Chapter 2

Cloud was sat on the wooden ledge of the well in Nibelheim. The weathered and rough edges of the boards digging into the back of his legs as swung them back and fourth tracing the grain of the planks with his index finger as he waited. He sighed and leaned backwards, shifting his weight onto his arms as he stared up at the sky. Midnight blue blended seamlessly into navy, then into black. A flawless canvas littered with hundreds and hundreds of stars. It was a beautiful sight. The perfect night to tell her of his plans, albeit not planned in this way. It was just the first place he had thought of to get her to meet him.

The sound of gravel crunching and scraping under foot, followed by the creaking of timber alerted him to the presence of the one he had been waiting for. Tifa. Stunningly beautiful. He stared at her, taking in every detail. He would be leaving soon and wanted a precious memory. Long, flowing dark tresses. Deep brown eyes. She was wearing a black dress. Something stirred in the back of Clouds mind but he quickly dismissed it. The moonlight shone brightly, Tifa's hair had an almost silvery appearance where the moons glow glistened against it. She mimicked him and sat down over the ledge letting her feet dangle down. Cloud told her that he was leaving, that he was going to Midgar. She seemed nonplussed about this at first, but that was until he mentioned SOLDIER.

"..I'm not just going to find a job. I want to join SOLDIER. I'm going to be the best there is just like Sephiroth." At this revelation Tifa bust into laughter. Uncontrollable laughter, Tifa pointed at Cloud as she doubled over. Cloud began shaking his head, this wasn't right. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. Something was very, very wrong. He backed away to the stairs still shaking his head in disbelief, hearing Tifa's laughter at his proclamation.

"You in SOLDIER?!? You could never be in the same league as the GREAT SEPHIROTH." Tifa's words cut deep inside of him. How could she ridicule him like this? He was doing it for her! Dark grey clouds appeared from seemingly nowhere instantly killing the light from the moon and stars. The heavens opened and rain began to pour down hard heavy and fast. Cloud turned to run down the steps of the well and slipped. His stomach flipping as he fell through the air…

BANG! Cloud hit the ground with a hard thud, the sound echoing around him. Cloud opened his eyes and blinked. He was in a crumpled pile on a bare floor. His eyes focused. Floorboards? He thought confusedly. Looking around at his surroundings he noticed more. There were walls, then a wooden side table. A Bed. Cloud started at the dishevelled mess that was his bed. Sheets creased and balled together, pillows out of their cases. He wondered why he was sat on the floor for a moment then he remembered the end of his dream. He had fallen out of bed. Running a hand through his blonde spikes he cursed at the memory of his dream. It had been a similar story every night for the past week. Everything that had some meaning in his life always went bad. Why the hell was Tifa in a black dress? It was turquoise that night. He thought to himself. She never laughed at me. Never faltered in her beliefs, Tifa expected me to become a hero. "Man I need to stop eating before I go to sleep" he said out loud to himself. Remembering that he was still sat on the floor Cloud picked himself up off the floor and began to ready himself for another long day's deliveries.

"Another nightmare?" Tifa enquired as Cloud walked through Seventh Heaven on his way out. Cloud stopped and nodded.

"Yeah" He was about to ask how she knew, but the question must have been etched on his face because Tifa answered before he even asked.

"Heard you fall out of bed… Cloud, you know these are just dreams right?" There was real concern and worry in the way she spoke to him. Cloud reassuringly smiled at her and nodded his head, his blonde spikes shaking as he did.

"I know." He headed for the door, and reached out for the handle. Cloud hesitated and turned to tell her that he'd already forgotten about it and would be back later. But Tifa had just disappeared into the back to continue stocking up ready for opening later. Cloud opened the door and walked out.

Cloud dusted off a few stray pieces of litter that had managed to attach themselves to his bike in the seasonal winds that carried them. He threw his leg over the seat of his bike, all thoughts of his dream forgotten and any potential worries simply dismissed. Nightmares weren't new to him. He had dealt with them before and knew not to read anything into them. Tifa had told him that they were just that. Dreams, good or bad they were just dreams. Vincent too dismissed the news of Clouds recent problems as just his minds way of torturing him. The things that he had seen and ultimately done over the years even with all the best intentions in the world still leave a mark upon ones soul. It was just their way of showing it was how he put it. The general consensus was if anyone would know it would be him and his thoughts had mirrored many of the others in the group.

The rear wheel of Fenrir span wildly kicking up a spray of dust as Cloud roared away down the winding streets and past the old unassuming ShinRa building. Having suffered great damage at the hands of meteor, and again at the hands of Sephiroth who, after Kadaj's 'reunion' dissected sections in an attempt to destroy Cloud. The building was in severe dilapidation. Deep underground however, the once tyrannical mega corporation, the once de facto world government, were keeping quietly busy.


Sorry for those who have been waiting for the next chapter to come along. Weekends are somewhat of a hit or miss as to whether I have time to write.

Anyway i shall try and get back to my chapter a day target and hopefully the story will come thick and fast!