Hi everyone, here's a short little ficlet/what if scenario, if before the first bombing, Barret realizes there's something… off about Cloud. Feedback/critique is welcome (and by welcome… I think you know what I mean lol), on both my writing, and the characters, as I have never actually played FF7 and am not sure how to write the characters. I guess the remake (which I am several years late for) has me pretty hyped, and I've obviously heard a lot of great things about this game. Apologies as this is unbeta'd and is probably filled with errors. Anyways, enough of my rambling, please enjoy!~

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any multi million dollar franchises.

Barret's angry dark eyes bore into Cloud as they sat together below the 7th Haven Bar. Cloud, being the stubborn person that he was, was not about tone the one to talk first, however, his impatience won out at the thirty second mark.

"So, do we have a deal or what?"

Barret continued to stare at him for a moment before standing up to his full six and a half foot stature, a move obviously meant to intimidate, but Cloud's face remained impassive.

"Listen, we got a deal, but I'm watchin' you. I don't care what Tifa says, you're trouble, and I'm only doing this 'cause o' her. She vouched for ya, don't screw the mission up!"

Cloud nodded vaguely. Ever since he woke up in Tifa's Bar, the 7th Haven a week ago, she'd been walking on eggshells around him. Cloud was not used to this type of treatment and had been itching for some action, he was a mercenary after all, so the chance to get some sword swings in as well as make some gil was too good to pass up. Tifa had introduced him to Barret, the leader of AVALANCHE, an anti-Shinra group that she was a part of, and here they were, in the secret AVALANCHE headquarters in the basement of the 7th Haven. Cloud hadn't pressed for details about the job because in all honesty he didn't care. He was a mercenary, mercenaries did their jobs without question in the pursuit of riches.

Barret let out a huff and sat back down beside Cloud, resting his arm on the scuffed metal table of the basement.

"So, about my pay…" Cloud ventured, staring blankly at Barret's rapidly deepening wrinkles, which were awash in the green light from the giant TV on the wall in front of them. He was starting to look kinda pissed off. Cloud's mouth twitched upwards momentarily, a rare show of amusement from the former SOLDIER.

"You'll get your pay once ya do your job!" Barret grumbled, his eyes flickered to the Buster sword on Cloud's back, which was strange enough on it's own, being almost as tall as its wielder himself, but which he'd also never seen Cloud take off in their admittedly short time together.

"You know how to use that?"

"Well enough." Cloud said curtly.

Barret lingered on Cloud, "The hell? Can you even lift that thing? You look like you weigh 120 sopping wet! Not to mention…"

Cloud studied his arms, it was true. They were pretty thin, not to mention, he hated to say, sickly looking. Was this what Tifa saw? Was this what Barret saw? He was sure his arms had been different before…

Before… what?

What changed?

Cloud had felt this nagging discomfort ever since arriving at the 7th Haven, like there were pieces of his puzzle missing. He'd tried not to focus on them as they made him feel unsure, and Cloud hated feeling unsure, but maybe if he reached…

…

A searing pain erupted behind his right eye.

Snowflakes swirled around his uncovered eyes, and the cold air tickled his nose. The corners of his mouth were crinkled in a smile.

"Me and Cloud here are both backwater experts!"

Green. Everything was green. And Cloud was weightless. Through the murk, he thought he heard a voice… right, he was looking for someone… there was someone here that he needed to get to, wherever here was. He opened his mouth to call a forgotten name, then foul liquid flowed in, his body jolted in surprise, he heard muffled yells and beeping in the distance, and dread bloomed in the pit of his stomach, not again, ZA-

…

Barret hated Shinra, the energy company/dictators of the free world had destroyed his home village of Corel and slaughtered countless of people living there. He also blamed himself for this atrocity, seeing as he'd been the one to encourage Shinra to set up a reactor there in the first place. In short, he was obviously not a fan of bringing a former Shinra SOLDIER along to literally fight against his own former employers, even a child would question where Cloud's loyalties really lay. Hell, all Barret knew about Cloud was what Tifa had told him, and all of that seemed pretty damn flimsy in the present moment, as Cloud's usually emotionless gaze had fallen to his hands, which Barret noticed were trembling.

Alarmed, Barret leapt to his feet. Cloud's hands went up to clench at his golden locks as he slumped to the ground, his face contorted. Barret didn't know what to think, but he was not about to loose a valuable fighter on the sector 7 mission, nor would he be the one to tell her that Cloud somehow got hurt while they were together. Cloud let out a small groan, then was silent.

"Christ," Barret's huge frame leaned over the former SOLDIER, "Kid?" He reached out a hand, shaking the young man's shoulder.

Cloud's blue-green eyes opened, for a moment, he looked dazed, his eyes weary. Then he seemed to snap out of it.

"Why am I on the ground?" Cloud demanded, blue-green orbs focusing and narrowing on Barret.

"Ya don't remember anything, huh?" Barret begrudgingly offered his hand to help the man up.

Cloud didn't take it, sitting up slowly from the grated floor, "What are you talking about? I was just…" Cloud trailed off, eyes unfocusing again, then he shook his head.

He heaved himself up with some effort and stalked off towards the ladder, missing the entire bottom rung in his distraction. Barret chose to remain silent, studying the silently retreating, yet ever growing mystery that was Cloud Strife. What had just occurred was disturbing, and was made even more troublesome by the fact that the blonde seemed to recall nothing. But, after mulling things over, Barret realized that he didn't care, he was a member of AVALANCHE, getting revenge on the Shinra corporation for their senseless usage of the planet's life-force. What did it matter if the hired help was a little… off? If Tifa could keep this guy in check, and if he could indeed use that sword, then Barret could care less.

After all, it wasn't like they would become friends or anything.