With an absentminded sigh you rub your wrist. Thankfully, it wasn't broken after your fall, only sprained. Noctis was able to wrap it up for you, and the white bandages were barely able to fit under the black leather gloves of your uniform.
"Hey," Riku calls from the hallway, and you glance over at him. His knee is wrapped up with a splint keeping it straight. He twisted his knee during the fall, and was having a hard time walking. "They want to see you downstairs," he adds, hobbling backwards a little as you move towards him.
"How are you feeling?" you ask, pointing at his knee.
He smirks a little, limping beside you.
"Whenever it hurts, I think of our kiss," he admits, glancing down at you out of the corner of his eyes. "It actually helps, believe it or not."
Your cheeks flare up as you start to rush down the stairs and away from Riku, your thoughts trailing back to that intimate moment back in Hollow Bastion.
"Hey, not fair!" he yells after you.
"Sorry!" you laugh, practically skipping into the living room.
"Sorry for what?" Roxas asks, and you come to a stop as you almost barrel right into him.
"Nothing," you lie, patting his chest before brushing past him and taking a seat on the couch.
You bring your wrist back up to your chest, rubbing the sore appendage.
"Don't play with it," Noctis scolds, sitting beside you. He reaches out and grabs your wrist, placing it in his lap. "You're gonna make it worse."
You glance up at him, nodding a bit as you ignore the feeling of his thumb rolling over your gloved hand.
"Don't get too comfortable," Cloud cautions as he and Genesis walk into the room.
"Why?" you ask as Noctis drops your hand with a scowl.
"We're off to Traverse Town," Genesis explains with a small smile.
"Wha- REALLY? I have a sprained freaking wrist!" you complain, holding up your injured hand.
"It's not broken," Zack points out as he grabs your arm and pulls you to your feet. "C'mon, out to the ship," he adds, sounding a bit like a father speaking to their child as he pushes you towards the front door.
"Have fun!" Reno calls out, and you glance over your shoulder to shoot the smirking redhead a glare.
>> Fast-Forward >>
"This place is weird," you mutter as you, Cloud, Genesis, Sora, and Zack walk into the town square.
"I think it's rather quaint," Genesis argues, his hands clasped behind his back as he glances around the buildings.
"Quaint?" Sora repeats with a laugh.
"It means charming," Genesis explains.
"I know what it means!" Sora exclaims, looking a little embarrassed as Genesis starts to smirk.
"... Do you?" Cloud asks, and Zack lets out a laugh as Sora starts to clench his fists.
"C'mon guys," you reprimand, cupping one of Sora's hands in both of yours. "Don't be mean."
"Sorry..." Cloud, Zack, and Genesis apologize stonily, and Sora beams down at you.
"Alright, now that that's settled," you begin, releasing Sora's hand much to his displeasure, "... why are we here?"
Zack shrugs and Cloud rolls his eyes.
"Are we just going on field trips at this point? You guys got lucky in Beast's Castle that Xaldin showed up, but this world is completely peaceful," Cloud points out.
Zack narrows his blue eyes at his friend as the five of you make your way through a set of huge wooden doors towards the 2nd District. You end up in a large, outdoor square with stone floors and tall buildings. Across the way is a large tower, with a huge bell hanging from the top. No one is on the street, and it's dead quiet.
"This isn't a field trip, I go where Sephiroth tells me to go," Zack clarifies haughtily, swinging his large buster sword on his back.
"This place does seem fine though," Genesis murmurs, looking around.
"There's one more district of the town. If that seems alright, I say we get outta here," Sora suggests.
"Fine with me," you agree, taking off towards the stone stairs leading down.
Suddenly, a black portal appears right in your path, and you pull out your gun to level it towards a hooded Organization member marching towards you.
"Back off!" you yell, taking a step back as the man lets out a chuckle.
"You're not very scary," Demyx teases, pulling off his hood to reveal his smiling face.
"Demy?" you ask quietly as Zack, Genesis, Cloud, and Sora hurry towards you.
"What are you doing here?" Genesis asks.
"Well hello to you too," Demyx jokes, placing his hands on his hips.
"C'mon, Dem," Sora groans, hanging his head. "I'm exhausted and don't feel like guessing why you're here."
Demyx pouts a little before raising a hand to his chin, tapping it with his pointer finger.
"Fine," he agrees, dropping his hand as he glances towards you. "Well first of all, I wanted to congratulate you on killing Xaldin."
"That was Riku, not me," you explain softly, your cheeks subconsciously turning pink at the memory.
"Dude... Are you blushing?" Zack asks, poking your warm cheeks.
"No, I'm sunburnt," you lie, shooing his hand away.
"Uh huh," he hums, not believing you.
"Well then I need to thank Riku, 'cause that Xaldin was terrifying," Demyx laughs, running a hand through his hair.
Everyone just stares at him silently, and he sobers up a bit as he stands up straight.
"Should you be celebrating that fellow Organization members were killed?" Genesis asks, tilting his head a little.
"Probably not," Demyx admits, shrugging slightly. "But, like I've said before, I'm not really loyal to either side."
"That's admirable," Cloud mutters sarcastically, and Demyx's face falls a little.
"Wait, are you trying to tell us you're joining SOLDIER?!" Sora asks excitedly.
Demyx scrunches his face a bit as he shakes his head.
"Hell no, I'm not suicidal."
"Then why are you here?" Zack presses, quickly losing his patience with the ditzy Nobody.
Demyx glances towards you again before looking towards the ground, shuffling his feet.
"I heard about Vanitas, [Name]. I just wanted to say... sorry, and I hope you're okay."
Your eyes widen as you stare over at Demyx, your heart breaking a little at his ashamed expression.
"Thanks, Demy," you smile, and he slowly starts to grin.
"Alright then! See y'all around," he states, snapping his fingers.
A portal appears behind him, and he walks backwards into the swirling darkness. He smiles at you one last time before disappearing.
"Okayyy, that was weird," Sora muses, scratching the back of his neck.
"I'm gettin' real sick of these Nobodies following you around," Zack complains, looking down at you.
"How's that my fault?!" you cry out.
"Stop being so charming," Genesis suggests.
"Good advice," you mumble, rolling your eyes.
"Alright, this was a waste of time. Let's go home," Cloud speaks up, starting to walk away.
"Wait... Can't we just relax here for a little?" you ask, the prospect of having a little fun too much to pass up.
"Okay!" Zack immediately agrees, and Genesis glares over at him. "Oh c'mon Gen, lighten up."
Genesis sighs, shuffling away towards the bell tower. They all start to walk away from you, ready to explore the city. With a smile you start to walk towards one of them.
♥ RESULTS ♥
ZACK
"Hey," you greet, tackling the much taller dark-haired male as you wrap your arms around his neck.
"Hey," he repeats, laughing as he leans down a bit. "Hop on," he adds, and with a blush you crawl up on his back.
He stands up straight again, grabbing onto your thighs for stability as you tighten your grip around his neck. You glance over at him, noticing that he doesn't even look the slightest bit affected by your weight on his back.
"Do you like this world?" you ask, breaking the silence.
"It's alright. Kinda reminds me of where I first started training to be in the army," he explains.
"Really?" you inquire, still studying him. "Where's that?"
"Nibelheim. Cloud and I met there, after the Organization took over Gongaga."
"Gongaga..?" you repeat softly.
"Where I grew up," he clarifies with a sad smile. "I think I'm the only person that made it outta there in time."
"Oh," you mumble sadly, resting your chin on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Zack."
He peers over at you out of the corner of his eyes.
"It's fine. This is what I've always wanted to do, travel the worlds and be a hero," he tells you, coming to a stop in front of a green door.
You slide off of his back, landing on your feet. He turns to face you, a small smile on his face.
"Where is this?" you ask, pointing at the door.
"You'll see," he replies slyly as he opens the door.
Light pours out of the room, and you shield your eyes for a second. Once your eyes adjust to the light, you let out a tiny squeal as you spot a ton of dalmatian puppies running around a fancy room.
"C'mon," Zack laughs, grabbing your hand in his and pulling you inside.
"There's so many," you gush, sitting down on the ground and dragging Zack with you.
A puppy runs up to you, crawling into your lap with a small bark. You giggle, releasing Zack's hand to pet the soft dalmatian.
"Their eyes look just like yours," you realize, glancing over at Zack with a smile.
He rolls his eyes, though there's a small grin on his face as you scoot towards him with the puppy clutched in your arms. He chuckles, reaching down to pet the dog as you rest your head on his shoulder. Zack stares down at you, studying your smiling face as you lean against him. He gently wraps an arm around your shoulders, pulling you even closer as he leans down and presses his lips against the side of your head in a quick kiss. It was a rare moment as a SOLDIER to find oneself able to relax and be happy, but no matter how much he wanted to scoop you in his arms and kiss you, he doesn't. After all, the number one rule of SOLDIER is do not, under any circumstance, allow yourself to fall in love.
SORA
"Hey Sora," you greet, hurrying towards the brunet.
He glances back at you, a huge smile on his face as he watches you try to catch up with him.
"Hey," he murmurs, playfully kicking your heel with his foot. "What brings you here?"
"Bored," you reply simply, a silly grin on your face. "Where are you going?"
"Somewhere secret," he responds coyly. "Wanna come?"
"Yeah!" you agree, and he laughs as he opens a pair of wooden double doors.
The two of you walk into what looks like an underground alley, with a rectangular pond of water in the center. Balconies look over the view from the second story of the hotel. You follow Sora curiously and in silence. Finally, once you're on the other side of the room, he jumps in the water.
"Umm, what are you doing?" you ask cautiously.
"Going to the secret place! C'mon," he urges, extending a hand towards you.
With a small blush you take his hand, stepping down into the knee-deep water.
"It's cold," you mutter and he leads you through an opening in the metal bars welded on the wall.
It's dark inside of the waterway, and the water keeps getting deeper. Sora lets go of your hand and starts to float on his back, away from you.
"You have to swim a little bit," he explains with a smile.
You sigh before submerging your chest in the water, doggy-paddling towards him. After a few strokes you're back on solid ground, following Sora towards the raised floor in the corner of the room. You shake yourself off, shivering a bit from the cold air.
"Come here," Sora murmurs, grabbing your hand and gently pulling you towards him.
He places his hands on your shoulders, turning you around to face the wall on the opposite side of the room. You immediately smile, your eyes landing on a mural of a bright yellow sun painted on the wall. It's entrancing somehow, making you feel calm and at peace.
"Isn't this place cool?" Sora asks, earning your attention.
"Yeah," you mumble, glancing up at him over your shoulder. "How'd you find it?"
His face falls a bit, along with his hands. He starts to scratch the back of his head as you turn to face him.
"Kairi showed it to me. BUT that was like 5 years ago, I was a kid!" he exclaims as your eyes narrow.
You sigh, nodding your head as he wraps his arms around you in a hug.
"Okay," you finally agree, gingerly resting your hands on his back.
He smiles, burying his nose into your hair as he relaxes into your touch. It was probably frowned upon in SOLDIER, but the young Keybearer couldn't keep his thoughts off of you. So, the opportunity to hold you close with no one around to interrupt... it was perfect.
GENESIS
"Are you following me?" Genesis asks, smiling a bit as he turns his head slightly to glance back at you.
Your cheeks flush as you search for words, your mouth hanging open a little. He chuckles, slowing down to allow you to catch up to his widen gait.
"I was just wondering where you were going," you admit, looking up at the male.
His bangs are hanging in front of his face slightly as he gazes down at you.
"The Bell Tower," he finally replies quietly, darting inside of a wooden door, with colored glass windows.
You follow him, not quite sure what to say. So you stay silent as he leads you through a brightly colored room that resembles something straight out of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. He brushes through another wooden door, stepping back out into the cool air. Genesis gestures up to a tall ladder running up the side of the building. It didn't exactly look sturdy.
"After you," he offers, placing a hand on the small of your back as he gently pushes you towards the ladder.
"Is it safe?" you ask nervously.
"Yes."
Sighing, you start to climb the narrow rungs of the ladder. It was a quick climb thankfully, and you soon find yourself standing on top of the city, or so it seemed.
"There's a place like this where I'm from, only it's taller," you tell Genesis as he moves towards you.
"Hm," he acknowledges.
"Where... are you from?" you press.
"Nowhere, really. I'm an orphan," he confesses, smiling sadly as your mouth drops.
"O-Oh, Gen... I'm sorry," you mumble, glancing up at him as he chuckles lightly.
"Don't be. I had a very nice childhood," he assures you.
You blush a little as he places a hand on your shoulder, admiring the view beside you. He would never admit it, but he rather liked spending time with you. You're rather lovely, and sweet, two traits he rarely encounters in a house filled with SOLDIERS. It was a good feeling coursing through him as he stands on the roof-top, he concludes with a satisfied smile.
CLOUD
"Come on," Cloud offers, gesturing for you to walk with him.
"Wha- how do you know I wanna go with you?" you challenge, following the smirking blond out of the 2nd District.
"You were walking right towards me [Name]," he laughs, and a sheepish expression creeps up on your face. "It's fine. You can help me shop."
"Shop?" you repeat with a giggle.
"For potions and stuff," he clarifies, glancing down at you.
"Oh," you mutter, slightly disappointed.
Cloud rolls his eyes a bit as he places a hand on the small of your back, leading you inside of a two-story shop. He fails to remove his hand, however, and you do your best to keep from looking too nervous.
"This place is really quiet," you speak up, breaking the silence.
Cloud glances down at you, his gloved hand sliding off of your waist.
"Is that good or bad?" he finally asks, absentmindedly picking up a pretty white orb sitting on a shelf.
"Good, I think," you reply with a small laugh. "What do you think about this place?"
He smiles, tossing you the orb in his hands. You just barely manage to catch it, running a finger down the smooth glass.
"Reminds me of home."
You look up at him, still clenching the glass orb.
"You mean Headquarters?" you ask.
"No," he chuckles, shaking his head. "Nibelheim. My actual home."
"What's it like? If you don't mind me asking."
"Quiet," Cloud replies coyly with a small smirk. "I haven't been there in years. Zack and I left, with Sephiroth. And I've never looked back."
"Because it was destroyed, right?" you blurt out, remembering your conversation with him weeks prior.
"Yeah," he agrees, sounding a little sad.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up," you apologize, placing the orb back on the counter and starting to shuffle away.
Right when you're brushing past him he reaches out, lacing his fingers with yours as he gently grabs your hand. You glance up at him with a small blush but he's merely smiling as he stares down at you.
"C'mon, there's more stores this way," he tells you, leading you back out onto the street.
As Cloud's hand continues to clutch yours, it's strange just how contented he feels. Usually he would feel uncomfortable with such a public display of affection, but there's just something about you that makes him feel safe and, for the first time in a long time, truly happy.