Lost and Found (Serah)

[Cloud Strife]

Even though it’s been a few days, Cloud still isn’t use to this city life. Could hardly blame him though, he grew up in a small town—more of a village really—where the closest store was only three houses over. Stores were spread out all over the place here, some having lower or higher prices than others, and it was hard to find the ones to get a good deal without being played and paying more than the item should cost.

Guess that’s why Cloud hated even in Midgar (Not counting the cross-dressing incident...). Sure there were more useful, newer things in cities that would probably never reach the country side but at least for him growing up, he had everything thing he could possibly want, only worrying about beatings from the bullies that seemed to hate him for no other reason than cause his mother was a widow.

Walking through the streets of Archades, he was feeling that same uncomfortable feeling that he usually got in Midgar. However, the biggest difference was how clean the place was, unlike Midgar and there filth everywhere, even on the upper plates. The sun was out, and the sky was blue with no cloud in sight, it was beautiful and very different then what he was use to seeing. He still didn’t care much for crowds, given that it was rather hard to blend in when he still had his clothing on and not the fashion of this place and that he was carrying what looked like three swords on the holster on his back.

His sword was currently incomplete, but it was easier to carry in the pieces rather than in its complete form, he didn’t have the magnet on his back like he did when he was carrying the Buster Sword so it was much more of a hassle.

Looking around the vast city, he made it to memorize certain areas and the like, after all he might need them someday.

[serah]

Serah, who had lived in at least a mid-sized town her whole life, wasn't intimidated by the crowds, being swindled by shopkeepers, or anything of the sort. Yes, the city was larger than her hometown, and it was unfamiliar, but that made it all the more interesting. She noted how everyone dressed a bit less modern here; she guessed this was a different world than the one she was used to. She probably stood out a bit because of her clothing, but she was determined to blend in with the crowds.

It seemed though that the crowds disappated every few minutes, leaving Serah alone as they flocked into stores. She counted her money; would it even be good here? She wondered that as she looked around, maybe for a new house, maybe for a person; anyone that wasn't Serah didn't know, and even then, she didn't really know, either. After losing her house key and Lightning, it seemed only fair that she should start looking around. She was bent on going to college, and originally she was going to go to Eden to do that, but maybe other worlds had better colleges (or at least smaller tuition rates).

But, as far as this place went, she didn't notice any place that at least looked like a college. All she really noticed was that the buildings were shiny and imperialistic, compared to the sleek, modern style of home. Of course, that was to be expected; she was in a different world, after all. Maybe she would stay here for a while, get her bearings and meet some new people. Or, she could keep going, looking for Lightning or the perfect place to stay until Lightning showed up. She could also go home, but that was out of the question, since she had no house key. If she only knew someone in this city, maybe she wouldn't stand out so much.

All of that aside, Serah took to sightseeing, or at least what she could look at. She decided she'd stay the night; maybe even longer if the opportunity presented itself. This was her chance to go out into the world, make her mark, have a grand adventure. Then, she could live in peace. Right?

[Cloud Strife]

Watching a couple walk down the street with a smiling giggling child in the middle holding onto each of their hands, Cloud couldn’t help but pause and watch. He didn’t have a father growing up himself, but he had his mother. She was kind, and compassionate, she took the harsh words of the villagers with a smile on her face, never faltering. She helped anyone that was hurt, she cooked, cleaned, gave Cloud more than enough attention.

Cloud had loved her immensely. They suffered the same amount of retribution in that town, his may have been more harsh, but as long as his mother was there, always with her open arms and bright smile, he didn’t care, he didn’t mind. Or at least, that’s what he told himself. Watching the couple and their child, he couldn’t help but wonder how different his childhood would’ve been if his father had been with his mother. Though he wasn’t sure if his father was even still alive. But would his childhood been filled with less scorn and beatings?

Sighing through his nose, he continued walking again deciding that it didn’t matter. As much as he thought about the past, the what if’s, it couldn’t change, he became what he was today by those trials, so in the end, thinking about it was pointless, for it would never happen. But...but he won’t abandon Denzel, he’ll get enough money by working for Gabranth, and then go off and find him. Him and Tifa, just to make sure they were both ok.

Pausing again, his eyes focused on a small woman with her hair a pale shade of pink, she looked young, at least into her teens. Her clothing was...not from around here. Was she from another world? Perhaps the same one as he was from? Walking forward he went towards her.

“Excuse me.” He said gently looking down to her, “Are you lost?”

[serah]

The pink haired girl looked up in surprise. Who was this person? She hadn't seen him before. Or, at least, she didn't remember seeing him. She thought about it; yeah, she hadn't seen him before. And judging by his clothing, he wasn't from around here either. She gave him a small smile, like so many she had given people before.

"Oh, no. I'm just sightseeing. Thank you for asking." she said, looking him over. He reminded her of Claire, which was kind of nice, since she didn't have anyone to talk to at the moment. It was nice that someone cared in a city like this; then again, he could be a creeper. As soon as that thought had crossed her mind, it was gone. She believed that everyone had something good in them somewhere, no matter how far back it had been masked. He would probably be nice, she decided, and stuck out her hand.

"Serah Farron. Nice to meet you."

[Cloud Strife]

Cloud tilted his head at her as she seemed to be lost in thought. Did his appearance remind her of someone? Well, it was possible, blond hair and blue eyes weren’t exactly rare or anything, someone with pink hair definitely was though.

Looking down to her extended hand, he raised his own in response and grasped her small hand in his gloved one. “Cloud Strife.” He said in response to her giving him her name, there was a possibility that the name was a fake, an alias, but he had a feeling this one would never do something like that, she was small, but her eyes were filled with kindness, and honesty, there was no doubt that she was telling the truth, so he responded in kind.

His lips turned up into a small smile, “Sightseeing? This place is a good place to start.” He said while looking around, “It’s nothing like what I have in my world.” His world...his world that had come close to dying, but slowly recovering before...this happened. It still confused him immensely on what had transpired so quickly that Cloud ended up being in a entirely different place. He just hoped his friends were ok (Especially Yuffie that ninja brat...).

Though it was nice for her to be sightseeing in this new world here, she was a little young to him however, which caused him to frown slightly, it was also, most likely dangerous outside of the city too, the fields full of monsters, “Do you have anyone traveling with you, or family?” He asked her as his eyes scanned her form. She didn’t appear to be carrying any kind of weapon at all, and well one could always run away from a fight, but some monsters left you no choice but too, especially if they were in a group.

Perhaps she was more of a magic user...?

[serah]

"Cloud? That's an interesting name. Do you know why they called you that?" she asked curiously. Names were always a source of new knowledge for her, maybe because of her sister. At one point, her sisters name had been Claire, but of course it had been changed to Lightning when her parents died. While she admired her sister, she also felt that by abandoning her name, she was also abandoning her past. Maybe that was the way her sister grieved, but either way, she liked her first name better. As for Serah's name, she always had liked it, but her parents died before she could find out why they had called her such a common name with a different spelling. So she assumed they wanted her to be unique, and she believed she fulfilled the name, at least in that sense.

She smiled a bit as he smiled, a mirror to his facial expression, if slightly more. He seemed to be such a nice person, but she wondered why he had decided to come talk to her. Was he lost, maybe? Did she look lost? Or maybe it was cause her figure made her look younger than she actually was? As much as she disliked her figure for being quite childish, it kept the people who would creep on her otherwise away. She scanned his form as well, noticing the sword on his back. Her eyes got quite big as she noticed this. Why would you need a sword unless you were in the army? Was this town unsafe? Scanning the area, she doubted it. The city was too sleepy for much crime.

"I'm not traveling with anyone at the moment, why do you ask?" she questioned. While he was kind, he seemed to almost be protective of her, which she found quite odd. Maybe he had that instinct in him, to worry for others. She wouldn't have guessed though, as he looked more like the solitary type, like her sister. She knew though that she should never judge a book by it's cover, but that had been her first impression, so she thought it was okay.

Right?

[Cloud Strife]

Her response to his name made him blink. That wasn’t one of the responses he thought she would use in his head. But yes, he did know why his mother had called him that, he had asked her a long time ago, why she decided to name him after the white puffs in the sky. She had laughed at his question, amused, and caressed his cheek in such a manner that he did not feel offended at her laughter to his question.

“Because...” She had said, “With your bright hair looking like it came from the sun itself and your clear blue eyes like that of the sky on a clear day, all I needed was a cloud to have the complete set, and now I do.” She had then brought him into a loving embrace. “My little Cloud.”

He scratched his cheek slightly from the memory, “My mother...was sentimental, she named me Cloud so she could have a piece of the sky.” He mumbled feeling slightly embarrassed. He didn’t mind his name, his mother had given it to him, it’s been with him for twenty-three years, but saying the reason why she had named him as such was more than a little embarrassing to him.

“Ah, sorry, it’s just with monsters out there; it really isn’t safe to travel alone.” He assured her, as he ran a hand through his spiky locks. It was like talking to Denzel all over again. The kid knew about monsters, just was too stubborn sometimes, Cloud almost had a heart attack when he went missing one day, only to be found at the edge of the city’s borders, actually waiting for a monster to come around. Though after a talking and a near death experience Denzel learned when Cloud said, never go into the field alone and unharmed, he meant it.

He let his hand fall back to his side, “Sorry if it seems I’m being intrusive, but you look young, I just don’t want you to find out the hard way.” And possibly die as a result.

[serah]

"That's... kind of cute, if you ask me. " A guy who was embarrassed of his name. She found it to be quit amusing, and almost cute as well. No, she didn't feel an attraction towards him, it was just that, maybe, this guy was sensitive. She doubted that, but it was amusing to think about. She at the moment wasn't exactly looking for love; she was more set on college, but whatever came her way came her way. She studied his face a bit. He wasn't embarrassed, but more so just surprised. That was natural when she asked the question, she guessed.

She played with her ponytail a bit. Yes, it was uncharacteristic, but it was as if she was mimicking his hand moving through his hair in a girly fashion. She looked past him, out towards the blue sky. There was no clouds; how ironic. She listened to him, looking at him straight in the eye now. Monsters were out there? Could they possibly be... Fal'cie? She cringed at the thought. She wasn't sure if one could be branded again, but she would rather be safe than sorry.

But, if there was monsters, what would she do? She wouldn't be able to outrun them, and she didn't know enough magic to do anything but heal. Her sister was no where to be found, she didn't know how to fight. She would need to be escorted. Or have a friend. Unless....?

"Well... I don't exactly have anyone to travel with. Maybe this is a risky offer, but will you at least help me get home? I will pay if you'd like."

[Cloud Strife]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,470,true][bg=EEE6E4][atrb=background,http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e91/TeiyoTeiyo/CLOUDTEMPLATEBG2.png] YOU COULD T R Y AND BE WAY OFF WHY WON'T SOMEONE COME AND SAVE ME. WHY WON'T SOMEONE COME AND SAVE ME FROM THIS Cute? Yeah it had been. His mother was one of the few that he grew up with that stayed with him, supporting all that he was doing with unfaltering loyalty. She hadn’t been impressed when he announced to her that he wanted to go and join SOLDIER, but when she saw his determination and packing his things, she had hugged him tightly and ran her hand over his cheek, brushing back his bangs in her favourite sign of affection to him. “No matter how big you get, you will always be my little Cloud.” She had frequently said to him in his youth, and his heart clenched slightly in remembrance, missing her touch immensely. Cloud honestly blinked in surprise of Serah’s offer, “I would, but my current employer needs me right now, I can’t break my contract with him.” He told her, knowing that he had just let her down and frowned softly because of it, “There might be some aircrafts that are heading towards different places however. You have no destination at the moment, correct? This might be better for you.” If she had no destination in mind and was just going to travel then going by aircraft was safer then walking across the plains. And at least this way, there would probably be other warriors on board to protect her. Looking around the area, not quite use to it so expertly yet, he was relieved when the station wasn`t too far away, so he raised his arm and pointed towards it, “That building is the Aircraft Station, if you’re interested in this, we can go see what locations that they go out too and how much a ticket would cost.” Chances were that it was on the expensive side, Cloud truly didn’t know as he never really checked himself, so he was ready to chip in any amount of Gil that he could to help. SO TOUCH ME OR DON'T JUST LE ME KNOW WHERE YOU'VE BEEN CAUSE I'VE BEEN ALIVE AND ALONE it comes awake and i can't control it - in my body, in my head

[serah]

"Oh, okay. Thank you for being so helpful, Cloud." she said in thanks to him. Though the idea of being alone was a minutiae matter to her, as long as she got home or wherever she would go next. She thought about going to Eden to finish college, and from all her perspective options, it seemed to be the best. She would be able to get a degree in education there, maybe even get settled down. But who knew? Maybe she'd move somewhere else and teach there.


"An airship?!" she said with a kind of excitement and terrified voice. She didn't like airships too much; they took her upon one at one point while she was a l'cie, (or at least she was told) but the idea of being able to be on one while being free would be cool. She looked to the place where he was looking, and she started walking towards with a sense of purpose and curiosity mixed.