Spring had arrived much too early for Tifa's sake. The day approached when the young men of the village would go off to start a new life in another region, Cloud being one of them. The bus had arrived one early morning to load the people up and get them to their destination. Some were headed to the city of Junon to work on the harbor and become merchant sailors. Others had dreams of becoming rich at the Gold Saucer; gambling on the Chocobo Races and slot machines. Yet the majority had decided to go to the big city of Midgar, lured in by the city's promise of good fortune and better living.

Cloud's mother gave her son a passionate hug and kiss before he boarded the vehicle. Tifa stood next to her as the bus drove off with her childhood friend. Soon the bus was out of their sight and Tifa couldn't help crying. Cloud's mother pulled the sad child closer to her and gently caressed her hair. Tifa held onto the hope that one day Cloud might return to her a SOLDIER, and save her if she was ever in trouble.

The bus raced down the dirt road kicking dust in the air. Cloud leaned his head back on the seat turning to the window. They had reached the Cosmo Canyon. The sun was as red as the canyons itself, covering the world with a thin scarlet blanket. The beautiful scenery calmed any doubts Cloud might have had about leaving Nibelheim and being on his own at the age of fourteen. The boy took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. Cloud hoped by the time he woke they would have already reached Midgar.

It had taken two days for the bus to arrive at the seaside resort, Costa del Sol, where the passengers would then be loaded onto a passenger ship. Midgar was on the eastern continent, which could only be reached by boat. Cloud and the others boarded the ship with their luggage, and disembarked to their next destination, Junon.

The seas were calm as the large passenger ship traversed its waters. Cloud became ill from all the traveling. He was easily subdued by motion sickness. He was somewhat embarrassed about his nausea. If Cloud did join SOLDIER, he didn't want to be the only one vomiting from place to place. After a half week on the high seas, the ship pulled into the only port on the eastern continent in Junon.

Those who had made plans to stay in Junon didn't board the next bus. Cloud got on the vehicle and sighed with relief as he reclined in the seat. He knew the rest of the trip was a nonstop ride to Midgar. Days past by like years for Cloud as he saw no end to the journey. Cloud went to sleep cursing the amount of time it took to arrive in Midgar.

When he woke up, Cloud was greeted by the bus driver who remarked, "Hey, kid, everybody got off the bus! Why don't you do the same?" Cloud had overslept. He rubbed his tired eyes hard and wondered why the bus had stopped. Cloud staggered off the vehicle carrying a backpack with his belongings in it. He was in a busy bus terminal. The streets were alive with cars and buses heading up and down the road. The sidewalk was congested with hundreds of people running into each other with little option of where they could move. Cloud wondered if he was in Midgar. Suddenly, as if by magic, a giant neon sign lit up reading: SHINRA WELCOMES YOU TO MIDGAR. ENJOY YOUR STAY.

Chapter 9

Cloud had arrived in Midgar. He was ecstatic. His next move was to find where he could enlist to be in SOLDIER. Cloud left the bus terminal and headed to the main streets of Midgar. He noticed that there was no sun overhead. Cloud knew it was morning, but the black sky seemed to swallow it whole. The vivid neon lights of the corner stores seemed to be Midgar's only source of day. The crowded streets were dark and brooding. The roads were dirty complemented by noise from the traffic jam, which in turn hurt Cloud's ears. He lived in a village where the only loud sound was the gurgling of the water tower. This was an all-new experience that Cloud knew he would have to adapt to if wanted to make it in the city. On the corner of the street, he noticed a man passing out flyers on how to join the Midgar Military. Cloud figured he would know something about SOLDIER.

"Hey, Youngblood," the man said as Cloud approached, "Join the fight against Wutai, and get recognition, money, and chicks!"

"Where can I go to be in SOLDIER?" Cloud asked.

"SOLDIER?" the man said surprised, "That's Nowheresville, man! The real fame is in the military."

"I want to know where I can go to be in SOLDIER," Cloud restated.

The man gave him a peculiar look, "Well, ain't you a persistent cactuar! If you must know, first you take the train over there," he said pointing across the street to a train terminal, "And ride that bad boy to Sector 4. It'll drop you right in front of the enlistment building. There you can sign up to be in that SOLDIER thing. If you change yer mind, you can also enlist in the military."

Cloud took the man's advice and got on the train to Sector 4. He arrived at the enlistment office in a half an hour. Inside, he received his papers to join SOLDIER. Cloud filled out the appropriate information and handed it back to the applications officer.

"Okay," the officer said, "In a week you'll find out if you made the cut."

"A week!" Cloud said shocked, "I wasn't expecting to wait. I don't have anywhere to stay. What am I supposed to do?"

"Hey, don't bitch to me," the officer said coldly, "You shoulda thunk about that before you came here from…" he looks to Cloud's papers, "…Nibelheim? Damn! Yer a long way from home, boy. Yer screwed."

Cloud's disappointment besieged his emotions as tears clogged his sore eyes.

"I'm sorry to intrude, but I heard your problem and wondered if I could help," a voice said very pleasant and kindheartedly.

He turned to find a woman wearing a long sky blue dress with shimmering black hair. She smiled at Cloud. He thought she looked beautiful. The young lady had the same wholesome nature Cloud saw in Tifa. Just that moment he missed his friend.

"Oh, Rinoa, you ain't gonna take in another stray are ya?" the officer said.

The woman, Rinoa, didn't respond to the man, but, instead, knelt to Cloud and said, "I know you don't know me, but I'd love for you to stay with me until you've gotten your clearance."

"But you don't even know me." Cloud responded.

"I know, but you remind me so much of my little brother back in my hometown of Kalm. So handsome and noble looking. Besides, you're a country boy. No more than fourteen years old I'm guessing. Someone that young and inexperienced won't survive a week in Midgar alone." She was persuasive. Cloud agreed to stay with her.

"Great," she cheered, "Hey, since I work for Shinra, maybe I can pull some strings to make this SOLDIER thing process faster," she looked to the officer, "Have this boy's paperwork forwarded to my address."

The officer smiles, "Rinoa, yer too generous for yer own good."

After everything was said and done, Rinoa lead Cloud to her car. "Hop in," she said, automatically opening the door with a device on her car keys. Cloud had never seen such a sleek and fantastic car before. Inside, the vehicle had a leather interior with all sorts of blinking gadgets and a small computer on the dashboard. He'd never seen so much technology in a car before. Back in Nibelheim the entire town only had a busted pickup truck, and even that didn't work properly.

Rinoa revved the engine of the car and sped off to their destination. She turned on the radio to listen to music.

"Hey, Cloud, look out the window," Rinoa said.

Cloud looked out to see a towering structure a hundred feet above the city. It seemed unsettling to have such an enormous building in the middle of the Midgar as if the whole world revolved around it.

"That's Shinra Headquarters, and where you'll be staying with me for the week." Rinoa explained.

"Wow, you live there?" Cloud asked amazed.

"All Shinra executives live there." Rinoa said, "Honestly, I never leave the building normally, but today there was some business I had to deal with in the admissions office. It's a good thing too, or otherwise I wouldn't have met you. I guess luck brought us together."

Cloud looked out the window again, "Rinoa, I've noticed Midgar has eight giant Mako Reactors surrounding the city. Do they really need that much energy?"

Rinoa smiled, "Of course, Midgar is the largest city on the Planet. A lot of people live here, and they all need energy to power everything from an electric toothbrush to their houses."

"Is it true that Mako Energy is actually the Planet's Life Stream?" Cloud asked.

"Well, I wouldn't go as far as saying it's the Planet's life," Rinoa began to say, "But Mako Energy is derived from streams under the ground. People might call it the Life Stream because of its green glow."

Cloud looks to Rinoa, "Will the stream ever dry up?"

"Let's hope not," Rinoa replied, "Imagine a world without Mako. No lights, no electricity, no hot water, no power for cars and airplanes."

Suddenly the computer on the dashboard turned on with a clean-cut gentleman reporting the news. Cloud was startled by the abrupt event.

"Don't worry," Rinoa said, "I've got it programmed to give me any important news flashes. It must be really important… listen."

The man reporting said, "There has been an explosion in the Sector 2 Financial District where a car spontaneously exploded in front of the First National Bank of Shinra. By some miracle, people walked away with only minor injuries. The terrorist group known as AVALACHE is believed to be behind this incident."

"I knew it!" Rinoa interrupted, "Those monsters have been terrorizing the city since they first appeared three months ago."

"Who's AVALANCHE?" Cloud asked.

"They're this cult that believe Mako is sacrilegious. They go around the city spreading propaganda of how evil and corrupt Shinra is for using Mako Energy," Rinoa said bitterly. "I'm not too worried about it. Shinra has ways of dealing with these terrorists." The car sped up the highway making its way to the Shinra Headquarters. It entered a dim orange-lit tunnel, which led to the Shinra parking lot. Without warning, red lights started flashing inside the car.

Rinoa said, "Don't let the red light spook you, Cloud. That blinking just means we're passing a checkpoint. Whenever that happens, it means we're entering a high security area. A central databank back in Shinra Headquarters is checking my Identification Card to make sure I'm allowed within this area."

After Rinoa cleared the checkpoint, she parked the car in her designated spot. She led Cloud to an elevator. The door slid open with a ding sound.

"The Shinra Building has sixty-two underground levels and seventy aboveground levels. Those seventy aboveground levels make up the Shinra Headquarters itself. Levels thirty to forty in the headquarters are where the apartments are." Rinoa explained.

"Why are you telling me all this?" Cloud asked.

She laughed, "Come on, I'm giving you a tour on something few people know about. When you're in SOLDIER you can impress them with the knowledge I gave you."

Clouds nods his head, "I guess you're right."

As the elevator rose steadily to the forty-third floor, Rinoa educated Cloud more about Midgar and its history. He was glad Rinoa had come to his rescue offering him a place to stay. The elevator door opened. They walked down the white narrow corridor to her apartment.

"Here we are," Rinoa said, sliding her ID card through a slot next to the door.

Cloud stepped into the apartment first. He thought the home was rather immense for Rinoa who lived by herself. In the corner was a huge television set with a sofa and love seat facing it. The kitchen had a double door refrigerator that Cloud figured had enough food to feed a small army.

"Wow, you live in this big place by yourself?" Cloud remarked, observing the apartment.

"I don't really live here by myself." She abruptly shouted, "Here, Angelo!"

A brown and white puppy came running from out of a room yelping to Rinoa. She started to scratch behind its ears as the puppy wildly licked her face.

"I found him a week ago," she said giggling as the dog tickled her with its tongue, "Isn't he just the cutest?"

"Yeah," Cloud said kneeling down to pet Angelo. The puppy turned its attention to Cloud as it started to run upon him. The dog knocked him down and licked his face.

Rinoa began to laugh, "I think Angelo likes you."

Still laughing lightly, Rinoa said, "This'll be your home for the week. Hey, while I'm at work you can take care of him."

"No problem," Cloud said happily.

"If you feel too cramped in the apartment during your stay, there is a recreation center on the sixty-fourth floor. Or if readings your thing, there's a library on the sixty-second floor. Try not to go to any other floors. I don't want you getting lost or in trouble while I'm not here."

"No problem," Cloud replied.

She smiled, "Great then. You'll be sleeping in the guest room," she said leading him to the room, "Just unpack you're stuff and relax."

Cloud set his backpack on the floor and threw himself on the bed. He hadn't slept in a comfortable bed since he was last in Nibelheim.

Before leaving the room, Rinoa said, "When you're hungry, there's some food in the fridge. Sleep tight little Cloud. You've had a long day."

As she turned off the lights, Cloud slowly closed his eyes. He was proud of himself for making it to Midgar on his own. Though he did begin to miss his mother and Tifa back home, he managed to convince himself it was well worth it to become a SOLDIER. And when he did finally achieve his dream, he would've finally proven his strength to everybody. He would return to them a hero. But then a dreary thought crossed his mind… What would he do if SOLDIER refused to accept him?

Chapter 10

Cloud enjoyed the week he spent with Rinoa, but it came to an end the day he received the letter from SOLDIER. He opened the letter with his trembling hands unable to cope with the suspense. He read the first line of the letter:

"Mr. Cloud Strife, we are happy to say that you qualify to attend the SOLDIER training camp…" Cloud stopped reading to jump for joy.

"Look," he said rushing to Rinoa, "I was accepted to SOLDIER."

"Oh, Cloud," Rinoa said smiling, "This letter just says you have to go to the training camp before you're accepted to SOLDIER "

Cloud frowned, "Oh… so what will I have to do there?"

"Well, they'll teach you discipline, how to fight, and use Materia," Rinoa explained. "You do know what Materia is, right?"

"Yeah, they're colored stones that make it possible to use magic," he said.

"Absolutely!" she said clapping her hands, "And they'll teach you how to use magic properly."

Cloud smiled at Rinoa and said, "Thanks for everything."

"It was great having you around, little Cloud," she said giving him a hug.

The next day Cloud was off to the SOLDIER training camp on Duma Island, never to see Rinoa ever again. Twenty individuals between the ages of twelve and sixteen were accepted to the training camp, but only four were going to be allowed to become SOLDIER. Cloud felt confident he was going to be one of the four.

They were to train for two years where they would learn how to fight, use weapons, and the proper use of Materia. After the end of the second year the council would pick the top four applicants based on their strength, spirit, and vitality. Cloud would need to prove to the council he was SOLDIER material.

Back in Nibelheim, Tifa never went a day without thinking about Cloud. She wondered if he was healthy, eating right, or if he missed her at all. When the new edition of the newspaper surfaced, Tifa would thoroughly look through the page to see if Cloud ever made it into the paper. She never did find any information on Cloud. Tifa wished he would write her. At least then she would know he was all right.

The two years of the training were rough for Cloud with all the harsh training and strict discipline. Nonetheless, he was a furious fighter and skilled with Materia. There was another student that could be considered Cloud's rival. His name was Zack. The boy Zack was the same age as Cloud and just as skilled, maybe even more so. They both had the same dream of becoming the next Sephiroth.

After two years of intense instructions, the day had finally come when the council would read the four names of those blessed enough to make it into SOLDIER. The council read the names aloud for all to hear, "The following students have made it to become part of the most elite group of warriors in the Planet's history. Congratulations to Gau Lore of Veldt, congratulations to Setzer Gabbiani of Mideel, congratulations to Celes Chere of Junon, and congratulations to…"

Cloud closed his eyes tightly and hoped beyond hope the next words from their lips were, Cloud Strife of Nibelheim.

"Zack Dincht of Gongaga," they finally said.

For a moment Cloud's heart stopped. His mouth ran dry and his fingers began to tingle. His head turned in a daze as he saw the four lucky individuals jump up in hysterics crying and cheering. After the ceremony Cloud set off to his sleeping quarters and cried himself to sleep. All his life he felt weak and useless. Joining SOLDIER was a way of proving to himself and to others that he wasn't scrawny and worthless. But he couldn't even accomplish a simple dream. What else was there? Cloud thought. He felt there was no sense of going back to Nibelheim. He was too embarrassed to look into his mother and Tifa's eyes and see their disappointment. Cloud was mortified at his lack of strength. He decided he wasn't going back home to Nibelheim.

Cloud enlisted in the military to become a Shinra Trooper. Because of his training in SOLDIER he was quickly accepted. By the time Cloud joined Shinra Troopers the war against Wutai had already been over. Wutai lost the war with millions of casualties. They were forced to accept Mako Energy and prohibited from using Materia until it was seen fit otherwise. Because the war bankrupted the small continent, Wutai became a tourist resort to boost its economy. With the war over, Cloud was surprised when he was assigned to his first mission. He thought there was no more need to be on active duty.

What was special about the mission was the fact that Sephiroth was going to lead that particular group with another member from SOLDIER. That other member from SOLDIER was Zack. The mission was to begin the following day.