Chapter 1: After it is all done.

Final Heaven was heavy with business as people crowded into the bar after a long day of work trying to repair Midgar after Meteor had nearly obliterated the world. Midgar used to be a place where people cared little for their fellow man and focused more on the next best way to better themselves. The huge city was separated into 8 sectors each one more dangerous than the last and covered by an upper plate that cut them off from the rest of the world. To those living in the "upper world", the floating city, anyone who was not part of the elite top plate dwellers were as good as lepers in a forsaken wasteland of lost hopes and dreams. The sector dwellers were considered nothing more than the scum at the bottom of the earth and their homes took on the name of what they represented...slums. Crime rates were sky high and prostitution was at the top of the list for people to make a living. Every once in a while an individual would be lucky enough to make it out of the slums. There were only two sure fire ways to make it out. One was if you had a talent that far surpassed those of the "elites" and by some miracle somebody found you and made you an offer that seemed like water in a parched land. And the other was if you took all the money you ever saved up and used it to buy you a one way ticket out of Midgar and to a new life, and that was only if you managed not to get robbed by the various street gangs that patrolled the area. Most people never managed to do either, so therefore it was a never ending cycle of violence and depression, the sun didn't shine in the slums. The plate made sure of that. It was set in stone, those born in the slums died in the slums.

When Meteor was summoned it was like the veil that separated good from evil was torn and the two forces on each side merged together to fight the greater evil. Those who would selfishly hold back to better themselves now gave freely and helped to do more than just line their own pockets. One of the after effects, that also caused "the great merge" was that the plate had been destroyed and no matter how callous the hearts of the top dwellers were at a time, the heat of meteor had thawed the ice box which had once occupied their chests. Not even the most self centered and arrogant CEO could walk past the bloody tear streaked face of a child crying for it's mother, not knowing that she had spent her last minutes sheltering him from the falling debris. This miraculous project was headed by no other than the planet saviors, after the defeat of the great General Sephiroth by Cloud and AVALANCHE their fame had spread throughout all the continents. Everywhere they went people knew them from their selfless effort to save the planet, and they were once again thrust into the bettering of mankind by taking control of the massive Midgar Reconstruction Project.

CRASH!! Three more plates fall to the floor as Cloud clumsily drops them ...again. One would think that being so great at handling a sword, carrying a few plates would be a walk in the park, but Cloud's hand -eye coordination would not permit the plates to stay in the tray. Tifa was the proud owner of the place, she and Cloud decided to settle down on the top plate of Midgar and open up a new Bar/Restaurant. One would consider it to be a multi-purpose facility because it was used as a reprieve from a hard day's work for the myriad of people so willing to give of themselves to help rebuild their homes and also as a charity to contribute money to the greater cause. Cloud and Tifa also decided that they would avoid Nibleheim because of what Shin-Ra did. It was no longer their once peaceful hometown but a cover up by Shin-Ra after one of their experiments had gone detrimentally wrong. Cloud had managed to break 15 plates in the space of 5 hours and Tifa was considering telling him to tend to the bar instead of the kitchen. She figured he would do less damage there and considering the fact that plates were more fragile than shot cups and mugs, she would save her self a few hundred gill by relieving him of his current title of bus boy.

"You know what Cloud" Tifa said as she helped him pick up the shattered plates.

She paused and glanced quickly at the clock hanging on the far wall. The clock was a reminder of her old life in Nibelheim, a token from her deceased father. It was made out of wood which showed the toll of time and had her mother's name carved at the bottom. The clock showed five minutes to 3AM.

"I think we should turn in for the night. I'm bone tired and it seems like you are too" she said with a soft giggle.

Cloud reddened a bit, either from embarrassment or the fact that Tifa was standing so close to him. She was his childhood crush that had grown into the woman of his dreams. Cloud was still a tad clumsy in front of Tifa because the feelings that he harbored from a childhood that seemed so long ago. They only seemed to grow stronger with each passing day. He could never bring himself to the point of telling her that she was the missing link in his life and he would lay down and die if she only commanded it. He couldn't even fathom telling Tifa how he truly felt about her though, and that was solely because of his self proclaimed inadequacies. In his mind Tifa is a beautiful and graceful woman that is optimistic, strong willed, and strong hearted. He dreaded the day when her Mr. Right would come running through those bar doors and asking her hand in marriage. He often contemplated introducing this so called Mr. Right to Mr. Ultima Weapon. After the many events that had transpired he saw no way that Tifa would ever consider him as a potential suitor, especially not after he let himself be controlled by Sephiroth.

Sephiroth.

The name rolled around in his mind. He could not bring himself to hate the swords man. They shared a friendship like no two ever had.. They were best friends outside of Cloud's SOILDER training and after time became more akin to brothers. That fateful night that Sephiroth burned Nibleheim, Cloud saw something that was never there before. It was in his eyes, a mix of pure insanity tainted with dread. He looked as if he were being controlled. Cloud remembered seeing it again as Sephiroth drove his Masamune through Aeris. The only difference was that Cloud saw a glimpse of the Sephiroth that he knew for a split second, and as soon as it came it was gone. Cloud would do almost anything to get his best friend back.

As the people filled out of the bar Cloud sat down at a nearby table and collapsed out of exhaustion. How long he sat there it was completely lost to him but he opened his eyes when he felt a tender but firm hand on his shoulder. Cloud got up realizing that he had fallen asleep and Tifa had cleaned up and was ready to go upstairs to the apartment that they shared on the second floor.

"I'm sorry Teef " Cloud said reddening once again. "Oh its alright" Tifa said with a gentle smile gracing her lips.

Cloud was locked in her gaze and she in his as they stood there for what seemed to be an eternity that neither wanted to end. Then there came a knock on the door that startled them both and caused each to look away with their hearts racing and their minds a whirl each lost in their thoughts as they pondered what just happened. The knock came again but this time more forcefully and lasted longer

"WE ARE CLOSED" Cloud yelled.

But the person on the other side just knocked all the harder. As Cloud clambered to the door muttering curses about drunkards missing the last call, his weariness caught up to him as he put his hand on the door knob and sighed with his head turned up to the ceiling. He put on his angriest scowl to face the intruder and flung the door open in a wide and powerful arch. What he found on the other side of the door was enough to change the scowl to shock, to a gentle and inviting smile. Vincent stood on the other side.

"Hello Cloud" Vincent stated in his usual Monotone voice.

"Well hello there ….Vincent", Cloud replied a bit startled at his comrade's troubled demeanor.

As Vincent walked in he looked around and locked eyes with Tifa.

"Hey Vincent", Tifa said in a cheery tone as she put the chair that Cloud had been using, on top the table. "What brings you to this part" Cloud asked as curiosity began creeping into his voice replacing his tiredness.

"There is no time to waste" Vincent replied as soon as Cloud finished his question.

Tifa's head snapped up at Vincent's sudden change in mood. As she dries her hand on a kitchen towel she approaches, with concern clear in her face.

"I'm sorry Vincent" replied lowly "but there is something pressing that needs to be dealt with. I will not ask you to lose sleep tonight, from the looks of it it seems like you guys have been busy. But before you got to sleep I must tell you what troubles me...from the beginning".

Cloud and Tifa take down two chairs as does Vincent and they each sit around the table.

"Go ahead" Tifa says and with a slight nod from Cloud, Vincent begins his story that brings him to the house of his two comrades that he battled with to save the planet just 2 weeks ago........

Two days ago at the Shin-Ra Mansion

Standing alone in the dark basement of the Shin-Ra mansion Vincent has one foot in the coffin and one out. He had been standing there staring at the thing for the last 4 hours and had made various attempts to get the rest of his body inside. It was an ominous thing, sitting there in all its black glory. It was lined with red velvet and embroidered gold arcane markings for which he had no explanation for. The coffin itself was one in which a king would wish to be buried in. It was spacious enough for at least two people and the velvet was as soft as rose petals. This is what he considered to be home for the last few decades. So why was it so hard for him to return "home". He knew why, it was because this coffin which he thought would be a reprieve from the constant life on the road with his "friends" was not what he wanted. He wanted the life on the road.

Other than the tussle of wanting to and not wanting to commit himself to another decade of mourning, there was something else bothering him. He couldn't place his finger on it but there was a definite shift in the way he was feeling and it had nothing to do with him standing in front of his coffin.

"Why now?" Vincent muttered to himself as he removed his foot from the inside of the coffin. He noticed that it was much easier for him to remove a limb than to put one in, he pushed that thought to the back of his head.

" Fool human, cant you feel it ?" Chaos asks Vincent from the darkest corners of his mind.

"Feel what?" Vincent asks a bit annoyed at the demon within him for disturbing . Chaos felt the negative energy being radiated at him by his host and smiled, it was one of his greatest joys.

"The disturbance in the lifestream you idiot".

"So thats what it is" Vincent says now realizing why he had such a feeling in the first place.

"Don't you think you should call on your little human friends so you all can go check this out together"Chaos smirks.

Vincent simply ignores him and decides to call Nanaki. After the conversation with Nanaki, Vincent's suspicions are confirmed. And he decides to take this up with Cloud and Tifa.....

In the present time:

"I wonder what the disturbance is all about" Tifa thought out loud rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"Nanaki also said that the disturbance is very great as if it were something powerful and might be a potential threat to the planet". Cloud's eyes widened at this aspect and then closed again with realization. There was no sure fire way to tell but he just knew. It excited him and filled him with a sudden fear that he had to remember to catch his breath.

With out a moments hesitation he gets up and walks over to the window and looks out for a couple of moments. He turned around to see them both looking at him very oddly. With his voice barely over a whisper cloud says:

"I know who it is".

Tifa's eyes widen with curiosity and Vincent's narrow in thought. Long moments passed before Cloud says anything. Then finally with his voice barely audible he says......

"Its Sephiroth..."