Enigma

Enigma

Rated: R, Violence, Language, Gore


Author: CloudyFire


To The Path We Go

Naruto shot his head up, letting his blonde spiky hair fly into his face. “How do you know Cloud.” He said in a hurry only realizing his mistake a little too late.

“Ah so you are familiar with Strife.” Reno said staring into blue eyes as his hand idly swished the contents inside the glass. “Did you know Blondie has some friends in high places?” Reno went on before Naruto could protest.

“But you already know that yourself am I right. Than again you might not.” Reno said. Growling softly Naruto leaned his upper body across the counter and whispered harshly.

“What do you want Reno.” He was tired of these pointless questions.

“I’ve found another thing strange.”Reno went on ignoring Naruto’s last question as he too leaned in towards the infuriated blonde.

“You Naruto, do not exist in any real records, there all fake.” Stunned Naruto could do nothing but stand there as Reno had drained his glass got up and left just as quickly as he had come in. Right beside the empty glass was a white plain note.

Gabbing it Naruto stuffed it in his pocket not even glancing at the harmless note as he finished up his shift hand’s shaking all the while.

The second part of the program dealt with even more History, Science, and English. They could start using a little materia but that was the only plus side. They had more weapon training where they actually got to pick their own choice in weapons, Cloud of course would grab the sword. They also interacted with the regular military. Meaning they had to take even more classes and they had to get signed up in the military branch. Implying they were now official military personal, so if they didn’t pass the second part of Solider, they still would be in the military.

They had also found out that all cadets needed to work for the military itself, so on top of training they were also guarding and doing random scouting. Cloud hated it, he hadn’t singed up for the military wanting to wear there blue uniforms, he had singed up to be a Solider. Not stand around on guard duty in the wee hours of the night. When he knew he would have to wake up in a few short hours to go to class then go guard all over again.

Zack had also commented that he had hated it when they also made him do sentry duty, that only made Cloud feel a little better. Maybe the great General Sephiroth had to be a guard too. Right now the blond was walking down a white hallway to get to his room. He had just got back from guarding and wanted nothing more but to crash in his bed and fall asleep. Distantly hearing an echoing of foot steps Cloud opted to ignore it.

“Hey Cloudy.” He heard, Cloud grounded his teeth, he hated that nickname.

“Hey wait up Spikes.” Said the voice again.

No Cloud corrected he hated that nickname even worse. Sighing in resignation Cloud stopped and waited for Zack to catch up. His tense back towards the man running down the hallway like an eleven year old.

“What do you want now Fair.” Cloud said irritated.

“What you think I want anything.” Zack said casually until he saw the look that Cloud was giving him. Laughing a little Zack went on.

“Right you know me to well. We are one short a guard and I just so happen to know a guard in the military that was pretty good. So your coming with me Chocobo Spikes.” Zack said already turning around to leave.

Nearly crying Cloud also turned and followed, like Zack had known he was going to. If you were in the military and a superior said you were going you were going no questions asked. Cloud turned his head a little looking at his room, he was so close too.

“So where are we going.” Cloud said once he was in step with Zack.

“We are to go to Nibelhiem and take care of a reactor that’s been acting up, and you are to be apart of the guard unit for Sephiroth.” Zack said.

Cloud choked and stopped dead. All he had heard was going to Nibelhiem his home. He couldn’t go now, he hadn’t become a Solider yet. It was still too early to go back home, he had to prove to everyone there that he could become something that he did have the will power. But now he was going back and dressed like this, a military grunt.

He couldn’t do that even if he tried to explain to them that his training was not complete. They wouldn’t probably believe it. “Wait what about Naruto.” Cloud said. He couldn’t just leave without saying anything besides maybe the other wanted to come along and see the village again.

“We have too leave, no it’s a quick no nonsense mission, you can write to him.” Seeing Cloud’s expression Zack sighed. “It will only be a couple of days and when we get back we can all celebrate.” He finished already heading out.

“Hey Chocobo what’s wrong.” He heard Zack say. Looking up Cloud saw that Zack was already far ahead waiting for Cloud to catch up.

”Don’t call me that.” He said in irritation, no he had found an even worse nickname it seemed. Pushing everything aside Cloud started to walk again dreading each and every step.

When he had caught up Zack gave the blonde a one side stare before leading them out of the complex and heading right. Clouds mind was so full of fright and chaotic thinking that he had almost past the trucks. Stopping automatically, he took in the sight. There were three army green trucks with people already aboard. One of the trucks was filled with nothing up equipment, like tents, guns, water, and food.

The other was filled with army personal, with there blue uniforms and their masks on. Cloud sighed, about to also lift his mask in place and head over to the army truck but Zack grabbed his arm and dragged him into the last truck.

A little confused about his friends demand Cloud followed. Lifting a green and gray flap Zack and Cloud jumped on right before the truck started to move. Sitting by Zack Cloud finally looked around his surrounding, only to discover that there was only about eight people on this truck.

“So your from Nibelhiem.” Cloud heard a familiar voice. The blonde looked up and to the left of Zack only to stop and gape aloud. Sephiroth was sitting right there just looking at him in a calm cool way. Cloud could only nod as his throat had tightened up.

“Spike meet Seph.” Zack said in the background but to Cloud it was just a garbled mass of words.

Rain, it was everywhere, obscuring his vision and making everything seem distorted. Mist had sprung up seemingly out of no where, covering the ground and the outcropping they had laid ahead. Distantly he could hear a soft sound, like a padded boot passing over a small puddle of water. Strangely enough when he looked up towards the sky he could see nothing but blue. Everything was blue, no sun, no clouds, nothing.

There was no wind likewise which puzzled him since he could clearly see the mist and fog sway in front of his eyes. Terpsichore to a rhythm all to its own. Hearing the padded sound again but this time much louder he had to question the sound itself. It was not like a beat of water, no not at all.

It was more like the sound of a gun in the distance going off. And now that he focused he could start to hear yelling that had come with it. Yelling and screaming out in agony. Breathing in sharply and smelling for the first time blood in the air, he took one step then another and an other, before long he was running even as his surrounding seemed to be melting before his every eyes.

Turning everything white and colorless has he continued on towards the noises and the nothingness. Seeing light up ahead he sped up wanting to be away from this white nothingness, only to wish he hadn’t once he found what he was looking for. Right in front of his eyes was a bloody war zone.

Bodies scattered all over the ground bleeding out their life force. Some not even having limbs attached to their bodies anymore. The blood which seemed to be building was slithering towards the middle of this war zone. Breathing through his mouth so he could not smell the gore nor the stench he continued on like it was nothing but a dream. His feet, as he noticed absently were bare, as he stepped through and around the bodies. Feeling nothing when he would step on a twisted limb or blood on the ground.

He could feel nothing yet knew everything that was around him, he could smell and taste death yet could not feel it. Stopping finally in the middle with unseeing eyes, he turned his head left to right seeing the white coming back to his vision.

‘Cloud’. He heard a deep voice filled with so many echos he was not sure if it belonged to a female or male.

‘Cloud ...guardian is com...protect.’ The voice went on but he could scarcely hear what it was saying.

It was so garbled and angered, it was making his head hurt. Grabbing at his hair he breathed in sharply as he felt a stabbing pain enter his mind with more force. Yelling and stumbling he looked down and shut his blue dull eyes shut from the pain, and the whiteness that was eating everything up.

“Cloud”. Snapping his eyes wide open crystal clear eyes locked with dull fading violet ones as blood ran down it’s partners face.

“Cloud why...why...you promised you would become a hero...Not...not killlll...” The corpse of his friend Zack sang, as blood dibbled from torn lips.

“No your not real. No I didn’t to this it wasn’t my fault.” Cloud yelled and shouted back at Zack’s body as his wild eyes looked all around. No this wasn’t happening this wasn’t right. No this wasn’t real, his mind shouted over and over.

“Oh but it is.” Turning fast on his heels, Cloud came face to face with Naruto.

But it wasn’t Naruto no, for he had cold eyes that shone red in the light and his face wasn’t right either. It was the face of a devil, of evil. “It is.” The thing mocked as the shadows all around the pair leap and took shape of a giant creature towering over everything in this white pit of hell.

“Cloud.” The voice rang but it was cupped with several other voices all in one.

Looking around he stepped back from this creature as it took another shape. A shape he knew all too well, Sephiroth now stood right beside him. The shadows coming back down to the ground as the rain stopped pelting his soaked hair and eyes.

“Cloud come join us.” It said as the shadows formed from Sephiroth’s very being to take form as Naruto again.


“Come join us.”


Snapping his eyes open Cloud jumped from his sitting position on the truck. Looking around frantically he spotted the open window by him before he dove for it to throw up.

“Hey Cloud are you alright.” He heard a voice, but this time it was not distorted with other voices, no it sounded worried.

Breathing and shaking Cloud ran a hand through his hair as he felt soothing hands on his shoulders. No it was just a dream. Only a dream and nothing more. “Yea I’m fine just a little motion sickness.” Cloud replied as he sat back down. His back leaning against the cool trucks interior as he grabbed the crystal half hidden in his shirt.

The rest of the ride was in silence because Cloud was too embarrassed to say much of anything, that and their destination was his home village. Zack of course was like the go in between guy talking left and right. Trying to get everyone in higher spirits.

Surprising Sephiroth nodded every so often and had even commented. Cloud supposed now that he actually thought about it Sephiroth was just an other normal strong person. Sure Cloud had seen glimpses of Sephiroth when he was at the Solider compound but never up close and, actually having a somewhat of a conversation with the man himself.

“Five more minutes.” A loud speaker wrapped throughout the truck. It’s distorted voice ringing warning bells in Cloud’s mind.

Cloud looked up through his bangs, dreading this. It was already time, but he wasn’t prepared. He didn’t want to face those ignorant villagers with their whispered words behind his back. He didn’t want to even look at them, he just wished Naruto was with him.

Looking up quickly, Cloud stopped breathing for a minute, as he stared blindly ahead. It wasn’t always like this, him relying on anyone else. It was just him and his mother all those years throughout his childhood.

That was until Naruto came along and changed everything. They were practically attached to the hip, with the way they hung out together. Pulling pranks and just relaxing outdoors on their time off. Now that he thought about it, he really missed Naruto, not thing from his dreams either.

He missed his friend and wondered what he was doing right now, what were his goals in life. He had mentioned helping people becoming a hero, but how would he accomplish that large feat. He didn’t want to join the ShinRa company and was currently working at a bar near the slums. Feeling a tap on his padded shoulder Cloud jumped a little regretting the movement when his stomach turned. God did he hate cars and that disturbing dream did not help his already fried nerves.

“Come on Spiky smile a little this is your home.” Zack said grabbing the blonde’s helmet to give to him.

With sure fingers Cloud grabbed the mask straining a smile. Zack looking at it misinterpreted and said that he to hated to wear the to helmet.

“Yeah I know how you feel. The thing seems to collect more sweat then is natural.” Zack said, as he went on about a black hole theory regarding sweat and a Dr. being sadistic. But Cloud, who knew Zack had learned to tune out his friend’s hair brain theories.

They arrived there in no time and before Cloud knew it everyone was exiting the trucks and walking the rest of the way to Nibelhiem. Sighing quietly to himself, he grabbed his bag before jumping of the trucks end. Creating a small dirt cloud with his feet as he had landed and stretched. Up ahead he saw Zack and Sephiroth talking, Zack elbowing him as Sephiroth narrowed his eyes at surrounding.

But Cloud could tell the man had relaxed, with his posture not as formal and his hands more at ease, but still within reach of his sword. This being before him was not the dream Sephiroth, not that grotesque monster.

Cloud really was starting to see, Seph as Zack had nicknamed him, like any other human being. It was both exiting and frightening considering that Sephiroth was and still is Cloud’s idol. Even though he would never admit it to anyone. He was one of the reason’s why the blonde had wanted to go into the Solider program.

Looking around their surroundings and noting the mountain area, they were almost there. He could see green grass all along the dirt path road, along the sides were tall old oak trees and some pine trees scattered here and there. The rock outcropping had jagged ringlets all over it’s surface, indicating harsh weather. Walking slowly over towards an old oak, with its knurled branches and knotted bark. He stopped and searched the hard ground for paw prints only spotting old ones.

The monsters would not attack until they reached past the village up into the mountains so it was a calm and peaceful walk. Cloud also noted absently, as he walked, that there were about fifteen guards not including him, this puzzled him a bit. Why were there so many when Zack and Sephiroth could easily take care of themselves. Was the reactor that big of a deal, was it really that hard to fix. His father had lost his life working on that same reactor so he was torn. Did he really want to hike all the way up those mountains where his fathers grave was. Would he pass by the cave that had housed his friend and had stolen his memories. Or would he find himself thinking of that dream he had.

Cloud heard the booted feet stop so he looked up watching dust settle back down towards the earth. Clearing his head Cloud came to attention and waited with all the other Soldiers as Zack and Sephiroth walked into the village to talk with someone. Sighing he put the helmet on, if he was going back here before he could finish his training he was going to become unnoticed. He did not feel up to the villagers scorn or the accusing glares. “Lets move out.” Someone said and just like that Cloud had come home.

A home he detested and wishing a familiar presence was with him.

The village hadn’t changed much Cloud thought, looking around the houses and the wheat fields beyond. He could see old cows and Chocobo grazing in the distance and the golden hue that made up the fields. Not a single tree out there for miles, just farm land. The same old sign saying:

‘Welcome to Nibelhiem.’ The dirt path half covered with pebbles still intact and the same noises that surrounded the small hamlet.

A dog’s bark or a bang signaling a blacksmith at work and the scream of a child’s as they played. The garden’s were up but not much was planted and the worn down homes had smoke raising from their chimneys. Some people were out and about talking and walking with their friends. The local kids now a little older were hanging around the well, or probably working in the fields.

It was like nothing had changed, everything was the same. A boring backwater town with no sunshine. Cloud turned his head slightly annoyed that the helmet was stifling hot and that it was somewhat of a hindrance when he tried to see out of his side.

“So this is your hometown is it not.” Cloud heard a deep voice ask him towards his right. Looking up quickly when he discovered Sephiroth had spoken he nodded and straightened his back as he replied.

“Yes sir. Sephiroth sir.” He finished already feeling a hot flush on his cheeks, what a stupid answer, his mind shouted at him. He probably just made a fool out of himself.

“And you...Where do you live sir.” Cloud asked after several long seconds.

“I have no home to speak off.” Was Sephiroth’s answer as he went in.

Puzzled Cloud watched the man leave and began ordering for a set up, did he say something wrong. That’s when Cloud heard the voice, it was disturbingly familiar ‘Cloud.’ Cloud’s head shot up looking through the crowd that had now gathered, it was his voice again.

“Cloud.” Cloud jumped and looked around coming back to reality. “Hey Chocobo let’s go, there already starting to set up camp.” Zack said dragging the poor blonde throughout the small village. The villagers watching as they went.

‘Well at least they don’t know who I am’. Cloud thought, letting Zack pull him towards there destination.

“Are you alright Spikes, your not going to blow chunks again are you.” Zack said and Cloud had to laugh a little. Leave it up to Zack to make everything a joke.

“I’m ok now thanks.” Cloud returned squaring his shoulders. He was going to become a Solider so he had better buck up as the saying goes.

Cloud briefly looked at the mansion and was slightly puzzled. The windows looked cleaner and some of them were not bordered up like he had remembered. Shrugging Cloud stepped into the old house and was yet again amazed, it looked cleaned up. Sure the cream colored walls and the ceiling were peeling a little, but the floor and the pictures were decent. Cloud also noticed that the furniture had been used and was almost dust free. The whole place looked dust free and not a single spider web nor monster was coming down and challenging them. Was someone living here or had the villagers cleaned it up for the great General Sephiroth. Cloud didn’t know but he was a little curious.

He turned his head, interested in what the other guards were doing, he didn’t even know them. Not a single person besides Zack here. The guards were all setting up their tents, and unpacking the equipment, which Cloud helped them.

All of them joining in smaller groups and longing around as they talked about their daily lives and girlfriends. They also had gotten their own schedule for guarding the house and scouting the areas. Cloud had not opted to bring a tent, well he really didn’t have a chance to so he was going home to see his mom. He had already informed his current Sgt. And was going to say by to Zack but he couldn’t see him or Sephiroth.

So Cloud walked briskly out of the mansion not wanting to be any where near it after that last accident with Naruto. Slowing down he came face to face with paneled wood, his home. He could distantly hear his mother’s banging of pots and pans and the sizzle from the stove top. Just like those many months ago with him and Naruto.

Breathing deeply Cloud knocked on the door before stepping in. He saw long brown hair and a head peek out from the kitchen door. Quickly taking the blue helmet of Cloud looked up into blue eyes that mirrored his own.

“I’m home.” He stated simply, and before he knew it he was engulfed in a large hug and hear his mom’s short subbing.

Cloud could do nothing but stand there and hug his mom back smiling a little when he had caught the familiar smelling of pine and sounds all around the house. Yes he was home.

After Cloud had settled in and was now at the kitchen table talking to her about all his training and friends, he got up. He needed to move around after the long truck drive after all.

“So Naruto couldn’t come with you. I’m sorry I really wished he would have been here too.” She commented as she bustled around the kitchen, wanting to make something special for her little angel.

“You know you could have written to me earlier that you were going to visit Cloud. I would have gotten all the dinner fixings complete already”. Her said in her motherly tone.

“Not like Naruto, he has been writing to me constantly, mostly about who he pranked and that he missed you.” She finished, as she smiled when her son had turned bright red from embarrassment.

He half listened to his mom as she was went on about her day and how the village was doing. She had also hinted that Tifa was saddened to learn that Cloud had left for Midgar, after hearing the comment from his own mother Cloud had to look away fearing that he might have blushed. Loosening his shoulders Cloud slowly walked into the living room. There was a large couch in the middle of the forest green carpet, along with a coffee table and a small T.V. set.

“Then the Noxes have yet another baby did you know what is their...” Cloud half listened to his mom until he caught sight of glass reflecting off his blue eyes.

Picking up the picture from the mantel by the fire Cloud looked at the happy people all standing around. There was his mother to the left, she had put on a yellow sun dress and had braided her hair. Next to her was another young woman but she was smaller than his mom. She had flowing black hair that was let down making the wind carry the strands at the time, she was wearing her traditional workout uniform. Behind the girl, Tifa, was an older man with gray hair, her instructor. To the right were two smiling boys, both with blonde spiky hair and different colored blue eyes. The boy to the right was wearing an orange shirt with some cargo black pants on, he currently had his arm wrapped around the shoulders of the other blonde boy grinning stupidly. The other boy to the left had worn a blue shirt and some jeans, he too was smiling away for the camera.

Cloud quickly put the photo down and browsed some more. There were more pictures of Tifa and him, his mother and his father.

“Cloud honey I’m sure you can see him soon.”

Cloud jumped and whipped around almost getting into a fighting stance until he realized it was only his mom. Smiling She walked up and stood by the boy’s side staring into nothingness.

“I can see your training has paid of Cloud.” She remarked looking down at her son, she was so proud of him, that she didn’t care if he ever passed the program as long as he was doing something it was alright with her.

Cloud looked up a smile on his lips. But then he frowned. “Mom where’s Kyo. He should be jumping that I’‘m back.” Cloud muttered as he looked at the ground expecting the fox to appear there.

“Oh well I have not seen him for some time Cloud. I don’t know where he went.” She said, feeling sorry that the fox had some how got lost out in the wilderness.

“Don’t worry he’s probably sulking because Naruto left.” Cloud said as he caught the worry in his mothers eyes.

“He would have been proud of you to. You and Naruto, seeing as we practically adopted him.” She finished before leaving her son some quiet time.

“Oh and Cloud be sure to drag him with you next time.” Cloud heard, as he continued to stare at the burning fire as it cast it’s orange glow on his face.

TBC