Well, it's longer than usual...haha. And more serious. I'm trying it out, so, comments and/or help are very much appreciated!

Thank you to any faithful readers...yeah.


The airship hovered above the platform, motors growling and wheels outstretched, waiting for the platform guides and crew – a bunch of random men who had talent for nothing in particular and were henceforth stuck with the miserable job – to get their shit together. Some were running around, waving fluorescent sticks above their heads; others were frozen underneath the airship, gawking at the huge thing. Most of them, however, were still inside their quarters because apparently the commander had forgotten to inform everyone of the change in the airship's arrival time. Whatever the reason, the large flying vehicle was hovering above the platform without being able to land properly, and the human cargo inside – which included Shinra and his son – was probably planning to fire the platform crew once they landed, if not outright kill them. The President was anything but patient, and his son wouldn't stand up for the insignificant crew unless there was something in it for him. The word selfish comes to mind.

The large mob of soldiers who were dispatched to the platform to greet the President and his peers were waiting a bit farther off, but they were within earshot of the landing spot. The younger soldiers were as stiff as a board, their guns hugged to their chests, while the more experienced ones were groaning and whining, feeling that they had attained a level of seniority high enough to test their commander's limits and not get discharged from the military altogether. They let their weapons sag in their arms and began to move out of formation, to the commander's great irritation: his squad's behaviour was his responsibility and he'd be held to blame if the President was dissatisfied. He was no pushover and he would show those arrogant first and second classes! The cadets and most of the third classes were silent, watching their elders bitch and moan silently.

"Shut up, all of you," hollered the commander as he waved his gun over his head menacingly. Most of the SOLDIERs were unimpressed and continued to chat, looking over the small-framed commander without a hint of fear. Poor commander Mark wouldn't get respect as his bigger, more muscular comrades who got stuck with things like arranging the parades or keeping the men in formation while they waited to greet one of the executives

"The President ain't looking at us anyway," a younger one defended himself, and Mark felt his face flush with anger.

"He probably fucking is, and you're all embarrassing me in front of him! I'm not letting you loud idiots mess up my career," he hissed through clenched teeth.

They were interrupted when shouts and yells sounded from the platform, and everyone turned to see if there were any new developments in the situation. Thirty or so men, suddenly popping out of the building glued to the side of the platform, joined the ones already running around and slowly they began to remember how to do their job and guided the airship to its landing spot as the crew prepared to put the ramp up. The cleaning team was also nearby, seeming as impatient as the soldier squad, although not as flashy in their dark red uniforms and black caps. The squads leaders exchanged exasperated looks before turning their attention to the people now exiting the airship.

President Shinra was the first to exit, his black suit a stunning contrast with the white-walled airship that served as his background; the President had a round belly, barely contained by his pants, a head full of slick blonde hair and eyes like those of a hawk. He walked like he owned the place – sadly, he very much did – and didn't give any indication that he was happy to be back in Junon. In fact he seemed angered, and not just by the poor execution of the landing by the crew. He swung his massive figure around when he reached the ground to face the soldier squad commander, who had marched his way to the indicated spot, followed by his men who had quickly snapped out of their boredom and disobedience.

"You're having problems controlling your men, Mark," snarled the President as he played with a greasy lock of his light hair.

There was a small crash, followed by a curse, before a younger, slimmer and much more handsome version of Shinra appeared at the airship's door, leaning heavily on the doorway. Rufus's secretary, a small girl who looked constantly on the verge of having a heart attack, had to slip his arm over her shoulder to help him down the ramp lest he fall over in what appeared to be a heavily drunken state. Her eyes darted nervously to the President as she set her employer down on a chair one of the crew had fetched for him. Mark prayed that this was enough of distraction to get him out of the accusations the President was throwing at him, but there was little hope.

"Damn it Rufus, couldn't you keep away from the bar for a couple hours? You're a shame," spat Shinra as he shot his son a death glare; the young vice-president giggled and waved his hand in the air in a dismissal motion.

"Get over yourself, daaaaad…"

He was completely out of it and so Shinra decided he wasn't worth his time anymore. He ordered the secretary to lead the vice-president to his appointed room and keep him there until he came to his senses, and not a second before. She walked away slowly, dragged down by Rufus's weight on her shoulders, and soon disappeared within the building. The President spun on his heels, faced the soldier squad and snapped his fingers; the soldiers exchanged looks, unaware of what they were meant to do. Shinra was clearly annoyed by their lack of reaction.

"Isn't this supposed to be a greeting party? They don't even know how to greet properly. Lovely."

The soldiers finally caught on and, on their commander's exasperated count, they began the well rehearsed routine they'd been practicing for a week in order to keep from disgracing themselves. Too late now. At least they managed to do the entire routine without a snag and the President found nothing about it to downsize.

"Mark, get your men out of here. I have to have a word with the men responsible for the landing crew…"

Mark was glad he was not said man. He turned to his squad, suddenly aware of the sweat covering his neck and forehead, but was too tired to bother scolding them.

"Fuck off, all of you. Don't wanna see any of you until tomorrow, keep that in mind."

The men dispersed and Mark was free to turn to the airship, his eyes examining the damaged-looking motor on the left flank of the ship. It was still smoking slightly and he wondered what might have caused this injury within the motor. If the President and his son were on some kind of ship, there were rarely any incidents, because if there were the pilot and the crew would get a life-changing beating they'd never forget, one of the Turk's specialities. Speaking of the Turks, half a dozen of them exited the plane in an orderly fashion, starting with a Turk with spiky, flame-coloured hair and ending with a blonde woman who smiled up at the sky for no apparent reason. Mark disliked the Turks and decided to return to his quarters before they spotted him; not that they hadn't already. They simply decided to ignore his presence.

Cloud had been in the President's greeting party and was very glad to be dismissed; the sun was beating down heavier than usual and his uniform had begun to stick to his sweat-slicked skin. He was glad to enter the soldier quarters, which had been blessed with air conditioning, and he returned to his bed in the farthest corner of the room. Because it was such a small group of them, the cadets had been grouped with the SOLDIERs for the sleeping arrangements and whatnot. They also ate together and shared the same trucks, which was new for the cadet, but not unpleasant. He didn't like Mark much, because he was a bit loud and full of himself, but he could have been stuck with worse.

This being the second part of his trial exam for the SOLDIER program, he had been one of the few who had stayed calm and obedient during the whole airship landing ordeal. He had finished his written exam and aced the combat part – which Sephiroth had attended, sitting in the VIP booth with a handful of executives and Firsts – and it was now the 'field work' portion. He hadn't been looking forward to being sent to Junon for a week just to greet an airship and then spend a few days looking after the president and his son the drunk. The President had brought his dogs – aka the Turks – with him anyway so their presence was as good as useless. He'd thought that field work would involve going into an area filled with monsters to clear out or an infiltration mission, but no. It might as well have been called 'obedience evaluation', because all he had to do was show he was ready to receive orders and do as he was told. Not very challenging. The other eight cadets who'd also been sent to Junon for their evaluation were just as disgruntled as he, and most still hadn't come back to the room. Cloud was alone in the room for quite a while, actually.

He didn't notice he'd fallen asleep until he was shaken awake by a rough hand. He jolted upright in his bed and turned confused eyes to the scarred face to my left, seeking answers. He nodded in direction of the door, and Cloud saw that everyone else was getting dressed and putting their gear on. He groaned and rubbed his temples, attempting to chase the headache that plagued his groggy mind. He was still tired, but the others had probably slept less than he had so he rolled out of his bunk and blindly went around in search of his clothes. It was only a few minutes later that he remembered that he hadn't undressed last night and he was wearing them on his body. He grabbed his gear from under the bed and hurried out the door behind two other cadets, noticing that it was now dark outside and he'd probably slept longer than he thought since he'd gone to bed around two in the afternoon. He was unable to ponder it further, however, as he arrived in a small rectangular room where Mark stood clutching a rather massive gun, dark circles clear under his eyes.

"Took you all long enough," he barked when everyone was sardined into the room, bodies meshed together uncomfortably. Cloud was nailed to the wall by a six foot tall second class wearing a helmet much too large for him; it fell crookedly to one side, showing tufts of black hair on the side opposite of his head.

People were actually too tired to argue so they stayed silent.

"Rufus requires our presence tonight," he explained in slow-motion, "so hurry up and follow me. Stay in formation, all of you, or so God help me…"

No one wanted to know what kind of messed up thing the President's odd son wanted them to do so Cloud and his comrades kept their mouths effectively shut and followed their commander in a perfectly aligned group. They looked awfully straight for a squad that had just gotten out of bed, but it was for the best, Mark thought as he lead his soldiers out of the building and out to a long stretch of apparently useless road. It was lined with a rusted metal fence on the side leading out to the ocean but they were able to cast glances at the silver water as it rose and fell and washed up on the beach. Even Mark liked the ocean, and that was saying something.

They were forced to detach their attention from the mass of turquoise liquid when Rufus, wearing a black suit – unusual since he normally preferred his white one – and followed by the redhead Turk and another one with a bald head and wearing sunglasses. At night. His secretary was also there, half hiding behind her employer and still in her pyjamas. The Turks looked wide awake and Rufus came over with a smile plastered on his face, flashing his perfectly aligned white teeth. He waved his hand at the soldier commander as if acknowledging him and the squad began to feel as though something was off. Why was the vice-president requesting their presence in the middle of the night, looking unusually happy? Cloud didn't like it and neither did the guy on his left, from what he could hear as he muttered under his breath.

Despite the commander's efforts to get some information out of the vice-president, and he did try very hard, Rufus just kept shrugging and eventually stopped smiling; he ordered them to get into the big airship (albeit smaller than the one that had landed previously) without a word. Cloud hurried up the ramp with his fellow cadets, eyes glued to the President's son whose eyes betrayed something that made him shiver. Whatever was happening, it couldn't be good, especially if the commander didn't know.

They took a seat along the walls of the airship and waited. Mark came in first, followed by the vice-president, who was himself flanked by his Turks and secretary. They took a seat in a more formal area with real chairs and a wooden table. There was a loud rumble, followed by a violent shake that almost knocked Cloud off the bench entirely. They were departing, and so without the cleaning or landing crew. Mark turned to give his soldiers an alarmed look that meant 'if anything goes wrong, jump while we're over water'. Not that they'd be found or anything if they were stranded in the middle of the ocean in between two far apart continents…

"Would you be so kind as to tell me what's going on here?" the commander hissed impatiently, shrugging off the Turk's warning glares. Reno was toying with the holster for his gun and Cloud had the reflex to grab for his own weapons; defend the commander, not the Turks.

"Be patient, commander," Rufus was clearly trying hard not to snap. "We're going to Gongaga; not too scary for you, is it?"

The commander relaxed a little; Gongaga wasn't exactly a warzone. His squad, although still restless, followed their commander's lead and the atmosphere lightened considerably. Cloud frowned, letting his eyes trail away from the redhead Turk – why did that town sound so familiar? He'd never been there, that much was for sure. Maybe he'd call Zack and ask him when he had the time and if he found some reception on board.

--Oh, Zack. Gongaga was his hometown; the First had told him not too long ago at a bar. The cadet might have been too intoxicated to properly retain the information, but he was glad now that he had decent memory. Maybe he'd visit his friend's parents, if he got some time off while in Gongaga.

Then it occurred to him that this might very well be a part of his field test, designed to actually put him and the other eight cadets to the test in a real life situation. Had it not been for the vice-president and the confused look on Mark's face, he would have been sure of it. However, it was unlikely that Rufus Shinra was going to put on an act and travel to Gongaga just for the cadet field test…totally improbable. Cloud had heard that Rufus was irresponsible, a heavy drinker, unfocused and, to a certain extent, perverted; plenty of reasons to point out that he wasn't here for the measly cadets.

The airship soared through the night skies for hours, motors rumbling quietly. Cloud could see the outside through a tiny circular window right above his left shoulder and he gazed through it for most of the trip, entranced by the crystalline waters underneath. The moon was a full round circle of pale white light that reflected off the ocean's persistent waves, the only light from outside; the airship only had one lamp and it lit only in Rufus's spot.

Said vice-president had his eye on Cloud, it would seem, but the cadet didn't notice at first. Then there was a rough nudge in his sides and his head snapped up to look at his fellow cadet, frowning.

"Rufus has been looking at you for like an hour. What did you do to make him mad?" the other cadet snorted. Malcom – always laughed at everything.

"I've never even met him! I don't know…"

He wondered for a fleeting moment if Rufus knew about him and the General, which would be reason enough to stare at him. And if that was the case, the Turks knew of his relationship as well because they were staring at him too – if not openly glaring. Mark was sending him an annoyed look mixed with some confusion and Cloud bit his lip before shaking his head in his commander's direction, praying the man understood his silent message. The commander shrugged in response and went back to sipping his cold coffee, eyes downcast.

The airship landed just as the sun illuminated the continent in golden morning light. The entire vehicle shook as it hovered above the ground and then plopped down unceremoniously in the middle of a clearing surrounding by a dense forest. Only when the captain had turned off the motors and the small but very fast engineers onboard had put down a ramp did the vice-president rise and exit the ship in his usual regal manner of walking. Commander Mark ordered them to follow him out but it was obvious he was disgruntled and starting to get worried again.

Cloud instantly detested the forest surrounding Gongaga, as it was incredibly dense and the tree roots rose many feet into the air, forcing them to climb. Rufus, of course, had his own little truck which his Turks had the privilege of using too, so it was just the cadets, Mark and his imprecise map. He squinted when trying to read it and they went around in a couple of circles before finally making it out of the forest and entering the little town.

The commander, once they had entered the town and he was summoned to the inn, sent his squad on break and the fifty or so men dispersed in various directions, some in groups and others alone. It then occurred to the blonde cadet to call the General, who expected him to fill him in on what was going on anyway, while he was on break. Gongaga was a far cry from the big city but it surely had some kind of reception.

He dialled the General's number, which as far as he knew only he, Zack and the President had, and listened to the high-pitched ringing. One ring, two rings, three rings…

"General Sephiroth speaking," he sounded downright bored and Cloud guessed he was just out of a meeting, or still in one.

"Hey," he muttered awkwardly. It was the first time he called Sephiroth on his cell phone and for some odd reason it was gnawing at his nerves – he never did like speaking on the phone. He hoped he wouldn't have to introduce himself, and thankfully the General recognized his voice quickly enough; he perked up a little.

"Oh, Cloud…how are you doing?"

"I'm, uh…" How was he? He'd been airlifted out of Junon by the President's own son and dropped down into a half deserted town without any explanation. Then again, he wasn't harmed in any way…yet.

"Is something wrong?" worry laced Sephiroth's low voice no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

"I'm fine. It's just…could you look at the description for my field test? You can do that right?" he prayed the General could. Sephiroth was allowed pretty much anything but maybe he hadn't the time.

"I can…why?"

"Just do it, please?" he nibbled on his lower lip until it turned blood red. He listened to the soft rustling of papers as the General looked through some files, although it sounded distant. The phone was then picked up again and Cloud could hear the General's soft breath against the receiver again.

"Go to Junon, greet the President once he lands, stand guard, come back. One week duration. Overseen by Commander Mark…that's about it, Cloud. Will you tell me why, now?"

He hesitated; this sounded a lot like a secret operation. If Sephiroth himself didn't know about this, it was definitely suppose to be kept from Shinra ears. Maybe Rufus had chosen Gongaga because he figured, being such a small town and so far from the big cities, it wouldn't have cell phone reception. His phone did indeed flash the message 'weak signal' persistently.

"Because last night we were put in an airship with Rufus Shinra, two Turks and his secretary and now we're in Gongaga. No one knows why, not even Commander Mark. Is this some kind of snag to test us on field…?" he had to admit, he was hopeful. Sephiroth just had to say yes and all would be well. Let him say yes, he begged.

Only silence met him. For a long time the General said nothing, leaving his lover to frown and call out to him in an increasingly worried voice.

"Cloud, whatever's happening, it's not good."

Cloud felt his heart rate increase dramatically and he suddenly felt very hot, as if the mako in his body was reacting to his panic.

"Rufus had been having a fight with his father lately and he threatened to take action against him if he didn't give in to his demands, whatever they are. This might be it," the General's voice was no more than a low, dangerous growl.

"What should I do!?" the cadet practically yelled into the phone in panic. Calm was out the window now. He didn't want to die out here in a little town he didn't know, far from the people he loved and even before becoming a full SOLDIER. He'd run for it if necessary but since they'd spent hours flying over the ocean he guessed he was no longer on the same continent as Midgar. He couldn't steal the airship either unless the other soldiers helped him to, either.

"Wait there. I'll alert the President and he'll no doubt send his men there. It won't be to save a platoon of fifty men, no, but there's no way he'll allow his son to get away with this. It could take a day or two, however…be careful, Cloud. I don't know why he brought you all there but it cannot be good."

Cloud stared emptily at an empty crate decorating the side of the road, surrounded by shards of broken glass. He was clutching the little device so hard in his hand that it cracked; he quickly lightened his grab on it before he broke it completely. Cloud remembered something with a jolt and brought the phone back to his ear.

"Sephiroth, while we were on the airship…" he paused, weighing his words carefully.

"Yes?" Sephiroth sounded strained.

"Rufus was staring at me for a long time – so were his Turks. I know one of them is Reno," he pictured the redhead in his mind. The only reason he knew him was because he sometimes came to chat with Zack.

"Reno's bad news," Sephiroth spat with venom, "all the Turks are. Keep away from all of them. He could be out to get me through you, but," it was the General's turn to pause, "Never mind. Please be careful," he whispered the last bit. Cloud waited for a few seconds, wondering if Sephiroth might say it on his own for once; he was disappointed, as usual.

"I will. I love you," he half-whispered as two soldiers walked past and threw him smirks. Apparently he hadn't whispered enough.

"I love you too."

And then the line was cut. The Cadet stared at the phone for a minute before slipping it into his pocket. He then hurried over to the small agglomeration of houses, remembering his plans to visit Zack's parents – he had the time now. Plus, if he was going to die soon he might as well have done this. He looked at the houses and counted only about a dozen of them at the most. A small town, just like Nibelheim, the cadet mused.

On his seventh try the door was opened by a tired-looking woman with small but tight wrinkles around her blue eyes and wearing a distinctive yellow apron. He could see a tall, well-built man hovering behind her and knew instantly whose parents they were: the resemblance was uncanny. The woman stared at him expectantly, annoyed that this man was interrupting her and didn't seem to have a good reason for it.

"Hi, I'm Cloud Strife," he managed to squeak out, "I'm a friend of your son's…Zack?" he tried. If he was wrong then he'd look like a proper fool.

The woman's eyes widened somewhat but her mouth remained a tight line; she looked around like a watch dog, alert, before pulling the cadet into the house and slamming the door closed. They had several locks on the door and she locked them all without hesitation while the man led the young man to the living room to sit down at the table.

"How is our son? Is he doing well? They've intercepted our mail so we don't get letters from him anymore…" the woman whispered sadly as she poured some green liquid into a cup for him. The couple was staring at him expectantly, clearly expecting him to be telling them bad news.

"He's doing very well," the cadet assured the parents as he sipped the tea. Sweet.

"Still a second class?" the woman mused with a small laugh that reminded Cloud of a dog sneezing. The cadet arched one eyebrow in confusion and set the cup down.

"Second? No, he's a first now; the General's Second-in-Command, in fact," their stunned expressions told him they weren't lying about the mail being intercepted. But, why? There was a reactor here, sure, but it was small and besides, every town had one.

"How long has the mail been intercepted?" he ventured. Zack's mother shook her head and her eyes seemed sad, of not downright depressed. He'd have to get Zack to visit her when he got back to Midgar – if he ever got back.

"Oh, a few years maybe. I thought, since Shinra is the one stopping the mail, Zack must know why we haven't answered his letters, if he did send any. I see they hide things from even their own soldiers."

Like anybody else she talked of Shinra with hatred, disdain and raw fury for what it had taken from her, destroyed, stolen. She was old enough to remember a world without mako reactors and military men stationed at every corner, holding guns and fully allowed to shoot and kill. She might have been like Cloud's mother, torn to see her only son leave the house to go to Midgar chasing a dream. Cloud began to wonder why he shouldn't hate Shinra too. Because Sephiroth was a part of it? Because Zack and all his friends were there too? That hardly seemed like a suitable reason.

"Has anything strange been going on recently?" he inquired further, deciding he'd pick up some information for his General. He probably already knew about the mail being stopped but then again, it was possible he did not. If Rufus was able to airlift into the town without the President knowing, then the President wasn't in control of Gongaga. The cadet began to shiver and fear set into his mind once more.

"Recently?" it was Zack's father who had stepped in to answer. "Well, an airship landed today, with the vice-president in it if I'm not mistaken. Weren't you in that ship?" he was frowning now. Cloud swallowed a lump in his throat painfully and nodded.

"We were airlifted here without notice and I contacted the General to inform him about it. He says no such thing was scheduled, and that it could be dangerous."

He had no idea why he was telling Zack's parents all this. Maybe because, as citizens of Gongaga village, the faith of the little town affected them. Or maybe because it had to do with Shinra, which their son was part of, albeit their obvious hatred for it.

"The vice-president has been here often for the past few months. He drops by for a few days and then leaves – we never know why. He meets with the Professor, that much we know for sure," the man stated thoughtfully.

"The Professor?" Somehow that sounded bad to the cadet.

"Yes, the scientist. He's not here all the time either, but when he is we stay away from him. He scares me," the woman admitted as she placed some cookies on the table as if to break up some of the anxiousness they all felt.

Cloud had ever known one Professor, and that was Hojo, the scientist who had put a giant mutant tiger in the General's bedroom; Sephiroth had also told him how Hojo had poked and prod him as a child, conducting some rather dangerous experiments on him without fear for the boy's health. Instantly he'd hated Hojo all the more. Hojo, most assured him, was nothing like his precedent, Gast, which Cloud had never personally met; Sephiroth remembered him, however vaguely, and had fond things to say of him.

Hojo is psychotic. Something went terribly wrong when that man was born, or someone messed with his head, I assure you. Stay away from him, he means harm in every pore of his skin. He'll tie you to a metal table and cut you just to see how loud you scream, and no one will be able to help you because Shinra needs him. Without Hojo, Shinra isn't going anywhere.

He remembered his lover's warning with ease. But would Hojo really be here? He was definitely the only scientist at Shinra, excluding the lab workers and apprentices, but there was the problem: he worked for Shinra. Would he become a traitor?

For money and recognition, probably, Cloud thought with a scoff. Good thing Hojo had a wild appearance or it might be difficult to enquire about his presence in the village.

"Does the Professor have long black hair tied in a ponytail and walk around with his hands behind his back?" And does he cackle like a damn maniac and smile when he sees children crying?

"Yes, that's him," the woman seemed thoroughly impressed that he'd been able to tag a name to the face he'd yet to see.

xXxXxXxXxXx

"Well, men, uh…I still don't know what's going on," the Commander nodded to himself absent-mindedly as the cadets yelled and shrieked in indignation.

They'd been in Gongaga for a few hours now and the soldiers were quite frankly bored; they'd explored every inch of the place and had now nothing left to do but await orders. Mark had finally been excused from the inn and had called the men over at the other end of the village as if to get as far away from the Turks as possible.

"However, I think you might want to know that this was not scheduled. It's not a test or an ambush exam – whatever's happening, it's real. No use getting mad 'bout it…"

One of the soldiers, a burly third class, yelled out in frustration.

"What the hell did they say while you were at the inn? You must know something! I'm not staying in this hole for a week just because Rufus decided to be a bigger asshole than usual," he yelled.

"Watch your damn mouth," Mark hissed in a low voice, motioning for them to speak in smaller voices. "We might not be on a briefed mission but I'm still your superior. If you must know, I was told to wait in another room after we talked for five minutes. As far as I know they were just talking with some village folk."

The soldier who had screamed shook his head and threw his weapon in the air in his rage; it twisted in the air, glinting under the sun, and the nearby soldiers pelted out of the way before the weapon could spear them. Mark was just too tired and restless to even care and did nothing except throw the soldier a disapproving look. He then proceeded to jump off the truck he'd been using as a podium and made to return to the village. Cloud was quick to move in front of him and said they needed to talk. Mark frowned but accepted nonetheless – he'd nothing better to do.

"Sir, there's a few things you should know," he began nervously.

Mark said he was listening and the cadet told him everything he'd learned from Sephiroth and Zack's parents, putting an accent on Hojo's presence in the village. The Commander, judging by the violent shivers that preyed on his body at Hojo's name, was as fond of the scientist as the General was. He nudged Cloud behind a building to make sure nothing was overheard.

"You're sure of what you're telling me? Lying or giving unreliable information to a superior is a serious offense, cadet."

"I'm not – I'm not lying!"

"Then there's nothing we can do about it," declared the Commander after a pregnant pause. He jerked his head sideways and made to rub some sweat off his brow with his dirty sleeve.

"Sir?"

"There's nothing we can do, cadet, except wait for the help the General promised. Half a day has gone by already, so even if we are in danger the backup will get here soon. Try not to worry."

Even though he says that…he looks pretty scared himself.

Cloud watched the Commander shuffle away, still wiping his face with his shirt as though he wasn't going to sweat some more in a minute. He then came out of the building's shade himself and decided to go rest near the trees where the shade was plenty and all the other cadets had gathered, huddled close together and talking.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

They landed in Gongaga at three pm the day following Cloud's call to the General, two hundred men and the General himself. The President was, in a word, furious when he heard that his son had taken off incognito with his soldiers and, as Sephiroth had hoped, he took immediate action. The airship itself landed quite a few miles from the town just to they wouldn't alert Rufus and his men to their presence and give them time to bolt. Sephiroth was at the head of his temporary army, pressing them on as fast as they could handle through the forest until they reached the small town. Zack wasn't able to come; if the General was to perish in action, Zack was his immediate replacement. It would have been unwise to bring him, regardless of how easy the mission seemed. The First had been dismayed to hear that he wouldn't be able to visit his parents, and wanted to go in Sephiroth's stead, but the General wanted to go himself and skin the vice-president.

They arrived and found not what they had been expecting – the village was deserted. They checked every house, every store and every corner but they found not a soul. It didn't look like there had been much of a struggle either, for they found no broken plates or windows in the homes or signs of guns having been fired. A sense of dread filled the silver-haired General who decided to post half the men in the village and take the other half with him to find the villagers and the missing soldiers.

The forest around Gongaga was a lot of territory to cover, and for hours and hours they searched for anything that might indicate human presence. When night time came, and the moon rose in the black sky, they returned to the village, completely demoralized; even the General found nothing to say. Worry and panic were threatening to overcome him and, in order to keep from doing anything he might regret later on, kept quiet. Sephiroth picked up his mostly unused cell phone and dialled the third number on his contact list – President Shinra.

"President Shinra's office," his secretary's voice answered. He muttered his name and, with a quiet gasp, she put him through instantly.

"Sephiroth?" he guessed.

"There's no one here."

He made a quick status report of what was around them – which wasn't much – and in a few seconds was finished. He heard the President swear to himself and take a sip of whatever it was he was drinking. Sephiroth could hear Tseng breathing behind the President as usual, but his breathing was erratic in comparison to the usual. Two of his Turks had fled from his command and the Turk commander had been forced to take a lie detector test to prove he was telling the truth when he said he didn't know Reno and Rude were going to Gongaga. The other Turks at Junon hadn't the faintest idea either.

"I contacted all the docks and air station on that continent and they're not letting anyone get away. They're still on that continent, Sephiroth."

That meant 'search every last cave and under every rock until you find them and don't come back until you do'. Since Rufus had Cloud with him, he certainly wouldn't be going back empty-handed.

"They came here in an airship, Shinra. A private one," he pointed out in a hiss. How could Rufus have stolen out of Junon in an airship and still have every staff member in the city remain oblivious?

"We've confirmed that the airship is back in Junon. There was no one on it except the pilot, and he claims he never saw anything. He just got paid a lot of money by the Turks to fly and then come back."

That was good news. It meant Rufus and the men were stuck on this continent, and although it was a big one, there was nowhere that drunk vice-president could hide where Sephiroth wouldn't find him. If anything he was just going to make his death more slow and painful when the General found him.

"And Sephiroth, don't hurt my son. Just get him back here."

The General made to shut off the phone when he heard the President clear his throat and call him back.

"One last thing, Sephiroth. Hojo has been missing for two days, as well. No one knows where he is or why he left, but it's not the first time he leaves unnoticed for a couple of days so it may be nothing. I just thought you may want to know."

Knowing how badly the General hated the mad scientist, the President made it a point to mention Hojo to, if anything, fuel his General's anger. The angrier he was, the sooner he'd find his son and put an end to this. Shinra honestly didn't care where Hojo was, because he would always come back.

xXxXxXxXxXx

It had been two weeks; two weeks since they'd landed in the small deserted town by airship, two weeks since Sephiroth had called the President. They had found nothing and Sephiroth was completely out of his mind to the point where a First named Vincent took his place as the leader – not that the soldiers didn't obey Sephiroth, but said General was too temperamental to think straight. They were entering Nibelheim now, Cloud's hometown, and when Sephiroth realized that the waves of fear hit him fully again. He was so upset that without another word to Vincent or his men he shut himself up in the inn and lay face-down on the bed.

A few hours later, there was a tentative knock on the door. He didn't respond. The door opened regardless and Vincent popped into his room in a hurry, seeming more excited than he had in a long time.

"General sir, we've found a lead!" the temporary Commander spewed as he neared Sephiroth's bed. He jumped back quickly when the General shot out of bed, suddenly filled with renewed energy, and demanded he tell al he knew.

"The townspeople said a large group of men went around the town a few weeks ago and were headed for Mt. Nibel. It has to be them!"

Sephiroth snatched Masamune up and tied it to his back as usual before grabbing Vincent by the back of his shirt and dragging him down the stairs, ignoring the man's wails of pain as his head collided several times with a corner or wall. Once they were out in the fresh air, he made his way to the center of the town square. Since most of the men were off chatting with some local girls or exploring the area, he felt the need to call them to his side; Sephiroth was back into gear and play time was over.

"Soldiers, ATTENTION," he barked in a relatively harsh voice that promised pain and suffering to any poor soul that did not magically appear in front of him within the next three seconds. Fortunately enough, his men knew better than to mess around with his patience and they all lined up in front of him, clicking their heels together and 'yes sir!'-ing simultaneously.

"We're off to Mt. Nibel, so get your shit and let's go."

The soldiers scattered to get their things together and then returned to their General's side. The reaction to 'The Demon of Wutai's Sudden Comeback' was divided between relief of having their lives put in more capable hands and dread at realizing that he'd be riding their asses the entire away. At least they felt as though there was hope of finding Rufus and their comrades now.

They hurried to Mt. Nibel, Sephiroth leading them with the nervous Vincent shadowing his every move. The General slew any monster they met with an impressive force, determined to save Cloud without wasting a single second. They found nothing on their way up to the reactor, and once they arrived, Sephiroth sent some men inside to investigate the area; however, before they could enter, Sephiroth spotted an innocent-looking boot a little ways off. He halted the men before they could enter and went to examine it carefully. It was a soldier boot, and it wasn't any of his men's. He looked around for more clues, and that's when he spotted the small ladder nestled in between two massive tubes, almost impossible to spot had you not been standing in the General's exact spot. He came to the conclusion that someone had left the boot there as a clue for anyone who came to their rescue – it might even be the blonde cadet's. He whistled to the men and pointed to the ladder.

"I'll take thirty men up with me," he instructed and watched as thirty volunteers quickly stepped up, eager to prove themselves in front of the General. They knew not that he really didn't give a damn who came and how they performed. He wanted Cloud back in Midgar now.

Sephiroth climbed up the ladder first and the soldiers followed him obediently. There was a small fenced platform at the top, too small to fit more than one man, and a small door. It was locked. The General growled.

"Sir, I know how to pick locks, if you could just move over-"

The General ignored the mousy soldier and slammed into the door with all of his force –which was, undoubtedly, very much indeed -, which in turn sent him barrelling into the building head-first. As nimble as a cat he managed to roll so as to break his fall and stood up smoothly, totally unscathed. He heard one of the younger soldiers clap. Sephiroth pressed his index finger to his lips briskly to get the soldiers to be quiet.

They were in a part of the reactor, that was for sure; long tubes made of a combination of iron and a hard rubber-like substance jutted out of the ground, which was actually a pool of glowing green mako, and they were stepping on thin red pipes, searing hot to the touch. They had to keep moving constantly or their soles would burn; a Second was quick enough to show them that when his shoes literally melted and he had to hop back outside. They hurried over the pipes cautiously and finally entered a room with a proper floor and ceiling and walls. The first thing that caught their attention were the two Turks sitting nonchalantly on tipped-over chairs; when the soldiers entered, the Turks almost fell out of their chairs and dashed across the room, reaching for their weapons, but Sephiroth was quicker. He slid Masamune out of its sheath and sent it soaring in the air in Reno's direction, and the sword embedded itself deeply into the man's leg, spilling blood onto the immaculate floor. Reno fell to the ground with a loud thud and a grunt and Rude, being the wiser of the two, simply put his hands in the air and shook his head.

"Long time no see, General," Rude said politely, bowing his head.

"Tell me where Rufus is," he growled, moving to retrieve his blade from Reno's leg, "And you two better be ready to get fired. Tseng and the President aren't happy."

He was curious as to why the Turks had 'deserted' Shinra in favour of Rufus in whatever scheme he'd cooked up. Maybe he offered them a better paycheck but it was unlikely; Turks were notorious for sticking together through thick and thin. Once a Turk, always a Turk…

"Rufus ain't here," Reno sputtered as he picked himself up off the ground and limped to stand next to his partner, still unarmed. "But the scientist, he is. Mad as can be, though."

He couldn't be talking about anyone other than Hojo. And then thought of Hojo within a mile radius of Cloud, with or without his nasty tools and scalpel, ignited a white flame of rage in the pit of his stomach, turning his eyes a shinning green. He retrieved Masamune from the floor and wiped the blood off on his coat; he wanted to see Hojo's disgusting blood dripping off the six-foot weapon. His grip on the sword's hilt was so tight that his knuckles turning snow white and, had it been a regular weapon, it undoubtedly would have been crushed to pieces. He flipped off the Turks, told half of the men to stay and keep the Turks stored inside the room and then moved to the next room, the rest of the men trailing after him nervously. Anyone who had had mako injection with the charming professor were looking forward to decorating the walls in his blood just as much as the General himself.

The next room was, in a word, huge; they could barely see the other end. A dozen or so identical metal tables, equipped with leather straps (most likely to tie down arms and legs) and a table filled with medical and surgical instruments, stood at attention on either sides of the room. Three massive translucent cylinders were fused with the West wall, filled to the brim with shinning green mako, and there were bodies encased within them. Finally, a rather large cage was incorporated with the north wall and already the General could see most of the missing men lying in them. None seemed to be moving even though their rescue party was making ample noise. The tables, although horribly bloody, were all cleared of bodies.

The General went to examine the tables first, eying the razor-sharp knives and odd contraptions with a shiver as his memories flashed before his eyes. Try as he might, he could not banish them to the back of his mind as he usually did – not this time. The blood on the tables, he noted, was dry but still considerably fresh. The fact that no limbs or slices of skin lay about was only a small consolation.

He then moved to the curious glass cylinders filled with mako, something he had never seen in Hojo's lab prior, and immediately wished he hadn't. One body floated alone in each of the tubes, the first one being Commander Mark, the second one a dark-haired Third class and the final body was none other than Cloud's; all three of them were unresponsive as the soldiers tapped the glass of the tubes, calling out to them. Sephiroth struggled to keep calm but as nothing seemed to awaken the three men, something inside him snapped. He brought Masamune out a second time.

"Move away from the tanks!" he barked impatiently, and was relieved to see that the soldiers complied fast. He drew the sword back and swung.

Mako spilled all over the steel floor and the blonde cadet fell on the ground with a dull thud. He did not move or say a word, only lie there with his eyes cracked open. The General, more out of good measure than anything else, opened the two other tubes and then ordered the men to move them out of the green liquid and check for vitals. To the soldiers' surprise, he took care of the cadet himself, laying him on the cleanest of the tables and listening for an intake or exhale of breath. When he heard nothing, he pressed his thumb to the large vein on the inside of Cloud's wrist, frantically searching for a pulse. He closed his eyes and, for the first time in his life, he prayed for something.

Please don't let him be dead…

He didn't hear the men yelling out, or the wails of pain and terror, didn't feel their hands as they touched his shoulder sympathetically. He wasn't aware that he looked completely broken and that the men were, for once, seeing him as a human, like them. He could only feel a horrible loneliness, not unlike he'd suffered from before, but more intense, stopping the very breath from entering his lungs. He let go of Cloud's wrist and couldn't look at the corpse any longer – he simply closed his eyes and kneeled down to the ground, tuning out everything. He would never have let himself fall in love if he'd known it would end like this. And then, for whatever reason there was, he slipped slowly and painfully into unconsciousness, and his body slumped to the ground under the terrified eyes of his men.

xXxXxXxXx

"Sephiroth…"

"What?"

"Sephiroth, please wake up…"

"Wake up?"

"Please…"

"I didn't know I was asleep."

"Did I upset you?"

"Who's talking?"

"I'm sorry."

Sephiroth jolted awake and immediately wished he hadn't. If he didn't know he hadn't consumed alcohol lately, one word would have come to mind: hangover. His head felt as heavy as if it was made of lead and he didn't dare open his eyes out of fear of light. He knew it hurt. He was drenched in sweat, that much he could tell, and it was slowly cooling down and his clothes stuck to his skin.

"You're awake!"

He felt arms wrap around his neck and he wondered who would dare do such a thing. Maybe Zack…no, the voice was much softer. It was familiar, though. But who…?

"I was scared," the stranger admitted close to his ear.

He chose to remain silent and tried to remember what had landed him in such an unfortunate situation. The last time he had passed out, he'd drank a bar out of alcohol because he'd just learned that Hojo was his father and he was trying to forget it. It didn't work but he did spend the next day swallowing painkillers, to Shinra's dismay. When a small kiss was placed on his jaw, his eyes snapped open and he grabbed the stranger by the throat, slowly choking them.

He let go as soon as he identified Cloud, letting the cadet fall to the ground, coughing. He realized that he must have been dreaming, because he remembered Cloud dying, and pain flooded his heart again. He lied down on the bed again, not caring about the dream-Cloud squirming on the floor.

"Sephiroth…? What's wrong?"

The cadet was standing a safe distance away from his bed, worry swimming in his deep blue eyes. The General huffed, waiting to erupt back into reality, thinking that indulging in dream-Cloud would just be rubbing salt in an open wound.

"You're dead," he stated flatly. He didn't expect the cadet to sit down on his bed and touch his hair hesitantly; he didn't have the heart to chase dream-Cloud away.

"No…you saved me," the cadet stated proudly, smiling.

"No I didn't. You didn't have a pulse anymore. I'm dreaming."

Dream-Cloud lay down next to him and lay one arm over his chest and his head next to his, breathing warmly on his neck. Did you feel hot or cold in dreams? The General couldn't remember. He felt the thick ice wall around his normally guarded self melting, as it had been over the past month, now barely more than a lukewarm puddle. If this was a dream, he wouldn't wake up. He would not allow anyone to pull him back to reality, ever.

"You don't trust me?"

He sat upright in his bed again, almost knocking his lover out of the bed. He looked around, momentarily disoriented, before noting that he was cold. And, most importantly, he wasn't dreaming. Cloud was alive. He turned around and yanked the confused blonde into his lap, pinning him there with his arms and burying his face in the golden locks.

"What happened?"

He could feel Cloud stiffen somewhat in his lap and the cadet's hands played with his shirt.

"What did Hojo do?" he snarled in anger. He hadn't killed Hojo, he remembered now, and he had never regretted anything as bad.

"…he was trying to make something. Something like you."

"Like me?" the General blinked.

"Rufus wants to overthrow his father, because Shinra took him off the will, but he doesn't have an army or anything like that. Hojo was going to turn us all into super-humans, he said, like you. 'Fifty General Sephiroths…no, better than the General', he said. But for all he was confident, he didn't know what he was doing. He…" Cloud choked.

Sephiroth was fuming. Not only did the mad scientist persist in treating him like a measly laboratory experiment, but he was trying to make more monsters such as himself, and using live specimens for it! Cloud, no less! It crossed his mind that Hojo might have picked this one squad to test on because Cloud was a part of it. The professor always did seem to be oddly aware of what went on in the General's life, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. He was pretty much begging for a death wish.

"He injected most of us with something, and then they…died. Whatever he put inside them destroyed them from the inside out. As for me, and the commander, and Malcom…I don't know!" Cloud shuddered and rubbed his eyes with his fists, "He didn't say what he was doing but…I felt like I was choking, and my lungs were on fire. And then I zoned out, but I was still aware but couldn't move or talk. I saw you come in…I wanted to tell you I was okay."

Sephiroth cut him off but hugging him too tight to permit the younger man to speak. He then lay Cloud down on his former bed, got up after kissing him several times and turned around once he reached the door.

"I'm going to kill Hojo."