"Cadet Strife," the SOLDIER Third barked, and Cloud would've jumped if he hadn't been tied to the chair. "Did you have anything to do with all this?"

Cloud was about to answer negatively, but then paused. That voice, it sounded familiar. "I don't believe so, sir. I can not answer more confidently until you elaborate on what exactly 'all this' is."

The SOLDIER's mouth twisted into a strangely bitter sneer. "Have you come into contact with, known about, or participated in the trade or use of banned drugs, whether prescribed or not, since you have been enrolled in the SOLDIER training program."

Was that? No way, it couldn't be. "Kunsel?" Cloud murmured, "That you?"

The man, who Cloud was now sure was Zack's friend, froze for half a second before ignoring the question and moving on with the interrogation, but not before sending a smug smirk towards the wall on the SOLDIER's right. "Answer me, Cadet Strife," the man ordered, ignoring the question. Yep, it was Kunsel all right. This was so weird.

Well, two could play at this game. "I came into contact with the spoken of drugs shortly after I regained consciousness in the hospital, sir. I found out about them through confusion caused by my amnesia, which produced a certain cluelessness regarding the subject of which locker my belongings were in. This set off a chain of events which led Cadet Reno to finding out about them also. Sir, I cannot fully answer your inquiry on the basis that I do not have full memory of my time in the SOLDIER training program, so I could have been involved in 'all this' and do not know it. However, the few memories I have of my personality give me grounds to believe that I would not have been involved, and I am fairly secure in the thought that investigation of the circumstances and participants involved in 'all this' will lead you to conclude that I was no more part of it than Cadet Reno, who I believe to be the one that reported 'all this' to an authority figure, sir. If you or any others working on this case decide that I had willingly participated in actions that are banned under the guidelines of the SOLDIER training program, I will not fight against any punishment I might receive. Though, I do not believe that I would find it just and would soon quit the program if I had not already been thrown out, as I have no memory of any transactions regarding any chemical substances with the perpetrators, nor am I aware of who said perpetrators are at this moment in time. That is all, SOLDIER Third, sir."

Cloud struggled fight back a smirk the longer Kunsel didn't say anything. Apparently his training had stayed with him, even if his memories hadn't, because that had sounded scarily like a military report, and the binds on the chair had restrained a salute that had been begging to snap up to his forehead. Maybe it was being back in this time, but it was hard to believe how obedient he was. Of course, if there was any time or situation where it would help him to be openly insubordinate, he would gladly shake the stiff formalities off. Still, it was rather amusing to discretely mock someone like that.

"That is not all this interrogation is about, Cadet Strife."

Cloud froze. Had he messed up somewhere? Let something slip? Acted too suspiciously? It was definitely possible, considering he wasn't even sure how he was supposed to act. Either way, Kunsel's dark tone was ominous enough to make him think that this wasn't just about some idle curiosity.

"Or should I say, TTRSlash."

"…"

"…"

"… What the fudge?" As soon as he said it Cloud wanted to take it back. He was pretty sure that was a saying from a different time, and he really didn't need something else for them to be suspicious of. But honestly, TTRSlash? What was that even supposed to mean? "Is that some sort of codename or something? Because if it is I think you're going to have to spell it out for me a little. It is TTR slash, right? Not TTRS lash?" The only thing he could think of that it could stand for was Tea Time Rush, and there was no way that was it. No one even liked tea anyway, so even if there was a tea time there wouldn't be a rush for it. "Sir, what does that even mean?"

Silence for a moment, and it was making Cloud nervous that the Kunsel's helmet blocked most of his face. He couldn't read people very well when he could only see their mouths. Finally Kunsel answered, "I think I should be the one asking you that, considering it was your PHS that got a message addressing you as such."

Cloud blinked. Then he blinked again. Was he dreaming or something? Because he was pretty positive he didn't have his own phone. Besides, Tifa would have called that instead of Shinra if he had had one. In fact, he didn't even think cadets were allowed to have a PHS on them when they were training. "Sir, are you sure it was mine? Because I don't remember ever having a PHS, but I suppose that's not saying much." Cloud was actually starting to feel a little sorry for the guy. It must be frustrating, interrogating someone who knew allegedly nothing. Plus the fact that they had this whole TTR thing that he didn't have anything to do with, and it probably was a suspicious message, considering they were bringing it up now.

Kunsel's lips pursed. "If you insist, TTRSlash. However, I'm curious. What do you think of when I say the word 'heart'."

Cloud stared at Kunsel like he had gone crazy, which the bound cadet wasn't entirely sure he hadn't. First he starts calling him this TTRSlash thing, and now he's asking him about hearts? What was with this guy today? Still, it was better to be seen cooperating with such an inconsequential question then asking about his interrogator's motives. "Um, hearts? Well, I think of Valentine's Day, I guess."

Kunsel gave a miniscule nod to the wall again, where there was presumably a camera or something, before continuing on. "And what do you think when I say Valentine, TTRSlash?"

Well, there was no way Cloud was telling him about the man who could turn into a demon, so he would just make something up. Maybe something about an awkward V-day he had had? There were plenty of those. "Once these two girls were both going to give me something, but they came to me at the same time and got in a fight. That's about all I can think of, unless you want that whole story."

Kunsel's mouth twisted into a grin, and Cloud was sure the rest of his face would look just as evilly triumphant if it wasn't covered by the helmet. "One Valetine's Day this happened, you say? And you agree that the spoken of holiday occurs on the fourteenth of February every year?"

Cloud nodded uncertainly, having no clue what the SOLDIER Third was getting at.

"So you're admitting that you did not tell the truth about being an amnesiac, because it has not been the fourteenth of February since you have supposedly become one, am I correct?"

Oh, Cloud thought, slumping in the uncomfortable chair a little. Oh. Well, this was a bit… crap. There was no way anyone who actually mattered was going to buy this next bit. "I don't remember very much, sir, just small events. I remember falling off a bridge too, I'm pretty sure I told someone about that earlier. I can kind of picture my mom, and this other girl. Tifa, I think her name was."

He could just feel Kunsel's skepticism coming off him in waves. "And you don't recall anything else? Describe what you remember of your town."
Nibelheim, what could he say about the place? He actually didn't remember much, so this shouldn't be hard at all. "Um, it was cold. And there were dragons on the mountain, and wolves too, I think. That's about all, sir."

The Third nodded shortly before questioning in a bored monotone, "Past tense?"

Cloud tensed before forcing himself to relax again. It was probably too late, but it would do no good for them to notice his alarm. He probably wasn't supposed to have heard that phone call, so there was no way for him to know about its destruction. But if Angeal looked at the tape the Commander would know that he had no problems lying. Oh, why had the Lifestream picked him for this? "Umm…," he started, fidgeting slightly, "Just because it doesn't seem real to me, you know? I can't really picture it well enough for it to seem like I actually lived there, SOLDIER, sir."

Kunsel stared at him for a minute more, before letting out a small sigh. "You are being released, but note that this does not mean you are being relieved from suspicion. We have ascertained that you had nothing to do with the reason we brought you in for interrogation in the first place, and we can not legally keep you in custody any longer without evidence that you have done something wrong. I trust that you can find your way back to your room without mishap."

The door slid open and Kunsel knelt to undo the straps on the chair. Cloud slid out of the uncomfortable seat and exited quickly, not wanting to stay in that room any longer. The SOLDIER Third followed him out, commenting to him quietly once they had gotten past the door, "Sorry about all that. I don't really think you're a terrorist or anything, but I have to be thorough, you know? Other wise we'd both be in trouble."

Cloud stared at Zack's friend before actually laughing quietly and shaking his head. This was officially the strangest and worst day since his return, and he somehow doubted it was going to get any better. Nibelheim burns down half a decade early, Vincent isn't in his coffin, Reno can see sounds, he gets interrogated by his best friend's friend about a message he supposedly got on his nonexistent PHS, During said interrogation Kunsel starts going off about hearts and Valentines Day, and lastly Shinra actually has a humane law. Despite every morally wrong thing the corrupt company had done, apparently they couldn't keep people as prisoners, or at least they couldn't keep employees as prisoners, without proof that they had done something wrong. Doubtless that one wouldn't last much longer.

He took a step away from Kunsel and the interrogation room, one step, before he got tackled to the ground by a smear of red and dark blue. "Cloudy!" the person screeched, "you're alive! Well, you're not dead, yo, and that's somethin'."

"R-Reno?" Cloud asked, the bony elbow in his stomach making it come out stuttered. "What are you doing here?"

The cadet's face appeared over his own, some loose red hair tickling Cloud's forehead as his friend grinned down at him. They stayed there for half a second, Reno's exuberance overflowing and somehow spreading to Cloud, making the time traveler… happy? Why would he be happy if he had just been tied up and interrogated? Was that even possible? Either way he didn't have time to examine his feelings, real or not, now, because Reno had just jumped to his feet (on Cloud's left hand, of course).

"C'mon, Amnesia Boy, we've got things ta do, places ta see, all that junk, yo. Oh, and food! 'Less you're all still depressed and stuff, yo, 'cause then I'm leavin' ya in the room and goin' to the caf myself, 'cause I am hungry as a dragon. Roaoaoar!"

And with that the Turk-to-be ran off, waving his arms crazily and hissing at a poor passer-by, leaving Cloud to trot after him, ignoring Kunsel's incredulous stares and shouting, "Reno, if you kill anyone I am not going to hide you."

Honestly, some people just belonged in a straitjacket.

Dreams of the Morrow, Chapter 14: Strangeness. 2,035 words. Updated December 29, 2011.

Okay, yes, I get it. Two months is unacceptable and it will not happen again... blah blah... excuses... next time it'll be faster... etcetera etcetera. Hey, did you know they put a red squiggly under etcetera? Huh, I'm pretty positive that's how you spell it. Oh well. Heh, they want me to change it to terrace. Like that's going to happen.

Guess what everyone! I won NaNoWriMo! Aren't you so shocked! Not with this story, of course, otherwise there would be 50,000 more words on it right now, but that's besides the point. And I'm not going to go back to making excuses for myself, because well, I don't really know why. That was the last paragraph, anyways.

For all of you who don't know me (which is everyone, considering that even if you do actually know me, you won't know that I am who I actually am, and you would probably never guess unless your name is Drew or Lexi, or one of my friends. Actually, you still probably wouldn't guess, so never mind) I would be a Hufflepuff. Maybe a Ravenclaw or Slytherin, but definitely not a Gryffindor. Oh no, never a Gryffindor. Not that I have anything against them (I don't) but I am very much so not one. My cousins are though. Gryffindors, that is. Half an hour of Dark Heresy (a game kind of like Dungeons and Dragons, for those who don't know) would prove that to anyone.

Random stuff about myself aside, this is getting really long. The authors note, not the chapter. Oh no, the chapter is short. Long author's note as compensation? Sadly, it doesn't work that way. So goodbye, before I scare any of you with my- Ooh, I forgot to tell you! I made a bunch of eclairs for my French class (it took four and a half hours on a Tuesday) and they were delicious! Au revoir, I'm off to go slackline, since we don't have any snow :(

Umm... Happy late winter solstice!

Edit: !Pairings! So, it looks like it's going to be Zack/Aerith for sure. I know a lot of you out there want Seph and Cloudy to be together, but I feel like there are already so many of those that I'm kind of leaning away from it. There are only, like, two time travel fics out there that aren't SephxCloud. I just want to give options to people who don't like it, you know? I'm also kind of thinking that Cloud isn't going to end up with anyone. Yes, sad, poor Cloud, but honestly? It just doesn't feel right. Plus there's a decent chunk of voters who don't want any pairings, and I just want to satisfy everyone. Impossible, I know, but I can't help but try. Last but not least, Angeal and Vincent. What do you guys think? (and I use guys for everyone, don't be offended! I'm a girl myself.) They seem pretty popular, even though I put them in because I was bored and trying to think up more pairings. Never considered it before, actually. So then if I put Reno and Yuffie, then Tifa and Rufus, and... Genesis and Sephiroth? No, Genesis can go with some random person I think up, like, I don't know, Priscilla. No, that's a twenty year age difference, that's not going to work. Hmm, maybe Genesis and Reeve? Weird, but... alright, whatever. Then what about Seph? He can just die or something. No, he won't die! Oh, now I feel like Reno's gonna die, but I don't know why and I don't want him to. I'll figure something out, or at least, I'll try.

Honestly though, if you have any ideas, I'm happy to hear them. About anything, not just pairings. During the month and a half I wasn't thinking about this, some of my plans leaked out my ears. Goodbye, for real this time!