Cloud x Ike? Yeah, it's a strange pairing, but I think they'd go well together. I've played Cloud's game before, but I decided to go with the Advent Children version and there are some Final Fantasy 7 spoilers here (careful!). This is most likely going to be three chapters and I'll upload the second one soon. I hope you enjoy!
It was warm inside the mansion, giving off a pleasant and protective feeling that enveloped the ex-soldier. He wore his black cloak and wrapped his neck with a long red scarf. Trotting down a fleet of stairs, he found the main entrance and placed his gloved hand over the dark wooden door. He gave it a push and was blinded by white light. He squinted his eyes until his vision became adjusted and he walked out of the large building. The sun had just rise and winter was nearing it's end. The thick layers of snow had begun to melt and flowers buds emerged from the bushes around the mansion's walkway.
Cloud wanted to go into the cold to clear his head. Another nightmare. Even after all these years, it still haunted him. The slaughter and aflame of his city, when Sephiroth went insane, they were all still so vivid. He was covered in sweat when he awoke and his heart was beating so fast he felt it in his throat. When he looked out his dorm's window, it was dark but he didn't care. He just wanted to get out.
Now that he was outside, the small sheet of snow looked beautiful over the grass, sidewalks, but he hated how cold it was. Shame it was like a rose with thorns. He exhaled and a haze escaped from his mouth. His surroundings were quiet, there was no sound except the occasional gust of wind. When he took his first steps away from the mansion, the snow beneath his feet crunched and he looked forward. He didn't know where he was going, but he let his legs lead the way.
As he was walking around, thinking when he received his invitation, the ex-soldier honestly didn't expect to be greeted by so many fighters. They were all surprised that he was another large sword user but they all thought his glowing light blue eyes were beautiful. If only they knew his past. However, he didn't come to make friends and he never planned to. He just wanted to be a lone wolf, there, only because he was invited.
Eventually, he arrived at a lake and there was a wooden dock that reached out into the water. As the sun slowly rose, the light began to reflect from the water and it glistened. Cloud walked onto the wooden platform to sit down on the edge of it. He took off his sword that was attached to his back and placed it on his lap as he gazed out into the water, wallowing in his thoughts. It was nice to be in a different atmosphere, where happiness was a common thing, but he had this strange feeling that he didn't belong there to begin with. There wasn't anyone he knew and soon enough after a few days, he felt homesick for Midgar. It was nice that the Smash community added a stage that was similar to it, but it obviously wasn't the same. Although he lived in the slums, he missed it, only because Tifa was there along with Barret and his other companions.
As he sat there, he didn't keep track of time and so when the sun rose above the horizon, he got up and walked back to a place he felt would never become his home.
By the time he arrived at the mansion, everyone was awake and doing their own thing. He closed the door quietly and contemplated if he should go back to his room or to have some food. He sighed because he had to eat eventually and decided to go to the large dining room. When he entered, they were a few number of people eating but he ignored that and looked for the cook room.
He found the steel door and upon entering, there were empty plates that had been eaten out of. Suspicious, Cloud observed his surroundings when he heard something being crunched on. He crouched a bit, holding the handle of his sword on his back in preparation for whatever was inside the room. He snuck around when he found the large refrigerator shaking and when he quickly opened it, there was a pink marshmallow gobbling up all the food. Confused, Cloud stared and watch it ate until the thing was aware someone was behind him. It turned around, crumbs around its cheeks and said, "Poyo?"
The ex-soldier honestly didn't know what to do in this situation so he stood there. Was it a fighter? He already saw so many different kinds of fighters that he wouldn't be surprised if this was one as well. Because it ate so much, he assumed it's powers was eating opponents.
The round blob removed itself from the fridge and took something out. Cloud watched it's moments carefully in case it was going to attack. Instead, it held a cartridge of bacon and sausages. The creature closed the door and walked over to a bottom shelf. It got a black frying pan out and placed it on the stove. The pink thing opened the pack and when it placed the meat onto the metal, it began to sizzle.
Eventually, as Cloud watched it cook, the smell made his stomach grumble and he continued to wait. When the food was done, it slowly moved it away from the flame on the stove and slid the food down onto a plate. It applied pepper and handed the food to him. It smiled and said, "Poyo poyo!"
Surprised that it actually cooked for him, Cloud took the food from it and nodded his head in thankfulness. As he left the cafeteria, he hoped he wouldn't run into anyone that wanted to talk to him. That was the least thing he wanted when his stomach was hungry and he had food within his grasp. To his favor, he reached his room but oddly, someone was leaning on it. It was a large man with blue hair, holding a large golden sword. What was worse was that Cloud had forgotten the man's name so if he was there to speak to him, he was out of luck. The ex-soldier approached the door and asked, "You're leaning on my door. Move." He used a harsh tone because he really wasn't in the mood and once again, he wasn't here to make friends.
"Well, aren't you rude." The man said as he lifted himself from the white door. "I'm here to ask you for a challenge. There are plenty of sword users here, but I can tell that you're different."
Cloud turned his head away. "Not interested. Now move."
The blue haired mercenary clicked his tongue and walked away from both the door. He placed his hand on the soldier's shoulder and said, "I saw you leave early this morning. What happened?"
Cloud glared at him. He was sure that there wasn't anyone around when he awoke. "Its none of your concern. Don't stick your nose into someone else's life."
"Then how about this; we have a battle. If I win, you have to tell me why, but if you win, then I won't bug you anymore."
"Persistent asshole. Fine."
When the man left, Cloud entered his room only to be even more annoyed because his food had gone cold. When he took a bite, it was delicious even if the heat had gone and it made his mouth water. His stomach asked for more and so he finished it very quickly, leaving himself satisfied hunger wise. Now that he was in his room, he removed his red scarf, the buster sword on his back, and sat on his bed. He stared down onto the floor, but his eyes wouldn't focus because he was lost in thought. So many people around him that he loved and cherished, gone. He never wanted something like that to happen again so it was best for him to always keep his distance between everyone. It was probably that man's plan to become friends with him. He didn't want to take that chance. Although, he couldn't deny the other sword user seemed more mature than the others so he probably could take him seriously. Eventually, he laid down and because he woke up so early, he already started to feel drowsy. He closed his eyes, but forced himself not to fall asleep in fear of another nightmare.
After what felt like half an hour, he heard knocking on his door and he stood up. Behind it, someone spoke. "Cloud, you're being called to battle."
The soldier cussed under his breath and opened the door. Behind it was a man in a black cloak with white hair. "I'm pretty sure this is our first time meeting." The guy said with a small smile. "I'm Robin. Anyway, you have a match coming up soon. Your opponent is Ike."
Ike? It probably was that bothersome man he met an hour ago. Cloud went back into his room to pick up his buster sword and attached it to his back. He left his room and locked it behind him. He followed Robin so he could lead the way and when he arrived, the place was crowded with fighters. It wasn't his first time battling, but it certainly was with Ike.
The ex-soldier spawned on a castle's fortress while the building itself in the background was in clash against another army. Looking at the fires that blazed around, his head grew light as his eyes were filled with red flames. This wasn't anything compared to his past, so why was it torturing him so much? It wasn't even his memory to be exact. It was...
Soon, Cloud heard the sound of a sword slammed onto the ground. Looking away from the fire, Ike was in front of him taking a battle position. The mercenary held his sword in front of him and had a fierce look.
It was a good look in his eyes that pumped Cloud a bit. His own glowing blue eyes filled with Mako energy were bright and he got into his own battle position. The buster sword shined a green light and now there was silence.
3...2...1...GO!
By his aggressive nature, Cloud ran up to Ike and swung his large sword horizontally only to miss. The mercenary dodged his attack by jumping and waved his sword behind him. The ex-soldier's response wasn't fast enough and when he tried to evade, the end of the Ragnell slashed at his back. He grunted and was slightly launched, but he quickly got back on his feet. He allowed his blade to glow a bit and launched a blade beam. The mercenary didn't expect a sudden projectile and was hit against his arm. He was pushed back away from Cloud and to close the gap, he quick drawed back into the center of the stage. He jumped forward and slashed his sword vertically. Cloud turned his body sideways and allowed the Ragnell to glide against his buster sword, sparks flying. He kicked Ike in the ribs as a counter and followed by a swing of his sword against his leg.
Cloud jumped back to give himself some distance from the mercenary. This was his third battle and so far, it was going pretty well for him. The other people he fought were Mega Man and Ryu, both that brought up a challenge, but Ike so far was fairly easy. He was aware both of them had large swords, but because of his Mako energy, he was able to move much faster. The ex-soldier had the temptation to snicker but decided to hold it back. The main reason of this battle was so he could hide his past from everyone. He didn't want anyone knowing, giving him sympathy or other useless shit. Cloud wanted to remain the mysterious figure he was.
Suddenly, blue light caught his attention and he looked at Ike. The blade of Ragnell was surrounded by blue flames. Just when he was adjusted to the flames in the background, his memories once again flashed in his mind and his light-headedness came back, stronger than before. He crouched down and felt the breakfast he had this morning rush to his throat. He placed his gloved hand over his mouth to stop it from coming it out, but to no avail, he threw up. His vision grew blurry and he fell to the floor; everything was black and the last thing he heard was Ike's voice.