A long time ago I tried to write a story about Final Fantasy Seven. That convoluted idea gave birth to Hail, a strong, conflicted young woman who has remained the centerpiece of many of my stories. Yet I never finished her first story- leaving her stumbling around Midgar and the whole of Gaia, sad about Zack and convinced her young friend Cloud was dead. This is for those of you who are still curious.

This is a rewrite of chapter 6, with a more conclusive ending

Happy 30th Anniversary FFVII!

-kibs

She rolled onto her other shoulder with a sigh. Weak green light filtered through the cracks in curtain like pollen, she should be awake. Grudgingly she sat up in the cheap motel bed, the cot strained under the motion. The sheets pooled in her lap, as she hazily looked through the light outside. Was it day or night, the question was pretty meaningless.

In Midgar, it was always dark.

Under the rotting pizza, where rain was gutter discharge from above, and the only lights were sickly green and flickering. Yet there was a park nearby, and she could even hear kids shouting. Never got that above the plates.

She inhaled deep, and her breath caught halfway, her lungs sore. Lazily she traced the patchy skin from her chest to neck, blinking slowly. Every morning it seemed the same, yet whenever she looked in a mirror she felt like the grey, damp rash was brand new. How long would it wait? Another question with a more abstract answer, and one she'd begun stop caring about.

But she wouldn't wait in bed any longer… she'd discovered something new yesterday. She smiled weakly, letting the hope hang in the air like dust to inhale. Nothing was for certain yet.

But it was time to get back up.

At first she thought she was hallucinating, it wouldn't have been the only time. Since the rash spread to her head, it had started to distort things. Colors, memories, and then this. Just across the street, maneuvering his way through the evening crowd, was a man with Zack's Buster Sword. There was nothing else like it- obscenely massive, that only a SOLDIER could wear, with that sickly modified strength. The two holes for materia, the sheen of old silver. It was beat up, she noticed, as she followed him through the street. Zack, and Angeal before him, hated to actually use the blade because it would rust. 'use leads to rust, wear and tear', she remembered Zack saying, as he stared out over Midgar from the top of the rotting pizza. He'd just lost Angeal, and she'd never seen him so disillusioned. Of course, he didn't give up on himself though. He was strong.

How had he died?

She moved quicker then, her feet hot. Who was he to have that sword. He'd better be a figment of her mind, because she was pissed at it. If it wasn't real though, how would she punch it? She'd thrown herself at distortions before, sometimes in public. She would watch him.

He turned at the corner and walked up to a bar- 7th Heaven, paused at the top of the stairs. He wasn't just wearing Zack's sword, but the outfit of a SOLDIER as well, down to the shoulder pauldrons. She hung back at the edge of the crowd, eyes fixed unblinkingly. They began to sting but she couldn't help it.

She knew him. It wasn't a hallucination, it couldn't be, because it took her a moment to remember. The pale face and bright hair belonged to an infantryman she knew. He had died in Nibelheim, when…

She shut her eyes, head throbbing. Thinking of that night was like taking a knife to her jaw. Painful anger.

She opened them again, and he was gone. Maybe it had been fake. Or he could have gone inside. She paced at the edge of the road, before dashing up the stairs of the bar. At least she could get a drink. It was stupid, she knew as she opened the door, it was so stupid. No way it could be him, and she was about to make a fool of herself again. What did that matter anyways, it was who she was. A stupid, dying…

The bar was empty of him. A few late-night patrons hunched over to sip their liquor. Not a place for a boy like Cloud. Hail sighed and approached the bar. A young woman was behind it, organizing bottles into their correct places on the shelves.

"What can I get you?" she asked, in a sing-songey voice that bounced of the wine glasses.

"Ah…I'll just have corel spritzers," Hail said.

"We're out, but if you like the sweet stuff I have this old bottle of vanilla wine."

Hail lifted her head, eyes wide. "They ran out of that years ago!"

"Not in Midgar. Not many people like it, so I've held onto it for a while," she explained, pouring a full glass for Hail's consideration. "Here, I'll top you off."

It was the best drink Hail had ever had in her whole life. The bartender waited to refill her glass before attending another patron. Hail sighed into the wide lip, her breath fogging up the rim. Well. She'd made it back to Midgar after all. But what for? She'd spent the last few days wandering aimlessly, avoiding eyes with most, dodging the Turks and SOLDIERs who wandered as well. The city was dying more and more, but there was no sign of anyone she remembered.

There was an old bar she was supposed to meet someone in above the plates…but it had been replaced with an office building. Years ago, someone said.

So, Hail settled with 7th Heaven.

She folded her arms over the bar and rested her head on top of them they like were a pillow. She heard the barstool a few spots away from her jostle as someone took a seat there. The man beside her set down his heavy glass, and sent a note through the wood to her ear. She cracked open an eye, and saw him whirling the last few drops of amber liquid along the bottom.

"Rough night?" she asked him casually. He didn't respond, but he lraised his head as if her question had bothered him. He brushed a gloved hand through his hair, and yellow spikes sprung up after his fingers passed. He caught her staring, and he boldly looked back. Their mako eyes met. Neither of them had been expecting to see the glowing irises. Hail's eyes darted back to his stunning hair though. Just like a baby chocobo's…

"Cloud?" she asked. The name left her lips at a whisper. How long had it been since speaking it out loud? The young man frowned in recognition. She slowly lifted her head back off of her arms, and he slid off the stool to stand. "Cloud," She repeated, and stood to follow him. He swiftly turned his back to her and walked away. That dismissive gesture must have deterred a great many people before. Because strapped to his back, was Zack's Buster Sword. It was dulled from rigorous use- she could tell now that she was up-close, and the scratches along its blade made her cringe. Many potential enemies must have walked away after seeing such an impressive, well-used blade. But instead, she bolted after him, dropping the glass of wine with a wet crack.

"Cloud!" She shouted this time, and her voice echoed in the heavy air of the slums. "Cloud, wait!" Halfway down the steps of the bar, the blond whipped around and drew Zack's sword.

"You, stay away from me," he finally said. It was a gruff, firm command. His voice had aged, as if he'd spent the last few years screaming. The young man's eyes narrowed at her, and he took pause. She caught her breath, but the air was musky, hard to breathe. He frowned at her, just a subtle gesture. He didn't recognize her, she realized.

Hail planted her feet softly. "I-…You don't remember me?" She lowered her arms, but the young man still had the blade raised aggressively. Her eyes hardened at him, searching for an explanation. In fact, now that he was under the light of a murky street lamp, she could see what he wore. The uniform of a 1st Class SOLDIER. No. And his eyes… "Are you with ShinRa?" She dared to ask, a breathy, desperate question.

"Don't say another word," he snapped. His voice was low. Dangerous. "I don't know who you are, but I want you gone." He stepped to the side to allow her to pass.

He didn't know who she…

"Now," he growled.

Hail frowned at him.

"What?" He took a deep breath and held it.

"I'm a friend," Hail whispered.

He aimed the sword at her again, and she stopped. He even wielded it with one hand. How was he doing that? It weighed a ton! He'd never become SOLIDER. "Stop pointing Zack's sword at me," Hail warned. His eyes dilated, and he wavered for a moment. "Does that mean he's dead then?" She demanded, suddenly furious. "If you have his sword?" Cloud stared at her with a blank, stoic expression. Who was this man? "Tell me!"

"What the hell's goin' on out here?" A booming voice demanded. A stocky man, war-torn and commanding, joined them on the porch from inside the bar. He took one look at Hail and rolled his eyes. "Yo, Cloud! You havin' lady troubles again?"

Lady troubles!? Hail wanted to scream.

"She won't leave," Cloud muttered.

"I-…It's not like that!" Hail stammered. "Listen to me-" But Cloud's friend didn't want to listen.

"Ah, screw it." The man behind her stooped over, intent on slinging her over his shoulder, but she saw it as if it were in slow-motion. Hail sidestepped, jumping over the railing and onto the ground in front of the porch. Cloud followed her with the Buster Sword all the way. She just wanted to yell at him to put it down. Did he realize how much it hurt to have that sword in a position to attack? It was Zack's, and Angeal's before that. Men who she…

"She's SOLDIER," Cloud said.

"What?" Hail gasped.

His glowing eyes narrowed. "Her reflexes are too good," Cloud said.

The man on the porch nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but- whoa! You sayin' they let chicks in SOLDIER?" He demanded.

"I'm not in SOLDIER anymore!" Hail protested, heat collecting in the spaces between her ribs. He'd just made the absolute worst assumption, nothing further from the truth. "You don't know what you're saying." But Cloud and the dark-skinned man ignored her and continued debating.

"Apparently," Cloud responded.

The man cursed loudly. "She followed us from the reactor then…Cloud-" The reactor? One of the reactors at ShinRa? What were they talking about?

"I know." Cloud interrupted him, and locked his eyes on Hail. He took the sword in both hands and lifted it behind himself, while deepening his stance.

Hail lifted her hands defensively. "Hey, wait!" She had enough time to draw her swords before they clashed. Her body shook under the weight of the sword, and the power that was behind it. She'd never actually fought Zack when he used this blade. Never on the receiving end of its intent. She had to take a step back to not fall over. Then she twisted from underneath it and gave Cloud a firm punch to his side, sending him stumbling.

"Stop it!" She shouted. Cloud dashed in again, and she ducked under a whistling swing. But as he turned around, he picked up his knee, and kicked her in the chest. She careened backwards, winded and aching all over. "St-…" Hail couldn't find her voice. Cloud had kicked it halfway across Midgar.

She lifted her blades to block when he came down over her again, and felt her feet sink in the dirt when they collided. With a shout, she cut her blades over the sword, and it sprung away with a metallic whistle. She rammed into him, weaving an arm around his, pinning his swordarm. He grunted into her ear, trying to pull away, but Hail responded by tightening her grip on his elbow. "You'll break your own arm!" she warned. "Now listen to me," she said, as they twisted around, shuffling in the dirt. She adjusted her grip- his arms were muscular but thin, it didn't make sense. What had happened to him? "I know who you are, I know you're confused." She dropped one of her swords to keep her grip on him. "We don't have to do this- I know it's easier to just fight sometimes, but we are friends!" Hail knew she was about to lose him, her grip, the fight, so she took back her arm and pushed him away, and Zack's sword cut along her arm as she retreated.

Cloud was breathing heavily, one hand holding the side of his face briefly, before wiping a line of sweat away and retaking his grip on the sword. Hail felt the trickle of blood down her arm and lazily put her hand over the deepest part.

"Stop!" The bartender had raced out onto the deck, and she had appeared just in time. She stared at Hail with those beautiful cherry-colored eyes, the same ones that belonged to a young girl from Nibelheim, then glared at Cloud. "Cloud, stop it. She's not with ShinRa."

The blond waited a few more moments, before slinging the sword over his back and crossing his arms.

"Are you okay?" Tifa asked, hurrying over to Hail.

She opened her hand to check, but the wound was already clotting. "This is nothing," Hail said. Tifa stared into her eyes urgently, nodding slowly. There was that clear, intent stare of recognition that Hail desperately wanted to see from Cloud. "We need to talk," Tifa said quietly.

She then left and approached Cloud and the other man, Barret, working hard to explain the sudden armistice. Cloud wasn't paying attention to Tifa, or Hail. His eyes just glazed and picked a point on the ground to fixate on.

It'll be okay, Hail thought. I found him, Zack. I'm gonna make sure he's okay. I promise.