Days of Exile

Chapter 57 – Restoring Cloud

May 0008

They found Rufus Shinra.

It was more like, a strange man by the name of Kilmister appeared, claiming that he had a note from Rufus. The note requested the Turks to provide Kilmister with supplies. Kilmister, who was a doctor, not only wanted medical supplies, he even demanded a facility to work in. Reno admitted to Meia later on that he felt as though it was some kind of ransom rather than a request. However, none of them could do anything to Kilmister since he was the only person who had any information on the President. Thankfully, as Rude added, Kilmister kept to his bargain and led them to Rufus.

"That's bullshit, and you know it, Rude," said Reno to his partner at that part of the story. "You and I know that he tried to shake us off while leading us to his secret cave, yo?"

"… which was successful because you lost him," Rude pointed out frankly.

To that, Reno had no argument against.

The abandoned facility given to Kilmister was called Cliff Resort, situated somewhere between Edge and the chocobo farm. While Reno, Rude and Tseng still slept at an old office building in Midgar, Rufus Shinra stayed in Cliff Resort for treatment.

Rufus Shinra had contracted that mysterious disease too.

Until now, nobody has a single clue as to what caused the Midgar disease, or what many people are now calling 'Geostigma'. Rufus and Kilmister are currently working together to find a possible cure, but even Meia can see that neither of them trusts each other. It is a thin balance that both sides are treading upon, with no assurance as to who may prevail.

Meanwhile, Meia tried hard not to think about Geostigma. Her biggest priority was to rebuild a better Edge for everyone. Even without the concern of Geostigma, Meia had to busy herself with human management across the organisation, resource management and accompany Reeve and Kent in their "town walks", discussing architectural improvements for Edge. Also, the nagging issue of that group wanting to throw out WRO was not resolved yet. Yes, Meia did not have time and energy to worry about Geostigma when these issues were still at large. She would continue fighting hard for the life that she and Reeve both envisioned it to be. As long as there were people not infected with Geostigma, there would be hope of a brand new life for everyone in Edge.

Oct 0008

Rodzen Daisa could not have asked for a better life. He was free from Shinra once and for all. He almost died under the power of Meteor many months ago but that was not a matter now since he had survived. He could do his things freely, which really, honestly, meant fixing motorcycles, and he got to be with the girl of his dreams. On top of that, he could still do part of what he used to do as a Turk. He and Cassie were a part of INTEL, the intelligence group that was now under the wing of the new WRO.

In the new city that is called Edge, Rod's garage was situated in the north of Edge, relatively closer to Kalm. When necessary, Rod, Cassie and Alana would travel to Kalm to visit Veld and his daughter Elfe, to discuss INTEL matters.

Other times, when Veld and Alana left him alone, Rod was more than happy to play his façade as the mechanic in his garage.

One morning, he walked down the stairs to his garage and found a customer waiting for him. Rod narrowed his eyes and tried to assess his potential customer. The man was not very tall, but well-built for his size. Rod raised his eyebrows at the large sword lying over the seat of his old, three-wheeled motorcycle. The man must be a very well-seasoned fighter. Rod deduced. Rod also noticed the pink ribbon tied around his right arm. He seems to have a taste for feminine things too.

"Morning'," said Rod with a drawl. When the man saw him, he reached for his sword. "Whoa whoa whoa!" Rod raised his hands. "What the hell are you doing?"

The man took a closer look at Rod. Rod noticed that he had bright cyan eyes, like that of a SOLDIER. It was highly unsettling. The man released his hold on the sword's handle. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'd mistaken you for someone else."

Rod had a sneaky feeling that this man was talking about Reno. Reno had a knack for making enemies everywhere he went, but he was not keen to mention Reno to a potential customer. "It's cool, man. So… what do you need?"

The man looked around the shop, as if he could find what he was looking for. "Do… Do you do modifications for motorcycles?"

"Sure," said Rod. "We have a few motorcycle models here for your consideration…"

"No," said the man. "I want to customize this." He patted the seat of the motorcycle.

Rod whistled as he circled the old motorcycle, analyzing whatever he could. It was an old motorcycle, nothing worth looking at. "Depending on what you want to do to your motorcycle, sure. But the first thing that's got to go is the engine. That ain't going to cost cheap, buddy."

The man lifted a heavy sack of gil. "Is this enough for down payment?"

Holy Gaia, who the hell is this man? Rod's eyes all but popped out. Monetary transactions used to be done by cashless transactions, something that Shinra had implemented across the Planet. Now that the company had fallen, the banks released all the gil coins that were previously stored. However, not everyone could get back the full amount of gil that they initially had, including the people in Shinra. Rod had not seen that much money since Edge was built. He decided against asking the man for details on how he had managed to get so much money.

Rod nodded. "Ain't going to lie to you. It's enough to modify whatever you want." He gestured Cloud to a set of wooden table and 4 mismatched, rickety chairs. Hardly impressive, but Rod did not care much for decorum. When the blond sat "comfortably", Rod asked, "So… that much money for a customisation? Why not just buy a new motorcycle? What are you looking for? A built-in stereo? All-terrain tyres?" He reached out for a small stack of recycled paper and a pencil. "An automatic drink machine that serves you drinks while you drive?" He laughed again. "I may actually consider trying that out for my own bike."

The man smiled, out of politeness rather than humour. "I have different ideas in mind." As he explained how he wanted his motorcycle to be, Rod blinked, scribbled and sketched all the same time, if that was possible. The ideas that the man had were so novel that Rod wondered if the old motorcycle had the capacity to take the heavy modifications.

"I am curious," admitted Rod when the man was done. "What are you doing for a living?" He lifted his paper. "Why do you need side compartments for six swords?"

The man smiled, more genuinely this time. "I have a delivery service. I deliver to Kalm and Junon. If you have anything that needs delivering, I can do it."

That explained it, at least why the man needed swords. With Meteorfall, there seemed to be more monsters roaming the plains freely. Edge did not have wall barricades like in Midgar, so there was always a slight chance that monsters may wander into the town. Rod, Cassie, Alana, KK, Kido, Meia and the Shinra Turks were often called to exterminate them. The man would need all the swords he could get.

Although… Rod glanced at the large sword on the back of the motorcycle. That big sword kinda looks familiar…

"So… is it possible?" the man was asking.

Rod grinned. "I think I will enjoy the challenge." He stood and wiped his hands off his pants.

Cloud nodded, standing as well. "I think we will both enjoy it. Mr…"

"Call me Rod." Rod stretched his hand out. "And you are… ?"

The man smiled politely and shook Rod's hand. "Cloud. Cloud Strife."

"Cloud… Now where did I…" Rod's eyes suddenly widened as he realized who the man in front of him could possibly be. "Cloud? As in… You… You used to be from Shinra, right?"

Cloud's face darkened. "I… I would rather not talk about that."

Rod was not listening to Cloud's reply. He ran up the staircase leading to the main house on the second level. "Cassie!" He shouted. "Come down here quickly! There's someone that you need to meet!"

Cloud frowned. "I'm sorry but I don't know-"

Cassie immediately appeared by the steps. "Who is it?" Her jaw dropped when she saw Cloud. "You… Are you Cloud?" She did not wait for him to answer. She ran down the stairs and threw her arms around him. "Cloud!"

Rod made a face, leaning against the railing of the stairs. "Sure, Cassie. Go on and tell the world how little I mean to you."

The shotgun Turk ignored Rod's remark, but Cloud pushed her away gently. "I don't mean any offence, lady but…" He said with some embarrassment. "Have we met before?"

Cassie's face clouded for a moment, but not for long. "I'm Cassie, remember? The Turk? You and me? Doctor Rayleigh?"

"I'm sorry…" Cloud's face was sincerely apologetic. "I kinda lost my memories a year ago."

"Oh no!" Cassie's face softened. "No wonder…" She murmured. "We've met a really really long time ago… Sorry for scaring you like that… it's just… I could not find you in Shinra anymore after our mission together. Well… it was a dark period for all of us then. Many people disappeared…"

Rod stepped beside Cassie, putting an arm around her. "The two of us used to be Turks," explained Rod.

Cloud frowned. "The only Turks I know are Tseng, Reno, Rude and Elena."

"We left, that's about that in a nutshell," laughed Rod. "I suppose you thought that I was Reno then." Cloud nodded. "So uh… lost your memory, huh? How's that going on?"

Cassie shook her head at Rod's lack of tactfulness. "What he meant was, did you manage to remember most of the stuff that you've forgotten?"

Cloud shook his head. "Not really. It's a really long story."

"And we are free enough to listen to a long story," said Rod with a grin. "Don't get us wrong," he quickly added when he saw that Cloud was fidgeting awkwardly. "We are not here to have a dig at you. Cassie wants to help you remember your past."

"Whatever that we can help, I'm sure we can." Cassie shrugged. "We are the Turks after all. Were, I mean. As long as there is information in Shinra, we can find for you."

Cloud looked at the both of them, his face showing no signs of whether he was considering their offer. Finally, he said, "I appreciate the offer but…" He looked away. "I am not very keen to remember my past. I have learnt enough about what happened to me before I lost my memories." He paused. "I do not care for my past anymore."

"Well, I respect that," nodded Rod, as though Cloud needed his approval. "Guess we will not poke our noses then." He wiped his hands on the back of his jeans nervously.

"… But I do need an engineer with my customized motorcycle."

Rod's face brightened. "I was afraid that you have changed your mind because of our nosiness!" He took a bow, as formal as he could make it. "Glad to be of service, Mr Cloud Strife!"

Nov 0008

The Sector 5 church was deathly quiet, due to the lack of any inhabitants in the former city of metal. The building was shrouded in sunlight. Once upon a time, it was the only place that had natural sunlight spilling into the lower sectors. Now that Meteor had half-flipped the upper sectors away, the slums were filled with sunlight.

Meia stepped into the church, looking around her. Maybe there really was a higher deity above, because despite the almost unsalvageable damage in the entire Midgar, the church was not very damaged. In fact, the church did not even look scratched. It seemed as though someone was protecting the church.

Or the flowers… Meia said in her mind. Aerith doesn't seem to be around, maybe I'll just wait around… in case she's still around the neighbourhood.

Meia had no idea how or why she had ended up in this place. She initially was returning to Midgar to source for any supplies in the Wall Market. Thoughts of her childhood running around the Wall Market with Tihan, Sunny and Carmelle had subconsciously led her to the church. Now that Shinra was gone, would Aerith still want to talk to a former Turk like her?

She was about to leave when suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. She spun away, just as a large blade swung in the direction of where her neck is. Meia jumped back and glared at the attacker, her fists prepared for an attack. When she saw that her assailant was Cloud, she gasped, "You!"

"Who are you?" The blond man demanded, his cool demeanor not giving away any emotions. Meia stared at him in surprise. She had recognized him immediately, but she was not too sure how to respond. The last time Meia saw him, he was in a crazy cuckoo-state of mind at the Northern Cave.

"I…" She lowered her fists, looking at Cloud directly. "I am just passing by." She admitted. "I thought-"

"You seem to know me." Cloud never lowered his large blade nor softened his tone with her. However, his face was full of curiosity. "Have we met before?"

"Um…" She took a small step away. "We've met once. At the Northern Crater. But you know… you weren't exactly… yourself." She said. "Also, Rodzen mentioned that you were getting your motorcycle modified at his garage."

"I see… you're a friend of Rodzen."

"Please keep your weapon, Cloud. This is a bad place to fight." Meia glanced at the flowers. "You'll ruin the flowers…" She said softly.

Finally, the man's face softened, as if something Meia said triggered a memory in his mind. Immediately, the man lowered his weapon. "Leave." He said. "I won't even ask how you know my name, but all I can say is that I don't want you here. Just… go and don't come back."

Meia frowned at him. What was his problem? She was not in the mood to fight territory with him. "Look here, mister." She said, getting really annoyed. "I don't see how you get to chase me away, alright? I grew up in the slums." She jabbed a finger towards the ground for emphasis. "Your accent is clearly NOT from Midgar, so who are you to claim places as your own? If you want to play homeless, by all means, but this is NOT your property." Meia huffed. "This place, these flowers… they belong to a flower girl. And I am looking for her. So if you don't mind…" She muttered.

"Flower girl…" Cloud mumbled, not heeding the rest of her words. "You knew Aerith?" He asked, in a voice that was now dispirited, almost broken.

Goosebumps rippled through her arm. Something was not right. "… Yes." She said, looking at the blond in a new light. "You know her too? Is everything-"

"She's dead."

Nothing registered in Meia's head for a while. All she could feel was the chill over her body as she tried to make sense of the information. "What do you mean, she's dead?" She asked in a shrill voice. "I just saw her last year!"

"She's dead!" The man roared at her. "Gone to the Lifestream." His voice was raw with emotion and Meia did not miss how he clawed his arms a little at that declaration.

"You're lying!" Meia shouted. "Who are you to determine whether she's alive or not?"

"I was-"

"Don't tell me!" Meia covered her ears, trembling. "I don't believe you! She can't… Reno…" An idea hit her like a bright ray of light. "Reno would know, right?"

The man tensed. "How do you know-" but he did not finish his sentence, for Meia ran out of the door before he could move. "Hey! Come back!"

The temporary Shinra office was not too far from Aerith's church. It was a residential office that belonged to Shinra. After Rufus' disappearance, the Shinra Turks left Kalm and decided to return to Midgar, almost like a reminder of the vital role Shinra had played in Meteorfall. They had chased everyone out of Midgar into Edge.

Even with the debris everywhere, Meia had no problem locating the office. She stormed into the office, dusting off her tunic as she did so.

"Hey, Meia," said Reno, standing and facing her with a big smile. "You are just in time. We were…"

Not giving her surroundings a second glance, Meia walked towards Reno. "Aerith… Sister Aerith…" She could not believe that her voice was still shaky. "She's dead, isn't she?"

Reno wrapped his arms around her. "Oh little Meia. I…"

"How could you not tell me?" Meia yelled, pushing him away.

Reno opened and closed his mouth a few times. "I… It slipped out of my mind." He admitted quietly, falling back onto his chair. "And well, you know… lots of things happened after Meteorfall…"

"Seriously?" Meia stared at Reno. She took a deep breath. She could not blame him. Everyone had been busy after Meteorfall. "When did she die?"

Reno glanced at Tseng nervously, who kindly answered for him. "She died last year. She joined AVALANCHE and left Midgar. She died under Sephiroth's sword."

"Sephiroth…" Meia bit her lip. "Why? Why did I only find out about this now? Why didn't anyone tell me?" She glared at Tseng. "I can't blame anyone for not preventing her death, but is it that hard to let me know?"

Tseng's face was hard and expressionless. "The death of an Ancient is nothing significant. You are asking me to compare the significance between restoration of a destroyed city and a death of a person. It's clear to me where the priorities lie."

Meia gritted her teeth at Tseng's remark. "Tseng. Even after so many months, you choose to stay cold-hearted? You liar. Everyone knows that you…" She stopped when she saw Elena's expression. Shoot. I totally forgot about Elena's feelings towards Tseng. "The least you could do now is to not look so nonchalant about every single thing!" She said. "You and I both had a special relationship with Aerith. You knew her longer than I do, longer than any of us here."

"Alright, Meia. Enough is enough." Reno stood. "What do you say, Tseng?"

Tseng narrowed his eyes. "I believe that what you have proposed will be necessary."

"Cool. I'll bring her out of here."

"I appreciate that."

Meia did not fight back Reno's decision, but she glared at him as he brought her out. Once the door closed behind them, Meia pouted. "I know that Tseng wants to be all cool and professional…"

"Meia." Reno cupped her face with his hands. "Do me a favour. We are really busy with some stuff, but meet me at the main entrance of Edge tonight."

She gave him a suspicious stare. "Why should I?" She asked.

"Well…" Reno smiled. "I believe that you will find the closure that you seek tonight."

It sounded suspicious, but Meia's curiosity always got the better of her. She made a face of resignation. "Fine, I'll be there tonight." She walked away. "It better be a darn good explanation."

I love this chapter, for a variety of reasons. I always like writing in different perspectives, and writing Rodzen's point of view is always a pleasure. In case you are wondering why Cloud was still quite friendly, he was the pre-moody Cloud. Shortly after that, he will become more withdrawn, like the Cloud that we oh-so-love in Advent Children. Also, the scene where Cloud and Meia met in the church was one of the many scenes that was in my head way at the beginning, when I'm writing "I Want To Be A Turk!" So again, it's fulfilling to see my plans coming to pass.

Once again, hope you enjoyed the story! Only three more chapters to go!