A/N: I'M ALIVE!!!! Ow yes baby, I'm back! I hope I can keep it up for now instead of hitting a major block on the road again... It's no fun. The chapter is kind of short, only 1929 words... D= but it's something. They're still not out of Nibelheim but next chapter they will reach Midgar, I promise! I want to be in Midgar too, that's where the fun part starts! (Sephy!!)

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII or any of its characters, I do however, own the story.

"This, is not good…" Cloud groaned as he got up slowly.

Vincent was staring at him, only half surprised, before coming closer to inspect the damage. The wounds Clouds wings had caused had healed already but the wings themselves looked fragile and worn out. Carefully Vincent traced a bone that seemed to try to push itself through the skin with his normal hand. Cloud had to stop himself from lashing out and killing the one who dared to touch his wings, he knew it was Vincent but it was like he was going to explode from anger soon. He knew for a fact that in his previous life he changed into the monster he was now when he felt that way and in a morbid and suicidal way he could only wonder if this time around he'd actually explode in tiny pieces.

"Please don't, Vincent." Cloud sighed.

Vincent obediently stepped away from Cloud so he could stretch his wings and shake of the feeling of anger. When Cloud turned to face him, Vincent wondered for a moment if his son's eyes were like that, mako green with a sliver of blue and slit pupils.

"What happened to you, Cloud? I am aware of the fact that in your… previous life you changed into something similar as this, but you never told anyone why."

"You're not the only one Hojo put monsters in, Vincent." Cloud laughed.

"With me though, he was slightly more successful. The creature he put into me merged first with my body and then with my soul. It's similar to a Limit Break actually, when I get angry I turn into this, when I get hurt I have a Limit Break. I didn't find out about this until after I had defeated Sephiroth for the third time, after Kadaj and his brothers."

Cloud snorted softly and turned away from Vincent, his wings draped themselves around him as if they tried to shield him.

"I felt ready to explode after that battle. Everything was supposed to be okay but I couldn't… couldn't take the normalness of all that. Couldn't handle having to be a big brother or fatherly figure to Denzel, couldn't handle having to actually be with Tifa like a lover. I wanted to fight, to run, to bleed and kill and I missed him, them, so much. I left Seventh Heaven in the middle of the night once and ran all the way to the nearest forest; dawn was breaking by the time I felt safe enough to stop. I collapsed on the ground and cried my heart out before I started to get angry, I could feel it eat away everything inside of me. I hated them all then, Zack, Aerith, Sephiroth and even Tifa for forcing me to be someone I'm not. I'm not sure what happened next, one minute I was screaming in anger and the next you were holding me up while guiding me to Zack's sword. I have vague memories of tearing apart everything I came across and collapsing at your feet after you called my name but, I'm not sure. I had claws and wings then and you decided to keep an eye on me to make sure I was alright."

Cloud sighed and ran a hand through his hair before turning back to face Vincent. He looked unaffected by the story he was just told and Cloud would have been disappointed in him if he hadn't been. He turned around again to fix his gaze on the small peaceful town at the foot of the mountain and smiled. He saw smoke circling up in the sky from his mother's house and he knew she was baking her delicious apple pie just for him. He should ask her the recipe this time and give it to Aerith because she loved to bake and Zack loved everything she made.

"Cloud, are you angry right now?" Vincent asked and Cloud had to rip himself away from a memory of Aerith, proudly presenting a home made cake, the day he first met her after saving her from ShinRa.

"No, I'm not. But it was the first time I damaged something connected to my other self, so to speak, since I came here. I think it's more of a sign that he's still in my head, the wings and claws will disappear soon enough."

True enough the wings went away after five minutes, the claws hung around a little longer but slowly they transformed back into Cloud's real hands, he couldn't stop the sigh of relief from escaping. He flexed his hands a couple of times and turned around to face Vincent, who was staring at him with his arms crossed over his chest and his face buried in his collar, before attacking him without warning. They spend the rest of the day fighting and when Cloud felt his Limit Break coming he turned around and attacked a tree, he was pleased to see he could still pull of an Omnislash.

When they went back home Miss Strife was waiting for them with warm stew and, just as Cloud had predicted, a piece off apple pie for dessert. She send them both to bed almost immediately after dinner, telling them they needed their rest for the next day. When Cloud approached her and tried to talk to her she had hugged him, kissed his forehead, told him she loved him and that their time to talk would come, but not now. He could only stare at her while she cupped his cheeks in kissed his forehead again before letting him go and turning around to do the dishes. When he tried to help her she slammed him on his fingers with the wooden spoon she was holding and poked him with it until he was halfway up the stairs. Cloud smiled at her and stepped down to hug her once more before going up to bed.

That night he dreamt of Sephiroth again, not about the brainwashed Sephiroth but about the real Sephiroth. He dreamt about what he supposed was their past, soft touches and longing glances neither ever acted upon. He also dreamt about Genesis and Angeal, about how their friendship kept Sephiroth grounded and how they had shaken up his world when they left him. It was almost like a movie, this dream of his, it seemed like he was reliving all of Zack's memories of those three and combined with the newly awoken knowledge he had he could piece things together again without having to dig in his painful past of being in the labs. Cloud woke up around sunrise and smiled, Aerith had helped him regain those memories and when he finally saw her again he was going to thank her for all her help with everything. Without her he never would be able to be ready in time to go to Midgar.

Vincent was already awake and looking at him, he had a faint smile around his lips and Cloud had a suspicion that he knew already about what Aerith had done for him. Cloud got up, stretched and to Vincent's utter surprise, he hugged him.

"I remember, Vincent, I remember everything. About Genesis and his ridiculous book of poems and Angeal with his honor and Sephiroth… I had forgotten how, frightened, he used to be." Cloud turned away towards the window and wrapped his arms around himself. When he started talking again it was more to himself than to Vincent. "He was like a child, back then. Hojo hadn't taught him anything useful, about human emotions or anything. He wanted to have friends, but Angeal and Genesis were together, always. He couldn't have one without the other and Genesis wasn't particular fond of the idea of someone better then him. Angeal wouldn't ever leave Genesis side for anything and Zack… Zack belonged to Angeal as well. Sure Sephiroth and Zack became friends but, it was after, after Genesis had left and Angeal went with him, there was no one else for either of them. Until I came… Maybe that's why Sephiroth was always so distant and cold towards me, I belonged to Zack and he didn't want to take me away…" Cloud sighed softly and turned to look out the window, up the mountain in the direction of the reactor. "He's such and idiot, I adored him, I would have done anything for him, all he had to do was ask. But I'd never turn my back on Zack or on him for either of them. I wouldn't have abandoned my friends, not them, not like that."

"Cloud," Vincent called, soft enough not to wake Miss Strife but hard enough to pull Cloud back to the present, "if you have regained your memory, we should focus on your training. You still need the muscle even if you remember all the moves. There is also a certain alien we need to destroy. If you wouldn't mind, I'd love to shoot her a couple of times to make sure she is dead before we throw her down in the core."

Cloud laughed softly, he had almost forgotten that Jenova had ruined Vincent's life as well. Maybe she wasn't as big of a part in it as she was in Sephiroth's life, but if it hadn't been for Jenova, maybe, maybe Lucrecia and Vincent had still been happily together now, with their son. Cloud agreed to let Vincent shoot Jenova multiple times before dumping her in the reactor core. They got up and prepared breakfast for three and ate in silence, since Miss Strife was still sleeping, right when they were about to leave for another day spend training Miss Strife came walking down the stairs in her nightgown. Her hair was a mess, she was fumbling with the buttons on her robe and she only noticed Vincent in Cloud when she was almost bumping into the latter. Cloud smiled at her, kissed her cheek and directed her to sit at the dining table. She thanked them both and they left.

They spend the entire day training and the day after that and the day after that. Four weeks went by in a flash of training, scheming and preparing themselves. All they had to do now was throw Jenova in the reactor and pack Cloud's bags so he'd be ready to leave. Tomorrow would be the day to kill the wicked witch so they took a day of to help Miss Strife in and around the house. Cloud had also been mentally preparing himself for a conversation with his mother but she told him time and time again that they could talk later, always later. But she treated him like a son, which he technically was, while didn't have to, so he figures she was at least a bit okay with it.

When they went to bed that night Miss Strife hugged Cloud close, kissed him on both cheeks and his forehead and told him she loved him. He hugged her back and told her he loved her too, so much. Cloud dreamt of green eyes, red then black then silver hair and big, feathered wings in black and grey and white. He knew who he was dreaming about, even in his dream, and he secretly had to admit he wasn't looking forward to confronting them; Genesis Rhapsodos, Angeal Hewley and Sephiroth. They were legends, the original SOLDIERs and stronger then anyone alive, he'd be toast if they decided to attack him, especially if it was a three against one battle.