What It Should Have Been
Written by: GQ and Zhak
Warnings: Slight AU and slight OOC. If you are Cloti or somebody else who aren't open to certain possibilities in the story, then this ain't the fic for you, buddy!
Disclaimer: Authors of this story do not own Final Fantasy 7. We own this story, though. And if you're a PURIST and you're reading this, stay away and look for another fic. We don't wanna hear any nasty remarks and comments from you. This is very A.U. and we don't conform so much to the game here. Okay?
Chapter 3: Cloud's New Friends
oOoOo
A year later after Cloud joined SOLDIER…
"ATTENTION!" a First Class SOLDIER, Sephiroth, commanded the SOLDIERs.
Cloud stood stiffly.
It was his first assembly in front of the President in Midgar. It was the first time that he had seen the President in person, and he was just seated on the podium a few feet away from the assembly grounds of SOLDIER in the ShinRa HQ in Midgar.
The President was seated with his wife, the First Lady, and their son, Rufus, was standing behind him and staring straight ahead.
Cloud could easily recognize Rufus and the First Lady from childhood. He had recalled wanting to play with him too. Cloud felt a bit ashamed now that he had once wished to play with someone as rich and as important as Rufus.
The other commander, another First Class SOLDIER, Zack, passed by Cloud's line of vision because he was inspecting if everyone is staring straight ahead just like what they have instructed them to do so. Upon seeing that Cloud's gaze was drifting off, Zack uttered, "Strife," to catch his attention. Cloud recognized this warning and stared straight ahead again.
"Never knew this would be so hard… but I have to do this if I want to prove to everyone in Nibelheim that I am not a loser!" he was thinking to himself. And then he felt a nerve ready to pop out of his forehead. "…especially to that Teefah!" he thought angrily.
Moments later, after the assembly, Sephiroth called for Cloud. "Hey, Strife!"
Cloud turned to him. "Y…yes sir?" he asked.
"Come over here. I'm gonna need your assistance." Sephiroth said.
Cloud approached him.
Sephiroth motioned for him to follow him. "The President invited me and the other high-ranking First Class SOLDIERs for lunch. I want you to come with me since you're new. I figured the President would like to meet someone like you with potential." He said with a serious look on his face.
Cloud blinked. "Potential, sir?" he asked.
Zack arrived with a clipboard on his grasp. "Well, it turns out that you're one of the best newbies around here." He told him.
Cloud did not smile, but deep inside, he was rejoicing. "Well he's not really a newbie. He's been in SOLDIER for a year now, Sephiroth." Zack explained before showing Cloud the paper attached onto the clipboard. "See?" he asked. Cloud saw his name on the list… and it was on the topmost part. He was number one. "Looks like you'll advance soon to First Class if you keep up your good work." Sephiroth told him with a slight smile on his face.
Cloud just stared at his name. It was misspelled. CLOD STRIFE. He frowned. "Uhm…" he began.
"So, Clod, let's go?" Zack asked.
Silence.
"Uhm… It's Cloud, sir." Cloud corrected.
Silence.
"Cloud?" Sephiroth verified.
"Yes sir." Cloud replied with a glum look on his face.
Silence.
"Do you have a pen, Sephiroth?" Zack asked.
Sephiroth just shrugged. "I'll just correct it later." He told them before leading the way going to the main building of the ShinRa HQ.
Cloud followed after him and Zack.
"So where are you from?" Zack asked him with a friendly smile on his face.
"…Nibelheim, sir." Cloud replied.
"Hey, let's not be too formal around here, okay? We're not in training and assembly grounds! Just call me Zack… and you can call this other guy here Sephiroth. Is that fine?" Zack asked with a silly smile on his face.
"Knightblade, I don't think it's necessary…" Sephiroth muttered to Zack.
"Yes, it is. C'mon, we're all buddies, here, right? After all, I think Cloud here will be joining us soon in First Class, right?" Zack asked with an optimistic gleam in his dark blue eyes.
"Hopefully… if we convince the President. That's why we're taking him with us to the Presidential Lunch." Sephiroth told him with a serious look on his face.
Cloud was just quiet, listening to them as they continued to converse with one another.
Finally, they arrived inside the ShinRa building and went upstairs to the dining area.
Two female Turks—one blonde with short hair and another one with long light brown hair in a high ponytail, opened the door for them. Sephiroth nodded at the latter and smiled rather handsomely at her. "Hey." He greeted.
She just stood still and eyed him with a serious look on her face. "The President is waiting." She said stiffly.
Zack just nudged Sephiroth to go on walking.
Cloud took a quick glance at the two female Turks before continuing on his way inside the dining area with Sephiroth and Zack.
President ShinRa was already seated at the head of the table, with the First Lady to his right and their son to his left. The other executives were already seated but on the side of the table where the First Lady is seated. Rufus had no one beside him so Sephiroth just took the initiative to sit down beside him. Zack followed, and then Cloud.
Cloud felt embarrassed that everyone was looking curiously at him.
The First Lady frowned upon seeing him but she just kept quiet and turned away.
"This is Cloud Strife. He's the one I was telling you about, President ShinRa." Sephiroth told the President with a proud look on his face.
President ShinRa smiled at Cloud. "Strife, eh?" he asked.
The First Lady got up and took a deep breath. "Excuse me, I don't feel well. I think I'll go to my room for now." She told them before leaving.
They were all silent for a while before President ShinRa proceeded. "So tell me, son, where are you from?" he asked.
"Nibelheim, your Excellency." Cloud replied.
President ShinRa raised his eyebrow and nodded his head in amusement. "Interesting. You live there with--?" he asked.
Cloud replied, "My mother, sir." He told him.
President ShinRa turned to Sephiroth with a pleased smile on his face. Of course he knew the boy… but he wouldn't let anyone else find out about it. His wife knows… but she doesn't want to cause any harm to her family's reputation so she just shuts up. "You have my consent, Sephiroth. The boy can be promoted instantly to First Class." He told Sephiroth.
Sephiroth nodded. "Thank you, Your Excellency." He replied.
Zack nudged Cloud. "Cool! You'll be changing uniforms tomorrow! Heheh." He told him cheerfully. Cloud just sat still, wondering if he was dreaming or not. "Gee… this is unbelievable! Now everyone in Nibelheim will respect me!" he was thinking silently.
"Okay then, let's eat." President ShinRa said before he started slicing his lamb chops.
Rufus was eyeing Cloud curiously. "Do I know you from somewhere?" he asked.
All eyes turned to him.
"I… don't think so…" Cloud replied softly.
President ShinRa was chewing while talking, "Oh yeah, Cloud, this is my son, Rufus. He's the Vice-President… and you'll joining Zack and Sephiroth in guarding him sometime in Junon." He told him, pointing at Rufus with a fork. Rufus twitched, getting appalled by the bad manners being showcased by his own father, the President. Rufus just turned away and looked at Cloud with a stern smile on his face. "It's a pleasure having you as company, Cloud." He just said simply.
Cloud blinked and smiled slightly. "…thank you, Mister ShinRa." He said.
"Rufus." The Vice-President corrected him with a slightly irritated tone to his voice.
Cloud's face flushed a little when he was corrected. "Sorry," he wanted to mutter, but President ShinRa laughed heartily and patting his son rather violently on the back. "That's my sonny-boy right there, ever high and mighty! Hehehe! The rest of you, don't act so uptight when he talks to you!" he announced to everyone in the room. His executives laughed softly at the President while the SOLDIERs tried their best to keep a straight face. Rufus looked more annoyed than anything, but he didn't say anything else. "Junon?" Cloud whispered, turning to Zack.
"Oh. He's just here for the weekend and for the ceremony today. He actually lives in Junon at present because… he has an extended business trip there." Zack reasoned in a voice loud enough for only Cloud to hear.
The laughter was interrupted by a ringing tone… an upbeat, Costa-del-Sol-ish dance tone. People with phones looked curiously at one another, but stopped when President ShinRa held a finger up as he took out his phone from his blazer pocket. "Whoops, that's me," he said as he pressed a button and listened to the man on the other line. "Oh, really? Wait, slow down, for the love of cake!" He eyed everyone in the room almost apologetically and waddled out of the conference room, chatting quickly on his way out.
Rufus blinked in irritation. "Let's just resume eating as we wait for Old—I mean, Father to finish his phone call. I doubt he'll be finished soon," he told everybody who was looking at him curiously.
The executives shrugged and continued eating, chatting amongst themselves using low tones in their voices.
Cloud blinked, a look of confusion masking his features. "Gee, I thought everything will be more formal in this corporate setting… guess they aren't as formal as they say they are," he thought to himself.
Rufus looked at his facial expression and instantly knew what he was thinking. "Don't worry, Strife. That only happens when the President is here," he said.
"Yeah. Sometimes there are food fights, too, started by him. Mwahaha," added Sephiroth while referring to Rufus. Rufus just raised an eyebrow at him.
"Oh," said Cloud, smiling uneasily at them. As he started drinking water, Zack slapped his back. "Relax, buddyYou just got promoted to First Class!"
Cloud opened his mouth to answer, but closed it again when the doors burst open with a man in white and a girl in pink rushing in. The man, clad in a laboratory coat, was puffing slightly. "Sorry we're late, Mr. President…" he paused when he didn't see the President in his seat. "I mean, uh, Mr. Vice President," he said, nodding towards Rufus.
"Oh. By all means, Professor Gast. Take a seat." Rufus motioned to the empty seat across him, where his mother was supposed to be seated.
"Ah, yes, of course," Gast, with the girl trailing behind him calmly, pulled out a seat, but stopped midway when Professor Hojo called his attention from the other side of the table. "We must discuss things, Professor Gast," the other scientist said.
"Oh. So, Aerith, just take a seat here…" he mumbled, patting his daughter's shoulders before walking briskly towards the other end of the table.
The girl named Aerith smiled sweetly at the males across the table. "Good noon, Mr. Vice President. General. And to you, gentlemen," she greeted cheerfully as she faced Zack and Cloud.
Cloud blushed slightly as Aerith glanced at him briefly. Sephiroth and Zack brightened up slightly when she looked at them.
However, Rufus' face fell. He cleared his throat before returning the greeting. "Good noon, Miss Gainsborough. Why don't you take a seat?" he said politely, but anybody could have heard the sarcasm dripping from his voice.
Aerith pretended not to notice. "Oh, silly, Rufus. Call me Aerith! It's not like we're not friends, are we? Hee hee!" she said as she sat down. Her eyes fell on Cloud. "Hm. I do believe we haven't met before…?" she asked.
"Uh…" Cloud stammered, blushing furiously. Sephiroth snickered at him as he drank his soup. Zack held back his laughter. Rufus rolled his eyes after 10 more seconds of Cloud's "uuuuh….." Because of annoyance, he just took over. "Aerith, this is Cloud Strife. A newly appointed First Class SOLDIER. And Cloud," he turned to him, "this is Aerith Gainsborough. Daughter of Professor Gast… and girlfriend of Zack."
Cloud's face fell at the mention of "girlfriend of Zack."
"Hi there, Cloud. FYI, I'm not Zack's girlfriend," she said, stressing on the not part.
Zack shook his head while grinning. "Rufus just says that to annoy her, because he knows that Aerith thinks that I'm… well… not cute at all. They don't exactly get along, if you know what I mean," he muttered to Cloud.
Aerith sat down in her prim-and-proper way which annoyed Rufus. "Ugh." Rufus just made a face as he rolled his eyes and started to eat.
"Ooh! Lamb chops! My favorite! Hee!" Aerith said happily.
"You hate lamb chops." Rufus pointed out.
Her smile instantly faded and she glared at him threateningly. "That was when we were children. I love lamb chops now." She told him with a stern look on her face.
"You're a vegetarian." Rufus pointed out.
"That's what you think." Aerith said as she began to slice the lamb chops and started eating them heartily.
"Alright, stop fighting you two." Sephiroth muttered.
"We're not fighting, Sephiroth. We're just arguing. Hee!" Aerith said sweetly.
"I think they're synonymous." Rufus muttered.
"Oh no, they're not. Depending on what context you're using them. Right, Cloud?" she asked, turning to Cloud.
Cloud was still in his "Uhh…." moment as if he's mesmerized by her. She blinked as she stared at him. "Is there anything wrong, Cloud?" she asked curiously.
"Baaah… my name is Cloud… and I'm blonde and I have blue eyes… I'm from Nibelheim and when a lizard falls on my head it dies… baaaaah…" Cloud blurted out mindlessly as if he was in a trance.
Silence.
"I'm appalled." Rufus mindlessly said.
"What a strange boy. Are you sure the Mako exposure didn't do harm to him?" Professor Gast asked Sephiroth with a worried look on his face.
Sephiroth shrugged. "Well… I'm not sure of that… unless the symptoms are only showing now…" he began.
Aerith giggled. "Oh how cute! Heehee! He can rhyme! I love poetry! Do you love poetry, Cloud?" she asked happily.
Cloud blushed. "Uh… y…yes…" he stammered.
Zack just sighed and continued to eat.
"Cool! What's your favorite poem?" Aerith asked.
Cloud thought for a while. He couldn't really remember the titles of the poetry he had read in school, but he could clearly remember the poetry he had written secretly in his old journals that he had left at home. So he just gave it a shot: "Uhm… Ode to Tifa." He replied.
Silence.
"It's an original." He elaborated.
"Who is Tifa?" Rufus asked.
"Just… some girl from where I came from…" Cloud replied rather hesitantly.
Aerith blinked and her smile faded a little, "Is she a… girlfriend?" she asked softly.
Everyone saw the sudden rage that just emanated from Cloud. "HELL NO!" he cried out in annoyance.
Silence.
"Can we hear the poem?" Rufus asked.
Cloud sniffed and started slicing his lamb chops furiously as he began to cite it:
"See her smile, see her laugh
See her stab me behind my back.
Hear her giggle, hear her sigh
I hope she falls from a building so high!
She thinks she's great.
It's really bad fate
That I got to meet someone like her
Gods, I wish she would burn
In hell
And all else will be well
In my world."
Eveyrone was quiet for a few seconds before Zack finally commented, "You sound like you really regret knowing her."
"What exactly did she do to you and you ended up hating her like that?" Sephiroth asked in amazement.
"I'd rather not talk about it…" Cloud just muttered.
Aerith giggled. "Oh that reminds me… I have a similar poem!" she announced.
Professor Gast's mobile phone began to ring. He answered the call. "Hello? Yes. Yes sir. Okay…" he said before hanging up. "Looks like I'll have to continue eating later on. I have to go the lab. You're staying here, Aerith?" he asked his daughter. Aerith nodded. "Yes, daddy." She replied.
"Alright. I'll see you later." He said before leaving.
Zack turned to Aerith. "You were saying--?" he asked.
"Let's hear your poem." Sephiroth told her with a slight smile on his face.
Aerith cleared her throat before she began:
"Rufus has a little birdie
But I want to set it free
So one morning I got a pair of scissors
And prepared him for a snip-snip…"
Rufus interrupted her, "Oh no, not that nasty poem again!" he snapped angrily as he pounded on the table to make her stop.
"What?" she asked, acting innocent.
Sephiroth was already laughing while Zack was trying to stop himself from doing so.
"Bloody hell; it's not even a decent poem…" Rufus told them.
"But it's funny!" Sephiroth said while laughing.
Cloud snickered slightly. He hasn't felt comfortable around people for a long time already, and this was the first time in years that he had felt welcome within a group of strangers… especially with the girl named Aerith. There seemed to be something in her that attracted his curiosity. Sure he missed his mother, but he knew he won't be seeing her for a long while. But still, he could not wait to tell her the good news that he had been promoted immediately to First Class SOLDIER.
Just when he was thinking, Sephiroth's mobile phone began to ring. "Who the hell could this be…" he muttered as he checked the caller I.D.
President ShinRa.
He blinked and answered it while looking at Rufus, giving him a look that said, "It's your Old Man." "Yes, sir?" he answered.
Rufus and the rest were quiet, watching Sephiroth's facial expression stiffen.
Sephiroth swallowed hard and lowered his gaze to the ground. "Yes sir." He replied before hanging up. He got up and cleared his throat before turning to Zack and Cloud. "We're going to Wutai…" he began.
Rufus dropped his fork and knife on his plate. "Don't tell me Old Man commenced the war?" he asked in disbelief.
"War?" Aerith asked in awe.
Sephiroth was quiet for a while before nodding. "Unfortunately." He told them before leading the way to the door.
Zack got up and went after Sephiroth. Cloud suddenly felt nervous. He's going to war? What if something bad happens to him or something?
Aerith was looking worriedly at him. "…Cloud," she said softly.
He turned back to her with a serious look on his face, although his eyes revealed that he was really worried for his own sake. She smiled encouragingly at him. "…be careful, okay?" she asked.
Rufus lowered his gaze to his wine glass, thinking about the consequences of the war.
Cloud nodded and smiled slightly at Aerith. Somehow he felt some hope. "…Thank you." He told her rather uneasily, fighting the blush off his face before he turned away to leave.
Rufus and Aerith were quiet for a while before the former spoke up, "Well… there he goes."
Aerith was silent. She suddenly looked sad.
Rufus began to eat again, but he was chewing slowly. He was beginning to lose his appetite. Aerith swallowed hard, lowering her gaze onto her lap as she clutched her hands together. "You… think he'll come back safely?" she asked softly.
"Who?" he asked, surprised at her concern.
"…him…" she just said softly.
Rufus knew whom she was talking about but he just shrugged. "He's with Zack and Sephiroth. He's in good hands. Besides, he's got potential as what Sephiroth had mentioned..." He replied.
Aerith was silent before sighing heavily. "I'm not hungry anymore…" she said softly before she slowly got up and walked out of the dining area, leaving Rufus alone there.
Rufus just sat still, thinking about Cloud. "Strange fellow…" he muttered before taking a sip of water.
