TWO: "Strife over the Horizon"
The early morning sun was beaming overhead as Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockheart made their way across the endless expanse of lush fields that was now the Midgar area. Above, an endless blue filled the skyscape, massive nimbus clouds checkering the view. Cloud was concentrating on holding a map steady, while Tifa just walked along behind him; casually taking in the scenery. After the events of the past year, she had found she had a new appreciation for life, no longer taking for granted the beauty nature offered. She took a deep breath and sighed pleasantly as a breeze raced through the valley, rustling the grass in what seemed like waves.
It had only been an hour an a half or so since they had left Kalm town. Cloud hadn't said much of anything. He was still busy concentrating on navigating the seemingly infinite world that he hadn't paid any attention to Tifa, tagging along with him. Tifa on the other hand, was constantly trying to thinking of something to talk with Cloud about on their long haul. She had only decided on a whim to venture out into the world with Cloud again and was beginning to have second thoughts.
"Where are you heading, anyway?" She broke the silence, though she had only meant to think it.
"I'm heading for the Chocobo Ranch; then I plan on a trip to Junon." Cloud replied, then added, "Where are you heading?" testing Tifa's sense of humor.
"I'm going wherever you go, don't try and get me to leave now." She replied with a threatening grin.
"Don't worry, your welcome to come along. I'm not even sure why I'm walking through this field myself..." Cloud thought for a moment. "I just know I should be."
Another long while passed, Tifa and Cloud marched along, talking about various things.
"..... So that's what I liked about you, when I first met you."
Tifa laughed. "Really? I'm flattered, I didn't think anyone noticed! Why wait until now to tell me about that?"
Cloud grinned a bit. "Well, it is a bit embarrassing especially talking about it with other people around."
"Yeah, I guess your right." She replied shyly, grabbing some of the long grass growing all around them and wrapping it around her finger.
Tifa was now walking closely behind Cloud and almost skipping. She was intensely happy that Cloud was actually beginning to talk with her instead of conversing in his usual one-word answers. Cloud was much less antisocial recently; that night outside the Highwind just before the raid on the Northern Crater and Sephiroth had really opened Cloud's personality.
"Cloud, do you find it odd how we have yet to encounter any monsters on this trip?" Tifa looked around the fields, attempting to locate any other life around them. "I mean, there should at least be some around, right?"
"I know, I've been wondering the same thing myself. It looks like I brought along my sword for nothing."
Tifa furled her brow. "Don't say things like that Cloud. The next thing you know we'll end up fighting something, again."
Cloud stopped and let her catch up a bit. "You said it yourself, Tifa. 'All I want is more fighting'."
Tifa rolls her eyes as she stops by his side.
They both look off towards the horizon; the Chocobo Ranch just coming into the range of their vision. By then it was just about noon and both of them were beginning to feel quite hungry, especially since neither of them had eaten any breakfast before they left. So they hastened their pace to the Ranch, playfully running through the tall grass encompassing the area around the farm. The strong winds raced by them, but didn't slow them down at all. They seemed to ride on it, moving over it in one perfect, fluid motion. Cloud's hair whipped back in the wind, bobbing up in down in sync with his running. Tifa, trailing behind him, studied him as she fought to stay close. The amount of change Cloud had gone through in the past year was inspiring. A once selfish, cold-hearted mercenary had metamorphosed into a respected, kind and loving man that she now shared her life with. It was as if his spirit had been freed from a black burden unfairly placed upon it.
Cloud glanced over his shoulder to see if Tifa was keeping up with him. He knew he could run faster than her and that his stamina was nearly unmatched on the planet. He smiled wryly to himself and returned to his stride; seeing how much longer Tifa could hold his pace.
Tifa smiled herself, seeing Cloud check up on her. He knew she was strong, she always had been, and she wasn't going give up. As she ran she looked him over again. She could see his newfound freedom manifest itself physically in him. Although he still bore his navy mercenary clothes, he radiated a friendly air around him. He had let his hair grow out a little and no longer kept it impeccably styled. Instead of being so perfectly structured and disciplined, as his life once was, it now hung more relaxed, more carefree. More alive. As they ran, she continued to gaze at him, before reflecting once more, her smile fading. True, Cloud talked freely to her and smiled every once in a while, he even seemed happy when around his friends, but at what price? This transformation had healed his soul, but not before it had thrust his life into anarchy, not before he fell, not before he broke. His smile, his laughter, what it had cost him was something no one should ever have had to go through. In order for him to be free from his internal bondage he had to take the weight of the world onto his shoulders. The sheer responsibility of that alone was something no average man could bare. The lives of everyone forced into his hands, the walls of his life coming crashing down around him, the repressed truth about himself, his near death experience in the Lifestream, and worst of all, the loss of his one true love. A love so pure and innocent taken away from him before his very eyes.
Tifa's pace dropped a bit when she realized this. The suffering that Cloud had gone through, the complete abandonment, the hopelessness, the pain; nobody could take that and survive, yet Cloud still fought. He pulled through for humanity, for the planet and for his friends, all because he felt he owed it to everyone else. Tifa's mind retraced itself back to the City of the Ancients where they had finally found Aeris. How Cloud seen her life stolen away by the black-hearted monster he once strived to be. She could remember standing with the gang, just inside the building that had housed Aeris' last moments of life. They had all agreed in an unspoken gesture to leave Cloud alone, let him deal with this on his own, how he wanted it. She could remember seeing Cloud solemnly place Aeris into the reflecting pool outside. It was that moment that Cloud became dead on the inside. It took the death of the one ray of light he could hold onto to finally break him. The few precious gifts life had given him were gone. He was left with nothing; empty. No will, no soul, no hope. Yet here they all were, and all because of him.
She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. Cloud still raced onward ahead of her with his unprecedented vigor. It was only then that she truly realized how much strength Cloud possessed. Everybody knew how physically strong Cloud was, but Tifa could see passed that, see what a pillar of truth Cloud was. He was warrior. He was a friend. He was a savior.
Cloud slid to a stop in the dirt of the Chocobo Ranch's driveway and faced Tifa with a warm look in his eyes. She trotted up to his side a second later, and looked up at his face. "Couldn't beat me, could you?" He sneered.
Tifa, panting, paused a moment, still looking up at him, "No..." she smiled "I can't beat you." Reminding herself of what Cloud truly was, a hero. In no time at all, they found themselves within the Ranch house; they had already had a meal with Choco Billy and his father, Choco Bill, and they had just rented a room for a quick break before they set out for their next destination, Junon Harbor.
They both sat down on a bed together. Tifa fell limply backward and sighed as she struck the bed. She stretched her arms out and kicked her shoes off before sighing once more. "I miss the Highwind." She whined in a child's voice.
"I don't," Cloud loosened the strap of one of his boots and pulled it off, "heights were never really my friend." He glanced back at Tifa and smiled at her, dropping his boot to the floor.
Tifa smiled back and turned her gaze to the ceiling above. "Yeah, I guess that's understandable. You have fallen quite a far distance three separate times in your life."
"It's amazing how I'm not dead yet, isn't it?" Cloud mimicked Tifa, falling limply backward onto the bed. He sighed and turned his head to face Tifa.
"The sad thing is, it was kinda my fault you fell two outta the three times, you know?" Tifa sat up, remembering that she was beside him at Nibelheim and at the Mako Reactor when he plummeted several stories down.
"It wasn't anything you did that made it your fault, not really." Cloud said as he placed his hands on his forehead and ran them through his thick hair from front to back.
"Really?" Tifa questioned, thinking that she was the reason he had fell both times.
"No, but I would have ended up falling for you any way I look at it." Cloud casually concurred.
Tifa looked away from Cloud. Cloud's words had taken her completely by surprise. Her body tightened in an instant, shocked by that which had been said. It only took her a second to realize that what Cloud said and how she had interpreted it were two completely different contexts. The flashed thought of Cloud falling for her though was enough to warm her inside. She had long wished for Cloud to be more than just a friend, more than just a comrade in arms. So many nights had gone by with him sleeping only a room away, or right by her side, under the stars during their journeys, but she couldn't bring herself to ask if he returned the feelings. Cloud's mask was far too scarred for her to tell.
But she liked the thought. She liked the idea of lazy mornings in bed with Cloud still asleep by her side. She couldn't help but blush a little. Cloud couldn't help but notice.
"What?" he questioned.
"What? It's nothing." Tifa shook her head, calming the redness of her cheeks.
"You're turning red." Cloud pried.
"It's nothing, God!" She snapped, getting up and walking into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Cloud had followed her with his eyes, stilling laying on the bed; perplexed by what had just happened and curious as to what she had been thinking.
The sound of running water echoed in the small bathroom as Tifa turned the bathtub faucets on. She spun around to face herself in the mirror, something she hadn't done in a long time. It wasn't the gaze she gave herself when she wanted to know if her hair looked good, it was the kind of gaze that reflected her true self, her soul.
'Look at me,' she said to herself, 'still daydreaming.' A small grin crept across her face as she gazed on at her reflection. 'Falling for one of my closest friends. how immature.' She pulled the ribbon from her hair and let it fall loosely around her knees. She ran her fingers through it and lead it over her shoulders before glancing over to the bathtub. It was filling slowly with the warm water she had turned on. Looking back at the mirror, she thought: 'Why do I feel this way? Why is it that I long for Cloud more than anything else on this planet, yet I can't even bring myself to say the words to him?' She sighed. 'Even I know it's not like me to keep my mouth shut.' A flash of braided hair and a pink dress sped through her mind. 'Aeris. everything always leads back to Aeris. How could I betray her memory like that? Cloud and her were far more than just infatuation.' A more solid image of Aeris formed in her mind. 'How could I take Cloud for my own, when he truly belonged to Aeris. It would be far too selfish of me.' She checked the water level of the tub once more and decided to turn off the taps.
'She was so young and innocent. she was the last person in the world who deserved to die.' Aeris' bright turquoise eyes and playful laughter brought a smile to her face. It was then that she noticed her other reflection; the worn leather and scuffed metal of her gloves, her tarnished miniskirt, the tight white tank top she was famous for. 'No wonder Cloud doesn't return my feelings, I'm nothing like her.' She stripped her gloves, skirt and top off and sent them flying to the ground. Sliding into the warmth of the bath, her frustrations seemed to diminish.
'I'll always love Cloud, but these feelings will pass.' She soaked her hair in the bathwater and let it float around her shoulders. 'I'll just live with it and deal like a mature person would. That's what Cloud did and he ended up saving the world.' She blinked and splashed some water on her face. 'Besides, it's not like I'm the first person to have a crush on him.' Priscilla popped into her head, the thought was enough to make her quietly laugh aloud.
"You look happy." Cloud jested toward Tifa as she came strolling out of the bathroom. He had already geared up and was once again ready for the road.
"Yeah, I really enjoyed that. I've been so busy with the bar and everybody helping with the Midgar Project that I haven't really had any 'me' time." She ran her fingers through her still damp hair and grabbed her shoes from the floor.
"Did you have a bath?" He asked, suddenly interested in the subject.
"Yes..." She smiled playfully, "Why?"
"Last time we were here, Choco Bill told us the bathroom was out back and pointed to a outhouse... now he has a full working bathroom with a bathtub?"
Tifa looked back into the bathroom, surprised she hadn't noticed. "I guess so." She shrugged and sat down on the bed to begin lacing up her boots. "If you wanna get us to Junon by tonight, we should take a Chocobo."
"You're right. It's odd how accustomed you get to that irritating warking, I completely forgot about them." Cloud spoke aloud.
Tifa looked at him strangely. "We stopped at the Chocobo Ranch and Chocobo's never once entered your mind?"
"I must be losing it in my old age." Cloud smiled and walked out of the room.
This day held more surprises for Tifa than she ever could have guessed. Not only were her and Cloud out journeying again, but Cloud actually cracked a joke. A funny one. She knotted her last lace and was up and out of the house to find Cloud already talking to Choco Bill.
"Choco Bill, where's Boko? Tifa and I would like to rent him for awhile, but I don't see him in the pen or the stables."
"Oh.. I.... uh..." Choco Bill took his hat off and wiped his brow before looking Cloud in the eyes. "You see, after Midgar was destroyed and the Weapons had attacked, a lot my Chocobo's had either ran off, got stolen or got killed..."
"Uh-huh..." Cloud replied as Tifa arrived and stood by his side.
"Well, things got a little tough and money got a little tight. Just when I was thinking I was going to have to close down my Chocobo Ranch that nice Dio fellow from the Golden Saucer came by and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. He said he was devastated to have lost at his own game and would pay anything to get his hands on such a fine bird." Choco Bill looked at Tifa then back Cloud before spreading the biggest smile on his face he could muster.
"You sold my prize winning, Golden Chocobo to Dio?" Cloud said in monotone, trying to mask the anger that was building in him. "Boko helped me get Knights of Round, a powerful summon that helped me defeat Sephiroth. Technically, that bird helped save the world. and you sold him to Dio?"
"Uh..." Choco Bill's smiling was struggling to stay afloat. "Well, it didn't come without a bright side. I got the new indoor bathroom, complete with a bathtub," he smiled at Tifa who was still damp from her bath. "And I restocked my Chocobo herd." He waved his hand over toward the Choco Pen beside them. "Oh! And best of all - you're gonna love this - lookie here."
Choco Bill pointed up to a big gold plated sign that sat near the peak of the barn. The shimmering faces of Choco Bill and his son smiled down upon them with the slogan 'Choco's the Name, Chocobo's the Game' etched bellow them in all of its tacky glory. Tifa squinted in the sunlight up at it. Her face strained, ".. oh god.. that looks expensive." She cringed slightly and looked back to Cloud who still couldn't believe his eyes.
"They're like fabled, and you sold him to Dio..."
"Cloud, my good man, you saved the planet from the worst evil ever to walk it's lands; I think you deserve a free rental." Cloud looked coldly at him. "I'll, uh, go saddle him up."
"Thank you."
Cloud watched as Choco Bill trotted off to fetch a saddle from the barn. Just then Tifa spoke. "Well at least we're getting free Chocobo rides out of it."
Choco Bill walked by with the saddle slung over his shoulder. "Actually, I said Free Rental, you guys are gonna have to share one or rent a second Chocobo."
Tifa cut in before Cloud could even open his mouth. "Okay, sounds good. We'll share."
The wind wiped by them at an almost deafening speed. Choco Bill's new Chocobo's definitely were an improvement over his old ones. Tifa sat in front of him, them both squeezed into the one saddle. Cloud had forgotten what it was like to be atop a Chocobo again; the freedom it emanated as they raced across the grass landscape towards the mountains in the distance. Tifa had managed to talk Choco Bill into giving them a Green Chocobo, allowing them to dash around the mountains through the shallower waters and avoid the dark caverns and the still present Midgar Zolom.
The landscape raced by in a blur of greens and blossoming blues. The smell of the ocean could be found in the air, even though it were miles away to the east. Cloud took a deep breath and let the wind assault his body in an almost therapeutic way. After working on the Midgar Project for so long, it was rejuvenating to get away from the dirt, the machines, the caravan to and from Kalm. He looked directly in front of him to Tifa. She was one thing he didn't mind bringing along, despite the bend it put in his plan. He knew for sure that her reason for coming on the trip was to be with him. But what she didn't know was that half the reason he decided on taking the trip was to separate her from him. He figured that after being away from him for a few weeks, if her feelings were genuine, she would confess in him what she had wanted to say for so long. Cloud smiled to himself. He knew she would have found a way around his plan. His smile broadened; if anything Tifa was not the conventional type.
"CLOUD!!" Tifa screamed, snapping him out of his thoughts. "HARD LEFT!!"
Cloud instantly yanked the reins to the left, the changing momentum nearly sending them off saddle and several feet on to the ground. A mammoth sized Midgar Zolom shot out of the sandy earth beside them, arched, and dove straight back into it with a thundering boom. A dusty haze sprayed behind them as the Zolom emerged from the sand once more. Cloud had been so wrapped up in thought that he never bothered to change direction toward the coast, he had kept going straight and nearly entered the desert sands before the mountains; the nesting ground of the Midgar Zolom.
The Chocobo was in full sprint, only inches from the grassy ground beneath it. Cloud looked back at the Zolom as it arched again, hundreds of feet in the air, blotting out the sun. It's body lunged back toward the ground once more, chasing them, it's jaws lashing out towards them. Cloud could barely believe his eyes. The Midgar Zolom had grown to more than twice its size since last he had fought it. Tifa looked wirily back at Cloud and then to the attacking beast beside them. "IT'S TOO FAST!" was all Cloud could make out of what she had screamed. The Zolom burst out of the yellowy blanket once more, only a few feet from their side and let out the most horrific scream Cloud has ever heard. It's liquid like agility was terrifying as it darted into the sky and lusted hungrily down towards them once more. Only a split second move on the Chocobo's part saved them from being lunch. Mere seconds before the Zolom's jaws would have descended upon them, the Chocobo sped left and leap dozens of feet into the air. Cloud held on to Tifa and she onto to Chocobo as the fierce wind ripped at their clothes. The impact of the Zolom diving back into the ground created a big enough disturbance in the air that Chocobo was able to ride the gust it generated far enough to get them to more solid earth. The sand beast returned to the depths of its small desert, unable to sense the vibrations from it's prey anymore.
"The point of the Green Chocobo was to avoid to the mountains and the 200 foot worm!" Tifa yelled, upset by the events that had just transpired. They had stopped a mile from the coast, while riding along the mountains edge, away from the Zolom.
"I know... but I still can't get over how big that Zolom was! There's no way it could have naturally grow to that size. It was so fast and blood thirsty.." Cloud trailed off, looking back over the horizon toward the sandy nesting grounds.
"After all we've been through, I was actually scared for my life back there." Tifa looked at the small blue flowers on the ground that grew sporadically in this region.
"That wasn't natural..." Cloud was still looking over the horizon.
Several minutes passed in silence as they reflected on what had happened until Tifa finally broke the silence. "I think this guy deserves a medal." She walked over to the grazing Green Chocobo and put one hand on his harness, her other hand stroking the feathers under its eye. "Just what were you thinking about so hard that you forgot to turn to the ocean?"
Cloud turned and opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. He closed his mouth and swallowed dryly.
".. uh, we've only got about three hours of daylight left, if we're going to make it to Junon before dusk, we should really get moving."
"Yeah..." was all Cloud could muster. They mounted the Chocobo once more and set off to the coast. Cloud hated this awkward silence that now hung in the air; Tifa was one of the very few people that he felt comfortable around. The waters edge was now in sight; he saw his opportunity to lighten the mood: "Tifa, do you, by chance, want some more 'me' time?" She paused for a moment, thinking, as the Chocobo's feet hit the sandy beach, full sprint. "What do you mean?"
"You're about to have another bath!" Cloud laughed as the Green Chocobo hit the water full tilt and sent waves of cold ocean up and over their heads.
The refreshing spree in the oceans water lightened the mood Cloud and Tifa had fallen into. In less than twenty minutes, the Chocobo had gotten them around the mountain range and back up onto dry land. There was nothing left now but the straight run to Cannon City, which would take the better part of an hour.
Even on the opposite side of the continent, the effects of Midgar's halted Mako sucking could be seen. The once patchy forests were thickening up in less than a years time. The grassy fields were greener than ever before, and the wild blue flowers that grew in the Chocobo Ranch region were even spreading to the area. The moon was slowly rising up into the sky, despite the ample amount of sunlight still around them. Cloud decided to push the Chocobo a little harder.
They arrive at the base of Junon in just under an hour. They slowed to a trot to relieve the strain on the Chocobo. Cloud jumped off, still clutching the reins in his hands and led them into the small village at Junon's gates. They could see all the lights on in the second story house just down the street, an old friend Cloud was worrying about seeing again. Tifa hopped down from the saddle and walked a few steps ahead of Cloud. He stopped the Chocobo and began unfastening the harness around its beak. "There you go. that's a little better." He wrapped it up and tied it to the saddle; ready to send the Chocobo back to the ranch on its own.
"Hold him for a sec!" Tifa yelled, walking backwards before speeding into the village. Cloud watched on as she entered one of the first buildings with its lights on and came back out a moment later with a bag in her hands. "Here you go, Birdie." She dumped the bag of Gyshtal Greens at it's feet and watched him dig in. "You named him 'Birdie'? That's like naming an airship 'Plane'." Cloud announced.
"You know, you're starting to get quite a mouth on you, Mr. Cloud Strife." Tifa replied, pointing a finger at Cloud. "Normally I'd be mad at a remark like that, but considering I used your money to buy those Greens Birdie is eating up, I don't feel so upset." She smiled smugly and walked past him, toward the bustling house down the street.
Cloud stood motionless for a moment, soaking in what Tifa had said, before giving up and deciding not to debate with her. He sighed and strolled over to Birdie's side. "Normally I'd be mad that she did that, but you really deserved those Greens." He reached up and stroked the pale green feathers of the Chocobo's neck.
"Of course he deserved them, he saved both our necks! They don't call them Man's Best Friend for nothing, you know." Tifa yelled back to Cloud.
Cloud turned in dismay, "You work in a bar all your life and you're not even the slightest bit deaf."
"Nope, and keep that in mind, mister." She pointed at him again from the stairway leading up to the illuminated house, smiling. Cloud returned the smile and headed towards her, them both climbing the stairs together.
"About time!"
Cloud and Tifa were greeted with an irate Barret at the door. "What do you mean? And why are you here?" Tifa sputtered.
"I've been here all afternoon. It doesn't take no genius to figure out you two would end up here. And by the way, you guys could have told me you were gonna elope!"
Barret's words nearly knocked Cloud off his feet. "We didn't elope!"
"Yeah, we set out on a little trip!" Tifa added, shocked as well.
"Thank god. I didn't think it was somethin' you two would do, but everyone in Kalm was all gossipin' about some talk you two had in the square the other night and how you guys just left bright 'n early this mornin'. It was all 'love' this and 'eloped' that, and 'cluck' this and 'cluck' that. You know how women are."
Tifa punched Barret in shoulder with her mean left. "We are not all like that." She glared at Barret who began rubbing his arm.
"Damn, woman... I didn't mean you."
"Well it's a good thing you didn't make him elope, Tifa, cause he's marrying me!"
Everyone turned around to see Priscilla, the house's pre-teen owner, with her hands on hips. Tifa smiled, "I couldn't if I tried, Prissy, all he ever talks about is you." Her smile broadened as Priscilla trotted over with her arms open, ready for a hug. Tifa picked her up in her arms and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I haven't seen you in so long. you're getting so big now."
Barret leaned over Clouds shoulder. "Women." He said under his breath.
Cloud just rolled his eyes in response, but not before Tifa could send a nasty glance back at Barret. Barret cleared his throat in obvious discomfort and spoke. "Uh, anyway, now that we're all here -" A bright blue flash illuminated the room for a brief moment before disappearing again. "- the hell was that?" Barret stopped talking, looking around the room.
"A storm maybe?" Priscilla suggested, returning to her feet from Tifa's embrace.
Cloud moved to the window and peered out at the setting sun. "No storm; not a single cloud in sight." There was another brilliant blue flash followed by a loud crash just off in the distance. "There's something on the electrical tower." A following, louder crash made Priscilla jump. Cloud's voice tightened. "Something big." Cloud spun around from the window and stared at Tifa and Barret. "We got work to do."
It felt surprisingly comfortable slipping into that old rhythm again. Tifa tightened her gloves while Barret lifted his left, gunned arm in front of him. A reminiscing smile etched into his hard face, and the excitement in the words "Showtime" brought everyone back to their monster battling days.
They all started out the door before Cloud suddenly stopped and turned around. "Priscilla, do you have any Materia?!"
She put her hands on her hips again. "I gave you my only Materia, remember?"
"Oh yeah... Shiva." Cloud replied with a calm clarity.
"And remember how you gave all our other Materia to that greedy, power- hungry little brat last year, instead of keepin' it for ourselves?" Barret voiced to Cloud with a heavy tone. "Yeah, I know." He paused a second. "Why'd I know that'd come back to haunt me."
"Well, the fact that she's-" Another blue flash ignited and caused the lights in the house to flicker.
"No time; let's move!" Cloud announced as he raced out the door and down the stairs to the street below, where a bunch of on-lookers had come from their houses to see what all the commotion was about. By the time they got to the beach, the monster was in plain view. A huge light blue mass slowly scaling the electrical tower feeding Cannon City, above. The tower sat just off the shore, in waist deep water; the coming tide bringing awkward waves into the equation. "Priscilla, head back to the house, now." Cloud spoke with a very serious, stern voice. He turned back to face Tifa and Barret. "The waves are too big for use to fight out there and it's two high up there to attack it. We somehow got to get it to come to us."
Tifa, poised for battle, looked up at the spherical blob standing stationary on the tower. "How are we gonna do that?"
"Man, I am tired of always been the one with the brains." Barret lifted his Gun-Arm to the sky and the whirling sound of the barrels were only a precursor to sound of hailing bullets.
He struck the monster all along it's back, causing itself to turn about and face the three, anger burning brightly in it's tiny yellow eyes. They waited a moment more before Barret sent a second wave of bullets up toward it, adding fuel to fire. From hundreds of feet up on the tower girders, it dropped to the water below with surprising fury. Within seconds, it was advancing to the beach, blind rage in it's eyes. The three braced for the coming battle, letting it throw the first punch. Cloud took point, just as he always had.
One reason Cloud was such a great soldier was because of an ability few possessed. Within fractions of a second, he could take in his enemy, his surrounding environment, and decide on the best direction of attack. This skilled had saved his life on far more than one account, this skill he didn't even know he had.
Cloud's grip tightened around the handle of his sword; his feet buried in the sand solidly. He could see the oncoming monster clearly now. It's rubber-like skin glistened in the remaining light and rippling as it moved, giving the impression of billowing blubber. It's body itself was massive, with four tentacles on either side. The first and last tentacles on each side, were larger, and were being used to propel the demon toward them with such amazing speed. It's face was set very low on it's front half, almost at the ground. Two tiny yellow eyes above a glistening set of teeth, hungry gaping out at them.
It got to the waters edge and stopped. Without any warning, it sat itself up on its hide quarters and launched its four front tentacles toward Barret. The battle was on.
Barret leaped back and fired another few rounds toward the creatures face as its tentacles lethally whipped about the beach. Tifa and Cloud dove under the whipping onslaught and headed for the monsters belly. Cloud could feel himself enter that state again. The place he once called home beckoned him nearer and nearer. At one time, it was all he thought about; and at a time like this, he knew he truly missed it.
Tifa struck first; a high kick to the stomach, only to have herself almost bounce back. It's thick fatty body was highly durable to their blows. Cloud slid in second to slice at it's belly with the luminous Ultimate Weapon blade. The Blue Creature reacted violently and redirected it's attack toward the two. Tifa sprinted out of harms way and left the tentacles seeking Cloud. He narrowly avoided the attack and stepped to it's side, ankles splashing in the cold water.
A split second reanalyzing of the situation. The Blue Creature was highly armored and their current blows weren't doing enough damage to mortally wound the beast. Tifa was closest to him, on the creatures right side; Barret on the left. Two tentacles after both of them, and they were holding out well. They had to-Priscilla! She had come down onto the grass at the beaches edge and was looking directly at him. She pointed up to the tower and then to the beast. Adrenaline coursed through his body as he followed the monster's movements one step before it. As Tifa and Barret both dodged wide, swiping attacks, the tentacles would meet in the middle, in full range of Priscilla.
It was a desperate mad dash through the water and beach sand to reach Priscilla before the monsters wrath descended upon her. He could here the masses of muscled flesh flying through air, coming every closer to the young girl and himself. Barret and Tifa looked on in horror as they spotted the scene about to unfold.
"Cloud! You should-" Priscilla started, only to be interrupted.
"Get Down!" Cloud screamed hoarsely as he lunged toward her and knocked her to the ground. The attacking arms of the Blue Creature swung heavily above them, as Cloud cradled Priscilla underneath him. Priscilla was crying as Cloud moved up off her. She raised her hand to his face and stuck something small and hard in his mouth, it had an odd metallic taste to it. Mr. Dolphin's whistle. He was about to pull it out when he Tifa scream, trying to grab the monsters attention; Barret gearing up for a heavy attack.
The monster seen their plan of attack and drew both tentacles up into the air. Within a flash, it sent them both came crashing down toward Tifa and Barret. It all seemed like slow motion to Cloud who stood between them. He pulled the whistle from his teeth and placed it in his pocket then raced down the middle to the enemy's exposed abdomen. The undeniable surge of adrenaline coursed through his veins once more. The strength of ten men now fed his muscles as his hot body flew headlong at the beast. His lungs gasped for more and more oxygen to keep up with his actions as he held his blade outward and thrust it into his enemy's flesh.
Climhazzard. The monsters hissed roar sounded in the air like horrific feedback as Cloud released the handle of his sword and dropped to one knee. His body was hot, his breathing hard; he didn't even noticed his aching muscles. His hands raised back to the waiting swords handle and shot directly up to the sky. The creature wailed again, this time retreating it's attacking tentacles to defend itself. Cloud landed several feet away, on the beach, and stood facing the Blue Creature; Tifa and Barret coming to his side.
"It didn't get it good enough" Cloud spoke; his voice almost cutting out. "It's skin's too thick."
Barret was huffing as he brought the steaming barrels of his Gun-Arm up to face the monster. "Tough little bastard!"
"Little?!" Tifa replied. She grabbed Cloud's shoulder and pointed to the water. "It's retreating."
"It's not going anywhere." Cloud concurred, watching the beast defend itself, just out of their reach.
"How we gonna this thing?" Barret asked, his sights still on the brooding monster.
Cloud ran his hand across his brow, wiping away the dripping sweat. He suddenly looked back over his shoulder to where Priscilla was standing. She wasn't there, he followed the path up the hill to see her safely in arms with some of the town folk. That's when he remembered; he grabbed the whistle from his pocket and put it in Tifa's hand. "This time, you're going up there."
"What?" She looked down at the whistle, puzzled.
"It's Mr. Dolphin's whistle; call him and head to the tower. There's dangling electric cords where the creature was climbing, up by that little platform. You can throw them down onto it and electrocute it!" He pointed up to the small platform housing a few sparking electrical cords. "Barret and I will keep him busy for you!"
With that said, he pushed Tifa toward the shore and him and Barret dashed at the beast with rekindled vigor. Tifa ran to the waters edge and blew the whistle. Nothing happened. She could hear Barret and Cloud making gestures to the creature and encouraging it to attack them, she couldn't help but look and feel pressured. She blew the whistle again and almost instantly the energetic Mr. Dolphin came racing up to greet her, in all of his Mr. Dolphin cuteness. She found it ironic how out of place he was in the scene.
She latched onto his dorsal fin and he sped her out to the deeper water. Before she even knew what was happening Mr. Dolphin had jumped into the air almost catapulted Tifa up into the tower. With unbelievable luck, she landed squarely in the middle of the platform, barely dodging the jumping electrical wiring.
She gripped the railing tightly, her body shivering every time she looked to the ground below. In the distance she could see Cloud and Barret still duking it out with the injured Blue Creature. It slashed at Barret, who narrowly got out of the way, and separated the sand with the force of its arm's impact. Cloud took the opportunity to swing his sword high over his head and send it crashing down onto the tentacle, cleaving a few feet off of it.
The monsters scream was still echoing when Tifa carefully picked up one of the live electric cables and took aim at the beast below. She took a deep breath and let the cable swing. It came down heavily on the creatures back and charred it's skin black. Not to Tifa's surprise, the creature didn't like it. As the smell of it's burning flesh rose up to her, she began grabbing at the second cable. The first shock she gave him really struck a cord; another may be enough to immobilize him. As she looked over the railing to take aim with the second set of wires, a blue blurred slammed itself into the towers base, sending a vicious shockwave through it. The tower teetered back just enough for her to loose her balance and fall backwards. As if her problems weren't enough, the platform let go and sent her and the other sparking cables further down the tower. In the nick of time, Tifa was able to grab hold of the girder below them.
"Hang on Tifa." Barret said to himself. He and Cloud now stood helplessly by, on the beach, to watch as Tifa battle the creature.
The live cables now dangled only a few feet from waters surface. The monster was right below her; no doubt waiting for her to fall, but at the same time, still wary of the electric wires around it. Tifa pulled herself up onto the girder and stood there looking down at the demon below. Her gaze came up and saw the last of sun dipping into the ocean, casting deep shadows along the landscape. She could hear Cloud and Barret wading out into the water, attempting to aid her, although she couldn't see how. With cables on either side of the creature, freely hanging about, she seen but one path of action.
Her boots clanged on the metal of the girder as she ran toward the right cable. Without warning, and much to Cloud's disbelieve; Tifa leapt from the girder to the hanging wire and swung out over the ocean on it. As she swung back, she loosened her grip enough to fall down toward it's deadly end. When the swing came back she landed easily on the monsters back and drove the cable into its side. Another deafening scream echoed in the night as the demon writhed uncontrollably. In it's throws of pain, one of its other tentacles caught the cable dangling on it's left side. Being electrocuted by both cables was enough to finish the job. In an bright flash from something up top the tower, the electricity stopped flowing and the creature fell heavily into water.
"Are you alright, Tifa?" Barret asked, dumbfounded by Tifa's amazing heroics.
"Yeah... I'm good. A little shaken." She returned, as they all waded out of the water to the towns people on the beach.
Cloud remained quiet while they climbed out of the water and back onto dry land. Once on the sandy beach, they all collapsed in exhaustion. The people behind them started applauding them as others wrapped them in blankets. Tifa looked back to the lifeless creature that had once attacked them so violently. "Let's just hope that isn't a trend. I've had enough monster for one lifetime." She laughed and slowly stammered to her feet; Cloud and Barret doing the same.
"Yeah... they usually don't get hard until the end of our journey." Barret laughed.
Priscilla came to walk beside them. "All the power went out when that big spark came above the monster, so there's not lights anymore."
"That's okay, sweetie. Mind if we spend the night at your place?"
"Of course, you saved our town from the bad monster!" She smiled and ran ahead of them to the house.
By the time Cloud, Barret and Tifa had settled down in Priscilla's living room, it was getting late. Barret was taking advantage of the appreciation food most of the townsfolk had gave them for fending off the beast, when conversation broke out.
"Man, that thing was tough. but it felt so good again to be battlin' the worst of 'em." Barret announced as he bit into a large set of ribs somebody had cooked them up. "I haven't felt that young in ages."
"Funny, I haven't felt this old." Cloud said quietly, rubbing his arms. "I'm physically stronger than I've every been in my life, but one battle and my arms... my legs, my chest; they're all on fire."
"Remember what I said back in Kalm?" Tifa spoke from a chair by the fire, "that's what I meant by 'burning yourself out'. Sure, you're stronger from working so hard on the Neo-Midgar Project, but you're body hasn't had a single minutes rest. It can't use that new found strength."
"The lady's right, Cloud." Barret took another big bite of the ribs. "you need rest. You look the same as the day I meant you. I mean that in a bad way. I hated your spiky headed ass. But in just a short time after that, I was following you into North Crater to battle a lunatic bent on destroyin' the planet." Cloud looked at Barret and then to Tifa, who was nodding her head in agreement with him. "You gotta learn to relax."
"Maybe you guys are right..." Cloud sighed to himself and looked down at his body, sore from the battle.
"So, we're all here now. Where we heading next?" Barret asked, mouth full of food.
"It figures my little trip would turn into some kind of cavalcade." Cloud sighed again. He knew now that Barret would want to tag along with Tifa and himself, but he honestly had no clue where he was going.
"You know, now that we've all finally got ourselves out of Kalm, I think this would be a great opportunity to visit all our friends again.... it's been a long time." Tifa spoke up from beside the fireplace. Priscilla had fallen asleep against her leg. She bent down and picked her up, carrying her into her room.
"Well.... if we're gonna play it that way, I guess Cosmo Canyon is our new destination."
"We can take the ferry to Costa de Sol tomorrow morning." Barret nodded.
"We can buggy right from there to Cosmo Canyon and be there in a night or two." Tifa said with a smile, returning from tucking in Priscilla.
Cloud looked at the flickering fire burning. A few seconds passed before he got up and moved to the opened window by the door. "Actually..... I was hoping to spend some time in that Villa I bought. Never did get much use out of it." He stared off.
Tifa smiled. "Alright.... we'll rest up at Costa de Sol for a while, then header to Cosmo Canyon." She left for the bedroom, glad Cloud was finally taking some of her advice.
Barret got up and looked out to sea with Cloud. "Sure is black out there without the electricity on. No lights or nothin'."
"No.... just calmness." Cloud replied distantly.
"Well, there ain't nothin' but blackness that I can see, so what're you starin' at?"
"I'm not sure." Cloud paused. "I thought... I thought, just for a second, I heard her voice."
Barret sighed heavily and looked out the window with Cloud. After a minute or so he set his Gun-Arm on Clouds shoulder and shoved a plate into his hands. "Eat somethin', you're gettin' skinny."
The next morning Cloud, Tifa and Barret all awoke, sore among things, to find the electricity back. Priscilla remained in bed and they all agreed not to wake her. Instead, they left her a thank-you note and a few gold pieces for her hospitality. They filed out the door while the sun was still reaching up into the sky. The cold sea breeze struck them hard, awakening whatever part of them that had remained asleep. Barret headed down the stairs first, followed by a shivering Tifa. Cloud took one last look out over the seascape. A fire red sun slowly making its way into the heavenly blue above. Gulls squawking at one another off in the distance somewhere. The bustling sounds of the city echoed on above them. Everything was in its place. Everything but.... Cloud couldn't quite put his finger on it. There was something wrong; something amiss. He looked down to the beach, at the small waves coming in and crashing into the sands.
"Cloud, get a move on it. You can stare at the water all you want on the boat." Tifa preached from the road below him.
He took one last look out at the ocean, the battled tower and the disturbed sands of the beach. His eyes widened. "It's gone. The Blue Creatures body isn't there anymore." He announced as he traveled down the stairs.
Barret and Tifa looked to the beach where the formidable monster's body laid the previous night. Barret brought his hand up to block the suns glistening reflection off the water. "It probably got washed out to sea by the tide."
"Yeah; happens to anything on the beach near the water." Tifa assured Cloud.
He finished descending the stairs and walked to there sides. "That monster was huge.... it must have weighed a ton."
"Are you questioning Mother Nature, Cloud? After seeing lifestream take on the comet, I'm not surprised by anything she can do now. Strong as an ox and does what she wants!" Tifa jested, beginning her walk to the Junon Elevator.
Cloud and Barret stood, still looking at the incoming waves. "Women." Barret said with a sneer. Tifa's fist slammed into Barret's arm a second time since the previous night. "Oww... I didn't mean you!"
He followed Tifa to the elevator, griping about his arm, leaving Cloud behind him. It still seemed weird to Cloud, but he let it pass, and ran to catch up with his comrades.
Not long after that, they were aboard the first ferry to Costa de Sol; the home of Cloud's expensive villa, and to his soon-to-be rest. In the wake of yesterdays events, Cloud was definitely realizing he was in need of some R&R. Although it wasn't something he liked to do, and was obscenely out of character, the effects of going without it were approaching dangerous levels. What if he had worked on the Neo-Midgar project another month or two before setting out on this small quest? Would he have been able to perform his duty as a soldier and battle that beast, or would his body have failed and collapsed under him? The thought scared Cloud. It was a fear that was with him now more then ever in his life. To be needed to protect someone and not be able to do a thing.
"Cheer up, Cloud. We'll be soakin' up the rays soon enough; it's only a seven hour boat ride... Hell, you got plenty of time to be gloomy before you gotta cheer up." Barret slapped Cloud on the back and walked off chuckling to himself.
Cloud looked back to the water. Reflecting on something, but unable to focus on what. He dismissed it with a grin and headed off to find Barret and Tifa. Rest and relaxation were upon the horizon.
The early morning sun was beaming overhead as Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockheart made their way across the endless expanse of lush fields that was now the Midgar area. Above, an endless blue filled the skyscape, massive nimbus clouds checkering the view. Cloud was concentrating on holding a map steady, while Tifa just walked along behind him; casually taking in the scenery. After the events of the past year, she had found she had a new appreciation for life, no longer taking for granted the beauty nature offered. She took a deep breath and sighed pleasantly as a breeze raced through the valley, rustling the grass in what seemed like waves.
It had only been an hour an a half or so since they had left Kalm town. Cloud hadn't said much of anything. He was still busy concentrating on navigating the seemingly infinite world that he hadn't paid any attention to Tifa, tagging along with him. Tifa on the other hand, was constantly trying to thinking of something to talk with Cloud about on their long haul. She had only decided on a whim to venture out into the world with Cloud again and was beginning to have second thoughts.
"Where are you heading, anyway?" She broke the silence, though she had only meant to think it.
"I'm heading for the Chocobo Ranch; then I plan on a trip to Junon." Cloud replied, then added, "Where are you heading?" testing Tifa's sense of humor.
"I'm going wherever you go, don't try and get me to leave now." She replied with a threatening grin.
"Don't worry, your welcome to come along. I'm not even sure why I'm walking through this field myself..." Cloud thought for a moment. "I just know I should be."
Another long while passed, Tifa and Cloud marched along, talking about various things.
"..... So that's what I liked about you, when I first met you."
Tifa laughed. "Really? I'm flattered, I didn't think anyone noticed! Why wait until now to tell me about that?"
Cloud grinned a bit. "Well, it is a bit embarrassing especially talking about it with other people around."
"Yeah, I guess your right." She replied shyly, grabbing some of the long grass growing all around them and wrapping it around her finger.
Tifa was now walking closely behind Cloud and almost skipping. She was intensely happy that Cloud was actually beginning to talk with her instead of conversing in his usual one-word answers. Cloud was much less antisocial recently; that night outside the Highwind just before the raid on the Northern Crater and Sephiroth had really opened Cloud's personality.
"Cloud, do you find it odd how we have yet to encounter any monsters on this trip?" Tifa looked around the fields, attempting to locate any other life around them. "I mean, there should at least be some around, right?"
"I know, I've been wondering the same thing myself. It looks like I brought along my sword for nothing."
Tifa furled her brow. "Don't say things like that Cloud. The next thing you know we'll end up fighting something, again."
Cloud stopped and let her catch up a bit. "You said it yourself, Tifa. 'All I want is more fighting'."
Tifa rolls her eyes as she stops by his side.
They both look off towards the horizon; the Chocobo Ranch just coming into the range of their vision. By then it was just about noon and both of them were beginning to feel quite hungry, especially since neither of them had eaten any breakfast before they left. So they hastened their pace to the Ranch, playfully running through the tall grass encompassing the area around the farm. The strong winds raced by them, but didn't slow them down at all. They seemed to ride on it, moving over it in one perfect, fluid motion. Cloud's hair whipped back in the wind, bobbing up in down in sync with his running. Tifa, trailing behind him, studied him as she fought to stay close. The amount of change Cloud had gone through in the past year was inspiring. A once selfish, cold-hearted mercenary had metamorphosed into a respected, kind and loving man that she now shared her life with. It was as if his spirit had been freed from a black burden unfairly placed upon it.
Cloud glanced over his shoulder to see if Tifa was keeping up with him. He knew he could run faster than her and that his stamina was nearly unmatched on the planet. He smiled wryly to himself and returned to his stride; seeing how much longer Tifa could hold his pace.
Tifa smiled herself, seeing Cloud check up on her. He knew she was strong, she always had been, and she wasn't going give up. As she ran she looked him over again. She could see his newfound freedom manifest itself physically in him. Although he still bore his navy mercenary clothes, he radiated a friendly air around him. He had let his hair grow out a little and no longer kept it impeccably styled. Instead of being so perfectly structured and disciplined, as his life once was, it now hung more relaxed, more carefree. More alive. As they ran, she continued to gaze at him, before reflecting once more, her smile fading. True, Cloud talked freely to her and smiled every once in a while, he even seemed happy when around his friends, but at what price? This transformation had healed his soul, but not before it had thrust his life into anarchy, not before he fell, not before he broke. His smile, his laughter, what it had cost him was something no one should ever have had to go through. In order for him to be free from his internal bondage he had to take the weight of the world onto his shoulders. The sheer responsibility of that alone was something no average man could bare. The lives of everyone forced into his hands, the walls of his life coming crashing down around him, the repressed truth about himself, his near death experience in the Lifestream, and worst of all, the loss of his one true love. A love so pure and innocent taken away from him before his very eyes.
Tifa's pace dropped a bit when she realized this. The suffering that Cloud had gone through, the complete abandonment, the hopelessness, the pain; nobody could take that and survive, yet Cloud still fought. He pulled through for humanity, for the planet and for his friends, all because he felt he owed it to everyone else. Tifa's mind retraced itself back to the City of the Ancients where they had finally found Aeris. How Cloud seen her life stolen away by the black-hearted monster he once strived to be. She could remember standing with the gang, just inside the building that had housed Aeris' last moments of life. They had all agreed in an unspoken gesture to leave Cloud alone, let him deal with this on his own, how he wanted it. She could remember seeing Cloud solemnly place Aeris into the reflecting pool outside. It was that moment that Cloud became dead on the inside. It took the death of the one ray of light he could hold onto to finally break him. The few precious gifts life had given him were gone. He was left with nothing; empty. No will, no soul, no hope. Yet here they all were, and all because of him.
She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. Cloud still raced onward ahead of her with his unprecedented vigor. It was only then that she truly realized how much strength Cloud possessed. Everybody knew how physically strong Cloud was, but Tifa could see passed that, see what a pillar of truth Cloud was. He was warrior. He was a friend. He was a savior.
Cloud slid to a stop in the dirt of the Chocobo Ranch's driveway and faced Tifa with a warm look in his eyes. She trotted up to his side a second later, and looked up at his face. "Couldn't beat me, could you?" He sneered.
Tifa, panting, paused a moment, still looking up at him, "No..." she smiled "I can't beat you." Reminding herself of what Cloud truly was, a hero. In no time at all, they found themselves within the Ranch house; they had already had a meal with Choco Billy and his father, Choco Bill, and they had just rented a room for a quick break before they set out for their next destination, Junon Harbor.
They both sat down on a bed together. Tifa fell limply backward and sighed as she struck the bed. She stretched her arms out and kicked her shoes off before sighing once more. "I miss the Highwind." She whined in a child's voice.
"I don't," Cloud loosened the strap of one of his boots and pulled it off, "heights were never really my friend." He glanced back at Tifa and smiled at her, dropping his boot to the floor.
Tifa smiled back and turned her gaze to the ceiling above. "Yeah, I guess that's understandable. You have fallen quite a far distance three separate times in your life."
"It's amazing how I'm not dead yet, isn't it?" Cloud mimicked Tifa, falling limply backward onto the bed. He sighed and turned his head to face Tifa.
"The sad thing is, it was kinda my fault you fell two outta the three times, you know?" Tifa sat up, remembering that she was beside him at Nibelheim and at the Mako Reactor when he plummeted several stories down.
"It wasn't anything you did that made it your fault, not really." Cloud said as he placed his hands on his forehead and ran them through his thick hair from front to back.
"Really?" Tifa questioned, thinking that she was the reason he had fell both times.
"No, but I would have ended up falling for you any way I look at it." Cloud casually concurred.
Tifa looked away from Cloud. Cloud's words had taken her completely by surprise. Her body tightened in an instant, shocked by that which had been said. It only took her a second to realize that what Cloud said and how she had interpreted it were two completely different contexts. The flashed thought of Cloud falling for her though was enough to warm her inside. She had long wished for Cloud to be more than just a friend, more than just a comrade in arms. So many nights had gone by with him sleeping only a room away, or right by her side, under the stars during their journeys, but she couldn't bring herself to ask if he returned the feelings. Cloud's mask was far too scarred for her to tell.
But she liked the thought. She liked the idea of lazy mornings in bed with Cloud still asleep by her side. She couldn't help but blush a little. Cloud couldn't help but notice.
"What?" he questioned.
"What? It's nothing." Tifa shook her head, calming the redness of her cheeks.
"You're turning red." Cloud pried.
"It's nothing, God!" She snapped, getting up and walking into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Cloud had followed her with his eyes, stilling laying on the bed; perplexed by what had just happened and curious as to what she had been thinking.
The sound of running water echoed in the small bathroom as Tifa turned the bathtub faucets on. She spun around to face herself in the mirror, something she hadn't done in a long time. It wasn't the gaze she gave herself when she wanted to know if her hair looked good, it was the kind of gaze that reflected her true self, her soul.
'Look at me,' she said to herself, 'still daydreaming.' A small grin crept across her face as she gazed on at her reflection. 'Falling for one of my closest friends. how immature.' She pulled the ribbon from her hair and let it fall loosely around her knees. She ran her fingers through it and lead it over her shoulders before glancing over to the bathtub. It was filling slowly with the warm water she had turned on. Looking back at the mirror, she thought: 'Why do I feel this way? Why is it that I long for Cloud more than anything else on this planet, yet I can't even bring myself to say the words to him?' She sighed. 'Even I know it's not like me to keep my mouth shut.' A flash of braided hair and a pink dress sped through her mind. 'Aeris. everything always leads back to Aeris. How could I betray her memory like that? Cloud and her were far more than just infatuation.' A more solid image of Aeris formed in her mind. 'How could I take Cloud for my own, when he truly belonged to Aeris. It would be far too selfish of me.' She checked the water level of the tub once more and decided to turn off the taps.
'She was so young and innocent. she was the last person in the world who deserved to die.' Aeris' bright turquoise eyes and playful laughter brought a smile to her face. It was then that she noticed her other reflection; the worn leather and scuffed metal of her gloves, her tarnished miniskirt, the tight white tank top she was famous for. 'No wonder Cloud doesn't return my feelings, I'm nothing like her.' She stripped her gloves, skirt and top off and sent them flying to the ground. Sliding into the warmth of the bath, her frustrations seemed to diminish.
'I'll always love Cloud, but these feelings will pass.' She soaked her hair in the bathwater and let it float around her shoulders. 'I'll just live with it and deal like a mature person would. That's what Cloud did and he ended up saving the world.' She blinked and splashed some water on her face. 'Besides, it's not like I'm the first person to have a crush on him.' Priscilla popped into her head, the thought was enough to make her quietly laugh aloud.
"You look happy." Cloud jested toward Tifa as she came strolling out of the bathroom. He had already geared up and was once again ready for the road.
"Yeah, I really enjoyed that. I've been so busy with the bar and everybody helping with the Midgar Project that I haven't really had any 'me' time." She ran her fingers through her still damp hair and grabbed her shoes from the floor.
"Did you have a bath?" He asked, suddenly interested in the subject.
"Yes..." She smiled playfully, "Why?"
"Last time we were here, Choco Bill told us the bathroom was out back and pointed to a outhouse... now he has a full working bathroom with a bathtub?"
Tifa looked back into the bathroom, surprised she hadn't noticed. "I guess so." She shrugged and sat down on the bed to begin lacing up her boots. "If you wanna get us to Junon by tonight, we should take a Chocobo."
"You're right. It's odd how accustomed you get to that irritating warking, I completely forgot about them." Cloud spoke aloud.
Tifa looked at him strangely. "We stopped at the Chocobo Ranch and Chocobo's never once entered your mind?"
"I must be losing it in my old age." Cloud smiled and walked out of the room.
This day held more surprises for Tifa than she ever could have guessed. Not only were her and Cloud out journeying again, but Cloud actually cracked a joke. A funny one. She knotted her last lace and was up and out of the house to find Cloud already talking to Choco Bill.
"Choco Bill, where's Boko? Tifa and I would like to rent him for awhile, but I don't see him in the pen or the stables."
"Oh.. I.... uh..." Choco Bill took his hat off and wiped his brow before looking Cloud in the eyes. "You see, after Midgar was destroyed and the Weapons had attacked, a lot my Chocobo's had either ran off, got stolen or got killed..."
"Uh-huh..." Cloud replied as Tifa arrived and stood by his side.
"Well, things got a little tough and money got a little tight. Just when I was thinking I was going to have to close down my Chocobo Ranch that nice Dio fellow from the Golden Saucer came by and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. He said he was devastated to have lost at his own game and would pay anything to get his hands on such a fine bird." Choco Bill looked at Tifa then back Cloud before spreading the biggest smile on his face he could muster.
"You sold my prize winning, Golden Chocobo to Dio?" Cloud said in monotone, trying to mask the anger that was building in him. "Boko helped me get Knights of Round, a powerful summon that helped me defeat Sephiroth. Technically, that bird helped save the world. and you sold him to Dio?"
"Uh..." Choco Bill's smiling was struggling to stay afloat. "Well, it didn't come without a bright side. I got the new indoor bathroom, complete with a bathtub," he smiled at Tifa who was still damp from her bath. "And I restocked my Chocobo herd." He waved his hand over toward the Choco Pen beside them. "Oh! And best of all - you're gonna love this - lookie here."
Choco Bill pointed up to a big gold plated sign that sat near the peak of the barn. The shimmering faces of Choco Bill and his son smiled down upon them with the slogan 'Choco's the Name, Chocobo's the Game' etched bellow them in all of its tacky glory. Tifa squinted in the sunlight up at it. Her face strained, ".. oh god.. that looks expensive." She cringed slightly and looked back to Cloud who still couldn't believe his eyes.
"They're like fabled, and you sold him to Dio..."
"Cloud, my good man, you saved the planet from the worst evil ever to walk it's lands; I think you deserve a free rental." Cloud looked coldly at him. "I'll, uh, go saddle him up."
"Thank you."
Cloud watched as Choco Bill trotted off to fetch a saddle from the barn. Just then Tifa spoke. "Well at least we're getting free Chocobo rides out of it."
Choco Bill walked by with the saddle slung over his shoulder. "Actually, I said Free Rental, you guys are gonna have to share one or rent a second Chocobo."
Tifa cut in before Cloud could even open his mouth. "Okay, sounds good. We'll share."
The wind wiped by them at an almost deafening speed. Choco Bill's new Chocobo's definitely were an improvement over his old ones. Tifa sat in front of him, them both squeezed into the one saddle. Cloud had forgotten what it was like to be atop a Chocobo again; the freedom it emanated as they raced across the grass landscape towards the mountains in the distance. Tifa had managed to talk Choco Bill into giving them a Green Chocobo, allowing them to dash around the mountains through the shallower waters and avoid the dark caverns and the still present Midgar Zolom.
The landscape raced by in a blur of greens and blossoming blues. The smell of the ocean could be found in the air, even though it were miles away to the east. Cloud took a deep breath and let the wind assault his body in an almost therapeutic way. After working on the Midgar Project for so long, it was rejuvenating to get away from the dirt, the machines, the caravan to and from Kalm. He looked directly in front of him to Tifa. She was one thing he didn't mind bringing along, despite the bend it put in his plan. He knew for sure that her reason for coming on the trip was to be with him. But what she didn't know was that half the reason he decided on taking the trip was to separate her from him. He figured that after being away from him for a few weeks, if her feelings were genuine, she would confess in him what she had wanted to say for so long. Cloud smiled to himself. He knew she would have found a way around his plan. His smile broadened; if anything Tifa was not the conventional type.
"CLOUD!!" Tifa screamed, snapping him out of his thoughts. "HARD LEFT!!"
Cloud instantly yanked the reins to the left, the changing momentum nearly sending them off saddle and several feet on to the ground. A mammoth sized Midgar Zolom shot out of the sandy earth beside them, arched, and dove straight back into it with a thundering boom. A dusty haze sprayed behind them as the Zolom emerged from the sand once more. Cloud had been so wrapped up in thought that he never bothered to change direction toward the coast, he had kept going straight and nearly entered the desert sands before the mountains; the nesting ground of the Midgar Zolom.
The Chocobo was in full sprint, only inches from the grassy ground beneath it. Cloud looked back at the Zolom as it arched again, hundreds of feet in the air, blotting out the sun. It's body lunged back toward the ground once more, chasing them, it's jaws lashing out towards them. Cloud could barely believe his eyes. The Midgar Zolom had grown to more than twice its size since last he had fought it. Tifa looked wirily back at Cloud and then to the attacking beast beside them. "IT'S TOO FAST!" was all Cloud could make out of what she had screamed. The Zolom burst out of the yellowy blanket once more, only a few feet from their side and let out the most horrific scream Cloud has ever heard. It's liquid like agility was terrifying as it darted into the sky and lusted hungrily down towards them once more. Only a split second move on the Chocobo's part saved them from being lunch. Mere seconds before the Zolom's jaws would have descended upon them, the Chocobo sped left and leap dozens of feet into the air. Cloud held on to Tifa and she onto to Chocobo as the fierce wind ripped at their clothes. The impact of the Zolom diving back into the ground created a big enough disturbance in the air that Chocobo was able to ride the gust it generated far enough to get them to more solid earth. The sand beast returned to the depths of its small desert, unable to sense the vibrations from it's prey anymore.
"The point of the Green Chocobo was to avoid to the mountains and the 200 foot worm!" Tifa yelled, upset by the events that had just transpired. They had stopped a mile from the coast, while riding along the mountains edge, away from the Zolom.
"I know... but I still can't get over how big that Zolom was! There's no way it could have naturally grow to that size. It was so fast and blood thirsty.." Cloud trailed off, looking back over the horizon toward the sandy nesting grounds.
"After all we've been through, I was actually scared for my life back there." Tifa looked at the small blue flowers on the ground that grew sporadically in this region.
"That wasn't natural..." Cloud was still looking over the horizon.
Several minutes passed in silence as they reflected on what had happened until Tifa finally broke the silence. "I think this guy deserves a medal." She walked over to the grazing Green Chocobo and put one hand on his harness, her other hand stroking the feathers under its eye. "Just what were you thinking about so hard that you forgot to turn to the ocean?"
Cloud turned and opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. He closed his mouth and swallowed dryly.
".. uh, we've only got about three hours of daylight left, if we're going to make it to Junon before dusk, we should really get moving."
"Yeah..." was all Cloud could muster. They mounted the Chocobo once more and set off to the coast. Cloud hated this awkward silence that now hung in the air; Tifa was one of the very few people that he felt comfortable around. The waters edge was now in sight; he saw his opportunity to lighten the mood: "Tifa, do you, by chance, want some more 'me' time?" She paused for a moment, thinking, as the Chocobo's feet hit the sandy beach, full sprint. "What do you mean?"
"You're about to have another bath!" Cloud laughed as the Green Chocobo hit the water full tilt and sent waves of cold ocean up and over their heads.
The refreshing spree in the oceans water lightened the mood Cloud and Tifa had fallen into. In less than twenty minutes, the Chocobo had gotten them around the mountain range and back up onto dry land. There was nothing left now but the straight run to Cannon City, which would take the better part of an hour.
Even on the opposite side of the continent, the effects of Midgar's halted Mako sucking could be seen. The once patchy forests were thickening up in less than a years time. The grassy fields were greener than ever before, and the wild blue flowers that grew in the Chocobo Ranch region were even spreading to the area. The moon was slowly rising up into the sky, despite the ample amount of sunlight still around them. Cloud decided to push the Chocobo a little harder.
They arrive at the base of Junon in just under an hour. They slowed to a trot to relieve the strain on the Chocobo. Cloud jumped off, still clutching the reins in his hands and led them into the small village at Junon's gates. They could see all the lights on in the second story house just down the street, an old friend Cloud was worrying about seeing again. Tifa hopped down from the saddle and walked a few steps ahead of Cloud. He stopped the Chocobo and began unfastening the harness around its beak. "There you go. that's a little better." He wrapped it up and tied it to the saddle; ready to send the Chocobo back to the ranch on its own.
"Hold him for a sec!" Tifa yelled, walking backwards before speeding into the village. Cloud watched on as she entered one of the first buildings with its lights on and came back out a moment later with a bag in her hands. "Here you go, Birdie." She dumped the bag of Gyshtal Greens at it's feet and watched him dig in. "You named him 'Birdie'? That's like naming an airship 'Plane'." Cloud announced.
"You know, you're starting to get quite a mouth on you, Mr. Cloud Strife." Tifa replied, pointing a finger at Cloud. "Normally I'd be mad at a remark like that, but considering I used your money to buy those Greens Birdie is eating up, I don't feel so upset." She smiled smugly and walked past him, toward the bustling house down the street.
Cloud stood motionless for a moment, soaking in what Tifa had said, before giving up and deciding not to debate with her. He sighed and strolled over to Birdie's side. "Normally I'd be mad that she did that, but you really deserved those Greens." He reached up and stroked the pale green feathers of the Chocobo's neck.
"Of course he deserved them, he saved both our necks! They don't call them Man's Best Friend for nothing, you know." Tifa yelled back to Cloud.
Cloud turned in dismay, "You work in a bar all your life and you're not even the slightest bit deaf."
"Nope, and keep that in mind, mister." She pointed at him again from the stairway leading up to the illuminated house, smiling. Cloud returned the smile and headed towards her, them both climbing the stairs together.
"About time!"
Cloud and Tifa were greeted with an irate Barret at the door. "What do you mean? And why are you here?" Tifa sputtered.
"I've been here all afternoon. It doesn't take no genius to figure out you two would end up here. And by the way, you guys could have told me you were gonna elope!"
Barret's words nearly knocked Cloud off his feet. "We didn't elope!"
"Yeah, we set out on a little trip!" Tifa added, shocked as well.
"Thank god. I didn't think it was somethin' you two would do, but everyone in Kalm was all gossipin' about some talk you two had in the square the other night and how you guys just left bright 'n early this mornin'. It was all 'love' this and 'eloped' that, and 'cluck' this and 'cluck' that. You know how women are."
Tifa punched Barret in shoulder with her mean left. "We are not all like that." She glared at Barret who began rubbing his arm.
"Damn, woman... I didn't mean you."
"Well it's a good thing you didn't make him elope, Tifa, cause he's marrying me!"
Everyone turned around to see Priscilla, the house's pre-teen owner, with her hands on hips. Tifa smiled, "I couldn't if I tried, Prissy, all he ever talks about is you." Her smile broadened as Priscilla trotted over with her arms open, ready for a hug. Tifa picked her up in her arms and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I haven't seen you in so long. you're getting so big now."
Barret leaned over Clouds shoulder. "Women." He said under his breath.
Cloud just rolled his eyes in response, but not before Tifa could send a nasty glance back at Barret. Barret cleared his throat in obvious discomfort and spoke. "Uh, anyway, now that we're all here -" A bright blue flash illuminated the room for a brief moment before disappearing again. "- the hell was that?" Barret stopped talking, looking around the room.
"A storm maybe?" Priscilla suggested, returning to her feet from Tifa's embrace.
Cloud moved to the window and peered out at the setting sun. "No storm; not a single cloud in sight." There was another brilliant blue flash followed by a loud crash just off in the distance. "There's something on the electrical tower." A following, louder crash made Priscilla jump. Cloud's voice tightened. "Something big." Cloud spun around from the window and stared at Tifa and Barret. "We got work to do."
It felt surprisingly comfortable slipping into that old rhythm again. Tifa tightened her gloves while Barret lifted his left, gunned arm in front of him. A reminiscing smile etched into his hard face, and the excitement in the words "Showtime" brought everyone back to their monster battling days.
They all started out the door before Cloud suddenly stopped and turned around. "Priscilla, do you have any Materia?!"
She put her hands on her hips again. "I gave you my only Materia, remember?"
"Oh yeah... Shiva." Cloud replied with a calm clarity.
"And remember how you gave all our other Materia to that greedy, power- hungry little brat last year, instead of keepin' it for ourselves?" Barret voiced to Cloud with a heavy tone. "Yeah, I know." He paused a second. "Why'd I know that'd come back to haunt me."
"Well, the fact that she's-" Another blue flash ignited and caused the lights in the house to flicker.
"No time; let's move!" Cloud announced as he raced out the door and down the stairs to the street below, where a bunch of on-lookers had come from their houses to see what all the commotion was about. By the time they got to the beach, the monster was in plain view. A huge light blue mass slowly scaling the electrical tower feeding Cannon City, above. The tower sat just off the shore, in waist deep water; the coming tide bringing awkward waves into the equation. "Priscilla, head back to the house, now." Cloud spoke with a very serious, stern voice. He turned back to face Tifa and Barret. "The waves are too big for use to fight out there and it's two high up there to attack it. We somehow got to get it to come to us."
Tifa, poised for battle, looked up at the spherical blob standing stationary on the tower. "How are we gonna do that?"
"Man, I am tired of always been the one with the brains." Barret lifted his Gun-Arm to the sky and the whirling sound of the barrels were only a precursor to sound of hailing bullets.
He struck the monster all along it's back, causing itself to turn about and face the three, anger burning brightly in it's tiny yellow eyes. They waited a moment more before Barret sent a second wave of bullets up toward it, adding fuel to fire. From hundreds of feet up on the tower girders, it dropped to the water below with surprising fury. Within seconds, it was advancing to the beach, blind rage in it's eyes. The three braced for the coming battle, letting it throw the first punch. Cloud took point, just as he always had.
One reason Cloud was such a great soldier was because of an ability few possessed. Within fractions of a second, he could take in his enemy, his surrounding environment, and decide on the best direction of attack. This skilled had saved his life on far more than one account, this skill he didn't even know he had.
Cloud's grip tightened around the handle of his sword; his feet buried in the sand solidly. He could see the oncoming monster clearly now. It's rubber-like skin glistened in the remaining light and rippling as it moved, giving the impression of billowing blubber. It's body itself was massive, with four tentacles on either side. The first and last tentacles on each side, were larger, and were being used to propel the demon toward them with such amazing speed. It's face was set very low on it's front half, almost at the ground. Two tiny yellow eyes above a glistening set of teeth, hungry gaping out at them.
It got to the waters edge and stopped. Without any warning, it sat itself up on its hide quarters and launched its four front tentacles toward Barret. The battle was on.
Barret leaped back and fired another few rounds toward the creatures face as its tentacles lethally whipped about the beach. Tifa and Cloud dove under the whipping onslaught and headed for the monsters belly. Cloud could feel himself enter that state again. The place he once called home beckoned him nearer and nearer. At one time, it was all he thought about; and at a time like this, he knew he truly missed it.
Tifa struck first; a high kick to the stomach, only to have herself almost bounce back. It's thick fatty body was highly durable to their blows. Cloud slid in second to slice at it's belly with the luminous Ultimate Weapon blade. The Blue Creature reacted violently and redirected it's attack toward the two. Tifa sprinted out of harms way and left the tentacles seeking Cloud. He narrowly avoided the attack and stepped to it's side, ankles splashing in the cold water.
A split second reanalyzing of the situation. The Blue Creature was highly armored and their current blows weren't doing enough damage to mortally wound the beast. Tifa was closest to him, on the creatures right side; Barret on the left. Two tentacles after both of them, and they were holding out well. They had to-Priscilla! She had come down onto the grass at the beaches edge and was looking directly at him. She pointed up to the tower and then to the beast. Adrenaline coursed through his body as he followed the monster's movements one step before it. As Tifa and Barret both dodged wide, swiping attacks, the tentacles would meet in the middle, in full range of Priscilla.
It was a desperate mad dash through the water and beach sand to reach Priscilla before the monsters wrath descended upon her. He could here the masses of muscled flesh flying through air, coming every closer to the young girl and himself. Barret and Tifa looked on in horror as they spotted the scene about to unfold.
"Cloud! You should-" Priscilla started, only to be interrupted.
"Get Down!" Cloud screamed hoarsely as he lunged toward her and knocked her to the ground. The attacking arms of the Blue Creature swung heavily above them, as Cloud cradled Priscilla underneath him. Priscilla was crying as Cloud moved up off her. She raised her hand to his face and stuck something small and hard in his mouth, it had an odd metallic taste to it. Mr. Dolphin's whistle. He was about to pull it out when he Tifa scream, trying to grab the monsters attention; Barret gearing up for a heavy attack.
The monster seen their plan of attack and drew both tentacles up into the air. Within a flash, it sent them both came crashing down toward Tifa and Barret. It all seemed like slow motion to Cloud who stood between them. He pulled the whistle from his teeth and placed it in his pocket then raced down the middle to the enemy's exposed abdomen. The undeniable surge of adrenaline coursed through his veins once more. The strength of ten men now fed his muscles as his hot body flew headlong at the beast. His lungs gasped for more and more oxygen to keep up with his actions as he held his blade outward and thrust it into his enemy's flesh.
Climhazzard. The monsters hissed roar sounded in the air like horrific feedback as Cloud released the handle of his sword and dropped to one knee. His body was hot, his breathing hard; he didn't even noticed his aching muscles. His hands raised back to the waiting swords handle and shot directly up to the sky. The creature wailed again, this time retreating it's attacking tentacles to defend itself. Cloud landed several feet away, on the beach, and stood facing the Blue Creature; Tifa and Barret coming to his side.
"It didn't get it good enough" Cloud spoke; his voice almost cutting out. "It's skin's too thick."
Barret was huffing as he brought the steaming barrels of his Gun-Arm up to face the monster. "Tough little bastard!"
"Little?!" Tifa replied. She grabbed Cloud's shoulder and pointed to the water. "It's retreating."
"It's not going anywhere." Cloud concurred, watching the beast defend itself, just out of their reach.
"How we gonna this thing?" Barret asked, his sights still on the brooding monster.
Cloud ran his hand across his brow, wiping away the dripping sweat. He suddenly looked back over his shoulder to where Priscilla was standing. She wasn't there, he followed the path up the hill to see her safely in arms with some of the town folk. That's when he remembered; he grabbed the whistle from his pocket and put it in Tifa's hand. "This time, you're going up there."
"What?" She looked down at the whistle, puzzled.
"It's Mr. Dolphin's whistle; call him and head to the tower. There's dangling electric cords where the creature was climbing, up by that little platform. You can throw them down onto it and electrocute it!" He pointed up to the small platform housing a few sparking electrical cords. "Barret and I will keep him busy for you!"
With that said, he pushed Tifa toward the shore and him and Barret dashed at the beast with rekindled vigor. Tifa ran to the waters edge and blew the whistle. Nothing happened. She could hear Barret and Cloud making gestures to the creature and encouraging it to attack them, she couldn't help but look and feel pressured. She blew the whistle again and almost instantly the energetic Mr. Dolphin came racing up to greet her, in all of his Mr. Dolphin cuteness. She found it ironic how out of place he was in the scene.
She latched onto his dorsal fin and he sped her out to the deeper water. Before she even knew what was happening Mr. Dolphin had jumped into the air almost catapulted Tifa up into the tower. With unbelievable luck, she landed squarely in the middle of the platform, barely dodging the jumping electrical wiring.
She gripped the railing tightly, her body shivering every time she looked to the ground below. In the distance she could see Cloud and Barret still duking it out with the injured Blue Creature. It slashed at Barret, who narrowly got out of the way, and separated the sand with the force of its arm's impact. Cloud took the opportunity to swing his sword high over his head and send it crashing down onto the tentacle, cleaving a few feet off of it.
The monsters scream was still echoing when Tifa carefully picked up one of the live electric cables and took aim at the beast below. She took a deep breath and let the cable swing. It came down heavily on the creatures back and charred it's skin black. Not to Tifa's surprise, the creature didn't like it. As the smell of it's burning flesh rose up to her, she began grabbing at the second cable. The first shock she gave him really struck a cord; another may be enough to immobilize him. As she looked over the railing to take aim with the second set of wires, a blue blurred slammed itself into the towers base, sending a vicious shockwave through it. The tower teetered back just enough for her to loose her balance and fall backwards. As if her problems weren't enough, the platform let go and sent her and the other sparking cables further down the tower. In the nick of time, Tifa was able to grab hold of the girder below them.
"Hang on Tifa." Barret said to himself. He and Cloud now stood helplessly by, on the beach, to watch as Tifa battle the creature.
The live cables now dangled only a few feet from waters surface. The monster was right below her; no doubt waiting for her to fall, but at the same time, still wary of the electric wires around it. Tifa pulled herself up onto the girder and stood there looking down at the demon below. Her gaze came up and saw the last of sun dipping into the ocean, casting deep shadows along the landscape. She could hear Cloud and Barret wading out into the water, attempting to aid her, although she couldn't see how. With cables on either side of the creature, freely hanging about, she seen but one path of action.
Her boots clanged on the metal of the girder as she ran toward the right cable. Without warning, and much to Cloud's disbelieve; Tifa leapt from the girder to the hanging wire and swung out over the ocean on it. As she swung back, she loosened her grip enough to fall down toward it's deadly end. When the swing came back she landed easily on the monsters back and drove the cable into its side. Another deafening scream echoed in the night as the demon writhed uncontrollably. In it's throws of pain, one of its other tentacles caught the cable dangling on it's left side. Being electrocuted by both cables was enough to finish the job. In an bright flash from something up top the tower, the electricity stopped flowing and the creature fell heavily into water.
"Are you alright, Tifa?" Barret asked, dumbfounded by Tifa's amazing heroics.
"Yeah... I'm good. A little shaken." She returned, as they all waded out of the water to the towns people on the beach.
Cloud remained quiet while they climbed out of the water and back onto dry land. Once on the sandy beach, they all collapsed in exhaustion. The people behind them started applauding them as others wrapped them in blankets. Tifa looked back to the lifeless creature that had once attacked them so violently. "Let's just hope that isn't a trend. I've had enough monster for one lifetime." She laughed and slowly stammered to her feet; Cloud and Barret doing the same.
"Yeah... they usually don't get hard until the end of our journey." Barret laughed.
Priscilla came to walk beside them. "All the power went out when that big spark came above the monster, so there's not lights anymore."
"That's okay, sweetie. Mind if we spend the night at your place?"
"Of course, you saved our town from the bad monster!" She smiled and ran ahead of them to the house.
By the time Cloud, Barret and Tifa had settled down in Priscilla's living room, it was getting late. Barret was taking advantage of the appreciation food most of the townsfolk had gave them for fending off the beast, when conversation broke out.
"Man, that thing was tough. but it felt so good again to be battlin' the worst of 'em." Barret announced as he bit into a large set of ribs somebody had cooked them up. "I haven't felt that young in ages."
"Funny, I haven't felt this old." Cloud said quietly, rubbing his arms. "I'm physically stronger than I've every been in my life, but one battle and my arms... my legs, my chest; they're all on fire."
"Remember what I said back in Kalm?" Tifa spoke from a chair by the fire, "that's what I meant by 'burning yourself out'. Sure, you're stronger from working so hard on the Neo-Midgar Project, but you're body hasn't had a single minutes rest. It can't use that new found strength."
"The lady's right, Cloud." Barret took another big bite of the ribs. "you need rest. You look the same as the day I meant you. I mean that in a bad way. I hated your spiky headed ass. But in just a short time after that, I was following you into North Crater to battle a lunatic bent on destroyin' the planet." Cloud looked at Barret and then to Tifa, who was nodding her head in agreement with him. "You gotta learn to relax."
"Maybe you guys are right..." Cloud sighed to himself and looked down at his body, sore from the battle.
"So, we're all here now. Where we heading next?" Barret asked, mouth full of food.
"It figures my little trip would turn into some kind of cavalcade." Cloud sighed again. He knew now that Barret would want to tag along with Tifa and himself, but he honestly had no clue where he was going.
"You know, now that we've all finally got ourselves out of Kalm, I think this would be a great opportunity to visit all our friends again.... it's been a long time." Tifa spoke up from beside the fireplace. Priscilla had fallen asleep against her leg. She bent down and picked her up, carrying her into her room.
"Well.... if we're gonna play it that way, I guess Cosmo Canyon is our new destination."
"We can take the ferry to Costa de Sol tomorrow morning." Barret nodded.
"We can buggy right from there to Cosmo Canyon and be there in a night or two." Tifa said with a smile, returning from tucking in Priscilla.
Cloud looked at the flickering fire burning. A few seconds passed before he got up and moved to the opened window by the door. "Actually..... I was hoping to spend some time in that Villa I bought. Never did get much use out of it." He stared off.
Tifa smiled. "Alright.... we'll rest up at Costa de Sol for a while, then header to Cosmo Canyon." She left for the bedroom, glad Cloud was finally taking some of her advice.
Barret got up and looked out to sea with Cloud. "Sure is black out there without the electricity on. No lights or nothin'."
"No.... just calmness." Cloud replied distantly.
"Well, there ain't nothin' but blackness that I can see, so what're you starin' at?"
"I'm not sure." Cloud paused. "I thought... I thought, just for a second, I heard her voice."
Barret sighed heavily and looked out the window with Cloud. After a minute or so he set his Gun-Arm on Clouds shoulder and shoved a plate into his hands. "Eat somethin', you're gettin' skinny."
The next morning Cloud, Tifa and Barret all awoke, sore among things, to find the electricity back. Priscilla remained in bed and they all agreed not to wake her. Instead, they left her a thank-you note and a few gold pieces for her hospitality. They filed out the door while the sun was still reaching up into the sky. The cold sea breeze struck them hard, awakening whatever part of them that had remained asleep. Barret headed down the stairs first, followed by a shivering Tifa. Cloud took one last look out over the seascape. A fire red sun slowly making its way into the heavenly blue above. Gulls squawking at one another off in the distance somewhere. The bustling sounds of the city echoed on above them. Everything was in its place. Everything but.... Cloud couldn't quite put his finger on it. There was something wrong; something amiss. He looked down to the beach, at the small waves coming in and crashing into the sands.
"Cloud, get a move on it. You can stare at the water all you want on the boat." Tifa preached from the road below him.
He took one last look out at the ocean, the battled tower and the disturbed sands of the beach. His eyes widened. "It's gone. The Blue Creatures body isn't there anymore." He announced as he traveled down the stairs.
Barret and Tifa looked to the beach where the formidable monster's body laid the previous night. Barret brought his hand up to block the suns glistening reflection off the water. "It probably got washed out to sea by the tide."
"Yeah; happens to anything on the beach near the water." Tifa assured Cloud.
He finished descending the stairs and walked to there sides. "That monster was huge.... it must have weighed a ton."
"Are you questioning Mother Nature, Cloud? After seeing lifestream take on the comet, I'm not surprised by anything she can do now. Strong as an ox and does what she wants!" Tifa jested, beginning her walk to the Junon Elevator.
Cloud and Barret stood, still looking at the incoming waves. "Women." Barret said with a sneer. Tifa's fist slammed into Barret's arm a second time since the previous night. "Oww... I didn't mean you!"
He followed Tifa to the elevator, griping about his arm, leaving Cloud behind him. It still seemed weird to Cloud, but he let it pass, and ran to catch up with his comrades.
Not long after that, they were aboard the first ferry to Costa de Sol; the home of Cloud's expensive villa, and to his soon-to-be rest. In the wake of yesterdays events, Cloud was definitely realizing he was in need of some R&R. Although it wasn't something he liked to do, and was obscenely out of character, the effects of going without it were approaching dangerous levels. What if he had worked on the Neo-Midgar project another month or two before setting out on this small quest? Would he have been able to perform his duty as a soldier and battle that beast, or would his body have failed and collapsed under him? The thought scared Cloud. It was a fear that was with him now more then ever in his life. To be needed to protect someone and not be able to do a thing.
"Cheer up, Cloud. We'll be soakin' up the rays soon enough; it's only a seven hour boat ride... Hell, you got plenty of time to be gloomy before you gotta cheer up." Barret slapped Cloud on the back and walked off chuckling to himself.
Cloud looked back to the water. Reflecting on something, but unable to focus on what. He dismissed it with a grin and headed off to find Barret and Tifa. Rest and relaxation were upon the horizon.