The whole sector was crawling with people who were enjoying everything Midgar had to offer. Couples held hands and they strolled down the vibrant streets, fillng the candle lit restaurants and pouring into shops. I look through the nearest window to find families sat down at cosy tables, sharing jokes and stories between mouthfuls of delicious looking food. My hand rests on the glass as I get so close the tip of my nose touches the cold surface. In the corner was a table where a handsome man sits with a young daughter on his lap. His older daughter and beautiful wife sit opposite as they hang on his every word with curious smiles. A warm feeling washes over me, but my heart sinks and that feeling turns to bitterness. I was looking at the life that was stolen from me. I pull away from the glass slightly to see my own reflection. Sniffing away any sign of sadness, I force a steely resolve before turning back to the road.
Cloud catches my eye and looks at me with the concerned gaze I've seen far too much in the past day. I'm more grateful to him than I've ever been to anyone in my life, but I hated the pity. Claire needed pity, but she was weak. That helpless kid was nothing but a memory to me now. I am Lightning, an unstoppable force..
"Cheer up, moody," Cloud teases, trying to force out a smile I refused to release. "I see an ATM, come with me."
"I'm not moody, you chocobo haired idiot," I reply with a playfulness behind my insult.
"I like chocobo's so i'll take that as a compliment," he chuckles to himself before turning.
I follow the blonde to the end of the street where an ATM is embedded into the wall next door to a bakery. He takes the card out of his pocket as he stands in front of the machine and stares at it for a moment. At first I thought he was having second thoughts and I couldn't blame him.. He was giving me half of all of the money he's ever had. It turns out he'd simply never used one before, but he quickly figures out which way his card goes and slots it into the machine. The ATM asks him for his pin number and I turn my back so he could type it in privately. Thirty seconds later I feel a tap on my shoulder, so I turn around to find the blonde haired boy holding out a thick stack of gil. My eyes shift from the money to him, but Cloud just frowns and shakes his hand, trying to figure out why I haven't ripped it from his grasp.
"Well take the damn thing," Cloud tells me bluntly, practically stuffing it into my hand.
"I'll never forget this, Cloud. I don't know what I'd do if Serah didn't have a home.."
"There you are!"
The pair of us turn to find Chris on the far end of the street outside one of many bars. He waves us over, and Cloud looks at me to silently see if I was okay with it. With a few hours before my sister finished school, a sit down with the others might be a good idea.
"Hurry up, Cissnei has got some shots lined up!" Chris continues to shout across the street.
"Come on, I wanna know how she beat us too," Cloud smirked.
We walk across the busy street and then down to the end where lines of bars with neon lights in every window blinded me with a sea of tacky colours. They were a world away from the quiet and welcoming bars in Costa Del Sol. There was no smell of salty air and minty mohitos, just that metallic Midgar smell and cheap whiskey. Cloud looks at me with a similar doubtful expression as we glance in, but Chris grips our arms and pulls us inside. Second hand smoke fills my lungs, replacing the cool air outside as we're lead to a table on the far end of the bar.
"Took you're time, didn't ya!?" Alex shouts from the table as he spots us. "Two more shots Cissnei!"
We take a seat at the worn, wooden table that was sticky with alcohol residue. Cissnei leans between me and Cloud to place two shot glasses filled with a turquoise liquid, then sits down opposite us.
"Oh, before I forget. This is Liam," Cissnei tells us, pointing to the boy sat next to her. I recognise him as one of her group of four.
"You going to tell me how you did it, yet?" I ask again bluntly, determined to get an answer.
"Maybe after a few shots," she grins mischievously, "Ready?"
I watch her pick the shot glass up, signalling the others to do the same. My fingers grip the glass, lifting it from the sticky table and holding it in front of me. The strong smell of aniseed burnt my nose as I held it from my lips. I was absolutely positive I'd hate this drink, but I wasn't being made to look weak by her. The red haired girl counts down from three and then knocks the shot back in one gulp, signalling me to do the same. The strong liquid runs down my tongue and it feels like acid is burning off my taste buds off. I quickly swallow and take a deep breath, which just makes the burning sensation travel down my throat. Coughing violently, I look up to find I thankfully wasn't the only one.
"What the hell is that?!" I cough.
"It's called a mako reactor. Its basically just absinthe and food colouring," Cissnei laughs.
"Well it's vile," I frown, hoping the after taste would fade.
"I thought it was quite nice," Cloud says to my surprise.
"You're a strange one-?" The redhead giggles.
"Cloud Strife," the blonde answers.
"So, what's your deal, Cissnei? Why'd you join?" Alex asks between sips of beer.
"I lived in an orphanage in Midgar. Six months ago, a man in a suit came in to have a look around and told me to consider joining Shinra when I was older. Said I had 'the right stuff' to be a Turk one day."
An Orphan like me?..
"A Turk?" I question, unfamiliar with the term.
"It's the unofficial name of the investigation sector of the general affairs department. They're basically secret agents. They know all of Shinra's secrets. They see and know everything," the red head explains.
"I think you're exaggerating a little. They can hardly see and know everything," Alex tells her.
"You'd be surprised about what we know..." A deep voice says from the bar, listening into our conversation.
We all turn around to see a tall man in a black suit stood with his back to us at the bar. He had long, black hair that was tied in a pony tail and when he turned to face us, we were met with a stoic expression. A red talik on his forehead rested over stern, brown eyes that pierced into us all before he finally left the bar.
"Well, that was intense," Chris laughs.
"Indeed. I think more drinks are in order," Liam says, breaking the tension that washed over the table.
"I'll get them," Cloud says, standing up. "What's everyone want?"
"Anything but this crap," I say, gagging at the smell of the absinthe as I hold up the shot glass.
Everyone on the table gratefully tells the blonde what they want, and he heads to the bar with Chris in tow to help carry everything. By now I was used to the smoke and the boisterous atmosphere but I couldn't wait for time to tick by so I could meet my sister at her school gates. She'll be so surprised to see me. Part of me wanted to ask Cissnei if she had any siblings, but I don't want to put her on the spot. As much as I was annoyed with her for snatching victory from me, I felt a strange sympathy for her now. Maybe it was me projecting the pity I hate so much onto someone else.
"Here," Cloud says as he sits besides me and slides a tall glass towards me.
I look at him and then back to the drink with rightful concern after the last thing I was given. The glass was filled with a red liquid and I can't help but pick it up to cautiously sniff it before drinking. It was a sweet, Cranberry smell with hardly any offensive alcohol undertone. I place the glass to my lips but stop myself to look at the blonde again, trying to read his expression.
"I've not poisoned it," He laughs. "It's cranberry and vodka."
"Don't be a wimp, Farron," Chris teases me.
Refusing to show any more weakness than I'd already displayed, I take a mouthful of the fruity smelling liquid to find it surprisingly nice. I was definitely going to stick to this from now on.
"Hey, shouldn't we be going?" Cloud says, pointing to the clock behind the bar after finishing his drink.
"You're right. Still coming with me?" I ask, not wanting to take him away from the others.
"Of course," he nods, "We're off, guys. Make sure you're all back at the barracks on time."
"Where are you two sneaking off to? Gonna cosy up in the theatre to watch loveless together?" Chris laughs.
"Hilarious, aren't you?" I shake my head.
The pair of us leave the smoky bar and head into the busy sector eight streets. The first thing that catches my eye was the giant loveless poster and I think about what Chris said in the bar. How he thought me and Cloud was that close after a week is anyone's guess. It's not like I even knew him well at all. He did save me from the river and he has loaned me the money though.. Maybe the blonde is after something, after all?
"So, where are we heading, Light?" Cloud asks, pulling me from my thoughts.
"What do you get out of this?" I question, completely ignoring his own.
"What do you mean?" The blonde frowns, trying to figure out why we were having two different conversations.
"You saved me from the river and now you're loaning me money. What's the deal?"
"It was the right thing to do," he frowns, trying to work out what's going on. "Besides, it's not very heroic loosing a team mate in the first week."
"Heroic.. You've said that a few times now. What's made you want to be all 'heroic'? Hero's usually end up dead."
There's a long pause and his face burns red. I can almost see the cogs in his brain spinning rapidly, desperate to find a suitable answer, but his pause told me enough. It wasn't 'what' made him, but 'who'. I keep my eyes on the blonde, finding some amusement from his mild discomfort as I wonder who it could be. Parents perhaps? A girl?
"So, what's her name?" I question.
I instantly know I'm on the right track when he does his absolute best to not meet my gaze and I could practically feel the heat from his blushing cheeks from a few feet away.
"Light, you're gonna miss your sister at this rate,"
"I'll get it out of you eventually, Cloud. Mark my words," I laugh. "Serah's in sector seven, follow me."
We make our way through the busy streets of sector eight, all the way to the gate. I can't wait to see Serah's face. This past week has been the longest we've ever been apart and I can only hope she's adapting to this new place better than I am. Maybe after a couple of years service I could become a mercenary and earn enough money to move back home. Waking up to the sound of the ocean lapping up on the sand was much more pleasant than a horrendous alarm.
When we enter sector seven, my pace quickens in a desperate need to see the warm smile of my sister. I'd managed to find a couple of people I get on with already, which was surprising, but nothing would make me happier to know my sister was doing okay. The hotel Serah was staying at came into view and I point it out to the blonde as we pass it. Further down on the opposite side of the road was a pair of large iron gates with a smooth sandstone building set back behind a grassy courtyard.
"This is it," I tell Cloud, pointing to the building.
"What time does she leave?" He asks.
As if on cue, a loud chime fills the area and the doors of the school burst open and kids funnel out like ants, glad to be free for the rest of the day. My eyes scan the crowd, eager to locate my sister. A tense thirty seconds pass until I spot a head of pale pink hair in the never ending flow of students. Grabbing Cloud by the shoulders, I position him in front of me so I couldn't be seen, earning myself a confused frown. When Serah passes me unnoticed, I rush up behind her and cover her eyes. Her whole body tenses in shock, but she quickly realises its me and turns around.
"Sis! You're here!" Serah beams, wrapping her arms around me.
"I got a couple of hours free so I thought I'd come and see you," I tell her with a smile.
"How is it?.." She asks, her happy expression turning to concern.
"Really easy and boring, there's no need to worry," I lie, thinking about how I almost drowned.
"Who's this?" Serah questions, and for a second I'd forgot all about the blonde who was stood there.
"Oh, sorry. This is Cloud. He's my friend," I answer with a smile.
"Like a boy friend?" Serah attempts to whisper but fails.
The pair of us blush and shake our heads. My sister may come off as all innocent, but she knew exactly what she was doing when she asked the question. In truth, Cloud was a friend, but he was also Serah's saviour. Without his help, my sister would have received a letter telling her I'd died on a training exercise and then she'd be homeless.
"I'm Serah. Nice to meet you," my sister smiles at the blonde.
"Cloud Strife. Likewise," He replies.
My apologies for the longer than normal wait, it's been a busy week.
Son Akira, thanks for the review. I'm not the biggest far of reading 1st person view stories either. I think a narrated story is a much nicer read, but I'm far from a natural writer lol. That and I find it much easier to get their thoughts and feelings out, which for this story I think is going to be the foundation. Most stories both characters are already their developed badass's , but in this im hoping to show them getting to that point in their lives.
"i" I did get Cloud to use Light's line. Their characters get some really good lines/quotes and I wanted to give them a new origin. So if they say it in the future, they remember a particular moment. Light's gonna get much more like her ff13 self over time, but for now she's just a kid trying to put on a brave face that sometimes cracks.
There's going to be lots of other shinra members going from Turks, Soldier members like Zack and Kunsel and even higher ups/ scientists over time.
What other cloudxLight stories does everyone recommend?