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[Spank-A-Thon]

Okay,

this is my first real attempt at fan fiction so go easy on me, but also I want to try something different.

Warning: This Story will contains spoilers for FFVII

Any comments, constructive criticism or advice will be greatfull recieved!

Right, this is how this is hopefully going to work. This is the opening chapter and at the end you are given 3 choices as to where you want the story to go - so vote in the poll. I'll leave the poll open for a good few days, after which the choice with the most votes is where I'll continue the story from!

Once the decision has been made, I will ask for the poll to be closed and then I'll work on the next part and so on until the end of the story. What makes this interesting is that I have no idea how I'll get to the end - you guys will decide that!

As I say, this is my first real attempt at Fan Fiction so go easy on me!!!

Hope you all enjoy it!

- S

[Spank-A-Thon]

https://www.bradleylove.com/sig/ff7/reunion.gif

FINAL FANTASY VII: REUNION

Chapter 1

The memories screamed at him; a cacophony of reminders of a past since buried. No, not buried but hidden. Memories of a past life, a time of strife. A past he hadn’t thought about in a long time. Their faces raced through his mind as he reached into the closet and reached to the past. How long had it been? Three… Four… Five years? It was the ultimate symbol of what he once was, what he once achieved and with trembling hands he took it. He drew it from its sheath, felt the coldness of the grip and marvelled at its apparent lack of weight and supreme balance. It felt alien yet familiar at the same time but this ambivalence could not mask his thoughts. He remembered how it had saved him and them many times and much like meeting an old friend from a long time past, initial awkwardness gave way to a soothing familiarity as he tentatively carved the air with testing swings.

It had all started with a letter…

“Hey, yo!” it began and from that he knew who it was from, but how did he know he would be here? His mind wandered as he continued to pack for the journey ahead.

He had come back to Mideel 4 years ago. The town was back to its former self for the most part now and a mild sense of accomplishment rose as he recalled the small part he played in helping. After all, it could be said Mideel helped him and he was only trying to return the favour, but in any case home was where you made it; he had helped to restore this quiet town, hence making Mideel his home.

With his final preparations complete he started towards the door and passed a decorative mirror on the way. He stopped, not out of vanity, but to face a figure from the past; something he knew he would be doing a lot more of in the coming days. Steadying himself, he took a deep breath and slowly turned to the mirror.

“Cloud” he said, “welcome back old friend.”

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After the events of all those years ago, times had been good to Corel. In the aftermath of what was now known as the ‘World Crisis’ the people of the Planet had sought refuge in entertainment and as a result the Gold Saucer had enjoyed a time of good prosperity which, as a consequence, had meant Corel prospered too. It was still a relatively small village but had grown substantially in recent years.

“Come to Corel. You’ll know where to find me. It’s important.”

Besides a signature that’s all the letter said. No address, no directions – nothing; but that was enough for Cloud to recognise something was up. He steeled his resolve and headed into the village. Letting out a hearty laugh, Cloud understood exactly what was meant by ‘You’ll know where to find me’!

A giant neon sign screamed ‘BARRET’S SCHOOL OF PERFORMING ARTS’, its flashing purple and red arrow pointing to a sizeable building just to the south of the old Corel Train tracks. Still chuckling, Cloud made his way to the building, headed through the foyer and quietly peered through a window that was marked ‘Classroom 1’. He saw Barret was gesticulating enthusiastically on a small wooden stage, his face cycling through a range of emotions whilst, what Cloud presumed must be his students, looked on in admiration. To Cloud it looked just like when Barret used to get all ‘hissy’ and have a tantrum, but to Barret’s students it was masterful display of acting prowess.

Spirits lifted and still chuckling, Cloud quietly slipped into the classroom.

“Suspension of disbelief is key to acting yo, and if ya can’t do that then ain’t no one gonna believe ya. You, the player must treat the stage like a canvas yo, and paint yo’ picture on it.” The passion was clear in Barret’s voice and although to Cloud it was somewhat strange to hear Barret speak such words, the emotion was not.

“But if all else fails,” Cloud shouted out, “just bust some asses instead!”

Startled, Barret looked to the back of the classroom, his face revealing a huge grin. Dismissing the students, he bounded towards Cloud, arms open wide ready to embrace an old and dear friend.

“CLOUD!!!” He shouted whilst sweeping Cloud off his feet and embracing him warmly in a hug. “Yo’ come! Yo spiky little ass came man!”

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The two friends settled down, serious talks would come soon enough but for now they revelled in each others company and exchanged stories of recent times. Cloud explained his efforts in Mideel and how he felt drawn there, probably due to his experiences in the Lifestream. Barret listened intently, nodding enthusiastically every now and then, breaking into a big grin when something particularly delighted him.

After Cloud was done, Barret explained how he ended up getting bitten by the acting bug. In the previous couple of years Barret found work in the Gold Saucer’s Theatre as a stagehand and after a while he managed to get some small parts in the various shows. Whilst there weren’t many calls for a huge tattooed black man to play lead, his enthusiasm did not waver and eventually this enthusiasm evolved into a passion to teach. So with some financial backing from Dio, the owner of the Gold Saucer, Barret opened his own acting school. It had not been going long, just under a year but his first class were due to graduate soon and he had a full set of students waiting to start the next academic year.

When asked about Marlene, Barret’s heart swelled with pride and his grin spread across his face even more. Whilst it was obvious he had a passion for acting and teaching, more obvious was his passion for Marlene. She was at boarding school and doing well, not top of the class but definitely near. All in all, Barret was happy and life seemed to be going well for him.

The two friends sat enjoying a comfortable silence knowing full well the next discussion would not be so easy to have. Surprising himself, it was Cloud who broke the silence.

“So, Barret, what’s up? What’s happened?”

Barret’s face darkened, seriousness mapping its way from his frown to his eyes. He took a deep breath and began.

“The Turks are what’s up. They’re back man, and they’re lookin’ for somethin’.”

“Well, I figured they’d turn up sooner or later – I know they weren’t in Midgar when that got hit.” Cloud was puzzled.

“Shin-Ra is back too.”

“Yeah, I heard the rumours but they can’t be a threat surely? Even so, what’s this gotta do with us?”

“Aeris.”

That name. It struck Cloud like a blast from the Mako cannon, he felt otherworldly, not real. He trembled. “Ae..Ae..A..Aeris?? What do they want? She’s dead..isn’t she? Isn’t she?”

“She is Cloud, we both know that. I don’ think it’s Aeris they after – I think they want Holy. Yo’ remember when Sep… I don’t need to tell ya – you remember… The Turks and Shin-Ra can only mean bad things.”

Barret talked more and Cloud listened. With all the people passing through Corel these days, rumours spread like wildfire and there had been plenty about the Shin-Ra revival and The Turks. Once Aeris and Holy were mentioned, that’s when Barret knew something was up and that he had to contact Cloud. It was only rumour, but could he take the chance?

Barret could see Cloud did not need any persuasion; any tiredness Cloud may have suffered from his long airship flight to Corel was apparently forgotten. The thought of Shin-Ra and Holy together scared him, it could not happen. Cloud jumped to his feet – he had heard enough.

“When can we leave? Do you need to make any arrangements?”

“I have everythin’ already prepared. I knew yo’ would come. We can leave now yo. I don’ think we can handle this alone tho’. We need to get Avalanche back together.”

“Right.” Cloud composed himself. “Who do we go see next?”

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Place your votes now!

- S