Post by Cloud on Mar 18, 2011 3:09:16 GMT -5
“It had been a day just like this...”
The rain poured as the motorcycle rumbled along the empty stretch of highway between Edge and Kalm. Business for Strife Delivery Service had been booming as of late, keeping Cloud out late into the night in order to keep up with demand. He didn't mind too much, only problem so far has been his wandering mind; memories of the past resurfacing much more recently. Peering through his goggles, the blond could see Kalm up ahead, it's shimmering lights a welcome beacon of reprieve from the rain. However even the warmth of the inn and promise of hot food would not be enough to calm his mind.
“Sure.... I stopped blaming myself... but... is it enough?”
Bringing Fenrir to a stop in front of the town's inn, Cloud cut power to the engine before dismounting the large bike. His clothes and hair, heavy with precipitation, dripped water down onto the clean wood floor as he walked across the threshold to the front desk. It was bigger than what he remembered, perhaps the town's increase in population was to thank for it.
Ding~ Ding~
In what seemed like an instant, an stout elderly woman appeared out from behind the desk, her back hunched and hair grey with age; cane clicking against the floor as she struggled to make her way towards the delivery boy.
“How may I help you child?” She asked, her voice raspy yet kind at the same time. She smelled of apples.. How odd he thought.
“I'm here to drop off a package. It's for a....” Cloud paused for a moment as he glanced at the label on the box, bewildered by the name he saw. “... a Mister.... Pippinpaddle...” Raising an eyebrow, he returned his focus on the old woman, now looking as if she was trying a little too hard to remember something. “Why I believe that is a man who is staying here. Perhaps I should check my guest list.”
“That would be appreciated.” Patiently, Cloud stood and waited while holding onto the package, miraculously kept dry despite it's long journey in the rain. He was going to have to remember to thank Tifa for ordering him the new delivery bag.
“... but what if it's possible? You've heard the rumors, haven't you?”
“Rumors? What rumors? I've heard nothing about it...”
Glancing over, Cloud saw two older men sitting at a small table near a window, playing cards and chatting away. Not one to eavesdrop, it was hard to not listen in when the topic of conversation was rumors.
“It is said that since the Merge, the dead have started to come back from the grave, just appearing out of thing air!”
“What? You're drunk, aren't you?”
“It's true, that little boy that died last year, it is said that he was found in wondering around beside the new highway. If you don't believe me, go talk to his mother...”
That was quite a curious thing to hear, something that instantly gained Cloud's curiosity since it wasn't the first time he has heard of it. The dead coming back to life? Was it possible? He knew better than to start questioning the unbelievable, no matter how crazy it sounded. As his thoughts started to float back towards Zack and now Aerith, he was brought out of his thoughts by sudden tapping on his shoulder. “Hm?”
“The man is indeed staying here. I will sign and take the package for him.”
“Oh, thank you...” Handing the box to the inn keeper along with a paper that was soon signed and returned, Cloud turned away from the desk and started to head towards the front door, pausing just short of turning the knob. “Is it true....?” He said, turning back towards the elderly keeper. “...What they're saying about the dead...”
“Why? Is there someone you wish to see again?” She asked inquisitively, watching him with a gaze.
“Don't we all?”
“Young man, you hear many things while running a place like this. If you start believing them all, you won't be able to tell the difference between what is real, and what is myth.”
“Oh.... I see...” Feeling slightly disappointed with the answer he received, Cloud just gave her a slight nod before he turned back towards the door, letting in moist cold air as he pulled it ajar. “Have a good night, Ma'am.”
The drive back towards Edge and Midgar seemed to have taken ages. The rain hadn't let up, rather seeming to have gotten worse as he neared home. As the lights of Edge came into view off in the distance, his mind shifted back to what he had heard back at the inn. Cloud had learned that how ever unlikely a situation, nothing was impossible when it came to the Lifestream. Despite this, the rumors of people coming back from the dead, was it really that possible? Sephiroth was able to return, but he wasn't really gone in the first place; was he? Next thing he knew, Cloud had driven through Edge and was on course for the ruins of Midgar. Unlike Edge, Midgar had few functioning lights to speak of, just what is sparsely scattered from salvage crews and Shinra employees. It was hard to believe that only a few years ago that this place was the largest and most populated city on the planet, now it's nothing more than a ghostly remnant of it's former glory.
Dismounting his vehicle, Cloud walked through the gaping hole that once held large double wood doors, entering the church where Aerith once frequented so often while she was alive. Rain water poured in through the large absence where sections of the roof once rested, protecting the interior from nature's onslaught. His boots splashed subtly on the wood floor, water rippling across as he made his way towards the rear of the room. Squinting through the dim light, something caught Cloud's eye, or rather lack of a particular object.
“Where is it...!?”
Believing it fell over, he hurried over to where it once stood. Looking down, a small gasp escaped out between his lips. Zack's Buster sword was missing, taken from it's resting place. Normally the anger that would build in anyone else failed to establish itself within Cloud. In it's place a sharp pain in his chest, forcefully making the blond reach up and clutch onto his shirt. It was incredibly upsetting, how could he let something like this happen? It was a monument to Zack, his dreams, honor and Cloud's memories of him; and now it was gone. Falling down to his knees he reached out and ran his hand across the ground where the sword once stood erect, digging the tips of his fingers into the soft soil.
“I'm sorry Zack... I'm so sorry....”
The time that he spent there seemed to have gone on for an eternity. Finally pulling himself from his resting place on the ground, Cloud walked out of the church into the early morning sunlight, the air moist and cool. A short while later he glanced back over his shoulder, looking as Edge shrunk out of sight. As the bike rumbled on, he passed a sign, Next Left - Junon.[/color]
“... a day I wish had been as fake as the rest....”
“... will it ever leave me in peace....?”
[/right]The rain poured as the motorcycle rumbled along the empty stretch of highway between Edge and Kalm. Business for Strife Delivery Service had been booming as of late, keeping Cloud out late into the night in order to keep up with demand. He didn't mind too much, only problem so far has been his wandering mind; memories of the past resurfacing much more recently. Peering through his goggles, the blond could see Kalm up ahead, it's shimmering lights a welcome beacon of reprieve from the rain. However even the warmth of the inn and promise of hot food would not be enough to calm his mind.
“Sure.... I stopped blaming myself... but... is it enough?”
Bringing Fenrir to a stop in front of the town's inn, Cloud cut power to the engine before dismounting the large bike. His clothes and hair, heavy with precipitation, dripped water down onto the clean wood floor as he walked across the threshold to the front desk. It was bigger than what he remembered, perhaps the town's increase in population was to thank for it.
Ding~ Ding~
In what seemed like an instant, an stout elderly woman appeared out from behind the desk, her back hunched and hair grey with age; cane clicking against the floor as she struggled to make her way towards the delivery boy.
“How may I help you child?” She asked, her voice raspy yet kind at the same time. She smelled of apples.. How odd he thought.
“I'm here to drop off a package. It's for a....” Cloud paused for a moment as he glanced at the label on the box, bewildered by the name he saw. “... a Mister.... Pippinpaddle...” Raising an eyebrow, he returned his focus on the old woman, now looking as if she was trying a little too hard to remember something. “Why I believe that is a man who is staying here. Perhaps I should check my guest list.”
“That would be appreciated.” Patiently, Cloud stood and waited while holding onto the package, miraculously kept dry despite it's long journey in the rain. He was going to have to remember to thank Tifa for ordering him the new delivery bag.
“... but what if it's possible? You've heard the rumors, haven't you?”
“Rumors? What rumors? I've heard nothing about it...”
Glancing over, Cloud saw two older men sitting at a small table near a window, playing cards and chatting away. Not one to eavesdrop, it was hard to not listen in when the topic of conversation was rumors.
“It is said that since the Merge, the dead have started to come back from the grave, just appearing out of thing air!”
“What? You're drunk, aren't you?”
“It's true, that little boy that died last year, it is said that he was found in wondering around beside the new highway. If you don't believe me, go talk to his mother...”
That was quite a curious thing to hear, something that instantly gained Cloud's curiosity since it wasn't the first time he has heard of it. The dead coming back to life? Was it possible? He knew better than to start questioning the unbelievable, no matter how crazy it sounded. As his thoughts started to float back towards Zack and now Aerith, he was brought out of his thoughts by sudden tapping on his shoulder. “Hm?”
“The man is indeed staying here. I will sign and take the package for him.”
“Oh, thank you...” Handing the box to the inn keeper along with a paper that was soon signed and returned, Cloud turned away from the desk and started to head towards the front door, pausing just short of turning the knob. “Is it true....?” He said, turning back towards the elderly keeper. “...What they're saying about the dead...”
“Why? Is there someone you wish to see again?” She asked inquisitively, watching him with a gaze.
“Don't we all?”
“Young man, you hear many things while running a place like this. If you start believing them all, you won't be able to tell the difference between what is real, and what is myth.”
“Oh.... I see...” Feeling slightly disappointed with the answer he received, Cloud just gave her a slight nod before he turned back towards the door, letting in moist cold air as he pulled it ajar. “Have a good night, Ma'am.”
The drive back towards Edge and Midgar seemed to have taken ages. The rain hadn't let up, rather seeming to have gotten worse as he neared home. As the lights of Edge came into view off in the distance, his mind shifted back to what he had heard back at the inn. Cloud had learned that how ever unlikely a situation, nothing was impossible when it came to the Lifestream. Despite this, the rumors of people coming back from the dead, was it really that possible? Sephiroth was able to return, but he wasn't really gone in the first place; was he? Next thing he knew, Cloud had driven through Edge and was on course for the ruins of Midgar. Unlike Edge, Midgar had few functioning lights to speak of, just what is sparsely scattered from salvage crews and Shinra employees. It was hard to believe that only a few years ago that this place was the largest and most populated city on the planet, now it's nothing more than a ghostly remnant of it's former glory.
Dismounting his vehicle, Cloud walked through the gaping hole that once held large double wood doors, entering the church where Aerith once frequented so often while she was alive. Rain water poured in through the large absence where sections of the roof once rested, protecting the interior from nature's onslaught. His boots splashed subtly on the wood floor, water rippling across as he made his way towards the rear of the room. Squinting through the dim light, something caught Cloud's eye, or rather lack of a particular object.
“Where is it...!?”
Believing it fell over, he hurried over to where it once stood. Looking down, a small gasp escaped out between his lips. Zack's Buster sword was missing, taken from it's resting place. Normally the anger that would build in anyone else failed to establish itself within Cloud. In it's place a sharp pain in his chest, forcefully making the blond reach up and clutch onto his shirt. It was incredibly upsetting, how could he let something like this happen? It was a monument to Zack, his dreams, honor and Cloud's memories of him; and now it was gone. Falling down to his knees he reached out and ran his hand across the ground where the sword once stood erect, digging the tips of his fingers into the soft soil.
“I'm sorry Zack... I'm so sorry....”
The time that he spent there seemed to have gone on for an eternity. Finally pulling himself from his resting place on the ground, Cloud walked out of the church into the early morning sunlight, the air moist and cool. A short while later he glanced back over his shoulder, looking as Edge shrunk out of sight. As the bike rumbled on, he passed a sign, Next Left - Junon.[/color]