Butterfly Effect: Chapter 5
Feb. 8th, 2006 07:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bard_linnAuthors: Bard Linn and Kiraya
Genre: General/Drama
Pairings: None, at the moment.
Rating (Overall): PG-13
Summary: “It’s a promise.”
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all associated characters and symbols are the exclusive property of Square Enix and its associates. We’re just borrowing them for a while.
Chapter 5
Cloud awoke the next morning feeling utterly exhausted. The previous day’s emotional up and downs, coupled with more than a few nightmares, had worn him out far more than any training session had. Still, he was determined to go through with his plan. He would become a SOLDIER. Vincent and Sephiroth would meet, even if he had to chain them together for it to happen.
He spent most of the rest of the day with his mom, helping her around the house, and then later training in the Shinra Mansion. Just because Vincent was no longer teaching him was no excuse for Cloud to abandon his usual exercises; quite the opposite, really. If he was going to be a SOLDIER, he needed to be in excellent shape.
When Cloud finally went to bed that night, he could barely move, he had worked so hard. He fell into a deep sleep almost immediately, having exhausted himself to the point that dreams could not disturb his rest.
And then morning came.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cloud awoke to the sound of his mother’s voice, calling him for breakfast. He dressed quickly and headed downstairs, eyes widening at the feast set before him. Elanor gave her son a brief hug. “Big day today.”
“Yeah,” Cloud agreed as he sat down. He only wished his mother had given him a bit more notice about this entire thing. Vincent might have reacted better with more warning…
“You’ll have to be ready to leave at two. Mr. Nettler is planning to leave at two thirty, and you don’t want to miss your ride. It’s a long way down the mountain alone.”
Cloud nodded. “I’m already packed. Do you mind if I go say goodbye to a friend?”
“Of course not. Just make sure you’re back in time!”
“Yes, Mom.” A quick trip upstairs and Cloud was ready to go, staff in hand. Today, it seemed, the trip up the mountain seemed longer than it ever had before, though that could have just been his imagination. Things were terribly quiet, though; Cloud absentmindedly wished the area supported more animals. True, that would mean more of the local monsters would lurk closer to easy prey and likewise the town, but at least there wouldn’t be this dreadful silence. And he would have had to keep his thoughts on his surroundings instead of worrying about what lay waiting for him — or what didn’t — in the place his mentor dwelled.
Finally Cloud found himself at his destination. Taking a deep breath, he firmly knocked on the door.
No answer came from within, no call to come inside. The blond’s hand rested on the doorknob for a moment, tempted to just push it open and make sure Vincent wasn’t there. It wasn’t as if the door would keep him out if he really tried; it wasn’t exactly high-tech material.
But that would be violating his master’s trust… and Cloud had no intention of doing that, ever. “Vincent…” he began, swallowing hard, “I will come back. You’ll see. I’ll be back, and… and things will be right again. I promise.” He released his hold on the doorknob and took a step back. Glancing at the staff in his hand, he briefly wondered if he should leave that here as well.
No, Vincent already had his gun. Besides, after the dragon has destroyed his last one, Cloud had made this weapon on his own, without his mentor’s help. It was his.
Cloud turned and walked away, never looking back… never noticing the glint of sunlight on lurking gold.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
By the time Cloud had made it back to town, he didn’t have long to wait before leaving. Of course, that had more to do with the fact he had stopped several times along the way to enjoy his surroundings than with the actual distance. If it took me several hours just to walk home, I’d never be able to get anything done, he reflected as he walked inside the house. “Mom, I’m back!”
“With just enough time to spare.” Elanor Strife smiled.
“I’ll just go outside and wait, okay?”
His mother came over and hugged him tightly. “Take care of yourself, Cloud. Midgar is a big place.”
“I will, Mom.” Cloud hugged his mother in return. “And I’ll become a SOLDIER, one of the best. I promise!”
“I know you will.” Elanor kissed her son’s forehead. “Now, you’d better go.”
Cloud nodded and grabbed his suitcase from beside the door, where he had placed it yesterday. He walked quickly outside, growing more and more excited at the prospect of his trip. True, he wasn’t entirely happy with how things had turned out with Vincent, but… he was really going to Midgar! Most people in this town would never see the city that was the home to the company that controlled the world. And not only was he going to see it; he was actually going to live there, for at least a few years. Setting his luggage next to Mr. Nettler’s truck, he restlessly shifted his weight from foot to foot like a racing chocobo in the starting gate. He should have taken time to train this morning; he was going to be fidgety all day.
“Yo, kid! Where are your parents? Get lost on the scenic tour?”
Cloud glanced up — oh, how he hated being short — at the menacing figure looming over him. It took him a moment to recall the man’s name. Jack Maynard, the bully who had nearly rearranged his face years ago.
A very small part of Cloud was amused that Maynard seemed to have forgotten who he was. He wondered if that was the case with most of Nibelheim’s inhabitants. After all, he had spent so much time off in the mountains with Vincent that he probably was unfamiliar to nearly everyone in town.
“I live here,” Cloud said simply. Maynard could loom all he wanted; Cloud could easily take him out, if necessary.
“Sure you do. No ten-year-old kid around here looks like you. So where are you really from? And why are you here? This town doesn’t take well to foreigners.” The twenty-year-old man sneered.
“Leave him alone, Jack.” The two turned to see Tifa Lockhart approaching them. “He’s just a kid.”
Just a kid? Cloud thought indignantly. I’m older than you are!
“Of course, Ms. Lockhart,” Maynard said, his voice oozing with exaggerated sweetness. He smiled ingratiatingly. “I wouldn’t dream of doing anything.” Tifa nodded and turned away. Once her attention was elsewhere, Maynard reached down and grabbed Cloud’s shirt, yanking him forward. “We don’t want foreigners here,” he hissed. “Tell your parents to get out.” Cloud shifted slightly, ready to attack this bully and give him a taste of his own medicine.
Smack.
Cloud stumbled back as he watched Tifa attack Maynard again, pushing him back further away from the blond. His “savior” was skilled… very skilled. She’s been working hard, he noted approvingly.
Tifa stood back, her hands on her hips, a stern expression on her face. “Get lost, Maynard.”
The bully scowled at her sullenly, but even he was smart enough not to risk a confrontation with the mayor’s daughter. Shooting a poisonous glare at Cloud, he slunk off.
As luck would have it, Elanor arrived on the scene just in time to see Maynard leaving. “What happened? Cloud, are you okay?”
He nodded. “I’m fine, Mom.”
Tifa’s eyebrows shot upwards. “This is your son, Mrs. Strife?”
“Yes, of course — you haven’t met?” Elanor Strife looked surprised at that. “I thought you had… well, anyway. Tifa, this is Cloud. He’s a year older than you are.”
Tifa cast a dubious look at the blond, who suppressed the urge to sigh in exasperation. Why did people seem to feel the need to harp on the fact that he was just a little small for his age?
“Elanor, good to see you!” a voice called. A woman Cloud didn’t recognize hurried across the square towards them. “I have an order for you. Would you mind embroidering some shawls? Ann needs a few done.”
“Of course, Kim. Let me see them.” Elanor smiled at her son. “I’ll be back in just a moment, Cloud.”
After his mother was out of earshot, the blond turned to Tifa. “Thanks, but I could have taken care of him myself.”
“He’s half again your size,” Tifa replied, shaking her head. “You wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
“Good afternoon, Tifa. You ready to go to Midgar, kid?” Mr. Nettler asked as he loaded the last of his supplies into the truck.
“You’re going to Midgar?” The brunette blinked in surprise. People rarely left Nibelheim, after all, and to go to another continent, much less Midgar, was definitely something worthy of town gossip.
“Yep. I’m going to become a SOLDIER.”
Tifa examined the delicate-looking youth in front of her, trying not to smile. “Sure you are.”
Cloud bristled. “Just you wait! I’ll become a SOLDIER, and I’ll come back here to prove it, too!”
“Tell you what: SOLDIER or no, you come back here with some training and we’ll have a match.” Tifa smiled. “I could use a good opponent.”
“It’s a promise,” Cloud replied confidently, just as his mother returned.
“Now,” she began, “be sure to remember what I told you, Cloud. As you get older, I know you might end up wanting to be ‘friendly’ with a nice girl, and I suppose that’s all right, but… for Gaea’s sake, remember to use protection. As much as I’d love grandchildren someday, I’d prefer it if you settled down and married their mother first. All right?”
Cloud’s ears were bright pink with mortification as he stared at his feet, determined to ignore Tifa’s muffled giggling. “Yes, Mom,” he muttered.
Elanor beamed, hugging him tightly. “I’m afraid there’s not much else I can give you, aside from my prayers and best wishes. Be well, Cloud; I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too, Mom,” he said softly, swallowing thickly as he returned her embrace. It wouldn’t do to break down here and now, not with his mother sounding like she was on the verge of tears herself.
When Elanor finally let him go, Cloud grabbed his bag and stepped into the truck. He looked long and hard out the back window, fixing the little town of Nibelheim in his memory. Yeah, it was a bit silly — after all, it wasn’t like he was going to be gone forever; he’d come back in a couple years for Vincent, of course — but still…
Cloud frowned suddenly, twisting around in his seat to press his nose against the window, squinting.
Mr. Nettler chuckled at the sight as he climbed into the driver’s seat. “Hope you’re not planning to spend the whole trip sitting like that; it’ll get mighty uncomfortable in an hour or so.”
His passenger hardly acknowledged his presence, staring intently at a patch of afternoon shadows like a cat who’d finally found its evasive prey. Mark Nettler had heard the elusive Strife boy was an odd one, though, so he simply shrugged and started the truck.
“You get say goodbye to everyone you wanted to?” he asked after a moment.
Cloud smiled a little, feeling some of the pain in his heart ease, still not turning away from the window. “Yeah,” he said softly, his eyes bright. “Now I did.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cloud Strife learned some very important things on his trip to Midgar.
The first was that he did not have the constitution for long car rides. Having the windows rolled down so the chilly autumn breeze could keep the air in the truck fresh didn’t help much, either. The talkative Mr. Nettler cheerfully informed him that his face was turning some of the most remarkable shades of pale green he’d ever seen; all Cloud could do was nod weakly and try not to lose his brunch.
The second thing Cloud learned was that truck rides on mountain roads are often quite rough, and therefore extremely unpleasant for highly sensitive stomachs. At least the driver of the transport he’d caught in Corel had stopped grousing about the damage to the interior when she’d been offered a bit of his meager spending gil for the cleaning bill, though.
The third thing Cloud learned was that sea travel is even worse. The journey from Costa del Sol was, he concluded not long after they’d set sail in rough seas, the most horrific thing he’d ever experienced. He took some small comfort, though, in seeing that he wasn’t the only one who spent almost the entire trip leaning over the ship’s rail.
The train ride from Junon was blessedly calm in comparison, and Cloud used this to his advantage, relieved to finally be able to stomach more than water and a little bread. He would have liked to gotten a chance to observe the countryside for once on this trip, but his body insisted on getting much-needed sleep.
And so it was that on the morning of the fifth day after he’d left Nibelheim, Cloud Strife arrived in Midgar.
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Genre: General/Drama
Pairings: None, at the moment.
Rating (Overall): PG-13
Summary: “It’s a promise.”
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all associated characters and symbols are the exclusive property of Square Enix and its associates. We’re just borrowing them for a while.
Chapter 5
Cloud awoke the next morning feeling utterly exhausted. The previous day’s emotional up and downs, coupled with more than a few nightmares, had worn him out far more than any training session had. Still, he was determined to go through with his plan. He would become a SOLDIER. Vincent and Sephiroth would meet, even if he had to chain them together for it to happen.
He spent most of the rest of the day with his mom, helping her around the house, and then later training in the Shinra Mansion. Just because Vincent was no longer teaching him was no excuse for Cloud to abandon his usual exercises; quite the opposite, really. If he was going to be a SOLDIER, he needed to be in excellent shape.
When Cloud finally went to bed that night, he could barely move, he had worked so hard. He fell into a deep sleep almost immediately, having exhausted himself to the point that dreams could not disturb his rest.
And then morning came.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cloud awoke to the sound of his mother’s voice, calling him for breakfast. He dressed quickly and headed downstairs, eyes widening at the feast set before him. Elanor gave her son a brief hug. “Big day today.”
“Yeah,” Cloud agreed as he sat down. He only wished his mother had given him a bit more notice about this entire thing. Vincent might have reacted better with more warning…
“You’ll have to be ready to leave at two. Mr. Nettler is planning to leave at two thirty, and you don’t want to miss your ride. It’s a long way down the mountain alone.”
Cloud nodded. “I’m already packed. Do you mind if I go say goodbye to a friend?”
“Of course not. Just make sure you’re back in time!”
“Yes, Mom.” A quick trip upstairs and Cloud was ready to go, staff in hand. Today, it seemed, the trip up the mountain seemed longer than it ever had before, though that could have just been his imagination. Things were terribly quiet, though; Cloud absentmindedly wished the area supported more animals. True, that would mean more of the local monsters would lurk closer to easy prey and likewise the town, but at least there wouldn’t be this dreadful silence. And he would have had to keep his thoughts on his surroundings instead of worrying about what lay waiting for him — or what didn’t — in the place his mentor dwelled.
Finally Cloud found himself at his destination. Taking a deep breath, he firmly knocked on the door.
No answer came from within, no call to come inside. The blond’s hand rested on the doorknob for a moment, tempted to just push it open and make sure Vincent wasn’t there. It wasn’t as if the door would keep him out if he really tried; it wasn’t exactly high-tech material.
But that would be violating his master’s trust… and Cloud had no intention of doing that, ever. “Vincent…” he began, swallowing hard, “I will come back. You’ll see. I’ll be back, and… and things will be right again. I promise.” He released his hold on the doorknob and took a step back. Glancing at the staff in his hand, he briefly wondered if he should leave that here as well.
No, Vincent already had his gun. Besides, after the dragon has destroyed his last one, Cloud had made this weapon on his own, without his mentor’s help. It was his.
Cloud turned and walked away, never looking back… never noticing the glint of sunlight on lurking gold.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
By the time Cloud had made it back to town, he didn’t have long to wait before leaving. Of course, that had more to do with the fact he had stopped several times along the way to enjoy his surroundings than with the actual distance. If it took me several hours just to walk home, I’d never be able to get anything done, he reflected as he walked inside the house. “Mom, I’m back!”
“With just enough time to spare.” Elanor Strife smiled.
“I’ll just go outside and wait, okay?”
His mother came over and hugged him tightly. “Take care of yourself, Cloud. Midgar is a big place.”
“I will, Mom.” Cloud hugged his mother in return. “And I’ll become a SOLDIER, one of the best. I promise!”
“I know you will.” Elanor kissed her son’s forehead. “Now, you’d better go.”
Cloud nodded and grabbed his suitcase from beside the door, where he had placed it yesterday. He walked quickly outside, growing more and more excited at the prospect of his trip. True, he wasn’t entirely happy with how things had turned out with Vincent, but… he was really going to Midgar! Most people in this town would never see the city that was the home to the company that controlled the world. And not only was he going to see it; he was actually going to live there, for at least a few years. Setting his luggage next to Mr. Nettler’s truck, he restlessly shifted his weight from foot to foot like a racing chocobo in the starting gate. He should have taken time to train this morning; he was going to be fidgety all day.
“Yo, kid! Where are your parents? Get lost on the scenic tour?”
Cloud glanced up — oh, how he hated being short — at the menacing figure looming over him. It took him a moment to recall the man’s name. Jack Maynard, the bully who had nearly rearranged his face years ago.
A very small part of Cloud was amused that Maynard seemed to have forgotten who he was. He wondered if that was the case with most of Nibelheim’s inhabitants. After all, he had spent so much time off in the mountains with Vincent that he probably was unfamiliar to nearly everyone in town.
“I live here,” Cloud said simply. Maynard could loom all he wanted; Cloud could easily take him out, if necessary.
“Sure you do. No ten-year-old kid around here looks like you. So where are you really from? And why are you here? This town doesn’t take well to foreigners.” The twenty-year-old man sneered.
“Leave him alone, Jack.” The two turned to see Tifa Lockhart approaching them. “He’s just a kid.”
Just a kid? Cloud thought indignantly. I’m older than you are!
“Of course, Ms. Lockhart,” Maynard said, his voice oozing with exaggerated sweetness. He smiled ingratiatingly. “I wouldn’t dream of doing anything.” Tifa nodded and turned away. Once her attention was elsewhere, Maynard reached down and grabbed Cloud’s shirt, yanking him forward. “We don’t want foreigners here,” he hissed. “Tell your parents to get out.” Cloud shifted slightly, ready to attack this bully and give him a taste of his own medicine.
Smack.
Cloud stumbled back as he watched Tifa attack Maynard again, pushing him back further away from the blond. His “savior” was skilled… very skilled. She’s been working hard, he noted approvingly.
Tifa stood back, her hands on her hips, a stern expression on her face. “Get lost, Maynard.”
The bully scowled at her sullenly, but even he was smart enough not to risk a confrontation with the mayor’s daughter. Shooting a poisonous glare at Cloud, he slunk off.
As luck would have it, Elanor arrived on the scene just in time to see Maynard leaving. “What happened? Cloud, are you okay?”
He nodded. “I’m fine, Mom.”
Tifa’s eyebrows shot upwards. “This is your son, Mrs. Strife?”
“Yes, of course — you haven’t met?” Elanor Strife looked surprised at that. “I thought you had… well, anyway. Tifa, this is Cloud. He’s a year older than you are.”
Tifa cast a dubious look at the blond, who suppressed the urge to sigh in exasperation. Why did people seem to feel the need to harp on the fact that he was just a little small for his age?
“Elanor, good to see you!” a voice called. A woman Cloud didn’t recognize hurried across the square towards them. “I have an order for you. Would you mind embroidering some shawls? Ann needs a few done.”
“Of course, Kim. Let me see them.” Elanor smiled at her son. “I’ll be back in just a moment, Cloud.”
After his mother was out of earshot, the blond turned to Tifa. “Thanks, but I could have taken care of him myself.”
“He’s half again your size,” Tifa replied, shaking her head. “You wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
“Good afternoon, Tifa. You ready to go to Midgar, kid?” Mr. Nettler asked as he loaded the last of his supplies into the truck.
“You’re going to Midgar?” The brunette blinked in surprise. People rarely left Nibelheim, after all, and to go to another continent, much less Midgar, was definitely something worthy of town gossip.
“Yep. I’m going to become a SOLDIER.”
Tifa examined the delicate-looking youth in front of her, trying not to smile. “Sure you are.”
Cloud bristled. “Just you wait! I’ll become a SOLDIER, and I’ll come back here to prove it, too!”
“Tell you what: SOLDIER or no, you come back here with some training and we’ll have a match.” Tifa smiled. “I could use a good opponent.”
“It’s a promise,” Cloud replied confidently, just as his mother returned.
“Now,” she began, “be sure to remember what I told you, Cloud. As you get older, I know you might end up wanting to be ‘friendly’ with a nice girl, and I suppose that’s all right, but… for Gaea’s sake, remember to use protection. As much as I’d love grandchildren someday, I’d prefer it if you settled down and married their mother first. All right?”
Cloud’s ears were bright pink with mortification as he stared at his feet, determined to ignore Tifa’s muffled giggling. “Yes, Mom,” he muttered.
Elanor beamed, hugging him tightly. “I’m afraid there’s not much else I can give you, aside from my prayers and best wishes. Be well, Cloud; I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too, Mom,” he said softly, swallowing thickly as he returned her embrace. It wouldn’t do to break down here and now, not with his mother sounding like she was on the verge of tears herself.
When Elanor finally let him go, Cloud grabbed his bag and stepped into the truck. He looked long and hard out the back window, fixing the little town of Nibelheim in his memory. Yeah, it was a bit silly — after all, it wasn’t like he was going to be gone forever; he’d come back in a couple years for Vincent, of course — but still…
Cloud frowned suddenly, twisting around in his seat to press his nose against the window, squinting.
Mr. Nettler chuckled at the sight as he climbed into the driver’s seat. “Hope you’re not planning to spend the whole trip sitting like that; it’ll get mighty uncomfortable in an hour or so.”
His passenger hardly acknowledged his presence, staring intently at a patch of afternoon shadows like a cat who’d finally found its evasive prey. Mark Nettler had heard the elusive Strife boy was an odd one, though, so he simply shrugged and started the truck.
“You get say goodbye to everyone you wanted to?” he asked after a moment.
Cloud smiled a little, feeling some of the pain in his heart ease, still not turning away from the window. “Yeah,” he said softly, his eyes bright. “Now I did.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cloud Strife learned some very important things on his trip to Midgar.
The first was that he did not have the constitution for long car rides. Having the windows rolled down so the chilly autumn breeze could keep the air in the truck fresh didn’t help much, either. The talkative Mr. Nettler cheerfully informed him that his face was turning some of the most remarkable shades of pale green he’d ever seen; all Cloud could do was nod weakly and try not to lose his brunch.
The second thing Cloud learned was that truck rides on mountain roads are often quite rough, and therefore extremely unpleasant for highly sensitive stomachs. At least the driver of the transport he’d caught in Corel had stopped grousing about the damage to the interior when she’d been offered a bit of his meager spending gil for the cleaning bill, though.
The third thing Cloud learned was that sea travel is even worse. The journey from Costa del Sol was, he concluded not long after they’d set sail in rough seas, the most horrific thing he’d ever experienced. He took some small comfort, though, in seeing that he wasn’t the only one who spent almost the entire trip leaning over the ship’s rail.
The train ride from Junon was blessedly calm in comparison, and Cloud used this to his advantage, relieved to finally be able to stomach more than water and a little bread. He would have liked to gotten a chance to observe the countryside for once on this trip, but his body insisted on getting much-needed sleep.
And so it was that on the morning of the fifth day after he’d left Nibelheim, Cloud Strife arrived in Midgar.
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