@bishonenprince liked for a starter
Time heals all wounds, or so they say. Idyllic, with the gentle trickle of ornate water fountains and the chirrups of sparrows as they flit from one shrub to the next, Radiant Garden truly lives up to its name. Even with his arms folded, head partially bowed, the classically broody pose is incongruent with his true feelings. Cloud only regrets having not been there to help the Restoration Committee realize their dream. He couldn’t have, not until he had settled the score with Sephiroth. Leave it to Leon to move heaven itself to revive this world anyway.
Time, however, does not wash away the sins of the past. He has no shortage of things to be thankful for: the help of his friends, Tifa’s love, Sora, a boy who fought for something so much bigger than himself. He still has much to atone for before he truly feels like he deserves to be among them. Even if Tifa says otherwise.
Sora…He has not seen the boy– a young man now, really– in what feels like an age. Not since the Dark Depths, where Cloud finally faced the shadow of his heart. A battle for him which felt like only hours stretched into years in reality. Radiant Garden’s full restoration, the Keyblade War, the true Organization XIII, Sora’s disappearance, reappearance, and subsequent disavowal of the keyblade; the knowledge of everything he’s missed makes his head spin. Somehow of all the things that occurred, the last bit of news is the most shocking.
“What happened to you…” Cloud murmurs, wondering if he would ever see Sora again. Despite everything, the blond selfishly hopes that Sora still remembers them. He could almost imagine the prutt prutt prutt of the keyblade wield’s gummi ship engine, winding down from a long trip.