Corrupt Intentions: Cloud's Defying Delight

"Barret, I can't do this."

"You've gotta man, I'm telling ya. We can't do this without an alchemist. It's all part of the plan. Just trust me, ok?"

Cloud sighed, taking a last look at the map of the city in front of him as he followed Barret down a dark alleyway towards their next destination. Tifa wasn't far behind him, her boots clacking loudly against the cobblestone streets as she tried to keep up with them.

The three of them were dressed up in loose clothing that they had bought in town earlier that day. Cloud and Barret had long black robes wrapped around them with hoods pulled up over their heads to conceal their features as much as possible. Tifa was wearing a long red dress with sleeves that nearly reached her knees and clung tightly to her upper body, showing off her womanly curves as best as she could.

They had been living in this village for several months now since escaping from Midgar and Cloud had never felt more out of place than he did now. He was used to living in the slums, surrounded by men and women who didn't value life or other human beings for that matter. Here though, things were different. The people here lived happily together, working hard every day to make sure everyone had what they needed to survive. They valued each others' lives more than anything else it seemed and Cloud couldn't help but feel guilty about all he took from them when he stole from them on a daily basis just to feed himself and his friends until they could leave this place behind.

"Whoa... wait up guys." Said Tifa as she caught up to them. "I think we should take a break right here." She turned around, looking back at the road they had just walked down before looking back at Cloud and Barret expectantly. "Come on you two, you're gonna wear yourselves out if you don't slow down." She said before walking over to sit on a nearby wooden bench that sat on the opposite side of the street, motioning for Cloud and Barret to join her once they saw where she was sitting.

Barret looked at Cloud curiously before following Tifa over to sit beside her on the bench while Cloud stayed where he was standing across the street from them both.

"Hey dude, c'mon!" Said Barret after getting up from his seat next to Tifa and making his way over to Cloud's side of the street so he could walk with him down the road towards their next stop in town. "What's wrong? You've got something better going on than hanging out with us?" He asked sarcastically as he began walking alongside Cloud down the darkened street leading away from their current location towards where they knew there would be an alchemist living in town somewhere close by who they could rob so they could buy what they needed to get out of this city once and for all.

"No... it's not that." Said Cloud quietly after a few moments of walking alongside Barret in silence before stopping in front of a house not too far away from where they were currently standing near an intersection between two different roads further into town where an alchemist lived by himself just like everyone else in this village did these days because it made things easier when everyone lived within walking distance of one another instead of having many houses spread out farther apart from one another. "I don't think I can do this anymore though." He continued after a moment before turning around and looking back at Barret and Tifa sitting on the bench across the street before returning his gaze back toward the house where the alchemist lived who would hopefully have what they needed so they wouldn't have to steal any more from these nice people here in town anymore so he could finally feel like he deserved what little food he stole from them every day just to eat himself alive with guilt afterwards for being nothing more than just another thief when no one here deserved any of what happened to them during that war fifteen years ago when Shinra gained control over everything back then including these innocent people who did nothing wrong except try to live their lives peacefully just like everyone else until Shinra came along and changed everything forever which is why they needed money so bad so they could leave this place behind once and for all but even then stealing was wrong especially when these people here deserved better than that which is why he couldn't do it anymore even if it meant leaving without getting what he needed because that would make him no better than Shinra itself which is why... "I don't think I can do it anymore." He repeated softly after a moment before turning around again and heading back across the street towards where Barret and Tifa were still sitting waiting patiently for him on the bench across the road while slowly disappearing into darkness one step at a time until he was gone completely leaving only darkness surrounding both him and his sadness behind as it slowly faded away into nothingness awaiting his return once again someday soon or perhaps never again depending on whether or not things worked out how they wanted them too or not because hey... life was never fair was it? Not even close sometimes!