People still read this? Dang.

Put Your Lights On

3.18.10 (Yes, I started trying to write this TWO YEARS AGO. What the hell.)

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This is a FFVII fic by kleptomaniac0. I own no characters except those you haven't heard of, meaning the ones I've made. Normally I'm averse to posting something new while I have multiple works in progress, but this OC, the first OC I ever created, has been banging against the walls of my head ever since Advent Children came in out Japan. So I'm letting her out before she drives me crazy.

This will be a lot more unguarded than my other works, meaning it'll be sloppier. I'm writing this to get it out of my head and though I always appreciate reviews and constructive criticism, I probably won't be looking at them until the story's done.

Who am I kidding? I need feedback like sunlight. Drop me a line, you know you want to.

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Chapter One Hundred and Nine

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Cloud could barely remember a day when he hadn't had to endure some sort of teasing. Most days it seemed like the whole world was making fun of him. In Nibelheim, the kids picked on him because of his name, his hair, his shortness, how skinny he looked, how girly he looked. In Midgar, he was weak and short-tempered and too stupid for SOLDIER, and still looked like a girl. And now, when he finally got a chance to go on a mission with SOLDIERS-and the General, even!-he was still being made fun of.

"Don't puke up your guts again, Strife," said Marcon with a sneer. Marcon was one of the two other MP's who'd gotten assigned to this mission. He was a senior MP with fifteen years' experience, yet had never risen to command. Cloud figured he was pissed about it all the time, which was why he always took the mickey out on juniors like Cloud and Dreen, the other MP on the trip. Cloud throttled down the urge to punch Marcon and just let the older man get onto the damn truck first. When he did puke, he was gonna aim right for Marcon's face. Thanks to the Gelnika, the boat trip from Junon to Costa del Sol, and the helicopter ride from Costa del Sol to Rocket Town, Cloud was getting plenty familiar with how he threw up and even how to control it. Now if he could just stop from getting sick in the first place...

"Leave the kid alone, Marcon," said Zack. He was a SOLDIER First Class, but not an ass at all. He was the kind of guy who ran around trying to make friends with everyone, and succeeding about 90% of the time. Cloud thought he was cool. "It's not like you've never puked in your life."

"Yeah, but-"

"I said it's enough," said Zack with just a hint of steel in his voice and an ever-so-slight narrowing of his glowing purple eyes. That was so cool, how the glow brightened when he glared. Cloud was jealous, and jealous about what the glow meant.

Heavy footsteps behind Cloud made him turn, and he nearly leapt out of his skin when he saw the General sweeping up to the van, emerald eyes ablaze and power rolling off his skin. An electric prickle went over Cloud's entire body as the silver-haired man passed him by and stepped into the truck with an effortless, fluid motion. He didn't even clip the black suitcase he was carrying against the side of the truck, nor either end of his sheathed, spear-length sword. Cloud watched, mesmerized by the man's grace, as the General took a seat in the corner of the van and settled his belongings with a few economical motions. He was so cool...

"Cloud, you getting in or what?"

"Oh!" Cloud scrambled into the truck, red in the face. Marcon noticed, of course, and laughed. Zack ignored him as he gave Cloud a helping hand, which was nice-guns and ammo got heavy, after all.

"If you sit near the middle, it won't bounce so much," said Zack in a low voice.

"...thanks," Cloud whispered. "But..."

He glanced at the General, who was in his own impenetrable corner of the world in the back of the truck. The thought of getting anywhere within ten feet of him made Cloud shake with nerves.

"Oh, he doesn't bite," said Zack airily. "But I get it."

So began the twenty-hour truck ride from Rocket Town to Nibelheim, with no stopping during the night. Dreen switched out with Marcon after four hours of driving, and after Marcon, it was Cloud's turn to take the wheel. By then it was evening and they were nearing the mountains, which made Cloud nervous. Fortunately, the reactor in Nibelheim meant that the tiny, twisting mountain road was not only paved, but had lights strung up at regular intervals. Most of them even worked. To Cloud's surprise, Zack climbed into the front half of the truck with him.

"Hey," said the SOLDIER. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No," said Cloud.

"Great," said Zack, grinning. He held up a plastic bag Cloud could only assume he'd pulled out of his duffel. "And I brought munchies."

"Are those...?"

"Apples? Yeah."

"They're purple."

"They taste the same," said Zack. He pulled a knife from his pocket and began to peel the apple. It smelled sweet and unbearably delicious, and Cloud winced when his stomach rumbled. Zack looked at him and chuckled.

"Yeah, I know," said Zack, and to Cloud's surprise, handed him the apple. "Here."

"Thanks," said Cloud, taking it somewhat hesitantly.

"My girlfriend got me these," said Zack happily. "But there's too much just for me, so share the love, eh?"

"Yeah..." Cloud looked at the apple, then at Zack. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Whaddya mean?"

"This, and... Before, with Marcon," said Cloud, frowning.

"Oh," said Zack. Clearly that hadn't been a big deal for him. "I just don't like when people do that."

"And the apple?"

"Helps wash down the MRE," said Zack, starting to peel his own. "And settle the stomach."

"Really?"

"Yeah," said Zack. A slim purple ribbon seemed to grow off the apple, revealing snow-white fruit beneath. "Besides..."

"What?"

"It's getting late and you're probably gonna get tired," said Zack, looking at him. "So I thought I might keep you company, if you'll do the same for me when it's my turn to drive. I'm next," he said at the confused look on Cloud's face.

"Oh," said Cloud. "Well..." He looked down at the apple, then back at Zack. "I..."

Someone banged on the other side of the truck. "You two gonna stop fuckin' up there and get this thing on the road?" This was followed up by an obnoxious laugh. Dreen.

"Some people think they're funny," Zack muttered. Cloud laughed before he realized what he was doing, but started the truck anyway and rolled back onto the road. Their truck was the only vehicle around for hundreds of miles, which was both a blessing and a curse: no traffic to bother with, but radio stations catering to busy drivers either. Cloud was glad to have Zack in the front with him, even if Zack did talk a lot.

"So tell me about your hometown," said Zack, eating another apple. He ate his whole, stems and seeds and everything, which was how he swore everyone in his hometown, Gongaga, ate them. Cloud whittled his down to the seeds and then pitched the core out of the window when Zack wasn't looking.

"What?" Cloud looked at him, surprised.

"Eyes on the road, dude," said Zack. Cloud obeyed. "Your hometown," Zack repeated. "It's where we're headed, right? Sephiroth said there was a local in the MP's, and since the two chuckleheads back there have regular Continental accents, I figure it's you. You got a little accent in your voice."

"I do?"

"Yeah," said Zack, then to Cloud's surprise, suddenly began to speak differently. "Iss not a big deal, but the blokes in Midgar make too much of a fella havin' one."

"Y-yeah..." Cloud couldn't help but look at Zack again. "That's a Gongagan accent?"

"Yea," said Zack, grinning. "Daon't use it much, but it's nice t'speak normally agin. What's yours like? Eyes, mate," he added, nodding at the road again.

"Uh..." Cloud swallowed as he looked back at the road. It had been such a long time since he'd not thought about speaking perfect Continental that it actually took him a while to remember the way he'd used to speak just a couple years ago. "Uh..."

"Try rememberin' somethin' ye used to say a bunch," said Zack, looking at him with an expectant grin. Now that he'd shed the Continental inflections, he was getting somewhat harder to understand.

Cloud thought hard. "Was dür einen schönen Tag wir haben. " he said finally.

Zack stared at him. "What the fuck wazzat?"

"That was the Nibel accent."

"Accent, my ass!" Zack stared at him, his eyes alight. "That's a completely fucking different language! What'd you say?"

"What a lovely day we're having," said Cloud, shooting him a quick, curious glance.

"Whoa," said Zack, his eyes widening. "Awesome. It sounded like... Like..." He made grappling gestures with his hands. "Like you was threatening to rip me head off."

"What?"

"Say something else!"

Cloud laughed. "Why?"

"Because it's cool!" Zack was bouncing in his seat. "I love different languages! That was part of why I wanted over to Wutai, y'know, the sound of a different tongue!"

"You're weird."

"True," said Zack, grinning. "And I love ev'ry second of it."

"Well, sure, when everyone loves you."

Zack cocked his head. Cloud felt like kicking himself.

"So, Cloud," said Zack, and Cloud was somewhat relieved to hear Zack speaking accentless Continental again. "Tell me about your hometown."

"There's not much to tell," said Cloud. Unconsciously he slumped in his seat. "It's like Gongaga, there's a reactor around. People go to work. They come home."

"Got friends there?"

"No."

"A girl?"

"...No."

"I heard that," said Zack, sitting up. "What's her name?"

Normally Cloud would have died before revealing something so personal, but Zack had given him apples and not made fun of his real voice. "Tifa," said Cloud reluctantly.

"What's she like?"

"She's... She's sweet," said Cloud, slumping a little more. "Beautiful. I mean, really, beautiful. You know most girls are just cute, but she's really... And she's nice. She was even nice to me."

"Was that so hard in your town?"

"Yeah," said Cloud. "You know, my mom's the only single mother in town?"

"Really?"

"Yeah. And everyone keeps making something of it, like she had me out of wedlock or something," said Cloud. His voice began to heat up at the memory of it all. "Dad died in the War early on. Mom lost our old house. She had to move somewhere cheap and with a job. Nibelheim fit the bill, except everyone there's an ass."

"Except Tifa."

"Yeah."

"So that's why you left?"

"Yeah," said Cloud. "I just..." He shook his head. "I figured if I got into SOLDIER..."

"Yeah," said Zack with understanding. Cloud felt the little knot in his chest ease.

"What's it like?" He asked softly. The yearning in his voice was pathetic enough to make him cringe inside. But Zack was kind.

"It's... Well, it's difficult, to be honest," said Zack. "I'm on this mission to get a handle on being a First."

"A handle?"

"You ever hold a chick when you were a kid?" Asked Zack. "Or a small animal?"

"I took care of a baby squirrel when I was a kid."

Zack nodded. "And you know like there are some kids, you give them that animal, and they squeeze it to death because they don't know how to control their strength?"

"I...guess?"

"Being a First is like that," said Zack, and Cloud glanced at him; his face was somber. "You gotta be really careful. It's like... Breaking an egg and breaking a cement block almost feels the same."

"Really?"

Zack shook his head. "It's not as awesome as you think," said Zack, correctly interpreting the note in Cloud's voice. "My girlfriend... The one who gave us the apples? I couldn't hug her because I was afraid I was going to break her back." He sighed and leaned against the window. "The Captain says there's nothing like combat to let you know your limits. Maybe once I know what those are, I can dial it down."

Cloud couldn't empathize. So he drove silently as Zack stared out of the window, his purple eyes reflecting against the glass. It began to rain just as night fell.

"You getting tired?" Zack asked suddenly, looking at Cloud.

"What?" Cloud turned in surprise.

"Eyes on the road, du-"

The steering wheel suddenly seemed to shoot up at him. Cloud didn't even have time to scream as the hard black plastic collided with his head, the seatbelt snapping tight just a split second too late. He gasped as pain shot through his forehead.

"God... Damn..." Zack was also clutching his head. "What the hell?"

Cloud rapidly blinked, trying to clear the stars from his eyes. He couldn't see anything. There was nothing outside but blackness and rain. But...

Then Cloud felt, rather than heard, the dragon growl. His blood turned to ice. Living in Nibelheim, which was natural dragon territory, he had heard dragon calls before, but always from far off. He had never even seen one before.

"Well, it just figures the first time I did, I'd run into the thing..."

"Fuck," swore Zack as the blackness suddenly moved black, and Cloud whimpered a little as a huge, hulking beast, easily half again the size of the truck, backed up and growled. Baleful red eyes burned hotter than Mako in the darkness, and the dragon opened its mouth to reveal a gaping maw filled with gleaming ivory teeth.

"Daon't move," Zack said to Cloud, barely moving his mouth. Out of the corner of his eye, Cloud saw Zack move ever so slowly to open the car door.

"Bing," called the General from the back. The dragon growled again, making Cloud's bones ache with the depth of it. "What is it?"

"Draygon, sir," Zack said through the corner of his mouth. His accent had come back.

"Just one?"

Just one? Just ONE? Cloud gripped the steering wheel so hard his hands ached. That thing was big enough to eat him and half the front of the truck! And the General was asking "just one"! ONE WAS PLENTY.

"Yea," said Zack. Apparently he felt the same.

The truck rocked a little. "Get out here," said Sephiroth.

"Wha... Are you-"

"Now."

Zack made a noise halfway between a groan and whimper as he slowly reached for the truck door. Cloud began to shake uncontrollably. He was going to be alone in the front of the truck.

"Zack..." His voice came out in a squeak.

"It's gonna be fine, mate," said Zack, easing his fingers under the latch. They both winced as the door clicked open far too loudly, making the dragon hiss. Zack swallowed and said again, more confidently, "We're gonna be fine."

"Zack..."

"Stay in the truck, alright?"

"Zack!"

Zack slid out of the truck door and the dragon snarled at him, gouging sword-sized gashes in the gleaming black road. Cloud felt a new surge of terror as Zack slowly began to walk, sideways, away from the van.

"Please don't let it eat Zack..."

A strange ringing, singing cut through Cloud's terror just enough for him to glance at the sideview mirror. A glimpse of silver was all he saw before the General strode past the driver's side door, his long sword unsheathed in his left hand. In his other hand he held a huge, powerful block of a sword, one that he tossed over the truck with a nearly negligent flick of the wrist. Cloud heard it slice into the dirt on Zack's side and hoped it hadn't hit his friend.

The dragon swung its head to look at the General and hissed. The silver-haired man continued to walk towards it, and he swung his sword once, twice. At once the dissonant chime Cloud had heard before filled the air, and Cloud was shocked to realize it came from the General's sword. The noise seemed to confuse the dragon, because it hissed and backed up a pace. That shocked Cloud, but not as much as what he thought he heard next.

"Tch tch tch." The General clicked his tongue, and then... Laughed. Softly. He held up his sword and said in a voice full of dreadful, terrible purpose, "Here, kitty kitty."

The dragon roared. Cloud shut his eyes. The next ten seconds were the stuff of nightmares as the awful, shearing noise of steel through flesh and the dragon's bellows of pain mixed with what sounded like war yells from Zack and the painful, ever-so-off-key chime of the General's sword. It ended with a THUMP that shook the truck and rattled Cloud's bones again.

"Well?" Said the General.

"Huh," said Zack. He sounded normal again. "You know... That wasn't as bad as I thought."

"Good."

"Now what? We can't drive over a dragon corpse."

"Burn it," said Sephiroth. "And we might as well refuel while we're waiting."

"Yes, sir," said Zack. Cloud opened his eyes just in time to see Zack shoot a massive fireball from his palm onto the... Oh god. OH GOD. There were organs the size of dogs lying in pieces all over the road, and blood was gushing everywhere...

Cloud's stomach, which had been so good up until now, suddenly rebelled. Cloud managed to get the driver's side door open just in time to stumble out and throw up onto the grass.

"Oh fuck," he said weakly.

Footsteps. Then boots, stepping around him, and a black leather coat sweeping by without comment. Cloud looked up and felt his soul wither as the General wordlessly left him on his knees in the wet grass and went back into the truck.

"It's just my luck," Cloud thought bitterly. "Of course it would be just my goddamn luck."

But he couldn't just wallow in self-pity. Cloud got to his feet, wiped his mouth, and followed the General to the back of the truck. The silver-haired man was deconstructing his seat in the corner, throwing off a heavy canvas dropcloth to reveal spare gas tanks. Marcon and Dreen were both on their feet, wide-awake and somewhat pale. But they weren't the kind of guys who'd stay quiet for long.

"You!" Marcon glared at Cloud. "Strife! What the fuck were you doing up there?"

"It was black," said Cloud. "I didn't see it."

"A fucking DRAGON is in front of the fucking truck, and you don't SEE it?"

"I just didn't, alright? And Zack didn't see it either!"

"You were behind the fucking wheel, Strife! You don't see a goddamn fucking-"

"Shut up," the General said sharply, and it was like he had literally cut into the conversation. Decapitated it, even. Marcon shut up. The General grow-sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, suddenly reminding Cloud that his mother did the exact same thing when she had a terrible headache. Fortunately, Cloud had enough presence of mind to catch the gas can that the General tossed at him, and he even succeeded in not dropping it. Then the General sat back down, which Cloud took as his cue to leave and fill up the gas. Dreen and Marcon, thankfully, didn't see fit to follow him into the rain.

The gas cap was located in the front of the truck on the driver's side, near the bottom of the door. Cloud pried the hatch open with his fingers and twisted the cap off before hoisting the gas tank onto his knee and leaning it against the truck. To his left he felt the heat rising from the magical fires Zack was still using on the dragon's corpse. He concentrated on pouring the gasoline, making sure he didn't spill even a single drop.

"Well, can't say I'm bored anymore," said Zack, suddenly loud in his ear. Cloud nearly dropped the gas tank, but finished filling without incident. "That was... Yeah."

"Are you okay?" Cloud asked, looking at him. The rain had washed off whatever blood and gore Zack had gotten on himself, so he looked shiny. New. And very powerful, with light gleaming off his muscles and the broad blade of his awesome sword.

"Yeah," said Zack with a grin. He flicked his hair out of his eyes and said, "Yeah, I think I'm pretty good. You still wanna drive?"

"Uh... Well.. Not really."

"I'll drive then," said Zack, still grinning. Adrenaline seemed to roll off him in torrents.

"Okay."

So they got back into the truck, switching seats now. To Cloud's surprise, Zack stripped off his wet clothes and wrung them out before spreading them out to dry on the back of the seat. He seemed completely comfortable in his boxers.

"Don't sit in wet clothes, Cloud," said Zack, glancing at him. "You'll catch a cold."

"I'm not as wet as you are," said Cloud, hugging himself. "I'll be fine."

"Suit yourself," said Zack as he turned on the truck. The engine sputtered to life as Zack said, "I checked the front. No major damage, which is nice. We must have smacked him right in the stomach."

"I didn't see it."

"Well, hell, dude, that's why I kept saying 'eyes on the road'," Zack said merrily. But he immediately added, "I didn't see it either. It must have just crept on while we were talking."

"I should have-"

"Ahhh, shit happens," said Zack, throwing one arm over the back of the front seat. Cloud looked at him enviously. Zack was soaked, sitting in nothing but his boxers, sharing his seat with a sword almost as big as he was, and in that moment, was more comfortable with himself than Cloud had ever been in his entire life. Cloud turned to look out the window and was irrationally resentful that his eyes did not glow back at him. Miles of ghostly blue-white streetlight passed in silence.

"Hey Cloud."

"What?"

"I think the adrenaline's starting to wear off."

Cloud turned to look at Zack, who was covering a yawn. Cloud couldn't help it; he yawned too.

"Tell me about your hometown," said Zack.

"I don't want to."

"Well I understand if you don't want to tell me personal stuff," said Zack. "But knowing some about the terrain might help the mission."

"Wasn't that in the briefing?"

"Yeah..." said Zack, and Cloud figured the older man just wanted to talk. "Buuut it helps to know anyway. What's the weather like this time of year? Does it usually rain?"

"No," said Cloud.

"So this is unusual weather?"

"Yes."

"Okay, see," said Zack. "That's good to know."

Anger suddenly flared in Cloud's chest. "Don't talk down to me!" He snapped. "I'm not a child!"

"Dude, never said you were," said Zack, glancing at him in surprise. "Chill."

"Shut up!"

"The hell is your problem, Cloud?" From anyone else, it would have been an accusation. From Zack, it was just confusion. And that made Cloud angrier.

"I... I..." Cloud couldn't say it. He didn't even know what he was trying to say. Zack glanced at him again.

"Combat is scary," said Zack. His voice was so understanding. "No matter how big or small the action, you still look death in the face. It's alright to get scared. The important thing is, you're alive."

Why was he talking to him like that? "I didn't even do anything!"

"Cloud, how could you?" Zack seemed genuinely surprised. "Your gun's in the back, like my sword was. What could you have done?"

"I..." Cloud couldn't think of a thing to say.

"Just breathe," said Zack, and Cloud took a deep breath. "It's okay. Let it pass."

The anger died as Cloud breathed, leaving behind ashes that made him feel like an ass again.

"I threw up in front of the General," Cloud said miserably.

"He's seen worse," said Zack.

"Not from me."

"You wouldn't be the first to puke after action," said Zack. "Look, to be honest? The first time I got into a real fight, I was shaking so hard I nearly dropped the sword. But I lived, and it got better."

"Are you sure I'm not just a coward?" Cloud asked bitterly.

"Cloud," said Zack, glancing at him again. His purple eyes were very serious. "This time, there wasn't a thing you could do. You had no weapon and you have no experience. Next time, you'll be in a better position and you'll know more. It's fine. Don't beat yourself up about this. And eat an apple."

"I don't want to."

"Eat an apple, damn it," Zack almost snapped. "If you're malnourished and faint when we get to Nibelheim, it puts the whole mission at risk."

"What, just because of me?"

"Yeah, because we're a team," said Zack. "And all the team members have to be up to snuff. Eat an apple."

Cloud pulled the plastic bag out from underneath the seat and looked at it. "There's only one left."

"So?"

"...You have half."

"Fine by me."

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A/N: You know, my favorite FFVII stories are the ones that show Cloud has massive holes in his head. The best example I can think of is MadamHydra's "Conflicts of Interest", which is still one of my favorite fanfics ever. She's on , so go check it out if you want some good, serious writing with a well-developed plotline and intrigue up the wazoo. My characterization of Sephiroth is heavily influenced by hers, although I know mine is quite a bit loopier.

Anyway, here's Cloud! Poor Cloud. Ever since AC came out, everyone is all "Oh, Cloud's such a whiny bitch". Well, sure. He has serious problems people seem to keep forgetting about. Emotionally, he's probably around 18, which makes him younger than Yuffie. He possibly has some form of mental illness either manifesting as multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, and/or bipolar disorder, all of which are probably undiagnosed and unmedicated. OF COURSE HE HAS PROBLEMS. Cut him some slack. And for God's sake, get him to a therapist.

As for the accents, I figure that people in isolated areas naturally develop them. How can they not? Inside jokes become slang, which becomes its own dialect, and before you know it, you have an entirely different language. Nibelheim is technically Norse (the realm of ice in mythology-which is why it enrages and confuses me that IT CATCHES ON FIRE), but I have decided that the Nibellians speak German. Why? Because it amuses me. And Zack is totally an Aussie.

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