It'd been like their first night in Cosmo Canyon. Shocking, and filled with breathless devastation.
Except this time, Cloud was angry. Truly angry. In fact, he was enraged.
As Yuffie dashed away from him, every glittering materia in hand, Cloud fought back a yell—a shout of defiance. A wordless cry of betrayal. Instead, he muttered a long, black chain of obscenities, one after the other like bullets. He, along with the rest of the group, sprinted after Yuffie, expressions of tension, sadness, and irritability flashing across their faces.
It was Barrett and Cid who joined Cloud in his never-ending flame of profanities. Every monster they killed along the way—after it was clear that they were headed for Wutai—was savaged mercilessly. They didn't need materia for killing; they never needed it in the first place. But that wasn't the point.
"Did you know she was going to do something like this?" Tifa asked. She was winded from their chase, yet indignation still burned behind her burgundy eyes, smoldering them into hot coals. If Cloud hadn't been so irate, perhaps he would've planned to spare Yuffie from Tifa's wrath. He knew more than anyone how her words, never mind her fists, could cut like a knife. Yet, even still, he could think of nothing but of the tightness in his chest.
Cloud shook his head, spiky, blond hair whipping against his cheeks. "If I knew, wouldn't I have stopped her?"
Tifa, unable to argue with his logic, muttered noncommittally. "I know. It's just… we've all grown so close with her. You in particular, actually."
Racing thoughts suddenly tore into Cloud's mind—sweet, red wine on his lips, a thinly-padded loveseat, taut skin giving way under his hands. He shook his head, mentally banishing the thoughts away, though the echoes remained.
"Yuffie, I'm glad we met."
"Aw, me too, Cloud."
Idly, beyond the deafening footfalls and roar of each person's breath, Cloud remembered Cosmo Canyon. He remembered the color of her eyes—ochre, not brown, and their bodies writhing together with perfect synchronicity. He remembered all of the times they laughed, presumably over something ridiculous, and how his name sounded in her mouth as he moved inside her. Was materia—mere tools for battle—the reason for that night in the canyon? Was that why she came to him? For him? Had he just been a pawn this entire time? Had he been used? Did all of everything comes down… to this?
Cloud remembered all of it.
He swallowed down vomit.