Dr. Hojo watched in glee as the dark mass took shape after he had thrown the little brat into it. It was sad that she would never know the power she truly had. She screamed and started to back away as green eyes stared out from the dark. Backing up, she ran into him and he grabbed her roughly by the shoulder. Taking a syringe he stabbed it into her other shoulder and she went limp. Letting her fall to the floor, he stepped over her to the man that was now standing in the corner.

" Ha! If only my brother could see what I have done," he muttered. Sephiroth narrowed his eyes at him.

" Why am I here? If you were to bring me back you could have at least made sure I was in the crater."

Dr. Hojo bowed slightly, " I am sorry…but she came here instead of the crater. Something drew her here." He watched as Sephiroth walked over to the unconscious girl and flipped her over with his toe.

" Whoever this is, you made her look like me. I don't know how you got my DNA or who you managed to manipulate into having her but if you were going to make a clone of me, you could have at least made it male. And what would it matter if she came here or the crater. If you brought me back, then you have the materia to do it anywhere."

It was at this moment that Dr. Hojo knew he could try to control Sephiroth. He had knowledge of what happened ten years ago while Sephiroth seemed to have forgotten.

" You have it all wrong," he said, " she is no clone…she is your daughter. And there is so much more to her than meets the eye."

Sephiroth laughed harshly. " I was never with a woman, therefore how could she be my daughter?" He brushed back Synthia's hair to get a better look at her face. " She looks exactly like me, so it must be a clone."

Dr. Hojo shook his head. " Come with me," he said, " I will find proof. I know it's somewhere around here. Then I will set the bait for the ones who destroyed you."

As Dr. Hojo walked further into the study, he didn't see Sephiroth kneel next to Synthia and continue to stare at her. He also didn't see him notice the shawl and lightly touch it.

Vincent breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Nibelheim. Sandra had sensed Synthia's energy there and he was determined to get to her before anyone else did. He was angry at her, but right now he just wanted to make sure that she was okay. The monsters inside of him stirred as he stared at the small town. They liked the girl, especially Chaos because she was not afraid. He had to remind himself that she most likely saw horrid things with the man in white.

Sandra put a hand on his arm. " I don't think we should go Vincent," she said, " there's something…wrong." She didn't want to add that the strong imprint of Synthia's energy had weakened to the point that she had to extend her senses farther than she was used to. " I think it's a trap," she continued, " I keep getting the feeling that she is not aware of anything right now."

Vincent shook his head, " I have to go after her. I have to protect her."

Cloud walked up to him and said, " I know you see this as a way to make up for Lucretia. It wasn't your fault Vincent, she made her choice and there is no going back."

"And you couldn't have stopped it," Barrett added, knowing what Vincent was about to say, " What's done is done Vincent…you have to let go of the past."

" It is not about Lucretia," Vincent snapped, " it is about Synthia. She may be able to fend for herself but she is still a little girl. She needs the comfort of knowing that there are people who will not abandon her."

It annoyed Vincent that everyone kept bringing up Lucretia. Deep down, he knew she was gone, and that he would never see her again. But maybe the forgiveness of his sins lay in protecting her granddaughter. Narrowing his eyes, he continued to walk toward the town. If it was a trap, there was nothing that would be able to stop him. By tonight, Synthia would be safe and sound with the group. And hopefully, they could end the terror that the man in white had bestowed upon her once and for all.

Synthia pretended to be unconscious as Sephiroth rolled her over. Though her eyes were closed, her third eye was wide open and taking everything in. She would never admit it, but it hurt when she heard Sephiroth say that she could have at least been male. When Dr. Hojo walked away, she was a bit surprised that Sephiroth continued to stare at her, then slightly panicked as he touched the shawl. The shawl was the only thing of her mother's she was allowed to keep and if he took that away, she would have to fight tooth and nail for it. When he walked away to join Dr. Hojo, she slowly sat up. Keeping her eyes on the men she quietly moved towards the exit. She was sure she was home free when both men turned around and looked at her.

" Wretched girl," muttered Dr. Hojo as he threw something at her. There was smoke and she couldn't breath. The last thing she remembered was gloved hands catching her as she fell. Little did she, or Dr. Hojo, know, the shawl had sparked something in Sephiroth's mind. A faraway memory that had been buried for a long time.