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Who: Cloud Strife and Simon
What: Rescue
When: Just after Simon's arrival.
Where: The forest
Summary: Cloud noticed poor baby Simon's entry and was all, "Arg, what. That is a tiny child and I run an orphanage back home, this will not do SDLFKJSD THAT'S RIGHT FOREST IS FULL OF MONSTERS." And bby Simon is all, "lol what are trees okay I dig nao

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"Calm down, calm down," Cloud told him, a little alarmed, and jogged to the fallen boy's side. "It's all right." Hands slipping beneath Simon's arms, he lifted the child to his feet. "Those things are definitely attached, you don't want to hurt them, okay?" Cloud leaned over the boy, checking his wings for any bent feathers (which could be pretty painful if left alone). Satisfied that there were no injuries, Cloud sighed and patted the top of Simon's head. "I know it's...scary, but you'll get used to it."

[dawndigger]

Simon sniffled again, lifting both hands to wipe at his eyes. Why did it have to hurt so much? Why did he have to keep them?

"I... I don't want wings," he whispered, lowering a hand and looking up at Cloud with desperate, tearful eyes. "I don't know what they are, but they hurt, and I want to go back to J-Jiha... I..." He clenched his eyes shut. "M-mommy...!"

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Cloud shifted his weight helplessly, hands hovering over Simon's shoulders as the boy started to cry; what exactly was he supposed to do in a situation like this? Tifa would have known what to do...she was always the one the children ran to back at the orphanage, whether it was because they'd scraped their knees or gotten into a fight, it didn't matter. The children had clung to Cloud, but he wasn't...their guardian. Not like Tifa was.

Cloud's face fell as he realized why, and awkwardly he lowered himself to his knee and gave Simon a gentle hug. "I promise they'll stop hurting. And until I get you back home, I'll look after you...if that's okay."

[dawndigger]

Simon blinked at that, too stunned by his words to keep crying for a moment. Cloud was hugging him... holding him gently, like his mother and father used to do. He was starting to regain that lost warmth, but he hesitated, uncertain, unsure, not daring to hope just yet.

"Y... you'll look after me?" he repeated faintly, trembling in Cloud's arms. "Wh-why would you do that...?"

Nobody wanted him. He was dirty and smelly and weird - too quiet, too shy, and he cried too much. Everyone said so. Everyone but Kamina, but Kamina was weird too hardly anyyone liked him and Kamina wasn't here...

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Cloud paused and considered his next words carefully; he'd gotten into the habit of saying the wrong thing at exactly the right time, and right now that would now do. This was a poor, lonely, scared little kid (reminded Cloud of himself, minus the anger), and he needed all the help he could get if he was going to make it out of this place relatively unscathed.

What would Zack say...?

Cloud closed his eyes before offering Simon a hesitant smile and ruffling his hair. "Because I like you."