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kitaishi · 2 months ago

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after her mother died, an eight-year-old tifa lockhart promised herself she would become an astronaut. her mother always said she could reach for the stars, so she darn well was going to at least try. there was only one problem: she was a farmer's daughter living in a backwater town on a planet no one cared about. all tifa could do was keep dreaming, watching the stars atop of the old water tower alone until her dad would yell at her to come to bed. that was her mundane life year after year because nothing ever happened in nibelheim - at least not until master zangan showed up when she was thirteen. he was a huge, larger than life man who most importantly said the one tifa never knew she always needed to hear: that she had potential.

❛ you have the physique of a fighter young lady ! ’ he had boldly - and rather loudly - declared.

❛ um. i think i just have the physique of a farmer sir... ’ was her uncertain, dry response.

zangan revealed himself to be a traveling instructor, exploring different systems to grow stronger while also searching for student's worthy of his teachings. it sounded a bit too good to be true at first to tifa but after a little convincing, she spoke with her father and soon became one of zangan's newest disciples. it had been a bit boring to the young teen at first - instead of the swift kicks and majestic displays of strength zangan had showed off when first meeting her, tifa was limited to learning stretches in order to instill the 'foundation of strength' zangan claimed his harder techniques required. still, tifa kept at it and read through book one until she knew it like the back of her hand.

her commitment impressed zangan, so much so that he talked her father into becoming a sparring partner for her whenever zangan was off-world. nervous but supporting of his daughter's passions, brian lockhart bore his daughter's punches for an hour three times a week as she began to dive into the techniques of book two. there eventually came a day when she had to train alone due to her dad being busy - an emergency townhall called after someone came screaming from the farms, claiming to see a monster that looked strangely shaped like a man. she was nearly about to call it a day when cloud strife, the boy next door who annoyingly always ignored her, asked if he could join. he was the only boy in town that hadn't left the city for greater things and considering the way his eyes shyly darted away from her own, tifa was stupidly beginning to understand why.

from then on, the young pair were rarely seen without each other. even with her dreams of space becoming an increasingly distant memory, tifa was happy. when not training, she was starting to learn a bit about mechanics from cloud as they worked on his secret project together: repairing an abandon hoverbike he had found. her father ( reluctantly ) approved of her and cloud while his mother, who was always cheery and supportive, claimed ' she always had a hunch ' about them. zangan was pleased as long as it didn't interfere with her training and even tried to recruit cloud - much to the boy's annoyance and her amusement.

most importantly thought was zangan saying she was close to being ready for the contents of book three!

a few weeks shy of her fifteen birthday, tifa and cloud decided to go explore deeper into the caves of mt. nibel once the bike had been 'fixed'. and by fixed, the hoverbike was loud, dingy, and the exhaust blew out tons of smoke, but it got them where they needed to go. usually. it was mostly a trip out of boredom but tifa had also been itching to fight against something that wouldn't hold back. what they hadn't expect to find, however, was twisted, mutations of the local wolves and stinger bees they had grown up hearing about within its depths. terrified, the two booked it back home on cloud's bike and despite the heated lecture the pair received from both of their parents, their findings weren't taken lightly. concerns about unknown monsters descending from the mountains to ruin their crops ( or do something even worse ) soon spread across their small village like wildfire.

in attempt to ease the growing hysteria, the mayor filed a request for assistance from the space forces - but no one ever came. everyone in town knew the unspoken truth: they didn't bother with planets like sentinel iii and especially not with small, insignificant villages like their own.

❛ i don't like it. ’ cloud said one day, a frown set on his face while his furrowed brow dripped with sweat. they were in the process of loading up the summer harvests to be shipped out into the city the next day. ❛ something else is in those caves tifa. something dangerous. ’

deep down tifa knew he was right...but she didn't know what to say or do. they had called for help, and no one answered. all they could do was carry on as they always had...because that was the type of townsfolk they had been raised to be: ' welcome to nibelheim! population: thirty-seven. smile, even when you're drowning, that's our motto! '

as monster sightings became more and more frequent, participation in the village's neighborhood watch was soon mandatory for all able-bodied adults. to help out, cloud and tifa would often go patrolling in the morning during the days they didn't have to help tend the farms. there was still a lingering unease around town but with no actual incidents or attacks, things were starting to settle back to normal.

tifa's sixteen when a bright, dazzling star shoots across the night sky while her and cloud were on a 'date': which consisted of cuddling and holding hands atop the old but faithful water tower. she remembers making a wish or well...wishes after seeing it: i wish that zangan stops handholding me and gives me book three already. and that dad stays as healthy as he can. oh! and that cloud and i can go on that small trip to locust we've been saving up for next year. also, that winter this year isn't too harsh and-

later, tifa would wish they had never seen that star all.

it is a man, pale and otherworldly, instead of a star that descends upon their quiet, unassuming village a day later. he's dressed almost entirely in black and easily towers over them all when he asks for their mayor. ❛ i have traveled here on behalf of the space forces after headquarters received your transmission. your village requested aid against local fiends? ’ he asked once mayor zander finally shuffled out of his office. his voice was smooth, confident, and most of all, annoyingly polite. something in her screamed not to trust this man. the space forces had never cared about them before, so why come now?

but tifa doesn't voice her thoughts because she wasn't raised like that. it wouldn't be...well, the 'polite' thing to do.

she's filled with a sense of dread as the others in town crowd around him in awe, children giggling and waving at the man from atop their parent's shoulders. even cloud, the first to usually stay back and avoid being close to others, was pushing himself to the front of the group in order to admire a space force member in person. the stranger - who they had quickly come to know as sephiroth - seemed to sense her unease and to be fair, she stuck out like a sore thumb compared to everyone else: standing off to the side, cowboy hat shadowing her face as she tried to keep from frowning.

sephiroth's unnaturally bright eyes pierced straight into her while he smiled - almost as if challenging her to speak against him.

during the first, and only, time she goes to law enforcement about what happened that terrible day, tifa remembers being interrupted with a scoff before the story had barely even begun, ' you all didn't think to see his credentials? ' when tifa just stared at him, taken aback by the condescension, the man just sighs and indifferently types something into her report in response. ' it was probably just a pirate raid. ' tifa can hear the unspoken 'stupid backwater hicks' on the officer's tongue.

before dawn had cracked the next day, the mayor, despite her father's protests, instructed her and cloud to lead sephiroth deep enough into the caves where they had first seen those abominations. the trio never got that far though - barely past where nibel wolves and their packs resided before the man suddenly spoke up. ❛ i will go forward from here alone. you two return back to your home. ’ cloud was disappointed and tried to argue against the decision but tifa took it as an opening, quickly wishing sephiroth safety and pulling her boyfriend away by his arm.

they reported back to mayor zander who, while a bit perplexed, figured working alone was ' just how those big timers out there operated! '. a little before noon, the women of the village would start setting up a large lunch in the center of town in celebration of sephiroth's arrival - but the man of the hour hadn't returned from the mountains even after noon. a quiet restlessness began to spread across the village by two, but no one dared voice it. they all kept smiling, joking as they packed leftovers, even when dusk came and sephiroth still hadn't descended from the mountains. a bit rattled by it all, tifa brushed off cloud's suggestion to go for a walk in the evening. she took a long shower to unwind and wash the tension away before taking a nap.

if only everything she would witness that night had been a terrible dream...

her restful sleep is broken by screaming and smoke pouring into her partially open window. she fell out of her bed, stumbling and coughing her way through the dark towards the door. ' pumpkin! where are you? ' tifa could hear her dad's voice from downstairs but it was so hard to see anything. the sound of footsteps storming up the stairs followed after before she felt the familiar warmth of her father pulling her in close and carrying her out to safety...only for her to see the village she had known all her life now burning down around them.

the source of the destruction was sephiroth, his blade easily cutting through men and women alike, showing no discrimination between young and old as they tried to run from their lives. tifa could only watch in horror, latching onto her father for dear life as children she once babysat were slaughtered in front of her eyes. mayor zander and a few other surviving men quickly began to circle sephiroth in order to put him down. pitchforks, guns, and rusted battle droids were being deployed against a man that seemed almost inhuman in strength.

her master, zangan, could be heard shouting against the roaring flames - calling zander a ' stupid fool ' for not being focused on his people while he rushed towards the village entrance. the monk quickly sidestepped burning rubble from the houses that had begun to fall apart, even while holding an elderly woman in his arms and some of her terrified neighbors trailed close behind him for protection. it's cloud's screams for his mother that snapped tifa out of dissociating though, causing her to push herself out of her father's arms in spite of his protests.

❛ go help the others with zangan, dad! i'll meet you over by the waterfall! ’ brian looked like he wanted to protest her decision but only nodded and took off to help anyone else trapped.

cloud was trying to kick down at his front door when she rushed over to help him. as he kicked, she punched against it using her worn-out leather gloves. she ignored the pain of hitting against solid wood in order to pour all of her strength into saving ms. strife, the woman who had taught tifa how to cook and bake after her mother died. a woman was always so sweet and kind - even when the village shunned her and her son because she once dared to have bigger dreams beyond nibelheim. she didn't want to lose another mom again, so she kept hitting the door with a flurry of punches despite what little of a dent they were making.

the last words she ever heard from claudia was when she's begging both of them to run away and survive before the burning house collapsed on itself.

the force of it sends them both back and things became blurry again after that: cloud completely shuts down - so tifa has to act for them. she swung one of his arms over her shoulder and carries them out of the burning village to the waterfall north of town to hide. there they wait but with tifa growing increasingly more restless the more time passed, and her father still hadn't made it up to meet them.

during the worst of her illness, tifa would lay in bed with her mother whenever she could - unaware of how little time she had left with her. one day thea had suddenly told tifa to be brave for herself and for father if she was ever gone.

tifa hadn't understood then but maybe...moments like this was what her mother meant.

❛ cloud? can you hear me? ’ nothing. his eyes were blank and only staring at the ground. ❛ i'm going to go find my dad but i'll be back, okay? ’ tifa squeezed his hand, knowing she wouldn't get a response but hoping it reached some part of him anyway. she's tired, exhausted, and probably suffering from smoke inhalation but tifa sprinted like hell back home despite how scared she was, nearly falling and twisting her ankle in the process. she's shouting for her dad in between panting to catch her breath when finally making it back into town; tifa tries to avoid looking at the dead bodies littered everywhere before freezing in her tracks.

❛ why? what have we done to you? ’ her father had his hands up, defenseless, while still trying to plead with and understand a murderer. the nibelheim way to the end.

❛ because, ’ sephiroth, if that was even his true name, seemingly decided to deem the man with an answer. ❛ you all have no place in the new galaxy mother and i are building. ’

for a brief second, brian made eye contact with his daughter and his eyes instantly widen with fear. his mouth moved to speak - right before sephiroth ruthlessly slit his throat. nothing but a bloody gargle comes out of her dad's mouth.

father and daughter fell to the ground in union, tifa's heartbroken scream echoing across this night from hell. sephiroth doesn't bother acknowledging it, his back turned to her while his attention is drawn to something he had been carefully carrying this whole time: it looked like a mix between a monstruous abomination and a woman's head. his relentless, apathetic slaughter of them all now on hold and he tenderly lifted the 'head' up to...speak to it. he nods once before it disappears in a mist then steps over her father's dead body like it isn't even there. dropping his sword, sephiroth continues to walk straight through the flames and out of the village as if he's going on a casual stroll.

tifa crawled towards her father's lifeless body and her small fists latched onto his leather rancher vest. it was his favorite and what he wore when he wanted to look nice. all she could do was bury her face in his chest - well aware of how its familiar warmth was slowly beginning to fade while she sobbed. she mourned her father and everything she had ever known until that sadness started to quickly fade and grow into something else - hate. glancing up, tifa looked over at the sword her father's murderer had left behind through her tears. slowly, she reached out to it and grabbed its hilt before forcing herself to stand. from then on, all tifa felt was rage.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

when tifa lockhart wakes up again, she's in a hospital and very, very far from home.

' zangan left you with me as a favor. i won't lie: you were in pretty bad shape for a while missy. but you'll make it. i made sure of that. ' a broken sternum and a fractured spine that need to be reinforced with artificial bone and metal wiring is what tifa's told she came in with. the one who had saved her life was an older man that introduced himself as doctor sheiran. he was friendly and kind but couldn't answer any the questions that matter to her.

where was her father's body? did he get a proper burial?

❛ no! it's you that doesn't understand! he can't properly pass mt. nibel if he doesn't get a proper burial like mama did! ' tifa had screamed at dr. sheiran as she angrily snatched iv lines out of her arms and shoved away a nurse trying to gently guide her back onto the bed. ❛ i have to go home! if i don't bury him, who will?! i-i- ' tifa fell back onto the bed and buried her face in her hands before breaking out into hysterical sobs.

where's cloud? is he safe? what happened to her village? its people?

while she recovered, tifa stewed in her anger - the pain radiating in her chest a constant reminder of what she lost. it would simmer when she would flip through the old TV mounted in the patient area every morning and evening, listening intently for any mention of the destruction of nibelheim or sephiroth. every day it was the same: nothing. it was as if....nibelheim didn't even exist here - didn't matter. in a way, she figured it never had.

where was zangan and why the fuck did he just leave her here by herself?

dr. sheiran would often come and eat dinner with her, telling her stories about his past and how he ended up where he was now. tifa was beginning to learn that she was keeping him company just as much as he was for her. it was through these conversations that tifa ended up learning about his ties to zangan. ❛ wait, you mean you choose to live here? ' tifa asked in disbelief which earned her a chuckle from the good doctor before his tone turned slightly more somber. ❛ well my dear, there are worst things out there than boredom. ' tifa thinks back on the shooting star she saw and the terror that had come along with it before nodding in agreement and focusing on her food.

later when tifa's starts doing well enough to try walking again, a woman named marle ends up staying at the clinic after her own surgery. she's talkative and obviously a tad bit lonely but tifa admittedly enjoys her company over the new few weeks. it was a nice distraction and beat sitting in a bed alone replaying the worst night of her life on repeat. the morning that marle is discharged, she finally asked tifa about why the girl never had visitors and so tifa told her the truth: she had no one...at least not anymore.

the old woman frowned, made an audible ' tsk ' sound, and muttered something about ' how that wouldn't do ' before scribbling her number on the back of a piece of paper she dug out of her purse.

❛ well i'll start to visit you then and when you're discharged, call me won't you? i run a complex on the edge of the city - stargazer heights. ’ marle said with fierce pride. ❛ it's not one of those fancy high-rises in the city but it'll get you on your feet. will even give you a discount on the rent. ’

later when tifa takes a closer look at the slip of paper left behind does she realize it's actually a business card - just a rather...shoddy looking one. ' starwind and hawking: we'll take any job as long as you've got the cash ! ' was handwritten across it with a number hastily added at the bottom. there was a thick line under 'any' to drive the point home. it came off...desperate but tifa stared at it for a long time anyway before making a rash decision: pushing herself off the bed, she used her walker to help get to the reception area. the clinic was closed for the day and doctor sheiran had mentioned needing to go run some errands for a few hours.

good, she needed to do this in private.

tifa carefully typed out the number on the 'card' - still too acquainted with the older ( and vastly outdated ) tech from back home. she waited impatiently while the call connected and a voice that barely sounded older than her answered from the other end.

❛ starwind and hawking enterprises, what can i do for ya? ’

she hesitates for a second, debating her ask before clenching her fists and speaking to the stranger, ❛ your...card said you take any job right? how much is it to find and kill someone then? ’

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

this started off as a verse opener but i ended up wanting to touch on nibelheim's culture and how that shapes her just as much as the trauma of the nibelheim incident does. ex. see: how tifa acts as a teen, she's stubborn, a lot more confident and well assured of herself ( see the first 30 seconds of this video alone lol ). vs tifa as an adult where's more self-conscious and has a low opinion of herself ( :'( ) as you can see here.

i also wanted to show her anger over nibelheim because i feel it's been watered down in the remake series ( virgin 'i'm sick of this' from remake/rebirth vs chad 'i hate them all!' from the OG ). i also don't really like the reason traces of two pasts had her join AVALANCE ( it felt more because of becoming friends with jessie, biggs, and wedge / 'vibes' rather than out of revenge like she said she did in case of tifa ).

outlaw star stuff: this verse shares the same common lore with aeris' own verse. a lot of tifa's backstory expanded in a trace of two pasts is 'canon' here / just expanded on changed because of what i mentioned above. the major differences being that i. she is not from gaia and ii. the equivalent of the nibelheim incident happens around a year after sephiroth's succumbed to jenova when she's 16 instead of 15. he discovers a portion of jenova's body during a mission to shinra's space station resulting in [insert scene from a space horror movie] before disappearing into the galaxy in search for her remaining pieces.

i felt like since this isn't just limited to 'one' planet like in the game, jenova having parts spread out which looking for the galatic leyline would make more sense. one of those pieces, unfortunately, ended up nibelheim. because nibelheim is always doomed. i left whether cloud is dead or not intentionally vague in case i wanted to do something with that loose end later(tm). probably not an eco-terrorist but i feel like her being just a bartender doesn't feel right. we'll see.

#me: i'm just gonna write one paragraph. o n e paragraph #also me: what if i unpack that a lot of tifa's issues with not voicing her concerns come from her upbringing #and go into how ni/belheim was always doomed no matter the universe and-#tbt.#★ . ━ ❛ ic .

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omegasquire · 16 days ago

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Rose Gold: Ch30

“–and that’s all I got.”

Zack was plopped on the bed Cloud had claimed as the four of them gathered in the inn room. He had his fingers laced behind his head as he stretched across the mattress. Cloud gave a small shake of his head when he had done it, but otherwise didn’t complain for the man to get off.

“It would be safe to assume they didn’t pass through the town,” Vincent supplied. “They must have gone around it.”

“We will still head to the graveyard to cover our bases. Keep an eye out for tracks or signs of disturbance.” Sephiroth picked up the Masamune. “If it looks like we need to travel further up the mountain, we’ll reconvene and make preparations.”

Though the instructions sounded like a lot of wasted time, Zack understood the reasoning behind it. Even when wars were done, soldiers didn’t easily forget their training. Without certainty to what waited ahead, even a small bag of food and water could determine one’s survivability.

Their opponents were no pushovers, after all. Better to lose time making preparations than take the risk and ensure death. If they were lucky – or perhaps unlucky – they wouldn’t have to go that far.

Pushing up, Zack hopped off the bed. “Alright! Let’s get going.”

He grabbed the Buster Sword that leaned against the wall and strapped it against his back. When it was secure, he glanced over at Cloud who was putting on his harness. A grin curled his lips.

“If we come across a pack of Nibel wolves, do you think I can see you fight again?” He inched closer to Cloud and nudged him.

Sephiroth cut in, “We aren’t here for monster subjugation.”

Zack frowned, his expression more like a pout than anything. “I know, I just want to see Cloud fight.”

Sephiroth gave him a disapproving look.

Zack groaned and came to Sephiroth’s side instead. He gave him a nudge as well, before following him out of the room. “You’re such a sourpuss, Seph. I’m trying to keep the mood light.”

He was fully aware of what situation they were in right now. That was why he was putting in the effort to liven the atmosphere around them with a jovial attitude. What awaited them wasn’t full of warm hugs and pleasant chatter.

Besides, none of them had happy memories of this place. They had their own reasons for avoiding Nibelheim. For Zack, it wasn’t just about this place being where Strife died. There were multiple layers to his discomfort, and the bitterness on his tongue stemmed from how Shinra had handled the whole situation back then.

Rufus was attempting to fix some of the wrongs of the past, but certain things just couldn’t be swept under the rug. Even Zack had his own boundaries. A lot of people thought he had no limits, but as his close friends knew, he was just like any other human. Optimism could be used as a means of defense too.

He knew how easy it was to drown in negative emotions. Anger and depression could consume a person, and he had seen how Strife had changed after Nibelheim’s incident. The young man couldn’t even be considered human anymore when he resurfaced after so many years of silence, but what was clear was the overwhelming emotions that propelled his actions.

Strife was always like that, now that Zack thought about it. Lacing his hands behind his head, he reflected on how Strife acted sometimes. It was strange, but at the time, Zack just chalked it up to Strife being young. They weren’t far apart in age, but even a few years was enough to say that Zack’s experiences were different from Strife’s. They had very different outlooks on life, too.

Maybe that was a hint. Maybe he should’ve paid more attention...

Zack mentally shook his head. He couldn’t dwell on something he couldn’t change. What he could change was what was ahead of him. Preventing harm was something he could definitely do.

“Are the pathways still narrow?” he heard Cloud ask.

“Yes. We will continue on foot from here,” Sephiroth replied.

“The terrain hasn’t shifted since Meteorfall?”

“There have been some geological changes throughout the planet, but from reports, Mt. Nibel has remained mostly untouched.”

Cloud gave a slight nod.

Witnessing this, Zack looked between the two of them.

He had been giving them both space on the way over here. While there were moments he had no choice, like when they drove – Vincent wasn’t known to drive himself, so Zack had to volunteer – but when it came to taking breaks or setting up camp, he purposely busied himself with tasks that could be handled alone, or paired up with Vincent.

It didn’t look like too much had changed, but something was definitely different now. Zack wondered if they finally had that heart-to-heart. He had been wanting the two of them to talk more and get to know each other properly.

It was about time it happened!

Zack lightened his steps and made his way outside the inn, wearing a grin. It took days to get to this point, but he was happy they were finally talking to each other normally. Whatever happened in Sephiroth’s office that day seemed to have resolved itself now.

Whatever it was, whatever happened, he didn’t care. He was just happy the relationship between Sephiroth and Cloud was better.

It’s just like old times.

~*~

With Sephiroth taking the lead, they headed to the other side of town. The townsfolk of Nibelheim were still present in the streets, but apart from a few key figures, they mostly left the men alone.

Cloud was familiar with the treatment; this was just like when he returned to Nibelheim as a teen. As if an invisible barrier had been erected, no one approached carelessly. He didn’t blame them. Sephiroth’s presence alone was like a predator suddenly appearing in a pen full of prey. Even if said predator didn’t pay them any attention, they would remain conscious of it.

As they came to the outskirts of Nibelheim, the scene around them became quieter, and if he turned his head, Cloud could see the Shinra Mansion standing on its own a short distance away. With its large property and gated fence, it discouraged passersby from wandering in.

Seeing it reminded Cloud of what he had seen in the simulation. The basement, the laboratory, the empty books, even the strangely damaged desk... He wanted to know what it meant. Yet, at the same time, he felt like he should stay far away from that place.

The sound of footsteps stopping drew his attention. Cloud turned his head and saw Sephiroth silently standing there. The other man was half turned, looking back at him. Cloud hadn’t realized that he had stopped as well until he saw the distance between them.

“You okay?” Zack asked, his head tilted slightly.

“...Yeah.” Cloud quickly turned away from the mansion and caught up with the others. When he came to stand by Sephiroth, he already anticipated the question that never breached the other man’s lips. “It’s fine.”

Sephiroth’s gaze lingered on him a moment before turning back around. “I will take you.”

He didn’t explain himself, but Cloud knew what he meant.

He was glad that Sephiroth didn’t ask further. In fact, he expected him to refuse. They weren’t here for the mansion, and considering how Sephiroth had found him in the simulation in a messy state, there was no telling if the real deal would have a greater effect on him. Sephiroth had every reason to ignore the mansion altogether and deny Cloud any chance to go there.

Cloud wasn’t going to question it and look the gift horse in the mouth. Keeping his gratitude silent, he continued with Sephiroth and the others along the path branching away from Nibelheim.

There were two main paths that led from Nibelheim: one leading to the mountains, and one leading to the graveyard. Cloud knew both, though that only applied to his own world. The path they now walked was slightly different from Cloud’s memory and wound its way further out.

“All of the names should be different, right?” he asked.

“It would be safe to assume so.”

Cloud’s brows knitted slightly at that answer. What wasn’t said was the state of the bodies underground. If he desecrated those graves and found the original people there, would he find Claudia? Or would they all be empty caskets? How would he even know it was her?

He tried to recall his own mother’s face and found it to be slightly blurry. Time could do that to people, and Cloud technically hadn’t seen her in almost a decade. If he closed his eyes, he could draw up her voice and her personality, and the way her hair would flow past her shoulders when it was released from its bun. He knew her blue eyes that were just like his before they were infused with mako, and she would often smile gently at him.

Was that it? Was that all he remembered about her appearance? Her favorite color, her favorite flower, her favorite weather, the stories she would tell him from his childhood... what were any of those? How did she feel about his father who he never knew? Did she really like being in Nibelheim, or was it a farce for Cloud’s sake?

She loved him, that much he knew, and she sacrificed many things for him. Why didn’t he remember more? Was mako the problem? Was it the experiments that messed with his mind?

They killed her.

Cloud immediately stopped and snatched Sephiroth’s arm, causing the taller man to halt.

“What is it?”

Cloud ignored the question as he tried to listen for a different voice. A voice only he could hear. He hadn’t heard her in days, though he couldn’t figure out why. The best assumption he had was because of the emergence of Isolfr and the other two brothers.

He probably wasn’t wrong, and the others likely had similar trains of thought. But why was she suddenly trying to get in his head now?

A hand touched the back of his palm.

Cloud lifted his head and saw Sephiroth at the end of that touch. His expression was neutral as he waited for Cloud’s response. Perhaps the other man didn’t need him to actually say anything. Though, if he took a moment to think about it, this was the first time Cloud had been the first to reach out.

When silence filled his head, Cloud let go of Sephiroth’s arm and slipped out of his grasp. It was easy to do so; Sephiroth’s grip was light, merely offering contact between them in quiet reciprocation for his unspoken request.

“It’s fine,” he finally said.

Zack stepped up next to him and gave him a worried look. With the helmet still in place, there was no way for Zack to gauge his expression, which made Zack’s worry more pronounced. “You okay, Cloud?”

“Yeah. Let’s keep going.”

Zack looked skeptical, but he didn’t press further. “Okay...”

Vincent observed them and made a low, thoughtful sound. “Perhaps we are getting closer.”

“Do you mean those three are nearby?” Zack’s brows rose in surprise.

“Perhaps,” Vincent repeated. “The graveyard is up ahead. If they are not there, then something else might be.”

Cloud silently drew in a breath and calmed his nerves. He didn’t want to be hounded by her voice again. Sephiroth was nearby – he still didn’t understand why Sephiroth was able to help him resist her – but that didn’t mean Cloud could let his guard down.

“Can you fight?” Sephiroth’s voice reached his ears.

There was a double meaning behind that question. Cloud nodded. “Yes.”

Sephiroth turned around and continued up the path. Cloud, Vincent and Zack followed suit, the latter sticking close to Cloud to offer his support.

The rest of the walk was quiet. The sound of stray twigs breaking and loose rock grinding under their boots announced their arrival as they ascended the path until they reached a plateau. There were no birds or small critters nearby to share their presence. It was as if they were avoiding the area.

As Cloud came to stand at the fence marking the beginning of the graveyard, he understood why. A young man with blond hair was leaning against one of the tombstones. It was Vyd. After what had happened at Costa Del Sol, Cloud had silently repeated those names in his head and committed them to memory.

This man was the one who killed the Turks and Reeve’s men. Even though the footage wasn’t clear, the details were defined enough to show what Vyd had done to them.

Vyd’s expression brightened as he saw Cloud and the others come into view. “Brother!”

When his gaze shifted towards Sephiroth, the look in his eyes changed slightly. It was uncomfortable to witness. As if there was a fanatic obsession there.

“I’m not your brother,” Cloud denied the relationship immediately.

Vyd wilted somewhat. “I knew you’d say that, but it still hurts.”

“I don’t care.”

Vyd’s gaze turned downward briefly before he looked up again. “It’s fine, you’ll change your mind soon. We have a present for you.”

“What present?” Zack asked warily.

“Not for you. Brother only.” Vyd tilted his head. “If you feel left out, I can give you one too?”

Zack’s hand came up to hover near the hilt of his sword. “I like presents.”

Thin lips stretched into a wide smile. “Me too! Brother should like this one. Mom is there.”

Cloud frowned, confused by the younger man’s words. Did ‘Mom’ mean Jenova? No, that didn’t seem right. Was it Claudia? If so, did that mean she was alive?

As soon as the question formed in his head, he tossed it aside. It didn’t make sense for Claudia to be alive when Jenova kept whispering about her death. In that case, was Vyd talking about her body? What would her body be doing away from the graveyard? Why wasn’t it disposed of like the rest of the original townsfolk of Nibelheim?

“And where is ‘there’?”

Vyd straightened up at Cloud’s question and got off the tombstone. He pointed toward the back of the graveyard. There was no well-trodden path there, but it was easy to tell that someone had walked that way recently.

“Keep going. I bet she’ll be happy to see you.” Vyd turned around, dragging his finger in the air until it settled on Zack. “Not you. We have to exchange presents!”

Zack drew the Buster Sword and smiled. “That’s right!”

He was volunteering to confront Vyd on his own. Cloud didn’t like the idea of that, but when Zack gave him a thumbs-up, Cloud held back his protest.

“Be careful.”

Zack gave Cloud a playful nudge on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about me. I’m a bonafide hero, I won’t go down that easily.”

Cloud returned his attention to Vyd. His eyes narrowed in a suspicious glare, though the other man couldn’t see it. He wanted to stay back with Zack if this would turn into a fight, but he recognized the importance of going forward. There was something he needed to see, and he didn’t think this free pass would come a second time around.

Wary, Cloud headed in the direction of where Vyd had pointed. Sephiroth and Vincent went with him, flanking him as they passed Vyd. Vyd didn’t move to imply an ambush, merely smiling as they walked by. His gaze briefly turned crazed as Sephiroth drew near, but even so, he didn’t do anything.

Cloud pushed down the discomfort he felt watching that and continued on. There was no fence beyond the far end of the graveyard, and as Cloud passed by different tombstones, they all had names he didn’t recognize. He didn’t expect to know any of them to begin with; it simply felt out of place for there to be tombstones to begin with. This place was imitating a history that didn’t exist.

Following the bend in the path, Cloud eventually saw it reach another, albeit smaller plateau. A young man stood before the steep cliff with his back to them. When he looked over his shoulder, Cloud recognized him as Isolfr.

Now that he was seeing them up close, he saw the differences in their features. Just in their expressions, Vyd and Isolfr displayed vastly different emotions. Isolfr’s eyes narrowed as he took in the sight of them.

“There’s one less of you,” Isolfr noted before looking at Cloud. He bared his teeth in a fake smile. “I don’t really like you right now, Brother, but Mother has been waiting for too long.”

“I don’t care if you like me or not,” Cloud retorted.

Isolfr laughed bitterly. “You don’t have to.”

There was clearly more to be said, but Isolfr shut his mouth. He studied Cloud for a moment before looking at Sephiroth. The man had been quiet this whole time, but his gaze was anything but placid.

“Traitor,” Isolfr hissed. “I have business with you. They can keep going.”

Cloud’s instincts were warning him. The brothers were trying to split them up. Zack might’ve volunteered to preoccupy Vyd, but the fact that Isolfr was singling out Sephiroth made it clear that there was purpose behind it. He didn’t like it.

“Why should I deal with you?” Sephiroth’s cold question reflected his own suspicions to their situation.

Isolfr shrugged. “Because I’m asking nicely. We can make Nibelheim new again.”

“You would raze Nibelheim to the ground for this?” Vincent didn’t seem surprised at the threat.

“You know very well that we can. Was the ship not warning enough?” The smile on the blond man’s lips turned vicious.

Seeing this, Vincent cast a glance at Sephiroth. After a moment’s deliberation, Sephiroth turned his gaze on Cloud.

“Vincent will be with me,” Cloud reassured him.

Sephiroth nodded, though Cloud could tell he wasn’t happy with the decision. Cloud wouldn’t be either if he was in the other man’s position. Begrudgingly, they had to separate when it was the least ideal time to do so.

Cloud couldn’t waste time. If the last brother, Rael, had something for him, then he would figure out what it was and immediately head back. With Vincent nearby as well, he shouldn’t have to worry about suddenly losing his mind. If this world’s Vincent was anything like the one Cloud knew, then the older man would make the pragmatic decision and handle things appropriately.

“Let’s go.”

#{ rose gold }

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anjaofthewild · 2 years ago

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@fraxcxccl | X

The Nibel mountains were as beautiful as they were haunting. Be it the thundering clap of a dragon's wings or the howling of a pack of wolves closing in, no ordinary soul could thrive within the harsh wilderness.

And yet, one had.

The dark-haired seemed to be all alone. That was what her ravens had reported. Fara had been the first to discover them, he croaked and warily landed in the twisted limbs of a bare tree. They didn't bother him and he didn't bother them.

The next day he returned with Skírr. While Fara ventured closer, hopping right up to the person — and nibbling at their boot lace — the other raven seemed content perched within their camp. Though there wasn't much to look at. When Skírr landed on a knapsack she was shooed from it before she could open it up. Both ravens left with much of the same report. There was only one, and they were living on the mountain.

On the third day, a flock of ravens descended upon them.

The birds lined the bare tree like a pack of children, clicking and chattering, a few playful sounds that mimicked creatures of the wilderness.

But the chaotic visit calmed with the arrival of another. Anja approached the camp with an air of mystery, her figure cloaked in a shroud of dark material. She walked bare foot, the soles of her feet coloured with dark soil that didn't belong to this mountainside. Her journey had been from the wildwoods further along the Nibel range.

"I didn't believe them." Anja spoke, a smile curling from beneath her hood. "Might I trouble you for an invitation to sit by your fire?"

#fraxcxccl #verse; FF7 (mountains)#you know if I deleted all the fluff I really posted a one liner starter for you and I'm not even mad about it 😂

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cloudyfenrir · 9 months ago

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Rain closed his eye when Cloud rested his cheek on his head, taken back to distant but happier times when the two were younger; taking comfort in each other's company when a distant howl of nibel wolves or a nightmare had awoken them. He knew Cloud was crying, even without the sniffles giving him away, he could feel the way his older brother's shoulder trembled as his emotions bubbled over.

"You're gonna get me going in a sec." Rain chuckles, rubbing at his eye as he feels it sting, it broke his heart to hear Cloud cry even if it was subdued. As a child he'd tease Cloud to the point of tears, it wasn't hard, just hovering his hand in a threatening way was enough to set Cloud off and he found it funny at the time... If Rain made Cloud cry today, he'd feel like the worst person. After being apart for so long, Rain wanted to cherish every moment he had with Cloud.

"It'd be too quiet without us arguing, huh?" He lightly jokes, opening his eye to find his vision slightly blurred with tears. Maybe this was something that the two of them needed. Rain had left during his retelling of the Nibelheim incident as the descriptions of the fires became too much; this was the first time they were properly discussing what had happened and maybe Cloud could let go some of that guilt, not all but at least a little bit.

"But... you know I'm always here for ya, right? If... If you feel bad about this stuff... You can talk to me about it..." While Tifa did say something about Cloud not being there five years ago, Rain couldn't confirm nor deny -- His memory ends a week before and returns upon waking up in Corel on the way to Midgar. Regardless, even if it turns out he wasn't there, that he was misremembering or got it confused with something else, these feelings, the trauma and memories are very real to Cloud. They deeply hurt him and Rain will help in anyway he can. Even if it's just sitting in a comfortable quiet like this.

Those hands encapsulating his own was contact enough to make Cloud flinch, but he remains quiet while his brother speaks; the way in which Rain would justify the consequences of that day... and the way he really didn't remember anything about it.

Cloud is not about to correct him. Better that the memory fade into obscurity, the remnants of a terrible nightmare, than have to relive those moments day, after day, after day like he did. The days passed by a little easier now, keeping it together when those dark thoughts would ghost over him took far less effort than it used to, but seeing those scars today only served to refresh the event in his minds eye. As though it had happened only yesterday.

A stark reminder that Cloud was not there to save them. The flames rising high, devouring everything in sight. The agonies screams of the people attempting to flee, of those trapped in their homes while they burned alive. That he had sat back and done nothing.

Some hero he'd turned out to be.

And that one notion, a chant to repeat to compound the remorse for doing nothing, for failing to stop it before it began would sound off time and time again.

It should have been me. It should have been me. It should have been me.

Oh, what he wouldn't give to have traded places with him that day.

But it was the moment when Rain came to rest upon his shoulder, yet again mitigating the blame, like he always did, which broke something inside of him. And so profound was that fracture he could swear he could feel whatever fell away ricochet into the deepest darkest parts of him right then.

So thankful was Cloud in that moment that couldn't witness that one lone tear betray his lashes and roll down the entire length of his cheek. Even if that habitual sniff was enough to give him away before he would rest his own cheek atop the soft locks of Rain's hair. And he would close his eyes then, just basking in that warmth, relishing in the very notion that they had survived, and that in of itself was okay.

"You're stronger than me, you know." The quake could be heard on the winds of his voice as he spoke, but that was okay. Rain had seen him cry before... had even made him cry once or twice.

"I'm glad you're still here, yeah? I'd be so bored without you."

#azure steel #//BE SIPPING THE ANGST JUICE TODAY

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missingmywing · 7 years ago

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Protect

This is based on something I saw on Tumblr. The thought was “What if Cloud actually died at Nibelheim, but his consciousness possessed a nearby wolf, and when Zack leaves the lab Cloud follows behind him like a lost puppy?” or something like that (can’t find the actual post now). And… well… I really like that idea. So I ran with it.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Final Fantasy. I only own my obsession with it. And my obsession with the upcoming HD remake. I. Cannot. Wait. The feels will murder me, and the humor will bring me back to life. And I know I’m not the only one looking forward to seeing Cloud in a dress. Dear god I want this game.

Chapter 1

. . . . .

Cloud choked out a cough, gripping his chest and gasping for air. He stumbled as pain coursed through him, the edges of his vision going black.

Zack…

He could see his friend and superior lying on face-down on the stairs. A fist clenched around his heart, and he hoped to all hope that the SOLDIER was not dead.

He stumbled, vision flashing for a moment. When he blinked, he found himself lying on the stairs next to Zack. His vision was fading, but he needed to let Zack know that things had been taken care of. That he had done it.

“Zack…” He coughed. “I-I did it. I… I beat Sephiroth.” Everything was going dark and everything hurt so much, but he forced his hand out, reaching over to put his hand on the brunette’s head. “Everything… will be… will be okay now… right?” His eyes started sliding closed. “I think… this is it… for me.” He swallowed roughly. “I… I don’t… want to die.” I’m not ready yet… I… I wanted to make it into SOLDIER. Can’t I… Can’t I stay here? Even if I don’t make it into SOLDIER… Cloud’s eyes closed, final thoughts echoing, resonating.

… I want to live… and help him…

. . .

He was surrounded by dancing streams of green energy, floating around him in the dark. Voices whispered, weaving around him and drowning each other out.

So young…

Not his time…

Too soon…

… fix…

… needed still…

Cloud listened with bewilderment and unease. There… There was still something he needed to do. He couldn’t… remember. He knew that he needed to, but the memories kept slipping out of his grasp. It was so important though… It was about his friend… right?

Friend?

Zack.

Sephiroth.

He had to get back! He couldn’t leave Zack, he couldn’t die already-

“All souls exist in a cycle. Even those who die will one day come back.”

“Will Dad come back?”

“Eventually. You may not recognize him immediately, but he will return.”

“Will you recognize him, Mom?”

“Hmm… I like to think that I would.”

No, no, no! He couldn’t! Going through the cycle would take too long! He had to go back now!

He flared out with his mana, the little bit that he had left. He reached desperately for anything that would take him back, anything that could possibly allow him to go back to his friend.

Impossible…

… poor thing…

… new path…

… new life?

… shortcut…

… memories intact?

… challenge… yes.

… accept… soul?

… we try.

You… lead…?

Yes.

Cloud frowned at the whispers as he caught bits of phrases. What was-?

His thought was cut off as he felt a force wrap around him, pushing against him while pulling him away at the same time. It didn’t hurt, exactly, but it was a highly uncomfortable and disorienting sensation. He felt like he was being changed, molded into a different and unfamiliar shape. He couldn’t move, couldn’t struggle, as they tugged him into the shape they wanted, then shoved him forward.

Pure white flashed across his vision, and then his world turned dark once again.

. . .

Several miles into the mountains away from the destroyed Nibelheim and the reactor, a Nibel Wolf licked her newborn pups clean. There were four of them, three large brown ones and a smaller and more golden one. That one got most of her current attention.

Smaller pups were always weaker, and it wasn't uncommon for them to die young. But this one… he was special. She could sense his connection to the Lifestream, could feel his hidden strength.

He was small, but he would be strong. Of that, she was certain.

. . .

Cloud stumbled over his feet as he moved towards the warmth. He wasn't entirely sure as to what was going on, as he couldn't open his eyes, had four legs and an extra limb, and could sense three small bodies and one large one around him.

He was confused, but the large one made him feel safe. For now, that would have to be enough.

. . .

Everything fell into place after two weeks, when he opened his eyes for the first time.

All he could see was a large mass of brown, and it took him a few moments to realize what it was.

Fur.

He blinked and shifted around, pausing as he caught sight of his body for the first time. He tilted his head and moved his back foot- paw, back paw- and confirmed what he'd suspected. Yes, that was his body. Yes, he had fur and-

Dear Gaia he actually had a tail.

He shifted it carefully, then stared in disbelief as it actually moved.

What the hell was going on?

He finished turning around and surveyed his surroundings. He was in a large cave, glowing with thin veins of… materia? Was that even possible? He dismissed the sight as temporarily unimportant, and continued examining. His ears flicked around to catch surrounding noises, pricking as he registered the nearby sound of wind, and the distant sound of flowing liquid. Water? No, it had a lighter quality to it, with the faintest sound of whispering. Flowing mako, then. Hardly uncommon around the Nibel mountains, thanks to the reactor. Mako caves were fairly common, though people avoided them due to the possibility of being affected by any residual Mako.

Right next to him, however, he could clearly hear the now familiar sound of steady pounding of four hearts. He flicked his ear back and turned to see what was attached to that heart, freezing as he turned and looked directly into the glowing eyes of a Nibel Wolf.

His entire body tensed as the wolf leaned towards him, then involuntarily relaxed as she licked his head and rumbled in amusement.

His mind flashed back to his fur and tail, and to the feeling of being bent into another shape by the voices. Everything fell into place and he swallowed at the realization.

He'd been reborn as a Nibel Wolf.

Gaia help him.

. . .

It wasn't as bad as he'd thought it would be, Cloud admitted grudgingly.

Once he’d gotten used to walking on four legs (and having a Gaia-forsaken tail) moving around had become easier… as long as he avoided the other pups. They didn’t seem to mind when they bowled him over, and every time they did he got closer to biting them. It wasn’t his fault that he was smaller than them! Still, at least there wasn’t any malicious intent when they did it. They just seemed to be incredibly unaware of their surroundings.

They were just pups, after all. It was hardly surprising.

Their mother was watchful of them, but she wasn’t controlling. She would step in if their tussling got out of hand, but she generally just kept watch

Cloud spent most of his time around the edge of the cave, curiously examining the walls. He had no interest in playing with the other three, and he was curious enough to not constantly stay next to his… mother.

Every time he thought that, he felt a pang of loss for his former mother. The woman who stood next to him and supported him for fourteen years, and continued to support him even when he left for Midgar. The woman who’d died in front of him in a burst of raging flames.

He shook his head viciously to dispel the memories. He didn’t want to dwell on them; the nightmares were bad enough.

The other pups yelped cheerfully as they played, and Cloud let out a breath of exasperation. He turned back to the walls, examining the materia. There were several different types, in several different colors. He’d also been surprised to find that he could instinctively recognize a materia type and eventually figured that the mako taint in Nibel Wolves played a part.

The vein (he was still confused as to how that was actually possible) he was examining now was a vein of Thunder materia. It sent a rush of tingles through him, the hum of electricity a sensation dancing along his fur, making it stand on end. He wrinkled his nose and sneezed.

His… mother, gave an amused rumble as she watched. He glanced back at her, feeling put out. An image leapt to mind of a look Zack had been fond of pulling when he didn’t get his way. On a whim, he decided to copy it, see how effective it was.

He flattened his ears back and ducked his head down slightly, widening his eyes as he sent her a wounded look.

In response, she let out a huff that could only be called a sigh of exasperation. She shook her head slightly and padded over to him, nudging him with her snout in a motion of amusement. His breath whooshed out of him as her nudge rolled him off his feet.

He let out a yip of surprise, followed by a growl of annoyance. Her amusement didn’t disappear.

With an annoyed huff, he stalked away from her.

. . .

Cloud ducked down behind a rock, peering out to examine the dragon. It’d been about two years since he was reborn, and he’d gotten used to his new life and new family. He’d learned how to track and learned how to live.

And now he was learning to hunt.

Or rather he’d learned how to hunt along with his siblings, and now they were putting it into practice alone for the first time. He was the diversion to draw the dragon’s attention, since he was small enough to seem like easy prey, and fast enough to avoid being caught.

His size had been a bit of a sore point in his last life and had carried over into this one at first, but had faded with time. Largely because the wolves were very much pack/family oriented units, and everyone did their parts fairly. As such, he wasn’t pushed around and bullied as he had been as a human. His siblings didn’t have any problems teasing him about his size, and they all took pleasure in holding him down while play fighting, but it was all fun and games. They weren’t purposely cruel about it.

It was a nice difference.

With a deep breath, he bunched his muscles and darted out from behind the rock. He ran full-tilt towards the dragon, snapping his fangs at its lowered wings to gain its absolute attention, and dashing back around it. He bit the tail as he moved past it, bone crunching under his strong jaws. Good, that would throw off its balance. With a roar, the dragon spun around to follow him.

It made the mistake of turning its back on the rocks he’d come from, and two of his other littermates leapt out from behind them and, with mighty leaps, jumped up and caught its wings in their mouths. They caught them near the base, where it was just muscle, sinew, and bone. Snapping their jaws closed crushed the base of the wings, eliminating the dragon’s ability to fly. The dragon let out another roar of pain and rose up on its back legs. The two wolves on its back leapt off and dashed off behind the rocks again.

Cloud darted in and snapped down harshly on one of the dragon’s back leg tendons. He continued running past, slipping another painful bite to the dragon’s tail as he ran underneath it. As planned, he kept its attention on him as he darted around, dodging the occasional blast of fire.

He kept making painful and debilitating wounds to both blind it by pain and rage, and to slow it down. Whenever the dragon left an opening, one of the two would dash forward and make a major wound on it. The fourth member of their litter was hanging back, watching the events unfold. His job was to watch and wait for an opportunity to deliver the killing blow.

As Cloud dodged another fireball he took the opportunity to leap up on its back, running up along its spikes until he reached the soft, sensitive spot between its wings. Then he bit down in the exact center of the gap. Hard. In the same instant, the other two darted in and bit down on the tendons in its front and back leg respectively.

The dragon roared and staggered from pain. It’s head lowered slightly, and the fourth dashed forward and, with a powerful leap, bit down with his full strength on the dragon’s neck. Its windpipe was crushed, and a main artery was split open. The dragon shook its head back and forth, a last desperate attempt of survival, but the wolf hung on determinedly.

With a last wheezing attempt at a roar, the dragon collapsed. Cloud and his oldest brother both leapt clear. They landed next to each other and turned to watch the dragon take its last breaths. As it stilled completely and the life faded from its eyes, they exchanged a proud glance.

His older brother and sister made their way over to the two, nudging them in victory. With the wolf equivalent to a grin, their oldest brother threw back his head and let out a triumphant howl. After a moment, the other three did the same.

For the first time in either of his lives, Cloud felt truly included and appreciated.

It was a nice change.

. . .

The dragon kill gave the four of them adult status and the pack enough food for a week. After that, rot set in and the body dissolved back into the Lifestream as decomposition set in. As adults, they were expected to help the pack more. The day after the dragon dissolved, Cloud and his oldest brother were sent out to scout the nearby areas for both food and shelter.

Both were still riding the high from the last successful hunt, and as such were feeling energetic and confident.

“Do you think we will find anything good?”

“We’d better,” Cloud retorted. “Mother will eat us alive if we don’t.”

“Good point.” His older brother leapt onto a rock pile to survey the surrounding area.

“Anything interesting?”

The older wolf flattened his ears slightly. “The human shelter-territory, so we will need to be careful about going around it.”

Cloud bared his teeth at the mention of the new town. The fake, Shinra-made town that had taken the old town’s place. He’d developed a hatred for the company since he’d found out about the new town, as he realized that the company wasn’t even going to acknowledge what had happened.

They were going to hide it.

Pretend that it didn’t even happen.

And that was inexcusable.

“Yeah, we will. Are we going to go high, or lower on the mountain?”

The other considered for a moment, then leapt down. “I think we should go higher up. There’s more caves up there.”

“But less prey.”

“We can send hunting parties down the mountain if we need to. But the lower we are, the higher the risk that we’ll be attacked by humans and the harder it is to find caves large enough to fit everyone.”

Cloud conceded his point. “So we go up.”

“So we go up.”

. . .

Three years since he had been reborn, and Cloud was fully settled into his role in the pack. He was often leading point in search parties, and played the distraction role in large-prey hunting parties. He was also a solo hunter, taking down small prey with ease.

It was during one of his solo hunts that he found the tunnels.

He chased a large rodent down into one of the openings in the mountain, and found himself in obviously man-made tunnels. He immediately turned wary, crouching lower to the ground as he made his way along the wall. The rodent had disappeared, unfortunately. He would have to hunt down another one once he left the tunnels.

He followed the tunnel downwards, ignoring the offshoots until he reached what looked like a dead end. Except- no. There was a small opening in the cleft of the rock, large enough for a fully grown human to fit through. A semi-grown wolf like Cloud had no problems.

The cleft opened to a hallway. A familiar hallway. A shudder ran through his body, ears flattening against his head, as he gazed around the entrance to the secret labs. Considering his last memories of this place had been of Sephiroth going mad right before burning Nibelheim, he was entirely unenthusiastic about the idea of hanging around. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, however, the screaming started.

He jerked in surprise, ears pricking up at the sounds of agony. It sounded almost familiar, like he’d heard something similar like-

Zack.

It was like a bastardized, anguished twist of one of Zack’s shouts. A few steps up from his wounded yelps and grunts whenever a monster had managed to land a hit.

His hackles began to raise, teeth baring into a snarl, when he heard the rapid approach of footsteps. His head whipped around as a man stepped around the corner and paused. A navy blue suit, Wutain features, a Turk. The same Turk that had been on the Modeoheim mission. Tseng.

“Why aren’t you helping him?! I thought you were his friend?!” Cloud snarled at him, even knowing that his words wouldn’t be understood.

The Turk eyed him warily, hand resting on his gun. The screaming stopped abruptly, and Tseng’s eyes flicked towards the door next to Cloud, concern flashing briefly across his eyes before it was quickly masked.

The concern was not enough for Cloud to forgive him for allowing this, but it made him slightly less motivated to rip his throat out.

But it was a very close call.

The sound of shocked shouts and shattering glass caught both of their attentions, their stand-off wavering. A scientist shouted for security backup, and footsteps thundered down the wooden stairs as two Infantry units burst into the hallway. He hesitated for a moment, debating whether to try to hold them off long enough for Zack to break out. The choice was taken out of his hands when one of the scientists inside the labs shouted for the Infantrymen to get in there and hold the SOLDIER back long enough for the tranqs to finish kicking in.

Cloud let out another snarl of frustration. ShinRa tranqs were no joke, there was no chance in hell of Zack breaking out if he’d been hit by them. Those could literally take down a Behemoth. As the Infantry shifted their guns, Cloud spun around and dashed out of the hallway, back the way he had come.

He left with a growl of anger and a silent promise. He would get Zack out of there, no matter what he had to do.

Failure wasn’t an option.

. . .

Cloud spent the next year scouting the areas around the mountains, finding the best places for escape and for hiding. What they would do once they got out of the mountains, Cloud wasn’t sure. He supposed that he’d leave it up to Zack. Where Zack went, he went. And he wouldn’t let Zack refuse.

He was both surprised and grateful at his pack’s support. He knew that he had stronger ties to the Lifestream than most creatures, even most monsters, but he hadn’t realized how keenly the other members of his pack had felt it. When they found out what he was planning they had asked for an explanation, and then accepted that explanation with only a few clarificatory questions. They’d accepted and supported him, and he’d never felt felt so overwhelmed by joy and gratification than he was then, especially when they began helping him in his scouting missions and materia/armor collecting.

Of course, they also knew that something was changing. They all felt the shifts within the Lifestream, and noticed how many of the lesser monsters, such as Dorky Faces, began turning more and more aggressive and less and less intelligent. Even the dragons above were becoming more territorial and temperamental. Normally, the wolves and the dragons got along peacefully, casually ignoring each other as they went about their business for survival. The occasional Mako crazed dragon was both target practice and food for the range packs, while crazed wolves were the same for dragons. But the dragons had started getting snappy and suspicious of all of the packs, as though they were expecting to be attacked constantly. Their paranoia was the strongest clue that something was becoming a serious problem in the Lifestream.

“If this continues, then the dragons will become as much mindless beasts as the mouth monsters.”

“Bahba Velamyus or Battery Caps?” Cloud shuddered either way. A giant mouth with legs, or a carnivorous mushroom with three mouths. They both gave him nightmares.

“Human speak,” his oldest brother dismissed, “both of the mouth monsters are equally mindless.”

Cloud couldn’t argue with that. “But who’s next after them?”

His brother sighed, resting his head on his paws. “Us, of course. It is only a matter of time. With both the dragons and the Valrons succumbing to insanity, and all of our food and water sources imbued with the tainted Lifestream, we are… how did you put it? Marching to our doom? We have very little time left, I fear.” He opened his eyes and gazed intently at Cloud. “You must act soon. Even if we are to become mindless beasts, you must not.”

Cloud flattened his ears, confusion and fear flashing through him at his words. “Why me?” Why would he have to leave alone? Why did the others have to succumb to the spreading madness?

“Because the Lifestream chose you. You would not be here otherwise. You may leave, you may survive and perhaps even thrive elsewhere, because you remember a time before you were a wolf. These mountains and this way of life is all we have ever known, to leave would be to die. We are all aware of the fact, and we have accepted it. However, whatever is causing the madness to spread, the Lifestream believes that you can stop it.”

Cloud’s ears pricked back up in confusion. “I can stop it? But… why does it think that?”

His brother tilted his head. “Did you not before?”

Cloud’s heart stopped, breath catching in his throat. “But… no, that can’t be right. He’s dead, Sephiroth is dead!” He’d killed him, he’d thrown him in the reactor. Into pure Mako. Mako… that regularly leaked from the reactor. Tainted Lifestream…

He whimpered, eyes widening and ears flattening again as the implications sank in. “Oh Odin… I threw him in the reactor. Even if he died, if he somehow resisted the Lifestream the way I did, more strongly than I did…” He turned horrified, shocked, guilty eyes to his brother.

Said brother flicked his ear in contemplation for a moment, then gave the wolf equivalent to a shrug. “If you threw him into the Lifestream leak then it is possible. That knowledge will help you create a hunt to eliminate the threat on the Lifestream’s territory. It is good that you thought of it.” Sometimes Cloud forgot how different humans and wolves viewed things. And then something like this happened, and he was abruptly reminded all over again. Humans would have either blamed him, or found some way of passing the blame off to something else, reassuring him that it wasn’t his fault. Wolves, on the other hand, examined the information given, accepted the facts, and reacted accordingly.

They didn’t believe in holding blame, it did nothing but tear the pack apart. They made sure that the one who made the mistake was aware of the fact, and they ensured that the mistake maker received the due consequences, but they didn’t shun or accuse them. They simply expected them to help fix the mistake.

He shuddered and nodded slightly. “I need more information. I can’t make a plan of attack without knowing what it is I’m attacking.”

“It is unlikely that you will find it here.” His eldest brother glanced around. “No prey remains in the area of its predator after escaping.” He nudged Cloud lightly. “It is time for you to make your move. You must leave before the madness spreads further.”

Cloud flattened his ears, squeezing his eyes closed for a moment. “I’m scared.”

“Fear is expected. It is also necessary. It is not debilitating. You know what you must do. You will do it. Fear breeds caution. Do not allow it to breed panic.”

With a deep breath, Cloud opened his eyes and stood up. “Alright.” He paused at the sound of wingbeats, glancing around to find the source of the noise. His ears flicked up as a human figure flew overhead, then passed out of view. Cloud felt his heart in his throat as he stared up. Was that Angeal? No, it can’t be, he died!

His brother tilted his head. “He was heading towards the mansion.”

“Yeah,” Cloud narrowed his eyes, “and he was flying low.”

“Trying to avoid detection.”

“Looks like it.”

“Perhaps we should investigate.”

“Right,” Cloud glanced at him. “Are you coming?”

“Of course. You may need help, after all.”

“Thanks.”

. . .

The two wolves slunk down the tunnels warily. The tunnel monsters, the ones left at least, avoided them. It had become common for the wolves to wander the tunnels, exploring the different escape routes and finding Materia and a few pieces of armor, and the monsters there had learned not to attack them.

They reached the break in the wall in time the hear the sound of shattering glass. A few moments later, the winged figure appeared in the doorway. Cloud’s heart stuttered in his chest. It was Angeal. Except… not. The man he remembered, the strong and kind Commander who led missions, with a fanclub that had open arms for any Cadet, SOLDIER, or trooper that needed help, even the man who had, at Modeoheim, knocked him out… he had been torn but confident at his abilities.

He had also looked fairly healthy, if a bit exhausted and malnourished.

This man was holding himself wrong, as though he was uncomfortable in his body. His tense stance, as though preparing to defend himself, was off. Cloud could have done better when he first joined the Cadet program. And that was just sad. He also had the same flaky, sick appearance that Genesis had had in Modeoheim and worse in Nibelheim. Plus he was wearing a suit of all things.

It obviously wasn’t Angeal.

“A copy,” he sighed, thinking back to the many, many missions getting rid of Genesis copies with SOLDIERs. “Should have known. Though why he’s helping Zack…” He must have known the Second Class before… everything happened.

He two steps forward and one to the side, his brother following his lead. The copy faltered for a moment then, likely taking in the intelligence in their eyes, relaxed and inclined his head in the unspoken offer to let him leave.

Right before he ducked down and disappeared, he turned back to look at Cloud. “You know him, don’t you? And you’ll help him?”

Cloud tilted his head for a moment, scrutinizing the man, then nodded.

The man nodded back. “My thanks. Considering who I am a copy of, now, as well as who I was before… I fear I may not be welcome.” He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again and glanced back at Cloud. “Lazard, if the name means anything to you.” Then he turned away, and he was gone.

Cloud stared after him in bewilderment. The Director of SOLDIER? Why is he a copy? And… what did he do before to make Zack mistrust him? With a shake of his head, Cloud dispelled the thoughts. There would be time later. For now, he needed to get Zack away from the mansion.

“I will scout ahead. Is it likely that he will wish to retrieve something from elsewhere in the den?”

“Most likely,” Cloud responded with a glance toward the stairs, “I doubt that they would keep his sword and armor near him.”

His brother inclined his head and moved to the stairs. Cloud watched him go, then turned and darted into the room. He slipped around a desk to see a man in a white coat moving towards Zack, who was lying on the floor in front of a destroyed Mako tank.

He let out a loud snarl to catch the man’s attention, and get him away from Zack. The man whipped around, startled, and Cloud moved forward threateningly. Zack must have heard the noise, because he stirred and glanced blearily around. He tensed when he saw the scientist, and leapt to his feet. The scientist turned just in time to get a fist to his face. He flew back with a cracking sound that definitely didn’t sound healthy, and landed on the floor a few feet away. He didn’t get up.

Zack stumbled forward a couple of steps before falling to his knees. Cloud immediately moved forward to stand beside him, nudging his shoulder gently. Zack was shaking, and when he looked up, there were tears in his eyes.

Cloud let out a soft whine of concern, shifting his weight slightly closer to his friend. The man shuddered for a moment, leaning his head against Cloud’s neck as he breathed.

“… Cloud?” he whispered quietly, desperately, voice hoarse from disuse for anything but screams. He sound like he was about to fall apart.

Cloud tensed the slightest bit at the sound of his name. It had been years since he’d been referred to as that, and by Zack no less… He closed his eyes and pressed closer to Zack, resting his head on the ex-SOLDIER’s hunched back and nodding slightly.

Zack let out a choked noise and wrapped his arms around Cloud’s neck. He shook, and Cloud felt his tears through his fur. He let out a soft noise, somewhere between a whine and a hum. He wanted to reassure Zack, but he wasn’t sure how.

“I’m so sorry.”

His voice was so quiet that it took a Cloud a moment to realize what he had said, and when he did he let out a soft whine and shook his head. There’s nothing to apologize for, Zack. Nothing that happened was your fault.

They stayed like that for a several minutes before the sound of shouts and gunfire reached them. Cloud snapped his head around at the distant sound of a familiar snarl. Zack must have heard it too and felt Cloud stiffen, because he pulled away and wiped his face before standing up.

“We have to go,” Cloud growled.

Zack glanced at him, unable to understand but having a good guess at the message, “I can’t leave without the Buster Sword.”

Cloud nodded, unsurprised, and darted to the door. Zack kept up with him as they raced up the stairs and into the mansion itself. As they left the room and entered the mansion center, they were met with the sight of a large gray Nibel Wolf running circles around a couple of units of Infantrymen. They were doing more damage to each other than to Cloud’s brother. Even as the watched, the wolf timed his jump just right so that four of the Infantrymen shot each other down.

Cloud leapt down to join in, and together they finished the men off. Zack whistled in appreciation.

“Now that’s teamwork.” He swung himself over the railing and landed heavily next to Cloud, wincing slightly as he landed in a kneel.

Cloud perked up at the compliment, then forced his tail to still as it began to wag slightly. He wasn’t an insecure puppy, he and his siblings had worked together to take down multiple enemies a thousand times. This was no different. Except that it had impressed Zack.

His brother sent him an amused look. “Well, well, well. It would appear that there is someone who makes you a pup.”

It was a turn of phrase that wolves used in amusement. It was basically the same as the teasing human phrase “looks like someone’s got a crush”. Generally implied due to the fact that puppies often found and attached themselves to an older wolf and followed them around doing everything they could to get approving attention.

Cloud rolled his eyes at him. “He was pretty much the first person in my last life to treat me as something other than a Life-mad runner. Of course I want to keep a good impression to him.”

A Life-mad runner was the wolf term for Mako crazed, in reference to the way they ran around doing nothing useful and everything destructive after absorbing to much of the processed Lifestream.

His brother huffed in amusement, nudging his side. “The fact remains, he turns you into a puppy. It is good for you, you need someone to finally make you happy enough to act foolishly.”

Cloud huffed and turned away to scan the mansion. Where would they be keeping Zack’s sword?

“It is this way.” Amusement still filled his voice, but there was a solemn note as well. Cloud and Zack, who had been watching the exchange in confused amusement, followed him up the stairs and into a side room. The Buster Sword was leaning up against the wall next to a large wardrobe. In the wardrobe were several clean SOLDIER First uniforms, one of which Zack changed into quickly before settling his sword on his back.

“Right, I’m ready to go. Unless… hmm… should I try to get some Materia and armor…?”

Cloud rumbled to get his attention, and shook his head, motioning to the door. Zack eyed him skeptically for a moment, then twitched at the sound of a transport truck outside the gate. With a soft swear, he nodded to Cloud to lead the way. Cloud didn’t hesitate, and dashed across the stairs and back to the room with the secret staircase with Zack and his brother following behind.

They made their way back to the break in the wall, where Cloud’s sister was waiting with a green Materia. After the four had gone a few feet down the tunnel, she activated the Quake Materia and the opening of the tunnel collapsed, leaving a pile of rubble. Hopefully, it would cover their tracks. At least long enough for them to escape. Cloud let out a huff of amusement at Zack’s bewildered look, and nudged the man. He glanced down at the golden wolf and grinned wryly.

“Somehow, I get the feeling that this is your fault.” His voice was warm and amused, surprise fading to resignation at the sheer strangeness of the situation. Cloud preened, sending him a smug look. Zack laughed and ruffled to top of his head, the way he used to when Cloud was still a trooper, following behind the cool and nice First Class that liked him for some reason. Where once he would have brushed the hand away with squawk of indignation, and been called a Chocobo for his troubles, now he leaned into it with a rumble of content.

By the gods he’d missed Zack.

His brother broke the moment with a soft bark. “We need to go. If fate favors us the collapse will throw them off, but it may not work forever. Especially not if they bring the blue-clad men to the hunt.”

“Right,” Cloud sighed, pulling away from Zack reluctantly. Turks were bad. “Let’s go.”

Zack seemed to get the message, and he started moving. He and Cloud stayed next to each other, walking close enough that they occasionally brushed, Cloud content to allow his siblings to lead the way. They were far enough ahead to talk without him casually overhearing, though judging by the amused glances they kept sending him he could guess what it was that they were saying.

Eventually, they reached their destination.

They stepped into the cave with the Mako Spring, where the rest of the pack was waiting. This was one of the few places around the mountain where the Mako was pure, and where the Lifestream could reach easily.

The puppies were playing, and the older members were relaxing and talking, They all looked up as the four entered, and several of the adults stood up. The pack leader and his mate made their way over with Cloud’s mother and older brother. Cloud and his siblings met them halfway, Zack a few steps behind with a hesitant expression.

The murmur of the Lifestream grew louder for a few moments, and Cloud felt the edges of his awareness blur as the Planet whispered through the cave. Zack glanced around with confusion and awe, though there was wariness in his gaze as well.

“It is time.”

Cloud swallowed, glancing around at his pack. They were watching him, sadness and acknowledgement in their expressions in equal measure.

“I know.”

His mother stepped forward, resting her head on top of his. “You are strong, as I always knew you would be. You have speed, you have strength, you have knowledge, and you have instinct. You have all of the traits needed to be strong and you know how to apply them. The Lifestream chose you and it chose well. You are my son, now and forever, and you are of the pack. You have our strength and knowledge and you will have our gaze when we rejoin the Lifestream. Stay strong, stay firm. You will not waver in the opposition, it is not your way.” She licked the top of his head gently, taking a step back. “Do not let doubt misguide you when you know the correct path.”

The leader raised his head, and Cloud lowered his own in respect. “You know of the Lifestream’s plight. You know of its origin and suspect its cause. You must find a way to purge it from the Lifestream before it destroys it. You leave with our acknowledgement and our acceptance. The pack wishes you well on your journey.”

It was the formal address to someone leaving the pack, with a twist as he wasn’t leaving to start his own pack, rather he was leaving on an extended journey.

An extended journey that it was unlikely he would come back from. Or that they would still be here if he did.

He bowed his head more, closing his eyes and flattening his ears, the straightening once more. “I accept your acknowledgement, and am grateful for your acceptance. I wish you good hunting and fair weather as long as the pack survives.”

It was time. He couldn’t delay any more. It was time to leave the pack, leave home, and stop the corruption of the Lifestream. He took a deep, shuddering breath, and took several steps back until he was standing by Zack. With one last sweep of his gaze across his family, he nudged Zack and turned back to the tunnels.

The man followed him silently, and he could see the confusion and concern on his face. He glanced up at him and flicked his ears as reassuringly as he could. He wished that he could actually talk to Zack, but… well, they’d make do.

He led him through the tunnels, fighting off monsters where necessary, until they reached the armor and Materia stash in a cave leading to the mountain outside. When Zack saw it, his jaw dropped and he glanced at Cloud in shock. Cloud just sat down, sending him a smug look. Zack spluttered for a moment, then kneeled down and slung an arm around Cloud.

“Man Spike, you’ve thought of everything!” He smiled at the golden wolf. “I’d be toast without you, huh?”

Cloud sniffed, headbutting him affectionately. “Yeah, you would.”

“No need to sound so smug about it, sheesh.” He grinned to take the edge off, and Cloud rolled his eyes in response. He sent a pointed look at the stash, and Zack all to gleefully bounced over to it and began sorting through it.

By the time he was done, he had two Edincoats (with seven slots each), three Fourth Bracelets (with two paired slots and one single slot each), and a Gold Armlet (with two paired slots), all stolen from various dragons’ hoards. Cloud was very proud of himself for finding them and recognizing them. He didn’t bother trying to figure out what materia Zack equipped where, but he knew there was a Restore and a Heal and he assumed that the elementals were paired with All.

Zack put the rest of the stash in his bag to sell later, and looked at Cloud expectantly. Cloud padded to the front of the cave and glanced around, eying the sun setting behind the mountain thoughtfully, then retreating back and lying down next to Zack. The man raised a brow, then shrugged and settled down next to him, setting the Buster Sword across his lap and starting some highly needed maintenance. Cloud closed his eyes and relaxed to the sound of Zack’s work and annoyed grumbles.

When he next opened his eyes, the moon was just rising over the trees and Zack was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed. He pushed himself up, stretching his stiff muscles with a low whine of relief. When he glanced over, Zack was watching him with an amused grin. He huffed at his friend and moved to the cave opening and scanned the area, looking for any sign of ShinRa. From what he could see, it looked clear.

He glanced back over his shoulder to see Zack standing on his tiptoes, stretching his arms into the air as he let out a low groan. He came back down on his heels and grinned unrepentantly at Cloud’s amused look. He slung his sword on his back and made his way over to Cloud.

“Alright, lead the way oh wise wolf.”

Cloud smacked him with his tail, and began picking his way down the mountain. Zack followed him closely with quiet snickers.

As they neared the bottom of the mountain, with the moon directly overhead, a single howl rose into the air. Cloud paused and glanced back, listening silently. Zack stopped next to him, still and silent as well. As more howls rose up in the air, he closed his eyes. It was a sad song, speaking of farewell and loss, but also of hope. As the song came to a close, he threw back his head and howled a single long note, filled with all of his emotions. As the note died away, and the mountain returned to the former sounds, he allowed his head to fall for a moment. He allowed himself a moment to mourn everything that could have been, and then he returned to what was and what would be. He had Zack, and he had a goal. It was his life, and his journey, and he would see it through.

Failure wasn’t an option.

. . . . .

Wow, this was… long. It took longer than I thought it would. But I like it. I really, really like it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t think of a good enough excuse to allow them to be able to talk to each other yet. Though, now that i think about it, I could technically use the Jenova cells… but that’s kinda flimsy. ‘Cause I mean, neither of them have that kind of control of her. Cloud has plenty of her cells because he’s a Nibel Wolf now and her cells leaked all over that mountain. Zack has them because, well, SOLDIER. But they can’t control them so… no go.

It’ll be fixed once they get to Banora and Zack beats Genesis, thus summoning Minerva and all that. Because there’s no way in hell I’m writing the entire story from Cloud’s point of view if he’s gonna be pretty much useless information wise.

I should probably also mention that when they say that Cloud was “Chosen”, they don’t mean it like a prophesy. It just means that the Lifestream chose to send him back with all his memories, and there’s probably a damn good reason for it. Like, you know, having the necessary information to fix the problem at hand.

I am gonna have to figure out how Cloud actually died. Because unless Sephiroth stabbed him right under/through his heart, he shouldn’t have died nearly as quickly as he did. Blood loss takes longer than that, pretty sure you can survive with one lung… Hmm… I’ll figure it out. I also need to decide if Zack’s gonna bother “naming” Cloud something when they run into Tifa… I was gonna do Fenrir before Zack realized who Cloud was and the little goldie confirmed it. ‘Cause I didn’t write that. It wrote itself and I’m keeping it. Zack wasn’t supposed to find out until… stuff happened.

And then Zack was hurting and almost delusional when he got out of the Mako Tank and the first thing he thought of when he saw blue eyes and gold fur was Cloud. Cloud who he couldn’t protect who he sent to his death and he was guilty and was he here again and… yeah. Cloud wasn’t about to lie. So… Zack knows. And I have to rewrite this in my head. This changes so much of my imaginary script that I convince myself I have.

(I’m making this up as I go along okay. I don’t plan. I had a plan. And then that plan wasn’t character compliant. So the characters rewrote their script. So I’m burning the script and we’re winging this.)

So yeah. Stuff. This isn’t the end of Zack’s guilty conscience for sending Cloud to his death. They will have a lengthy conversation about it after Cloud can actually talk to Zack. Because I wanna write a feels fest. Angst is fun. And I wanna see how many people I can make cry.

I’m going to be crying as I write it, I already know that.

Anyway, let me know what you think!

Wings, out~!

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nocapesdahling · 3 years ago

Note

Oh my gosh! 🥰 For drabble requests, would you be interested in doing ❛ you were fighting to survive. i was fighting to win. ❜ for Cloud? ❤️ I shrieked a little when I saw him there

A/N: Thank you so much for requesting for Cloud! I was super excited to write for him, and hope you enjoy!

Wolves

Cloud Strife x F! Reader

Summary: You're a fighter in Don Corneo's Colosseum, and one day come across someone unexpected.

Warnings/Tags: Childhood friends; Reader is not having the easiest time in Midgar; Featuring a headcanon of Nibelheim having their own language, Nibel, and the use of Swedish as Nibel.

Prompt: "You were fighting to survive. I was fighting to win."

You idly shifted your scythe from hand to hand as you listened to the roar of the Colosseum’s crowd. Scotch and Kotch must have started their usual spiel. Another day, another fight. One that you’d hopefully win so you would be able to buy some more food on the way home.

When you’d left Nibelheim, this hadn’t been the plan. You’d just wanted to get out of there and make something of yourself, something more than what you could do in your small reactor town. Midgar seemed like the best option at the time, but you hadn’t given too much thought to what you’d do once you got there.

Among other jobs, you’d worked as a waitress, a courier, and a dancer at the Honeybee Inn before seeing the flyer for Don Corneo’s Colosseum. “Fighters Wanted,” it proclaimed, “Participate in the fight of your life!”

Andrea took care of you and the rest of the dancers, but it wasn’t what you wanted out of life. If you were going to be in Wall Market, then you wanted to use some of the skills you’d learned from Zangan and from hunting Nibel Wolves. You had never taken down a dragon, but you were proud to say that you wielded your family’s scythe well enough to keep them fed through the harsh Nibel winters.

Decision made, you became a fighter in Don Corneo’s Colosseum with the nights of the Corneo Cup becoming your favorites. There was something exhilarating about them. It wasn’t an easy life and it wasn’t quite what you’d imagined when leaving Nibelheim, but it was yours and you were proud of how you’d performed in the tournaments as well as the money you’d made for yourself. You were surviving and in a place like Wall Market, how could you ask for more than that?

The preliminaries tonight had been easy, a little too easy. You hadn’t even worked up a sweat yet, even after beating who you liked to call “The Three B’s” in the first round. Beck, Burke, and Butch were not the sharpest, but you’d never liked how they made a living so it’d been a pleasure to beat them. Meanwhile, the Beastmaster had gone out a couple of matches ago to face some newcomers whose names you hadn’t been able to catch, and he’d lost for the first time since you’d known him.

It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. The way he treated his beasts had always made you feel sick.

You stretched your neck, shifting from side to side, and downed a potion as you heard Scotch and Kotch introduce the “lucky young couple, who were taking the arena by storm.” You again missed what their names were, but it didn’t matter; you’d have to beat them either way if you wanted a chance to at least face the Hell House.

Then, it was time for your introduction. “Their opponent - huntress of Nibelheim, the wielder of an ancient scythe that’s stained red with the blood of her enemies! Coming to us from the Honeybee Inn, but don’t let that fool you folks. She’s undefeated! The one, the only - Wolf Slayer!”

You shook your head behind the door. Scotch and Kotch had been trying different names for you since you first started fighting in the Colosseum, and it seemed like this one might finally stick despite any protests you might have made to the contrary. The doors opened and smoke filled the air as you strode into the arena, scythe over your shoulder. You looked up, making eye contact with Andi, shooting him a small smile, and receiving a curve of his lips in return before baring your teeth at the rest of the crowd knowing that it would make them cheer. That done, you looked at your opponents and had to stop yourself from freezing.

Cloud. Cloud was here. Your Cloud. What was he doing here?

You glanced at his supposed girlfriend, trying not to be jealous. You’d already had to deal with Cloud’s crush on Tifa in Nibelheim when all you’d wanted was for him to notice you, so it was hard not to glare at someone who had his attention.

Cloud’s blue eyes met yours and they were much brighter than you remembered. SOLDIER eyes. So he had made it. It was nice to know that he’d fulfilled his dream.

The crowd grew quiet and a little restless as you two stood there staring at each other, which led to Scotch interjecting. “So are you going to fight or what?”

Cloud spoke, “We’ll fight. Just give us a second. Pretty please.” His tone was deadpan and sarcastic, and so him. You’d missed him so much.

You knew that no one would wait for long, so you readied your scythe causing Cloud to pull his sword from his back and his companion to grasp her staff.

“Do you know her, Cloud?” The woman was looking at you, her green eyes intent.

You waited to see what he’d say, curious in spite of yourself.

“Yeah, I know her.” He looked at you for a moment, gaze intent on your face as though memorizing any changes in your features. When he spoke again, it was directed at you. “Wolf Slayer, huh?”

“I didn’t get to pick it. Now, as much as I’ve missed you, are we going to fight or not? Everyone’s waiting.”

“Like I give a shit.”

You couldn’t help the laugh you let out at that, which caused Cloud to give you one of his infinitesimal smiles. Without thinking of your Colosseum image of the “stoic huntress”, you smiled back at him.

The crowd started to boo and Scotch and Kotch seemed like they’d had enough. “It looks like we have a little love triangle going on here, folks. Cloud and our Wolf Slayer seem to be acquainted.” The crowd let out an “Ooh” at that. “This is going to be an interesting one.”

With that, you got into a fighting stance with your scythe in one hand and your other clasped into a fist. You already knew that you wouldn’t be undefeated after this. Cloud was a SOLDIER and his partner looked to be some kind of healer, so all you could do was give it your all, put on a show, and hope that you could talk to Cloud afterwards.

You drank a potion and sat on the blue bench in the waiting room to relax after the match. Cloud and Aerith had won, but you liked to think that you hadn’t made it easy on them. You didn’t want to consider what Don Corneo’s reaction would be, but that was a problem for later. Maybe, Andrea would take you in again at least for a while. As you began to close your eyes in thought, the door swung open and you made eye contact with Cloud. Without thinking, you threw yourself forwards and wrapped your arms around his neck, avoiding the pauldron. It was an awkward hug, but then again it always was with Cloud. He breathed out and slowly wrapped his arms around you, pulling you closer. You felt safer in the shelter of Cloud’s muscular arms than you had in a long time.

“What are you doing here, älskling?”

You savored his voice in your ear. Hearing Nibel spoken again after so long brought a smile to your face. You pulled away from him, grasped his hand, and took a moment to gather yourself before speaking.

“When I left, it was hard. Midgar is the furthest thing from Nibelheim. I didn’t know what to do or how to make money, so I tried different things. Some worked and some didn’t, and after a while I ended up in Wall Market. Fighting in the tournaments seemed as good a way to make a living as any.” You swallowed and almost didn’t speak your next sentence out loud. Wall Market had taught you what happened to people that admitted weaknesses, but this was Cloud. “I don’t really know what I’m going to do now.”

He looked at you for a moment. “Hmm, so today you were fighting to survive. I was fighting to win.”

You wouldn’t have put it quite like that, but it was rather accurate so you nodded.

He caressed his gloved thumb over your hand and seemed to contemplate the image of your hand in his before speaking. “Come with us, älskling.”

“Come with you?”

“Yes, come with us. Let’s be a vargflock again.”

You thought about your small one-roomed apartment and your life here in Wall Market in comparison to what your life could be like with Cloud anywhere else, and it wasn’t a difficult decision.

“Okay, I’ll come with you. Let’s go.”

He nodded and smiled at you in that way of his, before his Cup partner spoke.

“Hi! I didn’t want to interrupt, but I’m Aerith. And just to clarify, Cloud is not my boyfriend.” She waved at you and you waved back. “Now, can we go save Tifa?”

“Tifa? Tifa’s here? In Wall Market?” Your voice was frantic as you turned to Cloud.

“Yeah, Tifa’s here. We’re going to save her from Corneo.”

“Well then, what are we waiting for?”

Cloud squeezed your hand and you started towards the door. Together. A rescue mission sounded like a great way to end the day.

Likes, comments, and reblogs are much appreciated. Thanks for reading!

According to the Internet: älskling = darling; vargflock = wolf pack

A/N: This ended up being a bit longer than I planned, but I really love Cloud and will probably end up writing more for him in the future. If you'd like to check out some of my other fics, then please visit My Masterlist

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prismaticpichu · 2 years ago

Note

seph gets distracted on the way to the reactor by a wolf pup and zacks so happy to see him actually relax that he insists seph hang out with it and handles everything himself and therefore nibelheim doesnt happen

Buddy…. I love you. You are a TREASURE with your ideaaaaaaaaa!!!! This is absolutely happening! xD Bring on the Nibel wolves!! (Tifa and Cloud are just like “…you seeing this?” *watching Sephiroth rub the pup’s tummy*)

(I’m responding to this now because I don’t wanna neglect the ask! Will reblog once the story’s done. Tysm for the prompt!!! <3)

#asks #I loveeeee it!#ff7 #sephiroth #Zack Fair #thank you!!#Nibelheim #Nibelheim doesn’t happen because of….#puppy zack

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azure-steel · 9 months ago

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And it was that stuttered breathing which caught Cloud's attention, casting him back to old memories of cold nights at home; where the nibel wolves would frighten them both, where that same sound of his brothers shuttered breaths after an unpleasant dream would wake him in the night. Frosted windows, a dying fire in the hearth and the sanctuary of another body in their bed, where comfort and safety was only attainable from their other half.

A moment, maybe two to come to his senses and be the brother he'd always wanted to be, to stifle the self pity and put someone else before his own sorrows for once. Rain needed him, and sitting here on the floor was doing nobody any good.

He rose from the floor then, abruptly, an unceremonious clinking of buckles as he begins to remove the harder, most uncomfortable items attached to his uniform. The belts went first, thrown to the floor in a heap. The pauldron, roughly pulled from his shoulder and placed next to the buster resting by the door. Boots, briskly untied and torn from each foot with the tips of his toes and just left in the middle of the room. And finally gauntlets tossed into the same pile.

And then the quick step over to the bed, reaching over to all but wrench the covers from Rain's shoulders, climbing in with him and urging Rain with the nudge of a knee to his back to turn and make room. The moment his twin did Cloud just gathered him up in his arms, burying his face in his hair as he'd been wont to do when they were kids.

"It's alright, I got you." a hushed whisper so not to draw the attention of others who could be possibly listening from the other side of the bedroom wall, adjusting himself to fit his body into this impossibly small space.

"I got you." And he held his brother so tightly, habitually rocking him in his arms, re-establishing that bond they shared, as though to let Rain know that he was here, and he could feel his pain too. Cloud wasn't sure how that even worked, but he's certain he can, he's certain of it.

"I got you."

There was a lot going through Rain's head but none of it was any anger towards Cloud, if anything it was anger towards himself. During a time where he and Marlene were in imminent danger, the Sector 7 plate threatening to collapse on them, Rain was cowering under the bar instead of leaving; seeing the fires and hearing the explosions outside, the screams of civilians, had awoken the subconscious and left him paralyzed from fear.

If Aerith hadn't come to get him, he and Marlene would be dead. No ifs, ands or buts. He owes that girl his life. His cowardice not only put him and Marlene in danger but he had gotten Aerith taken by ShinRa. Even Elmyra was kind enough to give him a some tea and a bed to sleep in, he felt he didn't deserve it but lacked the energy to decline. Seeing Cloud, Tifa and Barret alive and well was like a weight lifted off his shoulders but still appeared shell-shocked. Even Cloud patting him down for injuries didn't illicit much of a reaction outside of a weak "I'm fine" from him.

It had been hours and Rain simply lays in bed as everything from today piles up and becomes more and more overwhelming. He's trying to keep quiet in case Cloud is asleep as tempting as it is to call out to him. His heart stays firmly lodged in his throat as if each pounding beat rattles his breathing; his pulse is so loud in his ears that he doesn't know if his attempt at being quiet is even successful.

#cloudyfenrir #Verse: Brother my Brother

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lorekeeperlibrary · 2 years ago

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Location File: Nibelheim

Nibelheim is a small mountain village in the Nibel Region, located at the base of Mount Nibel itself.

Notable People: - The Strife Family - The Lockhart Family - Master Zangan - Professor Hojo's Research Team

Notable Locations: - The Strife Family Home - The Mayor's House - The Inn - The General Store - Shinra Mansion - The Well

Historical Events: - The Birth of Sephiroth - The Nibelheim Incident Region Fauna: - Nibel Wolves - Dragons

*Note: Content below the cut is a combination of canon and headcanon, developed through inference and interpretation of canon material.

Economy: - Export of raw materia, minerals and ores to Midgar - Import of produce from Rocket Town - Positive Trade Relationships with Gongaga and Cosmo Canyon

Local Faith: - The Strife Family follows the "Old Ways". The patron deity of the family is Fenrir, the Great Wolf. The Old Ways of the Nibel region involve practices in line with the Old Nordic religion of the real world, including but not limited to: ritual sacrifice, oral storytelling, and use of runes, charms, and divination. The Strife Family is also well-known for their value of strength, loyalty, honor, and respect for the dead. - The majority of the rest of the village have abandoned the Old Ways in favor of modern progress, and are primarily atheistic. The village does cling to some old traditions, however.

History: - The origins of the Shinra Mansion are lost to time (or perhaps deliberately obscured). Professor Hojo led a team of researchers who resided in the mansion for a time. Among these researchers was Lucrecia Crescent, who allowed Professor Hojo to inject live Jenova cells into her unborn child, as part of an attempt to re-create the Cetra race. - Shortly after the birth of Sephiroth, Professor Hojo's team abandoned the mansion, and it lay dormant for over two decades before being used again by Professor Hojo following the Nibelheim Incident. - The Nibelheim Incident is used by Shinra in top-secret files - none of the surrounding towns are aware that Nibelheim was burned to the ground, as Shinra was able to quickly move in and take over "business as usual" in an effort to cover up Sephiroth's actions. - It is heavily implied that Cloud Strife's mother was involved with the president of the Shinra Corporation, and that the president himself may have been a native of Nibelheim, explaining the president's decision to name his base of operations "Midgar".

#final fantasy 7 compilation #worldbuilding

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salternateunreality2 · 8 months ago

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Yo! I like your ff7 imagines :)

So I was thinking… Cloud is a hell of a lot like a Nibel Wolf, right? Everyone knows that. But like… a lot of the time, ppl who write Wolf-like Cloud add that he growls when threatening something (or someone) and like… I have a minor peeve with this?

Wolves growl to threaten, yes. But like… only when they intend for whatever they’re threatening to get away alive. Because a wolf that intends to kill, doesn’t give itself away by growling. Growling is honestly more like a wolffish “FUCK OFF OR I’LL SNAP AT YOU” than a wolffish “ONE MORE STEP AND YOU’RE DEAD”. It puts emphasis on sending something away, rather than warning it of its demise if it doesn’t pull its attitude.

So everytime I imagine Cloud looking at someone that he just absolutely, 100% hates, I imagine him staring at the person dead straight in the eye (wolf hostility and aggressive challenge) and just not making a sound after that (wolffish “I intend to kill you, don’t spook and make my work harder”).

…I don’t remember where I was going with this. Anyway! Thought I might share :)

lol thanks!

Oh yeah, the eye contact/silence thing is for sure something wolfy, hard agree. Dead silence means you're gonna be dead.

I actually wrote about this a little in this post:

Which has a mix of wolf crack and actual wolf behavior, but you might especially enjoy the little snippets at the end with Heidegger and Genesis >:)

Sometimes I have him growl like a chocobo, because birds growl too. Dinosaur vibes. Beware the 'bo!

#ff7 #zack fair #cloud strife #zakkura #wolf cloud #👁️👁️#Zack run faster your wolf boyfriend is going to go for the jugular #FASTER #unless it's hojo

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holly-fixation · 3 years ago

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Tainted Child: Chapter 7

Summary so far: Claudia Strife’s son is is overly devoted to her. He only calls her ‘Mother’. And when Cloud speaks of ‘The Great Mother’, she has to worry. They inadvertently caused mako to boil, starting with the Nibelhiem reactor as the epicenter. Hunted by Shinra, now they need to face the consequences of their actions.

Based on this prompt by @im-totally-not-an-alien

Please enjoy!

Chapter 7: Return

It was cold, silent, the morning breeze of Mount Nibel. The small group lead the Silver Soldier back to their village, weaving their way through the valleys and peaks of the unforgiving mountain range; the lack of the bridge made their navigation skills much more necessary than ever before. Though the terrain itself was littered with natural mine fields of collapsing rocks and visually-not-physically stable paths, there was not a single monster roaming the land. No Nibel dragons scraping the sky with majestic black wings. No Nibel wolves howling and echoing throughout the range. All caves, crevices, and nests were filled to the brim with sleeping creatures of multiple varieties, relieved, peaceful, exhausted. The group even stepped inches away from one of the sleeping black dragon’s wings along the side of their path, which only upon passing did they see the baby dragon curled underneath, sleeping soundly against what could only be its mother. Though the family seemed to notice less of this strange situation, Sephiroth’s brow knotted at every glance of the tranquil monsters. Something changed. The boiling mako kept monsters awake; that was in the dossier of the mission as well as every news channel in Midgar. So what happened? What changed?

It took six hours to find the family after he left the town, and that was only with their calls from the peaks when they spotted him, not the other way around. The constant bombardment of sleep deprived creatures made every step of the hunt a cautious risk on the way to the family. Now it took two hours to return, despite the lack of the connecting bridge, despite the backwards path they had no choice but to oblige, despite neither the child nor the SOLDIER knowing exactly where they started. And they were back, passing Shinra Manor to the village the family abandoned to follow the voices and visions in their heads.

“Sir!”

All four of them turned to the call, but Sephiroth moved in front of them with an open palm facing the family, a sign to stay back. It was the two cadets the silver soldier arrived with, sprinting toward them and snapping to attention once a few feet away, both in identical uniforms and helmets that made it impossible to tell them apart.

“Sir! Are you harmed in any way?” The one on the left spoke first before the right one blabbered.

“Apologizes, Sir-!”

“At ease,” Sephiroth cut them off, and both of their postures dropped to worried concern. The right one opened his mouth to speak again, but the First Class continued. “Do not apologize. Leaving me was the right call.” Though he did not answer their first question, both cadets nodded in relief.

But then the first one decided to speak, “Are these the ecoterrorists, Sir?”

If they say ‘Sir’ again… He nearly growled at the thought, and though they dropped the word from that point forward, they snapped back to attention instinctually.

“D-Do they need binds?” The other choked out, and the little girl hid behind the blonde haired boy in response.

“They are, and they do not,” He stated coldly, with absolutely no room for argument. “Their story is… odd,” that was the only way he could put it without sounding insane, “The mako reactivity was a bad side effect of their actions, not their goal. They have not tried to harm me or escape.” Under these conditions, he did not believe handcuffs or binds were necessary.

“Still, we strongly suggest-”

“Are you arguing with a First Class?” Cloud suddenly cut them off, his brows arched at the audacity, and all eyes aimed at the little boy in surprise.

“Cloud,” Claudia scolded in a stern tone, gaining his gaze before finishing. “We are already in a lot of trouble. They’re just doing their job. Leave them be.”

He glared at her, not a pout, closer to anger, before quickly shaking the expression and looking down. “Sorry, Mother...”

A moment passed before everyone recovered from the strange interjection, and of course, the first person to realign the conversation was Sephiroth.

“...Beside that,” He gave a soft glare to the child, who glanced up at him apologetically, “they are nothing but cooperative.” His inhuman eyes met the mother’s blue ones. “If anything happens, I will take full responsibility.” He watched them both nod in understanding before the manor caught his gaze. “Why were you in Shinra Manor?”

“The townsfolk told us to stay there so we couldn’t catch the disease,” They explained quickly. “We did not break or read anything, we swear.”

‘There were multiple projects I did not read in Shinra Manor. I went there to research her disease.’ Claudia’s words echoed in the silver soldier’s mind. He looked directly at the cadet on his left. “Go back to the manor and find any information you can on ‘The Jenova Project’. Can you do that?”

The confused shake of his head and slight step back was more than enough to convey his apprehension.

“If their story is true, that project may be the cause of the boiling.”

“The lab is underground,” Claudia added. “There’s a fake wall in the upstairs bedroom. Press against the stones hard enough and the door will slide open.”

They both stared at her in bewilderment.

She scratched her arm in embarrassment. “I wasn’t the best kid. But I only went down there to identify diseases I’ve never seen before.”

Both cadets were still hesitant, but after a moment, the one with the order nodded sharply. “Yes, Sir.” He answered habitually before leaving for the gates.

Then Sephiroth looked to the remaining cadet, who seemingly shrunk from intimidation. “Get to the Airship and man the phone line. Tell them about the capture and the disease.” He looked away with resolve in his eyes. “We found a cure, and I will not leave until we cure the village. Understood?”

He nodded quickly. “Yes, Sir, right away, Sir!” He dashed off to the other side of town.

Sephiroth turned to the blonde child, who was watching the cadet with an unknown expression. “Cloud.”

The boy instantly turned to the Silver Soldier with eyes wide with curiosity and…admiration? Protection?

“Let’s do this.” Though he only spoke to the boy, the entire family followed to the inn, the makeshift quarantine for the infected. He knocked on the locked doors, and after a few seconds, they were opened by the same man from the day before, who now had black bruises of puss on his cheek and forehead.

“What are you doing here?” He questioned rapidly before spotting the children and mother. “And what are you doing with them? Take them to Midgar before they do something else!”

Thankfully, Claudia saw her son’s strange rage reform, and grabbed him quickly to distract the feeling.

“Cloud and I can cure it,” He stated simply.

He stared at them with confused shock before spotting Tifa, the little girl completely free of bruises and fevers and fatigue. She was okay. She was okay! “You found a cure?”

Both Sephiroth and Cloud nodded sharply, and the man moved out of the doorway, gesturing inside and mumbling a soft ‘good luck’. All four of them immediately moved up the stairs to the weaker patients, gaining each set of weak and tired eyes like dogs watching their toy roll across the ground, a few under the breath grumbles they couldn’t understand as they moved up the stairs. Then the group wove past the window that haunted his memories. It wasn’t the time to dwell on that. They kept their eyes on their target as they entered the room with three beds.

Lockhart, at the far end of the room, shoved himself up at the sight of his little girl in the doorway, the agony of his entire body throbbing in protest but he refused to react at the sight of his daughter. “Tifa!”

Her red eyes widened and she dashed across the room to his side. “Daddy!” Neither one of them missed a single beat. Tifa launched at her father, and they embraced each other in a long awaited hug.

He ignored every screaming cell in his body as he put his hand in her hair. “Are you okay, Sweetheart?”

She nodded rapidly. “I am! Cloud and Sephiroth cured me!”

Only then did he look away from his child to the end of his bed, where the blonde family and silver soldier waited. Cloud watched them both apologetically, timidly eying the man with absolute caution. Sephiroth watched with an unreadable expression, as if too many confused emotions were colliding in his mind to portray his response. The mother watched them all carefully before softly pushing her son forward with a palm on his back.

“Cloud,” She spoke in that threatening motherly tone before crossing her arms, “Apologize to Mr. Lockhart.”

His red eyes locked on the little boy, who fidgeted anxiously before looking down.

“I’m sorry, Mr Lockhart… ”

“You drugged me, then kidnapped my daughter,” He spat, holding up a hand when his daughter opened her mouth to protest. “‘I’m sorry’ is not enough.”

“We have the bond now,” Cloud countered with hope.

His eyes squinted in confusion. Bond? “What?”

Sephiroth turned to the patient. “We can cure you.”

Claudia ruffled her son’s spiky hair. “That’s why we’re here. And so he could apologize before we’re taken to Midgar.”

His expression dropped, soft shock leaking into his words, “...So it really was you…”

She inhaled softly before shaking her head. “There’s a lot to explain.” She met his red eyes with her blue ones. “But believe me when I say we did not want this to happen. We didn’t know.”

He wanted to press them for more information, but he felt someone squeeze his wrapped arm, forcing a bit of bruise like pain to turn toward the offender. He did not expect his child’s desperate gaze instead.

“Let’s heal you first, okay, Daddy?” She pleaded softly, fluttering her sparkling crimson eyes. Her father couldn’t help himself, and sighed in defeat before nodding.

Both Cloud and Sephiroth stepped to the side of the bed opposite of the daughter, and Cloud held out his hand.

“Place your hand on his chest. Then I cast cure through you, to him, and heal upon return,” He explained simply with a soft gesture of his fingers.

His brows knotted skeptically at the small child, looking between him, to the less than young man of a soldier. He did not trust the boy, until Tifa gave him a reassuring look, and nodded. Once again, he dropped his defenses in favor of trusting his daughter, allowing the boys to perform the cure without further resistance. The moment the green glow of healing magic weaved through his skin, he felt his bruises shrinking in size. Soon they disappeared without a trace, and the last to leave were the coincident fatigue and fever, as gone as a dream in the morning light. Lockhart stared at them both in shock, his lips partly bated as his eyes flicked between them all.

Tifa hugged him so tightly, if she were any stronger she’d crush him. He returned the embrace with equal passion, planting a soft kiss in his daughter’s hair.

“I love you…” The father spoke quietly.

“I love you too…” Tifa returned with a smile.

Then the father released part of the grip on his daughter and stared at the silver soldier’s inhuman eyes with challenge. “Is our deal still on?”

The three others all grew confused looks when the First Class nodded.

“Yes. Your daughter was clearly dragged along, not a part of the process,” He reassured, his eyes never leaving the man and his bangs blocking the view of the two blondes. “They may summon her for trial, but I will not take her to Midgar as a prisoner.”

Claudia and Cloud looked at each other, and though the others expected some kind of fight, they did not expect a resolute nod from them both.

“Thank you,” The mother broke the quick silence to the soldier. She knew Tifa was pulled along for this mess, like a stick pulled downstream in a storm. Tifa was completely innocent, besides what they told her. If Tifa decided to tell the village, that was on her. But knowing how little she believed at first, the chances of any real consequences were very slim.

“Thank you!” Tifa yelled happily. But Cloud did not speak.

Sephiroth only nodded once before looking at the little boy, who instantly met his gaze. “Let’s continue.”

And with affirmation from the dandelion boy, they left the black haired girl and her father for the next patient. Then the next. Then the next. Repeating the same procedure until all seven of the infected were cured. They gained many thanks in return, but then the patients asked questions about the situation; the disease, boiling mako, the fate of Cloud and Claudia. For the sake of their sanity and time, they did not answer, claiming they would learn soon enough from the newspaper, one of the only resources the poor town had with current information from Shinra and Midgar.

Once their task was complete, they started toward Shinra Manor, where they spotted the cadet the First Class sent to the basement at the gate. But after only a few steps closer, they heard the rapid footsteps of heavy boots rush up from behind them. They turned, and sure enough, it was the cadet assigned to the Airship.

“Sir!” He yelled before slowing his sprint and resting his hands on his knees to breathe. “I'm glad I caught you…”

“What happened?”

“Direct orders from HQ,” He tried to explain through panting breaths. “We need to return. Now. They want the two remaining culprits ASAP.”

Sephiroth analyzed the assignment for a second before nodding. He already refused to bring Tifa with them, HQ had to accept that, at least before the trial preparation began. So he had to follow the second order, no matter how his curiosity of the manor threatened to sink his loyalty. He couldn’t go against them, and if this was his order then he would carry it out without further hesitation. “Understood. We’re all here. Let’s go.”

* * *

Though they showed no resistance to any order they were given, Cloud and Claudia were handcuffed for the flight back to Midgar, an explicit request from the flight crew under threat of denying transport entirely. They destroyed mako in a day, in the public’s eye. The moment mako was no longer useful, the public cried out for alternative energy sources. Word travels fast, after all. And Shinra could not develop a cover up large enough to prevent even natural boiling mako fountains from discovery by the common people.

And now Shinra and the public reported mako activity levels skydove to their original levels less than twelve hours ago. The First Class and culprits noticed a change on the way back from the mountains, but never did they expect the boiling to drop everywhere at once. Still, this small family somehow committed a crime against Shinra and the planet, and they did not resist any of the Shinra troops’ orders.

The best place they could keep the family was a small room on the lower floor, which was supposed to be used as a Chocobo stable, but the president had not purchased one of the creatures for his own amusement yet. Therefore the room was nothing but metal walls, a window, and a singular exit, the perfect place for containment. To everyone's surprise, Sephiroth chose to stay in the room with the culprits, under the guise of preventing escape attempts as well as preventing the three of them from passing on the unknown disease from the village, though all three of them knew it was something more, a possibility of more knowledge of his mother or maybe even a way to hear her. Once they made it to Midgar, the opportunity to speak to them would all but vanish. Depending on the outcome of the trial, it could disappear completely. Sadly neither of the cadets could testify for or against them, since the man sent to the manor did not find anything related to ‘The Jenova Project’, but also admitted he could not find the door to the basement before the order to return arrived.

Claudia was sitting against the far wall with Cloud on her lap, the little bit of freedom the cuffs allowed gave her enough room to keep her arms softly around her son. Cloud did not complain, his eyes heavy with dark bags and exhaustion. It had been a long few days, and the healing took its toll on his body as well, exerting magic he did not use often, but his hands remained in his own lap as he watched Sephiroth through forced open lids, who stood next to the door.

Eleven hours. They were trapped in this room for eleven hours.

Sephiroth glanced away from the small family to the window, only a few small clouds obstructing the view of The Planet, its curve almost visible from this height.

“How far are we?” The mother asked the soldier as casually as she could.

He glanced down at her. “About an hour away. You can almost see the city.”

A bubble of excitement fluttered through the child as he turned to look above him with wide blue eyes, the dark bags and exhaustion being pulled in like the tide between waves, temporary but powerful. “Can we see it, Mother?”

She nodded and gave a small smile, genuinely grateful for the tiny joy her little boy found in this messy scenario. “Of course.” She ducked, and Cloud looped his restricted arms over her head to rest on her neck while she moved his legs onto her forearm and stood up, holding him to the window.

He gazed at the small spec of the double decker city in silent awe, but he couldn’t help but graze over the ocean below them and the seemingly small island of frost that could only be the Northern Crater. Obviously it was much larger than it looked to him right now. His eyes locked on the snow caps, a tense breeze weaving through his body.

Sephiroth watched the two carefully, forcing his analytic expression to drown his unidentifiable emotion at the sight. Was it anger? Was he frustrated? What about those two being together like that twisted his stomach? To escape from his thoughts, he focused on the small details of the window, of the walls, of their clothes from behind, anything to keep his thoughts from that confusing and frustrating track. He even took note of the way their hair glowed from the sunlight, the mother's a striking gold and her son's…still a yellow but almost silver. Almost a silver like his own.

“North…” Cloud mumbled as if in a trance, his eyes never moving from the land of white at the end of the ocean. Both the mother and the soldier turned to him, but he repeated his sudden realization. “We need to go north…”

Claudia’s grip tensed in fear as she turned to her son, trying to speak softly but unable to cover the worry in her voice, “Why do we need to go north, Cloud?”

“She’ll be there when we arrive…”

No. No no no no no. His mother’s mind raced with all possible theories at his cryptic responses, just as cryptic as before. She cursed internally.

“Who will?” Sephiroth questioned through a wall of controlled emotion.

“Jenova,” Cloud answered without hesitation. “The Great Mother. She’s north. That’s where we need to go.”

Claudia held him closely, trying to break through the impenetrable fortress of that creature’s renewed control. “I thought you said she wanted to die.”

“She-” the boy winced, biting back a possible explanation, a ping through the center of his mind. “It’s too complicated to explain- It’s too much-” he was stuttering, trying to soothe his sudden ache by resting his head against his mother’s chest, “We need to go north. Please.”

What neither of them expected was Sephiroth approaching and the little boy forcing his pained eyes to the Silver Soldier instead of the snow caps.

“Cloud, you need to explain. You need to try,” He pressured, his inhuman eyes capturing the little boy’s, which quivered in soft despair.

“Your mother!” He yelled desperately, nearly thrashing in Claudia’s tightened grip. “Jenova’s alive! She’s back! She’s back!”

Sephiroth’s eyes were wide, full of the confused emotions always associated with his mother, a tightness in his chest he could not ignore for long, an ache he never understood plaguing his mind and forcing him into silence in an attempt to gain his thoughts.

The little boy shook his head against his mother, his burst of energy failing him, his body weakened entirely. “She’s back. She’s back… Sephiroth…” His eyes closed and his breathing slowed, exhaustion claiming consciousness whole.

The SOLDIER turned to the mother for a realistic explanation.

To his dismay, she shook her head, her eyes down as if she didn’t want to accept the task either. “Please find a way north,” She practically begged, trying to soothe her child under the limitations of her restraints. She knew her and her son were headed for prison regardless of the information Cloud gave on this flight, but Sephiroth had a chance. “He’s always right… Please find a way north before he’s in any more pain…”

“You-” He stuttered, his mouth agape, “You believe him?”

Claudia closed her eyes, protecting her conflicting thoughts. “He’s never been wrong.”

Sephiroth shook his head in disbelief. Sure, they told him of Cloud’s strange connection at their first meeting, but never did he expect it to be real. No matter what he believed, logical or illogical, this ship had only one destination: the helipad atop Shinra HeadQuarters. None of them spoke for the remainder of the ride, and Cloud stayed asleep through it all. Not even landing woke the boy. There was already a complete squad waiting to transport the two through the building to their temporary prison.

Yet never had he expected that destination to change.

“Apologies for the delayed update,” The captain of the squad addressed Sephiroth as the underlings escorted the mother and son to their new location. “Upon learning of Nibelhiem’s disease, the culprits are being sent to a quarantine facility.”

“Where are they going?” The First Class questioned instantly, a flash of determination in his eyes. They would not tell him this without reason, and they would not hide it from him unless the destination was unsavory.

The captain paused, taking a silent tense breath, letting the clock tick until his men were through the doors. “We were ordered to keep quiet until the culprits are contained.”

“Where,” he threatened, sending a shock of dread and surprise into the captain, his eyes burning through the guard of the captain’s helmet, “are they going?”

He swallowed. “The science and research division.”

“Which lab?”

Silence.

“Which. Lab. Captain?”

“The Drum.”

Sephiroth’s heart dropped, hopelessness and animosity drowning his very being.

“Direct orders from Professor Hojo.”

Thanks for reading!

#Hey guess which character is back that nobody ever wants!#ffvii #ff7 #final fantasy vii #sephiroth #cloud strife #jenova #claudia strife #tifa lockhart #someone's plotting in the alien corner #Thanks for reading! hope you enjoyed!#tainted child

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