Final Fantasy VII -'Fighters in a Broken World"

1 Foreword

After the destruction of Sephiroth's angelic avatar at the Northern Crater, the entire Planet was cloaked in a blanket of mystery and unknowing. With the Shinra Corporation gone, people started to govern themselves. Even the citizens of the metropolis, Midgar, began to rebuild their homes. . Everything slowly started to return to normal. With the balance of the Lifestream and the protection of Holy, the Planet attained a peace never before known. But with this peace came uncertainty, an the chance that something could rise from the evil of Sephiroth's ashes and threaten the world once again.

1.1 Chapter 1 "Promises Long Thought Forgotten"

Despite the recent bad weather, Cloud remained somewhat cheerful on his way back to his small home in the town of Nibelheim. Cloud had never thought he would return to the town he once deemed as a forsaken heap of ash. The town had burned down seven years ago but was rebuilt by the Shinra Corporation as an experiment. After the planet was saved from Meteor, Cloud had decided to find the members of the town and inquire about them resettling the town. Many people were obliged to returned to the town they thought was gone forever.

Carrying a small handful of wood for his fireplace, Cloud proceeded to his house in the northern part of the village. As he approached he recognized the scent of freshly baked bread. Cloud was reminded of how hungry he was as he opened the door where the scent became even stronger. As he lay the wood down and shut the door he went to greet his wife, Tifa.

The couple had been married four months now. Following their adventure two years ago Cloud and Tifa, childhood friends of long ago decided that they were to be each other's soul mate. The two had decided to get married young for one reason or another. The last few months were nothing but joy and happiness for the couple, with the exception of a small quarrel that broke out into a large argument that landed Cloud at the neighbor's house for a week. Other than that, everything was seemingly perfect.

"Cloud!" Tifa exclaimed as her husband entered the kitchen, "I'm so glad your home." She smiled and embraced her husband, first in a hug, then in a long kiss.

"Good to see you too," Cloud said to Tifa with slight grin. Cloud picked up a piece of recently chopped wood from the pile and set it in the fireplace. As he lit a match he was reminded of how he was rejecting the former Shinra ways. Using conventional methods instead of the Mako that used to power everyone's home. Mako, the very essence of his being, well almost. There was another inside of him Cloud seldomly embraced. As much as he wishes it weren't so, the essence of Jenova, mother Sephiroth purged though his veins. The strength that had come from Cloud to defeat Sephiroth was also the very fabric of his being as well. The cells of Jenova, injected into Cloud when he was 16, bestow upon him exceptional abilities and traits.

As the fire burned Cloud turned his attention to the table, which he helped his wife set for their meal. But just as Cloud was about to sit down, a knock at his door made him get up to answer. He opened the door to reveal a short man with thin rimmed glasses carrying a suitcase of some kind.

"Can I help you?" Cloud asked the stranger. Noticing the impending rain Cloud motioned for the man to come inside, which he did.

"Hello good sir," the man started, "My name is Tamus Burgan, but you can just call me Tamus. I have here a letter for you from an old friend." The short man searched his suitcase frantically looking for something.

"What old friend?" Cloud asked as Tamus continued searching.

"Ahh!" Tamus exclaimed, "Here it is, to Cloud Strife." Tamus pulled a letter from the amass of the others and handed it to Cloud, who simply stared at the it.

"Go on sir, open it," said Tamus. Cloud tore open the letter, which was bound by a wax seal. He quickly unfolded the letter and read it then hastily put it down and stood up abruptly. By now Tifa had been watching for some time and she approached her husband.

"What is it Cloud," she asked. As Cloud turned to face her he shook his head as if in shame.

"I must leave. It appears I owe an old friend one last favor." Cloud then hastily retreated to his room and for a moment a shuffling sound could be heard in the back room. Cloud then emerged and swiftly hurried out the door. A sparkle of light from the fire reflected from the object on his back. Gasping in awe of her husband's sudden disappearance, Tifa retrieved the letter and read it herself.

"What is this all about ma'am?" Tamus Burgan asked. But Tifa, like Cloud, refused to answer and took off after her husband. Tamus then picked up the letter and read it. It seemed to him that the letter meant nothing more than a call from a friend. A friend who simply signed the letter with one name, 'Aeris.'