Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

Green Dreams

Chapter Nine: Slumming It

There were three windows in Cloud's bunker, all lined up against one wall and hardly taller than his two hands. These windows were on the east side of Shinra and therefore managed to get some of the first rays of the sun.

Cloud's bed was never hit with sunlight though because the windows had been blocked with newspaper and magazine pages for all the kids who liked to sleep in. But as the room warmed and the color drifted along the far wall, his senses became alert and he began to wake. It had been this way almost all his life after AVALANCHE, and these days back in Shinra were no different. It was still annoying though sometimes, particularly on nights where he didn't sleep well. Sometimes his dreams were interrupted with violent memories, and others were just the passive images of floating in an oversized test tube, too numb to feel anything. He didn't know why it fluctuated, but he was thankful to get some form of restful sleep sometimes.

He rolled off the bed and smoothly on to his feet in one motion. He never felt fully awake just after getting up, but he could function well enough until his body got moving. He rubbed his eyes to rid the grogginess and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. He moved away from the bed, carefully and quietly shifting clothing and various objects that his roommates had tossed about, to clear an open space for him to warm up. It didn't take much to get a simple workout in, and hardly longer than an hour at the most.

Cloud opened up his routine in the same way he had done for the last couple of days. Only this time, he incorporated some of the stretches Zack had taught him, pushing his flexibility to its limits. To get the blood moving a bit more quickly, he punched the air several times and kicked out with each leg, his feet slicing through the beams of light slowly moving across the wall.

Satisfied and considerably more awake now, Cloud started on his strength exercises. These ones he disliked, because they were so time-consuming and frustrating, but necessary. They were often painful and reminded him distinctly of his lack of mako. That alone irritated him. The slow progress and proof of his lack of strength hurt his pride more than he liked to admit, and reminded him of how far he had to go to reach SOLDIER—and how strong he had been before.

The first one was for his abdominal muscles. These were easily some of the most important muscles in his body as many basic moves required great strength there. He laid flat on the floor on his stomach, then slowly lifted his body onto his forearms and toes. By maintaining a completely straight line with his back and buttocks, he could hold the position for forty seconds. His abs burned at the end, but he wasn't completely done.

To get a complete abdominal workout, he had to work all parts of the abs. He had to be at full capacity for anything and every muscle had to be honed. Working out his abs was a quiet reminder of Tifa too. In the early mornings as they traveled with AVALANCHE, she would do some quick sit-ups to keep her stomach tight. Every time he did them, he could imagine her next to him on the grass or dirt near the campsite, studiously counting under her breath.

Sit-ups were only the beginning of the process. Cloud did three different types of exercises, each flexing and stressing a different part of his abs. He did regular sit-ups, curling up on the floor and forcing his stomach muscles to hold up his upper body to touch his knees. It wasn't long, with only his lower back on the floor, before this position got extremely uncomfortable. Regular crunches were easier, but still painful after all the work he had already done. Reverse crunches were excruciating, but Cloud bit his lip and refused to make a sound or contort his face to show the pain.

To keep the throbbing of his complaining muscles in the back of his mind, Cloud mulled and plotted as he stared at the ceiling. Over the years, fighting on rough terrain against vicious monsters, Cloud had perfected the art of detaching his mind from his body. It came in useful even here and it would be vital in SOLDIER.

He blinked up at the ceiling, his thoughts transferring to the SOLDIER exams. He had a serious advantage with all the knowledge he had, and he needed to milk it for all it was worth. Once he was through, he'd be in SOLDIER, a step closer to Zack and Sephiroth.

Sephiroth… Cloud's already flushed face was tinted just a bit darker. That man was everything Cloud had missed. In AVALANCHE's time, the General had been like a different person—so much crueler, his very being perverted. But now, all those qualities everyone had admired and loved about the man were evident again. Like how in the office when they met he had been commanding but never callous. He was respectful to subordinates, and friendly with Zack, but there was always a clear sense of who was in charge. There was a casual power he exuded that had always made the General distinctive among the other leaders of Shinra.

And his hands. Those long, sculpted fingers, Cloud couldn't get the image out of his mind. Once before they'd been covered in blood. With a sporadic twitch they had pointed at him, translucent white and drawn. Tense with rage, with feverish hate. Now though, they were this creamy pale color, supple and quick. He had even nails and dexterous movements. Every finger was long and contoured, a pianist's hands with infinite strength. The way Sephiroth had splayed them on the desk as he leaned forward, or pushed away his long hair, the hands had been the things that caught Cloud's attention most.

That and his eyes.

Abruptly the ceiling began to waver a bit and the pain began to register. He'd lost track of just how many reverse-crunches he'd done and his body bitterly complained. He relaxed back on to the floor, laying there on his back and clenching his eyes shut to ward off the moisture that pooled there. He wasn't sure if it was from the exercise's strain or from the thoughts of Sephiroth.

He stood, rubbing a hand along his aching belly, and moved towards his schoolbooks. Shinra required certain books to be read and many of them were thick tomes with language that most cadets couldn't even read. Some were hardly literate if they came from the slums. Cloud had no use for the books—they were tactics and swordplay basics that couldn't really be taught by reading words—but they did come in handy for his exercises.

Cloud stacked up four books, some his and some Dan's, on each hand, then lifted up each pile until his arms were level with his shoulders. After twenty seconds of this position, his muscles began to quiver with the strain, but Cloud curled his fingers around the books more securely and fought to hold them longer. This exercise was difficult, but vital. In swordplay, speed and strength in swinging the sword come not just from arm muscles. Shoulder and back muscles also play a huge part in keeping one's strikes straight and keeping one's defense up when taking the full force of a hit.

Cloud stressed more work on these muscles, as they were the ones that would also be doing a lot of heavy lifting when it came to the Buster Sword. They were some of the most important ones if he ever wanted to be good enough for SOLDIER and what he ultimately had to do.

This exercise not only tested his strength, but his balance. When he had first started it, he had occasionally dropped the books. It had only been two then, and usually his reflexes were fast enough to catch them, but there had been some near misses when somebody stirred at the sound of the book connecting with the floor. A suddenly awakened cadet, with the wrath of most teenaged boys, or a broken toe, was a great incentive to learn to do things quietly.

Cloud finished off the rest of his exercises until morning really set in and the room was beginning to fill with golden light. He started up his quiet warm down by the end. His body was shining with a light sheen of sweat and his muscles quivered from lack of rest.

He was ready for the day.

It was Friday, finally their day off, and all anyone could talk about was the parade. Dan's insistent inquires all through breakfast about where Cloud would be had grown increasingly annoying. The brown-haired cadet seemed to want confirmation of where he could meet Cloud and at exactly what time. The blond had given him vague answers and admitted that he had no idea when or even if he would show up to watch the parade. Dan pouted when Cloud's resolute answers became stiffer and his annoyance more obvious.

Reno smirked into his food as he watched the interplay. Cloud's frustration at Dan found another outlet with Reno, even if just a bit. The redhead was enjoying the conversation far too much, or at least the fact that he inadvertently was causing it. Cloud shot him a warning look. He knew the two boys weren't on the best of terms. The blond thought it was about morals or something, Reno's being so loose and Dan's so uptight. Reno just snickered at Cloud's look, flicking his gaze to Dan momentarily, then pointedly looking back at Cloud. The blond ignored it in favor of an even sharper glare.

The three sat together through breakfast, cold cereal and milk the only edible things on the food line. There wasn't much else to eat, and Reno had insisted on everyone having the brightest-colored cereal they could find. Cloud's bowl was swimming with red and blue flakes that were slowly coloring his milk a murky brown. His face didn't show it, but he was repulsed by it, and his appetite was all but gone.

Reno slurped his bowl dry then stood up. "I'll meet up with you in a second Cloud, just gotta get something." Cloud saw the way Dan's eyebrows furrowed together, and the blond knew he had noticed the way he was ignored. Cloud nodded to Reno, but didn't leave immediately. He didn't want Dan to feel too bad, so he waited until the other boy had finished off his own food, then they both headed to the hallway together.

"I'm going to see if I can get a few more hours of sleep, Cloud. Then I'll see if I can win those gloves back from O'Connell later. I lost them in a bet and he won't stop showing them off." He smiled at Cloud. "What'll you be doing?"

"Exercise. Looking around Midgar." It wasn't a lie. And it was close enough to the truth to keep Dan quiet if he heard otherwise. Dan was starting to sound like Tifa with all the questions. He'd been irritating before, but now it was so much like Tifa's crush all over again that it made things a little awkward with them sometimes. Cloud had never really gotten the hang of how to deal with Tifa then, and now it was happening again, and he still didn't know what to do.

"Alright. If you come by the parade, find me. I'm going to try to be down by the shops, including that one with all the army surplus. That bend is supposed to be a good spot to see everything." Cloud only nodded as Dan rambled a bit before finally the boy trotted down the corridor.

Cloud wasn't entirely sure why he didn't feel comfortable telling Dan where he was going. Maybe it was because Dan was more conscientious of the rules or that the boy might want to tag along in the slums, but then, Cloud didn't want Reno there with him the whole time either. Maybe it was because he could be more upfront about telling the redhead to back off. Dan was quick to make assumptions while Reno at least thought things through.

Cloud shook his head; balancing out friends here in the cadet training wasn't a priority. He had to get a decent weapon for emergencies and talk with Aeris. Some of the fog in his head might just clear up then.

The cadet barracks were an unattached building to Shinra Headquarters and one of the farthest buildings from the station. Cloud headed outside and caught sight of Reno leaning against the building, a cigarette in his mouth. He blew out some smoke and smiled brightly at the blond. "Got rid of the leech? Good. We'll take the train to the Sector 7 station, that's the only one under the plate. From there we'll have to walk."

Cloud nodded absentmindedly and walked past Reno. The sky was a shade of hazy blue like a polluted ocean, but the clouds were a light grey. The far off sounds of voices and the wind were all Cloud could hear and for a moment it was kind of peaceful. A train whistle, a curse from Reno as the boy took one last puff before tossing the butt away, and Midgar snapped back into reality.

He kept walking as the redhead jogged up to match Cloud's pace. He was dressed in some loose clothing, probably concealing weapons, while Cloud had on a simple muted-green sweater and military pants. He didn't have much clothing other than the Shinra stuff, so he had peeled off the Shinra insignia label on these pants. No one used them for training anyway—too thick and too many pockets—but they were perfect for the slums.

Speaking of the slums, Cloud turned his head slightly to peek at Reno from the corner of his eye. They were about even in height, though Reno would grow a bit lankier and taller than Cloud. The blond was wondering how exactly to get separated from Reno for a bit to pop in on Aeris. He could "get lost" and disappear on him, which probably wouldn't work knowing Reno, or just ask him if they could go their own ways for a bit. Reno might get the hint, but then he might not, or even worse he might try to tail Cloud. He could knock the guy out, but Reno was pretty quick on his feet and he knew some dirty tricks… Maybe Cloud could try and knock him out later, when he had more time, so he could learn some of Reno moves.

It didn't really matter how he got alone though, just as long as Cloud could get over to Sector 5. Aeris could be the key, and it unnerved Cloud deeply to have everything hinge on that. If she couldn't give him the answers, where would he get them?

Tickets down to Sector 7 were cheap, so they both handed the money over without too much thought. The lady at the counter gave Cloud an appraising eye, which Reno nudged him about and Cloud steadfastly ignored. 10 Gil was nothing to get down there, but getting back up was another matter. Shinra IDs were usually necessary, and it cost about 50 Gil for one ticket, an exorbitant price below the plate.

The train was already in the station so they boarded immediately. Only the last two cars stopped at the Sector 7 station, so Cloud and Reno had to walk to the back of the train. These last compartments had only a handful of people in them, mostly maintenance workers for Shinra who couldn't afford to live above the plate. They stared a bit at the two teens, but looked away when Cloud met theirs eyes with a glare. Reno just ignored them. The redhead looked like he belonged on that dirty train, more than he did on the Shinra compound.

The two cadets took their seats. Many of the cushions and backs of the seats had jagged rips in them most likely from bored passengers and aggressive teens. The fluff was smattered on the raggedy carpet along with wads of chewing gum, old flyers, pencils, straws, and coffee stains. The smell of the entire compartment was like the cadet locker room: sweaty, with the stink of urine and musk mixing in. The cracked lights above them flickered often, and Cloud winced at the horrible shuttering and screeching as the wheels ran along the tracks.

The ride was relatively short and for that Cloud was thankful. He had never ridden in the last car; in fact he usually ended up either on top of the train or fighting through the cars. He was glad for it, especially now that he had the dubious pleasure of being a normal passenger.

He and Reno were two of about ten people coming off the train at the station, but a number of people got on. A flood gate of older men and women along with a couple of the younger children forced their way through the doors, pushing aside the people coming out. They probably hoped to see the parade in all its glory while they had a chance to find a spot to watch.

Cloud watched them go, children's faces full of excitement. When he was younger he would have given anything to see Sephiroth in person, but now, after all he had seen the thought of this farce of a parade made him rather sick. Ostensibly it was to celebrate those who had died in the war, but Shinra had turned it into a propaganda machine.

Reno nudged Cloud as the whistle sounded and the train began to chug away. The two boys stood on the platform of the train station watching it go. The station was really just a strip of concrete maybe twenty feet long at its widest, only long enough for two train cars to stop at. As soon as the train was out of sight, but boys turned and began to walk.

The first thing Cloud noticed was the lighting. Only under the plate was there a perpetual shadow unbroken by daylight. The very air sucked the energy out of people, and it was a fight to keep moving and just living. There was always a bit of the stench of garbage and sweat that tended to catch at the back of the throat.

Aeris and her flowers were the most obvious exception. When Cloud had lived down here—even just briefly before he joined up with Barret and his group—he had searched for anything that represented something better, something to help him. He had spent those first weeks struggling to put together what had happened from the labs and what was him and what was Zack. Still, Aeris had been one of those good things that made the gloom more bearable. The only way to live down here was through those small solaces. Cloud wondered briefly what kinds of things had kept Reno going.

Reno suddenly pointed over Cloud to their left, jarring the blond from his thoughts. Reno's body language betrayed his confidence in this atmosphere, the surety of his walk and mannerisms. Reno clearly felt at home in these surroundings, in a place he knew like the back of his hand. Cloud felt a little sad about it. There was no place like that for him. Cloud could barely remember his childhood in Nibelheim now, and what he did was marred by bullying, ostracism, and later the bridge incident. After torture at Hojo's hands and complete displacement from his past, nowhere could really be called home.

"See that way?" Reno's finger indicated a track of broken train rails that led through a wall and into darkness. "It's to the train graveyard. There's some low level monsters wandering around there, but you shouldn't go in. People get lost real easy in there and there's more dangerous parts farther in." Cloud knew what a maze the place was and nodded to Reno. He remembered fighting through there before.

They headed out on their right towards Sector 7, a hastily scrawled sign pointing the way. Cloud recalled the old Sector 7 distinctly. He looked around a lot as they entered, taking in the surroundings and the slight variations from how he remembered it. It was surreal, but also strangely nice to be in a familiar place he could remember well. Things weren't quite the same though, and he simple couldn't relax. Barret's hideout had been here along with Tifa's bar, Seventh Heaven. The building looked a little more rundown, but he figured that a business as filled with life as Tifa's had helped to spruce the place up. Right now it was an old hair salon, with a sallow-faced woman in the window.

As Cloud and Reno kept walking, Cloud could see where garbage and trash were the foundations of walls and roofs for people who lived here. The slums in this area were a shantytown, held together with bubble gum, string, and desperate prayers. Concrete beams that had been thrown away from the plate were what held up buildings and ceilings. Old signs considered obsolete on the plate and unclear advertisements were fastened together to make walls. Slabs of old cardboard and aluminum were stacked up to cover people's heads. Wires and plumbing climbed the walls of the buildings like vines.

They walked on a dirt-caked ground that children's bare feet left small indents in. A group of people were gathered by a well not far off, probably the only source of water for this area. The irony in using such an old-fashioned device in such a modern place wasn't lost on Cloud. He saw the tattered clothes people wore, the darkened eyes and sunken cheers of their faces. Children stepped and danced around broken beer bottles and the smashed remains of kitchen crotchety. Some houses didn't even have doors, their haggard and broken lifestyles spilling out into the street.

It was a sharp contrast from the life that would blossom after Meteor. There wasn't any inspirational graffiti, no colorful drapes or curtains, no welcome mats at doorsteps or plant life to speak of. After Meteor, the one good thing was that people came together and fought the problems that had plagued the city, letting the community flourish.

As they passed a particularly large pile of garbage on the outskirts of town, Cloud's nose automatically wrinkled from the stench. For once he was glad not to have mako enhancements—if he thought it was strong now he couldn't imagine how a SOLDIER would find it.

Reno laughed outright at the look on Cloud's face. "You'll get used to the smell. It's not this bad in more populated areas, but Sector 7 and Sector 5 have some of the worst slums." Reno looked around for only a moment before walking down the main path that wound around three main buildings and numerous smaller ones. One of the biggest, along with a three-story apartment complex and a small hut that sat right on the road, was Barret's hideout. Now it was just a large house for a group of people. Some people lingered about, but they only gave Reno and Cloud a curious look before turning away.

As Cloud stared at the evidence of Shinra's greed, sparks of anger began to light inside him. So few people came down to the slums anymore, all they imagined was the life of Shinra on the plate. The world down here was how the other half lived and it was repulsive. How could anyone live with themselves for letting it fester this way?

Cloud kicked at the ground, the anger building and climbing inside him as he stared around and breathed in the odor of degenerated life. One day, somewhere in the future, he'd have a nice chat with Rufus when this was all over. He'd make sure he knew to what extent of filth these people lived in and that Cloud expected him to fix it.

Reno put a hand on one of Cloud's tightly clenched fists. He hadn't realized the blond would be so affected. While Reno would normally would be thinking along the lines of "too little too late", he remembered that Cloud came from a small mountain town—poverty in a town of 250 is very different than poverty in the biggest city in the world.

"Come on, things'll be brighter once we get to some of the livelier sectors. This one is pretty bad." Reno directed with his head to the exit, marked by a wired fence covered with warnings and no trespassing signs. Cloud watched for a moment as Reno walked away. His red hair was the brightest thing here.