Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy VII ❯ Chapter 7 Stranger in Hoyt ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

-------Someone's Log--------
I felt it today. The memories returned to her and it was his fault. I will take care of this now. Areis' body will become mine. I didn't create her connected to me for nothing. If I take over her body he will have no choice but to end her life. Love is hard and I will make it even harder.



It was bout sunset when Cloud and Reno stepped foot into the town of Hoyt. The town was dark and gloomy. There was basically no sunlight and the ground was black ash. Near the front of town were small huts. The huts were broken down and falling apart. Obivously they had entered through the slums of the town. As the went further in, towards the center of town. Large buildings with glowing neon signs lined the streets. Everywhere you looked people were interacting with merchants or entering one of the glowing bulidings. The center of the town was circular shaped and the bulidngs were placed around that circle. There were two streets that led from the circle. One led back to the slums of Hoyt and the other led to a gaint glowing manshion. Reno and Cloud stood in the center of town looking around.
"Man oh man this place sure is bright," Reno said inspecting all the signs.
"Yeah, it is, this place is really lit up," Cloud agreed.
"Hey you!" a voice said behind them.
They both turned to see a small girl holding a cait sith doll in her arms. "You guys aren't from around here here are ya?" she asked.
Reno looked at Cloud and then kneeled to eye level with the girl. "No we're not. Can you tell me where we can find the newest new comer that's been rumored to be staying here?" Reno said in an innocent tone.
"He stays in the big glowing manshion, but no one gets in there without the right amount of stars," she said pointing at the manshion.
"Stars?" Cloud questioned.
"Yeah, they're glowing stamps, a symbol of spirit. It's our town's trade mark," the girl replied.
Cloud and Reno looked at each other for a moment. "And how do we go about getting these stamps?" Reno asked looking back at the girl.
"You have to do certain favors for people around the circle," the girl answered.
"You mean in the shops with the signs?" Cloud asked.
"Yup, that's right, then you have to figure out what our town name means," she said nodding and looking at Cloud.
"Well thanks for your info little girl," Reno said standing. "We really appericate it."
"Yeah!" she said smiling and then ran off.
Reno turned to face Cloud now. "Well...shall we?" he said gesturing to one of the bulidings.
"Yeah, but I think we should split up, once we get all the stars we need we'll meet here," Cloud said.
"Fine, fine, have it your way," Reno agreed walking away.
Cloud went in the opposite direction that Reno had to the first shop. It held a bright green and yellow neon sign that said weaponary. Cloud could only imagine what the favor would be for this place. He stepped inside and a large man behind a desk raised his head.
"Can I help you?" he said watching Cloud.
"Yeah...umm...I need to find some, stars...?" Cloud offered looking at the man.
"Ho, ho, ho, you're a new comer eh? Well alright, I should have somethin' for ya to do," the man said turning away from Cloud to the rack of weapons behind him. "You know that last stranger that came in here just demanded for it."
Cloud said nothing and listened to the old man babble on about something about the last visitor he had. Finally the man turned back around and placed a giant axe on the counter in front of him.
"If you can wave this axe around like a streamer, I'll give you four stars," the old man said crossing his arms over his chest.
"What?" Cloud questioned.
"Go on," the man inisisted.
Cloud shrugged and picked up the giant axe. It was heavier than it looked after a moment Cloud lifted the axe above his head and spun it around. The axe made colors in the air, like the neon colors of the sign outside. There was a loud ping noise and the old man raised his hand.
"That's enough, here you go," he said taking back the axe and handing Cloud four glowing stamps.
Cloud looked at the stamps and then at the man confused. He didn't understand what the man had asked him to do. When he left the shop he looked up at the sign. The colors had switched to blue and pink. That had been the two colors the axe had created when it was swung. Cloud just shrugged it off and continued to the next shop. After a few hours, the two finally met up in the middle of the circle. Each of them held ten stars and twenty was the entry to the manshion. Now all there was to do was answer the riddle of the town's name.
"The town lights up in the day but the colors change to the same at night. The town of Hoyt is very proud of their lights and love it in the night. The colors are pink and blue it is said to be the colors of her too," a voice said.
The two men turned and saw the girl from before standing behind them. They looked at each other puzzled by her words. "What do you mean?" Cloud asked.
"It's the riddle," the girl replied.
Reno was too busy looking around to listen to what Cloud was talking about in to the girl. He noticed something that they hadn't before. In the center of the circle was a stature. The stature was of a woman who held a spear. Reno went to it and read the plack. Cloud looked up at him and went to him, the girl trailing behind waiting for the answer to the riddle.
"What is it?" Cloud asked looking at Reno.
"It says that this stature is of a great female warrior," Reno said.
"What does it say?" Cloud questioned.
"Alana of the Light, an ancient who wore the colors of pink and blue. Her spirit remains with the town of Hoyt forever," Reno read out loud.
Cloud crossed his arms in thought as Reno read the plack over and over to himself. Then it them both at the same time. They looked up at each other and then looked around at the circle. All the neon signs were now pink and blue. They turned to the little girl who was waiting silently for their answer.
"The town of Hoyt..." Cloud began.
"....It means spirit," Reno finished.
The girl nodded. "That's right, that woman founded this land and so her spirit lives with us in our colors and our name," she said and then handed Cloud something. "That is an entry pass."
Cloud took the pass in his hands. It had twenty slots on it. Cloud placed his ten stars on it and Reno did the same. The pass glew pink and blue. Cloud took his eyes off the pass to thank the girl, but she was gone. He just assumed she had walked away and then him and Reno headed towards the road that led up to the large glowing manshion.
They placed the pass into a slot on the gate. The gates opened a moment later and they continued inside. Once inside, the manshion was a lot different from the outside. It was dark and gloomy on the inside and quiet for the most part. There was not a soul in sight, nor a sound. Books and papers laid scattered everywhere. Then they heard footsteps approaching. They weren't sure from where but they were footsteps.
"What are you doing here?" came a filimar voice.
"Who's there?!" Cloud demanded.
A figure jumped from a floor above them. A long cape followed them as they fell. When the figure stepped into the moonlight reflected through a large window, it revealed Vincent's slim form. His eyes seemed bright just under his headband and they watched the two carefully.
"Vincent? You're the stranger who just arrived here?" Cloud questioned.
"Stranger? Just arrived? No way, I've been here ever since a year ago," Vincent said his expression not changing.
"Hey they said a new comer was stayin here," Reno chimed in.
Vincent's orange glowing eyes went to Reno. He gave him a stare of stone. "I've heard about him, and I heard someone come in, but I have yet to see them," he said still looking at Reno.
"Did you make this mess?" Cloud asked gesturing to the scattered books and papers.
Vincent shook his head. "No, I did not. Those books hold no interest of mine," he answered.
"Do you at least know where this other person is staying?" Reno asked.
Vincent shook his head once more. "I have heard the stranger fumbling around in the library but that's it. I stay on the west wing of this manshion," he denied.
Cloud nodded to his statement. "Then that means this stranger is on the east side," Cloud said headed for a door just below a staircase.
"Wait! I want to see who this stranger is," Vincent said.
"Come on then," Cloud said not even trying to fight with Vincent.