Disclaimer: I own nothing of importance.

Chapter 1

Cloud put the last of the turbo ethers into a bag, rearranging the other items inside to make it all fit. "Someone's gotta shut down all the reactors now that ShinRa is finally gone. And since we no longer have the airship, traveling by chocobo is the fastest way to do that," he said.

Tifa leaned against the doorframe, watching the blonde pack. "We all took for granted how easy it was to travel anywhere we wanted with the Highwind," she agreed. "I don't think I've ever seen Cid that upset. How on earth did those kids get up there unsupervised, anyway?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure the crew were reamed over the coals for that one. Marlene and her friend were lucky that they crashed the wing into that building before they managed to get off the ground. Otherwise, they would have ended up with a lot more than a few scrapes, and their ears ringing from Cid yelling at them," he replied. "What was that other kid's name again?"

"Denzel. His parents were killed when a building collapsed on them, when Meteor came. He's been staying with Elmyra and Marlene since then," she explained. "So, how long do you think you'll be gone? You promised to help me rebuild the bar-- I'm not going to let you get out of it that easily."

Cloud zipped the bag closed, setting it back on the bed as he put his Ultima Weapon in its harness on his back. "I'm not sure. According to Reeve, there were a total of five reactors outside of Midgar. The Fort Condor and Gongaga reactors have both been out of commission for some time and, according to Barret, the people of Corel just sabotaged the reactor up there. So, that leaves only two that are still operational. I'll stop by Junon first and then head over to Nibelheim," he said, carefully not looking at the martial artist as she flinched at the name. Swinging the bag onto his back, he picked up his Buster Sword with his free hand, stepping past her into the hall.

Tifa followed him, a sudden thought occurring to her. "Cloud, do you even know how to shut down the reactors?"

"Nope."

The brunette paused mid-step, staring at the swordsman in surprise. "Then, what are you going to do?"

"Well, I was hoping I could ask Vincent if he knew anything about it, but he disappeared before I got the chance. I'll figure something out. If all else fails, I'll use Barret's method," he replied, unconcerned.

Tifa shook her head, smiling. Some things never change, she thought. The innkeeper greeted them as they left the building, entering the construction zone. It had been decided that a new town would be built on the outskirts of Midgar and the plans for Edge were already well under way. She waved at some of the men already at work. "I gotta go, Cloud. Just be careful, okay?" she said.

The blonde nodded as he continued down the street, raising his hand in farewell, although he didn't look back. "Later, Tifa!"

The martial artist watched him walk away until he was out of sight. Maybe I should have gone with him... Her thought trailed off as a shudder ran down her spine. No. I can't face Nibelheim again, not yet. Those people probably left now that ShinRa isn't paying them to stay there and cover up what happened five years ago, but I... She shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself as she stared at the place Cloud had disappeared. I can't go back. I watched my father die in my arms, saw my hometown go up in flames, lost everything... And now, the town is still standing, rebuilt almost exactly as it was before, like some sick parody mocking everyone and everything that had been destroyed. I don't know how he can go back there.

. . .

Cloud stood on a hill outside of Midgar, looking back at the huge city. Even in ruins, it was still an impressive sight. He took in the view, carefully studying the terrain around him before giving a sharp nod. This is the place. Shifting his grip on the Buster Sword, he drove the tip into the ground, burying the first few inches of the blade into the solid rock at his feet. The blonde stepped back, looking at the huge weapon before nodding again. It should be alright out here. It'll take two or three strong men to lift it, anyway, he thought. "I'm sorry it's taken me so long to come back here, Zack," he said. "It's...been a long two months."

The blonde laughed humorlessly, thinking back over everything that had happened. "Two months. It seems like it's been ages since I last saw you, on this hill. You didn't seem to have any problems whatsoever, while I was practically catatonic. My mind was so messed up afterwards... It took the help of an old friend, plus mako poisoning a second time, as well as falling into the Lifestream to get it all straightened out. I still don't know why you didn't simply leave me and save yourself. You could have easily escaped if you hadn't been burdened with me. You could have even used me as a decoy. But, you stuck with me until the very end, resulting in your death while I survived. I'll stop by and let your parents know what happened-- an abbreviated, and perhaps amended version, at any rate. I don't think they need, or want, to know what really happened in the last five years."

The blonde began walking away before he paused, turning back. "We were friends, Zack. You refused to leave me then and I'm not going to forget you now. I'll live out both our lives. I promise."

. . .

Cloud sighed as he beat another levrikon into submission. I had forgotten how irritating it is to travel on foot, he thought, watching the large bird turn into red mist as it died, dissipating in the breeze. It had been several hours since he had left Midgar, and it seemed like every monster on the plains had been waiting for him to come so they could all die by his blade. Low-level creatures at best, but still a time-consuming annoyance. He was quite happy when he finally reached the Chocobo Ranch.

The swordsman walked into the barn, thinking about which chocobo he was going to ride. Choco Billy was inspecting the large birds while Chole cleaned up the back of the barn.

"Hey, Cloud! What can I do for you today?" the short boy asked, smiling up at the blonde.

"I wanna ride Choco," he replied, looking around the barn. "I'll be gone for a while."

"Your gold chocobo? I'm guessing you have a long distance to travel, then. What happened to your airship?" Billy asked, grabbing a bridle and slipping it on the sea chocobo. "I would think that would be faster. Unless this is a pleasure ride?"

"It's a long story." Cloud paused, noticing one of the other chocobos was missing. "Where's Shadow?"

"Oh, Vincent came by a couple days ago and took her out. She's the only that will let him ride her you know-- all the others are really skittish around him for some reason," the boy replied, leading Choco out of his stable.

The swordsman didn't reply, mounting the sea chocobo. So, Vincent came by and took out my black chocobo, did he? I wonder where he went...? "Thanks, Billy," he said as the boy handed him the reins. Cloud spurred the chocobo into action, heading for the mountains. It doesn't really matter where Vincent went. He had just as much a hand in raising these chocobos as everybody else, so he's allowed to take them out whenever he wants. Right now, I need to head to Junon and figure out what to do about that undersea reactor. I hope I don't have to use Barret's method on that one.

It was evening by the time they reached Junon. The swordsman climbed off his chocobo outside of the city, taking the bridle off the bird to let it graze. Knowing Choco wouldn't wander too far, Cloud headed into the town.

The streets were deserted, no one to be seen anywhere. The swordsman tensed, warily drawing his weapon as he continued on. A flickering light caught his attention and he looked towards the beach, relaxing a little. The townspeople were standing around a huge bonfire, apparently still celebrating the fact that Meteor was no longer looming over them like a death sentence. Shaking his head, Cloud re-sheathed his sword, continuing down the road. I'm getting paranoid, he thought, coming to a stop in front of the thick steel doors separating the lower and upper levels of the city. Pushing a button to open the doors, he climbed into the elevator and headed up into the higher section of the town.

The swordsman walked down the familiar corridors unmolested as he headed for the reactor. He began to become uneasy as he drew near his destination, noting the lack of monsters and robots that had previously patrolled the hallways. Even the guard dog was gone. Staying alert, he climbed into the elevator that would take him down to the ocean floor.

The platform jerked to a stop and Cloud stepped off, walking down yet another steel hallway before he reached the glass corridor. He stepped through the doorway, lights along each side of the passage flaring to life and illuminating his path. A few curious fish, awakened by the sudden light, could be seen swimming towards the domed corridor to investigate before disappearing back into the darkness once again. The blonde had always hated walking down this hallway. There was just something unnerving about standing on the ocean floor, a thin sheet of glass being the only thing separating you from the water. Taking a deep breath, Cloud started down the corridor.

His footsteps echoed loudly off the glass walls as he followed the lights. Just as in the city, the hall was eerily absent of patrolling monsters. He had never been down here at night before, the darkness of the ocean surrounding him seeming to stretch on forever, the dim light that shined into it serving only to intensify the blackness. It almost seemed as if he would be swallowed by its dark abyss. The blonde shook his head, dismissing such silly thoughts as he strode purposefully down the corridor, pointedly ignoring everything around him. However, he couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was different from the last time he had been here.

Rounding the corner in the path, the first thing Cloud noticed was that the door to the reactor, previously locked, had been ripped off its hinges and was lying on the floor. Deep gashes could be seen in the metal frame where someone-- or something --had tried to destroy the lock before removing the door completely. Drawing his sword, the fighter cautiously entered the reactor, still following the glowing bulbs lining the path. Looking around, he realized that the only thing still working seemed to be the lights.

He searched the reactor, ready for some horrendous creature to jump out and attack him at any moment. The real shock, however, came when he reached the control room. That door was also twisted beyond repair, but still hung tenaciously to one hinge. Inside, computer panels had been torn from the walls, bent beyond recognition. Wires covered the floor, having been ripped from the mainframe in haste and then cast aside. Deep claw marks covered the remaining machinery, rendering it all damaged beyond use or repair. In short, the room had been destroyed.

Cloud survey the mess, wondering what could have caused it. None of the monsters down here could have done this, he thought, inspecting the marks. This almost looks like it was made by a dragon's talon, but that's impossible. Even if there were dragons in the area, it would be too big to fit inside here and I think the townspeople would have noticed. And the damage was done only to this room-- a very focused attack. What could have done this?

Not being able to glean any answers from the destruction, Cloud continued to search the reactor, but came up empty handed. Deciding that whatever beast had wrecked the control room was long gone, he left the reactor, heading back up to the city. The moon was out, shedding its light on the darkened streets below as he distractedly made his way back to the lower level, pondering what could have happened in the reactor.

Being so wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn't see the figure rushing towards him until she had already latched on to his waist, squeezing him as hard as she could.

"Cloud! I'm so happy to see you!" she said, grinning up at him.

"Priscilla...?" he asked, looking down at the little girl.

She nodded enthusiastically. "I knew you'd come back!" she said, hugging him more tightly than before.

Cloud awkwardly patted her on the back, not sure what else to do.

"Pricilla! I thought I told you to go to bed?" an old man asked, walking up to the pair.

"But grandpa, Cloud's here!" she exclaimed, as if that explained everything. "Can't I stop to talk to my future husband?"

The fisherman peered up at the swordsman, seeing the outline of his spiky hair in the moonlight, as well as the barely discernable glow emitting from his eyes. "So it is Cloud," he agreed, "but that doesn't change anything. You can't get married until you're sixteen, and right now it's way past your bedtime. Go on, off with you."

Pricilla sighed. She released the blonde, stepping back in annoyance. "Alright, grandpa," she said petulantly. Her entire demeanor changed when she turned back to the swordsman, blowing him a kiss. "Goodnight, Cloud!" she said, turning and running down the street.

The fighter watched her disappear into one of the houses. Save a kid's life and she thinks you're betrothed, he thought, scratching the back of his head. How am I going to get out of this one?

"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll grow out of it with time," the old man said, guessing the swordsman's thoughts. "But anyway, what brings you here, so late at night?"

"Actually, I came to shut down the reactor for good," Cloud said, remembering his earlier problem.

"Oh? And were you successful?"

"The end result is the same. The reactor cannot be used without some serious maintenance," he replied.

"But?" the fisherman prompted.

"I wasn't the one that destroyed it. Someone or something got there before me. Tell me, have you seen any suspicious people or dangerous looking creatures in town the last few days? There were claw marks all over down there," the swordsman said.

The old man shook his head. "'Fraid I can't help you with that one," he replied. "Town's been full of travelers heading to or from Costa Del Sol. As for animals, they've had chocobos and a few other pets, but..." He shrugged.

Cloud sighed. "Well, whatever it was wasn't in the reactor, and if no one's seen it in town, then I think it's safe to say it's gone. In any case, I need to head over to the eastern continent."

The fisherman looked a little confused. "Boy, that boat don't leave until tomorrow morning."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Cloud's mouth. "I'm not going by boat."

The old man studied the young swordsman for a moment before shaking his head. "Well, regardless of how you're traveling, it's late. Why don't you spend the night with old Chisato, at the edge of town? She's always had a soft spot for you since you saved my Pricilla. In fact, here she comes now. Hey! Chisato!" he called, getting the old woman's attention before Cloud could protest.

Chisato walked over to them, silently asking why they had called her.

"Cloud needs a place to sleep, and I know you got a few extra beds. Would you mind putting him up for the night?" the old man asked.

"I don't mind. Cloud, you and your friends are always welcome at my house, you know that," she replied, leading the way. The swordsman shrugged, following Chisato towards her house.

. . .

To Be Continued