A/N: Ignore the chaos that is my brain for those of you following me for a while.
Sephiroth found a means to mess with time itself. In doing so, the paths of time were shattered. Cloud became aware of this through a series of dreams of events that played different than what he remembered.
He began to question the others of the same memories. Only to find their stories were the same as before. Cloud was left confused for a long time.
Until a catastrophic event occurred. Someone had escaped Deepground with Weiss. However Weiss was in a coma. But the one who set off the fiery destruction of the planet was a Soldier who Cloud didn't recognize.
At first the sightings made him believe it was Sephiroth. A winged man with immeasurable power. When Cloud finally caught up to him though, he was surprised and confused at a different face.
"...Who are you?" Cloud frowned as he cautiously got off his bike.
"Has the world already forgotten me?" The redhead smirked.
There was something oddly familiar with his voice. Cloud couldn't place a name still. He wondered if he should just get the fighting over and done with.
"I can see you were Soldier First Class. My memories are a bit scattered around a certain time." There was no mistaking the black uniform underneath the strange red coat. "One of Hojo's secret projects?"
"I wasn't Hojo's originally. But he did get his hands on me." Pale blue eyes studied Cloud in return. "You carry yourself as one. But I have no memory of you."
"Never made it." Cloud admitted. "Hojo had a bit of fun then got bored and left me inside a tank of mako. A mistake he probably regrets."
The redhead smirked. "That's probably why he kept me leashed. Then again I would do the same in anyone's shoes."
"So what exactly do you want?" Cloud was getting bored of this.
"Sephiroth destroyed time itself by tampering with it. This world is now in an impeding doom. I'm simply aiming to speed the process. It's a mercy, really." A fire emerged in the left hand.
Cloud instinctively raised a hand to his weapon. He was ready to spring into action. Until a gentle hand with silver bangles on the wrist touched his shoulder. He caught the scent of flowers and knew.
"You're not going to fight me?" The nameless Soldier stared. His eyes stared at the figure that only Cloud should be able to see.
"...You can see her?" He was confused.
"It seems we are both given a path. But alas, I cannot withhold this gift much longer." Suddenly the fire expanded. It was an explosion that reached everywhere all over the planet like a blanket.
Cloud closed his eyes as he put his faith into Aerith. He only felt the pain of being burned briefly. Then he was floating.
When he next opened his eyes he stood in the Lifestream. Cloud winced as he heard the screams of countless dying. The silence following the terror made his stomach turn.
Behind him, Cloud sensed her.
"I don't suppose you'll tell me why you didn't let me fight him." Cloud turned.
"It is as he said. Sephiroth destroyed time itself. He tampered with it. His goal was to convince you to join him."
Horror seized Cloud now that the strange dreams have been confirmed. He took a moment to let the information sink in.
"So what now?" He asked.
"There might actually be a way to fix it. But the cost might be...a bit much to ask you." Her expression turned sad.
"Such as?" Cloud raised an eyebrow.
"You can potentially be sent back in time. However, your existence of the present time will be erased. No one will know of you. Not your mother, not Tifa, not Zack."
That was a bit much. Cloud tasted bile on his tongue at the thought. Not even his own mother would remember? Or perhaps it would be for the best. She would become a target.
"I'm guessing that's not all." He concluded.
"There's no breaking this connection that Sephiroth created between you two. Whatever he did when he tampered with time, he amplified his connection to you. So I'm afraid your fates are so entertwined that the next time you two fight to the death, you'll both die. It doesn't matter who wins."
An even bigger nope. Too many risks involved. And in the end he would die? What sort of disadvantage was this?
"Are you asking me to do this, or do I not have a choice?" Cloud crossed his arms.
"You have a choice. But understand that you won't be alone. Those who have close ties to the planet will have an understanding. Some a little more sensitive than others."
Some small solace. Cloud wondered if that Soldier was one of them, however. If only he had gotten a name out of him.
Cloud considered long and hard. And although he didn't like the conditions, he had a sense of hope. To erase certain events, changing the future for the better instead of saving it from the brink of destruction and barely scraping by in the end. He supposed it was enough to work for.
"...What point will I be dropped in?" Cloud wondered.
Aerith smiled fondly. She knew he was in on the plan. A part of his heart felt a sharp pang.
"Just before your cadet days. Oh, and if you can, take these." Aerith placed small flasks of what looked like Ether bottles into his hands.
Cloud studied them curiously. The flasks were clear so he could see the contents. The water was shimmering with a hint of green. It looked like the water that cured Geostigma.
"Who are these for?" There were three of them.
"To cure those rejected by Jenova." Aerith wasn't giving names.
So a guessing game of a few needles in a haystack. The haystack being the world. Great. Fortunately he had the amazing luck of running into people. Cloud pocketed them. He supposed he would know when he meets them.
"What are my ultimate goals?" Cloud asked.
"Prevent Jenova from taking a hold on Sephiroth. To destroy her without her infecting the Lifestream, your sword will be blessed to destroy her specifically. However this means any who share her cells will also be effected. They won't die unless you give the finishing blow. But wounds will take longer to heal."
A strange bonus that was a double edged sword.
"And Shinra?" Cloud wondered.
"That is up to you. Reshape it. Remove it entirely. The choice is yours to make."
"You're putting a lot of faith in someone who wants it dead." He pointed out.
"It would be better to reshape it. But it is you being sent back on your own. Who you allow to help you is your choice. With this connection to Sephiroth, I wouldn't recommend trying at this alone." Aerith suggested.
"Alright." Vincent and Nanaki would be good choices. He wasn't risking Aerith unless he absolutely had to. Plus if memory served right, she was under Turk supervision. They would issue a manhunt for her and they don't need that kind of panic following them at every turn.
Whether he will bring in the others was a matter of debate. If circumstances called for it then maybe. Otherwise just the three of them would be efficient and remain out of Shinra's gaze long enough before it was too late.
"So when will I be sent back?" Cloud felt he was mentally prepared.
"Right now actually." There was a hint of playfulness in her voice. Cloud stared for one second before he was sent falling through the Lifestream.
The next he was aware of floating on the surface of mako.