A/N: This is an edit and improvement on a story I posted under a different name. It died because I gave up, and now I've improved on it and decided to finish it off.
Disclaimer: Namura pwnes. I also do not own Ivy or Fox mentioned in the later part of this chapter. They belong to a story by a dear friend of mine, the story is "Us" and the author Zacks-Clone. If you feel up to it, check it out. It's about Zack and Clouds past together, before and during zacks SOLDIER days.
The beginning…again
"…Midgar needs its young blood, Midgar needs you! New recruitment office on the island of Mideel, transport will be provided from all major cities…" the fan fair crescendo of Shin-Ra propaganda faded to a muffle behind a wooden door closed softly to the night. Children ran up and down the street heading home or on their last run to the shops.
Under the pale light of a bent lamp post a group of small children have gathered in a circle. One kid knelt in the middle wiping her eyes with her cream sleeve trying her best to ignore the voices around her.
"Your dad's a freak! A freak!" red hair flopped from side to side as the kid pointed and hopped around making mocking motions with his arm. "I heard he's a murderer!" one kid called from the back ground, voice sounding unsure and distant.
"He's not!" Marlene Wallace rose to her feet screaming at them. If only they would leave her alone, she thought. The circle of kids was a familiar thing for her; they were all at least a year older than her. Their taunting and jeering scared her to tears and sometimes left her afraid to play outside.
"You know nothing about him!" The young girls' voice broke as she gave into to tears and fell to her knees.
Across the street a young boy jogged out the front door of a well lit house. The wooden porch creaked under his feet as he turned and waved. A well built young man stood in the door way watching the kid leave.
"Goodnight Mr.Lasbit" the boy said. With a shiver the brown haired boy pulled the zipper to his dull blue top further up towards his chin. Flattening the hood at the back he stepped into the street.
"Night Denzel, you take care now you 'eer?" Mr.Lasbit smiled and closed the door to his home. The sound of raised voices reached Denzel almost as soon as he had settled to the cold. Was that crying he heard? The light from the lamp post stung his eyes as he searched for the source of the racket.
"Marlene" he muttered.
"You don't get it do you! Your dad can't change anything, Shin-Ra are rebuilding this city, MY dad says Shin-Ra are the ones making a difference, not Wallace Oil! Your dads just a nasty old…" The blonde headed youth staggered forward choking on his words, as Denzel came charging through barging them out the way.
"Marlene! Get up, lets go home" Denzel placed his hand on Marlene's shoulder, his eyes narrow. The girl coughed to clear her throat and stared back at him.
"Denzel?" Under the tears and red cheeks she smiled and rose to her feet. She took his arm in both of hers and clung to it, looking out still frightened at the circle around them.
"Come on Marlene" Denzel moved forward leaning with his free shoulder pushing the blonde out the way once more. The circle parted to let him through. "Stay away from Marlene, or…"
"Or else what?" the blonde spat, "You'll tell your "mom"? she's not even your real mom" The blonde squared his shoulders feel proud of himself at the cheap shot. Denzel was not amused.
"Shut up!" he called turning and lashing out. Both Denzel and the blonde hit the ground, Denzel on top. Dust puffed covering trousers and jackets, the blonde kid heard his rip as he hit the ground. Denzel had him pinned down by the collar. The boy had hit him in the fall, he'd hardly noticed, "don't say another word Martin."
"Denzel?" Marlene's voice shook the anger from Denzel, he let go of Martins collar and stepped off him. His eyes were fixed on martin even as he backed away.
"Sorry, Marlene." With that the two kids headed home.
Light bounced off polished glass sending strange shadows across the wall, the hum of over head fans gently spinning in the back ground comforted the two figures in the room.
A beautiful woman pulled her straight black her behind one ear as she place a glass on the table.
In an effortless move she reached behind her, flipped a bottle through the air and caught it just above the bar. With a smile she spun the bottle half way round, unplugged the cork and let the light green liquid pour into the glass.
"You've been practising."
Determined eyes fixed on the bottle she swivelled it in her hand as she turned and placed it back on the shelf. "I try" she laughed, and ran her hand down the side of her black cut offs.
"You're really taking this new bar seriously aren't you?" Cloud Strife picked up the glass and looked through it at Tifa, it took her weeks to produce a small amount of this stuff, and it was already making a name for her bar. Seventh Heaven was become the bar to go to, and "Life on ice" was the drink everyone wanted.
"Well you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. I'm considering hiring staff too." Tifa looked along the shelf noticing how the different liquids left hazes of light on the perfectly clean mirror along the wall.
Cloud drained his glass and paused for a moment.
"Fruity, kinda sharp…yet creamy…fruit milkshake with a kick." With a grin he placed the glass on the counter, "more?"
Just as Tifa turned to grab the bottle the doors to the bar creaked open. Denzel and Marlene walked through a moment later, shuffling and looking awkward. Tifa always found that quiet cute.
Cloud noted the dirt on Denzel's trouser knees his Mako eyes scanned up and down the boys body; he didn't appear to be hurt. Marlene was dirty too; her eyes red from crying and her sleeve was stretch by her using it as a handkerchief.
"Are you guys ok?" Tifa dashed round the bar hit the drop down panel on the way by and it toppled to a close. She was two steps behind Cloud- who was already kneeling in front of the two youths- when the phone rang. Cloud turned his head over his shoulder just as she skid to a stop.
His blue eyes seemed to comfort her as he smiled at her and spoke.
"Can you get that? I'll deal with these two" Marlene pounced at Clouds shoulder and hugged him before he had time to turn back round. Tifa could be heard nimbly hoping up the stairs to grab the phone. Cloud set his face in a mix between concern and strength then turned to face the kids.
"Marlene…what happened?" A gloved hand gentle pulled the young girl from his body, enough that he could see her face. Marlene looked up at Cloud, opened her mouth as though ready to deny everything, and she would have if Denzel hadn't blurted.
"She was being picked on again. I went to get her and bring her home and then Martin said…" His voice trailed off as his mind drifted. With his right hand Denzel toyed with the hair at the back of his head, his eyes tracing the light wooden border along the wall and back towards the door, "we can be a family can't we? I mean, I know Tifa isn't my real mum, but we can still be a family can't we?"
The voice from his lips was one laced with denial, like he'd be beaten on, but hadn't quite given up. When he turned and faced Cloud, his expression was one of pleading. Cloud had been so caught off guard by Denzel he hadn't noticed Tifa coming back down the stairs. To his surprise she was still holding the phone.
"It's a contract. They're offering big money." Tifa held the phone towards him but more looking at Marlene than him. Cloud took the phone and looked back at Denzel.
"Can we talk before you go to sleep?" Cloud asked smiling at the young boy.
"S-Sure" The Brown head nodded and Cloud stood and heading for the stairs, but not before turning to see Tifa kneel before the two children and look between them.
"Hello, Cloud speaking, what do you need done?"
Denzel had just let his eyes adjust to the darkness of the bedroom when a thin beam of yellow light marked Cloud opening the door. Blonde spikes poked round the door and Denzel let out a laugh as Cloud bumped his head on the bookshelf set on the wall.
Without a sound Cloud stepped bare footed across the plush white carpet, soft against his skin. Normally white carpets and children don't mix, but Denzel and Marlene were no ordinary children...they were tidy children. Denzel shifted in his bed to give Cloud room to sit.
Cloud Strife, the man who brought down Bahamut not to mention Sephiroth (twice) - was about to do something he wasn't sure he could. Be a parent.
"We aren't that different you know," Cloud started, his eyes fixed on the stars outside, "I mean, besides the obvious good looks and great charm" Denzel giggled again and buried his head deeper in the pillow.
Cloud glanced round at Denzel and noticed how comfortable he looked. "I'm gonna tell you something Denzel, something not many people know. In fact I can't even be sure there is anyone alive who knows. I'm trusting you with this." The kid nodded and then brushed his hair away from his eyes with his fingers.
"Like you I wasn't really brought up by my parents. I lost my mom at the age of sixteen, but I had left her long before that. All of my most important years, the years you're at now, were spent with a different family. One not to distant in style from what we have here." a smile crept across Clouds face, memories he had held back suddenly flooding in.
"None of us were related by blood. In Midgar I met a boy name Zack. We were guided away from the roughest part of Midgar and kept under the watchful eye of two females. Both were beautiful in their own ways." The stars in the sky seemed to be brighter tonight, right now, in the moment he thought of them all again. Denzel was interested now, he sat up resting his back against the wall and spoke.
"So there were four of you? Just like us!"
"Yeah. Ivy," Cloud paused for a moment of reflection then smiled, "a cold woman at first glance. A strong woman, in truth she cared more than she let on. Then there was fox. Generous and kind to a fault. It was her who had convinced Ivy to take us in anyway. We all grew really close." Cloud stopped talking for a moment and just stared through the glass of the window.
"It was them that taught us to be prepared for life." and death, Cloud thought. "Ivy taught us to fight, many bruises and patches later Zack joined the ranks of SOLDIER" Cloud twisted on the bed and looked Denzel in the eyes. He found himself unusually choked up.
"You see Denzel; you don't have to be related by blood to be a family. I respected Ivy and Fox, Zack too. More importantly I loved them...and" words ceased for another moment as Cloud pushed back pain. "And I know they loved me" his thoughts switched to ways to continue this talk, but he found he had a better idea.
Rustling in his pockets Cloud produced his mobile phone. After a few button presses and some irritating beeps he flipped it round and handed it to Denzel.
"You see that photo?" Denzel smiled he remember when that one was taken. Holding the phone up, he tilted his head just slightly. After a pause Cloud continued. "That looks like a family photo to me. Denzel that's what we are, family."
The young boy flipped the phone closed and handed it back to Cloud. Bed sheets rustled and the quilt tugged as Denzel slipped back down into bed. Blue Mako eyes closed and Cloud smiled, he opened them again to find brown eyes looking back at him.
"Cloud, do you and Tifa love me?"
Taken back slightly Cloud sat stunned. After a moment he nodded and stood up.
"Of course Denzel"
Satisfied with the answer, Denzel settled in ready to sleep.
"Night Cloud"
Cloud didn't' answer, only tapped his head in salute as he left the room.
"Cause I love you" Denzel whispered and then set his mind on sleep.