"You there, Clone-boy. I arrived as promised." Genesis was lounging on one of the cement roadblocks that marked off civilian parking in the wide open lot that sat outside of the WRO compound. Raul shared a glance with Yazoo and shook his head as the truck they were in rolled to a stop. The remnant simply sighed, before swinging out of the vehicle and ambling along the tarmac with Loz in tow, trying to find a suitable location to build a pen.

They had talked about it, and despite the perceived pride Yazoo and Los believed was being trampled by the way Genesis generally spoke down to everyone and everything thing, the clone didn't much care. He had a plan, and both had reluctantly agreed to it. A quick call to Reeve had made sure that the breeding and racing chocobo that Loz had kept were being shipped to the base even as they spoke. Speaking of the Director...

"Ahh, you made good time. I've had a space cleared and your sword delivered, Raul." Tuesti smiled, before dipping into a polite bow as he faced the Crimson Commander. "Genesis. I apologize for not coming out to greet you earlier. I'm sure you remember how much boring paperwork I had to wade through before, and the only thing that's changed is that now I endure it for the betterment of the world."

"Director of Urban Development, wasn't it? Still playing with robots?" Red leather creaked as the ginger former SOLDIER 1st swung down off the concrete, folding his arms.

"You could say that." The smile twitched slightly, and Raul suppressed a laugh as he realized that it was, in fact, actually Reeve standing there. He covered it by climbing down from the bed of the truck and brushing himself off while Tuesti continued. "Please, right this way. Raul phoned ahead and had a few things set up for the two of you."

"Did he." Mako-bright blue eyes narrowed to stare at the clone, who simply patted Reeve on the shoulder and beckoned the ginger to follow him. "How do I know this isn't a trap?"

"Who could stop you, if you truly wished to leave? I certainly can't fly." Came Raul's amused answer.

The preparations largely consisted of a large space cleared of anything remotely breakable and two cement trucks due to arrive the next morning, not to mention everyone who could cast and hold a materia lined up along the edge of the cleared space. Barrier and restore were the two most common materia, with Loz and Yazoo each settled among the growing crowd to bolster the efforts of those gathered. Their guest was understandably cautious as he followed Raul into the middle, one of the infantry tossing the clone his sword.

"You wanted to fight me on the beach. Ignore them, their only job is to minimize damage to the immediate area."

"How do I know this isn't a trap?" Genesis turned slightly to survey the still growing crowd, enhanced hearing undoubtedly picking up the whispers of excitement that passed back and forth.

"My friend, do you fly away now?" Raul drew the Murasame, quoting Loveless at the man who wouldn't, couldn't abandon such a challenge. "To a world that abhors you and I?"

"Act three? Are you calling me a coward!?" Incredulity crossed the red-clad swordsman's face, even as he drew his Rapier.

"I wouldn't presume to understand Loveless the way you do, Genesis, but in the immortal words of a very good friend..." The clone leveled his sword, a smirk playing about the corners of his mouth. "Play with me."

Somewhere in the crowd, Loz giggled. It was the only sound that broke the hushed silence of everyone else holding their breath before the red-headed swordsman surged forward, spinning to give his diagonal slash more momentum and sending a shower of sparks cascading across the ground as the clone hit the sword on an angle to slide it aside with a wince. The katana was not a sword designed for practical blocks, after all, and as the sword was a gift from Cloud his best bet at avoiding a strike was to get out of the way entirely or slide it aside. With the force Genesis applied, however...

Only the former was in any way shape or form a good idea, though the sheath had been reinforced and stood the ghost of a chance of standing up to a direct blow. He knew the methods Genesis used to fight, though. Some borrowed part of him had danced this dance countless times.

(He will cross step, tease the incoming strike aside, and lunge. He will lead with his left, shoulder down, blade back, push off with one foot and spin.)

(He -had- this, thank you very much, he remembered the countless sparring matches just -fine- after all, despite not actually participating in them.)

The Crimson Commander didn't disappoint, stepping forward and to the side before stabbing forward with the Rapier. Raul teased the blade aside, stepped forward to slide his sword down the length of the red blade and popped the sheath forward to prod Genesis in the stomach before retreating under the force of the glare he received. Coiling and lowering his left shoulder, the former SOLDIER 1st charged and planted one foot, spinning and bringing his sword across. It caught only air as the clone ducked under it and then popped back up, smacking the sheath across his opponent's shoulder as he quick-stepped forward and past.

"You-!"

"Me." Raul let his smirk grow, knowing that it made him look like him, knowing that it would anger Genesis. Adjusting his stance, the clone swished the katana through the air and canted his head to the side, the way he would have, only to blur as he bolted forward. A horizontal slash was picked off, along with the flurry of stabs that followed despite how his grimacing opponent was forced back a few steps. "Not what you wanted? When you came to the beach you came blinded by the past."

Genesis snarled, planting himself and knocking the katana wide so that he could snap a hand out and bat aside the incoming sheath and then leap forward and kick out, planting a solid hit on the Raul's chest and kicking off, sending the clone staggering until he caught himself and could stare up at the way the red-headed swordsman was effortlessly keeping aloft with one wing that shifted and beat softly.

"Stop chasing a ghost, Genesis. I could pretend to be him all day, but it would only be a fallacy. A mockery. You are fighting me as if I have a seven foot long katana, leaving holes in your defenses wide enough to ride a chocobo through. A fat one. Fight me, not a memory." The clone took a half-step forward, pointing the Murasame up at the airborn figure who was wearing contemplation across his face as if it was the new hip trend. Reluctantly, Genesis drifted and touched down, the wing curling partially as it folded at his back as he studied Raul before shaking his head and running one hand along the length of his Rapier, leaving a trail of glowing runes in it's wake.

"My friend, the fates are cruel, there are no dreams, no honor remains." Shaking his head, the red-clad swordsman flourished the glowing blade and settled himself into a ready stance, eyes narrowing. "Come then, Clone-boy. Enough of the past. I accept you as the present demands."

Raul mentally filed away the guarded sorrow he could see in his opponents eyes at the words, as if they pained Genesis to say before nodding and pacing in a semicircle. Somewhere behind him, bets were quietly being made and he shifted to start retracing the paced steps he had taken. Mako-bright blue eyes watched him, surprisingly patient as the Crimson Commander remained in his defensive stance with the tip of the Rapier following the clone as he moved.

Well, he had wanted Genesis to look at him and see the clone, not the echo of a once great man driven mad. He had what he had set this up for, anything else was extra at this point. Lifting the Murasame in a salute, Raul charged.

The clone groaned, slumped over the table in the mess hall. His bruises had bruises. Genesis hadn't exactly gone easy on him, though he liked to think that for every slap of the flat side of the Rapier that sent him stumbling he had blocked, avoided and deflected three more. The former SOLDIER was currently settling into the rooms set aside for him, specifically with window access that was an unspoken token meant to indicate that Genesis was free to come and go as he pleased. Loz and Yazoo flanked him, the former shoveling fries and a burger into his face while the latter kept watch. It didn't seem to much matter what they did, the remnants always kept at least one pair of eyes on the world around them. They were dependable like that.

"I might not be able to race chocobo in the near future anyways, Brother. Reeve's offer to defend this place in the event that Genesis decides to attack people is a good one. We've seen how he fights now. We would certainly be able to delay him, for evacuations or reinforcements." The slender remnant glanced at Raul, smirking and reaching over to adjust the ice pack that was settled on one of the clone's shoulders, courtesy of a particularly brutal overhand chop that had driven him to his knees and would plausibly have cut deep if the former 1st class hadn't turned the blade so that the flat came whumping down instead.

"... Thank you..."

"Are you -sure- you want to keep sparring with him?" Yazoo leaned back, stretching and casually glancing around as he did.

"Him, the two of you, Cloud, Tifa, everyone stronger than the average unenhanced, and as often as I can between managing public relations and sleep-" Surprise-caution flashed through the connection, and the clone lifted his head in time to hear the clatter of a lunch tray as it plopped down in front of him. Reno settled into a chair a moment later, and leaned forward onto his elbows.

"I dunno how ya did it, bud, but he's already agreed to help Tseng look into the materia we keep gettin'."

"I talked to him, like an equal. I treated the person he is like a person. I used my words." Raul laid his head back down, closing his eyes.

"Nah, bud, you don't get it. Zack tried talkin' to him too, and the ended up fightin' with him flyin' off. He even tried again, in Banora, and they ended up just fightin' until he was beat and ended up taken for the Deepground project. How'd you get him t'listen to you?" The turk didn't bother pretending to eat, instead shoving his tray towards Loz who happily added the food there to his own.

"He listened to Sephiroth. That was... One of the few times my face has come in handy. That's all." The clone sighed, debating the wisdom of curling his arms around his head to block out more of the light.

Reno grunted, glancing over as his partner stepped into the mess hall and pushed himself to his feet. "So he's not gunna listen to you any more?"

"If I could tell the future, I'd carry a Cait Sith on my back." Came the arm-muffled response.

There was a trick to escaping surveillance without getting in trouble. Raul knew for a fact that Tifa's rooms weren't bugged, and that any turks that might shadow him would stay on the other side of the door. Sore as he was, he knew there were still things he had left to do before he could properly find his rest, otherwise the clone knew he would simply stare at the ceiling without sleeping the night as he waited for the opportunity to act.

Besides, Tifa made -remarkably- good coffee. It was how he rationalized heading there just after midnight, hoping that maybe she might still be awake. He could probably escape through her window, shirking any turks, and she could be counted on to cover for him couldn't she? Besides, he needed her advice on a number of things. He approached the door, lifted a hand to knock before hesitating as his hearing caught the edges of some sort of slap. Muffled grunts came from behind the door, coupled with a muted whine. A female voice, Tifa, cried out-

(Someone was in her room, someone was hurting her-!)

The door caved easily as he practically walked through it and froze, green eyes wide. Chocolate eyes turned towards him, widening as Tifa gasped, and blue eyes had reflexively settled on him even as the sweating blond swordsman lunged way from the couch and snapped, startled, into a defensive stance. Clothing was strewn about the room, and the clone blurred for an instant before practically vanishing with the speed he achieved in his retreat.

Genesis heard a rapid almost skittering sound from where he lounged on the roof with a stolen bottle of wine. He had come up there to watch the sunset and had stayed because the stars were so much clearer here than they had been in Midgar. Just about as clear as anywhere in the deep wilds of the planet, and as he glanced over he caught the blurred form of a black-haired Sephiroth rapidly hauling himself over the edge of the roof-

No, he reminded himself. Clone-boy. What had he called himself? Rawool? Quirking a brow, the red-clad swordsman slowly sat up and rested his elbow against his drawn up knee.

"Shouldn't you be in bed, Clone-boy?"

The clone surged to his feet, startled, only to huff and sink back down. "I had several things of great importance left to do-"

"Sweet Goddess do you even realize how much you sound like him?" Genesis sneered bitterly, eyes narrowing as Raul quirked an eyebrow. "Stop that. Stop... All of that."

"You miss him." The words were soft, spoken gently while the clone shifted and settled more comfortably onto his rump. "The Sephiroth that you knew-"

"My friend, the fates are cruel, there are no dreams, no honor remains." The ginger looked towards his drink, ignoring the repressed sigh as Raul shook his head.

"Act four. The Remnant of the Past you might hear me speak of, I believe that is the Sephiroth that you were looking for. He's still within the lifestream, trying to fight the infection. He... Connects, to me sometimes. No, Genesis, listen to me." The clone held up a hand as the red-clad swordsman opened his mouth before continuing. "We need you. He needs you. I tell you this thing, knowing that if you spread it around that he is more than a remnant similar to Loz and Yazoo that it will reach them and he will be consumed by the insane replacement that attempted to destroy the planet. His greatest defense in this matter is that thing doesn't know his consciousness survived. He did this to me, he stabilized me and prevented me from reaching the Northern Crater. He may not be here, but he isn't gone."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because while your words hurt him, he still clung to the memory of your friendship in an attempt to retain his sanity. You are one of the reasons that he fights. You were always one of his friends, one of his SOLDIER's. Someone who supported him and he refused to roll over and die quietly because if he did, then that meant that everyone who stood at his shoulder and at his back was next." Raul lowered his hand, watching Genesis intently. "I inherited his Will in this regard. But I cannot tell everyone everything. All I can do is distract them, but with you... You I can tell these things to. Because you knew him, because you understand."

The ginger pursed his lips before shifting to offer out the bottle of wine. "... You talk far more than he ever did."

"It built up. I intended to unload elsewhere, but..." Sheepishly accepting the bottle, he peered at it for a moment and then narrowed his eyes. "... Is this from Vincent's private stash?"

'Eyy another chapter! Thanks goes to tocasia as always for the review! Also, thank you Random Anon, I'm glad you clicked on the story at random! Updates aren't regular, sometimes there's one a month other times I get three out a day. Depends on how sneaky I can be at work and review-filled motivation, really. Welcome to the show, though, and I hope you enjoy the ride. Twenty-some chapters in and I'm still figuring out the plot. I've a more solid idea than I did before, though, so... Yay? I guess? It's been a surprisingly fun write, all told.
Thanks go out to Ankward, for favouriting this story!
I think I'm procrastinating on the plot because then that means I'd have to write a conclusion and hoo boy, not sure I'm ready to let go just yet.
-KD