Final Fantasy 7
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Five
It wasn't a very impressive looking room, for it was just the bar's basement that had been converted into a kind of living room for the AVALANCHE members to meet and plan their missions. A large TV screen and computer was built into one of the walls, and this was where Jessie did her research and constructed the bombs that AVALANCHE would use. Even now she was busy typing furiously into a computer. At that moment the news was showing on the TV, giving a report on the reactor explosion that they themselves had caused.
Biggs and Wedge were both sat at a table near the opposite wall, playing cards with each other to pass the time until Barret was ready to give them a debriefing of their mission, as well as to tell them what their next mission was. Barret himself was busy punching a punch bag furiously, with Marlene sat on a cupboard beside him and cheering on. She really admired Barret and looked up to him tremendously, and Barret clearly did everything that he could to impress her. Cloud doubted that Marlene had any real idea about the seriousness of what AVALANCHE was doing, but as far as Barret was concerned, he was protecting her. As Cloud stepped off the pinball machine Barret stopped hitting the bag and turned to Cloud.
"Yo, Cloud! There's somethin' I wanna ask ya," he said. Cloud listened. "Was there anyone from SOLDIER fighting us today?"
Cloud crossed his arms and thought for a moment before shaking his head. "None. I'm positive," he answered.
Barret punched the bag hard. "You sound pretty sure."
Cloud nodded again. "If there was anyone from SOLDIER you wouldn't be standing here now," he said plainly.
There was an instant change in Barret's expression. Up until then he could have almost been sociable with Cloud, but that single remark quickly changed all that, and his expression turned back to one of pure anger and hatred for the spiky-haired young man.
"Don't go thinkin' you so bad jes cuz you was in SOLDIER," he warned Cloud firmly.
He suddenly moved forward in an attempt to hit Cloud hard on his fair face, but Biggs quickly intervened, getting up out of his chair and grabbing Barret's arms to hold him back. Barret struggled, and Biggs was barely able to keep him from lunging at Cloud, who merely turned away and crossed his arms again.
"..............." Cloud mumbled silently.
Barret growled furiously and turned round to Biggs. With his one good hand he suddenly lunged and punched Biggs right in his face. Biggs flew up and back, smashing into the wall hard and tumbling to the ground. All at once silence spread through the room, the other members turning to watch. Punching Biggs seemed to slacken some of the anger that Barret was feeling, so he didn't lunge at Cloud now that Biggs was not in his way, but he still looked angry.
"Yeah, you're strong," Barret said, turning to taunting now the fighting anger had subsided. "Probably all them guys in SOLDIER art. But don't forget that your skinny ass's workin' for AVALANCHE now! Don't get no ideas 'bout hangin' onto Shinra!"
Cloud turned. "Stayin' with Shinra?" he asked in disbelief. "You asked me a question and I answered... that's all." He walked over to Barret fearfully and looked up at him. Barret was a good set of inches taller than Cloud, but to show that the ferocious AVALANCHE leader didn't intimidate him, he stood up on his tiptoes and looked Barret as close as he could in the eyes. "I'm going upstairs. I want to talk about my money."
Barret's fists shook angrily as Cloud turned away from him, and for a moment it looked as though Barret was ready to lunge again, and Biggs was in no position to stop him. However this time Cloud was saved by Tifa, who at that moment came down on the pinball machine upon hearing the arguments going on downstairs, and hurriedly ran to Cloud.
"Wait, Cloud!" she said.
"Tifa! Let him go!" Barret told her. "Looks like he still misses the Shinra."
Cloud turned angrily. "Shut up!" he ordered Barret, this time with his own fists clenched. "I don't care about either Shinra or SOLDIER!" He walked past Tifa, who was looking at him sadly, and then turned back again. "But don't get me wrong! I don't care about AVALANCHE or the Planet for that matter!"
Leaving it at that Cloud turned away and headed over to the pinball machine, lifting up the lever to make it go back up towards Tifa's bar. As he rose up he could hear the sound of furious punching as Barret began to hit the bag again, this time much quicker and angrier than before.
He didn't feel any regrets over what he said as he began to head for the door of the bar, not noticing the pinball machine go back down to the room below. He looked around the empty bar and then quickly began to head for the door, just as the pinball machine came up once more. Tifa was on the lift, and as the lift stopped she stepped off and ran up behind Cloud. The lift went down again as she ran to him.
"Listen, Cloud," she pleaded with him, sounding almost desperate. "I'm asking you. Please join us."
Cloud shook his head and walked forward. "Sorry, Tifa..." he lied.
"The Planet is dying," Tifa protested, her desperation growing in intensity as she begged him to stay. "Slowly but surely it's dying. Someone has to do something.
"So let Barret and his buddies do something about it," Cloud replied harshly. He turned to Tifa sharply, a cold and uncaring look on his face. "It's got nothin' to do with me." He turned away once more and headed for the door.
"So! You're really leaving!?" Tifa said indignantly, stamping her foot on the floor and putting her hands on her hips. "You're just going to walk right out ignoring your childhood friend!?"
Cloud stopped and turned around to face her. "What...?" he asked. "How can you say that!"
Sadly Tifa sagged and looked down at the ground. She shuffled her feet uncomfortably against the floor, looking as though she wanted to speak but couldn't find the words. She looped her arms behind her before finally lifting her head and looking directly into Cloud's eyes.
"...You forgot the promise, too."
Cloud tilted his head to the side in bewilderment. "Promise?"
Again Tifa's brown eyes sagged in disappointment. "So you DID forget," she assumed, nodding her head. She walked up close to him and looked him in the eye again. "Remember ...Cloud? It was seven years ago."
Cloud crossed his arms and looked down at the ground, tapping his foot against the ground as he thought hard to remember the time that Tifa was talking about. He closed his eyes and lifted his head to look up at the ceiling of the bar, with its crisscross wooden beams looking back down at him. For a moment he could not remember anything that Tifa was talking about, until finally a picture came to mind.
In his mind's eye he could just about see an old wooden well, which was built in a quaint little town that was his and Tifa's hometown – a place called Nibelheim. Tifa nodded her head and smiled as she realised that Cloud was beginning to remember what she was talking about.
"Look, the well," she whispered. "Do you remember?"
Cloud looked down again, confirming the picture in his mind. Then he nodded. "Yeah... back then," he said. Tifa nodded. "I thought you would never come, and I was getting a little cold."
Cloud sat by the well patiently, tapping his feet gently against the old wood of the well as he waited for Tifa to arrive. The well was built in the centre of the town and could be seen from every house built there, since the well was the town's focal point, even though the well had been empty and unused for several years. As he sat there tapping his feet a gentle breeze blew, making the hair on his arms stand on end, even though it was a fairly warm night. The sky was clear and dotted with stars that sparkled in the darkness. The town was quiet at this time, and Cloud was the only one out.
He wasn't alone for long. After he waited a few minutes for he finally heard the sound of gentle footsteps against the wood, and as he turned Tifa appeared from around the corner of the well. She was dressed in an elegant turquoise dress and high-heeled shoes, looking very pretty indeed. It certainly looked as though she had made the effort, which could have been the reason for her being so late.
"Sorry I'm late," the young girl apologised.
She walked over to the plank where Cloud was sat, and sat on the edge just beside him, but not facing him. As she sat she waited for Cloud to say why he had called her out here, but he said nothing. So Tifa turned around to face him.
"You said you wanted to talk to me about something?"
Cloud sighed heavily, and didn't look at Tifa. "Come this spring... I'm leaving this town for Midgar."
Tifa turned away from Cloud and looked down at her feet dangling over the edge of the well. She lifted her feet up and rocked them gently back and forth, tapping them quietly against the wood. She took a deep breath and didn't look up.
"...All the boys are leaving our town."
"But I'm different from all of them," Cloud insisted. "I'm not just going to find a job." He quickly stood up on the well and turned to Tifa. "I want to join SOLDIER. I'm going to be the best there is, just like Sephiroth!"
"Sephiroth... The Great Sephiroth," Tifa whispered.
Cloud turned away and walked away from Tifa, heading around the corner towards the back of the well. Moments later he appeared at the top of the well after climbing up the last few planks to reach the circular hole that led deep into the ground. Once he was secure he nodded to Tifa, who wrapped her arms tightly around her legs and pulled them close to her.
"Isn't it hard to join SOLDIER?" she asked.
Cloud nodded. "I probably won't be able to come back to this town for a while," he said. He suddenly heard the sound of giggling, and glanced down at Tifa. "...huh?" he asked.
Tifa coughed a little as she stopped her giggles, and continued to tap her feet against the wall of the well. She swallowed as she finally stopped laughing, and suddenly grew very serious once more.
"Will you be in the papers if you do well?"
"I'll try," said Cloud.
Tifa smiled, and lifted her head up to look at Cloud above her.
"Hey, why don't we make a promise?" she suggested. She looked down and tapped her feet again in thought. "Umm, if you get really famous and I'm ever in a bind...... You come save me, all right?"
"What?"
Tifa flicked her hair back out of her way, and her eyes glimmered as she daydreamed. "Whenever I'm in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me. I want to at least experience that once."
"What?"
"Come on--!" Tifa begged him, looking up at him once more. "Promise me---- !"
Cloud stared at Tifa in bafflement, trying to understand what the girl was getting at. She looked at him with an insistent look on her face – she wasn't about to give up until he agreed. So he finally nodded his head, just as a shooting star crossed the sky above him.
"All right...... I promise."
"You remember now, don't you... our promise?"
Cloud uncrossed his arms and looked down as he finished remembering, and shook his head.
"I'm not a hero and I'm not famous," he told Tifa plainly. "I can't keep... the promise."
"But you got your childhood dream, didn't you?" Tifa pointed out. "You joined SOLDIER." Cloud looked away from her nervously and scratched the back of his head. Tifa realised she had caught him out on that, and smiled. "So come on! You've got to keep your promise..."
Cloud didn't look up at Tifa. He also knew she had caught him out there, for she was right. He may not have been in the papers, and regardless that he ended up quitting SOLDIER not long after, it didn't change the fact that he had fulfilled part of his dream, and as such should keep part of his promise to Tifa. He still looked like he was about to protest, but was interrupted as Barret suddenly appeared from the room below, climbing up the long pipe that the lift used to rise and fall between the two floors. As he reached the top he jumped off and turned to Cloud.
"Wait a sec big-time SOLDIER!" he said tauntingly. He delved into his pocket and dug deep, before pulling out a bag filled with money. "A promise is a promise! Here!!"
He threw the bag away from him, and it clattered on the ground at Cloud's feet. Cloud made a fleeting glance at Tifa, whose face was still beseeching at him to reconsider his decision. Breaking her gaze Cloud knelt on the floor and picked up the bag, swiftly putting it in his pocket for safety. He then stood up and looked at Barret.
"This is my pay? Don't make me laugh."
Tifa's face instantly lit up in delight. "What? Then you'll...!!"
Cloud put one hand on his hip casually as he flicked his hair. "You got the next mission lined up?" he asked Barret. "I'll do it for 3000."
"What......!?" Barret raged furiously, looking as though he was ready to explode. He'd hoped to get rid of Cloud quickly.
"It's okay, it's okay," Tifa said. She took Barret's arm and whispered gently, "We're really hurting for help, right?"
"Uh...ugh..." Barret groaned. He turned to Tifa sharply, his gun-arm shaking fiercely. "That money's for Marlene's schoolin'......" He then turned and glared at Cloud. "2000!" he snapped, before turning away and folding his arms stubbornly, refusing to discuss the matter any more than that.
Tifa sighed with immense relief and smiled at Cloud gently.
"Thanks, Cloud."
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Five
It wasn't a very impressive looking room, for it was just the bar's basement that had been converted into a kind of living room for the AVALANCHE members to meet and plan their missions. A large TV screen and computer was built into one of the walls, and this was where Jessie did her research and constructed the bombs that AVALANCHE would use. Even now she was busy typing furiously into a computer. At that moment the news was showing on the TV, giving a report on the reactor explosion that they themselves had caused.
Biggs and Wedge were both sat at a table near the opposite wall, playing cards with each other to pass the time until Barret was ready to give them a debriefing of their mission, as well as to tell them what their next mission was. Barret himself was busy punching a punch bag furiously, with Marlene sat on a cupboard beside him and cheering on. She really admired Barret and looked up to him tremendously, and Barret clearly did everything that he could to impress her. Cloud doubted that Marlene had any real idea about the seriousness of what AVALANCHE was doing, but as far as Barret was concerned, he was protecting her. As Cloud stepped off the pinball machine Barret stopped hitting the bag and turned to Cloud.
"Yo, Cloud! There's somethin' I wanna ask ya," he said. Cloud listened. "Was there anyone from SOLDIER fighting us today?"
Cloud crossed his arms and thought for a moment before shaking his head. "None. I'm positive," he answered.
Barret punched the bag hard. "You sound pretty sure."
Cloud nodded again. "If there was anyone from SOLDIER you wouldn't be standing here now," he said plainly.
There was an instant change in Barret's expression. Up until then he could have almost been sociable with Cloud, but that single remark quickly changed all that, and his expression turned back to one of pure anger and hatred for the spiky-haired young man.
"Don't go thinkin' you so bad jes cuz you was in SOLDIER," he warned Cloud firmly.
He suddenly moved forward in an attempt to hit Cloud hard on his fair face, but Biggs quickly intervened, getting up out of his chair and grabbing Barret's arms to hold him back. Barret struggled, and Biggs was barely able to keep him from lunging at Cloud, who merely turned away and crossed his arms again.
"..............." Cloud mumbled silently.
Barret growled furiously and turned round to Biggs. With his one good hand he suddenly lunged and punched Biggs right in his face. Biggs flew up and back, smashing into the wall hard and tumbling to the ground. All at once silence spread through the room, the other members turning to watch. Punching Biggs seemed to slacken some of the anger that Barret was feeling, so he didn't lunge at Cloud now that Biggs was not in his way, but he still looked angry.
"Yeah, you're strong," Barret said, turning to taunting now the fighting anger had subsided. "Probably all them guys in SOLDIER art. But don't forget that your skinny ass's workin' for AVALANCHE now! Don't get no ideas 'bout hangin' onto Shinra!"
Cloud turned. "Stayin' with Shinra?" he asked in disbelief. "You asked me a question and I answered... that's all." He walked over to Barret fearfully and looked up at him. Barret was a good set of inches taller than Cloud, but to show that the ferocious AVALANCHE leader didn't intimidate him, he stood up on his tiptoes and looked Barret as close as he could in the eyes. "I'm going upstairs. I want to talk about my money."
Barret's fists shook angrily as Cloud turned away from him, and for a moment it looked as though Barret was ready to lunge again, and Biggs was in no position to stop him. However this time Cloud was saved by Tifa, who at that moment came down on the pinball machine upon hearing the arguments going on downstairs, and hurriedly ran to Cloud.
"Wait, Cloud!" she said.
"Tifa! Let him go!" Barret told her. "Looks like he still misses the Shinra."
Cloud turned angrily. "Shut up!" he ordered Barret, this time with his own fists clenched. "I don't care about either Shinra or SOLDIER!" He walked past Tifa, who was looking at him sadly, and then turned back again. "But don't get me wrong! I don't care about AVALANCHE or the Planet for that matter!"
Leaving it at that Cloud turned away and headed over to the pinball machine, lifting up the lever to make it go back up towards Tifa's bar. As he rose up he could hear the sound of furious punching as Barret began to hit the bag again, this time much quicker and angrier than before.
He didn't feel any regrets over what he said as he began to head for the door of the bar, not noticing the pinball machine go back down to the room below. He looked around the empty bar and then quickly began to head for the door, just as the pinball machine came up once more. Tifa was on the lift, and as the lift stopped she stepped off and ran up behind Cloud. The lift went down again as she ran to him.
"Listen, Cloud," she pleaded with him, sounding almost desperate. "I'm asking you. Please join us."
Cloud shook his head and walked forward. "Sorry, Tifa..." he lied.
"The Planet is dying," Tifa protested, her desperation growing in intensity as she begged him to stay. "Slowly but surely it's dying. Someone has to do something.
"So let Barret and his buddies do something about it," Cloud replied harshly. He turned to Tifa sharply, a cold and uncaring look on his face. "It's got nothin' to do with me." He turned away once more and headed for the door.
"So! You're really leaving!?" Tifa said indignantly, stamping her foot on the floor and putting her hands on her hips. "You're just going to walk right out ignoring your childhood friend!?"
Cloud stopped and turned around to face her. "What...?" he asked. "How can you say that!"
Sadly Tifa sagged and looked down at the ground. She shuffled her feet uncomfortably against the floor, looking as though she wanted to speak but couldn't find the words. She looped her arms behind her before finally lifting her head and looking directly into Cloud's eyes.
"...You forgot the promise, too."
Cloud tilted his head to the side in bewilderment. "Promise?"
Again Tifa's brown eyes sagged in disappointment. "So you DID forget," she assumed, nodding her head. She walked up close to him and looked him in the eye again. "Remember ...Cloud? It was seven years ago."
Cloud crossed his arms and looked down at the ground, tapping his foot against the ground as he thought hard to remember the time that Tifa was talking about. He closed his eyes and lifted his head to look up at the ceiling of the bar, with its crisscross wooden beams looking back down at him. For a moment he could not remember anything that Tifa was talking about, until finally a picture came to mind.
In his mind's eye he could just about see an old wooden well, which was built in a quaint little town that was his and Tifa's hometown – a place called Nibelheim. Tifa nodded her head and smiled as she realised that Cloud was beginning to remember what she was talking about.
"Look, the well," she whispered. "Do you remember?"
Cloud looked down again, confirming the picture in his mind. Then he nodded. "Yeah... back then," he said. Tifa nodded. "I thought you would never come, and I was getting a little cold."
Cloud sat by the well patiently, tapping his feet gently against the old wood of the well as he waited for Tifa to arrive. The well was built in the centre of the town and could be seen from every house built there, since the well was the town's focal point, even though the well had been empty and unused for several years. As he sat there tapping his feet a gentle breeze blew, making the hair on his arms stand on end, even though it was a fairly warm night. The sky was clear and dotted with stars that sparkled in the darkness. The town was quiet at this time, and Cloud was the only one out.
He wasn't alone for long. After he waited a few minutes for he finally heard the sound of gentle footsteps against the wood, and as he turned Tifa appeared from around the corner of the well. She was dressed in an elegant turquoise dress and high-heeled shoes, looking very pretty indeed. It certainly looked as though she had made the effort, which could have been the reason for her being so late.
"Sorry I'm late," the young girl apologised.
She walked over to the plank where Cloud was sat, and sat on the edge just beside him, but not facing him. As she sat she waited for Cloud to say why he had called her out here, but he said nothing. So Tifa turned around to face him.
"You said you wanted to talk to me about something?"
Cloud sighed heavily, and didn't look at Tifa. "Come this spring... I'm leaving this town for Midgar."
Tifa turned away from Cloud and looked down at her feet dangling over the edge of the well. She lifted her feet up and rocked them gently back and forth, tapping them quietly against the wood. She took a deep breath and didn't look up.
"...All the boys are leaving our town."
"But I'm different from all of them," Cloud insisted. "I'm not just going to find a job." He quickly stood up on the well and turned to Tifa. "I want to join SOLDIER. I'm going to be the best there is, just like Sephiroth!"
"Sephiroth... The Great Sephiroth," Tifa whispered.
Cloud turned away and walked away from Tifa, heading around the corner towards the back of the well. Moments later he appeared at the top of the well after climbing up the last few planks to reach the circular hole that led deep into the ground. Once he was secure he nodded to Tifa, who wrapped her arms tightly around her legs and pulled them close to her.
"Isn't it hard to join SOLDIER?" she asked.
Cloud nodded. "I probably won't be able to come back to this town for a while," he said. He suddenly heard the sound of giggling, and glanced down at Tifa. "...huh?" he asked.
Tifa coughed a little as she stopped her giggles, and continued to tap her feet against the wall of the well. She swallowed as she finally stopped laughing, and suddenly grew very serious once more.
"Will you be in the papers if you do well?"
"I'll try," said Cloud.
Tifa smiled, and lifted her head up to look at Cloud above her.
"Hey, why don't we make a promise?" she suggested. She looked down and tapped her feet again in thought. "Umm, if you get really famous and I'm ever in a bind...... You come save me, all right?"
"What?"
Tifa flicked her hair back out of her way, and her eyes glimmered as she daydreamed. "Whenever I'm in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me. I want to at least experience that once."
"What?"
"Come on--!" Tifa begged him, looking up at him once more. "Promise me---- !"
Cloud stared at Tifa in bafflement, trying to understand what the girl was getting at. She looked at him with an insistent look on her face – she wasn't about to give up until he agreed. So he finally nodded his head, just as a shooting star crossed the sky above him.
"All right...... I promise."
"You remember now, don't you... our promise?"
Cloud uncrossed his arms and looked down as he finished remembering, and shook his head.
"I'm not a hero and I'm not famous," he told Tifa plainly. "I can't keep... the promise."
"But you got your childhood dream, didn't you?" Tifa pointed out. "You joined SOLDIER." Cloud looked away from her nervously and scratched the back of his head. Tifa realised she had caught him out on that, and smiled. "So come on! You've got to keep your promise..."
Cloud didn't look up at Tifa. He also knew she had caught him out there, for she was right. He may not have been in the papers, and regardless that he ended up quitting SOLDIER not long after, it didn't change the fact that he had fulfilled part of his dream, and as such should keep part of his promise to Tifa. He still looked like he was about to protest, but was interrupted as Barret suddenly appeared from the room below, climbing up the long pipe that the lift used to rise and fall between the two floors. As he reached the top he jumped off and turned to Cloud.
"Wait a sec big-time SOLDIER!" he said tauntingly. He delved into his pocket and dug deep, before pulling out a bag filled with money. "A promise is a promise! Here!!"
He threw the bag away from him, and it clattered on the ground at Cloud's feet. Cloud made a fleeting glance at Tifa, whose face was still beseeching at him to reconsider his decision. Breaking her gaze Cloud knelt on the floor and picked up the bag, swiftly putting it in his pocket for safety. He then stood up and looked at Barret.
"This is my pay? Don't make me laugh."
Tifa's face instantly lit up in delight. "What? Then you'll...!!"
Cloud put one hand on his hip casually as he flicked his hair. "You got the next mission lined up?" he asked Barret. "I'll do it for 3000."
"What......!?" Barret raged furiously, looking as though he was ready to explode. He'd hoped to get rid of Cloud quickly.
"It's okay, it's okay," Tifa said. She took Barret's arm and whispered gently, "We're really hurting for help, right?"
"Uh...ugh..." Barret groaned. He turned to Tifa sharply, his gun-arm shaking fiercely. "That money's for Marlene's schoolin'......" He then turned and glared at Cloud. "2000!" he snapped, before turning away and folding his arms stubbornly, refusing to discuss the matter any more than that.
Tifa sighed with immense relief and smiled at Cloud gently.
"Thanks, Cloud."
