Hey there, this is the first time I've written anything in the Dissidia section. I recently got a PSP with a copy of this game and practically fell in love with it. I haven't been this hooked since I got Super Smash Brothers: Brawl and Team Fortress 2. Anyway, as I played the game I practically ended up getting Cosmos' side pairings. How could I avoid them? They are too cute for words. So naturally, I decided to write about them.

Warning: This fic contains shonen-ai. Shonen-ai means boy romance as in romance between two males. If you do not like that sort of thing, please go back. There is also a straight pairing in this fic, so if you don't like straight pairings along with your cup of yaoi, then go back because I tend to add in that sort of thing.

Pairings:

Firion x Cloud

Cecil x Tidus

Onion Knight x Terra

Zidane x Bartz

Warrior of Light x Squall

Heavily implied Cloud x Aeris

I might add in Chaos' side pairings into the mix but for now, those are the set couples in this fic, though it focuses more on Firion and Cloud. The fic follows the actual storyline while adding in more things into the mix so it won't be an exact copy of the story.

With that in mind, if I haven't scared you off or bored you to death, on with the story.

The Scent of Roses

Chapter I

"…Cloud…wake up…" came a soft, delicate voice from above the fallen man. Lying on the soft, green ground, a young man dressed in a dark blue turtle neck and puffy navy pants slowly opened his ocean blue eyes. He saw a bright, blue sky with several small ivory clouds. He could smell roses; which caused him to sigh slightly. He slowly sat right up and gazed at his surroundings. He appeared to be in a field filled with nothing but flowers as far as the eye could see.

He placed a hand upon his forehead as if trying to intact everything he was seeing. His gloved hands ran through his spiky, blond locks of hair. As he continued to admire the scenery before him, he took notice of a lone figure off at a distance. Curios, the young man got up from the ground and approached the figure. "Hey," he said softly, "Where am I?"

The figure standing before him was that of a young woman garbed in a pink dress. Her long, chestnut colored hair was twisted in a braid and held together by a pink ribbon in her hair. Her back was turned towards the blond man, so her facial features were not exposed to him. "Silly Cloud," she said, "Have you forgotten this place? This is what I wanted to do…grow flowers so that the entire world could see."

Cloud, the blond man remained silent. He was confused and a bit lost.

"You know," spoke the woman, "You always were confused about everything…confused about what path to take in life…confused about who you are…confused about everything. It didn't matter to me, you were the one I've wanted to meet, but for now…you should wake up."

"Huh?" Cloud let out, "'Wake up'?"

"Wake up! Wake up!"

Cloud gasped as he opened his eyes. He was no longer in the field of flowers but rather in what appeared to be some sort of abysmal area. The bright, green aura that flew through the air reminded him that he was near the Lifestream. He squinted his eyes as he saw a youth kneeling next to his body. The younger man was a blond with sparkling blue eyes. His tan complexion somehow complimented his short, yellow hoodie and black shorts. A silver necklace dangled around his neck and touched his well toned bare chest. He smiled at Cloud as he saw him come to.

"Hey, he's awake!" shouted the cheerful blond, "For a minute there you guys thought he was dead."

"I did not think he was dead," spoke a deeper male voice, "Just merely worried about his condition." A dark shadow approached Cloud. It loomed over him, just to check on how he was doing. The shadow appeared in a man in armor. His violet helmet had a strange design on it, which it looked like some sort of face. Six horns emerged from the side of the helmet, making the armor look slightly demonic. The man appeared to be taller than the cheery blond next to him. "He doesn't seem to be injured in a fatal manner," spoke the armored man, "though his head is bleeding a bit."

"Man…" said the blond, "Those Manikins really did a number on ya."

"Tidus," replied the armored man, "Please be courteous to him. He's been through a lot and if it wasn't for Firion, he might have fallen just like the others."

"Yeah, yeah…I know," Tidus, the cheery blond, replied as he scratched the back of his head, "Sorry about that…um…say, what's your name?"

"If you back off and let me get up, I might tell you," responded Cloud in a harsh tone.

"Yeesh, alright…" Tidus slowly backed away from Cloud, "Talk about touchy."

The armored man chuckled lightly as he too, backed away from Cloud, allowing the fallen warrior to breath. Cloud slowly got up from the dirt ground. He staggered a bit as he tried to regain his composure. The armored man quickly placed his hands on Cloud, trying to support him "Careful," he said, "Allow me to…"

"No," Cloud said as he brushed away the armored man's hands away, "I can do this. Just give me a moment."

"Oh…of course," the armored man recoiled from Cloud.

"Heh…it seems he's quite touchy around you too, Cecil," Tidus chided.

Cecil, the man in armor, shook his head at the younger companion. "And you're quite as cheeky as ever."

"Maybe," Tidus smirked as he placed his hands behind his head.

Once Cloud had regained his composure, he examined his surroundings. Just like he thought, he was at the entrance of the Planet's Core. The light green abyss glowed brightly underneath the small ground platforms he and the other two stood on. Cloud approached the edge of the platform he was on and looked over at the Lifestream. He tried to remember what he was doing there and why. His memories became slightly fuzzy, but whatever the reason, it had led to him fighting some sort of creature.

He looked around at the empty abyss, as if trying to find some sort of answer. I came here for a reason…but what was it? He thought, what was the reason why I'm here? His eyes wondered from platform to platform. He swore he could still see some sort of faint image of what happened. He would see himself jumping from each floating island to the other avoiding a dark cloaked figure as it swung a sword madly at him. He followed the images until it lead him to a broken island. Wedged on the ground appeared to be a rather massive broadsword. Even though his memory was fuzzy, Cloud remembered very well that he wields that sword.

He jumped from platform to platform until he reached his beloved blade. Pulling it from the ground he placed it on his sheath situated on his back. So there was a fight that broke out, Cloud thought, yet whoever it was…left me at the hands of those Manikins…but why? What good did that do if I was losing this battle anyway? Was it really…?

"You seem to be doing alright," a gentle male voice spoke, "And you seem to be up on your feet. That's good."

Cloud searched for the source of the voice. As he looked up at the floating platform above him, he found that the source was a slightly tanned young man. His long, silver hair was tied in a rough ponytail while the rest was held together by an orange and beaded bandanna. Rogue silver bangs covered parts of his face, framing it slightly. His enchanting brown eyes, though a dull color were brilliant. A light blue cape was draped over his dark gray armor. He smiled sweetly at him. "For a minute there," he said, "I thought you might have been a goner, just like the rest of them."

Cloud remained quiet as he stared at the young man. He didn't seem at all interested in what he had to say.

"Oh, forgive me for my rudeness," he continued as he jumped from the platform he was on onto the one where Cloud was standing. "My name is Firion. I believe you met my companions: Tidus and Cecil. We're quite glad you're alright. And you are?"

"…Cloud," responded Cloud.

"Cloud? Interesting name…anyway, I am glad you are alright. If you do not have any other pressing matters at hand, I would like to ask you to join my group. We've been traveling for quite a while trying to search for other lights that might have survived the war. Do you know of any?"

Cloud looked away. Do I know any? He thought, it's hard to tell. His eyes shifted towards his Buster Sword as he pulled it out of its sheath. He stared at it long and hard as if trying to figure out something. There were others…including the original owner of this sword. How I managed to survive while he didn't…

"Um Cloud?" Firion interrupted.

"There were…others," Cloud said, "However…I believe I'm the only surviving member now. The group I was traveling with is gone."

"Oh…I…I'm sorry to hear that. It must have been a tragic loss for you. I, too, have lost my group to the hands of Chaos. Everyone dear to me is gone. I ask upon my, Tidus', and Cecil's behalf to join us. We could cover more ground, have a good chance of surviving, and have a good chance of finding other survivors. I tried to convince another man to stay with us, but he decided to head off on his own. I believe his name was Squall."

"Squall?" Cloud let out. Even though he could not put a face at the moment, the name did ring a bell for the confused blond. "The name sounds so familiar…"

"You know him?"

"I think I do…" Cloud replied, "It's really difficult to remember at the moment…"

"No matter…come with us. At least you'll be saver than by yourself."

"Alright then…Firion."

Later that night, the group had left the Planet's Core and were situated in a desolate wasteland. Nothing but lonely, rocky mountains and crevices as far as the eye could see. The dark, violet sky was illuminated by the full moon and the millions of stars. A cold wind brushed up against Cloud; however he didn't seem to mind. Tidus, on the other hand, let out a shiver. "He-hey!" he said, "It's getting rather cold here!"

"It is?" Cecil asked, "I can't feel anything."

"That's because you're wearing armor, ya dork!" Tidus let out.

"Maybe you should wear more clothing," Cecil retorted in a kidding manner, "It's not wise or safe to wear such revealing clothing."

"This just so happens to be my Blitzball uniform. I told you already."

"How about we stop fighting and think about setting camp here," Firion interrupted, "Though I hate to ruin your little lover's quarrel." The weapon master smirked as he got a disgusted look from Tidus and sadly no expression from Cecil due to his helmet. However, Firion could tell that Cecil wasn't exactly smiling under his helmet.

"Oh shut up!" Tidus barked at Firion, "You're just jealous because I have somebody and you're by yourself, isn't that right, Cecil?"

"Right…go on and have Cecil," Firion said, "I'll actually go and get myself a WOMAN."

As the three of them continued to tease each other, Cloud walked away from them, not wanting to join in their bickering. He looked out at the distance and saw nothing but canyons. The more the mercenary stared at them, the emptier he felt. Somehow, Cloud could associate himself with the canyons. He closed his eyes for a bit as he tried to intake the cold serenity that was around him. Once he opened his eyes, he was no longer in the canyons but rather back in the flower field. He could smell the roses once more as they teased him slightly.

"Cloud…" came the soft voice again. Cloud turned around to meet again with the young woman dressed in pink. Her back was still facing him.

Cloud blinked at the girl. "You…" Cloud said softly. He extended his hand out towards the girl as a name rolled off the tip of his tongue. Suddenly the girl turned around to face him. The field around Cloud quickly disintegrated into nothing but dirt ground. The gentle blue sky darkened into a starry night one. The girl's looked changed to that of a rather concerned Firion.

"Cloud? Cloud!" Firion let out, "Are you alright? You sort of spaced out for a while."

"Huh?" Cloud shook his head as he came too. He looked over Firion's shoulder to see a small bonfire. Tidus sat next to the bonfire as Cecil stood a bit away, looking over the canyon. "What went on?"

"You tell me," Firion said, "You sure you're okay? I think that bump on your head must have done something to you."

"I'm fine…really; you don't need to concern yourself over me…"

"But Cloud…"

"Ever."

Firion took in a deep breath. "If you say so," he responded, "Cecil is taking the night watch at the moment, then I'll switch with him. You and Tidus will have this night's rest but tomorrow night you're both taking watch."

"Fine," Was all Cloud managed to say as he walked towards the bonfire. As he walked past Firion, Cloud could have sworn he smelled the roses again. He wasn't sure if he was going crazy or not at the moment, but the smell this time felt too real. He shook his head as he quietly sat down next to the bonfire to keep warm. Tidus was huddled over next to the fire. He rubbed his hands together, trying to keep warm at the moment.

After a moment of silence, Tidus turned his attention towards Cloud who seemed preoccupied in his own little world. Not wanting to be bored nor one to keep quiet, Tidus decide to start a conversation with his new companion. "So…where are you from?" he asked in a casual manner.

Without looking at him, Cloud replied, "Midgar…originally from Nibelheim."

"Nibelheim? Where the heck is that?"

"Off in the mountains."

"Well I'm from Zanarkand. I used to play Blitzball for the Zanarkand Abes. We were the best players back where I came from. You know, if I somehow manage to find a way back home, you should totally see some of our games and…"

"As interesting as that sounds, I would like to rest," Cloud said in a stoic manner.

Tidus wasn't sure if Cloud was being sarcastic or if he really did mean that he was interested. "Oh, okay. You know…it really sucks that we don't have any tents. The ground doesn't seem too comfortable and we've been sleeping like this for days now. Man, what I'd do to get a tent. Rosebud! We REALLY need tents!"

Firion chuckled lightly. "If we can find a shop or a merchant we can buy some," he said, "As for now, the ground will suffice."

Cloud zoned out. He laid on the harsh, cold ground beneath him. Closing his eyes, he let the cold embrace of sleep envelope him. As Cloud slept, he dreamed of fire. He could hear screams all around him. The warm blood dripped from his wounds. All around him he only saw the bodies of his fallen companions. Each of them disappeared into the darkness. Manikins surrounded Cloud. Each of them had eyes that burn brightly, and each of them hungry for his blood. A dark figured appeared before Cloud. In its hands was a long, steel blade. Its tip was drenched in fresh blood from its earlier kills. The blade was pointed at Cloud. The tip of the sword was barely brushing against his tender neck. The shadow spoke to Cloud in an inaudible dialect. Cloud tried to make out what he was saying, but could not figure out what was coming from his lips. What bothered Cloud the most was that the aroma of roses emerged.

With a slight gasp, Cloud awoke from his slumber. Once again, he found himself in the canyons known as the Lunar Subterrane. Though it was still dark outside, a small ray of light touched his light colored skin. As he moved, the mercenary took notice of a soft cloth underneath his head. He tugged at the clothing, taking notice that it was a light blue cape. When did I…? He thought as he sat right up. He looked at the cape

The soft cloth underneath Cloud's fingers actually felt warm and inviting. Did he leave this here for me? He thought as he looked around him for Firion. However, he was nowhere to be found at the moment. Only people Cloud found were a sleeping Tidus on the opposite side of the campfire and an ever watchful Cecil to the edge of the canyon's surface. Cloud turned his attention back to the blue cape. A strange scent emitting from the cape caught his attention. Slowly he brought the cape to his face and took a short whiff of it. Cloud's eyes widen as he recognized the scent. Roses…he thought, was he the source of the rose scents I've been smelling all this time?

Cloud somewhat relaxed as he continued to breathe in the sweet scent. He didn't know why that scent always seemed to relax him. It was like some sort of catnip to the blond man. It didn't help that the cape was soft as well, only adding in to the comfort.

"Hey Cloud," Tidus said in a drowsy manner, "Did you…?" He stopped in mid sentence as he saw a rather peaceful Cloud sniffing on Firion's cape with a starry look on his face. Cloud stopped as he looked over at a rather disturbed Tidus.

"Um…" Cloud let out.

"No, no!" Tidus responded as he got up from the ground, waving his hands in front of him, "Don't mind me. Continue what you're doing. I'll just…go and check up on Cecil to see what we're going to about breakfast." With that, Tidus left Cloud's side. Cloud felt rather embarrassed at giving the wrong idea to the younger blond. Though, deep down, Cloud didn't care. To him, he really had nothing to lose or gain from pretty much anything. It's strange…Cloud thought, but this scent reminds me so much of…

"Hey, good morning," said Firion as he walked over to the bonfire. Slung on his back was a sack filled with food. "Glad to see that you're up. Good, since we are used to waking up early."

"I'm not much of a sleeper," Cloud said as he pulled the blue cape away from his face and offered it back to Firion.

"Oh, thanks," Firion took the cape from Cloud's hand.

"Why?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you give me your cape?"

"Well, you're injured and I didn't think it was a good idea for you to rest your head on the ground."

"You don't need to concern yourself with me. I told you that I was fine."

"I know, but I was just concern that's all."

Cloud looked at the ground for a moment before he said, "Thanks anyway."

Firion smiled in return. "Your welcome."

"I'm HUUUUUUUUUUNNNNGRY!" whined Tidus from afar.

Cecil unfortunately couldn't escape his constant whining. The older man sighed, "Listen, when Firion gets back, I'm sure he'll have something for us to eat," he replied.

"Hey!" Firion shouted, "I brought back food!"

"Oh thank the gods…" Cecil murmured gently.

"Alright!" Tidus let out as he rushed over to Firion, "Way to go, Rosebud! What did you bring me?"

"Alright, alright…settle down, Tidus." Firion placed the bag on the ground and opened it. He searched around and pulled out some dried meat, bread, cheese, and apples. Tidus quickly took a hold of some bread and dried meat and munched on it happily. Cecil took his share and made a small sandwich. He slightly lifted up his helmet and took a bite out of his meal. Firion took out dried meat and handed it to Cloud. "Here, you'll need your strength. I found a small shop nearby. There didn't seem to be anyone in there and it looked abandoned. However, I took only the unspoiled merchandise and left. I fear that whoever owned that place had fallen victim to the Manikins."

"Any tents in that shop?" Tidus asked.

"No…there really wasn't much there. I did manage to get us a few potions though in case we run into anymore Manikins."

"You've done all you could, Firion," Cecil added in, "We should be grateful that we have food at the moment. Shelter will have to wait until we can find a nearby town and hope that there is some sort of life out there."

Cloud took the dried meat from Firion and ate his fill. The rest of the day, the four of them continued to walk through the Lunar Subterrane. Tidus would often run ahead of the group. His boundless energy amazed even Cloud to a point where he thought Tidus was like a child on a sugar high but will never crash. Even though his body was present with the group, Cloud was off once again elsewhere. His mind still lingered in the field of flowers.

Tidus would often turn around and notice that his three companions looked quite spaced out. Often Cecil would glance out towards the distance, as if trying to look for something or someone. Firion would often play with his fingers, as if holding onto something. And of course, Cloud was off daydreaming again. The athlete frowned at the sight. He wasn't one who enjoyed silence and neither will they. "Hey!" Tidus shouted. That alone caught the attention of all three older warriors. "You know, you guys are very quiet right now. Usually you guys would be talking."

"I'm just thinking…that's all," Cecil said, "But if you wish to have a conversation, I'll be more than happy to oblige."

"Sorry if we bore you right now, Tidus," Firion replied, "Just that I'm calculating if we're heading the right direction."

"Where ARE we going?" Cloud asked.

"We really don't know," Firion said.

Cloud cocked his eyebrow. "If you don't know why do we keep walking this way?"

"To tell you the truth, we're just trying to find other survivors at the moment. Also supplies as well. Once we find other people, we might be able to figure out how to find our ways back home. According to a wise warrior I have met when I arrived in this world, in order for any of us to go home, we'd have to bring order back into this world. As of right now, Chaos and Cosmos are fighting. With both forces at each other, who's to say what will happen to us. All we know is that Chaos' power is growing by the minute. You've seen them, right? All those Manikins that are shaped like us."

"I have…" Cloud said, "I've managed to fight several of them before."

"That's why we have to find others…in order to try to build up a rebel army to fight the powers of Chaos. Only way to do that is to find others like us…those that carry a strong aura of light."

"Any success?"

"Well…we found each other," Cecil added in, "That's worth something."

Worth something? Cloud thought, what could I be worth for? These guys seem to see everything in a bright light, unaware that what we might be doing is pointless. Not to mention all this aimless walking doesn't seem like we're getting anywhere soon.

"Hey look!" Tidus shouted as he pointed towards a lone figure walking around the Lunar Subterrane. "What is that?"

"Doesn't appear to be a Manikin," Cecil said, "I don't sense any darkness from it either. Perhaps it could be a lone traveler?"

"Let's go check it out."

"Careful," Cloud said, "You may want to take precaution. We don't know if it really is a friendly or not. Just because they don't harness any dark aura doesn't make them an ally of ours."

"We'll take your word for it," Firion said as he decided to approach the lone figure. Once the figure came into complete view, he chuckled as he noticed what it was. "Well, what do you know?"

Standing before Firion was a tiny Moogle carrying a rather large backpack full of items. The Moogle looked up at Firion and squeaked. "Kupo!" he let out, "I'm glad I found customers!"

"Customers?"

"Yes! I'm a traveling merchant. You can call me Stiltzkin. I've been wandering this wasteland for days now in hopes to find other life forms. All I've seen are these glowy type people who only want to hurt me, kupo."

"And you managed to escape?" Cecil said as he approached the Moogle, "Your poor little Moogle. You can't stay out here by yourself. You should come travel with us. We could sure use a merchant."

"Really, kupo?" Stiltzskin replied, "I promise I'll be a valuable assist to this team!"

"This is great! We have our own traveling merchant," Firion said, "I'm Firion, this is Cecil, over there is Tidus, and last we have Cloud."

"Kupo!"

"Hey little guy!" Tidus said, "Do you have any merchandise on ya at the moment?"

"Oh, I have plenty of things you can select from my wares."

"How about tents and sleeping bags?"

"Oh, I do have some in stock."

"Great! We'll take four!"

"Oh…" Stiltzskin frowned, "I'm sorry but I only have two tents and two bags. I lost most of my tents when I was running from those creepy things."

"Great…only two." Tidus frowned.

"It's more than enough," Firion said, "Only two really sleep at a time since two of us are the look out at night. So it works out. Of course if anyone really wants to share a tent with someone…"

"I'm so not sharing it with you," Tidus quickly interrupted, "I have the feeling you'll grope me when I'm asleep."

"Oh yeah…because you have such a fine butt," Firion joked.

Stiltzskin looked around. "Kupo…where do I sleep?"

Cecil knelt down to Stiltzskin's eye level. "You can sleep in my tent. I'm sure whoever is going to be sharing it with me won't mind."

"Really? You're very nice, kupo! Cecil is the nicest!"

"Wait a minute!" Tidus let out, "Who said that Firion and Cecil can take the tents?"

"We did just now," Firion added in, "So…you have to choose now, Tidus. Who do you want to sleep with: me or Cecil?"

"That soooo did not sound right. Since you sound dirty I'll go bunk with Cecil…he's cooler because he has that armor on."

"Huh? Me?" Cecil turned to face Tidus.

"Yeah! You're defiantly the coolest out of the entire team. You're the strongest out of all of us and you fight in kick ass armor."

"Please…I don't deserve such praise. I'm just trying to protect everyone I know."

"And you have a kind heart too! It's like you're a gentle giant or something."

"The only reason Cecil is a giant is because you're so short," retorted Firion.

"Hey, hey! I'm NOT short!" Tidus pouted, "You're just too tall! Stop growing!"

Firion chuckled as he petted Tidus' head, as if he were a child. Cecil joined in the laughter as they now had a pouting Tidus on their hands. Cloud watched from the sidelines. He blinked as he saw the three warriors joking around, as if not having a care in the world. It's like nothing seems to affect them, he thought. Sometimes I wonder…if I should be more carefree like them. But then again, I wouldn't want to be caught off guard.

Off in the distance, a shadowy figure watches over the four warriors. A malevolent smile appears upon its pale lips as its shiny emerald colored eyes kept locked upon Cloud's figure. "Very soon…" it spoke, "You shall fall into the shadows. You can't avoid destiny…Cloud."