Noooo! I don't want this fic to be like Twilight! I did see that Tifa's power is Twilight-ish, but I promise you that this story will have nothing to do with the books/movies. I have nothing against the series, but I'm not a fan, either… I haven't even read the books… though I saw the first two movies and I wasn't impressed. But anyway, seriously guys, assume that my vampires are based on Laurell K. Hamilton's when it comes to their powers and stuff.

Now, big thank you to everyone who reviewed and gave me their honest opinions for the first chapter. I appreciated knowing what you liked and didn't like, and I'll keep in mind the things I need to work on. You are all so amazing for taking the time to comment. Please enjoy the chapter!

Tip of the Iceberg

"Something is going on," Tifa whispered to Aerith when they arrived back in Cosmo Canyon.

"You can smell it in the air, too?" the green eyed woman asked.

Tifa nodded and together they slipped in through one of the smallest, most secret entrances. The hallways were empty of the others residing there; matter-of-fact, it seemed that the entire living space was deserted. "What the hell is going on?" Tifa whispered.

Aerith shook her head as she and Tifa drew their guns just in case it was some sort of trap. "You didn't receive any visions of this?" she whispered.

Tifa shook her head and they first headed over to her room to gather the rest of her weapons. They stopped by Aerith's room as well, and Tifa helped her friend gather her necessary things. Then, together they crept down the hallways towards Genesis' office.

The only noise they caught was of shuffling papers and together the both of them sighted with their guns and moved into Genesis' office, expecting to find an intruder.

Genesis' eyes snapped up in surprise as he was packing up important documents. "What are you doing here?" he asked, shocked.

Tifa didn't know if she was reading his emotions right, but there was something about the man's eyes that had her instincts on edge. "What's going on? Where is everyone?" she asked.

Genesis smiled at the two. "I'm glad to see that you're both okay and only suffered minor cuts and scrapes," he sad, winking.

Tifa refrained from rolling her eyes out of respect for the man who had been her teacher for many, many years now. She looked down at the torn material of her shirt and realized the wound had nearly closed and that the blood was already drying, making her clothes stick to her skin.

"Were the targets killed successfully?" Genesis asked, interrupting Tifa's inspection of herself.

Aerith nodded. "We burned down the surrounding area of the jungle in order to burn their bodies."

"Did you know that Shinra was conducting these kinds of experiments on humans to turn them into a different breed of werewolves?" Tifa asked after a pause.

Blue eyes narrowed. "Shinra can try all he wants to make creatures more powerful than us, but in the end, it's our blood that will prevail. These experiments he's conducting are going to come back and bite him in the ass, quite literally."

Tifa frowned and wondered why he was taking the information in so calmly. There was no way of knowing how many wolves Shinra had created with the superhuman strength that Sephiroth, Zack, and Cloud now possessed. If he succeeded in creating an army, they could very well wipe out more than half of the vampire population. Something wasn't right with the situation, or with Genesis being so composed with this, but she wouldn't voice her suspicions to anyone but Aerith and Barret. If there were any people she could trust it would be the two of them.

"Where is everyone?" Aerith repeated Tifa's question.

"We got a report that our hideout had been compromised and everyone evacuated to several other meeting points. I want the two of you to head out to Midgar and wait there for word from me," Genesis said as he slipped his Rapier sword in its sheath at his hip and a gun in his back holster.

"Where will you be going?" Tifa asked.

"I will head out to Junon. I have a contact there who said that he could give me information on the experiments being conducted there." He finally finished packing up and moved to stand between the two of them, taking their hands and placing a kiss on their knuckles. "Be safe, loves. It may be a while before we see each other, but rest assured that the we will soon know what it is that Shinra is doing. We'll put a stop to his plans."

Aerith and Tifa nodded and took off towards an opposite exit. "Do you think we'll make it on time?" the lighter brunette asked.

Tifa looked at her watch and shook her head. "We'll need to make a stop before sunset. Then we'll take up our journey once more and we'll be in Midgar by tomorrow night."

Once they were in the car and driving away from what had been their home for nearly two years, Aerith noticed the troubled look on Tifa's face. She found it odd, when her old friend was an expert at hiding her emotions when she wanted. "What's on your mind?"

"Why not try to read me?" Tifa asked, watching the trees passing them by.

"Because even when you're worried you can block me like no one else has been able to," Aerith replied. "Tell me."

Tifa sighed and nodded. "I feel like Genesis is hiding something from us. Something that could be potentially dangerous to us, the vampire community as a whole."

Aerith hummed in thought. "He did look too calm for comfort," she murmured.

"Yeah, he did. Genesis is far older than us, but his behavior the last few months has been giving me second thoughts. I know that if he was going to betray us I would've had a vision by now, but I haven't Seen anything so far," said Tifa, at a loss of what to think.

"Maybe we'll have to investigate on our own," Aerith said. "And watch what kind of information we give him."

Tifa nodded in agreement and closed her eyes, willing her powers to come to her and bring her a vision. She had found that there were times when she could bring them forward, but she was still too inexperienced with her power and there were certain times when her visions refused to come.

There had been legends in some of the old books that Genesis owned, that the ability to See could extend up to many, many years into the future, but this only happened with hundreds of years of training and control, which obviously she lacked.

Blinking, Tifa's eyes opened to the fog that came with her visions and she relaxed, easily accepting it.

"Specimen number twenty-one will be next. Bring her in and we will begin to examine just how well vampire and werewolf blood works together."

"I thought both were supposed to exterminate and cancel each other out."

"That, my good doctor, is exactly why she needs to be tested. This girl may hold the key to creating the perfect specimen."

"I don't think so," said a deep voice from her left, the glint of a blade shining under the fluorescent light.

"Hmm… I knew that you couldn't have been so easily disposed of, boy. You look healthy," cackled the greasy doctor, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Dear Sephiroth… and you've brought company!"

Tifa cocked her gun and gave a not so pleasant smile. "I hear you're the one trying to create a monster with unparalleled power."

"Yes, well, I don't think that's any of your business. It was a mistake coming here," said the doctor. "You see, since this girl is so valuable to us, we will do anything to ensure that she remains in her cage. Even if that means taking out my own son and the first Seer in over a thousand years."

This was news to her. Son? First Seer in a thousand years? Right… how did the crazy bat know all of this? "We're prepared to raze this lab to the ground and with you in it," said Tifa calmly.

"It's a good thing, then, that I was prepared for something like this."

The cold prick of a needle into her neck made her gasp and realize that she and Sephiroth had let their guard down. It also meant that someone with amazing speed had to have been the one to inject both her and Sephiroth. Within seconds they were both on the ground, bodies boneless.

The last thing Tifa caught were a pair of blue eyes, but a nowhere near distinguishable face.

Their arrival in Midgar was uneventful, though Aerith had a lot to complain about when it came to the scent that permeated from the slums. It was where the poor had been pushed to live while the rich and classy lived above the plate. The Shinra buildings were on top of the plate as well, but Tifa knew that staying in the slums would rouse less suspicion.

The homes there were humble and many, many people walked the streets, returning home from their small jobs, or possibly going off to drink their troubles away. Tifa parked their dirty, dusty vehicle behind the bar and walked in through the back with a key. Instead of heading out towards the crowd of people drinking, the two females took a secret passageway from the pantry that led to some stairs and to an underground tunnel.

She had told Aerith about her vision, since she obviously wanted it to change, though she kept that last image of blue eyes to herself. She knew plenty of men with eyes of that similar hue, but… she had to wonder who it was that the greasy doctor had on his side. Werewolves were fast, but she would've detected the scent even from a mile away. No, whoever it had been must've been a vampire.

Approaching a metal door, they knocked twice and gave the codeword before being let into the living quarters that had been established there long ago by other vampires.

Barret was there in the sitting room, arms crossed over his chest and scowl on his face. "I thought you would've given me a damn warning before sending these three over here," he growled.

Tifa shrugged. "They didn't give you any trouble, did they?" she asked, slanting Fair a look when he scoffed.

"Other than practically eating all of the meat in the freezer? No. Didn't know you were into picking up strays," said Barret with a dark smirk.

"Tifa never really liked dogs," Aerith chimed, green eyes shining merrily.

"It's funny… I never liked clammy dead things, either," Zack muttered.

Aerith's smile was like sugar as she suddenly appeared in front of the dark-haired man; the three wolves had barely seen her movement. "Would you like to repeat that?" she asked in a soft tone.

"Careful, Fair, or she'll claw your eyes out," Sephiroth said with a chuckle, noticing the annoyed look on the vampire's face.

"Oh, I have much more entertaining ways to cause pain," Aerith said in a low voice, turning her back to Zack and pausing in front of Sephiroth to look up at him. "Maybe Fair can tell you what it feels like to be a nice puppy, nipping at my heels."

Sephiroth's green eyes darkened with the challenge before he quirked an eyebrow and smirked at her. "You're like poisonous candy, aren't you, girl? Sweet and pretty on the outside, deadly on the inside."

Aerith half-smiled. "I'm a lot older than you. You'd do well to remember that," she said before walking out of the kitchen, leaving Tifa alone with Zack and Sephiroth.

Tifa sighed and looked at the silver-haired man. "We need to talk. Alone."

Barret grunted and looked at Zack. "Make yourself useful and go wash the dishes that are stacking up at the bar. Tonight is a full house and we need help."

"Fine," Zack said with a pout, brushing past Tifa and not giving either her or Sephiroth a passing glance.

"Where's Cloud?" she asked once they were alone.

"Resting."

He didn't elaborate and Tifa didn't ask him to. "I had a vision that involved the both of us in a lab with a greasy looking doctor."

Sephiroth's eyes widened only slightly and he motioned for Tifa to sit with him. She did so across from him and regarded him silently. He looked nothing like the man in her vision and she wondered if the doctor had been lied to when concerning Sephiroth's paternity. "You know who he is?"

A single nod. "He calls himself my father, but he never had the connection with me to prove that he and I were related." Sephiroth paused and gave her an appraising look. "What did you See?"

"We stepped right into a trap, you and me. The doctor—"

"Hojo," Sephiroth interrupted.

Tifa nodded. "He was talking to his colleagues about a half-vampire, half-werewolf girl that he had as his specimen."

"Is it possible to cross the bloods?" Sephiroth questioned in a low tone.

"In the old books that I've managed to get my hands on, I've read that the offspring of vampire and werewolves are usually killed at birth or before. There must be those that have gotten away with it out there, but they keep in the shadows out of fear," Tifa replied.

"What kind of trap did you see us walking into?"

Tifa explained the rest of her vision, but Sephiroth found it hard to believe that they both had been unable to detect the presence of their attacker. "He or she was fast," Tifa said, somber.

"And you've been trained just as well as we were back in SOLDIER," Sephiroth observed.

"I've been trained to hide my presence and leave no trace. Over the years that have passed, I was urged to be trained in various military techniques."

"You are a formidable opponent."

"I'll take that as a compliment, coming from a man such as yourself."

"But I'm not really a complete man anymore, am I," Sephiroth stated.

"Not being human doesn't take away from you being a man," Tifa said with a mild smirk. She sobered and crossed her arms over her chest. "We'll eventually have to infiltrate Shinra HQ. In order to avoid my vision and a risk of becoming specimens ourselves, we will have to send in others in our places."

He nodded in understanding. "We can change the vision?"

"I've found that once I talk about it with someone, the vision changes. Half of what I See happens, while the other half completely changes," Tifa said.

"And the girl… are you planning to break her out?"

Tifa stared at the table top for a few long seconds. "We can't give Hojo the chance to discover what it is that he wants. If he does, he'll be free to start creating his monsters."

"Hojo doesn't have a main base of operation. He travels from city to city," Sephiroth said.

"Where was he the last time you saw him?"

"In Nibelheim."

Tifa remained silent for a moment. "I'm going to see what information I can gather here in the city. I still have a few hours before sunrise," she said, getting to her feet and checking to make sure she had all of her necessary weapons.

"How will you gather the information that you want?" Sephiroth asked, gaze unreadable.

"Some will take money. Others need to feel threatened," she said with a shrug. "I'm willing to do both."

"I'd be curious to know what kind of human you were before you were turned," Sephiroth commented.

"I used to be a sweet country girl who enjoyed going for swims when the moon was high," Tifa said, a touch of sarcasm in her voice.

The ex-General was amused. "Were you this cynical as a human as well?"

"Cynicism comes with your first centennial," Tifa replied with an easy smile.

She walked out before the man successfully managed to make her laugh. She wasn't supposed to be socializing with their targets. Tifa knew that soon enough other mercenaries would come looking for them once it was known that they weren't dead, so the best she could do was not become attached.

It was late in the morning when she found herself polishing off her guns and cleaning up her blades, when Cloud emerged from the room he had been resting in. He looked worn out and tired, still, but he looked alert and his gaze was sharp. "Can I help you?" Tifa asked, interrupting his very obvious appraisal of her.

"Zack told me that you used to know me… back when I was human," he said after a moment.

Tifa stopped polishing and looked up. "And what's your question?"

He regarded her seriously. "Even though you knew me, you would've been okay with just killing me off?"

"It was a job," Tifa muttered. "It's nothing personal. I am a vampire; causing death comes far more easily than it does to humans, or even wolves."

Cloud sighed. He supposed that her reply to his question had been a 'no.' She wouldn't have stopped to think about their past, or whatever relationship they may have had, be it friendship or something more. He was beginning to see why Zack was so colorful in his speech when referring to vampire females. "And it doesn't affect you that I don't remember anything about you?" Cloud asked, curious eyes noting how she seemed to be polishing on the short side of vicious.

"Is it necessary for you to come and question me like this?" she asked after a moment of tense silence.

"I'm just interested to know what you think of all that's going on. I honestly don't remember ever having met you and I wonder how it was that you and I were acquainted," Cloud said, stepping over to grab a glass of water.

Tifa set down the blade in her hands and looked at him. "Why do you want to know?"

"If you had a nothing in your head but memories of blood, scalpels, and pain… wouldn't you want to know something from your past that may not have been so bleak?" Cloud asked, taking a seat next to her.

Tifa looked down at her weapons and sighed. "What makes you think that our past wasn't bleak?"

Cloud stared at her profile, taking in the soft curves of her pretty face, the near crimson color of her eyes. He had to admire once more all of the deceptive beauty masking the danger underneath. "Were we friends? Lovers? Enemies?"

Tifa slanted him a look and half-smiled. "We were lovers for a short time. You were eighteen going on nineteen."

Cloud's eyebrows rose high in surprise. Some would consider that age… young, considering the fact that she was over a hundred. "Why do you say it was for a short time?"

"Because you left for a mission, a newly promoted Third Class SOLDIER and I left the city on a job in Wutai. We never saw each other again," Tifa finished.

"How long ago was this?" Cloud asked curiously.

Tifa let out a small, sardonic laugh. "Do you really want to know?" He inclined his head once as she sighed. "Ten years ago."

Cloud's eyes widened. "But—"

"You look like you're still twenty," she commented. "Didn't know vampires and werewolves age slower?"

"I didn't know life had passed me by so quickly."

Tifa leaned back in her chair to regard him silently. "Why do you say that?"

"Because apparently, Hojo kept us in captivity for nearly five years," Cloud said in a calm tone. "Sephiroth and Zack remember everything, but I don't. I have glimpses of what went on in those labs, but before that I remember nothing. My past is one big blank. The only reason why I've stayed with Zack and Sephiroth is because we've protected each other up until this point," Cloud added after a moment.

"It's the same way with Aerith and myself. Our powers may be different, but we complement each other. We've kept each other alive," Tifa said thoughtfully. She looked at Cloud, who had been watching her and raised an eyebrow in question.

"You would've mourned my death on some deep level," he commented in a low voice. "Vampires, for all the coldness that they like to exude, do know how to feel."

"I didn't say we didn't. But it's much easier getting the job done if you shove everything else out. Blood calls to us naturally, so it's not always hard to spill it," Tifa said.

"Is that why you chose to become some sort of mercenary?" Cloud asked.

Tifa was surprised that his tone wasn't accusatory this time, nor was he judging her. He was just curious. "I found out from Genesis that when I was a human, everyone around me had been lying to me and that I would soon die of a human illness. He brought me over, gave me a new life, and trained me. He did so with the purpose of being able to defend myself, but soon enough I chose what to do with my life. It was all I knew, but it was easy and it kept me busy. I don't kill for money like a common mercenary, but I kill those that pose a threat to my kind."

"You kill for your master, don't you?"

"Genesis is not my master," Tifa replied, tone cold.

"I didn't mean to insult you," Cloud said quickly. "But he is the one who directs your movements, isn't he?"

Tifa nodded and glared at her hands. "He's taken care of me for more than a hundred years. It's the least I can do."

Cloud looked lost in thought as he began to speak. "Was he the one who pointed you in our path? Did he send you to kill us? Maybe… we weren't the ones who were supposed to die."

She'd already thought of that; that instead, Genesis and Rufus had been counting on Aerith and herself being defeated and killed. But there was no proof of whether Genesis was betraying them or not. So, until any clues arose, no one would know of her suspicions. "I'm still trying to figure out a few things," she said evasively, ignoring his question.

Cloud let it go, realizing that Tifa would not answer him, even if he attempted to pry. "What are we going to do next?"

Tifa stood and began to pack up her weapons, holstering her guns and slipping knives into various sheaths hidden in her clothes. She looked up and Cloud was watching curiously. "I can never have too many weapons," she said with a smirk. "First off, we need to wait for a colleague of ours to arrive so that we can discuss our next step."

As soon as she had finished saying that, Aerith nearly pranced into the kitchen, followed by an old presence Tifa hadn't felt in years. "Vincent is here," she said with a bright smile.

How long had it been? Fifty years? Tifa watched as Vincent stepped into the kitchen and Tifa gave him a nod. This was the man who had been the one to train her in handling firearms, and though she wouldn't tell him, he was like a brother to her. Vincent gave her a brief twitch of lips and shook her hand before giving a bemused smile when Aerith hugged him. He had never been much for physical touching, but he had always treated Aerith like a child.

"Where have you been? Sleeping in a coffin all these years?" Tifa asked with a smile.

"I've been hunting in Wutai," Vincent replied, voice deep and slightly scratchy; Tifa wondered what he had been hunting. Crimson eyes slid over to Cloud, who was keeping distance between them. "You always were a troublemaker."

"Which is odd, considering the sweet, rule-following girl I used to be as a human," Tifa snarked.

"We should get down to business," said Vincent. "I've heard rumors, but I want to know what you know first."

"The bar should close in about an hour, and we need everyone to be there," Aerith chimed.

"I will wait," Vincent said with a nod, motioning for Tifa to follow him out to the sitting area.

For the next hour, Vincent had her show him what weapons she was packing now. He wasn't much for facial expressions, either, but her choice of weapons seemed to please him. "All are good choices," he murmured finally.

"Thank you. I did learn from the best," Tifa said in a light tone. If ever she'd felt like she had a family, it had been with Aerith and Vincent; even though she wouldn't tell him that to his face. He could always be counted on when they needed him and he did an exceptional job on everything.

"Your visions have been coming normally?"

Tifa nodded. "I still haven't been able to call them at will. Though if I can relax my thoughts and body, they do come easier," she replied. "It's a level of control that I don't think I'll have until I've had at least another two hundred years added to my age."

"It's still an impressive power to have," said Vincent.

"Going soft on me, Vince?"

He glared while she smirked. The fog that accompanied her visions clouded her gaze once more, but only enough for her to catch a glimpse of Vincent with his arms protectively carrying a small, bloodied body. "A vision?" his voice asked before her sight cleared.

Tifa breathed out slowly. "Just a glimpse. I think it had something to do with you and a girl."

"What was I doing?" Vincent asked, a note of curiosity slipping into his voice.

"You were holding her," Tifa said, frowning. Guarding, the word came to her quickly. Guarding a young girl… The vampire-werewolf they would be breaking out?

The rest of the group trudged back before the hour had passed and they all gathered in the sitting room. Zack looked annoyed and he kept his distance from Aerith, while Sephiroth stayed by the doorway, away from everyone else. Cloud took a chair close to his friends, while the vampires stood across the room from them. Barret nearly took up the entire couch.

"Our next move needs to be to infiltrate Shinra headquarters," Tifa started. "Except… Sephiroth and I will be sitting this one out."

"Why is that?" Cloud asked.

"I had a vision in which Hojo wanted us both for his experiments. We walked right into his trap and were captured," Tifa replied.

"No shit," Zack muttered, surprised.

Tifa explained the rest of her vision in detail, including the information on the girl who could be the key to Hojo's experiments. "I don't like the idea of sending others in my place, but the last thing we need is for Hojo to get his hands on us so that he can attempt replicate our powers."

"I'll go in," Aerith said, stepping forward.

"Take Zack with you," Sephiroth said.

"I can go as well," Cloud said, his eyebrows forking in annoyance at being excluded.

"You and Vincent need to remain outside and cover Zack and Aerith in case they run into trouble," Sephiroth informed the blond.

"Where will you two be?" asked Barret. He didn't like being left out of the plan, but he knew that there were things that he couldn't do. He wasn't superhuman like the other people congregated in the room. He wasn't a bloodsucker or a wolf, but Tifa was still like a daughter to him; he never took her age into consideration, and he worried over her.

"We're going to investigate a few things in sector six," Tifa replied.

"And you think it'll be safe for the two of ya to be prancing around, out in the open?" Barret groused.

Tifa's lips twitched into a smile. "We are more than capable of handling the criminals in sector six, Barret."

"Shit, I know that, girl!" he snapped. "It don't stop me from worrying that some psycho out there wants to put you on a friggin' examination table so that he can cut you open!"

The temperature in the room dropped and Barret wondered if he'd said something bad. The men looked decidedly uncomfortable, but he knew better than to ask questions. "When?" Aerith interrupted the silence.

"Tomorrow. You need to get in there as soon as possible. There's no way of knowing that Hojo has learned from this girl already," Sephiroth said, watching her nod in all seriousness.

"How are we even going to find this kid if we don't know what she looks like?" Zack asked in exasperation.

"All I know is that she's called specimen twenty-one. You'll have to hack into their computers, or search their more guarded areas," Tifa replied.

"As soon as we're in, I'll be able to command any human within a few feet," Aerith said with a dismissive wave. "The closer we get to the floor she's on, the more information they'll be able to give us."

"Are we clear with our objectives, then?" Tifa asked.

There were nods around before everyone left the room except for Cloud. "I agree with Barret. It's dangerous for you to go out into the slums. You and Sephiroth may be accomplished warriors, but if your vision is anything to go by, it may mean that there is someone out there more powerful. Someone who could take the two of you down easily."

Tifa nodded once. "There are vampires out there more powerful than me, Cloud. There always have been, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to live my life in fear."

"You're unique… aren't you?" Cloud asked, stepping closer and searching her eyes. "How many of your kind can see into the future?"

The first Seer in over a thousand years…

"I will not cower before anyone, and they will not force me into hiding," Tifa assured him, eyes glinting with anger. "And what do you know, maybe I'll See my own death before it happens so that I can change it."

Cloud was not amused. "Be careful out there."

Tifa's face broke into a small smile. "How do you think I've survived all of these years if I haven't been careful?"

Blue eyes rolled, but he felt something lighten in his chest at the fact that she had stopped being a block of ice for the moment. "You'll be found out once we get this girl out of Shinra HQ."

She hummed in agreement. "It was a risk I was willing to take when Aerith and I didn't kill you and your friends."

The memory still made him bristle in annoyance. He would've expected more from her, especially now that he knew that they had been lovers once upon a time. It really wasn't a surprise as to why vampires were considered enemies to both humans and werewolves; they were cold and unfeeling much of the time. Despite that, he looked at Tifa and his mind wondered what she had been like as a human. "Good luck tomorrow," he said after a moment of silence.

Tifa nodded, her eyes roaming his face and keeping note of the faint glow in his eyes. "Watch your own back, Cloud. Another vampire will not hesitate to finish what I started."

A low growl left his throat as she walked away from him, and for the life of him he couldn't figure out why she made him angry. Maybe it was her words, or the coolness of her tone, but something about the female vampire bothered him. It would do him well to steer away from her, especially during full moons.

Both she and Sephiroth had gone for the most inconspicuous attire they cold find for their venture into the sector six slums. Sephiroth looked uncomfortable, but he'd had to wear a long jacket with the hood pulled up to hide his hair. Tifa, on the other hand, looked comfortable in navy blue, with a simple black jacket hiding her own weapons. Her hair was pulled away from her face, and with it that way, the angles of her face changed. Sephiroth knew it had been a tactic to alter her image so that she wouldn't be easily recognized.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Sephiroth questioned as they perused Wall Market.

"I'm looking for someone," Tifa replied.

Sephiroth didn't look appeased. If anything, he now looked suspicious.

"He's the one who makes my weapons, but he doesn't sell out in the open. Why don't you take a walk and we'll meet back here in an hour," Tifa said, looking at her watch.

"And if something happens to you?" the ex-General questioned.

Tifa wanted to sigh, but it wasn't necessary for her to even breathe, so what was the point? Why were all these wolves so worried about her wellbeing all of a sudden? She and Aerith had tried to kill them and they were concerned about their safety? "If I'm not here in an hour, go back to the bar and make sure that Aerith secures that girl. Don't worry about me."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at her and sighed to himself when she walked away. Now, what was he supposed to do for an hour in such a seedy place?

Slipping into a secluded bar a few streets away from the Wall Market shopping district, Tifa slipped into an empty booth and waited patiently, reassured by the weight of her guns. She had stopped breathing in order to keep out the more unpleasant scents from reaching her senses, but her eyes were sharp and counting each patron of the bar. The door was in her line of sight, but the person she was expecting wouldn't use the front door, she knew.

Speak of the devil, she thought, watching the man slip into the seat across from her, motioning the waitress away. "When I received your message, I didn't know whether or not to come."

"The information I have is important," his gruff voice replied.

"Maybe you should come out of hiding. I have concerns and if they turn out to be true, you would be the only person that can stop Genesis—"

"There is a lot of potential in you, girl. Do not underestimate your power."

Tifa's eyes narrowed. "He has practically raised me. How would I be able to turn my weapons against him?"

"If Genesis is conspiring against his own kind, then he deserves death."

"I wouldn't be able to do it," Tifa murmured, glaring at the old rickety table they were sitting at.

The man in front of her removed an envelope from the inside of his coat and slid it across the table. "Some of the images are very old, but we managed to take new ones so that you could see for yourself. Genesis always did have a flare for the dramatic."

Tifa opened the unmarked envelope and removed the pictures from inside, her eyes refusing to take it all in. She had seen and done many things in the last few years that she wasn't proud of, but she hadn't… there were things she would never do.

"Genesis knew from the very beginning that you were special. He just never told me what he wanted with your powers. Be careful, Tifa. He's dangerous and if he has turned against us, you'll have to kill him before he kills you."

Tifa tossed the pictures back into the envelope and slipped them into her own coat before getting to her feet. "I don't know what to believe anymore," she hissed.

"Go with your instincts."

She scoffed. "My instincts are telling me not to trust anyone." With those last words, Tifa stepped out of the bar, her thoughts warring in her head. She didn't know what to think, how to process the information she had received. Genesis couldn't have… no, he had protected her for so long. He wasn't capable of so much evil, right?

"Such a pretty girl with such a troubled expression on her face," purred a voice from the shadows.

Tifa whirled with her inhuman speed, but it was too late. Her eyes widened when she felt the prick of a needle against her neck. She stared up into the handsome face of the man who had blindsided her and grit her teeth as she began to fall, body boneless.

He caught her effortlessly and hauled her into his arms as if she were as light as a feather. He slipped back into the shadows, with his prize in his arms, and smiled to himself.

Mwuahahaha! A confusing chapter plus a cliffhanger? Yeah, sorry about that. I promise that all the questions are going to be answered in the next chapter.

On another note, girls and guys, this story will probably have some adult content stuff in the future, but it will not be posted on ffnet. ObsessiveCompulsiveValkyrie and I have created a live journal community that will feature our M-rated work from now on. I will continue to post my stories here, but if you want to read the smex, or if it's some really explicit violence, then I will add a note in the chapter so that you can check it out over at the community.

Anyway, everyone please enjoy your weekend and I'll try my best to update soon!