The Last Solder
Summary - As the last remaining SOLDIER, Cloud Strife has discovered that he is ageless. The Life stream rejuvenates his cells and keeps him from age and death. Nearly fifteen hundred years have passed since the death of his beloved, Tifa, and all of his friends. Now, the Planet, given the name Spira, is threatened by a beast known as Sin. He must wake the sleeping Vincent and join the new Summoner, Yuna, in her quest to destroy the cursed beast.
Chapter 1 – My Past
"Why are you here?" The question came out sounding more like a statement.
"You know why I'm here." Another voice answered, muffled. "The world is changing once again... Are you going to stand by and just ignore it?"
"Why should I lend my aid to the very world that once shunned me?" The man coldly replied. "You, of all people, should know my answer Auron. You're just wasting my time."
The man known as Auron sighed. "You know as well as I do Cloud, that her death-"
"Enough." Cloud retorted, anger clearly evident in his voice. "Don't show your face in front of me again… I don't have any further business with the likes of you…"
Auron noticed that Cloud's tone shifted from cold to bitter. He cursed himself for slipping up. He was here to persuade Cloud but instead, he let his emotional side get the best of him. The moment he mentioned her death, he knew his chances of convincing the man was gone. The more he opened his mouth, the more he was treading on very dangerous grounds.
It was an unspoken rule between them that they do not discuss the past. More particularly, his past in general. It wouldn't be wise to attempt anything else at this point.
The last thing he wanted now was for a fight to break out. The former guardian merely shook his head in disappointment. "The answer that you seek, if you continue down this path, will be one that you're very familiar with Cloud."
Cloud remained silent, watching the man walk away. "The world won't change because some naïve person believes it can be changed with a simple ideal." He whispered. "No matter how much you want it, in the end, you'll always be disappointed."
He should have realized that Auron wanted something when the man darkened his doorstep. No one ever visited him and he made sure of it. That was the whole reason why he lived alone.
This man, Auron, was a legendary guardian, whose feats were carved into the very core of Spira. It was thanks to this man, that peace was able to come at last.
Cloud knew all about the legends, the stories and the myths concerning this world. He didn't have to rely on the Intel of other people to survive; he had himself. You would be surprised about how much gossip the locals talk if you give them a chance.
Whether the information was biased or not, Cloud wasn't one to judge. Hidden within each gossip, each rumor, there is a base of foundation on which these tidbits of information was built based on.
When Auron showed up, Cloud didn't need to know him to recognize him. He already knew who he was based on the local stories.
The man with a scar over his eye, carrying a sword big enough to cleave a horse but that didn't matter to Cloud. He could smell the man from a mile away. No matter how much you bathed yourself, the stench of blood can never be removed from your hands.
But he was no stranger to the legends himself. He was positive that Auron knew stories about him. Stories about his past…
Soldier… That was the name given to a group of elite men who demonstrated abilities above the rest. Back then, the name Soldier struck fear into the hearts of many but it also brought comfort.
The foundations of Soldier were created by Shinra, to serve as an unofficial police force of the world. Their job was to ensure the peace of the planet but that story was soon forgotten, replaced by one that everyone now knew.
The legend of Sephiroth.
Everyone knew who Sephiroth was and the deeds that he had done during his Soldier days. He was a legend, a living hero but that soon went to hell. Now, the name Sephiroth was tainted with murder and destruction. The man almost single handedly brought the planet to its knees if it wasn't for its savior.
It didn't matter to the people who saved them. The name Soldier was disgraced and anyone associated with it was hunted down like dogs. Slaughtered and killed without mercy. All the personnel files on Soldier members were made public and a massive manhunt begun. Rewards were given out to ensure that every last Soldier was dead, to prevent something like Sephiroth from happening again.
That was when the world begun changing, moving from its dark past into a more distant future.
Cloud still remembered the sleepless nights, the endless battles and the harsh reality that he was left with…
No matter how much he tired to forget, he couldn't escape his past. Knowing that his future was filled with disappointment, this was the reality he was given.
He was the last remaining Soldier, the very Soldier that saved the planet from Sethiroth's madness and he was the same Soldier that people of the planet had tried to murder.
After the second Sephiroth incident, he went into hiding, vowing to never showing his face to the world again.
No matter how much resentment he had for this planet, the pride of Soldier was still very much alive within him.
"You'll be… my living legacy. My honor… my dreams… They're yours now."
It was all thanks to him that he was able to live…
This man… Zack Flair… the brother that he never had… Had died for him on that rainy day.
Cloud gritted his teeth and growled. "What should I do… Tifa…?
Luca Blitzball Stadium
Auron cringed as the foul beast rammed its hard head into his sword once more. The shock slowly made its way down from his hands to his legs. His eyes were wandering all over the place. Fiends were quickly filling up the stadium and the number of civilian deaths was increasing. Even with the kid's help, they didn't stand a chance like this.
They were outnumbered 5 to 1. Not even Wakka was much help. Auron sighed as he turned around; slicing the beast's head off with his left hand but when the beast fell, two more appeared, taking its place.
The former guardian looked over to the other side, seeing the Ronso and the two girls defending themselves. They were in a far worst situation than they were and if he didn't get over there soon, their deaths would be eminent.
"Tidus! Go help Yuna!" He shouted over the noise. He prayed that the kid had matured a bit during his journey to actually follow orders.
"And leave you alone old man? I don't want your death on my conscious!"
"I'm still light years ahead of you kid." Auron replied, "You still can't beat me even if you had a thousand years to practice."
Knowing that if Auron was still able to insult him, he would be fine here. Tidus nodded once to Wakka before the older Blitzball player created a momentarily distraction.
"Go now ya!" Wakka shouted as he threw his weapon with precision, hitting the beast in the eye.
Without looking back, Tidus ran forward, jumping over the winged creature and took off towards Yuna.
"Protect her ya! If anything hurts her, I'll beat you senseless!" Wakka received no replied of any sort from Tidus as the young blond dashed off in the opposite direction.
Wakka sighed in relief as he jumped backwards, barely missing the tail sweep. "Is this all you got? Is this the limit to today's guardians?" Auron asked, chuckling at the same time.
Not bothering with a reply, Wakka knew who this man was when he first showed up. In fact, everyone did. He was Sir Auron, one of the guardians to serve Lord Braska. Instead, he took hold of his weapon and threw it at the winged beast without hesitation.
As soon as the ball made contact, the fiend let out one final cry, before disappearing into the air.
"Still think we're weak ya?"
Auron merely chuckled as he stood back to back with the new Guardian. His weapon raised slightly above his waist. "You haven't seen anything yet."
Above the stadium, far away from the battles, one man slowly walked around the circular path. His eyes were focused on the several individuals that chose to fight instead of fleeing.
"Auron…" Cloud spat out. "Show me your resolve as a warrior… Show me that sense of justice that you hold dear… Show me that this planet… is indeed forth fighting for…"
He had been against coming here from the beginning but something inside of him told him that it would be the wrong choice not to come. It wouldn't matter if he was here as an observer… or as a savior…
The blond swordsman watched the battle with little interest. For a man who lived as long as he, this was merely child's play but one thing did catch his attention. A young man, blond hair with a strange blue sword was running through the stadium, avoiding all the monsters as if he was trying to reach a goal.
Something about him… caught Cloud's attention. "Just what are you doing kid…"
Looking at the entire stadium, he could see that the kid was trying to run towards the group consisting of two females and a Ronso. 'There's no way he'll reach them in time. He won't be able to save them.' Cloud bitterly thought. 'That is the way of life. No matter how hard you try, you will still fail in the end.'
The former Soldier winced as he watched the horned fiend tackled the Ronso straight into the wall. "That had to hurt…"
Tidus gritted his teeth as he watched Kimari get slammed into the wall. Hard. His legs were crying out in pain, telling him to slow down but his mind was telling him to go even faster. Without Kimari, Lulu won't be able to defend Yuna from the fiends.
Even though they met briefly, there was something about her that made him want to know more. He wanted to see her smile, to hear her laughter and maybe… see what the future holds for the both of them…
Tidus watched in horror as another fiend leaped down from the crowd benchers, surprising Lulu and pushing her back into Yuna. Now they were surrounded by two fiends, a blood-thirsty look on their faces.
"YUNA!" Tidus yelled as he took a huge leap of faith. Clutching the sword tightly in his hands, he landed on top of one of the beasts. With every ounce of strength left in his body, he stabbed the sword right between the eyes of the fiend, causing it to scream in pain before collapsing to the ground.
He quickly regrouped and stood in front of Lulu and Yuna, grasping to catch his breath. "Are you… ha… alright?"
"Yes but your hurt Tidus…" Yuna replied, her eyes focused on his wounds.
"Nah… ha… it's just… a little scratch." Tidus replied, breathing heavily. He had bigger things to deal with. Hearing the roar of an angry fiend, his attention turned to the opponent in front of him.
"Get behind me Yuna!" He fiercely said. "I won't let anything hurt you!" Tidus could feel Yuna's trembling hands on his back and to be honest, he was afraid too but he couldn't let her know that. He was going to save her… or he would die trying.
With an angry screech, the fiend prepared itself to ram its horns into its enemies. Lowering its head, it charged forward at a fast pace.
Tidus eyes widened as the beast approached and he braced for impact. He lowered its sword just enough to block but he well knew that it wouldn't be enough to save them.
"Your stance is weak. Do you even know how to hold a sword?"
Tidus heard a voice speaking softly from the wind.
"Do you know why a person chooses to wield a sword?"
There it goes again. Why was he hearing voices at a time like this?
Yuna gasped as the fiend suddenly collapsed to the ground. Tidus narrowed his eyes as he looked around, trying to find out where that voice came from.
She grabbed his hands and closed her eyes. "Cure." He could feel the power behind those words as the wounds on his hands began healing themselves. It wasn't as good as an elixir but it would do for now.
"Did you hear that voice Yuna?" He asked. The Summoner shook her head. "I didn't hear anything Tidus…" She bit her lower lips as she looked at the man in front of her. "Thank you… for… saving me…"
"It was my pleasure." Tidus answered, smiling.
"LOOK OUT!" Lulu yelled as she slowly regained consciousness. Tidus and Yuna turned around a moment too late as a huge black shadow dived down from the skies. Tidus intuitively pushed Yuna behind him and he prepared to defend himself but the attack never came.
The winged fiend slowly split into two before disappearing into the sky. Everyone's eyes widened as they wondered what on Spira just happened.
Sounds of metallic footsteps echoed through the stadium, causing everyone to look towards the upper seating area. One man slowly dragged its large sword on the ground as he walked, gaining the attention of both fiends and humans alike. No one knew who this man was except for one.
He was dressed in a black outfit, with straps running from his waist to over his shoulders. His spiky blond hair stood straight up and his face looks like he just woke up from a deep slumber. Grabbing his large weapon, he picked it up with one hand dropped it on his shoulder. "Omni…Slash…" The man whispered into the wind.
Without warning, the man threw the weapon towards the sky and leaped into the air. The mighty weapon suddenly split into 8 other, smaller swords. The mysterious man grabbed each one of them and threw it with such precision that the fiends were wiped out with one blow. In a mere moment, all the fiends in the sky were completely destroyed.
Wakka let out a small whistle as he watched in amazement. "That's some skill ya?" Tidus merely nodded in agreement.
Kimari groaned as he tried to sit up. "Kimari not impressed. Kimari can do better." The Ronso replied.
The girls were silent during the whole ordeal but they too, were impressed.
The only one who didn't seem impressed was Auron. He never seen this move before but it didn't matter. To a man like him, who had seen enough techniques to last a lifetime, this was no different from the rest. The only difference was that when Cloud executed his technique, it seemed like there was no heart behind it. No effort at all.
He frowned as he watched the man jumped down from the sky and landed on the roof before slowly walking away.
"Who was that man Sir Auron?" Hearing Yuna's voice knocked him out of his own head. "The expression on your face looks… almost… painful."
"It's nothing Yuna. Let's go to a safer place to talk."
20 minutes later
"Are you all okay?" Auron asked as he eyed the group. Wakka and Lulu were standing close together, or rather; it looked like Wakka was leaning against Lulu for support and she had a look of annoyance on her face.
"Yes Sir Auron. I finished healing their wounds." Yuna replied. "So what brings you to Luca if you don't mind me asking?"
'Always the polite one.' Auron chuckled to himself. "Business Lady Yuna. I would like to offer my services as a guardian if you would consider taking me."
"Of course, we would be honored." She replied.
"And the kid too." Auron added, dragging Tidus forward.
"The more the merrier." Yuna answered with a huge smile on her face. "Is there anything else?"
"Yeah… Just one more thing." As quickly as the words left his mouth, Auron shifted his body around, his left hand pushing Yuna into Tidus's arms as his right arm reached for his sword.
It was just like breathing. He heard the slight changes in the wind and his body intuitively reached for his weapon. Luckily for him, it was the right call. Just as he pulled his weapon forward, it was greeted by another weapon. The impact caused a small pressure to exhale forward.
The guardians quickly surrounded Yuna, their weapons out to defend their Summoner against any imminent threat.
"Sir Auron!" Lulu shouted, her moogle doll ready to cast a Fira spell on the mysterious man.
"Stay back!" he barked. He recognized the sword and a smile slowly appeared on his face. "I didn't think you would show yourself like this…"
"Do you know this man Auron?" Tidus asked. He couldn't tell who this man was; a black robe covered the man's features but he looked familiar.
"You have gone soft…" The man replied. Everyone's eyes widened when the man pulled the hood down, revealing his identity. It turned out to be the same man who saved them earlier in the stadium.
"Cloud…" Auron uttered, his eyes never leaving the man's face. "You look like you been thru hell…"
The two swordsmen stood there, locked in a stalemate while everyone else looked on. With one hand, Cloud pushed his sword forward and swung upwards, the force causing Auron to skid backwards.
"Like I said, you've gone soft in your old age. Is this the limit of your resolve?"
Auron merely chuckled as he put his weapon away. "Why are you even here Cloud? I thought you were done with this."
The other man only narrowed his eyes, portraying no emotions. "There are… things that I need to find out…"
"Do you know this man Sir Auron?" Yuna cautiously asked. The guardian let out a small laugh. "You should all know him. In one form or another."
The group looked back at the swordsman, confused at his cryptic message. Auron took this as a sign to continue. He looked towards Cloud, who still hasn't moved from his spot. His sword was stabbed into the ground, his hand still gripping the handle of the blade.
"Legend spoke of one warrior that was on par with the mighty Sephiroth. One man who was the fallen hero's opposite. Throughout history, this man fought with the Lion of Balamb before disappearing into the time vortex at the end of the battle. It was then said that this warrior appeared when the world was covered in mist."
Auron then took a short break, taking a sip from his Sake bottle. He saw that he had everyone's attention, including Clouds. The legendary guardian smirked, taunting the man to do something.
But the blond swordsman did nothing. He stood there in silence, watching Auron as he continued with the story.
"No one knows where this man came from or even if this was the same man but one thing we do know was that he carried a large sword on his back. To those people who witnessed the man's techniques, they claim that it was god sent, believing that he was sent here on behalf of god to protect this world from chaos."
"Hey! I know that story ya." Wakka spoke up. "It is a famous legend that's been around the islands for a long time. Along with that other legend…" The Auroch player spat out the last part with disgust.
The rest of the group agreed, seeing as how they were raised on the islands too.
"Kimari know of story."
Tidus remained silent, taking in all the information. He brought his hand to his cheek and began pondering.
Auron merely chuckled as he eyed his mysterious friend. "Enjoyed the entertainment Tidus?" He asked, the kid so lost in his thoughts right now. Frankly, Auron wasn't even sure why Cloud was here. Ever since that day, he thought the man had closed himself off completely but seeing him here proved otherwise.
"What does that story have to do with this man Auron?" Tidus asked, "There is no way a man, let alone anyone, could live for that long. It's impossible."
"That's where you're wrong Tidus…" The Guardian replied.
If only the kid knew the truth. Spira was wrapped in so many lies, so many conspiracies that if the truth came out, it would bring the world to its knees. The foundation of faith would be gone and war will break out once more.
"There are so many unexplained mysteries in our world; would you disregard the truth even if it was staring you straight in the face?"
Tidus shook his head, "Well… I guess not but you're yanking my chain right Auron?"
The guardian let out a loud laugh, startling everyone. "Why don't you just ask this man kid? He knows more about it than I do."
Tidus snorted as he walked forward, eyeing the strange blond swordsman all over. Cloud could feel the kid's eyes on him and he uttered a growl. His hand gripped his sword and his eyes glared right back at Tidus, causing him to jump back slightly.
"So uh… Who are you exactly?"
Cloud sharply yanked the sword up from the ground and dropped it back on his holster. The weapon made a small click and he focused his cold cerulean orbs on the group. "My name is Cloud. SOLDIER, first class."