"It sure is raining hard," Cloud said as he sat in the back of the rickety old army truck. It wouldn't dampen his spirits though. He'd trained hard for this and now it was finally about to pay off.
He shared the truck with three Shinra soldiers, two in the back and one driving, and Sephiroth, an aloof, cold yet cool-looking man dressed head to toe in black with silvery-white hair that flowed down his back. His weapon was as sleek as him and almost as long as his body in length. The silver sword was elegantly curved and glimmered even in the gloom of the truck. In fact, Sephiroth himself exuded an eerie glow that set him apart from his surroundings, like a ghost in a faded picture.
Cloud realised he had been staring at Sephiroth so turned his attention to one of the soldiers. He bounded over to the one who was sitting on the floor with his head in his hands.
"Hey, how are you doing?" he asked the soldier. "I'm Cloud, and you are?"
"I'm all right," the soldier lied, probably trying to save some dignity. His ashen, clammy face deceived the cool persona he was trying to portray. Beads of sweat hung on his forehead. "The name's Hiro."
"I wouldn't know… I've never had motion sickness," Cloud replied.
Figuring that Hiro needed some time alone, he walked over to the one standing nearest to the front cabin.
"Everything okay?"
The soldier nodded and looked away. He was probably nervous. This was a big mission after all.
"Hey," Sephiroth quipped, an edge to his voice. "Settle down."
"They gave me some new Materia," said Cloud as he began to do squats to release some of his pent up energy. "I can't wait to use it."
Sephiroth hung his head and shook it, taking a deep, disapproving sigh.
"…Just like a kid."
The statement stung Cloud like a hot needle. He might only be sixteen but he was far from a kid. Not every boy his age got to join SOLDIER.
"You going to brief us about this mission?" Cloud asked him.
"…This isn't a typical mission," he replied sharply.
"Good!" Cloud yelled excitedly. He didn't want any boring, ordinary missions. He'd had his fair share of those already and he was growing restless.
"Why do you say that?" Sephiroth mused.
"I joined SOLDIER so I could be like you," Cloud replied as he walked to the far end of the truck. "But by the time I joined first class, the war was already over. My big hopes of becoming a hero like you ended with the war. That's why I always sign up whenever there's a big mission. Kind of a way to prove myself. Say, how do you feel, MISTER Sephiroth?"
Sephiroth looked at him with cold, steely eyes and shook his head.
"…I thought you wanted a briefing?" he coolly asked, rolling his eyes. "Our mission is to investigate an old Mako reactor. There have been reports of it malfunctioning, and producing brutal creatures. First, we'll dispose of those creatures. Then, we'll locate the problem and neutralize it."
"Brutal creatures… where?" asked Cloud, his stomach turning with nervous excitement.
"The Mako reactor at Nibelheim."
"Nibelheim… that's where I'm from," said Cloud.
It had seemed like ages since he was last there. He thought about his mom all the time and of the fond memories he and Tifa used to have at the well and in the mountains. He didn't expect a mission to bring him back and he certainly didn't expect brutal creatures borne from Mako energy to be lurking in the area.
Mako was the most powerful substance on Gaia. If a creature were to be infused with it then its strength would surely surpass the power of any normal specimen. He wondered just what kind of immense power they would be dealing with and was thankful that Sephiroth was here as he was one of the most powerful men Cloud had ever known.
"Hmm… hometown…" Sephiroth mumbled half-heartedly as if he wasn't really interested in what Cloud had to say.
He realised quite early on that Sephiroth was a very selfish and conceited man, but Cloud liked that about him. It added to his mystique.
The truck suddenly shook violently as something large and heavy struck it. It skidded to a halt as shockwaves from the impact reverberated through the floor and walls.
"Sir… s, something strange just crashed into our truck!" gasped the driver.
"That would be our Monster…" claimed Sephiroth with a glint in his eyes.
To be continued…
