Yay for updates! :D

Jennypen: Cloud will get hard-core soon enough ^-^ He's still got his stubborn streak, after all. I'm glad you're liking it, though :)

NebraeExbaren: Glad you liked it XD Here we get to see some Cloud angst ^.^ That's always a crowd pleaser.

Evil Stormsister: Aww, thanks! Here is more creepiness XD And yes! Laguna finally got a spine! And Squall really is short X) He's, like, barely taller than Cloud is. Or maybe they're the same height? I'm curious now. May have to go research that ^-^

NovaCRYSTALLIS: Well, I do enjoy Cloud angst. And Squall angst XD 'Tis my favorite. And this chapter is full of Cloud angst. You would think my conscience would start getting to me by now ^.^

TriforceBrave: Aww, I'm glad you're enjoying it! (Big Squall fangirl here too, by the way ;) ). Squall should get there soon. . .I don't know about Sephiroth, though. He seems to have the irritating ability to survive just about anything XP He even survives dying! Who does that? He just keeps popping up all over the place. But we'll see how Squall handles things :D

As usual, KMSaum helped out a lot. Special thanks to her :)

On we go!

Cloud watched through the glass with apprehension as Sephiroth allowed Xehanort to connect him to several machines. Some monitored his heart rate, others his breathing and others his brain activity.

"Everything looks good," Xehanort commented after a while, scribbling something on a clipboard. "Are you certain you know how to do this?"

Sephiroth tore his eyes away from the surrounding cages of shadows to cast him an annoyed look. "I have read every one of your reports on the removal and division of the heart. If anything goes wrong, it is from your own doing." The threat in his voice was obvious.

Cloud had never wanted anything to go more wrong in his life.

"Everything in the journals is accurate. Half of the writings are by Ansem himself," Xehanort said, sounding just as irritated as Sephiroth looked. If Cloud was any judge, the two didn't get along very well.

Sephiroth didn't reply to that. "Are you ready to begin the procedure?"

Xehanort looked behind him to Even and Ienzo, who were manning a large consol filled with computers and monitors. They both nodded.

Sephiroth began removing the wires connected to his bare torso.

The white-haired scientist scowled. "It would be safer if you-"

"And how am I supposed to reach him if I am confined to this chair?" Sephiroth demanded.

Xehanort continued to glare, but didn't comment. "Aeleus, Dilan! Get him to the chair!" he snapped.

The two men hastened to comply from their posts at the door. They placed their weapons against the wall and made for Cloud's prison.

Cloud did a quick calculation. Sephiroth and Xehanort were in the left corner; Even and Ienzo were in the center against the back wall. The exit was on the right wall, with Braig guarding it. That left Braig, Aeleus and Dilan between him and freedom. If he could overpower them quickly, he might be able to make it to the door before anyone else knew what had happened.

"I wouldn't run, if I were you."

Cloud turned to see Sephiroth on his feet, Masamune clutched in one hand.

Well, even the weak got lucky, right? He was fast. Maybe with luck, he could even beat Sephiroth.

Yeah, right.

Dilan was at the door now, ready to unlatch it at Aeleus' signal. The larger man positioned himself before nodding and Dilan flipped the fastener and yanked the glass open. Aeleus pulled himself up the stairs and into the giant container.

Just like Zack taught you.

Cloud rushed him, planting a kick on his chest that sent him flailing back into Dilan. He vaulted over them, running for all he was worth.

He hit Braig head-on, charging like a rabid animal, clawing and biting his way through him to freedom. He was heedless of the blows his opponent rained down on him. His only focus was to get past him and out of the room.

Something sharp kissed the back of his neck and he froze where he stood over Braig's horizontal form.

"Foolish boy," Sephiroth's voice clucked in disapproval. "That you seemed to think you could get away from me is inconceivable. Turn around."

Cloud did as he was told, slowly turning to face Sephiroth.

The general smiled. "There. You can be trained, can't you? Get in the chair."

The blond scowled at him. He hated the way Sephiroth belittled and mocked him. He hated feeling this powerless.

And never before had he wanted to kill someone so badly.

But he had little choice but to obey. He went to the chair and sat down, Sephiroth's blade at his throat the entire time. Xehanort and Ienzo came over and strapped him in, tightening large leather belts around his neck, arms, wrists, waist, legs and ankles. Only then did Sephiroth drop his sword, though he still smiled that unnerving, degrading smile.

"Dilan, clean that blood off of him," Xehanort ordered impatiently with a wave of his hand. "It will interfere with the transplant."

Cloud hadn't even realized that he had drawn blood, but now he tasted it in his mouth. A quick glance at Braig told him he had done quite a number on him, and Cloud couldn't help the sense of satisfaction he felt at the older man's scratched arms and face.

Dilan dampened a towel and wiped away the blood from Cloud's hands and face. All the while, Sephiroth hovered over him, gazing at him with an intensity unrivaled by the scientists'. It chilled Cloud's very soul.

"Wouldn't a shorter sword be easier to wield?" Braig asked. He was once again at the doorway, nursing his bloody face, and had his eyes locked on Sephiroth's Masamune.

"The weapon closest to my heart is the only thing that can remove it," Sephiroth informed in a tone that said he considered the raven-haired man to be vastly inferior. "Or haven't you read the report you've devoted so much of your life to researching?"

Braig scowled, but didn't say anything else.

Xehanort turned to Sephiroth. "Are you ready to begin?"

Sephiroth kept staring, but nodded. "Yes. Vacate the room."

Looking miffed at being ordered around in his own facility, Xehanort gestured to his fellow scientists before turning and storming from the room.

The smile widened when they were alone. "Now, puppet, we shall begin your ascent into darkness."

Cloud stared with barely concealed terror. "What do you mean?" he demanded.

In answer, something dark and terrible unfurled itself behind Sephiroth's right shoulder, a stark contrast to his pale chest.

A wing.

An enormous black wing.

Squall leafed through the castle blueprints he had picked up from the map room, but wasn't surprised when there was no sign of a basement on any of them. He would have to rely on what he had gleaned from his time down there with Lea.

He glanced up at his team around the table. "We'll be going down through the library entrance, and we'll have to go room by room to locate Cloud. As soon as we have him, we pull out. We're going for stealth, but if you are noticed, aim to kill. These people are dangerous." He proceeded to describe the scientists and their weaponry and fighting styles as best he could. "As usual, if I go down, Quistis is in charge, and Irvine after her. Any questions?"

Selphie raised her hand. "What about Sephiroth?"

"If Sephiroth shows up, do all in your power to avoid a fight. Zack says he has incredible strength and speed. And I don't want any casualties," he said pointedly.

"And the Heartless?" Laguna asked.

Squall frowned. "Use your own judgment, but they are dangerous and under normal circumstances should be terminated on sight."

"Do you anticipate resistance from the scientists?" Quistis asked as she absently wrapped and unwrapped her whip around itself. Squall recognized it as a nervous gesture, but the blonde woman rarely got nervous. It bothered him.

"If we're spotted, there is a high probability of resistance. Like I said: aim to kill."

"I thought we were supposed to keep the scientists alive?" Laguna questioned.

Squall frowned. Another reason Laguna had no business here: he was a politician. Despite any previous experiences in the military, he had been a bureaucrat for far too long and no longer thought like a soldier, but held to the unrealistic ideas that casualties could always be avoided and the enemy was just misunderstood. "When it comes down to my people or theirs, I want my people to make it out alive. This is going to be hard enough without worrying about their well-being, and I'm going to take every precaution to make sure we all make it back alive. I will take full responsibility for any casualties on their side."

Laguna nodded uncomfortably, but didn't say anything else.

"Check your supplies and make sure you have enough potions," Squall continued. "You have ten minutes to gather anything you might need and meet me outside the back door. Dismissed."

Laguna, Zell and Irvine left the room quickly; probably to grab items they had forgotten. Selphie and Quistis remained seated and watched as Squall gathered maps and placed them back in their appropriate slots.

"Squall?"

Squall put the last map away and turned back to Quistis.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked. Her voice sounded strangely subdued as she gathered her whip up and rose from her seat.

"I'll go wait outside," Selphie said brightly, seemingly oblivious to the tone in Quistis' voice. She picked up her nun chucks and left the room.

Squall looked at Quistis questioningly. What had gotten into her?

The blonde woman looked down at her hands for a long moment before saying, "I have a bad feeling about this mission, Squall."

He blinked. "What kind of bad feeling?" he asked. Quistis wasn't normally like this; she didn't get bad feelings, and wasn't much for intuition. She was too practical for things like this.

"I'm not sure," she murmured, still refusing to meet his gaze. "I think . . .I just think something's going to go very wrong down there."

Squall considered her for a moment. "You don't have to go."

She laughed, but there wasn't any mirth in it. "Don't be ridiculous, Squall. Of course I'm going." She pushed her seat back and got to her feet, then raised her eyes up to meet his. They surprised him with their intensity. "But please be careful, Squall." With that, she turned and left.

Squall, feeling more confused than he had before, followed her out.

Feathers shed from the monstrous limb, falling softly to the ground as Sephiroth moved. Cloud couldn't stop staring. "All it will take is a piece of my heart," he said, beginning to circle Cloud's chair, "and the darkness will consume you entirely."

Cloud wanted to run. He wanted to be anywhere but here.

He wanted someone to come for him.

But Cloud wasn't as naïve as he came across. He knew no one was coming, at least in time. He knew he was alone. And he knew there was nothing he could do to stop Sephiroth.

And he was scared.

"It's okay to be afraid, Cloud. Just don't let it stop you."

"How does it feel, Cloud?" Sephiroth's voice tore him from his thoughts. Cloud glanced up warily and he continued. "How does it feel to know you've been abandoned?"

"I haven't been abandoned," Cloud shot back with a glare.

Sephiroth chuckled. "Of course you have, Cloud. Did you know that they're not even looking for you? Zack didn't even know you were missing until your new friend pointed it out to him."

"They're looking for me now," Cloud insisted, staring down at his bare feet. "Squall will find me."

Am I lying to myself?

"You honestly think he cares what happens to you? Do you think he's even capable of caring about anyone? Squall Leonhart is as heartless as they come."

"You don't know Squall," Cloud said through clenched teeth.

"I know he doesn't care what happens to a worthless grunt like you. And why should he?" he pressed. "You are incapable of even defending yourself against your peers. Why should he think you capable of anything else?"

"Shut up," he whispered.

"You're no good to him. I'll be fortunate if you prove to be any good to me."

"I said shut up!" Cloud snarled, meeting Sephiroth's gaze.

Sephiroth's lips tugged upward. "It seems I've hit a sore spot," he commented. "Your self doubt will provide the means for your downfall."

Cloud's eyes widened before he could stop them. "What are you talking about?"

"It's very simple, Cloud," he said, raising Masamune before him. "The darkness in your heart will make it much easier for my own heart to connect with it. Self-doubt, though not darkness in itself, can be turned into something far more lethal: despair. Convenient, isn't it?"

Sephiroth gripped his sword in the middle of the blade, drawing a thin stream of blood from his hand as he turned it around and pointed it toward his heart. Cloud knew it was coming, but still couldn't quite believe it when Sephiroth stabbed himself.

Instead of blood, however, all that came from the wound was a brilliant white glow. The weapon dropped from Sephiroth's hands, clattering to the ground and making Cloud jump. He could see the shadows with the glowing eyes all around them, dancing in their cages in excitement.

Sephiroth plunged his hand into the wound, his face contorting in pain. In one sharp movement, he pulled out something dark and writhing, like a mass of black, oily tentacles. His poison-green eyes met Cloud's.

Cloud glanced down and tugged at his bonds, but they were unyielding. He looked back to Sephiroth.

That smile was back.

He glided forward, and before Cloud could even summon a scream, Sephiroth shoved the darkness at Cloud's chest.

Into Cloud's chest.

He couldn't breathe.

His heart stopped.

It was like being pierced by ice and fire at the same time. It felt awful, alive and moving inside of him, consuming him. Acid poured into his veins, spreading the feeling throughout his entire body.

The sensation traveled from his chest, stretching to somewhere between his shoulder blades, an entire wave of darkness. Amidst all the pain, there was a distinct agony in his back. It felt like something was growing inside of him, setting against bone and stretching outward, tearing through muscle and flesh alike. Finally, his back tore apart.

With that fresh agony, Cloud's vision dimmed and his brain began to mercifully shut down.

"Sleep now, puppet," a voice whispered inside of his head. "I will return for you."

Cloud didn't have time to make sense of the message or wonder why there was another voice in his head giving commands and promises. He was already gone.

Icky. Sephiroth's heart is gross XP

Next chapter, though, we invade the basement :D

Alright, I would like to take this opportunity to give some warnings for the next few chapters down the road. Due to the nature of this fic, and how many FF8 characters we see in KH, there will be character death later on. I just wanted to throw that out there so it doesn't take anyone by surprise when it pops up. Just have some tissues handy ;)

Looking forward to seeing you all next chapter! Have a great week :)

God Bless,

-RainFlame