A/N: This takes place during the game when Cloud and company head up Mt. Nibel after entering Nibelheim for the first time (in the game).
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In Spirit
Going up Mt. Nibel after so many years has passed was like walking back through time. He can still remember the path he took when he followed Tifa to make sure she wouldn't get hurt. In those days, things weren't going so well and Cloud could recall getting into trouble a lot at school and having to see his mother saddened by his juvenile delinquency. Suddenly, a flashing memory of his mother lying dead in their home as it burned to the ground causes his head to hurt a great deal. He raises a hand to his temple and groans painfully as the memory passes.
Mother…
As the group walked along, he notices a diverging path that he never really explored when he was a kid. Curious about where it leads, he decides to go down that path on his own.
"Let's take a break here," he suggests to the group first.
Tifa, Barret, Yuffie, Cait Sith, Red XIII, Aerith, and Vincent all pause in their paths, surprised upon hearing Cloud's sudden suggestion. However, they simply shrug off the randomness of the declaration since they too wanted to take some time to rest before moving on. While they settle down, they decide to look over their equipment to see if they're fully prepared for anything that they might encounter in these mountains, failing to notice their "leader" disappearing without a trace.
With Buster Sword secured onto his back, Cloud steadily makes his way up the mysterious path winding around one of the mountain's many spires. His small trip ended at a ledge where something large stood glinting in the light of the sun. Using his arm to shield his eyes from the blinding rays, Cloud approaches the strange object, slowly making out a large wide pastel indigo-colored blade topped off with a very oddly-shaped hilt that looked as if it was taken off of a piece of machinery. The overall shape causes something to click in the back of the swordsman's mind, but he couldn't bring himself to figure out why. His heart told him that he's seen this weapon before, but his mind could not recall any memory of it.
"Go ahead and take it. It's not like I can use it anymore."
Startled greatly, Cloud spins around to face the source of the voice. There standing before him was a man in his early thirties dressed in navy-blue slacks with matching suspenders, a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and a pair of tan rough-terrain boots with deep brown soles. Long dark-brown bangs hang halfway down his face, corresponding with hazel eyes while the rest of the back-length hair was tied in the back. With both hands in his pants' pockets, the man smiles gently at the swordsman.
Cloud's eyes went wide as his mouth struggles to say the word that plagued his mind.
"D-Dad…?"
"Hey there, sport," greeted Mr. Strife. "You look well."
"But… you're…" the blonde-haired swordsman's mouth grew dry as he tries to make his thoughts heard. "Is this… a dream?"
"I don't know," responds the man. "What do you think?"
"I… don't know what to think," answers Cloud. "It's been so many years since you… passed on…"
"Yeah…" agrees Mr. Strife, raising a hand to scratch his head. "How are you holding up, kiddo?"
"Kiddo?" exclaims Cloud. "Dad, I'm 21."
"You don't seem to act like it."
"Give me a break. It's not like you were there for me."
Suddenly, Cloud felt like taking back his words. He could clearly see how they've hurt the man as sorrow overcomes his hazel eyes.
"I'm sorry," he apologizes sincerely. "I didn't mean it."
"It's all right," assures Mr. Strife. "I deserve it, for leaving you and your mother like that."
"It's not your fault," Cloud argues back. "You said so yourself. Nothing lasts forever and death is a part of life."
The man crosses his arms over his chest as he closes his eyes and sighs. "I've taught you well. Perhaps too well."
He walks over and places a transparent hand on the young man's shoulder. Cloud could feel the coldness of his father's ghostly touch as the man did so, but made no move to show that he was uncomfortable.
"It's true that death is a part of life," began Mr. Strife. "However, I was wrong to say that nothing lasts forever."
Taking his hand off of Cloud's shoulder, he walks past the young man towards the sword sticking out of the rocky ground. He then turns around to face his son one last time. Cloud watches in confusion as his father began to slowly fade away as particles of bright yellow-green sparkles.
"Cloud," said the man. "You are my son, and you'll always be my son. As you carry Rune Blade, know that I will always be there to watch over you. A promise is a promise."
"Dad… Wait…!" exclaims Cloud raising an arm as he watches the rest of his father fade away.
"Good-bye… Cloud…"
With the man gone, the Rune Blade glows a bright blue once before returning to its normal state. The blonde-haired swordsman was filled with sorrow, yet his heart became strengthened with a renewed determination as a result of the unexpected encounter. Quietly, Cloud walks over to the sword feeling as if a bit of weight has been lifted off his shoulders, his soul refreshed from being able to see his father one last time. As he stood near the sword, he wraps his hand around the handle and firmly pulls the weapon out of the cold hard rock. Almost as soon as it was lifted free of its natural prison, Cloud could feel intense magical power surge from the sword.
"Dad…"
As the sun shone high in the sky, Cloud turns towards the bridge that will lead him and his friends to their next destination. Feeling stronger than before, Cloud feels even more confident in continuing his journey to find Sephiroth and put an end to his reign of terror, knowing that his parents will be with him in spirit.