Notes:
Author's Note: Hello, long time no see. This is Little House in the Woods. I have decided to reupload this story to make it easier and more enjoyable to read.
You're probably also wondering if I'm going to finish this fic. I would like to write more, but I am not going to make any promises, okay? I am super busy and my writing style has changed. I will try, though. At the very least, there will be fics set in the MG universe.
Chapter 1: Remnant from the Past
CHAPTER ONE - REMNANT FROM THE PAST
Outskirts of Kalm - εуλ 0010, 8 months after the Deepground incident
"Well, this is it," Cloud Strife murmured, as he pulled into the winding driveway and brought his motorbike to a halt.
Before him stood the oldest house he'd ever seen and in his arms he held the last delivery of the day. The recipient's name was written in handwriting a calligrapher would envy.
MS. WILLIAMS AND HER KIDS
Reluctantly, he rapped on the flimsy wooden door. Grey pieces of paint chipped off, flaking on his fist and spilling all over the ground. It felt a shame to further damage the house. A window opened and a wrinkled face appeared behind the glass.
That must be Ms. Williams.
He held up the box so she wouldn't mistake him for a traveling salesman. That had happened earlier in the day, at the food bank, and it had ended with his hair getting scorched by Firaga. "Strife Delivery Services. I have your package."
"Package you say?" the woman inside the house asked, perplexed.
"Yes. For 'Mrs. Williams and her Kids.' Did I make a mistake?"
The door hesitantly opened. The woman emerged and stepped onto the deck. "Well, I don't recall ordering a package." She leaned over Cloud's arm, squinting to read the label. "From now on I am not going to hold any mail for him." She glared fiercely at Cloud. "I told him that he needed to quit having his shit delivered to my house. We are not a mail drop service."
Cloud blinked, caught off guard by her anger. "I beg your pardon?"
The woman continued her tirade. "I don't know who he thinks he is. He has enough money to rent a mailbox in town and it's bullshit that he can't come down to pick up his own mail."
"I'm sorry. I don't know who you are talking about."
The woman pointed to the trim cliffs looming over her house. "He lives up there. Showed up about a few months ago and decided to stick around. I wasn't too thrilled about it. We've had trouble with vagrants around here in the past."
"Homeless?"
"Yeah. The first time I saw him, I thought he was homeless, 'cause he was lugging a tent around and his coat was in tatters, all slashed up…had this big gaping hole in the back that looked really ugly, so I told him that we didn't need his kind around here. But as you can see, things didn't go as planned."
"I take it you didn't file a complaint."
"No, I didn't," Mrs. Williams began to distractedly fan smoke from her cigarette in Cloud's direction. "I chewed him out. Told him he didn't look like he was just enjoying the beauty of nature. And that's when he showed me a fist full of dollars and said I could have his money if I'd pick up his mail. I can't believe I agreed to it. The entire thing was ridiculous, but I said yes, because…."
She turned to Cloud, looking at him fixedly.
"He said that he had painful memories from Wutai and chose this spot, cause it's peaceful. And I'm a nice person, but…this has gone on long enough."
Mrs. Williams gazed at him long and hard. "Do you know anyone who fought in Wutai?"
Cloud stiffened. "I used to. They're dead."
"I'm sorry. It's tough, losing friends."
Sephiroth he wouldn't have called a friend...but Zack, on the other hand...
"What do you want to do with this package?" he asked.
Mrs. Williams tossed her cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it beneath her shoe. "It's your problem. Not mine. I don't want it. Feel free to resell it."
"I could bring it to him." Cloud suggested. He had no desire to climb the cliffs. But auctioning off the man's package didn't sit right with him.
"What's his name?"
Mrs. Williams shrugged. "You will have to ask him. "He's never told me his real name. He told us to call him Raven."
Raven?
"Yeah, I know, I don't get the nickname either. I thought at first that the nickname might have something to do with his hair, and that it might be all black and raven-colored, but…then he took off his hat, and I saw that it was well…more like…like all the sand in my driveway."
Red colored, like the rocks where they'd found Ruby Weapon. Such a bright haired man would be hard to miss... "I'll do it."
"And if you see him, you get on his ass, about how inconvenient this's been for me. And for you. You're the one breaking a sweat."
"I'll suggest he get a PO Box," Cloud grumbled. He was beginning to really hate her. "And no, it's not too inconvenient. I don't mind a hike."
Based on the great physical condition of his body, she doubted he needed the exercise.
"Oh well, in that case, thank you!" Mrs. Williams said, and with that, she promptly shut the door in his face.
For a moment, he stood there with the package in his hands, wondering why exactly he had volunteered to do this again.
The climb up the cliffs turned out to be far more unpleasant than Cloud expected. Ten minutes into the climb, he was thinking Raven needed to have his kneecaps broken for subjecting people to this shit. Worst of all, the trail was so covered with trash, he almost stepped on a rusty nail and impaled his foot. Not even Zack had been this messy...
Fortunately, he didn't have to climb the full five miles.
Inside a hollowed-out grove of bushes, he stumbled upon the nest. Scattered throughout the bushes were some rocks...flint and cooking tools…a decaying, yellow piece of tarp…leaves piled up to make a bed and…a pair of thick black shoulder epaulettes with riveted silver studs bordering the edges.
He examined the armor, hoping he could find a name. But there were no tags or labels. This man was truly a ghost.
And now, he had to decide how to deal with said ghost. He couldn't just leave the package in the leaves where it'd get lost.
Leaving the package by the cooking utensils seemed like the best idea. Raven would have to come back at some point to eat. And he could write a note on the package, about Ms. Williams not wanting mail sent to her house anymore.
Cloud was just in the process of searching for a pen when a clipped voice cut through the air, causing him to freeze in his tracks.
"What are you doing here? Why are you touching my things?"
Cloud slowly turned around and saw that there was a man leaning against a tree in the thick growth. And annoyingly, the shadows made the man's face a total mask. For all he knew, it could be President Shinra under that tree.
"I'm looking for Raven."
The man's voice was rich and full. Like a radio personality's. Or actor's. "I go….by that name. And you would be?"
"The Delivery Service."
Raven snorted. "I doubt that your name is Delivery Service."
"You're right. I'm the owner of Strife Delivery Services. I have your package. Mrs. Williams didn't want to hold onto it. "
"I see," was the eerily calm reply. "Well…I am not surprised. She never was one hundred percent thrilled with the arrangement. I will just have to make other arrangements. I'll come up with something, don't worry."
"They can't be with her," Cloud said, harsher than he had intended. It looked to him as though Raven was sliding down the tree. And he didn't like that. "You'll have to get a box."
He imagined Raven towering over him, laughing at him. "So the rabbit starts giving the lion orders. What a strange new world we live in."
Cloud grit his teeth. "Says the person, hiding in the bushes. Why don't you come out and talk to me, face to face?"
Raven just shook his head and retreated further into the shadows. "I'm afraid I can't say yes to your request. I'm not comfortable dealing with people. I need a certain amount of personal space."
"Which I'll respect," Cloud said, even though his furrowed brows indicated he was far from happy with the refusal. "But this has to stop. You can't keep bothering Ms. Williams. Look, there's a town nearby and they have P.O. boxes." His gaze flicked over to the nice epaulettes he'd left lying in the leaves. "If you can force yourself to go into town to pick up your armor..."
His tone became even more clipped. That armor, he realized, had to have been custom made. And it would've required multiple trips to have a tailor take measurements. This Raven character had no excuse, whatsoever, to make his problems Ms. Williams'...
Cloud looked again.
And recognition set in.
Oh god! He kicked the object in front of him, sending it flying into the brambles. I've seen these shoulder guards before!
Instinctively Cloud clawed at his harness, feeling for a sword he'd left behind with his motor bike. Fool, fool, fool, he berated himself.
He could only hope Raven had peaceful intentions. Otherwise, he'd have a spectacular fight on his hands. The likes of which he doubted these mountains would survive.
"If you don't come out, I'll give your package to used books," he said, firmly.
That got a reaction.
An even quicker reaction than Cloud expected it would. Within seconds, 'Raven' was in front of him, his mako-tinted eyes blazing, and crimson colored coat flapping out menacingly behind him.
"SOLDIER 1st Class Genesis," Cloud said, softly.
"Strife, what a wonderful surprise!" Genesis practically knocked the package from his hands. "I didn't exactly have in mind receiving a personal visit from you when I placed an order with your delivery service, but things never go as planned when the Mrs. Williams of the world have a change of heart? 'My friend, the fates are cruel.' LOVELESS, Act…?"
"I wouldn't know. I never was a big fan."
"Act IV," Genesis sighed dramatically "I was hoping that you would know."
"Like I said, not a fan," Cloud replied. "The only time I saw excerpts from the book was when I got roped into cleaning out your old quarters. We had to get rid of your shrine to LOVELESS."
"I see." Genesis' eyes narrowed and became slits as Cloud described the destruction of the beloved books.
Bad move.
Cloud winced and decided that it would be best to quickly change topics. "I didn't think it was appropriate to destroy someone else's property."
He held up his hands, as he tried to think of something to diffuse the situation. "This is a very rough climb."
Genesis shrugged. "Yes, it would be physically demanding for someone like you. You never made SOLDIER, did you?"
Cloud chose to ignore that comment. "If I remember, you can fly."
Genesis rolled his eyes. Just where exactly was Strife going with this annoying banter? "Would it surprise you to know, I haven't gone flying in a very long time? Winged men attract a lot of attention and I'd rather not call attention to myself these days. Remember this line from LOVELESS? 'My soul, corrupted by vengeance, hath endured torment to find the end of the journey.' Well, I would like to think that after all the torment that I've been through, I've reached the end of my journey, Strife, and earned the right to a long vacation."
He fell silent and began to measure the distance between himself and Cloud. If it came to fighting, he wanted to be able to get good force and momentum going should he decide to launch himself at the blond.
"Anyone who's been through what you have been through deserves a vacation," Cloud agreed, "but what happens if your vacation is interrupted?" He decided to cut straight to the chase. "What do you want, Genesis? Why are you skulking up here…?"
"Why do you want to know? Are you with Shinra?" Genesis barked.
Surprisingly, Cloud seemed caught off guard by the question. "No, I'm not with Shinra."
Genesis' gloved hands flew into the air, loudly clapping. "Then what do you call your relationship with Reeve? Don't lie to me, Strife. I dislike liars."
"I do too."
Genesis snorted. "No, you say what you think I want to hear. That is not honest."
"And the way you treat the Mrs. Williams of the world is honest?"
Genesis rolled his eyes, stiffly climbed to his feet and began to walk away. "I do what I need to do to get by."
"Where are you going?" Cloud sprang up, acting as if he thought Genesis was going to jump off the cliff, and make his escape.
The former 1st came to a stop. Cloud was hovering disapprovingly behind him, just the way Angeal had used to hover, when their sparring got too out of hand. "Just making sure everything is still in good working order. Since I don't fancy having you attack me...consider this proper warning." His lips turned up as Cloud once again reached for a weapon that was not there. "I just want to stretch out, Cloud, and feel the breeze. That is all I want to do. But if you decide to attack me when my back is turned, I will fight back and we will have an epic battle on our hands that will be fit for a playwright to write about."
"I don't like the idea," Cloud dryly said.
Genesis shrugged. "I didn't think you would. At least, you're to the point. Nobody likes a long winded critic." He closed his eyes, drew in his breath and a sharp wave of pain pierced his shoulder. The wing erupted through his skin and rocketed upwards.
Cloud stared stone-faced, not at all jarred by the peculiar appendage. "Planning on dropping me off the cliff?"
Genesis leaned into the wind swirling about them. "Maybe I just want to enjoy the breeze." He laughed. The next words out of his mouth certainly would get a reaction. "Sometimes you can feel them."
He cast a quick glance at Cloud. No apprehension, no confusion. Just weariness.
"Seph, Angeal and others, who are no longer with us." He started to say more, but he decided not to. Strife wouldn't understand and he wasn't about to let the brat spoil his moment. It had been weeks since he had felt this connected, this in tune with everything he had lost.
There was a mountain lily lying nearby on a rock. With the wind now beating at its petals, it wasn't hard for him to see the silver haired general who had been his best friend, in its graceful movements. Or think of it as Angeal, standing against the storm.
Weary and spent, he tugged his coat around him, drawing it tight about his shoulders. Folding his wing about him so that he would have a double shield to protect himself, he mourned all that he had lost and all he had ever loved.
I would give anything to have them back, he thought.
Any...
"This has gone on long enough! We're not making any progress with you sitting here! Don't you want to take responsibility for your life?!" Cloud's angry voice pierced through the silence, shattering the moment.
Genesis pulled away from the edge, not sure what to think of Cloud's burst of anger. For a moment, he could not comprehend what he had done to make Cloud so angry, and then it occurred to him that perhaps Cloud was angry, because he could not comprehend a monster taking a moment to think about those he had cared for.
Thinking that he had hit on the cause of Cloud's anger made Genesis' heart quicken and made his blood boil. He was used to being treated like an unfeeling monster before, but had never had someone questioned his concern for his friends.
Genesis dug his nails into the rocky cliff wall and whispered, too low for Cloud to hear, "I was thinking about my friends, Cloud, and how I would give anything to have them back. If you lost friends you cared about, surely you would want the same…."
"Would you really do anything?" a questioning voice asked.
Genesis' eyes hardened.
That was going too far. How dare Cloud question the sincerity of his emotions!
Genesis exploded. "Yes, I would do anything. If I had the chance to go back and change things, I would! Even if it meant going through the hell of the degradation process again! If you think that my feelings don't matter, then maybe you should just disappear from this world!"
He snarled and leaped into the air. His gloved hands were aglow, crackling with energy as he summoned a Firaga fireball. As the intermingling hues of purple, orange and white light rose up from his fingertips and merged together, becoming one, Genesis prepared to hurl the ball of energy at the feet of the inconsiderate blond who dared challenge him. He would show Cloud that monsters possessed feelings and that they mourned not for themselves, but for their comrades.
With a violent burst of adrenaline, Genesis spun around. He thrust the arm holding the fireball over his head, bringing the fireball up high so that he could smash it down with the full strength of his arm and recoiled, for there was now…nobody to throw the fireball at…and…
…Cloud was gone…
…And only an empty leather pauldron discarded on the ground remained to indicate that the swordsman had ever been there.
The Planet had reclaimed Cloud.