More than a few readers have expressed an interest in seeing a longer multichapter work. Well, all I can say is 'wish granted'. But I feel I must warn you, I feel like my quality suffers the longer a work goes for.

Now this first chapter is a little shorter than my usual fare because I wanted to 'get the ball rolling' so to speak and plus it's more of an introduction/beginning.

Enjoy.

"W… where…" Cloud struggled to form even a single word. It wasn't that he was simply tired, he was definitely exhausted, but for some reason, his tongue would barely move. Actually, no part of his body wanted to move at all.

Cloud's first guess was a paralysis spell, but quickly ruled that out. If he was affected by one, he wouldn't be able to move or feel anything. While moving was certainly difficult, it was not impossible. For example, Cloud's feet were moving right now, but not very well.

In fact, Cloud was reasonably sure the only reason he wasn't falling flat on his face, was because of the stranger holding him up with their arm under his.

"Now is not the time to dawdle, Cloud." The stranger spoke, but to Cloud, it was like they were far away despite literally being inches away. Not only that, their voice was somehow… familiar. "We must move."

"Who…" Cloud's was stumbling and tripping almost every step, his feet felt like they weren't even there. "Who are you?"

"Unimportant." The stranger dismissed the question. "What is important, is that we hurry. Time is running short."

Cloud wished he could raise his head from where it dangled limply from his shoulders, giving him only the barest glimpse of the stranger's boots and the ground they walked upon. The most Cloud could tell about his mysterious companion was that they were male and easily both larger and taller than him, strong, too. He seemed to have no difficulty half carrying, half dragging, Cloud by the arm.

Just then, Cloud heart the telltale crack of an explosion from somewhere disturbingly close. The stranger immediately twisted them so as to shield Cloud from the worst of the blast. The blonde felt the shockwave strike the stranger, and the wave of heat wash over the both of them, but the stranger was both unharmed and unfazed.

Blinking away blurry vision, Cloud only now was able to focus his mind enough to take in their surroundings.

The sheer brightness of the flames surrounding him was almost enough to make him close his eyes. The need for answers won out, however, and Cloud forced them to squint, instead. Why did this burning villiage look so familiar? It almost looked eerily like…

Nibelheim!

"This can't be…"

"Try not to think too hard, yet." The stranger cautioned. "You might…"

Just as the words left the strangers mouth, and just as Cloud started to regain some focus, a searing pain shot through Cloud's head. It was like someone was taking a knife and jabbing it into the center of his forehead as hard as they could. As much as he tried, he could not stifle the cry that tore from his lips. Again, he would have fallen to his knees if the stranger was not so adamant they continue to their unknown destination.

"Strain yourself." The stranger finished, voice holding zero hint of emotion. "There will be time for that later."

Ignoring the warning, Cloud forced his brain to think, to recall anything that could be of use right now. In the end, all Cloud got was bits and pieces, fragments of memory tinted green that he wasn't entirely sure could be trusted or relied upon.

The City of the Ancients…

Sephiroth's blade coming down…

Watching Aerith fall…

Tifa rushing to the brunette's aid…

Another scream ripped its way out of Cloud. The harder he tried to remember, the more intense the pain grew. The sensation changed from a stabbing pain, to someone taking a sledgehammer and mashing his skull into paste. But Cloud pushed on, he needed to remember, and if it was going to hurt, then so be it.

The all-encompassing rage…

The buster sword clashing with the masumune…

It became too much, even for Cloud's constitution. He was left gasping for breath, head and his surroundings spinning at a million miles per hour. The stranger was now fully dragging him by the arm, Cloud's boots leaving lines in the dirt.

"You need time to recover before you can remember." The stranger advised. "Time you will not have if they are able to find you."

"Fine." Cloud hissed through gritted teeth as he struggled to correct his fumbling steps once again. It took considerable effort, but eventually he was able to do so. At least now he was able to raise his head the tiniest bit, enough to look around but not enough to make out the stranger's face.

The stranger didn't seem too keen on answering questions, but it wasn't like Cloud was swimming with options right now. First, he needed to get his head back on straight, next he would…

That was when Cloud saw them.

Black silhouettes amongst the flames. Much like the stranger, Cloud's vision was too blurry to make out details, between that and the intensity of the light behind them. The best he could determine was that they were people, and were in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but that was the limit of Cloud's perceptions.

"We're too late." The stranger quickened their pace, almost costing Cloud his footing again. Not that it would have mattered, the stranger was so eager to get away from these other people, that Cloud was surprised he didn't simply throw him over his shoulder and start running. "They've found you."

"Who?" Cloud croaked out.

Right as Cloud said the words, the ground beneath their feet changed from solid dirt into wooden planks. The barely detectable sloshing of water, almost inaudible over the roaring flames behind them, told Cloud they'd walked out onto a dock.

"This way." The strange pulled Cloud along toward a small boat, a tiny one, barely able to hold two, maybe three if one was desperate, people. "You must go, now."

The stranger wasn't exactly gentle as he laid Cloud into the boat, but he wasn't rough, either. More than anything, he was hurried, no doubt by whatever or whoever those figures in the fires were.

Now that Cloud lay on his back, and his eyesight coming back into focus since they were away from the painfully bright lights, he was able to see the identity of the stranger. Oh, yes, he was indeed familiar.

Sephiroth.

Cloud's eyes went wide in horror as he realized just who he had been walking beside. Even more alarming, the blonde's body was still not wanting to function correctly. His arms wouldn't move, neither would his feet, he couldn't even muster the strength to scream or yell. He was completely at the silver haired monster's mercy.

As if Cloud's situation could be any worse, the buster sword was nowhere to be found, either. Cloud only noticed it was missing from its customary place on his back when said back made contact with the wooden floor of the boat.

"Take this." Sephiroth, in a weirdly gentle manner, took hold of Cloud's hands and placed something in them before closing both around it like some kind of precious artifact. "No matter what happens, you must keep it safe. Trust no one."

Cloud wished he knew just whatever it was, but his hands wouldn't move from where Sephiroth left them across his stomach.

An infinite number of questions rattled around Cloud's brain as he watched Sephiroth untie the knots keeping the boat moored at the dock. At first, Cloud thought he intended to get in with him, but this was proven not true when the silver haired SOLDIER gave the boat a solid kick, sending it out into the water and away from the burning village.

As the boat floated away, now caught by the water's currents, Cloud felt his strength returning. It wasn't much, but it was enough to slightly raise his head. Allowing him to see over the edge of the boat at where they just came from.

The shapes were advancing from the burning buildings. A dozen, maybe more? They all blurred together so it was far too hard to tell. What Cloud could see was that they were all slowly making their way toward the now solitary Sephiroth.

"I will give you all the time I can." Sephiroth called out from where he stood on the edge of the wood. "Make the most of it."

Cloud watched Sephiroth raise the masumune, which had just appeared in his hands, or perhaps Cloud had been too delirious to notice he was carrying it. Sephiroth lifted it up over his shoulder into one of his combat stances.

The smoke from the fires began to swirl as if guided by some unseen force. The acrid vapor spun and twirled like some unnatural storm around Sephiroth and the village before shooting out toward Cloud's boat.

Cloud was no fool, he knew if that struck, the boat would capsize instantly. But there was nothing he could do but wait and brace for impact.

Before it could, Cloud caught sight of a different light from within the almost impenetrable cloud. A mighty gust of wind, an Aeroga spell, if Cloud was not mistaken, shoved the smoke aside. When this one hit Cloud's boat, instead of capsizing the vessel, it propelled him away from the dock at breakneck speed.

The last thing Cloud saw before the smoke engulfed the dock once more, and his neck muscles gave out, was the unknown figures charging at Sephiroth.

Something I would like to stress, updates for this one will be a little slower for a time. Mostly because I only have a rough idea of where I'm going. I might also do another new work here and there. We'll have to see how it goes.