(Author's Notes: This story is to be read as if Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children never occured. Several hours of planning and feeling is being put into this work as FFVII is my all time favorite of the Final Fantasy series. Thank you, and please enjoy.)
--DISCLAIMER: Final Fantasy VII as well as all Final Fantasy titles do not belong to me in any shape, way, or form. Most of the characters and all of the world are from the original game and belong to Squaresoft/Square-Enix. It is from the bottom of my heart that I thank them for creating such a massive game with such an addictive storyline and lovable characters which is what drew me to finally write this story.--
Chapter One
Four years after the events of Shinra, Midgar, and the summoning of Meteor by Sephiroth, a man with an insatiable thirst for power and destruction, the world fell into an era of peace. Monsters continued to roam the lands, allowing AVALANCHE, the organization that fought to save the planet from Shinra, to continue its quest to keep the world safe. One member of AVALANCHE has placed himself in a state of retirement after the activation of Holy. Hanging his sword up upon a mantle in his home, he wanders the streets of Nibelheim, slowly fading into his own memories.
Sliding a black jacket over his shoulders and tightening his boots, he made his way outside into the chilly morning air. Children were playing as he passed through the town, stopping only once to look to the old well that stood in the middle of the town. With a quick huff, he brushed his spiky hair with his hand then continued up the street, passing the old Shinra Manor, long forgotten and now in a state of disrepair. He did not stop to glance upon the old building. He felt he had no need to gaze upon that part of his past. Instead, he slowly made his way up the path leading to the peak of Mt. Nibel.
He remembered this mountain all too well. He heard some voices and turned to see a young boy with blonde hair rushing up the path. He stepped to the side, his back against the mountain just as the boy rushed by. Behind him followed three young boys and a girl. He returned to the path and proceeded up. The path twisted and turned, becoming narrow in some spots that forced him to sidle along the wall. The voices of the children were again audible as he moved higher up the ledges. The area was cool, the air thinner. He zipped his jacket some to keep warm.
He was met with the old rope bridge. Looked even more fragile now than it had before. The children were playing on it. The blonde haired boy was halfway across while the girl stood just a few feet on the bridge.
"You don't have to do this, you know?" She shouted to the boy.
The boy looked back and shook his head. "It's the only way to prove I'm as good as Sephiroth!"
The girl let out a sigh and took a few reluctant steps toward him. "Who cares about Sephiroth?"
The wood began to creak and the boy began toward her. "You need to go back! The planks are starting to give."
"I'm not leaving without you." She shouted back.
The boy dove for her just as the planks below them gave. The man watched as both children fell. He rushed to the bridge to see that the planks that had broken were fixed, secured tightly by the sides of the rope railing. He backed up from the bridge and held his head for a moment. Their voices were in his head, calling for him, he could not stand it. He slowly made his way along the bridge, the wind causing it to sway. He took a step, the plank snapped in half. The man clung to the rope railing and looked down to see the fog that surely covered the true depth of the fall. He pulled himself up and quickly made his way along the bridge.
He continued along the path until he reached the fiery red metal that was the Mako Reactor. The reactor was no longer in use and had begun to rust. Pipelines that led into the earth itself had burst, allowing old runoff to slowly drip out of the reactor's core. He heard voices suddenly from behind him. He quickly turned and moved out of the way. His eyes shot wide open when he saw Sephiroth walk up followed by a man in purple, a Shinra soldier, the mayor of Nibelheim, and a young teenage girl.
"Keep her out here and stand guard." Sephiroth instructed before leading the SOLDIER officer and the mayor into the reactor.
"H-how?" The man stuttered.
The girl walked up to the Shinra officer and lifted her hat slightly. "You know, you can let me through. I'm really good at keeping secrets." The soldier shook his head. "Man!"
"What in the..." the man began to mutter, "...augh!" He cried, clutching his head.
The red light of the reactor surrounded him, his head pounded, his own heart could be heard. The back of his eyes burned as if acid had been poured into them. The voices grew louder, more and more frequent. The moaning, the shrieking of lost and forgotten souls.
"Papa..." The girl cried as she leaned toward her father. "Sephiroth?" She shouted. "Sephiroth did this to you, didn't he?" He tried to block out the noise. "Sephiroth...SOLDIER...Mako reactors... Shinra...everything..." The girl continued. "I hate them all!"
"No!" The man shouted.
He opened his eyes to see that his hand was clutching the handle to the reactor's door. He let go, pulling his arm back just as his left arm began to ache. He opened his jacket and looked at his forearm only to see that the scar that slid across it was hurting again. He grumbled and replaced his coat and began making the trek back down the mountain, trying to ignore the groans that filled his mind.
Back in the town, rushing around a kitchen, a woman wearing a tight white tube top and black short-shorts rushed around trying to neaten up the room. She brushed her bangs from her face and sighed. She threw her rag on the counter and dusted herself off before walking into the next room. It was at that moment, just as she was about to pick up an old picture frame, that her communicator went off. She made her way to the bookcase just a foot away from the bed across the room and picked it up.
"Tifa, here." She answered.
"Tifa, where the hell is Cloud?" A deep voice shouted over the communicator.
Tifa sighed, "Where do you think he goes to spend his day? He went up Mt. Nibel to the reactor."
"Damn! I thought you said you were working to get him back in the team?"
"Barret, it takes time." She argued. "He still beats himself up over what happened."
"Pssh! That's bull shit. What kinda sissy is he?" Barret huffed.
"Well, if you want him in the group so quickly, how about we take a different approach?"
Barret grunted before answering, "What you got in mind?"
"Bring the gang here to Nibelheim. Make him see what he is missing."
"I ain't gotta do anything that'll make me look like a sissy, do I?" Barret growled.
Tifa sighed, "No. Just come by and say you're doing a safety sweep."
"OK, but if this is a wild goose chase I'm gonna get ya."
With that, Barret hung up. Tifa stared at the communicator for a moment then glanced out the window. She sighed heavily, knowing that it was going to take quite a bit of work to make Cloud rejoin them. She threw the communicator onto the bed angrily and buried her head in her hands. She had been with Cloud for nearly three months now, trying hard to make him see all the things that he did not lose. The only things she received from him in response is silence in rejection and if it continued, she feared she would not be able to take it.
She lifted her head and looked across the room into the kitchen to the set of leather gloves that lay upon the tabletop. She stood up and slowly made her way over. The gloves had been folded, neatly placed and hardly moved. She lifted one of the gloves and examined it. The leather was worn, had several cuts in it and where the small metal plates were located the leather was turning white and was beginning to tear. She stroked them, remember all that she had done with them. She put them on and threw a few punches for fun. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, slowly opening and closing her palm to feel the leather against her hands.
"Having fun?" A voice asked suddenly, shaking her from her daze.
She turned to face him and gave a weak smile. "Cloud, you're home." He walked passed her, dropping his jacket on the side of a chair. "How did it go?" She asked.
He stopped and looked back at her then turned around. "Why the sudden interest?"
"Oh, no reason. I just thought that talking would make things better."
The house fell silent again, Cloud put his hand to his jaw then looked up to the ceiling. "I just can't get my head straight."
Tifa sat down in one of the kitchen chairs and looked up. "Well, how about we go out and do some practicing."
"What?" Cloud asked sharply.
Tifa jumped, knowing how much Cloud hated to spar with her. "Not for you, for me. Besides, you're not the only one that needs fresh air. I've been cooped up in this house all day trying to keep things neat." She stood up and tapped her foot.
Cloud shook his head. "I don't want to harm anyone."
"You won't."
"You don't understand, Tifa." He said as he turned his back to her. "You've never felt the pain of harming another."
"What?"
Cloud's head began to spin as the moans became louder. He shook his head to try and fight off the feeling. The room disappeared and he stood before a girl, her long brown hair tied back neatly by a pink ribbon. He covered his eyes, and shook his head again.
"Cloud! Snap out of it!" Tifa shouted, grabbing Cloud's shoulders.
Cloud jerked his head up and gasped for breath. His face was coated with cool sweat and he looked to see Tifa staring at him. He pulled away and looked out the window for a moment before nodding.
"OK. We'll practice."
Tifa sighed with relief then happily led the way outside town into the small field that rested beyond the gate. Cloud follows, reluctant yet willing in order to make Tifa happy. He thought back to when Tifa first arrived at his doorstep asking for him to rejoin AVALANCHE. She mentioned that they needed him. That without him, morale had fallen significantly and some were losing the will to continue fighting to save the planet. He had been cold to her, saying he did not care one way or another about the planet and that he wished he no longer existed to be use as a tool. He remembered that Tifa nearly cried that night and how bad that made him feel. His feelings for her had been romantic at one point but he had just about given up on the feeling of love. Past trauma he guessed was the culprit but he was not about to point fingers. It was too late for that.
"OK. We'll practice here." Tifa said happily.
Cloud looked around at the area. Nothing special. Green grass, a few dirt patches, he could see water off in the distance, but still nothing too special. He looked in the direction of town, they were a few mile away, not too far. Cloud returned his gaze to Tifa to see she had already began stretching. On the ground lay a jacket, it was not his, he knew that much. He grabbed his own jacket on the way out and still had it clutched in his hands.
"You're not going to get too cold, are you, Tifa?" Cloud asked.
"I don't think I will." She answered with a smile as she pushed herself up.
Cloud nodded and began to stretch. "If you say so."
Tifa begins to throw a few practice punches and kicks with a large grin across her lips. Cloud watched her for a moment and realized that combat really did make Tifa happy. She was not one to settle down, that was a known fact by everyone that laid eyes on her. She was always energetic, happy to help anyone that asked. He guessed that was one thing he liked most about her and the one thing he grew to despise as he had become a recluse.
"You ready yet?" Tifa said with a laugh.
Cloud got to his feet and nodded. "Sure."
Tifa took a relaxed battle stance, her arms up to allow easy guarding. "Would you like the first move or do you want us to random combat?"
"I don't care."
"Heh, you always say that. Random it is then. Free form, hand-to-hand combat." Tifa blurted out with a smile.
Cloud nodded, noticing that the sun was slowly beginning to set casting an orange glow upon them and the land. It reminded him of when Meteor was up in the sky. The land was in a consistent sunset. Staring death in the face only to feel as if time had stopped at dusk. Footsteps rose, running speed. Cloud snapped out of his daydream in time to see Tifa leap into the air and begin a dive-bomb kick. Cloud lifted his right arm to block. Her boot landed onto his forearm, stopping her. She kicked off with her other foot, knocking Cloud off balance and allowing her to back flip to face him again.
"Don't tell me you're losing your touch." She said with a laugh.
Cloud caught himself and readied his stance again. For some odd reason, as his heart-rate increased, his stress slowly left him. Why was battle making him happy? Tifa charged again, a large grin on her face as she raced toward him. Cloud widened the distance between his legs and braced. Tifa began to place most of her weight on one leg as she ran, Cloud prepared for another jump attack.
"Know thy enemy!" She said with a giggle as she began a flurry of punches.
The first few hit Cloud in the chest but he began blocking. Tifa dropped and began a kick attack. Cloud jumped back, then raced forward just as she was bringing herself up. He landed his first punch, square in the stomach, then followed with his knee, forcing her jaw up. He went in to push her back but she caught his hand and forced him forward enough to kick him from behind. Cloud fell forward, rolling then returning to his feet. Tifa had already began running toward him a nd managed to run up his back and, using his shoulders as a spring board, jump over his head. Cloud rushed in, darting left to right to make judging his movement difficult, then quickly slid, beginning a low roundhouse kick that struck Tifa just below the knee.
Tifa fell down, back first. She shifted her weight enough so that she landed on her shoulder blades, allowing a quick backward somersault so she could return to her feet. She wiped the dirt from her legs then gave Cloud a smile. She held her right hand back as a bright light began to resonate from it. Cloud stared at her for a moment before realizing what he had triggered. She rushed forward and threw another punch. Cloud moved both his hands in to intercept. Upon contact with her hands, the light erupted. Due to Cloud's attempt to contain the explosion, both he and Tifa were sent backward. Tifa attempted to catch herself after a few rolls but Cloud remained on his stomach after his tumble.
Tifa burst into laughter and looked over to Cloud and said, "I haven't used that in a long time."
"What was that?" He asked.
"The last technique I had to master." She stood up and dusted herself off.
"Oh."
Tifa walked over to where Cloud was lying and held out her hand for him and smiled. "Let me help you up."
Cloud looked to her for a moment then grabbed her hand. Tifa pulled him up to his feet and laughed at little. Cloud chuckled but only for a second. He picked up his and Tifa's coat, tossing hers to her. Tifa led the way to town, glancing up to the darkening sky as the stars began to pop into view.
"Hey, Cloud," Tifa said, "how would you feel about having visitors?"
"Visitors? Like who?" He asked as he put on his coat.
Tifa pulled over her coat, "Well, I got a call from Barret earlier today. He said that they are going to do a safety scan over Nibelheim tomorrow."
"Why? Nibelheim doesn't have any monsters."
Tifa shrugged. "You know how he is about things. Besides, I think it would be a good thing for them to do it."
"Eh, whatever."
"Well, I told them they could stay with us." Tifa continued. "I don't know when they'll arrive, but the whole group will be here."
"So?"
Tifa stopped and turned to him, stopping him from continuing. "You honestly don't care, do you?"
"Not like I can do anything. Let them come and do what they like."
"Cloud..."
"No." He interrupted. "I'm out of that group and I don't plan on joining again anytime soon. Just forget it."
Cloud stormed off into the town, leaving Tifa outside the gates. Tifa fought back the tears in her eyes and dug the communicator from her coat pocket. She flicked her wrist, opening the communicator's flip-top and began dialing Barret's communicator. It ran several times. Tifa began to think she should just hang up with a girl's voice came over the communicator.
"Yuffie? Is that you?" Tifa asked in confusion.
"Hmm? Tifa? Hi, Tifa!" Yuffie said happily.
Tifa sighed. "What is the status of the Highwind?"
"Status? What do you mean?"
"Your location?"
"Oh! OK. I'll check."
Tifa sighed, wondering how Yuffie could be on board a ship and not know where they were. Yuffie use to get air sick, so she guessed that not knowing helped her feel better. After a few moments of silence and shuffling, Yuffie returned to the line.
"Are you still there?" Yuffie asked.
"Haven't budged."
"OK. I just asked Cid. He said we just passed over Kalm village about seven minutes ago. We'll be in Nibelheim by morning if we keep up our current speed."
"Good. Tell Barret that Cloud is as bull-headed as ever if no more so." Tifa instructed. "He'll know what I mean."
"Cloud? He's there?" Yuffie asked excitedly.
"Uh, yeah. Well, he just left for home so he's not with me."
"Sugoi!"
"Y-Yuffie. He's not the same." Tifa tried to explain.
"Does he still have tons of materia?" Yuffie asked suddenly.
"Wha, I guess, but isn't all of his on the,"
"Great! This trip will be worth the hassle after all." Yuffie said happily. "OK, Tifa, I'll give Barret the message and we'll see you in the morning. Woo-hoo!"
"But, Yuffie, I," Tifa began only to be cut off by the click of the line being dropped. Tifa closed her communicator and shook her head. "This is seeming to be more trouble than I thought it would be."
Back in town, Cloud had made his way to the well and stopped. He stared at it for a moment then turned his gaze to the path leading toward Mt. Nibel. He sighed, his body feeling heavier than usual. He made his way into his house and fell upon his bed, his right leg hanging off one side.
"What is wrong with me!" He cries out as the wails return in his head. He clutched his head and rolled onto his side, his eyes clenched tightly as the noise grew louder. "Why are you in my head? What is this?" He opened his eyes wide to see a bright light shining before him. He looked down to see that he was floating. He returned his gaze up to see a hand reaching for him. He hesitated then tried to reach for it. His hand became but a few inches from the other hand when he awoke from the sound of the door opening.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you had fallen asleep." Tifa said softly.
"Asleep?" He asked.
"Yeah. You looked asleep any way."
"Oh. I guess I dozed off and didn't realize it." He rubbed his head for a moment the looked to Tifa. "Sorry."
"For?" She asked.
"Hurting you."
She laughed a little. "If this is about the sparring match, I'm not hurt. It takes a bit more than a few hits to hurt me."
"No, it's for how I acted earlier."
"Oh, that. No problem." She said with a smile as she put her coat up. "It was nothing."
"Nothing." He said suddenly.
"That's right, nothing." She replied. "So, don't worry about it too much. Besides, we have to be up bright and early. They'll be here in the morning."
Cloud looked to her, "How early?"
"They didn't say."
He shook his head, "OK. I'll do my best."
She smiled and sat down in the kitchen. She stared out the window, slowly dozing off. Cloud watched her for about two hours then made his way out of bed and over to her. He looked to see if she had fallen asleep then carefully picked her up. He smiled and placed her on his bed, covering her up. He then walked over to the other bed and sat down. He knew that the day ahead would more than likely make or break Tifa. He had to do all he could to make her feel as though she could go back to the team. He fell onto his back and stared at the ceiling, he would keep his own routine. He'd wake up extra early, go to the reactor, then come back and see if the group had arrived.
He stopped and thought again. Perhaps, he should just skip out on his trip up Mt. Nibel. He had done it almost everyday for the passed three years. He nodded. He would stay home and greet the team with Tifa. That way, Tifa could have the little reunion she wanted. He closed his eyes and sighed, feeling a little better about himself now that he had a plan to work with. He knew this would make Tifa happy. He hoped it would at least.