Hello! This is a new story that has been floating around in my head for a long while now so I finally wrote it and after many re-readings and fixing errors and making things run more smoothly, it is now ready to post.

Here's a little summary really fast of things that I will not be covering in the story as I want it to be about how Cloud and the four strongest SOLDIER's go about saving the world and living in a domestic environment while Cloud raises a baby girl. So, I will never straight up give a reason as to why Cloud is back in time in my story, only for the simple reason that I don't know why he was sent back, only that he was sent back in time too the age of four with all his enhancements but none of the 'evidence' that would give him away in blood tests and with his eyes. And yes, a lot of people will have also been dragged back with him, but I will not name them here, as the mystery around who else was brought back is suppose to be part of the wonderful fun of this story. But for simple purposes, Cloud's AVALANCHE is back with him, only because I really can't write them as anything but the strong and caring people after everything bad happened to them.

So, without further ado, I don't own Final Fantasy VII or its characters and places. The only one's that belong to me are the characters I made up to fill space and give towns and things better purpose in the story, so a lot of non-canon characters are mine. But if you have a character you think would go well in this universe I am creating, let me know and I can work on merging your characters and giving you credit for those characters.

CHAPTER 1

He couldn't sit still. His stupid squad had finally done it. He was going to kill them all on the next mission. The idiots deserved it!

'What did they do?' You may ask.

Well I'll tell you! They are idiots of the highest caliber. I mean how stupid do you have to be to run towards the towering, monstrous, kill you with a single swipe Behemoth with just tiny guns, that have the worst structure and are just a hair away from jamming and exploding?! Yeah, the objective of the mission was to kill said towering, monstrous, kill you with a single swipe Behemoth, but their job in the mission was to support the SOLDIER Seconds sent out to kill it, cover fire if you will. Cover fire doesn't mean, 'Stand next to its foot and shoot it!'

Cloud finally slumped down into his seat, glaring tiredly at the idiots in the infirmary. It felt like he had been awake for weeks. At least the idiots had the sense to look sheepish and apologetic, well those that could still move anyway. No amount of Cures or anything he could come up with without total nerve surgery could save two of his squad mates. He was surprised he managed to stabilize the two before they died.

"You all are idiots," Cloud finally spoke, voice rough with overuse. Nursing these idiots back to health every hour of the day was exhausting and wearing him out, especially when he had to scream at people who didn't belong in the room, like a certain spiky black-haired SOLDIER Second that was Commander Angeal Hewley's mentee. He kept popping by to see if any of his friends were around, but more then likely keep coming because he enjoyed messing with Cloud.

"We finished the mission," One spoke up from under his helmet, that had been crushed and stuck to his head. No one could remove the helmet without major surgery which was very bad, which meant that no one could see his head and how bad he was hurt, but good in that the helmet was at least keeping him alive and slowly healing till the specialized doctor could arrive and remove the helmet and check for possible head injures. "At least we did that."

"And why is half our squad incapable of movement, and the other half off duty till the broken bones, life threatening gashes, and concussions are healed and recovered from?"

"Like you could do better, Strife," came the muffled response from the bed to Cloud's left. This one had a trooper who was never fond of Cloud, but at the moment was unable to do anything but suffer and let Cloud nurse him.

"I can walk out of this room and demand to be placed in another squad at any moment, Jones," Cloud looked around the room, before leaning back and shutting his eyes. "And I did do better. I am the only one of the entire squad that got out unscathed."

The entire squad fell silent, everyone contemplating that fact. Cloud took this moment to check the trooper next to him, not only to ensure it was the right one but to make sure he wasn't, well, dying again. Trooper Jones Ra Shin of Troop 382, wounds mostly healed, head injury to severe to be let out of bed for another two weeks. Cloud nodded in satisfaction, then plopped himself back down into the only available chair, closed his eyes and decided that a short nap wouldn't hurt anyone.

"Hey Strife," Jones called out, turning his head to look at Cloud. Cloud sighed and got up, moving to Jones' side to put his head back into the proper position to help with the healing.

"Yes?" Cloud sighed, looking down at the man, sure his irritation was very visible.

"Why aren't you doing anything with yourself?" Jones asked. "You could make a living somewhere else and settle down doing something that doesn't piss you off."

Cloud sighed and just leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes and let himself relax a bit, not fully though, he was still in Shinra. "I'm taking a break from being a hero. Waiting for the world to start ending before I do anymore heroic things."

Short quick laughs filled the room before the men laughing started coughing. Cloud sighed, again.

"A hero Strife? Your just a short wimp!"

Cloud grinned slightly. "Then what does that make your critical and comatose asses?"

A collective "Fuck you, Strife!" rang out through the room, causing Cloud to chuckle in amusement.

"He laughed," came a light whisper, everyone falling silent again.

It was in this silence that the door opened, and in entered the Squad Commander. The man troops 380 to 389 reported to. His arrival made all the injured troopers try to rise to greet him properly.

"YOU MORONS! LAY YOUR ASSES BACK DOWN!"

Everyone obeyed, going back to how they were before the door opened with a pained and grunted out 'Sir, yes sir.' Only after they caught sight of their Commanders shocked face did they realize that it had been Cloud, not the Commander, that had screamed at them.

Cloud took one look around the room to make sure everyone was in the proper place, then saluted to the Commander. "Commander, sir! How can I assist you today?"

It took the Commander a solid minute to come back to his senses, then another to remember why he was here. Clearing his throat he turned to face Cloud. "Specialist Strife, your duties are being shifted over to do whatever Professor Hojo needs done at the current moment. Would you like to inform anyone of where your going?"

Cloud inwardly groaned, he hated Hojo. "No sir. Where am I reporting to sir?"

The Commander gave Cloud an understanding look, though Cloud doubted he understood anything. "Your to report to the science lab on floor 15. Professor Hojo will be waiting. Don't make him wait longer then necessary."

Cloud saluted again and sighed. "Yes-sir." Then walked out the door. Guess his nap would have to wait, yet again. Hopefully he wasn't cranky enough to kill the creepy bastard when he saw him.

~Take a break and get a snack, they good~

Cloud didn't know how this had happened, or why really, but after he got onto the 15th floor he asked for directions to the lab, one he didn't ever remember learning about, only to be dragged into the room, have a baby thrust into his arms, and told to deliver it, a note thrust at him as well and then kicked out and lead back to the elevators. He still had the precious bundle in his arms, and more information about what Hojo wanted to do with the child then he ever wanted to know.

When the elevator doors opened before him, Cloud found himself staring right into the face of the spikey black-haired SOLDIER Second named Zack Fair, who seemed surprised to see him. Cloud moved to the side and looked back down at the baby in his arms. Zack was going to get onto the elevator so he wanted space to keep the little one safe. When Zack didn't enter the elevator, Cloud looked up to see Zack staring at the bundle in his arms.

"Wha-" Doors slam shut. Cloud blinked. Did the elevator really just cut Zack off? Yes, Cloud realized, Yes it really did. Cloud sighed, he was doing that a lot lately, and decided he would keep a mental count of every time Zack was cut off or hurt by the elevator. Elevator one, Zack zero. Because he knew Zack's curiosity would get the better of him, and a blonde trooper carrying a baby was too tempting for Zack.

Cloud looked down at the note, carefully shifting the baby close to him. 'Deliver to Sephiroth at all costs. Failure to do so will result in termination and execution.' Cloud moved his eyes to the baby once again. He doubted anyone here actually knew how to raise a child, and the note only said to deliver the baby to Sephiroth, not make him keep it. Cloud could work with this, now which floor did Sephiroth reside on?

"Heya Spike," came the call from above, and Cloud refused to look up. "What are you doing with a baby?"

Cloud kept his eyes trained on the baby and held the note up for Zack, deciding that yeah, he was going to exploit the note for his own purpose so he better start learning more about the little one in his arms. The first thing Cloud actually noticed as he moved the blanket aside was hair so silver it was almost blond, and the child had brilliant bright blue eyes like his.

"Poor Spike," Zack cooed from above, Cloud counted to ten and then looked up at Zack, who had opened his mouth to say something after catching Cloud's attention, only for the elevator to lurch and send Zack tumbling into the elevator and face first on the floor, Cloud looking bored and unimpressed the entire time. Zack would be fine. Elevator two, Zack zero. This game was kind fun, certainly funnier then tending to dying comrades and the whims of mad scientists.

"Ow," was all Zack said when he managed to peel his face off the floor.

"And that's what you get for sitting on the elevator," Cloud rolled his eyes and held his hand out, not much room but he could hull the SOLDIER up if he took his hand. "Dumbass."

Zack pouted and took Cloud's hand, only to yelp as Cloud shifted and hulled him onto his feet as if helping a child stand up after a fall. People couldn't normally do that with Zack, or any SOLDIER really, it was hard to move them if they didn't want to get moved.

"Can you help me get access to where ever in this building, General Sephiroth is?" Cloud said, watching as Zack started to do squats after hitting a button on the elevator panel, something Cloud forgot to do when he entered the elevator, good thing only Zack came by, it would be hard to explain to anyone else what he was doing just standing around in an elevator, or could help him get to where Sephiroth was.

"Sure I can Spike!" Zack exclaimed happily. "Just let me know when you two are gonna have another baby so I can be there, Kay?"

Cloud groaned. Zack always had a bad sense of humor and joking about the baby being his and Sephiroth's was just the start of the hell he would endure until he got to Sephiroth. Cloud prepared himself for the ride with Zack and looked back down at the baby in his arms, realizing that he still didn't know the little ones gender. Carefully, Cloud shifted the blankets enough to lift the small diaper and smiled. He always enjoyed taking care of little Marlene, and always wanted a daughter to call his own, so this just made his day.

The baby girl cooed softly as Cloud gave her his finger, ignoring how Zack was watching him interact with her. It didn't matter, soon Cloud would be walking out of the building with her and his things and would be as far away from all of this as he could. Shinra was no place to raise a baby.

And if his smile got wider when the doors opened then slammed closed on Zack's right leg as he was leaving, well no one had to know, even if the soft glow of his materia gave away he was the cause this time. Demi was always useful. Still, if asked, the elevator was up to three while Zack still had zero.

Zack fell face first to the floor, bright red in embarrassment as Cloud stepped up beside him, the baby girl giggling in his arms. "Get up SOLDIER, its not the end of the world."

Zack chuckled and smiled, then used his legs to bounce back up into a standing position in a movement so flexible and graceful it had Cloud wondering how the man pulled it off. "Your right, Spike," He began, then chuckled. "Though it might be the end of your sex life." And then he was off, running in the direction of where ever Sephiroth was.

Cloud growled. Zack was going to get it when he caught up with him. "That man never changes does he?" Only the squirming of his little girl made him realize he was tightening his grip on her. He sighed and relaxed, pulling the girl higher to him, resting her head on his chest and cuddling her like that as he made his way after Zack. "It's the right floor at least so I guess just looking for Zack should help me find Sephiroth, right?"

Cloud smiled again and shook his head, leaning down to place a soft kiss on his bundles head. He had't even had her in his arms for a day and he was already attached. Hopefully Sephiroth would agree to help him put the baby in his custody before he left Shinra all together.

"ZACHARY FAIR," Came the very loud and very close shout. Cloud froze. "YOU GO BACK THIS SECOND AND BRING THAT TROOPER HERE PROPERLY!"

Everything was calm for a moment, until Zack came barreling past him. Zack saw him for sure, but when your pants are suddenly on fire and burning you don't really want to stop until you have a source of water to put it out. What Zack didn't see was the fire materia in his hand along with a Demi, one that was used to send Zack into the elevator doors and down the shaft. He really should not push his own luck like this messing with Zack where the Firsts could hear or see him, but Zack deserved it.

When Cloud stopped outside the first open office he found, he was kinda worried when he found SOLDIER Commander Angeal Hewley livid with anger and Genesis Rhapsodos barely hiding his chuckles. Then he saw General Sephiroth looking at the two confused as he laid on a couch, eye brow cocked in confusion. Cloud looked at the nameplate beside the door to see it read Commander Angeal Hewley.

Cloud shrugged and was about to knock on the door frame, when a loud hollow bang rang throughout the floor, from the elevator. Cloud looked backwards at the elevator, blinked twice, then shrugged and looked back into the room, hand still posed to knock on the door frame, when he caught that all three men were staring at him.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Angeal asked, messaging the bridge of his nose, trying to control his anger.

"I need to speak with General Sephiroth," Cloud started, only to stop and look back at the elevator. "Hang on a moment, sir." Cloud sighed, then walked into the room and looked at Sephiroth, who had sat up at the mention of his name. "I need you to hold her for a moment while I go free the idiot. I'll be back to explain in a moment or two." Then carefully deposited the little girl onto Sephiroth's lap and happy with how Sephiroth was suddenly holding her like she was glass, Cloud nodded and then turned and headed to the elevator, only to look down through the open elevator doors.

His revenge on Zack had just caved in the only elevator he could access with his card, he needed to find another way out, one that wouldn't make him lose his daughter. He had seen the wonder and love showing already in Sephiroth's eyes when his daughter was handed over.

His eyes narrowed in thought, maybe he could use this to his advantage. Sephiroth wanted his daughter. With mild delight, Cloud realized he could pull a Reeve and just kidnap the baby girl, but right in front of Sephiroth, instead of taking her while he was off on a mission.

"OW," came the echo from within the elevator, breaking Cloud from his thoughts. But first Zack needed help.

"You impaled or just laying on the elevator?" Cloud called down, shifting through the bag at his hip, popping a brace on and then filling the slots with a Demi, Cure, and Ice.

"I think my leg is broken but I'm just laying here for the moment," came the response.

Cloud nodded, to himself more then Zack, then jumped into the elevator shaft, grabbed the cords, and let gravity bring him down, ignoring the frightened shout that followed him from above. One, if not all, of the top three were concerned when he went down. Cloud gave enough power to the materia to light up the dark shaft in time to swing off the cords and jump to the wall to avoid landing on Zack.

"Holy hell, Spike!" came the startled call. Cloud ignored it in favor of looking at Zack's broken leg, then the elevator.

"Be glad you caved it in, or we both would be dead when it raises," Cloud stated calmly as if this happened every day, before he started to feel both of Zack's legs, trying to find out how much was broken. "And be glad I know how to deal with broken bones or I would have dragged your ass up the shaft and left you to the Firsts up there."

Zack opened his mouth to respond, only to shout out in pain as Cloud swiftly snapped the bone back into place, then cast the highest level cure he had access to with this baby materia before making a stint of ice.

"Up and use caution," Cloud warned. "Ice isn't the strongest thing to use for this, but it'll help the swelling and keep it in place long enough for us to get back to the top. Now be a rag-doll and let me carry you up."

"That's not a good idea, Spike," Zack said, slowly trying to stand, but wincing as he put weight on his leg. Cloud's eyes narrowed, it was more then a broken leg then, Zack probably landed on his ankle wrong before he snapped his leg as well.

Cloud rolled his eyes and shifted power to the Demi, "Suit yourself then." Then slowly started to rise, using Demi to carry him to the top. When he stepped out of the shaft he moved the Demi to Zack and brought him up, but he didn't take his eyes off the three Firsts watching him from five feet away.

Cloud smiled softly as he saw Sephiroth was still holding his little girl in his arms, and sighed when he was able to get his baby back, thanking Sephiroth with a slight nod of the head, taking note of the disappointment and love he saw in those emerald green eyes, before turning around and dragging Zack the last bit into the hall, and then smacked him hard enough to make Zack stumble.

The strangled cry from Zack and the three sets of eyes boring fire into him did nothing to stop the words that flowed from Cloud's mouth, not even the puppy eyes Zack started to give as Cloud lectured him about telling the person healing him about everything wrong and not just one thing. Growling out complaints about stupid SOLDIER's and them not knowing how to be practical and efficient more towards that end, Cloud pulled out his fully mastered cure and threw the highest spell on Zack.

"Jump," was all Cloud said after, eyes cold as ice and hard as stone. The only thing not hard in his demeanor was him rocking back and forth slowly to lure his little girl into a calm state.

Zack jumped, and when he landed with no wince and no pain, Cloud nodded satisfied.

Then turned to the three dumbstruck Firsts. Clearly no one had yelled at anyone like that in front of them before, and it shocked them. His attention moved to Sephiroth.

"General Sephiroth," Cloud began, waiting for Sephiroth to give him his undivided attention. "This young girl was given to me to deliver to you from Professor Hojo. He say's she is your daughter and you are to raise her until he's ready to turn her into a SOLDIER stronger then you. His instructions on the note say other wise. He said to deliver her to you and nothing else."

Cloud could see Sephiroth's hate showing, his hand twitching towards his sword. Cloud mentally smirked. Sephiroth wanted his daughter, that much was clear, but if he was going to kill Hojo or him was kinda hard to tell.

"So I have fulfilled my end and gave her to you," Cloud started, a small grin forming on his face. "And you gave her back, so I'm going to tell you right now that unless you follow me, your not seeing her again." Sephiroth's eyes narrowed and glared into Cloud's, his hand on the hilt of Masamune. Cloud just smirked up at him. "He never said you had to accept her, or that I had to bring her back if you didn't want her." He saw the gears turning, and Cloud knew that was the time to leave, Sephiroth would figure it out. So, Cloud turned and walked towards the closest window, hoped what he was about to do would work, and turned back around to look at them all, and see the exact moment that Sephiroth connect the dots.

Just as Sephiroth took a step forward, intent on stopping or killing him, Cloud turned and kicked the window, letting himself relax a little bit as it shattered into a thousand little pieces, and then stood on the edge, the wind blowing his outfit and hair around. With a smirk, Cloud looked Sephiroth right in the eyes.

"I'm off now. Tell Troop 382 I said sorry before they pass Kay? And if any of you ever decide to leave Shinra for whatever reason," Cloud looked at them all, and gave a small genuine smile. "The mountains are a great place to hide out and live."

And with that, Cloud let himself fall backwards out of the window, baby girl hidden from the force of the wind in her blanket and his clothes. The shocked faces watching him fall were icing on the cake for what he had done, as were their eyes following him and then flapping of leather as they followed him. Smiling like an idiot as the chase he started, he swung his body around and let a blade as big as him form in the hand not holding his daughter and made a large crack through the building as he used the friction of the blade in the building to slow him down, only to push off the building and make the sword disappear into thin air. He landed on his feet and ran, hearing the four following him curse as they had to roll to avoid injures and then continued to run after him as soon as they rolled to their feet, going just as fast as he did into Midgar. But really this was his area of expertise, he could avoid them for years in Midgar, even if they constantly searched for him, but Cloud knew he had to leave Midgar now before one of the Firsts or Zack were able to catch up to him. Cloud made one stop before he was gone from the city completely, laughing as he roared across the wastes on Fenrir towards the next town.

No motorcycle or helicopter could keep up with his baby, he should know, he built Fenrir from scratch this time making it as little dependent on Mako energy as possible while making it run faster then ever. They wouldn't be able to catch him for a long time, even if they followed his wheel trail through the wastes.

But for now, Cloud knew he had work to do to stop Shinra and their experiments, and now the unexplained and unplanned addition of Sephiroth's child, which looked more like a mix of him and Sephiroth every time he looked down at her sleeping face.

The little one was his daughter now, and she needed a name to reflect that. His precious princess. Crossing the mountain like terrain and watching his daughter's little fluff wave in the wind, Cloud was reminded of watching rain fall. Cloud knew then what he would name her, his Precious Princess, his little Rain-cloud, little miss Rain Strife.

Now if only Sephiroth and the others would take the bait and leave Shinra to follow them, then Sephiroth would see a family he could have with Cloud and little Rain, while the other three acted as Uncles to his precious daughter.