The Final Fantasy Pt. 2

Cloud reached the stairs and started to climb. Neither did he look up nor down but directly to the stairs. He sensed that he should have reached the stairs by then. His ears started to pop and the air got cold and damp as if climbing a mountaintop. Cloud lifted his head to see how much further he had to go but when he looked up he couldn't see the top of the ladder. In fact, the ladder stretched into the sky and hid in the clouds. He looked down and he could see where little lights from the houses below. His limbs began to shake a bit and his energy started to wane. There was a sick desire to let go and just fall to his fate but he pushed on. Rung after rung Cloud continued until his energy faded from him piece by piece. He looked up once more and to his astonishment he could see the reservoir's wooden rail. With much excitement and curiosity Cloud moved himself forward without letup until he reached the last few rungs. He could hear the girl walking around on top, the hit of her footfalls on the planks above. Cloud lifted himself two more rungs. The sweat on his brow dripped with every movement he made. The salty sweat irritated his eyes and blinded him at times. He didn't want to wipe it away for fear he would fall to his death. The girl sounded if she were pacing back and forth along the edge of the rail just out of Cloud's sight. Cloud pulled himself another rung; his muscles felt cramped and agonizingly hot. He was almost afraid he would not make he. A delirious question popped in his mind: How long had he been climbing the ladder? Had it been a half hour or a whole hour? Could it have been for two hours? He didn't, couldn't, know. Strenuously, Cloud pulled himself to the edge of the reservoir. There was a woman with long gray hair with her back turned to him…

"No! It's you!" Cloud heaved his chest on the floor of the reservoir.

The gray haired man turned around. He was smiling but not in a friendly way. The man was smiling in fashion you would expect a convict to wear after escaping jail. The golden edges of the gray haired man's clothes shined in the dense light. His gloved hand was closed over the hilt of his saber. The dark cape he wore hung slackly along his shoulders and fell to the floor around his feet.

"I'll kill you this time!" Cloud forced his strength to make himself to climb the rest of the way up. As his right knee climbed onto the baseboards, he could feel the sole of the man's boot shoving him off the ladder and into the nothingness below. The kick wasn't hard but unexpected. There was nothing to grab onto and so Cloud fell backwards into the black sky.

Above, the gray haired man laughed uncontrollably.

"Ahhh… " Cloud screamed as he never had. The frustration of losing yet again to the same man was maddening. The wind swirled in Cloud's ears to the point of being deaf to his own screams. His body twisted and turned as he fell so that he couldn't tell what direction he was being hurled. The lights from the town below where gone. Again, Cloud wondered how long he had been falling. The fear was momentarily lost and Cloud stopped screaming and then he fell on concrete. Deep cracks surrounded his body where he fell but he himself suffered no damage. In fact, his strength was back to normal. The cramps in his muscles from climbing were gone. Even his sword had not fallen out of its sheath.

"What?" Cloud asked nobody in particular. He could see he was standing in a large concrete square and instantaneously he knew where he was. Cloud turned around and saw what he expected. The gray haired man was standing far off, no more than a hundred feet away.

Cloud's blood boiled and he wanted to end the gray haired man's life. "Come here and I'll teach you something about my sword!" The shout was filled with fear and regret. Cloud reached for his throat and pawed it in wonderment. He felt nothing but hatred for the gray haired man but when he spoke it was as if he where scared to depth of his bones.

The man simply stood there taking no notice of Cloud or his threats.

"How dare that man ignore me," Cloud thought. He began to run. Every step he took brought him closer to the arrogant man he hated. The man was now eighty feet away and still he didn't move or make a gesture to acknowledge Cloud's attack. Buster was bouncing up and down Cloud's back and Cloud could feel pride well up in himself for Buster. "This is for you!" Cloud pulled Buster from its sheath and swung above his head as it were a warrior's mace.

The man didn't move forward but actually patted his mouth with the outside of his palm in a mock yawn gesture.

Inside Cloud a new rage exploded for the infidel. He ran faster than before, pushing his legs beyond their limits so that he was almost tripping over himself. Fifty feet separated the two and the distance was closing fast.

The man turned his back.

"Blazes! The man was wholly trusted in himself," thought Cloud. There were thirty feet more. The blood in Cloud's legs screamed for fresh oxygen. Cloud's blond hair slipped into his eyes but the tears of hatred stung even more. Now there was fifteen feet. "Ahhh!" Cloud raised his Sword in the air. There was only eight feet left.

In a flash the man turned around, he was holding his saber with both arms. He extended the tip of the blade and let Cloud's momentum pierce him. Cloud dropped his sword and it swirled in circles on the floor and ended up next to the man's feet. "Ah-ug" Cloud could feel the stab of the sharp cold blade in his chest.

The man pulled the hilt up and he carried Cloud up to the air. "Fear me." The voice was hypnotic and powerful.

Cloud's weight pulled him down on the blade. There was no more anger. There was only dread.

"Fear me, Cloud."

Cloud awoke. The light was not out yet and the room was cold. Cloud had an eerie feeling. He couldn't sleep anymore that day; he only lay in bed waiting for the morning to start. The warm sun seemed to take forever to come out. Most of the time Cloud thought about his dream and its significance. Dreams and omens hadn't been a part of Cloud's belief system but since the dreams started coming doubts crept in. The rest of Cloud's mind was on Barret's mysterious little speech last night. The more Cloud thought about it the more he thought Barret was up to no good. Either way he would meet up with Barret as soon as he ate his breakfast. That is if he could eat breakfast after being told he was going to be included into something that could change his entire life and the life of others.

"What could be that important?" Cloud mumbled to himself. Maybe Barret was thinking of things that were important to him. Maybe he was talking about a big score of money. He wants to rob from the government. Drugs? Maybe he meant a prostitution ring? If he's crazy maybe he means to include me into all these things. I don't think so; when he told me he wanted to include me in something, his voice told me he wanted to include me into something beautiful. What could it be? Cloud thought all these things while lying down but he had answers to none of them.

The few pieces of dusty furniture in the small shack started becoming more visible. Cloud sat up and stretched his arms over his head; he let out a yawn and looked out the dirty pane window. The sky was foggy but at least the sun would be out in while. Cloud stood up and opened the door; cold air flooded the wooden shack. The air stiffened Cloud's muscles and so he started to do some push-ups to warm up. After doing a hundred push-ups, Cloud walked outside to the now refreshing air. The foggy air made Sector Seven look like a dream; only the closest of houses were visible through the thick mist. In about an hour it would soon fade and all of Midgar would warm up. When the mist left, the pollution was very visible.

Sluggishly, Cloud walked down the outside stairs and sat in the empty saloon and rested his boots on an empty chair. He waited there for forty minutes before a cook showed up.

"What are you doing here?" The cook asked.

"Waiting for you." Cloud responded with a smile. He was exited on account of having to wait for whatever Barret had to tell him.

"I'm just preparing the kitchen. I'm not going to start taking orders until a while from now." The cook was wearing a cooker's clothes and hat that looks like a mushroom.

"I'm not that hungry."

The cook lifted his hands in frustration as if to say, what the hell are you doing here then?

Cloud ignored the gesture and lost himself to his thoughts. Time went by agonizingly and by the time the cook was ready to serve food Cloud's stomach turned with the thought of eating anything. He had said no thanks to the cook and left; the cook mumbled something but Cloud didn't hear.

Seventh Heaven was deserted on the outside and most likely on the inside except for maybe a ragging alcoholic. When Cloud stepped through the batwings of the front entrance the flaps wagged closed and opened on squeaky hinges. Inside, the air was cool and moist from the morning's fog. The only lights were from the front entrance and the windows. Cloud didn't know if he should leave or stay. He didn't want to wake Barret and get him angry so that Barret would never tell him what he had first intended. Instead of leaving, Cloud went to the bar and waited on a stool.

"I've been waiting for you," said a deep voice from somewhere behind Cloud.

"What?" Cloud looked in the shadows and in the corners and could make out a large shadow in the corner.

"You took out that sword faster than I could see."

Buster was raised in above Cloud's head ready for action.

"I was trained." Cloud was nervous, not sure what Barret was intending.

"Please, I'm not going to attack you."

Slowly, Cloud put Buster away.

"Better." Barret got up from his place and walked toward the middle of the bar. "Sit down and talk with me Cloud."

Cloud looked behind himself and took a seat at the middle table with Barret.

"We're going to go somewhere today Cloud, on a journey. Have you ever been on a journey before?"

Cloud squinted his eyes in distrust. He shook his head but didn't say anything.

"Well, that's what were going to do today. Meanwhile, I'll tell you what I've been wanting to tell you since last night but now I've got a better idea of how I should go about it." Barret looked into Cloud's eyes and he was happy with what he saw. Cloud was hanging on every word; he knew he had Cloud's full attention.

"So let's begin." Barret got up and walked between the batwings and turned to the right.

Cloud was totally confused. The situation seemed more like a trap forever. Cloud could tell that Barret was confident because Cloud truly wanted to know what Barret had to say. Cloud thought he heard a creak behind him but he turned and saw nothing. He followed Barret outside. At the front of the bar, a man with a knife was walking towards him. Here it comes! Cloud grabbed the handle of his sword but the man kept walking and he had stared at Cloud funny. The man had been carving a piece of wood. Cloud exhaled and looked for Barret who had kept on walking and was nearly half a block away. Where the heck is he going so fast? Cloud ran and caught up. Why doesn't he turn around?

"Oh good, you've decided to come after all. I was afraid you'd leave and then I'd have to look for someone else and that would be very difficult."

Cloud didn't respond.

"You have special skills is why I say that finding someone that would at least come close to those skills would be a very difficult task if not impossible. I never thought I'd see the day when a young and especially smaller man like yourself could take me down." Barret said these things with a smile on his face and then chuckled whole-heartedly. "When did you have your first fight, Cloud?"

Cloud tried to remember, to force the memories forward from the dungeon he had kept them locked for so long. "I was young, I don't remember the age."

"You look it that's for sure. Do you remember what the fight was about?" Barret was looking at Cloud in a still cheerful manner.

"I don't know for sure, I think maybe I was being picked on but I can't remember."

"Yeah, I was the same. Some people are just natural warriors at heart. Just like there's people who make a machine or learn a bunch of different languages. When you're born you're meant to do certain things and no matter where you're born or at what age you're born in you'll accomplish what was meant for you."

A sharp sarcastic thought shot into Cloud's mind, "Then what were these people meant to do?" Cloud was pointing to the ugly houses near them. "Is their special gift to live life like stupid cows?"

Barret looked troubled but he didn't angry at Cloud's outburst. "Don't get me wrong. Some people never develop, spiritually. Some people never consider their gifts worthy of attention."

"What does this have to do with you and I, Barret?"

Barret sighed and seemed to think for a short moment and said, "What I'm trying to say is, you should use your gift to its full potential."

Cloud was thinking about this but before he could fully understand what Barret was trying to say Barret continued.

"Maybe you think that you've already reached your full potential by fighting and beating people like me. I hate to tell you this but you haven't."

Cloud felt like he was stabbed in the heart. His innermost feelings were being picked apart while they seemed to be walking aimlessly through the streets.

Barret was happy to see the wheels turning in Cloud's mind. "That's what I'm here for, Cloud. To show you your potential."

The words were powerful and inspiring. Cloud desperately wanted to know what exactly Barret would reveal to him. Though his curiosity could barely be contained, Cloud forced himself to give Barret the time he obviously wanted to explain things. What if he tells you something you care nothing for? The devilish idea was pitched out of Cloud's mind.

"How can you show me my potential?"

"Like I said, you and I are the same in a way. We're both fighters and we have the gift to fight. What is the sense in fighting?"

Cloud shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, to win?"

"No! You misunderstood. What I mean is, that there is the good fighter and there is the bad fighter. The good fighter fights to serve and protect, sometimes himself but mostly for others. Then there is the bad fighter; he fights only for gain."

Cloud looked down to the floor. He realized that almost unanimously he fought for gain and only for himself.

"If you think about it, take us for example. Last night you and I were fighting. What type of fighters were we then?" Barret was looking at Cloud apparently on the verge of a laugh.

Cloud wrinkled his brow and thought for a second, maybe there was something that he was missing. Cloud shook his head and said, "We were the bad fighter."

Barret let go of the laugh he had held onto and then said, "No. You were the bad fighter but I was the good."

Cloud got exasperated. "What are you talking about? There was no difference between us!"

Barret started walking faster but Cloud was abreast of him. "The was a big difference, Cloud." Barret stared at Cloud while he spoke and something about the dead seriousness in Barret's eyes made Cloud believe him.

Barret started to jog.

"Where are you going, Barret?"

Barret didn't respond but only kept running and little by little Barret ran faster until he was running as fast as he could. He turned into an alleyway where there were five men standing. The men were holding clubs and small pipes in their hands. They were a gang. Cloud screeched to a halt.

Here it comes. Cloud thought. The betrayal.

Barret started to walk up to one of the men and did something but Cloud couldn't tell what it was. The other men looked a little scared and the man that Barret had walked up to was bowing over and falling to the ground.

He punched him!

"Let's get these scum, Cloud!"

The wire ignited. The fuse was lit and Cloud was released. The movements felt slow but really Cloud could tell he fastest fighter he ever knew. All the men were rolling around on the floor before they had even been there for a minute.

"Let's go!" Barret started to run through the other end of the alleyway and exited on a random street. They both jogged another mile and then slowed down to a fast walk.

Cloud looked up to Barret and asked, "What was that about, Barret?"

Barret stared introverted outward for a moment and then said, "I wanted to see if you were interested enough in what I had to say to follow me."

Cloud thought about that for a moment and didn't know what to make of it. "What would you have done if I didn't?"

"I don't know but the important thing is that you followed."

Cloud thought about his previous worries about Barret trying to jump him in the alley. "I thought you were going to back stab me back there."

Barret looked at Cloud and laughed.

Most of the early morning was spent in Barret's philosophies in life. He talked a little more about the good and bad fighter. He kept alluding to his being a good fighter and Cloud having the intrinsic quality of being a good fighter. Their fight in the alley was broken down into a fight against the growing corruptness in Midgar but still a small battle in the war between good and evil. On and on, Barret kept talking about these things until he noticed Cloud's confusion growing instead of depleting. At that point Barret changed their subject to their own personal histories. Barret used to be a miner for five years. He said that life was simple and carefree. He had a wife and daughter but he didn't say their names. As if saying their names hurt him too much. Cloud didn't say much about his own history. Cloud especially stayed away from speaking about his family.

While walking, to where what seemed like any direction, they spoke about things that neither of them had divulged to anyone else. As Barret had said they were the same in a way, Cloud believed that to be ultimately the truth. For some strange reason Cloud didn't want to stop walking. Even if Barret was choosing turns and streets at whim, Cloud wanted to keep hearing Barret speak. Barret was his secret puzzled thoughts together and a clear picture was being made. A softness rested on Cloud's heart as sword-sharpened sword.

"There's still something more that you haven't told me, Barret. It's past noon; when are you getting to it?"

"It?" Barret glanced at Cloud as if he had no idea of what he was talking about.

"You haven't told me this great secret. This hidden block of truth."

Barret smiled. "We're almost there Cloud. Just be a little more patient with me."

"Barret, if you don't tell me what it is you're hiding, I'm going to make last night's fight look like a square dance!"

At that, they both laughed and walked into a neighborhood that was dilapidated even compared to Midgar standards. No children played; houses didn't have glass because their owners had sold it all a very long time ago. Roof tiles crumbled and weren't replaced with new ones. People moped around instead of walking. They wore ragged clothing that was dirty and smelly. A couple of filthy wild dogs roamed the streets for scraps of something to eat. For three blocks in circumference abject poverty was the rule.

"We could have been these people, Cloud." Barret was looking sullenly around. "Where would we be then? Would you still be the fighter you are today?"

Cloud also looked around though it made his eyes hurt. "Why are we here? We can't do anything for these people and even if we could any money we gave them would eventually waste and they would be right back from where they started.

Barret turned to Cloud and said, "You see that's the thing, you haven't given it much thought but I have." Barret turned his head away, "The first problem is poverty itself, where does it come from?"