Minerva's Child
~Prologue~
Ages:
Denzel-4 months
Aerith-5
Tifa-5
Nanaki-5
Cloud-6
Kadaj-6
Reno-6
Zack-7
Genesis-7
Rufus-7
Lazard-8
Yazoo-8
Angeal-9
Sephiroth-9
Tseng-9
Vincent-10
Alice-10
It started out as a fine, peaceful day. A young six year old boy ran around the park, laughing loudly as a ten year old girl chased after him. The six year old child's eyes shone a brilliant blue color. It was so bright, almost as though he had mako in his system."I will so catch you, Cloud!" shouted the girl chasing after him. He giggled before jumping over a bench, his blonde spikes of hair swaying a bit as he ran towards the thick forest surrounding their small town.
The young girl ran after him. The girl's waist length red hair flowing behind her as bright blue eyes scanned the forest looking for signs of the boy. She spotted a fraction of white and brown behind a bush. Her white summer dress fluttered as she walked towards the bush. She could barely hold down her chuckles before jumping the boy."Caught you!" she shouted, causing the boy to hop backwards a bit in surprise."Alice! You nearly scared me to death!" the boy exclaimed.
They chased each other for a few moments more before they heard a voice shouting for them."Alice! Cloud! Dinner is ready!" "Coming mom!" replied Cloud. Alice took Cloud's left hand and held it in her right hand."C'mon. We wouldn't want to upset Auntie Adeline, right?" she said, receiving a nod as Cloud's answer. They strolled through the forest path until they reached their home.
A woman with shoulder length blonde hair stood by the door. She wore a green summer dress with a straw hat resting upon her head. The woman had deep blue eyes looking at them."You went into the forest once more, didn't you?" asked the woman in a gentle voice. The two children looked at each other before averting their gazes to the ground in an apologetic manner.
"Cloud!" a boy called out from behind the woman. He had red hair that framed his face. The boy wore a short-sleeved maroon shirt along with a pair of dark brown pants which was just a bit loose on him. Cloud looked towards the boy in question, his bright blue eyes locking with the boy's own blue ones."Genesis!" Cloud exclaimed before he went behind Adeline. Genesis jumped on Cloud causing them both to tumble unto the floor.
"I missed you so much! When Angeal's mom proposed to visit you, I just had to come as well!" upon hearing what the red haired boy declared, Cloud's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before happiness shone in them. He reached up, gently took hold of Genesis's red hair before promptly pulling him down for a hug. "That's great! I missed you guys a lot!" Cloud said in an excited manner.
"What's this? Is that really you Cloud? Have I been gone too long?" a male voice said. Cloud looked up from his position -lying on top of Genesis- to see a man in a lab suit standing by the door. "Uncle Gast!" exclaimed Cloud. "Are Aunt Ifalna and Aerith here as well?" asked Alice, head cocked to her left.
"Why, of course. Would you like to see them?" asked the man, blue eyes referring to the children. "Would we?!" they exclaimed simultaneously before running out of the room. They headed straight for the living room. "Aren't they just precious?" Adeline voiced out. "Just so you know, no matter what happens, we will always protect them. As much as we can, we'll keep them safe." Gast told her.
"I just hope they don't get found. It's alright if we get found out, just not the children. I mean Tifa, Aerith, Nanaki, and Cid as well." she replied back. "Though Nanaki's more politely known as a cub or pup, you know?" Gast pointed out. Adeline chuckled at that, her right hand attempting to cover her mouth. It was true, after all.
In the living room where a plain pink carpet covered the floor, Cloud and his two companions greeted the two females sitting on the dark brown couch. The woman wore a light brown robe, her brown hair reaching to her waist. The young girl, sitting beside the woman, had mid-back length brown hair. She wore a plain pink summer dress.
"Aunt Ifalna! Aerith! Hi!" they greeted together. The woman's blue eyes looked at them with love and care, her lips formed into a soft smile. "Hello, you three. How have you all been?" she asked as she stood, gesturing for them to come closer. "We've been fine." Genesis said, face holding that playful, yet innocent look.
"Are Angeal and Aunt Gillian still here?" asked Alice, blue eyes darting here and there to catch even a glimpse of the two. "Denzel misses Angeal. He sometimes cries for no reason, mumbling something similar to Angeal's name." Cloud added, moving to hug Ifalna and Aerith. "We're right here, you know?" another child's voice entered the conversation.
Alice turned around, blue eyes locking with dark blue ones. The boy at the doorway had shoulder length black hair. He wore a dark purple shirt and a pair of black pants. "Angeal! C'mon, Denzel really wants to see you again! Hurry up, will you?!" Alice exclaimed, pulling Angeal by his left arm. "Oh! Hi, Aunt Gillian! Now, let's go!" she added, dragging the boy upstairs.
A chuckle escaped the woman standing just outside the doorway. She looked like Angeal, ignoring the fact she's a girl. She wore a dark red dress reaching just below her knees. "Aunt Gillian!" Cloud called out. "Sorry about Alice... She really does want Denzel to stop crying all the time..." he added. Genesis took this time as an opportunity to get between Aerith and Cloud, clutching the latter's left arm like a lifeline.
"Cloud!" a cheerful voice called out. The one in question turned to the door when a boy with spikey black hair came in, running toward the blonde. Behind the black haired boy was a boy with equally spikey red hair. This one also ran towards Cloud. The black haired boy wore a violet shirt and a pair of black shorts. The red head wore a dirty white shirt and a pair of black slacks.
Cloud outstretched his arms, ready for a hug. Genesis pulled him out of the way, though, causing the two children to bump into each other. Blue met with blue as the two newcomers' eyes clashed. They glared at each other, before the red head spoke up. "You are so lame, Zack!" came the shout. "Well, I wasn't the one who tripped over his own two feet! That was you, Reno!" the black haired one shot back.
They were about to have a childish wrestle when the door was opened and a pair of silver haired boys came in. "Brother!" they shouted. Both had green eyes and shoulder length hair. They both wore pale yellow shirts. The shorter one wore a pair of black jeans, the taller one wore a pair of dark brown jeans.
"Hey! You cheated Yazoo!" shouted the shorter one, eyes locking with the other's. "Did not! You were just so slow that I accidentally bumped into you to get to brother." Yazoo said, arms crossing over his chest. "You both could have gotten hurt, you know?" a female voice added. They looked to the doorway where a woman with brown hair stood. Her brown eyes watching the scene with care. She wore a dark green lab coat. A smile rested upon her lips. Behind her, two other children stood.
One had mid-back silver hair and emerald green eyes. He wore a grey shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. The other had equally long black hair and red-brown eyes. He wore a red jacket over a white shirt along with a pair of dark brown pants. "Hey guys." Cloud greeted them with a smiling face. "No way am I letting you in first!" "I've been waiting to see him again just as long as you, Rufus." A pair of boys ran into the living room, looking to be out of breath.
One had pale blonde hair covering his blue eyes a bit. He wore a plain blue shirt with a pair of indigo shorts. The other had black hair which reached his shoulders and partly covered his black eyes. He wore a dark brown shirt along with a pair of black pants.
"Hey guys... I'm going upstairs. Aunt Lucretia said Alice was there, so I'm going to greet her, alright?" another voice said. A boy with blonde hair walked to the staircase, his blue eyes gazing at them from behind eyeglasses for a moment before he looked forward again. He wore a dark green shirt and a pair of brown pants.
"Sooo... How're things going with you, Ifalna, Lucretia?" asked a man who wore a white shirt and a pair of brown pants asked. He had just walked into the room when the boy went upstairs. The man had dark brown hair which partly hid his violet eyes. Behind him was a red lion like creature, its tail had a small flame which did not seem to bother it at all.
"Hello, everyone." the lion greeted. "Nanaki! You came to visit, too!" Zack exclaimed, going to pat the cub's head... Until a girl came barging in on them. "Cloud! Let's go out to the well today!" she shouted, her mid-back length brown hair fluttering behind her. She was rendered silent as her brown eyes landed on Zack. She wore a simple attire comprising of a pink shirt and a pair of brown shorts.
Oh... They're here, too... She thought. Envy spiked up in her heart as she saw Genesis clutching on Cloud's right arm. A boy with blonde hair walked in behind her. The boy's blonde eyes shining a bit as they landed on the boy with red eyes. The blonde wore a light brown shirt with matching shorts. They all had lunch together.
The moment was filled with laughter, jokes and stories of all kinds. Things were peaceful for the time being until they'd heard Tifa's father shout at them to hide...
