Obsidian Fire
Ahk Morn!
- AKA
- The Engineer
Photographs And Memories
by Irish-Brigid
Cloud stood in the doorway of the kids' room. Both Marlene and Denzel were asleep, but he wasn't watching them. He was looking at the two photographs on the nightstand by Denzel's bed. A new one of him, Tifa, and the two kids. An older one of a young couple and Denzel.
Denzel's parents. Physical proof that they existed. Cloud wondered if Denzel realized how lucky he was to have that. Cloud couldn't ask. How could someone tell a kid he should feel lucky when he lost his parents, his friends, his home, and was now slowly losing his life?
And yet...
*7*7*
Once, when Cloud was young, he found an old camera in a box his mom kept in her room. She told him it belonged to his grandpa long before the mako reactor was built. He wanted so much to go out and take pictures with it, but he couldn't.
No one made film for that kind of camera anymore.
New cameras were expensive, but his mom got him a little disposable camera for his tenth birthday, anyway. He had fun taking pictures and adding to the small family photo album.
That album burned along with the rest of Nibelheim six years later.
*7*7*
Every week, Cloud sent half of his paycheck home. His mom wrote back a couple times telling him that he didn't have to do that. Both times he responded that it was the least he could do. It wasn't like he had much to spend his money on. Unlike most troopers, he was content to eat whatever was in the mess hall. He didn't have a girlfriend to buy presents for or take out on dates. He pretty much lived in his uniform.
So when Zack insisted that he should find something (anything) to do other than sit around the barracks, he bought a camera. A simple model with no bells or whistles, just something that would take semi-decent pictures. The first shot he took was out the window of a transport helicopter. Right before he threw up on his neighbor's boots.
The second shot was taken by Zack. He'd grabbed Cloud and the camera outside of HQ and took a self-portait of himself holding Cloud in a headlock.
Cloud never did find out what happened to those pictures or the camera six years later. If they hadn't been thrown out, they were probably destroyed along with most of the barracks during either the attack by WEAPON or Meteor.
*7*7*
Aerith joked that she wished she had a picture of Cloud in that dress. He responded, very seriously, that he'd burn the picture and the negatives if it existed.
Still, when they were in Kalm picking up supplies, he was tempted to buy a camera.
He didn't. After all, they were on the run and short on funds. They couldn't waste time and money on something like that.
Sometimes, he wished he had bought it, anyway.
*7*7*
Tifa had expressed a little surprise that the first thing Cloud bought after officially opening his delivery service was a camera. She had expected it to be something for Fenrir, or maybe yet another sword.
He just said that he wanted his memories to have a physical form.
by Irish-Brigid
Cloud stood in the doorway of the kids' room. Both Marlene and Denzel were asleep, but he wasn't watching them. He was looking at the two photographs on the nightstand by Denzel's bed. A new one of him, Tifa, and the two kids. An older one of a young couple and Denzel.
Denzel's parents. Physical proof that they existed. Cloud wondered if Denzel realized how lucky he was to have that. Cloud couldn't ask. How could someone tell a kid he should feel lucky when he lost his parents, his friends, his home, and was now slowly losing his life?
And yet...
*7*7*
Once, when Cloud was young, he found an old camera in a box his mom kept in her room. She told him it belonged to his grandpa long before the mako reactor was built. He wanted so much to go out and take pictures with it, but he couldn't.
No one made film for that kind of camera anymore.
New cameras were expensive, but his mom got him a little disposable camera for his tenth birthday, anyway. He had fun taking pictures and adding to the small family photo album.
That album burned along with the rest of Nibelheim six years later.
*7*7*
Every week, Cloud sent half of his paycheck home. His mom wrote back a couple times telling him that he didn't have to do that. Both times he responded that it was the least he could do. It wasn't like he had much to spend his money on. Unlike most troopers, he was content to eat whatever was in the mess hall. He didn't have a girlfriend to buy presents for or take out on dates. He pretty much lived in his uniform.
So when Zack insisted that he should find something (anything) to do other than sit around the barracks, he bought a camera. A simple model with no bells or whistles, just something that would take semi-decent pictures. The first shot he took was out the window of a transport helicopter. Right before he threw up on his neighbor's boots.
The second shot was taken by Zack. He'd grabbed Cloud and the camera outside of HQ and took a self-portait of himself holding Cloud in a headlock.
Cloud never did find out what happened to those pictures or the camera six years later. If they hadn't been thrown out, they were probably destroyed along with most of the barracks during either the attack by WEAPON or Meteor.
*7*7*
Aerith joked that she wished she had a picture of Cloud in that dress. He responded, very seriously, that he'd burn the picture and the negatives if it existed.
Still, when they were in Kalm picking up supplies, he was tempted to buy a camera.
He didn't. After all, they were on the run and short on funds. They couldn't waste time and money on something like that.
Sometimes, he wished he had bought it, anyway.
*7*7*
Tifa had expressed a little surprise that the first thing Cloud bought after officially opening his delivery service was a camera. She had expected it to be something for Fenrir, or maybe yet another sword.
He just said that he wanted his memories to have a physical form.
