Hey, BE-VK. I'm just having a really big writers block with CW, don't worry too much. :)


Cloud opened the door to the inn moments after appearing out of the shadows of a nearby alley. It was warm and smelled of the hearth and fresh potpourri. A pale old man that sat on a chair looked up from his newspaper and regarded him quietly after a dry cough; the god could sense he would be in his domain soon, regardless if the demons in Nibelheim would come this way sooner rather than later. Cloud greeted him with a nod as he came up to the desk. "I need lodging for the night."

"Hm." The innkeeper put his paper down and lifted himself from his seat to place his hands on the counter, then let out a sniffle. He gave the god a piercing look with his old, rheumy brown eyes. "Just you, Sonny?"

Cloud shook his head. "Two women, and three men, please. They should be here in a few hours."

"They all want separate bedrooms?"

The god blinked slowly at the question. He hadn't traveled with others in so long... "Uh, just two bedrooms."

The old man nodded, then began fumbling with the keys underneath the counter. He brought out a pair of bronze keys, one with a white tag and the other with a blue one. "White's the two bed, blue is the three bed. Three hundred gil, please."

Cloud took the keys with a grateful nod after placing enough coins to cover the cost. "Thank you."

"Mm. I'll be retirin' soon, but if you need anything don't hesitate to call."

"Alright." He left the inn as quietly as he had entered, and took a look at the moonlit sky as he stood on the sidewalk. This was the beginning of the end of this world if they couldn't repair the spear and stop Abyssion, the god from the gaping maw of the Void. He had hoped that the god had disappeared back to where he originated, that Minerva had done something to stop him and now She rested somewhere in the heavens or the earth.

Cloud bit his lip as he walked off. It would be an uphill battle.

After all this time, he still wondered what had happened to his former master. Did he go to Abyssion's side? His soul had been nowhere to be found in his castle nor the underworld, and Cloud had searched both thoroughly. Still dwelling on that, he decided that he would make a pit stop in Nibelheim before rendezvousing with his new party. Shadow wrapped him as he hid again, and he was immediately looking over Nibelheim from the vantage point of an old graveyard, the same one he occasionally saw Tifa in.

The town was in absolute ruins, and demons flowed to a point far past the outskirts. Cloud wondered if Ifrit could sense his old foe reawakening; he certainly did. Kadaj would bring disease and decay to the world, Yazoo would drive mortals mad, and Loz would make them all hate each other. Three trumpeters for Abyssion, the fourth gone missing.

Sephiroth.

The once cool and collected god had been his master. Cloud had once been sent wherever needed to be of service to the god. Once he had finally left the mortal coil he would have been one of the guardians of the underworld until perhaps he was reborn again, if it was his wish. But in some horrible twist of fate, Sephiroth joined the god of destruction, then fell to Cloud's blade. Cloud was certain it was on purpose, why else would he sound so triumphant as he dissipated? Sephiroth allowed it. Why? Why...

"Greetings, brother."

Cloud jumped as he turned around and narrowed his eyes. The one who dragged him out of his thoughts was none other than Kadaj. The silver haired god smiled evilly at Cloud, his green eyes glinting orange from the dimming fires of Nibelheim. "I see you left no survivors in that town down there." He cocked his head and crossed his arms, wearing the finest of black leathers about his body. "Have a change of heart?"

The god of death scowled at him. "You won't get away this."

Kadaj snickered. "Oh, we will, brother. One by one we will be released, and then soon after He will come to create a new world for us all to rule."

Cloud shook his head. "I rule over corpses as it is. It's not all it's chalked up to be."

"I'm sure we'll make do," Kadaj purred back. He walked a few paces to view the ruined and smoldering town. "Sephiroth had high hopes for you. Maybe you still have it in you."

Cloud had had enough. "They'll put you back into the ground, Kadaj, and I'll help them."

"Who, the little lost church and Minerva's children, still looking for their missing mother?" Kadaj let out a laugh. "Let me tell you something, brother. Minerva is dead, and we have you to thank for it."

"What?" Cloud shook his head. "Liar."

"I hate liars, brother."

"Stop calling me that," the god snapped.

Kadaj laughed again, then waved his hand flippantly. "I have things to do, and I'm sure we'll meet again soon. I'll make sure you don't get to the mortals before our legions have had their fill, next time." The god faded away into the night after a mocking wave of his hand.

Cloud wished he could do something, but it wasn't within his power to do so. Not by himself. The other gods and their Espers would have to fight Kadaj. The deity let out a sigh as he looked over his burning hometown, his shame returning to him before he faded away and back to the group of mortals he had left an hour ago.

He blinked a few times as he noticed his Esper was pummeling a stray Nibel Wolf with a ferocity most could not match, the other Espers and the priestess watching her as they stood within a wide semicircle of dead wolves. The wolf Tifa attacked was dead already, but she wasn't stopping.

"I can't let you out of my sight—"

Tifa's eyes snapped up to look at him as he began his snarky entrance, and they narrowed. "Welcome back," she interrupted curtly. Her foot gave the wolf a firm, final kick, then she turned around and began to walk off in the direction of the village again.

"Thanks." He glanced at the others, then pointed at Tifa. Zack gave him a helpless shrug and mouthed "I have no idea" at him. Cloud nodded back, then pat his pocket as they all began walking again. He came to Aerith's side and held out the key to the room with two beds. "This room is for you and Tifa," he said quietly.

Aerith looked down at his hand, then took the key with a soft "thank you."

He came up to Angeal and handed him the other key. Cloud felt like he was the leader of the group for now, and Genesis was his close second in command. He fleetingly wondered how close the two were before again looking ahead and at Tifa.

He knew from the instant he met her, she was going to be a handful.

Cloud just hadn't known how much of one she really would be. Certainly he had watched over her from time to time when he was in the area, but he had wanted her to have a childhood before explaining to her that she stumbled into being a shunned god's Esper. But not like this.

He wondered if Nibelheim happened the way it did just to make him suffer, but he shoved the thought away. Abyssion would barely know of him.

"What's Fenrir gonna think," Zack mumbled to himself.

Aerith let out a sigh. "The church won't be happy about this at all."

"There won't be a church to disapprove of you soon enough if we don't stop what's to happen," Cloud retorted.

Zack shrugged despite facing the back of Cloud's head. "I still don't know if we can trust you or not. No offense."

Cloud looked back at him with a frown marring his face. "I'm not asking you to trust me completely—"

"You kinda did," Aerith corrected.

"You took us into your realm, then after five hundred years of sulking in the shadows, you appear and tell us you want to save the world. After reaping every last soul in Nibelheim, too," Genesis drawled out.

Angeal hummed in agreement. "We have no choice at the moment but to follow your lead, deity. Time will tell if you're sincere or not."

Cloud walked silently for a few moments, then snorted. "I go through too much after giving you mortals what assistance I could."

"You forced this on us," Tifa growled.

Cloud turned his head back. "Then go off somewhere and live your life until Abyssion or his demons devour you." He wasn't given a reply, and he appreciated that. He was starting to remember why he disliked working with mortals, as much as a large part of him wanted to be one again.

It had been so nice eating breakfast with Tifa, just another person in town and not what he was now.

The group walked silently through the wilderness, and after the moon was beginning to crest the village came into view. "Finally!" Zack cheered.

"It hasn't been that long a walk, pup," Angeal gently chastised.

Genesis said, "still, we will have to get a good night's rest."

Angeal nodded. "We must try and contact the church in Junon, too. There's no cell phone reception out here."

"I could use a shower," Aerith said to no one in particular. Cloud figured the sensitive woman wanted to rinse away the feeling of the demons and his realm to boot. Not an unreasonable desire at all.

Tifa still said nothing, and Cloud figured she was still fuming over what he had to do and mourning those lost. He wondered how detached the centuries had made him, though he still felt a modicum of sorrow when he had to visit a place of death. Reaping all of Nibelheim was a pain he had had to bear through, after seeing nearly the same thing occur half a millennia earlier.

Half an hour later they came to the entrance of the village, and Cloud guided them to the inn. The owner had already gone to bed, the counter locked up for the night, but the lounging area was still lit with the light of the fireplace and a few dull lamps. Cloud decided he could wait down here as the mortals rested. The last person they probably wanted to see for the rest of the night was him.

He walked over to the couch in front of the fireplace and sat, quietly regarding the flames flickering within. He turned his head when he heard Zack speak to him. "Hey, you're...not bunking with the rest of us?"

Cloud regarded him for a moment, then shook his head faintly. "There's only three beds..."

"Oh. Well I mean, Maybe Angeal and Genesis can share a bed." Zack scratched the back of his head as the others walked up the stairs.

"...I appreciate it, but I don't really need to sleep, you know."

Zack nodded, then gave a small wave. "Right...Well, g'night."

"Good night," the god replied back before turning his head to stare at the flames again. When was the last time he wished someone good night, and not after releasing them from life? Too long. This was going to be a hard journey.

He found some book that had been left for guests and began reading it, then he fell into his thoughts again. Cloud wondered if there was something he could have done in regards to Kadaj, but all options would lead to him going to Cosmo Canyon to give a futile warning to Ifrit. He was sure the fire god would figure it out very soon, anyway, so there was no use in the action.

He had to see to it that Angeal and Genesis made it to Junon safely before Yazoo was released, but they would have to part at Costa del Sol. Cloud doubted they could stop his reemergence, but it was best to try while the rest gathered the pieces of Creation's Spear. Wutai...If Leviathan was in the area, he would not be pleased.

"Cloud?"

He brought his gaze to Aerith, who was sitting down next to him. Her pink bow had been taken off, and her long hair cascaded down her back in chestnut colored waves. "Priestess?"

She smiled a little. "Aerith's fine, you know." She looked at her lap a moment before returning her eyes to his. "I'm sorry if we came off a little terse earlier, but I'm hoping you understand why we're still wary."

After a long moment he slowly nodded. "I do." He looked down. "I'm sorry you were all dragged into this. But, it's something I can't do alone."

"Hm. Is that why you spared us?" she asked casually.

Cloud shrugged as his eyes gazed on her again. "It's not like I could bring the whole living village to the castle, you know. I'm not the god of teleportation, or I would have. But you five had been headstrong, and those three Espers had been hellbent in seeking out Tifa after I warned them away." A small chuckle escaped his lips. "I figured if there was anything this quest needed, it would be stubborn people."

Aerith let out a small and short laugh, almost an amused sigh. "Do you think we can do it?"

"We have to." His face became forlorn. "It can't end like this."

She nodded. "Well, we have the god of death with us, I'm sure we'll make it just fine."

"That was a joke, right?"

"Was it?" Her brow quirked up.

He looked away and hid his smile. This was going to be hard. He knew it was going to be hard. He knew he was going to grow attached after avoiding the feeling for such a long time. He would have preferred to do it alone and not have to deal with mortal things, like emotions. But here he was, bonding. Bonding...

"Hm. In your church, I felt that power you hid from us as you walked around town. I wondered what it could have meant." Tentatively, she touched his hand as it rested on the couch. He tensed, but didn't push it away. She already had touched him before. "I think...we can trust you."

He looked back. "Is that what you feel?"

Aerith nodded. "I do."

Cloud stayed quiet for a minute, then moved his hand to fiddle with the other one's thumb. "...I'm happy I have your confidence," he said quietly. "I'll do my best to keep you safe."

She cocked her head. "Like a bodyguard?"

"Mhm. A bodyguard." He motioned his head towards the stairs. "We can talk more later. You should get some rest. I'll keep watch for any trouble."

Aerith nodded, then stood up from the couch. "Good night, Cloud."

"Good night."

He reclined into the sofa again, watching the flames lick at the logs in the fireplace. Aerith had been brave enough to approach him, as if he were just another person. He wondered why, considering what he had done that night in front of their eyes. Did she understand that it wasn't a choice?

Tifa had refused to look at him since he reappeared in the wilderness. He couldn't blame her if she hated him, she was a mortal, after all. She wouldn't understand what had to be done sometimes, at least not yet. He thought that perhaps he had made a mistake when he decided to not interfere with her childhood. It would have been easier on her if he had kept contact, but it wasn't as if he could stay in one place for too long.

Espers would occasionally climb up the mountain to spy into his castle, always hoping to catch him while he was there and the realm of the dead had merged with the world of the living. They were always too late. Cloud knew what they were to do if they found him, and the church had artifacts made to seal away wayward deities. He often wondered how long it would take before he was accepted into the pantheon, and he supposed if he succeeded with this misadventure they would have no choice but to bring him into the fold.

He stood up and put another log onto the fire. He watched it while listening to the old man periodically cough in his bedroom, somewhere behind the counter. Cloud kept watch over the fire for a while, then quietly left the inn to watch over the town. The air outside was crisp and held the barest hints of the scent of frost.

He made his way towards the walls of the village, then looked up at Mount Nibel as it loomed far in the distance. The moon illuminated the barely discernible castle up upon the summit, his realm safe from Kadaj's demons for now. Perhaps until Abyssion rose it would stand, he thought to himself. Cloud took a lonesome stroll outside the walls and within, looking for any inkling that a demon had strayed this way.

Again he returned to the inn after several hours of patrol, and he noticed the coughs coming from the bedroom again. They were a little different, weaker, wetter. Cloud made his way into the bedroom behind the counter as little more than a shade, looking down at the man who fretted in his bed.

The old man took notice after a while, but only seemed surprised for a moment before coughing again. "Comin' to finish me off?"

"...If you want me to," Cloud replied quietly. "You are dying."

The innkeeper slowly shuffled about his mattress, sitting upright and watching as the deity took a corporeal form. "Ah, it's you. I thought there was somethin' off about you."

The old man thought for a few minutes, coughing here and there. Cloud quietly regarded him. "My health has taken a nosedive, King of the Mountain. I can feel my days are numbered. It hurts to move my joints, to breathe..."

Cloud wasn't too surprised by the welcome he received. Older people rarely looked at him with terror if he came to visit, just resignation. Why would they be afraid? He couldn't cut their lives short. "I understand."

The innkeeper nodded, then slowly laid back down again with Cloud's help. "It's been so long since I really enjoyed living..."

"You'll live again someday. But for now I'll let you rest, if you wish."

A smile grew on the old man's lips after he let out a wheeze. "I'd like that. To see my wife again...King of the Mountain, take me, please."

Cloud nodded before he put his hand on the man's wrinkled forehead, and soon his soul fled his used body after a final breath. The god raised his hand, then stood over the corpse. This was what he brought himself into after facing Sephiroth, and he would see to it that he did what his former master abandoned. He would bring dignity back to this harsh realm that held up and fed off of life.

"Good night."