Sephiroth unsheathed his sword from its holster and leapt outside with nary a glance behind him. Cloud followed him out into the gloomy darkness and came face to face with a large green dragon that towered above them. Its underbelly was vivid purple and bulging as though it had just gorged itself on another creature. It let out a war cry that made the air vibrate and Cloud's ears buzz and then it attacked.

It unleashed a fiery stream at Cloud who could do nothing to evade the inferno except bringing up his buster sword and using it as a shield. His sword grew hot as the heat took hold but he gripped it with both hands until he suddenly saw stars in his field of vision. The next thing he saw was a flash of warming red light which encircled him in a protective sheath, strengthening him bit by bit until he was able to stand again.

Wow, he thought. He had never passed out on the field before. He felt embarrassed but also thankful that Sephiroth thought enough about him to use such a powerful revive spell on him. He would thank him for it later; he wasn't sure how, but he'd figure out a way.

The dragon still stood proud and tall but now there was a large, red gash across its chest. The beast barely flinched as globules of blood dripped from the wound. It flung back its head as it readied itself for another attack. Hot flames licked at Cloud's flesh. The pain was indescribably torturous but Cloud's torment was short-lived as the blackness enveloped him once again.


"Sephiroth's strength is unreal," he told the group as they stood in the centre of the bedroom. "He is far stronger in reality than any story you might have heard about him."

"So… where do you come in?" asked Aeris.

Cloud cocked his head. "Me? I was mesmerised by the way Sephiroth fought." There was an eerie silence in the room. It was as though Sephiroth was here in spirit and had inflicted a sense of unease into the group. "…and then we reached Nibelheim."


He was here once again. Nibelheim. His hometown. Nothing had changed. It was very quiet, even more so than it used to be. The residents of this sleepy town were probably too scared to venture out. He was not surprised. The dragon was the most powerful beast Cloud had ever encountered. If Sephiroth hadn't been by his side, he would have died. He still needed to thank him…

"How does it feel?" asked Sephiroth. "It's your first time back to your hometown in a long time, right? So how does it feel? I wouldn't know because I don't have a hometown…"

"Ummm… how 'bout your parents?" Cloud asked.

He noticed the way Sephiroth shook his head as if Cloud was asking too many questions and was starting to step out of line, so he was surprised when he answered.

"My mother is Jenova," he said. "She died right after she gave birth to me. My father…"

His shoulders shook as he began to laugh. It was pained; tinged with shame and embarrassment. Who was his father and what had he done to make his son so disgraced? Cloud decided not to broach the subject any further.

"What does it matter…?" Sephiroth said before quickly changing the subject. "All right, let's go."

They walked up the quaint cobbled path until Sephiroth stopped halfway and began to sniff the air.

"The Mako smell is pretty bad here."

Cloud could smell it too. It was sharp and crisp; an odd mixture of metals and decaying leaves. If you breathed it in for too long it would clog your nostrils and make your head spin. The smell became stronger the more they progressed. Cloud's eyes began to sting and his throat became dry and tickly, but Sephiroth walked on in big strides, the thick soles of his boots clanking against the cobbles. Cloud followed on, trying his hardest to look unfazed.


"Yo wait a minute!" Barret bellowed. "Isn't that um…? The name of Sephiroth's mother… I remember Jenova. That's that damn headless spook livin' in the Shinra building."

"That's right," replied Cloud.

Tifa placed her hands on her hips and gave Barret a stern look. "Barret, would you please let us hear what Cloud has to say? You can ask questions later."

"Tifa, I was only…"

"Okay Cloud, continue," said Tifa, cutting Barret off.

"It's a reunion of childhood pals!" Aeris excitedly exclaimed.

"…I was really surprised with Tifa," Cloud continued. "…The town was quiet. Everyone must be staying in their houses, afraid to come out because of the monsters. No, maybe they're afraid of us…"


"We leave for the reactor at dawn," explained Sephiroth. "Make sure you get to sleep early." He walked towards the Inn. "All we need is one lookout, so you others, get some rest." He went to walk through the door and stopped, turning to look at his comrades. "Oh, that's right… you may visit your family and friends." He disappeared then behind the door.

Cloud couldn't help but feel a little more at ease. He looked up to the guy but there was something about him that he didn't like. He wasn't sure what it was exactly, just that something didn't feel quite right and set alarm bells ringing.

A young man emerged from the building to the Inn's left-hand side.

"I heard Sephiroth was coming and got my camera ready. I want a shot of Sephiroth and a monster."

"Take my picture," Cloud said.

"I don't take pictures with nobody's."

Nobody's? Who did he think he was? Cloud wasn't a nobody. He used to be in SOLDIER.

"Better get back in the house, it's dangerous," Cloud ordered as he tried to gain a sense of importance.

"All right…" he replied, albeit hesitantly. "So big headed…" he muttered under his breath. "Hey? You… are you Cloud?"

He nodded.

"Really? So that's how it is, huh?"


Cloud explained where his house was located in the village and briefly explained what it looked like inside. It brought back lots of memories; some that were tinged with bittersweet nostalgia, for at times life felt perfect and he couldn't get it back; some were painful. His dad had died when he was very young. He couldn't remember his face or the sound of his voice; but the worst memory was that of his mother on her final days. He just didn't see that coming. He blinked rapidly to clear hot tears from his eyes. He hadn't felt tears for a long time.

"This is… my house. It has nothing to do with the incident five years ago."

"Yo wait, I wanna hear," Barret said.

"Me too!" Aeris chimed in with her ever-positive voice. "It's been a long time, right?"

"Tell us more!" demanded Barret. "You saw your family, right?"

"All right," Cloud muttered. "I don't know if you could call it a 'family'… my father… died when I was still very young. That's why my mom… was living alone in this house." He looked up at the ceiling as he tried to visualise the past. "Yeah, I saw my mom. My mom… she was a vibrant woman. Hadn't changed at all. But a few days later, she died… but when I saw her, she looked fine."


Cloud entered the house where he and his mom lived. It hadn't changed a bit. It was open-planned with the bedroom, lounge and kitchen area on the right-hand side and a slightly elevated utility area at the left which was full of boxes and appliances. It was as homely as ever decorated with warm hues, dark wood and rustic, weathered tiles.

His mom was preparing a meal at the kitchen. She had her back turned to him and she was humming softly and swaying her hips to whatever song was stuck in her head. Just like usual.

"Uh…?" Cloud mumbled, the words he wanted to say getting stuck in his throat.

"Ye-s?" his mum called slowly, unaware of who it was that had called out. She turned around, her eyes lighting up when she saw her son. "Cloud!?" she cried, quickly wiping her hands on her apron and bounding over to him. "Welcome home, Cloud!"

He scratched his head casually. "Hi, mom."


He couldn't remember a lot of the conversation. His heart thudded with panic as he tried to recount his mom's words but no matter how hard he tried to, the memories never came. What was happening to him?


"Come, come… let me take a look at you!" she cooed as she licked her finger and swiped it across his stained cheek. "Hmm… you look so handsome." She circled him, admiring his uniform. "So is this a SOLDIER uniform?"

"…Mom, I…"


The memory abruptly ended as if there was really no memory there at all. Was it real? Why was he thinking like this? Of course it was real. So why was he getting the feeling it wasn't?


He was sprawled out on the bed.

"My, how you've grown," his mum fussed. "I'll bet the girls never leave you alone."

"…Not really," Cloud replied bluntly.

"…I'm worried about you," his mom expressed. "There are a lot of temptations in the city… I'd feel a lot better if you just settled down and had a nice girlfriend."

"…I'm all right."

"You should have… an older girlfriend, one that'll take care of you. I think that would be the perfect type for you."

"I'm not interested," Cloud replied, a sharp edge to his voice. He loved his mom but he was practically an adult now. He was in SOLDIER, top of the rank. She needed to accept that this was how things were now.


And just like that, the memory ended. In a way he was glad. Knowing what he knew now about how that would be one of the last conversations he'd have with his mom before she died, he wished he could have been less dismissive of her concerns and talked to her more.


"Are you eating right?"

They were standing in the kitchen. His mom was warming a huge pot of fish stew on the hob.

"I'm all right," Cloud replied. "The Company takes care of me.

"Is that so?" his mom asked, her eyes unable to hide her concern. "You can't cook, right? I was worried sick about how you were doing…"


As one memory faded, another quickly came into focus. His head was spinning.


"Cloud…?"


He remembered nothing about this short memory, other than the look in his mom's eyes. They were heavy with sadness and had lost their vibrancy that always came so naturally. She was hiding something, he was sure of it. He had never seen her look so fearful.


"You know, Cloud…"


"…Isn't that right, Cloud?"


"I will always be your mother…"


"…Let's stop this…" Cloud said as he began to choke up. His heart was so heavy he felt it might explode. His throat ached and his nose stung as he fought back tears.

"Cloud?" asked Tifa concernedly. "Did you go into my house?"

"Yeah," he responded. "I thought you might be home."

"Cloud…?" she asked again. He noticed she was fidgeting. "Did you go into my room?"

"Yeah. I took your orthopaedic underwear."

He watched as Tifa's eyes widened and her cheeks grew as red as tomatoes.

"Cloud!" she yelled, lunging towards him with a fist.

"It's true," he said.

Tifa stopped in front of him and lowered her fist.

"…Cloud, we're talking about something really important here. Did you play my piano?"

"Yeah, I jammed on it."

He tried to recall the song he played on the piano but the memory was vague. He closed his eyes and tried to visualise the keys.

"…Now, how did this go?"

Cloud hummed the song in his head. A fluttery feeling overcame him as he recalled the familiar tune.

"I've heard this melody somewhere before. Managed to play well…"


Cloud entered the inn. It was decorated in hues of scarlet and maroon and decked with dark wood. He approached the man behind the desk.

"The, uh…" he started, "The whole inn's booked up by Shinra for the night." The man furrowed his brow. "Cloud…? Is it you, Cloud? It must've been two years. Say, you've really moved up in the world being under Sephiroth's command."

Sephiroth was upstairs peering out of one of the windows lining the wall of the small hallway.

"What are you looking at?" Cloud asked him.

He slowly turned around to face Cloud. "…This scenery… I feel like I know this place." Cloud noticed how dreamy his eyes looked, but in a split second, they had changed back to being cold, sharp and deeply hypnotic. "…We have an early start tomorrow," he finished. "You should get some sleep soon."

"Yeah, let's get some sleep," Cloud replied as Sephiroth turned back to the window.

"I've hired a guide to the Mako reactor," he said. "I've heard she's young, I hope we can rely on her…"

Cloud went to his room, shut his door and lay down on the bed. It wasn't long before he was out cold. He had a dreamless sleep.

To be continued…