OF FATES AND FORTUNES - CARD 00
TITLE: The Fool
FANDOM: Final Fantasy VII
PAIRING: Cloud x Tifa
RATING: T for Teen
SUMMARY: Fate had brought them together. But will Fortune smile upon them?
DISCLAIMER: Final Fantasy VII and its characters belong to the wonderful Square-Enix.
XXX
Card 00: The Fool
XXX
Back then, she had never really paid much attention to him. Sure, they both grew up and lived in the same town and he was practically her neighbor, but she had never really noticed him. Of course, she knew a few things about him, like his name (who wouldn’t remember such a strange name as ‘Cloud’) and his age (always one year older than herself, everyone was one year older than her), but past those sparse details, there was not much else she could say about him. They had played together on a few occasions, but they were never that close to each other, or so she thought. During those days, he was just an acquaintance, someone she vaguely knew.
It was only later, after she had woken up from her week-long coma, did she start to truly think about him. Her father had accused the boy of bringing her to the dangerous Nibel Mountains. He said that Cloud had almost gotten her killed. Her father, being the strict man he was, cautioned her to stay away from him. After all, he did not want to lose his child to the Lifestream now that she was his only treasure left.
But all of her father’s accusations made Tifa think. Had Cloud really brought her to the Nibel Mountains? If he did, then why couldn’t she remember seeing him? Was Cloud a bad person for bringing her to a place where so many people had met their end? The whole incident was rather hazy in her mind; sort of like a jig-saw puzzle whose pieces had gone missing. In fact, the more she contemplated about it, the more the few recollections and images would jumble and fuse together, creating an undecipherable whole. In the end, she would stop trying to make sense of her thoughts. She decided that she would forget the whole incident.
Then, a few weeks later, she received an invitation from none other than Cloud himself, saying to meet him at the well in the town square that night. At first, she was reluctant. Her father did warn her to stay away from him. But Tifa was also puzzled at his invitation. She didn’t know him very well, and his invite came as a bit of a surprise. Nonetheless, she came, albeit a bit late, as she didn’t want to leave the house before she was sure her father had fallen asleep.
“Sorry I’m late”, she whispered, taking a seat at the base of the well. “You said you wanted to talk to me about something?”
Cloud hesitated for a moment, before saying, “Come this spring… I’m leaving town for Midgar.”
Her legs, which had been swinging from the moment she sat down (a nervous tic, her father had called it), stopped suddenly. “ … All the boys are leaving town.”
“But I’m different from all of them. I’m not just going to find a job.” His answer came quickly, desperately. “I’m going to join SOLDIER. I’m going to be the best there is, just like Sephiroth.”
Even then, Tifa could detect the tinge of pride in his voice when he spoke to her about his ambitions. His admiration for the grand general Sephiroth was nearly a tangible thing. Then again, many people in their town praised the general for his outstanding bravery in battle, his remarkable swordsmanship and his unparalleled abilities as military tactician and war strategist.
“Sephiroth… The Great Sephiroth,” she sighed. She did not understand why such a person, a killer, was worshipped. As the silence between them stretched, she added, “Isn’t it hard to join SOLDIER?” From what she had heard, only the best of the best would be admitted into that class.
“... I probably won’t be able to come back to this town for a while,” Cloud agreed from his place at the top of the well.
Tifa’s heart skipped a beat. Though they were not close friends, she would still miss him. The road to becoming SOLDIER was a long and dangerous one. This made her worry for his well-being. “Will you be in the newspapers if you do well?” How will I know what’s going to happen to you? How will I know if you’re still safe and sound?
“I’ll try.”
“Hey, why don’t we make a promise?” He had to come back to Nibelheim. She had to make sure of it. “Umm…” She couldn’t think of anything. But she had to. She HAD to. “If you get really famous and I’m ever in a bind… You come save me, all right?” Good. That way, he had to come back.
“What?” he questioned. He sounded incredulous, sort of like he wanted to reject the idea.
“Whenever I’m in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me. I want to experience that at least once.” Now that wasn’t a lie. She had always dreamt a knight in shining armor would come to save her, the damsel in distress, if she was in any danger.
… Blame it on the fantasy novels she was reading.
Cloud’s only response was another surprised “What?”
Tifa turned around, hands clasped in front of her, eyes pleading. “Come on---! Promise me? Please?”
Cloud’s ocean blue eyes searched her face in order to find some kind of hint showing that this was a deception, a joke, being played on him. He saw her lips form a thin line and he noticed her brows furrow ever so slightly. However, as his eyes locked with her burgundy ones, all his doubts were dispelled. In her orbs, he had read nothing but sincerity and concern… And was that sadness?
The boy nodded a little, “All right…”
The girl looked up expectantly at him, waiting patiently for the verdict.
“I promise,” he finished.
And Cloud had never seen such a radiant smile light up her features until now. It was one of the things he would never - could never - forget, he was sure of it.
XXX
The Fool: New Beginnings, Innocence, Adventure
FANDOM: Final Fantasy VII
PAIRING: Cloud x Tifa
RATING: T for Teen
SUMMARY: Fate had brought them together. But will Fortune smile upon them?
DISCLAIMER: Final Fantasy VII and its characters belong to the wonderful Square-Enix.
XXX
Card 00: The Fool
XXX
Back then, she had never really paid much attention to him. Sure, they both grew up and lived in the same town and he was practically her neighbor, but she had never really noticed him. Of course, she knew a few things about him, like his name (who wouldn’t remember such a strange name as ‘Cloud’) and his age (always one year older than herself, everyone was one year older than her), but past those sparse details, there was not much else she could say about him. They had played together on a few occasions, but they were never that close to each other, or so she thought. During those days, he was just an acquaintance, someone she vaguely knew.
It was only later, after she had woken up from her week-long coma, did she start to truly think about him. Her father had accused the boy of bringing her to the dangerous Nibel Mountains. He said that Cloud had almost gotten her killed. Her father, being the strict man he was, cautioned her to stay away from him. After all, he did not want to lose his child to the Lifestream now that she was his only treasure left.
But all of her father’s accusations made Tifa think. Had Cloud really brought her to the Nibel Mountains? If he did, then why couldn’t she remember seeing him? Was Cloud a bad person for bringing her to a place where so many people had met their end? The whole incident was rather hazy in her mind; sort of like a jig-saw puzzle whose pieces had gone missing. In fact, the more she contemplated about it, the more the few recollections and images would jumble and fuse together, creating an undecipherable whole. In the end, she would stop trying to make sense of her thoughts. She decided that she would forget the whole incident.
Then, a few weeks later, she received an invitation from none other than Cloud himself, saying to meet him at the well in the town square that night. At first, she was reluctant. Her father did warn her to stay away from him. But Tifa was also puzzled at his invitation. She didn’t know him very well, and his invite came as a bit of a surprise. Nonetheless, she came, albeit a bit late, as she didn’t want to leave the house before she was sure her father had fallen asleep.
“Sorry I’m late”, she whispered, taking a seat at the base of the well. “You said you wanted to talk to me about something?”
Cloud hesitated for a moment, before saying, “Come this spring… I’m leaving town for Midgar.”
Her legs, which had been swinging from the moment she sat down (a nervous tic, her father had called it), stopped suddenly. “ … All the boys are leaving town.”
“But I’m different from all of them. I’m not just going to find a job.” His answer came quickly, desperately. “I’m going to join SOLDIER. I’m going to be the best there is, just like Sephiroth.”
Even then, Tifa could detect the tinge of pride in his voice when he spoke to her about his ambitions. His admiration for the grand general Sephiroth was nearly a tangible thing. Then again, many people in their town praised the general for his outstanding bravery in battle, his remarkable swordsmanship and his unparalleled abilities as military tactician and war strategist.
“Sephiroth… The Great Sephiroth,” she sighed. She did not understand why such a person, a killer, was worshipped. As the silence between them stretched, she added, “Isn’t it hard to join SOLDIER?” From what she had heard, only the best of the best would be admitted into that class.
“... I probably won’t be able to come back to this town for a while,” Cloud agreed from his place at the top of the well.
Tifa’s heart skipped a beat. Though they were not close friends, she would still miss him. The road to becoming SOLDIER was a long and dangerous one. This made her worry for his well-being. “Will you be in the newspapers if you do well?” How will I know what’s going to happen to you? How will I know if you’re still safe and sound?
“I’ll try.”
“Hey, why don’t we make a promise?” He had to come back to Nibelheim. She had to make sure of it. “Umm…” She couldn’t think of anything. But she had to. She HAD to. “If you get really famous and I’m ever in a bind… You come save me, all right?” Good. That way, he had to come back.
“What?” he questioned. He sounded incredulous, sort of like he wanted to reject the idea.
“Whenever I’m in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me. I want to experience that at least once.” Now that wasn’t a lie. She had always dreamt a knight in shining armor would come to save her, the damsel in distress, if she was in any danger.
… Blame it on the fantasy novels she was reading.
Cloud’s only response was another surprised “What?”
Tifa turned around, hands clasped in front of her, eyes pleading. “Come on---! Promise me? Please?”
Cloud’s ocean blue eyes searched her face in order to find some kind of hint showing that this was a deception, a joke, being played on him. He saw her lips form a thin line and he noticed her brows furrow ever so slightly. However, as his eyes locked with her burgundy ones, all his doubts were dispelled. In her orbs, he had read nothing but sincerity and concern… And was that sadness?
The boy nodded a little, “All right…”
The girl looked up expectantly at him, waiting patiently for the verdict.
“I promise,” he finished.
And Cloud had never seen such a radiant smile light up her features until now. It was one of the things he would never - could never - forget, he was sure of it.
XXX
The Fool: New Beginnings, Innocence, Adventure