Chapter 2

Cloud was silent as they rode to Midgar, his body having slept. He slept through the ride, this new body weak during the morning and afternoon. Cloud took it as just being a vampire, and was glad he was not outside when the sun rose.

"Hey Cloud?" Cloud opened his eyes, looking to Zack who had a small smile on his lips. Cloud wondered vaguely if he was going to make fun of his name again, which would tempt Cloud to kill him. He had no patience for these humans, let alone this man who seemed closer to an angel than a human.

Cloud found it sickening.

"How are you feeling? You've been knocked out for a while." Cloud frowned slightly, wondering why the human cared about his well being. Cloud sat up a little straighter, shaking away the feeling of exhaustion.

"I'm fine," Cloud responded, Zack's smile becoming more relieved.

"That's good. Remember anything yet?" He asked, Cloud shaking his head. He took in a deep breath, smelling the blood of all the people around him. Cloud suddenly felt very hungry, his lips parting as he started to pant softly. His brows furrowed, Zack frowning slightly as he moved a little bit closer in the cramped space.

"You alright?" Zack asked, Cloud's jaw aching. He wanted so bad to kill all of the people in the truck, but something smelled off about their blood. Two cadets blood smelled okay, but Cloud knew he couldn't attack them here. He risked his cover, and he knew he had to be careful.

If the old mans memories were correct, the company the humans worked for would have a blast on doing experiments on him. Cloud looked to the window, seeing they were inside the city, but beneath a large metal plate.

Cloud needed to get out now.

Cloud put a hand over his mouth, Zack ordering the driver to stop. Cloud rushed out, forcing himself to vomit. Zack rubbed his back, Cloud feeling the eyes of the others on him.

"Car sick?" Zack asked, a tint of friendly humor in his voice. Cloud stopped vomiting, straightening up and panting softly. He needed to run now.

"I gotta use the bathroom," he whispered, Zack telling him to go behind a building close by. Cloud went over, seeing a gate that led into an alley. The alley led into another street. Cloud bolted, jumping high over the gate. He bolted down the street, hearing Zack ask if he was done. Cloud merged with the crowd, moving swiftly to hide his smaller frame.

His hair would give him away he knew, so he did his best to stay low. He moved into the shadows, hearing heavy footsteps come down the street.

"Cloud?" Cloud moved deeper into the shadows, holding his breath. Zack ran past him, asking people if they had seen him. The people he asked didn't even seem to notice he had passed by. Cloud moved further into the shadows, quickly making his way out of the buzzing marketplace.

He needed to find a place to hide and someone to eat.

Cloud walked for about an hour before he fell upon a place with houses. Some seemed abandoned, but Cloud sniffed the air. Many people just lived in the houses without actually owning them, if their hiding meant anything. Cloud went to a house where an old lady lived, needing her knowledge of this place. Cloud knocked on the door, the old lady opening the door after a few minutes.

"Oh hello," she said softly, her eyes lighting up with a smile.

"How may I help you, young man?" Cloud gave her a small smile.

"My mother lived around this area for some time, but I went to Nibelheim to live with my father. Do you know if maybe someone moved out recently? I can't seem to find her." The old lady led him into her house, sitting him down at her table. She put some water on the stove, turning back to him.

"My son died some time ago. You remind me of him. A woman died a couple months ago, her house is just down the street. A new family moved in though." She turned around, frowning slightly at the pot of water.

"Did I put that there?" She looked over shoulder, Cloud looming behind her. Cloud put a hand over her mouth, smashing her head into the stove. She couldn't even put up a struggle; her body limp as he greedily drank her blood. Her memories were all there, but some were mixed up. She had lived on top of the plate for a while, and the company Zack worked for seemed to be a large building in the center.

A large plate separated the rich from the poor, and Cloud couldn't help but feel relieved the sun was mostly blocked out because of the large plate. The company was called the Shinra Electric Company, and her grandson by the name of Reno worked there. They didn't seem to be close, but Cloud knew he had to make sure her body wasn't found.

He would spread rumors that she passed from natural causes, and that would make sure that nobody came searching for evidence. Cloud dropped her body when there was no more blood to drain, Cloud panting as he shivered. The hunger was never ending, and no amount of blood he drank could quench it.

For now though, he could keep the hunger at bay.

Cloud frowned when he saw the body dissolved into little bits of blue light, trying to grab it but failing. It had the same smell as Zack and Sephiroth did, which led Cloud to the conclusion that he had been right.

Cloud cleaned up the blood and turning off the stove before going upstairs, running a bath. He cleaned himself, going to a closet and seeing if any of the clothes fit him. He found a pair of jeans a shirt, though the shirt was kind of long. Cloud went to the bathroom, looking to his unruly spikes. When his demon heritage was taken away, so was his long hair. Cloud's spikes were still rather long, so he cut them down to a more manageable nest of spikes.

He put on a hoodie, covering himself with a jacket. Cloud sighed softly, wondering why his mother insisted on doing this to him. He preferred his armor to this, but as for now he did not have much of a choice.

"You run fast." Cloud froze, Sephiroth's voice an unexpected interruption to the silence. Cloud turned around, looking to the larger man with stoic eyes.

"You're not human are you?" Sephiroth asked, Cloud silent as he thought of a way to avoid physical confrontation.

"Are you one of Hojo's experiments? Did he send you to Nibelheim to test me?" Sephiroth asked, taking a step towards Cloud. Cloud narrowed his eyes, silently daring him to try to hurt him. Cloud searched the old lady's memories, but found nobody named Hojo.

"No." Sephiroth moved quickly, pinning Cloud against the wall by his neck. Cloud instinctively bared his teeth, Sephiroth looking at his sharp points. The rest of Cloud's teeth were slightly sharper than normal, the unusual sight making Sephiroth frown.

"What are you? Are you like me?" Sephiroth asked, Cloud almost laughing. He was far beyond the hybrid in front of him.

"No. I come from a different realm." Sephiroth frowned in confusion, but his hand didn't let Cloud's neck go. Cloud grabbed his hand, forcing his hand off of his neck. This seemed to surprise Sephiroth who couldn't overpower Cloud enough to get his hand free. Cloud moved quickly across the room, resting on top of a dresser near silently. Sephiroth looked confused, but Cloud could see the intrigue in his eyes. It seemed like he already knew he himself wasn't fully human.

"What do you mean by realm?" Sephiroth asked, Cloud narrowing his eyes as he contemplated killing the hybrid. Cloud pondered it quietly, their eyes locked. Cloud could smell almost everybody in the city, and since he couldn't smell any of his kind, keeping the hybrid around didn't seem like a bad idea. But Cloud was not clueless, and would make sure his identity stayed a secret.

"For me to tell you anything, you must swear an oath to speak of this to nobody." Sephiroth seemed to get excited, his stoic expression not able to conceal his true feelings.

"I swear," Sephiroth replied, Cloud resting against the dresser as he contemplated what to tell the hybrid. He sniffed the air, making sure they weren't being watched. Once Cloud deemed the coast was clear he began to talk.

"There exist many realms outside of your own. Space, though seeming empty is merely a mirror to all of the realms. I come from a realm your kind would call the Underworld. The part of you that isn't human comes from a different realm, though I cannot tell which one." Sephiroth sat down on the bed in the room, his eyes focused on Cloud intently. Cloud waited for him to ask any questions, but as the silence stretched he continued.

"I am the ruler of the Underworld, but to gain the throne I must finish a task. This task I cannot tell you." Sephiroth seemed a little bummed at that, but his eyes lit up slightly.

"So you're the devil?" Sephiroth asked, Cloud tilting his head but nodding. Sephiroth got up from the bed, moving towards Cloud. Cloud moved swiftly, at the other side of the room in seconds.

"What are you doing?" Cloud asked, Sephiroth looking to him with a glint in his eyes. Cloud frowned, a heat rising in his body again. Cloud squashed it, unsure of what it was.

"Why Gaia? If there are other realms, why come here?" Sephiroth asked, Cloud tempted to shrug in reply. It was a human like act, and it almost made Cloud's skin crawl in disgust.

"Three realms are closely linked. That's how all the realms are. There are always three closely linked, and on rare occasions there are four. That is most likely how the other part of you came here." Cloud was suddenly cornered, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. This body was a lot slower than his original, and Cloud was angered when Sephiroth smirked down at him.

"You are rather slow for being the devil." Cloud frowned, moving back till his back touched the wall, giving him some breathing space.

"My original form is suppressed in this world. If I walked on this land in my original form this world would burn." Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, Cloud seeing obvious lust in his eyes. Cloud would not be one to turn down sex, but something was off in Sephiroth's eyes.

The voice he heard in Nibelheim may not have bothered him anymore, but it seemed to still be in Sephiroth's head. It could have been that she had mental control over him in small areas, and his want to procreate was one of them. Cloud was aware he was a hermaphrodite, a thing passed down to every ruler of hell. It was to be able to sway the minds of both genders, though it was not used unless a lost soul was on the brink of sin.

Cloud had yet to use his ability, and though creation was possible he had never heard of a past ruler creating life. If Cloud was right, the thing that had merged with Sephiroth wanted to destroy this realm and make it it's own. Having Cloud on its side would be beneficial, but Cloud would not play that game. He would rule over his realm only, since he had no desire to take over this one.

Humans were nothing but items he collected. Having all of them would make their value decrease to almost nothing.

No… Cloud would rather have the ones who had the worst hearts, the most evil minds. Those were the most delicious, desirable ones.

"What do you want creature?" Cloud asked, a demonic twist in his voice. Sephiroth's eyes seemed to become misted, his lips pulling into a maniacal smile.

"Mother wants to destroy all of the beings on this planet, to use this planet as her vessel to travel the cosmos. And you will help her." Cloud punched Sephiroth, the hybrid flying back and slamming into the wall. It proved stronger than it looked, a large dent left behind.

"Listen closely creature. This realm is not yours to control. Stop this crusade now or I will kill you and your offspring." Sephiroth looked up to him, his misted eyes becoming clear once again. Cloud watched as he slowly rose, his bruised jaw healing in front of his eyes.

Sephiroth looked to him, his expression stoic once again. He walked to the door, his mind obviously conflicted and confused. Sephiroth stopped at the door, looking to Cloud over his shoulder.

"I will tell nobody I came here or that I saw you. Meet me at the subway station tomorrow night. I have more questions to ask you." Cloud was tempted to say no, but nodded.

He needed to know more about the creature. If it was threatening this realm, Cloud couldn't risk losing his precious collectables. Plus, he needed to find this supposed love if he wanted to return to his realm and permanently take his seat on the throne.

He did not believe in love, but with the threat of staying here forever Cloud was tempted to believe love might have some meaning.

Author's note: Story might be a tad confusing, but it'll make more sense as I write later chapters.