Cloud is unbelievably paranoid. That's why if someone tries to crack a joke about the Sector's walls and ground collapsing in front of him, either Tifa or Barret jump on-scene and pulverize the guy. Cloud would take it seriously and go to Reeve or Rufus or Reno or Rude and demand that they check that the sector's walls won't collapse.
So when he asks Sephiroth to shut up and stay in memory and he says he won't, Cloud takes him seriously.
So every freaking night Tifa gets out of bed and tip-toes across the hall and leans against his door and listens to him muttering to himself and hyperventilating and freaking his chocobo-ey muscle-head off. Sometimes the door is open a bit and she can see him rocking in his bed muttering to himself like a madman pleading please please pretty please with cherry on top for Sephiroth to stop bugging him.
Every freaking night Tifa goes back to bed and lies awake and she swears she can hear sobbing, and it's not Marlene or Denzel or whatever other kid Tifa has stashed in the building. She found some sleeping pills in his drawer while cleaning his room out and left it there because otherwise he would never get any peace. She put it back where it was and closed the drawer and somewhere in her head someone was screaming at her to do something and help him out.
No one suggests it, but everyone is thinking we should ring Rufus up and have him load Cloud off to the best, most expensive loony-bin available so Cloud can go crazy in peace.
Barret and Cid and Vincent and the Great, Sexy, Overly Narcisstic Ninja Yuffie take turns visiting Tifa and Cloud every two or three days just to make sure he still acts sane. No, cross that out—to watch out for signs that he's cracking, just so we can plonk him into a loony bin. No one says it, but we all know if Tifa can't help him, no shrink with a certificate can. I could prescribe some anti-depressants for him and give him some tissues. But I lack the certificate and the crooked back and sympathetic look on my face so I won't ever pass for a shrink. Thank goodness.
I stayed over at Tifa n Cloud's one time.
The night was full of the hushed creaking of the floorboards, the feverish mutterings of a haunted hero and the echoing sobs of an unnamed madman.
