6 Days latter

Cloud smiled lying next to the small sleeping child. It was odd, that Reno was gone yet here. Rufus and the Turks still failed to find anything, and with Hojo dead and Vincent god knows where. They were stuck. Flipping off the light, he fell asleep in minutes.

The next morning Cloud woke up first. Looking down at Reno he blinked. He looked slightly different. The clothes fit him a lot better than the night before, his hair was longer and gaining its darker look. Reno groaned rolling over his eyes opened.

"Cloud?" Even his speech had improved.

"Reno...how old are you?" He was going on a hunch but, if he was right, this could mean something.

"Seven...why?" The door opened. Both looked up to see Cid.

"Hey Clou-Hey I thought we all agreed the world wasn't ready for Reno to breed" Cloud growled ignoring the comment he lifted Reno up, he wasn't any heavier that was for sure. Reno still had that underfed weight. Pushing past Cid he headed down stairs.

"Hey! Tifa said you were looking for Vincent...we came" Cid said not understanding what was going on.

"Tifa!" He yelled stepping into the bar. Reno held tightly scared at his yell. He blinked shook his head and looked at Tifa who was watching him.

"What's wrong Cloud"

"He's older!"

"What?" She asked not sure what exactly he was talking about.

"Reno, his body changed again, he's 7 now." She blinked.

"What? But how? I mean he was six last night right?" Cloud nodded. Cid walked in interrupting them.

"You guys left a shit load of messages asking me where the fuc-"

"Cid! There's a child in the room! Watch you langue" Cid growled something before going back to what he was saying before.

"You asked me where Vincent was, he's living with me now over in Rocket Town, so when I got your call I brought him over, and who is this kid?!"

"Its Reno" Cloud said, looking at Reno who seemed to be falling back asleep. "There was an accident at Shinra labs, and we need Vincent's help, he knows Hojo the best."

Cid sighed. "Fine he's outside on the roof" Cloud nodded thanks walking out. Looking around he stood waiting for Vincent.

"I thought, it said, Reno wasn't allowed to breed" Vincent's soft voice said above him. Cloud growled getting really annoyed with the joke, how did the stupid thing spread?

"We need your Help"

Vincent jumped down landing next to Cloud, Reno whimpered scared by Vincent's appearance he hid his face in Cloud shoulder. Vincent blinked not sure what was wrong.

"Vincent, This. This is Reno. There was an accident in the Shinra labs and it turned him into a si-seven year old, originally he was Six but this morning he was seven...we need your help because you know Hojo the best"

Vincent blinked trying to remember his time with the man. "He did have project k-7...but that was only in test faze...the subjects kept returning back to themselves..."

"Sounds like it, think you can help?" They began to walk back into the bar.

"Hmm ill need to read the data again and check the lab out but I'm pretty sure I can" He said softly. "Cid can take me depending on what I find I should return by tomorrow mourning."

"Ok...I'm going to get Reno fed and dressed, I was thinking of taking him, Denzel and Marlene to the park today, just to get them out of the house"

Vincent nodded walking over to talk to Cid. Cloud nudged Reno with his shoulder.

"He scare you?"

"He came out of nowhere...and he was quiet..."

"He's ok he's a good guy, like Auntie Tifa sooo breakfast?"

"Eggs?" Cloud smiled 7 year old Reno wasn't as picky as 6 year old Reno.

"Sure" He re-cooked the eggs Tifa had made for him setting them in front of Reno he smiled petting Reno's spiky hair down as he ate. "I'm going to go find you some clothes ok?" Reno nodded still eating.

He came back with some black shorts. a white shirt black sleeves and some socks. Reno was done eating once again waiting for Cloud to get him, he started doing that the first day Cloud fed him. He wouldn't move, wouldn't call for Cloud just sat there waiting for Cloud to tell him what to do next. Cloud smiled softly pulling the chair out. Reno jumped off smiling up at him.

"Here go get changed put your shoes on, brush your teeth, comb your hair, and come back down here when you're done ok?" Reno nodded taking the clothes. Cloud patted his head and watched as Reno ran upstairs going to change.

"He's really a good kid." Tifa said coming in.

"He is...almost too good though" He said sadly watching Marlene and Denzel wait for him in the bar.

"What's that mean?" She asked softly he sighed sitting on the table.

"He's quite, behaves, dose what he's told, if you don't tell him he won't do it, don't talk to him he won't talk, When one of the bar fights broke out the yelling literally had him to tears, I ask him what was wrong he said I'm not suppose to talk about it' then didn't say anything all day. Something's wrong with him and it scares me because this child becomes the man I love, and I never knew any of this..."

She gazed sadly at him. "It will be ok you'll see...and we all have things in our past we don't like talking about, when he's normal, ask then, not now" Cloud sighed nodded. Reno came down smiling at him.

"Come on were going to go out and play" He took Reno's hand.

"We'll be back in a couple hours Tifa, call if anything happens" She nodded. Waving good bye. Marlene and Denzel jumped up excited. Marlene took Clouds free hand.

"Were going to the park right?" She asked excited.

"Yes we are" he smiled softly at her.

"Can we get ice cream to Cloud can we can we?" she asked happily, Denzel smiled looking at Cloud to. They walked out into the busy street.

"Don't tell Tifa" He joked they nodded knowing the rules.

"Are we going to that pretty park with the flowers?" Marlene asked. Cloud laughed.

"Yes we are it seems to be the only clean one around here" He looked at Reno, who was staying close and not talking. It bothered him in every sense. This wasn't right for a child.

OoOoO

Cloud watched the three of them run into the structure when they walked up. Even Reno he seemed fractionated by the large colorful bars the other kids were climbing on. Marlene chased Denzel up the slide both of them jumping down. He laughed sitting on the bench next to a brown haired woman with a small baby. She followed his gaze finding each of the children he was watching.

"The adorable" He blinked shaking his head and looked at her.

"Thank you.." He muttered. She smiled laying the young infant in its cart.

"Are they all yours?" She asked enjoying to see a dad at the park and not just mothers.

"The little girl's dad is a really close friend of mine, she usually stays with us when he's away. The larger boy, Denzel, is one of the orphans" He said she gave him a kind look.

"And the little redhead?"

Cloud wasn't sure how to answer that, he was but it was afraid to go along with it. He sighed in defeat in his mind. "Yes he's mine" Her face brighten.

"He's adorable how old is he?" He looked to see Reno examining everything around him before squatting to play with the sand.

"He's seven" He said she looked shocked.

"He's so tiny! Poor thing" He snarled softly ignoring her comment. "What's his name?"

Cloud made sure to keep an eye on the three before turning back to her. "Reno..."

"Like the Turk?" He looked away again. Not wanting to answer. The child wasn't named after Reno It was Reno.

"Sort of" he lied. Reno seemed to notice he was under the monkey bars finally looking up. He watched the other children play on it before testing it himself. Marlene and Denzel were watching Reno from the swings holding hands as they went back and forth. Reno jumped up instead of climbing on it like the other children. He stood on it. Cloud jumped up.

"Reno..." Reno looked up then down before walking to the middle of it. He did it with perfect ease not missing a step, not slipping. Perfectly.

"It's ok Cloud! I won't get hurt" he said smiling. Cloud stood under him carefully. Reno squatted to be almost at level with Cloud giving him the same look he was getting.

"Come on get down I don't want to chance it" He held out his arms catching Reno when he jumped. Reno laughed a sweet joyful child life. Cloud felt his chest tighten at the sound. Reno hadn't laughed like that, and it was so much like the Reno he knew today. He set Reno down going back over to the bench.

"He's very adventures'" She said when he sat down "I'm Clara"

"Cloud..." He watched Reno again climb on the monkey bars. This time going it right. He swung over skipping one bar each time until he reached the end and swung down to the ground laughing. Before doing it all over again.

"Not every day do you see such careful dads around here" she smiled at him.

"They needed to get out vie been working" he said not sure why he kept talking to her.

Marlene and Denzel found their way over to Reno. Unlike the other times when Reno ran he played back. The three of them began to chase each other around the play ground. Cloud smiled turning back to the woman.

"Which kids are yours"

"This little guy Sammy, and I've got another one just around 12 he's over in the sand lot" Which was behind them. Cloud wasn't sure how she could be facing the other way. He looked up. The three kids were gone. He jumped up looking around and saw them in the same sand lot. He decided to maybe let them be for awhile.

OoOoO

Reno sat down in the sand and began to play with it. Marlene smiled "Me and Denzel will get some water! We can build a sand castle!" Reno smiled.

"Sure! I'll stay here and guard the building ground!" he joked the two smiled running over the water fountain, managing to grab and water bottle from one of the moms.

Reno turned back to his sand digging a large pile of it together. Building a mound of it before squishing it and starting over. A shadow loomed behind him and he looked up just to get knocked over. He landed painfully in the sand whimpering.

"You're in our spot little kid" A boy growled twice the size of Reno nearly three, and it wasn't just height. Reno growled his defensive instincts taking over when the three boys with him smashed his pile.

"And you need to lay off the Moogle Cakes" Reno growled no longer sounding like the innocent seven year old he was minutes ago. The leader of the boys and the one who shoved him snarled going to kick Reno while he was down. Reno caught the leg with ease jumping to a crouch his right leg snapped up and spun around he twisted to boys leg as his body turned, and kicked him painfully in the chest.

The boy cried falling to the ground, surprised the agility and skills of Reno. The other three growled going to attack but two stopped when someone taped their shoulders. Behind then Marlene and Denzel who both swung the same time knocking the two boys out. Reno stood swinging his leg up and taking out the middle boy. The three looked down at the four 13 year old boys on the ground.

"Wanna go swing?" Marlene asked

"Sure!" Reno said happily, they ran over to the younger kids park. Cloud turned when they ran past him and froze.

"...I don't want to know" He sighed seeing the kids on the ground he turned back to the kids watching them play.

OoOoOoO

It was late afternoon when Cloud returned home. Reno had fallen asleep, he carried the small boy with one arm holding Marlene's hand with the other. Tifa made to aw at them when he walked in but the sleeping child in his arms made her stop.

"I'm going to go lay him down"

OoOoOo

Reno slept the rest of the day and still hadn't woken the next day, Cloud thought it was for the best, since Vincent was coming over again with the news. Covering Reno with the blanket he went downstairs to talk to the man.

"So what did you find out?" Cloud asked Vincent looked up.

"Like I said the subject kept reverting back to their original age, but week by week, So instead of staying six they were seven the next week and eight after that, until returned to the original age. You said he started six?" Cloud nodded understanding where he was going "So next week he'll be eight and so on, before you ask I can't speed it up, or anything like that" Cloud sighed leaning against the counter.

"So...15 more weeks...4 months..."

"It will get better you'll see"

OoOoOoOo

XDDDDDDDD

we'll the chapters are getting longer because I only have one chapter per week and so I want to fit a lot into it.

Thanks for the reviews there love.

Ideas from Kigichi and Ringo...and Lexi, Mark, Aiden, Nate, Katharine...David... XDDD