They ran into one battle going into Mideel this time.
So why are the graphics so much better in battle mode?" Zack asked. Sephiroth noted the new, but rather self-explanatory, term.
Angeal snorted. "You'd probably know better than us, Pup."
The boy actually thought about it for several seconds while Sephiroth finished up the fight. "Maybe it's like the mini games?" he asked. "Though, this game looks so old… maybe they only had so much space on the disks, or time to work on it? Or a small team, and they wanted the fights to look as cool as possible?"
"It's as good a theory as any," his mentor responded with a nod.
On the screen, Sephiroth walked Cid into the village, running him through the streets until they reached the clinic and walked up the stairs.
Inside, a doctor and a nurse appeared on the screen in front of Cid. Off to the left, they could still see Cloud's yellow head bobbing like the last time they'd come through. So, no change.
They spoke to the nurse, who said 'she's' looking a little tired and how even though there's no change in his condition, she just stays right by his side. Then the nurse said if she keeps going like that, she'll get sick.
"By 'she', she means 'Tifa', right?" Zack asked. "That's what you guys said."
"Yes, Zack," Angeal said gently. "That's likely who she means."
Then the nurse said they (meaning Cid and his group) look terrible and should get some rest.
Genesis snorted as the screen faded to black and the 'sleep music' sounded.
"Wait, what just happened?" Zack asked.
"We went to sleep," Genesis said dryly. "It restores our health and mana, no matter what condition we go to sleep in."
Zack blinked. "Oh. Well, that makes sense."
"How?" Genesis asked as Sephiroth and Angeal both turned to stare at Zack.
He shrugged. "Games work like that. You have to let the characters heal or it gets frustrating and too hard."
Well, from that point of view, Sephiroth could see, he supposed. But… "That isn't very realistic," he said.
"Well, of course not," Zack replied, looking exasperated. "It's a game. It's supposed to be an escape from reality, not a representation of it. Almost nobody will keep playing a game if they're not getting a fun story or challenge, or something out of it."
Oh.
"Is it sad that that statement makes so much of our game insanity make sense?" Genesis asked thoughtfully.
"A little," Angeal said with a soft snort and smile of his own.
The screen faded back in to the nurse saying they were 'all better'.
Sephiroth shook his head. "I still think it's ridiculous."
Zack shrugged. "Not disagreeing. That's just how it is."
Speaking to the doctor, he said that their friend's condition remained unchanged and how these things take time… 'like fine wine, time is of the essence'.
"Was that just me, or did that seem a little callous?" Genesis asked.
"Not just you," Angeal and Zack muttered.
Sephiroth just shrugged and had Cid walk into the next room where they could see Cloud and Tifa. Sephiroth decided to speak to Tifa first.
She just said it was no use, and how she didn't understand and missed Cloud, and what would she do if he never recovered.
Then, as soon as Sephiroth clicked for the box to either move on or vanish, the screen began to shake and Tifa fell to the ground.
Then Cloud spoke.
'Coming… they're… coming…'
"Oh, man! It's gotta be a boss battle!" Zack said.
Sephiroth, who had turned Cid to run outside, paused. "How do you know?"
"Well, that's why the lady healed you! You almost always get stuff to heal you and save points and stuff like that before a boss battle in a game. Make sure you have everything you need – all the equipment up and everything!"
Genesis looked thoughtful. "Right. Angeal mentioned that you discussed those a bit earlier today. Though, he said you called them mini-bosses?"
Zack nodded. "Mini-bosses and boss battles can sometimes be hard to tell apart, so I suppose this one could just be a mini-boss. The same rules usually apply, though. Save points, preparation time, and a difficulty spike to keep the player interested."
Well… from a game designer and/or player's point of view, Sephiroth could see the merit in that.
Still ridiculous, though this time he kept silent.
However, never one to not take reliable intelligence handed directly to him, he did as Zack suggested, making sure he had the materia he needed as well as the weapons. He made sure that they would be immune to as many status effects as possible, putting the single ribbon they had on Cid.
Then he exited back to the clinic and had Cid run outside. Once there, he started shouting about how the Lifestream was gushing out of the earth . When Tifa came running after him to ask what was wrong, he told her to get back inside with Cloud. When she protested, Cid said that they'd handle it, how they wouldn't die that easily, etc.
Tifa told them to be careful and disappeared back inside. Cid said to go, so Sephiroth did, having him run down the path. Once they got to the main square, the camera angle switched to show the trio lower to the ground. Above the city, moving in what looked like a search pattern was…
"Is that a dragon?" Zack asked. "That's the biggest dragon I've ever heard of!"
Cid, among his many, many symbols indicating colorful language (at least Sephiroth knew that), said it was a Weapon.
"That's a Weapon?" the Third asked.
"The proportions in this game are… off. Consistently," Angeal told him. "However, yes. That is one of the many Weapons."
"Actually, it looks rather small compared to the last one," Genesis mused.
"Seriously?" Zack asked.
Meanwhile, Cid yelled at the Weapon to 'come on', and the Weapon dove at them, somehow flying through them (at least that was what it looked like) and then took up the entire screen before it went into battle mode.
The following battle was, as Zack predicted,… difficult. However, once Sephiroth had them use their limit breaks, the Weapon dropped low, and then rose into the air again.
"Wait, is it running away?" Genesis asked, incredulous. "Why?"
And then it didn't even give them any experience points.
"That's lame!" Zack whined.
For once, Sephiroth agreed.
Once back in the town square, Cid yelled, asking if it was trying to escape. A weapon of that size… trying to escape. Somehow, Sephiroth didn't quite think so.
Then the shaking stopped and Barrett said he wanted to smash it a bit more. The man really was rather needlessly violent, even if it was bravado. Yuffie pointed out that at least the Lifestream was back to normal.
Zack groaned.
"What's wrong?" Angeal asked.
"She just jinxed it," he said, shaking his head. "Rule number one of games: Never point out the 'at leasts'."
"The game's version of poetic justice? Tragic irony? Dramatic irony?" Genesis mused.
"What goes around, comes around?" Zack offered, perhaps trying to be helpful.
Genesis didn't seem to take it that way though, and glared at the oblivious boy.
As if on cue, the blue dialogue box disappeared and the ground began to shake again. Cid said it was bad, that the stream was kicking up again, and that something way bigger than 'that last one' was on its way.
"Is he talking about the earthquake, or the Weapon?" Genesis asked.
"Either one's not good," Zack replied, reaching over for some snacks. Angeal slapped his hand lightly.
"No you don't. You just ate late enough. The last thing you need right now is more sugar."
"But Angeal," the puppy whined.
Angeal stood firm, crossing his arms. "No. Maybe you can have some tomorrow."
The boy sighed. "Fine." He was honestly almost as dramatic as Genesis. "At least let me close those bags so they don't go stale."
Angeal consented, and joined in closing up the various packages.
Meanwhile Cid basically said they had to run. Yuffie asked about Tifa and Cloud, but Cid, looking back at the clinic, swore, but said they had to watch out for themselves right now. At least he yelled back at them before running out of the screen.
Back at the clinic, Tifa looked around, talking about how the tremors were getting worse. Tremors. That was an outright earthquake in Sephiroth's opinion.
Tifa ran to speak with the doctor, asking if they should move Cloud. The doctor said it would probably be safer to move to an open area. Tifa ran back to Cloud and told him she'd take care of him. Then another strange noise, sounding something like a roar, resounded and the doctor said the structure (did he mean the clinic building?) couldn't take it and told Tifa to hurry.
The brunette acknowledged, then stood and ran behind Cloud's chair.
Then she asked Cloud if he was ready.
"Just go!" Genesis yelled, exasperated again.
It cut to a scene of Tifa already outside the clinic running with Cloud's wheelchair down the street while behind them, the land literally heaved up and over.
"Wait, where's the doctor? Did he leave his own patient behind?" Angeal asked.
"Game insanity," Sephiroth said.
"Yeah, I agree," Zack confirmed.
Tifa kept running, but just as she went under the gate, the entire area under her feet tipped.
She stopped.
"Keep running!" Three SOLDIERS yelled. Sephiroth agreed with a nod. The screen cut to a close up of the couple, wide-eyed and scared. Even Cloud.
Then they were sliding off the edge and into the Lifestream below, along with what was left of the town.
"Oh, wonderful!" Genesis said, throwing his hands in the air. "That's all he needs. Another dip in the pure, raw mako."
Zack flinched, but didn't comment. Sephiroth made a mental note to ask him about it later.
"Perhaps that's the Promised Land everyone is looking for?" Angeal asked. "I mean, with that much mako available…"
"Doubtful," Genesis said, although he did look contemplative.
"Promised Land?" Zack asked.
Another sigh from Angeal. "That's another long story. I'll explain later, Pup."
Zack didn't look happy, but he did nod. "You didn't used to call me 'Pup'," he grumbled.
The larger brunet smiled.
"You're lucky," Genesis muttered. "You should have heard some of the names he came up with when we were children."
Angeal looked over at his friend, feigning shock (at least Sephiroth thought it was feigning shock). "You swore you wouldn't bring it up!"
The red-head snorted, but instead of going into… whatever incident they spoke of, Genesis turned to Zack. "Just trust me, the more he calls you his pet nick-name, the more he actually cares."
The older brunet sighed as if in defeat. "You've given up my secret. How will I ever survive."
Genesis chuckled once, "If that is your best delivery, then clearly you need more guidance in your playacting."
"Do they do this all the time?" Zack half-whispered to Sephiroth, although he looked amused.
The Silver General raised one eyebrow and looked over at them before allowing his lips to turn up in a smile. "Not exactly… but similarly."
He let them continue to jab at each other as the screen faded out after the two had disappeared beneath the surface of green. It faded in to the two of them sinking farther and farther into the green depths. Then it faded back out again
.
Then Tifa, spinning and spinning in the center of the screen, faded back in. Around her, nothing but blackness. In the background, it sounded almost like drops of liquid splashing down. On the screen, she eventually stopped spinning, slumped over and obviously unconscious.
Then she moved, sitting back and asking where she was and what was happening. She stood and looked around, calling for Cloud. Then, suddenly, she asked who was there, and 'who is it?'
Tifa said she couldn't hear, and kept turning around, without even moving her legs, as if she'd gotten on a turntable of some kind.
Then she whirled around and said she knew nothing about 'that' and that she would never do anything like 'that'.
"Like what?" Zack asked.
"Don't know, Pup," Angeal said, distractedly.
She yelled at them to stop and stay back, then turned and started to run, crying out for help.
What sounded like radio-static buzzed and she stopped, then fell to her knees, covering her ears. She called out for Cloud to help her as she began to spin around again. Then she screamed and sunk off the bottom of the screen, leaving it completely black once more.
Music started in the background. It sounded like a variation on the theme music, but dark and mysterious.
"This is kinda creepy," Zack commented.
The screen faded in to green this time, showing what looked like pillars and circular platforms and random balls simply floating in said green, creating various pathways. Around the area, Sephiroth could see at least three people, all of them looked like Cloud, and Tifa – the fourth – sat up in the middle. She looked around and the screen brightened. She looked up and the camera panned up, following her gaze to a transparent Cloud, curled in a ball and holding his head. In the corner, Sephiroth could see a fourth Cloud even.
"Heh, it's just full of Clouds," Zack said, although his voice seemed a little shaky.
No one laughed. Angeal put a hand on his protege's shoulder in acknowledgment though.
On the screen, Tifa asked what 'this' was. If it was his dream or perhaps subconscious.
"She successfully somehow got into his subconscious?" Genesis asked, "I don't know whether I should be concerned or congratulatory. That cannot be easy."
For the first time, in the background, Sephiroth realized he could see the gates of Nibelheim and felt his worry spike, although he refused to show it. (The 'searching for yourself' line was particularly ominous.)
Tifa kept talking to Cloud, probably speaking aloud to keep herself calm and work out the situation. Sephiroth had never had to do that, but he knew some SOLDIERS who had. She said she'd help, and they could work together to get all of him back.
"An admirable goal," Genesis said, nodding. "Somehow, I don't think it will be that easy, though." His voice had taken on a mildly sarcastic tone, and Sephiroth agreed.
Then Tifa asked where to start and the control returned to Sephiroth. He moved Tifa around, and decided to walk up to the nearest 'Cloud' initially, but then his eyes caught the gates of Nibelheim again and he decided to head for that one instead.
"So, we get to choose where to go?" Genesis asked. "And you choose to go to Nibelheim." He raised an eyebrow at his fellow SOLDIER.
Sephiroth shrugged slightly. "It's a familiar starting place. And if it is the worst, we will get it done and over with."
Genesis shrugged, far more obviously than Sephiroth. "Your choice," he said.
A blue box appeared on the screen when he pressed the 'x' button, but he wasn't sure if Tifa or Cloud spoke. Whoever was speaking commented on the gates of Nibelheim, five years ago. Ah, so it had to be Cloud. Tifa said it had really been seven years, not five.
That particular Cloud slowly stood.
Tifa asked if that (likely meaning the gate) connected to Nibelheim. Sephiroth felt that was a rather foolish question, but chalked it up to game insanity. Cloud stepped to the side and Sephiroth had Tifa speak with him again. He merely said the same thing, that 'Sephiroth' passed through those gates and that was where it all started. So he simply moved her towards the gates. She stopped and turned back around, calling for Cloud to, 'Go have a look.' She said it wouldn't be easy for him, but that she'd be right there with them.
Then the camera moved closer to them and the Nibelheim scene faded from green hues to more realistic tones – at least as far as the game was concerned.
Tifa walked up to the gates, then looked around. She told Cloud to 'look' and ran forward, pointing off to one side and talking about a well, and 'Gramp's Inn', and the only truck in town that had been there since they were little kids.
Sephiroth said nothing as Tifa ran back towards them, throwing her hands out and asking if that was the Nibelheim Cloud remembered. Then she said it was the same as 'her' Nibelheim, likely meaning her memories, and thus they could compare. Cloud faded in on one side, slumping against something they couldn't see. After a moment, he stood up.
"Dang, they exaggerated his hair," Zack said, chuckling weakly. "I mean, he looks kinda like a chocobo-head right now, but it's not that bad in real life. I mean, I looked up his cadet picture."
Cloud stood up, head still bowed. Tifa said that 'five years ago' two SOLDIERS came to town.
"I thought she said it was seven," Genesis stated with a frown.
No one could answer him, so no one did.
Tifa continued on, naming the two SOLDIERS. 'Sephiroth, and... a young, vibrant SOLDIER.' Then she turned and asked if he could tell her again what happened.
Cloud disappeared and reappeared in a slightly different position, head bowed. She walked to the other side of the gate, opposite of Cloud's position, and the screen flashed white, then Game Sephiroth appeared.
"Whoa, that's you?" Zack asked, snorting a little. "Seriously, these graphics."
"No," Angeal said sternly. The Third looked a little surprised at his tone. "That is not Sephiroth."
"Not yet," Genesis agreed, "Hopefully not ever."
What was left of Zack's smile faded and he glanced apologetically at Sephiroth. "Right. Sorry."
Sephiroth nodded in acknowledgment, but otherwise didn't take his eyes off of the screen. Hearing his friends stand up for him, though, made him feel better.
Game Sephiroth turned and called out, asking how it felt to be back in the village for his first time in a long time. Meanwhile, Tifa said that five years ago she saw the real Sephiroth for the first time. She spoke in a semi-transparent box of blue, while Game Sephiroth spoke in the normal dialogue box.
Then another dialogue box, the same as Sephiroth's, came up, but with Cloud speaking. The Cloud off to the side still hung limply in midair.
The blue box asked about Sephiroth's parents.
Meanwhile Tifa seemed to study the specter of Sephiroth. 'So this is the Great Sephiroth,' she said as Game Sephiroth went on about Jenova dying after she gave birth to him (a lie… his fists clenched on the game controller and he had to take a deep breath, he considered handing it off) and his father… then trailed off.
Tifa went on to say that she thought Game Sephiroth was very cold. Did… he come off like that? He just liked to be professional.
The Sephiroth on the screen laughed, then asked what it mattered.
Tifa said she remembered something foreboding about him. Then she strode forward, her back to the memory of Game Sephiroth, facing the infantry now walking in, and Cloud as a SOLDIER. Then the Cloud from the side finally stood straight and walked forward, through one of the infantry and into the SOLDIER Cloud.
"I thought that was supposed to be…" Genesis started, but faded off when his eyes drifted towards Zack.
Zack frowned. "Me. It's supposed to be me."
The three older SOLDIERS exchanged glances, but didn't answer.
They didn't have to.
That hadn't been a question.
"But why is it Cloud here?" Zack asked. "He was infantry in my game."
Sephiroth felt his eyebrows raise, and his weren't the only ones.
"Really?" Genesis asked.
Zack nodded.
Meanwhile, Tifa shook her head. 'No, Cloud.' She went on to say she was afraid to tell him, afraid something terrible would happen but that she wouldn't hide anymore.
The screen flashed again. Game Sephiroth and the infantry vanished.
'You weren't here, Cloud. You did not come to Nibelheim five years ago.'
"Yeah, he did," Zack said. "But… she wouldn't know that, I guess."
What?
"Can you succinctly elaborate?" Sephiroth asked tersely.
"Um, in short? He was ashamed he hadn't gotten into SOLDIER, so he asked me not to tell anyone he was Cloud in the game. Kept his helmet on whenever he wasn't in the hotel room."
In the background, a younger Tifa wearing a cowboy hat appeared, sitting just inside the town gates. Tifa talked about how she waited and waited, but Cloud never came. How the two that were ordered were Sephiroth and another person.
Sephiroth saw Zack's hand clench into a fist. So did Angeal's.
On the screen, young Tifa ran away into the town. Then Game Sephiroth reappeared. He said: 'Alright, let's go.' Wait… the scene was… playing out differently?
The two infantry reappeared and then Zack walked in on the screen just as it faded to white.
"That was me, wasn't it?" Zack asked, voice low and teeth gritted.
Sephiroth glanced at the other two Firsts, who both looked back. Then Angeal took a deep breath and again, leaned forward to rest his hand on Zack's shoulder. "We think so, Pup."
The screen returned to the strange green screen with floating platforms and marbles. The gate the two of them stood at no longer led to Nibelheim, but simply more green.
The game didn't say who commented, but the blue dialogue box appeared. 'You mean, that member of SOLDIER that came with Sephiroth wasn't... Cloud?' Since Tifa had just stated as much, Sephiroth had to assume it was Cloud,
Speaking in third person… not a good sign.
Tifa shook her head, then told him there was nothing she could say. How he had to find the answer for himself, and if he couldn't… then she faded off. After a moment, she turned and told him to take his time, little by little.
He just sat back down.
Sephiroth had Tifa walk up to him again, but he simply asked the same question. The SOLDIER that came wasn't Cloud.
The Silver General had Tifa turn and run back to the center, circular platform she'd woken on. Sephiroth figured they could talk to the Cloud closest to them on the screen, or the Cloud on the left side of the screen… that seemed to be near another familiar scene.
Sephiroth chose that one, having Tifa head over there to speak to that Cloud. He slowly rose and turned to her, talking about 'that starry night' and 'our promises' and 'what if it was just a lie?' Tifa told Cloud not to hurry and that everything would come back, little by little, againf. Then she spoke of how the heavens that night had been filled with stars, and the camera moved forward once again, then dropped below the two. The ground disappeared as the two looked up into a sky full of stars, a river of the small, twinkling lights running through it. It was lovely. The night sky always looked incredible away from Midgar and they captured that well here.
Then Tifa said, 'From the beginning, okay?'
The screen panned down to an older Tifa standing on the water tower under the starry night sky. Older Cloud was there too, head hung low. Tifa told him to try and remember.
Two children, a younger Cloud and a younger Tifa appeared on the tower, fading in from nothing, kicking their legs from where they sat on the edge of the small, wooden platform that encircled the tower. Tifa said she'd been wearing those clothes and how that was Cloud too… and how he was so small back then.
"Aww, cute," Zack said… but Sephiroth could tell he was still forcing it.
Older Tifa sat down besides younger Tifa and said that Cloud had been cute too. She turned to look over her shoulder.
'Sephiroth once said Cloud made up his memories by listening to my stories.' But then she asked if he just imagined the sky like that, how he had to have remembered it. Because it matched her memories, she supposed. She spoke of how it had just been her and Cloud that night, talking at the well, and how that was why she thought he was the real Cloud. She looked down and kicked her legs back and forth, together, and said how she still believed he was that Cloud.
The younger Cloud disappeared and reappeared about where he'd been sitting, except he now stood.
'But you don't believe in yourself,' she commented. Younger Cloud crouched down at the top of the tower and the screen faded to white again. The green and the stone platforms came back into view. Tifa and Cloud walked on a bridge from what looked like a well or a fountain towards where Tifa had appeared.
Then she stopped and turned around, asking him about his other memories. Then she shook her head, speaking about how memories are something consciously recalled, how sometimes it can be wrong and it's different from a memory locked deep within your heart. That was why 'it' had to be a fake memory if he could recall that memory.
"Um… am I the only one that doesn't get that… isn't she supposed to be talking about how his memories are real?"
By 'he', I think she means Game Sephiroth," Genesis said, sounding distracted, eyes studying the screen intently. "There are mind games and illusions involved,"
"Oh," Zack said, "that makes more sense… I think."
Then Tifa said they'd have to look for a memory without her in it.
"Isn't that the point, though," Genesis asked, "compare memories to see what is real and what isn't?"
"Game insanity?" Angeal ventured.
"You guys attribute a lot to this 'game insanity'," Zack said.
"This game is chock full of it, and there's nothing else to ascribe the incongruousness to," Genesis returned with a shrug.
'If I say something, you can't remember it,' Tifa was saying. 'But if you say something and I remember it too, then we'll know it's a memory.'
"Okay, this game doesn't make sense," Zack whined again.
"Welcome to our week, Pup," Angeal said with a small smile as he patted his protege's head.
Then Tifa said to talk to her about some important memory to him. Then she asked why he left to join SOLDIER in the first place. How she always thought it was a sudden decision.
Cloud said he was devastated, how he wanted to be noticed. The same words appeared without a dialogue box at the top of the screen.
'I thought if I got stronger, someone would notice,' the words in the box changed. The other ones didn't.
"Aw, Spiky," Zack said softly.
Tifa turned to him and nodded. 'Someone to notice you? … Who?'
The words at the top of the screen changed again. 'Who? You know who! You, that's who…' In the blue dialogue box, all he said was, 'You'.
"OH!" Zack exclaimed suddenly, "He had a crush!" Then he chuckled, a little maniacally. "I'm never gonna let him live that one down."
Angeal frowned. "Zack," he warned.
The boy just waved his hand. "I won't tease him too much."
Angeal just sighed. "We can talk about that later."
Sephiroth agreed. On the screen, Tifa rubbed her head sheepishly. 'Me? Why?'
Cloud just asked if she forgot about 'those days'.
Tifa turned around suddenly, and on a pillar by the Nibelheim gate stood a young Cloud. 'Look!' Tifa said. Then she continued. 'I'm sorry… but what are you talking about?'
The other Cloud she'd been speaking with turned and sat down on the bridge, his back to her. The little Cloud, meanwhile, jumped down, then stood and shook his head.
Then he said, 'No, it's alright. You were having a hard time back then. You were so busy with your own things, it's only natural you don't remember me then.'
Tifa walked up to the younger Cloud. 'Then?' she asked.
He nodded, then told her it was a very important memory to him. Then he asked if she wanted to see it.
He ran over towards the third Cloud, the one Sephiroth had directed Tifa towards to begin with. All little Cloud said was 'Come on, hurry!', so Sephiroth pushed Tifa towards the third older Cloud.
'A sealed up… secret wish,' he said. 'Tender memories... no one can ever know.' He stood and walked down the round steps, then stood off to one side. Young Cloud rushed down them and over towards what looked like a window, perhaps? Tifa followed and Young Cloud asked if she knew where that window went.
Tifa just said she'd go. The camera moved again, rushing down and through the window, then up again to show the inside of the Lockheart household. Three figures appeared there: Older Cloud, Older Tifa and Young Cloud.
Tifa looked around, asking if it was her room. Younger Cloud nodded saying it was his first time there. Then he went on to say how he only used to look at it from the outside.
Over by the bed, on the other side of the room of the three, four more figures appeared. They were unfamiliar to Sephiroth, although the one sitting down on the far left with long, dark hair and a blue dress… could that be young Tifa?
The view faded out and then immediately back in, to a boy looking out of a window. Tifa sat in the corner, arms around her knees.
The unfamiliar boy announced that Cloud was coming. Meanwhile, outside, a young Cloud came running up the pathway. The boy asked young Tifa if she thought he wanted to come in. She looked up, but didn't say anything before looking back down again. Outside, Cloud walked forward, more slowly. Older Tifa and presumably one of the Clouds she'd come with spoke of how that was the first time he'd been inside her house, despite them living right next to each other and how they didn't know each other that well.
Tifa said she'd always thought they'd been close. Young Tifa looked up and around at the three boys, two of them having just walked into view. Then she shook her head and put it back down.
The view by the window faded back into the overhead view and older Tifa walked forward. Then she said how now that she thought about it, she didn't remember Cloud ever being in her room. Young Cloud said that Tifa always used to have her own group. Older Tifa confirmed it, although she seemed hesitant. Young Cloud said he thought they were all stupid. Childish and laughing at every little thing.
"To be fair, that's what little kids do," Zack commented dryly.
Sephiroth cocked his head to one side. "Really?" he asked.
Zack looked over at him startled, and then stricken. "Um… yeah," he said quietly, then looked away, back at the screen.
Interesting.
Tifa pointed out exactly what Zack had said, that they were children. Young Cloud nodded and said he knows he was the stupid one. Then he said he always wanted to play with everyone, but 'you' (did he mean Tifa specifically or the group in general?) never let 'me' in the group. Cloud went on to say how he started thinking he was different… from those 'immature' kids.
Sephiroth could relate to that.
Then Young Cloud said, 'I thought that maybe…'
Then a shadow in the shape of Cloud rose from where older Cloud sat in the corner and said, 'Just maybe you'd invite me in.' He went on to explain how he hung around hoping that something would happen.
"Spike, you have to make good things happen in your life!" Zack said firmly. "You can't just sit around wishing someone else could make those good things happen for you!"
For some reason, those words struck Sephiroth deeper than he thought they should. But… if he wanted good things to happen, he'd have to make them happen himself. Somehow, he'd never really seen it like that before.
He didn't say anything about it, though and he continued the game.
Then young Cloud said he was so prejudiced and weak.
"Aw, come on, Spike! You were a kid! Forgive yourself!"
"I wonder if it was a social hierarchy thing," Genesis mused.
"What do you mean?" Sephiroth asked.
Genesis shrugged. "I grew up as the son of one of the richest families in town. They didn't exactly like Angeal and I 'hanging out' together. They always said it was below my status. Tifa may not have been told that, but she was the daughter of the mayor. Perhaps Cloud and his family were similar to Angeal and his?"
"Hmm, perhaps," Angeal conceded, looking troubled.
On the screen, Shadow Cloud said that the night he asked Tifa to come out to the well, he didn't think she would. He thought she hated him.
Older Tifa just said it was a bit sudden and she'd been surprised is all.
She finally admitted it was true that they hadn't been 'THAT' close, but after he left town she thought about him a lot. She'd wonder how he was doing, if he got into SOLDIER. She said she started reading newspapers looking for articles about him.
Young Cloud turned to her and thanked her. 'Tell him what you told me, later. He'll probably be so happy.'
Tifa nodded and said she would. Then she asked what had happened on this particular day that made it so special.
Cloud said, 'This was the day…'
Then the screen faded to white. 'The day that mom died,' Tifa said. The scene faded out to white and back into the window view.
The scene that followed showed a young Tifa not understanding death or why she couldn't see her mother again, and how in her mind, if her mother was far away, she simply had to be on the other side of the mountains.
Sephiroth frowned. He couldn't remember a time when he didn't understand death.
"Do… children often not understand death?" Sephiroth asked.
This time, all of the others turned to look at him with various expressions. Completely blank from Genesis, sad but resigned from Angeal, and horrified from Zack.
"I'll take that as a yes," he said slowly, feeling a little defensive.
"Sephiroth," Angeal said softly, "young children's brains aren't as developed as an adult, or even an older child. They have very simple outlooks. One of those outlooks is stability. If a certain person is always there, then in their minds, they always should be. More so if they're a caretaker. So when that figure suddenly isn't…"
"Wh-why did you always understand death?" Zack asked.
Sephiroth thought about that and the context he'd just received from Angeal. He considered not answering. Genesis and Angeal were his friends, however, he didn't know Zack all that well. But… he wanted to. Trust was a part of that, and he did trust Angeal, so perhaps he could risk extending something so personal to Zack. "I suppose because that was my constant," he finally answered. "I was trained from a young age, and I was pit against monsters. I knew I had to make them stop so that they would never get up again – never come after me again. I also never had a consistent caretaker, and none at all after Gast's tape recordings vanished. The only consistent person I had is one I would prefer to never see again."
The horrified expression had moved to Angeal and even Genesis looked concerned.
"What kind of monsters are running this company?" Zack finally whispered.
Angeal swallowed. "Don't ask, Zack. You won't like the answer."
Zack's hands balled into fists, but before he could say anything, Genesis stood. "That reminds me," He pulled the jammer from his pocket and checked it. "Humph. Suspected as much: it needs recharging. It should, however, still be able to continue to jam signals while charging." He pulled a coiled cord from his pocket and handed the plug end to Zack. "I don't want to climb over you. Find some place to plug this in."
The Third nodded turned his attention to the surrounding walls, scouring for an outlet.
Sephiroth thought he'd done that to distract the puppy, and he approved. The last thing they needed was Zack to lose his temper… especially on Sephiroth's behalf.
It was terribly nice of him to almost do so, though. Impractical and silly, but nice.
"Zack," Angeal said, putting his hand on his protege's shoulder again, after the boy retook his spot by the couch. "Remember when I said we're taking steps? We will do something about ShinRa, I promise."
The younger boy looked up into his mentor's eyes and his body slowly relaxed. "Yeah, okay. I'll play nice, for now," he said.
Angeal patted the shoulder. "That's my pup."
The boy grumbled under his breath, even though they all heard it. "I'm not a puppy."
"You are," Genesis said.
"Agreed," Sephiroth said.
Zack looked at them both, betrayed, but Angeal snickered before pointing to the screen. "Please, continue."
The youngest of them huffed and turned to look back at the screen, folding his arms in a pouting huff. It was rather adorable, if Sephiroth said so himself (which he never would).
"Very well, let's continue," Sephiroth said, and went back to the game.
xXx
AN: Thank you so much to Quathis and Imagination7413! You guys don't realize how much effort they put into this. No, seriously. I have some of the best beta readers ever.
Sorry that this is a bit late, but I may have to go to updating once a month with my main beta reader getting a new job that sucks her time away much like a Dune worm... or is that eating? *rubs chin* Consuming? You get the picture. I'll try and update more than that, but just be aware. It's sad because I have some really fun chapters coming up that I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's reactions to.
In any case, thank you for reading!
Discord: discord. gg/ezzFnGJ