Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own these characters, though I wish I did.

If Only You Knew

Chapter One: Last Wish

"Here Cloud, come on. Open the letter..." His mother encouraged, her eyes bright with unshed tears. Handing over the envelope with her trembling hands, she hoped with all her heart that this letter would open the door of opportunity for her son. Cloud stared down at the pale envelope as he took it in his hands and looked back up to his mother as he proceeded with peeling open the back flap. His eyes widened as he saw the elegant writing on the ivory page unfolded in his hands. As his eyes quickly scanned through the much anticipated letter, he feels a sense of depression come over him, his senses seeming to dull. His mother saw the expression on his face and assumed the worst. "…You…didn't get it…?" She asks in an anxious voice, almost hesitantly as she felt the answer would only disappoint her weary heart. "After you've worked so hard to get that scholarship…" Eyes downcast, she starts to turn away from her silent son with a shake of her head. Her face looked so let down but he hadn't even told her yet…

"I've been accepted." The words slipped past his lips as disbelief coloured his voice. His mother's eyes looked back towards him with surprise and a sudden smile appeared on her face.

"You got the scholarship?" The question hardly necessary as she hastily embraces him in her arms, squeezing tightly as joy radiates from her soul. "Good God…thank you…" She mutters as Cloud struggles against her warm hold. He felt strangely uncomfortable at that moment, the news about his newly acquired scholarship stunning him deeper than he would've thought. He would have to attend a new school with new faces and teachers. A wealthy school that would shun him for being of middle-class birth. Already the idea of transferring daunted him. But wait…his mom was still talking… 'I've dreamed of this day…" She says, though pulling away a bit as she slightly cocks her head in thought. "Hmm…well, I've also dreamed about the day when you finally get a girlfriend too…but anyways," She grins at her son who was currently running a nervous hand through his ashen blonde at her words. "You're finally going to have more than I could ever give you…" The tears were now freely running down her cheeks. Cloud freezes and stares at her in amazement, his mouth gaping open like a fish.

"What? What do you mean by that Mom?" He asks in bewilderment, her words striking him as odd. She wipes the tears from her eyes with a curled fist and replies in a cracked voice,

"Well, ever since your father passed away… You know that we've been short on money and I want you to experience the better things in life than what we've had here." She waves her hand around their own small abode in a suggestive way. He arches an eyebrow at her and then shakes his head.

"That doesn't matter to me, I do-"

"No, Cloud. It does matter, to me at least. I want you to succeed in this world. I want you to be happy. "

'That's all she wanted…' The thought passes through his mind as azure eyes met gold gates that seemed to sparkle under the sun's light. He was already in awe of his surroundings as the car continues to drive up the paved road. Cloud tore away his eyes away from the window and instead focused on the single piece of paper in his hands. The words of which explained who he was, why he was here and all the usual junk that top-priority schools cared for. Resisting the urge to crumple the worthless piece of paper in his hands, his eyes wandered back to the scenery which was flashing by his eyes outside. 'I wish I didn't have to come here. I wish I didn't have to leave my friends. I wish I didn't get that stupid scholarship. I wish, I wish…'

"Hey kid!"

Cloud jolted in his seat, startled by the sudden voice that came from the front of the car. Phew, it was only the driver. "Yeah..?"

"What's your name?"

He rolled his eyes at the obvious question and replied, "Cloud." The driver gave him a funny look in the mirror and snorted loudly.

"You got a last name too or what?"

Sighing in exasperation at the driver's inquiry, Cloud just shakes his head. "It's Strife. My name's Cloud Strife. Happy?" The driver chuckled his assent as they slowly started to pull up in the large lot at the side of the front entrance of the academy.

"Here's your stop, Mr. Strife." The driver emphasized his last name and chuckled again, apparently at a joke that Cloud himself had missed.

'Whatever…' He thinks, getting out of the car and stretching his arms high above him. It had been a long ride here from his house or rather, his old house as he was currently now going to stay at the academy's dorms. He scoffed at the thought as a trickle of sadness ran through his veins. With a more darkened expression now, he moves to the back to open the trunk and get out the few bags he had where he had just randomly stuffed his belongings. Muscles flexed as he pulls his bags out to the side of him just as the car starts to drive away. He stares after it as it makes its way back outside the gates and returns his view back to the entrance. There were neatly-trimmed rose bushes and tulips in miniature gardens. The stairs looked like they were polished every five to ten minutes and the floor seemed to be made out of marble, which most likely it was. He couldn't believe it; this was going to be the place where he was going to spend 3 years of his life in. "Something to look forward to I guess…" He drawls in a sarcastic tone, looking the immense building up and down as he scrutinized its features.

Gloom overcame him though as he continued to look at the building. 'This is what I've worked for…This is what I've studied for. This is what she would've wanted if she were still alive.' For it wasn't of his own will had he wanted to come here, it was his mother's last wish. And what about his own wishes? He wished that she were still alive to see him go through with this.

A/N: End of Chapter 1! Mostly about his mother and for those who haven't figured it out yet, she died right before the new school year started so that's why she's not there. Yes, very sad I know. More to come! Oh yeah, and because I couldn't fit everything into the summary, I'll just list the pairings up: Tifa x Cloud x Aeris, Aeris x Zack , Yuffie x Vincent and the others from Shinra.