Chapter 2

At first, Cloud did not know where he was, but that notion didn't scare him. He appeared to be in a sort of void, but instead of being cold and overpowering, he felt as if the void was warm and inviting. He tried to look around, but it was as if he was suspended in a fluid that was thicker than water, making his movements seem labored and in slow motion. As he slowly walked forward (walked was the closest thing to call it since there wasn't really a firm ground to move on) he began to get a hint of a fragrance reminiscent to flowers. Cloud stopped moving when he saw the figure of Aerith standing with her back to him, surrounded by yellow flowers that trailed off and blurrily disappeared about three feet away from her.

Cloud instantly realized that this was a dream. Aerith had come to him in dreams before, back when he was trying to deal with the guilt of her death. But that had been two years ago. Since then, the only time he saw her was in his memories. So why now was she coming to him?

When he approached her, he could see her shoulders tense up. In confusion, Cloud asked her what was wrong.

"Something's not right with the Planet. Someone's trying to do something, but I can't tell what," Aerith said in an ethereal voice that had an obvious level of anxiety in it. Cloud narrowed his brow in confusion and stepped closer to her.

"What do you mean, is Sephiroth trying to come back again?" The question hung in the void but went unanswered. Aerith lowered her head and slumped her shoulders as if she was about to pass out. Cloud jumped forward and grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around. But instead of seeing the bright face that he was used to, instead her face was replaced by a monstrous façade that was a pale shade of blue and with glowing red eyes. When Cloud saw this, he pulled back with surprise. Whatever this was, it wasn't Aerith! The imposter grinned, showing a mouth of sharp blood thirsty teeth and lunged forward, intent on killing him.

Cloud jumped awake in bed and quickly scanned the room, making sure that he was back in Edge. After he was sure that he was back in the real world, Cloud let his head fall back on the pillow and he let out a long breath. After a moment, he looked over to the clock and saw that it was five in the morning. Softly, as to not wake Tifa who was lying next to him, he got out of bed and peeked through the blinds of the window.

Outside, the sky was still dark, but was hinted with a dark orange hew from the street lights. The thunderstorm that had come earlier in the night was gone, but the streets were still visibly wet. A few cars were on the road, driven by workers who were going to their jobs that required them to be there earlier than most.

Cloud withdrew from the window and began to get dressed. Today he had to deliver a package to Junon, a trip that would take him a day and a half, a day if he drove constantly. He used to do this, but Tifa worried that he might fall asleep while driving, so he promised her he wouldn't do that anymore. As Cloud tightened his sword harness and made sure the belts were in their proper place, Tifa stirred under the sheets. She looked up with half opened eyes and sleepily spoke.

"Leaving all ready?" Cloud nodded and headed for the door.

"I'll be back tomorrow."

"You'll be here for lunch?" Tifa asked as she laid her head back down on her pillow. Cloud nodded and then silently opened the door and stepped out.

Tifa smiled at how much progress Cloud had made since he finally forgave himself for his past sins. Before, Cloud was always reserved and hardly ever made a promise, but now he opened up, albeit it was not very common, and he kept his word. The last time that he had went out for a distant delivery, he had promised to bring something home for the kids, and he had brought a stuffed moogle for Marlene and a toy plastic sword for Denzel. Though Shelke physically looked like she was ten, she was just as old as Yuffie was, so instead of bringing her a toy, Cloud had brought her a new part for her computer. The gift that he had brought Tifa was something that they shared behind closed doors.

As she lay there, thinking about Cloud and smiling to herself, she could hear him start his bike, Fenrir, a few buildings down (he did this because he didn't want to wake anyone up, the bike was rather loud). Tifa tried to go back to sleep, but now she was fully awake, so she turned on the television and sat up. As the box began to slowly illuminate the room with its bright flicker, the newscaster's voice came on.

"This is Jackie Foster live on the scene in Junon, where Anti-WRO protests have reached an all time high. What started out yesterday as being a mass rally of picketers became a full scale protest when their ranks were joined by the leading Anti-WRO group who call themselves the Returners. As you will remember, the Returners have members throughout the world, each demanding extreme action to remove the WRO from power. Here we have one of the Returners. Sir, what is it exactly that you want from the WRO?"

"What we want is them to admit that they are working with the former Shinra Company. We also want them to step down from their global capitalization and to stop using their mind control tactics on the world. They may say that they're doing everything for the better good of the world, but we know what they're really up to!"

"And what if the WRO doesn't meet your demands?"

"Then we'll have to use the only negotiating tool those bastards can understand! We'll take the fight to them!"

"There you have it, straight from the Returner's mouths. Back to you Bernard."

"Thank you Jackie. As of this moment, there have only been limited acts of violence in Junon, however this situation is reaching its threshold. Commissioner Tuesti could not be reached for comment, though we have learned that a large WRO peacekeeping force will be arriving in Junon within the hour. For more on this story, log on to our website at…"

Tifa turned the set off and let out a sigh. She could not understand why there would be so much action taken against the WRO and Reeve. After all, it was through his efforts that many people's lives were saved, both after the Meteor Crisis and during the Deep Ground incident. While she herself did believe that people should have the right to say what they want, she didn't understand why these Returners were wanting to fight over it. But, as soon as she thought this, she remembered that once upon a time, she too had fought for what she believed in; however, she reassured herself that the circumstances were much different.

Tifa stood up from bed and took her bathrobe off of a hook in the door, put it on, and tied the sash around her waist. She knew that Cloud was heading to Junon, and though she was slightly worried about him, she knew that he could take care of himself. After all, he had fought and defeated Sephiroth on several occasions. She let out a sigh, and went downstairs to get breakfast ready for the kids before they went off to school.