A hospital ward in Costa Del Sol…
Tifa paced back and forth impatiently in the clean white corridor, trying her utmost to exclude the disinfectant smell from her nose. The hallway was quite bare aside from a couple of armchairs for waiting visitors and a table holding a couple of magazines. The paint was peeling from the walls slightly and once again Tifa tried to ignore the 'hospital smell'. She sat in one of the chairs and began to half-heartedly thumb through a copy of Materia Today. She was halfway through a column about growing Materia when a nurse opened the door to Tifa's left and said, "Erm, Miss Tifa? Your friend is conscious now and wants to see you before the doctor returns with his test results." Tifa put down the magazine and followed the nurse into a small room containing only a bed, small table and a pot-plant. Cloud was laying on the bed with a bandage round his forehead and ear that resembled a bandanna. There was blood on the part covering his ear. "Oh Cloud are you ok?" She asked.
"God…I feel like…shit." He breathed weakly.
Tifa smiled, trying to put on a brave face. Just then the doctor returned with a clipboard with some X-rays and printouts on it. "Mayor Cloud?," he said "we seem to have found what is wrong but…we…er."
"What is it!" Cried Tifa impatiently
"Well, There was something lodged in your friends brain, but we have no idea what it is."
"I…want to…see it!" Cloud whispered weakly.
"Yes of course" replied the doctor. He pulled a long metal thing from his pocket. It looked just like a small metallic dragonfly. It gleamed dully in the light, still covered in traces of blood. Tifa felt like retching. Cloud just stared at the thing with a distant look in his eyes.
"It appears," announced the doctor, "that the 'legs' were probing into your friends brain. It appears to give out electrical impulses when triggered by certain thoughts. We are unsure which as we have no idea where it came from."
"I bet it was sent by the Shin-ra!" Said Tifa angrily.
"No, I don't believe so," the doctor cut in, "it is made from a rare material found only in the northern crater."
"Sephiroth!" breathed Cloud helplessly.
" I do believe it may be," the doctor added, "but the thing is, this thing appears to have originally been rolled up in a ball. Its 'life-span' as it were, goes far further back then when you first encountered him at… the records say… Junon Harbour."
"So who could have done this?" said Tifa pleadingly, longing to know of the things origin.
"Whoever it was must have been in direct contact with your friend about 6 months ago, where it would have hatched after about 2 days afterwards." Said the doctor calmly.
"I…must…explore the north cave…for clues!" Cloud whimpered softly.
"You do as you wish but I will keep this thing. Also I'm afraid I can't let you go right now. Rest here the night and if your condition has improved in the morning I'll let you go." Said the doctor sympathetically.
"I'll keep you company Cloud." Said Tifa.
The doctor and the nurse left leaving the two on their own. Tifa cast her mind back to when they were in the car. She was sure Cloud was going to kiss her before he blacked out. She had to know. "Cloud, when we were in the cable car did you…" She trailed off noticing Cloud had fallen into a deep sleep. She settled back in her chair and thought of their journey to the northern cave the next day. She yawned and said, "goodnight Cloud…
…My love."
