A/N: Well got the formatting fixed, thanks to the reviewer that pointed that out, I probably would not have noticed otherwise. Publishing on a tablet sucks. So I am heavily leaning towards Seph/Cloud/Tseng but since i haven't made it that far I am still up for opinions on a third for Seph and Cloud. You will notice towards the end of the fic I purposefully left out Angeal and Genesis, there is a reason for that but they will make their way into this fic and it will be a fun surprise for Cloud. Now that this chapter is fix I hope you all will enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII or its characters. That makes me sad.

Chapter 2

Cloud spent the next 3 days completing his chores and school work before lunch and whittling a sturdy branch into a practice weapon before dinner. He stayed up well into the night sketching the designs for his Fusion Blade and Fenrir; he would have his sword and bike back no matter what they were a part of him and just know they didn't even exist yet made him feel a little naked and vulnerable.

He had years of battle and tactical knowledge, katas from multiple styles of fighting, stuck in his head but without the strength or muscle memory to go along with the know how it was all useless. Doing one-handed sword katas to begin with would build up his muscle memory and his morning runs through the mountain would help with his stamina and his reflexes since the forest was pretty dense. With only a rough plan in mind, Cloud hoped Vincent would be willing to help with his training, the man had been one of the best Turks and they all may have been sneaky amoral bastards but they were talented and skilled. The Turks had skills that SOLDIERS were never taught because they were mostly just heavy hitters; stealth, hacking and blending in with your surrounds were just a few useful ones Cloud wanted to learn.

He hadn't decided just yet if going to Midgar or trying to become a SOLDIER would help or be a good idea, but if that did become part of his plan he had 5 years to train since 14 was the minimum age to apply for the SOLDIER Cadet program, 1 year to become a SOLDIER and 1 year before Sephiroth was assigned to the mission to Nebelheim. The only problem was there were way too many variables to plan accordingly. On the small possibility that he was sent back in time, not likely, than everything he was doing now threw the whole timeline out of whack and things have been irrevocably changed and all his planning would be useless. If everything he knew was a dream than it's possible that things will progress as he has planned with the slightest of changes. Either way it wasn't something he was going to worry about, he'd just have to come up with a few contingency plans. The number one worry was Getting rid of Jenova and erasing all the false data proclaiming the Calamity a Cetra. He had a plan for Jenova, he just hoped it would work.

Those 3 days were an adjustment period and it was difficult for Cloud. He found that not only were his memories at war but so was his personality. As a child he had been quiet and a loner but as an adult he'd been solemn and pretty much a recluse. That small happy loving piece of Zack that had resided in the back of his head was no longer there, but he remembered what it was like to be him. He remembered what Zack felt and that was just as ingrained in him as Clouds childlike self and his adult self. He was having a hard time balancing 3 different personalities, especially when one was so very different than his own.

He was seen in the village less than before and avoided all human contact besides his mother. He did not and would not seek out Tifa, she had been his best friend after Zack and Aeris but that was because of shared pain and bad experiences. She had been so very different as a child, popular and spoiled; they never would have come together if it hadn't been for the village being burnt down. He had made that stupid promise only because he had been lonely and wanted a friend; she only made it because she wanted someone to save her from this village and the life that lay before her. He wouldn't be as thoughtless this time, she was a strong woman and would be able to save herself. Without him in the picture she would be able to find real love, get married and have children. She would be able to find her own way; it made him a little sad and a little happy but ultimately it felt like the right thing to do.

The third day came early, Cloud spent the early morning hours running up the mountain and dodging in and out of the trees, it was a lot of work and even pushing himself to his limit; it was going to take a long time to get where he needed to be. He made it back to his house, dirty and soaked in sweat, before his mother woke up and was showered and dressed by the time she had breakfast ready. There was chores and school work, which was ridiculously easy now, then lunch. After washing his dishes he rushed out of the house with a yelled goodbye at his mother.

Vincent was waiting for him in the foyer of the manor. Cloud eyed the man, looking for any wounds but the ex-Turk looked the same as usual. "You found her?"

Vincent nodded. "Yes, I am ready to hear your story now if you are ready to tell it."

He knew that was all that he would get from the man unless he felt like sharing, and that was highly unlikely. "We'll go in here," Cloud led him into the piano room where he sat straddling the bench facing the window. Vincent leaned against the wall where he could see the window, door and Cloud.

Cloud looked down at his hands resting in his lap. So strange and yet familiar. Small and uncalloused, dainty. He shook his head and pushed the unimportant thought away. "This is going to be a long and weird story. I still don't know exactly what happened or how." He took a deep breath and began at the beginning, age 14 and his failed attempt to join SOLDIER.

The telling took forever because up until his 21st year all the memories were hazy at worst or disjointed at best. The Mako poisoning screwed with his head in a major way and there were too many things he didn't know, remember or only found out later after the fact.

Vincent had taken to stopping at points to ask questions to get a clearer picture. When he was finished he waited for Vincent's input while he tried to work some moisture in his dry mouth. It had been the most he had spoken in a very long time and he was regretting not bringing something to drink with him. Vincent stared at him thoughtfully before frowning slightly. It was an unusual occurrence for him to show any emotion so Cloud waited patiently for him to work through whatever was going on in his head.

"Chaos knows something but is not talking. All I can get from him is amusement." Vincent stated in aggravation.

"He is a part of the Planet even if he came from tainted Lifestream. He's a semi Weapon so he probably does know something. I Would like to know what happened to me but I know he will do what he wants so I'm not going to try and push the issue. I'll just keeping going as if everything is written in stone and will happen if we don't do something." Cloud shrugged unconcerned. "Is he listening? I had idea and I know he's not one to help but it couldn't hurt to ask."

"He is."

"Jenova is a threat not only to all life on the Planet but also to the Planet herself. Chaos is a being made up of tainted Lifestream and the devourer of souls. Is it possible for him to destroy Jenova without tainting the pure Lifestream? Anything we do will result in taint. Burning it will create ash which will seep into the Lifestream, throwing it in Mako will speed along the taint and we have no way to create a container that is airtight and unbreakable. The only surefire way would be to send it back into space but that would mean waiting years for Cid to perfect his spaceship and having a safe place to keep it until then."

Vincent cocked his head slightly as if he were listening. "It is possible; we would need to see the Calamity first."

"Easy enough, we can head up to the reactor first thing in the morning; it's too late to do it tonight. I have to be home before my mother becomes any more suspicious." Cloud said standing and getting ready to leave.

"How do you know it will be there?"

Cloud turned back to Vincent. "I'm not completely positive but I have a theory. 19 years ago Shinra started talking about Mako Reactors to supply people with power. By the time Gast discovered Jenova 18 years ago, Shinra was getting ready to build the first reactor right here in the Nibel Mountains. I think to keep Jenova a secret the company decided to use the reactor for a secondary purpose, Jenova's room is built into the reactor with its name engraved on a plate above the door. The containment tube that it is held in is covered with an effigy of it, Sephiroth was able to pry it away from the container but he was the strongest person on the Planet. You'll see what I mean, but anyway I believe that since Jenova was being contained in the reactor, Shinra Mansion was built at the same time or shortly after the rector so that Gast and Hojo could continue their work with Project J."

"A well thought out theory. I could not tell you if you are correct or not, I was only assigned to watch over the Project after everything was in place. I knew next to nothing about the Project and Jenova, I only objected to the experiments when Lucrecia began having visions of her unborn child. My sin is I failed them all, Lucrecia, Gast and Sephiroth." Vincent said solemnly.

Cloud grit his teeth and took a few angry steps towards the older man until he was standing directly in front of him. He reached up and grabbed a handful of Vincent's red cloak pulling him down so that they were eye level. "Listen very carefully Vincent, you are a good man, not a monster or an all knowing being. She was a woman you were very much in love with and carrying a child you wished with all your heart was yours. You may have given up a little too easily but at least you tried which is more than anyone else did. It is not too late to atone for things you think are your sins, right now there is a teenager in the middle of a war with no friends and only a father that wants to use him as an experiment. Stop feeling sorry for yourself Vincent and do something, Sephiroth is going through the worst imaginable torture under Hojos care and it needs to stop. I won't lie and say you could have a familial relationship with him because I just don't know, but he does need a friend. Someone who can tell him about his human mother, someone who can remind him he is human and that he was cared for, loved even. I trust you with my life and with this, I can't do this alone." Cloud stopped his ragged breathing overly loud in the silent room.

Vincent reached up and gently pried Clouds hand from his cloak. "You are correct, thank you Cloud Strife. It is time for you to go now. I will meet you at the gates in the morning."

"Alright, goodnight Vincent."

Cloud smiled when heard the soft goodnight in reply as he left the room.

Vincent spent the night in that same position, staring sightlessly out the window into the pitch black night with only the stars and moon to cast any light. Cloud Strife was an enigma; he knew of the demons imprisoned within himself and showed no fear, he seemed to care for Vincent a great deal and counted him a friend, he trusted Vincent with his life and the man just couldn't understand that but he wasn't going to betray that trust. He tucked his head a little further into his collar and let his lips twitch Into a small smile. The boy with hair like the sun and eyes like blue fire was going to change the Planet and Vincent planned to be a part of that change.