Disclaimer: Sadly, I have nothing to do with Final Fantasy, Disney, OR
Squaresoft, apart from getting totally obsessive about their works ;-)
Claimer: Alanna, however, is 100% MY character! She got a little warped in this story, but she's still MiNe! (^.^)
AN: Well, welcome to my lil' story. Yes yes yes, I know, a Cloud pairing that doesn't consist of Aerith/Aeris or Tifa?! HOW HORRIBLE! Naw, I just got to thinking that neither of those ships ever seemed to work with me, so my clever little self created Alanna. Naturally, she worked her way into two of my stories - this one and its prelude. Maybe, if you all like this, I'll smack the prelude up on here.
Or hey, I might just do it meself! Teehee.
*Words in asterisks are thoughts*
Well, Enjoy! Comments appreciated, Flames extinguished. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
Lost in Fate
Cloud was falling. That was the one thing he knew for certain. The feeling in the pit of his stomach that he was falling endlessly into darkness, and would soon hit the bottom. He didn't care anymore. *Let it be over with.* A part of him begged, tired of fighting. *Just let me hit whatever's down there already. . .*
And that's when she came.
Suspended on glowing wings, she dove through the darkness that surrounded him. Golden hair softly waved from her serene face, often crossing the path of intense silver-blue eyes. Shadows were purged, and light brought Cloud clarity. His drop slowed, and soon he was able to stand one the lush, grassy field that appeared at his feet.
She landed beside him, folding her hands before herself, smiling but not meeting his eyes. Cloud trembled just looking at her. For so long, this girl had filled his every thought, and for so long she'd made his life more livable than it ever had been before.
He reached out to her, longing to touch her, to see the face that she was hiding from him. The girl stepped away - almost shied away from his outreaching hand. Turning sideways, she looked into the distance of the flower-speckled field, as if toward some destination Cloud couldn't see. He let his hand drop, confused.
But then the girl turned to him and at last met his eyes, smiling the contagious, beautiful, personal smile Cloud always returned. She was holding something out to him, something she held in her right hand. Quickly, she lifted the hand he had let fall and dropped the item inside, closing his hand tightly over it. "Never let it fall, never let it fail. . .I'll see you again in a land of darkness, and together we can find our way to the light. . ." Her voice came not from her moving lips, but from inside his mind.
He reached out to her one last time, desperate to at least touch her once before she left to wherever she would go. This time she didn't step away. Smiling, she closed her eyes when he at last touched her cheek gently. Cloud saw tears glinting in the edges of the closed eyes. She opened her eyes, letting the clear, icy droplets fall unchecked down her face and rested one hand over Cloud's. Her lips moved one more time, but Cloud didn't need a voice to know what she said.
"I miss you. . ."
She faded away into nothingness.
And the grassy field surrounding the lonely Cloud Strife blurred.
.-*~*-.
Cloud woke from his dream by jolting into a sitting position. The room was still as blurred as the field he had dreamed of, and he realized his eyes were wet. Grumbling, he wiped them away and rested his elbows on his knees, emitting a sigh.
"Cloud? What's up?" A voice came from the doorway. "I heard you shouting from across the hall." Squall Leonhart was silhouetted against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, his usual melodramatic expression tinted with concern for his friend.
"Oh, hey Squall. It was nothing. Just the same stuff. . ."
Squall glanced at him, thinking quickly. "I know what you mean. . ."
The two men lapsed into silence. Cloud knew who preoccupied Squall's thoughts. Rinoa Heartily, Squall's girlfriend, had been lost since the destruction of a world in which they all were together. Adamina was a world in which everyone obtained happiness - including Cloud himself.
"I've been thinking." Squall interrupted Cloud's thoughts of the place he missed more than his homeland.
"Hmm?" He responded, unsure what his usually private friend would share.
"I was completely helpless when those.things came, the night Adamina was destroyed. I tried all I could, but nothing worked. I saw that place destroyed, completely useless. I don't want to be useless again. Ever." Cloud nodded, understanding.
"So, uh, I know this might sound weird, but. . . Don't call me Squall anymore. I'd like to leave that weak part of myself behind."
Cloud glanced at him, a wry smile on his lips. "Are you serious?" Squall made no motion to say otherwise, so he continued. "I didn't prevent it from happening either, but you don't see me-"
"You fought!" The currently nameless man whispered darkly. "You were able to hold your own and defeat some of those monsters. I couldn't even touch them! I was useless, and you weren't." The intensity of his words almost made it seem like he was shouting, and afterwards, they left a thick silence.
Cloud grinned. "So, if I'm not calling you Squall anymore, what will it be?"
The brown-eyed man leaned back, thinking.
". . .Call me Leon."
"Alright, Leon it is." Cloud said. "Is it morning yet?"
"Yeah." Leon said after glancing at the window, which emitted a dim light. "I think I'm gonna go check this place out a bit more - Traverse Town?" Cloud nodded.
"That's what they call it."
"Alright. See you around. . ." Turning to leave, Leon paused. "Hey, one more thing, Cloud? What's that in your hand?"
Cloud looked down. He hadn't noticed before, but he was holding something. Something metallic, bright, and foreign-feeling was enveloped by his hand. As he extended his fingers to examine whatever it was, a gentle light emitted from beneath the surface. Cloud held it up, trying to see it at a better angle.
It was a charm. Silver, sparkling, and totally flawless, the metal had been molded into a heart shape.
*"Never let it fall, never let it fail."* Cloud smiled in remembrance.
"So what is it?" Leon asked, his voice confused and emotionless at the same time - as only the Lone Wolf himself could appear.
Cloud hesitated before draping the chain gently around the hilt of his massive blade. ". . .A gift."
Ta-da! And just like that, end of chapter one. Yes yes, I know you all probably are wondering what the H- is going on, but remember - this is the second section of the story. It's just a lot more solid that the first, and I'm still having issues with that one. -_-' I'll work on it. Again, review, review, review! I'd love input or ideas to shove in somewhere, if they go along with my scattered general ideas. Thanks for reading.
Claimer: Alanna, however, is 100% MY character! She got a little warped in this story, but she's still MiNe! (^.^)
AN: Well, welcome to my lil' story. Yes yes yes, I know, a Cloud pairing that doesn't consist of Aerith/Aeris or Tifa?! HOW HORRIBLE! Naw, I just got to thinking that neither of those ships ever seemed to work with me, so my clever little self created Alanna. Naturally, she worked her way into two of my stories - this one and its prelude. Maybe, if you all like this, I'll smack the prelude up on here.
Or hey, I might just do it meself! Teehee.
*Words in asterisks are thoughts*
Well, Enjoy! Comments appreciated, Flames extinguished. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
Lost in Fate
Cloud was falling. That was the one thing he knew for certain. The feeling in the pit of his stomach that he was falling endlessly into darkness, and would soon hit the bottom. He didn't care anymore. *Let it be over with.* A part of him begged, tired of fighting. *Just let me hit whatever's down there already. . .*
And that's when she came.
Suspended on glowing wings, she dove through the darkness that surrounded him. Golden hair softly waved from her serene face, often crossing the path of intense silver-blue eyes. Shadows were purged, and light brought Cloud clarity. His drop slowed, and soon he was able to stand one the lush, grassy field that appeared at his feet.
She landed beside him, folding her hands before herself, smiling but not meeting his eyes. Cloud trembled just looking at her. For so long, this girl had filled his every thought, and for so long she'd made his life more livable than it ever had been before.
He reached out to her, longing to touch her, to see the face that she was hiding from him. The girl stepped away - almost shied away from his outreaching hand. Turning sideways, she looked into the distance of the flower-speckled field, as if toward some destination Cloud couldn't see. He let his hand drop, confused.
But then the girl turned to him and at last met his eyes, smiling the contagious, beautiful, personal smile Cloud always returned. She was holding something out to him, something she held in her right hand. Quickly, she lifted the hand he had let fall and dropped the item inside, closing his hand tightly over it. "Never let it fall, never let it fail. . .I'll see you again in a land of darkness, and together we can find our way to the light. . ." Her voice came not from her moving lips, but from inside his mind.
He reached out to her one last time, desperate to at least touch her once before she left to wherever she would go. This time she didn't step away. Smiling, she closed her eyes when he at last touched her cheek gently. Cloud saw tears glinting in the edges of the closed eyes. She opened her eyes, letting the clear, icy droplets fall unchecked down her face and rested one hand over Cloud's. Her lips moved one more time, but Cloud didn't need a voice to know what she said.
"I miss you. . ."
She faded away into nothingness.
And the grassy field surrounding the lonely Cloud Strife blurred.
.-*~*-.
Cloud woke from his dream by jolting into a sitting position. The room was still as blurred as the field he had dreamed of, and he realized his eyes were wet. Grumbling, he wiped them away and rested his elbows on his knees, emitting a sigh.
"Cloud? What's up?" A voice came from the doorway. "I heard you shouting from across the hall." Squall Leonhart was silhouetted against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, his usual melodramatic expression tinted with concern for his friend.
"Oh, hey Squall. It was nothing. Just the same stuff. . ."
Squall glanced at him, thinking quickly. "I know what you mean. . ."
The two men lapsed into silence. Cloud knew who preoccupied Squall's thoughts. Rinoa Heartily, Squall's girlfriend, had been lost since the destruction of a world in which they all were together. Adamina was a world in which everyone obtained happiness - including Cloud himself.
"I've been thinking." Squall interrupted Cloud's thoughts of the place he missed more than his homeland.
"Hmm?" He responded, unsure what his usually private friend would share.
"I was completely helpless when those.things came, the night Adamina was destroyed. I tried all I could, but nothing worked. I saw that place destroyed, completely useless. I don't want to be useless again. Ever." Cloud nodded, understanding.
"So, uh, I know this might sound weird, but. . . Don't call me Squall anymore. I'd like to leave that weak part of myself behind."
Cloud glanced at him, a wry smile on his lips. "Are you serious?" Squall made no motion to say otherwise, so he continued. "I didn't prevent it from happening either, but you don't see me-"
"You fought!" The currently nameless man whispered darkly. "You were able to hold your own and defeat some of those monsters. I couldn't even touch them! I was useless, and you weren't." The intensity of his words almost made it seem like he was shouting, and afterwards, they left a thick silence.
Cloud grinned. "So, if I'm not calling you Squall anymore, what will it be?"
The brown-eyed man leaned back, thinking.
". . .Call me Leon."
"Alright, Leon it is." Cloud said. "Is it morning yet?"
"Yeah." Leon said after glancing at the window, which emitted a dim light. "I think I'm gonna go check this place out a bit more - Traverse Town?" Cloud nodded.
"That's what they call it."
"Alright. See you around. . ." Turning to leave, Leon paused. "Hey, one more thing, Cloud? What's that in your hand?"
Cloud looked down. He hadn't noticed before, but he was holding something. Something metallic, bright, and foreign-feeling was enveloped by his hand. As he extended his fingers to examine whatever it was, a gentle light emitted from beneath the surface. Cloud held it up, trying to see it at a better angle.
It was a charm. Silver, sparkling, and totally flawless, the metal had been molded into a heart shape.
*"Never let it fall, never let it fail."* Cloud smiled in remembrance.
"So what is it?" Leon asked, his voice confused and emotionless at the same time - as only the Lone Wolf himself could appear.
Cloud hesitated before draping the chain gently around the hilt of his massive blade. ". . .A gift."
Ta-da! And just like that, end of chapter one. Yes yes, I know you all probably are wondering what the H- is going on, but remember - this is the second section of the story. It's just a lot more solid that the first, and I'm still having issues with that one. -_-' I'll work on it. Again, review, review, review! I'd love input or ideas to shove in somewhere, if they go along with my scattered general ideas. Thanks for reading.