This Story is not going to have disclaimers...

Only the kind that say:

Disclaimer: Sadly...I own nothing but my happiness...

Enjoy...

T.A

Chapter One- The Past Forgotten

A three year old Cloud and his mother are sitting down in a dark room. Cloud is laughing and they are playing with playdough.

"There you go Cloudy. That's an apple." His mother said as he held up a round apple. He smiled. Suddenly, the door burst down. Three men in black robes came in. Two grabbed Cloud's mother while the last took Cloud. One of the one's holding the mother took out a gunblade.

"NO! Please, if your going to kill me, not in front of my son. Not in front of Cloud. Please!" She pleaded with the men. The one with the gun looked over at the one holding Cloud.

"Go ahead Loz. Yazoo. You make sure no one sees, and dispose of all...evidence..." he said. The two men nodded and walked out the front door.

"MOMMY!" Cloud screamed. The man holding him laughed.

BAM. Gunshot. Cloud heard a loud clanging, then the two men walked in.

"What are we going to do with him?" Loz asked, looking down at Cloud.

"Hmph. Well, Sephiroth said that Renaldo is doing poorly. We could train this one, unlike the last one..." The man holding Cloud said. Then the three men laughed...

Cloud woke up. It has been twenty years since that frightful day. He looked around. He was still in his cage, huddled under his too small threadbare blanket. He sighed. There was a note on the door and an old, mud red bowl on the floor with gruesome contents. Cloud took the note and read it.

Cloud,

You have a big match today. Be ready. Oh, and I hope you like your food. My dogs wouldn't eat it, and I know after not eating for three days you get pretty hungry. Enjoy...

S.

Cloud sighed. He picked up what looked like an old piece of chicken. Cloud tossed it aside. He would rather be hungry then eat that garbage. Then a door opened. Cloud looked up. A tall man in a black suite walked to him. He had extremely long silver hair. His Makeo-Blue eyes stared at Cloud with hatred.

"Hmph. Seems you haven't eaten today." the man said.

"I would rather starve then eat that garbage, Sephiroth." Cloud spat at him. Sephiroth chuckled.

"Well. If that's the attitude you are going to have, then let's see how you do without food for a week!" Sephiroth said. Cloud's fierce blue eyes sadend.

"Well. You match is soon. I will let you out to prepare." Sephiroth said. He turned.

"Kadaj, Loz, Yazoo. Watch him as he trains." Sephiroth said. Three silver haired men walked in. One unlocked the door. As Cloud came out, one of them kicked him. He fell over and tried to stand, but one stuck their foot on his back and pushed him across the floor. They laughed.

"Come on Cloud, we have to train." one said. They walked over to him. The one with the shortest hair helped him up.

"LOZ! Why are you helping him?" Asked one.

"Because. He needs to train. We have to escourt him there, Yazoo." Loz said.

"Guys please. If Cloud wins today we can finally take a break, Sephiroth told me so." said the last one.

"Kadaj, Sephiroth has told us that since the day Cloud first came." Loz said.

"Well. Maybe today we can finally rest." Yazoo said. The four men walked down the hall into a big room. There were punching bags, weights, and other devices of wresteling. Cloud walked over to the punching bag and began to punch it.

"Come on Cloud you can do better then that." Yazoo said, swinging one punching bag into Cloud's back sending him flying into the one in front of him.

After an hour of this "training", Sephiroth walked in.

"It's time Cloud..."


Leon got out of his black truck. He closed the door and walked into a door. It was Saturday and he had nothing to do. He decided to go to "Sephiroth's Fights", a local place where people would stand around a cage and watch people fight. Leon's friends Barret, Reno, and Rude said that it was a cool place, so he decided to check it out. Leon walked in and saw Reno.

"Reno!" Leon called. Reno turned and saw him.

"Hey dude you came! The match has already started. Cloud is versing a huge beasty dude and is beating the crap out of him!" Reno shouted at him above all the noise.

"Who is Cloud?" Leon asked.

"He is the main fighter. Go look and see." Reno said. Leon wormed his way through wads of people until he was against the cage, looking down upon the two fighters. A blonde man who had an extremely large sword, was beating up some large, muscular black man. The blonde could easily dodge the man's attacks, and came out on top. A man walked out and held the blondes's hand up in victory.

"LETS GIVE IT UP FOR CLOUD!" The man yelled. Then the two walked into the back. Everyone started to move out the door. Reno walked up to Leon.

"THAT WAS AWEOSME WASN'T IT!" Reno yelled. Leon put his hands on his ears.

"No one is in hear, you can stop yelling." Leon said. Reno looked around. Leon was right. Everyone had left.

"Well, I'm gonna go. Check ya later Leon." Reno said. Then he walked out the door. Leon turned. He wanted to talk to Cloud. His style of fighting was amazing. Leon walked up to the door that said "Backstage" and stopped. Two men with silver hair walked up behind him.

"Where do you think your going?" One asked. Leon turned.

"Loz, do you think he thaught he was going backstage?" One said.

"Yup Yazoo. So what are we going to do to him?" Loz said. Yazoo smiled.

"And stay out!" Loz and Yazoo yelled as they literally threw Leon out. He stood up and brushed the dirt of of him. There has to be another way back there... Leon told himself. He walked to the back and saw a door. Bingo! Leon walked up to the door. He could hear talking and laughing. Leon pulled up a crate and stood on it. He watched in horror what was happening on the other side.

"Cloud. You did well today. See this?" Sephiroth said, holding up a huge wad of cash, "This is what you should get, but I'm not gonna give it to you. Here, you three split it." Sephiroth said, handing the money to Kadaj. The three men smiled and ran out. Sephiroth turned to Cloud.

"I have decided to feed you breakfast tomorrow. That is, if I feel like it." Sephiroth said. He pointed to a cage and Cloud crawled in it. He layed down and huddled under the shabby blanket he had as Sephiroth locked the cage. He set the keys on a table and walked out.

Leon couldn't believe what they were doing to this man. I gotta help him Leon said in his mind. He took out his gunblade and busted down the door. Leon ran in and saw Cloud looking at him, scared.

"Come on, we have to get out of here." Leon said, then he slashed the cage open. Leon extended his hand. Cloud looked at it, then took it. Leon and Cloud ran out the back door into the parking lot. Leon fumbled with his keys then unlocked the door.

"Get in the other side!" Leon said. Cloud opened the door and sat. Leon buckled, started the car, and looked at Cloud. He was having trouble with his seatbelt. They finally got it buckled and Leon sped off.

"Where are you taking me?" Cloud said.

"To my house. No one deserves to be treated like that." Leon said. He looked at Cloud.

"To think, I have spent 20 years living there. And I never even knew that there was an outside world." Cloud said. Leon was so confused. He'd rather not ask him how he got there now.

Eventually, they made it to a white house. Leon got out and so did Cloud. Leon looked at his watch.

"It's 5:00. Aerith shoulde be back in an hour. Hmm, how am I going to explain you." Leon chuckled. He unlocked the front door and him and Cloud walked in. There were stairs in front of them, and rooms to the right and left. The room on the right was a living room, the left, kitchen. Up the steps were three bedrooms and a bathroom. Cloud was amazed. This was the biggest house he had ever seen. Leon laughed.

"It's not much but it's home." He said. Cloud looked around. He went into the living room. There was a white couch, loveseat, coffee table, and a TV. Cloud went to the Tv. He pushed the power button and a man came on TV. Cloud jumped back. He stared at the TV and listened to the man. Leon laughed.

"Thats the TV. We watch this when we are bored." Leon said. He pushed the button and the TV turned off. Cloud stood up. He walked to the wall and saw a switch. He pushed it. The light went out. He screamed. Then he pushed it up and the light went on. Cloud stayed there and played with the lightswitch. Then, the front door opened. In walked Aerith, holding three bags of grocerys and she saw Leon.

"Oh, could you help me with these Leon?" Aerith said. Leon walked to her and took the grocerys to the kitchen. Then, Aerith noticed that the living room lights would go on and off. She walked over. A man with spikey blonde hair was playing with the switch. Aerith laughed. Cloud stopped and jumped back. He looked at Aerith.

"Hi. I'm Aerith. Who are you?" She asked. Cloud looked down.

"Cloud...Strife..." He said. Leon came back.

"Hey! You got him to talk! Nice going Aerith!" Leon said.

"Umm, Leon, can I talk to you?" Aerith asked. Leon and her walked into the main hall and sat on the steps.

"Leon. Who is this guys and where did he come from?" She asked. Umm, how to explain he is an ex-fighter for Sephiroth that was abused so I rescued him? Leon thought. He sighed.

"Cloud is new here. He asked if he could stay here. He has...no family...and...umm...yeah. He is going to be staying here for a little while." Leon said, lying with every word he said. Aerith looked at him funny, then shrugged and walked to Cloud. He was sitting on the couch watching TV. Aerith smiled. This new guys kind of cute... she thought. Aerith walked to him.

"Hi Cloud. Um, you can stay in the guest room upstairs. It's not very nice, but it will do. Come on I'll show you." Aerith said. Cloud smiled and walked upstairs with her. She opened up a bedroom door. The room was small. The bed had white sheets, a window with white curtains, and a dressor that was white. Cloud ran past her and jumped on the bed. Aerith laughed and closed the door. She went down the steps into the kitchen. Leon was making dinner. Aerith went behind him.

"Watchya making Squally?" She asked him. He glared at her.

"Thats Leon. And I am making spagetti. Cloud should have a good dinner." Leon said, After all the crap they served him Leon thought. Aerith smiled.

"Why are you so nice to this guy broder?" She said in a very baby voice. (A/N: Broder means Brother). Leon looked at her.

"I just like him." Leon said. Aerith sarcastically gasped.

"Leon actually likes someone? Oh no it is the Apocalypse!" Aerith said. She laughed. Leon put the noodles in a bowl and poured sauce on them.

"Go get him will ya sis?" Leon asked. Aerith nodded and walked up the steps. She knocked on Cloud's door.

"Cloud, dinner." She said. Cloud opened the door and walked out. He and Aerith walked down the steps into the kitchen. Cloud sat down in a chair as Leon sat a plate of Spagetti in front of him.

"What is this?" Cloud asked, poking at it with a fork. Leon laughed. Aerith looked at Leon.

"Leon, did you just laugh. You never laugh. Cloud, I like you already." Aerith laughed. Then Leon put food for him and Aerith on the table, and sat. Aerith and Leon ate their spagetti and looked up. Cloud was having a hard time twirling it on his fork. Leon had to help Cloud eat his food. After dinner, Cloud picked up the plates, took them to the sink, washed them, dried them, then set them next to the sink. He looked back. Leon and Aerith looked at each other.

"Okay well I'm gonna sleep. It's 8:30 and I gotta clean tomorrow. Joy." Aerith said. She walked up the steps and the two men heard the door shut. Leon looked at Cloud.

"Why did you wash the dishes? Your a guest I could have done it." Leon said.

"Well, ever since I was two I had to work for Sephiroth and washing and drying dishes was a chore. Reflex I guess." Cloud said. Leon frowned. Man, Cloud has had it rough. Good thing I found him... Leon thought. He walked with Cloud upstairs and went to Cloud's room.

"Umm, I have to work tomorrow, but I am gonna take you to work with me. I'll come wake you up so be ready." Leon said. Cloud nodded and jumped into his bed. Leon smiled and walked out. After he shut the door Cloud jumped off the bed. He smoothed out all the wrinkles and slept on the floor.