Hey guys, back at it again with yet another chapter after the long wait. Just to update you guys, the upcoming chapters are going to be released much later than on schedule as exia111149 will be away on National Service, something that I'll also be going through in the coming month. And as you all know, this is a collaborated story so I'll not release any new chapters on my own until exia111149 and I can work out a schedule to write these chapters. So, we apologise to all of you guys who have been following the story for a while. So mini announcement aside, let's get this chapter on the road.

Disclaimer: We do not own the Final Fantasy franchise. If we did, well, we'll leave it up to your imagination.

Chapter 7

"No solid leads, no eyewitnesses, nothing. Three straight days of combing through every crevice of this cesspit and we still haven't found anything!" Tifa yelled out in frustration, making Cid cringe. "There must be something we missed, some stones we've still left unturned." 'I've almost forgotten how much of a madwoman she can be sometimes, especially when it comes to Cloud.' Cid silently thought to himself as he eyed Tifa from the wheel, the latter whom was clutching her forehead while gritting her teeth in anger. An audible sigh escaped his lips. "You could do with some rest, ma'am." Cid commented while steering the wheel. "As a matter of fact, we all do." His words made Tifa's head shoot straight up as she looked at him. "You're not getting any rest until we get at least one lead on Cloud's whereabouts." Tifa snapped back, her lack of rest evident in her bloodshot eyes. "Can I just be brutally honest with you about something?" Cid asked before continuing. "We've been searching for him for three days straight, with no rest, mind you. I swear, we've circled around the slums more times than I can count."

"What exactly are you driving at, Cid?" Tifa asked while narrowing her eyes at Cid. "What I'm saying is," Cid replied as he placed the ship on autopilot before walking over to the main deck where Tifa was, the latter stood hunched over a table looking at the map. He also took note of the many same maps scattered across the opposite side of the table, each one covered entirely in red ink. "It's a colossal waste of effort." He said as he walked up to Tifa and rested his hands on the desk opposite to her. "You've made us go around in circles to look for, might I be so bold as to say, impossible leads. Might I also add that not everyone is in any condition to keep up this fruitless search." Tifa slammed both hands on the desk, making Cid winced at the sound of splinters being made in it. Cid was internally glad yet mystified that the desk hadn't decided to give way, considering Tifa's strength that was known for bending even the toughest of metals.

"This 'fruitless search' as you so casually remarked about," Tifa began as she looked up at Cid dead in the eye, a deadly aura gathering around her being. "Allowed us to cover a lot of ground and even if, IF, we haven't found anything about where Cloud might be, it stands to reason that he's pretty well hidden by whoever attacked us that day. Henceforth, we must double our efforts. We're going through every last sector once more, question every last one whom might have seen Cloud, no matter what it takes. Do I make myself clear, or do you need a better 'explanation' so that you won't question my orders?" Seeing that crazed and violent look Tifa had in her eyes, Cid visibly gulped. "Yes, ma'am. Whatever you say." Cid hesitantly yet fearfully replied. Satisfied with his response, Tifa sat back down to look at the map. 'This confirms it, she has gone completely bonkers.' Cid thought to himself as he inwardly sighed in relief for escaping the embodiment of absolute pain.

Right after their whole exchange, Barrett and Vincent entered the main deck, their expressions grim and blank respectively. "I take it you guys weren't able to find anything as well?" Tifa asked, not even looking at their direction. "We've already searched everywhere and asked everyone, Tifa. There's still nothing that could point us to where Cloud is." Barrett replied, lightly massaging the corner of his eyes with his flesh index finger and thumb. "With all due respect," Vincent added in a monotonous tone. "None of us are in any condition to keep up the search. Might I suggest that we consolidate what we know so far when everyone's well rested?" "Hey, even Vince agreed with me on this!" Cid remarked, which earned a glare from Tifa. "I said it before and I will say it again. Until Cloud's whereabouts are known, we. will. NOT. REST!" Tifa replied, emphasizing the last two words of her sentence with all the authority she could muster if it wasn't for the fact that she was sleep deprived.

"Now you're just being unreasonable, Tifa nee-chan." Yuffie said as she strolled in, rubbing her eyes using her palm. "We're all tired from the days we've spent searching, forgive me for being blunt, in vain for non-existent leads." "They exist, Yuffie." Tifa responded with a harsh tone. "We are just not asking the right people or looking in the right direction." Yuffie huffed. "And who exactly are the right people to ask, hmmm!? Where exactly is the right direction we should be looking at!?" Yuffie yelled, her equally bloodshot eyes popping out of her head through the severe dark eye-circles as her voice gradually got louder. "We've scurried around the slums like ants on a hot hill, yet all we've been doing seems like a fool's errand!" "Don't talk to me like that, young lady!" Tifa snapped back, stalking towards Yuffie until she was right in front of the latter's face. "Do not forget that I'm still the leader of this team, and whatever I say goes."

Yuffie was seething in anger with Tifa's response. "Alright! I am fed up with your behaviour! You're not the nee-chan I know!" Yuffie spat, her eyes glaring into Tifa's own. "The nee-chan I know always does what's best for the others, one who's always thoughtful and mindful of others. But now, I don't even know what I'm looking at. If you're willing to spare no expense at ordering us around without second-guessing how we feel, then you're no better than the A-holes who live on top!" That's when Yuffie dropped the bomb. "That makes you no better than Shinra!" A loud slap echoed through the Highwind. Everyone minus Vincent stared wide-eyed in shock as Yuffie held her stinging cheek, tears streaming down her face from the pain. "How dare you, Yuffie!" Tifa shouted, bringing her right arm down. "How dare me!? How dare you!" Yuffie cried out, still nursing her wounded cheek. She turned heel and ran out of the room, crying on the way out.

Everyone just stood in silence digesting the events that have transpired. "Tch, whatever." Tifa remarked as she walked back to the table, sitting down to look through the map again. Barrett simply shook his head and left for his quarters along with Vincent. "You know, ma'am." Cid began as he lit a cigarette and placed it in his mouth. "Keep going around like that and eventually, everyone's going to leave you." Cid then turned and walked away back to the control panel where he set the Highwind on hover mode before going back to his room. Tifa sat at the desk in silence, her brows knitted in deep thought. 'Have I gone too far?' She silently asked herself before shaking her head. 'This is no time to think about others.' She mentally berated herself. 'I have to find Cloud, even if it kills me.'

"That was some commotion." A figure spoke from the corridor leading to the various bunks. Tifa narrowed her eyes as she turned to glance at a pink-haired woman. "What do you want, Lightning?" Tifa asked, not wanting to deal with any more problems. "You know, where I come from," Lightning began as she walked towards Tifa. "Such actions are known as insubordination and are harshly dealt with. But from what I saw, that was not insubordination but consequences of poor leadership." "Save it, Lightning." Tifa replied before looking back down on the map. "I have enough berating for one night." Lightning looked at Tifa before sighing. "I know you're deeply concerned about Cloud's wellbeing. Heck, we all are." Lightning commented. "But have you ever stopped to think that you're taking things way too far? You've pushed away every single one of your comrades, your friends, all those who came to help because they respected you as their leader and loved you as a friend. So ask yourself, what have you to gain after everything that has happened?" Lightning started to trek back to her room.

"What do you want me to do, then?" Tifa called out, making Lightning stop in her tracks. "That's a question you ought to answer yourself." Lightning replied before walking back down the corridor. Left alone in the room, Tifa leaned back on the chair and loudly sighed. 'I've really taken things too far, haven't I?' She thought to herself as she tilted her head to look up at the brightly lit ceiling. "I was always the pushy one right, Cloud?" She mumbled to herself as she let the memories of her childhood with Cloud fill her thoughts. "And yet," She chuckled as she took on a solemn smile. "You always stood by me, always put up with my shit with that smile of yours." She felt a droplet trickle down her face. Noticing that she was crying, she swiped it away with the back of her hand. "But I guess I can't expect everyone to be like you huh, Cloud?" She sadly muttered to herself, her tears now forming around her eyes. "Gosh, I've been such a jerk to everyone." Tifa sat in silence for a few minutes while letting her tears stream down her face.

"It's been a while since I've gotten some sleep." Tifa said to herself after calming down. Sniffling, she neatly folded the maps and rested them back on the table. 'Maybe I should check up on Yuffie before I hit the hay.' She thought to herself as she stretched, feeling the creaks in her back from the long hours she spent slouching over the tabletop. She made her way to check for any abnormalities on the control panel before leaving the room. She made her way down the hallway, contemplating on how she was going to apologise to Yuffie. Eventually, she found herself right in front of the door to Yuffie's quarters. Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand and knocked on the door.

"Go away." A muffled voice followed by a couple of sniffles was heard from the opposite side of the door.

"Yuffie, it's me. I just want to talk." Tifa called out, knocking on the door once more.

"I said go away, Tifa. I don't want to talk." Yuffie cried out while choking in between sobs.

Tifa sighed before leaning her forehead against the door. "Look, Yuffie." Tifa began. "I'm sorry for what happened earlier, it was stupid and unjust of me to lash out in such a manner towards you. You know how I get in situations like this, but I know this is no excuse for the way I've been acting. I just wanted to say that I appreciate all that you and the others have done for me. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, I'll hear it."

There was silence on both ends for a moment before the sound of shuffling feet towards the door was heard followed by the door slightly opening. From the gap in the door, a pair of puffy red eyes stared into Tifa's. "Two scoops of Honey Bee's special honey glazed ice-cream with three scoops of cookies 'n' cream topped with lightly touched marshmallows and drizzled with chocolate syrup. Your treat, no room for negotiation." Yuffie spoke, her voice still slightly breaking. "You've got yourself a deal, *私にかわいい妹*." Tifa said while flashing her a bright smile. A soft giggle was Yuffie's response before closing the door.

"Wait, Yuffie." Tifa said as she placed her hand against the edge of the door to stop it from closing. "*お休み妹ちゃん*"

"*お休みお姉さ*" Yuffie answered. Tifa took her hand off the door to allow Yuffie to gently shut the door. Tifa continued her walk down the hallway to her bedroom, thinking about Cloud along the way. 'Cloud, I hope that you are fine, wherever you are.' She thought to herself.

(Back to the desolate remains of Shinra Central Laboratory….)

"Come on, *兄貴*." The well-muscled replica of Sephiroth, now identified as Loz, mockingly spoke to a badly battered Cloud strapped to a chair. "Sephiroth said that you were just like him." Loz placed his foot on the chair right between Cloud's restrained legs and leaned in with a menacing look on his face. "Did Mother make a mistake?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow before shaking his head. "Nah, can't be it. Mother never makes mistakes." "Perhaps there is something that *兄貴* is lacking." A slimmer version of Sephiroth known as Yazoo spoke from one of the dark corners of the room. He stalked towards Cloud, grabbed a fistful of Cloud's hair and yanked it backwards. "Mother may be inside him, but she's dormant. He has yet to draw out her full potential." Yazoo commented while staring intently into Cloud's eyes. Cloud smirked and spat blood into his face. Yazoo raised his free gloved hand to wipe the blood from his face and glared back at Cloud's smug face.

"Big Brother's got guts, I'll give him that." Yazoo commented after headbutting Cloud. Yazoo forcibly threw Cloud's head back down. "Maybe there is something that Mother sees in you after all." Loz added before backhanding Cloud in the face, bruising his left cheek. "I really hate to hurt you, Big Brother. I really do." Loz said to Cloud. "But you persistently refuse to accept Mother, consistently shun her graces. Such defiant acts towards Mother are….are…." "Go suck your thumb at the corner if you're going to cry, Loz." Yazoo said, rolling his eyes at his brother's emotional antics. "I'm not crying!" Loz exclaimed, though Yazoo wasn't convinced. "Sure, tell that to the few tears streaming down your face. Unless, of course, if your eyeballs are suddenly starting to burst or something." Yazoo replied with a smirk. Loz hastily turned around and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "Like I said, I'm not crying." He said while turning around. "And like I said," Yazoo answered, his face stretched into a thin smirk. "Go to a corner to pour your heart out, or better yet find someplace else lest you drown us all in your tears."

"Put a sock in it, you two." The lanky Sephiroth counterpart identified as Kadaj said as he walked in. "Soon, he'll see the error of his ways. It's only a matter of time before he accepts Mother's love like we all did." He then took out a sleek, black box about the size of his palm. Through his muddled vision, Cloud could see it was a music box. "Let's see if what Big Brother Sephiroth say is true." Kadaj commented before cranking up the music box. Once he felt it was enough, Kadaj lifted the lid of the music box and an ominous tune played. "Trying….to….lighten up….the mood huh?" Cloud managed to muster through his broken and bruised lips. He was then hit with a wave of nausea followed by a splitting headache. 'What's this? What's happening?' Cloud thought while trying to fight the pain. Cloud's world became shrouded in darkness as he felt himself being dragged into a pit. It didn't take long before he let the comfort of blackness overwhelm him.

Cloud awoke to find himself back sitting on one of the stools, resting his head against the bar counter in 7th Heaven Bar. Everything looked as it should be, although Cloud could tell that something felt different. 'Feels off, I must have blacked out from the beating.' Cloud thought to himself as he sat up and look around. Suddenly, he began to hear music in the background. 'Hmm, don't recall getting a jukebox for the bar.' He thought to himself. As he listened closely, he realised that it was the same tune that was played from Kadaj's music box. 'Okay, things are starting to get really weird.' "Cloud?" A feminine voice called out from behind him. Cloud turned around to come face to face with his childhood friend Tifa. "I've been looking for you all morning. Get off your lazy butt and help me with this." Tifa said as she picked up a mop to hand to Cloud. Cloud walked over and took the mop from her hands. 'Kill her.' A voice spoke. "Huh?" Cloud looked around. "Is everything all right? You seem a little pale." Tifa asked while looking at him worriedly. 'Kill her.' The voice spoke again. "What is this? Where's that coming from?" Cloud asked himself. The words from the voice echoed in his mind, playing them over and over again. 'Kill her, kill her, kill her.' "Stop it, stop it, stop it!" Cloud exclaimed while covering his ears. His whole world was deaf to him, he couldn't hear Tifa's desperate cries calling out to him anymore. All he could hear was that voice and that awful tune. "GAAAHHH!" Cloud cried out as he raised the mop over his head and swung it down in Tifa's direction.

Cloud awoke with a start, his eyes wide open as he gasped for air while frantically looking around. He was somewhat relieved to find that he was still strapped to the chair in the same dark and musty laboratory. 'Was all that just a dream?' He thought to himself. 'No, it felt too real to be one. I can't believe I would actually….' "Oh, you're awake." A voice from the shadows spoke. The voice's owner walked towards Cloud, his footsteps echoing in the enclosed room. Finally, he reached his destination right in front of Cloud. The dim lights suspended above Cloud illuminated his face to unveil Mako-green eyes and a silver mane on an evil face. "What did you do to me, Sephiroth? What did you make me see?" Cloud asked, his teeth seething in anger and his eyes narrowed. "Hmmm, aren't you the curious one?" Sephiroth replied, his arms crossed over his chest while resting his chin on one of his fists mimicking a thinking expression. "Tell me, are you familiar with the term 'classical conditioning'?"

Seeing Cloud's confused look, Sephiroth flashed an evil smile. "It used to be a big thing in SOLDIER. It was what they'd use on the 'weaker' recruits." Sephiroth explained. "Basically, it refers to a conditioned stimulus, let's say a song, which leads to a reflexive response. What this response is, however, varies depending on the person providing the stimulation. It was often used in training, in ensuring that the 'weaker' ones could endure the harsh sufferings of boot camp and hellish obstacle courses." "Get to the point, Sephiroth." Cloud impatiently muttered. "Tut, tut, tut, Cloud. This is all part of the explanation." Sephiroth replied. "As I mentioned, the reflex varies. Hence, once the song is played, the subject would be driven into a state akin to psychosis and would continue to be in it until the song ends." Cloud's eyes slightly widened at Sephiroth's words. "In a nutshell, I could just simply open this music box and all of your friends will lie dead before your very eyes, by your very own hands." Sephiroth finished, his face contorting to sport an evil smirk.

"So, you're using hypnosis now?" Cloud asked. "Got some bad news for you, whatever you're trying, won't work on me." "Ah, but judging from your reaction earlier, I'd say it's starting to have its effects on you." Sephiroth answered. "Not to worry, though. We'll be having a few more sessions like these to whip you into shape." Sephiroth turned on his heels and began to walk out of the room. "Wait," Cloud called out, causing Sephiroth to stop in his tracks. "Who's been healing me all this time? Couldn't have been one of you sick bastards." Sephiroth smirked at Cloud's question. "Well, you'll just have to stick around to find out. Oh wait, it's not like you have anywhere else to go." Sephiroth walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him leaving Cloud all alone in the room's dark confines to his thoughts.

私にかわいい妹(watashi ni kawaii imouto) – My cute little sister

お休み妹ちゃん(Oyasumi imouto-chan) – Good night little sister

お休み妹ちゃん(Oyasumi onee-chan) - Good night big sister

And that is it for the seventh chapter. Once again, we offer our sincere apologies for the late chapter. Be sure to read and review. And do let us know what you think of our Japanese translations so far.