Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All characters, places and events belong to their respective creators. I'm just messing around.

Warnings: Angsty!Angy!Emo!Cloud (when is he not?), Deepground!Cloud, Dissidia!PostDoC!Cloud, Eventual Hopeful!Confident!Cloud, Protective!Squall, Defeated!Tidus (just for a little bit), Slightly Flightly!Bartz, Turk!Rod!Bartz, Jaded!Bitchy!Ignus (Onion Knight), Turk!Nunchaku!Ignus, Cursing, Gore, Blood, Het, Yaoi and Yuri pairings. Time travel AU, Dissidia X-over, Cosmos Heroes/FFVII SOLDIERS Parings, Epic SOLDIER Bromances. Strong focus on SOLDIERs with some Turk Love'n on the side.

Spoilers: All Dissidia/Dissidia 012, FFIII, FFV, BC, CC, FFVII, AC, DoC, FFX, FFXIII.

Unbetaed.

Timeframe:

Because this fic is (sort of) a multi-crossover, I've made this list below to help explain where all the characters are in reference to their own storyline.

Completed Storylines: Dissidia/Dissidia 012, FFIII, FFV, BC, CC, FFVII, AC, DoC(At least for the time travelers), FFX.

Sorta Completed: FFVIII and FFXIII (Picks up during the ending of the game)

Games I Refuse to Acknowledge: FFX-2 (Just…why Square?) and anything related to FFXIII-2.

Pairings (Subject to Change at my Muse's Will):

Het: Angeal/Terra, Katana/Gun, Sephiroth/Claire (Lightning), Rude/Warren (Martial Arts Female), Tseng/Aerith, Vincent/Lucrecia

Yaoi: Genesis/Tidus, Kunsel/Nero, Reno/Bartz, Rufus/Ignus (Onion Knight), Squall/Cloud, Weiss/Luxiere

Yuri: Rosso/Argento, Tifa/Elena

(See the mix? Got a problem with the gays? No read, then.)

For People Who Haven't Played Dissidia or Dissisdia 012:

Without giving too much away, twelve heroes and their villainous counterparts from the FF games are placed on two sides, the Warriors of Chaos (bad guys in case you didn't grasp that yourself) and Warriors of Cosmos (the heroes). They're stuck in a seemingly endless loop of war that lasts thirteen years.

Other Notes:

There is a lot of info here between all these series. Most things that I feel may need a backstory explained will be placed at the bottom of the chapter (if not in the chapter itself) in a sort of mini-appendix. Please check there if you're confused. If not either review or PM me your question and I'll try my best to answer it.

Also, my dating system was taken from the FF wiki's FFVII timeline.

I highly recommend that if you have no knowledge of Dissidia/Dissidia 012 and don't care about spoilers you read the above thingy entitled: For People Who Haven't Played…

This is the end
Hold your breath
And count to ten
Feel the earth move
And then
Hear my heart burst again

- Adele, Skyfall

Skyfall

Chapter 1

The Imaginary SOLDIER

May 4th, εуλ 0010

Somewhere South of Midgar, Western Continent

Death, Cloud Strife decided, was a strange thing to experience indeed.

Each breath was a struggle to take in; his chest a lead weight that no amount of mako infused cells could lift fully. The sky was clear above him, devoid of any clouds and painfully bright to look at, even through shuttered lids. It was a strange illness that took him, stilling his heart in less than two hours. He hadn't even been able to make it back to the bar. Cloud had fallen from his bike on some random, rural dirt road. And there in silence and with not just a little bit of confusion, the greatest hero the world had ever known died.

Alone.

It seemed ironic to him that it was only once he had become happy – finally, finally happy – that the Planet chose to take him. To be honest, the newly dead hero half expected to open his eyes and find him in Cosmos' sanctuary once again. The blonde wasn't too surprised (but strangely both equally relieved and disappointed) when he opened his eyes to the green tint of the life stream.

Cloud had never spoken of the decade of war he had spent in World B to anyone on Gaia. Not even Tifa, once it became clear to him that she didn't remember any of it. It was more than just that he knew they'd never believe him; it was that Cloud knew instinctively that he wasn't supposed to remember it. But he did. The blonde had no idea why, but to him the memories of the wars and his friends were as fresh as if he just walked out of that sunflower field.

At first the memories gave Cloud much needed strength; he had returned from war to another. Gaia was still on the verge of destruction from Sephiroth's hands and his little group had only the smallest glimmer of hope that they could stop him. In his worst moments, Cloud had drawn on every positive interaction with the other Warriors of Cosmos to help push him onwards. He drew strength from each one of his past companions.

Recollections of Tidus, Bartz and Zidane's banter that had always raised the weary warrior's mood had helped him keep the moral of AVALANCHE alive. And more than once Cloud had repeated Laguna's cheerful words of encouragement to his own group. It was rare for him to ever step into battle without Onion Knight's cautious warnings to not be afraid to run when needed or Lightning's sharp ordered to pay attention rambling constantly in the back of his mind. Cecil and Firion's gentle words of encouragement and belief in him echoed with each step he took closer to Sephiroth.

But whenever Cloud found himself the closest to breaking he found himself thinking of Squall Leonhart. Though more of loner then even himself, the two had spent more than a fair amount of time together over the decade of war. There was a quiet, somewhat cruel sort of independence and strength to Squall that Cloud tried to immolate. He remembered the brunette's words from years ago, repeated second hand to him by a far too excited Zidane.

"I know I'm not alone, that's why I can fight by myself."

He tried to remember that. Even if the other Warriors weren't with him, Cloud wasn't alone.

But then Cloud had finally learned the truth of his own past (which is to say after he remembered Zack) and it became impossible for him to think of them without pain. Had they ever even known the real Cloud Strife? Would they even want to be friends with him? Their memories just became one more thing on a long list that he couldn't bear to let go but desperately wished he could.

Somewhere in between killing the Advent trio and watching Vincent defeat his past, Cloud had finally gained the strength to just let them all go. Sephiroth, Zack, Cosmos, Squall and his friends. Again, Cloud felt the irony of the situation. Once he had finally accepted he could not live his life without people and he died alone. Even though he had technically died twice before this one was different, more…permanent.

Case and point, Zack wasn't there when he died. That had surprised Cloud at first but the tearfull expression on Aerith's face terrified him so that he almost promptly forgot about it. He reached towards (His first love? Or Zack's? He still managed to get confused over that.) and tried to pull her into his arms but the Cetra had refused. When she spoke, her words were low with a shame he had never heard – or even imagined she was capable of actually – before.

"H-He wouldn't come."

Cloud stepped back like he had been slapped, staring at the pink clad girl with wide eyes. "Zack didn't want to see me?"

Oh but Gaia, if that didn't open old wounds. Had Zack not forgiven him after all?

Aerith grasped his hands in her own. "He doesn't – he doesn't want to see this happen to you."

Well, that certainly got his attention. He stared down blankly at Aerith, suddenly reminded of the strange aspect of his death. When he spoke next, the tone of his voice was a mix of disbelief and anger.

"Did the Planet kill me?" The Cetra only sobbed. Cloud tightened his grip on her hands. "Aerith, did-"

"It needs you, Cloud!" The words were desperate, spoken high in an almost-shriek. He ripped his hands from her grasp and shook his head. He knew he shouldn't be taking out on Aerith, but it was hard not to. Cloud was tired of being needed by goddesses. Hadn't he just made peace? And gods for the first time since he was fourteen he had been happy! How much more did the Planet get to ask of him? Aerith hugged herself tightly.

"There are more of them coming! It doesn't know how – but another is coming. Somehow, Jenova's death…The Planet can feel it stalking it, growing closer by the day!"

Another Jenova?

The idea was a grim prospect yet Cloud couldn't compute it. He was still trying to grasp the concept that the Planet had killed him. "Why am I dead? How am I supposed to defend anything if I'm dead?"

He didn't mean for his words to sound quite so hysterical or accusatory. It was just really…not fair. Four months ago he had wanted to die, fade away with the geostigma. Now – gods, why now? It was unfathomable to him.

"Cloud, the entire Cetra race couldn't defeat Jenova when she was in her prime. All they managed to do was seal her." Aerith's words were pleading, begging him to understand. "The only choice we have is if we can put our strongest warriors forward. Maybe, if the SOLDIERs were alive-"

Cloud shook his head, "SOLDIER is dead, Deepground was the last."

"I know," Aerith fiddled with her braid tip with a shaking hand, "That's why we need you."

"You just told me you needed more."

Gentle hands grasped his chin and forced him to look at achingly green eyes. "The Planet will bring you to the past, Cloud."

And then suddenly he understood. Once more, he found himself uncharacteristically ripping away from Aerith. He felt a little childish as he pointed an accusatory finger at her, but this whole thing had caught him rather off guard. "You want me to keep him alive don't you!"

Aerith winced but didn't deny it. Cloud swore loudly. They wanted him to save the one man that Cloud could honestly say he hated more the Hojo. "I know it's hard, Cloud but we need-"

"Hard? Hard? Hard was killing the man three times. This, this is insane." He shook his head sharply. "How am I possibly supposed to keep Sephiroth from going insane, much less anyone else? The cells are inside him, how am I supposed to fight that?" Cloud took a shaky breath, momentarily trapped in the burning Nibelheim once more. "I can't do it again, I just can't."

"Cloud-"

"Fourteen years, Aerith." The blonde turned so he wasn't facing her, both hands pressing flat against his chest in an attempt to keep them from shaking. "Fourteen years of peace out of thirty seven. And I wasn't even happy for most of it. I can't do that again."

"I would never ask that of you." The Cetra said passionately, "I'd never ask you to go through that again. And World B-" Cloud jerked up to look at her in surprise but Aerith carried on, "No longer exists so you'd never be called to fight. You never have to let what happen to you happen again. Cloud," Her green eyes seem to burn into his soul as she stared him down. "You can kill Hojo for all I care. But we need Sephiroth. And not just him, we need as many of the SOLDIER's alive that can be saved."

Absolute insanity. The blonde was a few steps away from telling the Planet to go fuck off and it must have shown on his face because Aerith's own became grim.

"We need them, Cloud. You must do this. You must find a way or the Planet is doomed. Everyone is. Think, Cloud," Her voice dropped slightly and she dropped his gaze, staring at her folded hands. "Think of this as a second chance. You could keep Zack from dying…and me."

He stared at the Cetra like she'd slapped him. It was unbelievably unfair of her to use that against him. But he owed them that. He owed them a second chance at sighed and played the last card of reason he had, trying to feel something as he watched the tears of guilt trail down Aerith's cheeks. "I don't see how I can keep anything from happening again, or how to even begin to keep Sephiroth and the other Generals alive. Did you forget what happened the first time I tried?"

"But this will be different, Cloud. You'll be stronger, much stronger than before. And you won't be alone. Please, you must do this."

Cloud stared at her for a long moment before letting his gaze trail down to stare at the swirling green underneath him. Well. He had gotten to be at peace for a while. Four months was a hell of a long time in his book. He almost wished he didn't know what it felt like, Cloud had feeling he was going to miss it this whole thing began.

"It's not like I had a choice, now is it?" The bitterness in his voice caught him by surprise.

"You'll never be anything more than a puppet."

Every time Cloud thought he'd proven those words wrong, something happened to remind him that they were all to true. He was nothing more than an glorified tool of the goddess. By his side, Aerith choked on another sob. Cloud reached out and laid a gloved hand on her shoulder. When she looked up, he gave her a small smile. He couldn't stay mad at her; he simply wasn't capable of it.

"I'm so sorry, Cloud."

He nodded, knowing she really was. Aerith took his hand in her own and reached out until their fingers came fleetingly into contact with his cheek.

And then there was nothing.

November 18th, εуλ 1999

Midgar, Western Continent

Shinra South Tower, Cadet Residential Levels - Squad 085 Barracks

From where he loomed in the p-way, Kelvin Johns, SOLDIER 2nd Class, watched his latest grouping of wannabees run through their nightly routine. Twelve cadets – eight male and four female stood at attention in matching dirt brown Shinra stamped sweats and sweatshirt, affectionately called turd suits. Jaws were parallel with the floor, eyes staring at the opposite wall blankly, hands curled and tucked tightly against their sides, feet at a smart forty-five – save for one. The CCDOS (Cadet Defensive Squad Officer in Charge) stood in the center of the barrack, face void of emotion as she lead them through their readers.

"Squad, who is the Mayor of Midgar?"

"Cee-dos, Mayor Midgar City is Mister Domino, Cee-dos."

Already, they were miles away from the useless little civilians they had been when they had been when they'd arrived. After only a month under Johns' careful tutelage, they were slowly beginning to develop.

"Squad, who is the President of Shinra Electrical Power Company?"

"Cee-dos, The President of Shinra Electrical Power Company is Mister Shinra, Cee-dos."

Johns let his eyes roam over his cadets. Already he could tell the few that had a chance at making it. His CCDOS was a sure-in, if not for SOLDIER then for the Turks or a high ranking General Security position. Even at fourteen, Celeste ('Lesse,' on the rare occasion someone was addressing her as anything other than CCDOS) Rowlings towered over every boy in the group save for Len Fowler and Tanner Zweisson. The tough girl was from the mining town of Corel and had lost both of her parents in the early war the region had had with Shinra. Lesse tended to be a rather frank individual, almost to the point of rudeness, and preferred the straight approach to everything she did. It made her a pretty good CCDOS, at least so far.

"Squad, who is the Head of the Public Safety Maintenance Department?"

"Cee-dos, the Head of the Public Safety Maintenance Department is Mister Heidegger, Cee-dos."

His staff was actually pretty decent this round. His Assistant Squad Officer Cadet was a decent singer, which always made things better. And while Rue Nunnery may not look like much at 5'1, with a halo of blonde curls, childish looks and easy smile, the ASOC had a temper that ensured his squad's obedience. Their Squad Secretary, a thirteen year old blonde girl named Elena Haymacker, had yet to make a mistake with the piles of paperwork he made her do. A crack shot that had earned her the nickname of 'Gun' and with an older sister in the Turks, Elena was almost a sure in to be recruited by General Affairs.

"Squad-"

Both of his MPs were strong personalities and they had the best bet of actually reaching SOLDIER that Johns had seen so far. The male MP, Tanner Zweisson was a the eldest in the group at fifteen. The ravenette was from the Midgar slums and had the scars and attitude to prove it. Willow Warren, his female MP, was a stupidly skilled martial artist with a bitch streak that was only outpaced by her need for perfection.

Glowing grey eyes watched in detached amusement as Zweisson swayed where he stood, eyes already half closed despite the fact that he was still reciting. Cloud Strife – a tiny boy of thirteen that Johns gave six months at most before he failed out of SOLCAD – gave the MP a not-so-subtle kick. Zweisson jerked awake, loudly joining in as dark eyes swept quickly to see if he'd been spotted, "-the Head of SOLDIER Core is Mister Deusericus, Cee-dos."

Strife was smart as a whip and had incredible innate defensive skills but a cadet needed to have raw aggression and self-confidence to succeed. Two things which Strife was painfully obvious without. Add in the fact that he looked like he'd loose a fight with a kitten, and well, Johns had never seen someone so out of place in his life.

"Cee-dos, the Head of the Investigative Division of General Affairs Department is Mister Veld, Cee-dos."

"Squad, who is the Head of the Urban Development Dep-"

"Ah, shut the hell up." Johns interrupted gruffly, stepping into the room and owning it instantly with his dominating presence. "You turds got thirty seconds to get in your bunks before I get myself a nice, sweet little bedtime beat down. Twenty-nine, twenty-eight-"

They scrambled into their bunks, ripping their boots off and lining them up properly underneath their bunks, heels pressed to the edges, laces tucked in. Johns did a quick sweep, checking the head and barracks to make sure that if they were visited by a roving instructor they wouldn't be hit for any room violations. Once he was satisfied that everything was in its place and he swung around to face the cadets.

"Lights out and it better be silent in here all night." It really was sickly amusing how the mere sound of his voice sent these kids into terror. "Remember, you already earned yourself a nice long run before morning-chow thanks to Cadet Hudders. Everyone say 'thanks Huddy!'"

Strife visibly winced but joined in with the eleven strong echo, not evening daring to send the smaller boy a look of commiseration with the sergeant still present. The kid had too nice of a heart. Compassion was not a good thing in SOLCAD. It was different once you made it into the program – because boot camp was nothing like SOLDIER – but the cadets weren't to know that. Ehler Hudders and Vi Jounrings were really the only reason why Strife wasn't the worst cadet in the squad. Hudders was a walking calamity, earning them hit after hit for everything from wearing his uniform wrong to forgetting to salute any of the SOLDIERS. And Journings, Planet, Johns had never met someone so stupid in his life.

He gave the Security Night Watch a low warning that his watch log better be perfect in the morning – but the Night Watch tonight was Nunnery, Grims and Strife, and Johns wasn't too worried. All three were good at paying attention to details. He gave the squad one last warning that he "better not hear a fucking thing at that watch desk" and then slammed the door to their barracks shut.

He made his way down the hallway, catching the energy drink Kunsel Winters threw at him before plopping down next to him at the watch desk. Having the Night Cadet Watch was miserably boring, but a necessity and Johns settled himself in for the long haul. Winters– nearly ten years his junior and a rank above him (which Johns supposed he should be indignant about, but he had actually been in Shinra before the SOLDIER program was initiated and like most of the older veterans, his broken body ensured he never made it past Third) – was actually not a bad kid.

Kunsel yawned. "I ordered pizza."

"Shit, really? Good idea." Johns kicked his feet up and yanked out a weapons magazine. "Fuck, look at this shit. Gunblades – hah! Who the hell do they think is gonna buy that crap?"

The hours passed in conversation and bouts of companionable silence. It was around zero-three-forty when the phone on the desk rang. Exchanging and irritated looked with Kunsel, Johns reached for it.

"I swear to Gaia, if one of them is crying in the head I'm gonna kill them." He yanked the receiver up, "This better be go-"

"Sarge!" A shrieking voice echoed out of the receiver so loudly that the SOLDIER had to hold it away, "Someone's trying to take Strife! Quick – they're killing us!"

Then the line went dead. For a split second Johns just stared, wide-eyed at the phone before bodily throwing himself over the watch desk's counter. He shouted at Kunsel to call it in before sprinting down the hallway. A loud shriek filled the hallway as the alarm blared, casting the area in a red light.

Johns was halfway down when the door to zero-eight-five's barracks flew off its hinges and smashed into the wall with a violent, metallic screech. Johns cursed, kicking off the ground to gain an extra push as he threw himself forward, barely catching Celeste Rowlings from impacting the adjacent wall with enough force to snap her neck. He rolled, the cadet tucked against his chest before pushing her further down the hall and spinning around, boot knife drawn.

Kunsel was already standing in the doorway, broad sword pointed threatening into the room.

Rowlings stumbled to her feet, bleeding heavily from a slash above her lip. "Sarge, he's got Stri-"

"Get to the watch desk and stay there!" He snapped, yanking the girl by her sweatshirt and pushing her down the hallway. The inside of the room was a mess. The auxiliary lights had failed, leaving the room eerily illuminated only by the red hall lights. His cadets were in various degrees of injury. The majority of the squad had fallen back to the head, Wilson standing in a defensive position before them. Johns felt a small spark of pride that they'd been smart enough to shore up in the most defensible area possible.

Nunnery was down, unmoving before the emergency phone station, a halo of blood about his golden locks. Zweisson was hovering over the downed cadet protectively, leaning heavily on the wall for support as his left leg hung loosely.

In the center of the room, clad head to toe in a black hooded cloak like the fucking grim reaper, stood an impossibly tall man. And hanging loosely from his arms, utterly limp despite the fact that his blue eyes were wide open, was Cadet Strife. If wasn't for his enhanced hearing being able to pick up the blonde's raspy breathing, Johns would have thought the boy dead. The hooded head turned to glance at them.

"Drop the cadet." Kunsel growled out, amber eyes flashing with a barely controlled rage. Johns could understand. SOLDIERs were fairly emotionally unstable to begin with – something that apparently had to do with the mako treatments. And this fucker had dared to come into their house and touch their cadets.

The hooded figure cocked its head before slowly, deliberately, holding Strife closer. He hadn't said a damn word, but he didn't need to. It was easy enough to tell they were being mocked. Johns let out a low growl from where he was crouched. "Where the fuck do you think this going to go? You think we're just going to let you walk out of here with one of our cadets? Put him down!"

A gloved hand rested itself in a not-so-subtle threat against the blonde's throat – and pressed. The cadet let out a loud, pained whine.

"Wait!" Kunsel shouted, taking a step forward before stopping himself. "Put the kid down and we'll let you walk out of here unharmed. Just – Just don't hurt him. Put him down."

The hooded figure curled Strife closer to his body and then in a blur of movement, broke the triple enforced window and jumped. The cadet barracks were on the thirtieth floor but neither SOLDIER hesitated to follow them. The free fall lasted for less than a minute before they landed on the glass atrium bridge that connected the south tower to the main Shinra building.

The glass vibrated threateningly as four other figures dropped down beside them. Johns' mind instantly recognized Zack Fair and Luxiere Roux, both Seconds, and Essai Grunning and Sebastian Brooks, Thirds. They formed a misshaped square around the figure, weapons drawn threateningly.

"Drop the cadet! Now!" Zack Fair snapped, his buster sword quivering, a look of complete fury on his face. Next to him, Essai's hand glowed as he cast a Stop. The spell sputtered out into harmless sparks. A chill crept across Johns' spine as he exchanged a weary look with Sebastian. The spell hadn't failed – it had been canceled out.

Kunsel cast his own Stop, cursing when it too was canceled out. Whoever the fuck this guy was, he had something equipped that could negate materia. And he hadn't even looked up from the limp blonde in his arms once, despite the fact that he was surrounded by six SOLDIERS. Three of which are well known Seconds and he didn't even seem concerned. Johns grit his teeth, somewhere between pissed and seriously concerned. What the fuck could he want with a nobody like Strife?

Sebastian shifted, one of the daggers he was renowned for glinting in his hand and – dropped, howling as as he pressed both hands against a spurting wound on his neck. The fuck? Johns hadn't even seen him move! There was an explosion of glass from across the atrium as one of the windows in the main tower was blown out. The only thing that Johns could catch, even with his enhanced eyesight, was a blur streaking towards them.

The figure lept in the air, avoiding the swipe of a large broadsword by mere inches as Angeal Hewley materialized in the spot it had been standing. The figure landed almost daintily a few feet away, Strife still held, head cocked to the side as if curious as it took in the form of the recently arrived General. Johns felt his breath catch slightly as he took in the livid form of the First. He'd never seen Angeal – a man known for his gentleness – look so intimidating in his life. The General was beyond pissed, blue eyes glowing dangerously as he stared down the hooded man.

"I'm going to give you one chance to put the cadet down before I make you." Angeal warned, his voice low and sharp. "Put the boy down, now!"

A low moan echoed in the night as the limp blonde began to show the first signs of life. The small frame shuddered, a weak hand reaching out towards the General in a non-verbal call for help. And damn - if Strife didn't look like a child at the moment. Fairy light blonde hair bloody, blue eyes impossibly wide and frightened, the cadet was the picture of vulnerability. It made Johns itch to tear the fucker that had touched his cadet apart. Strife was his responsibility, damn't!

The figure shifted, a single arm held up in the air. The SOLDIERs tensed, preparing for whatever attack about to be unleashed – when a fucking Condor the size of a plane swooped down. A gloved hand caught an oversized talon easily despite the fact that the monster bird was going fast enough to easily rip a limb from its socket and then –

Then they were gone, Cloud Strife's cry of alarm and terror echoing after them.

Mini-Appendix I:

ASOC: Assistant Squad Cadet Officer – Calls out Cadence and help keeps order. The CCDOS' second. A cadet staff position. Pronounced "A-sock."

CCDOS: Cadet Defensive Squad Officer in Charge – Is in charge of the squad when an officer is not percent. Responsible for everything that goes on in the squad. A cadet staff position. Pronounced "Cee-dos."

Head: A bathroom.

MP: Military Police, a cadet who is the enforcer of the CCDOS and ASOC. Usually have one for each gender. A cadet staff position.

P-way: Passage way

SOLCAD: SOLDIER Cadet program abbreviation.

Readers:Usually takes place several times a day, after chow and before lights out. Where cadets verbally repeat ranks and other general knowledge they're required to know.

Squad Secretary: In charge of doing the paperwork for the squad. A cadet staff position.

World B: World where Dissidia took place.

So, Cloud's been sent back in time and his other self at the time has been kidnapped. Just what is going on?

Please review! If there is interest, I will put the next chapter up by Monday (cause it's kinda half-written already).

Some of the Cadets listed become the playable Turks in BCC. Did you pick up on that?