Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy- Final Destination Part 1 ❯ Day 1- Appetite ( Chapter 7 )

"So how do you two know each other?" Salira asked Raven. It has been about ten minutes since they left the city of Midgar.

"We grew up together. Before Lega moved, we used to do everything together," Raven answered. "What about you?"

"School," Lega answered. His knee still hurt like crazy. "Gees, Salira, why did you kick me so hard!?"

"I have reasons," Salira replied, "Besides I just barely tapped ya."

"Barely? I think you busted my leg!" Lega sarcastically said.

"Oh…poor baby," Salira teased. Raven just laughed at them.

"So how old are you, Salira?" Raven asked, changing the subject.

"Thirteen going on fourteen," Salira replied. "You?"

"Eighteen," Raven answered. He looked at Lega; "You're kind of quiet. Don't you think?"

Lega was in his own world, thinking about Salira. He snapped out of it when he heard his name. "I'm just hungry," he answered. It was kind of true. A few moments later, his stomach rumbled in hunger. Both Salira and Raven heard it and began to laugh. Lega slouched in the seat, sort of embarrassed.

"How long have you known Salira, Lega?" Raven asked, calming down.

"Ever since I moved in," replied Lega. There was a few seconds of silence.

"I was wondering, Salira," Raven started, "About your last name. Are you related to Cloud Strife?"

"Yes," Salira answered.

"By what relation?"

"Daughter," Salira answered, rather confused on why he's asking those questions.

"Thought so."

"Why were you asking?" Lega butted in the conversation.

"I meet Cloud a long time ago. And I was just wondering," Raven replied.

--

At around noon, two older looking people walked up and down the aisle, handing out food and drinks for lunch. "Hello, I'm Professor Cetra. I'll be passing out the drinks," the female said as she stood next to Lega, "What can I get for you? Water, juice, pop, milk?"

"Water will be fine for me," Salira replied.

"Pop for me," answered Raven.

"Me, too," Lega remarked.

"Okay…Water for the young lady, and two pops for the gentlemen," the professor said as she headed for the front of the bus. She came back with three drinks in her hands; a water bottle, and two cans. Cetra handed the bottle of water to Salira and the cans of pop to Lega and Raven. "Professor Mariku will be here shortly to take your food order." She went to the next row behind them and took their order.

A man about Raven's age stood where the female previously stood. "I'm Professor Mariku. Would you like pizza and chips, or just a sandwich?"

"Sandwich," Raven and Lega said at the same time.

The professor looked at Salira, "What about you dear?"

"Oh, no thanks. I'm not hungry right now," Salira replied, "thanks anyway."

The professor went to the front of the bus and brought back two sandwiches, handing one to Lega and the other to Raven. Once he left, Lega asks Salira, "How can you not be hungry? You've been up for hours before I came over, just looking for that necklace of yours."

"I'm not much of a food person," Salira answered.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Lega started, "Why is that necklace so important to you?" He started on his sandwich.

"It was given to me by an old friend before he left. Sort of a friendship gift," Salira replied.

"Who was your old friend and what do you mean by `before he left'?"

"I don't really remember. It's been a long time since I last saw him. About eight years, I think…And what I meant by `before he left' was before he was adopted."

"Adopted?" Raven asked, "You mean your friend was an orphan at the time?"

"You've visited the orphanage?" Lega asked. He never figured that Salira used to live at one and that she was an orphan.

"To be precise, Lega. I used to be an orphan and that was how I met him. We lived in the same orphanage."

"You…orphan…your kidding?" Lega remarked.

"I don't think she is, Lega," Raven said. He looked at Salira, "So you are Strife's foster daughter. Do you know why you were sent there?"

Salira shook her head no. "I wish I knew."

"For not being his actual daughter, you sure do look like him a bit," Lega said as he finished his sandwich. "You gonna eat that?" he asks as he points to Raven's untouched sandwich.

"Here, be happy," Raven responds by handing his sandwich to Lega.

"Sweet!" Lega remarks as he took the sandwich and begins eating it. Salira and Raven glared at him, though Lega didn't seem to notice.

"I don't recall Lega eating like this. Has he been doing this since he moved to Midgar?" Raven asks Salira as he switched glances to Salira. Salira looks at him and shakes her head no.

--

After dinner, as night took over the sky and time, Salira looks out the window next to Raven. She's never been this far from home before. She turns to Lega to ask him a question, but he was sleeping and didn't want to bother him, so she continued to look out the window, watching trees and other stuff go zooming by. She kept thinking to herself about her old friend. Ever since they were talking about the orphanage, she couldn't help but think about that time. The promise…I wonder if he remembers…"I promise we will see each other again. I'll look for you, I promise. Don't cry during the time, promise me that?"… I remember it…He was always so sweet to me…It's impossible for me to forget him…I guess I could say I still have feelings for him, though I haven't seen him in years…He was my only friend…he protected me a lot from danger…he gave me the necklace and made that promise…my only question is…will we see each other again?

Raven looks up from his book he was reading to see who was still up besides him and the bus driver. He noticed Salira looking out the window with somewhat of a depressed look. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing really," she answered, not even bothering to look at him and kept on looking out the window.

"You're nervous aren't you," Raven said as he placed the book in the bag on the back of the seat in front of them. "First time away from home?"

"How did you know that?" Salira answered sitting up straight and looking at Raven.

"You looked like you were homesick, that's all," Raven replied, smiling.

"Well you guessed half of it."

"Let me guess the other half then…. Um…. You were deep in thought too."

"You guessed it."

"About what?"

"I was just thinking. Nothing much." Salira yawned.

"You should get some rest. You look tired as well."

"Just a little," Salira remarked. Not realizing what she was doing, Salira laid her head on Raven's chest and slowly went to sleep. Raven knew Salira wasn't paying any attention and nervously put his arm around her. He, too, fell asleep. As Salira slept, she dreamed something she's never dreamed before. It was new to her, and to her it was like a nightmare:

Salira stood in a pitch-black room. As she looked around, the scene changed to a small town she never saw before. Dead bodies laid everywhere. They looked as though a blade, a sharp one, has slaughtered them. She didn't see anyone alive. All of a sudden the town engulfed in flames and she was transported outside the town at the border. She watched as the town burned. Soon she saw a woman running, along with a small child, out of the town as fast as they could. Salira went to go help them, but they just went right through her. She then realized she was nothing but a ghost and could only watch. Salira followed the woman and her child to a small stream. The woman was scared and frantically ran for help. "Someone help! Help us please!" she yelled. The child whom was with her was also scared and crying. "Daughter…please clam down…" They stopped at the shoreline. "Why are you running, Namta? Just hand over the child. It's as simple as that. No one will die anymore if you just had her over," a sinister voice out of nowhere said. All of the sudden a tall man came into view and was standing in front of the woman. It was Sephiroth. "Stop this charade now, Namta, and hand her over!" He held his Masamune out. The woman saw it and quickly ran off into a forest. Salira followed. They ran deeper and deeper into the forest. There was an evil laugh and Sephiroth appeared in front of the woman and the small girl. The woman quickly put the small girl behind her as she stopped. "I told you, Namta. Hand her over and no one will get hurt. But you refused, so now the whole town is destroyed and so will you." "I'm not giving her to you, Sephiroth! She's not going to be apart of your plans! I won't let you touch her!" the woman yelled back at Sephiroth. Sephiroth showed an evil grin. "Your plans are failing, Namta. Your daughter's future will be in my hands. You can't stop me." He shoved his Masamune into the woman's stomach all the way to the hilt of his sword. "Now as you were saying, Namta." Weakly, the woman yelled to her daughter, "Salira, run! Don't look back! Just run!" She then died on Sephiroth's blade. Sephiroth pulled his bloody sword out of the dead body and looked at the small girl who was running deeper into the woods. His blade dripped blood as he appeared in front of the child, stopping her path. "There's no need to run, dear. You're with me now." He picked up the small girl with his free hand and began to walk to the nearest city. It went pitch-black after that…