Those Who Fight Further (To Find You)

[President Rufus Shinra]

Those Who Fight Further (To Find You)

~ A Story of Klous Strife ~

By Cloud

--

“Hey, Cloud, let’s make a promise.”

“What?”

“Well... If you ever get really famous, and I’m ever in a bind... you’ll come save me, okay?”

“...What?”

“Just promise!”

“Okay, okay, I promise.”

An older boy sitting behind the water tower was eavesdropping upon the two childhood friends, trying to watch over his shoulder but was barely able to since he didn’t want to make much of a commotion. He was cramped up between a rock and a wall, and to be all honest, it was rather uncomfortable. He had messy spiky black hair, blue eyes, and fair skin that had patches of dirt here and there from his day of tramping around town. He wore a simple black muscle shirt that was obviously aged with faded gray stripes around the stomach area, and around his hips to cover his legs were faded and dirtied baggy black khakis that were obviously three or four sizes too big for him, but apparently it hugged his waist just fine. His hands were protected by wool-cotton hand gloves, which were also black; and also a bit big for him. They at least provided protection against the sharp edges of the rocks he was clinging to, which his black sneaker shoes helped him climb.

His muscles twitched from having stationed himself here for so long, and sweat was slowly beginning to form upon his skin, making it glossy and somewhat wet. Nonetheless he continued to hold on to the dry rocks with his back pressed against the wall, glancing again and again over his shoulder repeatedly, until a screw snagged a tangled strand of his hair, and pulled it as he turned his head. He jerked and bit his lip to restrain a low hiss, and braced himself even more as he reluctant pulled one hand away from the ledge. He reached up and freed his locks, and ran an exhausted hand through them, and sighed quietly. He sucked in his breath and froze suddenly as he heard the sound of brushing dirt and rocks along the ground, meaning that someone was approaching. He shut his eyes, and luckily the rock crunching sound passed right by him. The sound of adolescents conversing was also heard as it passed.

Cloud and Tifa must have already finished their little talk. He thought to himself as he relaxed. Maybe now I can get down from here...

Slowly he eased one of his sore arms from the rock face, and then gingerly, released his feet. He grabbed a hold of the rocks as he swung down against them, coughing as his chest hit against it. He then stationed his feet into several pivots and climbed his way down. He heaved a sigh of relief as he hopped down and his feet touched earth, dry dust raising into the air and settling upon the ground. He glanced around and squinted slightly as he walked out into the sun, and stared down the dirt road to find that the couple was still heading its way down. He stealthily followed behind them.

The unsuspecting blonde-haired boy did not expect a sudden visit to the ground. He coughed as the powder rose up into his senses, as his body took the instinctive to shut his eyes. He attempted to push the heavyweight off of him as he greeted his younger brother.

“Heeeey, Cloud, you two done with your little date yet!?” he other teen swanked, ruffling the irritated boy’s hair. The girl beside them had been watching speculatively, and giggled at his remark. He was finally shoved off and the two of them quickly recovered, brushing off and patting their bodies down.

“Shut up Klous, it wasn’t a date. We were just talking. Why are you around anyway?” Cloud retorted, glaring heavily at his older brother. The girl looked away and giggled again, shifting her foot about innocently. Klous smiled.

“Because I can be, and you were supposed to be home hours ago.” He replied smugly, which in all actuality, was a complete lie. But that was what Klous was good for. “You can’t hide the fact that you and Tifa are lovers forever you know.”

Cloud did a triple-take between the two of them, his mouth open and twitching, ready to say something but he shut his mouth. Tifa shook her head with a small smile and he and grumbled as he hissed through his teeth, “I’m only fourteen!”

Klous snickered in amusement, his evil grin widening. “Sure, sure, Cloud...” He pranced his way around the two of them, giving his best ‘yeah right’ attitude. He waved his hand, then turned his back to them and crossed his arms, grabbing his own shoulders, and impersonating a making out impression, with kissing sounds. Cloud growled, and before Tifa could say a word to object, he ran at him and attempted to strike him. Klous turned and quickly grabbed Cloud’s wrist tightly, twirled, and slammed him on the ground, twisting his arm. Cloud screeched in pain followed by a hard grunt as he tried to pull away, but Klous pulled him back up on his feet.

“Jackass!” Cloud shouted with anger, rubbing his sore arm. He lowered his stance and breathed heavily. “That fucking hurt!” He went on to attack Klous again, who just stared and prepared for it, getting back into fighting posture.

Tifa came over and took Cloud by the arm, pulling him back and stopping him. “Cloud, stop it! It’s a stupid reason to be fighting, just let it go!” Klous relaxed, watching Cloud struggle for a couple of moments, before he finally gave in. He pulled away from Tifa, glanced at her for a minute, then back at Klous. He glared. Klous simply smiled. Tifa however held onto Cloud’s arm once again. “C’mon, let’s go back to my house...” Cloud followed her lead without objection as Klous watched them. He wouldn’t forget that, ‘I’ll get you’ look that Cloud ever so commonly shot at him.

He wouldn’t be surprised that when Cloud left the next day when the recruiters came for the new Soldier candidates, that he wouldn’t as much as give his older brother a second glance. Klous wasn’t at all affected, but after he did leave, he became Tifa’s moral support whenever she talked about or cried over Cloud being gone. However, Klous would not be able to remain beside her for the fact that he too, had signed up for Soldier, only the difference was that he wouldn’t be leaving until the following month by a separate group.

Everyone considered Klous to be Cloud’s older brother, mostly because of his height and better complexion, but the fact of the matter was that Klous and Cloud were the same exact age, and Klous was simply born a few minutes before Cloud was. They were identical twins with minor differences. Everyone could at least see that extreme similarity, that they had the exact same face and hair, only Cloud’s was straw blonde and Klous’s midnight black. Klous however got the more appreciation than Cloud did, and even though they had been fighting and arguing since birth, everyone knew that the two truly did care about each other deeply, and it hurt and angered Klous to see Cloud so upset and depressed from all of the mangled situations and blames he’s been in and taken for everyone, and he knew that he went to Soldier merely to prove himself otherwise... He only hoped that that would be the outcome of everything. That was why Klous also signed up for Soldier behind his parent’s and friend’s backs, so that maybe he’d be able to watch over his brother.

He however would not be getting that opportunity. When the next bit of recruiters came, Klous said his goodbyes to his friends and family before hopping onto the bus. The commander announced their destination. “Hello there recruits, this bus is for Soldier Training and I am your commander, Officer First Class Tyler Gerhudin. Please take your seats according to your number... We will be heading out to Gadget Lodge by Cosmo Canyon.” He sat himself in the front seat after all of the students hustled about and found their positions, and instantly began conversing with each other.

Klous sat himself beside a girl that looked a bit older than him, with short straight lavender hair and average clothing, and shrugged off his large knapsack and set it on the floor underneath the leather seat in front of them. The two locked eyes for a second, where he established the fact that she had dark amethyst eyes and incredibly fair skin; they smiled at each other, and then separated glances. Klous crossed his arms over his chest and sighed, leaning forward and setting his forehead against the rim of the seat. He would notice the girl glancing at him numerous times out of the corner of his eye, but he ignored it and closed his eyes.

There would not be a single kid who didn’t complain about the bus ride at least once. The road they were driving on was too bumpy. The air in the bus was too musty. The windows were hard to open and it was too hot. One kid screamed and said there was gum stuck to their seat. The complaints would continue but the commander up front had the extreme selective hearing option turned on. Klous sighed once more as the bus kept on with its rattling and racketing as it traveled towards its destination. He knew very well that this was going to be a long ride.

Apparently after an hour Officer Tyler’s selective hearing burnt out. He stood up and turned towards the group of talkative adolescents, gripping the leather seat and holding on as he tried to support himself from the horrible shocks that the bus had. “Cadets! Restrain yourselves, stop actin’ like a bunch of two year olds, you expect to be prime Soldiers with that attitude? C’mon now, do something productive. I want everyone to introduce themselves to their partner beside them, because you will be bunking with that person, so you might as well talk with them now. If I find any of you talking to anyone else, there will be sheer consequences.” He turned and sat down abruptly, as silence followed.

Some kids reluctantly began to talk; others began talking right away with their partners. Klous remained leaned against his seat silently, though his eyes open, waiting for something to be said. The girl continued to glance at him nervously. Klous exhaled silently and sat up straight slowly, stretched his muscles until the cracking of his spine could be heard, followed by grabbing his chin and twisting it so that his neck popped. The girl grimaced at the sounds of the bones crackling. He then slowly turned towards her, with a rather distraught look.

Klous instantly beamed. “Howdy, what’s your name, I’m Klous Strife.” He introduced himself, holding out his hand for her. She looked at it, then at him, then slowly raised her hand and gingerly grabbed his. He clenched her hand tightly, and shook it. She was frightened by his tight grasp, and tried to pull away suddenly. “Whoa, whoa, it’s okay; I won’t break your hand...” He released his grasp gently, and pulled away. “I’m sorry.”

She looked at him for a moment, and rubbed her own hand for a moment absent mindedly, never releasing her gaze from him. “I... I’m... Aulani... Aulani Kamilah...” she replied quietly, clenching her own hand slightly. She tried to smile when Klous smiled at her.

“Aulani, that’s a beautiful name. So why did a pretty shy girl such as yourself sign up for Soldier? Don’t you know it’s dangerous?” he asked her, crossing his arms. He leaned over slightly, turning his body so that he could face her a bit better. She giggled quietly and looked away.

“Well... Everyone in my village thought I was too kind and shy... So my parents signed me into Soldier to toughen me up and teach me a few life lessons... They were rich snobby people, and they didn’t like me much since all I did was stay in my room and paint and sew...” She replied meekly, trying to pretend that something far more interesting was out the window, even though there were only patches of grass and shrubs alongside the dirt and gravel... Klous didn’t buy it, and leaned over further to attempt looking at her once more, squinting at her slightly and raising an eyebrow. By the time she noticed she quickly looked at him and blushed. “I’m sorry... I’m not used to boys...”

Klous shook his head and leaned back towards his seat with a light thump, his arms still crossed. He titled his head to the back so it could lean against the rim as he looked up at the ceiling. “No, that’s alright. I’m quite used to girls blushing and being nervous around me,” –he ran his hand through his hair with a fake dramatic sigh as he said so—“so it’s fine. That really sucks though; I’m sorry your parents hated you and shoved you into this mess...” His tone went rather dry in his last couple of words, giving the same look to some of the other kids on the bus.

Aulani giggled again. “Well, that might contribute to the fact that... If you don’t mind me saying...you are rather attractive...” She looked away and hid her face with her hands. “I’m sorry; I wanted to say it...”

Klous raised his brows again and then patted her shoulder, causing her to flinch slightly. “No, no, that’s okay, thank you, I’m glad you think so.” He replied, and looked back at him with a hopeful glance. He smiled and nodded. “It’s okay.”

She relaxed, and looked out the window again as she sat back against the seat. She then glanced at him thoughtfully. “So why are you here?”

Klous put his elbow up against the seat in front of him, pressing his chin against the edge of his wrist as he sighed heavily. He paused for a moment. “I’m trying to watch out for somebody I really care about... making sure that they’re okay.”

“Who?” was all Aulani asked to break the mild silence between them, and Klous closed his eyes.

“My twin brother. He’s really weak emotionally and mentally, because he’s been so horribly tormented all of his life. He signed up for Soldier so that he could prove to our town that he was somebody and he was better than everyone else.” He shifted his face against his wrist so that it was against his cheek, so he could look back at her. “I care about him a lot; I was the only one to take care of him most of his life when our mom couldn’t.”

Aulani stared at him for a moment, then shifted and rested back against the seat once more. “Wow... I wish someone cared for me like that... To always want to protect and guide me...”

Klous removed his face from his arm and rested a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, don’t you worry.” He wrapped his arm around her, holding her against his chest for a moment. Aulani turned red instantly. “As long as I’m around, I’ll watch over you, how’s that?”

Aulani remained there, shaking slightly from nervousness. Upon his words of encouragement and his smile that told her that she could trust him, she relaxed and smiled slightly, nodding silently. “Okay... Klous...”

Once the bus lurched to a stop, they had pulled in front of a large prison-like building. It by the looks of it had at least ten floors, and was composed of entirely steel and cement, with few windows, and with several letters and numbers lined against the wall faces in large white print. It was a rather intimidating building that had a close resemblance to a Mako Reactor. All of the cadets had at least seen one once, and the ones that hadn’t stared at the towering building with speculation from their places. Above the doors was a large silver sign with white bold letters that read, “GADGET LODGE,” and in smaller letters beneath it read, “An establishment under authority of the Shinra Electric Power Company©.” They dismounted the bus into the parking lot in front of the large structure, and Officer Tyler had the group line up accordingly in two separate lines, each person with their partner. He called roll call to make sure that everyone was present.

“Mark Revor! Alisha Gerh!”

“Here!”

“That’s here, sir! Fremuyi Derfiu! Dean Uyda!”

“Here, sir!?”

“Good job. Welsu Verda! Wazvi Nuyeta!”

“Here, sir...”

“Jaden Hurque! Nallie Yutah!”

“Here, sir!”

“Klous Strife! Aulani Kamilah!”

“Here, sir!”

“Logan Furg! Cadince Renolds!”

“Here, sir.”

“Umas Trevor! Queenie Dayrel!”

“Here, sir...”

The callouts would continue until about twenty kids all replied. The Officer then placed his clipboard to his side, tucked beneath his arm. “Good, everyone’s still in one piece.” He shifted a few strands of blonde hair from his dark eyes, cleared his throat and continued. “Cadets! Welcome to Gadget Lodge. You will be living here for the next eight months, so I expect you all to accommodate accordingly. You will also be living with the same partner for those eight months, so I suggest you shut your yaps and get used to it. This squad is about teamwork!” His final word was heightened in tone for strength.

The cadets all responded loud and proud. “Yes sir!”

“You will cry, you will break a heart or two, and you will be in pain! This camp is about preparing you to be the best Soldier you can be, I don’t want any complaints from any of you!”

“Yes sir!!” they affirmed once again.

“When you get inside, you will be respectful, you will be quiet, and you will follow the rules! You will form at the front desk like you are now, and if I catch anyone dilly-dallying, I will punish your sorry asses, do you understand me!?”

“Yes sir!!”

“After you get your room number and key, you will go to your room and get situated, then head down to the health room for your physical reports. Then they will find your outfits for you. Do all of you comprehend!?”

“Yes sir!!”

“Alright, move out!” Officer Tyler waved his arm in the air towards the large building and began trotting off for it. The group gave their shout and followed behind their commander through the steel and glass doors of Gadget Lodge.

The cadets all followed their commander’s orders as told, and there wasn’t a single problem. Klous kept close to Aulani, and whenever she felt scared or uncomfortable, he would, while acting like he wasn’t doing anything, grab hold of her hand and hold it firmly. She would look every time, and then smile sweetly at him, which he always returned without a word. Aulani would continue to watch him through the whole process, and vice-versa. She blushed heavily and looked away when she saw him shirt and pant-less for his physical, and he would smirk at her, and when he looked away she would peek at him. However, Klous attempted to be respectful and didn’t watch Aulani, even though he couldn’t help but peek as well. It took a long time for her to get out of her clothes and be in only her underclothing, but they finally managed it out of her and once they finished with the physical, Aulani would put her clothes back on and walk out hurriedly, her face red and in her hands. Klous tried to go after her and comfort her.

After everything was done and over with, each cadet in their soldier-imitation uniforms, which were black turtleneck muscle shirts, thick golden belts with tan straps that tied over their shoulders, two metal shoulder guards, slightly baggy black pants, desert boots and black gloves (with extra material such as a poncho/cover, raincoats and helmets), they all returned to their squadron and lined up as before. Three other cadet squadrons were there as well. Klous attempted to look around to see if he could find Cloud, but Officer Tyler demanded his attention. He stood straight, and Aulani smiled slightly. Two tall men walked up in front of the squadrons, and stood respectively at their positions, looking around at each of the sections, and the entire room silenced. They both had on large black trench coats, left open, layered metal shoulder guards, and black straps over their bare chests, black leather pants, boots, and gloves. They had their hands together behind their backs. One man had dark skin and short black spiky hair, and the other had nearly pale skin and long, silver hair, and neither looked harmful, but whichever way both of the men were extremely intimidating. The dark-skinned man walked up first, clearing his throat.

“Cadets, General Sephiroth and I welcome you to your first day of Soldier Boot Camp here at Gadget Lodge. I am General Tsuytei, and General Sephiroth and I will be evaluating your progress throughout these eight months that you are here. We will be here on and off, as we will also be at other camps evaluating them as well. Bolt Lodge and Vertigo Lodge are the other two camps that you will be competing against, which in total are approximately three hundred and twenty students. Only about one to two hundred of you will survive. Out of the eighty cadets that I see here, I can say that this platoon looks indeed promising. General, have you anything to say to this year’s group?”

Klous’s eyes suddenly widened as he realized. General Sephiroth, he was that man that Cloud always talked about before he left for Soldier. So... This was the man that had gained so much respect over the years and dispatched Wutai single-handedly... Klous listened intently for what the General had to say as he stepped forward.

“Mhmm, thank you General Tsuytei. Hello Cadets, as the general has said I am General Sephiroth. Yes indeed I am the general that defeated Wutai with my squadron, and with the proper training, I know all of you could be just as accomplishing. Also as he said we will be determining whether you pass or fail, and to be successful, you must be strong, tough, and willing to trudge on. If you can’t compete, you’ll be out of the league. This camp will prove to us if you have the mind, the body, and the strength to be a true Soldier. Each and every one of you has potential, and through this camp we hope that we will be able to build that potential and help you Cadets use it to the very best of your ability...” The general would continue on for quite a while, talking about how the camp worked and how they could survive. After both of the generals had their words, they took questions, and there were many of them. The two generals answered them without a problem.

After standing straight and keeping quiet for over three hours, the meeting was finally over, and the cadets were allowed to fall out. Klous groaned and sighed heavily, stretching and cracking his joints. Most of the other kids did the same exact thing, most giving their comments on how relieved they were to be out of position. The generals hung around so that they could talk to some of the cadets personally, and quite frankly, all Klous wanted to do was retire to his room. Aulani followed him.

“Yes, I suppose that would be good. Hey, wait a minute, you there.” Klous stopped as he was addressed, and glanced over to see General Sephiroth motioning for him. “Come here for a minute. What’s your name, cadet?”

Klous approached cautiously, but acted respectfully to the general. “Klous Strife, sir. Why do you ask?” he replied calmly, holding in his breath. General Sephiroth looked him over for a couple of minutes.

“Strife did you say? Hmm, do you have a brother?” he asked, stroking his chin thoughtfully while looking him square in the eyes. Klous nodded slowly.

“Yes sir... His name’s Cloud. How did you know?” Klous was feeling a bit uneasy, but Sephiroth nodded as he thought for a moment.

“Ah yes, that was his name. Cloud... He’s in the Vertigo Lodge. I’ve been watching him for a while, and he’s a promising combatant... Very quiet and distant though, doesn’t get along with the others very well, unlike you. You seem... outgoing and in everything.”

Klous’s eyebrow twitched. “I apologize for sounding discreet sir, but are you saying that my brother is an unworthy Soldier?” he asked with slight irritation in his tone.

Sephiroth merely laughed and shook his head. “No, no, I am merely saying that he’s quite a character. I think that he will be going places with his strength, but not if he’s always so lone-wolfish. You look just like him, that’s why I wanted to speak with you.”

Klous smiled slightly, but it quickly faded. He already didn’t like this Sephiroth person so much. “I understand sir, thank you. Next time you see him, can you tell him his brother said what’s up and that he hopes that he’s doing alright?”

He nodded considerately. “I shall.” His lips curved into a slight grin.

Klous returned the nod. “Thank you, sir.” After a small salute was exchanged between the two of them, Klous hooked Aulani by the arm and headed for the elevators, muttering below his breath, “Let’s go.” She undeniably followed, and by his tone, could tell that he was slightly upset. It made her frown.

Once they got to their room, Klous headed in and jumped atop his bed with a bounce and laid flat on his back. Aulani came in as well and sat upon her bed across from him, resting her head on her elbows and staring over at Klous. There was silence for a while, and it began to bother her. “Are you okay?” she asked finally, without moving from her position. Klous looked over at her with the still-irritated look flashing in his dark blue eyes.

“He basically said that my brother’s weak. That he’s a good fighter, but he’s never going to make it.” Klous turned his attention back towards the ceiling. “The jerk... I think that my brother is very capable.”

Aulani titled his head slightly and let her hands fall into her lap. “Well, maybe he’s telling the truth. They are the evaluators, after all...”

[President Rufus Shinra]

“My brother... I don’t know. He might be sad and angry a lot, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have what it takes.” Klous sighed and closed his eyes, curling up on his side and facing the wall. Aulani frowned sadly again.

“Well, you said yourself that he only signed off to Soldier to prove himself worthy to everyone... If he’s just dwelling on revenge, they’re probably right.” Her response would only be met by silence. There was a long stillness, and when Aulani knew she wouldn’t be getting another word from him, she lay upon her own bed and exhaled silently.

The first couple of weeks of camp were relatively easy. They kept them mostly in classes that taught them about the Planet, Lifestream, and different items and places and people. They even got to meet President Shinra, and several other parties, such as the Turks, and even some real Soldiers. They enjoyed their learning times, especially hands-on. They got to play with Materia, different weapons and items, and even took field trips to Mako Reactors, where they learned all about Mako and its benefits, and some of the nearby towns. There were many nights that squadrons would be lucky enough to spend a night in Cosmo Canyon, and sleeping beside the Cosmo Candle. Most often it was the group that Klous was in.

It wouldn’t be until the fourth month that they started real training. They had exercises and runs before, but now they had them really working once the Weapon’s Choice program was completed. Klous got two regular sized crescent axes, and he was pretty proud of it. He trained with them as much as he could, because they were heavy, but eventually did him in well. Aulani got Katars with gun attachments. It took her quite some time to be tough enough to battle against real monsters rather than simulations, but with Klous’s encouragement, she eventually got the snip of things and fought hard on her own. Klous was merely worried that she wouldn’t make through, so tried as hard as he could for the both of them, especially when the generals were around...

Come the sixth month, most everyone was at the top notch that they possibly could be. Every man and woman had muscle, built strength, agility, and accuracy. They were well-established fighters that their teachers set them out to be, with very few strugglers. By now, Klous and Aulani were among the ones that were sturdy in every aspect; sentimental, psychological, and physical. Aulani almost became a better of a fighter than Klous, but in any fight they were staged in, being able to fight without hesitation, they were pretty evenly matched. Klous was proud of how much strength she had gained. They had also become the closest of inseparable friends. But even though she had become so mentally strong, she was still incredibly shy around people. Many times Klous had to protect her from other men hitting on her, and girls trying to low her down with why she always had to be so shy and why she wasn’t like any of them. Klous respected the fact that Aulani was her own person, and that was why he hung out with her more than anyone else. Even though they had gained a good number of friends, it was different with the two of them. Many people asked if they were dating, and the both of them would look at each other then give a quick, ‘no.’ But no one believed them, not even their commander officer or the generals.

As for Cloud, Klous was able to discover on how to mail him. He’d write letters, and they’d get sent to him in around a day or two, so it would take four or five days to get a reply, if he did right away that was. Cloud would talk about how things were going, which he said as perfectly fine, the few friends he made, and how he was trashed otherwise, but it was no problem. He also talked about Tifa a lot, how he missed her, but was able to keep letters going with her as well. That was first couple of months during camp... at about five or six months, the letters got fewer, and eventually, stopped altogether. Klous became worried. He would ask the generals, and they gave their usual response. “He’s fine, there’s nothing wrong with him.” He did see him every now and then, when they went into competitions, but he was never able to speak with him. The sight of him though at least helped him feel better, but he was still concerned about his wellbeing.

As the eighth month came around, graduation was coming soon, so everyone trained as hard as they could. They knew everything about the Planet by now, and most everyone had honed their skills. They were extremes in teamwork, and their Lodge often got the highest ranking for teamwork and stability. Bolt had the lowest, and Vertigo was in the middle. They were all however very close to matching each other. Klous and Aulani by this point; only spent time apart when they were sleeping or grooming, unless it was mandatory, such as for exams or physicals and whatnot. They without a trouble held hands in public and hugged each other often. At rare times Aulani would kiss Klous on the cheek, which would be the only times he ever blushed.

The week before graduation, Gadget Lodge was given the prize for highest ranking by getting to spend the weekend in Cosmo Canyon again. Even though they had been here many times, the cadets still loved the place. They helped around town with anyone they could, fought monsters just outside of town, and even just talked with the locals. They enjoyed the company of Bugenhagen the most, with his large Observatory, where they got to watch the Planet and all the other planets all around. He was the one to give them further insight, but Shinra made sure that he didn’t tell them of how Mako was really affecting the planet. But some of the kids already knew. They knew that the planet was slowly dying because of the Mako harvesting and that there was nothing they could do about it, so they kept themselves quiet. Many times Bugenhagen when have to talk to some of them personally, and on a low note.

He also told them of the great warrior Seto, who helped defend their small village from the Gi tribe many years ago. The kids always loved this story, and to explore the closed off caves, as it gave them experience and knowledge of battle and their history of the town. On a sad note he said however, that his son Nanaki was nowhere to be seen as they all had hoped.

That night they helped build up the Cosmo Candle, and set it aflame. As all of the cadets sat around and talked with one another and while others played around and whatnot, the sky grew darker, and the stars began to spot the sky. Some kids began laying on their backs and pointing out constellations.

Klous sat nearby the fire, sitting upon a stone step a ways back. It was still warm at this distance, but slightly dim. He had one leg bent up towards him, and the other stretched out in front of him. He had his chin resting in his wrist again, his knee supporting his elbow. He watched the blazing flames, deep in thought, sighing quietly to himself. He was almost all the way into space before Aulani came up and tapped him on the shoulder. He twitched slightly, and lowered his arm as he looked up at her. She held out a plate of fresh hot food for him, smiling lightly.

“Here you go; I got this for you, since you seemed to be so drowned in your thoughts. Are you okay?” she asked as she sat herself beside him after he took the plate from her. Both of them began to eat quietly, but she still kept his gaze on him. He shook his head slightly.

“I’m fine... Just thinking about things, that’s all.” He replied coolly, paying more attention to his food than her. “Wondering what’s going to happen and how things are going to turn out...”

Aulani patted his leg sympathetically. “You’ll be fine, I promise. You’re such an awesome person Klous, I bet you all the world that you’ll make it through into Soldier.” She replied with a smile, and Klous returned it.

“Thanks Aulani.”

She nodded slightly with her unfading smile, and continued with her meal, as did Klous. After they finished, they rid of their disposable plates and utensils, and sat together in silence on the steps, gazing upon the large bonfire. Klous looked up at the stars for a couple of moments, and Aulani glanced at him. “What’re you looking at?”

Klous had her scoot closer to him as he pointed up at the dark blue sky. "See those two stars, right there, that burn so brightly right next to each other?” he asked, and Aulani tried to follow his point.

“Yeah, what about them?” she asked, continuing to stare as Klous lowered his arm.

“Well, the story behind that is that there were two lovers that fought together in battle... When they died, they wished to be together for eternity, so they were turned into stars and put up into the sky like that, so now they’re together forever.”

Aulani stared with slight amazement. “Wow, that’s neat... I wish I could turn into a star when I died...”

Klous smiled at her and wrapped his arm around her waist. She cuddled against him. “Trust me, you will... When you die, and the Lifestream takes your soul away, you’ll become part of the circling rotation in life, and be the most beautiful star in the sky, with how bright and gorgeous you already are...” He replied, resting his head on hers. Aulani smiled and closed her eyes.

“You really think so?” she asked quietly, as the two of them became completely comfortable in each other’s grasp, Aulani wrapped her arms around his chest. Klous smiled lightly and closed his eyes as well.

He kissed her on the head lightly, and whispered softly, “Positive.” He laid the two of them back, and despite the unequal steps that lay beneath them, they fell asleep together as that.

Sometime in the middle of the night, a dream that was commencing in Klous’s mind was suddenly cut short. He tried to remain asleep, cuddling up against Aulani and it was then he noticed a material was covering him. He blinked and sat up slightly, shifting over to notice that a cotton blanket had been laid over the two of them. He squinted in confusion, and he knew that this meant someone had seen them sleeping together. Not a very good thing...

His attention was distracted as he caught the sound of two adults talking in hushed voices. He looked around, and past the small kindling flames that remained of the bonfire, he could see Officer Tyler and a man with long black hair in a ponytail and a long lab coat was standing beside him, and they were talking. He peer a bit more, and recognized the black-haired man as someone that had visited their Lodge before. Professor Hojo. He rubbed his eyes and decided to investigate on what they were discussing. Nothing like this ever happened to his knowledge, so it must have been important. Quietly and gently slipping away from Aulani, he crawled down the steps and crept around and hid behind a nearby wall. He glanced over his shoulder, and making sure that they weren’t listening, he crept a bit closer, and hid behind another wall. He then leaned over so he could hear what they were saying.

He heard Professor Hojo first. “...Well, that’s good, then I can start on the preparations, I presume?”

“Yes, you can. Graduation in next Thursday, so by Saturday you’ll be able to take the kids in for you works.” Officer Tyler answered.

Klous’s eyebrows rose slightly. Works? What is he talking about?

Professor Hojo chuckled deeply. “Good, good... Then they can become real Soldiers, and be part of the Reunion... What are you going to tell them?”

“I’m just going to tell them that they’re going to be getting a different kind of physical, from you, and that as true Soldiers it’s mandatory.”

“Good. We wouldn’t them to at all be worried, with what we plan for them.”

Officer Tyler laughed quietly. “Indeed...”

Despite that the men continued talking, Klous turned on his selective hearing right then. My god, they’re planning to turn us into lab rats... But if I tell, I’ll get in trouble— He accidentally tapped a large barrel beside him, and several tin cans and bottles came crashing off of it. He flinched severely, especially when both of the men looked over suddenly. He instantly collapsed upon the ground as he heard the footsteps approaching. He curled up and pretended to snore.

“Oh, this kid must have been moving around in his sleep... Who is this, Gerhudin?” Professor Hojo asked, and Klous could hear him crouching down, undeniably to look him over. He mumbled in his “sleep.”

“Hmm? This young man... Oh yes, this is Klous Strife. He’s a very reliable experiment; strong, rowdy, high self-esteem... one of my best cadets.” Klous would have been flattered, if it wasn’t for the fact that he was going to be sold out as a test subject...

“Ah-ha, I see... He indeed looks capable. He’ll take the Mako and Jenova cell integration rather well.” Klous tried not to twitch as Hojo poked here and there at him.

“He also has a brother, you know. Looks just like him, only with blonde hair. The quiet one you spoke of that was around Sephiroth a lot.”

“Ah yes... I already have him in my lab, but we haven’t started the electroshock treatment on him yet. I do believe that these two will make perfect clones.”

“For the Sephiroth project or Jenova?” Officer Tyler asked speculatively.

“Both.” Hojo replied with a low chuckle. He then rose to his feet and the two men walked away, continuing on with a different subject. The footsteps left him, and he peeked and made sure that they were gone. He then got up and went back to Aulani, curling up under the blankets with her, shaking slightly.

I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear it... If I go back to sleep, I’ll wake up, and realize that it was only a dream... He told himself as he shut his eyes, holding his arms tight around Aulani. She murmured in her sleep and cuddled against him in response. He exhaled slowly. At least, I hope so...

--

[President Rufus Shinra]

Chapter Two

--


The next morning Aulani woke up well before Klous did. She mumbled and tossed in her sleep, and noticed it was rather difficult and not comfy. She sat up quickly and blinked, rubbing her eyes to clear the sleepiness away, and then glanced around her surroundings. Oh yeah, she remembered. We had fallen asleep on the stairs by accident. She looked over at the muscular form beside her, with a peaceful look upon his face as he slept. She smiled and played with his bed-head black hair for a few moments before removing the blanket from her self and gently nudging out of his firm grasp.

She walked down towards the charcoaled remains of the Cosmo Candle, where some of the kids already were, up and well awake. Some of them greeted her, and she smiled and returned their hello’s and good morning’s. She then looked over and found that Officer Tyler wasn’t so far off either, sorting out some documents and such. He looked up towards her, and smiled faintly.

“Well, good morning Ms. Kamilah. You look rather refreshed this beautiful morning. Sleep well?” he asked as he placed his stuff away, and Aulani sat nearby, stretching and groaning.

“Well, I fell asleep on some stairs actually, so I’m a bit sore... I’ll get over it, though.” She replied with a tired grin. She rubbed her shoulder and looked down at it. “But I slept over all well...”

Officer Tyler nodded and turned back to his work. “I noticed; I covered you and Strife with a blanket so you wouldn’t get cold. That’s good though.”

Aulani blushed and hid her face. “Oh... I hope we aren’t in trouble for accidentally falling asleep together, Officer sir?” she asked shyly, peeking over her hands. Officer Tyler laughed softly.

“Not at all, Kamilah. You two didn’t do anything, so I don’t see any reason to be in trouble for a nap together.” He replied with a smile.

Aulani only blushed even more. “Oh dear... of-of course sir...”

“So it was you who put the blanket on us?” Came a voice behind Aulani, and both of them glanced over to see Klous standing there with the blanket around his body. He looked rather exhausted still, from having just woken up. He scratched his head and looked down. “I was worried someone else might have and would’ve told on us.”

“Oooh, Aulani and Klous doin’ the nasty!” shouted a random kid not too far away. Klous flipped him off without looking his direction. Aulani hid her face.

Officer Tyler merely laughed once more. “No, Strife, it’s alright, I was just telling Aulani that. But, I only let you off because we’re on vacation here in the Canyon. Next time I’ll have to separate you two.”

“Yes sir.” They both replied in unison.

After everyone was up and awake, breakfast was served. Hot plates of the Canyon’s special dish was passed around, being a mix of hash browns and eggs and sausage, with their own secret hot sauce that as any condiment, tasted good on everything but ice cream. Well, one kid who had tried it said it wasn’t so bad... But none of the other kids were as brave. Ironically, that one kid was Klous. Everyone knew that he had a quirky personality anyway, but that was what Aulani admired that about him.

Klous spent most of his time with Aulani, hanging around with her and doing random things. They even went with some of the other cadets to train out in the field for a couple of hours. Klous always had the most fun out there, and most of the time the cadets would get together and role-play mock Soldier missions, acting as if there was some purpose for them to be out there. Many times the “missions” led back into camp, but everyone knew they were acting, so went along with it. Klous and Aulani were currently taking part in one of the mocks. Their mission was to free Lady Bettyday (Cadet Queenie Dayrel) and Miss Dalani (Cadet Nallie Yutah) from the evil Lord Bungee Hag (Bugenhagen), with their commander Officer Gray (Cadet Logan Furg) leading their team, along with his bureaucrat Officer Landee (Candice Renolds). Everyone else had nick names, such as Klous was Blue Scout, and Aulani was Red Scout, and another kid, Cadet Gunny Vice, was codenamed Gorilla. They had started their mission out on the field as they usually did.

Each team member also had walkie-talkies. “Everyone alright?” radioed in Officer Gray, as another team of monsters was destroyed by Blue Scout and his team, Red Scout, Cheetah (Cadet Fawna Hulga), and Jumper (Cadet Umas Trevor).

“I’m fine.” radioed back Blue Scout.

“I’m okay here...” replied Red Scout.

“Ahh, those monsters were cream anyway.” responded Cheetah.

“What they all just said.” said Jumper last.

“Good, head to the next base. Fifty yards!” radioed Officer Gray, and everyone complied.

“Fifty yards, gotcha.”

The group all headed up fifty yards and followed close behind the first group, which was Officer Gray, Officer Landee, and Gorilla. The only reason that they had Gorilla on their team was not only for backup, but he was also the team snipe. After going to the fifty yard mark, the two groups came together. Officer Gray nodded to everyone. “Good, everyone’s here. Now, we infiltrate Lord Bungee Hag’s lair tomorrow at dawn. We’ll travel at night; there will be no sleeping on the job, and do you all understand?”

“Yes sir,” most of the cadets replied, except for one who raised his hand. Regardless it was the middle of the day; he faked a yawn and rubbed his eyes as if he was tired.

“But sir, we’ve been traveling for weeks. We should rest. Besides, it’s late. What if we get ambushed?”

Officer Gray waved him off. “Not an option, Soldier. If we get attacked, we’ll fight back.”

“Speaking of which, here comes our pursuers now!” alerted Gorilla, and all the other cadets looked. Coming towards them were several large bees, and a few plant beasts. Officer Gray cursed and drew his gun.

“Gorilla, Blue Scout, and Jumper, come with me! Everyone else continue on, we’ll catch up!” he ordered, and the other cadets saluted and quickly ran off towards the Canyon, Red Scout glancing back, and Blue Scout nodded to her. She smiled and continued on, and he drew his axes. Gorilla took out his Sniper Gunblade, and Jumper balled up his fists and got into attacking stance. Everyone lined up.

“Gorilla, you first!” Ordered Officer Gray and Gorilla stepped forward. He ran towards the group of plant beasts first, and leapt in the air, drawing his weapon over his shoulder. The Sniper Gunblade was a weapon that was much like a sniper rifle, but also had two large blades on either side of the gun to hide it, making it appear as only a sword at first glance, but could be used either way.

“Hrrrahhh!” he shouted and he threw down his blade with a powerful force, and sliced right through the helpless beast without a bit of mercy. As the blood sprayed and the beast fell to the ground, Gorilla landed with a twist of his legs and turned, getting the other monsters’ attention. He prepared his weapon readily, and swung it through the air single-handedly as a bee went for a dive at him. It sliced into several pieces as well and fell to the ground.

“Blue Scout! Jumper!” called Officer Gray. The two instantly ran into the scene. Klous twirled his axes in both hands, and gave out a battle cry as he too swung both arms and went around in a circle, chopping up two more of the bees.

He skidded to a stop as Jumper called to him. “Blue! Look out!” He quickly leapt into the air and powered his fists with the Materia he already had loaded in his wrists, setting them aflame. “Stupid bugs!!” he shouted as he pounded a plant beast into the ground that was about ready to pounce Blue Scout. Gorilla joined them as all three composed together. They prepared for the final round with the last of the bees, but before they could attack, they were shot into hundreds of pieces and disappeared with the other beasts into the ground. They turned and saw their commander with his gun raised.

“Way to go, Officer!” they hollered, jumping up and down. But he didn’t look as if he was ready to lower his stance yet.

“We aren’t done yet!” he warned, and they turned, and saw another group of bees coming. This one was much larger.

“Uh-oh.” Muttered Jumper, and got back into his stance.

“We can take ‘em!” said Blue Scout with a smirk, twirling his axes.

“Heh, yeah, let’s go!” said Gorilla, and the three ran forward.

Several of the bees were already shot down by Officer Gray, but they got the most fun out of it. Blue Scout and Gorilla hacked and slashed (although Gorilla had some fun and just sniped some of them down), and Jumper used his Limit Break Throw Down to finish off the rest of them, sailing into the air then hammering down into the earth with a giant wave of energy. After the monsters all dissolved away, they regrouped with their commander.

“Whew! They’re all gone, bloody pursuers.” said Jumper as he sat down, rubbing his arms. Blue Scout patted him on the shoulder.

“Aha yeah, but you got some skill with that Materia there, partner.” He replied with a smile, and Jumper returned it. Gorilla nodded.

“Okay Soldiers, we have no time for celebrating. We’ve got to move on and catch up with the others.” Officer Gray admonished, placing his gun away. The others looked up at him, and nodded.

“He’s right, let’s get going.” said Gorilla, and everyone complied as they followed their commander into the Canyon.

As they ran through the Canyon, they met up with the others at the local shop. They all acknowledged everyone being safe and altogether, and Officer Gray nodded. “Alright team, we’ve been through a lot on this mission, but now it’s time to face the Hag and stop him before he can set off the Destructive Magic and potentially kill us all. I suggest you all buy what you need and prepare for the final battle.”

“Right.”

“Got it.”

“I can handle that...”

“Good idea...”

The cadets all dispersed within the shop and pretended to buy items such as Potions, Ethers, Eye Drops and Antidotes, packing their bags with the imaginary items and closing them up. They again regrouped and confirmed that they were all prepared. Officer Gray affirmed it and gave them the command to head out. Everyone set out and into the Canyon once more, towards Lord Bungee Hag’s lair. They fought imaginary followers and had fake fights with some of the other cadets that acted like delays or guards, and even one cadet pretended to put on a huge fight, acting like he was the semi-boss. Everyone healed up and rested themselves (imaginarily) before trudging on to the final destination.

The group approached the large Observatory cautiously. They all stood together, watching it for several moments, and Officer Gray turned to them. “Soldiers,” he addressed, standing tall. “It had been my deepest pleasure working with all of you. This battle may not be the last we fight together, but in case any one of us doesn’t make it through, I just wanted you all to know how much I enjoyed our time with each other. I wish you all the best of luck.”

Some of the cadets nodded. Others looked away. Gorilla pretended to cry. “Yes sir!” they all replied in unison. Officer Gray then saluted, and they all returned it, before he turned around and headed up the ladder. Everyone followed behind him. As they stepped into the Observatory, it was dark but one or two lights were on. They went about cautiously, looking all around.

[President Rufus Shinra]

“Lord Bungee Hag! We know you’re in here somewhere; show yourself, you coward!” called Officer Gray. They stopped and looked all around, and suddenly a large click was heard behind them. They all turned suddenly, and Officer Landee ran for the door, pulling at the handles.

“It’s locked!!” she said in astonishment, turning back to the others.

“Landee! Worry about it later, get back here!” called Officer Gray, and Officer Landee began running back towards the group. Just then, she was knocked flat, and an evil laugh filled the room. Just then the Observatory turned itself on, and stars and planets filled the room and even reflected off of their bodies in a light glow. The group jumped back, as Lord Bungee Hag appeared above them.

“Children! How wonderful of you to join me, kehehee,” he snickered evilly, watching as Officer Landee rose to her hands and knees slowly. She leisurely got up, and turned, drawing her whip.

“Lord Bungee... that was a nasty trick! But now you’re times over, old man, we’re not children anymore!” she roared, and ran towards the Lord, and jumped into the air, coming down with her whip.

“No, Landee!” called Officer Gray, but it was too late. Lord Bungee Hag raised a shield of electrical energy, and Officer Landee struck it at full force. She was immensely electrocuted, and then was shot back and sailed through the air into the back wall. She did not rise from the ground when she fell.

“Officer Landee!!” shouted Officer Gray, and then he turned towards Lord Bungee Hag as he laughed evilly. “Lord Bungee! You’ll pay for what you’ve done to Landee! Alright team, it’s time to attack!!”

“Yes sir!” replied the entire group, and they all drew their weapons and went for the attack upon Lord Bungee Hag, and the cataclysmic battle they had fought so hard to get to then commenced. It was a lasting battle that after much fighting, ended in chaos, sorrow, but overall triumph from the group of Soldiers. They celebrated as Lord Bungee was defeated and the two Ladies were released from their vile prison. They all rejoined and whooped.

When the role play was finished, Officer Lundee, or now since it was over, Candice joined with the rest of the group unharmed. They all sat around and watched the planets and stars swirl about them. Bugenhagen laughed at how confused and gnarled up Candice looked.

“I hope I didn’t actually hurt you there, Candice?” he asked with concern, floating over to the youth, who was rubbing her head.

“Naw, it was fun to fly through the air and act like I was dead, but you got some strong holograms.” She replied, and everyone in the group laughed and agreed.

“That was fun, though. Role playing’s so much fun.” said Klous; and next to him Aulani smiled and nodded.

“Yeah! I just can’t wait to get into Soldier and do some real missions.” said Logan, slapping his knee with a grin, his black eyes gleaming. “It’s going to be so cool, going around and shooting things.”

Bugenhagen chuckled and floated next to him. “Now, now, Logan, Soldier isn’t all about shooting and killing. It’s also about helping and defending.” He corrected, patting him on the head. Some of the others snickered as he flinched from the affectionate action, but Bugenhagen took no offense to it.

“I know, I know... That’s just all I wanna do. That’s why I joined.” He replied, smirking and crossing his arms. The others just shook their heads and waved it off. Logan was also being so boastful and the first into battle.

Hopefully it doesn’t get to his naive little head. Bugenhagen thought as he went back to his own spot. That wouldn’t be very good. Arrogance only corrupts... No one else was saying anything, but he knew that they were all thinking the same.

After they hung out with Bugenhagen for a while, the group of cadets all went back down to camp. By now the sky was blending with the pink and orange colors, the sky in the far off horizon shading into a deep navy blue. All of the cadets knew it would be night soon, and most of them just loved to watch the sun set. Others anticipated the lighting of the great bonfire. The air chilled, and most of the cadets were still out in the fields training. Eventually as the area around them grew dim the commander would be calling them back, and they obediently came.

By this time the bonfire had already been lit. The kids all sat around and made themselves cozy around it, some lying on the ground and curling up or just plain resting next to it. Officer Tyler approached, with a large knapsack over his shoulder. A majority of the kids upon sight would instantaneously rise up onto their feet; they knew what it meant, and excitement was growing in their hearts.

“Mail!” called Officer Tyler, as well as some of the other kids. They all shouted happily and gathered around Officer Tyler set it on the ground in front of him. They all jumbled for it, but Officer Tyler forced them back. “Hey, hey, hey, don’t you peeps worry, you’re all gunna get your mail!”

All the cadets sat down abruptly and waited patiently. “Now that’s more like it...” he muttered, and began going through the bag, calling out cadet’s names as he handed out to each and every cadet their mail. Some were more excited than others, as some got packages, and others got just letters. Nonetheless they were all very happy to hear from their friends and loved ones back home.

There were some cadets that weren’t present to receive their mail, however. Officer Tyler looked over the names. “Strife, Kamilah, Furg, Vice, and Trevor... Hmm. I bet they’re still out in the field, those kids...” he muttered to himself, shaking his head. He decided that going out there would be much easier.

Out in the field, the group of cadets was still fighting off a group of monsters. A couple of plant beasts, some rabid wolves, and even a few bombs... Nothing they couldn’t deal with, but they all make extra precaution with the bombs. Thanks to Gunny’s sniping ability, they were easily able to destroy the bombs without getting anyone hurt. They all high-fived each other, and pat Gunny on the back. He simply rubbed the back of his head and said it was really nothing. When the group was about to hit the dust and move to find more monsters to fight, Klous stopped and held up his arm while looking another direction.

“Wait you guys,” he said suddenly, and everyone stopped and turned, to look at him. Without looking at them, he turned his arm and pointed towards the object he was staring at. “Someone’s coming.”

The group all came by Klous and squinted. The figure that was walking through the darkness took out a flashlight and beamed it right in their eyes. The entire group screamed and turned away.

“The light! It burns!” shouted Klous, covering his face.

“Eeeee, light! Go away!” screeched Gunny.

“Ow.” was all Logan said. Aulani and Umas said nothing, but covered their eyes. They blinked as they heard a laugh and the flashlight was tilted upward so that it would illuminate his face. It was Officer Tyler.

“Ow, Officer, that was mighty mean.” Gunny muttered, waving his finger. “We thought you were a beast or somethin’.”

Officer Tyler smirked and removed the bag from his shoulder. “I ain’t got any monsters, kids. I came to bring you your mail, and you should be heading back to camp, it’s getting dark.” He sorted them by name and handed them out individually.

“Yes sir,” replied each cadet as they took their mail. “We’re sorry.”

Officer Tyler tied the bag to his waist belt this time and shook his head. “That’s alright; just head back soon, okay?” The cadets nodded vigorously. “Good.” He then saluted them and turned around, heading back for camp. They saluted and waved.

“Bon voyage, Capy-tahn! What should we do now?” asked Logan, as he and Klous sat upon the ground.

“Well gee, I dunno, since we got our mail, maybe we should read it.” Klous replied with a heavily sarcastic tone. Logan blinked and scratched his head in confusion.

“H’oh yeah, maybe we should.” He replied, dumbfounded. Everyone else shook their head and giggled, sitting down with them on the dry solid ground.

Gunny was the first to open his package. It was a new outfit for him from his parents, including a white short-sleeve shirt, olive green cargo pants with a matching vest, and brown hiking boots. “Sweet!” he said as he folded the clothing up neatly as they had come. “Sucks that I can’t wear these until I get outta camp. I’ve been waiting for these forever, thanks mom!” He hugged his package.

Klous laughed. “As if she can hear you, weirdo.” He said as he opened his letter. “I hope it’s mom or Cloud...” Even though he knew it wouldn’t be his brother, he at least hoped so. When he opened the letter, he would discover that nope, it was his mother... He could tell by the handwriting. In it contained regular things she mailed him about, such as how things were going, that things were fine back home, and how Tifa missed him and Cloud. But she also mentioned that Tifa said how she began talking about entering some sort of martial arts class. Klous was mildly surprised.

“Well, that’s a first.” He muttered, snickering to himself, Logan and Gunny glanced at him.

“What?” they both asked, scooting over. “What’s a first?”

“Tifa, she says she’s going to be taking some fighting classes soon.” he replied, showing them the letter. Gunny and Logan knew who Tifa was, from the many letters that Klous got from his mother talking about her. They both glanced at each other, and laughed. Klous only smiled, but as soon as he diverted his attention, it faded. “Aulani?”

Gunny and Logan stopped laughing, and glanced over at her. Now they knew why Klous hadn’t said anything, she was crying. They all frowned sadly, and quickly scooted over to her. Umas forgot about his letter and joined them. “Aulani, what’s wrong?”

Klous held onto her shoulders lightly. “Aulani?” but she wouldn’t stop crying. Her face was in her hands as she sobbed uncontrollably; and usually when this happened, she would turn to Klous and hug him tightly and cry in his chest, but not this time. This worried him and everyone else. “What’s wrong?” he asked quietly, leaning a bit closer to her. Everyone watched carefully, and each and every one of them flinched back as Aulani darted a glare up at Klous. He was most hurt by the expression, because he didn’t know what was going on.

“It’s none of your concern!” she snapped, and Klous was heavily taken aback. She then shoved him aside, and rose hastily to her feet and ran off, crying again. Klous remained there on the ground for several minutes, just staring off into space.

“Klous?” Umas and Gunny asked, bending down and pulling him up to his feet. “You okay, man?”

Klous shook his head, and lowered it into his hands. Logan patted his back. “Go after her and find out what’s wrong.” Klous looked up at him for a minute, and then nodded. He breathed and ran his hands through his spiky black tresses.

“Yeah.” Without much else to say, he ran off after Aulani.

He ran as fast as he could to get close to her, but she didn’t stop running. “Aulani!” he called, attempting to catch up with her as his breath began to get heavy in his lungs. He stumbled over a bumpy patch of moss on the ground, and fought for stability, eventually gaining it and continuing across the desiccated earth. “Aulani, wait up; what’s the matter?”


He coughed and spluttered, muttering things behind his breath as the dust rose up into his senses. He stopped for a moment to wave it away and clear himself up, rubbing his eyes. But just as he did, he heard her scream out angrily. Just as he opened his eyes, Aulani was lunging into the air towards him, drawing her weapons.

“Whoa!” he quickly dove out of the way, and she struck the ground with an immense force, creating a large cloud of dirt and gravel. He again wheezed and tried to clear his vision, but decided it was better to defend himself. He quickly drew his axes, even though he could barely see through the blur, and raised and crossed them in defense. Just as he predicted, Aulani’s Katars struck his axes and came several inches from his face. He undid his weapons and threw her back, but she again lunged at him. He would time after time fight her back, their weapons clanging and bashing through the cool air as the dust finally settled, but continued to swirl and form around their feet as they struck the ground and spun and kicked off in effort to get at one another. “Aulani, knock it off!” This time when he crossed his axes, Klous shoved his full body weight against her as he parted them, crashing her hard into the ground, the force strong enough to wind her. She did not get up.

Klous watched her as she struggled to rise to her feet, spitting and fighting for air. She shut her eyes tightly and clenched her chest, the burning pain rising up in her throat and depriving her of life. She began to cry through her distress, and now Klous knew she needed help. He quickly pulled her to her feet, and smacked her hard on the back. Her body quickly sucked in as much air as it could take, and she relaxed against him, breathing heavily. Klous was about to ask her again what the matter was, but before he would have an opportunity Aulani would cling to him tightly and bawl horribly into his chest. Klous closed his issue up and wrapped him arms around her, holding her firmly and closing his eyes.

“They’re...They’re all dead...” she cried, holding onto him even tighter. “My family... They’re all dead... My village... It was burned to the ground...” She buried her face in his collarbone, and muffled her sobs. “I don’t have anything left, Klous...”

Klous sighed quietly and hugged her back rigidly. After a couple moments, he stroked her head and ran his fingers through her hair. “You have me...” he said softly, nuzzling the side of her head slowly. “You’ll always have me. I promised that I would take care of you and I will.” He parted from her slowly, and he watched her cry for a few minutes longer, as she looked up at him with tearful eyes, sniffling and blubbering. He couldn’t take it anymore. He tilted forward and bumped her chin up with his hand, held it, closed his eyes and kissed her gradually. Aulani was silent for a moment, standing in shock, but then gave in to it and kissed him back, falling onto him. He wrapped his arms around her slowly once more, and kisses her affectionately and lovingly a few more times, before he parted from her. They stared in silence, and then Aulani tackled him in a strong hug, catching him by surprise.

“K—Klous... I... I love you... so much...” She desperately tried not to cry into his shirt any more than she had already, and she wouldn’t be unlatching herself from him any time soon. “Thank you... You mean so much to me...”

Klous hugged her for possibly the hundredth time in those past five minutes, and rested his head on hers, sighing and closing his eyes once again. He stroked her as well to calm her down. “I know, Aulani... It’s okay... I love you too...”

He went back to the others and told them that they should head back to camp. When they asked about Aulani, he would shake his head and say that she was just fine. He then returned to her, and held her a bit longer, talking to her until she calmed down. It wouldn’t be until after that that he would take her back to camp, and by that time, it was already night time. He sat with her on the same steps as the previous night, only this time, made sure that they fell asleep on the ground next to them. He found the blanket that they had also used the night before, and laid down with her, curling up beneath the blanket and falling fast asleep.

Luckily no one else would be asking about Aulani, because that would be the only time up to that point that Aulani ever had an outburst like she did. Klous didn’t even speak of it to anyone, not even Officer Tyler. He figured it was a reaction from holding in so many emotions for so long, so he told Aulani that she had to be careful and express herself more often than she did already, to prevent any more attacks like she had on him. She over and over again apologized, even after they got back to the Lodge, but Klous always said that it was no ordeal at all. He understood how she felt, slightly.

When graduation came next Thursday, Klous was incredibly nervous. He knew that the time that Professor Hojo spoke of the previous weekend was near, and he feared mostly for Aulani’s and everybody else’s safety. It also reminded him of what he said about Cloud... about how they had already gotten him into his laboratories. Klous was hoping that by this happening, he’d have a chance at saving him from horrendous torture. He couldn’t even begin to comprehend what might be happening to him right now, but all he cared about was defending Aulani and saving his brother.

Everyone was dressing up their best. Even though they had to wear the same outfits they had been wearing the past eight months, they cleaned them up, got them fixed and brand new in appearance, and got prepared. Grooming to the very last piece of skin and hair, tucking and brushing every bit of clothing; everyone knew that everything had to be perfect for the graduation ceremony.

Klous had been ready for hours now. He was currently helping out Aulani. She had to wear the female version f the uniform, and for her it was rather new to be wearing a skirt and small jacket... Klous helped her adjust, and even fixed up her hair a bit so it wasn’t in her way. Nothing fancy really, besides a few hair clips and such... When they finished, Klous wrapped his arms around her from behind as they both looked into the tall glass mirror.

“Absolutely beautiful.” Klous commented, kissing her on the cheek. Aulani blushed and hid her face.

“No, no way... It was from your help, I would have looked terrible on my own...”

“Pff.” Klous shook his head and smiled, swaying her back and forth. “Not at all.” Aulani giggled slightly and leaned back against him.

“What would I do without you..?” she asked rhetorically, smiling up at him.

“Absolutely nothing.” he joked, and jerked away as she swung for a strike to his head, laughing.

Klous and Aulani met up with Logan, Candice, Umas, Fawna, and Gunny before heading down to the main recreation room. They talked for a bit, then lined up with the others in their according spots.

[President Rufus Shinra]

(Oops, forgot to end chap 2...)

The two generals arrived after several moments of silence and standing completely still. They took their places in front of the squadrons, standing up straight and clearing their throats. In the remaining-still silence that lingered, the cadets one by one began to get slightly nervous. The quietness was hanging off of them, heavier and heavier as the minutes passed by. Suddenly the silence was broken as Sephiroth broke into a deep chuckle. General Tsuyeti glanced over at him. “What’s the matter, General?”

“Oh nothing,” he replied, running a finger along his chin as he tried to loose his smirk. He shifted in his stance, glancing down at the ground, then clearing his throat again as he regained his serious posture. “Just these cadets… They’re getting edgy. Think we should begin?”

Light murmurs of agreement rose from the sets of cadets. General Tsuyeti looked them over, and smiled. “I think we should.”

General Sephiroth nodded. “All right then…”

For the next hour and a half, the generals took turns calling out cadet’s names. They were expected to draw out of line accordingly, and walk in squared lines all the way to the general that had called their name, receive a certificate of accomplishment, a few badges and such, and a handshake. The wait for the ones who hadn’t been called was long and tedious, and quite frankly, Klous’s joints were beginning to lock up and become sore… He tried to squirm to ease himself a bit, but he didn’t want to be yelled at.

“Cadet First Class Klous Strife!” called General Sephiroth. Klous was more than relieved, and made his way out of position, and marched his way to the general. Once he came to, he stopped and stood straight. He relaxed as the general handed him his certificate and several colorful badges, and then extended his hand. Klous shook it strongly with his free hand.

“Strong grip, I like that.” Sephiroth muttered with a small smirk, and Klous smiled back.

“Thank you, sir.” He replied quietly as he saluted. General Sephiroth returned it, and Klous clicked his heels, turned, and marched back into place. Ceremonies would continue for another hour, and were finished off with a speech. Afterwards the cadets were allowed to fall out of place and hoot and holler for the happiness that camp was finally over.

Klous wove through the crowds and gathered all of his friends, and went and found Aulani as well. He hugged her tightly, lifting her in the air, causing her to hug back but also to scream. Umas, Fawna, Logan, Candice, Gunny, and everyone else all did the same thing.

“Yeah! It’s over, it’s over! We’re going into SOLIDER!” they chanted, well into the rest of the day. Now it was time to pack up and leave for home, to wait for the call from SOLDIER, the one thing every one of those cadets had worked so hard for.

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