Chapter 4: Incoming Winds

Cloud left the seventh Heaven, leaving the kids, Tifa, Yuffie, Barret, and Vincent to movie day. Cloud needed to ride. Needed to clear his mind. He started for Fenrir. Meteor flashed through his vision, that huge mass of rock drawn inexorably towards Gaia. When he snapped back to reality, he was on his knees.

"I see brother was busy while I was away." Genesis said. Cloud looked up into his eyes.

More images flashed through his mind. The Final battle with Sephiroth. Aerith. The Ultima WEAPON. Diamond WEAPON. Omega. The burning of Nibelheim. Sephiroth's rebirth. Zack.

"Ah. So he is dead. I'm sad. I never got to say goodbye. You see, he was the one who killed me the first time. Sephiroth helped, but mostly it was Zack. My old friends, all lost to me now, Angeal, Sephiroth, and even Zack." Genesis explained.

"What do you want?"

"Me? Heh, only to be loved. Short of that, however, I'll take a little vengeance."

"Zack is dead."

"And you were his best friend." Cloud almost felt his heart stop. "Truly ironic, eh? You will be killed only because I wish death upon Zack. Sephiroth will be very happy, I know it."

Cloud looked up. The Air around him suddenly filled with tension and static electricity, like the very air had become charged. His hair flashed black, only for an instant. Genesis's eyes narrowed unconsciously. For a single instant, Cloud Strife was not Cloud Strife. He was Zack Fair.

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Sephiroth stood back to back with Aerith.

"You can't stop Genesis forever, human. Immortality is mine by birthright, and I will take it." Sephiroth said, a smile on his face.

"Perhaps." Aerith said cheerfully. Then Sephiroth was alone in his field of fire.

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"What are you?" Genesis asked, amazed and scared of Cloud all at once. Cloud grinned and stood, a pair of black demon wings sprouting from his back. Genesis backed away a few steps. Cloud's eyes were literally glowing, a pair of blazing blue pits.

Suddenly he was behind Genesis. Genesis turned, swinging Exitus. Cloud wasn't there. He was behind him again. Genesis flipped over Cloud, landing on the roof of the Seventh Heaven. Cloud was already there.

Genesis gritted his teeth. "Stop it!" He swiped at Cloud again. Cloud blocked it with Avenger, which had miraculously appeared in Cloud's hand. Genesis jumped away. A single black wing opened from Genesis's back. Red tendrils of mako energy began to snake around Genesis, who raised one hand to the sky.

"Final Dawn!" Genesis put the raised hand to the ground. Cloud jumped straight up, just in time to dodge a blast of mako. Several more blasts began to launch after him, flying at him like missiles. (Final Dawn is a limit break akin to Blade Beam, but his body is the focus instead of a sword. And usually only an equally powerful blade beam can stop one.)

Cloud cut through the blasts just before they hit him. Genesis lunged. The two swords grinded together in a shower of multi-colored sparks. Cloud's eyes suddenly stopped glowing. The demon wings on his back faded into black dust that quickly lost to the wind. Cloud collapsed, spent. Genesis raised Exitus for the killing blow.

A red cloaked figure suddenly jumped between Cloud and Genesis, wielding what looked like a curving Buster sword.

"Wraith? I figured you boys were dead." The WRAITH answered by kicking out at Genesis, who disappeared in a flash of red. The masked, cloaked figure looked around for Genesis, cautious, then turned to Cloud' unconscious form. He sheathed the massive sword and picked up the sleeping mercenary.

"Father?" Cloud asked, his eyes closed.

"Rest." Cloud passed back out. "If only you knew, Tidus. If only you knew…" The WRAITH said to himself.

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Short Chapter, but it comes across pretty good, if you ask me. Review! Pretty please with a nekid woman on top.