The screech of tires interrupted the silence of the forest and, had there been birds, they would have flown away in fright. But there were no birds in that forest to be startled by the sound and Cloud continued making his way through the trees without distractions. He wasn't sure where he was going yet, but he knew he had to find Denzel and the person claiming to be him before anything bad happened.
Roaring through a clearing and into the dense trees at the other side, Cloud suddenly felt a pull at his mind and had to fight to keep focused. He knew he was getting close, because whoever it was that had Denzel wanted to get to him and had started trying to pull him in. He didn't even care if he was risking his life any more, because he had to get Denzel out of there safely.
A darkness settled over his mind and he abruptly slowed his bike, desperate to keep himself alive so that he was still able to do something for Denzel and doing his best to get rid of the darkness at the same time.
When one becomes two.
Cloud jerked and skidded his bike to a stop, putting a foot down onto the ground to stop the vehicle faster. Where had that voice come from? He scanned the area around where he now sat, stationary, looking for any sign of movement among the glowing blue trees.
A sharp pain shot through his mind suddenly and he let out a yell, getting off his bike and letting it crash to the ground as he clutched at his head. But just as suddenly as it had come did it leave again and he stood in the silent forest listening to his shaky breaths.
"Cloud!" came a shout and he spun to the side, eyes widening as he saw Denzel standing at the foot of a tree a fair distance away. He appeared to be alone, but Cloud didn't trust it and searched with his eyes for anyone else in the vicinity.
"Denzel, listen to me," Cloud called over to him. "Where's the person who brought you here?"
"It's you! You brought me here!" Denzel shouted, and that was when Cloud noticed the pain in the boys voice and the clenched fists at his sides. "What are you playing at?"
"Denzel, please," Cloud started to say, but a laugh from behind him made him turn around.
When one becomes two.
"Hello, Cloud."
His heart leapt into his throat and he couldn't speak as he stared in horror. He was staring at himself, although this version of him was smiling and didn't have a left sleeve.
"Who are you?" Cloud asked finally when he found his voice again.
"Who do you think? I am you." the man said with a chuckle.
"That's not possible! Tell me who you really are!" Cloud demanded angrily, pulling his sword off his back swiftly, only to be met with the other man's sword. He was slightly reassured to see that his copy didn't have the same sword as he did and instead only had a standard one. Much easier to defeat.
"Remember when your friend Zack Fair was helping you escape ShinRa and you ended up in Professor Hojo's care?" the man asked calmly, acting as if he wasn't in a situation where a fight could start up any moment.
"What about it?" Cloud asked sceptically, narrowing his eyes.
"Hojo didn't just give you Mako poisoning, you know," the man said smugly. "In fact, he cloned you. Both of you."
Zack, Cloud thought instantly, his mind bringing up an image of his best friend from SOLDIER. Could there be an exact copy of him walking around somewhere? Would he act like the original Zack?
He knew the answer to that, though. It was no. If there was a Zack, he wouldn't act the same. He would be as different from the original as this man was from himself.
"Zack's clone died," the man said as if he had read Cloud's mind. "Apparently his fate was tied to the original's fate and there was nothing Hojo could do about it. So I guess that means if you die I die too."
Well, Cloud thought to himself, at least I know he won't kill me.
"I thought I'd have some fun, though, since Sephiroth's no longer around to torment you." the man laughed.
"What are you getting from this?" Cloud asked. There had to be another reason why this man was doing this other than just for the satisfaction of seeing him in pain. After all, they'd never met until now so there was no reason for him to be holding a grudge.
"What I'm getting is all I ask for," the man said quietly. "And I'm sure if you were in my position you would do the same."
"I would never choose to hurt someone if I could prevent it." Cloud said instantly and sharply.
"Then we really are nothing alike." the man laughed.
"Tell me what you're getting out of this!" Cloud ordered angrily, bringing the man from his mindless enjoyment.
"You want to know? Well there's only one thing, and it's being able to watch you suffer." the man informed him, lowering his sword slightly. "Why? Because I'm the clone and you're the real person. How do you think that makes me feel? You got the life... and I got the sped-up growth."
"It's not my fault. You should be taking it out on Hojo!" Cloud argued.
"Don't you understand? I want to wreck your life so that you no longer have anything. So that you're like me! No friends, no family, no possessions and just left with a heart full of pain." The man slowly raised his sword again and smirked, giving Cloud a queasy feeling in his stomach because it was like watching himself turn bad.
"You don't have to do this." Cloud said gently, but he tightened his grip on his own sword nevertheless.
"What would be the fun in that?"
