Kadaj and Loz were the first to return, finding Sephiroth sprawled on the couch, reading with the kid asleep on his stomach. The child had his butt in the air.
"Did she have a lot to bring?" Sephiroth turned a page in his book.
"Nah. Mainly books, clothes, and small stuff," Kadaj said. He and Loz each had a blocky-looking bag. Probably the books.
"Not too bad." Sephiroth didn't look up from the book.
"It would be a whole lot better if you had helped out, too. Guess you're too good for that," Kadaj accused.
"Do you think I actually like having an oversized bean bag on me? Staying here wasn't my choice in the first place."
"Well, it would at least make us feel better if you help now," Loz said.
"I would if I could."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Kadaj questioned.
Sephiroth sighed and closed the book. He tried to sit up.
Horrible wailing filled the room. Sephiroth quickly laid back down. The screaming stopped.
"Damn... You're being bossed around by a baby?!" Kadaj said. "That's priceless!" He and Loz erupted in hysterical laughter.
"Whatever. It's not as funny when you're the one it's bossing around." Sephiroth opened the book again as Yazoo came in.
"He's being bossed around by a baby!" Loz pointed and exclaimed.
"Hm. So he is." Yazoo climbed up the stairs with a small sack.
"You're boring!" Kadaj called after him.
Mrs. Strife arrived next, Jenova right behind her. Jenova carried a rocking chair and Mrs. Strife had a suitcase. Kadaj and Loz bolted up the stairs once the door had opened.
"Thank you, dear," Mrs. Strife said tiredly. "Was he too much trouble?"
"Not at all. He slept most of the time."
Jenova took Mrs. Strife's suitcase and carried it up the stairs without a word. Mrs. Strife held out her arms in front of Sephiroth. Sephiroth sat up and slowly lifted Cloud and returned him to his mother. Cloud wailed again, but it was less intense now. Mrs. Strife checked his diaper, but it was clean.
"He's hungry," Mrs. Strife said before climbing up the stairs.
Sephiroth stretched, enjoying his new-found freedom. He really couldn't sit still for very long sometimes.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Strife sat in her temporary room with a sleeping Cloud. He had had no mercy on Mrs. Strife, suckling ravenously before passing out. Mrs. Strife placed him on the bed, next to the wall, and sorted through her things.
Being an avid reader, she had brought her books. The books were the only things not very important that she decided to bring, the rest being her clothes and Cloud's, all the diapers she had, some toiletries, and her photo album. The album was very dear to her; it contained some of the memories she had with her late husband, and would contain the memories she would have with Cloud. Her limited time with Cloud made it more important. Tomorrow, she planned to ask for a camera. Hopefully nobody minded.
With her meager possessions put away in the closet, Mrs. Strife turned in for the night, snuggling Cloud close to herself, much like the night before.
Like she had predicted earlier, Jenova was interrogated by Sephiroth. His questions were typical: why in the world had she brought someone to the house and why did Sephiroth have to stay with the baby? There was something Sephiroth was hiding, and Jenova picked up on it instantly: the baby had the beginnings of the mental capacity they all had. It took much longer for her sons to start using their ability, but Cloud was a special case. That was a good thing.
Jenova ignored Sephiroth's questions, promising to reveal the reason why in time. She severed the mental link before he could say anything else. Now was the time for waiting.
The months flew by, and Cloud grew and grew. He had teeth and was now weaned (much to the relief of Mrs. Strife), could crawl easily, and was able to stand for a few seconds. His hair had grown and taken on a wild look, blond spikes pointing in many directions. Mrs. Strife took many pictures of him (Jenova had actually encouraged it) and her album was full of Cloud and his firsts. Cloud's first tooth. Cloud's first haircut. Cloud's first time trying actual food.
Today was bittersweet for Mrs. Strife. It was Cloud's first birthday. On the negative side, it was the 19th of August, 1977, three years before the same day on the year 1980. Mrs. Strife pushed that thought away from her. There was still some time before then, and today should be a happy day.
Cloud was following Sephiroth around, like always. The little boy was hanging onto Sephiroth's leg, trying to get his attention for the millionth time. Cloud was like Sephiroth's shadow, never wanting to leave him alone. Sephiroth didn't seem to be annoyed.
"Nnn da! Gugi, mn da da!" Cloud babbled. He was getting closer and closer to talking soon.
"Fascinating," Sephiroth said. "What happened next?"
"Bla! Bubbu ma!" Cloud was squatting up and down while still holding onto Sephiroth's leg. It was his version of dancing.
"Really?"
"Yayayayaya gu. Na na." Cloud reached up, grabbing Sephiroth's thigh, and tried to climb up. Sephiroth dragged him up onto the couch. Cloud sat between Sephiroth and Mrs. Strife. He now grabbed onto Sephiroth's sleeve, pulling himself upright.
"No, Cloud," Mrs. Strife said. Cloud made a disappointed sound. "No" was a word he understood very well. He let go and fell on his butt.
"What kind of cake would you like?" Jenova called from the kitchen.
"Chocolate!" Loz yelled from the floor.
"Chocolate!" Kadaj was also on the floor.
"Chocolate's good." Yazoo was next to Sephiroth.
"I don't recall asking the Three Musketeers anything."
"I think Cloud would like chocolate," Mrs. Strife said.
Kadaj and Loz grinned, then turned back to watch The Pink Panther. Cloud's eyes caught the sight of the colors on the screen, and he sat still, entranced.
After a few minutes, Jenova joined them in the living room, standing behind the couch.
"It's baking," was all she said.
It was a rarity for Jenova to be seen around the house. After the first few days, Mrs. Strife had seen no trace of her. Even after asking so many times, nobody had given even a vague answer. Tension would fill the air every time. Because of that, Mrs. Strife decided not to disturb the peace.
After a while, though, she blurted out a random question: "Does anybody like books?"
"We all do," Yazoo said. "Some less than others."
"What would you say your favorite was?"
"The Call of the Wild. It's the only one I know where the dog doesn't die at the end." Sephiroth nodded in agreement.
"Batman is the best," Kadaj said.
"No, Superman," Loz argued.
"Comic books don't count," Jenova interrupted before any bickering could occur.
"Personally, I've always liked Of Mice and Men," Mrs. Strife continued, getting the conversation back on track. Kadaj stopped paying attention. Loz was still listening to what Mrs. Strife had to say.
"Do you have a favorite book?" That one was directed towards Jenova. All heads turned to Mrs. Strife. Jenova just stared into space, completely silent.
Then, "'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves..." she recited.
"Aw, not that one again!" Kadaj said good-naturedly.
"What's wrong with it?" Mrs. Strife asked.
"Nothing. Mother has recited it lots of times before," Loz said.
"Hmm, I don't recognize it. Is there more to it?"
Jenova blinked. "'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves," she began, "Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:/All mimsy were the borogoves,/And the mome raths outgrabe. That should be enough for you to investigate."
A ding sounded and Jenova returned to the kitchen before Mrs. Strife could ask any more. A few minutes passed, Cloud giggling along with anybody that laughed at the TV, before Jenova called everyone to the dining room. A medium-sized cake sat in the middle of the table. Jenova slid it til it was in front of Mrs. Strife, sitting down soon after. The lone candle was already lit.
"Happy first year, Cloud," Jenova said.
"Happy birthday, Cloud," Mrs. Strife chimed in.
"Thanks for the cake!" Kadaj said. That earned him a kick to the leg from Yazoo.
"Happy birthday," Yazoo said as if nothing happened.
"Cake! Oh, happy birthday," Loz corrected before he got hit.
"Happy birthday, Cloud," Sephiroth said. Cloud had a big grin, showing off all of his seven teeth, though he didn't know what was going on.
Mrs. Strife blew out the candle for Cloud. The cake was cut, and all had a small feast. Chocolate was smeared all over Cloud's face and hands. He had fed himself, for the most part.
Cake gone, and Cloud bathed, the living room was crowded once more. Cloud was now chewing on a little figure made of popsicle sticks with a picture cut from a magazine for a face.
"Aw, he's eating Carrie again!" Loz whined.
"At least nobody will laugh at her anymore," Sephiroth said. He pulled the stick figure out of Cloud's mouth. Into the Can of DOOM Carrie went. They were going to make another one anyways.
"No!" Cloud said. "No, no, no, no! No!"
Mrs. Strife gasped. "His first word! Oooh!" she cooed.
"That's right. No, you cannot eat Carrie anymore. Or anyone else, for that matter," Sephiroth said to Cloud.
"No," Cloud said again. He crawled to DOOM and tried to knock it over. Sephiroth grabbed him by the leg and lifted him. Mrs. Strife gasped in horror.
"Don't hold him like that!" Cloud was upside down, giggling again. Sephiroth set him down in front of Mrs. Strife.
"No, no," Cloud scolded, mimicking his mother. He yawned. Mrs. Strife picked him up and cradled him.
"Bed time for you," she said.
"No," Cloud said tiredly.
"Yes." Mrs. Strife went up the stairs. Settled into bed, Cloud passed out. Mrs. Strife decided to turn in for the night as well, as it was very late.
Even later into the night, Mrs. Strife woke up. Thirsting for some water, she pushed Cloud into the corner of the bed (she didn't want him to fall off), and slowly felt her way down the stairs. There was no hallway light, and the only light switches – not including the ones in the bedrooms – were on the first floor. Mrs. Strife guided herself to the kitchen, eventually finding the switch and flicking it on. She looked into the cupboards for a cup when she heard a faint cough behind her. Mrs. Strife turned and gasped, clutching her heart and unable to move.
Jenova stood right behind her, wearing a grin that revealed very long, sharp-looking teeth. She held a scalpel in her left hand, blood dripping down the hand onto the floor. The grin grew wider at seeing Mrs. Strife's reaction. Their noses were almost touching (Mrs. Strife couldn't comprehend how Jenova had gotten that close without her noticing), and Mrs. Strife's personal space was further invaded when Jenova leaned forward. Jenova's right arm stretched and opened the cupboard behind Mrs. Strife to grab a large cup. Jenova backed up to place the cup in the sink and open the tap.
Mrs. Strife heard a twisted intake of breath, followed by equally as disturbing laughing.
"Ehhh, ahh, ahaha." The laughing continued, even after the cup was overflowing with water. Jenova seemed to remember after what seemed like hours later and turned the tap off. Her right hand was trembling, spilling water onto the floor. The shaking quickly became violent, and Mrs. Strife thought the cup would have fallen to the floor. But Jenova shoved the cup towards Mrs. Strife, spilling water onto her front. Mrs. Strife quickly took the cup, holding it tightly. Jenova moved forward, again extremely close, to open a drawer to Mrs. Strife's left. A kitchen knife was pulled out, this time held tightly in Jenova's bloodied hand with the scalpel. Mrs. Strife held her breath and her eyes snapped shut.
No sound was heard. Jenova was backing into the darkness of the living room when Mrs. Strife tentatively cracked an eye open. A miniscule trail of blood followed her.
Mrs. Strife slowly inched towards the stairs, keeping her eyes in the direction she assumed Jenova to be in. A shadow passed, flicking the kitchen lights off. Now in complete darkness, Mrs. Strife paused again before immediately deciding that moving was the best thing in the current situation. At the top of the stairs, she sensed a presence.
"Boo." It was almost inaudible, yet loud and clear in her eardrums. The presence disappeared, and Mrs. Strife turned to see a vague silhouette being swallowed by the darkness.
Mrs. Strife began to fear for her life.
Notes:
Started: 2013年1月27日（日）
Finished: 2013年1月31日（木）
I made it! Just in time for Final Fantasy VII's 16th anniversary, too! Today was the day it was released in Japan back in 1997. If I'm able to, I'll get a chapter out for the 16th anniversary of the release date in North America and Europe. Until then, I won't set dates for new chapters, but they'll come up whenever they feel like it.
We're going to be speeding things up a bit. The next few chapters will mainly be about Cloud growing up, along with any major events. I'm not entirely sure, but it might slow down a little bit when Cloud turns 3.
Til next time!