Genres: Friendship and Romance.

Special Conditions: Um…SHADOW ROMANCE. CUZ IT BE MAD AWESOME, WORD- DUDE-PUHEECE. :D

How the Idea was created: "Genesis gets his first kiss from Cloud" — prompt from ShadesofImagination. Then…um…I SAW A SHADOW. And I had PETER PAN ON THE BRAIN. Stuff happened. Um.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII or the characters within it. I am gaining no profit from this work of fan-fiction.

Warnings: Unconventional -ness all and shadow romance, briefly. You have…been warned?

._._._.

Shadow Play

A Shadowy Final Fantasy VII Fan-Fiction

._._._.

Cloud Strife was used to being followed. Being small and kinda nerdy usually did that; bullies wanted to see when he was alone, other nerds wanted homework help, and random personnel needed him to run errands.

So, yeah. No big.

But this time, it was kind of…weird. For one thing, it was this cold, fleeting feeling flat against his back, sort of like…he was being watched. But not in the normal way of being watched; it was more wet and raw, like being watched by a primal predator. For another thing, he was halfway to the barracks by now. By this time, someone would've made their move. He'd be in someone's room explaining velocity, spitting out blood in a sink, or facing some scary higher up to give paperwork.

Slowly, Cloud swiveled his head, almost casually, to look behind him.

No one was there. Just a dark corridor.

Taking another deep breath to calm his nerves, Cloud stepped into the next puddle of light, thanking Gaia for the even spaces. He took a moment to glance at the wall.

Immediately, all his relief was gone.

There was his shadow, small and unthreatening, jumping on the wall right next to him. Normal. It moved when he did.

But there was another shadow, directly next to it. A shadow about twice his size; that of an obviously strong man. Compared to him, Cloud was a child. He seemed to have on a jacket, like the General's famous one, but his hair was cut short, stopping somewhere in an upward flip at his shoulders. A long, slender blade extended from his side. An opened book was in his hands, and he swayed back and forth, as if he had been standing in that position for a long time reading.

If the image on the wall was correct, this man should have been standing right next to Cloud.

Cloud turned his head. There was no one there. Trembling, he reached out a hand, poking at the space next to him.

His hand passed through empty air.

Oh heck.

On the wall, his shadow's hand seemed to collide with the man's side, who looked up with a start. Snapping his head, he looked down at Cloud, and Cloud saw the book come down on his shadow's head. Immediately, a sharp pain hit Cloud's skull, and Cloud yelped, skittering back.

What was that?

On the wall, the shadow gave a satisfied nod, flicking open his book and returning to reading. Cloud rubbed his head, feeling less frightened and more resentful. He hadn't deserved that.

And how had that even worked, anyway?

"That wasn't very nice," he said aloud. His lonely voice echoed down the corridor awkwardly.

The figure on the wall shrugged his shoulders in a "what do I care" sort of way.

"Are you a ghost?" Cloud asked. When the man didn't respond, he once again used his shadow to poke him. The man, though his entire posture tightened in annoyance, decided to reply with a short shake of his head. Deciding this would take a while, Cloud slid to the floor, legs curled up in front of him, cheeks in his hands, gazing up at the shadow. He was pretending to ignore Cloud, but Cloud knew better.

"Were you following me?"

Another shrug. What of it?

Cloud's eyes narrowed. He wasn't getting straight answers, and it wasn't helping that the shadow wasn't talking. Then again…could shadows talk? Besides, there needed to be a person to be a shadow.

"Are you a person's shadow?" Cloud asked softly. The man cocked his head, nodding slowly. "Then why aren't you with that person?"

Another shrug.

A sudden thought struck Cloud. "Did…did you get…separated?"

In the act of turning the page, the figure suddenly froze, a full-bodied shiver traveling through him, before trying to once again go back to reading the book. Cloud caught the movement, though, and extended a hand in concern.

"Are…are you lost?"

A giving up, now into a defeated posture. A reluctant nod of the head.

"Did your person lose you here?"

Nod. Cloud chewed his lip, trying to think of what to do. On one hand, it was a shadow. It wouldn't get hurt, or lost, or anything, would it? On the other hand…it just looked so…sad…

"Come with me," Cloud blurted out.

The head snapped up, looking straight at him. Cloud swallowed.

"I mean…you wouldn't be lonely, or anything. You could stay with me."

The hand flapped in a scoffing motion. Why would I be lonely? Nonetheless, when Cloud got up and started walking, the shadow followed. In the dark spaces between the lights, where Cloud couldn't see any shadows at all, he could almost feel someone rubbing up against his side. It was, again, wet and almost uncomfortable, and Cloud shivered, though he hoped the shadow couldn't feel it.

Once inside his room, Cloud propped up his flashlight against the wall and switched it on, glad that his roommates weren't back. Immediately, the man stepped into the light and plopped down, almost with an audible sigh. Wide eyed and quiet, Cloud tucked himself in, staring over at the wall. By the way the figure was almost quite ignoring him, he suspected that it didn't want to talk—but Cloud didn't want to just invite a shadow into his bedroom and not know what—or who—it was.

"What's the first letter of your name?"

A vague gesture. Guess. Cloud squinted, thinking.

"A?"

Shake.

"H."

No.

"G."

Nod.

"G?"

Another nod.

Cloud wanted to go into the second letter of his name, but, in the manner of a person who no longer wants to speak, the shadow got up, deliberately turned around, and lay down. Cloud sighed, pulling the covers up to his chin. Maybe he could find out more in the morning.

._._._.

Genesis felt strange.

During the brief period of time from yesterday afternoon to present day afternoon, he felt that he'd lost something irreplaceable…but he couldn't quite put his finger on what. His earring was intact and in his ear. His favorite copy of Loveless was in his hand. He had on his underwear, his duster, and his PHS was in his pocket.

What was it, then?

Currently, Genesis was stalking across the compound, feeling irritated and jittery. As always, he ended up in Angeal's office. Angeal was the one who usually calmed him down and thought things through for him.

Unfortunately, he didn't count on Angeal not being alone.

"You look horrible," Zack informed him, as soon as he walked through the door. Genesis ignored him, walking over to Angeal and staring at him.

"There's something wrong with me," he said. "And it took place between yesterday afternoon and now."

"What did you do between yesterday afternoon and now?" Angeal asked, signing off something.

"Nothing!" Genesis said, though he couldn't quite remember. "It was all the same." With a frustrated sigh, he walked over to the bookshelf. Angeal's Puppy looked over at him and, for some reason, couldn't stop staring; but he ignored him. Zack was always doing strange things.

"What exactly is wrong, Genesis?" Angeal said finally, laying down his pen.

Genesis frowned, running his hand along Angeal's collection. "I'm…not sure. I feel…" his frown deepened as he grasped for words. "It's almost as if something very close to me—"

"Holy heck!" Zack suddenly blurted, eyes wide.

"What now?" Genesis snapped. "I'm trying to articulate here."

"You have no shadow!" Zack jabbed his finger wildly at the wall.

"Puppy, please calm—"

"No, look!" Zack went over to the wall where Genesis was standing, flailing. Rolling his eyes, Genesis turned too…

…and gaped.

Sure enough, he could see Zack's shadow bouncing against the wall, spiky haired and gray in the bright fluorescent light. Where Genesis was, though, the wall was just blank. No shadow. Nothing.

"Gaia," Genesis breathed. He waved his hand back and forth, and then did a violent wiggle, shaking his arms above his head.

Nothing.

"Shiva, Gen," Zack said, eyes wide. "Are you, like, a vampire or something? Did something bite you recently?"

"Shut up, Fair," Genesis managed to get out, still waving his hand in disbelief. Whatever was going on, he was going to get to the bottom of it.

._._._.

Did shadows eat?

The minute class had let out, Cloud had made a beeline for his room, equipped with various methods of experimentation and attack. Now, brown paper bag in hand, he sat cross-legged in front of his wall and frowned. 'G', as the shadow's apparent name was, was pointedly ignoring him. Cloud was fine with this, because he himself was trying to figure some stuff out.

He bit into his sandwich, and then held it up to the wall. It made a shadow, all right. Holding it up higher, Cloud poked G in the cheek with it. G looked at it, the tilt of his head almost disdainful, before his head deliberately turned away from it. Cloud managed to make out that he was offering the bitten side, and, with a flush, turned it around. Again, though, G refused it. Cloud frowned.

"Well, don't shadows eat?" he finally asked, frustrated, when G had turned his head away for the fourth time.

A disdainful shake of the head, in a manner that clearly meant, No, idiot.

"Oh." Cloud flushed, and then ducked his head down, quietly finishing off his own sandwich. When he looked up, he found G studying him curiously, book forgotten.

"What?"

A shrug. The shadow got to his feet, attempting to mime something. Cloud frowned. "Huh?"

The shadow sagged, trying again. This time, he puffed out his chest and pulled his jacket off, putting the collar over his head. He strutted about, preening the jacket from time to time while Cloud watched, incredulous. Either he was miming a pompous person, or he was pretending to be a canary during mating season. Meeting Cloud's confused look, the shadow gave a stomp of frustration, settling back on the ground.

"I'm sorry," Cloud said. "I just don't know how to understand you."

The shadow turned its head to the side. Cloud could clearly see the tongue sticking out, and he sighed. "I can understand that, though." He rested his chin in his hands again. "I just…I need some sort of clue."

G perked up, waving his hands in a 'stand up' motion. Cloud warily stood, and his shadow appeared next to G. G vanished into the shadows of Cloud's opposite wall, then came strutting back, preening himself and affecting the same canary he had been before. He exaggeratedly bumped into Cloud's shadow—who jumped upon actually feeling weight against him. G began scolding Cloud, who stood there awkwardly, watching things getting more and more heated on a one-sided perspective. Finally, G drew his sword, waving it around, before giving Cloud a harsh shove. Cloud fell right out of the image, leaving a G to pursue after him into the opposite shadows. Just as hastily, he returned, his entire body speaking lament as he reached after where, moments before, he had left. Upon, apparently, reaching his tale's end, he plopped down, looking at Cloud expectantly.

"Um." Cloud said. "Okay?" Upon the shadow's sag, he quickly added, "I get it, though! Most of it. I mean, you want to get back with your original person, don't you?"

A slow nod.

"Can't I just put out an advertisement?" Cloud asked wistfully. An advertisement meant that he wouldn't have to go around actually asking people. That seemed as an opening to ridicule. With an advertisement, though…

But that thought was already gone, because G was furiously shaking his head.

Cloud sighed, delving back into his bag. It seemed like he was going to have to go against his previous thoughts and just face up to the ridicule.

._._._.

Now Genesis was paranoid.

He carefully monitored his walks to and from his apartment. He hid out in his office from before dawn to after dusk. He hid out from streetlights, and practically streaked across the compound to get from one section to another.

If Zack could notice that Genesis' shadow was gone—Zack, who didn't notice anything—then that meant that living on a compound full of SOLDIERs, rusty and antsy for excitement, was just asking for a witch-hunt. It was either that, or a trip to the labs… something that was, in all probabilities, much much worst.

As he began his hide-out from all civilized society, Genesis found a lot more things to contemplate—like what had gotten him into this mess in the first place. It had all been an average week for him. He had been harassing a cadet nearby the cadet barracks, with materia to boot…but he did that practically every day.

Genesis thought. Did that do something?

Who knew?

Gradually, though, after a few days of hastily ducking into corners and away from humanity, Genesis realized that, quite frankly, no one cared if he had a shadow or not. In fact, they didn't even pay attention to shadows—not unless someone blatantly pointed it out, which no one was wont to do.

Besides this, though, Genesis still felt odd, and separated from his normal routine.

Like the conversations.

Every so often, he would hear little snippets of conversation. Just every now and then, almost as an afterthought in the back of his mind. It was a voice unfamiliar to him, young and childish and, it seemed, shy. It happened every so often, so Genesis figured that, be he lose his mind as well as his shadow, he could at least get a kick out of it.

So he listened in.

"Do you know Sergeant Michaels?" the voice piped up in his head.

Genesis was in his favorite armchair, nursing a cup of coffee. If he remembered correctly, Sergeant Michaels was a horribly unattractive man with a penchant for being inept.

"No, I wasn't saying that you were Sergeant Michaels," the voice said hastily, as if Genesis had scoffed. "It's just that…he's actually very nice. He offered to tutor me. I thought that was actually pretty sweet."

Genesis' eyes narrowed. Sergeant Michaels wouldn't be tutoring anyone, as far as he was concerned, much less his mysterious little head voice. Sergeant Michaels was a perverted idiot.

Through similar snippets of conversation, Genesis got out that his little head boy was a cadet. He loved sword-fighting, but choked when he had to do it in class. He needed to grow a few inches before the physical. He liked peanut-butter and honey sandwiches, and broke every other sentence up with a bunch of cute, nervous little laughs.

Genesis, though possibly delirious, thought he was the most adorable thing since sliced bread.

As he sat back in his chair, listening to the voice chatter on hour after hour, he idly wondered if he was going insane. When the little voice sweetly bade…whoever he was talking to…goodnight, Genesis actually felt sorry to see him go. Just a little bit.

If he was going insane…

"Goodnight!" the little voice chirped.

Genesis smirked. "Good night, little one."

…then maybe this wasn't so bad.

._._._.

Over his few, spent days with G, Cloud tried his hardest to look for the shadow's person. He really, honestly did. Even though he received quite a couple of odd looks and more than a couple scoffs…he searched. Meanwhile, though…it was so odd to adjust to a shadow living there, right in his room. Whenever his roommates were—rarely—around, G hid in the shadows over his bed, shifting and swirling and generally making Cloud uncomfortable. When his roommates were out, or Cloud was in a private place, Cloud still felt uncomfortable. He felt obliged to make conversation, but he was so usually quiet that he either stuttered or didn't know what to say at all. Plus, there was the awkward problem of G not talking back. At all.

Gradually, Cloud got into the habit of offering up, awkwardly at first, little snippets of conversation. What his favorite foods were, his favorite classes; just little things. When that got too uncomfortable, he read aloud, though he was sure G's pose was disdainful about that. He was rusty with talking, but he tried, sincerely, his very best—and found that he very often couldn't stop.

"Are you a First Class?" Cloud asked one evening. He was standing by the wall, trying to sort out his uniforms from the laundry. It wasn't hard; they were the smallest.

G nodded lazily from where he was perched, his leg dangling. The ever present book was open in his lap.

Cloud fumbled with his uniform for a moment, carefully laying it out. "So…you get to be around the Holy Trinity a lot?"

G seemed to be staring right at him now, book forgotten. He slowly nodded again.

"That's awesome," Cloud said happily. With a quick flick of his wrists, he shook out his uniform, trying to smooth out the wrinkles as much as he could. "Someday, I'll be right up there, and I'll be a hero, just like the rest of them." He cocked his head, his eyes glazed as he daydreamed, forgetting his audience. "Think they'll rename it the Holy Quartet, if I'm good enough?"

G made a gesture that looked vaguely like a snort embodied.

._._._.

It was hard, when the little voice spoke up in public. It didn't seem to hear him, but Genesis spoke back instinctively anyway. It was all right in the privacy of his apartment, where he secretly enjoyed his slow descent into insanity. Before, it was limited chiefly to evenings, because that was when the one-sided conversations started. Now, though, it expanded to other times of the day. Genesis was in the cafeteria, nursing a cup of coffee, when the little voice started up about his dreams.

"Think they'll rename it the Holy Quartet, if I'm good enough?" the child wondered innocently.

Genesis choked on his coffee with a long-due, hysterical snort…that sounded too much like a musical group for his liking, and he definitely lost it once he imagined Sephiroth manning the tuba. Once he noticed the staring he was getting, however, Genesis quickly morphed it into a rough cough with a glare. "What?"

No one volunteered anything.

The really annoying thing was that he kept getting…affectionate. Affectionate over a voice that he hardly knew. Every once in a while, he'd find himself twisting his hands, thinking about it, or even letting an emotion…foreign from a smirk cross his face. It was bad for his reputation.

Also, he still was worrying about his shadow. It had yet to reappear. Zack's theories weren't at all inspiring.

"Maybe, you were upset with someone recently," Zack suggested, trailing along behind Genesis in the halls. "And the shadow got mad at you and decided to leave."

"Zack," Genesis said, "That's stupid."

"No it isn't," Zack snorted right back. "Maybe you left the shadow behind, somewhere, and maybe it was waiting for you. And then, when you didn't come back, it decided to go off with someone else."

Genesis paused, tilting his head in thought. That one actually sounded interesting. Not plausible, but definitely interesting.

"And if you think about it," Zack still continued, "You should have some sort of special connection to your shadow, of some sort. Like, maybe, you'd start seeing things, or feeling things, or even hearing things that your shadow's around. Anything happen like that?"

Genesis startled at how close to the mark that was, but hid it with a well-practiced scowl. "And who made you the expert on this?"

Zack grinned cheekily. "Comics. Everything always happens like that in comics. Though, usually…" He made a kissy face. "You fall in love at the end of it."

It was probably extremely out of character that Genesis didn't do anything besides a quick jolt towards Zack, sending Angeal's protégé shrieking down the hall.

Still, though…

Maybe Zack had been on to something.

._._._.

A few more days had Cloud more comfortable than ever with the shadow, chattering away constantly. G, though he occasionally left, seemed to stay put, so Cloud figured that he wasn't being annoyed. Besides, even if he was being annoyed…what were the odds of meeting a First Class SOLDIER? A First Class SOLDIER's shadow, sure, but still. Even if G didn't want to volunteer information, Cloud carefully watched his every reaction, and was careful of what he said around the shadow.

Most of the time.

"The Turks scare me," Cloud admitted quietly one day. He was sitting on his bunk, legs swinging back and forth. There was a book in his lap, but he wasn't reading it.

G was up, propped up on the shadow of the dresser. For once, he didn't have his book, which made him and Cloud an interesting counter image. He made a mocking gesture, and Cloud flushed.

"I mean how they're everywhere. And they never say anything, they're just…suddenly behind you." Cloud fiddled with the corner of his current page. "It's creepy."

G tilted his head in a bored sort of way.

"I don't know, maybe it has something to do with their hair color?" Cloud wondered out loud. "I mean, the blonde ones smile at me, and the black haired one just nods whenever he sees someone. But the…the…" he frowned. "The redhead one, he's so…freaky. He's always giving me a creepy smile, and trying to start a conversation, and he's just scary. But then again, most redheads are weird."

G suddenly stood up ramrod straight, as if he had been struck by lightning. His entire posture screamed outrage, and, confused, Cloud stood up, even as he shrunk back a little. "U-Um…"

A slow, deadly gesture. Cloud didn't understand. "What?"

G preened at his hair, then snapped his hand away from it and pointed at Cloud. His fist was then smacked, repeatedly, into his opposite hand while Cloud processed.

Cloud paled. "Oh. You mean, sir…you're a redhead?"

G gave a slow nod, his hand already twitching to his sheath.

Cloud's eyes rounded. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean—I mean—"

G's sword flashed out of his sheath. With a silent declaration of rage, he charged for Cloud's shadow.

Cloud shrieked.

He streaked for safety, feeling, very clearly, a hand scraping his back…just before he ducked into the shadows, still apologizing.

G obviously glared at him from just beyond the knit of darkness.

"I'm sorry," Cloud said again sincerely, tucking in his feet so none of his shadow was exposed.

G wasn't having any of this, however. He held his index and middle fingers towards his eyes before extending them in a sharp thrust towards Cloud's hiding spot; the obvious sign of "I'm watching you".

If Cloud thought G was just going to give that warning and leave, he was proven completely wrong when G just stayed there.

And stayed there.

And stayed there.

Apparently, whoever the shadow was, he had a bad temper.

"I'm sorry," Cloud ventured timidly.

G affected a lady's fluttering hand. The other hand still held the sword.

"I do like redheads," Cloud said. "Miss Cissnei is a redhead. I…I like her."

The look G gave him, if Cloud could decipher it, made it clear that the only reason Cloud probably liked "Miss Cissnei" was because of his teenage hormones. Cloud flushed, gave a little stutter of partial protest, and fell silent.

Hours passed. Cloud's roommates eventually came home.

"We're out of kindergarten, Strife," the first said, raising an eyebrow at Cloud's position in the corner. "There are other ways of self-punishment."

Cloud nodded his agreement, a flush to his cheeks.

There was a moment of awkward silence.

"Um…aren't you going to come out?" his second roommate asked, confused. Cloud's eyes drifted over the wall next to his roommate. A shadow shifted, and he winced.

"No," he said, quietly. "I'm building my willpower."

They both stared at him, but let him be. Eventually prepared for bed, the both of them turned out the light and ended up on their respective bunks.

In the dark, as the heat dipped, Cloud shivered alone in his corner. The scanty light from the thin blinds, however, was enough to see that he still wasn't in the clear. G was still waiting for him to come out.

Eventually, curled completely into a ball, Cloud drifted off into an uncomfortable sleep, murmuring and shivering to himself, oblivious to the fact that the shadow of the dresser was slowly creeping away from him. Once his shadow was completely exposed against the wall, G soundlessly slid over to him, hovering above the sleeping form.

Cloud mumbled something incoherent, wrapping his arms around himself with another shiver. G lifted his foot, aiming for a kick; but another shiver from Cloud had him pausing. He paused, staring down at the boy.

Cloud shivered pathetically.

Sagging with self-disgust, G leaned down. He gently eased his hands under the smaller shadow, holding it close. Cloud gave no response besides a gurgled murmur as G carried him over to his bunk, settling down gingerly on the edge.

If Cloud's roommates had been awake and watching, they would've seen Cloud curled up in mid-air, his hand fisted in invisible material. But as they weren't, the moment remained private…

…even as G held him a little longer than was completely necessary.

._._._.

Genesis was on the couch, impatient. The voice hadn't spoken up at all today. Vaguely, he wondered if Zack had scared it off.

It was a logical thought.

With a sigh, he made to get up…

…and stopped, wide-eyed.

Against his chest, he could clearly feel something warm. When he shifted, a…a grip of some sort tightened in his shirt. He could actually feel it. In fact, the more he concentrated, he could feel the outline of a small body pressed up against his chest.

Genesis sat stock-still. The figure—the invisible figure—nuzzled once into his chest, apparently letting out a sleepy murmur that Genesis couldn't hear. Just as he reached out his hands to touch the figure and make sure that it was really there, however, it seemed to shift. A moment later, the feeling vanished completely.

Genesis sat there for a moment, running his hand over the air where the "person" had been, and frowned.

Maybe Zack was right. A voice, a feeling…what next?

The next morning, the voices still hadn't returned. Genesis found his way back into Angeal's office, where he tried not to show just how distressed he was. He hadn't slept very well, his hair was refusing to cooperate for once in his life, and, on top of it all, his shadow still hadn't reappeared. His favorite copy of Loveless had managed to come along with him, which he didn't mind. He needed something familiar in hand.

"You're hearing voices?" Angeal asked, finally putting down his pen. Genesis hesitated a moment, then nodded. No harm in admitting it. It was only getting worst, if you could consider it that way.

"It's…a boy," Genesis said slowly, watching Angeal's reaction. "And it started after my shadow…" Left? Vanished? "…disappeared."

Angeal actually looked concerned now, leaning forward a little on his desk. "Do you think it could be a side-effect of the Mako? Maybe you should-"

"I'm not going to Hojo, or Hollander," Genesis snapped. Collecting himself, he buried his head in his hands and sighed. "I'm sorry, 'Geal. I'm just…"

Angeal got up completely from his desk now, resting a big hand on Genesis' shoulder. "I get it, Gen. But you're starting to scare me."

Genesis snorted, getting up completely from the couch. "I know there's something wrong with me, but I have to figure it out by myself. Going to Hojo or Hollander…" He made a face. "I just don't feel like getting cut up right now. And actually…." He looked over at Angeal, willing him to understand. "It's not actually that bad."

Angeal was looking at the wall behind him, frowning. "Really. So why has Loveless's shadow disappeared now, too?"

Genesis turned, looking blankly at the wall and surprising himself when he didn't even flinch. Quietly, he withdrew a book from Angeal's shelf in the other hand, holding it up to the wall. Sure enough, its shadow showed, appearing as if it were floating in midair. Neither Loveless's nor Genesis' shadows were visible, though.

Genesis frowned, running a finger down Loveless's spine. "It hasn't disappeared just now." He paused. "It's wherever my shadow is."

And just where was that?

._._._.

Cloud had been wary around G after the "brief problem of redheads"…but the shadow had, oddly, seemed to have forgotten the whole incident. Cloud knew that he probably remembered the entire thing, though, and treaded carefully. He didn't want to spend half the night in the corner again.

Cloud frowned. He still didn't know how he'd ended up in bed afterwards.

The shadow had become a regular part of Cloud's life now, a constant smudge on his wall. Cloud, while still more guarded, felt a little warm inside at the thought of having someone listen to him every day. Yeah, G couldn't talk back, and he did smack Cloud when he talked a little too much…but still.

Cloud felt a little more inspired when G even looked his way. He never gave any more than a cursory glance, and no tips whatsoever-but it was a little comforting to have someone constantly listening, even if it wasn't willingly. The only problem was the repercussions.

He'd gotten so used to getting followed around that he didn't really pay attention to the bullies until it was a little too late.

Smashed up against the wall, Cloud steeled himself for the whole thing to come to blows. Whoever these guys were, they were obviously used to pushing a smaller cadet around—maybe Cloud had already been up against them once before. Cloud didn't like pain, but at least he was used to it.

It didn't come as he expected this time, though.

"Let's mix things up," someone said, and instead of being creamed right there in the hallway, they pulled Cloud, quaking, along with them. The hallways were empty, for some reason, and no one saw any of them enter one of the restrooms.

Cloud was shoved in front of a toilet before he realized what was happening. With a sudden, crippling horror, he realized what was going to happen, and he let out a shriek—

—a second before his head was submerged in the toilet water.

Cloud had nothing against water in general, but it was something else to be entirely unprepared for being submerged. He gagged as suddenly he was swallowing water instead of air. Flailing, he managed to smack someone, and they let him up.

Only the first go, and finally Cloud was scrambling, fighting back. He nailed someone in the stomach, someone else in the nose, before someone's hand was squeezing down on his head, forcing it back into the bowl again. This time, it was held down longer, and Cloud finally closed his mouth, trying to fight panic.

A few more times, and then finally they got bored. As they left, someone, maybe in jest, Cloud wasn't sure, gave him a towel, and told him to dry off. Eyes and cheeks burning, Cloud accepted it.

He sat there a long time against the stall wall, dripping wet, absolutely furious at himself, and fighting off tears. He was in the cadet program, all right, but he should've been able to fight off guys like that for now.

Somehow, uneventfully, he managed to get back to his room. He was still dripping and holding the towel, and was now starting to panic. He'd been dunked in a toilet bowl. Was he diseased now?

By the time he finally got inside, he was shivering uncontrollably.

Quietly, he made his way to the bathroom, scrubbing his head raw, before returning to the room, where he stopped in the middle of the floor.

Someone tapped his shoulder, and Cloud backed away from the touch, knowing the only thing it could be. On the wall, G didn't look too concerned about this, instead inching forward again, tugging Cloud towards him.

"Leave me alone," Cloud blurted. He didn't want to start up crying in front of the shadow, but against his will, his eyes started to burn again. He made for the bed, but G tugged him back to the wall again.

Tears welled up and finally started dripping down Cloud's cheeks. He gave a great sniffle, dropping his head in shame and turning away from G as best he could. He was crying in front of a First Class SOLDIER, who rarely had a nice gesture to a cursory "Good Morning". He could hardly call himself a cadet in the army.

G's hand tightened on his shoulder. Cloud didn't look up at him, and was surprised when he was suddenly jerked forward into G's chest.

Startled, Cloud spent a few moments struggling, thinking he was in for another beating. Whenever he tried to use his hands to push at G, however, his hands just slipped through air. He could feel G's arms, though, one wrapping around his shoulders, and the other pulling Cloud even closer, positioning him. Cloud went completely limp, waiting for whatever G wanted to do.

But all that happened was that G's other arm wrapped around his waist, pressing him close against him.

Cloud's eyes opened wide.

G was hugging him.

Cloud could vaguely hear his own sobs, fuzzy and far away, become harder as his body curled into G's. A hand had found its way into his hair, carding through it, and he was gently guided to the floor. It was completely uncharacteristic for the both of them, but Cloud couldn't quite find it in him to care. He spent a few moments snuffling miserably into G's shoulder, who needlessly tightened his grip. It was obvious that Cloud wasn't going anywhere.

After a few moments, when Cloud was sure that G wasn't going to do anything to him, he slammed into his chest, burying his face in. The shadow's arms wrapped around him, giving a reassuring squeeze that Cloud accepted. If he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine that the shadow actually, really cared for him.

Maybe it did. But that was too much to think of.

Cloud finally pushed away, pressing his palms into his eyes. "I'm sorry," he sniffled, wiping his nose on his sleeve. "I-I'm really sorry, sir." He angled his head away, wishing that his body would just obey him and stop crying. "I really didn't mean to start crying l-like that, and—"

G covered Cloud's mouth, with just enough force to make Cloud know that he meant business. Pointing towards the door, he brought a fist into the palm of his hand several times in quick succession.

Not really meaning to, Cloud let out a nervous giggle, shaking his head rapidly as he scrubbed at his face. "No, you don't need to d-do that. R-Really. I-I'm fine."

G didn't seem convinced, but seemed to let it go for the moment. Cloud scurried away into his little corner and buried his face in his pillow, embarrassed at his little breakdown and hoping G would let it pass.

He didn't.

Cloud wasn't sure if he was happy or confused or what with it, but the small breakdown brought the shadow closer to him. Well, closer than he already was.

That meant that he followed him.

Everywhere.

At first, Cloud was distressed, always tripping up and making a klutz of himself. Miraculously, though…G didn't laugh at him. He couldn't laugh audibly, of course, which meant Cloud had no way of knowing if he was actually laughing at him…but somehow, Cloud was sure that he wasn't.

So he gave in a little. It was nice to be able to actually walk back from class with someone, instead of just yourself. It was nice that someone (even if G pretended not to) smacked him on the back to make sure he was standing straight. It was so nice to have someone know all the best routes where the bullies wouldn't ambush him—kind of weird that the shadow would know that, but Cloud wasn't protesting.

._._._.

There had been a day where the voice had been bullied.

Genesis had sat rigidly in his chair, not knowing what to do at first but just listen. The voice was obviously all choked up and crying, but he had no idea why. As Genesis slowly got up, moving towards the window, it blubbered a few incomprehensible words. Then, something slammed right into his chest.

This had happened once before. Genesis automatically wrapped his arms around the invisible bundle, and was only a little surprised when he could actually pull it closer. He rested his chin on the invisible, feathery head and sighed.

The front of his shirt was miraculously getting wet.

After a while, the sniffling died down to little hiccups, and the invisible boy pushed away. He apologized in little short hiccups, and then burst into nervous little giggles at something…someone else in the room had said, presumably? Genesis' face darkened, his fingers twitching. He'd been the one to comfort; he should've been there. It wouldn't have happened in the first place if he'd been involved.

Then again, Genesis was never one for comfort. He mused over this darkly, examining his gloved hands. If the time ever came that he wanted to comfort someone, would flames come out instead of sincere warmth?

Eh. It was a great, great possibility.

The voice faded away, and Genesis found himself, once again, faced with paperwork.

Life went on, and the little voice didn't seem to break down again. He was an upbeat, nervous chatterbox again, and Genesis was glad...if not a little put out for the fact that no more sudden tackles were to be felt.

As much as he hated to admit it, his life had been made a little more…well, exciting wasn't the word. He was a SOLDIER; if he wanted excitement, he got it. A little more…tolerable, perhaps. His shadow had disappeared, leading to him hearing voices—no, a voice—in his head. This had led to this voice—who, if he was correct, was a real person somewhere on compound—actually being solid…albeit invisible.

Genesis played absently with his pen, thinking. The only thing that hadn't happened yet was him actually seeing the kid. Knowing what he looked like; that would be interesting. Though, if Genesis was correct, he'd be scared silly at the sight of the Red Commander. Genesis smirked, but it quickly morphed into a frown. He didn't like the thought of the head voice, always chipper, suddenly dipping fearfully at his present.

To heck with it all. Genesis stood up abruptly, ready for his daily pilgrimage to Angeal's office.

The air was warm outside, and Genesis took a moment, lazily strolling across the field. There were a few SOLDIERs who annoyingly snapped to attention as he passed by, but there was practically no one else. Genesis snorted. If they all knew what was good for them, they would most likely be inside studying themselves silly. Exams were usually given following the brightest days, just to test who was paying attention and who wasn't.

A nervous giggle came from nearby one of the buildings, and Genesis turned, narrowing his eyes. Well, obviously someone didn't know what was good for them.

Across from him, walking against the wall of one of the buildings, was a small boy; probably a cadet. His hair was wild and blonde, a little too stark in the sun, and he was dressed as most cadets were: standard uniform, boots, and the sort. The only difference was that it was hanging off of him. The poor thing. He was probably malnourished.

For some reason, Genesis kept watching him. The cadet in question had one hand extended out, almost awkwardly, towards the wall. At first, Genesis supposed that this was because he was trailing his hand against the wall, but the arm was swinging, like…like—Genesis' train of thought halted as he tried to think of an apt description—a child holding onto a parent.

Come to think of it, the boy's hand was curled inwards, as if clasped around something. The hand was gentle, and every once in a while it would squeeze sweetly.

And he was talking.

The kid's mouth was moving, a shy smile on his face, his head turned in towards the wall. Every once in a while, his head would bob, or his other hand would fly out to make some point clear.

There was a shadow next to him on the wall that mirrored his every move, step for step. Genesis watched sharply, not sure why this entire situation seemed familiar to him, and why it made him feel so… odd. He took a small step forward, craning his neck to see.

The shadow's hand was reached out, clasped around the hand of a different shadow.

Genesis blinked.

Then, he scoffed. That wasn't plausible. It wasn't even possible. He was quite sure that he had just seen a case of someone still holding onto imaginary friends; nothing more than that.

Still…he had an annoying urge to hear the kid's voice, get a clearer look at his face, maybe. Genesis picked up the pace, briskly striding towards the cadet. It would only take a second, he was su—

"Genesis!"

Genesis' neck snapped around, back towards his previous destination. Zack was jumping up and down, waving at him, before cupping his hands around his mouth. "Are you on your way to Angeal's too?"

Genesis turned back. The kid was gone, presumably having turned the corner.

It figured.

Genesis gave Zack a thin smile. He made sure to jam up the elevator as a courtesy for the interruption.

Once in Angeal's office, Genesis leaned back on the couch, looking up at the ceiling. "Angeal, did you use to have imaginary friends?"

When an uncomfortable cough was all that reached him, he looked up. Sephiroth had apparently decided to seek out Angeal too. He had a chair pulled up next to the desk, his eyebrow raised. Genesis leveled an even, disinterested gaze at him, turning back to Angeal. "Well?"

Angeal chewed his lip. "When I was younger, yeah, I did. It was a chocobo, I think. You had one too, Genesis. If I remember correctly, it was called Imaginary Apple, or something like that." He frowned. "You always said mine ate yours afterwards."

"What is an…imaginary friend?" Sephiroth asked, looking patiently to Angeal to explain.

Genesis hummed absently, thinking it all over. If that cadet outside had had an imaginary friend…it would stand to reason that he himself could have one too. Could he invent an entire new person, all in his own head?

The other option was that he could be schizophrenic, but he dismissed that notion. As if he would ever be…

Genesis smiled lightly. Maybe it would've bothered him before, but now…the possibility of being schizophrenic wasn't actually that bad. Not with these interesting side-effects.

When the silence caught up with him, he finally looked up and registered Angeal and Sephiroth's stares.

"What?" he asked pleasantly.

"Well…Genesis!" Angeal sounded incredulous. "You're…you're glowing."

Genesis' mood soured instantly, as it was wont to do. "It's the pregnancy!" he snapped, swiveling his head away.

However, through it all, he didn't stop smiling.

._._._.

G had really been serious when he'd first started following Cloud around. He hadn't stopped; not for a single day. Sometimes he brought along his book and read while trailing behind Cloud…other times he just drifted and listened to Cloud chatter away.

At first, Cloud didn't talk as much. For some reason, he felt awfully shy around the shadow recently. Though he desperately hoped he wasn't developing a crush, it seemed more like the solution the more he thought about it. He didn't really spend time around anyone else but the shadow. He didn't really talk to anyone else but the shadow. The only real friend that he'd made around the compound was Zack, and he had been busy recently. The shadow was, really, all he had.

It made his heart ache. It was all well and good—if not abnormal—to have a crush on a shadow, but…he would much rather have one on a real person. Someone that, maybe, just maybe hoping maybe, would like him back.

Besides, he wasn't even sure if G liked him back.

Since he did have the shadow, though, Cloud decided to try his best. Cloud wasn't a forward person—not at all—but he couldn't help shy, jerky movements—of his own sort—towards G.

The first thing was filling the room with flowers. Cloud was partial to blue and white himself, but he tried to throw in a little red, just because. G was a redhead; so naturally, he would like red, wouldn't he?

G watched him curiously from the wall as Cloud arranged the bouquets neatly in front of the wall, not daring to look up. He backed off, perching on the bed, and then cautiously peered up.

G had taken the shadow of a flower, twirling it in-between his fingers absently. The real flower was hovering in mid-air in front of him, slowly turning. Cloud watched transfixed for a few moments before he realized that the flower was a fluke…it wasn't blue or white or red. It was yellow.

Cloud's face pinkened in anticipated embarrassment, but he waited to see what G would do.

Slowly, G lowered his face to the flower, and tilting his head, sniffed it deeply.

Then, he kissed it.

Cloud squeaked unintentionally audibly, and almost, almost, ducked down to bury himself in his pillow. G was looking straight at him, and by the stretch of his cheeks, Cloud knew he was smiling.

A brief sweeping gesture, in a 'what's all this, then?' sort of way.

"I-I like flowers," Cloud whispered. "Do…you like them too?"

A slow nod, still staring directly at him. Cloud squirmed uncomfortably, and then quickly turned out the light. He thought briefly about daring to ask G which flower was his favorite on the impossible, horrible thought that it might be the fluke yellow one…but he didn't dare.

When drifting from class to class; G always made sure to stick right by Cloud. Since the lights were dim and only stark in a few areas, he would blend in rather nicely, making sure to fit to Cloud's form.

It was subconsciously appreciated, but Cloud had his mind in other places. What if he just…reached out a little? What if it was just a small brush, his fingertips against G's? Would the shadow pull away? Would he mind that Cloud wanted to hold his hand?

Cloud bit his lip, peeking up at G again. His fingers twitched, and he curled them into a fist, still uncertain of actually reaching out.

They were outside, still against the wall. Cloud took a moment to tilt his face up to the sun. He took a deep breath, and then reached out, brushing his fingers against G. After cautiously making sure that this wasn't refused, Cloud took a chance and grabbed up G's hand, squeezing hard and shutting his eyes simultaneously, waiting for rejection.

G didn't jerk away.

Cloud cautiously opened one eye, looking pitifully up at G.

G flicked his forehead, and gently squeezed the hand back.

Cloud's heart soared.

After that, he practically drifted across the compound. He remembered babbling on about something, but couldn't remember what. All he could really focus on was the fact that G actually let him hold his hand.

Of course, he let go of it only a little bit afterwards—but still.

All of it had to come to a head. Cloud was lying in bed at night wide awake, hugging his pillow to his chest. He was blushing, skipping, and practically glowing. He had already decided what he would try to do next.

He would kiss G.

Cloud had never kissed anyone before, much less a shadow on the wall, so he wasn't sure how this was exactly going to work. It was going to end up badly, but Cloud didn't know what else to do. Besides…that's what people did in the movies when they liked each other…right?

The brief, horrible shadow of a thought crossed his mind; that he was a boy and G was male (he thought). What if G wasn't like…well, that?

Cloud remained pale and quiet for a long time. G hadn't gone with him to class that night; Cloud didn't know why, but he accepted it. It gave him more time to steel himself.

"G-G?" He finally blurted out. He felt silly standing sideways, craning his neck to look at G…but it was the easiest way. Still, he shrunk back. G was taller than him, and it didn't help the queasy feeling in his stomach.

G tilted his head, bending down over him. Cloud flushed, backing away even further. "I-I…" he closed his mouth, and then opened it again. Why did everything sound so stupid?

"I like you!" Cloud finally blurted. He clapped both hands over his mouth in horror, taking another step back before taking them off, blurting, "I really like you! And-and you're my friend, s-so if you don't like me back, i-it's fine, but…" Cloud shut his eyes hard, his voice strangled and shrill. "Please like me back!"

He stepped up quickly, his eyes still closed. The first try, he bashed his nose into G's, and he held it for a few moments with a shrill shriek of pain, willing away the red flashes. He didn't dare open his eyes to see G's reaction; but he thought that if he stopped now, he'd just get pushed away. Then what?

The second time, Cloud ran his hand over G's face first, his stomach twisting in panic. Any moment, G would pull away now…any moment now, he'd be just that stupid kid who tried to kiss someone who didn't like him back…any…moment…

His fingers brushed against lips.

Cloud screwed his eyes shut even tighter and made a small prayer. Then, standing on his very tippy-toes, he placed his lips where he thought G's were.

He was off mark again, catching G's chin, but he quickly rerouted, and his lips finally brushed over G's.

There was no pure electric feeling, or any miraculous revelation, which Cloud felt a little disappointed at. But still…G's lips were kind of soft. Cloud wasn't sure how people went about kissing each other on the mouth, and was starting to wish that he'd just chosen to go for a cheek or something, but he took a chance, laying little fluttering butterfly kisses against G's lips and hoping that worked. His fists tightened, held stiffly at his sides.

._._._.

Genesis, as he was wont to do recently, was sitting quietly in the dark on his armchair, Loveless open in his lap. Every once in awhile, he would catch himself smiling, for some ridiculous reason or other.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth once again. Ridiculous indeed.

In his mind the voice came into sudden clarity. "G…G?"

Genesis frowned, closing Loveless. That was new; he didn't know the voice knew his name. Initials, if one wanted to be picky, but still.

"I-I…" a pregnant pause. "I like you!"

Genesis raised an eyebrow, almost asleep. Well. The little one blurted out a stuttered, hardly comprehensible confession.

Genesis closed his eyes with a sigh, feeling slightly disappointed. Whoever the child was confessing to was definitely not him, so it didn't really matter, now did it?

That was until fingers brushed down over his face.

Genesis froze.

Small, slender fingers skimmed over his eyelids, down the curve of his nose, across to his cheek before sliding down to his lips. As soon as they reached there, they abruptly pulled away. But then…a pair of lips touched to his chin, before they slid upwards, meeting his own.

Genesis had never been kissed. He had a rough guess of what it would be like from observing others, but…in truth, he'd had no idea. Apparently, the boy kissing him didn't know either, by the way his lips were crinkling up in tension. But they were still so soft. Genesis could feel every line brushing against his, the way the breath would escape in frightened little bursts, but still the child just kept kissing, his lips fluttering gently against Genesis'.

If Genesis closed his eyes, he could almost imagine someone standing there, standing on their tip-toes, planting small butterfly kisses.

It was that moment that, clear as day, an image flashed into Genesis' mind; the image of a kid, a mop of feathery hair, blue eyes, and the sweetest nervous smile.

But it was probably an imagination.

The boy suddenly pulled away, and Genesis' eyes snapped open, narrowing. It wasn't just something small, not anymore. He was going to find this kid, find out his name, and find out what this entire thing was all about.

He glanced up at the clock and let out a moody sigh.

Of course, it would probably have to wait until tomorrow.

._._._.

Cloud immediately felt that he had done something wrong when he jerked back from G. Opening his eyes, he tilted his head, eyes running frantically over G.

G's head was tilted, his entire posture loose and thoughtful. Cloud looked down, fiddling with his hem.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I…" he lost complete courage now, shrinking into himself.

He was expecting maybe to be brushed off or maybe to be able to escape before having to face anything more or less than that. He wasn't expecting for G to just…turn around and leave, though. He was already out the door before Cloud, mouth agape, went after him.

"G-G!" he called out, following. "Wait! I-I didn't m-mean-"

G had picked up the pace, darting from wall to wall. Cloud raced after him, frantic. Did that come across that badly? Did he do something irreparably wrong?

"Please wait!" he cried now, his voice breaking.

The shadow apparently had a destination in mind, unless he was toying with Cloud. He went further and further into the compound, up stairs and through hallways, Cloud hot on his tail.

Vaguely, Cloud slowed down, slightly frightened; he was in an unauthorized section now, and it was getting pretty late. If he was caught here, it wouldn't be good.

Blinking rapidly as the corners of his mouth turned down, Cloud finally caught up to G, breathing hard so he wouldn't cry. The shadow was leaning on the wall next to a door, looking straight at Cloud. It glanced him up and down momentarily, before slipping right through the doorframe.

Cloud squeezed his eyes together, trying to will away the oncoming slide of tears. He had to go in there, or he wouldn't be able to face himself again. But…it was an apartment. It was late. Whatever official in there wouldn't be happy to be disturbed.

Cloud sniffled, looking up again. It was worth it.

He reached up and knocked.

._._._.

Genesis had moved into the front room after the brief "encounter" as he called it, restlessly pacing back and forth. When he saw something move out of the corner of his eye, it was a welcome distraction; even if it took away from more of his sanity.

For a moment, all he could do was gape.

It was his shadow. He couldn't deny it; it looked like his shadow. Same height, same hair, book under arm…the only difference was that it was moving by itself.

Genesis walked over, tentatively reaching out to touch the shadow on the wall. The shadow mimicked his movements, though somewhat stilted. Genesis frowned, retracting his hand. Apparently, it wasn't completely attached.

There came a small knock on the door.

Genesis' head swiveled around, but since he was already there, he opened the door anyway.

The boy standing there, already frightened, could only comprehend someone seriously angry opening the door. He gulped, his head snapping up so he could look right into Genesis' face. He recoiled slightly; obviously, Genesis had not been an expected answerer.

"P-Pardon me, Mr. Rhapsodos, sir," he whispered, "But…by any chance…did a shadow come into your apartment?"

Genesis' eyes widened.

This was it. This was the owner of the little voice; and how he looked hadn't been imagination, after all. He didn't look happy, though; instead, he looked on the verge of tears.

And he was asking for the shadow.

"Come in," Genesis said hoarsely, and without waiting for a reply, he grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him inside, shutting the door behind them. The boy looked even more frightened at this, and flattened himself away from Genesis, eyes wide.

"I-I just need to know if you saw a shadow," he stuttered, "T-Then I'll g-go, I swear-"

"What's your name?" Genesis asked, moving a little closer. He didn't mean to frighten him, but once he finally knew…

The boy swallowed. "Cloud," he whispered.

Cloud. Genesis tilted his head, lightly smirking. It suited him.

"If-If he's not here, sir," 'Cloud' said, inching for the door, "I'll j-just go."

"Oh, he's here," Genesis said. He raised a finger, beckoning to the shadow on the wall. It slid behind him, once again mimicking his actions, before giving a cocky, wiggly finger wave with one hand. Cloud's face relaxed in relief, though his face still looked sad.

Genesis watched him carefully. If this was the kid who he'd been hearing…did that mean that he'd been feeling him, too? He smirked. "Did you know that it's my shadow?"

Cloud made to nod; then he paused, eyes wide as his mouth slowly opened. Then, he whirled on the shadow.

"Y-You mean!" he cried, "You knew exactly where your person was this whole entire time?"

The shadow shrugged nonchalantly. Genesis hid a grin. A shadow after his own mind. He could get used to that.

After a moment, though, all the air seemed to go out of Cloud, and his eyes widened. Suddenly, he was a big-eyed, helpless child again.

"You knew, and you didn't tell me?" he said now, looking miserable. "Were you just playing around with me? It was all a joke?"

Genesis saw, from the uncomfortable shifting of his shadow, that this was going into unwanted territory.

"So then," he said casually, moving closer to Cloud, "I've heard your voice before, but not your name."

This got Cloud's attention a little too quickly, and a flush spread from his nose across his cheeks in a pretty sort of way. "Y-You heard me talking?" he squeaked.

Genesis looked amused. "The Holy Quartet was actually a very nice idea."

Cloud looked like he wanted to die, but as it was physically impossible, he simply slumped over like a dead party balloon. Genesis found this immensely hilarious. He wanted to see it again.

"I could feel you too," he offered up.

Now Cloud turned completely pale, shriveling into himself. "Really?" he whispered.

Genesis felt like he had gone into awkward territory, and shifted uncomfortably. "You hugging me, you holding my hand, and…earlier."

"Earlier," Cloud repeated. "Oh."

"You know," Genesis said softly, "That was my first kiss."

Cloud's eyes flicked up to him, and then back down to the floor. "Mine too."

There were a few moments of awkward silence. G, probably feeling stagnant, poked idly at Cloud's shoulder. Out of habit, Cloud reached out, taking his hand. Instinctively, Genesis squeezed the feeling of hand he had in his palm. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous of his shadow, feeling that easy around Cloud.

Then he frowned, tilting his head to the side.

"Now that my shadow's back," Genesis asked, "Shouldn't it be…attached to me again?"

Cloud frowned, examining G. "It…should," he said hesitantly. "I don't really know."

Genesis poked at his shadow idly.

"I do think, though, sir," Cloud began, "I know a way to reattach it. At least, I think I do. Do you…have a sewing needle and thread?"

._._._.

They both ended up on the floor, Cloud with the needle and thread, Genesis with his feet straight out in front of him. Cloud was carefully pulling G's feet sole-to-sole with Genesis'. Genesis felt a little thrill when it touched him; like a missing piece was being realigned inside him.

He watched Cloud carefully thread the needle, then gently place it against his shadow's feet. Noticing Genesis watching him intently, Cloud flushed, ducking his head lower over his work. "My mum taught me how to sew," he offered quietly, by way of explanation.

"Hm," Genesis said.

It took quick work for each foot. When it was done, Genesis stood up, shaking each foot. The thread had…merged with the shadow, or something like that. He couldn't even see it. He stood up fully, turning to the side and admiring his shadow.

Cloud reached out with his own shadow, tentatively touching Genesis'.

His hand went right through it.

"Oh," Cloud said numbly, as if he hadn't realized that that would happen. His head lowered, and he coughed, clearing his throat. "It…worked."

"Yes," Genesis said. "It did, didn't it?"

Silently, they both looked at the shadow a few moments more, before Cloud shifted uncomfortably.

"If it's all right with you, sir," Cloud whispered hoarsely, "I…I'll be going now. I need some time."

Genesis hesitated a moment, before gently reaching out and touching Cloud lightly on his head. Fluffy hair, just like he'd felt before. He felt a touch of sudden desperation. "You know…the shadow and I are the same person."

Cloud just stared adamantly at the wall, his eyes already dripping. Genesis felt a jolt of annoyance, but withdrew his hand, clearing his throat.

"Thank you for your assistance," he said quietly. "It was much appreciated, Cadet Strife."

He stood there for a few moments, waiting for a response.

"You're welcome," Cloud said back.

After a few moments, he left.

._._._.

Genesis was not a patient person. In fact, he was as far from patient as a person could possibly get. He cursed himself again and again that night for not forcibly keeping Cloud there. Then again, that would have scared him.

Why did people have to be so difficult to work with?

"Genesis!" Angeal said, sounding surprised. "Your shadow is back!"

Genesis nodded, absently picking at his food. Angeal frowned, looking closely at him. "So…why do you look so sad?"

Genesis paused a moment. "Angeal…" he said, quietly. "Have you ever been in…love…with someone, and found that they loved a part of you… you don't even know?"

Angeal opened his mouth, and then closed it, looking closely at Genesis. His face softened. "It can happen, Genesis. Sometimes…it can happen."

"So what do you do?" Genesis asked, a little too hastily. "When you love someone and they...don't really?"

Angeal hesitated a moment, looking decidedly uncomfortable. "You just have to make do, I guess. Hope that it all turns around and goes the way you want it to." Noticing Genesis' sulking, he reached out and clapped him on the shoulder, going for a more cheery tone of voice. "Did that help at all?"

"No," Genesis said flatly. "I'll just improvise."

._._._.

Later on that day, Genesis ended up in front of Cloud's room door, feeling nervous.

Through the database, he'd found out where Cloud was, and some (scanty) background information. The best thing he'd thought to do was charge in, threaten the kid with fire, cart him back to his apartment, and order him to love him.

Once he'd thought that over, though, he decided that he didn't like that idea. Neither would Cloud, he better.

Genesis raised his hand, knocking thrice before shifting uncomfortably. If he remembered anything from the conversations, it was that Cloud's roommates were usually out and it was Cloud alone.

The door opened. Cloud, slightly red-eyed, peered out, his eyes widening as he saw who was standing there. "Yes, sir?" he said, his voice scratchier than normal.

Genesis took a deep breath. "I know that I'm not fully the shadow that you liked. I know that I have a temper, and sometimes I'm just temperamental for no reason. But…I'd like to try it over again. Please."

Pausing for only a moment, he brought out the flower from behind his back. It was yellow; yellow like Cloud. Cloud's eyes flicked, confused, from the flower to Genesis and back again.

Ever so slowly, Genesis brought the flower to his lips, kissing it. Cloud squeaked, color flooding his cheeks, and Genesis smirked, extending the flower towards him.

"I know you don't have any friends," he said smoothly. "And before we do anything else, I'd like to be your friend. Would you like to be mine?"

Cloud, gingerly, accepted the flower, his little fingers running over it before he brought it to his nose, smelling it. Genesis took his face, gently, in either hand, eyes scanning the pair in front of him. When he was sure, he leaned in.

It wasn't a bad thing for a second kiss. Cloud was frightened again, but Genesis was the gentlest he'd ever been in his life, brushing and fluttering and sharing breaths. Cloud ended up pressed tightly against him, feet off the ground, completely in Genesis' arms.

When Genesis was finished, he set Cloud back on the ground. As an afterthought, he took the flower from Cloud, tucking it behind Cloud's small pink ear.

Genesis leaned down, his nose touching Cloud's, and smiled. "So. Will you be mine?"

Cloud ducked his head with a shy, sweet smile, played with his shirt hem, and thought. It was unnecessary, because Genesis could see the answer shining in his eyes.

fin.

._._._.

NOTE: Since some people are kind of bugging me about this, I have to clear this up. The only aspects of Peter Pan I used in this story are a shadow separating from its owner, its being able to move by itself, and then being sewn back on. That's it. I didn't directly copy any of J.M Barrie's works, and if I did, it is not on purpose. I did not use an excessive amount of Peter Pan references in this; just those few I just stated. I'm sorry if it seemed that way from my author's note. Take care, and please inform me if I have used any other direct allusions to Peter Pan; please reference where and when, however, so I will know where to look. Thank you.

A/N: Hi! If you did, I'm so happy that you read this far! :)Back-story time!

So, I was having a severe case of writer's block about two months ago. ShadesofImagination gave me a quick prompt that roughly said something like "Cloud gives Genesis his first kiss" for me to write something short and sweet with. But as ideas are wont to do, it became a monster. It would've been abandoned a long, long time ago if Shades hadn't decided that it needed to be completed. So here it is. Thank you for bugging me about this.

(I think.)

Anyone else see shadows following you around? It's scary. When you turn around, they pretend to be all innocent and "oh, I'm just a shadow on the wall", but I know they be there. Watching you. O_O

The idea of sewing the shadow back on is from Peter Pan. In fact, the entire idea is a little bit off my obsession with Peter Pan. What can I say? Peter Pan = 3. (Not the Disney version.)

Anyway. Thank you for reading, if you did, and sorry that this thing is…so long! D: Love you all, and happy October! Enjoy the fall colors~ ^^