Chapter Two: First Hunting

A dead flower was lying on the road.

Someone had stepped on it and knocked out most of the petals, but you could still recognize it. One more sign of a world seeped in pollution and death. It was one of the only signs of plant life in the slums. Around them was a neverending labyrinth of trash and salvage thrown down from above. The ground was all dirt, for little to no sunlight reached down here. The only light came from a few gaps in the plate and the artificial lamps far above.

Cloud remembered when he'd gotten here. Hadn't he met with President Shinra at one point? The man had taken time out of his day to give some advice and sell him on specific concepts. Cloud wondered if he'd genuinely had an interest in him or if it had been just another meeting for him. The President must have seen something worth meeting with, at least.

Then again, that seemed so long ago. And it had not benefitted him any to educate himself and work hard. No special treatment or attention had been forthcoming. So Cloud suspected he may have only been an investment. The President was known for having personal meetings now and then with people. People are considered to have potential.

You had to go through a huge hole in a large wall to get to the Sector 7 slums. And they weren't much better than the broken junkyards Cloud had passed through to get here. Tifa led him on, and he saw the buildings. You had trailers or homes assembled from broken pieces of metal, all with jury-rigged electric grids.

Water came from a water purification plant. One which purified an artificial river drawn down from the mountains. An aqueduct Cloud had been assigned to patrolling once or twice.

"Where is your bar?" asked Cloud.

Tifa motioned to an actual, real house. It had a deck with a well-polished railing and two windows on the top floor. Anywhere else, it would have looked like a wreck, but here, it was practically a mansion. Cloud noticed a warm light coming from inside.

"There," said Tifa. "It's called the Seventh Heaven. After we got away from Nibelheim, I set up here. I worked at some local bars in Wall Market and saved up enough to fix this place. Then, I went into business for myself and opened a bar.

"These days, I'm one of the only businesses in this section of town. Though people come from other places."

"I can understand why," said Cloud as they descended the steps. "What kind of job do you want me for, exactly?"

"Well," said Tifa. "Before I go any further, it's not the kind of thing we can discuss openly. And it could involve crossing some parts of the Shinra Corporation."

"Then I've got nothing to lose, do I?" asked Cloud.

"I guess not," said Tifa, looking away. "I uh...

"Do you remember when you followed me up to Mount Nibel? When I was looking for my Mother, my friends ran out on me."

"Yes," said Cloud.

"I don't think I ever thanked you for that," said Tifa. "So, uh, thank you."

"What does it even matter at this point," said Cloud.

They entered, and Cloud noticed the inside of the bar was very clean. Obviously, Tifa had kept the tables meticulously clean. And seeing as she immediately went to one of the tables and began to scrub it down on reflex, this was usual. The bottles on the wall were all polished, as were the glasses.

So were the windows, and the walls were clean and painted white. Tifa had put a lot of work into fixing the place up. But there was only so much you could do with a ruin. Cloud guessed a lot of the walls had been replaced.

"How long did it take to fix this place?" asked Cloud.

"I had to replace most of the walls," said Tifa. "I did some side gigs on construction and knocked them down myself. I replaced many of the supports and some of the boards on the counter. The stairs I had to redo."

"You did all that yourself," said Cloud. "How long did it take?"

"Well, I had to work in a bar for Don Corneo for a while," said Tifa, obviously uncomfortable. "But I developed a fanbase there. In my spare time, I did my work on this. Eventually, I fixed it up enough to start living here.

"I salvaged the stove and fixed it up from spare parts. Then, I bought up enough of the alcohol to stock things. Eventually, I could open up full-time and quit my job."

"I wasn't aware you wanted to start a bar," said Cloud.

"I had a few ideas about it back in Nibelheim," said Tifa. "Did you know Zack actually suggested the name Seventh Heaven?"

"Why were you asking Zack about alcohol?" asked Cloud.

"Why wouldn't I?" asked Tifa.

"Because Zack hardly paid attention to anything around him," said Cloud. "And since nobody told him anything, he didn't even know about things until it was too late. I liked the guy, but he didn't pay attention."

"Well, he has that in common with the world," said Tifa. "We siphon off power from the generators above. Shinra got the government contracts to include generators for heating and such. We don't have to worry about freezing to death.

"And we have clean water. Most of the time."

"Most of the time?" asked Cloud.

"The water purifier is built near the pillar's base that holds up the plate," said Tifa. "It supplies water to the top plate as well as below. So it is usually kept in good enough repair for things.

"So, uh, about that job."

"Who do you need dead?" asked Cloud. "Or is this security?"

"Nobody right now," said Tifa, moving to a bulletin board. "People in the slums don't trust easily. Everyone goes out armed, and they never go out at night. I have iron bars on those windows for a reason.

"I can care for myself, but even I must sleep." She examined a table nearby. "I think that table should be a little to the left."

"Why aren't you armed?" asked Cloud.

Tifa picked up one of the tables one-handed as though it were nothing and shifted to set it a little to the left. Hooking a chair under one foot, she lifted it and set it down, flipping behind the other three. Grasping two more chairs, she tossed them at the table, and they landed perfectly. They actually slid to a halt by the tables.

"I'm a trained martial artist," said Tifa proudly. "I don't need a gun.

"Anyway, my point is, I have someone coming here. A kind of... business associate. If I recommend you to him, he has a job that fits your skills.

"You just can't talk about it right now," said Cloud.

"No," said Tifa, trying to suppress a smile for some reason. "Well, yes.

"I could recommend you as an old friend from Nibelheim. But he won't be here for at least a few days. He's coming in by train. And when I do recommend him, he'll want proof you're the real deal.

"So if you've done some other work out here first, it'll make you an easier sell."

"Fine," said Cloud. "Who do you want dead?"

"Monsters," said Tifa. "Zack used to spend a lot of time hunting them down here. SOLDIER trained new recruits by having them hunt down here. However, Heidegger stopped the practice when SOLDIER got integrated into the security forces.

"The lives of some poor people aren't worth the expense now that they own everything. The population has been increasing, and things are much more dangerous now. Actually, things have gotten worse since I got here. A couple of people I talked to said it was getting worse even when I arrived.

"This place could really use a hero."

"If you're looking for a hero, you're asking the wrong person," said Cloud. "If there's a steady paycheck in it, though, I'll do whatever you want."

"There isn't a steady paycheck per se," said Tifa. "But, there is a bounty system.

"I've set up a fund which the slum dwellers put money into. You present proof of killing a given kind of monster and get a set payment. I put a lot of my own money into the fund, too. I was actually doing some hunting before I ran into you.

"Though I don't really do a lot of it."

"Why not?" asked Cloud.

Tifa sighed. "I...

"I don't really want to be a mercenary, Cloud. I like fairy tales but always figured I'd be the Princess in the white castle."

"Congratulations, you built one," said Cloud. "Let me see the list. Then, give me any information you have on the various monster types in Midgar. I used to hunt these things with Zack and tag with Sephiroth once or twice.

"But monsters sometimes change if the conditions of a place change."

"I didn't know you were friends with Sephiroth," said Tifa.

"Not really friends," said Cloud. "I was the quiet, smart guy who gave people their mission orders. I was good enough to not drag them down. But my job was mostly keeping things focused and on task.

"Zack learned my name when we went to Modeoheim. I'm curious if he knew my existence except as part of one of the Shinra Squads. Sephiroth must have read a report or two because he knew Nibelheim was my home."

"How could he not know your name?" asked Tifa.

"Zack was kind of a space cadet," said Cloud. "He was really, really good at his job. But he got hyperfocused on some things and missed other things. Kunsel was usually the one who played the role of his minder. His basic job was to remind Zack about things other people would pick up on.

"Keep him in the loop enough so he doesn't mess up.

"But Kunsel got reassigned after asking too many questions about Genesis' hometown. After that, Tseng got the job. But Tseng isn't the kind of guy who hands people their briefings and reminds them to read it. So he had me take care of that stuff.

"I was sort of like his minder. Or sidekick if you want." Cloud paused and looked through some of the monster lists. Looking at a wall, he saw the head of some giant worm. "That reminds me, do you know anyone named Aerith?"

'Why do you ask?" asked Tifa.

"Zack had a girlfriend by that name," said Cloud. "He wanted to come back here to get her. It was the entire reason we set out for Midgar instead of Wutai.

"That's where I wanted to go.

"I should be the one to give the news to her. Assuming the heat dies down."

"Do you think anyone will come after you?" asked Tifa.

"Not really," said Cloud. "I was part of the infantry assigned to support SOLDIER's higher level units. You need ordinary soldiers to hold their ground and handle lower-priority threats. I planned to work my way up the ranks, and many people got promotions after Genesis went nuts.

"Myself included. But I needed to be higher profile to warrant the attention Zack would get. I have a good combat rating, a very good one. But I wonder if President Shinra has requested updates on my progress, if you know what I mean. They will likely spend much on a search unless I start a ruckus.

"I can probably disappear pretty easily."

"Well, I don't know anyone named Aerith," said Tifa. "But I get a lot of people in here. I can pick up some information on her one way or another.

"I'll ask around if you want."

Cloud looked at some of the pictures posted on the bulletin. Most of them were monster corpses and had a danger level. That and information on how they attacked. "Did you kill all these yourself?"

"I can't run a bar if people can't make it to my bar," said Tifa. "Monsters on the roads are a problem."

"How often do people collect these bounties?" asked Cloud.

"Some people tried to make a go of it," said Tifa. "But nobody is as good as Zack was. A couple of people were killed. After that, volunteers dried up a bit.

"Now and then, I do get people in here. But most people are having enough trouble making ends meet without losing an arm. And if you are a trained mercenary, Corneo pays well for enforcers." She looked down. "A lot better than I can."

"I'm not interested in that kind of work," said Cloud. "Do you rent rooms?"

"I have one upstairs you can go to," said Tifa. "There are some places that rent reasonably safe apartments. But I wouldn't stay in them long term.

"Valuable things have a way of disappearing in places like that."

"...If you spend your time hunting these creatures, you won't be able to run your business," said Cloud.

"So I delegate the job to a professional, and both of us benefit," said Tifa.

"You're going to do exceedingly well in your chosen career, Tifa," said Cloud.

"Don't remind me," said Tifa sadly.

"I'll see what I can do about these contracts," said Cloud. "When do I start?"

"Why don't we start immediately," said Tifa. "Today is my off day. Owning your own business means you get to set your own hours. You shouldn't wander the outskirts without a guide until you know the place better."

"I did some monster hunting out here," said Cloud. "Lazard liked to train up new recruits on monsters. It was good PR."

"The layout has changed a lot in the last few years," said Tifa, going to the bar. Slipping on two red gloves, she looked at him. "Besides, I have nothing better to do right now.

"And if you get killed because you get lost, that will cause me many problems. And I'll be sad, too."

"That makes one of us," said Cloud.

The hunt began.

Tifa and Cloud locked the door behind them and ventured out, halting only to take their packs. Together, they went beyond the gates of the settlement. They began to walk among the craggy, trash-strewn wastes. Cloud peered around him, hearing a scuttling noise as they walked. Meanwhile, Tifa stayed nearby.

Out of the hills suddenly came worms in a huge maw with many teeth. Spittle came from their mouths like acid. They slithered forward with tendriled arms scuttling like bugs. Drawing his sword as he'd practiced, Cloud stepped aside and cut one in half. Tifa stepped back a pace, brought around a leg, and kicked one. The creature was sent flying upward as Tifa spun away from another and punched another. Cloud cleaved two more before drawing up his sword. The yellow jewel on it flashed, and lightning poured from it to fry another.

Tifa backflipped away as more came, bringing down a leg to stomp one into the ground. Spinning on that leg, she caught a lunging creature with a punch. Cloud struck three more, finding himself enjoying it. He'd always wanted to wield this blade like Zack did.

And at last, it was over.

Finishing, he slid to a halt and spun the Buster Sword around in one hand. It turned three times around, faster and faster. At last, Cloud caught it and slid it back into his sheathe.

Tifa looked up in surprise as she dusted herself off. "What was that?"

"Just a signature move Zack and I put together," said Cloud. "It was his idea. He always had a better sense of style than me. I remember he wanted to do it during the victory parade after Wutai."

"Did you?" asked Tifa.

"There wasn't a victory parade," said Cloud. "Shinra declared victory, handed the credit to Sephiroth, and Genesis went rogue. Wutai didn't get the memo because we spent years hunting them down. There were a lot of bombings and assassinations.

"The Crescent Unit was always after us. Zack kept letting them live, though. One day, they gave up."

"It doesn't sound very fun being a hero," said Tifa.

"I'm not a hero," said Cloud. "Let's keep going."

They hunted along the road like this for half a day. As they did, Cloud found himself getting used to the Buster Sword. He'd familiarized himself with the weight on the way here, but swinging it in combat was different. Working at it, Cloud began to remember things.

He read books as a kid with his Mother beside him in bed.

Walking amid the desecrated wastes, hunting demons, and looking through old train cars. His mind turned to the ancient hero, Firion of old. The legendary warrior who defeated Emperor Mataeus. Mom had read him stories about him, Guy and Maria, and the rest.

And later, when Cloud had gotten old, he'd looked at pictures of Sephiroth. Silver-haired and wielding his sword and black garment. He was like a modern Furion returned from death. But it would be more accurate to call Sephiroth death itself.

That was when they found the trailer. Its door was caved in, and several windows were broken. And you had a hole in the roof that let in the sun and the rain. The shadow of a huge junkyard was above it.

"Who used to live here?" asked Cloud.

"I don't know," said Tifa. "The slums aren't exactly one big happy family, Cloud. You keep your head down, or you lose it."

"Let's have a look," said Cloud.

It turned out things were living here.

Monsters.

The worms were inside, chewing on something at the far end of the wall. When they saw them, they scuttled for fresh meat. Cloud brought the Buster Sword down to slash one of the worms. Tifa crushed one underfoot as it came at her. Looking around, Cloud saw what they'd been chewing on. A mangled, skeletal corpse covered in webbing. It looked like someone had been eaten alive.

"Where are the Shinra security forces?" asked Cloud. "They used to patrol down here?"

"Most of the time, they protect local important locations and checkpoints," said Tifa. "They don't really patrol anymore. Not since all the factories moved out to Wutai and Junon."

"Right, of course," said Cloud. To his credit, Lazard had always trained his troops by having them hunt out here. Not anymore, now that Shinra owned everything.

Why did they need the PR? They'd already won.

Cloud looked at the body and then at a shelf. He saw on it a broken and torn picture, unrecognizable. Several books were on the shelf, mostly historical. One of them got him thinking;

"Fall of Palamecia: Wrath of Furion."

"Culture of the Ancients: Spira and Sin."

"The Great Scattering: Disconnection from the Planet."

"King Arthur and his Knights: The Last Calamity from the Skies."

"King Edgar's Reforms: Foundation of our Modern World."

There was also a shattered television, whose wires looked gnawed. Someone had lived out here and done quite well. Until the troops pulled out and something ate them. A rusted gun was on the ground, with signs of scattered casing, and the doors had been broken down.

Cloud wondered if it had been a wild animal or a human.

"It looks like someone kicked the door down," said Tifa. "See here; this wasn't done by a monster. It must have been criminals or a hit squad."

"I'm taking the books," said Cloud, taking out his pack.

"Is it okay to just take these?" asked Tifa.

"He isn't getting any use out of them," said Cloud. "I'm burning this place on my way out. That should make sure they get a decent burial. Do you know any prayers?"

"I uh..." Tifa halted. "I haven't been to churches in a long time, Cloud. There aren't really a lot of religious study groups out here."

"It wasn't encouraged in the military either," said Cloud. "Shinra doesn't like religion. You aren't buying things if you're focused on prayer and good works. Let's check for any cash in here and blow the place."

They found quite a bit.

Tifa ended up salvaging some cooking oil and other things that were kept. Things which the monsters had yet to be interested in, including several pots and pans. It was still good, and Cloud found some oil, which he spilled out over the floor once done. Drawing out his lightning materia, he wondered what the name of the guy who lived here had been. If he'd had family, they'd probably left by now.

The hole in the roof meant nobody would be living here again, even if this place was cleared.

Focusing materia, Cloud shot a bolt of lightning at the oil. It sparked and exploded into flame, and he and Tifa turned to walk out. The flames rose high, spreading rapidly until they consumed the entire trailer. Tifa and he turned, and Cloud saw her clasp her hands together in silent prayer. Mentally, Cloud remembered a story. It was about how, when Saint Tidus had landed in Spira, he had chosen to pray by a wayside shrine. That had been alongside his friend, Wakka.

Ironically, Tidus had torn down that religion later. It had led to the ancients scattering far beyond Spira to the north. Long after the ice came in from Mount Gazaget, human civilization had gone beyond it. But then, some argued that the northern continent was not Spira at all. A few speculated that the area around Midgar was the Calm Lands.

It was all based on myth and legend. What was known was that it led to the creation of many societies. And the occasional War of the Magi, too.

Some stories claimed Tidus did not pray. And a lot of those stories disagreed as to why. More recent books took a secular approach, dismissing it all as nonsense. Tidus was farsighted enough to see how silly Wakka was being.

Cloud found this viewpoint rather disgusting, actually. He was largely pushed because Shinra only cared about money, and faith got in the way of that. You couldn't have anyone with confidence except as a character flaw.

"Goddess, rest their souls," said Tifa, though she was looking away. She seemed to be saying it because she had nothing else to say. The line didn't fit her like she was filling in for someone else. "Saint Minwu meet them at the gates of the afterlife."

Cloud shrugged. "Something will."

"Explain something to me, Cloud," said Tifa suddenly as they began to walk back. "That day in Nibelheim...

"When Sephiroth left and looked into the Mako Reactor. Do you know what he saw there?"

"Zack told me later," said Cloud. "He said they found monsters and lots of them. Sephiroth went and looked up the experiments in the Shinra Manor. I remember I went to see him and got a look at some of them.

"Apparently, someone had been experimenting on him. I didn't get enough of a look at it.

"But Sephiroth seemed to think he and the monsters were... related somehow."

"Related?" asked Tifa. "How?"

"Apparently, the SOLDIER serum operated on a similar principle," said Cloud. "I guess Lazard got wind of what was happening out there. He probably realized Hojo's lab project would make him obsolete and decided to go rogue. That's how he made common cause with Hollander."

"You told me Hollander was bitter about not getting a promotion, right?" asked Tifa. "What kind of man kills innocent people over money."

"A mercenary," said Cloud.

"You didn't really..." Tifa halted.

"Not directly," said Cloud. "But Wutai was nasty. There were a lot of SOLDIERs who liked getting their hands dirty."

"I read some reporting about that early in the war," said Tifa thoughtfully.

"That was before Shinra started clamping down on reporters later," said Cloud. "Most of what you have now is controlled news. Reporters who said things the President didn't like tended to lose their jobs.

"I remember they'd assign them to be with a specific squad so they'd get to know the guys.

"Anyway, those monsters would replace SOLDIER. Then they would handle Shinra's dirty work without free will or moral qualms."

"I heard a bit about new monsters from Fort Condor."

Tifa looked up as he said it, and Cloud enjoyed the sight of those huge breasts bouncing with the motion. Still, she was obviously wary about something. "Fort Condor?"

"I'd heard they were hiring many mercenaries," said Cloud. "A lot of ex-soldiers were joining up there."

"Why didn't Zack join up?" asked Tifa.

"They didn't want him," said Cloud. "Zack did a lot of damage to the resistance. No one trusted him, especially with no sponsor. He was popular out here, but Wutai hated him. So did a lot of anti-Shinra groups.

"I remember he stopped a lot of their covert missions. They tried blowing up several Mako Reactors before."

"Did they?" asked Tifa, looking more worried. "And you stopped them?"

"Zack was a rapid response force," said Cloud. "I was just part of his backup squad. Most of the time, I got him briefings and held ground. Though that involved a bit of fighting itself. It's important work, not exactly fun.

"Hours of boredom, followed by a couple minutes of terror. Then you get shot in the back of the head."

"Not all it was cracked up to be?" asked Tifa with a smile.

"Not at all," said Cloud. "If you blow up a Mako Reactor, it won't just lose Shinra money. It'll also damage the surrounding streets. I heard Reeve from Urban Development did a lot of work to ensure a bombing that went off wouldn't hit the streets.

"The blast should mostly be directed upwards if someone does blow it. See, they built a whole sealing wall surrounding each reactor. It is strong enough to brunt the blast and send the explosion up."

Tifa sighed, letting out too much of a breath for Cloud's liking. What exactly was she planning, and what job did she want? Was it connected to Mako Reactors? Were they planning to blow one up? "Well, that's a relief.

"Let's keep hunting after we deliver these. I heard some nests of monsters growing up in a nearby abandoned factory. Several people who went near it have disappeared, so I'd like to take it out."

"No, we're not doing that," said Cloud, shaking his head. "I'm taking my pay and turning in for the night. You only do up to two combat missions in a day if you're in an emergency situation. I've seen guys who do it; they get sloppy and die.

"You need to pace yourself. If you get eaten by monsters, you don't get to hit the reload button. Zack was way better than I was, and he always took a rest between missions. That was why he made it to SOLDIER 1st Class. Everybody else was in a rat race, but Zack ensured he was fully prepared before every mission.

"So other people got caught off guard or slipped up, while he always kept the items he needed on hand. He thought through what materia he brought, and he was careful. Plus, he kept himself in shape and was constantly drilling."

"Oh, right," said Tifa. "Well, I could use your help putting some of this away."

"Are you sure about using that stuff?" asked Cloud.

"You have to use what you can," said Tifa. "It'll save on costs. And even if I can't cook with it, there are other uses. Part of living in the slums is about using everything as much as you can. Leave stuff behind, and you leave money on the table."

"Shinra leaves money on the table daily," said Cloud, looking out a window. Above him, the plate looms ominously.

"I think they left much more than that," said Tifa.

Cloud considered how to answer that as he gazed out over the wastes. Rain was beginning to drip down, funneling from above. Even now, it has descended into sewer networks. There, it was processed into the treatment plant. From there, it was purified and flowed back out to be used for purposes industrial and civilian.

But a water treatment plant could only process so much. Some of the water was rendered useless. And rising acid rain levels had made the water that poured down from gray clouds poisonous. It used to be that you had to be careful what water you drank when out traveling.

Now, you had to filter everything.

There was no safe drinking water.

Not anymore.

"They'll pay the price for it soon," said Cloud. "There isn't any getting off the train they're on."

Tifa nodded.

It was the appropriate thing to say.