This will be story will be a little AU while at the same time sticking very close to canon. I haven't seen anyone else use this idea, so I figure I'd give it a shot. Chapters will probably be short and updates will be random. I've been making progress on other stories so expect update for them soon. ;)

Final Fantasy and all related characters belong to Square Enix

Enjoy.

Alone I stand, A broken man ~ Without You - Breaking Benjamin

Hell Hound

Chapter One

Tifa didn't like this. Cloud had said he was going to Aerith's church and would be back by sundown. That was two days ago and he still hadn't returned. In the past he had gone off on his own and wouldn't be back for days, week, sometimes even months at a time. This was different. Ever since the incident with the remnants he had been getting better. He came home almost every day, except for the extra long trips he had to take for his delivery service, but he'd always come back. But this wasn't a delivery trip. This was a visit to the church where he had first met Aerith, where he had found the cure for the stigma and cured the children along with himself. So, what was taking him so long?

She kept going over every possible reason in her head - trying to find the reason before finding him and asking him herself. She thought about calling him, but he still had issues when it came to actually answering. No matter. She'd rather talk to him face to face anyway, or if he didn't give her the right answers, face to fist. It wouldn't be the first time she'd hit him and odds were, it wouldn't be the last.

As she rounded the corner of the large mound of debris that were ever present in this area she noticed something shocking about the church. It had been set on fire! Small dark wisps of smoke rose from the smoldering ashes as if the fire had burned itself out. The damage was massive and the building was completely gutted. Everything that was wood was now burnt charcoal and the once beautiful stain-glass windows had either been blown out or melted.

Tifa took her eyes of the building when something shiny reflected from somewhere and caught her attention. A piece of black metal glinted in the sunlight. It looked like it had broken off of something and then she saw another piece,...and then another. She found a larger piece that looked familiar until she rounded the corner and saw a mangled mess of black metal, twisted, sliced and burnt. With a horrible realization twisting in her gut, she realized what this was.

"Fenrir."

Cloud's prized mode of transportation was nothing more than a mangled pile of scrap, but where was the rider? Tifa's heart froze and she dashed back around to the entrance of the church and forced her way inside, tossing charred beams aside as if they were twigs. She looked all over the church and there was no sign of him. She was relieved, until another glint caught her eye. It was the water in the middle of the church. Even after that battle, flowers still bloomed, until the fire burned all that were not submerged beneath the protective liquid's surface.

Tifa checked to make sure no harm had befallen the spring. It wasn't just a cure for Stigma, but had other healing effects as well. Cloud had often come here to check and make sure no one had tried to disturb such a tranquil place. That's when Tifa' s heart plummeted.

On the other side of the water'd edge, where the sword of Cloud's friend used to lay, was Cloud. He was in a sitting position with his head slumped forward. One of his swords was resting in his unclenched hand, the other sword was...

"CLOUD!"

Tifa ran to his side, dropping to her knees and tried to wake him up. The smallest of his multi-bladed sword was sticking out of his chest. Dried blood covered the entire front of his shirt and more blood left a trail from his mouth down to his chin and staining his neck.

Being mindful of the sword still lodged in his chest, she bent down and pulled her hair back, listening - praying for the sound of a heart beat.

. . . ba-thum . . . ba-thum . . . ba-thum . . .

She let out the biggest sigh of relief when she heard his heart still pulsing. It was weak and his condition looked grim, but he was alive. She tried calling to him again, though more gently this time.

"Cloud? Please...wake up. Who did this?"

It was no use. ultimately, Tifa decided it was for the best. If he woke up now he'd probably be in too much pain to talk anyway. The wound was already infected and it seemed that the wound wasn't healing like it should. Reaching for his cell phone she dialed the first number that came to mind.