A/N: I had an idea about the kids playing hide-and-seek. I also had the idea of using Zack and Cloud when they were on the run. I decided to use both in a clever way. AHAHAH.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

He sat on a stool in front of the bar, his back to the bar tender (some younger guy Tifa had hired to help her in the bar; he was all right, but he didn't mix drinks like Tifa did), his gaze to the common area.

Marlene and Denzel were playing Hide-and-Seek with some of the other neighbourhood kids. It was raining outside, the puddles in the ditches rising to ankle level, the winds too cold to play in. Tifa had volunteered the bar for the kids' play area, as it was large and Tifa could keep an eye on them all to make sure they didn't hurt themselves.

At the moment, though, the fighter-turned-supermom/babysitter had stepped out, leaving the protector of the planet and local recluse in charge of looking after the munchkins.

Cloud sighed.

Rubbing a hand over his eyes, he looked over the group of kids once more to make sure none of them were hurt or crying or being left out. His slightly glowing blue eyes swept across the room, landing on Denzel crouching down next to a young boy with blond hair and a slight frown on his young face. Cloud frowned, narrowing his eyes suspiciously as he watched Denzel speak to the boy, reaching forward and ruffling his hair affectionately.

Something suddenly squeezed around Cloud's throat, and he was thrown out of the present back into his own memories, recalling a time when the dark-haired SOLDIER—Zack, his name was Zack once—crouched beside him in the background of a bright sun and craggy rocks. He saw through fading vision tainted green as Zack reached forward and ruffled his spikes affectionately, grinning at him brightly.

He watched as he walked away, when all he could do was watch and weakly lift his hand to stop him…

Cloud jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to look at Tifa standing next to him, though she was looking at the kids.

"Denzel's opening up so much around the others. It's good to see, isn't it?"

Turning to look over at Denzel and the boy again, he saw that the blond was smiling and Denzel was grinning shyly back. The last images of his memory faded, and he smiled a little weakly.

"…Yeah."