out of the way.

He nearly dropped the damn thing when he finally heard laboured breathing.

Two?

He nearly jumped in panic when Tifa shrieked. 

“Cloud!” She was screeching. 

Zack knew then she could see their wayward blonde, he looked to her, she was abruptly climbing under the beam he had hold of, and he noted where her gaze was locked onto.

Zack saw familiar boots.

He knew those boots. He knew how hard they were to put on.

But seeing nothing else from where he stood? He hurled the beam well past where Cloud would be laying. Ridding himself of the weight and rushing to where his friends were.

Tifa was moaning in fright. 

Zack, less so because he could now hear Cloud breathing. 

It was laboured, so he was probably unconscious. 

Zack watched as Tifa moved around the rubble that lay across his blonde friend. 

“Found him!” She cried, and Zack found himself bolting. 

There he was, unconscious, with a load of rubble pinning him to the ground across his entire body.

The only thing Zack could see was his face, his boots, and the head wound Tifa was now panicking further at.

He should have had Aerith stay with him, damn it.

The blood was the most worrying thing, since Zack didn’t know if it was from the metal slamming into him, or Cloud slamming into it.

Zack was sure the definition was crucial to Cloud’s odds of survival. 

But first, the load pinning the man needed to go.

“Alright. Tifa?” He called. 

His heart pinched when she looked up at him, tears running down her face.

“I hate you!”

“I need you to keep him steady, alright? I’m gonna lift this off him.” Zack asked. 

Tifa was immediately nodding, and crowding Cloud’s head with her arms and upper body.

With it, Zack was nodding to himself, then evaluating the rubble that landed on his friend.

The plate above him groaned worryingly. 

Something caught on fire somewhere. Zack could hear the fire roaring, smell the mako laden smoke. But it was far off, so not in his immediate area: so not his backyard. Not his circus. But it would become his if they stayed too long.

He focused on the rubble. He easily cleared off several parts, always pausing to check with each part he moved to hear Cloud’s (as well as a second person’s?) breathing hadn’t changed, and nothing else moved with it.

He ended up with the slab that must have been the debris that slammed Cloud to the ground to begin with.

“How’s his head wound, Tifa?” Zack asked as he sized the slab up.

He heard her hum, and move a little.

“It’s not bleeding anymore. But he’s still unconscious.” Tifa barely informed in a whisper.

Zack nodded, and put the worry to the back of his mind. “Alright. Brace him. I’m gonna lift this off him that way.” He gestured to their far side.

He watched as she nodded, then crouched around his face to shield what she could with her own body.

Every few seconds, he paused in worry to ensure Cloud was still breathing.

He was awkwardly on his side, and based on where his feet were, he was curled up, protecting his side and chest.

Where the second person must be sheltered.

Based on their breathing being intermittent they, too, must be unconscious, and based on the heart rate, most likely very small, or a child. But hopefully not hurt like Cloud was.

Cloud’s every second breath was rugged with pain that head wound must have been causing him, and the extra weight Zack was trying to lift safely off him, and away from them all.

But it wouldn’t mean a damn thing if the Plate above their heads gave way.

There was more mako tinged with smoke in the air, most likely from the fires above them. So yay, when the thing eventually crashed down on their heads, it would be a fiery end! Woo!

Zack needed to move faster so if it did come down, they weren’t in the firing line.

He could hear the Relnikas firing, and some other larger machines fighting, and the familiar sounds of what he remembered the WEAPONs plasma attacks sounded like going off rapidly and frequently.

Every so often, there was a large thud that hit the Plate that caused it to screech at the extra weight it now carried, worryingly. 

If Zack was into betting? The WEAPON was attacking the ShinRa building, and was doing a very good job of dismantling it. The WEAPON was probably hitting reactors as well.

He had to hope the creature would leave once it diced the entire building, since there was no one here who could talk to it to make it leave. Zack still had no clue how the blonde managed it, or if it could even be replicated in the blonde that was unconscious, below him.

Zack managed to take on the weight of the slab, and he knew he was able to finally lift it safely off his blonde friend. He knew he lifted enough weight off him by his breathing taking on the ease of the weight being lifted from his chest.

He quickly threw the slab off to the side with a loud and, frankly, embarrassing grunt he was glad no one was going to tease him about later.

Then he dropped to Cloud’s side instantly, his eyes roaming and looking for wounds and blood alike.

He heard Tifa sniff, still crowding Cloud’s head.

“Tifa.” Zack called. 

Tifa looked up, and he nodded. She could, if she wanted to, move back a little.

She did, but only a smidgen to look down into his face, and to check on red stained blonde hair.

Even Zack could notice that the blood hadn’t gotten any heavier or worse, he could thank any god left listening.

So he turned his attention to the cage Cloud had brought up with his arms, obviously to protect the kid within.

Zack noted how Cloud had obviously clamped down on his own arms, instead of the kid, in doing so creating the cage, and not putting pressure on the kid.

It spoke of how Cloud knew he had more strength than what he was aware of having, and how worried the blonde was in using too much. 

Cloud was, underneath it all, way too kind and soft-hearted to willingly harm a child, even subconsciously, and no one would have blamed him, if he had. Zack was sure the kid wouldn’t have either.

Zack moved to take the kid, and move Cloud’s arms away. Then grunted in surprise when, even unconscious, Cloud blatantly refused to give up the child he saved.

“Cloud. Seriously.” Zack muttered, indignantly, as he tugged.

Tifa moved up and noted the arm caged around the kid.

“Is he hurt?” Tifa asked, worriedly.

“It’ll be a challenge to move them, or even assess the kid, if I can’t separate them.” Zack hissed in rising panic that he couldn’t unlock the cage Cloud made around the kid.

One of his arms was braced around the kid’s shoulders, his own fingers digging into the opposite shoulder, while the other arm was wrapped around the kid’s lower half, fingers buried into his own side. Not touching the kid with his strength.

Zack would praise his tenacity, if it didn’t get him and everyone killed.

The Plate above them creaked and groaned, causing him and Tifa to look up in alarm.

It was bending, in a bad way.

Then the creaking didn’t stop like previously.

The groaning stayed, then something snapped.

Chapter Text

I said, “I wanna take you to the sea.” I gotta stop makin’ promises I can’t keep.
I’m so scared of getting used to this: All the vines that keep you tethered in your room. But for now, I’ll just bring the sea to you.
But if I was gone tomorrow, won’t the waves crash on?
Someday you won’t have to cry. ‘Cause we’ll do the grieving, while I’m by your side. You weren’t suffering anymore.
You said, “I’m sorry that you worried,”, but don’t apologise.
I told you to forget me, but you stayed by my side when I said:
“Don’t try to make yourself remember, darling. Don’t look for me; I’m just a story you’ve been told. So let’s pretend, just a little longer…”

— Porter Robinson (Everything Goes On)

58. Everything Goes On

The Plate above them creaked and groaned, causing him and Tifa to look up in alarm.

It was bending, in a bad way.

Then the creaking didn’t stop like previously.

The groaning stayed, then something snapped.

“Nope!” Zack panicked. “Time to go!” He hissed. 

He looked back down to Cloud. If he couldn’t very well separate the two? Then two for one special, to go.

He checked over the head wound, noting it wasn’t going anywhere, or that particularly dangerous. Zack figured his friend must have hit it against the metal where he slid across the ground once he took the kid in.

But he could be moved, and since the only blood he could smell was Cloud’s stagnant one, Zack wound one arm under Cloud’s shoulders and his other under his knees and stood up.

He shrugged Cloud’s head into his shoulder protectively, so he wouldn’t rock around. Zack looked to Tifa, who had rushed to stand with him.

“Time to go.” He repeated, she nodded. 

Then they got out of dodge of a Plate that finally gave up holding itself up.

Zack immediately rushed to find Aerith. He couldn’t give a moment to the fallen Plate behind him, or the fight going on above his head that he could now physically see.

His forgetfulness over holding any type of healing potion in his pockets, might cost Cloud his life.

Again.

“Aerith!” Zack was calling, more and more frantically, each time he didn’t find her.

Then, finally movement to his right, and he looked to see Aerith rapidly getting up from looking over someone who was injured. 

“Aerith!” He called again. 

She paled at the sight she might have seen; he was rushing towards her and Cloud unconscious in his arms. Tifa, ashen, barely keeping up next to him.

Aerith met him half way, with a panicked shriek, as she put up her hands immediately to assess the damage she was working with.

Zack watched as she curiously cocked her head, and looked down at the child, with rising surprise, and she looked back to a dead on her feet Tifa.

“Oh! You found him!” Aerith said, sounding way too awed for the situation they were in.

Zack looked over the kid again.

Oh. 

Oh.

Yeah, now it made sense why Cloud had run straight into danger.

It was for his own kid, after all.

Zack and his luck, he didn’t ever have enough, because naturally Tifa decided to join her family in sleep land, and dropped like a stone.

“Tifa!” They both yelled, Aerith barely managing to catch her.

Zack noted the panic look on Aerith’s face.

“This is beyond me!” Aerith warned in rising panic.

Yay.

Just what he wanted to hear.

He then looked to the nearest person.

“Hey!” He called.

The woman turned to him. “Go find a doctor!” He ordered roughly. 

The woman flinched, saw the situation, paled, but thankfully only nodded and bolted.

Zack was exhausted.

Zack could have thrown confetti at the man the lady summoned came back with assistants and two stretchers. 

Aerith had a little more trouble, and needed a little help moving Tifa onto one, while Cloud just flopped quickly, and still somehow managed to cage in his kid safely protecting the kid from the movement from harming his head and spine.

“That kid is gonna need to move.” The doctor added. 

Zack snorted. “Yeah. Good luck with that.” He muttered.

/

/

They hadn’t been able to figure out how to remove Denzel from Cloud’s grip.

Even unconscious, Cloud seemed to fight anyone trying to move Denzel.

Zack would need to try again once he wasn’t one step from his adrenaline leaving him in a heap of exhausted bones. He knew he was about to drop, just like Tifa did.

He was fighting it the best, and for as long as he could. But he was crashing. Fast.

Zack figured that with seeing the stretchers, and not seeing their two missing friends, had brought in the rest of Cloud’s friends. And they had swarmed in a group of panic.

But seeing the lack of room the emergency field tent didn’t have, they couldn’t step foot inside. Zack barely had room for himself, as it was. 

From what he could gather from the conversations he could hear going on around him? The WEAPON had done a number on Upper Midgar, and more than one Plate, if not all of them, had sunk into the Slums. 

While there was nothing left of the upper floors of the ShinRa building. 

Cait was worryingly offline, and several of their group were worried about Reeve. Some had set out to do recon, in hopes of finding him.

All news came in from the scout parties that Cloud’s friends had formed. 

It was how they found out it wasn’t just the Plate over their own heads that had collapsed.

How they knew the extensive damage done to the ShinRa building, and how several of ShinRa’s highest members, and the man himself, were reportedly at the Shinra office when WEAPON first attacked it. Meaning they were all not accounted for, and maybe dead.

The whole of the ShinRa army was in disarray, but seemed to put the people first and seemed to be handling recovery easily, then when being ordered to do so.

If anything, as soon as the building was totalled, and all remaining reactors were busted? WEAPON decided to sink back into the sea, eerily.

Zack was there to watch as the doctor examined both his friends.

He took one look at Tifa, and noted she was just heavily exhausted, and just needed rest. She would wake soon.

His exam of Cloud, however, took longer than just a simple glance.

The first glance had potion-soaked bandages coming out and wrapping around Cloud’s head. And when that didn’t seem to do him any better, the doctor seemed to get more and more confused the longer Cloud didn’t wake up.

“Does he have a medical file?” The doctor asked. “Hopefully one that I can actually access.” He added derisively.

Because nothing technical worked in Midgar at the moment.

Zack crossed his arms in thought, then blinked. 

“Yeah. Hold on.” Zack muttered then turned around and bolted.

Barret then found himself on a trek with Cid to Sheiran. 

Zack was and wasn’t surprised when the man actually turned up at his doorstep a few hours later.

As long as the man didn’t pull out a needle, he could stay and help.

Sheiran stayed at least a day, offering no new puzzle pieces as to why Cloud was offline. 

“It’s not his head wound. At least not completely. He might have a concussion, but it’s not showing up.” Sheiran offered, before he left back to his own patients, but left all he had on Cloud. 

By then, Zack had recovered enough of his strength to manage to pull Denzel out of Cloud’s protective cage.

The kid was immediately whisked off before Zack could protest on Cloud’s behalf, with the doctor stating he needed to ensure the kid wasn’t hurt, since he wasn’t waking up either. So, Zack let it slide, at least for now. Cloud would glare at him if he didn’t ensure Denzel was alright.

He didn’t like the Cloud Glare at the best of times.

The second day passed with alarm that Cloud did not get better, but in fact, worse, somehow.

His physical health declined rapidly, at a rate the doctor absolutely did not like, and ordered him to be evacuated to an actual hospital. If one was still standing.

Zack could safely say that he absolutely did not panic.

… He absolutely panicked. 

/

/

Tifa woke up dizzily and not knowing where she was, or how she got to be lying on a bed.

“Tifa!” She heard Zack calling, jubilantly, in relief. 

She blinked and looked up to see Zack standing over her, his shoulders sinking in relief. 

“At least one of you wants to listen!” Zack was saying.

Not that she understood what he was actually meaning. But that was standard with Zack, she now knew.

Everything hit her like a rocket to the head, and she rapidly sat up. 

“Cloud!” She yelled, ignoring Zack screeching in fright.

“Don’t do that!” Zack was yelling back at her, one hand racing to cover his heart. “I don’t need both of you giving me a heart attack!” He continued to yell in panic.

Tifa looked to Zack. “Where’s Cloud!” She demanded. 

Zack moved to the side, reluctantly. “Not good.” He muttered. 

Tifa barely got to her feet in fright.

“What!?” She asked.

Suddenly she was waking up to Denzel gone, and Cloud on several monitors, and not being able to breathe by himself?!

“What happened?!” She yelled.

Zack shook his head, as confused as she was. “The doctor is confused as well. He doesn’t get it. Cloud wasn’t harmed enough for this to happen to him.” Zack tried to explain.

Tifa frowned. “Then how…?” She asked quietly.

Zack threw up his arms, in panic. “I watched it happen, and I still don’t know what I watched!” He panicked.

Tifa slumped back onto her bed, sitting when gravity demanded her to.

What was happening. 

How was she seeing him leave, right in front of her? Again?

How was she so inept that she couldn’t stop it in any way?

It was then the doctor came back in, pawing over Cloud’s file.

He looked to them, noted Tifa was awake easily. 

“... Are you saying this man, prior to his coming here, was coherent, awake, and talking?” He was asking.

Tifa felt herself blink in confusion that mirrored on Zack’s face.

“Yes.” Zack answered. 

“He only lost consciousness when he went to rescue the child he was found with and hit his head.” Tifa added. 

Cleverly, since they weren’t meant to know Denzel’s name yet.

This seemed to puzzle the man greatly.

“I’m still moving him to a hospital building, once one can be sourced. But what you’re saying is impossible.” He said.

Zack cocked his head. “It’s not as if we’ve all just imagined him taking part in conversation here, Doc.” He rebutted.

The doctor looked to him, and shook his head.

“You are aware this man is suffering from mako poisoning?” He asked. 

They both nodded. 

The man blinked. “Then you’re not aware of his severity.” He added.

“He was getting better.” Tifa found herself muttering. 

He was. Less shaking, less needing the potions, no dizzy swap outs. No new sudden walks off piers.

They were all signs he was getting better. 

The man shook his head.

“This man has the highest rating ShinRa has ever imposed on the poisoning scale.” They paled at that. “How he has brain function at all, or was even walking around and talking, is a damn mystery that has now lucked out, I’m afraid.” He answered. 

Zack and Tifa blinked.

“Wait, you’re saying, this is because of his mako poisoning?” Zack was asking.

The doctor nodded.

“Mideel.” Zack muttered, and then was suddenly a Zack-shaped cloud of dust.

Tifa didn’t need to ponder where the man was going, or need to know he and Aerith were suddenly not going to be in Midgar, but heading back to Mideel on the Highwind.

She didn’t need to guess that at all.

“... Will he get worse?” Tifa needed to ask.

The man sighed loudly and in confusion. 

“Currently, he has higher brain function than other cases of this severity, and he only has slight difficulties in breathing. He can and probably will regress in these areas, I should warn you.” He answered.

It was going to get worse.

And it did, in front of her very eyes.

Whatever Cloud’s battle was, he was clearly losing it.

And he lost it in the middle of the night.

Suddenly there were alarms blaring to her left, and Tifa was pushed out of the tent they were in by the doctor and his assistants. 

Tifa found herself dropping to the dirt on her knees in despair.

She couldn’t lose him too!

/

/

He had a seizure. 

Not something ever documented in a mako patient before.

They extradited his leaving to the only ShinRa hospital that was still standing out in the edge of Midgar’s rubble.

It was where they were sending everyone who had gotten the slightest injury.

Tifa demanded to go with them.

They didn’t protest.

Tifa wasn’t sure if she could count that Cloud could breathe on his own as lucky when he wasn’t waking up.

Every so often he would seize, and it would freak everyone out, and she would be thrown out of the medical room.

Even with the seizures, they were labelling his condition as one of the highest potency of mako poisoning they had ever recorded. 

Tifa had tried the potion. Nothing on any of the motions said it improved anything.

Cloud didn’t wake up, and he didn’t get better.

After the sixth time in what felt like a week that she had been thrown out the room, her tension and anxiety were off the charts. She could hear the staff muttering about which might be Cloud’s last, and if it was any way to live.

Tifa might have glared at that one. 

One her fourth pace up the hall, she turned and bumped into Barret.

He immediately steadied her.

She didn’t hear anything of what he was saying, before she was starting to sob and crashing into him.

Tifa did feel his hand on top of her head, consolingly.

“Not any better?” Barret asked. 

Tifa whimpered and shook her head. 

“Chin up, wee lass.” Cait’s voice pulled at her.

She turned to see a slightly battered and bruised Cait Sith at her ankle.

Tifa dropped to her knees heavily and yanked the animatronic up into her arms.

She ignored the panicked and indignant yelp Cait gave off, but felt the awkward pat on her shoulder.

“He’ll pull through. He will.” Cait reassured softly. 

She needed to hope.

“How’s the Fair boy doin’?” Cait was asking, at one point most of them had crammed into Cloud’s room.

Many had glared at the doctor’s, trying to restrict their numbers.

“He’s still in Mideel.” Barret grumbled. “Trying to work a miracle.” He mumbled. 

Red moved slightly from under Tifa’s chair to nudge into her leg. 

“Have you heard from them?” He asked her.

Tifa blankly shook her head.

Cait put up an arm.

“Can we check?” He asked.

Cid nodded. “Yeah! We can go check!” Cid implored. 

Tifa felt the pat Cid gave at her head what only felt like moments later.

“We’ll see what’s up, Poppet.” Cid answered.

Then he and Cait were gone. 

Tifa couldn’t remember when they left, or when they all left soon afterwards.

Chapter Text

Light glimmers in a flower. Like jewels in a dream.
The sky breathes life, love to everything.
At times, I’ve thought, “I’m not enough!” The chains that tied my heart.
But there’s still a path that lies ahead for you and I. Memories fade away.
Clouds of yesterday. With no one to love: Is this life worth living?
Come back to me, and stay by my side. I feel my heart shake: Come, ease this ache.
I’m standing over here, reaching for you. A million miles away, come back and stay.
No matter how far the memories may be. When I close my eyes, you’re all that I see.
Come back to me. A million miles away, come back and stay.

— Kylie McNeill (A Million Miles Away ~Reprise~)

59. A Million Miles Away

Tifa didn’t hold hope that with the few days that past, that Cloud didn’t seize that he was any better than he was before.

But it got the nurses to stop muttering about whether they should terminate his life in her presence at least.

Something finally tickled at seeing Cloud’s arms empty at his sides that when a nurse did a routine check she looked up to her. 

“Ma’am?” Tifa questioned.

The poor nurse jumped a mile in the air in shock that Tifa was speaking. 

“Dear!” She squeaked in surprise.

Tifa grimaced.

“Sorry.” She muttered.

The nurse stared at her. “Um… Did…you need something?” She asked nervously.

“The kid that Cloud saved? How is he?” She asked.

Tifa wasn’t sure how long it had been. But she was sure Cloud would be disappointed she had spent this long in limbo when Denzel might need her. In his words, Cloud wouldn’t be going anywhere when he was like this.

But Denzel…

The nurse looked surprised she was asking, but then worryingly slumped. 

“While he was surprisingly unharmed during the ordeal he was saved from. He has not yet woken up. We are quite unsure what to do with him.” She announced. 

Tifa easily stood up in worry.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

She could redirect her emotions. 

The nurse sided her head. “From blood work, we’ve found out that our little Denzel here has been orphaned since the fall of the Sector 7 plate. What he’s been doing since then, we’re quite unsure of. But since he is orphaned with no extended family, he has become a ward of ShinRa. There are so many…” The nurse trailed off sadly.

Tifa knew how many children were left behind.

She, and Cloud, had been one of them at one point. 

She knew what happened to wards of ShinRa.

And she couldn’t let either road become Denzel’s.

“Why’s he still asleep?” Tifa asked. 

The nurse blinked. “Dear, it’s only been a week and a bit. It will take a little longer for children to wake up. Especially if there is trauma involved. His doctors aren’t concerned, the only thing he has sustained are motley bruising to his upper face.” She informed happily.

Tifa blinked at this information and sat down again quietly.

“Can I see him, if that’s okay?” Tifa asked. The nurse stared at her in confusion. “I know Cloud will want to make sure he’s okay. I sometimes look after my friend’s daughter as well to know, you said his name was Denzel?” She asked easily, and the nurse nodded. “That he would want to thank Cloud for saving him.” She asked.

The nurse looked so confused and stumped. 

“Are you requesting the child be brought here to stay? You’d be willing to share your friend’s room?” She asked for clarification.

Tifa blinked. “Why would I say no to that?” She asked, incredulous.

“With the amount of times I’ve been denied asking that, I don’t anymore.” The nurse muttered indignantly.

Tifa was vehemently shaking her head.

“No.” She demanded. “Go get Denzel. Please.” She requested.

The nurse lit up in grateful joy, bowed, and sped off.

Tifa turned towards Cloud.

She hoped that he wouldn’t seize while Denzel was awake. She didn’t want the poor kid to get scared off before he got to know him.

With how much more care they figured Cloud would need, they moved him and his machines closer to the door in preparation for the room to be shared with another.

Tifa watched as the other side of the room was being littered with smaller machines for a child, but well less than what Cloud was attached to.

The other side of the room was cleared and cleaned, and every time someone closed the partition curtain, Tifa opened it back up.

They soon got the idea she wanted it open and stopped trying to close it.

It soon came the time when they asked Tifa to move so they could wheel in the smaller bed into position. Tifa moved herself and the chair on the opposite side of Cloud to make room, so neither bed would clash with her as they moved Denzel in.

He was so small.

Lying in that bed, so pale and white against the sheets.

Tifa watched as they hooked the heart monitor back up to the wall. She ran her eyes down the lines to the pale finger that it was attached to. He was also hooked up to fluids, since the kid was still unconscious, but nothing else, since he could breathe fine by himself.

The only thing that stood out on Denzel was the bruising on his upper face, hidden under his fringe. 

But that was fine. Bruises healed. Trauma, as she well knew, took way longer than a simple bruise.

Then she was left alone. With it, she sighed out all the kept-in breath, worryingly, then moved to sit back where she was previously. Now in between the two. She situated her chair so she could see both.

She could watch over them both.

It went on that way silently for at least another day or so, until she heard familiar boots thundering down the hall, that she looked up and really was unsurprised to see Zack stalking into the room.

“Tifa!” Zack said loudly, already coming around Cloud’s bed to hug her head to his chest. 

“Hey, Zack.” She answered, with a huff of tired laughter at his antics. 

“They made you guys share a room?” Zack was asking, sounding slightly annoyed, making Tifa realise he wasn’t exactly looking.

“Found Denzel.” She said proudly.

Zack pulled back and grinned. “Good girl.” He looked over her head. “How is he?” He asked, curiously.

From it, she knew Zack knew there was nothing new about Cloud to ask about. 

If one of the nurses said his condition was stable one more time, she’d throw her chair at her well-meaning face.

“Cloud protected him, so he’s unharmed. Just needs to wake up. They’re stating trauma as to why he’s still asleep.” Tifa noted for him.

She heard his distracted hum curiously and watched as the man rounded the smaller child bed. 

“How’s Aerith?” She asked. 

Zack looked to her and clicked his tongue in frustration. “With no cannonballs to say if it’s any lighter, we don’t…exactly know without testing.” Zack said in frustration. “But she’s trying her best!” He urged, as if he thought she wouldn’t think so.

Tifa shook her head. 

“Wouldn’t think she wouldn’t be. Does she know what the light is meant to be?” Tifa asked, curiously.

Zack shook his head. “Only that it’s supposed to be hers. She doesn’t understand. She’ll get there though!” He added.

Tifa watched that Zack was finally not distracted enough to look back to Denzel, with a frown now on his face.

Then he was moving Denzel’s fringe, then jumping back in panic. 

“What!?” He was then screeching in loud panic.

Tifa was up in an instant.

“What’s wrong!” She was yelling in a panic.

Her panic was matched on Zack’s face. In his glowing blown wide eyes. 

He calmed only a little to manage speech. 

“This just got a lot more complicated.” He managed to announce.

Tifa was confused. 

“How is a bruise complicated?” She asked.

Zack was shaking his head, dissolute as he rounded Denzel’s bed. 

“It’s not a bruise.” He remarked.

Then with a worried look to her. “It’s Geostigma.” He told her, then hurriedly walked out of the ward.

Zack’s mind was like a group of screaming cats.

Cloud was down with something related to his mako poisoning. 

Denzel had signs of well-developed Geostigma. 

And he couldn’t do anything to help.

He could only move them.

And with the fight he was having with a nurse?

Moving them was out of the question.

Cloud? Sure, he could move him. Tifa would agree to discharge him into the care of Mideel as easily as it was for her to breathe.

But apparently Denzel was another story. 

“I’m sorry, sir! You cannot take a ShinRa ward without ShinRa consent!” She was glowering. 

Did his damn uniform mean nothing anymore?! What was the point in wearing it anymore if he couldn’t abuse it?!

“ShinRa ain’t around to do shit! Can’t you just put him in my care?” Zack argued. 

He would argue ShinRa hadn’t been around to do shit for the last six years, but he digressed. 

She shook her head. 

“I’m sorry! I still can’t allow it!” She argued.

He rubbed his face in panic.

“He won’t get better here!” Zack grouched. 

Not that he would miraculously get better at Mideel, but that was beside the point.

He had a better chance there, as did Cloud. 

“Unless you can get me your director, or a ShinRa board member, I can’t authorise his removal!” She announced. 

Zack blinked. 

He hadn’t a clue to where Lazard would even be, if he wasn’t a Remnant already, or if he was even still considered ShinRa. Hell, even if he was still alive.

But a board member?

“I can get one of those.” He said, then stalked back to Tifa.

“Tifa!” He yelled and would later apologise that the poor girl jumped in panic. “Gimme your PHS.” He ordered gently. 

Tifa barely blinked before she was handing her device over. 

With ShinRa in shambles, no one was going to be monitoring for Avalanche. Reeve had said so.

Zack immediately dialled the man up.

“Tifa?” The man answered within a few rings. “How’s Cloud?” He was asking gently. 

“Sorry, not Tifa.” Zack apologised. He heard Reeve hum in surprise he was there. “I have a favour to ask of you, Reeve.” He asked. 

“Of course. What can I do for you?” Reeve was asking. 

Reeve was the only ShinRa man he knew was alive. And the only one he would be willing to talk to, anyway.

So suddenly Zack was looking into transporting two unconscious people instead of just one. 

With the one already planned being Cloud. His situation was already accounted for. 

Denzel could easily be transferred. Since he was only unconscious, and could breathe by himself. It was way easier to transfer the kid then it was his father.

Tifa took it in her stride, easily, Zack noted, that emergency guardianship over Denzel was granted to her for the time being, from Reeve. 

And she immediately told the nurse to transfer the kid alongside Cloud.

Cid would grouch that the Highwind wasn’t meant to transport the infirm.

But Zack would just mention he wasn’t meant to have the airship in the first place.

It would shut him up if he freaked.

He, thankfully, didn’t. Just helped alongside the M7I to make sure both medical beds were locked and strapped in place.

Zack left it to Tifa to ensure both Cloud and Denzel were buckled into the beds. 

He could see she needed to do something with her hands.

Zack patted her head kindly when she went to make sure a third time before the Highwind would take off. 

“Tifa.” He called, gently. 

She sniffed and looked up to him. 

“Go and make sure everyone knows we’re moving Cloud to Mideel, yeah? We don’t want Barret storming into the hospital and causing a fuss when he can’t find him.” Zack humoured. 

Tifa gave out a little giggle at the idea.

Most of their friends had been going around Midgar’s Edge to help the displaced civilians put up new homes and find amenities.  

Reeve was looking into the radius they needed to place between them and Midgar as a precaution to the mako leaking out of the derelict reactors. No one at current could go near them, without getting sick, to try and safely turn them off. 

Some from SOLDIER had tried. One called Roche had gotten one turned off, before Reeve told the man to rest, and get a physical, before trying the next one, or he would take his bike away from him. 

The man hadn’t gotten injured or sick. It was just a precaution, so Roche didn’t in the future. 

Zack had asked why this particular Third had tried in the first place. Why he was so gung ho on making sure he turned the rest off.

Reeve stated the man had heard about Cloud, and decided to one up him. Like usual, apparently.

Cloud had weird friends. But Zack would need to thank the other Soldier when he got back, once Cloud was better.

“We’re still monitoring the Northern Cave, Zack.” Reeve told him.

He turned to him, and hummed in confusion.

“The force field is still up?” He asked.

Reeve shook his head.

“No, the other WEAPON, the one that attacked Junon, fired out at the shield, and tore it down, about the same time the one attacking Midgar started taking out ShinRa tower. There is no more force field, but the light from the Life stream is still concentrated there.” Reeve informed. 

Zack blinked and crossed his arms as he thought. 

Reeve, apparently, had a second before he needed to leave the Highwind.

And Zack couldn’t hear the airship turning its engines on full yet.

“The WEAPONS fought simultaneously?” Zack asked. 

Reeve gave one shrug. “I can’t yet figure out why they decided to fire on both at the same time. They must have had a reason to do so that would ensure they got what they wanted.” He ruminated.

Zack ruffled his own hair as he thought about it.

What would they need to gain in order to ensure they needed to fight both Midgar, and the Northern Crater at the same time?

What was the point?

Neither place was connected?

There was a massive ocean and a continent between them. Land and sea. Ocean and sky—

Zack looked back to Cloud.

Unless…

Unless they were.

Through Cloud.

Zack immediately stalked back up to Cloud, Tifa squawking in confusion as he did. 

He gently bent over his friend, and pawed open one eye. A simple thing he hadn’t considered doing previously. 

He was met with a dulled, slatted eye that obviously did not belong to his blonde friend.

“Well, hi there.” He announced.

Chapter Text

They said, “You ain’t welcome ‘round here anymore.”.
He said, “I’ll be back when you least expect it, and hell’s coming with me!”
There is a hill at the bottom of the valley: Where all the poor souls go when they die.
And if you listen real close, you can hear ‘em sayin’, “You’re never gonna make it out alive!”
There is a town at the bottom of that hill. They got a secret that they keep like a slave.
You’ll be headin’ up that hill to the grave. There was a drifter passin’ through that little valley.
See, he had promised he was comin’ back to town. But he’d come back to burn that town to the ground. 

— Colm McGuinness (Hell’s Comin’ With Me)

60. Hell’s Comin’ With Me

Zack immediately stalked back up to Cloud, Tifa squawking in confusion as he did. 

He gently bent over his friend, and pawed open one eye. A simple thing he hadn’t considered doing previously. 

He was met with a dulled, slatted eye that obviously did not belong to his blonde friend.

“Well, hi there.” He announced.

There was no reaction from any entity he stood over.

But there was from the two behind him.

“What!” Tifa was loudest in screeching. 

Zack pulled back when nothing happened in Cloud. 

He put a hand out to Tifa to quieten her as he watched. 

Nothing showed up in the monitors.

Cloud didn’t start revolting in the bed he was buckled into.

It caused him to frown.

Then cross his arms when still nothing happened.

Was Cloud’s body too sick to respond? For Sephiroth to move?

If Sephiroth and Jenova had both bounced from the Northern Crater to Cloud? Then both of them would have been attacked by Holy enough for them to think Cloud would be the better option?

Had that been what they were trying to prevent? By attacking both places simultaneously? 

With how severe Cloud’s mako poisoning was, he wouldn’t be going anywhere. Maybe they didn’t know how bad Cloud was with it, distracted as they had been with fighting of Holy’s light?

Holy’s light.

Light.

Zack blinked, then looked to both Reeve and Tifa.

“Son of a bitch.” He remarked in awed surprise, then booked it out of the room.

“Wait!” He barely heard Tifa yell.

“Cid!” He was yelling, ignoring those running behind him.

“What!” Cid was yelling back.

“I need you to get us to Mideel now!” He urged. 

Cid stared at him. “An’ that isn’t what I’m doing, ya punk!? Ya wanna drive!?” He yelled.

“Urgent!” Zack pleaded. 

Cid gave him a look, noted his expression, nodded, then turned back to a worried looking Connor.

While so, Zack looked back to Reeve.

“You’re either coming with us, or you need to leave.” Zack said, as polite as he could with the situation. 

Reeve blinked at his tone, but nodded. “Keep me informed.” He requested.

Zack nodded, and lost one of the two followers. 

Zack noted Tifa’s expression of panic and fear. 

She must have seen what he had.

But not connected the dots as he did.

“Is…” She panted. She had kept up, but she wasn’t enhanced. “Is it okay to leave him?” She asked.

“Cloud physically can’t go anywhere.” Zack told her. 

She blinked in worry.

“But…” She gestured silently to her own eye.

Zack nodded. 

“Yep. I would scratch them both out of him, if I could, Tifa.” Zack told her. 

He noted exactly when she realised he had said them and not him, in a heartbeat when the devastation crossed over her face.

“The reason why WEAPON attacked both places at once. Trying to eliminate both S and J, and distract them from doing this at a point where Cloud wouldn’t be aware of what they were going to do.” Zack surmised. 

Tifa cocked her head, not understanding.

He sighed. “Cloud… knows how sick he is. He has always known Tifa.” He started to explain. 

She looked worried. 

Zack looked over to the windows as the Highwind took off from Midgar’s Edge to circle around and fly south.

“Never test how much willpower Cloud actually has. He must have realised what was going on with his own body, he’s been possessed before, so he knows what it feels like to be so. He would have been fighting it with everything he had. And when he realised he couldn’t? Dropped like a stone and let the poisoning do what he couldn’t. Get his body to not move like they wanted it to.” Zack explained. 

In doing so, Cloud could have damn well died, he damn well still could, and it caused Zack to growl angrily. 

Was it such a limited time window in realising what S and J were doing to him, that he knew his only option was to stop fighting how advanced his sickness was in his own body?

Did Zack not find him fast enough?

Was he going to lose his friend a third time because of this?

“He would have known they would have acted through him, and he wouldn’t’ve wanted that at all, especially if he was alone with you and had just found Denzel.” Zack ruminated.

Cloud would be like that. 

Put his favoured people, his family, first.

No matter how hard it was on his family to see him like this. 

“Did he forget I would have fought to get him back?” Zack muttered, indignantly, suddenly lost.

What kind of friend was he?!

He flinched when he felt Tifa’s hand on his arm.

“Hey,” She called gently. “You know, as well as anyone, Cloud counts on you as his friend. With this take over, if he was possessed conscious. Would it have been worse? Like you would need to get him unconscious for you to get him into Mideel? Would you have been able to do that?” Tifa asked, curiously.

Zack stopped dead at that.

Would he have had to have fought Cloud? Use deadly force to get him to go down?

Could he have had, in the first place?

They would have used Cloud to plead at him, and he would have folded like a deck of wet cards.

And they knew that.

Cloud knew that.

So the only option was this.

Where Zack wasn’t forced to harm the only best friend he had left.

Only yet again, forced to watch him slowly die. 

He growled. 

“I hate them.” He hissed. 

Tifa nodded. 

“Feeling’s mutual.” She decided. 

He looked at her, seeing her peeved face.

Yep.

Fair.

They both gravitated back to Cloud sooner or later.

The blonde hadn’t moved a muscle. Nothing on his monitors stated anything was different, either.

In his own way, Cloud was fighting this, literally putting his life in his hands, in Aerith’s hands again.

He looked towards Denzel. And apparently with the life of his son, as well.

He had a lot of faith in his, and suddenly Zack felt dizzy with it. How much faith he had in him.

Well!

He’d just have to show his faith wasn’t misplaced!

He looked to Tifa, and grinned. 

“Let’s do our best!” He cheered. 

There was her smile, and her laugh.

He’d take care of her, until Cloud was back. 

/

/

It didn’t take long to get to Mideel.

It took longer to offload both Denzel and Cloud then it was to fly over.

Aerith met them, nervously. 

Her anxiety must have skyrocketed in the hours of silence, since she had no PHS, and then even more so when she noted the second medical bed.

“Who!?” Aerith asked, running up to him.

Zack looked back to the smaller medical bed.

“Denzel.” He announced. Aerith blinked in confusion as he looked back to her. “He has Geostigma.” He added.

She paled in fright.

Zack wasn’t surprised they put them in the same room in the main medical building, based on the prognosis Zack had given over to Mideel’s doctors.

Once they were situated, he immediately turned to Aerith, grinning.

“The light you’re missing is Holy!” He screeched in joy, pointing to her head.

Aerith literally took a second, facepalmed, stole Zack’s new now charged PHS, then ran out. 

“Give me an hour!” She was yelling as she ran.

Tifa didn’t mind that Aerith took way longer than an hour.

She now had all the missing puzzle pieces.

Surely they would all fall into their rightful places.

It would just be a matter of time.

Tifa could wait.

She was good at waiting.

Tifa watched as Zack paced, nervously.

He apparently was not as good as her in waiting. 

Tifa jumped when it was Cloud’s PHS that rang out instead of Tifa’s.

“Zack!” Tifa could hear Aerith yelling gleefully from Zack’s ear. “Come here!” She was demanding.

Zack was blinking. 

“Am I bringing anything?” He was questioning as he gave Tifa a shrug she giggled at.

“Nope! Oh. Maybe a change of clothes? And a towel? I’m pushing you into it.” Then she hung up.

Zack paused to blink at the silent PHS, before he was laughing his way out of the room.

“Be a sec, Tifa!” He was cajoling. 

Zack made sure to get out of his uniform before he went anywhere near Aerith.

He didn’t own anything else, and he kind of didn’t want any of it wet.

He did grab a towel or two, before he went towards the hot spring that Aerith was at. In case, she actually did throw him in.

She had spent an entire day previously going through every one of them before she settled on this one.

“Hey, Aerith?” He called when he was closer.

She rounded on herself, looking well proud of herself, and gleeful. 

“Zack!” She answered.

He eyed her warily.

“I draw the line at you actually shoving me in, Aerith.” He warned her, teasingly. “Especially if we don’t know if it’ll work, yeah?” He added, she pouted, but nodded. “How did you get it light, anyway?” He asked curiously. 

Even he could tell the difference, and his small hairs weren’t on edge like they were previously. 

She pointed into the pool, and he curiously went to stand next to her.

Only to burst out laughing.

Her solution? Was to quite literally throw the Holy materia into the pool and see what would happen.

Zack put his hand in warily.

But he didn’t feel any different. Or changed. But he could do it, whereas previously he couldn't.

He looked to her, blankly.

“Is something supposed to happen, or…?” He questioned.

He noted she was watching him closely. 

“... Nothing?” She spat out, her shoulder’s slumping sadly.

“Hey. I don’t exactly know what’s meant to happen, yeah?” He told her gently, pulling his hand out. “And last time, I didn’t exactly want to get wet, so something has changed. I just don’t know if it’s enough.” He answered.

Aerith looked thoughtful. “How will we know?” She asked. 

Zack blinked. 

“Well, we can’t exactly get Cloud to come tell us.” He muttered. 

Then Aerith blinked. 

“Then we take the pool to him!” She cheered, then got up to check her pockets.

Zack stared. “Uhh…?” He asked, confused.

She pouted that when whatever she was searching for, she couldn’t find.

“Do you have a potion vial on you?” Aerith asked. 

Zack blinked. He did. An empty one from Cloud. “Here.” He dug it out, and gave it over.

Aerith grinned and him, then plunged the vial into the pool to fill it up.

“Let’s go see!” Aerith crowed happily. 

Tifa was on board for watching Cloud’s machines as much as they were to see if when the vial was brought in any closer than he would react in any sort of way like he had previously. 

He had always reacted poorly previously.

Now, Tifa just needed to hope with Aerith actually throwing the active Holy materia into the water it would cleanse Cloud, Zack and Denzel.

If the water was changed enough to be near Cloud, then they would visually test it on Denzel to make sure it did what they wanted it to. 

The water wouldn’t harm Denzel like it would Cloud if it wasn’t exactly correct, it would be that his Geostigma just wouldn’t heal.

With Tifa nodding, she would watch the machines, Zack had grinned and yelled for Aerith to come in closer to the entrance of the clinic.

Tifa was screeching in panic when the machine’s rioted not even a few seconds in, and she could hear Zack yelling to Aerith for her to back up.

She must have, because the machine’s went back to normal.

Zack came rushing in.

“No?” He asked, sadly. 

Tifa shook her head.

Zack huffed, indignantly.

“Then we try again.” He answered with a smile, before he made his way back to Aerith.

It wasn’t good enough. 

It needed to be better.

Zack swore they would find a way. Now they weren’t so sure to try it on Denzel first, since the boy gave no reaction like Cloud did.

With each try, and slight change to the pool, they tried again, and with each time Cloud would react badly to it.

Towards the second day they were trying, Zack had changed over from Tifa, so he could watch the erratic behaviour, just to see if he could see something different from Tifa with his own eyes.

From what she had seen in the first try, to when he took over, there had been only slight changes in how Cloud reacted.

The first time, Cloud as well as the machines he was attached to reacted badly, and he would seize badly and choke on oxygen.

Now, a week later, with multiple changes cast from Holy by Aerith, Cloud wasn’t reacting, but his machines still were. 

They just needed to get the concentration just right, because in the time that they were wasting trying to get that out, Zack had noticed the motley bruising starting to bruise down Cloud’s arm, at an alarming pace.

They were fighting them trying to give them the boot from Cloud.

Zack would be damned if he would let them win.

He was getting his friend back.

Zack was grinning the moment he realised they found the right amount of light concentration from Holy when Cloud’s monitors didn’t protest to Aerith and Tifa finally coming through the wardroom door. 

They had no power over him anymore.

Chapter Text

Take a seat, but I’d rather you not be here for what could be my final form.
Stay your pretty eyes on course.
Keep the memories of who I was before.
So, stay with me, because my body’s on the line now.
I can’t fight this time now. I can feel the light shine on my face.
Did I disappoint you? Will they still let me over? If I cross the line?
Honestly, I thought I was fully prepared for the threshold in store.
I guess I never really faced my fears before.
Please, don’t let them take me.
I can feel the light shine on my face. 

— Kai Saikota (Line)

61. Line

With Cloud now showing the early stages of Geostigma, and with Denzel’s lack of proximity alert, they tried Cloud’s arm first with the water from the hot springs. 

They nearly brought the clinic’s roof down when they yelled in joy.

They certainly brought in a few doctors in a panic over the noise. 

But they eventually congratulated them once they realised all the noise was congratulatory and not in pain. 

Aerith had rushed out with the vial to ensure she could heal Denzel next, now they knew it was safe and it worked.

Zack went to find a towel for the kid’s head to rest on so he would still have a dry bed to lie and rest on. 

Zack knew from memories he couldn’t quite grasp anymore that healing from Geostigma took a long time, that would easily exhaust children and those who were not previously enhanced. 

“Tifa?” He called, seeing her finally looking so happy.

She turned to him, and he grinned. 

“I think I’m gonna need your help when we need to get Cloud into the pool long term.” He reminded. 

She nodded. “I’ll help!” She answered.

Then he sided his head at Denzel. “Recovering from Geostigma is a long course, Teef, alright? Denz isn’t about to bounce back in a day, or two.” He warned.

In case she didn’t know. 

Tifa nodded. 

“How long will he be unconscious for?” Tifa asked, worried.

Zack shrugged. “I don’t remember the specifics. But he shouldn’t be unconscious for too long after lifting his Geostigma from his head. It’s the constant exhaustion and not being able to stay awake that will be your constant companion with Denzel. Maybe not so much with Cloud.” He answered. 

Tifa sided her head.

“It’ll be different with Cloud?” She asked.

Zack nodded.

“Well, first, we gotta deal with the possession. We should be able to kick them out on the first pool party, alongside any lingering Geostigma we can’t see under his skin and blankets. It’s ironic that kicking them out is what’ll be the easiest thing for us to do.” Zack noted. 

Tifa rung out her hands. 

“What’s the difficult part?” She worried. 

He shrugged.

“What they leave behind. And healing his mako poisoning to a point where he can wake up and function with it, once the water’s turned all the positives into negatives. We can monitor the progress through blood work. I will not be here for that part, so you’re gonna have to tell me that part.” He added, trying not to shudder at the idea of needles.

Tifa nodded. A long, difficult road, but one she could see the end of, and at the end, Cloud and Denzel would be awake.

Tifa and Zack eagerly waited for Aerith to come back running in with an overflowing vial of healing water, which she eagerly poured over Denzel’s head, carefully not to get the bed wet.

They watched as the bruise lifted off the child’s skin and dissolved into the Life stream. Tifa was the one who gently went through hazel hair to make sure there was nothing left. And Zack was the one who looked under clothes easily.

They found nothing, so now it was just a waiting game on when the kid would wake up.

He was, fortunately, not awake when the doctors took blood, and Zack was out of the way in a split second.

Zack was back in time for the doctor to put up his blood work on the lit up wall.

It looked familiar enough to what they had seen in the older Denzel’s blood work.

All positives changing into negatives.

Zack was curious to know if this version of Denzel would carry over mako enchantment traits, and still be attached to his father’s hip (and bike).

But he could agonisingly wait for that day to come for himself.

With a plan in place for both Denzel and Cloud, they were moved out of the clinic into a cabin.

One that was closer to the healing pool they still had yet to figure out how to get Cloud into, or for how long sessions needed to go for.

But Cid had come and gone with a shopping list.

More clothes for Zack, and Cloud, that the man had to begrudgingly leave to get, since Cid threatened to buy dresses or things with glitter.

And several swimming costumes for them all.

That was easily decided on, that and food. 

While they didn’t know how long it would take either of them to wake up, they knew they would stay as long as they needed to for them to wake up.

Tifa was resolute on that. And no one was against her.

Tifa and Zack figured the first time they tried sinking Cloud into the pool, would be a test and trial to see how long he needed to have dunking sessions for, versus how long his body could tolerate it. 

It would involve watching Cloud constantly and then once out, getting a doctor to draw blood that Zack would be running for the hills for.

They still needed to figure out how to get the man from the bed, to the pool before the rest of it could come into place.

That, and plead for Aerith to stay behind with Denzel, in case the boy woke up.

“Think we can wheel him down there?” Tifa asked, knocking her foot into the medical bed Cloud was on.

Zack hummed. “Bulky.” He muttered in a negative.

“Why don’t you just carry him?” Aerith was asking curiously. 

Both of them stared at her in surprise, before looking back to each other. 

“You got his leads?” Zack asked. 

Tifa eagerly nodded, and went about disentangling them from the blonde.

“Both of you, out. I need to change him.” He ordered. 

Both females saluted and bolted for the exit of the bedroom. 

Aerith grinned happily and went to sit with Denzel, who had yet to wake up.

They weren’t bothered. 

Recovery was tiring.

While, Tifa went to the bathroom to change into one of a few swim costumes Cid had brought back down from Costa del Sol.

She would be ready.

Zack easily changed himself, and had a little more trouble with changing Cloud without suffering flashbacks, but he got there in the end, and easily picked up and carried his unconscious friend out the bedroom.

He was surprised to see Tifa, ready and waiting for the door. 

“Don’t tell him about this. He’ll never get over it.” Zack warned. 

Cloud would probably die from embarrassment from all of this, if they told him about it.

Tifa was eager to shake her head, and open the door.

“Absolutely not!” She giggled airily. 

Zack didn’t need to tell her to close the door behind them, and she easily kept pace with him in her clogs down to the hot spring Aerith hadn’t seen fit to remove the active Holy from, just yet.

He looked to her. 

“Are you ready? It, uh, might tingle, but it’s not gonna harm you.” Zack warned. 

Tifa nodded, and with some type of girl magic pulled all of her hair up and around her hand several times to tie it into a bun without any accessories. 

It boggled his mind how girls could do that.

She then kicked off her shoes next to already stacked towels. 

“Go in first, and then I’ll hand him to you.” Zack asked. 

Tifa nodded and went to sit and dip her toes in. 

Zack watched as she shivered, but didn’t seem to be in pain, and then hopped off the ledge, fully standing, the water came to about waist height on her. 

He nodded mutely and shoved off his sandals easily, then moved to crouch near her to transfer half of Cloud onto her shoulder.

She easily brought up her arms to transfer him into them, and nudged his head into her neck, and push his medical leads over her shoulder so they wouldn’t get too wet.

Once she had him, Zack slipped into the water with the rest of their blonde friend, pushing his limbs down into the water when he started to float.

“There.” Zack sighed in relief.

Now they just had to time how long Cloud could take, and get him out the same way, just in reverse. 

Occasionally Tifa needed to push down Cloud’s arms when they floated up with the bubbles. Every time it caused her to giggle, and Zack to huff when he needed to do the same with his legs.

“He’s so gonna kill us.” Zack huffed with laughter.

Tifa giggled. “Not if we never tell him.” She reminded.

Zack clicked his fingers, then pointed them at her.

“Deal! That’s a deal! Never, ever!” Zack laughed.

Tifa giggled again.

After a half hour, Zack moved up next to her. 

“Let’s see, yeah?” He asked. 

Tifa almost pouted, but nodded, and let him take Cloud from her shoulder to paw open one eye.

Dull, but mako blue.

“Hiya, Cloud.” He huffed in relief. 

Tifa almost sobbed, and he moved Cloud back into her.

“See. The easy part. How that became the easiest part. Don’t ask me.” Zack huffed as he moved back to paw Cloud’s toes back into the water. “Check his fingers for me?” He asked. 

Tifa moved her hand down to his and moved them out of the water easily, and noted the skin started to prune. 

“He’s wrinkling.” Tifa noted.

Zack hummed. “Same with his toes. Think that’s long enough for something to change internally for the doctors?” He asked. 

Tifa shrugged. 

“We better see.” Tifa answered.

He nodded and went about getting out, rushing a towel over himself that he tied around his waist, then rushed to grab another one that he put over his shoulder. Only then did Zack go and grab Cloud out of the pool.

Tifa rushed to get out and pile a towel on Cloud before she rushed to put one on herself.

Then, once they all were towel drying, they made their way back to the cabin to rinse off and dry.

Tifa had to push Zack into the only bathroom the cabin had. 

“I’ll get yours and Cloud’s clothes, okay?” Tifa announced and was off before Zack could protest.

Zack threw a bucket over his head and a cloth over Cloud in his hast to ensure the spring water was off them both, so the water temperature didn’t go tepid and make the situation worse.

Then dressed once the door opened enough for Tifa to shove their clothes through it.

He was never telling Cloud he needed to carry him. Or dress him again. 

Never, ever.

He only sighed in relief once he got his best friend back in his bed and all the medical leads attached to the blonde once more. 

Tifa took the moment to grab a shower, and check on Aerith and Denzel.

Denzel wasn’t awake, but Aerith looked up from a book she was reading with a smile.

“Zack is probably gonna freak out soon about needles, if you want to help.” Tifa asked.

Aerith nodded, and put her book down, she looked down to the unconscious child.

“He made some new sleepy noises while you were gone.” Aerith said, with a smile.

Tifa’s grin was as wide as Gaia was.

As soon as Zack had Cloud situated, he tapped the doctor’s bell, and was hightailing it out of the room, only to crash into Aerith. 

“Let’s go for a walk!” Aerith was saying, grabbing his hand, and leaving.

He adored her. He did.

From a medical standpoint, they couldn’t understand how a simple hot springs bath helped improve anything scientifically.

Only that it was.

There was a slow positive change in Cloud that they could indeed monitor through blood tests. So much, that they absolutely encouraged it.

Not that their approval meant much to Tifa and Zack, who could see the results for themselves when the doctors left comparisons on the light up board wall.

Zack even went so far as to dunk Denzel once to see if it helped.

They were all surprised and not to notice that of course it helped the kid.

Duh.

Denzel didn’t need to be dunked when they could just soak up a flannel and put it under his fringe if his blood work came up with anything negative.

Every second day, Tifa found herself, Cloud and Zack taking a dive, since doing it any faster had made Cloud actually start seizing.

Such a nope.

The fastest his body would allow is one day in and one day out. 

Zack figured it was how long his body took to recover from the healing water.

And the doctors couldn’t dispute the fact, even if they couldn’t test it scientifically.

Only that it worked, and it kept working.

And as long as it kept working, they would do it.

Denzel kept making more and more noises as the kid fought to wake up in a body he was no longer used to.

Zack had taken at one point to open the kid’s eye to note the dull presence of mako in them. The kid would need to get used to it, or he would accidentally run into a wall when he didn’t know he could. And then probably break it, if he wasn’t careful. Depending on the wall, really.

It would be strange and scary.

And Zack had to hope the kid didn’t blame Cloud for it. 

From what he heard from Reeve, people had started showing signs of motley bruises of Geostigma on their skin, but no one could ascertain a rhyme or reason as to who was bruised and when it showed up.

Roche, who by now had at least half of the Reactors of Midgar turned off in glee, had bruising or mako poisoning, much to the confusion of everyone who was involved in making sure he was healthy after the man decided to turn off another reactor at random. 

Reeve had made it a point, about any bruise, to get any of them checked out by a health professional. Who had all been shown pictures of what Geostigma looked like in Cloud and Denzel before Aerith poured her healing waters on them.

From what Tifa heard from Yuffie, the rest of them were helping building homes for those displaced by all the plates falling into the Slums below them, and a protection ring around Midgar had been put in place for the heavy density of the mako now in the air.

Aside from Reeve, no one else had spotted any other ShinRa higher up.

Not that they were complaining about it. 

They could keep Midgar’s ruins if they wanted to.

From Cid, who had gone back to Junon to see the mess created by the WEAPON there, and both Upper and Lower Junon in shambles that whatever was left of the ShinRa army there and the civilians were left to build on.

Rhonda and her people were able to move back Under Junon, with the help of her son’s mercenaries, to help rebuild everything that had been washed away.

If anything, it told Tifa that no one was angry at her for staying in Mideel, with Cloud and Denzel.

She was sure that Cloud, once well, would probably get back on his feet, and get back to Midgar to help, that she would probably need Zack’s help in making sure their blonde actually took it easy.

It was a nice future to think of.

Tifa finally had a moment to think about what she could rebuild from the ashes laid bare at her feet once again.

It would be no white-picketed house, or one surrounded by the mountains of Nibelheim. But it would be hers to create, hers to keep. And a home for Cloud to come home to. A home to raise Denzel in, if he wanted to become part of their little family.

It would need to have enough rooms for all of them to stay over when they needed, one could even be an office space or two when people weren’t visiting, at least three permanent bedrooms. 

Downstairs could be a hole in the wall, a bar and restaurant. Larger than the previous Seventh Heaven. 

It would probably need a garage, in case Cloud decided he actually did like bikes as much as the future said he did.

It would be hers to create, with her family by her side, with their input as much as hers to help create a home that they all needed to grow with.

She looked down at her fingers, with a soft smile. 

Yeah. She knew exactly what she would ask Cloud with them when he woke up.

There was a sharp beep that brought her out of her ruminations, and she looked up to the left side of the room. 

She was gently getting up when she heard small tired grumblings coming from Denzel as she made her way over to him, not making more noise than she wanted to.

Zack had told her about the mako in his eyes, she didn’t know how far the enhancements went, if he had better hearing now.

And if he did, she didn’t want to scare him.

Coming up to his side, she noted he was opening his glittering eyes, and at one look at her, those glittering eyes were welling up with tears.

Chapter Text

I’m watching myself, drifting away. A vision so dark; I cannot stay.
I’m trying to catch myself before I fall. Too little too late.
Can you save me? Where do we go when we walk on light? Who do we call at the edge of night?
Carry me close like the teardrops in your eyes. All I can give you is memories; Carry them with you, and I’ll never leave, I’ll lay my head down.
So let me freeze time, before it turns cold. The moments go by and life goes on. The torturous stars; are taking every breath I wish I held.
The love in my heart is never ending.
Let me lay my head down on the shadow by your side: don’t let me go, hold me in your beating heart.

— RAIGN (Don’t Let Me Go)

62. Don’t Let Me Go

There was a sharp beep that brought her out of her ruminations, and she looked up to the left side of the room. 

She was gently getting up when she heard small tired grumblings coming from Denzel as she made her way over to him, not making more noise than she wanted to.

Zack had told her about the mako in his eyes, she didn’t know how far the enhancements went, if he had better hearing now.

And if he did, she didn’t want to scare him.

Coming up to his side, she noted he was opening his glittering eyes, and at one look at her, those glittering eyes were welling up with tears.

Tifa froze in an instant, worried she had made too much noise for him to bear.

His tears were painful to bear.

“Hi there,” Tifa found herself whispering. 

He stared at her face, whimpering in fear, not pain. 

“Sorry if I scared you.” Tifa apologised quietly.

Tifa watched, pain in her heart, when Denzel immediately put his hands over his ears and screamed.

“Loud!” The poor kid screamed in panic.

How much could he hear? Tifa didn’t know. She hadn’t asked before now, or had even thought to ask!

But the kid was sitting up, and clasping his hands over his ears as hard as he could.

Tifa wasn’t sure if touch would be oversensitive for him, so how she could comfort him.

She sat on his bed, not being able to take being too far away when all she wanted to was to help him.

“I know, I’m sorry.” Tifa apologised quietly again. 

Denzel stared up at her, sobbing, in shock he could still hear her with his hands over his ears to block out everything. 

Denzel looked up at the lady sitting on his bed, wherever he was.

He could see in her face that she wanted to help.

How she was worried she wasn’t helping and making it worse.

Just how could he hear so much?!

He could hear her heartbeat! And at least another one! And some type of humming coming from the walls! Something ticking!

He was panicking. And now he didn’t know how to stop.

It felt like he hadn’t stopped panicking since the Plate fell!

How did he just not!?

She lifted a hand as if to say pause, and for some reason everything in Denzel fizzled.

And stopped.

It didn’t help with the overwhelming noise, but it sure helped everything else.

This lady must be magic, or something.

Denzel watched as she pulled out her PHS, and started typing.

Even from where he was, he could see she was tapping the screen softly to eliminate how much noise she was creating.

Magic Lady.

Then she was nodding to her PHS, then looking up to him, flipping the device around.

Stay -ig-t t-e-e! I -a-e s--et-ing t-at -i-- -e-p!

She wrote as she made a stay-like gesture.

He…thinks. He wasn’t too sure on the bigger words. 

Then Magic Lady got up and as quickly as she could quietly bolt from the room.

He was able to follow her heartbeat throughout the building they were in.

She didn’t leave. She opened a door, then closed it again. Then came back to him.

Magic Lady had ear protection in her hands?

They surely wouldn’t help.

But he didn’t protest her putting them over his ears.

Then nothing.

No humming.

No heartbeats, but his own.

Nothing.

Denzel looked up in awe to see she was speaking, but he finally couldn’t hear her.

He shook his head, silent.

She cocked her head, then tried again.

Each time he shook his head, she just smiled softly.

Then tried again.

She must have been trying to talk louder.

“ —‘Bout now?” She was finally saying.

He jerked up and pointed to her.

“I hear you!” He screeched.

He blinked when she flinched.

Oh. Too loud for her.

Right.

“Sorry.” He apologised, quieter. 

She shook her head, then laid a hand on her chest. 

“My name is Tifa.” She told him with a two fingered salute to her forehead for some reason.

He returned the gesture. Not that he knew why she was doing it, or if his mimic was of any good. “Denzel.” He answered. 

Tifa smiled at him happily. 

“Heya, Denzel.” She greeted.

He grinned at her, then looked around curiously.

“We’re…?” He asked.

“Oh,” She started, and he looked back to her. “I’m sorry we took you out of Midgar, you must have been too close to all the mako in the air, you got sick. What is the last thing you remember?” She asked. 

He got…sick?

One of his biggest reoccurring lectures he got from his parents was about mako safety. The same at school. Go straight to school. Come straight home. Don’t wander. Do all homework.

Now…not even weeks after they couldn’t give him the lecture anymore, he goes and gets hurt.

He grubbed at his eyes so he wouldn’t cry.

No. He would not cry in front of the Nice Magic Lady!

What was the last thing he remembered?

“We needed to leave Midgar. An attack?” He asked. There was an infantry, if he remembered correctly, leading them out of the sectors towards 4? And someone else?

She nodded.

Probably how he got so close to mako energy. Especially if one of the reactors got hit in the attack, like the one in 7.

He learnt from the other kids, who weren’t broken, that they were told not to go near it too.

“We were being told to go into another Sector. I… I got lost!” Denzel cried in panic, looking to her. “I got lost!” He added again.

“But you got found?” She queried. 

She must need to know for ShinRa, or something.

Oh. Maybe they were trying to return him to his parents, and they didn’t know about them yet?

What … would happen to him now? Now that ShinRa had found him, and found out he had no parents?

There would be no way they would let him go back to scrapping metal for gil. They’d place him into the system. He knew from Keizer how bad…

“Denzel?” She asked.

He froze. 

He must be taking too long!

So he thought real hard on how he got found. 

He got lost in the scrapyard, hoping to find some good scrap on his way out that he could trade for food, for wherever they were going. 

Then he lost his balance because of the quakes.

Yeah.

There was a fire. He was sure he could smell smoke.

Maybe something got caught on fire from the attack above the Plate?

Would make sense if it was one of the Reactors going off, if he got poisoned. 

Then there was that man.

The one who saved him.

“There was a guy! Blonde! ShinRa SOLDIER uniform!” Denzel looked to her. “I think he got hurt! Because the scrap must’ve fell on us!” Denzel cried in panic.

What if that guy got hurt because of him!?

Because he got lost!

Would ShinRa blame him if one of their soldiers got hurt because of him?!

He couldn’t pay for damages!

“Hey, hey,” Tifa was saying, and he moaned in panic.

Then she tapped his chest. “Breathe for me Denzel, it’s going to be alright. Cloud is fine.” She answered.

Cloud?

Denzel looked up.

He couldn’t see any clouds to make predictions on the weather, and looked back down, confused. They were inside.

But she was grinning at him. “Good boy,” She praised. Oh. He was breathing fine again. “Cloud,” She saluted her forehead again? “—is the person who saved you.” She elaborated.

Denzel sighed in relief.

Well, at least he didn’t need to work the rest of his life to pay ShinRa for damages to their property.

“I should…probably thank him, for saving my life?” Denzel asked quietly.

Tifa hummed. “I’m afraid you won’t be able to do that for a little while, I’m sorry.” She apologised.

He immediately looked up, panicking all over again.

“You said he was fine!” He screeched in panic.

Tifa nodded. “And he is. He wasn’t harmed, saving your life. But he was severely mako poisoned before it, and is still recovering.” Tifa explained.

Denzel blinked. 

So it was just because of him that the man got a worse dose of mako.

How was it not his fault!?

“Oh, Denzel.” Tifa was saying.

Yeah.

God-damn it, he was crying.

“I’m sorry!” He cried out, yanking on his top to try and breathe.

“I can’t do anything right!” He sobbed.

No one needed a cry baby!

It never helped him! It just made people sneer at him, and tell him to get lost, or to grow up!

Then, with a surprise gasp, she did neither of those things, and pulled him into her and hugged him.

Something inside Denzel, that he had been trying to hold onto since the first Plate fell, snapped, and he was gripping her sides as he cried loudly into her neck.

“They’re gone!” He yelled. “They’re all gone!” He couldn’t stop saying. 

It was all gone!

Everything he knew!

Gone!

After that, Tifa didn’t blame that her kid dropped like a stone.

The emotional trauma way too much for his body, or his mind, to comprehend. 

But no way in hell was she letting him go. Even if his headphones were digging into her neck and chin.

But a five-year-old was way easier to pick up than a nine-year-old.

Tifa was easily able to pick Denzel up with some strain and move between rooms. 

She wasn’t about to leave the kid on his own, to wake up on his own, after all that.

Tifa gently placed him on Cloud’s side, away from any wires Cloud still had, and made sure to shove a spare pillow under Denzel’s head.

If anything, Tifa could watch over both of them this way, and she could hope that wherever Cloud was, in his own mind, that he could feel Denzel next to him.

She was glad the idea of the headphones seemed to help Denzel once she figured everything was too loud.

Tifa would need to understand exactly how loud, was loud for Denzel now.

And whether it was on SOLDIER-level loud.

Because if it was, she would need Zack to help with somehow helping the kid tune out noises he didn’t need to hear. If, of course, Cloud wasn’t awake by then.

She would also need to note if his eye factor, and any other senses were heightened as well, and see about how to accommodate him.

And maybe change some of the things she did for Cloud’s sake as well. Especially if those habits were harming him, unknowingly.

Tifa knew what she would talk to Zack about, once he and Aerith got back, at least.

With that, she stood up and pressed the buzzer for the doctor.

They would need to know that Denzel woke up.

She wasn’t left alone for too long.

The doctors came and went, with being summoned and all. They gave a rudimentary look over Denzel, and asked to be called back when the kid woke up, and they moved Denzel’s bed into Cloud’s room when she asked for them to, and placed Denzel back into it. Tifa couldn’t help but grin when the kid grumbled at being moved away from Cloud.

Zack and Aerith came back from meeting with Cid to collect food they had asked the group to scrounge up for them when they weren’t busy rebuilding Junon, and building Edge. 

She finally understood why the future had called the city Edge, now at least.

Tifa nearly blushed like mad when Zack and Aerith praised her for how she handled Denzel.

Zack had even taken to patting her on the head, proudly.

She didn’t know what to make of the recently occurring gesture, but she let the man do it.

“We’re gonna need to figure out how loud is loud for Denzel.” Tifa quipped.

She heard Zack hum curiously, and she jerked her head at Denzel, who still had the headphones on.

“Everything was too loud when he woke up.” Tifa explained.

She saw him flinch in concern.

“I’ll test him when he’s settled.” Zack announced. 

Tifa nodded. 

He then turned back to her. “Let’s go dunk Cloud again.” He asked. 

She stood up, and grinned, only to move to find her swim clothes.

“I’ll call you if Denzel wakes up!” Aerith said happily.

It was routine, by now. And an easy one they all fell into quickly. 

Especially when, while the doctor’s still couldn’t figure out how, they could speculate their resident blonde may be closer than not to waking up in some form.

Not that Tifa would expect Cloud to be able to jump up and walk straight away. But being able to wake up and just talk? That was a more simpler goal that she had in mind.

Tifa was used to the tingling sensation the hot springs gave her skin by the second time she jumped in first.

It was normally followed by Cloud’s head landing on her shoulder for her to be able to easily dismiss the feeling, when she focused on Cloud. 

He was able to soak for longer and longer periods of time without his finger’s pruning at the water.

Zack had, at some point, shoved a chair into the water and weighed it down with rocks for Tifa to be able to sit when she hooked her shins around it. This way, she found it easier to swing her arms around Cloud’s, and pressure his limp body into the water more fully.

Because of it, Zack only needed to hand Cloud to her, and not dip himself. Which he seemed thankful for. Most times now Zack either sat on the grassy edge, cross-legged, or went back to Aerith for the time Cloud took until he pruned in the water.

This time, once Zack handed her Cloud, he happily bounded off back to the cabin, leaving her alone for the time being.

So much, she sighed in relief. 

Tifa still moved the medical wires, so they went over her shoulder. 

Apparently they could get wet, but she didn’t exactly want them to.

While he was on less and less machines, he was still attached to an IV, for a drip to sustain him. And sometimes he needed oxygen.

Today, though, Cloud seemed to be breathing fine by himself.

Which gave them all relief. 

“Heya, Cloud,” She started, as usual whenever she was left alone with him.

He never responded to her ramblings, never once did he move or try to respond to her.

What she wouldn’t give.

That is, until when she heard the low hum, and the inch he made into her neck.

Chapter Text

“I’ll swim and sail on savage seas. With ne’er a fear of drowning. I’ll gladly ride the waves of life, if you would marry me. No scorching sun, nor freezing cold, will stop me. If you will promise me your heart…”
“And love me for eternity. My dearest one, my darling dear: I’ve no need of mighty deeds, when I feel your arms around me.”
“But I would bring you rings of gold! And I would keep you from all harm: If you would stay beside me?”
“I have no use for rings of gold, I only want your hand to hold.”
To love and kiss, to sweetly hold: For the dancing and the dreaming.
Through all life’s sorrows and delights: I’ll keep your laugh inside me.

— Erutan (For The Dancing & The Dreaming)

63. For The Dancing & The Dreaming

“Heya, Cloud,” She started, as usual whenever she was left alone with him.

He never responded to her ramblings, never once did he move *or grumble at her.

What she wouldn’t give.

That is, until when she heard the low hum, and the inch he made into her neck.

Tifa jolted where she sat. The water waved off her and her surroundings as she quickly looked down.

“Cloud?” She asked, trying to not be hopeful.

It never did her any good at any number of noises her blonde made coincidentally.

They never led him or her anywhere.

And, like usual.

Then nothing else.

No noises.

No movement.

He didn’t open his eyes.

And he didn’t call her name.

She tried not to sigh in disappointment. 

So, she did what she did best.

She carried on. And ignored that she was crying.

Tifa tried a large inhale, then carried on, making sure Cloud was still at her neck, pausing to cup water over his head every so often.

“So, I was thinking, Cloud…” Tifa started.

It was easy to talk to Cloud.

She was used to him never answering, and she could pretend that he was just listening to her, with his eyes closed. 

It might have been easier to pretend if Cloud hadn’t recently gained the ability to talk back to her.

“When we get back to Edge, you won’t mind helping me rebuild Seventh Heaven, right?” Tifa asked.

She didn’t think he would mind. 

Hell, he’d probably glare at her, if she didn’t ask. Nibelheim tradition, be damned.

“Yeah, you’d probably demand to, actually.” She answered, with a little giggle.

She then hummed.

“I know you’d probably be a little out of your depth when it comes to creating the menu, but I’m sure you wouldn’t mind taste testing them, for me.” She added, looking down and washing out his hair for him. 

She heard the faint hissing of the healing water made on contact, and made sure none of the water went into his eyes. Not that he would react, but she knew from Zack it would be painful.

Tifa didn’t want to cause him anymore pain then what he was already in.

“How many bedrooms do you think we’d need?” She continued to ponder as she played with his damp hair. How was it still so soft? “I’m thinking three, but maybe more, if the group uses it as a base while they’re in Edge. I’m gonna need your opinion on that, sooner or later, Cloud.” She asked as she moved his fringe away from his still closed eyes.

“I know you probably won’t care, but. Oh! What about a garage? I think that’ll be your domain, more than mine, but maybe you’d allow me to help, in any case?” She asked quietly, making sure to wipe water around his face.

Then she sighed as she made sure to move his head back into her neck and dropped her hand.

She normally refrained from asking so many questions in one go.

But with Denzel waking up, she now had more questions she wanted him to answer.

She feared she couldn’t help Denzel in the way Cloud could.

Tifa sniffed.

How she had gotten too used to him answering her questions after leaving Kalm, then not when he passed her off in Midgar, then when they were children.

She had gotten used to how attentive he had become, how close they had gotten.

Tifa had really gotten to expect him to be playful with her over him brushing her off.

So much that now his silence was deafening to her.

She pressed her cheek against his head.

“You’ll wake up. I know you will.” Tifa stated. “And I’ll be here when you do.” She added quietly as she closed her eyes and hummed one of the songs her mother used to sing.

She couldn’t remember the words anymore. 

But the melody had stuck with her.

By now Tifa knew well before the bubbles attempted to move Cloud, and she would move to correct him, to make sure he was still submerged. She could do it with her eyes closed now.

But she never let go of his hand.

“Heya, Teef.” 

Tifa opened her eyes and looked up to see that Zack had come back, sitting cross-legged on the grass near her, a bundle of towels next to him. A gentle expression on his face.

He had the amazing ability to know when it was time to get out, when he left them alone. 

Tifa nodded, mutely, and got ready to leave the pool.

The routine was easy, and they had perfected it over the days they had to do it.

Before Tifa knew it, she was back in the cabin, dressed and washed, attaching Cloud’s leads back to his machines.

Seeing her come back, Aerith came around the bed and gave her a little hug once she was finished.

“How is he?” Aerith asked, gently.

Tifa swiped blonde hair away from his eyes.

“Still quiet, but making more noise than previously.” Tifa muttered. 

Tifa caught Aerith’s proud smile.

“Then he’s still fighting.” Aerith insisted. 

Tifa nodded. 

Of course he would be.

He promised.

Tifa knew that once Zack was sure he didn’t have any of the hot spring water on him, that he and Aerith would leave.

She didn’t mind. 

They were trying to convert the rest of the hot springs over like the one they did by accident.

Because if they could, without it being an accident, then Aerith could try creating one in Edge, and help those who had mako poisoning from Midgar falling. 

Tifa couldn’t begrudge the couple that.

And she liked to be left alone. 

Aerith, noting that her glass of water was empty, went to go refill it, politely. 

Tifa knew with hearing the shower go off, that Zack had got some of the healing water on him, and he would be awhile because the man had probably got it over his uniform as well.

While Zack was no longer affiliated with ShinRa? He wouldn’t part with the uniform.

So he wouldn’t be leaving until it was washed and dried.

Tifa heard the now familiar grumblings from Denzel to know the boy would probably be waking up soon, and turned to see him looking at her, and saw the confusion give way to recognition.

“Tifa!” The boy answered his own confusion as he sat up, then grunted and paused to fix his headphones that must have slipped off his ears at some point.

Tifa grinned at him. “Denzel!” She laughed at his expression. 

How either of them knew she needed company, she would never know, or take for granted. 

Denzel, once he fixed his headphones, looked up at her and grinned.

He must have been feeling better, Tifa walked over to him and ruffled his hair.

Denzel gave out a grumble at the gesture, but Tifa noted with some glee that he also didn’t fight her doing it.

“How are you feeling?” Tifa asked. 

Denzel gave himself a look over.

“My legs feel kinda heavy? And my head’s a little foggy.” Denzel answered, diligently. 

Tifa hummed, to let him know she heard him as she pondered.

She wasn’t sure if those afflictions were because he was recovering from Geostigma, or just because of his other circumstances. 

“Can you wiggle your toes?” Tifa asked, instead.

That was a standard question she knew that got asked. 

She saw down the bed, movement. 

Denzel lit up. “I can!” He crowed happily. 

Tifa wasn’t sure if the boy would allow her to hug him, so she ruffled his hair again proudly.

He continued to grumble at her.

“Heya, Teef!” Zack was almost yelling.

It caused Denzel to screech in surprise and Tifa to turn around to see the man rush into the room, with Aerith and a new glass in her hand not far behind him.

Zack clocked Denzel awake in seconds. 

“Hey! You’re awake!” Zack called, happily. 

Tifa immediately felt Denzel grip her arm, looking to the boy, he was staring at Zack in panic.

“Zack?” Tifa started, getting his attention. “Maybe cool it, you’re scaring him.” Tifa ordered. 

Zack immediately froze, cringed, then ruffled his own hair nervously. 

“Sorry.” He muttered.

Denzel continued to stare at the man warily. 

Seeing, so, Tifa sat next to Denzel, and didn’t react to him crowding close to her in alarm.

“This, here, is Zack.” Tifa started, pointing to him. “He’s a friend of Cloud’s.” She added, hoping that announcing the connection would calm him down. Tifa looked back to Denzel. “He’s a friend.” She answered, gently and encouragingly.

“Hi.” Denzel muttered, with a wave, clearly uncomfortable.

One that Zack noted, then looked to Aerith for.

Aerith nodded. 

“Here, Tifa.” Aerith announced, putting her glass of water down. “I’ve almost got another pool down, I think. Come on, Zack.” Aerith ordered, walking over to Zack, and pulling the man out of the room, but not before pressing down on the doctor’s bell. “Let us know!” She called over her shoulder, ignoring Zack’s protests as she went.

Tifa felt Denzel slump in relief once he was sure they wouldn’t be coming back.

She turned back to him. “That’s Aerith. She helped you get better.” She said. 

Denzel nodded. “Loud.” He muttered. 

Tifa giggled. They were, a bit.

“There will be a bit more noise, because the doctor’s wanted to know when you woke up, so please…” Tifa tried to explain.

Denzel groaned, but nodded.

He got it, and understood he needed to be checked over. 

He noted she looked happy that he understood her.

Nice Magic Lady.

Denzel also noted that if they made a move he didn’t like, or made too much noise, she glared at them, and huffed angrily. 

He liked her. 

A lot.

He didn’t like the poking and prodding they did at his arms and at his forehead.

“Do you need to keep doing that?” Tifa asked, the fifth time, that a separate doctor took a look at his forehead. 

Denzel noted with some glee the man looked a little chastised, shook his head and moved away.

Denzel understood, by the amount of confusion and retake of examinations, that whatever the bruising he had, what Tifa called Geostigma, was new and life-threatening. 

He knew it looked like a bruise, because he had asked to see what they were fusing over. 

One doctor had shown what his forehead looked like, and Cloud’s arm, before the Nice But Loud Lady Aerith had taken it away before he woke up.

From the mutterings the doctors did around him, and he was sure they didn’t realise he could hear them do it, was that this Geostigma thing was on the rise in Midgar, well, Edge, now. Since apparently all the Plates had fallen.

It had something to do with getting too close to the mako spilling out of the broken reactors, and its density of Life stream concentration in the air. Or something.

It was new. Worse than getting mako poisoning.

And apparently he and Cloud were the only ones cured of it. 

They couldn’t ship the entirety of the afflicted population to Mideel, Denzel could gather from their mutterings.

Mideel couldn’t cope with the influx.

There were not enough vials to ship back to Edge, and only one airship in rotation between Mideel and Edge.

Loud Lady was doing all she could do to ensure her magic worked outside of the one pool she had managed to make that cured it.

Whatever the issue was…

At least, school was closed.

Since it was, as everyone knew, a pile of rubble.

No one was thinking about that right now.

Denzel could be relieved of that. Since he needed parents for that. 

He remembered overhearing his parents talking about his new school that he would have gone to in the new school year. 

He needed to be picked up by a parent, or a parent issued guardian at every end of the day, as well as dropped off at the start of the day. He knew because his parents needed to shuffle work around it, and had been worried if they could.

Denzel knew from Keizer, that those in the system? Didn’t go to school.

They didn’t learn about the stars. Or how things ticked.

They were put in a ShinRa work factory. Then they were left there.

Denzel didn’t want that to be his fate.

He might as well not have gotten better in the first place.

It was a death wish.

… Not that Denzel wasn’t grateful to ShinRa.

Since Cloud saved him and all.

But he didn’t want to be another number for them to forget about in the grand scheme of things.

But if that was his fate, then he would accept it until he could buy his way out of it. If there was a way out.

He refused to be another number.

By now, surely they knew he had no parents, so he would already be on that track to nowhere. 

Maybe if he didn’t leave Mideel, he could just avoid it?

Denzel looked back to Tifa who was looking over Cloud’s machines, since the doctors were swarming him peacefully.

He wasn’t so sure she had any power to help him.

Chapter Text

Can you hear me? Do you still hear my voice?
It echoes back at me: “Why did you make that choice?”
You surround me, and your memory is clouded by all things dark.
I can’t feel you there. You’ll never leave me, I swear.
It’s just a nightmare that won’t end, so I pretend that I’ll see you again, and that I’ll save you.
From all the things I failed to, now I’m without you. I can’t forgive the wrongs I’ve done you, ‘cause now you’re gone forever.
I remember how bright you shined on your own,
yet I remain alone.

— Casey Lee Williams (Without You)

64. Without You

The doctors were now a constant stream, coming and going from the room.

Denzel noted how annoyed Tifa was getting at their presence, especially when Denzel couldn’t help but move away from them, or when he didn’t know how to answer their pestering questions. 

One time, one tried to go for his headphones. Denzel would have jumped out of the bed and ran for Tifa if he knew he could, instead he just threw his hands over them.

“No!” He cried in panic.

He didn’t want to hear everything, and everyone’s heartbeats. It was too much when there was just himself, Cloud and Tifa.

“Okay. You know what?” Tifa’s voice sounded deadly and threatening. 

They all paused and looked to her. 

“You can all get out. And only one can return tomorrow. This is ridiculous.” She growled, making her way from where she had been pushed aside in the swarm of doctors.

Denzel must have figured she was thinking at the time, they knew what they were doing.

If it was her position, or just the way her voice sounded, they all nodded, and vacated the room extremely fast.

“Yes, Ma’am.” One muttered as he bowed, apologetic, before he was the last to leave.

Denzel wasn’t sure what kind of position Tifa had with these guys, but she sounded furious.

And he didn’t want to make her any more angry.

“Sorry, Ma’am.” Denzel squeaked.

He should have just stayed still, let the headphones come off. 

Not react like a baby.

Now she was angry. And she would leave him alone.

He didn’t want to be left alone. 

He liked her. 

And damn it, he was crying!

He can’t cry! He already did that in front of her before!

She wouldn’t want to care for a crybaby! A sick child was enough of a grievance! This wouldn’t make her like him!

But now he was sobbing in panic, and he didn’t know how to stop.

His palms at his eyes didn’t do anything but make them more painful.

“Oh, sweetheart, no.” Denzel swore she said, before her hand was at his hair gently. 

“You’ve got nothing to apologise for.” She added, quietly.

And didn’t that just make him cry harder.

Because, of course, he had so much to apologise to her for.

Because, surely, he was taking her time up and away from Cloud. He could tell she cared for the ShinRa man a lot. 

He was the reason Cloud was down for the count in the first place. How she didn’t realise this already, he didn’t know. He feared her anger when she did realise.

She needed to look after him, all the time now, since he was awake, but couldn’t move too far without getting exhausted, so he couldn’t move to another room, and leave her with Cloud.

He reacted poorly to everyone else, and he didn’t know why. Every doctor made him flinch away warily. He didn’t trust them, he couldn’t trust them. Even when that other ShinRa man, Zack?, came in to check on Tifa, and when he came to help Cloud outside. He made Denzel want to shrink in fright, only thinking about his rage when he realised Denzel was the reason Cloud had almost died several times.

Denzel couldn’t even take Aerith, her smiling, loud yet not face, and gentle questions.

He really should thank her, but all he could do was shy away from her, so much in the end, she got it, and just sat in Tifa’s chair with a book, silently.

He didn’t know why everyone else made his skin tingle in a bad way, they were all good people.

Maybe he feared that they would take him away from Tifa, and Cloud?

That was a loaded question he had barely enough thought process to even begin thinking about.

Because of course he liked Tifa. She was a very calm person, whose aura he was used to waking up to with on his side, going to sleep next to. She was always there, with that quiet smile, with that wave, and that thumbs up outwards at her chest, that she used so much Denzel was beginning to think it meant something. Sometimes she wasn’t there, and he nearly had panic attacks over it. Because what if she left, and she never came back, like his parents?!

Those times, he was glad he wasn’t hooked up to monitors anymore, because he was sure they would clock how bad he got in trying to breathe through her lack of presence gave him.

He needed to get better at other people.

Because surely her leaving would be guaranteed, especially once Cloud woke up.

He was just there by happenstance. 

He still needed to thank Cloud, and he hoped he had the opportunity to do so before someone realised he could be transferred away, and he never saw Tifa again.

But he guessed that would only happen once he could walk? Maybe?

And he couldn’t just never walk again. No matter how much he tried to delay the process. Tifa took up helping him, and he loathed making her look sad. And he loathed taking up her time away from Cloud.

Even if the man hadn’t woken yet.

He could hear the doctors grumbling, and read the notes they left on the light up wall.

They were guessing he was close to waking up.

Then he would need all of Tifa’s attention, so he better get used to being second fiddle, and used to being able to care for himself. Because he was about to be leftovers.

Everyone discarded leftovers eventually.

/

/

Tifa had yelled at the doctors, once Denzel was asleep, and him and Cloud were being looked after by Zack.

She had stormed out, and over to the main building, demanding an explanation. 

“Why would you go for his headphones!?” She screeched in anger.

She had seen how badly Denzel had reacted to them being off his ear by an inch, how much could hear with them off entirely!?

The team looked chastised. 

“Sorry, Ma’am.” Some of them muttered. 

Tifa shook her head, angrily. “You leave his care up to me, you got it. Leave me extensive notes on what I should do, and I’ll do it, without you hounding him! You’re meant to be doctors! Surely you must know that!” She yelled.

They all looked as if they were trying to shrink in height.

They were eager to know the ins and outs of Geostigma, sure, but that didn’t mean they needed to put their only awake survivor on edge!

Mutely, they nodded and agreed to her terms.

It was only then she returned to the cabin.

Cloud hadn’t woken, or made any more attempts to wake up while she was gone, Zack assured her, and Denzel was out like a light still. She could hope he would stay asleep all night. After all the poking the doctors did, she was sure he deserved it.

The doctors had somehow hooked up her PHS to monitor Cloud’s machines and the audio in the room, so she had peace of mind to leave the room, and the two asleep, to go get something to eat, have a shower, and hopefully sleep for a little while before her anxiety let her know she was away from them for too long. 

The room couldn’t fit a third bed in it, and she doubted Denzel would be up for sharing, and she feared dislodging Cloud’s leads if she tried to on his side. 

She knew how easily the leads could be disconnected, with how she easily removed them from the machines every two days.

Tifa got as far as the living room couch with a cup of hot chocolate once she had a shower before she laid down on her side, and was out like a light.

She had the thought to turn her PHS on, to Cloud’s vitals, by instinct before she fell asleep. This time, maybe she would have more than three hours.

She doubted it.

/

/

Denzel knew by now that if he woke early, there was a chance that Tifa wouldn’t be in the room. And not to panic over it. 

But he panicked over it, anyway.

He knew, with the one time his headphones had moved in the night, that she wasn’t far away, in the next room, probably, and asleep.

In those times, it was way more panicking inducing to keep his headphones on, then off, because he needed to know where she was, and if she had left.

She never did. He figured with how small the room was, it wasn’t meant to have two beds in it in the first place, so a third was out of the question. So she needed to sleep elsewhere.

He got it. He understood. But he hated it.

And he needed to get used to it, damn it.

Why he couldn’t, he beat himself up for. 

They had no time for him. She would have less time for him once Cloud woke up.

He demanded of himself he wouldn’t cry over it, when it happened. Once it happened. 

Like in his nightmares.

They sucked. But they would be his reality. 

He would deal with it. And not make it worse.

Denzel could barely lift his legs, let alone walk, and he needed to be able to, like yesterday. So when they transferred him back to Edge, he could go back to scrapping metal for food. And dodging ShinRa so they didn’t catch him.

He couldn’t do that if he couldn’t walk!

Denzel knew the instructions were on his light up board. Somewhere along the way, Tifa must have bullied the doctors, because she was the only one who helped him with it these days.

So he knew what to do on his own. He needed to use his hands and help his legs move like he was pedalling on a bicycle. 

Some days he could do five minutes, some days only two. 

He was annoyed any bicycle training left him so exhausted he fell asleep soon afterwards. 

Tifa never yelled, and he was afraid of the day she would.

He knew they would also take away the headphones, sooner or later, despite Tifa’s glaring at the fact.

He didn’t own them, so they weren’t his, he didn’t have a say in when they took them away.

So he tried, he swore he did, to take them off and leave them around his neck.

But he couldn’t take them being off for even a minute before his ears rung and throbbed with too much input that he had to rush and put them back on, tears streaming down his face. 

He was such a crybaby!

Denzel needed to get used to it, and he needed to walk on his own, because it would be expected of him to be able to do so.

And if Tifa was the only one facilitating his care, then he needed to be able to handle it and walk once Cloud woke up. Because then he would be back in the care of the doctors, and they all rubbed his skin wrong.

Maybe he needed to deal with that as well.

And not cry about it when it happened.

Denzel looked over to Cloud, who was only ever unconscious.

He had never met the man, yet sometimes he felt he was so far away, even though if Denzel could walk, he would be five steps away at max, that Denzel wanted to be closer.

Other times, Cloud felt so close, and it was strange because they had never even said hello.

Denzel wanted to meet the man, if, of course, he wouldn’t be in the way, and wanted, of course.

Maybe the ShinRa man wouldn’t even want to say hello, or acknowledge him.

And that would suck, but Denzel was used to it, and he wouldn’t let it make him cry.

He wouldn’t!

/

/

Tifa felt like she was missing something, two weeks after Denzel woke up, and was able to stay awake for most of the day, unless the doctors had scheduled a physio day, then he’d be only awake half the day.

But she was sure, she was missing something when it came to the child. 

She didn’t know what, only that it was something.

And it was starting to grate on her nerves, the missing something.

Every time she came in to Denzel attempting to do his physio himself, or him fiddling with the headphones, or the hastily rubbed eyes when she walked in? She was missing something.

And it blew up, when she saw him flinch away from her for the first time since he woke up not knowing where he was, or who she was.

“Denzel?” She asked, sitting on his bed.

He looked exhausted, and she knew he had attempted physio by himself before she woke up again.

Her heart clenched when he moved away from her, as subtly as a traumatised five-near-six- year-old could. 

He was looking at her so warily, like she was a stranger again.

“What’s wrong?” Tifa asked, trying to figure out the reason.

He blinked at her, with such familiar looking shining eyes.

She only had Cloud to go on, to search in her child’s altered eyes to try and figure out what was wrong.

Denzel wouldn’t tell her himself with words.

But everything else? He was so alike Cloud, she had to hope she could figure it out in the way he held himself.

Tifa looked him up and down, silently. 

She noted the redness around his eyes. He’d been crying, not for very long, but long enough to leave a mark.

His headphones weren’t in the position they usually were, his hair was ruffled by the fixing. Had he moved them? Maybe they had gotten knocked in his sleep?

His face screamed that he was exhausted, again, she knew he was trying to get his legs to wake up so he could start the next phase of physio, which was to stand up and put weight on his legs before he could start practising walking.

If she couldn’t figure out the something in the next five minutes or so, his exhaustion would lay him out flat.

By the way that he was holding himself away from her? It looked like he was forcing it for some reason. Like he was getting prepared to be yelled at. Or told to leave—

Ah.

The wariness in his eyes, in his being.

He was waiting on being told to leave.

Tifa hummed, throwing her curiosity at how her child had come to the conclusion she’d throw him out, because he didn’t need that, and she would beat herself up over him coming to that conclusion later.

Right now, though…?

She watched him as she slowly reached up and ruffled his hair where his headphones didn’t touch.

He flinched in surprise.

Tifa was right. And she would definitely beat herself up over it later.

She saw the shame sink into his eyes and shoulders when she fixed his headphones. That she couldn’t take, and before she even registered she was moving, she was throwing her arms around her kid and hugging him.

Tifa noted the surprised squawk, and she tightened her arms around him.

“You’re not going anywhere, Denzel. Unless you want to leave, of course.” She muttered into his hair that she had just ruffled. 

Then came the loud screeching sob, and the too tight arms around her middle as he returned her hug. 

His sobbing was intermittent, with breaks for gulps of breath and sniffles. 

“You’re not leaving?” Tifa barely heard the queasy mumble into her chest.

She pulled him into her lap easily, he went with her.

“Nope.” Tifa answered. “Not going anywhere, without you and Cloud, you hear me?” She asked.

He sniffed, but didn’t answer.

He didn’t believe her, huh?

Fair.

She hummed a little, and ran her fingers through his hair, mindful not to dishevel his headphones.

“Why do you think we’d leave you?” She asked. 

“Why wouldn’t you?” His immediate answer was.

Tifa frowned down at his head, he was still clinging, and still trying to not cry more. 

“You need us, don’t you? Unless you don’t like us—” She immediately paused when he flew out of her arms, only to glare at her, in surprise.

“No!” He cried at her, so suddenly.

Tifa blinked down at him in surprise. 

“No! You’re nice! But you’ll leave! Everyone leaves!” Denzel demanded, balling his fists up.

Everyone leaves, huh?

Yeah. She could understand that. All too well. 

But, reversing the question as she cocked her head. “You want to leave?” She asked. 

He froze, before he vehemently shook his head. 

“No!” He demanded. 

She placed a hand on his head. 

“Then you’re not going anywhere.” She answered.

Tifa watched as her kid looked up at her in a stupor. 

“That easy?” Denzel breathed in shock.

Tifa nodded. “I’m not going to tell you to leave, when I want you to stay, and you don’t want to leave, Denzel.” She answered gently.

Tifa watched as he shyly looked over to Cloud.

“What if he doesn’t like me?” He muttered, going back to clinging to her sides.

Tifa blinked and she paused.

How did she word that Cloud had been looking for him, without bringing up the fact they had already met him?

He didn’t need to know that. It might tarnish everything.

So, she settled on shaking her head. 

“Not possible.” She said, simply.

He looked up at her.

“But how do you know that? He’s asleep. We’ve never met.” He demanded. 

Tifa hummed again. “I’ve known Cloud since we were younger than you.” Tifa noted his look of surprise. “So, a long time, yeah?” He was nodding in awe. “So, I think you two are a lot alike, and you’ll get on just fine.” She laughed.

Even now, Denzel was so like Cloud, it was almost painful to watch how this child despaired over being liked by Cloud.

Tifa knew that Cloud would be the exact same. Fearing this kid would be scared by him, would hate him.

“You know what?” Tifa pondered. 

Denzel looked back to her, curiously. 

“I think Cloud is going to think you won’t like him.” Tifa stated.

Tifa watched the immediate appal scrunch up her child’s face that she almost laughed.

Chapter Text

Could you walk a mile in my shoes?
All your…all your life.
Let me face, let me face, all my fears.
There’s danger, there’s danger, there’s danger here!
Won’t be long, won’t be long:
I’m almost here!
Watch me cry, all my tears.   

— Utada Hikaru (Face My Fears)

65. Face My Fears

“You know what?” Tifa pondered. 

Denzel looked back to her, curiously. 

“I think Cloud is going to think you won’t like him.” Tifa stated.

Tifa watched the immediate appal scrunch up her child’s face that she almost laughed.

“No.” He stated. 

Now Tifa laughed. 

“Don’t get too upset at his personality, he’s a bit…well, some say he’s a bit prickly to get to know. And he doesn’t know how to talk very well.” Tifa answered.

Denzel sided his head, curiously.

Was that the reason she sometimes used her hands when she was speaking?

He thought back to all the little gestures, and some were repeated with the same words and phrases.

Denzel saluted up at his forehead. “Name?” He pondered.

He froze when Tifa lit up. “Yep!” She answered.

Huh. Cool.

“So,” He saluted again. “It’s like spy code? They mean things?” Denzel asked, trying not to be excited.

Tifa was now grinning. “Exactly. Not many people know it. So, it is kinda like a spy code.” She said, snickering. 

Denzel tried not to bound on the bed.

A spy code!

So cool!

“Can you teach me!?” Denzel tried not to rush to say.

Now the Nice Lady was giggling, but he didn’t mind.

He could stay.

They weren’t leaving.

And Spy Codes existed.

Best day ever.

“You’ll have to be patient, Zack is teaching me, it’s kinda new to me as well, maybe we can learn together? I only know some. Cloud was teaching me only recently in our spare time.” Tifa answered.

Denzel nodded. 

“Yes!” He demanded.

He didn’t mind that he was making her laugh. 

Best day.

/

/

Tifa noted that with probably only some of his fears put to rest, and his excitement to learn SSL, he was starting to crash.

And it sounded like he didn’t want to, with the whine she heard, and the sudden grasping for her hand.

Either that, or she needed to have continuous conversations about how she, and Cloud, wouldn’t abandon him.

Ever.

“Hey,” She hushed, pulling him into her chest again. “It’s okay to be tired. You’ve been through a lot.” She encouraged. 

Tifa stifled the little squeal of joy that he chose to nuzzle into her tiredly. 

“But I don’t wanna be.” He grumbled tiredly.

She huffed a laugh. “Maybe don’t rush through your physio, on your own, tomorrow, then?” She requested. 

“Sorry.” He mumbled into her. “Thought I needed to leave.” He added, tiredly, while losing his filter. 

How could he and Cloud be so alike?!

“You’re not going anywhere.” Tifa reiterated again.

She would be having this conversation over and over, huh? She’d say it as many times as he needed to hear it, and then some more for good measure.

“If you say so, Miss Tifa.” He mumbled tiredly into her.

Tifa looked down to see him struggling to stay awake, and hummed. 

“Alright, here…” Tifa then moved around so they were both lying down. 

She grasped the covers as she went to tuck him in at her side.

She noted easily that he had no disagreements in lying next to her as he grabbed her clothing and landed his head on her stomach.

Yep. Once she looked down again after a few minutes, he was out like a light.

Then she was too.

/

/

Tifa noted after their conversation, Denzel waited for her help in physio, and he must have been pushing it, or going for longer then he should have, because he was getting better and not crashing immediately afterwards. 

He had more strength in his legs to push back at her hands, that she would need to make a note to Zack to later. 

He might not have SOLDIER strength, but it felt like he had more than Marlene, or any of the other children Tifa had play-fought with in Sector 5.

And his ability to get better health wise seemed to be coming along in leaps and bounds.

But again, they had no clue how long patients would need to recover fully from Geostigma, aside from Zack’s comment of it possibly being up to a year. 

Denzel was quite literally the first one.

From what Tifa could gather from the fading memories of Zack’s, Geostigma had three outcomes attached to getting the life-threatening plague in the first place. 

One, the person died a long and painful death.

The other two outcomes only appeared once the water in the Church appeared:

Two, the person recovered, and the recovery was lengthy. A year plus, apparently.

Three, the person recovered with mako enhancement traits kept. The recovery was still lengthy, going on a year. 

Denzel, again, seemed to be in the third category. 

Tifa didn’t have the heart to tell the kid he would be in recovery for at least a year. He would be in good company, with Cloud in the same boat.

But having both of them in recovery sounded like a damn nightmare to Tifa.

One that she wished for, but didn’t wish on anyone else.

Tifa had a taste of what Cloud was like when sick, previously. 

He was hard to keep down, and he constantly said he was fine, when he absolutely was not, and absolutely should not be up and about. 

Tifa had no idea how Denzel would be like, in recovery, but if the last week had anything on it? She was in for a treat.

Once the kid was up, he was up, and bored immediately that she knew she would struggle with once the kid was more up and less exhausted, and didn't easily forget the games they played over and over.

Tifa almost wanted Denzel not to be able to get up and about. Because if he was anything like his would-be-father? He would be running before he could walk.

But the kid could only bicycle his legs for so many days before the doctors insisted he had mastered it.

“Alright. Denzel,” Tifa started. 

Denzel looked to her from his bed, he had managed to sit cross-legged that morning.

She turned from glaring at the doctor’s missive.

“Guess it’s time to get you standing!” She encouraged. 

Tifa immediately saw that he paled at that.

“Are you okay?” She asked immediately, coming over to his bed.

He shook his head. 

“What if I fall!” Denzel cried in panic.

Tifa blinked. 

“Then I’ll catch you!” Tifa answered.

Denzel blinked up at her, in awe.

“I’m not gonna drop you, either. Promise!” Tifa promised, poking his side and tickling him.

The kid laughed.

“Okay, can you slide over to me?” Tifa asked as she pulled down the railings and lowered the bed to the floor. 

She was guessing his height on the fly.

Denzel mutely nodded and shuffled over to the side, and swung his legs around.

Not reaching the floor, so Tifa lowered the bed further until his toes found it. 

Denzel screeched and lifted his legs.

“Cold!” He laughed. 

Tifa pulled herself out of her panic, to laugh and find some socks.

His old clothes had been washed and dried a long time ago, but most of them, if not all of it, had been so threadbare, she had to ask Zack and Aerith to buy him some more clothes.

The only good thing was the old clothes had sizes on them.

So she found some new socks in a ball and came back to Denzel who was clearly glaring at the floor in distaste, she almost laughed.

Denzel helped by lifting his legs and helping shrug the socks on.

“Let’s try again!” Tifa encouraged. 

Denzel blew a raspberry at her, then paled in panic that he did so.

Tifa could only laugh.

“I guess that’s fair!” She laughed, not putting attention to his panic over if she would take his outburst badly. 

Tifa was proud of herself.

She had gotten Denzel up and on his feet without dropping him.

He was as light as when she picked him up previously. 

She watched him, and slowly pulled away to see if he could hold his own.

Tifa rushed back in when he started to drop. She easily lifted him back up into her arms.

Denzel groaned in annoyance. 

“I almost had it!” He cried into her shoulder as she picked him up.

“Almost!” Tifa added. “We can try again in a minute.” She answered, putting him back on his bed.

She could help but ruffle his hair at the pout he had on his face.

“Promise!” He urged, glaring up at her.

A bubble of laughter left her, but she nodded. 

“If you don’t fall asleep!” Tifa told him.

He crossed his arms, nodded, and looked as determined as a five-year-old (“Almost six!”) could at staying up past their bedtime. 

Tifa, when he didn’t drop like a stone, and didn’t look remotely tired, nodded. “Alright. Again?” She asked. 

Denzel immediately nodded and lifted his arms. “Again!” He cried in outrage. 

This time he didn’t drop when she moved away, and his grin was a loud as the sun.

Though, Tifa didn’t dare to see if he could step forward, the first time he tried balancing by himself.

She just made a note on Denzel’s light up board that he could hold his own weight without her assistance, and left it for the doctors to decide. 

Tifa had noted, extremely early on, that Denzel shied away from everyone, glancing at them warily, as if expecting them to scold him, or at the very least, yell at him at any second.

She didn’t want to guess where the behaviour had come from.

The behaviour was a little worse with Zack. She had seen the kid note the uniform the first time, and paled in fear. There was some type of trauma there that she had to hope wouldn’t be projected onto Cloud, and if it was, that it could be worked out, little by little.

But her kid was never comfortable being left alone. Tifa had tried to not leave the kid alone, but she still needed to dunk Cloud every two days.

Tifa had a feeling Denzel understood the need for Zack to come into the room every two days, and for them to disappear on him for an hour, being left behind with Aerith. But he always seemed one breath away from having a full-blown panic attack by the time they returned.

She hated it. 

So much that she flew through, washing the pool water off her in her haste to get back to him, so Aerith and Zack could leave. 

They were on their second pool. Aerith had gotten to the point where she didn’t need to throw the activated holy materia into the pool to start the process. 

Once they were sure of what they were doing, they would, or at least Aerith would, return to Edge to find a place where she could make a pool there.

Tifa needed to hope that Cloud would be up and conscious by that point, or at the point where all his positives were negatives. Zack’s face when Aerith mentioned leaving, had left him in two states of mind, leaving Cloud here with her, without him being near to chase his PTSD over Cloud’s wellbeing away. Or staying and leaving Aerith to go back to Edge by herself.

Tifa knew Zack well enough he wouldn’t want to make either choice. And she wasn’t too sure which he would take, if he needed to.

She didn’t begrudge whatever decision he ended up making, if he needed to. She would hate to be in his shoes in the first place. 

Tifa knew it was grating on them both, knowing people were suffering in Edge with Geostigma, and mako poisoning, which they could help with, once they were sure with what they were doing. 

The end of the year had come and gone, passing Tifa by without her knowing, until Denzel was well into walking with her assistance, when one doctor came in to wish her a better year than the previous.

She almost dropped her kid with that.

“What!?” She screeched, grabbing hold of Denzel when he squawked in panic. She easily solved that by picking him up, and ignoring his grumbling protests when she put him on her hip.

The doctor looked to her, stupefied.

“New Year was yesterday, ma’am.” She answered, slower, the second time. 

Tifa almost glared at her for her pander. 

A month has passed since she heard Cloud speak last? She took a few steps back and landed to sit on Denzel’s bed.

“A month.” She breathed in shock.

Denzel looked up to her, in confusion about why they were suddenly sitting, and why she was the way she was.

The doctor got it straight away. “Yes, Ma’am.” She answered gently, with a nod, and a bow, then excused herself just as silently as she came in.

“Miss Tifa?” Denzel was asking. 

Tifa blinked and looked down to the kid she had known a month for already.

Then shook her head. “I’m sorry, Denzel! We can try walking again, if you want.” She assured. 

She watched as Denzel blinked, then with surprise he poked her cheek.

“You’re sad.” He answered.

Tifa stared.

She had thought she had done a better job at hiding it, but knew not to pass it off.

“Yes. I’m sorry. Not at you.” She answered.

Denzel sided his head. “At what?” He asked, settling at her side. 

Tifa fumbled. “It’s just… Just… We’ve been here a month, and…?” She tried to answer, looking over at Cloud mutely. 

Denzel followed her gaze, then looked understanding. 

“He’s been asleep a long time.” Denzel noted. Then looked back to her. “‘D’you have any more cushions?” He asked suddenly. 

Tifa blinked. But nodded. “Yes, why?” She asked. 

Denzel looked back to Cloud.

“He’s floating. Maybe it’ll help.” He answered.

Tifa blinked in concern. She looked back to Cloud. He wasn’t hovering in his bed, but due to the future, she knew better than to question what any mako enhanced person could sense over what she could.

She hummed, then looked back to Denzel. “Maybe we should get some cushions from the living room? Can you help?” She asked, knowingly putting a three-second task into probably an hour’s worth of work.

But Denzel lit up like a lightbulb, nodded fast. “I can! Lemme up!” He said.

It took an hour to get out of the room, but Tifa noted Denzel was more determined than ever to help Cloud with his own two hands.

“How many do you think we’ll need?” Tifa asked curiously. 

She had no idea what floating could mean to Denzel, or what it actually meant for Cloud, but if it helped, it helped.

“Five.” He stated firmly, once he took a few seconds to decide.

Tifa nodded.

Five it was.

Tifa had no idea where the cushions needed to go, so she placed four of them at the end of Cloud’s bed, and returned to Denzel, still in the living room, steadfast refusing to let go of the one pillow he was able to grasp, and was watching where he put his feet all by himself.

It took less time to return to Cloud then it did actually leaving the room.

Tifa could see exhaustion on her kid’s face, but he was extremely determined. 

He couldn’t see Cloud from his height, so Tifa lowered Cloud’s bed so he could see. 

“So, where do we place these?” Tifa asked curiously. 

Denzel nodded. 

“Can they go under the covers?” He asked. 

Tifa shrugged, and pulled back the covers easily. “Sure.” She answered, not sure where this was going, or who it was going to end up ultimately helping, but she was willing to go with it. 

Denzel then pointed to Cloud’s legs. “One each, please!” He asked politely with his spare arm. 

Tifa got one cushion on each leg, and seeing Denzel trying to tug the covers, she covered Cloud’s legs back up. She looked back to her kid, still steadfast in his determination to help Cloud not ‘float’. 

“Next one?” She asked. 

He pointed to his arms.

Tifa nodded back and placed one pillow over them, careful of his leads in his left arm. 

She looked back to Denzel, noting he hadn’t tugged the covers, left them alone for the time being. “And the last one?” She asked, gesturing to the one Denzel hadn’t let her remove from his arms.

Tifa watched as glittering eyes looked Cloud up and down, seeing something she never could, before the kid silently placed the last pillow across Cloud’s chest, then tug at the covers.

Seeing the gesture, she covered Cloud back up.

Denzel shook his head when she was about to move away. “All the way up!” He told her. 

She blinked at him, as he tapped his own chin several times, Tifa shrugged, and pulled the covers all the way up and tucked them under his chin.

“All good?” Tifa asked.

She watched as Denzel looked Cloud over again, then turned to her and nearly nodded with his whole body.

“He’s good!” He crowed.

Tifa needed to catch the kid when he lost the ability to stand up.

The poor kid grumbled in protest when she needed to put him back in his bed. 

He didn’t protest for long, seeing he was gone with the wind five minutes later.

Chapter Text

Gripping with my cold hands. The shapes I used to take. Hollow like a straw man.
But it’s easier to push away. ‘Cause it could all end here, with a strange daylight caught in our eyes and my shadow stretching out through all the things I left behind.
Maybe it’s a far stretch. That I won’t come undone. But I would brave the cold edge. To finish up what I’ve begun.
‘Cause it could all end here. My shadow stretching out: Is it all enough this time?
All my reasons cut like knives. Keep replaying in my mind.
All the times I’ve had to fight:
I’m still here.

— Forts, Tiffany Aris & 2WEI (Still Here)

66. Still Here

Cloud felt like he was floating in dead space.

Well, until he wasn’t.

But he had no sense where up was, and where down was.

He knew how he got there.

That he could remember with some pride.

He stopped them from their plans. Once he was sure what they were trying to do.

And Cloud had faith his friends would understand sooner or later what was going on.

At least, he had enough knowledge in knowing Zack wouldn’t leave him for dead, to know his friend would figure it out, eventually.

Sometimes he felt wet, and it annoyed him so much he tried to move away from the feeling. Not that he ever could get away from the feeling.

The dead space around him was sometimes white and sometimes black.

He didn’t understand the difference in the colours, as he didn’t feel any different between them.

The only difference was, in the white space, his pain was a little more intolerable. And he felt closer to them, than he wanted to be.

The white space didn’t last.

Now he was just surrounded by darkness, and he was in less pain than more at most times.

Sometimes he could hear Tifa talking. 

He knew she would be around. That was an easy bet to make.

Sometimes he thought he could hear Zack and Aerith. But he heard Tifa more clearly.

He tried to listen to her when she was speaking. 

Most times it was medical jargon. Likely about his condition. Most of it didn’t make sense. He just knew it was her voice.

Those times became painful, so painful. 

But he wouldn’t blame Tifa for it. All for it, whenever she started going on about his heartbeat, or whether he could breathe by himself, he knew to bear down, because spine bending pain would soon follow. It wasn’t her fault, he was sure, and even if it was, he wouldn’t blame her. She was akin to something like a warning for it.

Then until the time when she talked about water, and he was wet, and the white space changed and stayed to the dark space, it never hurt up his spine anymore.

Sometimes there were spikes of pain here and there, but never enough he tried crying out in it. 

Now more than pain, he was just wet.

From the disjointed conversation he was and wasn’t a part of that went on around him, he could figure the water was the hot springs from Mideel. He finally was able to get in them. Shame he had to be unconscious for it.

He had promised Tifa he would help wash her hair.

Cloud felt slightly annoyed at himself that he wasn’t able to do it.

He had really wanted to help get the sand out.

By now, he just really wanted to talk, in any capability that he could. 

Cloud couldn’t speak, and he couldn’t feel his hands to try using SSL.

He wasn’t sure if it would translate well to the outside world, but he wanted to talk to her.

To at least tell her he could hear her, that he was still there. 

He was wet again, even if he was annoyed at it, it became a time when he could easily hear Tifa, so he got over it fast, and looked forward to it, eager to hear what she would talk about this time.

“When we get back to Edge, you won’t mind helping me rebuild Seventh Heaven, right?” Tifa’s voice floating in and asked.

Cloud took a second to ponder what she meant by Edge. But he could assume with all the conversations the future had about the place, he could gather it was where the survivors of Midgar would be now.

He had to hope she knew he wouldn’t mind helping her rebuild.

“Yeah, you’d probably demand to, actually.” She answered, with a little giggle.

At least she knew that much! He wouldn’t let her do it by herself. Hell, he’d make Zack help as well. With the two of them building, all she would need to do is point at where she wanted things. Had she forgotten…?

He paused pondering when he heard her little curious and thoughtful hum, that he tried to perk up, hoping she would still speak her mind.

“I know you’d probably be a little out of your depth when it comes to creating the menu, but I’m sure you wouldn’t mind taste testing them, for me.” She asked.

Cloud could only huff. There was a lot he would do for her. And sadly, taste testing food, was amongst those things. He probably wouldn’t have the heart to be able to tell her if it was bad, though.

“How many rooms do you think we’d need?” 

Cloud paused for a second to hear her properly. 

They would share one, again, right? Once he was awake? He wasn’t being presumptuous in thinking so? He could feel the slight weight on his one hand to know she held it constantly. 

Maybe he shouldn’t be presumptuous about sharing rooms.

If Denzel could be found, he’d need a room to grow up in. And the group would probably use Seventh Heaven as a base of operations for the region. So enough space for them to comfortably crash for a night or two, especially for holidays. There were a lot of them. Aerith and Zack would probably have their own house. So he didn’t need a room for them, (probably?) Barret could probably share with his daughter, if he stayed over. Marlene would probably be a set fixture, unless Barret had his own house in Edge? So that was a maybe to another room being needed. 

Yuffie would probably need a place to crash, since her homeland was so far away. Though he didn’t doubt the ninja could also just find a carpet to crawl underneath, as well. Did Vincent even sleep around people? He would probably steal the basement. So the place would need a room in the basement. 

Cid would probably never leave the Highwind, so he probably didn’t need a room. Red would probably steal a bed or a couch, the same with Cait. Reeve probably wouldn’t need a space, since he probably had a house or something in Edge already. 

 … How many rooms was that? Three, four at least? They should probably invest in tuck away beds.

“—Oh! What about a garage? I think that’ll be your domain, more than mine, but maybe you’d allow me to help, in any case?” Tifa’s voice floated back in with clarity.

He did have fun rebuilding that bike with Denzel.

And whine over the fact the ShinRa bike sucked.

Maybe he should build one, just to see if it could be better than the trash ShinRa built.

Then he could laugh in their faces.

His face was wet.

Why was his face wet?

He couldn’t move to wipe it clear, hell, he couldn’t even return the pressure in the hand he knew Tifa was holding. 

He had absolutely no strength in his body to do anything. 

“You’ll wake up. I know you will. And I’ll be here when you do.” Tifa said. And it was the last thing before her humming a lullaby that swept him up and his senses grew dull again.

He hated knowing that time was passing him by.

But he couldn’t do anything about it.

Sometimes he dreamt of Nibelheim. 

Sometimes the memories were wrong. He knew that now, remembering Zack. 

Seeing Tifa not look at him with recognition, or anger that he was there, next to her.

“You’re not him!” Was her, yelling at him, not knowing he was Cloud, and not another ShinRa patrolman. 

She wanted it to be him, so much, that she had yelled for him. 

Sometimes he dreamt of Nibelheim up in flames. 

“Run, Cloud. Run.” Was his mother’s plea, not distorted by Sephiroth this time. 

He couldn’t save her when the door burst open to throw him back in its heat and potency. 

He broke something. Cloud couldn’t remember what. But a bone snapped under the pressure, and it took him too long to get back up and follow Sephiroth and Zack.

He was there, and she didn’t know it.

That was his fault. He could own that.

He had apologised for it. And Tifa, somehow, understood his reluctance to show face. 

They had talked about it. Multiple times. 

He still didn’t know how she could be so understanding. 

Sometimes he dreamt of when he was a child. 

The well.

Being in her room for the first time, instead of always looking into it from the tower across the street, or up from the alleyway beside her house.

Outrunning her father’s ire.

Falling from the bridge.

He remembered the stars the most. 

How there were so many, and how bright they shone at him.

How many wishes he had pleaded at them for.

For them to grant him a better voice, so he could speak to Tifa finally.

For more strength when he failed to catch Tifa. 

Pleaded for guidance when all he could feel was rage and nothing he did helped calm it.

Above all else?

He remembered Tifa.

Her blue-green frilly dress she wore when he found the courage to ask her up to the tower. He had nearly fallen off the tower when she actually turned up.

“Heya.”

He could hope it meant something, and that she didn’t hate him for failing her at the bridge.

He remembered the white little dress she sometimes wore around the village, her gaggle of boys following behind her, and every time she would pout when he froze at her beckoning him closer.

“Cloud! Are you ignoring me?!”  

He begged the stars for it to mean something.

He remembered her father, every scowl he gave him whenever so much he could see Cloud’s shadow. 

“Get outta my face, boy!”  

He just wanted to explain.

And to see if Tifa was alright.

He remembered the one time he could remember Tifa finally hearing her father’s ire.

“Papa! Cloud’s done nothing wrong! I want him here!”  

It had to mean something.

He also remembered how rage filled her father got at her stamping her foot in his defence. He couldn’t be the reason Tifa got hurt, so he made himself scarce. And stayed that way.

He needed to be better.

Strong enough to stand up to Brian.

Strong enough to protect Tifa.

That was his very core.

Why it stung so much that SOLDIER rejected him when he first trialled out.

Why he couldn’t show his shame when it came time to go back to Nibelheim with Zack.

“Are you sure you can’t just talk to Tifa alone? Where’s the harm in that? I’ll even distract her father for you!”

She would be so ashamed he couldn’t keep his side of the bargain; of the promise.

If she knew, then she would know he was still weak.

And he would never have a chance with her ever again.

“What does Tifa mean to you, anyway?”

Everything. 

Tifa was the sun, and the moon.

The reason to get up every day.

His reason to do, well, anything. 

He was alive because of Tifa.

“Mom? I can marry Tifa, right?”

“You’re a bit young to be thinking about marriage, Cloud.”

“But I can, right? Do I need to do anything?”

He hadn’t understood his mother’s sad little sigh.

He was all of four-years-old at the time. 

Cloud understood the sigh now. Claudia must have known how Brian would have taken the news if Cloud had the courage to ask once he was older. If the world had a different outcome, then Nibelheim becoming ash around their feet.

But he got the gist as a child. 

Claudia explained, to a very naive four-year-old, that to become the man of the house, in old Nibelheim custom: he needed to have a house that the girl, Tifa. He insisted, when she always got to that part. Always Tifa. Not Brittany from across the road, and never Chloe from the general store.

A house that Tifa created. 

She would need to agree to make a house for them to live in. And that would range from the colours, from the picket fence, to how many rooms the house needed. Where he would sleep. His involvement in the household chores.

“I can do them all, can’t I, Ma? I do all the chores here! You said I was good at them!”

Cloud had noted that he was a very naive, but determined, four-year-old.

Claudia had laughed, but nodded at him.

“Then what can I do if the house is hers?”

He needed to provide for her and the house.

Whatever funds, gil, apparently, that he earned would determine how much of a house Tifa got to work with.

Even as a four-year-old, he knew the difference between his tiny two-bedroom house, to the mansion one side of his house shared with Tifa’s.

Even his tiny mind knew houses were expensive. He knew from Claudia’s teary-eyed late nights when she was trying to figure out how to pay Brian the monthly costs.

So, as a four-year-old? He learnt all the chores the household demanded of any one person, that way Tifa could tell him to do any of them, and he would be able to do it well.

He earned money for helping out at the small pub at the back of the general store, taking people their meals and drink to them.

It was apparently cute, when he was four. 

Not so much when he was twelve. But he made do with saving money with any odd job the village threw at him.

Most of the time, it needed to go to his mother. But he didn’t mind. He had time. And he hoped that maybe Tifa would find out he was actually kind, despite what everyone else was saying about him and his mother.

He had to hope it meant something to her.

That he was trying so hard.

He knew the other boys must have been trying as hard as well.

And he knew the other boys were better off, gil wise, than he was. And they all had a leg up because they were part of her group, and they could speak properly.

Cloud sometimes struggled to talk to his mother, and it never ended well for his temper.

He had things to say!

How could he talk to Tifa, if he couldn’t talk to his mother!?

He ended up getting into fights, and that must have disappointed her.

He knew his mother was disappointed in him, every time he came home bloody, and not being able to explain why, or the reason why he got into the fight in the first place. 

But he still kept up saving gil.

He needed to.

Cloud, as a five-year-old, had snuck into the office to find out how much houses cost.

With how small Nibelheim was, any new houses had to be built from scratch, he soon found out, and cost way more zeros than he knew existed. Or had.

But, if anything, Cloud as a child, as a teenager, as an adult, had always been determined. If naive. 

Cloud had always hoped that, at the back of Tifa’s mind, she gave thought to what house she would create. And hearing that she had? Finally made his body twitch, and feeling return down his spine. 

How many rooms?

How many she wanted. 

If she wanted to share one?

Granted. He would never say no, after knowing how calming sleeping next to her was for him. He blithely remembered her saying something similar.

A garage?

That was his spot then, whenever she didn’t want him around in her space.

He would gladly take it, and learn the glare, or the telltale signs from her to get out of her face. And when to come back.

Create a menu?

Done. He could clean up afterwards, if he wasn’t any good at helping decide on food.

He was good with washing dishes. Ma said he was.

But she had thought of it.

And that was enough for him to grin and say everything he had ever been through had been worth it.

Because she had thought of a house she would create for them to live in.

It was worth it.  

Then he opened his eyes.

Chapter Text

I was searching. I was looking. For meaning. I was wandering. Desperately trying. Only to see I have nothing missing.
Who said, who said, I have to find who I am? Who said, who said, that I am lost to begin with? My motivation can’t be validation.
I’d always be starving: For more affection, the wrong attention. Only to feel like I am nothing. I have nothing to find and everything to feel.
Only I can define what is meaningful to me. Even when I am feeling so breakable. I tell myself to believe I am valuable.
I am already enough.

— Fearless Soul & Rachael Schroeder (Already Enough)

67. Already Enough

Cloud opened his eyes, then immediately regretted it.

Light. 

Everywhere.

A lot different to the dark space he was in before.

And his entire body was heavily numb.

Worryingly. Because he’s felt this type of heavy numbness in his limbs before.

Walking was going to be a task, he was sure.

He moved his tongue around, a bit like sand paper, and he felt his nose scrunch up at all the smells he could now smell. 

Hospital.

Only the scents of hospital were in a hospital.

Wow. That made no sense.

But he smelt pine and woodland as well.

Mideel.

Where he was, was suddenly the easy part to figure out.

Of course, he would be in Mideel. 

If he was awake, and wholly himself, and not them, then he would be.

He should probably get around to thanking Aerith, since she apparently found a way to find light, of all things.

He tried opening his eyes again, and groaned in dislike for the light he found there.

“Cloud!” Tifa’s voice was slamming into him.

He must have been loud enough, or he moved enough to grab her attention.

“Teef.” He tried to answer. Not that whatever came out of his mouth sounded like her name.

He heard her worried whine, and then felt her fingers in his hair.

She had a thing for his hair.

He totally didn’t mind.

“Are you in pain?” She was asking quietly.

Her not yelling, or being loud was a blessing to his already pounding ears as he tried to cut down to just her heartbeat and sounds.

Cloud shook his head a little.

He surprisingly wasn’t. Just heavy with numbness.

“Light’s ‘uch.” He tried to explain, as to why he still had his eyes closed, but he was sure he had his head in her direction.

“... The light is…?” He heard her mutter in confusion. “Oh!” She said, a second later. “I’ll turn the lights off!” She answered, then got up.

Cloud could easily track where she went, and knew from the basic layout of the cabin they shared previously in Mideel to know she didn’t leave the room he was in.

He heard the humming in the walls die down, and the pressure on his eyes lessen.

Lights off.

Cloud tried again to open his eyes, and found this time he could, with a lot of effort.

There was light flowing in from the living room behind Tifa, and from the closed curtain on the other side of the room.

But it was manageable, at least.

He watched as she came back to his side. Looking like she was crying.

“Teef.” He tried to say again.

He watched as she nodded, and took his hand again.

“Heya, Cloud. Welcome back.” She said, with tears down her face.

He shook his head at her crying. “No cry.” He stated, and she weakly giggled at him, but nodded, as she used her spare hand to dry her face. “‘Eard you.” He mumbled. 

Tifa blinked. “You heard me?” She asked. 

Cloud nodded, already annoyed his strength was leaving him exhausted.

He’d be gone in a few minutes.

“Heard you.” He repeated.

Tifa lent forward to place her forehead on his. 

He hummed, grateful for her closeness. He was able to bump his forehead with hers.

“Foun’ you.” He told her, before his strength left him.

Tifa lifted her head and stared in awe.

He woke up.

He had. She didn’t imagine it.

He had her hand. His fingers intertwined with hers.

Cloud had found his way back to her.

Apparently she helped. By talking. 

Maybe he heard everything, and that would be embarrassing, but she would get over it, if it meant he needed her to talk about everything in order to find his way back to her side.

Worth it. 

Apparently Denzel knew what he was doing, with the whole floating thing. 

She’d wrap the boy up in a hug, if he wasn’t asleep as well. 

It was easy to note that Denzel had less stress lines around his eyes now with the light off.

Right.

No overhead lights.

She made a huge note of it, in the back of her mind.

Their eyes could see more than she could. 

She could barely see shadows, but she would deal. 

Tifa took a second to nuzzle into his hair, then removed herself, noting the slight grumble the man made verbally, giddily, before reaching for her PHS to alert the doctors he had woken. Then, of course, to tell Zack and Aerith, and everyone else as well.

If they promised not to all crowd Mideel at once.

Tifa noted the tiptoeing that Zack made into their room, and the lessening of squinting he did once he reached it.

“He woke up!?” He tried to hiss quietly.

He only came when she told him Denzel was asleep, he didn’t want to make the kid more uncomfortable than he already was with his presence. 

Tifa turned to his voice, and grinned as she nodded. 

“He even knew who I was!” She answered in relief.

Zack snorted. “There’d be something seriously wrong if he didn’t know who you were, Teef.” He rebutted gently. 

Tifa glared at him, and he put up his hands in surrender. 

“What do the docs say?” Zack asked instead. 

Tifa sighed. “That it’s a miracle that it’s so soon, and they want to observe him tomorrow.” Tifa sniffed. 

They had asked to be told of when was a good time to come, beforehand, so she didn’t snipe their heads off when they came unannounced, and scared Denzel. 

Tifa would only allow one at a time, and when Denzel would be asleep.

She was glad they accepted her terms.

Zack snorted when she explained. 

“They’re a bit odd, this lot.” He answered.

Tifa giggled.

He nodded. “Thanks for being here, Teef.” He said gratefully. “Let me know when it’s alright to see him awake, yeah? I’m still having nightmares.” He asked her.

Tifa nodded her head. “Sure. I’m sure he’ll want to see you and Aerith sooner or later.” Tifa reminded. 

Zack grinned, saluted her playfully, and left.

She doubted he knew she heard the hiss of pain he made at the change of lighting from the bedroom to the living room, so much so, she pulled out her PHS and made a note to Aerith about it.

The house she created needed to have automatic, personable dimmable lights. She added it in her personal note section, then went back to watching over her boys until she got too tired to do so.

/

/

Cloud wasn’t too sure how long he took to wake up again, but the lighting being the same helped, and at the same time didn’t help him determine the duration. Tifa must have kept the overhead lights off.

He’d thank her later for the headache he didn’t end up having.

“Teef?” He questioned when he had trouble finding the strength to open his eyes.

She clenched his hand a few times, then her spare hand found its way back into his hair.

“Cloud.” She greeted him happily.

He hummed in return.

“How are you?” She asked quietly.

She was getting better at finding a volume that didn’t make his ears ring.

“Tired.” He mumbled.

“Go back to sleep?” Tifa questioned. 

He groaned at her, annoyed at all the sleeping, so much she giggled.

He wanted to stay awake.

But something was wrong.

There was no weight on his chest.

He found…

Suddenly he knew what he was missing. His eyes flew open, and his arm landed on his chest.

Empty.

“I found—!” He would have sat up if his body listened to him in his panic. He turned to her. “I found Denzel!” He said, pleadingly.

He was sure he did! 

That hadn’t been a lie!

Surely!?

Tifa was on her feet in seconds, her eyes wide at his panic.

“You did. You found him. It’s alright. Calm down, Cloud.” She pleaded.

Cloud shook his head. He wasn’t there!

“Where!” He demanded.

Tifa gestured her head. “Right next to you.” She answered. 

Cloud finally had the ability to calm down. 

She wasn’t saying he hadn’t.

He had. He had held him.

Cloud grunted in effort to turn his head to the only other heartbeat in the room.

He had figured prior it would be Zack, or Aerith.

But no, it was his kid. 

Sound asleep, on his side towards them, with headphones on his head.

The headphones were new.

So much, he turned back to Tifa.

“What’s with the headphones?” He asked, curiously.

He noted she realised how determined he was to stay awake, and she went about moving the bed so he could lie up a little, instead of being completely flat.

Sweet bed.

“That’s the last thing you remember? Going for Denzel?” She asked.

Cloud nodded. That and mentally fighting several people. But she didn’t need to know that.

“Then not being able to wake up for a while.” Cloud muttered in disdain. 

Tifa nodded. “You’ve been asleep for about a month.” She supplied. 

The time frame made him pull his nose apologetically. 

“While you and Denzel were caught in the debris of Sector 4, the WEAPON fired on the reactors and the ShinRa tower. It caused the reactors to either explode, or become so badly damaged, that you and Denzel spent too long in the debris field before Zack could get you out.” Tifa explained. 

Cloud took a second to understand what she was saying.

If the reactors exploded, they would have leaked mako.

Ah.

Mako poisoning. 

“Mako poisoning?” He asked.

Tifa shook her head, and now he was confused. 

“We’ve come to the conclusion that the density of the mako that all the reactors caused, it was more than enough to cause, at the very least, them to react and create Geostigma in you, and because of his closeness, react in Denzel. His showed up first because he had no ability to fight it. Now, it’s about one in twenty that become bruised, and about one in five that get poisoned because they get too close to Midgar’s safety ring.” She explained.

But he didn’t hear any of it.

He caused Denzel to get hurt.

That’s what he heard.

“I hurt him?” He breathed in panic. 

“No.” She was immediately denying. 

He looked at her.

“They did. Not you. It’s never you that harms us.” She answered. Again.

That was always her reaction.

How did Denzel take it?

“Does he hate me because of it?” Cloud muttered. 

He didn’t know what he would do if he did.

Cry? As manly as that wasn’t.

Tifa shook her head. “He doesn’t hate you.” She huffed in disdain. “He wants you awake so he can finally talk to you.” She added. 

Cloud couldn’t help put look back at his kid, sleeping away on his side.

“Tired?” He asked. 

Tifa hummed. “Recovering from Geostigma, apparently, is going to take you guys a year. So yay for that. And no, you’re not allowed to do any heavy lifting.” Tifa’s answer was immediate.

So much, he turned to her in panic.

“But!” He protested.

How was he supposed to build her, her house if he couldn’t move, for a year?!

She talked about it, he heard her!

“But?” She asked, gently.

“What about Edge?” He asked.

He watched as she understood what he was meaning. 

She shook her head. “Then it can wait a year, Cloud.” She huffed in annoyance. “I’d rather be here, with you and Denzel, until we’re sure you guys won’t drop in the next second.” She growled, protectively. 

Cloud shook his head.

“I’m alright.” He told her.

Aside from the numbness. Completely fine!

She glared at him.

“Until you can prove you can get out of that bed of yours, mister, I don’t believe you.” She answered.

He blinked at her.

Fair.

But now he had a goal to attain.

Get out of bed.

Then build a house.

Simple.

/

/

It was not simple.

Cloud was finding out as he grouched. 

He spent way too much time asleep, and not enough time glaring at his arms and legs.

Way too long with not being able to open his own damn eyelids, then having them open.

Tifa never went far. The furthest she went was to the door to the cabin, to speak to, who he was guessing, were the doctors, who were for some reason barred from entering in mass. 

Whatever the reason, he was grateful for it.

Adding their noise to the noise of the cabin might prove to be too much.

But he was also never awake when Denzel was, annoyingly.

He knew from the fact the boy had moved, and even changed PJ’s, that he had been awake and washed at least once while he was asleep.

Cloud swore he heard Zack at least once. But before he could ask, he drifted away.

/

/

When he woke next, he easily tracked Tifa’s heartbeat to the next room, and was slowly coming to the idea that, with the dull light, and her slower heart beat, that it was nighttime. The right time to be asleep.

So why was he awake?

He sat up in his bed, grumpy that he was awake to begin with, stupid nightmare.

And he looked over to Cloud.

From Tifa, he knew the man was conscious again.

But he was never awake when he was. 

He tried really hard not to be sad at that.

Denzel noted that Cloud seemed further away than what he liked, and made the probable stupid decision to climb down his bed and over to the blonde man.

Then the even stupider decision to climb into his bed and under his arm. Trying not to cry as he did.

He needed this man to be awake, and tell him his stupid nightmare was stupid.

Even if it was his intention, he still froze when the man moved.

Chapter Text

You’ve been, there for me when I needed. Someone fightin’ on my team. You were always believin’. That's how it’s supposed to be.
I would never leave your side. You know: Doesn’t matter where we go. You can count on me staying. Rain or shine, it won’t break us. That’s how it’s supposed to be.
I would never leave your side. I’ll go anywhere if I’m with you. Lightning strikes or any shade of blue.
The journey’s the best part. Even when the road gets hard:
I’ll go anywhere if I’m with you.

— Echo Smith (With You)

68. With You

Cloud felt different when his body decided it was time to wake up again.

And he immediately clocked why he woke.

The sudden weight on his side wasn’t Tifa. It was way too small for it to be her.

The size was familiar, though. 

It took him too long of a second to realise why the size was familiar. 

Denzel.

His eyes popped open in a surge of protectiveness that went through his spine at the kid trembling at his side.

What drove his kid to jump beds?

Cloud hummed tiredly, and moved, he noted Denzel’s flinch.

The kid probably didn’t realise he was awake, or that he woke him.

He didn’t need to know that.

“Denzel?” He questioned quietly and tiredly.

Even though the kid still had the headphones on, he wasn’t sure how efficient they were.

The kid flinched the weight of a quake as he whined in fear, and Cloud’s first reaction, damn his left arm when it protested moving, was to curl up around his kid, and draw him closer into his chest.

Denzel came easily enough, much to his tired relief. 

“Sorry, sir, if I woke you.” Denzel’s first comment to him was.

It grated on him negatively.

“Cloud.” He mumbled. 

He saw that Denzel looked up at him, in confusion. 

“Not sir. Cloud.” He repeated.

He was no drill sergeant to this kid. Would never be.

If this kid never called him his father, fair. Fine. He would live with it. But he would never take a sir or any hierarchy proprietary title from him as long as he lived. 

Denzel blinked at him in awe.

“Cloud?” He tried.

Cloud nodded. Trying to very much keep his eyes open, and awake. 

“Nightmare or did the room seem too big?” He muttered into the kid’s hair.

Cloud felt, with some pride, the kid started to cling to him, grabbing fistfuls of his medical gown.

“Both? Can it be both?” Denzel asked. 

Cloud tiredly tapped his shoulder twice. 

“Yep. Shitty nightmare?” He asked.

Then paused. 

Was he allowed to use adult words around Denzel? How old was he again?!

Crap. He didn’t know.

But Denzel giggled. 

“Got left behind. Kinda sucked.” Denzel answered. 

Well, that idea could go suck it.

“That’s shit.” Cloud answered, strengthening his hold on the kid. “Not going anywhere. And if you do, I’ll find a way to fetch you.” He tried to threaten, but he was way too tired for any type of threat.

This caused Denzel to giggle into his chest, and Cloud to hum.

“Sleep.” He answered. 

“Should I go back to my bed?” Denzel asked.

Cloud downright growled and hooked his chin over the kid’s head.

“Nope.” He demanded.

Denzel clung harder. 

“Okay.” He muttered in relief with a yawn.

Then they both fell back asleep.

Much to the confusion of Tifa when she found them.

“Wait, what?” She muttered.

Cloud woke to Denzel still at his side, and he spared a second to be annoyed at the lead in his left arm that prevented him from moving that arm too much.

He could understand why it was probably there, since it was hooked up to the only machine he was connected to, but sooner or later he would freak out over it being there.

He would have enough conscious forward-thinking in knowing it was a needle, and it was in him. Sooner or later.

But all he could muster at that point was annoyance, it was keeping him from trapping his kid at his side.

The kid could easily slip out of his grasp, and he didn’t know if he could chase him just yet.

“Teef?” He muttered, tiredly.

He couldn’t hear another heartbeat. But she never moved too far away.

Denzel, on the other hand, grumbled at him in annoyance for the noise and nuzzled back into his side.

“Hi to you too.” Cloud grumbled at him. 

Denzel froze, then leaped up to see him awake.

“Cloud!” He yelled. 

Cloud had no ability to stop himself from flinching at the noise level.

So much, Denzel paled. “Too loud. Sorry!” He cringed.

Cloud groaned, then hissed when he couldn’t move too much.

“This kinda sucks.” Cloud answered.

Denzel gave out a bark of laughter.

“That’s what I told Miss Tifa!” He answered, heatedly. “And she just laughed at me!” He glowered. 

That sounded like Tifa.

And also hilarious. Because Denzel, looking angry, made him look adorable.

For Cloud, moving back onto his back and relieving the pressure from moving his left arm too far to the right, took more time than he wanted it to.

But he was glad that Denzel just moved with him, and didn’t get off the bed.

Cloud had a feeling the kid’s actual bed would be metaphorically too far away for him to be comfortable with at the moment. 

Without how slow he was to even moving himself, he couldn’t protect Denzel if he was halfway across the room.

And Tifa said this would last a year?

Yeah. No. 

Hell no.

He had things to do. Places to be. People’s asses to kick.

A house to build. 

Cloud couldn’t sit up without the bed moving, and he didn’t have a clue how Tifa moved it before.

So he just moved his head around and listened, as slow as that was.

Aside from himself, Denzel, the humming in the walls. 

There was nothing else going on inside the cabin.

No other heartbeats close by?

So much, it filled him with dread, and brought Denzel in closer with his right arm.

The kid easily shifted closer.

Cloud wasn’t sure if he couldn’t hear Tifa either.

But Cloud couldn’t hear her heartbeat, or her breathing, anywhere.

And when he opened his ears to more noise, all he could hear was the trees swaying in the gentle breeze, animals going about their day, the hot springs bubbling…

Cloud looked down at Denzel, who seemed occupied by rolling up the drawstring of his medical gown repeatedly. 

“Did Tifa need to go somewhere?” He asked. 

Denzel looked up, and nodded. “Yeah! She said this Cid person was coming today. He brings stuff from Edge!” Denzel relayed. 

Cloud blinked, then sighed in relief. 

At hearing him, Denzel reared back in alarm. “I forgot she told me! I forgot to tell you!” The kid near on panicked in a yell.

Before the kid could panic or, hell, even apologise for being a child, Cloud found the strength to pull him back into him.

“Hey, hey,” Cloud started hushing. “Not your fault. I’m not blaming you.” He answered.

Most likely, Tifa had been caught off guard by Cid’s arrival. 

Probably hadn’t figured he would wake up, and probably forgot Denzel wasn’t nine. 

Cloud could learn how to keep Denzel occupied, as long he himself didn’t drift.

So, he looked back to Denzel. “So, how do we not get bored while waiting for Tifa to come back?” He asked, instead.

Denzel immediately lit up. 

“We play card games!” He told him.

Cloud had a feeling they would be playing card games a lot in the coming months.

But he didn’t dissuade Denzel from hopping down off the bed, which he noted was closer to the ground for Denzel’s benefit. He watched as Denzel pulled and tugged a wheeled table over to his bed. Then scampered off to probably find the cards. 

While the kid was away, and he kept track of his loud and clumsy movements as the kid went, Cloud looked the bed over to hopefully find the controls for it. On the side wing near his head and left side, he saw them, and managed to drag his right to press them, and up the bed went so he could sit.

Magic Bed.

He just had to hope he could entertain the kid for at least a round before his body decided to give out on him, annoyingly.

He got three rounds in before he couldn’t lift his arms anymore, and he was struggling to stay awake.

The same with Denzel, who kicked the table out the way and crawled back under his covers on his right side to fall asleep in the next second.

Fair.

Cloud could barely shove his face into his kid’s hair before he fell asleep too.

/

/

Cloud didn’t mind that Denzel spent more time at his side, than in his own bed.

He was sure he glared at the singular doctors who came and went, who suggested moving the kid back to his own bed.

Denzel could stay where he wanted to stay.

And if that was by Cloud’s side? He would never dissuade him of it.

At least Cloud could do something.

Tifa eventually came back with groceries, sourced from all over Gaia. Mideel couldn’t keep up with patients.

Which begged to differ why they had the amount of cabins that they did in the first place.

Apparently he wasn’t the only one who caught the contradiction.

Mideel would be the forefront of those stricken by mako, and they needed to understand that fully. At least until Aerith and Zack were unleashed back onto Midgar.

Cloud also caught on, extremely early that Aerith and Zack came and went at their leisure, and they both scared Denzel so much the kid glued himself to his side, and if he thought he would be allowed to, he probably would have hidden his head. 

Cloud put it into the back of his head to figure out the issue there, when he wasn’t falling asleep every five seconds. 

At one point, and probably several points going forward, the kid would need to vacate not just the room, but the entire cabin, because Cloud understood the doctors needed to track his progress internally.

It still involved needles.

And for it to actually involve needles, someone needed to hold him down.

It couldn’t be Zack, so it needed to be both girls to try and distract him, or knock him out.

So Denzel was going to be left alone with a panicky Zack.

Didn’t sound ideal. 

And it wasn’t. 

There was nothing they could do about it.

And with Denzel being so young, and prone to fits of exhaustion? He couldn’t be left on his own.

And maybe Denzel didn’t understand, or maybe he did. But that didn’t mean the poor boy had to like it.

Every second day, the kid would get even more clingy and whiny. And he would eventually get to glaring at the doctor of the day that came to check in on them.

Denzel was cleared early in the new year, and needed no internal checks, but a physical to monitor both his progression for his healing from Geostigma and the enhancements done and logged to see if there were any changes going forward.

Cloud hoped the kid didn’t hate him for it. 

While he could keep awake for longer periods of time. He still wasn’t able to get out of bed.

He got to the point where he could sit up by himself, and everyone rejoiced.

Cloud just scowled at them all.

Such a small thing, in the grand scheme of things.

He needed to do more. Be more. 

He needed to walk.

He couldn’t keep relying on Tifa and Zack for everything. 

And if the kid flinched one more time at Zack and Aerith, he was gonna flip the nearby table. 

He wasn’t very good at being subtle. And he hoped Denzel wouldn’t come to mind it. 

Or he just got better at it.

And somehow learnt to talk like everyone else could. 

That to.

“So, the pools are going well…” Aerith was saying.

They had hoped, with prolonged exposure to other people, it would help Denzel.

Because sooner or later, he would need to get used to other people.

But Cloud could feel the flinch every time she moved, and noted the wary look Denzel tracked her with.

It was less wary and more caution with Zack.

“You got a handle on how to do it without it being an accident?” Cloud asked, curiously.

There was a span of time when Aerith had apparently gone from not being able to get a single pool working, to her second attempt, which ended up being an accident. To the next several being an accident on purpose.

Aerith looked at him, and nodded happily.

“I got one down without it being an accident!” Aerith stated happily. 

Cloud noted that Denzel handled Aerith a little better than Zack.

He flinched less and less over the time he knew her.

But there was still something there that held Denzel back.

Whereas a month into the new year, Cloud could tell Denzel was so very curious about Aerith, that he seemed to almost blurt out his questions at her, before he resigned himself to silence and caution.

Zack, on the other hand, got no such curtsy. 

Denzel watched him with such caution, it was like the dark haired man was a ticking time bomb.

In a way, Zack had been.

But, reportedly, Aerith had thrown Zack into the pools enough times, Cloud doubted the man had the ability to grow a wing anymore.

But Cloud had no way to explain that to a five-year-old. At least, not without opening a can of worms that was best left on the shelf in a basement far away from Mideel that spanned several continents and oceans.

“So.” Cloud started, finally had enough of the tiptoeing.

He noted Tifa’s glance in a second, and gestured her to busy herself.

He doubted Denzel would take him asking well. And having more people would probably make Denzel feel caged and attacked. 

Not what he was going for.

Probably what he would end up with.

He’d apologise, if he could. When all the probable shouting and yelling was done.

Denzel looked up from the card castle he was trying to make.

Cloud knew the kid clocked that Tifa exited the room without prompt that he had seen, and instantly became wary.

“Are the doctors coming?” Denzel asked, frowning.

Cloud shook his head.

“Nope. I have a question. Answer if you can, yeah?” Cloud asked. 

It would maybe be easier to have this conversation if the kid knew SSL, in case emotions got out of hand, and sound decided to chip off.

Denzel nodded warily. 

“What’s wrong with Aerith?” Cloud asked. 

Denzel jumped so much he hit the bottom of the table with his legs. It caused his cards to collapse into a pile as the kid stared at him, stricken and pale. Like a rabbit caught in a flashlight. 

Cloud knew he hadn’t worded it well, had no idea how to word it well. But he could wait for the answer he was trying to get to.

Cloud watched as the kid jump started, and panicked.

“There’s nothing wrong with Miss Aerith!” The kid panicked.

Cloud sided his head and reached out for the collapsed cards.

“Then what’s with the flinching, and fearing her shadow?” Cloud asked, gathering the cards back into a pile. 

He heard the panicky whine.

“I didn’t mean to upset her.” Denzel muttered, looking down at the blanket on his lap.

Cloud shook his head. 

“You haven’t upset her, you’ve worried her.” Cloud amended. “Does she scare you?” He asked as he thumped the cards into line.

The whine was embarrassed now. Then the vehement shake of his head.

“No. But. I need to thank her and apologise to her?! How do I do that without her yelling at me!” Denzel burst out, looking back up to Cloud.

He blinked in surprise, then frowned.

“Why, exactly, do you need to do both?” Cloud asked, completely confused.

This wasn’t what he thought the reason would be.

Some people instantly became wary of Aerith, because they knew, on some level, that she was different.

“She made the geo-whatever go away. So I should thank her for my life. But it’s been so long, and I dunno how to say it, and I should probably pay her for it, but I got nothing for it? Do I owe her my life now? When does that start? When I can be useful?” Denzel suddenly had question after question to ask, now that the well had a leak.

Chapter Text

Some long for longevity. Before fading to dust. Some long for eternal sleep, and eulogy chanted by stars.
Their lost time forever buried. She rambled a thousand times, a million miles.
Searching for light. Free from the rule of death now seem so dull.
Time goes by but memories rewind. There she prays again. Back when things began.
Where to go? Where they meet to grow old? Or somewhere they could start again. Fain they would stay.
Some forsake longevity. Then fading to dust. Some fall for eternal sleep. Their eulogies turn into gleaming stars.
Will they meet in stars again? Or gone with the wind?

— Aeryth (Love & Space)

69. Love & Space

“Why, exactly, do you need to do both?” Cloud asked.

This wasn’t what he thought the reason would be.

Some people instantly became wary of Aerith, because they knew, on some level, that she was different.

“She made the geo-whatever go away. So I should thank her for my life. But it’s been so long, and I dunno how to say it, and I should probably pay her for it, but I got nothing for it? Do I owe her my life now? When does that start? When I can be useful?” Denzel suddenly had question after question to ask, now that the well had a leak.

Before Cloud could even address one of the leaks, he heard the whine turn to a panicked moan, and the kid grasped his hair.

“I haven’t even thanked you yet, and you saved my life in Midgar, because I got lost, and I was stupid. Do I owe my life to you as well? How do I pay off two life debts!? And not to mention Miss Tifa! She’s been taking care of me. Is that also a life debt? A third?!” Denzel looked up at him, pleadingly, now with heavy tears staining his face.

At the tears, Cloud was immediately moving. 

He dropped the cards, no longer caring for their distraction, and shoved the table away. In the next second, he was hauling a now crying Denzel into his arms heavily.

The kid put up a fight.

“No!” Denzel cried. “No! I can’t!” He added, panting. “You’ll go too!” He screamed in pain.

“No.” Cloud fought the flailing arms with an arm. “No.” He demanded, fighting the kicking legs with his other. Keeping the pain the kid unknowingly caused, physically and emotionally, inside. Denzel didn’t need that now.

“No. You look at me.” Cloud demanded.

He heard Tifa on the other side of the door. Her heartbeat gave way to her worry and concern.

Denzel yanked at his arms, crying, and Cloud was thankful that he had a little more of his strength back than Denzel did.

Cloud was somehow able to rearrange his kid, who fought the process the entire way, so he could see his kid face to face.

The kid was whimpering and gasping as he fought to get his hands back from Cloud’s grasp.

“Look here.” Cloud demanded again.

Denzel didn’t dare. Cloud captured both hands in one, and used the now free hand at Denzel’s chin, and kept him there against his forehead.

“Here.” Cloud hissed.

Denzel wasn’t able to move anymore.

And he couldn’t fight anymore.

Even if Cloud was still so sick, he had way more strength than Denzel ever had. 

There would be no point.

He’d yell. Send him away.

No doubt Denzel would deserve it. 

He was crying again, and now he couldn’t stop.

He whimpered and gasped, and it was stupid.

No one cared who he was, what he was doing. As long as he didn’t cry and went away from them, once he gave them scrap in exchange for food that barely counted for food. If he didn’t ask for the help that he would never get from them. That he should just be grateful he got half a week-old meal.

Denzel grunted in surprise when Cloud lifted his chin up, and his forehead met his own. 

He had no choice but to see him.

His glittering eyes, that he supposed he had now. Would he now notice that, now, too? Denzel noticed it whenever he went to wash his face in the morning.

Would Cloud hate him?

He didn’t want Cloud to hate him.

If he could run away, Denzel swore he would.

Not that he could even move. 

He knew Cloud was watching him. In the time it had taken Denzel to even attempt fighting, his headphones had flown off his ears, and were at his neck.

Too much.

Too much!

“Please!” Denzel started pleading.

There was so much noise.

He would await his fate. And he wouldn’t fight it. Just as long as the noise went away.

He didn’t fight when Cloud left his hands and chin. He was failing to breathe, and his arms wouldn’t work in getting the headphones.

Denzel only knew that the noise eventually stopped, and he cried more.

He was useless. Denzel couldn’t do anything.

“Hey,” Cloud was now saying, quietly.

Denzel flinched when he wiped his cheeks. 

“Sorry. I’m sorry.” Denzel apologised, grasping his headphones and slamming them down on his ears. Clamping his eyes shut.

Denzel heard the slight hum from the blonde as he worked clearing his tears away.

“You don’t owe your life to anyone.” Cloud stated so sternly.

Denzel’s eyes popped back up to stare up at the man.

“But—” Denzel paused when Cloud shook his head. 

“I’ve been in that headspace before,” Cloud started, gently cupping his hands and pulling them away from his ears, holding them in between them. “Been where you are.” Denzel blinked up at him. “And maybe I’m still a little there, especially with Zack. He did save my life. And I’ll owe it to him. But it’s not a life debt. Not here. Is that how it worked for you after Sector 7 fell?” Cloud asked.

No anger.

Just sad acceptance. 

Cloud had been where he was? 

Denzel had almost wanted to ask how. When?!

Cloud was so strong, even now. He had been awake only a few weeks, and he was already better than Denzel, who’d been awake longer.

“It’s because I don’t… I don’t have …” Denzel felt his throat dry up.

He couldn’t say it.

Once he said it, it became true.

Once he said it, everyone would know.

“Everyone’s lost someone, you little shit! You’re not anything special! Get outta my face!”

Cloud’d leave. So would Tifa.

No one had time for an orphan.

Not here. Not there. Anywhere.

Denzel blinked in surprise when Cloud taped his nose. 

“Don’t have…?” Cloud asked. 

“Parents!” Denzel spat out angrily.

Then hid his eyes behind his hands, pawing at them to try and stop them crying.

“Stop that noise, you brat! Get outta here!”

“You have what I asked you to get or not, you runt?”

“You were left behind, so deal with it!”

“Maybe you were left behind because they didn’t want to deal with your crying ass!”

Everything in Denzel stopped and froze when he felt a hand at his head, and he lifted his head, awed at the gentle gesture.

Nothing in Cloud said that he was angry.

That he was dirt to be squashed under his boot.

He just hummed in that way Denzel was coming to figure out that meant he was listening. That he was present for whatever Denzel was saying.

All Denzel could do was stare.

“Well?” Denzel spat out.

Then Cloud blinked at him. Denzel couldn’t understand why the man was confused.

The man even cocked his head. “Well?” He mimicked.

“Don’t you need to tell ShinRa now? Don’t they come and pick me up?” He asked, stiffly and worried.

Denzel saw the immediate dislike paw at the blonde’s face.

“No.” His immediate answer was. “You’re not going anywhere.” He answered. 

Denzel blinked. Not going anywhere?

“But—? What about when I get better?” Denzel tried to ask in confusion. 

Now Cloud was frowning. “You stay with us.” He stated, as easily as knowing the moon would reappear every night.

Denzel stared. “No. Seriously. What happens?” Denzel asked again. 

“ShinRa won’t come and get you.” Cloud insisted.

Denzel scoffed. “Yes they do.” He griped. 

Cloud blinked at him. “Then I’ll fight Reeve,” Who the hell was Reeve?! “Without my sword.” He has a sword?! “Before that happens, understand?” Cloud was asking. 

Denzel would keep an ear out for someone called Reeve. He must be ShinRa.

… But wasn’t Cloud and Zack, ShinRa? Didn’t they have to follow orders?

He had a headache.

It must have shown, because Cloud sighed, sounding displeased. The sound immediately put Denzel on edge. He did something wrong!

“I know I’m not good at this,” Cloud muttered. 

Denzel frowned. 

How’d he figure?

He paused when Cloud looked back at him. “But I’ve done something wrong, huh? To make you think that I’d let you go? —Unless you want to leave, of course!” Cloud was asking.

Now Denzel was so confused. 

“What?” Denzel muttered.

“You’re asking what happens after you get better, and you don’t believe me when I say you can stay with us. So I’ve done something wrong in convincing you.” Cloud stated.

Denzel absolutely stared at the saddened man in front of him.

“Wait. You want me to stay?!” Denzel asked, his voice breaking.

Cloud stared at him.

“Of course? Why is that surprising? —I’m not doing this well.” Cloud muttered. 

Denzel remembered what Nice Lady Tifa had said, that Cloud didn’t know how to speak properly. 

He was missing something.

Denzel nodded. And he watched Cloud’s shoulder slump. “No one wants an orphan. And I cry a lot. So I get it. I’m not good—” 

He froze at the sudden thundering growl sound that came from Cloud, and before he could move away, Cloud had pulled him into a hug.

“No.” The man growled, crowding close and shifting him closer into his chest. “You’re not.” He added.

Denzel knew the danger and warning in his tone was protective, and he just slumped. 

He was wanted? By him?

He couldn’t help but turn into Cloud. And he tried not to freeze when one of his hands found their way into his hair gently.

“I’m not hearing you want to leave—” Cloud started, Denzel reared back and glared. Causing a smile to break out on Cloud’s face. “Then you’re stuck with us.” He informed.

Denzel sat in his lap and stared up at him in amazement.

Apparently it was that easy.

Then Cloud blinked, then sat up more, easily bringing Denzel with him. 

Denzel tried to help, but Cloud seemed to have more strength, even if he couldn’t walk yet.

“So, the only reason you’re avoiding Aerith is that you thought you owed her your life? Which you don’t. You can still thank her, I need to as well.” Cloud stated.

Denzel hid his head, but nodded. 

He heard the man hum. 

“And Zack?” Cloud asked. 

“I know you said ShinRa won’t come and make me leave, but he’s ShinRa, right?” Denzel muttered.

Surely ShinRa could just simply order Zack? Maybe Cloud would need to help, since he was ShinRa too?

Denzel frowned when he heard Cloud snort.

“Yeah, no. He’s not anymore. I swear he wears the uniform to gain perks, especially around ShinRa. But he’s not about to take orders from them.” Cloud answered, sounding like he was trying to not laugh.

Denzel blinked and looked back up.

“Are you not ShinRa, either? Back in Midgar, you had the same uniform.” Denzel asked. 

He watched the man blink.

“I need new clothes.” He swore he heard the man mutter, then shake his head. “We haven’t been part of ShinRa for at least five years. Just don’t tell them that.” Cloud answered instead,

Denzel thought he understood the whole Spy thing now.

And grinned, and nodded. “Sure!” He answered, gleefully.

/

/

Cloud couldn’t help but stare at his kid, feeling way too many emotions to name just one. 

A rollercoaster.

Children were like a rollercoaster he couldn’t get off from.

He had to hope that whenever the ride stalled for whatever reason, Denzel wouldn’t mind him apologising.

This had been one huge misunderstanding, that had apparently gone on brewing for a month, that could have been easily avoided from the start.

Cloud had thought Denzel knew he wasn’t going anywhere unless he wanted someone else. 

Apparently not.

It just left him exhausted.

He needed to learn Denzel’s personality better.

And dig under the trauma the kid had amassed since the fall of Sector 7.

There was more than he was aware of.

Life Debts, really?

ShinRa took children away?

That was a phone call to Reeve. Apparently they had children to find.

But this one was his.

He had decided well before he even knew he decided. And the rest of him, apparently, just followed suite.

Cloud didn’t mind, especially seeing this kid cower like he so used to.

Fearing people would yell at him, for a reason that wasn’t his fault. Or for something he could control.

Yeah. No. He got it now. Why everyone said the older Denzel was so much like his father, blood ties excluded. 

If he thought about Denzel, like he thought about his younger self, about what he had needed when he was younger…

He was sure less misunderstandings would happen in the future.

This kid was so much like him.

Cloud hear the light tap against the wood, and looked up to see Tifa, beckoning.

He nodded, and Tifa pounced.

Cloud barely had the time to physically warn Denzel before Tifa swamped him.

“Denzel!” Tifa was crying. Denzel yelped in fright.

Yeah. She had a better handle on showing her emotions. 

Seeing her cry, allowed him to figure out he was allowed to.

So now they were all a mess.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, Miss Tifa!” Denzel panicked.

Cloud sensed another damn conversation he needed to have about his kid’s forced politeness. But he was too damn exhausted to have it right now. 

Later.

Cloud lent back against his bed, making sure his head found the pillow, he let their conversation and apologises drift him over and out.

Tifa was crying as she held Denzel close.

She knew Cloud had pushed himself a little too much, handled way more than what she thought he would be comfortable with. So much, she was proud he had and didn’t mind he was out like a light because of it. 

But she heard it all. And it made her heart clench.

She had thought she had reiterated herself enough to Denzel. 

She grabbed a tissue and wiped Denzel’s face, and he held still for her.

“I think I’ve forgotten to tell you that I have temporary custody over you, granted by Reeve at the start of this…” Tifa pondered as she cleaned him up.

At the awed and surprised look on Denzel’s face, she had forgotten.

Tifa winced. “I’m sorry I forgot to tell you.” She sighed as she finished. 

“You asked for me?” Denzel asked.

Tifa blinked and nodded. 

“I was there when Cloud saved you,” Denzel flinched, and she tightened her hold around him. “I knew he would want to make sure he got you to safety. That’s how Cloud thinks.” Tifa offered. 

Denzel nodded, and she watched as tension released in his shoulders, and the poor kid yawned.

“Do you want to stay with Cloud?” Tifa asked, knowing her kid’s adrenaline was running out. 

Denzel nodded, and she helped him under the covers on Cloud’s right side, tucking them both in before lowering the bed head. 

Tifa watched as Cloud unconsciously moved to hold Denzel closer, and moved his head against his kids. 

Denzel, on the other hand, moved effortlessly when Cloud moved to cater for him. Like he knew Cloud would move, so he moved with him.

Then her kid moved onto his side and was out like a light.

Only then did Tifa allow herself to silently cry.

Chapter Text

It seems just like yesterday was the first time that I heard you call my name.
Since then, so much has changed. I’m still the same man that I was before.
Knowing that I can be without anything scares me away from being alone.
Now, that I know what’s going on. I made you wait, as I turned away.
I don’t know if I’ll ever know exactly how much that I hurt you. Knowing that hurts me every day.
If I could rewind, I would take it away. And not make you wait, and I won’t walk away.
If I could rewind, watch all my life just pass me by, I could see you.
If I could rewind, I’d take back the lies, and all of those times I hurt you. 

— Pillar (Rewind)

70. Rewind

Tifa knew it would eventually happen.

As soon as they told her a year, she knew.

From what she observed since meeting Cloud again in Midgar? She doubted he’d take to downtime well. 

And he absolutely did not.

She could see it brewing under his skin, in his eyes, quite literally as the days past.

As soon as he got to the point he could sit up, and freak out about the needle in his arm?

Absolute chaos.

“Tifa. I swear to absolutely everything, get this out of me, before I try to.” He had warned.

By the tone of his voice, Zack had bolted.

Aerith had paled, and taken Denzel out for a walk.

Tifa had eventually used sleep once she knew the reasoning about why he still needed it, went out the window by the look on his face, and the absolute fear that crawled up her spine when he went for it.

Nope.

Not having that.

So she used a sleep materia on him, and called a doctor.

They wanted to refuse, since they had no idea if he could keep up his daily fluid intake.

Tifa demanded she could do it, and glared until they took it out.

Because she had no doubt Cloud would take it out himself. 

And he probably wouldn’t care for the pain he caused himself, or the scene it made. Just as long, in his panic, that he got it out.

She needed to remember to praise Denzel, for actually going with Aerith. He’d probably come back exhausted. But he went willingly.

Something had flipped in his head since he talked to Cloud.

It wasn’t so much of a talk, as it was a crying fest.

But it got the point across.

Cloud never actually stayed down long when spelled asleep.

She had mentioned it to Zack offhandedly before, and he looked apologetic, muttering something about being enhanced meant being somewhat immune to some materia status’.

So, that was fun. She’d have to remember what would be ten minutes for a weak spell, was maybe not even two minutes for Cloud. Especially for when needles would be involved every two days, and now he was fully aware of his surroundings.

No more covering up IV points, they could all gather with ease.

/

/

Tifa had come to see Cloud glaring down at his own legs several times when Denzel was out of it, at his side.

She knew he knew she was there. 

And it wasn’t because she didn’t go very far.

He was glaring and poking, while also mindful of the kid sleeping at his side.

Cloud looked up at her, reentering with a pitcher of water that had run out prior. 

“Tifa. I can’t move.” He huffed in annoyance. 

She carefully placed down the water.

“Ah. My grand design. You can’t run away from me now.” Tifa teased.

Tifa almost laughed at his perplexed look.

“Tifa. I need to walk. If you and Zack are going to continue making me go into the hot springs, then have needles about it. I want to be able to do it myself.” He told her.

Tifa clicked her tongue understandingly. 

She had to wonder what he would do, once he was able to walk again. Knowing her blonde. He wouldn’t stay down until he collapsed. And then he would have the ability to run away from doctors.

Because he still had positives in his blood. 

He still had traces of mako poisoning, even after a month of trying to heal him.

Zack needed only a few trips into the water, courtesy of helping Cloud, and by Aerith quite literally throwing the poor man in when he wasn’t aware she was going to.

She apologised after she did it, always, and Zack never yelled, sure he grumbled. He understood.

Denzel only needed two trips.

Tifa was starting to get worried if Cloud needed to live with the fact he had positives in his blood, and what that meant for him going forward.

It wasn’t a conversation that had surfaced yet.

Because everything was so new, and granted Cloud had way more positives and poisoning than anyone else the doctors had ever witnessed or had documented, they weren’t sure.

No one was sure.

Tifa was getting sick of not knowing the answers.

What would it mean if he couldn’t be cleared?

“He’s alive, be thankful for that.”

And she was. She was extremely grateful to hear his voice again, even if he were to start  complaining about the smallest of things about the bed he was in.

She wasn’t taking Cloud for granted.

Tifa had learnt that lesson when she was fourteen.

Oh, how she had learnt from her mistake.

She made the mistake of making that silly little promise and not thinking he would actually leave with it. 

When he actually did.

He left, and she cried for a week.

Then yelled at her father when he celebrated his leaving once he found out Cloud had left.

She spent more time with Claudia, then her own father, kicking herself for not asking him to stay.

She spent so many sleepless nights thinking of all the possible outcomes if she had just actually asked him not to go. That he stayed. That he still left anyway. What would have happened if he stayed.

She learnt a little from her own mother when she was younger about the Nibelheim traditions about building a house.

Tifa really hadn’t understood why she would agree to make one with an icky boy.

“Well, what about a best friend, then?” Her mother had re-phrased the question.

“Cloud doesn’t wanna even play house with me, Mama, why would he agree with building an actual house for me?!” Tifa has screeched angrily, throwing down a doll, glaring up at her.

Her mother had burst out laughing.

Because of course it had been Cloud, who she had thought of first. 

No questions asked.

The idea of agreeing and building a house grew as she grew.

But Cloud was the only person she ever envisioned agreeing to do it with.

“Mama? Why did you agree to make a house with Papa?” Tifa had asked, not quite realising she had an obsession with it. She’d understand it later.

“Hmm. Well. He is my best friend, and I love him.” Her mother had answered.

“He’s mean to Cloud.” Tifa had pouted. Her Papa was mean because of it. She couldn’t ask Cloud over anymore. Not that he had ever been inside her house. She didn’t have the chance to be brave enough. But now she had to chase him down, or he would somehow be a step behind her to catch her when she fell, and then he would be gone in a flash! How did boys do that!?

Her mother had laughed. “I’ll talk to him about it.” Her mother assured.

But then she got sick. And Tifa didn’t think it was a priority anymore.

“Tifa?” Cloud called. 

Tifa blinked and looked back at him, he looked a little worried.

“I’m sorry.” She apologised. “Did you want me to talk to them about physio?” She asked, before he could tell her off about apologising. 

She watched as his face pulled at his nose, disgruntled.

“This is annoying.” Cloud muttered in disdain. 

Tifa zoned in on his fingers twitching.

She blinked. 

Progress. She celebrated mentally. 

Maybe Cloud just needed to be annoyed and frustrated enough, and he would pull the finger at the doctors and do everything himself.

Which is probably what he would do, if he was by himself. And probably hurt himself doing it.

Tifa sighed, instead, and came over and sat on his left side.

“Cloud.” She started.

She immediately had his attention. 

“Let’s not do this and hurt yourself more, yeah? I can see those gears turning, mister. If you go and try to run before you walk, and you hurt yourself again, do you think you’ll be here for longer?” She asked.

She saw the immediate freeze he did at that.

Tifa knew how much he hated the idea of being here a year. 

Any longer would be a death sentence, she could assume.

Her blonde could be dramatic in that sense.

She only needed to look at Zack to see where he picked that trait up from.

He shook his head.

“No.” He grumbled as his shoulders shunted. 

She could see the gears turning in how displeased he was at this, so much she landed her fingers in his hair again.

“Cloud?” She called, seeing the look, knowing he was most likely stuck in his own head. But he looked back to her, his expression mired. “You’re not…” How did she say this without slighting him? “You’re not… failing, me, by not being able to go back to Edge straight away.” Tifa stated.

Cloud stared at her, in shock.

“From all the gill you earned in Midgar, and all the odd jobs we picked up along the way? We’re still okay, on that front. If that’s the main concern. And Zack and Aerith have an agreement with Mideel while we’re here, it’s not a concern. I’m not concerned.” She added.

He sided his head at her. “You don’t… miss Midgar?” He asked. 

Edge was still a thing that he wasn’t used to saying and have it mean a place he could go to, yet. He still thought when they said Edge, they were talking about Midgar’s edge, where they evacuated everyone to.

Tifa had to ponder the meaning of what he hadn’t said.

There was a lot of underlying meaning in his tone. 

Did she miss what they meant Edge to come to mean? That he hadn’t been able to give her a house yet.

No.

She wouldn’t take any place without him and Denzel there.

It felt wrong in her heart.

It had always felt wrong to be in a place where Cloud wasn’t. She just didn’t understand it until she had Cloud under the same roof as her about why it was so wrong.

Did she miss Seventh Heaven?

Yes.

But not in the way he was referring to. 

She missed earning her way in a way she knew was stable and secure, sure. She missed talking to customers. Tifa missed bartending.

But could she do that away from Cloud?

Could she do that while he was here, without her, left with Denzel? Sick and healing.

Absolutely not.

If there was one thing about Cloud she loved, it was the fact he gave her the silence to work out what she wanted to say, without freaking out about how long the silence was, or thinking she needed him to elaborate. He knew she would ask if she needed him to.

So he just waited for her answer, whatever it would be, in words or her dismissing the question entirely. Either way, he would have an answer.

So, she gave a little shrug.

“There are some things that I do miss. I won’t lie about that.” Tifa started, she noted the little hum he made to say he was present for her answer. “But if I thought about pursuing them, without you there? I wouldn’t want to.” Tifa answered.

She smiled a little when he didn’t rear back in complete shock, only in assessment that he was thinking about her reasoning.

“Even if it’s for a year?” He grumbled. 

“I had you unconscious for a month, Cloud. There were days I lost you. I had a lot of time to fear I wouldn’t get a day more. I can stay here with you, I can stay anywhere as long as you and Denzel are there, alright? Don’t get so hung up about it being a year. It’s anywhere, and it’s with you.” Tifa said.

“Gold Saucer?” She heard him mutter, curiously. 

She frowned a little, how did he figure by that?

He must have seen her confusion. “It’s like what you said at the Gold Saucer. When everyone went off and had fun. You didn’t want to because you would be worried about me, and you wanted to stay with me.” He elaborated.

Tifa blinked, then smiled. “Yep. Just for longer!” She chirped.

It was exactly like that.

Now just with Denzel.

The hum she heard from him was him finally understanding.

He lost some of the heaviness in his shoulders, then he looked back to her.

“As long as you’re sure.” He warned. 

Tifa grinned. 

She had never been more sure of anything in her life.

She paused when he gave a little pause, frowned and looked back to her.

“Wait. Just so I am on the same page with you. We… You…?” He looked like he swallowed his own tongue physically when his words failed him for the first time since he woke up.

He looked exasperated at it happening.

Tifa blinked at the unfinished question he had. He wanted confirmation about something, and whatever it was, he wanted to be sure he wasn’t imagining it. 

But it took Tifa a long minute to realise what his actual question was.

“Edge?” She double said, meaningfully.

He blinked at her, and nodded.

“Didn’t agree?” Cloud muttered painfully.

Tifa clicked her tongue. “Please don’t hurt yourself to talk, Cloud. There are other ways, if you can’t speak.” She answered. Tifa had a stack of writing paper and a pen by his bedside, if he needed to use it.

Cloud blinked at her, but nodded. 

Tifa nodded. “And no, we didn’t actually agree to it.” She added.

She watched him pale, and she shook her head. 

“I didn’t think we needed to verbally agree, since I figured we did without it?” Tifa asked.

He looked at her pleadingly.

“But, you want it to be physical, though, don’t you? Who do I need to yell at in your head, this time?” She asked, not fully joking. “Let’s shake on it, then.” Tifa announced. 

Then she wiggled until she sat in front of him on his bed, cross-legged, mindful of their sleeping kid at his side. Their knees touching.

“I, Tifa Lockhart, formally agree to a unionised house, with one Cloud Strife. Who, by taking my arm, agrees to my terms.” She started, and she saw the immediate awe wash over his face that she knew how to formalise the agreement.

“These terms will be mutual in understanding and agreed to by both fairly, and termed either by conversation, writing, or in sign. Neither will be of less significance in value than the other.”

The flash of surprise that painted his face when she decided to alter it, and include him in a more mutual tone.

“These terms may include up to agreeing to a unionised house, its standing, location, worldly effects, size and surroundings to be mutually agreed on by both. These terms are to include illness and care of one another, and honour to one’s house and partner, and those who come to be under its roof.”

Tifa knew from Claudia how the old terms were agreed to. How it was made out like it was an agreement men were trapped into. Tifa hadn’t realised as a child how demanding it would have been on a man, on anyone, to be able to build a house from scratch in the first place. How demoralising it would have been on them if they couldn’t.

“Under a unionised house, you, Cloud Strife, will agree to fund and build a house to a set specification of my, Tifa Lockhart’s, so choosing, and agreed upon mutually. Under a unionised house and on a name, that we agree on that will go forth…” 

She knew she needed to include his agreement in her own. Try to think of all the words he would want to say in their agreement, in a counter. Tifa also knew that Cloud would take the age-old hand fast and be content with it. She was not content with it. In fact when Claudia had recited it? She had been disgusted with it. And immediately yelled the old ways could shove it.

In the age-old terms, there were mitigating circumstances that the female could oppose on her soon-to-be partner, so if he couldn’t fund the house she wanted, or even build it within a time limit? She could annul the agreement without any questions asked. Publicly, or privately, by those agreeing, and their families.

It could go shove it.

Tifa had time to think about this. She knew in some part, growing up, that Cloud had been always different from everyone else. Tifa didn’t have enough time to learn all she wanted to in Sign to be able to say it as she said it verbally. But the words she did know she signed, and she saw him light up every time she used a word he didn’t teach her.

Claudia must have been in stitches, teaching them both as they grew up, because Brian sure hadn’t taught her anything.

If anything, he would have made sure, if the world was different, and she still made her decision to build a house with Cloud? He would have demanded the clause stay in, or any other he could think of. And he would have been the first to denounce Cloud the second he could. As the parent? He had the right to alter any agreement she wanted to make.

Even as a child, Tifa knew she didn’t want Cloud to be trapped by clauses, or traps of words. She wanted him to be of free will and of mind to stand next to her when agreeing with her. That when she was old enough, and had enough big girl words, that she would craft a draft, and say the final piece with space for him to voice if he disagreed to anything, in any way he could, and for him to come up with his own counterarguments to hers. That they could meet in the middle and agree on it if there was something they disagreed on.

If he wanted his own space? Agreed. 

She definitely wanted the bar and restaurant. Not that he wouldn’t disagree on a business. But the idea still stood.

Hell, she wanted him to argue on the silliest things, like price and colour.

“We agree, mutually, that in our trust this agreement will only be distilled with our both crossing our arms across our chest. We agree that all other terms can be reproached and changed mutually thereafter.” Tifa announced. 

Then held up her arm. 

“If you, Cloud Strife, have any clauses, or any disagreements to this, you may take my hand, and we may agree on changes.” He didn’t move. Still staring at her face, at her arm, pointedly. “However, if you agree, you may take my arm with yours.” Tifa stated.

Tifa saw the loud silent grin he had, just as much as she felt his arm wrap around hers, and his fingers to touch around her elbow, grasped easily as her own around his elbow.

Chapter Text

What if I never run into you? What if you never smiled at me? What if I hadn’t noticed you, too?
And you never showed up where I happened to be.
What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this? On a quiet night, what are the odds?
What’s a guy like me doing in a place like this? I could have just walked by, who would have thought?
What if I hadn’t asked for your name, and time hadn’t stopped when you said it to me?
Of all the plans that I could have made; Of all the nights that I couldn’t sleep.
What are the chances that I could have found you, put my arms around you. Two in a million? Once in a life.

— Backstreet Boys (Chances)

71. Chances

Tifa, in the month so far that Cloud has been unconscious, had been yanked out of the cabin multiple times by either Zack or Aerith, to know by now not to fight them when they decided she needed some fresh air.

This time, with a salute from Zack, she knew he would be staying behind and watching over Denzel and Cloud.

She tried not to sniff, and cry, as Aerith easily took her other hand, and she walked her out.

She had so many conversations around the pool Aerith was trying to change, in the surrounding woodland, at the beach Cloud had once shown her. 

“So.” Aerith had started with pleasantly. “When did you realise it was Cloud or bust, for you, exactly?” She asked.

The stone that Tifa had been going to skip into the ocean, fell from her hand and made a loud ‘plop!’ noise as she dropped it.

She turned to Aerith, red-faced.

“How old were you?” Aerith continued to ask eagerly, not caring that her dress was wet. She just fanned it to help it dry.

“Aerith!” Tifa screeched in embarrassment.

Aerith just smiled kindly. 

“I just wanna know if it’s as young as Zack said Cloud was.” Aerith shrugged.

Tifa blinked.

Zack knew when Cloud—?

And he told Zack? Who apparently told Aerith.

Because Zack told Aerith everything. Because of course!

“When? How old was he…?” Tifa asked, hiding her face.

Tifa would die of embarrassment if Zack had told Cloud she had asked after him when they were in Nibelheim.

Actually, she just might drown the dark haired man in the ocean in any case.

“Oh, he was quite young! How young were you!” Aerith teased.

Tifa glared.

“I don’t think I want to tell you.” Tifa sniffed, turning away.

“Aw! Come on!” Aerith pleaded, taking her hand and tugging up and down. “Don’t be like that!” She pleaded.

Tifa didn’t want to be teased by her best female friend.

Instead, she hunkered down and folded her arms around her knees.

“I was young, like really young, okay?” Tifa mumbled.

How could Aerith tease her like this, when Cloud wasn’t even awake?

Might not wake?

Aerith hummed, and easily kneeled next to her.

“Like single digits?” Aerith whittled. Tifa glared at her. “Okay, so you’re as bad as each other. Wow.” Aerith laughed airily and happily. 

Tifa frowned at her.

Aerith nudged her shoulder.

“So! How do people get married in Nibelheim!” Aerith asked next.

Tifa hid her head in between her knees. 

“Aerith!” She whined.

Aerith poked her shoulder. “It’s a natural question! I know there are different ways! My Mother taught me one way, and Mom taught me another!” She explained. 

Tifa whined. 

“One way is with a ring. Kinda basic, in my opinion. But that’s the way Zack knows, but Gongaga does it with a whole speech and ceremony before it, and done with two. Cetra’s way was done with a ribbon.” Aerith explained.

Tifa might have still been highly embarrassed, but she turned to her friend, interested.

“Ribbon?” She asked.

Aerith nodded, pointing to the ribbon in her hair. 

“Or rope, either works! This is my mother’s ribbon! My father accepted my mother’s wedding terms and winded it around their arms when they married. So now it’s mine, and I’ll carry it until I give it to my daughter. If I have one.” She glared back towards Mideel.

Tifa tried not to laugh at her scowl.

“Zack doesn’t know?” She asked, failing to not smile. 

Aerith looked back to her. “Oh no. He does. He has to go back to Gongaga, and actually tell his parents he’s alive. And he hasn’t wanted to do it in letters. Or without me, you and Cloud, at least. But with everything that’s happened and with everything that could still happen to Cloud… I haven’t forced the issue. It’s in his way to have his parent’s rings be passed down. I’ll have to get used to wearing a ring.” Aerith explained.  

Aerith gave her a second.

“So! How does Nibelheim do things! Different, I’m sure!” Aerith asked.

Tifa figured she had to give an answer, now that Aerith explained what she meant.

“We agree on building a house together.” Tifa mumbled.

It was so different to everyone else’s. 

Everyone else had a mutual exchange of something.

Nibelheim was an agreement of materialistic gain for one person over another.

Aerith blinked at her, not understanding.

“And…that’s it…?” Aerith asked, confused. 

Tifa nodded. “That’s it. We don’t hand over rings, or ribbons… Just I tell him what I want to be built, and he builds it.” Tifa answered. 

“That’s a little…?” Aerith tried not to disagree with.

“Archaic? Yeah. I know. I’ve had to live with it, and now I know there are other ways, but I still want a house that I agree on with him. But it was always frowned on if the male couldn’t build a house, there’s even a clause the agreement could be annulled because of it. I don’t care if Cloud needs help to build it. He just needs to be awake.” Tifa ranted. 

Aerith blinked at her. “Well, I’m going to end up blending mine and Zack’s together. Surely you can bend your house rules? Agree on passing something between you? The future showed you guys had rings. I figured you were married because of it. But now I figure you must have blended the rules, to have them.” Aerith explained.

Tifa paused at that.

Yeah. Denzel’s parents had rings. Even their kid had their ring around his neck that the nine-year-old carried and showed off with pride.

They must have added it in the terms. Or it became part of the terms later. 

Tifa already knew she was going to leave it open-ended and open for more agreements, and changes later.

If gill was an issue (which she never doubted it would ever be), or circumstances changed, then the house could change with them as they grew.

If the agreement on the house size was set in stone. They couldn’t change anything. 

And that had always grated on her. 

Tifa looked at Aerith, pondering. 

“I can borrow your ribbon part?” Tifa asked, tentatively. 

Aerith grinned, and pulled out from her pocket a spool of ribbon. “Way ahead of you!” She answered.

“You planned this from the start!” Tifa screeched. 

Aerith laughed. “But it got you to laugh!” She had insisted happily as she dangled the ribbon in the air. Tifa snatched it out of the air, heatedly.

Tifa glared at her, but she put the spool of ribbon in her pocket.

She would keep it, and she insisted on her mind that she would eventually use it with Cloud.

“You better let me use your flowers, or so help me.” Tifa growled.

Aerith kept laughing.

“Will do! Will do!” Aerith snickered happily. 

She had her own plans for the ribbon, if Cloud ever woke up, and actually agreed to making a house together. 

It was a mix of everything, but she didn’t think he would mind. 

He might mind the colour of the ribbon Aerith actually chose.

But at least it wasn’t fully pink. It was more red than anything else.

As long as it didn’t remind him of blood, and she would definitely make sure before it went near him.

Rings could happen later. They needed to be designed, then made first of.

She knew from the abundance of people around Midgar, and now understanding Jesse’s teasing about, “I don’t see a ring!”, and, “Should’a put a ring on it!” jokes, that people in Midgar followed that of Gongaga, and had rings to symbolise a union between two.

Tifa had enough people vying for Cloud when he wasn’t in agreement with her.

She had a feeling there needed to be rings involved, just so people would back off from Cloud. 

And he would probably be all for it. Since, he hated the wanton attention that Jesse had tried to give him. He would probably flash that piece of slim metal around faster then she could to get people to back off.

Tifa would metaphorically become his shield, huh?

She’d take that.

/

/

Cloud stared down at their arms in cross in amazement that he actually got there.

Hell, he’d go over every single word she said to him later, but the visual effect was there. He wasn’t imagining it.

He would come back to this moment just to ensure he hadn’t made it up. That it was happening. 

He was in agreement with her. And from what she said, she had thought they had been for a while. 

This was just physical.

He had to look up at her.

She was smiling proudly.

This was happening. 

“This is real?” He breathed in awe.

She nodded, and he felt her brushing her fingers around his elbow joint soothingly. He readily returned the gesture, then looked back down at their arms, to stare.

“Cloud?” She asked, timidly.

He shook his head. 

“I want to make it one of my memories.” He explained for her.

He had wanted it to be his for so long. Cloud had dreams about it.

He wasn’t sure how he would keep it, when his mind would revolt on him.

When the voices in the back of his head, that now only sounded awfully a lot like Brian Lockhart, that he had just imagined it, that he was stupid in thinking Tifa would ever make an agreement with him—

“Can you take the colour red?” Tifa asked, suddenly.

So suddenly he blinked out of his spiral Brian was putting him in, and looked back up to her.

“Red?” Cloud asked in confusion.

“What does the colour remind you of? Anything negative?” She asked.

Cloud blinked, and shook his head.

“What does it remind you of, then?” Tifa asked, wanting to be sure about something.

He lifted his free arm and tapped her cheek.

“You. Your eyes.” Cloud admitted. She watched as he signed her name.

Part of her Sign Name wasn’t red for nothing! Not that she still didn’t know what the third sign was!

Tifa blinked, then nodded as she smiled.

Cloud wasn’t too sure why she pulled out the red ribbon, but he went with it, curiously. 

“So, I know you have troubles with making sure things have happened, when they happen, if they happened. So here’s my physical proof of our agreement.” Tifa explained. 

Amazingly, she wasn’t finished.

Cloud watched in amazement that she expertly took the thin ribbon and wrapped it around their arms several times. 

“We can’t keep our arms tied together for all time, Tifa.” Cloud stated. Not that he couldn’t try.

He heard her snort in amusement. And she looked at him, her eyes glittering with it.

“Even when we let go, we can have the ribbon with us, see?” Tifa easily singed the length with a little bit of fire so it wouldn’t fray. Then put the excess away in her pocket.

Cloud noted the other end, that wrapped up towards him, had its end singed too.

“You can let my arm go now.” Tifa noted.

Cloud tried really hard not to pout, but let her go when he felt her let go.

Then he watched as she gathered the length up from around their arms only to equal its length in total, and she then had two pieces of ribbon in her hand that she held out to him.

“So, now you can see this ribbon, and know where it’s come from, and why you have it.” Tifa said.

She fiddled with her piece. 

“I’ve been trying to think of where I would put it…” Tifa muttered thoughtfully. 

Cloud sided his head. “It doesn’t have a set place to go?” He asked. 

He was very sure this ribbon business had nothing to do with the agreement, but he was still here for it.

Tifa shook her head. “I’m kinda butchering Aerith’s traditions here, I hope she won’t yell at me for it.” She explained nervously. 

He dropped his in his lap, and gestured for hers, she easily gave it to him. 

The future had their ribbons a more of a pink colour. And he could guess why.

But with everything so different and changed…

Cloud easily wrapped her ribbon around her upper arm in a little bow.

“There. It won’t be in the way there.” Cloud noted.

And he could easily see it there, whenever he needed the reminder.

Tifa giggled, then wiggled her fingers at him when he was finished tying. 

“Gimme!” She demanded. 

Cloud couldn’t help but chuckle that he didn’t get a second to go for it, when she lunged for it, and rolled up his hospital gown sleeve up onto his shoulder so she could tie his.

Even when the material slipped off his shoulder, he could still feel the little bow around his arm, and if he looked, he could see the singed lengths just poking out under his sleeve.

He would need to wear something that didn’t have sleeves in it, going forward, that was for sure, so any time he looked, he could see it easily.

Tifa pouted and grumbled in a whine when his sleeve slipped off his shoulder again.

He covered her hand. “I can still feel it.” He promised her. 

Then she grinned happily at him. Happy at that.

Whenever he needed to, he just needed to look at her, and he would see their red ribbon at her arm. Feel it on his. 

And he would know it happened. That they did agree.

Tifa chose no one else.

That he could go back to the little thirteen-year-old-him and tell him it happened. 

That Brian’s words didn’t create meaning in Tifa’s mind. She never believed in his words.

/

/

Denzel woke up at Aerith screeching in happiness, and the bed actually skidded to the side.

“Did you have to?” He heard Cloud grumble in annoyance.

“Sorry, Cloud! But—” Whatever her explanation was meant to be was overthrown by her squealing again so loudly that Denzel slammed his hands over his headphones.

He blearily opened his eyes again to squint at the commotion. 

On the end of the bed, Aerith had apparently run at the bed and was smothering Tifa, for some reason or other.

Happily doing so, apparently. Since both girls were smiling. 

Denzel looked further and saw Zack’s absolutely confused face, and felt vindication that he, too, had absolutely no idea what was going on, either.

“Um, girls?” Zack was asking, in confusion.

“Give them a sec, I think…” Cloud was muttering, sounding embarrassed.

Zack shrugged a shoulder, saw Denzel was awake and gave him a wink.

Maybe the man knew more than he was letting on, and Denzel had to glare at him for it.

Zack burst out laughing at him glaring.

Denzel moved when he felt Cloud tap his shoulder.

He looked up to see Cloud’s face turn concerned. 

“Sorry,” He said and made a gesture at the same time. Spy code! “Did we wake you?” He asked, sounding apologetic. 

He shrugged. “Maybe, but I am hungry, though.” Denzel answered.

Aerith was immediately jumping to her feet, her one arm shooting into the air.

“I can make something!” She said joyfully, and sped off.

Zack was looking to where she left, nervously.

“I don’t know if I trust that, actually…” Denzel heard the man mutter nervously before he gave a salute-wave and left the room.

Cloud snorted, then looked back to Tifa. “Are you okay?” He asked.

Tifa grunted as she righted herself back to sitting.

“I hadn’t actually expected her to figure it out that quickly, or without me telling her. I guess she’s not mad I threw fire at her traditions…” Tifa grumbled as she dusted herself off. 

Denzel squeaked in alarm at being lifted, then embarrassment when he figured it was only Cloud moving him to sit in his lap, and he muttered his apologies at being momentarily frightened. Then he grumbled at Cloud, ruffling his hair in acceptance. 

He really did like these two. He hoped he could stay with them for a very long time.

Chapter Text

There’s an old familiar silence, when I’m lost inside my heart.
I can’t hear the voice inside me: So I look up to the stars.
There is darkness ever waiting. I can feel it in the air.
So I call upon my angels: Are you still there?
When the wind bends the branch to softly touch me.
When the band plays your song.
I feel strong enough to keep dreaming.
Even when I’m all alone, our love goes on and on.

— Lindsey Stirling & Amy Lee (Love Goes On & On)

72. Love Goes On & On

Once Cloud could prove he could stay awake for a whole mind-numbing boring day, they approved him starting physio.

The only flaw on their part is that they drastically underestimated Cloud.

“Stop when you feel strain or exhaustion.” It was the only stipulation they gave him.

They thoroughly underestimated his stamina.

And how bored Cloud could easily get, sitting in one place. 

He had a house to build. And literally the only thing stopping him from doing it, was quite literally his own health.

If he could prove he could stand without exhaustion. He was good to start walking.

And if he could prove he could walk without getting exhausted? He was out of Mideel.

The only issue was, in fact, his own health.

While he could go longer than the so-called regular people at physio, apparently, he still got exhausted easily.

He knew he would get better. And he found his limitations early on, and stopped before he collapsed in exhaustion.

Being asleep didn’t do him a world of good. Especially now that Denzel was cleared.

The poor kid was bored and awake nearly all day. The kid only dropped from exhaustion, and needed to nap only a few times a day. Denzel hated it.

And his pseudo father wasn’t of any use to him asleep.

So, Cloud timed physio sessions, and stopped before exhaustion hit him.

His doctor applauded him for being a model patient. 

He almost threw a rude hand gesture at the man with impenitence. 

But Denzel was awake, so he thought better of it.

Cloud was getting tired of being wheeled up and down to the nearest hot spring, only for Zack to lift him in.

His friend never seemed to mind, or seemed to ever find it awkward.

Cloud, supposed in his own way, he was helping Zack heal by being awake and responding to him with words and signs that weren’t gibberish.

He did ponder how they got him down to the pool, or the pool to him. But neither of them answered.

Cloud left it alone. Thankful for the wheelchair, and the downtrodden grass for existing.

Cloud couldn’t wait until he could walk this path himself, and not rely on Zack and Tifa. Aerith, as well, to help distract Denzel while they were all out.

None of them wanted the kid to question why the water made Cloud hiss and sizzle at times.

The first time they headed down after the agreement, Tifa brought a little wooden bowl with her, that was given to her by a way-too-smiley-Aerith.

He was wary of it, until he understood that it was for their ribbons. Laid on top of their towels, weighed by a nearby rock, in clear view for him to see.

He wasn’t sure if they could get wet, especially with whatever else was in this water was, so he was glad Tifa thought of something.

Cloud also wasn’t sure how Zack knew exactly when to come back, and was thankful he did because the one time he was late, Cloud had started to violently shiver.

He very much did not like that.

So the wooden bowl became a fixture in their little adventures down to the pool. And he always made sure to put it back on before the doctors demanded his time and blood.

It became something he focused on staring at, while they pooled blood from his other arm. If not his own ribbon, then Tifa’s.

With his strength returning, he feared the next time they did it, he’d unwillingly harm them.

For some reason, this time was taking longer, that even Tifa looked up and over at the doctor.

“Ma’am,” The doctor started, with Zack off with Denzel, far, far away from the cabin, and with Aerith pointing to herself, Cloud could gather the man meant her. “Would you be alright to run these over to the doctor outside? I need a moment of their time.” He asked, politely.

This doctor was the nice one out of the lot, Cloud had decided early on. And he knew him by his glasses, if not by name. Joe…something. Smith?

Aerith easily nodded, and made herself scarce, hiding the tubes she carried expertly out of Cloud’s vision.

Once Aerith was gone, and Cloud knew by her lack of heartbeat that she had closed the door behind herself.

He looked over to the doctor, Smith, he was sure his name was, was readjusting his glasses, the man was looking not at him, but at Tifa.

“You have had concerns, of late, of the persistence of the positive intrusive cells, correct?” Smith was asking, rounding the bed and gesturing to the lit up board.

Cloud was coming to find out the board was linked to one at their main building. Whatever Tifa wrote up there, would appear on their board, and vice versa with theirs.

It’s how Tifa could see his results as fast as they could turn them out, they just slapped it up on the board once it was freshly printed, then they discussed via the board and her PHS what they found. 

Normally Cloud was too out of it to understand, and Tifa, way too used to him being so, that he let slide them both disregarding him out of habit. 

He learnt way more by listening then interrupting. 

It was how he knew he wasn’t healing up internally, like how Zack and Denzel had. He wasn’t blind to their final statements being levied against his last two.

He had stubborn positives, ones that had easily dissolved in everyone else. 

And naturally, Tifa was the more concerned.

Cloud, by his own standards, was functioning better then he had in the past year and a half. 

But that wasn’t enough for Tifa’s wellbeing. 

There was a little bar graph off to the side that put his levels against Zack’s and Denzel’s.

Currently, Denzel had about half that of Zack’s negatives. And Cloud had triple that of Zack.

With his positives being outliers.

He supposed it was a concern for the doctors as well.

And probably should be his.

But he hadn’t had the thought to go North.

No shaking in his hand.

No green in his vision, no growling, no hissing.

And no Sephiroth in the back of his head. And no physical Sephiroth either, or so he was told from Reeve. Who had taken whoever he could to check out the Northern Crater, to be sure.

Just ruined and destroyed natural materia crystals, presumably destroyed when WEAPON hit it. No barrier. Nothing left.

He supposed Tifa wanted to make sure it stayed that way.

And he figured she was right.

So he stayed quiet.

Smith, by now, had gotten to their little board, and one of the older results had left it. 

He turned to Tifa. 

“With your permission, at the level Mister Strife was previously, if he hasn’t regressed—” Which, from what he knew, he never had, but Cloud digressed. “We can look into seeing how it will affect his blood continuously and for passability.” He explained. 

Cloud had no idea what each of the statements meant, but Tifa was nodding. 

“Why can you do it now?” Tifa asked, curiously.

Smith nodded. “We have a better understanding of what the foreign matter in his blood will do, and with permission, we can proceed to see what it will do if left as is. Whether we still need to submit Strife here to blood draws.” Smith explained.

He perked up at that.

Smith noticed, and nodded. 

“I assume fewer needles is always a good thing, sir?” He asked. 

Cloud nodded. It was one less obstacle to leaving this place.

He could be walking and running, but if there were still positives, yeah, he wasn’t going anywhere near civilisation. 

On, apparently, everyone’s orders, on that front.

His own too.

Smith gestured his head at the point. 

“We’ll see, but I’m optimistic.” He stated. 

In the next five minutes, the results were posted.

Cloud had no clue to the jargon, and most of the actual words were in a smaller print that he couldn’t make out from halfway across the room.

Tifa was looking towards Smith, and he ran the results over in his mind. 

“He hasn’t regressed, and I didn’t think he would start now. Which means we can look into what keeping the positives will do to him. Until then,” He looked to Cloud. “You can be needle free until we have a conclusion.” Cloud grinned, and he looked back to Tifa. “I still may need you or Fair’s assessment on some of the issues that are unfamiliar to us that we can’t source from ShinRa. If you could keep your PHS on you, if we have questions.” Smith requested.

Tifa was nodding and seeing the man out.

With the man gone, as good as a doctor he was, as soon as the door clicked shut Cloud sighed in relief and sat up properly.

He could never relax with them around. 

Tifa easily came back, and as usual had her PHS out to let everyone else know the cabin for free space again.

Cloud continued to wiggle his toes and move his legs in preparation for the day he could finally stand up again.

He was nearly there. 

It took Cloud another month before they ruled him well enough to stand up, that he almost punch their air, and demanded Zack’s help.

Politely.

He politely asked Zack, pleadingly without words.

So much, Zack had just laughed.

“I’ll go fetch you some kiddy socks!” Zack was saying as he left the room, laughing.

When Zack came back, Cloud understood what he meant.

The socks the doctors demanded he use, had little dots for grip on the soles of his feet.

And he couldn’t get away with using anything else.

Kiddy socks, or no standing, and therefore no walking.

But if anyone was expecting him to complain, they were stunned silent when Cloud just took the socks and jammed them onto his feet.

He’d take the grip socks.

One step closer.

Two steps back.

Just standing for a second got him so exhausted, he passed out for the rest of the day.

And he missed dinner.

Annoyingly.

But if anything, by now Denzel glared at any doctor that suggested he move back to his own bed, and that bed be moved back into the second room the cabin had.

“No.” Denzel had growled and dug into Cloud’s side harder.

“Leave him be.” Cloud stated, warningly. 

So, Tifa had taken to Denzel’s spare bed now. She would have taken his other side, but the hospital beds were not designed for three people in mind. And there was no way either of them were risking Denzel falling out, or being uncomfortably squished between the railing and Cloud’s side. 

During most nights, they squished the beds together, and shoved down the corresponding rails, leaving the middle for Denzel, and Tifa close enough to settle his anxiety if he woke up. 

This time, it was like he had gone back two, three, months.

Tifa, in her bed, was halfway across the room. But at least she was there, Denzel was under his arm. And his ribbon was on his arm.

Right.

He knew where he was.

And it was easy to fall back asleep. 

/

/

He got better and better at standing still, but after a month he still could only last a minute before he was sitting again, he growled at the progress.

It was slow, and he hated it. 

He hated that he was back to square one, that anything he did to progress, had him laid out flat once more.

But if anything, he didn’t need to have needles and blood taken every two days, the doctors were still content to do their little research project.

He tried really hard to separate them from Hojo.

They were doing it for his benefit. Whereas Hojo…

Yeah. No.

While he didn’t have his blood drawn, they still figured it would be better for him to upkeep the routine of visiting the hot springs.

He didn’t mind being in them. It was the getting in and out of that he minded now. 

He always needed Zack’s help to lift him in and out. 

Zack was never bothered, but Cloud was getting annoyed with his own limitations.

Maybe seeing that, it was Aerith that stayed that time, and Zack taking Denzel earlier. They had a time getting him out of the pool, but Cloud was proud at the fact he did it by himself, and he was only a little out of breath.

He was unconscious as soon as he was back in bed, but he took it as a win.

Sometimes Tifa’s PHS would ring out, and she would wave it around. 

With that, Cloud knew it was the doctors calling, and not any number of their friends, which got placed on loudspeaker.

With the wave, Cloud knew she would be off to the main building, and either Aerith would come with Zack, or she would come by herself. Her coming by herself meant they also called Zack in.

And they would play cards, or a game on Cloud’s PHS, until they returned. 

/

/

Zack took in the hunched over position Denzel Strife-Hart was in, with a little confusion. 

“Something eating you, little buddy?” Zack asked, sitting next to him.

That was as close as Zack wanted to get to the hot springs. 

The kid, like always, had the ability to shove his entire hand in the water and not have his small hairs rise on edge with caution.

How the kid was able to do it, amazed, not just Zack.

“Miss Tifa is too nice.” Denzel muttered quietly.

Zack nearly missed the words on the wind, and if he hadn’t been enhanced, he wouldn’t have heard the words over the wind at all.

“How so?” Zack asked. 

The polite honorifics were new. And Zack had a feeling they were linked to the kid’s trauma for adults.

He had an inkling about what the kid had to do from the off comments the kid made, and all the observations Cloud’s friends were attempting to dig up back in Edge.

Reeve was having a time tracking down orphans that once belonged to Midgar, on something Denzel had said so casually. Zack didn’t want it to be true. But knowing ShinRa… He didn’t want to know why most, if not, all, orphan cases went cold. It didn’t help that ShinRa Tower and Midgar as a whole were toxic to most people. And would be, for a long while.

ShinRa would have seen the children as their property.

And Zack knew exactly what ShinRa loved to do with live test subjects behind closed doors, off the record.

“She took out emergency guardianship over me.” Denzel stated, sounding softly awed.

“And this is being nice?” Zack asked, confused.

He so desperately wanted to get inside this kid’s head, if only for the kid’s own benefit.

Denzel looked up at him, and nodded, before looking back to the stick he was moving the pool water around with. 

“She didn’t need to.” Denzel muttered. “I’m not saying I’m not grateful!” He panicked, looking back to Zack, going pale.

Zack had enough years with Cloud to know that’s not what he meant.

Usually about now the SSL came out.

But this kid didn’t know Sign.

And Zack didn’t know if he was stepping on toes by asking if he wanted to learn, so kept it to himself. He’d have to ask Cloud later.

“I didn’t think you were, keep going.” Zack requested, sitting down heavily next to the kid, and leaning one arm up against his upturned knee.

Denzel looked back to him, apprehensively. “You’ve known them a long time, haven’t you, Mister Zack?” He asked, tentatively. 

Zack tried to control the urge to shudder at this kid calling him mister.

Maybe he could train the kid into calling him the Fun Uncle, or something.

But anything but that.

Zack mused, he must call everyone by an honorific. 

But never Cloud, it seemed.

Cloud must have stamped it out early, then.

“I have?” Zack answered.

He didn’t know whether to state he spent the better part of five years, once he knew Tifa, unconscious. He knew her better now. 

“How do I keep Mister Cloud from giving me up?” Denzel asked. 

Or not.

Zack paused.

“He, what?” He sputtered out.

Denzel paled. “So he won’t leave! So Miss Tifa won’t leave!” Denzel elaborated. 

Zack got a better picture of the kid’s life in the last five seconds then in the past half year and two universes, alone. 

“I need to be good, so they won’t yell at me, and tell me to leave!” Denzel added.

Ah.

There it is.

The reason.

“You’re using polite words and honorifics to show you’re good, huh.” Zack answered. 

The future Denzel was never polite with his words. Shy, maybe at times. But way too much like his father: direct. Outgoing like his mother.

That this Denzel being polite, felt too jarring.

The poor kid was staring at him like he was going to get shot.

Zack could only chuckle sadly.

“What if I told you, you could be yourself, and eat the entire cake too?” Zack asked. 

In seconds, Denzel was on his knees, looking at Zack, like he wished to grab his shoulders, pleadingly.

Chapter Text

I’ve been everywhere, turning over stones. Trying to find a place to call my home.
Tried everything under the sun. To numb the pain was all but done.
Dirt on my grave. Covered in shame. In my lowest place. Then you called my name.
No longer chained to all my pain. I’m hearing you calling my name every day. You rescued me.
There’s nowhere in the world that I could go, where your love won’t find me; Even at the end of the darkest road.
You never gave up on me, every time I walked away, you came running after me.
And no matter where I go, I know you will always be there.

— The Afters (You Never Gave Up On Me)

73. You Never Gave Up On Me

Zack could only chuckle sadly.

“What if I told you, you could be yourself, and eat the entire cake too?” Zack asked. 

In seconds, Denzel was on his knees, looking at Zack, like he wished to grab his shoulders, pleadingly.

“What do you mean!?” Denzel cried in shock.

Zack couldn’t help but shake his head.

“You don’t need honorifics. You don’t need to ever call Cloud mister to his face, or to us when he’s not around, the same with Tifa. They’re not ma’am, sir, miss. No. I’m not a sir. Aerith isn’t a ma’am. And the people back in Midgar who demanded that of you, so you could live, will meet the sharper side of my sword, if you ever point them out to me.” Zack demanded, protectively.

Denzel looked so perplexingly lost, Zack gave him a second.

“Cloud said I shouldn’t call him sir,” Denzel breathed in shock. He looked up to Zack. “Never?” He asked, awed.

Zack shook his head. “Never. Ever.” He elaborated.

Denzel pointed to him. “Not sir?” He giggled at the elaborate disgusted face Zack pulled at this.

“Never!” Zack groaned out, and landing out his back dramatically. “I am never accepting that title from you!” He cried out in disdain.

Zack finally heard giggles from the kid, and grinned, knowing he had done a good job.

He even ignored the poking from the stick the kid had.

That was more like the kid Cloud’s son was.

“Anything else then?” Denzel was asking. 

Zack absolutely knew a word trap when he heard it.

But he was way too eager to fling the trap in reverse.

“As long as it’s not, sir!” Zack cried disparagingly, throwing his arms up towards the sky.

Another giggle.

“Then I can call you Dingle Berry?” Zack hummed and closed his eyes. Tame. “Cross Eyed?” Zack snorted like he hadn’t heard that one before. “... Old Fart?” Denzel quipped. 

Zack’s eyes flew open, and he scooped the kid up and started tickling him in a second.

The kid roared with laughter.

“Oh. That is it! You crossed a line!” Zack cackled teasingly. This kid!

There was the Denzel he knew.

Where he belonged. 

“Not those either!” Zack yelled over the roar of laughter, then set the kid back down.

It was good to hear the kid laughing again.

The kid had to angle his head up to look at him, so Zack easily sat back down on the grass to save his neck.

“But there’s something I can call you, besides your name?” Denzel asked, sounding confused.

Zack grinned and ruffled his hair.

Denzel grumbled and tried to swack his hand away.

Zack let him.

“Well, sure if you want, if you don’t wanna call me by my name. I demand the title Fun Uncle, m’Kay? Let no one else take it from me.” Zack quipped.

Denzel stared at him.

“Wait. What?” He asked, lost.

Zack roared with laughter.

“You’re in this for the long haul, kid! You better get used to an extremely long line of more and more ridiculous aunts and uncles, then we are. I’m the Fun one, same with Aerith, you got that? I’m not the lame one, like Cid is. Mine is the Fun one!” Zack claimed while curving his pointer finger and tapping his cheek twice in SSL for fun, for emphasis. Then tapped his two smallest fingers twice together afterwards for Uncle. He was the Fun Uncle, and no one could tell him he was the Lame one!

Denzel was lost. Even so, he eagerly tried to memorise the Spy code. Zack knew it too!

In order to have an uncle. Even a fun one at that…

In order to have an uncle, he needed parents.

A family.

Of which he did not have.

No matter what Zack claimed, with fun times and words.

Tifa’s guardianship was emergency, as in temporary. 

And Cloud had nothing in those terms.

He doubted they would be willing to do the school run twice a day, day in and day out. Every day.

No sane person would do that for a kid that wasn’t their own.

And he didn’t doubt, with how ew they were and hand holding like how his parents had been, that they wouldn’t have their own kids, sooner or later. With how he was the only kid around, he didn’t think they had them yet.

No matter what they said now, when they had their own kids, he would then be pushed out.

Just like what Charlotte said.

She got adopted, then she was back in the system a year later because her adoptive parents were finally able to have their own kids. She didn’t get to be there long enough for it to become lawful. Or official. Apparently?

It wasn’t safe.

And it wasn’t for him to hope it ever would be.

Calm as it is now. He’d take now.

But he would never assume the future could be his.

That he could ask for more than what he was given, when it came to Tifa and Cloud. 

Times changed, and he needed to be flexible with it, and them.

He understood they meant their words, now.

And he was thankful for it.

But they weren’t final.

Words and agreements changed. Constantly.

But he could humour his Fun Uncle, and his naive words.

“Okay, then ‘Fun, Uncle Zack’…” He heard the humoured snort the title got from Zack. Either that or he failed the Spy Code that went with it.

And he absolutely had to not get used to the good zip-zap being able to call him that did to him.

It wasn’t fixed. 

It was temporary.

No matter what any adult said.

“How do we make sure you stay the Fun, Uncle Zack? We should probably start with you keeping the title.” Denzel humoured.

Zack laughed. 

“Oh, buddy, you don’t need to do anything to stay. Hell, you could name the most obscure colour of paint for your room, and Cloud would travel the entirety of Gaia to find it.” Zack explained. 

None of that made sense to Denzel, but he shrugged.

But whatever his Fun, Uncle Zack said. Whatever tap-tap cheek, and tap-tap fingers said.

So when he saw Aerith approaching, he pointed to her, once she was close enough.

“You’re Fun, Auntie Aerith.” Denzel stated, wanting this ruse to be over with.

For the other shoe to drop.

But Aerith just froze, then threw up her arms once she comprehended his words.

“Woo-hoo!” She cheered happily, unsuspectingly, to Denzel.

These guys were crazy!

“I’m the FUN one! Take that Yuffie!” She yelled to the sky, triumphantly.

Denzel stared.

Who the heck was Yuffie?!

These guys were genuinely good people. He didn’t expect them to keep the prank up.

But every time there after he met up with either of them, they grinned at him with such pride, and wouldn’t answer to anything but those titles.

Not even their names!

They were crazy.

/

/

Denzel didn’t want to question the sour faces on Tifa and Cloud, or the reason Aerith gently guided him out of the cabin.

‘Fun, Uncle Zack’, had been asked up to the main building for something, and then everyone’s mood just changed.

And no one was telling him why. Because it was probably grown-up talk.

All they did was talk, he swore.

Not that Denzel didn’t actually need to talk to Tifa himself.

About several things, since she was his guardian now.

Most of them involved going back to school, and he didn’t want to get in trouble.

He also didn’t want her in trouble because of him.

He knew from Bridgette, who had been sick most of her life. Parents, and even guardians, since she lived with her aunt, could get in trouble if children became truant in the eyes of the school system.

He didn’t want Tifa to get in trouble because she didn’t know he needed to be in school. Or the school needed her to contact them because he was in Mideel. She probably needed to send over evidence he was sick to begin with.

… And the fact she was his temporary guardian now, and not his parents. And what happened to his birth parents in the first place…

But he…

He didn’t want to have the conversation…

It might give her more than what she wanted to handle when it came to him.

What if school was the last straw?

“Let’s…give them a moment…” Aerith had stated at the time, and steered him out.

Apparently this meant going to check up on the new fruit and vegetable garden that she and Zack had made progress with.

He didn’t know much about gardening…

But he appreciated it all the same.

The air in the cabin had gotten suffocating. 

He looked up to Aerith, who was doing magic on the long green leafy plant thingy he was trying to water.

What if…?

“Miss Aerith?” He asked. She ignored him. And he blinked, then sighed. “Auntie Aerith?” He tried again. Spy Code for aunt was apparently pressing his thumbs together horizontally. 

She turned her head and grinned at him.

“How’s the water?” She asked.

Denzel blinked, looking down and seeing the puddle he was making, moved the hose a little to the next plant.

“Um…” Denzel muttered.

Aerith had paused in checking the garden, and turned to him fully.

“Is it my fault?” Denzel asked. She blinked and turned the water off, much to his concern. “That we needed to leave…?” He muttered.

He heard her hum, then watched as she shook her head.

“Just some bad news. Nothing was your fault, Denzel.” Aerith explained. 

He looked up at her, in panic.

“Are they gonna die?” Denzel asked immediately.

Why she giggled, he had no idea.

“No.” Aerith answered, running her fingers through his hair. “Neither of them are gonna die.” She added, in mirth.

“Then what’s wrong? What did I do?” Denzel asked, worriedly. 

There was a reason Aerith made him leave the cabin.

Was he the fault?

Did someone contact them because of him? It was the new year, school might have started already. What if he was truant? Did Tifa get in trouble?

Aerith shook her head. 

“You’re not in trouble, and you’re not the cause of the trouble.” Aerith stated.

He looked at her, exasperated. 

“Then why did we need to leave?!” He exploded in confusion.

“Your parents just got a bit of bad news, and I figured they needed to handle it on their own, before they would be able to tell anyone else.” Aerith said, gently.

Denzel stared at her.

His parents?

His parents were dead. Why was she bringing them up when he was asking about Cloud and Tifa?

What bad news could the dead receive?

He stared at her, in complete but slowly clarifying confusion.

She wasn’t referring to his dead parents, but to Cloud and Tifa as his parents.

Why she and Zack demanded the aunt and uncle titles.

She thought Cloud and Tifa were his parents.

“They’re not…” Denzel tried to wrap his tongue around the words he needed to say, to correct her.

They weren’t his 'forever' parents.

No matter how much he wished they would be.

Aerith hummed and pat his head several times.

“They’ll be alright, we’ll just give them some time alone, and when they’re ready we’ll go back.” Aerith reminded. 

Whenever ready would be.

But maybe he could ignore the miscommunication a little longer. If he didn’t announce her mistake, then at least they could pretend she was right.

“And Uncle Zack?” Denzel asked, glaring at his fingers when they automatically made the Spy Code for Zack.

He could pretend about that too. And ignore the zaps down his spine he wanted to keep.

“He’ll come here, if they’re not ready for us to come back.” Aerith noted.

Whatever this bad news was, it didn’t happen because of him, Denzel could gather. But Zack and Aerith knew what it was.

They just weren’t telling. 

Maybe Denzel was too young for it?

At least no one was dead.

He looked back up to Aerith uneasily.

Denzel would…he would need to tell her eventually that he wasn’t their son.

But he… But he liked the idea of her thinking he was.

If he got used to it, oh how hard it would be to give up.

Charlotte had nearly cried herself, and starved herself, to death because she was abandoned. 

Denzel swore he wouldn’t.

He could pretend, and then it wouldn’t hurt him.

And he could ignore the pain in his heart to know they weren’t. And they never would be.

Denzel went back to watering the green plants silently.

And Aerith went back to checking on them with magic.

It glowed. Magic was pretty.

Not too long later, Zack came back, and he wasn’t surprised to see the ex-ShinRa man wrap his arms around Aerith silently.

Denzel was used to them being yuck.

They didn’t seem to be married. No one around here seemed to be married, yet the two couples acted like it.

Adults were weird.

“How are they?” Denzel heard Aerith ask, quietly and muffled against Zack.

She sounded…sad? Resigned?

Zack just hummed, Denzel immediately looked back to the plants he was watering, like he couldn’t hear the conversation two feet away from him.

“I mean, I guess we all knew there was a chance it could happen. That they couldn’t…you know…” Zack tried to explain, muffled against Aerith’s head.

“But?” Aerith prodded. 

Zack seemed to sigh.

“I think we took it worse then they did. I thought either of them would explode in tears or rage. I would. But Cloud? Literally shrugged. Tifa looked a little glum, but she must have known from before that it was a higher chance of happening then not. Then both of them looked at me, and asked where Denzel was.” Zack grumbled, sounding vexed.

Denzel categorised the sigh Aerith gave out as annoyed. 

“I told Tifa that she could message me, if she wanted us back.” Aerith grumbled. 

Zack chuckled. “I was there. And Cloud was the one who asked, not Tifa.” Zack corrected.

She hummed. “We better get Denzel back to his parents, then, if they’re asking for him.” Aerith said, trying to sound cheerful.

Denzel tried not to twitch in mute despondent sorrow.

They weren’t his parents.

And they never would be.

Chapter Text

I’ve been out in this world alone. All I’ve known is rot and ruin, blood and bone.
Those I’ve loved are all dead or gone: Promise you won’t leave me now.
You’ve been lost in a world so changed. Hardened by the coldest winter, numbed by pain.
You’re so fierce, but you feel so safe: Promise you won’t leave me now. Stay with me, and we’ll find a way.
Look beyond the rot and ruin; hope remains. There’s a bond that we can’t explain: Promise you won’t leave me now.
I’m not scared of the blood and bone, I’m just scared that I’ll watch you go:
Promise you won’t leave me now…

— Karliene (Something to Fight for)

74. Something to Fight for

It started with the phone call that got Zack spiriting out of the cabin.

And then Aerith and Denzel left.

But Cloud could see the reason printed up on the lit up board.

The words: Passability Connection Positive. Lit up in bold cursive, like it was happy to be announced.

Not in the damn slightest when Cloud noted the immediate panic it put in Tifa’s scent. Or in the way her arms locked up anxiously.

Zack noted it, saw the words, and left because of it.

Cloud still had no idea what the term meant, even after nearly two months after he first heard it being tossed around by Smith, only knowing it was something Tifa was concerned about.

They all knew what it meant. And probably hadn’t realised he didn’t.

But with the word positive and in how Aerith ushered Denzel out?

He could figure it was bad.

Just how bad, he didn’t know.

“Tifa?” He questioned.

He could have felt her flinch from the other side of the damn moon.

But she didn’t look at him.

Like she was blaming herself for something.

But she eventually looked at him.

He couldn’t put a word to her expression.

Distressed? Apologetic?

Cloud didn’t know why. It was his blood. Nothing to do with hers.

He patted his bed. Since he couldn’t go to her for very long.

Tifa mutely nodded, and sat on his bed.

“You have got to tell me what this is.” Cloud asked.

Tifa stared at him, paling in realisation.

“You don’t know.” She breathed.

Cloud shook his head.

“Nope. Explain it? Passability?” He asked.

He had the great timing of asking, but before he heard the front open, and Zack’s altered heartbeat to announce him before he even stepped one foot in.

Cloud noted the look of guilt on his face.

“Sorry, dude.” The man muttered.

For some reason, and held out the rest of the document that followed the words on the lit up board.

He easily took it.

“He doesn’t know.” He barely heard Tifa explain.

“Shit.” Zack answered.

Passability.

Cloud read the results as fast as he could understand the medical jargon.

It meant genetically.

As in, biological.

As in, could he pass the positives to any children.

The short answer was yes.

Yes, he damn well could.

And with the positives the results highlighted, that he still had. Never mind that he wanted to pass any down to any unsuspecting children.

The positives he still had, he could somehow contain and not allow to multiply in his blood. 

But to anyone else … Much less a defenseless child… As long as he had a positive gene in passing everything down, if it was never cleansed by Holy into a negative…

Chaos. Very much enhanced. Concerned.

The long answer was that if he had any children, there was a high chance they would snap, at any given moment.

Like Sephiroth.

But unlike Sephiroth, be immune to Holy’s light.

Enhanced, and immune.

And just like that. Cloud knew for certain, now more so, that the off comment the older blonde made about never having biological kids…

He couldn’t be allowed to have children with the possibility of any positives passing down to them.

But now it was a given.

Why the heck was Tifa blaming herself for this?

Cloud should be the one to apologise.

He couldn’t give her children.

Cloud looked up and noted she had another copy, and she had finished the last page of recommendations that he didn’t have children biologically.

She was looking at him cautiously.

“Cloud?” She asked.

He just sighed and tossed the document to the side.

“Figures.” He muttered.

Tifa blinked at him. “You figured?” Tifa asked.

Cloud could only shrug. “He said he couldn’t have them. Now we know why.” He answered.

“You’re…not mad? Upset?” Tifa asked, hesitantly.

Cloud looked to her, siding his head.

“Only if you are.” He said.

Tifa shook her head. “If anything, I’m just glad you can live with them without something else happening…” She breathed in relief.

Like she could deal with having no biological children.

But him going off the rails was where she drew the line.

“They noted that Cloud constantly negated the positives. There was no sign of that ability degenerating in any of the tests they did with them. Except when they migrated them over.” Zack noted.

Both looked to him, confused.

He ruffled his hair. “Yeah. I had to ask for clarification. In SOLDIER terms, Cloud’ll literally be the last one. I have remains, but in a fist contest? Cloud’s gonna win over me.” They both blinked in surprise. “Don’t get me wrong. I can and could punch out a concrete steel beam. But Cloud, here, could obliterate it in a second if he doesn’t remember to hold back. I might need two hits. I don’t exactly want to have to test the theory.” Zack warned. 

“But you can have kids, because there are no positives with you.” Tifa answered.

Zack shrugged and nodded. “If Aerith wants ‘em. Sure. There’s the whole Cetra can of worms to deal with. Because they traced the gene back in me as well. Yay for that knowledge, by the way. That’s a discussion we need to have when we get there.” Zack answered.

Zack had figured the maths, if he and Aerith eventually had kids? They would be Cetran by heritage, and could probably commune with the Life stream, and Gaia, better than Aerith could.

Cloud noted when Zack came back from thought land.

“Are you okay with this?” Zack asked.

Cloud shrugged. As long as Tifa was, he wasn’t too concerned.

“I was more concerned with them using the remaining positives to make me walk off into the ocean.” Cloud answered. 

Zack and Tifa shook their heads.

“Nope.” They answered immediately. 

Cloud figured with the amount of information in the document he just read that it was now the case his own negatives were overruling the positives. Kept in check.

But it was nice to know he couldn’t go off the rails without consent.

Everything the older blonde had been able to do, that had mimicked Sephiroth, in the way he fought and could fight in the air easily, made sense. 

Those positives were all linked to physicalities. So it wasn’t hard to figure they could be used to fight.

As long as he couldn’t become Sephiroth, or ever be used by him again?

The trade-off for that was never having children.

Tifa was in agreement with that.

So Cloud sat up a little more, and looked around, suddenly confused.

Then back to Zack. 

“Where’s Denzel?” He asked.

Zack had just blinked at him, stunned for a moment, then loudly started to laugh, he grabbed his sides as he bent over in two.

“I get it! I get it!” The man was trying to explain.

Tifa and Cloud looked at each other and shrugged. 

Cloud loved the guy like a brother, but even he had a hard time understanding him sometimes.

Cloud just watched as the dark haired man tried and failed to compose himself, waved his hand, and turned towards the door.

“I’ll go get your son.” He explained through his laughter. 

Then he was gone. His laughter followed him behind.

/

/

Tifa had known there was a chance.

But seeing it in writing cemented it. 

Did she apologise? 

Cry?

In the end, she did neither.

Cloud hadn’t minded the conclusion. He remembered what they had warned about in passing.

Figured already it would be his fate, and had left it to her to see if they should be mad or not.

Tifa was just glad living with the positives was something he would be able to do, without more consequences.

She didn’t need children. While it was a choice made for her? She would take it over seeing Cloud regress back to the violent hand shakes and his body deciding he wanted to take a dangerous dive into water. The forced naps. And the seizures.

Denzel was already their kid before they first met him.

She needed a parenting book. And she needed it, stat.

/

/

Denzel was so very, very, confused.

They returned to the cabin.

Nothing was out of place.

Nothing different in the way they smelled (yeah, that was taking Denzel a moment to figure he could now do).

Nothing in their faces that said they were angry, or had been crying.

They looked no different.

And Denzel had no idea what was wrong.

There was a document in Cloud’s hands that he was folding up, and discarding on the side table.

But that was it.

He looked at Aerith and Zack.

Zack was shrugging.

Aerith looked a little confused, but then smiled. 

“If you’re sure.” Aerith was saying.

Denzel had no clue what was going on.

“We’re good.” Cloud had answered.

What was going on?!

It was never addressed again.

Whatever it was seemed to be resolved. No more sour-scented moods.

No more doctors every two days that he got chucked out for.

Cloud apparently didn’t need blood work drawn. But now, like him, needed physical check-ups for the Geostigma.

Now with them both in the same room when notes and whispers happened? Denzel could note that he and Cloud were very much not alike.

And that was probably because Cloud was enhanced like a SOLDIER as well as Geostigma’d like Denzel.

But from the mutterings, Cloud was also different to Zack. More enhanced, somehow.

So, of course, they were gonna be different.

It now just made sense why Cloud could walk around (and run, don’t tell Tifa), Mideel when Denzel couldn’t go from the bedroom to the bathroom without his legs becoming liquid. 

Cloud had to catch him more than once, much to Denzel’s dismay the man had caught him, or saw it in the first place.

The every second day checks, became every third, then once a week, when nothing changed, and they were happy in the consistency in the nothing that would change.

But for some reason, Cloud had still decided to go into the hot springs.

Denzel came with him a few times. He got the warning that Geostigma made the water hiss at Cloud. 

The water was weird. But Cloud splashed him in the face when he said so, with a massive grin on his face. Then Denzel impulsively jumped into the water in retaliation.

Tifa had laughed herself hoarse when Denzel came back, apologising that his only clothes were wet.

Denzel knew from that moment on, that if he was being cajoled, or if he wanted to follow Cloud outside, to get changed into swimwear that magically popped up on the shelf the following day, because as he was finding out? Cloud threw water into his face on the regular. And the grin he didn’t know Cloud possessed was always on his face a second before the man decided to dunk him.

Denzel hadn’t known the man had a mischievous side. But he liked it.

But it made it all the harder to know it was temporary.

Towards the middle end of the year, Denzel had to make sure he didn’t refer to Aerith and Zack by title around Cloud and Tifa. 

He had nearly slipped a few times.

What if that was the last straw?

Decisions made for them?

Would he then need to explain to Aerith, and then them, that Auntie Aerith wasn’t real?

Why did that hurt his heart?

Why did the fact he could never call them his parents make his heart speed up, his lungs press in against his ribs, and his eyes pain numbly? 

He hated it.

They should just end the ruse, let the other shoe drop, and get it over with!

Denzel didn’t think he could handle much more of it.

He couldn’t handle not seeing them every day. Waking up to them talking softly, or using the Spy Code every so often, about everything and nothing at all.

He wanted that.

And he hated it.

Denzel only felt dread whenever Tifa’s PHS rang out, and she left the room for it. 

It meant doctors. And the higher chance they were coming.

Denzel noted the uncaring shrug Cloud did, and he went back to the board game.

They could play at least their rounds, before needing to wait for Tifa to return to whatever news the doctors had for them.

They were calling her more often because more and more often they were in the living room, then the bedroom.

Since, Cloud could stay awake and move around without conking out. Whereas, Denzel, he noted annoyingly to himself, still passed out if he moved around too much. 

But neither of them needed to sleep for hours on end when they got exhausted now.

But Tifa still exited whatever room she was in, and moved far enough away, that he couldn’t hear the conversation. Most times now, she had to resort into leaving the cabin and not three rooms over.

Cloud had panicked when she had left the first time, for about five seconds, before he realised what was going on.

Which was good, because they had both found out, at that exact moment, Cloud going nuclear, very much resulted in Denzel going as well.

Yeah. Not fun.

But, Tifa returned in about fifteen minutes, and for some reason, for the first time ever with a doctor call, looked absolutely gleeful.

“We can go home!”

Chapter Text

Being laughed and feeling trapped. Are those losers trying to hide the truth?
So close to the edge, life and death close by my side. Tell me, what is missing?
Do I need to equip more cells? I’m hunting myself, even though it doesn’t appear in the mirror.
Request, request: My true voice.
Request, request: My strong heart.
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, are you the truth?
Paint over the weakness that colours the abyss of despair. Comparing what I see, what’s the level of this inescapable dungeon?
It’s still not enough! SOS: A voice without a voice!
SOS: A transparent scream! I’m miserable forever!

— K Rage | Mew (Request)

75. Request, Request

“We can go home!”

Dread.

Absolute dread.

Because no. No, they could not go home.

Out of the question.

That would be the straw!

Denzel was running out of spare last straws!

Denzel noted with caution and surprise that Cloud jumped off the couch at it.

“Really?” He asked.

Denzel tried not to sink in on himself.

Of course, they wanted to go home.

Where even was home for them, anyway?

He doubted Midgar — Edge, was where they called home.

Denzel watched as Cloud looked curious.

“And what about the hot springs, and check-ups?” He asked.

Tifa hummed. 

“Apparently they’ve been in contact with Reeve,” Denzel flinched at the man’s name. He was ShinRa. Someone who could authorise his removal. “Apparently he has a team of medics that have been appraised, and they’re coming here for development, to handle it. And, I dunno, when Zack and Aerith have been sneaking off, but they have been, and I’m mad about it. But they’ve been to and from Edge for about a month now. Aerith is apparently confident she can recreate the hot springs at Edge.” Tifa ranted.

Denzel let her.

So did Cloud, he noted.

Denzel watched as Cloud took in the information, easily. 

“So Reeve has the ability to find medics now?” Cloud’s first question was.

Tifa shrugged. 

“Apparently you can dismantle most of ShinRa in eight months.” Tifa answered. 

Cloud blinked, and hummed.

“And apparently make his own organisation in difference to ShinRa. He apparently took most of the medics from ShinRa, that weren’t corrupt and in league with Hojo — who we still can’t find — with him. Reeve made sure he took specialists on mako poisoning. They’ve been trying to combat Geostigma as much as they can, on their own, and with Aerith’s limited help, since she’s been here for the most part.” Tifa answered. 

Cloud shrugged, then sat back down. 

“I can guess Aerith and Zack returning to Edge will do a lot of people good if she can figure out how to replicate the hot springs there. She better charge ShinRa through the damn nose for it, though.” Cloud added.

Tifa was grinning. 

“Oh, don’t worry. They plan to.” Tifa answer was devilish.

Denzel didn’t want to know.

“So does Aerith have a pool all ready, or…?” Cloud asked.

Tifa hummed. “She’s scouting. I’m terrified for all of Edge.” Tifa answered with mirth.

“Ah.” Cloud answered. “Fear for all of Edge. Aerith and Zack are coming for you.” He answered.

Denzel blinked in confusion. 

“But it still means we can’t leave just yet.” Cloud started, five minutes later of thinking silence. 

Tifa looked at him, siding her head and hummed at him curiously.

“Well, I don’t exactly wanna leave, without a pool source nearby. Just in case.” He shrugged, and Tifa nodded along as if he made sense. Then he groaned in annoyance. “It means I gotta damn well call Cid and Zack about this.” He slammed back against the couch.

And Tifa started laughing.

“Oh, rue to day, Cloud needs to make social calls!” Tifa was laughing.

Cloud made a Spy Code gesture that only further made Tifa laugh harder.

Denzel was now permanently in a state of worryingly confusion.

It was like they didn’t realise he had questions.

Like, why were they chummy with this Reeve guy, if he was ShinRa?

And who the hell was Cid?

And when were they gonna leave?!

It was like he was the only one moving on eggshells, and they didn’t realise.

Now, Cloud was the one leaving the cabin whenever his PHS went off.

He went with an annoyed groan and a growling “Hey.”, but he still left easily. And Denzel couldn’t follow!

From what conversations he could grasp out of either of them before they moved out the cabin to finish the conversation?

Denzel could gather he had dodged the School bullet. At least, so far.

Apparently, Edge was still being built, and in a refugee state.

All focus was on rebuilding. No actual store had been operating at full capacity. Most goods were being transported into Edge from around Gaia, as it wasn’t self-sustaining, or apparently anywhere near it, probably until at least towards the end of the year. So School running was out of the question. At least, for now.

There was no mako to run electricity. And apparently everyone was refusing to run it.

Denzel could understand that. Since the common person was now more aware of the dangers of using it. 

But apparently there was running water, from somewhere. And it apparently wasn’t polluted.

Whatever that meant, it was apparently good for drinking. And not dying.

“Is she still scouting?” Cloud was asking as he moved towards the door, a week after Tifa’s announcement came.

“Yeah. I fear for everyone. I swear, I didn’t know Aerith could get like this!” Zack was answering.

Then Cloud snorted, and the door closed the conversation for Denzel to overhear it.

/

/

One random night Denzel had punched his pillow in retribution for giving him another nightmare, he must have been too loud with it, and woke Cloud up.

“Denzel?” Cloud had questioned, walking up to the door, tapping on the wood.

It was new to be by himself again. In his own room.

He needed to get used to it, so he agreed when a doctor brought it up again.

Denzel had a feeling Cloud didn’t like it for some reason.

Cloud was across the cabin. Denzel knew that. His brain apparently didn’t know that.

Denzel flinched and looked up from beating his pillow.

“Sorry, —Cloud.” Denzel muttered. 

Denzel cringed.

Almost called him a title that he shouldn’t be using.

He noted Cloud’s head tilt.

Denzel sighed in annoyance. But he nodded.

Cloud only then entered the room, once he had permission.

Denzel needed it to look like he wasn’t trying to push Cloud away.

Who would come when he yelled at night when they gave him up?

No one.

Denzel yelped in fright when Cloud actually picked him up, like he was two, and not starting primary school.

“Nightmares?” The man easily asked. 

Denzel needed to remember, to Cloud, he weighed absolutely nothing.

The man was trying to comfort him. Cloud did an incredible job that Denzel needed to remember to push away.

He couldn’t get used to it.

He couldn’t get used to it.

It was temporary.

It was—

“Denzel?” Cloud called again, tapping his arm in some type of Spy Code he didn’t dare to ask to learn.

“Sorry.” Denzel cringed. “Um. Yeah. But it’s okay?” Denzel questioned with embarrassment.

That was a horrible excuse! Denzel groaned, and Cloud huffed.

Denzel gripped his mouth shut when Cloud decided to sit on his bed and move him around from his side to his front. He hated how hearing this man’s calm and steady altered heartbeat immediately calmed him down, and shut out the rest of the noise he knew he needed to get used to hearing now.

“What was it about? Talking helps.” Cloud was requesting, reassuringly.

This man!

How was he supposed to get used to him not being around!?

Denzel just ended up shaking his head.

“Too much noise.” He ended up using an excuse.

Because he wasn’t about to relay every detail about how Nightmare Cloud had tossed him out in the dirt when he used that familial title out of nowhere.

Cloud just hummed in response.

“Which ones are too loud? Or maybe we should start naming the newer ones…” Cloud started.

The humming in the walls? Electricity.

And how to tune everything out? Focus on one noise at a time. If someone was speaking? Focus on them, and let everything else float out of his ears.

Cloud dedicated hours with Denzel with this.

Denzel feared he would need to repay the lessons in some way in the future—

“And don’t you think this is a life debt!” Cloud had heatedly added.

Oh.

Right.

Dad didn’t believe in Life Debts.

/

/

Cloud had noted, since whatever nightmare had Denzel up and punishing his poor pillow over, that the hearing lessons had caused the kid to have the headphones around his neck more and more as days and lessons went by.

He had been meaning to get around to getting rid of the headphones, but Cloud had only recently gotten to the point he could walk, and run around Mideel without collapsing in a heap.

He’d apologise later, if it became a concern for Denzel. Cloud had already made sure it wasn’t a cost Denzel needed to repay.

One of the doctors had noted it in passing. And Cloud took it to heart. 

Constant reassurance? Got it. He could do that. Cloud knew the issue about Life Debts.

“Tifa?” He asked after getting off the call to Aerith, who had gleefully finally decided on a spot for the first spring.

He did not envy the holes and trenches Zack would now need to dig. Or the building he would need to create around it. It wasn’t in Zack’s traditions to build a house, but the man was about to go one further and was creating a business at the same time. 

Good for him. Zack had given him the middle finger that Cloud snorted at.

Apparently Tifa had explained the Nibelheim house tradition to Aerith, who then gleefully mentioned it to Zack, as payback for something or rather. Apparently it was Cloud’s fault.

Which. Fair.

It probably was.

But Zack could deal with Aerith now.

If, from Zack’s disjointed account, Aerith had settled on an area in Edge’s North West region. 

Which, if Cloud could remember properly, put it somewhere on the outskirts of Midgar’s Sector 7.

He thinks. 

Either 7 or 3.

He’d have to bring it up to Tifa, in any case.

Because wherever Aerith was putting roots down, would be close to where they needed to put roots down. Location based on Midgar’s old system be damned.

Tifa looked up at him calling her name.

Denzel was down for the count. Cloud figured early, the kid conked out around eight.

“Cloud?” She answered. 

He nodded to himself. “Have you been in contact with Aerith?” He asked.

Tifa grinned as she nodded. 

“She told me she finally picked a spot. Edge’s North East section.” Tifa relayed.

Cloud noted she had used Edge’s system, and not Midgar’s, shrugged, and went on with it. 

“So, what’s in this district? Are you gonna have competition?” He asked. 

She immediately snorted, gleefully.

“Hardly! Like we would!” Tifa gloated. 

Cloud blinked in relief to know she understood what he was meaning.

“And…?” Cloud asked.

She grinned. 

“North West hasn’t been filled in yet.” That meant something he didn’t follow. “Which means wherever Aerith’s spot is. She needed permission from Reeve and WRO. Which means we just need to ask Aerith once she has it, for the location, and we can build either alongside her, or very much in close quarters.” Tifa explained.

Cloud blinked in surprise.

Well, then.

Hallelujah.

Neighbours it was.

“I think Reeve already knows this,” Cloud muttered, suddenly the recent message from the man in sense. And due to the time difference, the man probably had sent it before signing off for the day, hadn’t elaborated on the congratulatory message, and the note that Cloud would be receiving rights soon.

Rights for what? That man needed to explain things with words. He was as bad as Zack.

Cloud showed Tifa the message, and she nodded.

“Yep. Let me know when you get it, and we’ll move from there.” Tifa asked.

Cloud just nodded, even if he was a little confused. 

Moving forward, meant, apparently, grabbing all the connecting blocks Mideel had to keep children occupied in their beds.

Mideel thankfully didn’t have any children present, aside from Denzel.

And stealing Cloud’s PHS, to print off the document Reeve sent.

Apparently, Tifa couldn’t wait the day or two it would take Cid to deliver the actual document.

But what Reeve meant with ‘rights’, meant a plot of land.

From the various now cut up and tapped together badly printed pages? Cloud could see its location, in regard to where Midgar’s edge was, and Edge itself.

Edge had sprawled out sideways around Midgar’s edge from Sector 4.

So, with Aerith choosing North East, it was the furthest away from 4, closer to where WEAPON had made landfall. And therefore, the people of Midgar hadn’t circled back around to it yet.

They had the entire district to themselves to choose from, if he got Reeve’s intentions properly.

Aerith and Zack were also on loudspeaker.

“Shh!” Tifa was hissing when Aerith squealed in delight.

Cloud paused to hear if her being so loud woke Denzel.

Given the fact that the kid didn’t even so much as twitch? He was still fast asleep.

“So you’ve decided on the middle of the district, yeah?” Cloud asked, in lieu of the silence being prolonged. 

From the badly printed out future designs of the layout, Cloud could see where the roads planned to go. The district seemed to be separated into three zones, and naturally had a curve to it that followed Midgar.

Cloud could see where, on the plans, Midgar’s buffer zone was, based on the large CAUTION zone to the south of the district.

Cloud heard Zack hum.

“This would be so much easier if we were in the same place.” Aerith grumbled.

“You’re the ones who decided to leave!” Tifa growled back.

“Peace, man!” Zack yelped, hearing Tifa being a grouch.

“We’re coming tomorrow with it!” Aerith explained.

Tifa glared at his PHS. Cloud wasn’t quite sure if he needed to move it away from her being able to touch it, and therefore throw it.

“You’re on thin ice.” Tifa hissed back.

Cloud snickered when he heard the two yelp in fear.

“What this document doesn’t say…” Cloud overruled, running his fingers through Tifa’s loose hair to calm her down. 

She grumbled but calmed down.

“What’s that?” Zack asked.

“How much room are we actually working with? I can see the width, but Reeve hasn’t outlined the square footage.” Cloud asked.

There was a little bit of a silence following his words.

“Oh, yeah!” Zack answered. “Reeve said you could make it as big, or as small as you wanted, and he would foot the bill and insurance!” He answered.

Tifa dropped her glass.

Chapter Text

Hold my hand. And let go of the lie. Hold your heart: Lost in time.
And when you’re down for the count. And you lost all your will to go on, on your own.
I will fall from the sky, wipe the tears from your eyes, and remind you, you’re never alone.
I am rivers and forests: I’m winds, and I’m earth. I am oceans and mountains: A whisper unheard.
And before you, lies everything you’d ever want.
Take this chance: And let go of the lie.
One bright feat. One time to shine.

— Thomas Bergersen & Audrey Karrasch (Imagination)

76. Imagination

There was a little bit of a silence following his words.

“Oh, yeah!” Zack answered. “Reeve said you could make it as big, or as small as you wanted, and he would foot the bill and insurance!” He answered.

Tifa dropped her glass.

“WHAT?!” Tifa was yelling.

Cloud immediately threw his hands over his ears, well before she launched to her feet.

He looked to Denzel’s room, in worry she woke their kid.

He needed to sleep, and not get woken up constantly. His nightmares did that for him enough times already.

Cloud noted the apologetic look Tifa sent him, and he lowered his hands.

Then made sure Denzel was still asleep.

His breathing said he was, and he sighed in relief.

“Don’t shoot the messengers, please!” Aerith was pleading. “Are you alright, Zack?” She was also asking.

“My ears.” The man had pouted quietly.

Ah. Tifa had been too loud for him as well.

“Okay, okay,” Tifa was waving her arms around. “Let me understand this,” Cloud watched as she smoothed out the district plans. He heard Zack and Aerith hum encouragingly. “We can build anywhere?” Tifa asked, airily with awe.

“That’s Reeve for you. You don’t even need to be in this district. You literally could pick anywhere in Edge, and he would agree. And pay for it.” Zack answered.

Tifa and Cloud looked at each other, floored.

“So maybe narrow it down to a district you actually wanna be in?” Aerith was saying gently.

Tifa hissed, and glared at the phone. “Near our friends. Duh.” Tifa grumbled.

They all knew that whoever put roots down first, is where the rest would follow.

Essentially, they would probably unapologetically take over at least half if not the entire district, with how many of them their friend group came to actually be.

It just happened to be Aerith and Zack who got there first. It wasn’t a race, but it would be either of them that got there first. Barret and Marlene would likely follow. Then everyone else.

Cloud didn’t mind, it actually made it easier on him.

“Okay,” Aerith allowed, giddily. “Your next steps is, I guess, figure out how much space you need for Seventh Heaven — Will it still be called that?” Aerith was asking.

Cloud noted Tifa looked at him, and grinned.

Yeah.

It would still be called that.

Cloud soon figured out the need for the connecting blocks, as he watched Tifa build with them. Location aside for now, apparently, since Zack and Aerith needed to go to bed before an early wake-up to get over to them, Tifa seemed to now be focusing on what Seventh Heaven would look like.

He wasn’t so sure if he should thank Reeve, or be annoyed with the man for removing the monetary value of the build of the work he would eventually need to do.

Annoyed because he technically wasn’t funding it with his own gill.

Or be happy that Tifa now had free-range to create Seventh Heaven, and their home as big as she wanted to, without the constraint he had been worried about discussing with her once she had plans in mind, and he went to source the materials.

Not that Tifa would be angry he couldn’t deliver her house. But it…still … grated.

Cloud watched silently that she created her own space within the width of the middle of the district allowed. She had those numbers written up, with the length and height of the build still blank. 

She had a blank canvass. 

And she seemed to be working well with it.

With her penning in the width for the middle of the district and using a red pen for where Aerith was planning her spring wellness business, Cloud knew they would share a wall with them.

It was the length she was playing with.

How much did she want, versus how much was needed, Tifa seemed uncertain for.

He knew when she built stairs, and was moving them about in her little restaurant themed build, that she was toying with the idea of either basement living or adding an addition above for where they would live.

He saw the frown appear on her face as she moved the staircase around, seemingly undecided about where to put it.

Cloud knew he didn’t have much of an input for her area, but…

“Tifa?” He asked quietly.

Cloud wasn’t sure of the time, but with a look to his PHS, it would be light soon, and Denzel didn’t need to wake up early. For once, the kid had slept a full night, despite them being loud.

Tifa looked up at him curiously. Then to his outstretched hand.

“Can I help?” He asked, tentatively.

Tifa grinned widely, and handed the blocky staircase over. “Sure!” She celebrated. 

He overlooked the restaurant as she went back to clear up the little motif-block chairs and tables that she had knocked over when she moved the case around the build. 

One side of the wall had what he could guess were booths, and the middle and other side held rounded tables. He guessed from the windows one side had and the little car Tifa had sourced from somewhere that side was the street access. The massive window to the street had a bay booth, he could assume from the drawn plan, that had all her little notes in pencil that were off to the side.

From where the bar was, he could assume was ‘staff’ only, based on the smaller rooms, for the kitchens, stock and probably a break room or office behind it. From the notes and the drawn plan, he could see she had a back door to the side street, for stock deliveries. The entire build took up the whole width she had been given to play with.

So she needed to up or down to create a place for them to live in.

“You can go either here,” He placed the staircase gently at the back where the ‘staff’ only area would be. “Or here,” He moved everything back to its original position, and added the staircase to the side that he could assume wasn’t the wall to Aerith’s place. Cloud looked up to Tifa. “Are you aware of how much space this actually ends up looking like?” He asked.

Not that he was concerned about paying for it, ever, apparently. But he was concerned it would be either too big or too small for her to be comfortable with.

Tifa had hummed curiously, from it, he could guess she liked the idea of the staircase being on the side, more than on the back wall. With it on the side, there would be no awkward landing halfway up, at least. It would go the entire length of Seventh Heaven, unimpeded. But when she looked up, he could gather the numbers were a little vague.

“I know it’s bigger than before.” Tifa muttered, hesitantly.

“Was Seventh Heaven too small before?” Cloud asked curiously.

He hadn’t spent too long at Seventh Heaven before it became ash at his feet.

Tifa shrugged self-consciously. 

“It was the best I could deal with.” She said.

Cloud immediately shook his head. “That wasn’t my question.” He reminded her softly.

Then she nodded, seeing he wasn’t slighting her. “Extremely.” She answered.

Cloud blinked, then nodded. He could vaguely remember he only could make a couple of steps before he made it to the bar. But other than that…

Nothing really came to mind about the original bar. Only that Tifa loved it.

“Okay, so this floor plan, here,” He waved the staircase over it. “Would be about three times bigger in terms of space.” Cloud explained. “When we get there, I can show you easier, then telling you.” He added. 

Tifa nodded, and took the staircase back to put it on the far wall, with a grin. Then she paused. 

“Wait!” She screeched in panic, that had him stiffening and agonising over the fact Mideel forbade weapons. Where was his sword, anyway?

“What!” Cloud answered, trying very hard not to bolt up in a panic, or cover his ears at her loudness.

“Your space!” She cried out in dismay.

Cloud blinked at her, not understanding. “I don’t—?”

She glared at him, and he felt it best to stop arguing.

“Yes you do!” She nearly screeched in outrage for him. “I need an entryway.” She then muttered, her eyes roaming the build. Then the stairs got nicked from the wall. And she was writing something down in her notes. On the outer wall, at the ‘staff’ side of things, she tore it down, and then doubled the size of the build.

“Tifa?” He questioned as she doubled the outside. “I don’t think I need that much?” He asked.

Cloud still didn’t have much of a clue what he would use it for.

“You’ll need access to the road, right?” She was asking, curiously.

Ah. He had forgotten she knew he liked bikes.

So of course she was lengthening the build until the plans gave an entryway to the street, which they couldn’t change. Entry points for the district were already set in stone, for cars and bikes to be housed for those living there who had them.

Cloud found himself warily nodding.

With that she gleamed in pride that she remembered, and, at the backstreet, created what he could assume the location for the access to the road would coincide to the plan, with several connecting clear block doors.

Then she sat back and looked at him expectantly.

His turn to play, huh?

“I’m gonna warn you right now, that I have no idea what should go into this space, Tifa.” He found the need to warn.

Tifa hummed thoughtfully, then nudged the paper over.

“Well, maybe write down what you would need? A workspace, at least?” She prompted.

Cloud had the permission to sit back and think about it, and he gave her the sign for it, and she nodded happily.

Cloud had always had an interest in cars and motorbikes, ever since he was little.

It started with the only truck that had always been there in Nibelheim, broken and never used.

He used to wonder why it broke, and if it could be fixed.

Of course, he got hands-on experience when he first joined ShinRa. Then he learnt how to make them, and therefore fix them, which apparently cost too much, and it was easier to replace. 

ShinRa mentality, at its finest.

When he fixed up that bike in Junon, he found out why.

ShinRa made awful bikes.

And since then he had been thinking on how to make a bike that was more efficient, and longer lasting.

So he would need a workspace, for the smaller things.

Tools. A hoist system. Equipment.

A place for those things to be placed, so maybe he could utilise the wall for storage, or something like it.

He tried to remember what ShinRa’s garages had looked like.

He would need space for the larger tools, and for the bike itself, he eventually ended up making just to say he could do it better than ShinRa. Cloud rummaged on, needing enough space to move around the bike, and if Denzel got interested, enough space for him as well.

Suddenly, one wall had an elongated workbench, and the other was filled with covered storage space. So much that the space, he thought was too big, seemed just right.

“Huh.” He muttered in surprise.

He had enough space for himself.

But he remembered what they talked about. Back in Junon.

“Fenrir isn’t ShinRa made?” 

“No! Dad built Fenrir all by himself!”  

“He’s a chemist, a mechanic, and an engineer?” 

“He could be. If he wanted to be. He’d be home every day if he was.” 

Cloud looked up to Tifa, resounding conviction.

She looked a little surprised.

“Think we’d get in trouble for taking up the entire block?” He asked.

He needed more space.

Especially if he could prove, like the future said, he could build things better than ShinRa.

Tifa was grinning, then gathering more blocks eagerly.

“I think we deserve it.” She said easily.

/

/

Denzel was confused.

There was a half built building on the table when he woke up. And a lot of paper that had handwritten writing all over it.

He swore he saw his name on one, and immediately didn’t want to know why his name was there, and avoided it altogether.

Straws.

He had no more straws.

Instead, he followed the voices of Cloud and Tifa to the kitchenette the cabin had.

Denzel spied the PHS on the counter.

It didn’t seem to be in a call, so they had either just finished a call, or were waiting for one.

He caught Cloud’s eye first.

“Heya.” The blonde greeted, making Tifa turn around.

“Denzel!” Tifa greeted, and before Denzel could avoid it, she had him wrapped up in a hug.

It was gonna be hard, and he tried not to lean into her, to not see them every day.

Because he was sure when they got to Edge…

They’d probably drop him off somewhere, and leave him in someone else’s hands.

And that’ll be fine.

Denzel needed to deal with it.

He needed to thank them for looking after him so far.

He couldn’t repay their kindness with crying, or begging to stay.

Denzel squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to cry all over Tifa when she started patting his hair.

“Zack and Aerith will be coming soon.” She gently warned.

Message understood.

“Leaving?” He muttered.

He heard Cloud hum. “At least some time today. We need to pack up all the stuff that somehow made its way into the cabin that is ours.” Cloud stated.

He blinked, and looked around.

He had stuff here.

“I’m packing up stuff too?” He asked, astounded.

“Of course!” Tifa encouraged.

Cruel.

This was cruel.

So Denzel just nodded and moved away silently.

/

/

When Aerith and Zack appeared with boxes for all the stuff that the little cabin had, and then they eagerly started packing.

“This is cool!” Aerith was saying, pointing to the half built block building.

“What we got done last night.” Tifa mentioned.

Zack was sighing in confusion. “Why didn’t you just wait so you could have easier to read plans? These suck.” He offered, waving a cardboard pipe around easily.

Tifa glared, and he immediately offered surrender. “Because I wanted to get a head start on it!” She growled.

It was too much.

Denzel found himself slipping out, so he didn’t create a scene.

He ran.

Denzel didn’t know where he was going.

But he ran anyway.

Past the hot springs.

Past Aerith’s little garden that would sustain Mideel after they left.

He passed all the cabins. He just ran. Denzel wasn’t sure where he ended up.

But he ran out of space to run when he ended up at the ocean.

Denzel panted angrily and grabbed a stone and hurled it into the sea, with a loud confused angry yell.

Then he sank to his knees, staring out at the ocean, blankly.

Why did they need to be so good?

Why did they feel the need to tease him like this!?

“Heya, Kiddo.” 

Denzel flinched and looked up to see Zack wandering through the treeline.

He gave a little huff, and hid his head behind his upturned knees.

Denzel heard the little understanding responding hum, then Zack moving and sitting next to him.

“Change is scary, huh.” Zack voiced.

Denzel drew up his shoulders.

He would not cry.

“Ya’know, just because the place is changing, doesn’t mean the people will?” Zack asked.

Denzel hugged his knees tighter.

Yes it did.

Fun, Uncle Zack was a liar.

Denzel heard the man.

“Come on, we better get you back to your parents.” 

Denzel exploded and bolted to his feet.

“They’re not MINE!”

Chapter Text

The sound of the ocean was all around us. Filling the quiet spaces between words.
I could feel the weight of time passing. But here, in this moment, it didn’t matter.
You spoke softly, your voice blending with the waves. Your laughter was easy, like it always had been.
We talked about the past, those simple days. Waves of yesterday; they crash and fade, but stay.
We talk about what’s gone. And what’s still to come. But right now, it’s enough to be here.
The sun was low, casting long shadows on the sand. You pointed out places we used to go.
It was as if the past had never really left: Just waiting for us to remember.

— Auric Veil (Waves of Yesterday)

77. Waves of Yesterday

“They’re not MINE!”

Denzel heaved angrily.

Zack stared at him in surprise.

“Well, this is awkward.” Zack ended up stating.

Denzel huffed in confusion, and Zack ruffled the back of his head anxiously.

“Do you not want them to be?” Zack asked, miffed.

He stared.

“What kinda question is that?” Denzel spat out venomously.

Of course, Denzel wanted them. He had to stop himself from calling them his parents out loud.

He couldn’t help but glare at the man, who looked beyond confused at his actions.

“Because they want to be.” Zack answered quietly. “More than you know.” He added softly.

Denzel blinked.

“It’s temporary. Everything is.” He bit back.

Zack hummed again. “That is true. For most things.” He answered. Denzel sided his head. And Zack gave a little chuckle. “I don’t think you realise just how far your parents are willing to go.” He added, with a soft smile.

Denzel looked at him, blankly, trying not to show how confused he was.

Guardians? Adoptive parents and families? 

All temporary.

And the only one who would never win? 

Would be him.

Zack ushered him back.

And he couldn’t fight it. Not really.

As soon as the door opened, Denzel saw Cloud immediately looking up from the box he was working on.

Concern was painted all over his face.

“Denz!” Cloud answered, rushing over.

Before Denzel could really blink, Cloud was at his height, kneeling, looking him over.

“Are you alright? I’m sorry if I frightened you.” He was apologising. 

Denzel scrunched his nose up.

He was always so quick to apologise, to think the reason was his fault.

And not Denzel’s.

Denzel mutely shook his head, and clenched his eyes closed at the idea forming in his head.

He completely missed the Spy Code going over his head in rapid concern.

Denzel was coming to the fast realisation that Cloud would make a great father. 

And Denzel so desperately wanted to be his kid.

If he kept up being polite, and unassuming, maybe they would keep him? If only for a while longer.

Hope was a horrible thing to keep.

Cloud wrapped his arms around him, and Denzel fought the need to cry. Because if he did, it would be loud and it would be ugly. 

Instead, he beat the feeling down and looked around to find Tifa at the block creation, looking at it wilfully.

“What is that?” Denzel asked instead.

He heard Cloud hum, then look in the direction of where he was looking. “Oh!” He started. “Yeah! That’s what we’re gonna build when we get to Edge.” He answered. Denzel noted Cloud looked back to him eagerly. “You’ll help too, yeah?” He asked.

Denzel looked up to him.

“Huh?” He asked. 

Cloud was grinning at him. 

“Yeah, because you gotta have a room, so you need to tell me what you want in it!” He was saying.

He couldn’t help but stare, no thoughts and emotion drained. 

A room?

For him?!

Surely not. He must have heard wrong. 

“I don’t need…?” Denzel muttered.

Denzel tried not to shrink at the calculative look he was giving him.

“Hmm.” Cloud was humming. Dangerously. Then he looked at Tifa. “Maybe it would be easier to see the options? Where do we even get stuff from? Or do I just make it too?” He was asking, sounding incredulous. 

Much to Denzel’s near panic, Tifa by now, was nearly laughing. 

Zack, the traitor, was cackling off to the side. 

“Can you do woodwork?” Tifa was asking, trying to at least, around her giggling.

Cloud was shrugging. “I’ve whittled before.” He muttered, sounding offended. 

Now Zack was cackling loudly.

Denzel was staring at them all, dumbfounded. He barely caught notice of the object Cloud hurtled so fast at Zack’s head. But he definitely heard Zack’s cackling turn into a pained yelp when it collided at his temple.

How did these people exist?!

Denzel hadn’t realised that all the things he had been given were actually his to keep.

He actually had belongings again.

Although he wasn’t much help once he realised this, as he mutely started to cry when things started to get boxed up.

“Hey…?” Cloud was asking, in concern.

/

/

Cloud still didn’t understand what was wrong. Even after an hour of ruminating on it, by now several boxes were filled, and Zack and Aerith were out of the cabin to take them out to the Highwind.

But whatever it was, it had chased their kid out of the cabin. Then left him mostly mute once Zack had found him and brought him back. Cloud had been all for bolting after the kid, before Zack and Aerith persuaded him to stay, in case Denzel found his way back before they found him.

It might have been all of the sudden changes?

Maybe?

Maybe they hadn’t included him enough? Not reassured him enough?

But he clocked Tifa’s concern when he stiffened at the sound of what sounded like a forcibly kept in sob.

He wheeled around to see Denzel, so pale, and with tears running down his face.

“Hey…?” Cloud asked in concern, dropping whatever he had in his hands, and moving over to Denzel.

There came the barely heard sniffling.

And something within Cloud seemed to snap at it.

He, without realising his body was moving before the rest of him caught up, was picking his kid up and holding him close.

Denzel immediately folded into him, his tiny fingers finding his clothes at his chest to grip hard, and his head hiding under his chin.

His kid was sobbing, and he didn’t know why.

He looked at Tifa, who looked as alarmed and concerned as he did.

With the small shake of her head, he knew she didn’t know what was wrong either.

So, Cloud kept his kid close, running his fingers through Denzel’s hair, hoping it would calm him down somewhat.

Denzel’s shoulders were shaking.

All Cloud could smell was utter despair coming from his kid.

Somewhere from inside him, he started rocking on the balls of his feet, and he made hushing hums as he went.

“Hey, hey, Denz…” Cloud muttered into his hair.

Denzel gripped tighter when Cloud tried to move him so he could see his face.

He quickly decided he wasn’t about to move him when he heard the sobbing raise in volume.

It hurt his heart to hear him this hurt.

Cloud clutched Denzel as hard as he dared to without hurting him.

Tifa came in closer, and was running her hand down Denzel’s trembling back.

“What’s wrong, Denz?” Cloud muttered. “I can’t help, if I don’t know.” He added softly.

Denzel was immediately shaking his head.

Now, besides despair, he could smell fear.

It clogged his nose, and got him panicking.

“You’re not in trouble for crying, Denzel.” Cloud tried to figure out why he was fearful.

Cloud picked up Tifa’s worry at the comment.

“I don’t—” Denzel started, around his tears, and hiccuping. “I don’t want you to go!” He moaned in a fit of tears.

Cloud and Tifa looked at each other, completely confused.

“Denz?” Cloud started, he felt his kid flinch from the fucking moon, so he started the rocking motion again, once he realised he paused it. “We’re not…? We’re not leaving you here.” Cloud tried to explain.

Denzel had just shaken his head into his neck again.

“We’re not leaving you behind, Denzel.” Tifa explained softly. “You’re coming with us, back to Edge. We’re not leaving you here by yourself.” She added as she ran her hand down his back.

Cloud heard the small pained whine his kid did.

“Then, when we’re there, you’ll go? What happens when you get tired of me, you’ll leave?” He asked, in a voice so tiny and afraid, Cloud doubted Tifa heard the entire comment.

Protectiveness, like nothing Cloud had felt before, roared up inside him so fast he might have gotten dizzy with it.

He moved Denzel to his front and crushed him to his chest.

“No.” Cloud immediately denied. “Never.” He added firmly.

From the small confused hum he heard from Tifa, he knew she hadn’t heard Denzel.

“You will.” Denzel muttered into him, so sadly, and so full of pain.

The people of Midgar, after the Fall? 

If he ever met the brand of people who cut his kid so deep…

He would have help, in burying them alive.

Cloud shook his head against Denzel’s.

“Nope. You’ll tire of us first.” He answered.

He heard the scoff of dismay Denzel let out, finally a different sound then the crying.

Cloud knew this type of mind frame. 

Nothing Cloud could ever say would convince Denzel otherwise.

He had been down this road before.

And because of this, he knew how best to regain his kid’s trust that he wouldn’t abandon him at the first sign of inconvenience.

“Can you look at me, just for a sec?” Cloud asked, instead.

Denzel slowly pulled out from under his chin, warily, silent tears down his face.

Cloud hummed and easily wiped the tears away, and put him back on his hip.

He looked at Tifa.

“Can you grab the house?” He asked.

Tifa blinked in confusion, but nodded all the same, and went to collect their little construction. 

She came back with it on a larger connecting plate, so the build wouldn’t fall to pieces when moved.

“I won’t tell you we won’t drop you somewhere and leave you, you won’t believe me. So, I’m gonna show you instead.” Cloud surmised.

He jostled Denzel up on his arm, so the kid could see. He heard the surprised grunt the kid made at being made to see his point.

“See this?” Cloud started, unnecessarily pointing. “This is where we’re gonna live, and here,” He pointed to the main floor. “This part is Tifa’s Seventh Heaven,” He looked at Tifa.

Tifa nodded. 

“Before Midgar fell, I had a little bar in Sector 7. It’s…gone and buried, twice now. But I’m gonna rebuild it. This time, it’ll be better and bigger.” She explained.

They both noted that Denzel now looked more curious than despondent.

“And this here,” Cloud took over, explaining, as he pointed to the stairs. “While we haven’t gotten around to modelling it yet, but, these stairs will go up to where we will live. There’ll be a bedroom for you.” He added.

Cloud noted that Denzel looked absolutely amazed they were including him.

It was then Cloud realised what was going on. At least partially. 

Denzel had developed trust issues with adults.

As much as Cloud didn’t feel like one, hell, he barely felt like a teenager at times, due to the five years he couldn’t fully remember. But Denzel saw him as one. And feared him as one. 

Cloud needed to stop thinking Denzel trusted him, and start working on regaining it. If words wouldn’t help Denzel realise, then he would need to be shown with actions. Reaffirmations. 

How he had felt, when he was excluded as a child. Pointed and jeered at by the adults he had been surrounded by.

Denzel was so much like how he had been as a child. Fearful and distrustful of adults.

He needed to start there, by including Denzel in conversations that mattered to him. By ensuring Denzel knew he was included, and being given trust.

Cloud, and Tifa, would need to show time and time again that Denzel wasn’t about to be dropped like a stone at their earliest convenience, or whenever Denzel did something wrong.

“We want you to stay with us, Denzel.” Tifa affirmed. 

Denzel blinked at her, blankly. Like he couldn’t understand.

“And no, it’s not because you will need to pay rent to us.” Cloud refuted, immediately.

Denzel looked at him, shocked and confused.

“What’s your favourite colour?” He suddenly asked instead.

Denzel reared back, whatever sinkhole his thoughts had gone into, pooled as he stared up at Cloud. 

“… Blue.” Denzel muttered before quickly looking away, suddenly embarrassed.

Tifa smiled. “That’s mine too.” She said, happily. 

Cloud shrugged. “Maybe we should paint a wall blue then.” He huffed.

Tifa giggled. “Don’t tempt me.” She laughed.

Cloud figured it was a win when Denzel finally giggled back.

Cloud watched as Denzel looked to him, shyly. 

“So… I can…?” Denzel frowned when he suddenly couldn’t find the words. 

Cloud hummed. “Well, either way, I’m building you a room. I hope you’ll use it. But, if for whatever reason, you decide you do get tired of us… It’ll still be there.” Cloud answered.

Denzel blinked at him, still looking a little unconvinced. 

“Maybe I’ll put so many blue things in it, you’ll get tired of me. I’ll even find a blue chocobo.” Cloud added, with mirth.

Denzel finally squawked in outrage.

“No!” He yielded.

Cloud had to try very hard not to laugh.

His kid, finally, not looking like Cloud was about to drop him like a hot potato. 

“Oh,” Cloud started, gleefully noting that Denzel clocked his mischievous tone and stiffened immediately. “Then, maybe I should find pink and sparkly stuff, and fill your room with those instead, since I will totally be alone to shop for your stuff.” Cloud chimed in. Tifa was giggling behind her hand.

He really had to swallow his laughter at the immediate outrage pouring onto Denzel’s face as the kid moved fast to grasp his face with both hands.

“No! I don’t trust you won’t fill it with pink stuff! I’m coming!” He cried in outrage.

Snared and trapped, Cloud grinned.

“Done!” He said, victorious, gloating.

Denzel had no idea he had been baited and dragged along, just nodded seriously.

Chapter Text

Lost in the darkest blue. Endless labyrinths weaving though. Will you stagger on, with no star to light your way?
Share with me your tears, all your troubles and deepest fears. I remember when you chased all my shadows away.
Won’t you take my hand? Come away with me from this land. Let me give to you all that you have given to me.
Fly, horizon bound. Find the moon behind darkening clouds.
Even far apart, know our souls together will be.
When your stars stop shining, endless vines around you winding: Know that you’re not alone.
I will give my all, so your tears will no longer fall, down, down on sorrow’s stone.

— Kate Covington | Erutan (You’re Not Alone)

78. You’re Not Alone

Cloud didn’t mind that by the time they actually returned to Edge, that Denzel had conked out well before it. 

He didn’t even mind Denzel had settled on his hip, hidden his head into his neck, and had wound his arm across his chest to grip his suspender for where his pauldron was normally attached to. 

Cloud hadn’t exactly worn his armour since Midgar, and he had a small fear the kid would hurt himself on it. Hell, he hadn’t even touched his sword. He did, at least, find out it was stored on the Highwind while he was unconscious.

He should probably pick it up on the way out. Which he did, once he figured out how to put it back on its strap without dislodging Denzel. As much as he was wary about having weapons around his kid? He didn’t want to be so unprotected without it.

He was following Zack and Aerith back to wherever their temporary place was until he could talk to Reeve, and the WRO about building everything else. Cloud didn’t exactly know where he was, but he could see the ruined Midgar in the distance, and the hastily constructed temporary high fence that seemed to go around it. From what he had seen on the plans for Edge, the high fence was the buffer zone. 

Zack easily had two boxes, Cloud had scoffed when Aerith went to grab one, and the man had glared at her in warning. Aerith had laughed, but left the man be.

Cloud had no pretence he was even gonna warn Tifa from carrying what she wanted. 

He knew when to pick his battles (and that wasn’t one of them).

But he noted that when he and Zack stiffened at the exact same time, Tifa went for her gloves, and Aerith for her folded staff.

On hearing dust and gravel being kicked up, Cloud was cursing and looking down at Denzel. The kid didn’t have his headphones on. So, the next best thing he could do was carefully slam down his hand over his ear, and adjust him, so his other one was covered into his neck.

“CLOUD!” Yuffie was yelling as she ran the entire strip of road in seconds.

Zack flinched, Cloud glared.

She came to a halt at the glaring, but immediately put her hands over her mouth, and stopped all noise.

He lessened his glare at her for that.

“Yuffie. We told you!” Aerith whined in concern, looking back to those of the group who were enhanced.

Zack was buffeting one of his ears, wincing in pain.

Cloud could hear ringing in his ears, but noted thankfully Denzel hadn’t woken.

Yuffie was shaking her head, apologetically.

“I’m sorry!” She apologised, trying to go for a quieter tone. “I just—! I haven’t!” She tried to explain, looking urgently at Cloud. 

Cloud understood and sighed, before making his way over to her, as he let his hand go from Denzel to Yuffie’s head.

“‘S’all good. I’m alright, see?” He told her.

He could see the wetness in her eyes much more clearly, coming up to her. 

She grumbled worriedly, and raced to hold his wrist within her hands, to keep him there.

“But you weren’t.” She muttered. 

He blinked, but patted her head consolingly, before gently coming out of her hold, to grip one of her hands, and placing it on his chest.

“See?” He asked.

She took a second, nodded, mutely, then, careful of Denzel, donked her head against him.

“Don’t do it again.” She warned.

Cloud couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Don’t plan on it.” He answered.

Yuffie pulled away, then grinned.

“I’ll go get the rest of your stuff!” She said, happy now.

“Please don’t actually steal any of it.” Cloud warned.

She scoffed in dismay. “As if!” She cried quietly, still mindful.

Cloud jerked his head. “Leave.” He told her.

Yuffie saluted and bolted towards the Highwind.

Cloud watched her go.

“She’s a handful.” He muttered, tiredly. 

Teenagers.

Tifa was giggling at him now.

“At least you didn’t chew her head off.” She said.

Cloud clocked her tone and tried to figure out what she was feeling. 

It was partly confusion. Maybe? Mixed with something softer.

He’d have to ask later.

/

/

When everyone met Denzel again, her kid was still fast asleep on Cloud’s shoulder.

Yuffie was running backwards and forwards with their boxes, with Zack soon joining in, once he and Aerith led them to a tented area. 

It was a far cry away from Mideel. But it was closer to Edge.

Where Tifa wanted to be.

She could tell that Cloud was doing a valiant job of trying to not glare protectively at any loud noise, made by their friends or not.

They seemed to understand, and used quieter tones, especially once they saw that Denzel was asleep.

Tifa noted the look of awed confusion on Barret’s face, at anytime Cloud moved or spoke softly.

Cloud wasn’t at all like the sick, self-proclaimed SOLDIER she had found at Midgar.

And all for it, she was glad. She was also glad that Barret could see Cloud back where he should be. That she wasn’t the only one to see the changes in their resident blonde.

Tifa saw his eyes flicker over to her, the little head tilt of confusion.

She couldn’t hear the questioning hum, but she knew he would have done it.

Tifa couldn’t help but smile and nod.

Then he grinned at her happily.

/

/

Denzel woke in stages.

He immediately knew he wasn’t where he was when he fell asleep.

Embarrassingly, it was up in Cloud’s arms. Like he was a baby.

But Cloud must have seen he was pushing it. Because he really had wanted to come back to Edge awake.

But no. His body decided it was nap-nap time.

Ugh.

But he was on an unfamiliar bed.

In a place he didn’t know.

And he needed a second to figure out why he didn’t jump up in a panic.

There was a heartbeat near his head, and fingers rustling through his hair, absentmindedly.

The heartbeat was familiar. And so were the fingers.

Cloud.

That was why he didn’t jump up.

Something in Denzel knew intrusively that Cloud was nearby, and therefore safe.

Denzel focused on hearing a little more, to hear what was going on around him.

He heard Cloud’s little huffs every so often.

His fingers tapping against transparent buttons. 

So Cloud was on his PHS. Annoyed at whoever he was talking to, most likely. 

Denzel had come to categorise the little sounds his father made. He didn’t know them all just yet. But he was getting there, he would state proudly, if anyone were to ask.

With the floaty feeling Denzel was feeling, he knew waking up completely was out of the question.

If he needed to, he probably could, but his body demanded he rest. And his eyelids were way too heavy for him to open them anytime soon.

With how Cloud hadn’t changed, or attempted to talk to him, Denzel figured his heartbeat hadn’t changed to alert the man he was awake. Or he was too distracted by his PHS.

“Cloud?” Tifa was asking.

Denzel heard the strained hum his dad let out. 

Denzel knew, and Tifa knew as well, that for whatever reason Cloud was about to need to use Spy Code only.

“What’s wrong?” Tifa was asking, immediately. 

Denzel tried not to be disappointed when Cloud moved his hand from his hair.

He probably needed it to speak to her.

“Reeve’s confusing you? How?” Tifa was asking.

He heard her moving towards them, and Cloud probably handed over his PHS to her, and returned one hand to his hair.

“Ah,” Tifa hummed. “Yeah, this makes no sense to me, either.” She added, starkly.

Cloud immediately huffed in humour. His hand moved away for a second, before returning.

“I guess we’ll just have to meet him then, so he can explain. He does say he can meet us.” Tifa was confirming. 

Denzel worried about that a little. 

They were meeting the ShinRa man now? Where would that leave him? In this new place by himself?

Cloud’s hand left his hair again.

“Denzel? What about him?” Tifa was asking.

Was Cloud asking about him?

Then Tifa was giggling. “Of course he can come, Cloud. You’d probably need to ask him, though. This will probably turn into a walkthrough of products, so it’s kinda like shopping. Even if Reeve will never let you pay for anything.” Tifa was stating, humour in her tone.

Cloud hummed.

“Of course he’ll want to come, Cloud.” Tifa refused whatever question Cloud actually did have.

It always made Denzel pause a little, whenever he was forcibly reminded that Cloud put him first. The same with Tifa.

He hadn’t been put first since before Midgar started falling apart.

That people worried about him.

He knew they were good people, like his first parents. But somewhere in the back of his mind, he had that small voice that niggled at him, saying their goodwill and intentions wouldn’t last. Or only last until he couldn’t be useful to them anymore.

He tried so very hard to shut that voice out now.

Denzel could guess that they were back at Midgar — At Edge, now. 

With the floaty feeling gone, and he didn’t feel so heavy now, he was able to move around.

He hated that Cloud’s finger’s paused the ruffling when he did.

Denzel didn’t hear his name from Cloud, but he did hear the pained, choked noise Cloud made at trying to say his name.

“Denzel?” Tifa was asking.

He hated that noise from his Dad.

Denzel fought to open his eyes, even more so when his body resisted, and Cloud made the same noise again.

Hearing it again, Denzel hissed at himself and forced his eyes open, and to move to his side.

“Hello, Denzel!” Tifa greeted him happily.

Denzel looked at her, and noted the little warning glare she was giving Cloud.

Yeah, she must have heard the pain in his tone as well.

He forced himself to his knees, Cloud hovered by his side. Denzel actually found the ability to glare at Cloud when he heard the pained humming from Cloud again.

“Cloud.” Tifa was warning him.

He almost yelped when he finally got to his knees properly that he almost fell off the bed he was on.

“Denzel!” Tifa was panicking.

Denzel heard the panicked gasp Cloud gave out before he rushed into picking him up.

He was weightless, almost immediately, once Cloud caught him and had him back on his lap.

Cloud didn’t seem to understand the reason Denzel was glaring at him, and mutely sided his head, and looked at Tifa.

Denzel tried to make sense of all the Spy Code that he rattled off, once he hooked his elbows around him.

Tifa blinked, but shook her head. “I didn’t catch half of that, Cloud. I’m sorry.” She apologised. 

With her not understanding, he fished his PHS out and typed.

While just as annoying to Denzel, because while it was written, he still couldn’t understand a single thing Cloud asked of her. Aside, his name being used.

But Tifa seemed to. 

She looked at him. “He’s asking why you’re angry.” Tifa answered.

Denzel blinked, then looked back to Cloud, and growled. 

He was moving before he could stop himself and laid his hands gently around Cloud’s shoulders.

“Don’t talk if it hurts. I heard it hurt you, just now.” Denzel growled back.

He didn’t need to hurt himself trying to talk when he couldn’t.

While Denzel didn’t understand why Cloud sometimes couldn’t talk, and sometimes could. He was connecting the reasons around it happening. Cloud seemed to lose his voice whenever he was tense, or whenever the situation got bad. Sometimes he could work through it, and sometimes he forced himself to.

Like now.

While, he didn’t understand the stresses that Cloud was currently under. Being in a new place, or maybe just talking to that ShinRa Reeve guy, might have been enough. 

He didn’t need to hurt himself trying to talk to him.

Cloud mutely shook his head, he was pinched between his eyes, and looked a little concerned.

“I’m here, if you need to talk, Cloud.” Tifa reminded him. “I might not be as good as Zack when it comes to SSL, but you still have your PHS.” She added. 

Huh? Spy Code was called what now?

He looked at her, pleadingly, and she nodded.

“I don’t think Denzel will mind me reading off your PHS so you can talk to him, Cloud.” She scolded.

Denzel watched as Cloud looked back to him, almost silently asking him if it was alright.

Denzel nodded. “As long as you don’t hurt yourself!” He growled angrily.

Cloud had other ways to talk, and while both ways to do that, Denzel didn’t know yet. He would be going back to school soon, so he’d learn more words, and get better at reading. Even if he needed to ask his teacher—

Oh.

School.

Shit.

Denzel was jostled out of his panic spiral when Cloud subtly rearranged his elbows on him to use his PHS. He knew then that Cloud didn’t exactly trust Denzel not to fall off his lap.

And at that moment? Denzel didn’t exactly trust himself not to fall if Cloud didn’t have him tucked in with his elbows, either. 

With his PHS turned around for Tifa to read, Denzel perked up.

His Dad had something to say.

Tifa nodded, and looked at Denzel.

“Cloud wants to ask if you know where you are, and if you want to have a look around before the sun sets.” Tifa asked.

Denzel immediately grinned, and spun around back to Cloud. 

“Yeah! Can we?!” He asked.

He bore the calculative look Cloud gave him up and down, then once he tucked away his PHS from harm, he moved Denzel to stand.

Ah. The standing test.

Denzel wouldn’t be walking anywhere if he couldn’t stand on his own two feet. Most likely if he couldn’t, Cloud would still take him, he’d just have to suck it up and ignore he wasn’t a baby. He was almost six! 

Denzel was able to stand on his own. 

He noted that Cloud held up five fingers.

So he nodded and tried to walk five steps, once he looked around the room to see where he was. 

He could gather they were in temporary housing, or well, a temporary tent. 

There was little in the way of bench space, and no place to make food, or even store it. So Denzel could guess there was no electricity. There were two beds. He could assume the one he was in would be his, and Cloud and Tifa would share the other.

Other than the actual blue sword by the tent exit, there was space for where their shoes would be, and a little drawer for their other clothes.

He would need to ask about washing up and eating later.

But, noting where the exit was, he moved and found out whether he could take five steps.

Denzel nearly crowed in pride when he could and whirled around to grin at his parents.

They were both grinning at him, and Cloud had stood up.

“So we can go, right?” Denzel asked eagerly.

Denzel watched as, not Spy Code, but, what, SSL?, he thinks they called it instead from Cloud.

This time, Tifa seemed to understand it, without Cloud going to his PHS. 

She looked at him.

“As long as you don’t mind Cloud picking you up if you can’t walk back.” She warned.

Denzel just grinned and nodded eagerly.

“Sure! I wanna see where we are!” Denzel answered, racing back to Cloud, and tugging on one hand. “Dad! Let’s go!” He demanded.

Before he froze in panic.

Chapter Text

Oh, the power to be strong. And the wisdom to be wise. All these things will come to you in time. On this journey that you’re making.
There’ll be answers that you’ll seek. Though there’s no one there to guide you, no one to take your hand.
But with faith and understanding: You will journey from boy to man.
In learning, you will teach. And in teaching, you will learn. You’ll find your place beside the ones you love.
Oh, and all the things you dreamed of: The visions that you saw. Well, the time is drawing near now.
It’s yours to claim it all. Son of man, look to the sky! Lift your spirit, set it free!
Some day, you’ll walk tall with pride!

— Phil Collins (Son of Man)

79. Son of Man

“Sure! I wanna see where we are!” Denzel answered, racing back to Cloud, and tugging on one hand. “Dad! Let’s go!” He demanded.

Shit.

Shit.

Crap.

Crap.

Crap!

Cloud was not Dad!

Tifa was not Mom!

Was this the last straw?!

Calling him dad?! He had this nightmare, so many times before!

He called Cloud that out loud, and he got tossed out onto the street!

Denzel stared, waiting for the angry scowl to pass on Cloud’s face.

But all he got was a few blinks, then his hand was tugged gently in warning from Cloud that he was going to start moving. He’d done that several times back in Mideel. Denzel was so used to it now, he just blankly nodded and started moving with him.

Huh?

What?!

“We better move, or the sun will set without us!” Tifa was saying.

WHAT?!

With how good Cloud’s hearing was, he heard him. And Tifa wasn’t in the next tent. She heard him too.

He absolutely did not understand the sudden victorious grin Cloud had that he shot at Tifa, or the little twice tap over with his two forefingers against each other, gleefully.

Or why Tifa was giggling?!

But…they just let it…slide?

What did it mean when they didn’t comment on it?

Was he allowed to call Cloud, Dad? Or were they just humouring him, and they would tell him later that he wasn’t allowed to call him that?!

Did he say it again, just to see if they had a reaction?!

Denzel didn’t know what to do.

But they…weren’t angry?

For all their smiling and grinning faces?

Denzel knew they weren’t angry.

Maybe he got one free pass?

“Look, over there.” Tifa was saying.

Denzel looked up at her, then to where she was pointing.

They had walked for a good while, and they had gone past where all the other built and not so built parts of Edge were.

Now there was nothing. Some sticks in the barren ground.

And a big hole in the ground.

Denzel saw that at the hole Cloud snorted, and pulled out his PHS, and tapped away on the transparent screen, then handed it over to Tifa.

“Oh.” Tifa was saying. “So, this is what Zack is so proud of? He finally got to it?” Tifa was asking.

Cloud snorted again.

With it, Denzel went a little closer, and yelped at how far down it went, and balked back in fear he’d fall.

He backed into Cloud, because of course he did.

Denzel heard the concerned whine that he caused.

He looked up to see Cloud’s concern painted across his face.

“I’m fine.” Denzel was immediately reporting. “I’m fine. Just a long way down.” He reassured him.

Denzel saw that Cloud sided his head, then looked around Denzel to see what he meant.

Then came the chuckling from him.

“Oh, he’s gonna have so much fun filling it.” Tifa giggled. 

Fun Uncle Zack needed to fill this hole?!

Why?!

“Why does he need to fill it? And with what?” Denzel blurted out, not knowing if he should be worried or not.

Cloud hummed again.

Ah. Right. He couldn’t answer. Denzel scrunched his nose up at him, apologetically, and looked at Tifa.

“He needs to fill it with water, like the one from Mideel. And how is he gonna do that? I’m sure he’s probably sourcing water materia, or ice at least. As well as how to cycle water.” Tifa informed him.

Denzel blinked, then slowly understood and nodded.

Cloud still needed the water from Mideel.

And with him here, it seemed his Fun Aunt and Uncle were determined to also bring the water as well.

“Should we be worried he hasn’t filled it yet?” Denzel asked.

He knew Cloud still needed it, but it wasn’t exactly every second day now.

He watched as Cloud shrugged, as if he didn’t mind. 

Tifa giggled. 

Denzel rolled his eyes. He wasn’t so sure his parents should be so blasé about there not being any healing water, especially should Cloud still need it.

He’d ask Uncle Zack when he saw him next.

“But! If it’s here, then…” Tifa started eagerly, then moving about on her feet and twirling about, looking for something, then spying the little sticks, she ran over to one.

Denzel heard the little questioning hum Cloud made at her, and noted it didn’t pain the man to do it.

Maybe, soon, he’d regain use of his voice, not that it mattered to Denzel. Denzel was just glad he wasn’t in pain, or forcing himself to speak.

He just tugged on Cloud’s hand, who chuckled and went over to Tifa.

“What’s this little stick mean?” Denzel asked as Cloud crouched down next to him.

Tifa was grinning. 

“It’s a house border!” She explained. She pointed back towards the hole. “This side is Zack’s and Aerith’s. They plan to build a kind of wellness centre, for those who are ill from Geostigma and mako poisoning. They’re gonna live on top.” Tifa added, then pointed to the other side of the stick. “And this side?” She grinned happily. “Will be on our side!” She added.

Suddenly, it made sense.

Denzel looked up at her.

“The little block building?” He breathed.

She grinned and nodded.

Cloud suddenly stood up, grinning, with a hum he was bolting across to the next stick in the ground.

Once he got there, his arm shot up and he waved.

Tifa was giggling. “It’s a little hard to envision, without the maps and the blocks.” She answered.

She didn’t raise her voice, and she didn’t need to for Cloud to hear her from where he was.

It was a massive lot of ground he had vaulted over.

Denzel looked up.

“And you’re gonna be up the stairs?” He muttered.

All he could see was the stars.

Tifa hummed. “We’re gonna live upstairs, yes.” She answered.

Denzel blinked at the change of words, and nodded.

She hadn’t been untruthful, so far.

So maybe until something that was out of her control, he could believe that she wanted him to be with her and Cloud.

He grinned at her.

/

/

Denzel didn’t know when he fell asleep.

But he woke up back in the little tent, with his parents on the other side.

He grinned, and went to find that little block creation.

It had to be here, somewhere.

He gently went around to the boxes and opened them up quietly, at each noise he stalled and looked at Cloud.

He froze several times when his Dad muttered out and moved around.

But he didn’t wake, so he went back to searching.

Denzel didn’t know how long it took him to find it, but he did. He gently reached into the box and lifted it out. 

He was very proud he was able to get it out and not break it. Denzel put it on the only table they had and stared at it silently.

Tifa had said that the Seventh Heaven she had before was destroyed in the first wave of the destruction of Midgar. That it was some type of pub. So he could assume the part with the chairs and the tables was part of that.

But everything else, aside from the stairs off to the side of Seventh Heaven? No clue.

He froze again when Cloud moved and woke.

Denzel watched as the man checked on Tifa, who was still asleep next to him, then his bed. 

“Denz?” Cloud asked for him, sleepily, one hand coming up to rub his eye as he sat up. 

Searching. 

Cloud looked around the room, and found Denzel easily.

Seeing him, Cloud easily, if a little sleepily, got up and stumbled over to Denzel, sinking to the ground next to him, heavily.

He felt the ground tremble as the man sat.

Denzel couldn’t help but stare at this man, as he looked from Denzel, then to the construction a few times.

“Denz?” He asked again.

Denzel wasn’t quite sure his Dad was super awake or not.

“Here.” He called.

Cloud hummed at him, appreciatively. 

“Was’it?” Cloud asked.

“I was trying to figure out where this goes to what we saw last night.” Denzel answered. 

Denzel swallowed the yelp he nearly made, when Cloud pulled him into his lap.

He didn’t want to think that his Dad would allow him any closer.

Denzel felt the man put his chin on his head. 

“‘S easier to see, when we take it next time.” Cloud answered, still sleepily.

Denzel shuffled back into him, and noted Cloud wrapped his arms around him.

This man…

“Cloud?” Denzel asked. 

Cloud moved to nuzzle into his hair with his forehead.

“Hmm?” He answered tiredly, leaving his forehead against him. 

“If I ask you a question, will you remember you’ve answered it, if you go back to sleep?” Denzel asked quietly.

“You want me to take you to the site again?” Cloud asked, tiredly.

Denzel giggled. “Well, that wasn’t my question. But it is a good one.” Denzel laughed quietly. 

He heard his father hum, and then move his head away.

Denzel didn’t panic when Cloud moved him to face him this time. He was proud of that. Extremely.

“Are you hurt?” Cloud asked, looking a little more awake, and looking him up and down.

Denzel couldn’t help but laugh at this silly man in front of him, as he shook his head.

“Will you remember if I ask you a question?” Denzel asked again.

Denzel watched as Cloud blinked at him. Then for some reason, he looked from him, to the construction on the table, then the little ribbon on his arm.

Then hummed as he nodded.

“I’m awake.” He stated.

He blinked and the open permission to speak.

At how open Cloud was looking at him.

Like he could ask any question, and he would answer it, truthfully.

“And you won’t lie.” Denzel demanded.

Cloud nodded, serious, then reached for his hand and placed it on his chest.

“I won’t.” He promised.

Denzel blinked and nodded.

“I, um,” Denzel scrunched his nose up, and Cloud sided his head at him, trying to encourage him. “You weren’t angry with me, yesterday,” Denzel clocked the immediate concern and confusion. “But do I…? Do I need to apologise for calling you my Dad?” He asked, ducking his head, not wanting to see him angry.

/

/

Cloud stared at his kid.

He was awake.

He was sure.

Did he need to apologise?

No. Hell no.

“Hey,” Cloud started, Denzel curled his shoulders in, awaiting punishment. At it, Cloud immediately started the shushing noise, he didn’t know where the noise came up from, or how he knew to do it. But Denzel’s shoulders slumped in at it.

So win-win.

“I’m not angry with you, Denz.” He answered, using his free hand to curl under his kid’s chin and gently lift his head. “You don’t need to do that.” He added softly.

Once he got his kid’s head up, he saw the unshed tears.

“And you don’t need that either,” Cloud hummed, pawing at one cheek and then the other. “Alright? I’m not mad. If it wasn’t a mistake. Because I’ve been kinda hoping you’d call me it.” At this, Cloud saw the astonished stare his kid was giving him. “Then if you are comfortable calling me that, then, yeah. I don’t mind. And I’m very much not angry. Delighted. Sure.” Cloud elaborated.

Suddenly, Denzel was moving and hugging his chest, hiding his face.

Cloud stared down at his kid, dumbfounded.

“Denz?” He asked.

Denzel whined. “I wanna.” He barely heard the muffled answer.

Cloud raced to wrap his arms around him.

“Then, you can. Totally don’t mind.” Cloud announced.

Cloud felt the kid grinning into him proudly.

“Then I can call Tifa, Mom?” He asked shyly.

Cloud hid a laugh in his throat.

“Denz. She’d probably be offended, if you didn’t.” Cloud stated, snorting in laughter.

Denzel looked up, clocked the amusement, and giggled.

“But totally let me be there when you call her that for the first time,” Cloud requested. Denzel sided his head in confusion. “I want to see her reaction. She laughed at mine!” Cloud protested.

Denzel blinked then shrugged.

All’s fair, he guessed.

Chapter Text

You and me, were always with each other.
Before we knew, the others was ever there.
You and me, we belong together. Just like a breath needs the air.
I told you if you called, I would come runnin’. Across the highs, the lows and the in between.
You and me, we’ve got two minds that think as one. And our hearts march to the same beat.
They say everything it happens for a reason. You can be flawed enough but perfect for a person.
Someone who will be there for you when you fall apart. Guiding your direction when you’re riding through the dark.
Oh, that’s you and me. 

— Pink & Dallas (You & Me)

80. You & Me

The next time Denzel found himself in the space where Seventh Heaven would go, he would make sure to bring the brick construction his parents built. 

It would be easier to see what his parents were talking about.

In the few days since Denzel accidentally called Cloud his father, and it wasn’t refuted by the man, Denzel found he had fewer nightmares about it.

But he couldn’t find the right moment to call Tifa his mother. 

Something always got in the way!

Denzel found himself glaring out the tent, when Tifa’s PHS went off, summoning her somewhere else.

He turned his glare on his father when he heard the man muffle a laugh.

“Dad!” He cried in dismay.

Now Cloud was snorting at him with humour, but Denzel didn’t mind the apologetic hug the man gave him.

“Hard?” Cloud asked.

Denzel hummed. “Every time I gain the courage, something happens.” He grumbled.

Denzel felt Cloud nuzzle his hair, gathering him closer. 

“You don’t need to be frightened of her reaction. Well, actually, maybe ready your ears, she might scream really loud in joy.” Cloud warned. 

Denzel looked up at the man, who was now grinning down at him, happily. 

Denzel knew Tifa hadn’t gone far, and probably could have heard her entire conversation if he wanted to, or was focused on her. But she had moved out of the tent for a reason, so he figured she wanted privacy for the call, or she figured the call would be boring.

She would be that happy, huh?

“Totally catch her off guard when she comes back in.” Cloud prompted mischievously.

Now Denzel was giggling. 

“She might drop her PHS.” He warned. Denzel didn’t want to be the reason she needed to pay for a new one.

Cloud scoffed.

“I’ll buy her a new one, if she does.” He answered easily. 

Denzel looked up at him, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. 

“There’s a joke there somewhere, Dad.” Denzel found himself warning.

Cloud blinked at him in surprise, then burst out laughing.

“I have a bet, nothing to worry about.” Cloud laughed.

Denzel still looked at him in suspicion.

“Who gets the most gill?” Denzel demanded. 

“If her reaction is more than mine?” Cloud asked, Denzel nodded. “Me, totally. And I get bragging rights with Zack.” He added.

Denzel blinked. So, nothing nefarious, then. He hoped.

“Hope it’s enough if she drops her PHS.” Denzel muttered. And the cost of his ears.

Cloud was grinning, mischievously, Denzel was coming to note the expression in his father was something people actually feared.

Since neither of them had tracked Tifa’s call, they both jumped when she returned.

Tifa returned with a tired sigh, and Denzel wasn’t quite sure she was paying attention.

“Are you okay, Mom?” He asked.

Denzel felt his father immediately focus on Tifa that much more. 

Denzel immediately saw Tifa froze, blink, then looked at him, surprise painted her entire face, like she hadn’t heard him, or hoped that she had heard him.

“Mom?” He tried again.

Her PHS fell from her hand as she gasped in surprise. It went ignored by her that her PHS never actually smashed to pieces because Cloud used some type of spell to ensure it wouldn’t.

No, Denzel had to worry more about the fact his mother was definitely trying to hold in a scream of joy, probably held back due to the fact his ears and Cloud’s would have popped at it.

But then she was rushing at him, Denzel felt Cloud move him, and then his mother was gathering him up into a hug. She was repeating his name over and over in relief.

“Hi.” He answered, muffled from her hug.

He heard her wet giggle.

With him engulfed in her arms, Cloud knew his kid didn’t see how overwhelmed he made Tifa.

Tifa was looking at him, hopefully.

“He called me…” She was trying to process. 

Cloud nodded. “He’s been trying to for a couple of days.” He answered softly.

Cloud saw her grip tighten slightly at that, and her grin widened even more. He noted Denzel didn’t seem to mind where he was.

“Maybe make sure he can breathe, though, Teef.” He reminded her softly. 

Tifa yelped in panic and pulled their kid back in worry she had suffocated him.

But she pulled him back, and he looked up at her with a loud grin.

“Hi!” He answered.

Tifa’s entire face wobbled, and she pulled him back in for another hug.

“Nope. Mine now.” Tifa ended up muttering, causing Denzel to laugh. 

/

/

Denzel didn’t want to make his parents late.

But he also kinda didn’t want them to meet this ShinRa guy to begin with.

They entered a building that while it didn’t look ShinRa, it still looked official, and more built then the rest of Edge, that it immediately raised his small hairs, and he clung to his Dad’s hand and side nervously.

Denzel got that ShinRa didn’t make the big decisions anymore, way too concerned with trying to find their president in the mess they made. But they still had influence. Denzel didn’t exactly know if they still had enough of it to remove him from Cloud and Tifa, if they wanted to. If he was bad.

He tried really hard not to tremble nervously.

He had gotten over the fact that his parents didn’t want to drop him off at the nearest orphanage. But Denzel had to wonder what would happen if they were ordered to.

Denzel eyed the massive blue crystal sword at his Dad’s back. He’d rather not know how good his dad was with that thing.

Denzel jumped when the elevator let them out at some high number, and he felt his Dad clutch his hand a little harder.

“You’re alright.” He reassured him. 

It should have helped. But it didn’t.

The elevator let them into a room that was huge, and seemed to revolve around what looked like a massive round structure in the middle. The image of Edge was see-through and seemed to glitch every now and again, but Denzel recognised the same technology in his parent’s PHS’, just on a bigger scale. 

It was pretty cool, he wasn’t gonna lie. Denzel would have liked to talk to whoever built it and ask how it was made.

Denzel couldn’t smell mako. So it wasn’t running on it.

Huh.

Another question to ask. As long as this not-ShinRa guy was alright.

He needed to stop being impressed!

“Cloud! Tifa!” A man called, joyfully, looking up from the round structure’s console, seeing who entered.

Denzel couldn’t help that his first instinct was to hide himself behind his dad.

“Reeve,” Tifa greeted with a smile. “How are things?” She asked easily.

Denzel noted that his father only moved a little so that he could run his fingers through his hair, reassuringly.

This was the Reeve guy that Dad said he’d have a throw down with, without the sword on his back, if he tried anything.

Denzel peeked out from behind Cloud, critically eyeing the man.

Huh. He didn’t look like ShinRa.

But he’d watch what he’d said, regardless. Denzel shoved down the idea that he wanted to punch the man in the face. While it might be satisfying, he didn’t want Cloud and Tifa in trouble.

This man, Reeve, sighed tiredly, in response to Tifa.

“It would be a lot smoother if someone could find Rufus and Hojo.” He answered, truthfully.

Denzel felt the small flinch Cloud made at the last name mentioned.

“You still can’t find them?” Cloud asked, warningly.

Reeve shook his head.

“First-hand accounts have them in two different locations before WEAPON Fall. I wouldn’t put it past Hojo to still be in Midgar somewhere. While Rufus could be holed up somewhere else if he’s injured. Rufus was last seen in the ShinRa office in Midgar Tower, while Hojo was last seen in his labs. We haven’t been able to get many footprints back into Midgar. There’s not enough SOLDIERS left behind who are willing to snoop on their old masters.” Reeve explained.

Cloud just sighed, sounding annoyed. He would just do it himself. If he was allowed to.

“I’d rather know where both of them are.” He muttered. 

Reeve nodded. “I am aware.” Denzel froze when the man looked at him, and his warmer smile returned. “And this must be Denzel!” He greeted him warmly. Denzel stared at him. How did this man know his name!? “I’m sure you didn’t come here to be bored with us old guys talking about ShinRa!” He added, then looked back to Cloud. “What designs did you have in mind for Seventh Heaven?” He asked.

Herein Denzel noted the excited little bunny hops Tifa did, and he warily left her be.

Soon enough, Denzel understood nothing of what any of the adults were saying. 

But this ex-ShinRa man seemed to be alright, and when Cloud moved, Denzel didn’t stay glued to his back.

Denzel noted that Cloud handed his PHS to Reeve, oddly.

“Ah. Updates!” Reeve noted happily, and Tifa handed hers over as well, and slotted the two devices into the round machine.

There, the projection of the city of Edge, changed over to the plans the block house was normally sitting on.

Denzel tried not to be bored. But it was boring. 

Denzel jumped out of his skin, but clamped down on a terrified screech when something tapped his side.

He quickly looked down to see a walking cat.

“What.” Denzel muttered in confusion.

Then the Cat grinned and bowed to him.

“They’re mighty big words! Lessee something easier?” The cat actually stated.

This cat could talk.

“What.” Denzel muttered again, incredulously.

He watched as the cat smiled at him, backed up a little and gestured to the side, where a smaller round mechanism was, surrounded by a circular lounge.

Sitting would be good. Denzel could feel his ankles starting to wobble.

At least he wouldn’t be leaving the room, or too far away from Cloud that he wouldn’t be able to hear him ask for help.

Denzel nodded, vexed at how this cat could function. Seeing his compliance, the Cat grinned happily, grasped his hand gently, and led him over to the couch.

Denzel sighed appreciatively when he was able to sit.

He was nearly at the limit where he would have needed to ask for it.

Denzel watched as the cat jumped up onto the console.

“I’m Cait!” He introduced, finally, with a paw to his chest.

“Denzel.” He greeted, finally remembering he needed to use his manners. 

Cait nodded, as if he already knew him.

Everyone seemed to know him recently. 

“Yo’re parents are building a business and a house! Big stuff!” Cait crowed. “Wa’s going in your room?” Cait was adding, curiously, as his head flopped to one side, his ears moving with the movement.

Denzel blinked. 

“A…bed?” He asked.

Cait blinked at him, stupefied silent, for a second, before nodding. “A good start!” He ended up answering, then flipped around and turned the console on.

“We should pick one!” Cait said, cheerfully.

There on the now flickering monitor were types of beds a kid could want.

“This costs.” Denzel hissed in a whisper, seeing the gill attached. All of them had lots of zeroes!

“Dunnae worry ‘bout that!” Cait waved away easily. “Just pick one that looks cool!” He insisted.

Denzel stared at the cat as if it was insane. How could he pick, if they all cost more then what he knew he could afford!? Who would pay for it!? His parents?!

He felt himself rearing back in panic.

“I can’t take this!” He hissed in panic.

Cait stared at him, blinking several times, confused.

“WRO is covering Seventh Heaven personally. Cloud, in’ Tifa, ain’t paying.” Cait explained. 

Denzel blinked up at the cat.

This company was paying for the entirety of Seventh Heaven? Really?

“Sounds fake.” Denzel blurted out.

Suddenly, Cait was laughing hard.

It gathered everyone else’s attention.

“Are you okay?” Cloud was asking.

Cait was snickering. 

“They’re paying?” Denzel asked him curiously.

Reeve was nodding. “Seemed a small thing to do for everything we’ve all gone through recently.” He noted. 

Denzel noted the holoprojector he was sitting with.

“And these?” He asked.

Cloud looked at them, and hummed. “Get the most expensive one. And as much as you like.” He answered, mischievously.

“Cloud.” Reeve just sighed in retribution, while Cloud grinned at them both.

“You said you would cover it.” Cloud explained, cheekily.

The man just sighed, and nodded.

The sky was the limit.

Denzel could go nuts.

Sweet. Message received and noted.

Denzel looked back to the catalogue, now eager to send ShinRa bankrupt.

They deserve nothing less.

He eagerly scrolled through the several types of beds he could see, vetoing those that had stairs, or any type of bunk attached. Denzel doubted just because he was having more good days than bad, would he just magically stop having nightmares, or stop dropping like a fly from the exhaustion creeping up his legs. Cloud, more than likely, would still need to put him to bed at these times.

It needed to be adult weight proofed.

Denzel didn’t make the rules.

He just worked within them.

And this way, if he could pick everything himself? Then no pink and sparkly furniture would be in his future.

Chapter Text

In my waking, in my resting, in the pain and in the testing.
It comes in slowly, then all at once, the feeling is arresting.
Pressure’s building, all along, I can feel it growing. Forever changing, still I’m suffering.
All I hear is, “I am nothing!”. There’s only so much I can do. To make it feel like something.
Fear is breathing on its own: But the pain can’t hold me.
A flash of lightning cracks the sky. In the blink of a moment, I realise:
Who you were before, and what happened to you, does not define how you will.
Find your own way of letting go. No turning back now. Love can heal pain. Hold you close.

— Caleb Hyles ft. Ashes Remain & Judge & Jury (The Memory)

81. The Memory

Denzel was stuck, staring at the holoprojector.

What else went in the bedroom? Besides a bed?

He couldn’t remember what had been in his first bedroom. The things had been boxed up for the move between Sectors, and then ultimately destroyed when the Plate fell.

Cait was quietly sitting next to him, swinging his legs every so often.

The bed he finally settled on? With the room size, it made the bed look lost.

But he also didn’t want to admit he was stuck at the same time.

He was ignoring what his parents were discussing with Reeve. From what he couldn’t stop from overhearing, they had it much harder than just one room. They had to pick furnishings for the entire place. Bar, garage, House. The lot of it.

Yikes. Sounded like a pain.

Denzel had already taken note of what he boxed up from Mideel. 

And the room still looked too big.

“Cait.” Cloud was suddenly saying, making Denzel jump and look up to see Cloud nearer than before.

Cait jumped up and saluted.

“Scat.” Cloud ordered.

The cat bowed and bolted for Reeve.

Cloud sat next to him, with a little tired sigh.

“I could hear your frustration from the other side of the room.” He answered.

Denzel scrunched his face up apologetically. 

“Not something you need to apologise for.” Cloud immediately overruled before Denzel could say anything. “But what happened?” He asked for an explanation. 

Denzel blinked, then pointed to his holographic room.

“It’s too big.” Denzel noted quietly. Trying not to be in a grumble.

“The room?” Cloud asked.

Denzel nodded. 

Cloud hummed, and Denzel was satisfied in watching the emotions wash over his father’s face.

/

/

Cloud could feel his kid’s frustration rolling off him in waves.

With his area settled, as well as the house in general, it was just Seventh Heaven to be settled on.

And that was Tifa’s domain.

“Denzel.” He muttered to Tifa.

Tifa looked up, and over to their kid, and nodded.

He could leave.

Cloud looked at the very empty room with a blink.

“Is there nothing else you want in your room?” He questioned, interested.

Aside from the bed, a closet, and a side table that had a chocobo lamp? The room was empty.

It looked way too big and unfurnished. 

“I dunno what else to put in it.” Denzel muttered, confused. 

“Well,” Cloud answered, mentally going over what Tifa had demanded go in their room, he opened up the catalogue again.

“There’s these,” He added, scrolling until he found a chest of draws.

Denzel blinked up at him. “I don’t have enough clothes?” He asked. 

Cloud found a surge of protectiveness swelling up inside him. “Well, we certainly need to change that.” He answered. He picked the category. “Let’s see what matches.” He added easily. 

Cloud watched Denzel for any spark of interest in the chest of drawers. The kid seemed to get over the price once he realised the bill was technically being sent to ShinRa. 

There it was. He spied the sudden lock of eyes and the automatic jerk his kid did to stab out at the hologram.

Then came the several minutes his kid took to put it wherever he wanted it in the room.

He found it easy to just sit there and watch his kid work as he moved the metaphysical set of draws around the room. The projected room adjusted to its size as he moved it in place. Cloud wasn’t too sure the kid knew what the surrounding numbers meant, but he was having fun nonetheless.

Denzel sat back when he found a place he liked it to be, and looked up at him, expectedly. 

They had several books back in Mideel…

“What about a place for your books?” Cloud was asking, he nearly barked a laugh when Denzel looked appalled he forgot something, then immediately went back to find a bookcase to shove into his room.

Once he found one, and found its place in his room.

“What about a place to read, unless you wanna read from your bed?” Cloud was asking.

Another frantic search for types of chairs.

He wasn’t surprised that Denzel settled on a type of blue-green coloured beanbag.

“Will your feet get cold on the wood floor?” Cloud urged.

Another search for rugs that Denzel didn’t realise existed, or that he wanted to need.

One entire wall ended up becoming a bookcase that the headboard of Denzel’s bed turned into. While Cloud was sure Denzel didn’t own enough books to fill it, he was damn sure he would collect enough books to attempt it. In one of the alcoves near the bed, Denzel had put the blue chocobo lamp in, deciding against a side table when he remembered book cases existed. 

On the opposite side, Denzel had placed the closet and chest of draws. One wall was taken up by the window, and the other had the door and the bed was leaning against.

The side of the window that was closest to the bookcases was where Denzel put the beanbag. Under the beanbag was a fluffy blue carpet that Cloud could see Denzel sinking his toes into. 

Under the window was a storage chest that could act like a bench, should Denzel want to sit on it and look out the window.

Cloud had made notes for the walls to be sound proofed as much as WRO could make. And the sun shades for the window to be able to block out as much sun as it could. He had made the same notes for the furnishings in his own room, as well.

“One last thing, I think,” Cloud voiced aloud. 

Denzel looked up, curiously.

Cloud opened the category for desks.

“For any tinkering you may get up to.” He added.

Denzel grinned.

The desk, once chosen, ended up being nestled next to the closet. 

Suddenly, Denzel’s room didn’t look so bare anymore.

“Dad?” Denzel questioned.

Cloud looked down, and hummed. 

“Do they have those glow-in-the-dark stars?” Denzel asked curiously.

“You have an interest in space?” Cloud asked back.

Denzel nodded. Cloud grinned. “Oh, you have no idea.” Cloud said, victoriously.

Denzel had the feeling it wouldn’t just be his ceiling that would be covered in stars, with that look on his father’s face.

He wouldn’t regret asking, though.

/

/

Every time they went and looked at New Seventh Heaven? There seemed to be a little bit more built.

“Look, look, look!” Tifa urged, bunny hops returning eagerly. “I found where the stairs are going to go!” She yelled. 

Not that she needed to.

Denzel was just surprised that Reeve didn’t veto any of their decisions, and just forked over the gill needed. Sometimes the man had suggestions, but he left it at that.

Cait was around more often than the man was. Denzel didn’t mind that.

He was more interested in how the hole Fun Uncle Zack was filling. 

He did explain the process of channelling water from a water materia, but it went over Denzel’s head by about ten feet, but not by Cloud’s.

Who just hummed in interest.

Cloud took in how Aerith made a channel for the materia to work, and then once the materia was activated, water easily flowed.

“Huh.” Cloud voiced.

Aerith grinned back at him.

“It’s a bit finicky. I haven’t gotten it right yet.” Aerith noted.

Zack was apparently working on faded and out-dated memories of a place they never visited.

Sometimes the water would flow, sometimes not, and would sometimes geyser and soak everything.

Several workers would glare at the Ancient when things went wrong.

Zack would always apologise fast at these times. 

But Cloud was interested in how the older technology of the Ancients tried to work. He noted early on, materia seemed to work well with certain metals as conductors.

With the bottom half of Seventh Heaven constructed, Tifa eagerly zoomed around the space in a flash. 

Denzel was giggling at their antics, which was fair. Cloud was amazed at how quickly Reeve could get people to build.

It worked in his favour. Reeve even made sure to note the other sectors were coming along just as fast. The only thing slowing the process down, besides manpower, was the fact they didn’t have enough stored energy for the mass process to go on at the same time.

It was then, with Zack getting hit in the face with water, Aerith screeching in laughter, and the idea people needed help, and were without people, that Cloud had an idea.

With Tifa busy at WRO, gathering resources, wanting to help, Cloud looked to Denzel.

“Up for a little trip?” He asked.

Denzel looked up at him, and grinned eagerly. “Yep!” He answered.

/

/

Cloud found himself in his newly built garage, with pieces of metal around him and Denzel, going off an idea in his head that he really had no idea if it would work or not. 

But, he was willing to try. Once he was cleared to help people, health wise, he wanted to be able to. People struggled to lift in mass what he knew he could lift by himself. Zack was on the same pace as the builders building Seventh Heaven, not that he wasn’t given help. The man had simply refused because he knew he could do it himself, so the workers could go help build elsewhere. 

With the amount of materia they had gathered and grown simply by using it, Cloud had an abundance to play around with.

But he made sure that Denzel was in another room, just in case he blew something up when he tried anything.

The kid hovered by the door every time, nervous.

Nothing he could build, and nothing new would run on mako. He was adamant about it, and so was WRO. 

So they needed an alternative.

With how Aerith and Zack were able to channel water from materia, it surely could be the same for any other materia.

Lightning. For example. 

So, Cloud found an old mako electric lamp, and struck it with lightning. 

As long as Cloud could channel the materia, the lamp remained lit. 

So he just needed to figure out that part.

No biggie.

It was a huge biggie.

He had to figure out how to get the materia to channel itself, remain on, so to speak.

Cloud had to build an entire new mechanism.

Good thing he was motivated. And had time on his hands, since he wasn’t allowed to build the house.

Which grated on his nerves to absolutely no end.

He, at least, had the designs about what went into the house with Tifa.

But he totally moved furniture into their right spots when the builders got it wrong.

And no one needed to know he did it.

It took the entirety of the bottom sections (and basement) to be finished, before Cloud figured out what worked and what didn’t.

It also took several variations of the same concept before he found one that worked.

Cloud ended up with a pedestal looking device that, once any type of materia was slotted into it, would light up and conduct.

Using another pedestal or top plate, channelled the materia’s essence to where Cloud wanted it to go.

He ended up crushing a materia into dust to make the pathways. And when Aerith (or Denzel) didn’t come running, he assumed he didn’t harm the Planet in any way.

Cloud also didn’t mind it took, what felt like a year, to wire the garage to see if he could power the lights.

“Alright, ready?” He asked.

Denzel gleefully nodded.

With it, he put the lightning materia into the mechanism in the wall, and the materia lit up.

Then, once Denzel flipped the light switch, the overhead lights turned on.

“OH MY GODS, MOM!” Denzel was yelling, and then bolting in glee.

Electricity. For free.

Don’t tell ShinRa.

Within a minute, Aerith was running in.

“What did you do?!” She was asking.

Cloud flipped the switch. “Made power from a single materia?” He questioned.

Aerith stared at him, looking a little dumbfounded.

“Yeah, okay. You’ve gotta explain that to me.” Aerith gripped in annoyance.

So he did.

“... And now you’ve gotta show Zack.” She grumbled, half an hour later, yanking him out of his garage, then through their shared indoor door. “Hey, Zack!” She hollered. 

“Yo!” Zack was yelling back. He rounded a corner, looking like a drenched cat.

“Cloud literally did what you’ve been trying to do, for the past month in a singular day, without knowing what he was doing.” Aerith answered.

Zack stood and stared. “God’s damn it, Cloud.” He muttered, good naturedly. “Come and tell me what I’ve been doing wrong.” He added, with a grin. “Please make it stop throwing water into my face. I don’t have enough clothes for this.” He pleaded.

With Zack’s set up, looking vastly different from the version that Cloud mocked up? Cloud easily reworked what looked like a wall fountain that spewed water into a wellness spring he had dug out. He could see why Zack got drenched in the face.

“I need stuff.” Cloud muttered then returned with enough materials to make a pedestal, and several wall mounts. 

Zack looked completely lost after five seconds, but didn’t dissuade Cloud from when he yanked the water materia from the wall, and shoved the mechanics into the wall instead.

“If you want hot and cold water, I’m gonna need ice and a fire materia.” Cloud answered. 

Zack nodded, and left the two materia on the counter, for whenever Cloud wanted to use them.

Several inbuilt wall materia basins, and one pedestal later, Cloud put fire, ice and water materias into connecting slots and all three lit up, and didn’t drench Cloud in the face. He connected the trio slot with a crushed lightning materia.

“Unless you only want one powered by Holy. You’re gonna need a power room. And a lot of lightning materia for me to crush into connection layers.” Cloud answered, once he inlaid the lightning materia the entire connection lit up, and the water materia acted out as a fountain that started flowing into the tub. Like Zack had been trying to do.

“Huh.” Zack muttered, awed.

“This is so cool!” Aerith was squealing, making both males flinch at her volume.

Cloud looked at her. “I’m guessing nothing about what I’m doing is hurting the Planet, since you’ve screamed my ears off, and Denzel doesn’t mind either.” He asked.

Aerith shook her head. “Nope!” She said excitedly. “I’ll show you where the power room is!” She added, jumping up and down.

Aerith led him to the only locked door Cloud had seen so far, and one that was securely in this no patrons area of the business. 

Cloud sighed tiredly when he realised how long Aerith’s place would take, and turned to Zack.

“You better have enough lightning materia for this.” Cloud grumbled at him.

Zack paled a little. “I don’t.” He started, froze when Cloud glared at him. “How many do we need!?” He squeaked out in panic when Aerith joined in the glaring.

“How many baths do you plan to have running constantly?” Cloud asked Aerith, looking from her to the surrounding bathhouse. He had walked past several private rooms. He knew from prior conversations there were bigger ones, and at least two massive group ones.

Aerith blinked. “We can have up to ten, and then the three pools.” She explained.

Cloud looked at Zack. “Come back with at least twenty.” He demanded.

Zack saluted and bolted.

Cloud looked back to Aerith. “If you’re gonna have water flowing constantly, you’re gonna need an extraction and purification system for the water to be recycled in the business, or to go out into Edge.” He explained.

Aerith grinned. “I have that covered! I’ll show you!” She said, excitedly.

She explained as she demonstrated, returning to the working bath.

“See here,” She started, turning the water back on, and letting the tub overflow.

Cloud watched, curiously, as the water flowing over the edge, flowed into a circular groove around the bath, then flowed into a curve in the floor. He curiously followed it out of the room. Now that he knew the purpose of the curve in the flooring, he realised Aerith had thought of recycling and collecting all run off water. All private rooms, Cloud could guess, were the same as the one he fixed up, so they would all flow into the main hallway. Whatever herbs and scents used in the water would linger in the hallways pleasantly.

Aerith led him to where Zack had made an irrigation and purification room, near the power room. Which, Cloud could assume all water would go into the funnel out of the business.

He turned to her. “Cool.” He told her.

She giggled happily.

“Let me know when Zack gets back, and I’ll fix the rest.” He told her, then went back to his own family.

Now he had his own bathrooms to work on in the meantime.

-END OF PART 3-

A/N:

This chapter is totally brought to you by the Cloister Trials theme.

You're welcome.