Final Fantasy 7
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Cloud grasped onto the door handle of his house. For some reason he felt extremely nervous about going in and seeing his mom again. It had been two years since he had left Nibelheim to join SOLDIER, and had barely been in contact with anyone from Nibelheim since then. It was a very nervous thing to do, to return home after being gone for such a long time.
Eventually he pushed away all that anxiety and opened the door, and headed inside the house. The first thing he noticed was the familiar smell of baking – at least someone was in the house. It was a smell he was very used to, and as he sniffed the air he found that he had missed it very much.
As he stepped into the main living room he found that very little had changed at all, and everything was left exactly the way it had been when he had left it two years before. The beds were in the same place with the same old sheets, and the kitchen was still as it should be. The scent of baking had filled the whole house just as it always did, and yet Cloud still felt like an outsider.
His mom was standing with her back to him at the far end of the room, doing something over in the corner that Cloud couldn't see. She was fairly old now, and her blonde hair was beginning to show the faint streaks of grey that showed her age. As she heard the door close she looked up and turned towards Cloud. It was clear that she didn't recognise him at that moment, for she squinted through her old eyes as she tried to make out who it was, rubbing her hands with an old cloth.
"Uh...?" Cloud muttered nervously. He scratched the back of his head, unsure of what he should say to his mom.
"Ye----s?" she asked, still not realising who he was. She stared at him for a few seconds more, before her blue eyes opened wide and a large smile spread on her old face. She threw her cloth down onto the floor and dashed towards him. She stopped beside him and put her hands on Cloud's face, as though to make sure that he really was there. "Cloud!?" she exclaimed, the smile just getting larger. Cloud nodded. "Welcome home, Cloud!"
Cloud nodded again, still nervous. "Hi, mom," he said.
FLASH!
Moments later Cloud's mom had him standing in the middle of the room and was walking around him in a tight circle. She wanted to see every inch of her son and see just how he had changed since he left. Two years ago when he left in the truck taking new recruits to Midgar, Cloud had been a small, fairly slim little boy. Now he was taller and looked much stronger. Still, being the mother she was, she had to make sure.
"Come, come... Let me take a look at you!" she said as she walked around, inspecting him. Cloud did as he was told and didn't move while his mother walked around with her usual concerned smile on her face as she looked him up and down. "Hmmm......" She looked up into Cloud's face, and smiled. "You look so handsome. So this is a SOLDIER uniform?"
Cloud looked at his mom. "......Mom, I..."
FLASH!
"My, how you've grown," said his mom. "I'll bet the girls never leave you alone."
Cloud didn't look up from the bed and continued to stare up at the ceiling. As he lay there his mother walked around the perimeter of the bed, looking him over with a gentle smile on her fair, slightly old face. She was not as strong as she used to be, but she still seemed as vibrant as ever.
Cloud sighed heavily. "...Not really," he replied lazily, still refusing to get up.
Mrs. Strife looked at him with a flash of concern. "...I'm worried about you," she admitted. She wiped her hands on her apron and walked right up beside her son. "There are a lot of temptations in the city... I'd feel a lot better if you just settled down and had a nice girlfriend.
"...I'm all right," Cloud said. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He then sighed, completely relaxed on the soft, familiar bed.
Still his mother wouldn't quit. "You should have... and older girlfriend," she said, thinking hard. "One that'll take care of you. I think that would be the perfect type for you."
"......I'm not interested."
FLASH!
"Are you eating right?" Cloud's mother asked for what must have been the hundredth time. She was only concerned for the welfare of her son, but Cloud was beginning to tire of the question.
"I'm all right," he assured her, also for the hundredth time. "The company takes care of me."
"Is that so?" his mother asked, folding her arms and thinking hard. "You can't cook, right? I was worried sick about how you were doing..."
FLASH!
Mrs. Strife turned. "Cloud...?"
FLASH!
"You know, Cloud......"
FLASH!
"......Isn't that right, Cloud?"
FLASH!
She turned again. "I will always be your mother..."
"......Let's stop this......" Cloud interrupted suddenly, turning away. He couldn't bear to walk about his mother anymore. Remembering her now was just too painful.
No one contradicted him, and by this point both Barret and Aeris both wished they hadn't pressed so hard to make him tell them what happened, especially since his mother was now dead. So they all waited patiently for a few more minutes while Cloud recomposed himself, and was ready to continue the story.
After Cloud was done in his own house he left. He was going to go straight to the inn where Sephiroth would be waiting for him, but instead he stayed outside for a while longer and slowly headed over towards the house next door to his, where the Lockhearts... where Tifa... lived. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer from inside. As he pushed on the door he found it unlocked, so he thought that someone must have been in. So he walked inside.
"Cloud...?" Tifa asked suddenly, speaking up for the first time and looking at Cloud. Cloud looked over expectantly. She seemed a little hesitant, but asked the question anyway. "Did you go into my house?"
Cloud nodded. "Yeah..." he answered. "I thought you might be home."
In the hallway, Cloud began to brush himself off before he went in. Again it had been a long time since he had been anywhere near this house, and a long time since he had seen Tifa, and he wanted to look his best at least if she was in. Once he was sure he was clean he walked into the main hall.
He couldn't remember much what Tifa's house looked like on the inside, but it seemed pretty homely and normal enough. It was more packed than his house, and there was a large table in the middle of the dining room where Tifa and her father would sit and eat their meals. There was no smell of baking in this house, and just seemed like an ordinary family home. There was no sign of Tifa on the ground floor, so Cloud headed on upstairs, wondering if Tifa was maybe in her room.
"Cloud...?" Tifa interrupted again. "Did you go into my room?"
"Yeah......" said Cloud.
Cloud walked into Tifa's room, at first only peeking around the door in case she wasn't expecting him to come. It was common knowledge that Shinra were coming to fix the reactor and kill the monsters that were invading the town, but he was surprised that Tifa hadn't come to meet them – to see if Cloud was amongst them or not. He hadn't written to her, but they did make a promise before he left.
Looking around the comforts of Tifa's tidy bedroom, Cloud could see that she wasn't inside either. The house was completely empty apart from him. Realising that he was the only one in the house Cloud felt strangely a little more relaxed. He wouldn't have known what to say to Tifa anyway. He walked more fully into the bedroom and looked around, still feeling like an outcast that had never set foot there before.
Her room was pretty plain but comfortable, with a large bed in the corner with a few teddies resting on top of it. There was a dressing table and a desk, and even a piano in the corner beside her bed, with a single song sheet resting on it. He didn't remember Tifa ever being able to play the piano.
Cloud took a few moments to look around the room. He headed over to the window and looked out at the town centre below, which was still quiet. He could see the inn clearly, and he knew that he should be heading back soon. But before he left he headed over to Tifa's desk, wondering if he should leave a note to say that he had been there. As he reached the desk he saw a letter lying on the desk, and for a moment, he thought he saw his name on it. So, curious, he picked it up.
"The letter..." Cloud muttered quietly, running a hand through his hair.
"Did you read it?" My letter?"
"Yeah..." replied Cloud, still thinking.
"You remember what it said...?"
Cloud turned away and thought for a moment, still trying to recall everything that was said. He then nodded and turned back. "I remember clearly," he answered. "I read it... It was a letter addressed to Tifa from the son of the guy that runs the General Store..."
Tifa, how are you? I just arrived in Midgar eight days ago. Yesterday, all of Nibelheim got together to welcome me. The only person that we couldn't get a hold of was Cloud. But everyone said he wasn't really that close to us. So even if he asked, he probably wouldn't have come anyway. Well, enough about him. Midgar is really something. But to tell you the truth, I feel so behind on everything... So out of it. Even the rooms of people in the slums are clean. Right now I'm living in the slums, but I plan to move to a really nice room, like the ones I've seen in magazines, once I make some money. ...But to do that, I have to find a job first.
That's right.
I still haven't found a job yet. I lied to my parents and told them I found a great job with Shinra, Inc. I wonder if it's too late to go back. Sometimes I think I should've taken over my parents' store.
Cloud paused for a moment, still trying to recall everything. Noticing that he had stopped, Tifa looked at him.
"Cloud... Do you remember all of it?" she asked him.
Slowly, Cloud nodded. "Yeah, I remember it all," he said. "Because there was some stuff about me."
I just made it here to Midgar but all I think about is Nibelheim. Hey, Tifa... is that stupid old water tower still working? Is the old man at the inn doing well? Are my parents still at the shop everyday? Have any monsters attacked? And most of all, how are you, Tifa? It feels like I haven't seen you for years. We were talking about you last night. Everyone likes you. But because everyone idolises you, I couldn't very well stab them in the back. I always acted cool, but actually, I was afraid of being jilted. Wow, if I keep writing like this, this'll become a love letter! So, I think I'll stop here. Take care. I'll write again.
P. S. Write me back, okay?
After finishing the letter Cloud put it back on the desk and very quickly left Tifa's room, feeling that he had intruded enough on her privacy for one day, and it was absolutely clear that she was not in the house where he had expected her to be. So he headed down the stairs and out of the door, back onto the lonely, empty Nibelheim streets.
There was no sign of the single Shinra soldier as he left Tifa's house, just as there was no sign of anyone on the streets – they were all still too scared to come out, which was probably enhanced with Shinra's presence in the town. Shinra may have supplied the town with power and some money from the Nibelheim reactor, but everyone knew their military strength. There was nothing else left for Cloud to do, so he headed briskly towards the inn.
He felt very relieved as he walked into the inn, feeling a little more comfortable now. He had been away from Nibelheim for so long he felt more like a visitor than a citizen, and was glad to be out of the plain view of the people in their houses. An old man was standing behind the desk inside the inn, and was busy on a crossword puzzle in a newspaper that he was reading. Another man was standing in the corner, with his back to Cloud. The old man behind the desk only looked up briefly as Cloud entered, before turning back to his puzzle.
"The, uh... The whole inn's booked up by Shinra for the night," he told Cloud, and continued to do his puzzle. Then he stopped. "......?" He put down his pen and looked up at Cloud, narrowing his old eyes so he could see a little more clearly. He blinked. "Cloud...? Is it you, Cloud?" Cloud nodded. "It must've been two years. Say, you've really moved up in the world, being under Sephiroth's command." He folded up his newspaper and put it on the shelves under the desk. "So, what do you need, Cloud?"
Cloud crossed his arms and leaned against the desk. "Let me know the situation of the town," he asked. He should at least get up to date on the situation.
"Now about the town..." the old man commented, taking off his glasses. "A lot of monsters have been appearing in the last 12 months. Nothing much exciting happens in a little town like this. It was all right when they were building the reactor. ...While they were still building it. But once it was completed, it's been bad. Within a few years, all the trees on the mountain have withered away. I don't know if the reactor was good or bad... I mean, it's easy to say that it was a bad idea now. But now, what can you do about it...?" He put his glasses back on and reached for his paper. "Anyhow, we've got to get rid of the monsters... Then, we'll all be able to relax a little bit."
Cloud nodded, understanding what the old man was talking about. There were many towns now where reactors had been built, and in every one the land had begun to wither away, and all the life disappearing from it. Of course Shinra denied there being a link between the reactors and the state of the land, but people still believed it to be the fault of Shinra, and blamed them for it. But there was nothing anyone could really do about it. He pushed himself up away from the desk.
"Where's Sephiroth?" he asked. He had gotten enough information for one day.
The old man nodded his head to the staircase. "Yeah, he's upstairs," he said.
"Give me a room to stay."
The old inn owner shook his head. "It's all reserved for you Shinra people, so I don't mind," he informed Cloud. He took his glasses off again. "But, wouldn't you find it more comfortable staying at home?"
Cloud looked down at the ground, going red a little. The inn keeper seemed to understand at that point and said no more, instead turning towards his paper and continuing to tackle his tricky crossword puzzle. Cloud was about to head upstairs to his room, when another deep voice suddenly spoke out to him.
"......Hmmmmm? Is Shinra here to get rid of the monsters?"
Surprised, Cloud stopped and turned back. The man who had been standing in the corner had now turned towards Cloud, and Cloud could see him more clearly. He was very peculiar looking, with large muscles and... a cloak tied around his neck. Even with his strange appearance, Cloud got the impression that it wasn't a good idea to point this out.
"And who are you?" Cloud asked.
The strange-looking man flicked his cloak behind him and stood proudly. "I'm Zangan," he said, his voice full of pride in himself. "I travel around the world teaching children martial arts."
All of a sudden he leaped up into the air, flying directly over Cloud until he landed on the floor on the opposite side. Cloud stared in amazement, unable to believe that someone with such a strong, heavy frame as his should be able to jump as though he was as light as a feather. Zangan flicked his cloak back again and turned to Cloud, the pride showing on his face, and he wasn't finished yet.
"I have 128 students all over the world!" he boasted, and crossed his arms. "In this town, a girl named Tifa is my student."
That caught Cloud's attention. "Did you say Tifa?" he demanded, going right up to Zangan.
Zangan was pleased with the reaction. "Tifa has good sense," he told Cloud. "She'll be a powerful fighter." He suddenly jumped up again and flew over Cloud's head, landing expertly on the floor behind him, where he had originally stood. He then clenched his fists, ready for battle. "I want to see some Shinra techniques. And if you see anything you can use, you might want to incorporate some of my techniques." He lowered his arms and gave a little wave. "Well, good luck."
Zangan then turned away from Cloud and back towards the notice boards, muttering quietly to himself once again. Cloud decided this was probably a good time to make his escape, and very hurriedly made his way back upstairs towards the first floor of the inn.
He was surprised to find Sephiroth standing outside of the inn's room and standing beside a window, looking out at the scenery beyond. Cloud walked up and stood beside him.
"What are you looking at?" he asked Sephiroth. There was a creak on the stairs behind him as the soldier assigned to look out came up the stairs and went into the bedroom.
Sephiroth didn't turn, and continued to look out. "...This scenery......" he said. "I feel like I know this place......"
Cloud looked out of the window to where Sephiroth was looking. There wasn't much to see. All that could be seen was the dry, dead mountains and the dead patches of land that surrounded them, as well as the side of the old mansion built at the north of the town. And Sephiroth had never been to Nibelheim before, so there was no explanation as to why it was so familiar to him. Eventually Sephiroth sighed and turned to Cloud.
"We have an early start tomorrow. You should get some sleep," he said.
Cloud nodded. "Yeah, let's get some sleep."
"I've hired a guide to the Mako reactor," Sephiroth explained. "I've heard she's young. I hope we can rely on her..."
He turned back to the window, lost in his thoughts again. While he was thinking, Cloud headed towards the bedrooms, thinking about who the 'young girl' was. He had a terrible feeling he knew who it was, but he hoped that he was wrong.
