Cloud hadn't spoken a word to anyone all day.

The night had come with terrifying dreams that didn't make any sense to him--shapes and violent colors in a cacophony that assaulted his sleeping senses. He woke up in a cold sweat, shaking as he clutched his chest. When Link rolled over, holding his side, and gently whispered "are you okay" into his ear, his voice stayed stuck behind his teeth, and he shook his head.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Link asked.

Again, Cloud shook his head, shrinking into a ball on the bed. And with that, Link spooned him, holding him close until sleep took over once again.

But the morning came, and over breakfast, he only pushed around his food, dark circles marking creases underneath his eyes. "How do you feel?" Link signed, somehow managing to balance his fork within his fingers.

Cloud shook his head. "I feel awful," he replied with his hands. "I had a bad dream. I can barely remember it, but I know it was awful." 

"I'm sorry, baby." The endearment was signed close to his chest, close to his heart. "Do you want to take the day off?" 

"No, I can't." Cloud looked off as he continued to sign. "I need to stay strong."

Link reached over the table and waved his hand in front of Cloud's face to draw his attention. "You already are strong. You don't have to act so tough all the time. I promise." 

Cloud felt the weight of everything fall on his shoulders, and all he could do was sigh. It was easy to put up the front, to pretend that nothing was wrong, but it was also so exhausting. "I know," Cloud ended up signing as he stood up. He passed around behind Link and dragged his fingertips along his shoulders. He waited until Link was watching him before he finished his sentence. "But this is all I know." 

With that, he went to his drills.

Practicing with a sandbag was one thing, and against generated fighters was another, but Cloud knew the only way to get stronger was to practice against real opponents. And through several rounds, he spoke not a word, focusing on the way his sword slashed in front of him--the angle, the precision needed to get the most out of every attack. It was a focus that he welcomed.

His last fight before he retired for the day was with a quick-footed and scatterbrained Sonic, dashing at Cloud's feet. "Hey, what's gotten into you?" he asked. "I know you're the tough and silent type, but this is something else!" 

Cloud replied with a swift jab to his stomach, and followed with a cross slash that sent him flying off stage to end the match.

With the lobby buzzing with post match activity, Cloud retreated to one of the last quiet places in the mansion, a place where quiet was a necessity. Down the second hallway, the first door on the right. The smell of books made him clear his throat, but he still sighed with relief.

The library.

Ganondorf was already at his desk at the front, and he eyed Cloud from above his reading glasses. "I don't see you here often," he remarked.

Before he could stop himself, he was already signing. "I just want some quiet," he signed, then his hands seized, and he clenched them down at his sides.

"You don't want to talk either?" 

Ganondorf's voice always had a sinister edge to it, regardless of what he was saying, but the comment dug deep into Cloud's chest. His heart pounded in his ears, but even as he wanted to say something, his voice wouldn't say it, and the vague memories from the dream trumped his ability to speak. Instead, humiliated, he hissed air through his teeth.

He stared down at him for a moment, an excruciating moment longer. "I saw Link go in the back," he said. As he spoke, he spelled "L-I-N-K", and pointed down the left back aisle.

Cloud bit his cheek and followed where he pointed. Why the hell would he do that? That bait and switch, he thought. Sometimes, I think he can't help it.

It didn't take him long to find Link, even though he was tucked in the very back of an aisle--his bright blue tunic gave him away. He smiled kindly at him and gave him a wave, and the relief that washed over Cloud was palpable. There were no other seats besides the stool Link was sitting on, so Cloud settled on sitting at his feet, letting his head loll back and stare at the ceiling.

"How were drills?" Link signed.

"Okay," Cloud replied. "I think my low sweeps are getting better." 

"That's good." 

Cloud leaned against Link's knee, and let his fingers absently speak for him. "Does it ever get easier? I'm so tired of having fragments of the past that I don't understand anymore come and haunt me." 

Link sighed audibly. "I think it does," he replied, then looked directly down at him. "I think you've been through a lot more than a lot of us, too." 

He cocked his head. "You think so?" 

"You're the only one who struggles with memory problems like this," Link signed. "It's more than the mansion will do. It's traumatic." 

Cloud mouthed an "oh", and a deep sigh went through him that drooped his shoulders. He tried to remember the dream he had the night before, but the more he tried to capture it, the more it slipped away. The more it slipped away, the more trivial were the emotions that came with it. For the first time that day, he felt truly calm.

"I think I get why you don't talk," Cloud signed. "I understand it more, anyway." 

Link snickered to himself with a little nod, then stroked back Cloud's hair and signed with one hand. "The quiet is nice. But, I like your voice." 

"I like yours too," Cloud signed back on impulse, although his fingers slowed at the end of his delivery, and his face flushed.

"I know," Link signed. "I only give it to those I trust.

and I trust you." 

Their eyes met, accompanied by soft smiles, and sealed by a gentle kiss in the silence of the library.