Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy. This is fan-fiction...

Earlier I said some weeks would pass between each chapter. I should clarify this: It does not mean I will update every other week or every other day(I am still going to update one chapter each day, or at least try to). It means that normally, some weeks or days pass in between one chapter and the next - in the story. (So, since it was spring in the beginning of this story, it is now early summer)


In the Sun


Yesterday, Sephiroth had left the old science library without being noticed. But the General was still not content. There had to be information somewhere else - some report that said what, exactly, they had done to stop Rimm from aging for such a long period of time, as well as why. Also, he wanted to know all who were responsible, and when exactly they were going to complete the experiments. Judging from the 'In Progress' on the bottom of the lone paper, they were not done with her. Still, if the report was old, then perhaps they were done, and he would have nothing to worry about. It was complicated, and even it was though perfectly understandable to him, it would take time and patience to solve.

For now he would just let go of some steam.

It was almost eight o'clock in the morning, the day after Zack's exam. Zack had already showered him with hundreds of questions as to why he had simply left the scene. Apparently Zack liked being in the spotlight. Sephiroth could not blame him. At the moment, however, the man was not grinning quite as much.

"This is killing me..." Zack muttered, supporting himself with hands on his knees while smirking in a defeated manner.

The sun really was a bother. Out of nowhere, its rays had fought their way through the heavy layers of smoke and black clouds that normally veiled Midgar. For such a thing to happen was rare, indeed, but not unheard of. It happened because the Mako reactors were temporarily turned off to get checked. Sephiroth preferred to think that was to ensure the safety of the people in case of Mako reactor explosions, but guessed it was more about money than anything else for the President. Perhaps the man had ordered someone to improve the reactors so they would generate more power. Either way, he had never harboured a liking of any kind towards the greedy man.

"I'm hungry and thirsty and sweaty..." Zack continued. Even though it was only late spring, or - should he venture to say - early summer, it was certainly warm.
"Thank you for enlightening me." The black-haired man gave an apologetic chuckle.

"But it's so warm."

"Too warm?"

"No, just warm."

Which was why the two of them trained shirtless. They did not utilize any of the training grounds close enough to the Shinra building for the employees to watch them, nor did they use the training rooms inside the headquarters. Instead, they were working out on the roofs of old buildings left behind and forgotten by whoever were their previous owners. Sephiroth had been tempted more than once to simply slice some of said buildings in half to confirm that his (and Masamune's) strength had not decreased after he left Wutai. However, such a deed would be dangerous for the people in the slums below. He could catch glimpses of them - not on the elevated streets on which the more expensive buildings were built, but far below, underneath the numerous bridges, stairs and the gigantic beams holding up the middle-class section of Midgar.

Both he and Zack left had left their swords behind on the roof in favor of lifting, moving, breaking and bending old metal beams and girders, so as to measure their strength. They had even attempted to use the smaller ones as weapons against each other. After they were done, the objects looked more like pieces of art than anything that would ever hold together a building. These loose pieces of metal eventually got in their way, though, forcing them to move to other buildings and continue working out there.

While Sephiroth easily ran up the walls until he got to the roof, Zack did not manage to get longer than halfway. After cursing mildly at himself, he eventually chose to jump from window sill to window sill. Once he was up, both of them took hold of their swords again and started dueling. None used their full strength, choosing to focus more on movement and endurance.

Sephiroth jumped from building to building, easily gaining leverage by utilizing walls, roofs, and even window sills. Zack used mostly roofs, and landed some hits with the back of his sword. Sephiroth blocked using his Masamune and used his free fist, feet and knees to block and knock Zack out of his way every time the younger man got close enough. This was mostly training for Zack, but also for Sephiroth himself. In fact, for him, it was much easier to kill than it was only to injure. If Sephiroth needed to kill, he would use his sword. If he had to catch the enemy alive, it was more difficult for him to determine how much strength he should use, and where and how he should hit.

"Man... I'm like a walking waterfall," Zack said jokingly, flashing a wry grin when they stopped. Beads of sweat covered his skin, glistening in the sun as it ran down his forehead and his back. Even his hair refused to stand in its usual direction. It was no wonder - they had been training for a fair while.

They were pretty close to Shinra's Headquarters. This seemed to trigger an idea in Zack's head.

"I challenge you," he then stated, earning narrowed eyes from the General.
"...Challenge?"

"How 'bout we try and get all the way to the gym rooms inside without anyone seeing us? That'd be good stealth training."

Before Sephiroth replied, Zack jumped off the building and down to the ground - not using the window sills this time - and ran in the direction of the outdoor training shack, as he so fittingly dubbed the building by the training area. After only seconds inside, he emerged with his own tank shirt and gear, as well as Sephiroth's coat.

Then he darted towards the Headquarters of Shinra.

"...Wait!" Sephiroth ordered, alert. What was Zack doing? That coat was his, and was not an object people should simply take with him. Zack paid no heed and ascended the emergency stairs on the side of the tall building. Sephiroth followed, his moves swift and soundless. Why had Zack insisted on going to the training rooms of all places? There were lots of people in there. Sephiroth had only one intention at the moment - to go home and have a shower. Before that, though, he preferred to retrieve his coat. Never in a million years would he shower in the dirty Shinra training rooms. The showers in there were so old they were rusty. Even the water smelled of rust. Everything in those shower rooms had been rusty as long as he could remember. That said something. Zack was a fool to think he could outrun him like this.

The black-haired man obviously put in a lot of effort to run faster than him, because once Sephiroth caught up to him, they were already at the emergency exit on one of the highest floors. Zack hurried inside and ran through the hall without any stealth whatsoever. Had he not said the challenge was to get to the gym without being seen? Perhaps trying to get there without getting caught was what he had meant to say. Frowning, Sephiroth followed the man while avoiding any others on the way. Every time he almost caught up with Zack again, somebody showed up and made him take a detour not to be seen. He just hoped the guards in the monitoring rooms were not watching the cameras. If they were, they would surely tell someone. Even record him and make money of it. It was not an everyday thing for the General in person to roam the halls shirtless.

Once they were at the right floor, which seemed oddly empty, Zack came to a stop, panting heavily. Still holding Sephiroth's coat and his own gear, he supported himself on a wall while grinning widely when Sephiroth walked closer.

Right before any of them were given a chance to scold or defend themselves, however, a certain lunch deliverer walked around a corner with a nearly full trolley.
She stopped and took half a step back the instant she spotted them.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed, to the great amusement of Zack, who laughed loudly between breaths. She held her arms up as if to shield herself from the view, turning away a little.
Sephiroth only watched. He could not see how he had not realized her identity before. Had he really put up that much of an effort into denying it was her?

"What's wrong?" Zack questioned her. For a moment she said nothing, as if thinking of something smart to say, then she peeked at them through her fingers. For once, she did not wear a hat. It left the band-aids on her forehead visible.

"I'm having a mental nosebleed due to overexposure of muscles..?" she offered, joking with some difficulties.

"...Huh? You... hit your nose or something?" Zack asked, a tad clueless. She shook her head and took hold of the handle of the trolley. Then she walked closer and passed them. The fact that she was on this floor meant she had delivered food to someone on the gym. And that meant there were people there after all, despite the fact that the floor was otherwise quite empty. Where should Sephiroth and Zack go next?

"...In Midgar, a nosebleed is automatically assumed to be caused by either strong allergy or a hit to one's nose. In Wutai, however... it is said that nosebleed is mainly caused by two things."
"Yeah? ...Yeah? What are those two?" Zack asked eagerly, and Rimm stopped dead in her tracks. Apparently, she had assumed none of them would know what the joke meant. Sephiroth, watching her intently with no particular expression, spoke again. His voice was level, betraying nothing.

"One, eating chocolate." Rimm turned her head slowly and looked at them over a shoulder while listening carefully, not trying to hide that her brow was twitching.

"Two... thinking inappropriate thoughts."

Once Zack understood, he laughed loud enough for everyone on the floor to hear him. Sephiroth feared people would start showing up soon. Rimm had a faint red hue on her cheeks, and turned away before speaking.

"Ah, I really didn't think bad thoughts, I... was joking. Obviously I have bad humor. Besides, you two look - according to fans in general - too good for me to be allowed to watch you. Your fans will strangle me for sure. So I'll be leaving now," she said in a mumble. Zack kept grinning.

"Really..?"
"Yeah. Anyway, have you put your clothes on now?"

"Sure thing, it's safe to look now," Zack lied, earning a glance from Sephiroth.

Hearing his answer, she turned around.

They were still shirtless. The only thing Sephiroth and Zack saw before she turned away again was her remarkably deep frown. Her cheeks were not red, though. Clenching her fists, she cleared her voice demonstratively. The General did not know quite what to think of this.

"What was that supposed to mean? And you say I'm the one thinking inappropriate thoughts, Zack? ...And why are you even shirtless in the first place?!" she asked rapidly.

"...Zack abducted my coat."
"You accepted my challenge!"
"I did not. You merely assumed I did."

Their talk was interrupted as people were heard approaching from the main corridor of the hall. Had the monitoring guards seen them and alerted the others about them after all? Zack and Sephiroth exchanged glances - Zack excited and Sephiroth not entirely pleased. They could simply get their clothes on, but that would mean getting them all sweaty, and in time they would start smelling. Such a thing was out of the question. They had, after all, not only discarded their garments before training because it was warm, but also because none of them wshed to go through the trouble of sending their clothes to get cleaned. To add to this reasoning, Sephiroth had just had his coat cleaned already, and all he currently desired was to return to his apartment and have a shower. Considering people were approaching from the only exit, they had nowhere to go.

So, where to?

"...The spas behind the gym room are empty," Rimm mumbled, barely audible, still not watching them.

This was a suggestion they accepted without a word, as they did not want to be heard.


After plenty of stress, Sephiroth eventually managed to take a short shower at his apartment before returning to his office in the Shinra building. It was a miracle that not more time had passed, considering it had taken so long for him to actually leave Shinra HQ in the first place. Still, his lunch was not yet delivered. When Rimm got to his office should he say anything? Perhaps she still believed he was not aware who she was. There was a chance it angered her that he had not noticed - or, should he say, admitted - before now.

There was also a chance she knew who had used her for an experiment, and what they had done to her.

"Enter," he said automatically, simply knowing someone was outside. The door was thick, however. It wouldn't surprise him if the sound of his voice did not always carry through it if he spoke in a quiet voice.

The door opened either way, revealing Rimm.

"Hello again, General."

No 'Mr. General' today. Perhaps because of the small incident earlier.

"Good morning..." he started, watching with feigned interest when she placed his lunch box on the desk and turned to leave. She still wore the two band aids on her forehead. Had the door really hit her that hard?
"...Rimm."

The completion of his sentence resulted in immediate reaction. She stopped and turned around halfway, searching his eyes with wide, gray orbs while wearing a slightly distressed frown. In return, he simply watched her from his position in the office chair of his. He wore no expression. Then she looked away slowly and nodded while raising her eyebrows, as if pondering something. When she looked back she smiled carefully, testing if it was the right thing to do. He figured he should at least give her a friendly tilt of his mouth in return, but found he could not. It was simply not something he did too often; it just seemed wrong for one such as himself to do so. To describe it quite precisely, he did not allow himself to. He was - to put it bluntly - a killer. More than once had he killed innocent people, believing they were enemies, and especially so in the war.

So why should he smile?

"Sephiroth. Or... as Reno said..." she started, perhaps thinking to joke again, but did not continue. Regret was obvious in her eyes when she stopped herself from grimacing.
"...'Sapphire-Ruth'," he finished for her, more serious than strictly necessary.

An awkward silence ensued. She averted her eyes.

"...How are you still this young?" he questioned. Postponing the subject would not do them any good. She looked up at him, a concerned frown once again on her face. Nonetheless she replied.
"Uh... The scientists, I think. I don't know how. I didn't even realize... that so much time had passed - not before I saw you and all," Rimm explained, smiling awkwardly as she shifted. She was evidently ill at ease.
"I see... I was not aware they were capable of committing any crimes of that caliber - not when they are being so closely watched." There was a chance President Shinra was in on it as well, then. How many knew of this?

And then came a matter that was impossible to avoid - one of personal importance to her, undoubtedly; Did she have parents who were still alive, and if so, had she seen them yet?

"I thought you didn't know who I was..." The fact that he had failed to notice before did, indeed, to some extent embarrass him. In addition, her statement also caused a certain degree of self-consciousness to surface within him. Rimm's predicament and his late realization were not matters that should be repeated. They would both learn from this.

"I just found out. I apologize for my late realization," he said, looking at his final pile of paperwork. After he finished it, he would spend more time doing field missions. As he used to do before the war.

"No problem." Her voice was quiet.


Hojo knew Sephiroth had visited that small library at the lab floor. It was only a matter of time before the General would try searching the Research Library on the 62nd floor as well. As for the lab library the General had already visited, on the science and lab floors, from 67th to 69th floor... They were supposed to be impregnable. No one had ever managed to get in and escape safely afterward. Sephiroth was an exception.

But only because Hojo had arranged it that way.

The only reason he had let Sephiroth go was his own curiosity. None of the files about Sephiroth - the Jenova Project - said anything about Jenova being an Ancient, or an extraterrestrial being for that matter, so it didn't matter if Sephiroth read them. But Sephiroth had taken his time to read one file that was not about himself. It was his Nova project, that only Hojo himself knew of. There was no way Sephiroth could be aware of the experiments done with that woman. Yet, he had gone out of his way to have a closer look at that particular file. Hojo knew that the woman had been involved with Sephiroth when he was much younger. Sephiroth had most likely not seen her for fifteen years. Why search out a childhood friend now? Simply to confirm it was truly her? Surely, Sephiroth was intelligent enough to start questioning the doings of the scientists. It might become more difficult from now on, indeed.

...Yet, this could be used to his own gain. Arrangements could be made to fit his wishes quite precisely. To the slightest of details.


"My turn! Guess who am I now," Reno ordered his audience in the cafeteria. He was sporting a wig - an afro (though, where this came from, no one knew) - and wore a superior expression betraying complete control. Without speaking, he pointed at his fake afro. His mimicking did not ring any bells in their minds, which made him smirk - perhaps at their uselessness.

"Someone with an afro. I dunno about any celebrities with an afro, though," Zack said while poking his chin in thought. He was occupying a chair, facing Reno. No one were eating at the moment, and those who were present were either finished for the day or were just slacking.

Reno shaped a heart with his hands, which resulted in some stifled laughter among the onlookers.
The game participants, however, were far more serious. No one wanted to lose.

"What? Heart? ...Love! The heart means love!" Zack exclaimed, pointing at Reno, who nodded before starting to let his hands shape big curves in the air, from his shoulders to his feet.
"A woman. Okay, a lovable woman with an afro?" he guessed impatiently, ready to stand up.

Doing nothing to confirm Zack's guess, Reno drew a circle above his head.

"A halo? Yeah? Then, you're mimicking an angel? Goddess? ...Man, I don't like that kinda stuff. I'm not good at it. Is it Cupid?"
"Cupid is a boy, isn't he?" someone among the onlookers said.

"Perhaps he means Aphrodite." a blonde man suggested. It was one of the newer Shinra guards, whose hair was impressively spiky.
"What the heck? Afrodite?" Zack sounded disgusted. Whether he disliked Aphrodite or hated losing was left unknown.

"Correct! Okay, now it's your turn, yo. Pull a card," Reno said and threw off the afro. Leisurely pulling out a chair, he sent a competitive glance in Zack's direction. The black-haired man did the same, though with more humor and a wider grin than the redhead.

Hesitantly, the blonde pulled a piece of paper from the small bowl on the table. After reading it he frowned in distaste and looked up slowly.

"...I can't do this."

"I KNOW! It's SEPHIROTH!" Zack shouted, surprising them all.
"No, it's definitely Scarlet. See, Cloud would never dare to mimic her," Reno countered.

"Are you kidding? Scarlet is a hundred times easier to mimic than Sephiroth!"
"No, she's not," Reno countered.
"Oh yeah? Watch me!"

Zack flashed a wry grin and stood up, then pushed his chest out and let his arms draw huge curves along his body.
"Kya-ha-ha-ha!" he laughed, his voice high pitched. His reward was a massive wave of laughter from the others, and a very annoyed huff from the redhead.

"But-" Cloud started.

"Very funny! But Sephiroth is even easier, so he can't be the one Cloud is going to mimic, yo! So just admit you're wrong, and just watch me prove it," Reno said confidently and rose to his feet. After shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath(looking a tad displeased and unwilling), he calmed down enough to keep his face serious and smirk-less.

With no hesitation whatsoever, he loosened his ponytail and let his red hair flow freely, then he removed the goggles usually holding his red locks in place. His stoic pose did not change when he started walking with long, eloquent and swift strides through the room. His goal, as the others would soon come to realize, was a long coat left on a chair. After quickly putting on the left-behind item Reno slowly turned around - his head tilted back so as to look down on them all - and then gave the audience the coldest glare he could possibly manage with narrowed eyes. As if on cue a warm gust danced through the room from the open windows and swirled around him. The usual and smirking Reno, whose nonchalant behavior always had a trace of humor and even lazy arrogance at times, was nowhere to be seen in this new person. He was dead serious, and the only thing that gave him away was his vividly colored hair. It was an uncomfortable sight. Not only could they all tell who he resembled; He also seemed oddly out of character.

Then he simply couldn't resist a certain phrase he recalled from not so long ago. In contrast to his looks, his voice still held apparent traces of his benign cockiness.
"I am... Sapphire-Ruth," he spoke, unable to prevent a smirk.

After three short seconds - during which several pairs of confused eyes blinked and the rest of the people exchanged glances - roaring laughter could be heard from the cafeteria in question. Some were left teary-eyed, while others were unsure as to whether or not they should be laughing at all.

"Pfft-" Zack started, but held back his mirth.
"Don't try to hide it, I heard you," Reno informed as he disposed of the coat. Cocking his head, he put his goggles back on.

"I didn't laugh," Zack countered said in a serious voice, swallowing several times not to release his laughter.

"Keh. Anyway, Cloud, who of us were right?" Reno asked, catching the others' attention. The blonde still held the note i his hand.
"I haven't mimicked anyone yet, but I was supposed to mimic professor Hojo," the blonde said, looking at them for reactions.

"...Hojo, huh?" Reno asked thoughtfully. He was busy gathering his hair in a ponytail again. Zack smirked.
"Aww, come on! Just borrow some glasses and a white coat, and walk around with a hunched back and a deep frown. Everyone would've been able to tell who you were mimicking," the black-haired 1st Class Soldier said while letting his smirk grow into a lazy grin.

Sighing, he sat down in a chair and crossed his arms. Cloud picked a new piece of paper and studied it for a while.

"Say... Gya-ha-ha..?" he tried.

"HEIDEGGER!"
"Heidegger!"

Both Zack and Reno shouted the name at the same time. Pumped up, they stared at each other with competitive expressions, Zack clenching his teeth in his usual grin, and Reno leering. At one point the two of them had silently agreed that they were rivals. They were not enemies, though - they only did this for the heck of it.

"I'll try another one," Cloud said hurriedly, guessing their fiery behavior would be taken to the next level if he didn't. After choosing a random note from the bowl again, he looked up at them expectantly.

"Ho, ho, ho..."

"...Huh? Who laughs like that?" Reno asked.
"President Shinra?" Zack chanced. Cloud did not approve.

"Santa Claus!" another, female voice called with a hint of admiration. They turned to see the red-cheeked Rimm, whose eyes were focused solely on the spiky-haired man.
"Man... Cloud, that was bad. If you would've just put more spirit into it, I'd have guessed for sure," Zack muttered.

"And it's still early summer..." someone mumbled.


R.R.
(I know the world of FF7 doesn't have Christmas or Santa Claus, but I used those names anyway. If you don't like that too much I'm sorry - you can try calling them something else if you wish...)
The last bit of this chapter was to make it clear to you that the threesome are friends, and that Rimm has a thing for fantasy characters(as described underneath the picture of her that I posted on DeviantArt), just like you. (you are reading a FF7 story, after all) And also like me. Hehah.

All your reviews violently pierce my heart... with extreme gratefulness and joy and fuel!