When You and I Collide

3) The Friends

~Cloud's POV~

The words seem to fly off my tongue like I've said them a million times. Knowing the strangers probably don't care about my soldier past or Zack, I just tell the tale from Midgar on. Lightning is sharpening a deadly looking sword, but I can tell she's listening guy the way she frowns deeply when I speak of Aeris's death. Dajh and Marlene sit a few yards away, playing. Hope watches me with great interest while I talk. He reminds me so much of Denzel. Vanille listens next Yuffie, Fang hanging around in different places. That big guy Snow looks lost in thought, but he reacts the same as Lightning when Aeris's death takes place. Maybe even worse. He simply stands up, mutters something about a walk, and wanders away. I wonder...

"So that guy Sephiroth.." Vanille speaks up when I finish. "Fang, doesn't he sound kinda like Barthandelus?"

"More like Barthandelus and that Rufus guy mixed," the tall woman scoffs, crossing her arms.

"Barthandelus?" Yuffie just has to ask, so we spend another hour listening to their story and holy crap. They've been through so much. Fal'cei, l'cei, and Cei'th. All new concepts to us. In fact, the only thing in common seems to be chocobos. Vanille plops down beside Vincent and smiles up at him.

"So if you're not a vampire, why do you look like it?"

"I slept for a long time too," he says slowly, looking off into the distance. "Only, it was in a coffin for thirty years." Wow. Vince never tells strangers about this stuff.

"A coffin?!" Vanille looks bewildered.

"That's right!" Cid chuckles. "Scared me to death when I saw some dude poppin out of a coffin in a frikin creepy basement."

"Wow!" Vanille says, attitude upbeat and excited. I have a feeling she and Yuffie will be good friends. Then again, Vanille looks like the type to be friends with anyone. "So are you undead or something?" One corner of Vincent's mouth quirks up the slightest bit.

"I guess you could say that."

"You know Vincent," she stands, brushing off her legs. "I think we could be good friends."

"Yeah?" He looks up at her from his position on the ground. He's so different around kids, it's not even funny. I think we've all realized it too, even though Vanille doesn't look much younger than Tifa. He's always been gentler, more at ease around them. Trying not to let them be scared of him because of the dark vibe he gives off.

"Yeah!" Then she runs off toward Fang. The red tinges in the taller girl's brown hair stand out against the green behind her. She looks at us suspiciously with a piercing gaze that would make Rufus proud. Tifa looks way out at the tall form of Snow and sighs.

"Do you think he would mind if I gave him some company?"

"If he did he wouldn't show it," Lightning says in a flat voice. I can tell she and Fang don't trust us completely, which is understandable. I don't fully trust them either. "But I wouldn't ask too many questions. We've both had a rough couple of days."

"I won't," she nods, looking at me. "I know how that goes."

"I'm not that bad," I roll my eyes and she wanders off toward the man that's a practical wall. I know I a lot of walls... Rude is a wall, Snow is a wall, Barret's a wall, love is a wall... Yup. Anytime I think I'm getting somewhere when I'm dating someone, it just hits that wall and dies.