Cloud lay flat on his back, looking at the bottom of the bed above him, lost in thought. He still had to work out his next step. Cloud had a lot to do if he was going to make a happier ending for himself and his friends. But that would be unlikely to happen today, his roommates have not left him alone after they had come to their agreement of teaming up.
Cloud could not remember what he use to do, in his spear time as a cadet in his younger years. He hoped he was nothing like his roommates in the past as it would have been a little embarrassing for him if he had spent most of his time asking pointless questions about the so called Shinra heroes.
"Have any of you guys noticed that Sephiroth doesn't talk much?" Charlie asked.
"So, you want him to mention the weather before he cuts off a man's head?" Reno answered with a hint of sarcasm on his voice.
"Well…no" Charlie commented.
Reno begun to pace up and down the small room, it was Sunday the only day that the cadets got off. Most used the day to catch some sleep, or were out exploring Midgar.
The four cadets had not made any plans for today, as to why they were sitting in their room doing nothing.
"So any of you got a girl back home?" Charlie asked, finding that the famous Shinra SOLIDERS topic was not getting him anywhere with his new friends.
No one answered, there have all seem to have grown tired of the little cadets questions.
"Come on guys spill! I want to get to know you better. How about you Troy, any ladies in your life?" Charlie questioned.
Troy glared at him from across the room.
"Okay never mind. Reno?"
"I don't like to rub it in to you city boy, but this sum rat has many fine mice that are begging for his attention, back under the plate." Reno said with a smug grin no his face.
"Seriously!" Charlie replied.
Reno nodded, smile still in place.
"Yeah, I am sure that anyone could find a girl for the night in the slums, if there pocket was full of loose change, anyway Charlie you don't want the girls under the plate, only slum rats would want mice." Troy mumbled under his breath.
"At least I get some attention from the opposite sex, unlike you!" Reno muttered.
"Cloud? What about you?" Charlie asked, it seemed to be an attempt to block the other two cadets out.
Both Reno and Troy, gave their attention to Cloud. Both appeared to be interested to what his answer would be.
Cloud was silent for a long time before he answered.
"Yeah. There were two, but there was nothing that could have happened with either of them. I failed them both."
"I'm sensing a story here." Troy observed.
"What happened?" Reno questioned.
Cloud said nothing. He instead got up from his buck and begun to head for the door. His helmet still in place on his head.
"You want to talk about it Cloud?" Charlie offered.
"Not interested." Was Cloud's only answer, He then slammed the door behind him. Leaving three confused cadets behind.
"Did I say something wrong?" Charlie questioned.
"Looks like Blondie got a secret." Reno added with a smug grin.
Charlie looked at his two team mates puzzled. "Should we follow him? He looks a little upset."
"Nope, let him be. I think you struck a nerve there shorty, best to leave him be." Troy answered.
"For once city boy, I think your right. Cloud looked like he was ready to murder any one in his way." Reno commented.
Cloud desperately made his way through the slums, leaving a path of dust in his wake. How could he have been so selfish? It had been two weeks since he had found himself in the past, and not once had he made the effort to try and see her. He had been too busy trying to get his fitness to the same level as Sephiroth's, he had not even given her a single thought.
What was the point of all of this training and hard work, if he did not even make sure that the people he wanted to protect were even alive?
Cloud's eyes were burning, he could feel the mako in them glowing brighter. All of this emotion was having a huge effect on him. He could have easily put a stop to the pain but chose not to. He would not allow any more delays.
Cloud picked up his pace.
He had to find her. He had to make sure she was alright.
"This is not acceptable." Sephiroth muttered. As he leant back on his office chair. It was unlike him to come in the office on a Sunday, however he wanted to do some research on that cadet that the Turks wanted.
However he was disappointed, as this was impossible. It seemed that the great general Sephiroth had been tricked.
He had spent too much time staring at his computer screen looking for someone who does not exist.
The name Karl Swift did not belong to any cadet in Shinra, his eyes had scanned all of the names of the cadets and not one matched the name he was looking for. At first he had suspected that Kunsel had misheard or had listened to the wrong conversion. After speaking to the SOLDIER, Sephiroth had soon gotten rid of that theory. As the tried class had done some research and had asked around. It turns out that the Turks did intend on recruiting someone by the name cadet Swift.
The only explanation was that he Turk's had used a code name and deliberately placed a trail that would waste his time and lead him nowhere.
Sephiroth snorted, he bet there was not even a cadet that the Turks wanted. To top this off he also had to still tech at least one of the SOLDIER cadet's classes, while Genesis got to go to Wutie and do his job.
How he loathed them. Genesis could be spiteful sometimes.
He was the General of SOLDIER, unmatched as not even both Genesis and Angeal together were a threat to him, he was supreme, a god among men he was…
His fist came down and met the desk. What was wrong with him? Where had all of the hatred come from? The Turks had played something like this before and yet it had never caused this kind of reaction in the past. Also the fact that Genesis was going to Wutie should have not contributed to his anger either. It was him who allowed the commander to go in the first place.
The mako in his eyes was growing more noticeable, he could see the dim glow reflecting on his desk. He needed to calm down. It would not do if he went on a rampage and destroyed eventing in his path, he had a reputation to keep even though that idea did seem strangely appealing.
Exhaling a breath, he regained control over the mako, making his eyes in to a light dim glow. Thinking of this ability, it had always bothered him that he never remembered leaning it as he had always been in control of his emotions. Every time he thought about the past, his mind was blank. According to Hojo that was one of the side effects from being whom he was.
Switching off his computer and getting to his feet. Sephiroth then whet to collet Masamune that lay on the other end of his office. He needed to kill something. That always helped him when he needed to let of some steam.
However this would not be his next act, because as he begun to make his way to the door of his office, someone knocked.
This was not helping his mood.
Sephiroth placed Masamune carefully back down and returned to his chair.
"Enter." he answered.
"Working again Sephiroth? You do understand even you can have days off?" Came the replied as the door opened and out stepped the LOVELESS fanatic himself.
"Genesis." Sephiroth said, making sure that he did not show any sign of anger on his face. "Shouldn't you be no your way to Wutie by now?"
"And miss that chance to say goodbye to my dear friend, you should know me better than that Sephiroth. I am disappointed."
Sephiroth was growing tired of the conversation, Genesis wanted this job and there was no way that he was backing out of it, he had honour and once a SOLDIER commits to something he does it, no matter how much Sephiroth himself wanted to do it. "Genesis as your commanding office, I order you to return to your duties and leave for Wutie at once. We will not win this war if you delay the SOLDIERS going with you any longer."
"If that's how you feel Sephiroth then I will obey." Genesis snarled. The red haired commander then spun on his heal and begun to quote Loveless as he went.
"Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return."
Sephiroth waited a few moments, making sure that Genesis had left. Before retrieving his sword and leaving his office.
On his way out of the Shinra building the general had chosen the perfect place to hunt the monsters he wanted so badly to kill.
There were always plenty in the slums.
Cloud finally made it to the church.
Before going in, he stood a few paces away from the entrance. So that he could observe the area around him.
It looked exactly the same as it did when he had first met Aerith here all those years ago. That was a good sigh, maybe Sephiroth had been wrong.
Aerith had to be alive.
He made his way up to the large doors of the church. With little effort he easy managed to push them both open and to be greeted by that face he had longed to see for sure a long time.
There she knelt behind the small pond that was sounding by flowers, with her hands clasped together , her head bent forward in pray and eyes closed. She won her pink dress, and looked older then she should have been at this point in the past. Relief and confusion began to overwhelm Cloud.
"Aerith." His voice was barely a whisper.
"You came." Her voice was soft and quite. Cloud watched as Aerith lips remained still. Her body had not moved since he came in. there was no evidence that the words were even said.
Cloud said nothing, and just stared at the flower girl.
"You have many questions." The flower girl whispered. Body still unmoving.
"How are…you?" Cloud asked eyes still wide.
"Sephiroth took a lot from me Cloud, he needed to so that he could send you both back to fulfil his plans. If I were human, I would no longer exist. A Cetra however cannot be erased from the planet, the race will always exist in both death and live." Aerith explained.
"I don't understand."
"I have never lived Cloud not in this life. I have now only lived in your memories, if it was not for you, I would not be here, I wold of become a part of the lifestream."
"Here?" Cloud questioned.
"This church, most of your memories of me are between these walls and amongst the flowers. As long as the church is here so am I." Aerith explained.
"So you're trapped in here forever?" Cloud asked his voice barely a whisper. Cloud fell to his knees tears begun to fall.
He did this, he had trapped her in this church, all because his mind was not strong enough. He had failure her again.
Identifying all of the negative emotions affecting her fiend, Aerith wasted no time correcting him. There was no way she was going to let Cloud suffer by thinking it was his fault. "It's not your fault Cloud, it never was."
He turned his gaze away, unable to look at her any longer. "But I-" Cloud begun only to be cut off by the flower girl's sigh.
"Cloud if you do not stop living in the past, you can never build a future, now no more brooding." Her tone brokered no argument.
"You always did like telling me what to do." Cloud comments with hints of a smile.
"Now, do you have any more questions?" Aerith asked changing the subject, she did not have much more time left, as she was now a spirit of the lifestream, even though she is bonded to this church, she still found it difficult to have a simple conversation with the living. She would have to tell Cloud that, but it could wait.
"Yes. Why does Sephiroth not remember me? This time traveling thing was his idea."
"That was my doing." Aerith happily remarked.
"How did you do that?" Cloud asked.
"I wiped his mind clean of Jenova's taint before coming back to the past, I had to give you a chance Cloud and getting rid of most of his memories was the best I could do. Also Cloud I did try to get rid of your…" Aerith paused for a moment, trying to find the right word. "Connection, but there was nothing I could do I am sorry Cloud, your link with him runs to deep."
"I can live with that, as long as he will never find out." Cloud commented dryly.
"However small things could still trigger his memory, so be Careful okay?"
Cloud response was cut off as the image of Aerith body began to fade, he was to stunned to question this.
"No more time Cloud, but before I go. The pool in the flowers, is the healing water from before, it should help you. We will talk again soon. Take care Cloud." and with that she disappeared. However the familiar feeling of being alone did not touch Cloud, he could feel her presence.
She was here.
For the first time in a long time, Cloud aloud himself a rare smile. He was not alone, he stood a chance.
Breathing in the scent of the flowers, he walked towards the small pool among them. He examined the water, it surprised Cloud that Aerith had given him the healing water. But he was glad, at least now he would not have to worry about finding a cure of Angeal. And save Zack the heartache of losing the man. He also supposed that he would have to cure Genesis as well. Cloud held no respect for the man as he could remember from Zack's memories that he was the one that encouraged Sephiroth to find out about his so called "mother." However he could not allow Genesis to suffer because of a man in a white coat experimented on him when he was a mere child.
Taking his empty cadet flask from his belt, after removing the lid, Cloud then bent down to collect the water. It stilled amazed him that sure a common element could save so many lives.
Placing the lip back on the flask, he then strapped it back to his belt.
Cloud then took off at an impressive speed, if he wanted to cure the two commanders he would have to do it fast.
As he had no idea when Genesis would be sent to Wutie.
Another small flick of the wrist yet again ended a creature's life. Sephiroth snorted, it was pathetic that sure a small sudden sharp movement could end a life.
They were weak pointless being. As there only purpose in life was to infest this planet for a short amount of time to suck the planets very life and essence away. Sure a waste as the creature's would leave only a mangled bodies behind as its legacy.
The mutated carcasses of the many monsters, he had easy slaughtered lay spread out at his feet. Then thin silver blade of his beloved Masamune dripped with the red liquid that once kept this dead filth alive.
Sephiroth allowed himself a rare smirk. He could not remember the last time he had gained sure pleasure purely because of a simply killing.
And yet he was still not satisfied. The monsters were not enough, and he had no idea where this burst of want had come from. No it was not what he wanted, it was what he craved.
He desired the death and suffering of unworthy creature sure as the ones at his feet.
Sephiroth was dragged out of his musing, by a sound. It heard like wood snapping. It was perhaps another creature crawling around the slums.
Sephiroth was slightly surprised that he did not sense the being before the sound. But he was more startled to discover that the being had not shown itself, a smirk appeared again on his lips. This one was intelligent enough to not attack sure a strong opponent. It possibly could provide a better challenge then the others and maybe help to fulfil his need, as for some reason he wanted to make this one suffer.
The thought of this thing being human did cross his mind, however he brushed it aside. No human would have remained here, if this being was human he would have known and thus he would get what he wanted.
Sephiroth began to make his way towards where the sound had come from, this would be interesting.
To be honest, Cloud had no idea what he was going to do.
If seemed that he was just born unlucky as after he had left the Church in high spirits. He had come across, Sephiroth dripping in blood and surrounded by what he gusted to be once the insides of living monsters.
He was too stunned to realize where he was walking amongst the rubble of the slums, as he had trusted his weight to an unusable strip of wood, which soon collapsed.
His mako reflexes saved him, as he quickly grasped on to a thick wire that lead all the way up to the plate.
However he had still managed to catch the Great General's attention.
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