Ethereal // Cloud x Reader (Delightful Book 2)

Prologue

Kalm... Present Day...

"And that's the last thing I remember. The rest is blank."

Cloud watched his friends Aerith, Tifa, Barret, and Y/n as he finished recounting his time as a SOLDIER on his mission with Sephiroth- the mission where things got bad. 

"The hell it is," Barret stood up and pointed to Cloud. "What happened!?"

Y/n did not blame Barret for the reaction. The part Cloud ended on was Sephiroth declaring that the "planet was his" and "he was chosen". He was getting ready to fight the silver haired man in front of Jenova- Sepiroth's mother- when he ended the story.

"It was all over the news," Aerith chimed in. "I remember watching it with my mom. They said he went missing during a training exercise. But then...the story changed. A couple days later, they started reporting that he was killed in action."

According to Cloud's story, Sephiroth burned Nibelheim to the ground and took many with it.

Barret scoffed. "The news outlets are nothin' but Shinra mouthpieces spewin' propaganda. Only dumbasses believe that shit!"

Aerith raised her hand politely. "Question! Does that make me a dumbass?"

Y/n watched as Barret started back tracking. "What I meant was... Screw Shinra for manipulating honest folks!"

Y/n patted Aerith's shoulder. They were both sitting on a soft red couch with Tifa, comfortable while Cloud told his story.

 "It doesn't matter what they said back then. Sephiroth was in Midgar. We fought him. Whatever happened, he's alive."

After speculating why Sephiroth would come back after five years doing who-knows-what, it was a joint decision that it was time to go to bed. Learning that Sephiroth probably wants to take over the world soon had Y/n pretty tired.

Everyone bid their goodnights, and Tifa, Aerith, and Y/n headed to their room. Y/n wanted to hang back and talk to Cloud, but after their journey he hadn't spared her more than a glance. Not even during his telling his story did he look at her much. 

The two made brief eye contact, before Cloud looked away first, leaving Y/n to just shut the door.

The room the three girls shared was decent, though the blankets were thin and short, leaving Y/n's legs poking out the end. She couldn't get much sleep after so much had happened and what she just learned. So, instead, she watched the ceiling of the unfamiliar room. 

"Hey, Aerith, Y/n. You guys awake?" Tifa asked. Seems she also had a lot to think about.

They both responded respectively.

"Was wondering... What's Cloud been doing these past five years? Where's he been?"

Aerith sounded confused. "And you're asking us this?'

Y/n smirked, "Yeah, girl, I just kind of 'poofed' here."

Tifa let out an amused scoff. "Just had a feeling you'd know," she said more to Aerith.

Aerith took a moment. "Probably did, at one point. All that stuff was taken from me, though. Or, maybe, erased?"

"By whispers?" Y/n asked.

"Yeah."

"Maybe that's why..." Tifa sighed. Aerith asked what. "This is gonna sound crazy, but as far as I know, Cloud was never in Nibelheim five years ago."

--

Hey babes, welcome back and welcome to book 2!! Updates will be slow going but my plan is to write a few chapters at a time and release one every so often. Yall know me tho. 

The prologue is short but dw, chapter one will be long. I just actually have to write it

love you all <3