A/N: The chapter title "Landing" is a play off "The Landing" from Final Fantasy 8. I figured Cloud was landing on the 'shore' of another potential crisis, so I thought it worked well.

Cloud's not sure how long he stays like that, sprawled mindlessly on the ground, staring, dazed (devastated?), up at the still intact plate. How? How was this even possible? Half of the plate was still buried in the church's 'backyard' not even an hour ago. He knows, he had checked. Sure, he doesn't doubt the holiness of this place for one second, but he will always be a little amazed that the church was still standing even with all the desolation around it. Even with half of its roof gone.

But the church's holiness doesn't explain how all of the plate was hanging in the air again, not even a single twisted piece of scrap metal left behind to hint at its former sad state. Doesn't explain how the real sun became obscured once more, the cheap fluorescent of the sun lamps, the 'plate suns', glinting tauntingly down at him. As if to say – you're our prisoner now.

This… This wasn't his Midgar. This wasn't his world.

"…Shit."

What does he do now? He had promised Tifa he would be home on time today. Had promised the kids he would be there for them. That he wouldn't abandon them again.

How does he keep those promises now? How does he tell them he's sorry?

He couldn't. Not when he'd never see them again. Not when he would never enjoy the simple, silent presence of Vincent again. Or fend off Yuffie's wandering, materia-lusting hands ("Gotta make sure you're on your toes!"). Or silently accept Reeve's requests for help, even when he knew the man was just looking for an excuse to see his friends again (though, as of late, he wonders if it's become more of an excuse just to see Barret…).

He would never sit out under the stars with Nanaki, reminiscing about their travels, the lion's flame-tipped tail wagging lazily behind him. Or listen to Cid's passion-filled rants about Shera, always confused about whether the man was raving about his wife... or his ship. Or watch, secretly amused, as the usually gruff Barret turned into an absolute teddy bear at the mere mention of his daughter.

And he would never hold Marlene and Denzel in his arms again. Or get the chance to thank Tifa for everything she had done for him. Everything she had given up for him.

They were all gone.

Or rather, he was gone… never to return.

He doesn't even realize it when his hand starts to dig desperately into the dirt next to him. What does he do now? Was there honestly no going back?

He… He doesn't want to be alone again.

I know you tire of fighting, Champion. But your strength will be needed.

Cloud allows himself to stare listlessly up at the plate above him, at the blinding white of the fake suns, for a few mind-numbing minutes more. He's not sure how he manages it, but one by one, finger by finger, he manages to extricate himself from the dirt, before slowly pushing himself up to his feet.

Cloud sighs – this was no time to feel sorry for himself. No time to be wallowing in self-pity. He had work to do. Perhaps if he throws himself full-body into whatever crisis needs his attention this time, he can forget about his troubles for once. Perhaps it'll dull the pain.

But, first things first, he needs to head deeper into this Midgar. He needs to figure out what he's up against.

Before it was too late for this world, too.

Unfortunately for Cloud, Gaia hadn't deemed fit to send Fenrir with him – and he had checked all throughout and around the church too. So every step of the way to the Sector 5 slums, he was left to his thoughts, his eyes flitting from one startlingly similar pile of junk to the next.

He was quite the dazed mess, if he was being honest. But it seemed like the appropriate response when everything looked exactly as he remembered it. Exactly as it had before Meteor had fallen on it, right down to the same deteriorating pipe 'slide' he and Aerith had used to evade Reno. So alike was it to the Midgar he had known, that Cloud could almost see Aerith up there, hopping from rooftop to rooftop, her brow scrunched up in concentration – "I… actually… haven't traveled by rooftop before. It's honestly… kind of exciting." So surreal was the similarity, that he would be tempted to think that he had gone back in time, if it wasn't for Gaia's warning that time travel was not the answer.

Was this what she had meant by 'familiar but not quite known'?

The only difference he could find so far, among the rusting automobiles and abandoned turrets (were those left over from the war?), was that it only seemed to take half the time to get back to the slums than he remembers, even without Fenrir. Though, that might have more to do with how disoriented he feels than anything. Not to mention the fact that there wasn't a single monster in sight, not even the smallest Hedgehog Pie. Which seemed odd – he doesn't remember the neighborhood watch having enough manpower to patrol the entirety of the slums before, much less the abandoned Sanctuary Way.

Ducking through the hole in the fence, Cloud looks up to find the train pulling into the station, the smoke that puffs lazily from its stack doing nothing to obscure the glowing words of the billboard above it – What we do, we do for Midgar. And for you. "Yeah, right," he mumbles, shaking his head. He's pretty sure everything Shinra does, he does for himself.

But the townsfolk milling about the platform don't seem to share in his cynicism. Instead, they chat casually, leisurely, without a care in the world. As if the world hadn't nearly been destroyed three times over. And, well, Cloud can't blame them. This was a sight he had longed to see ever since Meteorfall.

"People hate the steel sky, the slums… but I don't. How could I? All that passion, all those dreams… Flowing and blending together into something greater…"

"Yeah…" Cloud whispers. "I love it too, Aerith."

Well, Cloud knows one thing for certain. If Aerith was alive in this world, he would do anything to keep it that way. He doesn't care what that entails, what that will cost him. He'll protect her this time, whatever it takes. He swears it.

The biggest question, though, is how does he do that? How does he protect someone who 1) doesn't know him, and 2) was probably still being hounded by Shinra and all he had to offer?

Hojo had to go, that much was a given. And preferably in as slow and as painful a way as possible, if Cloud had the choice. After everything the monster had done, he deserved every single second of it. And if the President, Heidegger, and Scarlet were even half as bad as the ones from his world, they'd be on the chopping block too, for sure.

So, that just left Sephiroth and Jenova.

To be fair, they were probably his biggest concerns. More so than anybody else. Gaia's cryptic message – if you play your part right, more than one innocent life may be saved – more or less confirmed that. But he was… reluctant to confront them again so soon. Reluctant to see Sephiroth again so soon. The link between him and the one he had known had just been broken, if Gaia was telling the truth, and he really didn't want to find out if the Sephiroth from this world would hound him just as persistently. Didn't want to know if he could learn to use the S-cells in Cloud's body to exert his will over him just as relentlessly.

True, he had been able to resist the pull ever since Tifa healed his mind, but she wasn't here now, wherever here is. None of his friends were.

He was all alone.

"…Why are we in charge of smoking them out anyway? I mean, I know you just got promoted and all that, but wouldn't Sephiroth be more suited to this?"

"Sephiroth and Zack are on their way to Nibelheim, remember?"

"Oh… right."

Cloud finds himself startling, rather involuntarily, to a stop. Finds himself unsettled by the flaming ruins that, even after all these years, he still couldn't blink away. Sephiroth was alive in this world then. And he was going to Nibelheim… with Zack. Was this that same mission then? The one that had gone so horribly, horribly wrong for Cloud? He's not sure what else it could be. So far, everything else had been a mirror image of his own world, he can't see why this would be different. Can't afford to assume it would be different.

To be fair, if the Sephiroth of this world was still around, still in SOLDIER, that must mean he hadn't gone cuckoo for Jenova yet. And if Jenova was still in Nibelheim – which was a very strong possibility – then Cloud already knows how quickly and tumultuously this Sephiroth could descend into madness. Already knows how badly this all would end. For Nibelheim, Zack, and Cloud's counterpart, if he was roped along this time, too.

Well… that settles it. He would just have to slit Hojo's throat later. He has business in Nibelheim. It's not like he could let what happened to him and to his world happen to anybody else. Not to Zack, and certainly not to his younger self – if he remembered that mission correctly, the kid could only be, what, 16? That was way too young to have to deal with Hojo's fucked-up machinations.

But at least he shouldn't have to worry about anybody recognizing him – he could pass for this Cloud's older brother, perhaps, but he was certainly way too old to be mistaken for a 16-year-old kid himself. Not to mention that from what he can remember from his own time at Shinra (which wasn't much, but it was enough), he was pretty much a loner. As long as he stays away from Zack, he shouldn't have to worry about much of anything. Right?

"Why's Angeal still in Midgar then?"

"I imagine he's watching over Genesis… You've seen how bad he's gotten."

"But Genesis took some 3rds out to the Wastes to train this morning. You think he's feeling better?"

"I don't – "

A surprised grunt from the platform reminds Cloud that he's not exactly alone. And the two SOLDIERs he finds frozen in front of the train, staring at him, is sign enough that they had noticed his rather blatant eavesdropping. Whoops. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to interrupt," he says, rather disheartened by the way both SOLDIERs jolt at his words. He had hoped not to have Shinra on his ass already. But maybe if he's careful, he can talk his way out of this. "It's just…" Clouds eyes flit to the train behind them. That's right, he would need to find some way of getting to Nibelheim. "You wouldn't happen to know where I could find a mechanic around here, would you?"

One of the SOLDIERs points a shaking finger towards the heart of the slums, in the direction Cloud already knew to go. But better to act oblivious rather than have these guys think he's trouble. Sure, he will be trouble, but they don't need to know that now. "Thanks," he says, and turns to walk away.

He doesn't get far, though. Not when the other SOLDIER, the one who hadn't pointed, yells "Wait!" and jumps down the stairs. "Don't you know who I am?" the man asks, his voice strangled. But, perhaps even more concerning, is the way he reaches out towards Cloud, before jerking back as if scalded.

"Uhh…" Cloud cocks his head to the side, rather confused as to what this black-clad, helmeted SOLDIER was getting at. (And quite a bit disturbed as to why he feels this man should be wearing purple instead…) "Going from your outfit, I'd say a SOLDIER, 1st Class?"

"No!" The SOLDIER rips his helmet off, short honey brown hair and (grief-stricken?) mako blue eyes hiding underneath. "D-Don't you remember me?"

Cloud takes an involuntary step backwards, fumbling for an answer. Remember him? That didn't make any sense, they'd only just met. Honestly, he couldn't have been here for more than an hour tops and he was still reeling from being ripped from his own world. Why did he have people bothering him already? How had he managed to land himself in shit again so soon? He seriously does not have time for this.

Cloudy! I want you to meet a good buddy of mine, Kun…

The rest of the memory, or whatever the hell it was, fades into grey static, Cloud left to clutch at his head as Zack's voice fades back into the ether. The temptation to tug at the tendrils of his lost memories is there, per usual, but he'd already fallen down that rabbit hole before. More than once when it concerned Zack, to be honest. So, he already knows how pointless an endeavor it was, as heartbreaking as it was to give up.

But he has more important things to worry about now.

As he lets go and drags himself back into the present, that's when he realizes it. Realizes the position that he's in. Hunched over, clutching at his head – it's something he hasn't had to deal with since Jenova lost her grip on him. Since he remembered he had never been a SOLDIER after all.

Oh.

That's right.

He may never have been a SOLDIER, but he still dressed like one. Still had the eyes and the strength of one. No wonder these two were freaking out, especially since they'd never seen him before. "I know what it looks like," Cloud says, straightening back up and making a show of looking at his outfit. "But I'm not actually a SOLDIER."

"…W-W-What are you?" The one still on the platform stammers.

Cloud snorts. 'SOLDIER wannabe' probably wasn't true anymore and 'Gaia's Champion' would earn him more stares, if not an express trip to the loony bin, even if it was all Gaia called him. Might as well stick to half-truths. "I'm just a delivery boy." Heck, he might even start his business back up after he saves the planet… again.

"A-A… A delivery boy?" The helmet-less one makes a noise somewhere between a cough and a high-pitched laugh.

"Yup, hence the need for a mechanic." Cloud studies the two of them a bit more, somewhat concerned, before offering an awkward "Well… thanks again", turning on his heel, and walking away.

Neither SOLDIER follows him this time.

Kunsel feels more than sees his helmet slip out of his hand and fall to the ground below. He ignores it. "L-Lux… Y-You saw that too, right?"

Luxiere nods his head, taking a stumbling step forward to clutch, white-knuckled, at the railing of the train platform. Having learned to read the micro expressions on his friend's face by now, even with the helmet obscuring it, Kunsel can tell that the man is just as stunned as he himself feels.

Which totally makes sense, cause what on Gaia was going on?

Sure, Kunsel was no stranger to wishing Cloud was still alive, especially with how broken Zack was after his death – he had never seen his friend look so hollow, so void of emotion before. Hell, he's pretty sure Zack didn't even smile once that first year, and Kunsel would have done anything to change that.

But to see Cloud casually waltzing through the slums as if nothing had happened? As if they hadn't buried his body in Nibelheim all those years ago? As if he had just now heard Zack's pleas to 'Please, Spike. Please don't be dead.'?

What the actual fuck was going on?

"We've gotta tell somebody…" he hears himself say.

"…Zack?"

Kunsel shakes his head, his voice unintentionally rising in volume and pitch. "You know what time of year it is! How do we tell Zack that the soulmate he's still mourning, the one he's paying his respects to is currently walking the streets of Midgar!?"

"Then who…?"

"I-I…" Kunsel groans and pulls out his PHS. No time to overthink this, even if the man was mourning his own soulmate too.

Somehow, he manages to hit all the right buttons, even with how his hands tremble – something he probably should be surprised by, but he doesn't have the time for that right now. Especially not when the call connects and a familiar, emotionless voice answers, "Tseng speaking."

"Y-Yeah, this is 1st Class Kunsel. Sorry… I know what time of year it is and I know you must be making your own preparations to head to Nibelheim and all that and I know how crazy this will sound, but I swear his eyes were glowing brighter than Sephiroth's… and he practically had an arsenal, he had so many weapons… and they were all crisscrossed, like he had wings, which is totally ironic, I know – "

"Kunsel. Take a deep breath and then tell me what's wrong."

Kunsel's not sure how breathing will help. Cloud wasn't breathing the last time he checked, but that certainly wasn't stopping him now. "I think…" But, if nothing else, Kunsel knows how to follow orders, and he finds himself drawing a rather ragged breath, almost involuntarily. "I think we have a problem."

Like most of the other buildings further down the road, the mechanic shop at the edge of the slums looked like it had been cobbled together using whatever materials were available at the time. It was mainly a large awning of rusting sheet metal somewhat haphazardly attached to three jury-rigged walls of rotting plywood reinforced with metal beams. Not exactly the best construction, but Cloud had seen worse in Edge.

Beat-up tires lined the back wall, a variety of other car parts lying strewn across a makeshift table of barrels topped with another slab of metal. And in the middle of the space sat a yellowing pick-up truck, its doors opened invitingly, a rolling cart filled with tools positioned for easy access next to it.

If this was Shinra, he probably would have given in to the temptation to just steal the truck and be done with it – every second he wasted here was another second Sephiroth had to go Jenova-crazy and raze Nibelheim to the ground again. But, no. This wasn't Shinra. This was just a poor slum dweller who needed the truck to survive. Cloud couldn't rightfully take that away from him.

So, instead he waits. Waits the extra minute for a commotion to start brewing from within the large, overturned drum attached to the shop, a fixture that seemed to function as housing of some sort. Watches, concerned, as the door to the drum slams open and a young man storms out, struggling beneath the weight of an overfilled sack. "I heard you the first time, old man! You don't need to shout!"

"Don't make me come out there and tan your hide, boy!" another voice yells from the overturned drum, drowning out the creaking of the still swaying door.

"You're not my mother!"

"That's cause she disowned you, ya dumbass!"

Cloud feels bad for intruding on their rather personal conversation, even as the first man turns his ire to him – "Can't you read!? We're not open!" – the sack blocking his view of Cloud's face. But Cloud doesn't have time to find another auto shop. He needs to leave Midgar. Now.

"I need a way to get to Junon."

Which, as far as ways to pacify somebody and convince them to do what you want go, that probably wasn't it. But, like Aerith used to remind him, he didn't exactly have a way with words. So, he'll just have to hope for the best.

"Oh, is that so, hotshot?" The man snorts derisively, dumping the sack he was carrying into the bed of the truck. "Yeah, well I need a new job." He runs a greasy hand through dark brown hair before slapping the hood of the car closed and turning back to Cloud. "Besides, didn't you hear me the first… time…" The complaint dies on his lips, though, the man bringing a hand up to clutch rather disconcertingly at the chest of his dirty overalls.

"Are you… ok?" Cloud can't help but ask.

"Y-Y-You…" the man stammers in response, his breathing rather erratic through that crooked nose of his.

"I think you need to sit down," Cloud sounds out his words carefully, reaching out a hand as if to help.

But it's the wrong move to make, if the fear in the man's green eyes is anything to go by. "N-No! Stay away from me!" He recoils as if hit, crashing into the cart of tools behind him and sending both it and himself toppling to the floor.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing out there, knucklehead!?" The gruff voice is followed by another man exiting the drum-house; a middle-aged, black man this time. "Why the hell are you crawling around on the floor like a damn fool!?" Honestly, he reminds Cloud of a mix between a skinnier Barret and a slightly less foul-mouthed Cid – the stubble growing along the man's chin certainly didn't help the image.

The younger man doesn't so much as answer as scuttle his way behind the overturned cart, a wrench held in his shaking hand. "H-H-How…?"

"What the hell's gotten into you, Walker?" The older man turns, his frown melting into something more like sober realization once his eyes land on Cloud. "Oh…" He heaves a sigh and scratches at the stubble on his chin. "Look kid. I don't know who put you up to this, but I think it's time for you to leave."

"Put me up to this…?" Was everybody in this world this confusing or was it just Cloud?

"I know what he did was terrible, but it's been what – 5, 6 years? Enough's enough."

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." Cloud finds himself rooted to the spot like the still cowering man, but for an entirely different reason. He has absolutely no idea what's going on. Not why these people think they know him and certainly not why the younger man still held the wrench in front of him like some sort of weapon. It's not like it would take that much for Cloud to disarm him.

The older man crosses his arms over his chest, his clean jumpsuit painting quite a different picture than the other's dirty overalls. "So, you're saying you're little SOLDIER friends didn't talk you into this?"

"SOLDIER friends…?" Oh, not this again. Running a hand through his hair, Cloud explains for the second time that day, "I'm not a SOLDIER. Never was."

But the older man just raises an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You certainly got the eyes for it."

Cloud sighs – guess it's half-truths again. "I had a bad case of mako poisoning when I was younger. When I woke up, my eyes were like this."

"Never heard of nobody recovering from mako poisoning, especially not as bad as you say."

"…I probably wouldn't have recovered if not for a couple friends of mine. They didn't give up on me and I was able to… I don't know, use their voices to guide me back home." Technically, he had suffered from mako poisoning on at least two separate occasions, but he knows even having it once will be a hard story to swallow. He remembers what Jessie's dad had been like.

But swallow the story the man seems to do. Not without a great big heave of a sigh and a hand through greying hair, but he finally grumbles, "Well, fine…" and turns to his friend on the floor. "Will you get yer ass off the floor and act like a normal person for once?"

"B-But…"

"No buts! You heard the man! He's not here because of you! Honestly, what's gotten into you? You don't normally cower this much!"

.

.

.

It had taken a few minutes of grouchy coaxing, but the older man finally convinced his friend to stop crawling around on the floor ("like a filthy-ass Wererat") and reluctantly accept Cloud's presence ("S-S-Sorry for f-freaking out…"). But after what felt like forever, the grumpy man finally turns back to Cloud and says something completely unhelpful. "Sorry, we're closed."

"But – "

"Is what I'd like to say. But after that mess, I feel like I kinda owe ya one. So… what's yer name, kiddo?"

"Sky," is Cloud's response. Luckily, he had thought that one through on his way over. He probably couldn't be mistaken for his 16-year-old counterpart, but he doesn't want to go around using his name. It would make things awkward, especially if he got on the wrong side of Shinra. Which was bound to happen sooner or later. Besides, 'Sky' was close enough to 'Cloud' anyway. He could work with it.

"Sky?"

He doesn't particularly care for the amount of disbelief the old man managed to pour into that one word, but he had been prepared for that just in case. He had gotten the occasional raised brow back home for his real name. "Yeah. It's short for Skyler."

"Ah, got ya. That there's Walker – " The old man points to his recovered friend and then grimaces – "And Ezekiel is what I got saddled with. And before you ask, no, we don't talk about it. Only my ma is allowed to call me that, and that's cause she's my ma. I figure if she can go through 12 hours of labor to bring my stubborn ass into the world, then she can call me whatever the hell she wants."

"I… see."

The man he's not supposed to call Ezekiel just laughs. "You, on the other hand, can call me Old Man Zeke. Everybody else does."

Cloud nods. "Got it."

"Good. Now what can we do for ya?"

Well, here goes nothing. "I'm looking for a ride to Junon."

"Junon, eh?" Old Man Zeke frowns. "Wish I could help, but we won't be going anywhere near Junon, not until Shinra clears out those damn monsters."

"There are monsters in Junon?"

If Cloud thought his question was reasonable, the look on Old Man Zeke's face would suggest otherwise. "Not in Junon, kid. But everywhere between there and the mines. Where the hell've you been? It's all anybody's been talking about for the past week."

"Oh…" He can't remember the monster problem being that bad when he was still with Shinra, aside from the man-made ones, but he guesses his memories of that time will never be up to snuff. "I thought Shinra would have taken care of that by now," Cloud tacks on since the old man still looks at him expectantly.

"Wishful thinking." Zeke snorts. "Don't expect them to be finished any time soon."

Well, this bites. If he can't get a ride with these two, how does he get to Junon? He's pretty sure the Chocobo business in the slums is run exclusively by Chocobo Sam, and he doubts the man would part with any of his Chocobos easily (or cheap). Not to mention that Cloud probably wouldn't be able to find one in the wild until Kalm at least. Which was, what, 50 miles away give or take? Maybe he should just steal a bike from one of Corneo's thugs…

But something of Cloud's stormy thoughts must show on his face, for Zeke sighs heavily and his expression turns grim. "But I'm guessing you're still dead set on going?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hmm…" The old man's foot taps against the ground as he looks Cloud over. "You any good with those swords of yours?"

Cloud nods. "Yes, sir."

"Tell ya what. I've got business in Kalm and won't be back in Midgar for some time. My ol' ma claims her car ain't running right and 'well, you might as well spend the rest of the week here'." Zeke rolls his eyes and continues to grumble, "Pretty sure that's just an excuse to coddle Walker since he's the grandson my 'fool ass' never gave her. But, unfortunately, it's not something I can get out of. Not without a massive headache at least." He grimaces again. "But if you help with any stray monsters along the way, you're welcome to hitch a ride for free. Sound good?"

"Yes, sir. That works for me." It wasn't as far as he was hoping to get, but it was a start. He could figure out how to take it from there.

"Fantastic. Walker here normally takes point – kid's quite the shot – but I won't say no to more protection. Fair warning, though. I hear there's a whole herd of Behemoths 'bout 5 miles out of Kalm. I don't expect them to be a problem, but if I'm wrong, I plan to put the pedal to the metal and hope for the best. But if that's not something you're comfortable with, best bail out now."

"That won't be a problem."

The sun is still shining high in the sky when the pickup truck finally makes its way through the gates of Midgar and out into the Wastelands beyond. Cloud can see the ridge where his Zack had died out of the corner of his eye, but he balls his fists in his lap until his knuckles turn white and refuses to look. After failing to say goodbye to his friend for the second time that morning, he doesn't think he can handle it. Doesn't think he could bear to relive Zack's death again, especially when his final words – "You'll be… my living legacy" – were already repeating themselves, on loop, throughout his head. When it almost felt like Zack's blood was coating Cloud's face once more.

So instead, Cloud keeps his eyes on the horizon and bites the inside of his cheek to keep from crying. It wasn't fair that this shit kept happening to him. Wasn't fair that Sephiroth kept ruining everything. Why was nothing Cloud did ever enough? Hadn't he earned his 'happy ending' by now? He hates this all so much.

Gaia, suck it up Strife. Whining, crying, and screaming wouldn't change anything. He knew that by now. It hadn't brought Zack back to life and it certainly hadn't un-impaled Aerith. There's no reason to believe that his tears would return his family to him. So why bother? Why make a scene in front of the people who had shown him kindness? Why terrify this Walker kid more when he was already uncomfortable riding in the truck bed with him? When he kept glancing, concerned, at the fully assembled Tsurugi lying across Cloud's lap?

No, he could pretend like nothing was wrong for a few more hours. He could bottle up his emotions, like he was used to, and get the damn job done. He doesn't care what the Sephiroth in this world was like, he'd protect Zack from him this time. He swears it. He owes his Zack that much at least.

"See anything, kids?"

"N-Not me," Walker says, the man readjusting the rifle in his lap, his eyes flicking back to the road to verify there really was nothing there.

Cloud doesn't know how he feels about being called a kid, nor does he really think he needs Walker's help with any monsters they encounter, but he's not about to complain when they were already giving him a free ride. Especially now that he realizes he had left his money back in Fenrir. Guess he would have to scrounge and haggle his way to Junon and beyond then. Just like the 'good' old days. "Nothing on my end."

"Weird…" There's a long pause, and Cloud can almost see Cid rolling that long-ass toothpick of his around in his mouth. "Tryna quit smokin', kiddo!" the man had said, never once mentioning that he was only trying to quit because Yuffie kept hiding his cigarettes. "We shoulda seen a Wererat or two by now." Cloud hums non-committally, watching a pile of dust get kicked up as they drive past… Or wait, was that ash? "Well, no matter. Not about to look a gift Chocobo in the mouth!"

"C – uh, Sky…?" Cloud returns his attention to his 'seat' mate, but Walker still refuses to meet to eyes. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"What's up?" Cloud asks, shifting into a more comfortable position against the side of the truck.

"Why… Why is your sword shaped like that?"

Oh. That wasn't what Cloud was expecting, though he guesses it was an unusual shape. "A friend of mine used to have a sword similar to this one. Same size, same shape." Cloud swallows, blinking back tears again. "He… He died protecting me… And I don't know, I just wanted something to remember him by."

"Oh… I'm sorry."

"Thanks."

A few minutes pass in a rather heavy silence before Walker builds up the nerve to speak again. "You… You're really not a SOLDIER?"

"Never was one and I never plan on being one, either." Not with how Zack was thanked for his loyal service. Hell, Shinra could be his damn dad and he would still never join.

"Oh…"

A particularly harsh bump has his stomach roiling ominously. Ramuh's Beard, he really hopes he can manage his motion sickness until they get to Kalm. This was why he took Fenrir everywhere – he didn't have to worry about any of this damn shit when he was the one driving. Too bad he hadn't managed to convince Old Man Zeke to let him drive – "How in hell can I give you a ride if you're the one drivin'?"

"Uh… You mind if I ask you another question?"

"Go for it…" Cloud hopes he doesn't sound as queasy as he feels as he peels his eyes open to look at Walker once more (he hadn't realized he had closed them, he was too busy trying to contain his churning innards).

"You… You said you were mako poisoned?"

"Yup."

"How did it happen?"

Cloud snorts. Now, wasn't that quite the story. "I fell in." It was more or less true, at least the second time around. And it wasn't like he was about to tell random strangers about his 'fun' with Hojo.

"How the hell'd you fall in?" Old Man Zeke yells from the driver's seat.

"I didn't do it on purpose." Cloud sighs. "But other than that… I don't exactly remember what happened." That also wasn't a lie – he had found out about everything that had happened after the fact, but he definitely doesn't remember it himself. "All I know is I was fished out in Mideel. Spent a few weeks there practically comatose before my friends found me."

"Good on them findin' you."

"Are they your soulmates?" Walker asks, the man looking at his own wrist rather solemnly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Oh." Walker jolts. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to pry. I just figured they must have been worried about you."

"No, I'm not mad. I just don't know what you're talking about. What do you mean by soulmates?"

His question is enough to convince Walker to finally look him in the eye, but going from the entirely gobsmacked look on the man's face, it's because he can't believe Cloud actually needed to ask the question in the first place. And, to be fair, Cloud should probably just keep his mouth shut. He doesn't want anybody thinking something's wrong, so he probably shouldn't be questioning what was most likely common knowledge. But how else would he find out what he was up against?

"You… You don't know what soulmates are?"

Cloud knows he should just play his ignorance off, maybe scratch his head and say he doesn't know why anybody would think his friends were his soulmates, but he's curious now. And it's not like he would see these two again, anyway. "…Can't say I do, no."

"How do you not know about soulmates?"

Cloud realizes from the bugged-out eyes and nearly frantic expression on the man's face that he's really put his foot in his mouth with this conversation. But it's too late to backtrack now, he's in too deep. "Humor me."

"I…" Walker's face scrunches up in confusion, as if he wasn't entirely expecting that response. As if he was expecting Cloud to laugh and yell "Got ya!" or something. But Cloud didn't – definitely wasn't something he would do anyway – and Walker's left to explain, haltingly, as if he was second guessing what he knew and why Cloud didn't know too. "Soulmates, they're… well they're made for each other… they complete one another – " Walker clutches his wrist as if hurt – "true love and all that…"

"How do you know who your soulmate is?"

Walker runs a thumb along his gloved wrist. "When you or your soulmate turns 18… their name appears on your wrist. Some people even get more than one."

"Hmm…" Cloud pulls his gloves off to find them just as blank as this morning. Thank Gaia. Sure, he figured it shouldn't affect him since he's from a different world and all, but there was still that niggling fear that Sephiroth would have appeared on his wrist, as is his shitty luck.

But one less thing for him to worry about.

"I'm sorry…" Walker says, and Cloud looks up to find him staring morosely at his blank wrists. "But it's nothing to be ashamed of. Plenty of people never get their soulmark. Heck, I know of a SOLDIER who doesn't even have one."

A SOLDIER? Cloud really hopes it's Sephiroth. He really doesn't want to find out who the man (monster?) would have been paired with otherwise.

"It doesn't bother me," Cloud says. Having some newfound soulmate would just make things more difficult for him. He has more important things to take care of. So, instead, he pulls his gloves back on and redirects the conversation. "How about you?"

"M-Me?" Walker squeaks.

"Yeah. You keep grabbing your wrist as if it pains you… Is your soulmate ok?"

"I…" The other man looks down at his wrist again. "I don't know… I've never met them."

"He means he's been avoidin' them!" Zeke shouts from the front of the truck. And the sudden interruption has Cloud realizing that the older man had been surprisingly quiet up until then. Which, from what Cloud had come to learn of the man, was quite out of character.

Well, whatever. No time to dwell on that now. "You're avoiding your soulmate?"

"N-No…" Walker looks anywhere but at Cloud again. "I just haven't met them yet."

"Cause you don't think you deserve them, boy! Don't think I can't guess!"

"Why don't you deserve them?" Cloud asks.

"I… I got kicked out of Shinra."

Cloud's tempted to laugh – sounds like the guy had done something right – but he realizes it's not the time for that now. Not with how vulnerable the man looks. "And you don't think they'll like that you're a mechanic?"

"No! I almost murdered somebody!" Walker yells, leather creaking as his clenches his fists together. "How could anybody want me now!?"

"Uh…" Cloud's not sure he understands – a good portion of Shinra Company was known, and lauded, for being murderers.

Luckily, Old Man Zeke comes to his rescue. "What this fool is tryin' to say is he used to be a trooper, but played a dumbass prank and somebody got hurt because of it. Kid was hospitalized and Shinra came down hard on Walker cause of it. He got dishonorably discharged, then thrown into the mines til he 'learned his lesson'. He won't even go topside now, cause those SOLDIERs still glare at him if they see him."

"The kid was a SOLDIER?" Must have been quite the prank to hospitalize one of them.

"Nah, another trooper. Him and Walker used to get into a lot of fights, but the 1sts had a soft spot for the kid and weren't happy when he got hurt."

"Oh, so that's why you thought I was up to no good."

"That's right, kiddo," Zeke says, Walker still curled up on himself on the other side of the truck bed. "Sorry 'bout that, by the way. I figured it was only a matter of time before one of those SOLDIERs came wandering around, especially now that the kid's dead."

"Wait… I thought he was only injured?" Cloud's not following this at all, it seems.

"Only injured cause of the prank, yes. But he died a couple years later in a monster attack. Hell, it's been a few years now… Don't even remember the kid's name…"

"C-C – " Walker shakes his head, aggravated, and tries again – "I think he was C-Commander Rhapsodos's soulmate. A few days after he died, I heard the commander picked a fight with S-Sephiroth. Some say he was trying to get Sephiroth to kill him, so he could join his soulmate in the Lifestream. I… I think he was just frustrated he wasn't strong enough to protect him. C-Can you imagine having all the power in the world and still not being able to save the one you love?"

Cloud's hands lie limp in his lap – oh he can imagine it all right. That was how he felt when he lost Aerith and when he finally remembered Zack… and his death. "So…" Cloud starts, rather sober himself, Midgar fading from view as another cloud of dust or ash is knocked up, right into Cloud's face. Ugh. Whatever it is smells charred. "You made a mistake and somebody got hurt because of it. And now you don't think anybody could love you. Is that right?"

Walker frowns down at the gun in his lap, but otherwise doesn't say anything. His silence is all the answer Cloud needs, though. Feeling like he wasn't good enough was a feeling Cloud knew well. "How will you know if you don't try?"

"Why try when I already know the answer?"

"Do you, though? If these soulmates are as amazing as you say, if they're really the one meant for you, I can't imagine they would throw you away just because of a stupid mistake. And if they did, then they weren't meant for you after all."

That catches Walker's attention, the man turning wild, green eyes Cloud's way. Luckily, his pupils are entirely round and normal (and not slitted), otherwise Cloud might have freaked out. "You don't even know what I did!"

"No, and I don't need to. I know you regret it, whatever it was. Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody has hurt somebody else, whether they meant to or not. So why are you the only one who has to suffer?"

"I don't…" Walker clutches his wrist again, his voice soft. "I don't think I could handle it if she really did hate me…"

"Is it better than not knowing, though? At least then, you could move on with your life rather than being stuck in this limbo you're in right now."

Walker grunts, offended. "I have moved on with my life!"

"No, you haven't. You're just going through the steps. Trust me, I know. I've been there before." Walker opens his mouth like he plans to argue more, but Cloud doesn't let him. "Let me see," he says, holding his hand out expectantly.

"I…" Walker startles again, confused this time. His mouth works itself open and closed a few times before the gears in his head start turning enough for him to grunt out a simple, "W-What…?"

"Let me see your wrist," Cloud elaborates, his hand still open in front of him. "Maybe I know them."

Walker still doesn't move. "It… I-It's not good manners to ask to see somebody else's soulmarks…"

Cloud raises an eyebrow. "You looked at mine."

"I-I… I didn't mean to."

"I know, and I'm not mad. I just figured if I know who your soulmate is, I might be able to tell you whether your fears are warranted or not."

Walker doesn't answer, but instead stares unseeing at his wrist, playing with the hem of his glove. If not for the growing wince on his face, Cloud might think he hadn't heard him, the silence stretching uncomfortably between the two of them. He feels bad for prying, especially with how reluctant the man is, but he couldn't stand to see him so miserable. He's not Sephiroth. He doesn't get off on other people's suffering.

Several more moments pass in painfully tense silence. But then Walker sighs heavily through that crooked nose of his and ever so slowly peels the leather glove from his right hand. He pauses to stare, conflicted, down at the name printed across his wrist, running his thumb carefully across the letters, before turning his hand for Cloud to see and closing his eyes as if afraid of what he might find out.

Not for the first time that day, Cloud finds himself stunned by the new information offered to him. Out of all the potential options he had considered for this man's soulmate, the name he finds staring back at him is one he hadn't considered at all. And yet, now that he sees it, he can't imagine anybody better. They would be cute together.

Cloud smiles, moving his eyes from the name stretched out across Walker's wrist – Folia Browning – and back to the man's apprehensive, still closed-eyed face. "I don't think you have anything to worry about."

Walker's eyes shoot open. "W-What… Y-You mean…?"

Cloud nods. "If she's who I think she is, I'm pretty sure she'd give you a shot." Walker takes a shaky breath, but Cloud cuts him off before he can flounder for another excuse. "You should give her a shot, too. She may just surprise you. Besides, she's a teacher, I'm sure she's used to her students getting up to no good on a daily basis – " and Cloud had first-hand experience with that – "I can't imagine she'd hold a grudge when you've obviously learned your lesson."

"A t-teacher…?"

"If she's the same person I'm thinking of, yes. She works at the Leaf House."

"So close…!?"

"Talk to her. But tell her the truth, about the prank, your punishment, and why you've been avoiding her all these years. I know it's scary, but I really think everything will turn out ok."

Cloud's not sure how long they had been driving – an hour, an hour and a half maybe, he just knows they were getting close to Kalm – when Walker works up the resolve to speak again. "Hey, Sky? …Thanks for listening to me."

Cloud pauses in his impromptu set of squats to nod at the still-sitting man. "Of course."

Unfortunately, the churning in his stomach had only gotten worse the further they went. And neither his subtle stretching from where he still sat in the truck bed, nor the anxious turn his thoughts had taken in regards to Sephiroth – would he really be in time to save everyone? – had offered any relief. So, he had gotten up and started doing squats, just like Zack used to all those years ago. He figured if anything would help, it would be that (tight spaces really were the worst).

Though, while he realized doing squats in the middle of the truck bed would be an odd sight for Walker to see, he hadn't expected the man to tense again, the same pinched look he had when he first saw Cloud's assembled sword plastering itself on his face once more.

But whatever it was, Walker seemed to have come to terms with it. So, Cloud has few qualms saying, "Honestly, I'm more surprised that Sephiroth was friends with a trooper. I thought he didn't even associate with his fellow SOLDIERs."

Cloud meant it as a joke, as poor as it may have been, but Walker doesn't so much as crack a smile. Instead, he stares off into space and sighs. "…I think that was why I was so jealous of him. I was the older one, I had been a trooper longer, so why was he so special? What did he have that I didn't?"

"So that's why you pulled that prank."

Walker looks like he's pulled so taut that he might snap at any second. He doesn't even seem to notice the tear that slides down his cheek, not that Cloud's about to draw his attention to it. "Y-Yeah. I… I really didn't mean for him to get hurt. I just… I wanted somebody to notice me for once."

"Can't say I don't know the feeling…"

The right corner of Walker's mouth quirks upwards, somewhat ruefully, and he chances a glance at Cloud. "I never did get to apologize before he died. But I don't know… Talking with you makes me think I can get closure after all."

"…What was his name?"

Walker stills, as if repeating the boy's name was another crime he would be punished for. His eyes fall to Cloud's assembled sword before he remembers to breathe once more, opening his mouth to say, "C – "

"Shit!"

But whatever Walker was about to say is lost with Zeke's continued yelling. "That's enough chit-chat, ladies! We got company!"

Walker scrambles to stand up, fumbling with his rifle in the process, as Cloud leans against the roof of the truck to get a better look, Tsurugi already slung over one shoulder. 'Shit' was right. The Behemoths Zeke had mentioned were a lot closer than he had said. A whole lot closer. And they already had their prey in sight. Two 3rd Class SOLDIERs, going from the blue of their uniforms, and a red-clad figure, lying prone on the ground, that the 3rds were struggling to protect.

Cloud sighs – so much for keeping a low profile.

A/N:

- I'm not sure how I missed it on my first playthrough, but there are legit tank turrets and a random suit of mech armor just lying around in the area between the church and the train station in the Remake.

- Walker was originally supposed to just be the former bully and that's it, but I got invested in his character. And Zeke just sort of happened out of nowhere...

- I also hear Ezekiel is the name of a black dude in The Walking Dead - I actually don't watch the show (gives me nightmares, yes I know I'm a wimp), but I really liked the name so I decided to keep it.