Oops, forgot to put one of these on the first chapter. Yeah… enjoy?
"Cloud can you help me with this?" Leon shouted over his shoulder. "…Cloud?" He turned to look at the brooding man standing against the wall. "Are you even listening to me?!"
"What?" Cloud looked up at him. "What did you say?"
"I asked you to help me carry some of this stuff." Leon sighed, shifting his load. "So help?"
"Mm." Cloud took some of the boxes from Leon. "What do you want me to do with this?"
"Put it over there okay?" Leon tilted his head to the left. "And can you go see if Cid needs some help?" Cloud nodded before heading out to the Cid's workshop.
"Leon told me to see if you needed help." Cloud pushed the door open and stared at Cid.
"I don't have anything for you to do right now. Why don't you just go wander off somewhere." Cid waved him off. "Go play until Leon needs you again."
Cloud left Cid to finish working on Sora's gummi ship and headed towards Merlin's house. He didn't make it there as Yuffie suddenly popped out of nowhere and tackled him.
"Hey Cloud! Whatcha doin? Can I come? Have you heard from your boyfriend recently?" Yuffie shrieked at him. He rolled his eyes at her before pushing her off.
"Yuffie, I don't want to deal with you right now." Cloud sighed, "What do you want?"
"I just wanted to know how your smex-tastic boyfriend is doing." She smiled at him.
"He's not my boyfriend and I don't know." Cloud began to walk towards the house again.
"Oh did he break up with you?" She threw her arms around him, "I'm so sorry! How are you taking it? Should I go vandalize something of his?"
"We didn't break up. We were never together." Cloud pushed the door open. "Now leave me alone."
"Oh no! He left you for someone else!" Yuffie grabbed him and turned him around. "That no good- I'm so sorry! He just leaves after taking advantage of you! Men!" She threw her arms up in the air.
"Who took advantage of Cloud?" Aerith walked out the door.
"Some guy who I think works for Organization XIII! He took advantage of poor little Cloud!" Yuffie turned to Aerith. Cloud stared at her blankly, horrified in his mind.
"Oh an Organization member? What did he do to take advantage of Cloud?" Aerith smiled at Yuffie, not believing anything she said.
"He pushed Cloud to the ground and ravaged him!" Yuffie's grin widened. "And poor Cloud fell in love with him!"
"Oh my! Well that isn't good!" Aerith smiled at Cloud. "Is that why you've been so sad? Because he hasn't called you?"
"Yep! He hasn't contacted Cloud in nearly a week!" Yuffie smiled brightly at Cloud. "I was just trying to help him feel better about himself!" She turned to him. "He just doesn't know what he's given up!"
"He certainly doesn't! Now would either of you like some cookies? I just made them." Aerith smiled as Yuffie darted inside. "So Cloud, how much of what she just said is true?"
Cloud tensed, "None of it." Aerith smiled knowingly at him before going back inside. Cloud stalked off towards the ruins, partly to think, partly to get away from the girls. Walking into the rubble, he let his mind wander to the odd stranger who had indeed stolen his heart. "Stupid Nobody. Ruined everything by showing up." He grumbled.
Stepping over a fallen pillar he was surprised when he stepped on something. Something…squishy. He looked down and jumped back when he saw he had stepped on a body.
"Holy-" He tripped over the pillar and fell back. He lay there for a minute before sitting up again. Leaning over the pillar he examined the body before jabbing the person roughly in the chest. The person grunted but did nothing else. Cloud contemplated what he should do with the person as he stared at it some more.
"Cloud! What are you doing?!" Leon's voice came from behind him. Cloud turned and gave Leon a blank stare.
"I found someone." He turned back to the body.
"What do you mean you found someone- Oh." Leon stared at the person when he stood next to Cloud. "…So what do we do with him?"
"I don't know. You're the leader you think of something." Cloud jabbed the person again.
"Stop doing that!" Leon slapped Cloud's hand away. "We should take him to Merlin's. Grab him and let's go."
"Why do I have to carry him?" Cloud muttered, but he picked up the stranger anyway. Once he had the stranger he followed Leon to Merlin's.
"Hey! Aerith we may need some help in here!" Leon closed the door behind them. "Hey, clear the couch."
"Oh dear, another one? I thought the worlds weren't collapsing anymore!" Aerith ran out from the kitchen and came to examine the stranger. "Oh no. Yuffie can you go get me some potions? Leon, go get some of those blue flowers with purple leaves from my garden."
"How many potions do you need?" Yuffie was already going through their cabinet.
"Three should be enough." Aerith moved the person's sleeve up their arm. "Cloud can you get me some water?" He nodded before heading over to the sink and filled a bowl. ""Thank you everyone." Aerith smiled at them.
"I need to go back to work." Leon shifted, waiting or Aerith's permission to leave.
"Okay. I'm sure Cloud will help me with him. Yuffie get back to your restoration duties." Yuffie made a whiny noise before following Leon out of the house. "Cloud will you please move him to the guest room."
Cloud easily picked the boy up, "We have a guest room?"
"Of course we do silly!" Aerith smiled at him. She led the way down the hall and opened the second to last door on the right. "Put him on the bed. And can you take his shirt off? I need to get to his wounds underneath."
"Sure." Cloud put him down and removed the boy's shirt. He grimaced at the wounds on his chest and almost felt bad for jabbing him earlier.
"How old do you think he is? He can't be more than twenty." Aerith uncorked a potion and tipped it in to his mouth. "I wonder if his world was actually destroyed."
"What do you mean?" Cloud asked.
"Well, I've seen at least three other people with wounds like these and they didn't have their worlds destroyed." Aerith sighed, "But they barely remember anything other than their names. Its strange."
"Does he look familiar to you?" Cloud leaned closer to the boy on the bed.
"No why?" Aerith looked up from the second potion. "Does he look like someone you know."
"He looks kind of like-" Cloud stopped when the boy sat up and gasped.
"Where am I?!" He looked around wildly and pulled away when Aerith put a hand on his shoulder.
"You're in Radiant Garden. My name is Aerith and this is Cloud." She smiled at him. "What's your name?"
"Uh...um, Dyme. I'm Dyme." The boy seemed calmer now. "Why am I here?"
"We don't know. Do you remember anything besides your name?"
"I…uh… I think I remember…a…instrument?"
"Oh? What kind of instrument?" Aerith prompted, smiling softly.
"A stringed instrument." Dyme closed his eyes. "And it was…"
"Blue?" Cloud asked as he stared at the ceiling.
"Yes! It was blue and made the prettiest sounds!" Dyme smiled at him.
"Well, I'm going to go make you something to eat. Anything in particular you'd like Dyme?" Aerith made her way to the door.
"No." Dyme smiled at her before she left the room. He watched as she and Cloud exited the room.
"So what do you think of him?" Aerith questioned as they walked to the kitchen.
"He seems shy." Was all Cloud said.
"Oh! You're right! We may want to keep Yuffie away for a little while." Aerith sighed as she entered the kitchen. "Do you want something to eat?" Cloud shook his head. "Why don't you go keep him company?" Cloud gave her a flat look, she sighed.
"I'm going to the ruins." Cloud slid out the door and felt eyes on him. Turning around he saw Dyme staring at him from his window, the boy blushed when he realized he'd been caught and smiled as he waved shyly. Cloud smirked and gave a small wave back before turning and walking towards the ruins.
----2 weeks later----
"So has anyone noticed that Cloud looks at Dyme like a piece of grade 'A' meat?" Yuffie stared out the window at Cloud.
"I thought he looked at him strangely." Aerith watered her houseplants. "Why do you ask?"
"I just think its weird. I mean, he's never showed interest in anyone ever and now here comes a fresh slab of man-meant and he's all over it." Yuffie breathed on the window, "Not that I'm complaining of course."
"He is acting kind of strange." Leon looked up from his book. "He looks at Dyme like he's going to eat him."
"Y'all are being ridiculous." Cid growled from his armchair across the room.
"How have you not noticed the difference?" Yuffie turned away from the window. "All Cloud does when he's not working is spend time with Dyme."
"So? He made a new friend. Good for him." Cid blew some smoke from his cigarette. "What's the big deal?"
"He's just never been very sociable is all." Aerith looked at her lilies, "Cloud just doesn't enjoy the company of people."
"Except Dyme." Yuffie piped in, "He loves Dyme's company."
"What does Dyme do during the day?" Leon turned a page of his book.
"I think he goes up to the ruins to play that instrument he had made for him." Merlin smiled around his tea. "Its actually a very lovely sound and he's very good at playing it for someone who has no memory."
"And he gets along fairly well with the others who showed up with no memories." Aerith huffed, "But the others all regained some of their memories and Dyme hasn't!"
"Maybe its not worth remembering?" They all jumped to see Dyme and Cloud standing in the door. "Maybe my life before now wasn't important enough to be bothered with?" Dyme stared at them with blank, dead eyes before smiling brightly. "But I guess I'm the only one not bothered by it! Oh well! Bye Cloud, thanks for spending time with me!" He went up the stairs and they heard a door open and close.
"What did he mean he was the only one?" Leon looked at Cloud who stared back.
"I've asked him about it before." Cloud took a seat on the couch. "And before you ask, no he isn't withholding any information."
Aerith sighed, "Well if he did know something he'd probably tell you first."
"So how far have you two gone yet?" Yuffie asked calmly. Everyone stared at her. "What? It's a valid question!"
"Putting Yuffie's obsession with slash aside, I need you to do some extra work tomorrow." Leon stood up from his chair and stretched. Cloud nodded as Leon left the room. "I'm going to sleep. Wake me when dinner's ready."
----Dinner----
"So Dyme," Yuffie started, ignoring the warning looks she got. "How far have you gone with Cloud?"
Dyme choked on his food and began to cough violently. "What?!"
"Oh no need to be shy! We all know you two are together!" Yuffie smiled at him, "So? How far?"
"We haven't done anything Yuffie." Cloud glared at her coldly.
"Oh we shouldn't lie to her Cloud." Dyme had now regained is composure. "I think she can handle what we do I our spare time." He purred to Cloud as he moved closer to him.
The others stared at the two with wide eyes, and Yuffie's seemed to sparkle. "I knew it! I knew you'd find someone other than that weirdo in the coat!" Cloud went rigid.
"What weirdo in a coat?" Dyme turned from Cloud to look at Yuffie.
"The one Cloud was making out with." Yuffie smiled. "I think he played an instrument, too. Cloud must have a thing for musicians. And I think he worked for the Organization."
"You cheated on me?!" Dyme looked at Cloud with mocked hurt. "How could you?!"
"I didn't even know you then!" Cloud didn't look at him when he answered and realized he had just made a mistake.
"Wait… so you assure Dyme you didn't cheat on him but you don't deny kissing a guy?" Leon stared at him. Cloud fidgeted in his seat a little bit.
"Well that certainly explains a lot." Merlin took another bite of his dinner. "It explains why you've taken such a liking to Dyme, he reminds you of the young fellow you met."
"So you're only hanging out with me because I remind you of someone you made out with once?" Dyme tilted his head to the side. "Well, I guess I'm okay with that."
"You are?!" Yuffie screeched incredulously. "How can you be okay with that?! You're the rebound!"
"Its none of my business why he spend time with me." Dyme smiled at the others. "Plus I don't really care why he does it as long as he hangs out with me."
"But you're rebound!!" Yuffie insisted.
"But I have someone to talk to." Dyme smiled at Cloud. "I don't think I had anyone to talk to before I came here so I really appreciate the company." Everyone stared at Dyme as he put his plate in the sink. "Thank you for dinner Aerith, it was delicious."
"My pleasure." Aerith smiled at him as he left. "Well that was certainly an interesting conversation."
"So did you actually make out with an Organization member?" Leon stared at Cloud. The blond stared back before banging his head against the table and muttering something.
"Yuffie, I'm going to kill you." Cloud glared at her.
"Did I just ruin your chances with Dyme?" Yuffie asked nervously.
"I think you did." Aerith poured herself a glass of lemonade. "I think you owe Cloud an apology." Cloud stood up and left the room without another word.
"Sorry!" Yuffie yelled as the door swung closed. "Is he mad at me?"
"I think so, yes." Aerith sipped her drink. "You should probably apologize to Dyme later as well."
"I never thought Cloud was into musicians." Cid mused as he took a long sip of beer. "I thought he'd always be more into the controlling, aggressive type."
"Yeah, like Leon!" Yuffie chirped.
"So where did Dyme go?" Leon changed the subject. He was answered by several blank stares. "I heard the door close but its storming outside."
"…Cloud!" Aerith quickly stood up and pushed the door open, "We need you to go find Dyme!"
"Why?" Cloud's voice drifted in from the living room.
"Well its raining and we think he left the house and you know him the best." Aerith waited patiently for a reply but all she heard was the front door opening and closing.
Much longer than the first chapter. I guess reviews would be appreciated but I'm not pushing for them. If you like Final Fantasy VII then you should check out .net/u/1754752/PfenixB.