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Cloud, 22

The telephone's incessant ringing woke Cloud from his sleep. He reached around blearily until he found it. It had to be work, he thought. No one else would call this late at night.

"What is it this time?"

"Just informing you of your next mission," Reeve answered smoothly. No matter what time of day – or night - he rang, he always seemed perfectly awake.

"Couldn't it wait?" asked Cloud.

"I was just calling you to say that you don't need to be into twelve. Yuffie's requested you escort her to Wutai and assist with the cleaning up operation there." Cloud groaned.

"So you ring me in the middle of the night to tell me I can sleep in?" Cloud asked.

"It's 4:23, actually."

"Great…So how long am I going for?"

"It shouldn't be long. A week, at most." Cloud sighed.

"Fine, I'll be there." With that, he hung up the phone. He had never been a morning person. Reeve should really know better then to call him so early by now.

"What was that about?" Tifa asked sleepily.

"Work, as usual," Cloud said. "I'm getting the morning off, but I'm going to be gone for a week."

"Hmm…wish you didn't have to go."

"Me too."

Cloud turned over and fell into a fitful sleep. He woke up again at7:30 just when the children were about to leave. Tifa was about to take them but Cloud volunteered to take them instead.

"Oooh, you should show off your sword!" Marlene had said. "All the kids would be so impressed!" Marlene was grinning wolfishly at the thought.

"I don't think so, Marlene," Tifa said. "I think that might get him into trouble." Marlene pouted.

"I guess so...I'll just have to tell them more stories."

Cloud sighed internally. He knew that Marlene and, to a lesser extent, Denzel both shared the 'glamorised' version of his adventures with their classmates. Cloud had wanted to clear some issues up, but Tifa had pointed out that they were far too young for the truth. Cloud just wished they wouldn't refer to him as a 'hero' or 'saviour'. Neither of those titles belonged to him.

They set off, Marlene skipping in front of them. Denzel walked with him, looking anxious.

Cloud knew that Denzel still struggled with school,. Tifa tried encouraging him to study, but he had difficulty grasping the concepts and often gave up out of frustration. Cloud would have helped him more, but he was usually busy with work.

When they arrived, Marlene caught sight of her friends and ran off happily. Denzel put on a brave face and began to walk up the long path to his half-built school.

"Denzel, wait."

"Yeah?"

"Don't worry so much. Things will get better, if you move at your own pace."

Those words, which had inspired him all those years ago seemed to make little impact on Denzel.

"Easy for you to say." He walked off and Cloud watched him, at a loss. He wished Zack was here. He would know the right words. He always did.

Cloud looked up at the overcast sky. His mood was fluctuating so wildly. Sometimes it felt almost as if Zack was still alive and other times he remembered and the pain crashed down on him all over again.

'I'm not sure if I can keep doing this,' Cloud thought solemnly. 'In a way, remembering you is like losing you all over again.' He walked home, his heart suddenly heavier in his chest.

Tifa greeted him at the door, a mischievous smile on her face.

"It looks like we have the morning to ourselves," she whispered seductively. The suggestion was tempting, but there was something he had to do before he left.

"Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you," Cloud started. "It's important and I don't want the kids listening in." Tifa's face fell, but she nodded.

"Do you want me to put on some tea?" she asked.

"I'd prefer we just started. If we wait, I'm not sure I'll be able to say this." Tifa's eyes were wide with fear. He could practically hear her thinking 'What more?'. He wished he could spare her this, but Vincent was right. If she hadn't thought of the possibility, he owed it to her to make her aware.

"I've been thinking about the other people Hojo…experimented on. You notice how none of them look the age they're supposed to. Vincent, even Sephiroth…they both look too young."

"But that's okay…You'll just look a little bit younger then the rest of us," Tifa said cautiously.

"Maybe you're right. I don't know what Hojo did to me, exactly, or what it will do. Maybe it won't even be noticeable, or maybe I'll still look sixteen when I'm seventy. I really don't know."

Tifa stood still, as if he had slapped her.

"If you want to stay with me, there might be issues. Things we have to deal with. If you don't want to take that risk, then that's your right. I won't force you to stay with me."

"How very noble of you," Tifa said stiffly. "I suppose you couldn't care either way then. After all, I'm just a girl who happens to hang around. Not the one you really wanted."

"Tifa…That's not it at all."

"Would it kill you to say you enjoy having me around? That you want me to stay!"

She began to cry. Cloud kept his distance and said nothing.

"Don't you see? Everything I do, everything I am, it's all wrapped up in you. I can't just walk away now," Tifa said.

'Why me?' he wanted to ask her. Why would she give everything she had to him?

"I'm sorry," Cloud said instead.

"For what? Being abducted by a mad man?" Tifa laughed sourly.

Cloud looked into Tifa's misty brown eyes.

"Maybe you deserve better."

Tifa clenched her fists.
"Stop saying that! I'm not going to leave Cloud, no matter how hard you try to push me away!" Cloud took one last look at her and left.

'Being honourable isn't always easy, is it, Zack?' Cloud thought. More and more of his thoughts were addressed to his deceased friend. He wasn't sure it was healthy but it helped him sort through his feelings. Unfortunately, it wasn't even close to talking to the SOLDIER.

When he arrived at the WRO headquarters their plane was already waiting for them. Yuffie was waiting for him impatiently, surrounded by a couple of the members of the security force. Reeve was standing to the side, looking exhausted.

Cloud looked around, but didn't see Vincent anywhere. He was relieved. Cloud didn't think he could bear to face Vincent after what had happened.

"Looks like you're all ready to go," said Reeve smoothly. "Miss Kisigari, you have these forces for a maximum of a week. When they arrive home, we will send a clean up team after them."

"Understood," said Yuffie, her trademark grin temporarily absent from her face.

She strode into the plane elegantly. Looking at her, Cloud realised that she'd grown since they had last met. She seemed more confident and sure in her own skin. He was almost jealous.

Cloud gave the signal to his troops to board the plan. Privately, he was dreading the trip. He might not get nauseous anymore – one of the few effects of mako he was actually grateful for – but he didn't like being trapped in confined spaces for any length of time.

Cloud settled down and prepared himself for a long flight. The plane was tiny, barely big enough to hold them all. He supposed Reeve still didn't have enough fuel to power a bigger ship. The only reason Cid could get away with it was his stock pile of mako and even that would soon be gone.

Yuffie stared resolutely out of the window.

"Did you try taking meds? Sometimes it helps."

"And sometimes they make it ten times worse. You'll just have to put up with the puking, my esteemed leader."

Cloud's troops looked slightly disturbed by this casual exchange. Before they had even met Cloud they had been in awe of him. He had tried getting to know them, but they inadvertently kept him at arms length with their hero worship.
It didn't help that he was so reclusive. He had tried reaching out to them, but every time he tried, it felt forced.

"Anyone been to Wutai?" he asked. One by one, they all shook their heads, not even daring to speak.

"Maybe you'll get a chance to look around, then. See something new." Cloud's efforts at conversation petered out. He gave up and stared at the landscape underneath him.

Even after Sephiroth and Meteor, he still had trouble leading people. He could command them during battle, but he knew being a leader was about more then that. It was about inspiring people to feel pride in themselves and what they were doing.

Cloud thought of various ways to achieve this during the long flight. Finally, after hours and hours of fruitless musing, he fell asleep.

Cloud was lying in a field of long grass and flowers. He could smell the nectar in the air and feel a gentle wind blowing on his face. The sky was a radiant blue. This place was utterly peaceful.

"This is better. Honestly, you spend so much of your life worrying about things." Zack's voice came from his left side. Cloud went to sit up but a hand on his wrist pulled him back down.

"That would be breaking the rules, Chocobo."

"What rules?"

"The rules which govern the universe, I guess."

"What…what is this?" Cloud asked, feeling frustrated.

"I can't tell you that. Trust me when I tell you it's more then a dream and different to a memory. It's all I can say for the moment."

"Typical."

"I wish I could help you with your other problems, but…"

"It's against the rules, right?"

"Yeah... I'm sorry. You have no idea how much I wish I could have helped you more."

Cloud, 16

A small alert tone from Cloud's PHS woke him up. He had been expecting it, so he wasn't surprised to see the small note alerting him to an upcoming mission. He was surprised when he realised that he only had two hours to get ready.

They were only going out to the marsh lands. The mission said that a local monster was harassing the chocobos. It sounded like Zack would be doing most of the cutting and slashing, Cloud thought. The rest of them were just unnecessary back up.

At least it was only supposed to be a one-day mission. Cloud doubted he would have time to be packed and ready otherwise. Even now, he was a bit miffed at the lack of warning.

It seemed like Shinra was getting sloppier, at least to Cloud. Maybe he was only aware of it because of all the information Zack had given him about his higher-ups.

Cloud thought about getting breakfast and decided against it. Most likely they would be travelling by truck along half-developed roads. In which case, having breakfast was just asking for trouble.

Instead he got dressed and grabbed some trail bars from the supply room. It wouldn't do to pass out on this mission. Zack was a pretty tolerant person, but even he would probably look down on Cloud if couldn't complete any of the missions he was assigned.

Cloud expected to be the first person waiting at the meeting point and was surprised when Zack beat him. He was doing squats as he approached.

"You know, you're really surprising sometimes," Cloud said as he approached.

"Yeah?" Zack completed his last squat. "How so?"

"I never thought of you as a morning person, or the sort of person who likes arriving early. You always seem so laid back."

"Hmm…I don't worry about being early, per say. I guess I just bored waiting around."

"You just have too much energy."

"I take it you're not a morning person," Zack said.

"Not really."

Cloud stretched and yawned. Even two years of Shinra training hadn't made him used to early rising. When he was younger, it had seemed like torture. He had never had to stick to a routine before.

Zack began pulling on a strand of Cloud's hair.

"Oow! What are you doing?" Cloud attempted to sleepily untangle Zack's hand from his unmanageable hair.

"Sorry, couldn't help it." Cloud blushed and then attempted to glare at the SOLDIER.

"What is it about my hair that fascinates you?"

"I don't know…It's just so shiny…"

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"As much as I'd love to continue this discussion, we have company," Zack said, pointing behind him. The other three infantrymen were approaching, giving the two boys odd looks. Cloud stepped back slightly and Zack turned to face everyone.

Zack gave the mission brief in strictly professional tones, but every time he turned to look at Cloud he smiled slightly. Cloud wasn't sure whether to smile in return or glower.

"Alright, let's get going!" Zack's enthusiasm was infectious. Even the other infantrymen were joking and laughing as they set off. Even though they had to take the train because Shinra were too cheap to complete the road from the top plate to the desert, even if they had been dragged out of bed first thing in the morning, they were getting into the spirit of the mission.

"Hey, Ludwich, I think that girl's checking you out," Zack had fake-whispered at one point of the train. Ludwich had revealed that he actually already had a girl waiting for him at home and Zack had insisted that they talk about their significant others for the duration of the trip.

They had all had girlfriends and this had made Cloud feel backwards. He had been relieved when Zack hadn't asked him about his 'girl'

Cloud had already told him about Tifa, anyway. It had been a surprisingly short conversation. Zack had seemed contented to let him keep his feelings mostly to himself.

Cloud had listened as Zack talked about Aeris. By the sounds of her, she was perfect in just about every way, in looks and personality. Cloud supposed it made sense. Someone as amazing as Zack couldn't go out with just any girl.

The train shuddered to a stop and they all climbed out. They took the quick route through the slums in order to avoid any potential trouble.

Their truck was waiting for them just outside the border. The driver was looking a little miffed.

"You're late."

"My bad," Zack said. "I guess these things happen, right?"

Cloud shook his head slightly. He wondered how often he had covered for team members. Was that why Zack had a reputation for being disorganised?

The driver grunted at them to get in and they all clambered inside. Cloud deliberately sat away from the others, looking out the window. He had found it helped, if not much.

Zack had sat next to him.

"You could try and get some sleep?" Zack suggested as the truck started moving.

"I probably won't be able to," Cloud replied miserably.

"I could help."

'Help how?' Cloud thought. He was about to asked but he felt suddenly exhausted. Just as his eyes began to shut, he saw Zack hold up one of his materia. Understanding hit him just as he fell into a deep sleep.

The next thing he knew he was waking up, feeling totally refreshed. The truck was just pulling to a stop at the edge of marshland.

"Seal materia," Cloud said. "But how did you manage to make the effect so mild?" Combat grade seal-Materia was designed to knock out fully alert enemies in the middle of battle and could be relied upon to keep them subdued for days.

"It's easy, once you know the trick. SOLDIERs use it occasionally to get some sleep on the battlefield. They have to make sure it's mild enough for them to wake up, should anything happen."

"Makes sense," Cloud said. "That's pretty resourceful." He grabbed one of his snacks out of his bag and started munching on it

"It is, isn't it? At least you're grateful. The other guys seemed to think I'd accidently killed you." Indeed, the infantrymen were looking a little sheepish.

"Anyway," said Zack. "We have a mission to do. We're looking for the big-wormy-thing."

"Wait? You mean the Zolom? Are you crazy?"

Everyone but Cloud was looking at Zack like he had calmly proposed poisoning themselves. Cloud had never heard of this 'Zolom' but he was pretty sure Zack could take it, whatever it was.

"That's the one," said Zack. "Don't worry; you guys will mostly be watching my back, anyway. Your job is to make sure that nothing takes me out while I deal with the big guy."

"How big?" asked Cloud, a hint of nervousness working its way into his voice.

"A little bit big," Zack said reassuringly. Ludwich didn't look reassured. He looked he was going to vomit.

"Come on, then!" Zack cheerfully waved them on. Cloud followed behind, pulling his gun out. Gradually everyone else began to follow.

"I've heard they eat chocobos whole," said Ludwich anxiously.

Cloud recognised him from training. They had been casual acquaintances, occasionally bitching about their instructors. Cloud also recognised Witman, who was currently making faces behind Ludwich's back and Taylor, who laughing along with him. They were some of the boys in his dorm, the sort who like to make trouble.

"That's why we're out here," Zack pointed out. "Though I think if the farmer just stopped them coming out this far, they'd be fine. Still, best not to complain, right?"

"Yes, sir."

The ground started to get even muddier. Zack gestured at them to stop.

"I'm going to go Zolom catching. You guys stay here and watch."

"You sure? What happens if you get assaulted out there?" Cloud asked, looking dubiously into the gloom. Normally he wouldn't dare speak out against orders, but if Zack went more then a few feet they wouldn't be able to see him at all.

"Sure I'm sure," Zack replied. "You keep an ear out for anything scary coming your way. If it sounds too bad, don't hesitate to call out."

"Yes, sir," they replied as one. They watched as Zack walked off into the marsh.

"He is so brave," said Ludwich. "I wish I could just shrug off danger like that."

"We all know how far you are from that," Witman said dryly.

"Maybe if you could actually hold a sword straight, you might be more confident," Taylor added.

"I don't see you following him," Cloud pointed out.

"What and break mission orders? You might be snuggling up the Lieutenant, but the rest of us have to obey the rules."

"Like I keep telling you, nothing like that is going on."

"We saw you. You were cuddling up to Lieutenant Fair just before. I suppose that's not the first time, though."

"That's not exactly what happened," Ludwich pointed out. "But you were leaning on his shoulder..."

Cloud shrugged, trying to suppress the inevitable blushing. The thought of holding Zack close, of feeling the warmth he radiated like the sun, made him feel warm all over.

'This isn't right. It's just what I'm imagining. I'm sure the reality would be nothing like that.'

"I was asleep. I happened to sleep on his shoulder. That's hardly out of order," Cloud said firmly.

"Maybe you're not doing anything technically wrong, then, but we all know you want to get with him."

A monstrous shriek interrupted Witman's tirade. Cloud resisted the impulse to leap through the mud.

"Want to run to him, lover boy?" Cloud grit his teeth but shook his head.
"I wouldn't disobey my commanding officer," Cloud said. "I suggest you be quiet so that we can listen out, like we were told."

Cloud looked away from the other boys. Stupid gits. They realised that Zack had probably heard every word, right? He hoped the older boy put them in their place. They had no right to accuse them of that. Zack had a girlfriend, for crying out loud!

Why did he keep on rising to their taunts? Why, oh why, did they stick in his head long after they were said, teasing his mind with their implications? He shouldn't be thinking about being with Zack, not like that, not ever. It was wrong.

'But you can't help but be curious. What would be like, to try and… Cloud squashed that little voice before the thought could come to fruition. No. Those boys could say what they wanted, but the truth was that he and Zack were friends and that was all they would ever be. Could ever be.

Cloud shook his head and focused on the swampy landscape. There were no animals about and other then the occasional noise from behind him, it was eerily quiet. Feeling suddenly nervous, Cloud gripped his gun firmly.

The trees were small and few between in the swamp. It shouldn't have been possible for anyone to hide, but Cloud was suddenly sure that something was coming for them.

A soft 'sloosh' noise was all the warning they got as three men bore down on them. The assault was so fast that they barely had time to react. Cloud's attacker was almost upon him before he had even registered his existence.

The gunshot rang through the air. Cloud looked at shock at the rouge warrior in front of him. He slumped to the ground, blood pouring into the already sodden earth.

'He was from Wutai,' Cloud thought numbly. 'One of their ninjas, judging by the clothes.' Another one of the Wutai assailants took advantage of his shock to grab him by the collar.

He began to swear in his own language.

"You will pay for that, brat. You'll pay with your life." Cloud looked around. One of the assailants had knocked the other three down. As far as Cloud could tell they were alive, but stunned.

"Why are you here?" Cloud asked, trying to sound brave but feeling like he was going to be sick.

"Revenge, why else?" his capture said. "Does Shinra think they can take our honour from us, as well as our home?"

"None of us had anything to do with Wutai,' Cloud said firmly. "Your fight isn't with us." This was not a brave thing to say, Cloud supposed, but it was the truth. 'These cowards were taking their grief out on the wrong people,' he thought savagely.

"You killed my brother and you dare say that to me!"

"Was he your brother?" Cloud asked hollowly. He wanted to point out that his brother had attacked him first, that Cloud was only doing his job. But those words were hollow justifications for the loss of a brother. They wouldn't mean anything to this man now.

"We were just going to keep you as hostages," the assailant continued. "But now…I think we'll kill the blondie and take the rest."

"Please, treat them well," Cloud begged. "They don't deserve to be caught up in this! You have to understand."

The two ninjas laughed. What did it matter? They weren't going to listen to him now. Clearly Zack couldn't hear them; he was probably way out in the marsh by now. They must have planned this very well.

The ninja pulled the gun out of his unresisting hand. He pushed Cloud down into the muck.

"I want to see your eyes as you die," the ninja hissed. Cloud almost understood his hatred. If someone had killed Zack…

He was never going to get to see Zack again, Cloud supposed. Not like this. It was what he regretted the most. More then not getting into SOLDIER, more then abandoning his mother. He just wanted to be with Zack.

The realisation was bitter-sweet. He looked up at his captor.

"Get on with it, then," he said harshly. Fear made his stomach twist and his body feel heavy with dread.

"The kid's right," the other ninja said. "Hurry up before we have to deal with the real forces." He added something in Wutai.

There was a whimper from besides him, silenced when the Wutai onlooker kicked at the young boys. The ninja slowly drew his sword and held it poised just over his chest.

The sword thrust towards him just as blinding light seemed to erupt from his would-be executioner. The next few moments were a confusion of light and sound.

'Did he get me?' wondered Cloud. 'I didn't feel anything…' He looked down in disbelief as blood began to seep through his shirt.

"I'm sorry," he said breathlessly as the pain hit him. "I can't…" He could have sworn he heard Zack call out his name before his eyes closed.