A/N: Disclaimer at the bottom, please Read and Review and check out my other story.

Final Fantasy VII: Novus Adventum, Liberi Fortuna

Extraho

10 Years After Dirge of Cerberus

13 Years Ago:

Alex was walking home alone from school. He didn't usually walk home alone, but the other week he had been off sick and had volunteered to stay after school to catch up.

Alex was short, which he was told came from his father, shorter than most kids his age. He had short blonde hair which spiked up naturally, red eyes with a hint of the Mako blue of his fathers eyes.

Alex passed an alleyway which wasn't to far from his home when something sharp and thin, like the needle the doctor used to give Alex antibiotics, punctured his shoulder. When the needle had been removed, Alex felt very drowsy; he could barely keep his eyes open. He tried to run but he was finding it impossible to stand up. He fell but felt arms grab him and lift him up…

Two Days Later:

Alex awoke to the sounds of multiple people shouting, crying or saying something else. Alex sat up and the room went quiet. He was in his bed, surrounded by his family and their friends. His mother, Tifa, broke from the hug his father, Cloud, had been giving her and crouched beside the bed and grabbed Alex in a hug. He put his arms around her, confused as to why so many people were in his bedroom. Tifa moved back a bit and put her hands on his arms and looked at him, a serious expression covering her usually cheerful face. She had been crying.

"Alex…what happened?" she asked

"H-huh?" asked Alex, still confused. "What do you mean Mom?"

Tifa face looked angry, like she hadn't expected such an answer.

"Alex, where did you go? Why did you run away?" she asked, her hands tightening on his arms.

"I-I didn't run away, Mom. Why would you think such a thing?" Alex asked, trying to fight back his tears, unsuccessfully.

Tifa hugged Alex again, but it was more in relief. She broke the hug and held his hand.

Cloud also knelt beside the bed and held Alex's other hand in his gloved hand.

"Alex, can you tell us what is the last thing you remember. Anything, thing at all?" asked Cloud, looking at Alex hopefully. "Maybe about what happened last?"

"Well, I stayed after school to catch up on my schoolwork after I had been ill…" said Alex, remembering what had happened before he had woken up. "I was walking home…"

"Alex, why did you walk home alone?" asked Tifa "Why didn't you phone…"

"Tifa, let him finish," said Cloud, he looked back at Alex. "So you were walking home, then what?"

"Well, I can't remember where but as I was walking, I felt this sharp pain in my shoulder, like when the doctor gave me antibiotics, and I felt really sleepy. I remember falling over and someone stopped me from hitting the floor," said Alex. "Then I woke up here."

Tifa cried out and wrapped herself around Cloud, crying loudly. Cloud put his arms around her and whispered to her that it was okay. There were murmurs from the others in the room. Tifa stood up and ran out of the room and Yuffie went to comfort her.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" asked Alex, fresh tears falling from his eyes. "W-why's Mom so upset?"

Cloud looked at Alex and nearly cried. The child was so innocent; he had no idea what to say. Cloud put his finger and a thumb to his brow and then looked back at Alex.

"Alex, you've been missing for two days. No one knew where you where," said Clouds, his voice was shaky. "We thought you had run away, but…"

"W-what, Daddy?" stuttered Alex.

"You were kidnapped, Alex. Your arms were covered in cuts. W-we thought we had lost you," said Cloud, a tear falling from his right eye.

Cid came over and put a hand on Cloud's shoulder and Denzel came and sat on the bed.

"Me, Marlene, Chikazu, Kari, James, Jillian and Fluer were looking for you out in the old Sector 6 slums and there you were, unconscious, in the middle of a wrecked playground. We made a sort of sled and dragged you back here," said Denzel, while those he mentioned motioned with a hand that they were there.

"I was k-kidnapped?" stuttered Alex, shaking. "W-why would someone do such a thing?"

Cloud wiped his eyes and clenched his fists.

"I don't know Alex," said Cloud, a hint of anger in his voice. "DAMN IT, IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"

Cloud put his face in his hands and sighed. He seemed to always blame himself.

"Dad, it's okay, it's not your fault," said Alex, shuffling closer to his dad. "It's not anyone's fault. Please don't blame yourself."

Alex put his hand on Cloud's lower right arm. As his hand touched Cloud's skin, something happened within Alex's body. He was feeling different, different from before. It was like his body had changed somehow. Alex withdrew his hand and stared at it, briefly. Denzel noticed that Alex's eyes flashed for a second, an unnatural flash. He'd seen something similar during the Geostigma crisis, but regrettably, Denzel dismissed this, thinking that it was probably just a trick of the light.

Cloud felt his son touch his arm and it made him feel better. He looked at Alex and smiled, pulling his son into a tight hug. He was glad that his son was home, that was what mattered. When they broke apart, Cloud put a hand on top of Alex's blonde head. He ruffled his hair and laughed. Alex laughed too, even though it sounded like it was full of amusement, but actually, it was a hollow laugh. Alex smiled and laughed and talked happily on the outside, but on the inside, he felt empty, like something was missing.

From that day on, Alex Strife began a life mission to discover what had made him so empty; who had kidnapped him and why had they let him go…

A/N: Intrigue, don't forget to review. The next chapter is 'Unus: Vindico.'

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or any of its trademarks. Anything you recognise from Final Fantasy VII or Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus, Before Crisis, Crisis Core, Last Order Etc. belongs to Square Enix. Anything you don't recognise belongs to me (ChrisCHJ) on the exceptions of the name Alex Strife which I'm using with permission from ChaosM and the names Fluer Kjaiin and Tsukikko Ayame belong to Vanessa Liebke (which I'm also using with permission), so don't use them please or my ass would be kicked royally.