Chapter Text
PART 1
(Thank you so much for allowing me to use this as my cover! Click here for artist's Twitter :) )
ARRIVAL
“Listen up, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once! Name's Cid Highwind, and I'm the best damn pilot you'll ever meet. And this beauty I'm flying? This ain't just any hunk of metal. This is the Tiny Bronco, the pinnacle of flyin' machines!
Now, let me tell ya why the Tiny Bronco is the cream of the crop. This baby can take off and land in places those other oversized, luxury airships wouldn't even dream of. It's nimble, it's quick, and it's got the heart of a lion. No matter the weather, no matter the destination, the Tiny Bronco gets ya there with a smooth ride that's second to none!
And me? I ain't just some regular pilot. I've been through thick and thin, flown through storms that'd make a lesser man pray for mercy. I've navigated uncharted territories, dodged enemy fire, and brought my crew back safe and sound when no one else could. Flying is in my blood, and I treat it with the respect it deserves.
So, remember, kids: In this vast sky, there are pilots, and then there's Cid Highwind. Keep your eyes on the horizon, and let's soar to heights unknown. Strap in and hold on tight; it's gonna be one hell of a ride!”
Was the pilot talking – no shouting – at Cloud over the loud noise of the engine? Cloud took a look around. Besides him, there was only one more person on this plane, and she was sound asleep. Other than that, the small waterplane was filled to the brim with wooden boxes – supplies for the island, no doubt.
The metal crates, however, were different. They belonged to Cloud, and once they had landed, he would have to find a way to bring them to their destination.
Well, small as the island may be, even a place like that would have a way to rent a vehicle, right?
“Anyone home?”
Oh, right, the pilot. He looked over his shoulder as though the plane could fly itself and watched Cloud curiously, a wide grin all over his face. “Everyone knows everyone ‘round here. Name’s Cid Highwind, like I just said. And who may you be?” He pointed at himself, still with that wide grin on his face.
“I’m Cloud,” Cloud shouted back. It was his first time on a plane, and even worse, this one departed and landed on water. So that had added to his anxiety. But it was the only option for him to get to the island at the moment. So he had taken it.
“Nice to meet ya, Cloud. I must say though; you look way too fancy to be out here. What’s your story?”
Cloud crossed his arms and looked out the window and at the dark blue ocean again. Why couldn’t people just leave him alone? “Work.”
Cid wasn’t willing to give up on him so quickly. “Oh, then you’re going to join the folks on the hill? The weather station?”
“The lighthouse, actually.”
“Oh, that old thing?” Cid frowned. “Hasn’t been used in years.”
“I won’t be operating it; it’s just for housing.” Cloud could already see on Cid’s expression that this answer wouldn’t suffice. So he sighed and added, “It’ll be the perfect place for my research.”
“You a biologist then?”
“Yeah.” Cloud decided not to mention the other things that he was here for. That his sole task was to find evidence to stick it to ShinRa, find proof of how the doings of the large power company were destroying the ocean. Not only with all the shit that their factories pumped into the waters – which alone would already be bad enough in itself.
But the shipwrecks from the war were still loaded to the brink with old ammunition that held various toxic chemicals. The old vessels lay in their watery graves like ticking time bombs. Which, in that case, meant that the water was eating away at their metal shells.
And the foundation Cloud was working for, Avalanche, had been chasing after these old shipwrecks for over a decade now and, mostly supported by public funding (since ShinRa denied any responsibility unless some actual treasure was found by accident within any of the shipwrecks), had been cleaning up the ocean from ShinRa’s trash bit by bit.
Costa Del Sol was a place that many of Cloud’s colleagues had been eager to travel to for their work. But no one, so far, had been too eager to venture to the really secluded places.
And Cloud, in one of those moments of ‘just believe in yourself and show to everyone that you can be strong and independent and find one of those sunken ships by yourself - and all that nonsense’ had volunteered to make the trip.
And now he was on a plane that looked like it had been built last century, with that crazy pilot whose only interest was in finding out why someone ‘fancy ’ would want to travel to such a secluded place. He didn’t even know how he was supposed to get all his equipment to the lighthouse. “Say, can I rent a car somewhere?”
“You could ask the people at the beach bar. It’s the place to go for, you know. The few brave and offensively rich tourists usually book their housing there.”
---
When they finally landed, Cloud held on to the backrest of the seat in front of him as if his life depended on it. He stared out of the window and back to the cockpit. The water was drawing close unsettlingly fast. He told himself, repeatedly, that the pilot knew what he was doing. That it would be fine.
The touchdown was rough and at the same time smoother than he had anticipated. The waves cradled the vessel, shook it smoothly, and ironically that was what gave Cloud’s stomach the rest. With one hand wrapped tight over his mouth, he held his breath, hoping that he would not have to throw up. It would be embarrassing, now that the journey had almost ended, to give in at the last second.
When the door was finally opened, Cloud stumbled out of the plane as though he would suffocate any moment. Holding on to a pile of crates that, by no doubt were supposed to be loaded onto the plane when it departed again for its way back to the mainland, he stood on the dock and gasped for air.
Cloud almost fell over when Cid playfully patted his back. “Don’t cha worry my boy! You did well on your first flight. Many couldn’t hold it in but you sat right through it!”
“Thanks… I guess...” Cloud coughed. Suddenly, he wondered if he should have just given up after all.
“Now come with me,” Cid slung his arm under Cloud’s and dragged him to the beach. “We’ll get you some water at Teef’s.”
Under any other circumstances, Cloud would have protested. He didn’t like being touched by strangers. But the lack of sleep and creeping feeling of nausea in his stomach finally took their toll on him. He could hardly see straight with the sun being reflected so brightly from the beach's white sand. So he was actually grateful that Cid dragged him along.
The beach seemed to be deserted anyway, so there was hardly anyone around who could have laid eyes on Cloud’s sorry performance. And even if there’d be someone laughing or worse, Cloud would have just told them to fuck the hell off.
And soon, they would be at the hotel and the bar anyway, so he could take a moment to relax. If, as Cid said, wealthy and brave tourists made it here, there would surely be some sort of service, wouldn’t it?
---
To his dismay, all he could espy were some small - though beautifully crafted - wooden huts and a bigger, open structure that looked like it could be a beach bar.
“Teef? You around? Got a new guest for ya!” Cid yelled, way too loud for Cloud’s strained head. “Sit here.” He shoved Cloud towards a bar stool.
“Okay…”
The other man disappeared somewhere in the back. More shouting. “Teef? Tifaaaa? Come out, come out, whenever you are!”
Cloud rested his arms on the counter, burying his head in his hands. He should have drunk more. Should have caught more sleep the night before, but he’d been too excited – and most of all, he should have brought some painkillers to help with his headache!
Cloud hardly realized that he had drowned out most of the noises. There was something like an excited chatter when Cid seemed to have found the person he had been looking for. The chatter came closer, and suddenly, Cloud was buffed on the shoulder again.
“Cloud, that’s Tifa,” Cid said. “The bar’s her place.”
Cloud’s eyes met warm reddish-brown colored eyes that looked back at him worriedly. Oh, right. He must be looking quite beaten.
“Hi, oh… Cloud?” she said softly. “I heard you’re not feeling well. Would you like to have some water?”
Cloud nodded faintly.
“See ya later,” Cid said behind them. “Will go unload the Bronco. Got lotsa cargo this time.”
“Anything particularly interesting?” Tifa poured Cloud a glass of water. She set it down in front of him carefully as though any fast movements could throw him off.
Cloud lifted the glass to his lips slowly as he listened to their chatter. The water tasted cool and fresh. Much different from what he was used to from the city. He could literally feel how clean it was as it washed to the insides of his body.
“Just the usual supplies,” Cid said, grinning ear to ear again. “And a good chunk of boxes for good old Cloud here. I’ll be at the Bronco if you need me.”
“Has he been bothering you?” Tifa said now. It sounded worried, but she was working quite hard to hide an amused chuckle. “He can be a bit too inquisitive at times. He means well, though.”
“I figured…,” Cloud said in a small voice.
“Cloud, uhm…,” her gaze had switched from amused to worried. “I don’t mean to overstep, but you look really tired. Would you like to have a room at the resort for the night? For a discount, of course.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I got a place to stay, actually.”
“The weather station? Do you want me to call them so they can pick you up?”
“No, I…” Cloud huffed. Just why was everyone bringing up the weather station? “I’ll be heading for the old lighthouse.”
“Oh!” Tifa’s face lit up. “Then you must be the one to whom I am supposed to give this letter!”
Cloud frowned. A letter?
She rummaged around in some of the drawers. Held it up proudly as she found it. “I have been taking good care of it. Here.”
“Thanks,” the envelope was unusually heavy for its size.
But when Cloud ran his fingers over the paper, he already had an idea of what was inside.
Tifa went on as Cloud turned over the envelope. “You know, I’ve always hoped for someone to take over that place. It would be sad to see it just fall apart over the years…”
Cloud finally tore the letter open, and a rusty key fell into the palm of his hand. Just what had he signed up for? He thought about Cid’s words again and was suddenly worried that the place could be falling apart entirely.
But there was still hope. “Could I… uh... rent a car from you?”
“Oh, about that…,” she started. “I would love to help you out, but my wife took the car this morning to show our daughter the fish market on the other side of the island. And the only other people who have a car around here are –”
“The people from the weather station.”
“I can rent you a boat, though!” She chirped and he couldn’t keep himself from giving her an annoyed look. “I promise, it’s in top condition.”
She went on as though she was going to sell water for wine.
He huffed, annoyed. “Fine, I'll take it.” He had no other option anyway.