A/N: Etherealstar ok wow, that was one hell of a review. I must say, it's one of the longest things I have ever gotten in my life. Lol. I copied and pasted it in word and it's like 1000+ words. and Woah! Thanks by the way, that review was really, wow. Don't think I've forgotten about my other reviewers, you still matter too :)

Alone in a dark street sat the small boy no older than four. His lips trembled with fear, and his face smudged with black ashes from the fire. Buildings were collapsed over and in the sky sat no sun. Only the darken sunset of the days end. He gripped the large clothes he wore tighter around his shoulders as the wind grew stronger. Not too further away sat another unconscious man whom must have died.

"I don't know how to get back," the strange man suddenly spoke from his dead state.

"Him?" the stranger seemed to be talking to himself. "I just want to go back to Tifa."

The strange man looked up the darken alley way that he sat in and saw the dusty rubbish bin as big as his small chest. It was green, and slime found its slippery way down the side of the big metal. What was this place anyways?

"Mummy where are you?" the small boy spoke up quietly hoping the strange man wouldn't hear.

The man looked up almost startled and looked around for the sound. His eyes came to rest on a small boy. Eyes widening the boy struggled to move away as his legs were caught under his clothes. Fear was running through his veins, but when the stranger approached and glanced his blue eyes down at him, there was a connection.

'I need to find Tifa, but the boy..' the stranger muttered and approached the boy.

"Who are you?" the boy demanded of the stranger.

"Cloud," the man addressed himself and squatted down in level with the boy. "Are you okay?" he asked, helping the boy untangle the clothes from his feet.

The boy nodded and backed away a little.

"Where is this place?" Cloud approached the boy again.

The boy's eyes traveled all around this soldier's body and he shrank wearily into his big clothes, "I can show you."

"Show me what?" Cloud asked.

"Will you help me find my mum?" the boy looked up to Cloud.

Cloud nodded, "Come on, let's find a way out of here first."

The boy nodded, and took the hand of this strange man whom he felt warmth with. There was something about this soldier that he simply couldn't fathom.

They walked together though the mess of the city. Through broken buildings and narrow paths. Cloud made it a point to pick the child up in his arms at one stage when the path was getting more dangerous to walk on. The child didn't struggle but instead nestled closer to this mans chest, clinging on as if holding on for dear life.

The child sat in his arms easily without any complications. It was as though as if this child was meant to be in his arms.

"What does your mummy look like?" Cloud asked, glancing down for a moment to gauge the boys reaction.

"She's got long dark brown hair, and she's got brown eyes too," the boy smiled briefly before looking ahead at their path.

Cloud nodded, "Do you know where we can find her?"

"At the gate maybe," The child answered and for a moment caught the adults eyes and a flash back happened.

"There you go," his father smiled as he guided the child to walk straight.

The boy watched with warmth as his dad collapsed onto the floor with him in his arms. They laughed happily with each other and those blue eyes.

"What's your name?" Cloud asked questionably.

"I don't know," the boy said sadly.

The adults blue eyes glanced over to the sound of a whistle and they saw a familiar woman standing there.

"Aeris?" the name escaped Cloud's lips in a whisper.

She seem to have heard the name and turned her eyes over to them, she smiled and nodded. "She's waiting Cloud," was all she said before turning and walking into the heap of mess.

"Wait!" Cloud called after her and began to pick up his pace.

The child hung on dearly as the adult ran through the narrow path. Cloud jumped over pipes and bits of debris. His arms held tightly onto the child, holding the boy closer to his side as he ran faster. As they neared the woman, she stood beside another stranger. He had his back to them, but his hand was sneakily sitting on her waist.

"Wait!" Cloud called again, and extended his free hand to them. Just as he touched her, his hand fell through and landed on gate.

"This place isn't for you," the stranger said to them.

Cloud spun his head to the side and saw the two strangers standing there. "Aeris? Zac?"

They both smiled and nodded, "Go Cloud. She's waiting for both of you."

He looked down at the child in his arms, "Both of us?"

Aeris nodded, "Goodbye."

"You're a good man Cloud, take care of them," Zac gave Cloud a wave before turning and guiding the woman back into a fading dream.

He stared for a moment without moving, his eyes fixed upon the spot that his friends stood at. They vanished just like that, just like when he stood in the chapel that day and saw them walking away.

"Uh Mister? Are we going to go through the gate?" the boy asked softly.

Cloud nodded, "Lets go find your mum first okay."

"What if we are looking for the same woman?" the boy asked.

"What do you mean? How do you know I'm looking for someone too?" Cloud asked.

"Tifa, you said her name before."

Cloud looked down, "I lost her and I want to find her."

The boy smiled, "Okay."

They entered the gate, and entered a room.

Cloud's eyes grew wide as he saw the image in front of him. He was lying on a bed sleeping, and his friends stood near the window. Not too far away was Reno and Yuffie, quietly mumbling to themselves. And at his side was Tifa, sleeping soundly with her hands laced with his.

He gasped and looked down at his hands. They were faded, and shimmering against the sunlight. It was as though as if he were floating with this child in his arms.

"Mummy," the boy gasped and squirmed his way down Cloud's arms.

'Who is his mum?' Cloud asked. There were only his friends in this room, which one of them could possibly have a son that he didn't know off? Yuffie? Tifa?

To his surprise, the child ran to her. The boy smiled warmly and touched her hand softly, with that he faded with a smile on his lips and his eyes linked with Cloud's.

"I told you we were looking for the same woman," the boy glanced to him and smiled. "Daddy."

"Tifa?"