AN: This story is about Cloud, mostly based on the events in Advent Children. Although the story doesn't start out in Cloud's perspective, it gets to him soon.
"Tell me what you hold precious, so I can take it away," the man said.
He was tall, with long silver hair and an even longer sword.
"I'll never be just a memory, Cloud," he whispered, a cruel smirk gracing his features.
His eyes were hard. That's all I remember about the moment when he impaled me on his sword. He had green eyes that never left mine. His irises elongated unnaturally.
I tried to tell him I wasn't the man he meant to kill. He'd mistaken me for someone else.
My murderer withdrew his sword from my midsection and walked away, leaving me to slump to the ground. I could hardly breathe and I felt cold. So cold.
Another man, tall and blonde, walked past me and stopped briefly, looking down.
"Forgive me," he whispered, before moving on, turning his back on me.
"No, please," I gasped, reached after him with one bloodied hand. "Please, don't leave me."
I sighed when I opened my eyes and found myself safe in bed, consciously forcing my tensed muscles to relax.
The nightmare faded quickly from my memory, but I was too sleepy to care. I rolled over to wrap an arm around my girlfriend's warm body. I took a minute to take comfort in her presence before glancing over at the clock.
We'd be landing in a few hours.
I sighed at that thought too before my eyes closed and I drifted back to sleep.
" Reno, Rude!" Marlene shouted, her eyes lighting up. She ran to them through the space port crowd, embracing the red-head, and then the bald guy.
I stood back and watched, sighing.
I'd started to wonder if any of this was a good idea. Leaving behind the planet I'd grown up on and the life I'd had.
I scoffed at that thought. Life? What life? Making a living as a SeeD mercenary until I lost my mind, and got thrown out of Garden by a guy I used to think was my friend? Until I'd met Marlene a year before I'd been a drunk, hardly scraping by, mourning the death of my mother and the loss of the girl I'd thought I loved.
I'd become jaded and broken.
Mar was still slowly putting me back together.
"You sure did grow up, kiddo," the red-head said, grinning and shooting my girl a wink.
The bald guy grunted agreement.
I growled under my breath.
Marlene turned, motioning me over enthusiastically. "Come on, Zell, don't be shy. The flirt here is Reno, and that's Rude. I've known them since I was a little girl."
I stepped forward, accepting the hand presented by Reno.
"So, you're the man we've heard so much about," he said, leaning closer. "I can't wait until you meet her father. Never mind the rest of her family."
"He'll be fine," Mar admonished, rolling her eyes and smiling, looping her arms around mine.
She liked this Reno.
I wondered if she considered him family or a crush.
The red-head didn't seem to notice my critical stare. He took a step or two backward, still chuckling.
"Chopper's ready whenever you are, Marlene. The sooner we get going, the sooner you'll reach your little family reunion."
The three of us followed after him, Mar still hanging onto my arm.
"That's the place where my godfather defeated Sephiroth," Marlene shouted over the roar of the chopper's rotor. She was pointing out a gigantic impression in the earth that reminded me a little of the place where I had helped to defeat the sorceress Edea on my home world.
"He must've been one hell of a fighter," I shouted back.
She nodded grimly, sucked into memories of a time and place where I couldn't touch her. I tried to anyway. I took her hand and laced my fingers through hers so she'd know that when she came back I'd be there, waiting.
A number of minutes passed and the crater in the ground slowly began to move away beneath us.
All of a sudden I found myself nearly unseated.
"Holy shit!" Reno yelled, pulling the chopper around, banking sharply.
I grabbed Marlene, pulling her close so we wouldn't fly into the wall. When I finally got a chance to sneak a glance out the window I saw the cause of our sudden turbulence. A gigantic bird-like monster had attacked our craft.
My stomach bottomed out as I realized there was only one way we'd be reaching the ground.
The hard way.
I strapped Marlene in, snapping the belts into place. They restrained her from getting up when I rose and grabbed the door handle, throwing it open and nearly falling backward at the sudden rush of air. I braced myself, pushing forward and immediately looking down.
"Kid, don't do it! Don't do it, it's crazy!" Reno yelled.
I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself.
"Kid!"
"Zell!"
I jumped out the door, clear of the chopper. When I finally managed to turn in the air and look up I got an eyeful of the bird bearing down on me.
A tear flowed from my eye, probably from the wind whipping my face as I plummeted faster and faster.
"I love you, Mar," I whispered, gathering my strength.
My body started to feel cold. So, so, cold.
