Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 1: Arrival

THIRTY-FOUR

She swallowed. "Y-Yeah! I'll shut up. I promise!"

I let go of her. "Good. See that you do."

To emphasize my point, I drove my fist into the wall to her left. She flinched at the impact and let out a little whimper, and I when I pulled my hand away, there was a sizable dent in the metal. Looked liked she'd finally gotten the message. I only hoped it wasn't too late. And thinking of that, I stepped away from her.

"Get moving," I said. "And keep quiet from now on."

Derla didn't reply. She just ran as fast as she could down the street. I'd done as much as I could about her, and now all I could do was focus on my plan and find out what Corneo was after. I hurried back over to the bar, worried about what might come of Derla's big mouth, and after waving to Biggs and Wedge, went upstairs to find Jessie and get myself ready for my undercover mission.

— — — — — — —

"My, look how much you've grown," Mom smiled, looking me over as I lay in bed. "You must be quite a hit with women."

This was a dream. Or a memory. Maybe both. I didn't know. I didn't care. Mom looked just the way I remembered her—blond hair tied into a bun, a dark orange dress, white apron, and a warm voice. She stood near the bed, her blue eyes bright as they looked at me. We were in my room. I had stopped in for a quick visit since I was back in Nibelheim on business and had some free time tonight.

I sighed, staring at the ceiling. "Not really."

She went on. "The big city's full of temptations, Cloud. I worry about you. And I'd feel a lot better if you found yourself a nice girlfriend to keep you out of trouble and take care of you."

"I'm fine," I said.

"An older girl would be best for you," Mom continued as if she hadn't heard me. "Not too much older, mind you. Just a few years. Someone fun but also mature enough to look after you and make sure you know when you're being a silly goose. That'd be perfect for you."

I shook my head. "Not interested."

Then everything seemed to shift and blur for a moment. Somehow, I was standing even though I didn't remember getting up. Mom was gone, and when everything came into focus again, my eyes widened. I was still in my house, only now it was terribly different.

It was burning.

I remembered this, all too well. I could feel the heat from the flames, and the smoke stung my eyes as I hurried downstairs and into the family room. When I got there, I skidded to a halt. Part of the roof had caved in, collapsing from the heat and the fire. Mom lay partially buried beneath a large, heavy pile of broken wood beams, burnt shingles, and other debris. She was sprawled flat on her stomach, bruised and bleeding and dead. I tried to get her out anyway, but I couldn't.

A single, narrow red slit in the middle of her back told me she'd been run through. And I knew, both from the sight of it and from the memory of this horrible day, who'd been responsible. Mom must've still been alive after the ceiling had collapsed on her, and he had come in and murdered her while she'd been pinned down and helpless.

"Do you remember, Cloud?" he whispered, his voice like ice.

I whirled around. "Sephiroth!"

He was there, his silver hair flowing around him as he gazed cruelly at me with those pale green eyes of his. His katana resonating with every step he took, he strode softly over to where Mom was. I clenched my fists and started to go after him as he went past me, but he swept Masamune across, blocking my way as he sneered at me over his shoulder, his eyes a pale, cold green with slitted pupils.