Chapter 8 – Guilty

"Vincent!" Cloud blinked in shock at the red-cloaked man before him. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," Vincent said calmly, ignoring the man stuttering in the mud at his side. "Tifa organized a search party when we couldn't reach you." He looked Cloud and Denzel up and down. "Are you all right?"

"We're fine," Cloud said. "Just had a little…uh…bike trouble."

"I see," Vincent said. He pulled a sleek phone from the inside of his cloak and pressed a few numbers. "Cid. I found them. They're unharmed."

Cid's loud, coarse voice carried through the phone so they could all clearly hear. "Well then why in the blazes did we need a &!#$ rescue mission?"

"I'm sure Cloud will explain later. Are you coming to get us?"

"Yeah, yeah, I guess so. You got room for me to land?"

Vincent glanced around at the open landscape. "Yes."

"Fine. Send me the coordinates." A loud click indicated that Cid was done talking.

Vincent pulled the phone away from his ear and pressed on the screen experimentally. "How do I get the…I need to send Cid our coordinates."

Denzel suppressed his smile. "I'll do it," he offered. Vincent gratefully handed over the phone. He had finally gotten the hang of making and receiving phone calls, but the rest of the technology still seemed to be over his head.

"Vincent." Vincent's eyes shifted back to Cloud. "Does that mean that things are ok in Edge? Are Tifa and Marlene safe?"

Vincent gave a non-committal grunt. "They survived. Edge is…well…you'll have to see for yourself. But the threat has been averted for now."

The guilt and worry that had been weighing down Denzel was finally lifted from his shoulders. Cloud jumped back up on the bed of Ol' Bessie and started repacking their possessions in Fenrir's myriad compartments.

"Hey, hey! What are you doing?" Chase had finally recovered and pulled himself back up to his feet.

Cloud didn't bother to look up as he continued loading the bike. "Deal's off, Chase. You can keep your car. I've got a ride."

Chase tried to puff out his chest, but with his disheveled appearance, he just looked foolish. His formerly pristine clothes hung down from the weight of the thick mud that now coated most of his body.

"Well. I hope your ride has a way to carry that hunk of metal, because if you leave it here—" His eyes grew comically wide as they looked over Cloud's shoulder. Cloud didn't have to look behind him to know that the giant, graceful airship was being lowered slowly to the ground.

He smirked at Chase. "Don't worry. We've got it covered." Having finished with his repacking, Cloud hopped down from the bed of the truck and picked up Fenrir as if it were no more significant than a pillow. Denzel smothered a snicker at Chase's flabbergasted expression as Cloud brought it over to the airship, where a hydraulic hiss accompanied the lowering of the ramp. Vincent glided along behind him, his pointed shoes slipping through the mud effortlessly.

Denzel was relieved to finally be on his way home, but his distaste for the muddy, slick man hadn't faded much. He couldn't resist getting in one last jab. "Well, looks like you dodged a bullet there, Chase. You would never have been able to drive that bike, anyway. It's too heavy for anyone but Cloud to hold up."

As he spoke the words, a connection clicked into place in his head. That was why Cloud had never bothered to teach him to drive it. Denzel could never have held it up at a stop. He couldn't really blame Cloud for never imagining they'd find themselves in a scenario like the one last night.

Chase's face contorted with confusion. He looked like he was trying to work something out in his head. "Cloud….?"

Manny piped up, "Cloud Strife! Didn't you recognize him?" In all the excitement, Denzel had almost forgotten the old man was still there.

Cloud's footsteps echoed as he came back down the ramp of the airship. He approached Manny and held out his hand. "Thanks for everything, Manny."

Manny took his hand, but shook his head. "But I didn't do anything."

Cloud gave him a small smile. "I know, but you were willing. So…thanks."

"Cloud?" Chase said tentatively. "I uh…I didn't know…I mean, I would never have tried to, you know, if I would've known that you were…uh…you."

Denzel crossed his arms and scoffed. "It shouldn't matter. You shouldn't try to take advantage of people when they're down, no matter who they are."

Cloud raised his eyebrows and shrugged a shoulder. "He's got a point."

Chase dropped his head like a scolded puppy. "I know. You're right. I uh…I'm sorry."

Cloud looked at him for a moment longer, as if measuring his sincerity. Then he nodded. "Forget it."

Cid's voice blared through the external speakers on the ship. "Yo! You ladies about done with your tea party? Let's get this show on the road!"

Cloud and Denzel gave one last wave as they boarded the airship. Cloud smiled over at Denzel as the ramp closed behind them. "Ready to go home?"

Denzel beamed back at him. "More than ready."

When they reached the bridge, Cid was muttering about mud on the landing gear and how long it was going to take him to clean off everything when they got back. Denzel smiled. He loved the crotchety old man and his constant stream of grumbling. It seemed ironic that Cid's anger always seemed to cheer Denzel up.

They flew to the rendezvous point where Cid had directed everyone to meet them. He set down the ship in a large clearing of grass. Denzel was anxious to see everyone, but they were the first ones there. He hopped out anyway and paced around in the grass. He was really going to miss all this green when they got back to Midgar.

Tifa was the first to arrive, charging in on her chocobo. She hopped off and ran to Denzel, sweeping him up in a hug. For the second she held him, Denzel was too startled to react. Then she pulled back and put her hands on his upper arms, looking him over for injuries.

"Denzel, are you ok? I've been so worried!"

Denzel smiled, hoping to ease some of the lines on Tifa's face. "Yeah, Tifa. I'm good. What about you? Last time you talked to Cloud, Edge was overrun with monsters."

"Oh. Yeah." Tifa released him and ran a hand through her hair nervously. "Well there's some cleanup and rebuilding to do, but we cleared them all out." She put her hands on her hips. "Speaking of Cloud, where is he?"

Denzel nodded over her shoulder, where Cloud stood with his hands in his pockets. He was watching them uncertainly, as if waiting to find out if he were in trouble. Marlene used to roll her eyes and say "Cloud feels guilty for existing." Finally, Denzel understood that. There were many layers to Cloud, and he was a little ashamed that it had taken him so long to see past the top few. Marlene was much more intuitive about those kinds of things; he thought that maybe she had figured out a lot of things about Cloud long ago.

But Cloud had no reason to be worried now. Tifa ran to him and flung her arms around his neck. The tension relaxed from his shoulders. He wrapped his arms around her and turned his face into her hair.

"Tifa. I'm so sorry. We tried to get home, but I—"

"Shh. I know, Cloud. I know."

Denzel felt like he was intruding on a private moment. He turned his back and walked the other way, letting them have their extended greeting. He tipped his head back and closed his eyes, letting the sun warm his face. Almost immediately, his moment of peace was interrupted as Yuffie came charging into the clearing on her chocobo with an excited scream. "Cloud! Denny!" She unabashedly pushed her way into Cloud and Tifa's embrace, completely oblivious to the moment she was interrupting. "Omigosh I am SO glad to see you guys!" Cloud endured it with a tolerant snort and Tifa gracefully stepped back, covering a smile behind her hand. She was used to the little ninja's antics.

Yuffie released Cloud and ran over to Denzel. She tackled him with a hug, knocking them both backwards onto the grass.

"Jeez Yuf! Were you trying to make sure I was injured before we got home?" Denzel sputtered.

She laughed and ruffled his hair, making it stand up in every direction. "Oh c'mon, Denny! I know you're tougher than that!"

She was the only one who called him Denny, and he hated it. She seemed to think it would catch on, and two years without a single other person using that name didn't do a thing to dampen her enthusiasm. He couldn't really stay mad, though. Yuffie was like an eternal child – a deadly ninja child who liked to play with sharp objects.

As Denzel stood and brushed off his clothes, he realized that Yuffie had actually not been the first one to arrive after Tifa. Nanaki sat by a tree on the edge of the clearing, swishing his fiery tail. At least he'd had enough common sense to respect Cloud and Tifa's space. But now that the Yuffie-nado had torn through and overturned everything, he approached the group. "I'm glad to see you are both safe," he said with a nod of his head.

"Hey, Red," Cloud said with a smile. "Good to see you."

Vincent and Cid finally came down from the ship to greet everyone. Barret was the last to arrive in his truck. He stopped and leaned out the open window. "Yo, Spikey! You still alive?"

"Hey Barret," Cloud responded casually. "You still annoying?"

Barret just laughed and turned off the truck. He bounded out the door and joined the group. "Anyone got any food? I'm starving!"

Tifa scowled at him. "What happened to the lunch I packed?"

Barret scratched his head with his metal hand. "Huh? Oh, it was delicious. But that was like 3 hours ago!"

Tifa scoffed and shook her head.

"What?" Barret defended. "I'm a growing boy!"

Yuffie bounced over. "Yeah ya are," she said, patting his belly. It was hard not to notice that Barret had put on a few pounds over the last couple years. He spent more time doing paperwork than push-ups these days.

"Aww, don't be jealous," Barret said, patting her on the head in return. "You'll grow up someday, pipsqueak."

Yuffie scowled and brushed away his hand.

Denzel looked around at everyone, happy to be together again, happy that everyone was safe. But – "Where's Marlene?"

"She's back at Seventh Heaven," Tifa said. She wouldn't look him in the eye, though, and Denzel had the sneaking suspicion that she was hiding something.

Cloud took charge again. "Alright then, let's mosey. Cid, lower the cargo ramp for Barret and the chocobos and we can go back together."

"Hey Denny," Yuffie said as she bounced up the other ramp next to Denzel. "You're wearing the new sword! Did you show Cloud how a real man uses that thing?"

Denzel laughed out loud. "Something like that. I did get to do a lot of fighting on this trip."

"Really?" Yuffie said excitedly. "Ohhh do tell! I bet you have some great stories."

As they returned to the bridge and Cid lifted off, Cloud and Tifa were conspicuously absent. Denzel took the opportunity to regale the others with his tale of the downhill battle on Fenrir in great detail. His audience oohed and ahhed and cheered at all the right places.

"Well dang, Denzel," Cid drawled when he was done. "Sounds like you and Marlene are both turning into some real good fighters. Guess you're the next generation of Cloud's crew. This one's gettin' old."

"Hey! Speak for yourself!" Yuffie said indignantly. Nanaki growled in agreement.

"What do you mean?" Denzel asked. "What did Marlene do?"

Cid gave him a big tobacco-stained grin. "Well, I dunno if she can fight, but that girl sure can use materia. She saved the lives of half the town this week!"

Denzel felt a surge of pride for his little sis. She really did have some talent.

A warm hand stroked down the back of his head and came to rest on his neck. He turned around to see Tifa with a characteristic look of concern on her face. She and Cloud must have snuck back on the bridge when Cid was talking.

"You look really tired," she said. "Have you been sleeping ok on this trip?"

"Oh," Denzel said. "Yeah, I didn't get to sleep any last night. Cloud was out of it and we weren't camped at the safest place."

Five pairs of eyes snapped to Cloud. Cloud, however, was looking at Denzel. "You fought off monsters to protect me all night?"

"Um, yeah," Denzel said, feeling suddenly shy, especially at the look of pride on Cloud's face. He didn't want to make it sound like more than it was. The night was half over by the time they crashed, and there were only a handful of stragglers that stumbled across their campsite.

Cloud gave him a rare warm smile. "Thanks, Denz. I owe you one."

Tifa took his hand and pulled at it gently. "Come on, Denzel. Let's find you a bed."

"No," Denzel said, pulling back his hand. "I mean, don't we have to debrief everyone?"

This was usually the time where they sent the kids out of the room. The other adults looked to Cloud and Tifa. They looked at each other, doing that thing where they communicated with their eyes. For the first time, Denzel wasn't annoyed by it. He wondered if he would ever be close enough to someone to be understood like that.

Finally, Cloud looked back at him. "Sure. You can stay for debriefing."

Feeling triumphant, Denzel sat down cross-legged on the floor, leaning against the glass that surrounded most of the bridge. He was holding back the exhaustion, but it was wearing on him.

Tifa started. "Two days ago, monsters started attacking Edge. At first I only saw one, so I took care of it myself. But then I found a few more. They were grassland monsters."

Denzel sucked in a breath. Grassland monsters were tough, and some of them were bigger than houses. It was mighty impressive that Tifa could take them down on her own.

"Marlene stood back and helped with healing and support spells. Once we finished those off, we ran into a dozen more, and I knew we were in trouble. That's when the head of the council called."

Tifa glanced over at Cloud. "He said that he hadn't been able to reach Cloud, and it was an emergency. I told them that he was on his way home already, and I knew he didn't usually answer his phone while he was riding."

Cloud and Denzel looked at each other uneasily. This must have been happening while they were sitting in their homemade hot spring, shooting the breeze.

"He asked me to meet at the town hall. Marlene and I avoided the rest of the monsters and ran there." Tifa rubbed her neck wearily. "The entire council was already assembled. Monsters had been popping up all over town and people were panicking."

Tifa started fidgeting with the wolf ring on her finger. It was something she did when she was anxious, and Denzel wondered what had suddenly kicked up her nerves. "A couple of injured people stumbled in while we were talking," she continued. "Marlene ran over and healed them without even being asked. The council was so impressed that they asked her to stay there and help out the wounded. They were organizing volunteers to gather everyone at the hall. It's the only reinforced building in Edge, and the monsters were plowing right through the houses."

Debriefing wasn't as exciting as Denzel had expected, and he was quickly being dragged down. He rested his elbows on his knees and propped his head up on his hands.

Tifa continued talking. "I went back out to continue fighting, but more and more were appearing, and things just kept getting worse. There were others that tried to fight, but—" she grimaced and shook her head. "They weren't prepared for grassland monsters. They were being killed or too badly wounded to fight, and I spent more time trying to heal them than actually fighting. So I sent everyone else to the town hall."

Tifa took a breath and looked over at Cloud. Denzel recognized the telltale signs of stress that he knew would be there – the clenched jaw, the impassive face, the glowing eyes. He didn't like hearing that she had sent everyone away; it was an argument as old as their story. Tifa would always risk herself to protect everyone else, and Cloud would always scold her for it.

She held his gaze defiantly and continued. "I knew I just had to hold them off until Cloud got home, but then nighttime came and he still wasn't back. That's when I called him. He told me they were still a day out, and that I should call in the rest of you. So I did, and then I called Tseng. He brought in the Turks to help, and we fought off as many as we could, but there just weren't enough of us to cover the whole town. Marlene stayed at the town hall and healed all of the wounded people as they came in. Once the rest of the old crew showed up, we fought until they had all been cleared out."

Denzel's eyes drooped shut, and he forced them back open with an effort.

"What I wanna know," Cid said as he stubbed out his cigarette, "is how those &#$! things got into town in the first place. No one at the town meetin' knew anything about it."

"Yeah," Tifa said thoughtfully. "None of the walls were even damaged. It was like they just appeared inside. I wonder…"

That was the last thing Denzel heard before the darkness pulled him under.

Denzel slept for the rest of the day and through the night. When he woke up in his own bed the next morning, it was to the nagging pain of hunger in his gut. He pulled on a shirt and some jeans and headed out in his bare feet.

The welcoming smell of behemoth bacon lured him down the stairs. Cloud didn't kill behemoth very often, but when he did, its meat lasted forever.

Tifa smiled at him as he sniffed his way over to the stove where she was flipping the meat in the pan. "Hey kiddo." She picked up a plate piled high with bacon. "Take this out to the table."

Denzel took the plate and crammed several in his mouth as he walked away. Tifa laughed. "Try to leave some for the others," she called after him.

Denzel hit the swinging door with his shoulder as he headed out to the bar area. Cloud and Barret sat at the table, already wolfing down waffles and some kind of egg bake. Denzel slid the half-empty platter of bacon onto the table and started piling food on his plate.

Barret chuckled. "Good to see he's got a healthy appetite."

Denzel ignored him and shoveled food into his mouth with his good hand. He was managing just fine with one hand to that point, but he ran into trouble when he came across a hard piece of fruit that was too large to eat whole. Hesitantly, he raised his left arm and tried to pick up the knife. It was hard to steer, so he used his right hand to move the arm into place, but he still couldn't get his fingers to open and curl around the handle of the knife.

Cloud set down his fork and gestured with his hand. "Pass it over."

Denzel sighed and gave up, picking up the plate with his right hand and giving it to Cloud.

"What happened to you, man?" Barret asked as Cloud cut everything on the plate into bite-sized pieces.

"Oh. I broke my arm and healed it up wrong," Denzel said with a frown.

Barret held up his mechanical hand with a grin. "We'll have to get you one of these," he said. "You can make all yer friends jealous. I can switch it out with all kinds of attachments, ya know, not just the gun."

Denzel shook his head as Cloud handed back his plate. He had really been hoping to make it to adulthood with all of his limbs intact. "I'm hoping Marlene can fix it. Where is she, anyway?"

"She's still sleeping," Cloud said. "But I'm not sure if she…uh…"

"What?" Denzel frowned. "She can do that thing where she sees inside of my arm, right? She'll be able to find all the places where it's messed up and fix it, right?"

"I know, but…" Cloud hesitated. "I'm not sure if she's going to feel up to it for a while."

Denzel dropped his fork, immediately alert. "What do you mean? What's wrong with her?"

Just then, the kitchen door swung open and a small girl walked in. No, not a small girl. Marlene. Except she looked like a skeletal version of the girl he'd grown up with.

Denzel pushed back his chair and rushed over to her. He pulled her into a one-armed hug. "Gaia, Marlene! What happened to you?"

Marlene turned her head away. "Oh…well apparently, it's not good for you to guzzle ethers like water."

Denzel held her at arm's length, trying to catch her eye. "Marlene? Why won't you look at me? You don't have to be ashamed of anything, you know. It doesn't matter to me how you look."

Marlene raised an arm up in front of her face. "No, it's not that."

Denzel blinked. "What is it then? Is there something else wrong with you?"

Marlene coughed weakly. "Not me. It's just…gods, you really stink."

Denzel took a step back, his face pink. "Sorry, Mar. I haven't had a shower in a while."

Marlene waved her thin arm in the air in front of her, fanning away the stench. She looked over at the two men at the table, who were watching the scene in amusement. "Gaia, how could you guys even eat with him sitting over there?"

Denzel threw up his hand as Cloud and Barret laughed. "All right, fine," Denzel huffed. "I can probably make it through a shower without starving to death. Maybe."

Marlene threw him a smile as he walked off, sulking. It was great to be home.

Denzel pushed against the tire with his foot, lazily rocking the tire swing that he'd outgrown years ago, but which easily fit his little sister again. He was sprawled out in the gravel behind Seventh Heaven, trying to get comfortable against the rocky ground. He already missed the grass from the camping trip.

Marlene's arms and legs dangled over the sides of the swing, and she closed her eyes as the wind played gentle games with her hair.

It had been years since they'd played in this swing, but he and Marlene used to spend hours out here when they were younger. This old tire had been their flying carpet, their horse, their hovercraft, and a million other things that let them escape the grim reality of their lives.

"Remember when we didn't have to go to school at all?" Denzel asked suddenly. "We played on this thing all day." School was supposed to have started back up two days ago, but it had been suspended temporarily while everyone worked on repairing the damaged town.

"Yeah," Marlene responded without opening her eyes. "Days were so long and boring back then."

"What?" Denzel raised himself up on his elbows. "Are you kidding? We had a blast back here!"

"We did," Marlene agreed. "But we had nothing to do. We spent all day, every day, trying to think of ways to pass the time."

Denzel laid back in the dirt again. "Yeah, I guess so." He continued gently pushing the tire swing with his foot. The rhythmic squeaking was lulling Marlene into a doze when he spoke again.

"So, what does Cloud think about your…um…condition? Are you going to get better?"

Marlene was still weak and sickly. Tifa had a bunch of exercises that she was making her do, and was still forcing her to drink those horrible shakes every 4 hours, but she hadn't seen much improvement yet. She still needed several naps to make it through the day, and her muscles started to shake after the slightest bit of exertion.

Before she could respond, Tifa poked her head out the back door of the bar. "Hey guys, it's time to get ready for the memorial ceremony."

"Ok," Denzel replied, stopping the tire with his foot.

Tifa went back inside. He stood and lifted Marlene out of the swing like a child. He was getting better at doing things with one arm, but it was still a struggle sometimes. He couldn't seem to figure out how to make his left arm work, so for the most part it hung uselessly at his side.

Marlene scowled when he held her for a moment too long. "I can walk, Denzel."

"I know, I know," Denzel said, setting her on the ground.

She walked ahead of him into the kitchen of Seventh Heaven. Denzel sighed and trailed behind her. Tifa was busy at the counter, preparing some food for after the memorial. She glanced up when he entered.

"Denzel, you shower first, but make it quick. I don't want to deal with a cranky Cloud all afternoon if he has to take a cold shower. Marlene, I'll help you take one when he's done."

"Tiiiiiifaaaaa," Marlene groaned. "I don't need help taking a shower!"

Denzel missed the rest of the argument as he climbed the stairs and shut the bathroom door. He really did try to take a quick shower, but everything took a whole lot longer with one arm. Twenty minutes later, he shut off the water and hoped Cloud would be late coming in from the reconstruction efforts.

He wrapped a towel around his waist and padded back to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Tifa had laid out his clothes for the memorial on the bed. He checked them out as he dried off with the towel. It didn't look too bad – a short-sleeved polo and plain brown pants.

He had to get his boxers from the drawer – thank the gods Tifa didn't pick those out for him, too – and pulled them on. On his way back to the bed, he caught a look at his reflection in the mirror. He was really starting to fill out. He flexed his muscles and admired himself from a few different angles. His arms and pecs were getting pretty defined. They didn't look like Cloud's or anything yet, but it really was a lot of work to swing that sword around. "Yeah, I work out a bit, Alicia…well, I don't wanna brag, but..."

A girlish giggle came through the thin wall separating his room from Marlene's. "Denzel? Are you like…posing in front of the mirror right now?"

"No!" Denzel yelled back as his face burned red. Marlene only laughed harder. "Shut up, Marlene," he said, throwing his pillow at the wall. Great. She was never going to let him forget this.

Her laughter followed her out into the hall. "Oh Alicia, I love you so much!" she said mockingly. She made loud kissy noises as she passed by his door.

Denzel glared in the direction of her voice. "Don't be such a child, Marlene!"

After her laughter had faded down the hall, he sighed and finished getting dressed. He went downstairs to find Cloud sitting up at the bar with a short glass of something dark in his hand. Denzel slid onto the stool next to him as Cloud swallowed the last of his drink. It smelled like whiskey. That wasn't a good sign.

"Sorry if I used too much of the hot water," Denzel said. "I tried to be quick."

Cloud tilted his head in Denzel's direction without looking at him. "I'll survive." He stood and brought the glass to the sink behind the bar, washing it with practiced efficiency and sliding it back on the shelf. Then he braced his hands on the sink and stood there with his head down.

"Cloud?" Denzel asked quietly. "Are you ok?"

Cloud lifted his head and shrugged. "Yeah. Just kind of heavy, you know? Going to the memorial for all those people who died because I wasn't here to…"

Denzel's stomach sank. He hadn't even really thought about that. Only he was so much more guilty than Cloud. Cloud had no way of knowing that something bad would happen to Edge, but Denzel did. He had his reasons for keeping the secret from Cloud when they were at the cabin, but once they were on the road, once they were fooling around in the water, he should have told him. He should have said something about his suspicions. He should have given Cloud a reason, any reason, to get back on the road. So really, he was the one who had kept Cloud from saving those people.

He understood then the weight of responsibility on Cloud's shoulders. Because he was the only one truly capable, he was expected to be there to save everyone at all times. He didn't ask for the job. He didn't even ask for the enhancements that made it possible. Maybe once upon a time he had wanted to be stronger to save a girl, but that didn't mean he wanted the rest of his life to be defined by it. He was quiet. He was a loner. But he would never be able to blend into a crowd again, at least not near Midgar. Denzel suspected that was the reason he liked his job so much. He spent the day alone with his machine, flying down the road. When he had to talk to strangers farther from here, he could just be an anonymous delivery man. So why did he stay in Edge, when he could do his job anywhere? Because of Tifa? Because of them?

"Denzel."

"Huh?" Denzel was snapped from his musings by Cloud's voice.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"Oh, uh, sorry," Denzel said, blinking. "Just daydreaming."

"Huh. Ok. Well I'm gonna go take my cold shower," Cloud said, walking toward the kitchen door.

Denzel nodded. He had a little time to kill before they had to leave, and there was an itch in his head.

He climbed the stairs and settled onto his bed with his sketchpad. He opened it to his last drawing, the one of the shattered town square. He was still a little awed by the level of detail. It was like nothing he had ever done before. Maybe it was because he had let go and let the vision come out by itself. It wasn't fully formed in his head, so he didn't know what it was before he started. If he'd had more detail in his drawing of Marlene and the three girls, would he have been able to prevent whatever had happened to her in the Wasteland?

He still didn't know if it was possible to change the things he saw in his visions. They hadn't really changed what happened to Web, had they? He still ended up bleeding into the snow next to the wood pile. Maybe Denzel was meant to be there all along. Maybe the picture was just showing exactly what did happen. He often didn't have all the details in the visions, so it wasn't a stretch to think that Denzel was actually there, but it was a detail that hadn't made it onto the drawing. Maybe it would have been completely different if they had left.

That brought him back to the town square. The memorial was being held there, next to the fully intact statue. The destruction in his picture never happened. Did that mean it would have happened if they had gotten home on time? Or did it just mean that he couldn't force the ability when he wanted it and the whole image just came from his imagination?

Denzel sighed and flipped to a clean page. He really didn't want to go down that rabbit hole right now.

He put the tip of his pencil to the paper. The image kicking around in his head was of Alicia. He let his hand take over and watched the image come to life in front of him. She was wearing a dark dress. Her head was bowed, and her dark hair hid most of her face. Her hands were folded in front of her, and every inch of her posture spoke of grief. Denzel gently traced his finger down her back on the sketch. As always, he could feel the emotions of the people in his drawings, and right then, he desperately wanted to comfort her.

He raised his head at the loud knock on his door. "Denzel, time to go." Cloud didn't wait for a response. His shoes tapped away down the stairs.

Denzel put away the sketch pad and made his way down to the bar. He came through the kitchen door and stopped to stare at his family. This was a sight he didn't see every day.

Cloud was actually wearing a tie, looking supremely uncomfortable. He wore shiny black shoes instead of his usual boots, and shifted his weight awkwardly from one foot to the other. He fidgeted with the knot in his tie.

Tifa pulled his hand away. "Stop messing with it, Cloud. It looks fine."

She wore low-heeled shoes and a sleeveless black dress that showed off her toned arms. She had her mother's teardrop earrings in, but no other jewelry. Her hair flowed loosely around her face in soft curls. Denzel thought she might have even been wearing a bit of makeup, which was pretty, but a little disconcerting to see on Tifa.

Marlene wore a blue sundress and sandals. Her hair had been pulled back into a fancy French braid with flowers woven into it. It almost hid the thin, brittle texture of her hair, but the little dress exposed her frail arms and legs. The sharp jut of her collarbone stood out above the neckline. When she was covered in baggy clothes, Denzel forgot just how much weight she had lost, but at that moment, she looked like a tiny, fragile doll. That little doll was putting up a heck of a fight right then, though.

"I do not need to be carried," she insisted stubbornly.

"Honey, you'll be standing up on the stage for a while, and I don't want you to get too tired out," Tifa reasoned.

"I won't be too tired," Marlene said, exasperated. "I can walk three blocks."

Cloud sighed. "We don't have time for this." He picked up Marlene and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Hey! Stop it! Cloud! Put me down right now!" Marlene kicked and struggled and pounded on Cloud's back.

"You know, she's just going to wear herself out faster like that," Denzel pointed out as he approached them.

Cloud growled and set her back on her feet. "Marlene! Please. You're not being reasonable."

"Look," Tifa said soothingly. "We'll just wrap the front of your skirt around your legs and he'll carry you on his hip. It will look totally dignified."

"No way," Marlene said, appalled. "I'm not three!"

"Why don't you just bring the car," Denzel suggested.

"Because it's three blocks away and we won't be able to park anywhere near it," Cloud said irritably.

"So why don't you drop them off and drive back here, and then we can walk. If Marlene isn't too tired after the ceremony, she can walk home."

They all looked at each other, waiting for someone to object. Finally, Cloud shrugged. "Ok."

The three of them left, and Denzel plopped down in a chair to wait. His mind couldn't escape the thoughts of the memorial. He knew that some people had been killed. What if they were people he knew? What if they were his friends? He hadn't wanted to think about it before, but it was time to face up to it. He would have to hear their names, see their pictures, and accept his role in these people's deaths.

Cloud returned a few minutes later and poked his head through the front door. "Let's go, Denz."

Cloud and Denzel walked together in silence. They were both brooding, both feeling guilty for their own reasons. When they got to the square, they looked over the half-filled chairs. Tifa and Marlene were in the front row, since they were being honored as part of the ceremony. Yuffie bounced on the seat next to them. Barret, Cid, and Nanaki had all been invited, but they had their own lives to get back to and had declined.

The sun was beginning to set, and it was already getting harder to see. The ceremony would be ending with a candlelight vigil for the victims of the attack, so it would be fully dark by the time they left. Cloud pointed out a couple of empty chairs near the back. Denzel nodded and they headed over there. They took their seats and waited for the rest to fill in.

"Hey Cloud," Denzel wondered aloud. "How come they never have ceremonies like this for you?"

Cloud snorted. "They tried to, at first, but I refused to come. After the first couple times, they didn't bother to ask anymore."

Denzel smiled and went back to looking around at the crowd. That was when he saw her. Two rows ahead and three chairs over, Alicia sat next to her mother. The chair to her left was empty, the last one in the row. She was wearing the black dress from his drawing. He couldn't see well enough to know what she was feeling right then, but the emotions from the picture came back to him, and he felt a strong need to comfort her.

"Is that her?" Cloud asked. "The girl you like?"

Denzel was startled to be caught staring. "Yeah," he said, shrugging shyly.

"Why don't you go sit by her?" Cloud suggested, leaning back in his chair.

Denzel recoiled. "No, I can't. Anyway, that chair is probably saved for her dad."

Cloud slowly shook his head. "I don't think her dad is coming," he said softly.

Denzel looked back at Alicia and her mother. They were both dressed in black, both sitting quietly, talking to no one. He hesitated. "I don't know if I would be welcome."

"Maybe not," Cloud shrugged. "But she looks to me like she could use some comfort."

Denzel pondered it for a while longer. "Are you sure it's ok? I don't want to just ditch you."

Cloud smothered a smile. "I'll manage."

Denzel nodded to himself, trying to work up the courage. He would normally have been too shy to act so boldly, but the sorrow from the picture wouldn't let him hide from it. "Ok. Ok. Here I go." With a surge of bravery, he stood up and walked over. He stood awkwardly at the end of the row. Alicia didn't even notice him. He cleared his throat. "Is it…um…can I sit here?" he stuttered.

Alicia squinted up at him in surprise. Her eyes were dry at the moment, but he could tell she'd spent a lot of time crying recently. He immediately regretted his bold move.

"Denzel?" She glanced over at her mother, but she didn't even seem to notice them.

Stupid! Why did I listen to Cloud? She doesn't want to be around me when she's mourning her dad! Maybe she doesn't even like me anymore after I stood her up last week.

"Um, I mean, if you want to be alone, I can—"

"No, sit down," she said with a small smile.

Denzel swallowed back his nerves and sat down next to her. Success! Now he just had to figure out how to not make a fool of himself for the next two hours.

The ceremony started. The head of the council stood up and gave a speech about remembering the 19 souls who had fallen that day. He read off a list of names, and Denzel heard a small sniffle from Alicia. He looked over at her. She was trying to hide her face, but Denzel could tell that she was crying. The guilt came back in full force. Hesitantly, he reached out his hand. He held his breath and nudged his pinkie against hers, waiting, watching for a sign. She lifted her hand just slightly, letting him slide his underneath, linking her fingers between his. He let out the breath he had been holding. He needed the comfort as much as she did.

For a few minutes they sat there like that, his hand held in her lap. Then, quietly, slowly, she moved her chair closer. She leaned her head hesitantly on his shoulder, and Denzel had to remind himself to relax. Her hair smelled of strawberry shampoo, just like in his fantasy, and he had to resist the urge to lean over and sniff it. After a few minutes, she tilted her chin up toward his ear.

"Denzel?" she whispered. "I-I didn't want you to see me like this, but…I'm really glad you're here."

For a few minutes, Denzel forgot his guilt. He was floating on a cloud. He had no idea what was happening onstage, and probably wouldn't even have noticed that Marlene was up there if Alicia hadn't lifted her head. "Denzel? Your sister doesn't look very good."

He blinked and looked up at the stage. Marlene was standing there with a portly woman and two other girls around her age. Her eyes were unfocused and her face was drained of all color. Tifa and Yuffie were behind her on the stage and wouldn't be able to see her. Marlene swayed slightly. Denzel gasped and jumped to his feet, knowing she was going to fall, but that he was never going to make it up there fast enough.

And then Cloud was there in front of her, swooping in to catch her as she fell. The crowd gasped and murmurs broke out, but Cloud ignored them. He cradled Marlene's tiny frame to his chest and looked back at Tifa, who had her hand over her mouth.

"I'm taking her home," he told her.

Tifa nodded and Cloud hopped off the stage with his bundle. Without looking back, he strode off into the darkness.

The chattering grew even louder and people craned their necks to see what was happening. The head of the council stepped back up to the podium.

"Ahem. Well, it seems that she's in good hands," he said, talking over the chatter. "Please, let us continue with the ceremony."

The talking died down and people returned to their seats. Tifa was making her way off the stage, looking worried.

Denzel let go of Alicia's hand. "I have to go," he said.

She nodded and gave him a small smile. "I hope she's ok. I'll…I'll see you at school?"

Denzel nodded and ran to meet Tifa.

When they burst through the front door of Seventh Heaven, they were greeted by Marlene, sitting at the bar with a bowl of ice cream. Her bare feet swung freely under the high bar stool. The color had returned to her face, and she would have looked perfectly normal if not for the disheveled French braid in her hair.

"Hey guys," she said cheerfully. "You didn't have to leave the ceremony. I just got a little dizzy. Cloud totally overreacted and wouldn't listen all the way home when I tried to tell him I was fine."

Tifa hurried over to her as if she hadn't said a word. She put a hand on Marlene's head to check her temperature, then tipped back her chin to get a good look at her eyes. Apparently satisfied with her findings, she sat down on the stool next to Marlene. Cloud stood on the other side of the bar, looking relieved to have Tifa taking control.

"Mar," she said. "Fainting for no reason is never fine. I knew we should've stayed home tonight!" She pounded her fist on the bar and ran a hand through her hair, ruining her perfectly styled curls. "You have to be honest with me when you're not feeling well, Marlene. If I can't trust you, I'll have to decide for you when you can or can't leave the bar."

Marlene's bravado deflated. She slouched and put down her spoon. "I'm sorry. I guess I convinced myself I was fine because I really, really wanted to go. I just want to feel normal again." She looked up at Tifa with such sadness in those big brown eyes, and Tifa didn't stand a chance.

"Oh, I know sweetie," Tifa said with a sigh. "But you can't do that anymore, ok? We might just set back any recovery you've made, and then it will be even longer until you're back to normal." She stood up, businesslike again. "I'm going to go get you another shake. You need nutrients, not ice cream." She sent Cloud a disapproving look.

"Tiiiiifaaaa! Normal, remember?" Marlene begged. "Can I please just finish my ice cream before I choke down another one of those raw sewage drinks?"

Tifa looked caught between hurt, compassion, and her better judgement.

"Tifa." Cloud said her name and she locked onto those bright blues. They looked at each other for a moment, words passing through time and space between their eyes.

Tifa blinked and looked back at Marlene. "Sure, honey. You can finish your ice cream. But then you need to drink the whole thing and then Cloud's going to carry you up to bed, ok?"

"Ok!" Marlene perked back up and dug into her ice cream again.

As the days rolled by, the cool spring days grew ever warmer. Tifa and Cloud spent a lot of time helping with the reconstruction, leaving Denzel and Marlene to hold down the fort. Due to their respective injuries, they were restricted from helping.

"Two more, Mar. Come on, you've got to do them all," Denzel said, pacing next to her.

Marlene growled at Denzel. "Who made you my personal trainer?" But she pushed through her last two leg lifts.

Watching Marlene struggle and fight through every day seemed to be Denzel's penance. With Cloud and Tifa so busy, he took it upon himself to enforce her recovery schedule as set by Tifa. But instead of feeling any kind of redemption, the guilt lingered on, digging deeper with every time he saw her wince in pain, or the exhaustion slip through her mask when she thought no one was looking.

But at least she seemed to be making some progress. For his part, Denzel was getting no better at controlling his left arm. He could swing a sword with one arm, but he was thrown off balance by the erratic movements of the other.

"Alright, time for your raw sewage," he announced. They were careful not to call it anything bad when Tifa was around anymore, but between the two of them, it would always be the nastiest thing they could stomach (or smell, in Denzel's case).

Marlene wrinkled her nose but followed Denzel into the kitchen. He pulled open the fridge side of the giant industrial fridge/freezer and pulled out the pitcher of the latest batch of the nutrition shake. Tifa seemed to be constantly adjusting the recipe, making it just a little different every time, and this batch was actually not horrible, but the kids kept up their nickname.

With the pitcher in his right hand, he reached over to close the fridge door. He looked over his shoulder at his sister. "Hey Mar, do you think—"

*SMASH*

He hit the side of the fridge door with the pitcher, knocking it from his hand. The pitcher crashed to the floor, splattering smelly green ooze everywhere. The plastic pitcher didn't break, but Denzel's last nerve did.

"AAAHHHHHH!" He screamed in frustration. "This stupid—" he kicked the pitcher across the floor, splattering more green goo, "Useless—" he picked it up and hurled it against the wall, "Worthless—" he threw it again, making a dent in the plaster, "MESSED UP ARM!"

Then he stormed out to the training room. For the moment, Marlene was the farthest thing from his mind. He needed to vent his frustration, Cloud-style. He grabbed one of the practice swords, not caring which, and dragged a practice dummy out of the storage room. He threw the dummy to the center of the training room floor and followed behind it, slashing and hacking and screaming. His hits were off-center, weak and ineffective, and it only fueled his anger more. He struck it, over and over, until his arm grew weak and tired, finally hurling the sword against the wall. He slumped down to the ground next to the dummy, breathing hard. Even bad hits took energy, and as exhaustion had crept in, he found he no longer had the energy to support his fury. The problem was, he still felt bad. It was just a dull bad feeling instead of explosive. Maybe Cloud's method wasn't so cathartic after all.

Denzel had no idea when he was no longer alone. He was completely taken by surprise when small fingers grasped his left wrist.

"Marlene? What are you doing?"

Marlene closed her eyes and wrapped both hands fully around his forearm.

"Hey, you shouldn't be—"

"Shh!" Marlene hissed. Her features snapped into irritation for just a second, and then smoothed back into the peaceful expression she wore when meditating. Denzel was shocked into submission.

She moved her fingers around his arm, gently prodding in different places. Her face screwed up into a look of confusion, and then shock. She opened her eyes and released him.

"Wow, Denz, you messed that up good." She shook her head sadly.

"What? What did you see?" he demanded.

"Well, it looks like you tore the muscle fibers and then reattached them to different ones. And some of those go to totally different muscles. And the nerves are mixed up all over the place. And the bones are fused, but they're not straight. How in the heck did you manage that?"

"I don't know," Denzel said irritably. "I just knew I was in pain and I knew I could heal myself, so I did! And anyway, you're not supposed to be doing that until you're well again. Where did you even get the restore materia? Did you take mine?" he demanded.

Marlene looked surprised, as if the thought had never occurred to her. "I didn't. I mean, I don't. I don't have any."

"Well then how did you just do that?"

"I—I don't know." Marlene looked as confused as he felt.

"Don't you use the materia to do that?"

"I just said, I don't know!" Marlene snapped.

"Ok, ok," Denzel said placatingly. "So…when did you figure out you could do it? Did Tifa teach you?"

"No," Marlene said, playing with a strand of hair. "She was as surprised as anyone the first time I did it. It was just like…like I always knew how to do it, but I didn't remember until I started using materia."

"Huh." Denzel stared at the floor and sank into his own thoughts. Was she born with that skill? Was there something different about Marlene? He knew nothing about her real parents, except that they were killed when she was very young. What if she wasn't fully human or something? Maybe she was a totally different species. He thought through the characters he knew of from his comics, looking for one with skills like Marlene's. Maybe the stories were based on truth. Maybe there was actually—

"It smells like flowers," Marlene said suddenly.

"What?" Denzel stared at her frankly. "How can an ability smell like anything?"

"No," she corrected herself. "It's more like a memory. A memory of a smell."

"Like, from when you were really little?" Denzel asked. "Before Barret brought you to Midgar? What do you know about your real parents?" he asked, starting to get excited about his theory. "Are they definitely from this planet? Did they have some kind of powers, too? Maybe they got killed because of those powers. Or maybe they were just kidnapped and their death was faked! Maybe the flowers you remember weren't flowers at all!"

Marlene dropped the piece of hair and stared at him. "Denz, you really need to get out more. Seriously? Aliens and superheroes?" She scoffed. "Shinra killed my parents. Along with half of the people in my hometown. They were miners. They weren't there trying to blend in with the humans." Marlene rolled her eyes.

"Ok, fine!" Denzel said defensively. "But you have some kind of unique power, and I know you didn't smell flowers here because they don't grow in Midgar."

Marlene's eyes lit up. "Yes they do! They grew in that that old destroyed church!"

"Oh yeah," Denzel said, frowning. "Yeah, that was weird. I still don't know how they grew there."

But things were starting to fall into place in Marlene's head. "And her house. They were at her house, too."

"What? Whose house?" Denzel asked.

"She came to get me. Before the sector 7 plate fell, she came to get me. She took me to her house. Her mom fed me cookies."

"What? Marlene, you're not making sense. Are you feeling ok? Do I need to call Tifa?" He snapped his fingers in front of her eyes.

She shoved them away irritably. "I'm fine, Denzel. Just let me think."

The memory was hidden in the corner of her mind, covered in dust, but once she tugged at it, colors and sounds and yes, the smell of flowers came spilling out.

Marlene closed her eyes, focusing on the scene unfolding behind her eyelids. "We sat on the floor in her room. Her room was full of pink, and she smelled of flowers." She smiled softly as warm feelings overflowed from the memory. "She taught me how to do a braid and let me practice on her hair. I taught her the secret handshake Daddy showed me. She swore she would never forget it. It was like having the big sister I always wanted."

She frowned thoughtfully. "But then she got serious. She held my hands and looked into my eyes and said something weird."

'You have the ability to see into others' hearts. You see past the masks they put up.'

"I asked her what she meant, but she just shook her head."

'Someday you'll understand. But they'll be here soon, and I want to give you something.'

"She leaned her forehead against mine and I felt…different. I told her I felt funny, and she just smiled."

'My time is almost up, but you have many years ahead. Use it well, Marlene.'

"I asked her if she was old or sick, and she laughed. Her laughter sounded like jingling bells."

'Neither, but I have a part to play, little one.'

"I asked if she was going to be in a play, but then there was this really loud sound outside, like a broken fan. She stood up and brushed off her dress."

'It's time for me to go now. We'll meet again, Marlene.'

"And then there was a knock on the door, and she went downstairs. I ran to the window to see what was making the noise." Marlene furrowed her brow, reconciling her 5-year-old memory with her 12-year-old knowledge. "I didn't know what it was back then, but it was a helicopter. A Shinra helicopter. I watched it fly away, and then I went downstairs. Her mom was crying."

The memory of her sorrow affected Marlene as much now as it had back then. "The only thing I could think about was making her feel better. I asked if she wanted a hug and a cookie, because that's what Daddy used to ask me when I got hurt and cried. She wiped off her face and smiled, and said she'd take one of each."

"Soooooo…" Denzel drew out the word. "Are you telling me that the flower girl taught you how to do it?"

"No." Marlene shook her head. "I'm telling you that she gave it to me."

The front door closed loudly, and they both jumped up. Denzel grabbed his sword and practice dummy and hauled them back to the storage area. Marlene chased after him.

"Denzel," she whispered as he hurriedly put away the equipment. "Don't tell Tifa where I got it, ok?"

"Why not?" he asked. He didn't even bother to whisper.

"Because I…well, I'm not sure why, but Tifa always acts a little weird when someone mentions her. And she looks at Cloud a lot. So just don't, ok?"

"Denzel! Marlene! Get in here!" Tifa called out from the kitchen. She sounded angry – like she might be about to go into Ranting Tifa mode.

It was then that Denzel remembered that the practice room was really not the biggest mess he should have been worried about. With a sense of impending doom, he prepared himself to face the wrath of Tifa over the green mess that was the kitchen.

Denzel wasn't sure if she was about to start crying or yelling, but she was certainly struggling to stay calm. He winced as his eyes roamed over the devastation. He didn't think it was possible, but it was actually worse than he remembered.

"Look, guys," she started tightly. "I know this stuff doesn't smell great, or taste great, but Marlene needs it if she's going to get better."

Her voice started rising – definitely leaning toward ranting now.

"These ingredients are really hard to get, and they're really expensive, and the special market where I get them won't be open again until next Tuesday."

Her face turned red and she started shaking. Yep – about to go nuclear.

"So you can't just dump it out so you don't have to deal with it. I thought you guys were responsible enough to DRINK IT ON TIME WITHOUT—"

"Whoa!" Cloud took a giant step over a puddle of thick green goop in front of the kitchen door. "What's going on in here? Looks like a giant booger explosion or—" he caught the look on Tifa's face and wisely closed his mouth.

"It's not funny, Cloud! Do you know how hard it is to get all this stuff and—"

"Yeah, Teef, I know," Cloud said, smiling gently. He took her hands from her hips and squeezed them. "Let me take care of this, ok?"

"But how are we going to—" Tifa interrupted.

His eyes locked on hers and his voice grew softer. "I'll take care of it. And I'll deal with Denzel. Why don't you and Marlene go for a drive? Show her how far we've gotten with the reconstruction."

Tifa was beginning to lose steam. "But this is important. If she doesn't—"

"Tifa. Trust me?" It was almost a whisper this time.

Tifa let out her breath and closed her eyes. "I trust you, Cloud."

Denzel never quite could get over the way Cloud was able to take her from mach 10 to zero like that in seconds when he could barely stand to make small talk with the grocer.

Tifa opened her eyes and held out her hand to Marlene. "Let's go, Marlene. I've got something special to show you."

Cloud watched them leave the kitchen. Denzel stood behind him, wondering how Cloud was going to be able to fix this. He prayed it wasn't something crazy like scooping the mess on the floor back into the pitcher.

"How were you so sure it was me?" Denzel asked quietly to his back.

Cloud turned around calmly, his eyes flickering over the mess. "Oh, this has angry rage written all over it. Not really Marlene's M.O." He gestured to the kitchen table. "So sit. Talk."

Denzel stepped around the mess as much as possible and sank into a kitchen chair. Cloud sat across from him and assessed him coolly. Gaia, those eyes were intimidating when he looked at him like that. Denzel almost wished Tifa would come back in and start ranting right about now.

"Well?" Cloud prodded.

"What do you want me to say?" Denzel asked.

"I want to know what you were raging about."

"Oh." Denzel looked down. "It was just an accident at first. I'm having a hard time getting used to only using one arm. So I accidentally hit it against the fridge door and dropped it. And then…I dunno. I was just so frustrated and sick of dealing with it."

"And?" Cloud prompted.

"And…nothing. Why isn't that enough?"

"Denzel." Cloud leveled him with his eyes. "I know you. There's something else bothering you."

Denzel felt like he was being stripped naked under the force of those eyes. He was afraid Cloud could see every bad deed he'd ever done, so he lowered his eyes. "I just feel…guilty."

Cloud leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. "Guilty? For what?"

"For…I guess…for having fun on our trip when all this was happening. For sitting at the river all day instead of coming home. And being with Marlene every day, seeing her struggle, it's like I just can't forget and move on."

Denzel chanced a glance up and was surprised by the hurt reflected in Cloud's eyes.

"Those are my burdens to bear, Denzel. I was the one driving and calling the shots. It was my choice to stay, not yours. Why would you feel guilty about that?"

Now Denzel felt ten times worse. Instead of admitting his real guilt, he had skirted around the truth and just poured salt in Cloud's wounds.

"But you didn't know!" Denzel protested.

"Neither did you," Cloud countered. "Right?"

"I just…I could've…I mean, if I'd said that we should leave, you would have, wouldn't you?"

Cloud shook his head. "Alright. If you don't want to tell me, that's your choice." He stood up and looked at the mess, running a hand through his spikes. "We still need to fix this."

Denzel slumped in the chair. "How do we fix it? Tifa said the market doesn't open until next week."

"If they're not bringing their stuff to the market, I'll just have to go to them." Cloud stepped carefully across the slippery floor and pulled open a drawer. There, in Tifa's careful handwriting, was a list of the ingredients of her most recent concoction and the stalls from which she purchased them. "I need to make some calls. You are going to clean up this mess. Then you're going to scrub the whole kitchen – walls, floors, counters, appliances – the whole works. Since spilling it was an accident I'll let that slide, but that," he pointed at the dent in the wall, "you will need to pay for." He turned and walked up the stairs.

Denzel groaned as he surveyed the kitchen. He had a lot of cleaning to do.