31 October 1977
Cloud stood and waddled to the dining room, grabbing onto Sephiroth's leg. Sephiroth was eating noodles, Cloud discovered. They looked good. Then again, anything eatable looked good to Cloud. Since Sephiroth was eating and nobody told him not to, Cloud wanted some, too.
"Me! Meeee!" Cloud bugged. He reached for the bowl.
"No. Go away." Sephiroth moved to the right a little.
"Meeeeeee!" Cloud whined, jumping a little. Sephiroth ignored him. Cloud pressed his face to Sephiroth's thigh and bit.
Sephiroth jumped in his seat and pushed Cloud's head away. "Being rude like that won't help you at all."
Cloud pouted and grabbed the table, trying to pull himself up.
"I said no, Cloud."
"Me! Me!"
"For the third time already: no."
"No me?"
"No. Stop it." Sephiroth scooted over to the right again. Cloud kept his grip and moved closer.
"Yes me! Me!" Cloud smiled, showing off all of his teeth.
Cloud's terrible weapon of mass surrender won. "Fine." Sephiroth grabbed some noodles with his fingers and stuck the noodles in Cloud's mouth. Cloud chewed and swallowed. He opened his mouth for more. Sephiroth kept feeding Cloud more until the bowl was empty.
"No more." Sephiroth got up to wash the dishes. Cloud waddled after him.
"More! Me more!" Cloud leaned against the counter.
"You ate half of my lunch, you butt! I'm not giving you anything else."
"No! No, no." Cloud resorted to the word he knew best.
"Cloud, you may know what no means, but you really don't know how to use it." Sephiroth sat on his haunches and flicked the toddler's nose. Cloud scrunched his face up in annoyance. He grabbed onto Sephiroth's shoulders. Sephiroth picked him up. Cloud clung to him and grew limp, like a rag doll. Being this close to Sephiroth gave Cloud the feeling of safety and serenity. It also gave him the perfect opportunity for hair pulling, which he took.
"Keep it up and I'll put you down." Cloud gave Sephiroth's hair a harder yank. Cloud found himself sitting on the floor seconds later.
"Mmmmm! Baba ba bu!" Cloud babbled angrily. He stood again and lifted his arms, opening and closing his tiny fists. "Up! Up!"
"No." Cloud moved as quickly as he could to keep up with Sephiroth. He wasn't going to let him get away so easily.
Sephiroth walked faster. The little terrorist chasing after him stumbled and fell. Cloud brought himself to a sitting position and pouted. The cuteness should bring Sephiroth back. It almost always did.
It didn't. Instead, Mrs. Strife ran to pick Cloud up.
"Up, Mama, up!" Mrs. Strife turned Cloud around in her arms, checking to see if he was hurt. Cloud wriggled, annoyed with his mother's fussing. He wished she'd be less protective of him.
"Don't let him fall like that! He could have gotten hurt!" Mrs. Strife scolded Sephiroth for the hundredth time that week.
"He's still alive," Sephiroth said nonchalantly.
"It doesn't matter – he's only a baby. Aren't you, Cloud?" Mrs. Strife cooed.
"No!" Cloud couldn't really understand the conversation, but that last part was easily understood. "No, Mama!" He squirmed, trying to loosen himself from Mrs. Strife's hold. Mrs. Strife held Cloud tighter. "Daow! Daow!"
"Looks like we have a little rebel," Sephiroth said, amused.
"No be-bah! Noooo!" Cloud hated when his mother called him a baby. He was so used to being treated like a little person by Sephiroth that "baby" was added to his list of words he disliked. "No" was at the very top.
"Cloud..." Mrs. Strife was getting tired. Cloud saw his chance.
"Daow Mamaaaaaaa..." Cloud whined. Mrs. Strife relented and set him down. Another point for Cloud.
"No be-bah," Cloud said again. He was a big boy. Big boys don't tolerate being called babies. Didn't Mama know that?
Sephiroth escaped by going up the stairs. Cloud tried going after him again, only to be picked up and held back by Mrs. Strife. Cloud kicked and squirmed. Mrs. Strife wouldn't budge this time, so he gave up. Cloud planned to save his terrorizing for later.
Sephiroth, meanwhile, planned some terrorizing of his own with his brothers. They did this every year on the 31st. Tonight was the Dead Night, which was when the townspeople shut themselves in their house by the time the sun started to set. It was currently seven in the evening, and Sephiroth, Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz decided to go down to Nibelheim early. Normally, it wasn't until near the very middle of the night that they were out.
"Any fireworks left?" Sephiroth asked.
"All I have are the loud ones," Yazoo said. "A small rocket and a Black Cat, too."
"Take the loud ones. It would bring a better reaction than anything flashy. I've got the matches."
"Should we bring the hairspray?" Loz asked.
"Bring it, just in case."
Mrs. Strife was still downstairs with Cloud when they came down, sitting with him on the couch with an open book. Cloud perked up once he saw Sephiroth.
"Seh!" Cloud couldn't say anybody's name right yet. He slid out from his mother's lap. "Seh!"
Go on without me, Sephiroth mentally told his brothers. I'll catch up. The trio left. Cloud grabbed onto Sephiroth's leg for the umpteenth time that day.
"Up!" Sephiroth inwardly sighed and picked Cloud up again. Like the other times before, Cloud grew limp in his arms. Cloud only did that when Sephiroth held him. Cloud kept himself upright when held by his mother; even when Sephiroth convinced Yazoo to hold him for a few seconds, Cloud still didn't react the same way he did with Sephiroth. It was strange.
Sephiroth could also hear Cloud's thoughts if he concentrated hard enough. Since Cloud had limited vocabulary, there were only a few words that Sephiroth could recognize. However, seeing through Cloud's eyes was much clearer, though Sephiroth was only able to when he let himself zone out near Cloud. Cloud seemed to be oblivious to what he was mentally capable of, except when it came to projecting his emotions. Cloud was probably aware that he was able to share his emotions with Sephiroth since day one.
"Are you leaving?" Mrs. Strife asked. She was full of questions. It was a little hard to get used to.
"Yes. We're going to Nibelheim for a while." Sephiroth lowered Cloud to the floor. Cloud looked up, frowning. The I don't want you to leave feeling washed through Sephiroth.
"Aren't you a little under dressed, though?" Sephiroth was wearing the same kind of outfit he wore every day: a light jacket with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow, ripped jeans with a belt, and old boots. Definitely not something to wear in Mt. Nibel – for a normal person.
"I'll be fine. There isn't any snow out yet."
"O-okay. Be careful, dear," Mrs. Strife said. She stood to get Cloud. Cloud didn't complain when his mother held him, instead turning to look back at Sephiroth.
"We will." Sephiroth opened the door and exited the house. He walked (jogged, really) until he found the slope that was the shortcut to Nibelheim. Sliding down the steep incline, the pang of sadness hit him, the temporary separation having a big effect on Cloud. Sephiroth had never left while Cloud was up and about before.
I'll be back, he mentally said to Cloud. The sadness lessened a little and was joined with anticipation.
Mrs. Strife allowed Cloud to roam around once the door shut. Cloud ran to the door and bawled, pounding his tiny fists against it. "Seh!" Mrs. Strife picked him up again and cuddled him, trying to calm him down. Cloud kept on crying, actually shedding tears. Then he stopped and sniffled.
"It's okay, Cloud. He'll be back," Mrs. Strife reassured. Cloud leaned against her, digging his chin into her shoulder. He sighed. "Poor baby," Mrs. Strife said.
"No be-bah," Cloud said tiredly.
"Let's go take a nap. I think you need it, my cute, tired little baby."
"Noooo, no be-baaaaahhh." Cloud didn't put up much of a fight, but just seeing him attempt to rebel was adorable. Mrs. Strife smiled.
"You're still going to take a nap." Cloud used up all of his energy for that little scene. Mrs. Strife never knew he was that attached to Sephiroth. He was going to have to sneak out without Cloud knowing next time. Her poor baby couldn't go through this anymore.
"'m not tired, Mama," Cloud said when he was placed on the bed. "No nap."
"Yes nap. Maybe Sephiroth will be back when you wake up."
"No nap. See Seh." Cloud sat up and tried to move off the bed. Mrs. Strife pinned him down and lay next to him. "No nap! No!"
"Shh, Cloud. If he comes back when you're asleep, I'll wake you up, okay?" Mrs. Strife spoke slowly.
"Otay. But 'm not tired." Cloud kept nodding off.
"Yes you are. You can't fool me, Cloud."
Cloud closed his eyes and didn't open them again. His breathing evened out. Mrs. Strife sighed. Cloud was starting to be a bigger handful the older he got. He wouldn't stop moving; the only time he would keep still was when he was falling asleep. He also got into the habit of biting, though Kadaj was the one he bit the most. Already he had made himself an enemy and he barely turned one two months ago! Kadaj never tried to do anything back to Cloud, but he tried to avoid Cloud as much as possible, lest his short temper got the best of him. Mrs. Strife discovered Kadaj's short temper very quickly. He blew up over almost everything and nothing.
She had been here for a year already, and she still didn't know very much about Jenova and her family. Mrs. Strife decided that she was going to ask more questions, though this time about them. It was only right that she try to learn more about them, wasn't it? Sephiroth and his three brothers should be easy enough, though Yazoo would probably take a little more work. It was Jenova that would be difficult.
Mrs. Strife shuddered at thinking about Jenova. She was still slightly traumatized by that night, sneaking peeks at corners and behind herself when alone. The trail of blood had disappeared without a trace, and Jenova hadn't been seen since. Mrs. Strife didn't dare to leave her room at night anymore. She immediately erased the idea of getting to know Jenova from her mind and decided that finding out what she was up to would be easier.
But, her mind said, since she doesn't ever come out anymore, wouldn't the only way to see her be at night? Oh no. Mrs. Strife didn't want a repeat of that terrifying time. Her curiosity, however, was overpowering that fear by a tiny bit. She gave in, and hoped it wouldn't be the end of her.
Not tonight, she decided. It's too soon, and I don't know what she can do. Cloud shifted in his sleep and rolled towards the wall. Mrs. Strife pulled him back towards her and lay down. A nap sounded good to her, too.
His brothers were waiting for him by the old Shinra mansion. Kadaj peeked over the stone wall.
"Took you long enough."
Sephiroth grabbed a pebble and threw it at Kadaj's head. Kadaj ducked to avoid it.
"I think you're going soft. There was a bigger one right next to it," Kadaj taunted. Yazoo and Loz's heads appeared on either side of Kadaj.
"If you seriously want a head injury, I'm pretty sure Loz and Yazoo will be happy enough to give you one."
"Oh, so now you're too good to get me yourself? Or are you just lazy?"
"Can't we start the mayhem already?" Yazoo cut in.
"Yeah, waiting was booooring," Loz said.
"How long has it been since anybody's seen the Red Ghost?" Sephiroth asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Ten, maybe twenty years," Yazoo said. "I didn't bother counting."
"Let's bring it back."
The story of the Red Ghost dated back to the 1740s. At the time, it was a miracle for anyone in Nibelheim to live past the age of thirty. Anybody past the age of forty was considered an elder, which was the position of leadership. There were five elders, the oldest being sixty-three and the youngest forty-two. The elders made the important decisions for the village and had all the power. It was on the thirty-first of October in 1748 when all of the five elders and several villagers were brutally murdered.
A woman was accused of arson after a wooden monument of the head elder was erected. The monument burned down to the ground, and the woman was hung the next morning. The whole village watched as her neck snapped. The body was hastily buried far from the village.
One of the woman's children was nearly killed not long afterward. The son was old enough to be considered a man in the eyes of the old way, but he still acted like a boy. He was infuriated with his mother's death and attempted to assassinate the head elder only to be tied at the stake. The son was beaten and left without food or water.
Then came the killings on the night of the thirty-first. The woman came back, covered in mud and dirt, holding a dagger. The head elder was the first to die. He was slashed open, his innards scattered on the dirt and some of his organs were even nailed to the wall. The rest of the elders died in a similar manner. Half of the villagers weren't as brutally killed, only a few stab wounds here and there. The woman's hands, face, torso and feet were drenched in blood. The remaining villagers swore that the woman was crying "Murder! Murder! O bloody murder!" during the massacre. The Dead Night was made into the night when the villagers paid their respects to those who died that night. The villagers retired to their homes during sundown because they claimed they heard whispers of "murder, murder, bloody murder" outside their doors. The woman was called the Red Ghost ever since because the villagers had seen her die; were certain that she was dead. There was no way she could have been alive.
Today, however, the Dead Night was celebrated to honor any family members or friends that have passed away. The story of the Red Ghost was a superstition, though going back inside early became a tradition.
It was time to test who was superstitious. Mayor Lockheart was first. He held onto old traditions more than anyone else in Nibelheim.
Sephiroth tapped on the nearest window. Kadaj banged on a window on the opposite side. They heard shuffling, then the creak of a door opening. They hid in the shadows. Mayor Lockheart was notorious for shooting anything that seemed suspicious and asking questions later. Sure enough, he had his trademark rifle in his arms. After what seemed like an eternity, the mayor went back inside and closed the door. Sephiroth ran to the window and loudly banged on it. He kneeled there, though it was a dangerous risk. Winter was taking its time, unlike last year, and there wasn't any snow at all yet. It was an inconvenience. Snow was the camouflage Sephiroth used all the time. The temperature was low enough for a sweater to be required. It was probably the only thing keeping the mayor from leaving his doorstep. Besides the holiday, of course.
Mayor Lockheart stepped out with his rifle again, this time grumbling out a warning. "H'ever it is better git out of here. I ain't afraid to use me gun."
"Murder, murder, bloody murder," Sephiroth whispered loud enough for the mayor to hear. Spehiroth slipped the matches into Yazoo's hand when he crept closer. The roof. He won't see you there. Yazoo nodded and moved away. He started climbing up the side of the house.
"Ain't heard that in years," the mayor said. Probably thinking out loud. His eyes were wide.
"Murder, murder! O bloody murder!" Sephiroth whispered louder.
A loud boom sounded. Yazoo had thrown the firecracker. Mayor Lockheart pulled the trigger out of reflex. Luckily, the ground was the only thing the bullet struck. Mayor Lockheart slammed the door closed in fear and embarrassment.
The rest of the townspeople were looking out their windows. They were going to be cautious for the rest of the night. Dammit. Mayor Lockheart took the fun out of everything already.
Let's draw him out, Kadaj suggested. He and Loz started ripping out the small patches of thorny plants that littered the area.
Not with fire. It'll spread everywhere, Sephiroth warned.
I see a chimney up here. A mental image of what Yazoo saw appeared in Sephiroth's mind.
That'll work. The three of them joined Yazoo on the roof. Smoke drifted through the chimney. Loz took the hairspray out of his pocket and sprayed the greens. Kadaj dumped them down the chimney. The smoke blackened and the air smelled terrible. All four jumped off the roof and strolled through the town back to the Mt. Nibel trail.
"Asshole! That idiot and his gun ruined everything," Kadaj complained.
"Yeeeeaaaahh," Loz joined in. "Who are we gonna bother now?"
Sephiroth slammed his elbow into the back of Kadaj's head. Kadaj stumbled, but quickly regained his balance.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Kadaj screeched.
"That's the head injury I owed you earlier," Sephiroth said with a smirk on his face.
"You..." Kadaj said both angrily and excitedly. "You wanna start something?" Sephiroth had been itching to pick a mock fight with his brothers for a long while.
Sephiroth sucker punched Kadaj and ran.
"Bastard!" Sephiroth heard Kadaj gaining on him. He upped the speed and darted into a cave. Kadaj ran past the cave, Loz on his heels. Yazoo wasn't with them. Sephiroth felt a jab in his lower back. There he was. Sephiroth had no doubt Kadaj and Loz were hanging around close by. It was a good technique of theirs. Have the enemy think they lost you, then sneak up on them.
Sephiroth yanked Yazoo's arm and wrapped his arm around Yazoo's head. He then slammed Yazoo's head into the cave wall. A grunt was the only thing Yazoo uttered. Sephiroth released Yazoo and grabbed a nice sized rock. He walked slowly, appearing oblivious. Kadaj was on a ledge at the top of the cave's mouth, prepared to jump. Well, he was until Sephiroth lobbed the rock at him. The rock struck Kadaj in the chest and he fell. Loz attempted to barrel into Sephiroth only for Sephiroth to swing him around and throw him on top of Kadaj.
"Ow! Fat ass!"
Sephiroth chuckled, then looked around. Out of the three, Yazoo was the most dangerous. Letting him out of your sight was a bad idea.
Loz rolled off of Kadaj. The two surrounded Sephiroth, who didn't try to move. Yazoo appeared seemingly out of nowhere and blocked the remaining spot. Everybody froze. Then, the younger three charged.
Sephiroth knocked Kadaj down and grabbed onto Loz, dodging Yazoo a second too slow. Sephiroth swung Loz again, this time in Yazoo's direction. Loz managed to stop himself in time.
Sephiroth was going easy on them. They were going easy on Sephiroth. It didn't matter now.
The war games had begun.
Mrs. Strife was awakened by soft patting. Cloud was awake and patting her face.
"Up, Mama! Way up!"
It was still dark outside. Cloud wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon.
"Go daow, Mama? See Seh?"
Oh, no. Mrs. Strife had a hunch that Sephiroth wasn't back yet.
"I don't think he's back yet, Cloud."
"Go daow. See Seh back."
"No, Cloud. We can wait here."
Cloud scrunched up his face in that cute way of his. "Go daow, Mamaaaa..."
"No, Cloud." Jenova's down there.
Cloud crawled to the edge of the bed. Mrs. Strife pulled him back. Cloud frowned and started sniffing. He was going to throw a tantrum. He was going to do anything possible to get downstairs.
"Okay, okay, Cloud. But only for a little bit," Mrs. Strife compromised. Cloud stopped his whining and smiled. Mrs. Strife scolded herself for giving in so easily. She told herself that she wasn't going to let it happen the next time.
Mrs. Strife picked up her baby boy and a book and slowly felt her way down the stairs. She quickly searched for the living room light, finding it next to the front door and flipping it on.
A hunched figure was in the dining room, which was in semi-darkness with that one light on. Jenova lifted her head, that disturbing grin on her face again. She held a knife like last time, too. Mrs. Strife froze. Cloud tried to turn around, but Mrs. Strife didn't let him. Cloud squirmed, and Mrs. Strife nearly squeezed him.
Jenova stood and made her way towards the stairs. Mrs. Strife noticed that she had a limp. When Jenova was out of sight and Mrs. Strife heard a door close, Mrs. Strife let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. She finally let Cloud down. Cloud waddled to the door and reached for the doorknob. He was tall enough to jiggle it. Cloud kept trying to get the door to open, but gave up after a while and sat down. He had a cute pout on his face.
Mrs. Strife picked Cloud up again and sat him on the couch, despite his protests. She opened the book.
"Let's read for a little until he gets back, okay?"
"'ead sory?"
"Yes. This one has a lot of different stories in it." She picked one of the many fables in the book at random and began reading.
Sephiroth stood over Yazoo, panting. They had gone all out on Sephiroth, ganging up on him and preventing him from escaping. It was the same strategy they used, and it was only avoidable when one knew what to expect. Sephiroth didn't try very hard, but he was surprised to see how his brothers worked together. It was very difficult for him to go after them, but that only made the game more fun.
It was time to go home. The game officially ended really close to the house, so it wasn't a long walk back. Sephiroth pulled Yazoo up. Kadaj and Loz stood up from where they sat.
Cloud was sitting with his mother when Sephiroth opened the door. Cloud turned, a look of elation on his face. The exact same feeling rushed through Sephiroth, though it wasn't his own.
"Seh back! Seh!" Cloud ran, almost tripping, and hugged Sephiroth's leg. Sephiroth picked him up, Cloud going limp as usual.
"Nice to see you, too, Cloud." Sephiroth glanced at Mrs. Strife. Poor woman looked exhausted still.
"You should be asleep, Cloud," Sephiroth scolded.
"'m not tired."
"Your mother is. She can only sleep when you sleep."
"Mama go sleep. 'm not tired."
"Go to sleep, Cloud."
"'m not tired."
"I won't play with you anymore if you don't go to sleep."
That did the trick. "Otay..."
Mrs. Strife looked real grateful as Sephiroth passed Cloud back to her.
Once she was out of earshot, Sephiroth turned to Kadaj. "I'm bringing a stick next time, crap head."
"Go ahead, ass crack."
Sephiroth knocked Kadaj upside the head before going to his room. The bed had never felt this good.
Notes:
Started: 2013年2月2日 （土）
Finished: 2013年2月13日 （水）
I'm so so sorry for the late update! I've had a few things to do, but the biggest reason for the lateness was because I was attacked by a horrible disease. This particular disease affects everyone at least once in their lifetime. The disease is called The Lazy. If this longer chapter doesn't make you any happier, I'm willing to allow you to lock me into a closet with Jenova. Just don't open it later (it'll be gruesome). Please excuse any typos. I wanted to upload this as quickly as possible.
Looking back at Chapter 2, I realized that I made a mistake. Space Invaders (the arcade game) didn't come out until '78, and Asteroids (also an arcade game) didn't come out until the following year. Damn! I'll fix it later.
Cloud can't say "gimme", so he says "me" instead.
I'm not sure whether Mrs. Strife has figurative balls or is just plain crazy. Will curiosity kill the cat this time? I don't know. (Yes, I do know.)
Sephiroth is wearing 80s style clothes in the late 70s. He's awesome just like that.
I'll try to take less time for the next update. It isn't always easy, since I think of the next part as I go. My brain isn't helping by thinking of parts that could happen in future chapters that take place during the 80s.