He was nothing special
Disclaimer: Square-Enix owns Final Fantasy VII and the characters. I own a copy of the game. And this goddamn computer.
He was nothing special, just a boy born to two people in a small mountain town.
His parents were young, mid-20's, high school sweethearts who got married because it was the right thing to do.
His father was a mountain guide, taking the few visitors that came to their quaint little village on tours through Mt. Nibel.
His mother was a housewife; a good cook whose apple turnover was rumored could bring a smile to even old President Shinra's face.
A year after their marriage, a bouncing baby boy was born.
He looked unassuming enough and it seemed that his fate was to be no different than any of the other children. Life would go on as it always had in Nibelheim.
But this was not to be.
One day while hiking through the mountains, the husband disappeared.
The residents searched high and low for the guide and soon found his body, or what was left of it. It seemed that while trying to find a route to the fabled mako fountain that resided in Mt. Nibel, he was set upon by a dragon, and summarily devoured. All that remained was carrion, for the zus and the wolves.
He was mourned by the villagers and given a proper burial. Eulogized by the politicians and the clergy as a brave man who selflessly gave himself for the village. However, as we all know, when a man is no longer able to hold the demons in the closet, they come bursting forth unforgiving.
He occasionally went up the mountain to scout out any new routes or gauge how dangerous the trails had become. He was lauded on his work ethic and commitment to his job.
These trips had another purpose however. A month after his funeral, a young woman who had recently moved to the town revealed something shocking. It seems that on these trips to the mountain, he also engaged in trysts with the lady. The shack that the woman showed the townspeople and the proximity to where the guide's body was found seemed to confirm this.
Soon, the mother and her young son were no longer treated with the consideration and sympathy of a family that lost a father. They became pariahs, the shame of the village.
The boy, who was once said to be blessed with his father's good looks, was now looked upon as the eternal reminder of the sins his father committed.
As the boy grew, the hatred the villagers had for him manifested itself in their children and he was ostracized from the other kids in the neighborhood. Everyday he would come home and he would cry into his mother's lap, not understanding why he had no one to call a friend. The mother cursed herself, not understanding why God had dealt a cruel hand to such a sensitive boy. He may have inherited his father's appearance, but his mannerisms and his personality were clearly his mother's.
Then came that fateful day.
The boy had become used to looking at others from afar, watching how they played and had fun. He had dreams where he would come into school and the other children let him play with them. But when he awoke and found that his dreams were sweet nothings, he wept silently, knowing that this day would be another torturous exercise in solitude.
There were times when he gained enough courage to ask if he could play or maybe even keep score if they played that sort of game. The others simply laughed or physically convinced him to go back to his corner, telling him a freak like him would just ruin the game by his very presence.
One girl however, wondered why the boy was always by himself. Why he was always huddled in a corner of a playground staring at the others while they played hopscotch or jump rope or why he always ate lunch alone. One day, when the class was let out for morning recess and the boy assumed his place at his familiar corner, the girl walked up to him and sat right in front of him. The boy looked at her, perplexed.
"Hi!" she chirped happily. "I always notice you in this corner and I figure that if you're in this corner all the time, then it must be a lot of fun. So, what's so great about this corner?"
The boy was very smart, considered one of the brightest students in the class. His teachers commended him that at least he inherited his father's persistence and innovative thinking, if nothing else. However, the scenario that was unfolding had never before entered his mind as something that could happen.
So the boy just sat there, eyes wide, mouth open, gaping like a fish.
The girl waved her hand in front of his face. "Hello? Anybody home?"
She giggled.
The boy shook his head. "Yeah, sorry, I was just…uh…thinking."
She looked at him serenely. "You think a lot. That's why I like you; you're not like the other boys who just do whatever comes into their dumb heads."
Once again, the boy was left speechless.
The bell rang, shattering the jovial atmosphere of recess and signifying another hour of boring, life-draining schoolwork.
"Well, gotta go now. Nice talking with you." The girl got up and brushed the dust off her dress.
"Wait." The boy said. "Would you eat lunch with me today?" He had no idea where he was getting the courage to say such things, and to someone he hardly knew too.
The girl smiled and nodded
"C'mon Cloud, you don't want to be late for class!"
Cloud stood up and nodded. "Right." He wanted to appear tough in front of his new friend. Even though she was about two inches taller than him. His baby blue shorts and Boco the Chocobo T-shirt weren't exactly helping him either.
I need new clothes. And I need to grow too.
"Cloud!"
"Coming…uh…err"
It just hit the boy that he had no idea who this girl's name was.
I have revised this story. I will probably make this into a two-shot since I have a lot more to write than I thought.