Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. I don't own Squaresoft ( Square Enix ). As much as I wish I owned them, I don't. I don't own the characters in this story, if I did I wouldn't be sitting here writing. Though! The story is based on true events.

Warnings: I'm not telling O.O

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His chest heaved as he ran through the woods, blood trickling down the side of his face. Glancing back, he tripped over some tree roots, but instead of falling face first into the dirt, he fell through it. Squeezing his eyes shut, he cried out. When he opened them, he was strapped to a chair.

"No..W-why are you doing this? Please, stop." He cried, it quickly turning into a moan of pain when he took a blow to the head. He squeezed his eyes shut again, counting down from 10 and then opening them. This time when he opened them he was laying in the middle of a field. He sat up quickly, looking around, tears mixing with the blood on his face.

He cradled his head in his hands, slowly rising to his feet. Sobbing, he let his hands drop from his head, looking around the field again.

"I hate you!" He screamed, a big gush of wind knocking him off his feet and onto the ground. He leaned up on his elbows, everything around him turning black.

"P-Please, stop doing this.." Begging, he got up on his hands and knees, crawling across the empty room to where the other person was now standing. He grabbed onto the person's leg, hugging it tightly.

Smirking, the other person raised their hand..

Cloud's eyes shot open, his heart pounding, his chest heaving and his body covered in sweat. Not again, God please, not again. He sat up in the bed, swallowing hard and running his hand through his sweaty hair.

He glanced over at Aeris who was still sleeping, and let out a small sigh of relief, glad he didn't wake her. He slid out of the bed, grabbing his cell phone off the night stand, and making his way out of the room. Cloud walked down the hall to his computer room, slipping inside the dark room and closing the door behind him. He leaned against the door, inhaling heavily and sliding down to the floor. He flipped open his cell phone, scrolling through his contacts list and stopping at Axel's name. He hesitated before pressing the call button and holding the phone to his ear.

"Yo, it's Axel and obviously I'm not answering my phone, or it's off. So, leave me a message, I might get back to you!"

Cloud smiled when he heard Axel's voice, but his smile turned to a frown when he realized it was his answering machine. He chewed on his lower lip, pressing the end button and calling him again. After a few tries, he finally decided to leave a message, a few tears slipping from his eyes.

"A-Axel," His voice broke and he frowned, quickly clearing his throat before speaking again. "Hey, Axel, I need to talk to you. I, I um, well I had that dream again. It really scared me this time, I mean, I'm sitting here drenched in my own sweat and tears. Um, it's not that big of a deal, but if you could please call me back...I love you, bye."

Cloud flipped his cell phone closed, wiping the back of his hand across his eyes and sniffling. He was going to be okay, nothing to worry about. He pushed himself to his feet, his body trembling. Yeah, so much for okay, here comes an anxiety attack. Oh xanax, where are you.

Walking over to his computer desk, he pulled open the top drawer, pulling out a bottle of pills and his pack of cigarettes. He sat down in the computer chair, turning his computer on and opening the bottle of pills. Popping one of the blue pills out of the bottle and into his mouth, he swallowed it, making a face at the taste of it.

"Disgusting." He said, closing the bottle and tossing it back into the drawer and pushing it closed.

He sighed, taking a cigarette from his pack and lighting it. He shifted in the computer chair, leaning forward a bit and staring at the screen, placing his hand on the mouse. He clicked on the World of Warcraft shortcut on his desktop and waited for it to load up. He took a drag of his cigarette, typing in his user name and password.

"You better be on, Axel." Cloud mumbled to himself, logging into his character and leaning back in the computer chair. He closed his eyes, taking another drag off his cigarette.

Cloud raised his eyebrow when he heard the noise, alerting him that he had a whisper. He sat up in the chair, putting his cigarette out in the ash tray.

"Thank God, Ax-" Squinting, Cloud read the username, biting down on his lip.

"What the hell is, Squall doing up this early..?"

He replied, telling Squall he was just seeing if Axel was on and was now logging off.

[Leonhart242 whispers: Do you mind if I call you?

To [Leonhart242: No, go right ahead, it'd be nice to have someone to talk to.

Cloud smiled, logging off the game and shutting his computer down. He hummed, drumming his fingertips against the computer desk, waiting for Squall to call. When Cloud's phone finally rang, the blond jumped in his chair, laughing to himself and then grabbing for the phone.

"Hey," He answered, a small blush creeping into his cheeks.

"Hey, I'm glad you logged onto the game. I was going to wait until later to call you.."

"Why? What's up?" Raising his eyebrow, Cloud cradled the phone between his shoulder and ear, stretching his arms over his head.

"Well, I just got into New York, and I was wondering if you wanted to meet up."

Cloud dropped his hands, the phone almost slipping down from his shoulder. He quickly grabbed it, holding it to his ear.

"Y-You mean, your in New York now?"

"Yes, I believe that's what I just said. Come on, I'll treat you to breakfast."

"What time is it?"

"6:22 a.m. Is that a yes or a no? We can talk over a cup of coffee and some waffles."

Cloud couldn't help giggling, and not thinking he said yes to meeting Squall.

"We can meet up at Andrew's."

"Andrews?"

Cloud blushed, "Sorry, Andrew's coffee shop. It's where me and my friends go after work or if we're all up early."

"Right then, I'll see you there in, oh say, half an hour?"

"Okay, sounds good." Cloud flipped his phone closed, holding it against his chest and breathing out slowly, a small grin appearing on his lips.

He quickly got up, being as quiet as possible while trying to get ready. He slipped in and out of his room as quietly as he could, holding his clothes and hair products in his hands, deciding to use the bathroom down the hall. Getting dressed as fast as he could, Cloud stared at his reflection in the mirror, and sighing. He shrugged, fixing his hair, smiling when he finished. He turned the bathroom light off, stepping into the hallway and shoving his feet into his shoes.

Once he got to the front door, he patted down the trench coat he was wearing, making sure he had everything he needed. Keys, cigarettes, wallet, good to go! He grabbed his goggles off the table by the door and scribbled a note for Aeris, telling her he had an early photo shoot. He pulled his keys out of his pocket, stepping outside and closing the door behind him. Locking up the door, he breathed in heavily through his nose, shoving the keys back in his pocket. Cloud walked down the steps, following the pathway to the driveway. Grinning, he pulled the tarp off Fenrir, balling it up and setting it near the stairs. He walked back over to the bike, pulling the sleeve of his trench coat over his hand and wiping a fingerprint off the bike.

Straddling the bike, Cloud slid the goggles over his face and pulled his keys out of his pocket again. He put the key in the ignition, starting up the bike and pushing the kickstand up with the heel of his shoe.

XXX

Cloud had arrived at Andrew's at exactly 7 on the dot, which was pretty good, considering he left the house at like 6:45 a.m. He pulled his trench coat off, draping it over his arm and stepping inside the building. He sat down at an empty booth, pulling his pack of cigarettes and lighter from his trench coat pocket, before laying the coat down on the seat.

"What can I get you, honey?"

Cloud looked up at the waitress, smiling softly. "Um, can I just get a coffee and an ashtray for now?"

She wrote in her pad, nodding and smiling at him. "Sure thing."

She went over to another table, grabbing an ashtray off it and bringing it back to Cloud.

"Thank you."

"Your welcome, doll. My name is Tina, if you need anything, let me know."

"Thank you again, and I will."

"I'll be right back with your coffee."

Cloud nodded, pulling a cigarette from the pack in his hand, lighting it up and then placing the pack on the table next to the napkin dispenser. He rested his elbows on the table, taking a drag off his cigarette.

"Here you are, hon." Tina placed a coffee mug in front of Cloud, turning slightly so she could pour the coffee with her other hand. "You need any cream?"

"Please," He said, reaching for the packets of sugar. The woman nodded, walking off to get the cream for his coffee. Cloud poured four packets of sugar into his coffee, stirring it with the spoon that was wrapped in one of the napkins. He smiled when Tina came back over, handing him two packets of cream.

"Thank you."

"Mm-hmm." She nodded and walked off to another table.

Cloud opened the cream, pouring it into his coffee, jumping and spilling a little on the table when his cell phone started going off. He took one last drag off his cigarette, putting it out in the ashtray. He dug into his trench coat pockets, pulling out his cell phone and flipping it open. He read the caller ID, smiling a bit when he saw Axel's name.

He pressed the talk button, holding the phone to his ear. "Hey."

"Hey Cloud, sorry it took me to call you back. Are you okay? Where are you?"

Cloud laughed a little, taking a sip of his coffee. "I'm fine, I'm up here at Andrew's waiting on S-"

"You're at Andrew's? Okay, I'll be there in a few."

"No, wait, Axel.." Cloud frowned when he heard the line go dead.

No sooner had he hung up the phone, a man slid into the booth, sitting across from Cloud. The blond looked up, his eyes going wide as he stared at the man sitting across the table.

"Hey there, Blondie. Nice to finally see you face to face."

Swallowing, Cloud nodded, watching Squall remove his jacket, wearing a black wifebeater underneath it.

"So, did you order already?" Squall asked, motioning to Cloud's coffee.

"N-No, I just got this."

The brunette smiled, leaning back against the seat. "Are you nervous?"

Cloud opened his mouth, but no words came out. He quickly closed his mouth, staring down at the table. How could he not be nervous? He knew Squall was good looking, but damn he looked so much better in person. And the picture he sent Cloud must have been an old one, because his hair was longer, and he had a scar on his face.

"How'd you get that?" Cloud blurted out, his cheeks turning bright red. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to.."

Squall laughed, placing his hand on top of Cloud's, causing the blond to blush even more. "Hey, it's not a problem. Don't apologize, no reason to. I got into a fight a year ago, broken bottle, you know?" The brunette shrugged, removing his hand from on top of Cloud's when the waitress walked over.

"But the picture you sent," Cloud tilted his head, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Yeah, I meant to tell you, it's two years old. I should be the one apologizing."

The blond bit his lip and nodded, looking down at his lap.

"Do I really look that different?"

Cloud quickly shook his head, looking up at Squall. "No, I was just curious. Other then your hair being longer, you look the same."

Squall smirked, ordering a coffee and some bacon. Cloud just shook his head when the waitress asked if he wanted anything.

"Does that mean you still find me attractive?"

Cloud swallowed hard, and nodded slowly. "Yes, I do."

"That's good then." Squall took the coffee cup from the waitress, telling her he didn't want cream.

"Cloud!" Someone had called him from across the room, and of course, Cloud knew who it was. He frowned when Squall turned around a bit, looking over at where Axel was.

Cloud sighed, "That's Axel." The blond said to Squall, before sliding out of the seat. "I'll be right back, okay?"

The older man nodded, watching Cloud walk over to where the furious red head was standing.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Cloud asked Axel to step outside with him. God knows, he didn't want Axel causing a scene in the restaurant. Axel followed Cloud outside, a frown fixed on his face.

"Who the hell is that?"

"Who do you think, Axel?"

The red head growled, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "I can't believe you agreed to meet him! What is wrong with you?"

"I needed someone to talk to! I was scared, Axel. You didn't answer the phone, and he said he was in town and asked if I wanted to get breakfast."

"I called you back as soon as I could."

"I know, but I needed to get out of the house, and when he offered, I took it."

"I can't believe you, Cloud! I'm not going to sit here and listen to your damn excuses. I have to be at work soon. You're going to later regret all of this, Cloud." Axel shook his head, starting to walk away from Cloud.

"Why are you being so god damn mean to me lately?"

"Well, take a look at what you're doing, meeting some guy you barely know. And you say it's not going to turn into anything more." Axel laughed, rolling his eyes, slowly turning to face Cloud. "You and I both know, that that's a big lie."

Cloud frowned, tears threatening to fall down his face. Axel sighed, his heart starting to ache when he saw that he had brought Cloud close to tears. Stepping closer, he wrapped his arms around his friend in a hug.

"I love you, Cloud. And God, please be careful, okay? Call me later, tell me how it went with him, yeah?" Axel pulled back, smiling down at Cloud.

The blond lifted his head, a small smile appearing on his lips. "I will, and I love you, too." Nodding, Axel kissed his cheek before walking to his car. Cloud watched Axel get in his car and drive off before stepping back inside the restaurant.

Cloud let out a heavy sigh, sliding back into the booth. "I'm sorry about that. I should also apologize for him hanging up on you the other day."

"It's okay, he loves you, which means he's only worried about you. Besides, you two seem to have quite a past together."

"How do you figure that?"

Squall smiled, picking up a piece of bacon when the waitress set the plate down.

"The way he blew up when he saw you sitting with me. And there is a reason he's a little more than over protective of you. I might not know it, but there is one."

Cloud slid his arms under the table, letting his fingertips run over the scars on his arm. He stared down at the table, Squall's voice fading into the background.

::Flashback::

"Quit that crying," The woman standing behind Cloud demanded, smacking him upside his head.

"I can't help it." Cloud winced when she hit him, holding the back of his head with one hand, rubbing his eyes with the other.

"You have no reason to be crying." She folded her arms over her chest, walking around Cloud and standing in front of him.

"Go away.." Cloud mumbled, rising to his feet and walking down the hall. He glanced over his shoulder, watching the woman follow behind him.

"Mom, I said to go away." He stepped into his bedroom, slamming his door shut in her face; hoping she'd get the message to leave him be.

"You will not talk to me like that, I am your mother." She opened the door, leaning against the doorframe.

Cloud just sighed, crawling into his bed and pulling the covers over his head. "Please, just stop."

"No, you have no reason to be crying, Cloud!"

"I can't fucking help it! How many times do I have to tell you! I can't control it." He sat up in the bed, screaming, his hands going straight for his hair.

"Oh stop that acting, I'm tired of it, Cloud." The woman rolled her eyes, watching her son tug at his hair and rock back and forth, sobbing uncontrollably.

"You don't understand, you never will." Cloud started to pull at his shirt collar, suddenly feeling very hot and uncomfortable.

"I understand you're being stupid."

"Would it be easier on you if I was gone?" He stared at his mother.

"Do what you want, Cloud. I'm going to work now," She held her finger up, pointing at him. "One more, even the tiniest, outburst, you're gone. You hear me? I will have you locked up."

She slammed the bedroom door closed and Cloud stared, the color draining from his face. He didn't want to be locked away. Why didn't she understand, he'd be over this in a few days. He couldn't help his crashes, and the medicine he took always made him sick. Why did doctors think medicine was always the answer?

Tired and aching, Cloud climbed out of the bed, pulling back the curtain on his window and watching his mother's car leave the driveway. He choked out a sob, burying his face in his hands and screaming.

"I, I can't do this any more.." He mumbled to himself, running his hand through his hair. "I just can't.."

He pulled open his bedroom door, looking down the hallway, his lips quivering as a few more tears slid down his cheeks. He slowly made his way into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him. Opening the medicine cabinet, he pulled out a little blue box, his hands shaking. He opened the box, using his fingers to push things aside. Biting down on his lip, he pulled the razor blade from it's spot in the corner of the box. Placing the box back in the cabinet, Cloud backed up against the wall, sliding down it and turning the blade over in his fingers.

He glanced around the bathroom, sniffling and deciding to crawl into the bathtub. He turned the water on, shivering when the water started to soak through his pants. He plugged the drain, swiping the back of his hand across his cheek, wiping away a few tears. He leaned back against the tub, holding his one arm up slightly. He sobbed, lifting the razor blade to his wrist, and biting down on his lip.

"Forgive me," He whispered, before pressing the blade into his skin and closing his eyes.

XXX

Axel lifted the flowerpot next to the door, picking up the key from underneath it. He placed the flowerpot back down on the ground, standing up straight and unlocking the front door. He turned the knob, pushing the door open and peaking his head inside.

"Hey Spiky, where are you?" Axel called out into the empty house, a small frown fixed on his face, something didn't feel right.

He stepped inside, closing the door and making his way into the living room. He glanced around before walking down the hallway. He stopped when his boots squished in the carpet, his eyebrow arching.

"What the hell?" He looked down at the soaked carpet, turning so he was facing the bathroom door. He jiggled the doorknob, frowning when it wouldn't turn.

"Hey, Cloud, did you fall asleep in there?" He pounded on the door, leaning over slightly to flick the hallway light on. He looked down at the floor again, his eyes going wide when he saw that not only was the carpet soaked with water, but also blood.

"CLOUD!" Axel screamed, pounding on the bathroom door again. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone and dialing 9-1-1.

"Yes, I need an ambulance, I think my friend is hurt." Axel said into the phone once the operator picked up. He growled, giving her the address and telling her to hurry and send somebody.

He threw his phone down, grabbing the doorknob, and turning slightly so his shoulder was pressed up against the door. "Hold on, Cloud."

Pulling back, Axel grit his teeth before slamming his shoulder into the door. "Fuck! Open you stupid door." He did it again, stumbling inside the bathroom once the door finally swung open. He held himself up by the sink, the floor slick with water and blood.

Closing his eyes and letting out a heavy sigh, he reached his hand out, pulling the shower curtain back. His mouth fell open and his eyes widened in horror as he stared at his boyfriend in the bathtub, blood seeping from the two huge cuts going from his wrist to the crease of his elbow. Sinking to his knees, Axel cried out Cloud's name, grabbing his boyfriend's soaked shirt and pulling him out of the bathtub.

"Oh God, Cloud, no. Please, please don't do this to me." Axel held Cloud's limp body in his arms, his fingers reaching out to touch the arm that was bleeding. And it seemed, just the simple touch made it bleed more. Axel gagged; there was so much blood, and the smell, the smell was awful.

Cloud's head lolled back and forth, he could hear a faint voice, and he tried hard to follow the sound, but he couldn't move. His body was too weak, and his vision was blurred.

"Stay with me, Cloud." He grabbed Cloud's arm, shoving it under his shirt and applying pressure to it, trying to get the bleeding to stop. Tears fell from the teens eyes, as he leaned his head closer to Cloud, pressing his lips to the blond's forehead.

"S-S-She said she w-was g-going to lock m-me up," Cloud said in between short breaths, his body starting to tremble as he lost more blood.

"Shh, don't talk," Axel's hands were covered in blood as he brushed a few stray hairs out of his boyfriends face.

Axel held Cloud closer to his body, sobbing, and kissing him all over his face. "Just stay with me, Cloud. Don't leave me."

The blond looked up at Axel the best he could, his vision starting to go in and out. He swore that he saw a shining light circling Axel's head.

"M-M-My angel.." Cloud choked out, his body jerking in Axel's arms.

"Oh God, don't do this, Cloud. Don't you die on me!" The red head squeezed Cloud's arm harder, tears pouring down his cheeks now.

He rested his head against the side of Cloud's face, whispering in his ear. "I'll protect you," He said, rocking both him and Cloud back and forth. "Just don't leave me." He pressed a kiss to Cloud's ear, "I love you."

::End Flashback::

Cloud grimaced, his fingers still running over the scars on his arm. He could remember the smell of blood, the whirr of the ambulance, the sound of Axel's crying. God, he remembered it all, so vividly, it scared him.

"Yeah, we have a long history together. He, he saved my life." Cloud spoke, chewing on the inside of his lip.

"And how did he do that?"Squall asked quietly.

"I don't feel open to talking about that." The blond sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck. "It was years ago."

"Fair enough, some other time, perhaps."

Cloud nodded, glad that Squall hadn't pressed for an answer. Smiling the blond stole a piece of bacon from Squall's plate. "Thank you!" He scrunched up his nose, taking a bite of the bacon.

Squall smirked, "That's cute."

Blushing, Cloud stuck his tongue out at him, blushing even more when Squall reached out, grabbing the tip of Cloud's tongue with his fingers. "Don't stick your tongue out unless you intend to use it."

Squall released Cloud's tongue, smiling at him. Cloud licked over his lips and winked at the brunette. "Maybe I do."

Raising his eyebrow, Squall leaned forward a bit, resting his elbows on the table. "Is that so?"

Cloud leaned forward, inches away from Squall's face, he loved being a tease. "Yeah." He grinned when Squall leaned forward a bit more, puckering up his lips. Instead of Cloud kissing Squall, he turned his head slightly and licked the brunette's cheek.

Sitting back in the booth, Squall made a face, laughing softly. "Nice move, that was smart."

Cloud took a sip of his now cold coffee and shrugged. "I used my tongue, didn't I?"

"You did." The older man nodded, "Had me going for a minute, too. I thought, I was going to get a kiss."

Cloud faked a gasp, and held his hand over his chest. "On our first date? What do you take me for?"

The both of them laughed, and Squall mentioned something about a second date, which had Cloud doing a little happy dance inside. All the time they spent talking on the phone, and on the computer, somehow made Cloud feel closer to the man sitting across the table from him. And he knew he shouldn't take it any further than this; just flirting.

XXX

Cloud and Squall had spent a few hours at the restaurant, talking about almost everything they could think of. They shared some personal stories, others that were embarrassing. Cloud had never smiled so much, nor had he ever laughed as much as he had that morning. It made him feel warm inside, and so many emotions came springing to life inside of him.

Squall yawned, nodding his head in agreement with what Cloud had said. "Yeah, society sucks."

The blond frowned a bit, glancing over at the big clock on the wall. "Oh, I've kept you all morning! It's almost noon. You should go back and get some sleep."

Laughing softly, Squall nodded again. "I should, but I don't want to." He smiled at Cloud, brushing his fingertips against Cloud's hand.

Cloud smiled, "Well, we can hang out again later tonight. You can meet my other friends."

"Alright, that sounds like a plan." They both slid out of the booth, grabbing their coats and walking up to the cash register.

"It's on me, Blondie." Cloud bit his lip before nodding, telling Squall he was going to step outside and smoke a cigarette.

Once outside, Cloud lit up his cigarette, deciding he'd have to stop at the store on his way home and buy another pack. He took a drag off his cigarette, staring down at the ground and counting the various cracks in the sidewalk.

"I hope you had a good time."

Cloud turned to face Squall, nodding and blowing the smoke out of his mouth. "I did, thank you."

"My pleasure, I'm glad we got to meet."

"Agreed." Smiling, Cloud took another drag off the cigarette, inhaling and then blowing more smoke out. "So, we'll hook up again, later tonight?"

"Of course."

"Alright, well," The blond glanced around, before taking a step back. "I'll talk to you later then."

Squall watched as the younger male turned on his heel, about to walk away from him. He couldn't let him just walk away like that. Reaching out, Squall grabbed Cloud's arm, spinning him back around, and pulling him close to him.

"Fuck the first date rule."

Cloud squeaked when a pair of lips were pressed against his, the cigarette dropping out of his hand and his eyes going wide. He stared up at Squall, blinking a few times when the brunette pulled out of the kiss.

"I'm sorry, I jus-" The brunette was cut off by Cloud standing up on his tip-toes, pressing his lips to Squall's. Cloud ran his fingertips along Squall's jaw, nipping at his lower lip. Groaning softly, Squall wrapped his arms around Cloud's waist, opening his mouth and brushing his tongue out against Cloud's.

"Don't be sorry." The blond mumbled against Squall's lips, cupping his cheeks in his hands. It felt like Cloud's stomach was on fire, and the funny thing was, it felt damn good.

They both pulled away from each other, licking their lips and smiling. "That was, well, yummy."

Cloud blushed, and Squall cupped the blond's cheek in his hand, leaning forward and pecking his lips. "Now that I'm satisfied. I'll see you later, babe."

Cloud watched Squall walk away, raising his eyebrow a bit. Had he really just stood in the middle of a New York city sidewalk and sucked face with that man. Lifting his hand to his mouth, Cloud ran his fingertips over his lips.

"Oh, God.." It had all sunk in, he had cheated on Aeris. Yeah, he had kissed Axel last week, but that was different. This just proves, Axel was right, Cloud let things get out of hand. It turned from a friendship to, well, something. He was attracted to Squall, and he knew it, yet he still agreed to meet him.

Cloud decided against telling Axel, because then he'd say, 'I told you so'. And then Axel would spout off about how Cloud knew that this was going to happen. Cloud would deny it, and say he didn't know Squall was going to kiss him. Then Axel would bitch and say that Cloud isn't that stupid. Which is true, Cloud did have an idea that something like that was eventually going to happen. He let it though, he flirted and teased back. He licked the mans cheek for crying out loud. Okay, so that's not so bad, but still.

He swallowed hard, walking towards where he had parked Fenrir, still allowing everything to sink in. He had really cheated on Aeris, God, what was he going to do. Should he tell her? Or stick to his plan of letting everything go with the flow? He'd have to figure it out, and soon.

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Authors Note: I actually got this updated a lot faster then I thought I would, surprisingly. I was in a rush though, mostly because I have so much coming up, and it may take me awhile to update. So I apologize in advance. And I apologize if it does seem a bit rushed. Or long? We'll get more in depth with the dream in another chapter. I wanted to give a little looksie into Cloud's..and Axel's past. Show you how he got the scars, though it was pretty obvious. Another reason why Axel is so protective over him. I know you guys were waaaiting like crazy for Cloud and Squall to meet, so I made it happen. And I gave you guys a little extra. So, yay. Anyway, I do hope you all enjoyed! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll try to update.