Summary: Not everything on Alpha-0 is what it seems.


Cloud smirked when he saved the video, pausing the recording to watch the face Sephiroth made while half way out again. He dropped himself back on his chair, replaying it again slower.

"You ready to talk?" Barret interrupted the blonde's video watching session, the larger man settling down on one of the vacant chairs.

"Uuuughhhh," Cloud groaned, stretching his arms up and back, laying his PHS on the table, "The full dive VR simulator was one of my best and worst inventions ever. Come, sit, other me."

The younger Cloud moved for the first time since he arrived at the second floor, yanking out a chair to sit while crossing his arms.

"I still can't believe you married Sephiroth of all people," the shorter man grumbled, glaring at the other Cloud.

"Oh, yeah. It took three years of knowing him to start dating, and another year to get married," Cloud reminisced, "If I remember right, she shouted 'Fin-a-fucking-ly you dumbass gays, it only took three years of my life and suffering for you get it together!', and then she dragged Ari with her and flounced off to Nibel to tell Ma the good news." He started cracking up, humor dancing in his eyes.

The younger Cloud's face went through a flurry of emotions at the mention of Claudia Strife, before he schooled his expression.

"How much of his…kid's backstory do you actually know?" Barret bit out, since it looked like his version of Cloud didn't seem to be forthcoming with questions.

Cloud raised an eyebrow, throwing him a flat look.

"Well, that would be telling, won't it? I'm not sure what kind of clearance Rufus set for you guys, since, you know, you are part of AVALANCHE, after all," the blonde shrugged, "But I'll tell you a few things about Ariana and Aridai."

The director considered his next words carefully, "On paper, those two are the ideal definitions for a SOLDIER First and a Turk. Ana is our PR's second favorite person, other than Seph. Based on their public image, most think of them as model citizens since they hide their quirks behind closed doors. Ghost's the embodiment of a perfect Turk, since he always completes his missions, and he asks no questions no matter how fucked up the missions are. When he's on duty, people can't even say his name without feeling like they're being watched. In fact, you might hear a few epithets they have if you stick around in the Tower long enough."

Behind his sunglasses, Barrett's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What kind of names?"

"Publicly, Ana's the Stalwart Commander, and Shinra's Angel of Death. She has her own fan club too, and it's pretty popular. A lot of SOLDIERs and Infantry either love her or are terrified of her. As for Aridai, he's mostly just known as Shinra's Ghost. Most people are put off by his frosty work personality," Cloud waved a hand in the air, "We call him Ghost when he's working, and Aridai or Ari when he's not."

"How do you even know them, anyways?" Strife spoke up, a crease making itself known between his brows, "I went into infantry when I didn't make the cut for SOLDIER."

"Oof, that's an interesting story," Cloud crossed his legs, tapping a pattern onto the table.

"The first time I met Ariana, she bumped into me on purpose in '97. By that point, I already failed the SOLDIER qualifications once because of my body's intolerance to mako," he grimaced, "Not to mention I was a pretty scrawny kid. Couldn't even swing a broadsword without being overbalanced."

Barrett snorted a laugh, quieting when Strife glared at him.

"By then, Ana was already a SOLDIER Third after a year of cadet training. Of course, due to her prior upbringing, she got through what was supposed to be two years in one. Legally you can't join the program until 14, but she got an expedited training course because she kind of killed Hojo, you know?"

Cloud smiled at the two, "Whoo, not to mention, the old president wanted both twins to be put down, but basically, Ange, Gen, and Seph threatened to run and leave Shinra to rot in the war. That shut him up quickly. And there might've also been threats of murder."

"…" Both Strife and Barret stared at him with varying shades of disbelief.

Cloud frowned, "What? Fighting Sephiroth on his own is already bad enough, but the Holy Trinity all together? And it worked out alright, for us."

"That still doesn't explain how they know you," prodded Strife, and Cloud raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"I'm getting to that, geeze," the taller blonde rolled his eyes at them, "As I was saying, when she wasn't on the front lines or training with the other SOLDIERs, she pokes around the cadet barracks when she has the time to check on the fresh meat. According to her, she wanted to know who was strong and had a good head on their shoulders. I didn't even know she was female in the first place, not to mention, she gave me a fake name."

Cloud huffed a slight laugh at his past naivety, "Women typically have a negative personality change when they're injected with Mako, that's why you don't really see female SOLDIERs. Since Ana was basically marinated in the stuff as a baby meant that there wasn't a personality to change."

Cloud then muttered 'Fuck you Hojo, you little bitch' under his breath.

"Where was I? Oh, and after that, she basically stalked me for a year to figure out if I was even worthy to speak to her Father. Which should've probably been a red flag, but at that point, I was very close to dropping out and going into the regular infantry."

"You were stalked. For a year. And you still trust her?"

Both Barret and Cloud looked like they had eaten a lemon.

"Well, I mean, she did manage to get me into SOLDIER the next time I tried out," Cloud shrugged helplessly, "I also had basically zero social skills at the time, since I was an outcast back home, so by that point, my bar for friends were so low that it was pretty much under the dirt. And since she was monitoring me for a year, it meant that she trusted me enough to let me into the SOLDIER First floor and in turn her parents."

"And then what?" Barret prodded, "You married and lived happily ever after?"

Cloud had to laugh at that, finding it hilarious, "Oh, Gods, no. After that, the Shinra-Wutai war was still in the process of wrapping up, and Aridai killed the old President the year after it ended. Rufus, that bastard of a man he is, contracted Ari to go off and assassinate his father after dragging the old President's reputation through the mud and into hell. Then Lazard stepped up for the President position for a few years while Rufus went to get a Master's degree in Business Administration."

"Rufus had his own father killed?" Strife said out in one breath, recoiling in bewilderment, "That's…not how it's supposed to go."

"Eh, by that point, Ariana handled the plans to kill Heidegger and Dr. Hollander and wrote up plans to decapitate Scarlet. My stepdaughter is very good at creative ideas," Cloud said proudly, and smiled, "She's so clever."

"What the fuck," said Strife, with feeling.

"Yeah, back then, Zack told me she was the best person to ask to plan a surprise party or premeditated murder. Either one worked, and thankfully, she has enough sense not to advertise the latter," the blonde shrugged, hands raising in a 'what can you do?' motion.

"Why are you like this?" demanded Strife, who looked like he was going through a conniption, putting his head in his hands, "Why didn't you run the other way?"

"I learned very quickly not to question why she does half of what she does," the older blonde said shortly, "But besides that, I don't think it's a good idea to corner Ariana. It won't be pretty."

Cloud watched as the two outlanders seemed to hold a silent conversation between them, the director allowing them to do so without interruption. He wasn't sure if they were going to secretly push against the world Ariana and her family had created.

The man thought about the emergence of Ariana as Shinra's Angel of Death at sixteen, dogging at Sephiroth's heels as the Demon of Wutai. He thought about the first time he met Sephiroth in the middle of cadet training, how Ariana roughly pushed him into the silver haired man's path, so he literally bumped into the Silver General.

He also thought of finding her roaming around the SOLDIER cadet barracks every other day and being invited to watch her sparring sessions between her and Sephiroth when they both had the time.


"Do you think she'd attack us outright?" Strife asked, fidgeting slightly.

"No. She's too smart to even entertain the idea, and as long as you don't give a reason for her to hate you, you should be fine," Cloud sighed, before looking towards an empty stretch of wall.

"In a way, Ariana really is the ideal SOLDIER. She's loyal to a fault when it comes to people or things she cares about, honorable in combat, and her track record on the battlefield is nearly spotless. Back then, she was considered the second prodigy child of Shinra, with her parentage muddled by saying that Seph was her older brother. Shinra's PR department ran with the 'siblings fighting for the good of Shinra through thick and thin', or some flowery bullshit they put out."

For the first time, Cloud scowled. "And what people don't know is how impulsive and selfish she can be, with little regard to the rules and regulations. Stubborn to a point where she can make life very difficult for you if she doesn't like you."

Pinching his nose, the man pulled out his PHS, turning on the experimental hologram projector that he was beta testing.

"I think I can find the old propaganda posters saved here." The PHS was placed on the table, a hard light hologram popping up.

The saved poster had a generic recruitment slogan in large letters near the bottom edge. The more interesting part of the poster was Sephiroth in his early twenties dressed in his PR uniform with slightly shorter hair that could be seen curled around his mid-back. Ariana was standing close to her Father's side, her head only reaching around Sephiroth's neck.

A large, confident smile was on the girl's face, looking out towards whoever was taking the picture. Sephiroth was looking down towards Ariana, smiling slightly with a noticeable degree of fondness.

The teenager was wearing a sleeveless black turtleneck with the SOLDIER program's emblem pinned on her chest, and a blue leather coat similar to the one she wore now, except sized to fit a teenager, with baggy black cargo pants and boots.

They both had their weapons on them, with Sephiroth's Masamune's hilt peeking out from behind his back, and Ariana with her sheathed Muramasa at her hip.

"That katana Ariana has in this picture is the Muramasa, which is the Masamune's sister sword," Cloud pointed out, "At the time this was taken, she'd returned from a three month tour in the front lines just in time for Easter. Man, time flew by…"

"What's the point of showing us this?" Strife asked, his eyes basically glued to the projection, "Do you expect us to be impressed?"

"Not really. These are things you need to know, and why you should tread carefully," Cloud shook his head, turning the projection off, "The whole Crescent family, along with me, are the darlings of both Shinra and Midgar. Overstepping your boundaries, or bad mouthing them will only set people against you guys. Ariana's giving the benefit of the doubt for now, but trying to fight her will only spell disaster for you."

"So what, you expect us to roll over for Shinra like cowed dogs?!" Barrett demanded, growling loudly at what sounded like a threat. He hit the table with a closed fist, making a thumping noise.

Cloud glanced at the door and towards the window, before casting a Barrier, the translucent shield popping up at the snap of his fingers.

When the barrier solidified into a milky white, Cloud glared at Barret.

"I'm trying to warn you idiots!" the blonde gritted out, his eyes flaring with anger, mako blue irises flashing, "I didn't survive the SOLDIER program by being stupid. I think you don't know what you're up against. Shinra's SOLDIER program is a den of monsters. If you're not careful, they will eat you alive."

Strife's jaw clenched with thinly disguised anger.

"You don't know how this world works. This place isn't what it seems. That's the only reason I'm warning you," Cloud repeated, "I'm not going to lie to you, but Ariana is one of the, if not the biggest help and hindrance to humanity."

Taking a breath, Cloud elaborated, "She might say that she's the Killer of the Calamity from the Skies, but there's more to that. She is the Calamity of Alpha-0."

He continued before either man could cut him off.

"In 1994, when Dr. Hojo was killed and Nibel's Mako Reactor was destroyed by Ariana and Aridai, Ariana stole the power from the one they called JENOVA and shared it with her brother. She didn't just kill JENOVA, she consumed her. She is the most possessive being on the Planet, and she is obsessed with her idea of family."

Cloud leveled a flat glare at them, huffing to help cool his flare of anger.

"Ariana loves humanity, and she loves her parents and siblings. She is the type of person that would make the world burn if it makes them happy. It's why she fought your Sephiroth but didn't kill him. That woman is the most dangerous warrior on the Planet if you give her a reason not to hold back. It's part of the reason the Planet made them into WEAPONs, because she'll do anything for the Mother of All Life."

"If she's the Calamity, why aren't you fighting her?" asked Strife, "Why play pretend and act like her Uncle? Wouldn't—"

Cloud cut Strife off before the younger blonde could say something that would incriminate him.

"Because I owe her. Many, many times over. In 1999, Ma got sick. Really sick," Cloud worried at his lip, biting it, "And she wasn't going to make it. In Nibel, everyone was sure that she was going to die."

He gulped, continuing, "When I told Ana that I was going to go to Nibel and drop out of the SOLDIER program, she wouldn't let me. Said that she'd do everything she could to get Ma medical attention, even used her own pay to fund the medications and the treatment. It was…I was fucking terrified that I was going to lose Ma, and not be there. If I didn't tell Ariana…I don't know what would've happened."

Remembering the turbulent emotions of the past made Cloud shudder, his shoulders squaring.

"I owe her a lot. The life I have now, she was the one who practically made it for me. That's why. But, enough about that."

Cloud sighed, the lingering feelings of despair draining from him.

"Ariana might be the Calamity, but she is also genuinely a caring person. Please, if you value your lives, don't try to make trouble, because it'll only spell disaster for you. She's the Disaster SOLDIER for a reason."

A few years ago, after Ariana and Aridai had regained consciousness, the woman had pulled Cloud to the side, asking him to talk with her alone.


Sector Zero Specialized SOLDIER Medical Facility, ICU Ward

January 31, 0008

"Cloud," Ariana said, reaching out for the blonde man's hand, "Can I talk to you?" She glanced to the side, her free hand gripping at the medical scrubs she was wearing.

"Uh, sure," Cloud scratched at his head, raising his eyebrow when he noticed Ariana making a pointed jerk of her head towards her younger brother.

"Alone. Come on."

Ariana tugged out her IV, shifting so she could get out of the medical bed, stumbling slightly when her legs gave out. Cloud had moved to catch her, steadying the silver and red haired woman with a concerned expression.

"Ana?" Aridai asked, similarly worried, and the woman gave him a reassuring smile.

"Hey, don't worry about me," she said, before she patted Cloud's arm, "Thanks, Cloud."

Curling her toes, Ariana took a few experimental steps, Cloud worryingly following her every move.

Eventually, both SOLDIER Firsts were in an empty room, Ariana sitting down on a free chair.

"So what's going on?" Cloud spoke first, once it seemed like she wasn't going to start talking.

"I really, really have to tell you something."

A pained grimace crossed Ariana's face, mulling her next words over.

The blonde patiently waited for her to continue, before recoiling in shock when a large, feathery black wing materialized over Ariana's left side.

"Ana, what?" Cloud gasped, confusion coloring his voice as he seemed to need a moment to take it in.

"When…when we were in the Lifestream, and the Planet spoke to us…Gaia's Avatar stated that Aridai and I will be developing new abilities," the woman said softly, the wing curling to her front, "And that…there's something hiding in my biology that had been dormant for a long time."

"Other than your hair and eyes?" asked Cloud, gesturing to the woman's unusual features.

"Yes."

Some feathers shucked themselves off, falling towards the floor before disintegrating into nothing.

"Cloud...I stole the powers of the Calamity."

With even more confusion, Cloud blinked at her.

"Huh?" he said, like an idiot.

Ariana closed her eyes and tilted her head up so she could look heavenward.

"Do you remember when I stole the heavily redacted files from the Turks and let you read them in '02?"

"Uh, yeah, that was when I married Seph," Cloud didn't sound like he knew what she was getting at.

"There's some things that me and Ari saw that we never put in a report," Ariana continued, "Back then, in 1994. Because we made sure that we'd never speak of it again. Cast a Barrier, Cloud."

The blonde did so almost immediately, casting it quickly.

Sighing once, the woman opened her eyes again, and started talking.


'The Calamity of the Skies…' Cloud thought, after Ariana paused for a quick drink of water from a mini fridge.

"Cloud. You know that you're my best friend, right?" she asked, rolling her bottle in her hands, "And…I'd never hurt you or force you to do things when you really don't want to?"

"…"

The blonde studied how Ariana held herself, the normally confident, outgoing woman shrinking back under the scrutiny. How her still present wing curled around her front protectively, hiding her hands from view, and how her whole body seemed to droop. The drooping wing seemed to make her look even more pitiful.

Then he thought about how Ariana did seem to have his best interests in mind.

After meeting Sephiroth, and subsequently Ariana herself properly, the woman recounted her first impressions of him, and what she did after.


Flashback-1997, SOLDIER Cadet Barracks

It was 1997, and Ariana just turned 15 a while ago. She knew that it was the time of the year for the initial cadet training to see if they could pass the SOLDIER exams.

Hidden behind a cadet helmet, and wearing a chest binder (Aridai was so proud when he presented her with the birthday gift. He wanted to give her something she desperately wanted), Ariana made her way around the cadet barrack floor, speaking in a low voice and avoiding conversation. There weren't too many girls that attempted the SOLDIER exams, not just because they had issues with being exposed to mako treatment, but because they were usually conscripted to the Turks.

Ariana's own situation was wildly different compared to other female SOLDIER hopefuls, particularly because she was already exposed to Mako at a young age due to her time as Subject A1, and under Hojo's knife and needles. There were irreparable emotional and physical damages done to her as Subject A1.

She watched how the candidates interacted with each other, when she noticed a boy with bright blonde hair, and blue eyes.

He seemed withdrawn, and it was obvious that he was naturally a quiet type of person. Self-doubt was practically written on his forehead.

The boy looked very lonely.

And Ariana wanted to see more.

So she did.

Stumbling into the boy, she was surprised when he tried to catch her, the thin blonde steadying her through the faked clumsiness.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Ariana apologized profusely, speaking in a more casual, informal tone, "I wasn't watching where I was goin'!"

"Hey, it's okay," the cadet made sure she was steady, "It's no big deal."

"It kind of is! What's your name? I'm Alex, Alex Cinders," she gave out a fake name, holding a hand out for the other to take.

"Uh, I'm Cloud. Cloud Strife. It's nice to meet you, Alex," Cloud smiled shyly, "Er, don't let me hold ya up."

"Right. Um, bye!" Ariana ducked her head before hurrying past him.

When she was far enough away, the girl stopped, hiding behind a turn. She shook out of her false pretenses, relaxing her shoulders, and the nervous air faded away.

"Cloud Strife, huh?" she muttered, before making her way to a bathroom, taking off the helmet and tucking it under an arm, "Interesting."

It was time for observation. Ariana could hear Aridai groaning already.

For the next three months, Ariana would watch the cadet training sessions, marking out Cloud's classes by stopping at Lazard's office, occasionally offering to run errands. While Director Deusericus was wary of the child of the SOLDIER Firsts, he did need the help, since there always seemed to be a surge in paperwork around the SOLDIER qualification exams.

Ariana glanced through a stack of applicant pictures, searching for a specific name.

Usually, Lazard would be the one to review the profiles of candidates, but she was able to snag this stack.

Keen green cat eyes roved over the stack, before finding the right one.

Tugging it out, she committed the information to memory, before hiding it once more with a tick mark of her approval.

Now, to sneak it past Father.

Mentally grinning, Ariana's eyes sparkled with delight.


"Well, you haven't steered me wrong," Cloud said, and watched as Ariana seemed to perk up like a sunflower facing the sun.

"It means a lot to me, Cloud," Ariana smiled at him, before she became serious.

"Cloud. Swear to me that if I ever go off the deep end, if I go crazy or try to destroy the world, you'll kill me."

Blindsided, Cloud jerked back, shock flashing across his face at the request.

"Wh-What!?" he demanded, leaning forward, disbelief written all over his body, "Ana, how can you ask me that?!"

Ariana bit her lip, shaking her head slightly. She glanced towards the door, her bottle crumpling between them.

"Because I don't want to be the reason this Planet dies!" the wing on her back unfurled, stretching across the wall, feathers spreading without her control. "Because I don't know if Father can handle killing me. He holds back most of the time in our spars, you know that. He's never tried fighting me to kill me. And if he's put in that position...I don't know what he'd do with himself. Please..."

The woman slumped in her chair, "I know it's because he loves me, but legends shall speak of sacrifice at World's End, Cloud. My parents, nor my grandparents are the idea of stable mental health. Please, you need to promise me that if I ever take up the mantle of the Calamity, you'll end me."

Cloud swallowed heavily, realizing how serious Ariana really was.

"...Only if there's no other choice. I don't want to lose you."

"Cloud...I'm still a SOLDIER. SOLDIERs seldom retire outside of death," Ariana sighed, and her wing faded away, leaving a few feathers behind, which turned to dust, "Other than Dad, Papa Ange, or you."

"I know. But still, that's a pretty tall order, Ana," the blonde put his head on his hands.

Ariana's slit green cat eyes met Cloud's glowing mako blue eyes, a sense of finality settling in the room.

"If it does happen, and I take up the old Calamity's agenda...you better prepare yourself, Cloud."


Present

Cloud was taken out of his thoughts abruptly when Strife started speaking.

"Do you really trust her that much?"

Cloud's eyes met Strife's, "I think the real question is if you trust me to give you an answer you can trust."


Note: Is this a cliffhanger? Yeah, kinda. The chapter length was running away from me.