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Chapter 2

Awareness returned to Cloud slowly, the fire lancing throughout his chest dragging his mind back from the comforting oblivion. He kept his eyes closed, assessing his injuries. While painful, there seemed to be no permanent damage done from the gunshot wound, although he wasn't so sure about his right shoulder. A sharp, throbbing pain shot through it with each heart beat and he knew he would have to get the injury cleaned and dressed as soon as possible. Adrenaline had allowed him to continue using his arm after Sephiroth had stabbed him there during the fight, so it was probable that no lasting damage would remain after it was given time to heal. The myriad of other bumps, bruises and overall soreness seemed a mere shadow in comparison to the first two injuries. Having finished surveying his wounds, he turned his attention towards his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the sound of someone crying.

The swordsman opened his eyes, squinting against the bright light. He seemed to be floating in a sea of white, a cushion of air supporting his oddly light frame with nothing but a single color as far as the eye could see. Glancing around, he noticed he wasn't alone.

A few feet away, two other bodies floated in the endless nothingness that made up this strange place. The first had long silver hair splayed out behind him and was dressed completely in black leather. A skin-tight trench coat covered most of his body, boots and gloves concealing his hands and feet. His face was the only skin visible on his body. The second was behind him, dressed very similar. He had short silver hair that stood on end and was wearing a black leather shirt and pants. He was curled into a ball, sobbing quietly.

Cloud's eyes narrowed as he recognized the clones he had been fighting before he passed out. He reached behind his back to check for his swords, hissing slightly as the movement pulled at the wound in his right shoulder. His hand found nothing but the harnesses designed to hold the large blades. He was weaponless.

Yazoo laid there, listening to his brother's pitiful cries. He was almost numb as everything that had happened started to sink in. He had been so happy when Kadaj had found Mother. It was just a matter of time before they were all reunited and made whole again. We had finally found her, he thought mournfully. She was there. And then... Big Brother... A single tear slid down his cheek, the urge to join Loz almost overpowering. How could you do that to her? An odd noise caught his attention and his eyes snapped open, resting on the blonde swordsman. Two mako-enhanced gazes locked, green and blue staring back at each other. Yazoo raised his arm, trying to summon any spell at his command, but his energy was gone and his arm fell back, limply. "How..." he asked, trying to control the emotions in his voice. "How could you do that to her?"

"It needed to be done," Cloud replied, his voice soft.

Yazoo's eye's narrowed. "How can you be so calm?! You just killed Mother! You may have tried to distance yourself from our family, but I know you could feel her leave us, Brother! I know you could feel-- her--" He turned his head away, several tears escaping down his cheeks.

The blonde closed his eyes, feeling the ache within his heart that didn't come from any physical wound. It was the part of him that had tried to kill Aeris. It was the part of him that handed over the black materia. It was the part of him that had almost allowed for his defeat against his resurrected nemesis until Sephiroth had unwittingly reminded him what he was fighting for. It was the part of him that cried out for mother in the form of an ancient alien intent on destroying the planet. He shook off the feeling, raising his eyes to meet Yazoo's. "Yes, I could, but the feeling is not my own. Apparently, I'm not as much of a failed clone as Hojo thought."

"Hojo...?" the Remnant questioned, an unidentifiable emotion coloring his voice. "What does he have to do with anything?"

The swordsman blinked, looking at the silver-haired man a little confused. "Don't you know? All of the Sephiroth clones were created from Hojo's experiments. Surely, you..." Cloud's sentence trailed off as he realized something. "You can't remember, can you?"

Yazoo seemed to draw back slightly looking alarmed, his jaw opening and closing as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. Finally, he looked away. "No," he whispered.

The blonde nodded, several of the pieces coming together in his mind. "So that was one of the main reasons I was a failed clone. I could remember who I was before the experiments, which helped allow me to break the hold Jenova had over me," he said, almost talking to himself. His gaze shifted back to Yazoo. "Although, it seems he experimented with your genetics as well, to make you look more like Sephiroth."

"We were not created by some mad scientist!" Yazoo replied hotly. "We are Mother's children!"

"Then why do you not know what she even looks like? Why do you have no memory of her? Why are you trying so desperately to find someone you've never met?" the swordsman countered. "And if Jenova is your mother, who is your father? Have you even stopped to consider that, or is it not in your programming?"

"Stop it!" Yazoo yelled, covering his ears with his hands. He shook his head back and forth, as if he could make Cloud's words leave his mind. He was trembling, deep shuddering breaths shaking his thin frame.

The blonde relented, understanding all to well what the clone was going through and feeling bad for forcing it upon him. Whatever Hojo had done to them to wipe their memories had taken them back to childhood. Like a child, they were all three fixated on finding mother, convinced that she would know what to do and that there was no way she could be wrong. They also reacted violently whenever someone challenged that belief, challenged her, and they simply could not process anything that went against what had been instilled in them. Children in powerful adult bodies. What was Hojo thinking? Cloud wondered, not for the first time cursing the man that had ruined so many lives. He waited until Yazoo lowered his hands before speaking softly. "It doesn't matter any more. The question is, what are you going to do now?"

The clone looked over his shoulder at his brother, as if hoping Loz would answer for him. The shorthaired man was oblivious to the conversation however, lost in his own grief. Yazoo turned back towards Cloud, looking very much like a lost child who doesn't know who to turn to for help.

"Kadaj made all the decisions, didn't he?" the blonde guessed. The clone nodded, mutely. "But, Kadaj isn't here now."

"Loz is all I have left," the Remnant whispered, glancing at his brother again. "What's going to happen to us?"

"That depends on you."

Yazoo looked confused and a little leery. "What do you mean, Brother?"

"I can help you. If you want to move on and learn to lead your own lives, I can help you. But only if you're willing to do so," he said sincerely.

The Remnant looked uncertain. His gaze was drawn once more to the pitiful form of his grieving brother. "Does the pain ever go away?" he asked.

"No," Cloud answered truthfully. "But, with time, it becomes easier to bear."

Yazoo was quiet for a long moment. Finally, he looked back at the swordsman, an almost hopeful expression on his face. "So, you'll take care of us?"

The blonde's face relaxed, a small smile finding it's way to his lips. "Yes. I'll take care of you."

. . .

Tifa wandered around, searching for the familiar head of blonde hair anywhere amongst the rubble of the ruined city. After the explosion, Cid had landed the airship and they had split up to look for their missing teammate. Tifa was paired with Yuffie, the young ninja jumping from one pile of debris to the next for a better view.

"Tifa, come up here! I think you might want to see this!" Yuffie called down, staring off in the opposite direction.

The martial artist quickly scaled the mound, looking to see what had caught her companion's attention. She blinked, staring at the group of children entering the ruined church. "What on earth...?" she said softly before sliding down to investigate. The ninja followed suit.

They reached the doors of the church, both wondering what all the children were doing here. Tifa peered inside, watching as the kids appeared to be trying to move something. When one got tired, he would step back, allowing a new child to take his place. They seemed to be quite organized, despite the age group. The brunette bartender watched the crowd move nearer the water's edge, several kids jumping in the pool first to help ease their burden down. A head of spiky blonde hair was seen briefly before there was a splash as the group pushed him into the water.

"Cloud!" Tifa cried, trying to run forward. All of the children not currently moving the swordsman immediately ran forward, blocking her path. Her mind flashed back to a few hours earlier when they had all been gathered around the town square under the clones control, only this time they stared up at her, their eyes imploring.

"You can't take him!"

"She said we had to bring him here!"

"Yeah, she said Cloud will come back!"

Tifa looked over their heads, feeling a bit relieved as she saw the kids in the pool holding on to Cloud, making sure he stayed afloat. Her eyes widened slightly as she noticed the red tinge spreading out from his shoulder. She turned to her companion. "Yuffie, do you have any cure materia with you?" she asked.

"Yeah, hang on a sec," the ninja replied, digging through her pockets. She produced the green orb, handing it to the martial artist.

"Thanks. I need you to go find the others and bring them here," the longhaired brunette instructed. Yuffie nodded and ran out the door while Tifa turned back to the kids blocking her path. She knelt down, putting herself at eye level.

"You can't take him," one boy said, his eyes begging her to let them do what needed to be done.

"I don't want to take him," Tifa said. The kids weren't hurting him and they seemed to feel strongly about leaving him in the water, so she would let them-- for now. "But, he's injured. Will you let me heal him?" she asked, showing them the materia.

Although a little reluctant, the group moved aside, clearing a path to the unconscious swordsman. The bartender moved to the water's edge, kneeling on the broken floorboards. Clutching the green orb tightly, she closed her eyes and focused, drawing out the powerful magic and directing it towards the blonde fighter. Feeling the drain on her energy, she opened her eyes, watching the wound in Cloud's shoulder close in response and the numerous cuts covering his skin fade and disappear. She stood, waiting for the healed man to open his eyes. She frowned when he continued to lie there, motionless as the water gently lapped at his skin. She looked down as she felt a small hand tugging on hers.

"He's gonna be alright, Tifa. She said to wait here and Cloud will come back."

Tifa's eyes widened as she gazed down at the speaker. "Marlene! Denzel! What are you two doing here?"

. . .

To Be Continued

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