At the Door of the Seventh Heaven
It was a peaceful hill. The sun rose slowly over it. Trees could be seen everywhere, with leaves of
every color, from red to green, even blue. The trees were tall, and gave a home to many of the animals on
the hill. Grass covered the hillside, spreading green all across it. Here and there flowers had popped up,
and bloomed with the spring season.
A slight breeze blew across the hill that day. It rustled the grass, and made the leaves fall from the
trees. It could not be heard though. A large wagon was making its way up the hill, its back left wheel
creaking with every turn. The wagon was brown, and had faded signs on the side which had once
represented a well known transportation company, which had faded and become old and forgotten, much
like its owner. The owner satin front, holding the reins of two large horses, which looked like they had
seen their share of the road. The back held mass amounts of hay, stacked into heaps, being brought to the
stables to feed the horses of the town which rested over the next hill. All in all, it was an ordinary looking
wagon. It held a passenger, sleeping atop a bale of hay in the back, though, who was in no way ordinary.
He lay on his back, his head resting atop his arms. His silvery white hair fell out across the hay. His blue
eyes were shut tight to block out the sun. He wore a white shirt, which had no collar, and a pair of black
pants, on which the very bottom of the right leg had been torn off. He hardly moved as the old wagon
jostled down the bumpy road, which wound across the hills. As the wheel squeaked, his eyes twitched,
but he remained asleep, as the wagon traveled on into town.
Commotion filled the town square. People rushed past, carrying letters, or papers, grocery bags,
and purses. A large statue rested in the center. Its head was smashed in, to represent the town's freedom
from the person that the statue was of. The town had gone into economic decline, and a king of a nearby
country had taken the opportunity to literally buy the town right out from under the people's noses. It had
only been on a strange day, when bright flashes and explosions came from the kings castle, which could
be seen across the country side, that the town had been freed. Now children ran amok in the streets. The
only time the streets were even relatively quiet was when it had strange visitors. Now was one of those
times.
People noticed the man lying on top of the hay, and immediately began to stare. It wasn't that he
looked that out of the ordinary, but there was a strange feeling of dread and wonder that overcame anyone
who looked his way. It wasn't until the wagon passed that the streets became cheerful again. The wagon
slowly made its way across the town, repeating the process, until finally it slowed to a halt. The wagon
parked in front of a small bar. It was two stories tall, though it looked as if it was too out of repair for the
second floor to support some ones weight. Two rickety doors blocked the entrance to the bar. The
wagon driver shook his head, and spoke to himself, "I cant figure why he'd want to come here"
The wagon driver shrugged, and slowly made his way to the back of the wagon. He hopped up
onto the back, and nudged the sleeping man. "Hey, wake up.'
The man moved for a moment, but fell back into sleep.
The wagon driver sighed. "Hey, Cloud, wake up!"
The man slowly sat up. "What did you call me?"
Perplexed, the wagon driver scratched his head. "Cloud. That's what you said your name was
right? Cloud Strife."
For a moment, the man looked at the wagon driver as if he were crazy, but after a moment, a look
of comprehension came to his eyes. "Oh. Right. Yeah, name's Cloud." He shook his head for a
moment, "How long until we reach the place."
The wagon driver motioned towards the bar. "Were there." He turned towards the bar and looked
at the sign, "Seventh Heaven."
Cloud nodded. "Yeah, this is the place. Thanks for your services Elian."
Elian, the wagon driver nodded. "Your welcome. If you need another lift, I'm gonna be in town
for a while."
Cloud nodded before stepping through the door to the bar. A sudden must hit his face. He
coughed as he continued into the bar. Several faces turned to give him a cold stare as he walked in.
Voices muttered things like "dead meat", "pretty boy", and "easy mark". Cloud paid attention to none of
them as he made his way to the bar. He took a stool, and motioned for the barkeep. The barkeep, a fat old
man, who had a pleasant smile on his face walked over to Cloud. "Well, what'll ya have there." He said,
his accent thick.
"I'll have the hardest thing you've got." Cloud said calmly.
The barkeep snorted in laughter, and picked up a glass off of a shelf. He picked up several bottles
from under the shelf, and did something with them that he didn't let the customers see. After all, his
secret mix was all that kept the customers coming. He poured it into the glass, and handed the drink to
Cloud. "On the house." The barkeep said, looking around the room, "Odds are it'l be your' last drink.
From the way the boys are lookin' at ya, I don't think they'll let ya out the door. If I were you, I'd be
careful what you do around here, or you might just wind up dead."
"I wish." Cloud said, as he brought the mug to his mouth, and swallowed the whole drink in a
single gulp.
The barkeep, and everyone who saw him take the drink stared in astonishment. It was unwise to
drink as Cloud just had. In fact it was unwise to even drink the stuff that he had ordered, mush less
swallow it all in a few gulps. Just the shock had given men of weak hearts illness. After putting the cup
down, Cloud flipped the barkeep some gil and said to him calmly, "keep em coming" As the Barkeep
went off to refill the cup, Cloud lowered his head in thought.
What he failed to notice were the three men in the back of the bar, sitting in the shadows, watching
him. All the tables around them were empty. No one dared sit that close to them. It would mean death to
upset them, and no one took that chance. Between the three of them, the biggest one sat with his feet on
the table with a cigar in his mouth, his large over muscular body putting large amounts of strain on the
chair that he tipped back on. His shoulder length, grungy black hair hung down behind him. To his right
sat an unusually tall man.. He wore black armor, which had rusted over his adventures. On is back was a
large broadsword, and at his belt were two short swords. Daggers, knives, maces, and other weapons
hung from his belt, and other places on his armor. Strapped to his right arm was a medium sized gun.
Across from both of these two, covered in shadows was the third man. Hardly any thing could be seen of
him, except a few strands of flaming red hair. As they sat, staring at Cloud, a quick bit of conversation
went on between the two that sat outside of the shadows. They were cut off by a quick word from the
man in the shadows. He said a few words more, and the first two rose from the table. They made their
way to the bar. Several people scrambled out of their path as they walked past. They finally arrived at
Cloud's location. They each took a seat on either side of him, and leaned closer to him. The muscular
one spoke first.
"Well hello there."
Cloud turned to look at him coldly.
"What do you want?"
"Hey, no need to get defensive." The muscular one said, "Me and my friends are just worried
about ya, that's all."
The tall one continued. "Yeah, some of these bar folk are pretty shady. You never know when
they might start something." He said, a hint of threat in his voice at the end.
"I'll be fine, thank you."
The muscular one leaned in again. "Well, you know, we could body guard for ya, for a small bit
o' gil."
"I said that I would be fine."
The two slowly backed off, malice filling their eyes. "Well, if that's the way it is, then we cant
assure your safety."
As they started to leave. Cloud rose from his barstool. He slowly turned to them. "And I'd
appreciate it if you would give back the gil that you just stole from me."
The two stopped in their tracks. The tall one replied. "What do you mean stole? We get our gil
doing an honest-"
He never got a chance to finish the sentence. Cloud had leaped from his spot on the floor, and
landed a punch on the mans face. The man fell to the floor, but quickly rose again, short swords drawn.
Lunging at Cloud, he took a calculated swing, but he found himself hitting nothing but air. He stumbled
forward, and a plated fist came down on his skull, cracking it open.
Cloud turned to the muscular one, who was already preparing to take a swing at Cloud. The blow
was easily dodged, even though none of the bra patrons even saw it being thrown. Cloud brought up his
foot, and the bottom off it landed squarely on the big guy's chin. A loud snap! Was heard, and the big
guy fell to the ground, and blood could be seen openly flowing in his throat. Cloud stood calmly over the
two dead bodies. In the corner, the man who had been standing in the shadows could be seen rising to his
feet. Several of the bar patrons began to clear out. As the figure rose, a bright glow came from within the
shadows. Electricity spewed every where, and began to set things on fire. The figure lifted the light
upwards, and pointed it at Cloud, for a moment revealing the figure's face. Cloud gasped.
"Reno?"
It was a peaceful hill. The sun rose slowly over it. Trees could be seen everywhere, with leaves of
every color, from red to green, even blue. The trees were tall, and gave a home to many of the animals on
the hill. Grass covered the hillside, spreading green all across it. Here and there flowers had popped up,
and bloomed with the spring season.
A slight breeze blew across the hill that day. It rustled the grass, and made the leaves fall from the
trees. It could not be heard though. A large wagon was making its way up the hill, its back left wheel
creaking with every turn. The wagon was brown, and had faded signs on the side which had once
represented a well known transportation company, which had faded and become old and forgotten, much
like its owner. The owner satin front, holding the reins of two large horses, which looked like they had
seen their share of the road. The back held mass amounts of hay, stacked into heaps, being brought to the
stables to feed the horses of the town which rested over the next hill. All in all, it was an ordinary looking
wagon. It held a passenger, sleeping atop a bale of hay in the back, though, who was in no way ordinary.
He lay on his back, his head resting atop his arms. His silvery white hair fell out across the hay. His blue
eyes were shut tight to block out the sun. He wore a white shirt, which had no collar, and a pair of black
pants, on which the very bottom of the right leg had been torn off. He hardly moved as the old wagon
jostled down the bumpy road, which wound across the hills. As the wheel squeaked, his eyes twitched,
but he remained asleep, as the wagon traveled on into town.
Commotion filled the town square. People rushed past, carrying letters, or papers, grocery bags,
and purses. A large statue rested in the center. Its head was smashed in, to represent the town's freedom
from the person that the statue was of. The town had gone into economic decline, and a king of a nearby
country had taken the opportunity to literally buy the town right out from under the people's noses. It had
only been on a strange day, when bright flashes and explosions came from the kings castle, which could
be seen across the country side, that the town had been freed. Now children ran amok in the streets. The
only time the streets were even relatively quiet was when it had strange visitors. Now was one of those
times.
People noticed the man lying on top of the hay, and immediately began to stare. It wasn't that he
looked that out of the ordinary, but there was a strange feeling of dread and wonder that overcame anyone
who looked his way. It wasn't until the wagon passed that the streets became cheerful again. The wagon
slowly made its way across the town, repeating the process, until finally it slowed to a halt. The wagon
parked in front of a small bar. It was two stories tall, though it looked as if it was too out of repair for the
second floor to support some ones weight. Two rickety doors blocked the entrance to the bar. The
wagon driver shook his head, and spoke to himself, "I cant figure why he'd want to come here"
The wagon driver shrugged, and slowly made his way to the back of the wagon. He hopped up
onto the back, and nudged the sleeping man. "Hey, wake up.'
The man moved for a moment, but fell back into sleep.
The wagon driver sighed. "Hey, Cloud, wake up!"
The man slowly sat up. "What did you call me?"
Perplexed, the wagon driver scratched his head. "Cloud. That's what you said your name was
right? Cloud Strife."
For a moment, the man looked at the wagon driver as if he were crazy, but after a moment, a look
of comprehension came to his eyes. "Oh. Right. Yeah, name's Cloud." He shook his head for a
moment, "How long until we reach the place."
The wagon driver motioned towards the bar. "Were there." He turned towards the bar and looked
at the sign, "Seventh Heaven."
Cloud nodded. "Yeah, this is the place. Thanks for your services Elian."
Elian, the wagon driver nodded. "Your welcome. If you need another lift, I'm gonna be in town
for a while."
Cloud nodded before stepping through the door to the bar. A sudden must hit his face. He
coughed as he continued into the bar. Several faces turned to give him a cold stare as he walked in.
Voices muttered things like "dead meat", "pretty boy", and "easy mark". Cloud paid attention to none of
them as he made his way to the bar. He took a stool, and motioned for the barkeep. The barkeep, a fat old
man, who had a pleasant smile on his face walked over to Cloud. "Well, what'll ya have there." He said,
his accent thick.
"I'll have the hardest thing you've got." Cloud said calmly.
The barkeep snorted in laughter, and picked up a glass off of a shelf. He picked up several bottles
from under the shelf, and did something with them that he didn't let the customers see. After all, his
secret mix was all that kept the customers coming. He poured it into the glass, and handed the drink to
Cloud. "On the house." The barkeep said, looking around the room, "Odds are it'l be your' last drink.
From the way the boys are lookin' at ya, I don't think they'll let ya out the door. If I were you, I'd be
careful what you do around here, or you might just wind up dead."
"I wish." Cloud said, as he brought the mug to his mouth, and swallowed the whole drink in a
single gulp.
The barkeep, and everyone who saw him take the drink stared in astonishment. It was unwise to
drink as Cloud just had. In fact it was unwise to even drink the stuff that he had ordered, mush less
swallow it all in a few gulps. Just the shock had given men of weak hearts illness. After putting the cup
down, Cloud flipped the barkeep some gil and said to him calmly, "keep em coming" As the Barkeep
went off to refill the cup, Cloud lowered his head in thought.
What he failed to notice were the three men in the back of the bar, sitting in the shadows, watching
him. All the tables around them were empty. No one dared sit that close to them. It would mean death to
upset them, and no one took that chance. Between the three of them, the biggest one sat with his feet on
the table with a cigar in his mouth, his large over muscular body putting large amounts of strain on the
chair that he tipped back on. His shoulder length, grungy black hair hung down behind him. To his right
sat an unusually tall man.. He wore black armor, which had rusted over his adventures. On is back was a
large broadsword, and at his belt were two short swords. Daggers, knives, maces, and other weapons
hung from his belt, and other places on his armor. Strapped to his right arm was a medium sized gun.
Across from both of these two, covered in shadows was the third man. Hardly any thing could be seen of
him, except a few strands of flaming red hair. As they sat, staring at Cloud, a quick bit of conversation
went on between the two that sat outside of the shadows. They were cut off by a quick word from the
man in the shadows. He said a few words more, and the first two rose from the table. They made their
way to the bar. Several people scrambled out of their path as they walked past. They finally arrived at
Cloud's location. They each took a seat on either side of him, and leaned closer to him. The muscular
one spoke first.
"Well hello there."
Cloud turned to look at him coldly.
"What do you want?"
"Hey, no need to get defensive." The muscular one said, "Me and my friends are just worried
about ya, that's all."
The tall one continued. "Yeah, some of these bar folk are pretty shady. You never know when
they might start something." He said, a hint of threat in his voice at the end.
"I'll be fine, thank you."
The muscular one leaned in again. "Well, you know, we could body guard for ya, for a small bit
o' gil."
"I said that I would be fine."
The two slowly backed off, malice filling their eyes. "Well, if that's the way it is, then we cant
assure your safety."
As they started to leave. Cloud rose from his barstool. He slowly turned to them. "And I'd
appreciate it if you would give back the gil that you just stole from me."
The two stopped in their tracks. The tall one replied. "What do you mean stole? We get our gil
doing an honest-"
He never got a chance to finish the sentence. Cloud had leaped from his spot on the floor, and
landed a punch on the mans face. The man fell to the floor, but quickly rose again, short swords drawn.
Lunging at Cloud, he took a calculated swing, but he found himself hitting nothing but air. He stumbled
forward, and a plated fist came down on his skull, cracking it open.
Cloud turned to the muscular one, who was already preparing to take a swing at Cloud. The blow
was easily dodged, even though none of the bra patrons even saw it being thrown. Cloud brought up his
foot, and the bottom off it landed squarely on the big guy's chin. A loud snap! Was heard, and the big
guy fell to the ground, and blood could be seen openly flowing in his throat. Cloud stood calmly over the
two dead bodies. In the corner, the man who had been standing in the shadows could be seen rising to his
feet. Several of the bar patrons began to clear out. As the figure rose, a bright glow came from within the
shadows. Electricity spewed every where, and began to set things on fire. The figure lifted the light
upwards, and pointed it at Cloud, for a moment revealing the figure's face. Cloud gasped.
"Reno?"