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::Note - As cheesy as the yellow school bus. This chapter came out weird. Not too bad I hope. Please tell me your view on it and if I should continue because I hadn't intended to go all the way until Meteor & Holy collide.

"...I'm the evidence that you lived..."

Lover.

"Cloud..."

A shiver trailed up my spine as his fingers slid up my sides and his smooth voice called out to me within my mind. He was baiting me to come with him for reasons I was still unsure. Perhaps to join him at Jenova's side to carry out her plans of destruction together, so no one could stand in the way any longer. Was that what he really wanted? Or maybe I would be a toy---a slave--- he could play with when he felt like it. Did I have no value at all? What do you want with me, Sephiroth?

"Why did you return the Black Materia to me?" a question I had been wondering for quite some time.

"Does it matter? Would you have rather fought me for it?" he chuckled lightly, while playing with a few strands of my spiky blond hair.

"I'm not your puppet, Sephirth. I won't do your dirty work!" I growled, slapping his hand away before grabbing my sword. I refused to fall for his tricks this time. He can't control me and make me do whatever he wants. I have a will of my own and he won't break me into servitude. Do you understand Sephiroth!

He twisted his wrist and yanked my hand away by a strong grip on my wrist. He wasn't pleased with my answer in the slightest. He sought to dominate and to over power his prey much like the predator he is. Once chosen he would not back down and he had every intention of teaching me that lesson.

"You're shaking. How much longer can you resist me in this futile attempt?" he went on, not fazed by my words. He knew there was little I could do with the amount of power he had over my mind.

"I-I'm shaking with rage because every time I see your face it portrays the killer you are!" I shouted.

Lies. My words were mere lies. Sephiroth had killed many I loved but I still couldn't shake the images of childish idol worship. I had looked up to him for so long and developed feelings in my adolescent years which refused to fade even now. I wished Zack was still alive. Zack would have been able to talk some sense into me or urge me onward in my childish love. Hopefully the former, but you could never know with Zack.

"You needn't lie to me Cloud, I know all the deep secrets you hide." he smirked, while delicately lifting my chin as he leaned forward to silence anymore of my complaints.

"GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF HIM SEPHIROTH!"

I paused Sephiroth's decent with a firm grip on his shoulders as I craned my neck back to see Tifa running towards us with the rest of the gang hot on her heels. As she closed in on us she clenched her fists then jumped in the air aiming her attack for Sephiroth.

I glanced back to Sephiroth noting the gleam of irritation in his eyes as he sneered, pulling away from me before disappearing like he had never been there to beginning with. I jumped back to avoid the backlash of Tifa's attack as her fist collided with the ground making a small crater.

She stood and faced me with a light smile. "I'm glad we made it in time. When we met up with Vincent and Cid they told us you fell into the river. I was worried about you Cloud, but I never doubted that you survived!" she choked out with tears shinning in her eyes and before I knew it she had thrown her arms around me in a tight hug.

I comforted her lightly while repeating that I was okay and for her not to worry anymore. She eventually calmed down and when I looked up passed her the whole group was watching us. Some blushed or poked fun, while the two that I felt suspected me watched with knowing eyes. I tried to pay all of them no mind as I scratched the back of my head embarrassedly in a very Zack-like manner.

Soon the moment was lost as the seriousness of the situation returned. Sephiroth was still waiting for us. I pulled the Black Materia from my pocket and held it out having made up my mind. I couldn't trust myself to hold it any longer. It would be best to give it to someone else.

"Sephiroth will be after this again. I can't be trusted with this. We should decide who should carry it. Someone who won't give this to me no matter what happens." I decided.

Everyone nodded and looked amongst themselves debating the best person to give it to. Immediately Tifa and Yuffie were eliminated for obvious reasons. Cid and Vincent didn't want to be bothered with such a task. Choosing Cait Sith hadn't even been brought into questioning. So in the end Barret was chosen to carry the Black Materia.

Now that we had made our decision we continued down the rocky bridge and passed the hanging tree branches into a wide open area. Straight ahead there was a peculiar configuration of rocks in the walls of the sturdy rock formation around us. Thin blades of grass lined the ground and a large tree stood northeast of the entrance. Its branches were long and thick obviously able to hold a lot of weight easily. In the heart of the branches was a giant crystal of hardened Mako and within it was the body of the legendary General Sephiroth.

Gasps drifted around our group as all eyes fell on the general as we cautiously moved further into the area. The sound of clapping and insane laughter halted our movements as we glanced back to the entrance. Standing, where we had just moments ago, was some of the higher ups running ShinRa. However, none of them mattered to me when I spotted Hojo in the mix.

Hojo stepped forward with his body hunched over and his hands clasped behind his back. He gazed at the crystal housing Sephiroth's body as if he had achieved something truly great while muttering things to himself. I fell to my knees clutching my head in agony as he finally turned to me in utter surprise.

"I never imagined that one of my failed clones would make it here." he muttered. "I never even gave you a number you where just that much of a failure."

The agony of the unknown thoughts and memories flashing throughout my mind made my body begin to shake. "No, he had to be lying. I wasn't a clone. I-I...wasn't...or am I really a clone? Give me a number. Hojo give me a number!" I cried out as I crawled towards him yanking on his white lab coat desperately. "I need a number. Give me one."

He kicked me aside with a disgusted cackle. "I would never give you a number. You are still a failure."

My eyes widened in disbelief as I clutched the blades of grass on the ground that I had fallen on. I lifted up to my feet with a blank expression plastered on my face. "I was a failure. A failure." I whispered over and over like a mantra. Hojo's words had broken me and as I stood with my head dropped solemnly to face the ground I became much like an empty shell. Devoid of purpose or reason.

"Cloud...bring me the Black Materia."

Those words I had heard them before, but where and when. I lifted my head and turned with blank eyes to locate my team. They were no where to be found. Something pushed me from behind leading me to exit the area and jumped down to the group of ledges we had climbed to get inside. My team was scattered around on different ledges by themselves. I remembered giving the materia to Barret and immediately scaled down two ledges to find him facing out in the other direction, seeming as if he were waiting for something. I forced a serious expression onto my face as I stepped up to talk to him.

"Barret."

"What the hell? Somethin' bad happenin' up there?" he asked.

"Scarlet called her goons to attack us; they want the materia."

"Damn, they can't have it!" he sneered.

"They knocked Yuffie unconscious and Tifa took a shot in the leg."

"Bastards! I'll kill them all myself!" he growled.

"We could use your help. Let me hold onto the Black Materia to be safe, I am the strongest after all."

"Damn SOLDIER punk! Think you're all high and mighty with that big 'ol sword on your back!" he grumbled.

I smirked, forcing myself to laugh along with him. After a few seconds he threw the materia into my awaiting hands.

"Better you than those ShinRa bastards." he offered as way of explanation.

A chuckled was my response as I rushed back the way I had came and into the clearing. The moment I touched the ground in the center of the area my body was yanked off the ground and dropped into a bed of leaves on the long branches of the tree. I scampered to my feet and moved towards the front of the Mako crystal. Raising the hand holding the Black Materia I pressed it against the crystal's outer shell. A drunken smile spread across my face as the outer shell softened and allowed me to push the materia flush inside without resistance. Then startled gasp ripped from my throat as I saw my angel's green eyes slide open before my wrist was yanked forward sending my body forward into the Mako crystal. I squeezed my eyes shut as my arms wrapped around myself weakly. The liquid was surprisingly warm and inviting; which helped me to relax until a pair of arms wrapped around my waist pulling me flush up against a strong muscular body. My cheeks colored a deep scarlet because I didn't have to open my eyes to know that the body holding me was very much devoid of clothing.

"Cloud...no more resisting. You are mine."

"I...am...yours? You want a failure like me?"

"I want the innocent little blond who blushes whenever I touch him."

"Not the failure?"

"Cloud..."

"I have always been yours Sephiroth, isn't that what you said?"

"So you accept?"

"I want to be with you."

::Thanks for staying with me until the reunion, hope it wasn't a let down. Though I think there should have been a lot more Sephiroth and Cloud action. Love you all!::