Cloud ran and ran until he couldn't anymore. He collapsed only after he found shelter in a cave. Too exhausted to check if it was safe or not sleep claimed him.

His dreams were filled with nightmares. The memories of Zack's death played several times over. Upon waking some point, Cloud still didn't feel rested.

He tried to toss and turn to rest some more. But sleep wouldn't come to him. Eventually Cloud gave up and decided to take a better look around his choice out of necessity place to sleep.

The caverns were vast. Dark, but his enhanced eyes noticed a strange light further inside. So cautiously he made his way further in.

And came upon a startling sight. A woman inside a mako crystal, just as Sephiroth was. Or is, one Sephiroth is still inside mako. The other, Cloud wasn't sure where he hangs around watching the changes of the world unfold.

Cloud studied her, noticing her features reminded him of Sephiroth. The long hair, although brown, was eerily similar in length and thickness. He could definitely see it in her nose.

"Who are you...?" Cloud felt stupid. How could she answer, encased in mako?

Something compelled him to place his hand on the crystal. And without asking why he was doing this at all, Cloud did. And he was flooded with memories not his own.

She was Sephiroth's real mother. She was the woman who gave birth to him. Partake in the experiment with Hojo despite the fact she wasn't sure if it was a good idea.

And, there were also memories of Vincent. Cloud found himself blushing. He will never look at the man the same way again. If he will even meet his gaze at all.

And then the memories turned sad. From Vincent's death, to his resurrection, to the birth of Sephiroth as Jenova began her assault to take over this woman. To be her next host. Just like the Ancient so long ago that became twisted.

She fled and placed herself here, in the hopes to keep Sephiroth safe. The memories stopped there. Cloud withdrew, feeling quite sad. So much went wrong. But she still loved her son.

It gave a perspective that left Cloud with a lot of thinking. He pondered over his own messed up memories, taking the time to piece together what truly transpired. Now that he had a sense of calm to fully process, he felt that maybe he overreacted.

But what would have been the normal response? Hey, friend he didn't remember at all, come back from the dead then just, accept it then and there? It's still a lot to wrap his head around that piece.

In a sense he was glad. Happy, in some aspects. Because there was hope that maybe Zack can stay. Stay with Aerith.

However he was the result of the first trip at Destiny's crossroads. From their meddling of challenging Fate, and overcoming it. And somehow that twisted the timeline to grant Zack life.

So what will happen when everything was fixed? Can it even be fixed to how it was? Cloud didn't think so. If someone dropped a plate and it broke, it's never the same. Even if pieced back together with glue, it's different from before.

So maybe Zack wouldn't have to die again. At least, Cloud liked to believe this. And as he thought this, he realized he had mostly come to terms that what he originally thought of himself was a lie.

It was a strange reflection to come to. That he didn't make Soldier. Never even had a chance, now that he unlocked the memories of his recruit days. Cloud had no idea what Zack saw in him, but he wasn't anywhere near Soldier material back in the day.

"So...what do I do now?" Cloud asked himself.

Sephiroth had said the threads of Fate had been cut. He stated this after Cloud stopped feeling those urges. And he mentioned that the blond was supposed to hand the Black Materia over to the Sephiroth trapped in mako.

Which would have then caused the meteor. And a string of events that Cloud only knew snippets of. However he couldn't ignore the vision of Aerith praying, a materia falling. He had seen this roughly two or three times now.

That was a big repetitive vision. So then it meant something very important. Cloud shook his head. He had to stay focused on his question.

Were the threads of Fate maybe the planet's will? Guiding him on a certain path? And now that connection has severed. Meaning what? Cloud can shape his own future?

Just like...

A sudden pull to the mako stopped his train of thought. Cloud blinked, wondering why. He didn't want to jump in, as Lucretia had done. But the urge to touch it was strong. Stronger than handing over the materia.

Tentatively he reached with his hand. And gasped as another essence joined him. It was all overwhelming of memories flooding in once more. Cloud collapsed on the cavern floor, barely missing by inches of the mako pool.

Cloud slept. And as he slept, he dreamed. Memories of the future. Of his future self. From events in the near future to about eight to ten years from now. The dreams slowed down to the point where the memories were almost done.

People vanished without warning. Memories began to rearrange. One day Denzel woke up a younger version of himself. Avalanche came together for an emergency meeting.

This was the first time everyone came together in years. And it was all hosted at Seventh Heaven, where they saw for themselves Denzel still younger by several years.

Everyone was confused. There were no answers to what was going on. Even Rufus with his resources, had no idea. His Turks relayed their own findings, but not enough big clues as to what was happening.

Until a Sephiroth sighting caught their attention. Cloud, Tifa, and Barret got a ride from Cid to the location. The pilot was nervous because the others weren't involved. But Cloud insisted. With Barret backing him up Cid complied.

They came to the Northern Crater. And found themselves being sucked into the Lifestream where Aerith explained that Sephiroth somehow cut the threads of Fate. And now he's going back in time to change things.

His aim? To make Cloud like him, then together they continue with Sephiroth's original plan. Purge the planet, then search for a new world for the Promised Land.

So Aerith devised a plan. She wished to use the Harbringers of Fate to help. But they're not usually meant to fight initially. The real Harbringer needed three warriors. And so Aerith opted to ask them to volunteer.

And they agreed without hesitation. But they didn't realize that would force them to change. Become strange beings of different fighting techniques and elements. The memories stopped after fighting themselves at Destiny's crossroads.

Cloud awoke feeling stranger than before. He felt older mentally. As he sat up, he briefly wondered why his clothes were Soldier uniform.

"Oh. Right..." He said to himself.

Cloud stood, feeling the determination of his future self taking root. And it grew high, the roots running deep. And now Cloud can really say he's gotten over his identity crisis.

"Time to mosey." Cloud turned to leave. He paused to glance at Lucretia.

"Forgive me. But he's gone too far. Understand that I don't want to do this if there was another way. She's got too much of a hold on him." Cloud knew he wouldn't get a response. But he felt the air change from his words.

Forgiveness. A sense of sorrow, but it was mixed in with gratitude. And an understanding. He supposed she watched from the mako, as it connected to the whole planet. She saw the events that transpired despite her wishes to prevent them.

Cloud left to begin his own path. First, he needed new clothes. Second, maybe hunt down the WEAPONS to gain Ultima once again. Might as well, it would be the biggest means for his friends to track him down.

"Where the hell would he run to?" Barret asked the rest of the group.

"Hell if I know!" Cid waved off.

"Guys, it's only been three days." Yuffie reminded with a sigh.

"Yeah! And in those three days we've done nothing but fly around without a direction!" The pilot complained.

"Can we land somewhere? I hate being sick all the time." Yuffie groaned.

"Nibelheim?" Zack had a thought.

"No. There's no reason to return there. Not after everything that's happened." Tifa shook her head.

"Then he would run until he can't run anymore." Red theorized.

"To where, though?" Aerith wasn't sure.

"Know what, I'm landing here at this town. As much as I love flying, we need to think. Take a break from this nonsense because we're just going in circles." Cid had enough.

So they all split, going their separate ways. Some went to a restaurant, others shopping, some walking aimlessly. Vincent wasn't sure who all went where, but he chose to wander aimlessly.

He didn't know how, but he happened to overhear a conversation that caught his attention.

"Did you hear? Some blond warrior took down the Ruby WEAPON!"

Blond warrior?

"Really? All by himself?" The other person asked.

"Yeah! With only a big sword as his weapon! Turns out he's been hunting all of the WEAPONS."

"Think he'll get all of them?"

"At the rate of taking down two of them, my bets that he gets all of them."

Vincent turned to find any of the others. He found Zack and Aerith first. His sudden appearance startled them.

"Dude, you could have given us a little warning?" Zack ran a hand through his hair.

"Everything okay?" Aerith tilted her head.

"Cloud is hunting the WEAPONS." Vincent stated calmly, although there was excitement in his eyes.

"Wait, really? Then that means we can find him!" Aerith was excited at the lead.

"All we have to do is find them, and hopefully he will be there, too!" Zack agreed.

With the news they rounded everyone up to begin their search. They began their hunt. The majority they missed finding Cloud in a few hours, with only a carcass of his victory left behind.

"Damn. I knew he's strong. But this? All by himself?" Barret commented.

"There's something else at work here." Aerith sensed it.

"Maybe we'll figure it out when we find him." Zack assured.

"If we catch him." Tifa sighed.

"Don't worry, we will. Man's got only himself to fight these damn things. Some point he's gonna need help." Cid remained confident.

It wasn't until the Ultimate WEAPON they finally caught up to him. Cid landed the aircraft and they all joined in on the fight. They took in the sight of Cloud in all black clothes, and a customized shoulder guard.

"Wow. Like the new outfit. Looks good on you." Zack smiled.

"About time you guys showed up." Cloud greeted.

"You having trouble?" Aerith teased.

"Not really." Cloud smiled to continue. "But I wouldn't mind the help."

"That's why we're here!" Tifa smiled, eyes bright.

Something about him had changed. Actually, everything in him changed. His eyes weren't hiding away the pain. And he actually smiled. Smiled.

Not a smirk. Not entirely a grin, but still a smile.

And there was a confidence that was greater than ever before. His friends felt relieved at the sight. They had all worried he would be broken, still horrified by finding out nearly everything about him was a lie.

When it was over, a sword stood in place of the Ultimate WEAPON. Cloud placed the Buster Blade down to give the Ultima Weapon a few swings.

"Much better." Cloud placed it on his back.

"I take it you figured out what path you're carving for yourself?" Red asked, noticing even Cloud's scent changed.

"Yeah. I'm putting a stop to Sephiroth. For good so he doesn't ever discover he can travel back in time. But the price is steep. I don't even know what the consequences will be to permanently end him." Cloud explained.

"Well, I hope you don't think you'll go at him alone! You're stuck with us!" Barret declared.

"Like glue!" Cait Sith added.

"Yep! I second that!" Zack flashed a grin.

"Even if the cost is an actual punishment in the aftermath?" Cloud asked them. "I've tried to find out what would happen if I go through with this. And even the planet doesn't know."

"Since when can you speak to it?" Cid asked.

"Future Aerith's help." Cloud could still faintly sense her. But as the days go by the entire future was being erased into dust ever so slowly.

"Okay, anyone else lost?" Yuffie asked the group.

Cloud explained everything that happened to him at a cave. He wasn't sure if all of them followed his story, but they believed him. They had all seen a lot of crazy stuff lately.

"So then we just have to make sure he can't do this again in the future?" Zack was double checking what they had to do.

"But...that means we have to erase every cell, everyone that shares a cell to him. Even if we defeat the Sephiroth that cut the threads of Fate, the one from this timeline might try the same tactic now that he's aware of this." Aerith grew nervous.

"I've already accepted that outcome." Cloud knew where she was going.

"No! You freed yourself from them!" Tifa was horrified as she connected the dots.

"If it needs to be done, I won't fight it. Besides, the future isn't set in stone. Remember?" He gave her a fond expression.

"Cloud. Why are you looking at me like that?" Tifa felt her stomach turn.

"I'll tell you later." Cloud promised.

Everyone made assumptions in their heads what was going on. But no one commented on it. They turned their focus on how to corner Sephiroth and actually defeat him. First, they targeted the one in the mako crystal.

Cid might have had a little too much fun with destroying that one. After the deed was done they moved to the clones hidden away in a laboratory some of the group had already come across, but left the seemingly lifeless bodies alone.

Lastly there was Jenova's head. Vincent had returned from his assassination mission on Hojo when the group reached the Northern Crater. Cloud watched the head burn as he lit it ablaze.

That took care of everything physically contaminated of her cells. Well, everything but Cloud and the last Sephiroth.

"How do we corner him?" Zack wondered.

"We take the fight to him." Cloud knew that wasn't a really good answer.

He reached out to her mentally. She was ready. Ready to use the last of her strength to open a portal. It was bright with glowing flakes of light. And then he heard a voice.

Good luck.

"The future...it's really gone." Aerith sensed it.

"Like gone for good or the future that the planet willed?" Barret panicked.

"The future preordained. It has ceased to exist. From this point forward, there shouldn't be anymore Harbringers of Fate. But there might be worse things when we go through." Red elaborated.

"Everything rests on whether we succeed or not. Including an uncertain future?" Tifa stared at the portal. "Well, we've made it this far."

"No turning back now." Barret breathed in.

"Is it normal to feel a little bit scared?" Yuffie asked the group.

"Talk about nerves! And I'm just a robot!" The small cat exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah, can we cut the crap and just walk in?" Cid grew impatient.

"You walk first then." Vincent surprised them. Turns out he might have some humor in him after all. Maybe it was the nerves?

"Nah, I'm good. Blondie goes first."

"You do realize you're blond, right?" Yuffie giggled.

"Shut up! You know what I mean!" Cid retorted.

Cloud stepped forward. Tentatively he entered through the portal first. The others followed his lead. They all looked up to a hideous form. They knew it to be Jenova. Her last form that was evidence she remained despite their efforts.

She was bigger than ever. Bigger than Bahamut, if one were to give a proper comparison. And tentacles everywhere.

"Guys! What are we supposed to do with that!" Yuffie panicked.

"Okay, we split off into two groups! Cloud, you lead the first group to fight Sephiroth." Zack was in his element. "I'll lead the second group to fight that monster."

"Tifa, Barret, Aerith. You with me?" Cloud turned to them.

"You know it!" Tifa answered for them all.

"Will you mind if I help?" Red volunteered.

"I would be grateful, friend." Cloud accepted. This way they were split evenly.

So they dispersed. It didn't take long for Cloud and his group locate Sephiroth and began their final battle. In the distance they heard the battle of the others taking on the tentacle monster.

It was a battle that they had never fought the likes of before. Sephiroth had three phases that they had to defeat. And the final form was intense.

Cloud felt his strength waning at the last stretch. He pushed forward as he recalled every reason to fight. Zack. Aerith. Tifa. Denzel. His friends. His mother long passed.

Until finally, finally Sephiroth was struck down. His form began to vanish before their eyes. The Jenova monstrous form also dissipated into nothingness.

"Cloud!" Tifa panicked at the sight of him also beginning to disappear.

"Tifa..." He meant to say don't mourn for him, but she began to cry.

The others reached them. And horror spread. Their hearts shattered as Tifa hugged him tight, trying desperately to keep him there. Her quiet sobs filled the still air.

Until a new person appeared. She walked towards them with growing confidence. Many were confused at the sight of her. Except for Vincent.

"It can't be...?" He was in shock.

"I volunteer to take his place." She proclaimed.

And there was a stillness. As if the planet was contemplating. Cloud stopped disappearing. He stared at her, confused.

"But you can have the future you've always wanted." He blinked.

"I can't. I..." She turned to Vincent. "After everything, I can't live knowing my son had to be erased from existence. I'm sorry."

"...I understand." Vincent accepted her apology.

"Besides, if it came down to the choice of a mother who birthed Sephiroth, or the hero who slain him as the sacrifice, I believe the choice is obvious." She turned to Cloud and Tifa. "You have a future that I can't have. I can't sit back and watch another heartbreak."

"...Thank you." Cloud hated that it came to this.

Her lip trembled as tears welled up in her eyes. Then Cloud became solid. At the same instance a light softly engulfed Lucretia.

She closed her eyes as relief took over her expression. Despite all she endured and watched, she found peace. She became fluttering flickers of light.

When there was nothing left of her the light engulfed Cloud. It was so bright Tifa backed away. And just as it engulfed Cloud, it was gone.

"She cleansed you of the Jenova and Sephiroth cells." Aerith was in awe. "Her last gift, before passing."

"Did she get to return to the planet?" Barret asked.

"No." Aerith shook her head. "She accepted the same fate that happened with Sephiroth. Since he couldn't be absorbed because of Jenova, he had to be erased completely."

"And that almost happened to..." Tifa turned to Cloud. "You accepted that fate?"

"I wasn't sure if there was a means to get rid of them from me." He remained honest.

Suddenly they felt a lurch of gravity. It was like a brief fall as they found themselves standing in a desert. The sun was beginning to rise and they turned towards the light to see Midgar in all its glory.

Everyone cheered. Many shared hugs. Aerith shared the most hugs with everyone. She didn't care as she went from one person to the next. The last and longest was Zack, who held her tightly.

Tifa and Cloud shared a look. She moved closer. And although no one addressed it, they all saw her holding out her hand. And Cloud grasped it tenderly.