…Lifestream?
Prelude
Cloud's senses began to finally return to his real body. As he looked up, he no longer saw the familiar hand reaching through the green glow of the Lifestream, but the gloved hand of his old friend, searching for him. She was yelling out to him, but he couldn't make out what she was saying.
Suddenly, the ground began to fall out from under the Soldier. His body flailed around as he tried to find his footing. As he looked up, he noticed the ground giving way under Tifa, as well. Cloud regained his composure, stomped his feet down, and darted forward. With two quick steps, he leaped into the air, snagging his falling comrade from the air, and, reaching out as far as he could, grabbed on to the solid ledge.
Tifa opened her eyes, and held her friend's embrace, relieved they were both okay, for the moment. She looked up to his glowing eyes, the beautiful blue eyes that had held her attention ever since she found Cloud at the train station so long ago.
"I think I'm beginning to understand," Cloud finally said thoughtfully.
"What?" Tifa asked in surprise.
"The Promised Land…" he began softly. "I think I can meet her, there."
Tifa felt a slight pain in her heart. She had worked so hard, done so much, and now, after all they had been through, he still thought of her. She closed her eyes tightly and put her head to his chest as they hung from the cliff. "Yeah, let's go meet her…there."
The woods were so damned quiet. No rustle of the wind blowing through leaves. No animals moving. Nothing. The only sound that could be heard was the heavy breathing of the two men, trying desperately to hide behind the trees. Sweat beaded down their faces, and dropped to the ground.
"Listen," one of the men whispered to the other. "Spencer, if we split up, one of us surely will get away."
Spencer shook his head quickly. "We're already disoriented. If we try to run off, we'll continue to be lost in the forest!"
"Just keep moving in one direction. You're bound to come out the other side eventually."
Suddenly, the bush behind the two lit up with a large fireball. "Run! They've found us!"
The two split up, running in opposite directions. Spencer charged to his left, dodging trees and bushes. In the distance he heard a sudden cry of pain. He stopped and listened. "Will?" he whispered hysterically. "Will? Don't be dead Will, don't be dead!"
The young man turned and darted down a small path towards the sunlight. He could hear rustling and movement all around him. He was being chased. Hunted. Was it animals? No, he could hear them speaking, though he couldn't make out the language.
Finally, he stopped. Breathing heavily, he couldn't run anymore. He pulled his small digging knife out, and held it in front of him. "Whoever you are!" he yelled, "Whoever you are, I have a knife and I know how to use it!"
He listened carefully, but heard nothing. After a few moments, he heard some chanting, followed by the whirling sound made by materia use.
Spencer's eyes went wide, and he ducked as quick as he could. He covered his head as a tree next to him became shrouded in ice. The magic shot had missed, fortunately.
"I am sure…" a deep voice came from behind. "…A knife will not be too much use against us."
Spencer turned and saw his enemy for the first time. A young man sat on the back of a gold-colored Chocobo, his long brown hair flowing in the gentle breeze that had just kicked up. He was wrapped in cloaks, and carried ancient weapons, much like that which they had dug up recently at the site. In fact, now that he thought about it, the soldier looked a lot like some of the men in the pictures in his old history books.
"You are lucky, little one." The voice bellowed out. "You are going to be my messenger."
Spencer breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled himself up to his feet. "Thanks be…I was worried you were going to kill me."
The soldier smiled. "Oh, I am. That's the fun part of this. You don't even have to be alive to give my message."
As Spencer let out an audible cry, the foliage around him began to fill up with more soldiers on Chocoboback. They all held out materia and smiled at him.
No matter how much he splashed water up to his face, the dirt, grime, and even traces of blood just wouldn't come off. It didn't matter, much, anyhow. It was hard to look into the mirror and see the face that looked back.
Ever since he regained his full memory, something just never seemed to look right to Cloud when he peered into the mirror. Perhaps it was the Mako eyes. Maybe it was the "borrowed" uniform of the late First-Class Soldier. Or, maybe it was simply how much pain the face had been through over the last 8 years.
Cloud had never really been one to dwell on past problems, though. When his father left, he still continued on with his mother. When he didn't make First Class, he continued with Shin-Ra anyway. The young man just rolled with the punches.
However, recent experiences just couldn't be rolled over. What's more, it wasn't over. Sephiroth was dead. Meteor was destroyed. The planet was saved. However, there was so much more to do, now, in the vacuum left by the destruction of Shin-Ra. And, there was Aeris.
The Soldier splashed water on his face once more, grabbed a towel and dried himself off before slipping his uniform on. He opened the curtains of his upstairs bedroom window, and took in the beautiful countryside surrounding Kalm. The small town had become something of a makeshift base camp to help the refugees of Midgar. Cloud, Barret, and Tifa, the last of Avalanche had come here, hoping to help with the relief.
"It's good to see you're bathing again," a lovely voice rang through the room from the stairs. "I just wish you knew how to do laundry. Or, at the very least, I wish you owned more than one of those uniforms."
Cloud smiled and turned to his old friend. "If the knowledge and wisdom of the ancients is contained in materia, don't you think that there would be a more practical materia, like 'clean' somewhere?"
"It wouldn't matter if there was. Yuffie would have run off with it just as she did with all the other orbs."
Tifa walked up into the room, and set down her bags. Her long, brown hair flowed behind her, and she was wearing a yellow sweater with a slightly long blue dress. Though Cloud would never admit it to her, she looked as beautiful as ever. "You're dressed a bit different, today."
"Yeah, well, we're not having to charge into battle. What's more, the temperature out there is freezing."
Cloud smiled again, and turned back to his view of the countryside. "Tifa?" he asked.
"Yes?"
"Do you remember the Lifestream? I mean…when we were there together?" Cloud asked, turning to her.
"Of course," she replied.
"I never said…well, that is…I never…I–Tha–." Before he could finish there was a ringing, which Cloud was quick to try to answer. Tifa stood patiently with her arms crossed, waiting for him to finish.
Cloud picked up the PHS and answered.
"Who is it?" Tifa whispered.
Cloud's wide eyes narrowed. His jaw clenched. "I'll be there as quick as I can."
Tifa could hear the door downstairs slam shut and heavy feet stomp up the stairs. "Did I jes' hear the PHS?" Barret's booming voice called out.
Cloud walked across the room and pulled his sword and sheath from the closet and strapped them to his back. "It was Red. There was an attack on the archaeologists at the Northern Continent."
"There are still a lot of monsters close to the craters and around on the southern tip," Tifa said. "What is the big problem? They should have soldiers there protecting them."
"They weren't attacked by monsters," Cloud replied. "They were attacked by soldiers. Whoever did the job was very skilled with Materia."
"Why would someone wanna attack a buncha turkeys like them?" Barret said. "It jus' don' make sense."
"That's what I'm going to go find out," the soldier said, moving across the room.
"You mean WE'RE going to find out," Tifa replied.
"No can do," Barret interrupted. "Not dis time, Tifa. Some former Shin-Ra Soldiers are about in the area trying to rob ref'gees. If we don' stay and help, who knows what will happen aroun' here. If you go, that only leaves me wit' Reeve, an' I'll strangle him if I'm left alone wit' him."
"But," Tifa began.
"No buts," Cloud interrupted her. "Not this time. You're needed here. Besides, Red and Cid are going to meet me there. The three of us are big boys. We can handle things."
Tifa looked back to Barret for help, but saw none coming. She then turned to Cloud pleadingly. "Please, be careful, and come back in one piece."
Cloud walked past Barret and Tifa. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he stopped suddenly and turned back to the two. "Thank you, Tifa. No one else could have helped me." The soldier turned and continued on his way.
"Now, what in the name of Jenova do you suppose that was 'bout?" Barret asked. He turned to his friend, but she did not reply. "Tifa, you okay?"
Tears of joy slid down her cheeks.