"I'm a little worried Sephiroth. Genesis has been missing ever since the Wutai mission." Angeal said.
"I know, it concerns me too." Sephiroth replied.
"I better go train Zack... he hasn't improved since last month. Think you could whip him into shape?" Angeal asked.
"Sure, but if I can't, who can?" Sephiroth joked. Angeal wandered off to find Zack who was probably talking with Kunsel. Sephiroth spotted Lightning standing by himself again. He kind of reminded Sephiroth of him before he became friends with Genesis and Angeal. Lightning was different though, he never talked to anybody unless he had to. So, Sephiroth decided to try to become Lightning's friend.

Lightning knew that Genesis wouldn't come back. She knew that he was going to abandon Shinra. She saw Sephiroth coming towards her and tried to not make eye contact with him.
"Hey, you alright? You never talk to anyone, what's up?" he asked. Lightning decided to stay silent. She avoided his piercing gaze at all costs.
"You need to talk to somebody. It would make life so much easier with a few good friends behind you. Trust me." Sephiroth said.
"Go away! Leave me alone!" She exclaimed with a hint of sorrow.
"Look, if you don't talk to somebody, you might end up all emotionally unstable. Nobody wants to work with someone like that." Sephiroth said. Lighting let out an angry sigh.
"Ok, you want to know what's wrong? I'm homesick! There you go! Happy now?" She asked angrily. She folded her arms and turned away from him.
"Homesick? How far away from home are you?" he asked.
"It's not on Gaia. My home is on Cocoon. It fell thanks to me. It may be held up by a crystal pillar, but it doesn't make a difference. Even Gran Pulse felt like home. But here, it's nothing like back home... I should be thankful, but I'm so used to living one way and having to change it more than once is more than I can handle." Lightning replied.

Sephiroth couldn't believe his ears. Lightning had shut herself off to others because she was homesick. Sephiroth felt a pang of sympathy for her.
"At least you have a family. I never met mine." Sephiroth said.
"Mine died when I was young; I had to raise my sister myself. Balancing work, school and responsibility... it was hard. My sister is the only family I have left. She's engaged to be married and we've been distant lately..." Lightning replied. Suddenly, Angeal came down the hall and said that the war between us and Wutai would be over soon.
"Finally!" Sephiroth exclaimed.

Angeal led Sephiroth and Lightning into the briefing room and Director Lazard waited for them at the desk before a computer.
"Thank you Angeal, you may go and help Zack prepare for his role." Lazard said. Angeal nodded and left the room. Sephiroth lent against the wall and watched the projection. It was Genesis' profile.
"Not only are you going to help end the war, but you two will search for Genesis. He went missing at this location. We figure he's being held hostage." Lazard explained. Lightning stood with her arms folded and analysed the information. Sephiroth's gaze shifted to the homesick soldier.
"Understood." Lightning replied and went to leave the room.
"When can you two leave?" Lazard asked.
"Immediately." Lightning replied and left the room. She knew how close Angeal and Sephiroth were to Genesis and wanted them to reunite. But she had a stone in her stomach telling her it wasn't so.
"Sephiroth? Can you leave with Lightning?" Lazard asked.
"Of course." He replied. Sephiroth trailed out of the room.

Zack stormed up to Lightning and slapped her arm. She turned around and smacked his chin, similarly to how she had wacked Fang while they were in Palumpolum.
"Pretty strong, for a girl!" Zack taunted. Lightning punched him and held her Blazefire pistol to his head.
"Leave me be." She replied and let Zack get up. He grabbed her neck and only managed to pull out her silver necklace. She managed to get it back under her shirt without anybody noticing. Zack went for the helmet and tugged it.
"Let's see your head!" he exclaimed. Lightning tried her best to hold it down, but Kunsel tackled her and pinned her to the floor. Zack looked at her and smiled. He took her helmet off and a dozen gasps were heard from around the SOLDIER floor.

Lightning kicked Kunsel off of her and tugged Zack's hair. Sephiroth was shocked. He shook his head in disbelief and headed for the elevators.
"Sephiroth! I can explain! Sephiroth! Wait!" Lightning exclaimed. Sephiroth paid no attention to her and left the floor.
Lazard saw her and said, "In my office, now." Lightning snatched her helmet off of Zack and followed Lazard into his office.
"What happened?" Lazard demanded.
"Zack had Kunsel tackle me and then he just took it off." Lightning replied.
"You're lucky that the president had decided to let you wander around without your helmet, Ms. Farron. He believes that having women in SOLDIER will be beneficial. Don't let me down." Lazard said.
"Yes sir." Lightning replied with a sigh of relief. Lazard took her helmet and she brought her necklace out from underneath her top. She headed back into the SOLDIER floor and Sephiroth was sitting on one of the couches.

"Sephiroth?" Lightning asked.
"Why did you lie to me, Claire?" Sephiroth asked.
"I couldn't tell anybody! I swear, nobody was meant to find out!" Lightning replied. He shook his head. He stood up and walked away again.
"Fine! I'll do the assignment myself! I don't need the great SOLDIER hero to back me up!" Lightning exclaimed and headed towards the helipads.

Lightning stood at the edge of a cliff overlooking the Wutai fortress. She spotted a wall and jumped onto the ledge. The warriors never heard her or bothered to check the walls. Lightning dashed across the wall and jumped into the courtyard. There, she found Zack fighting three Wutai warriors in silver. She ignored the second class soldier and spotted the statue of the garden deity. Lightning shot a screen of thunder onto the statue of the water serpent and it was blown into a million pieces. The warriors in silver stood in shock and fled the scene.
"Are you nuts?" Zack exclaimed.
"Just angry." Lightning replied. Zack encountered a little girl and introduced herself as Yuffie. Once she left, Zack continued into the colosseum. She heard him yelp and Angeal ran into the building, sword at the ready. Lightning wandered around the fort, searching for Genesis.

Zack and Angeal left the burning building and encountered warriors of a different kind. Zack led Lazard to safety and went to assist Angeal, who went missing. Lightning stood at a tree and stared at the moon and bowed her head. She placed her hand upon her brand. She wandered off into the woods, leaving Zack to fight Ifrit by himself. He thought that the beast was dead and put his blade away. Zack was about to be killed as Sephiroth took the blow and killed the summon. Sephiroth inspected the fallen warriors and was shook his head.
"Genesis copies." He replied. Lazard came up to the two soldiers and they left the forest, forgetting that Lightning was still searching for Genesis and the newly missing Angeal. She gave up and summoned Odin. He morphed into her steed and they rode off back to Midgar.

Cid and Barthandelus watched the scene unfold.
"When can we strike?" Genesis asked.
"Soon. Just by patient my l'Cie..." Barthandelus replied. Genesis, Angeal and Cid shared an evil smile before disappearing into the woods.