The morning sun was slowly engulfed by the gray skies. Soon the air itself seemed to whither and die. A cold unforgiving wind blew through the deserted streets as Cloud walked to Tifa’s house. He stopped at a distance from her home. His head shifted upward to Tifa’s bedroom window. He noticed someone spying out the window looking at him. It wasn’t Tifa. Cloud couldn’t make out who the individual was, but he could plainly make out it was a boy. He thought that it could have been one of Tifa’s friends. They had beaten him to her.

In Tifa’ room, four of her friends had stopped by to comfort her over the death of the mother. Locke sat by the window where he noticed Cloud standing out in front of the house.

“Hey, its Cloud,” Locke said, “I wonder what’s his problem.”

A girl by the name of Relm said, “He’s weird. Why is he out there?”

Cloud didn’t want to associate himself with Tifa’s friends so he decided to catch her later. Maybe when she was alone, he thought. He turned and walked away.

“Cloud’s leaving,” Locke said.

Tifa sat curled in the corner of the room gently rocking back and forth. Her two other friends, Edgar and Sabin, sat around Tifa. They tried their best to comfort her broken heart. Tifa’s eyes were scarlet red as tears ran down her tender cheeks. She raised her head to look at everybody in the room. The children stood silent. Tifa appeared as is she had something significant to say.

“I have to see mom,” she said in a whimper.

“What are you talking about?” Sabin asked.

Tifa got up, “There’s a place after Nibel Mountain where people go when they die,”

“Where exactly is it?” Asked Edgar

“I don’t know but I’ll find it,” she said with sure confidence.

“You can’t, Tifa, its dangerous,” Relm said urging her not to go.

“I have to see my mom. Even if I only get to be with her for minute. She wants to see me, too. I’m sure she’ll be waiting for me.” She walked out of her bedroom followed by Locke, Edgar, Sabin, and Relm trailing behind.

Cloud, not knowing what to do with himself, began to aimlessly walk the streets of the town. He pondered on what encouraging words he could use to ease Tifa’s loss. Cloud came upon the Shinra Mansion on his venture around the town. Shinra, the powerful and corrupt corporation with a monopoly on Mako Energy, had built the mansion to house their corporate executives while they were on business in that region of the continent. Now it was rumored a Shinra scientist by the name of Professor Hojo inhabited the mansion along with some members of the secret organization known as the Turks. It was a mystery of why they were there, and what it was they were doing. Cloud stood in awe at how lavish and enormous the mansion was. He heard little footsteps walking slowly behind him. The boy turned to find Tifa leading her friends up the dirt path into the Nibel Mountains. Neither of them noticed Cloud by the gates of Shinra Mansion, and so continued their trek to the mountain. Curiosity overwhelmed Cloud as he began following the group up the path. He didn’t make his presence known to the others. Following from a far distance, Cloud trailed them up the course.

The sky grew to a dark gray, almost pitch-black. Booming thundering sounds echoed through the formless skies. All the children jumped to the shattering cry from above. Relm had enough of Tifa’s journey. The pathway had become more traitorous. Consequently, Relm’s feet began to hurt. She turned around and walked back to town without telling the others. She passed Cloud as he was making his way up. They made eye contact but nothing more. Relm was now gone. Cloud picked up his pace. The trail the children had been following soon disappeared, and now they walked the jagged steep mountain with no path for reference. Edgar and Sabin stopped. They looked at each other and decided to head back to Nibelheim. Both feared the excursion was becoming dangerous with each passing moment. They too left with telling Tifa or Locke. Cloud saw the brothers run pass him not even to take a moment to notice him. He had no idea why everybody was deserting Tifa, but he had no intentions of leaving her by herself. Locke also passed by Cloud as Tifa’s last friend headed back to town.

She was now by herself. Tifa continued her journey, determined to reunite with her mother’s soul on the other side of the mountain. Cold and bitter rain poured from overhead as thunder echoed in the miserable air. The jagged rocks glistened as the rain milled them making climbing slightly more difficult. Cloud lost sight of Tifa as she made it to the top of a small summit. He climbed as fast as possible to reach the height with the ice rain striking his face like a thousand needles. Out of breath but still mobile, Cloud reached the top of the summit. Tifa was nowhere to be found. His heart started racing fearing the worst.

“Help!” a voice yelled.

It was Tifa’s voice. Cloud began looking frantically for her until he happened to find her hanging on the side of the mountain. The ground she had walked on collapsed from underneath leaving her dangling for her life.

“Tifa!” Cloud yelled to get her attention.

Tifa looked at him with her trembling eyes.

“Cloud?” she said surprised to see him. “Please help me!”

He stretched his cold hand out for her to grab it. Tifa got a tight grip on his hand; just then, the little footing she had to keep her from falling gave way. Tifa dropped deeper along with Cloud in hand, but he was able to stop any further decent. The impending fall wasn’t a strait vertical drop, but an incline made up of rock-strewn terrain. Vertical or not, Cloud wasn’t planning on letting Tifa fall.

“Pull me up, Cloud! Quick!” Tifa cried.

Cloud’s arm shot with pain as the blistering wind pounded his body.

“Please! Please, you can do it,” she shrieked.

He wanted so desperately to pull her up, but wasn’t strong enough. Cloud looked at Tifa and knew she was going to plunge. It was a futile moment for him. It made Cloud feel weak and helpless. The thought of letting her go, and saving his own life crossed his mind. He quickly pushed that option out of his head. Cloud’s grip on Tifa got tighter as his strength slowly left him. The rain became harder and colder. Sadly, Cloud’s strength had now completely disappeared. Tifa plummeted down with Cloud hand in hand. The world seemed to go in slow motion as they fell down the steep inclined mountain. Their bodies were tossed like lifeless forms down the gravel plain. Lightening flashed a blinding light, and the sky went on fire with a brilliant flare. And then there was total darkness.