Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or the characters within.
Chapter 1-
Lifestream
We meet again, Cloud.
Sephiroth. This ends here.
The two former members of Soldier faced off with their weapons drawn; Cloud with his Buster sword in it Ultima Weapon form and Sephiroth with his Mumasume sword. They ran at each other with loud battle cries. They would get only one strike at this and they both knew it. They neared each other and their weapon clashed. They found themselves on opposite sides, each remaining still. Then Sephiroth gasped and vanished into a flash of light. Cloud had been victorious.
That was 1 year ago...
Cloud Strife was sitting on a rock, remembering the events that occured the year before. His first mission in Avalanche, the fights to save Planet, his battle with Sephiroth and even...Aeris. She was never too far from his thoughts. He cared for her very much. It wasn't the same as he felt about Tifa, but Aeris had left a huge impact on his life as well as everyone else's. And she was the one truely responsible for saving the Planet.
"Cloud?"
Cloud turned around to see the canine face of his friend Nanaki, or Red XIII as they call him.
"Thinking about her again, huh?"
Cloud nodded before turning his head. Red XIII walked next to him and sat down.
"She used to scratch behind my ears. It was a little annoying, but it was nice after awhile."
Cloud looked down, "She was so full of life. Why did she have to die?"
Red XIII replied, "So that we can live. And that we can understand the Planet as she does."
Cloud looked at his friend. Despite being a child, he was far older than everyone in Avalanche. Cloud could always depend on him for advice.
"Thanks Red."
Red XIII then looked at his friend and then away again, "You loved her."
"Yes."
"But it's not the same as with Tifa, is it?"
"No, urr, well. I'm not sure. I care a lot for Tifa. She been there with me for everything. But Aeris usually comes to my mind often. I don't know for sure what that means."
"You already stated that you missed Aeris. Perhaps that is all. But then when it comes to you, perhaps not."
Cloud smiled, "Leave it up to you to make an already complicated problem seem simple."
"I never had that kind of problem before. So it is easier for me to see through."
Cloud noticed the pain in his voice. Nanaki was so far the only one of his kind left, although it was possible that more existed somewhere in the world.
"Don't worry, Red. I'm sure that one day, you'll find someone that will give you the same problems I have. Then solving it won't seem so easy."
Red XIII growled and began to walk away, "Oh, before I forget. Barret wanted to see you about a meeting we're suppose to have."
Cloud jumped up, "Oh man, why didn't you tell me sooner? I know just what he's going to say when I get there. He'll start off by saying....."
__________
"What took ya spikey-headed @$$ so long to get here? Do you know how long we've been waiting for you?"
Cloud had just entered the 7th Heaven bar with Red XIII. Already Barret, Cid and Tifa were gathered there waiting for them to arrive. Cid was smoking a cigar and Tifa was in the back with the glasses.
"Sorry, Barret. I ran into a monster on the way here. Shira was terrified so we had to get rid of it."
Shira was Cloud's golden chocobo. He had raised her from an egg and had been with him ever since. She even helped him find the Knights of the Round materia.
Cid moaned, "I don't know why you insist on giving the chocobo that name. It sounds so much like Shera's name."
Cloud smirked, "Is that so? Well then, I'll deliver some flowers to her instead, although I don't know how a chocobo would take it."
Everyone snicked a bit and Cid growled, "Keep it up. Just keep it up."
Tifa smiled from the back, "What were you doing out there anyway, Cloud?"
Cloud turned to her and a slight blush formed automatically on his face. "Oh nothing. Just sitting down thinking., remembering."
Tifa smiled, mostly because she noticed his blush. In fact, she was the only one. But inward, she was a little saddened. He was thinking about Aeris again. He still misses her, even after all this time. Cloud, I thought that you and me...
Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of another person. A man wearing a black suit and shades walked in. He took off the glasses and greeted everyone.
Barret barked, "Well, if it isn't Reeve, in the flesh. What, no doll this time?"
Reeve looked at him casually, "Cait Sith needed a vacation. So is everyone here?"
Cid grumbled, "Only the important ones. So why'd you call us anyway?"
"It's about the renovation of Midgar. You already know that we managed to clear out most of the sector slums and upper levels. However, it will take a long time and we had to delay our other plans.
Cloud asked, "What other plans?"
"About the remaining Mako reactors. We wanted to shut them down and dismantle them so that they won't take any more out of the Lifestream."
Tifa leaned back, "So you need someone to do it for you? That being us, right?"
Reeve nodded, "Right."
Barret jumped up, "If that's all, then sure. No problem."
Cid jumped in as well, "Why not. It's been a boring couple of days."
Reeve nodded again and focused on the other three, "Well, what do you guys say?"
Red XIII nodded, "Okay, I'm in."
"Me too." was Tifa's response.
Cloud remained quiet. Reeve turned to him, "What about you, Cloud?"
"........"
"Cloud?"
"Huh? Oh sorry. Yeah, I'm in."
Tifa cast a worried glance, "Are you alright, Cloud?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just zoned out there."
Barret grumbled, "Big surprise. So when do we start?"
Reeve answered, "As soon as possible. We already have the first location for you guys. I believe you all are familar with the area."
"Nibelhium."
________
Northern Crater...
The icy pit that held the final battle for the fate of the Planet now lies dormant once again. Deep in its caverns though, no one would have guessed that something was alive down there. A creature thought to be dead. But it was very much alive. And it had only one thing on its mind.
Revenge.
____________
Meanwhile, within the depths of the planet, in the unknown world known as the Promised Land, a lone figure looks upward, sensing the disturbance soon to arise.
"Something is happening. Something…ominous."
