I do not own Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy X

James D Fawkes happens to be one of my favorites and perusing through his profile to see if he had updated any, he had a challenge.

I won't go into it right now because to long to explain and quite frankly the story is more important then the details. But anyway I do hope you all like it.

Prologue

To be in a crowd, and yet feel so alone, was something that not many could honestly say or even do. In fact, most would say it is impossible.

But, for a blonde spiky haired man, it was exactly how he felt. He felt...alone. Once, and what was literally ages ago, he had friends, and someone to love. But then, thanks to a forgotten company, he found he could not join them.

Nor would he ever be able to.

The very planet itself would not let him go.

His name was Cloud Strife, and he has been alive for 1500 years, give a decade or two. He honestly lost count around 200 or so, simply because, he wandered away from much of what was civilized by humanity.

He couldn't grow attached to anyone. Not like them...not like her. Tifa...

Someone who earned his love after the loss of Aerith so long ago, he thought he could be at peace. He had the kids, his friends, and someone who loved him and whom he came to love in return. These were the people, who helped him through his issues with SOLDIER and, of course, Sephiroth.

He could not have survived without them.

But, when he realized one day, that looking in the mirror, he could see Tifa with gray hairs and wrinkles starting to appear on her features, while he remained unchanged, he knew. He knew he had to one last time go see Rufus Shinra. To find out what was happening.

Vincent, he would have preferred to talk to concerning this, but his friend had long since disappeared. It was assumed that the man had returned to sleep once again. His vendetta for the moment done, he simply wanted to rest.

No one could honestly blame him.

That was a year before he noticed what others were beginning to. It took Shinra and the Turks six more months afterwards to find out what was happening to him.

It was the experiments. The experiments done to him that had infused Mako into his body. Affected by the life stream of the planet itself, whenever a part of him died, it was simply renewed. His own body would never grow old, never get sick.

Essentially, he was forever healthy and forever young, for death would not come for him. It could not; the planet itself would not let it. When Shinra had told him the bad news personally, it took several months to replace that which he had destroyed in their company labs in an uncharacteristic fit of temper.

People were surprised at his reaction. But none could really blame him. He would remain forever as he was. And he would watch those he knew, loved, and cared for pass on.

Still lost in memories, Cloud paid no attention to the ringing bells of the celebrations going on around him. He did not see the Ronso holding on tightly to a little girl in tears as, despite the celebrations, she mourns the death of her father.

And history moves on, the young man does not feel the planet's sorrow or the eyes of old friends from long ago upon him. One of which is the figure of a glowing boy, who has taken pity on this man.

"Perhaps, once we are free to truly rest, you and the other shall be as well."