Cloud had been left alone for the day. And if he's being honest, gladly so.
Not that he didn't enjoy Sephiroth's company, but he had always liked being the only one in a room without having to overthink the placement of every limb and the air of every breath.

And so, somehow in spite of Sephiroth's rather insistant suggestion that he stay with him in the apartment, he managed to convince the silver haired man contrary.

"There is no one available to look after you today. Perhaps I should stay in."

Cloud remember frowning… or maybe he was smiling as he replied with a soft, yet firm "Sephiroth."

The other man had huffed, but said nothing else as he stood by the door. Looking back at him one last time before leaving.

Sephiroth had headed out a few hours earlier, according to the large ticking clock hanging on the wall, and left behind his device used to make 'calls' he remembers the red man- Genesis had once said. He need only flip it open, press the number one button and put it to his ear to contact Sephiroth if needed.

Cloud sighed as he finished up his scrambled eggs, and pointedly ignored the small, silver machine sitting on the countertop.

He couldn't always remember fully Sephiroth, some days were better than others. He sometimes had flashes of a child holding his hand, looking up at him with big, green, innocent eyes, and then a burning need to protect.

One of the earliest memories he had of the boy, was one he never truly forgot in the first place, always letting it eat at him when he was left alone with his thoughts.

Sephiroth had been standing taller than him, looking at him with so much betrayal, so much fear, that he had to wonder if the innocent eyes and eagerness of a young child had all been an illusion… or, if maybe Cloud had managed to swiftly destroy it with his actions. He remember calling out to the boy as he walked away. Not really knowing what he was going to say if the younger man ever did turn around to look back at him. Maybe he would ask for forgiveness? Or maybe give the boy assurance?

One small part of him was terrified at the thought that he possibly wanted ask the boy to save him from the horrid fate he knew awaited him. He couldn't remember what it was now, but he could still feel his stomach tied into knots at the thought of the memory.

Though once the small back finally did turn around and the defeated, green eyes met his. He could barely stop the words from flowing out of his mouth. He wanted to tell the child that no matter how bleak it seemed, there was still hope. That none of this was his fault so he should banish the thought of blaming himself. That Cloud was so, so sorry for putting him through this when it was the last thing the child needed. He wanted to say sorry, ask for forgiveness even though he knew that might never come.

In the end Cloud wasn't sure what he'd said to the boy.

He had a feeling Sephiroth remembered as much of their time together as he did, though one twisted part of him hoped the other man never did remember what Cloud had put him through.

But he owed Sephiroth more than that. He owes him the truth. No matter how tattered and fragmented it might be. No matter how he might react. No matter if he wanted to take it out on him. Cloud could handle it. In fact after mulling over the events in his mind for the past... years- he supposed it had been now, he welcomed it.

Cloud paused the unintentional repetitive scraping motion of his fork on the now empty plate. He stood up from his stool and went to wash off the last scraps, and put the plate way for later cleaning.

Cloud, more than anything, remembered longing when he looked Sephiroth's green eyes. He wanted to help the child so bad, somehow he got the impression the Sephiroth had asked for help. He couldn't remember what it was, just that it was prudent the silver haired boy's wish was fulfilled. In the end he hadn't managed to do anything for the boy, only put him in more trouble. Sent him away to be tortured, to be cut open and sewn back shut All his wishes, all his trust, the hesitant hope in his eyes- Cloud had destroyed it all. The least he could do was ask for forgiveness. And if that wasn't given…

Cloud snapped back to awareness as the warm water of the tap scalded his fingers. He flinched back and unintentionally managed to drop the plate, shattering it on the bottom of the sink.

There was also something else. He doesn't quite remember what it is, only that he had forgotten it. Like he needed to be somewhere. To talk to someone. He doesn't recall much of his time with Sephiroth when he was a child, but he's always had a nagging feeling in the back of his head. Whatever it was it was important. He, at least, knew that much.

The feeling has stayed with him as long as he could remember. If he had to put it into words; longing would probably describe it best.

Cloud blinked back his vision to focus on the scene in front of him. The white plate sitting at the bottom of the sink, shattered into three almost equally sized pieces. He sighed as he turned off the water. He needed a bag. A plastic bag to put the shards in. maybe it was in the cupboard? Or some of the drawers?

He looked in the kitchen before moving on to the living room he had become so acquainted with. The far side of the room was a giant window that reached all the way from the floor to the ceiling, overlooking a giant city bustling right under their feet. Cloud walked past the couches and table to lean his head on the cold, soothing glass. He could almost feel the vibrations of the people, the cars, the lights, all in his veins, pumping along with his heart and blood.

The sun hung high in the sky, Cloud could feel the warmth it was emitting, even through the thick window of the apartment. There were a few clouds out, but nothing that could obstruct the endless blue, blue, blue-

Cloud felt a trickle on his cheek and lifted his hand to itch it away, but instead his pale fingers came away wet.

He was crying?

Why?

He quietly wiped away the tears on the sleeve of his borrowed sweater. There was a lot of new things that Cloud found odd. But more recently he'd find that he himself was probably the weirdest thing he had come across. He sometimes felt so detached from his own body he would completely forget he even had one in the first place.

Though it didn't happen as much as it did before Sephiroth had promised him this was all real. He wasn't sure whether he should believe him or not at first. After all there had been many Sephiroth's asking to be believed in before this one came along, none an adult as this Sephiroth is, but he had learned through repetition after repetition to be cautious of those sorts of things. Never fully trust anything, because if he did, he'd be investing himself in something that would inevitably disappear, and he'd lose a part of him with it.

But this Sephiroth, unlike every other iteration, had told him he would be protected just like Cloud protected him in the past. Cloud felth the untruth of it ring in his ears. He had never believed that he'd managed to protect Sephiroth. He had always seen himself as a failure in the eyes of the young one. Never someone able to keep anyone safe. But this Sephiroth saw him as such… so there had to be something different with this version, right?

Only time would tell. And if he one day woke up to the green liquid surrounding his vision once more, he supposes he would manage. Like he always did.

Cloud shook his head. And focused on the room in front of him. He sighed out a breath. Here was a con of being left alone. He never truly managed to focus on any one thing without someone to… 'ground' him.

The others probably thought he didn't notice things like that, but he is well aware of how short his attention span is. Going about one task and getting distracted before it was done. He huffed in annoyance. It was so hard to forcibly shake himself out of the haze. Like he had to swim against a strong river current just to get control of his body again. Sometimes he'd let the current sweep him along and he would completely lose track of time. It was easier letting go. But Cloud saw that the others didn't like it when he did that, so lately he's been trying to fight against it every time it happened.

If he had other people around he'd at least have to be aware of his placement in the environment or situation. He'd have something other than his inner thoughts to focus on.

A strong knock on the door snapped him out of his musings. Sephiroth had 'advised' him to keep the door locked no matter who came knocking.

Cloud quickly and quietly moved towards the door, desperate for something to keep his thoughts occupied. He stood by the closed door, listening intently for the person on the other side. Maybe it was the small raven haired boy come to keep him company... though it was unlikely seeing as Sephiroth said he wouldn't be back for another two days.

Cloud stepped away from the door and back into the living room. No matter who it was he knew it was unwise to open the door himself.

He went back to his previous task of- of… Cloud furrowed his brows in thought. There was the food, then the sink, and the plate… the plate had shattered… He needed a bag to put it in.

He was about to make his way back into the kitchen to search when he heard the door clicked open.

Sephiroth was back?

He crept back to the slowly opening door, making sure his footfalls was as soft as possible. Sephiroth shouldn't be back so soon. Maybe it really was the young boy sent to keep him company after all?

He froze his movements as his eyes landed on a harsh red color of a young man wearing a black suit and white shirt. He was looking around the house, almost in awe, before his blue eyes landed on Cloud's form.

"Hello." His smile was wide with a hint of predation, his eyes glimmered as ones did once they'd found something interesting.

Cloud took a hesitant step back, unsure what to do. Sephiroth had told him that there were bad people living close by, bad people he should look out to never interact with if possible. Even if Sephiroth hadn't told him that, Cloud knew when a person had ill intentions or when they were friendly. This man didn't seem to fall into either category. So Cloud fastened his feet and stood his ground.

"You are…?" His voice was raspy with disuse which surprised even himself.

"It doesn't matter who I am." Cloud felt his uneasiness return. If the man was unwilling to give his name it meant he was hiding. "I'm more interested in knowing who you are."

Cloud forced himself to calm down. It would do no good to go into a frenzied panic now. He knew he couldn't fight the other man off, but if it came down to it he would make it as hard for him as possible. Since the other man already had the upper hand, Cloud decided to go a more friendly route.

"...Would you like some tea?" Cloud adopted a slight dazed look to his eyes. He couldn't fight the man head on, but he could make him underestimate him enough to let his guard down.

The man, apparently, couldn't relax his shoulders fast enough. His rigid stance turned to a lazy sauter as he stepped further into the apartment and closed the door behind him

"Sure, I'll take some tea." He stepped past Cloud, and deeper into the living room. "So, how long have you been living here?" He asked, barely turning his head to look at Cloud as he examined the room around him.

"I don't know." He really didn't, sure he could make an estimate, but he'd rather not give away information that might be of value to a complete stranger.

The redhead turned to him, eyebrows lightly raised and a small smirk playing around his lips. "How about a name then, blondie?"

"I don't know." Until recently he really hadn't. It was just after his heart-to-heart with Sephiroth that the memory buried so deep within him resurfaced. And it was the friendly faces of the people around him that gave him the courage to say it out loud.

"You don't seem to know much of anything, huh?" He said with a deep amusement staining his voice. Cloud almost flinched. Because he really didn't. He doesn't know anything of where he came from or where 'here' even is. He doesn't know what he's doing here or how he got here. How had he forgotten? It all seemed so insignificant when he didn't have to directly think about it, but now? He feels like there's a huge chunk of him missing. An empty space that once was filled, but hadn't been for a long time, so long that he'd almost forgotten how it felt to be whole.

"...I don't…" The thought made him feel so small and meaningless. He could only remember Sephiroth, but even he would end up leaving him once he fully remembered Cloud. And he'd be left alone again.

"Uh… Hey, it's ok!" He walked up to Cloud, his hands raised in a 'calming' gesture. "I forget things sometimes too, you know."

Was he… trying to console him? He must have let his thoughts show on his face. Looking at the alarmed redhead trying to calm him down made Cloud smile. Maybe he was a good person after all.

"Ok."

The man looked at him in surprised before giving him a sheepish smile, his hand going to the back of his head.

"So, you don't remember much, which is fine, do you remember your family?"

"...'y family?" A shimmer of hope crept into him. He had a family? Maybe he could… maybe- He doesn't remember them… would they remember him? Were they missing him?

The redhead have a small huff of a sigh while looking anywhere but Cloud.

"I'll take that as a 'no'."

"I have a family." He stated rather than asked, wanting the other man to tell him everything he knew of the subject.

"I wouldn't know." He said in a quick outtake of a breath, not leaving any room for arguments as he headed out the door.

"Wait-"

To Cloud's surprise he did. With one hand supported on the doorshil, he slightly turned his head halfway to only just face Cloud. "If you want to know more I suggest you ask your roommate." and then he was gone, door slamming hard behind him.

"...Sephiroth?"

He needed to ask Sephiroth? Why would Sephiroth know?

He stood in the middle of the floor deep in thought before deciding on a course of action. He strode into the kitchen with a quick pace, and took the call-device into his hand. He needed to talk to Sephiroth. Cloud opened it up, clicked the number 'one' on the keypad, and put it to his ear. He waited for about two seconds before there was a sound on the other side.

"Cloud?" Came a slightly distorted voice from the other end

He wanted to ask about his family. Where were they? What if they were worried about him? What if they were waiting for him to come home? ...what if they wanted him?

"I-"

He needed to know if Sephiroth had kept it from him on purpose. He needed to look into Sephiroth's eyes and ask him.

"Cloud, are you ok?" The voice already beginning to grow panicked, he could hear shuffling around in the background.

"I'm fine." Cloud said and tried his best to sound convincing. There was a small sigh of relief on the other end. "There was a man here."

"...Who?" He asked slightly strained.

"I don't know." A pause. "He's gone now."

"Lock the door. I'm on my way." And then he hung up.

Cloud stopped for a breath, before heading out to sit on the couch while waiting for Sephiroth's return.

He has a family or he had a family? Either way he needed to know if he'd left someone behind.

The voice in his head whirled around like a whirlwind, never fully stopping on one subject long enough to let him have a comprehensive thought. He hugged his hands around his shoulders and tried to calm himself. Sephiroth would be here soon, then Cloud could ask his questions.

Cloud would ask, and Sephiroth would answer like he always did.

He knows he doesn't deserve much of anything from the silver haired boy- no, man, but he at least could ask for that much, right?

And if he wouldn't answer- If he threw him away for asking too many questions or being ungrateful… Then he would… he could…

He could do nothing but accept it.

"Cloud?"

He quickly snapped out of his thoughts. He hadn't heard anyone enter, nor someone seat themselves next to him.

"Hello." He said as he slowly turned his head to the other occupant in the room.

Sephiroth looked slightly distressed and a whole lot disheveled. His eyebrows furrowed, mouth turned to a sharp frown, long hair sticking to all directions. His eyes held a sadness Cloud couldn't place. All in all the state of the other man made him smile in amusement. This was certainly a far cry from the pristine young man he had recently made acquaintance with.

Sephiroth reached up to cup his face, and Cloud forced himself to relax into the touch. This was Sephiroth, his Sephiroth.

Cloud let out a shaky breath, before the worried gaze of the silver haired man became too much and he had to close his eyes. His entire focus shifted to the warmth on his cheek and he sighed once more. Could one even miss something they didn't remember. Cloud knows he normally would shy away from any and all touch. He doesn't know what changed, but now, with warmth seeping in through his cheek and running through him straight to his stomach, he was glad it did.

"Where do you keep your plastic bags? I broke one of your plates. It's in the sink… Sorry."

"Cloud." The taller man's voice turned darker. And for one terrifying moment Cloud feared it was one of his hallucinations, throwing words and accusations sharp like knives, which Cloud had no right or intention to deny.

The taller man let out a small breath before he stroke his warm thumb under Cloud's eye in a soothing motions, wiping something wet on him in the process.

"Why are you crying? Did the man hurt you?"

What?

Cloud opened his eyes, his hand going to his face to verify the fact.

Huh, would you look at that.

Somehow tears kept appearing on his face without his knowledge. Why do they keep coming? He didn't think he had anything to cry about. He was just thinking about the shattered plate in the sink, then Sephiroth suddenly appeared next to him. He was sitting next to him asking him about… about... he needed to ask him about- family- he has a family!

He reached up to grasp at Sephiroth's wrist in a quick motion, making the other man cock his head to the side in confusion.

"I have a family." Cloud said in an outward gasp.

The words made Sephiroth's face fall, his brow twitched before all signs of emotion disappeared from his face. The action made Cloud slump in dejection. This was it. He wouldn't get anything out of the other man.

"Sephiroth, please." He tried in a last ditch attempt to get the man to tell him the truth.

"You have a mother."

Cloud was taken aback, he had never actually expected his begging to work… And he had a mother- someone waiting for him to come home.

Cloud's exintment died down when his frantic eyes finally landed on the man in front of him. The other man's eyes were dim, making one question surface in Cloud's mind.

"...Why didn't you tell me?" The words slipped out of him before he could stop himself. Half of him wanted to hit himself for ever uttering them, the other half wanted to desperately interrogate Sephiroth for malicious intent.

Even though he said he'd gladly take everything Sephiroth threw at him, he would like to know it was coming.

"The timing was inopportune." Sephiroth shifted and removed his warm hand from his face. Cloud was ready to let go of his wrist and retreat into himself when his hand was taken, and long fingers wrapped around his own.

"Inopportune?" It even sounded like a lie when it came from him. And Sephiroth had obviously followed the same train of thought because he did something resembling a winch.

"I worried you might want to... meet her."

This time he did retrieve his hand from the other's grasp, and Sephiroth looked positively horrified at his action.

"That would be a bad thing…?" Sephiroth's hand froze in the aborted motion of resizing his hand. He slowly withdrew and let it lean on his thigh in an unnatural fashion.

Sephiroth let out a huff that could be mistaken for a laugh had they not been in the middle of the current conversation.

"Cloud there are still people looking for you. And if they do find you, everyone close to you will be in danger." It was said in a quick outtake of breath, sounding like he was reprimanding a child. As if Cloud's question was a silly one, deserving the bare minimal of his attention.

Something in Cloud snapped. Because he had a right to know. Even if Sephiroth didn't want him to. He had a right to at least talk to his mother one last time. To remember what he left behind all those years ago.

"That's why you didn't tell me? Because you thought I wasn't rational enough to think for myself? Because you were afraid I'd endanger her and by proxy you?"

Cloud could feel a heat emerging from his chest, bubbling up his throat, making his whole body shake. He tried swallowing it down but the shortness of his breath almost made it impossible.

"No. I-" The silver haired man's eyes widened at the accusation, but promptly cut himself off.

The room fell into silence.

Cloud clenched his fists until they turned white at the lack of a rebuttal or at least a reply. He swiftly stood up from his seat on the couch and headed into the bedroom he'd been sleeping.

"Where…?" Came half a question from behind him.

"Bed." He answered and softly closed the door after him.

Cloud had no idea why or how he was so angry. He hadn't had such strong feelings in such a long time that they all seem alien in him now. Like something uncontrollable, something he couldn't take and mold into the form he needed to be fitted into. It felt like a fire inside of him, growing stronger and stronger until it turned almost violent.

It made him feel giddy with excitement.

Doesn't this authenticate it? That the world around him is real? That he's real? And he even has something to live on for.

Cloud could never dream the turn of events would turn out so optimistically in his favor.

He felt so many things at that moment he was sure all the emotions were conflicting. It was probably a full minute (or more) before Cloud could fully calm down. He was still stood in front of the door all through the whole process.

He turned to gaze out the bedroom window, just as spectacular and big as the windows in the living room. It was still light out, and it would probably be a while before the sun started to set. Cloud dragged the curtains closed, blocking out the rays. It doesn't matter, he had somehow managed to exhaust himself through the whole ordeal. He tiredly rubbed at his temple, hoping to ease the headache he had recently acquired, as he made his way to the enticingly soft king sized bed. He pushed aside the duvet, crawled onto the mattress, and luckily, promptly fell asleep.

He didn't know how long he had been sleeping, but the edges of the curtains covering the window no longer had light seeping through. His eyes roamed the room before landing on a shadow standing over him by his bed. His breathing stopped in his throat before he caught sight of silver strands of hair hanging around the shadow.

"Sephiroth?"

"I remember you."

Cloud felt his blood run cold. This was it.