Final Fantasy VII: God Clash

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII

Chapter I: Recurring Nightmares

Cloud awoke with a start. The sheets around him felt damp with sweat. His own sweat covered him in cold layers, the feeling sinking into his bones. He rolled out of bed and started for the shower. He turned the water in the shower hot and sank into the tub, letting the spray clear the feeling from his body.

He touched the scars from geostigma on his arm. They had only emerged a day after the battle with Sephiroth, because the corrupted flesh had boiled away along with the Sephiroth cells. They felt like miniature plateaus on his arm.

He sat in the shower for a few hours, filling up the tub with hot water and just siting there, then eventually got out and went back to bed.

Tifa played school mom, trying to get Marlene ready for school while getting Denzel ready for school. Cloud came down looking like he'd stayed up and swigged tequila to wash down pixie sticks (a combination that most definitely led to hangovers.) he was walking out of the house when Tifa got in his way and grabbed his chin.

"Hey. You look kinda haggard. Are you staying up late or something?"

"Nah, just nightmares." He started to walk past her when she sidestepped into his way.

"You wanna talk about them?" she asked, in a tone that said it wasn't a question of want to. Cloud grabbed her shoulder with his cloaked arm and pushed her aside, following her closer to the wall.

"I see Sephiroth. But it's not him, per se. He changes, forms different people. Then he stabs me, and I back to holding Aerith." He paused, and looked away from Tifa. "Then it's not Aerith."

"Uh, Cloud, why don't you stay here, until I get back, I'm just gonna take the kids to school, okay?"

Cloud didn't answer, so Tifa went into the bar and started taking the kids to school. When she left, Cloud waited a few minutes, then fished out his keys and started for Fenrir.

When Tifa arrived home, she hastened to open the door, only to discover Cloud gone. She groaned in frustration and started up the stairs to her bedroom. Cloud strife could never stand still long enough to let Tifa get closer to him. It was the eternally annoying problem of Tifa's life.

&&&

Cloud stood next to the buster sword, looking down on it.

"Come on buddy. Don't leave me hanging." Cloud said to Zack not really knowing if he was listening. Cloud waited and waited.

"Talk to me, dammit." He nearly shouted at it. Cloud angrily grabbed the hilt, swung in a circle and tossed it. The sword went flying and landed on the small hill just in front of Zack's grave. Cloud instantly regretted it and went over to grab it, then returned it to its spot.

"Are sins ever forgiven?" Vincent said from behind Cloud.

Cloud turned to face the former Turk. "I've never tried." Vincent shook his head. The planet has settled into quiet. Nobody knows what this means. It may just be a sign."

"A sign of what?"

Vincent looked at Cloud. "That our sins have been forgiven. But it does make people nervous. Certain people, like myself, who have connections to the planet and the Lifestream that sustains it. I have to draw on the Lifestream for power, at least I did, so my connection wasn't as deep as a certa's. But it's still there."

"Could it deal with Omega?"

Vincent paused. "I don't know." Cloud turned his back on the former Turk. Vincent started to edge closer.

"Let him go, Genesis." Cloud said, drawing his main sword (Vigilante) and spinning. A blood red and black thing floated out of Vincent's chest, then instantly began to form into Genesis Raphodos.

"How did you know, Cloud Strife?" Genesis asked.

"You blinked." Cloud said, then lunged. A sword formed in Genesis's hand, and blocked Vigilante easily. Cloud thumbed it into battle mode, knocking Genesis's sword away. Cloud stabbed at the former SOLDIER. Suddenly, Genesis wasn't there.

Cloud was suddenly thrown forward. He managed to keep himself on his feet and looked behind him.

"Stay on your toes. You'll live longer." Genesis said, holding his sword again. "Exitus is my specially forged sword. Can't have one like you knocking it from my hand." Exitus was a freakishly large longsword, but he wielded it like a dirk. Cloud eyed his surroundings, looking for Fenrir. There it was, to his left, about seven feet away. Cloud pulled the remote out of his back pocket and clicked the sword racks open. They shot open with a large clatter of machinery. Genesis looked. Cloud lunged, swinging Vigilante low and straight. Genesis brought Exitus up just in time to block, and Cloud jumped away, towards Fenrir.

Cloud turned around and grabbed the hollow sword, Vendetta, and connected it to Vigilante. Before Cloud could grab Merciless, Genesis had lunged again. Cloud raised Avenger to block. Genesis jumped over Cloud and disappeared. He heard a groan, and looked to see Vincent writhing on the ground.

"Vincent!" Cloud cried, and ran to the former Turk. He raised Vincent up slightly, long enough to look into his eyes. They were unfocused, paranoid. His pupils were dilated to the point where there wasn't any red and very little white. "What the hell did he do to you?" Cloud asked himself. He lifted him up and set him on Fenrir.

Chapter I is complete, Yay! Yeah, I have gone psycho. So, Vincent's in a near coma, and Genesis is loose upon the world.