Final Fantasy 7

Emerald Princess of Vernea

Chapter Twenty-Five

A full five minutes passed by while Cloud, Aeris, Tifa, Barret and Red XIII watched in silence as the Shinra robot burned in front of them. It was quite a sombre silence as they all stood and stared, weapons still in hand. No one could say anything right then, and could only contemplate what they were going to do next. There were no more Shinra soldiers coming after them – the robot was their last defence.

Right then they were all thinking about the events that had taken place inside Shinra Headquarters during the last twelve hours or so. So much had already happened that they had barely taken the time to stop and reflect on it. It had all began with the destruction of the Sector 5 reactor, which had been a trap to lure them in. Next was the terrible destruction of Sector 7, their home, and the loss of many of their friends and comrades. And of course, lastly, there had been the journey into the Shinra Building to rescue Aeris that had led to the death of many people, including President Shinra. Everyone was taking a few moments to reflect on all of this, and the people they had lost.

Cloud stared silently into the flames that had rose up and engulfed the remains of the robot lying wasted in front of them. The darkness of the night and the shadows covering the city itself accented the intensity and vibrancy of the flames, as they flickered back and forth in the gentle breeze that was blowing around them. Staring into those red-hot flames brought back many unpleasant memories for him – memories he'd sooner forget if he could. Yet those memories were, like the flames, burned into his memory, and the incidents in the Shinra Building just stirred them all up again, including the anger. He clenched his fists tightly.

"Well, what do we do now?" Barret asked suddenly, breaking the silence that had taken over them.

No one answered him – they were still thinking. Cloud then suddenly turned away from the flames and walked off towards the end of the road ahead of them, the others turning to watch him. The road abruptly came to an end just a few metres ahead of where they had stopped, with nothing else beyond. Perhaps Shinra could never just be bothered finishing the road, but it simply hung over the ground outside of Midgar. Once they passed this obstacle they were officially out of Midgar and hopefully safe from the clutches of Shinra, but Cloud knew that there were other dangers beside Shinra.

"Sephiroth is alive," he said gravely, his voice low and quiet. His fists were shaking slightly, but luckily no one noticed. He closed his eyes, remembering. "I... I have to settle the score."

Barret walked up and stopped beside him. "And that'll save the Planet?" he asked.

Cloud shrugged his shoulders dismissively. "...Seems like it," he replied. In truth he didn't much care for the safety of the Planet right then – he had more important things on his mind. Barret on the other hand did seem to care.

"Awright, I'm going!" he exclaimed loudly, raising his one good fist high to the sky with determination.

"I'll go too," Aeris announced suddenly, stepping forward towards the two. When they looked at her she put her hands almost shyly behind her back, and looked down at the ground. "...I have things that I want to find out."

"About the Ancients?" Cloud asked her.

Aeris closed her eyes. "......Many things," she replied simply.

Tifa then walked up to join them at the end of the road. "I guess this's goodbye, Midgar," she said.

They all turned and looked out at the land beyond Midgar's imprisoning boundaries. They could see the dried up, wasted land that surrounded the immediate border that was caused by the reactors sucking up all the Mako energy that was buried deep in the ground. There was nothing living in that dark black area now except monsters – wild monsters. Beyond the dark patch of dead land they could see the green of fresh land – land that the reactors had not reached just yet.

In the far distance, the sun was just beginning to rise – the long night was finally over and their journey was about to begin. Slowly but surely the sun began to rise up over the fall in the Eastern Mountains, and gradually began to push away the darkness of the night and replace it with the cool colours of dawn. It gave the group a sense of hope after the effects of the night, and they headed down to the ground filled with fresh energy, using a long metal cable that was hanging from the end of the road. One by one they climbed down the cable and dropped onto the ground, and looked back momentarily at Midgar.

The perimeter of Midgar was surrounded by a thick wall of glass that ran all around the city, only opening up in some areas to allow people through, although special keys or passes were needed to gain access. Midgar really did look like a prison from the outside.

As the last of the group finished climbing down the cable and dropped safely onto the ground, Red XIII turned to them all. "I'm going back to my hometown," he informed them. "I'll go with you as far as that."

"I guess this is the start of our journey," Tifa said, folding her arms. Her voice sounded almost solemn and even a little scared. Even as Cloud looked at her, he could see the concern in her face, as though she had something in the back of her mind that she couldn't quite shake off.

"You hate travelling?" he asked her.

Tifa turned her head and looked over at Cloud, as she tried to hide the worried look on her face. "...I don't know," she admitted. She managed a very brief smile. "But, I don't have anywhere else to go. So I guess it doesn't really matter whether I like to travel or not."

Beside her Aeris sighed heavily, and put her hands behind her back. "You know what?" she asked suddenly. "This is the first time I've ever left Midgar..."

Cloud turned to look at her and blinked. "Really?" he asked her, seeming a little surprised. "...You worried?"

Aeris looked back at him, also surprised. She then tilted her head to the side as she thought about the question, seriously beginning to consider her own feelings. Up until that point she hadn't really thought about it much, but now that Cloud was asking her, she suddenly found herself unable to decide. Part of her was worried about leaving Midgar, for as she had said, she had never left Midgar before. And yet she was also excited, for she longed to see the outside world and the sights that it held for her. It was hard to decide how she truly felt about leaving Midgar, but she felt that the worry outweighed the excitement, just a little bit.

"A little," she answered finally. She ran her hand through her hair, and giggled a little. "...No, maybe a lot," she added as she giggled. She gave Cloud a slight wink. "But I have my bodyguard, right?"

Cloud blinked again. In response Aeris just smiled her usual cheerful, carefree smile, and then turned away to look back at Midgar, and the smile faded. Through those locked doors was Sector 5, and she could just about see the church through the rubble and waste that was gathered there. Beyond the rubble were the Sector 5 slums, where her mother Elmyra was.

Barret glanced back and saw where Aeris was looking. He turned to Cloud. "We told Aeris's mom to go somewhere safe," he said, and Aeris turned her head to look at him. "So Marlene should be safe, too."

"Yeah, she should be," agreed Cloud, although he didn't sound too sure. In the slums it was hard for anyone to go anywhere, including the upper plates, and getting out of Midgar had been a major task for them alone. So he highly doubted that Elmyra and Marlene would make it out so easily. He didn't say so, though. Barret and Aeris needed to be assured that they were safe. He walked forward to the head of the group, and turned back to them all. "Then... Let's go!"

"We need a group leader for our journey," Barret declared loudly. He raised his arms and bared his gun-arm. "'Course only me could be the leader." He began to flex his large muscles to show off his strength and supremacy that made him the best candidate for leader.

Tifa and Aeris on the other hand, didn't look so convinced. "You think so...?" asked Tifa, seeming a little alarmed at the suggestion. She glanced at Aeris, who then walked forward and stood beside Barret, standing on her tiptoes so she could reach his face.

"It would have to be Cloud," she said.

All at once Barret stopped acting tough and stood frozen for a moment or two, while Cloud just looked blank and expressionless, unmoved by their decision. Barret then sagged, realising that he wasn't going to win against Tifa and Aeris. They had both made their decision.

"#$% ......Awright," he moaned, giving in at last. He glanced at Cloud, an angry look on his face. "Go Northeast to a town called Kalm. If something happens, we'll meet up there." He sat down grumpily on the ground and crossed his legs, and refused to look at Cloud. "'Sides, we can't have 5 people strolling down the fields. It's too dangerous. Split us into two parties..."

Cloud crossed his arms and thought for a moment. He didn't particularly want to be the leader, but he wasn't going to argue with Tifa and Aeris. Barret was a good fighter, but he probably wasn't the best choice for leader. He also got the feeling that him and Barret would probably end up fighting if they travelled together.

Although he never got the chance to choose his party, for moments later Tifa and Aeris both suddenly ran forward and stood on either side of him, leaving Barret and Red XIII alone on the other side. Barret crossed his arms and grinned knowingly.

"...Thought you'd do that," he said. He gave them all a wave. "Later, at Kalm!"

Barret then turned and ran off away from the group towards the dull and grey fields that surrounded Midgar. Red XIII followed him a few metres behind, trying to catch up with him as he ran. Cloud and his own group waited just a few minutes more and took one final look at Midgar as the sun rose. The city seemed quiet, and there was no sign of any Shinra soldiers coming after them. After they finished saying goodbye they turned and headed off into the fields towards the town of Kalm, leaving Midgar behind them.


[Kalm]

After about an hour of wandering the fields the group finally came across the small town of Kalm, just as Barret had told them. It was just past the lifeless fields that surrounded Midgar, to the northeast, and even from just a single glance it was clear that this town was the complete opposite of Midgar.

The first thing Cloud, Aeris and Tifa noticed as they entered the town was the difference in the air's scent and taste. In Midgar and the land surrounding it the air had been thick and heavy with the scent of metal, oil and rust, and there was no other natural life apart from the people that lived there, with the exception of Aeris's flower garden.

As they passed the lifeless fields and into the plains surrounding Kalm, they were hit with the fresh scents of life coming from the grass and flowers that were growing there, presently untouched by the suction of the reactors of Midgar. The grass was as green as anything, and the flowers were full of colour and giving off beautiful scents into the air. There weren't even many monsters in this area.

The town of Kalm was exactly the same. The air was fresh and incredibly clear, with no smell of smog or metal or dirt, and each breath that they inhaled was cool and refreshing. It awoke the hidden depths of their minds and bodies that the thick air of Midgar had buried for so long.

Kalm itself was only a small, quiet town, just a little village near to the coast of the continent, unlike the city of Midgar that was a large productive city. This town was the complete opposite and looked in much better condition than Midgar was. There were many quaint little houses built around the town centre, many of them with two or even three floors, and each one was built out of beautifully painted brick and wood, and was in good condition.

All the major shops were built at the far end of the town centre on the top of a large platform that could be reached via a large set of wooden stairs, although they were only tiny shops, and probably didn't have much variety in their stock. Behind those shops there was an old mine where some of the older people worked, although that mine was pretty much run down by now. Even so the town wasn't poor and the people weren't living in shabby old houses, unlike the people of the slums in Midgar. In general Kalm had a much happier feel to it, and Cloud's group instantly felt their spirits rise as they entered the town.

"So this is Kalm?" asked Tifa, looking around. A gentle breeze blew through her hair, making it blow back behind her. She couldn't believe just how clear the air was in this town. It was a freshness she hadn't felt for a long time...

Aeris looked around at the town centre, until she spotted an inn at the far end. "I wonder if everyone's there already," she said. She pointed towards the inn. "Let's hurry over to the inn!"

She ran forward towards the inn and waved to Cloud and Tifa to follow her before she ran inside, shutting the door behind her. Once she was gone Tifa sighed heavily and brushed her thick brown hair out of her eyes. She then turned to Cloud, and gave him a gentle smile.

"Let's go, Cloud," she said, and headed off to the inn herself.

Cloud stayed outside for a few more minutes, standing with his arms folded as he looked around the town. Although this was the first time he had ever been to Kalm, it was built very similarly to a place he had been to before. Of course this town was much more lively than the other place, it brought back some more of his old memories. There were many children running around enjoying the sunlight, playing with their friends or pets, while the adults walked around leisurely as they shopped, or simply sat by the well to rest their legs. Realising that he was standing in the middle of the street by himself he quickly headed over to the inn.

The inside of the inn was quiet, and there was only a single receptionist standing behind the desk, watching him as he entered. There was no sign of Tifa or Aeris anywhere, so Cloud figured they were already upstairs waiting for him with the others, if they had already arrived as well. He walked towards the receptionist, who looked at him.

"Mr...... Cloud?" the receptionist asked him. Cloud nodded. "Your party is waiting for you on the second floor."

Cloud nodded again and headed on up the stairs towards the second floor where the others would be waiting for him. In fact, Barret was standing at the top of the stairs waiting for him, standing with an unpleasant, impatient look on his hairy face. Cloud just ignored the angry look as he walked up and into the second floor bedrooms, and saw that the rest of the group was indeed waiting for him. Tifa and Aeris were both sat on the beds, while Red XIII was sat on the floor near to the window, his tail gently swaying back and forth as usual. As Cloud walked up Aeris looked up at him and smiled.

"Cloud, you're late!" she said.

"Yo man, you're late!" Barret said irritably, glaring at Cloud. He didn't like to be kept about waiting for Cloud.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," said Cloud. He walked fully into the room and stood in the middle of everybody.

"Guess everyone's here now..." said Aeris.

Barret immediately wasted no time in getting right to the point of the matter. "So let's hear your story......" he said to Cloud harshly. Cloud looked at him. "You know, the one about Sephiroth and the crisis facing the planet. Let's hear it all."

Cloud looked down at the ground silently for a few moments, unsure of how to put his story. It wasn't something he particularly wanted to talk about, but he got the impression that Barret wasn't going to let it go without a decent explanation. He had already made it clear that he knew something about Sephiroth, and with Barret and Aeris and Red XIII looking at him, he knew there was no way he could get out of it. So he took a deep breath and began to explain.

"......I used to want to be like Sephiroth, so I joined SOLDIER," he began, thinking that the very beginning was a good place to start. "After working with Sephiroth on several missions, we became friends."

"You call that a friend?" Barret asked in surprise, remembering the scenes of death that they had seen in the Shinra Building, and the way the president had been murdered with the long masamune sword in his back.

"Yeah, well..." Cloud sighed heavily. "He's older than me, and he hardly every talked about himself."

"......" Tifa mumbled silently. She had a grave expression on her face as she listened to Cloud talk.

"So I guess you'd call him a war buddy...... We trusted each other. Until one day......"

Aeris lifted her head. "...One day?" she asked.

Cloud suddenly turned away from them all and walked away from them. "After the war it was SOLDIER's duty to put down any resistance against the Shinra," he explained, refusing to look at them. "......That was five years ago. I was 16......"


[End of Part One]

[Part Two: Cloud's Memory]


Emerald: That's Part One: Midgar complete – after 25 chapters! Thanks for all the good reviews I've received so far – they're really appreciated! If you ever spot a spelling or grammar mistake, please let me know so I can correct it! Hope you've all enjoyed it so far. If so, go on to Part Two!!!