『A Final Fantasy VII Oneshot』

Absent Silhouette

It was in the middle of the night when the group found themselves in the dark, damp forest. With thick leaves concealing the light of the moon and Barret's never-ending complaints, Red had finally recommended that they rest for tomorrow in preparation for their ever long trip. Cloud had tried to protest at this time but was ultimately silenced when Tifa smiled at him, exhaustion hidden behind her features. In the end, he had plopped onto a pile of leaves and twigs, remaining silent as his friends conversed.

They all took their time gathering materials for a campfire, a collection of twigs and leaves in a small, neat pile in the center of the small clearing. Red flicked his tail to set it ablaze once Barret was done circling heavy stones around it. It was a couple hours of talking (and mostly silence from Cloud) that they began to drift to sleep one by one. Tifa called it a day before Aerith which left her and the SOLDIER alone in an uncomfortable, drawn out silence.

"Are you alright, Cloud? You've been quiet more than usual," she asked, her earthly green eyes gazing into his mako tinted pair.

Their gazes didn't stick for long though as Cloud turned away, exhaling heavily. His right hand reached for the Buster Sword's hilt at his back, the clang of metal and the tug of his harness calming him as he nodded. "Yeah," he said, "Just got a lot on my mind."

Aerith pouted. She was never one to accept short answers, especially with Cloud, who was notorious for them. "You know you can talk to us, Cloud. I know you're a tough, intimidating SOLDIER on the outside, but we're your friends, aren't we? You can tell us anything"

The blonde shook his head softly, gripping the hilt with uncertainty. "Maybe another time. I'm not really in the mood right now."

But before she gave up the pursuit, a sharp snap alarmed the both of them, Cloud taking to his feet and Aerith reaching for her staff.

"Stay close," Cloud cautioned, slowly removing the sword from its magnet.

"I can take care of myself, you know?"

Silence filled the forest once more as Cloud focused on using his enhanced hearing to listen for any unnatural sounds. He tried to relate it to his training but the more he thought about it, his mind was clouded with a thick static buzz. It hurt to think about any of it.

Cloud closed his eyes and listened — listened to the light breeze as it carrassed the leaves, the chitters of cicadas, the light sounds of his friends awakening... When he heard a rustle in the bush, he turned his blade sharply and sliced the bush in half.

But it was just a rabbit. And he was sure that he had just scared it shitless.

Cloud pursed his lips and clipped the Buster Sword in place, hiding his mild embarrassment. The SOLDIER folded his arms across his chest and turned to the side, finding Tifa's worried face looking around the area.

Meanwhile, the Cetra looked surprised when she saw the small animal but smiled despite having to be so worked up over something so small. She knelt down to the creature's level and held out her hands in a gesture of showing she wasn't a threat. It's little nose twitched as it sniffed her hand, the rise of its brown furs falling flat against it's small back slowly.

"It's just a false alarm, don't worry," Cloud tried to reassure them, his hand itching to reach for the weapon, which was already safely secured on the magnet of his harness.

But Barret thought otherwise to that statement. "'False alarm' my ass! Which one of you bastards took my guns!?"

"My gloves are gone too!" exclaimed Tifa. The woman stood up from her spot and turned left and right frantically. Clearly she was more upset about her main weapons than sleep. Actually, everyone was.