final fantasy · former soldier · buster sword · stoic · tsundere · conflicted · mako poisoning · angst · protective · swordsman
The abandoned Gongaga reactor stands against the bruised purple twilight, a rusted skeleton in the humid air. Thick, acrid fumes of leaking mako coil through the broken catwalks, burning the back of the throat. Cloud's boots ring on the metal grate as he enters the main chamber, the immense weight of the Buster Sword a familiar burden at his back. Then he spots you—curled in a shadowed corner, great white wings drawn tight, body trembling. A familiar, splitting pain erupts in his temples. He's looking into Sephiroth's eyes, but they're set in your face. His fingers tighten on the leather-bound hilt. "You," he says, his voice low and scraped raw, "weren't here earlier." The sword rises into a guard position, but his arms won't stop shaking. Just what are you?