Title: Family is Forever

Author: Phantom-NorthStar

Word theme: Storm

AN: I was inspired by a random picture I found on photobucket and kinda wanted to do a story for it. But rather than write out a story that could possibly have a plot, I decided on trying to write a bunch of one shots. Feel free to recommend any words or theme ideas.

Disclaimer: I don't own Cloud or Final Fantasy Seven. I do however own the plots, ideas, and Calypso unless stated otherwise.

It had been one of those dreary days were you feel like you can hardly move. Where looking at the rain for even the briefest of seconds makes you feel exhausted. The blue sky everybody loves had been captured by gloomy gray clouds who chose to release the bounty of rain onto the city below. It was slightly better for those who lived more to the outskirts of the city, away from the busy roads and impossibly tall skyscrapers. It was raining hard enough that it was difficult to see far and spending any amount of time outside without an umbrella would guarantee that you would be soaked.

It was this very type of day that Calypso Hanakimi was found waltzing around her two story house in the living room, wearing a simple spaghetti strap ocean blue dress that ended a little below her knees. Now Calypso was an odd woman. Despite being twenty one, she refused to act mature like to other adults. She had her own way of doing things, though they made no sense to anybody who happened to see what she was doing. Calypso kept her hair long enough to reach her waist, and often wore it with beads, feathers, or any other colorful things braided into the raven strands. Her skin was an inherited tan, received from her father's Wutainese heritage. Her eyes though, were unique to her only. Not even her parents had the same hues. Yes, Calypso had glowing lavender eyes, which often spooked anybody she made eye contact with. She lived on the outskirts of the city, preferring to have a lawn with actual grass. Now Calypso was quite the looker, but seeing as she spent most of her time at home, many men didn't even know she existed. The few guys that have tried to get into her pants end up walking away needing some counseling, as they just can't get over the shock her odd mannerisms cause. And for some strange reason, she's really smug about it...

Now, as most people were lying about their homes or sluggishly getting through their jobs, Calypso decided it would be fun to go dancing in the rain. Nobody was around, and even if someone was, it wasn't going to stop her. Heck no! She'd try to get them to join as well! So rather than slip on shoes or grab a coat, the raven haired woman just opened her front door and skipped out of her home. She splashed through a few puddles of mud and rain, laughing and humming as she twirled and jumped, not minding how wet or dirty she got. A sob grabbed her attention, causing her to go silent and tilt her head. There were a few trees on her property, mostly in groups, and the sobs sounded again, near her right were a few trees were located. Calypso tip-toed over to the closest tree, a mere three meters away, and peered around the trunk.

Sitting with his knees drawn up to his chest was a little boy. Fine blond hair stuck up in spikes that looked like a chocobo and pale skin was covered in random spots by dirt. Well, mud was more like it by now. Worn out black sneakers were on his feet, hardly useful anymore, and torn and dirtied jeans with a beaten white shirt that was a bit too big made up his clothes. He was soaked to the bone, shivering and sniffling and crying. The sable haired woman, let a small motherly smile on her face, before she sat down, next to the crying boy. He jumped a little, big blue tearful eyes staring at her. "Hello." she said, crossing her legs under herself, leaning back against the tree. "Are you okay?" The little boy sniffed before looking at his feet. "I'm not s'posed to talk to strangers." he mumbled. He had to be about five years old. "Well, my name's Calypso. You can call me Cally if you want." she told him, pointing at herself with a smile on her face. The blond watched her for a few more minutes, before rubbing his eyes, as he hiccupped. "I'm Cloud." he sniffled, blinking at her. To the young boy, her eyes were strange. Strange but pretty.

"Well, Cloud, are you lost?" Calypso asked, folding her hands in her lap. Cloud started to cry again. "M-Mommy told m-me I made D-Daddy go away. She doesn't l-like me. S-S-She t-told me to- to go away... and n-never come b-back..." By now, poor little Cloud had dissolved into wailing, rubbing his eyes in a useless attempt to stop his tears. Calypso merely smiled that understanding smile of hers and picked him up, placing him her lap. She hugged the young boy to her. Eventually his sobs died down. "Well Cloud, would you like to stay with me?" she asked, rubbing his back. Cloud looked up at her with red eyes. "C-Can I really?" he hiccupped. The raven haired woman nodded. She held the boy in her arms as she stood up, not minding the mud and water on her clothes and skin. The blond wrapped his arms around her neck, looking around as she walked across her front yard, up her porch, and into her entryway. She placed him on his own feet, walking down the hall to the closet, pulling out two towels, and headed back, kneeling in front of Cloud. She took off his shoes, drying his hair somewhat with one of the towels. She took the second one and wrapped the young boy up in it, picking him back up. "How does a hot bath sound? I'll put in bubbles if you want." Calypso grinned, heading to the bathroom on the second floor. Cloud nodded his spiky head vigorously.

The bath passed quickly. Cloud played with the bubbles, giggling while the raven haired woman cleaned him up. He ended up dressed in an oversized t-shirt with the logo of some random band. Calypso cleaned herself up quickly and then joined Cloud in the living room downstairs, bringing some hot coco and doughnuts she had bought yesterday. As the two watched a movie with chocobos and knights fighting dragons, lightning flashed outside, grabbing the young boy's attention. The thunder that followed made him jump, hiding in Calypso's side. She giggled. "Are you scared of thunder, Cloud?" A squeaked 'yes' was her reply. The raven haired woman put her hot coco down on the coffee table in front of them and pulled Cloud into her arms, turning him so he could see out the window. Night had fallen a while ago. "Hey Cloud! Did you know that the clouds outside said hi? That's what the thunder was. They saw you and wanted to say hi. You're named after them after all." the raven haired woman said, hugging the blond. He looked at her suspiciously, before asking, "Really?"

The television, along with the rest of the power had gone out by now, but neither of the room's occupants noticed. "Well you're name's Cloud right?" A nod. "And their name's are Cloud right?" Again, another nod. "Then why wouldn't they say hi? Their voices are just really deep and loud." A blink and then understanding. "Oh. HI CLOUDS!"

Cloud watched the storm until he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. Calypso smiled before she put the blond to bed. As she finished cleaning the living room, she looked out at the calming storm. "The clouds are saying hi... right Daddy?"

AN: I really liked this! What do you guys think? I'm working on the next oneshot, so hopefully it'll be up soon! ^_^