Final Fantasy VII 100 Word Challenge

Title: Stolen Beginning
Characters: Cloud, Zack
Team: SOLDIER
Rating: PG
Word Count: 100
Author's Notes: Fusion with Mad Men, with Cloud as Don Draper.

Cloud felt rotten, but the most painful thing about the war was Zack Fair's hopeful smile.

"Eighty days and I'll be home." The softness in his voice seemed to belong to a movie hero rather than to a real man. "I'm going to be a salesman. It will be great."

Cloud thought of poverty and his mother's hatred, and burned with envy. He was surprised by how horrible he felt when a misplaced lighter and gasoline ended Fair's life.

Yet when he switched his dog tags to the dead man's, all he felt was hope spreading on his own lips.

Title: Cleansing
Prompt: #90 - Worst Case Scenario
Characters: Tifa
Team: Avalanche
Rating: PG-13, disturbing content
Word Count: 100
Summary: Tifa's father goes out. AU in which Nibelheim is a crazy fundamentalist town.

( Tifa's father gives her pills before going out. )

Title: Friendship
Prompt: #86 - Under the Influence
Characters: Cloud, Zack
Team: SOLDIER
Rating: R
Word Count: 100
Summary: His consent doesn't matter. Warning for Nasty Zack.

( 'I don't want to,' Cloud said. )

Title: Never Assume Anything
Prompt: #85 - Secrets
Characters: Scarlet
Team: Turks
Rating: PG
Word Count: 100
Summary: Scarlet has seen a surgeon, but not for the reason they think.

It's not a secret that Scarlet isn't young. She hears snickers about the lines around her mouth and the silver in her hair. Young men think she sees a plastic surgeon every month and Palmer thinks she's jealous of the secretaries. Scarlet ignores it all. It's not her fault if they look at her cleavage more often than they want to.

Only once she has fixed herself; after years of too tight control, she wanted to eat whatever she wanted, so she made her stomach bigger. Sometimes she wonders what they would think of that, but she doesn't really care.

Title: Drawn In
Prompt: #84 - Smell
Characters: Lucrecia
Team: SOLDIER, I suppose.
Rating: G
Word Count: 100
Summary: How a scientist falls.

Lucrecia liked sterility. She liked the cold, the void of emotion. It was one of the reasons that had drawn her to science, the comfort of facts and theory.

Absence of human interaction wasn't something she wanted, and she was happy to be in company of her intellect. What she didn't welcome was the smells that came along, the sweaty armpits, the hints of shampoo. They distorted the lab air.

The exception to that was Hojo, the faint metal of needles the only scent on him. His mind was like his body, iron cold, and Lucrecia found him incredibly attractive.

Title: Undone
Prompt: Zack Fair
Characters: Tifa, indirectly Cloud
Team: Avalanche
Rating: G
Word Count: 100
Summary: Time for denial comes to an end. Set during the team's visit to Gongaga.

A soldier named Zack existed. Feeling like a knot, Tifa followed Aerith outside.

She had wanted to believe. Oh, so much. She had wanted nothing more than to remember how the boy next had come home a soldier, even if for a while. Cloud's faith in that was so absolute, and Tifa had always been fickle. Wasn't it only natural that she had to be wrong?

But now Aerith was in tears, and back in the house two people missed their son, and no matter how hard she tried, the man smiling in her memory was dark instead of fair.

Title: Self Worth Is Overrated
Prompt: Promises
Characters: Tifa
Team: Avalanche
Rating: G
Word Count: 100
Summary: She used to know she wasn't a compromise.

Tifa's parents taught it was not wrong to think of oneself.

You have choices. You have free will. You don't owe smiles or looks or kisses to anybody just because they think you do. Your happiness is not up for compromise. Promise you won't forget.

They had hoped Tifa would always know her worth. She tried not to wonder how ashamed they would be of her now.

"At least," she started, but Cloud was already at the door, already deaf, leaving her alone with children who didn't understand why he had stopped caring. She used to know she deserved better.

Title: A Little Help From My Friends
Prompt: Insanity
Characters: Reeve, Cait
Team: Turks
Rating: G
Word Count: 100
Summary: Young Reeve has a friend who looks after him.

The foster family was nice, but Reeve didn't trust them yet. Cait did his best to help him change that.

"Just watch," Cait said with a wink, and started to run water out of Reeve's eyes. The foster mother immediately came over, drawing Reeve in her warm embrace.

"It's all right now," both she and Cait said, and Cait added: "And if that changes, I'll take care of everything again. That's a promise!"

Cait went hiding again, leaving Reeve and the foster mother alone. Reeve leant into the steady arms around him and began to relax. His heart was hopeful.

Title: The Fine Art Of Moving On
Prompt: Cloud Strife
Characters: Cloud
Team: AVALANCHE
Rating: G
Word Count: 100

The thing was, Cloud liked being alive.

He was happy to wake up to a new day. He liked to laugh. He wanted to laugh. The day he found Geostigma from his body, his world ended.

Yet, there was a voice inside him that said he had no right to feel like that. The voice spoke of Zack, Aerith and sacrifices, and Cloud hated them both for not letting him go.

But eventually the illness faded, and the anger, and he realized his blame had been misdirected. By then Cloud had learned to forgive, and loved breathing more than ever.

Title: The Truth Twist
Prompt: Tabloid Fodder
Characters: Sephiroth, Scarlet
Team: SOLDIER
Rating: PG
Word Count: 100

"Sephiroth," Scarlet said. "I think somebody has spiked my drink."

Sephiroth looked embarrassed for a moment, and it was easy to guess why; he had probably assumed she was just out to get drunk. Scarlet had thought he was above silly prejudices, but nobody was perfect.

"I'll take you home." He offered her his arm, and Scarlet took it gratefully. Cameras flashed when they stepped outside the bar.

The next day, headlines screamed about the Shin-Ra whore's attempt to soil Midgar's golden boy.

"At least they didn't wonder about why you were in the bar in the first place."

"Hmph."

Title: Wonderland
Challenge: Cliche #157: All seemingly ideal, utopian societies are powered by some dark force and are therefore doomed to swift, flashy destruction.
Pairing: Cloud/Aerith
Team: AVALANCHE
Rating: PG
Word Count: 100
A/N: More an interpretation of the prompt than direct take on it. Major AU.

It took blood and a prayer, and Cloud had Aerith in his life again. She reached out to touch his cheek.

"I love that you love so much." Aerith smiled and took the opportunity to lean against his chest.

He stood still for a while, then embraced her. Her body felt warm through her clothes. She flinched when he sought out the spot where Masamune had pierced into her.

Cloud heard her gasp of betrayal seconds before he snapped her neck. If he hadn't known already, that would have been his proof.

"Nice try, Sephiroth."

Now, to wreck this illusion.

Title: Little Fears
Challenge: Power Failure
Characters: Aerith, Elmyra
Team: AVALANCHE
Rating: G
Word Count: 100

The laboratory she had been imprisoned in had never suffered from sudden power outages, so how frequently that happened in the slums scared Aerith for a long time. She tried to be brave and stay in her room first, flashlight in hand, but fear eventually drove her to find Elmyra from the dark house.

The first times, she couldn't help but worry about being troublesome, but Elmyra always waved those worries away. "It's normal," she said, and looked ashamed; Aerith buried her face against Elmyra's chest and pushed the secret undertone in her second mother's voice out of her mind.

Title: In the Noon
Challenge: Alternate Universe
Characters: Hojo
Team: SOLDIER?
Rating: G
Word Count: 100

"Professor," Ingrid said, "your son is waiting out there."

A while ago, the president had told Hojo that his son could use company near his age, and that Hojo's child was good enough to qualify. Rufus had even been interested. Hojo couldn't understand why his boy wasn't.

"He asked me if he could come inside," Ingrid continued, her voice amused in a way that annoyed Hojo. "I think he wants to see you work."

He couldn't understand at all.

"Very well."

When Cloud walked inside with a beaming smile, Hojo looked away. He didn't know how to deal with it.

Title: Adjustments
Challenge: Hidden Talent
Characters: Barret, Marlene
Team: Avalanche
Rating: G
Word Count: 100

Back in Corel, Barret hadn't known violence. He used to read to children at the library. He had sung in a choir during weekends. Neither those things helped a man going to a war, but they helped a new father.

He never had much money for nice things, but he bought Marlene stories of warrior princesses to last for many nights, and sang her to sleep on every one of them. Sometimes he was caught humming to himself, always catching snickers. But Barret didn't mind. It wasn't much of a talent, but a talent nevertheless, and a talent well used.

Title: Little Mercies
Challenge: Childhood
Characters: Cloud
Team: Avalanche
Rating: PG
Word Count: 100

During nights, an old stray dog scratched at the doors.

"It's been with wild animals," his mother said, cradling her forehead. She had been having migraine and was very tired. "Don't go near it."

But when Cloud opened the door, it wagged its tail and walked over to sniff his hands, smelling of dirt and sickness. Cloud looked at his mother, who was sleeping her ache away. He offered the dog a bowl of water.

Next day, his mother gave up and left to the pharmacy for new medicine, and villagers wondered about the dead stray on the town square.

Title: Idol
Challenge: Crossovers
Series: Farscape/Final Fantasy VII
Characters: Cloud, Scorpius
Team: Peacekeepers? Okay, Avalanche
Word count: 100
A/N: Scorpius = Sephiroth. That's all.

( Idol )

Title: After the Life
Challenge: Crossovers
Series: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Final Fantasy VII
Characters: Buffy, Aeris
Team: Avalanche
Word count: 100

( After the Life )

Title: Lost Chances
Challenge: Crossovers
Series: Firefly/Final Fantasy VII
Characters: Sephiroth, Zoe
Team: SOLDIER
Word count: 100

( Lost Chances )

Title: Good Morning
Challenge: Crossovers
Series: Firefly/Final Fantasy VII, setting in Firefly
Pairing: Implied Jayne/Cloud, River
Team: Avalanche
Word count: 100

"Jayne has a boy in his bunk," a sing-song voice called from the door.

Beside Cloud, Jayne stirred and sat up in panic. "Shh!"

"Your captain the nasty type?" Jayne's bunk was much more comfortable than his lack of bunk, so Cloud didn't want to leave yet.

"'Skin-the-stowaway' type." To the voice, Jayne said: "You don't want Mal to skin him, right?"

Voice was quiet for a moment. "Jayne has a hedgehog in his bunk."

"I think that might actually make things worse."

"If that happens, wake me up." Cloud made himself comfortable on the mattress again.

Jayne snorted. "Asshole."

Title: Cafeteria Talk
Challenge: Most Hated Character
Character: OC Female soldier candidate
Team: SOLDIER
Word count: 100
Warning: No bashing.

"The problem with a human bitch," a voice said, "is that it's illegal to shoot her."

The statement was followed by thunder of laughter, which made Edie flinch.

"Look at all these cunts. Want to be soldiers." Edie wanted, very much, to look around if any other women looked as uncomfortable as she felt. She didn't dare to look up from her plate. "Guesses, guys. How many came here to drop their panties for great Sephiroth?"

"Make that all."

Edie wanted to punch their mouths shut.

But nobody else was moving, and Edie wasn't brave yet. She finished her meal.

Title: Anniversary
Challenge: Character's children
Character: Nanaki
Team: Avalanche
Word count: 100

When Nanaki turns 300, his friends in AVALANCHE are long-gone, their descendants impossible to track. But when his human friends bring him a cake made of beef and his children gather around him, he smiles.

"Grandpa's going to cry," one of his grandchildren laughs, and Nanaki recalls a time he thought he would die the last of his kind, a time he and Tanja believed they would never have children who lived. None of those around him know the grief of those years. It's a blessing.

"I believe I will." His children laugh out, chasing the rest of his sadness away.

Title: Easy Living
Challenge: Job Perks
Character: Cloud Strife (one day, I'll write about another character)
Team: Avalanche
Word count: 100

Mercenary's career wasn't what Cloud had dreamed of, but it came with advantages. Having no superiors to answer to was one. Having no obligations to others was another. As he listened to Wallace and Tifa debate about whether he was trustworthy or not, he thought how easy it would be to walk away. If anything, that was freedom.

Looks like I'm doing just fine with your life.

The thought passed too fast for Cloud to truly memorize it, or to wonder who it was for, but it left behind a feeling so satisfying that he had no reason to mind.