"Get you away from here?" Zack looked puzzled for a moment.
"Cloud, so foolish. Thinking he could easily defeat me," my own voice spoke to me through the darkness. I stared down at the dead body of my stronger self, confused. "Don't you remember that I am the stronger part of you? I was hoping you learn how important you are to Tifa by seeing how she would react to your death...but apparently you're too stupid to realize it all," my voice told me.
"But I know this is all just an illusion, just a hallucination. And I want to wake up. I can't stand any of this anymore. It's just confusing me more and driving me insane!" I yelled to Zack and Sephiroth.
"If only you'd learn!" Sephiroth shouted in frustration. "Learn from yourself, selfish boy!"
"I ...I don't care! Just get me outta here... I wanna leave this place, can't take it anymore..." I whispered.
"Fine! So be it!" Zack and Sephiroth screamed at me in harmonic unison.
I shut my eyes. Oh god, I feel I'm falling. I can't think anymore, I can't breathe anymore... Heaven help me.
Everything became a blur of black and my stomach jumped as I fell. I heard someone calling my name far off, so distant...
Suddenly, my eyes jolted open and I sat up, gasping and brushing blond hair out of my eyes. That was all a dream... It was nothing but a stupid nightmare...I'm awake now...
"Cloud...Awake now?" someone familiar called to me.
My eyes focused and I realized I was in a jail cell, lying on a small uncomfortable bed. "What the hell is this...?" I muttered, my eyes trying to focus on the person talking to me from behind the bars in my cell.
"How did I end up here?" I mumbled, shaking my head clearing away the hissing static.
"Tifa knocked you out and had you brought here... You know you killed Cid, right? You sick bastard..." Barret was saying to me.
I turned to him. He was standing outside of my cell, glaring at me through the bars. "What the fuck is going on?" I asked him. "Why am I here?"
"Well, you killed Cid and a bunch of nursing assistants down at the asylum, I've been told. I just came by to visit you. I dunno why. I guess it's hard to believe that you're like this now... I mean, because before you were okay and we were friends and all..." Barret's eyes were troubled and he wouldn't meet my gaze.
"Get me outta here! I need to talk to Tifa!" I demanded.
"No, she doesn't ever want to see you again. She says she'll never forgive you, Cloud," Barret told me.
I felt my heart sink. "No! You have to convince her to see me, to talk to me one last time. Please!! I need to talk to her! Please, Barret!" I begged, trying to grasp his arm through the bars. He pulled away.
"You crazy, man. I'm trying to convince the Junon authorities that you need some mental help and maybe move you back into the asylum, but they just won't listen. What the hell's the matter with the justice system these days? I mean, you could be fine if they just got you some help, but instead they're just gonna let you rot here..." Barret shook his head. "It ain't right, man."
"Wait, what? I'm... I'm stuck here?! Nonono, there must be a mistake. See, I was under Jenova's power and-" I began to say.
"Yeah right..." Barret cut me off. "Jenova's power? Nice excuse, Cloud. That only worked once in the past when you beat the crap outta Aeris. You think that's gonna work again when you almost killed Tifa?" He narrowed his eyes at me. I shrunk back.
"No, I'm serious! You think I would ever consciously want to hurt Tifa?!" I looked hurt and angry at him. "She's the one person I would NEVER want to hurt!"
"Liar..." Zack was leaning against the wall of my cell, shaking his head.
"Not you... Go away!" I screamed at him, but he didn't move.
"Man, you're losing it! What are you screaming at?" Barret darted his eyes over to where Zack was, but he couldn't see Zack.
"Zack! Get away from me! I thought I told you to leave me alone!!" I howled at his blank face, vacant eyes staring through me. "Zack!" I yelled, clawing at my hair. "Get outta my mind!!"
"Whoa man, you're insane! What the hell's the matter with you? Get a hold of yourself!" I heard Barret yell to me, but he sounded so distant. Zack smirked.
"Get Tifa! Please, Barret!! Goddammit! Get Tifa, for me! I'm begging you!" I pleaded with him, so desperate for Tifa's attention, a need to see her so urgent. I needed to tell her what was wrong with me, what had happened, and how I feel about her.
"Cloud, you've lost it. She don't wanna talk to you no more," Barret backed away.
"Get her for me now!!" I growled ferociously, Zack shaking his head in the corner. "GO!" I ordered him.
"Awright, but she won't listen..." Barret yelled back and scurried off.
I watched him leave and turned back to Zack. "I thought I left you... I thought I didn't have to see you again!" I was out of breath from the inner-struggle I was feeling with my mind.
Jenova's powers were now crawling into my mind, attempting to get control of me once more since I was now awake. But I was no longer as weak as I was before. I wouldn't let her get me this time... Please Tifa, understand...
**Next Chapter: The Last Visit (finale!)**
"Cloud, so foolish. Thinking he could easily defeat me," my own voice spoke to me through the darkness. I stared down at the dead body of my stronger self, confused. "Don't you remember that I am the stronger part of you? I was hoping you learn how important you are to Tifa by seeing how she would react to your death...but apparently you're too stupid to realize it all," my voice told me.
"But I know this is all just an illusion, just a hallucination. And I want to wake up. I can't stand any of this anymore. It's just confusing me more and driving me insane!" I yelled to Zack and Sephiroth.
"If only you'd learn!" Sephiroth shouted in frustration. "Learn from yourself, selfish boy!"
"I ...I don't care! Just get me outta here... I wanna leave this place, can't take it anymore..." I whispered.
"Fine! So be it!" Zack and Sephiroth screamed at me in harmonic unison.
I shut my eyes. Oh god, I feel I'm falling. I can't think anymore, I can't breathe anymore... Heaven help me.
Everything became a blur of black and my stomach jumped as I fell. I heard someone calling my name far off, so distant...
Suddenly, my eyes jolted open and I sat up, gasping and brushing blond hair out of my eyes. That was all a dream... It was nothing but a stupid nightmare...I'm awake now...
"Cloud...Awake now?" someone familiar called to me.
My eyes focused and I realized I was in a jail cell, lying on a small uncomfortable bed. "What the hell is this...?" I muttered, my eyes trying to focus on the person talking to me from behind the bars in my cell.
"How did I end up here?" I mumbled, shaking my head clearing away the hissing static.
"Tifa knocked you out and had you brought here... You know you killed Cid, right? You sick bastard..." Barret was saying to me.
I turned to him. He was standing outside of my cell, glaring at me through the bars. "What the fuck is going on?" I asked him. "Why am I here?"
"Well, you killed Cid and a bunch of nursing assistants down at the asylum, I've been told. I just came by to visit you. I dunno why. I guess it's hard to believe that you're like this now... I mean, because before you were okay and we were friends and all..." Barret's eyes were troubled and he wouldn't meet my gaze.
"Get me outta here! I need to talk to Tifa!" I demanded.
"No, she doesn't ever want to see you again. She says she'll never forgive you, Cloud," Barret told me.
I felt my heart sink. "No! You have to convince her to see me, to talk to me one last time. Please!! I need to talk to her! Please, Barret!" I begged, trying to grasp his arm through the bars. He pulled away.
"You crazy, man. I'm trying to convince the Junon authorities that you need some mental help and maybe move you back into the asylum, but they just won't listen. What the hell's the matter with the justice system these days? I mean, you could be fine if they just got you some help, but instead they're just gonna let you rot here..." Barret shook his head. "It ain't right, man."
"Wait, what? I'm... I'm stuck here?! Nonono, there must be a mistake. See, I was under Jenova's power and-" I began to say.
"Yeah right..." Barret cut me off. "Jenova's power? Nice excuse, Cloud. That only worked once in the past when you beat the crap outta Aeris. You think that's gonna work again when you almost killed Tifa?" He narrowed his eyes at me. I shrunk back.
"No, I'm serious! You think I would ever consciously want to hurt Tifa?!" I looked hurt and angry at him. "She's the one person I would NEVER want to hurt!"
"Liar..." Zack was leaning against the wall of my cell, shaking his head.
"Not you... Go away!" I screamed at him, but he didn't move.
"Man, you're losing it! What are you screaming at?" Barret darted his eyes over to where Zack was, but he couldn't see Zack.
"Zack! Get away from me! I thought I told you to leave me alone!!" I howled at his blank face, vacant eyes staring through me. "Zack!" I yelled, clawing at my hair. "Get outta my mind!!"
"Whoa man, you're insane! What the hell's the matter with you? Get a hold of yourself!" I heard Barret yell to me, but he sounded so distant. Zack smirked.
"Get Tifa! Please, Barret!! Goddammit! Get Tifa, for me! I'm begging you!" I pleaded with him, so desperate for Tifa's attention, a need to see her so urgent. I needed to tell her what was wrong with me, what had happened, and how I feel about her.
"Cloud, you've lost it. She don't wanna talk to you no more," Barret backed away.
"Get her for me now!!" I growled ferociously, Zack shaking his head in the corner. "GO!" I ordered him.
"Awright, but she won't listen..." Barret yelled back and scurried off.
I watched him leave and turned back to Zack. "I thought I left you... I thought I didn't have to see you again!" I was out of breath from the inner-struggle I was feeling with my mind.
Jenova's powers were now crawling into my mind, attempting to get control of me once more since I was now awake. But I was no longer as weak as I was before. I wouldn't let her get me this time... Please Tifa, understand...
**Next Chapter: The Last Visit (finale!)**