<.So Much Pain.>

[Cloud // Cid]

Cloud was sat outside the 7th Heaven bar, his head resting in one of his hands, covering much of his face.
The other hand was resting on his knee, which was badly cut. Much like his entire body was, it was covered with cuts and bruises...the bruises most likely came from when Sephiroth beat him up.

"This is it....there's no turning back now, Cloud. You've GOT to look after yourself....no more help from anyone! Trashing this place is just the start of my independance, just to make sure everyone knows that I won't take anymore crap!" Cloud said as he rubbed his sore face.
He looked up at the sky and narrowed his eyes.

"After I've given you what you want, will you leave me alone too?" he muttered as he continued to look skyward.

[Yuffie]

*crack*

Yuffie cracked her knuckles tired and very pissed after returning to Edge,nothing but a wild goose chase to find that stupid professor if he even is still alive.Seeing 7th Heaven Bar she sigh of relief escaped her lips,then she spotted a familiar spikey blonde haired man and ran over to him.

"Whoa what happened to you Cloud,looks like you've been dragged around by something or beaten up.Did you tick off Shinra again,how many times have we told you that we're trying to make up with those guys and you just don't listen....unless this is something else".

She squatted down and noticed him looking upward,so she did the same then looked back down at him.

"Um bird watching or something".

[Cloud // Cid]

Cloud continued to gaze skyward, but spoke as he looked upwards.

"I was in deep thought....but you just disturbed it." he said in a cold tone, before narrowing his eyes, clenching his fists and glanced at one of his cuts.
So much for 'keeping it under wraps', Sephiroth would be pissed off right now.

"You didn't see anything, got it? Now go away." Cloud said before looking upwards again, blocking the doorway at all cost and ensuring the door remained shut.
There was no way he'd let her see what he'd done.

[Yuffie]

Standing up she put her hands on her hips,still stubborn as ever but what was he hiding and why was he being like this.Standing her ground there was no way she was going away,and if she had to use force then you can only guess what happens next.

"Alright Cloud what did you do now,did you trash Tifa's Bar because she won't be very happy if you did that.Now are you gonna move or do I have to make you,because I don't want to kick your ass especially in your state".

[Cloud // Cid]

"...I brought it upon myself to ensure you all got the message. But I...took it too far. Sorry, but you won't pass. I'll give you some materia if you promise to leave me alone and not tell anyone you saw me like this." Cloud tried to bargain with the ninja, revealing a fire materia in his hand.
One of his most powerful peices of materia in his stock.

"You go away and pretend this didn't happen and you can have it." he smirked.

[Yuffie]

Slowly taking it in her hand she sighed,why was he being so cruel towards her I mean weren't they friends.Someone must have got to him,because the Cloud she knew was never ever like this to his friends and allies.

"Cloud if this is about Sephiroth then I have a feeling I know what's going on,i've been chasing after nothing but a ghost of Hojo and it seems his clones are plotting something.I'm not stupid you know because I was experimented on by Hojo when I was little,I also carry Jenova cells inside me but not as much as you".

[Cloud // Cid]

"It's nothing to do with Jenova. When Aerith used Great Gospel to heal me of Geostigma I lost all traces of Jenova within me, everything I have done here is done by my own free will. My own choice. Sephiroth is only a small part of it." Cloud chuckled before wrapping up one of his wounds with a cloth.

"Tifa will be so mad....I don't think she'd look at me the same way again when she goes in there, hopefully the colour of the walls won't upset her TOO much. I was just supposed to make you guys angry, but like I said....I think I went a little...too far....owch..." Cloud tightened the cloth around his wound, causing him to flinch slightly. In order to forget the amount of pain in his body, he chuckled and looked at his feet.
He also chuckled at the name Hojo.

"That crazy son of a b*tch? Sephiroth told me he has nothing to do with his plan....and his 'little remnants' are too independant now to be exploited, they'll probably be somewhere doing their own thing...." Cloud shrugged and wrapped up another cut.

[Yuffie]

Yuffie grabbed ahold of Cloud and pulled him foreward,just what the hell did he get himself into.She didn't care about his little wounds right now,deep down inside the old Cloud still had to be there somewhere so why was he acting like such a jerk.

"What the hell is wrong with you Cloud,have you completely lost your mind.You got me angry alright even if I haven't seen the inside of this place,and i'm pretty sure Tifa is gonna want to knock some sense into ya.We're suppose to be a team,kicking bad guys in the ass and sending them crying home but seems Sephiroth has turned you against us".

[Cloud // Cid]

"He said a few things, sure. But he told me what I already knew.....that I am WEAK when I depend on others. Teamwork was one of those things that made me so weak, how do you think I got so strong when I fought Kadaj? You guys lost your strength because you stayed together and didn't expect anything to happen." Cloud answered, before pulling himself away from Yuffie.
He sat down again.

"I don't care what you guys think of me anymore, you're all liars." he said before looking at his watch.

"....he can wait a little longer, I want to see the looks on your faces once you open that door." Cloud rubbed his head as if serious, not joking or making a laughing matter out of it. it was as if he really WAS trying to prove something.

[Yuffie]

"Weak......WEAK is that what you think you are,what about when we all helped you to fight Bahamut we're we weak and you as well.We all gave you a boost into the air saying good luck,and I know Aerith must have helped you at the last momment what would she say if she saw you like this huh Cloud I bet she'd be disappointed in you".

Being called a liar hit her like a ton of bricks,or like she had just been kicked in the gut.He was just asking for it wasn't he,but Yuffie couldn't bring herself to injure him anymore then he already was.

"I am no liar when I said I was your friend to the end,I said I would always stick by you through thick and thin.Teamwork is what kept us all together,it's what could never divide us and well your not weak I know that and do the other's".

[Cloud // Cid]

"I don't care about anyone else but myself. Your opinions mean nothing to me now." Cloud said as he finished wrapping up his last big wound.
He then heard about 'teamwork helps' once again.

"That's what you all think. Working with others means you're too weak to defend yourself. I was strong back then...but I was weak to ask for all your help. I should have done everything by myself." Cloud answered back to yuffie.

"I need to prove that I can be independant....by living the remainders of my life in solitude." Cloud finished, folding his arms.

[Yuffie]

Okay that was it he crossed the line there,bringing her fist back the foreward she punched him square in the face with as much force as she could.

"Fine be that way then Cloud,but don't come crying to us your"friends" when you need our help because you won't get it from me.I'm sure you don't see it yet,but Sephiroth is just using you as his puppet to do his dirty work and here I thought it would be me first to turn on all of you".

Yuffie pocketed the materia and turned away,if Aerith was around maybe she could make Cloud see past all this nonsense.

[Cloud // Cid]

Cloud fell backwards when he got punched, but sat up again after a few seconds and rubbed the area he was punched.
The kid hadn't changed one bit.

"I am NOT a puppet! I am doing what I know is best for me!" Cloud shouted before opening the door to the bar and slamming it behind him.

He walked up to a table and sat down, the lights where all off and all the blinds/curtains where closed. Making the room almost compleatly dark.
Cloud put his head in his hands and pushed them over his blonde hair, before sitting back and putting his feet up on the table.
He reached for his pocket and pulled out the black materia shard, examining it as if admiring it's cold darkness.
He sighed heavily and continued to reflect what little light shone through onto it.

[Yuffie]

"YEAH WELL YOU ARE ACCEPT IT,and when Sephiroth has got what he wants he'll dispose of you Cloud i'm not a stupid person.So wallow in your self pity by all means,but when the times comes you want help from allies we'll be nowhere near to help".

Folding her arms and her back to the door of the bar,a frown folded over her face as she began to walk off.

[Cloud // Cid]

Cloud heard the ninja's shouting and screaming outside and just made a 'tst' sound and continued to look at the black materia shard.