Engraved Memories

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((ooc - just to get things started... who knows? I might as well start something... ))


Tifa walked into the old Sector 6 church with the hopes of finding Cloud... she needed to see him again... to talk to him. Denzel had told her he had been hanging around here lately... maybe she could see him again here.

[shadow=blue,left,300]"Cloud?"[/shadow] she called out, but there was no reply. She sighed heavily and gave a slight frown. She had heard a lot about this place, especially from Aeris. This was actually Tifa's first time being here, and it wasn't any wonder why Cloud would rather spend most of his time in this place... she knew he still must've had some feelings for the flower girl...

Tifa tried to fight back her tears as she examined one flower in particular. The thought of Aeris... she missed her too. But nothing could be done now...

[shadow=blue,left,300]"Cloud... where are you?"[/shadow] she sighed.

[haseo]

A figure stood amongst the ruins, his hair swaying gently by the small breeze. The place was a complete ruin...every building destroyed and at their feet, broken and their glory destroyed by the incident two years ago. His crimson gaze scanned the once known metropolis known as Midgar. Nothing. Nothing more than broken concrete and the smell of old dust lingered in the area. He moved around somemore, hoping to find something that would interest him, or a clue for his search. Yes, he was searching for a way to end the disease that had spread throughout the land. Hundreds of lives taken. And he hated it.

He stopped dead in his tracks however, as something caught his eye. A building. But not just any other building. Unlike the rest that lay broken and defeated, this one still stood, almost complete if not for the gaping hole on the ceiling. It was a church...a church in the middle of this ghostown. And he remembers this church, though only fragments of the memory remained. He lived here, after all before Shinra operatives kidnapped him. He approached the church, and immidietly, he could tell that the place was definately holy. It...felt different. It was alive, compared to the many that lay dead. It smelled good too...flowers? So they still grew here despite the fact that the Meteor should have killed them. A miracle indeed. He wasn't one to believe in those things however.

He grabbed Hraesvelgr, his large broadsword. Like the geostigma, his blade had claimed many lives, but it was all to protect himself. He'd never kill in cold blood. Knowing how to respect places of sacredness, he threw his blade skyward with one arm no matter the weight of the sword. It struck the earth with its rounded tip, burrying almost a fourth of the blade on the ground. No one would be able to pull it out even if they tried. Only he could. His hands pushed open the double doors, and Haseo was a bit surprised, to find someone else was in these ruins...

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Tifa continued to gaze upon that particular yellow flower a little while longer... it was as if watching it in vain took away all the pain, the worries, her troubles... it was something so beautiful yet so simple. Exactly how she hoped the world would turn out in the end. Her thoughts were then interrupted upon hearing footsteps entering the old church. Looking over her shoulder she saw someone, most likely a man, walking in. His face was shadowed so she didn't recognize him...

[glow=blue,2,300]"Cloud?"[/glow] she murmured, as she saw a broad sword sticking from the ground just outside the doors... there was only one person she knew who wielded such a weapon. A bright smile formed on her face and began to head toward the man, but upon further inspection, Tifa stppped dead in her tracks. Her slight smile faded out of disappointment and felt her face turn scarlet from embarassment. This man was probably confused at why she acted the way she did, she thought. [glow=blue,2,300]"I... I'm sorry. I thought... you were someone else I knew..."[/glow]

[haseo]

Obviously, the person inside the church was a woman, probably around his age. She whirled around, turning to see who the stranger was. It was only him of course, and Haseo meant no harm. Not in here anyway. He took a small step back however as she started make her way to him. He had to raise a questioning eye brow. Why did she just do what she did? They were complete strangers afterall. It became clear however, as she stated her fault.

Haseo sighed, before scratching the back of his head. Mistakes like that can get people killed. He knew it all too well.

"Sorry to dissapoint you then." he said coldly, walking past her as he went further in into the church. He stopped his tracks, near the altar where the flowers grew. There were indeed many of them, and all were healthy. The large hole on the ceiling was a door for the sunlight. He took in the smell...sweet and welcoming. He stood there for a while, completely ignoring the woman from earlier. He wasn't comfortable around other people anyway.

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Tifa silently gave another despairing sigh and tried to form a soft smile through the corner of her lips as the man passed by her. At least she wasn't alone anymore, she thought optimistically. She turned around and watched him smell the sweet fragrance the flowers gave... he seemed... familiar with this place. Or at least that's what it seemed. The sweet scent of the flowers would probably captivate anyone who came through this path... it was, of course, very rare to see a flower in Midgar. Nearly impossible.

[glow=blue,2,300]"D'you know this place?"[/glow] she asked, breaking the awkward silence. A myriad of questions were starting to rise and kept echoing throughout her head... did this stranger come here often? If so, did he know Cloud? What was he doing here? Tifa shook her head as she decided it was probably best not to badger him with such things... at least, for now.

[haseo]

He slowly looked over his shoulder, his eyes half opened in annoyance. That's how he'd usually look when he's not in a mood to talk. Crimson eyes stared back at the woman behind him. He then turned his head back, the only thing being shown to her was his whole back. He seemingly ignored the woman's question, having been silent for a few more minutes. He was thinking, whether to continue this useless conversation with a complete stranger or, turn his back at the alter, and leave the church. Well, he chose neither. He wouldn't walk out of the building. It held much memory for him, even if they were mere fragments. And he wasn't going to talk either. It just, wasn't his nature.

The awkward silence went on for several minutes, and it felt like ours for the silver haired ex-soldier. He never did like waiting. It bores him to death. He had to do something at least. Without looking, he asked the woman from earlier(if she was still there). "Does...someone live here?" his voice, deep and somehow, it seemed more like he demanded the answer. Again, Haseo was never good with his social life. If he had any...

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Tifa crossed her arms and pouted a bit as the stranger chose to ignore her question. It was rather rude and couldn't help but give out an annoyed look. But then again, they both were strangers. He was entitled to ignore her... if he wanted. Tifa looked around the broken down church for the final time and was about to leave. It was apparent Cloud wasn't around, so there was no reason for her to stay. Turning on her heel, she walked towards the door, but then the stranger spoke. She looked on at him, contemplating if she should even answer back. She was, of course, entitled to ignore him... if she wanted.

[glow=blue,2,300]"Cloud does."[/glow] she replied softly, but audible enough for him to hear. The truth was still a little hard for her to bare. She didn't know the true reason why Cloud would rather live here than back in Edge, with her, Denzel and Marlene. Was it something that happened? Was it something she said? Or was it because... he wanted to be closer... to Aeris. She continued to watch the stranger, wondering if the mention of Cloud's name had any affect on the man.

[haseo]

In all honesty, Haseo had thought that she had left already, having ignored her earlier question. He was quite surprised as he recieved a rather soft sounding answer, but audible enough to reach his ears. Cloud was it? Haseo somehow had heard of the name before...Cloud...Strife? He turned to the woman again, this time, facing her completely and not just looking over his shoulder.

"Cloud? Do you mean Cloud Strife?" he asked, trying to verify his suspicion. If he was the Cloud Strife, then that'd be good to know. Afterall, he was originally looking for the man that beat Sephiroth. A year ago, he found out it was Cloud, a fellow Soldier in his day in Shinra. He apparently defected and joined Avalanche after escaping Soldier along with a friend. Jack was it? Well, it didn't matter anyway.

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Tifa raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised this man knew Cloud's last name... thus, confirming her suspicions that he did know him. But as to how she knew him as a friend or foe remained a mystery to her. She didn't speak. She was quite uncertain whether she should even answer... he seemed... cold. Quite unlike anyone she thought Cloud would likely hang around with, but then again, Cloud hasn't been himself lately. Instead she just answered his question with another question. [glow=blue,2,300]"How do you know him?"[/glow] she said firmly, as if interrogating him. She had to know where this man stood... she secretly got her gloves ready behind her if this stranger wasn't exactly friendly.

[haseo]

Somehow, the air around the are suddenly turned...tense. Somehow, the question he'd just asked triggered this tension. Why though, he didn't know. He could only guess that this woman before him had some connection to Cloud Strife. She seemed a little...protective, as evident of her next question. It irked Haseo that she didn't answer his question, but it seemed apparent that this woman does indeed know Cloud. Debating whether or not to answer this question of hers, he simply turned his back on her again, facing the altar and the small field of flowers.

"Hmph...just someone I've worked with in the past. Before he ran away with another guy." he replied coldly, crossing both arms. He wasn't really pleased with the idea of running away, but he too, ran away in the past. Well, more likely get away from a few pursuers.

[Deleted]

Listening to there "conversation", Vincent sat on the roof where the hole was. Looking around, gazing at the only place that stood after the meteor.

Thinking to himself.

So, this is the only place left. The only beauty left, it's a shame that people like Sephiroth exist. people that want to take away other people's happiness.

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Tifa clentched her fists, her nails digging deeply into her palm and knuckles almost turning white... she hid her anger from the stranger; and there it remained hidden now that he had his back turned on her once again. He spoke about Cloud as if he was some sort of coward, but... she hadn't anything to say against it. It was, after all, true; Cloud did run away with another man... with Zack... to get away from the ShinRa. She knew the story all too well. Cloud explained it to everyone 2 years ago...

Tifa sighed softly, letting go of that anger. There was no need to explain herself to him. She knew the truth. And so did everyone else who truly knew him, and it was apparent that though this stranger knew Cloud, he wasn't on his circle of trust. With nothing else to say to him, Tifa turned on her heel and started to make her way out of the church. The sun was welcoming, and the cool breeze wrapped itself around her... though Midgar was now basically a ghost town with haunting memories, this place had been more... sunnier, than Tifa had ever remembered Midgar. Especially for the slums.

Suddenly a strange looking creature welcomed her by baring its teeth, growling vehemently at her... it was unlike any creature she had seen before. Was it one of those strange monsters rumored to have been stalking these lands lately... Shadowcreepers, were they? Tifa put up her fists and posed an offensive position, backing away slowly in case this creature came any closer.
[glow=blue,2,300]"Hyaa!!"[/glow] Tifa gave a round kick at the beast and watched it dissapate into dust. She gave an slightly confused look... that just wasn't normal. More of those things appeared out of the front door and it looked like she couldn't handle them all on her own. She quickly went back inside the church, closing both large doors behind her, pressing her back against the door to hold it shut. [glow=blue,2,300]"I think we've got some company..."[/glow]

[Deleted]

Vincent watched as Tifa destroyed the monster and then walked back in the building. he noticed that she could use some help, shot and destroyed 3 of the monsters jumped down by her and asked.


Need some help

[haseo]

It fell silent for a moment, before Haseo heard footsteps. Footsteps from the woman earlier, and they seemed to be growing fainter. It was apparent, that she was leaving. He shrugged unphased. He probably said something that made her go like that. Then again, he always does to most people. Especially the ones he doesn't like. Usually, they'd leave with bruses and small cuts. His temper is a force to be reckoned with.

He decided to leave as well. Before he took another step however, Haseo felt another presence. This time, it was from above. He didn't look though, as he didn't care. As long as that person meant no harm, then Haseo would mean no such to him. But just after he turned his back to the alter, noise suddenly echoed through out the church's interior. The woman from earlier, had kicked a rather dark looking creature, killing it. Or so it seems. She immidietly closed the double doors, telling Haseo that they had company.

"What the hell....?" before he could say anymore, the presence from earlier decided to reveal himself. clad in red and black with long unkept hair, he jumped down from ceiling, revealing a tri-barreled shotgun of sorts, killing three of the malicious beasts in an instant. Haseo got a good look of him, thanks to the sunlight...he definately wasn't a whole human. Well, whoever it was and whatever the hell those creatures were didn't matter. gritting his teeth in anger, Haseo stormed through the church pushing aside both the woman and the strange man aside, ignoring any oncoming protests. In anger, he kicked the double doors open, startling the beasts outside.

Four remained, his sword right behind them. The beasts glared, hoping to make him scared. But such things were not known to Haseo. This emotion called, fear. Immidietly the creatures pounced on the young adult. Gritting his teeth, he was most definately annoyed. He jumped, using the momentum to lift his left leg to kick one under its jaw.

"You're in the way of my sword!" he yelled angrily, almost loud enough that it echoed throughout Midgar.

He landed behind them, the creature he had violently kicked away landing a few feet away from the other three. They seemed bewildered that this 'meal' would suddenly stand up to them like that. And before they could even move, Haseo had already dashed for his gigantic broadsword, pulling it from the ground despite how deep it was embedded. Using the momentum, he swung his blade at the creature he had kicked earlier, the sharp, circular to of the blade severing its head from its body, causing it to dissapate into nothingness. He stopped the momentum of his swing, and glared at the remaining beasts. "You guys really pissed me off on the wrong day!" he growled in anger, his crimson eyes seemingly lighting up in flames, reflecting the anger that burned within him.

Question. What the hell made him angry in the first place??

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Tifa continued to lean back against the doors, keeping it shut. Three gunshots nearly scared the living daylights out of her since she didn't know the stranger wielded a gun. All of a sudden, a cloaked enigma jumped from the hole of the roof and landed effortlessly on the ground next to her... that blood red clock... the long raven-black hair... she smiled at him, glad that there was a familiar face around. So it was he who fired those rounds... [glow=blue,2,300]"Vincent! Punctual as always..."[/glow]
Their brief reunion was inturrupted suddenly when she and Vincent were pushed aside by the stranger as he kicked the doors wide open, and reclaimed his broadsword. His fighting skills were nothing less than impressive... so, he truly was a Soldier like he claimed to be... though, his attitude had reminded her of a mixture of Barret or Cid's... their numbers continued to grow and the odds weren't exactly looking good.

[glow=blue,2,300]"Behind you!"[/glow] Tifa dashed outside and leaped, landing on of her fists on a particular Shadowcreeper that was about to pounce from behind the stranger. It dissipated back into dust. Strange. Again, this is so not normal...