Tifa offered to let Alyssa and Jeremy stay as long as they like, unfortunately they're staying in your room. You offered them the bed because you didn't mind sleeping on the little couch in your room, besides Alyssa kicks in her sleep and Jeremy snores so the further away from them you are, the better. It's late and everyone is asleep except for you. Slightly distraught from the memories of Melody, Jace and Ryan, you decided that sleep wasn't a very good idea. The nightmares were finally starting to stop, you worried they'd be back tonight. Absently you began pacing around the bar. You were so distracted that you didn't notice Cloud until you walked into him.

"Oh my god" you gasped as you began to fall, but Cloud caught you. "Cloud you scared me" you said as you regained your balance.

He shrugged "you seemed pretty scared before that" he paused "its because of earlier isn't it" he sounded worried.

Timidly you nodded.

"Why don't we go for a walk?" Cloud suggested. It wasn't like him to suggest something like that but you ignored it and agreed. For a few blocks the two of you walked in a comfortable silence. You walked to the same park that you ran to on your birthday their was something weirdly comforting about it. The two of you sat on the swings for a few moments before Cloud broke the silence.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Cloud asked awkwardly.

You sighed "I don't know why I feel so at ease talking to you" Cloud gave you a look, not an offended look just one of confusion. "I mean I'm like two seconds away from spilling my heart out to you while I couldn't even tell Alyssa and Jeremy and they're practically family." You continued.

Cloud stayed silent for a few long moments, "you've seen things" he spoke "I don't know what happened to you before you came here other than what you've already told me but its something bad" he paused and looked away from you. You looked at him, Cloud looked so…vulnerable. He turned back to you, catching you staring at him. "You have the same look in your eyes that I do" he said softly.

Without thinking you said, "Cloud, I don't know anything about you."

"I don't like talking anymore, I used to talk to Tifa a lot when we kids but after everything I've been through, all the people I couldn't save, I feel like she won't understand" he paused "I think you could understand"

Speechless you and Cloud looked in each other's eyes. After a few moments you spoke, " you know when I first came here Tifa said that we were so alike, never wanting to accept help from anyone" you paused. "Maybe we could help each other" you finished softly, you looked away feeling a bit embarrassed. He's so easy to talk to you didn't even realize what you were saying until you were finished.

"It's what Jace and Zack would have wanted"

"I miss them" you sighed.

"So do I"

The two of you sat on the swings; you looked up at the moon, its so weird you keep thinking that Edge is Midgar. In Midgar you never would have been able to see the moon or the stars from the slums.

"Cloud?" you asked softly, he looked at you, giving his full attention, "Did Zack die heroically?" you asked timidly, knowing that it is a sad subject. Zack always wanted to be a hero. When Cloud stayed silent you started rambling. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, its just I miss him and I spent so long looking for him and he always wanted to be hero, I don't think he realized that he was already a hero, he was my hero…"

"He died saving me," Cloud finally said, he paused remembering, you were shocked "I was barely able to function, Hojo experimented on us, since Zack was a Soldier first class he was already exposed to mako energy he was able to fight, I got mako poisoning, we were constantly running from Shin-Ra soldiers. We almost got to Midgar, but I was too weak to do anything, Zack left me where I would be safe, while he faced an army" he paused, a pained expression on his face "they shot him and left him to die, when I was finally able to get to him, he gave me the Buster sword that Angeal gave to him and told me to be his living legacy."

You put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "He knew he was a hero."

"Yeah" he sighed in sadness.

From the expression on Cloud's face and the pain in his voice, it was obvious that Cloud blames himself for Zack's death. The two of you sat in silence, you wanted to tell Cloud that it isn't his fault, but you couldn't bring yourself to speak. You were so shocked that Cloud was comfortable enough to explain what happened, you still had more questions like why they were being tested on, how long and what happened next but you feared that if you asked it would upset him.

(Cloud's POV)

You couldn't believe that you told Autumn so much. When you suggested taking a walk you assumed that it would be a lot of silence and Autumn talking, instead their was still a lot of silence but it mostly you talking. Usually Autumn would have broken the silence with a funny comment. On one hand it felt great that you felt so comfortable talking to Autumn, on the other hand it brought up all those feelings of regret and guilt and more guilt that you couldn't help but stare at Autumn. Everyday, every thought, every feeling makes you feels guilty. Guilty that you weren't strong enough to save Zack, guilty that every time you thought about Autumn or spent time with her you felt like you were betraying Jace.

"Cloud…. Cloud!" Autumn snapped you out of your thoughts. You looked at her curiously. "I thought I lost you for moment" she laughed.

"I don't know how you can laugh when you're sad," you said without thinking.

Autumn smiled "hmm I don't know, I just sort of do." Then she smiled, she had the most breathtaking smile you've ever seen. She started to playfully elbow you until you couldn't help but laugh. "What's this? I've gotten Cloud Strife to laugh twice! I deserve a medal." She paused for a moment then awkwardly said, " You should smile more, its cute"

You smiled at her and she smiled back. The two of you smiled at each other like dorks until Autumn suddenly looked away embarrassed. She looked like she was about to cry.

You panicked, "what's wrong? I didn't do something wrong did i?" you noticed a few tears roll down her cheeks; you fought the urge to wipe them away.

"No, no it wasn't you" you sniffled. "I can't be left with my thoughts for too long. Its just seeing Alyssa and Jeremy brought up all the bad memories and when I freaked out earlier about Ryan, I just…sometimes I can't handle it, like all the memories, all the death and fights, why did I live, I went through the same things but they died."

"I feel like that all the time" you didn't even realize you were speaking until you finished. What is it about Autumn that makes you stop thinking. "But I'm glad you're here" there, you did it again, speaking without thinking.

Autumn smiled at you, "thanks Cloud" she reached out and grabbed your hand "I'm glad you're here too" she squeezed your hand then timidly pulled away.

"Why do the names Ryan and Melody sound familiar?" you asked it had been bothering you for a while now. You knew you've never met anyone named Ryan or Melody.

"They were Jace's brother and sister. Ryan was 6 years older than Jace and Melody was the same age as me. Melody was my best friend."

"What happened to her?" you asked, then instantly regretted it because you realized that she must have died. At least you still had enough common sense to not ask about Ryan.

Autumn must have noticed your distress because she said "don't worry, I think talking might be helpful" she paused to collect her thoughts. "Melody… and Ryan for that matter, were never very healthy, when we were kids they would get sick all the time. Melody got sick more often. When we were 14, Jace first left for SOLDIER, when he was still infantry, Melody got really sick, my mom with all her medical training couldn't figure out what she had." she started playing with the ring on her necklace again, you noticed that she always plays with it whenever she nervous or uncomfortable. "We sent a message to Jace that he needed to come home right away to see her. Jace and Melody were really close. People in town started to worry that she was contagious but I refused to leave her side, it was so sudden, one day she was fine the next she couldn't get out bed. Jeremy went to Junon, and Ryan went to Midgar to find doctors but neither of them could find anyone who would come to treat her and she was too sick for us to transport her. Five days after it started her heart began to weaken… she was so cold." Autumn took a deep breath and wiped her tears away, "She sent her mother and father out of the room, so it was just her, Ryan and I, she told us all of her hopes and dreams and told me to never stop dreaming. After everything that's happened I don't think I can dream anymore. She died peacefully, Ryan and I just cried in her room for hours. Jace got home the next morning, he was so distraught, he almost quit SOLDIER but Angeal and Genesis convinced him to stay."

You finally built up enough courage to reach out to Autumn, you grabbed her hand, "I'm sorry" you told her.

"Don't be, talking is helping." Autumn replied through sniffles. "It scares me that sometimes I wake up and its hard for me to remember their voices or how they looked, almost like everything was a bad dream," she wiped away tears and looked in your eyes "I don't want to forget."

You squeezed her hand, unable to answer. You were too scared that you would slip up and start talking about how you coped with Zack's death. You really didn't want Autumn to think you were crazy, even though you did go crazy for a while. She didn't need to know about that, at least not yet.

"Hey Cloud?"

You looked at her; she looked like she wasn't as upset as she was before. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the moonlight.

"Why do you treat me differently?" she asked shyly, hiding behind a curtain of black hair.

That caught you off guard. "I do? ... No I don't" you rambled.

"Come on Spikey, everyone sees that you treat me differently than everyone else, I mean Tifa almost had a heart attack when she found out about our last heart to heart" Autumn looked at you suddenly confident.

You stayed silent; you hadn't noticed that you've been treating Autumn differently from everyone else. Except that you worry about her, and talk to her, and sometimes can't think around her, and you speak without thinking around her, and for the first time in years you feel comfortable and like your old self when you're around her. In that moment you finally realized that you do treat Autumn different from everyone else.

The silence was making her nervous, "Cloud, you're so cold to everyone but me" Autumn almost whispered, she looked away and with her free hand started to play with the ring on her necklace.

You resisted the urge to pull Autumn into your arms and hold her close. Instead you sighed and said "I don't know" it was stupid and you couldn't think of anything else to say. You finally let go of her hand after you realized that you were holding her hand all this time.

Autumn just looked at you still playing with her ring. You looked away hoping Autumn wouldn't question you anymore. After staring at you for a few more moments Autumn said "you're definitely a strange one, Cloud Strife," She smiled "And strange is good."

"I'm the strange one?" you asked a raised eyebrow and a sly smile.

"You sleep in a church half the time" Autumn stood up "and your shirt has one long sleeve" she offered you a hand to help you off of the swing.

She did have a point. Autumn giggled when you failed to come up with a come back. She yawned then said "Come on Spikey, let's get back to the bar" as she stretched. It looked like she flinched in pain, probably from her scar.

"Why do you call me Spikey?" you asked as the two of you began to walk back.

"Have you seen your hair?" She asked giggling. You couldn't argue with that.