Chapter One

Two men stand in a dark void... both grip demonic blades, overcome with hatred and malice. The taller moves fast, faster than the other can dodge; the latter of the pair is hit through the chest as the former drives the blade through. The former fighter is named Sephiroth. He is a man of great power, the Prince Of Hate. The latter is Cloud, a deserter of the elite fighting program SOLDIER, now a mercenary. The battle is for the sake of the planet, and the winner chooses the coming era.

Cloud fades in and out of complete blackness, in and out from the ambient glow emanating from the Braziers of Hate. The fight had started in the Sealed Temple... where were they? The braziers aren't there... where is the light coming from? Why are they so infused with overwhelming fury? Why... why... why...

Cloud awoke in a sweat. He was sitting under a tree, and upon realizing this, wished he had taken his death, however much of a dream, like a man, instead of waking up and "running". He was in a wooded area, with logs strewn all over the place like a bomb had gone off. It had, however, provided a large canopy from the previous night's rain, so Cloud had collapsed under the tree he currently resided under.

Cloud started thinking about his friends, and wondering where he was, and when it was. He didn't even know the year he was in, much less what day it was... he slowly got up and stumbled through the forest, hoping to get out of it soon. He tripped over a log and fell, almost breaking his leg. "! Grand! Just grand!", Cloud exclaimed. Cloud got up and kept going, and almost fell out of the forest. He was attempting to regain his balance, but he fell anyway, and rolled, impacting a horse while rising. Bruised and battered, he tried to rise again. This time he succeeded, and saw Tifa's familiar form atop the black stallion.

"Hi, I thought we were friends."

"We are, Cloud, I didn't notice you."

Cloud cocked an eyebrow and replied "For a lover, I certainly am unnoticeable, I presume?"

After a small amount of conversation, Cloud leapt onto the horse and with Tifa, rode to Midgar. Cloud knew Midgar would be hellacious to break into, especially on a horse. Hardened artillery couldn't even crack the outer walls. What would two people on a horse do to Midgar? Add the battle robots on the perimeter, and you had an entire new level of fun... so now, to plan. Cloud thought to himself: "If we had the team, we could take the airship and fly in... and be shot down by small arms fire on the way in... I don't even know where the team is, and I'm sure Tifa doesn't either..."

Cloud knew Midgar had been put on Code 051, short for Maximum Security Alert. No one was allowed in or out, effectively making the people prisoners in Midgar... not that they weren't every other day of life, but this was different. Merchants were allowed in and out, most of the time. Now, Midgar was on full security lockdown. People, normally prisoners in the city, were now prisoners in their respective Sectors. The antiquated Sector 7 was still left in shambles. The latest string of Dragon attacks, which terrorize millions as they fly over, had put the city on Code 051. Planes were gunned down, even if just passing over, and anyone caught on the streets was shot. Martial law had been imposed three days earlier, and was taking its toll on the mental acuity of the soldiers; therefore Cloud thought maybe it would be easier to slip through.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Midgar:

"Master, why are you doing this?"

"QUIET! YOU WISHED TO BE THE SON OF HATE, DID YOU NOT? DID YOU NOT!"

"Master, please... I didn't question out of disloyalty... please..."

"THEN, TO HATE, FIRST YOU MUST SUFFER!"

"Master... NOOOOOOOOO!"

"DO YOU THINK I CAN'T COLLAPSE ShinRa TOWER MYSELF! MIDGAR WOULD BE MINE ALREADY, IF NOT FOR YOU! DIE!"

Sephiroth was mixing ammonium nitrate, NH4NO3. He had been in the city for months, blending in, making himself a normal sight. His plan was to crush the ShinRa Tower. He was a "commoner", so no one would suspect him. He would act soon, very soon...

At the gate:

"Tifa, lets get off the horse. We'll kill it after we get off."

"Cloud! No!"

"We must. Kill it."

Cloud cut the head of the horse, and the two walked about a mile to the gate. Twelve to fifteen soldiers stood at the gate. Suddenly, a large purple tongue of flame shot out of the gate, white phosphorus flying everywhere. Cloud was hit by flying pieces of metal and flesh, the metal hot, the flesh cold...cold? Why would flesh be cold? Cloud turned in time to see the ShinRa Tower, in all its false glory, falling to the ground. The Sector 5 gate was completely destroyed, leaving an entrance for Cloud and Tifa. However, as soon as they were through the gate, who were they to see, but Rufus Shinra.

"Ah, I see even the terrorists have come back to Midgar... was it the allure, or are you just here to blow something else into oblivion others have forgotten to take care of?"

"Neither, Shinra. I'm here to find a member of my team."

"Oh, let me guess, Barret? He's dead already, I killed him. So if you're here for just that, you can leave now. You won't get anywhere."

"How did you kill him?"

"Oh, in a fair fight, of course. I'm not angry that you don't believe a word escaping my lips, but I didn't see the sport in killing him. I have minions whose tastes are... less refined. They saw the sport in a... meal... with some fight in it."

Cloud couldn't bear to think about the "fairness" of the battle Barret had died in. He closed his eyes... and drew his sword. Rufus' reign of fear and intimidation would end here. Rufus saw Cloud draw the sword, as Cloud purposely telegraphed his move. Rufus dodged left, and Cloud trapped him in webbing, knocking the young ruler to the ground. Cloud stood over Rufus and laughed.

"What do you want with me, Rufus?"

"Oh, you just blew up half my energy supplies, killed 75 percentof my workforce, steal every materia I try to get, and help yourself to my vehicles. What's to want with you?"

"Nothing. Anything to say?"

"No... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Cloud killed Rufus in a fell swoop of his sword, and thought of a quote made in 1918, three hundred years ago, by Emperor Wilhelm II: "For as long as humans exist, life and death will be decided by the sword." With that thought, Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockheart ventured into Midgar, to find out the true secrets of their teams' disappearance.

FIN

Author's Notes: R&R, please. Left it at a cliffhanger, so keep on the lookout.