"How does it feel?"
(The scene changes again. We are now at the front gate of Nibelheim, Cloud's hometown. Sephiroth approaches the gate, then stops and turns.)
Sephiroth
"How does it feel?"
(He looks around.)
Sephiroth
"It's your first time
back to your hometown in a long time, right?"
"So how does it feel?"
"I wouldn't know because
I don't have a hometown..."
Cloud (offscreen)
"Umm.... how 'bout
your parents?"
Sephiroth
"My mother is Jenova.
She died right after she gave birth to me. My father..."
(He laughs.)
Sephiroth
"What does it matter...?"
"All right, let's
go."
(He walks into Nibelheim. Cloud and the two guards follow.)
Guards
"Psst... (You keep
wandering around here and you'll get into trouble.)"
"It's so boring, being on watch."
<CHOICE>
You want to do what
we always do?
Jut sit tight, it's
your job, right?
***Cloud
You want to do what
we always do?
Cloud
"Shall we practice?"
"Practice... oh, you
mean practice my pose."
"Does someone in SOLDIER
always have to be careful about what other people think?"
"...How did it go?"
(He poses.)
"Was it like this?"
Cloud
"Good job!"
(He relaxes.)
"I really don't want to be in SOLDIER."
***Cloud
Just sit tight, it's
your job, right?"
Cloud
"I'll come and talk
to you once in a while. Just stick with it."
<//>
(He speaks with Sephiroth.)
Sephiroth
"The Mako smell is
pretty bad here."
(Cloud continues into Nibleheim. The screen fades to black.)
Barret
"Yo wait a minute!!"
(Nibelheim fades back in. Sephiroth and the guards are gone. Cloud turns.)
Barret
"Isn't that, um...?"
"The name of Sephiroth's
mother..."
(The scene changes back to the inn.)
Barret
"I remember Jenova.
That's that damn headless spook livin' in the Shinra building."
Cloud
"That's right."
Tifa
"Barret, would you
please let us hear what Cloud has to say? You can ask questions later."
Barret
"Tifa, I was only......"
Tifa
"Okay Cloud, continue."
Aerith
"It's a reunion of
childhood pals!"
Cloud
"......I was really
surprised with Tifa."
(The screen fades to black.)
Cloud
"...The town was quiet."
"Everyone must be
staying in their houses, afraid to come out because of the monsters."
"No, maybe they're
afraid of us..."
(The scene returns to Nibelheim. We are at a courtyard, just inside the gate.)
Sephiroth
"We leave for the
reactor at dawn. Make sure you get to sleep early."
(He opens the door of the inn, stops, and turns around)
Sephiroth
"All that we need
is one lookout, so you others, get some rest."
(A guard runs forward. Sephiroth turns.)
Sephiroth
"Oh, that's right..."
"You may visit your
family and friends."
(Sephiroth enters the inn.)
People in Nibelheim
"Man.. I'm so nervous."
<CHOICE>
How come?
I'm excited.
***Cloud
How come?
"Look, you never know when a monster's gonna show up, right?"
***Cloud
I'm excited.
"...That's right. Don't
blow your chance to become a hero..."
<//>
"I heard Sephiroth
was coming and got my camera ready."
"I want a shot of
Sephiroth and a monster."
<CHOICE>
Take my picture.
Better get back in
the house, it's dangerous.
***Cloud
Take my picture.
"I don't take pictures with nobodys."
***Cloud
Better get back in
the house, it's dangerous.
"All right... so big-headed......."
"Hey? This guy's a
real..."
"You.... Are you Cloud?"
"Really? So that's
how it is, huh?"
"Gosh, Cloud, you've
grown up to be a nice-looking kid."
<CHOICE>
Then take my picture
It's dangerous, get
back in your house
***Cloud
Then take my picture
"Let's do this, Cloud. Let me take a picture of you with Sephiroth."
***Cloud
It's dangerous, get
back in your house
"OK, OK,...... So big-headed...
You're just his assistant"
<//>
"Welcome."
"Hey? Aren't you..."
(The screen flashes white... The person vanishes.)
Cloud
"...Have I come here
before? ...I don't remember."
Barret
"Now you're pissin'
me off! This don't matter, so get on with it!"
(Cloud enters a house.)
Cloud
"This is... my house.
It has nothing to do with that incident five years ago."
(The screen fades black.)
Barret
"Yo wait, I wanna
hear."
Aerith
"Me too! It's been
a long time, right?"
Barret
"Tell us more!"
"You saw your family,
right?"
<CHOICE>
Don't want to talk
about it
All right......
***Cloud
Don't want to talk
about it
Barret
"Well I ain't gonna
force ya....."
***Cloud
All right......
Cloud
"I don't know if you
could call it a 'family'........"
"My father... died
when I was still very young."
"That's why my mom......
was living alone in this house."
"Yeah, I saw my mom."
"My mom... she was
a vibrant woman. Hadn't changed at all."
"But a few days later,
she died...."
"But when I saw her,
she looked fine."
(The scene returns to Cloud's house. Cloud takes a few more steps inside. We see his mother, working in the kitchen. She turns.)
Cloud
"Uh...?"
(She comes forward.)
"Ye---s?"
(She runs to him.)
"Cloud!?"
(She nods.)
"Welcome home, Cloud!"
Cloud
"Hi, mom."
(The screen goes white.... Cloud is standing on the few steps leading up to a small sitting-area. His mother is by him.)
"Come, come... Let
me take a look at you!"
(She looks at him from the side.)
"Hmmm......."
(She looks at him from the back.)
"You look so handsome."
(She walks to the front again.)
"So is this a SOLDIER uniform?"
Cloud
"......Mom, I...."
(The screen goes white again... Cloud is lying on the bed by the kitchen [it's a one-room house].)
"My, how you've grown."
"I bet the girls never
leave you alone."
Cloud
"...Not really."
"...I'm worried about you."
(She paces a little.)
"There are a lot of
temptations in the city..."
"I'd feel a lot better
if you just settled down and had a nice girlfriend."
Cloud
"...I'm all right."
"You should have..."
"an older girlfriend,
one that'll take care of you."
"I think that would
be the perfect type for you."
Cloud
"......I'm not interested."
(The screen flashes white again. Cloud and his mother are standing in the kitchen.)
"Are you eating right?"
(He nods.)
Cloud
"I'm all right. The
Company takes care of me."
"Is that so?"
"You can't cook, right?"
"I was worried sick
about how you were doing..."
(The screen flashes white again. Cloud's mother turns to face him from the stove.)
"Cloud...?"
(The screen flashes white.)
"You know, Cloud......"
(Flash.)
".......isn't that right, Cloud?"
(Flash.)
"I will always be your mother..."
(The screen fades to black.)
Cloud
".........Let's stop
this......"
(We return to Nibelheim...)
<//>
(Cloud enters Tifa's house. He takes a few steps in, then the screen fades to black.)
Tifa
"Cloud...?"
"Did you go into my
house?"
<CHOICE>
Yeah...
No...
***Cloud
Yeah...
Cloud
"I thought you might
be home."
***Cloud
No...
Cloud
"I remember you weren't
there."
<//>
(Cloud goes upstairs.)
Tifa
"Cloud...?"
"Did you go into my
room?"
<CHOICE>
Yeah.......
No....
***Cloud
Yeah.......
(He continues.)
***Cloud
No...
(Back to the foyer.)
<//>
(Cloud opens a chest of drawers. He pulls out Orthopedic Underwear.)
Tifa
"Cloud!!!"
<CHOICE>
It's true
Just kidding. Don't
get mad...
***Cloud
It's true
Tifa
"...Cloud"
"We're talking about
something really important here."
***Cloud
Just kidding. Don't
get mad...
Tifa
"...Cloud"
"We're talking about
something really important here."
<//>
(Cloud walks to the piano in Tifa's room.)
Tifa
"Did you play my piano?"
<CHOICE>
No, I didn't
Yeah, I jammed on
it
Just a little
***Cloud
No, I didn't
(He doesn't play.)
***Cloud
Yeah, I jammed on
it
"Now, how did this go?"
<CHOICE>
I forgot
I remember
***Cloud
I forgot
(A tutorial comes up explaining how to play the piano. Cloud plays.)
***Cloud
I remember
(He plays the piano.)
<//>
***Cloud
Just a little
Cloud
"I can read sheet
music, too, you know..... Ummmm, let's see......"
"Do... Re.... Mi...
Ti... La... Do... Re... Mi... Ti... La....Do... Re.... Do.... forget..."
<//>
(He walks to the Tifa's desk.)
Cloud
"The letter..."
Tifa
"Did you read it?
My letter?"
<CHOICE>
I'd never do that!
Yeah...
***Cloud
I'd never do that!
Tifa
"Of course!"
***Cloud
Yeah...
Tifa
"You remember what
it said?
<CHOICE>
I don't remember...
I remember clearly
***Cloud
I don't remember...
Tifa
"Then. let's go on
with the story about Sephiroth."
***Cloud
I remember clearly
Cloud
"I read it..."
"It was a letter addressed
to Tifa from the son of the guy that runs the General Store..."
"Tifa, how are you?
I just arrived in Midgar eight days ago."
"Yesterday, all of
Nibelheim got together to welcome me. The only person that we couldn't
get a hold of was Cloud."
"But everyone said
he wasn't really that close to us. So even if we asked, he probably wouldn't
have come anyway."
"Well, enough about
him."
"Midgar is really
something. But to tell the truth, I feel so behind on everything... so
out of it."
"Even the rooms of
people in the slums are clean."
"Right now I'm living
in the slums, but I plan to move to a really nice room, like the ones I've
seen in magazines, once I make some money."
"...but, to do that,
I guess I have to find a job fast. That's right. I still haven't found
a job yet."
"I lied to my parents
and told them I found a great job with Shinra, Inc."
"I wonder if it's
too late to back. Sometimes I think I should've taken over my parents'
store."
Tifa
"Cloud, do you remember
all of it?"
<CHOICE>
No, that's it
Yeah, I remember it
all
***Cloud
No, that's it
Tifa
"Then. let's go on
with the story about Sephiroth."
***Cloud
Yeah, I remember it
all
Cloud
"Because there was
some stuff about me..."
"I just made it here
to Midgar but all I think about is Nibelheim."
"Hey, Tifa... Is that
stupid old water tower still working?"
"Is the old man at
the Inn doing well? Are my parents still at the shop everyday? Have any
monsters attacked?"
"And most of all,
how are you, Tifa? It feels like I haven't seen you for years."
"We were all talking
about you last night."
"Everyone likes you.
But because everyone idolizes you, I couldn't very well stab them in the
back."
"I always acted cool,
but actually, I was just afraid of being jilted."
"Wow, if I keep writing
like this, this'll become a love letter!"
"So, I think I'll
stop here. Take care. I'll write again."
"P.S. Write me back,
okay?"
<//>
<//>
<//>
"...Oh, you're with
the Shinra? Welcome."
"Oh, I'm sorry! It's
you, Cloud! I didn't recognize you."
(Two kids run into the room.)
"Shinra----?"
"Chinra---?"
"SOLDIER?"
"Saltza?"
"Are you going to kill the monsters?"
".....are you going to?"
"Cloud, you've grown to be a strong man."
"Do your best."
"Do your best."
".....Hmmmm"
"Is Shinra here to
get rid of the monsters?"
Cloud
"And who are you?"
"I'm Zangan. I travel around the world teaching children martial arts."
(He jumps over Cloud.)
Zangan
"I have 128 students
all over the world!"
"In this town, a girl
named Tifa is my student."
Cloud
"Did you say Tifa?"
Zangan
"Tifa has good sense.
She'll be a powerful fighter."
"The, uh.... The whole
Inn's booked up by Shinra for the night."
"...?"
"Cloud...?"
"Is it you, Cloud?"
"It must've been two
years."
"Say, you've really
moved up in the world, being under Sephiroth's command."
(Cloud goes to the second floor of the inn. Sephiroth stands on the landing, looking out the window.)
Cloud
"What are you looking
at?"
(A guard comes upstairs and goes into the bedroom.)
Sephiroth
"...This scenery.......I
feel like I know this place."
"..........."
"We have an early
start tomorrow. You should get some sleep soon."
<CHOICE>
It's still early.
Yeah, let's get some
sleep.
***Cloud
It's still early.
Sephiroth
"...I'm not going
to wake you up tomorrow."
***Cloud
Yeah, let's get some
sleep
Sephiroth
"I've hired a guide
to the Mako reactor."
"I've heard she's
young. I hope we can rely on her..."
(They go to sleep.)
<//>
phoenixgenesis@game-developer.com
Continue to Part 4 Scene 40