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August 9th, 2003 - ContinuedCloud Strife was distraught. It wasn't like this was the first time he had lost Aeris. When they had adventured together, from Midgar to Junon to Rocket Town, and finally to the Temple of the Ancients, he had lost her in the end. Sephiroth's sword had come down from the heavens, killing Aeris with a single blow from the Masamune. Back then, he'd been able to hide his emotion... There was something to be done, then. Sephiroth had to be defeated, Meteor had to be stopped. To Cloud, duty was most important, and personal feelings came second. But what duty did he have here, other than to watch out against anything that Sephiroth might do? It was his duty to fight, of course... But unlike Alucard, Link, Sephiroth, and some of the others, Cloud wasn't here because he wanted to win at all costs. Certainly, it would be a bonus... But in the world after Midgar, troubles still loomed. All had not immediately went into a mode of happily ever after. And... Aeris wasn't there. Just being in the company of Squall, Sora, Aeris, and some of the others here was a good enough reason to come. Cloud hadn't hardened so much in his years as a mercenary that he didn't want companions in the world, whether it was in Midgar, the city where so much had happened in Cloud's life, the Coliseum, the place that he had banished himself to after the Heartless destroyed the fabric of all the worlds, or even the now empty, silent streets of Nibelheim, where he had once lived. He always had just wanted someone with him... Unlike Squall, Cloud had not yet allowed his harsh, anti-social outer exterior to seep into his soul. And without Aeris... Cloud just wasn't the same way. Even Tifa didn't have the same impact with him, even she couldn't free the real Cloud Strife, that was usually kept bottled up deep inside the mercenary. What Cloud wanted so much now was to just be with Aeris again. And Bowser was stealthy enough to make sure that he wouldn't be able to achieve that easily. What Cloud lacked most of all... Was confidence. He hadn't even started to search yet. He didn't even have an idea of where to begin. He had asked Squall, who had frequently went on long walks in various directions (no one knew why... That was just Squall for you), and he hadn't seen anything habitable outside the city. Cloud just had no place to start... I've lost her once, out of my own fault... Have I done it again? Cloud remembered the words of Auron, the old swordsman, after Cloud had fought him. Auron had warned of things to come. Perhaps he had seen the turmoil that Bowser wanted to unleash upon the contestants. Perhaps he could even see further turmoil, made by a more sinister source. Auron... Why'd you have to leave so early? In every story, there has to be a guide. And right now, I don't have one. In anger, Cloud slashed at the ground with his huge blade. Not much of an indent was made, but if it was a call for help, perhaps it had worked. Because there were two people in the village that would be able mentors for Cloud. Cloud's only problem was, he was forcing them to come to him. ---- Am I gonna have ta drag this guy out of the shop? Sure, Sonic the Hedgehog had a good heart. He always liked to do the right thing, and strived towards it on most occasions, but that wasn't the reason that he was helping Cloud Strife in his search for Aeris. Sonic had learned, a while ago, that Bowser possessed a Chaos Emerald. And Sonic was willing to do whatever it took to obtain it. Between himself, Knuckles, and Shadow, there were only three emeralds remaining out of their hands, and he intended to obtain them... And quickly. If anyone other than them were allowed to retain possession of one of the emeralds for too long... The results could be disasterous. The Princess Zelda had already proven that. And with this situation springing up, Sonic saw it as a perfect opportunity. He'd ride Cloud for a while... And when they found Bowser, the emerald was Sonic's, no problem. The hedgehog could run 20 circles around the turtle before Bowser would even move. "C'mon, shopkeep. This guy's searchin for his girlfriend, and the guy that's taken her is someone only you know about." "But-a... My shop!" Mario's sense of justice was there... It was begging him to go after Bowser, to pummel the koopa king into the ground once again for the crime Bowser had commited. But all the same, he had promised Mr. Resetti to take care of his shop, and to shut it down now... It would be against the wishes of everyone. People needed the shop. But Mario couldn't deny that he wanted to help undo what Bowser had done. He knew that the koopa would never rest without making some move this contest, a move that would prove for the worse of them all. Bowser, to Mario, was a danger that couldn't be left unchecked. Sonic didn't even need a good pitch to convince Mario of this. "Are you really going to let YOUR nemesis do something and not do a thing to counter it? That's just cowardice, Mario." Mario was silent for a while. But it had never really been a tough choice. If Bowser did anything evil, Mario would always repair it to normal, and restore justice. It was his duty. And unlike Cloud, he had realized it. Mario and Cloud were doomed, always in that same cycle of protecting those that they so much loved... One had been successful. One had not. Perhaps Mario could teach Cloud a thing or two. We-a never really were rivals, me-a and him. We just had to fight last-a year. "I-a guess I will help you." Mario knew that Bowser wouldn't be foolish enough to build his own castle, just to imprison Aeris. He'd bring in one that he had used before... One that couldn't be seen easily. One that was almost impossible to get into. One that could move if it was discovered. A castle that could fly. 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