There was a blue chocobo wandering the fields outside of the mines. It didn't flee at the growl of Cloud's motorbike, just lifted its head curiously, weeds dangling from its muddy beak. Cloud parked close by, under a Banora White. He had vague memories of the tree, and its violet apples. A bitter, savory taste, though he couldn't recall when he'd eaten them. But he didn't dwell on it. There were dozens of fragmented memories, and his attempts to piece them together had only confused him more. For Tifa, Denzel and Marlene…and everyone else, he tried to focus on the now.

Tried. But when the past came calling, so loudly, he couldn't ignore it.

The chocobo came closer, stretching its neck out inquisitively. Cloud opened a hand, and the bird shoved its beak into it, keening softly.

"Good boy," he said, and the bird ruffled its feathers happily.

Cloud left it and started down the mouth of the cavern, following the aged tracks. The lights drilled into the walls were mostly dimmed, but some of them flickered brightly. It wasn't well maintained. If anyone visited, they weren't motivated to keep it up. He followed them.

No one chided him for going after her. They understood- they remembered, often better than he. What she had done for them, her own struggles that hadn't been dealt with. They realized in hindsight, after she was gone, that they had forgotten about her. That they had survived so much, it was impossible to ask for more- for another person to be spared. Selfish, and unlikely to be fulfilled.

…But still, back again now? Cloud aimed to find out.

There were branching tunnels, but it was easy for him to follow the dragging footsteps of a human. There were patches of scattered dirt and lines from a blade further on- signs of a fight. Then the return of oddly paced footprints, perhaps more labored. He followed them across a bridge, through a patch of darkness, and to the last of the stringing lights. A door was embedded into the wall. He didn't bother knocking- the footsteps halted there.

There was a small room; a desk, a bed, and Hail. She was curled up on her side, facing away from the door. Blue hair, down to her shoulders now, spilled behind her. Cloud moved closer, but paused just out of reaching distance. If Hail was anything, it was unpredictable.

"Hail," he said, his voice muffled against the rock walls. It came out quieter than he'd anticipated. She shifted, more onto her back. He could see her face then- the black rash had stretched over the left side of her cheek, reaching from her scar. She was pale, sweat caught the light filtering in from the thin ropes of lights above her.

She smiled weakly, her eyes mostly shut. Blood was cracking around her lips. "Zack, I messed up again." She said, her voice clear, but tired. "Monster got me."

"I know," Cloud said. "'M taking you home." He scooped her up, and thankfully she let him.

He saw monsters in the shadows, but they pressed themselves out of sight when he walked by. They recognized both of them. Another section of lights had gone out after he passed them. Outside, Hail groaned at the light.

"Sorry," Cloud said. The chocobo dashed toward them, feathers raised anxiously. "She's okay," Cloud said.

Hail reached out, touched the bird. "Hey, Cloud," she whispered.

Cloud tensed, then sidestepped the chocobo to his bike. He sat her between his arms on the bike and revved. "Hold on," he said, and kicked off the ground. The bike picked up speed, and rolled onto the overgrown path, and he followed his tracks back to the road. The blue chocobo followed for a little while, then slowed down and watched them go.

It was quiet when he arrived, parking in the back. He carried Hail upstairs, walking sideways so he could fit. He set her on Marlene's bed, pulled the quilt up to her chest and Hail pushed herself deeper into the blankets. Tifa was out- the bar was closed today, Thursday. Open on most Sundays, one of the only places people could go for a stiff drink after visiting their gods.

She was probably shopping- there was a farmer's market. The soil was finally producing crops again- meager, weird-tasting, but safe. He went downstairs and looked around. The place was already clean, nothing for him to do to keep busy. A small note on the granite bar read 'Be back soon! Marlene, Denzel, Tifa'. They did that regularly now, as more and more farmers came to the city with their goods. It was exciting to see fresh produce, especially for Tifa. She'd grown up in the country.

He tended to his bike for a while, pausing often to go back upstairs. Hail didn't vanish again. She rolled to a new shoulder every time he looked, but she remained in bed, asleep, there.

Tifa came back before the sun went down. They came through the side door, laughing and shuffling paper grocery bags full of the week's produce and preserves. "Cloud?" Marlene called, racing through the bar to the stairs.

Cloud didn't reach her in time, and she went straight up to her room. He ran after her, bypassing Tifa and Denzel, then followed by them. Marlene hadn't screamed, just stared. She walked around her bed to see the blue-haired woman better. Cloud touched her shoulder reassuringly. "I'm sorry, I took your bed."

"It's okay," Marlene said. She always said that. "Who is she…?"

"An old friend," Cloud replied. He'd thought of what to say already.

"…She looks familiar."

Cloud smiled. "You met her once before."

"Before the battle?"

"…Yeah. Right before then."

Tifa's hand brushed Cloud's back. She didn't speak, but when Cloud turned into her, she moved closer. "We should give her some space."

Cloud nodded, and they herded everyone back downstairs. They set up a bed in Denzel's room for Marlene, and Tifa and Cloud shared a drink in the warm darkness as the sun set between the buildings.

"She's sick- bad," Cloud told her. "Delirious when I found her. But not aggressive. I think it's Geostigma, so we may be able to help."

Tifa nodded slowly. "It's been a while since we've housed old friends." She downed the last of her drink, and looked at the glass thoughtfully. "You know, I bet I have an old bottle of that wine she likes."

Cloud smiled at her optimism.


When he brought food, she was sitting up, looking out the dimming window. She started to look towards him, hesitated, and froze. Cloud paused as well. Let it pass. Let her talk first.

He heard her swallow, saw her body flinch. Then, her shoulders dropped. "You're a determined one."

"I suppose," he said. He set the food down beside her.

She eyed it, instead of him. "How the hell'd you find me?" her voice was of disbelief.

"I know a lot of people. This world isn't that big," he replied. "When they see blue hair, they remember."

She nodded, a short smile. She finally looked at him, but her eyes were unfocused. "I can hardly see you now." Her face tightened for a moment, then she licked her lips and relaxed into her next words. "You know, I'm dying, Cloud. You shouldn't have brought me back here, with your kids and Tifa-"

"I wasn't going to leave you to die in a cave," Cloud said.

"What if that's what I wanted!?" She screamed, tearing at the blanket furiously. "Damn it, Cloud, when the Lifestream spit me back out, I was already halfway gone! I didn't come find you because I didn't want you to-to…!" She started coughing, heaving shakes that rocked her whole body. Cloud rushed to her, but she punched him when he got close. Gasping, she wound a fist in his shirt and held it until the tremors passed. They waited in silence, Hail's uneven breathing cutting the muted noise. She swallowed hard and pushed him away weakly. The sheet covering her lap was speckled in a gray bile, dripping from her parted lips. "Fuck," she whispered, her voice hoarse.

"It's okay-"

"These are the kid's blankets," she mumbled.

Tifa knocked on the open door, and Hail groaned, wiping feebly at her mouth. "I heard coughing- are you…Oh."

"Yeah, oh," Hail snapped. "Nice to see you too."

"I just meant…" Tifa stepped up to the bed. "How are you?"

Hail threw the blankets off her legs and sat up against the headboard. "Ripe as a dumbapple."

Tifa frowned, shot a look to Cloud.

"Could you just-…" Hail groaned, covering her face with a hand. "Bring me something to wear?"

"Of course," Tifa said, nodding to Cloud and walking down the hall to her own room.

Hail rested her face in her hands, catching her breath. Her mouth was still wide, dripping slowly.

Tifa gave her a black shirt and pants, which Hail struggled to put on. "Buttons," she said, finally zipping herself up.

"Hail, you can't leave tonight," Cloud finally said.

"You gonna stop me?"

"No, but you will," Cloud replied.

Hail lifted an eyebrow. "You've never made sense, even before they poisoned you."

It hadn't made sense, but when Hail managed to reach the stairs, Cloud was ready to catch her. Her legs gave out on the second step, with a snap from one of her ankles. He pulled her out of a fall, and steadied her against the wall. She was shaking. She stood there for a long time with Cloud's arm as a crutch, staring blankly down the hall, finally conceding. She'd spend the night. Just the night.


Cloud came back early, finishing what he needed to as quickly as he could. He'd gotten a text from Tifa- Turks had shown up.

Cloud hurried upstairs, though without a blade. He opened the door hard, not waiting to knock or listen. Reno and Rude stood across from the bed, leaning on the dresser, though they had stepped forward when Cloud barged inside.

"What are you doing here?" Cloud demanded.

"Stop, It's okay," Hail said, waving reassurance. "Visit from old friends."

"Older than you," Reno said to Cloud. "We've got dibs."

Cloud relaxed his shoulders, but kept his fists loosely clenched.

"So, where were we?" Rude asked.

"We were just talking about-well, a lot of things," Hail said, eyes darting to Cloud. She crossed her arms. "No direction. Unless…you had a point by coming here." Her eyes narrowed.

Reno put up his hands. "Hey, we're still employed by ShinRa, you know."

"You got stuck with him," Hail snapped. "Is he all shriveled up? You have to wheel him around?"

Reno rolled his eyes. "You know, his geostigma is cured."

Rude took over. "We were told to see if you were alive, beyond rumors."

"Well, I don't know if this counts," she quipped, lifting her bony arms. "The Hail he knew is all but gone, literally."

The two were watching, lips tight. Rude lifted an eyebrow. "She still has the same taste though," he nodded at the bedside table where the glass of flat wine was evaporating.

Hail shrugged. Reno pushed off the dresser, aiming for the door. Cloud opened the path for him, shoulders wide.

"We've got a schedule to keep," Reno said. The Turks paused at the doorway. "Hey…we are glad to see you alive."

She didn't respond.

Reno shook his head and left. Cloud listened for their leave, finally relaxed a bit when the door slammed. Tifa would make sure they were gone.

Hail sighed, almost inaudibly. Pulled her hair out of her face, tossed some strands off the bed. "I think they really did want to see me," she said. "We were sparring buddies once…A while ago."

"Why do you think ShinRa is curious about you?" Cloud asked.

Hail took the vanilla wine and downed it. Harsh taste for bitter memories. "We were something too. Not just the company ShinRa, but the man. But now, I think he really did just want to see that one of his SOLDIERs is alive." She glanced at Cloud. "Just curiosity though…make sure I'm too far gone for him to try and use me again." Her voice shied away at the end. She leaned back in the pillows.


Cloud didn't stay home, not even for Hail, but he did keep his deliveries closer. The furthest one was a tractor part to Kalm, and he was back just after dinner. Marlene was doing the dishes with Denzel in the kitchen. She looked up when Cloud came inside, and hurried over to him without drying her hands.

"Cloud…" She looked backwards at the stairs. There was a light on upstairs, rolling down like dripping water, yellow.

He didn't ask, just rushed upstairs. Tifa was leaning over Hail, trying to dab the woman's face with a cloth. Hail was curled up on her side, tangled in the sheet. She was twitching, and moaning like something was crawling under her skin.

"Hail, can't you-"

"'M not taking anything anymore," she drawled.

Cloud caught Tifa's arm and pulled her away before Hail could lash out.

Tifa gasped and jumped, then sighed heavily. "Cloud, she'd not even drinking water." Tifa looked over her shoulder, pulling her loose hair behind her ears. "I-…she thinks I'm trying to poison her."

Cloud took Tifa's place close to the bed, slowly edging her towards the door. "Go tell Marlene it's okay," Cloud said. "You've done enough."

Tifa wiped her hand over her forehead, nodded weakly, left.

Cloud stood over her, as she fought it. Her body wrenched in on itself and he could hear her teeth grinding against the pain, the urges to shout and toss her body. Cloud remembered those nights. Sometimes the days too, like now, where he'd try to stand, leave the church, only to fall back over his denying bones, like they'd shattered under his meager weight. When water burned and came up even hotter. Those awful delusions and memories that stung and clawed at his mind despite the physical pain, those were still worse. "Hail. It's me."

The woman didn't respond, just involuntary hitches of her shoulders.

"I-"

"Shut up."

Cloud took the chair next to the bed, trying so hard to think of a reason for her.

"…I had this too," Cloud said, still fresh in his memories. "This sickness. And I wanted to die."

"Why didn't you?" Her body tightened. "Found something else to fight for? Tifa? Those kids? Good for you." She rolled, trying to sit up, smacked Cloud away when he tried to help, settled for a halfway slouch against the wall. She leaned her head back and caught her breath, goosebumps and sweat ringing her eyes, the rash peeling between dried blood, like a fresh burn. "I-…I'm sorry," she conceded. "I'm not…not trying to be d-difficult. I jus-st can't." She swallowed, "Did you…were you okay?"

Cloud frowned, listening carefully to understand. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry I let them take you. You and Z-zack. I tried to fight Sephiroth that night in N-nebilheim, but…Oh gaia," she shut her eyes tightly, her face distorted with pain. "He tossed me aside like I was nothing…and got to you and Cloud." She was crying then, tears in shiny lines down her face.

"What happened to you after that?" Cloud asked. He'd never known.

She blinked her eyes open a bit. Maybe it was easier for her to talk of her own pain than imagine the torture Cloud couldn't even remember.

"I was arrested…they said I did it…and Hojo took me and did experiments. I remember him saying was more valuable as a test subject than a SOLDIER. B-but I was rescued a few days later by a Summon that my mentor ga-…" she halted, her face blank. She shut her eyes and turned away. Her eyes opened again, glossy, pale. Her lips parted softly, and she took a slow breath.

"Hail?" Cloud asked.

She gasped and looked to him, her eyes dark again. "Uh…" She blinked and looked out the window. "I think I fell asleep." Her voice trembled. "Yeah…just a quick nightmare."


The lights were off inside, but the cracked curtains let moonlight in to hover with dust. Tifa tried so hard to keep it clean- a respectable place to raise children and get a drink. Melting in with the light stood Hail, behind the bar, with an open bottle of hard liquor. Cloud could smell the vapors, something fruity and harsh. Something Hail would have pursed her lips at and refused.

She was dressed sparingly- a thin white shirt that fell to her thighs, lavish scars painfully visible to Cloud- ones so clean they had to be from a scalpel, other that must have been jaw-locked bites from monsters. It wasn't like her. Her hair glowed in the dry light, pale and thin- and Cloud held his breath when it caught the light and flashed silver.

She said nothing, let her lidded, cold eyes relax on the drink instead of him. She was smiling though, a thin smirk. When she spoke, it was not her voice. "How long has it been this time? I loose track."

And Cloud's hand fell to his sword, unyielding instinct.

Her eyes narrowed, focused. "Oh…?" And she reached down and lifted Denzel, quiet and limp, onto the bar, one hand still on her drink.

Cloud's eyes widened, his breath hitched. His feet dug into the floorboards, his hand firmly on the handle of his blade, unsheathed it with a swift pull of his arm.

"Really? After what I did to you last time, you'd still be so quick to raise your sword to me?" she said. "To this body?" She touched herself vulgarly. "I can't let you do that, Cloud."

"Get away from him," Cloud said, eyes hard.

She tilted her head to the side, like there were no bones at all. Her lips opened just a crack with a smile. "You want to save the boy? Chop up this body instead? I'll just find another vessel. Maybe, finally, it will be you."

The leather crushed under Cloud's hand. Hail set her drink down with a soft thump. Reached behind herself and took a chopping knife off the marble counter top, scraping it.

Hail and Cloud both looked to the backdoor when it clicked open, but Hail was met with a thick shot glass between her eyes. Falling hard, Cloud dashed and planted his knee in her chest. She exhaled hard, lips curling into a grin. As if she hadn't been hurt at all, she chuckled and mumbled that she would see him soon. Then a wild gasp, eyes finally fully open. Hail snapped her hands against Cloud, fingers shaking. "He's gone," she groaned breathlessly.

Cloud stepped off of her, but the blade remained close, and she curled onto her side heavily, arm reaching across the floor. Tifa pulled Denzel onto his back, touching his face, repeating his name until he groaned that he was alive.

Hail and Cloud sat in the bar for a long time as she held a washcloth against her cut. It swelled up quickly, a black bump on her forehead. Her eyes were unfocused, breath coming deliberately. Finally, her face tightened. "You should have let me die."

"That's not the answer to this."

"He'll keep coming back as long as a SOLDIER to host him is alive." She finally glanced at him. "And he'll come back for you first. It's all he wants." Her head fell to her hands, then to her knee where she rested it. "I'm too tired for this," she said, flatly.