Disclaimer: I do not own ANY part of Final Fantasy VII in any way, shape, or form. I own NOTHING!

Harmonies for the Haunted:

Part XIV

Perhaps I know why it is man alone who laughs.

He alone suffers so deeply that he had to invent laughter.

– Friedrich Nietzche

Cloud was not beyond having bad days. Quite the contrary, bad days were still very much a part of his life. The only difference now was that they did not consume it. They were not as frequent.

Another difference was that Tifa and the kids were learning how to deal with those days. They tried to help him through it, sometimes, when he let them. Tifa was more inclined to stick it out with him, to weather the storm, perhaps because she now understood that it would pass. She wouldn't give up on him. She would give him space but she wouldn't throw her hands up and quit because she knew he was still emotionally present, that he wanted to be with them. However, there were still some days that he simply refused to take pleasure in anything for the fear of the sting of disappointment, of loss.

There were times when he wanted to explode, maybe even cry. He would wish for articulation so he could tell them why he was the way he was. He never got that articulation but somehow it was okay.

He always came home, even if he didn't speak much, even if he wouldn't go to Tifa's room at night or tell the kids stories. He was present. He didn't completely shut down. He persevered and he took pride in that.

There were good days and there were bad days. Cloud had come to terms with the fact that there would always be bad days…and Junon had triggered a sequence of bad days.

His head felt heavy and his words were few. He spoke when spoken to but had little else to say, only occasionally finding pleasure in watching the kids interact with each other and go about their day.

The kids had a strange way of giving him peace, of reminding him that there was still something left of grace and genuine beauty in the Planet, that there was more to life than pain, hunger, and guilt. Even though they were doing nothing more than eating lunch with him in the middle of the bar, they had a strange calming effect on him.

Still, the attack on Junon had really put a damper on his mood lately and apparently, this was becoming noticeable.

He couldn't help it. The situation was just…weighing on him. He wouldn't say he was sad or scared but he was…contemplative, cautious. Maybe a little anxious...

"Yuffie says you two don't know how to have fun," Marlene stated matter-of-factly, pulling Cloud from his daze.

The ninja had dropped by a few days ago to see what he thought of the Junon attack. Should they be worried? Was her Materia in danger? Things of that persuasion. She'd also, apparently, talked to the kids about his mood and his (and even Tifa's) inability to have fun.

"That's bulls—" Tifa paused, realizing she was about to curse. "That's bull."

"Don't shoot the messenger." Denzel smirked as he took a bite out of the sandwich Tifa'd given him for lunch.

"Do you two think that?!" Tifa asked, suddenly offended and appalled.

A half smile had made its way across Cloud's face at some point. He didn't know when but it was here now.

The kids were giggling but looked like they were afraid to answer.

"You're fun. You're just…not like Yuffie," Marlene clarified as sweetly as she could.

"Yuffie's eighteen!" Tifa countered as she kicked one of the kitchen cabinets shut. "And she doesn't have responsibilities like we do!"

"I don't know…" Cloud mused, reclining in his chair. "Were we 'fun' even when we were eighteen? Well, we weren't eighteen at the same time…but…"

"Fine! You two win. I'm sorry we aren't as spunky as Wutai ninjas," she surrendered and looked like she was a few seconds from throwing her arms up and leaving the room.

Apparently feeling guilty, Marlene rose from her set at the table, crossed the bar and gave Tifa a hug. Tifa returned the gesture but made sure to glare at her before doing so begrudgingly, making sure Marlene would know she still wasn't happy with her.

"It's okay. We like you anyway." Marlene beamed up at Tifa but Tifa's expression remained playfully cross.

"Yeah. Yeah. Go eat your lunch." Tifa nudged Marlene back towards their table.

Marlene returned to her seat between Cloud and Denzel and once she got there, she and Denzel continued to giggle under their breath. It was amusing to the point that Cloud snickered a little even though deep down he had to admit he was kind of offended by these accusations too.

As he helped the kids get ready for bed, Cloud had come to the pathetic and painfully sad conclusion that Yuffie was probably right. Hell, Cloud wondered if he ever really knew what fun was in the first place. He knew of it and saw it from time to time but did he know it personally on an intimate level? Probably not.

"You think Yuffie's right?" he asked as he began towel drying the dish Tifa had handed him.

"About what?" Her brow furrowed as she dunked another glass into the sink.

"Us not knowing how to have fun."

"We have fun with the kids all the time."

"She didn't mean with the kids. I think she meant on our own and she's right."

Tifa grew silent, clearly contemplating something before she smirked. She grabbed the spray nozzle attached to the sink, stared at it for a long-suffering moment, then sprayed him, beaning him right in the face.

Appalled, Cloud looked up at her dripping wet, gaping, and wide-eyed. "What was that for?"

Tifa shrugged and squirted him again.

"Tifa!" he chided, swatting at the blast long after it had collided with his nose. If Sephiroth were alive to see his pathetic reflexes at that moment, he might actually go into a laughter-induced coma.

He had chastised her harder than he had ever dared chastise Marlene or Denzel but she giggled and once she stopped laughing, she sprayed him again.

Finally, having had enough, Cloud splashed some of the water in the sink onto her.

Tifa yelped and shielded herself with her hands and forearms but didn't release the nozzle.

To prevent getting sprayed in the face again, he grabbed her wrists and tried to point the weapon away from him. However, Tifa was much stronger than he recalled and easily resisted his efforts.

It was a battle now. She was out to best him and it wasn't until he realized that he would actually have to put in more effort to win this particular fight that he noticed he didn't have the best grip on her wrist. Which meant her wrist had full mobility and was able to point the spray nozzle right at him.

His eyes widened to the size of saucers as he stared the nozzle down. "Don't."

As soon as the word left his mouth, she pressed the button, effectively shooting him right in the face again.

Driven by some unknown force, Cloud snatched the spray nozzle out of her hand and doused her good.

This time she didn't move fast enough and caught the water all in her hair and down her face. Instead of getting frustrated or immediately searching for a way to retaliate, she started laughing. It wasn't until he heard her laugh that he realized how foreign it still was. Yes, she got a good laugh out of the cactuar incident but it had been a while since he'd heard this particular laugh, her deep laugh, her genuine, hearty laugh.

Stunned into silence, Cloud stood there and shook his head. Something that was a cross between a scoff and a snicker wriggled its way out of his mouth.

What the hell just happened?

"You looked so confused!" she bellowed between laughs, her hands on her knees as she practically bowed over. "You actually scolded me!"

Cloud reeled. "Wh—What was I supposed to do?!"

She shook her head and continued to laugh. "Not that!"

That noise twitched out of him again. It was almost like a hiccup or a snort and he couldn't control it. It then began coming out in sporadic bursts. He was…chuckling.

"But it's okay. It was fun anyway." Tifa dipped her hand in the sink and flicked some water at him off her fingertips. "Wanna play some more?"

He snorted and took an apprehensive step back.

"Huh?" she taunted and it reminded him of the way she always ridiculed opponents and monsters in battle. "Or are you scared of a little water?" She flicked more of said liquid at him playfully.

Cloud flinched a little and wiped the drops off his face, his mouth curving upward.

"Come on. Let's go, Strife," she teased and flicked water at him again, this time with more fluid on her fingers.

Copying her movements, he dunked both his hands into the water and flicked the remnants off his fingertips and onto her.

He had unknowingly awoken Tifa's competitive nature and she was suddenly trying to get him doused at a faster rate. She'd stopped flicking water at him and had begun flat out splashing him.

It wasn't long before everything spiraled out of control and they were both completely soaked.

"What the hell just happened?" He was actually laughing at this point in spite of himself as he held out his arms, allowing the liquid to roll off him and onto the floor. Little puddles were everywhere. They were going to need a mop…

"I think we were having fun." She beamed, eyes sparkling.

Cloud chuckled. "That or we've finally gone completely mad…"

"Either way, I'm going to change my clothes and make sure we didn't wake the kids." She turned her back to him as she began heading up the stairs, unzipping the black shirt she wore over her white undershirt and slipping it off her shoulders.

Cloud's face got hot and so did his ears as he gawked at her, his mind automatically filling in the blanks of what that soaked undershirt probably looked like from the front, which only caused the heat to spread throughout his body like a virus.

Needing to distract himself, he began searching for the mop so he could start cleaning up the huge mess they'd made.

He was in pain, lots of it. A strange man in a lab coat was looming over him, lifting his circular glasses and eyeing him like he was something to eat.

Other men in lab coats hovered around too, studying the holding pods within the reactor, making sure nothing had sustained substantial damage during the fight against Sephiroth.

The Turks were here too, whispering amongst themselves, taking notes, and shaking their heads as they looked around for…something…

The pain was too much. He was drifting in and out of consciousness. Nothing could hold form. He couldn't even hold his eyes open.

"This one here…intriguing…most intriguing! He'll make a fine test subject!"

They'd placed him on a gurney at some point. Where were they taking him? Why? And where was Zack and— Tifa! Where was Tifa?!

His mind begged his body to obey his command, to move, to speak, something! However, his body was unable to do anything other than lie limp like a rag doll and feel pain. He could still do that.

Tifa was hurt. She would need help. She could die if someone didn't help her. And…he was already breaking his promise. Sure, he'd come for her but he'd been late and now he was unable to finish the job. There was no way he'd be able to get her to safety. He couldn't even save himself at this point…

FLASH

Someone was flashing a small light into his eyes, holding his eyelids open because his eyes insisted on rolling into the back of his head.

"He's…die…."

"…poisoning…"

"Jenova…failure..."

"Don't know…Hojo was thinking..."

He was dying. He had to be. Honestly, he didn't even know how he was alive. His only assurance that he wasn't dead was the insistent poking and prodding, the sensation of various needles forcing their way into every vein, artery, and ventricle he had and spitting various fluids into him.

Sometimes, when his eyes were forced open, he'd see familiar faces on the white coats. Sometimes, he saw his mother smiling down at him, a halo of blinding light around her head contorting her features but it was definitely her gentle face.

Mom…

He also saw Tifa. Sometimes, he could even feel her pushing his hair away from his face and he would try reach out for her even though his arm felt like jelly. He wanted to feel how soft her hair was, how her skin felt. His glove had been in the way back at the reactor. He also wanted to tell her he was sorry that he'd been unable to get her out of the reactor...away from the danger… He wasn't a hero… He honestly didn't know why he kept trying to be one. He wasn't like Zack as much as he wished that he were…

He willed his hand to make contact with her skin but the contact never came. Her mouth would move but he couldn't make out what she was saying. He couldn't hear the sweet hum of her vocal chords.

Suddenly, he was being lifted up and being forced back into the holding tube.

No. No! Don't put me back in! I have to get out! I don't want to forget! Don't! I don't want the blackness to come back…

The tube began filling up with that thick, green fluid. Mako perhaps?

His eyes drifted open and he was briefly able to look through the green glass encasing him and see someone standing in front of the tube. For a moment, it looked like Tifa. She stood there, sad and alone just before she took several steps forward and placed one of her hands against the glass of the tube.

Itching to reach back, his hand twitched but went no further. All he could do was slump forward and press his face to the glass in a pitiful attempt to reach her, to meet her touch, to make contact.

He wanted to tell her everything. He wanted to tell her that he'd had a crush on her for as long as he could remember, that he'd joined SOLDIER so he could be worthy of her and get her father's approval, that he'd acted out all those years because he was guilty and blamed himself for getting her hurt on Mount Nibel, that everything he did, he did to impress her because he wanted her more than he'd ever wanted anything… But he'd probably never get the chance to tell her any of that… It would die inside him.

The cold fluid was up to his knees know, making its way to his hips.

He managed to open his eyes once more but Tifa was gone and Professor Hojo was in her place, grinning at him and toying with his glasses.

He wanted to jerk away but the fluid was suddenly in his mouth, going down his throat, choking him.

Hojo's grin widened, showing off his suddenly jagged teeth. His skin now held a pigment that matched the heavy, green ambiance that filled the laboratory. The white coat he wore faded and became ragged and frayed at the edges. The scientist was suddenly more wraith than man…

'What number were you?'

He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. He couldn't even struggle. He wanted to kick the glass but that required strength and he had none. He'd used the last of it to finish Sephiroth off back at the reactor in Nibelheim.

'Where's your tattoo?'

Once the thick liquid blocked off one airway, it went for the next, slithering up into his nostrils like snakes, wriggling into his ears until there was nothing but the muffled droning of machines and their faint grinding and beeping.

'Shut up, miserable failure…'

It was choking the life out of him, taking his breath, his voice, his hearing, his sight and finally, his memories. Everything he was or had been slowly turned to blackness and then, there wasn't even thought. Nothing. Nothing but the sound of Hojo's shrill laughter…

Cloud woke gasping for breath and kicking at nothing. He coughed for almost five minutes straight even though he knew it was only a nightmare, echoes of memories that couldn't hurt him anymore.

In Cloud's humble opinion, dreams—at least the dreams that didn't include Zack or Aerith – were usually nothing but a nuisance. For him, most of the time, they were nothing but a reminder of all the horrible things he had seen over the years.

There were dreams with him in holding tubes next to a deteriorating Zack, his skin rotting off and a horrible green pigment. He dreamt of Hojo with his mangled minions crawling out of his belly. Midgar Zoloms choking the life out of him, their poison thick in his veins…

He also dreamt of simpler yet no less horrible things like Yuffie falling into a chasm in the Northern Crater and him not being able to hold onto her. Dreams with Tifa poisoned or bleeding to death and they would never have any supplies, forcing him to just hold her stomach and pray that it would somehow magically mend underneath his hands.

He often dreamt of Sephiroth making a third appearance, skewering him yet again. Or worse, Sephiroth skewering Denzel or Tifa, knowing that hurting them would hurt him more than anything he could ever to do him. He would even dream of Jenova meticulously sewing puppet strings into his arms, legs, and through his spine… He even dreamt of trying to reverse the plate collapse, trying to save Denzel's family but always failing, always ending up with the same results, finding their crushed mangled bodies underneath tons of rubble.

After those kinds of dreams, Cloud would stay in bed longer. He would prolong starting his day, lying in bed hoping the lingering unpleasantness wouldn't leave a lasting impression but it usually did. Bad dreams were capable of triggering bad days and on those bad days, Tifa always managed to keep the kids from busting in on him while he lingered in bed like one dead. His tardiness was her way of knowing he was off to a bad start. She would give him time, come in, ask if he wanted her to cancel his deliveries for the day then, offer him food. Sometimes he would take her up on the offer.

They had an unspoken protocol. She just knew how to handle these types of situations with him and he tried to be mindful of hers but Tifa was harder to understand. She was better at putting on a brave face and faking it…or maybe he just had more trouble reading people.

It was far from morning. He couldn't sleep or perhaps he didn't want to. His latest dream had felt so real and it left a horrible taste in his mouth even though there had been lost fragments of his old self in it…

Terribly miserable and restless yet somehow desperately tired, Cloud did the only thing he knew of that might make him feel better.

He wandered to Tifa's room and sat himself on the foot of her bed. He stared at her for a while, watching how the trickle of moonlight leaking in her window highlighted the contours of her face. For a moment he thought it might be better if he went back to his bed…but he needed her. He could tell it was going to be one of those nights where she might be his only shot at sleep, at peace. He could very possibly be restless in bed with her too but better with her than alone.

"Tifa," he whispered.

She stirred but only a little, sucking in a curt breath then once again going still.

"Tifa," he said a bit louder and this time her eyes opened.

Yawning, she propped herself onto her elbows and eyed him carefully. Once she blinked a few times and realized he was actually there, her eyes shot to the clock then back to him.

"Can't sleep?" she asked gently.

He shook his head.

"Bad dream?" she probed.

He nodded.

Knowing what this meant (or perhaps what it use to mean), she shifted in bed and made room for him next to her.

Cloud obliged almost instantly, easing in next to her.

Tifa adjusted accordingly and turned to face him with her hands tucked under her head.

"Want to talk about it?" she asked.

"No, not really."

She nodded. "I understand. I still get them too."

"Do you ever get one that's so bad you are afraid that if you go back to sleep, you'll go back to that dream and just pick up where you left off?"

Tifa nodded again. "Then you try to wake up enough so that if you do go back to sleep, it won't be the same dream?"

"Yep." He sighed, pulling one arm behind his head and shifting onto his side towards her.

Tifa curled up into a ball beside him, giving him his space but turning the bicep of the arm under his head into a pillow.

He could feel her lengthy hair flowing around his elbow and streaming between his fingertips as he curled his arm underneath her neck until his hand rested atop her head, cradling it closer to him. The top of her head was practically pressed to his nose and lips but he didn't mind. He enjoyed her smell and the feel of her face near his sternum, the trickle of her breath against his chest and collarbone. Even though his other arm was free, he still chose to rest it on the back of her shoulder.

Almost instantly, then tension inside him began to unwind and the bad of the dream began to wash away. Then, there was just the memory of Tifa and how badly he'd wanted to be this close to her and the chance to tell her…everything…

It was hard to remember but were those feelings really his? Were those the emotions churning around inside him before experiments, Hojo, and Mako-poisoning took it all away? He didn't know but he was suddenly so at peace with her he couldn't do anything but sleep.

"Tifa. Tifa!"

The little voice woke him and when it did, he woke to find that he and Tifa had shifted around after they'd fallen asleep. Their little knot had unraveled at some point. Tifa was now splayed out on her side of the bed, her back facing his but her leg had somehow entangled itself between his. The space was more about the need for sleep rather than a lack of intimacy and he could somehow feel that. Apparently, they were to the stage in their relationship where they shared a bed like people who'd been married for years. He was just grateful they were no longer in one of their more intimate sleeping positions since Marlene had just caught him in Tifa's bed.

"What is it?" Tifa yawned as she sat upright, preparing to get up if necessary. Cloud once again caught himself falling into a more passive, fatherly role by simply listening and not getting up since Marlene's voice was calling for Tifa and not him. However, he did feel bad that she'd been woken up twice in one night.

"I can't sleep. There are weird noises outside."

Cloud sat up at that.

"What kind of weird noises?" Tifa inquired, sounding more awake and alert now.

"It sounded like screaming. It's kind of faraway but it woke me up."

Tifa crawled out of bed and left the room with Marlene to investigate. Cloud got up too but followed at a distance. Marlene had confided in Tifa, so by general rule, she would be handling this one but the screaming claim was a weird one.

Upon reaching the kids' room, he saw the cat was waiting in the hallway but it didn't follow when Marlene disappeared into her room with Tifa. For some reason, it lingered in the hallway with Cloud. It sat there looking up at him, its ratty tail switching back and forth behind him and its head cocked to one side.

Cloud just stared at it because he honestly didn't know what it wanted.

It brushed up against his legs and did its pitiful imitation of a meow but Cloud gently pushed him away with his foot.

"No," he said flatly. He wasn't even sure why. It just seemed like the appropriate response. He and Whiskey had a relationship by not having a relationship. They coexisted and he would occasionally leave a window open for it to crawl through after Tifa locked up but aside from that, their contact was minimal.

Unsure of how else to handle this, Cloud walked across the hallway and pushed the door to the kids' room open for it.

"Go on." He nodded his head in the door's direction.

Whiskey licked the inside of his paw before giving him a blank stare, his yellow eyes glistening dully in the dark.

"I don't know what you want," Cloud added as if the thing could understand him. It couldn't, which was probably why it lied down near him and began licking its belly.

"Do you want to go outside?" he tried again.

Its ear and a half perked at the word 'outside' and began making its way downstairs as if it already knew he would follow. He would but the cat didn't know that…

Fighting sleep, Cloud followed the cat to the front door. He would admit this was odd for a number of reasons. For one, this cat didn't really like him and the feeling was essentially mutual. Two, the thing never left Marlene's side once it got in bed with her at night but it clearly wanted to go outside…

Regardless, Cloud unlocked the door and held it open for Whiskey. The cat quickly sprinted off as he lingered on the doorstep and listened for anything out of the ordinary for a while. He never heard anything but the crickets and a few stray cars still on the streets.

"Do you hear anything?"

He glanced over his shoulder to see Tifa lingering in the doorway behind him and shook his head. "No."

"Me either. Marlene insisted she'd heard screaming but I think she might have been dreaming. Either way, I don't hear anything now." Tifa folded her arms over her chest to fight the chill in the air. "Maybe she can get back to sleep."

Cloud nodded.

"Where's Whiskey?" she asked as she looked around for the mangy thing.

"It wanted to go outside."

Tifa's brow furrowed. "That's weird... He never leaves during the night."

Cloud shrugged.

"Maybe he's hearing whatever Marlene heard." Tifa mused. "They say cats have heightened senses and can even sense things like earthquakes. Maybe she wasn't just dreaming."

"Maybe…but I don't hear anything now."

"Right. It's probably nothing." Tifa turned and began making her way back towards the bar. "Come on. Let's go back to bed."

Marlene could be stubborn sometimes. Her stubborn streak was not quite as long or as wide as Barret's but she definitely had one. She proved that the morning after the 'screaming' incident.

"I wasn't dreaming! I heard screaming!" she insisted as Tifa placed her breakfast in front of her and took a seat next to her.

Cloud had actually helped Tifa make breakfast. It was something he was trying to do more of. It was one of the little things he'd taken on to gain more of a presence at home, to make more of a contribution to their daily activities. Granted, he didn't always contribute and he only knew how to make toast but Tifa was trying to teach him how to make other things so he'd be more helpful around the house. She still got frustrated with him and would grow impatient to the point of kicking him out of the kitchen from time to time though.

Moments like those made it glaringly obvious how he had never really lived, how he basically spent some of the more critical years of his life in a holding tube or with Mako poisoning corrupting his brain. He was still inept at even the simplest of tasks and he knew Tifa often felt like she had three children and not just two. Today, however, he'd successfully made toast while Tifa had made bacon and eggs.

"It was really far away but I heard it. I wouldn't make something like that up. You believe me. Right?!" Marlene's eyes were wide and full of desperation as they darted between Cloud and Tifa.

Tifa looked over her shoulder at him and he could only give her a look of indifference because he really wasn't sure. Cloud knew that Marlene wasn't lying but he figured that she'd just misheard something somehow. She was probably just stating what she thought to be real…but he still couldn't deny that there was a possibility that the alleged screaming was real.

"I'll look into it," Cloud stated, hoping it would calm Marlene down and give her some comfort.

Tifa's brow furrowed as she saw him making his way toward the door. "Are you leaving?"

He nodded. "It's kind of a busy day. If I don't leave now, I probably won't make it back before dark."

"Alright," she relented, only sounding mildly disappointed. "Be careful."

Cloud nodded again, waved goodbye, and left the bar.

About halfway to Fenrir, the sound of little steps behind him caused him to stall. Turning, he saw Denzel chasing after him. He looked nervous, like he was kind of afraid to confront him or say anything.

"Cloud?"

Cloud turned to face him fully and looked down at him expectantly. "Mm?"

"I heard it too." Denzel shifted from foot to foot. "The screaming. I didn't hear it last night but I heard something a few nights ago. It was faint and really far away but I heard…something. At first I thought I was just dreaming or maybe I was hearing something else like a car or something…but now I'm not so sure…"

Cloud's brow creased as he mulled it over. The odds of them imagining the same thing were unlikely but Denzel could still be victim to Marlene's influence. He would have to dig a little deeper to figure out of this had any merit, before he came to any conclusions.

"I'll look into it," he repeated. "If there's anything to this, it'll be all over town."

Denzel nodded, looking slightly relieved.

Cloud mounted Fenrir and slipped his sunglasses on. "I'll be back before dark. Try not to give Tifa a hard time while I'm gone."

"Right." Denzel smirked. "You can count on me."

Cloud didn't have to look too far for answers. Edge was already buzzing with rumors about the noises or 'screams' that seemed to be coming from Midgar. Some rumors were more outlandish than others. Some said that it was the souls of all those who had died there, that Midgar was haunted. Some said that it was Rufus Shinra and that it undoubtedly had something to do Shinra's unholy resurrection. Some said it was just some monsters making noise out in the wasteland.

All of the rumors were equally disheartening, perhaps because he was really hoping that there wouldn't be anything to this. What was even more disheartening was hearing that it was coming from the direction of Midgar… That couldn't mean anything good.

He finished his deliveries as quickly as he could. He briefly considered canceling one of his lengthier deliveries so he could get back to Seventh Heaven sooner but ultimately chose against it. Still, he was restless with this news vibrating inside him. All he wanted to do was get back home and discuss the matter with Tifa. He started to call her several times throughout the day but felt that this was news that would be best given in person. Plus, Cloud really wasn't much of a phone person.

When he entered the bar, it was still relatively early, so the establishment was still kind of crowded. Marlene was serving food to a couple with a baby in the corner while Tifa was taking orders and serving drinks behind the bar.

He sat down on one of the bar stools and patiently waited for things to calm down and clear out.

"What can I get you?" Tifa leaned across the bar towards him, a mischievous, flirty glint in her eyes that made his throat dry.

Cloud was taken so off guard by her sexy bartender voice that it took him a while to even process how to respond.

"Uh…" He blinked a few times. "Water's fine."

Tifa vanished behind the bar and returned with a glass of water that she quickly ushered towards him as if it were a glass of expensive liquor.

"You're back early. Is something wrong?" she asked as she rested her elbows on the countertop and leaned towards him again.

"I might have bad news," he said as he eyed the glass of water.

"What is it?"

"Marlene may have actually been hearing screaming. People in town are saying that they've been hearing screams and other weird noises coming from Midgar."

Tifa looked around the bar at the patrons surrounding them. "Yeah. I've been hearing the same thing around the bar today."

"Yeah. I was afraid of that." Cloud raked a hand through his hair and scratched at the back of his head.

"What do you think it means?" she asked lowly, her eyes favoring the countertop.

"Nothing good."

"Do you think this has anything to do with the attack in Junon?"

Cloud shrugged and picked up his glass of water but didn't drink from it. "I don't know."

"Should we call Barret?"

"Yeah but after I check things out tonight."

"Don't go to Midgar alone, Cloud." Her eyes locked onto his, her tone deadly serious.

"I won't. I just want to see if I can hear it for myself."

Tifa nodded. "Okay but nothing drastic or flashy. Alright?"

Cloud smirked. "Nothing drastic or flashy."

Once the kids were asleep, Cloud mounted Fenrir and headed out into the wastelands near the border of Edge, as far away from all the manmade noise as he could get.

After clearing out a few monsters, he settled in for the night…or for as long as this would take. He honestly didn't know but he made a fire near a small crag and began chewing on some of the jerky Tifa'd given him for the trip.

Cloud spent several hours snacking and killing most of the monsters in the area for sport (the way things were going, he'd probably need the practice to keep from getting soft) before he finally pulled his bedroll out of Fenrir's compartment and decided to try to get some rest while he waited for…something.

For a long time, he drifted in and out of a light sleep and it was probably a few hours before dawn when a new, abrupt noise finally woke him.

Cloud sat upright and listened intently as the shrill sound carried throughout the wasteland and bounced off the bluffs and ridges scattered around him.

Yeah. It was definitely screaming. It was still kind of faint and faraway but he could definitely hear it. It was a weak choir of human agony and fear and it was definitely coming from Midgar.

This didn't bode well. He had no idea what it meant but Tifa was probably right. It was likely related to the recent attack on Junon. If that were the case, then this could even be traced back to Shinra like the residents of Edge had already suggested. Midgar was Shinra's graveyard after all, filled with its bones. Shinra's shadow still slept there so this probably wasn't a coincidence. Or perhaps it was too much of a coincidence.

The screaming eventually stopped, leaving as abruptly as it came but Cloud now knew this was real. This – whatever this was – was indeed happening, which meant he and Tifa owed Marlene an apology.

Despite being desperately sleepy, Cloud packed up his things and drove back to Edge. He wasn't sure what time it was but the faint pink light peaking up over the jagged, purple horizon led him to believe that it was either really late or really early.

Somehow me managed to make it back to Seventh Heaven without falling asleep on Fenrir and, as quietly as he could, unlocked the front door and entered the bar.

Tifa was sleeping in her chair with a fuzzy blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She had clearly waited up for him even though he'd distinctly told her not to, which honestly wasn't surprising. It was a bit frustrating maybe but not surprising.

Cloud locked the door behind him, eased over to the chair she was in, lifted her up bridal style, and began carrying her to her room.

He couldn't keep from noticing how she gravitated towards him the instant they made contact. Her face went to his chest as she curled up in his arms. He now knew this was a subconscious reaction of hers. Her body knew him, knew his smell, his frame, and when it sensed his familiarity, it was drawn to him like a moth to a flame.

He would admit it was strangely satisfying.

Tifa began to stir as he eased her into bed. She wriggled a moment and stretched before finally opening her eyes and pinning him with her gaze. Slowly, she sat upright and looked at him expectantly.

"Well…? Is it true?"

Cloud nodded. "It's true."

A/N: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! You guys are the BEST!

I am so, SO sorry for the delay! I know I am like two months behind but school, work, and life in general decided to be exceptionally brutal throughout November. I can't tell you how many times I tried to revise this chapter but was never able to finish. The good news is that everything is much calmer now and I should FINALLY be back on schedule!

I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the reviews and not just the ones for the story. I was especially touched by the ones where you guys mentioned how much you missed the story, the updates, and hoped that I was okay. Honestly, they are some of the best reviews I have ever gotten. I got so much feedback and it was AMAZING, so thank you. Also, kudos to whoever posted the guest review that said: "It's been 84 years..." I'm not gonna lie...I laughed pretty hard at that one!

As another form of thank you, I am going to take suggestions for future FLASHBACK segments. Let me know what you want to see (locations, timeframes, character interactions, spells, status ailments, plot events, you name it!), and I'll see if I can mix it into the story in some way! So drop a review or send me a message! Based on what I get in the reviews, I think the flashbacks are what everyone enjoys the most, so maybe taking suggestions for that content will make up for my super delay!

Thanks so much for EVERYTHING and I hope you enjoyed the delayed chapter!