AN:: this is a prelude to Ennui, and all the notes there count here as well. I own nothing but the idea and all the games whose characters involved, which I have played until the discs are nearly unreadable the start of this is nearly a century before the events in ennui

Forever

By Tsumi

Lightning raged across the sky as the young man ran as fast as he could to the village for help. blonde spikes plastered to his head from the rain. He had to get into to town, he had told his wife they should have stayed in town this close to her time but she had wanted to continue working the farm until then. He tripped over a rut in the road and wound up in a mud puddle. he was floundering his way to the side of the road when the sounds of a carriage broke through the rain and a sleek black vessel came charging down the road drawn by a team of gray beauties. they pulled to a stop and the door opened to show two people a man and a woman close to his age both with green eyes, the woman's hair was sable brown and the man's was a silvery blond. both looked at him curiously.

"I'm sorry to bother you master.."

"Strife." he answered.

"Master Strife but do you know the way to Niebelhiem from here?"

"Yes it's nearby just down this road."

"thank you, May we be of service?"

"umm I need to get to Niebelhiem my wife's in labor and I need the mid-wife."

"I see. get in we shall help you get there faster and dry." the woman smiled.

"thank you but your carriage?"

"Can be cleaned I assure you." the man said pulling him inside. The man grabbed a blanket from below the seat and wrapped it around his shoulders.

The carriage's inside was uposlstered in red leather and made quite a striking sight with their black clothes. His own mud stained, and soaked broad cloth clothing looked ridiculous in it. by comparison.

"I am Sephiroth Valentine and this is my little sister Aerith we are traveling."

"Cloud Strife as I said this is my home town but my wife and I live in a farm close to the river she didn't want to lose any of the harvest staying in town."

"With a baby on the way? well father did practically lock mother in her room with Aerith."

"Seph!" she said quickly eyes flashing but a kind smile and a soft pat calmed the woman.

The carriage stopped and the small window in the front of the carriage was opened slightly.

"We've made it to town sir where do we go?"

"Where is the mid wife?"

"Oh, the building closest to the well I can go there from here."

"I wouldn't hear of it a thing such as this needs haste. Datto go fetch her and bring her here we shall take master strife and her to his home for the child."

"Yes sir." the window shut again and a few moments later a dazed older woman was handed into the carriage.

"Cloud what is going on here?" she asked when she saw him.

"Tifa's have the baby I was coming to get you when these people offered their help."

"I see fine lets get moving then there's a child to birth." she said sitting beside the blonde and watching the two others.

Once they arrived at the house the old woman bustled in to do her job and Cloud climbed out and turned to them.

"thank you for your help tonight."

"Of course we are happy to help. we shall take our leave now if you need us we have recently purchased the large house in town."

"the old manor that place hasn't had any one in it in years it would take forever for it to be livable." Cloud headed inside.

"True but it is beautiful." Aerith smiled.

they hurried off and Aerith giggled and leaned against her brother.

"You seem pleased with yourself my dear sister."

"I am it's a pity he's married I kind of like him.

"I'm sure you can do something about this."

"True, so when are the others arriving?"

"Tomorrow night a few should have beaten us there already."

"Good." she sighed. "It's only a hour till dawn."

"Yes we'll sleep once we go to the house."

the rain had faded by morning and the dawn was heralded by the cries of a child. the midwife handed the small blonde bundle to his mother.

"A boy Tifa, he already looks much like his father."

"He does." the brunette said quietly still weak from the birth.

"He's adorable Tifa, are you all right?"

"I'm fine Cloud just a little tired. She smiled down at the baby whose eyes were closed. Then up at his father. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah just tired."

"Get some rest."

"The lad hasn't rest since coming to get me. go to bed Cloud I'll keep an eye on Tifa and the child."

"thank you." He went to lay down, he was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

They called the boy Roxas and he was a joy to his parents, the only problem was Tifa never seemed recovered from the birth. Before she had been a bright energetic woman, one of the reasons Cloud had fallen for her. Now she seemed a shadow of herself but she was always watching over her son. Feeding him changing him taking care of him while Cloud worked the only problem was taking the vegetables they had to market, normally this was Tifa's job but cloud was worried about her.

"Go ahead Cloud take them you'll be home by tomorrow at the latest and I'll be fine alone for a short time." she told him.

"Are you sure Tifa?"

"Yes go we need the gil."

And with that she shooed him out the door and he was soon leading their chocobo to town with a laden cart. he glared at the animal, which seemed more interested in chewing his hair than walking.

"Silly beast my hair is nor your chick." he pushed her head away.

The bird barely did what he wanted it to do he could have taken it the night Roxas had been born but the birds hated rain and refused to leave their nests in it. he sighed and continued to trudge along his mind in turmoil, he hated to think that he might lose Tifa he loved her but she seemed so tired as of late and refused his help. He shook his head as the village came into view, it was such a quaint little town snug in a gap of the foothills in the Nibel Mountains. Only a few dozen buildings it was a town of farmers and huntsmen mostly though the mountains themselves also helped the townspeople survive. There was a manor house at the farthest end of town that had once been owned by some rich family who had long since died out. Since then no one had lived there and people had thought it haunted. Now he saw that there was indeed someone living there, the siblings he had met earlier apparently were having the place fixed up. There was scaffolding everywhere. There was a small market in the center of town where the farmers came to sell their wares he waved to a few others he knew as he set up his small stall tying up his bird with a few greens to tide it over.

As he worked a young man close to his age with spiky black hair and odd blue gray eyes walked along the stalls. He wore black leather pants and a white shirt, which was open to show his tanned toned chest. He had a heart shaped face and a very sure of himself air. Cloud had never seen him before and was sure he had to belong to the new comers. The man stopped to look over Cloud's vegetables.

"Hey how's the harvest been?"

"Pretty good, I haven't seen you around here before."

"The name's Zack, I work for the Gainsborough household." He gestured to the manor house. "You?"

"Cloud I live just outside of town farming Vegetables and raising chocobos mostly."

"I see both look good." he smiled. "how much for the lot of it?"

"A hundred Gil."

"seventy five."

"ninety five."

"Eighty."

"Ninety."

"Done."

"Pleasure doing business then want some help?"

"Sure it'll take forever to move this stuff by myself." Zack grinned.

They loaded it up in the wagon and the chocobo was hitched to it and Cloud drove it to the manor house, upon their arrival a pair of kids came running out to help unload it. They were a scruffy pair of urchins and moved with no sound between them. They soon had the cadet unloaded and Zack gave Cloud the Gil.

"I still have few things I need in town care to help I'm still getting used to all the staring."

"Sure my wife expects me to be out all day with the market."

"Good."

Most of the things Zack needed were simply sundries the normal supplies needed by a large household, fabrics, tools, the basics. as they walked along Zack chatted absently.

"How long have you worked for them?"

"Most of my life actually my parents served as servants for their entire lives and I was born into it. luckily I'm not that much younger then master Sephiroth, so I was often pulled into being his playmate."

Cloud nodded and watched the older man as they walked along, Zack had an odd grace about him like a hunting cat or a wolf. he also seemed so open and friendly that cloud almost hated to leave for the farmhouse when he did.

"We should see eachother again spike it's fun talking with some one not at home you know."

"Sure I should go and check on my wife though."

"Go one then take care."

Cloud rode the bird this time making a faster trip then the first. with the gil safely in his pouch he felt much better about the transaction than he had in a while.

He saw the house in the distance and smiled he hoped Tifa was all right. once he had gotten the bird settled down he went inside. it was too quiet and there was an odd smell in the air. he ran for the bedroom and found Tifa collapsed on the floor Roxas was fast asleep in his basket.

"Tifa!" he ran to her and picked her up. Checking for any signs of life, he found her pulse slow and fleeting.

"Tifa please answer me! Don't leave me!"

Roxas woke up and started to cry loudly. Cloud looked helplessly at his son and put her down, he ran to the child and tried to quiet him.

"Shh Roxas it will be okay we just have to go into town and get the healer." he carried the boy out and left the basket next to him as he rehitched the chocobo top the cart and made a comfortable bed in the back he then went and got Tifa and lay her in the cart. He then carried Roxas, after feeding him some milk and headed for town as fast as he could.

They arrived in town and he quickly carried her to the healer's home, the woman looked at him then looked overt the woman.

"I'm sorry Cloud I'm not sure there's anything I can do to help."

"Please try." he said still holding Roxas who had fallen back asleep.

"I will, now go outside you're hovering will do no good."

He stepped outside and stared at the sunset over the mountains it was beautiful. He held Roxas closer and sighed.

"What will we do Roxas, I don't want to lose her."

The child yawned and cooed slightly. he smiled.

"Hey Spike." a familiar voice called and he saw Zack walking along the street most likely up to the manor.

"Hello Zack."

"What happened?"

"Tifa collapsed the healers with her now but I have no idea what happened."

"That's horrible. who's this?"

"Roxas my son."

"Cute looks alot like you."

"thanks."

"You okay?"

"Tired and worried."

"I understand you want some company?"

"If you want."

"no problem."

they waited for over an hour sitting there near the healer's home cloud kept a hold of Roxas who woke up and cried for food again and cloud fed him from the bag of milk he'd brought along. finally the healer stepped out a solemn look on his face.

"I apologize Cloud there's nothing I can do she most likely will not live to see the morning."

"No there has to be something."

"We have a decent healer in the household that might know a way to help let her see your wife we just have to bring her to the manor."

"Are you sure?"

"It wouldn't hurt to ask."

"Very well do as you wish but she is very weak,." the old man told them returning to his home.

"I'll carry her." Zack offered and picked up the fragile woman leading cloud towards the manor.

The outside of the manor seemed somber and calm, the inside however was a blaze of lights and music. once inside Cloud was startled by the number of people within the manor's halls at least fifty people moved around the building cleaning and fixing as they could. a few waved or called out to Zack as he passed, he led cloud upstairs to a single lonely seeming room. He knocked on the door as well as he could holding Tifa, cloud followed behind mesmerized by the people and things holding Roxas close.

the door to the room swung open reveling a black draped room with a single bed in the center Zack carried Tifa to the bed and placed her there gently.

"Stay here I'll get the healer." he left the room.

Zack sighed as he closed and locked the door behind him. This is what he had been ordered to do after all, some how he had to bring the blond here and here he was with a dying wife and a very young child. There was a swish of cloth and he looked up to see his mistress before him.

"Well?"

"He's in there e his wife is very weak."

"I know, she is still recovering from the child but humans are very weak and recover slowly she might not ever recover."

"She's dying now."

"I'll handle this then." she smiled and kissed him. "you are a nice guard Zack dear but not the type I need."

"I know mistress."

"Good." She pushed open the door and smiled. Cloud sat on the bed holding Roxas and looking down at his wife.

"Cloud?"

"Aerith?"

"I just passed Zack in the hall he was going for our healer are you all right?"

"I'm fine it's Tifa, She's."

"Oh cloud that's horrible." she took his hand and looked in his eyes she pushed a small amount of her power out capturing his gaze easily.

Cloud drowned in a sea of green. The overwhelming feelings of grief faded back slightly and he felt the pressure on his mind of another will which clamed his own.

"Tifa will leave this mortal coil cloud and you will grieve for her, once she is laid to rest you will join this household. Roxas will be well cared for her with us as will you." Aerith told him softly.

"Yes."

"Good now you will not remember this conversation." she smiled as his eyes closed. and he lay down beside Tifa still holding his son.

"I am sorry Tifa, I would have waited for your natural death of course I would never have taken him from you I would rather have all parties willing, you will see he will be happy with me." she smiled and sharp teeth glittered in the candle light.