Note to Readers:

Thank you for the feed back so far. This is the first creative writing Ive done for a long time, I'm worried years of university essays have made my writing 'stiff'. I knew the first few letters would be hard to write. Trying to get into the mind of a 14 year old Cloud is hard to tell the truth. There is not much source material to go on so I guess its more a case of taking what little I know of his childhood and combining that with the feelings of any young boy who has just joined the military. A reviewer did point out this chapter maybe a little confusing, my apologies for that.

Letters Home

Part 2

Tifa gently used her nail to pry open the envelope. The glue had lost its strength over the years and it opened with little resistance. She carefully took the folded paper out and opened it up. A small photo card flopped out onto the table, she resisted the urge to examine the picture instead concentrating on the letter. She recognised Cloud's handwriting, she had spent enough time checking his invoices in recent months to know it was his.

February εуλ 0001

Tifa

Are you ok? How are things in Nibelheim? To be honest I did not plan to write, not even to my mother, but the guys in the barracks all seem to think I'm odd because I don't write to anybody. Am I odd? As soon as we get some spare time before lights out they all gamble or write home. I'm not very good at either. I'm not sure how much I am allowed to say, some of the other recruits say Shinra checks all out going mail. Maybe I should tell you what has happened since I left? …...

"Al right ladies off the truck now" the drill instructor barked.

His order was met with groans of protest.

"What do you think this is? A Shinra funded day trip? Get your backsides into gear and form a line NOW!" his voice had gone from a bark to an out right scream.

The recruits quickly grabbed their belongings and started clambering down from the trucks into the courtyard. Cloud picked up his small duffel bag and followed suit. His legs were like jelly and his stomach felt like it was still in the middle of the western ocean, probably somewhere off the coast of Costa Del Sol. He stopped at the open tail gate and took a moment to try and steady himself. Why am I the only one who got this sick?

"Strife!, get your golden locks off that truck now otherwise I'm transferring you to the marines!"

Clouds motion sickness had been a great source of laughter, especially to the DI, particularly during the rough crossing to Junon. The thought of spending the next god knows how many years cramped on some Shinra tub sailing around Gaia throwing his guts up didn't sound to appealing. He double timed off the truck and joined the end of the first line.

Clouds senses were being bombarded. It was early evening in Midgar, the sounds of city life were louder than anything he had experienced before, the glow of the city lights gave the scene an odd industrial beauty, the smell was intense. Sometimes in Nibelheim if the wind was blowing in from the mountains there was indescribable yet distinct smell, the towns folk had all said it was the smell of Mako. It was like that but stronger, his nose and throat were tingling as a result. In the distance his could make out what looked like a reactor, but bigger and far more advance than the one at home. Even with the lingering motion sickness and his senses reeling he could feel excitement taking over. I'm finally here.

The DI surveyed the rag-tag bunch of men. Men? HA! Most of them were still teenagers! He smiled a knowing smile, being born and raised on the Northern continent even he remembered his first time in the city.

"Welcome to Midgar, this will be your home for the next few months, if you are good enough you will leave as men"

…. After signing up they sent us to Midgar, they said to be in SOLDIER you must pass basic infantry training. I got sick on the ship from Costa Del Sol to Junon and again on the road to Midgar. I didn't know I suffered from motion sickness this bad. Midgar is huge, I've never seen anything like this. The city never seems to sleep, there is always people out, cars, trucks, movement and sound, I think you would like it.

The training so far has not been that hard, as long as you remember to say 'Sir' after everything, keep your things tidy and don't answer back it's not that bad. The drill instructor likes to give everyone a hard time, always reminding us that with out Shinra we would be nothing, without Mako reactors our towns would be nothing and now we owe our lives as a debt of gratitude. I know what I'm really training for. There is only a few more weeks to go and when I graduate I will apply for SOLDIER selection.

Its time for lights out, I guess I'll write again soon.

Cloud

Tifa couldn't help but smile. She could almost see Cloud awkwardly rubbing his head between writing sentences. He certainly wouldn't be writing the next LOVELESS, that was for sure. Maybe he had been lonely in the barracks? I mean he was only what? 14? Or perhaps he had just given into peer pressure and wrote something to someone to get the other recruits off his back? It was hard to tell whether this was typical Cloud or not, she had to remind herself that she didn't know him as well as she thought back then.

She refolded the letter and placed it back in the envelope, picking up the photo and studied it. It was Midgar alight. Scrawled across the top proudly in a typical Shinra propaganda like style was "Midgar – light of the East", how ironic considering the slum folk lived in perpetual darkness. No doubt it was in reference to Shinra's light producing Mako energy. Pah! She cast those thoughts aside, Midgar was no longer an issue. She looked again at the photo, it was an aerial shot, taking in the full scope of the city, she was sure her teenage self would have been impressed with it.

Placing the photo back in its envelop she took the second letter from the pile.