Author's Note: Thank you so much for reviewing and sorry for making you wait for a little while. My computer was down for a little while so I didn't have access to the internet for a week. But I'm back and ready for more action. Are you? Anyway, here's some quick shout outs.

AznPuffyHair: Interesting name you have there. Yes, there's quite a few people back...but I won't exactly say who some of them are. And, I'm afraid I never played Dirge of Cerberus so I'm not exactly sure what happened in that game. So this story probably has nothing to do with DOC. Sorry. But I am trying really hard to get a hold of that game so I can find out what happens in it. Anyway, enjoy!

IluvAUs: hehehehe. Yes, Yuffie does intend to blabber a lot, doesn't she? And believe me, she's not about to stop. Anyway, we'll just have to see what happens. And seriously, I agree with you. Vincent and Eden would get along sooooo well. Enjoy.

linx79: Thank you. Cloud does have quite the important role, as always. But so does a few others. And I will admit it right now, so does Rufus Shinra. But I won't even go there until later. You'll just have to wait.

Anyway...ON WITH THE STORY!! hehehe.

Chapter IX:

Cloud stared off over the horizen, at the dark water below the ship. The stars were shining on the water's surface like diamonds. The moon was even brighter and it was just a pretty night. Thoughts were running through Cloud's mind. He was trying to think things through about what was going on. Who in the world created such monsters like the ones he and Rufus fought at the ranch? And who had sent those men to kill him before the whole thing even started? And most of all, who was the man who tried to kill Reno for picking up the bomb? He had to know. And he knew once he found out, he was going to make sure they never saw the light of day again.

"You couldn't sleep as well, brother?"

The blonde's head jerked to the side when he heard Yazoo's voice. His hand quickly found one of his swords's handle. But the silver haired man didn't attack at all. He just walked up and looked towards the horizen. His silver bangs fell over his cat like eyes. "I couldn't sleep either. I can't seem to get Mr. Tomoe's death out of my mind." The silver haired youth whispered.

Cloud just watched him suspiciously before he let go of the handle and he just stepped away from Yazoo.

There was a long silence between the two before Yazoo looked at him. "Is there...something you would like to ask, brother?"

Cloud's eyes narrowed at the title. "Stop calling me that. I'm not your brother." He said sharply.

Yazoo looked away as a moody look appeared on his face. "Forgive me then, Cloud. I was just told that you were, all right? So don't get angry with me." He said just as harshly.

Cloud glared at him. "Angry? Is that what you think I am?" He shook his head. "No, I'm not angry. I'm pissed. It's the fact that you are alive when you should be dead. You tried to kill everyone and bring a nightmare back to the Planet. Well guess what?! You succeeded. He's back anyway. So I've heard." He said as he turned away.

Yazoo looked at him in surprise. "What?"

Cloud turned his head to the side. "Sephiroth is alive. A little girl said she saw him. Congradulations. Now I have to try and kill him again. Not to mention, I have to try and kill you and those other two again before you pull something."

Yazoo frowned at his back. "I already told you. My fight is not with you again. My fight is with the ones who destroyed Junon Harbor."

Cloud turned back around, giving him a look. "Another thing. About that whole Junon Harbor. How do I know that you weren't actually behind those attacks?"

Yazoo glared at him fiercely. "I can't make you trust me. And what I say wouldn't make a difference to you because you don't believe me. But I actually loved those people, Cloud Strife. They gave me a chance. They showed me what it was like to have a family. To be friends with people. And not be different like I thought I was before you killed me and Loz. Or killed Kadaj." He turned his head away and glared at the water. "And then this whole thing happened. The man who treated me like a son was killed by a monster. And I will find out who sent them. And when I do, they will die for everything they've done." He turned his fierce glare onto Cloud, who was glaring right back at him. "What Kadaj, Loz and I did, that was wrong, I know that now. But I am trying to make it up by going after this person, this woman who is a threat." He then turned and started to walk away.

"Woman? What woman?" Cloud asked quietly, as he stepped after him.

Yazoo stopped in his footsteps, just standing there. He was quiet for a moment before shaking his head. "The woman who spoke to me. Who cursed me and sent those monsters. Now if you will excuse me, I am tired. I need rest." He then walked away.

Cloud just stood there, with a confused look on his face. He just watched Yazoo walk back to the cabins before he turned back to the railing. A deep thoughtful look on his face as he let the words roll around in his mind. What woman was Yazoo talking about? He was confused now. He didn't know what to make of anything. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know. There was only one way of finding out. Find the man, Dr. Ryuu and see what he knew.

The sun slowly rose over the water's edge, just as the ship pulled into the docks. Cloud was making sure Fenrir was in good shape before heading out. He was also waiting for Rufus to show up. Yazoo was already up and was cleaning his gunblade he had taken from Junon. He ignored the looks he was getting from some of the sailors.

Finally, Rufus showed up. He walked over to Cloud, his face a little grave. As if something was wrong. Cloud seemed to sense it right away because he immediately stood up and faced Shinra. "What is it?" Yazoo looked up when he heard Cloud speak up like that.

Rufus only glanced at him before looking back at Cloud. "Has Tifa contacted you at all?"

Cloud frowned before he reached at his belt and pulled out his phone looking at the screen. His eyes lit up a little to see a blank screen. He pressed a few buttons but it wasn't working. He groaned as he flipped it shut. "Damn it. The power must have died on me." He then looked at Rufus, suspiciously. "Why did you ask anyway?"

Rufus sighed before shaking his head. "I just got done talking to Tseng, seeing how things were going with them. Something bad has happened, Cloud. And I think Tifa's been trying to contact you."

Cloud was practically glaring at him now. "Are you going to tell me what happened or not?" He asked in a moody way.

Rufus sighed as he shook his head. "Cloud, Marlene's been kidnapped by a man, who also nearly killed Tifa."

Cloud's eyes snapped wide open and he stepped back with shock. "What?!" He exclaimed.

Yazoo stood up when he heard what Rufus said. The Ex-President shook his head. "I'm not sure of all the details but apparently yesterday a man attacked Tifa at the Seventh Heaven and took Marlene. Tifa is with Cid Highwind on his airship, along with Reno and Rude. There's another person with them but Tseng wouldn't say who it was. They're going after the attacker and Marlene."

Cloud looked off towards the sky again. "So that's why Cid was out here." He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. "Damn it! I knew something was going to happen! I just knew it! We shouldn't have left!" He yelled as he slammed his fist onto the railing.

Rufus hurried forward, grabbing his shoulder. "Cloud, we left to find out about those monsters and to find Dr. Ryuu. We didn't know this would happen. So calm down."

Cloud yanked away from him and was going to say something but Yazoo stepped forward. "Did they say who took the girl?" He asked calmly.

Cloud shot him a look. "Why do you care?!" He snapped.

Yazoo gave him a reproachful look but didn't say anything. Rufus only shook his head as he looked at Cloud. "From what I learned from Tseng, a man who knew you took her. He said that if we want the real details, we have to find Tifa and find out from her."

Cloud shook his head as he turned to him and held out his hand. "Let me see your phone, Rufus. I'll find out right now." Rufus nodded as he dug into his pocket and gave it to Cloud. The blonde quickly punched in a number then held it to his ear. After a few rings, someone answered.

"Hello, Tifa speaking."

"Tifa! It's Cloud! What happened at the Seventh Heaven?!" Cloud asked as soon as she answered.

"Cloud! Thank goodness you called! I've been trying to get a hold of you all night!"

Cloud shook his head as he leaned against the railing. "My phone's power died on me. It needs to be charged. But that's not important right now. I'm using Rufus's phone. He just told me he spoke to Tseng and he told me about Marlene. What happened?" He asked in a hurried tone. He heard a sad sigh from Tifa.

"Cloud, I don't know what happened! It happened so fast!"

She then explained everything that had happened in the bar. About how Marlene and Denzel stayed home from school, then the explosion in Kalm, making Reno and Rude having to run out to the town to see what happened. Then she told Cloud about how the man had entered the bar and how she recognized his voice from the man who sent the bomb. She told him what he looked like and how he threatened her for Marlene. She didn't leave anything out about the fight. She even told him about how the Turks came back with Angel, not telling him who Angel really was, and then they set out to find out where the man had gone with Marlene.
Cloud was very close to losing himself by the time she was done. He had closed his eyes tightly, gritting his teeth to keep himself from blowing up. He had even put the phone on speaker so that Rufus and Yazoo to hear, though it was mainly suppose to be the Ex-President who was to hear and not the other one. Yazoo only listened while wiping his gunblade down.

"Cloud, I am so scared." Tifa's voice cracked as she started to cry on the phone. "He almost killed me. He was so fast, faster than I ever was. And he kept calling me tour guide as if he was in Nibelheim with you, Sephiroth and Zack. It's either that or he just heard the story about what happened." Tifa said weakly.

Cloud opened his eyes as he remembered something. He saw the flash of a memory from those years ago. The memory of himself, Zack, Sephiroth and another. He remembered the second soldier. "Drake DuCaine..." He muttered. Rufus and Yazoo looked at him in confusion.

"What?"

The blonde shook his head. "Tifa, tell me what he looked like again. Tell me everything about the way he fought and what he fought with." He heard someone talking to Tifa, but she didn't seem to listen to them. She only described the man again.

"He also fought with two swords, Cloud. Two very lethal ones. I think he said something about the names. I think he called them Death and Darkon. He was moving very quickly, faster than I ever was. He was vicious too. He kept laughing at me every time he nicked me with his blades and then really laughed when he practically knocked me out. Before I lost consciousness, he told me to tell you hello for him and ask you how it feels to be useless in saving your own skin. I didn't understand what he was talking about."

Cloud swore again as he kicked a barrel. "Damn it! It was DuCaine!" He exclaimed as he pulled the phone away from his ear then replaced it. Rufus and Yazoo only looked at one another.

"Cloud, did you know him? Do you know who the man is?" Tifa asked sounding very hopeful.

Cloud nodded as if she could see him. "Yeah. I do know who you're talking about, Tifa. If he really is who I think he is, he's extremely dangerous. His name is Drake DuCaine, Tifa. He was the other soldier in Nibelheim. The one that was with us for that mission. God, I thought he was dead! He fell off a fifty foot cliff for christ's sake!" He said sounding very angry.

"How do you know it's him though, Cloud?"

The blonde shook his head as he ran his fingers through the yellow strands of his hair. "Because once a long time ago, I asked him that question. I can't remember why I asked it. I think it was a mission we were on together." He sighed as he turned around. "This isn't good. Not good at all. Did he say why he wanted Marlene?" He could almost see Tifa shaking her head because of the sigh she heaved.

"No. He just said that he was sent to Midgar to get her from his employer. He never said a name at all. He just said that Marlene was chosen to be apart of a plan. He kept saying that Marlene should be scared of what was going to happen to her. But nothing else. He wouldn't say anything about what the plan was."

Cloud sighed as he lowered his head. "I can't believe he's still alive. Even after that fall, no one went looking for him. How did he survive?" he then shook his head. "Tifa, where are you heading?" He asked as he moved over to Fenrir.

"We're actually going to get Barret. I'm so scared of facing him, Cloud. I failed to protect Marlene. How's he going to react?"

The blonde shook his head. "Tifa, you and I both know that how he's going to react is not going to be bad. If you told him what happened, he will understand. He'll probably be angry but he won't be angry with you. He's going to be angry with Drake. He could never stay angry with you. No one could." He could almost see Tifa faintly smile now.

"Thanks, Cloud. I think you're right. But that doesn't help me not being scared." She paused for a second before she blew out a nother sigh. "How are you and Rufus doing? Where are you?"

Cloud looked over at Rufus, who was waiting patiently on Reno's motorcycle, watching him. "We're doing just fine. We were attacked by monsters at the Chocobo Ranch, but don't worry. We both made it okay." He then turned his eyes onto Yazoo, who was trying not to meet his eye. "And you will not believe what we found in Junon Harbor."

"We saw the fires at Junon. What happened? Were you there when those fires broke out?"

Cloud shook his head as he climbed onto his motorcycle. "No, we weren't there. And those fires were only the people burning the dead monsters that were killed. Apparently from what we learned from the townspeople, the same kind of monsters that attacked Rufus and me attacked them. There was a lot of deaths, Tifa. More deaths than there was in Nibelheim those years ago."

"Oh my god. Is everyone else okay?" Tifa asked breathlessly.

Again, Cloud shook his head. "I'm afraid not. So many people died fighting those monsters. So did the town's representive. More than half of the people were dead and the other lesser half are either injured terribly or heartbroken because of the losses." He told her.

"You said that you found something? What is it? Is it information about the scientist, Dr. Ryuu? Or the information about the monsters?" Tifa asked, sounding very hopeful.

Cloud faintly smiled before frowning again as he looked right at Yazoo who was looking back. "No. None of those. Do you remember one of Kadaj's brothers? The one called Yazoo?"

There was a very long silence. Cloud knew that the question had just shocked her and was probably making her mind do flips in trying to figure out the answer. She finally answered, yet sounded very uneasy in finding out the answer.

"Y-Yes. What...what about him?"

Cloud shook his head. "He's sitting right in front of me as we speak. He's alive, Tifa."

"What?! Are you kidding?!" Tifa gasped.

There was a few voices on the other line. Cloud could definitely hear Cid in the background asking what Tifa was yelling for.

"Cloud just said that Yazoo is alive! He's with him and Rufus right now!" There were yells of shock from the people with Tifa. Cloud could hear Reno and Rude both asking if Rufus was harmed or not. They sounded like they were panicking.

"Cloud! Are you and Rufus hurt?! Has he done anything to harm you?!"

Cloud shook his head again. "No. He hasn't done anything. Yet." He earned a look from Yazoo.

"And I don't plan to. So you can stop being suspicious of me." The silver haired man said.

Cloud gave him a dark look. "Just because you haven't done anything to us, doesn't mean you're not planning it. So shut up." He earned an even darker look before Yazoo stood up, grabbing his bag and started to walk off the ship.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" Rufus called after him.

Yazoo didn't answer as he just walked on. Cloud swore as he kicked Fenrir alive. "Tifa, he's taking off right now. I want to keep an eye on him, just to make sure he means what he said."

"Cloud, why haven't you done something about him yet? I mean, you haven't fought him, haven't you?" Tifa asked.

"No. We haven't fought him at all. He doesn't seem to want to fight us. All he does is just be quiet, saying nothing. He told me that he doesn't want to fight us anymore. That he wants to find out who sent the monsters to destroy Junon. I think he might have actually liked the people there. They were taking care of him over the past months. I can't tell you the details just yet. I will sometime but right now Rufus and I have to go after him before we lose him."

Rufus kicked Reno's bike alive as soon as he said that. "I'll go after him right now. To find out where he's at."

Cloud only nodded and watched him go.

"Cloud, do you trust him? Do you really think he's changed since...you know?"

Cloud shook his head as he just sat on Fenrir. "No. I wouldn't trust him even if my life depended on him. And I'm not sure if he's actually changed. He said he didn't remember who he was when he went to Junon. Not until after the monster attack there. But he does seem a little more peaceful than he had been around us. He hasn't done anything to threaten our lives. Look, Tifa. I better go before we lose him. You and the others just go to Nibelheim. Rufus and I will meet you there. And maybe Yazoo. But you better be careful. Yazoo said that Kadaj and Loz are alive too. He doesn't exactly know if they are. He just has a feeling that they are." His eyes then darkened. "And, Tifa..."

"Yeah, Cloud?"

"You be very careful. I think...I think Sephiroth's back too." He heard her gasp softly. "I can't be certain so don't be afraid. But it's just what Chloe, the Chocobo Rancher's daughter said. She had been seriously injured during the fight at the Ranch. One of the monsters nearly killed her. I thought she was a goner. But somehow she pulled out of it. She said that a one winged angel healed her. She told me that it was Sephiroth. So I haven't seen him for my own eyes just yet. But I'm not going to take any chances. Tell everyone what I said. And be careful. If he is alive, he's probably behind the new monsters. But I highly doubt that he's the employer that Drake told you about. I just do. He never really got along with Sephiroth during the ride to Nibelheim. So they didn't really like each other. But still, be careful."

"Okay, Cloud. We will. You just take care, all right? And watch yourself. We'll keep an eye out for him. Drake and Marlene too. We'll see you in Nibelheim, okay?"

Cloud nodded. "Okay. See you later, Tifa." And then he hung up. He quickly put Rufus's phone into his pocket and sped off the ship after Rufus and Yazoo. He found them very quickly. They both hadn't gone too far.

Rufus was slowly riding Reno's bike along side Yazoo, who was glaring off, and ignoring Rufus. Cloud rode ahead, stopping right in front of Yazoo, who stopped and glared at him. "Let me pass, Cloud. I am travelling on my own now. I don't want to be around you."

Cloud shook his head, as he pulled out his sword and pointed it right at Yazoo. "Listen, Yazoo. You're not going anywhere without us, do you hear? Otherwise, Rufus and I will kill you right here and now. I don't trust you and I have a very good reason not to. You tried to kill me, you tried to kill the Turks, you tried to kill everyone. And for what?! A stupid, ridiculous head!"

Yazoo's eyes flashed but he didn't do anything about it. He just glared at Cloud. "Now you listen to me, Yazoo. Unless you want to die right now, I suggest you lighten up and do what I tell you." Cloud said sharply.

"You are NOT in charge of me, Cloud. I do not have to do anything you tell me. I am a free person. As I have already told you, I do not want to fight you." Yazoo said before he yanked out his gunblade and slammed it against Cloud's blade, sending sparks flying.
Both blade wielders glared into each other's eyes. "But I will, just to protect myself if you attack me. And if you remember how we fought last time, believe me, I was only taking it easy on you because I liked you. But this time, I won't." The silver haired man said in a very deadly way.

Cloud just looked at him just as deadly as he was looking at him. "You better watch it, Yazoo. You are not better than me. I've killed Sephiroth twice. And killing you will be like squashing a bee." He then slid his sword across Yazoo's blade as he put it away. Yazoo continued to glare at him as he lowered his own blade.

Rufus was looking between the two with a slight nervous way. He did not like the way this was going. And there was a crowd already gathering to see what was going on. "Come on, you two. If you don't really mean to fight one another, then put it away. There's people watching and if you two start fighting, someone else is going to get hurt."

Yazoo glanced around at the people around them before he slid his gunblade out of sight. He turned away from Cloud. "I'm going on. If you still want to keep an eye on me, then I suggest you come with me now." He said before starting to walk away.

Cloud, however, swung a hand around to grab a hold of his leather top, holding him in place.

Yazoo just looked down at his hand before turning his darkening eyes onto Cloud. "Let go." He said quietly.

Cloud only held on as he glared right into Yazoo's eye, who glared right back. "What are you going to ride?" He finally asked.

Yazoo's face softened yet in a confused way. "What?"

Cloud let go of his shirt. "I said, what are you going to ride? We need to pick up our speed. Marlene has been taken by a very dangerous man and I have a feeling that they've already crossed the ocean since yesterday morning. I don't know where DuCaine is taking her, but I tell you one thing. Where he is taking her, he is not going to reach that place. Not with her." He then shook his head before nodding to Rufus. "I hightly doubt Shinra wants you to ride with him on Reno's bike. Because I surely don't want to ride with you. So if we're going to be travelling with one another, we need to be going at the same speed."

Yazoo just stared at him in the eye before he turned his head when they heard the roars of an engine. Even Cloud and Rufus turned to see what was coming their way. There was a bike gang coming their way, and heading straight for the Costa Del Sol bar. All of them were wearing black leather with bloody skulls imprints on the back.

(A/N: Wow! Such a coincidence, huh? lol)

"The Blood Wraiths Gang. I've heard of them. They've been causing trouble here." Rufus muttered as he looked at the gang with disgust.

Yazoo then smirked as he dropped his bag onto the ground and then tightened his fist. "I think I found my ride."

Cloud gave him a look. "You're going to steal one of their bikes?"

Yazoo looked back at him, still smirking. "Why not? They steal from innocent people after beating them up. I think they need a lesson taught."

The blonde rolled his eyes before turning Fenrir off, so did the Ex-President. "All right. Whatever you say. Just...don't kill them." The silver haired man nodded before he turned and walked towards the gang, who were all dismounting.

The gang were such a bad mannered group. They were either large around the middle or trying their best to look so macho. Most of them were a lot bigger than Yazoo. But that didn't seem to frighten him one bit. After all, he was a remenant of Sephiroth, right?
The leader of the gang was a very large man, who loved to bully people. That included women and children. He had even assaulted a child of thirteen once just to get their wallet. He didn't seem to notice Yazoo walking towards him as he started to bully a business man about giving them his brief case. "Hand it over or prepare to get hurt." The large leader said with a cruel smile.

The business man cowered under all of the men standing above him, all grinning. A very frightened look on his face as he clutched onto his brief case. "P-please, sirs. I don't have th-that much mon-money."

The leader only sneered. "That's too bad!" And then he punched the business man hard in the stomach, making him fly back into the wall, dropping the suitcase. The man fell to the ground, crumpled.

One of the gang members picked up the suit case and popped it open. There was loads of cash inside it. "Oooh! Looks like someone was lying to us, Boss Mose."

Boss Mose sneered as he grinned evilly at the crumpled business man. "That's the last mistake you'll ever make." He said pulling out a long bladed knife.

That is until they all heard footsteps behind them and a click as if someone had just pulled back a trigger. "You know, the real last mistake you'll be making is deciding to fight me."

The Gang members all jerked around to see who was interrupting, only to see Yazoo, standing there with his gunblade out. They just stared at him before bursting into laughter. "Oh my god! You have got to be kidding me! Does this shrimp really think he can take us on?!" One gang member laughed, holding his sides.

Yazoo didn't retaliate at all as he just stepped into a fighting position. The gang only laughed harder. "Hey, Joe! Do you really think that guy is a guy? He looks like a girl with that long hair! Talking about a sissy!" Another laughed.

Yazoo's eyes flashed with offense this time. He gritted his teeth and prepared to attack.

Off to the side, Rufus winced with a short laugh as he looked the smirk on Cloud's face. "Damn. I think that one just made his last mistake." He said laughing.
The other blonde gave a short chuckle as he looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Oh yeah. That was definitely his last mistake. This is going to be amusing." He said. Rufus nodded as they returned their attention back onto the gang and Yazoo.

Boss Mose clicked his fingers and pointed at Yazoo. "Boys, teach this little maggot a lesson for getting into our affairs. And bring me that pretty weapon of his. I want that."
The gang all nodded and rushed Yazoo, who just stood there like he was going to do nothing. The gang only ran at him, swinging chains or brass knuckles.

Before a single one could hit him, Yazoo jumped up into the air, flipping over their heads.

"What the?!" They all cried out before every single one got kicked in the head by Yazoo's foot.

He moved around them, under their swinging chains and fists, and even jerked around to behind them before they could even blink. Without any effort at all, every single gang member was on the ground, groaning in pain. Only Yazoo stood. He threw his long bangs out of his eyes as he glanced down at the fallen gang members. "Hmph. Not even worth my time." He said quietly before his senses kicked in. He quickly dropped down into a low crouch as Boss Mose threw one of the members' bike at him. It missed him by an inch.
Yazoo quickly jumped into the air, doing a back flip right over Boss Mose as he slammed spiked club into the ground where he had been.
The silver haired gunblader landed behind him before slamming his foot into his back, sending him flying into a light post. He was down for the count.
Yazoo stood up straight, looking around at the work he had completed. Every single one were down.

Nodding, the silver haired warrior turned around and picked up the fallen brief case and walked over to the business man, trying to stand up. The man flinched as soon he stepped up to him. The silver haired man only dropped the case down beside him. "Here. This belongs to you." He then looked at the motorcycles that still remained. He smirked as he chose Boss Mose's bike. He went over and climbed on it while sliding his gunblade back into it's rightful place. He kicked the bike to life, slowly riding past the gang.

"This will be the last time you ever pick on innocent people. Do it again and I will be back. Next time, you won't be lucky." He then smirked down at Boss Mose, who was slowly stirring from unconsciousness. "Oh, by the way. I'm borrowing your bike." He then sped towards Cloud and Rufus, who immediately kicked their bikes to life.

The three only sped right down the street, to the entrance of town. Yazoo had quickly made a turn around and sped back to pick up his bag. He never stopped or slowed down as he grabbed it and went right back after Cloud and Rufus.