Everything was silent. Rain trickled down Cloud's face and his body tingled, sore and pained. He wondered if he was still alive, or if Tifa had survived the fall. The boy moved his head slightly to find her next to him lying face down in the damp earth. He opened his mouth to ask if she was okay. No words moved from his lips. Only gasps of air. He lifted his torso and sat up. To his surprise he wasn't severely hurt, aside from the minor cuts and bruises on his face and arms. The only serious wound was to his left knee, which was bleeding profusely. Tifa seemed worst off. Her blue dress was tattered and drenched with black dirt and blood. There was a serious gash on her forehead bleeding like a rushing stream. The girl's body laid in an awkward position with her legs and arms tangled in the freezing mud. Cloud began to crawl to her slowly. His body, shivering from the cold, inched its way to his fallen friend.

"Oh my God, Tifa!" a voice screeched in horror. Cloud saw two forms approach from out of the mist of the rain. One man was Tifa's father and the other was Strago, the old man who ran the Item Shop. Both adults had been looking for the missing children for three hours. Cloud had come out of his unconsciousness just in time to see their rescue team. Tifa's father immediately rushed to his daughter who was spread across the wet ground. He lifted her wilted body in his arms.

Strago towered over Cloud with an unyielding gaze, "I know you had something to do with this, boy. What the hell is your problem? Trouble always follows you. Look at Tifa." He points to her as the father held the body, "If she dies its you're fault for being so damn careless. What the hell were you thinking for bringing her here, boy? On the day of her mother's death of all days."

With all that said, Strago left Cloud in the mud and walked to Tifa's father who had already begun to walk back to Nibelheim. The father cried as he held his daughter's lifeless body, fearing he would lose his entire family in one day. The rain was ceaseless and it came crashing down on Cloud as he lay shivering in a puddle. Lightning flashed repetitively followed by the cataclysmic blare of thunder from the black void up above. Cloud started crying because it was just then he realized he was truly alone.

Some time had passed before Cloud finally dragged himself out of the mud and headed home. He limped his way leisurely to Nibelheim. He wasn't in any rush to get back for the reason he feared the other villagers would be as mean as the old man Strago had been. Cloud didn't understand why Strago was so hard on him. It wasn't his idea to climb the mountain. He hung his head in shame, "If only I was stronger. I could've saved Tifa. If I wasn't so weak!" Cloud said to himself.

From afar, Cloud saw the twinkling lights of the street lamps in Nibelheim. The rain finally calmed its onslaught on the town. The slight drizzle was a welcome. Cloud's left leg throbbed with pain from the wound. He only wished to get home and fall asleep. Night had fallen by the time Cloud reached the hard pavement of the town streets. As he walked the long stretch of road he saw a small crowd of children gathered outside Tifa's house. Cloud hoped to make it inside his domicile without being noticed by the horde. At that juncture, he saw a boy point in his direction. Every head present turned to Cloud. A thousand scornful eyes cursed at his existence. Each eye blaming him for Tifa's ill-fated accident. Everyone now despised Cloud. Nobody knew the truth. That it was Tifa's idea to climb Nibel Mountain, and Cloud followed her because he feared for her safety. He felt obligated to protect her. Locke, Sabin, Edgar, and Relm knew the truth, but failed to enlighten the rest of the town. They, too, were part of the circle staring down Cloud. He stopped for a moment to return an icy gaze to his opponents. Cloud began to feel fatigued and dizzy. He shook his head a bit, and walked through the threshold of his house.

His mother heard the door close. She came rushing to Cloud.

"Cloud! Where have you been!" she screamed, "Do you know…" She stopped hollering and finally noticed her son's condition. His blond hair hung ragged and wet. His once-white shirt was now ripped and dirt brown, with his face looking equally filthy. Blood dripped from his torn knee onto the shinning living room floor. His mother's anger turned to concern for her injured baby. She lifted Cloud into her arms and quickly moved him to the bathroom to clean her boy and tend his wounds. The mother took his soaking wet clothes off and put him in a soothing hot bath. Cloud sat slightly hunched forward as his mother gently scrubbed him clean. Cloud said nothing. He hadn't talked since he arrived home. Having his mother take care of him made him feel better.

"What were you doing with Tifa so far in Nibel Mountain?" she asked softly, "You know I told you never to go there."

Cloud didn't respond. He wanted to tell her what really happened. Maybe then his own mother would be more understanding about the situation, but Cloud thought there was no point in explaining it to her. It wasn't going to make anything easier for him. Tifa would still be critically injured, the townspeople would still blame him for the accident, and he would still be as weak as he was that afternoon. Cloud didn't bother wasting his breath.

"What happened?" she asked.

Cloud didn't respond. His mother started washing his hair. The shampoo suds ran down his head, stinging the cuts on his face.

"I'm relieved you're not too hurt. You walked away from the fall with just an injured knee. It's a nasty cut, but I'll take care of it," her face turned distressed, "I only wish Tifa was as fortunate as you. She was unconscious when they brought her back to the village. She hasn't woken up since. Poor girl is in a coma. Nobody knows when she'll come out of it."

Hearing the news made Cloud feel worse.

After soaking in the tub for a while, his mother pulled him out and dried the boy. She dressed him and rubbed some mimett greens on his wounded knee, then wrapped it in a bandage.

"There, that should help it heal faster," his mother said. "Is the bandage too tight?"

Cloud shook his head.

"What's wrong? You haven't spoken a single word since you walked in. Did you injure your throat?"

"I can talk," Cloud said in almost a whisper.

His mother gave him an affectionate smile, "Its okay. If you don't want to talk I'll understand. You've had a rough day. Its not easy seeing a friend get hurt."

After wrapping his leg up, she carried her son to his bed and tucked him in. As he began to fall asleep she gently stroked his cheek followed by a kiss on the forehead. His mother silently crept away to leave the boy in peace. He didn't fall asleep right away. Cloud let out a long mournful sigh, closed his eyes, and hoped Tifa would be fine by the next morning.

Chapter 4

To Cloud's dismay, Tifa never awoke the next morning. She laid in deep coma. Days turned into weeks with no progress in her condition. Everybody blamed Cloud for this unfortunate turn of events. Cloud refused to defend himself. He believed there was no reason to explain himself to anybody. The boy knew what the real story was, and that was good enough for him. As a result of his silence the story went on as saying it was Cloud's idea to play on Nibel Mountain pressuring Tifa to go along with him. The alleged story was accepted as fact and that's how it stayed.

Tension had risen between Tifa's friends (all the children in the village) and Cloud. Angry at his indifferent attitude, some kids began to talk bad about Cloud and spread damaging rumors. Others openly insulted him as he walked the streets, shouting offensive comments. The cruelty went on for weeks until one day the situation became insurmountable.

It was the fifth week of Tifa's coma. Things looked bleak for the girl. The town feared she might never wake. That morning, Cloud went on an errand for his mother to get some gysahl herbs for seasoning. As he made his way to the Item Shop, Cloud noticed a trio of teenagers leer at his presence. The boy's skin crawled as he felt their eyes scrutinize his every movement. Without prior notice, the teens had begun following him. Cloud was intimidated by their hostile appearance, and feared they were going to ambush him. As his pace picked up, so did theirs. Fortunately, he made it to the shop before either of them could pull alongside him.

Strago was working that morning. He gave Cloud the same piercing gaze he had once bestowed back on Nibel Mountain. Strago was a miserable old man who held grudges and resented life itself. He detained malicious feelings for Cloud because he believed it was the boy's fault Tifa was presently in a coma.

Cloud walked to the counter and asked, "Can I get some gysahl herbs?"

Strago reached under the counter, grabbed a small bag of the herbs and rudely slammed it in front of Cloud's face on the counter.

"That'll be a hundred Gil," Strago coldly said.

Cloud handed him the money and took his merchandise. Before he left, Cloud glimpsed out of the shop window. The teens following him were gone. Cloud was filled with anxiety as he walked back to his house. He had a feeling they were still out somewhere. Cloud felt an unknown force aggressively tackle him to the concrete pavement. He laid face down on the floor struggling with no success. The boy was then lifted up to his feet and abruptly put into a chokehold by one his attackers. They were the three teenagers that had been shadowing him earlier. Their names were Bartz, Faris, and the one holding him, Galuf.

"You don't look so tough now!" Bartz said punching Cloud in his rib cage. It felt like a mule had kicked him in his side. Cloud would've collapsed if hadn't been for Galuf holding him to his feet.

"This one's for Tifa!" Faris said spinning around and giving a full roundhouse kick to Cloud's face. The momentum from the kick knocked Cloud out of Galuf's grip and to the floor. He was dazed and bleeding from the mouth. Cloud's vision was blurred. As his eyes focused he saw Strago observing from his Item Shop window. The old man found a morbid sense of pleasure in seeing Cloud get what he deserved. The three teenagers began kicking and stepping on his already beaten body.

"Let's see how you like to be in a coma! You filthy imp!" Galuf said, stepping on Cloud with his boot heel.

"Why'd you have to force Tifa to go up the mountain?" Faris said, kicking him in the stomach.

Cloud rolled his body into a tight ball. He ground his teeth and shut his eyes, bracing himself for wave after wave of kicks. The abuse was endless. Cloud prayed with all his might that they'd get tired and leave him alone. His prayer went unanswered.

Cloud's mom slowly stirred the vegetable stew as the salty steam rose from the black pot. She took a sip from the wooden spoon and realized it needed more seasoning. She wondered what was taking her son so long to get the gysahl herbs.

"Here're the herbs," Cloud said.

She turned to see Cloud standing with a bloody lip and clothes dirty from his jeans to his collar. He placed the herbs on the table and walked towards his room. His mother followed him, troubled by his current form.

"Cloud, aren't you going to tell me what happened?" she asked, concerned.

He stopped in the middle of the flight of stairs, "Those jerks, Bartz, Faris, and Galuf jumped me."

"What? They're twice your size, and twice your age," she said, "Why, Cloud?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, mom."

"I know why. Because they're cowards!" she said furiously, "Grown boys picking on a six year old is coward's work!" His mother rushed to the front door, "I'll take care of this!"

"What are you going to do, mom?" Cloud asked. But she had already left.

Cloud went to his room to lie in his bed. As his eyes scrolled the ceiling of the room, sounds of people arguing outside interrupted his train of thought. The mother had gone outside to confront the children who attacked her son. The arguing stopped for a moment.

"Cloud, come downstairs!" His mother yelled from below.

He followed her voice to the front door. With her stood the parents of the three teenagers.

A heavy man with a thick beard strutted to Cloud, "Did our boy's rough you up?"

"Yes, sir," Cloud said in a low tone.

"That's all I needed to know," the man said, leaving with the other parents.

The mother of one of the teenagers said, "I'm sorry this happened, Mrs. Strife," before taking leave.

Cloud gave his mother an imply look, "Why'd you have to make a big deal about it?"

"But…" Cloud's mom began to say. He didn't stay to hear her explanation. The boy marched his way back to the room. Cloud threw himself onto his bed and went to sleep.

It was the middle of the night when he woke up. Cloud had gone to sleep too early and now was unable to get back to his slumber. He quietly left the house for some fresh night air and to reflect on his life. The moon was bright and silver, surrounded by the blackness of the sky. Cloud stopped in front of Tifa's house. It had been a month since he had seen her last. A month since she flashed her amber eyes, or her cheerful smile. Cloud observed the area to see if any person was there. The streets were deserted. He rushed to her home and began climbing the drainpipe. Cloud ascended the drainpipe until he made it next to Tifa's bedroom window. He lightly pushed it, and, to his surprise, the window opened. Cloud crept into Tifa's room like a thief in the night. He saw the girl lay peacefully in her bed. The moonlight shined its radiant glow over the dormant child. It was as if a gorgeous angel lay before him. Her face was pale like milk, and her eyelids were lavender. Cloud knelt beside her.

"Tifa…" he said hoping the girl would respond. She didn't.

"If I wasn't so weak I could've saved you. You would still be laughing and having fun. And I wouldn't be hated by all your friends," Cloud sighed, "You were my only friend and I couldn't even save you."

His mouth began to hurt as he talked. The split lip he received from the kick to his face had become swollen. "I'm ashamed of being weak," he stopped for a moment to choke back his tears. "From this day on, I'm going to do my best to be strong, I promise. Nobody will ever pick on me, and if they do… I'll beat the crap out of them. You watch. And when you come out of your coma… 'cause I know you will. You're strong. And when you wake up, I'll never let you fall again, I promise."

Tifa's bedroom door opened. The silhouette of her father stood at the entrance like a night watchman. He walked to her bedside. His face twisted to a frowned and said, "Oh, Tifa, I thought I heard a voice. I hoped it was yours." He stooped his head and slinked out of the room.

Cloud had made it back outside and hung tightly to the drainpipe. With her father gone, he took one last peek into Tifa's room, and climbed down house. He went back to his bed and slept peacefully. Knowing the next day things would change forever.

Chapter 5

The following day started as any other. Cloud woke up to his breakfast, his mother expressed her love for him, and then he went outside to see what kind of activities he could do by himself. As he passed by the water tower, three figures loomed from behind the structure.

"If it ain't the filthy pixie," one of them said.

It was Faris, Bartz, and Galuf.

Bartz advanced on Cloud with his shoulders high, "My old man gave me a whoopin' yesterday for beatin' your pathetic ass."

Faris followed Bartz baring his teeth, "We were trying to avenge Tifa, and your mom had to come bitchin' to our parents. All of us had a whoopin' for doing the town a good deed."

Galuf followed as well, "We did you a favor by not beating you into a bloody pulp."

Cloud gave them a cruel stare and said in his most defiant voice, "You're nothing but turds. It took three of you to take one of me."

Enraged, Bartz bum rushed Cloud into the side of the tower knocking him to the floor. Cloud reached for a nearby wooden plank. As Bartz was ready to step on his head, Cloud swung the plank to the teenager's side. Bartz collapsed holding his abdomen in severe pain. Like a sudden reflex, Cloud sprung up and sent a swift hit with the plank to Bartz's head. The teen lay motionless in a fetal position. Galuf came to Bartz's aid wrestling the weapon from Cloud. Galuf put him in a headlock squeezing hard with rage. The boy's eyes rolled to the back of his head as the oxygen was slowly severed from his brain. Faris took a quick jab at Cloud's face. With all his might, Cloud kicked Faris several yards into a barrel. Galuf cried in agony as Cloud bit his forearm. Blood gushed on his face as the young man dropped him.

Cloud saw Faris running towards him. He picked up his fallen plank and struck Faris dead in his chest as he came hurling down the street. He fell to the floor with a hard "THUD!" Cloud thought he had the battle won until Galuf tackled him from behind. Both rolled in the dirt furiously brawling. Cloud head butted Galuf several times weakening him. He took his opponents' hands, pushing the fingers back with all his might. Galuf's resistance was too great so Cloud head butted him one last time. Galuf's nose burst with blood followed by his fingers snapping backwards to his wrist. Galuf's cry was loud and ear blistering as his fingers hung by just the skins. Somebody grabbed Cloud from behind. He swung his arms frantically believing it was Faris or Bartz.

"Cloud! Stop it! Stop it!"

It was his mother. She hade seen the fight from afar and had come to stop the feud. Cloud calmed down. He looked around to find everyone in the village had observed the fight. They all gawked at the carnage like spectators. Blood dripped down Cloud's face to his white shirt.

"What were you thinking, Cloud? What?" the mother asked.

He just looked at her. His hazel eyes were empty and bitter. His blood soaked face was featureless with no hint of emotion. The mocking and harassment from the children had taken its toll on him. His mother knew Cloud had snapped, and knew her son would never be the same again. She lifted young Cloud in her arms and embraced her child. The onlookers stepped aside as she made it through the crowd carrying her brave little warrior home.

Chapter 6

After seven weeks of being in a coma, Tifa opened her glittering amber eyes. The town of Nibelheim cheered in one glorious voice as she woke from her slumber. There was a massive festival held for Tifa to celebrate her good health. Cloud was overjoyed when he heard Tifa had at last woken up, but he didn't attend the festivities. For the last two weeks of Tifa's coma, Cloud had been in and out fights with the children of the town. He never walked away from a challenge. Cloud wanted to see her, but didn't want any altercations with anybody. So he didn't go. Instead, he spent that night outside the village on the Nibel Plains. What he didn't know was that Tifa had followed him outside the town.

Cloud was surprised to find that she had left her own party to be with him. She asked him why he hadn't attended the celebration. Tifa was under the impression he didn't care about her. He explained to her the situation about all the fights he was involved in, and how he was blamed for her accident. Tifa understood his problem, but when Cloud mentioned the incident on Nibel Mountain she didn't know what he was talking about. The severe blow to her head erased any memory she had of that day. Cloud didn't go into any details about that event. He was happy just to see her smile again. They spent the whole night gazing up at the stars talking about nothing in particular.

As the years past, Cloud still got into fights and kept to himself. His friendship with Tifa evolved on the other hand. They talked more than before, but Cloud refused to play with her friends. Therefore, he only made contact with the girl when she was alone. Tifa developed special feelings for Cloud during that time. She began to care about him, and saw a side of him few people knew existed. Cloud had become anti-social and emotionally closed off. Tifa was the only one he would associate himself with. As a result, Tifa felt she had a bond with him no one else could have ever reached. They were less than lovers, but more than friends.

Chapter 7

Since Cloud was three years old, there had been a war raging on between the city of Midgar and the small continent of Wutai. The Shinra Corporation, whose main headquarters was in Midgar, tried to take over Wutai by forcing them to accept Mako Energy. Wutai refused to accept the alternative source of energy. Doing so would allow Shinra to establish a monopoly in their home. Shinra stationed troops on Wutai and refused to withdraw them until a deal was secured that would make the Mako Energy mainstream on the small continent. The people of Wutai grew tired of Shinra's presence and began an operation of guerilla warfare to drive the foreigners out. Shinra responded by sending the Midgar military, the largest military in the world at the time, to put down the rebels. What started as a minor inconvenience for Shinra developed into a full-fledged war that claimed the lives of millions.

Out of all the stories that came out of the war, the tale of Sephiroth was legendary. Sephiroth was a member of SOLDIER, an elite group of warriors that worked alongside with the Shinra Corporation to protect the company's interests. Only the most fierce and strongest warriors could join, and Sephiroth was the greatest there ever was. He commanded hundreds of troops at a time, devastating the land of Wutai. He waved his Masamune sword, an invincible weapon only Sephiroth had been able to master, on the battlefield utterly destroying any unfortunate soul that happened to stray in its path. Sephiroth had a power unseen and unrivaled by anyone at that time. To the people in Nibelheim, he was a living legend. All the children had dreams of becoming as powerful as the Great Sephiroth, but Cloud was the only one with the motivation to join SOLDIER.

At the age of fourteen, Cloud made a decision that would affect the rest of his life. He felt the need to share his news with somebody he trusted.

It was a cold night in Nibelheim. Tifa lay sound asleep in her bed. She suddenly heard a persistent tapping on her window. Slightly annoyed, the girl stumbled out of bed and to the window. She soon discovered it was Cloud hanging from the drainpipe tapping on the glass. She opened the shutter.

"Cloud? What are you doing hanging from my window?" she asked.

"Meet me on the water tower. I need to tell you something tonight," Cloud said.

"Why? What's wrong?" Tifa asked.

"Nothing's wrong… Get ready, and meet me on top of the water tower." Upon saying that, Cloud descended the drainpipe.

Tifa was left wondering what their discussion was all about.

The night sky glittered with stars as the pale moon illuminated the town. Cloud began to get cold as he sat on the edge of the water tower, and feared Tifa wasn't about to show.

"Sorry I'm late," a soft voice said from behind him. Tifa had finally arrived. She slowly strutted to the end of the platform where she sat next to the boy.

"You said you wanted to say something," Tifa said.

Cloud didn't say anything right away.

"Come this spring… I'm leaving this town for Midgar."

"All the boys are leaving the town," Tifa said sadly.

"But I'm different from all of them," Cloud began to say, "I'm not just going to find a job. I want to join SOLDIER. I'm going to the best there is, like Sephiroth."

"Sephiroth… The Great Sephiroth," Tifa said with hint of sarcasm.

A slight breeze blew through Tifa's hair waving it like a silk curtain.

"Isn't it hard to join SOLDIER?" she asked.

Cloud nodded his head, "I probably won't be able to come back to this town for awhile."

Tifa sighed sorrowfully, "If you join, will you have to fight in the war?"

"Probably," Cloud answered.

Tifa lowered her head to wipe away a tear that had been running down her cheek. The sudden fear of Cloud dying in combat, and losing him forever, swept through her body. The girl took a deep breath and asked, "Will you be in the newspaper if you do well?"

"I'll try," Cloud responded.

It became silent.

Tifa looked at Cloud with her glassy eyes and said, "Hey, why don't we make a promise? Umm, if you get really famous, and I'm ever in a bind… you come save me, all right?"

"What?" Cloud asked

"Whenever I'm in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me. I want to experience that once," Tifa said.

Cloud didn't respond.

"Come on. Promise me!" she said.

"All right," Cloud said with all sincerity, "I promise."

They both gazed up to the sky to witness a star shooting across the heavens. That star would be what sealed their promise until the time had come to live up to it.