Yeah... I think it'll be obvious at the end of this that I don't know how to write Cloud's group very well.

Could any of you point out anything that seems inconsistent with their characters and way of speech so that I may know how to improve them later? I'd greatly appreciate it.


The first thing I was aware of was warmth against my face. Then the sounds of a crackling fire.

But it was something else that I felt nearby that drew my focus. Stirred my conscious in a way the fire didn't. A presence.
No, three of them.

My body spasmed as if coming out of a long sleep, brows burrowing in concentration as I slowly managed to open my heavy eyes.
I almost wished I hadn't.
Everything was blinding as hushed noises seemed to fade in and out in uneven patterns around me, alerting me to voices that I couldn't seem to understand as nausea rose.

...Where was I?

Blinking slowly helped take the bright glow of the fire away long enough for me to finally notice the other shadowed figures sitting around the fire. But I couldn't help but frown as I noticed something off about what I was seeing.

Why was everything sideways?

It didn't make any sense as I struggled to think straight. Then it finally hit me.

Oh...

I was laying on my side. And on some sort of mat, from the feel of it.

My mind processed that realization owlishly slow.

It... made sense. But what was I doing here...?
Wherever 'here' was I didn't know, exactly, but still. Didn't I wreck Fenrir?

I remembered that part rather blurrily, but it was there. Drifting on the edges of my mind like a bad dream as I struggled to pull myself together.
So reminiscent of my times submerged in Mako it was disorientating.

I could feel flashbacks coming on as panic edged through me from the sensation.

No, I wasn't there. I wasn't in the labs anymore. I had to focus, on something-

A sudden bark of familiar laughter from one of the forms on the sides had me stiffening further from the sudden noise. But I quickly focused on it, letting it pull me from my own mind eagerly as I tried to place it.

...Barrett? It was a deeper laugh, so definitely not Tifa or Cid...

My friends must have found me after I crashed.
Tifa probably told them what had happened in Edge, and they came searching for me. Eager to help.
It made sense. Especially after everything that had occurred.

But even so...
Something didn't feel right.

Something was FamiliarOff...

Weary I tried to shift my reluctant muscles, wanting -needing- to see the shadowed forms better.
I instantly stiffened further and clenched my eyes shut instead. Wincing from a phantom pain that suddenly shot down my arm. Fingers spasming slightly.

...Damn. Did I hurt my arm in the crash...?

No, more importantly, why was my mind still fuzzy? By now I should've been coherent. It frustrated me that I couldn't seem to focus any better.

Aware of the pain movement seemed to cause now I cracked my eyes open again, staring into the fire with a frown.
What was wrong with me?
Why was I even...?

"-slow at waking this time around. Perhaps you hit him too hard brother."

I froze at the quiet remark as one of the voices drifting around me finally made sense.

"...Yeah?" A deeper voice spoke up from the shadow figure on my right as it shifted, sounding a bit worried. "Think he'll be mad?"

A chuckle.

"He's been unconscious for an entire day Loz. How do you think he'll react?" The quieter voice held amusement now.

Wait, what did he-?

Loz.

My eyes widened at the realization of what was just said.

The sudden jolt of adrenaline rushing through my body chased the haze from my mind. I jerked up into a sitting position as instincts kicked in. Pain momentarily forgotten as I bent one of my knees up to help with balance. But the sudden wave of vertigo that came out of nowhere made my breathing heaver from the effort and nearly sent me back to the ground.

Something that was actually very tempting to do.
But I couldn't stay laying vulnerable on the ground any longer. Not now, not when I knew who I was with.

The trembling in my arm was barely noticeable as I forced it to hold up my weight.

Wearily I glanced over and met the gazes that I had drawn when I moved, embers from the crackling fire dancing between us as the glow of theirs locked with the glow of my own.

Remnants.

I dimly noticed that Loz and Yazoo sat at the sides, which left Kadaj to sit directly across from me as I quickly scanned the surroundings.
We were in the woods surrounding the Forgotten City, much to my continued alarm. Though I was relieved to see my fully formed sword leaning against one of the trees by their bikes a little further away.

"Oh. Brother's awake again." Yazoo finally acknowledged with a small smile, breaking the silence.

Loz simply grinned in relief. Which I would've thought weird, if I hadn't heard the previous conversation.
He was apparently the one who had 'hit me too hard'.

I didn't really doubt it either. My head certainly felt like Loz had hit it.

It was definitely something I wanted to ask him about, among other things.

But I couldn't stop my eyes from being drawn back to Kadaj.
The way the fire reflected off his eyes as our gazes locked, and shimmered in his hair as he tilted his head slightly, bangs shifting into his face...

My mind instantly flashed to Sephiroth.

My hand twitched with the need to be clenched into a fist as I frowned.

"...Why am I here." I ask wearily, readying my muscles for a fight. Not that my body would probably let me in my current state. But I would certainly try.

They shared a look of bemusement before focusing back on me.

"Rude as ever, Brother." Kadaj smirked. "What, no 'thank you' for taking care of you?"

Taking care of-?

My gaze hardened, frown firmly in place as I ignored his words.
I had no idea what he was talking about.

Yazoo tilted his head at my silence, studying me with a newfound curiousity I didn't like.

"...You really don't remember?" He finally asked softly, brow raising in amusement. Clearly finding memory loss funny. Or me. Yeah, probably just me. Or both. I honestly had no idea.

I also had no idea what they were talking about for that matter, either. But they clearly knew something I didn't about what had happened if their words were anything to go by. And that something I needed to know.

But I wasn't quite sure if I should be admitting to having memory loss so readily.
I couldn't trust them. I knew I shouldn't be. Yet... the feeling of not knowing, of missing memories, was always the hardest thing for me. I needed to know. And at the moment, they were the only ones I could ask.

Reluctantly I shake my head.

"Not surprising, really." Yazoo dismissed lightly, giving a small shrug. "We found you unconscious in the valley beside Fenrir before we left."

Seeing the skeptical look I gave Yazoo at his words, Kadaj scoffed lightly, drawing my gaze.

"You're lucky we found you when we did Brother. We got there just in time to pull a chuck of your precious bike from your chest." He wiggled his fingers at me with a smug look. "Lots of blood you know."

My hand went to my chest instinctively as I looked down to the bloody tear in my shirt. Only now noticing how much more it ached than the rest of my body.

Ah. So that's what flew into my skin before I passed out.

Still...

"You... helped me." I was more than a little bit suspicious of their reasons for that.

Loz picked up a stick and started poking the fire with it, stirring the embers into the air all the more as he nodded. "Yeah. After a few minutes we decided to take the chance of your friends trying to kill us to save you."

He didn't seem all that worried about my friends as he sent a grin my way.
But I was more focused on something else he had said.

"...You watched me bleed out for several minutes before helping me?" I asked dryly.

I would've said unbelievable, but... yeah. This was the Remnants we were talking about.

Kadaj simply quirked his brow at my deadpan look. "Oh? Now the Black sheep wanted us to save him sooner?" He smiled in contempt. "Really Brother, make up your mind already."

"I don't..." I started, just to frown when my words failed me.

What could I say to that? Either way it would look bad on me. Especially if the others found out.

I glanced back to Yazoo quickly as firelight reflected off a Materia he held up from the pile in his lap, something I hadn't noticed earlier in my confusion. A Time Materia, to be exact. My Time Materia. I narrowed my eyes. Seriously...? Did he think I wouldn't notice?
I couldn't believe he was actually messing with it in front of me. But then again, I wasn't really in any shape to stop him.
My strength still hadn't returned.

"...Why do you have my Materia? Stealing those ones as well?" I ask wearily, not liking the idea of dealing with a furious Yuffie again if they did.

Hearing my tone he looked to me with a small smile before tossing the one he held over lightly. My hand instinctively reached up and caught it before it hit my chest.
My brows furrowed as I met his gaze in question.

I hadn't expected him to give it back without a fight.

"Relax Brother. I'm just seeing which ones you've Mastered." He went back to studying another one from the pile. "Consider it my payment for getting them off Fenrir for you."

He...? I hadn't realized... I looked back to First Tsuragi, then the Materia he held. ...They actually got them out of Fenrir's compartments for me.

I was shocked more than anything. We were enemies. We had fought every time we met... until recently. Yet they brought my weapons. Put them in such easy reach. Knowing I would be confused and ready to fight as soon as I woke up.
We were enemies...

Weren't we...?

Reluctantly I let the matter slide for the moment. Not wanting to think about what it meant anymore. I guess it didn't matter too much. I would be getting them back before I left anyway. All of them.

But more importantly
... I looked to Kadaj as he nodded at something Loz had said.

There was something I needed to know. Though I dreaded the answer for some reason.

"...How long was I out?"

Kadaj looked over, meeting my gaze before giving a small shrug. "Two days I suppose." His lips twitched in amusement. "Though unfortunately I wasn't here yesterday when Loz had to knock you out."

I gave a look to Loz as he shifted away from me nervously.

Two days? Did he have to hit me that hard? No wonder it felt like I got hit by a Behemoth.

Seeing the look I was giving Loz Yazoo tossed another Materia towards me, drawing my attention to him yet again as I reached up instinctively and caught it mere inches from my face.
I glanced over and met his gaze evenly with a frown. His habit of throwing things at me was really starting to annoy me.

"Don't blame brother too much." He said softly in way of explanation, lifting his hair away from his neck slightly to reveal a thin white line across the side of his throat. "You woke up and attacked me while I was casting Cure on you the other day. Nearly took my head if Loz hadn't stepped in."

...What?

I looked down to the Materia in my hand as my brow bunched in confusion, trying to remember the incident. Surely something like that would be easy to recall.
But I couldn't.
My mind was a blank in my memories after losing consciousness on Fenrir. I only remembered waking up just recently, certainly not attacking anyone.

Why was everything so confusing lately...? The Remnants seeking me out but not attacking, the wreck, and now this. I felt conflicted, and I knew I shouldn't be.

Clenching my hand around the Materia I looked away from it.

"I... don't remember."

He chuckled lightly. "Again, not surprising. You were quite delirious at the time."

I was frowning for a different reason now as he let his hair shift back to cover the scar. Focusing back on another Materia in clear dismissal of the subject.

Delirious? I hadn't been delirious since I got Mako poisoning all those years ago, which definitely raised a flag of concern.

What was happening to me?

The sound of my phone suddenly ringing pulled me from my troubled thoughts. Eyes widening I whipped my head over to see Kadaj lifting it into view. A disgusted expression quickly slid over his face though as he looked at the lit up screen.

"Tsk. This woman is persistent." He met my gaze and tossed the phone over. "She's called five times within the hour Brother, do something to shut her up already."

I caught it in surprise more than anything. I was surprised that he had it. But just as surprised that he was handing it back so suddenly.

He said she, so... "...Tifa?"

I glanced down to the screen just as the call ended, displaying the missed call at the top of the 'recent' list as it was automatically pulled up on display. I grimaced as I saw all the missed calls.

Yep. Sure enough.

Tifa was the last thirty calls, alongside a few of the others trying to get ahold of me in the last two days. Leaving my voicemail box full of unheard messages that I had no intention of ever listening to.
I didn't have to listen to over fifty messages to get the idea of what they were saying. I could already imagine the cussing from Cid and shouts from Yuffie right alongside the others.
Yet I still hesitated over the delete all button.

...What if something had happened? I was out for two days, what if they got me out of the way and did something?

I clicked on a message on random. Feeling the other two Remnants watch intently as I brought the phone up to my ear. My gaze shifted to Kadaj as I waited, neither looking away as he raised his brow almost playfully at my suspicious look.

I frowned before my attention was pulled to the playing message.

"Cloud! Where were you?" I tensed as Marlene's soft and tearful voice came through. "Tifa said you just got busy and forgot, but I know she left this morning to come find you, and you never break a promise to come see us."

My hand tightened on the phone as a quiet sniffle came through, then muffled voices. Suddenly there was a shuffling sound, and a door shut, then Denzel's voice came through.

"Hey, you okay Cloud? Its those bad guys again isn't it? I overheard Tifa talking to Barrett last night, they said they came back." He paused, voice coming back softer. "You don't have to worry about us. I'll protect Tifa and Marlene, so just take care of them and come back soon, okay? Marlene's still waiting for her Birthday present."

My heart clenched, silence reigning for a few moments before there was a soft click. The message ending there.

I didn't know what to feel at that very moment, I felt so many things... yet at the same time, I felt numb. I desperately grabbed onto that feeling, pushing the rest back as I kept my face expressionless.

I clicked on another.
Not caring that they could hear every message I did.

I waited for a familiar voice to come on and tell me who's message it was.

"You there kid? Tifa told me what happened." Immediately I recognized Barrett's gruff voice. "That was one hell of a surprise hearin' you and those Sephiroth wannabe's had gotten into another fight again." He chuckled. "Did you go an' kick their ass? Damn, ya should've let me join, I was lookin' for some payback." After a few moments of silence reigned after his remark he sighed. "Look, I know yer' not one for talkin' much, just let Tifa and them kids know if yer' aight. She's been blowing up my phone ever since you disappeared with those damned Remnants." There was a grunt and a door slam. "And don't be thinkin' 'bout skippin' to another town to avoid us you anti-social Emo, I'm on my way over now to help look for yer' ass, so you better still be breathin'."

Click.

That anti-social Emo part caught me off guard.
Shocked me really, though I didn't show it as I wearily continued to click on another.

"Oh my gosh! Did those big bullies take you?! Don't worry Cloud! The most awesome ninja in all of Wutai is coming to rescue you!" She paused. "Um, you still have your Materia, right?" Another pause. "Uh! I mean- no, nothing! I'm coming! Just don't die 'til I get there mister! That's an order!" Click.

...So I could die when she got here? I raised my brow slightly at Yuffie's antics before clicking another.

"Yo did you really disappear?" Reno snorted. "What's up with that, yo? A lady break your heart?" Suddenly there was the sound of an explosion in the background, leaving Reno to curse before his voice came back close to the phone. "Tsk. Whatever, I gotta go. Rude's blowin' up the kitchen again. Just remember boss wanted to speak to you sometime this month about that favor you asked about. Said it was important or somethin'." He said dismissively before pausing. "Oh, and could you tell him I told you? Cool? Cool."

Reno sounded like, well, Reno, to anyone else listening as the click sounded.

But I heard what he hadn't said out loud in that straightforward sounding message. In true Turk fashion, he was settling for code words that he had told me about and double meanings to convey a message of his own.

I filed what he said away for later as I clicked another.

"Damnit kid where are you?!"

Cid barked loudly across the line. Making all of us wince from the sudden volume jump, confirming what I already knew about the Remnants listening in as they leaned away slightly. Wanting to protect my ears more than theirs, I lowered the volume drastically on my phone before the message could continue.

"Why'd ya gotta go all half-cocked by yourself kid?! Ya made the girls cry for fucks sake! You know I'm no good with a bunch of girls crying! You owe me one ya piece of shit!"

I didn't know whether to be offended or sympathetic to his plight, so I just pulled the phone back and stared at it as the telling click came across the line.

One of the Remnants coughed awkwardly into the new silence, but I couldn't bring myself to look up from the screen to check which one it was.
I clicked the delete all button.

I could only hope there wasn't anything actually important on the messages at this point. I just knew I wasn't looking forward to getting yelled at again.

But from the sounds of it, they had been looking for me for awhile now.

I looked to Kadaj.

I hadn't been that far from edge when I wrecked. And if my friends had been searching for long, Tifa even longer as I was sure she would've rushed out of Edge after us soon after we raced through, then...

A thought rose unbidden, sending shivers down my spine. Eyes narrowing I lowered my phone, needing to know.

"...How did you find me." My quiet voice carried through the small area, intent clear. "You couldn't have just 'stumbled' across me before leaving the area. You left long before I did." How did you find me before my friends, was left unsaid, but not unheard.

This was it. A part of me felt certain. Depending on their answer, I would know a piece of the puzzle they had become since seeking me out on that fated cliffside. I would know... and from there, so would the others.

They shared an almost hesitant look. Something I wasn't used to seeing on a Remnant at all.
My gaze never left Kadaj as they seemed to have one of those silent conversations between each other again before he finally looked back, meeting the burning glow of Mako within evenly with the steady glow of his own.

"We felt you."

"You were in pain."