5.

"Cloud!"

He looked up from sorting through delivery requests. He'd have to get started on them by the end of the week if he didn't want to lose customers. Running a hand through his hair, he turned to see Denzel in the doorway whose face was alight with excitement.

"Tifa says there's a fight out front"

He sighed inwardly. A drunken brawl was always a nuisance and he understood why Tifa insisted that anybody who'd passed their alcohol limit should not be served or kicked out. The results otherwise were usually violent and messy. He furrowed his brow as he glanced at the clock above his head. It was early. They never had drunks at the bar this early.

He followed the eager boy downstairs, catching Tifa's gaze as she served two customers at the bar. She rolled her eyes in the direction of the entrance, along with a questioning tilt of her head. The ruckus could not be overheard. He gave her a nod and pushed Denzel back in the direction of the counter. He didn't need him watching some brutes bashing another's faces in.

He was halfway to the door when it shook heavily. Much as though body had collided with it. He almost considered collecting his sword from upstairs but under the curious eyes of the regulars in the bar, he relinquished the thought. Following the thud, there was stillness from the other side. It was possible that one of them had passed out from the hit.

He didn't quite expect opening the door to find a blade at the height of his head and two Turks against the wall.

"Don't move"

The command was curt and she didn't look at him despite being barely a meter away. It took him a moment to gather that the one pointing the weapon was speaking to him. In his general confusion, he found himself not objecting. Perhaps it was the nature of the direct order. When was the last time somebody had instructed him as though he was still a soldier?

He took in the owner of the voice. She was a fighter, no doubt about it. The shade of her hair and the feminine clothes stood at odds with the hardness of her body. There was also no mistaking her steady hand. She was used to weapons. This was not a fight of civilian calibre.

Chancing a glance at her opponents, he found Reno and Rude, more than slightly rumpled and eyes trained on the gun in her hand. He pushed the questions to the back of his mind for now. They always found their way into trouble. His attention was back on her when she stepped closer, aiming at Reno's head. "Since you like talking, you can start"

The redhead looked distinctly uncomfortable now that his life was actually at stake. Cloud had to admit; she didn't look like someone who fooled around. "Listen, we don't know anything about…"

"Wrong"

The shot she put into the wall beside the man's head had him yelping and diving for cover, Rude right behind him. It also got the ex-SOLDIER moving. No matter who she was or what business she had with the Turks, he wasn't about to let her start firing that gun with the kids in the bar. He charged her from the side, catching the woman by surprise. She was quick to react though, rolling with the fall and slamming her knee into his stomach.

He gritted his teeth, pushing her aside so he could jump back onto his feet. She did the same, keeping a firm grip on her weapon. The Turks used the opening to make a dash for it. Before she could fire another round at them to halt their escape, Cloud leapt again. She dodged his fist, missing the opportunity to obstruct them. Her targets vanished around the nearest corner. If there was one thing they were good at, it was running.

He heard her growling under her breath as she registered it. There was a second in which she stood still, looking over his shoulder where their backs had retreated. Then ice blue eyes fixed on him. He heard the click of her weapon as it converted to its blade form. He barely had time to blink before she rushed at him, evidently having changed her mind about who to attack. This time her sword came dangerously close to nicking him and he had to back up, out of range.

"You just cost me," she hissed, following with another swipe of her sword, "two informants"

He evaded again, finding himself on the opposite side of street. Any people in the proximity were dispersing, nobody wanting to get caught in a duel. She vaulted over his head, kicking off the building to come down straight at him.

"Shouldn't trust them," he managed to reply between dodging and trying to disarm her. She was good, keeping herself covered and angry in the way she lashed out. Every time he found an opening, she was in a different spot again. Now he did wish he'd taken his sword, especially as hers came dangerously close to slashing his shoulder open. "They still work for Shinra"

He saw interest flash in her eyes but it didn't deter her from impaling the ground where he'd stood a heartbeat ago. He landed in a crouch several feet away. She watched his motions even as she pulled the blade out. Then she paused, staring him down with that calculating gaze. "What do you know?"

"About?" He walked full circle, keeping a distance between them.

She kept her weapon raised but her approach was slower now and the attacks more half-hearted. The fight was shifting into some kind of a conversation but she still had him at the disadvantage. He didn't drop any defences and she didn't let up. "Shinra"

What she was saying wasn't giving him any clues. He couldn't piece any of it together. She had to be stranger, from the other end of Gaia or who knew where. Everyone knew about the company and its history, it was old news. Why these questions? Perhaps she was looking for Rufus himself. Her fighting style though…not a ninja but she wasn't from SOLDIER and there was no sign of mako treatment. It made no sense. Who was she?

Curiosity won out. "I know enough"

"Do you work for him?"

That had him laughing. It would probably rile this stranger up to be mocked but he couldn't suppress it. After everything, the thought of being one of Rufus' henchmen was just ridiculous. Not that she could know. She knew just as little about him as he did about her. He managed to shake his head.

"But you let them escape?" It was more a statement than a question and the accusing undertone didn't go unnoticed. There was frustration in her expression and he wondered how long she'd been tracking the Turks.

"Cloud!"

There it was again and instinct had him turn his head in the direction of the call. He shifted his attention away from her. Denzel had appeared again, Marlene at his back this time and looking over at them in concern. They shouldn't be out here, why hadn't Tifa sent them to their room? For a moment, he thought that the woman might use the distraction to corner him but she remained still, having followed his line of sight. In fact, her eyes were darting back and forth between them and a strange expression came across her face.

"Stay inside," he instructed just as his opponent called out, "Hey, aren't you that kid?"

He thought he saw Denzel shrink back slightly as she addressed him and throw him a look he'd seen often enough. It was the infamous am-I-in-trouble expression. He was growing more confused by the second. Again they were speaking simultaneously without intending to. "How do you know…" "Is he yours?"

This situation was turning into something borderline comical. Questions were piling up and every exchange just added to it.

The light-haired woman sighed then and sheathed her weapon. He could almost appreciate that she didn't want to fight in front of them. He'd just found a semblance of respectability in this fighter. She rubbed her temples, evidently exasperated, then something seemed to snap inside her. "This is pointless" Shaking her head, she turned her back to walk away from the scene. Ten steps away and he found the sense to ask the question that had been lying on his tongue.

"Who are you?"

Sharp eyes pinned him over her shoulder. He saw something in them that reminded him of Vincent, they were looking right into him. She was fearless with eye contact and put her intentions out in the open. "Are you someone who can find me Shinra or not?"

Always with these questions. This entire encounter had been an interrogation at gunpoint and still, he was intrigued enough to help. It was this feeling again and it was strange that it had arisen five minutes into meeting this stranger. Feeling needed.

"Yes"

She didn't say anything as she considered the answer. The suspicion hadn't drained from her body language. Both knew there was no trust from either side but, eventually, she faced him again. The decision was clear when she announced, "Lightning Farron"

"Cloud?" another voice added to the mix, drifting over from the bar. He didn't need to look over again to know it was Tifa who had joined the children. The woman opposite him didn't bother either but a smirk began tugging at one corner of her mouth.

"That's your real name then?" she suggested. He nodded. The coincidence of it wasn't lost on him. She raised her eyebrows but said nothing more about it. Her gaze drifted past him to the people assembled at the entrance. She kept her focus on them when she warned, "You'd better not be lying to me"

He doubted that she meant his name. Despite what he'd seen her being capable of, he wasn't fazed. She was the one looking for guidance. "Is that a threat?"

"A warning"