Disclaimer: Advent Children is owned by Square-something. This is a non-profit work only for entertainment purposes.
Chapter 7
Mother May I?
The pavement shook from the combined fury of the creatures' growls. Driven purely by intense, Tifa roughly grabbed Yuffie's wrist. Turning away from the beasts she broke into a sprint dragging along the paralyzed girl into the desolate street.
Staying to fight such a magnitude of monster would be impossible for the small party. To stay would risk the lives of her friends, something Tifa would never do.
The only practical option available was to flee. It was equally impossible as fighting but there was at least a chance they could loss the monster in many back alleys of Midgar. With any chance the creatures would divide enough for them to take on independently if possible.
Several large thuds came crashing behind the fleeing women as the beast began the chase. With new urgency Tifa picked up her pace trying desperately to remember the fast way to get from here to the Highwind. The roar of their stalkers was hindering her concentration.
There was one positive effect from the beasts' noise. After hearing the sound of beasts landing Yuffie's survival instinct kicked back into full force awaking the ninja from her stupor. Without hesitation Yuffie ripped her wrist out of Tifa's grasp completing the action with a growl of disgust.
Despite the circumstances Tifa allowed herself a slight smile of amusement for her young friend's action. It was nice to know that no matter what some things would always remain the same.
Now that Yuffie was able to fend for herself Tifa began to check on her other friends. She turned her head to glance behind her almost gasping at what she saw.
A few short yards behind them were a virtual flood of monsters. They were all rushing towards the women headless of anything else in their path. Through the endless sea of brown and green there was a sharp contrast of bright red. Focusing in on it Tifa could make out the form of Red heading in her direction. Using the grace of his large predator body Red was able to bound though the ranks of the monster with ease.
His movements reminded Tifa of a film she had seen long ago where a lion made its way completely though a herd of wild Chocobos to kill a single young Chocobo.
I'm the Chocobo in this, she thought comforted that Red was going to join her and Yuffie in their flight. As she watched Red she noticed that the beast paid no attention to Red cutting through their mass.
From what she could determine she and Yuffie were the soul target of the creatures' attention. The fact was hardly surprising to the martial artist. Compared to her feline friend Tifa and Yuffie were the perfect prey.
The two women were much slower and far less agile than Red. In all Tifa's adventures she had always observed that predatorily monsters would normally attack the weaker and less mobile in the group. The weak were easier to subdue allowing the monster to eat and run without much of a fight.
Not only did the women have that factor playing against them but there was also the matter of Yuffie drawing the monster attention to them. Her movement had been the trigger for the monster to unleash their full attack.
Tifa could place no real blame on the ninja even if she had wanted to. It was apparent the monsters were planning on attack no matter what anyone did.
It was strange that the chase was the only way the monsters acted like normal monster. Tifa did not put any more thought into the monster strange behavior. It would not help her and her friends survive this.
Positive that Red was fine Tifa turned her attention to checking on the Turks. Less than a year ago she would have never imagined she would have ever been concerned for the Turks. Things had changed so radically since then. It was ironic to think she had actually become good friends with two of them.
Narrowing her eyes she attempted to find some trace of the two dark suited men. There, though the beasts bodies she could see a distinctively familiar pair of dark shades, Rude. In fact, all she could see of the silent man was his shades.
"Get to the Highwind!" She shouted as loudly as her lungs would allow her, even with her effort she could barely hear her voice over the noise the beasts were creating. There was no way on the Planet Rude would possible be able to hear her over the distance.
Hearing her or not the man nodded slightly or it appeared like a nod. She had a difficult time telling for his shades completely disappeared after the quick movement.
It had to be a nod, she told herself. Rude was a Turk surely they would have trained him in the skill of lip reading. He would get Reno, who she had no sign of despite his striking hair color, and make it to the Highwind. All she could do now was hope for their safety.
There was nothing else she could do for her friends so she turned her attention back to running. Worry tore though her heart as she looked towards the still empty street. She could not allow herself to worry for them. They were Turks they had lived though far worse than this.
The only people Tifa need to worry about were those she could help, namely herself and Yuffie. The Turks could handle themselves, "Just like Cloud," she whispered the hollow reassurance to herself.
Trying to keep her thoughts clear of a certain spiky haired man Tifa looked to her right to see how Yuffie was doing. Tifa was impressed to find that Yuffie was not running directly beside her. The small ninja was a pace ahead of the martial artist the girl speed was increasing with ever stride.
It took little effort for Tifa to catch up to Yuffie. Trying to spot their friends in the crowd had slowed Tifa down considerable, causing her to fall behind. Still the girl had greatly improved over the last year.
As Tifa matched pace with Yuffie the woman flashed the girl a brief smile. The smile was one of approval but all she got from Yuffie was a look of pure annoyance.
Yuffie had been trying to out race her. Tifa discovered once again amused by the ninja's actions. It appeared that Yuffie had continued her training but until she took her train more seriously than Tifa took hers the older woman was always going to win.
They made their way through the complex streets of Midgar without any complications. The sound of the pursuing beast kept them then from even considering slowing down.
It would not be long until they made it to the Highwind. According to her memory of this section of Midgar it would only take around five minutes for them to make it to the outer city. From there it would take even less time for them to get to the Highwind.
They were almost home free so why had not the creatures caught up with them. Judging from the speed the first monster had exhibited Tifa was surprised the others had been able to catch up to them.
The behavior was curious but Tifa did not dare look back to see what could be happening. A moment's hesitation could be all it took for the monsters to catch up. It was sufficient enough for her to know that something was holding back the beasts.
Tifa was merely grateful something was keeping the beasts from catching up to them. If the chase continued at its current rate Tifa and Yuffie would be able to reach the safety of the Highwind unhindered.
Bright sunlight began spilling into the narrow confides of the alley as the side street merged into one of Midgar's main streets. Tifa's eyes widen in terror unwittingly she had lead the army of monsters into one of the most populated residential sections in Midgar.
During the business hours the streets would have been barren but it was the end of the business hours. The streets were filled with hundreds of people. There were exhausted adults returning home from a long day at work, along the streets happy children played games all unaware of the threat only meters away.
The only thing Tifa could do was stare at the happy crowd and despair. She had been so caught up in the flight. She had not even considered who would be along their path to the Highwind. Foolishly, her only thoughts had been on selecting the fastest path. Now she could only regret her choose.
The monsters behind her would fall on these people like wolves on lambs. It just was not possible for her and Yuffie to fight off all the monsters coming. Attempting to warn the people would fail as well. There simple was not enough time to get all these people off the street before the monsters attacked.
The world froze for Tifa as she realized that she was no longer moving forwards. Her hesitation had not been merely mentally but physical as well.
Before Tifa could even consider moving the air directly behind her stirred from movement. With agonizing slowness Tifa turned her head to face death. Her crimson eyes lock on a pair of mindless animal eyes narrowed for the kill, only an inch away. Be strong, Cloud.
"Tifa," A feral growl came from her right. Less than a second latter Red's large form slammed into the side of the attacking monster knocking it away from the woman.
Effortlessly, Red landed in a defensive stance in from of the woman growling savagely at the beasts. Screaming erupted from behind Tifa as people began to notice the beasts. Tifa could feel waves of panic coming from the people as they tried to flee from the beasts. There was not enough time for them all to live but at least now some would.
Much to Tifa's confuse the beasts had stopped running. They stared at Red as though he was some type of wall obstructing their path.
Like everything else about these creatures this new action was strange. Tifa did not even try to determine the reason as she tried to decide what to do.
Fighting was the most illogical choose but could she leave these people to their deaths. She was not naïve enough to believe that whatever was holding the creatures back would be permanent.
If Tifa and the others could hold off the beasts for only a few minutes it might give the citizens a chance. Her heart twisted knowing that no matter what people would die.
The chose was tearing her insides apart. More than ever she wished that Cloud was standing beside her telling her everything would be alright. That no matter what chose she made things would be all right.
"Tifa, run. I can hold them off." Turning her eyes away from the horde of monsters Tifa stared at the back of Red with disbelief. They could leave him to these monsters.
"We won't leave you." Yuffie defiantly shouted out Tifa's thoughts even though panic could clearly be heard in the young ninja's voice.
The girl was standing beside Tifa trying her best to keep a strong fighting stance even though her hand holding her small collection of shuriken was shaking. The cold hard truth filled Tifa as she looked at Yuffie. Staying was not an option. In her current panic Yuffie was not going to be any help.
Leaving Red to fight the beast alone was the best option. Out of the group he was the best suited to fight the creatures, he could survive these as long as Tifa and Yuffie were not here slowing him down.
Tifa's heart ached. She could not just leave a friend behind. How had Cloud been able to make the tough choose during their quest to save the planet?
The beasts began to move ever so slightly. From the expression in their yellow eyes Tifa could tell that they had come to their decision. The lapse in the chase was about to end.
"Tifa, Yuffie run!" There was no more time for indecision. Red lowered his stance preparing to meet the beasts when they attacked.
No matter how strongly she wanted Cloud, he was not here. As one the beasts seemed to mirror the large red cat's actions as they prepared to spring. These choose was for her to make, for her to regret.
Spinning around Tifa clammed down a strong hand on Yuffie's wrist this time making sure her grip was to tight for the ninja to break. Yuffie would not leave Red willingly so Tifa would take the chose out of girl's hands.
The martial artist began to run, jerking an enraged ninja behind her. "Good luck, Red." Unwilling to look back Tifa shouted out what she hoped was not her last goodbye to her friend.
Red growled but whether it was to her or the beast Tifa could not say. The oddest seemed impossible for her friend but she would not allow herself to think negatively. Red would survive they would all meet up together.
Tifa's thoughts were interrupted as Yuffie attempted to rip her hand out of Tifa's tight grasp. Maybe if Yuffie had trained more it would have been possible but as it was Tifa was the stronger of the two and her grip stayed.
"They're going to kill him." Yuffie shouted at the martial artist in rage as the girl tried dragging her feet to slow their pace. The attempt was completely in vain.
Tifa was using her full strength, which was more than enough to drag an unwilling ninja along at a reasonable pace. If Yuffie tried something cleverer Tifa would pick the girl up and carry her to the Highwind.
Tifa could not help the people in the path of the monsters, she could not help Red, Cloud might not allow her to help him, but she could help Yuffie. No matter what the girl did or tried Tifa would save her. She had to.
Still she understood the girl's resistance because it rang though her heart as well. Tifa turned her head slightly meeting the ninja's accusing brown eyes. The look in her young friend's eyes cut into Tifa's heart but she would let it show.
"Red is the only one who has a chance of defeating those monsters. We would only slow him down." Tifa expressed her meaning in more than words as Tifa let the conflict raging in her heart and mind play out across her face.
After spending what seemed like an eternity studying Tifa's face Yuffie's eyes softened considerable. "Right Red's the 'only one'. Please you just wanted me to skip out on some action."
A wave of sweet relief rushed though Tifa taking a good deal of strain off of her heart. She would never have imagined that Yuffie of all people would have comforted her twice in one day.
"I am sorry." A smile beamed on Tifa's face as she felt her confidence returning. She would not worry about things she could do nothing about. Worrying would only keep her from being able to find Cloud and save Marlene. She would be strong for them.
With a causal wave Yuffie dismissed the apology. "This just means you owe me." Tifa shook her head at the response refocusing her attention on the streets ahead.
Doubt tugged on her heart but she brushed it away. This was just like when the plate fell, it was not her fault. She had tried her best that was all she was able to do.
After they found Cloud and Marlene they would go looking for who had sent those creatures after them. That was for later though now all she needed to worry about was getting herself and Yuffie out alive.
Are you coming home?
Who?
In the purest form of savage fury Loz kicked one of the surrounding trees. A cloud of dust and splinters erupted from the landing spot of the kick.
The brutal attack sent a sickening shiver though the length of the tree. Despite the gaping hole the kick had inflicted to the tree's trunk, the stupid thing continued to stand in defiance.
Loz raged, as he was yet again unable to kill some worthless creature. First it had been that arrogant Lockhart woman. Then those two, what had Yazoo called them...Turks.
Loz scowled as he remembered how he had misjudged the thickness of the wall he sent them flying into. Instead of splattering against the wall like the insects they were, they simple went straight though, surviving without any injury.
Final a pathetic tree was standing in the way of his kills. He could have killed those humans with no effort. If he had not been forced to collect that worthless human child, the master did not even need.
Kadaj had dared reprimanded him for his careless treatment of the child. It was not as though Loz was not treating the way she should be treated. Humans were beneath them.
What did Kadaj know? The rage that always burned though Loz's mind increased to a blinding shade of red, as he thought about his smiling brother.
Kadaj rarely accompanied him and Yazoo on missions. The master always had something special for Kadaj to do, leaving the petty work for Loz. Kadaj never had to soil himself by dealing with the human brats or unworthy opponents.
Snorting in disgust, Loz turned his head to the right glaring at the thick forest obscuring his view of his oldest brother and youngest brother.
Some distance away Kadaj was wasting their time toying with their older brother. That was Kadaj's nature to play ridicules head games. The three of them could have easily overcome their older brother but Kadaj wanted his fun.
Loz fully appreciated the concept of playing with inferiors but he did not have, or wanted, the patience for Kadaj's head games. All he wanted now was a good kill or to return to base to be rid of the brat.
A smirked crossed Loz face it was possible for him to accomplish both objectives. It was not the master's order for them to allow Kadaj to engage older brother alone. It was Kadaj's.
Kadaj was hardly the master his commands meant nothing. The little ambush they had set for their older brother had been Kadaj's plan, once again not the master. Loz had only gone along with his little brother's because he thought he would have a chance to have his way with older brother. Instead Kadaj had him sitting out on the sidelines.
Not anymore, Loz was hardly afraid of his younger brother. In truth he wanted Kadaj to try and stop him. Loz had never cared that his younger brother was the master's favorite he had always waited for the opportunity to beat that smile off Kadaj's face.
Adjusting the Duel Hound in anticipation Loz began to muse over his older brother's condition. At first his older brother had not seemed like the warrior the master had described.
Loz had been quite displeased that his older brother had been so pathetic. All this time he had been expecting so sort of a challenge. The disappointment abruptly faded the moment older brother had dodged Loz's first attack.
When his older brother had been able to block the Duel Hound Loz had almost been impressed. Their older brother was nothing more than a weak failure by their standards but he was a worthy opponent, compared to a human. A fight between them would at least have some of the challenge Loz had been craving for.
Loz began heading in the direction of his brothers, idly wondering if the blow from the Duel Hound had incapacitated his older brother.
It did not matter. A fight with Kadaj would give older brother plenty of time to recover for his duel with Loz. Together both fights should not take much more than five minutes. Then Loz would be rid of the brat.
Completely focused on the upcoming conflict it took a moment for Loz to notice that a violent tremble had run though the forest around him. Before he could fully comprehend what had happened a loud boom erupted from the forest behind him followed by a burst of heat and flame.
"What the-"
Mother misses you.
Mom...Yazoo leaned causally against one of the forest many dying trees, to all appearances completely oblivious to the destruct that had been rout against the forest.
The Planet would soon deprive this tree of life like it had done to the majority of the other trees in the forest. The magical energies they product could be used by the Planet to mend it's injuries, since that the flow of it's healing power had been interrupted.
With his limited knowledge he was not quite certain what was blocking the Planet's healing energies. The master had revealed only enough information for Yazoo to derive that it was part of the master's grand plan.
The source of the Planet's plight was of no important to him. The only thing that interested him now was the cause of the explosion that had irradiated a small portion of the forest.
In order to find the source of the explosion he had closed his eyes focusing his attention on the sounds of the surrounding forest.
There was no sound of note in his range of hearing. Loz's was cursing with intense anger and confusion but Yazoo did not consider such noise of any worth. The only thing shouting in such a manner accomplished was to alert the enemy of your state of mind.
The normal inhabits of the forest had long since fled from the presence of he and his brothers. It was strange to think that the less evolved beast were wiser in comparison to the humans, those professed to be on the higher end of the evolutionary cycle.
The beasts fled in terror from an unnatural foe while humans would foolishly attempt it engage them, to prove their twisted need to display loyalty and courage. Along the evolutionary track humanity had loss the survive instincts of their primitive ancestors.
Bloodlust rose in Yazoo as he could practical hear the screams of agony from the source of the explosions. See the bright red blood flowing across the tranquil forest floor. The coppery tastes of the blood hung on his tongue. There was only one group of humans who would have set the explosives.
Though the members of AVALANCHE had been terrorists for a time it was out of their character to engage an enemy in such an indirect fashion. The intensity of their actions had been too weak to for them to be considered true terrorists.
They would consider an attack of this type beneath them. There was one organization on the Planet that was infamous for such deceptive tactics.
The Turks, Yazoo savored the name as it rolled though his mind inciting the bloodlust to rise far beyond the level of his control.
A smirk twisted across his usually masked face as he considered his enemy. It was impossible for the person to be his red haired Turk. Yazoo could care less as long as the person was part of the organization.
All sources on the Turks spoke of a close bond between the members. The savage murder of one Turk would have a negative affect on the mentality of the other Turks.
Killing this Turk would begin the tortures he had planned for his Turk. Yazoo planned on spending a great deal of time making certain the red haired Turk forever regretted his realization of Yazoo's moment of weakness.
Seeing big brother in person had purified Yazoo of his terror of the man's power. Kadaj had used the smallest portion of his mental prowess to subdue their older brother.
Even without Kadaj's manipulations, it was clear that big brother was barely able to keep any level of control over his own mind. The concept of him being about to control Yazoo was idiotic.
For unknown reasons the master wanted to keep the Lockhart woman alive, for a time at least. Whatever the master reasons were it was irrelevant at this point.
The only thing that was important was that Yazoo had freed himself from the fear that had been restraining him from his most enjoyable activity. Now that it was gone his mind was filled with pleasurable thoughts of painful deaths instead of that crippling fear.
Despite his efforts to fully indulge in his bloodlust a tiny thread of doubt stirred in the back of his mind. His bloodlust kept his mind from fully examining the doubt.
Thoughts of the hunt and the kill swarmed in Yazoo's mind as he opened his eyes. The explosion had been from behind what was his prey's plan. Yazoo firmly believed it was some type of distraction but to what end. The Turks had no love of Cloud.
The world shook as a bone shaking blast erupted to Yazoo's left. The left was as good as a direction as any. The longer the chase lasted the longer the terror of his prey.
A familiar buzzing began to sound in Yazoo's mind painful jarring at his thoughts. Placing a hand against his temple he tried to ward away the sound.
It was as erratic as the time in the church. Yazoo sank to his knees clutching his head trying to drive the sound out of his mind.
The thing hovered in his mind drilling though his thoughts causing a gasp of terror to escape his mouth. This thing could not be the master.
Was it big brother?
Of course, it's me.
You're dead.
Don't be silly honey I right here.
A sheet of silver fell across Kadaj's face as he tilted his head in the direction of his longhaired brother, relishing the distress coming for Yazoo.
The unadulterated terror overwhelming his brother's mind sent a pleasant tingle along the length of Kadaj's spine. It was a pity Yazoo was final comprehending the power their older brother had over him.
Yazoo's discovery would do the longhaired man little good if thing went Mother's way. Smiling slightly to himself with a touch of long past bitterness Kadaj reconsidered his thought. Mother always had her way.
"Messing around where you don't belong." As always his tone was playful as he turned his attention away from his brother to the man he was crouching beside.
A skilled reader of body langue would have been able to pick up an underlining hint of pity despite the playful tone. Pity for who was a mystery he would not allow himself to uncover.
It was impossible for one such as he to fully understand Mother's ways but he felt that this was something that would please her. While Cloud's abilities were wild, compared to Kadaj's own, they far surpassed the meager powers of Yazoo and Loz.
Maybe my own, Kadaj thought with an amused grin as he felt a familiar presence brushing at the edge of him mind. Only mother was able to pierce the shields guarding his mind that Cloud was able to reach so far was impressive.
Mother's plan relied heavily on the powers Cloud Strife had yet to fully discover, even though his subconscious seemed to be making good use of them. Cloud's subconscious seemed to be just as self-destructive as his conscious mind.
What an interesting dilemma, Kadaj mused sure that the conflict was doing more to assist Mother's cause than to hinder it, even though Kadaj had a feeling that hinder was the subconscious intent.
"You're just going to drive yourself crazy." The man lying on the soft grass did not respond to the comment. The only indication he might be awake was the faint glow of pale blue radiating from his eyes. Smiling mischievously to himself for Kadaj's audience was otherwise engaged Kadaj took his first good look at big brother.
During their brief combat with each other Kadaj had not had the chance to closely examine his older brother. If looks were the only standard then Cloud would have been considered very impressive. His physical build was very small very much like Kadaj's own.
If Kadaj had not known his brother's age it would have been very difficult for him to judge. Cloud's small build made him seem younger than he was. His pretty boy face did not help the age judgment either. Even though Cloud was a few years older than Kadaj they looked to be around the same age.
Cloud was lying mostly on his left side facing his fallen sword only a mere yard away. Despite Kadaj's closeness his older brother made no effort to reach for the sword. The reason for his inactivity had two parts.
The first most obvious to the naked eye was that Cloud had been severely injured by Loz. The force of the blow coupled with being slammed into the tree and the fall had broken and bruised the majority of big brother's body.
Due to the mako in his body Cloud was recovering from the injuries at a superhuman rate. In a few minutes the brakes would no longer be broken though Kadaj imagined they would still be quite painful. The tree had not been so bless.
One look in big brother's vacant mako eyes was sign enough for the second reason. Big brother was no longer in his own mind.
The chaotic mess of big brother's mind had slipped away from his body. Kadaj could sense Cloud's aura in his own mind as well as his other brothers. There was a good chance it was exploring the region in ways Kadaj was unable.
The cause for his brother's absences from his body was trickier to determine. Inside the mess of big brother's mind Kadaj could detect the subtle hints of Mother's presence. Mother was most likely the reason that big brother had fallen into his current state. Kadaj assumed she was trying to reveal the truth of the situation to him.
As Kadaj continued gaze down on his older brother he felt a spark of kinship. Both of them had so many similarities, unlike Kadaj and his other brothers.
Yazoo and Loz were nothing more than bloodthirsty animals. There was nothing wrong with them in the pure intellectual sense but their emotion and higher reasoning abilities were flawed.
They lacked the refined mental capacity to experience anything but the most base of emotion. Mentally they had developed much like small children despite their age. Mother had the master create them with such flaws to keep them from question their existence.
Big brother just like Kadaj had a completely different mental structure. During his transformation Cloud had been able to retain his higher reasoning skills unlike many of the others that had undergone the same procedure. Mother had always found Cloud's retention fascinating yet annoying.
To serve mother better Kadaj had been granted a similar mental state. Until she recovered from her injuries, Mother required an agent that was able to fulfill her commands without her constant presences. In order to accomplish that Kadaj had to be able to comprehend what mother was and her plans on a rudimentary level.
His brothers with their limited abilities could never comprehend mother, let else her plan. Their purpose was to sever as added muscle for Kadaj.
Which was far better for them, Kadaj ponder thoughtfully as he recalled how horrible to knowledge had seemed when he had first learned of it. There was truth to the saying ignorance was bliss.
It was impossible for him to understand all the complexity of Mother's plan but he had always understood his role in her plan. Never once in his life had he questioned her for without her he would have never existed in the first place. His life was hers to do with as she wished.
There were times though when his mind would rebel against him and wondered if things were different. Times like now.
Would he have followed big brother denying the truth in favor of ignorance? Kadaj imaged that he would never act so foolish. All big brother's resistant against the truth brought him closer to Mother. Big brother's internal conflict was exhausting his mind to the point where it was barely possible for him to resist outside influence.
In big brother's current state it took little effort for one as weak as Kadaj to manipulate him. For someone as powerful as mother, controlling Cloud was nothing more than mere child's play. While big brother slept Mother was likely crushing the last of his rebellious thought.
It was amusing in a tragic way that big brother believed he could still defeat mother, denying reason for fantasy. Kadaj's fanaticism for mother could be considered by some to be very similar to his older brother's denial. Thoughts like that were very inappropriate. His life was for mother.
Hesitantly he began brushing through Cloud's sweat soaked blond hair with affectionate. Kadaj had never consider Yazoo or Loz his real brothers but with Cloud he felt a brotherly bond.
The feeling was unlike any other he had ever experienced in his life. It was not as disturbing as he always assumed it would it was almost comforting. The world seemed less empty than before.
A shiver ran though big brother's body as his essence returned to it's resting place. Kadaj could still feel his older brother's confusion as if it was tangible. Confusion was an emotion Kadaj would never allow himself. Poor big brother this is all happening to fast for you.
"Don't worry it will soon be over." Kadaj whispered to his older brother in a soothing tone as he continued stroking though his hair. Soon it would be over for them all.
Are you?
Come and see for yourself.
The only thing he could see was darkness. Moaning Cloud placed a shaking hand against his forehead trying to clear the chaos in his mind.
Thousands of thoughts swirled in his mind each seemed far more foreign to his mind than the last. The thoughts were of broken images, half spoken sentences, and bright bust of emotion he was unable to find in his own memories.
Which thoughts were from his memories and which were not? They were all coming from inside of Cloud's own mind. Did not that mean they were his?
A sudden chill ran though Cloud's body. Defensively he wrapped his trembling arms around himself in an attempt for warmth.
Those thoughts could not be his. They were filled with a deep enjoyment for causing pain that made him feel physical ill. Only a sadistic monster would have thoughts like that.
That not me, he could not be a monster. Desperately he tried to filter though the terrifying thoughts cluttering his mind trying to find thoughts of his own. Thoughts that felt familiar to him that could be him.
Panic sank it's claws deeper into his psyche as he found nothing of himself in the swirling chaos of his mind. No, no, his tried to whisper his denial to the world only to have it disappear into the void surrounding him.
He had to exist here in his mind he could not be like those thoughts. His hysterical mind struggled find a reason he was unlike the thoughts.
Cloud, he was Cloud. They were not connection to Cloud. He was Cloud so he could not be one of them.
The comfort from this revelation was short lived as a new terror griped his mind. How had they been able to enter his mind?
The darkness that had been surrounding him began tremble slightly as shapes began to form. The change in his environment began to slowly replaced Cloud's terror with curiosity.
The shapes began to take on forms Cloud could name, trees. There were several trees surrounding him. A forest, he was in a forest. In a very disjointed way Cloud could feel himself walking through the forest. His movements were carefully chosen to avoid making even the slightest sound.
A loud roar filled the air around him. What was that? The sound caused a hint of satisfaction to form in the back of Cloud's mind. Somehow he had caused he havoc that had been unleashed on the forest.
The tiny grip on his good hand tightened slightly causing him a moment of annoyed embarrassment. In confusion Cloud tried to look down at his hand to see who was gripping it. He found that his head was unwilling to move.
What was happening? Instead of being terrified of the lack of control over his body he found himself strangely calm. The fear and confusion he felt only a moment before seemed like a distant notion.
The calm was intoxicating. Cloud could not remember ever feel even remotely near this level of calm. It was very tempting to stay here forever never having to worry again. He could not, there was something important he had to do. What that something was he was having trouble remembering.
His body froze as he saw something lying between the trees only a few yards directly in front of him. Narrowing his eyes he strained to make out the object. None to gentle he pulled the girl behind him to shield her from potential danger.
The object was a person. The person was a man lying on the forest floor in a half twisted position as if he had been trying to reach for something. Looking past the man Cloud could see a massive sword stretched out beside the man.
That was wrong. The sword should have been lying further away. In a distant corner of his mind Cloud could remember seeing the sword glittering in the faint light of the forest right out of his reach. The memory vanished quickly leaving a feeling of uneasiness.
Looking back at the man's body he narrowed his eyes even further. The man's chest was rising and falling at a steady rate. He was still alive. An emotion rushed though him in responds to the observation. Cloud could not quite place a name for the feeling. Relief was the closes word for it but it was not quite right.
In less than an instant the relief was replaced by suspicion as if it had never been. He began to scan the forest for a potential ambush or a trap. There was no movement in the trees surrounding the body. No sounds reached his keen ears. None of his more abstract senses could detect any danger.
This did not bode well. Never before in his experience had he encountered a being he was unable to detect. It was a possibility that was the cause now. It did explain why they had left the man alive.
The only logical reason for leaving behind a living enemy was to use them as bait. That might not be the case here, he further considered. This was not the first time they had worked outside their own pattern of bloodlust. For an unknown reason Tifa had been left alive.
Tifa, he knew that name. It was part of Cloud, a very important part. His attempts to identify the name were cut short as he felt the girl peer out from behind him.
The girl gasped in surprise as she saw the man lying on the ground. Going against his instructions the girl shot out from behind him in a mad dash towards the body.
Cloud roughly caught the girl by her arm before she had a chance to take more than a step towards the body. She began to verbal protest. To stop her foolishness he knelt down establishing eye contact with the small child. Internally Cloud recoiled with surprise as recognized the girl.
She was...he could remember her name or who she was. There was something very important about the girl, like the name Tifa. The bright pink ribbon tied in her dark hair stirred memories. He tried to grasp at them but they slipped away.
His mental surprise was not shared with his body. Sternly he stared into the fearful brown eyes of the little girl. "Stay here and be silent."
The little girl frowned as she squirmed in his grasp, trying to look over his shoulder to see the body behind him. Firmly he gripped both of her tiny shoulders forcing her to stand still. "You can come with me as long as you are silent and stay behind him."
Her face brightened as she nodded her head to accept his offer. With a slight nod of his own he stood up. The girl slipped her tiny hand into his. Cautiously, he began to lead her towards the body. He continued scanning the forest expecting trouble of some sort. He should not bother the worse trouble was holding his hand.
He question the girl's sincere. Barely ten minutes ago, she made a similar promise only to break it. There was not enough time for arguing. As long as she remained silent she should not case that many problems.
Knelling beside the body he did a quick visual examination to see what was wrong with his friend. The body was almost as familiar to him as the girl and Tifa but he could place it.
Obediently the girl stood a pace behind him, for now. How long that would last he could not begin to guess. She just had to stand like that for only a few more minutes.
There were no serious injures apparent to the visible eye. Without hesitation he began to do a physical examination to detect if his friend had any none visible injures.
A loud crash of an explosive going off erupted from behind them, very close behind them. They were final coming. With a new sense of urgency he continued checking his friend.
At the end of the examination he concluded that his friend had severe bruising but no breaks. His friend's state of unconsciousness was troubling.
Through out the quick check his friend remained completely still. Even when Cloud pressed against what had to be a sensitive injury. If not for the sound of his friend's breathing he would have believed he was examining a newly killed body. There was no head injury that would have disabled him in such a way. That was not natural.
Another unusual finding was a faint bruise stretching around his friend's neck. Cloud placed a hand against the bruise. For a man who was not easily disturbed Cloud found the bruise very disturbing. The pattern made it appear as though the man had committed the injury on himself.
What is happening to you? He looked into the young man's deceptively peaceful face as if it would give him the answers.
That's wrong. A fragment of memory played out in his mind. The eyes had been open. This was not the first time he had been looking over the body. Confusion was being to overrun the calm that had been focusing his mind.
He felt his body tense from caution. "Cloud." The voice had come from his mouth but it was not his voice. It was too low and flat to be his voice. Why was a strange voice coming from his mouth? Why was it calling his name?
The calm was completely whipped away returning his mind back to the chaos of before. This was not making any sense. He moved his hand from the body's throat to the body's shoulder shaking it gentle. Terror flared though the confusion as his body began shaking the man even harder.
"Cloud." That's me. I am Cloud. How was he here and not in his own body?
Silly, you went to the wrong place.
Mom.
That was the voice the only thing that had remained constant in all the confusion. He had been trying to see her but he had gotten lost. Now that he heard her again he felt himself slipping out of the body.
As if it was about to sense his departure the body began to desperately shake Cloud's body. If Cloud had not felt so light head he would have been worried that it would injure his body.
"Cloud," the voice was starting to sound familiar now Cloud could almost place it in his memory. Worry could be clearly heard in the voice. That was strange but Cloud was not sure why.
The world went white.
"I am so proud, Cloud. You've made in into Shinra." A soft feminine voice pulled him his attention away from something... Cloud's head felt fuzzy as he tried to remember what he had been doing. All the memories in his head blurred together.
Trying to figure out what was happening he opened his eyes. His mother was standing before him looking up at him happiness glittering in her dark blue eyes. Cloud felt his face burn with shame as his mother pulled on the dark blue of his uniform. "So this is a SOLDIER uniform."
Unable to bare her enthusiasm Cloud looked away from her. He did not want to tell her the truth. This was not a SOLDIER uniform but a grunt uniform. He had not made it into SOLDIER.
For the mission he would have to hide his identity from Tifa. She would hate him even more if she found out that he would be able to keep his promise to her. He could lie to Tifa but not his mom. She deserved to know that he had completely wasted his life. All this time he had not been able to write her for fear she would find out about his failure. She had to be worried sick about him. He did not know how she would react but he was going to tell her.
Swallowing hard he forced himself to looked back at his mother. The devotion shining on her face caused him to wince. She was making this so difficult for him. He was not going to fail at this. "I did not-"
Cloud froze as he looked past his mother's small figure to the rest of the room. Pain sparked in his mind as shards of memories crashed into his thoughts. This place should not be here. There was a fire.
The room ignited into flame as the memories danced gruesomely across his eyes. Cloud had been guarding the secret passage in the mansion when Sephiroth had come out. There had been something strange about the man that set Cloud on edge. Worried for his commanding officer Cloud and followed him outside of the mansion.
To Cloud's horror Sephiroth had begun walking right towards Cloud's house. Then the Sephiroth burn it down. Cloud had tried to stop him but he could not. The only part of Nibelheim that had been spared Sephiroth's wrath was the mansion it remained becoming a torture ground for the survivors. Out of the entire town the mansion was the only place that deserved to burn.
There was nothing left of his Nibelheim but ash. Shinra had rebuilt it as part of their cover up but it was not the same. The people that made the town important for Cloud were gone. Tifa had been taken to Midgar while his mother burned along with her home.
Cloud barely noticed the fire dying away. The return of his memories left his mind raw making thinking a very difficult. This was a dream.
His mother's brilliant eyes darkened with concern as she watched his plight. "Cloud, honey, what's wrong?" With a mother's gentleness she cupped his face with her soft hands.
The physical contact brought an onslaught of memories with it. All the horrors that he had experienced in Nibelheim rose out of the memories to haunt him.
The Mount Nibel Bridge was shaking underneath him as he uneasily began to cross it. Up ahead was a distraught Tifa completely unaware of him. What was he doing? There was a snap. He started running towards the dark haired girl trying to save her. Before he could reach her the bridge broke sending Tifa falling into the abyss.
Everything was green. It was burning into his skin. It hurt so much. Make it stop.
The voice of the children that used to taunt him rang in his ears. Blood was dripping down his nose. Cloud lay in a painful heap on the ground glaring up at the beefy boy who had tried to break his nose. Still not strong enough, Cloud began the painful task of picking himself off the gravel. Next time would be different.
"We're getting out of here." The room spun as the memories washed over him, suffocating him. "You do realize she's dead specimen C. A pity such a beautiful girl would have been a wonderful contribution to the experiment." Tifa's dead.
Gasping for air he jerked his head out of his mother's hands. "What's it like returning to your home town? I wouldn't know." He stumbled backwards under the crushing weight of the memories. "So that's the girl what a looker. She's almost as hot as Aeris. Woops...don't tell her I said that." Nothing was clear. I have to get out of here.
Trying to escape the memories and the dead woman standing in front of him Cloud turned to flee. His mother halted his progress by grabbing his upper arm. "Are you going to running away like you older brother?"
The memories storming in his mind froze as the word brother came out of her mouth. They had called him that. In the forest, they had looked some much like Sephiroth.
With agonizing slowness Cloud began to turn his towards the woman standing behind him. He was terrified by the possible of what was standing there.
From a moment he was looking at his mother. The woman was watching him with a frown of worry on her face and concern still in her eyes.
Then the image of his mother blurred slightly. Her clothing melted away leaving nothing but pale skin. The pale blue of death began to seep across her pale skin until it had infected all of her transforming her into a corpse.
The change in her eyes was the worse of all. Her natural dark blue began to darken to the point where it was impossible for Cloud to tell the differences between her iris and her pupils. He barely noticed the change of color. Unlike the rest of her body, her eyes had not become completely alien. They still shine with the same motherly love he remembered seeing as a boy.
The transformation drove all rational thought out of his mind. Blinded by his terror he tried to rip his arm out of her grasp. Her grip had become supernatural strong making it impossible for him to break.
"There's nothing to be afraid of, my son." He struggled futile against her knowing, despite his inability to reason properly, he had to get away. Latched onto his arm was Jenova, the calamity from the sky.
Everything went away. The terror vanished leaving him feeling oddly empty. Cloud's strength vanished as well making it impossible for him to support his own body. His body swayed dangerously as he attempted to keep standing, trying to stay strong. In his state of weakness his knees gave way despite all his efforts to stand. He fell into the waiting arms of Jenova.
The numbness he was feeling was similar to his experience at the Sleeping Forest. There was one major difference. Before his entire mind had been obscured by her now it seemed only his emotions were affected.
Gentle Jenova enfolded his numb body with her icy arms wrapping him in a mother's embrace. Long forgotten feeling began to stir in Cloud's heart as she rested her head against the top of his.
This was just like what his...without hesitation Cloud forced the feeling away. He had to stay focused. This was just a trick.
"You're not my mother." His voice was nothing more than a harsh whisper that barely reached his own ears. Even though his voice was weak it was completely under his control.
This new numbness gave him at a slight advantage. His thoughts were no longer influenced by the thick terror that caused weakness and confusion. Once again he was too weak to save himself, bitterness tainted his tiny victory. Jenova had to be the cause but why? Was she trying to lull him into a sense of security?
Laughing in a soft musical tone Jenova began combing her dead fingers possessively though his spiky hair. "Silly Cloudy, she gave birth to you but your insides are all mine."
A strange sensation swept over his body as proof of her statement. The sensation was like nothing he had ever felt before. Unlike everything else that he associated with Jenova there was no pain. She had chosen to give him a gentle reminder that her cells were infecting his body.
Cloud was not sure why but the absence of pain was begin to disturb him. Somehow it made it seem as though she was speaking the truth. The feeling seemed to reach ever part of him. Did that mean he had more of her cells in his body than that of his birth mother's?
She's trying to confuse me. The majority of the experiments had been performed with mako not Jenova cells. Most of his memories of that time were of floating in the honey-like grip of mako as it burned away his mind. If his body was made up of anything inhuman it would have been mako, he tried to rationalize.
A twinge of doubt tore down his excuses. The truth was that he had no idea of what kind of procedures Hojo had inflicted on him. The few memories he had of his time in Hojo's custody were saturated with pain. His clearest memory was of the harsh green glow that never left him even when his eyes were closed. All his other memories were blurred or had been completely forgotten.
The few less blurry memories were all the ones he need. They were of Zack. Most of the memories were nothing more than the sound of Zack's voice reaching though the pain giving Cloud's sanity something to latch onto. Those were the important memories. The only ones he need.
Cloud had never considered trying to look for information on the experiments. It was likely that some of Hojo's notes had survived. Cloud had always been too afraid to look for them, too afraid that he would remember things that would drive his sanity away. The little information he had uncovered during his time with AVALANCHE had always been enough for him. Now it was not.
Cloud still did not want to remember but doubt was gnawing away as he continued to consider Jenova's words. What if what she said was true? What if he was more monster than human? There had been times especially in the last year when he had thought that way.
He could not allow himself to think like that, not now. There was too much at stake for him to lose himself to his weakness. As long as the blood of the Planet was flowing in his veins he was still human to some extent.
"Nothing to say. Sweetheart you do realize denial isn't attractive." Cloud bite back his answer knowing responding would be playing into her hands. Whatever she said would not make a difference. He was going to save everyone.
Pearls of seemly good natured laughter filled the air. Why was she doing this to me? Cloud wondered silently as she continued stroking thought his hair. What was she gaining by playing the mother figure? Would not it have been easier for her to screw with his head than this trickery? "Your trying so hard to be strong it's very admirable but misplaced. As long as you stay on my side you'll be stronger than you've ever imagined."
"I am not on your side." Growling at the woman Cloud tried his best to slip out of her grip. This was going on much longer than it should have. Despite his efforts his body continued laying in her arms completely unresponsive to his commands.
The situation worsened as the world in front of his eyes became fuzzy. Cloud blinked for a second trying to clear his vision until he realized the futileness of the action. The pull was returning. No amount of blinking would send that away. The blur from in front of his eyes began to slip into his mind casing a hazy over his thoughts. He had to get out of there.
Frozen lips brushed against his forehead giving him a quick butterfly kiss. A shiver ran down Cloud's spine as he continued his vain struggle to move. "Shh, little one, how are you not on my side you're apart of me. Why would you even consider resisting? I am the reason you were able to defeat your older brother. The reason you could save sweet Tifa from falling the final time."
"That's a lie," he whispered no longer trying to escape from her grasp. A familiar buzzing began to ring in his mind draining away any trace of defiance. It wasn't true wasn't it?
Before in Nibelheim Cloud had been unable to defeat Sephiroth. He had tried his hardest kill the general only to find out, five years later, he had utterly failed. Sephiroth had not only survived his attack the man had gotten stronger. Then there was Tifa. All the times she had been in trouble he had been unable to save her. Even when he was final able to catch her that last time he had not stayed to protect her. The voices could have killed her.
It was wrong for him to give even the slightest thought to the woman claim but it was all he could think about. If he had not been injected with the Jenova cells what would have happened. Had she given him the power?
"Of course I did, my lamb, I the reason you can hear my other children. There is so much more I can gi-" Sharp pain flared in Cloud's right arm jerking Cloud out of the icy embrace.