Return of the advent child

Plot: Two years after the second defeat of Sephiroth, Rufus' rebuilding his empire. He offers Cloud to be the new General and as the young man struggles with his work and his memories, somewhere, beneath his feet, a long lost friend is slowly waking up. [It's all Reno's fault sequel] Cloud POV.

Pairings: Cloud/Reno, Cloud/????

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the FFVII caracters or locations but I do own Lorelai, Zoey and Aubrey.


Return of the advent child

Chapter 1: Becomming

I was sitting on the bed in the little room I rent at Tifa's bar when the phone rang. "Strife delivery service, name it we deliver." It's a familiar voice that answered me. Even if I haven't heard him since two years I recongnized him immediatly. "It's Reno." I know it's it you, what I want to know is why are you calling me on Zack's death anniversary. "What do you want?" I could hear a little voice on the other side, asking him something. "Zoey wants to see you." Zoey? You mean our goddaughter? "Zoey... does she... does she look like them?" He knew who I was talking about. "Yep, she even has their grins." Silence, I didn't know what to answer. "Look I know you miss him but you made him a promise and Zoey really misses you." I heard someone grab the phone. "Uncle Cloud is that you?" Damn. I can't turn her down. "Hey sweetie, how are doing?" My eyes watered, I could imagine the way she looked. "I'm doing fine but I want to see you." Well you can't say no to a 6 year old that wants to see you. Besides if she has either Lorelai or Zack's temper it would be horrible. "I'm coming to pick you up just let me talk to your dad for a minute." She made kind of a winning noise and that reminded me of Zack's victory grin. "Reno, tell me she has your temper." He laughed. "Surely not." I smiled. "I'm coming to pick her up. Where are you?" I could hear him smile. "Healin."

I hung up and Tifa stepped in my room. "Who are you picking up?" Well I wasn't going to lie to her like I did before. "My goddaugther." She looked at me, shocked. "You have a goddaugther? Who is it?" I'm not telling you the whole story don't even think about it. "Zoey, Reno's daugther." Her shock wasn't going away. "Reno has a child? Who's her mother?" Goddamn I don't want to tell you but I guess you deserves tho hear the truth. "Lorelai, she was a Turk, a former SOLDIER... and she was Zack's twin sister." She sat down. "So I guess Zoey had a second Godfather. Zack." I hate when she does that, just throwing at me all the things I don't want to think about. "Yes." Stop questionning me please! "Where is Lorelai?" I'm going to have tell everything, even if I don't want to. "When Zoey was three months old she went on a mission with Reno and Zack, they went to sector 6 and she got shoot." Tifa looked at me. "Oh, I'm sorry." Don't be, please don't be, I don't want your pity. "Look I have to go pick her up, I'll come straigth back here." Great escape Cloud, really... "How old is she?" This is the last thing I'm telling you. "She's turning 6 today."

When I arrived at Healin I was surprised to see Rude, outside, playing with Zoey. "Zoey?" She turned around. Man does she look like her mother and at same time like Zack. They were almost identical twins, the only think that wasn't the same is that they weren't the same sex. Her red hair was cut short and it was spiking everywhere, a strand of deep, dark, perfect black was standing out in the red wave. She ran in my arms. "Cloud!" I picked her up, kissed her cheek and sat her on my shoulders. Rude smilled at me and I walked in the lodge. Reno was sitting at the kitchen table, files and loose sheets covering it. "What are you doing?" He lifted his head up. "ShinRa wants his units back. Rigth now I'm trying to pick someone to be god-allmigthy with the new SOLDIERs." I know what he's thinking about."You mean Rufus needs a General?" Alrigth, if I don't give a shit why am I asking? "Yep." He handed me a file. I put Zoey down and openned it.

The first thing a saw was a picture of me. I was 17 on that one, when I was about to take the SOLDIER test. I started to read.

Registration: 2154157
Complete name: Cloud Strife
Rank: Trooper
Birth date: August 11th
Blood type: AB
Familly: none known
Spouse: Zachary Steel (DECEASED)
Physical particularities: scar on the left eyebrow.
Skills: Excellent figthing skills, promising future.

I looked at him again, where was he going with this. "Why are you giving this to me?" He grins, damn no... "Do you want to be god-allmigthy?" WHAT?! I thougth he was going to ask and I planned on saying no but you know what? Why not? I can give a try. After all I passed six years of my life wanting to be a SOLDIER so now that I can become their boss I'm going to freak out? No fucking way. "Why not." Did I really just said that or am I just got a screwed up brain? From the look in Reno's face I guess I said it. "So then welcome back in the ShinRa compagny. Rufus' going to call you later for the details." He handed me a second file. "Do you want to keep it?" I openned the file and saw Zack's grin staring at me. "Yes." Zoey who had came back from her room with a bag looked at me. "Are we going yet?" Reno bended over. "As soon as you kiss your old dad you can go." She quickly kissed him on the cheek and we went back to Tifa's 7th Heaven.

Tifa was waiting for us outside she smilled when she saw the little kid sitting in front of me. If she couldn't see who I saw in Zoey she could certainly see that her hair was the same as Reno's. I stopped the motorcycle and handed out a hand to my goddaugther, a hand that she refused. "I can get down myself." I laughed. "Hello, I'm Tifa. What's your name?" Zoey frowned, she really had passed way to many time with the Turks. "My name is Zoey Libertine-Steel." What is she? A little recruit? She talked like I did when I was a cadet."Nice to meet you." Tifa smilled before adding "What do you want to be when you're older?" Zoey looked at her, totaly serious. "I don't want to be, I am going to be either a SOLDIER or a Turk." Wow she really his Reno's child. Marlene stepped out with Denzel. "You have children?" she asked me. "Marlene is our friend's daugther and Denzel lives with us." Brilliant Strife, what an answer. "Do you want to come play with us?" Thank you Marlene, you're such a good kid. Zoey lifted her deep blue eyes and looked at me. I nodded and she left with Marlene.

Tifa sat down and patted the place beside her. "You look weird, what did Reno say?" I smilled. "I'm the new ShinRa SOLDIER general." Her jaw would of fall to the ground. "What?! Why the hell are you doing that?" Oh, now the explanations. "Because I've passed six years of my damn life wanting to be a SOLDIER and when Reno asked me to become the new General I wasn't going to pass down a chance like that." She looked at me, tears shining in her eyes. "After all they've done to you you just run back to them?" No, don't play the offended little wife. "Do you have a clue how much I wanted to get in SOLDIER? I was dreaming of it in elementary school, don't you remember?" I looked at the kids playing for a moment, wanting to be somewhere else. "When are you leaving?" Geez I don't know, as soon as I can, I can't stand to see her love me so much without being able to give it back. "I don't know, when Rufus want me to I guess." My cell phone rang. Thank god I have a reason to quit this conversation.

"Hello." I hear Rufus' voice. "So you're ready to be my general?" he asked. Like I was going to turn my back and say no. "Yes sir." In my mind I could see a smile spread on his face. "Call it a deal. You start tomorow, get your stuff here." What it a time to be extasied or should I just run back to my bed and pray this wasn't happening? "I'll be before midnigth." Midnigth because I would have to talk Tifa througth this. Damn why are girls so.... sensitive? She locked her chocolate eyes in mine. "You're leaving tonigth aren't you?" Tears slipped on her cheeks. "Yep but I want to pass some time with you guys before."