Final Fantasy VII: Reflections - Book 2: Ascent

ONE

I held out my hand. "Nice to meet you, Cloud. I'm Jessie."

After a moment, he shook it, his grip just as strong as I'd expected. He'd cut that Vice brute Logan in half, after all. "Likewise. So why were these guys after you? There has to be a reason."

We stood in the alley where I'd been ambushed, the light dim here in the narrow dirt street between two high piles of scrap metal. On the ground nearby lay the bodies of the thugs Cloud had killed. The others had run off after we'd beaten the crap outta them together. Well, it had been more Cloud than me, but I'd done my share of ass kicking as well, here and in the Vice gang's lair earlier tonight. As for Cloud's question, though, I wasn't sure how to answer it.

I swallowed. "Well, it's... kind of a long story."

He folded his arms in front of him. "Can't say I'm surprised. Think they'll bother you again?"

"I don't know," I said, wondering the same thing myself. Worrying, more like. Braddock, the Vice gang's leader, didn't seem like the type to give up easily. And I'd really pissed him off. "I needed special materials for a... project that I've been working on."

Which was the bomb Barret had asked me to build for the mission to shut down Mako Reactor 1. But I couldn't tell Cloud that. Although he'd saved my life and I liked him, my ties to Avalanche were a secret. I couldn't share that with him unless he were to join us. And as strong as he was, I knew he'd be a great help. But that wasn't my call to make, so I just kept quiet about the bomb for now.

"Stuff you can't find in any old shop," I went on. "But the Vice gang gets its hands on all kinds of things, most of it stolen. They usually just stick to their territory in Sector 5, but I guess I had to have made them really mad for them to have come after me here."

That was an understatement, of course. Not only had I snuck right into the gang's lair and stolen the chip out from under their ugly noses, I'd also killed two of their leaders, a bunch of other thugs, torched half their loot, and basically made a complete mess of their hideout. Suffice it to say, I was pretty sure I'd be on Braddock's shit list for quite a while. And now he knew I lived in Sector 7. That could complicate things, but I hoped Cloud kicking Logan's ass tonight would get them to back off a bit or at least slow them down for a while.

Cloud nodded. "No kidding. Stealing from thieves'll do that."

I giggled, knowing I couldn't argue. "I guess you're right, Cloud. I'll have to stay clear of them from now on. But—"

"What is it?" he blinked.

I pointed at his arm, noticing for the first time the line of red going across his bicep. "Cloud, you're bleeding!"

He shook his head. "It's not bad, Jessie. Just a scratch."

"Still, you should get it patched up," I said.

"I guess so," he shrugged.

I rolled my eyes, not the least bit surprised that he was playing the tough guy. "Listen, Cloud. My place isn't far from here. I have a first aid kit in there, so why don'tcha let me take care of that cut for you? It's the least I can do for my hero, after all."

Cloud nodded. "Alright. Let's mosey."

"Mosey!?" I laughed, long and loud. "Oh, I'm definitely gonna have to remember that one!"

I kept at it as I led Cloud through the rest of the alley and out onto another side street. He stayed close to me, those gorgeous baby blues of his checking the shadows as we went. Although I'd only just met him, I felt completely safe. It wasn't something I could put into words, really. I just knew he wouldn't let anything happen to me. As we made our way through town, I chatted and tried to get a little conversation going, but Cloud wasn't much of a talker. More the strong, silent type. I liked that, though. Made him so much more interesting.