-Chapter 10-

Solving the Riddle

The light in the window is a crack in the sky, a stairway to darkness in the blink of an eye

A levee of tears to learn she'll never be coming back, the man in the dark will bring another attack

Your mama told you you're not supposed to talk to strangers, look in the mirror and tell me, do you think your life's in danger here?

The man had been unconscious for a while. When he finally awoke, he was in a dark room, a single bright bulb directly above him being the only light source. When he tried to move, he discovered he was bound to a hard metal chair, his arms behind his back and tightly tied together with rope and chains. His legs were likewise bound. He panicked for a moment and tried to call out, but found that his mouth and throat were dry, so the only sound that came out was something like a muted croak.

The single light suddenly flicked off, leaving the man in total darkness. A moment later, he heard a heavy door opening behind him, and hinges creaking loudly. He then heard footsteps, and tried to turn around, his peripheral vision seeing three silhouettes walking through an open door. The door was quickly shut with a loud bang, and then there was silence.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!" He heard a voice say. A moment later, electricity crackled and popped to life right in front of his face. The energy came from the tip of a steel rod, the captive just able to catch a glimpse of the bright red hair from the man holding the rod.

"Who the fuck are you guys and what do you-" The man began, but was quickly silenced as the rod was shoved into his gut, and electricity shot through his entire body.

"We ask the questions here, buddy!" The same voice responded.

"We know you were one of the men who attacked Tifa Lockhart's bar," A second, gruffer voice said, "And we also know you're part of the militia army. Who's your leader!?"

After catching his breath from the electric shock, the chained man laughed, "I ain't telling you bastards a damn thing!"

"Wrong answer," The gruff voice replied, and the man felt a hard punch connect to his jaw. Instantly he tasted blood, but still chuckled darkly.

"Is that all you got you-" Again he was silenced as electricity shot through his body. But this time, the wattage had been upped, and it continued longer than last time.

"You must not have a high interest in living, buddy!" The first voice said.

"Right, that's enough. Hit the lights." A female voice this time.

The prisoner was suddenly blinded as the light returned to the room. When his vision cleared, he saw two men. One was tall, bulky, and bald. The other was the redheaded man with the electric rod. Both of them wore black suits, and while the redhead had an amused grin on his face, the bald one did not look too pleased.

Reno stepped forward, to stand beside the chained man, and put a palm on his shoulder, "Now, personally, I'd rather deal with me than my friend here," and gestured towards Rude, who cracked his knuckles menacingly. "I seen this guy break a man straight in half with no effort!"

"Turks... hah. You guys don't scare me. If you knew the guys I worked with..." Again he was forced to silence himself, as Rude stepped forward, spun, and planted the heel end of his boot across the mans ribs. The blow barely missed Reno's arm by a hair's breadth.

"Hey, watch it buddy! I just had this suit washed!" Reno yelled.

"Bad idea, given the circumstances," Rude simply stated.

Both men then stepped aside as the third person entered the view of the prisoner. He saw a thin woman, with dark red hair pulled back. She was considerably smaller than her male counter parts, but she had an air of authority about her, even though she was of lower rank than the other two.

"We can do this the easy way, or we can do it the real easy way," Lysa said.

The prisoner said nothing.

"Right then. Let's do it your way, guys," The female then slowly unbuttoned her overcoat, which in turn caused the prisoner to raise an eyebrow, and laugh again.

"Ya know... you're almost as pretty as that bar wench we attacked...almost. She had a bigger rack than you though."

Lysa threw the overcoat onto the floor and quickly threw out her left fist. The impact was so quick and hard that the man, chair and all, fell backwards and hit the solid floor with a loud noise. The right side of his head was numb, both from the punch, and from hitting the floor.

"Damn, chick! Nice shot!" Reno laughed.

"I learned from the best," She replied, winking at Rude, who could only adjust his sunglasses.

Reno picked the chair back up, and as soon as he did, Rude threw out another punch, then another, and another, each one hitting the prisoner in his ribs and face. By now, he was coughing up wads of blood, and spitting out teeth. He barely had time to register the punches when, once again, an electric shock pierced his body and caused it to go rigid.

"Enough, Reno. We don't want to kill the man." Lysa said.

"Yo, I don't take orders from you!"

"Let's try something different..." And the female reached into the back of her pants, and pulled out a wicked looking knife. It was only four inches long, but the sharp edge was cut inward, to form a long row of 'teeth'.

Coyly, Lysa then sat in the mans lap, and gently cradled his face as if he were her child, "Just tell us what you know, and it'll all be over soon. We want the names of the commanders, where they're getting their recruits from, and what they're going to do next." Then jammed the knife into the side of the man's arm, who in turn let out a blood-curdling, agonized scream.

"Okay, okay! For fuck's sake just stop it already! I'll tell you what you wanna know!"

Satisfied, Lysa got up, leaving the knife in the man's arm.

"I'll get medical down here to patch him up. Don't want him to bleed out before he tells us anything." Rude said, then promptly left the room.

"What in the hell did you do before you joined the Turks, chick?" Reno asked with a laugh.

But Lysa only winked, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Three hours later, the man had been patched up and was being questioned by WRO police, supervised by Lysa and Tseng, both of whom barely looked up from scribbling down notes. Suddenly, Lysa's phone went off.

"This is Howtzer. What's the news, sir?" It was her supervisor, the head over the counter-terrorism section. "Uh huh. Really? I'll call Reeve and let him know at once. Thank you sir." Then hung up the phone and started for the exit. Tseng stopped her.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"That was my third boss-man," Her first and second being Rufus and Tseng, respectively, "Scouting party has some more pictures and info on the rebel army. Apparently Reeve wanted to put together a set of index cards, so to speak, for Cloud and his group. They're patching it all together now."

"Very good. Tell the head of the CTD I'll follow up with what I learn from the prisoner, and we'll thatch it together."

~ ' ' ' [VII] ' ' ' ~

When Cloud and Tifa finally returned to the bar, the atmosphere was very different, and not for the better, as the mood had changed from tense, to depressing. Vincent was not present, as he had departed after the trio left the WRO Tower, but promised to return later that evening. No one questioned him.

Tifa was the first one to step through the threshold and into the bar. Reeve and Barret were sitting at the bar, talking quietly amongst themselves. Yuffie was spotted in the back kitchen, sitting on the edge of a stove, and seemed to be lost in thought. The children were once again nowhere in sight.

"What's going on? Why does everyone look so... down?" Cloud asked, stepping into the room behind Tifa. Not soon after, he mentally slapped himself. Considering all that was going on, it was a stupid question.

Reeve looked up, and beckoned the two over, "You're just in time. I just got done telling Barret about what we're going to do next."

Tifa sat next to Barret, but Cloud continued to stand. The blonde raised an eyebrow, "And that would be?"

"I'll let Barret explain." Reeve replied, then dismissed himself to the kitchen to speak with the ninja.

"Barret, what in the world is going on? Rufus knew Reeve was down here talking to you, and..." Tifa began.

At this, Barret finally turned and faced the two of them. "Yeah, that jackass seems to have his fingers in more than one pie!" He tried to force his trademark grin, but found it harder than expected. "Rufus wants me to take the kids outta the city, consideringwith all the crap that's going on."

Now the man had Cloud's attention, and he stepped closer. "What are you talking about?"

"Just what I said, foo'! While I was locked up last night, Rufus comes to me himself and says it ain't safe for the kids no more. I says, 'no shit! Look at what happened to them!' But ya know... maybe I was wrong about him. He actually seemed real concerned about their well-being, and he ain't even met 'em before!"

This almost struck Cloud like a blow to the face. So maybe Rufus Shinra wasn't the cold-hearted shadow game that he used to be. He scratched the back of his head, trying to process this information, while Tifa spoke next,

"Still... Rufus has another side, you can't deny that. I'll be happy if the children are safe and nothing like that attack happens to them again. But what about you? Is there anything else?"

The man started to speak, but Reeve came back in from the kitchen, "Barret is also going to spread news about not only the attack here, but also the siege of Fort Condor. Basically, to spread propaganda and see if more people can't be rallied to the fight."

Cloud glanced at the man with a suspicious eye, then turned back to Barret, "I'm assuming that's not what you told the kids?"

Barret threw up his hands, "Hell naw! You think I'm that dumb!? I told 'em we were goin' on vacation to Costa del Sol... help 'em forget what happened. They're excited, but kinda disappointed its just us three. They're upstairs packing now."

"But how are you going to tell people about this fight with Marlene and Denzel? They don't need to know what's really going on," Tifa commented.

"I have a friend who owns a villa in Costa del Sol, which is where Barret and the children will be staying. The children will remain there while Barret does his job." Reeve said, "I'm also sending Cait Sith with them, to help with spreading the message and to relay anything Rufus wants Barret to know and vice versa."

Tifa wasn't so sure. For the longest time she had thought the safest place for the children was right here, in the bar. But then that security was violated, and now it seemed like nowhere was safe. Even with the new security improvements, she wondered if that would even be enough? Still, the woman forced herself to look down, and said nothing for a minute.

Cloud broke the silence, "And your investigation, Reeve? What did you find out?"

Here, Reeve sat down on the other side of Barret, and pulled a brown envelope from his coat, "A few things that don't make any sense," Here he opened up the envelope and began to pass stacks of paper down the bar, so the others could see. Mostly, they were photos of the crime scene that night, both inside the bar and out, and some copies of police questionings. When Tifa saw the photos of the wrecked bar, the blood, the two dead men, she had to turn away and swallow hard, as she suddenly began to taste bile. Cloud stepped closer and slowly rubbed her back.

"First of all," Reeve continued, "we found a fourth set of footprints, that don't match anyone's here, or my own men. Which means there was possibly a fourth assailant. Tifa, you're sure you only saw three men?"

Tifa could only nod, not trusting herself to speak right then. Reeve continued,

"The fourth set was at the back door, and apparently, after the door was broken in, two other sets run into and through the kitchen...but this other set is running back down the alley. The footprints suddenly end, before the alley opens up to the streets. Then we found these nearby," Here, he pulled out a photo taken at the crime lab, of two lumpy, charred objects. Reeve explained they were a pair of standard issue black leather boots, which had been burned and discarded, to eradicate DNA and insole matchmaking. "Clearly, whoever owned these boots did not want to be discovered."

For a moment, a hard lump formed in Tifa's throat. She assumed this was some sort of mastermind, maybe someone who was tasked with getting the men into the bar and making sure the attack happened. Could it have been that man, Reij? The one member of this militia Tifa wanted to get her hands on?

"Whoever he was, he's lucky I wasn't here or I woulda'...woulda'...hell I don't know! But the last thing he'd have seen was this metal graft rippin' his eyeballs out!" Barret shouted, feeling his anger rise.

Reeve's cellphone suddenly went off, and he excused himself to the far corner of the room to take it. After quickly muttering goodbyes, he started for the door, "I'll come back tonight. Counter-terrorism division put together some files on our militia masterminds. And Barret?" Here he turned to the man, and grinned, just slightly. "Try not to eradicate Cait. I'll send over copies of the files to my friend in Costa del Sol when I get them. And good luck!" Then left without another word.

At that moment, Marlene came running down the stairs, dragging a pink and white suitcase that was almost as big as she was behind her. She left it at the final step and ran over to hug first Cloud, then Tifa, then ran to sit in her father's lap.

"Daddy says we're going on vacation! Why can't you come with us, Cloud!? Tifa!?"

Tifa reached over and patted the girl's head, "Because I have to take care of the bar and Cloud has his delivery service, remember?" She lied. Something clicked in Cloud's head, but for a moment he said nothing.

"We'll still have lots of fun, baby!" Barret said, standing up and putting the girl on his shoulder, "Hey! Where's lil' killer?"

Marlene replied,"He won't come out! Says he isn't leaving since Cloud isn't!"

Tifa, on instinct, but also force of habit, went to stand up, but Cloud put a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back down. "No, I'll do it. He's mad at me anyway."

When Cloud opened the door to the children's bedroom, Denzel was sitting on top of a brown suitcase which had been packed, but he faced the window and stared blankly out of it. The boy turned around when he heard the door open, but quickly looked away when he saw who it was.

"I already told Marlene I'm not going if you and Tifa aren't." He firmly said before Cloud even shut the door.

"Why not? You and Marlene are going to have fun. You've never even been to-"

"I don't want to have fun! I want to stay here and help! I begged Reeve all day to let me join the WRO, and he won't listen!" Denzel interrupted.

Cloud then sighed, walked over, and sat down on the bed next to the boy, who regarded the older male with pleading eyes.

"Please, Cloud! If you and Tifa aren't going, then at least let me stay here!"

"Denzel, it isn't safe here anymore. I know you want to help, but-"

Denzel suddenly shot off the bed and stood defiant in front of Cloud, "Don't say I can't help, because I can! I've always helped around here! Now I want to fight!"

But Cloud shook his head, "And I'm sure you would give the militia hell, Denzel. But these guys are different... they don't care about hurting women and children."

"I'm not a child!" Denzel shouted, stomping his foot. Tears had begun to form in his eyes, and he quickly looked down and rubbed them away.

At that moment, Cloud could almost see himself in the boy when he was that age. Brave, fearless. Wanting to protect his friends and family however way he could, even if it was impossible. "No... you're not. In fact, you're probably braver than me."

Denzel suddenly looked up, "What do you mean?"

"When I got to the bar to rescue you all, I was scared to death. More scared than I've ever been in my entire life. But I saw you run up the stairs after Marlene." Cloud said, lowering his voice just a little.

"I wasn't scared! I wanted to protect Marlene!"

Cloud nodded, "I know, buddy. And that's my point. You were braver that night than I was. I was afraid I was going to lose you guys."

Denzel seemed taken aback, "You... were afraid?"

"I was. Listen, Denzel, I can't think of a way to explain it so you can understand, but I gotta go after the men who did this to us."

"Then let me help-"

Cloud interrupted the boy by scooting closer and putting a palm on his shoulder. He spoke in a tone that was stern, but not harsh. "I can't fight these guys if I'm worried about you and Marlene. You remember what they almost did to you guys, right?" When he was certain he had the boys attention, he continued, "You say you want to help in whatever way you can, right? Now's your chance. Protect Marlene, and I'll protect Tifa. We'll protect this family... together. And when this is all over, we'll all go somewhere nice. I promise."

For a long time Denzel only stared down at the floor. But then he looked up with a fire in his eyes, and nodded. "Okay, Cloud... together!"

The rest of the day was spent sorting out what the children had packed, and a greater sense of sadness had fallen over the entire place. Tifa didn't want to see them go, but knew that it was for the best. Better they leave now, in case something worse should happen. Yuffie had finally come out from the kitchen, and was now making a big deal out of it.

"Why did this have to happen? We all came back together just like old times... now everyone's leaving again!" She commented at one point.

"Relax, chick!" Barret said in response, "I'm comin' back eventually! Besides... you got your own job to do!"

When Cloud heard this, he turned and regarded Yuffie with a strange look. The ninja in turn, quickly avoided his gaze and ran outside to play with the children one more time before they left. When questioned about this 'job,' she clammed up and wouldn't say a word.

Just after lunch time, a black car pulled up outside of the bar, in between two armored trucks. The WRO symbol was clearly printed on all three vehicles. Elena stepped out of the passenger seat of the car, and greeted the group outside. "Rufus personally wanted me and these fine gentleman here to make sure you make it to port. Mr. Wallace? Right this way, sir."

At that, Barret laughed, "Do I look like I'm wearin' a suit and tie!? Don't call me sir! C'mon, kids... it's sun and surf time!"

"Be sure to bring me back something pretty, Marlene!" Tifa said. The little girl nodded enthusiastically.

"Denzel," Cloud said, "remember what I told you." The boy looked up at the older male, "I will." he replied.

Barret then ushered the kids into the black car. Cloud stepped forward to regard Elena, but the blonde female already knew what the other was going to say. "Don't worry, Cloud. I'll keep them safe. You have my word."

The engines then rumbled to life, and the three vehicles slowly pulled away. Marlene leaned out the window and waved a final goodbye. Tifa, Cloud, and Yuffie waved in turn, Tifa fighting back looking sad.

"Well... now what!?" Yuffie said after a long minute of watching the vehicles leave.

Cloud huffed, turning around and going back into the Seventh Heaven, "We wait until Reeve comes back. Then you've got some explaining to do."

Yuffie groaned, but followed the other two inside, shutting the door behind her.

Several hours passed, and the trio set about doing menial tasks around the bar. A few patrons had wandered in that night, bringing gossip about the siege of Fort Condor, and speculations about what kind of man the leader was. Drinks were served, but Tifa had to inform everyone that this night no food would be offered, because the usual chef called in sick. In truth, Cloud had confined himself to his and Tifa's bedroom to ponder everything that had happened, and refused to work that night. Tifa accepted it without a word. Yuffie remained downstairs, and bussed the dirty glasses and cleaned them for Tifa.

The clamor of people talking over themselves was briefly silenced when the door was suddenly thrown open, clattering loudly against the wall. All eyes turned to see a raven-haired, crimson clad stranger walk in and, without looking at anyone else, immediately excused himself to the kitchen

"Welcome back, Vincent. Didn't think you'd show up this time!" Tifa said to the main, who regarded her with little more than a nod before vanishing into the back.

"Boy, I hope that's not our house cook tonight... guy looked like a right freak!" One man commented after Vincent was out of sight.

"Did'ja see that golden claw? Wonder if he even has a hand!" Another said.

"Shaddap, both of ya! I bet'cha didn't see that big ass gun on his belt either! I reckon he could throw both of ya through the ceiling!" A third yelled. That in turn led to an argument between the three, and when it threatened to turn violent, Tifa had to tell them to leave. After, the remaining customers continued to talk about the militia army, yet it was more quieted chatter now.

Tifa sighed, wanting to at least go upstairs and be with Cloud. But she knew that money was needed, so even if she wanted to throw each and every person out of the bar right then, she couldn't.

The hours continued to pass.

Some time after midnight, Reeve arrived with several business folders stuffed under each arm. The man looked like he hadn't had a wink of sleep since this whole ordeal began, and his suit was ruffled in a few places. He didn't seem to notice, or care.

The bar had been cleared out some time ago, as Tifa had begun to grow weary of people talking about the militia, and only wanted peace and quiet. She even considered closing it permanently, or at least until all of the madness blew over. She had walked upstairs to fetch Cloud, and the two came back down the stairs as Yuffie was helping Reeve unfold a map of the entire world.

Now, four figures sat around a circular table in a dimly lit room. Vincent had taken a seat just to the side, but had turned his chair to face the fireplace in the corner. The only light source came from the fireplace, a few candles, and a single lamp on the edge of the table.

"So what did you find out?" To Cloud, that sentence seemed to be repeating itself a lot lately. He didn't like to be in the dark.

"Firstly, this was found on one of the captured soldiers, specifically the surviving assailant from the attack here," Reeve said, and pulled out a white envelope. He opened it, and pulled out a dark cloth, something akin to a bandana, and began to spread it out on top of the map.

"And what's so important about a handkerchief?" Yuffie said. A moment later, her question was answered.

In silver and white stitching, they saw a strange insignia. Everyone leaned in closer to look, but Vincent continued to stare blankly into the fire. The air in the bar grew heavy as they all realized what it was. JENOVA's head was staring defiantly, evilly, out at everyone, and at the base of her neck was what appeared to be a mountain, with three spires. To the left of the alien's head, was a curved blade, very closely resembling Sephiroth's sword, the Masamune. Crossed over the hilt of the blade, and beneath JENOVA's head, was a standard military rifle. The two weapons created an "L" shape, sat atop a single sentence, though it was more like a title:

"The Brotherhood of the Planet"

Cloud's blood once again started to run cold, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on edge.

"Well..." Yuffie again broke the silence, "at least its a better name than 'JENOVA's Witnesses'! Hah!" Yet no one laughed. No one said anything for a minute.

"So now we have a name for our enemies as a whole," Reeve went on, "and now, thanks to Lysa and the counter-terrorism teams, names for our individual enemies. You'll want to see this one first," and threw down a business file, passing it to Cloud. Tifa scooted closer to the blonde as he opened it. What they saw first was a black and white photograph of a man, his most distinguishing feature being a ropey scar, from his left temple to his right cheek. He had dark hair.

"This can't be the leader," Cloud commented.

"Keep reading," Reeve said.

Tifa narrowed her eyes as they scanned all over the file, jumping from place to place. "'Edward Cross... former ShinRa army captain, imprisoned for cyber terrorism against the now-defunct company.'" She read aloud.

"Basically," Reeve said, "he is an expert with computers. When ShinRa began to fall apart, he was looking for an opt out. So he slowly began to drain money and information out of the bank accounts and storage systems. How or when he escaped, no one knows, but I think it was during, or sometime after the Geostigma outbreak. As we understand it, he's the second in command to the Brotherhood."

"So since he's also former ShinRa, he knows about the weapons and tactics the army would use. And since he's good with computers... if that Geo-Leviathan weapon is a prototype of the old Sister Ray, that must be how they got their hands on it." Cloud stated.

Reeve nodded, "Indeed. At least, that's what every one is speculating. Here's another one." And placed another file down. Cloud pushed the previous one towards Yuffie and Vincent, then opened the new one.

This one contained a black and white photograph of a man with cropped, light hair, brushed backward. His toned cheek-bones and piercing glare gave him a sense of authority. For a moment, Cloud thought that this might be the leader. He looked at the name, and spoke it aloud. "'Reij'? What sort of role does-" He was interrupted, as Tifa suddenly snatched the file out of his hands. Cloud raised an eyebrow, and even Yuffie and Reeve gave her a questioning look.

Tifa stared hard at the photograph. Finally, a face was put to the person she believed was responsible for the attack. A fire lit inside of her as her hands began to shake, and never would she forget the face. "Says here he's a lieutenant for the army. A demolitions expert...the main operator of the Geo-leviathan." Tifa scoffed to herself, thinking that all the fire and shrapnel in the world wouldn't stop her from wringing this man's neck.

Cloud took the file away and gave it one more look over. Attached to the photo of Reij, was also a photo of the massive canon. He closed the file and again pushed it toward Yuffie, who looked it over slowly.

"That was the man who attacked Fort Condor," Vincent, who had not spoken a word the entire time, suddenly said. "He used that exact same weapon."

"And you couldn't have like, captured him or something!? Jeez, Vincent! You never struck me as the running away type!" Yuffie said, in a half-hearted teasing voice

For the first time, Vincent turned from the fire and stared at the ninja, his gaze causing her to sort of shrink in her seat, "When you're surrounded by men intent on killing you, accomplishing anything becomes impossible." He said in his usual tone, then turned back to the fireplace.

Reeve put a third file on the table, "And here's the one you all want to see, though I'm afraid its the least-informing of the lot." Then opened it.

Instead of the usual single, small photograph attached to an information sheet, there were instead several large pictures of the same man. Silver hair, stopping just above his eyes. A black robe which just below the waist split in two, no doubt for better maneuverability. In other photographs, a hood was pulled low over his head, standing upon a sort of stage and speaking to large groups of people. On the outside of the robe, were two silver pauldrons on his shoulders.

The pictures were scattered and passed around the table, and every one studied them extra hard. Even Yuffie knew that his was the leader of the militia. Finally, Cloud reached an information sheet. But there was nothing. No name, no age, no expertise. Nothing, save a single sentence underneath the 'General Notes/Information' section:

"Leader of the mercenary rebel group known as the Brotherhood of the Planet"

"Unfortunately, we know nothing of this man whatsoever. We do know, however, that he is just another man." Reeve said.

Tifa looked up from the file, "How do you know?"

Vincent answered instead, "Do you think someone like Kadaj, or even Sephiroth, would command an army?" He paused, to let the question sink in. "A Remnant certainly wouldn't order someone else to attack a single woman and two children...they would do it themselves."

"Precisely," Reeve went on, "But I'm afraid there is nothing more to say on him. There's one more file."

This one was passed around rather quickly, as they were not so much interested in another lieutenant. But they saw another man with long, raven hair, beads and feathers in both his hair and decorating his armor. A name, 'Tormuj', and that he was an expert on poisons and knife-throwing.

"Rufus said something about a counter-attack." Cloud said.

Reeve then cleared the table of everything but the large map, which had distinguishing marks, such as circles and X's drawn on different parts. "Yes. In fact, Rufus is going to call a war council within the next few days... he's still hoping you and your friends will help."

Tifa nodded, "I want to help however I can."

Cloud looked at the woman, with a concerned look in his eyes, "Tifa, its too dangerous."

She glared at the blonde, "Since when is it too dangerous? Haven't we always dealt with trouble before? It's no less dangerous for you than for me."

Reeve interrupted, "I was thinking it might actually be better for you to stay behind, Tifa, and maintain the bar. What with all of this going on, people do need a place to come and relax. Ease their minds."

"What, so another attack can happen just like before?" Cloud said, raising his voice a little, "If they really want to get to her, then next time they might succeed!"

Yuffie then jumped in, "But its not fair for her to stay behind while the rest of us fight!"

"I don't care, I'm not going to put her in-"

Tifa couldn't stand it anymore, and slammed her fist down on the table, caving it in just a little bit. "HELLO! I'm sitting right here and can speak for myself, you know!" She shouted, louder than she ever had. Even Vincent peered over at the fist fighter, every one else having wisely silenced themselves, for fear of meeting the same fate as the table.

"It's no one's choice but my own whether I stay or fight." Tifa paused, and pointed an accusing finger at Cloud, "And it's ESPECIALLY not yours. What happened to me will never... EVER happen again! And if I want to fight, I will fight. I will make the people responsible for what happened pay for it." She paused again, to take a breath and calm herself a bit, "But not just for me... for all those innocent people who were killed. And for the innocents who still live... and for the future of the Planet as well."

Vincent stood up, gazing at Tifa in a way the woman had never seen before. His gaze was not much different from before, but to Tifa it looked like...hope? "The future starts now. Whatever choice you decide, make sure its the right one." He said, then left, again heading into the back room.

"I guess that's still how he gives hopeful sagely advice as always, huh?" Yuffie groaned.

Reeve cleared his throat, "Maybe its too late to discuss such things... the war meeting won't be until a few more days while Tseng and I organize transport for the other men, women, and children who consent to leaving the city for now."

Tifa turned to him, "Transport?"

"Yes. Rufus has made it publicly known exactly what is going on. And while he isn't forcing anyone to leave, safe haven will be provided in the west for the people who choose to."

Cloud nodded, as if to confirm that Rufus was indeed, not the same person he used to be. That maybe he did, after all, care what had happened to the children, and to Tifa. And now, he was worried about the entirety of Edge, and the planet. Or, perhaps he just had his priorities way out of order.

"And how many are staying?" Tifa asked.

But Reeve only shook his head. "Everything will be explained at the meeting, and I'll call you when I know when it will be. And I'm sorry, Tifa. I didn't mean to seem like I was going to make you stay here."

"It's fine, Reeve. Maybe I'll see you at that meeting."

"Maybe. For now, I have to get back, though. No rest for the weary after all. More paperwork to do!"

Cloud stood up, and firmly shook Reeve's hand before showing him to the door. He suddenly remembered wanting to question Yuffie about the 'job' she was to do, but decided he was too tired to care right then. All would be explained at the war meeting. "Thank you, Reeve. You've told us a lot more in the past week than Rufus ever has."

Reeve inwardly winced, but merely nodded and shut the door behind him.

Less than a half-hour later, every one had isolated themselves to wherever they were going to sleep. Yuffie was given the children's bedroom, but only if she helped Cloud to move his old bed into that room for now. Yuffie constantly teased both Cloud and Tifa for finally 'hooking up,' and sharing the same bed. She even made a comment along the lines of, "This better not be the bed you two did something freaky on!" Causing both Tifa and Cloud's faces to turn red. Cloud considered making her sleep downstairs on the couch. Vincent was nowhere to be found, but Yuffie assumed he found a closet to sleep in.

Now, Tifa had laid down on their bed, but Cloud remained sitting up. "I just don't know what's going to happen, or what I'm supposed to do," He had said.

"None of us do, Cloud. But you gotta remember, you can't fix everything by yourself. Whatever happens, we'll all deal with it together." Tifa responded.

"I know, Tifa."

"Then why are you so worried?"

Cloud didn't say anything at first, just continued to stare out their bedroom window. A crescent moon was slowly rising, peaking over the buildings of the city outside.

"Bad habits maybe?" Here he turned and stared at the woman, "Aren't you worried?"

Here, Tifa gave a slow, soft smile, leaning up to wrap her arms around him. Her face found a comfortable spot at the crook of his neck, her breathing giving him goosebumps. "Of course I am, Cloud. But worrying never solves anything." Here she paused, and gently turned his head so that she could look into his eyes, "My papa told me something I'll never forget, once. 'The only way evil will be triumphant is when good men and women choose do nothing.' Worrying is doing nothing, and only makes it worse, you know?"

Cloud slowly started to feel a bit better, his tense muscles finally relaxing. He nodded, "Yeah... you're right I guess."

Tifa giggled, "Of course I'm right. I'm a female, remember?"

Cloud smirked, turning and placing an arm behind her, and slowly laying down. "If that helps you sleep at night, Lockhart."

"Oh, it does, Strife." She replied, curling up against his body, and just grazing his lips with her own. Afterward, she laid her head on his chest, the sound of his heartbeat like a lullaby to her. As he slowly began to play with her hair, she sighed happily, quickly slipping into a content sleep.

Cloud lay there for a while, unable to sleep right then. But when he finally found sleep, he would regret it. Slowly, he closed his eyes.

And when he opened them again, he wasn't staring up at the roof of his bedroom. But rather, it was blue sky, with white puffy clouds lazily floating by. He shot up into a sitting position, and not surprising, there were yellow and white flowers clear into the horizon. He noticed that he was no longer in his sleeping clothes either, but in his usual attire.

"Great," he said aloud, and slowly stood up, looking around. "Right, where the hell are you, Sephiroth!?"

Silence.

He spotted a dark figure out in the distance, but could just make out the Buster Sword. Zack? He turned around again, and could see Aerith, standing also far away. He turned a final time, and Sephiroth was standing directly in front of him, who in turn quickly backhanded Cloud across the face and sent him tumbling backwards.

"So now you're going to fight? Hah, I'm surprised. Equally surprised you didn't put your wench on that boat with the children."

On instinct, Cloud reached behind him for a weapon, and was surprised when he grasped the hilt of the largest Fusion Sword. He quickly yanked the weapon free and held it outward.

Sephiroth scoffed, and the Masamune materialized in his left hand. "Hmph. What good do you think it is, fighting in your dreams?" And not a moment later thrust the curved weapon out.

Cloud ducked, swinging his own sword upward to knock the Masamune away from him, then charged his enemy. When Cloud swung, Sephiroth merely brought his weapon up to deflect the blows. The rapid clanging soon filled the air, as they danced around each other, thrusting and swinging their weapons around to try and connect one blow. Then they came together, each of them pressing their weapons towards the other with all their strength and weight, to try and gain the upper hand.

"Tell me, Cloud, did you enjoy killing those men? I felt your anger, and hatred... your regret of leaving the one alive."

"You don't know a damned thing! You never did... all you know to do is play mind games!" Cloud shot back.

Sephiroth leaned in closer, "Is that right?" Then pushed himself off of Cloud's blade. This caught Cloud off guard and he stumbled forward, but quickly regained himself.

"In that case, you should be used to this by now."

The hairs on the back of Cloud's neck stood up, and he suddenly whipped around, raising his sword in a block. Instantly, another blade clanged against his, and it didn't take long for Cloud to realize who it was. Zack was staring at him now, his eyes and face devoid of emotion. He just continued to swing the Buster Sword with expert precision, and each time Cloud stepped away and deflected another blow. "Zack, stop! It's me, Cloud!"

But it was no use. Zack never so much as winced when Cloud was forced to go on the offensive, and managed to land his fist on the dark-haired male's cheek. However, a moment later, Zack's form suddenly dissolved in a black mist, and disappeared beneath the flowers. Cloud looked around expecting another attack.

When he turned again, it was too late. He saw the flash of silver, heard the sound of wings flapping, and the Masamune sliced across his stomach, cutting the fabric of his shirt and leaving a long wound over his midsection. The fresh wound instantly gushed blood.

"Still not as skilled as you think you are. Just admit it, Cloud... you know that as long my mother's cell's still linger in your body, you will never be rid of me."

Cloud had since dropped his sword, and tightly clutched his wound, his sight beginning to get hazy and distorted. All he could make out of his enemy was the long blade, and the black angel wing.

Sephiroth laughed, "Soon you will join me in the Lifestream... and we shall do this for all eternity until the ending of time itself."

Cloud sharply gasped, taking in a sudden surge of air which awoke him from his sleep. Next to him, Tifa had since rolled over to face the opposite direction, but was sound asleep. As usual, his body was coated in sweat, and his muscles ached. He sat up slowly, so that he didn't wake up Tifa, and put his feet on the cold floor. "Damn... they're getting worse," He whispered to himself.

On instinct, he began to check himself for injuries. When he looked down, the breath shot straight from his body, and his eyes no doubt grew to the size of diner plates. There, across his stomach, was a long and ropey scar, exactly where his enemy's blade had cut him.