Disclaimer: I don't own FF7. Nor do I own Seph, or Aeris, or Zack, or
anything else even remotely cool. Ah, well.
Author's Note: You all hate me, don't you? You want to stone me. You think of me as some horrible, evil person who writes up to a certain point in a story and then abandons it, don't you? Well, what can I say? I AM a horrible, evil person who writes up to a certain point in a story and then abandons it. Can't deny it. Four months in the works, here's a chapter. Don't get overexcited, now. There's no Aeris or Seph in this one. Here's the long-awaited Chapter 22. Don't kill me, I won't leave you hanging for that long again!! Gomen-nesai!!!!!!!!!!!
Chapter 22:
I Promise
"Where are you going?"
Cloud glanced back at his mother, and grinned. He was short for his age, stumpy even, with unkempt hair and big blue eyes. His feet were bigger than they should have been, which might explain why Cloud was so clumsy. There was something different about him that all the neighborhood children had noticed, and they had teased him mercilessly.
"I'm meeting Tifa by the well," he replied. Without another word, he turned around and ran out the door.
His mother sighed. He was always going off on his own, or meeting with that girl. Not that there was anything wrong with Tifa, but the fact remained that a young boy should be playing with other boys. It wasn't normal for him to only play with her. If only he would make more friends, she wouldn't worry about him so much. If only he didn't always look so lonely.
Well, what could she do? Even after he began school, he still made few friends. She should count it a blessing that this girl wanted to play with him, otherwise he might have been all alone. And then what could she do for him?
~*~*~*~*~*~
Cloud ran through the streets that he had come to know so well. The distant lights of his home faded away as he got closer and closer to his destination. It was so quiet at night. He had always wondered about that. Birds would sing during the day, and people would be walking around, laughing, talking. But never at night. No, never at night.
Why was that? Was there something so very wrong about walking around after dark? Nibelheim was safe, he was certain. There were no crimes, and no one ever got in trouble. Unless he counted that one time two months ago when Frederick got caught stealing candy from the store. Besides that, everyone obeyed the law and was friendly. He knew that some towns were not safe at night. He knew that when some towns got dark, mean people came out and did bad things. But that was only a vague thought. Who were these mean people? What bad things did they do? Were they like Frederick? He didn't know. But, why would anyone be so afraid of Frederick that they wouldn't come out at night?
The nighttime was so peaceful. So still. And once he got far enough away from the lights of the houses, if he looked up, he could see the stars. And they were so pretty, shining up there so far away from him. Did everything that was far away from him shine like that? He would never know. The stars would always be just out of reach.
But being in SOLDIER. now, that was in his reach. Sure, maybe he hadn't always dreamed of being in SOLDEIR, but now he was sure that was what he wanted to do. After all, being in SOLDIER meant that he would be strong. He would be able to fight. No one would ever pick on him again.
Cloud finally made it to the well. He jumped on top of it and sat down. His legs barely made it over the side, so he ended up swinging his feet back and forth, back and forth. How long would it take Tifa to get there? He had asked her to come, but maybe she wouldn't? No, she would come. Tifa was his friend. Of course she would come.
"Sorry I'm late."
He glanced up and saw her. She was wearing the same outfit she had been in school that day, a greenish-blue short dress. She looked kind of nervous, and he wondered what for. She walked over to the base of the well and sat down.
"You said you wanted to talk to me about something?" she asked.
God, was she nervous. Why had he called her out here this late at night? It must be something pretty important, otherwise he would have waited until tomorrow. Maybe he wanted to. she blushed. She mentally kicked herself. It was getting harder and harder to convince herself that she didn't really like him. That maybe the only reason she thought she had a crush on him was because she was the only girl he talked to. Then again, she was the only person he talked to, period. But Cloud had always been sort of slow in figuring out that she liked him. Once, she had even tried to tell him, but he had acted all weird and she couldn't bring herself to do it. Was he finally getting the courage to tell her he liked her? Or maybe he was just pretending he was going to tell her he liked her, just to-
"Come this spring.. I'm leaving this town for Midgar."
Huh? What? He was leaving? But-but he was supposed to say.. She fell silent.
"........All boys are leaving our town," Tifa replied, quietly. Ugh, she felt so stupid.
Cloud shook his head and said, "But I'm different from all of them. I'm not just going to find a job." He stood up suddenly and said, proudly, "I want to join SOLDIER. I'm going to be the best there is, just like Sephiroth."
"Sephiroth.... The Great Sephiroth." Tifa couldn't believe her ears. What was he saying? He wanted to leave her to go and become a SOLDIER? But, that wasn't what she had planned.
Cloud climbed to the top of the well and looked up. The stars were still shining brightly. He was going to do it. He was going to become the best SOLDIER that ever lived. Even Sephiroth would look up to him.
"Isn't it hard to join SOLDIER?"
Cloud thought about it. Yeah, it was going to be tough. But, that's why he had wanted to tell her. "...I probably won't be able to come back to this town for a while." Tifa made a weird motion, which he didn't understand at all. "...huh?"
"Will you be in the newspapers if you do well?" Tifa asked. She wasn't really sure what to say to him now.
"I'll try."
A sudden thought struck her, and Tifa found herself saying, "Hey, why don't we make a promise?" When he didn't respond, she figured she might as well plunge ahead. "Umm, if you get really famous and I'm ever in a bind....." Still no response. She quickly thought of something she'd always wanted him to do. "You come save me, all right?"
"What?" Cloud asked.
Tifa thought about the promise more, and decided it was probably the best thing she had ever come up with. "Whenever I'm in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me. I want to at least experience that once."
Cloud blinked. "What?"
Tifa sighed in frustration. He was so stupid sometimes. Why were all boys stupid? Would they ever grow out of it? "Come on--! Promise me----!"
He had to. He just had to. Otherwise, when would she ever see him again? If he was going to leave suddenly, there was no guarantee he'd ever return. And she didn't think she could handle that. He had to return. He had to come back, even if it was only for a short while.
"All right.... I promise," he said. Would he be able to keep that promise, he wondered? He would have to become famous, and she would have to be in some sort of trouble. A lot more trouble than Frederick would cause. He hoped she was never in that sort of trouble. He didn't really know what he'd do. He'd come save her, that's what. He had promised, after all. Now he was stuck. Maybe he shouldn't have promised? No, she looked happy. If it made her happy, it was all right with him.
Tifa looked up to say something to Cloud, but a shooting star caught her eye. She gazed up at it and made a wish. The only thing she could think of was the most important thing she could of, too. For Cloud to one day keep his promise to her. It was the most important thing. It was the one of the few things that mattered.
And, for a long time afterwards, it would be the only thing that mattered.
Author's Note: You all hate me, don't you? You want to stone me. You think of me as some horrible, evil person who writes up to a certain point in a story and then abandons it, don't you? Well, what can I say? I AM a horrible, evil person who writes up to a certain point in a story and then abandons it. Can't deny it. Four months in the works, here's a chapter. Don't get overexcited, now. There's no Aeris or Seph in this one. Here's the long-awaited Chapter 22. Don't kill me, I won't leave you hanging for that long again!! Gomen-nesai!!!!!!!!!!!
Chapter 22:
I Promise
"Where are you going?"
Cloud glanced back at his mother, and grinned. He was short for his age, stumpy even, with unkempt hair and big blue eyes. His feet were bigger than they should have been, which might explain why Cloud was so clumsy. There was something different about him that all the neighborhood children had noticed, and they had teased him mercilessly.
"I'm meeting Tifa by the well," he replied. Without another word, he turned around and ran out the door.
His mother sighed. He was always going off on his own, or meeting with that girl. Not that there was anything wrong with Tifa, but the fact remained that a young boy should be playing with other boys. It wasn't normal for him to only play with her. If only he would make more friends, she wouldn't worry about him so much. If only he didn't always look so lonely.
Well, what could she do? Even after he began school, he still made few friends. She should count it a blessing that this girl wanted to play with him, otherwise he might have been all alone. And then what could she do for him?
~*~*~*~*~*~
Cloud ran through the streets that he had come to know so well. The distant lights of his home faded away as he got closer and closer to his destination. It was so quiet at night. He had always wondered about that. Birds would sing during the day, and people would be walking around, laughing, talking. But never at night. No, never at night.
Why was that? Was there something so very wrong about walking around after dark? Nibelheim was safe, he was certain. There were no crimes, and no one ever got in trouble. Unless he counted that one time two months ago when Frederick got caught stealing candy from the store. Besides that, everyone obeyed the law and was friendly. He knew that some towns were not safe at night. He knew that when some towns got dark, mean people came out and did bad things. But that was only a vague thought. Who were these mean people? What bad things did they do? Were they like Frederick? He didn't know. But, why would anyone be so afraid of Frederick that they wouldn't come out at night?
The nighttime was so peaceful. So still. And once he got far enough away from the lights of the houses, if he looked up, he could see the stars. And they were so pretty, shining up there so far away from him. Did everything that was far away from him shine like that? He would never know. The stars would always be just out of reach.
But being in SOLDIER. now, that was in his reach. Sure, maybe he hadn't always dreamed of being in SOLDEIR, but now he was sure that was what he wanted to do. After all, being in SOLDIER meant that he would be strong. He would be able to fight. No one would ever pick on him again.
Cloud finally made it to the well. He jumped on top of it and sat down. His legs barely made it over the side, so he ended up swinging his feet back and forth, back and forth. How long would it take Tifa to get there? He had asked her to come, but maybe she wouldn't? No, she would come. Tifa was his friend. Of course she would come.
"Sorry I'm late."
He glanced up and saw her. She was wearing the same outfit she had been in school that day, a greenish-blue short dress. She looked kind of nervous, and he wondered what for. She walked over to the base of the well and sat down.
"You said you wanted to talk to me about something?" she asked.
God, was she nervous. Why had he called her out here this late at night? It must be something pretty important, otherwise he would have waited until tomorrow. Maybe he wanted to. she blushed. She mentally kicked herself. It was getting harder and harder to convince herself that she didn't really like him. That maybe the only reason she thought she had a crush on him was because she was the only girl he talked to. Then again, she was the only person he talked to, period. But Cloud had always been sort of slow in figuring out that she liked him. Once, she had even tried to tell him, but he had acted all weird and she couldn't bring herself to do it. Was he finally getting the courage to tell her he liked her? Or maybe he was just pretending he was going to tell her he liked her, just to-
"Come this spring.. I'm leaving this town for Midgar."
Huh? What? He was leaving? But-but he was supposed to say.. She fell silent.
"........All boys are leaving our town," Tifa replied, quietly. Ugh, she felt so stupid.
Cloud shook his head and said, "But I'm different from all of them. I'm not just going to find a job." He stood up suddenly and said, proudly, "I want to join SOLDIER. I'm going to be the best there is, just like Sephiroth."
"Sephiroth.... The Great Sephiroth." Tifa couldn't believe her ears. What was he saying? He wanted to leave her to go and become a SOLDIER? But, that wasn't what she had planned.
Cloud climbed to the top of the well and looked up. The stars were still shining brightly. He was going to do it. He was going to become the best SOLDIER that ever lived. Even Sephiroth would look up to him.
"Isn't it hard to join SOLDIER?"
Cloud thought about it. Yeah, it was going to be tough. But, that's why he had wanted to tell her. "...I probably won't be able to come back to this town for a while." Tifa made a weird motion, which he didn't understand at all. "...huh?"
"Will you be in the newspapers if you do well?" Tifa asked. She wasn't really sure what to say to him now.
"I'll try."
A sudden thought struck her, and Tifa found herself saying, "Hey, why don't we make a promise?" When he didn't respond, she figured she might as well plunge ahead. "Umm, if you get really famous and I'm ever in a bind....." Still no response. She quickly thought of something she'd always wanted him to do. "You come save me, all right?"
"What?" Cloud asked.
Tifa thought about the promise more, and decided it was probably the best thing she had ever come up with. "Whenever I'm in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me. I want to at least experience that once."
Cloud blinked. "What?"
Tifa sighed in frustration. He was so stupid sometimes. Why were all boys stupid? Would they ever grow out of it? "Come on--! Promise me----!"
He had to. He just had to. Otherwise, when would she ever see him again? If he was going to leave suddenly, there was no guarantee he'd ever return. And she didn't think she could handle that. He had to return. He had to come back, even if it was only for a short while.
"All right.... I promise," he said. Would he be able to keep that promise, he wondered? He would have to become famous, and she would have to be in some sort of trouble. A lot more trouble than Frederick would cause. He hoped she was never in that sort of trouble. He didn't really know what he'd do. He'd come save her, that's what. He had promised, after all. Now he was stuck. Maybe he shouldn't have promised? No, she looked happy. If it made her happy, it was all right with him.
Tifa looked up to say something to Cloud, but a shooting star caught her eye. She gazed up at it and made a wish. The only thing she could think of was the most important thing she could of, too. For Cloud to one day keep his promise to her. It was the most important thing. It was the one of the few things that mattered.
And, for a long time afterwards, it would be the only thing that mattered.