So I started writing this about two days after the original first chapter came up, if you read the first chapter when it was first posted go back and re-read… it got bigger. Anyway I started writing this after I wrote that original first chapter but I realized that even though I liked my plot idea I wouldn't be able to sustain it past one chapter. Hence the new idea. I'm sure you guys will catch on eventually. Also bits of the L/Nameless Bartender Lady interaction is not here, that is because I skipped it. It will probably show up in later chapters during flashbacks. This is a long enough A/N, get to the reading.

As always I own nameless bartender lady, her named but not appeared yet girlfriend and this version of the CrossRoads Bar. If you recognize it then good for you, you know how to read.

Two Of Swords

Cloud was cold and tired and wet, that was never a good combination. Fenrir was dented on one side from the impact of a monster that he had fought against right outside Edge. Honestly he didn't know why he kept going out to fight. He had saved the world three times now, once when Sephiroth first tried to destroy it and killed his mom. The second time when Sephiroth came back and went about killing things and summoning giant space rocks. Finally he just killed Sephiroth for a third and final time as he used his remnants to come back to life. Having live stalkers was bad enough but the dead ones were just getting ridiculous.

The rain was still pounding down and it didn't look like he would make it back to Tifa and Denzel before it started pouring. Enhanced Super soldier he may be but even he could catch a cold if he wasn't careful. It wasn't worth it to see Denzel and Tifa worry about him. Even more then that it wasn't worth it to come back this late and soaked only to get a lecture from Tifa. Sometimes he didn't know whether she was trying to be his friend or his mom.

It was hard to see anything with all the rain but off to the left there was a small glimmer of light. Turning Fenrir in that direction he pulled up close and saw that it was a bar and it looked to be open. It was definitely an odd building. Everything in Edge except for a few Pre Shin-Ra buildings were made completely of metal. Cloud had driven through this part of Edge many times before but he had never seen a stone building that looked like this before. Glancing up at the sign he tried to make out what it said but it just wasn't clear enough. Hoping for the best Cloud parked Fenrir and pulled out First Tsurugi. He knew no one could lift the blade; it was too heavy unless you were enhanced, but he still didn't trust enough to leave it sitting in Fenrir.

Walking inside Cloud could immediately feel the difference. It was dark and quiet inside the bar but it wasn't an oppressive silence that made it hard to get a word out, just the quiet murmur of old friends catching up for a drink. The bar was surprisingly full for a night like tonight. Not many people would brave the weather for a drink but Cloud counted at least fifty different bodies between him and the back exit.

Turning to the left towards the bar Cloud could see the bartender talking to a short woman with fire red hair, cut to chin length. The woman looked tired as she chatted but happy and after saying her piece she took a glass of deep amber liquid and went to the back of the room and took a seat at the most crowded table of them all.

Ignoring her for a second Cloud turned his attention back to the bar just in time to see the bartender beckon him over. He tried to get a good look at the woman and tried not to shy away. Mainly it was the hair; it was the same silver as Sephiroth and his Remnants. Thankfully it was obvious that this bartender was a woman and Sephiroth, no matter how much he may want to come back, would never come back in the body of a woman. She was short; maybe 5'6", and he could see parts of a red tattoo across her collarbone, shoulders and arms. He stopped before the bar and the woman smiled up at him.

"Welcome to the CrossRoads Bar," She said. Her voice was low for a woman. It was the kind of voice where they could be reading invoices and it would still be interesting. "You're new here, are you coming in to get out of the rain or to drink?"

"A little of both." He said. It really was just to get out of the rain but he had been thinking of all of his troubles and it was starting to get to him. Not even a visit from Aerith or Zack could beat a drink right now.

"Well it's your lucky night." Cloud pulled his attention back to the bartender as she turned to grab a bottle of amber liquid off the shelf behind her. She dropped three ice cubes into a lowball glass and slowly poured the alcohol over it.

"Dewars Scotch on the Rocks, also on the house."

"What's the occasion?" Cloud asked. Dewars was good Scotch and it made little sense to just give it away.

The woman looked down at her hands and sighed before picking up a new glass and a clean towel to continue cleaning. "Tonight's a night to remember." She finally said. "It's the anniversary of my grandfather's death and that," she said nodding to the glass in his hand, "Was his favorite drink. I give them out to anyone who comes in tonight as long as they give a brief prayer to him. I know he is at peace but I like to think he can hear us wishing him well."

"He can hear you, they always hear you."

The bartender smiled up at Cloud. "Thanks for that kid." She said. "Now I have a feeling you got a few things to get off your chest so why don't you head over to that table by the back exit and my associate will do what he does best."

"But-"

"No buts kid. My job is to make sure you leave my bar in one piece in a better mood. You don't seem the type to provoke bar fights and even if you did with that sword on your back I doubt you would be the one that ended up in pieces. So the only thing left to do is to get you into a better frame of mind."

If Cloud had learned one thing from working with Tifa, Aerith and Yuffie it was when to shut up and do as told.

"Yes Mam." Cloud said and gave a mock salute before turning on his heels and walking towards the back exit. As he walked back he caught the eye of the woman who had been standing by the bar. She was sitting with a tall grey creature and speaking to a cat with purple eyes. She saluted him with her glass and Cloud returned that with a nod before continuing on his path.

At the back table there was a man and he was odd. He didn't have gravity defying hair or slit pupil eyes but he sat like a creature ready to pounce and his eyes were endless, like Cloud could see his reason for existing if he stared into those eyes for long enough. And while his hair wasn't gravity defying it was wild and looked as untamable as his own.

"Hello Cloud."

If the bartender had a voice that could make anything sound interesting then this man had a voice that could send shivers down your spine. That voice was dangerous, you wanted to tell this person anything just so they would start talking to you. No wonder the bartender had this man as her helper.

I nodded my head towards the man and took the empty seat across from him. I doubt he could help me with any of my problems but-

"I can help you Cloud."

That was, "What?"

"My name is L," Said the man, L. "And no I can not read minds or anything along those lines but I can tell that you are a military man and that you do not like to talk. You don't share your feelings because you feel you have to be the one people come you when they need help. In fact you will put yourself in harms way if you believe that it will end with your friends coming out of the scenario unharmed."

"That's-" That was true. Cloud didn't know what to think. People never understood, they just lectured. They only one who ever understood his motivation was Zack but that was because Cloud had been Zack. How could this man know so much.

"I don't know what happened to you Cloud." Continued L. He reached forward and grabbed the handle of the mug sitting on the table. "I don't know if I want that information. However it is my job to give you some peace of mind so tell me a problem and I will give you a solution."

"… I miss him."

"Who Cloud, who do you miss?"

"Sephiroth." And it all comes crashing down. The lies I told myself to keep from crying. The words of hate I spouted so I wouldn't scream for him to come back. Even the way I would shy away from silver hair. I didn't love the man but I respected the general. He was all I aspired to be and then that was destroyed. All I ever wanted was to see the man who inspired so many. But I killed him. I killed the man who made so much good for so many people-

"Cloud, CLOUD!"

Cloud snapped back to reality. L was leaning over the table with his face right in Cloud's. Cloud pushed himself backwards to try to get away from L but forgot his own strength and ended up pushing the table straight into L.

It was quiet in the bar. The loud screech of the table and the sound of L's body hitting the floor had stopped what little conversation that had still been floating in the air. The bartender ran over to where L was lying on the floor and checked his pulse and the back of his head before beckoning to a man with slicked back black hair and one with long red hair tied back into a loose ponytail. Once the two men took L away the bartender walked up to Cloud and pulled him from his seat.

"I don't know if L helped you or not," she started saying as she walked Cloud to the door. "But I hope that you think about what just happened and realize that some things are not worth the consequences.

The door slammed shut and Cloud blinked as he took in the scene. It was midday in Edge and people were walking around the city in droves like the rain from last night had never happened. Cloud spun around towards where the bar was only to stumble back as he came face to face with a tall steel building. The bar was gone.

Shaking his head cloud putt his swords away in Fenrir, which was still parked where he had left it last night. It had been a weird night and he was still no closer to figuring out what he should do. The indecision was tearing at him a little. The image of L's body lying on the floor appeared in his mind and Cloud tried to shake it out but it wasn't working. He had only known the man for a few minutes but to cause that much damage. How would he feel if he did that to Tifa, or Denzel, or even Vincent? No, he would not do what his mind had been telling him to do ever since he killed Sephiroth for the final time. Straddling Fenrir Cloud pulled his goggles down and took off. Tifa had to be worried sick by now and his phone had been busted the day before. A cloud of dust was left behind as Cloud hurtled towards Seventh Heaven and even that soon disappeared.

"Did you really have to go that far L?"

"You know I did. Nothing else would get through his hard SOLDIER brain."

"I was actually worried about you."

"I'm dead."

The bartender sighed as she looked out the window at the retreating back of the Super Soldier. She turned to face L who was sitting on the chair in his typical crouch. Besides the faint bruise on his arm from where he smacked it trying to land there was no proof that he had just sailed across a room.

"So what was his problem anyway?"

L turned to face his boss then looked down at his toes. "He kept lying to himself, bottling up all that didn't fit the image he had created in his mind of what a SOLDIER was. Though there were several ways to fix his problem the most direct was to give him a shock to his system."

"So your answer was to creep him out." She questioned.

"No."

"Is that all your going to say L?"

"That's all that needs to be said."

"Whatever."

L watched as his boss turned and left the room. It was one of the weirder assignments he had gotten after accepting his new job but he had to admit getting powerful super SOLDIERS to freak out just by staring at them was entertaining. The world he had lived in before was entertaining when he had someone of equal intellect to fight against but with a sever shortage of such people he had been bored for years.

And after Light he doubted he would ever find someone with a similar mind so he had to get his kicks from somewhere.

Abandoning his post on the chair L shuffled off downstairs to get some cake. Getting kicked across a room was hard work, or at least that was what he would tell his boss when she asked why he was eating cake.

"I wonder if we have any strawberry shortcake left?"

So if you didn't read at the top then read this now. First chapter was re-written recently. If you read the first chapter sometime before January 22, 2013 then go read it again. If you have read this all in one go then leave a review… actually why don't you just review even if you went back and re-read.