I DO NOT OWN FINAL FANTASY VII. Okay, so this is a story that was pitched to me by CRed1988. I thought was it was a cool idea so I decided to give it a shot. I hope you guys enjoy and please tell me what you think.

Twisted Fate

Chapter I : Journey to the Past

Staring at the materia in his hand, Cloud contemplated the use of it. This was an exceptionally rare materia that can only be used once. To use it more than that could rip the very fabric of time, this meant that he only had one chance to get this right.

He didn't even bother to kiss Tifa goodbye; if he got this right, there would be no need. If he succeeded, then everything that happened to them in the last few years would be wiped from existence. He could be safe at home in Nibelheim with Tifa as his wife and perhaps a few children at play on the floor. That was a nice idea, with a white picket fence and maybe a dog too…Everything he didn't have now.

"I'm gonna make things right, and when I'm done, Tifa and I will have the life we've always wanted."

Sliding his sword into the harness on his back, he jumped on his motorcycle, holding the rare materia in his hands. He concentrated on not where he wanted to go, but when he wanted to go. Closing his eyes, he pushed all of his energy into the magic, willing the portal to open. At first he only felt warm and then went lightheaded as he suddenly felt the world rushing past him as if on a rollercoaster.

Then suddenly, he came to a blinding halt. Slamming to the earth, he looked straight up at the sky, feeling like he'd been thrown from a plane without a parachute. His head buzzed and his body ached, his stomach did somersaults as he rolled over slowly, trying to gauge whether or not anything was broken. Easing himself to his feet, he looked around, swearing he'd just been on his motorcycle moments prior.

"Where the hell is my bike?" He spun in frantic circles, but it was nowhere to be scene. "Damn!"

Pausing for a moment, he stared into the distance where there should have been decaying ruins, finding in their place a sparkling metropolis very much alive. He stared in awe at the scene, his heart quickening pace as his stomach bubbled with excitement.

"I did it…I'm back. Yes!" He threw a triumphant punch into the air. "Now, to find Sephiroth."

Having made his way toward the city on foot, Cloud was more than exhausted when he finally made it to the plate. His legs ached and his stomach grumbled. It had taken three hours to walk from the plateau to the city. The place looked way closer than it really was due to the flat terrain and never took so long due to the fact that his bike could nearly break the sound barrier.

But no matter how tired he was, he was still in awe over the amazing city as it glittered and shined. This was the Midgar he remembered from what seemed so long ago, before Meteor Fall. His skin crawled with the energy of the city as the people bustled about careless through expensive shops and posh restaurants. The smell of the gourmet food invaded his nose and nagged at his stomach.

Reaching for his wallet, he opened it to find three hundred gil. It was definitely temping, but he had to find someplace less expensive to eat. A measly three hundred gil was great money in Edge – in the future – but here in the past, it wouldn't get anyone too far.

Wandering around, Cloud suddenly caught sight of the Shinra Building. That was his ultimate destination but he froze, daring not venture further. His gut twisted with something more than hunger. Feeling eyes on him, he shuddered. His heart palpitating heavily, he was about to turn around when a voice called out to him from the crowd.

"Strife! Cloud Strife!" The voice was familiar, but one he thought he'd never hear again.

"Zack?" Cloud turned toward the voice, finding his friend storming across the crowded street. His heart stopped, his breath hitched and he found himself running toward him. He wanted to embrace him, hoping to find that he was in fact real, alive, and well.

As Cloud drew closer, Zack halted and with a hard block, sent Cloud reeling back. Cloud stumbled to the ground, his eyes crossing before meeting Zack's hardened blue eyes.

"Z-zack? What – "

"That's Captain Fair to you, Lieutenant Strife!" The grim expression on Zack's face was uncharacteristic of him. Cloud had thought he'd smile, slap him on the back and ruffle his hair just like he used to, but he didn't. He didn't even help him up. "Get up!"

In a haze of confusion, Cloud just stared at his old friend, unable to make heads or tails of him. Red in the face, Zack barked the order again, this time causing Cloud to jump from the pavement as if burned. He stood up straight and tall, somehow knowing to salute him as a superior officer. It was unexpected, automatic, and foreign. Zack wasn't his superior officer; he wasn't even in the same force as him. Zack was in SOLDIER, Cloud was in the Infantry – and definitely not a lieutenant. So why was Zack treating him like a Soldier? Was this some kind of joke? Maybe playing on the fact that Cloud wanted to be in SOLDIER and seeing if he's up to snuff? The look of disgust on Zack's face and the unamused steel gaze of his eyes said definitely not!

"Where the hell have you been? You were supposed to be at SOLDIER HQ an hour ago! Lazard sent me out to find you."

"I'm sorry, Sir…I…" Cloud didn't know where to begin, he fought to remember where he often went back then, but as his memory would serve, he was always with Zack.

"I don't want your excuses! Just get back to HQ and get into uniform, we don't have all night!"

Following his command, Cloud hurried back to Shinra. But as he rushed through the front door, he realized that if he was in fact a Soldier then his living quarters would not be on the Infantry floor, but the SOLDIER floor.

"No way." Cloud panted, bounding for the reception desk. "Hey, can you help me?"

"What can I do for you?" The young lady smiled brightly.

"I've lost the key to my apartment, can I get a spare?"

"Sure, I just need your ID card."

"Yeah, no problem." Sweat beading on his brow, Cloud produced his driver's license from his wallet.

The girl took it, her eyebrows knitting. "Uh, I need your military ID, Sir."

"Oh…I uh…I left it in my apartment." Now things were getting creepy.

"Okay, just one moment." The girl called over a supervisor, who gave her permission to use Cloud's license.

As she began typing his information into the computer, she hesitated, double checking something on the card. She squinted, studying the card as if something was amiss. Glancing up at Cloud and back at the card, she called her supervisor back over.

Cloud's throat began to tighten, the sweat on his face growing thicker, his pulse quickened. Drumming his fingers on the counter, he eagerly waited for her to come back to the computer.

The supervisor came over with the oddest look on her face. "Sir, do you have any other identification on you?"

"No, just that."

The woman adjusted her glasses as she studied the card, shaking her head she asked, "How old are you?"

"Er…I'm uh…" He very nearly said 24, but he had to remember he was 8 years in the past, "I'm 16."

Both women stared him up and down, knowing that in no way was this hunk of man-meat anywhere close to 16-years-old.

"Uh…Also, this license says it was issued 6 years from now."

Cloud's heart sank. No…no please, oh God no! He totally came unprepared; he should have remembered to have a fake ID made. He didn't even have enough money for a hotel room! He should've known he was in over his head.

"Cloud!" An unfamiliar male voice rang out jovially across the lobby.

His body stiffening, Cloud glanced over his shoulder to see a teenage boy in a SOLDIER uniform heading straight for him. He was waving at him a smile plastered across his face. He was a pretty youth, with long black hair swept off to one side and dark mahogany eyes on pale white skin. He look familiar, but Cloud was sure he didn't know him.

"Hey man, we've been looking everywhere for you!" He slapped Cloud's back and punched him playfully in the arm.

"You have?"

"Uh, yeah! Come on, you need to get changed!"

"I lost my apartment key."

"Then why didn't you just come to the door? I'd have let you in." The young man produced his SOLDIER ID to the ladies, "My roommate lost his key, can you give me a new one?"

The dumbfounded ladies hesitantly took his ID, swiping it into their scanner and bringing up his information, "Lieutenant Lockheart? Room number 55?"

"The one and only." Lockheart confirmed, taking back his ID and the newly activated keycard as they presented it to him.

Lockheart? This guy has the same surname as Tifa! Things couldn't get any weirder, could they?

"Come on, man, we gotta hustle!" He ran for the elevators.

Cloud watched after him for a moment before snapping out of his stupor and jumping into the elevator before it closed on him.

"Here you go." Lockheart handed the keycard to Cloud. "You need to take care of it."

"Thanks for helping out." Cloud pocketed the card, feeling another chill race over his skin.

Lockheart eyed Cloud from the corner of his eye. "You look…bigger…Cloud."

"Uh…I-I do?" Cloud was painfully aware of how his physique changed since then.

"Yeah. Hey, did you get another body augmentation or something?"

"Er, yeah sure."

"I've been thinking about it, but I don't really feel like ordering new uniforms just to have bigger muscles. Besides, you like me slender, right?"

Do I like what?! "Uhh…" Cloud was at a complete loss of how to answer that.

"I'm glad you got the treatment," Lockheart smiled, his eyes half-lidded, "Now no one will question who wears the pants in our house."

"I never knew it was a problem."

"Oh yeah, all the time." Lockheart dropped the conversation as soon as the doors opened. "Go, quickly!"

Cloud bounded out of the elevator, dashing for apartment 55. He swiped the key in the lock a dozen times before it finally opened. Running in, Cloud froze.

Wow. This place was nice, nicer than his Infantry apartment. Soldiers really did live in style. As long as he was friends with Zack, he never allowed him to come into his apartment. Now he saw why. The place was painted a slate grey with white moldings, black leather sofas and mirrored tables took up the room and the monochromatic shades were broken up with vases of gorgeous red glass roses.

Gathering his nerve Cloud headed into the nearest bedroom, hoping it was his. He flipped on the light, finding it just as nice as the living room. The wrought iron bed was huge and decked out in red and black fittings. It was something he would like to treat Tifa to when he set things right. Tearing his attention from the bed, he glanced over at the dresser finding pictures of himself with Tifa as children.

"Oh good, so this is my room." He smiled at the photos but dared not gaze any longer; he had to get into uniform for whatever event everyone was so excited about.

The sweater was tight over his muscles, and his pants barely zipped up. He hoped that whatever they were doing didn't involve sitting as he wouldn't be able to breathe for how tight everything was. At least his belts were adjustable.

"Oh no, you need new uniforms. I'll order some new ones for you first thing in the morning." Lockheart sighed but the same grin from earlier spread across his lips, "You do look sexy like that though."

Cloud gulped. It was weird to be so openly admired like that by another man. He had nothing against homosexuals, but it wasn't something he was used to.

They quickly left for the main SOLDIER floor, following the others into the auditorium.

"Cloud, over here." Lockheart took his hand, guiding him through the crowd and up to the stage.

"Strife! Where have you been!" Zack approached him again, looking like he wanted to beat him senseless. "Get up here!"

"Zack's acting a bit harsh tonight, isn't he?" Cloud breathed, following Lockheart onto the stage.

"What do you mean? He's always like that. Are you feeling okay, Cloud?"

"Just a little nervous."

"Don't be, it's just an award ceremony."

As they stood in a line across the stage, Cloud felt his stomach churning, reminding him that he was starving and the ever present chill warning him that something was terribly wrong with this picture.

"Oh my God, it's General Sephiroth!" Lockheart nearly squealed, "I wish I could get my hair to look like that."

"Sephiroth…" Cloud's tongue burned saying that name. Gnashing his teeth together he fought to contain the sudden surge of anger within him. He contemplated killing him right then, ending it right then and there.

But as he fantasized about holding his head in his hands, Sephiroth walked out on to the stage, followed by General Rhapsodos and Major Hewley. Sephiroth looked strange though, he was somewhat shorter than Cloud recalled, and he was wearing a considerable heel on his boots. His build was slight in comparison and he handled himself with an almost feminine grace.

As General Rhapsodos began to speak a few words to the audience, Cloud fought to look straight ahead, appearing to be a well-disciplined officer of SOLDIER rather than the confused idiot he felt he was. He wanted so badly to look at Sephiroth, he wanted to get a better view of him, he needed to see why he was seemed so odd.

Trembling in his boots, Cloud set his jaw as he felt Sephiroth drawing closer as he placed medals around the necks of the war heroes Cloud and his new friend, Lockheart, were a part of. Once Sephiroth came to stand before Cloud, he was obliged to lower his head so Sephiroth could reach to award him his medal. As soon as he looked down into the face of his arch nemesis, Cloud's mouth dropped open in shock.

She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life.