[068.] Of Redheads and Theatrics
Title: Of Redheads and Theatrics
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Claim: Cloud/Riku
Theme: [068.] Truth
Word Count: 7,718
Rating: R
Summary: Nothing had been quite typical of Cloud since he met Riku.
Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Kingdom Hearts whatsoever other than I am a super obsessive fangirl. It all belongs to Disney and Square Enix. I’ve accepted this, and you should, too.
Author’s Note: I would say this much crazy drama doesn’t happen to any one person in such a short amount of time, but then 2008 came and now I disagree. I sympathize with Cloud. I really do.
In all honesty he was probably being melodramatic. Overdramatic. Some kind of dramatic that was superfluous and unnecessary, or at least that’s what Leon, Aerith, Tifa, or one of his other five million friends too nosy to mind their own business would probably say. To Cloud, however, he felt perfectly justified to sit here in the Sector Six church, arms crossed, staring blankly at Fenrir, and fuming. Zack had just kissed him, after all, and caused about a thousand problems that Cloud didn’t want to deal with right now. There were other things to deal with. Important things. Things more important than the unnecessary bullshit that a simple kiss was bound to drudge up.
And Cloud had warned him! On top of it all Cloud had warned Zack that he was in a relationship-a relationship that was already on shaky ground with a boyfriend who currently had waning confidence. He knew this was difficult for Zack. Cloud had tried to be careful of his feelings, had tried to be understanding, but did Zack appreciate Cloud’s consideration at all? Apparently not. And here he’d been-Cloud that was- telling Leon not to worry. That he could handle it and everything would be okay, but Zack obviously wasn’t listening when Leon had that talk with him.
How could he just kiss him like that? And he was drunk on top of it! Was he fucking deaf or something? How many times did Cloud have to turn him down? It wasn’t like he wanted to be rude or anything. Zack had been an important part of his life, but that was ages ago. He died, and sure it wasn’t his fault or anything, but it had happened. What was Cloud supposed to do? Psychically know that Zack would return via pissed off Lifestream and just wait for him until it happened? Just put his fucking life on hold until Zack came back to put all his pieces together again? To hell with that.
Sure, Cloud understood what Zack was going through. He’d heard enough analogies by now to get the full scope of the depressing, morbid picture, but this wasn’t some ridiculously dramatic tragedy. Life just went like this. Bad shit happens and you move on. So what if things were hard for Zack right now? They’d been fucking hell for Cloud all these years, wondering if he was ever going to be okay again. He didn’t get the luxury of missing out on the really hard part where he didn’t even get a chance to properly mourn. He had to pull his shit together right away and save the effing planet from Meteor. Did Zack have to deal with that shit? Sure there was the Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo problem right now, but it didn’t really compare to the holy terror that Sephiroth waged on Gaea two years ago. It didn’t even come close, and in all honesty it was going to be Cloud who probably put an end to this current mess, too. Zack had no real trouble other than the obvious, and Cloud would really appreciate it if Zack would just go get on that already.
What was he supposed to do? Buy some pompoms and jump up and down in elation over Zack’s return? Just call up Riku and say, ‘Sorry, babe, but my formerly dead ex-boyfriend is back from the grave. I’m going to break up with you and be with him now.’? Not fucking likely. And yes, that was what Zack wanted him to do. It was what Tifa wanted him to do. Did anyone give a fuck what Cloud wanted? He wasn’t even the same person he was with Zack. A lot had changed. He’d come a long way. Cloud wasn’t exactly prepared to just transport back in time to be that scared, unsure kid again. It wasn’t what he wanted. He’d moved on after a great deal of torment and self-degradation. He was stronger now. He didn’t need Zack to lean on, and he didn’t want it, either.
What was with Tifa, anyway? Did she really hate Riku so much that she wanted Cloud to be miserable? Did she just feel that sorry for Zack that she thought Cloud should just rearrange his entire personality to suit her needs? And it wasn’t even that Cloud was mad at her, really. He wasn’t even mad at Zack. It would just be nice if someone could just acknowledge and accept how he felt instead of trying to change it. And maybe-maybe-he was being a bit of an asshole right now, but he didn’t feel that wanting just a little respect for his decision was uncalled for.
To top it off there was poor Riku in the middle of it all. Riku had enough shit to worry about. Important shit. Shit that had nothing to do with this Zack drama. Fate was a fucking asshole, throwing Riku in the middle of this bizarre plot point and making him even more unsure of the one thing that was supposed to be stable. Cloud felt like a dick, telling Riku about what had happened. Like he really needed this right now. Riku needed assurance; he needed confidence. Cloud was not going anywhere, and Riku needed to know that, but Zack’s mere presence was screwing that all up. And now Zack had kissed him. Cloud had let Zack kiss him. He didn’t even push him away-just sat there in total shock until the annoyance hit him. What kind of message was that to send to Riku?
The simple, and probably best, decision was to just not tell Riku what had happened. Nothing had come from it. It didn’t mean anything to Cloud except that now he was going to keep his distance from Zack when imbibing liquor. He didn’t want it, and he was going to make damn sure that it didn’t happen again. There was no reason to upset Riku over nothing. On the flip side that meant he was keeping something from Riku. It was a secret now, and perhaps this wasn’t a good time to be keeping secrets. What if Riku found out? What if months from now Zack and Riku met, Zack made one of his asinine jokes, and let it slip? What if he did it on purpose, still intent to break Cloud and Riku up? What would Riku think then? Would he believe Cloud when he told him the truth, or did the simple fact that Cloud had kept it secret speak louder?
With questions like these that had no obvious answer there were only two people Cloud would turn to for advice, and he really didn’t want to call either of them. Aerith would get emotional-she always did when Zack was concerned, and he really didn’t feel like answering questions about how he was doing, either. She’d try to persuade him to stop being so damn irritated. She’d give him pieces of advice he didn’t feel like hearing right now. The call would end with Cloud even more irate than he already was. Aerith was right out. Leon was his only other option, and while Leon might actually give a shit and listen to what Cloud was saying-might even acknowledge that Cloud had a fucking right to be irritated-Cloud had the feeling he’d burdened Leon enough with the drama of this retarded love triangle.
Cloud was aware that one of these days Leon was going to shoot him with the Gunblade as he found Leon’s name in the contact menu and pressed the call button.
“I assume this is my daily dose of the tragic workings of your love life,” said Leon after the second ring. Cloud sighed.
“I’d resent that comment if it weren’t for the fact it were true, and I want you to know that I genuinely feel sorry for that, but you were my only option besides Aerith,” said Cloud. “Feel special.”
“...Whatever. And you didn’t call Aerith because...”
“She would try to make me stop being pissed off, and being pissed off is the only thing keeping me from throwing myself off a cliff right now.”
“What happened?”
Cloud huffed.
“Okay. So I go with Zack to Healen today, right?”
“Okay...”
“Kadaj and his morons attack us. That’s fucking annoying. We meet up with Rufus Shinra and everything. He’s an asshole, Reno’s annoying the shit out of me, but me and Zack are getting along great.”
“Okay...”
“And then we get back to Tifa’s and we’re talking about everything. No problems at all. It’s almost like everything’s going to be okay. It felt a little awkward, but I’m starting to get more comfortable so that’s great, right?”
“I know there’s got to be a point to this story somewhere...”
“Well then Riku calls me and Zack goes down to the bar to give me some time to talk. I know he’s upset but I appreciate it so I talk to Riku about everything. It ends on a really positive note. He’s not freaking out about Zack or anything. He took it really well.”
“That’s great...”
“Yeah. I thought so too. So I go down to the bar to tell Zack I’m off the phone and he can return to the room whenever he likes. But Zack’s more upset than he lets on and he’s drinking his ass off.”
“This story is going no place good.”
“I know. That’s what I thought when I saw him. And apparently since he’s been dead he can’t handle his alcohol at all. So he’s four, five drinks in-and these aren’t normal drinks. We’re not talking beer, okay? He’s just downing straight liquor in an obnoxiously short amount of time. Then he starts going off about everything he loves about me, and how much he liked me, and asking me if we would have worked if he hadn’t died. And I’m just sitting there thinking ‘How the hell am I supposed to know?’ What am I? A fucking psychic?”
“I’m starting to think I don’t want you to finish this story.”
“Well I’m going to so just shut up and listen to me, okay?”
“...Whatever.”
“Okay. So he’s going off about all this stuff and then he fucking kissed me. He fucking kissed me! So I’m just sitting there in shock-I’d like to add that I didn’t kiss him back-and he starts fucking apologizing. By this point I can even think straight anymore. I’m irritated. Frustrated. So I took Fenrir and went to the Sector Six church. Which is where I am now. And I’m fucking pissed off, and irritated, and I need your advice because I don’t know what to tell Riku. I don’t even know if I should tell Riku. And I’m sorry I’m calling you about this but I just need an opinion from someone who isn’t so close to the situation, and I couldn’t call Aerith because...”
“Yeah, I know why you couldn’t call Aerith,” said Leon. An audible sigh passed through the phone. “She’d just start digging into how you feel about it and completely ignore what you’re really calling for.”
“Exactly. She’d want to know how I feel about Zack, Riku, and the whole scenario, and I don’t need that. I know how I feel. I’m fucking irritated. I don’t want to deal with this because it’s stupid. I know what I want. I told Zack what I want. I told Riku what I want. I’m telling everyone who will fucking listen because I know what I want for a change, and that’s not what I’m unsure about. I just need another opinion on whether or not I should tell Riku.”
Leon sighed for a second time. There was a long pause and Cloud could practically see Leon rubbing the skin between his eyes in concentration.
“I’m really sorry I called you about this,” said Cloud. “I know I’m a pain in your ass...”
“It’s okay. If I were you I’d probably have called me too. Just know that if I ever happen to get into a relationship I’m burdening you with all my issues.”
“Fair trade. Agreed.”
“Okay.” Leon paused again, most likely thinking it over, and then released a strong exhale. “My opinion is to not tell him. It wasn’t important to you. You didn’t want it. You’re sure of what you want, and it’s just going to upset him. The last thing you need is him questioning what you want if you already talked tonight and he’s feeling good about it.”
“That was my first instinct, but what if it comes up later? What if Zack makes one of his stupid jokes about it six months down the line and now Riku’s wondering if I’ve just been lying to him the whole time?”
Leon sighed again.
“I don’t know. I see your point, but...I just wouldn’t tell him. If it comes up later than you can deal with that then. Just make him aware that it wasn’t important to you and you didn’t tell him because it was unnecessary to upset him over nothing. He’ll probably come around. But that’s just my opinion.”
“Yeah...I don’t know. Maybe. I just don’t know if it’s a good idea to be keeping secrets.”
“Well do what you think is best. Feel it out the next time you talk to him, but I wouldn’t tell him. You don’t know that it’ll come up later, and even if it did it might not go as badly as you think it will. Just...think it over.”
“Okay. Well I won’t keep you. It’s got to be getting late there.”
“Yeah. I was just getting ready for bed.”
“All right. Well thanks. I appreciate it.”
“No problem. Good luck.”
“Thanks, though hopefully I won’t need it.”
“I doubt that.”
Cloud snorted.
“How unfortunately true. All right. Have fun with the restoration tomorrow.”
“Oh don’t I always? It’s like a party everyday though it just hasn’t been the same since you left.”
“I know. I was so uplifting.”
“Always are.”
“Well...thanks a lot. For not freaking out and for actually putting up with me.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m your friend by choice. I do it to myself.”
“Well thanks anyway.”
“It’s not a problem. Goodnight, Cloud.”
“Night.”
Cloud ended the call, slipped the phone back into his pocket, and looked around for a place to sleep. There weren’t many options save for a small platform. He should probably get some blankets in here-maybe a pillow-with how often he ran to this place for sanctuary. Keeping this in mind he sat down on the platform and then stretched out, using his arm to support his head. Tomorrow was another day. He’d deal with everything then.
There was so much to do tomorrow. Set up a meeting with Rude and Reno. Talk to Riku. Straighten out this mess with Zack. Find out what Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo had to do with Sephiroth. He had to call Barrett. Talk to Vincent and Tifa about what the next course of action could be because, really, he couldn’t do this alone. Sephiroth was one thing. Sephiroth was something he had to do on his own, but Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo couldn’t be in the way. Rufus Shinra needed to be held at bay. He was not going to help rebuild Shinra, but Reno and Rude could help keep him out of it. He needed to know what they found at the Northern Cave that Rufus Shinra wanted to hide.
While it certainly wasn’t the ideal way, Cloud drifted off to sleep thinking of Sephiroth, Reno, and all the questions that needed answered. Consequentially his sleep was fitful and restless, full of nightmares, but at least not once did he think of Zack.
~*~
His back was stiff and he cried out in pain as he woke the next morning. Cloud flexed his right hand to urge the blood back into it and squirmed against his will as feeling (and that horrible tingling sensation) returned. Somehow blankets and that pillow became a top priority for the day. If he was to run away from Tifa’s again (and being Cloud, he probably would) he didn’t want to endure another restless night like that one had been. At least not if the restless night could be avoided by the simple sense to acquire bedding.
Ordinarily he probably would have sat here and wondered what he was doing in the Sector Six church and just what time it was, but yesterday came back to him in a flash when he felt the hard platform beneath him. The time-just before eleven-was easily discovered by a quick glance at his cell phone. With those questions out of the way Cloud decided the best thing to do was not sit and brood. He’d done enough of that last night. There was no hazy morning grogginess now that he’d been permitted to sleep as long as he liked (Leon’s early wake up calls were the handiwork of the devil). These things considered it was probably a good time for Cloud to get a start on knocking off some of those things he needed to do today. As it was usually best to get the worst out of the way out of the way first, he opened his cell phone and called Reno.
“Cloud! Buddy! What’s going on, yo?”
Cloud wondered for perhaps the millionth and one time what he’d been thinking when he decided it was a good idea to date Reno. Nothing logical came to mind.
“Hey,” said Cloud. “We need to talk about yesterday. Are you alone?”
There was a pause as if Reno were looking around to see if he were alone or not. Cloud sighed. These were things people should just know.
“Sure am. I mean, Rude’s here, but he doesn’t count.”
Cloud rolled his eyes.
“No, of course not. Rude to you is like what my right arm is to me.”
“Exactly. You get it, yo.”
“Believe me, I wish I didn’t. So that’s it? Just you and Rude? Rufus Shinra isn’t around?”
“No. He’s at his place in Healen. Did you want to talk to him or something?”
“No, Reno. If I wanted to talk to him, I’d go see him again. I’m calling you because I want to talk to you.”
“I’m flattered.”
“You really shouldn’t be. So...Is there a place we can meet or something? Because I’d really like to get this conversation over with.”
“Depends. What do you want to talk about?”
“Sephiroth. The Northern Cave. Kadaj and his pack of morons. The obvious. Come on, Reno. Is there a place we can meet or not.”
“I’m not having sex with you again.”
“I didn’t say anything about sex!”
“Maybe not, but you were thinking it. I can tell, yo.”
Cloud sighed and rubbed his eyes.
“I don’t want to have sex with you, Reno.”
“That’s what you said last time, yo, and we both know how that turned out.”
“Would you stop talking about that? It was a period of insanity that I like to forget ever happened.”
“How could you say that? I’m insulted, yo. See if I tell you anything now.”
“Reno, shut up. I just want to talk about yesterday and I don’t want Rufus Shinra involved. You can bring Rude if you want. I know how you can’t function properly without him.”
“Say you’re sorry for insulting my sex and maybe I’ll reconsider.”
“Reno, stop being a jackass. Are we meeting or not?”
“I don’t know. You were mean to me, yo. You didn’t return my calls. I don’t know if I want to meet with someone with so much hostility.”
“Reno...”
“All right, all right. Don’t get your panties in a twist, yo. Is it just you or is Fair coming?”
“I really couldn’t care less what Zack is doing right now, so no.”
“Whoa. Touch-chy. What did Fair do? Twist your panties for you?”
“Reno...”
“I get it, okay? Geez, Mr. Serious. Cut a guy some slack.”
“Not interested.”
“Now, Cloud...”
“I’m going to hang up on you if you don’t start cooperating.”
“Fine. Really, yo. You know Johnny’s Heaven? It’s a café in Edge.”
“I think I’ve seen it.”
“Yeah, well, since you probably don’t want to meet at Tifa’s, Johnny’s is going to have to do. Meet Rude and me there at noon. We’ll chat.”
“Sounds great.”
“And Cloud? You really do need to lighten up, yo.”
Cloud rolled his eyes and ended the call.
~*~
The hour before meeting Reno and Rude passed quickly. There was no need to dress as he hadn’t brought a change of clothing and had never undressed to begin with. He had no access to a toothbrush. Cloud settled to check his hair in Fenrir (people didn’t really need mirrors for these things, anyway) and headed out into Edge on foot. His first order of business was to ask around until he found Johnny’s Heaven so he wouldn’t have any trouble finding it and turn up late when noon came. He’d learned long ago that making Reno wait wasn’t worth it, especially when the reason was that he’d gotten lost. It left too much room for Reno’s favorite blond jokes, and though Cloud had a fairly high tolerance for people poking fun at his expense (he’d grown up Zack, Leon, and Yuffie), having Reno poke fun at him was unacceptable. One look at Reno explained why.
His second task once the first was accomplished was to find a nearby convenience store and purchase a toothbrush and some toothpaste. He could’ve gone back to Tifa’s, but he’d never get out of there in enough time to make the appointment. Making Reno wait because of Tifa was worse than making him wait because he’d gotten lost. Before, after, and while they had been dating the very mention of Tifa’s name spawned vile and lewd comments about everything from her breasts (which got mixed reviews depending on Reno’s mood) to the way she poured drinks. Sometimes he liked her; sometimes he hated her. Reno was even known to be neutral, but he always had something to say and Cloud just wasn’t in the mood to hear his opinion today.
Not that he was brushing his teeth in a public restroom for Reno, even if Reno was bound to notice the obvious morning breath and comment on it at great length while Rude stood vigilant and shook his head. His mouth felt vile anyway. The last thing to go in it was straight liquor. Plus he needed it if he was setting up house in the Sector Six church anyway. It didn’t all have to do with Reno.
Okay, so a large amount had to do with Reno, but Reno could be highly irritating and handing him ammunition just wasn’t an option. Only a stupid person handed Reno ammunition and Cloud knew better. He had no excuse.
With a half hour to go Cloud found the nearest store with bedding, sifted through the options, and purchased two fluffy pillows, some plain sheets, and a thick blanket. He would make that platform comfortable if it killed him. Somewhere in the back of his head a voice that sounded suspiciously like Leon suggested that it might. Cloud shook his head, told the Leon voice to go eat himself, and carried his purchases over to Johnny’s Heaven with three minutes to spare. Reno was already outside, staring at his watch and bitching to himself.
“It’s about time, yo,” said Reno. Rude adjusted his trademark shades and shook his head.
“I’m three minutes early,” said Cloud.
“And I’ve been waiting for five.”
“I’m early.”
“And look at what you showed up with,” Reno continued, making an exaggerated gesture toward the shopping bags in Cloud’s hands. “I knew you were thinking about having sex with me again.”
“I’m not...I wasn’t...” Cloud huffed and rolled his shoulders forward. “I just needed something to sleep on, okay?”
“I thought you were staying with Tifa,” said Rude.
“I am.”
“So why don’t you have anything to sleep on?”
“How is this any of your business?”
“He’s avoiding a direct answer because he wants to have sex with me, yo,” said Reno.
“I don’t want to have sex with you!” said Cloud. “I have a boyfriend, okay?”
“Oh, I see. That’s why you need blankets. There’s trouble in paradise so you’re bunking up somewhere else. That’s why Fair isn’t with you.”
Cloud shifted, sighed, and rolled his eyes.
“Zack isn’t my boyfriend. I need blankets because I keep running off to the Sector Six church since Zack isn’t pleased that he isn’t my boyfriend. Okay? Can we get to the more important issues now? Or at least go inside?”
Rude turned his head, presumably looking at Reno behind the shades. Reno shoved his hands in his pockets and frowned.
“Fair isn’t your boyfriend?”
Cloud sighed.
“No.”
“But I thought...When I heard Fair was back...”
“You thought wrong.”
“So you’re actually dating someone other than Fair.”
“Yes.”
“...How did that happen?”
“Reno, this really isn’t a good time for you to take a sudden interest in my life.”
“Hey, it’s been a few years since we broke up. I’m just trying to catch up with what’s going on with you. You don’t have to be so moody about it, yo.”
“Okay. Well let’s see. Since we broke up...Okay. Sephiroth still isn’t dead. I finally got over Zack and started dating this great guy who unfortunately happens to be tied up in a Heartless problem but that was going okay. Then Zack came back from the dead to complicate my current unstable relationship. Oh, yeah, and now I’m back here, people are dying, Rufus Shinra is keeping things from me, and I have to play twenty questions with you if I want any answers about Kadaj and his gang. How does that sum it up for you?”
Reno shrugged.
“Sounds pretty typical for you. Let’s go in.” Rude held the door while Reno brushed inside. Cloud paused and then followed, slumping into a seat across from Reno. Rude joined them a second later. “So what do you want to talk about?”
“First I need your promise that you’re going to keep Rufus Shinra out of this,” said Cloud as Johnny, the café owner, came over to their table. Reno gave a quick scan of the menu while Rude ordered, placed his own order, and then Cloud, figuring he really ought to get something, repeated what Reno had said. Johnny left the table and Cloud turned his glance to Rude. “I mean it. I don’t want him to know we met or anything we talked about.”
“What’s in it for us?” said Reno.
“I don’t castrate you,” said Cloud.
“No, really. We’re still Turks regardless of what happened to Shinra. Now I want to see Sephiroth dead for good and Kadaj and his pack of rejects gone just as much as you do, but I don’t see why I should keep anything from Rufus.”
Cloud rolled his eyes.
“I don’t have to do this. Don’t you get that? I can go back to Hollow Bastion at any time and leave you to deal with Kadaj and the stigma. Or let the WRO deal with it. Vincent tells me that Reeve’s got a pretty good team together. I don’t have to do this. I wouldn’t even have to finish off Sephiroth except I’m the only one who can. You called me. I’m here, and all I’m asking is that we keep Shinra out of this.”
“Agreed,” said Rude. Reno glared and sulked.
“Okay,” said Cloud. He took a breath and nodded. “Let’s start at the beginning. Why did you call me? You said you thought it had something to do with Jenova.”
“That’s because I knew you wouldn’t come if I didn’t mention it, yo,” said Reno.
“But you didn’t just make it up, either. So? What does Kadaj’s crew have to do with Jenova? And what did you find at the Northern Cave that Rufus doesn’t want me to know about?”
“We initially thought Kadaj was just reckless and dangerous,” said Rude. “They caused a lot of riots and tried to break into the old Shinra Building through what’s left of the Midgar slums. Some of the best SOLDIERS to survive Meteorfall went up against their gang, but so far no one has been able to take them down.”
“Me and Rude thought he had something to do with the Jenova Project early on. They looked like Sephiroth, but that...” said Reno, sighing and screwing up his face in concentration. “They called everyone brothers and sisters. Kadaj talks crazy like Sephiroth used to. He talked about ‘Mother’s revenge on the planet.’ Called Geostigma the planet’s punishment to us and spoke out against it.”
“Rufus initially disregarded our concerns. He seemed to believe that everyone knew of Sephiroth and some disturbed young men were taking hero worship to a dangerous extreme,” said Rude. “But then Kadaj started publicly speaking about a reunion. So to be sure we conducted the investigation of the Northern Cave.”
“And I called you,” said Reno. “Rufus wanted us to get in contact with you as soon as possible in case anything went really wrong against Kadaj because whether he’s connected to Sephiroth and Jenova or not, he’s still highly dangerous.”
“You’re the only one to go against Sephiroth repeatedly and come out alive,” said Rude. “So Kadaj and his crew, as powerful as they might be-”
“So in the beginning Kadaj was just a dangerous individual making political speeches about how great Sephiroth and Jenova were, how bad the planet was, and you all thought he was probably crazy, but he was dangerous. People were injured trying to stop him from making these political speeches, so you decided to get in contact with me for a little insurance,” said Cloud. “If I can take out Sephiroth, I can take out Kadaj. It was just a job.”
“Exactly,” said Reno.
“Until you went to the Northern Cave,” said Cloud. “Right? Cause then you really started calling. And you really started sounding worried. So what did you find? Jenova’s head in a box?”
“...Actually...” said Reno.
“We did,” said Rude. “And we were intercepted.”
Cloud frowned.
“By Kadaj and his gang,” said Cloud.
“They were there looking for it, I think. Tseng and Elena were killed,” said Rude. “Reno and I just managed to get out of there.”
“But we got Jenova’s head,” said Reno, grinning. “And Rufus has it now. Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo seem to think we have it, too, because they can’t find it, so they keep showing up in Healen and harassing Rufus to give it to them, only he’s claiming he doesn’t have it.”
“Kadaj showed up yesterday after you left,” said Rude. “Rufus told him we did have the box but it fell from the helicopter while we were running from him.”
“Like I would let that happen,” said Reno.
“He said they need Mother for the Reunion. That he and his brothers and sisters sharing Mother’s cells will come together to take revenge on the planet. He called them-he, Loz, and Yazoo, I presume-Remnants of the Jenova legacy.”
“What does that mean?” said Cloud.
“You mean besides a whole lot of trouble?” said Reno.
“Have you seen Sephiroth lately?” said Rude. “You said he wasn’t dead.”
“Several months ago on another world,” said Cloud. “We fought and I killed him, but he’s not dead. Not for good, anyway. He never is.”
“Yeah. What’s with that? I don’t get it, yo,” said Reno. “How does he keep coming back?”
“We’re tied together,” said Cloud. “The Jenova cells tie me to him. They were used to keep me alive after Sephiroth ran me through with Masamune in Nibelheim. The darkness in my heart is what keeps him alive after I’ve killed him because it was used after the Nibelheim incident to make him even stronger and keep him alive. So as long as I’m still fighting the darkness to regain control of my own life, Sephiroth can find a way to come back.”
“You don’t think...Kadaj...” said Reno.
Cloud sighed.
“Unfortunately that’s exactly what I think.”
“Remnant isn’t a normal word,” said Rude. “Any of them could be remnants of Sephiroth.”
“Exactly,” said Cloud. “Just another way to come back. Loz and Yazoo...I don’t think they’re remnants of Sephiroth. Maybe someone else. But Kadaj...I think he-Sephiroth-he’s just waiting, incubating until he has Jenova’s head.”
“Does anyone else think it’s demented that Sephiroth went so crazy he stole Jenova’s head?” said Reno. “I mean...It’s a head. Who does that, yo?”
Cloud glared.
“Does anyone think it isn’t demented?” said Cloud. “Sometimes in retrospect I kind of feel bad for him with how crazy he was. I can’t even connect sane Sephiroth to crazy Sephiroth as the same person because he’s so out of his mind. Sane Sephiroth can’t even be held responsible. If an insanity plea was ever appropriate, it would be for him.”
“I completely agree,” said Rude. “Doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be killed.”
“It means he should be killed even more. He’s too out of his mind. He’s a danger to himself and everyone else. It’s the only way to stop him. And from what I can tell, Kadaj is...”
“Crazier,” said Reno.
“Just as crazy.”
“You just say that because you haven’t heard him speak out about Jenova yet.”
“So what do we do?” said Rude.
“Agree to work together,” said Cloud. “Let me know if Kadaj visits Rufus again. He’s already looking for me and Zack so I’ll keep you informed if there’s any contact. Until then I’m just going to lay low. Chasing after Sephiroth doesn’t work. Eventually he always comes after me anyway. In the meantime you two make sure Jenova’s head stays with Rufus. If Kadaj gets his hands on that thing...”
“Way ahead of you, yo,” said Reno. “Chaos. Mass destruction. The kind of stuff nightmares are made of.”
Johnny, the café owner, returned to their table with the food. Cloud ate in silence as Reno and Rude mumbled to each other. In the back of his mind flashes of Sephiroth surrounded in fire engulfed his vision. The stuff nightmares are made of. Once in a while, Reno could be right on point.
~*~
It was early evening after a day of wandering around Edge and the Midgar slums just thinking about everything that had transpired at lunch. The scent of gardenias in the Sector Six church welcomed him upon arrival. It was a calming scent-one that brought peace to every turmoil. It was unabashedly beautiful, full of hope, they way they grew and flourished in this dead, lifeless place. Cloud tried to find hope and to take advantage of such an inspirational hideout as he made up his makeshift bed, but there was no light to be found. The darkness in his heart spread. If he didn’t get it together soon, Kadaj would be gone, Sephiroth would be back, and Cloud would fail again while the cycle continued. He knew there was still light inside him and that he had the strength somewhere inside to find it. The method of finding it, however, still eluded him.
Cloud winced as he spread out a sheet and reflexively pulled his left arm toward him. The bruise from playing with the kids was getting worse and burned even more than it had yesterday after the collision with Loz. He inspected the sight, twisting his arm to get a better look, and touched his fingers around the afflicted area. Pain shot through his arm again, and Cloud hissed, pulling his hand away for a moment, and then he touched the spot right on. It was wet.
His heart pounded hard in his chest as he brought his fingers away and turned them over to get a good look. Cloud sucked in a sharp breath and dropped to sit on the platform; his fingertips were soaked in a black, sticky liquid. He gripped the edge of one of the new white sheets, tore off a strip, and wiped his fingers off on his pants before pressing the material against the wound. When he pulled it away it, too, was drenched in black fluid.
The stigma. Cloud almost laughed. He’d hardly been in Gaea for a week and he already had the stigma. Just like Denzel; just like Rufus Shinra. Jenova, the Lifestream...There was no cure. He was going to be eaten alive by the Jenova cells until the pain was unbearable and he just died.
He was still in a daze, staring at the wet black sheet that had once been white when his cell phone rang. Cloud pulled it from his pocket almost mechanically, took in Riku’s name on the display, and dropped his head. They were two weeks away from a year and now...He couldn’t answer. He sent the call to voicemail without a second thought. He had the stigma; he was going to die. How could he tell Riku that? How could he hide it? His cell phone announced that he had received a message, and though he flipped open his phone, he ignored it and dialed Leon.
In Hollow Bastion, unknown to Cloud, Riku was fuming, staring in agitation at his own silent phone when Leon’s went off. Leon stared at the display for half a second and then met Riku’s eyes.
“It’s Cloud,” he said.
Riku’s right cheek twitched as Leon answered his phone.
“Hey,” said Leon, watching Riku. “What’s up?”
Cloud bit his lip and gripped the strip of material.
“I need your advice,” said Cloud.
“What happened?” said Leon.
Cloud clenched his jaw.
“I’m dying.”
Leon’s own agitation dissipated. He’d been expecting something about Zack, or maybe even Reno, but...Leon closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. Riku, noticing the change in Leon’s posture, sat up.
“Okay. Back up. What are you talking about?”
Cloud sighed and shrugged.
“I’m dying. Remember that bruise I had? Zack commented on it when you were here. He pinched me, pinched you, pinched himself, and then he tried to pinch Tifa...”
“Yes. What about it?”
“It’s not a bruise; I have the stigma.” Cloud sighed. Leon was silent on the other end. “So...I need your advice. Because I don’t know what to do. Ordinarily I’d probably just decide to give up and die. There’s no cure. Everyone who gets it eventually dies. But I don’t...I don’t want to do that. I just don’t know what the other option is. I don’t know how to fight it...”
Cloud let the wet cloth slip from his hands and fall to the floor.
“Riku just called me and I couldn’t answer because I don’t know what to tell him. I guess I have to finish Sephiroth...Maybe that’ll do something. It happens because of the Jenova cells mixed in the Lifestream. If Sephiroth is gone...”
Leon rubbed his right temple with one hand and stared right at Riku. Riku frowned.
“What?” said Riku.
Leon shook his head.
“Maybe,” said Leon. He paused and sighed. “You have to tell him. You can’t hide this.”
“Riku?” said Cloud.
In Hollow Bastion Riku whispered, “Hide what?” Leon waved him away.
“Yes, Riku. You need to talk to him.”
“I know. I was going to call him later. It’s...I just noticed now. It’s oozing and...I couldn’t. I didn’t know...”
“You’re going to be okay.”
“You don’t know that this time. You can’t...You can’t say that.”
“Yes, I can. You’re going to fight it and you’re going to be okay.”
“Fight what?” Riku whispered.
“And you need to talk to Riku,” Leon continued. “You need to tell him about this. And you need to talk to him about Zack.”
“I already talked to him about Zack,” said Cloud. “It went well. I told you that.”
Leon stared at the counter and bit his lip.
“I know. You have to talk to him again. I...I kind of told him that...Zack...kissed...you...”
“What?!”
“It slipped! He said he talked to you and he was nervous about Zack and I mistook it to think that you told him about the kiss since you said he took it so well. But it’s no big deal, really. I mean, he wants to kill Zack, naturally, but he doesn’t seem to want to castrate you.”
“When did you talk to Riku?”
Leon closed his eyes and shrugged.
“He’s here. In Hollow Bastion. Got here about a half hour ago. Sora’s awake and he wanted to get things straightened out with me before he went off with DiZ again and...”
“Wait. When you say that he’s there does that mean he’s just in Hollow Bastion or he’s sitting right next to you?”
“Across from me, actually.”
Cloud hung his head and took a breath.
“Put him on the phone.”
Leon held his phone out to Riku and shrugged.
“He wants to talk to you.”
Riku snatched it from Leon’s hands, pressed it to his ear, and walked away from Leon toward the bedroom he’d shared with Cloud.
“What’s going on?” said Riku.
“Hey...” said Cloud. “Sorry I didn’t answer...”
“No. You hung up on me and called Leon. What’s going on? What were you talking about?”
“Riku...” The sound of a door slamming echoed through the phone. Cloud dropped his head. “I didn’t answer because I didn’t know how to tell you...”
“Tell me what? What did you say to Leon?”
“Riku...I’m dying. I have the stigma.”
There was a long pause.
“What?”
“I told you about Geostigma...”
“Yeah. You...You have it?”
“Yeah. And there’s no cure. It’s fatal. I...I’m not giving up though, okay? I’m going to fight it. Hopefully if Sephiroth is destroyed it can be reversed. I don’t know. I just...I’m not giving up. I want you to know that.”
Riku sighed and lifted his head.
“Why couldn’t you just tell me that?”
“I didn’t know how to. With everything going on with you, and then Zack...I...I just realized. Like thirty seconds before you called. And...I mean, it was showing signs for days now, but I didn’t realize it was Geostigma until now, and I don’t want to burden you with that. I...”
“You’re not burdening me, Cloud. There are two of us in this relationship. I can’t be leaning on you all the time. If...You can lean on me, too, you know. I’d like it if you did.”
“I don’t want to do that to you. I...”
“Why not? I do it to you. I call you with all of my problems. I’d like to hear yours. And if you’re...God, Cloud. You just...You can’t die. And if there’s a way...If fighting Sephiroth is going to do it...You can’t feel bad about it. You can’t hide from me.”
“I just wasn’t ready. It was thirty seconds.”
“That doesn’t matter anymore, Cloud. I wasn’t ready to turn into Ansem, and I wasn’t ready to face Mickey today, and I wasn’t ready for a lot of things but I did them anyway. We don’t have time anymore to get ready, and if you’re dying...If the only way to get rid of this is to defeat Sephiroth...”
“I don’t even know if it’ll work. It might not. Sephiroth might die for good and I’ll still die anyway. It’s a long shot. It’s just...the only thing I can come up with.”
“It has to work. It has to, because I can’t lose you.”
Cloud stared at the gardenias and took a breath.
“I don’t want to die any more than you want me to.”
“Good. So...”
“And that Zack thing...”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“What?”
“I overreacted. He...Leon told me it didn’t mean anything to you and I just...” A weak laugh came over the phone. “I just don’t want to lose you, but I think Zack is probably the last thing that’s going to take you from me right now. It was stupid. Don’t worry about it.”
Cloud shook his head.
“I’m not going to die.”
“Good.”
“I miss you.”
A small hitch came over the line. Cloud tilted his head toward the floor.
“I miss you, too.”
“We’ll get through this.”
Riku laughed.
“I should be the one saying that. You’re the one dying.”
“It’s been my experience that the one dying is usually the one most at peace with it. But...Maybe...Maybe it can be okay. I’m going to do everything I can to make it okay. I’m going to fight. I won’t just give up. I have too much good going on in my life to just give up.”
“Yeah,” said Riku, snorting. “You have me. Messed up, emotional, and freaking out.”
“Yeah. I do. And I like having you. You’re one of those good things.”
Riku sighed.
“We’ll get through this together. You can lean on me.”
Cloud nodded.
“I know.”
“If I can get out of the realm of darkness...”
“Let’s just...When this is over, and you finish school, and we’re in Hollow Bastion getting married and everything, let’s just not do this again, okay? No more Ansem and no more darkness and no more ex-boyfriends back from the grave...”
“Or fatal diseases,” said Riku.
“Yeah. Let’s just not do this again. It’s fun and all, but I think once is enough.”
“When we’re in Hollow Bastion getting married?”
“Yeah. When.”
Riku grinned.
“Okay. Let’s not do this again. I think that’s a great idea.”
“Good. Me too.”
“So...Other than dying, how did your day go?”
They talked for hours, long after Leon told Riku to give him his phone back and switch over to his own. Events of the day, theories on Organization XIII and Kadaj, and just what they were going to do when they saw each other again rated high on topics of conversation. Cloud glanced at his arm occasionally as they talked. The stigma issue was now quiet, but it loomed over his head like a death sentence. Still, he wasn’t going to give up. Tifa might have said, “Cloud, this isn’t like you.” He supposed that was all right. Nothing had been quite typical of Cloud since he met Riku, anyway.
( Prompt Table) for previous installments. 068/100 Complete.
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Claim: Cloud/Riku
Theme: [068.] Truth
Word Count: 7,718
Rating: R
Summary: Nothing had been quite typical of Cloud since he met Riku.
Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Kingdom Hearts whatsoever other than I am a super obsessive fangirl. It all belongs to Disney and Square Enix. I’ve accepted this, and you should, too.
Author’s Note: I would say this much crazy drama doesn’t happen to any one person in such a short amount of time, but then 2008 came and now I disagree. I sympathize with Cloud. I really do.
In all honesty he was probably being melodramatic. Overdramatic. Some kind of dramatic that was superfluous and unnecessary, or at least that’s what Leon, Aerith, Tifa, or one of his other five million friends too nosy to mind their own business would probably say. To Cloud, however, he felt perfectly justified to sit here in the Sector Six church, arms crossed, staring blankly at Fenrir, and fuming. Zack had just kissed him, after all, and caused about a thousand problems that Cloud didn’t want to deal with right now. There were other things to deal with. Important things. Things more important than the unnecessary bullshit that a simple kiss was bound to drudge up.
And Cloud had warned him! On top of it all Cloud had warned Zack that he was in a relationship-a relationship that was already on shaky ground with a boyfriend who currently had waning confidence. He knew this was difficult for Zack. Cloud had tried to be careful of his feelings, had tried to be understanding, but did Zack appreciate Cloud’s consideration at all? Apparently not. And here he’d been-Cloud that was- telling Leon not to worry. That he could handle it and everything would be okay, but Zack obviously wasn’t listening when Leon had that talk with him.
How could he just kiss him like that? And he was drunk on top of it! Was he fucking deaf or something? How many times did Cloud have to turn him down? It wasn’t like he wanted to be rude or anything. Zack had been an important part of his life, but that was ages ago. He died, and sure it wasn’t his fault or anything, but it had happened. What was Cloud supposed to do? Psychically know that Zack would return via pissed off Lifestream and just wait for him until it happened? Just put his fucking life on hold until Zack came back to put all his pieces together again? To hell with that.
Sure, Cloud understood what Zack was going through. He’d heard enough analogies by now to get the full scope of the depressing, morbid picture, but this wasn’t some ridiculously dramatic tragedy. Life just went like this. Bad shit happens and you move on. So what if things were hard for Zack right now? They’d been fucking hell for Cloud all these years, wondering if he was ever going to be okay again. He didn’t get the luxury of missing out on the really hard part where he didn’t even get a chance to properly mourn. He had to pull his shit together right away and save the effing planet from Meteor. Did Zack have to deal with that shit? Sure there was the Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo problem right now, but it didn’t really compare to the holy terror that Sephiroth waged on Gaea two years ago. It didn’t even come close, and in all honesty it was going to be Cloud who probably put an end to this current mess, too. Zack had no real trouble other than the obvious, and Cloud would really appreciate it if Zack would just go get on that already.
What was he supposed to do? Buy some pompoms and jump up and down in elation over Zack’s return? Just call up Riku and say, ‘Sorry, babe, but my formerly dead ex-boyfriend is back from the grave. I’m going to break up with you and be with him now.’? Not fucking likely. And yes, that was what Zack wanted him to do. It was what Tifa wanted him to do. Did anyone give a fuck what Cloud wanted? He wasn’t even the same person he was with Zack. A lot had changed. He’d come a long way. Cloud wasn’t exactly prepared to just transport back in time to be that scared, unsure kid again. It wasn’t what he wanted. He’d moved on after a great deal of torment and self-degradation. He was stronger now. He didn’t need Zack to lean on, and he didn’t want it, either.
What was with Tifa, anyway? Did she really hate Riku so much that she wanted Cloud to be miserable? Did she just feel that sorry for Zack that she thought Cloud should just rearrange his entire personality to suit her needs? And it wasn’t even that Cloud was mad at her, really. He wasn’t even mad at Zack. It would just be nice if someone could just acknowledge and accept how he felt instead of trying to change it. And maybe-maybe-he was being a bit of an asshole right now, but he didn’t feel that wanting just a little respect for his decision was uncalled for.
To top it off there was poor Riku in the middle of it all. Riku had enough shit to worry about. Important shit. Shit that had nothing to do with this Zack drama. Fate was a fucking asshole, throwing Riku in the middle of this bizarre plot point and making him even more unsure of the one thing that was supposed to be stable. Cloud felt like a dick, telling Riku about what had happened. Like he really needed this right now. Riku needed assurance; he needed confidence. Cloud was not going anywhere, and Riku needed to know that, but Zack’s mere presence was screwing that all up. And now Zack had kissed him. Cloud had let Zack kiss him. He didn’t even push him away-just sat there in total shock until the annoyance hit him. What kind of message was that to send to Riku?
The simple, and probably best, decision was to just not tell Riku what had happened. Nothing had come from it. It didn’t mean anything to Cloud except that now he was going to keep his distance from Zack when imbibing liquor. He didn’t want it, and he was going to make damn sure that it didn’t happen again. There was no reason to upset Riku over nothing. On the flip side that meant he was keeping something from Riku. It was a secret now, and perhaps this wasn’t a good time to be keeping secrets. What if Riku found out? What if months from now Zack and Riku met, Zack made one of his asinine jokes, and let it slip? What if he did it on purpose, still intent to break Cloud and Riku up? What would Riku think then? Would he believe Cloud when he told him the truth, or did the simple fact that Cloud had kept it secret speak louder?
With questions like these that had no obvious answer there were only two people Cloud would turn to for advice, and he really didn’t want to call either of them. Aerith would get emotional-she always did when Zack was concerned, and he really didn’t feel like answering questions about how he was doing, either. She’d try to persuade him to stop being so damn irritated. She’d give him pieces of advice he didn’t feel like hearing right now. The call would end with Cloud even more irate than he already was. Aerith was right out. Leon was his only other option, and while Leon might actually give a shit and listen to what Cloud was saying-might even acknowledge that Cloud had a fucking right to be irritated-Cloud had the feeling he’d burdened Leon enough with the drama of this retarded love triangle.
Cloud was aware that one of these days Leon was going to shoot him with the Gunblade as he found Leon’s name in the contact menu and pressed the call button.
“I assume this is my daily dose of the tragic workings of your love life,” said Leon after the second ring. Cloud sighed.
“I’d resent that comment if it weren’t for the fact it were true, and I want you to know that I genuinely feel sorry for that, but you were my only option besides Aerith,” said Cloud. “Feel special.”
“...Whatever. And you didn’t call Aerith because...”
“She would try to make me stop being pissed off, and being pissed off is the only thing keeping me from throwing myself off a cliff right now.”
“What happened?”
Cloud huffed.
“Okay. So I go with Zack to Healen today, right?”
“Okay...”
“Kadaj and his morons attack us. That’s fucking annoying. We meet up with Rufus Shinra and everything. He’s an asshole, Reno’s annoying the shit out of me, but me and Zack are getting along great.”
“Okay...”
“And then we get back to Tifa’s and we’re talking about everything. No problems at all. It’s almost like everything’s going to be okay. It felt a little awkward, but I’m starting to get more comfortable so that’s great, right?”
“I know there’s got to be a point to this story somewhere...”
“Well then Riku calls me and Zack goes down to the bar to give me some time to talk. I know he’s upset but I appreciate it so I talk to Riku about everything. It ends on a really positive note. He’s not freaking out about Zack or anything. He took it really well.”
“That’s great...”
“Yeah. I thought so too. So I go down to the bar to tell Zack I’m off the phone and he can return to the room whenever he likes. But Zack’s more upset than he lets on and he’s drinking his ass off.”
“This story is going no place good.”
“I know. That’s what I thought when I saw him. And apparently since he’s been dead he can’t handle his alcohol at all. So he’s four, five drinks in-and these aren’t normal drinks. We’re not talking beer, okay? He’s just downing straight liquor in an obnoxiously short amount of time. Then he starts going off about everything he loves about me, and how much he liked me, and asking me if we would have worked if he hadn’t died. And I’m just sitting there thinking ‘How the hell am I supposed to know?’ What am I? A fucking psychic?”
“I’m starting to think I don’t want you to finish this story.”
“Well I’m going to so just shut up and listen to me, okay?”
“...Whatever.”
“Okay. So he’s going off about all this stuff and then he fucking kissed me. He fucking kissed me! So I’m just sitting there in shock-I’d like to add that I didn’t kiss him back-and he starts fucking apologizing. By this point I can even think straight anymore. I’m irritated. Frustrated. So I took Fenrir and went to the Sector Six church. Which is where I am now. And I’m fucking pissed off, and irritated, and I need your advice because I don’t know what to tell Riku. I don’t even know if I should tell Riku. And I’m sorry I’m calling you about this but I just need an opinion from someone who isn’t so close to the situation, and I couldn’t call Aerith because...”
“Yeah, I know why you couldn’t call Aerith,” said Leon. An audible sigh passed through the phone. “She’d just start digging into how you feel about it and completely ignore what you’re really calling for.”
“Exactly. She’d want to know how I feel about Zack, Riku, and the whole scenario, and I don’t need that. I know how I feel. I’m fucking irritated. I don’t want to deal with this because it’s stupid. I know what I want. I told Zack what I want. I told Riku what I want. I’m telling everyone who will fucking listen because I know what I want for a change, and that’s not what I’m unsure about. I just need another opinion on whether or not I should tell Riku.”
Leon sighed for a second time. There was a long pause and Cloud could practically see Leon rubbing the skin between his eyes in concentration.
“I’m really sorry I called you about this,” said Cloud. “I know I’m a pain in your ass...”
“It’s okay. If I were you I’d probably have called me too. Just know that if I ever happen to get into a relationship I’m burdening you with all my issues.”
“Fair trade. Agreed.”
“Okay.” Leon paused again, most likely thinking it over, and then released a strong exhale. “My opinion is to not tell him. It wasn’t important to you. You didn’t want it. You’re sure of what you want, and it’s just going to upset him. The last thing you need is him questioning what you want if you already talked tonight and he’s feeling good about it.”
“That was my first instinct, but what if it comes up later? What if Zack makes one of his stupid jokes about it six months down the line and now Riku’s wondering if I’ve just been lying to him the whole time?”
Leon sighed again.
“I don’t know. I see your point, but...I just wouldn’t tell him. If it comes up later than you can deal with that then. Just make him aware that it wasn’t important to you and you didn’t tell him because it was unnecessary to upset him over nothing. He’ll probably come around. But that’s just my opinion.”
“Yeah...I don’t know. Maybe. I just don’t know if it’s a good idea to be keeping secrets.”
“Well do what you think is best. Feel it out the next time you talk to him, but I wouldn’t tell him. You don’t know that it’ll come up later, and even if it did it might not go as badly as you think it will. Just...think it over.”
“Okay. Well I won’t keep you. It’s got to be getting late there.”
“Yeah. I was just getting ready for bed.”
“All right. Well thanks. I appreciate it.”
“No problem. Good luck.”
“Thanks, though hopefully I won’t need it.”
“I doubt that.”
Cloud snorted.
“How unfortunately true. All right. Have fun with the restoration tomorrow.”
“Oh don’t I always? It’s like a party everyday though it just hasn’t been the same since you left.”
“I know. I was so uplifting.”
“Always are.”
“Well...thanks a lot. For not freaking out and for actually putting up with me.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m your friend by choice. I do it to myself.”
“Well thanks anyway.”
“It’s not a problem. Goodnight, Cloud.”
“Night.”
Cloud ended the call, slipped the phone back into his pocket, and looked around for a place to sleep. There weren’t many options save for a small platform. He should probably get some blankets in here-maybe a pillow-with how often he ran to this place for sanctuary. Keeping this in mind he sat down on the platform and then stretched out, using his arm to support his head. Tomorrow was another day. He’d deal with everything then.
There was so much to do tomorrow. Set up a meeting with Rude and Reno. Talk to Riku. Straighten out this mess with Zack. Find out what Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo had to do with Sephiroth. He had to call Barrett. Talk to Vincent and Tifa about what the next course of action could be because, really, he couldn’t do this alone. Sephiroth was one thing. Sephiroth was something he had to do on his own, but Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo couldn’t be in the way. Rufus Shinra needed to be held at bay. He was not going to help rebuild Shinra, but Reno and Rude could help keep him out of it. He needed to know what they found at the Northern Cave that Rufus Shinra wanted to hide.
While it certainly wasn’t the ideal way, Cloud drifted off to sleep thinking of Sephiroth, Reno, and all the questions that needed answered. Consequentially his sleep was fitful and restless, full of nightmares, but at least not once did he think of Zack.
~*~
His back was stiff and he cried out in pain as he woke the next morning. Cloud flexed his right hand to urge the blood back into it and squirmed against his will as feeling (and that horrible tingling sensation) returned. Somehow blankets and that pillow became a top priority for the day. If he was to run away from Tifa’s again (and being Cloud, he probably would) he didn’t want to endure another restless night like that one had been. At least not if the restless night could be avoided by the simple sense to acquire bedding.
Ordinarily he probably would have sat here and wondered what he was doing in the Sector Six church and just what time it was, but yesterday came back to him in a flash when he felt the hard platform beneath him. The time-just before eleven-was easily discovered by a quick glance at his cell phone. With those questions out of the way Cloud decided the best thing to do was not sit and brood. He’d done enough of that last night. There was no hazy morning grogginess now that he’d been permitted to sleep as long as he liked (Leon’s early wake up calls were the handiwork of the devil). These things considered it was probably a good time for Cloud to get a start on knocking off some of those things he needed to do today. As it was usually best to get the worst out of the way out of the way first, he opened his cell phone and called Reno.
“Cloud! Buddy! What’s going on, yo?”
Cloud wondered for perhaps the millionth and one time what he’d been thinking when he decided it was a good idea to date Reno. Nothing logical came to mind.
“Hey,” said Cloud. “We need to talk about yesterday. Are you alone?”
There was a pause as if Reno were looking around to see if he were alone or not. Cloud sighed. These were things people should just know.
“Sure am. I mean, Rude’s here, but he doesn’t count.”
Cloud rolled his eyes.
“No, of course not. Rude to you is like what my right arm is to me.”
“Exactly. You get it, yo.”
“Believe me, I wish I didn’t. So that’s it? Just you and Rude? Rufus Shinra isn’t around?”
“No. He’s at his place in Healen. Did you want to talk to him or something?”
“No, Reno. If I wanted to talk to him, I’d go see him again. I’m calling you because I want to talk to you.”
“I’m flattered.”
“You really shouldn’t be. So...Is there a place we can meet or something? Because I’d really like to get this conversation over with.”
“Depends. What do you want to talk about?”
“Sephiroth. The Northern Cave. Kadaj and his pack of morons. The obvious. Come on, Reno. Is there a place we can meet or not.”
“I’m not having sex with you again.”
“I didn’t say anything about sex!”
“Maybe not, but you were thinking it. I can tell, yo.”
Cloud sighed and rubbed his eyes.
“I don’t want to have sex with you, Reno.”
“That’s what you said last time, yo, and we both know how that turned out.”
“Would you stop talking about that? It was a period of insanity that I like to forget ever happened.”
“How could you say that? I’m insulted, yo. See if I tell you anything now.”
“Reno, shut up. I just want to talk about yesterday and I don’t want Rufus Shinra involved. You can bring Rude if you want. I know how you can’t function properly without him.”
“Say you’re sorry for insulting my sex and maybe I’ll reconsider.”
“Reno, stop being a jackass. Are we meeting or not?”
“I don’t know. You were mean to me, yo. You didn’t return my calls. I don’t know if I want to meet with someone with so much hostility.”
“Reno...”
“All right, all right. Don’t get your panties in a twist, yo. Is it just you or is Fair coming?”
“I really couldn’t care less what Zack is doing right now, so no.”
“Whoa. Touch-chy. What did Fair do? Twist your panties for you?”
“Reno...”
“I get it, okay? Geez, Mr. Serious. Cut a guy some slack.”
“Not interested.”
“Now, Cloud...”
“I’m going to hang up on you if you don’t start cooperating.”
“Fine. Really, yo. You know Johnny’s Heaven? It’s a café in Edge.”
“I think I’ve seen it.”
“Yeah, well, since you probably don’t want to meet at Tifa’s, Johnny’s is going to have to do. Meet Rude and me there at noon. We’ll chat.”
“Sounds great.”
“And Cloud? You really do need to lighten up, yo.”
Cloud rolled his eyes and ended the call.
~*~
The hour before meeting Reno and Rude passed quickly. There was no need to dress as he hadn’t brought a change of clothing and had never undressed to begin with. He had no access to a toothbrush. Cloud settled to check his hair in Fenrir (people didn’t really need mirrors for these things, anyway) and headed out into Edge on foot. His first order of business was to ask around until he found Johnny’s Heaven so he wouldn’t have any trouble finding it and turn up late when noon came. He’d learned long ago that making Reno wait wasn’t worth it, especially when the reason was that he’d gotten lost. It left too much room for Reno’s favorite blond jokes, and though Cloud had a fairly high tolerance for people poking fun at his expense (he’d grown up Zack, Leon, and Yuffie), having Reno poke fun at him was unacceptable. One look at Reno explained why.
His second task once the first was accomplished was to find a nearby convenience store and purchase a toothbrush and some toothpaste. He could’ve gone back to Tifa’s, but he’d never get out of there in enough time to make the appointment. Making Reno wait because of Tifa was worse than making him wait because he’d gotten lost. Before, after, and while they had been dating the very mention of Tifa’s name spawned vile and lewd comments about everything from her breasts (which got mixed reviews depending on Reno’s mood) to the way she poured drinks. Sometimes he liked her; sometimes he hated her. Reno was even known to be neutral, but he always had something to say and Cloud just wasn’t in the mood to hear his opinion today.
Not that he was brushing his teeth in a public restroom for Reno, even if Reno was bound to notice the obvious morning breath and comment on it at great length while Rude stood vigilant and shook his head. His mouth felt vile anyway. The last thing to go in it was straight liquor. Plus he needed it if he was setting up house in the Sector Six church anyway. It didn’t all have to do with Reno.
Okay, so a large amount had to do with Reno, but Reno could be highly irritating and handing him ammunition just wasn’t an option. Only a stupid person handed Reno ammunition and Cloud knew better. He had no excuse.
With a half hour to go Cloud found the nearest store with bedding, sifted through the options, and purchased two fluffy pillows, some plain sheets, and a thick blanket. He would make that platform comfortable if it killed him. Somewhere in the back of his head a voice that sounded suspiciously like Leon suggested that it might. Cloud shook his head, told the Leon voice to go eat himself, and carried his purchases over to Johnny’s Heaven with three minutes to spare. Reno was already outside, staring at his watch and bitching to himself.
“It’s about time, yo,” said Reno. Rude adjusted his trademark shades and shook his head.
“I’m three minutes early,” said Cloud.
“And I’ve been waiting for five.”
“I’m early.”
“And look at what you showed up with,” Reno continued, making an exaggerated gesture toward the shopping bags in Cloud’s hands. “I knew you were thinking about having sex with me again.”
“I’m not...I wasn’t...” Cloud huffed and rolled his shoulders forward. “I just needed something to sleep on, okay?”
“I thought you were staying with Tifa,” said Rude.
“I am.”
“So why don’t you have anything to sleep on?”
“How is this any of your business?”
“He’s avoiding a direct answer because he wants to have sex with me, yo,” said Reno.
“I don’t want to have sex with you!” said Cloud. “I have a boyfriend, okay?”
“Oh, I see. That’s why you need blankets. There’s trouble in paradise so you’re bunking up somewhere else. That’s why Fair isn’t with you.”
Cloud shifted, sighed, and rolled his eyes.
“Zack isn’t my boyfriend. I need blankets because I keep running off to the Sector Six church since Zack isn’t pleased that he isn’t my boyfriend. Okay? Can we get to the more important issues now? Or at least go inside?”
Rude turned his head, presumably looking at Reno behind the shades. Reno shoved his hands in his pockets and frowned.
“Fair isn’t your boyfriend?”
Cloud sighed.
“No.”
“But I thought...When I heard Fair was back...”
“You thought wrong.”
“So you’re actually dating someone other than Fair.”
“Yes.”
“...How did that happen?”
“Reno, this really isn’t a good time for you to take a sudden interest in my life.”
“Hey, it’s been a few years since we broke up. I’m just trying to catch up with what’s going on with you. You don’t have to be so moody about it, yo.”
“Okay. Well let’s see. Since we broke up...Okay. Sephiroth still isn’t dead. I finally got over Zack and started dating this great guy who unfortunately happens to be tied up in a Heartless problem but that was going okay. Then Zack came back from the dead to complicate my current unstable relationship. Oh, yeah, and now I’m back here, people are dying, Rufus Shinra is keeping things from me, and I have to play twenty questions with you if I want any answers about Kadaj and his gang. How does that sum it up for you?”
Reno shrugged.
“Sounds pretty typical for you. Let’s go in.” Rude held the door while Reno brushed inside. Cloud paused and then followed, slumping into a seat across from Reno. Rude joined them a second later. “So what do you want to talk about?”
“First I need your promise that you’re going to keep Rufus Shinra out of this,” said Cloud as Johnny, the café owner, came over to their table. Reno gave a quick scan of the menu while Rude ordered, placed his own order, and then Cloud, figuring he really ought to get something, repeated what Reno had said. Johnny left the table and Cloud turned his glance to Rude. “I mean it. I don’t want him to know we met or anything we talked about.”
“What’s in it for us?” said Reno.
“I don’t castrate you,” said Cloud.
“No, really. We’re still Turks regardless of what happened to Shinra. Now I want to see Sephiroth dead for good and Kadaj and his pack of rejects gone just as much as you do, but I don’t see why I should keep anything from Rufus.”
Cloud rolled his eyes.
“I don’t have to do this. Don’t you get that? I can go back to Hollow Bastion at any time and leave you to deal with Kadaj and the stigma. Or let the WRO deal with it. Vincent tells me that Reeve’s got a pretty good team together. I don’t have to do this. I wouldn’t even have to finish off Sephiroth except I’m the only one who can. You called me. I’m here, and all I’m asking is that we keep Shinra out of this.”
“Agreed,” said Rude. Reno glared and sulked.
“Okay,” said Cloud. He took a breath and nodded. “Let’s start at the beginning. Why did you call me? You said you thought it had something to do with Jenova.”
“That’s because I knew you wouldn’t come if I didn’t mention it, yo,” said Reno.
“But you didn’t just make it up, either. So? What does Kadaj’s crew have to do with Jenova? And what did you find at the Northern Cave that Rufus doesn’t want me to know about?”
“We initially thought Kadaj was just reckless and dangerous,” said Rude. “They caused a lot of riots and tried to break into the old Shinra Building through what’s left of the Midgar slums. Some of the best SOLDIERS to survive Meteorfall went up against their gang, but so far no one has been able to take them down.”
“Me and Rude thought he had something to do with the Jenova Project early on. They looked like Sephiroth, but that...” said Reno, sighing and screwing up his face in concentration. “They called everyone brothers and sisters. Kadaj talks crazy like Sephiroth used to. He talked about ‘Mother’s revenge on the planet.’ Called Geostigma the planet’s punishment to us and spoke out against it.”
“Rufus initially disregarded our concerns. He seemed to believe that everyone knew of Sephiroth and some disturbed young men were taking hero worship to a dangerous extreme,” said Rude. “But then Kadaj started publicly speaking about a reunion. So to be sure we conducted the investigation of the Northern Cave.”
“And I called you,” said Reno. “Rufus wanted us to get in contact with you as soon as possible in case anything went really wrong against Kadaj because whether he’s connected to Sephiroth and Jenova or not, he’s still highly dangerous.”
“You’re the only one to go against Sephiroth repeatedly and come out alive,” said Rude. “So Kadaj and his crew, as powerful as they might be-”
“So in the beginning Kadaj was just a dangerous individual making political speeches about how great Sephiroth and Jenova were, how bad the planet was, and you all thought he was probably crazy, but he was dangerous. People were injured trying to stop him from making these political speeches, so you decided to get in contact with me for a little insurance,” said Cloud. “If I can take out Sephiroth, I can take out Kadaj. It was just a job.”
“Exactly,” said Reno.
“Until you went to the Northern Cave,” said Cloud. “Right? Cause then you really started calling. And you really started sounding worried. So what did you find? Jenova’s head in a box?”
“...Actually...” said Reno.
“We did,” said Rude. “And we were intercepted.”
Cloud frowned.
“By Kadaj and his gang,” said Cloud.
“They were there looking for it, I think. Tseng and Elena were killed,” said Rude. “Reno and I just managed to get out of there.”
“But we got Jenova’s head,” said Reno, grinning. “And Rufus has it now. Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo seem to think we have it, too, because they can’t find it, so they keep showing up in Healen and harassing Rufus to give it to them, only he’s claiming he doesn’t have it.”
“Kadaj showed up yesterday after you left,” said Rude. “Rufus told him we did have the box but it fell from the helicopter while we were running from him.”
“Like I would let that happen,” said Reno.
“He said they need Mother for the Reunion. That he and his brothers and sisters sharing Mother’s cells will come together to take revenge on the planet. He called them-he, Loz, and Yazoo, I presume-Remnants of the Jenova legacy.”
“What does that mean?” said Cloud.
“You mean besides a whole lot of trouble?” said Reno.
“Have you seen Sephiroth lately?” said Rude. “You said he wasn’t dead.”
“Several months ago on another world,” said Cloud. “We fought and I killed him, but he’s not dead. Not for good, anyway. He never is.”
“Yeah. What’s with that? I don’t get it, yo,” said Reno. “How does he keep coming back?”
“We’re tied together,” said Cloud. “The Jenova cells tie me to him. They were used to keep me alive after Sephiroth ran me through with Masamune in Nibelheim. The darkness in my heart is what keeps him alive after I’ve killed him because it was used after the Nibelheim incident to make him even stronger and keep him alive. So as long as I’m still fighting the darkness to regain control of my own life, Sephiroth can find a way to come back.”
“You don’t think...Kadaj...” said Reno.
Cloud sighed.
“Unfortunately that’s exactly what I think.”
“Remnant isn’t a normal word,” said Rude. “Any of them could be remnants of Sephiroth.”
“Exactly,” said Cloud. “Just another way to come back. Loz and Yazoo...I don’t think they’re remnants of Sephiroth. Maybe someone else. But Kadaj...I think he-Sephiroth-he’s just waiting, incubating until he has Jenova’s head.”
“Does anyone else think it’s demented that Sephiroth went so crazy he stole Jenova’s head?” said Reno. “I mean...It’s a head. Who does that, yo?”
Cloud glared.
“Does anyone think it isn’t demented?” said Cloud. “Sometimes in retrospect I kind of feel bad for him with how crazy he was. I can’t even connect sane Sephiroth to crazy Sephiroth as the same person because he’s so out of his mind. Sane Sephiroth can’t even be held responsible. If an insanity plea was ever appropriate, it would be for him.”
“I completely agree,” said Rude. “Doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be killed.”
“It means he should be killed even more. He’s too out of his mind. He’s a danger to himself and everyone else. It’s the only way to stop him. And from what I can tell, Kadaj is...”
“Crazier,” said Reno.
“Just as crazy.”
“You just say that because you haven’t heard him speak out about Jenova yet.”
“So what do we do?” said Rude.
“Agree to work together,” said Cloud. “Let me know if Kadaj visits Rufus again. He’s already looking for me and Zack so I’ll keep you informed if there’s any contact. Until then I’m just going to lay low. Chasing after Sephiroth doesn’t work. Eventually he always comes after me anyway. In the meantime you two make sure Jenova’s head stays with Rufus. If Kadaj gets his hands on that thing...”
“Way ahead of you, yo,” said Reno. “Chaos. Mass destruction. The kind of stuff nightmares are made of.”
Johnny, the café owner, returned to their table with the food. Cloud ate in silence as Reno and Rude mumbled to each other. In the back of his mind flashes of Sephiroth surrounded in fire engulfed his vision. The stuff nightmares are made of. Once in a while, Reno could be right on point.
~*~
It was early evening after a day of wandering around Edge and the Midgar slums just thinking about everything that had transpired at lunch. The scent of gardenias in the Sector Six church welcomed him upon arrival. It was a calming scent-one that brought peace to every turmoil. It was unabashedly beautiful, full of hope, they way they grew and flourished in this dead, lifeless place. Cloud tried to find hope and to take advantage of such an inspirational hideout as he made up his makeshift bed, but there was no light to be found. The darkness in his heart spread. If he didn’t get it together soon, Kadaj would be gone, Sephiroth would be back, and Cloud would fail again while the cycle continued. He knew there was still light inside him and that he had the strength somewhere inside to find it. The method of finding it, however, still eluded him.
Cloud winced as he spread out a sheet and reflexively pulled his left arm toward him. The bruise from playing with the kids was getting worse and burned even more than it had yesterday after the collision with Loz. He inspected the sight, twisting his arm to get a better look, and touched his fingers around the afflicted area. Pain shot through his arm again, and Cloud hissed, pulling his hand away for a moment, and then he touched the spot right on. It was wet.
His heart pounded hard in his chest as he brought his fingers away and turned them over to get a good look. Cloud sucked in a sharp breath and dropped to sit on the platform; his fingertips were soaked in a black, sticky liquid. He gripped the edge of one of the new white sheets, tore off a strip, and wiped his fingers off on his pants before pressing the material against the wound. When he pulled it away it, too, was drenched in black fluid.
The stigma. Cloud almost laughed. He’d hardly been in Gaea for a week and he already had the stigma. Just like Denzel; just like Rufus Shinra. Jenova, the Lifestream...There was no cure. He was going to be eaten alive by the Jenova cells until the pain was unbearable and he just died.
He was still in a daze, staring at the wet black sheet that had once been white when his cell phone rang. Cloud pulled it from his pocket almost mechanically, took in Riku’s name on the display, and dropped his head. They were two weeks away from a year and now...He couldn’t answer. He sent the call to voicemail without a second thought. He had the stigma; he was going to die. How could he tell Riku that? How could he hide it? His cell phone announced that he had received a message, and though he flipped open his phone, he ignored it and dialed Leon.
In Hollow Bastion, unknown to Cloud, Riku was fuming, staring in agitation at his own silent phone when Leon’s went off. Leon stared at the display for half a second and then met Riku’s eyes.
“It’s Cloud,” he said.
Riku’s right cheek twitched as Leon answered his phone.
“Hey,” said Leon, watching Riku. “What’s up?”
Cloud bit his lip and gripped the strip of material.
“I need your advice,” said Cloud.
“What happened?” said Leon.
Cloud clenched his jaw.
“I’m dying.”
Leon’s own agitation dissipated. He’d been expecting something about Zack, or maybe even Reno, but...Leon closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. Riku, noticing the change in Leon’s posture, sat up.
“Okay. Back up. What are you talking about?”
Cloud sighed and shrugged.
“I’m dying. Remember that bruise I had? Zack commented on it when you were here. He pinched me, pinched you, pinched himself, and then he tried to pinch Tifa...”
“Yes. What about it?”
“It’s not a bruise; I have the stigma.” Cloud sighed. Leon was silent on the other end. “So...I need your advice. Because I don’t know what to do. Ordinarily I’d probably just decide to give up and die. There’s no cure. Everyone who gets it eventually dies. But I don’t...I don’t want to do that. I just don’t know what the other option is. I don’t know how to fight it...”
Cloud let the wet cloth slip from his hands and fall to the floor.
“Riku just called me and I couldn’t answer because I don’t know what to tell him. I guess I have to finish Sephiroth...Maybe that’ll do something. It happens because of the Jenova cells mixed in the Lifestream. If Sephiroth is gone...”
Leon rubbed his right temple with one hand and stared right at Riku. Riku frowned.
“What?” said Riku.
Leon shook his head.
“Maybe,” said Leon. He paused and sighed. “You have to tell him. You can’t hide this.”
“Riku?” said Cloud.
In Hollow Bastion Riku whispered, “Hide what?” Leon waved him away.
“Yes, Riku. You need to talk to him.”
“I know. I was going to call him later. It’s...I just noticed now. It’s oozing and...I couldn’t. I didn’t know...”
“You’re going to be okay.”
“You don’t know that this time. You can’t...You can’t say that.”
“Yes, I can. You’re going to fight it and you’re going to be okay.”
“Fight what?” Riku whispered.
“And you need to talk to Riku,” Leon continued. “You need to tell him about this. And you need to talk to him about Zack.”
“I already talked to him about Zack,” said Cloud. “It went well. I told you that.”
Leon stared at the counter and bit his lip.
“I know. You have to talk to him again. I...I kind of told him that...Zack...kissed...you...”
“What?!”
“It slipped! He said he talked to you and he was nervous about Zack and I mistook it to think that you told him about the kiss since you said he took it so well. But it’s no big deal, really. I mean, he wants to kill Zack, naturally, but he doesn’t seem to want to castrate you.”
“When did you talk to Riku?”
Leon closed his eyes and shrugged.
“He’s here. In Hollow Bastion. Got here about a half hour ago. Sora’s awake and he wanted to get things straightened out with me before he went off with DiZ again and...”
“Wait. When you say that he’s there does that mean he’s just in Hollow Bastion or he’s sitting right next to you?”
“Across from me, actually.”
Cloud hung his head and took a breath.
“Put him on the phone.”
Leon held his phone out to Riku and shrugged.
“He wants to talk to you.”
Riku snatched it from Leon’s hands, pressed it to his ear, and walked away from Leon toward the bedroom he’d shared with Cloud.
“What’s going on?” said Riku.
“Hey...” said Cloud. “Sorry I didn’t answer...”
“No. You hung up on me and called Leon. What’s going on? What were you talking about?”
“Riku...” The sound of a door slamming echoed through the phone. Cloud dropped his head. “I didn’t answer because I didn’t know how to tell you...”
“Tell me what? What did you say to Leon?”
“Riku...I’m dying. I have the stigma.”
There was a long pause.
“What?”
“I told you about Geostigma...”
“Yeah. You...You have it?”
“Yeah. And there’s no cure. It’s fatal. I...I’m not giving up though, okay? I’m going to fight it. Hopefully if Sephiroth is destroyed it can be reversed. I don’t know. I just...I’m not giving up. I want you to know that.”
Riku sighed and lifted his head.
“Why couldn’t you just tell me that?”
“I didn’t know how to. With everything going on with you, and then Zack...I...I just realized. Like thirty seconds before you called. And...I mean, it was showing signs for days now, but I didn’t realize it was Geostigma until now, and I don’t want to burden you with that. I...”
“You’re not burdening me, Cloud. There are two of us in this relationship. I can’t be leaning on you all the time. If...You can lean on me, too, you know. I’d like it if you did.”
“I don’t want to do that to you. I...”
“Why not? I do it to you. I call you with all of my problems. I’d like to hear yours. And if you’re...God, Cloud. You just...You can’t die. And if there’s a way...If fighting Sephiroth is going to do it...You can’t feel bad about it. You can’t hide from me.”
“I just wasn’t ready. It was thirty seconds.”
“That doesn’t matter anymore, Cloud. I wasn’t ready to turn into Ansem, and I wasn’t ready to face Mickey today, and I wasn’t ready for a lot of things but I did them anyway. We don’t have time anymore to get ready, and if you’re dying...If the only way to get rid of this is to defeat Sephiroth...”
“I don’t even know if it’ll work. It might not. Sephiroth might die for good and I’ll still die anyway. It’s a long shot. It’s just...the only thing I can come up with.”
“It has to work. It has to, because I can’t lose you.”
Cloud stared at the gardenias and took a breath.
“I don’t want to die any more than you want me to.”
“Good. So...”
“And that Zack thing...”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“What?”
“I overreacted. He...Leon told me it didn’t mean anything to you and I just...” A weak laugh came over the phone. “I just don’t want to lose you, but I think Zack is probably the last thing that’s going to take you from me right now. It was stupid. Don’t worry about it.”
Cloud shook his head.
“I’m not going to die.”
“Good.”
“I miss you.”
A small hitch came over the line. Cloud tilted his head toward the floor.
“I miss you, too.”
“We’ll get through this.”
Riku laughed.
“I should be the one saying that. You’re the one dying.”
“It’s been my experience that the one dying is usually the one most at peace with it. But...Maybe...Maybe it can be okay. I’m going to do everything I can to make it okay. I’m going to fight. I won’t just give up. I have too much good going on in my life to just give up.”
“Yeah,” said Riku, snorting. “You have me. Messed up, emotional, and freaking out.”
“Yeah. I do. And I like having you. You’re one of those good things.”
Riku sighed.
“We’ll get through this together. You can lean on me.”
Cloud nodded.
“I know.”
“If I can get out of the realm of darkness...”
“Let’s just...When this is over, and you finish school, and we’re in Hollow Bastion getting married and everything, let’s just not do this again, okay? No more Ansem and no more darkness and no more ex-boyfriends back from the grave...”
“Or fatal diseases,” said Riku.
“Yeah. Let’s just not do this again. It’s fun and all, but I think once is enough.”
“When we’re in Hollow Bastion getting married?”
“Yeah. When.”
Riku grinned.
“Okay. Let’s not do this again. I think that’s a great idea.”
“Good. Me too.”
“So...Other than dying, how did your day go?”
They talked for hours, long after Leon told Riku to give him his phone back and switch over to his own. Events of the day, theories on Organization XIII and Kadaj, and just what they were going to do when they saw each other again rated high on topics of conversation. Cloud glanced at his arm occasionally as they talked. The stigma issue was now quiet, but it loomed over his head like a death sentence. Still, he wasn’t going to give up. Tifa might have said, “Cloud, this isn’t like you.” He supposed that was all right. Nothing had been quite typical of Cloud since he met Riku, anyway.
( Prompt Table) for previous installments. 068/100 Complete.