Disclaimer- I claim no rights to Final Fantasy VII
Chapter Nineteen: Kalm - Land of Gaia
Cloud didn't expect much conversation with Kunsel on the march towards Kalm. In fact, he was quite surprised when Kunsel engaged him in a pleasant conversation about the man's childhood and he was further surprised when he found out that the man had family in Nibelheim.
"You're not originally from Kalm?" Cloud peaked his head over the Chocobo saddle to take in Kunsel's features and found it odd that he had no features that spoke of his Northern heritage. No pale skin, hair, or eyes. It was a well-known fact that those who were born in the North would always have one of those features and while Kunsel had none it could mean that the family was of distant blood making Cloud even more curious. He had heard of a number of clans who had split off from the main families over a century ago because of a number of small disagreements that no one could recall or bothered to dictate in the first place.
"No," Kunsel responded, grinning at Cloud's cautious curiosity. "My ancestors are from Nibelheim who split off from the main families about a hundred years ago?" Kunsel gave his cheek a careful pinch. "Our northern features slipped out of the bloodline when we started mating with those in the south." Kunsel shrugged off Cloud's surprise at the information. "Who knew southerners could pack a punch in the genetics department? So instead of looking like a beautiful winter maiden like yourself, I got stuck with the tan skin and green eyes." Kunsel's lips pulled into a small grin at Cloud's flushed cheeks. "I didn't mean to embarrass you, Cloud. I'm just teasing. I trust that you have questions about my ancestors?"
"What was the name of the clan that you're a descendant of?"
Kunsel tilted his head as his lips pursued in thought. "I believe the name of the clan was Valentine." Kunsel huffed as he set to tighten the reins on the Chocobo. "You know what's odd? The clan was known for their red-eyes which was a trait that took decades to phase out." For a moment, Kunsel looked disappointed. "You heard of that old Nibelhieim legend, right? About the eye color?"
"No." Cloud couldn't recall learning or hearing about such a legend, but then again, his parents didn't have the time to teach him about the local lore considering his mother's sudden illness and his father's workload. "What's it about?"
"You know that we're all descendants of the Cetra, right?" Kunsel waited for Cloud's nod to continue. "Well, thousands of years ago, the Cetra were wielders of incredible magic, and depending on where you were born at the time was the deciding factor on the type of magic you would wield. The Ice and Water users were from the North and The Fire users were from the South. The Wind from the East and Earth from the West and to make the identification of your magic easier, your eye color would be a telltale sign of it. So, blue for water and ice, brown for earth, green for wind, and red for fire. But, like all civilizations, the Cetra's advanced, and with it their magic advanced, divertised and were sealed into orbs of power called materia in an effort to spread magic among clans and make life better for all."
"So, if that's the case then what happened to all the magic and materia?"
Kunsel shrugged, a sad twist of his lips. "You know how it goes, Cloud. All things tend to fade away eventually and that's what happened to the magic - it just faded from our blood, but I supposed that it happened when we stopped traveling the planet and spreading Minerva's word and her blessing." Kunsel pulled his and Cloud's Chocobo to the tree and tied their reins before turning back to the Omega. "But, who knew that magic would come back and with such finesse?"
"I-I don't know about finesse." Cloud stared down at his bare hands, his mind flashing back to his fight with Azul. It was a spur of the moment that the magic appeared, but it was enough to save his life and those around him. He didn't even know his family had magic and he would never be able to find out. His father had destroyed what records and all possessions that couldn't fit into the carriage.
"You're alive." Kunsel urged him to sit on the small blanket and started on the fire. "Finesse doesn't have to be full of grace. Did you know that Lord Fair was the most ungraceful swordsman that I had come across?"
"Really?" Cloud's eyebrows shot up at the thought of Zack being clumsy. The man was the epitome of nobility and grace earning a roaring laugh when he spoke these thoughts aloud.
"Lord Fair is a good and gracious man, but when he was but a man of seventeen summers? He sought to rule the world with his charms alone and while that worked half of the time, his father was quick to put a stop to it. Having charm is good, but knowing how and when to swing a sword is better."
"That is the reason why my father taught me how to use a sword." Cloud swallowed at the thought of Crimson. In truth, most fathers would have despaired at the thought of an Omega son, but his father? His father was proud and filled with pride when he was born. Or, at least, that's what his mother told him and he would like to believe.
"It's quite odd for an Omega to know how to use a sword," Kunsel admitted. "I'm quite relieved of the fact, of course, but here in Midgar? It's almost unheard of for Omegas to wield a weapon that's deadlier than a kitchen knife."
"Father wanted me to learn how to defend myself." Cloud could remember the mornings and afternoons where his Father took the time and patience to teach him swordsmanship. He could remember his mother disapproving of it. Worried that he wouldn't find a suitable mate. He wished that they were here with him. He wished he could tell them that their lessons helped him survived. He wished he could tell his mother about Zack. He wished he could tell his father how he defeated a man almost five times bigger than himself.
"What were your parents like?" Kunsel prodded carefully. "What was home like?"
Cloud blinked at the question before he remembered that Kunsel's ancestors were from Nibelheim. It seemed the man never had a chance to visit.
"Mom and Dad were kind and brave," Cloud responded. "Dad was a man that took his duties seriously. He was a swordsman and protected Nibelheim's borders along with the other men in the village. He loved Chocobos and wanted to raise them but Mom wanted nothing to do with it. And Mom? Well, she was stern and kind and wanted what was best for me. She wanted me to settle down with a good mate and she hated the fact that I learned how to use a sword instead of how to knit and cook. She was traditional, but she understood what my Dad was trying to do.
As for home? Well, Nibelheim was cold and unforgiving and so were the people. We Strifes didn't see eye to eye. I was surprised that Zack could speak Nibel."
Kunsel shrugged at the information. "Zack took upon himself to learn about the outer villages and his Grandmother is from Gonganga and she ended up picking it up from her. He's a jack of all trades when he wants to be." Kunsel tilted his head and gave Cloud a teasing smirk. "Is that how he charmed you?"
"I was curious!" Cloud's cheeks flushed a dark red when Kunsel let out a small chuckle. "I'm not that easy."
"Don't feel ashamed." Kunsel soothed before he rose and started setting up camp. The sun had set and Kunsel and Cloud had made a reasonable distance from Midgar and the Beta was satisfied with the distance. He would feel better once they reached Kalm where he had established a number of contacts who, hopefully, had a piece of decent information about Sephiroth and Genesis' location but Kunsel wouldn't be surprised if no one decided to talk. Sephiroth and Genesis were known as powerful warriors and it wouldn't be easy for people to open their mouths about it.
"Kunsel?" Cloud had finished setting up the small fire and the tents that would be used for the night. "How long do you think this will take? They couldn't have gotten far."
"We're days behind so I wouldn't be surprised if they made it to the coast." Kunsel hoped they would be able to catch them before then. Kunsel didn't feel like chasing two criminals across the sea. He didn't want to leave Zack unprotected for too long and he didn't want to keep Cloud out in the open either.
"Why do you think they did what they did?" Cloud handed a piece of bread and cheese. "Why hurt all of those people?"
"I don't know," Kunsel admitted thinking about the countless bodies that were burned in that large furnace underground. Of all the empty houses that would never be filled again. He didn't think that someone of Sephiroth and Genesis' caliber would do such a dishonorable thing, but he guessed he didn't know them well enough. Zack had been right when he told him that Kunsel had been too blind for his admiration to notice the changes in their behavior. He wished he could go back in time and correct his actions, but he was doing that now. He would find Sephiroth and Genesis and set them to right.
"What I do know is that if we're not careful then we will die." Kunsel smiled in the face of Cloud's distress. "You don't need to worry, Cloud. I'll make sure that nothing happens to us."
"You shouldn't promise such a thing." Cloud wouldn't meet Kunsel's confused gaze. "I didn't come so you could die protecting me."
"And I didn't come for you to die protecting me." Kunsel countered grinning when Cloud huffed in exasperation. "We can protect each other, alright? We're friends and comrades and that's what they do for each other."
"I won't be in the way?" Cloud prodded. He had come on this journey in place of Zack. He knew the Alpha couldn't leave Midgar in such straits and he couldn't leave Sephiroth and Genesis run amok either so he and Kunsel were the next best option but he hoped he didn't turn useless when the time arrived.
"You're not in the way," Kunsel reassured pointed to the ring on Cloud's finger. "That's our ticket to getting across Midgar's border and into Kalm so you can think of yourself as our gate pass and a warrior."
"A Gate Pass and a Warrior?" Cloud muttered staring down at the ring on his finger. It was silver and bearing the face of a wolf. He knew that it signified Zack as the Head of the Fair Family. He also knew what it signified when he wore it and why Kunsel was so disapproving of it. It was a bold move considering that people would recognize the ring and wonder if Lord Fair was mated or engaged.
It was a safe passage in return for a closed-door on Zack's future opportunities.
Cloud knew that Zack wanted to marry him but would his council allow it? Would the people celebrate? It wasn't often that a low-born Omega could capture the attention of a high-born Alpha. It wasn't possible nor was it looked upon favorably but, Zack, it seemed, didn't care in the slightest and neither should Cloud.
However, he cared for Zack's legacy and his reputation. He wanted Zack to be respected and loved and admired and if that meant giving up his chance to be with him then so be it. He didn't want the Alpha to sacrifice his livelihood.
So, at the end of it all, he would return triumphant and return the ring to its proper honor. No matter how much it broke his heart.