Worlds Apart

Chapter 1

The rain pounded outside, I lounging snuggly on the couch, happily indulged into my game. I was inside the temple, Cloud chasing after Aerith to get the black materia. Just as he was about to reach her, there was a sudden flash of light. A loud clap of thunder rolled across the sky, making the windows rattle. My screen went black, and I was plunged into darkness.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I said, tossing my controller on the back of the couch. The power had gone out, meaning I had probably just lost hours of play time. I stood up, stumbling my way towards the circuit breaker in my unit. I flipped a few switches, nothing happening. Looks like the entire building was out.

I sighed and gave up, heading to my room. I flopped onto my bed, it being difficult to fall asleep without the noise of a TV. I laid there for what felt like hours, but was likely only 10 minutes. I eventually fell into a dreamless sleep.

***

I awoke in the morning, my alarm clock flashing 12. Looks like the power was back on. I grabbed my phone, 9:30am. I got out of bed, heading down the hall to the living room. Just as I rounded the corner, I froze. Lying on the floor was a body. Upon closer inspection, it was a man dressed in all black.

I took a step back as he stirred, grabbing my keys from the tray on the credenza in the hallway. I slipped a key between each finger, readying a swing. The man finally sat up, grabbing his head in pain. He let out a small groan, finally opening his eyes to look at me.

I had to be dreaming, "C-Cloud?" I asked, making him blink. He looked around, slowly standing up. He was dressed just as Cloud Strife had been in the game, minus the Buster sword. He had the iconic, spiky blonde hair and the piercing blue eyes to match. Either this was the best cosplay I'd ever seen, or the actual Cloud Strife was standing in my living room.

"Where am-"

"Shut up." I blurted, still in shock. He looked at the keys in my hand, reaching over his shoulder to grab his sword. Realizing it wasn't there, he tried to speak again.

"Where am I?" He asked, his voice the exact same as from the game.

"You're not real." I whispered, Cloud making a face.

"I'm not real?" He said, making me finally regain some mobility.

"No. You're not. This has to be a dream. I'm going to close my eyes," I said as I closed them, "and when I open them you're gonna be gone."

When I opened my eyes, Cloud was still there, his arms crossed and a rather annoyed look on his face.

"I'm still here. Now where the hell am I?" He asked again, a bit more harsh.

"Philadelphia..." I answered, Cloud scratching his head.

"And where's that?"

"Pennsylvania." I said, slowly lowering my hand, "who- who are you?" I asked him.

"Cloud Strife. Ex first class SOLDIER." He answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Okay...um, and how did you get here exactly?" I asked him, Cloud shrugging.

"Don't know. Last thing I remember I went to sleep at the bar and now I'm here." He said.