Final Fantasy 7
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Part Two: Cloud's Memory
Chapter Twenty-Six
Cloud moved to the back of the pick up truck that was carrying them along, and looked out of the back window. It was hard to see out because of the rain that was falling down outside, falling thick and fast onto the window and covering it completely. No sooner did the wipers at the front and back of the car wipe the rain away did more fall down onto it, making it almost impossible to see out. From what he could make out the sky was dark and dreary, the clouds so low they almost touched the tips of the mountains he could see in the distance.
"It sure is raining hard," he commented, before turning back to the other people sitting patiently in the car as it drove on.
Sitting in the car were two Shinra soldiers and another man, with another soldier driving the truck at the front. The soldier furthest from him was sat patiently with his gun in his hand as they moved on, not paying any attention to him at all. The nearest soldier sat on the crate beside him was sat anxiously with his hands cupped together, trembling a little. He didn't really seem that well at all.
The third person was sat at the other end of the truck on another crate, and it was clear just from looking at him that he was a strong and well-respected individual. He was dressed fairly smartly in a black and white outfit that was mostly covered by a long black cloak that covered him from his shoulders to his feet, with two large pieces of shoulder-armour on either shoulder. His hair was so long it ran all the way down his back, and was coloured a beautiful shade of silver. His skin was fairly pale, which was natural considering his hair colour, while his eyes were a stunning green, with the same glow in them that Cloud's eyes had. By his side was the long, curved sword that only he could use – the masamune. At that moment he was looking down in thought, not noticing what Cloud was doing.
This was the man that started everything. The man that killed the Shinra president and probably many others as well.
This was Sephiroth.
Cloud moved away from the window and towards the soldier closest to him. The poor Shinra soldier looked very uncomfortable clad in the blue uniform, and was constantly twitching and shifting about on the crate in which he was sat. Cloud felt incredibly sorry for him, having to sit about in his uniform and helmet like that, unable to go outside for some fresh air to clear his head.
"How are you doing?" he asked the soldier kindly, leaning over to him.
The soldier looked up, his face invisible through the darkness of the helmet. "I'm all right," he muttered quietly, his voice shaking a little with his nausea.
"I wouldn't know..." Cloud admitted, standing upright. He folded his arms in thought for a moment or two. "I've never had motion sickness." He then left the motion sick soldier and went to the front of the truck, and waved to the second Shinra soldier. "Everything okay?" he asked.
The soldier just looked at him, and then looked away again, uninterested. Cloud didn't mind, and walked back to the centre of the moving vehicle. He folded his arms once again. Two years ago he would never have dreamed that he would actually have made it into SOLDIER, let alone be working so closely with Sephiroth. Many soldiers dreamed of meeting the Great Sephiroth, let alone work with him. It made Cloud very excited, and no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't keep still. His excitement surpassed everything else, including the dreary rain, and nothing could take him off the cloud he was on right then.
"Hey," came a voice.
Cloud turned towards Sephiroth in surprise, and saw that Sephiroth was looking at him. It was the first time he had spoken throughout their whole journey towards the quiet town they were heading towards. Sephiroth's glowing green eyes seemed to give off an aura of supremacy and power, as though a strong power was buried within him. It was no wonder he was known as 'The Great Sephiroth', when you looked into those eyes and saw that power and strength there.
"Settle down," Sephiroth told Cloud. His voice was calm and almost emotionless.
It was easier said than done for Cloud. With his excitement building he began to squat up and down in the middle of the truck, somehow managing to maintain his balance while the truck moved across the bumpy road (which made the poor Shinra soldier behind him feel even more sick!). All the while Sephiroth watched him blankly, unmoved by Cloud's apparent excitement.
"They gave me some new Materia," Cloud boasted as he squatted breathlessly in front of Sephiroth. "I can't wait to use it."
A small smile spread across Sephiroth's face, and he laughed a little. "...Just like a kid," he remarked, meaning Cloud's constant change of position. It was nothing new to him to get some new Materia. But Cloud, who was still just a rookie in SOLDIER despite making First Class, was still excited at the thought of new Materia.
Cloud finally stopped squatting and looked at Sephiroth. "You going to brief us about this mission?" he asked, finally changing the subject to something more practical.
"...This isn't an ordinary mission," Sephiroth began.
"Good!" Cloud exclaimed, immediately interrupting him.
Sephiroth tilted his head and looked at Cloud in surprise. "Why do you say that?" he asked him.
"I joined SOLDIER so I could be like you," Cloud explained to him briefly. He turned away and looked up at the ceiling. "But by the time I made First Class, the war was over. My big hopes of becoming a hero like you ended with the war. That's why I always sign up whenever there's a big mission. Kind of a way to prove myself." He turned back to Sephiroth, a kind of smug smile on his face. "Say, how do you feel, MISTER Sephiroth?"
Sephiroth sighed heavily. "...I thought you wanted a briefing?" he asked. Cloud fell silent and his face went red as he scratched the back of his head, slightly embarrassed at letting his excitement get the better of him. Realising that Cloud was finally ready to listen, Sephiroth tried again. "Our mission is to investigate an old Mako reactor. There have been reports of it malfunctioning and producing brutal creatures. First, we will dispose of those creatures. Then, we'll locate the problem and neutralise it."
Cloud folded his arms once again, and tapped his foot thoughtfully against the floor of the truck. "Brutal creatures..." he wondered aloud. He looked at Sephiroth. "Where?" he asked.
"The Mako Reactor at Nibelheim," Sephiroth told him, sitting back on the crate and looking down once again at the floor.
Cloud looked up in surprise at the name of the town they were heading to. "Nibelheim..." he repeated. "That's where I'm from."
"Hmm..." Sephiroth mumbled quietly to himself. "Hometown..."
At that moment there was a loud crash outside as something large and heavy suddenly slammed into the side of the truck, causing it to shake violently. Cloud and the two soldiers all jumped violently and looked around as the shaking ceased, wondering what had just happened.
"Sir..." the driver of the truck said fearfully, turning to look into the back of the truck. "S, Something just crashed into our truck!"
Everyone turned to the back window as a large shadow then descended on the truck and covered it in blackness. Through the heavy rain that was pelting against the back window, they could just about see a large silhouette fly down and land on the ground behind the truck. They couldn't see what it was that had just crashed into them, but from the size of the shadow and the silhouette, it must have been something pretty big. Sephiroth stood up off the crate, holding his masamune.
"That would be our Monster..." he said.
He moved swiftly to the back of the truck and unlocked the two doors, pushing them open. As the door opened a powerful gust of wind blew into the truck, making the crates shudder and slide towards the front of the truck. With the wind came the rain, which fell into the doorway and onto Sephiroth's face as he stood in the doorway of the truck. The raindrops rolled down his face and dripped off the ends of his hair. Yet, for some strange reason, he wasn't getting completely soaked. It was as though some magical resistance was preventing the raindrops from fully touching his skin and merely skimming over the top of a magical layer. Beside him, Cloud was shivering slightly from the biting cold of the wind, and the raindrops soaking his skin and hair. He didn't have that same unknown resistance that Sephiroth did.
The two looked through the rain to the dark, dry lands behind them, and saw the Monster that they had been looking for. It was a large green dragon, which had just surfaced to begin hunting for its prey. The dragon had a fairly small head but a large and powerful body, and two large wings protruding from its back. Its most formidable weapon was of course its head, for that's where its fangs were, as well as where fire came out. It truly was a fierce beast, and it was no wonder that SOLDIER were called out to dispose of it.
Cloud stared up at the dragon in awe, for he had never seen a monster so big in all his life. He had of course seen monsters before, and had fought and killed many during his training and service, but not many monsters were allowed to grow as large as this dragon was. They posed a huge threat to the people, and were usually destroyed before they could get huge. This one however, had somehow defied all that, and towered well above the truck and the pitiful soldiers inside it.
Grabbing onto his powerful Buster Sword, Cloud prepared to do his duty and go out to fight the dragon. Before he could step out of the door a hand suddenly blocked his path and prevented him from passing. Cloud turned to the hand's owner, and stared at Sephiroth in surprise. The older SOLDIER just shook his head, and then lowered his arm, walking out of the door of the truck and into the storm, heading right for the dragon that was stopping them from getting to Nibelheim.
The dragon looked down at Sephiroth through his tiny red eyes, and growled. It was able to find him better with its ears and nose rather than its eyes, which were weaker, and was able to figure out exactly where Sephiroth was standing, and could smell that he was live prey. Sephiroth was standing right in the open, and was in plain view of the dragon.
Seeing that Sephiroth was an easy open target, the dragon rose up on its hind legs and lifted its head up high. A swarm of hot flames began to grow inside of its mouth, and as it lowered its head it spat out a long spray of red flames that flew down towards Sephiroth in a long, fiery stream. Inside the truck Cloud and the other soldiers winced and shielded their eyes from the flames.
Sephiroth, on the other hand, didn't flinch or move as the flames headed towards him. As the flames approached he raised his long masamune sword and held it out upright in front of him as a blockade from the flames. It didn't seem like much of a defence, but as the flames hit him the sword seemed to act as a magical barrier. The flames spread out from where they hit the flat side of the sword and around Sephiroth, not getting anywhere near his skin and merely skimming past him. Cloud lowered his arm slightly and stared in amazement.
The last of the flames flew past and disappeared into the air, and Sephiroth lowered his sword, not a single burn mark on him. The dragon stared down in surprise, not expecting its attack to be deflected like that. Sephiroth then clasped his sword in both hands and ran forward towards the dragon; bringing his sword back in preparation for a powerful attack, ready to take on the dragon single-handed.
The dragon stood no chance against the awesome power of Sephiroth. When he was close enough Sephiroth swung his long masamune skilfully, and the dragon gave a loud and anguished cry of defeat. That one single stroke from the masamune was powerful enough to kill anything instantly, and the blade delved so deep into the creature's body it did the damage that was needed – in just one single hit. The dragon fell down onto the floor in a heap, defeated. As its head crashed onto the wet, rocky floor it turned and glanced at Sephiroth through its dying red eyes. It gave one last anguished cry before it fell silent. The monster had been defeated in just one hit, and not a single mark had been left on Sephiroth. Sephiroth lowered his sword, and Cloud could only watch and stare in awe.
"Sephiroth's strength is unreal," Cloud explained to the group, closing his eyes as he remembered the battle. He could still feel the immense awe he felt then, so long ago. "He is far stronger in reality than any story you might have heard about him."
"So... Where do you come in?" asked Aeris.
"Me?" asked Cloud, scratching his head. "I was mesmerised by the way Sephiroth fought."
To one side, Tifa slowly turned away and looked out of the bedroom window. "......" was all she could muster to say. Talking about Sephiroth brought back bad memories for her as well, as well as other worries she didn't like to voice. Instead she just decided to sit quietly and listen to Cloud's story in silence, and remember herself.
"......And then we reached Nibelheim," said Cloud, finally ready to continue the story.
Not long after they had defeated the dragon in the mountain plains, the truck crossed into the plains where the town of Nibelheim was built. The town itself was built at the entrance to the large mountains that covered the land behind it and moved on to the next section of the continent. Nibelheim was like a guard, guarding the entrance to the mountain paths, although few dared to enter.
Sephiroth was the first to pass through the gates of Nibelheim and stand in the entrance of the town. He looked around at the quiet streets – the people were in hiding, afraid of the monster. He saw the old well in the centre of the town, and the path leading up towards the mountains beyond. There wasn't a single person in sight, and looked pretty much like a deserted ghost town. Sephiroth turned to the entrance, back to Cloud.
"How does it feel?" he asked Cloud curiously. Cloud looked back at him, confused. "It's your first time back to your hometown in a long time, right? So how does it feel? I wouldn't know because I don't have a hometown..."
Cloud blinked in puzzlement. "Ummm... how 'bout your parents?" he asked, finding it a little hard to believe that someone could not have a hometown.
Across from him, Sephiroth crossed his arms and looked down in thought. "My mother is Jenova," he said. "She died right after giving birth to me. My father..." He fell silent for a moment. He then suddenly began to laugh, and put a hand over his mouth to try and stop himself. He then managed to stop and took a breath, before shaking his head. "What does it matter...?" he asked. He turned towards the town. "All right, let's go."
Cloud and the other two Shinra soldiers all walked up to the town entrance, until Cloud came to a stop just a few metres behind Sephiroth. It had been two years since he had seen Nibelheim. It hadn't changed one bit since he left. The well, the houses... even the old broken down truck in the corner by the entrance was there. After he had finished his few moments of nostalgia he turned back to Sephiroth, and headed up into the silent town of Nibelheim.
"Yo, wait a minute!!" Barret interrupted suddenly, breaking the mood. Everyone turned to him. "Isn't that, um...?" He scratched the back of his head, trying to sort out his own confusion. "The name of Sephiroth's mother... I remember Jenova. That's that damn headless spook livin' in the Shinra building."
Cloud nodded. "That's right."
Tifa finally came away from the window and sat as far back on the bed as she could. "Barret, would you please listen to what Cloud has to say?" she asked him curtly, folding her arms against her chest. "You can ask questions later."
Barret tried to protest. "Tifa, I was only..."
"Okay Cloud," Tifa said, ignoring Barret. "Continue."
"It's a reunion of childhood pals!" exclaimed Aeris.
Cloud nodded and began to continue. "......I was really surprised with Tifa," he admitted. He glanced over at Tifa, but she had once again turned to the window and was looking out at Kalm. "The town was quiet. Everyone must be staying in their homes, afraid to come out because of the monsters. No, maybe they're afraid of us..."
Cloud and Sephiroth passed through the gates of Nibelheim and into the town centre, where all the main houses and shops were based. All the shops were shut up, apart from the inn, which was the only building with the lights switched on. They stopped just outside the entrance to the inn, with the two soldiers standing nearby.
"We leave for the reactor at dawn," Sephiroth explained to Cloud, all the laughter now gone and he had returned to his usual, serious self. Cloud nodded, and Sephiroth turned to the two soldiers. "All we need is one lookout, so you others, get some rest." He turned towards the inn when he suddenly remembered something, and stopped. "Oh, that's right..." He turned back to the side, glancing at Cloud. "You may visit your family and friends."
With that Sephiroth went into the inn and walked confidently inside, letting the door fall shut behind him. One of the two soldiers followed him in, leaving Cloud and the remaining soldier standing outside in the middle of the street. When they were gone, the soldier began to shuffle anxiously.
"Man... I'm nervous," he said suddenly. He sounded nervous, too.
Cloud looked at him. "How come?" he asked.
The soldier stopped shuffling about and looked at Cloud, his face almost invisible through the helmet he was wearing. "Look, you never know when a monster's gonna show up, right?" he pointed out.
Cloud nodded, understanding what he meant. Since the breakdown of the Nibelheim reactor, many monsters had appeared in the town. The citizens of Nibelheim were all in hiding, and it was their job to vanquish that fear.
He turned away from the soldier and across the town, in particular to a set of houses at the far end of the town square. He remembered them both so well. One of them belonged to the Lockheart family – a well-respected family in Nibelheim. The other house, just next door, belonged to Cloud's family. Cloud headed towards it and stopped outside the door hesitantly.
"This is... my house," Cloud said, stopping. "It has nothing to do with that incident five years ago."
"Yo wait, I wanna hear," said Barret.
"Me too!" said Aeris. "It's been a long time, right?"
"Tell us more!" Barret urged, pressing Cloud to continue. "You saw your family, right?"
Cloud looked at the eager faces of Aeris and Barret, and saw that there was no way he was going to be able to avoid talking about what happened when he went home for the first time. He sighed heavily, giving in.
"All right......" he said. "I don't know if you could call it a 'family'...... My father... died when I was still very young. That's why my mom...... was living alone in this house." He closed his eyes, remembering. "Yeah, I saw my mom. My mom... She was a vibrant woman. Hadn't changed at all. But a few days later she died. But when I saw her, she looked fine."
