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Chapter 21…

Loz and Yazoo didn't realize they'd been ditched by Scarlet until after they left the abandoned village of Nibelheim and entered the nearby forest. But it didn't bother them much. She'd been their teacher and let them kill lots of monsters. She'd even taught them how to read and write so they could study about things like Materia uses and various sword techniques, though neither Loz nor Yazoo had any interest in sword fighting. Guns were Yazoo's favorite. He had a quick eye and a sure hand, able to put his shots where he wanted most of the time, whiles Loz favored the Dual Hound Scarlet had presented him halfway through their training. He also preferred fighting with his fists. Yazoo figured it was probably because of his brother's body mass. He'd read in one of the hand to hand techniques books that larger men usually had an affinity for such, though he honestly couldn't figure out why. Fighting with fists was okay and he enjoyed being able to feel his hands or feet punching into monsters or men alike. But he really preferred to shoot them. It left no marks on him and was more efficient.

... son…

Yazoo tilted his head, distracted from the dragon he and his brother were playing with. It had been awhile since they ate and this was the first thing that crossed their path when they decided they were hungry. Dragon wasn't the best meat, but it was good enough. He shrugged and jumped lightly away from the thrashing tail, avoiding the dragon's fire breath attack with ease.

My... son… Come...come... free... mother…

Yazoo felt a shiver run down his spine at the odd whispering voice in his head. He shook it to see if the voice would go away and when it continued whispering nonsense to him, he turned to Loz who was just finishing off the monster with a jab of his Dual Hound to the beast's head. The dragon fell to the ground with a crash and Loz looked up with a triumphant grin which fell when he saw his brother's pensive look. In an instant he was standing beside Yazoo, a questioning look in his eyes.

"Yazoo?" His familiar voice brought Yazoo back from his reverie and he looked up at Loz, green cat eyes flashing with confusion. Loz' eyes immediately reflected that confusion as he glanced quickly around to see what could have caused his brother's concern. There was nothing.

Free... me... son… Come... free... mother

Yazoo looked up at his larger brother, eyes coming back into focus.

"Who is… Mother?" he asked Loz.

The big man cocked his head, confusion written on his features.

"Mother?" he asked. Then suddenly the voice which was calling out to Yazoo reached his ears also and he froze.

Come... son… Free...and… rule... world.

Loz grinned. That sounded like fun. But who was this "Mother" that called out to them?

What should we do?" he asked. Yazoo seemed to be busy listening to the whispers, trying to make out what the voice wanted from them.

Where are we to go? Yazoo asked the voice in his head. It quickened, as if excited, and started chanting.

Come… come… Come! Find... me... rule... world!

Loz waited for his brother to answer his question, but Yazoo seemed preoccupied as he began stripping the hide off of the dragon they'd killed. They ate the meat raw, having nothing to start a fire with, and Loz watched Yazoo think about their problem. Finally the smaller brother turned to the larger and asked quietly, "Where should we look for "Mother"?

"Un," Loz grunted. He'd only heard the call to find Mother. He hadn't the slightest idea where to search for it. And what was a "Mother" anyway? He asked and Yazoo shrugged. That night as they slept, broken images flickered across their dreams; visions of glowing green eyes, a long sword, fingers that turned to claws and a voice that bore through their skulls until they both awoke sweating, staring into each other's eyes in fear and confusion.

Two more days of this had both Loz and Yazoo feeling jittery and irritable. The voice was incessant, but the calls were faint and unspecific, leaving them frustrated with nowhere to turn their anger of need on. Then, on the third night, the voice changed its whisperings. A strange compulsion took over the two brothers, pulling them back in the direction of the tall mountains in the distance. Yazoo was the first to realize where they were headed; the mountain village where Professor Hojo and Scarlet had trained them. When they reached the outskirts of the village of Nibelheim, Yazoo and Loz looked at each other, then Yazoo stepped forward - drawn by the voice toward the Shinra Mansion - and led the way into the underground compound, following the tugging of the voice inside of him.

They had already forgotten Hojo, whom they had seen very little of even when he was still interested in their progress, so they didn't miss his absence. Nor did they care about the litter of rotting corpses in the passageway below the mansion. But the voice which whispered to them grew more excited as they worked their way further down the endless tunnels until it reached a crescendo as they drew abreast of the four special growth tanks that still housed two of Hojo's Sephiroth clones; asleep and apparently oblivious to them or the voice which had called them here.

Loz frowned and looked at Yazoo. This was what the one called "Mother" wanted? Yazoo stepped up onto the dais and stared at the two tanks with clones in them. The voice crooned to him, reassuring, encouraging, triumphant. He touched the first tank. "Specimen D" was etched into a plaque at the top of the tank. The clone hung unmoving within the growth fluid, seemingly unaware. "Mother" was silent. But when Yazoo moved to brush his hand across the tank marked "Specimen C," the clone within jerked its head from side to side, floor length silver hair floating around him like gossamer wings. The whispering of "Mother's" voice rose abruptly. It became urgent and coaxing. Yazoo liked the feeling of pleasure it brought him and he ran his hand across the cool glass, staring intently at the figure floating within. Something told him this was his younger brother and the voice reassured him that this one would be able to lead them to her. It was a strange sensation, not unlike the satisfaction he received after an exciting battle with one of the tougher monsters he and his brother had come across in the forests. This would be fun!

Yazoo moved around the tank, letting "Mother's" voice guide him in his quest. He didn't know what he was supposed to do, but there was a console nearby and the whispers grew more intense as he walked closer to it.

Yes… yes, yes, yes! Push it, push it… push, push, push!

There were buttons on the surface of the metal console, blinking slowly; reds, greens, blues and some yellows. He didn't know what they were for, but experimentally he pushed a green one and waited. Mother nudged him excitedly. Yazoo frowned then tapped another button, a blue one this time. An alarm went off and the two brothers jumped back, looking at each other. No one yelled at them, so they waited to see what would happen.

Slowly the fluid inside the tank changed color. Then the boy within began to grow before their startled eyes. His body stretched; legs, arms, fingers, and toes elongating and flexing; face thinning from its original pre-adolescent chubbiness. Suddenly the clone raised his head and opened his mouth in a silent scream that reverberated inside their heads.

MOTHER!

Yazoo jumped, glancing around wildly to see what was wrong. "Mother's" whisperings became shrill and demanding, and frantically Yazoo looked at the flashing buttons on the console. Something was wrong, but he didn't know what he should do! Finally he grabbed his pistol out of its holster and fired at the tank, purposely avoiding hitting his little brother and shattering the glass prison. Green fluid gushed out, splashing them, and Loz stepped back, grunting in consternation. But Yazoo leaped forward and caught his younger brother, snatching him from the falling glass which he fended off with his own gloved hands. More alarms went off, hurting their ears, and Loz and Yazoo hurried from the room as "Mother's" praises whispered in their minds.

It wasn't until they were passing the place where they had stayed with Scarlet while she trained them in the art of fighting that Yazoo abruptly came to a stop. A thought occurred to him and he tossed his new brother to Loz who easily caught him, then ducked inside and grabbed up some of the leftover clothes from when they had lived there. After a quick look around to be sure he wasn't forgetting anything, Yazoo bundled up the clothes and hurried from the room. They could dress their new brother when they were away from this noisy place.

"Tch!"

Yazoo glanced up to find Loz pulling at the clone's long wet hair where it was wrapped around his arm, impeding the Dual Hound strapped there. Yazoo drew the double bladed sword from his sheath, pulled the silver hair loose and sliced it close to his younger brother's shoulders. Loz grinned at him and he smiled back. Both felt the sense of excitement, as if something important was about to happen. They turned and left Nibelheim. They had a new brother to train, and he would tell them what they should do next. "Mother" assured them of this.

Vincent stared at the human footprints leading to and from the Shinra Mansion. There were two sets; one set larger than the other and heavier. He remembered the empty clone tanks and wondered if the missing clones might have returned. The thought was not a pleasing one and he looked up again at the dark, foreboding building that had been his prison and Cloud's as well, if the hints he'd picked up from the ex-SOLDIER during their travels were any clue.

He had secretly followed Cloud into the Shinra Mansion one night, after their leader stopped near the tiny village on their way to Rocket Town, and then slipped away during the night while the others slept. He supposed it was just idle curiosity on his part, wanting to learn a bit more about their enigmatic leader, but what he'd seen had left a lasting impression on him. Cloud had gone straight to the library below the mansion, only a few feet from where Vincent himself had been incarcerated for so long and the ex-Turk had watched as the young warrior slowly walked up to the two containment tanks in the back, tracing his fingers lightly across the glass beakers, eyes distant. He whispered a name Vincent didn't know, nor had he ever heard Cloud mention it.

"… Zack…"

Then the blonde had moved further into the hellhole which had been Hojo's playground since before Cloud was born. Into the laboratory - where the now smashed operation table was - and the feeling which permeated Vincent's wintry soul held more pain, anguish and sorrow than he had thought anyone could bear. It was far worse than anything he felt for Lucrecia, who he had loved, even though he knew she did not love him back. Vincent had almost fled the place, but something kept him there and he had watched from concealment as Cloud touched the operating table, face unreadable, eyes glowing deep blue as if lost in painful memories.

"I'm sorry, Zack…" he had said, so softly that Vincent wasn't sure he heard correctly. "You would be alive now if I…" Abruptly he turned away, almost catching Vincent before he ducked back into the library and ghosted to the cover of the nearby bookshelves.

Cloud had stopped, smiled a small bitter smile and left, not turning back once. Vincent was sure he'd been seen, but Cloud never made any reference to the incident so he couldn't be sure. However, since that day the ex-Turk had watched Cloud more closely, searching for an answer to the sadness that seemed to come over their leader when nobody was looking. Or the thoughtful, almost pensive expression that briefly crossed his features when he was relating to them some of the truths he'd learned about himself and SOLDIER – which he'd never actually joined – and trying to explain his obsession with finding Sephiroth. He had asked them to help him.

Vincent now thought Cloud had meant that he wanted them to kill him if he lost control again, as he had when he attacked Aeris in the Temple of the Ancients after handing over the Black Materia to Sephiroth. It hurt him to remember that now and he stood up from where he had been studying the prints, shook the heavy black hair away from his eyes and - settling the Cerberus gun lightly in its holster for quick access - reluctantly headed toward the broken gates that led inside the Mansion.

It didn't take long to reach his goal, there being no monsters to impede his progress this time. The library was the same as he had left it, except that the corpses of the dead monsters had vanished. Probably carried away by scavengers or vanished like some monsters did when killed, as if their magical essence dissipated when they died, returning them to the Planet from which they'd been made. He wasn't much on the philosophical stuff, though he did find himself waxing philosophical on some occasions to avoid questions he didn't want to answer. Cloud seemed to be more aware of the Planet than anyone alive now, but the blonde wasn't here to ask, and besides, Vincent wasn't sure he wanted Cloud to see this. After all, he and Red had purposely kept the existence of the clones from their friend and the thought that they were actually alive and roaming freely through Hojo's lab was unsettling even to the stoic ex-Turk.

Nothing in the complex seemed to have been touched, Vincent noted as he made his way cautiously through the torn up examining room, then out into the many corridors and across the arena. He kept his senses on heightened alert for any strange noise or movement. There was nothing. That is, not until he reached the clones' tanks. He stopped abruptly at the sight, eyes glowing like twin flames as he tried to take in the empty clone tank, the broken glass and the flashing emergency lights. The claxons had long since turned off, but the strobing yellow lights told the tale of the break-in well enough. His eyes shifted to the tank where Sephiroth had transferred his essence when he left Cloud's body and his brows furrowed briefly. The boy within still slept, long silver hair drifting like a curtain around the slender body. There were no flashing lights over the tank or on the monitors or panels next to it, so apparently nothing had been done to it.

Only to this one. Vincent turned back to look at the destroyed clone tank and considered what it could mean. Two sets of footprints had entered the Shinra Mansion and two had left it. But there had to be three people at this point if his hunch was correct about the third clone being released from his tank. Turning, he searched for signs of the third clone. The floor was made of concrete, so there would be no footprints, except… Vincent's eyes narrowed as he noticed the green gelatinous substance; Mako. It had gushed out across the floor and started to condense, leaving a thick mud-like surface that would show imprints if he looked closely enough. He bent on one knee, avoiding contacting the substance directly.

The smell was enough to give him a slight headache and he shuddered. How could anyone or anything be suspended in this stuff without being destroyed? He remembered the tanks in the library Cloud had visited and wondered if the man was familiar with this particular agony. He'd certainly gone through Mako poisoning when he fell through the Crater and drifted to Mideel. The Avalanche members hadn't thought he'd ever come back from the strange coma he was in. Even the doctor had doubted, saying Cloud was somewhere far away, mind fragmented. Only Tifa had shown any hope, and it had been Tifa who went into the Lifestream to find and bring Cloud back.

Vincent lowered his head to floor level and looked across the surface for signs of disturbance. The liquid wasn't as well formed as mud, but he could distinctly see disturbances within the gooey substance. Two sets of footprints, as before. He rose and walked around, looking at it from a different angle until he distinctly made out two separate sets of prints. The same as before, only one set, he realized abruptly, seemed to sink deeper than he remembered. It was the smaller set of prints, a lighter weight clone? Or possibly a younger one. Either way, the extra weight suggested that this person was carrying the missing clone.

Vincent sent a last quick glance at where Sephiroth slept safely then followed the two sets of footprints back through the complex. The Mako had clung to their boots, so following them was easy enough, now that Vincent knew what he was looking for. They seemed to be headed back through the underground complex and outside, but they paused just after the arena and one of the two, the prints were harder to distinguish now that the Mako was drying or falling off of their boots, turned into a small side passage.

Vincent stepped into the room and glanced around. There was nothing noteworthy except a closet and some cupboards. Moving up to the closet, he pushed the half opened door aside to reveal black; black jumpsuits, boots, coats and pants. His heart sank. The clothes were only too familiar to him. He had seen them, or ones like them, many times before when he traveled with Cloud and his friends. Sephiroth. And now there were three, not two, of the clones alive and free. Vincent turned away from the closet and moved silently out into the passageway, letting his feet carry him toward the exit. Should he notify Red XIII? Something told him no, it wasn't necessary. The big cat already knew of the danger represented by two possible clones of Sephiroth. No need to add to the burden. But it increased his own need to find the trio and keep an eye on them. He must find out what they were up to and whether they intended to follow in their predecessor's footsteps or not.

Behind him, unnoticed, the last clone's lips twisted.