New chapters are always exciting!
Disc 1 (The Church): Flower Blooming in the Slums
Cloud stopped falling awhile ago. But his entire world is still pitch black. No matter how hard he tried, he just can't seem to go back to reality. The only things that fill the darkness around him are the tiny voices he hears every now and then.
"...You alright?...Can you hear me?" It asked.
"...Yeah..." Cloud replied in his mind.
"Back then...you could just get by with skinned knees..." The voice said.
"...What do you mean 'back then?'" Cloud wondered.
"What about now? Can you get up?"
"...What do you mean by 'that time?' What about now?" asked Cloud.
The voice paused for a second before speaking again.
"...Don't worry about me. You just worry about yourself now."
Suddenly, another voice jumped in. This voice sounded nothing at all like the voice inside Cloud. The voice sounded much more conscious and spirited. Not to mention also very feminine and gentle.
"Oh! It moved! Whew...boy, am I glad." The female voice said.
The previous voice from Cloud's mind spoke once again.
"...How about that? Take it slow now. Little by little..."
Cloud's eyes begin to stir and his pitch black world suddenly begins to let in tiny streams of light that just gets brighter.
"Hello? Hello?" The female voice asked.
"...I know. Hey... Who are you?" Cloud thought for a moment there, his consciousness beginning to return to him.
"Hello! Hello!"
The light fills up Cloud's entire vision and he opens his eyes to let more of it in. As he returns to reality, he blinks a couple of times to clear up his vision. Eventually, he sees the high wooden ceiling with a large gaping hole through its top.
Regaining his strength again, Cloud sits up from the rather comfortable floor, only to realize that it's not a floor, but a large flower patch.
The place he is in is a run down old church and kneeling on the edge of the flower patch before he is a lovely young woman.
She looks to be about twenty and has long light brown hair tied in a braid behind her. She wears a long light pink dress matched with a dark pink short sleeved jacket. To complete the look, she has a pretty pink bow at the back of her head where her braid is.
A look of concern is on her petite face.
"You okay? This is a church in the Sector 7 slums. You suddenly came crashing down. It really gave me a scare," she explained.
Cloud looked around the whole area. Realizing what had just happened.
"...I came crashing down?" He asked.
"The roof and the flower bed must have broken your fall. You're lucky," the young woman said.
Cloud immediately realized what he was sitting upon and leaped to his feet.
"Sorry about that," he quickly apologized.
Cloud and the young woman in pink started up a conversation about the flowers in this church. The young woman explains that they are extremely sacred, and they would only grow here.
She also mentions that she owns a materia that does absolutely nothing, much to Cloud's surprise. She keeps it because it was from her mother.
After a few moments, Cloud also realized that the woman was the one from the plate above selling flowers in the street. He met her right after the explosion at mako reactor 1.
She kneels down to check on her flowers before standing up again.
She looks to Cloud, "Just a little longer. Oh! I just realized...we don't exactly know each other right? I'm Aeris, the flower girl. Nice to meet you."
Cloud smiled as he introduced himself to her, "The name's Cloud. And well...um...I do a little bit of everything."
Aeris nods in understanding, "Oh...a jack of all trades."
She started to laugh for unknown reasons to Cloud.
Spiky hair...a large sword...blue mako eyes...is that a SOLDIER uniform?...and he fell through the roof...not to mention also seems a bit cocky...just like someone I once knew...
Suddenly, Aeris caught sight of someone entering the church. Her eyes flew open and fill up with fear, as she realizes who it was.
It's Reno.
The redheaded stranger wore a dark suit in a rather sluggish manner. He carried a large electrical rod-like stick and was accompanied by three infantrymen.
Cloud caught Aeris's gaze and turned around to see the redheaded man, who casually waved a hand at him.
"Don't worry about me," he said.
Despite that, Cloud knew who he was and what he does. It was one of the ShinRa Turks, a group of people who does all of the company's dirty work. Be it spying, kidnapping, stealing, assassinations. Cloud protectively stands in front of Aeris.
She whispered to him., "Say, Cloud. Have you ever been a bodyguard? You DO do everything right?"
Cloud slowly nodded, "...Yeah, that's right." He confirms.
"Then get me out of here. Take me home," Aeris demanded. She sounded a bit desperate.
"Ok, I'll do it...but it'll cost you," Cloud replied.
Aeris thought for a bit, before coming up with something, "Well then, let's see...how about if I—"
"Cloud!" A voice suddenly shouted.
Cloud and Aeris both looked up to see one of the infantrymen by the entrance get pushed off to the side.
Chorale enters the church, looking exasperated and out of breath. Beside her, the redheaded man's eyes grew as large as two sauce pans as he got a good look at her face.
"Cloud are you alright? Tifa contacted me on the radio and told what happened. I searched all around Sector 5 as fast as I could!" She explained.
Cloud began to panic due to Chorale's close proximity to the redhead.
"Chorale! Get away from him!" He shouted.
Chorale looked to her left to meet the eyes of the Turk. Her hand goes back to reach for the handle of her katana. The infantrymen see her move and immediately point their guns at her.
"Well, Reno? Do you to take them all out?" The first infantryman asked.
Reno strictly turned to face him.
"Lower your guns! Did I say to attack? No, okay? So get that straight."
He shook his head and turned to Chorale again.
A smirk crossing his face, "Well, I'll be damned. It isn't every day that you get to see a lookalike of somebody. Damn...I'm impressed."
Cloud shouted out to Chorale again, "Chorale, get over here this instant!"
She glanced from Reno to Cloud, trying to decide what to do. In the end, she shook her head and gave Reno a glare before running over to Cloud. The infantrymen looked to Reno in confusion.
"Hey, what was that for? We had a good opening!" He yelled at Reno.
"Zip it shorty. I haven't decided what to do yet," Reno replied.
Aeris stepped forward and fiercely shook her head, "No! You can't fight here! You'll ruin the flowers!"
With that, she turned around and gestured for Cloud and Chorale to follow her.
"The exit is back there."
The three of them rushed towards the back of the church where a large set of run-down wooden stairs were located.
Reno stepped forward from the entrance calmly and casually, but the expression on his face said otherwise. When he was sent down here to retrieve the flower girl, he hadn't expected to see this.
"They were...mako eyes," he said aloud as he thought of the strange blonde man dressed in a SOLDIER first class uniform.
Then his thoughts shifted to the other mysterious girl that just abruptly entered.
"That girl...her eyes...hair...voice...but that face...she's mixed race. Just like Chorale," Reno wondered.
Memories and flashbacks began to occur as he walked over Aeris's flower bed.
Reno was kneeling in front of an unseen young girl, giving her a high five. They were inside a large training room in the ShinRa building.
"Great job kiddo, looks like you'll be one heck of a gunner once you're all grown up," he praised.
The unseen young girl looked up at him and nodded.
"Thank you, Reno. Thanks a ton for helping me."
Reno shook his head as he returned to reality. He began laughing a little.
"Wow, that fangirl is one heck of a cosplayer! Alright. Back to work. Back to work," he commanded to the infantrymen.
In the back of the church, Aeris leads the way through the set of stairs that goes all the way up to the rafters. Cloud and Chorale keep up behind her before they all stop in front of a large gap. Cloud moved the front to examine the gap.
At the bottom of the stairwell, Reno, and the infantrymen looked up to find the three runaways on the rafters. Reno pointed directly at Aeris.
"There they are, over there!" He shouted.
Aeris looked in panic at the group of people below her. She turned to Cloud for help. He gave her a confirming look.
"I know. Looks like they aren't going to let us go," he said.
Aeris asked, "What should we do?"
"What else can we do?" Chorale wondered.
Cloud looked ahead of him. The determination was set in his eyes, "Only one thing left to do then."
With that, he jumped the gap in the rafters. He turned around to face the two women.
"Come on guys, this way."
Aeris looked a bit uncertain about jumping. Chorale gently encourages her to go on.
"Come on Aeris, you can do it. We have to leave now."
Aeris sighed and nodded in agreement, "Okay, I'm coming."
Suddenly, the infantrymen below them shouted.
"The Ancient is getting away! Attack! Attack! Attack!"
Several bullets were fired at Aeris and Chorale, causing the two of them to lose balance and fall over the rafters they were standing on.
Luckily, Chorale managed to grab hold of the wooden board they were standing on just in time with one hand, and catch Aeris's arm with the other.
Aeris grabbed hold of Chorale's arm with both hands as she dangled dangerously over the stairs.
"Ahhh!" She cried.
Chorale looked up at Cloud who was shocked at the situation.
"Goddammit Cloud! Help us!"
Reno glanced up at the two women dangling over the edge of the rafters.
"They shouldn't have put up a fight," he sighed.
Cloud prepared to jump the gap again to provide some aid.
"Hang on, I'm coming!"
Chorale shouted at the top of her lungs to stop him from jumping.
"No! Don't! This piece of wood is already starting to crumble from the weight of two people suddenly pulling it down. If there's one more person upon this thing, we'll all fall down!" She explained. "It's okay, though. I'm able to pull both of us up. I just need time. Can you stall them?"
Cloud looked at the ShinRa guards that are gradually making their way up the stairs and closer to the rafters. Then he looked at Aeris, who was white with fear.
Cloud nods at Chorale as an answer before running to the top of the rafters where several barrels are located. He runs over to the barrel on the far left corner of the rooftop.
The barrel falls over the edge and lands directly on top of the infantrymen at the bottom of the stairwell.
Chorale takes this opportunity to let Aeris climb up her arm and onto her back. This way, Chorale could use both arms to cling onto the edge of the wooden platform they're on.
Cloud sees another infantryman running up the bottom half of the stairs and rushes over to the barrel on the right side of the rooftop right in front of him.
Pushing the barrel over, it falls down and rolls onto the infantryman trying to climb up the stairs.
As soon as that infantryman fell over, Chorale gently hoisted Aeris up towards the platform with her shoulders. Aeris grabs hold of the wooden platform with both arms and pulls the rest of her body onto it.
Aeris then turns around and bends down to grab hold of Chorale's hands and help her up onto the platform as well. The second Chorale gets onto the platform, the two of them jumps over the gap and runs towards Cloud up on the top rafters.
He called out to them, "Guys, this way."
The three of them make their way across the wooden beams supporting the roof towards the large hole in it that leads to the outside of the building.
Once they've reached outside, Cloud, Aeris, and Chorale all sat on the rooftop to rest.
Aeris started the conversation, "Haha...they're looking for me again."
"You mean that's not the first time they went after you?" Cloud asked. Chorale also joined the conversation, curious.
"Who is that guy in the suit anyways?" She asked.
Cloud turned to look at Chorale, a serious expression on his face.
"He's a member of the Turks. They work for ShinRa and scout possible candidates for the SOLDIER program," he explained.
"They're also involved in lots of dirty work that ShinRa doesn't want to get their hands upon. You know, like spying, murder, kidnapping, etcetera," Aeris continued on.
Chorale nodded in understanding.
"I see. That's why you told me to get away from him. You know, I saw another guy who was in the exact same suit as him back at the mako reactor. He was bald and wore sunglasses, but he seemed really quiet. I didn't know what they did at that time," she admitted.
Aeris smiled at Chorale.
"It's okay. You know now, but I'm surprised. Usually, lots of people know about the Turks. That's why they would avoid them."
Chorale looked down sadly. Cloud gently put a hand on Aeris's shoulder.
"Umm. There's something I have to mention. Chorale here is in a severe case of amnesia. She has no memory whatsoever of who she is, or where she came from. My friends and I are trying to help her regain her memories right now," Cloud whispered in Aeris's ear.
Aeris looked shocked and guilty.
"I—I'm so sorry! I didn't know! It must be horrible to be this way," she sympathized.
Chorale smiled at Aeris, shaking her hands.
"No, it's okay. I'm learning about life again, little by little each day. This feeling, is really refreshing. It's not all that bad."
Cloud cleared his throat to have the two females' attention.
"Well ladies, if we're all done resting and chatting, then I'll say it's time to move on!"
Cloud leads the way across the metal mismatched rooftops across the top of Sector 5. He easily jumps and leaps from roof to roof with perfect balance and speed.
Directly behind him is Chorale, who manages to keep up with Cloud's speed, albeit with a bit of breathlessness.
Aeris however, had to call out for them to wait up.
"Wait!" She cried.
The young flower girl takes her time in jumping across the rooftops, making sure she's maintained her balance before moving onto the next. Eventually, she catches up with the pair in front.
"Puff...wheeze...slow down...don't leave me," she gasped.
Cloud shrugged his shoulders.
"No can do. Besides, didn't I say that the Turks scout for possible SOLDIER members? They must have thought you were cut out to be one," he said sarcastically.
Aeris gasped at Cloud with wide eyes.
"Oh, you're terrible!" She muttered, causing the three of them to laugh.
Chorale stifled her laughter before speaking.
"Don't listen to him Aeris. The only girl he'll ever wait for is the lovely bartender of Seventh Heaven," she singsonged.
Cloud turned fifty shades of red and quietly muttered.
"Tha—that's not exactly true...I mean it's not like how you think it is!" He stuttered.
Chorale and Aeris doubled over with laughter. Aeris then took a good look at Cloud again. Her mind began racing as memories of her old sweetheart resurfaced.
"Hey, Cloud...were you ever in SOLDIER?" Aeris suddenly asked.
"I used to be. How did you know?" Cloud answered.
"Your eyes have a strange glow to them."
Aeris pondered on the subject of mako blue eyes. The colour of the sky...
Cloud nodded.
"That's the mark of a SOLDIER, who's been infused in mako. How did you know?"
Aeris shook her head as more painful memories came up. A frown crossed her face, but quickly disappeared. Like a cloud on a sunny day.
"Nothing important. Come on! We shouldn't be wasting our time here!"
Eventually, the three friends made their way to the end of the chain of houses. Cloud jumped across the last roof and down onto the streets of the slums. Aeris and Chorale followed after him.
Aeris stretched her arms up to the sky and looked to Cloud.
"Whew! Finally made it off! Now what..."
She looks around the area, taking in the layout of the houses and the several other details to identify where they are in the slums.
"My house is this way. Come on, before they come back," she commanded.
Aeris leads the way down a large soiled street with all sorts of trash strewn around it. The nearby houses barely looked habitable as they seemed to be made out of random items that nobody would really use to make a home out of.
Cloud averted his gaze from the shabby houses and trash that was thrown down from the plate above. Instead, he focused on Aeris, and her leading them casually through the slums of Midgar.
Chorale however, couldn't help but look at her surroundings in awe and pity.
So this is how life in the slums is really like. The people here are so neglected, like a lost hopeless lost little bird. ShinRa...are they responsible for the treatment of the slums too?
ShinRa...why do sparks fly around my head whenever that name is mentioned? Why did that redhead Turk, 'Reno' was it? Reno said I looked like someone he knows or knew. Why?
Aeris continues walking through the streets of Sector 5 until they've reached a giant stone wall with the entrance being only one rugged hole. A brown haired man and a redhead man was blocking the entrance way.
"Aaaaah...what a drag. You wanna go to that store in Sector 6 again?" The brown haired man asked.
"Huh? The hell with you? The hell do you think you're talking to?" The redhead man exasperated.
Cloud gently tugs at Aeris to keep her at a good distance from the two men at the entrance of the stone wall. He leads them to the other way. Not too far from in front of them, was an old sewer pipe.
The pipe looked old and abandoned but as they got closer, they realized that the inside of it has been turned into a tiny shelter.
A tiny shelter that seemed to be the home of a very weak and frail man, wearing an oversized black cloak.
He sat inside his little pipe, hiding his face from the world. Outside of the pipe, another man shakes his head and sighs, before turning to Cloud and co.
"That guy in the pipe's a weird one. No matter what you ask him, he only answers 'ugh' or 'aah,'" the man explained.
A look of concern and pity crossed Aeris's eyes.
"This guy is sick. He passed out nearby and someone must have helped him here," she said to Cloud and Chorale.
Cloud cautiously stepped into the pipe, curious about the strange man inside. Aeris and Chorale carefully followed him from behind. Once they got in, the black cloaked man did not stir or move. He did not acknowledge their presence.
All he did was continue to moan and groan.
Aeris couldn't help but ask Cloud, "This is the one...won't you help him?"
Cloud took a closer look at the man before shaking his head. He felt some weird vibes coming from the guy, it made him feel insecure and unsafe. Cloud knew that he had to get out of the pipe.
"Listen, I'm no doctor," he explained while sighing.
Aeris shrugged her shoulders.
"No...I guess not...hey. That man has a tattoo. I think it was the number 2?" She remarked.
Chorale crossed her arms while tilting her head.
"Well, that's strange. 'Wonder what it could be. Do you think it might represent something?"
Cloud was already up and walking towards the outside of the pipe. He gestured for them to leave as well before answering Chorale's question.
"That tattoo is probably just a coincidence. Nothing really important I guess," Cloud stated.
The three of them continued onward towards Aeris's home.
Aeris walked them into the central slums via a large metal door. The central slum was a large area with a bunch of mismatched markets and stores all over the place. People sold things, that ranges from weapons to materia to everyday necessities.
As Cloud talked to more people in the area, he realized that the opinions of living in Midgar varied from each person.
There was a shopkeeper who does not trust ShinRa nor Avalanche, thus keeping to himself from the outside world. There was a little kid who wished to one day live in the city above.
Eventually, the three of them reached Aeris's home. The place almost seemed like a different world, set apart from the rest of the slums.
There were gardens of flowers all around and a little waterfall in the backdrop, giving the place a nice natural feel. Cloud couldn't help but walk towards the large patches of flowers and admire the beauty and colours.
Chorale stayed behind with Aeris, who was standing next to the front door of her house. Aeris smiled and turned to Chorale.
"Hello. Chorale? Is it? I'm sorry, we weren't properly introduced to each other. I'm Aeris Gainsborough," Aeris said, holding out a hand.
Chorale shook her hand, glad to have patched things up since the incident at the church.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm just Chorale. Oh, and Aeris?" She asked.
"Yeah?" Aeris replied.
"Ummm, according to what I saw back at the church, why is ShinRa after you? Do you know anything about them?" Chorale asked hesitantly.
Aeris turned serious.
"All that I know is that they want me to fill their greed. ShinRa is always like that. Wanting to get what they want, the way they want, and how fast they want it. That's why they sent that guy in the dark suit. Remember that redhead? He's a member of the Turks. They do ShinRa's bidding and get paid for it. Never trust them, Chorale. Never."
Chorale nods slowly, trying to wipe out the memory of the flashback she had back at the church. But she can't deny the fact...she knew that redhead Turk...well she doesn't know him now...but, she knew him once.
Why is it that fate had made it, that the only connection she has to regain her memory is through the most hated people in the world?
"What's going on girls?" Cloud asked, suddenly appearing in front of them. He returned from his little tour around the flower garden.
"Not much. Just getting to know each other a bit. Anyways, you guys must be exhausted. Come on in," Aeris answered with a grin.
With that, Aeris opened the door and gestured for them to enter the humble house.
The inside of the house was extremely cozy and organized. There was wooden furniture with simple decorations upon them, and a clean little kitchen with all sorts of ingredients stored in their proper places.
Chorale took a whiff of the aroma around her and gently sighed. The air was scented with the smell of something fresh baking.
"I'm home mom," Aeris called out to her unseen mother.
She soon appeared from the top of the wooden staircase. The middle aged brunette woman wore a simple green dress and white apron. She smiled upon seeing her daughter and walked down the stairs to greet her.
"Welcome home dear. Oh, and who are these people that you've brought?" She asked, noticing the blonde young man and dark haired young woman.
Aeris turned around to face her friends and introduced them to her mother.
"This is Cloud. He was my bodyguard on the way home. Oh, and this is Chorale. She's a friend of his, and she also helped me back at the church," Aeris explained.
Aeris's mother frowned.
"Bodyguard? Were you followed again? Are you alright? You're not hurt, right?" She expressed concern.
Aeris shook her head, "No, I'm alright. I had the two of them with me."
Aeris's mother turned to the two Avalanche members. Gratitude shining on her face.
"Thank you, Cloud. Chorale. I'm Elmyra Gainsborough. If you guys need anything, I'll be upstairs," she replied as she turned around and walked back up.
As soon as Elmyra disappears into the upstairs floor, Aeris turns around to face her two new friends.
"So, what are you guys going to do now?" She asked playfully.
"...Is Sector 7 far from here? We should be heading back to Tifa's bar," Cloud admitted.
Aeris tilted her head and walked closer, a look of suspicion and curiosity filled her eyes.
"Tifa? Isn't that the girl that Chorale mentioned earlier? The 'only girl you'll ever wait for?' Is she your girlfriend?" Aeris asked, smirking as she did.
Cloud's face turned as a ripe as a tomato as Aeris began to laugh while Chorale shook her head and merely chuckled at Cloud's expression.
"I'm just teasing! Don't worry. Anyways, if you two want to return to Sector 7, I'll show you the way," Aeris offered.
Cloud's face stopped reddening and turned serious again.
"You've got to be kidding! Why would you want to put yourself in danger again?" Cloud asked.
"I'm used to it," Aeris shrugged.
"Used to it!? Well, I don't know...getting help from a girl..." Cloud began.
That cause Aeris and Chorale to both explode. Their jaws dropped and their eyes flared dangerously at the blonde ex-SOLDIER. Cloud immediately saw his mistake and quickly put his hands up in submission.
"A girl!? What do you mean by that!?" Aeris yelled.
"My gosh, Cloud! I didn't know you were such a sexist!" Chorale cried.
Aeris nodded in agreement, "I know right? Do you really expect me to just sit down and listen, after hearing you say something like that!?
The flower girl snorted as she turned towards the staircase.
"Mom! I'm taking Cloud and Chorale to Sector 7! I'll be back in awhile."
Elmyra appeared at the stairs again, this time, a bit quicker. The woman looked very worried, but tired at the same time.
"What? But dear...sigh. I give up. You never listen once you've made up your mind. But if you must go, why don't you go tomorrow? It's getting late now," she suggested.
Aeris thought for a bit before nodding, "You're right mom."
"Aeris, please go make the bed," Elmyra demanded.
Aeris nodded before going upstairs to do as her mother asked. Elmyra turned to Cloud, she looked at the intensity of his eyes.
"That glow in your eyes...you're from SOLDIER aren't you?" She asked cautiously.
"Yeah. Or rather, I used to be..." Cloud explained.
"...I don't know how to say this but...can leave tonight? Please...without telling Aeris. SOLDIER...sigh. The last thing Aeris needs is for her feelings to be hurt again," Elmyra explained.
The woman folded her arms and sighed.
It's been five years and Aeris is still not completely over the disappearance of her first love...she thought.
Cloud blinked in confusion at Elmyra's words but understood what she meant by leaving. He nodded at her and walked upstairs. Chorale, however, stayed put and looked down at the ground anxiously.
Elmyra looked at the young woman before her.
"Dear, are you not going up to rest as well? You don't look too good. What's wrong?" She asked gently.
Chorale looked out the window before looking at Elmyra.
"I'm sorry, but I can't stay the night. I really need to get back to Sector 7. As in right now."
"Why? Can't you wait until your SOLDIER friend comes down? It's not safe right now..." Elmyra stated.
"I don't mind. Listen, I've got someone waiting for me back there. I told her that I would be back tonight," she explained.
"Who?"
"My young daughter. Her name's Allie, she's only four, and I told her that I would be back from my mission today. Please understand Elmyra, from a mother to mother perspective. I need to go back." Chorale insisted.
Elmyra finally understood, "I see. But you will stay safe out there, right? Do you know the way back to Sector 7 from here?"
"Umm, Tifa once told me that there was a maze in Sector 6 that I'm supposed to go through to get there, am I right?" Chorale asked.
Elmyra nodded, "Yes. After that, the entrance to Sector 7 should be right in front of the children's playground. Please be safe, Chorale."
Chorale smiled before heading out the door.
"Don't worry, I will. Thank you, Elmyra."
On the second floor, Cloud met Aeris outside of her bedroom. She turned around to face him.
"You need to go through Sector 6 to get to Sector 7. Sector 6 is a little dangerous so you'd better get some rest tonight," Aeris said to the blonde SOLDIER. "Cloud...good night."
She turned around to walk back downstairs, leaving Cloud by himself on the second floor. He shook his head and put his hands behind him, thinking of how on the planet did he get this innocent bystander girl into his Avalanche's mess.
"Oh man..." he sighed.
Just then, Elmyra appears from the staircase and walks up to him.
"Cloud? Oh good, Aeris isn't here. Um, listen. Your friend, Chorale, left already," she explained.
"What? Why didn't she wait for me?" Cloud asked.
"She needed to—no, she wanted to get back to her daughter again. You understand that, right?"
Cloud sighed, "Well, I guess. She's a fighter. I'm sure she'll be safe. Anyways, I promise that I'll leave sometime tonight."
Elmyra nods in approval.
"Good. Well, I bid you good night."
In the comfort of the guest bed, Cloud stared at the ceiling.
"...sigh...seem pretty tired...I haven't slept in a bed like this in a long time...Oh yeah...ever since that time..." Cloud thought as his eyelids began to flutter shut.
In a flashback, Cloud appears back in his old house, in Niblheim. He is lying down on the kitchen carpet, while his mother walked over to gaze at him.
"My, my, look at how you've grown. I bet that the girls never leave you alone," Cloud's mother said in pride.
Cloud shook his head while spreading his arms and legs across the soft material of the carpet.
"...Not really."
..."I'm worried about you. There are a lot of temptations in the city. I'd feel a lot better if you'd just settle down and have a nice girlfriend," Cloud's mom said.
"...I'm alright," Cloud assured his mother.
"You...should have an older girlfriend! One that'll take care of you. I think that would be the perfect type!" Cloud's mom gushed.
Cloud sits upright on the carpet, shaking his head with unamused eyes.
"I'm not interested."
The room was dark when Cloud opened his eyes. He groggily sits up on the bed and leans against his arms.
"...I must've fallen asleep. Sector 7 is past Sector 6...I should be all right by myself," Cloud said in his mind.
He quietly got up to his feet and walked towards the door of the bedroom. He opens the door slowly, being careful not create any creaks in the hinges. The door did not make any sound as Cloud entered the hallway.
From there, he carefully tiptoes his way across the wooden floor and towards the staircase. Once he got down, he quickly scrambled down the steps and walked out of the front door, quietly shutting it behind him as he left.
The outside was quiet, there wasn't much activity now in the slums. Cloud took this chance and ran from the house to the Central Slums district.
Near the break of dawn, the marketplace seemed peaceful, not a lot of gangs were out to cause any ruckus.
Cloud ran past the stalls and tiny buildings of stores, and towards the path that leads towards the giant rock wall, the entrance to Sector 6. He smiled as he nears the rock wall, proud of his successful escape from the house.
Suddenly, his smile disappears from his face and he stops running, as he looks up and sees the person that stands between him and the entrance to Sector 6.
It was Aeris.
She puts both hands on her hips and smirks at Cloud.
"You're up bright and early."
Cloud's jaw dropped in shock.
"How could I ask you to come along if it's going to be dangerous?" He cried.
"Are you done?" Aeris asked, completely ignoring Cloud's question.
The blonde ex-SOLDIER sighs and scratches his head sheepishly, knowing that the flower girl's mind was made up.
"You have to go through the slums in Sector 6 to get to Tifa's Seventh Heaven. I'll take you there, come on!" Aeris cried.
She ran forward into Sector 6. Before Cloud could stop her, she was already ahead of him. Without much choice, he runs after her.
That's it for this chapter. Sorry that it took so long! I had a lot to worry about, for one, I had my piano exam (which is over now, thank god!). But now, I've got to study for my school exams! Hopefully, I'll get more chapters done during the summer. Thank you for your understanding readers!