Cloud Strife

I was 14 when I decided to leave Nibelheim to make something of my life. To join soldier to become like my hero Sephiroth. The decision came from 14 years of being left out of everything and being alone because I had no courage or confidence to talk to the other children. Perhaps this is what led to my mother being so alone- the lack of confidence. Even as a child, I wasn't good enough to play with the other children and the angel of them all, the girl I longed to talk to, Tifa Lockheart. When I finally plucked up the courage to talk to her it was not the right time in her life. I remember it because…that was the day Tifa's mother died.

Tifa heard from one of the boys she was with that dead souls passed over the mountains and went back to the earth. And where did she hear this? From one of those boys she was always with. I used to tell myself that I was too mature to hang around with such childish idiots, that they were stupid, but really I was afraid they wouldn't want to be with me. After hearing this from one of them, Tifa decided to go and bring back her mother's soul. But what she failed to see were the dangers of those mountains, the monsters spawned there and the unstable terrain.

One by one, her friends were perturbed, but she soldiered on. She was so courageous and yet I knew my strength only came from the fact that she was there too. I kept following silently in case something might happen- something like the two of us falling far below from a swaying bridge- abandoned for years since the safe passage to rocket town closed off and the reactor was put in. I came out of that tumble with a few scratches, but Tifa was not so lucky. She was in a coma for weeks. And, of course, her father blamed me. I should have stopped her, he was right. It was a short while later that I decided to go to shinra and join soldier- to become better- to protect those close. But I couldn't even protect myself- I was weak.

That promise I made Tifa, the surprised girl who hardly knew me- was she so much better than me- was to protect her- when she needed. And I came, but I could not protect- I was too late.

Sephiroth's descent

Cloud went to shinra in order to become a solider 7 years ago but he could not, because he was too weak. 2 years later, when he was just a lowly shinra fighter, Cloud was sent on a mission to his home town of Nibelheim with two 1st class soldiers, Zack and Sephiroth, the legendary shinra soldier- the best. Cloud looked up to both of them and was ashamed of his own weakness.

Because of this, Cloud kept his mask over his face so that no one could see him and he slipped by unnoticed by everyone, only going home to see his mother, who never ventured out on her own – she was vibrant but a little weird.

They were sent to Nibelheim to check on the reactor there that belonged to shinra because monsters had been appearing more, and they were also to help the town cope. During this exploration, Sephiroth and Zack went inside the reactor and Sephiroth was confronted by the experiments carried out by the scientist Hojo within the reactor.

He wondered, was he made this way too? He had been told that his mother was called Jenova, and yet here she was before his eyes inside one of the reactors strange devices using energy to meld with beings like soldiers were made, but using too much and forming monsters. And he knew she was not like the rest of them, he had no clues as to his mothers' true identity, but she was not like the other humans, he could feel as much. He didn't have a hometown, he remembered very little of the events of the past, only what he had done for shinra, so who was he?

Compelled, Sephiroth went back to the shinra mansion and began to look through the research left behind by Hojo in the basement. For weeks he remained within the dark recess of that place, looking through documents carefully, absorbing all the information he could about Jenova and the people known as the ancients, or the centra.

And when Zack went down to meet him to ask what was going on, Sephiroth replied by calling him a traitor. All humans and the people left alive now were traitors; they lived because all of his ancestors and the race of Jenova had been killed off and sacrificed themselves. The ancients wanted to give life to the planet and cultivate it. The other people lived on it and consumed it selfishly, using it up for their own purposes.

And so Sephiroth completely ignored Zack and went ahead to the reactor, burning Nibelheim with him as he went. Within this debris, Tifa Lockheart called out to her father, she was Cloud's friend, and together they had made a promise that Cloud had not yet fulfilled. And as Tifa, unaware that Cloud had even returned to Nibelheim, went off to look for her father, Cloud remained within the flames of Sephiroth.

When I'm in trouble, you'll come rescue me, won't you? But how could Cloud- who was so weak, face up to Sephiroth. In the distance he heard Zack and Zaagan calling to each other through the chaos. Apparently, only they had survived. Cloud almost choked- what about Tifa- Zack spoke his worries. She had gone ahead to face Sephiroth at the reactor. And Zack went after her.

Cloud winced as Zaagan approached… Tifa. She was counting on him- he at least had to save her- but what about Sephiroth the mighty and now changed warrior- despite his personality change, he could still beat cloud 100 times over and then cleave up the earth into

Inside the reactor

Despite Zaagan's reluctance, Cloud went to the reactor. And there lay Zack, the only one left he could admire. If there was one person left to defeat that devil, but he was the weakest and all the strongest had gone before him, Cloud was that person. But because of this compelling desperation and all those who could not fight behind him, because of his passion and will to survive, could he make it and finish off the job that none other could complete?

Tifa lay dishevelled on the floor- she had been the victim of Sephiroth, she lay barely alive. Cloud, you came, you said you'd come when I was in trouble- and you're really here. Cloud put her to the side, the otherwise cheerful and vigour full girl's current predicament, her wide eyes and the blood covering her angelic body, only pushed him on.

"I'm here now mother… why did you do this! We'll take this planet together…Tifa, the townspeople, give them back! They tried to take you away from me, they tried to take this planet from us…I trusted you! They're here again, but you don't have to worry anymore, because I'm here now…I admired you, you were my friend!"

But there was no response. A sharp pain struck through his heart as the blade went though the solid glass like paper and hand- long white fingers merely pushed that paper aside. Wide, wild eyes eagerly stared up at the ancient within as the cut glass shattered upon impact with the life stream, and Cloud was too fixated with fear to move- too confused to act- what, what did any of this mean? Was this strange humanoid the soul reason why so many had to die- was she the reason for Sephiroth's madness?

And then came the horror as the speculating devil swiped the steel effortlessly across the neck of that ghoulish woman to take her head clean off her pale white shoulders.

Cloud hesitated in terror as (grasping the hair of the deathly beautiful vampire head that hung) the demon-angel turned- and all of his thoughts were punished. He was alive to save the planet, at the cost of the human race- but really... he wanted to kill the humans and would sacrifice the planet to do so- which had been the reason for his evils against mankind. And in order to punish the humans he would do just as they had done- so how different was he? Perhaps, it really had something to do with his mother, more than the will of the ancients- which did not seem to be the same thing.

He then turned and Cloud drew in a breath. Those glowing eyes stared straight pass his dismissively, and in them he held not contempt but a judge of worth that swept over Cloud. And yet it was not far from the truth.

You won't do anything to me- you are nothing but a weakling traitor- you shouldn't even be here- you shouldn't even try- you should strike yourself with that sword and let the race who denies your worthless existence die with you quicker. You don't really believe you can do anything- 'that' is just a lie built upon you by others too weak to accomplish anything- and you are even weaker than them.

Sephiroth said nothing. His eyes spoke all to the boy who was now trembling.

The warrior drifted pass Cloud as if he was too small to see- was he yet again inadequate? Sephiroth was completely ignoring him despite his opposition- he 'knew' that Cloud would not do anything to him- yet he had not been this reluctant to destroy all of Nibelheim- why not him? Why did Sephiroth not want to kill him? Why was he being ignored still! Was he not even worth killing? That a killer on a crusade would not even bother with him- was he totally useless? Cloud gripped the blade in pain as Sephiroth strode on. It was no longer a case of being brave enough to challenge someone worlds stronger than him- it was a challenge of his thoughts of himself- and either ignoring them or trying to change them even for a moment to avenge everyone.

He turned and saw the long silvery white hair flow behind his target- and he ran after him outside of Jenova's container.

'Cloud, you must kill…Sephiroth…get him back for what he's done so he can't do it…to anyone else' came the voice of a battered warrior- it was Zack- barely conscious.

That's what really annoyed him, that Shinra had used him to commit these atrocities to the planet in spite knowing of his origins and that he would be betraying his own, perfect blood. He went quietly yet with a stride of death along the gangway like passage above the energy of life stream below, the content of the reactor used up and turned into energy called Mako to be used by people. It was a gently glowing blue colour, but within it was held great power. And from behind him came the sound of small steps, shuffles, like the movement of an injured animal. So, Zack had come about for a second try despite his pitiful defeat?

He didn't bother to turn first; he let his sword jab out at the foolish creature that simply refused to die- and received his last shock- the blonde- the nobody who couldn't even become a soldier had stood against him despite meagreness and still struggled even with marusmune the blade- pierced straight through. And Cloud, now in indescribable pain, stepped forwards, letting the steel move into him, further, more and more came out behind him soaked in his own blood.

Sephiroth watched the legendary sword with shock- a horrified confusion- but then came his smile- one full of treachery and further things to come. He then watched as Cloud lifted the blade up a little, with Sephiroth still holding on tight, and gave it a pathetic push to the side in his pain. The blade receded from his skin and dropped into the abyss of the life stream far below with the falling dark angel. Cloud watched him go down with a sinking feeling as his eyes started blacking.

And then he felt his own body feel its limitation- he could not go back to Tifa and carry her back to Nibelheim, nor could he rescue his friend Zack- but what would be the point? He had suffered too many injuries at the hands of Sephiroth. And so, as there came the distant sounds of vehicles rumbling along the Nibelheim mountain paths carefully, Cloud attempted to stagger back and fell nearby Tifa's father at the end of the path near the entrance to the forbidden reactor core, where all of the monsters were being produced- monsters like Sephiroth.

many pieces to rid himself of the blonde's body. But despite hopelessness and weakness, Cloud had to go. Would the world bow down to the devil at the time of annihilation even though he held the threads of fate and god was dead or ignored the race of the ignorant being punished? No, humanity would stand up and fight to their last soul- Cloud felt like this.