So after a long awaited time, Cloud is finally going to be off to Midgar! Woo! Let's get to it!

Ch. 13

Light adorned the sky once again at the break of dawn, as the warm rays of sun fluttered in the windows of the Fair's house. Cloud turned over to see faint glimmers of light dancing in front of his eyes as he then blinked a few times to adjust to the absence of the darkness that was his closed eyelids. After a few minutes, he finally sat up in his bed and stared blankly at the wall for a while. It seemed like any other day that he had been through, but his mind eventually capitalized on what the day was as he started to take in everything in the house.

It had been another year now. He had turned thirteen a few weeks ago, and today was when he would be setting out on his journey. He could finally join Shinra and be with Zack. A flurry of emotion swung around inside of his head, as he was overjoyed at the prospect of going, but also saddened by the knowing all that he would be leaving behind. He inhaled sharply and let out an exasperated sigh.

He knew this was the last day that he would be inside of this house where he grew up. He paced constantly around his room, making sure to notice everything he could and appreciate all that he had at that moment. He stopped by his desk drawer and pulled out the large stack of letters from Zack. He carefully looked through them and started to wonder if he should take them along with him or not.

"Hmmm," Cloud hummed thoughtful as he thought it over. "Maybe I should leave them. So that way mom and dad can still read them when they want."

After careful consideration, Cloud removed one letter from the stack and placed the others back in his drawer for safekeeping. "I'll at least have this one with me," he uttered with a small smile.

The letter he was holding now was a more recent one Zack had sent, which included his address and all of the information Cloud needed to know upon arriving in Midgar. Zack had also included some personal notes in there to him as well, so Cloud figured he would be able to read it to keep him company on his trip over there. He folded it up nicely and stuck it in a pocket on his clothes.

He had already packed most everything that he needed for his journey, though most of his materials were staying in the house, as he knew he could not carry it all with him. As he glanced around his room one final time before walking out, this experience still seemed surreal to him. He was going off to join Shinra, and hopefully make SOLDIER.

For a brief moment upon thinking, Cloud had a strange feeling of that thought as he felt a slight tug in his heart. Was it fear? Apprehension? He tried to push those thoughts down below and not lose sight of the goal again.

WIth a heavy breath, he exited his room and closed the door behind him. He walked down into the next room where he saw his parents sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for him. They looked at him once he had entered and gave him a smile, though Cloud knew they were probably a bit sad on the inside. He was leaving like Zack had, but this time at least they knew when he was leaving as opposed to Zack.

"Well I guess it's your big day then. Why don't you sit down with us for a while before you go," his mother suggested as she spoke as calmly as she could.

"Okay," Cloud said as he walked over to the table. He set his stuff down to the side and then took his seat.

"How are you feeling Cloud?" his father asked him,

"I'm feeling…" Cloud started as he thought over everything. "I'm a bit nervous I guess. But also I'm excited as well."

"Well I guess that is expected. I think we feel the same way honestly about all of this," his mother replied quickly before dipping her head and trying to control herself.

"Now now dear, it will be all right. I'm sure we will see them again of course," he said as he then directed his attention at Cloud. "We will still hear from you both right?"

Cloud nodded. "Of course! I'll make sure to write my own letters whenever I can."

"Yeah, please do. We would for sure want to hear from you. Are you sure you have everything ready to go? I just want to make sure," his mother added with a hint of worry in her tone.

"Yes I got everything," Cloud said, though his voice started to shake slightly.

He knew within a few minutes he would be leaving. He would be leaving his home that he had lived in now for only eight years. The home that he had been accepted into and raised in, he would be leaving it all behind now. He knew once he went to Midgar he wouldn't be back in Gongaga for a while, so he wouldn't be able to see his parents. Cloud eyes started to water as he started to think over it all.

His parents both could see the uncertainty in his eyes as they welled up. His mother could not hold back her emotions any longer as tears began to form in her eyes as well. She leaned over to her son and placed her arm around him as the two of them had started to cry.

Cloud's father arose from his seat and walked around to his wife and son and hugged them both. He was emotional about the situation as well, but he did his best to keep himself in check as he was trying to remain strong for the both of them. "At least we are able to spend this time together right now. Let's just cherish what we have for the moment," he uttered firmly.

Cloud wrapped one arm around each parent as they all stayed close to one another. The tears were starting to stream down his face more than before. "Mom… Dad… I love you. I'm going to miss you."

"And we are going to miss you too Cloud. Our sweet little boy, how much you have grown," his mother whispered sweetly.

"Yeah, you're becoming a young man now. I'm proud of you son that you want to do something like this," his father asserted.

Cloud sniffed as he tried to talk clearly. "Thanks Dad. Mom. I'll be sure to make you guys proud," he said as he slowly raised up from the group hug. "And, when I come back, I'll be a proper SOLDIER too, just like Zack," he proclaimed, showing his confident attitude.

His mother wiped some wetness from her eyes and cracked a small smile. "I'm sure you will dear," she consoled him.

Cloud looked at the time and saw that the ship he was supposed to board would be leaving soon. He then stood up and grabbed his bags once more. "Well...it's about time I have to head out. Don't wanna miss my ride," he said as light-heartedly as he could manage.

Cloud's mother stood up from her seat and she embraced her blond-headed boy once more. "I know, I know. I really am gonna miss having you here. Just keep us updated okay?"

"Yeah, and make sure to watch over Zack so he doesn't get into trouble," his father said with a slight chuckle.

Cloud and his mother stifled a small laugh as well as the three of them enjoyed their last moments together. "Yeah okay, I'll do that," Cloud agreed as his mother finally released him. "Are you sure you don't wanna see me off at the docks?"

"Oh I would want to, but I feel it would only be harder to watch you go," Cloud's mother replied.

"We know you'll get down there in time, but I think your mother and I will just see you off here," his father added.

"Okay," Cloud said as he wiped the last of his tears away. He turned and faced the door and took in a deep breath. "Bye," he said as strongly as he could before he grabbed the handle of the door and stepped outside.

The summer sun beat down on him as soon as he was out of the house. Cloud wanted to take a moment to relax and enjoy the weather, but he knew that was not the time for it. Without waiting too long he started off towards the docks, down to where the ship was waiting. Once he got down there he stared out at the waters before him.

"I'm almost there Zack. I'll be with you again soon," Cloud thought to himself before he boarded the ship.

Once Cloud was on the ship he took a seat down in the bed chambers area below deck. The ship started to pull out from the docks and began its slow journey out into the vast ocean. Cloud laid back in his bed and looked out the small round window to see Gongaga getting farther away. His heart felt heavy as he watched the place he called home slowly sink into the distance.

He tried to put that aside though. He reminded himself that he would probably get the chance to come back and visit one day. "Both of us will come back to visit. Both me and Zack. We'll come home again mom and dad. Don't you guys worry."

The journey seemed much longer than Cloud had expected, but he was supposed to be getting closer to Midgar now. At least, that is what the ship captain had informed everyone of that was on board. He almost could not believe it when he had heard that news. The dream that he had held for the past two years to see his brother again in Midgar was finally becoming a reality.

Almost 3 weeks had passed since he had left from his small town of Gongaga. For the first few days, Cloud reminisced heavily about his hometown and his parents, sometimes even tearing up when thinking about them. Eventually though, he was able to move past those emotions, partially due to having Zack's letter and reading it constantly. He was reminded of the strength that he was supposed to show, and a renewed feeling would wash over him each time.

He did feel lonely as he was by himself on the long journey. Well, at least it was that way in a sense. There were others aboard the ship as well, but Cloud did not know them; and therefore, did not converse with them. He found plenty of time to nap because of this, allowing time to pass by more quickly by sleeping it all away.

The entire trip was made on boat from port to port, and every so often, there would be stops to either pick up more people or to pick up more supplies. At each stop, Cloud would look at the name of the location where they were to see if it matched some of the places that Zack was telling him about. Sure enough, the ship would dock in the same locations as did with Zack, so Cloud was able to disembark for a short time and view these other places.

Sightseeing ended up being the best part of the journey for him, as every place he saw was much larger than the small town in which he grew up. He made mental notes of everything that he had seen in an effort to tell Zack of what he had experienced on the journey over.

After reminiscing some about his travel, Cloud decided to close his eyes briefly as the warm summer sun felt especially nice on his skin. He just knew that he would be in Midgar soon.

"HONK!"

Cloud's eyes bolted open as he raised up quickly from his sleeping position. It seemed he had dozed off instead of just merely resting. However, he understood what that noise meant. The ship's siren would make that sound each time it was coming into port at a new location.

"We're coming into Midgar now, so everyone who needs to stop here get ready!" a raspy voice yelled across the ship.

Cloud's eyes widened as a smile graced his sunlit face. He stood up and ran towards the front of the ship and his mouth dropped. "This is really Midgar? No way…" he trailed off, staring in disbelief.

The city was much larger than he ever had anticipated from the looks of it, and there looked to be heavy machinery everywhere that he looked. Wherever they were coming in at looked like the lower part of the city. When he looked up, he could see more of the city above the area he was at, like parts of it were stacked on top of each other. He could not hide his sheer excitement as he just continued to take in everything that he could see at the moment. He could not wait to explore the city and see what all it had to offer. However, he decided he would most likely do that after finding Zack.

Cloud grabbed his bags and then exited the ship as soon as it docked. Once he was on solid ground, he started to look all around him. He still could not believe the size of the city that he was now walking through. Cloud recalled Zack's letters from when he first arrived in Midgar. He always kept talking about how large the city was. Cloud didn't quite get it at first, but now he understood how Zack must have felt.

He strolled for a bit, taking in the sight which continued to amaze him, but he slowly came to a stop. He pulled out the letter from his pocket and read over the directions Zack had given him. He read over it once more before heading the way that the instructions said to go.

He wandered around a bit as he tried to stay on track as best he could. Only a few times did he have to ask a local which way he was suppose to go, as a few of Zack's directions were a bit unclear. Soon enough though he came to an apartment complex that had many people in what appeared to be Shinra uniforms entering and exiting constantly. Cloud assumed this was apparently where many of the Shinra workers lived at.

Stepping inside he looked around the lobby. Everything was still so impressive to him. The front lobby of this apartment was at least twice as big as his entire house. He stood in awe, his eyes darting in all directions to take in everything. After staring for a bit longer he went to the elevator and took it up to the floor that Zack said he was on. He carefully made his way down the hallway until he reached the door with the number that matched what was in Zack's letter.

Cloud stared up at the door for the longest time. He didn't move a single muscle though. Here was Zack's apartment. He was finally here. Finally, he could see his brother again after two long years. But… even though he was excited to see Zack again… he was feeling nervous. A pit formed in his stomach, almost as if a knot seemed to be churning in circles. His hands started to become clammy and his heart rate accelerated as his anxiety levels were heightened.

"What if… What if Zack has changed?" Cloud thought to himself as he let doubt sink into his mind. "What if he doesn't care about me anymore… or is too caught up in being in SOLDIER to remember I was coming today? Maybe he went and made new friends. What if… he's forgotten all about me?"

Cloud shook his head side to side and slapped his cheeks as he tried to calm himself back down. "Think, Cloud," he said to himself as he tried to process his thoughts. "Zack must still care, since he sent those letters. At least a bit. I've gotta try anyways. This is what I came all this way for. Okay. I've got this." He spoke those words himself silently as his heart beat began to finally slow back down after a few minutes.

He slowly started to raise his hand up to the door. As he did so, time seemed to almost slow down in the process, even though Cloud knew in his mind that was not true. The moment he had been waiting for was finally here, and his hand deliberately moved closer to the door. It was the door that separated him and his brother, but not for one more moment as his hand finally reached it.

Cloud made his hand to knock on the door three times, spaced out in succession. His nervousness increased after doing so as he realized that he could not reverse his action. Soon though, he heard faint footsteps that grew louder with each passing step. Then, he looked down to see a shadow had formed under the crack of the door. The doorknob began to turn, almost as if in slow motion as he inhaled sharply to brace himself. Then, the door finally opened.

Haha yes we ended it there :P Cause why not have some suspense and all

So thanks for reading, and hope to see you all next time!