Again, if I forgot a disclaimer: I don't own anything but my own writing skills and the idea for this story.

Cloud's misery at the start of this chapter was inspired by my own when I started writing this chapter.

The "ex-SOLDIER" who had survived military training, four years in a lab, mako poisoning twice, impalement, being shot, Geostigma, and his own burdened conscience now sat uncomfortably in the driver's seat of a rented truck with his surrogate family crowded all around him. The four passengers shifted for more elbow room and cried out indignantly when someone invaded their personal bubble. The workman Cloud had borrowed the truck from had been nice enough to do it for a favor – deliver a few handheld tools to some repairman in Junon – but even with the additional three seats behind the driver's area, there remained little room for comfort. As a testament to this, Tifa, in the backseat with the children, struggled to force down the window to release the smothering desert air. In the front passenger side Barret had already broken the handle off the manual window opener. The atmosphere itself held tension and tiredness. If only that was the worst part.

"Hic!" Cloud clamped his jaw shut too late. Ten minutes so far, and the hiccups taunted him still. But of course the torture refused to stop there. The hiccups got his uneasy stomach jumping, and while in recent years he discovered that driving helped ease his motion-sickness, even he, a super-powered human, was not immune to the dastardly effects of hiccups.

Cloud pressed his lips in a firm line, but holding in the sound made it worse for his stomach. All the way up his esophagus he felt the burning sensation of a bad thing gone on too long.

He needed to stop.

"Stop it!" Denzel shouted, tugging on his short shirt sleeves and crossing his arms defensively.

"I'm not doing anything!" Marlene cried in protest from her place between Denzel and a very exasperated, very tired Tifa.

"Denzel…" Tifa began with a sigh.

Denzel raised his voice before she could figure out something to say. "She keeps kicking my leg."

"No, I don't," Marlene crossed her own arms in mock imitation of Denzel's juvenile attitude.

"Marlene," Barret stepped in sternly.

"I said I'm not!" she pouted, upset that her dad doubted her integrity. "The road's just so bumpy my leg swings and hits him. I don't mean it." In demonstration, the truck bounced through a deep pothole in the road and the seven year old's small leg flailed out involuntarily before falling back against the seat, nicking Denzel's jeans in the process.

"Hey!"

"I said I didn't mean it," Marlene whined.

Denzel glared out the window, the blank scenery staring back at him just as defiantly. Tifa sighed tiredly. "Cloud, maybe we should stop." Yes, she liked that idea. "Let's take a break. Maybe figure out how long we have till Junon." She dreaded the thought of another three hours in the backseat with two squabbling kids, but what choice was there?

Without a word Cloud hastily swerved off the worn path that served as the new unofficial highway between Edge and Junon. His sudden obedience startled all of them. As soon as the engine puttered to a stop, Cloud ripped the keys from the ignition and escaped the vehicle. His passengers exited much slower, not sure what to make of Cloud's reaction to Tifa's request. Then they heard it.

Still hiccupping, Cloud roughly vomited to the side of the road, his face a pale green and a hand clutching the front of his shirt as he knelt on the gravelly ground. Hearing the pain in Cloud's heaves, they realized it was one of the most torturous experiences anyone might have. But once his stomach finished turning inside out, there appeared one small silver lining: his hiccups were finally gone.

"You gun' be good?" Barret asked when Cloud stayed kneeling over the expelled contents of his stomach.

Cloud slowly nodded. He shifted so his back faced them, a subtle sign that he was okay but wanted to be left alone. With the putrid smell rising on that side of the truck, everyone complied without complaint and moved to the other side.

On cue, as Cloud sat shuddering over the puddle of vomit, his PHS trilled. Predictably, he didn't answer. There was a brief lull of silence before Tifa's PHS rang aloud in turn. In contrast to Cloud, she answered, although it was a miracle she had service clear out in the country.

"Hello?" Tifa said.

"Tifa, why isn't Cloud answering his phone? We ca…" Yuffie's voice crackled in static for a moment. When it returned, she sounded small and far off. "…all depressed and stuff again. Okay?"

"Okay," Tifa dared to agree, not sure what she had committed herself to.

Barret, Denzel, and Marlene took full advantage of their leisure time out of the confines of the truck and roamed the area. Tifa stayed stationary in her spot of limited cell service.

"Uh-huh," Tifa nodded into the phone. "We're on our way right now." A pause. "I think we're still a couple hours from Junon harbor, but if we're lucky, we can catch an outgoing ship before the end of tonight." They, meaning Yuffie, talked a bit longer before a roar interrupted the semi-quiet atmosphere.

Tifa squinted forward through the blazing sunlight. "Barret, what is it?" She didn't have to ask. Only a few years ago, the entire group of AVALANCHE learned practically all there was to know about monsters. A few of them got so good that they could identify a monster just by hearing it breathe. The knowledge came with their lifestyle. So when Barret shouted out that they had a Zemzelett approaching, Tifa was already off the phone and rushing forward, ready to attack.

As the lumbering white and green mass filled her vision, she hesitated, sizing up the monster. Its wings unfolded till they stretched wide, like waiting for a hug. Red eyes pinned her to the ground, but she gazed back evenly. Her leg muscles tensed, ready to spring at the target.

"Tifa!" Barret barreled past her. "You look after the kids. Me an' Cloud got this!"

A frown dipped dangerously on Tifa's rosy lips. From where he had been sick, Cloud rushed the monster, looking better – if only slightly – and eager to release some of his own pent up energy. Tifa watched them for a moment and then let herself remember that Denzel and Marlene were weaponless after all. Stalking back to the truck, she gathered the two minors near her. Tifa couldn't help muttering derisively about the unfairness of it, though, "…just like you left me behind when you bombed Sector 1 reactor…"

Just as the three came up on the truck, a Nerosuferoth scampered past, aiming for Barret's broad back. Tifa smiled deviously. "Denzel, Marlene, stay by the truck," she instructed. Giving them both a little push, she bounded forward to pick off the stray Nerosuferoth.

Only, she must have forgotten. Nerosuferoths preferred to attack in pairs.

… … … …

Marlene and Denzel stared wide eyed at the lizard-like monster creeping toward them. From beak to tail, it easily equaled Denzel in length.

The monster paused only a moment before leaping.

Marlene half-screamed as Denzel pushed her aside. The two of them sprawled on the ground, gravel sized rocks digging into their skin. The Nerosuferoth narrowly avoided banging its skull into the side of the truck.

"Denzel?" Marlene yelped.

"Get in the truck!" Denzel scrambled to his feet and pulled Marlene with him.

The monster rolled in front of their path. The brief stalemate had Denzel's mind zigzagging around any real solutions, but the size of the monster gave him a desperate, plausible idea.

Shoving Marlene to his left, Denzel jumped to his right and ran. "Under the truck! Marlene, it won't fit under the truck!" He made a wide arc around the tailgate, monster jaws snapping at his shirt, while Marlene obediently scooted on her belly till she lay safely out of reach.

Closing the circle he had made, Denzel took hold of the side of the truck and leaped into the truck-bed. Madly, he grabbed for the box of tools they were planning to deliver. Hot breath warmed his neck, and teeth clamped on the back of his t-shirt.

"Ah!" Denzel released a shout of fear and anger, swinging around a wrench half the length of his forearm and burying the tool into the Nerosuferoth's left eye.

Immediately, the monster gave a wheezy scream, releasing Denzel. Denzel watched it stagger around, the wrench still lodged in its eye. After a minute of writhing on the ground it skittered off, still breathing out short screams of agony. As much as Denzel wanted to be proud for protecting Marlene and saving his own life without help, pity and shame crept into his heart. He got the feeling he wouldn't forget the sound of those cries for a long time.

"Are you two okay?" Tifa rushed for Denzel. So, the "responsible" adults finally noticed them now that the danger was gone. Denzel looked to where they had been fighting. Nope, they only noticed when their own battles were finished.

Barret surged forward. "Where's Marlene?"

"Under here, Daddy," Marlene squirmed from under the truck and Barret hugged her close. Everyone could see the guilt in his expression. He should have looked after her better. Without looking closely, one could see that the same thought was running through both Tifa's and Cloud's minds.

"You okay?" Cloud asked Denzel who still hadn't moved from inside the truck-bed.

"…Yeah," Denzel struggled to brush off the sounds of the monster.

"What happened?"

Denzel looked into Cloud's glowing eyes. Cloud must have killed so many monsters, so many people. How did he live with so much blood on his hands? How could he forget those cries of pain? Denzel frowned as his mind answered his questions. Cloud didn't forget. That's why he had so many struggles – because he couldn't forget. So why did Cloud keep fighting? Again, Denzel's mind quickly answered that. Cloud fought to protect. That's why he would win any battle: because he never fought without a reason, and the reason was always because he had something to protect.

And that's what Denzel had done.

Denzel smiled weakly and answered triumphantly, "I defeated a monster." He could live with it. He wanted to be brave like Cloud and strong like Cloud after all. If Cloud could protect those he loved and still live with the consequences, so could he, even if the cries still echoed in his mind.

Denzel's tale carried the group into the truck where they got settled and continued journeying toward Junon. Marlene interjected at parts in Denzel's far-from-modest story and despite the three adults' shame at not being mindful of their young charges, they chuckled at the extravagant account.

The verbal applause raised Denzel's self-confidence till he felt big enough to conquer those Nibel Dragons Cloud had once described. But nothing made Denzel's spirits soar like seeing Cloud's head nod in approval and hearing the words, "I suppose we don't have to worry about you in a fight."

Darkness flushed out most of the natural daylight by the time the little group made it to Junon. Parking the truck outside the city limits, Cloud led the way into the main village hub where a crew of workers hustled to finish putting up a new sign on the weapon shop. Barret took Marlene with him to check on when the next boat would cast off from Junon. That left Tifa, Denzel, and Cloud to wander the streets till someone pointed them in the direction of wherever their repairman of interest was. They still had a toolbox to deliver.

It might have been chance – more likely it was her apparent inability to not be dying when Cloud was present – but a certain young girl caught sight of the chocobo-haired man and, in her surprise and excitement, inhaled sharply and choked on the grape she had been eating. Her strained breath and harsh coughs alerted Cloud to her presence, and he turned back to see her seated in front of her house.

"Cough harder," he commanded as he quickly marched over.

She shook her head. Oh, why did she always look like such a fool when he was around? The first time they met, she had been rude to him and his friends and he still performed CPR to revive her. And then every other time after that, she was always having a bad hair day or something else equally embarrassing. How could a guy like him ever really fall for a girl like her…?

Cloud's arms came around her, and he thrust his fists into her stomach, the grape popping out and rolling onto the grass. If she wasn't gasping and trying so hard to wipe the spit away from her mouth maybe she would have tried harder to make his arms linger around her waist.

As it was, Cloud backed off quickly. It may have been offensive to some, but she knew his shy, taciturn ways…

"Glad to see you're as normal as ever, Priscilla." Tifa stood in front of her, a gentle smile gracing her face.

Priscilla blushed faintly and rubbed her throat a bit. It was so good to see them. Cloud and Tifa and…wait, who was the kid? Priscilla's eyes narrowed on Denzel who stood awkwardly under her scrutiny. Then her eyes shifted between Tifa and him before adding Cloud to the equation. Oh no.

"So…" Priscilla didn't know how to put it delicately. "You two got married?" She analyzed their reactions. Denzel's eyes widened and the deep color in his cheeks matched Tifa's expression. Cloud, on the other hand, looked much like he had been slapped…and then paralyzed.

Huh. Interesting.

"Ahem," still blushing madly, Tifa placed a hand on Denzel's shoulder. "This is Denzel. Cloud and I are his guardians." Cloud nodded a bit uncomfortably. Priscilla reveled in his expression.

"Ah," she exclaimed in understanding. "Well, Denzel, my name's Priscilla." She nodded to him. "I already know these two." Giving Tifa a slightly snarky look, Priscilla turned a sweet smile on Cloud whose cheeks flared up in delayed embarrassment. "What you all up to?"

Denzel answered her confidently, although the question was not addressed to him. He had just picked up on Priscilla's obvious looks toward Cloud. "We're going to the west continent. We're just here because we need a boat."

"Humph," Priscilla crossed her arms, scowling at Denzel's boldly firm tone. "Well, we have a boat docked in Costa del Sol already and the next one doesn't leave till morning."

Tifa sighed despairingly. "So much for that." She glanced at Cloud. He had moved away from Priscilla at each of her glances. In her own mind, Priscilla thought the looks she conveyed were foxy – enticing even. To Cloud, her expression consisted of a mixture between jealousy and the dopey gaze of a love-sick teenager. Tifa directed her next comment at Cloud. "Should we try for an inn then?"

"Oh, no, no, no," Priscilla interrupted. "You guys stay here for the night. Mom and Dad won't mind if they know you," she gazed at Cloud, "saved my life again."

"Thank you," Cloud said. "But we have Barret and his daughter, Marlene, with us too."

"We wouldn't want to impose," Tifa added.

Priscilla shook her head emphatically. "What do you mean 'impose'? I'm not gonna let you guys sleep out in the cold or get into debt at the inn. Where's your stuff? I'll help you carry it in the house." She jumped up and tried to take the toolbox from Cloud's hands.

"This is for someone else," Cloud gently tugged it out of her grabbing reach.

Her eyebrows creased in confusion.

"Cloud runs a delivery business," Denzel explained importantly.

Cloud nodded. "Do you know of a Mr. Housling?"

Priscilla copied his motion slowly. "Yeah, he's the new repairman at the end of town. Just follow the main road till you come to the old school house. He's using it as his shop."

"Thank you." Cloud said. To Tifa he suggested, "We should probably find the others and let them know where we're staying." Looking down at Denzel, he silently ordered, "Let's go."

Denzel followed his idol silently, subdued eagerness making his countenance light up as opposed to his curt treatment of Priscilla.

At Mr. Housling's modest abode, Cloud introduced himself and handed over the disarranged toolbox. The man accepted it gratefully but squinted at the two of them when they lingered.

"Denzel," Cloud prompted.

Denzel stepped forward, head hanging. "I'm sorry, sir, but I lost one of your wrenches. We took a break somewhere in the country and some monsters attacked us. I hit one of them in the eye with your wrench and it kind of stuck there. And then the monster ran off…I'm really sorry."

Denzel stepped back in line with Cloud. It was silent for a moment before Mr. Housling laughed in amusement. "You stuck it in the eye with my wrench," he chuckled. "Alright. Because it was for a good cause, I'll forgive you."

Surprised, Denzel looked up slightly. "Th-thank you, sir."

The man gazed evenly at Cloud, a smile still on his face. "You're a good father to this boy."

Cloud fought the instinct to stiffen at hearing what the statement implied and merely inclined his head in thanks. As he and Denzel walked back to the front of town, Cloud reflected on the image he and Tifa made. They really should have been used to it. In Edge their situation was so common that people assumed that the kids living with you weren't yours. And yet, people tended to pin him and Tifa together. Cloud was willing to be called a guardian for Denzel's sake – anything to make the kid feel like he had a family – but the implication that he and Tifa had a relationship of any kind other than friends…? He wasn't sure he could handle that yet.

Hiccups are nasty if allowed to persist too long. The best remedy I've found is this: inhale as much as you can. Hold your breath for ten seconds. After ten seconds, inhale a bit further WITHOUT EXHALING FIRST. Hold this for five seconds. Let it out slow and try to breathe normally. If done right, it works every time. If it doesn't work, you're doing something wrong. ;) Good luck!

-Dante