Disclaimer- I do not own Final Fantasy VII

Summary- Cloud moved to the city of Midgar to begin life anew. However, the quiet life he wanted to live is disrupted when he unwillingly becomes a contender in a game that the winner is given possession of a seemingly carefree girl, named Aerith. As a contender, Cloud must face people who would kill him to take possession of Aerith. To end the game Cloud must defeat the other contenders as well as demons that haunt him. Yet, the secrets that both Cloud and Aerith must face from their own pasts will do anything to keep them from walking into a bright future. Can the two win insane game or will they be doomed by what lies beneath?

XXX

"ZACK!"

"I will not become a memory."

What Lies Beneath

Chapter 1

Chosen

Cloud Strife readied himself with only a single bag of items strapped tightly to the back fenrir (his bike). He dressed in navy blue sleeveless turtleneck and black pants and boots. He started the engine of his bike before slipping out a pair of goggles that had been dangling around his neck. Once adjusted comfortably he sat on his bike and revved the engine. He took one look at his old hometown before riding away.

He sped through the deserted dirt road through a canopy of trees reaching high over him. He wanted to get far away from his home, he wanted to get away. He wanted to breathe again without feeling as if he was suffocating. It was not a spur the moment decision either. He had felt this way for so long to the point it was agonizing. So, after much consideration, he chose to move to a big city far from his hometown of Nibelheim. This city, from what he could gather, would be the complete opposite of his countryside town. It was perfect.

He never once looked back at the home, the family or friends he was leaving behind. Never once did he peek at the mirrors on his motorcycle to see his loved once continuing waving goodbye. He did not want to. Deep inside, it would hurt too much and bring back too many painful memories, memories he wanted to bury.

This city would be a perfect change, or so he kept telling himself. His belongings that he could not carry with him where already shipped to his apartment and would waiting for him upon arrival. He planned everything out. He would make things work his way and not have to listen to others. He would open his own business as a delivery boy and work out of his home doing his own thing. He would save up enough money and buy his own place eventually and live the good life.

Just as he envisioned his perfect life, the mass of what seemed like an endless forest came to an abrupt halt and Cloud found himself surrounded by dead earth. Cloud stopped his bike and noticed a large city surrounded by an endless wall in the distance. Sliding off his sunglasses to get a better look, the spiky haired blond gazed at the structure.

"So… this is Midgar," he whispered to himself.

The sight of the city seemed unreal. His home town was so small and looked old world compared to this vast steel city. Cloud rode off again toward the city. Once he was inside the walls, he found himself in awe at how massive everything seemed. Even the roads through the city were long and winding. The only thing that surprised him even more was the lack of any type of plant life in the city. As he drove along he did not even see a potted flower on a windowsill, a hedge in front of a house, or even a tree. It was rather odd. Perhaps the people of this city were accustomed to their technological advancements that the beauty of nature was uncaring.

Cloud finally came to a halt in front of a shabby looking building. The sign out front labeled it as "Midgar Towers." It seemed rather old but the inside was probably better anyway or so he hoped. He parked his bike in a spot near the entrance and entered. The front lobby was inviting but no one was around. He walked up to the front desk and looked around.

"Hello?" he called out.

"So you must be the new tenant."

Cloud spun around to see two men both dressed in suits. The first man had wild red hair and tattoos on the side of his face. His suit was sloppier than the other who was more presentable.

"Yes, I'm Cloud Strife," he introduced.

"Don't care, your room is up on floor seven room 21." He said throwing a set of keys to Cloud. Cloud caught the keys and watched as the two men retreated back behind the lobby desk.

They're friendly, he thought sarcastically before heading to the elevator.

He pressed the up button and the door slid open. After a smooth ride to his floor, he got off and walked down a poorly lit hallway. It seemed that most of the light bulbs in this hallway needed replacing. Cloud found his room number and began to unlock his door. He stopped momentarily. He looked up and down the hall and noticed how quiet it was. He wondered if the other tenants were not here or perhaps just not loud. He hoped to get to know his neighbors.

Cloud pushed his door open and stepped into his room. He frowned. All his things had been delivered, still in the boxes he had packed them in. The place was tinier than he expected it to be. He flicked on the light switch to get a better glimpse of the place. He sighed. It looked as if he would have to do some cleaning as well. The movers had left muddy footprints on his floor.

After the quick scrub Cloud decided he would start unpacking some of his things. He needed to find his beddings, blankets, and pillows at least. He searched through the boxes, cursing himself for not labeling them. He reached for one box, tore open the tape and peered in. It was his dish plates. He let out a string of cusswords. The plates were cracked or broken. He was going to have a few choice words with the movers' tomorrow morning. He breathed, moved to the next box and opened it. Inside were some of his electronics, a clock, a desk lamp, a cordless phone, and a few other things. He reached in, ready to at least get these little things hooked up. Just as he began to take one of the objects out he heard a thunderclap. Cloud jumped and looked out the window, surprised to see rain pouring down. It did not look like it was going to rain today. He shrugged it off and went back to unpacking.

The spiky haired blond was setting up his alarm clock in his bedroom. He let out a yawn realizing how tired he was. Maybe he needed sleep. Before he could even consider it, he heard a loud noise coming from outside his bedroom window. He blinked. He moved toward the window.

I hear voices coming from outside, Cloud thought. He tried to look out the window but only could see shadowy figures below. The rain running down his window made the figures distorted. Despite that as well as the fact the window was closed, he could hear the two.

"I'm sorry," he heard one of them say. One of the two walked away, while the other stood quietly in the rain.

Cloud still stared as he saw the lone figure tilt their head up. He back away from the window immediately. Cloud swore the person below saw him. After a moment he approached the window again to see if whoever was below was still there. It was empty. The blonde haired man let out a breath that he did not even notice he was holding.

Figuring it was just some lover's quarrel, Cloud moved to his bed. He gave up on unpacking today. He was tired from the trip. Sleep would be a good thing for him. It was a long day and he still had more unpacking to do tomorrow. He sat on his bed and took off his boots. He was too tired to search amongst the boxes to find something acceptable to sleep in so he stripped off his shirt, gloves, and socks. He would sleep in his denim pants for the night. Resting his head on his pillow (which he was lucky enough to find but his blankets were still lost), he closed his eyes and drifted off easily.

Footsteps, he could hear the sound of footsteps running. Where was it coming from.

"HELP ME!"

Someone was calling out from the darkness. Cloud could not see anything. The running was becoming louder.

"Who? Who are you? Where are you?"

Suddenly and entirely different voice shouted out, "BE STRONG!" and another voice yelled, "SAVE HER!"

Cloud spun around in the darkness. Who were these people calling him? Why were they calling him? Someone running, he could hear it echoing all around him, the feet coming closer, coming from behind! Cloud spun around one more time and his eyes widened. A great red beast with only a single eye and tail where the tip burned of fire lunged at him. Cloud could not move as the beast flew at him, paws stretched out in front of him.

"You have been chosen!" the beast spoke.

Cloud gasped as the beast collided with him causing a bright light to shine forth.

Cloud jumped out of bed, breathing hard and eyes wide. He looked around almost expecting to see the beast but there was no sign of it. When his breathing calmed down he realized it was a dream, just a dream.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and got up. He walked into his bathroom and washed the sweat on his face off with some cool water. Once refreshed he wiped off the access water with a towel and left the bathroom. Cloud moved across his bedroom intending to return to bed when he glanced toward the window. He walked toward it and peered out to see that the rain had stopped, leaving puddles along the ground.

However, the clouds above looked as if it would rain again.

"Rain…" he muttered in annoyance. He was about to return to his bed when something caught his eye. He stared out to see something he did not notice before. A large structure with stained glass windows that was probably a couple of blocks from his apartment that looked decrepit and yet beautiful.

"A church…?" he whispered to himself.

In the distance, a lone figure slowly approached the doors of the church.

Author Note- To be honest this story was actually supposed to be a series of videos on youtube but I never finished it. However, I did want to write it but I was completely lazy about until now. I hope guys enjoy it. It is somewhat based on the Revoluationary Girl Utena: Adolescence of Utena storyline.