It started with stalking.
Cloud noticed he was being followed on a daily basis, after noticing silver hair at the edges of his vision when there wasn't a reason for it to be there. He thought he was being followed, at least.
He figured it was a coincidence - he looked up to the General a lot, his mind was probably tricking him into seeing things.
But then he started to notice the hair more often, and had even heard greetings and other members of the army saluting to the General. He pushed the thought of stalking aside immediately, maybe he had simply changed his schedule, or had to go visit somewhere for the next few.. days, weeks? Why would the General even be stalking a nobody Cadet like him?
Cloud found that he didn't mind the idea of being stalked by the General that much - despite the fact that the General would never even look at him, he found himself still thinking about it. If anything, he actually enjoyed the idea. Someone found him important enough to follow, and frankly, Cloud felt safe - as long as it was someone he actually liked, that is.
The other boys in the Barracks connected the dots themselves. Many were aware of the General's normal routine, many of them had been around before Cloud, many part of the General's fanclub. They noticed the routine change fairly quickly, and realized that most of it aligned with Cloud's own routine. They had been incredibly worried about him - and that worried Cloud.
Suddenly, there were rumours everywhere that Cloud had managed to piss off the General - Hel, even the Commanders had heard some of the rumours! Cloud started getting very on edge every time he saw silver hair, he practically fled everytime he noticed the man.
In the morning, he'd wake up at Six a.m., go to the washroom and take care of all his business (shower, brushing teeth, washroom needs), and head to the Cafeteria by Six-Thirty. He didn't eat much in the morning (he usually felt a bit sick, and he had very physical classes first thing anyways, so he does what he can to avoid puking), and was usually out by Six-Fifty. He'd get to classes by Seven, and spend the remaining half-hour before class either doodling or studying, depending on the class and what he had available. Cloud made sure to always have a marker on him, so if his class was outside he could doodle on himself. It also helped curb urges of a past.. unhealthy habit.
After his first round of classes, he'd shower by Eleven-Thirty, and be at the Cafeteria for lunch by Noon. He'd stay and eat the whole half-hour. He'd then rush to his next class, and sleep through it unless he had a test. It was his only easy course, and one he had every day. He'd pay attention in all his other classes, and be done by Two-Fifty p.m..
Then, he'd usually train in the gym until dinner at Five, or hang out with Zack Fair - a Second-Class SOLDIER, who he befriended on a recent mission. He'd do the same after dinner, either train or hang out with friends. And by friends, he meant Zack, or one of his dorm mates he was friendly with. Then, he'd be in his dorm by Ten for curfew, and just kinda do whatever. His dorm mates never questioned when he drew on his skin, so he was usually doodling. He'd have everything washed off in the morning, anyways.
The General's usual schedule was not similar to Cloud's. The General would wake up at Five, and get to the office by Five-Twelve precisely. He'd be in there until Noon, where he'd eat lunch in the SOLDIER Cafeteria, usually with Commander Rhapsodos, Commander Hewley, and Zack (If Zack hadn't snuck out to eat with Cloud, that is). Then, he'd either go back to his office, go train in the VR room, or he'd be preparing for a mission if it was an appropriate time. After dinner, he'd be in either his, one of the Commander's, or rarely Zack's room. No one was aware of his schedule beyond dinner, since he's almost always on his or the Commander's floors. Cloud knew that SOLDIERS got their own buildings, though - Thirds shared one, Seconds another, and Firsts had the final. The General had the top floor all to himself in the First's building, and the Commanders shared the floor right below.
But, Cloud slowly documented the changes in The General's schedule.
When Cloud walked to the Cafeteria for breakfast, The General appeared in front of him in the Barracks hallway, turning left while Cloud turned right towards the Cafeteria. When Cloud walked to his first classes, he had heard people greet Sephiroth behind him. He never turned, and usually speed-walked through those specific hallways.
When Cloud walked to the Cafeteria for lunch, Sephiroth would be passing the Cafeteria doors just as Cloud entered the room. People had started learning when Cloud arrived so they could stare at The General. When Cloud walked to his next classes, Sephiroth would either pass him in the hall and Cloud would Salute, or Sephiroth would pass his classroom just as he entered. His classmates eagerly awaited his arrival to each class.
Dinner? To and from the Cafeteria, Sephiroth was always in the elevator with him, either getting on at the same floor and exiting a few floors after Cloud, or exiting onto the same floor Cloud was waiting on. Friday's were usually Sephiroth always being on the elevator at those times with Cloud.
Cloud was panicking two weeks into analyzing the new schedule. He had started getting up earlier, doing certain things sooner or later than before - but Sephiroth adjusted quickly. Zack had to help him through two panic attacks before he stepped in.
Within two days of the last panic attack Zack had witnessed, Zack had introduced Cloud to Sephiroth. Who had smiled ever so slightly at him, and looked thoroughly scolded?
Cloud had passed out three minutes into the meeting.
He woke up in Sephiroth's bed, Zack bouncing lightly beside him, and Sephiroth walking into the room with a cup of water. Cloud remembers being very confused, and on the verge of crying.
He had worked himself into a panic again quickly, not understanding what was happening - he was sure he was going to die, but then the General was greeting him softly and taking care of him, he didn't understand what was happening.
Cloud doesn't remember too much of that specific night. All he remembers is Zack and Sephiroth helping him, quite a bit. Zack held onto him firmly from behind, the first person Cloud had ever been comfortable being touched from behind by. Zack even peppered his head with chaste kisses, and ruffled his hair while calling him ChocoBro. Sephiroth picked up the nickname - somewhat awkwardly, Cloud would eventually realize -, and made sure to stay close to Cloud and within his sight, and would get Cloud a variety of drinks. He got everyone drinks, but Cloud appreciated actually getting drinks.
They had all slept in Sephiroth's bed that night - Zack still cuddling Cloud, now on their sides, and Sephiroth on his back in front of Cloud, just within Cloud's reach.
Sephiroth had never touched him once, and actually spoke to him. It was almost overwhelming, Cloud had thought the entire situation was a dream multiple times that night.
After that day, Cloud found comfort in Sephiroth's constant presence.
No one bugged him anymore, most of the usual arses too paranoid about the General being around Cloud often. It was nice, not being harassed in the hallways by his fellow Cadets anymore.
People started asking questions about Sephiroth once they figured out Cloud had managed to begin a friendship with the Silver-Haired General. Sephiroth always asked him why he had just gotten a neon-pink Ghost plushie as a gift, knowing Cloud had something to do with it. People should really stop asking Cloud for gift ideas. Sephiroth had even started sending presents his way until he stopped. He stopped rather quickly. But Zack continued for him, and they ended up covering Sephiroth's bathroom in a bunch of Ghost plushies. Sephiroth did not stop sending gifts his way - Zack had even stated that he started sending them to him, and the two Commanders. Zack had sent a selfie of him and Commander Hewley - Hewley's couch absolutely covered in neon-pink ghosts.
Cloud never thought they'd be more than friendly acquaintances, but Sephiroth and Zack proved him otherwise. They hung out so often with Zack, that they were able to make their own plans together, either with or without Zack or his help. Zack had cried to Cloud after one of their "Drunk Days" (Zack would try and get Cloud drunk, but always got drunk first because Cloud's blood was probably 90% alcohol from growing up in Nibelheim) about how proud he was of them, and that they better not forget about him. Cloud and Zack made a pinky promise to never forget the other that night.
Then everything shattered, and Cloud had broken a promise to the man he had loved the most, but at least remembered Zack.
The sensation of floating is the first thing he notices.
It's warm, too.
It feels like he's sleeping, and that he's awoken completely refreshed at the same time. Absently, he notes how he'd normally find that odd, then pushed the thought from his mind calmly.
It was very quiet. The general area he could sense was peaceful, and he truly felt at ease.
He feels like he's needed this. Like he's been too.. stressed and upset, lately. He feels like he can finally relax, like a huge weight is finally off his shoulders.
He felt like he had left something behind, but found that he simply didn't care enough to wonder about what it was. Maybe he had forgotten to turn off a light? Surely, that was it. Therefore, it didn't matter.
He slowly opened his eyes, beginning to wonder what his surroundings looked like.
Green.
It was like looking into space, but everything was different shades of green. Some areas were darker than others, some lighter. But there was mainly one shade that covered most of his vision. It reminded him of.. what was it called, again?
It doesn't matter, he feels like it might hurt thinking about it, so he doesn't.
The green doesn't cover his eyes as if he were submerged in something, and he feels like he can relax more once he realizes that fact.
It was like he was looking through a window, a green window that revealed more green, and moved with his vision.
He found himself not enjoying that. It made him feel trapped and like he'd be poked at, but he pushed that thought aside and relaxed once more. Nothing around him could poke him anyways.
It looks like something is moving under the green shades, and he notices that things are actually moving. He doesn't know what everything is, but he notices little wisps of green lazily wrap around his body, seemingly not trying to trap him. It was like the wisps were there to comfort him, and.. he felt safe with them. He doesn't feel safe often, he acknowledges. He doesn't like that fact, everyone should be able to feel safe.
"Cloud!"
He blinks, tired but well rested. Oddly, it wasn't a frustrating feeling, he just felt that he'd always be satisfied - sleeping or awake. He feels as though it should bother him though.
He can feel the wisps gently wrap around his legs, and more start to gently explore his body. Looking down briefly, he notices that his clothes are torn, barely keeping together. If they fell apart, he wouldn't mind. It wasn't like there was anyone here to look at him. Splotches of red decorated his body and clothing, and he pushed down the urge to frown.
"Cloud!"
Again, he blinks, and furrows his brow in confusion. He doesn't see anything in front of him - or is he looking above him? He's floating, and he can't tell if there's any sense of gravity here. Was there another being here? Maybe they were seeing clouds, and were excited. He didn't mind clouds, he didn't like it when people joked about them to him. He felt like he was being made fun of, and he can't seem to place why-
"CLOUD!"
The being collides with him, wrapping their arms around his back. The wisps flee, and he freezes.
The green feels cold, violent, and he doesn't feel safe anymore.
More speaking behind him, most likely from the being touching him, it sounds far away and he can't comprehend a single sound they make. They're gonna hurt him.
His back almost itches. It aches, and he fights the urge to just - move. To shift his back away, to throw the person away, to scratch at his back - anything, as long as he wasn't being touched there and could get rid of the feeling -
He was staring at nothing, focusing on a single shade of green unwillingly, his eyes unmoving. He just wanted it to stop. They need to stop. He doesn't like this. It isn't Zack.
They let go.
He swallowed after a second, and took a breath in. He realized he hadn't been breathing after the unwanted contact. He blinked, and started to look around, not moving his head. His back felt odd - like it was still being touched, but he knew nothing was touching him.
"..Cloud?! Are you okay? Please, say something, I'm really sorry!"
He blinked, and turned around to face his attacker. He had no difficulty turning, the wisps having returned and now helping him turn. The place was warm again, and he feels like he can relax once more.
The moment he faces his attacker, a name falls from his lips, but he can't exactly place how he knows that word.
"Aerith?" He frowns the second the word is voiced.
The being in front of him gasps, a happy smile taking over her previously concerned features.
The bei- person is female, and is definitely younger than Thirty - She seems around his own age, though he can't place his age. She had long brown hair, flowing down her back in a braid, with a large pink bow at the top of the braid.
She wore a white knee-length dress, with a red leather coat on top, the sleeves of the coat going down to just above her elbows. She wore brown boots, her laces in bows. He remembered she called her method the 'bunny method', he could never get the hang of it. She's a witch, that's the only reasonable explanation as to how she could do it.
She.
She is Aerith.
Aerith is..
.. A friend. Yes. Aerith was - is - his friend. She had been slau-. She had died. She died, he can't remember how or why.
That doesn't matter. They're here together now, and Aerith is looking.. it took a minute to place her emotion, but she looks concerned again.
"..Cloud? Are you okay? That fight looked.. Well, it was all horrible. Especially the aftermath. I didn't know Sephiroth-"
He covered his ears with his hands quickly, and shut his eyes tightly. That name hurt, almost like someone had.. It felt like all the air had been knocked out of him, and his head was.. It felt like someone was shaking it violently, and crushing his skull at the same time.
Hands touched him. The Mist looped around his body. Both embraces were comforting, but he curled into a ball. Curled into safety. The hands slid further back until arms were touching him as well - hugging. He was being hugged by Aerith. He leaned into it, biting back a whine of discomfort, his head feeling as though it would explode any second. He wanted to push Aerith away, she was too clean, too pure to get dirty.
She didn't need his mess on her.
He acknowledges it sounds wrong, and promptly erases the thought from his memory. But he knows his entire being is an unpure, rotting mess, plagued by the worst diseases.
Both remain silent for what feels like a long time.
The quiet is comforting, and he tries to focus on Aerith. Somehow, she smelt like a garden. She had always smelt like that, and he found himself wondering how the hell he knew that. Well, he knows she died, and knew her name - it's likely he used to know her.
She also kept calling him Cloud. Is that his name? Is it a nickname? Maybe he didn't have a name, so she gave him a nickname. Oddly, he was okay with the thought of being named by Aerith.
He opens his mouth, then closes it. He doesn't want to break their silence. The safety, the comfort. He doesn't want it to ever end, so he'd rather stay silent for eternity in order to keep it. He'd hold it close, as close as Aerith was holding him. As close as the Mist was looping around them.
"Aerith?"
He hears and feels her hum, and realized his head was on her shoulder. He kept his eyes closed, the sound of her hum somehow soothing his head.
"Yes, Cloud?"
"Why does it still hurt?" The words spilled out of his mouth.
"What hurts? You don't seem to be wounded anymore, maybe something was missed?"
Cloud paused, and thought for a few moments before answering.
"My head. It hurt when you said.. S.. Seph. I don't want to say it or think about it, it hurts." He explains. He feels oddly.. open. As though he doesn't voice his feelings or his pain often. Seeking comfort feels foreign. He's being too open. But he wants to be open right now, open in the safety of the Mist and Aerith.
He can almost hear Aerith frowning, and almost smiles at the thought.
She feels so familiar. Were they siblings?
What exactly had happened before he woke up?
"..He used to be a nice man. Well, you told me he was really nice once upon a time. You never told me what exactly happened, but you did say his Mother was using him, and you told him that a lot. You guys fought every now and then, all our friends know that it hurt you a lot. Not just physically. Zack and I think he may have caused irreparable mental damage. But that doesn't mean we won't try!" Aerith explains, her voice turning determined towards the end.
"I don't think it'll work." Cloud can't help but think, and he voices that thought. His voice sounds flat. He doesn't like it.
Aerith pushes Cloud away gently, holding him by his shoulders. Cloud opened his eyes, and looked up at her green eyes.
"Cloud, I promise you - Zack and I will do everything we can. We won't let you live how you used to - you won't live in fear anymore, Cloud. You're safe with us."
With that, Aerith smiled softly, and wiped his cheeks. He was crying. He didn't acknowledge the tears that continued to fall. He refused to voice his doubts.
Cloud knew that no matter what Aerith told him, he'd still doubt her. Even though he felt safe right here with her, he couldn't help the little voice in the back of his mind telling him it would all crash down around him again. Like it had back home. Like it had time and time again.
His head stings.
Cloud frowns. Aerith tilts her head, a gentle and warm smile still on her face.
She floats back a bit, and lets go of his shoulders, he misses the contact already. Then, Aerith held one of her hands out - her left hand, he realizes -, her hand fisted except for her pinky, which was extended towards him - her arm bent so her fist was at their shoulders.
He stares at her, and she giggles.
"Do what I'm doing, okay? I'll explain as we go. I could have sworn I told you about this before!" She giggled.
Cloud had curled into a ball, his hands around his knees and his head previously on Aerith's shoulder. His feet pointed below him. So, he let go of his right knee (his arms had been wrapped around his thighs tightly, he bit down a sigh of relief when he let go) and extended his left hand. He carefully mimicked her hand, his own pinky extended out towards Aerith.
"Now, we grab each other's pinky!"
Aerith's pinky 'grabbed' his, and he slowly and gently grabbed it back. Their pinkies were laced together, much like a couple would when walking while holding hands. Kinda. Didn't hand holding involve the entire hand, though? What was Aerith doing?
"I pinky promise that I'll do my best to help you feel safe with us again, Cloud."
Cloud blinked, and Aerith let his pinky go. Cloud let her pinky go as well, although after a moment of hesitation.
"It's a Pinky Promise! If you break a Pinky Promise, you have to cut off your pinky!" Aerith winked, and giggled softly.
Cloud frowned, concerned for Aerith.
"Aerith, what if I don't feel safe in a few minutes? Please tell me you won't have to actually cut off your pinky. If you do, you really shouldn't have done that. You shouldn't be hurting yourself for me, Lil. And what do you mean, 'us'?"
Aerith smiled brightly.
"Hey, you called me Lill again! You remember when you gave me that nickname?"
".. You completely avoided my concerns and ques-"
"I had given you a lily the first time we met, so you called me Lil when we got to know each other better. It had slipped out of you, you told me you didn't mean to say that. But, it stuck! You also explained later that you knew that people were named Lily, so you didn't want to confuse anyone if we ever actually met a Lily. You were so cute when you explained that, you were blushing when I called you cute too!" Aerith's smile was contagious, and Cloud found himself smiling fondly. He remembered those occasions.
"Weren't we hanging out in a park by the slums? On a weird cat-dog slide?" He chose to ignore the cute comments, knowing Aerith would tease him endlessly if he denied them.
"Yeah! You called the 'cat-dog' things 'Sketchy', you almost didn't go on them!" Aerith laughed loudly.
Cloud felt like someone was running towards them at a very high speed, about to scream 'SPIKE' and tackle him from one of his sides. But that was ridiculous, it was him and Aerith, and the person he feels would do that wasn't here. Person? What person would do that, and why does he seem to have a 'person-sense' for them?
"..Aerith? Do we know someone who tackles me, or calls me Spike? I have a really weird feeling."
He found he liked being open with Aerith, and found it quite easy with her. Has she ever judged him? Cloud would bet everything he had that she never judged him for his actions. She wasn't the type to judge - at least, judge too much.
Aerith covered her mouth with one hand, holding in her laughs and holding her side with her other hand.
Giggling as she replied, Aerith shook her head in amusement.
"I had never heard about anyone doing that to you, but that seems like something Zack would do. Or Yuffie, minus the 'Spike' part. I don't- HOLY-"
"SPIKE!"
A black and blue blur entered the edge of his vision, and collided with his right side. Instead of floating away fastly like Cloud was expecting, Cloud and the Blur spun around on the spot, like one of those 'mystery wheels'.
Aerith was laughing so hard she was in a ball, floating in the green space of comfort. The Blur was clinging to his hip tightly, it's face shoved into his - waist? Was his hip above his waist, or was it the other way around? - waist. Whichever was above the other. He could feel a mouth moving, and could hear muffled mumbling/shouting and crying.
..Crying?
The Blur was crying.
"..Blur?" He would not voice the trademark. Aerith would just laugh, and he was concerned about the Blur and didn't want to risk making it cry more.
He was met with more crying. Cloud looked to Aerith for help once they stopped spinning. Aerith's smile had softened once more, and she looked sympathetic. All Aerith did was continue smiling like that when Cloud sought help from her. He's slightly dizzy, and feels like his stomach just did a back-flip.
Cloud decided the best course of action was to assess the situation. First, identify the Blur.
Cloud looked down to his right, and was met with black hair messy enough to out-mess his own. At least, he hopes it would out-mess his hair, he doesn't know what his own currently looks like. It flowed down Blur's back, and reached roughly their mid-back. It was hard to tell, since Blur was kinda hunched? Curled?
Their legs were covered in black pants, practically an exact replica of Cloud's own pants, minus the red and tears. Underneath the hair on their back, a blue shirt that was similar to Cloud's was on the Blur. Cloud couldn't be sure if they were the same shirt though, due to the state of disrepair his own shirt was in. Black boots were on their feet as well - guess what. They're similar to Cloud's. Cloud is starting to think that Blur is actually a Clone.
He can assume from the mumbling coming from his waist-hip area, that Blur is a Male. His voice sounds familiar, and Cloud can feel the familiar pinpricks of tears beginning to form.
Cloud wants to yell at Aerith to get away, but his throat won't work, and a little feeling in the back of his head is screaming that no one is in danger. Yet.
The other man (Cloud wants to stop calling him Blur, adding a trademark everytime he thinks of him is getting annoying) had his arms around Cloud, firmly holding him in place. Cloud feels like he can trust this man, he hadn't exactly tried to hurt Cloud when he could have. The man was floating horizontally to Cloud, his back curving like he was about to go into the fetal position, but his legs only went halfway to his chest.
Cloud plays with the man's hair, his left hand almost supporting the man's head/cheek area, and the other hand simply brushing through the mess that resembles hair. As he brushes the man's hair, he notices holes in the man's shirt, caked in dark red and staining the skin underneath an even darker red. Cloud doesn't stop himself from crying - he cried before he recognized Aerith, maybe he'll recognize this man too. Maybe his tears have the power to give back memories. He brushes the man's hair off his back and away from Cloud, so he doesn't cry onto his hair.
They all spend a few… units to measure time like that - Aerith smiling fondly and sympathetically at the two of them, the man crying and mumbling occasionally into Cloud's waist-hip, and Cloud crying along with him while still trying to soothe the man.
Eventually, the man stops crying, and all Cloud can hear are sniffles. He hasn't loosened his grip on Cloud once throughout their time attached together, and Cloud honestly didn't mind. Much like with Aerith, he didn't want this man to let him go - but Cloud found that the urges for this man were much stronger.
"Spike?"
Cloud blinked, tears falling onto the man's back. He cringes as one of his tears falls directly into one of the holes in the man's shirt, hitting his back. The man flinches at the contact, seeming to immediately understand what it was. He looks up at Cloud, and-
Cloud scrunched his eyes shut, and whined in pain as he covered his ears again. All he can hear is yelling, bullets being fired - a LOT of bullets -, and horrible wet coughing. Cloud doesn't like it. It won't stop, Cloud never asked for this-
He can feel a new set of arms wrap around him, and he knows they belong to the man - the arms previously around his waist now placed higher.
"I'm from Gongaga! You?"
"Shshsh, it's okay Spike. Just - Just let it all out, okay?"
"-SOLDIER First Class Zack Fair, but you can call me Zack!"
"Z-Zack?" Cloud croaks out. Saying the name hurts him. His chest, his throat, his head all aching in pain at the name. His name.
"Yeah, buddy. I've got you. You did g-good, you're safe now." He can hear Zack's voice crack, and feels drops fall onto his head - wet drops. Zack's crying.
A loud sob wracks Cloud's body, and he throws his arms around his best friend desperately. He continues to cry, Zack sobbing along with him, his own cries just as loud as Cloud's.
Cloud clings to Zack - now that he has Zack again, he won't let anyone take him, he's able to protect Zack now -, unwilling to let go even when it starts to make breathing problematic. Zack holds Cloud just as tight, and Cloud would assume that others would mistake them for two idiots trying to fuse together.
Cloud feels as though he'll never stop crying, he is with Zack again. He doesn't feel like he'd be able to explain why Zack is so important to him, why he couldn't stop crying if someone asked.
But, the two of them slowly calm down, and remain in each other's arms, comfortable in the other's presence.
Cloud and Zack had shifted as they calmed down. Although they felt they were floating vertically, it felt like Cloud was laying on top of Zack, as though they were on a bed. Their legs tangled together, and Cloud was on Zack's chest, his head in the crook of where Zack's shoulder met his neck. Zack's arm held him around his waist and back tightly, and Cloud's own arms weren't really around Zack's neck, his fingers simply interlacing just at the back of his best friend's neck. Zack's head was leaning against his own, and Cloud felt grass tickle his-
Grass. Tickled his head. They were supposed to be floating in nothing, is Aerith touching him?
Cloud felt a quick feeling of discomfort in the pit of his stomach, and closed his eyes tightly. As soon as he did, he saw an almost glass like substance shatter, and could hear the shattering despite it not actually making a sound. Cloud and Zack both jerk, Cloud's eyes opening quickly in alarm.
Lifting his head, Cloud feels rather than realizes that gravity has returned, and there is, in fact, grass underneath him. Underneath him and Zack, whom he is actually laying on.
Cloud blinks, and looks at Zack, who looks right back. Cloud noticed his eyes are a bright blue, with a slight glow to them. He knows his own eyes have a glow as well, but can't remember what they look like at the moment.
Zack has a X-shaped scar on the left side of his chin (Zack's left, he notes), some of the scar coming up onto his cheek. He can't remember if Zack had ever told him how he got it.
"What just happened..?" Cloud asked, allowing the confusion to lace his voice. All he gets for a response is a shrug and a smile. At least glass hadn't actually shattered behind his eyelids.
"Zack, we're not floating anymore."
"Well, it certainly doesn't feel like it."
Cloud unlaces his fingers, and props himself up on his elbows, his elbows on either side of Zack's head. He can't get far because Zack won't let him go, but he really doesn't want Zack to let him go.
Zack moves his hand from Cloud's upper back to join the other hand on his lower back, gently holding him close to Zack.
Cloud blinks, and stares unamused down at the Puppy below him.
"We aren't floating. There's grass below us."
Zack smiles. "Yeah, it feels nice, like we're outside. This was what I wanted when we escaped, but uh.. y'know. Kachow Kachow goes Zack." He laughs.
Cloud sticks his tongue out. "Yeah, well, you aren't 'Kachowed' anymore, and we aren't in the same area we were just in." Cloud looked around him, seeking out Aerith who had been silent their whole reunion.
Instead, Cloud silently gasped, his eyes locked on.. how does he even describe it?
"Zack, I don't think we're in the Lifestream." ..They were in the Livestream, before? Shit. That explains a bit.
That seemed to alarm Zack, and Cloud noticed Zack following his gaze out of his peripherals, and heard him gasp.
Grass for as long as he could see, and a bright blue cloudless sky wasn't all that was in front of them.
A large structure much like an Ancient Greek temple was laid out before the two, and Cloud couldn't help but feel like a miniscule ant in comparison.
The structure was completely white, the outer ring decorated with evenly spaced circular pillars that were just as white. The pillars were covered in moss of varying shades, the tops and bottoms completely covered and each pillar's center had various states of growth. Some had close to no moss in their middles, and others were almost completely covered.
The pillars were on the edges of a large white circle, most likely made completely of marble. Most of the Temple seemed to be made of marble. The circle platform must have been hundreds of feet for the diameter alone.
In the center of the marble platform was a large Temple, and Cloud wasn't even sure if Temple was the proper term.
It had a large square base, covering more than half of the total area of the platform. A set of stairs led up to the next level, only about five steps. Cloud assumed the steps were on all four sides from what he could see. At the corners of each side just above the stairs was another pillar, rectangular instead of circular like the outside ones. They led up to where a roof should be, but only the edges of the roof remained. Either the temple was designed to not have a whole roof, or it had fallen off a long time ago. It looked new, but the moss and other flora told Cloud otherwise.
The 'roof' was simply rectangular blocks similar to the pillars they were on top of. They were placed horizontally across the standing pillars, and were as thick as aforementioned pillars. Cloud could barely see the top of the roof, but he noticed that a small chunk was absent from each side of the roof. The rest of the roof was open to the sky. The roof pillars seemed to be standing pillars that had simply been cut in half. Many plants were hanging from the roof itself, mostly green vines and white flowers. Aerith might be able to identify them properly, but Cloud had never seen any flowers like them before.
Back on the Temple, after a person went up the stairs was what looked like.. a bedroom. A single large circular bed with no frame was supported by what appears to be tree roots that stuck out of the marble, almost like they were meant to. The bed was completely white - visible white sheets covered by an equally pristine white blanket. White, blue, and green flowers green along the roots, discarded petals decorating the bed and the immediate surrounding area.
Cloud felt like he should be going blind from the pure and bright white, but it oddly didn't hurt his eyes. The greens and blues helped decorate the almost blank space.
Cloud sat up further, Zack following him. He remained on Zack's lap, his legs on either side of the male. Zack's hands remained on his lower back, and suddenly tightened to the point of minor pain.
They weren't alone.
A man that looked like an older and buffer version of Zack walked up into the Temple from the other side, Zack must have noticed him as the man walked up the stairs. Cloud had focused more on the flowers, and hadn't noticed him. He cursed himself. He couldn't keep Zack safe if he didn't pay attention. And where was Aerith?
The man continued, not noticing that Cloud was staring at him. Zack was staring as well, Cloud noticed, but he seemed almost troubled or upset to see him. Cloud immediately disliked this man.
The man looked around his immediate area, looking down at the bed that lacked pillows, the empty roof - then he jerked almost completely unnoticeable, his hand going to just behind his shoulder as his head snapped to look at them.
Cloud mimicked his actions, reaching for the Buster Sword - only to realize it wasn't on him. He didn't even have a sword holster on. First Tsurugi wasn't with him either, for that matter. Why he thought he had the Buster Sword instead of First Tsurugi is beyond him, for the moment.
"Fuck." Cloud mumbled, Zack snapping his head to look at him, mouth gaping.
The other man grabbed at the air, also realizing he had no sword. But he froze once he looked at Zack. Cloud narrowed his eyes, and watched as the man simply looked on in apparent shock.
Zack looked back at the man, and Cloud felt him physically shaking.
The man had hair that was much longer than Zack's, his hair almost touching the floor. It looked startlingly similar to Zack's - black, although a smidge less messy - but was matted together in some places by a substance Cloud currently can't see.
Cloud stood up, feeling slightly awkward at the sudden gravity but refusing to show his discomfort. Although the other man certainly looked strong - his biceps were roughly twice the size of Cloud's - Cloud was confident he'd be able to defeat him. He had beaten a Silver-Haired Self-Proclaimed-God many times, the man before him didn't look like he was about to shift into a half-man-half-literal-cloud anytime soon.
"Zack, who is this." The man demanded. Cloud bristled, his hands still itching for his sword.
Cloud took a step in front of Zack, who was still staring and shaking, sitting as if prepared to jump up at a moment's notice.
"Cloud. How do you know Zack?" Cloud spoke up, intending to give the man minimal contact with Zack.
"Sp-Spike, it's cool - I mean, I think it's cool? He's - Gaia, he's my mentor, it-it's Angeal. Commander Angeal Hewley, technically. Well, not technically, that whole Genesis thing-"
Cloud glared at Angeal, wishing that his glare could actually kill. He remembered that he and Angeal were in a rough patch just before Angeal and Genesis had dipped, and entered a rockier path when Angeal forced Zack to kill him.
He's assuming Angeal was experiencing the same thing he was currently. Cloud had to be prompted to remember most things, and was slowly remembering everything by himself along with the reminders. Unless Angeal remembered and simply didn't recognize him - it had been a few years, to be fair. A few years was enough to forget someone.
That.. hurt. The thought that Angeal could have forgotten him. Cloud hated being forgotten, and he had flown into a violent depressive episode when he realized the results of his coma. He had forgotten Zack, and had practically taken his place after his death. No-one - not even the combined efforts of Reno and Vincent - could get into contact with him. He had fled into the forests surrounding the ruins of Nibelheim, and stayed there for a few months.
Angeal frowned, and visibly relaxed. Cloud stayed standing in front of Zack, and slightly startled when Zack gently grabbed his left leg. Angeal walked towards them, passing the bed and walking down the stairs at a relaxed pace. As he got closer, Cloud could see that the man looked almost sheepish, or anxious. Maybe both.
Cloud was aware of Zack standing up slowly behind him, the man holding onto his left shoulder to steady himself and comfort Cloud at the same time.
Angeal stopped about seven feet away from them, and couldn't look into either of their eyes. Cloud felt a twinge of concern develop in his chest, and tried not to acknowledge it or let it show.
"So.. how have you two been?"
Cloud remained silent, and Zack seemed to want Cloud to take the lead with how he squeezed Cloud's shoulder.
Cloud stared blankly at Angeal, silently cursing Zack. He mulled over what to say shortly.
"I'm unsure about Zack. I, personally, have been doing wonderfully. My Ex hasn't tried to kill me since I got here, I constantly skip through fields of flowers, and I am the definition of the opposite of a depressed, hot mess." His voice was flat again, though he didn't care too much this time.
"Cloud." Zack warned, Cloud could practically feel his frown, and noticed Angeal shift uncomfortably.
"Cloud, I know you and I kinda.. had a.. well, we had a rough fight. I know you also haven't been doing the best lately-"
"A rough fight? You only practically accused me of whoring my way into Shinra, oh honourable Commander. Is that simply what you call rough, or did your comment hurt you as much as other 'rough' fights have?"
Angeal winced, and Zack gaped.
"Angeal, what the fuck- Cloud-"
Zack was interrupted. "I sincerely didn't mean for it to come off like that. I knew you and Sephi-"
"Don't say his name." I interrupt, trying not to cover my ears again.
"-Got it, sorry. I know you and the General had a relationship going on before Gen and I defected, but I was honestly just concerned for you. I should have waited before voicing my concerns. I was more worried that the General was going to view you as a.. well, as a Honeybee. I didn't want - fuck, I don't know how to explain it. I know Seph- the General wouldn't use you, but I couldn't help it, you were still an Infantryman-"
"Angeal. Fuck, just forget about it, okay? You don't accuse people of that, I shouldn't have been so offended. I'll probably have to take a bit to calm down about it, but I'm not upset with you. I haven't truly been for a long time." Cloud sighed, he honestly didn't know what to say, he didn't think he'd ever have to.. whatever this was. He shouldn't have started shit. God, he's an asshole. Moving on, he figured that he might as well see how much Angeal was aware of.
"Angeal, I have a question. I know Zack had watched me when I was alive, did you ever?"
Angeal frowned.
"Kinda. I was never able to look into Life by myself, someone else always came by when I wanted to though. They were actually here two weeks ago - they were here earlier, and told me not too long before you two arrived that it's been two weeks - and showed me your fight. And the aftermath. Gaia, Cloud."
Angeal put a hand to his forehead, and looked more than extremely stressed.
Cloud frowned. "The aftermath? And who was the person showing you.. 'Life'?"
Angeal met Cloud's gaze.
"Sephiroth had a breakdown. That's the only way I can describe it. He was crying, your friends kept trying to get to you but Seph forced them away. A brunette didn't back up, Sephiroth broke her hand and cast a fire wall. He-"
"I think it would be best if you actually saw it yourself, my son." A feminine voice interrupted, the sound coming from all around them yet behind them at the same time.
All three men flinched - Zack, Cloud and Angeal all reaching for swords that weren't there, and turning around quickly in Zack and Cloud's case, the trio taking a defensive stance. Cloud grabbed Zack by his shoulder and forced the man behind him, Cloud felt him slightly stumble but stand more to his side.
A very tall woman was standing in front of them, roughly ten meters away from the three. Cloud and Zack started backing away as she approached, their feet quickly meeting the marble flooring. The woman kept slowly advancing, her own concealed feet meeting marble within seconds. Cloud and Zack stopped by Angeal, who moved to stand behind Cloud and to the right, beside Zack.
Angeal put his hand on Cloud's shoulder, who flinched almost unnoticeably. Cloud remained tense, awaiting the opponent's first move.
The woman was roughly 7", most likely taller. She wore a white toga - that had a wide variety of flowers growing from it. Instead of a belt or anything of the sort, a thick green vine was wrapped around her waist, and slightly moving by itself. The toga was almost unnoticeable when one looked below the woman's waist, because the flowers simply grew more the further down they went. He couldn't tell how long her toga was, the flowers growing past the toga and onto the floor, except they were floating just above the ground, which alarmed Cloud. Her hair looked like - no, they were vines, with many flowers growing from them. Leaves grew from her vines scarcely. On her head was what reminded Cloud of Aerith's flower crowns. It was made of two plants; strawberries (with some actually growing in various stages, but most of the plant being the leaves) and what Aerith had called 'Hanging Fuschia'.
Looking at the woman's face, Cloud's eyes widen slightly - she has no eyelashes. Her eyes were a shocking mix of blue, green and brown, she didn't seem to have a pupil and the colours occupied her entire eye. The colours kept moving as if they had a life of their own, but her eyes still focused on him. The whites of her eyes had life's of their own as well, they weren't as opaque as a normal being's was, and seemed to almost mimic clouds with the way they lazilly moved across her eyes. Her skin was startlingly similar to sandy soil, her skin even looking like it had cracks here and there.
Was this a summon? If so, who had summoned her?
Cloud glared at her, his mouth opening just as Angeal spoke.
"You came back." He sounded slightly shocked, clearly not expecting her back anytime soon.
So, this was the woman that showed Angeal 'Life'. He's assuming it's a glance into actual life, possibly focusing on one person's life and displaying what's happening around them. Well, now he knows that more people than Aerith and Zack had been watching him.
"You're not my Mother, who are you." Cloud demanded in a level voice. The woman only smiled in response, at first. Her lips were exactly like the rest of her skin, made completely of sandy soil. Then she raised her left hand - which lacked nails, Cloud noted. He couldn't help but wonder if Hojo had done something to this woman.
She waved her hand down from where she had levelled it with her head, and the air rippled around her arm. Once her arm levelled with her hip, the air stopped rippling after her arm, and she grabbed her other hand and simply held her hands in her lap area.
The air continued to ripple, and shattered like glass, shards actually falling into the marble circle below them.
Then Cloud saw himself fighting Sephiroth, just as he purposefully gave Sephiroth his back.
"WHAT THE FUCK - I - WHO -" Cloud stuttered loudly in alarm, his eyes glued to the 'screen' as he was impaled by Masamune, staring at his own previously pain-riddled eyes.
"I am your Mother. I am technically everyone's Mother. Cloud Strife, my Son, I am Gaia." The woman spoke at a calm and leisurely pace, taking her time yet not being too slow.
A gasp behind him and his left elbow was grabbed by Zack, Angeal had remained silent yet tightened his grasp on Cloud's shoulder.
Cloud heard a muttered "oh shit" as he registered her words, taking his time to realize who exactly this was. Definitely not a summon.
He frowned. If he could spontaneously combust into flames everytime he was angry, he would have probably burnt this entire place to the ground by now.
Cloud glared at Gaia. "You have some explaining to do. Where's Aerith, and where are we?" He almost growled at the Goddess, not exactly respecting her too much at the moment. Or ever.
All Gaia did was continue to smile softly. It almost felt like Aerith was standing in front of him instead.
Cloud glared harder, and Gaia started to reply. She'd be dead if looks could kill, even if Gods and Goddesses are supposed to be immortal. Hel, Sephiroth thought he was immortal, and look where he ended up. Impaled by his own sword, chest-to-chest with his obsession. Cloud glanced back at the screen to notice it had paused as Cloud was standing up.
"Aerith is still in the Livestream, she is completely safe. She is not here because she is not affected by this enough, though she is aware of your location. We are in my own.. dimension, you could call it. It is only accessible by me, those I invite, and those I claim as my children.. Which is how we are all together currently."
"Dimension?" Zack piped up, a death-grip on Cloud's elbow. Cloud could feel his arm starting to fall asleep.
"Yes. Although, it could also be considered as.. another reality, or plane of existence. If that is too difficult to comprehend at the moment, please feel free to simply imagine that we are on another planet."
"We aren't on Earth?" Zack asked, Cloud was pretty sure he was double checking.
".. No." Gaia seemed to contemplate explaining further, but did not seem in the mood to simplify things further. Zack gaped, and Angeal promptly closed his mouth as Cloud watched from his peripherals, never taking his eyes off Gaia, who simply smiled back..
Affectionately?
His Mother had smiled at him like that a long time ago.
The screen flickered, past Cloud moving to stand once more before freezing as the present Cloud spoke again.
"Why do you keep calling me your Son?"
Gaia blinked, then shut her eyes gently.
"I have proclaimed you as my child since before you were born, Cloud Strife. I may not be your biological Mother, but I can be your adoptive Mother. You are here because I have an offer, and a request. Now, shall I continue the recall?"
"One more question before that. You just called this.. screen a recall? What exactly is it?" Cloud asked. He didn't exactly want to discuss families at the moment.
"You all have made many technological advancements, and I believe one is called the 'PHS', if Angeal Hewley is correct. You can 'record videos', he said. Think of recalls as videos. A recall is basically a memory, combined with the memory of the incident from the Lifestream's perspective. Sometimes, a Cetra will assist in a recalling - recalling is making a recall - in place of the Lifestream, much like how Aerith did with this specific recall."
Zack clutched Cloud's elbow tighter, and Cloud ended up grabbing Zack around his waist to support him. His knees looked ready to give out any second, and he looked as if his world collapsed around him.
Cloud's eyes watered, and he mentally swore. He knew Aerith watched over him, but he hadn't expected her to watch him die. He didn't mind basically being recorded for Gaia's pleasure (okay, he actually minded a lot), but he definitely minded Aerith having to witness him die. She shouldn't have had to witness that.
Gaia shook her head. "I did not experience pleasure from that, my Son. Please do not think of me as that thing called Jenova." Cloud startled, frowning. Of course Gaia reads minds. That's just his luck, and she's a Goddess. Well, THE Goddess.
"May we resume the recall?"
Cloud looked at Zack - not even bothering to look at Angeal for his opinion, he knew Angeal had already seen at least some of it - and was met with a desperate look from Zack. He bit his lip. Zack opened and closed his mouth, seemingly unable to form words. Cloud waited patiently for Zack, allowing his face to soften to comfort his friend.
"Cloud, what happened?" He eventually managed to ask. Zack met his eyes, and he looked desperate and even guilty. Cloud only sighed, and looked back towards Gaia.
"Yeah, I think we can." And the recall resumed with Cloud's affirmation, past Cloud lunging at Sephiroth once again.
