#muse; cloud

[fatumimpera]

@ghostofnibelheim cont. from here

Cloud had not expected to ever succeed at kidnapping the General. Sephiroth was extremely valuable to Shinra, so obviously they would keep him very well protected. However, anyone believing that they could protect Sephiroth better than he could protect himself would be downright wrong, which was probably what had happened.

No one was stronger than Sephiroth, so obviously he'd never be in danger. Not that Cloud considered himself a threat to the General – at least not yet.

"It's an intervention," he replied, crossing his arms across his chest. To be completely honest, then he hadn't planned this far. Gaia had already miscalculated the time she had sent him back to, which meant that things were already turning to absolute shit. At least Nibelheim hadn't happened yet.

Small mercies.

"Name's Cloud. Strife," he supposed the General deserved to know that much. It didn't matter much to Cloud if Sephiroth knew his name or not.

"Something is happening to SOLDIER. I have a cure. If you help me find the Red Commander, then I'll help you get the answers you seek." It was his best bet – Genesis was too much of a wildcard and who better to help him than Sephiroth himself?

[escalaregalia]

@memoryorus said: “Are you single by any chance?”

send “are you single by any chance?” to spontaneously ask my muse out!

“What? I...” Lost for words Cloud let out a sigh, shaking his head. “I think you know the answer to that question.”

[jxmpforce]

| Starter for @heavenlyfists |

“You miss me?”

[fatumimpera]

@engineering-robotics cont. from here

Cloud nodded his head at Reeve's words. "I can imagine. Don't know how you do it. I would've just... I dunno, either quit or taped their mouths shut, if not worse." It seemed a bit extreme to suggest downright killing them, but honestly, how did Shinra manage to find all of the worst people and collect them in one place?

"Oh, here's a nice one," he offered, leaning down to pick up a decent sized rock. It had some sharp edges as well, so it'd do some damage.

[fatumimpera]

@sacredflorist liked ♡ for a starter

Cloud could, in the privacy of his mind, admit that he had been avoiding sector 5. He felt like a coward. In some ways, he probably was one – but the guilt of Aerith's death still hung heavy over his head, weighing him down. Despite being given another chance, he couldn't help but think that she would be better off without ever knowing about him. He could protect her from a distance – would protect her from a distance – and he could ask for nothing more.

If Aerith knew he was thinking this way, she would probably call him silly.

Even so, he couldn't avoid his past – future? – forever. A local had asked him to run an errand and he hadn't been able to say no. A simple delivery wasn't complicated for someone who had once run a delivery business.

He was on his way back when he saw her. He stopped without meaning to, feeling frozen in his tracks. When was the last time he had seen her alive? Speaking with her through the lifestream just wasn't the same.

Finding his feet moving him forward without realising it, he soon stood in front of the person he had promised himself to avoid.

"I... flowers," he started out, forcing himself to look away from her vibrant eyes and turning his gaze to the flowers in her hands instead. Somehow his brain didn't seem to want to work with his mouth right now. "I'd like to buy them. The flowers."

There. It would be just this once. A short conversation to assure himself that she really was alive and then he'd stay away forever. He could do this.

[fatumimpera]

@cloudyfenrir liked ♡ for a starter

The moment Cloud had seen the easily recognisable infantry helmets, he had ducked low and hid behind some conveniently placed grates in the warehouse he had been investigating.

He had taken on a request to deal with some local thugs and it seemed like Shinra had caught wind of them as well, if they were sending out the infantry. Thing was, the thugs had somehow managed to acquire actual tonberries, which made things increasingly more difficult. He wasn't sure the guns the infantry favoured would do much in this situation.

Still, he decided to stay and observe, keeping a keen eye out in case he needed to step in. They seemed to handle the thugs well at first, but then the tonberries were let out as the thugs made their escape. All but one of the infantry members charged after the thugs; thus leaving one person to deal with the tonberries alone.

Huh, what a dickish move.

Cloud hoped the guy would just leave, but it seemed he wasn't that lucky. The guy's gun would only do so much against the tonberries and he wasn't about to watch the small terrors turn someone into shish-kebab – not even someone who worked for Shinra.

He could hardly judge, after all.

Charging up a powerful sleep spell, he cast it on the unknowing monsters and dashed out from behind his cover, taking out the tonberries with a few powerful slashes of Tsurugi.

"You okay?" he asked, carefully looking the person over. Something about them seemed so awfully familiar, he just couldn't put his finger on it. They seemed uninjured though, so that was good.

"Does this happen often?" he added after a moment, referring to the fact that the guy had been abandoned by his teammates.

[fatumimpera]

@sacredflorist cont. from here

Cloud hadn't meant to mention anything in the first place, but he couldn't help but be worried more so than curious. It didn't feel right to ignore that he had seen it either, so he had made himself ask, though in a way that hopefully wouldn't seem too forceful. He knew he'd hate to be forced into giving answers about his own scars, so it only seemed fair to offer Aerith the same choice.

He almost expected her to ignore his comment, but is surprised when she decides to show him the scar instead. Aerith was, in many ways, a lot braver than him. He takes in the scar, noticing that it's old, though small. Her hesitation tells a story in itself, but Cloud isn't going to pry. He made a promise, after all.

"If you say so," he offers back, turning his focus back on the actual wound he had been tending. "... Thank you for showing me." His ears flush slightly at the words, but it felt necessary to put them out there.

He quickly changes the subject.

"I'm all done here. How does it feel?"

[fatumimpera]

@holyguardian || closed starter

At first, everything went from bright green to black. Cloud groaned and opened his eyes, needing a moment to gather his bearings. He had not been told how he would find himself in the past, but it truly seemed like he had just been dumped there. As if he had been spit out of the lifestream – quite literally.

He was outside of Midgar, that much he could see. He was not far from the entrance though, but nobody seemed to have noticed that he had suddenly appeared. He looked down at his hand and moved it to the side, noticing the presence of a small plant growing underneath his palm. It was an odd sight out here amongst the otherwise dead soil, but the sight sent a rush of warmth through him.

Aerith.

As he talked with Gaia, he had felt her presence. He was certain she was there, watching over him. He was sure she wanted him to succeed in his mission as well. It would give her younger self a chance to actually grow up – together with so many other people they both loved. Zack being one of them. He was safely in SOLDIER right now, likely still a second class, if Cloud remembered correctly.

"I'll save you. I'll save them. This time we end it before it begins." Brushing a finger over one of the plant's leaves in silent promise, Cloud finally got to his feet. He had his fusion sword with him, which he was grateful for. Hefting it onto his back, he headed towards Midgar.

First, he'd check in on the church and then – Jenova.