Author's Note: Thank you for your patience, and thank you for your suggestions, I know I get a lot of them, and don't feel offended if I don't end up using all of them (I will admit, however, a couple of your suggestions are actually quite intriguing... so I might work them in a bit, possibly twist it to give it a bit of my own flavoring) it's just I have most of this story planned out already, though they're only bits and pieces that still need to be connected. And yes, I shamelessly wanted a 'date scene', so I wrote it. Enjoy.

13. Real

No one was happy with Rufus, confusion spread like wildfire, Cloud went missing, the summoner went missing as well, Reeve demanded answers, and Cloud's friends wanted to use him as a punching bag. All of this brought by a rather sloppy attempt at kidnap, at least in his opinion. (Of course he would know a thing or two about kidnapping.) For now, he could only call upon the Turks for a much needed meeting.

Rufus closed his eyes and he tried to recall bits and pieces of his memory, essentially the bits that flashed in his mind before the blast knocked him back. Who was he before he was Vice President Rufus Shinra? That was a question he asked frequently after his miraculous survival, as he escaped through his secret tunnel.

He still asks this. He asked himself this question this very moment as he waited patiently for Turks to arrive at their new 'headquarters'; he watched the emerald green leaves of the trees outside his window but he didn't directly focus on them, and for a moment, he could feel himself slip into his subconscious again. His father, though a big part of this former company, was hardly a big part of his memories…

There was something there.

There was something there that reminded him he still had the ability to bleed and cry.

Presented in front of Yuna was a map, if she could even call it that. The picture presented a golden 'tree', each 'branch' titled the section—Event Square, Speed Square, Round Square, and Ghost Square—all listed on the tree branches of the right side, on the left—Battle Square, Wonder Square, and Chocobo Square, all inside this golden, round room she stood in. Round entrances bordered with rainbow colored rings were to each of her sides; three to her right, four to her left, each labeled on the floor below them with a drawing. A baby chocobo and a gigantic fluffy white unrecognizable creature painted onto the remainder of the golden floor, along with many other colorful animals and shapes.

"Cloud, I don't understand… why are we here?" She noted his disgruntled and distracted expression; the lively surroundings only made things feel far more awkward as it did not match her friend's current emotion. She heard him muttering under his breath with his back to her; she could only sigh. "Are you even listening to me?"

He finally snapped out of his thoughts, turning back to Yuna, and for a while, there was a foggy look to his glowing blue eyes, as if his focus wasn't completely back. "… Sorry," he finally said.

"It's okay… Now can you tell me what we're doing here?"

"Cosmo Canyon's near but we need to cross the river and desert to get there—not easy on foot, we're gonna have to rent a vehicle."

"And we're going to find one here?"

"The owner of this place gave me one before; I figure he can help out now." It was a start and it was all they had. "I gotta find him."

"Okay—where do we start?"

"I don't know… he could be anywhere, I'll try the Battle Arena or Wonder Square—you should get some rest."

"Me? What about you?"

"I need to find Dio. Inn's at the Ghost Square."

"Ghost…!?" Interesting place to sleep in. "Wait, Cloud, I'm not tried—let me go with you."

"You sure, we've hiked the entire day away."

"We can both head back to the inn together. This isn't the first time I've traveled by foot, I'll be fine." Though she wasn't immune to being fatigue and taking a seat sounded real nice about now… but she had plenty of energy to keep going just a little further. "Lead the way."

Luca. If she had to compare this place with another, it would have to be Luca. Luca was definitely lively enough to be compared to the Gold Saucer though not golden enough—for a lack of a better word, at least. However, the ruins of an old town blown up by a travesty only left her feeling bitterly; another lost home used for a tourist spot. However, according to Cloud, there truly was no other way to go.

Outside the Battle Square, small crowds slowly ascended and descended down a long path of stairs, up these stairs was the Battle Arena itself.

"He's usually up here. Dio likes watching the battles; pretty sure he spends most of his time here." She trusted Cloud and followed him up the steps.

The entrance to the arena greeted them with flashing lights. Inside, there was a man to the side, busy with his tuning up his weapon, another practiced by jogging in place and sparring with an imaginary opponent. The purple carpet plastered against the black and white checkered floor led up to two receptionists behind counters, and stairs in the middle led to another entrance; there was another room to the side, though Yuna hadn't really had the chance to investigate it.

"He should be here…" It was Dio's favorite hang-out, after all. "He can never turn down a good fight."

"Fight? Is that what this is for?"

"Disappointing…" The voice of an older male piped in, coming from the entrance leading out, and Yuna almost choked on her own spit at the sight of large, half naked male, wearing nothing but what resembled a red and gold swimsuit. His bulging chest and limbs were covered in dark hair, followed by his long mustache that curled at the ends; Cloud immediately stepped up and addressed him.

"Dio."

"I see you're not surrounded by dead bodies this time."

At the corner of his eye, Cloud saw Yuna's unnerved reaction, but he could only save that explanation for another time.

"We need a favor."

It almost hurt to ask, especially when Dio's deep chortle and smug smile tickled at his nerves; he already knew what was coming, Dio didn't even need to ask.

"You want me to put on a show, right? I'll enter the arena, I'll fight anything that you throw at me, I just need another Buggy." Dio's laughter increased and he placed his palm up, signaling Cloud to cease.

"Not so fast, I get enough fights."

"Then what do you want?"

"Well, I still could use some entertainment—hey, we have a show on tonight! Why don't you and your girlfriend perform on it?"

"Performing… you mean a play?" Dammit, not again.

"Oh trust me, this one's special, inspired by true events, you'll love it."

Cloud felt nothing but dread.

"… Is this all we have to do?"

"Yes, and you can have your Buggy then."

Cloud's mind echos with the claps, cheers, and whistles from the audience in the previous play he started in—it was one of the most awkward experiences he ever had the misfortune of experiencing, and while the idea sounded dreadful to him, it was… far easier than dealing with the fiends in the arena. Though he preferred the fiends.

"Don't I get a say in this?" Yuna said, the key term being used was 'we' as in 'Cloud and Yuna', both she and him, and yet they spoke as if she weren't there. "Cloud…"

"Believe me, I don't want to do this anymore than you do."

"It's couple's night, sweetheart," Dio replied.

"But we're not…" Her teeth bit down at the tip of her fingernails, the heat from her cheeks rushing to her ears; she waited for Cloud's protest but there was none.

"Only for tonight, we need to get out of here—as soon as possible."

"Fair enough," replied Dio, his dark eyes twinkling, lips curling up to a large grin; that damn handlebar mustache unnerved Cloud, and Yuna was left fumbling in her confusion and irritation. Dio turned his back to the duo, not before turning back to grin at them once more. "It's good to see you again, boy, I was just thinking about you... I'll meet you at the end of the play, alright?" He left for the arena before the questions could start.

The echos of applause were far clearer than those in his mind, even as he stood behind a tall crimson curtain, listening to the murmurs of the narrator. Why was he doing this again? He could only question it for the tenth time that night, and he already felt himself regretting this.

Just for tonight, you can do this.

His eyes remained close as he thought about how he would stumble upon stage, fishing for any dialogue to speak to the audience. They didn't write him a script, of course, there was no time, this was all improvising, this was all fun, they were the random 'couple' chosen to put on a show for the rest of the crowd. The story was a little different, written by Dio himself, and yet he failed to provide a script for Cloud and his friend. Who was he kidding? Cloud had no absolute clue to what the story was about, and he found it difficult to concentrate on some parts of the narration.

"Two years ago, we were faced with a great and terrible threat..."

"The world needed a hero..."

His attention zoned out, the words echoed again, and he concentrated on the sound of his breath and the darkness of his eyelids. There was a soft murmur and he heard his name.

"Cloud... Cloud..."

Was that part of the script or was that just his imagination?

Who... was calling him?

He was standing on the field of flowers that stretch on to forever, he knew this place all too well, he found himself constantly pulled in, submerged in a terrible yet beautiful aura. A delicate hand touched his shoulder and warmed him. All of this was interrupted by the great bright light of the stage, forcing his eyes open, and the applause from the audience. Cloud was back, surrounded by the reality of this amateur play, upon the wooden floor of the stage. The hand that had grasped his shoulder was still there... and turning back, he realized it was Yuna; she was the one calling to him.

She smiled at him, but she couldn't speak to him, they were in the middle of a play, they were currently in character, they couldn't speak to one another as themselves for the time being.

"You must stop them!" A man dressed as a guard in iron armor jumped out, holding a fake sword in one hand. "This girl is our only chance—hurry!"

Cloud blinked; did he have to speak? No, he didn't need to. He carefully grasped Yuna's hand, the one on his shoulder, and nodded. A few steps ahead took them where they needed to go, or at least it was where the guard stopped. The lights dimmed, another man with a dark cloak draped around him slipped onto the stage from the other side, with a puff of black smoke following behind; he held the replica of a long, fake sword.

What was this? Cloud scowled; the man rose his blade.

"Help us!" The guard cried out, a couple of more actors poured onto the stage dressed in civilian clothing, the guard wasn't looking at Cloud though. It took Yuna a few moments to realize who he spoke to, and she froze, hand gingerly lifting up, her finger pointing to herself. "Yes... you! Your magic is the only thing that can save us."

There were no proper lines, there was no time to memorize them anyway, she had to come up with something—anything, and quick. Magic... does she wave her arms around and pretend to cast a spell? Does she stick her arm out and pretend to shoot lightning from her fingertips. A wooden sword is tossed Cloud's way, who immediately catches it, eyeing it confusingly.

What was she supposed to do?

Reacting, using her hands rather than her mind, she took Cloud by the hand and halted; Cloud watched her carefully, drowning out whatever noise the audience made; she wasn't thinking. She planted a kiss right upon his knuckles. Gasps reached his ears—the audience, the cast?

"She cast a spell!"

"She's giving him strength!"

Cloud reacted reluctantly, slowly taking his hand back, and gripping tightly onto the wooden sword; he stood his ground and he faced the 'enemy' out front, and he tapped their head with the tip of the sword. They responded dramatically, throwing their sword down on the floor, shouting at the top of their lungs, slumping forward, waving their arms around in a exaggerated move, till they finally laid on the wooden floor—'defeated.'

The crowd erupted in an applause; the familiar whistles and claps flowed to Cloud's head, along with the memories that replayed. The cast bowed their heads, Yuna and Cloud stood there aimlessly, Yuna in awe, Cloud feeling uncomfortable with this much attention on him.

The curtain draped to hide them from the cheering audience, their clapping now drowned out by the cloth separating them. Loud, booming laughter drowned all that out though and Dio appeared from backstage.

"That was a good show! Did you know I wrote this story myself?" He stood right in front of the duo, beaming with pride. Cloud couldn't feel anymore unsatisfied. "Based on true events, I wanted to write a story about a hero..."

"About the Buggy..."

"Don't worry, boy, that's coming to you, but why don't you stay and enjoy yourselves for a while? Hey, have you ever had the chance to meet your hero yet? Get his autograph?"

"Yeah, now, about that Buggy..." Cloud grimaced at the topic; Dio was hopelessly clueless, and Cloud wanted nothing more than to leave.

Unfortunately, not just yet.

The Buggy wouldn't arrive till the following morning, leaving them with no choice but to spend the night and finally rest their feet, something Yuna was actually silently thankful for. As they departed the Event Square, however, she couldn't help but to feel... that something was missing.

"You seemed eager to leave."

"We can't stay here forever," Cloud replied.

"I know... but you seemed disturbed."

Cloud stood still, the bright, colorful round room wasn't enough to shoo away the gloomy thoughts, but he couldn't talk about it, he just couldn't, and yet...

"Are you tired?" He asked.

"A bit... we should turn in soon."

"We should but... would you be against joining me?"

"Joining you? For what?"

To Yuna's surprise, Cloud grasped her hand, his grip gentle yet firm, and he turned toward the Round Square entrance.

What was he supposed to say? How could he even begin? Yuna seemed distracted by the wonderful view outside, with the bright lights, the chocobo racers flying by their colorful racing track, and yet another sea of balloons floating by. He chose the Gondola because it was private enough, as they ascended to the sky, watching fireworks, stars, lights, races, and balloons surround them. There wasn't too much noise... as long as they came across a much more quiet spot. They needed the silence, but was he ready to speak?

"Wow...!" Yuna gasped in delight, her eyes glued to the window beside them. "It's beautiful." But the silence was thick with tension, she could feel this, and there was no denying it. She pulled back from the window, facing Cloud with a gentle smile on her face.

"I don't know where to start," he said, scratching at his head, his eyes to the floor of the Gondola. But the words were there, he just needed to pull them out, little by little.

"I can help," responded Yuna. "What is it that you like to talk about?"

His mind wandered to Sephiroth, to Tifa, to Zack, to Aerith, to the truth, to...

"Everything," he said. "There's so much—too much to talk about." One thing lead to another, he hadn't expected to find the stitches of his wounds threatening to rip open again, he had just collected himself, he was still there, he was somewhat there, but the process of healing was awfully slow to him. It was too late to turn back now.

"Okay, we'll start from the beginning—your name is Cloud, born and raised from...?"

"Nibelheim."

"Nibelheim. Okay! Tell me about Nibelheim..."

Cloud shook his head—no, no, too personal, he wasn't ready, maybe this wasn't the right time, maybe he should wait, this was a mistake. Nibelheim is a long story, everything was. He just wasn't ready yet.

"So much has happened and it just... fucked with my brain."

Yuna jumped at the emphasis of the profanity, she grasped at her own chest, and Cloud averted his eyes.

"... What happened to you, Cloud?"

"I can't say."

"Okay."

She wouldn't fight it, she wouldn't push him, instead she reached out placing her hand right on top of his.

"We don't have to talk about this."

Cloud's thumb brushed against her knuckles, he reminded himself to inhale deeply and breathe slowly.

"I'm not exactly all here," he said. "Not as much as I like to be, I mean. I numb, I don't feel real sometimes and I have to remind myself..."

"... You're real." Did she finish his sentence or was that a statement? "You're very real, I'm feeling you right now, you're sitting right in front of me. Without you, I wouldn't be here, I would be stuck, wandering aimlessly—you've helped me. Do you still believe you're not real?"

"No... but sometimes I wake up finding myself doubting."

"I can't imagine what must've happened that caused this..."

"You're lucky, Yuna."

She chuckled, lightly shaking her head, and she grabbed Cloud's hand with her other, squeezing it tightly.

"Sometimes I find myself lost too—I wouldn't say I don't feel real, I'm very real, I know who I am, I just..." Her words halted, she couldn't find the right explanation, not at that moment.

"Do you want to start from the beginning?" Cloud mused. "Little by little? Your name is Yuna, born and raised from...?"

"Besaid Island. Well—no, not really, I was born in Bevelle, it's one of the largest, most religious cities where I'm from. But Besaid Island is my home, my true home..." Yuna paused, she didn't know what else to say. "I don't know where to start... my story is awfully long, just like yours."

"Little by little."

He blinked, she blinked, they watched each other's eyes as they mentally came to an agreement; there a warmth within her, that lit her up, and caused her to flush, and she wanted to lean forward to press her forehead against his, just so she can take comfort in his own presence, but she didn't. Instead, she continued holding onto him tightly, and his other hand cupped hers, completing the connection.

"It all started... when I met him."

A story was dangling at the tip of her tongue, ready to be poured out, but the Gondola eventually came to a halt, and such bad timing too. Their ride ended, they have reached the ground, and now it was time to back to their rooms.

Should she continue? But it was late, she yawned, her body required rest, her mind was running circles around her, demanding attention; she knew she couldn't have both. "I had fun!" She chimed, hands behind her back, but the weariness was obviously there. "I'm really tired... Cloud, I'm sorry..."

"Don't worry about it."

They wouldn't speak of it anymore, they stood at the platform outside the Gondola ride, and now they'll just silently head to their rooms and forget about it till another day, it wouldn't matter till then, right? But it still bothered her, and bothered him as well; so many questions flying about, so many clogged up memories. Despite their exhaustion, Yuna used every bit of energy to focus on one question; she was curious and she needed a smile.

"Cloud... who's your hero?"

"My hero?"

"Dio mentioned you had a hero."

Oh. Him. Of course. But how could he talk about him? How could he jump ahead of his own story and talk about him already? Did this story really begin with Cloud?

"He isn't my hero, not anymore... he's a monster."

Her heart jumped, her eyebrows twitched in shock, she needed that smile, but that was gone now. At first, she felt like she unintentionally stepped on a few cracks, she created something sour between them... but Cloud continued.

"He broke everything—my image of him, my hopes, dreams... my town and everyone I loved within it. He burned it—literally burned my town to the ground."

Yuna's windpipe was sealed tight, invisible fingers squeezing them with a ridiculous amount of force; she couldn't speak.

"When I was younger, I wanted to be just like him. He was a hero, in everyone's eyes—in my eyes. He was the reason I was inspired to be join SOLDIER. All I wanted in my life was to be just like 'The Great Sephiroth'... it was all taken away from me."

Her skin turned to ice, it started at the peek of her ears, and it spread throughout her skin, dulling every bit of her senses. This was not a dream. Cloud noted Yuna's silence, and he turned back.

"I'll be heading to the inn if you need me."

No... he couldn't leave. She had so much to say! Who was Sephiroth? How dangerous was he? What did he do to cause so much destruction? Why compare him to a hero? Would he hurt her? What did he want?

Sephiroth.

Sephiroth kept appearing to her in her dreams, he was reaching out to her, she knew this much, and it frightened her to her very core. He's been inside her head, but has he been inside Cloud's head as well? How much damage did he do? Who was she facing this time? Yuna knew she couldn't keep this to herself, Cloud deserved the truth, he deserved to know, yet her feet were rooted to the ground, with gravity holding onto her, forcing her to look on as Cloud left. Her mind screamed for him yet her mouth didn't. Every bit of this universe refused to let her be... every bit of her fright.

Cloud, please come back...

I can't...

She felt so small and useless; she needed to warn him.