Beyond the Northern Skies

Disclaimer: This is a AU FF7 fanfic. FF7 characters do not belong to me.

Notes: This is a shounen-ai fic. As previously mentioned.. You've been warned.

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"This is ridiculous!"

"Barrett, calm down.. This isn't helping at all"

"Like hell it isn't, and neither is having that spoiled brat in here, we should have killed him right then and there!"

"Barrett…"

"It's ok Tifa…"

Cloud sighed from where he was sitting. Tifa stopped pacing and looked from Barrett to Cloud.

"But Cloud…"

"He wont listen"

Barrett growled and went up to Cloud.

"This is all your fault rat, I knew from the start you still were holding on to ShinRa."

"That's the past Barrett. And I'm not holding on to ShinRa, I just…"

Tifa and Barrett waited for him to finish what he was going to say. Right after the failed assassination, Cloud had brought in Rufus ShinRa to their hiding. They wanted answers.

"You're nothing but a traitor!"

"He said my name alright?! He somehow knows me"

"You're a crazy fuck you bastard! You have a ShinRa under our roof, and worse, ShinRa security might be looking for him right this second. They will find us, and we'll be surrounded by guards and a whole bunch of bullets in our heads!"

"They left him behind"

"Who cares!"

Suddenly, Jesse walked into the room. And the three of them waited for her to say something.

"He'll be fine. He doesn't have a scratch on him"

Tifa sighed and went into the room Jesse had come out from. Barrett looked confused.

"Then how come he's been out cold for the last 5 hours?"

"I don't know… but he doesn't seem to be in danger… physically."

"Yet…"

Cloud narrowed his eyes at Barrett.

"What?! You think we can keep him here, and if we let him out, he'll lead the ShinRa to us, it's better to get rid of him before things get ugly. That was our goal tonight wasn't it? To get rid of the damn ShinRa?"

"He knows me…"

"He knows every damn criminal out here Cloud, he has pictures of the most wanted! That's how he knows you damn it!"

"But the way he… you wouldn't understand…"

"You damn right I wouldn't understand, and I wouldn't want to understand why you would help our enemy"

Jesse shook her head and walked away.

"I just don't understand why you would change your mind from one day to another… just like that… jus a couple of hours ago you were willing to finish them."

"I don't know… maybe he was someone I knew from the past…"

"Right…"

"Look, I know my head is not straight at this moment but…"

"Listen kid, let me tell you something… You stab us in the back and I swear I will rip you apart. And remember this… I'll get rid of the brat if you don't. And if I have to get rid of you to get rid of him, I'll gladly do it."

Barrett walked away and exited the Seventh Heaven.

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He felt restraint. Something was holding him down and he couldn't move. He started to panic. He tried to open his eyes but they were too heavy. He realized his bed wasn't as soft as it always was, unless he wasn't resting on his bed. Suddenly the memories of hours before came to him. There had been a shooting, he had seen Tseng's body crumble to the ground next to him. He had heard the car drive away… with his father? Or was his father dead as well? Was he dead too? But then he had seen some kind of illusion. Must've been one, because he somehow saw him looking down at him. HIM, Cloud and he had reached out, but couldn't remember what had happened after. Then the voices came, in whispers, more like women whispers. He tried to open his eyes again but failed. He felt a hand on his forehead, almost comforting. He heard a knock on a door and the hand went away, and then more whispers, someone else must've joined, but this one wasn't one of a woman.

"Is he awake yet?"

"He's coming around."

"…What are you doing?"

The woman's voice was full of curiosity.

"Nothing…"

And the man's answer was too innocent. The he felt someone take his hand and squeezed it a little. His hand automatically responded by squeezing back.

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