FINAL FANTASYVII
LAST ORDER
Chapter Two
Homecoming
The town of Nibelheim was a small settlement dwarfed by large jagged mountains. Tempratures averaged at forty degrees farenheit. The town itself only had 185 people living in it, most of them being retired people.
The front gate was a somewhat wide path that led directly into the towns center which contained a well.
But for Cloud Strife it was a hometown and the home of his mother. A light breeze picked up as Sephiroth Zack Cloud and the MP passed reached the front gate.
Sephiroth paused causing the rest of the party to follow. Sephiroth tilted his head slightly towards Cloud and asked "So whats it like?" "What do you mean?" Cloud asked slightly
confused.
"This is your first time back to your hometown in awhile right? So whats it like?" Now Cloud was even more confused. "I wouldnt know because i dont have a hometown." Sephiroth continued.
Cloud looked breifly suprised, though Zack seemed to have been expecting it.
"What about your parents?" Cloud returned. Sephiroth turned to face Cloud completely now. A moment of silence passed. Then "My mother's name was Jenova. She died giving birth to me.
And my father..." Sephiroth stopped mid-sentence as if catching himself doing something wrong. Then he laughed a laugh that held no humour.
Wrather it held, a longing for something out of reach. Something forever lost to the past. After a time Sephiroth stopped and shook his head sadly before saying "What does it matter?"
Zack seemed about to say something but Sephiroth turned and walked into the villiage. Cloud was suprised to see that no one was out and about. "Must all be afraid of the monsters." Cloud said.
"Or maybe their afraid of us." Zack replied. Cloud gave Zack a confused look. With a sigh Zack realized he would have to explain.
"Shinra promised these people that the reactor would make life easier. Instead it caused air polution and mutations in local wildlife resulting in savage monsters. Add to that that we chose to invade the country
of Wutai instead of find out what went wrong here and you can see why they might see us with mistrust." Explained Zack. Cloud looked down and put on his helmet.
Upon seeing Zacks confused look Cloud said "I dont want anyone to know im here. Not yet." Zack shrugged and walked on. "We'll only need one lookout tonight." Sephiroth said casting a glance
at the MP next to Cloud. "Zack, you are to arrange for some rooms at the hotel." "Okey-dokey artichokey." Zack replied cheerfuly.
Sephiroth sighed before saying "I'll go meet with the mayor." He started to walk off stopped and cast a breif glance at Cloud before saying "You are allowd to visit freinds and family."
Having said what needed saying Sephiroth departed. "I guess your gonna go visit a girl now huh?" Zack teased poking Cloud in the shoulder. Coud sighed and headed for his mothers house.
While walking he glanced discreetly about the houses and shops. Nothing seemed to have changed in his absence. He was almost to his destination when his eyes were drawn to the old mansion at the edge of town.
Shinra had made it thirty years ago for research which had eventually gone wrong. It had been abondoned only a year after it was built. Cloud felt a sudden chill travel down his spine as he stared
upon the old building. For some reason just looking at the building gave him the creeps.
Confused and thoroughly freaked out he tore his gaze away and continued for his mothers house. It took two minutes to get there during which Cloud forced down the eery feeling that had developed in the
pit of his stomach.
It was a small single story house with only four rooms and a dull paint job. But whenever Cloud looked at it he felt pride at knowing his father had been the one to build this house from the ground up.
However Cloud had never known his father as he had died in a hiking incedent when Cloud was very young.
Cloud cautiously removed his helmet and knocked shyly on the door praying to all gods he could think of that his mother still lived hear. The door opened to reveal a 5.8 tall woman in her early fortys with
bright blond hair.
She blinked breifly before asking "Cloud?"
"Hey mom." was the reply.