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liveandforgive's Journal

Created on 2008-10-24 15:18:34 (#16948218), last updated 2009-02-19

415 comments received, 3,096 comments posted

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11 Journal Entries, 4 Tags, 1 Memory, 0 Virtual Gifts, 103 Userpics

Basic Info

Name:	Cloud Strife

Bio

[BIO]

NAME: Cloud Strife
AGE: 23
DOB: August 19
ZODIAC: Leo
GENDER: Male
BLOOD TYPE: AB
HEIGHT: 5'7"
WEIGHT: 163
HAIR COLOR: Blond
EYE COLOR: Blue
ABNORMAL: Mako-induced eyes & Jenova cells
DEXTERITY: Right-handed
COMPLEXION: Healthy
ORIENTATION: Heterosexual

[SOCIAL]

FAMILY: Deceased
FRIENDS: Tifa, Barret, Yuffie, Nanaki (Red XIII), Vincent, Cid, Cait Sith, Reeve, Aerith, Zack
ENEMIES: Sephiroth
LOVE INTEREST: "..."

[LIMIT BREAK]

LIMIT BREAK - LEVEL 1: Braver//Cross-Slash
LIMIT BREAK - LEVEL 2: Blade Beam//Climhazard
LIMIT BREAK - LEVEL 3: Meteorain//Finishing Touch
LIMIT BREAK - LEVEL 4: Omnislash//Omnislash V.5

[WEAPON]

FIRST TSURUGI: The First Tsurugi consists of one main blade (Vigilante), one hollow blade that serves as the front edge (Vendetta), two identical (but asymmetrically opposite) blades that form the back (Merciless and Avenger), and two identical (also asymmetrically opposite) smaller blades that attach to the sides (Ascalon and Sidewinder). The swords of the First Tsurugi in its disassembled state are usually stored in racks inside the special compartments (three racks per compartment) on both sides of Cloud's motorcycle, the Fenrir. The First Tsurugi, much like the Buster Sword, is primarily a crushing weapon.
VIGILANTE: The main blade Vigilante resembles an exaggerated Zweihänder in its shape and appearance, though Cloud usually wields it with only one hand, invariably his right one, despite its apparent size and weight. It consists of a long hilt wrapped in a red material, a distinctively large handguard which the other swords are locked into, a wide length of blade, and an equally long but thinner length ending in a point. The main blade is the only sword among the six that is double-sided. The main blade has two forms. In the first, the appearance is as described above, with the blade of the sword appearing to be one solid length of metal except for the transition between the wide and thin halves. In the second, the blade is pulled outward; the edges are locked apart and a complex inner portion of the sword is visible. Vigilante, by itself and as other swords are attached, is Cloud's primary weapon.
VENDETTA: The hollow blade Vendetta, as its description suggests, does not have an inner core as expected for a sword. Rather, it is essentially (though not exactly) a thick sheet of metal folded in a V-shape when looked from above, with the cutting edge of the sword being the the bottom point of the V, with its lower one-third of its length wrapping around a red double-hilt. Vendetta is locked onto the front edge of Vigilante, where it snugly covers that entire side of Vigilante, and its own edge serves as the striking point for the assembled sword, which is named "Alkaid".
MERCILESS AND AVENGER: The two back blades Merciless and Avenger are identical long swords, mirror images of each other, with one side completely straight and the other a saw-tooth pattern, and a long black hilt for each. These two swords are attached to the back Vigilante, on both sides of Vigilante's back edge, with the saw-tooths pointed forward toward the hollow blade. The addition of these two swords completes the trapezoidal silhouette of the First Tsurugi.
ASCALON AND SIDEWINDER: The two small blades Ascalon and Sidewinder are identical, mirror image dagger-like swords, though they are still quite long. They are singled edged, with a gear-like mechanism between the hilt and the blade that allow them to fold up like a switchblade. It is in this folded form that these two small blades are locked onto the two sides of Vigilante, with their edges turned forward toward Vendetta. In addition, one of the small blades can be quickly ejected from the assembly if needed, providing Cloud with a needed off-hand weapon.
ALKAID: Vendetta is locked onto the front edge of Vigilante, where it snugly covers that entire side of Vigilante, and its own edge serves as the striking point for the assembled sword.
HEAVEN'S CLOUD: Merciless is secured into the Alkaid, forming this weapon.
DRAGON SLAYER: Avenger is finally reunited with it's counterpart blade Merciless, fusing with Heaven's Cloud, forming the Dragon Slayer.
APOCALYPSE: One of the small blades (Ascalon) is inserted to the Dragon Slayer to form this weapon.

[CURRENT]

OCCUPATION: Delivery Boy (?)
LIKES: Motorcycles, wolves, flowers, fighting, racing, solitude, peace and quiet
DISLIKES: Dressing formally, cosmetics, crossdressing, losing the important fight, feeling useless, Sephiroth

[PERSONALITY]

With one too many burdens more than any man should ever have to suffer through, Cloud Strife can often times be a troubled individual. Usually diving into a vast sea of thoughts in the midst of a partially clear but also hazy past, he can sometimes appear lost, not in the sense of location, but of a disturbed mind. Despite this, he doesn’t allow himself to completely succumb to the pains that continue to try and weigh him down. Looked to by some as a leader and a hero, it is through the hopes of others that he often finds the strength to rise to the occasion, albeit sometimes with a struggle in the beginning.

Cloud has never been the most social of butterflies, not too many people getting an opportunity to get close to him; for anyone to be able to find the sensitivity behind those distant blue eyes is a near miracle for he will usually find himself avoiding people. The blond had never been a natural when it came to socialization; better put, he is a reserved individual. Despite this, whatever friends he does have are held in high regard to him as he will not hesitate to protect those that he loves, and open up to them about any internal conflicts that he is suffering. Given it be a battle, personal mentality, or just socialization in general, Cloud can sometimes find himself at a lack of confidence within. Although, upon overcoming a fear or any hesitations, determination and a headstrong attitude can overwhelm him, making him a force to be reckoned with.

Quite possibly one of the most legendary individuals on the planet to have ever wielded a sword, rivaling the prowess of Sephiroth, Cloud has a vast knowledge in how to handle his weaponry. Having spent a good year under the impression that he was a 1st Class SOLDIER, it was through this mindset and the developed instincts that would come with such a rank of the elite warriors, that he fit the role very well. Despite his tales as a SOLDIER being purely fictional due to the traumas of his past, because he spent a part of his life serving as a Shinra Infantryman rather than a SOLDIER, Cloud developed a general understanding of firearms, only further expanding his repertoire of weapons that he is capable of using. However, despite this, he has a strong preference of swordsmanship over the marksmanship of guns.

His weakest link is most likely his mind, as he has been manipulated against his will due to the Jenova cells that flow through his veins after years of experimentation upon his broken body, a manipulation upon the blond that Sephiroth took advantage of as he also controlled the power of Jenova. However, these days such manipulation is very difficult and near impossible due to having found the resolve to his past, and being aware of when someone would dare try to obliterate his mentality once more. While his weakest link, it is still a powerful one.

In the recent days to come, however, such faults of insecurity and doubt have begun to dwindle. In its stead, the return of a familiar man with a clean conscious has begun to take claim to the present as the past is left to his memories. The same man that lead his team to the depths of the Planet for the final showdown against the One Winged Angel almost three years ago. Someone who could smile and laugh again. Cloud has found it easier to open up. While short of words still and stoic more often then not, he will set down whatever he is doing to replace that objective with one of protecting others and helping them when they are in need.

The return of the new Cloud Strife; if you were looking for the best way to describe him.

[HISTORY]

Cloud Strife; his past entails of near to none cherished memories, all the while the negative memories leave a crater to burden and plague his mind in great numbers.

And so…the story will start, in a memory once faded and clouded by darkness, where it all began. Cloud was born in a small town, practically a country boy. Nibelheim was the place he would forever hold dear in his heart and call home. Even as a child, however, he was introverted, standing off to the sidelines when the other younglings would be playing games like tag, hide & seek, or the ever popular, “SOLDIER”. Somebody was always Sephiroth…but he never really partook. Shy, reserved, but an overall sweetheart to those that he did befriend, he would eventually catch the attention of one girl in his town. Venturing off to the outskirts of Nibelheim, she would venture past a bridge, ever the curious child…only to have it collapse. In grave danger as monsters lurked about every corner, it would so happen that she would find a savior in a young boy with blond hair. A girl that he would remember and eventually become great friends with. Her name was Tifa Lockhart. Despite rescuing her, she fell into a coma, leaving Cloud to be put to blame by the others in town, having assumed that he had convinced her to come out here where it was ridiculously dangerous.

Soon enough, after having awoken from her coma and getting to know Cloud better, at times the two were inseparable. Her near death experience as a child frightened Cloud at times, leading to the boy musing about what he could do for her, if Tifa needed someone in her darkest hour. At the time, he found only one solution, if it meant to get the townspeople and her to notice him more. So he could be looked up to as a hero. Upon a fateful meeting by the central water tower in town one night, the two shared their thoughts, amongst them being Cloud’s ambition and decision to leave Nibelheim. Sephiroth was a hero to the world, the greatest SOLDIER to have ever existed, and Cloud made it his goal to join SOLDIER, become 1st Class, and one day return to his hometown as a hero, as a man that people could smile upon and remember through the ages. Tifa would soon come to terms with his ambitions, but only if he could return a promise that she could dream for him to keep. For when he did return, for when she needed someone to be her light in the darkness. And so, Cloud would leave. With a promise to become a SOLDIER and her very own Knight in Shining Armor.

As the director of SOLDIER, Lazard, once told a 2nd Class SOLDIER before, “Unattainable dreams are the best kind.” Sadly, this would hold true for Cloud, as he would work as hard as he could to become a member of SOLDIER, only to fail. His greatest accomplishment at the time was becoming a Shinra Infantryman. He would never raise a sword in combat, only a night stick and his decent knowledge on how to operate firearms. For some time as he proceeded to patrol the streets and tend to a few missions operated by SOLDIER, he felt he was living in the shadow of his own desires, feeling a great pang of disappointment in himself and how he seemed to be failing to keep his promise. For more years to come yet, he would only continue to feel insecure. Until fate would hit him head on like a Shinra chopper crashing in the middle of a snowy terrain.

Speak of the devil, there he was! As one of the Infantryman to escort Tseng of the Turks and the 1st Class SOLDIER who he would forever remember as Zack Fair, he and the black haired teen would get along very well, discovering that they were both country boys (from rather goofy sounding towns; Gongaga and Nibelheim). Leading Tseng and the second grunt to have been brought along for the mission, Cloud and Zack would develop a deep friendship, as Cloud had begun to find someone to look up to in SOLDIER. Arriving in Modeoheim, it wouldn’t be long until the blond haired gunner would be injured at the hands of what was presumed to be Angeal, a SOLDIER who had abandoned his comrades and friends due to circumstances unknown to Cloud. He would soon recover though, and some time would pass shortly afterwards, noticing how Zack wielded a rather powerful weapon known as the Buster Sword; he even changed his hairstyle!

Cloud would soon find himself in Junon with Zack and the others, as an outbreak of Genesis Copies were to be found and eradicated. Fighting a stomach illness as he felt woozy, he received words of encouragement from his friend before Zack pressed onward in pursuit of the ends to his mission there. Their third time…would be their last. He received the honor of working alongside not only Zack, but his idolized hero and one of those he looked up to in his earlier years in hopes of becoming a SOLDIER. Sephiroth, somebody he would never forget. But perhaps that would be a tale best saved for later…

Assigned to inspect a Mako Reactor at Nibelheim, Cloud’s home, the Infantryman refused to show his face around town, remaining anonymous as his childhood friend, Tifa, would ask about him. If there were some blond haired SOLDIERs. To her dismay, there was no such luck. And Cloud kept it a secret as to why he didn’t want people to know he was home, especially Tifa. Several days would pass after the Mako Reactor had been inspected by Zack and Sephiroth, when Cloud Strife would awaken to an eternally haunting nightmare. Nibelheim had been burnt and reduced to mere ashes, his mother and the rest of the townspeople slaughtered. In a blink of an eye…everything he knew and loved in the world was burning before his eyes. And there was only one man to blame for these actions, one man whom he saw do it all, the one man who had also attacked him.

Sephiroth…

Pursuing the madman to the Mako Reactor where he had ventured off to in search of his “Mother”, he arrived in time to witness his friend Zack being defeated by the silver haired lunatic. The wounded state of Tifa was also not lost on him. With anger in his eyes and spite in his soul, Cloud took the very Buster Sword that Zack wielded and ran Sephiroth through, who remained none the wiser to his assault from behind. Leaving Sephiroth to die after assuming he had been defeated, he left the chamber in which Jenova resided, returning to Tifa’s side and moving her off to the nearby wall where she could rest. Before he could tend to Zack, however, Sephiroth emerged from the chamber above with Jenova’s head in tow. Determined to finish this once and for all and in the name of his townspeople and loved ones that had been slain that dreadful night, Cloud confronted Sephiroth once more, not successful this time as he was easily bested, even while the silver haired SOLDIER was wounded. It wouldn’t be long until the tables would turn however, as Sephiroth ran the Masamune through Cloud’s body with no mercy, poison in his words as he warned the Infantryman to not test him.

Much to Sephiroth’s shock and surprise, Cloud summed up the last of his strength to grab the legendary blade that the insane man wielded, and reversed the situation. Lifting the man up off the ground, he furiously tossed Sephiroth against a wall of the reactor before he descended into the abyss of the core… Defeated, for now. Collapsing after suffering from Sephiroth having impaled the weakened blond, the worst was yet to come as he would then be reduced to a vegetative state, his mind reduced to a practically cleaned slate as he and his friend Zack would be experimented on for four years. Due to his lack of extreme exposure to Mako that members of SOLDIER were more accustomed to, Cloud reacted negatively to the experiments carried out by the head of Shinra’s science department, Hojo. He would then be injected with Jenova cells, of which only subdued Cloud to Mako Addiction further, a symptom where the victim is left in a numb and unstable state; it is considered to be a miracle if the person is to ever recover from it.

As of late, miracles happened to be coming the blond’s way. After escaping the mansion with Zack and acquiring a 1st Class SOLDIER uniform in stead of his old clothes of a Shinra Grunt, Zack would prove to be the one watching over the defenseless Cloud, now twenty years of age, ever since missing four years of his life. Through the adventures of being on the run from Shinra, to unraveling the mystery of Genesis and traveling to Midgar, his vegetative state would soon come to an end as the first sight to come to his eyes would never make up for the miracle of recovering from his numb and broken form. The full blown force of Shinra’s brutality was witnessed by the broken Cloud Strife as he watched as his friend who gave his life to protect him was on his final dying breathes. He proclaimed that for the both of them that Cloud was going to live. Entrusting the Buster Sword to Cloud before he died, he claimed that his pride, his dreams, his honor, it was all his now. He would be Zack’s living legacy. With the blood of his fallen friend upon his face, Cloud cried out in anguish over the loss of Zack Fair and the brutality of Shinra, a newfound enemy. Thanking Zack and wishing him goodnight, he pressed onward for Midgar with the Buster Sword in hand.

And so ended one chapter in the life of Cloud Strife, a whole new story just waiting to unfold, and the hardships and challenges would only become steeper. A year would pass as his stability had returned to him. However, the new front that he had put on was that of a cold and hardened mercenary. He reunited with his childhood friend, Tifa, in Midgar. Soon afterwards, he aligned himself with an anti-Shinra movement, known by others as a group of terrorists called AVALANCHE, fighting against the company that was destroying the planet by extracting Mako and it’s very life source. Their headquarters was in a secret basement underneath the bar that Tifa hosted, Seventh Heaven. Proclaiming to be an Ex-SOLDIER of the elite 1st Class, Cloud proved to be a powerful asset to the team as they continued their efforts, starting with the bombing of the Mako Reactors that extracted the essence of the planet. These activities would only continue until fate would intervene in the path of the blond haired Ex-SOLDIER. When confronted by the Shinra company, a bridge in one of the Mako reactors being destroyed, Cloud had appeared to have suffered a terrible fate, falling into the abyss and failing the mission.

Whether Strife believed in destiny or not, something interfered with what seemed to be certain death…as he would soon awaken in what might as well have been heaven. Very well alive, in a sanctuary, a church, he survived with little to no injuries. A beautiful flower girl, Aerith Gainsborough greeted the young man who fell through her roof. After a brief exchange, when Cloud felt the need to be on his way in search of his fellow members of AVALANCHE, employees of Shinra would again find themselves in the young man’s business. With grunts of the like in pursuit of Aerith, she and Cloud managed to escape their pursuers. Taking Cloud on as her bodyguard, they soon discovered that Tifa had survived the ambush from Shinra above, but was captured and taken to a lord of the slums, Don Corneo.

As the perverted man wouldn’t particularly accept other miscellaneous men coming into his establishment, and Aerith and Cloud were in need of a plan to infiltrate and rescue her. And so, a plan was developed. Much to the dismay of the Ex-SOLDIER…he may have very well been needed in order to rescue Tifa. Long story short, he played the part well, and made for a fantastic woman. He would never know why he first agreed to such a plan in the first place, but it was perhaps a single crack in his cold demeanor that he presented constantly. Regardless of his feelings towards the plan, it had worked and the two had gotten into Don Corneo’s chambers. Rescuing Tifa and confronting Corneo, the three were then fooled and abandoned into the sewers of Midgar. Eventually the three escaped and managed their way through the train graveyard.

Another reunion was in order as they soon found themselves reunited with Barret Wallace, who was engaged in battle alongside Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie of AVALANCHE against Shinra once more. The confrontation ended with Cloud and the others facing off against Reno of the Turks while Aerith was captured and taken back to Shinra headquarters. To add to the grief caused, a bomb had been set by Shinra, sacrificing the people below the plate in the slums as the support was destroyed and the plate fell, crushing many. Cloud, Tifa, and Barret survived, leaving Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie to perish.

But there was not enough time to mourn for the dead as matters needed to be taken care of. Climbing to the upper level of Midgar, Cloud, Tifa, and Barret sought to infiltrate the Shinra building in an attempt to rescue Aerith. The last surviving being of the ancient race known as the Cetra, she was very vital to Shinra’s plans of finding the Promised Land; a mythical place said to have an everlasting bounty of energy. Under the supervision of Hojo, Aerith was experimented on until Cloud arrived to rescue her. A red beast that was captive as well with Aerith, Red XIII, was freed and joined the others, proving to be very intelligent and capable of speech, putting on a charade of being wild for Aerith so that he may seize the perfect opportunity to escape, meaning her no harm.

This time of freedom for the flower girl would be short lived, and for Cloud and the others too. The infiltration failed and they were captured and imprisoned, soon to be executed for their acts of “terror” upon the people of Midgar. Enough time would soon pass and Cloud and the others’ doors were opened. However, the sight that greeted them was not a pleasant one. Blood caked the walls of the building as employees and others were slaughtered. Following the trail of blood, they eventually reached the President’s room, only to be met with a sight unlike any other. Upon his own desk, President Shinra had been impaled with a rather long katana, one that looked strikingly familiar to Cloud and Tifa. It was the Masamune, a blade that belonged to the legendary 1st Class SOLDIER, Sephiroth. With this shocking revelation and the rise of a new president, the son of the now deceased head of the company, Rufus Shinra, would take over. The party would take the time to understand the situation more clearly later. As of that moment…

They needed to escape while they could. Soon developing into a high speed chase across the highways of Midgar, Cloud defended the others upon a stolen motorcycle while fending off their pursuers. Eventually, they had earned their freedom, under the quick impression that as it stood for the time being, Midgar was no longer a safe location for the party as they were now heavily searched for. It was through this that the blond’s thoughts lingered to the man that had caused him so much agony and pain in the past. Taking the helm for the group as their leader, he concluded that the only viable action now was to pursue and defeat Sephiroth.

From taking refuge in Kalm for a night and explaining the story of his past in the events regarding Nibelheim five years ago, to future confrontations with Shinra, the Turks, and many monsters that roamed the lands, the road ahead was a long and strenuous one. Filled to the brim with exciting moments and anxious nights, awaiting the day he could finally have his hands on the silver haired man who destroyed his life, Cloud was a restless but reliable leader, eventually obtaining more allies along the way, every single one of them memorable to him and the others. Whether it was the likes of Yuffie Kisaragi, or even Vincent Valentine upon returning to Nibelheim (of which was restored from it’s ash-reduced state by Shinra, the events of five years ago kept under wraps and the civilians as actors), to Cait Sith, a friendly but quirky robotic feline that rode atop an overweight moogle of massive proportions. They had even run into Cid Highwind, an individual who had been chosen for the Shinra space program; and also a foul mouth to boot.

At one point, Cloud and party had crossed the sea from Junon on a Shinra cruise ship to Costa Del Sol, only to finally encounter Sephiroth face to face…until he would take his leave, leaving behind a present for them to do battle with. A mutating piece of Jenova was left behind for the heroes to defeat, further expanding the mystery of Sephiroth and his connection to the alien life form.

His relationships with the others would soon soften as well, taking the time to interact with the others outside of the serious business that was taken in chasing the man in the black coat. His personality softened at times too. From the battle coliseum at the Golden Saucer and having fun, to his date with Aerith, a softer side to Cloud Strife was beginning to shine through, in memory of a past self long forgotten…

Soon enough, Cloud would come across the ruins of the Ancients, after Cait Sith had been revealed to be working for Shinra the entire time and had taken the key to the ruins. Uncovering the Black Materia, a menacing power that was capable of summoning an unsacred force known as Meteor to strike the Planet, Cloud and the others left the ruins to leave Cait Sith to retrieve and destroy the ruins in order for the others to obtain the Black Materia, least it fell into the hands of Sephiroth.

Unfortunately…speaking of the certain silver haired man, he soon arrived to claim what he believed to be rightfully his. Much to the shock of the others and Cloud himself, the blond was soon bombarded with a psychological meltdown, until finally, his mind was a blank slate for a brief moment in which he then entrusted his very own enemy with the Black Materia. Unable to find a reasoning behind his spontaneous change of heart and having given the Black Materia to the worst person possible, Cloud was left to ridicule himself briefly until Aerith concluded that she would leave in order to stop Sephiroth, and summon Holy to counter Sephiroth should he ever summon Meteor. Taking the others with him in search of this sacred city of ruins belonging to the Cetra, Cloud would eventually find the flower girl again. This time…kneeling and in a silent prayer. He watched on in relief of having found her…however…

One of the most critical stabs to the Ex-SOLDIER’s heart was about to unfold before his very eyes. From above, having happened too suddenly, the blade of the Masamune was run through the stomach of Aerith. And the man behind having just slain the defenseless girl…was Sephiroth. Holding the untimely departed Aerith within his arms as burning tears raced down his face, he silenced Sephiroth’s proclamations for only a brief moment…before taking his leave once more, leaving behind a remnant of Jenova once more. These words would only continue to haunt him for a very long time.

“You are… A puppet.”

Broken, shaken, and in a state of distress over the loss of Aerith, Cloud, despite the odds and his own hesitance, decided to lead the others to follow Sephiroth, even if it meant to the ends of the Earth. Their journey would lead them to the Northern Crater, a location in which the first Meteor had supposedly struck, bringing Jenova with it; as well, it was where a supposed “Reunion” was meant to occur as many hooded individuals who could only usher the words “Sephiroth” or “Reunion”, which were the clues that the party followed in order to find Sephiroth. After venturing into the depths of the crater, Cloud and the others succeeded in retaining the Black Materia from Sephiroth…for a short time. Shinra, especially the likes of Hojo had come to the Northern Crater as well, in time to witness the unwilling treachery of Cloud as he was controlled by Sephiroth, like a puppet as the man had once told him. Entrusting the Black Materia to him one last time in the depths of the Northern Crater, Cloud was submissive to Sephiroth’s will, revealed to be because of the Jenova cells that ran through Cloud’s veins, considered a failure of a clone of Sephiroth, according to Hojo. The Northern Crater soon began to erupt, the planet in grave danger as Meteor was summoned by Sephiroth. Soon the legend of the WEAPONs would manifest into reality as the colossal monsters emerged from the planet to cleanse the world of impurities. While the others were able to escape as they were captured by Shinra once more…

Cloud on the other hand, was not as fortunate. Lost in the Lifestream, Cloud was set adrift throughout the planet…his memory and vision hazy and everything he once knew becoming a complete jumble of nonsensical numbness. Upon being discovered upon a beach on the outskirts of Mideel, miraculously surviving but now immobile and trapped in a vegetative state once more from Mako Addiction. To the dismay of Tifa and the others. For the longest time he couldn’t acknowledge others or show signs of recovering, only muttering words or questions regarding the angels or even, “What number am I?”, Hojo’s words of him being a Sephiroth clone having conflicted with his memories. Eventually, The Ultimate WEAPON assaulted and destroyed the town of Mideel, unfortunately taking both Cloud and Tifa with into the pool of Mako and the Lifestream left in the wake of the monster.

With the help of Tifa, the mentally disturbed Ex-SOLDIER’s past was returned to him, his life no longer a haze as his true memories returned to him. He was never a 1st Class SOLDIER, nor was he ever a SOLDIER at all. The farthest he had ever gotten was a Shinra Infantryman sent on the same mission as his legacy now departed, Zack Fair. He soon remembered that he was still there for Tifa when she needed him the most, and having defeated Sephiroth five years ago in Nibelheim.

“You will be…my living legacy…” A year ago, after having witnessed the death of his friend, Zack, Cloud’s own memories were destroyed from the trauma of Mako and Jenova cell exposure, thus taking the ranking and memories of Zack with him in order to be able to function in life as a mercenary. With his past returned to him, and with the help of Tifa, he could see everything crystal clear once more. Both Tifa and Cloud emerged from the Lifestream, unharmed but exhausted.

Cloud Strife had finally returned. Not through the memory of Zack, but with his own past to reflect upon, no matter how tragic it may have been regardless of which side of the coin he looked upon. With Cid’s airship, the reunited team was ready to take care of matters once and for all. Confronting the Diamond WEAPON that was approaching Midgar, the massive monster leveled the majority of the Shinra tower, but not before the transported Sister Cannon could destroy the WEAPON and the barrier that once shielded the Northern Crater from outsiders. Sephiroth was defenseless, and now once they had defeated Hojo and finished matters in Midgar, it was time for their final showdown with the silver haired man. In a matter of days, Meteor would fall upon the planet and leave a horrific scar, in the end endangering the fate of the world and all who inhabited it as Sephiroth pursued a godlike status. As the others returned to wherever they wished to go in order to take care of unfinished business before the battle of fate, in deciding the future of the planet, Cloud and Tifa remained behind with the Highwind, providing comfort for one another as they prepared for the final confrontation with Sephiroth. It was now or never.

For the planet, for his friends, for his hometown that had been destroyed years ago, for Zack, for Aerith…he would end this once and for all.

When the party reunited, they approached the final destination, venturing into the heart of the crater, if not the core of the planet. Coming face to face with yet another piece to Jenova, they managed to defeat her before meeting face to face with the true Sephiroth. Controlling everyone with his immense power, ready to tear them apart, Cloud came to a realization that they were near what appeared to be a shining light. Aerith’s prayers had been answered…and she had been true to wishing to bring forth Holy. There was but one final obstacle in the way. Sephiroth was holding the power back in order for Meteor to go along it’s collision course uninterrupted. Motivated by Aerith’s wishes and strength, Cloud and the others overwhelmed Sephiroth’s control over their bodies and engaged him in battle.

Epic may as well have been the one word to sum up the grand battle between Cloud and the One Winged Angel. Succeeding in defeating him, with Holy awoken, the party decided it would be in their best favor to leave before Holy erupted from the Northern Crater. Before Cloud could escape, however, the spirit of Sephiroth laid siege against his mind once more. Laughing, tormenting him, tempting him and trying to worm his way into his heart and mind to control him…Cloud’s conscious was at stake. And he was not about to tolerate the desires of a madman. Overcoming Sephiroth’s spirit and destroying him once and for all, Cloud returned to reality, managing to escape with Tifa and the others from the Northern Crater, only to watch as Holy and the Lifestream banned together in order to put an end to Meteor’s destructive actions. Unfortunately, the powerful magic was enough to destroy practically all of Midgar, leaving it in ruins. It was a price to pay for the sake of the planet’s safety.

Now, the people would remember him and his friends as saviors to the planet, an old face that tormented him, Sephiroth's reign, having been put to a fortunate and timely cease. Despite these conditions and the concept of victory present about them, the young blond was prone to a state of solitude and solemn contempt. He became much more reserved then his previous self could ever comprehend as he came to conclude that he would forever remain unforgiven for the wrongs he had committed. Through the hardships, every thing had its price; Aerith Gainsborough paid its toll on his conscious as he blamed himself for her death. He had just stood there, watching as she died. This invoked a feeling of insecurity within himself as he found himself struggling to keep a hold of his emotions. In the bitter end of it all, he concluded that he could no longer take on the life as a leader or a hero, but moreso remain a faded memory of his past. Never more could he save anybody again, not even himself.

Two years would come to pass and Cloud Strife had taken refuge with Tifa at the rebuilt Seventh Heaven in the town of Edge, upon the outskirts of the ruins that were Midgar; he opened up a delivery service as a means to keep himself preoccupied. But not only that, but it also left him to be alone with his thoughts. Many of his days of work kept him away from home more then often, the only social interaction really being the sound of Tifa's voice over an answering machine. He couldn't help but feel guilty for having to leave her alone for so long, but it was a job; nothing that he could really do about it. Not only this, but it would appear that a fatal disease had managed its way about the planet, primarily the area revolving about Midgar. Geostigma, an impurity and after effect that Meteor had left to linger behind when it leveled Midgar, the result of the body resisting the lifestream of which was tainted by Jenova. Many children were infected, but Cloud was also a candidate victim as the sickness trailed all along his left arm. To hide these scars, the young man had draped his arm with a black sleeve. With a motorcycle of which was called Fenrir, the occasional phone call from home, and a life lost on his mind, the blond only continued to suffer, hiding his sickness as he just did his job.

One day, on a standard run while doing a delivery, Cloud's life would take a turn for the unexpected; soon enough this would lead to an uprising of old memories, good and bad. Being ambushed by two silver haired men and a hoard of shadow creatures, he barely survived this encounter; proceeding to the Healin Lodge to converse with another familiar face, but not before having a very brief confrontation with Reno and Rude of the Turks. After the immediate upper hand was gained by Cloud, a man in a wheelchair entered the scene, but the voice would do nothing but bring forth the memory of a man once thought departed. Rufus Shinra survived the attack that Diamond WEAPON laid siege upon the company, it would seem like. The young man retained some information about who these men happened to be; lead by another silver haired man who went by the name of Kadaj. Dismissing Rufus' offer to be his bodyguard, Cloud then took his leave for Midgar where he returned to the church that once belonged to Aerith, shocked to find that Tifa had been left in a bruised pile in the bed of flowers, after realizing that Marlene had been taken from Tifa as she collapsed in his arms, the effects of his Geostigma got the best of him, rendering him unconscious alongside Tifa in a bed of flowers.

Later, Cloud was rescued and brought to Seventh Heaven by Reno and Rude, informing him and Tifa of the matters at hand, such as Kadaj and the others taking the children with the illness of the Stigma to the Forgotten City, the city that once belonged to the Ancients. After a night of hesitation and self-doubt, with the help of Tifa, Cloud left for the Forgotten City as fast as he could, in pursuit of the silver haired men. After a brief spiritual encounter with Aerith (whether this was a trick upon his mind or genuine has yet to be determined), where he confessed to her that he wished for forgiveness. In response she had simply asked, “By who?” Leaving him in a state of confusion as he found himself closing in on Kadaj’s location, he wiped out as he avoided the children whom appeared to be brainwashed. After being labeled as a black sheep in Kadaj’s happy flock, Cloud engaged him, Yazoo, and Loz in a heated battle. Eventually, he soon found himself outmatched, unable to compete with the three as he was inching closer to death.

A man of miracles and timely interventions, the blond haired swordsman would be swiftly rescued by his ally and friend, Vincent Valentine, who swept Cloud away to a safer location in the forest. After Vincent explained to Cloud the condition that plagued him, Geostigma, he elaborated further, much to the surprise of the blond. The three were after the remains of Jenova. Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo were working to establish a new Reunion; something that Cloud had every intention of stopping for all of the obvious reasons. After a brief conflict with his own thoughts, Cloud asked Vincent if sins could be forgiven. With the former Turk’s remark of having never tried, it sparked what seemed to be motivation for Cloud to attempt such. Returning to Edge after taking Marlene to a safe place, he would join the battle against the menacing Bahamut SIN that Kadaj had summoned, the thoughts of the former 1st Class SOLDIER returning to torment him again enough reason to continue fighting for the sake of the people and the planet, once again.

Raising his sword to the occasion after slaying the dragon, a familiar hero was beginning to return, as Cloud gave chase to the three silver haired men who had taken off with Jenova’s cells. Distracted by both Yazoo and Loz, he gathered his strength in a high speed battle along the highways of Edge, crossing over into the ruins of Midgar. With valor and determination, Cloud was successful in eliminating the two from the equation with the help of the Turks (for now), he set his eyes on the leader of there little gang, Kadaj. The pursuit that lead back to the church would soon become a blessing as Aerith's spirit awakened the glory of her final Limit Break, The Great Gospel, liberating Cloud of the bonds that Geostigma still held deathly to. This was merely an eye opener as Aerith's voice encouraged him onward; and so, a fire that was once diminished had been set ablaze once more for the final confrontation. With every intention of putting Kadaj to rest, he and Cloud made due for a long awaited fight. It was stressful and harsh, but in the very end, the blond swordsman made himself suit to be victorious. Before any opportunity to end this nightmare came about, the silver haired boy, however, called upon the power of Jenova's cells, a personal reunion being born as once more; the One Winged Angel, Sephiroth, had finally returned.

The stakes were high, and the new battle was long and epic. For the grand proportion of the fight, Sephiroth seemed to have complete control and handled Cloud like a breeze through his long, silver hair. After running his blade through Cloud, reminiscent of the events that transpired seven years ago, he asked him to share with him what he cherished the most; so that he may take it all away from him. This sparked a raging inferno from within Cloud as he mustered up the miraculous strength that had bested the One Winged Angel in the past. Taking pity upon the godlike Sephiroth, he told him that there wasn’t a thing in this world that he did not cherish. Giving chase to the man afloat in the sky, Cloud triggered one final assault against the silver haired man, unleashing his final Limit Break, Omni-Slash, the attack worked, overwhelming and destroying Sephiroth once more. But not before he left Cloud with six bone-chilling words to counter the blond’s wishes of him staying where he belonged…in his memories.

“I will…never be a memory.” Fading into nothing as a black angel wing wrapped itself about his body, a weakened and dying Kadaj returned, attempting to strike at Cloud once more only to fail and collapse in his arms. Hearing the voice of Aerith reaching out to him, Kadaj smiled, feeling soothed by the voice of what he thought was his mother, a healing downpour of the Great Gospel poured down across the planet, uplifting the curse that Geostigma held over it and it’s inhabitants, Kadaj faded away into the Lifestream, leaving Cloud to feel relief and a sense of triumph over his long-time nemesis once more. As he relished in the feeling of the rain upon his skin atop the ruins of the Shinra building, he would soon relive the horrors of knowing that even in victory, the sacrifices made were not to be forgotten. As bullets ripped through the unsuspecting Cloud Strife, he collapsed to his knees before hearing the voices of the fading Loz and Yazoo, having survived the bombing from the Turks. The materia infused within them was brilliantly shining against the healing rain, wishing for Cloud to go with them, in death they could play together. Infuriated by the attack, the blond mustered up the strength to rush the two, but not before the last two silver haired men could charge up one final assault with the last of their power and the materia they possessed. Much to the shock of his friends watching from Cid’s new airship, Shera, Cloud was caught in the full blast of the explosion that had occurred. Point blank range…

Feeling himself floating, he felt a soothing hand stroke through his hair. Mumbling the thoughts of if it was his mother, he was again corrected by the voice of Aerith. And soon afterwards, Zack…the two seemingly watching over him. Claiming it was not yet his time, he continued to drift aimlessly…until he awoke in the church yet again. Any injuries from before were all but forgotten now. What remained were the final wounds of the heart and soul that needed to be healed. Remedied by the waters of purity that he found himself floating in, he soon lead the children in with him, Denzel’s Geostigma cured in an instant along with the others. And as he watched the others, witnessing the departure of Aerith and Zack, at least…before his own very eyes, he could see her again, softly smiling back at him.

“You see? Everything’s…alright.”

A soft smile graced Cloud’s lips. Genuine, true, accepting and self-forgiving. He was going to be okay, because he had come to realize all along.

“I’m not alone… Not anymore.”

Some time would pass after this, as the smiles continued to grow, as peace continued to reign supreme… As the Planet could finally rest, and so could Cloud’s burdens.

[DISCLAIMER]

This is a role-playing journal by

hikaritoyamii.
Cloud Strife © Square-Enix
All content is fictional and for entertainment purposes only, not for profit.

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