"Okay, so Operation...um...Silver, is on!" Denzel said, Marlene pumping her arm up happily. The two seemed naively cheerful despite the reason for their sneaky operation; finding out whether Cloud was truly a werewolf. Marlene was skeptical at best, going along with Denzel's plan to give him peace of mind. The boy cracked open his monster encyclopedia to the werewolf section, a flashlight shining on the yellowed pages as he settled on the first page of the entry. He situated it next to Marlene, the two on his bed, and began to read some of it to her.

"The majority of werewolves are aggressive, violent monsters that let their primal instincts rule them instead of their human minds. While it's possible for werewolves to become...er, lucid," the boy still uncertain of the word's meaning, "most tend to become ill tempered beings who hunt humans on Full Moons, or whenever they transform into their true forms, either unaware of their rampage, or uncaring."

Marlene frowned. "You don't think Cloud'll do that, do you?"

Denzel shrugged, continuing on.

"The more a werewolf changes, the easier it is on their bodies, and the easier it is for them to stay themselves if they survive over the months. However, usually the first transformation ends in the death of anyone nearby, reports in the past of entire villages wiped out by a hunting werewolf. The act may compound the human form's mental stability, leading to...er, nihilistic, sadistic personalities. Werewolves are known to kill those who find out their secret."

A loud creak came from the top of the stairs, and Marlene almost leaped from bed to bed, kicking her covers back on. Denzel shut the book quickly and placed it on his nightstand, turning off his flashlight and tucking it behind his pillow. The door began to open with a creak, and he laid still, feigning sleep. It was then he remembered to put his blankets over himself. Crap, his jig was up.

"Hm..." a male voice hummed by the doorway. Cloud. "I thought I heard children up after their bedtimes..." he whispered, a little game he had played with the children before. A shadow passed over Denzel's closed eyes, and he felt his blankets lift up off the bed and onto himself. "You're getting bad at this, Denzel," Cloud said softly. "Good night, kiddos." He left the room, closing the door. Denzel's eyes snapped open and Marlene turned around in her bed to look at him.

"Maybe more tomorrow," she said.

Footsteps noisily stomped downstairs, the weekend finally here and the children free of school work and hoping for a hot breakfast of pancakes. They were greeted by Cloud and Tifa, the latter working on pancakes and the former nursing a cup of coffee while looking over the bandaged injury on his arm. Cloud looked up when he greeted them, giving the children a tired look. Marlene walked over to her usual seat, opposite Denzel, giving the blond man a little smile.

"You don't look like you slept very good, Cloud!"

He grunted, taking a sip of his milky coffee. "Not really."

Denzel looked over at Cloud. "Nightmares?"

"Mmm." Another sip of coffee, Cloud holding the white ceramic mug in both hands and closing his eyes as the vapors of his drink wafted on his face. He seemed to be thinking through whatever he had seen during the night, a worried expression on his face.

The boy knew better than to ask what nightmares he was having. Tifa had told them not to ask when they each came to live with them, explaining that they were something Cloud had to work out himself.

"How's your injury?" Marlene asked innocently.

Cloud lifted his arm with his eyes half open, the gauze fresh and white. "Still recovering. Almost gone, though."

"Guess that wolf got you good, Cloud." Denzel said it almost as a challenge. Cloud didn't respond, nor look at the child; he merely tensed his jaw, blowing a sigh from his nose.

"Hey, breakfast's ready!" The table occupants looked over towards Tifa, the woman bouncing over with four plates on a tray. She placed dishes of pancakes in front of them all, and Cloud's plate had a serving of bacon with his pancakes. He looked expectantly at the small meat pile, then back at Tifa with a thankful look. "There's the bacon you requested!"

"Thanks, Teef." He hungrily noshed a piece of the thin flesh, Denzel noticing his focus on the meat while ignoring the hotcakes that he seemed to look forward to every weekend. He went back to his own plate, cutting into his pancakes.

"You two have any plans with your friends this weekend?" Tifa asked the children.

They shook their heads. "Not this time," Marlene said.

Denzel put his fork to his lower lip, thinking. "I was gonna help clean up the house a little, I think." The boy was good at tidying up homes, and he did consider it a repayment to the two for bringing him into their home. But, he had an ulterior motive: watching Cloud.

Tifa smiled. "Are you sure? You don't have to if you want to play..."

Denzel shook his head. "It's alright, Tifa. I enjoy helping around the house!"

Tifa nodded and went back to her food. Cloud seemed oblivious to the conversation, munching on the last of his bacon with a vacant expression, as if deep in thought.

Denzel sweeped near the edge of the stairs later on in the afternoon, crouching down to sweep the dust into a hand-bin. His eyes went to the stairs as a distracted Cloud ascended them, a book in his hand. He was staring at the cover, a large brown leather book. Looking up, Cloud finally took notice of the boy, bringing the book close to his chest. He finished his climb, watching Denzel as he reached the door to his office.

"Hey, Denzel. Stayin' outta trouble?"

The boy nodded with a smile. Cloud ruffled his hair.

"Alright. I'll be in my office if you need anything." The blond man entered his office and closed the door, Denzel peeking through the door glass to see him sit down and open the book. Cloud seemed deeply interested in the book, scratching the back of his neck in a nervous fashion Denzel had observed in the past. He watched Cloud for a few more minutes, the courier finally leaning back in his chair a moment before removing the gauze from his arm. He raised his forearm to look at it in the light.

Denzel squinted at the injury, the gash seemingly knitted back together if a bit red and swollen. Cloud seemed to go to a passage in the book, his finger gliding over the page and then looking back at his arm. He paused, then released a sigh as he tapped his fingers against the desk. Denzel left the window on the door that lead into the office, deciding to peek at the book later, going off to clean the bathroom next and think about getting to that book later.

As he scrubbed at the tub half an hour later, Denzel wondered if it was simply paranoia on his part. Then again, Cloud seemed to be taking it more seriously than he had let on earlier. Really, what could he or Marlene do if one of their loved ones were turning into a monster? Tifa certainly wasn't going to believe it. Or at least, he was quite sure she wouldn't. It was too farfetched, even if it was in his book. What would Tifa do if she even believed them? Throw Cloud out of the house?

Denzel shook his head anxiously at the thought. It would tear the family apart if Tifa perhaps overreacted. Then again Cloud could literally tear the family apart if he was becoming a werewolf and had no care for what he would do to them. The chestnut haired boy scrubbed harder. But Cloud had to care if he was researching werewolves. Or maybe it hadn't taken total control of him yet, but wouldn't he warn them? His head was swimming with possibilities.

"Denzel?"

He quickly turned his head at Cloud's voice. He blinked a few times and studied his guardian's face as he patiently stood in the doorway. Was he sniffing? "Um..."

Cloud rubbed the back of his head and moved further into the bathroom. Denzel stiffened ever so slightly. "You okay, Denzel?"

"Uh, yeah. I-I was just zoning out."

"Oh. I was just wondering if I could use the bathroom for a few minutes."

Denzel nodded. "Yeah, I'm just gonna put this stuff away and you can have it."

Cloud chuckled, then nodded. "Alright. Thanks."

Some hours later Denzel heard Tifa's call for dinner, and he went downstairs to eat with Marlene. Cloud was already there, helping Tifa put food on the table. He was trying to hide it, but Denzel could see the slight look of disappointment on his face. When he saw what was for dinner, he knew why; Tifa had made stuffed cabbages. They weren't the household's favorite, but they weren't bad at all with Tifa's skill in cooking. Somehow, she could make cabbages taste good.

They all sat down at the table and began passing food to one another. A couple of stuffed cabbages here, some mashed potatoes there. Some carrots leftover from last night unceremoniously plopped onto his plate and a little gravy. Denzel was hungry after all that cleaning earlier. He sliced into one of his cabbages and began to eat, but not before noticing Cloud's plate.

Usually Cloud would pile up his plate. If Tifa made it for his meal, Cloud devoured it like a goddess from heaven had graced him with the food. Tonight, he picked at what he had chosen to eat. There were two stuffed cabbages and a large glob of mashed potatoes drowned in brown gravy, and absolutely no carrots. Cloud's fork peeled the tender cabbage away, a blond brow raising as he went to inspect the meat inside. With just a hint of hesitancy he stabbed at the seasoned meat and cabbage, then quickly placed it in his mouth.

After a few moments of chewing he seemed far less disappointed than he had when Denzel first saw him.

"Hey Denzel, did you wanna go over to Natsumi's house tomorrow?" Marlene asked as he turned to the sound of her voice.

He looked at her blankly for a few moments, then quickly nodded. He needed a break from this, and a Full Moon wasn't near. Besides, he liked going to her place. Ever since she had been adopted by a couple in the neighborhood sometime after she was cured in the church they had met regularly. "Yeah. I, uh, I should probably bring my homework over." Or something.

"How's she doing?" Tifa asked.

Marlene answered cheerfully, "she's doing fine. She said hello to you and Cloud, by the way!"

"That's good to hear. Tell her we said hello back." Tifa turned to Cloud. "I set up your deliveries for tomorrow."

Cloud nodded as he swallowed a bite of mashed potato. "Thanks, Teef." He took a sip of water, his eyes growing a faraway look when they returned to his plate before continuing on with his meal. Denzel stopped staring and focused on his own food before he was noticed.

After dinner, the children went to their room, telling Cloud and Tifa they were going to play a game together. Denzel told Marlene his plan to sneak into the office, asking her to distract the two adults while he checked. After a few minutes the girl pitter-pattered down the stairs, attempting to entertain the two as Denzel sneaked into Cloud's office. The book was still there, a blue bookmark jutting out; he recognized it as the one he made Cloud in art class last year. Going back to the book, the front had a wolf face on it, and Denzel gulped before opening the book to the title: A Treatise on Werewolves. Damn.

Denzel turned to where the bookmark was, then a little back. The pages described the possible symptoms, and an illustration of a wound created by a werewolf. He thought back to earlier and Cloud's arm. A chill went down his spine, and he replaced the book, deciding that this warranted more snooping. He left the office, giving a small stomp so Marlene would hear it and retreat. A few moments later, she popped into view from the doorway as she entered the room. The boy's face was downcast, and Marlene showed concern at his demeanor.

"So, what did you find out?"

"The book is on werewolves. He's checkin' for himself, I guess." Denzel climbed onto his bed and began reading his monster manual again, promising to give Marlene more information as it came in. He began reading up on the beginning symptoms and what he should observe in the coming weeks, mostly in regards to usual werewolf weaknesses that he'd gone through already at school, his childish paranoia ramping up.

The sound of footsteps reached his ears a few minutes afterwards, Tifa and Cloud coming to put them to bed. Cloud looked down at the boy as he entered, Denzel noticing his eyes widen momentarily as he looked at his open book. He quickly closed it, putting it on his nightstand. The spiky haired man placed the boy's covers over him, tucking him in and sitting on the side of the bed. Denzel pointed at Cloud's arm, and he extended his arm towards the child. The injury was almost gone, a white scar knitting itself away. Cloud ruffled his hair, giving him a shy smile and wishing him good night.

Denzel would have to try harder to confirm. The last thing he wanted was a person he loved turning into a violent monster.

A week later, and not much had changed, except Cloud's habit of asking for more meat at meals, or as Denzel saw as he snooped in Fenrir's compartments, Cloud's usual fruit bars were replaced with beef jerky, a food he hadn't been particularly fond of in the past. Tifa hadn't seemed to notice the change, or perhaps she figured he was hungrier than usual. Her food was really good, after all.

"Hey, Denzel!" Marlene came charging towards the boy, holding something in her hands with a grin. They were outside Seventh Heaven, the street bustling with people. It was right before the bar usually opened.

"What's up, Marlene?" His brows were raised.

She opened her palm, a plump, red stink bomb staring back at him. She held a pack of matches in the other hand. "You think we can test out if Cloud can take strong smells?" Marlene whispered as low as she could.

"Where did you get those?" Denzel asked, dumbfounded as he reached for the door.

The girl snorted. "Friend of a friend."

Denzel informed Marlene that Cloud was in the garage, working on Fenrir. The girl tapped her cheek, and asked Denzel to watch from the inside. He nodded, making his way inside the bar and then maneuvering past the counter and into the garage, the sound of metal on metal getting closer. He opened the door, Cloud already up and looking at him, the boy wondering how far out he could actually hear.

"Hey, Denzel," Cloud got up from his sitting position, a smudge of black grease marring a cheek. "Need something?"

"Uh, I just wanted to see you work on your bike..."

Cloud shook his head, a small chuckle passing his lips. "Already done workin' her." He suddenly looked towards the closed garage door, as if he heard something, his brows together. Moving towards the door, he suddenly stopped, then fell to his feet panting and wheezing.

Denzel caught the faint scent of the stink-bomb growing stronger, but nothing that would illicit this kind of response in a normal person. His guardian snorted and sneezed, and Denzel paused a moment to watch, then took an arm and tried to drag Cloud towards fresher air; the noise brought Tifa and Marlene into the garage to help, after gawking at the sight. Tifa grabbed his other arm, her strength pulling Cloud out of the garage and behind the bar.

Gasping and eyes watering, Cloud meekly crawled up the stairs with Tifa guiding him by the arm, taking him to the bedroom where he could get some fresh air from an open window. The two children stood at the base of the stairs, eyes wide and mouths open. They looked at each other, their little faces pale.

"That wasn't normal," Denzel mumbled.

Marlene shook her head. "Do you think we should check on him?" The girl was reaching for a cup, turning on the tap to collect some cold water.

Denzel softly kicked the bottom step. "I guess so." Marlene grabbed his hand, her other hand holding a cup of water, and they climbed the stairs slowly. They could hear Tifa trying to calm Cloud down.

"It's okay, it's okay...What happened?" Tifa cooed.

"Bad smell..." Cloud moaned back, his voice hoarse.

The children walked through the hallway. They stood in the doorway, Denzel knocking on the side to get Tifa's attention. Both adults turned, Cloud looking up from the open window panting as Tifa rubbed his back. His face was red and his nose running, and his bloodshot eyes regarded the children, lingering on Marlene. The little girl gulped, then walked towards the suffering man. She held out the water cup, Cloud's face softening as he slowly took it from her. He gulped it down with a sigh, then thanked her.

"Denzel...Are you out of your room again?" A male voice queried from beyond the door.

"...Bathroom, Cloud," the child said, making his way towards the mentioned room.

"Hm."

Damn. Cloud had been catching him snooping more often as the weeks passed by. After the stink-bomb incident, Marlene had made it a habit to avoid Cloud's eye, certain he knew she was the one who lit it, despite her quick re-entrance into the house. Cloud himself had put on a face of normalcy around the children and Tifa, though Denzel couldn't help but suspect he knew he was being watched by the children. Cloud would very often read folklore books at night, the sound of his mumbles and sighs attracting the boy.

One night, Cloud was particularly distracted, seemingly upset at something. His head lay on his wooden desk, and he was bouncing his left knee to help him think. His hands rubbed the sides of his spiky, blond scalp. Denzel stayed absolutely still, listening from the far wall of the hallway, having learned where all the creaky boards were over his time spying.

The man grumbled, almost whined in a low, angry voice. "Why me...a fucking werewolf..." Denzel's eyes widened, everything quieted except the sound of his heartbeat and Cloud's words.

A sigh was let out, heavy and long. "They can't find out..." he nearly whispered.

He lifted his head slowly, the child watching, frozen. "No one can know about this." The grim words sent chills down the boy's spine.

Denzel booked it as quietly as he could into his room, throwing the covers over himself and shutting his eyes, going over Cloud's words as he tried to control his breathing. After a few moments he heard the door to the office open all the way, and soft footsteps leading to Cloud's shared room with Tifa. A few minutes later, the footsteps went downstairs, and the front door closed and locked quietly. Denzel laid still a few moments more, then bounded over to Marlene's bed, shaking the girl awake in his panic.

"Ugh...Denzel, what?" The girl mumbled, her voice annoyed. She heard his ragged breaths and felt shaky hands on her side, and she sat up in bed. He pointed out the window, and both children clamored towards the glass. Denzel pointed towards a spiky haired silhouette on the dark street, walking away from the bar and into the murky darkness beyond. Marlene made a questioning noise, looking back at the boy.

"Where is he going?" she asked.

Denzel shook his head. "I dunno. But he was in his office, talking to himself this time."

The little girl frowned, her concerned eyes highlighted by the light of a streetlamp. "...What did he say?"

Denzel repeated what he had heard, Marlene gasping at the confirmation from Cloud's own mouth. She put a hand to her mouth, her eyes tearing up a little.

"Oh, Cloud..."

Denzel hugged the girl, holding her tight as she quivered. "...Maybe he's wrong, maybe we were wrong too..." His voice shook a little, hoping his hero wasn't going to turn into a fiend.

"...But the stink-bomb, and the books...The meat..." Cloud's meat cravings hadn't let up, and he seemed to almost ignore sweeter foods anymore, for the most part. Whenever they had vegetables or something with noodles in it, he would quietly consume them with a distasteful look unless they were soaked in meat broth.

Denzel sighed. "We'll just watch him some more. Buy a dog whistle, see if he can hear it. Watch him around silver."

"Isn't his earring silver?" Marlene mused, looking up at Denzel.

"No, it was...Um, pewter, not silver." He remembered asking Cloud about the earring a long time ago.

"Do you think he'll come back?" Marlene asked, sitting on her bed now.

Denzel nodded, though he honestly was unsure. "I think he will." The boy went to his bed, jittery from the words Cloud had uttered, but tired from his nights of snooping late. He fell to sleep in time, a fitful rest of dark dreams.

Denzel laid on his bed, the door to the hallway creaking open. A silhouette of a familiar spiky haired man glowered at the threshold, the normally kind eyes malevolent in their eerie blue glow. He was looking directly at Denzel. He could hear heavy, raspy breathing emanating from him.

"...My secret."

Denzel blinked. "I-I don't know your secret!"

Cloud took a step closer, his left hand jagged claws and fur billowing down his arm. "You saw my secret...No one can know, Denzel." His voice was deadly calm, the child fidgeting in his bed from the icy cold words.

"Cloud, please..." the boy pleaded.

"No...one..." The clawed hand came rushing down towards the child's chest, the boy screaming.

"H-hey! Denzel!" A little girl squeaked in the darkness. Denzel opened his eyes.

The rest of the family was staring at him in the morning twilight, concern in their eyes. The females flanked his bed, Cloud standing at the foot with his arms folded across his chest. Denzel looked at them all, breathing heavily as he shook off the nightmare. Looking up at Cloud, he swallowed, the blond frowning at the child.

Tifa held onto Denzel's shoulder. "You were having a nightmare...It's okay, it's over."

Denzel didn't think it was over. It might just be the beginning of a nightmare. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just read too many scary books at school." Tifa seemed satisfied with the answer, nodding and responding that breakfast would be ready soon. Marlene hopped onto his bed, giving him a side hug, while Cloud lingered, now standing where Tifa had been and looking down at the two.

"...Try not to read so many scary books, Denzel. You don't want to have nightmares every time you go to sleep." Cloud joked, trying to lighten the mood. He put a hand on the child's shoulder, Denzel inhaling sharply and flinching at the contact. Cloud blinked, his frown deepening. "Right...I'll see you two at breakfast." He headed out of the room and down the stairs, the silence in his wake palpable. Marlene looked at Denzel.

"It was about Cloud, wasn't it?" she whispered.

The boy nodded.

Marlene shook her head. "Can't let him know we know right now. Try to be strong."

Denzel nodded again, preparing himself to be in Cloud's presence downstairs again. It was too soon for him.

He reluctantly made his way down the stairs, noticing his guardians talking to each other as Cloud fixed his coffee; the child slunked towards his seat quietly while eyeballing them. The blond turned to shuffle towards his seat, Denzel sucking in a breath sharply as Cloud went to sit down beside him while sipping his coffee. A moment later he looked down at the boy, blinking.

"You must've read some pretty scary stories to still be spooked like this," Cloud mumbled.

Denzel nodded, then looked back towards Marlene. "Yeah..."

The warrior raised a brow. "What were they about?" He sipped his drink, trying to wake up.

The boy fumbled with his fingers under the table. "Um...Ghosts, n' vampires n' werewolves, too." He glanced up at his guardian, the man's face inscrutable.

Cloud's brow furrowed. "...It's a bit early to be reading Halloween stuff, isn't it?"

"I-I guess so. I just wanted to read something scary lately."

Cloud returned to his coffee, with an almost inaudible whisper into his cup. "Guess we both have..."

Denzel looked away, his fearful blue eyes searching Marlene's brown orbs as Tifa brought their food to the table. He looked down at his oatmeal, then glanced at Cloud's breakfast; he had a disappointed look on his face as he took a spoonful of the warm, runny food and put it in his mouth. The spiky haired man closed his eyes, wincing as he swallowed; Tifa frowned at the face he made.

"Is the oatmeal alright?"

Cloud nodded. "I guess I'm just not interested in it today. I can finish it, though." He scooped again, and swallowed the mouthful quickly, making less of a face this time. Tifa returned to her own breakfast with a small shrug, and Denzel looked back at Marlene, both concerned.

A few minutes later as the children continued to eat, the boy felt eyes on him and looked back up to see Cloud looking at him, the blond having finally finished the oatmeal that displeased him so and sipping from his mug. Denzel shifted his eyes back and forth nervously, causing Cloud to frown.

"You okay, Denzel?" the warrior asked.

"Y-yeah," the boy automatically replied back.

Cloud gave Denzel a concerned look. "If you're sure..." He paused, then his face softened. "I'll be home early, did you wanna help me work on Fenrir?" Denzel loved working on the bike with him.

Denzel paused, thinking. What if Cloud was watching him, did he know he was out of bed last night? He still needed to watch his guardian, even if he was scared. "Uh, sure. I'd like that." He looked up into Cloud's eyes, the man nodding.

"We can do it before you do your homework," Cloud said, turning his head away.

'Everything has to look normal...Just normal. They can't know what's happening to me, I...I'll just find a place to hide away. I'll find a way to make this work.' Cloud glanced back at Denzel quickly, sighing. He smelled so fearful. '...But I'm sure he knows. Denzel isn't stupid...What do I do?' Did the boy watch him last night? Did he hear him leave as he made his way towards the church? Cloud was terrified, but he wasn't dragging them into this if he could help it. No, he'd try to keep life as normal as possible for them. He owed them his happiness.

Last night he had walked towards his favorite place to be alone, though lately he came with his family. He needed the alone time, however; the books confirming his fears mostly as the symptoms lined up with what the books said. Cloud was a warrior and a simple, awkward man, but it would be a mistake to think him an idiot; when Geostigma festered on humanity he had tried researching a cure on his own for the sake of Denzel. It was foolhardy, but he gained a lot of knowledge on the subject despite it. But when he came down with the deadly disease...

Walking into the Sector Five slums, or what was left of it, he meandered into Aerith's church in the dead of night as a half moon waxed above him. He watched the shining object with fear, knowing he had a little over a week before his worries were confirmed beyond a doubt. Heaving a heavy sigh, Cloud opened the door to the church, letting himself in to the serene, sacred place. It was as it had been that day he appeared in the waters of the spring, the healing waters curing the diseased of their Geostigma; he slowly shuffled towards the pond of gentle, Lifestream touched water with some hope of curing this malady. Cloud took out a fruit bar to test if the water would cure him of lycanthropy; he had been tempted to bring silver but the fear of leaving some permanent mark, or accidentally having it rub into his skin, or on the terrifying off chance it was true that he was becoming a monster had made him forgo it. No, he knew his tastes were wrong, he knew his nightmares were wrong, his reaction to the stink bomb, being able to tell who was who by scent and sound and the smell of fear...

The urge to hunt as he saw animals on the side of the road. When had he ever wanted to chase a deer?

He shook his head. Moonlight gently reflected off the pool, reminding him again. Cloud sat by the side of the spring, looking from the polished Buster Sword down to the pool of water. "What do I say, what can I do..." He placed the food item down next to him, and stripped off his boots. Hesitating, he looked at his desperate reflection in the pool, his softly glowing eyes revealing all the worry in his soul. The warrior lowered his feet into the pool, hoping for another miracle in his life; the cold water chilled his toes. Standing up, he waded to the deepest part of the pond, biting his lower lip.

Cloud could feel her, here. He said a silent prayer, then quickly lowered himself into the cold waters. It was a chilly burn, the water soaking into his clothes and causing him to shiver. He stayed as long as he could in that crouched position, the funny tingle of the Lifestream blessed waters wrapping around him. Cloud's lungs burned and he looked up towards his original perch; Aerith looked at him from the edge of the pool, sadly shaking her head and walking away. Feeling his oxygen was almost gone, he stood up, shoulders peeking from the waters as he drew heavy breaths. Cloud hurriedly made his way to the edge of the pond and got out, shivering horribly. 'Not my best idea...' He looked towards the door to the church, his dear friend's ghost giving him that nod, the one that said it would be okay. Then, she walked out the front door, disappearing.

Was she trying to reassure him? Cloud was used to sometimes seeing the apparition in the church when he visited. A vision that sometimes spoke back, but always listened. He wasn't sure if he was just crazy, or if it really was her, but he leaned towards the latter if just because it felt nicer to think that she was really hanging around. Slicking back his dripping bangs, the warrior took hold of the fruit bar and opened it with shivering hands and put it close to his lips; Cloud bit into it and noshed the soft bar.

"Blegh..." He tried not to gag. Somehow he got it down, then threw the rest of the fruit bar out of the large hole busted into the side of the church in frustration. Cloud held his knees as he shivered, covering his face in his wet pants as he clenched his jaw. "I don't want this. I don't want to eat people. I don't want to hunt Tif-" He cut off his mumbled words, trying to blank out the nightmares. 'There has to be some way...'

Cloud stood up, still shivering terribly. 'Aerith thinks I'll be okay. I just gotta find a way to do...something. A cure, a way to stay me. Something. They're counting on me.' He slowly made his way out of the church, chilled to the bone as he made his way back home with a spring breeze occasionally coming to whip at his back. It was almost four in the morning when when he got back, and he decided to take a hot shower to banish the chill in his bones and to not let Tifa find out about his night wanderings; he wouldn't go back to bed tonight.

It'll be okay. He hoped for that at least.

ter the evening's events.