The huge cliff provided a gorgeous view of the ocean in front of a young
boy. He looked out on the water that splashed up against the side of the
cliff. It took his breath away each time he heard it. Each gust of wind
made his heart leap with joy he'd never felt. The brown shoes bumped
against the edges of the cliff and his fists clenched the grass, as if to
make sure it was really there. The grass was damp, a wonderful feeling to
him. His eyes flooded with tears of happiness. It was his first time
seeing something like this. To him it was a miracle, he almost felt like
leaping out off the cliff, wanting to become part of this beautiful
sight, but all he could do was watch.
His thick red ponytail blew in the wind as well as his large cape, which he pulled close to him to shelter himself from the wind. Underneath the cape was a dark purple uniform and at his side laid an enormous sword.
"Finally made it to SOLDIER…" he said quietly to himself, "My first mission, and all I want to do is sit here… forever." A smile played on his lips as another tear trickled down his face. "I've never seen something like this before. It's beautiful."
A man came up behind him, "I don't see what's so great about it. It's only a cliff and some water." He shrugged, "But then again Shoda, you always were a strange one. Always interested in something, but the last thing everybody else was interested in. Lot's of people might find this scenery nice… but you've got to be the only person I know of who appreciates it that much."
Shoda looked up at the man and stood up, "and you… old Tomeo, you've always been interested in nothing but fighting. Something every person in SOLDIER should probably be interested in."
Tomeo looked at him sharply, "Since when do you get off calling me 'old Tomeo', I'll remind you that I'm not that much older than you are. I'm only higher in rank because I'm better than you!" he said as he stuck his nose in the air. Shoda only laughed.
"So… my first mission… we're going to Nibelheim right?" Shoda said as he walked over to the truck they were using to get to their destination.
"Right, we need to get a certain something from the Shinra mansion. It's necessary for the efforts to rebuild Midgar. We people from Shinra aren't dead yet. The new president is far smarter than the past ones. He knew when to how to win support of the people, and look at him now. He's all high and mighty, and even rebuilding Midgar. I've got to tell you… I was almost convinced that the world really WAS going to end, but I knew Shinra would pull through in the end. They were a little slow, but they did it." Said the burly man as he shouldered his pack and walked over to the truck.
"I don't know Tomeo…" Muttered Shoda, "do you REALLY think it was Shinra who saved us all from meteor? The story seemed pretty far-fetched. A special, hidden and secret weapon in the mako reactors? I still don't know if I buy that story." He said as he shook his head, "I saw that… green stuff… and it didn't come from Midgar. It was three years ago, but I still remember it clearly…there's no way I could forget it."
Tomeo started the truck and began to drive off after they had both gotten seated and ready to go.
"Strange that you think completely different than everybody else. Maybe that's a good thing." Said Tomeo, "you're only 17, it's good that you've made it to SOLDIER and all, but now that you're here, why do you keep questioning the authorities when you worked so hard to get here?"
"I don't question them…" Shoda said as he stared out the window, "I know."
Tomeo only shrugged, he knew there was no winning with Shoda, and so they both remained silent until they had reached Nibelheim.
Stopping the truck at the entrance of the small town, Tomeo got out and went around to the back, reaching for a huge, thick case, about one foot by five feet and very heavy. Tomeo grabbed the handle and pulled it, but it was far too heavy for the large man.
"Hey Shoda!" he bellowed out, "Make yourself useful already! Give me a hand!"
Shoda immediately ran to help; he jumped into the back and lifted the case. "Holy crap" said Shoda, "What's IN here?"
"A tracker."
"Say what?"
"A tracker. It's gonna find what we're looking for."
"So we won't be doing much searching."
"You never know, the Shinra mansion is a dangerous place."
"Shinra mansion eh? I've heard weird things about that place."
After they unloaded the case, the opened it up, Shoda smiled when he saw what was inside. Tomeo grinned at the contents.
"Not only a tracker." Said Shoda with a slight chuckle, "It seems we've got special weapons for the job, these swords have more material slots than the one they gave me when I made it to soldier. They've also given us more materia!" Shoda began getting excited. He was more interested in materia than weapons.
Tomeo took out a buster sword, "Would ya look at that! They actually engraved our names. This one's mine, the other one in there must be yours.
Shoda bent over and took out the enormous weapon; he noticed a smaller compartment underneath it. "What's this?" he asked himself as he opened it up, finding a small handgun inside.
"A gun? What are we going to need that for? Neither of us use those things." Said Tomeo, a little annoyed.
Shoda shrugged and placed the gun into his pocket, then began taking out the pieces of the tracker. He and Tomeo set it up and headed for the Shinra mansion.
"This place looks creepy." Muttered Shoda as they came up the walkway to the mansion.
"Creepy? Somebody in SOLDIER shouldn't be scared by a spooky looking building." Replied Tomeo, never passing up the opportunity to playfully put others down, especially his partner.
Shoda muttered incoherently at the remark. He walked up to the large front doors and opened them for his friend, who was carrying the tracker and had his hands full. Tomeo was ready to be welcomed by a barrage of monsters, but found none so far. Disappointed that he wouldn't get a fight, he quickly became grouchy.
"Let's hurry up and find what we're looking for." He blurted out.
"What are we looking for again?" asked Shoda as they walked up the stairs.
"I told you before we left Midgar. I don't know what it is we're looking for. All I know is that I've got special orders from the president to get it and bring it back to Midgar, no questions asked." He stopped halfway down the hall, "hold on Shoda, we're going the wrong way. Come over here."
They walked into a small room; the tracker seemed to direct them to a corner with a large pillar.
"The commanding officer said that there was a secret door or something. He wasn't too clear on it, but there might be a door here" Tomeo grunted and began mumbling how his superior officers were never clear on important things.
Shoda walked forward and had to do no more than touch the pillar. A door suddenly bolted open, startling them both.
"Um… I guess this is the door. Let's go!" Shoda quickly said as he ran inside so quickly that he nearly fell over the edge of the winding, wooden ramp that twirled down to the 'secret' basement.
Tomeo laughed, "steady on! You're going to kill yourself on your first mission."
Shoda quickly regained himself and ran down the ramp and waited for Tomeo, "come on old man! I don't have all day."
"Damn Shoda! I DO have to haul this thing, and I wouldn't be surprised if it weighed a few tons! I don't see you helping out at all!" He replied, still angry that there would be no fighting.
Once Tomeo had finally reached the bottom, they walked down the grungy hallway. Tomeo suddenly froze.
"Now that's bizarre," he muttered, "it said we were going the right way, and now it says we're going the WRONG way. What do you think Shoda… Shoda? Where are you buddy?"
Shoda was staring at a partly hidden door at the middle of the hall. Tomeo walked over to him and the tracker began going ballistic.
"I guess you've found it," Said Tomeo.
"But it's locked. I can't open the door," Shoda replied.
"Break it down you idiot."
"…right"
Shoda took his sword off of his back and raised it into the air, bringing it down hard onto the door. The sword embedded itself in the old wood, but barely made it through at all.
"Weakling…" muttered Tomeo, "here, take this and let me do it," he said as he shoved the tracker into Shoda's arms and lifted his foot up, and then with tremendous force he kicked the door, shattering it into splinters. Shoda was always amazed when Tomeo displayed his strength, it was almost inhuman.
"There, now gimme that tracker and get your ass in there!"
Shoda obeyed. He entered the room, followed by Tomeo. He saw coffins randomly placed all over the room and cobwebs filled the corners of the room. The setting was enough to send a chill down even Tomeo's spine.
"The tracker says it's in that coffin in the middle of the room. Let's see what's inside" Tomeo said as he walked over.
Shoda placed his hand on the coffin, when suddenly the lid flipped right off, revealing a man dressed in red and black, with messy black hair sticking out of a type of mask that looked like two red bands, one on top of the other, revealing his eyes, nose, and part of his mouth.
"…This is what we came for?" Shoda quietly murmured, "he… he's breathing. He's alive? He's sleeping?" he began to shake.
The man inside the coffin made no noise with his breaths, like he was halfway between sleep and death. Shoda stared at him, half terrified and half fascinated. Then, to Shoda's surprise and adding to his terror, the man opened his eyes and slowly flipped out of his coffin as if he were floating. He stood staring at the two visitors as he stood on the edge of his coffin.
"Who are you and why do you disturb my sleep?" he asked, making it sound more like a statement or demand rather than a question.
"We… we're here… came for something… t-tracker said it was here..." Shoda managed to stutter out.
Tomeo had regained himself by this time and swallowed his fear and surprise of the man before them. "See here, we came here searching for something. This here tracker says it's you. Now you'd better come along with us."
The man raised an eyebrow, "And if I refuse?"
"Then in the name of Shinra I'd be authorized to force you." Tomeo replied with a grunt, thinking there may be a fight after all.
"Shinra?" said the man, still calmly but with a hint of surprise in his voice, "Shinra should have been finished for good a long time ago…"
"That's what you think," said Tomeo proudly, "Shinra saved the world from Meteor with their secret, one-shot weapon."
"Shinra saved the earth from Meteor…" muttered the man, "interesting…"
Shoda stepped forward and was about to say something but Tomeo, who had put the tracker down, grabbed Shoda's arm in an attempt to stop him. There was no need for him to blabber on about his 'nonsense'.
"Anyways, are you coming with us freely or do we have to force you," said Tomeo flatly.
"I will have nothing to do with Shinra, going with you would only add to my sins. I will now return to sleep. Leave me alone," demanded the man as he stepped down into his coffin, but had not yet lied down when Shoda stepped forward again.
"Wait! You'd be free to leave at any time, sir. If you'd just come with us, you-" he stopped short by a chilling stare from the man. His gaze locked on Shoda's, making him freeze in place. Shoda wondered if the man was simply studying him, or if he had somehow angered him. What's he going to do to me? He thought, to afraid to move.
"On second thought, I will go with you." Said the man as he got out of the coffin, "I am Vincent Valentine. Tell me who you are."
"I'm Shoda…" said the boy, relieved that the man had decided to come, but was still uneasy about him.
Tomeo, although disappointed again that there was no fight, introduced himself.
"I'm Tome-"
"Yes. Fine. Let us depart." Said Vincent, cutting off a now extremely agitated Tomeo.
The three left the room and walked towards the ramp that would lead them out of the basement.
"Tell me Shoda. Who were your parents?" asked Vincent.
"…I don't know, I woke up in the sector 7 slums one day, remembering only my age and name," he replied, slightly ashamed.
"…Fascinating" said Vincent to himself, He facial features… they are remarkably like hers. Especially his eyes. It can't be just chance, it's too close of a resemblance. He can't remember who his parents are. Beautiful Lucrecia, if only you were here. Then you could tell me if this boy is… what I think he is.
His thick red ponytail blew in the wind as well as his large cape, which he pulled close to him to shelter himself from the wind. Underneath the cape was a dark purple uniform and at his side laid an enormous sword.
"Finally made it to SOLDIER…" he said quietly to himself, "My first mission, and all I want to do is sit here… forever." A smile played on his lips as another tear trickled down his face. "I've never seen something like this before. It's beautiful."
A man came up behind him, "I don't see what's so great about it. It's only a cliff and some water." He shrugged, "But then again Shoda, you always were a strange one. Always interested in something, but the last thing everybody else was interested in. Lot's of people might find this scenery nice… but you've got to be the only person I know of who appreciates it that much."
Shoda looked up at the man and stood up, "and you… old Tomeo, you've always been interested in nothing but fighting. Something every person in SOLDIER should probably be interested in."
Tomeo looked at him sharply, "Since when do you get off calling me 'old Tomeo', I'll remind you that I'm not that much older than you are. I'm only higher in rank because I'm better than you!" he said as he stuck his nose in the air. Shoda only laughed.
"So… my first mission… we're going to Nibelheim right?" Shoda said as he walked over to the truck they were using to get to their destination.
"Right, we need to get a certain something from the Shinra mansion. It's necessary for the efforts to rebuild Midgar. We people from Shinra aren't dead yet. The new president is far smarter than the past ones. He knew when to how to win support of the people, and look at him now. He's all high and mighty, and even rebuilding Midgar. I've got to tell you… I was almost convinced that the world really WAS going to end, but I knew Shinra would pull through in the end. They were a little slow, but they did it." Said the burly man as he shouldered his pack and walked over to the truck.
"I don't know Tomeo…" Muttered Shoda, "do you REALLY think it was Shinra who saved us all from meteor? The story seemed pretty far-fetched. A special, hidden and secret weapon in the mako reactors? I still don't know if I buy that story." He said as he shook his head, "I saw that… green stuff… and it didn't come from Midgar. It was three years ago, but I still remember it clearly…there's no way I could forget it."
Tomeo started the truck and began to drive off after they had both gotten seated and ready to go.
"Strange that you think completely different than everybody else. Maybe that's a good thing." Said Tomeo, "you're only 17, it's good that you've made it to SOLDIER and all, but now that you're here, why do you keep questioning the authorities when you worked so hard to get here?"
"I don't question them…" Shoda said as he stared out the window, "I know."
Tomeo only shrugged, he knew there was no winning with Shoda, and so they both remained silent until they had reached Nibelheim.
Stopping the truck at the entrance of the small town, Tomeo got out and went around to the back, reaching for a huge, thick case, about one foot by five feet and very heavy. Tomeo grabbed the handle and pulled it, but it was far too heavy for the large man.
"Hey Shoda!" he bellowed out, "Make yourself useful already! Give me a hand!"
Shoda immediately ran to help; he jumped into the back and lifted the case. "Holy crap" said Shoda, "What's IN here?"
"A tracker."
"Say what?"
"A tracker. It's gonna find what we're looking for."
"So we won't be doing much searching."
"You never know, the Shinra mansion is a dangerous place."
"Shinra mansion eh? I've heard weird things about that place."
After they unloaded the case, the opened it up, Shoda smiled when he saw what was inside. Tomeo grinned at the contents.
"Not only a tracker." Said Shoda with a slight chuckle, "It seems we've got special weapons for the job, these swords have more material slots than the one they gave me when I made it to soldier. They've also given us more materia!" Shoda began getting excited. He was more interested in materia than weapons.
Tomeo took out a buster sword, "Would ya look at that! They actually engraved our names. This one's mine, the other one in there must be yours.
Shoda bent over and took out the enormous weapon; he noticed a smaller compartment underneath it. "What's this?" he asked himself as he opened it up, finding a small handgun inside.
"A gun? What are we going to need that for? Neither of us use those things." Said Tomeo, a little annoyed.
Shoda shrugged and placed the gun into his pocket, then began taking out the pieces of the tracker. He and Tomeo set it up and headed for the Shinra mansion.
"This place looks creepy." Muttered Shoda as they came up the walkway to the mansion.
"Creepy? Somebody in SOLDIER shouldn't be scared by a spooky looking building." Replied Tomeo, never passing up the opportunity to playfully put others down, especially his partner.
Shoda muttered incoherently at the remark. He walked up to the large front doors and opened them for his friend, who was carrying the tracker and had his hands full. Tomeo was ready to be welcomed by a barrage of monsters, but found none so far. Disappointed that he wouldn't get a fight, he quickly became grouchy.
"Let's hurry up and find what we're looking for." He blurted out.
"What are we looking for again?" asked Shoda as they walked up the stairs.
"I told you before we left Midgar. I don't know what it is we're looking for. All I know is that I've got special orders from the president to get it and bring it back to Midgar, no questions asked." He stopped halfway down the hall, "hold on Shoda, we're going the wrong way. Come over here."
They walked into a small room; the tracker seemed to direct them to a corner with a large pillar.
"The commanding officer said that there was a secret door or something. He wasn't too clear on it, but there might be a door here" Tomeo grunted and began mumbling how his superior officers were never clear on important things.
Shoda walked forward and had to do no more than touch the pillar. A door suddenly bolted open, startling them both.
"Um… I guess this is the door. Let's go!" Shoda quickly said as he ran inside so quickly that he nearly fell over the edge of the winding, wooden ramp that twirled down to the 'secret' basement.
Tomeo laughed, "steady on! You're going to kill yourself on your first mission."
Shoda quickly regained himself and ran down the ramp and waited for Tomeo, "come on old man! I don't have all day."
"Damn Shoda! I DO have to haul this thing, and I wouldn't be surprised if it weighed a few tons! I don't see you helping out at all!" He replied, still angry that there would be no fighting.
Once Tomeo had finally reached the bottom, they walked down the grungy hallway. Tomeo suddenly froze.
"Now that's bizarre," he muttered, "it said we were going the right way, and now it says we're going the WRONG way. What do you think Shoda… Shoda? Where are you buddy?"
Shoda was staring at a partly hidden door at the middle of the hall. Tomeo walked over to him and the tracker began going ballistic.
"I guess you've found it," Said Tomeo.
"But it's locked. I can't open the door," Shoda replied.
"Break it down you idiot."
"…right"
Shoda took his sword off of his back and raised it into the air, bringing it down hard onto the door. The sword embedded itself in the old wood, but barely made it through at all.
"Weakling…" muttered Tomeo, "here, take this and let me do it," he said as he shoved the tracker into Shoda's arms and lifted his foot up, and then with tremendous force he kicked the door, shattering it into splinters. Shoda was always amazed when Tomeo displayed his strength, it was almost inhuman.
"There, now gimme that tracker and get your ass in there!"
Shoda obeyed. He entered the room, followed by Tomeo. He saw coffins randomly placed all over the room and cobwebs filled the corners of the room. The setting was enough to send a chill down even Tomeo's spine.
"The tracker says it's in that coffin in the middle of the room. Let's see what's inside" Tomeo said as he walked over.
Shoda placed his hand on the coffin, when suddenly the lid flipped right off, revealing a man dressed in red and black, with messy black hair sticking out of a type of mask that looked like two red bands, one on top of the other, revealing his eyes, nose, and part of his mouth.
"…This is what we came for?" Shoda quietly murmured, "he… he's breathing. He's alive? He's sleeping?" he began to shake.
The man inside the coffin made no noise with his breaths, like he was halfway between sleep and death. Shoda stared at him, half terrified and half fascinated. Then, to Shoda's surprise and adding to his terror, the man opened his eyes and slowly flipped out of his coffin as if he were floating. He stood staring at the two visitors as he stood on the edge of his coffin.
"Who are you and why do you disturb my sleep?" he asked, making it sound more like a statement or demand rather than a question.
"We… we're here… came for something… t-tracker said it was here..." Shoda managed to stutter out.
Tomeo had regained himself by this time and swallowed his fear and surprise of the man before them. "See here, we came here searching for something. This here tracker says it's you. Now you'd better come along with us."
The man raised an eyebrow, "And if I refuse?"
"Then in the name of Shinra I'd be authorized to force you." Tomeo replied with a grunt, thinking there may be a fight after all.
"Shinra?" said the man, still calmly but with a hint of surprise in his voice, "Shinra should have been finished for good a long time ago…"
"That's what you think," said Tomeo proudly, "Shinra saved the world from Meteor with their secret, one-shot weapon."
"Shinra saved the earth from Meteor…" muttered the man, "interesting…"
Shoda stepped forward and was about to say something but Tomeo, who had put the tracker down, grabbed Shoda's arm in an attempt to stop him. There was no need for him to blabber on about his 'nonsense'.
"Anyways, are you coming with us freely or do we have to force you," said Tomeo flatly.
"I will have nothing to do with Shinra, going with you would only add to my sins. I will now return to sleep. Leave me alone," demanded the man as he stepped down into his coffin, but had not yet lied down when Shoda stepped forward again.
"Wait! You'd be free to leave at any time, sir. If you'd just come with us, you-" he stopped short by a chilling stare from the man. His gaze locked on Shoda's, making him freeze in place. Shoda wondered if the man was simply studying him, or if he had somehow angered him. What's he going to do to me? He thought, to afraid to move.
"On second thought, I will go with you." Said the man as he got out of the coffin, "I am Vincent Valentine. Tell me who you are."
"I'm Shoda…" said the boy, relieved that the man had decided to come, but was still uneasy about him.
Tomeo, although disappointed again that there was no fight, introduced himself.
"I'm Tome-"
"Yes. Fine. Let us depart." Said Vincent, cutting off a now extremely agitated Tomeo.
The three left the room and walked towards the ramp that would lead them out of the basement.
"Tell me Shoda. Who were your parents?" asked Vincent.
"…I don't know, I woke up in the sector 7 slums one day, remembering only my age and name," he replied, slightly ashamed.
"…Fascinating" said Vincent to himself, He facial features… they are remarkably like hers. Especially his eyes. It can't be just chance, it's too close of a resemblance. He can't remember who his parents are. Beautiful Lucrecia, if only you were here. Then you could tell me if this boy is… what I think he is.