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When his eyes fluttered open, he was greeted with a chill. The fire had gone out overnight. As it usually did. It was why he suffered through the first bit being hot and wrapped in so many blankets. All he could do was sigh. The night hadn't been kind enough to him to take him away. The cold hadn't kept him asleep. It was a simple wish to him. It would end his loneliness. But for some cruel reason, it apparently wasn't his time.
It was a battle that he knew he'd have with himself until his very last breath. He wanted it, even craved it. But he couldn't bring himself to simply end everything. His instincts kept him in survival mode.
Even though he was alone.
The last of his comrades fell to the sickness three months ago. Radio communication with Shinra had also died off shortly after that. He had been isolated and alone for months with no way of knowing what was happening around the rest of the world.
He and many others were sent to Nibelheim a year ago to assist with an incident at the Mako reactor. But by the time they arrived, most of the village's residents had fallen ill or died.
They were sent in for cleanup duty. Their intention was to contain the leaks and try to salvage what they could of the facility.
But the damage had already been done in Nibelheim. And the longer they stayed there, the more they learned of things collapsing around the planet. They received news of reactors in Midgar falling to the same fate that Nibelheim had. Starting with slow leaks that could not be contained. Some speculated that it was the planet trying to fight back. And at this point, he believed it. News of failures happened across the globe, leaking tons of Mako into the ecosystem.
It destroyed just about everything.
He lifted his arms high above his head, groaning at the way his body ached from the cold. His first goal of the day was going to be to get a new fire going to take the chill off of the home. The blankets he had wrapped around him were enough to keep him from death overnight, but it wouldn't keep him warm all day.
As much as he found himself wishing for it, he still had to get up.
No matter how much he wanted to stay there and let himself die. Even though it was something he pleaded often for now. He couldn't bring himself to let it happen.
It was too cold and snowy to attempt to travel to Rocket Town on foot to see if anybody was left alive there.
He was sure that the exposure alone would kill him.
The battle with himself each day was horrible. Survival instincts kicked in. Survival instincts are what took him to the river to gather fresh water each day. It's what led him to his snares and traps, to see if he was lucky enough to capture any animals. But the darkness and loneliness took over far more often these days.
Shinra never sent aid, even after reports relayed to them that soldiers and workers were falling ill and dying.
They were left there. They were left to die.
Shinra's resources had just been spread too thin.
That's what Cloud continued to tell himself at least.
He didn't want to think that he'd been abandoned and presumed dead.
But knowing what he did about Shinra, it wouldn't surprise him if they came to that conclusion when they learned of all the sickness and death that was happening with his squad. They probably assumed he would succumb to it as well. But he didn't. He had been luck to never once get sick throughout his entire time in Nibelheim.
He was simply left there.
Forgotten and alone.
There was fresh snow on the ground from the night before, but overall, it felt like a nice day. It was cold, yes, but it wasn't windy or blistery as it had been for days.
Cloud stopped near the lake, he brushed off some of the snow from a fallen tree before he decided to sit down. There wasn't anything else for him to do besides try to enjoy the decent day. As he sat there, watching the peaceful water, he threw around the idea of going through the houses in the village again. He knew there were books and crafts floating around from the old residents.
He'd simply hunt for something to keep his mind and body occupied, as he'd done in the past. Since there was nobody for him to talk to and talking to his trapped, dead animals did nobody any good. Finding the books, puzzles, yarn, anything he came across helped to keep his mind somewhat sane.
After nearly an hour of just enjoying the calm serenity that the lake had to offer him, Cloud got up to his feet. He could check his snares before he made his way back down towards the village. He only had two small rope snares out, good enough for snagging rabbits for himself. Sometimes he was pleasantly surprised to see one in there.
But today was a little different. His attention moved away from where the snares were set when he spotted a mound of what looked to be dirty feathers near the large oak tree.
A chocobo?
That was his first thought. It couldn't be though. He'd never seen a single wild chocobo in this region and if he were to be honest with himself, he hadn't even seen a chocobo in person in years.
His hand shot down to grab the combat knife that he always had on his belt as he approached the creature. The closer he got to it, the more he started to realize that it wasn't a chocobo. Chocobos didn't have long hair, or a human-like torso. Chocobos didn't have an arm either. His brows furrowed as he took in the sight of the creature before him.
He took note of the long flowing hair that was nearly the same color as the snow around them. He noted the left arm that looked completely normal. The torso that looked normal. Things he'd already noticed on his approach. But where his right arm should have been contained a deep purple, large wing. Looking at his waist down, he saw several more wings. The wings that he assumed belonged to a chocobo at first. They were almost octopus like. He'd never seen anything like this creature before.
Cloud cautiously moved closer to it. Whatever it was, it looked like it was dead. There was no movement and he could see the being's eyes were closed.
Then he crunched into some of the snow and it drew a grown from the thing that made him jump back, gripping the knife tighter in his hand. He was ready to attack to defend himself if he needed to.
"W-What are you?" He hated the way his voice cracked as he spoke. When was the last time he even said any words out loud?
The being looked up at him, shivering. He tried and failed to lift the wing on his left side. "Sephiroth."
The voice sounded deeper than he expected. Though Cloud didn't know exactly what to expect. There was also almost an echoy sound to it. Something definitely not of this world. "You can talk?" He asked in disbelief. He saw the thing nod in response. "Sephiroth? What is a Sephiroth though?"
"It is my name," he responded softly.
Cloud looked around them, seeing nothing else besides trees and snow. "Where did you come from?" He noted that the only trail of anything looked like it came from the water. "I must be dreaming or something," he whispered to himself. Whatever this being was, it was able to speak to him. And it didn't look like it was able to move either. All he got was a soft groan in response. "Are you hurt? Are you alone?"
Sephiroth's head slowly rolled in his direction to look at him. He watched the way he put his weapon away and started to approach him again. "I don't believe so. I just cannot move." He looked down at his wings. His right side was extremely cold, while his lower half was heavy and caked with the liquid that flooded the lake. "What is this?" He tried to lift one of his lower wings again, only for it to flop back down.
"You don't know what Mako is?" Cloud frowned when he shook his head. "Where are you from?" He carefully knelt down near the being.
He looked towards him then up at the sky above them. "A meteor for in my way." He told him honestly. His eyes drifted down towards his right wing. It was the side he took the impact on but thankfully nothing felt injured. It was simply enough to throw him off his course and into this strange planet's gravitational pull.
Cloud furrowed his brows, trying to follow along with what this… man… was saying. He had the torso of a man. The face of a man. The voice of a man. He made his decision then to call him a man. "So… I think I might finally be losing my mind. There is no way you came from space, is there?" His features softened a bit when he saw the man shiver.
Of course he was cold, he was practically naked except for feathers on parts of his body.
"Yes."
His answer was short and right to the point. It left almost no room for Cloud to question in. He couldn't stop himself from staring at him for what felt like another eternity. He couldn't leave this man outside. He would die. And Cloud would be all alone again. Even if this thing ended up killing him, it would be a win either way in his mind.
If he took him to town, he could have someone to talk to. If the thing killed him, he would finally be released from his lonely torment.
"I'm going to go and get something so I can take you to the town."
"There are others?" Sephiroth asked.
All Cloud did was shake his head. He wished there were others. Seeing the man on the ground shiver again, he decided to take his own coat off. He could grab another in town.
"Here… just until I get back." He carefully draped it over the man's bare chest.
"Thank you."
Cloud stood back up and made his way down the path. His first stop was into the house he'd claimed as his own, grabbing the lighter jacket that he knew was in there. He also gathered a stack of blankets that he had on the sofa that he slept with each night. As he went back outside, he paused for a moment. He was really doing this. He was going to bring that creature… that man to his home.
Shaking his head, he stopped himself from thinking those intrusive thoughts. This man could provide him companionship. Or this man could murder him. He had no way of knowing.
Going to the cart, he threw the blanket into it and grabbed the handles to drag it back to the lake. He was happy that he cleaned it the last time he'd used it to haul a deer carcass back to his home. Returning to the lake, Cloud saw the man had barely moved. His coat still covered him.
"You returned." Sephiroth smiled.
"Yeah, told you I would." Cloud parked the cart next to him. "Can you… stand? How do you stand and move?"
"I can't, not like this." He tried to move one of his lower wings, but it flopped back down from the weight of the Mako and snow that clung to his feathers.
Humming softly, he looked at the cart, then back at the man. "Alright… let's get you up in this. I'll get you somewhere warm, then we can see if we can clean the Mako off of you."
Getting Sephiroth up onto the cart took a lot out of Cloud. The man was much larger than he was, coupled with the Mako and snow soaking his feathers. But he managed to get him settled inside of it and covered with some of the blankets he'd brought with him to start warming him up.
Nearly a half hour later, Cloud had dragged the man into his home and set him up on fresh blankets in front of the fireplace. "Are you hungry?" Sephiroth shook his head. "Alright. Let me grab some towels and some water so I can help get this Mako off of you."
"Thank you." Sephiroth looked towards the fire before he reached his hand towards it. "It's warm." He murmured to himself. He couldn't remember the last time he felt warmth like this. All of his travels, all of the places he decided to stop, hoping there would be life, had all been dry, cold, and empty.
He had no intention of stopping here, but that stray meteor slammed into him. He didn't have a choice in the matter, but now that he saw there was life here, he wasn't complaining. Sephiroth turned his attention away from the fire to look at the man with the yellow hair. He saw the way he came back towards him carrying fresh linens.
They were stacked neatly beside him before he walked off again. "There's nobody else?" Sephiroth questioned, mostly ensuring that he'd heard him right the first time.
"No." Cloud's answer was short. Each time he thought about it, it brought him a new pain and he couldn't explain and hated.
"How long have you been alone?"
Cloud moved around Sephiroth to put some water near the fire so it would warm up. As it did, he sat on the floor beside him. "I've honestly forgotten."
Silence filled the room. Cloud tried to remember the last person he had any kind of conversation with. The last person in the village to pass on was an older woman. He remembered the way she would tell him about her children and grandchildren, all has moved away from Nibelheim and how she hoped they were still doing well.
He doubted it, however. He doubted anybody else was doing well right now.
"Are you alright?" Sephiroth's voice cut into his thoughts.
"I'm fine. Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He gave the man a small smile before he reached out for the water. "This should be enough to get the Mako off of your feathers." Just saying that sentence out loud and knowing this man understood him felt strange. He wasn't talking to some beast or monster. This was an actual being that came from some distant world. A being that could understand his language as well.
"I can assure you that you're not dreaming." Sephiroth watched him closely. He watched the way the man took a rag from the bucket and started on one of his wings, getting the excess Mako off. "You know my name, but I do not know yours. What is it?" He finally asked.
"Cloud." His voice was soft.
Sephiroth kept his eyes on him, watching as this kind man worked to get a majority of the Mako off of his feathers. As more time passed, the pile of dirty towels grew off to the side of them.
"You're a very meticulous man, aren't you, Cloud?" Sephiroth asked, breaking the silence that hung between them
"Yes, I always have been, even before I joined the military." Cloud explained. He shifted a little bit and placed a thick towel over his lap before he pulled one of the man's wing's over top of it.
Sephiroth watched intently as the man dipped a washcloth into the bucket of water near him and took his time cleaning the substance off of each of his feathers individually. One by one he started near his torso and worked all the way down towards the bottom of his wings.
Once the first one was completed, he shifted and moved right along to the next one. Sephiroth couldn't tear his eyes away from him. In all of his travels, he'd never come across a single person who cared enough to even talk to him. Most beings he stumbled upon were afraid of him, or tried to harm him.
Cloud wasn't any different in that sense. The man drew a weapon on him at first, but soon realized that he wasn't a threat. Maybe that meteor that hit him had done him a favor.
The pair spent hours simply sitting in silence. Cloud didn't talk while he was focused on his task, and Sephiroth watched everything that he did. There was no malice in anything he was doing. He was genuinely trying to help him and he was grateful for it.
As Cloud finished the last of the feathers, he got up and gathered the towels and rags he'd dirtied so he could deposit them into a bin by the door. "Are you hungry?" He decided to ask again, knowing that the man had denied anything when they first arrived at the house.
"No. I don't know what this 'hungry' is that you speak of."
The blonde stared at him. "You don't eat anything?" He questioned.
Sephiroth started laughing. "I do, but not because I need to. I have eaten things that have been offered to me in the past."
Then offer him food he would. Cloud spent a little bit of time in the kitchen, gathering some leftover stew he'd made the day before as well as two bowls. "This is a rabbit stew. I made it yesterday." He explained as he placed it over the fire to reheat it.
"Thank you." Sephiroth smiled at him.
"You're welcome." Cloud finally glanced over at him and felt a blush rise to his face when he caught the smile on his face.
In all of his travels, he had learned what the common meanings of a red face was. It was overheating, being cold, or feeling shy about something. All Sephiroth could do was continue to smile. This man, over the short time he'd been around him, had been incredible to him. And now, he was sharing some of his food with him.
After their meal, Sephiroth reached behind him to adjust some of the blankets that he was leaning against. He watched the blonde man come back towards him after taking their bowls out to the kitchen. He settled down onto the floor beside him. "You look like you're tired." He noticed.
"I am." Cloud's hand came up to cover his mouth as he yawned.
"Please don't feel that you have to stay awake because of me." He rarely slept, but he didn't want to be the reason this kind, beautiful being was tired.
He didn't need to be told twice. He wrapped his arms around himself as he allowed his body to sink down onto the floor, his body was partially on Sephiroth's wings, but the man didn't seem to mind. They were soft now that they were clean and dry. It was the softest thing that he'd experienced in years. The comfort that he felt from this being helped him to feel like he could sleep peacefully for the first time since he was left alone.
Sephiroth kept his eyes on the man. Watching as he slowly sank further into him. It didn't seem to take long for this man to drift to sleep. He felt the weight of him against his wing and couldn't stop himself from moving one of his others to drape it over him to help keep him warm.
Cloud made a tiny noise.
He barely heard it, but to him it sounded like a small sigh of contentment.
He didn't know how long this man had been alone, but he knew everything this kind, beautiful man had been feeling for he'd also spent countless days, weeks, months alone traveling the cosmos. Sephiroth felt a smile come to his own face. He was thankful now that the meteor got in his path and knocked him off course.
He never would have met and fallen for this man otherwise.
Cloud bolted upright in his bed and looked around his room. He was at home, as he always was.
It was the same dream that felt like it was on repeat in his mind. The things he felt during it. He could feel what that being felt too. It had been at least a month since they started and he was starting to wonder if people's theories of multiple, parallel universes was a real thing. Everything felt so real. Except for the fact that there was no being out there that was half man, half angel. No humans had wings or were covered in feathers. It was something out of a fairy tale to him.
"Damn dream," the man muttered to himself before he looked at the clock.
8:20 AM
"Shit!" He threw the blanket off of himself and rushed around his tiny bedroom, throwing clothes on. He was supposed to be at work in ten minutes. There was no way he'd make it in time.
Oversleeping was something he rarely did.
Cloud grabbed a granola bar from his cabinet on the way out the door. He shoved it into his mouth to take a bite while he got his shoes on and tried to send a message to his boss all at the same time.
Forcing himself to slow down for a moment at his front door, he typed out a message to send to his boss, letting him know that he was running late. All he got in response was a laughing face. At least his boss liked him. Whenever he was at the shop, he worked hard and always did anything that was asked of him, no matter how trivial or hard the task was.
Finally leaving his apartment, he made his way through the slums to the train station. It was a quick ride to get to the upper plate where he worked. He used that time to eat his basic breakfast and scroll through articles on his phone. His head lifted up when he heard the announcement for his stop.
Cloud got to his feet and moved closer to the door with a few others as the train came to a halt at the station. From the station, it was just a short two block walk. He kept his eyes down on his phone so he could finish reading the article he'd started and continued along the sidewalk.
Until he bumped into a person coming out of one of the coffee shops along the road.
"Shit, sorry, are you okay?" He looked up, seeing the man had dropped a bag that he was carrying. "I'm so sorry." Cloud immediately leaned down to grab it for him. The pastry that was inside didn't look damaged. "Let me get you a fresh one," he immediately offered.
"It's alright."
The man's deeper voice sent a chill down Cloud's spine. Almost like he'd heard it before. He finally lifted his eyes to look up at a man with long silver hair. He couldn't help but stare at him. Why did he look so familiar?
"Are you sure I can't get you a fresh one?"
"It stayed in the bag. It will be fine." He took it back from the man and tilted his head curiously. "Have… we met before?"
"I… I don't think so." Cloud couldn't tear his eyes away from his. "I'm Cloud." He introduced himself.
It was that moment he saw a flash of something he couldn't pinpoint across the other man's face.
"I'm Sephiroth."
It was the man from his dreams. Standing right in front of him. But he wasn't some celestial being. He was very much a real man.
"Maybe we have met before…" Cloud whispered. The look on Sephiroth's face mirrored his own and for a moment he wondered if the man had been experiencing the same dreams as him.
Maybe those theories weren't that farfetched after all.