A Final Fantasy VII Story

Final Fantasy VII - To the journey!

The Highwind

A slim and muscular figure with blond and spikey hair he was, a blueish hue shimmering in his eyes, a remainder of exposure to mako - something every SOLDIER was exposed to in order to increase strength, agility and the ability to endure. It was a tradeoff, as everyone who underwent those procedures had to deal with a degree of declining health in the long term. Then, Mako as it was called, was a substance found below the planetary surface, used to be extracted by some for profit (which created a planetary crisis not so long ago) and others considering it to be something to be left alone and studied at best. So our figure stood there, in silence, arms crossed. His eyes blinked and his head bowed upwards, looking through an oval shaped and broken window, where some sharp glass fragments remained on. 

Cloud Strife looked up to the stars on the clear night sky, from the former bridge of the airship Highwind. Nature obviously had taken over this place, as some plants were growing out of the moss on the now dark consoles next to the steering wheel. He glanced over the growth and smiled. Four years ago, the airship had crashed hard here, after the engines suddenly failed and sent the ship into a downwards spiral and making a hard landing in the shallow water of a bog.

"You and the guys really did all they could to get us down safely, back then", he said with a contemplating voice. "Its a shame she will never fly again."

Cid Highwind, a tall figure with blond hair, a lazy shave and wearing an old blue jacket, stepped up next to him and nodded in agreement.  

"Yeah, i am always thinking about it. Can still hear the shouts, the alarms and everyone being thrown around here. Ah, we thought about fixing her, so we were able to recover some parts of the fuselage and all the engines. We have put them in storage and tasked out some work on the frame, but the Republic has other problems now as to think about building a new intercontinental airship." A sigh, before he continued. "When all the reactors went down, it was a cold awakening for many." 

He shrugged his shoulders and took looked at his watch, before he continued. "Its good to be here. Altough, no pressure, but its quite a trip back to Cosmo Canyon." He tapped the surface of a dead console and gave it an almost caring touch, smiling. "It was nice to see the old gal again. Maybe i'll see her one day taking to the skies again." Cloud unfolded his arms and nodded. "Sure. She'll fly again one day."

Cid laughed and pointed to the Bronco. "So, might be time to bust if you want to make it back for breakfast. So, get going, ... trainee!"
He squeezed himself through a duct and slid down the small hill, passing over a fence that some locals seems to have put in place - after all, the mangled remains of the wreckage still posed a certain risk, even if it was situated close to a bog that people rarely visited. Some former members of Avalanche had erected a small memorial, dedicated to everyone who died a few years ago in the incident relating to a meteor crashing down and just being stopped at the last minute by what planetologists called the lifestream together with an incantation called Holy.

 "Look," Cloud pointed towards the memorial. "People even still bringing flowers here. Given all the hate we got. If you would believe some, it was us who sent the meteor."
He walked over and glanced over the small assortment. Most flowers were apparently from local gardens and brought by those living around Kalm and here in the Grasslands.
He kneeled down and picked up a few of the ones which started to rot and carried them next to some of the bushes which had started to take over the area. Since extraction of mako had stopped, plant life seemed to be more lush around here in the Grasslands - or maybe, it was just his imagination. While walking back, something that grew close to the base of the memorial catched his eye and made him smile.
"They were always her favorite. I wonder, if Marlene or Elmyra has planted them for her." He kneeled down, touched the yellow flower and continued to smile while he was contemplating some memories from the past. He hadn't felt her presence for a long time, which he somehow did in the beginning, something that was fading away with the years. Sometimes he was still feeling the loss in his gut, when her face was smiling down from the cupboard. He returned to the moment, looked at one of the delicate flowers and gave one of them a gentle stroke. He bend down, smiled and whispered: "If you can listen and have learned talking to her ... Tifa and me are alright. You are still with us, in our hearts."
He gave the bell another gentle stroke. "It was quite a piece of action we had back then and wouldn't want to miss a piece of it. Wallmarket Warriors!" He looked at the flower and stood up.