Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or it's characters, they belong to SquareEnix. However, there are some custom characters that DO belong to me.

Also, I just want to make it clear that I'm making the laws of physics a bit more evident than in Advent Children.

WARNING: This Fanfic is rated M for a reason! Very graphic fighting and sex scenes! If you are under 18 years of age, I'm warning you against reading this fic! If you choose to do so anyways, that's your choice, and no fault of mine! I warned you!


You're never gonna be alone

From this moment on

If you ever feel like letting go

I won't let you fall

You're never gonna be alone

I'll hold you till the hurt is gone


CHAPTER I

ANIMAL

The pain medication was necessary, he told himself. But he knew he had started taking more than the prescription stated. It had become harder and harder not to. Wincing, he glanced at his right knuckle. The blood had not stopped. There were probably small shards of the mirror buried in the scar. He would have to take care of that, but not now.

The wind had an icy bite; a reminder that winter was not yet passed. He did not know where he was going. He did not care. He was running away from the nightmare, from the memory of it. It was futile. Still, Cloud thought, if I can go fast enough, I may succeed. He hit the throttle, his face going numb from the speed with which he raced into the icy morning air. Fenrir began to shake, the wind resistance beginning to prove too much. Cloud pushed it faster. He had been riding for hours and had lost track of time. It was probably near seven.

The concrete wall separating the traffic going opposite directions exploded. Swerving, he slowed to controllable speeds and looked back at the hole in the wall. A vehicle burst through and turned toward him.

He heard it before the helicopter appeared above and to the left. He saw armored and masked men with guns. A few leaned out, pointing their weapons. Gunfire erupted and bullets rained down at him. Most were far of their mark, but some got close enough to get Cloud nervous.

The vehicle behind him, an armored van, was gaining. A man popped out of the passenger window and began firing his gun. A bullet grazed Cloud's shoulder. Swerving, he entered a ramp to take him to the high roads. Then he recognized the area he was in. Buildings lay in ruins. Streets were torn up and strewn with rubble. He was entering the remains of Midgar.

He saw a break in the road ahead, but it didn't pose too much of a threat. Readying himself, he sped up his approach. Timing it right, he jumped Fenrir over the hole, entering the high roads still in the air. He saw the semi coming at him from the right, but there was nothing he could do. The left headlight shattered as it slammed into the back of Fenrir, still in mid-air. The force broke apart the entire rear of the bike, the rear wheel was sent flying. The rest of the bike, with Cloud still attached, went spinning like a top toward the broken edge of the road.

Cloud was thrown of Fenrir as the bike hit the ground, coming apart on contact. Cloud slammed into the asphalt, tumbling closer and closer to the edge that led to a very long fall. Sliding off the edge, he shot his hand out, reflexively to grab anything stable. The slightly protruding piece of road his hand grasped onto broke off immediately as gravity forced his body down. He was falling alongside a cracked support beam that could have saved his life. But he was still falling outward, toward a collapsed building whose only standing wall seemed fragile enough to crumble if he so much as breathed on it.

Still, he could not control the momentum of his fall, and he braced himself as his body crashed into the wall, the back of his head making a solid thump against the brick. Dust and debris followed his continued decent. Darkness closed around the edges of his vision. He felt like he was float upward, not falling down.

Of a sudden, his body hit a flat piece of rubble that was propped diagonally against the wall of the building. Rolling and sliding down it, he was like a rag-doll going down a park slide. The actual ground met him unconscious and covered in dust, debris, and his own blood. His clothes were torn and beaten. His back, arms, and legs patched in black bruises. Still and broken, he lay waiting for death.

*******

Faec was a man of opportunity and action. He never did anything for free, and he never failed at a job. He was proud of that record, a record that could have just been destroyed by the bumbling idiot. Iendo, the large brute who had driven the semi, was complaining quite loudly.

"But, boss, you told me to get there fast to block him from the high roads. Besides, what difference does it make if he's dead or alive?"

The imbecile! "The difference," He turned around, grabbing the big oaf by the collar of his shirt and slamming him up against the side of the semi. "Is that if he's dead, we don't get paid!" Slapping his face, Faec turned away. He had no doubt that Iendo could kill him by giving him a pat on the back, but he was smart enough to know that without Faec, he wouldn't get paid. Money was like candy to these chumps, wave a little in their face and they'd do anything for more.

Faec wasn't like that. He always evaluated the risks. If they weren't acceptable, he didn't do it for any amount of money. That's why he was leading this operation. He was the only one here with a brain past the size of a walnut!

"Well, what are ya all waitin' for? Get down there and pick 'im up! And if he's dead," He turned back to Iendo. "You'll be dead."

Iendo grunted, walking away.

Gaia, where's all the good help gone these days?

*******

A sound woke Cloud from the depths of unconsciousness. He almost passed out from the pain that shot through him like a jolt of electricity. Forcing himself onto his side, he vomited. Every breath sent another jolt of agony through his body. How he was still alive, he did not know.

The sound jerked his head up. It was a high-pitched sound that reminded him of…something. The air around him was full of fog. A cloud had fallen to the earth. It sounded again, the high-pitched…something. Whatever was making it was not far. Then he saw a shape in the fog. It was closing in on him. Sudden panic enveloped him. He could hardly breathe, let alone move; if it was hostile, how could he hope to defend himself?

The shape emerged into a grey wolf. The wolf watched him with yellow, un-blinking eyes. It sat down, and the sound rose again. Was it…it was whimpering. The wolf stood up, hair rising, it began to growl. It stared beyond him into the fog.

Coughing, Cloud struggled to sit up. "What…what is it…boy?" The wolf calmed down as it looked back to him, a knowing light in its eye. Then it turned and began to run back the way it came, stopping to look back at him, waiting. Grimacing in pain, he finally succeeded in propping himself up against a broken pillar beside him. "Want me to follow you…huh? Well…that may be…a problem." The wolf shook its head. Cloud began to laugh. "Yeah, yeah…ow…well, I did just fall fifty stories, you know." What's wrong with me? I'm just talking to myself.

Inch by painful inch, Cloud pulled himself to his feet. His right arm wasn't cooperating with him; it must have dislocated itself in the landing. He braced himself as he forced his arm back into its socket. His teeth clamped down and he had to spit up blood from a cut on his tongue. Well, this situation just keeps getting better, doesn't it?

Taking some deep breaths to ready himself, he took a step toward the wolf. The second wasn't any easier, but it got the sub-conscious action started. The wolf ran off as he neared it, disappearing into the fog. Glad I know I can count on you.

He continued in the direction the wolf had vanished. Occasionally he saw it's tail, or heard its padded feet in the distance. When the wolf reappeared, standing atop a mound of rubble, he was surprised at how long it had taken him to go such a short distance. He couldn't have gone more than a hundred yards. The wolf continued to climb, and once again was enveloped in that white cloak of mist.

"Let's not let things get easier, now." Cloud whispered as he began to climb. The rocks were rough and he scrapped his hands and legs more than he cared to count. I'll be damn lucky if I have any skin left after this. He had to take a break at every chance available. He finally tore a piece of his pant-leg off and wrapped his shredded right hands with it. The wrappings weren't anything special, but it would keep the dirt out; it would do until he reached a hospital.

When he found the wolf again, he was surprised as it disappeared into what seemed a cave. How the hell did a cave get formed here in this rubble? Entering, it became clear that it was man-made. Someone had come to this place and taken out chunks of rocks to make a large cavern underneath the rubble. Someone had too much time on their hands. Light shown through holes in the ceiling, revealing the ground in large circular pools; some far apart, some overlapping each other. Much of the cavern was still cast in shadow.

The wolf stood in a pool of light about a yard away. Then it turned and was swallowed up by a black hole in the shadow. So dark as to stand out in shadow; must be a cave. He had followed the wolf this far, he might as well follow it the rest of the way. Wishing he had his sword, he plunged into darkness to deep, he could see nothing. Not a damn thing.

*******

Faec pointed to the bloody smears on the rocks above. "He's climbin', so are we. Get goin'!" Every handhold needed to be tested before used, every foothold made anew. Faec was glad for the leather gloves he now wore, judging by the blood left by the target, the rocks weren't very forgiving.

"Boss, I found something!" one of his men shouted from above.

"Hold on, I'm comin'. Don't do nothin' 'til I get there!"

When he reached his man, Ato, he saw what the man had found. "I think it's a cave, boss."

"Of course it's a cave! Caves are found everyday in the rubble of destroyed and abandoned cities!" He slapped the man upside the head. "Get back to climbin', idiot!"

Rubbing the back of his head, Ato pleaded, "But boss, there's blood down there."

Faec paused. Looking down at the entrance to the hole, he saw the spots of blood. Looking upward, he couldn't find any blood on the rocks. "Well, then what're ya waitn' for? Get down there! Do I have to do everything around here?"

Ato scrambled down the rocks to the opening. The others followed suit, Iendo taking up the rear. Who the hell would make a cave in rubble? One thing was for sure, he was going to demand extra when he met up with his employer. Or at least, the man in charge of the funding. He had not actually met with his employer, not that he needed to. In this profession, it was better to know as little as possible.

Following after his men, Faec gasped as he saw the vastness of the cavern. This is going to take some time! Faec was not a man of patience. "Spread out, find 'im, and bring 'im to me! Now!" Everyone fanned out as Faec sat down on a rock near the entrance, handgun loaded and ready.

*******

Roreq searched half-heartedly. He was beginning to think the job was more trouble than the prize was worth. He began only wanting to find this guy so he could personally put a bullet in his head. A low growl alerted him as a wolf appeared from the shadows. Gun ready, he turned on his communicator. "Hey boss, I found a wolf!"

The answer came back muddled from the distance and the echo effect of the cavern, still Roreq understood enough of it. "Then kill it, dammit!"

"Yes sir," Roreq said, turning the device off. "Say bye-bye, puppy." He lifted his gun and aimed.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The voice was deep and raspy. Startled, Roreq turned, aiming his gun at the newcomer. He only got a glimpse of yellow before he was knocked over by something from behind. The wolf! Teeth buried into his shoulder as he struggled, yelling out for help. He did not see his gun get picked up, so focused he was on the wolf.

*******

Faec smiled to himself at the sound of the gunshot. It would alert the target, but it would scare him more, and the fearful made mistakes. The smile faded as thoughts returned to his employer. Now that he thought about it, he knew nothing of the man, if man it was. That was not normal. It was unnerving. Why did his employer want this man? What was their connection? Faec shook his head. Dangerous questions. It was safer this way. Besides, he could always ask the target when they caught him.

Another gunshot rang through the cavern. A sense came over him. Something was not right. "Roreq, another wolf?" Silence. "Roreq?" Silence. Damn it! "Everyone sound off in code!"

Six voices buzzed autonomously, using their code names.

"Anyone else?" Faec asked into the communicator. No answer. "Damn it! Roreq and Secres are dead!" Faec jumped off his seat and ordered everyone to the entrance. When they arrived, he told them the news.

"Are you sure, boss?" Boldger asked.

"No, you idiot, I'm sure they just didn't answer because they're playin' Hide 'n Seek! Idiots!" He was surrounded by them. Looking around he cursed. Literally! "Iendo and Jesant, stay here with me, you other four, split into two teams, and find that bastard!"

*******

He was no longer Cloud Strife, Hero of Edge. He had become something else. He didn't understand how or when, but he didn't fight it either. He was now Cloud the Animal. After killing the second man, he had taken his sword. It was a normal short sword, but it would do.

He moved through the shadows like a wraith. The shadows held no dangers to him, only a cloak to hide him from his enemies. Two men appeared, alert and ready – or so they thought. Cloud aimed and fired his last bullet, taking the guy farthest away in the head. The other man fell to his knee, aiming into the darkness.

Cloud rushed foreword, jumping off the wall, he hit the other wall, kicking off. He was zigzagging in mid-air from wall to wall. Cloud could see in the darkness, but sound was the only sense the other could use, and sound was not an ally in this echo-chamber of a cavern. He waved his gun back and forth, trying to spot anything. A flash of metal was his only warning as the sword took off his head.

Cloud hit the ground running. The Animal was hungry for more.

Four.

He turned a corner and almost ran directly into two more men, one with a sword, the other with an automatic machine gun. Cloud the Animal continued his course, sliding his blade through the chest of the man with the gun. Spinning, unsheathing his sword from the corpse, Cloud swung the blade at the remaining man. Sparks illuminated their faces as sword met sword. The man was good, probably as good as Cloud. Probably was not enough apparently, as Clouds blade opened up his throat.

Cloud the Animal was off running before the second corpse hit the ground.

Six.

*******

The sounds of battle were everywhere, due to the echo of the cavern. They could not discern from which direction the sounds were coming from. Faec was sweating with fear. He had never been in a situation like this. When silence took up again, Faec wet his lips and called out, "S-sound off in c-code, everyone." Silence. Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit! Who is this guy? Dammit!

Jesnat looked at Faec, knowing what he was thinking. "What now, boss?"

"W-we…ahem, we wait for…for him t-t-to c-come to us. Y-yes, that's it." He was now visibly trembling. I'm going to die, I know it!

"Very well," Jesnat looked away, "We wait."

They didn't have to wait for long. A figure appeared, walking calmly towards them. Faec could not make out the details, due to the darkness in which the man strode, but he saw enough to know it was not one of his men. Then he entered a pool of light, and Faec gasped in surprise and disgust. The target, for that was who he was, looked as if he had been thrown down a rocky hill – which may not have been far from the truth. His clothes were in shreds, his body covered in blood and grime. His skin was cut open in various places, mostly along the arms. And he's alive?

Jesnat saw the danger his boss was in, just by the target being in the vicinity. It wasn't that he cared about Faec, but he did care about money, and Faec was the only one who knew where to find the buyer and get the money for the job. And that was enough incentive to keep him alive.

Unsheathing his katana, Jesnat charged the target. The target parried the overhead thrust and countered with an upward arc so fast that Jesnat could not evade. The blade slashed open his jacket, leaving a line of blood on Jesnat's chest. After a few exchanges of thrust and parries and various other moves, Jesnat knew he was beaten. Not a man; an animal! The thought barely entered his mind when his opponent's blade sheathed itself into his chest, piercing his heart.

Faec could not stop the cry of alarm that erupted from his mouth when Jesnat fell. Iendo rushed foreword, armor-plated arms outstretched. The target evaded with a roll, ending the move with an upward thrust. Iendo fell to his knees, clutching his chest. The target turned his back to Faec as he readied the killing stroke. Faec had seen enough, aiming his gun he shot.

The bullet buried itself into the targets right shoulder, causing him to drop the sword and hunch over, clutching his wound. Faec was reloading his gun when the target turned around, eyes fixed on him. He froze. Those eyes had a feral light to them, like a… A wolf? The target lunged at him. Faec raise the gun reflexively and shot three rounds into the targets chest.

Falling to one knee, the target tried to recover. He stood slowly, glaring at Faec. He never saw Iendo approaching from behind. The punch that was delivered to the back of the targets head made a resounding crack and the target slumped over, limp.

"Great timing, Iendo! He's lucky if he survived that, and so are we." Faec walked over, reloading his gun once again. "One man! Damn!"

"But you shot him in the chest, boss." Iendo tried to defend himself.

"They were blanks, you idiot! They hurt like hell, but they're not leathal." He grabbed a handful of the targets dirty blonde hair, lifting his head up to look at his face. "Which is more than I can say for this one."

"Or me." Faec turned, gun ready. A black cloaked figure stood at the outside edge of a nearby pool of light. His face was pale white, like bone. "Leave now." The voice was deep and smooth.

"Who the hell are you?" Looking the figure up and down, he added, "And what?"

"Both inquiries are unimportant to you. This place is my home and the surrounding land my hunting grounds. You have trespassed. And what's more, you threatened the life of my companion." His tone was hard and cold. "Now, you have two options: Leave now, without this man, and keep your lives, or stay here and lose them. Choose wisely and quickly. My patience is drying up."

"He killed seven of my best men, there needs to be a pay up. Besides, if I leave without this man, I'm dead. The man I work for will kill me. I'll die!" Faec was now pleading with the cloaked figure. He could sense a terrible power emanating from him.

"You'll die if you stay here."

"I'll take my chances with you! I at least know the power of those I work for. Iendo!" Faec backed off, gun aimed as Iendo charged past, blood still dripping from his chest wound.

"Haha! Time to die!" Iendo lunged, fist flying at full speed and strength. The cloaked man moved so fast, Faec didn't know why Iendo stopped, let alone miss. Then he saw the glint of metal and Iendo fell backwards, his torso falling away from his waist.

The weapon that the killer held was the strangest weapon Faec had ever seen. The man – or whatever – held onto a handle, and from the handle curved a blade that ran the length and shape of the arm holding it. From the center of the blade, rose another blade, curved like a tooth or claw.

The thing swept his cloak over his armed hand and settled back into his pose he had been in. Faec noted, dimly, that its feet had not moved.

"Wrong choice." Then it all caught up with him. Faec screamed and fired his gun, all eight rounds, into the figure. As the bullets hit the cloak, wisps of the cloak floated like smoke, only to settle back in their place. The figure still stood, unchanged.

"The hell are you?!"

"It has been long since I have tasted flesh so fresh. It is always better when they are still…kicking." As the realization of what was going to happen to him dawned, Faec fell to his knees.

"Why?" It was an empty question. Faec was already lost in his own mind, hiding from the truth.

"Does there always need to be a reason?" The figure closed the gap between them and draped Faec within the folds of his cloak. "Too long."


Charcoal Weapon: Nothing like a cliffhanger-ending to really kick off the story.

Read and Review, please. Constructive criticism appreciated.

Lyrics are the next part to the song "Never Gonna Be Alone" by Nickelback, Dark Horse album. It's one of the songs that inspired this story.