Chapter 15
Cloud woke the next morning, feeling groggy and little cold. He groaned as he searched for his covers, finding that they were no longer on the bed, but instead, in a crumpled heap on the floor. Kotetsu snored softly at his side, her forehead resting perfectly against his chin. He decided to wait until she awoke before he reached down and made a fuss, though he wished it would be soon.
Fortunately for him, it wasn't long before Kotetsu snorted awake, her confused and still half asleep face more than too cute. Cloud kissed her softly, Kotetsu easily following in suit. The two shared a passionate moment before Cloud shifted them both, retrieving his covers from the cold floor and returning almost instantly so that two could snuggle back together, Cloud sighing softly as he stared off in a dream. Kotetsu shut her eyes, trying to go back to sleep whilst clinging onto Cloud for dear life, determined to keep him with her for as long as humanly possible.
Or maybe even Forever.
Kotetsu couldn't battle the sudden pessimistic thoughts that plagued her, her insane insecurity driving her to almost hysteria as she tried her best to be happy with the moment.
But what did the future hold?
The moment was all very well, but she couldn't go back. She couldn't help but see herself repeatedly, alone and in her dark cage once again, no windows or light, and especially no Cloud.
She shut her eyes tightly as images of dear Arashi flooded her thoughts, his pained face and sorrowful eyes a constant reminder of what was probably to come.
"Kotetsu?" Her eyes flew open at the sound of Cloud's deep and raspy morning voice. She shook her head as she smiled stupidly, unsure what it was exactly that she was denying. "You know you don't always have to lie to me. After all, I would say we were possibly a couple now, no?" Kotetsu felt a pang of pity for the suddenly unsure man, his eyes questioning as he seemed to worry about her answer.
Which was of course yes.
Kotetsu nodded her head vigorously before letting out a giggle as Cloud smothered her with butterfly kisses, his speed and passion making her giddy, almost delirious.
"Cloud! Cloud!" Cloud sat bolt upright as he began to panic, searching for his boxers, which he was so sure were right next to the bed when he had gone to sleep...
"Quick, put this on." Kotetsu caught the t-shirt that Cloud had thrown to her with her face, and giggled as she pulled it over her head. There was something so very exciting about being caught in bed with a male, which she had never experienced before. Usually she would be faced with punishment, but the thought of Tifa tearing Cloud to pieces verbally seemed vaguely funny, if not impressive, since Cloud was so strong and powerful compared to the surprisingly understanding woman. Kotetsu dived under the covers when she heard Tifa's footsteps get closer, Cloud still struggling to pull his t-shirt over his head in his hurry.
"Cloud!" Tifa almost screamed his name as she entered his room, though this time not with such authority. Her voice was broken, her eyes red from tears. Her confident calls for Cloud had now become pathetic whimpers as she hugged him tightly, Kotetsu now emerging from her newly made sanctuary amongst the sheets. "Cloud! I can't..." She sniffed hard as she tried to pull herself together. Cloud placed his hands gently on her shoulders, his eyes serious as he waited for his friend to continue. "Reno!" Cloud swore hard as he gritted his teeth. "No! He didn't... He hasn't... He's missing." Cloud's attitude changed as he began to question the sobbing mess now in his arms.
"Where was he the last time you saw him? Or spoke to him?" Tifa shook her head as she tried to collect her thoughts. "Two days ago." She hiccoughed. "He phoned me to tell me he was taking me out last night, and that he was on his way home from his latest mission." She wiped her eyes again as she sat on the bed, waving tiredly to Kotetsu as she finally noticed her presence. "But he never showed. I waited for hours Cloud. Hours. And it's not like him." Cloud sighed as he remained standing, watching his friend break her heart.
He was going to kill the red head if he had done this on purpose.
"Have you thought that maybe he just stood you up?" Cloud raised his arms in defence as Tifa glared in response. "I'm just saying. You can polish a shit, but it's still a shit." Tifa stood abruptly, and pushed passed Cloud, clearly more upset.
"You're such an asshole at times! I really need you right now and all you can do is make fun?" Cloud apologised as Tifa began to pace the floor, her tears falling freely once again. "He's not like that! You just can't see the wood for the trees. You're too busy waiting for him to fuck up that as soon as it looks like it has, you've already deemed him guilty." Cloud apologised again, but Tifa continued to explain none the less. "Cloud, we... he... we're getting married." Cloud lifted his head sharply and stared at Tifa for what felt like the longest six seconds of their lives.
"He proposed?" Tifa nodded, not a hint of shame.
"And I said yes. And it's happening with, or without your consent. But that's not the point. He's in trouble. He wouldn't just stand me up like that. He may be a sleaze at times, but it's all just an act. He's sensitive and looks after me. He cares about me, and I know he does. Plus. He said to me a couple of weeks ago that he thinks Rufus suspects him. He's been asking Tseng questions about his where abouts, and he thinks he knows about us." Cloud kept quiet as he sat on the bed, his eyes never leaving Tifa's as she begged him to help find him. "If not for him, for me. You owe me, big time. And I would never take advantage of that if I wasn't desperate. Please!" Cloud sighed as he nodded.
"Where was he when he phoned you?" Tifa smiled tiredly as she leant against the wall, last night's desperation obviously being a bit too much. Kotetsu could only imagine what Tifa was going through, but her own experiences made it easy to understand or even relate to.
"I... I don't know. On his way back on a train I think. But I don't know where from. Oh Cloud..." Cloud sighed as he stood and began to gather his clothes together.
"I'll do what I can. Kotetsu?" Kotetsu perked up to show she was listening. "Go get yourself ready." Tifa jumped to her feet as she followed the skipping Kotetsu out.
"Thank you, for doing this. I'd go with you, but Denzel and Marlene, they need someone to- " Cloud stopped her in her tracks.
"I know. Your emotions would be a hindrance anyway. You won't have a clear mind. I'll keep in touch, go and make breakfast for the kids, calm yourself. Everything is going to be okay."
...
Kotetsu waited patiently at the door as Cloud gathered together some stuff for his bike. She watched as Tifa stood at the bar, her worried expression nothing compared to the sheer desperation in her eyes.
"It will get okay." Kotetsu hadn't really meant to speak aloud, but her mouth had seemed to think it appropriate to sound her thoughts. Tifa smiled sweetly at her, but still seemed unconvinced. "Cloud fix all." Tifa nodded though didn't seem to cheer up as she continued to stare at nothing. Denzel and Marlene were down eating breakfast, but knew not to say anything as they sat in an awkward silence.
"You ready?" Cloud whispered softly against Kotetsu's ear, trying not to upset the thick quietness. Kotetsu nodded briskly as she turned to leave. "We're going now." Tifa nodded in recognition of Cloud's words before reducing herself to tears again. "I'll... keep in touch." Cloud ushered Kotetsu out of the door and led her towards his bike.
"Where we go?" Cloud shrugged, clearly at a loss.
"To the nearest train station I suppose. It's hard to start looking for someone when you have no idea where they went or where they were coming from. Who knows if he was taken on the train or in Midgar, or at ShinRa." Cloud sighed sadly. "Or if he was even taken at all." He kicked his leg over his bike and made himself comfortable before signalling for Kotetsu to join him. "I'm sorry, but it looks like we're going to be going into more dangerous waters." Cloud kick-started his bike and let the engine tick over for a while. "We should maybe get in contact with Rude, Reno's right hand man. Maybe he knows, if he isn't in the same trouble himself." Cloud pulled out his mobile and pushed a few buttons, then closed it again and returned it to his pocket. "Hold on tight." Was his short warning before he sped off through the streets of Midgar.
...
Kotetsu walked slowly to the edge of what Cloud had called 'the platform'. She was most intrigued with the layout, and the metal 'tracks' below were definitely most peculiar. What on earth were they for?
"Kotetsu! Keep away from the edge." Kotetsu jumped back as if her life depended on it, the harshness and urgency of Cloud's voice making her suddenly very wary of these mysterious 'tracks'. "I have enough trouble trying to keep you safe from others, never mind yourself." Kotetsu stared at Cloud inquisitively before trying to peer over the edge of the platform from a now safer distance, very interested indeed with what dangers it held. Could she fight whatever it was? Or was it some kind of invisible threat?
Cloud wandered along the platform, inspecting here and there as he seemed at a loss of what to do. He then wandered over to the open window, where an old and rather frail man sat, his hat slightly over his eyes as he tried his best to sleep without being noticed. Cloud cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the slightly delirious man.
"Good god boy, you scared the living shit out of me. What do you want?" Cloud lifted his eyebrow in annoyance as he let the old man's rudeness slide... for a moment.
"This man." Cloud slammed a picture of Reno against the glass, resulting in the old man jumping back in surprise. That was how Cloud reinstated his authority without directly threatening anyone, and Kotetsu loved it. She couldn't help but feel her heart race and her mind swoon over the sexy man next to her, his strength and the protection he offered all the more desirable. "Have you seen him?" The old man in the small booth scratched the back of his head nervously before looking Cloud over again.
"No." Cloud growled in annoyance, clearly unimpressed with the man's reply. "I mean to say, not recently." Cloud leaned closer to the window, his unwavering stare only seeming to frighten the man further. "The other day, he left here on the 269 to the outskirts. I don't know where he went after that, I swear." Cloud sighed as he folded the photo of Reno, not even thanking the man as he made his way back along the platform to check the box with the strange dancing lights.
"Ten minutes." Cloud mumbled under his breath before he sat down on the bench to the left. Kotetsu wandered over to the strange box, her curious fingers reaching out to touch the cold and slightly rough metal. "A Time display." Kotetsu looked over to see Cloud move to stand next to her, his finger pointing to the yellow lights. "Those are numbers, and these are letters." Cloud found himself quite enjoying himself when he taught Kotetsu things. She was like an enthusiastic student that just excelled at everything, and he loved to see her smile.
"Numbers." She murmured, trying to hold onto Cloud's every word. Cloud continued to explain the small display unit.
"Letters make up words, and words make up sentences, like this one." Cloud pointed to one of the words and dragged his finger across a few of them as he spoke. "It says: 'Train Arrival Times'." Kotetsu nodded. She then pressed her finger against the glass and copied Cloud.
"'Train Arrival Times'." Cloud nodded. He then pointed to the numbers.
"And this number is 269. That's the train we're waiting on." Kotetsu looked at Cloud again, clearly confused. "You'll see what I mean." Kotetsu then shrugged and looked back at the shiny box.
"What this say?" she pointed to a word and number that were flashing over and over again next to one of the train names. Cloud smiled as he went back to his lesson.
"When it's flashing like that, it means that one of the trains is running late. It says 'Expected: 09:46'." Kotetsu repeated what he said, her finger running over the word and number as she spoke them. "There are really only ten numbers you need to learn how to draw, 0 – 9, but after that, you just put numbers next to each other to make different ones." Kotetsu frowned though nodded slowly, indicating she was understanding what he was saying, but not what he meant. "Remind me to show you later, when I have a pen and piece of paper handy." Cloud then remembered. "Oh and we should get you a sketch book today, if we get the chance." Kotetsu nodded excitedly about getting something, though she quickly realised she had no idea what it was, which made it all the more exciting. Kotetsu then heard a distant rattling low murmur coming from distance, her expression concerned as she tried to figure out whether she should be worried about it from Cloud's reaction. But he just seemed not to notice anything, and she was sure his senses were as heightened as her own. She could then see the beginnings of a dark outline of something, a machine of some kind. She tugged shyly on Cloud's arm.
"That's what we're waiting on. It's a train." Kotetsu looked up at Cloud, completely clueless. "You'll see in just a moment." And like Cloud had predicted, a moment later, the 'train' had pulled up in front of them, its giant wheels on the tracks below. Things began to click in Kotetsu's mind as she nodded slowly, her eyes wide in awe. She followed Cloud as he approached the great black machine, it's heaving structure groaning almost as it waited patiently for them to... Kotetsu then realised that she had no idea what Cloud was doing. She clung onto his arm as he made his way along the side, his eyes searching until he found an opening. Kotetsu hesitated for am moment as Cloud stepped into the machine, her experience with metal things that were alive not really being anything close to wonderful. "It's alright. It's safe enough. Trust me." He offered her his hand, and she took it without question, all hesitations gone as she stepped up onto the now buzzing and bleeping train. She jumped back from the opening, further into the corridor, unsure of what all the commotion was about. Had she tripped an alarm? Alerted everyone of their presence? She hadn't realised that this was a stealth mission. She then noticed Cloud laughing slightly as he rested his hands on her shoulders, his eyes sparkling as he tried to keep his chuckling to a minimum. "That's just a signal to let you know the doors are closing, so you don't get stuck in them." Kotetsu then noticed that there indeed had been a door, and it was now shut. She nodded slowly as her heart rate dropped, and the fists that she had readied earlier now relaxed. Cloud then took her hand and led her down the aisle, lots of empty seats on either side. "You can chose." Kotetsu jumped into action, running up and then down again before deciding quite dramatically that she wanted the one with a table and a window.
"This!" She squealed with happiness as she dived into the double seats, Cloud shaking his head as he found himself laughing again. She was mental. And he loved it. He then slid into the double seats across from her so that he could face her, the smile she had plastered on her face almost distracting him completely from the job at hand.
"Do you like it?" Kotetsu nodded happily as the train jerked into motion, her face practically squashed up against the not so clean window. Cloud watched her as she tried to take in every piece of scenery that they passed, her eye darting back and forth as if she was in some kind of R.E.M sleep. She even attempted to ask what things were, but by the time she had pointed and Cloud had looked, the thing had gone and Kotetsu was left to try and explain it, which was most amusing.
"It like a..." Kotetsu shook her hand in front of her face and then drew a box in the air and smiled expectantly at Cloud.
"Uh... I'm sorry, what?" Kotetsu giggled and did the process again, and Cloud was still stumped. "I really have no idea..." Kotetsu slumped as she tried to do it again, the concentration on her face quite cute. "I'm sorry, it's not your doodling in the air that's the problem, I just didn't see it. Maybe you can see another one and point it out?" Kotetsu nodded and her face was planted back against the glass, her eyes darting all over the place.
...
Kotetsu waved goodbye to the train, her smile almost hurting as she danced around Cloud.
"Again!" Cloud smiled softly as he nodded.
"Maybe later. But remember. We have to find Reno." Kotetsu stopped dancing and came back to Cloud's side, her fingers lightly touching his arm as he led the way. "You don't have to stop having fun, I was just saying we can't play on trains all day." Kotetsu nodded and smiled, though didn't start dancing again. Cloud ruffled the girl's hair, rubbing her shoulder as they approached another old man in a box, half asleep. Kotetsu was beginning to wonder if that was what old men did when they got to a certain age and made a point to ask Cloud later.
"Hi there." The man in the booth snorted himself awake and then came to attention.
"Hullo there sir, and what can I do you for today?" Cloud smiled at the man, obviously pleased with his manners.
"I was looking for this man, have you seen him?" Cloud lifted the picture of Reno and the man sighed as he stared at it. He then looked at Cloud, then Kotetsu, then back at Cloud before returning his gaze to the picture. The man shuffled in his seat uncomfortably as he cleared his throat, his moustache shuffling strangely. Cloud waited patiently for the man to look out the window to check for anyone listening in on their conversation. "No one's here except us." The old man nodded knowingly.
"Aye. I have seen your man. Yesterday in fact. He didn't look well when they dragged him off that train. No sir. He looked like a well skelped arse." Cloud raised his eyebrow at the man's description. "Didn't look well at all." The man nodded at Cloud as if trying to convey just how 'well skelped' looking Reno had really been.
"Who took him?" The old man shrugged his shoulders.
"Guy's in black." Cloud frowned.
"So not ShinRa guards then?" The old man shook his head. "Where did they take him?"The old man checked again to see if anyone was around before continuing.
"That way." The old man pointed in the direction that the train had just come in. "No car or other mode of transport, just dragged him." Cloud thanked the man before bouncing into action, his hands catching Kotetsu's as he pulled her into a run. Kotetsu caught up with Cloud so that she was now in front of him, eyes searching for danger. That was when she noticed what appeared to be drag marks in the dry mud, the scrapes an excellent indication of the direction travelled.
"Reno?" Kotetsu pointed at the marks as Cloud caught up to her.
"Could be." Kotetsu nodded as she turned to run off again. "Hang on." Kotetsu stumbled forward as she tried to stop herself, her questioning look in place. Cloud then dropped down to the ground and studied the markings, his fingers pressing the hardened dirt and rubbing back dust that was covering up blood stains. "Not good." Cloud suddenly seemed very nervous as he chewed on his lip in thought. He then stood back to his full height and signalled for Kotetsu to start running again. She tried not to shoot ahead of him, but if there was anything she was good at, it was running. She would slow down or even stop for a bit to allow Cloud to catch up, and she was happy to see that he wasn't annoyed at her in any way. "Just stay close enough that I can see you." Was all he had advised as she continued to disappear into the distance, her keen eyes scanning the surroundings for any more clues.
And then the tracks stopped.
"Now?" Cloud had began to circle the area, not even acknowledging that Kotetsu had spoken. She waited patiently for Cloud to make a decision, though she was unsure that there was much else to go on.
And then Cloud's phone rang.
"Rude?" Cloud leant to one side as he listened to possibly Rude, his head nodding now and then. "So, do you know who it was?" Cloud nodded a few more times before his eyes landed on Kotetsu, his expression troubled. He then nodded some more before he said 'bye' and hung up.
"What?" Kotetsu approached Cloud carefully, his unexplained quietness not something she liked. "Cloud?" She watched her hero slump in defeat, his eyes pained as he hugged her gently.
"I need you... To take me back. Take me back to where you were made." Kotetsu froze in her protector's arms, her mind racing as she felt herself grow flustered and light headed.
"Okay." Her voice was weak, but he heard, his tightened hug making her legs almost buckle.
"I will keep you safe. I will protect you. I promised I would, and I will." Kotetsu nodded, somehow knowing that Cloud needed to see that she was okay with this, and smiled widely.
"I trust." This seemed to upset Cloud more, which wasn't really the plan. "You okay?" Cloud nodded, but didn't seem to brighten his mood.
"Reno is in trouble. And I need to put you in the most danger of all to get him out, if he's even still alive, and break all the promises I made about keeping you away from that awful man." Kotetsu shook her head.
"I don't mind." Cloud sighed in frustration.
"I do! I mind!" He turned suddenly and kicked at the ground. "Why can't that brainless idiot look after his god damned self." Kotetsu shrugged her shoulders and Cloud sighed, realising he might not get a chance to teach her about rhetorical questions...
Cloud then took Kotetsu's hand in his, there eyes meeting for a painful moment before the two made their way back towards the train station.
Herro! New chapter! it may feel a little rushed at the end but i wanted to make sure i posted it tonight in the hope that you guys get to read it sooner XD
Hope you like it! and i am really very greatful for all the reviews i have been receiving! please keep letting me know what you think, I love to hear what my readers have to say as you guys play a huge part in my motivation for writing! thanks again and enjoy XD