AN: I would have posted this chapter a week ago, but my motherboard died. (sad face) Anyway, a small shout out to SapphyreMyst and Shimmer712 who weren't logged in, but correctly identified Palom and Porom from FFIV in the last chapter.
Chapter Ten: For want of a grappling hook
Cloud stretched in the bluish light of the false dawn. He looked down at where Yuffie dozed and chuckled. She cupped the crimson summon materia to her cheek, mumbling sleepily about materia and catching them all. Shaking his head, he nodded to Barret who was standing watch.
As the drowsy party gathered their sleeping gear and munched on the leftovers of the previous night's meal, Cloud crouched at Tifa's side. "Have you used your Steal materia against any of the Formula we've met? They're the annoying bird things that like to dive-bomb us."
The young woman shook her head. "No, I've been focusing on forming a new limit break. Want me to Mug the next ones we find?"
Cloud nodded his head towards the now awake Yuffie. "Now that we have her in our party, it would be a good idea."
Tifa grinned and waved two fingers in a mock-salute.
"Sounds like you're gettin' a new weapon Small-Fry." Barret grunted, patting the ninja on the top of her head as he left the fire to pack his bedroll.
Scowling, she smoothed her hair and in a sullen voice asked, "What did he mean by that?"
"Tifa's going to use her Steal materia on the next Formula we meet to get you a new weapon," Aerith answered, a gentle smile on her face.
Yuffie's jaw dropped. "You can do that?"
"Yep!" The Ancient chirped and showed Yuffie her Striking Staff. "Tifa stole this from an Eligor for me. All of us but Red XIII and Zack are using weapons Tifa took from enemies."
"Makes us feel unloved, doesn't it Red?" Zack asked with a mock pout.
"Don't act so hurt Zack," Tifa huffed, folding her arms under her ample bosom. "I offered to get a Hardedge for you, but you turned it down."
Zack's pout deepened and he turned his back to her with a huff.
Rolling his eyes at his friend's dramatics, Cloud shifted his bottomless pouch slightly. "Tifa helped us stock up on all sorts of potions and items from monsters too."
The young ninja pulled a yellow materia from her pouch and stared down at it in shock. "I gave up on using mine because I knew monsters didn't have wallets or materia to steal. I never thought about weapons or items."
Shortly after Tifa successfully stole a Boomerang for Yuffie, Junon came into view. The haze in the air and poisoned soil-while not as extreme-eerily mirrored Midgar. Barret eyed the massive city built over the sunlight-starved remains of a fishing village. "Anyone else feelin' deja vu?"
Tifa and Aerith grimaced and nodded. Cloud sighed and ran his left hand through his hair. "That probably means the place we need to go is up top too, doesn't it?"
Zack grunted in agreement. "There won't be any convenient cables to climb up this time either."
"Perhaps some opportunity will present itself," Red said, slipping into the darker half-light of Under Junon.
Aerith paused in the sun, just outside the shadow and sighed, looking up. "To think I used to be afraid of the sky." She shook her head and locked arms with Tifa. The younger woman gave her a weak smile of gratitude as they entered the shade together.
Junon's underside was a washed-out gray; its colors leeched away by the salty air, lack of sun, and despair. The faded remnants of the old fishing village huddled under the massive supports of Upper Junon like toadstools in a forest. Nearly every house bore the signs of lost fishing industry. Rusting spears and harpoons leaned against the slatted wood walls. Rotting fishing nets with cracked wooden floats hung on fences. Nothing summed up the state of the town better than the swordfish skeleton hanging outside an old man's house.
The mismatched party followed a surprisingly well-maintained road into the town. The cobble road carved a path between the houses and stopped at the base of a master support structure. A guard in the classic cobalt of Shinra's infantry stood before a pair of hydraulic doors. "A freight elevator!" Zack cheered.
"Um, Zack, there's a guard posted," Aerith pointed out, a weak smile on her face.
"Not a problem," Zack crowed, fists on his hips. "We have him totally outnumbered!"
Yuffie snorted. "I thought you worked for Shinra. Don't you see that security camera?" She pointed at a black dome over the doorway. "If you take out the guard, they'll put the doors in lock down."
Zack deflated, shoulders slumping. "Oh yeah... forgot about that."
"How did you know that?" Tifa asked, folding her arms and shifting her weight to one leg.
Yuffie clasped her hands behind her back and looked up innocently. "Um, no reason. You know rumors."
"Right." Cloud drew the word out, and then shook his head. "Well, let's check out the town, maybe the locals can tell us how to get up there." The blond looked over the houses, expression grim.
Leaving the more industrial road, Cloud followed a worn footpath that passed between a pair of houses. The trail meandered past the dropping-spattered skeleton and a gap-ridden slat fence. It led down a crumbling staircase to a rocky cove.
When she saw the cove, Aerith gasped, hands clasped to her chest in wonder.
"Damn," Barret breathed. In contrast to the village, the small area was a riot of color. The stones glowed like fire in the sunlight. At the shoreline, the ocean shaded from emerald to the deepest cobalt. The rust-toned power conduit from the underwater reactor to Upper Junon barely diminished the beauty of the area.
A young girl's laughter rang out from below. Shaking off his wonder, Cloud led them to the waterline. Just off the shore, a chestnut-haired girl swam with a dolphin. She shrieked with laughter as the dolphin splashed her with its tail.
"That gives me an idea for my new limit break," Tifa hummed thoughtfully. Cloud raised an eyebrow at her, but before he could question her, a cry of alarm sounded from the water. The girl screamed for "Mr. Dolphin" to escape. The flying sea monster slapped her with its tail, leaving her limp form underwater.
"We gotta help her!" Barret cried his heart freezing at the thought of Marlene in a similar state.
The adventurers dashed down the last few steps and arranged themselves along the stone shoreline.
"It is called Bottomswell," Red called after checking with his Sense materia. "It is strong against Gravity and immune to Earth attacks-"
"I don't care what the damn thing is. We gotta help that li'l girl!" Barret interrupted, charging the monstrous fish, his Atomic Scissors swinging. He missed, and Bottomswell slapped him back to the group with its skeletal tail.
"-It also can only be reached with distance attacks," Red finished with a sigh.
"Talk faster next time," Barret wheezed, cradling his bruised ribs.
"We'll have to stick to magic," Cloud ordered, charging a lightning attack.
A bloodthirsty growl of agreement rose from the party. Soon the sheltered cove rang with thunder and the roar of fire as the battle ensued. Before the flying fish monster finished dissolving into the Lifestream, Barret waded into the surf to bring the girl to shore.
Zack coughed, rubbing his nose furiously after the monster's final tidal wave attack. He shot a suspicious look at Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith as the trio stopped pinching their noses. He scowled. "How did you guys know to plug your noses?"
Cloud grimaced, remembering the sewer monster they met after the fiasco with Don Corneo. "We ran into a monster with a similar attack."
"Be grateful this thing only used sea water," Tifa muttered, shuddering and clutching her stomach.
Aerith gagged and moaned, "Don't remind me!"
"Guys, she ain't breathin'!" Barret called from where he laid the girl on the ground.
Stowing the loot from the slain monster in his pouch, Cloud rushed to Barret's side. He reached him as a young man from the village screamed "Priscilla!" and crouched at the girl's side. Shock and then indecision flickered in his gray eyes when he spotted Cloud. He shook his head and pointed to the blond, "You. Give her CPR."
"Why can't you do it?" Tifa asked suspiciously.
"Weak lungs," the man snapped. "Hurry!"
Cloud knelt at Priscilla's side and tilted her head back. Pinching her nose, he proceeded to blow several shallow breaths of air into the girl's lungs. Several repetitions later, she coughed up some water and curled on her side, clearing her lungs. With a cry of relief, the young man scooped Priscilla into his arms and dashed back to the village.
"I thought he had weak lungs," Tifa mused.
"Speaking of weak lungs," Yuffie piped up, fists on her hips. "Why were you giving the girl such wimpy breaths?"
Cloud sat down, bracing his arms on his raised knees. He shook his head, attempting to dispel the light-headed feeling from performing the rescue breathing.
Zack sighed and answered for his friend. "You might think it would be faster, but she's a little girl. If Cloud had blown his full lung-span into her tiny lungs, he could have really hurt her."
"It would seem that we have an audience," Red XIII announced, pausing in grooming the saltwater from his pelt.
They looked up to see an old woman slowly descending the stairs. "Young warriors, thank you for slaying that monster and saving young Priscilla's life. Please, stay the night in my home as a show of gratitude."
"Cloud?" Aerith said in a questioning tone.
He nodded once and accepted Zack's extended hand. With a small grunt, the larger man heaved the blond to his feet. Cloud sighed and said, "We might as well, we need to plan our next step and get out of our wet clothes. Maybe even do some laundry?" He asked the last in a hopeful tone.
The small house near the entrance of the village was cozy. Three beds lined one wall and a scarred wood table filled the kitchen area. "I apologize for the lack of beds," the old woman bowed in contrition.
"That's okay," Zack assured her. "The floor is better than what we have been sleeping on."
"I see," the woman bobbed her head again. "Please enjoy the soup on the stove." She ducked out, leaving the party. Over the meal, they discussed plans to reach Upper Junon.
"What if we made a massive tower with our ice materia and climbed it to reach the town?" Yuffie asked, eyes sparkling.
"Er..." Cloud fought a grimace.
"Nah, I say we rappel down from the cliffs above Junon," Zack mimicked the action with a grin.
"I'm afraid my anatomy is poorly suited to rappelling," Red remarked dryly.
Zack blinked and then looked to Barret who rolled his eyes and translated. "Take a look at 'im, he ain't built to rappel."
"He wouldn't have trouble with an ice tower!" Yuffie sang with a grin.
"Do you realize how much mana it would take to make an ice tower that tall?" Aerith asked, shooting the girl a disbelieving look.
"Meh, I've seen how many Ethers Cloud's packing." Yuffie flipped a hand dismissively. "I bet with your mana capacity you could do it."
"We could always find a vent and..." Zack raised his bracer and stroked Alfonse.
An uneasy silence fell. Tifa and Aerith darted worried looks from the grinning Zack to Cloud's bowed head and clenched fists. He took several deep breaths and gritted through his teeth, "How about we sleep on it. Perhaps something will come up in the morning."
"Okay," Zack shrugged, oblivious to the girls' twin sighs of relief. "You ladies get the beds."
After washing the dishes for the kind woman, the girls each claimed a bed. Cloud waited for Tifa to settle in her before lying down in the space between her bed and Aerith's. Leaning over the side, she asked, "Why are you sleeping there? Aren't you afraid of getting stepped on?"
Lying on his back with his head pillowed on his hands, he looked to his right, meeting Tifa's concerned look and then left, to meet Aerith's confused green eyes. He smirked. "Nah, even if you step on me, it won't hurt me much. As for your first question..."
He raised a finger to his lips and waved them closer. Both women leaned over the edges of their beds, a sparkle of conspiracy in their eyes. Sensing a secret, Yuffie bounced on Aerith's bed and peeked over her shoulder. "The reason I'm sleeping here is Zack's feet are toxic and Barret is a cuddler... incidentally, that's why Red is between you and Yuffie," he added with a nod to the two.
"Barret's a cuddler?" Tifa asked her mouth twitching as she fought a grin. Aerith and Yuffie stifled their giggles with their hands. It was hard to picture the large, rough man cuddling.
"I wouldn't mind so much if it weren't for his metal arm," Red XIII rumbled from the other side of Aerith's bed. "As for Zack... Sensitive nose."
The three young women collapsed in a pile of hilarity.
Zack dropped the last dining table chair in the barrier between him and Barret. He shot a wary look at the girls. "You don't think they're laughing at us do you?"
From his bedroll, Barret grunted and rolled his eyes at the younger man. "Prob'ly, when women laugh like that, they're makin' fun of someone."
"You're probably right," Zack conceded with a small pout. Sitting on his bedroll he unlaced his boots and pulled them off with a lusty sigh, wiggling his toes gingerly.
"Damn, man," Barret groaned, pinching his nose. "You could kill a dragon with those!"
Zack stiffened and then gave a stilted laugh. "Er, yeah... kill a dragon..."
Cloud groaned and sat up with a frown of confusion on his face. "What an odd dream," he muttered, scrubbing his fingers through his hair to fluff it back into shape. The house was empty, and Zack's "Barret Barrier" chairs were back around the table. He could hear faint music from outside. After stowing his bedding, he stepped out and realized the music was the President's March.
His missing companions stood in a half circle at the base of some stairs leading to a house's upper level. Before Cloud could ask why they were there, the door to the top level opened and Priscilla slowly descended the steps. Her umber-toned eyes flicked over the party. When her gaze landed on Cloud, her eyes widened and shone with an inner glow that sent chills down his spine. He shifted his feet, instincts screaming, "Run, run NOW!"
"It is you!" she squealed. Recognizing the hunting cry of the crazed-fangirl, a cold sweat rose on Cloud's brow. The small pre-teen quickened her pace and Cloud backed up, mentally planning his escape route. His back collided with a muscular chest and a pair of strong arms gripped his right shoulder. Atomic Scissors and another strong hand gripped his left shoulder, locking him firmly in place.
"Sorry Cloud," Zack whispered from his right. "You have to deal with it eventually."
By this point, Priscilla reached the bottom of the stairs. She flung her arms around Cloud's waist and rubbed her cheek against his stomach. "I can't believe it's you!" She gushed. "The Cloud Strife, Mirage, the Golden Illusion, and Chocobo Whisperer-"
Cloud flinched out of his frozen position and mouthed "Chocobo Whisperer?" to Zack, who sent him an equally baffled look.
Priscilla didn't notice the byplay and continued her enthusiastic praise. "I can't believe you're in Junon! And oh my gosh, you saved me!" She finally released him and bounced in a small circle squealing that her friends were going to be so jealous.
On the other side of the small intersection, Tifa and Aerith covered their grins with their hands. Yuffie's cheeks turned red from the strain of holding back her laughter. The air came from her nose in a high-pitched squeak so unexpected that she snorted into gales of laughter. She hunched over, clutching her ribs and wheezing.
Priscilla didn't seem to notice the princess' humor and continued,"Anyway, to thank you for saving my life, I want to give you my treasure." She pulled a necklace from the folds of the orange sarong around her waist. Barret released the blond's arm so he could accept the gift.
Cloud's eyes widened as soon as the bauble landed in his hand. He stared down at the summon materia gleaming in its setting and breathed a sincere thank you to the girl. He tossed a smirk to the now gaping Yuffie. The moment over, Zack finally let him go and Cloud rolled his shoulder to restore the blood flow.
Barret jerked his chin to the under-girders of the city above and asked, "What's with the music?"
Priscilla blinked in confusion and tilted her head to listen. "Oh, that! Sorry, most of us have learned to tune it out. It's the local band playing for President Rufus. They sound pretty good now, but you should have hard them last week." She cringed and cupped her ears in remembered agony.
Cloud and Zack traded somber looks and peered up through the early morning gloom to the structure far above.
"If one of us could get up there, they could bring the elevator down for the rest," Tifa mused, shifting her weight to her right leg and resting her right hand on the raised hip.
"And I'm not going to make a tower of ice," Aerith added with a grin before Yuffie could suggest it again. The young ninja snapped her mouth shut with a huff.
"You guys need to get up top?" Priscilla asked in dismay. Her lips pursed and a line formed between her eyebrows. "The normal ways are under ultra-tight security for President Rufus, but... I think I know a way. Follow me."
She grabbed Cloud's right hand and pulled him to the small cove. The others followed while the girl explained. She pointed to one of the support columns with an electric warning sign. "To keep thieves and 'undesirables' from reaching the upper levels, they electrified the columns above the spikes. That one though..."
She pointed to the red painted tower in the water. "That one is reversed. It is electrified on the ground level instead of above."
"Um..." Zack scratched the back of his head. "But how would we get up there?"
Priscilla pulled out a small whistle and blew it. Her dolphin shot out of the water in a graceful arc. Noting how close it came to a low crossbeam, Barret grunted in understanding and said, "Good luck Cloud."
"Indeed," Red XIII nodded. "Go with care Cloud."
"Wait, what?" Cloud's eyes widened. "Why me?"
Zack sighed and clapped his friend on the back. "You and I are the only ones with Shinra issue uniforms, but I'm too big for poor Mr. Dolphin."
The blond frowned and folded his arms. "There has to be another way."
"Well..." Zack drew the word out. His gaze dropped to the Transform materia in his bracer. "There is Alfonse..."
Grimacing, Cloud turned to the eager girl and asked weakly, "How does this work again?"
"Just blow this whistle and Mr. Dolphin will jump." She handed Cloud a whistle on a leather cord and then pulled a small black item from the folds of her sarong. "I even brought a swimsuit for you!" She beamed and held up a tiny black speedo.
Tifa made a slight squawk in the back of her throat. She bit her lip, expression torn. Of course, only Aerith heard her, as Barret and Zack's laughter reverberated off the stone walls of the small cove.
"Wha- Why do you even have that?" Cloud sputtered, cheeks slightly red.
Priscilla shrugged, "I was hoping we could go swimming together. This is close enough. Put it on! Put it on!" She squealed, bouncing like a sugar-overdosed toddler.
"I'll pass," Cloud growled through gritted teeth.
"Aw," Priscilla pouted, dropping her gaze to the piece of fabric. "But I bought it just for you!" She stretched it a few times and then extended it to him. "Well you might as well take it with you, it's your size."
Eyes wide, he shot a desperate look at Tifa. She shook her head once and made a waving motion, clearly saying, "take it".
"Er, thanks," Cloud said his right eye twitching slightly at Barret and Zack's redoubled laughter. He picked the suit up between his thumb and forefinger like it was toxic and dropped it into his pouch. How much illicit underwear was he going to have by the end of this trip?
Just before he waded into the water, Barret wheezed one last time and called out, "Hey, better give me your PHS. You don't want it to get wet."
Shooting the man one last dark look, Cloud unclipped the phone and tossed it to him. A few swift strokes took him deep enough in for the dolphin to help him up. The water was warmer than he expected, but still too cold for his comfort. He slung the leather cord around his neck and blew the whistle.
Priscilla probably didn't expect him to hear her small squeal of, "Indirect kiss!" but he did. He stiffened in horror, throwing off his arc and missing the beam. He came up sputtering and shooting a dark look at the distant girl. Shuddering at the new thought she planted in his mind, he blew the whistle once more, determined not to miss. This time he braced properly against the dolphin's push and aimed with care. He landed lightly in a crouch on the beam. Water dripped from him and sparkled as it fell to the surf below.
"If he'd worn the speedo he would have looked even more amazing!" Priscilla mourned. Tifa nodded numbly, her mind filling with the image of his bared muscles and skin sparkling with drops of water. She shook her head and then scowled down at the girl.
Cloud rose from his crouch, tossed them a wave, and scrambled into the city's under-girders. Once he was out of sight, Priscilla sighed wistfully and turned to the rest of the party. "So why did you guys need to get up there so desperately?"
An uncomfortable silence fell and they exchanged looks, wondering who should answer now their leader was gone. Tifa shrugged off the responsibility and peered over Yuffie's phone at something on the screen. She hissed something to Yuffie and the young ninja grinned and whispered something back. Barret frowned and shot a look at Zack who was stroking Alfonse and muttering. Backing away slightly, the large man turned to Aerith and raised his eyebrows in invitation.
Aerith shook her head and answered, "The man we're chasing came here, likely to cross to the other continent. We need access to the upper area so we can take the ship across."
The young girl stiffened, and her jaw dropped. "Wait, you guys wanted to get on a ship to cross the ocean?"
In the background, Yuffie looked up, eyes widening with horror. Crowing in triumph, Tifa snatched the girl's PHS from her numb fingers and fiddled with it.
Priscilla slapped her face and moaned. "I thought you guys wanted to sneak up to watch the parade! You should have told me you wanted to cross the ocean; it would have saved us a lot of trouble."
"Huh?" Zack raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Follow me," Priscilla ordered as she made her way down a well-worn path along the shoreline. Junon's massive harbor soon came into view. She led them to a large, rusting warehouse. The inside resembled a clothing store for Shinra's army and navy. Shelves and racks displayed uniforms ranging from sailor outfits to standard Shinra infantry. The accompanying accessories for each outfit lined the back wall.
"What the Hell?" Barret gaped at the racks. "What is this, Shinra-R-Us?"
Priscilla giggled sheepishly, and waved to the clothing. "The people of Junon and Costa Del Sol have a deal with the shipping companies. As long as stowaways are in uniform, willing to learn, and pull their weight, they can travel freely between the two ports."
Zack pinched the bridge of his nose, "So you're saying that all we have to do is dress up and get on?"
"Well, help too, but... yes." Priscilla nodded.
An abashed silence fell, and Zack scratched the back of his head. "I vote we tell Cloud the dolphin took us to the ship," he proposed.
"That's... probably a good idea," Tifa agreed with a sigh before dragging a whimpering Yuffie to the clothing racks.
Barret pulled Cloud's PHS from his bag, shook his head and sighed.
Meanwhile...
Cloud scrambled through the iron girders of the support tower until he no longer felt Priscilla's hungry gaze. That girl was not normal... at least he hoped that was the case. He shivered as the cool sea breeze chilled his soaking clothes. After checking once more that he was out of sight, he removed his clothing and attempted to wring them dry.
Climbing through Junon's underside was harder than he had imagined. Nibelheim didn't have a jungle gym, so growing up he didn't have the chance to hone the fine skills of climbing in and through metal bars. Cursing as his left foot slipped and wedged into the joint between two angled beams, he paused to scratch his shoulder. The salt water drying on his clothes and skin itched horribly.
Grunting with exertion, Cloud braced his arms on a beam and jerked his boot free. He angled his foot so the sole pointed directly into the joint and caught, rather than twisting and squishing his toes. Once his footing was sure, he glared through the metalwork.
Only twenty feet away on another, girder an access ladder led to stairs and presumably the city proper. This was the fourth time he'd seen maintenance walkways he couldn't reach. After the second time, he realized that this support column wasn't electrified because it had no direct access to the city. "If I had a grappling hook, this wouldn't be a problem," Cloud muttered and resumed his climb.
Exhausted, filthy, and in a foul mood, Cloud finally pulled himself onto the Junon airstrip. He sat a moment, curled over his raised knees to catch his breath and let his heartbeat slow down. He almost slipped more times than he cared to count. After surviving the fall from the Sector Five reactor, he knew he wouldn't have fallen to his death, but it still would have hurt.
Groaning as the bumps and bruises from his climb throbbed, he heaved himself to his feet and looked around. A large airship hovered over the landing pad, several cables tied it down. Cloud scratched his head and idly wondered how anyone boarded the floating ship. A few minutes later, he slipped inside Junon's Shinra compound. Infantry men and commanders scrambled towards the Junon-side exit. He ducked into a doorway before a crimson garbed drill sergeant spotted him.
When the hallway cleared, he dashed around the corner and opened the door leading to the elevator shaft. He gaped at the bare sheet of stamped metal that served as an elevator. The only railings in the shaft were on the bridge leading to the platform. He peered over the rail and squinted into the depths of the dark, round shaft. His lip involuntarily curled at the smell of oil and stagnant water. Shaking his head, he stepped on the bare sheet of metal and sent it down. A brilliant yellow emergency light on the large plate lit and spun as he descended.
When the elevator reached the bottom he heaved a sigh as the light finally dimmed. His head throbbed at the flashing strobe effect. Did that light have to spin the whole way down? Gritting his teeth against a budding headache, he triggered the outer doors and stepped into lower Junon.
"S-Sir!" the man on guard snapped to attention.
"At ease, Private." Cloud waved a hand. "What is the situation down here? Any loiterers?"
"Sir! No Sir!" The young man fairly quivered at addressing a SOLDIER First. "A large party of strangers headed to the coastline two hours ago with a young local girl. She returned alone an hour ago."
"Thank you, keep up the good work." Cloud said and clapped the young man on his shoulder. He staggered but beamed up at Cloud before the blond slipped back into the elevator shaft. Squeezing his eyes shut to ward off the strobe effect, Cloud frowned in concern. Perhaps Priscilla did something to help the others board one of the ships. His hand drifted to his hip and then he cursed. Barret had his PHS, so he couldn't call them to ask.
Preoccupied with his thoughts, Cloud stepped out of the elevator and ran into another sergeant hunting stragglers. "You!" the man called, grabbing Cloud's arm. "Why aren't you in uniform? Come with me!"
"Wha?" Cloud stammered. The large man hardly gave him a choice as he bodily hauled him into a locker room.
"There's a uniform in that locker." The man pointed to an open locker near the end of the row. Then he pointed to a room off to the side. "Take a shower while you're at it, you smell like fish. Make it snappy!"
Part of Cloud still remembered his recruit and infantry days. The ingrained obedience instinct spurred him into snatching the indicated uniform and swiftly showering. He was grateful for the chance to wash off the salt water and change, even if the uniform was a bit small around the shoulders and long in the legs. At least the boots fit.
'It's been a while since I've worn this uniform,' he mused as he stowed his old clothes and sword in his bottomless pouch. Helmet in hand, he shouldered the rifle and stepped back into the locker room.
The Sergeant whirled to face Cloud, mouth open to bellow at him and then froze. "Cloud?"
Mwa ha ha! Until next time. There is another obscure reference in this chapter, I wonder if anyone will catch it? (grin)