8 February 1990

Cloud was at his mother's house again, standing by the oven and trying to warm up. He lifted one leg, keeping it in the air to help warm his freezing toes. Mrs. Strife offered Cloud a blanket, and the blond accepted it eagerly, draping it over himself as he kept to the warm area surrounding the oven.

Mrs. Strife opened the oven to check on the cookies, closed it up, and put a small pot of milk on the stove top to heat up. Cloud continued to shiver and concentrate on staying warm while his mother stared into space with a contemplative expression.

"What's wrong?" Cloud asked after a short while, shivering considerably less than before.

Mrs. Strife rubbed her hands together and held them over the stove. "It's nothing to worry about. I just think it's time."

"Time for what?"

Mrs. Strife looked at her clasped hands for a few seconds as if gathering her thoughts. Then she began, "You're growing up fast, Cloud. So, so fast. You'll be a man soon."

"Oh, mom..." Cloud turned his head away and looked to the side.

"This is very important, Cloud. Lots of things are going to change in your life, but the most important one right now is puberty."

Cloud wasn't sure what that word meant, but it sounded embarrassing either way.

Mrs. Strife continued, "Now, this is going to be a bit difficult for me to tell you, but it's something you absolutely need to know."

The blond looked up to signal that he was listening.

"When we get to a certain age, our bodies start to become different." Mrs. Strife paused here to add a chocolate mix to the milk and check on the cookies again. As she stirred the milk, she said, "Hair starts to grow in places where it never was before."

Realization struck Cloud, but he retreated into embarrassment again. He suspected that things would only get worse from here on.

And they did. Mrs. Strife went on to explain that young men and women changed differently, and the first covered the female aspect of it. Cloud was far from cold by this point – he was burning up.

But it got even worse. Cloud was absolutely mortified when she started talking about erections and male arousal. He shuffled away from the oven and threw the blanket onto one of the beds before sitting at the dinner table with his face in his hands.

Mrs. Strife pulled the cookies out of the oven and set them at the table to cool. She turned both the stove and the oven off and poured some of the hot chocolate into two mugs. She walked over to Cloud and offered him a mug, patting him on the back.

"I know it's embarrassing, dear. But if none of this has happened to you yet, it will. And you're going off into the army, all by yourself." Mrs. Strife sniffled. "You'll be in that big city, surrounded by lots of people..."

Cloud drank his hot chocolate when his mother suddenly went on to explain where babies come from. He choked through half the lecture.

"...so if you really want to, make sure there's consent on both your side and her side. And use protection. I cannot stress that enough," Mrs. Strife said.

Briefly, Cloud's thoughts drifted back to Sephiroth. "Does it have to be a her?"

"Well, no. But the same rules still apply." His mother sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder, redirecting his gaze to her. "Please, Cloud. Try not to have any relationships other than friends. I'm saying this for your own good. Having a girlfriend or a baby while you're in the military is a lot of extra work to keep up with."

Cloud nodded. "I understand, mom."

Mrs. Strife smiled and handed Cloud a cookie. The boy took it and munched on it.

He knew he was going to have a restless night with lots of thinking to do.

17 April 1990

Luck was on his side that week. Cloud managed to find a ride, and though the deadline was short, he managed to pack his clothes and essentials in time. He was tired, both from the long week of rushing to pack and from having to get up early the entire time, including today, but his apprehension managed to dominate it.

It was warm and muddy when Cloud opened the door and stepped out. He went back inside to hug his mother tightly, hearing her break out into sobs.

He hadn't imagined it would be this difficult to say goodbye. He struggled not to cry with her and told her he loved her.

"My boy..." Mrs. Strife said as she embraced her son. "My baby has grown so much..."

"I love you, mom," Cloud repeated.

"I love you, too. Be safe."

"I will." He let go and went outside again.

Cloud approached the truck, large pack in hand. He got into the back, along with a few other boys, and looked out, studying his hometown for the last time.

His mother still had tears running down her face. His heart clenched, but he could not drag out the goodbyes anymore. He'd made a choice, and now was the time to go through with it.

The blond sat down and made himself as comfortable as he could. He held onto his backpack tightly, keeping it out of the way of the other passengers who gave him small looks of suspicion and slight contempt but otherwise left him alone. Cloud jumped as the driver closed up the back of the truck, then scooted closer towards it. He felt the rumble and heard the roar of the old truck starting up, and again the weight of his decision hit him. It had felt like a dream before, but it felt more and more real as the seconds ticked by.

When the truck began to move, Cloud Strife watched as his old life slowly began to grow distant. He swore he could see Jenova, Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo waiting near the mountain.

Notes:

Started: 2015年5月15日（金）

Finished: 2015年5月16日（土）

Oops, took a bit longer than expected. But I finally got my internet back yesterday and I think things have finally settled down here. I've moved far away from my old place, and so far I'm doing much better than before. It's on to greener pastures for me from now on. Quite literally, because it's a lot greener here than it was where I used to live. :P Hopefully this means quicker updates, but, like before, I won't promise anything just in case stuff happens.

Next chapter: Cloud in Midgar.