Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Price for a Memory ❯ Departures and Zack ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

2.

The blond paled in size to the being standing before him. He glared with all his might despite his heart’s protests. The figure totally hidden by shadows sniggered at the small warrior. Cloud still glared. His heart screamed to not hurt this stranger. His head slapped him time and time again telling him this was the right thing to do.

Shadows still covered the figure as he seemed to float towards the now quivering blond. He tried his damnest to see who it was. His feelings were overwhelming. Something he had never felt before in his short life.

Cerulean eyes locked with shadows.

“Good to see you Cloud.”

A swift swing of a shadowed blade sent the small blond screaming awake.

Cloud scrambled about under the covers trying to get rid of the dream. Sweat trickled down his flawless face. He shook his head once, twice, thrice. The pain in his chest wouldn’t shift. He glanced down to see his white t-shirt torn.

“What the heck?”

Cloud glared at the slice in his top. He couldn’t have done that could he? Not such a clean cut.

“That’s just where the dude in my dream cut me?”

Exhaling loudly, Cloud rolled his scared awake body out of his bed.

“Must be anxious about today….”

He ambled around his room checking the clock every few minutes.

“Still 2 hours to go.”

“Sweetheart? You up?” Came a soft feminine voice from just outside the door.

Cloud rolled his eyes and fake wretched at the sound of his mothers angelic voice. Even though he was 16, she still insisted on calling him pet names like sweetheart, honey, little chocobo and his all time favourite my baby boy.

“I said are you up my little baby boy?”

“I’M UP!” Cloud screeched no longer wanting to hear those vomit inducing cute names.

He was now a man and didn’t need such titles. Still, he scrambled around his room packing up the rest of his belongings. Random photos. Drawings he done throughout the years that he couldn’t part with. Newspaper clippings with his all time greatest hero splattered across them.

“Im gonna be just like you….Sephiroth.”

He looked at the black and white pictures almost lovingly. Oh so much he wanted to be like him. Powerful. Commanding. Intelligent. Battle and strategic genius. Hell if it could be done, he would gladly become Sephiroth himself. He dreamed of one day meeting the General of ShinRa. Maybe introducing himself then one day standing beside him as his equal.

The sound of his alarm going off shook Cloud from his dreamy bleary eyed stupor.

“Ah crap! Just an hour to go?!”

He growled at his clock before roughly slapping it from the table. He stormed into the bathroom, turned the shower on and almost lept in.

------

Cloud’s mother listened to him clattering away upstairs.

“I knew he would be running late.”

She busied herself folding up neatly the clothes she had freshly washed for her son to take away.

“I cant believe he is really going. I always thought he was joking when he said he wanted to join ShinRa then SOLDIER. My baby boy really is growing up.”

A small knock at the door shook her out of almost crying.

The door opened slowly. A pretty young girl with raven hair stepped in.

“Oh Tifa? You’re a bit early. Guess your anxious to see my boy leaving?”

Tifa said nothing but nodded her head slightly and sat at the small kitchen table. She glanced time and time again wanting to see Cloud coming down the stairs.

------

Water splashed everywhere as the lean blond stumbled out of the shower, soap filling his eyes. Again and again he splashed with cold water until he could open his eyes without crying out in pain. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. Two bloodshot eyes stared right back. Sore tears falling from them.

“Stupid soap!” Cloud shouted shaking his fist at the offending item.

“Nope. No time for fighting with soap! You win this time!”

He dashed back into his room discarding his towel and throwing himself into a drawer to pull out clean underwear.

“Hmmm, black all over….just like him.”

Once dressed in black jeans and a sleeveless black polo neck, Cloud stood infront of his full length mirror at war with his hair. It had grown more than half way down his back. From behind, one could mistake him for a woman with his gentle almost feminine curves. Hell, he could even be mistaken for one from the front. His flawless face with its soft graces could belong to a woman. It wasn’t until he opened his mouth one could tell he was indeed male. Still he fought with his hair. The spikes at the top flying everywhere. The hair down his back knotting and tangling with every stroke of the brush.

“AH FORGET IT!” He yelled at his hair.

He grabbed an elastic band and scraped his unruly hair into a low pony tail.

“Nothing like Sephiroth but hey! I don’t have the time today!”

Pulling on his black boots and grabbing his bag, Cloud flew down the stairs with lone behold 20 minutes to spare.

Tifa and Cloud’s mother glanced up just in time to see Cloud spilling all the way down the stairs. Yes, he tripped over thin air again. Bag flying. Boots falling from his feet. Arms and legs askew as he tumbled down the stairs.

Tifa jumped up and dashed over to help Cloud pick up both himself and his dignity.

“Oh my gosh! Are you ok?”

“What? Tifa? Ummm, yeh I’m ok….” Cloud mumbled as he picked himself up, brushing down his clothes in the process.

He still felt awkward around Tifa. He always did. Even though they met at the old water tower on the outskirts of town the previous night, he still felt uneasy. He told her he would always be there to protect her but he felt, no, he knew that the pretty young girl wanted more than to just have a guy save her once. He knew she wanted them to be together when he finally returned home from SOLDIER. He didn’t have the guts to tell her he only though of her as a kind of friend. He couldn’t bring himself to say to her his preference was to men. Well, he didn’t really have a preference. He had never kissed a man let alone do anything else to confirm his feelings about his sexuality. Now that he though about it he had never kissed a girl either, but deep down inside he knew he didn’t feel much for girls. Nothing more than being a friend to.

Almost rudely dismissing the blushing Tifa, Cloud ambled over to the worktop to grab up his neatly placed clothes only to launch them unceremoniously into his bag. He really was feeling nervous now.

He sat in silence at the table refusing to eat the food his mother had placed infront of him. He just felt too ill.

“So Cloud? How long are you going away for again?” Tifa chirped up, trying to rid the room of its uneasiness.

“I don’t know. If they don’t like me I could be home tomorrow. If they do and I get into SOLDIER who knows….months….maybe years?”

The last part came out as a question as he glanced over at his mother.

“I cant have my baby gone for years. Surely you will gain time to come home on leave?”

“Probably.”

Silence filled the room again. Cloud looked down at his watch. It was time.

“Its time….I have to go now.”

He stood up picking his bag up in the process. He smoothed out his hair still pulled back by that piece of elastic. He almost crept to the door. He felt like he was going to be sick. He couldn’t place why he was so nervous. Sure it was a big day. Entrance exams into ShinRa. Proving he could hold a sword. Proving he could shoot moving targets. Proving he was indeed a man.

Both Tifa and Cloud’s mother followed him out to the edge of town. He was the only one leaving for Midgar today. It seemed he was the only young male left in town. The large army truck was sitting. He spotted a few males in the back looking around and looking almost as terrified as he felt.

“Well….”

He turned to his mother and Tifa.

“I guess this is it huh? Its really time for me to go.”

He felt the lump forming in his throat. He reached out and took his mothers hands.

“I will make you proud mum.”

She smiled at him teary eyed.

“I already am proud son. You go. Find your path. Meet your hero. Come back with all your stories.”

He nodded his head, feeling crystal tears flowing down his cheeks. Next he turned to Tifa. He didn’t really know what to say.

“Ummm, well….I wont forget our promise Tifa.”

She grinned widely at him, despite her eyes glistening with tears.

“I know you wont.”

Before he could even move she threw himself into his arms causing him to stumble back a few paces. Hesitantly, he placed his hands on her waist not knowing how to get out of this uncomfortable situation.

“Um Tifa? I have to go.”

She released him thus letting him wander over to the back of the truck. Clumsily he climbed into the back. Sitting himself down beside one of the other recruits. Never once looking back at the women waving goodbye to him.

Silent minutes passed. Cloud stared at the floor. The other youths stared out the truck’s windows or fumbled about with things in their bags. A hand on Cloud’s shoulder shook him from staring at the oh so interesting metal floor.

“Hey, you ok man?”

Cloud looked up at the source of the friendly voice.

First he noticed the brown boots. The dark blue trousers. The thick brown belt with SOLDIER’s insignia etched on it. The shoulder armour. The muscular che….Cloud shook his head. Damn hormones making him think evil thoughts. Finally he got to the face. The face was long and angular, but gentle and welcoming at the same time. The male had long black spiked hair. Almost wilder than his own. Shorter black bangs fell over the males eyes and framed his face.

“Helloooo? You ok dude?”

“What? Yeh I’m ok.”

“Cool! Saw you saying bye to those two chicks. The dark haired one your girlfriend?”

Cloud scooted away a bit. This guy was being so forward. A bit too friendly for his liking.

“Sorry man. Just wanting to get to know my men ya know?”

“Your men?”

“Duh! Can’t you tell? I’m a SOLDIER? The names Zack Aegis! Your commanding officer! Pleased to meet you!”

He held out his hand for Cloud to shake. Cloud took it cautiously.

“I-I’m Cloud….Cloud Strife. Pleased to meet you too.”

Zack grinned once again and released Clouds hand.

“Sooooooooo, as I was asking? That dark haired girl your girlfriend huh?”

Cloud shook his head rapidly.

“No no no no. She’s just my friend. Nothing more!”

“Fair enough. So you all set for the gruelling exams your gonna be doing later today? They’re tough this year. Really weeding out the men from the pussies as they say in the city!”

Cloud giggled at Zack’s quite rude comment about a certain part of the females anatomy being used to describe weaker men.

“I think I’m ready. Wont know till I get there though. I hope I get in. I hope I can one day meet….” Cloud paused. Zack tilted his head to the side a bit. Confusion etched in his features.

“Meet who Spiky?”

“My hero….Sephiroth.”

Zack seemed to snigger a bit at Cloud’s remark.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing but trust me, he’s not that great dude. Mean tempered. Moody. Snappy. Grouchy. Rude. Arrogant. And that’s him on a good day. On a bad day? Jesus H don’t bother getting out of bed I say to him!”

“You know him?!”

“God your slow! I’m his second in command!”

Cloud stared vacantly at Zack. Information slowly seeping into his brain. Zack knew Sephiroth? No one knew Sephiroth. He was an enigma. He was untouchable. He was a mirage. He was a God to Cloud, and here’s this guy not much older than him, telling him that his idol is nothing more than an angry jerk? Cloud shook his head. He wanted to see for himself just what Sephiroth was like.

“Man you really zone out sometimes Spike!”

“It’s Cloud!”

The rest of the journey consisted with small talk between Zack, Cloud and the other seven young men crammed into the back of the truck. Mainly small talk about the exam. It was clear that Zack was giving them insider information about what to expect. Cloud grew increasingly bored. He wanted to get to Midgar. Get these entrance exams over and done with and just go to his bed. Get some rest. Get some quiet. Get some peace.

After hours of sitting in the stuffy truck. An agonising two hour ferry trip and another long truck ride the lights of Midgar stood tall on the horizon. Cloud pressed his nose up against the window trying to drink in all he could see before he was confined to the army barracks.

“Like whatcha see huh? Yeh Midgar’s quite a cool city! Hey! If you get in what do you say I take you out for a drink eh?”

Cloud turned round almost bewildered.

“Don’t worry your spiky head….the minimum age for drinking is only 16! I’ll show you a great night paintin’ the town red!”

“Ummm….ok!” Cloud chirped.

He had never been asked on a night out before. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as he was beginning to think it would be. If he got in….

Slowly the truck entered the ShinRa barracks. The huge gates slammed shut behind them sending dust cloud’s everywhere. The truck ground to a halt parked in between many other vehicles just like it.

“Ok guys! Your almost in SOLDIER now, so put on your manly faces and lets mosey…….umm….GO!” Zack corrected himself.

Great. He was now going to be known as the lunatic who said “Lets mosey!”

Zack hit himself over the head. “Idiot!” Before following his troops out into the training grounds.

Cloud glanced up and down the long row of youths around his age. All of them towered above him. Bursting with muscles. Cloud glanced down at himself. Weedy. Girly. Scarily skinny. Not really hero material. Not really manly material. He grimaced when the male beside him growled at him to turn round and face the front. He jumped up straight. Pushed his chest out. Chin high. Back straight. Legs together.

He watched Zack wander infront of the line. He could almost swear he saw the older male wink at him. Nah, it must have been his imagination. He watched nervously as many other officers entered the barren training grounds. Each saluted the next. Still he watched as Zack and the other officers bowed ceremoniously. Someone very important must have entered the training grounds. Quiet gasps could be heard along the line of new recruits. He shouldn’t have looked round but he did.

His heart stopped. His mouth went dry. His legs wobbled. There he was. Silver knee length hair dancing in the light breeze. Black leather coat sweeping around the owners feet as he almost floated with such grace over the ground. Bare chest glistening in the sunlight. Deadly Masamune sheathed at his side. Long angular beautiful face scanning the new recruits. Glowing Aquamarine eyes sparkling with power and wisdom.

“Sephiroth.”