A/N: I know there are many novelisations out there, but this is for a close friend of mine who loves a good story, yet isn't interested in gaming. You know who you are! FF7's story is definitely one of the greatest classics of all time, and I hope to do it justice. :)
Prologue
A solar system of stars penetrated the inky blackness of the night. They shone down over the entire world – even Midgar, the Shinra company's response to the natural world. A gleaming metal monstrosity, its circular design enclosed the city, protecting its citizens from the terror known as Mother Nature. Power reactors, clearly numbered and placed at regular intervals around the circumference, churned out their green, eerily-glowing product, as witnessed by the smoke rising ponderously towards the atmosphere. Directed to the centre of the giant circle, the glow settled around the giant structure towering over the rest of the city. Tiny particles broke away, drifting into the air like fireflies, illuminating…
…the peaceful smile on the girl's face did not falter as she stood, turning away from the glow. Her long brown hair, though straight at the back, fell in two perfect curls on either side of her face, coming to rest on the front of her closely-cut pink dress. A basket hung off her left arm, containing flowers that looked woefully out of place in the industrialized environment. The noise of the fully mechanised city, from the buildings to the people around her, still unnerved her to this day. She picked out a flower and held it up to her face. Taking a deep breath of the smell that never failed to calm her, the girl walked out confidently onto the pavement. Her precious basket of goods she offered with a gentle smile to the impatient workers and the implacable flow of traffic, pounding away on the large plate over…
…The well-built young man stumbled off the train, eyes vacant and with no sense of purpose in his bearing. He didn't know how long he'd been riding the trains for, going randomly from station to station. He didn't even know who he was, or what exactly he was doing here. All he knew was that this city was where he had to be, and that the large sword strapped tightly to his back was the most important thing he owned – more important that life itself. He wandered vaguely through the crowd of people thronging from the station, when a familiar face caught his eye. The man stopped, turning to stare at the pair of luminous brown eyes framed by long, dark hair. Unable, and suddenly, not wanting to place the name, he turned away, only to be stopped by a tug on his arm and an incredulous voice.
"…Cloud? Is that you?"
