Adrenaline pumped in his veins as he let out a guttural yell, swinging down his sword in a blind rage. His blood boiled as the red around his vision abruptly faded, leaving a cacophony of dark walls and bitter loneliness in its wake. His sword, sure to have found its mark, instead ricocheted off bare stone.
Cloud looked around himself, wide-eyed, breaths coming in short gasps. The past few minutes, heightened in his memory as a shock of horror in seeing the face he himself had disposed of, had disappeared everywhere now except his mind. Despite the stark realness that stuck in the corner of his brain like an unforgettable song, he already began to wonder if it truly had happened.
"I'm seeing things," he muttered to himself, reaching his sword to prop back into place. "Fumes from all the mako, maybe."
Yet the icy words still snaked their way through his mind, hitching his breathing for another quick moment.
Hold onto that hatred.
Cloud looked around himself in confusion, realizing he had no idea where he was anymore. The fiery beacon that had led him into this alley was gone, so he was now left to guessing just where the station might be. Barrett's threat about him not being late washed into the front of his mind.
He sighed.
"All right, you got this," he said out loud.
Upon exiting the alley, Cloud found himself swimming in a sea of shell-shocked people. Shouts, groans, and weeping attacked his ears while his nose was treated to the sharp, dizzying sting of mako leaking out of the mangled Reactor One. He weaved through the people, searching for a way to get around the piles of debris that blocked the main road. He found himself turning down another alley, doing his best to ignore a couple crying children as he made his way up to the rooftops. From there, he would be able to get a better vantage point. And a better vantage point, did he get.
Cloud stared up at the reactor for a few seconds, taking in the way the gaping wounds billowed smoke into the night sky.
"Man, what a mess," he said with a shake of his head. This was not at all what he thought would happen. Knowing staring wouldn't help the situation now, he instead reinforced his current mission: make it to the station and get paid. With this renewed resolve, he pushed onwards, trying to ignore the gaping onlookers who were watching the horror unfold in front of their eyes.
Cloud felt lucky to find a way back down to the street. Things didn't look as bad on this side of the expressway, which he considered lucky for his travels. As he dropped from the ladder and took in the bright neon sign announcing "LOVELESS," he inwardly wished for low-profile smooth sailing the rest of the way to the station.
So when he turned onto Loveless street, veering away from the gaggle of Shinra troopers who were probably looking for an excuse to arrest somebody, he should have known it would never be that easy for him.
Those in the upper plate's entertainment district weren't spared the horrors of the reactor bombing, either. People were scattered along the streets, looking surprised, terrified, and confused. Again, Cloud couldn't bear to look at their faces. It's just a job, he reminded himself sternly. You're not one of the eco-terrorists. You're just trying to make a living. This felt like a thinly veiled lie that sat stale on his tongue. He pushed on, determination driving away the uncertainty.
At least until uncertainty reached back and slapped him in the face.
His feet stopped, confused at the sight that unfolded in front of him. Somebody up ahead was obviously showing signs of distress, not unlike the rest of the people he'd left behind him. This had nothing to do with the reactor, however; the person was waving her arms about frantically as if to try and shoo away some unforeseen foe. Others around the person retreated, questioning what was going on. Cloud took a step forward to see if he could help, eyes following her every move. Her arms stopped waving and she looked about tentatively, as if the invisible being had stopped attacking her.
Their gazes met.
It took only a moment, but Cloud froze. His eyes stared, wide, lips parting slightly at the raw emotion that flooded through him and sent a pleasant buzz through his spine. She was beautiful.
Fresh, strange emotion was ripped away and his vision went green again, dousing his focus and forcing his eyes to the hand that clamped onto her shoulder.
Not my imagination, he realized in choked horror as Sephiroth once again stepped into view, this time in front of the woman. He stumbled back, the memories tearing their way back to the forefront of his mind. Sephiroth continued his advance, unperturbed.
"You are too weak to save anyone," he murmured, malice licking into his smirk and flashing through his eyes. "Not even yourself."
Pain lacerated his head and he had to look away, clutching his forehead in a futile attempt to stop his skull from cracking in two. And then, just as soon as the threat appeared, it once again faded into memory.
"Are you okay?" A distant voice, lilting and light, interrupted the headache. Cloud realized he'd keeled over, and he straightened a bit. A face poked itself into his vision, and bright, luminescent green eyes, furrowed in concern, illuminated his view.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Cloud straightened up instantly, feeling an intense warmth return to his spine and spread across his entire body. His heart gave a few excited beats.
"I-I'm fine." The words tumbled out of his mouth, hardly convincing even himself of this notion, let alone the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. His heart gave a deflated pang as he ripped his eyes from her concerned deep green ones and quickly resumed momentum. She was having none of this, however, doubling back and maneuvering into his path. She reached into the basket of flowers she was holding and pulled out a single, yellow flower with a firm green stem.
"Here," she insisted brightly. "This is for you."
Cloud stared at the flower, taking in the exquisite detail. From the firm, wiry stem to the soft, velvety looking petals, it wasn't anything overtly special. And yet, his heartbeat picked up as he stared at it.
"A…flower?" he asked, confused.
"That's right! It's a gift for scaring those things away."
Cloud frowned, eyes flicking between the flower and her beautiful face. "What things?" He asked.
"Nevermind," the flower girl said easily, dismissing the comment as soon as it had entered the conversation. "Think of it as a memento!"
Somewhere deep inside, a voice was excitedly cheering him on. He reached into his pocket for his gil, fumbling around to see how much he had.
"How much?" he asked her, doing everything he could to stop the words from tumbling out too quickly. He didn't want to seem too eager. He knew he had to go soon, too. He needed to get to the station before the last train left.
"Well, that depends on the customer! In your case…it's on the house!" she replied with a cheeky grin. Then suddenly she was stepping forward, and Cloud found himself fumbling a step back in surprise. He felt his face flush as she secured the flower under the suspender strap on his chest.
"Lovers used to give these when they were reunited," the flower girl explained lightly. The close proximity and the intoxicating floral scent that came with her nearly overpowered Cloud. His chest began aching, almost as if it was a longing that he'd never experienced before. Was he getting sick?
"Look," he said, mouth feeling dry. "I'm involved in things. Dangerous things." Things that may or may not have gotten people killed tonight.
"Oh, I'm sure you are." She smiled liltingly. "So?"
She wasn't getting it, and neither were his insides, the latter of whom sagged in disappointment as he uttered his next words: "So keep your distance."
This got the flower girl's attention, but she didn't falter even for a moment in her smile.
"Wait – you think somebody is out to get you? That's what you're all worked up about?"
Cloud crossed his arms and looked away uncomfortably, trying not to show her why he was really worked up. He wished his ears would stop burning.
"Relax," she insisted. "No one's going to attack you, I promise!"
Cloud looked at her again, his heart soaring at her earnest smile. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the expression on her face, as the flower girl's eyes suddenly filled with fear. She began swinging her hands around again, dropping her basket full of flowers in the process. Cloud watched as loose petals drifted away in the light breeze, leaving the spilled floral mess that coated the sidewalk.
Was this girl crazy?
"Help me!" she cried, reaching out in her distress and latching firmly onto his arm. Cloud almost fell over in shock, the touch sending electricity through his gloves and into his skin, racing back to his heart. At the same time, his eyes widened as some invisible veil was lifted and the most heinous, menacing ghostly figures he'd ever laid eyes on materialized before him. And he was not a fan of ghosts. The ghostly beings began to stir more rapidly, swirling around the pair. He shot a look over to the beautiful girl, who was still clutching his arm and looking terrified again. Then, one of the ghosts shot straight towards her. Cloud felt a swirl of rage envelop his mind and his new mission was a simple one: protect her. He reached behind and swung his sword out, cleaving the being in two. It was a drop in an ocean of the creatures, however.
The commotion had stirred up a small audience, and Cloud glanced out of the corner of his eye to see a group of Shinra troops approaching rapidly. They took their stances, weapons pointed towards him and the flower girl. The rage in him increased, and he turned his body with the intention of blocking her from view.
"Drop your weapon!" one barked in a firm, authoritative voice. The ghosts twirled and twisted their way through the troopers, who were seemingly unfaced. Was this a regular occurrence in Midgar or something? He watched as one snuck right up to the in charge trooper's face and danced.
"Are you blind?" Cloud asked incredulously.
"You know – you're right!" The flower girl spoke up then, a new determination steely in her voice. Cloud shot a glance back at her just in time to see her retreating, heading towards the back alleyway behind them. "Nice meeting you!"
"W-wait!" Cloud shouted, but the girl was already disappearing around the corner. With her, the ghosts seemed to just vanish again too. What had just happened?
Unfortunately, he was still in a bit of a pickle. The troopers in front of him reaffirmed their stances, aiming for his head.
"Sword on the ground!" The first trooper yelled again, frowning. Cloud sighed and set his stance, making short work of dispatching the five waiting troopers. New mission still in mind as the last one fell with a grunt, he dashed around the corner of the alley, desperately searching for a sign of her pink dress or a flash of her beautiful light brown hair. Unfortunately, the alley was completely deserted.
Cloud turned around dejectedly and confusedly, his eyes finding the overturned basket and the pile of flowers laying unceremoniously on the ground. They and the one secured under his suspender strap were the only reminder that he had even met her now. He carefully knelt next to the flowers, stood the basket upright again, and gently cupped some of the flowers with his hands, lifting them into the waiting basket.
It was tedious work and he knew he needed to hurry to the station, but he felt like this was important. His heart throbbed sadly as he caught a whiff of the flowers and remembered her stepping into his space only a few moments before. Just one look was all it had taken, and now he couldn't keep his mind off her.
Cloud was the first to scoff when it came to matters such as love or romance. The closest thing he'd ever had to either was his childhood crush on Tifa, the younger, popular girl back in Nibelheim. To have found her now, all these years later in Midgar had been a stroke of luck, but he had long since left his childhood behind in his determination to become a SOLDIER and a man. No, he did not believe in any of that love shit.
But the way his heart had jolted when their eyes met…the way she had made his horrible vision of Sephiroth disappear… He was grateful. He sighed, placing the last flower back in its spot in the basket and admiring his attempt at handiwork. The flowers looked disheveled and sad, with too many red in one spot and all of the white squished underneath. He was no expert on flowers, but this probably wasn't how they were supposed to look. Sighing again in frustration, he stood up and put his hands on his hips. Now what was he supposed to do with them?
Glancing around and realizing he had just been kneeling and picking up flowers, for fuck's sake, Cloud was relieved to see nobody had dared venture out of doors again. He looked back down at the basket, making a decision, and plucked it off the ground. Striding back over to the alley, he set the basket slightly off to the side, up against the wall, where it could wait in case the flower girl returned. A part of him sincerely hoped she would return.
As he left the flowers behind and continued down the alley to get to the station, Cloud knew he wouldn't just be able to forget the flower girl. That small voice in the back of his brain contemplated the idea of love at first sight, and it left him wondering if that was what he had experienced. Either way, he knew the beautiful impression she had made would not leave his mind, or his heart, anytime soon.