Disclaimer: I know its sad and I really don't want to admit it, but I don't own FFVII
A/N: Well I'm back and since everyone came here to read the story, I'm going to quickly thank my reviewer Shadowz, who seems to be the only person reading this, and I'm going to get on with the next chapter. Oh and thanks Shadowz for checking out Zangan's name for me.
Chapter Nine: It Begins...
Cloud finished putting his uniform on several minutes after he got done fighting with Zack. Cloud took a good look around the room he was in. He noticed his rifle was laid against one of the walls and his belt was on a table, with his handgun still in the holster. Cloud put the belt on and walked out of the room, ignoring Zack who was snickering, and he walked to the kitchen. He grabbed Sephiroth's breakfast and started to head to the bedroom with the secret door.
Cloud started to descend down the steps leading to the laboratory that Sephiroth hadn't come out of since their return to the little town. The entire way down, Cloud felt a chill down his spine, like something was telling him to get away from there. He ignored it and continued on to the lab, stopping only to stare at the one room in the mansion they hadn't entered yet, that mysterious locked room in the basment. Just looking at in sent chills down Cloud's spine and he decided to hurry up and get to the lab. When he entered and started to set Sephiroth's food on the table, he nearly jumped out of his skin in suprise.
Sephiroth was sitting at the desk in the part of the lab that looked like a library, glaring at Cloud. Once again Cloud felt a chill down his spine and somewhere deep down Cloud wondered if Sephiroth was going to kill him. Sephiroth started smirking then, as if he was enjoying the fear his glare was putting into Cloud. Without a second thought Cloud left Sephiorth's food on a table and quickly left the room, pratically running up the stairs to escape the look Sephiroth had on his face. Once he'd made it back upstairs, Cloud turned towards the secret door and started to back away, as if he was making sure Sephiroth wasn't following him. Then he felt himself bump into something.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Cloud yelled at the top of his lungs and spun around, drawing his handgun as he turned. When Cloud was done turning, he had his gun pointed at Zack, the barrel just inches from his face. Zack had a suprised look on his face, and he quickly smacked the gun away from his face.
"Cloud what the hell's wrong with you?!?" Zack yelled then notieced Cloud was breathing heavily and was pale. Zack noticed Cloud had a deathgrip on the gun that was still in his hand. "Cloud, what's wrong?" Zack asked, this time in a calmer tone. Cloud continued to breath heavily until he finally caught his breath and he looked at Zack like he had just noticed he was there.
"Sephiroth seems....diffrent." was Cloud's only reply to Zack's question. Zack sent a worried look down the stair leading to their commander. Zack then turned back to Cloud and noticed he still looked agitated. He hadn't even let go of the gun yet. Zack figured Cloud needed some time to relax while he tried to figure out what was wrong with Sephiroth, so after he managed to calm Cloud down he sent him outside to get some fresh air. Cloud now stood outside, leaning against the old well and thinking about what had happend that morning. Cloud had been outside by the well for several hours now and he spent the entire time trying to think of why Sephiroth had looked at him like that.
As Cloud was thinking, he didn't notice someone walking up behind him. The figure slowly walked up till it was right behind Cloud and tapped him on the shoulder. Cloud pratically jumped out of his skin and spun around, facing the person who had snuck up on him. He had to stop himself from gasping in suprise when he noticed who it was. Cloud's mother was standing there, trying to suppress her laughter at his reaction. She stopped laughing after a few seconds and started talking to Cloud
"Pardon me, but can I ask you something" she said after she managed to control her laughter.
"Sure" Cloud said, curious as to what she wanted to ask him.
"Do you know anyone named Cloud?" she asked him, worry evident in her tone. Cloud sighed and thought about the question. 'Why did she have to ask that?' Cloud thought to himself before trying to think of the best response. It was obvious from her tone and the look in her eyes that she was worried about him. If he said he didn't know, she'd just get even more worried. Cloud finally decided what to say.
"Yeah I know him, he's..." Cloud didn't have a chance to finish before his mother interupted him.
"Oh thank goodness, I've been worried sick about him." She said before gesturing toward her house and saying "Please come in, dinner's almost ready and you can tell me about Cloud." Cloud considered refusing he offer, but noticed the pleading look she had on her face and decided to accept. After they'd already entered the house, Cloud realized something. 'Damn! If I'm gona eat I'll have to take my helmet off! Well, I guess I'll just have to say I'm not hungry' Cloud thought, happy with his plan. Unfortunatly, his stomach wasn't and it chose that specific moment to growl very loudly. Cloud's mom chuckled and decided to say something.
"Go ahead and have some dinner Cloud" she said in a casual tone. Cloud was about to say something when he realized what she had said. 'Wait, she said Cloud! Does she know it's me?' Cloud was deep in thought and didn't notice that his mom had started laughing a little at his obvious confusion. "I know it's you Cloud, so go ahead and take your helmet off" She said, sounding like she was starting to get a little annoyed at how confused he was.
"How'd you know it was me?" Cloud asked her as he took his helmet off.
"A week before you arrived, Shin-Ra told us who they were sending here in a list and your name was on it, so Tifa's dad told me you where coming." She said casually, then offered Cloud a seat at the table. Cloud sat down, but he wasn't done with his questions just yet.
"How'd you know I wasn't the MP that went missing on the mountain trail" Cloud asked, very curious as to what her answer would be.
"You spent a lot of time around the well just like you did when you were little." She said in a nostalgic tone. Cloud sighed and asked an important question that just occured to him.
"If you and Tifa's father know I'm here, how come it seems like Tifa doesn't" Cloud's mother's smile dropped a little bit when he said that.
"Tifa's father decided not to tell her you were coming because he doesn't want you around her, and I figured I'd leave it up to you to tell her" She answered and started setting food on the table. Cloud just stared off into space for a little bit, thinking about everything that was complicating his life at the moment.
After dinner, Cloud and his mom started to have some small talk about whether the Shin-Ra were doing a good job of taking care of Cloud (his mom got worried when Cloud had said her dinner was some best food he'd had in months), and then she brought up a topic Cloud didn't like at all.
"You know, there are a lot of temptations in the city." Cloud's mom sounded very worried as she said that. "I think you should have an older girlfriend, one that could take care of you" She added and if she had been looking at Cloud when she said that she would have noticed his eye twitch a little. He hated it when she wanted to talk about him finding a girlfriend.
"Not interested" he said in the same monotonous voice he always used when his mother started talking about his personal life. He heard his mom sigh like she did everytime he gave her that answer and he got up from the bed he had been laying on. "I don't need someone to take care of me, I can take care of myself now" Cloud said to her, and regretted that his tone sounded annyoed. He was about to apologize for how he sounded when she said something that caught him by suprise.
"I know Cloud, I'm just worried about you." She said and before Cloud could say anthing she continued. "Remember Cloud, I'll always be your mother. If you need anything just ask me." Cloud just smiled and nodded his head, then waved goodbye as he put his helmet on and headed outside, on his way to the mansion to talk with Zack about Sephiroth. Just as Cloud exited his old house, he heard a gate open with a loud squeaking noise. Cloud turned around and was suprised to see the last person he expected to see leaving the mansion. Sephiroth was walking outside, looking around at the town with nothing but hate and disgust in his eyes. Cloud's instincts told him to stay alert, and the look Sephiroth had on his face made Cloud put his hand on his gun.
Before Cloud realized what happened, one of the houses in Nibelhelm pratically exploded into flames as Sephiroth casted a Fire 3 spell on it. Cloud was to shocked to do anything until Sephiroth blew up another house. The fire was quickly spreading around the town and Cloud realized that if Sephiroth kept it up the whole town might burn down. Drawing his gun he was about to yell at Sephiroth to stop when he noticed that Sephiroth was aiming at a new house. His house. Cloud didn't even think about it before he aimed his gun at Sephiroth's head and pulled the trigger...
A/N: Sorry about taking so long to update but I had serious writer's block about what to write with this chapter. Well I hoped you liked it, and I'll try to write the next chapter quicker, though I doubt I'll be able to because it's probably going to be the last chapter and I need to think of a great way to end this.
A/N: Well I'm back and since everyone came here to read the story, I'm going to quickly thank my reviewer Shadowz, who seems to be the only person reading this, and I'm going to get on with the next chapter. Oh and thanks Shadowz for checking out Zangan's name for me.
Chapter Nine: It Begins...
Cloud finished putting his uniform on several minutes after he got done fighting with Zack. Cloud took a good look around the room he was in. He noticed his rifle was laid against one of the walls and his belt was on a table, with his handgun still in the holster. Cloud put the belt on and walked out of the room, ignoring Zack who was snickering, and he walked to the kitchen. He grabbed Sephiroth's breakfast and started to head to the bedroom with the secret door.
Cloud started to descend down the steps leading to the laboratory that Sephiroth hadn't come out of since their return to the little town. The entire way down, Cloud felt a chill down his spine, like something was telling him to get away from there. He ignored it and continued on to the lab, stopping only to stare at the one room in the mansion they hadn't entered yet, that mysterious locked room in the basment. Just looking at in sent chills down Cloud's spine and he decided to hurry up and get to the lab. When he entered and started to set Sephiroth's food on the table, he nearly jumped out of his skin in suprise.
Sephiroth was sitting at the desk in the part of the lab that looked like a library, glaring at Cloud. Once again Cloud felt a chill down his spine and somewhere deep down Cloud wondered if Sephiroth was going to kill him. Sephiroth started smirking then, as if he was enjoying the fear his glare was putting into Cloud. Without a second thought Cloud left Sephiorth's food on a table and quickly left the room, pratically running up the stairs to escape the look Sephiroth had on his face. Once he'd made it back upstairs, Cloud turned towards the secret door and started to back away, as if he was making sure Sephiroth wasn't following him. Then he felt himself bump into something.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Cloud yelled at the top of his lungs and spun around, drawing his handgun as he turned. When Cloud was done turning, he had his gun pointed at Zack, the barrel just inches from his face. Zack had a suprised look on his face, and he quickly smacked the gun away from his face.
"Cloud what the hell's wrong with you?!?" Zack yelled then notieced Cloud was breathing heavily and was pale. Zack noticed Cloud had a deathgrip on the gun that was still in his hand. "Cloud, what's wrong?" Zack asked, this time in a calmer tone. Cloud continued to breath heavily until he finally caught his breath and he looked at Zack like he had just noticed he was there.
"Sephiroth seems....diffrent." was Cloud's only reply to Zack's question. Zack sent a worried look down the stair leading to their commander. Zack then turned back to Cloud and noticed he still looked agitated. He hadn't even let go of the gun yet. Zack figured Cloud needed some time to relax while he tried to figure out what was wrong with Sephiroth, so after he managed to calm Cloud down he sent him outside to get some fresh air. Cloud now stood outside, leaning against the old well and thinking about what had happend that morning. Cloud had been outside by the well for several hours now and he spent the entire time trying to think of why Sephiroth had looked at him like that.
As Cloud was thinking, he didn't notice someone walking up behind him. The figure slowly walked up till it was right behind Cloud and tapped him on the shoulder. Cloud pratically jumped out of his skin and spun around, facing the person who had snuck up on him. He had to stop himself from gasping in suprise when he noticed who it was. Cloud's mother was standing there, trying to suppress her laughter at his reaction. She stopped laughing after a few seconds and started talking to Cloud
"Pardon me, but can I ask you something" she said after she managed to control her laughter.
"Sure" Cloud said, curious as to what she wanted to ask him.
"Do you know anyone named Cloud?" she asked him, worry evident in her tone. Cloud sighed and thought about the question. 'Why did she have to ask that?' Cloud thought to himself before trying to think of the best response. It was obvious from her tone and the look in her eyes that she was worried about him. If he said he didn't know, she'd just get even more worried. Cloud finally decided what to say.
"Yeah I know him, he's..." Cloud didn't have a chance to finish before his mother interupted him.
"Oh thank goodness, I've been worried sick about him." She said before gesturing toward her house and saying "Please come in, dinner's almost ready and you can tell me about Cloud." Cloud considered refusing he offer, but noticed the pleading look she had on her face and decided to accept. After they'd already entered the house, Cloud realized something. 'Damn! If I'm gona eat I'll have to take my helmet off! Well, I guess I'll just have to say I'm not hungry' Cloud thought, happy with his plan. Unfortunatly, his stomach wasn't and it chose that specific moment to growl very loudly. Cloud's mom chuckled and decided to say something.
"Go ahead and have some dinner Cloud" she said in a casual tone. Cloud was about to say something when he realized what she had said. 'Wait, she said Cloud! Does she know it's me?' Cloud was deep in thought and didn't notice that his mom had started laughing a little at his obvious confusion. "I know it's you Cloud, so go ahead and take your helmet off" She said, sounding like she was starting to get a little annoyed at how confused he was.
"How'd you know it was me?" Cloud asked her as he took his helmet off.
"A week before you arrived, Shin-Ra told us who they were sending here in a list and your name was on it, so Tifa's dad told me you where coming." She said casually, then offered Cloud a seat at the table. Cloud sat down, but he wasn't done with his questions just yet.
"How'd you know I wasn't the MP that went missing on the mountain trail" Cloud asked, very curious as to what her answer would be.
"You spent a lot of time around the well just like you did when you were little." She said in a nostalgic tone. Cloud sighed and asked an important question that just occured to him.
"If you and Tifa's father know I'm here, how come it seems like Tifa doesn't" Cloud's mother's smile dropped a little bit when he said that.
"Tifa's father decided not to tell her you were coming because he doesn't want you around her, and I figured I'd leave it up to you to tell her" She answered and started setting food on the table. Cloud just stared off into space for a little bit, thinking about everything that was complicating his life at the moment.
After dinner, Cloud and his mom started to have some small talk about whether the Shin-Ra were doing a good job of taking care of Cloud (his mom got worried when Cloud had said her dinner was some best food he'd had in months), and then she brought up a topic Cloud didn't like at all.
"You know, there are a lot of temptations in the city." Cloud's mom sounded very worried as she said that. "I think you should have an older girlfriend, one that could take care of you" She added and if she had been looking at Cloud when she said that she would have noticed his eye twitch a little. He hated it when she wanted to talk about him finding a girlfriend.
"Not interested" he said in the same monotonous voice he always used when his mother started talking about his personal life. He heard his mom sigh like she did everytime he gave her that answer and he got up from the bed he had been laying on. "I don't need someone to take care of me, I can take care of myself now" Cloud said to her, and regretted that his tone sounded annyoed. He was about to apologize for how he sounded when she said something that caught him by suprise.
"I know Cloud, I'm just worried about you." She said and before Cloud could say anthing she continued. "Remember Cloud, I'll always be your mother. If you need anything just ask me." Cloud just smiled and nodded his head, then waved goodbye as he put his helmet on and headed outside, on his way to the mansion to talk with Zack about Sephiroth. Just as Cloud exited his old house, he heard a gate open with a loud squeaking noise. Cloud turned around and was suprised to see the last person he expected to see leaving the mansion. Sephiroth was walking outside, looking around at the town with nothing but hate and disgust in his eyes. Cloud's instincts told him to stay alert, and the look Sephiroth had on his face made Cloud put his hand on his gun.
Before Cloud realized what happened, one of the houses in Nibelhelm pratically exploded into flames as Sephiroth casted a Fire 3 spell on it. Cloud was to shocked to do anything until Sephiroth blew up another house. The fire was quickly spreading around the town and Cloud realized that if Sephiroth kept it up the whole town might burn down. Drawing his gun he was about to yell at Sephiroth to stop when he noticed that Sephiroth was aiming at a new house. His house. Cloud didn't even think about it before he aimed his gun at Sephiroth's head and pulled the trigger...
A/N: Sorry about taking so long to update but I had serious writer's block about what to write with this chapter. Well I hoped you liked it, and I'll try to write the next chapter quicker, though I doubt I'll be able to because it's probably going to be the last chapter and I need to think of a great way to end this.
