Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Final Fantasy VII.

A/N: The story takes place two years after the events of Advent Children. Also, I am ashamed to say that I have never had the chance to play Dirge of Cerberus, thus the story will ignore the canonical events that take place in DoC.

All But One

"Life without emotions is like an engine without fuel."

-Mary Astor

Similar Circumstances

"Here you go, sir."

"Yeah, uh…thanks."

Cloud handed the man a light rectangular package, which was about a foot in length. He reached in his bag for the clipboard and took out a black pen from his pocket.

"If you'll just sign here."

"Sure," the man said, taking the form and signing it one swift motion. He handed it back.

"So how much is this again?"

"70 gil, sir."

"Ah, right." The man searched in his pocket, his eyes still gazing down on the small package.

"Hey, um…listen. You mind opening that box for me?"

"Sorry?" Cloud tucked the clipboard back into his bag.

"Can you open my package?"

Cloud gave him a strange look, but shrugged and said, "Of course."

He knelt down, picking at the corner of the tape with his fingernail.

"Busy week, huh?" the man asked.

Cloud sighed. He opened the box and handed it to the man. "Sure is. I have to head over to Kalm tonight and—"

Clank! Cloud had ducked just in time, barely dodging the metal bar that swung at him from behind as it collided with the door. He quickly thrust his elbow back, slamming it into the stranger's stomach. He heard a growl, but dodged to the left as the man with the box swung his fist into the air. Cloud saw four more men approach from the street. Ducking low, he missed another punch, and kicked his leg back meeting the second man in the jaw. Cloud grabbed the railing with one hand and leapt off the balcony, landing feet flat on the pavement below. One of the four new men swung a metal bar at him, but missed, only to feel Cloud's elbow crash into his shoulder. Cloud took a blow to his jaw, but shoved the man off, adding a swift kick to his chest. He made a run for it, sprinting towards Fenrir. Bang! Bang! The gunshots had missed him. Cloud realized the package from before had a gun inside. Well I'll be damned, he thought, leaping onto his motorcycle. He turned the key to start the engine…but it wasn't working! The hell?! The men were closing in, three of them wielding thick metal clubs. Another gunshot. Cloud shifted his weight to the right, hearing the bullet whirl past him.°

"Shit!" he hissed. They had tampered with his bike while he was delivering the package. Cloud jumped off, backing up slowly as his enemies approached, each with a grin on his face. What the hell's going on?

He saw a shadow from behind.

He ducked low to see a knife swing through his hair. He swiped his leg across the ground, tripping the man. Cloud cursed, seeing seven more men approach from the right.

"It's over! Give it up!" the man with the gun yelled.

Cloud glanced over at Fenrir. Damn, he'd left his swords at the bar.

He dodged another punch. This wasn't going well. There were too many of them, and on top of that, he was unarmed. But something caught his attention. There was a strange glow to the gun man's forearm; it was emitting a green light. These bastards have materia?! Cloud's thoughts were interrupted as he felt a hard blow to his calf, sending him crashing to the ground. He tried to get up, but six men were now on top of him, wrestling him down and placing a thick sack over his head. The last thing he felt was a sharp pain to his head.

After that, there was darkness…

-xXx-

When it rains in Edge, the people are quick to run indoors, trying at all costs to avoid being caught in the downpour. Black puddles would form in the small dips in the streets, and when the rain was gone, the walls of the buildings were stained with a dark coating. Coal and oil were the primary resources after the fall of Shinra, and without the Mako Reactors sucking life from the planet, the people assumed all was well. However, pollution was now the major issue. Even the rain would drop down like globs of black paint, and high pillars of dark smoke concealed the once blue skies above.

Only three people could be seen standing on the streets of Edge while the storm raged on. Their once pale skins were now oozing with a black slime, and it was fortunate that these people already sported dark hair, or they would have received a natural hair dye.

"God, they're late! How much longer do we have to wait?" Yuffie Kisaragi hissed, though she could barely make out her own voice as the rain rattled against the ground.

"They said they'd be here," Vincent said blankly. His shoulders were now groaning against the added weight of the drenched cloak. He stood, leaning against a steel post, allowing the thick rain to shower over his sopping form. He had his eyes on Tifa, who hadn't spoken much the whole week. He couldn't blame her.

"Well, I can't stand much more of this sick rain!" Yuffie yelled, shaking her head violently to spray off some of the grime from her hair. She reached up and removed her bandanna, squeezing it with both hands to release more black water. "Hey Vince, did you ever get in touch with Barret?"

"No," he said. After Cloud's disappearance four weeks ago, Tifa had asked Yuffie to come to the city and help her search for him. Vincent showed up a few days later, but they couldn't get in contact with Barret. Shera was eight months pregnant, so they decided that Cid was best left alone, and Nanaki was always impossible to reach.

"God, this is so messed up! Where the hell could he be?" Yuffie mumbled to herself.

Tifa shifted her weight, her gaze still focused on the large puddle at her feet. The rain shot into it like needles, and it reminded Tifa of her special soup, how it boiled violently just before she served it at dinner. The three remained silent for a while, waiting as the storm continued to rage down from the gray sky. It was not long until they heard the distant roar of an engine approaching. A black vehicle turned from the corner, speeding past the stop signs and finally reaching a halt next to them. Vincent recognized it as the Class C Shinra Model, a car possessed only by the company's top employees. Yuffie rolled her eyes as the four Turks stepped out, each opening an umbrella to shield their suits from the rain.

"It's about time you showed up!"

"Our apologies," Tseng responded calmly. Reno, Rude and Elena lined up at his side, each wearing an uneasy expression.

"So what was it you wanted to discuss?" Vincent asked.

Tseng glanced at the three drenched figures and nodded. "I'll get straight to the point. We heard about Cloud Strife's disappearance last week. It was a disturbing realization in that we've had a loss of our own. The president was abducted four weeks ago and his whereabouts remain unknown to us. He was obviously taken during the night time, when he could be confronted alone."

"Rufus is gone, too?" Yuffie snapped.

"Yes. And our sources indicate that your friend…Barret Wallace…has also been reported missing. The drilling station informed us last week."

Tifa clenched her fists.

"Considering we are all under similar circumstances, I thought it would be best to cooperate in the investigation of these disappearances. If you help us find the president, we will be at your side until Cloud and Barret have been found."

There was a long silence aside from the rain that continued pouring down. Tifa was the next to speak.

"Do you have any leads on where to search?"

"Midgar is our next destination."

"Midgar? Why?"

"Rumor has it that there are people still living in Midgar. Perhaps they can provide information on the disappearances."

Yuffie stepped up. "Why would people live in that ruined city?"

"Precisely why we want to check it out. Midgar is the perfect place to hide. No one would suspect anyone to live there any more."

"When do we start?" Vincent asked.

Tseng smiled. "We can start immediately…after we get you three dried up."

-xXx-

Midgar. The once proud capital of Shinra's power was now a forgotten wasteland.

Vincent thought it was best to split up, and that the teams should be made up from the different parties, so they had divided into three groups. He and Elena headed off towards Sector Four. Tifa and Tseng took Sector Two, and that left Yuffie with Reno and Rude.

"Dammit, why do we get stuck with the kid?"

"Who the hell are you callin' a kid? Let's not forget who got their asses kicked last time we met!"

Reno grinned. "If I remember correctly, it was Tifa who was doing most of the ass-kicking. You must be getting yourself confused with 'ass-wiping.'"

"I'll wipe your ass with this shuriken!"

Rude sighed. That Valentine guy must've been out of his mind, putting Reno and Yuffie in the same group.

They made their way past the first cluster of houses without much trouble, but Yuffie and Reno were loud enough to wake the dead. Rude couldn't help but feel sorry for himself.

"You're so ugly, you went into the Ghost Square and came out with an application!"

"You're so ugly, you make blind kids cry!"

"You're so ugly, your doctor is a vet!"

"You're so ugly, your mate won't have to worry about birth control…your face will do just fine!"

Damn, Yuffie thought. I'm losing!

"Oh yeah? Well, you're so ugly, they put tinted windows on your incubator!"

Even Rude grinned at that one. Reno scowled; he was running out of comebacks.

"You're so ugly, the doctor took one look at you and slapped your parents!"

Yuffie laughed. "At least my parents didn't get slapped by Hojo!"

"Damn," Rude said. "That was rough."

Yuffie raised her head up victoriously. Even Cid and Barret were afraid to compete with her. Reno glared at the grin on Rude's face, but he felt his own mouth twitch as well. This girl's not bad, he thought, as they made their way past the heaps of ruin in Sector Three.

-xXx-

"Need a hand with that?" Elena asked, watching from below as Vincent heaved a large boulder from a cracked roof. Vincent remained silent, digging deeper into the mound of rocks.

"What are you looking for, anyway?"

"I think there's something under there."

"Like what?"

"I see materia."

Elena's eyes widened. Why would there be materia in a place like this?

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"But…why would there be materia here?"

"I don't know."

Vincent extended the full length of his arm into the small opening he made, reaching inside for the small sphere. His fingers kept rolling off.

"I can't reach it," he said.

"Why don't you try using those claws of yours?"

Vincent just stared at the young Turk for a while, but decided she was right. He shifted his weight and reached in with his left arm. The materia slipped into his grasp, and he pulled it out, examining the yellow ball closely.

"What is it?" Elena asked.

"I can't tell. It seems…young…new…"

"What?"

Vincent hopped back down to the ground, handing the materia to the blonde woman.

"This materia…" he said. "I think it was formed during Meteorfall."

-xXx-

The stench of rotting food reeked in the air. The house was empty and quiet, but there was something strange about this place. Tifa searched the living room, but found nothing important. That's weird, she thought. The clothes hanging from the rack were still damp. And the food in the kitchen had just begun to rot.

"What about those kids that live with you?" Tseng asked, busily searching through a bookshelf.

"I left them with Elmyra."

Tseng paused, memories of his visits to Elmyra and Aerith's house flashing in his mind.

"I see."

Tifa saw a small piece of paper lying on the tabletop. She picked it up, a puzzled look forming as she read the note.

He's at the meeting place now.

We're going to go find some more materia.

Wait for us at the meeting place.

They'll be coming soon.

"Tifa," Tseng called. "Come here, I think you should check this out."

Tifa slipped the note into her pocket, still unsure of what it meant. She walked down the hall, entering the second room to the left. She saw Tseng staring down at the baby's crib, a troubled look on his face. He pointed down at the small bed, signaling for her to look.

Tifa's eyes widened. There were photos scattered all over the crib.

Photos of her, Cloud, and Barret.