Categories > Games > Final Fantasy 7 > Reborn
Reborn
Incident 41: Confronting Avoidance
It was midnight when Cloud, having lost his patience, banged on the door to Healin Lodge with Denzel standing beside him, wondering if this was the right choice. The boy tried to trust Tifa and believe she and Marlene really would be alright, but he had his doubts and worried about their safety as well.
The one who opened the door was Reno and as soon as he saw Cloud, his eyes glowed. He searched for a random embarrassing memory to throw at Sephiroth, desperate times call for desperate measures after all, but it didn't work. Sephiroth's bottled up anger had become so strong that not even Reno's strangest thoughts could control it. He slammed the door on Cloud's face.
"Who was it?" Elena's first guess was that it was a lost traveler or maybe someone playing a prank, perhaps someone selling insurance, despite the late hour of the night.
"Cloud..." Reno's eyes glowed brighter.
"Let me in!" Cloud knocked hard on the door again. "Let me in or I'll knock down this door!"
"I can't take this... Seph... can't hold back..." Reno closed his eyes tightly and fought to stay in control.
"Just a minute Cloud, I'll be right there!" Elena called then looked at the troubled Reno. "Rude, come here quick!" The silent man rushed over, "take Reno away from here, we need to keep him far from Cloud." Rude nodded and dragged his partner away, while Elena went to open the door, "hi, Cloud, Denzel, what brings you here?" She noted that Cloud's nose was red and flat. "What happened to your nose?"
"Reno," Cloud growled, "where did he go?"
"He had to... run some errands," Elena made up an excuse.
"In the middle of the night?" Cloud looked suspicious.
"A Turk's job is never done," Elena laughed nervously.
"Never mind, where are Tifa and Marlene?" Cloud went past Elena, towards the sound of laughter that in his worry sounded cruel and evil to him, even if it was happy and cheerful. Denzel quickly followed.
"Coming in like that, how rude," Elena closed the door and followed the two new arrivals. "Everyone is perfectly fine as you can see."
Cloud stared at the scene. Tifa, Marlene and the three silver haired terrors were playing video games. "Tifa!"
"Marlene!" Called Denzel.
The girls looked at them, exchanged glances and finally Tifa asked, "what are you doing here?"
"We were worried!" Cloud rushed to her side, to be blocked by Loz and Kadaj.
"You're not stealing her!" Kadaj warned.
"Yeah, we won't let you and neither will daddy!" Added Loz.
Denzel looked at Marlene and Yazoo blocked his path, "don't think of it."
Kadaj joined him, "Marlene is staying too!"
The silver haired boys looked at each other and nodded, they took deep breaths and called out, "daddy!"
"Stop that, there's no need to yell, what's wrong?" Elena looked at the boys, but found nothing visibly wrong with them; this must all be because they thought Cloud and Denzel would take Tifa and Marlene away.
Rufus woke up and ran towards the game room, soon followed by Tseng who also heard the commotion. "What is it? What's wrong?" Rufus looked at the boys, seeing no injuries, then looked at Elena searching for answers.
"They don't like Cloud very much," Elena correctly concluded.
"Tseng," Rufus spoke.
Tseng nodded, "Cloud, I need to speak to you," the Turk leader spoke with a tone of voice that left no room for argument, thus Cloud silently followed him away.
"Is uncle Tseng scolding Cloud?" Kadaj grinned in satisfaction, as did his brothers.
"Yes, he is," Rufus assured. "You three play nice, alright? Be good and don't cry anymore." The boys nodded and Rufus thought about going back to sleep since it was actually night time now, but he had caught up on sleep during the day and didn't feel tired anymore, that was the end of his precise biological clock. "I should catch up with my Shinra duties. Elena, load the proper files into my computer, review the contracts, detail my schedule, go over the plans, let's get to work." Needles to say, Elena wasn't happy with Rufus' sudden burst of working energy.
xoxox xox xoxox
Just outside Healin Lodge, Tseng and Cloud stood under the clear star filled sky. "Listen, Cloud, I think you need to be nice to the boys, earn their trust, I'm sure Rufus will forgive you then and end the blockade on your delivery service."
"I don't know what evil plans Shinra has, but I won't take any chances. Those boys are too much like the remnants by the same names," Cloud argued.
"They're Rufus' children, interpret that however you want, but they are his sons. Do you like being judged by your past? We Turks are good at doing research; the name of Administrative Research doesn't come in vain," Tseng watched Cloud's expression become invaded by a worry that would grow with every word. "I know about Zack Fair, the man who gave his life for you, do you think people should be judged by past? If you go by your suspicions and judge those boys, not that I'm confirming anything, and also judge Shinra, it's only fair to judge yourself too. What about Aeris? Do you believe your hands are completely clean? Do you think you have the rights to judge others? You can only be forgiven if you forgive."
Cloud was shocked to silence, the full force of his guilt washing over him all over again. His gaze went blank and he stared off into space with unfocused eyes. Everything was white, endless nothingness.
"Be strong," a man's voice.
"And have faith," a woman's voice.
Cloud woke up from his vision, the whiteness changing back into the darkness of the night, illuminated by the light filtering out through Healin Lodge's windows and the shining stars above.
"Cloud?" Tseng wondered if he put a little too much pressure on him, he looked as if he had been spirited away for a second there.
Cloud regained his focus and realized where he was. 'Be strong and have faith', those were the words of Zack and Aeris, their voices unmistakable in Cloud's mind. "Fine, I won't do anything, but they better stay out of trouble."
"Fair enough..." Tseng accepted, that was easier said than done, but as the old saying goes, you're not in trouble unless you get caught, that was another rule of the Turks.
To be Continued
Disclaimer, I don't own Final Fantasy VII.
Incident 41: Confronting Avoidance
It was midnight when Cloud, having lost his patience, banged on the door to Healin Lodge with Denzel standing beside him, wondering if this was the right choice. The boy tried to trust Tifa and believe she and Marlene really would be alright, but he had his doubts and worried about their safety as well.
The one who opened the door was Reno and as soon as he saw Cloud, his eyes glowed. He searched for a random embarrassing memory to throw at Sephiroth, desperate times call for desperate measures after all, but it didn't work. Sephiroth's bottled up anger had become so strong that not even Reno's strangest thoughts could control it. He slammed the door on Cloud's face.
"Who was it?" Elena's first guess was that it was a lost traveler or maybe someone playing a prank, perhaps someone selling insurance, despite the late hour of the night.
"Cloud..." Reno's eyes glowed brighter.
"Let me in!" Cloud knocked hard on the door again. "Let me in or I'll knock down this door!"
"I can't take this... Seph... can't hold back..." Reno closed his eyes tightly and fought to stay in control.
"Just a minute Cloud, I'll be right there!" Elena called then looked at the troubled Reno. "Rude, come here quick!" The silent man rushed over, "take Reno away from here, we need to keep him far from Cloud." Rude nodded and dragged his partner away, while Elena went to open the door, "hi, Cloud, Denzel, what brings you here?" She noted that Cloud's nose was red and flat. "What happened to your nose?"
"Reno," Cloud growled, "where did he go?"
"He had to... run some errands," Elena made up an excuse.
"In the middle of the night?" Cloud looked suspicious.
"A Turk's job is never done," Elena laughed nervously.
"Never mind, where are Tifa and Marlene?" Cloud went past Elena, towards the sound of laughter that in his worry sounded cruel and evil to him, even if it was happy and cheerful. Denzel quickly followed.
"Coming in like that, how rude," Elena closed the door and followed the two new arrivals. "Everyone is perfectly fine as you can see."
Cloud stared at the scene. Tifa, Marlene and the three silver haired terrors were playing video games. "Tifa!"
"Marlene!" Called Denzel.
The girls looked at them, exchanged glances and finally Tifa asked, "what are you doing here?"
"We were worried!" Cloud rushed to her side, to be blocked by Loz and Kadaj.
"You're not stealing her!" Kadaj warned.
"Yeah, we won't let you and neither will daddy!" Added Loz.
Denzel looked at Marlene and Yazoo blocked his path, "don't think of it."
Kadaj joined him, "Marlene is staying too!"
The silver haired boys looked at each other and nodded, they took deep breaths and called out, "daddy!"
"Stop that, there's no need to yell, what's wrong?" Elena looked at the boys, but found nothing visibly wrong with them; this must all be because they thought Cloud and Denzel would take Tifa and Marlene away.
Rufus woke up and ran towards the game room, soon followed by Tseng who also heard the commotion. "What is it? What's wrong?" Rufus looked at the boys, seeing no injuries, then looked at Elena searching for answers.
"They don't like Cloud very much," Elena correctly concluded.
"Tseng," Rufus spoke.
Tseng nodded, "Cloud, I need to speak to you," the Turk leader spoke with a tone of voice that left no room for argument, thus Cloud silently followed him away.
"Is uncle Tseng scolding Cloud?" Kadaj grinned in satisfaction, as did his brothers.
"Yes, he is," Rufus assured. "You three play nice, alright? Be good and don't cry anymore." The boys nodded and Rufus thought about going back to sleep since it was actually night time now, but he had caught up on sleep during the day and didn't feel tired anymore, that was the end of his precise biological clock. "I should catch up with my Shinra duties. Elena, load the proper files into my computer, review the contracts, detail my schedule, go over the plans, let's get to work." Needles to say, Elena wasn't happy with Rufus' sudden burst of working energy.
xoxox xox xoxox
Just outside Healin Lodge, Tseng and Cloud stood under the clear star filled sky. "Listen, Cloud, I think you need to be nice to the boys, earn their trust, I'm sure Rufus will forgive you then and end the blockade on your delivery service."
"I don't know what evil plans Shinra has, but I won't take any chances. Those boys are too much like the remnants by the same names," Cloud argued.
"They're Rufus' children, interpret that however you want, but they are his sons. Do you like being judged by your past? We Turks are good at doing research; the name of Administrative Research doesn't come in vain," Tseng watched Cloud's expression become invaded by a worry that would grow with every word. "I know about Zack Fair, the man who gave his life for you, do you think people should be judged by past? If you go by your suspicions and judge those boys, not that I'm confirming anything, and also judge Shinra, it's only fair to judge yourself too. What about Aeris? Do you believe your hands are completely clean? Do you think you have the rights to judge others? You can only be forgiven if you forgive."
Cloud was shocked to silence, the full force of his guilt washing over him all over again. His gaze went blank and he stared off into space with unfocused eyes. Everything was white, endless nothingness.
"Be strong," a man's voice.
"And have faith," a woman's voice.
Cloud woke up from his vision, the whiteness changing back into the darkness of the night, illuminated by the light filtering out through Healin Lodge's windows and the shining stars above.
"Cloud?" Tseng wondered if he put a little too much pressure on him, he looked as if he had been spirited away for a second there.
Cloud regained his focus and realized where he was. 'Be strong and have faith', those were the words of Zack and Aeris, their voices unmistakable in Cloud's mind. "Fine, I won't do anything, but they better stay out of trouble."
"Fair enough..." Tseng accepted, that was easier said than done, but as the old saying goes, you're not in trouble unless you get caught, that was another rule of the Turks.
To be Continued
Disclaimer, I don't own Final Fantasy VII.
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