Originally Posted by Neel With A Hat
Jenova was destroyed and dissipated into the Lifestream at the end of FFVII, and the cells were distributed amongst the newborns. 2 years seems like a short time though, but that's what I made of it.
Cloud goes pretty nuts in AC, but we can presume the other characters would have done just the same. They just got cameos while Cloud was the central character, so you think he's stronger.
All things considered, AC is nothing more than a fan service, so I wouldn't take the storyline too seriously. I definitely didn't pay attention at all to the story, and just caught minor details thrown in for FFVII freaks and watched the ridiculously animé-like fight sequences.