Chapter 1 Prelude: Cloud’s return

Denzel sat quietly at the dinner table as he waited for Tifa to finish cooking dinner. Things had improved drastically since he had passed out near Fenrir, not that long ago. The young 7-year-old boy had suffered the loss of his parents back in the 7th district, as well as the old woman Ruvie who took care of him after he was left alone in the 5th district, before dying at the outbreak of the meteor event, and finally Gaskin, who he and other survivors scavenged with before he too succumbed to Geostigma. Denzel rubbed his head as the faces of those he lost ran through his mind, while also trying to forget the pain of the Geostigma that almost killed him, the Geostigma that Cloud personally saved him and many others from.

“Cloud” he thought to himself “Cloud is going to arrive soon,” he whispered in his mind, getting somewhat happier “I can’t wait for Cloud to arrive” muttered the boy, causing Tifa to turn to him somewhat confused before smiling as she realised what he said.

“Yeah, me neither” muttered Tifa before turning around and finishing up the cooking, a deep smile now stuck on her face as she thought about her childhood friend returning to them. The young woman proceeded to tap her wooden spoon against the side of the pot she was cooking in as the food was finally ready. It was a simple meal, but one high on calories and varied in its vitamin count, which was very important during this time of rebuilding as society struggled following the destruction of most of Midgar. Expecting Cloud’s imminent arrival, Tifa had made extra food so that she could quickly make up something for her friend if he walked in during dinner, but regardless, she plated up two dishes for her Denzel, with both of them having healthy portions. 

“Alright, dinner’s ready,” said Tifa, as she grabbed both plates and turned towards the dining table where the young boy, with his wavy brown hair and blue eyes, sat patiently, hardly paying attention as he daydreamed about his hero. Denzel’s blank stare suddenly disappeared as the plate was placed down directly in front of him before he turned to Tifa and gave her a big smile while she sat down with her own plate. 

“Thank you for the food,” Denzel said to Tifa before he picked up his fork and began to eat in peace, a luxury many can't afford in these troubled times.

Denzel and Tifa spent the next 10 minutes chatting between eating their food as they discussed their friends, current events and most importantly cloud. Tifa had limited information on what Cloud had been up to since he cured Denzel’s Geostigma, so she could only say so much, which just made the idea of Cloud telling them about his travels all the more exciting, he always had a fun story to share about the places he had been. The two had almost finished their dinner as they laughed away the quiet until both of them suddenly looked to the front door as it swung open.