The night was just about to end, morning was slowly beginning to roll in. The sun seemed to part the clouds as it rose, filling the sky with its rosy light. It had seemed that everyone in Midgar was asleep, that everyone in Edge was safe and sound in the comfort of their beds at this time; everyone except for one person.

Cloud had once again had a near sleepless night, unable to get more than maybe 2 hours of sleep. He had snuck out of 7th Heaven, as he did almost every night in the past, and rode Fenrir, his motorcycle over to the cliff; where Zack's memorial used to be located until they moved it to the church in the slums. The blond looked to the sky, watching as the Sun broke through the darkness, watching as everything was slowly covered by the Sun's white light. He did this every morning, for it helped him clear his thoughts, mostly. It was also something he used to do with Zack all the time, when he was alive. It had been a year since he got rid of his Geostigma, 11 years since his village was burned down, and 6 years since Aerith and Zack were killed. Cloud still missed Zack so. He could always seem to feel the ex-SOLDIERS presence around him, and half expected to see Zack gliding across the sky with the wimgs he had always wanted. The thought itself managed to bring a small smile across the blonde's lips. Watching the sunrise helped him to cope with these things as much as he allowed himself to. Also, he never wanted to break the habit, for it was something he used to do with the sable-haired man.

It also helped him deal with everything that was happening now. Not too long ago, the Lifestream had revived Aerith. Of course, this made Cloud happy, one of his mistakes had been reversed, Aerith was alive. But, there was this pesky little voice in the back of his head, that continued to ask the same question; Why had it been Aerith who was revived, why not Zack? It pained the blond to think this way, Aerith was a dear friend, and he cared for her deeply, but Zack was different. Cloud wanted to once more embrace the sable haired male, to feel his strong arms held around him so bad it pained him. But alas, it was Aerith who came back, and not Zack. He just had to learn to deal with that.

Another event that had passed was that Sephiroth was also back. Not some remnant that was After Jenova's head, no, the Real Sephiroth. Also, he wasn't the Sephiroth that was under Jenova's hold either; it was the one Cloud knew when Zack was alive, when Cloud was nothing more than an Infantryman. It confused the blond when the silver haired man came by, asking for a place to stay. But Tifa and Aerith surprisingly, welcomed him with open arms, probably because they sensed the change within him.

All these things, all the thoughts were somehow remedied, calmed, as he watched the light fill the sky. Cloud sighed softly as he remembered that he had to be back home soon, hoping that Aerith and Tifa weren't awake yet. He wasn't in the mood to be interrogated by the two females, so he quickly started up Fenrir once more and drove off into the town. Once he got close to Tifa's establishment, he cut the engine and parked his motorcycle, and walked the rest of the way. He walked through the door, hoping that he wouldn't see the two women downstairs cleaning the place, but as usual, his hopes were crushed as he saw them downstairs, preparing for the opening of 7th Heaven, so he himself began to prepare for the onslaught of questions he was sure to receive. Sephiroth was also downstairs, enjoying a hot cup of coffee. He looked towards Cloud, then back at his coffee and spoke softly.

"Cloud is here." He said before taking a sip of his strong coffee.

Aerith looked over to Tifa as the ex- general spoke these words. The dark haired brunette shook her head, not wanting to have this conversation with Cloud again because she has it too often in the past. Aerith sighed and decided to take the reins herself.

"So, where did you go today?" She asked softly. She looked up at Cloud with her soft green eyes.

"I watched the Sunrise. Just like I do every morning." The blond responded softly. He wasn't lying, he didn't lie about his whereabouts when people asked, but for some reason they never believed him. He watched Aerith sigh and go back to cleaning as Tifa shook her head a bit. Cloud sighed softly and turned around. "I'm heading to Modeohiem. I have a delivery to make there." That wasn't exactly what he was going there for, but they wouldn't believe him if he had told them the truth anyway. They never seemed to. He walked out of 7th Heaven and got on his bike, heading to Modeoheim to go see Reno, one of the few people who, surprisingly, understood him.

Shortly after Cloud had left the establishment, Sephiroth felt something strange. Something all too familiar. He felt a pull. It was faint, but it was still there, pestering him. The ex-general sat there, trying to ignore the feeling, but he couldn't any longer. He needed to get rid of the sensation, or at least find its source, for it started to annoy him, so he stood and headed to the door.

"Where are ya headed?" Tifa asked, looking up at Sephiroth. She was nervous whenever he left, always worrying that he would do something to bring back his old habits.

"Out. Have to take care of something." He said dismissively before walking out the door. Once outside, he unfurled his black wing and took to the skies, following that pull to wherever its source was. He flew and felt the sensation get stronger until he reached its source. He landed and began walking towards a woman, she was shorter than he. That was all he was able to notice until he walked closer to her. When he had finally gotten close, he wished he hadn't and immediately began to turn around, but it was already too late. He felt his muscles tense without his doing as he stared at the woman who held an uncanny resemblance to him.

The woman's lips curled into a sinister grin as she moved closer to Sephiroth, her long silver hair blowing in the wind as she walked. "It has been awhile." She paused for a moment, allowing the time to sink in. "My son."

"Jenova. " He growled through clenched teeth. His 'Mother 'was back. No wonder the pull felt so familiar. Sephiroth had made it too easy for her to reach him, and cursed himself for being such an idiot. Now he was once again under her control, who knows what she could be here for this time.

"Don't sound so hurtful son." She laughed softly, her cat like eyes staring into Sephiroth's. "I have an assignment for you."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

Cloud arrived in Modeoheim quickly, due to the vast space upon where he could use Fenrir to the fullest speed. He took off his goggles and looked up at the seemingly abandoned house at the top of the hill. He sighed as he made his way up there and noticed something strange.

It was much too quiet here. Usually you could hear Reno blaring music, or just yelling about something stupid, it was what he did. But today, today it was much too quiet. Plus, as he looked around, the TURK's helicopter was nowhere to be seen.

He made his way inside the house cautiously before he heard a stupid, all too familiar laugh.

"Kadaj." Cloud said annoyed. He thought he had gotten rid of this bastard the last time they encountered each other. "What are you doing here?" He asked as he looked at the silver haired remnant, cursing at himself for leaving his sword in his motorcycle.

The remnant laughed, noticing Cloud tense up at the sight of him. "Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you, merely to inform you. " He smirked as he walked around Cloud slowly, watching the blonde's movements carefully. "You will never believe who's back in town."

"Who, Sephiroth? Nice try Kadaj, everyone knows about that." Cloud snapped back quickly.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You underestimate my power as a messenger. We all know Sephiroth is back again. But that's only part of the good news." Kadaj said as he paused to look at the blond, that sinister smile still on his lips. "Mother is back." He laughed. "Even though you are the black sheep of the family, surely you have to have noticed her familiar presence." The remnant said softly.

"Mother?" Cloud whispered to himself. It couldn't be; the calamity couldn't have been back. But what was he worried about, he had broken her hold on him years ago, so why was he so worried. Because Jenova could be the single most powerful entity he has ever known. Even at a weakened state, she was able to bring Sephiroth and himself to their knees. He could not let that happen again. But Kadaj was right, even though he broke the calamity's hold on him, Cloud could still feel that pulsing presence in the back of his mind.

Kadaj smiled triumphantly, noticing Cloud's face change as he thought. "See, you do feel her. I knew you were still part of the family, isn't it wonderful." He said while smiling. The remnant then began to run. "You might want to follow me; I may tear up some poor town if someone doesn't stop me!" He cried as he ran out the door and jumped on his own motorcycle. This was all part of Mother's plan. To lure Cloud out so Sephiroth could deliver him to Mother. Then Jenova could do what he pleased with the blond. Kadaj smirked when he saw Cloud following him on his motorcycle. Just as planned

Kadaj led Cloud close to where Jenova was, and the blond could feel her presence as he sped up. He was so close to catching up to Kadaj, nut then the ground shook beneath him, slowing him down, allowing the remnant to speed ahead of him. The blond made it to solid ground again, but just before he sped up again, Sephiroth descended from the skies and landed ahead of Cloud.

The blond saw this happen and quickly swerved his bike to avoid hitting Sephiroth, knowing it would cause more damage to himself than the ex-general. He rolled off his bike a little ways away from where Sephiroth stood; he groaned looking up at the man, having no recovery time to dodge the slow spell that was cast on him.

Sephiroth wasn't doing this of his own free will. He rather enjoyed Cloud's company recently, and had no reason to do anything that he was doing. But Jenova's hold on him was stronger than ever, and he was forced to walk up to the blond and stabbed him in his right shoulder, rendering it useless as it moved to grab the sword that fell out of Fenrir. He could almost feel the calamity relish at the sounds of pain that escaped the blonde's mouth, making him shudder. No. He thought as he removed the blood stained sword from Cloud's shoulder. I won't be a puppet any longer. Sephiroth thought as he quickly cast Esuna on the wounded swordsman and almost immediately groaned in pain afterwards, feeling his 'Mother's' hold on him tighten as she felt his disobedience.

"Go, quickly!" Cloud heard Sephiroth say as he felt his tendons and muscles mend themselves do to the Esuna that was unexpectedly cast on him. He looked up from the floor and saw the great swordsman crumble, falling to the floor, his entire body shaking. The blond knew of only one person that could make Sephiroth fall so easily, Jenova. His very fears were ground in at that meant, because now he was absolutely positive that Kadaj wasn't playing a trick on him. He heard the silver haired man growl again, a sound of pain escaping his lips, something you would never hear from the man.

"GET AWAY FROM HERE!" He struggled to say as he got to his feet. Sephiroth looked to the sky, and saw Jenova hovering there, her white wings nearly sparkling in the Sun. Cloud followed the man's gaze and froze, recognizing the woman immediately. The ex-general once again took to the skies, following the calamity to wherever she was going off to. Cloud struggled to get to his feet, but then quickly ran to Fenrir, lifting it up and quickly jumping on.

"What do I do…" He questioned softly, sitting there on his motorcycle feeling the wind blow through his coarse hair. He didn't have nearly enough power to defeat the calamity. Hell, he barely had enough strength to beak her hold on him all those years ago; it took everything in him just to do that seemingly simple task. But, if Cloud didn't want his friends to get involved in this situation, he would have to follow Jenova and dispose of her himself. He started Fenrir back up and followed the trail of feathers that led straight to his greatest enemy. It was stupid yes, but it was all he could think of doing.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

Jenova and Sephiroth arrived at Dr. Hojo's old lab, where this entire mess stared. True, the old place was virtually in ruins, but Jenova couldn't care less. It was familiar to her, so that was where she would say. She turned when she heard Sephiroth trudge through the door, still in great pain due to the calamity. Kadaj followed behind closely, an expression of joy on his face. He was so happy; he could almost burst out laughing.

Mother's greatest son is being disobedient. That must mean I'm her favorite now. He thought, nearly jumping with joy. Jenova noticed this and scowled at her son.

"Do not be happy about this my son. Cloud Strife could take you down so much easier than he can Sephiroth. If he is disobedient, there will no one there to protect you." She said menacingly, making the remnant cringe.

"I'm sorry Mother." He said kneeling in front of Heaven's Harbinger. Jenova stared at him with displeasure for a while, and then sighed softly. Kadaj then felt a hand on his head, which nearly made him purr with pleasure. Mother was accepting him again, and that was all he needed.

Jenova allowed Kadaj to stand before she paced the room restlessly. "Now that Sephiroth is being disobedient, this may be harder than I thought." She thought aloud. Cloud was already difficult enough to catch, but now with her greatest warrior down, how could she do it. She continued to pace around, the remnant staring at her endlessly as Sephiroth's writhing slowly began to slow. "Damn it. What to do?" She asked herself softly. She continued to think, running through different plans in her head. The calamity did this until she felt a presence at the door, her pale lips curling into a grin that could make anyone cringe with fear. "Well look at that; all that worrying, and he brought himself right to us. Sephiroth!" She said with authority. The man almost immediately stood, Jenova smiling even more now that her pawn was now obedient. "Answer the door for me, would you sweetie?"

The ex-general walked to the door slowly, and opened the door with a creak. Sephiroth stared at Cloud in disbelief, and surprisingly, horror. He didn't want the blond involved in this mess. That was why he tried to send him away. Yet here he was, standing right in front of him, sword in hand as if expecting he could simply defeat Jenova and go on with his merry life. The swordsman glared at the other, and stepped aside to allow him room to get in. Cloud nodded at Sephiroth before walking in keeping a distance from the woman he feared so much.

Now, Cloud knew that his plan was most likely doomed from the start, but as soon as he heard that door slam closed, he knew that his fate was sealed. Jenova looked up and smiled at him, the simple movement causing a shudder to go down his back. The calamity paced around the blond, almost like an animal observing its prey. This made Cloud clutch is sword tighter in his hand, preparing to strike at any moment.

"So," She began softly, stepping behind Cloud. This made the blond want to lash around quickly, but he stopped himself from doing so, knowing the movement would never be completed due to Kadaj and Sephiroth watching him like hawks. Jenova smiled as she continued to speak. "I've read about you. The infamous Cloud Strife. Of course, I already knew about you before, when you were under my control." The sentence made Cloud tense up more than he was already, making Jenova giggle lightly. "Well, now I can't control you anymore, and I don't like that. Not. One. Bit." As she spoke, she had removed a syringe slowly, and without Cloud's knowing, had taken a large sample of her blood and placed it inside the tube.

Sephiroth watched this in horror, knowing what was coming. He wished that he could speak, could warn Cloud, tell him to run, far away from here. But that was impossible, Jenova made him hold his tongue.

"I don't care if you like it or not. There is nothing you could do about it." Cloud responded, trying to control the unsteadiness of his voice. If only he knew…

"Oh, you don't know how wrong you are…" Jenova said as she placed her arm around the blonde's waist to hold him in place. Then with her other hand, she stabbed the needle of the syringe into the crook of Cloud's neck, relishing at the sound of pain that escaped his lips. "Prepare to be part of the family again, Cloud." Then, slowly, Heaven's Dark Harbinger slowly injected her cells directly into Cloud's bloodstream, which would allow her control him once more, and now that it was a pure direct sample from her body, Jenova would be able to control him even more than before. The mere thought itself made her smile wickedly as she continued to inject her blood into the swordsman.