Gaia's Children
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Final Fantasy VII. These belong to J.K. Rowling and Square Enix respectively.
Harry Potter/Final Fantasy VII Crossover
Warnings... this fanfic contains SLASH and unbetadness... Oh, and Cid's potty mouth o.O
Pairings: Cloud/Harry and other pairings I'm uncertain of at the moment (but most likely Vincent/Aeris... don't ask...)
Summary: Harry Potter had won. He had defeated Voldemort and brought peace to the wizarding world. He had also died a martyr. Thousands of years later, a Doctor intent on surpassing Hojo resurrects him. Harry's not happy but soon finds out he was brought back by more than just the whims of a quack scientist...
Note 1. THANK YOU Nox Noctis of Eternus Luna, Crystallyn, kirallie, ShadowOkamiYokai, momocolady, Firehedgehog, insanechildfanfic, Josephine J. Turpin, Sabishii Kage Tenshi, Guardian Dimension, TheOneThatIsAddictedToHPfics, angelkitty77, FrozenDream, Kylip, FairyButterfly, Merrymow, BladeMaxwell-GoddessofDeath and Lanari FOR REVIEWING! YOU MAKE ME HAPPY, SO HAPPY, SO VERY VERY HAPPY!! -DANCES-
Note 2. Btw... just to clear one thing up. Someone mentioned whether there was anything between Harry and Neville and I'd have to say no. It was purely and still is a brotherly sort of love. Just like how Ginny and Harry's love was a sisterly one (though Ginny hadn't exactly felt that way...)
Note 3. OMG I finally updated?
Note 4. I don't particularly like the name Red XIII so I'm gonna use Nanaki :P
Note 5. clichés are so much fun? o.o
Chapter 3.
It was Barret's turn to drive as the group made their way out of Cosmos Canyon and towards the Nibel region. Aeris and Yuffie were currently huddled together, their giggles escalating every time they turned to glance at Cloud and Harry. Nanaki, who was seated beside them, also watched the two males though his gaze was of a more inquisitive nature. Tifa, on the other hand, seemed torn between either joining the other two girls or sending everyone baleful looks from her corner of the buggy.
The reason for all of this? Sometime during the drive, Harry had succumbed to exhaustion and had fallen asleep. An innocent bump in the road later, the raven-haired man tipped sideways and straight into the blonde's lap. The jolt had woken the wizard but emerald eyes had merely blinked sleepily up at Cloud's stunned and slightly flushed face, shut his eyes once more and drifted back off to sleep.
And of course, Cloud didn't have the heart to stop him.
Another round of giggles broke the blonde from him thoughts. He sent the two girls another glare only to realise, belatedly, the source of their amusement. His hand jerked away immediately from where they had been absent-mindedly playing with Harry's soft hair and dropped to his side, much to both the amusement and disappointment of the girls.
His gaze turned to the outside world as he watched the red sand roll into grassy plains, intent on ignoring them, deigning not to turn around even when Nanaki's softly spoken question sent the girls into fresh round of giggles. It was more obvious now than ever that, despite the red lion-like creature's advanced years and wisdom, he was still a child.
Suddenly, the buggy jolted to a stop and an unusually pensive Barret turned to look at the others, "Tifa... Cloud... I think you have a look at this..."
Confused, Tifa and Cloud, who lifted Harry's head from his lap and gently lowered him onto the seat, jumped out the back of the buggy to see what had irked the large man. And immediately, two equal looks of disbelief adorned their faces.
"What-?" Tifa gasped, "This was all burnt down, wasn't it?" she asked Cloud, rubbing her eyes to see if she was hallucinating.
"...It was," Cloud muttered darkly, memories of the day beginning to pour back into the forefront of his mind.
"Then why...? My house is still there too!" Tifa explained.
"The hell's going on then?!" Barret cursed as he came up behind them, the others following close behind, "This a dream or somethin'?"
"I don't know!" Cloud cried, frustration overwhelming his confusion for a moment, "But I still remember... the intense heat of the flames..." he said, feeling as if he'd walked right into the middle of the nightmare.
Cloud jumped when a hand reached out and grabbed his, entwining their fingers. He looked to his left, and there was Harry, wide-awake and wearing a soft, sad smile as he squeezed the blonde's hand reassuringly. The tension immediately began to ebb away and the blonde smiled gratefully in response; everything will be okay as long as Harry's here...
"Let's just go," Tifa's exasperated voice suddenly cut-in and Cloud looked up to see her storm angrily into Nibelheim, the others following her example though in a more subdued manner. ...Well, subdued except for the fresh round of giggles from Aeris and Yuffie.
Cloud turned in time to see Harry watch them walk away with an indulgent look. The blonde furrowed his brow at Harry but emerald eyes merely twinkled back in response and with one last smile and reassuring squeeze, he let go of Cloud's hand before he too passed under the large arch into the small village.
Cloud watched him go for a moment, his hand twinging slightly in disappointment and body feeling a little bit colder, none of which felt nice at all. And so, throwing all caution into the wind and giggling girls be damned, Cloud ran up beside Harry, swiftly snatching up the other's hand, not planning on letting go any time soon.
A flush of embarrassment immediately began to creep up but he did his best to ignore it. That, and the amused but adoring look on Harry's face.
-
Harry listened tensely as Cloud recounted his story to the dark-haired man they had found sleeping in on of the coffins under Shinra mansion. Sephiroth and "Jenova"... it seemed Ginny had finally found a puppet strong enough to continue wreaking the havoc she began thousands of years ago. While Cloud had managed to stop Sephiroth years ago before things had gotten too out of hand, the silver-haired man had somehow managed to return from the brink of death, escaping the lifestream to do his "mother's" every dark bidding.
Ginny... Harry thought sadly, What have you become...? What have you become... because of me?
"Harry?" Aeris whispered, as Cloud recounted their search for Sephiroth, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Harry answered evasively, "Aeris... You mentioned once that... you can hear the planet?"
The brunette frowned slightly at the change of subject but decided to let it slide for now, "Yes but not very well..."
Harry hesitated, "...Can you hear it now? What is it saying..."
Aeris shut her eyes and just listened. "I can't-" she bit back a sob, when she finally opened her eyes, "there's just... so much pain," she murmured.
Harry barely held back his flinch, blanking his face immediately as he turned his face away, "I see..."
"Harry?"
"Don't worry about it. I'm just going to... go look around. Stay here," he ordered, leaving the room quickly before he completely lost it. He glanced back briefly to make sure she hadn't decided to follow him before he stumbled down the dark, musty corridor. He flung a door open, shutting it behind him before he let himself slide onto the floor, resting his head on his knees. Why couldn't his life ever be simple?
But it is simple, isn't it? A voice in his head said, Kill Ginny.
Harry stiffened, his fists clenching as he tried to stay calm, I can't... I can't kill Ginny! He argued back, defensively.
But if you don't... Neville will die.
And that was the crux of things, wasn't it? Either way, he'd lose one of his closest friends. Either way, he'd be responsible for their death.
He had to kill one to save the other.
There was no other way.
No! he thought desperately, There has to be! There has to be another way! I can... will save them both, whatever the cost.
But how?
Ginny... I need to talk to Ginny...
"Oh, it's you."
Harry looked up in surprise, having not expecting anyone else to be in this room. His eyes widened as he took in the man's appearance and, wearily, he stood, body tensed and ready to defend himself if need be.
"There's no need to be afraid," the tall, silver-haired man smiled, "Mother's told me so much about you... She's waited for so long for your return..."
Harry made no move to comment.
"And now..." Sephiroth continued, "now that you're here, everything will be made right again. With her superior power, knowledge and magic, combining it with yours, together you will destroy this world and rid us of the worthless scum that plague it!"
"No..." Harry mumbled.
"What...?" Sephiroth looked at him in surprise.
"No," Harry looked him straight in the eye, emerald eyes blazing, "I won't allow it!" And then, against his better judgement, he summoned a large ball of energy into his hand and threw it at the silver-haired man.
But Sephiroth was fast, too fast, as he let it sail past him and slam into the wall behind him, leaving a large crater and the mansion shaking unsteadily in its wake. Glowing green eyes stared at the destruction in what could be almost called awe, "So much power... and yet, this is only minuscule fraction of what you could really do, isn't it?" he murmured.
The door to the lap slammed open and in streamed Cloud and all the others. They glanced at Harry for a moment before Aeris' gasp of surprise drew their eyes away. What they saw had them reeling for what they had been searching for so long was right before them.
"Sephiroth," Cloud hissed angrily.
"So you're here too..." Sephiroth said calmly, seemly completely unperturbed by the fact he was surrounded by a group of people that wanted to kill him, "Are you going to participate in the Reunion?"
"Reunion? What are you talking about?!"
"Jenova will be at the Reunion," he said, almost absent-mindedly, "She will return to us as the Calamity from the Skies!"
"Jenova, the Calamity from the Skies?" Barret looked confused as did the others, "You mean she wasn't an Ancient?"
"...I see. I don't think you have the right to participate. But you, on the other hand," Sephiroth said, turning to once again look at Harry, "She awaits." And then, he was gone.
"What was all that about?" Yuffie eventually piped up in the silence that followed.
"I don't know..." Cloud gritted his teeth in annoyance, turning to look at his raven-haired friend, "Harry, what-? Harry?!"
With a thump, Harry collapsed into a heap onto the ground, the strain of everything that had happened and he had learnt finally catching up on him.
-
"Harry?"
Emerald eyes blinked, "Neville..."
A smile. "How do you feel?"
"I'm fine," he replied automatically and just as automatically, a frown appeared on the brunette's face but Harry spoke up before Neville could, "Where's Ginny? I need to talk to her."
The brunette hesitated, "Harry, you don't need to-"
"Yes, I do," Harry broke in harshly, "You know I do, Neville. I'm not going to sit around while both of my best friends die!"
Neville flinched and immediately Harry felt bad; it wouldn't be the first he'd let his frustration at a situation get the better of him, "I'm sorry Nev, I-"
"It's okay Harry. I'm the one who should be sorry... I don't have any right to try and stop you. I just wish that you-"
"I know," was all Harry said, emerald eyes softening as he reached forward and hugged his friend; an action that was heartily returned.
"She's... no longer in this realm," Neville eventually spoke up, "She's roaming the human world now with that man who calls himself her son."
"And is he?" was what Harry asked but Neville knew what he was really asking. Sephiroth was not once their friend, compounded by the grievous emotional and physical injuries he had inflicted upon Harry's young blonde charge, he was not someone who had endeared himself to Harry. In fact, he was a roadblock towards what Harry wished to accomplish and so as soon as he returned to his full strength, the silver-haired man needed to be... eliminated.
It may have went against every fibre of his being to kill but Harry learnt that particular lesson long, long ago. Family should always come first.
And so what Harry needed to know were his strengths and weaknesses, but more importantly, whether he carried a certain attribute...
"He was injected with her cells in a process that did lead to him carrying some of her qualities but... he doesn't have the ability to use magic without materia like we do. Yes, his affinity with magic is great but strip him of his materia and he is little more than a glorified squib..." Neville turned to look at his best friend, "His physical strength is immense however. Please be careful, Harry..." he pleaded.
His only response was a smile that did little to reassure him.
-
When Harry woke up, he realised immediately that he was no longer in Nibelheim. The air was warm unlike the constant chill that plagued the little village from being overshadowed by the near-by mountains. Aforementioned mountains were also missing, the bright sunlight streaming through his window revealing grassy green plains that stretched into the horizon.
He was broken from his thoughts when something shifted on the bed beside him. Looking down, a soft smile adorned Harry's face as he took in the bob of spiky blonde hair resting beside him. With a grin, he carefully carded his fingers through the unusually soft hair before reaching for the spot beneath his chin which Harry knew was very sensitive.
Not a moment later, Cloud bolted up straight, eyes glancing wildly around the room for the assailant. His blue eyes eventually settled on the raven-haired man before him, eyes widening slightly when his still sleepy brain finally realised the implications.
"Hello," Harry greeted him in amusement.
"Harry! You're okay!" Cloud said, relief obvious as he leaned forward to place a hand on Harry's forehead, "Your fevers gone... How do you feel?"
Emotionally exhausted. "I'm fine," Harry replied instead.
A small frown tugged on the corner of Cloud's lips, "What... What happened?" he asked a little uncertainly, as if worried the very question would send the other man running.
Emerald eyes shuttered slightly before he took a deep breath to calm himself. Now was not the time to break down again... "I... I don't know," he squeezed Cloud's hand slightly before the blonde spoke up again, "I need to... think on it a bit more. But I promise you..." he continued seeing the distinctly unsatisfied look that crossed Cloud's face briefly, "I promise you, that once I do figure it out, I will tell you... Okay?"
The blonde still looked a bit uncertain but he nodded anyway, not wanting to push Harry away or quarrel with him especially when he looked so frail and openly unguarded. Instead he asked, "Are you thirsty? Or maybe hungry? I could go and get you something... Are you comfortable? Should I get you another pillow-"
"Cloud," Harry interrupted with a smile, barely squashing down the urge to giggle, "Where are the others?"
"Huh? The others? Oh, they're in another house talking with the Captain."
"The Captain?"
Cloud nodded but didn't continue. After all, he didn't know much about the man himself, having spent his time here in Rocket Town fretting over the unconscious Harry even though he had been informed it was only exhaustion.
Seeing no more information forthcoming, Harry sat up, "Well then, let's go."
"Wait, what?"
"You're the leader of this rag-tag group, aren't you? You should be there. And I... I have to admit being a little curious myself. So we're going over there now," Harry said as he begun to unbuttoned the pyjamas he had been placed in.
Blue eyes widened slightly before turning away, a slight flush to his cheeks, "N-now? But..."
"I'm fine, really. I haven't felt so energised in a long time," and for once, it was true. He hadn't returned to his full strength yet but he was getting there...
So despite Cloud's protest, minutes later the two stood outside the Captain's home.
"Shit! Shera, are you blind?! We've got guests! Go get some fuckin' tea already!" a blonde man shouted as soon as they stepped inside.
"I... I'm sorry..." a small brunette female said as she bustled around in haste.
It was then Aeris noticed their entrance, "Oh! Harry, you're awake!" she said happily as she rushed forward, taking his hands in her, "I'm so glad you're okay!"
Harry smiled back at her, "Yes. I'm sorry if I worried you."
Aeris' smile grew, "Not half as worried as Cloud ones. He refused to leave your side!" she said with a giggle.
"Aeris!" Cloud hissed, face turning red.
"What?! You wanna take the Tiny Bronco? Are you out of you fucking' mind?!" the Captain suddenly screamed at Barret, "That's my most cherished possession. I can't let you take it!"
"The Tiny Bronco?" Harry turned to Aeris quizzically as they two men began to scream profanities at each other.
In response, she pointed out of one of the windows that faced the backyard. A small plane sat innocently on the green grass, its pink paint shining brightly in the sunlight - a testament to how well it was being taken care of.
"It's beautiful," Harry said simply. And he meant it wholeheartedly; anything that could give him back the freedom of sailing through the sky was a godsend. It'd been so long since he'd last flown...
Emerald eyes blinked, leaving behind his daydreams as he abruptly realised the room had gotten strangely quiet. The Captain, in particular, was staring at him intensely. Suddenly the man strode over to Harry, "You know what?" he said before slinging an arm over the shorter man's shoulder, throwing him a wide, toothy grin, "I like you! Cid Highwind's the name. But you can just call me Cid. What's your name?"
The raven-haired man smiled back, "Harry. Just Harry."
Meanwhile Aeris shared a grin with a giggling Yuffie and a stoically amused Vincent as they watched Cloud glare daggers of death at both the arm wrapped around Harry's shoulders and the man connected to it. Either Cid was ignoring him or felt that the blonde wasn't a threat, the arm remained firmly attached to the shortest of their group (bar Yuffie and even then it was a bit iffy) as the two shared their mutual love of the sky.
Before the Cloud could do anything about it however, the front door burst open and in bounced a rather rotund man easily three times Harry's weight.
"Hey-Hey! Long time no see!" the man exclaimed, "Cid, how ya been?"
"Well, if it isn't the fat man, Palmer," Cid greeted in his usual brusque manner, his arm, much to Cloud's chagrin, still around Harry, "How long were you figurin' to keep me waitin'?! So? When's the Space Program gonna start up again?"
"Hey-Hey! Actually I don't know. The President's outside; why don't you go ask him?"
"Fuck! Good for nothing fat piece of shit!" Cid swore, patting Harry's messy hair lightly before he left, "Be right back."
"Don't say 'fat'!" Palmer half-sobbed before brightening immediately, "Hey-Hey! Tea! Can I have some too? With lotsa sugar and honey and... oh yeah, don't forget the lard!"
Harry pulled a face at that and went to follow Cid, not particularly wanting to stay to watch this glutton ruin some perfectly good tea. The others followed him but mostly to find out what Rufus wanted with the chain-smoking captain.
"What the...? You got me all excited for nothing?! Then, what'd you come here for?!"
"I want to borrow the Tiny Bronco," a blonde man Harry didn't recognise said but who he assumed was Rufus, the current President of Shinra Inc., "We're going after Sephiroth but it seems like we've been going in the wrong direction. We think we know where he's headed now but we have to cross the ocean. That's why we need your plane..."
"Fuck!" Cid swore again, "First the Airship, then the Rocket and now the Tiny Bronco? Shinra took outer space from me and now you want to take the sky away from me too?!"
"Oh my..." here Rufus gave Cid a deprecating look that Harry knew all too well from his former life, "You seem to forget it was because of Shinra Inc. that you were able to fly in the first place," he said coldly.
"What?!"
"Erm... Excuse me..." a timid voice suddenly called out from behind them. It was Shera, "This way..." she said, leading them inside, "You wanted to use the Tiny Bronco, right? I believe Palmer's going to take it. Why don't you go talk to him? ...I know he'd rather you have it anyway..." she added after a pause, staring pointedly at Harry.
Barret immediately barged outside, the others close behind. Harry lingered back for a moment, "I'll take care of it," he promised softly.
Shera smiled and nodded, reassured.
Harry ran out in time to hear Palmer call for security. None came however and the group engaged in battle (if you can really call it that...) with Palmer. Moments later, the fight had ended, Palmer sprawled a ways away on the ground after getting hit by a random truck.
"It's not going to stop," Vincent commented as he stared at the running Tiny Bronco.
"Forget it!" Cloud shouted, "Get in!"
The group hurriedly clambered on and, not a moment too soon, the plane gave another splutter and lifted off the ground. As it zipped up into the sky, they heard shouts of surprise below them and looked in time to see Shinra soldiers open fire at them. Aeris immediately sent an array of lightning bolts to rain down on them, successfully scattering them and ceasing the firing.
"Go down!" Harry suddenly shouted at Tifa who had taken it upon herself to pilot the small plane.
"What?" she looked at him strangely.
"I said, go down!" he ordered. A scowl crossed her normally pretty face but thankfully, she complied without any more disagreements. The plane swooped down, its occupants holding on tightly as it swept across the ground over the heads of Rufus and his men.
"Come on!" Harry shouted to Cid. The man didn't need any more encouragement as he raced beside the small plane before leaping deftly onto the wing beside Harry. Taking that as her signal, Tifa pulled the stick back, sending them back up into the sky.
Sounds of gunfire began to rain around them once more before a large bang at their back caused them to look around in horror.
"Shit! The tail's been hit!"
"Emergency landing..." Vincent murmured, as calm as ever as if they weren't about to crash to their fiery doom. Harry could see why he was so calm though; they were completely by-passing the land and thankfully heading for the near-by river.
"This is gonna be a big splash!" Cid shouted over the wind, "Hold onto your drawers, an' don't piss in 'em!"
The splash was as big as Cid had predicted, drenching them head to toe in water but it was otherwise a safe and much better landing compared to what it would have been had they hit land. For one, the tail was no longer on fire.
As they attempted to wrench their clothing of a much water as they could while still on the plane, they drifted slowly down the river towards the vast ocean. Cid sat on the wing, absent-mindedly running his hand along rim, "She won't fly any more..." he sighed sadly.
"Can't we use it as a boat?" Yuffie, as tactless as always, suddenly suggested.
"Fuck! Do whatever you want!" Cid growled, turning his back on everyone, slumped over dejectedly.
Harry sent Yuffie a look that had her pouting before moving forward to sit beside the former captain, "Cid... what are you going to do now?" he questioned carefully.
"Dunno," and if he wasn't such a manly man, Harry was certain Cid would have mirrored Yuffie's pout, "I'm history with the Shinra and I've given up on the town."
"How about your wife, Shera?" Nanaki asked.
"Wife? Don't make me laugh!" Cid scoffed, "Just thinkin' about marryin' her gives me the chills. What're you guys gonna do?" he said, finally turning around to look at them.
"We're going after a man named Sephiroth," Tifa said and after a pause added, "We'll have to get Rufus of the Shinra too, someday."
"Why don't come with us?" Harry asked, earning him a surprised look from Cloud which immediately turned into a scowl when Aeris poked his side in unconcealed amusement.
"I don't know who Sephiroth is but... What the hell! Sign me up!" he said, throwing his arms in the air.
Harry smiled at him which Cid immediately returned in spades, throwing his arm around Harry again in a brotherly sort of fashion (which wasn't how Cloud saw it however...). He then grinned at the rest of the group, "Glad to be aboard, numbskulls!"
Nanaki blinked in confusion, "Numbskulls...?"
"Yeah," Cid nodded vigorously, "Anyone stupid enough to go against Shinra nowadays has gotta be a numbskull! And you know what? I like it! ...So? We're we headed?"
Suffice to say, by the end of that, Cloud Strife was not a happy camper.
Note 6. Harry and Cid... BEST FRIENDS FOREVER :D
Note 7. Any more notes I've forgotten will go here...
Note 8. So? Thoughts and feelings? Please let me know!