Return of the Turks Part 1
An Old Friend
By Brendan Rowan
Cloud sat calmly in an old chair fingering his sword. After defeating Sephiroth, he'd had more time to think about his future and personal life. Returning to being a mercernary was out of the question, he couldn't be so detatched from emotion again. Or maybe he should be.
"If I was an emotionless drone, like I was, I wouldn't suffer like I did when Aeris died" He thought out loud. "Ah, but lo...
A swift and surprisingly ferocious knock on the door inturrupted his train of thought.
"What?" He asked, annoyed.
"Damn, Cloud, just me, God." Came a gruff yet friendly voice from beyond the door.
"Barret!?" Cloud gasped, his voice full of disbelief. He hadn't seen Barret in several years.
"Who the hell else!?" Barret he said as he, without invitation barged into Cloud's house.
"What brings you here Barret?" Cloud asked.
"Just thought I'd stop by and see you and Tifa, take a break from all the work over at Midgar."
Barret, Cid, and Red XIII were all working to restore Midgar. Barret worked harder than all the others and needed a break badly. Besides that, Cloud was glad to see him.
"Tifa's in her old house, 'trying to make things more homely'." Cloud said.
"What! You two still haven't gotten together! Cloud I swear, there's not many a better woman on the face of the planet, seize the oppotunity!"
Cloud sighed. He knew he was right, Tifa was beautiful, smart, determined, she loved him, and he loved her. But he doubted he would ever tell her that, not after Aeris died. It was his way of telling her he'd never forget her. Never.
"Hell, you know I'm right! Anyway I'm gonna go talk t'her, see ya."
With that Barret walked out into the bright sun and ever sunny town of Nibleheim. Ever sunny, except for once. Memories flew back at Cloud like meteors. Sephiroth, Shinra Mako Reactors,SOLDIER, they'd started the ruination of everything he'd loved. But all that was over, it couldn't be reversed, There ain't no gettin' offa this train we're on'.
Cloud stood up and laid down Ultima Weapon. With a sigh he headed out the door to Tifa's house, hoping, praying, that he would find his true self.