Foreword- Ok. Here comes the confusing part. When people say Squall, just
picture them saying Cloud. Hope This Helps! On With the Fic!
Cloud and Rinoa entered the elevator. Rinoa pushed a button and the elevator rose. Cloud was caught off balance as the elevator jerked to a stop several seconds later. Cloud got up, feeling a little embarrassed. The doors opened without warning and Xu, one of Squall's close friends, walked in the elevator.
"Why, hello Squall. What brings you to the third floor?" asked Xu politely. Cloud didn't know her name. He was worried. He gave Rinoa an urgent glance. Rinoa got the message.
"Oh! Hello Xu! Well Squall and I were just coming up here to see Headmaster Cid about something important." responded Rinoa, a little too calmly. Xu looked suspiciously at Rinoa.
"What's so important?" wondered Xu, smiling politely. Rinoa didn't have any idea what to say.
"Well I was just going to ask about my teaching schedule. I was going to ask if I could possibly teach my Gunblade Mechanics class at a different time." explained Cloud. Rinoa looked at him in relief.
Xu seemed to accept this answer and only nodded a little then said goodbye and went down the elevator.
"Nice save Squa.. Cloud." said Rinoa winking at him playfully.
"It's alright. My real name may be Cloud, but on this planet I am Squall. You may call me Squall...if you find it to be more natural to you. Whatever you decide to call me, Squall or Cloud is up to you. I will make sure to respond to both." explained Cloud in a serious tone. Rinoa nodded.
"It would be better if I called you Cloud. Not to be rude, but just because you are in Squall's body does not give you the right to take his name and use it for your own. The Headmaster and the unit of SeeD's he decides to send along with us will have to know that you are not Squall, but that you are Cloud. They may not believe you but you must tell them the truth." Rinoa told Cloud with a stern look in her eye. Cloud nodded at the seriousness of the comment but realized that she was right.
The door to Headmaster Cid's office opened. Rinoa grasped Cloud's hand and they walked in together. There was a huge chair facing out a window hiding the headmaster from view.
"Oh! Cid! I am so glad that you are alive! After what Yuffie told me about what happened to the Highwind I was sure you were dead. But now you can help me again on my journey!" Cloud blurted out without thinking. Rinoa glared at him.
The chair swiveled to reveal a mildly aged man in his 50's. Cloud looked at him suspiciously. Headmaster Cid just laughed.
"I don't have any idea what you are talking about Squall...but I have time if you would like to inform me about the accident you just mentioned that I was involved in." said the Headmaster with a twinkle in his eye. Rinoa sighed. The Headmaster's office doors closed behind Rinoa and Cloud with a sudden thud.
"Now what were you saying about this so-called accident?" wondered Headmaster Cid.
"This may seem kind of farfetched to you Headmaster," started Cloud, "But I am not Squall."
"Oh, is that so. Well then who are you? And why are an exact replica of Squall," Headmaster Cid said jokingly.
"Headmaster! This is not a laughing matter!" said Rinoa very harshly. The smile on Headmaster Cid's face vanished. He was now looking alarmed.
"Continue please," invited Headmaster Cid as he rested his hands on his desk.
"I am not Squall. I am Cloud, Cloud Strife. I am from the planet Archemus. I have been chosen by the Oracles of each of the four planets in this small solar system. I must go to each planet and retrieve the Oracle's Stone on each of them. After I retrieve the stone the four Oracles will fuse all four of our planets into one planet. This will give them an edge in the fight against the darkness that encompasses each of the planets. Someone named Seifer has already begun searching for the stone on this planet. I must find the stone before he does. If I don't the universe will be over come by darkness and all life...or at least all life how we see it will cease. Joy, Happiness, Love, and all of the other emotions will die out. We will all live with evil in our hearts. I cannot let this happen. But...I cannot do it on my own. I will need help." Cloud explained. Headmaster Cid just sat there for a second, apparently letting it all sink in. Rinoa blushed. Cloud felt kinda woozy.
"Very well. I will give you three SeeD's, counting her." Headmaster Cid told Cloud, "Although it may not seem like a lot they are the elite fighting unit of this Garden. You won't need that many."
"Who would you recommend accompany you Rinoa?" Headmaster Cid asked her. Rinoa looked startled.
"I have to choose?" Cid nodded. "Ok, I choose Irvine.........and...err... Selphie."
"Very well," Cid leaned over his desk and pushed a little blue button. There was a small beeping noise before Headmaster Cid's voice boomed over the entire Garden.
"Would Selphie Tilmitt and Irvine Kinneas please report to my office immediately? Thank You," said Headmaster Cid into a small microphone. He pushed the blue button again and the beeping noise came on again, thus signaling the end of the recruitment.
"I hope these people are seasoned fighters," said Cloud to Rinoa.
"Well, Irvine uses a gun. And Selphie is a master with nunchaku, which are very deadly. They will be of great help to us." Rinoa told Cloud, who had a skeptical look on his face.
"What? They are good! I wouldn't choose losers. Not when the fate of the universe rests on our shoulders." said Rinoa. She smiled a little.
The door behind Cloud opened revealing a man in a tan trench coat with a gun resting on his shoulder and a skinny girl wearing a yellow skirt with two bladed sticks attached to a holster on her back. Cloud cocked his eyebrow at Rinoa.
"What? They're the best we have! I promise they won't let us down." Rinoa said reassuringly. Cloud was not impressed.
"I guess beggars cannot be choosers." remarked Cloud as he began to fill the new comers in...
~~~ Tifa had reached Sephiroth's remains. She reached down and grabbed Sephiroth's long sword. She pointed it to the sky and began to chant. The chunks of flesh that used to be Sephiroth started to glow.
After several minutes of chanting a ghostly image of Sephiroth appeared over the pile of blood and guts. He smiled at Tifa and nodded. She had done her job.
Tifa opened her mouth as wide as possible. Sephiroth's spirit lunged down Tifa's throat and she began to glow.
The glowing stopped revealing a brand new Tifa. She had flowing silvery hair. Her old clothes were replaced with the black robes once adorned by Sephiroth. Her eyes, once caring and lovable, were now dark and emotionless. She smiled and evil smile.
"Sephiroth is back in business," said Sephiroth, in a voice that was half his and half Tifa's. He swung his sword around and saw that his new body worked just fine, for being brand new.
"Now to deal with that meddling ninja girl and her friends," said Sephiroth as he began to walk towards the horizon.
~~~ "You're kidding right!? How is this possible?" wondered Selphie as she started pacing back and forth. Irvine was leaning against the wall, wearing his hat so that it covered his eyes.
"It just is Selphie," explained Cloud, "The Oracles can do extraordinary things. They could destroy the universe without even lifting a finger."
"Well then why can't they destroy the darkness?" wondered Irvine, "They seem to be capable of almost anything."
"Darkness would still live on even if they destroyed the Universe. It is just too strong, the Oracles can't handle it. This is why they need the stones. So they can fuse the four planets and all of the great fighters on each planet can help in the battle to stop the darkness." said Cloud.
"Well, if the Oracles can't destroy the darkness then how are we supposed to be able to? And why can't they retrieve the Stones themselves?" wondered Selphie.
"I don't know. I guess the Oracles aren't allowed to interfere with our lives substantially. That is what Archemidius told me. If they have someone do what they aren't allowed to do, then I guess they are allowed to interfere then, just as long as they didn't do most of the work for the person. My finding the Stones for them would allow them to interfere enough to fuse the planets. And anyway, if the Oracles destroyed the darkness that would be a great interference, wouldn't it? So they need us to do most of the fighting for them before they are allowed to interfere and fight with us." explained Cloud, drawing from the deepest pool of his intelligence.
"That would make sense," responded Cid, who was awestruck by the ingenious thought behind what Cloud had just said. "It's decided then. Rinoa, Irvine, Selphie. You all will help Cloud on his quest. You must help him in his fight to eliminate the darkness in our hearts. This is an order."
Rinoa, Irvine, and Selphie nodded.
"Thank you Headmaster," said Cloud.
"You three go to the garage. You may take any car you choose. I will escort Cloud there after I very brief talk with him." Cid said gesturing toward Irvine, Selphie, and Rinoa. All three nodded, and then walked out of the office, closing the door behind them.
"Cloud, do you hear small voices inside your head?" asked Cid. Cloud wondered if he was talking about schizophrenia. He shook his head no.
"Are you sure? Search deep into the subconscious of Squall's mind."
Cloud closed his eyes and concentrated with all of his might on entering Squall's mind. He broke through the barrier that separated Cloud from Squall and was bombarded with Squall's sad and twisted past.
Cloud saw visions of all sorts of monsters. He saw the war against the Galbadian army. He saw the Ragnarok, which was in Esthar. He saw Zell, Quistis, Selphie, Laguna, Kiros, Ward, Fujin, Raijin, Xu, and...Seifer. Seifer was Squall's forever partner in the dance of ultimate rivalry. Cloud saw the bitter fights these two had. Cloud was worried about meeting and quite possibly, fighting such a ruthless man.
"Release Me! I can help you!" called a voice deep within Squall's subconscious. Cloud's eyes shot opened, the visions disappeared.
"There was a voice. It screamed for me to release it. It sounded like a girl." explained Cloud after a few seconds. Cid nodded.
"That was Shiva. I have kept track on Squall's GF junction history. Shiva is the only person left that Squall could have junctioned to him. Call her." said Cid, who sounded amused.
"How?"
"Search deep inside Squall. You will find the answers you seek."
Cloud once again closed his eyes. He searched Squall's mind for any information on Shiva.
Shiva: Level One GF. She is easy to control. Spirit of Ice. She uses the attack Diamond Dust most frequently. Appears when her attack is mentioned.
All of this information came from a special paper Squall had written at the last minute on GF's. Cloud had found this by searching very deep into Squall's mind. Cloud opened his eyes again. He nodded to Cid.
"Diamond Dust!" Cloud yelled. Two balls of energy surged around Cloud's body and slammed into the ground in front of him, leaving a small circle of ice on the floor. A huge dagger of ice smashed through the small ice barrier on the floor. There was a beautiful woman encased in the ice. Her eyes opened. She spread her arms and her small ice prison shattered.
Shiva stood there looking around suspiciously. Cloud was amazed at the resemblance between his Shiva and Squall's Shiva.
"Where are the enemies you wish me to destroy?" asked Shiva in an airy, icy voice.
"There aren't any. Squall here was testing practicing his GF summoning abilities." explained Cid. Shiva looked at Cloud.
"May I be dismissed now?" asked Shiva. Cid nodded. Shiva waved at Squall then shattered into a million tiny shards of ice. Each of the shards disappeared before they could hit the floor.
"I have a gift for you Cloud. I will give you the GF Tonberry. His attack is called Chef's Knife. He will be a great help to you." explained Cid as he touched his forehead. When Cid removed his fingers there was a small ball of energy resting on them.
Cid beckoned Cloud to come nearer. Cloud stepped forward several steps. Cid pressed his fingers on Squall's forehead, thus giving Cloud the ability to summon Tonberry.
"Thank you headmaster, I appreciate all of your help." said Cloud, "And there is no need for you to escort me to the garage. I know where it is now that I've searched Squall's mind." Cid nodded and sat back down in his desk.
Cloud left the office and went down the elevator. He started to walk towards the garage...
~~~ Yuffie landed in front of Vincent's remains. She wanted to bid him her final respects. She started to cry. As her tears hit the remains of Vincent they started to glow. Yuffie didn't notice this. She was to busy crying.
There was a sudden flash. And just like how it had happened with Sephiroth, Vincent's spirit appeared above his dead remains. Yuffie looked up and screamed. As Yuffie's mouth was at its widest, Vincent's spirit smiled. The spirit of Vincent flew into Yuffie's mouth and she started to glow...
Afterword- I hope this chapter wasn't as boring as I think it might be! Oh, and if you have any suggestions or comments please email me at Finalballz@yahoo.com . I will take your comments seriously so please, don't joke! Anyway, thanks for reading! And as always please Review!
Cloud and Rinoa entered the elevator. Rinoa pushed a button and the elevator rose. Cloud was caught off balance as the elevator jerked to a stop several seconds later. Cloud got up, feeling a little embarrassed. The doors opened without warning and Xu, one of Squall's close friends, walked in the elevator.
"Why, hello Squall. What brings you to the third floor?" asked Xu politely. Cloud didn't know her name. He was worried. He gave Rinoa an urgent glance. Rinoa got the message.
"Oh! Hello Xu! Well Squall and I were just coming up here to see Headmaster Cid about something important." responded Rinoa, a little too calmly. Xu looked suspiciously at Rinoa.
"What's so important?" wondered Xu, smiling politely. Rinoa didn't have any idea what to say.
"Well I was just going to ask about my teaching schedule. I was going to ask if I could possibly teach my Gunblade Mechanics class at a different time." explained Cloud. Rinoa looked at him in relief.
Xu seemed to accept this answer and only nodded a little then said goodbye and went down the elevator.
"Nice save Squa.. Cloud." said Rinoa winking at him playfully.
"It's alright. My real name may be Cloud, but on this planet I am Squall. You may call me Squall...if you find it to be more natural to you. Whatever you decide to call me, Squall or Cloud is up to you. I will make sure to respond to both." explained Cloud in a serious tone. Rinoa nodded.
"It would be better if I called you Cloud. Not to be rude, but just because you are in Squall's body does not give you the right to take his name and use it for your own. The Headmaster and the unit of SeeD's he decides to send along with us will have to know that you are not Squall, but that you are Cloud. They may not believe you but you must tell them the truth." Rinoa told Cloud with a stern look in her eye. Cloud nodded at the seriousness of the comment but realized that she was right.
The door to Headmaster Cid's office opened. Rinoa grasped Cloud's hand and they walked in together. There was a huge chair facing out a window hiding the headmaster from view.
"Oh! Cid! I am so glad that you are alive! After what Yuffie told me about what happened to the Highwind I was sure you were dead. But now you can help me again on my journey!" Cloud blurted out without thinking. Rinoa glared at him.
The chair swiveled to reveal a mildly aged man in his 50's. Cloud looked at him suspiciously. Headmaster Cid just laughed.
"I don't have any idea what you are talking about Squall...but I have time if you would like to inform me about the accident you just mentioned that I was involved in." said the Headmaster with a twinkle in his eye. Rinoa sighed. The Headmaster's office doors closed behind Rinoa and Cloud with a sudden thud.
"Now what were you saying about this so-called accident?" wondered Headmaster Cid.
"This may seem kind of farfetched to you Headmaster," started Cloud, "But I am not Squall."
"Oh, is that so. Well then who are you? And why are an exact replica of Squall," Headmaster Cid said jokingly.
"Headmaster! This is not a laughing matter!" said Rinoa very harshly. The smile on Headmaster Cid's face vanished. He was now looking alarmed.
"Continue please," invited Headmaster Cid as he rested his hands on his desk.
"I am not Squall. I am Cloud, Cloud Strife. I am from the planet Archemus. I have been chosen by the Oracles of each of the four planets in this small solar system. I must go to each planet and retrieve the Oracle's Stone on each of them. After I retrieve the stone the four Oracles will fuse all four of our planets into one planet. This will give them an edge in the fight against the darkness that encompasses each of the planets. Someone named Seifer has already begun searching for the stone on this planet. I must find the stone before he does. If I don't the universe will be over come by darkness and all life...or at least all life how we see it will cease. Joy, Happiness, Love, and all of the other emotions will die out. We will all live with evil in our hearts. I cannot let this happen. But...I cannot do it on my own. I will need help." Cloud explained. Headmaster Cid just sat there for a second, apparently letting it all sink in. Rinoa blushed. Cloud felt kinda woozy.
"Very well. I will give you three SeeD's, counting her." Headmaster Cid told Cloud, "Although it may not seem like a lot they are the elite fighting unit of this Garden. You won't need that many."
"Who would you recommend accompany you Rinoa?" Headmaster Cid asked her. Rinoa looked startled.
"I have to choose?" Cid nodded. "Ok, I choose Irvine.........and...err... Selphie."
"Very well," Cid leaned over his desk and pushed a little blue button. There was a small beeping noise before Headmaster Cid's voice boomed over the entire Garden.
"Would Selphie Tilmitt and Irvine Kinneas please report to my office immediately? Thank You," said Headmaster Cid into a small microphone. He pushed the blue button again and the beeping noise came on again, thus signaling the end of the recruitment.
"I hope these people are seasoned fighters," said Cloud to Rinoa.
"Well, Irvine uses a gun. And Selphie is a master with nunchaku, which are very deadly. They will be of great help to us." Rinoa told Cloud, who had a skeptical look on his face.
"What? They are good! I wouldn't choose losers. Not when the fate of the universe rests on our shoulders." said Rinoa. She smiled a little.
The door behind Cloud opened revealing a man in a tan trench coat with a gun resting on his shoulder and a skinny girl wearing a yellow skirt with two bladed sticks attached to a holster on her back. Cloud cocked his eyebrow at Rinoa.
"What? They're the best we have! I promise they won't let us down." Rinoa said reassuringly. Cloud was not impressed.
"I guess beggars cannot be choosers." remarked Cloud as he began to fill the new comers in...
~~~ Tifa had reached Sephiroth's remains. She reached down and grabbed Sephiroth's long sword. She pointed it to the sky and began to chant. The chunks of flesh that used to be Sephiroth started to glow.
After several minutes of chanting a ghostly image of Sephiroth appeared over the pile of blood and guts. He smiled at Tifa and nodded. She had done her job.
Tifa opened her mouth as wide as possible. Sephiroth's spirit lunged down Tifa's throat and she began to glow.
The glowing stopped revealing a brand new Tifa. She had flowing silvery hair. Her old clothes were replaced with the black robes once adorned by Sephiroth. Her eyes, once caring and lovable, were now dark and emotionless. She smiled and evil smile.
"Sephiroth is back in business," said Sephiroth, in a voice that was half his and half Tifa's. He swung his sword around and saw that his new body worked just fine, for being brand new.
"Now to deal with that meddling ninja girl and her friends," said Sephiroth as he began to walk towards the horizon.
~~~ "You're kidding right!? How is this possible?" wondered Selphie as she started pacing back and forth. Irvine was leaning against the wall, wearing his hat so that it covered his eyes.
"It just is Selphie," explained Cloud, "The Oracles can do extraordinary things. They could destroy the universe without even lifting a finger."
"Well then why can't they destroy the darkness?" wondered Irvine, "They seem to be capable of almost anything."
"Darkness would still live on even if they destroyed the Universe. It is just too strong, the Oracles can't handle it. This is why they need the stones. So they can fuse the four planets and all of the great fighters on each planet can help in the battle to stop the darkness." said Cloud.
"Well, if the Oracles can't destroy the darkness then how are we supposed to be able to? And why can't they retrieve the Stones themselves?" wondered Selphie.
"I don't know. I guess the Oracles aren't allowed to interfere with our lives substantially. That is what Archemidius told me. If they have someone do what they aren't allowed to do, then I guess they are allowed to interfere then, just as long as they didn't do most of the work for the person. My finding the Stones for them would allow them to interfere enough to fuse the planets. And anyway, if the Oracles destroyed the darkness that would be a great interference, wouldn't it? So they need us to do most of the fighting for them before they are allowed to interfere and fight with us." explained Cloud, drawing from the deepest pool of his intelligence.
"That would make sense," responded Cid, who was awestruck by the ingenious thought behind what Cloud had just said. "It's decided then. Rinoa, Irvine, Selphie. You all will help Cloud on his quest. You must help him in his fight to eliminate the darkness in our hearts. This is an order."
Rinoa, Irvine, and Selphie nodded.
"Thank you Headmaster," said Cloud.
"You three go to the garage. You may take any car you choose. I will escort Cloud there after I very brief talk with him." Cid said gesturing toward Irvine, Selphie, and Rinoa. All three nodded, and then walked out of the office, closing the door behind them.
"Cloud, do you hear small voices inside your head?" asked Cid. Cloud wondered if he was talking about schizophrenia. He shook his head no.
"Are you sure? Search deep into the subconscious of Squall's mind."
Cloud closed his eyes and concentrated with all of his might on entering Squall's mind. He broke through the barrier that separated Cloud from Squall and was bombarded with Squall's sad and twisted past.
Cloud saw visions of all sorts of monsters. He saw the war against the Galbadian army. He saw the Ragnarok, which was in Esthar. He saw Zell, Quistis, Selphie, Laguna, Kiros, Ward, Fujin, Raijin, Xu, and...Seifer. Seifer was Squall's forever partner in the dance of ultimate rivalry. Cloud saw the bitter fights these two had. Cloud was worried about meeting and quite possibly, fighting such a ruthless man.
"Release Me! I can help you!" called a voice deep within Squall's subconscious. Cloud's eyes shot opened, the visions disappeared.
"There was a voice. It screamed for me to release it. It sounded like a girl." explained Cloud after a few seconds. Cid nodded.
"That was Shiva. I have kept track on Squall's GF junction history. Shiva is the only person left that Squall could have junctioned to him. Call her." said Cid, who sounded amused.
"How?"
"Search deep inside Squall. You will find the answers you seek."
Cloud once again closed his eyes. He searched Squall's mind for any information on Shiva.
Shiva: Level One GF. She is easy to control. Spirit of Ice. She uses the attack Diamond Dust most frequently. Appears when her attack is mentioned.
All of this information came from a special paper Squall had written at the last minute on GF's. Cloud had found this by searching very deep into Squall's mind. Cloud opened his eyes again. He nodded to Cid.
"Diamond Dust!" Cloud yelled. Two balls of energy surged around Cloud's body and slammed into the ground in front of him, leaving a small circle of ice on the floor. A huge dagger of ice smashed through the small ice barrier on the floor. There was a beautiful woman encased in the ice. Her eyes opened. She spread her arms and her small ice prison shattered.
Shiva stood there looking around suspiciously. Cloud was amazed at the resemblance between his Shiva and Squall's Shiva.
"Where are the enemies you wish me to destroy?" asked Shiva in an airy, icy voice.
"There aren't any. Squall here was testing practicing his GF summoning abilities." explained Cid. Shiva looked at Cloud.
"May I be dismissed now?" asked Shiva. Cid nodded. Shiva waved at Squall then shattered into a million tiny shards of ice. Each of the shards disappeared before they could hit the floor.
"I have a gift for you Cloud. I will give you the GF Tonberry. His attack is called Chef's Knife. He will be a great help to you." explained Cid as he touched his forehead. When Cid removed his fingers there was a small ball of energy resting on them.
Cid beckoned Cloud to come nearer. Cloud stepped forward several steps. Cid pressed his fingers on Squall's forehead, thus giving Cloud the ability to summon Tonberry.
"Thank you headmaster, I appreciate all of your help." said Cloud, "And there is no need for you to escort me to the garage. I know where it is now that I've searched Squall's mind." Cid nodded and sat back down in his desk.
Cloud left the office and went down the elevator. He started to walk towards the garage...
~~~ Yuffie landed in front of Vincent's remains. She wanted to bid him her final respects. She started to cry. As her tears hit the remains of Vincent they started to glow. Yuffie didn't notice this. She was to busy crying.
There was a sudden flash. And just like how it had happened with Sephiroth, Vincent's spirit appeared above his dead remains. Yuffie looked up and screamed. As Yuffie's mouth was at its widest, Vincent's spirit smiled. The spirit of Vincent flew into Yuffie's mouth and she started to glow...
Afterword- I hope this chapter wasn't as boring as I think it might be! Oh, and if you have any suggestions or comments please email me at Finalballz@yahoo.com . I will take your comments seriously so please, don't joke! Anyway, thanks for reading! And as always please Review!