When Fenrir screeched to a stop in front of the crumbling ruins that had once been the old Shinra Electric Company, Cloud sat up slowly in his seat and pulled off his goggles. Looking up at the building, he couldn't help but compare this ruin to the massive corporation that had controlled most of the world. Closing his eyes, he remembered a time when he had looked upon this building with wide eyes and excitement. But now, so much had changed since then, and there wasn't even a hint of that innocent boy in Cloud anymore. Now, after learning of all the evil they had committed, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of satisfaction that the once all-powerful company had become reduced to rubble. He could almost believe that the planet itself was cleansing itself of all the evil, with only Aerith's church continuing to stand in this destroyed region.
Tseng approached Cloud silently, and just as he was about to announce his presence, he found himself held at sword point. Turning so that one mako eye glared sullenly at Tseng from over Cloud's shoulder, he asked, "Where's Rufus?" Cloud noticeably did not lower his sword.
Tseng didn't allow any of his emotions to show on his face, but he was surprised by the fast response. It had been so many years since SOLDIERs had been commonplace. So much so, that these quick movements were attributed solely to Vincent and Cloud now. And even with all four of the Turks by Rufus' side, they would be no match if Cloud chose to fight seriously. But Tseng did not allow any of his misgivings to influence him, even with the large sword still poised at his throat, as he knew how important this meeting was. Walking past Cloud, he simply said, "Follow me."
Cautiously, Cloud stepped into the building. For even though Cloud knew he could take on any challenge he might face, it had been ingrained in his very being a deep mistrust in Turks and their secrecy. For it was them that he blamed for Zack's death, second only to his own failure. Even with their assistance against the three Sephiroth remnants, he could still remember all of the times they had tried to stop Avalanche from saving the planet. And though there were times he could forgive, he would never forget.
Vincent had decided to comb through Rocket Town again. He fervently hoped that he would find some clues now that he had had some time to come to terms with what had happened. Now as calm as he could get, he began searching again. As he walked around, he found that there was only an eerie silence, with not even the wind blowing. Thinking back on the days after the disappearance, he realized that there had been no wind as well, almost as if the entire area had been in a vacuum. Though it was a disturbing sentiment, Vincent realized that he could not afford to distract himself, and pushed it to the back of his mind.
It was as he was searching behind Cid's house, that he first heard it. Dismissing it as the wind, he continued working, until his head shot up in alarm. With the wind silent and dead, there should be no sound, unless there was someone or something else in the town. Holding his breath in hope, he concentrated on the sound, waiting to see if it was real, or just his ears playing tricks on him. And just as he was about to sigh in defeat, he heard it again.
Sweeping up from his kneeling position, he silently hopped onto Cid's roof and made his way in the direction of the noise. As he grew closer, he could start to hear more closely, and he recognized it as footsteps, so soft that they were almost nonexistent. Tracking it to the other side of the rocket launching pad, he peers over the roof only to see…Cloud?
"Rufus," Cloud said in greeting, ignoring Rude and Reno standing by the door.
Reno strutted over, peering closely at Cloud, while Rude groaned in frustration off to the side. Ignoring the sound, Reno continued to stare at Cloud until Cloud acknowledged him with a quick glance and a growled, "What do you want?"
"Cloud, my man. Don't you know it's rude to ignore us? C'mon, yo. We're all in this together." With his customary grin on his face, Reno stepped forward to put an arm around Cloud's shoulder, only stopping with a pout at Cloud's cold stare. And just as Reno opened his mouth to say more, Rude interrupted, "Reno, shut up."
Grumbling immaturely, Reno walked back to the doorway, yelping at the smack he received from Tseng. Glaring at Tseng's retreating back, he leaned against the wall next to Rude, still muttering some choice words at Tseng.
As all of the other occupants in the room ignored him, Tseng went to stand at Rufus' side, while Cloud halted a few feet away from Rufus. Turning around with the comforting presence of Tseng at his side, Rufus inclined his head in greeting. With the sunlight streaming into the room from the destroyed wall, Rufus' blonde hair and blue eyes were easily visible, almost identical to Cloud's own shades. And as their eyes, one glowing brightly, the other darkened calculatingly, met, a tense atmosphere filled the room, with even Reno unwilling to interrupt.
A smirk quirked his lips, as Rufus finally broke the silence. "Cloud…How good to see you. How have yo-"
"If you're only here to waste my time, then I'm leaving. Get to the point."
Not at all put off by the interruption, Rufus' grin merely widened. And just as Cloud turned to leave, Rufus, no longer grinning, simply said, "Sephiroth." And Cloud froze, even as the others shuddered in fear, remembering the helplessness, the rage, and the terror.
Cloud didn't say anything for a long moment, and just as they believed he would leave, he turned back, a bleak look in his eyes. In a hoarse voice, he whispered, "He's dead. I killed him."
"We know. Yet we also know that there are some things that can never truly be dead. And…we can't take any chances with HIM. If it really is HIM, then it stands to reason that he will come for you…For all of us."
Another stifling silence descended as Cloud despaired, wondering to himself, How many times must I kill you Sephiroth? How many times must I fight? How many times will this cycle continue? …When will this finally end? And as he closed tired eyes, he wondered to himself if maybe his hell had already started. "…Did Sephiroth take Cid?" Even as he asked, face stoic and eyes cool, his heart clenched in fear that he may have unknowingly lost a friend to the monster Sephiroth had become.
Sharing a look with Tseng, Rufus turned back to cloud and shook his head. "We originally thought the disappearances were because of HIM, and also the natural disasters, but then we found some inconsistencies. We already sent scouts, and HE is most likely in the north. Therefore, we have reason to believe that the Rocket Town disappearances is an entirely different problem." Looking expectantly at Cloud, they waited to see what he had to say.
"I see…wait, natural disasters? I haven't heard of any natural disasters." All of Cloud's instincts were warning him that something was wrong, very wrong. And as Rufus spoke, he realized that something may be happening, even worse than what Sephiroth could do.
"We've been trying to keep it under wraps so that there's no panic, but it seems that there have been cases with earthquakes, skies the color of blood, animals worked up into a frenzy, and other unnatural occurrences. It coul- …Cloud? Do you know something?" After years of politics and working under his father, Rufus could read people easily, and was able to catch the brief look that had passed over Cloud's face.
Cloud was unwilling to say anything, but Rufus did share some important information… "These disasters aren't from someone, but from the Planet. I don't know what's wrong, but probably something is going to happen soon. Something big."
Rufus' gaze sharpened as if he was trying to peer into Cloud's soul. As if he saw something he approved of, he turned to look outside and asked, "What are you going to do?"
"…I am going to go to Cosmo Canyon. They should have answers." And without waiting for a response, he walked past Reno and Rude and disappeared around the corner. As they stood there, they heard Fenrir's engine roaring fading away and they were left in silence.
Vincent was greatly surprised to see Cloud, who he had heard just hours ago was at 7th Heaven. But since Cloud was possibly here to help search for Cid, Vincent wasn't about to question it. Yet just as he was about to approach, he froze, thinking idly in his mind that he had never seen Cloud without his sword. And as his eyes flitted around the area, he realized that Fenrir was nowhere to be found as well. His mind now cleared and thinking without distractions, he carefully went over what Tifa had told him. And as he did so, he realized that most likely Cloud was on his way to see Rufus, and that even if he had come to help him search for Cid, it would take much longer than a few hours to reach Rocket Town, even with Fenrir. Now truly concerned, unsure of what was going on, Vincent decided that he would have to approach this maybe-Cloud for answers.
Leaping from the roof and landing nimbly on his feet in front of the "fake", Vincent realized with this closer view, that this man's appearance was uncannily similar to Cloud's. On the other hand, the fake made no reaction at all to Vincent's arrival. Though Cloud was quiet, he would still offer a greeting, and if nothing else, his eyes would warm in affection. This fake seemed to not even acknowledge Vincent. Now determined to find out what was happening, Vincent demanded, "Who are you?"
There was no response. In fact, those mako blue eyes, identical to Cloud's, didn't even turn in Vincent's direction. Now irritated, Vincent strode forward and grabbed at the fake's arm, only to see it disintegrate into bursts of green, shimmering in the air. Even as he stepped back in shock, the fake continued to disappear, until Vincent was left standing alone.
