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Chapter Fourteen: Train Tracks

~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I swear, Graves, you will face a court-martial for that." Elici watched with eyes that attempted to penetrate Graves' common sense, and penetrate through what little conscience the man actually had.

The large man growled, the thunderous and intimidating noise rippling through the cave. "Don't be a douche, Elici. They won't notice if one stupid materia is missin' from the rest."

Elici replied with quite a formidable growl of his own. "You really have no shame, do you Graves?"

"Can't say that I do," Graves said nonchalantly. He pocketed the glowing materia into his uniform without a single ounce of hesitation.

There was an eerie silence that fell upon the group, and only the sound of moisture dripping from the stalactites in the cave could be heard. The men shuffled a bit as they stood watching each other; the air was becoming thick between both Elici and Graves.

"Guys, can we please not start this right now, yeah?" Ratcliff rubbed his eyes from beneath his issued helmet. Sometimes the two caused a rather impressive migraine to form. "Mejia will notice if there's one missing from the collection. He's been keeping track of the ones we find, Graves."

"Shaddup, Ratcliff. Stay outta this." Graves adjusted his assault rifle over his shoulder. "Mejia didn't see shit. That fuck's up ahead with Strife, probably barkin' his damn head off at the kid."

"I will report this," Elici said, his voice firm.

"Ya ain't gonna say shit, bro."

With gritted teeth, Elici narrowed his eyes at the man who seemed so confident in his loyalty to him. Elici's loyalty to the company delved a bit deeper into his sense of morals, however. "I'm going to say this one more time, bro. Put the damn materia back, or I will report you to Mejia."

"Ya need to loosen the fuck up, Elici." Graves closed in the gap between Elici and himself with a single stride. Elici stiffened, tugging down his uniform blouse before stepping forward, coming nose to nose connected with Graves.

Ratcliff stood and watched. He shifted, uncertain of how to react to the confrontation that was forming. "You know, if I wasn't so sure you two were fighting, this would be really hot, yeah."

"Shut up, Ratcliff!" they both said in unison, their gaze never leaving each other.

"Well, I tried, yeah. Don't expect me to clean up the blood afterwards." Ratcliff sighed dejectedly, and sat himself down on a boulder to watch the impending fight. He had lost count of how many fights he'd had to break up between these two, and was now becoming numb to them. It would be considered a strange day if the two didn't get into some sort of argument. At times, he'd picture them to be an old married couple bickering, to help through the intensity of the fight. But after a while, this mental image about the two began to sour his perception on marriage.

He wished that Mejia had paired himself with Cloud, as he was much more pleasant to be around compared to these men; barbarians, as he would often refer to them as. Ratcliff never fared well against such short fuses.

And these fuses were lit, and crawling dangerously close to the blasting cap of their anger. Shoulders were squared; chests were puffed out in a show of bravado and testosterone; jaws were clenched and prominent.

"Sometimes I wonder if ya even consider me as a friend. Ya'd narc on me any chance ya got, wouldn't ya?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you, Graves. When I'm in this uniform, I answer to no one but Shin-Ra."

"Yer such a fuckin' tool."

"Speaking of tools, we are under orders right now, yeah?"

"Shut up, Ratcliff!" Once again, this was said in unison.

Ratcliff began to bounce his leg nervously; agitated.

"I fuckin' bet, if it came down to it, ya'd never have my back, would ya?"

Elici scoffed, turning his head to peer at Graves even more closely, attempting to intimidate the larger man, although not even Sephiroth himself could probably cause a ripple in this man's – sometimes unnecessary – blind courage. "Yes, and that's why you're gonna put that goddamn materia back. I'm only trying to protect you."

"Fuck you, Elici, that ain't havin' my back. Sorry excuse for a friend."

A very slow and steady breath was released through Elici's nose, and his shoulders began to sink. He was obviously trying not to get caught up in Graves' rather persuasive emotions. He backed down.

"Ya ain't got nuffin' ta say?"

"Guys, seriously. Stop this, yeah?" Ratcliff got to his feet quickly as Graves once again closed the gap that Elici tried to make, in hopes of deterring him from causing a very physical confrontation.

They squared off, once more. Arms began to rise, and stances were widened.

A burst of gunfire tore through the thick silence in the materia cave, followed by Cloud yelling out in pain. A new course of anger flashed through Graves' face as he turned on his heels and ran ahead, sliding his assault rifle off his shoulders. There was a momentary look of relief in Elici's face, before it was ultimately taken over by concern as a series of pained groans continued.

"What the fuck happened!?" Graves stopped, his eyes widening as Cloud lay on the ground of the cave, curled up in a fetal position and lying in a puddle of his own blood.

Mejia stood by casually, smoking a cigarette.


~*~*~
A rhythmic and rapid thump resonated throughout swaying surroundings. The air was stale; it smelled of years of constant use and repetitive journeys. The scenery flashed by through the hazy windows, revealing the moving city in the early morning. The faint droning of the engine scratched at the long forgotten dream, rousing a passenger who lay on the awkward and uncomfortable seat.

Dreamin' of the damn past. I must be gettin' old.

Graves sat up, groaning at the stiff feeling in his neck. The gentle rocking of the train had lulled him into an unwanted slumber and, before he realized it, it was early morning.

With a hiss, the locomotive pulled itself to a stop at the Sector Seven station, and the occupants began to collect themselves and their belongings to depart. Wary eyes glanced to a Shin-Ra infantryman who was standing by the door, waiting for it to open. He had a look of excitement on his face; he was possibly visiting a loved one in this sector.

Must be a nice feelin'. Graves stood, pulling his seabag over his shoulder, waiting for the conductor to secure the train on the tracks. He saw the infantryman look over his way, and Graves turned away slightly, uncomfortably.

The doors opened and the passengers filed out silently into the brisk morning. Each person went their separate ways, continuing their own lives far away from the monotonous journey of the train. Graves exited, filling his large chest with the air beneath the plate. It was just as stale as the air inside the train.

Graves began to walk toward the heart of Sector Seven. Smoke began to rise from the rickety chimneys of the homes of the townsfolk, and the streets began to fill with a mixture of groggy and dejected people heading off to making a living in the slums of Midgar.

He had been walking through the sector, his ears picking up the sound of footsteps behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, his dark eyebrows raising at the infantryman who walked a few yards behind.

"Mornin'," the man said.

Graves nodded to him, adjusting his seabag over his shoulder.

"You live in this sector?"

"What's it to ya?" Graves stopped walking, turning to face the man.

The infantryman reached Graves, but stopped a few feet away, as if intimidated by him. "You look familiar. Was just wondering if you were from the same sector as me."

Graves frowned, pursing his lips together in an almost irritated manner. "Nah, I dun live 'ere. Just vistin' someone."

The man paused for a moment, a quizzical look forming on his face. "I swear I've seen you before."

Silence hovered over them, and Graves glanced ahead to the heart of the sector. He could see the 7th Heaven in the distance. The lights were flickering warmly through the windows.

"I know! You're in Kunsel's unit, aren't you? I thought I recognized you."

"I dunno what yer talkin' 'bout."

The man frowned at Graves, shocked. "Really? You...you're not in Shin-Ra?"

Graves scoffed, brushing a thumb across his lips as if to prevent himself from showing any sort of emotion as he spoke. "Nah man, I ain't with the Shin-Ra."


~*~*~
Muscles were burning, his mind was silent. Labored yet constricted breaths were being released through gritted teeth. Sweat was trickling down warmed skin, trying to cool the heated body during the strenuous activity. There was a constant metallic clank sounding from each corner of the large room, and sounds of men reacting to the harsh movements they were enduring mixed between.

Cloud mounted the heavy weight with a quiet grunt. He had no spotter, as Graves was usually the one standing behind him and observing. Graves usually barked out a flourish of encouraging words and demoralizing insults that oddly enough blended together into a rather motivating speech for the young blond. He was able to muster forth the strength and stamina needed to finish the reps with Graves as his spotter, but now, without him, Cloud only managed a fraction of what he normally could handle.

He hadn't slept much the night before, as his behavior with Zack was heavy on his mind. But what had been eating away at him more was his encounter with Graves. He had felt guilty over telling him off, and he wanted to apologize to him. But the man had run off for the night - probably in search of a good time in the town - and he failed to return back to the barracks in the morning.

It wasn't all that unusual for Graves to be skipping out on his assigned punishment. Cloud assumed that Graves was just expecting Ratcliff to cover for him, and he was probably right. Ratcliff was a man to easily and quickly forgive anyone, and would more than likely take the heat for a friend in a heartbeat.

Cloud on the other hand, wasn't so quick to forgive. He was still a bit angered at Graves for his actions and his words, but Cloud decided it best to make amends with the man as, well, Graves had been right.

He didn't want to think about it. He tried so hard to forget the obvious evidence that lay itself out in front of him in a spread of truth and verity over Elici's death. It all seemed to piece together so well that it was quite undeniable that Mejia had planned the entire thing.

Mejia had always been a bit loose; a bit unstable in his actions. He had been court-martialed on several occasions for his recklessness and disregard for the safety of his unit. At first he was required to attend a few training courses, attempting to retrain him in leadership, but it seemed a wasted effort for such a degenerate SOLDIER.

He would order men who weren't strong enough into the most dire situations with nary a bullet, nor strong materia to protect them. His detached and warped views on how these men were just as disposable as the monsters they fared against were apparent when he would leave men behind, or just stand and watch someone struggle with a creature that was too strong. It was like a dog fight - taking mental bets with himself on who would win.

Cloud knew this was all too true. He wasn't quite sure how the man was still enlisted in the army, without being already stripped of rank and thrown in the brig, by now. He had heard a rumor going around that he was from a family with money, and often used that to get himself out of situations with the Brass. Shin-Ra loved their money, whether it be rightfully earned or extorted, clean, or dirty. In the end, it was the same color, and spent the same, no matter what.

"That's all the reps you can handle?"

Cloud jumped at the familiar voice, his head coming inches from crashing into the weight's handle bar that stretched above him. He peeled his eyes open, unaware that they had even closed during his musing.

Zack stood above him, a towel slung across his neck. Beads of sweat lightly rolled across his skin, soaking into the rather tight tank he wore. It didn't leave his muscles much room to breathe, as it was clinging against every one of them. He was smiling gently.

"H-how long have you been here?" Cloud slowly sat up, his own muscles wishing to breathe, but only because of exhaustion.

"For a while," Zack said, grinning now. "Had to burn off the lasagna from last night."

"O-oh." Cloud hung his head slightly, but his eyes were still on Zack's.

"Of course, there could have been other ways for me to burn those calories off." Zack's voice was heavy with such obvious wanton that Cloud couldn't help but grimace at it. He turned as red as the jersey shirt he wore, and his eyebrows knitted.

"That's not funny," he muttered, glancing around to see if anyone was in earshot.

Zack seemed unfazed. "Want me to spot you?"

"No." Cloud swung his legs over the side to stand. He could no longer look at Zack, as guilt over the previous night began to rear its ugly – and all too familiar – head. "I'm done."

Zack was tempted to frown, but he continued to smile warmly at the blond, albeit Cloud was looking away. "You hittin' the showers now?"

Cloud paused silently. He shivered as he could feel his own sweat running down the side of his neck. He hated the feeling of sweat on his body, and he longed to wash it away in the shower. A meek glance over, and Zack looked almost eager for his answer. Cloud wondered what the man could possibly gain from sharing a public shower with him.
And if he really wanted to take a shower with Zack, he should have done it the night before when the man originally offered. Cloud then wondered what taking a shower together would achieve, anyway. Two grown men standing in a tight area trying to cleanse themselves? They'd be fighting for the single shower head, they'd be bumping into each other while washing; it didn't seem practical.

Cloud was unaware that his body was unconsciously reacting to the thoughts in his head.

Oh. That's why... Cloud was too naïve at times, and he hated himself for it. He was thankful that he was wearing loose shorts.

"Cloud?"

Cloud realized that he had been silent for quite some time. He hadn't seen when Zack had walked around and sat next to him. Zack was on the end, straddling the bench, and he had his hands in front of his lap as he leaned forward. He had a childish yet flirtatious look to his face; it made Cloud uncomfortable.

"N-no, I'm just gonna grab one back at the barracks," he said, clumsily.

"Breakfast then?"

"A-already ate."

"Lunch then?"

"I don't know..."

"Well, we have to do something on our first date, otherwise it's not a date."

"Oh hell." Cloud covered his face with his hands; he could smell the metal from the weight machines he had been using all morning. "Ratcliff got to you, didn't he?"

Zack laughed, causing several people to look over at them. It was a rather interesting sight, seeing the SOLDIER 1st Class sitting next to an infantryman on a weight bench. One was smiling, with a hopeful look, and the other burying his face in his hands with a suspiciously red glow to his skin.

"I may have run into him in the halls, yes. He said he and Graves couldn't make it, so he wanted us just to enjoy our date together in privacy." Zack began to bounce up and down on the bench. "So c'mon Cloud, just say yes." He was almost whining.

Cloud growled, shifting warily on the seat as it began to shift beneath him during Zack's excited bouncing. "Knock that off."

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!"

A very interesting sight, indeed.

"Fine! Just stop doing that!" Cloud jumped to his feet, unable to fight the smile that tugged onto his face.

Zack followed, swinging around the blond to stand in front of him, almost as if he were to block him from running away. Maybe it was to see the rare smile he had that was formed from true feelings. Cloud was never one to give into his feelings that easily, and when he did, his smile was truly bliss to Zack, no matter now small.

"Great! So you'll agree to breakfast, lunch, dinner, and," he said, leaning in close, "dessert, perhaps?" There was that suggestive tone again. But this time, Cloud just laughed.

"Maybe one of those first three. The fourth, you're on your own."

Zack glanced off to the side, briefly frowning. "Yeah, tell me about it," he muttered jokingly, and yet a hint of actuality came through. He did take that second shower, after Cloud had left.

Although Zack had spoken quietly, it was meant for Cloud to hear it. Cloud began to shake his head vigorously. "N-no, that's not what I meant. I just don't like sweets, remember?"

Zack chuckled, placing a hand on his shoulder casually. But the gentle squeeze went unseen by the others who were glancing at them. "I know, I remember." He lowered his voice, leaning into him. "Don't worry about last night, okay? It's nothing to avoid me over."

Cloud was a bit mortified over him saying this, but he just nodded his head wordlessly. He felt as if he had double standards, and it bothered him. They were intimate. Zack displayed his feelings for him in this act, only to have Cloud run off scared when it came down to returning the affection. He was ashamed of himself, and he only wondered how Zack felt, despite those encouraging and selfless words.

"It wasn't fair for you," Cloud blurted, a bit loudly.

Zack was quiet for a moment. "Let's...talk somewhere else, okay?"


~*~*~
The elevator ride was silent, besides Cloud's uncomfortable shifting. Whether it was from the conversation to come, or the actual ride of the elevator, Zack wasn't sure. The cart stopped on the sixty-first floor, and they exited into the large lounging area.

Cloud followed Zack to a round table, but nearly walked into him as he abruptly stopped.

Zack paused, inspecting the table without a single word. He chuckled to himself and decided to go to another table towards the center of the area. He sat down, grinning widely at the blond who looked almost reluctant in joining him.

"Why'd you change tables?" Cloud slipped into the wooden chair across from Zack.

"I figured you'd want to sit next to the tree." He motioned to the large indoor tree that stemmed from the floor in the center of the arrangement of tables. "I'm right, right?"

Cloud looked a mixture of fluster, and amusement. "Y-yeah. It's...nice." He began sheepishly playing with the drawstrings on his workout shorts.

"Reminds you of home, right?"

More playing, more tugging. If he pulled any harder on those strings, he'd either rip them off, or draw them so tight, he'd squeeze off the blood flow to his lower extremities. "You don't see many trees around Midgar," he said quietly, almost defensively.

"It reminds me of home, too," Zack said.

They looked at each other, both slowly grinning.

"Too bad it's fake," Cloud said.

They laughed heartily together.

But after a few moments, they both quieted once more. They sat, staring at one another while employees buzzed about them, taking up seats nearby and enjoying either eating a meal, or conversing with each other about how they either loved their job, or hated it. It was hard to be neutral, working for a company like Shin-Ra.

"Talk to me, Cloud," Zack said, almost a whisper. He leaned forward, tempted to take Cloud's hand in his own, if it wasn't so occupied twirling those damned strings around his fingers. He was bouncing a knee underneath the table.

"I'm sorry, Zack. For...last night."

Zack's head suddenly dropped to the tabletop.

"Zack!?"

"Dammit, Cloud! You said the bad word!"

"I didn't swear!"

"No, Moogle Brain, the other bad word."

Moogle Brain? What the...?

"Oh...I just...I'll...try next time. I just wasn't...ready yet..."

"It's okay, Cloud, I told you I'd wait for you. I just don't want you to apologize."

Cloud's hands stopped their fidgeting, and fell to rest on his lap. What was he supposed to say, other than an apology? He had strung Zack along, building up the tension between them, only to run away with his tail between his legs. He was still frightened of the feelings he had. He was confused, intimidated. He had never had anything like that done to him before, and certainly he had never done that to anyone before, either. Everything had been happening so quickly with Zack that he barely had time to process a single thought in his head.

Since the incident with Mejia, Cloud felt it harder than ever to have confidence in himself. With the occasional jackass that made some sort of stupid comment to him about the molestation, or the nightmares that found their way randomly into his head while he slept, he just couldn't seem to find his bearings on his already unstable reality.

And then with the death of Elici, he began to reach out to the few who remotely cared about him. Ratcliff was good support, always smiling and sharing his wisdom and patience with him. Graves was a good source of entertaining distraction, when he wasn't screaming about getting some sort of revenge on Mejia for killing their friend, but that began to weigh heavy on Cloud's psyche. To hear his rantings increase over the past few days made it hard for Cloud to be around him.

And then there was Zack.

His arms were always open for Cloud, even prior to these incidents. Ever confident, ever encouraging, Zack's will seemed to seep into Cloud's faltering constitution, filling him with acceptance and recognition of not just a comrade, but as a human being as well. When they battled alongside each other, Zack treated him as an equal, as a partner. He was quick to critique, never criticize. He was the first to inspire, and the last to discourage.

And as a friend, he thrived to show Cloud such a pure geniality that Cloud feared he would never be able to share in return. Even the benign smile that that he gave the young blond, Cloud felt that he would never be able to match. He almost felt undeserving of Zack's affection, and wondered why the man would possibly waste all his efforts and compassion on someone like him.

"Chocobo?"

"What?" Cloud looked around. "Where? In here?" He shifted in his chair, glancing over the entire room suspiciously.

Zack threw his head back, laughing. "No! You."

"What?" He whirled back around in his seat to look at Zack dubiously.

"I'm calling you Chocobo," Zack said so seriously.

"What happened to 'Moogle Brain'?"

"That's only when you do or say something silly."

Cloud sat for a moment, stewing over this. "Wait...what's with the nicknames all of the sudden?"

Zack leaned forward in his seat, his voice lowering to a soothing tone, much like the previous night. It was nearly baby-talk once again, and it caused Cloud's stomach to tighten. "Well, I gotta call you something since you know...we're kinda together."

Together...? Cloud swallowed hard. "W-why can't you just call me 'Cloud'?" He bowed his head, his voice barely a whisper. His heart was screaming inside his chest over Zack's choice of words. It was surreal to hear.

"Because that's not as fun as calling you by a nickname."

"Well...I don't like it."

"Aw c'mon!" Zack began to scoot his chair next to him. "Serious? You're gonna take that from me?"

"I'm not taking anything from you. I just don't want to be called that," Cloud said, shifting away from Zack as he neared.

"Then what?"

"'Cloud'."

Zack groaned, his head once more finding a place against the tabletop. "You're no fun."

Cloud smiled faintly at Zack's muffled, and rather dejected voice. "Tell you what – you can call me something, but I have to approve of it."

"Great, then I'll never be able to give you a nickname. You'll never approve of anything."

"Exactly."

Zack pinched Cloud's thigh underneath the table. "Moogle Brain."

Cloud yelped, the pinch unexpected, especially in such a public place. "Shit! What the hell was that for, Zack!?"

Several people turned to look at them. Cloud was going to have to get used to people looking when he was with Zack. Whether it was from the fact that Zack was well known and popular or the fact that Zack always did something to cause people to look when they were together, he was sure to gain unwanted attention. And yet, Cloud was still smiling.

Zack began to caress Cloud's thigh beneath the table, almost as if to soothe the area he pinched. "So, dinner tonight?"

Cloud nodded, his eyes staring down at the table, but he couldn't hold back the excitement from showing in his eyes.

"Any ideas?" He gave Cloud's thigh a tight squeeze. How he wanted to be holding him right now. "We can try sneaking in a bar."

Cloud frowned briefly, but nodded his head. "I-if you want..."

Zack sighed heavily then, his hand ceasing to move on Cloud's leg. He frowned at the blond then, and their eyes met slowly. Cloud had a look of guilt and apprehension on his face. "Cloud, did you...feel forced to please me last night because I did it to you?"

Silence.

"...Cloud, please. Just be honest with me," Zack pleaded softly.

"...Yes," Cloud whispered.

Zack nodded his head mindlessly several times, his hand slipping off of Cloud's leg. "I...thought so."

Cloud looked away, ashamed.

"Please don't think you have to do things for the sole purpose of making me happy. Don't force yourself to do something that you're not comfortable doing for my sake."

Cloud turned back to Zack, his blue eyes crawling up to meet the deep gaze of the SOLDIER. "But...wouldn't you do it for me?"

Zack was, for once, silent.

"I didn't mean to lead you on last night. I...really want to try that...but...this all just seems so strange."

Zack chuckled lightly, his hand returning to its place on Cloud's leg. This caused Cloud to smile, albeit weakly. The touch sent a small shiver through his body as Zack's hand was warm against his skin. "Don't you think I know that? I'm just as shell shocked as you are about all of this."

"Doesn't it bother you? Don't you think it's a little wrong?"

Zack thought for a moment, rubbing circles on Cloud's leg absentmindedly. "It doesn't bother me one bit. In fact, I'm excited."

"Excited..." Cloud mumbled, looking away again.

"And if it was wrong, do you think someone as smart and confident as Ratcliff would be the same way? He certainly doesn't think it's wrong."

"Yeah..." The smile returned to Cloud's face again, gaining strength.

Cloud really did adore Ratcliff, Zack could tell. He was glad he used him as an Ace in the Hole. Actually, he was glad Ratcliff had suggested he used him as said Ace in the Hole if Cloud were to ever second guess himself when it came to being with another man. Zack was actually glad he knew Ratcliff at this point, because he was a never-ending source of knowledge when it came to this sort of stuff. Zack wanted to talk to him further today, but he had to get to his duties cleaning the Heads. He didn't care, he had said. Cleaning allowed him to get his mind off other things.

"Hey, Zack?"

Zack blinked, unaware that he'd drifted inward. "Yeah, Chocobo?"

A small growl came from Cloud's throat, and his eyebrows lowered.

Zack corrected himself. "'Yeah, Cloud'...I mean." He tittered nervously at the look he was given.

"After dinner tonight...I might be in the mood...for some dessert."

"Really? Great!" Zack leaned forward in his seat, his eyes lighting up at the thought of Cloud finally trying something sweet with him. All kinds of desserts ran through his head. Cheesecake, ice cream sundaes, crème brûlée; hell, even hot chocolate in a coffee shop. Zack never did understand how Cloud could not like sugary treats. Each tempting and delectable morsel was like a gift from the heavens.

"We can find something that you'll like. Cookies? Cupcakes? 'Cuz there's this really great café down on LOVELESS Avenue that sells-"

"I don't mean any of those types of desserts."

"Well, there's pie, or pudding, or you might like tiramisu-"

"Zack," Cloud's voice was firm, and surprisingly confident.

Zack just blinked at the blond for several long moments. His eyes widened as Cloud cleared his throat. "Oh. That kind of dessert." Zack was surprised that he didn't catch onto that innuendo.

Zack was more surprised that Cloud even made that innuendo in the first place.


~*~*~
Graves left the 7th Heaven around dusk. Elici's wife seemed reluctant to let anyone into the bar while Graves was there. Not because he might have caused a fight, she just seemed...troubled. With good reason, of course.

And he was on his best behavior, for once. He had stopped by only to see how she was holding up since her husband's death. She seemed tired – lethargic, even. Dark circles were heavy beneath her bloodshot eyes; the tip of her nose reddened from constant rubbing. He dare not bring up his theory of how Elici died, but instead brought up some humorous tales of his friendship with him. Even someone as brash as Graves had enough common courtesy to not bring something like that up in front of a grieving widow.

Although bringing it up in front of his friends was different. He knew they could handle it. They were men, after all, and in the army they were taught to suck it up, Cloud being no exception. Sometimes that boy needed to just toughen up and grow some ironclad balls. It would be good for him, in the end.

Graves waved to Elici's wife as she stood in the doorway. He turned, breathing in the same stale air that was there from the morning. It never left; it had nowhere to go beneath the plates that held it in from above. It was like the train tracks around Midgar. It only went around in circles.

Common courtesy be damned. Graves promised her that he'd avenge Elici's murder.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~
...To be continued in Chapter Fifteen: Unnoticed.