A/N: Reuniting is a story that I love. It had the right amount of fluff, characters, and story that I thought was amazing. For my writing level at that time, it was.

However, this story you are now reading is changed from before: I have added more substance, deleted unnecessary detail, and focused more on Denzel and Marlene's relationship along with Cloud and Tifa. I hope previous readers will reread, and that new readers enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own or take credit for the creation of Final Fantasy VII. This is meant for entertainment use only.

XXX

Reuniting

where did you come from and why can't I stop thinking about you?

XXX

One Mako reactor, two Mako reactor, three Mako reactor...

Denzel studied the agonizingly slow clock. The second hand ticked away as he counted in his head, lips subconsciously moving.

At the count of sixty, he gently set his solemn face back into his skinny arms, chocolate hair flopping comically. He kept his head down as poorly made paper airplanes and spit-wads flew around the room, the teacher ignoring his wild classmates.

Only ten more minutes...

This tiny school under the plate was grimy, the government's way of trying to rebuild. To nobody's surprise, the materials were donated, illegally salvaged in the lumber yards and steel mills by the part-time principal. It was hardly clean; the floors were riddled with dust and mold. Since teachers willing to work for less than twenty gil a day were hard to come by, most of the 'authority' figures were elderly people with squinting eyes and crippled hands. Once in a while, a real teacher would come in to substitute, but they were gone within a few weeks to find something, anything better.

Still, school wasn't all bad. There were kids who came from Edge or under the plate in Midgar; like him, they couldn't afford to be driven to above plate elementary or middle schools with the Mako crisis escalating. They knew what he had gone through, and didn't make fun. Nobody could, because it had happened to them too.

A piece of crumpled paper whacked into his head. Narrowing his emerald eyes, he peeked at who was disturbing him.

To his surprise, he found it was Marlene Wallace. She was sitting two rows behind him in between a grease-ball kid and a bratty girl. Cute little Marlene with her soft brown hair, cute nose, nice eyes, colorful dresses...

She was smiling directly at him.

He smiled back, and glanced away.

Marlene had always been nice to him. She was friendly and curious, often talking to him in the mornings as they sat on the steps in the flickering electrical lights before school began. She always arrived early to school for some reason. He was only there because Cloud had deliveries in Midgar all morning and dropped him off along the way to clients. Denzel listened to her, but sometimes he couldn't keep up with her adult words, ideas, and the way she smiled at him. It made him feel like a real person.

The boy unsuccessfully tried to ignore everything else by drumming his fingers on the edge of the desk. Thick bound books fell off the rickety shelves. The chairs scraped along the ancient tile as kids jumped off, trying to touch the roof. The teacher walked out and slammed the door. Drifting mentally away from the school, Denzel let himself become sleepy.

Soon, he'd be home with his dad...

Suddenly there was a loud bang barely a centimeter away from his hand, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin. In surprise, his heart pounded wildly. His eyes jerked up.

It was Elizabeth with her dull hair and thin, chapped lips; three other girls in mismatched outfits stood behind her like sentries, sneering in his direction. The tormenter's beady blue eyes, ready to cause discomfort, brightened at her new victim, and as she leaned closer to him, she raised her eyebrows.

"Hey Denzel...we were talking about you. Isn't your dad unemployed?"

He froze.

Denzel struggled not to leap to his feet and race out of the classroom. His hands had turned into ice as they gripped his green backpack filled with homework. Even his blood felt chilled at the odd feeling of defiance and shame coursing through him.

Denzel's eyes narrowed, and he coldly stated, "No."

As if she knew the pain she had caused her fellow classmate, Elizabeth grinned like a champion. Satisfaction spread throughout the brat's entire body as she threw her head back and laughed.

"Because!" Elizabeth sneered, "Your coat is falling apart! And don't get me started on your lack of hygiene. Your hair could probably house a bunch of rats in it! And your dad's always riding that dirty motorcycle." Triumphantly, she crossed her arms over her small chest, "That means you obviously don't have any money!"

Denzel felt the flush of shame. It cut deep.

His mouth opened, but nothing came out, not even a lie.

Then...

"Elizabeth, you have no right to talk. Your mom is a hooker."

The boy blinked.

Really?

The snobby girl in front of him tensed. Panic filled her eyes as she whipped around. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and she yelled, "She is not!" Fiddling with her short skirt, she stared at the floor.

Denzel gazed in awe.

There she was. Marlene. Standing two feet away from Elizabeth, her eyes were fierce, like a lion. Even the sides of her mouth were turned down, clearly declaring that she was not a friend to this little hellion.

What was she doing?

A few giggles were apparent in the swarm of girls behind her, and to his disbelief, Marlene was glaring outright. She said, "Don't pick on anyone." Simple. Blunt. Admirable.

Shyly, Denzel smiled.

Her eyes focused on his for a split second of hope. The world lit up with Marlene's wicked smile. He timidly shielded his face, another shy smile forming.

Scarlet spread across Elizabeth's cheeks as she whipped around, accusing, "Well...your sister is a bar-tender!"

"No, she runs a successful business. It's not just for booze," Marlene retorted, face completely red. Despite the brave tone in her voice, the girl looked unsure, "Everyone but you is welcome at Seventh Heaven."

The bell exploded with noise.

Guilt made Denzel lower his head back down. Marlene had stuck up for him. He wasn't sure how it made him feel. Gathering his things as the girls stared each other down, he followed the crowd before either Elizabeth or his unexpected savior could even detect him.

The hall was a mess; the dust was layered over old metal sheets that served as the binding for the walls. There were no lockers, colorful drawings, or drinking fountains like above-plate, only a cramped office window with bars screwed over the opening. The cardboard sign had a scrawled note of "OUT" depicting where the principal was.

Dodging his fellow classmates by the office, he walked to the doors in the huge crowd. More people ran past him screaming or shouting, jostling him out of the way. A blast of warm air met him and he shivered in pleasure before high-tailing it down the concrete steps onto the dried, dead grass.

It was a warm day, with a soft breeze blowing. The schoolyard was swarming with children; most of the kids walked home or caught the one battered yellow bus from here. Overhead, the fallen plate was a looming omen, frightening in the surreal outline of its sharp, bombed edges...

"Denzel!"

He stopped, turning to face the little girl elbowing her way past older classmates with a scowl. Marlene's flush face seemed even brighter out in the open. Denzel held his breath as she ran to his side. He wasn't good at talking to girls.

"Denzel!" she huffed, "I just want to tell you that you should come over sometime. We can color or walk down the street or play hide-and-seek and other stuff." Without even flinching, she patted his shoulder. She grinned. "Ask your dad, okay?"

Denzel's heart was going about three times too fast in anxiety. "Uh..."

Those sparkling eyes winked. "It's fine if you don't want to. Really. I am glad you'll even talk to me, Denzel," her voice continued as if she had picked up on his embarrassment. It probably wasn't hard with his beet-red face. "Can I talk to you tomorrow morning?"

This is it. "Sure." Denzel felt his voice crack. It would be good to speak with Marlene, or at least listen to her.

The pressure of her fingers faded. "Thanks!"

The discussion was over before he could even blink. He wanted to say something, but nothing came out of his mouth. When she pulled back, she simply said, "See you tomorrow!" Clacking her black shoes together, the girl bounced halfway across the dried, yellow grass.

His fingers tightened on the strap for his backpack as his feet automatically began trudging towards the street.

"Denzel!"

He eagerly looked up.

There was Cloud near the sidewalk, standing taller than most of the kid's parents, younger than most. With his bright blue eyes and thick blonde hair, he stuck out in a sea of dark haired people. His relaxed posture immediately made Denzel feel better.

The boy began waved his free hand while running across the dusty, fried grass. Quietly, he swung his backpack toward the ground (more towards Fenrir) and approached his idol, waiting for the familiar side hug. "Hey!" Cloud Strife murmured roughly, ruffling Denzel's scruffy hair. One strong hand ran across his son's shoulders proudly.

"Hey," Denzel said quietly.

Cloud began walking with him as an equal towards the road, stooping to grab the green backpack. "Do you want to go for a drive later? Get lunch at Reno's?" Gently, he took Denzel's shoulder in his hand and nudged him in the direction of Fenrir, the shimmering black motorcycle.

Denzel's heart clenched.

Elizabeth had said something about the bike like it was old. But it wasn't. It was a beautiful machine, all smooth and sharp at the same time. The two of them had money from the deliveries...and what about Marlene? Did she have money with her mom's bar business?

Why had she been so nice to him?

Frowning, Denzel asked, "Can we just go home?"

Cloud's eyes, the color of hot mako, flickered in worry; Denzel saw it and gulped. His adoptive father didn't miss anything. A small, fake smile twitched across the boy's face. "I think you should get pizza tonight. I have homework."

A crack in the sidewalk made Denzel stumble slightly. Unbeknownst to him, the blonde haired man shook his head in slight amusement, twirling his keys from his fingers. "Yea. We can do that." Pulling down his glasses from his forehead, he threw a leg over Fenrir, revving it powerfully before pulling Denzel on the back with one gentle hand.

"Ready, bud?"

Denzel put his arms in their customary places around Cloud's stomach.

"Ready," he said.

Checking for any nonexistent traffic behind him, Cloud nodded, "Then hang on." With a squeal of tires and a thrum from the engine, they were off, and Denzel was clutching on for dear life.

XXX

Sitting on his bed, Denzel stared at his green jacket on the floor. The left sleeve was tattered, the right almost completely split in half, and the hood had been ripped. It was his favorite. He looked around his small room. The dusty air was slipping through the sun's rays expectantly; the walls were painted with gold. It wasn't old or dirty. The boy let out a sigh and flopped back onto the warm mattress.

He hadn't really had any friends before; Cloud had filled his once non-exciting life with deliveries and street education and meeting adults for as long as Denzel could remember. There hadn't been a need to go to someone's house to play because Cloud was so much better and let him meet tons of people. They were best friends.

So what if he got made fun of in school? It was only for a few hours. Cloud and all his friends were stronger than those kids anyway.

But after having Marlene stick up for him today, he wondered why he hadn't talked to her before school. She was waiting for him in the mornings with her bright smile. He tried to listen, often getting lost in the conversation, and yet she continued to tell him about her (not-so) exciting life.

Marlene.

Did she...like him?

He flushed. Because he thought maybe he liked her. Could he tell her? How? Wouldn't it be weird if he went up to her during the day and-

There was a small slam from the old, wooden bathroom door as Cloud entered the second bedroom. Slight humming and light footsteps came from that general direction.

Denzel tried to quiet his mind, just in case Cloud came in. He rolled over, arm pillowing under his head until it grew numb. He watched the shadows sway back and forth and wondered what Marlene was doing. Her sister worked at a bar, so would she be there, talking with all the people? She could probably get away with it since she was so smiley.

In comparison to Elizabeth, Marlene was perfect. She was funny, and nice, and determined. What would it be like to be friends with her? She would never lie to him. Could they really get together and play at her house? He'd never been to someone's house before. What was it like? Did he have to take food?

"Denzel?"

Immediately, his eyes jerked up into his big brother's bright eyes. The blue orbs blinked. They were curious, but somehow cautious, if he knew how much Denzel had on his mind.

"Hey. How was school?"

"Oh," Denzel said without thinking, trying to remove the uncertainty from his face, "It was okay." Just not Elizabeth. He blinked.

Cloud's nose scrunched as he snorted, gently lowering himself to the creaky bed. "All right, all right. My earliest delivery tomorrow cancelled. You can sleep in." Arms reaching out, he wrestled Denzel's unruly hair down.

But Marlene...

It was strange how uncertain he felt about the announcement. Denzel nodded his head, trying to shake off the feeling of disappointment. "Okay." He had wanted to see Marlene before school. Hadn't she said that she'd talk to him? What if they didn't get time to talk? She always ran off after school. Without thinking, he let out a massive sigh, ruffling his long bangs.

The sound was enough for Cloud. He released the boy, a frown already forming as he stood up, shaking out his limbs. Although Cloud was generally quiet, there seemed to be something in his eyes that knew something was wrong. He just was afraid to ask.

"Well..." he waited, but Denzel said nothing. "...good night," Cloud awkwardly said, gripping the doorknob harder than usual. With a final glance, he pulled it shut with a slight click.

Groaning, the boy flung himself back, staring up at the slightly water damaged ceiling tiles. His heart began rapidly pounding with the thought of telling his big brother about what Elizabeth had said. Cloud couldn't understand. He bet Cloud never had these dumb feelings like that because he was so cool.

Denzel frowned.

Or would he?

He rolled over onto his side. Marlene was so amazing and so much cooler than he was. He couldn't speak to Elizabeth that way because she scared him and...wasn't it true? Weren't all of his clothes ripped and torn after years of wearing them? Didn't the shower pipes have to be banged a few times before the water would get hot? Did Marlene care?

Denzel let out a frustrated groan and punched the pillow. His heart pounded angrily. All these thoughts shot through his head. He would give anything to get rid of his feelings. It was too complicated. And he was nervous. Frightened. Argh! That made him seem like he was a scared little child.

But...

Marlene.

He closed his eyes.

He couldn't see her tomorrow before school. That meant he'd have to talk to her after. He'd tell Cloud to pick him up just a little later.

Everything would work out.

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