To the Morrow, For the Past
Chapter 7 – A New Time
Zack was five when it happened. When Cloud lost him.
They were in the church, gently tending to the flowers. Zack was having a one sided conversation with Aerith's memory when Cloud felt a sudden pull on his shoulders. Steadying himself, he looked around and found nothing out of the ordinary but then it happened again. It was like some invisible force was grabbing him by the collar and dragging him towards the pool in the centre of the flower patch.
After a few moments, the tugging became relentless and it took all of Cloud's considerable strength to resist it. "Zack." He threw his phone at his son, "Call Tifa. Now." His voice had a tone of desperation to it as he struggled to remain where he was, body inching towards the waters edge.
"It's okay." Zack told him, holding Cloud's phone but making no moves to use it. "Aerith says that you need to let go."
That had actually been the first time that Zack had used her name. Cloud wasn't even sure he'd ever actually told Zack her name. The boy was smiling softly at him, just as calm and serene as she had been.
"She said that you're going away for a while. But that you'll be okay and that the planet will look after you." He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them, the smile turning sad and tears forming in his eyes. Cloud wanted desperately to go to him, but was unable to move in any direction but forward. "There's something you need to do. And I might not see you for a long time. But it's okay. Tifa will look after me." He didn't move and Cloud felt the tugging getting stronger and stronger, his feet now skidding on the soil of the flower bed.
Without having time to comprehend what Zack had just told him, and how he could possibly know the things he'd just said, he was flung head first into the pool.
The moment the water engulfed him, Cloud knew that this wasn't normal. It didn't soak into his clothes or hair like it should have, didn't fill his lungs. Instead it felt... It felt like Aerith's garden. The serene place that she had brought him to when she needed to speak with him or to guide him. It had only happened a few times, and the last time was half a decade ago, but Cloud would never forget that feeling.
He felt like he was drifting, floating on nothing for a while before he started to get heavy. His body sagged as though all his energy was sapped. He felt tired. So tired. His strength faded as he felt himself fall lower and lower, the bright white slowly fading into the darkest black. All he wanted to do was sleep.
He didn't know how long he lay like that. It could have been seconds, it could have been years. His senses were completely blank, and his perception of time seemed non existent. He simply lay there feeling nothing. No pain, no joy, no fear, no hope. Just... nothing. It was oddly nice.
The voice seemed to be coming from far away. He could hear it long before he could understand it, like a hushed whisper in a low wind. Only there was no wind. Straining his ears, Cloud concentrated on it, trying to piece together the syllables into something he could comprehend.
"Wake up." He heard it. It was familiar. It sounded like... was that Aerith?
"You need to wake up." The words came again, and Cloud knew for sure. It was Aerith. He opened his eyes to find himself back in her garden.
"A-Aerith?" His throat hurt. His head hurt. Everything hurt. It was sudden and all at once, and Cloud didn't care for it.
"I'm sorry." She said quietly, standing somewhere behind him. He felt a hand touch the back of his shoulder, just under his guard. "There's something you have to do..." Her other hand joined the first, and before he could speak again, she pushed him forward.
The scenery around him disappeared as he stumbled, and suddenly he was at the Chocobo Farm. Blinking in the sudden sunlight, Cloud lifted a hand to shield them while he looked around himself. How had he got to the Chocobo Farm? He'd been in-He'd been in Aerith's church, right?
If this had been the first time he'd woken up somewhere strange suddenly, he would have probably panicked a little. But this wasn't the first time. This wasn't the second time. Cloud didn't even want to count how many time's he'd suddenly been somewhere unexpected. By now, he knew the drill.
Step One: Figure out where he was. Check. He was at the Chocobo Farm.
Step Two: How much time had passed. By using the mountains as a guide, Cloud turned to face North. He looked at the position of the sun. When he'd been in Midgar's ruins with Zack, it had been early evening. Now the sun was still rising, almost at its peak. Late morning, almost noon. So around eighteen hours then.
Step Three: Alert friends to his current location. Cloud felt around in his pocket for a moment before remembering that he'd given Zack his phone. Okay. Find a way of communicating with his friends. He was sure he could do that. The ranch had a phone.
Step four was to find a place to wait while his friends came to collect him anyway, he might as well wait inside. That last step had seemed unnecessary to him at first, but after realising that he wasn't always in the best mental state when he woke up like this, he'd conceded that staying put was probably a smart choice.
With a goal in mind, Cloud walked towards the ranch. When he knocked on the door, he'd expected Willy, the new stable hand, instead he came face to face with Chocobo Bill. He couldn't help but stare. The man had been dead for almost two years and yet here he was, alive and well. And... younger? "Uh-"
Okay. So maybe calling his friends wouldn't be the best of ideas. Either he was completely losing it (again) or the planet had thrown him back in time (again). Either way, he had to have more information before he could formulate a plan.
"You here for a chocobo?" Choco Bill asked, and Cloud managed to shake off his shock enough to shake his head.
"I'm lost." He was making up a plan on the fly. Outside of combat, that rarely worked out well for him. "I- Can you point me to Edge?"
"Edge o' what?" Well. That proved it. Choco Bill had been dead for two years, and Edge had been a major city for the last seven. Cloud had travelled back in time. Again. Hopefully. It was either that, or he was in some sort of hallucination. He couldn't completely rule out that possibility. He seemed to have fallen into the lifestream (again), and that could very definitely cause realistic hallucinations (again).
"Sorry." Cloud muttered. "Can I have some water?"
With a strange look, Choco Bill turned around and gestured for Cloud to go inside. He went to the small kitchen and poured Cloud a drink. "You all right?" He asked when Cloud took the glass.
Using the water as a stalling tactic, Cloud tipped the glass to his mouth, eyes quickly scanning the area. On the counter in the kitchen, he saw a calender. Choco Bill didn't seem to mark the days off, but at least Cloud had some idea of the time period he was in. It was January εγλ 0001.
He'd travelled back almost fifteen years.
Choco Bill was still waiting for an answer, but before Cloud could finish his water and answer, there was a loud, terrified scream from outside. Without hesitating or thinking, Cloud rushed outside, the glass dropping to the floor. His hand went to the hilt of his sword and drew it the moment he left the small house.
It didn't take him long to find the source of the screaming. A hundred or so meters away, a young woman huddled over a chocobo hatching, staring terrified at the massive snake that was heading towards them. A Midgar Zolom.
Cloud sprang into action, covering the distance quickly and passing the woman – Chloe, Cloud remembered Choco Bill's granddaughter – and ran straight to the Zolom. It had been a long time since the serpent had posed a real threat to Cloud, but then, it had also been a long time since Cloud had last seen combat. Sure, he would take out the odd monster here and there, but it was rare for him to take on anything more intimidating than a Kalm Fang these days. He did his best to stay out of too much danger now that he had Zack.
He was a little rusty, his moves were awkward, his muscles protested and his balance wasn't quite up to scratch, but it didn't take him long to kill the python. He watched as it dropped to the ground, it's 30 foot body writhing in death throws. He waited until it was still before turning around to check on Chloe.
She was staring at him wide eyed, clutching the baby chocobo to her chest, almost as if she were afraid of him. "Are you alright?" He asked, offering her a hand.
She stared at him for a moment longer before reaching a shaking hand out. He helped her up and made sure she was steady before letting her hand drop. She nodded mutely, still shaking. "Let's get you back inside." He said, guiding her to the small house. He knew shock when he saw it, and it was best to get her somewhere safe and warm.
They were about half way back to the house when he noticed a shadow leaning against a tree. His hand tightened on the hilt of his weapon, but didn't show any other outward signs that he'd noticed the man in the black suit. Only when he'd safely taken Chloe back to the farmhouse did he turn to face him.
Tseng looked different. A lot younger. Around fifteen years younger. Just another thing consistent with his current theory of time travel (he really didn't want to think too hard about the other alternatives).
The Turk watched Cloud as he approached, not moving until he was close enough for a conversation. Cloud kept his sword in his hand, regarding the man with thinly veiled suspicion. If he had travelled back in time, this Tseng couldn't be trusted. If he hadn't, then the Tseng from his time would forgive him for being paranoid while in the throws of a mako overdose. Deep down, he was a good man. A good man with poor choices for employers, but a good man.
When Cloud didn't speak, Tseng started the conversation. "It's not every day you see a Zolom defeated." He started cautiously. "And rarer still that you meet a man with eyes like yours." Mako eyes had been a sign of SOLDIER. As far as Cloud knew, it had never happened naturally. "Especially on the face of someone I do not know."
Cloud remained silent and Tseng pushed himself from his leaning position against the tree to regard him. "As you might imagine, you have made me curious. Who are you?"
Without a word, Cloud just turned around and began to walk away. He didn't want to deal with the Turks or Shinra. He just wanted to find out exactly when he was and why he was here. He wanted to complete his mission so the planet would send him home. First, he had to figure out what that was.
"I would recommend you come to Shinra." Tseng was still speaking. Cloud didn't turn around. "Willingly."
That made Cloud pause and let out a tired sigh. Of course, it wouldn't be so easy to get away. A civilian with Mako eyes and enough skill to take down a Zolom would pose a security risk. If nothing else, Shinra would need to ascertain that its secrets hadn't been spilled somewhere. "Not interested." He said flatly.
If Tseng wanted to take him in, he would have to do it by force. While Cloud wasn't looking forward to fighting someone who would one day become a begrudging ally, he really didn't want to be subjected to Shinra's science department. No. He would much rather go down fighting, and take anyone he had to with him than see him again.
"I see." Cloud realized that Tseng had caught up with him and was walking along side him. Cloud hadn't really decided on where he was going and had picked a direction at random before walking away. He looked at Tseng from the corner of his eyes. The man's dark hair was shorter than he was used to and he wore it in a ponytail. His eyes appeared bigger, but that was down to the lack of wrinkles that had slowly gathered on the man's face. This Tseng looked like he was in his early twenties. Suddenly Cloud felt old.
"You do realise," The Turk continued, "That you will eventually be brought in." Cloud could see that Tseng was examining him with curiosity in the same way that Cloud had just been looking at him. To the outside observer, they were casually strolling through the fields with their eyes forward.
"I said I'm not interested." Cloud repeated.
"That won't matter." Tseng stopped and Cloud found himself stopping too. He turned to the Turk, glaring at him. He wanted to cross his arms, but he still had his weapon drawn. "If you come with me now, I'm sure we could... negotiate... something. Shinra wont allow someone with your..." Again, Tseng looked at Cloud's eyes, "Talents, go without speaking with you first."
"Not. Interested." He lifted First Tsurugi, the weight in his arms comforting, even as his muscles protested. He didn't want to do this. In his time Tseng had earned himself Cloud's respect. This felt wrong. But not as wrong as the idea of willingly stepping into Shinra. There was no way that they wouldn't send him to the science department.
"Hmm." Tseng reached into his pocket, and Cloud watched with caution, ready to attack if need be, but there wasn't a need. Tseng didn't pull out a weapon, instead he pulled out a business card. "I see. If you change your mind, please do give me a call. We could use a man of your skill."
Cloud didn't move until he was sure that Tseng was well and truly gone. He looked down at the card in his hand and sheathed his sword with a sigh, his newly emptied hand moving to pinch the bridge of his nose.
After a moment, he headed towards the mountains. He knew of a cave he could take shelter in while he figured out what the hell he was going to do next.
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