Chapter 2: Finding Meaning
~
It was another day...another sun had risen...and yet, he was there. Perched atop his
wall. Always...always the wall. However, something unexpected happened that day, someone
called to him, by name. He turned suddenly, lost his balance, tumbled to the ground. Quickly,
he looked up and came face to face with...
"Red XIII?!" he cried, surprised and confused. The tiger grinned.
"Cloud!" Cloud's mouth hung open, his bright blue eyes wide.
"Wha..What are you doing here, Red XIII?" Cloud asked as he slowly stood up, staring
at Red XIII in amazement.
"I came here to see you, of course." He responded. "I've... we've all been searching
for you, Cloud. Ever since you ran off..." Cloud quickly looked away, and leaned against his
wall.
"Yeah well, I couldn't stay with you guys...not in Costa Del Sol. I-I'm glad that you
and the others had a chance to celebrate but..." He trailed off. It was now Red XIII's turn
to be shocked.
*What a difference!* he thought. *This is not the same man that I knew seven months
ago. What happened?!*
~
Wakka heard a noise behind him and glanced over his shoulder to see Yuna come bursting
out of the door to her room. He stopped and waited for her to catch up with him.
"Yuna?" he questioned when she came within talking distance. She looked up at him and
Wakka noticed her face was a stone mask, no emotion. He was taken aback by this lack of feeling
that Yuna was radiating.
"Hey Wakka." Her voice was quiet, almost like the sound of a wounded animal. She had
lost her fire. Wakka sighed.
"Yuna...are you okay? You don't look to good, ya?" Yuna gave a small, sarcastic sort of
snort.
"I'm alright, Wakka. Everything's going to be alrighty..." Wakka fixed her with a look
of combining concern and aloofness. He couldn't say anything to her, couldn't find the words
that would mend her spirit, her soul. His own heart ached, but he daren't show it.
"Where are you heading?" he asked.
"I'm going to go onto the beach for a little while, I think. Stare at the ocean." she
shrugged and gave a small laugh. He just nodded and watched her back as she left the inn.
~
"We have been worried sick, Cloud." Red XIII sat down in the grass as Cloud climbed
back atop the wall. The man did not look at him as he responded, just calmly watched the waves
roll.
"I told you...I couldn't stay." Red XIII nodded his agreement.
"Had I been in your place...I wouldn't have stayed either."
"I meant to write, Red...I really did." said Cloud, his tone undermining his words.
"Uh-huh..." There was an akward silence.
"Is this what you do all day? Sit and stare at the sea?" Red XIII asked after a few
moments.
"Yeah...pretty much. The sea is blue...like her eyes." Red XIII hung his head with that
last statement.
"But... we killed Sephiroth and prevented meteor from crashing. Isn't that enough to
make you happy?" He asked and waited, almost as if Cloud's answer would cure everything that
was still wrong. Cloud sighed and began to speak.
~
Yuna walked slowly down to the shore and sat in the sand, not to far from the tide. She
stared out into the blue, conflicting emotions welling up inside of her.
*FLASH*
His face as he held her that night in the lake.
*FLASH*
She shook her head to rid herself of the familair image. It caused her too much pain.
*WHY?!* she yelled at herself. *Why are you so weak?! You have saved all of Spira, killed
the most hated of all enemies and you are still here to talk about it! WHY are you breaking
down?!* Yuna whimpered, but she already knew the answer to her self asked question.
~
"Yeah sure, we saved the world, killed the bad guy and brought about peace but..."
~
*Yeah sure, we saved the world, killed the bad guy and brought about peace but...*
~
"without her, life has no meaning..."
~
*without him, life has no meaning...*
~
END Chapter 2
~
It was another day...another sun had risen...and yet, he was there. Perched atop his
wall. Always...always the wall. However, something unexpected happened that day, someone
called to him, by name. He turned suddenly, lost his balance, tumbled to the ground. Quickly,
he looked up and came face to face with...
"Red XIII?!" he cried, surprised and confused. The tiger grinned.
"Cloud!" Cloud's mouth hung open, his bright blue eyes wide.
"Wha..What are you doing here, Red XIII?" Cloud asked as he slowly stood up, staring
at Red XIII in amazement.
"I came here to see you, of course." He responded. "I've... we've all been searching
for you, Cloud. Ever since you ran off..." Cloud quickly looked away, and leaned against his
wall.
"Yeah well, I couldn't stay with you guys...not in Costa Del Sol. I-I'm glad that you
and the others had a chance to celebrate but..." He trailed off. It was now Red XIII's turn
to be shocked.
*What a difference!* he thought. *This is not the same man that I knew seven months
ago. What happened?!*
~
Wakka heard a noise behind him and glanced over his shoulder to see Yuna come bursting
out of the door to her room. He stopped and waited for her to catch up with him.
"Yuna?" he questioned when she came within talking distance. She looked up at him and
Wakka noticed her face was a stone mask, no emotion. He was taken aback by this lack of feeling
that Yuna was radiating.
"Hey Wakka." Her voice was quiet, almost like the sound of a wounded animal. She had
lost her fire. Wakka sighed.
"Yuna...are you okay? You don't look to good, ya?" Yuna gave a small, sarcastic sort of
snort.
"I'm alright, Wakka. Everything's going to be alrighty..." Wakka fixed her with a look
of combining concern and aloofness. He couldn't say anything to her, couldn't find the words
that would mend her spirit, her soul. His own heart ached, but he daren't show it.
"Where are you heading?" he asked.
"I'm going to go onto the beach for a little while, I think. Stare at the ocean." she
shrugged and gave a small laugh. He just nodded and watched her back as she left the inn.
~
"We have been worried sick, Cloud." Red XIII sat down in the grass as Cloud climbed
back atop the wall. The man did not look at him as he responded, just calmly watched the waves
roll.
"I told you...I couldn't stay." Red XIII nodded his agreement.
"Had I been in your place...I wouldn't have stayed either."
"I meant to write, Red...I really did." said Cloud, his tone undermining his words.
"Uh-huh..." There was an akward silence.
"Is this what you do all day? Sit and stare at the sea?" Red XIII asked after a few
moments.
"Yeah...pretty much. The sea is blue...like her eyes." Red XIII hung his head with that
last statement.
"But... we killed Sephiroth and prevented meteor from crashing. Isn't that enough to
make you happy?" He asked and waited, almost as if Cloud's answer would cure everything that
was still wrong. Cloud sighed and began to speak.
~
Yuna walked slowly down to the shore and sat in the sand, not to far from the tide. She
stared out into the blue, conflicting emotions welling up inside of her.
*FLASH*
His face as he held her that night in the lake.
*FLASH*
She shook her head to rid herself of the familair image. It caused her too much pain.
*WHY?!* she yelled at herself. *Why are you so weak?! You have saved all of Spira, killed
the most hated of all enemies and you are still here to talk about it! WHY are you breaking
down?!* Yuna whimpered, but she already knew the answer to her self asked question.
~
"Yeah sure, we saved the world, killed the bad guy and brought about peace but..."
~
*Yeah sure, we saved the world, killed the bad guy and brought about peace but...*
~
"without her, life has no meaning..."
~
*without him, life has no meaning...*
~
END Chapter 2