Dislaimer: I do not own FF7

Break of Day

The air is still cold from the chill of night. Its bite is especially potent on the open ground.

He looks at the sweeping landscape before him. Little has changed in two years. The earth is still as cracked and as dry as when they first left Midgar. Not that he is surprised. It will take hundreds of years before the lifestream returns to this part of the planet.

The dry earth crunches under his feet as he steps away from his massive motorbike. He halts, a few feet away from the crude memoriam he himself erected for the fallen.

Cloud Strife stands before the Buster Sword, jammed hard into ledge where Zack arrived and fell and Cloud rose and left. It feels like such a long time ago

Those memories are…painful to him.

Sometimes he can recall them with amazing clarity. Sometimes they appear so faded and fragmented before him he struggles to hold them in his mind.

He frowns slightly, and the two fragile flowers he held in his hand fall listlessly to the ground. The wind catches them, and gently tugs them towards the upright, rusted sword.

A familiar hollowness makes its presence felt behind him, seemingly attracted to the empty cavern that wells under Clouds ribcage. He knows that cavern is there, even if flesh and blood lie there now. He put it there. The cavern is made from his guilt and regret, and his loneliness. Cloud knows he deserves them all.

Out of the corner of his eye, he makes out the shape of a wolf. This is his hollowness, his guilt. It does not alarm him; Cloud is used to its presence now.

'I got a call from Reno. He said they had a job for you at Healin Lodge. Cloud…have you been doing alright?'

Cloud lowers his eyes to the ground. Why that message decided to replay itself, he doesn't know. His phone seems to do that sometimes. He doesn't let it bother him.

Dawn seems to be starting, creeping slowly over the sky as it breaks through the night.

His arm begins to tingle, and then throb.

He curses.

She couldn't sleep last night, and god knows she can feel it this morning. Her head has that heavy, hazy feeling that seams to buzz around just under her eyelids. Groaning, she unfolds her sprawled limbs and pushes herself out of bed.

I should be used to early mornings, she thinks ruefully.

Standing up in the darkened room, she fumbles for her dressing down before stumbling in the general direction of the door. Out of the corner of her eye she can see the red, digital numbers blinking at her.

5:45

Oh joy.

She doesn't bother to turn on the light as she leaves the dim room to make her way quietly to the bathroom. The hallway is long and full of steps, and for a moment she wonders how on earth the kids manage to memorize every single one that creaks.

Tifa smiles to herself as the wood groans under her weight. Almost there.

As the water runs across her body, she can wash away the gritty feeling that plagues her eyes, the result of too many salty tears shed over too many nights.

Clean. That's how she needs to feel. Simple and clean. She thinks that that was the name of a song she once heard, and subconsciously begins humming the tune under her breath.

She smiles up at the showerhead, feeling the water pummel her eyelids, but it is a sad smile. She is certainly clean now but nothing can ever be simple. But, for the moment, she will pretend that it is so.

The water stops and she steps carefully out of the small shower, quickly grabbing a towel from the rack as her bare skin rises in goosebumps down her arms and back.

Edge gets far too cold in winter, and her heating system is constantly breaking down. She is thankful, though, that they rarely run short of hot water.

Towel wrapped firmly around her, Tifa twists her hair in an attempt to wring excess water out. It's hard; her dark hair is that thick. Giving up, she straightens, turning to face the fogged up mirror before her. Feeling childish, she reaches out a tentative hand and draws a simple happy face on the mirror. She can just see her own reflection in the clear lines. It looks fragmented.

Sighing, she wipes the glass clear.

None of that, she tells herself, you've got a lot to do today.

She tries out a cheerful, happy smile, and her reflection appears so genuine she can't help but feel disheartened.

Marlene sits at the edge of the bar, her head resting on crossed arms. She watches quietly as Tifa rummages through her backpack. She always travels light, all of Avalanche do. Marlene knows that it's simply habit after all the travelling and fighting they did two years ago.

It's just past six thirty, but most of the kids are awake. They all came down to see their guardian off. The younger ones are still half-asleep, yawning loudly and dozing on their feet. A girl Marlene's age is hopping on her toes, asking Tifa if there is anything else she needs.

Marlene rubs her nose on her arm as Tifa smiles at the girl and declines the offer of help. She's known Tifa almost as long as she can remember and wishes that she wasn't leaving. Marlene hates it when people leave. Not at simple leavings, like when people are going out to the shops or something. She hates it when people go away, for a long time. She hates it when they go away and they don't come back.

Like Wedge, Jessie and Biggs. Like Cloud.

Even though she knows Tifa will always come back, she always feels queasy in her stomach at goodbyes anyway. She feels the same when her Papa goes away after visiting, even though he calls her regularly. Marlene's afraid that one day he'll be gone.

Her eye's start to feel all tingly, and she feels like she wants to cry. For she knows that Denzel is leaving, too. He's sick, and he wants to stay, but Marlene can feel him slowly fading away.

'Marlene, are you all right dearest?'

She looks up to see Elmyra peering down at her. Marlene nods quickly and plasters a smile on her face.

'I'm fine, Auntie.'

Elmyra smiles but doesn't look convinced. The older woman rubs her gently on her back.

'Tifa will be back before you know it, don't you worry.'

Marlene lets her shoulders sink. She couldn't fool Elmyra. The other guardian of the Seventh Heaven Orphanage knew how she felt. Elmyra had consoled Marlene when her Pa had left for the final battle all those years ago. Elmyra knew Marlene feared that those that left did not come back again. Elmyra knew that sometimes, Marlene was right.

'I know.' She answered quietly.

The woman sighs sadly, and Marlene has to try to not mimic the gesture. She looks down at the floor instead. She sees Elmyra look up sharply and is aware that a pair of feet has approached them.

'I'll be off now. I'll call when reach Costa Del Sol…'

Marlene looks up to see Tifa talking to Elmyra.

'You just call if you need me to come back, ok?

Elmyra shakes her head and smiles.

'I'm sure we'll be fine here, Tifa, we'll cope without you.'

Tifa laughs softly and Marlene can see that she doesn't really want to go.

'All right then. Take care, Elmyra, don't let them run riot.'

She turns to an expecting Marlene, who has slipped quietly off her stool so that she can embrace her guardian properly. The young girl reaches up as Tifa kneels down and wraps her arms around her in a tight hug. Marlene wants to tell Tifa to stay, but knows that that wouldn't be fair of her.

'You take care now, and give Denzel a hug from me, I didn't want to wake him.'

Marlene nods solemnly as she gazes into the woman's face. A reassuring smile answers her before Tifa kisses her cheek and pulls away.

'See you later.' And Marlene watches as she goes around to every child in the room, giving out hugs, reassuring smiles and words of farewell.

'Bye Tifa!'

'Bring us back sommat, won'tchya?'

'Have fun in Nni…Nibal…Nibelheim!'

'Come back soon!'

The eight or so kids dance around her, reaching out to grab her clothing or to pat her goodbye. Tifa laughs again and Marlene notices that this time it is genuine.

A final wave to them all and then, she is gone. They all race to the door and onto the street and wave furiously as she walks away. Marlene included. Passersby glance briefly at them, some smiling to themselves with thoughts of their own families. They see her glance back a final time before she turns a corner and is lost to sight.

The children stand there in silence for a moment, waiting and unsure. They feel a collective sense of loss; their mother is gone, after all. Marlene's heart feels heavy, but she is comforted by the thought that, for the moment, her friends and her all feel the same.

'Come on in now, breakfasts ready!' Elmyra calls from the doorway.

Just like that, the spell is broken. The boys jostle each other as the girls scramble to get their place at the table, and Marlene is left standing alone on the sidewalk. She scuffs her feet against the concrete.

'C'mon Marlene, we'll miss out' A hand grabs her arm and she looks up to see a smiling face beaming at her. Sari tugs again at her arm and Marlene has to grin.

'Last one in's a rotten egg!'

'Hey!'

Reno is cursing Rufus Shinra's name at the moment. It's been two days since he left Northern Crater and there's been no word from either Tseng or Elena.

They have to assume the worst.

The President showed nothing, no emotion at all when Reno arrived with a shot up helicopter, a body, and a little black box. That royally pissed him off, but no matter what he felt, he could do nothing. He was a Turk, and he had to follow whatever orders Rufus handed out.

Rude felt the same. He didn't show it, but Reno had known the bulky man long enough to pick up even the slightest hint of emotion. His jaw had been locked up tight, and his shoulders went stiff when Rufus said they could not look for their comrades.

And now this.

Some punk was calling Reno's phone, using Elena's number, saying he wanted to speak with the boss and asking where his mother was.

'She ain't here, damn it, why the hell do'ya have 'lena's phone!!'

The voice on the other end of the line sounded cruel and young.

'Don't try to trick us, ne? Where is she?'

'I fucken' told you-'

'heh. No need to get so loud.'

Reno grinds his teeth together and tries to keep his cool. He's a red head by nature, with a fiery temper on the rare occasion someone rubs him the wrong way.

This is one of those occasions. Though, given circumstances, he'll shoot the first person who can honestly blame him for it now.

'I don't want to talk to you, underling, get me 'Mister President'.'

Reno told him where to shove it.

The line went dead.

'FUCK!' he yelled and threw the phone at the wall.

Rude smoothly ducked the torpedo mobile and raised an eyebrow at his partner.

'What did they want?'

Rufus's smooth voice floats to Reno's ears. If Reno had been more concerned about the whole respect side of the servant-master thing, he would apologize for swearing in front of his boss.

'Some fucken' loon on 'lena's phone askin' where his fucken' mother is!!'

'And what did you tell them?'

'You heard, didn't you?' Reno snaps without thinking.

'hmm…'

Reno growls under his breath at the quiet disapproval and turns to face his boss.

'I told him I didn't know what he was on about an' he said we were trying to trick him. Then he asked to speak to you and I told him to shove it-'

'Good.' Rufus cut him off. The red head eyes the wheelchair bound man warily. Silences like this mean that Rufus was thinking, contemplating, planning his next move.

'Rude, what is the situation with our 'guest'?'

The burly man nods curtly.

'Still unconscious, sir. No change.'

'Bring me her file, the old Shinra one.'

'Yes sir.' He walks briskly out of the room.

Another pause fills the air, making Reno impatient. He has too much energy, and nothing to take it out on.

'Any reply from Strife?'

'No.'

'Try Lockhart again, see if she's heard from him.'

With that, ex-president Shinra maneuvers his chair swiftly out the same door through which Rude had departed.

Reno curses his name again, reaching for his phone.

Authors note: Thanks to those who reviewed, hope you all like this chapter!

Some of my plot deviations are beginning to make themselves known, so I hope they make sense.

Anyone want to guess who's Rufus's 'guest' from the Northern Crator? Only info I'm giving out is that she's female and not an OC, and has a history with Shinra (well, she'd had too, they have a file on her.)

Please tell me if you think any characters are out of wack, I think I got most of them alright...

Chapter 3: Focus