Time's Sweet Mystery

From: "Sephiroth"

Sephiroth@map.com

Final Fantasy 7

Pairing: Cloud Strife/Lucrecia

Rating: NC-17


Time's Sweet Mystery
by Sephiroth

Ignoring the wind that tried to flatten the unicorn spike of his wild hairdo, Cloud Strife placed a small bouquet of flowers upon the grave of his fiancee', Tifa Lockhart.

"My journey begins tomorrow, my love." he said. "the machine is complete and the initial trial runs have been a success. Tomorrow, I shall go back in time and change this world for the better."

He rose from the grave. "When I come back," he whispered, "this grave will not be here. There will be no reason for you to have died."


The door to Hojo's lab, or more accurately what was left of said lab, opened and Cloud walked in. He examined the wiring attached to the altered specimen capsule.

"Its ironic," he told himself, "that the machines of the enemy should be put to use in his defeat."

He ran down a checklist, doublechecking everything, then started the machine and stepped inside. There was a haze, as if the world faded out for a moment, and then he found himself in the path of a young woman who was running down the sidewalk .

*CRASH!*

The woman blinked as if she was sure he hadn't been there before. But she helped him up anyhow. "Sorry," she called to him. "I can't stay and talk right now, I'm late!" she ran down the street and disappeared around a corner.

//She was cute...// was Cloud's initial thought, followed by //Don't get sidetracked.// He looked around, then spotted the familiar Shinra Inc building.

"First thing's first." he told himself, patting his growling stomach. He remembered there being a restaurant in the city and wondered if it had existed in the time he'd travelled back to.

It hadn't, but there was a different restaurant preceding it.

It was a cafeteria style restaurant complete with trays, 'lunch line', and display case food. He half-expected to see a fridgebox full of little milk cartons. He wasn't disappointed. Just ahead of him in line was the young woman he'd run into.

"Oh," she turned and recognized him. "hello."

"Lunch date?" Cloud asked, recalling her earlier statement.

"I was supposed to, but he didn't show up again." the young woman replied. She was in mid twenties, by appearance, with jet black hair that had a silverish tint making it look almost metallic and eyes that were oceanic in color and had depths to match.

Cloud felt a stirring in his loins, but forced it away. It wouldn't be right. He couldn't do that to Tifa. And besides, once his mission was over, Tifa would be alive and they would be happy.

The woman smiled, sympathetically. "I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable." she told him.

"Just a little." Cloud admitted. "But its not your fault. Its... "

"A guy thing?" the woman tilted her head questioningly.

Cloud swallowed and nodded, wondering if she'd give him some kind of lecture about stereotypes or perhaps one of those "yeah right" looks.

Instead, she simply gave him another good-natured smile. "Well, why don't you join me for lunch?" she asked. "It looks like my date isn't going to show and I'd like to hear all about your 'guy thing'."

He thought about saying 'no', but then realized how little he knew about this time period. Talking to this woman might provide him with information he'd be able to use later. "Okay." he said, hoping she'd want to talk about more than just his 'guy thing'.

"Cloud Strife." he told the young woman.

"Lucy White." she replied. "So, you're new in town."

"I assume you've lived here some time, then?"

Lucy nodded. "I was born in Wutai, but my parents moved here when I was six and I've lived here ever since. What about you?"

"I'm from Nibelheim." Cloud replied.

"I've heard its a beautiful city."

"It was." Cloud remembered.

"Was?"

"I mean it was the last time I was there." Cloud amended, thinking quickly. The fire hadn't happened yet, he reminded himself. Nibelheim was still around.

"Oh." Lucy smiled. "Would you like me to show you around the city?"

"I can't today." Cloud told her. "I have to be somewhere. I have an appointment with a Professor Hojo."

"At Shinra?" Lucy asked. "That's okay. I'm going that way myself.

Something, the edge of a memory, struck Cloud, but was gone before he could grasp it.

"Then, I guess I will walk with you." Cloud decided.



The woman had a soul as beautiful as her body and by the time, the pair reached the Shinra building fourty-five minutes later, Cloud wanted to explore every inch of both.

They were waiting for the elevator when he kissed her. He pulled back in alarm at his own actions. "Oh gods, I'm... I'm sorry. I don't know why..."

But she was smiling. "I think we should find someplace more private." she told him.

"Do you do this with every man you meet?" Cloud asked, slapping his palm to his forehead as if to tell himself that was a stupid and rude question.

She took it in stride. "No." she laughed as she lead him into a maintenance closet. "But keep in mind I was all psyched up for a romantic lunch and a little lovemaking, and I'd hate to let a perfectly good opportunity for that go to waste, even if its not with the person I was supposed to be seeing originally."

Cloud locked the door and carefully undressed the young woman, even as she undressed him. He kissed her, tentatively, as she sat upon the edge of the sink and wrapped her legs around him.

//Forgive me, Tifa...// was Cloud's last coherent thought, before his lust obliterated all hesitancy and he pushing himself into the woman, his orgasm almost instantaneous since this was his very first time, his ejaculation filling the woman who cried out in joy.

There was a rustling of keys and the door swung open.

The man standing there stared at the couple in shock and rage. The latter was an emotion shared by Cloud.

"Hojo." the blond Ex-SOLDIER's eyes narrowed.

Hojo ignored the stranger's use of his name and focused, instead, on the woman.

"Lucrecia," he demanded, "what the hell is going on?"

"Lu..." Was all Cloud managed to say before the spinning room became too much for him and he passed out.


Cloud woke some time later to find himself hanging by the wrists in Hojo's lab.

"Lucrecia?!" he asked, seeing the woman injecting something into her own abdomen.

"Shhh. its okay." Lucrecia whispered. "You've already ejaculated into me, so I don't see there being a problem with my injection your sperm into my womb, do you?"

"Um..." Cloud struggled to free himself.

"I'm a bit desperate right now." Lucrecia explained. "That wussy little scientist Hojo is trying to get me pregnant. Can you believe it. The only hope I have right now is that either you or that handsome Turk will beat him to it. And at the moment, Vinnie's been having some... shall I say... elevator problems, so you're pretty much drafted, I'm afraid."

"This... this can't be..." Cloud shook his head in denial.

"I'm sorry." Lucrecia watched the monitor carefully as she released the contents of the syringe into her body. A smile spread across her face as she watched the two cells merge. "Bingo." she whispered in triumph. She went over to Cloud and kissed him before destroying the evidence of what she had done.

"Are... are you? Did.."

"Congrats, papa." Lucrecia whispered in his ear.

Cloud felt the room spin around again and passed out once more.

"How is the subject?"Hojo asked, a short while later as Lucrecia examined Cloud.

"He's dying. " Lucrecia replied. "I think we should take a break for a while and..."

"No." Hojo shook his head. "He was fun while he lasted, but if what you're saying is true, then he's useless to me." he turned to the guards and had then drag Cloud's dying body out into the outskirts of town, to be disposed of later.


Once left alone, Cloud seemed to make a miraculous recovery. Truth was, he wasn't even sick, something he suspected Lucrecia knew.

Lucrecia, who was newly pregnant with his child.

Lucrecia...

... who was newly pregnant with Sephiroth.



end part 1