This had all been a very bad idea. It had been storming since Denzel arrived in Junon two nights ago, and his clothes were soaked, he was freezing, and his gil was nearly gone. He'd gone to that cafe on the upper tier several times, he'd searched the lower tiers, gone to the beach, even ventured into the slums, but there was no trace of Cloud and nobody would tell him anything. He was either told to fuck off or ignored at the mention of Cloud's name. All he had left was that cylinder of drugs and his racing pulse.

He huddled under an awning in the lower tier, shivering. Maybe Cloud didn't actually live in Junon, and this whole trip had been a mistake.

A woman ran along the street, splashing big puddles, a cheap umbrella waving in the wind. She took shelter alongside him, catching her breath and pulling out a cigarette. Her blonde hair dripped, and her clothing clung tight to her body. She tucked the umbrella beneath one arm.

"Geez, you okay, kid?" the woman asked, looking over.

She didn't seem dangerous, so he decided to try his luck. He told her he was looking for someone and name-dropped Cloud. Her reaction was hesitant but not totally dismissive.

"I didn't know they were recruiting kids now," she said, cigarette hanging from her mouth.

She had on thick red lipstick and her blouse was extremely low-cut. He had a hard time not staring at her cleavage. He asked her if she knew where Cloud could be found. She laughed, a low throaty sound.

"He finds you, kid. I think that's the point."

But Denzel wouldn't be deterred. She'd been the only person so far who hadn't immediately left at the mention of Cloud's name. He kept pressing, asking her for help, for any information at all about his whereabouts.

Her cigarette burned down to the filter when at last she relented.

"I maybe know a place where he might be," she said. "But information ain't cheap, kid. What's it in for me?"

Denzel was prepared for this and procured the cylinder of mako, offering one of the pills in exchange for leading him to this place where Cloud could be. She scrutinized them in his hand.

"How do I know that's real?" she asked.

This never occurred to him, and he stared blankly at her.

"I've heard stories about death being sold in the form of mako. How do I know what you have isn't going to kill me? You seem eager to part with it."

He honestly didn't know. He'd taken mako in the past, and these pills looked just as he remembered, but he couldn't be sure. He didn't want to lose this chance at finding Cloud. Before any reason could kick in, he swallowed one of the pills. Stupid, he heard a voice in his head. Very stupid.

"See?" he told her. "If it was lethal, would I have done that?"

She considered this.

"Gimme two of those and I'll bring you there tonight," she agreed.

Denzel handed them over. That left only one more.

She snuffed her cigarette into the concrete, grinding it with the spike of her heel. Then she popped one of the pills into her mouth and opened her umbrella, spraying droplets everywhere.

"C'mon, kid," she said and stepped out into the rain. "Just don't blame me if you do actually find him."

Wind lashed and the umbrella offered little protection, but he followed her through the slums, deeper into the seediest part of the city. It was very possible she would rob him and leave him for dead, but he felt he had little choice. Marlene was counting on him.

They stopped outside a large building. A neon sign hung in the window, and a bouncer stood at the door in a raincoat. There was nobody else around.

"Isn't he a little young for you, Candi?" the muscled bouncer remarked as they approached.

She laughed. "He ain't for me. I'm bringing him to Dax. He here?"

The bouncer nodded. "Yeah, he's upstairs. Go on up. I see you both are already taken care of."

Already taken care of? Denzel didn't understand and looked up at the woman for information.

"Yeah," she said. "Little man here kindly shared with me."

The bouncer turned his attention to Denzel.

"Ah, I see. Enjoy. And good luck, kid," he said, opening the door for them.

Denzel still didn't understand, but that didn't matter because the woman entered and he followed.

A haze of music, lights, and people immediately dispelled the dreary outdoors. The bar was packed. Smoke clouded the air, illuminated by multicolored lights in the ceiling, and music pulsed from unseen speakers.

Denzel was no stranger to the bar scene. He'd been around plenty of drunks and was not intimidated by the crowds, but something else was going on here. This was more than just a typical bar. As he slid through the throngs of people, he realized everyone had the shine of drugs in their eyes. They were all on mako.

He continued following the woman, though it was difficult to keep track of her. The music got louder as they moved deeper. She occasionally waved to other people or stopped to chat, but he couldn't hear anything she was saying.

Then the drugs kicked in.

All at once, the mako hit him and the world fell back. Colors popped vibrantly, exaggerating the sensations around him, and a flush of sudden strength and confidence kissed his muscles and lifted him away. All of it was so far away.

He'd taken mako before, of course, but this was more potent than anything he'd experienced, and panic pulled at him. Then that too faded away. Dizziness buzzed his skull, and everywhere he looked held something fresh and interesting. The earrings of the woman next to him were positively spellbinding.

Someone knocked into him, spilling their drink, and he laughed. The smoke in the air made it hard to see and when he looked up from his drenched shirt, the woman was gone. Vaguely he remembered needing to follow her, but he no longer cared. It wasn't important. Everything was razor sharp, and the lights were hurting his eyes.

A dim alarm in his head went off, like skeleton fingers curling around his skull. Something was wrong. This wasn't mako.

He felt like he was walking forward, yet nothing moved. All around him, people were sliding in and out, the colors from their clothing bleeding outward, upward. His stomach churned.

Instantly, he felt like puking. He tore towards the nearest wall, searching for a restroom. Paint peeled beneath his nails. It was hard to breathe. He stared at the wall, trying to repress the vomit in his throat.

Then his eyes fell on a dark lounge chair, faded leather, unoccupied. He'd somehow reached the back of the bar where customers reclined, drinks in hand, conversing above the music. But this one chair was menacing. He couldn't stop staring at the tiny metal rivets along the edge of the upholstered material. They shone like materia under the bright lights, expanding. Breathing. The chair was alive, surely. There was no other explanation. And it was aware of him.

Denzel fell back, keeping his hand on the wall. The rivets along the side of the chair opened. There were eyes, thousands of them. And they were all looking at him.

"F-f-fuck!" he yelped, cold sweat covering his face.

His heart pounded. Everything pulsed slow in the hazy light, like a dying heartbeat. Back and forth.

He closed his eyes. That was a big mistake. His stomach surged and bile came up his tongue. He flung himself towards the nearest door, not caring if the terrifying eye-laden chair chased him down and consumed him, and instant relief hit him like ice water.

He'd found a bathroom. A glorious bathroom.

Pushing aside other people, he rushed into a stall and puked. His stomach twisted and pushed up into his lungs until there was nothing left.

Out of breath, he rested one arm across the toilet bowl and flushed, watching it all disappear. The water spiraled away, down. He pushed himself up and wiped his mouth.

Then he noticed someone standing over him.

"You okay, kid?" a soft voice said.

There was a young woman, maybe sixteen or seventeen, in the doorway of the open stall. With long brown hair and shiny sea-green eyes, she was the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen. White light glowed behind her like angel's wings. He was mesmerized.

"This your first trip on LS?" she asked, kneeling next to him.

"...LS?" he repeated dumbly.

"Lifestream."

He'd never heard of this new drug.

"No," he mumbled. "No, I was taking mako."

"Lifestream is mako. It's just more potent. Makes ya see the truth of things, some say."

"The truth?" He hugged his knees to his chest. "I...I thought it was regular mako. I didn't mean to…"

The girl touched his arm. The sudden sensation grounded him. He focused on her.

"My first trip was really bad, too," she continued. "Are you here alone? You really shouldn't be alone."

"What are you doing in the men's room?" he asked, confused.

She laughed. "This is the ladies' room."

But he felt no embarrassment. He was just thankful he'd been able to get to any bathroom at all. Except if it was a ladies' room, he'd need to leave soon.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"...Denzel."

"First time in the city, Denzel? I've never seen you here."

"First time here," he repeated, though he was referring to the bar, not the city itself.

"Well, this isn't exactly the best way to remember it. How about I help you out of the bathroom and we can sit in the lounge upstairs? The music is quieter, and I think it will help settle you."

There was absolutely no way he wanted to move, but he knew he couldn't stay on the bathroom floor forever. He pushed himself up, and the girl caught one of his arms in hers.

"Just relax. Nothing will hurt you," she was saying as they stepped together out of the bathroom. "It can be fun if you relax."

Denzel caught sight of himself in the mirror. The drugs shone bright in his eyes. The last time he'd been on mako was when he'd been coming home from a friend's house in the middle of the night, back when he lived in Edge with Tifa. Then Cloud had scared him half-to-death and now… Cloud… wait….

He remembered in a flash what he was supposed to be doing.

"Cloud!" Denzel shouted frantically. "I'm supposed to be looking for Cloud."

"What?"

"Cloud," Denzel repeated it like an incantation. "Cloud is here, isn't he? Or maybe someone... I was following a woman. I came here with a woman. Did you see her?"

The girl shook her head.

The loud terror of the bar tumbled towards them as she took them through the crowds, but he held onto his mission. He needed to find Cloud. He concentrated on her touch, guiding him forward, while the environment looped around him. It was just the drugs making him see things, he forced himself to believe.

They reached a staircase and climbed. The air on the second floor was cooler and the music was low. There were velvet couches and small tables, occupied by addicts and lovers. He took a deep breath. The fear was at last dissipating. The calmness here moved like ripples in a puddle. The girl sat him down on a sofa.

"Okay," she exhaled. "Better now?"

He nodded.

"Good. Let me get you some water."

"No." His hand darted out to hers. "Don't go. Please. Not yet."

The drugs were settling into a vague calamity, moving the scenery in sliding colors, still terrifying.

"Are you really here alone?" she inquired. "Who did you say you were looking for?"

He stared into those beautiful green eyes.

"Cloud. He's my… friend."

She twisted one finger in her hair, thinking. "Cloud. Cloud. Hmmm. Nope, sorry, I don't know him. Does he come here often? What does he look like?"

He tried to picture Cloud amidst the fog in his head.

"Well, he's tall. He's blonde. Blue eyes. A stupidly large sword. Oh, and he has a scar down the side of his face."

He traced a line down his cheek to illustrate, but the girl's face went white. She backed away.

"Are you sure about this person being your friend?" she asked, but her voice was shaking.

He could tell she was about to leave.

"No. Please, don't go. I'm sorry I mentioned Cloud. I won't mention him again," he said.

"I'll go get you that water," she replied. "I'll only be gone for a moment. Just stay right here."

She held out one hand, vibrant glowing skin with fingers wide, imploring him to stay, and then she disappeared into the dark maze. He watched her vanish, light lingering behind her like a trail of dust.

"Only be gone for a moment…" he repeated. "Just stay right here. Right here…"

But where was here? He knew it was Junon, but the madness around him felt like it couldn't possibly exist on the same planet as the bleak rainy streets he'd come from. He put a hand on his shirt. Soaked with rain. Or maybe booze. He couldn't tell how much time had passed. At least he still had his backpack, which meant he had more mako (or 'lifestream') and he could maybe find Cloud with it.

The light next to him began flickering. A power failure, he supposed.

As he sat, a curious sensation of spiders crawled up his legs though when he looked down there was nothing on him. People walked past, dressed in black with hands made of needles, and music breathed through the walls. The spiders were marching to it.

Not real, he told himself. He closed his eyes and watched the shadows move. He heard the room closing in. His pulse accelerated.

"Just stay right here…" he whispered.

Then he realized she wasn't coming back.