Zack angrily paced around the lounge as Cloud sat at one of the many tables watching his friend pace around. He knew what had caused him to become like this, it was Chu and she was missing.

"It's been a month! Where the hell is she?" Zack shouted. Cloud winced at Zack he knew that he wasn't shouting at him, he was just venting his frustration. The month before the Genesis clones had attacked Junon allowing Hollander to escape, Chu went missing that same day.

"I-I don't know Zack…they still have her listed as active duty so she must be on a mission or something." Cloud said trying to be positive and trying to calm Zack down.

"Where could she be..." Zack trailed off and sighed. Zack plopped himself in the chair across from Cloud and leaned back, a hand covered his face as he leaned back. Cloud looked worriedly over the man, but remained silent.

"One minute I was with her on the beach and then in Junon and now she's gone... " Zack trailed off again.

"We'll find her because Sephiroth is looking for her along the Turks." Cloud said and smiled. Zack moved his hand to look at the young man across from him and then covered his face again.

"I hope so…" Zack trailed off.

Cloud knew that Zack cared for Chu more than he told people, and his reaction to her missing further drove the fact that he was in love with her. Shifting in his chair he looked away from Zack and remained silent, he didn't know what else he could say that would calm him down. Suddenly Kunsel burst into the room and almost falling as he entered, Zack straightened in his seat as he looked at the stumbling man, Cloud looked at the man startled by his rushed entrance.

"Kunsel what's—" Cloud started.

"Chu! Sephiroth found Chu!" Kunsel panted. Zack quickly stood up knocking over the chair and quickly went over to Kunsel.

"Where," Zack demanded.

"H-Hojo's…"Kunsel panted. Zack dashed out of the room with out a second thought.

"Z-Zack!" Cloud called out after him. Cloud glanced at the panting man before he took off after Zack.

"Come on Kunsel!" Cloud yelled as he ran.

Kunsel took a deep breath then sighed.

"Way to give a guy a break," Kunsel muttered and followed.


Hojo stood with his hands behind his back as he watched the woman float lifelessly in the clear incubator. Sephiroth stood a few feet away also watching her. Hojo remained silent as he studied Chu, there were no marks on her body, no contusions, her body looked in perfect condition. Her condition was Mako Poisoning.

Sephiroth stared intently at the lifeless floating woman, he hadn't slept well since she went missing a month ago.

"Professor Hojo!" Zack shouted in the hall outside the man's laboratory. Hojo ignored the man's call and continued to watch the woman in front of him. Sephiroth glanced back as Zack pushed open the door and walked in.

"Z-Zack!" Cloud yelled but stopped as he saw that he had already stood in front of Chu's incubator.

"…Chu…" Zack said as he saw Chu floating lifelessly in an incubator. Zack touched the incubator as if the woman would wake up and return his touch. Zack turned to Sephiroth in a rage.

"What the hell happened to her? What the hell did you do?" he shouted at Sephiroth. Sephiroth looked emotionless at the young man in front of him and knew that Zack would accuse him of doing something to her before finding out the real reason to her current state.

"She was exposed to high levels Mako and contracted Mako Poisoning," Sephiroth replied. Zack stepped back shocked at Chu's condition. He glanced at Sephiroth noticing the man's tired condition, he turned away and focused on Chu in the tank.

"Mako poisoning..." Zack repeated.

"I found her in Banora...near one of the lifestream openings," Sephiroth added.

"But she will be quite alright. No need to fight over her," Hojo said and chuckled. Sephiroth stiffened at Hojo's remark, Hojo chuckled a bit more at the man's reaction. Zack glanced over his shoulder at Hojo then to Sephiroth.

"How long will it be before she…" Zack started.

"Oh…it shouldn't be too long maybe a day or two, she has already been exposed to Mako…"Hojo started as he turned away. Cloud stood awkwardly in the doorway of Hojo's laboratory he knew there wasn't much he could say in this situation glanced at Hojo then to the two men who had turned away from Chu. Something had moved from the corner of his eye, he turned to glance at Chu but noticed slight movement from her.

"S-she's moving...Z-Zack-" Cloud stuttered. The three men turned to the incubator to see Chu had moved against the tube, her eyes were slightly opened as she lifted her head.

"She's moving..." Zack said and sighed in relief. Sephiroth remained silent as he continued to watch the woman in the incubator. Hojo walked in front of the incubator to study the movement the woman was making, she indeed had moved from her original position.

"Hm…how intriguing…I'm going to keep Miss Minamoto here to run some tests on her to make sure she's clear of the Mako poisoning," Hojo said as he continued to watch the woman move in the incubator.

"I want to stay," Zack said as he turned to Hojo.

"You don't have an option to stay. Leave," Hojo ordered the men as he kept his eyes trained on Chu. Sephiroth glanced once more at the woman before he hesitantly left. Cloud hoped that Zack would follow suite and hesitantly followed Sephiroth. He glanced back at Zack and realized he didn't move an inch.

"What are you waiting for?" Hojo asked. Zack scoffed at the man's question and hesitantly began to turn away from Hojo and Chu.

"You let me know the instant she is released," Zack said as he stood in the doorway. Hojo remained silent as he turned away from Chu to glare at Zack. Zack glanced one more time at the floating woman and exited the laboratory, Hojo watched Zack leave and the doors close behind him.

"You have improved so much since we've first met Miss Minamoto. It's truly amazing, not only do you not use materia you can still cast an ancient form magic, your strength is on par with Sephiroth, and you can recover from Mako poisoning with ease. Could the cells be mutating?" Hojo said quietly as he turned back to Chu.

"An interesting turn of events..." Hojo said as he chuckled and began to drain the incubator.


"Hey Seph…"Zack said as he followed after the man, Sephiroth stopped and turned to Zack.

"You want to know how I found her?" Sephiroth asked.

"Yes…and I also want to apologize for back there…I just freaked when I saw her like that…" Zack said. Sephiroth nodded as he glanced at Cloud that was standing behind Zack.

"I...just never her saw her like that..." Zack trailed off.

"I...understand...I found her based on Intel that the Turks gave me, which lead me back to Banora It's in bad condition since I was last there…there are openings to the lifestream near the village I found her partially in one of those openings." Sephiroth replied.

The two men looked at Sephiroth in silent shock. Banora was several hundred miles South West of Junon. The question of how the woman was able to get to Modeoheim nonetheless Banora,without the assistance of a vehicle lingered around the three men.

"I am not for sure how she contracted Mako poisoning or how she even made it to Banora," Sephiroth said as his expression changed for a split second, but it had quickly went back to its normal stoic state.

"What the hell was she doing in Banora?" Zack asked.

"I am not for certain…but I am going to find out," Sephiroth said as he walked away from the two men. Cloud watched Sephiroth as he walked down the hall before turning his attention to Zack.

"Zack what are you—" Cloud started.

"How the hell did she get to Banora in the first place...and how the hell did she end up in a life stream opening?" Zack asked and glanced at Cloud.

"I-I don't have an answer to those questions...I mean we can leave it up to Sephiroth since he has more access to information than the both of us right?" Cloud replied.

"What the hell is going on here?" Zack growled and walked back towards Professor Hojo's lab. Cloud sighed as he realized the man was too fixated on what had happened to Chu. He watched Zack turn down the hall that lead to Professor Hojo's laboratory as uncertainty filtered through him.


What felt like days to Chu Hojo had allowed her to return to her room after a few hours of running tests and diagnostics, only then was she able to fully rest. Darkness surrounded Chu as she laid in her bed, her mind still swirled with the hints of the lifestream still pulling at it and her body was numb from the fluids in the incubator. The only thing she could do then is lay still in her bed.

"…Seph…" Chu whispered as she weakily lifted her hand towards the ceiling as if reaching for him. A few seconds later a hand grabbed hers, Chu opened her eyes to see Sephiroth hovering over her holding her hand.

"Seph—" Chu started. Sephiroth put his index finger on her lips to silence her, Sephiroth's green eyes starred deeply into Chu's blue-green eyes.

"I-I..." Chu started but Sephiroth silenced her with a kiss.

Take me to the promise land…

Become one with me…


"Always him…always…what if I want to rescue her?" Zack mumbled as he looked out the window at the darkened sky.

"It's like he always knows where she is...and always rescues her...why always him?" Zack questioned himself. Zack continued to look out the window, his mind focused on Chu. Zack was completely oblivious to the two men standing behind him watching him.

"He is totally head over hills for her…but then again who wouldn't be she is smokin' hot," Kunsel commented

"Yeah," Cloud added.

"But I'm sure you know she's taken...right?" Kunsel added. Cloud stepped away from the man surprised, Kunsel turned his head to glance at the blond haired cadet.

"You mean…? Seriously?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah don't tell me you didn't know…it's been going on for months...you know all those missions they went on...I hope you didn't expect Seph to let her go for long. I mean she's almost like him a super SOLDIER ya know?" Kunsel said.

Suddenly Zack turned around glaring at the two men behind him. Instantly the two men froze.

"What are you guys talking about?" Zack asked, obviously not catching on to what the two men were conversing about. Cloud and Kunsel looked at each other and started whispering.

"Does he know?" Cloud whispered to Kunsel.

"Probably not." Kunsel replied.

"Uh…let's keep this quiet..." Cloud replied.

"HEY!" Zack shouted catching their attention; the two straightened up and saluted Zack.

"Sir yes sir!" Cloud and Kunsel replied in harmony.

"Stop playing around…and what were you two talking about? You know how I feel about gossiping…" Zack said as he crossed his arms.

"Gossiping equals bad," Kunsel and Cloud quoted in harmony again. Zack nodded his head.

"Uh-huh." Zack said while continuing to nod.

"So out with it," Zack added, Cloud and Kunsel looked at each other.


Vizz…vizz…vizz…

Sephiroth's cell phone vibrated on the floor next to the bed, letting the arm that wasn't wrapped around Chu fall to the floor and he grabbed the phone. Quietly he answered his phone, Sephiroth listened for a few minutes and closed his phone.

"Was that a new mission?" Chu asked sleepily.

"Did I wake you?" Sephiroth asked.

"No," she replied as she shifted back on to her pillow. Chu looked up at Seph, and Seph looked down at her.

"How do you feel?" Seph asked.

"I feel...a little tired...but I think I'm ok," Chu replied

"Good..." Sephiroth replied as he reached to caress her cheek. Chu sighed and lovingly pushed her cheek more into his hand.

"So was that a new mission?" Chu asked again and smiled. Sephiroth looked at the woman across from him as a smirk slowly appeared on his lips.

"...There is a new mission," he replied.

"Where to?" Chu asked as she turned on to her back and turned her head to face the man.

"Nibelheim,"