Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII, Advent Children, or anything else that I threw into this that I can't remember right now. This is the disclaimer for the entire story, but if I add anything else, I'll put another disclaimer in.
Warnings: Eventual yaoi (I'll put this warning on any chapters with yaoi content), eventual yuri (I'll do the same thing as with the yaoi), eventual het couple (Same as the others), violence, foul language, lots of OCs (No Mary or Gary Sues, I promise. No self inserts either), alcohol, eventual crossover (do I need to warn people of this one? oo)
Author's Notes (important?):
"Blah" Speech
'Blah' Thoughts
OOOOOOOO Scene Change
AAAAAAAA Chapter End
Author's Notes (no importance what-so-ever):
Yay! This is going to be my first story that has actual plot rather than the crap that I usually throw out. ;;; Please be nice and review this story so I know if I should continue writing it or if I should get rid of it.
I apologize here and now, because I'm bound to get some things from FFVII wrong since I haven't played it in a while.
This story does not revolve around Advent Children although it does have Kadaj, Yazu, and Loz in it.
I want to write what I feel like writing, so I'm going to put in yaoi, yuri, and het couples, but I'll put a warning at the top of any chapter that has a lot of couple stuff in it. xx Don't be driven off by the different couples, please.
Okay, I'm done, so on with the fic! D
Chapter One
It was hard to believe that the thriving metropolis called Midgar had, just two short years earlier, been a pile of rubble, a monument to a city ravaged by the assault of a Weapon and a meteor. Now, the city had reformed, becoming bigger and more horrid than ever, with even larger sky scrapers reaching up to puncture a sky that was black with the smog that continuously flowed from the Makou Reactors that had been re-established.
Shin-Ra Tower had been rebuilt, stretching up into the thick, dark sky even more so than in the old days of the original president. There were two layers of plates now, with a third one being built. The very bottom one that covered the slums in a blanket of darkness was the largest of them. About three hundred meters up, there was another series of plates blocking out the sun, this one a bit smaller than the one underneath. And just another hundred meters from the very top of the tower, yet another pizza-like plate structure was being built, smaller than both of the ones below it.
One woman was responsible for the reconstruction of the mighty city. She had swept in like a plague, taking over everything in her path and gathering followers, evolving as she went along. Soon, she had made herself president and had set about getting life in Midgar back to the way it was supposed to be. The woman could care less about the planet, or about what the people under her plates and her smog were going through.
This woman, this horrid scar on the face of humanity, was not exactly what you would call attractive. Her skin was rough and the color of souring milk. She was badly out of shape, her stomach rounding into some very unpleasant curves. When she was angry or excited, her face grew blotchy and red, making her appear more disgusting than usual. Her green eyes were lackluster and cold, seeing nothing but prospects for money, and her long, graying brown hair was always coiled in a tight bun on the back of her neck.
This woman, Alro Miliky, had single-handedly clawed her way up through the chain of command to where she was today, sitting in her chair on the very top floor of the Midgar Tower, overlooking her empire of decaying people and Earth-killing machinery. But was this realm enough for her? No. She wanted more, and she had found it. It was the reason the top plates were still in construction, the reason why her eyes always looked off towards the west when she looked out a window. It was the reason the planet was dying so quickly.
It was something that the last generation to rule Midgar had used Aerith to search for, but had never been able to find. But she, she had been able to find the 'promised land', the place on the earth that was filled with glowing Makou, practically overflowing with it. It had been uncovered within the Northern Crater, where the last battle with Sephiroth had taken place, deep in the darkness that had covered its presence for so long.
Miliky had found the perfect spot for NeoMidgar, and its construction was underway as she stroked the cat in her lap with her fat fingers. A cruel smile was splayed across her face, revealing off-white, uneven teeth. Midgar was hers, and she had already proven herself to be a much more competent leader than the past presidents. As she overlooked her kingdom, she started to laugh. It was gleeful and mocking, scorning the attempts of both Cloud and Holy, as what they had done hadn't changed the future of the planet one iota. In fact, it was the fighting that had taken place in the crater that had sped the planets path to destruction.
Everything seemed to be running smoothly, and that was true for the most part, but there had been one tiny accident, a little leak of something from the labs that were situated just a few floors under Miliky's feet. The scientists had let something out, something that had been claimed a success. Well, that was, once again, for the most part. Although the scientists had dubbed their experiments ready for communication with the outside world, they hadn't been ready to release the beings into the 'wilderness' just yet.
Apparently, Miliky had been told, one of the scientists misunderstood this and opened the door for them, watching with pride as the six silver-haired clones ran out the door to freedom. The last one out, the youngest and the one most like the Great General himself, slit the beaming scientist's stomach open, watching transfixed as his entrails spilled out onto the floor, a bright red against the smooth pallid floor. There was only one problem with that story. The boy had nothing to cut with. Most would say that he used some lab equipment, but everything was in order when the scientists examined their precious work stations.
Most of the scientists had been fired in the days following the escape of the Sephiroth clones. Soon the only ones left from the original team were the experts and a few other scientists that knew what exactly was supposed to go on in the heads of the clones. Miliky had kept them because she needed someone to track the clones down, and as far as she could see, the scientists were the only ones that could really predict what the clones were going to do.
That would help, but the scientists came to realize that sitting around in the labs, putting marks on a map of where each clone would more than likely be headed was not helping at all. So they sent out one of their new apprentices, a young man with jet black hair and dark brown eyes. He was short for a man, about 5'6'' and had the slight figure that most scientists had, unless they liked their donuts too much. And so, equipped with a map of where the clones would scamper to and how they would most likely do it, the scientist-in-training left the relative safety of the labs and went into the city, heading out, but also looking for anyone that might be able to help him.
He'd been sent out days ago, but there was no word yet. No one was really worried, for the closest city he would be heading to was quite a ways away. If another week went by without him contacting them, they would assume that he'd died and send another out. All anyone in the building was really worried about was getting the clones back in the shelter of the labs until they had been deemed under Shin-Ra control.
OOOOOOOO
He stared off into space, his fingers barely holding the neck of his beer firm enough to keep it from crashing down to the worn, wooden table he was sitting at. The lights were yellowed with smoke and age, giving the entire bar the feel of something sickly; a place where illegal tradings occurred all the time, and where the gangsters of the old age would have felt most at home.
The blond man sighed, his depression showing through the mask that he usually wore. He missed the old days, when Midgar was at least smaller and he didn't give a rat's ass about the planet. He missed Tifa's old bar, Hell, he even missed the old Shin-Ra. They were less ruthless than the president that now ruled over them all.
His blue eyes slowly focused on his present surroundings. The grip he had on his beer tightened as he brought the bottle to his lips, chugging the rest of the foul liquid down in one gulp. He looked through the smoke-filled air, wondering if any of the others that had fought along side him had found their way back into the slums of Midgar. But alas, it was not to be. All the others had moved on, yet he, their 'leader', had been left in the rubble, his memories of what he had done too painful to let him go on with his life. The guilt that clawed at his heart was like a chain; drawing him to places that he would have preferred never to see again.
Setting his elbow on the table, he dropped the empty beer bottle, watching as it hit the table, toppling onto its side and rolling in an arc towards the edge of the round table. Without losing momentum, the bottle fell to the wooden floor with a dull 'thud'. The blond stared at the edge of the table the bottle had fallen off, certain there was something symbolic in that, but couldn't find the will to search for the meaning, if there was one, behind the bottle's destructive suicide attempt.
After a few moments of silent staring, the man's blue glowing eyes swiveled to look at the empty bottles that littered his table. There were about a dozen, but he wasn't even feeling a buzz yet. Making a small, disapproving face at the pile of bottles, he cursed under his breath the Makou that flowed in his veins. He rested his head in his hand, fingers tapping against the area just above his upper lip.
Although he didn't feel any of the effects of what he'd been drinking, Cloud figured that he'd had enough, throwing some Gil on the table and walking out, careful to look for any sign of something that appeared to be out of the ordinary. Even if he had become a bit of a mess in the years following Sephiroth's death, he still kept to his fighter's sense, clinging to the air of what he had started out as and what he remained today; the only thing that seemed to be constant in his life.
Walking over to the swinging wooden doors, he lightly pressed on the right one, wincing as a beam of sunlight cut through the yellowed air of the bar. Squinting his blue eyes, Cloud walked out into the light and heat of Costa del Sol enjoying the way the radiation from the sun quickly gave his chilly limbs warmth. His black clothing absorbed and attracted more heat, until he finally didn't think he could bear much more and moved quickly towards the inn he was staying in.
As he grasped the hot doorknob of the white door and swung it open, he felt a burst of air-conditioning hit him like a head-on collision. He gasped slightly, not sure why he hadn't expected that. The sudden rush of cold air reminded him of when the Highwind had first landed at the Northern Crater, the way he had opened to door to be greeted by a rush of freezing air that seemed to make his lungs sting every time he breathed in and came out in white puffs of carbon monoxide whenever he breathed out. Shaking his head as if all could be forgotten by the action, he stepped into the inn.
The workers inside greeted him jovially; not only was he the 'savior' of their planet, but he had been staying in the inn for a while now, and he'd surprisingly gotten to know all of them. One in particular, Stephanie, went out of her way to greet him, her green eyes sparkling and her blonde hair tied back into a ponytail. She was a nice girl, but Cloud had found that he couldn't get her away easily sometimes.
"Hello Cloud," she greeted, smiling and giving him a quick hug as if he'd been gone for days and not just a few hours. "Where have you been? I usually find you here when I start my shift."
He didn't exactly feel like she needed to know where he'd been, but to polite he replied, "I've been off at the bar."
"Cloud," she whined, her hands on her hips in that womanly manner, "what on Earth did you think you were doing? Going to a bar. . . Sheesh."
"Stephanie, I appreciate the concern, but you're not my mother," Cloud stated, frowning at the girl in front of him. It annoyed him to no end when she acted like this, as if he enjoyed being yelled at like a child who hadn't given the proper respect to his mother or father.
"You're right, I'm sorry," the girl said with a sigh, her eyes looking downward at the floor and filling with a few tears. "I just worry about you so much some times . . . and I hate to see you down at that crummy bar trying to drink your way into a state of numbness. . . It isn't healthy, you know."
Of course he knew, the man hadn't been born yesterday. He didn't need to be told that what he was doing was hurting him, not helping, and he especially didn't need it from some girl that worked at an inn to pay for her up-coming college career. Instead of continuing the conversation by saying that he forgave her and that he was wrong, Cloud just shrugged one shoulder, heading to his room.
As he passed by the reception desk, he noticed a man with black hair checking in. The man had quite a few bags carefully placed on the ground next to him. Cloud raised an eyebrow at all the bags, then stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the Shin-Ra logo on one of them. The blond stared at the bag, until a black clothed leg was placed in front of the logo. His blue eyes followed the leg up to the hip, then up the torso, up the neck, and finally settled on the face of the owner of that leg. He quickly averted his eyes and went on his way when he saw the heated glare on the man's face.
Once Cloud got into the hallway, he opened the door to his room and slipped inside, leaving a crack open so he could see out into the corridor. A few minutes after this, the black haired man walked by, his bags gathered up in both of his hands and a key to open a room door held precariously in his teeth. Cloud leaned out the door as the other passed, watching at which room the man stopped at.
The man walked slowly down the rows of doors, his lips silently mouthing the numbers until he found the one he needed. Setting the bags in his right hand down gently, he took the key out of his clenched teeth, drying it off on his black sweater and unlocking the door. Cloud made a mental note of what room the man just entered and then retreated back into his room, closing his door quietly and locking it.
The blond looked over his room, wondering what to do until it was dark. His eyes rested on the bed under his window. The curtains had been drawn back, making light hit the flower-patterned sheets. A desk next to the bed had a few of Cloud's items on it; a locket with a picture of Tifa in it, the bangles that held his materia, a small black bible that was slightly worn (it had been Aerith's), and a photograph of the group that had defeated Sephiroth. He walked over to the desk, picking up the photo and looking at it with sad eyes. Everyone was there . . . everyone except Aerith. . .
He sighed, setting the picture back down and looked over to the clock hanging on a wall across the room. 12:42. Cloud still had a few hours before the sun sank down under the water. Sighing, he reached over and pulled the curtains over his window, the action making his room lapse into darkness. With that complete, he stripped off his boots and trench coat, leaving only his black pants and a white tank top. Running out of things to do, he flopped back on his bed, closing his eyes to rest for a while as he waited for the perfect time to sneak in and discover what that Shin-Ra employee was doing here.
As it turned out, Cloud didn't get to rest for more than a few minutes, for at 1:25 there was a knock at his door. He shut his eyes tighter, trying desperately to slip back into the half-awake, half-asleep state he'd been in. His mind blocked out the knocking, but soon there came a sound that he found he couldn't easily block out. Stephanie's voice.
He sat up and listened to what she was saying. Apparently she got the day off and wanted to go to the beach. And, apparently, she wanted to go with him. Sighing, he stood up, figuring that he owed her something for just walking away from her when she'd been talking to him. He walked over to his dresser, opening the bottom shelf and taking out swimming trunks while telling Stephanie that he'd be out in a moment.
He winced at the high-pitched squeal that erupted from the girl as she made her glee known to the entire western hemisphere, but soon he was smiling and chuckling as he heard her boss give her a quick tongue-lashing about making loud, annoying sounds in the inn. Still smiling, he changed into his swimming trunks which were, amazingly, black. They were loose, but the elastic fit well on his hips and the material went down to just above his knee. Not bothering with shoes, he went out barefoot, feeling a cold chill go through him as his feet touched the frigid marble floor of the hallway.
His appearance made Stephanie even happier. She grabbed his wrists and started to drag him out of the hotel, all the while talking about all the fun there were going to have. She was wearing an emerald two piece and showed off quite a bit of skin. A see-through green shawl was tied around her waist to give the appearance of modesty. He noticed that her hair was down. It was one of the only times he'd ever seen her off-duty.
Before he knew it, Cloud was at the beach with Stephanie. It seemed to have taken no time at all to traverse the streets between the beach and the inn. Time didn't move any more slowly once they arrived. The two goofed off in the water, stretched out on the beach, Stephanie tanned while Cloud buried her in sand, and to end things, they made a giant sandcastle next to the edge of the water. By the time Stephanie had started to tire, the sun had begun to set.
"We've had a pretty full afternoon, huh," she said, digging her toes into the sand as she and Cloud watched the sun sinking down over the water.
"Yeah. I have to admit, it's been . . . fun," he stated, his eyes never leaving the water that stretched out in front of him. He remembered seeing it from above in the Highwind, how the sun's light glinting off it seemed to be magnified from the air.
"Yes, it had been fun," a giggle escaped her as she laid her head on Cloud's shoulder, watching the sun set with a dreamy look in her eyes.
"We should go back soon."
"Mmm. I suppose we must. My family might get upset if I stay out too much longer. Will you walk me home?"
"Sure." Cloud stood up, offering his hand to the blonde still sitting on the beach. He could almost feel her reluctance to leave. His eyes drifted off to the sea again as she stood up and tied the shawl back around her waist. He smiled, remembering the time he and Aerith had come here. It had turned out to be a day quite like the one he'd just shared with Stephanie.
The man came back out of his memories as he felt fingers lace with his own. He looked over to see the girl smiling, her green eyes catching the fading light. Giving her a small smile, he started walking in the direction of her house, wondering when the black-haired Shin-Ra man would fall asleep. He spaced out, planning out what exactly he was going to do. It wasn't until he felt a tug on his arm that he snapped out of it and realized that he had been trying to walk on, past Stephanie's house.
"I've had a great day," Stephanie said, not letting go of his head and standing on the steps that lead up to her house. She seemed to be waiting for something.
"Me too. Well, good night. . ." he replied awkwardly, his hand pulling back away from hers. As soon as this was done, he turned, heading towards the inn. The sun had set while they were walking, so he was planning on changing back into some actual clothes and then carrying out his mission.
With the man's back to her, he didn't see the heartbroken expression that quivered across Stephanie's face as he walked away.
Cloud walked quickly, anxious to get back to his inn and decipher the mystery of the Shin-Ra man. The night was warm and a bit muggy; it was terribly humid at night in and around Costa del Sol, and he was thankful that he was in his swimming trunks. He figured that if he'd had been wearing his usual clothing, he would've had a heat stroke by now.
The night may have been hot, but it was certainly not quiet. The rural area that Stephanie lived in was peaceful enough, but once he got to the main part of the city where the inn was, the night was alive with neon lights. Sounds from the bar drifted over to him: people cursing, beers clinking, and a crowd of people cheering on one sport or another. Cloud ignored all this, going quietly to the inn just a few streets down from the bar.
After what seemed like an eternity to him, the blond finally reached the front door of the inn. He grabbed the familiar gold-painted doorknob and opened the white doors. Instantly, his body broke out in goosebumps as the cold air hit his still-drying body. He scampered in, running to his room to try and keep his feet from being on the cold marble floors for too long. The fighter made quite a spectacle.
Finally in the safety of his carpeted room, he undressed, hanging his wet trunks over the edge of the bathtub that also doubled as shower. He picked up a towel from the closet and set to drying his body and hair more thoroughly. Once he dubbed himself as 'adequate', he redressed in a pair of loose, black sweat pants and a white T-shirt. He slipped a pair of socks and his boots on and left the room, heading for room #23. That was where his 'adversary' was staying and hopefully sleeping. He glanced over at the clock on his way out. 9:31pm. The sun set pretty late over here, so there was a chance that Shin-Ra man was asleep.
Creeping out of his room, he peered out into the hallway. The inn ran 24-7, but business usually stopped around 10pm or so. That meant that most of the work was done and most employees sent home by about 9:30 or so. The blond didn't see anyone in the hallway, so he quickly rushed over to #23. It was then that he realized he'd need a key. Not ready to give up yet, he reached for the doorknob and tried it, hoping that it would turn easily. To his surprise, it turned soundlessly. A grin slithered onto his face, as he opened the door all the way, entering the room quickly, then turning to close the door as quietly as possible.
The Shin-Ra man was asleep on his bed, a laptop resting on the bed next to him. It was opened to a file and there was a map with marks drawn all over it on his other side. Instantly curious, Cloud walked quietly over to the computer, turning it to see the monitor better. The file was a report titled 'CR56'. He frowned, not understanding what that stood for. He put the text box back until it was at the beginning, then read through it. The report was mostly about how the clones (it hadn't specified who they were clones of, but Cloud could guess) had managed to escape and where they would most likely go. His frown even deeper, he started to lean over the man to look at the map, but he stopped and froze when he heard the soft click of a gun and felt a barrel press to the side of his head.
"Don't move," the black haired man said, giving Cloud a very harsh glare.
"What the hell is all this?" He motioned with his head to the computer and the map.
"Classified information that you shouldn't have seen," he replied, pressing the barrel of the gun harder against the blond's head.
"Ouch, take it easy. Who are they clones of?"
"I'm not to tell you anything-"
"Sephiroth?"
". . . ."
"That's what I thought. Why are there more clones?" Cloud demanded, feeling very uneasy now that his worst fears had been realized. Sephiroth was back; not the actual Sephiroth of course, but six clones of him had to be worse.
"You're Cloud Strife aren't you?"
"Yes. What of it?"
"Sit down over in that chair, and I'll start things from the beginning. It'll be easier to understand that way," the black haired man said. He removed the gun from the side of Cloud's head, but kept it aimed at him, making sure that the other wouldn't run off.
Cloud walked over to the chair and dragged it over next to the bed so they wouldn't have to shout at each other during the entire conversation. He sat down, leaning back in the chair expectantly. "Well? Spill it."
"All, first off, my name's Ian Zamdi. I'm an intern over in the Shin-Ra labs. There was an accident a few weeks ago, involving clones made from many different creatures, Sephiroth included. To make a long story short, the clones escaped from the building and ran on their own, killing the scientist that had let them out.
"I was sent out just a few days ago to hunt down and retrieve the clones, but I've been unsuccessful so far. Over on the map, you can see a few cities and places circled along with routes that lead to there. I've gone to two of the sites that are on there so far, and I haven't found even a trace of the clones, which means that either the scientists back at Shin-Ra are mistaken about their own creatures or they aren't telling me something important.
"But that's a Shin-Ra matter that I can deal with on my own. I'm sorry, but that's all the background information I have. I'm still pretty low on the scientifical ladder, so I'm not privy to much information. Now that I've told you all of this, there is one thing that I need of you."
Cloud was still trying to get everything together. It was clear that the young Ian didn't have very much knowledge about the clones, but it was pretty obvious to Cloud that if these clones were truly beings made of Sephiroth, they had to be stopped quickly. "Sure, I'll do whatever I can to help you."
"That's good. Help me capture the clones then."
"Fine. I happen to agree with the idiots at Shin-Ra that these things need to be contained. But I have one request of you before I'll go anywhere."
"Fine, what is it?"
"You have to get me more information about these clones; I'm not going into a fight with one of them unprepared."
"I can give you a physical description of them, but that's about it. To get their fighting abilities and what they've been created from, you'll have to go back to the labs at Shin-Ra. And before you say, I can't go back there unless I'm in a body bag or I've got one of the clones."
"Shit. Well, I guess we'll just have to sneak into the Shin-Ra building. How's the security there?"
"Considering the time when you broke into the Shin-Ra Tower, I'd say the security's at least tripled."
"Oh, you're just full of good news aren't you? I'll need some help getting in there then. We'll have to stop at Kalm on our way back to Midgar, that okay with you?"
"Yeah, that's fine. It's on our way."
"Good. Now, tell be whatever you know about these clones."
"Okay. The oldest are 25, the twins Aori and Taki. Aori has very long silvery-brown hair that goes down about to her knees and bright green eyes. Her fingers end in claws and she apparently has a brown wolf tail, complete with matching wolf ears. It shouldn't be too difficult to spot her. Taki is almost identical to his sister, except that he's a male and that his hair is short, cut at about the top of his neck. Both are very slender and incredibly quick. Those two always travel together, much like natural twins would.
"The next oldest is Loz, 23. He has short spiky silver hair and ice blue eyes. Unlike the other clones, his body is very well built. Loz is broad shouldered and heavy, but he can move as quickly as you or I. He was usually seen around the clones Yazu and Kadaj in the labs, but he may be traveling alone.
"Next at 21 is Kujaku. His hair is also silver and it goes down to floor, hell it drags on the floor when he walks. His eyes are violet and he is a very kind person. It's not expected that he's going to fight and is probably near some peaceful place. The one thing that makes him a bit different is his ability to use magic without the aid of material and the fact that he has wings.
"Yazu is the second youngest at 20. Following the pattern, his hair is silver. It goes down his back just a few inches below his shoulders and his eyes are the same icy blue color as Loz's. He is slender like all the others. That's all they told be about him.
"Finally, the youngest one, Kadaj, 18. His hair is cut haphazardly at the top of his shoulder and his eyes are a blue-green color. The scientists said that he was the most like the original Sephiroth. They said that he was mind-bogglingly good with a sword and that he was just a touch insane."
"That's all the information they gave you?"
"Yes. Sad, isn't it?"
"Extremely. Well, there's no helping it now. Get some rest Ian; we'll head out in the morning for Kalm."
"One more question though."
"Yeah?"
"Why Kalm?"
"There's someone I know that can help us there."
"Oh, I see. Well, good night. I'll meet you in the lobby at 6, all right?"
"Fine."
Cloud left the room, mulling over the best way to get into Shin-Ra Tower. He thought about the ways he'd done it in the past, then remembered that the building had been changed quite a bit since then, but with luck the bottom parts hadn't been rebuilt. Sighing, Cloud reached his room and undressed again, this time leaving his boxers as the only thing on. He climbed tiredly into his bed, huddling under the covers and now pondering a much bigger question than how he was going to get into the building. How was he going to get Tifa to help him?
AAAAAAAA
Hope you liked it, now click the button and tell me what you think! Oh, and I'm not sure what couples I'm going to have yet, so if you have a suggestion I'd be happy to hear it. Otherwise, I'll just put in ones I like.
