Sadako held her stuffed cat by it's head, not knowing a seem was splitting at the neck. She sat by the town's entrance in the dust, waiting for him to return. The past week was unhappy because she had no one besides Tifa to play with, and she was pretty much locked up in her room all day. Sadako had silently promised her brother that she would wait for his return.

"Hey Sadako," Mr. Lockhart called from his shop door, " any outside mail yet?"

She turned around to look at him with hopeful eyes, " no, but close."

He smiled at her and laughed to himself, Like Tifa…before my sweet Susan died, he thought.

Sadako stared intently out at the plains beyond the dust strip, or so the other villagers called it. Her feet were spread in a V like fashion, her cat doll snuggled up o the side of her head. She sat there, deep in concentration. Her small, blue, wide eyes never left the outstretched land. And then…

"IT'S HERE," she yelled and stood, jumping about in excitement. She was reacting to a truck that delivered mail usually from friends and family in far off places. As the truck grew larger in her vision, she ran to the side so it wouldn't hit her. When it finally stopped in front of her, the man stepped out. He had a bristly black mustache and a baldhead.

"Hi Koko," said, unloading his bag from the back of his pickup. "I think I have something for you."

"Me?" her eyes grew wide with excitement. She stood there eagerly waiting for it. The carrier reached into his bag and pulled out a small wrapped box. He handed it to her and continued into town. She plopped down onto her butt and began to rip the paper, and shortly after, the box. Inside was a gold butterfly with a large round indent. On the piece of paper attached to it were four words she had come to know how to read because of him: For materia, love Cloud.

"I wish I had thought to grab my money, Sadako would've loved that," Cloud said as he passed a shop. The troops had stopped at the town a few hours before.

"Who's Sadako?" Asked a man with spiky black hair.

"My baby sister," he replied. He was eyeing a small gold pendant that was shaped like a butterfly. There was a round indent in it for materia. It was brilliantly decorated with small gems that created tiny swirls in the wings. The price was 800,000 Gil.

"Here," The man said as he handed cloud money, " I'm sure this will make up your sudden disappearance at home."

"What, no this is too much," he said pushing the pouched back.

"Nonsense. This amount is nothing but a chip in my Salary." And with that he handed Cloud the money.

"Thanks…"

"Zack, SOLDIER 1st class." And he put out his hand to shake.

"Cloud Strife," He shook it.

"Sadako," Her mother yelled. She turned her head from her trinket and looked up. Her mother was waving a white piece of paper in the air. Sadako grabbed her box, pendant and cat and ran towards her house. There she greeted her mother with a hug, but no without dropping her stuff first. Her mother saw the box, and then the necklace, which was connected to a pendant. She knelt down and picked it up with care.

"From Cloudy Wolf." Sadako remarked. She was still clinging to her mother.

"I see, do you want me to read the letter Cloud," Her mother looked lovingly into her eyes, and warmth that she had only felt twice, once when Cloud was born and another time when Sadako came into the world, became once again a feeling that blossomed in her chest. Sadako smiled back. "Let's see, it reads:

Dear Mother and Sadako,

I wish to not scare you so suddenly,

as my sudden appearance here is causing an uproar. I have made a new friend named Zack. He has been good company so far. Miss you

Love,

Cloud

P.S. Mom, please don't yell at Sadako for not telling you I was leaving as soon as I did. I told her not to.

"Oh did he now," Her mother eyed Sadako, and the baby giggled back. She folded the letter and caught Tifa's gaze from her window. She nodded and put Sadako down.

That night Momma was extra cheerful, even Tifa came over to dinner. Sadako went to bed before everyone else, so she missed a lot of the conversation. That didn't bother her so much, because she knew that her Cloudy Wolf was okay, and that's all that mattered to her. She knew he'd be safe, because that's just what he did.

The next three months were letters and appraisals to Mrs. Strife and her daughter. Mostly for having a son who was brave enough to challenge the mad skills of Sephiroth, others for having a son who would be willing to keep the peace. Sadako had no idea, what they were saying, or what these things meant. She did, though, want to get away from it.

The next letter promised a visit, but the time and date would be random. When they responded, Sadako decided to wait for him by the entrance, just like she did when she was waiting for his first letter. She did this every day for the next two years. The time she waited slowly grew shorter, but all in all, she waited.

Two days ago the Nibelheim mayor had gotten a letter regarding a Reactor inspection. No one told Sadako because there was a chance that Cloud wasn't gonna be with the inspection troops. Two later the truck was seen by her eyes first, and something deep within her told her that he was on that truck. Something else deep inside her also said that something wasn't going to be okay when they got there.