(Sorry about the first couple chapters. They kinda sucked. It should get better…I hope)
CHAPTER 3
RESOLUTION
Cloud flew across the ground as the cosmic rocks pummeled him. Rolling to his feet, he looked up
at his attacker, and groaned. Reno stood floating some several feet in the air, surrounded by light. His
stun rod was casually tossed across his shoulder, as always, but his face was filled with rage. As he
floated to the ground, the ground seemed to depress beneath him.
"It's time to die you bastard!" he shouted as he raised his stun rod, and with a touch to the trigger,
an arc of constant lighting shot out, and connected with Cloud.
Reno walked closer, and as a delirious grin came over his face, he spoke again. "Finally I'll have
my revenge on you Sephiroth!"
Aw shit! Cloud though as he struggled to stand up. He still thinks I'm Sephiroth! Cloud swore his
appearance as he tried to stand up.
"What you did was un-forgivable! I'll kill you, you bastard!"
Aw geez! If this bastard would just let up for the second I need to talk!
"I'll teach you to kill us!"
What the hell is he talking about?! Kill them?
Cloud finally stood up, and as he resisted the urge to pass out from the pain.
"IM…NOT...SEPHIROTH!!!!!"
The lighting stopped. Reno stood there, a look of confusion on his face.
"What?"
"You heard me, Reno. I know what it looks like, but I'm not Sephiroth!"
Reno raised the stun rod into attack position again, but didn't fire.
"You have 30 seconds."
Cloud swore under his breath. As dangerous as the situation was, he couldn't explain the situation.
He had to think of something, though, unless he wanted to get fried.
"Damn it, Reno, it's me, Cloud!"
Reno now looked clueless.
"Listen, I can't explain it, but it's me Cloud!"
"Why the hell should I believe you?"
Cloud groaned. There honestly wasn't one.
"Heh. Figured"
Reno pulled the trigger. Lighting spewed out of the stun rod. Cloud rolled to the side. The
lightning arced like a living creature, and burned at Cloud's leg. Swearing, he dropped to the ground, but
the words of the Cetra were already in mind. As Reno swung the stun rod around to finish cloud off,
Cloud's own lighting arced out, and met the on-coming bolt. As the two bolts of lightning met, they made
an incredible crackling as they fought each other in the air. Cloud managed to stand up, and as he did, he
raised the arm the lighting spewed from. He braced it with the other arm, and began calling up the
stronger form of the spell he was using. As he finished the chant, he shouted it out. "BOLT 3!"
Cloud's bolt spell shot up the stream of lightning, and hit the stun rod. Reno cried out in pain as
electricity coursed through him. His hand limped, and he dropped the stun rod to the ground, before
falling to the ground himself. Cloud walked over, and swiftly put his foot down on Reno's hand as it
snaked out for the stun rod. Cloud leaned down and picked it up. He flipped it around once, before
igniting the edge, and bringing it a few inches from Reno's throat. Cloud could feel Reno's pulse quicken
as his wrist artery pulsed beneath Cloud's boot.
"Reno. I'm not Sephiroth"
Reno, who dared not breathe, lest he accidentally touch the lethal stun rod, looked up at the silver
haired Cloud. He blinked a few times, then dared to shake his head in disbelief.
"You…. You're not Sephiroth."
Cloud sighed, and pulled the stun rod away from Reno, and let him stand up.
"Then…then who are you?"
"I told you. I'm Cloud."
"That's impossible! You look nothing like Cloud, and besides…Cloud's dead!!"
"Well, that would be why I'm in disguise."
"I don't…"
"Well, it would raise suspicions if they saw a famous dead guy walking around, wouldn't it?"
"But…you're the spitting image of Sephiroth…. how?"
Cloud sighed… "Sorry. But I can't explain that. You'll just have to take my word for it, that I'm
not Sephiroth."
"I know your not Sephiroth…you didn't have the look of a mad man in your eyes. That's how I
knew you weren't him."
Cloud sighed, and walked over to pick up the box he had dropped upon being attacked. Out of the
corner of his eye he could see that Reno was retrieving his stun rod. As he picked up the box, he turned
around to face Reno, who seemed to have already regained his casual composure.
"So, Reno, what are you doing here anyway?"
Reno pulled his sunglasses from a pocket, and put them on his head, jus above his eyes so that they
rested in his hair.
"Well, if you must know, I was here hunting you."
Cloud took a step back, shaken up at this.
"But…how… how did you know I was going to be here?"
Reno laughed. "Well, if you must know, I knew you'd come for that box there."
Cloud looked down at the long abyss black box under his arm. "You did?"
"Well, I didn't exactly know it would be you. You see, after a certain incident with you…I mean
Sephiroth…I cam across this town, and one day at the bar, I found that trap door, and went down there.
At the end, I came across a field of magic. As I approached it, it felt like death itself was crawling at my
skin. It felt familiar though, like someone I knew was there. I had no idea who though, so I settled down,
and waited. Then you showed up and…you know the rest."
Cloud looked around. He sure did. "But…why did you go berserk on the town?!"
Reno looked around, and seemed shocked at the destruction. He suddenly dropped to the ground,
and pounded the ground with his fist. "DAMN IT!!"
"Reno?"
Reno looked up, and it almost seemed as if he was about to shed tears. "Damn it! How long is
this gonna go on?"
Reno turned to Cloud and waved an arm at the collapsing town. "Cloud, strange though this may
sound….this is not my doing."
Cloud shook his head. Was Reno crazy or something?
"Listen Cloud, I'll trust you about who you are, if you trust me about this."
Cloud considered this for a long moment. But before he could say anything, there came a loud cry
from afar. "The hell? What happened to the town?!"
Another cry came out. "It's ablaze!"
A third voice yelled. "It's got mako traces everywhere, this is an attack boys!"
Footsteps sounded from beyond the hill.
"Whats that?" Cloud asked
"damn! Soldier!"
Cloud sighed. "You had me worried there Reno."
Reno turned on Cloud, dead serious. "Cloud, I don't know where you've been, but Soldier had
gotten a lot stronger since you guys fought Sephiroth."
Reno's statement was demonstrated, as several glowing white hot spheres came over the hill.
"The hell? FLARE?!" cloud was astonished. "Since when can Soldier members use flare?!"
"I told you?!" Reno shouted, as he ran for one of the few remaining clusters of buildings. He
waved for Cloud to follow. Cloud, box in hand, ran for the building. As he crossed the threshold, Reno
was already running up the stairs. Cloud followed him up, until they reached the top floor. Reno was
huddled in a corner. Cloud curled up in an opposing corner, and whispered across the room to Reno.
"Isn't hiding in the top floor of a building a bad idea?"
Reno shook his head. "Its our only shot. If were lucky, they'll think that whoever did this is gone.
Besides, they wont attack a building that isn't burned. There might be survivors."
Cloud shook his head. "Well, what happens if they come looking for those survivors?"
Reno's eyes bulged at this sudden concept. At the same time, they heard a single footstep on the
floor beneath them. They simultaneously leapt from their spots on the floor, where, moments later,
several white orbs burst through the floor. As they dodged the blasts, a slow ricketing came up beside the
house. Cloud out side and gaped…there was Elian, sitting at the front of the old wagon. He waved at the
two in the window, turning his wagon around,, so that the hay was facing them. Reno and Cloud looked
down at the jump.
"So, Cloud we got a deal?"
Cloud took a look at the holy spells erupting from the floor, and the chant for ultima rang out in his
ears. He grabbed Reno's wrist, flung him out into the hay, then jumped after him. Shouts of anger could
be heard from the building, as Elian whipped the reins, and the old draft horse took off at a surprising
speed away from the town.
CHAPTER 3
RESOLUTION
Cloud flew across the ground as the cosmic rocks pummeled him. Rolling to his feet, he looked up
at his attacker, and groaned. Reno stood floating some several feet in the air, surrounded by light. His
stun rod was casually tossed across his shoulder, as always, but his face was filled with rage. As he
floated to the ground, the ground seemed to depress beneath him.
"It's time to die you bastard!" he shouted as he raised his stun rod, and with a touch to the trigger,
an arc of constant lighting shot out, and connected with Cloud.
Reno walked closer, and as a delirious grin came over his face, he spoke again. "Finally I'll have
my revenge on you Sephiroth!"
Aw shit! Cloud though as he struggled to stand up. He still thinks I'm Sephiroth! Cloud swore his
appearance as he tried to stand up.
"What you did was un-forgivable! I'll kill you, you bastard!"
Aw geez! If this bastard would just let up for the second I need to talk!
"I'll teach you to kill us!"
What the hell is he talking about?! Kill them?
Cloud finally stood up, and as he resisted the urge to pass out from the pain.
"IM…NOT...SEPHIROTH!!!!!"
The lighting stopped. Reno stood there, a look of confusion on his face.
"What?"
"You heard me, Reno. I know what it looks like, but I'm not Sephiroth!"
Reno raised the stun rod into attack position again, but didn't fire.
"You have 30 seconds."
Cloud swore under his breath. As dangerous as the situation was, he couldn't explain the situation.
He had to think of something, though, unless he wanted to get fried.
"Damn it, Reno, it's me, Cloud!"
Reno now looked clueless.
"Listen, I can't explain it, but it's me Cloud!"
"Why the hell should I believe you?"
Cloud groaned. There honestly wasn't one.
"Heh. Figured"
Reno pulled the trigger. Lighting spewed out of the stun rod. Cloud rolled to the side. The
lightning arced like a living creature, and burned at Cloud's leg. Swearing, he dropped to the ground, but
the words of the Cetra were already in mind. As Reno swung the stun rod around to finish cloud off,
Cloud's own lighting arced out, and met the on-coming bolt. As the two bolts of lightning met, they made
an incredible crackling as they fought each other in the air. Cloud managed to stand up, and as he did, he
raised the arm the lighting spewed from. He braced it with the other arm, and began calling up the
stronger form of the spell he was using. As he finished the chant, he shouted it out. "BOLT 3!"
Cloud's bolt spell shot up the stream of lightning, and hit the stun rod. Reno cried out in pain as
electricity coursed through him. His hand limped, and he dropped the stun rod to the ground, before
falling to the ground himself. Cloud walked over, and swiftly put his foot down on Reno's hand as it
snaked out for the stun rod. Cloud leaned down and picked it up. He flipped it around once, before
igniting the edge, and bringing it a few inches from Reno's throat. Cloud could feel Reno's pulse quicken
as his wrist artery pulsed beneath Cloud's boot.
"Reno. I'm not Sephiroth"
Reno, who dared not breathe, lest he accidentally touch the lethal stun rod, looked up at the silver
haired Cloud. He blinked a few times, then dared to shake his head in disbelief.
"You…. You're not Sephiroth."
Cloud sighed, and pulled the stun rod away from Reno, and let him stand up.
"Then…then who are you?"
"I told you. I'm Cloud."
"That's impossible! You look nothing like Cloud, and besides…Cloud's dead!!"
"Well, that would be why I'm in disguise."
"I don't…"
"Well, it would raise suspicions if they saw a famous dead guy walking around, wouldn't it?"
"But…you're the spitting image of Sephiroth…. how?"
Cloud sighed… "Sorry. But I can't explain that. You'll just have to take my word for it, that I'm
not Sephiroth."
"I know your not Sephiroth…you didn't have the look of a mad man in your eyes. That's how I
knew you weren't him."
Cloud sighed, and walked over to pick up the box he had dropped upon being attacked. Out of the
corner of his eye he could see that Reno was retrieving his stun rod. As he picked up the box, he turned
around to face Reno, who seemed to have already regained his casual composure.
"So, Reno, what are you doing here anyway?"
Reno pulled his sunglasses from a pocket, and put them on his head, jus above his eyes so that they
rested in his hair.
"Well, if you must know, I was here hunting you."
Cloud took a step back, shaken up at this.
"But…how… how did you know I was going to be here?"
Reno laughed. "Well, if you must know, I knew you'd come for that box there."
Cloud looked down at the long abyss black box under his arm. "You did?"
"Well, I didn't exactly know it would be you. You see, after a certain incident with you…I mean
Sephiroth…I cam across this town, and one day at the bar, I found that trap door, and went down there.
At the end, I came across a field of magic. As I approached it, it felt like death itself was crawling at my
skin. It felt familiar though, like someone I knew was there. I had no idea who though, so I settled down,
and waited. Then you showed up and…you know the rest."
Cloud looked around. He sure did. "But…why did you go berserk on the town?!"
Reno looked around, and seemed shocked at the destruction. He suddenly dropped to the ground,
and pounded the ground with his fist. "DAMN IT!!"
"Reno?"
Reno looked up, and it almost seemed as if he was about to shed tears. "Damn it! How long is
this gonna go on?"
Reno turned to Cloud and waved an arm at the collapsing town. "Cloud, strange though this may
sound….this is not my doing."
Cloud shook his head. Was Reno crazy or something?
"Listen Cloud, I'll trust you about who you are, if you trust me about this."
Cloud considered this for a long moment. But before he could say anything, there came a loud cry
from afar. "The hell? What happened to the town?!"
Another cry came out. "It's ablaze!"
A third voice yelled. "It's got mako traces everywhere, this is an attack boys!"
Footsteps sounded from beyond the hill.
"Whats that?" Cloud asked
"damn! Soldier!"
Cloud sighed. "You had me worried there Reno."
Reno turned on Cloud, dead serious. "Cloud, I don't know where you've been, but Soldier had
gotten a lot stronger since you guys fought Sephiroth."
Reno's statement was demonstrated, as several glowing white hot spheres came over the hill.
"The hell? FLARE?!" cloud was astonished. "Since when can Soldier members use flare?!"
"I told you?!" Reno shouted, as he ran for one of the few remaining clusters of buildings. He
waved for Cloud to follow. Cloud, box in hand, ran for the building. As he crossed the threshold, Reno
was already running up the stairs. Cloud followed him up, until they reached the top floor. Reno was
huddled in a corner. Cloud curled up in an opposing corner, and whispered across the room to Reno.
"Isn't hiding in the top floor of a building a bad idea?"
Reno shook his head. "Its our only shot. If were lucky, they'll think that whoever did this is gone.
Besides, they wont attack a building that isn't burned. There might be survivors."
Cloud shook his head. "Well, what happens if they come looking for those survivors?"
Reno's eyes bulged at this sudden concept. At the same time, they heard a single footstep on the
floor beneath them. They simultaneously leapt from their spots on the floor, where, moments later,
several white orbs burst through the floor. As they dodged the blasts, a slow ricketing came up beside the
house. Cloud out side and gaped…there was Elian, sitting at the front of the old wagon. He waved at the
two in the window, turning his wagon around,, so that the hay was facing them. Reno and Cloud looked
down at the jump.
"So, Cloud we got a deal?"
Cloud took a look at the holy spells erupting from the floor, and the chant for ultima rang out in his
ears. He grabbed Reno's wrist, flung him out into the hay, then jumped after him. Shouts of anger could
be heard from the building, as Elian whipped the reins, and the old draft horse took off at a surprising
speed away from the town.