Younger than the Youngest

by sivvus

Ignored by the people he respects, respected by the people he commands, hated by the person who loves him. It's all very confusing for Sephiroth, although he won't let on. Helping a girl find her memory leads him to doubt his commanders' rule.

Jessica

The motion of the vehicle woke her up. She stared groggily round the darkness from where she was laying. Sharp, artificial light penetrated the gloom through the outline of a double set of doors opposite her. She was lying on a hard pallet, which was secured to the floor.

She tried to get up, and found the short chain fastened around her wrist. With a sigh, she sat tailor-style on the pallet and rested her head in her hands.

"Where…..am I?" She whispered.

No answer was forthcoming, so she tried to focus on different thoughts. With a shock, she realized that she couldn't remember anything!  She froze, frightened. She couldn't even remember her own name……

The constant swaying of the van stopped, and she looked up sharply. Footsteps were coming around the side of the van- instinctively she reached a hand to her side, groping for her dagger……then realized there wasn't a weapon there. She sighed again, and focused on the doors. They opened slowly.

A man in a blue uniform stood in the doorway, bathed in the constant artificial light. His face and hands were covered in scratches and bruises, parts of his uniform hung in bloody tatters. He glared at the girl inside.

"Well, Miss Jessica. Despite your efforts to prevent it, you are now in Midgar. Are you going to cooperate?"

Jessica stared at him, and slowly nodded. The man groaned as he climbed into the back of the van, and produced a key from a pocket. He cautiously unlocked the chain, and then grabbed the girls' wrist before she could run away. She was surprisingly docile. He pulled her out into the light, towards Shinra HQ.

Now she was in the light, Jessica could see that she, too, was covered in bruises and scratches. Her head throbbed menacingly, near her left temple. She was wearing a green shift, which tangled round her legs in tatters. Lank strands of dark brown hair fell across her face, and she brushed them aside with her free hand.

The man, flanked by three or four companions, dragged her into an elevator at the side of the building. He produced a keycard, and typed the number 67 into the programmer. The lift rose.

They remained silent during the long space of time. Eventually the doors opened, and Jessica was marched out of it, in front of a desk.

Sitting at the desk was a young man, with an air of authority. He was dressed entirely in black- long silver hair contrasted stylishly with the leather. His green eyes flicked momentarily over the group in front of him.

"We have brought the infiltrator, sir!" Announced the leading guard. Jessica blinked at him, and faced the other man with a mental shrug.

"Looks like you had a bit of trouble, lieutenant." Drawled the man. The man holding Jessica dropped her wrist and glared at the man.

"She put up a fight, Sephiroth! You didn't want her killed, so we had to stun her. She just didn't want to be stunned!" He snapped. Sephiroth's eyes flashed.

"I am 'sir'. Do not address me on familiar terms. I wouldn't lower myself to being familiar with the likes of you." He glanced up, his eyes sharpening. Jumping out of his chair, he sprinted over to the door in time to catch Jessica as she ran towards the only noticeable exit. Grabbing her tightly around her biceps, he propelled her back to the guards. She stood there, swaying slightly.

"Take care of prisoners, lieutenant! She could have escaped- and we still need to question her." He continued to issue commands to the guards, one gloved hand still gripping Jessica's arm. Her head spun. She had absolutely no idea what was going on, and the throbbing on her head had increased to a loud roaring. A red mist slowly crept over her eyes…….

Sephiroth instinctively caught the girl when she collapsed. He was mildly annoyed- this meant the questioning would have to wait. Why couldn't those stupid guards be more careful? Slowly, laying the prisoner down on the floor, he said. "President Shinra shall hear of your incompetence in looking after prisoners, lieutenant! Now get this girl to the medical ward."

***********************************************************************

Something cool and damp was gently brushing her head. Moaning as it touched a large bruise on her head, she tried to brush the thing away.

Her arms were tied down. Fighting a moment's panic, she opened her eyes. There was a blurred shape above her. Blinking a few times, the shape came into focus. It was a woman in a blue uniform, with a small red cross sewn onto her hat. She smiled as Jessica looked at her.

"Welcom' back t' the real world!" Her accent was slightly harsh, marking a poorer upbringing than the unaccented guards and the other man. Jessica smiled back at her, reassured.

"How long have I been asleep?" Her own voice was soft, slightly lilted. It sounded as alien to her as her name. The woman's brow furrowed. Taking a key, she unlocked the chains that bound Jessica's arms.

"Three days. Gen'ral Sephiroth sure as hell is angry! He's been askin' every hour if you're awake yet." She glanced at the door, and Jessica's eyes followed hers. The plain, white room was sealed off with a collection of locks and bars. A bowl of water and a table stood near the single bed, a mirror hung on the wall, - apart from that the room was empty. The woman's brown eyes locked sharply back with Jessica's. "I'm willing t' bet he'll be draggin' you out for questionin' as soon as he finds out you're up."

Jessica nodded and sat up. She felt surprisingly good- the only sign of her apparent fight with the guards was the bruise on her forehead. Her hair felt greasy and matted, she grimaced.

"Is there anywhere where I can wash?" She asked hesitantly. The woman nodded, and pointed to a curtain Jessica hadn't noticed before. She stood up and brushed it aside. Behind it was a bathroom- a sink, a shower and a toilet. Combs were laid by the sink, towels hung by the shower. Everything was white and blindingly clean.

"No locks I'm afraid." Came the woman's voice. "This is a prison- we don't want you locking yourself in there. But I'll make sure you're not disturbed."

"Thanks." Murmured Jessica. She stepped under the shower and turned it on. The warm water brought her back to reality.

'How am I going to explain anything?' she thought, rubbing soap into her hair, carefully avoiding the bruise. 'I can't remember anything- I don't even know why I'm here!' She ran her fingers through stubborn tangles, her mind whirling. She didn't know anything- but apparently she had known something important……she rinsed the last of the soap out of her hair and turned the shower off, wrapping a towel around her head, and another around herself. Turning to a cabinet beside the shower, she rummaged for a clean shift.

Most of the clothes in there were blue, but she found a light green shirt and full skirt. She pulled them on, her mind elsewhere. She ran a comb through her wet hair, and thought about what she should do.

She wasn't surprised to find a troupe of guards in the other room. Quietly bidding goodbye to the woman, she followed them out of the room.

**********************************************************************

Sephiroth paced across his office. He muttered furiously to himself- the general had never been a good waiter. Patience wasn't a virtue granted to Sephiroth.

The twenty year old was more mature than his years- he had leadership forced on him when he was fifteen, and was used to making decisions. He was also used to getting his own way. Which, at that point, he wasn't. He wanted the girl to wake up! Something very exciting had reached his attention, and the key to it was this girl……if only she would wake up!

He drew his katana and glared at his reflection in its mirror bright facets. Bright green eyes glared back at him. Frustratedly, he tried to outstare himself, and swore when he lost. He threw himself in one of the chairs around the room, waiting.

He composed himself hurriedly when footsteps approached the door, drawing his callous mask over his youthful features. He ran a graceful finger over the edge of the katana, feeling its razor sharp edge beneath his skin.

A gentle tap at the door was merited with a sharp answer. In trooped six guards and a girl dressed in light green. He allowed his gaze to linger on the girl for slightly longer than usual, taking in the various scars and the large purple bruise that adorned her face. She scowled at him, and he smiled thinly.

"What do you know of the promised land, girl?" He snapped, running the katana through his fingers like thread. The girl colored slightly, but met his gaze.

"Nothing……I know nothing of the Promised Land." She whispered. The general frowned.

"It will do you no good to lie, girl. You are a Cetra, so of course you know something." He stated.

"I know nothing!"

"I begin to tire of you lying."

"I'm not lying! If those bloody guards hadn't hit me so hard-!" She tailed off, confused. How had she known.…? It didn't matter anyway, it was probably true.

Sephiroth was really frowning now. Lines appeared between his eyes, which locked on one of the guards behind Jessica. Blood trickled down his hand from where the katana had caught skin- he ignored it. His eyes traveled slowly from Jessica to the guard, then back again.

"Hit you? Hard?" He muttered, distractedly wiping his hand on a black cloth. He looked up. "Don't you remember anything?"

She shook her head. "No. Actually, if you can tell me who I am, I'd appreciate it. I'm kinda confused."

"I bet you are." Muttered the general. He glared at the guard behind her. "You! You're demoted. Private Shrewden can take your place." The guard opened his mouth to argue, and Sephiroth silenced him with a frosty glare. "You have robbed a girl of her memory, which was uncalled for. You have robbed me of any evidence she might have known, which makes me mad." He brandished the katana threateningly. "Well, why do you stand there? Go!"

The guard gulped audibly and left the room. The rest of them stood to attention, not daring to meet anyone's eyes. Sephiroth turned his attention back to Jessica.

"I think I owe it to you to tell you why you're here. We are not evil here, and if I'd have known you lost your memory……" He hesitated, his gaze flicking to the guards. "Well, take it as an apology for your treatment."

"Thank you. But the treatment here has been impeccable! I especially enjoyed the scheduled torturing……" Declared Jessica. She heard sniggers behind her, and for a moment the general grinned and looked youthful, his mask slipping away. Then, just as quickly, it was back in place. Sephiroth gestured to various chairs around the room.

"Sit down, all of you. This could take a little bit of time." He turned to Jessica, who had been chained by one hand to her chair, furthest from the door (and nearest to Sephiroth).

"How much do you actually know?" He asked, sheathing the katana at long last.

"My name is Jessica. I'm eighteen- I think- and I'm being held captive in Shinra HQ."

Sephiroth winced. "Is that really all you remember?" He grimaced and shook his head. "We had reports of a girl, living in the city of he ancients. There were no connections to her- you-, no family. The only reason we knew you were there was because you sold cloth to Bone Village."

"We recently received information about a place called the Promised Land, owned by the Cetra, who lived in the city. We are trying to find out more, and we thought you would be the key to finding out all about it. So I sent a squad down to capture you." He nodded at one of the guards. "Shrewden, continue."

"We went to the city, and you attacked us! You had a pair of daggers, and you damn near killed us! Anyway, eventually you got rapped round the head, and you went down like a stone. Then we brought you here."

"What happened to my daggers?" Asked Jessica, impulsively. It seemed important, somehow……

The general fixed her in his gaze. "I have them. I find it a bad idea to arm potentially dangerous prisoners." Jessica flushed and bit her tongue. Something strange was happening to her head- she felt almost like a cat……one leap and she could find her daggers……. Resistance would be met by tooth and claw…….the daggers were so important, somehow…….red light seemed to flare around her.

She flicked her tail. Hang on- her tail? She lifted a paw and eyed the inch long claws attached to it. Her amber eyes flashed. She looked up- right into the green eyes reflected on the silver edge of a sword. Her un-planned attack halted, she stared confusedly around.

And suddenly, she was sitting in a chair, long brown hair falling across her face. She shuddered, frozen into place. Behind her, she heard frightened whispers and footfalls, in front of her, the singing of a blade. Cautiously, she looked up.

Sephiroth was pale, but composed. Held in front of him, the katana never wavered. He was staring with astonishment at Jessica. She met his gaze for a split second, and then burst into tears, curling up on the chair.

Sephiroth had never been so confused. In his entire career, he had never met anyone who could turn into a puma for their limit break. If she had attacked him at that moment, he probably would have killed her. Instead, she changed back into human, and met his gaze.

In that split second, he had seen someone very much like himself. Someone thrust into the world before they were ready to face it. Someone who never gave up.

Except, she had given up. He had never seen anyone sob their heart out, but now he had a pretty good idea what it looked like. Quietly, he got up, and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, rivers of tears running down her scarred cheeks.

"It shows a great warrior to cope with their fears." Said Sephiroth quietly, holding her with his eyes. "But an even braver heart to face what they know nothing about." He patted her shoulder gently, and let go. "I'll see that you get treated better than you have been."

He walked across the empty room and yelled out of it, "Hey! You cowards! I'll teach you to run away when you're on duty! You all have six weeks on patrols!" Groans drifted up the corridor. Sephiroth grinned to himself and shouted, "Now get this girl to the guest quarters before I make it six years!"

************************************************************************

Jessica walked amid the confused whisperings of the guards. Some of them wouldn't even look at her.

They walked down a few floors, and eventually came to a floor with a long corridor down the center, and doors leading off it. Some of these doors were labeled (Unit 17, Soldier), some were tatty, and some were posh. At the end of the corridor was a reception desk. A line of men were signing up fro something at it, a receptionist watching them listlessly. Jessica was marched up to it.

"Sephiroth wants this one given guest quarters." Said one of the guards. The receptionist gave Jessica a speculative glance.

"Oh, does he?" She muttered to herself, sorting through a box of keys. "Well, she'll have to share with one of the girls." She pointed to a room six doors away. The guard nodded and took Jessica over. She went into the room and looked around.

It was a wide, sunny room, with windows open to the sunlight. As it was above Midgar's plate, a cool breeze blew through the room. A second door led off to a bathroom, a table, sofa, two chairs and a couple of beds lay in the main room.

"Ah! Do I fin'lly get a roommate?" Said a bright, familiar voice. Jessica grinned uncertainly as the nurse came up to her.

"Well! It's you! Aren't you a pris'ner any more then?" Asked the woman. Jessica shrugged lightly and sat down on one of the chairs.

"I'm Patience- what's your name?"

"Jessica." Replied the girl, holding her head in her hands and staring at the carpet.

"'ere, what's wrong?"

"Nothing- don't worry. I'm just confused………" Patience came over and looked at her.

"Don't worry, we all get confused from time to time." They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Jessica went over and opened it. It was a messenger, holding a small box.

"Are you Jessica?" He demanded. Jessica nodded, wringing her hands in confusion. The messenger handed her the box, which was heavier than it looked. She took it over to the table.

"What is it? Who's it from? What is it?" Demanded Patience. Jessica smiled.

"Be like your name, and stop pestering me." She muttered. Patience grinned.

"You know, you have no idea how many times I've heard that……"

Jessica ignored her and opened the box. Inside was a swath of cloth covering something, and an un-addressed letter. She picked up the letter, and unfolded it. It was un-headed, and unsigned. Neat, flowing script covered the page. Doing her best to hide the letter from Patience, she read it.

'I send you these back in the hope that they will refresh your memory. I trust that you will be as sensible as I believe you to be, and not go around stabbing everyone. I have also replaced your materia, but as there is a magic shield here, you will not be able to use it. I will also send a messenger tomorrow, with whom you will send a reply in twelve hours. Regards.'

With a fast-beating heart, she pulled aside the cloth in the box. Blocking the contents from Patience's prying eyes, she pulled them out one by one. First there was a belt with side-holsters. Jessica belted this around her waist. Then came two wrist knives and an ankle sheath, all holding delicate blades, infused with materia. Red, Green and yellow glowed in the dying sunset.

At the bottom of the box were two daggers. They were plain metal, except they both had engravings in them. Jessica stared at them, and remembered.

Her life was engraved in those two daggers.

Here, a long wavy line told her that once she had lived overseas. A sharp, pointed arrow showed her skills with weapons…. She took the daggers and sat on the sofa, staring at them and murmuring to herself.

"J-Jessica?" Asked Patience. On receiving no reply, she went and shook her to no avail. Frightened, she went over to the box and looked at the letter. Then she left the room.

************************************************************************

"You don't understand-! I have to see him!"

The shrill voice came through the door, and reached Sephiroth. Grimacing, he turned back to the reports he was reviewing.

"It's really important!!"

'They all say that.' Thought the general. He put the report down and picked up another one.

"No, really! I can't get her to answer me!"

Silence. Sephiroth tried really hard not to listen, and strained to hear what might be said next.

"It's like she's gone mad! She just sits there holding these daggers!"

Silence. 'Daggers?'

"No, I don't know why! But he sent them to her, so he must know!"

'Oh no……..'

The woman burst into the office, barely restrained by the two guards. Sephiroth stood up as the woman opened her mouth.

"I know. I heard it through the door. What do you expect me to do about it?"

The woman curtsied, flustered, then  said, all in one breath, "I can't get her to speak to me- she just sits there and  I thought you might be able to wake her up cos you know what's wrong with her and I don't…."

Sephiroth held up a hand in surrender. "Alright, woman! I'll go, okay! Just……just stop talking."

He turned to the guards. "You're both demoted. And get my office soundproofed!"      

*********************************************************************

Even Sephiroth, battle veteran, was a little taken aback when he saw Jessica. She was holding the blades of the daggers to see the hilts better- every so often she would gasp and clutch the sharpened steel tighter. Blood ran freely down her arms, the blades were slick with it. And she still wouldn't answer any of them.

Sephiroth felt a little sickened, but he turned to one of his guards, shaking his silver hair over his eyes.

"Did anyone try to take the daggers away from her?" He muttered. The guards all slowly shook their heads. Sephiroth turned around. "Must I do everything?" He slowly walked up to the girl.

"Jessica." She didn't answer, but he thought she heard him. He went on, his voice surprisingly gentle. "Jessica- what do you see?"

"I see my life." She said flatly, not taking away her gaze. Sephiroth swore gently and reached over to take the daggers, trying not to hurt her ravaged hands. She grabbed at the blades, the sharp metal biting into the soft skin of her palms. Sephiroth swore more vehemently and let go.

"Someone get Hojo." He hissed behind him. One of the guards left. Sephiroth turned back to the girl. By now the amount of blood pooling around their feet was huge- she needed to let go of the daggers!

He reached over to Jessica and turned her head so that her blank eyes met his. Talking softly as he might to a frightened chocobo or dog, he fixed her gaze in his. Regardless of the blood pooling around them, he started to talk.

"Jessica, I know this is frightening for you. You shouldn't have to go through all this. It's not fair on you." He slowly moved his hands so that they were near hers. Gently, he started to ease the daggers out of her hands. His hands slipped in the blood, but he didn't move his gaze from Jessica's. "You have been really brave up until now, remember? You need some time to be used to being yourself again." He gently put one of the daggers on the floor and reached for the other one. "I'm sure in time you'll remember everything about yourself, and then you can help me, can't you? But for now, I don't think you should try to take everything in at once." He laid the second dagger on the floor, and slowly stood up, taking the daggers. Jessica stared at him for a moment, her sight refocusing. Then she stared at the floor, afraid to meet anyone's eyes.

The door opened and Hojo entered. Sephiroth slowly walked over to him, putting the daggers in one of the volumous pockets in his coat. The room was by that time almost completely dark.

"What do you think, Hojo?" Asked the general. Hojo slowly shook his head.

"She needs sleep. I wouldn't leave her alone again, either. I also recommend her hands be bandaged before she bleeds to death!"

Sephiroth's eyes glowed brighter in the dim light. He nodded, and turned around to look at Jessica. She held a glowing white orb, and was tossing it from palm to palm. After a while she sensed the men watching her, and held the orb out to Sephiroth.

"Please cast that. I can't…….I can't cast it by myself. But I need to…..please?"

Sephiroth took the orb warily. He looked at Jessica, his green eyes unreadable. "There's a magic shield."

"It……doesn't matter."

"I've never seen white materia before……" Muttered Hojo. Around them, the guards were staring at it curiously. Sephiroth shrugged and clasped the materia in one hand, drawing on his MP. His eyes widened as the materia shifted and changed. It wriggled and in surprise Sephiroth dropped it.

A small, white cat padded softly up to the couch. Jessica picked it up, and hugged it closer to her.

"What……is that?" Whispered one of the guards. They could all see it, it glowed gently. It gave a loud purr, and several of the guards jumped backwards.

Jessica burst out laughing. "She's a cat! I'll show you her tomorrow. I just forgot about her…….but look!" She held up a palm, showing everyone the healed, unscarred skin. She also pointed out that the rivers of blood had disappeared. Sephiroth looked at his leathers, and saw them free of blood. Slightly awed, he stared at her, and she smiled back.

He turned sharply on his heel, striding out of the room. The guards followed him. Hojo watched with narrowed eyes, and then turned to Jessica.

"Don't ever do that again, girl. Don't waste our time." He turned and walked out of the room.

Jessica sat alone in the dark, the cat glowing pearly in her lap. She gently petted its silky fur, thinking. She had seen her whole life in the engravings- but she couldn't remember any of it. It was just another story, a tale about someone else's life.

The cat, on the other hand, she had remembered about when the white orb had come out of its hiding place in the right-hand dagger. She could remember…..it had been a gift. She could remember…….

A small child ran in from the forest, twigs in her hair. The man had laughed and combed out the little pieces of wood.

"Well Jessica, and how many monsters have you slaughtered today?"

"Six!" Declared the little girl. The man laughed again and ruffled her hair.

"I have a present for you!"

"A present?" The girl's eyes grew wide. Presents were unheard of, when you had to work to survive. But no- the man was drawing something from a pocket. It sparkled in the autumn sunlight.

"Ooh! It's so pretty!" She cooed, reaching her hands out. The man laughed again – he was always laughing- and gave it to her. The glowing orb shone in her grubby hand.

"It will keep you safe when you're in danger. It may be a great help to you in the future." Said the man.

That night she had hollowed out a little place in one of the daggers she always kept with her, and hid the orb in it. She had never used it.

Patience came in later on, and saw her new friend asleep on the sofa, a small cat curled up in her arms. She thought better of waking her, and went to sleep.

**********************************************************************

Sephiroth was still awake, idly tossing one of the daggers from hand to hand. What was it about the daggers that affected the girl like that? All he could see was a pair of mithril daggers, with a pattern etched onto the hilts. He was blind to the words behind the patterns.

He tossed one of the daggers up in the air. It spun in the artificial light, and he caught it hilt-first.

"I do wish you wouldn't do that." Said a snide voice from his doorway. In an instant, the steel bladed katana was pointed in that direction. Sephiroth relaxed slightly when Hojo stepped into the light.

"I do wish you wouldn't do that- sneak up on me." He mimicked, irritated. Hojo smiled sarcastically and sat on one of the chairs.

"I think it's about time you did some fieldwork. You must be bored, stuck in an office all day."

"Yes." Sephiroth's eyes glowed green. "I think I'll go to the City of Ancients. See if I can get Je- that girl's memory back."

Lines appeared on Hojo's forehead. "Are you sure that's wise? A man of your talents shouldn't go on minor missions such as that."

"I'd appreciate the break. And I think it's important she gets her memory back."

"Why?"

"Hojo, you saw what just happened! If finding out about her past has that much effect on her, we need to know what's happened. Also, she's the last known surviving Cetran, and that is vital to your research, is it not?" Hojo bowed his head mockingly.

"Permission granted to go to the City of Ancients. Although I advise you to fall in love with someone more normal." He left quickly, leaving Sephiroth standing in the middle of the room.

"Me? In love? That's ridiculous." He sheathed his katana and turned out the lights in his office, his green eyes glowing in the dark. Following Hojo, moving easily in the pitch black, he realized he'd left the daggers in his office. Cursing under his breath, he slipped silently back up the corridor.

As soon as he entered the room he knew something was wrong. Slight sounds came from one of the corners, nearest the window. Unsheathing his katana, he crept silently across the floor, heading for the corner. He could see a small, huddled form; he started to push his katana on a halting passage to the figures throat, to disarm them.

His katana met steel. Twin daggers crossed the steel, locking it halfway. He pulled the blade back, subtly unhitching a wrist knife. With the other half of the brain he called out, "Who are you- what are you doing here?" There was no answer.

With a deft twist of the katana, Sephiroth sent the two daggers flying. With his free hand he grabbed the figure and crushed it to the wall, pressing his wrist knife up to kiss it's throat.

At the same time as a different knife pressed gently against his temple.

"Checkmate." Whispered a familiar voice. Sephiroth swore and let go of Jessica so fast she stumbled over.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He hissed, "Haven't you had enough fun for one day? I could have killed you!"

"You don't understand." She hissed back, "I had to get my daggers! They're important! I remembered……I dreamed…….oh, it doesn't matter, you won't understand."

"Try me." Coldness masked the anger in his voice. Jessica ducked by him and turned the light on, gathering her daggers on the way past. She stood uncertainly, looking at him.

"Well sit down then!" He said, "As none of us are going to get any sleep tonight anyway. It's almost morning already." She sat on the floor and examined both of the daggers, wondering where to start. Eventually she squinted up at Sephiroth.

"You're not going to be able to see from up there." She announced, and then fell back to her daggers. Aware that the general was now sitting on the chair next to her, she traced a line gently with a slender fingertip.

"We always carved our lives into our weapons. It was a tradition; to banish the monsters we killed we had to show our own lives were pure. Anything else meant exile. An un-pure life was evil; we had to give back to the planet what we took."

Sephiroth was fast becoming interested, his fury almost forgotten. "So you can see your life written out for you? You can remember everything?"

"No, not everything. I can't remember anything about myself, but law was drilled into us when we were very young. Forgetting it was blasphemous. I read this," She brandished the blade, "Like a book. Except it's all about another person."

Sephiroth almost understood. "Why are there different areas? Some have got loads of stuff in, while others have got nothing at all."

"It's the five parts of life: History, Battles, Worth, Skills, and Love. I have many tales in Battles, and nothing in Love. The only person I ever loved was my father, and he wasn't……" She clapped a hand over her mouth, almost shocked at herself for saying anything about him.

"Wasn't what?"

"Recordable." Said Jessica shortly. Sephiroth frowned and sat back, pulling at a loose thread in his glove. After a while he spoke again.

"Tomorrow we're going to the city of the ancients. Go and sleep. We start out at dawn." He got up and strode quickly out of the room, leaving Jessica open-mouthed behind him.

************************************************************************

The van swayed gently along the mountain trail, buffeted by the wind that screeched over the heights. Sephiroth pointedly ignored the posse of soldiers who were sporting various shades of green and concentrated on cleaning his katana. Jessica was carving something on one of the daggers, watched by the white cat. Every so often the cat would scratch at her arm, or spit.

"What's with that cat?" Asked one of the healthier soldiers. Jessica grinned at him, gesturing with the small tool she was using at the dagger.

"She reckons I'm putting stuff down wrong."

"The amount of times she's scratched you, I'd be surprised if you got a single thing right!" Offered Sephiroth, looking up. Jessica actually laughed that time.

"That's what she says! You'd get on really well, y'know!" She bent her head over the weapon, and made a few more scratches. "I've finished now, anyway." She blew off the mithril scrapings still clinging to the dagger and rubbed at the bright metal. The new carvings blended with the old- Sephiroth couldn't tell which was which.

For a few more hours they traveled on in silence, and then Sephiroth called the driver to a halt.

"It's too dark to see the cliffs." He explained, "We don't want to go hurtling over one!"

They set up camp in a weathered alcove, protected by an overhang on black rock. The soldiers made up tents and campfires, Jessica laid herself out a bedroll in a small cave she found. Exhausted after the fourteen hour journey, they all slept dreamlessly.

Sephiroth was the first to wake up the next morning. His vehement curses woke most of the others up- the mountains were blanketed in a thick, impenetrable fog. There was no way the group would be able to continue their journey in it.

Muttering angrily to himself, Sephiroth dressed and picked up his katana, buckling the sheath tightly around his waist. He headed for a private, open piece of land and started an intricate pattern dance. Gradually he felt his nerves calm and shape themselves in the delicate maneuvers of the exercise.

The silver arc of the katana was suddenly halted against metal, ringing eerily into the fog. Sephiroth, once again, saw the two daggers. He looked up into mischievous eyes.

"We drew last time. It's time for a rematch!" Announced Jessica, releasing the katana and taking a step back. Sephiroth grinned.

"You sure you're up for it?" Jessica bowed mockingly, her skirt flapping in the ever-present wind. She gestured at Sephiroth.

"As the challenged, you name the rules." She announced.

"First to draw blood wins, Winner names prize." Said Sephiroth, naming the standard dueling rules. Jessica smiled sweetly and nodded.

Instantly, the katana swept down at Jessica. Equally quickly she blocked it, and stabbed straight at the man, forcing him to jump backwards towards the gathering crowd of soldiers. He spun around fast, sweeping the long sword in an orbital arc. Once again Jessica blocked it, but the force made her stagger to her knees. She blocked the overhead strike aimed at her, and climbed back onto her feet.

They circled each other, looking for weak points. Sephiroth was stronger and more experienced, but Jessica's agility was equal to him; she ducked the heavy strikes easily.

They feinted at each other, neither gaining any advantage. Suddenly, Sephiroth struck forward in a complicated maneuver, forcing the girl backwards.

The soldiers were now out of sight, hidden by the fog and various large rocks. For several minutes the battle continued, neither fighter backing down. Silver flashed eerily in the heavy mist.

Sephiroth was grinning as he fought- this was the first real challenged he'd faced in a long time, and he was loving it. In a momentary break, where both fighters circled each other while catching their breath, Jessica grinned back at him. His attention wavered, but as she struck at him, he forced himself to concentrate, and fought back fiercely.

Jessica banged into the rock before she realized she had been backing up. She had no room at her back to move, so she realized she'd pretty much lost. Still, she blocked and attacked, sweat pouring down her face. It was almost a relief when the katana slid off her dagger, and bit lightly into her shoulder.

She bowed, smiling, and examined her arm. It was only a small cut- not much more than a graze. She ignored it, and stood for a while getting her breath back. Her skirt was torn where she'd caught it in the fight- she decided to ask someone for some breeches.

Sephiroth stood next to her, also getting his breath back. His silver hair was darkened with sweat, but he was grinning. "That was fun! I haven't had that much of a challenge in ages!"

Jessica laughed. "Next time, I'll beat you!"

"Ha! You wish!" Jessica stuck her tongue out at him, and turned to go, but Sephiroth caught her.

"Winners prize." He whispered, and kissed her, pulling her into a tight embrace. Jessica was too surprised to react before he released her. She laughed shakily.

"I'm not sure I like being a prize." She whispered, looking at the floor. Sephiroth flushed, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry………" He turned to go away, but Jessica caught at his arm.

"No, wait! I'll….I'll think about it." The general searched her eyes, and nodded once. Then he turned away, and strode back to the camp.

The small cat crept out of the shadows, and stared pointedly at the girl. Jessica sat down, her head in her hands, and petted its head.

"I'm confused." She whispered. The cat purred loudly, and she stood up. "You're right- there's no point worrying about anything." She walked quickly back to camp.

************************************************************************

The six soldiers who had been on night-shift hadn't seen the fight. They were all practicing on the patch of clear grounds. Jessica couldn't see the other soldiers, but she had a strong suspicion they were exchanging bets somewhere.

The half-hearted practicing stopped when a gentle laugh reached the soldiers. One of them scowled and dragged Jessica into the center of the court.

"What is it, girl? You laughing at us?"

"Yes- I'm actually amazed none of you have cut off your own hands!" Giggled the girl, standing fearlessly in the middle of the group of men. Another of them brandished his short sword threateningly.

"You think you could do better?" He grunted, hefting the weapon into an attacking position. Jessica's eyes flashed as she smiled sweetly. A moment later the short sword was flying, clattering on the ground ten feet away. The guard clutched his throbbing wrist and stared at the girl, who was calmly holstering her daggers. Ragged laughter drifted in the fog, guards covered their mouths to silence sniggers.

"All Right!" Shouted a voice, "The fog's clearing! Pack up, everyone!"

The guards all grinned at Jessica and ran off. The guard she'd disarmed had quietly retrieved his dagger and crept away. Sighing, Jessica went to fetch her bedroll.

The cat followed her as she climbed into the van, hefting her pack in after her. Sephiroth was nowhere to be seen- she guessed he was sitting in one of the other vans, effectively terrifying half a squad of soldiers. She sat down on the floor, and looked at the cat, who purred.

The other half-squadron soon climbed in, hoisting the fog-sodden tents in with them. After a short pause, the van started to move. Jessica intently started carving on one of her daggers, on a section completely empty of any carvings. Gradually, a gently, curving pattern formed, surrounding a sharp, harsh shape. Jessica worked for hours on it, undisturbed by the curious stares of the guards. Beside her, the cat watched her carving, and purred, completely happy of the story the girl was forming on the shiny silver hilt. She only hissed if one of the guards came too close.

The van stopped suddenly and Jessica looked up, startled by the darkness surrounding her. One of the guards nearby lit a match and grinned at her, gesturing outside. "Bone Village, sweetheart. Time to get out!"

Jessica stumbled to her feet, amazed at how stiff she was. She yawned and sheathed the dagger, rubbing absentmindedly at the silver curls of metal still clinging to the hilt. In front of her, bone white structures rose up into the night sky. A deep black shadow behind the forest hid any other structures from view.

Sephiroth jumped out of the other van and looked absentmindedly at the village, running a hand through his hair. He didn't look at any of his companions, but spoke to them.

"We need to find a lunar harp to get to the city. For now, set up camp. We'll look in the morning." The guards all scattered, but he sensed someone had stayed.

"We won't need a harp to get through there." Whispered Jessica. Sephiroth spun around. The girls' gaze was fixed on the sleeping forest, not on him. Her face was slightly paler than normal, but her voice didn't falter.

"What do you mean? Of course we will…..!" Said the general, composing himself. Jessica shook her head, her gaze still fixed on the forest.

"I……can't explain. Just trust me. Please." She added, her voice almost inaudible. Sephiroth took a step towards her, but she ran off, straight into the forest. The general swore and followed her.

After a few strides into the forest, Jessica stopped. The cat appeared by her feet, and she picked it up, petting its fur.

Sephiroth ran towards her, but was frozen into place by the magic of the sleeping forest. Through frozen eyes he saw a man walk out of the trees, laughing. No, was that right? The man…..came out of a tree. He laughed and stopped in front of Jessica.

Sephiroth stepped backwards to cancel out the spell, and hid behind a nearby tree, watching what happened.

Jessica held the cat up. It glowed amazingly, lighting the scene in pearly colors. "Here- I brought her back."

The man laughed again and shook his head. "Why do you think I gave her to you?"

"I don't know- she is yours though. I know that much."

The man shook his head, and for an instant his eyes locked with Sephiroth's. Slowly, he turned back to the girl, his brown skin almost blending with the surrounding forest.

"No…… better keep her, for now." He said slowly, pushing the outstretched cat back towards Jessica. "I know she's been helping you. Give her back to me when you have someone else to advise you." His eyes flicked again towards Sephiroths, and the general hid himself deeper in the trees.

The man laughed and ruffled Jessica's hair. "Why have you really come to see me, daughter?"

Sephiroth's eyes widened. This man was Jessica's father?

The man seemed to laugh harder. Jessica bit her lip, thinking over the question.

"I……I have to go to the city."

"You can go there any time by yourself, you still remember that. What else is there?"

"I'm here with……a group of people. I need them to go with me."

The man's brown eyes flickered. "Why? You don't need protecting! I made sure you'd never have to mix with those people again! Not after……"

"After who?" She hissed, "My mother? Who was she? Who am I? Can you answer these questions?"

Her father shook his head. "Jess, you don't understand……"

"No!" Screamed the girl, dropping the cat and clenching her fists. "You don't understand! These people can help me find out! Things you've never told me- and things I've forgotten! I need their help!" Blood dripped down her hands- she unclenched them and long claws came away with her fingers. Fur burst out of her skin- a black puma shone in the glowing light. With a snarl, she sprang at her father, now a large mountain lion.

The two cats rolled over, swiping at each other. Sephiroth watched, awestruck, as crippling blows were dealt by either side. The smaller puma was soon red with blood, but the larger cat hardly suffered at all. After a while the puma moaned gently and crept away, curling up against a tree and turning back into human. The mountain lion watched as Jessica tried to get up and collapsed, fainting against the rough bark. Turning back into a man, he picked her up, and walked towards Sephiroth.

Sephiroth took a step back as the man approached, but the man smiled sadly at him, and he stopped.

"Is she okay?" He asked, gesturing to the unconscious girl. The man sighed and handed her to the general, the laughter in his eyes extinguished. Sephiroth took her, holding her tightly against his chest, but his gaze didn't waver from her father.

"She'll be fine. I didn't want to hurt her." Sephiroth looked down at the girl- blood was trickling gently from several wounds on her arms, a bruise was slowly forming around her eye. He shook his head angrily.

"Well, you did a bloody good job not hurting her." He muttered, glaring at the other man. Jessica's father shook his head.

"She'll heal quickly. She's a silly, headstrong girl- she should have stayed in the forest. But she takes after her mother. Tell her, when she wakes up, that if she wants anyone to go through the forest, she has to take them herself. Don't bother looking for a lunar harp- I make them, and I haven't lost any recently."

Sephiroth's eyes widened. "Who- are you?" He whispered, awed. The man smiled and shook his head.

"I am her father. That is all I will tell you." He bowed, and disappeared.

Sephiroth was left, squinting into the darkness.

******************************************************************

Before she even woke up, Jessica could feel her head aching. Groaning, she reached a hand up to her temple and opened her eyes.

She was lying on the canvas floor of a large tent. Around her, she could see the rows of bedrolls that belonged to the soldiers. Blue-clad bodies were bustling around some of the rolls, tidying them up. Others were still asleep, their snores gently resonating around the crowded tent. A few glanced at her surreptitiously from where they were reading or playing cards.

Jessica sat up and found to her surprise that she was still dressed in her day-clothes, although the green skirt and blouse hung in near-tatters. She frowned, biting her lip, and suddenly remember the events of the night before. Wincing, she stood up, finding her weapon-belt laid on the floor beside her. The ankle and wrist knives were still bound to her- the muscles near them were stiff and sore. Groaning, she stood up and belted the daggers around her waist, walking out of the tent.

She decided to go back to Sephiroth near the entrance performing a complex pattern dance. Jessica saw she couldn't get into the forest without him seeing, so she stayed in the shadows and watched. The performance didn't go on long- he stopped as soon as he saw her.

"Shouldn't you still be asleep?" He asked her, wiping sweat off his forehead. Jessica wrinkled her own forehead in confusion.

"Why? What time is it?"

"Nearly noon- but that's not the point. You were pretty badly hurt….. though I see you've done that miraculous healing trick again." He added dryly. Jessica blinked at him, even more bemused, until he added, "Your father gave me a message for you."

"He spoke to you?!" She gasped, dropping all pretence, "He never speaks to humans! Not any more! Not after-" She stopped suddenly. Sephiroth glanced at her, frowning.

"Yes- he gave me a message for you. He said that if you wanted to get through the forest, you'd have to wake it yourself. I hope you can explain this to me- he as good as said it was your fault."

Jessica chewed on her lip, gazing at the ground. Finally, she spoke up. "My father……my father is a tree nymph. He keeps the forest asleep to protect the city beyond it. It was written on my dagger- I can't really remember much else. I thought that if I asked him he'd let you through."

Sephiroth shook his head, digging stones out of the ground with his katana. "You seem to have done the opposite."

"I'm sorry! I thought I could help!"

"Well, you didn't." Said the general coldly, brushing his silver hair over his shoulders and walking off. Jessica stared after him, chewing her lip, and then headed into the forest.

The cool green glades calmed her spirits, but the confusion remained. Slowly, she walked through the forest, almost invisible against the tree-line. She pointedly ignored any monsters, and they in their turn avoided her.  She kept walking until the green glades turned to gold light- the City of the Ancients.

'I'll find out- whether they want me to or not!' she thought, her confusion turning into anger.

*********************************************************************

Sephiroth had been back at camp for hours, thinking of a way to get into the forest, before a young cadet rushed in front of him. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at him questioningly and the soldier burst out, "Sir, she's gone!"

The general glared in the cadet's general direction and raised the other eyebrow in mock amazement.

"Who, exactly, is 'she', and where has she gone to?"

"The prisoner! She's escaped!! No-one's seen her for hours!!"

Both eyebrows went down abruptly. "She's not a prisoner. We are escorting her to find her memory because one of your superiors screwed up. If you want to get far in this army, remember who everyone is!" The soldier flushed and nodded his head. Sephiroth continued, "We need to find a way through the forest."

The cadet's eyes widened. "Why?" He burst out. Sephiroth glanced at him.

"Because that's where she's gone."

Once again, the cadet looked decidedly uncomfortable. "Uh… sir…."

Sephiroth cut him off again. "I know. All the lunar harps have either lost or broken, and no new ones have been recovered."

The guard's metaphorical jaw dropped. So did his physical jaw. His mentality probably dropped as well. In other words, he was gobsmacked. "Sir , how….?" He shook himself and saluted, walking out in a daze. Sephiroth grinned wryly to himself. Somehow, scaring his inferiors shitless wasn't as much fun as it used to be.

Walking through the camp thoughtfully, he soon spotted his sole friend in the corps- Lieutenant Shrewden. Sephiroth had discovered the older man's sense of humor and – more importantly- loyalty, when they were driving up the mountains. Neither of them seemed to make friends easily, so they respected the few they had. In any case,            Sephiroth liked the man more than Hojo- who had taken the place of his father when, supposedly, he had been orphaned.

He sat down next to the Lieutenant when he found him- under a tree, carving something onto a mithril shoulder pad. Sephiroth grinned when he saw the rather shaky star-sign.

"I didn't realize that was catching." He remarked. Shrewden smiled.

"I'm not the only one who's doing it. Bone Village armory has made a killing in carving tools this week."

"But not, apparently, carving lessons."

Shrewden winced and looked at the carving. "That bad, huh?" He shrugged and rubbed at the metal with the edge of his shirt. "I wonder if Jess would……"

"I doubt it." Muttered Sephiroth, "She's run off."

Shrewden's eyes widened. "Gone? But…" Sephiroth shook his head.

"Don't worry- I'm tracking her. I just can't decide what else to do."

"Well…… I suppose we could stay here and try to find a way through the forest- see if there's anything there that can give us information about the Cetra."

"That's only one of the reasons we came,  and there is no way through the forest. What other ideas have you got?"

"The only other thing to do is go back to Midgar and research the Cetra from there. And if you're tracking her……"

"I am- so if she gets her memory back and starts acting the way she did before we arrested her…… well, we'll know."

"So- the only disadvantage is that Professor Hojo will be mad at you when we get back."

Sephiroth grinned and slapped Shrewden cheerfully on the back. "You just made up my mind!!"

*****************************************************************

Hojo wasn't mad. He was irate. "Do you realize you just cost me two years of research?!!" He bellowed, his fists shaking madly. Sephiroth stepped deftly out of reach and shrugged.

"So ground me. I'm tracking her, you dolt!!"

"Don't talk to me like that!"

"You're not my father!"

Hojo's eyes bulged. "I outrank you! And rest assured that President Shinra will hear about this!"

"I told you- I'm tracking her!"

"Of course you are- you wouldn't want to lose track of her, would you?" Murmured the scientist, changing tact. Sephiroth looked at him sharply- the scientist continued. "I bet you'll miss her an awful lot- especially at night."

The general flushed angrily. "I never touched her! How dare you imply……!" He halted, furious, and glared for good measure, then stormed out. Hojo watched him go with an odd look on his face.

"So, it is capable of strong affection." He muttered, typing something into his computer. He then turned to his two years' work- a questioning chair. Something that could dredge up hidden memories and emotions- something that Sephiroth didn't know about. Not that Hojo was about to tell him- the procedure wasn't exactly painless. He smiled thinly and buzzed one of his assistants.

"Bring in the next test subject. This time, make sure they're not going to die so quickly!"

The assistant bowed and trotted out. Hojo closed the program on the computer. He quickly opened the Email system and sent a message.

 To:Turks@shinra_secret_organisation.net.

From: Hojo@secure_lab.org

Reno, take two agents and search for a young girl, about 4'7", long dark brown hair, green dress. Answers to name 'Jessica'. Currently suffering from amnesia. Do not inform General Sephiroth of objective. Attached is a holiday permit and check with adequate funding. Bring Jessica to LAB 1 as quietly as possible. This line is secure for Email updates.

Hojo leaned back, re-read the message, and sent it quickly. Footsteps approached the lab; the door opened and the assistant returned, escorting a clearly terrified Patience. Hojo nodded.

"Excellent- this one may know something about the girl." He nodded at the chair. "Strap her in."

***********************************************************************

Jessica climbed up the trail and gasped when she reached the top. A village stood in front of her, plainly deserted……and built almost entirely of shells. A misty green aura stood around the doorways. Slowly, she walked through the streets, thinking. Almost                sub-consciously she walked into one of the smaller shells near the edge of the village. She blinked and looked around.

'I've come home!' she realized. The inside of the house was so familiar to her- the woven carpet, the carved chairs and table. She could remember making each one. In one corner there was a pile of cloth- supposedly what she had sold in the nearby village. There was no sign of a fight here- and none in the village. So this wasn't where she'd been captured.

She opened the cupboard and found a lump of stale bread and some green marbled cheese. Grimacing, she threw it down the rubbish pit she had seen outside and foraged for a short time in the forest, finding a few wild strawberries and some rhubarb. She ate this more cheerfully than she thought she would.

'I'm home.'

Strange, though……. Why were there two chairs? Both were obviously well used. Jessica pondered on this while she sewed a new dress from the pile of cloth, finding spools of thread in the cupboard. She had just finished and changed when she heard the sound of a footstep from outside. She tensed, drew a dagger, and investigated. A young woman was crouching in the dust, looking at the new footprints Jessica had left. She gasped and spun around when she heard the door opening from the house.

"Jessica!" She gasped, in a voice that was almost a sob, "You're alive!! We thought……" She tailed off and eyed the dagger. " What......? Jessica?"

"Who are you?" Said the girl.

"Jessica? It's me…… it's me, Jesse! Don't you……? What have they done to you?" The woman looked confused, and frightened. Not a threat.

"I'm sorry- I got hit on the head, so I don't recognize anyone. You can come in." The dagger was lowered. Jesse glanced at the door, then at Jessica. Slowly, she reached into a pocket, and brought out a flat piece of paper. Wordlessly, she handed it to Jessica.

It was a photograph of Jessica and Jesse, with a large black man and a woman with long, black hair standing behind them. All four were smiling. Jessica gazed at it for a minute, and then looked up, smiling hesitantly at Jesse and sheathing the dagger.

"I'm sorry- please come in. I think you're welcome here."

Jesse grinned at her and, surprisingly, gave her a quick hug. "I'm so glad you're okay." She said, "We've been so worried about you."

**********************************************************************

Reno yawned, spilt coffee on his dressing gown, and switched on his PC. The old machine loaded with its customary whines of protest. When it eventually booted up, he tasted his coffee.

Ugh, no sugar.

He padded into the kitchen, added sugar. The computer beeped as he came back.

1 message received.

The Turk took a sip of his coffee, looked at the message, jerked widely awake.

To:Turks@shinra_secret_organisation.net.

From: Hojo@secure_lab.org

Reno, take two agents and search for a young girl, about 4'7", long dark brown hair, green dress. Answers to name 'Jessica'. Currently suffering from amnesia. Do not inform General Sephiroth of objective. Attached is a holiday permit and check with adequate funding. Bring Jessica to LAB 1 as quietly as possible. This line is secure for Email updates.

Reno read it through three times, and then opened the first of three attachments. It was a photo of a girl, shot from a still on a security camera. He printed it.

The second was a holiday permit. He didn't even bother looking at that.

His eyes widened when he saw the third. Or, more correctly, the amount of 'zeros' written on the third. Abandoning the coffee, he ran to get dressed.

Pulling his shirt on, he grabbed the phone and dialed a number.

"Rude? Ring Elena and tell her to get up. Both of you meet me at Wall Market in one hour."

He didn't bother waiting for an answer, just hung up.

************************************************************************

The two girls sat, drinking tea that Jesse brought out from her bag. Jessica was listening, wide eyed, as Jesse described the people in the photograph to her.

"That's Barret." She explained, gesturing to the large black man. "He's the leader of our group. The other woman is Tifa- she runs a bar in Sector7 that doubles as our hideout. You really don't remember anything?" She added for the fifth time. Jessica shook her head. After a brief silence, Jesse asked, "What happened?"

Jessica stirred her tea silently, staring at the murky brown liquid. After a while she started to speak. Jesse, to her credit, waited until she was finished before she added her own comments.

"You talked to general Sephiroth?!" She burst out, "Without killing him?"

"Killing him? Why……why would I do that?" Asked Jessica tentatively. Jesse shook her head.

"You really don't remember anything, do you?"

"All I know is that he was the only person who was nice to me- who didn't treat me like I was some kind of freak!!"

"Nice? Nice to you?? Jessica, you should really find out who he really is!! This is the man who was responsible for single- handedly wiping out the rebel force of Wutai and stealing all the materia! He's the person who commanded the force of SOLDIER when he was fifteen and destroyed the Fort Condor force!! This is not a 'nice' guy!!"

Jessica shook her head. "That's his job, I guess. I'm talking about what he's really like."

"Hey! Listen really hard and you can almost hear the sound of no-one giving a damn! Why did you come back here if he's so great?"

"I left a gil on the floor. Duh." Jessica tossed back her hair nonchalantly and went to tie it back with a scrap of green cloth.

"Hmm, is that sarcasm I detect there?"

"Naah!! Why I came back is none of your business!" The girls glared at each other for a second, then burst out laughing. Jesse stood up, putting her cup on the table.

"I think you need to talk to Barret." She said. "Come to think of it, I need to talk to Barret. Let's go." Jesse picked up her bag and walked out of the door, Jessica following. They walked in silence across the dusty streets, shells turning to sand under their feet. After a while, when they had reached the nearby mountain trail, Jessica broke the silence.

"How did you get here? The forest is sealed, isn't it?"

Jesse laughed and put two fingers in her mouth, blowing a piercing whistle. After a moment, a smothered 'WARK!!' was heard. A gleaming, gold colored chocobo ran towards them.

Jessica giggled and patted its neck. "That's funny- Shinra don't have chocobos! No wonder it takes them ages to get anywhere!"

Jesse grinned and mounted up, reaching down to pull the other girl up behind her. Looking down, Jessica saw the protesting white cat trying to climb up.

"No, cat, you stay here. Maybe he'll take you back that way."

The cat mewed indignantly and sat, looking wounded. Jessica grimaced and tapped Jesse's shoulder. "Let's go."

**********************************************************************

'Back again,' thought Sephiroth, 'Back for two damn minutes, and I'm bored.'

He considered the options- go fight something, scare some cadets, paperwork, or lunch. Definitely lunch. He wondered if Shrewden was on leave.

He took a chocolate bar out of his pocket and slowly ate it, thinking. Almost subconsciously he read the fact printed on the opening flap.

'It is impossible for human beings to lick their elbows. 40% of people who read this will try.'

Sephiroth tried. He couldn't. Then he realized what he was doing and threw the wrapper out the window. Slowly, he walked to the army canteen, fetching a tray of grey stew from the counter. At least the people here weren't so scared of him- the canteen was for lieutenants and above. Thank goodness.

He spotted Shrewden, eating alone at a table near the doors. Sephiroth sat next to him, ignoring the usual whispers as he went past. Shrewden grinned.

"It's hard for them to see you as a normal person. They think you're a god or a fighting machine or something."

Sephiroth grinned as a lot of the guards near him flushed and looked away. He tasted the food experimentally and pulled a face. "It tastes as bad to me as it does to them."

Shrewden slowly ate his own food with a glum expression, looking surreptitiously at the general as he did so. Eventually he spoke.

"Sephiroth, can I talk to you later?"

The general looked surprised. "Why? What's wrong?"

Shrewden put his tray down and stood up, not looking at the younger man. "Come on," He murmured, "I need to talk to you."

Sephiroth frowned and took his untouched food over to the soldiers on washing up duty. He recognised half of them- he'd put them on the job personally. One was the general he'd dismissed after he'd hit Jessica. Sephiroth grinned wolfishly at him as he took the tray, and followed Shrewden.

***********************************************************************

Jessica stared with not a little apprehension at the doors of the bar, and then looked down at her feet. She could see the neon words 'Seventh Heaven' glowing in a puddle nearby.

            "Jesse……" She muttered, unsure. Jesse gave her an understanding look.

"I'll go in and talk to them." She said, "You take your time." The young woman trotted up the steps. A few seconds later, a small shadow hurtled itself out of the bar.

            "Auntie Jeth!!" The shape lisped, throwing stubby arms around her. Jessica staggered a moment, and then knelt down.

"Marlene?" She whispered. The little girl nodded vigorously. Jessica began to laugh. "Oh, I remember! I remember you!"

"'course, thilly! I di'nt forget you!" The little girl buried her face in Jessica's top. Jessica drew a deep breath and stood up. She had a funny feeling that what happened now would remind her of her past.

She drew a deep breath and walked into the bar.

Softness. A calmly glowing night-light. 'It must be about three in the morning.' Realized Jessica. She blinked until she could see past it to the three people who were talking quietly by the wooden bar. They looked like their photographic counterparts, except all looked worried and care-worn. Jessica couldn't hear what they were talking about.

"Boo!" Declared a shrill voice. Marlene grinned at the adults (all of whom had jumped) and went and tugged at her father's sleeve. Barret frowned distractedly down at her.

            "Marlene? Shouldn't you be in bed?" He muttered, picking up the grinning child. Marlene pouted and tugged at her dad's beard.

            "Aaw, do I hav' to?" She whined. Barret ignored her and went over to a nearby brightly-glowing pinball machine. Flicking a hidden switch, the contraption sank into the floor, taking the duo with it. Jessica looked up as they disappeared, meeting Tifa's eyes. To her surprise, the older woman was crying, though smiling through her tears. Suddenly, she darted forward and embraced Jessica.

            "Jess!!" She sobbed, clutching her, "Are you okay? We were so frightened!! We thought you… we thought…oh, you're okay!!" She whooped, eventually letting go and almost dancing around to the other side of the bar. Jesse grinned cheerfully at the stunned Jessica.

            "Don't worry, she's always like that." She smiled again as Jessica gave a huge yawn. "You'd better go to sleep. I think none of us are awake yet." She showed Jessica a comfortable looking pallet behind the bar. Tifa could be heard singing cheerfully to herself as she finally cleared up the day's mess. The bawdy sound lulled Jessica to sleep as effectively as the sweetest of lullabies.

***********************************************************************

Rude waited at Wall Market for Reno and Elena, straightening his sleeves and cuffs. A piece of paper blew into his face- he plucked it off and read it.

'It is impossible for human beings to lick their elbows. 40% of people who read this will try.'

Rude ducked into a nearby corner and tried. He couldn't. A step outside brought him back to his senses- he dropped the wrapper on the ground and went out. Elena stood outside, impatiently looking at her watch and frowning. Rude tapped her on the shoulder (she squeaked, scared, and then realized it was him.)

            "Oh, hiya Rude. No Reno?" The man shook his head. Elena pursed her lips. "I don't know, he calls us early this morning… oh yeah, I've got the latest updates on the position of the terrorists. Do you think Reno'll be interested?"

            "I don't think so." Drawled a familiar voice. Reno strode forward and bowed mockingly.

            "I hate it when you do that freaky appearing trick." Muttered Elena, "It's so…freakily….freaky."

            "Shut up. We've been specially employed this time, so no mucking around." Snapped her boss. Elena stuck her tongue out at his back as he continued. "Professor Hojo has paid us a … very generous amount to search for, find, and retain a girl called Jessica who lost her memory. I won't repeat this, so make sure you're clear on it. Don't say a word to anyone. Okay, let's go."

            He strode off quickly, Rude following effortlessly. Elena ran to catch up.

            "Uh…Reno?" She puffed, "Where are we going?"

            "She was last seen in Bone Village. We're going there."

************************************************************************

"No! I won't believe it!"

The harsh whisper was what woke Jessica up. Everyone else thought she was woken up when Tifa stomped over and shook her a few minutes later, but she was awake before, listening.

"I won't believe it! I refuse-!"

"Tifa, be rational." The second voice was Jesse's, calm and soothing. "It doesn't make any difference, no difference at all!"

"I refuse to believe it! It goes against everything she used to believe in, before! I- It's Stockholm syndrome! Why else is it suddenly so different?" Tifa's voice rose agitatedly. Jessica winced- it was giving her a headache.

There was a few seconds silence, then a soft sigh. "Tifa, she's not the same person she was. Did you understand what I told you last night at all? I told you she's lost her memory- that means she can't remember who she is, what she believes in. She couldn't remember me when I found her, and I was her best friend."

"Was?" Tifa sounded close to tears.

"Was. She isn't the same person- accept it. Before you make any judgments or decisions, before you scream at her for who she loves, hates or even recognizes… remember that he was the first person she can ever remember being kind to her, the first person who treated her like a human being."

Jessica realized what they were talking about and stiffened. But the conversation seemed to be over- she could hear Tifa sniffling quietly and Jesse comforting her. A few moments later, Tifa came over and shook her awake.

"Hnnn…?" Grunted Jessica, rolling over sleepily. Better to pretend she hadn't heard. Tifa smiled a watery smile at her as she opened her eyes.

"You slept in. I made coffee." The barmaid gestured towards a pottery jug. Jessica grinned at her sleepily and sat up, only to be flattened by what seemed to be a cannon ball.

"Auntie Jeth! Auntie Jeth! I thought you was a dream!"

Jessica laughed wryly and rubbed the girl's untidy hair into an even bigger mess. "How do you know I'm not, silly? You're still asleep, you know."

The girl wrinkled her forehead in confusion. "Uh… I'm not asleep! I had my breakfast!"

"Yes, I can see it on your teeth! Go clean them!" Jessica grinned as Marlene ran off eagerly. She pulled off the blanket that covered her and winced as she realized she had fallen asleep in her clothes. They were hopelessly crumpled. She grimaced and stood up, flapping the skirts hopelessly.

"You know, you do have other clothes." Jessica looked up into Tifa's sparkling eyes. Laughter lines played around them, as well as dark shadows. Jessica smiled back at her and shook her head.

"Actually, I don't know. But it's nice to know I don't have to live in the same dress!"

Tifa winced and turned away. Silently, she showed the other girl a bathroom and handed her an armful of green cloth. Jessica flushed at embarrassing the barmaid and quickly locked the door. Tifa waited until she heard the shower start before she turned back to Jesse. 

"It's strange- she is who she was, but she isn't." She murmured. "Do you think she'll ever remember it all?"

Jesse looped an arm around the barmaid's shoulders. "I hope so." She said quietly. "Did you hear from Cloud when I was gone? He lost his memory once, didn't he?"

'Well- yes, when he was about ten years old, he forgot who he was for a few days when he fell out of a tree." Tifa grinned suddenly. "We told him he was a puppet we'd created, that he had to obey our every command. By the end of the week the only person he's still take orders from was……" her voice tailed off and she flushed slightly. She started as the sound of running water stopped. "I'll see if I can contact him- I'll feel better now I'm actually doing something."

******************************************************************

Rude scooped up a handful of dirt and sniffed it suspiciously. Reno stood back, watching impassively. Tracking was Rude's thing, and anyway- he needed something to do. He'd been seen trying to lick his own elbows recently. The man needed to keep his mind on the job.

Elena, at Reno's elbow, was less patient. "Rude! Whatisit? wheredidtheygo? Areyousureyouknowwhatyou'redoing? ShalllIgetatrackingdev-?"

"Elena?" Muttered her boss.

"Yeah?"

"Shut the hell up."

Rude stood up, his face as impassive as Reno's had been. Absent mindedly he brushed dust from his immaculate outfit and faced his boss.

"…chocobo. Three days ago."

"Where did they go?" The other man asked calmly. Rude silently pointed north. There was only one place in that direction- Midgar.

How ironic. Thought Reno wryly as they climbed back onto their rented chocobos. Hojo paying thousands to have this girl brought to him, and she's right under his nose. Mind you- his nose is so big I'm surprised he could see to sign the checks.

****************************************************************

Shrewden looked decidedly uncomfortable. He also looked like someone who would speak his mind or die trying. All the same, Sephiroth was amazed at what he eventually did say.

"Sephiroth… are you in love with Jessica?"

The younger man flushed. "No. O- Of course not." He sat down quickly on the nearby chair (green canvas, Military Edition 2167). Shrewden moved forward and gripped the general by the shoulder firmly.

"Look. Every day I watch ten ranks of men go about their lives. That's one hundred people. I've seen my best fighters demoralized because their minds are elsewhere; I've seen men killed by some pretty girl because they didn't have the heart to strike her down."

Sephiroth nodded- he could see where the other man was going with this. "I do my work." He muttered dryly. "I don't see why anything else matters. Why did you want to speak to me?" He added coolly, crossing his arms. A slight crease appeared on Shrewden's forehead, between his eyes.

"I was thinking, if you ever need anyone to talk to- a- a friend to talk to, about anything…. You can talk to me. I just wanted you to know that- and I didn't think you'd want to talk to Hojo, because, frankly, he's a spineless pillock." He left quickly, before Sephiroth could answer. The general, completely baffled, stood with his arms folded for a moment, then grinned slowly. He had his own way of solving problems. Quickly, he walked to the door and strode along the corridors to the research wing. He could hear the shouting before he even saw the first of the labs.

"Banjnet, you lead-brained, uneducated, illiterate pansy!" Shouted Hojo, obviously using the best of his collection of insults, "You disgrace to the noble order of scientists! You- you're a nucleus short of a brain cell, you know that?" There was an expensive sounding crash and a small yelp of pain. "You semi-formed, un-evolved amoeba!!"

"But- sir! I wasn't informed that the Cortennen machine was to be left. It was my duty to conserve the Shinra energy costs! And that machine is a hazard!" The second voice was getting quieter, shaking. Sephiroth peered around the glass door and almost laughed at the scene inside. Hojo was shaking with rage, his pallid, spotty face covered in angry red blotches. A white coat scientist was cowering in a circle of glass pieces, apparently unharmed but looking absolutely terrified. Sephiroth liked to see Hojo angry- the man had no control over his feelings. It was so easy to drive him over the top- hopefully over the top of an asylum fence.

"And what the hell are you doing here?!" Hissed the scientist, suddenly noticing the last person he wanted to know about the 'hazardous' machine. Sephiroth bowed mockingly. Roll on asylum.

"I obviously came to relieve you of your staff. These Nobel prize winners obviously can't cut it any more."

Hojo and the scientist both glared at the intruder, who glanced at the cowed one with interest. What had he done wrong, he wondered? Hojo recovered his poise and switched his glare to the other scientist.

"Get out and re-boot that system." He hissed poisonously. The man scrambled up and fled. Sephiroth grinned at Hojo cheerfully, successfully irritating the man further.

"Well, what do you want?" The scientist asked, crossing his arms angrily. Sephiroth shrugged.

"I'd like to go and join one of the missions. I'm bored here- a bit of action will clear my mind." Of Jessica. He silently added. "I can easily track that girl from the field."

Hojo nodded absently, inspecting his bitten nails. "Ah yes.  The girl. How are you tracking her? I can quite as easily follow a bug or track radar as you."

The general's eyes narrowed speculatively. Hojo never looked innocent- except when he was planning something. "You've become interested in the girl all of a sudden."

"She's an ancient. My line of research revolves around their civilization." Shrugged the scientist.

"I don't think she is. So I have your permission to leave?" Sephiroth turned and left.

It was only when he'd finished clearing up the glass that Hojo realized Sephiroth hadn't answered his question. Cursing, he threw the shards in the waste disposal chute and buzzed a com-link.

"Is the girl still alive?" He snapped, when someone answered the other end.

"Uh- yes, just. We were just about to re-start the Cortennen."

"Don't!" Spat Hojo. A slow, considering smile spread over his pale face. "Ensure she stays alive, for the time being." The smile became a poisonous grin. "Test the machine on the lab technician Banjnet."

************************************************************

It was lunchtime before Jessica noticed anyone missing. She'd eventually succeeded in making Marlene release her hand when the missing man had thundered through the door and fired-to-miss at some of the regular customers (all of whom looked bored and left with the air of people who have seen everything there is to see). Jessica was not accustomed to this and hid behind the bar. Tifa grinned and pulled her out again.

"Well, Barret, you've succeeded in finally scaring someone."

Barret obviously wasn't in the mood for jokes. He slid a new clasp of ammo into his gun-arm and glared at the barmaid. "I've just come from the eighth Mako Reactor. They're increasing security tonight- two weeks ahead of schedule. That's in six hours- three-hundred-an'-sixty seconds."

Jesse turned around from the computer she'd been working at for hours. "We'll have to act now, then. I've got the blueprints. Wedge has got the codes- you need to ask him for them. We need to decide teams and plans."

Tifa nodded. "Call the others." As Jesse ran out of the door, the barmaid turned to Jessica. "We've been monitoring a Shinra reactor for months- finding security plans, guard change times, you know the drift of it. Barret thinks we'll be fine destroying the place, but I'm not so sure." Tifa drew a deep breath. "I'm asking for your help. We honestly need all the help we can get, and you're the best fighter out of all of us." She searched Jessica's eyes. "I know you have no reason to trust any of us now, but we still trust you…please will you help us?"

Jessica remembered the conversation she'd overheard that morning. She's not who she was. She's a different person. She can't remember what she believes in. She remembered the look of pain in this woman's eyes when she'd realized it was true.

What do I believe in? She asked herself. A pair of bright green eyes drifted into her memory- she shook her head angrily to dispel them. No. I don't believe in them any more. He lied to me. They never meant to help me. They probably just wanted to find out about… about Jesse, and Tifa, and Barret. They're terrorists, aren't they? As soon as I'd got my memory back they'd have had us all in line for execution.

"Of course I'll help you." Jessica declared. "It's the least I can do."

Tifa's eyes lit up. "Great! Come on!" She led the way down into the hidden room under the bar. Soon after, the rest of the group 'dropped' in. (Wedge fell down the shaft, apparently it was something he did a lot as none of the others noticed.) Barret arrived last, with a set of blueprints and a sour expression. He unrolled the blueprints onto a table and glared around the assembly.

"Alright, foo', listen up!" He glared again around the absolutely silent room. "For those of you who haven't heard, Shinra is increasing security around all the reactors tonight. That will jeopardize our plan unless we act now."

The large man reached under the table and drew out a box of counters. He slammed it down on the blueprint and took out the first one.

"Biggs-Wedge- you stay here." He dropped the counter just outside the reactor. "Stand guard, but don't let yourselves be seen. You're our backup in case the guard changes early." He took out a handful of counters. "Tifa, Jesse and I will attack from the front gate inwards. We need to be as quick and quiet as possible, but at the same time that explosion's gunna make a lot of noise."

"Jessica's coming with us, Barret." Interrupted Tifa. Barret grinned humorlessly.

"Great- you join the main attack team." He glanced around at the silent members of Avalanche. "Well? Get going!! Rendezvous at reactor eight in forty minutes. We strike at sunset."

Tifa sighed as everyone got up and left. Standing up and stretching the kinks out of her spine, she turned to Jessica.

"I guess we'd better get going. You still got your daggers?"

Jessica nodded and drew one. "Sure I have. And I remember how to use them." She smiled humorlessly and sheathed it, heading for the door.

"Jessica…?" Tifa tentatively whispered behind her. She stopped and turned around. The barmaid's face was flushed and set.

"What is it- what's wrong?" Asked Jessica, feeling the woman's forehead. Tifa flinched away and looked deeply into the other girl's eyes.

"The others didn't want me to ask you- they think I'm obsessed, that I can't accept what's happened." She drew a deep breath. "I think they're wrong. They don't want to know what actually happened, as long as you're okay- that's more denial than I'll accept. I have to ask you… I have to." She repeated to herself. "Jessica- are you in love with Sephiroth."

Jessica smiled bitterly. "No- not any more." She left Tifa standing in the middle of the small room and climbed up the shaft.

*****************************************************************

On the other side of the world, the sun was setting. The crimson sunset painted the ground red, but the color was not entirely the sun's fault. The wind carried scents from the nearby town of Nibelhelm- cooking, smoke from small house fires, the smell of flowers from the high meadows. The low meadows, however, told a different story. A sharp, coppery tang invaded the delicate scents; flowers were crushed as monsters came, attracted by the smell of blood, to be slaughtered too.

Sephiroth was almost smiling as he slaughtered the beasts. This was where he belonged- back on the field, nothing to think about but the job, nothing to feel except excitement tempered by the fear of death. A small part of his mind wondered where the gigantic, malformed wolves and small, swift, sharp- clawed birds had come from. The flow of beasts had dwindled as darkness approached, but the tide had been pouring heavily from the mountains since noon.

The trail of thought was interrupted as a heavy horn stabbed inches from his sword arm. The general spun quickly and faced the monster- a lizard, almost eight feet long. The horn protruded from its glistening forehead, while a thick, translucent liquid dripped slowly from two prominent fangs. Sephiroth reminded himself not to touch the stuff- he glanced quickly to the distant town, where six of his fighters were agonizingly poisoned.

The lizard hissed savagely and made another stab with its horn, missing again by inches. Sephiroth darted forward as it pulled its head back for another strike and sliced at the horn. Although it was thick, only the first two centimeters were bone, the rest was a strange mixture of skin and cartilage. It should be easy to sever the horn short enough to get close to the creatures' throat.

That is, in theory.

The creature roared as the sword bit deeply into the tender flesh, but the horn was not severed as Sephiroth intended. Instead, the horn began dripping acidic blood onto the ground, hissing as it fell. Now the general was faced with poison fangs, acid that burnt through bone, and an extremely large, angry monster.

"Oh shit." He muttered, backing away slowly.

The monster charged.

Time stopped.

So did the monster.

A strange, choking sound came from the lizard. Slowly, it toppled sideways, rolled over, and lay still. Venom still dripped from its fangs, to lie on the handle of the katana that was stuck fast in its throat. Sephiroth shook his head. Fighting beasts was sometimes so easy. They always tried to bite the person behind the sword, never minding the sharp metal that buried itself deep in their throats until it killed them.

Sephiroth pulled the sword free, grimacing as the poisonous goop stuck to his fingers. It wasn't actually dangerous unless it got in a wound. He just disliked having monster saliva smeared all over his hands. Sighing, he collected the items the monster had dropped when it died. One looked oddly familiar- a glowing white stone.

His awareness shifted as something in his mind called him. The psychic link he'd 'bugged' Jessica with was humming.

No-one said anything as he left the battlefield. Half the monsters there had died from his blade; it was the soldiers' job to fight them, not his. All he'd done was secure the force's next paycheck.

*****************************************************************

Elena gave up as soon as she saw the scrawling city below them. She leaned across the plane and tugged Rude awake.

"Hnn?" Grunted the Turk, still half asleep. Elena grabbed his sleeve and tugged him to the window.

"Look." She snapped, gesturing to the maze of buildings below. "We might be able to find an elephant in that, or even a monster. All we have to do is follow the screams! But it's impossible to find one girl in a city that big. We don't know anything about her, either! How are we supposed to track her down?"

"Elena?" Came a familiar voice from the front of the jet.

"Yeah, boss?"

"Shut the hell up."

"But… Reno!" Elena couldn't help bursting out. She hated it when her job seemed impossible. Rude groaned almost silently and tried to get back to sleep. He'd almost succeeded when Reno woke him up with a sharp shake.

"Listen up, you two.  Elena, for one, rare moment, was right. We can't track the girl without further information.  So we're going to Shinra HQ to talk to Hojo."

Elena ignored the slur and grinned at her boss. It was nice to be right for once. The young, stubborn woman had only joined the Turks a few months ago, and was still trying to prove her worth. She flicked her sun-lightened ponytail back to give her a clear view out of the window.  They were flying over the Shinra building, circling to slow down enough to land on the airport. The last rays of the dying sun outlined the skyscraper in an eerie light.

Hojo strode out to meet them almost as soon as they'd landed, scowling. "What are you doing here?!" He snapped, glaring around at them. Reno held up both hands in a peace gesture.

"Hey, we need more info about her, otherwise we can't track her." He murmured almost inaudibly. Hojo frowned and opened his mouth to reply.

The explosion shook the whole city. Bright flames shot hundreds of feet into the air- Elena could feel the heat on her face even from the tower, which was at least half a mile away, even as she fell to her knees from the aftershock.

"Saints alive…" she whispered, "All the people down there…"

"The reactor!" Spat Hojo in shock, glaring at the wreckage that was lit from the inside by orange fire. He spun to face Reno. "Well, there's your answer. She's down there."

"What?" Whispered the Turk, unable to take his eyes from the deadly beautiful sight. Hojo scowled and gestured at the wreckage. Not that he needed to.

"The girl was a member of Avalanche.  I assume one of its other members found her when she ran away, and she's rejoined them." He glared at them. "Well, don't just stand there! Get to that reactor! Now!"

*****************************************************************

Screams made her ears throb. She ran as fast as she could, but she could still hear them. Ahead of her, she saw Tifa, who was speeding ahead, and Jesse, who was sobbing, tears running down their cheeks.

A blue-clad guard grabbed the back of her collar, choking off her air supply. She spun into his hold until she heard his arm break. As soon as he let go, she started running again.

She couldn't see anything now. The thick curtain of smoke obscured everything. She ran blindly until she heard a voice call her, and break off into a coughing fit. Jessica thudded towards the sound. Suddenly, in front of her, she saw a small shelter of rubble. Tifa and Jesse were curled up inside, Jesse coughing harshly. Tifa was crushed into a corner, a rusty piece of iron pressing into her back, but she still managed to cradle the other woman's head in her lap, her green eyes worried.

"Where are the guys?!" Asked Jessica hoarsely, squeezing in inside them. Jesse shook her head, breathless. Tifa frowned and produced a small glowing sphere. Closing her eyes, she summoned green light from the inside of it, and directed it to the other woman. Instantly she could breathe again.

"Thanks Tif'," she croaked. She turned and looked back at Jessica, pale eyes worried. "I dunno where the guys are- there was the explosion, and then…" she suddenly shuddered and started crying again. "I must have made the bomb up wrong! There was only meant to be a small explosion! All those people!" She sobbed quietly, careful not to give their position away. All the same, guards milled around outside.

Jessica shook her head. "I can't just sit here, I'm sorry. I'll make sure no-one gets in." She met Tifa's eyes for a second; the barmaid looked away. Sighing, Jessica left, drawing her daggers silently. A group of guards were standing ten feet away, talking urgently in hushed voices. Jessica didn't wait to hear what exactly they were talking about- she crept closer.

"…more, not just my patrol." Finished one man, then saw Jessica. He was dead before he could call for reinforcements. The other four guards surrounded her, too slow to save the speaker, but quick enough to gang up on a girl who stood a head shorter than the smallest of them. The girl grinned at them cheerfully and raised bloodstained blades.

When they were dead she returned to the shelter. Jesse had stopped crying and had fallen asleep, her skin a dull grey. Jessica nodded at her.

"Do you know what's wrong with her?"

"Breathed too much smoke." Replied the barmaid, her own color not much better. "She'll be alright, but she's not up to running or fighting."

Jessica nodded and got up. "I'll make sure no-one finds you until it's safe to go."

Tifa's free arm shot out and grabbed her wrist. "Why are doing this? You don't owe us anything any more- not really. All we've done since you met us is put you in danger." She broke off in a fit of coughing. Jessica looked at the hand grasping her wrist. A large scratch ran down the length of it, bleeding slowly into the strange yellow dust that drifted around the explosion. Slowly, she backed out of the shelter.

"You said you trusted me. It's time for me to earn that trust. I'll create a diversion- lead them away from here." She said quietly, and left.

A pile of twisted metal and burnt bricks was on either side of the path she chose. She guessed it was originally the entrance corridor, as she'd lost all sense of direction in the fog. She kept close to the shadows between the piles, pitch black now it was night. Ahead of her, she saw bright lights, and went to investigate. When her eyes adjusted to the harshness, she gasped and lay flat on the ground behind a concealing piece of metal.

More than a hundred soldiers were searching the ruins, inch by painful inch. In their hands there were heavy duty weapons, which they poked into anything suspicious. The middle of the courtyard held a group of people in smart suits, talking in low voices. One, a blonde woman, looked around nervously from time to time.

Jessica crawled back into comparative darkness and turned to run back to the shelter, to warn Tifa.

That's when she saw the second lot of lights, bobbing slowly towards her from the other direction.

She spun frantically, trapped. The walls of scraps on either side were precarious, at the least. Climbing them would probably mean a lot of noise, and she'd be shot.

Think! Think! She urged herself frantically. There is no way I'm gunna get out of this alive. She thought, and cursed herself. Then she caught sight of the blonde woman, not talking to the two men any more but close to the rubble, looking uneasily at the dark shadows.

Glancing back at the lights behind her, she gestured rudely. Then she turned to the woman and ran forward. The soldiers were so busy searching, eager to get home to their families, that they didn't see her.

But they heard Elena scream when the cold, sharp steel pressed against her throat.

Jessica gestured with the dagger in her free hand as she held Elena captive with the other. "Okay guys, let me through or the lady gets it." Crude, yes, but effective. The soldiers looked uneasily at each other and at the two men in suits. A nod from one and they all dropped their weapons. Jessica edged towards the gap they created, dragging the whimpering woman through after her. She carried on, edging backwards, watching all with all eyes watching her.

The ground gave beneath her feet. Startled, she looked behind her. A long, long long drop fell away behind them.

"Huh? When did I leave the ground?" She whispered. The captive woman laughed raggedly.

"You fool girl. Don't you know the whole of Midgar's built on foundations? The only thing down there is the slums- it won't make much more mess if you fall."

"Shut up." Hissed the girl, looking nervously around her for an escape route. She'd almost made up her mind to try and run up the rubble, when a mocking laughter reached her ears. She glared at the man- a tall figure with long reddish hair, and stood her ground.

"Run out of ideas, have you?" Reno went on, walking out into the open space created by the soldiers. Jessica scowled and looked back around.

No way out.

"You could give up, you know. You're the only person we came for. We'll even leave your friends alone." He nodded to the soldiers who stepped aside. In a small transport were the prone figures of Wedge, Biggs and Barret. Jessica's jaw dropped, she stared at Reno, white with shock. The man grinned cheerfully back at her.

"Don't worry- it's sleeping cartridges, shot out of pistols. We didn't knock them out."

"What?" Muttered Jessica, trying to see if they were alright, safe, alive. They weren't moving.

"That's how you got into this, isn't it, Jessica?" He mocked her even with her name. She swallowed and tightened her grip on the dagger, drawing blood from the woman's throat. She whimpered.

"Elena, shut the hell up." Said her boss automatically.

"Uh….yessir." She said quickly. She didn't cry out again.

Jessica looked around frantically. Reno crossed his arms, looking amused.

"Well, what are you going to do?" He asked passively.

"She's going to run!" screamed a voice from behind him. Tifa ran from her cover and leaped for the man, knocking him to the ground. She pummeled him repeatedly, drawing blood with the metal spikes attached to her gloves. Jessica hesitated, staring at the other woman.

"Jess, go! You don't want them to take you back! Run!" The woman's voice died as a soldier hit her shoulder blades. A second later she was buried in a throng of soldiers, several of who were already backing away, clutching bruised heads and worse.

Jessica ran.

Reno stood, blood trickling slowly into his collar. He watched her go with a smile.

***********************************************************

He guessed where she was when he was within ten miles of Midgar and the sky lit up. A tower of fire shot into the air over one of the reactors, lighting the ground to the nearby town of Kalm.

Half an hour later, he could see small blue-clad forms running over the site, like ants. There were far too many of them to be just a routine patrol.

His blood ran cold.

Yes, he knew exactly where she was.

************************************************************

Elena rubbed her sore neck with a sigh and walked over to Tifa, impressed. She was quite a fighter- she'd knocked out ten of the soldiers before her arm had broken and she'd fainted. She was laying on the ground- a patch clear of most of the debris. Above, a soldier scrambled on the pile of debris, dislodging a number of small fragments. One landed on the unconscious girl, scoring a line of red on her already bruised cheek before resting near her ear. Elena frowned and threw the scrap away.

The other girl, the one they'd been searching for… she was lying next to Tifa. She wasn't hurt, exactly, but she'd picked up a few wounds on her flight from Reno. The worst was a long gouge down her arm that bled through the rough bandage the med soldier had resentfully wrapped it in. She still smelled faintly of chloroform.

"Have a good look- they'll both be dead by morning." Said a sarcastic voice nearby. Elena spun and nodded to her boss.

"I understand that- they're terrorists." Her voice sounded dull and tired. "But surely Hojo didn't want Jessica retrieved just so he could kill her?"

Reno looked at the daggers he now carried. "Judging by these, she's an ancient. He'll want to conduct some experiments on her." He shrugged. "It's the same thing."

"Conduct…experiments?" Whispered Elena, "Surely that's wrong? Like, against the law?"

Her boss sighed and drew one of the daggers. "Elena, we're Turks. We do what we're paid to do. Right and wrong don't come into it."

"But…"

"Shut the hell up." Reno said quietly. He studied the dagger he'd drawn briefly, something shadowing his eyes briefly.  Then he re-holstered it. "Come on, we'd better get her to Hojo. Take the other one as well- leverage." He explained to Elena's puzzled look. He didn't look at the girls, just walked away.

Elena sighed and gestured to a few nearby guards, wreathed in cheap cigarette smoke. "You- there's already enough smoke around here. Get these girls into the van."

"Uh, ma'am, there's already two men and what looks like a small tank in the van." Joked one of the braver soldiers. Elena glared at him.

"They're not important. Just…" She stopped, the words 'kill them' freezing on her tongue. "Just leave them here. Unharmed."

The soldiers groaned and got to work. It took three of them to lift Barret down.

"Hey- Elena! We've found another one!"  Called a voice. The woman winced as a second shower of rubble poured down the steep slope. The stinging shower was closely followed by a pair of guards, roughly dragging a young woman between them. The girl coughed harshly, her skin ashy, but kept her eyes defiantly on Elena, who flinched and looked away. Reno was nowhere to be seen, so it was her decision…

"Leave her here." Said Elena. She swallowed nervously, glancing at the direction Reno had left in, and then faced the guards. "Just leave her with the others. Come on." She led the confused men into the waiting van and drove off. Jesse, completely confused, stared after them a minute, then shook herself and ran over to the prone bodies of Barret, Biggs and Wedge.

"Come on Barret, wake up," She pleaded, shaking the large man's shoulder roughly. She glanced around uneasily at the lengthening shadows. The monsters would be back soon. She turned back to Barret and shook him again, desperately.

***************************************************************

Light. Bright, blinding…

And the smell! What was it? Sharp…reeking…a drug?

Sound… were people shouting?

Bright lights…

She almost recognised it…stench…

Softness. She was surrounded by softness…

But, the light! So bright…

It was too hot there… heat seemed to rise from her body…

Sharp… blinding… reeking…

Lights… spinning dizzily…a fountain of lights that were too bright and too harsh…

Pain…

Revolving… revolting… whirling…. Beautiful….sharp…reeking…stink… giddy…smell... Too bright.

Pain…

A sound. A low moan…. Was that her?

Pain…

Pain?

Sound… of footsteps… and more footsteps… running.

Spinning, whirling. What a beautiful dance. Made her feel ill. Spinning, twirling.

Giddy faint dizzy woozy spinning dancing colors bright ill whirling twirling smell chloroform swamped burning pain….

Pain.

Pain!

It felt like someone had got inside her head and started attacking it with thousands of sharp needles. She opened her eyes too fight them off.

Bad idea.

Explosions of color hit the back of her eyes in painful darts.

She decided it would be better to keep her eyes shut.

A cool hand stroked her forehead soothingly.

"Shhh, it's alright." Murmured a voice.

Who?

Voices, a vague blur in the background.

"Be best to keep quiet for now. You don't look well enough to get tortured yet. Alternatively, you could die- which might be less painful."

Sarcasm?

The feverish tatters of Jessica's mind whirled, trying to place this quiet voice amidst all the noise and the shouting and the lights…

"Go back to sleep." Something was pressed into her palm.

Sleep?

A glowing orb, surrounded by infinite darkness, dominated her sight, dimming the brightness.

The darkness struggled against the globe.

Infinity claimed her.

The darkness reached out to swallow her.

***************************************************************

"Well, it's not my bloody fault!"  Yelled Reno's voice. Sephiroth followed it.

"You were trusted to bring the girl back here, safely, as quickly as possible." Answered a cool, bitter voice.

"We did."

"You brought me a girl who's over sensitivity to chloroform almost killed her, and a different girl with a broken arm."

Sephiroth changed his plan. Casually, he leant against the wall and listened.

"Elena's looking after her." The voice sounded sulky. "You think I want one of my agents stuck in your research wing?"

The research wing. Sephiroth made a 180 turn and headed for it. Sterile lights beat down, making him look like a leather shadow. He gestured rudely at the security camera above the next set of glass doors he came to and pushed them open, swiping the lock with a tattered keycard.

Two girls were in the room, asleep on identical pallets. Elena was nowhere to be seen. So much for Reno.

He walked over to Jessica. Underneath her tan she was pale as ice. She moved her head fretfully, as if watching something.

Behind him, he could hear footsteps, running closer. Hojo had obviously been watching his security camera. From the noise he guessed Reno was with him, and possibly the elusive Elena.

Jessica opened her eyes slightly and gasped, shutting them again almost instantly. Sephiroth instinctively stroked her forehead, feeling the heat radiating from her skin with a shock. No over sensitivity to chloroform would make someone this ill.

"Shhh." He murmured. "It's alright." He straightened and turned to face Hojo and Reno. Elena still hadn't appeared. "I suppose it doesn't matter to you, if she dies? I've never seen anyone this ill before."

Hojo sneered. "Your concern is touching. She's a terrorist, like the other one. She's under the death sentence anyway. I thought she could help me with my research." He shrugged dispassionately. "It all leads to the same thing."

Sephiroth stared at one of the only people he respected with open disgust. Switching his gaze to Reno, he gestured to Hojo. "How much did he pay you, then? How much is her life worth to you?"

"Ten Thousand Gil." Replied the Turk calmly.

"I guess you're going to start…uh… experimenting on her once she's well." Sephiroth didn't wait for a reply. He walked back to the girl and said in an audible whisper, "Be best to keep quiet for now. You don't look well enough to get tortured yet. Alternatively, you could die- which might be less painful."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Hojo snapped dryly, raising his voice.

"He's making the most sense out of any of you!" Exclaimed a weak voice. Every head snapped in Tifa's direction. She had sat up, supporting herself with her good arm, and was glaring venomously at the scientist.

"Shut up, girl." Snapped Reno, fingering the large graze that covered his cheekbone.

"Yeah Hojo," Chipped in Sephiroth, "You heard the man. Shut up!"

Hojo turned puce and took a step towards Tifa. The moment he got within range, Tifa punched him viciously. With her broken arm.

Hojo doubled up gasping, clutching his stomach. Dead white, Tifa brandished her bare fist. "Come on, you pansy! All for the good of science!" She yelled.

Hojo did not answer. Instead, he beckoned to the two other men, still winded, and left the room. Reno, with a backwards glance at Sephiroth, followed him. The general sighed, and looked at Tifa. White and gasping with pain, she clutched her arm, but kept a wary eye on him.

"Trust me." He said to her, "I'm going to try to help you."

She laughed- a strangled, breathless mockery of the sound. "Trust you?! Trust you?! I don't trust anyone who tries to kill me."

"You'll do as you want, naturally." Replied the general passively. Drawing something out of his pocket, he thrust it into one of Jessica's clenched fists. "Go back to sleep." He murmured to her. A second later he had left.

Tifa stared after him. The throbbing in her arm increased to a roaring tide of pain, and she passed out.

******************************************************************

Hojo drummed his fingers thoughtfully on the table and glanced at Sephiroth. A temporary truce had been called as both men had been too thirsty to keep on shouting at each other. Reno was currently scowling into his coffee and checking his watch every other minute… 0230, 0231, 0232…

The scientist cleared his throat loudly, the sound dying in the small canteen. "It's late. Shall we continue this discussion in the morning?"

"It's not late- it's early. And no." Replied Sephiroth calmly, not looking up.

"For Pete's sake, Sephiroth!" Snapped the Turk, "It's past two in the morning! I have to be on duty in four hours!"

"But you can't leave, you're keeping score." Commented the General absently, "I think I'm winning."

Reno flushed and ducked his head, touching the pocket where he'd kept his notebook, with it's tally chart of 'good insult' points he'd been keeping. It had gone.

"Oh, sorry, do you want it back?" Asked Sephiroth, handing the thin paper pad over. Reno scowled at him. Hojo slammed his fist on the table, making the cups and Reno jump.

"That's enough, both of you!" He focused his attention on Sephiroth. "I'm going to be blunt with you- I've had enough. You're not even old enough to be in the regular army, let alone in SOLDIER! You are certainly not old enough to undermine my authority!"

"If I remember rightly, it was your idea for me to join the elite." Sephiroth's eyes sharpened, although his voice remained neutral, "It went something along the lines of: 'Stop scaring the lab assistants and get the hell out of my way. Go join the army or something!'" His mocking voice sounded almost exactly like Hojo's. Reno reached for his notebook. "Do you remember, Hojo? I was ten. You were only about two-hundred. I started training the next day, and you actually wondered where I was by the time I was twelve."

"That's irrelevant."  Hojo swirled what was left of his tea around in its cup. "My point is that you have been extremely privileged all of your life. You can't have everything you want just given to you on a silver plate."

"No." Sephiroth amended, "The amount of work I've done for Shinra, I'd expect solid gold, at the very least."

Hojo stiffened and glared at the Turk, who guiltily hid the one-sided tally chart under the table. He switched his gaze back to Sephiroth.

"Any action you take will be against my orders, and considered treason." He said stiffly. "As you're not under my apartment any more I can't order you to keep your nose out of this, but it would be better for you if you did. I don't expect to see you again until the girl is officially dead."

Sephiroth saluted mockingly and left, obviously going to do the opposite of whatever Hojo ordered him to do.

Hojo scowled and fell into a thoughtful silence, sipping at his (cold) tea.

Reno snored gently and drooled on the table.

***************************************************************

Elena woke up, facedown on a plastic tabletop. A cold cup of coffee stood inches from her head- she could smell it.

"Damn it, I fell asleep!" She muttered, picking herself up and shaking out the wrinkles in her clothes. Unthinkingly, she took a gulp of the coffee, then spat the icy mixture back out again.

Wincing, she checked her watch. The glowing figures read 1045.

"Reno's gunna have my head." She muttered. She started to head back to the research wing.

***************************************************************

The orb fought the darkness , battering back the shadows again and again.

Sometimes, she hoped it would win.

Sometimes, she wished for the comforting shadow to come back.

She wanted to hide.

Words appeared, shimmering with flares of raw color against the ultimate black.

She didn't read them.

Her head hurt.

She couldn't hear anything.

Still more words appeared, streaming out of the orb like a flood. They formed a shimmering pathway.

She looked down. Her bare feet stood on infinite darkness.

Fear, fear of falling, drove her to step onto the path. It felt cool under her feet.

A white cat padded silently towards her.

Go away. She told it, Let me go back to sleep.

The cat laughed. How did she know that? You arrrrre asleep, Lady. It purred, twining around her ankles.

There was no sound…

I don't feel asleep. Her mouth moved, and she was sure the cat could hear her, but no sound came out.  She glanced around curiously. The darkness had almost completely disappeared. Shimmering words had made the bridge solid under her feet. Words that glowed green made blades of grass that shone, blue ones formed a clear sky. It felt so familiar…

Of courrrrse it does. It's yourrrr home. The cat licked a shining paw delicately.

If it was my home I'd be all glowing too. She snapped. Her head hurt like hell. It was hard to concentrate. The cat looked up incredulously.

It doesn't usually glow, Lady. It only starrrrrted glowing when you got hit.

So this is something to do with my memory? Jessica realized.

Duh. Remarked the cat. This is yourrrr memorrry.

Then why can't I remember anything? I want to know who I am! The cat didn't answer. Instead, raindrops of sapphire blue fell, landing around her in shining pools. She reached out and touched one.

Instantly, it exploded in a burst of colors and a scent of spring breeze. It reminded her of a time when she had gone hunting in early spring and found a vixen with her newborn cubs. They had been unafraid of her- the lady of the woods, attuned to nature, one with the Lifestream of the planet. The vixen had left her young to show a new rabbit trail nearby. Jessica caught four rabbits that day; she gave two to the fox, and …

Jessica gasped and blinked, clearing her eyes of the vision that seemed so real. The glowing colors around her seemed to have faded slightly although they were still radiantly bright.

The cat purred. I told you it's yourrrr memorrrrry. It looked expectantly at her, then sighed. You could stand therrre catching rrraindrrrops all day, orrr you could go and rrreclaim your whole memorrry. It's the big round white thing over there. It pointed with its tail at the orb.

It was a beautiful thing. Lights swirled around it like a mist. Deep inside it, something moved…

Jessica stepped closer to it. Shadows moved inside. She peered deeper.

It was Tifa, and she was crying. She was looking straight at Jessica through the orb. She was saying something, but Jessica couldn't hear it.

Tifa, what's wrong? She whispered. She reached out and touched the orb. Bright light exploded around her, as the raindrop had done seconds before.

She could still see Tifa through the flashing lights, and she could hear her now, a frantic whispering. Jessica, wake up, please wake up, wake up Jessica, please…

The lights faded to two strips on the ceiling as tiles came into focus. She blinked a few times.

"I'm awake." She croaked, and started coughing harshly. Tifa grabbed a water pitcher from beside the bed, spilt half of it, and managed to pour the rest into a cup. She gave it to Jessica, who drank gratefully.