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The morning had dawned bright and clear, the cool dew evaporating into a light mist through the distant valley as the sunlight filtered through the trees. It was promising to be a warm spring day.
Tifa sighed contentedly as she sipped on her morning tea, poking lightly at the coals of the campfire as she reheated the kettle for the others. Aerith let out a small giggle next to her as she watched Red stretch his forepaws out in front of him, his jaw wide as he let out a massive yawn, his tail swishing lazily through the air as he relaxed. Barret also let out a small grunt as he stretched, massaging just above the attachment for his gun arm. He rolled his eyes at Yuffie, who was already bouncing around the edge of the camp excitedly, before turning to the others, hands on her hips.
“So, what’s the plan for today?”
Aerith hummed thoughtfully, accepting a cup of tea from Tifa. “Hmm… well, we have that map that the merchant gave us?”
Cloud grunted his thanks as he accepted a cup of tea too, running a gloved hand through his spiked hair roughly to get rid of the bedhead. He squints a bit as he looks over at Aerith. “Don’t see why not. We haven’t found any more black robes yet.”
“Right…” Tifa says quietly, looking over at Cloud a little worriedly as she recalls the last of the sickly men staring off into the woods vacantly days earlier. It was part of the reason they had made their way in here, but they had yet to meet another of their brethren, or any other people for that matter.
Yuffie strode over quickly, crouching beside their packs, rummaging through them before pulling the map out triumphantly with an “Aha! Got it!” and flicking it open with a flourish.
Barret waved a hand dismissively. “What’s so special about this map again? We sure it even lead somewhere?”
“The merchant said there was some old ruins here,” Yuffie said, pointing dramatically at a location to the south-west of them. “And where’s there’s ruins, there’s treasure.”
Barret snorted. “And monsters.”
“You scared old man?” Yuffie asked cheekily, her arms tucked as she flapped imaginary chocobo wings.
“I ain’t old!” Barret grumbled, offended.
“Now, now” Aerith said, smiling as she tried to appease the larger man as he glared at the young ninja.
“If we’re going, we should leave soon,” Cloud cut in, his eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the map. “It’ll take at least another couple of hours to get to that location from here on foot.”
“We should finish our meals before we set off then,” Red said, licking his chops delicately.
Cloud nods, dishing out breakfast to each member of the party, doing his best to hide a wince as his head throbs, a dull ache settling behind his temples. He’d been feeling slightly out of sorts for the last few days now. He sips quietly on his tea between mouthfuls of food, doing his best to ignore the static playing at the edge of his vision.
When they were done, Yuffie snatched up all their plates and cups, racing them down to the stream to clean them off, while Tifa focused on putting out the coals and Aerith on ensuring all their supplies had been packed away. Barret stood and stretched as Cloud rolled up the map.
Yuffie came back and handed the crockery to Aerith before bounding over to Cloud. “I can take that!” she said, grabbing for the map. Cloud lifted it up out of her reach quickly.
“Hey!”
“Your hands are still wet.”
She grumbled at him, hastily wiping her hands on her shorts before holding her hand out expectantly.
“Don’t get us lost.” He stated dryly as he placed the map in her hands.
“Yes sir!” she said, saluting him mockingly with the map in hand. “Alright! Let’s go!” She began marching down the dirt track, thankfully in the right direction. Cloud just sighed, as both Tifa and Aerith giggled, falling in behind Yuffie, and exchanged an exasperated look with Barret who rolled his eyes before following with Red in tow.
It really was a beautiful day, the sunlight shining gently between the trees, the dappled light giving off an earthly green glow to the surroundings. Cloud, unfortunately, was not enjoying it much as the others, the light causing him to squint blearily as he trailed slowly behind the party.
Yuffie meanwhile, seemed to be really enjoying leading the group, bouncing forward down the track before turning back to face everyone.
“Hurry up slow pokes!” she grinned, hands on her hips. “You’re moving like a bunch of old people! C’mon!”
Barret grumbled under his breath, but there’s no real heat behind it. “Kid’s far too energetic.”
Aerith hummed thoughtfully as she strolled forward. “She’s just excited. It’s not every day that we get a break like this.”
“That’s true,” Tifa said lightly. “Feels a bit strange, doesn’t it?”
“Strange, but nice,” Aerith echoed, tilting her head with a small smile.
Red padded forward contentedly, tail swinging lazily behind him. “It’s good to enjoy these moments. They are few and far between of late.”
“Yeah, well, I’m all for enjoying the day, but you won’t catch me bouncing off the walls like some hedgehog pie,” Barret muttered.
Yuffie stuck her tongue out at Barret, twirling on the spot before marching exaggeratedly down the road. “Materia, here I come!” she cried, punching the air. “Let’s go!”
Aerith and Tifa giggle at Yuffie’s antics before following along.
“Nobody said nuthin’ about materia,” Barret called back, before sighing and following too.
Cloud tries his best not to wince at the volume of Yuffie’s excited shout as he brings up the rear of the group. The sun was warm on his skin, but it didn’t seem to be warming him the way it should. He almost feels disconnected from his body, a slight buzzing feeling in his fingers creeping into a sense of numbness as it travels upwards.
His quiet huff of almost annoyance seems to reassure the others that he’s still with them, as no one comments on how he’s lagging behind.
Cloud’s steps drag slightly as the trail curves through a stretch of gently sloping forest. His muscles ache more than they should, the bone-deep fatigue that he’d been feeling for the last few days pulling at his limbs. Despite sleeping a decent amount the previous night, it doesn’t seem to have helped at all. The static in his vision pulses faintly, like a badly tuned TV behind his eyes. He clenches his jaw, willing his legs to keep moving.
It's nothing. Just exhaustion. Maybe the lingering effects of the last fight. He’s pushed through worse.
The others keep talking up ahead, the comforting murmur of their voices and laughter seeming oddly distant. He focuses on it, using it as a tether.
Tifa turns her head, slowing her pace a fraction. Cloud straightens instinctively, just enough to look normal, affecting a bored look. Her gaze lingers on him for a moment before she turns back, falling into step beside Aerith.
His fingers have gone numb now, affecting his left hand more than his right. He flexes it behind his back where no one can see it, trying to restore feeling. The Buster Sword feels heavier than usual, its weight against his spine feels like it’s drawing him downwards.
He doesn’t need to worry the others. Not over this. Not when things had started to feel almost peaceful.
The trees begin to thin as the dirt path opens up to a rocky outcrop overlooking the wide, crumbling valley. A half-collapsed ruin sprawls out below them, ancient stone walls swallowed by moss and twisted roots, with broken archways standing like the ribs of some long-dead beast. Sunlight dances across shattered stone and small pools of water, reflections glinting faintly across the clearing.
Yuffie lets out a gleeful squeal. “Ohhh yes! There’s just gotta be a bunch of materia in there!”
She bounces on the balls of her feet, practically vibrating with excitement as she peers down at the ruins. “We’re going in there, right? Right?”
Barret raises an eyebrow. “And what if someone else has already been here? I doubt that map is the only one that merchant had of this place.”
Yuffie brushes this off with a careless wave over her shoulder. “No way! My materia senses are tingling.”
Aerith laughs, shaking her head. “Well, can’t argue with that, can we?”
Red raises his head and sniffs at the wind, ears twitching. “No recent scents of people at least, but I do sense a strange energy here.”
Aerith turns towards the ruins, nodding thoughtfully. “It feels old. It’s been here for a very long time watching over this place.”
Tifa steps forward cautiously, eyes scanning the path down. “Is it safe to go inside?”
Aerith tilts her head to the side, listening to something that none of the others seem to hear. “I think so? It doesn't feel like it’s bad or wants to hurt anyone at least. It feels like it’s almost sleeping?”
“Awesome! Shall we then?” Yuffie grins, skipping forward. Tifa shrugs at Barret as he grumbles more before they follow.
The others began to make their way toward the crumbling stone stairs leading into the ruins. Cloud follows, half a step behind, forcing his body to move despite the numbness travelling up his limbs. His vision swims for a moment as he descends the first few steps. Not enough to trip, but enough that the edges of the world around him blurs.
He bites the inside of his cheek, attempting to ground himself with the pain.
Not now.
He can feel the weight of his sword like an anchor now, it’s presence both steadying and a burden. He doesn’t think he can trust his hands to draw it smoothly if they’re ambushed. He can’t let the others know that though. They’d hesitate. Worse, they’d worry.
So, he keeps going. One foot in front of the other, the slight hitch in his breath the only sign of his discomfort.
The party enter through the broken archway at the entrance, crossing the clearing between the crumbling pillars and reflective pools leading to the opening into the stone structure. Whatever door that had been present in the past had long since crumbled to dust. The room opens up into a large space, beams of sunlight filtering through the cracks in the high ceilings and the foliage creeping in through the windows elevated up on the walls. Dust motes float gently in the air, twinkling in the light like natural glitter, while moss grows on the stonework in the shadows, the carvings on the walls all but worn away to weather and time.
Tifa runs her hand along one of the support pillars, looking consideringly around the room. “This must have been a gathering hall.”
“It’s beautiful,” Aerith murmurs, her eyes tracing the filtered sunlight above them.
Yuffie meanwhile was already poking around near an old archway in the back of the hall, shoes crunching lightly in the scattered rubble. “No traps. Yet.”
Red paces near the centre of the hall, ears twitching. “The structure is stable, but there’s something beneath us. Layers. This ruin goes deeper than it looks.”
“How you figure?” Barret asks.
“I hear echoes below us.”
Cloud stands near the entrance, shoulder resting lightly against the wall. He hasn’t spoken since they stepped inside, his gaze flickering across the room. The dim light helps soothe his headache some but also seems to sap the colour from the air.
His breath catches slightly, too shallow. He lets his eyes close for a moment as he concentrates on taking a couple of deep, steadying breaths, before following the others as they move deeper int the ruin.
The next chamber is smaller, the doorway half-collapsed, forcing them to movie single file. More moss clung to the walls here, damp and thick. The air has a faint smell of ozone mixed in with the earthy scent. Old magic, Cloud thought absently.
“Definitely unused,” Barret mutters, ducking through. “Don’t think even Shinra’s been here.”
In the far corner, a toppled statue lay in pieces, the remnants of a figure holding what may have once been a staff or a sword. Yuffie taps her knuckles against the stone with a frown.
“Still nothing,” she said, frustrated. “C’mon, my senses can’t be that off.”
“You might just be early,” Aerith offers with a smile. “Whatever’s here might not want to be found yet.”
“Oh, it’s hide and seek, is it? Well, you can’t hide from me for long!” she crows.
Cloud kneels briefly, steadying himself under the guise of checking the floor. His fingers brush cool stone. His vision pulses again, more jagged this time. There’s a brief second of nothing but static, like snow across his eyes. He inhales sharply through his nose.
Come on. Keep it together.
The third room was deeper, closer to the earth’s heartbeat. There were etchings in the walls here, faintly glowing glyphs that shimmer when touched by Aerith’s fingers. The atmosphere has shifted, still quiet, but expectant. Like the ruin was holding its breath.
At the centre of the room stands a mako spring, a pedestal protruding from the natural materia crystal that had grown around the stone like the petals of a flower. Atop the pedestal was a shallow bowl, a red materia glowing with a faintly pulsing light.
“There it is,” Yuffie whispers reverently, stepping forward.
Barret held out a hand in front of her, blocking her progress. “Don’t touch that just yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s never just materia.”
Yuffie huffs but she pauses, arms folded. “Fiiiine.”
Aerith’s expression is thoughtful. “This one has been waiting a long time. I don’t sense any corruption around here, but there’s something…”
Tifa turns to Cloud. “What do you think? You see anything off?”
Cloud doesn’t answer immediately. He stares at the summoning materia, the flicker inside mesmerising, the light seeming to dance off the materia crystal framing the pedestal like a throne.
There’s a sharp crack, the sound of stone fracturing renting the air. Cloud’s eyes snap to the darkened corner of the room. Three pairs of yellow eyes stare back, large bodies stirring in the shadows.
Barret curses. “Knew it!”
There’s a ferocious bellow as the Grandhorns step into the light, their clawed limbs scraping menacingly on the stone floors.
“Nuh uh!” Yuffie cries, waving her giant shuriken out in front of her defensively. “That materia is mine!”
The group brings their weapons out, intent on the incoming threat. Tifa steps back slightly, her fists raised defensively. “Cloud-?”
Cloud had stood frozen for half a moment too long, the pressure in his skull surging back full force. He flinches, the pain flaring into a sharp stab behind his eyes. He grits his teeth through it.
Not now.
He forces himself to move, drawing the Buster Sword forcefully and charges forward. The others take this as their cue to attack.
“Split ‘em up!” Barret shouts, raising his gun-arm and firing at the lead beast. Sparks fly, ricocheting harmlessly of the creature’s shoulder spikes and scales. Red leaps forward, snapping sharply at the Grandhorn’s heels, tripping it up in an attempt to create an opening.
Tifa surges forward, striking the second beast from the side with a flurry of blows, dancing skilfully between it’s stomps. Yuffie ducks and flips behind a fallen pillar, launching her shuriken into the beast’s flank with a grunt of satisfaction.
Aerith stays towards the back of the group, staff raised as she calls on her magic murmuring a protective spell, faint green light beginning to swirl around the party members one by one.
Cloud leaps to the side, bypassing the two beasts in the lead to target the one at the rear. He swings his sword to the side ready to strike, but the movement feels unnatural, the weight of the blade throwing his balance and timing off. The targeted strike at the Grandhorn’s flank is blocked easily by the creature, metal bouncing awkwardly away from spiked foreclaws. It snarls menacingly at him as he stumbles backwards, drawing its arms back to strike. Cloud feels another stab shoot through his head as he dives and rolls out of the way, barely avoiding getting pummelled into the ground. Teeth grinding, he raises his sword in a clumsy block, a second strike sending him skidding backwards, further away from the others.
“Cloud!” Tifa called out, eyes darting toward him for just a second.
He tries to focus, his eyes narrowing as he squints through the static crossing his vision, stepping back another step with a small splash, his boots soaking in liquid. He feels his grip loosening on his sword, breath catching as his knees buckle under him.
The Grandhorn charges. Cloud doesn’t move quick enough.
The clawed arm slams into his chest, sending him flying. He feels himself collide with stone, something sharp piercing him from behind, punching the air out of him with a gasp. He thinks he hears someone call his name, but he’s unable to concentrate, feeling himself crumple to the floor, vision blurred and sounds muffled. He tries to move, but there seems to be a disconnect with his mind and his body. His arms barely twitch as he lets out a grunt of pain.
“Shit!” Barret turns, spraying fire across the beast’s back in a fury. “Get him outta there!”
Tifa bolts towards Cloud without hesitation, sliding to his side while avoiding the pool of mako around the materia pedestal that Cloud had fallen at the base of. She checked him over hurriedly, noting the raged breathing, the blood on the side of his face, and the shard of mako crystal protruding from his lower back.
She hissed, concerned, knowing they couldn’t heal him while the shard was still in place. She flicked her gaze around the battlefield, noting the Grandhorn that had attacked Cloud had now turned to face Barret, with both Red and Yuffie each now holding their own on their own Grandhorns, Aerith in the background casting magic on the team to protect them from the creatures strikes.
“He’s really hurt,” she called to the others. “We can’t heal him here!”
“Dammit!” Barret cursed. He fires another round, drawing the Grandhorn’s attention just long enough to give Red some breathing room. “We need to wrap this up fast!” he barks, teeth gritted.
“I can try to pin one down,” Aerith shouts from the rear as she attempts to skirt around the outside of the battle closer to Cloud and Tifa, her staff glowing bright green. “But I can’t shield everyone!”
Tifa pressed her hand to Cloud’s cheek, pale now beneath the blood streaking down from his temple. “Cloud, come on,” she whispers, voice tight. “You’ve gotta hang on.”
Another tremor shook the floor as the second Grandhorn charged again, horns lowered. Yuffie flipped backward, flinging a flash of fire materia into its face to blind it temporarily. “Not to rush you or anything,” she yelled, “but we’re kinda dying out here!”
Aerith gathered her strength before letting out a powerful beam of light from the tip of her staff, blasting the Grandhorn closest to Tifa and Cloud back into the stone wall with her Ray of Judgement spell. It let out a bellow of pain before crumpling under a pile of rubble.
Tifa looked over at Aerith. “Help me lift him. We have to be careful not to jostle that crystal or we’ll make it worse.”
Aerith was at her side in seconds, slipping her staff into the strap on her back as she crouched. Together they hooked Cloud’s arms over each their shoulders. He groaned softly, his head lolling as they rose inch by inch.
“Planet, he’s heavy,” Aerith muttered, struggling to stay upright.
Tifa lets out a grunt of acknowledgement as they finally stand completely, before noticing the large sword at their feet. “We’ll have to come back for his sword-”
“No way!” Yuffie turns and darts past them, snatching the red materia quickly off the pedestal before scooping up the Buster Sword with both arms, nearly tipping over under its weight. “Got it!”
The two remaining Grandhorns turn and roar in tandem, closing in.
“Red!” Barret bellows, charging one of them shoulder-first. “Give ‘em hell!”
Red leapt forward with a snarl, his letting out three ferocious strikes with his Crecent Claw ability, before sinking his fangs into the wounded beast’s leg. It screamed, staggering backwards towards Barret who unloaded a point-blank shot into the creature. The Grandhorn dropped, crashing to the stone with a shudder.
“Two down!” Barret shouted. “Fall back!”
“Not yet!” Yuffie yelled, dodging the last beast while still trying to hold onto Cloud’s sword. “This one’s pissed!”
Aerith glanced worriedly over her shoulder. “We can’t move any faster with Cloud as hurt as he is.”
Tifa grit her teeth as the creature came their way, seemingly focused on the young ninja. “Barret! Red!” she called out.
Red growled before springing into action again. “I’ll flank it!”
Barret’s voice rang out, sharp and commanding. “Yuffie, lure it toward me! I’ve got a grenade!”
“Better make it count!” she quipped, darting into the Grandhorn’s path and taunting it with a wave, nearly dropping the sword in the process. “Whoa!”
“Careful!!” Barret called. Yuffie laughed nervously as she darted behind the man and through the opening to the room. She dropped the sword, drawing her shuriken again as she gestured at Tifa and Aerith who were almost at the door themselves.
Red continued to harry the Grandhorn as it roared and charged at Barret. Barret grabbed the grenade, pulling the pin with his teeth, fingers clenched on the trigger. He drew his arm back and waited.
“Now Red!” he yelled as he threw the grenade forward and as the Grandhorn bellowed again, his aim true as the grenade was launched into its mouth. Red darted past Barret as both he and the red lion ran through the opening straight after the girls and Cloud.
The explosion rocked the ruins, sending dust and debris flying. Barret pointed his gun-arm back into the room, but as the dust cleared, the Grandhorn came into view, twitching once as it lay on the floor before falling silent.
Yuffie let out a breathless laugh. “That was way too close.”
“Let’s move,” Tifa ordered, adjusting Cloud’s weight. “We need to find somewhere we can treat Cloud.”
“I saw a narrow alcove a few rooms back,” Red said, padding ahead. “Defensible. Quiet.”
“Perfect,” Aerith said. “Let’s go.”
Together, they stumbled away from the chamber, Cloud suspended between them, limp and beginning to burn with fever. Behind them, the ruined battlefield glowed faintly, the light of the mako pool surrounding the now empty pedestal.
The alcove was barely more than a hollow in the rock, an old storage chamber long abandoned, the remnants of crates and decayed canvas tucked in the corners, but true to Red’s assessment, it was defensible, narrow at the entrance and quiet.
Tifa and Aerith eased Cloud down onto the cleanest patch of floor they could find, lowering him gently on his side to avoid jostling the shard still lodged in his back. His breathing was still ragged, shallow.
Barret stood guard at the mouth of the passage, one eye on the corridor, the other on his team. “We clear?”
Red nodded, pacing in a slow circle just inside the threshold. “I don’t hear anything. For now.”
Yuffie collapsed to her knees beside Cloud, gently setting the Buster Sword down beside him. “He doesn’t look good.”
“He’s not,” Tifa said quietly, wiping sweat from her brow. “That shard… it’s lodged deep. We can’t just pull it out.”
“We need to stabilise him,” Aerith murmured. She knelt opposite Tifa, hands already glowing with pale green magic from her healing materia. “I can dull the pain… stop any further internal bleeding. But I can’t fully heal him until the shard is removed.”
Red padded closer. “If we remove it now, he might bleed out.”
“So, we don’t,” Barret said. “Not yet. We wait until we’ve got the right tools, the right spot.”
Yuffie sat back, arms folded tightly around her knees. “We could have lost him,” she said. Her voice was unusually small. No one disagreed.
Aerith’s magic pulsed, soft and steady, as she worked to ease the tension in Cloud’s unconscious body. His face twitched, a flicker of pain cutting through even in his sleep.
Tifa brushed a strand of hair off his forehead. “He’s been off for days,” she said. “I should’ve noticed. Pushed him to rest more.”
“He wouldn’t have listened,” Red said simply.
“No,” Aerith added gently. “But we still noticed. And now we’re here.”
A silence settled over them, heavy and almost stifling.
Barret finally broke it, his voice lower than usual. “He’s tough. Tougher than most. He’ll pull through.”
“We’ll make sure he does,” Tifa said, and though her hands were trembling slightly, her voice was steady.
The world was dark around him.
Not just the kind behind his eyelids. Deeper than that. Like the depths of space. It felt like static buzzing in his veins, like gravity pressing against the wrong side of his skin. He wasn’t sure where he was, or if he even had a body anymore.
Then, a voice. Distant. Soft.
“Cloud…?”
The name tugged at him. Felt familiar. He tried to reach for it.
The world shifted. A flicker of light behind his eyes, the sensation of cold sweat on his neck. The echo of pain started to return in pulses, flaring from his lower back and wrapping around his ribs, making his breath catch.
He groaned.
“Cloud?” The voice sounded like Tifa, closer this time, sharp relief lacing her voice.
He forced his eyes open. The world swam, blurry shapes and green-tinged rock above him. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth. He screwed his eyes shut again, fighting against the nausea.
“You’re okay,” she murmured quickly. “You’re okay, we’ve got you.”
He opened his eyes again, blinking up at her and trying to speak. All that came out was a rough breath followed by a shallow cough that caused pain to spike down his spine and into his head.
“Don’t try to move,” Aerith said from somewhere nearby. He saw a slight green glow and felt the warmth of a cure sink into his chest and side. “You’re stable, but the shard is still in you. We’ve kept pressure off of it.”
Cloud closed his eyes again for a moment, letting the glow wash through him. He didn’t like the way his limbs still felt distant, like someone else’s arms and legs were lying beneath him.
“What... happened?” he managed, the words slurred.
“You got hit,” Barret grunted, stepping into view. “Took a Grandhorn charge head-on. Flew halfway across the damn room.”
Cloud tried to push himself up instinctively, gasping in pain as his back protested violently. He fell back on his side with a curse under his breath.
“Hey, no heroics right now,” Red said, his tone gentler than usual. “You’ve done more than enough for today.”
Yuffie was hovering at the edge of the group, arms crossed, face tight. “You scared the hell out of us.”
Cloud turned his head to look at her. “Did anyone else… get hurt?”
“Just you, you big dummy!”
His jaw clenched. “Sorry.”
“Don’t,” Aerith said quickly. “You fought hard. We’re just glad you’re still with us.”
He nodded faintly, the exhaustion threatening to drag him under again.
“I need... a minute,” he muttered, voice already trailing off.
Tifa caught his hand gently before he drifted. “We’re not going anywhere.”
This time, the darkness that pulled him down was lighter.
The sharp smell of disturbed mako clung to the air, wafting down the hall from the pedestal chamber as the last flickers of Aerith’s protective wards shimmered faintly in the shadows. The ruins were eerily quiet, broken only by the sound of Cloud’s uneven breathing.
“We need to get out of here,” Red said quietly, glancing toward the darkened corridors leading back to the surface. “More creatures could come.”
Barret nodded grimly. “And this place ain’t safe. That pedestal’s bleeding mako. We stay here too long, we’re all gonna feel it.”
Tifa knelt beside Cloud, who was half-conscious again, jaw clenched tight as he fought back groans every time he shifted. “We can’t move him normally,” she said. “Not with that shard still in his back.”
Aerith wiped her hands clean on the skirt of her dress as she stood. “We’ll have to be careful. If we jar it too much…”
“I know,” Tifa said, adjusting the makeshift bandage they’d secured around Cloud’s torso before pulling her gloves back on. “Help me support him.”
“I can carry him.” Red offered. “I have done so before and my gait is smooth. I won’t jostle him too much.”
Barret stepped forward, hesitated. “I’ll clear the path,” he muttered. “Make sure nothin’ sneaks up on us.”
Yuffie stood off to the side, arms tightly crossed, eyes downcast. “I’ll, uh… I’ll keep watch from the rear,” she mumbled.
With slow, careful coordination, the group lifted Cloud.
He let out a choked noise, more breath than sound, as pain surged through him. Aerith immediately pressed a glowing hand to his shoulder, murmuring something soft, not a spell, just comfort, as they lowered him gently on Red’s back.
Their movement was slow. The ruins, once exciting and open to exploring, now seemed to loom with quiet threat. Every step felt like it echoed, and every corner looked like it might hide another fiend. They pressed on cautiously.
Tifa kept murmuring to Cloud, attempting to keep him grounded, while Aerith monitored his pulse and breathing, casting healing magic occasionally to help stave off shock. Red kept his movements steady and balanced, ensuring that he wouldn’t jostle the man on his back. Even Yuffie, silent now, kept scanning their rear with a seriousness that was uncharacteristic of her.
Eventually, they ruined halls gave way to crumbling stone steps, then up again into a moss-covered exit. Faint daylight filtered through the cracks in the ceiling above.
“We’re close,” Tifa said. Relief laced her voice. “Almost there, Cloud.”
His eyes fluttered, too exhausted to speak.
Barret moved ahead, crouching low as he checked the exit. “Coast’s clear. No monsters. There’s a flat spot near the cliff line just past the trees. Should be good enough to camp.”
Aerith nodded. “We’ll get him stable there. Then we can remove the shard.”
Yuffie finally spoke. “I’ll... I’ll get a fire going. And maybe something hot to eat.”
Tifa smiled faintly. “Thanks, Yuffie.”
The sun was beginning to dip below the tree line, casting long shadows over the forest clearing by the time the group had made camp. A small fire crackled. Yuffie had managed to get it going without her usual flair, her face drawn and serious. Red lay nearby, watching the perimeter, his ears twitching at every rustle in the undergrowth.
Cloud lay on his side, his face flushed with fever. Aerith stroked his shoulder carefully while she looked at the shard of crystalised mako protruding from his back. It seemed to gleam unnaturally in the dying light, the skin around it red and angry.
Tifa knelt nearby, her hands clenching and unclenching nervously.
“He’s stable now,” Aerith said quietly. “But we can’t leave that in any longer.”
Barret crouched beside them, jaw tight. “You sure you can do this?”
“I’ve pulled shrapnel out before,” Tifa replied, though her voice was more breath than sound. “But this… it’s deep. We’ll have to be quick.”
Cloud stirred slightly and groaned, eyes half-lidded. “Don’t… sound so worried.”
“Shut up,” Tifa whispered, a shaky smile breaking through. “You’ve scared us enough today.”
Aerith placed one hand gently on Cloud’s head, the other near the shard. Green-white magic shimmered faintly at her fingertips, a matching glow coming from the healing materia on her bracelet. “I’ll numb it as much as I can, but there’s going to be pain.”
Cloud gave the barest of nods. “Okay.”
“Yuffie,” Tifa called softly. “Hold his legs. He might jerk.”
Yuffie swallowed hard but moved into place, gripping Cloud’s ankles with trembling hands.
Barret took up a steadying position at Cloud’s shoulders. “We got you, man.”
Tifa took a breath, then another.
Then she leaned in and, with slow, deliberate care, grasped the shard. It pulsed once beneath her fingers as she began to pull. The crystal seemed to resist her at first, like it was unnaturally embedded in Cloud’s flesh. Like it didn’t want to leave.
Cloud let out a shout, his entire body jerking in their grip as he spasmed violently, his strength almost too much for them to keep still.
“Hold him still!” Tifa cried, gripping the shard harder, doing her best to shut out Cloud’s strangled moan as the others attempted to stop him moving.
She tugged at it harder, gritting her teeth. Then, with a sickening squelch and a slight twist, it came free.
Cloud cried out again before going limp, panting raggedly. Blood welled up quickly, spilling from the wound, but Aerith was already moving, casting curaga over the torn flesh, watching it closely as it began to knit itself together.
Tifa threw the shard aside, breathing heavily, her hands shaking and coated in blood.
“It’s out,” she whispered.
“He’s going to be okay,” Aerith said gently, continuing to cast curaga, followed by an esuna for good measure. “But he needs rest. Real rest.”
Barret exhaled, long and slow. “No more damn ruins for a while.”
“Seconded,” Red murmured, still alert but easing closer to the fire.
Yuffie released Cloud’s legs and sat back on her heels, wiping at her eyes quickly when she thought no one was looking.
They worked in silence for a while, cleaning the wound, bandaging him, adjusting his blankets. The warmth of the fire grew steadier, the shadows growing deeper around them as night finally fell.
Cloud’s eyes slipped closed, his breath evening out as he drifted off to sleep.
Morning light filtered softly through the canopy above, casting dappled golden patches across the forest floor. The fire had long since burned down to glowing embers, and the world around them was hushed. No monsters, no alarms, no rustling beyond the occasional birdcall or shift of wind through leaves.
Cloud stirred.
He blinked slowly, eyelids heavy, vision still a little hazy but clear enough to make out the shapes of his surroundings. The pain in his back had dulled to a deep ache, a far cry from the sharp, breath stealing agony of the night before.
He inhaled cautiously. No stabbing pain. That was a good sign.
His head shifted slightly, and he realised Tifa was seated beside him, arms wrapped around her knees as she watched him closely with tired, worried eyes. The moment she saw him move, her whole expression softened.
“Hey,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Hey,” Cloud rasped back.
Tifa let out a breath, one she’d been holding for too long and leaned a little closer. “You scared the hell out of us.”
Cloud gave her a ghost of a smile. “Didn’t mean to.”
“That doesn’t make it better,” she muttered, curling her hair behind her ear, her eyes narrowing at him. “How do you feel?”
He frowned slightly as he took stock. He was sore, tired and stiff, but the static and numbness that had been plaguing him for days was gone. “Better.”
“Good.” Tifa didn’t smile quite yet, but the tension in her shoulders eased. “You’ve been out since we pulled the shard. Aerith did most of the healing, but she said you’d need to sleep it off.”
Cloud frowned faintly. “The others?”
“They’re fine. A few bruises, but no one else got hurt. We moved away from the ruins. Yuffie found this spot.”
As if on cue, Yuffie’s voice rang out softly from a few metres away. “Is he up?”
“Yeah,” Tifa called back.
Yuffie appeared moments later, arms behind her head and grinning with a mix of relief and her usual mischief. “Good. You owe me one. That campfire didn’t build itself.”
Barret's gruff chuckle followed from somewhere off to the side. “And here I thought you’d finally learned how to shut up.”
“Hey!”
Red padded into view, his movements fluid and silent. “It is good to see you awake, Cloud.”
Cloud met each of their gazes, quiet gratitude in his eyes. “Thanks. All of you.”
“Don’t mention it,” Barret grunted. “Just don’t go gettin’ skewered again.”
Tifa offered him a canteen of water, and he sipped gratefully, the coolness soothing his throat.
“We’ll rest up a bit more,” she said gently, “then head back toward the main road. No more ruins. Just an inn. And sleep.”
Cloud nodded slowly. “Sounds good.”
He sank back down, letting the sunlight warm his face as the quiet hum of his friends' presence settled around him like a blanket as they bickered and laughed. His thoughts wandered. To battles past, to things yet to come. Somehow, he felt strangely calm. At the moment, none of that mattered.
For now, they were safe. And that was enough.