Author's Note – I'm on a roll! Not sure for how long though, so don't get spoiled with these daily updates from me. (-).(o)

Also, I wanted to give you an FYI. My past and present stories are actually separate files on my computer. Before posting each chapter, I put the present and past sections together into one combined chapter. Somewhere along the way, I miscalculated the length of the present story, thinking it was much shorter and now it looks as if the past story will be ending much sooner. With that in mind, I think I'm going to delve a bit in the story that occurs between the game ending and Advent Children and continue the past that way. There's an official short novel in the Advent Children DVD that gives a somewhat brief occurrence. I may stick to that particular story and just elaborate it…or I may decide to go in a completely different direction and make it all up. I'm not sure yet. I'll think about it when I get to that point.

Disclaimer – I haven't posted one of these in a while. As usual, I don't own anything. It all belongs to Square. And for Chrissakes, why can't they hurry up with AC Complete?? It'll be coming out in Japan sometime in early 2009, so that means it'll be a really, really, really long time before it comes to the States. GROWL!! Anyone have any news on that front?

Chapter 25

MIDGAR – the present

In the morning, I called Yuffie at the temporary apartment she rented whenever she came to Edge. "I need you to go somewhere with me."

"Where are we going?" she asked groggily.

"To the zoo."

"The zoo? What for?"

"I need to see the animals."

She groaned. "Tifa, you're acting so weird lately. How can you think about looking at animals after what happened between you and Cloud the other day."

I cleared my throat. "Oh, don't worry about that. Everything's fine now," I fibbed.

An hour later, after I rented a car from a local place and picked up Yuffie, we were on our way to the Midgar Zoo.

Yuffie complained during the entire ride, saying that she could have thought of thirty-five other things she'd rather be doing than seeing a bunch of animals at the zoo. "Where the hell is Cloud anyway?"

"He's…uhm…he's on some deliveries." I couldn't exactly tell her that he was at the zoo at this moment and that was who we were going to see.

We arrived at the zoo, parked the car and paid to get in. I had no interest in seeing any other animals, even though Yuffie kept stopping to admire them.

"I thought you didn't feel like seeing any animals, Yuffie," I said as I tried to drag her along by the arm.

"Well, I thought that's the reason we came here? What's the rush all of a sudden?"

"There's only one animal I'm interested in seeing."

"What animal?"

"They captured it at the Seascape Park last night."

"You mean that panther? I saw it on the news this morning."

I sighed. Why was everyone calling Cloud a panther. "No, not a panther. He's a leopard."

"Oh, well, excuse me. The leopard. Shesh, what's with you lately?"

When we reached the Predator section, I rushed Yuffie through the exhibits before she decided to stop anywhere.

"There it is," said Yuffie, pointing to a jaguar.

"No, that's not him." I took her by the arm and dragged her further down along the exhibits. Lions, tigers, clouded leopards, snow leopards, cougars. Then I stopped in my tracks. Leopards...

Several people were standing in front of the leopard exhibit. Young kids pointed to the animals on the other side of the iron bars. I saw three animals. Two were lying underneath an overhanging rock. Another was pacing agitatedly back and forth in front of the bars. It was Cloud. I recognized him, having memorized every spot on his coat.

The big feline turned his head to sniff the air and then whirled around with a loud roar, making several people jump back several feet away from the bars. He suddenly saw me and bolted in my direction.

I released Yuffie and blindly hopped over the steel barrier separating the spectators from the iron bars of the animal habitats.

"Tifa, what the hell!" Yuffie yelled in surprise.

I ignored her warnings and the gasps from the people around as I moved to the bars. As I crouched, Cloud reached his paws between the bars and placed them on my shoulders. His weight forced me to sit on the ground. I leaned closer and he began licking my face. "Oh God, Cloud…" I reached between the bars to hug him and to run my fingers through his thick fur. "I'm so sorry…"

"Tifa!" Yuffie screeched. "Get away from there!"

"Please forgive me," I whispered to Cloud.

Cloud rumbled deep in his throat and affectionately rubbed his face against mine. He seemed accepting of my apology and seemed apologetic himself.

A glance over my shoulder at the people watching in shock behind me eluded that I didn't have much time before someone decided to call security. I reluctantly pulled away from Cloud, my eyes quickly filling with tears. As I backed away from the bars, Cloud reached his paw through, trying to touch me again. He roared in disappointment.

When I hopped back over the barrier, Yuffie yanked me away. "Are you crazy? That thing could have ripped your face off!"

I stared back toward the bars, seeing Cloud pacing desperately, roaring loudly. "I have to get him out of there."

Yuffie sat me down at a nearby bench. "Did that rainforest fry your brain or what?"

Tears poured out of my eyes as I watched Cloud pacing along the bars, roaring in frustration, calling out to me. "Oh God, what am I gonna do? How am I gonna get him out of there?"

"Teef, what're you talking about, getting him out? You're thinking of turning that thing loose?"

I turned to Yuffie, the tears burning my eyes. "I promised Cloud I wouldn't tell anyone. But I have to tell you, Yuffie. I really need your help."

She gave me a worried look. "What's the matter? Are you pregnant?"

I wiped at my eyes, briefly glancing in the direction of the roaring leopard. "No, it's nothing like that."

"What is it then?"

"Before I tell you, you have to promise not to breathe a word of this to anyone. Promise me."

"Okay, I promise. I won't breathe a word to anyone."

"And you have to keep an open mind."

"My mind is wide open."

I took a deep breath before looking her in the eyes. "Something happened to Cloud while we were held captive in that native village. Hojo did something…horrible…to him."

Yuffie frowned. "Like what?"

I wondered how she would react when I told her the truth. "He made Cloud drink some kind of potion that had some weird chemicals in it. It changed him. It turned him into an animal."

"Whatta you mean it turned him into an animal? Like he went nuts like an animal?"

"No. He literally…changed…into an animal...into a leopard."

Yuffie stared at me as my words registered in her youthful mind. "Are you trying to tell me that animal over there is Spike?"

"Yes."

"No way!"

"Yuffie, look at me. Why in the hell would I make up such a story?"

She stared into my tear-filled eyes. "To drive me completely insane, that's why."

I stared back at her.

"Okay, so how many times have you seen him change into…a leopard?" she asked, miserably failing in her attempt at indifference.

"A lot."

"So obviously he can change back?"

"Yes."

"Well, why doesn't he change back now?"

Now I knew I lost her again. She didn't believe me. "If he changes back, don't you think the staff here at the zoo would find it odd that the leopard they captured yesterday is gone, replaced by a naked, blonde human being?"

She shrugged. "I suppose that would be odd."

"If anyone found out…they'd lock him up in some asylum and throw away the key. Or worse, they'd run all kinds of experiments on him. You know just as well as I do how much Cloud hates doctors and scientists and…"

"Okay, I get the picture."

"So you believe me, don't you?"

She raised her hands. "Let's just suppose this is true. What do we do?"

I pointed to the leopard exhibit. "You have to help me get him out of there."

"And how the hell do you think we're going to do that?"

"I don't know."

"We can't do this alone. We need more help."

"No, I can't bring anybody else into this. Cloud was adamant. He doesn't want anyone to know. It's bad enough I had to tell you. I can't tell anybody else."

"Okay, well, we don't have to tell anybody who he is. For all they know, we're busting a pet leopard out of the zoo."

"Who can we get?" I asked her.

"I dunno. We'll have to think about that one."

I got up and Yuffie followed closely behind me. As I approached the barrier again, Cloud stopped pacing and moved to where I stood. He reached first one paw through the bars and then the other. His claws dug into the dirt, dragging at it. Luckily the people that had been standing there earlier were now gone.

"Cloud…"

He immediately stopped clawing at the dirt and looked up at me with an anguish roar.

"Shhh, listen to me. I'm gonna get you out of here. I promise. Just try and keep it quiet. It's important that you don't draw any attention to yourself. Okay?"

Cloud reached his paw out again and I leaned over the barrier to touch it. When I turned to Yuffie, she was looking into the leopard's eyes.

"I don't believe it," she said with a stunned expression on her face. "That's really him, isn't it?"

I turned back to Cloud. "We'll be back later, Cloud. Don't forget. Keep it down, okay?"

Cloud gave a short roar of acknowledgement and I dragged the mesmerized Yuffie away.

Yuffie and I ate lunch at a diner in town as we plotted out the rescue.

"What about Vincent?" asked Yuffie.

"No. He's too smart. He'll figure it out before we even open our mouths to deny it."

"Yeah, you're probably right about that."

"Besides, we need somebody who can pick locks."

"What about Cid?"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh God, not Cid."

"Why not Cid? He has a ship. We can parachute down just like old times."

"Cid would be the last person Cloud would want me to involve in this."

"We don't have very many choices, Tifa."

"You're right. But like I said, he can't know the truth."

"So what do we tell him?"

"We'll just have to make something up." I pushed my plate aside in frustration. "Yuffie, we have to do this fast. After what happened to Cloud on that island, being in a cage again…I'm afraid he might really lose it this time."

She nodded and pulled her cellphone out of a pocket. After punching a number she put the phone to her ear. "Hello, Cid, guess who…" She quickly moved the phone away from her ear before replacing it. "No need to shout!"

I closed my eyes and sank my fingers in my hair. This was going to be a lot harder than I could ever imagine.

After returning home, an hour later Cid arrived, marching into the bar like he owned the place. "Tifa! Where the heck are ya?!"

I quickly bolted out of the kitchen, with Yuffie at my heels. We sat Cid down and told him the story we had fabricated.

When we were done, Cid frowned and scratched the back of his head. "For as long as I've known that kid, I always thought he was a strange one. But this? I don't ever recall hearing he had any kind of fascination for big cats."

I tried to act as if I knew what I was talking about. "Oh, believe me. He loves them, especially leopards."

Cid got up and started pacing in front of the table. He stopped and gave me a funny look. "Where the fuck does he keep it? Not here obviously."

I turned to Yuffie and we both looked at each other with our mouths open, unsure of how to respond.

Yuffie spoke first. "At the Chocobo Farm!" she shouted a little too loudly and enthusiastically.

Cid looked skeptical. "The Chocobo Farm? I'm no genius, but I'm smart enough to know that leopards and chocobos aren't very chummy with each other." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So how did the thing end up in the Midgar zoo?"

This time I jumped in. "I got a call from Chocobo Bill and…and he said some big game hunters caught it and put it in the zoo." I was proud of myself for coming up with that one so quickly.

Yuffie agreed. "Yeah, famous big game hunters," she needlessly added.

Cid continued to look skeptical. "And why the fuck isn't Cloud handling this shit himself?"

"Uhm…" I thought quickly again. "He's…he's making some urgent deliveries in…uh…in Mideel. After all that's happened to him, I…I didn't want to upset him with the news that his favorite pet was captured and put in a zoo. So, he doesn't know." I mustered up the most sympathetic, damsel in distress look. "Please…Cid, I really need your help."

He put his hands on his hips and shook his head as he started pacing again. "If we get caught freeing a wild animal, we could get thrown in jail, you know."

"I know. But we have to do this. It's extremely, extremely important. Please…" I begged again, willing to get on my hands and knees if I had to.

"What's the big deal if the leopard's in a zoo? Cloud could go and visit it any time he wants. It'll probably be taken care of a lot better than that idiot Chocobo farmer can manage."

"No. He can't stay there. You have to trust me on this one, Cid."

Cid stopped pacing again and looked up at the ceiling as he released a long sigh. "That damned kid is gonna owe me big time for this one." He walked to the bar and grabbed a pad of white paper and a pen.

Yuffie and I got up and stood on either side of him as he started writing things down.

"Okay, this is what we're gonna need."

I raised my eyebrows at something on the list. "A nondescript van with no plates?"

"Yes. If we have to make a fast getaway, we don't want anything that'll be easily described and identified."

"But what about your ship, Cid? Won't it be a lot easier and faster?"

Cid shrugged rather sheepishly. "I kinda blew the engine the other day. It needs an overhaul and I really need Spike to help me."

I nodded. "Well, I'm sure Cloud will be glad to help you once we get him…I mean, the leopard out of the zoo."

"Okay." He handed a list of things to Yuffie and another list to me. "We meet back here at 8:00 tonight."

I took care of getting the van. One of my customers owned a bakery and he had a plain white van with no markings on it that was used for deliveries. Luckily he didn't ask me why I needed it. Back at the bar, I unscrewed the license plates off the front and back.

Yuffie returned at 7:30. She found the items she had been in charge of: three black jumpsuits and three black ski masks.

Cid arrived a little while later. He threw a tool box into the back of the van. He also had a large case about five feet long.

"What's in there?" I curiously asked.

He opened the case and pulled out a shotgun from inside.

"No, Cid, no way."

"Look, Tifa, I don't know that animal. If it tries to attack one of us, I'm fuckin' shooting it."

"It won't attack. It's as gentle as a kitten, I swear."

"Yeah, right."

"You won't need it, Cid. I know that animal just as much as I know Cloud." It was the truth.

"All right, but I'm leaving it in the van."

"Fine."

We put on the black jumpsuits and ski masks. The three of us looked like we were about to infiltrate some secret base.

Cid got behind the wheel of the van and we were soon off to break a leopard out of the Midgar Zoo.

As I sat in the front passenger seat, I stared out the window, thinking about the cold pen poor Cloud was being forced to live in. Sharing it with two other leopards, complete strangers to him. Recalling how he desperately called out after seeing me this morning sent shivers up and down my spine and tears quickly filled my eyes. He was suffering in that enclosed habitat and wanted to get out so badly.

"Hey…what's up with you?" asked Cid beside me.

I turned to him. "Huh?"

"What's with the tears all of a sudden?"

I wiped at my eyes and shrugged. "I just miss Cloud." I didn't really know what else to say.

MIDGAR – the past

As soon as my feet touched the ground, I rolled and jumped up, quickly unstrapping the latches belonging to the parachute. Cloud landed beside me and also removed his parachute. He had timed our landing perfectly. We were near the back entrance of the Shinra building. Cid, Barret and Vincent soon joined us.

Remembering what Cait Sith said about Heidegger expecting us, we decided going underground through the railway tunnels was the safest route.

Until we ran into the Turks…

"You people are like old, tarnished gil you just can't get rid of," said Reno with sarcasm.

Elena held up her fists. "Our orders are to seek you out and kill."

Reno casually leaned against the wall and folded his arms. "You wanna go by, no problem. Go ahead."

Elena dropped her fists and glared at him. "What're you doing?! We're Turks! We can't let them go!"

Rude shrugged. "Shinra's finished. We don't have to follow orders anymore."

As we slowly made our way passed them, Cloud kept his buster sword held up and Barret was still ready with his gun arm. But surprisingly the Turks made no move to stop us. However, that didn't mean they wouldn't alert Heidegger or anyone else for that matter.

We quickly made our way through a number of tunnels before reaching the end of the railroad tracks. It was a dead end so we had no choice but to climb up to the outside again. A small courtyard spread out before us. And standing several yards away was a giant red robot with four arms. Somehow they had known we'd end up here. It was no surprise…the Turks practically led us in this direction.

Barret pointed needlessly. "What in the bloody hell is that!?"

The robot took several steps closer and a panel opened up on its face. Sitting side by side in plush seats were Heidegger and Scarlet.

Heidegger laughed. "And here we are together again. Let's see how you do against anti-Weapon artillery!"

"You guys are worthless," Scarlet shouted. "My creation is a sure thing! I'll show you the destructive power of the Proud Clod!"

We readied ourselves for battle. Proud Clod had a nasty blast of flame he shot out of his knees and Yuffie was constantly casting a healing spell to keep us alive. We hit it with everything we had.

In the end it was Cloud's summoning of the Knights of the Round that did in the giant robot. Proud Clod exploded, taking Heidegger and Scarlet with it. That was the end of them at last.

Cloud didn't waste any time celebrating their demise. He headed into the building. We all followed him.

We entered an enormous engine room and ran across several catwalks until we ended up on a platform with a large control panel. Sitting in front of it was none other than Professor Hojo.

"Hojo! Stop right there!" yelled Cloud.

"Oh…it's the failure," he said, not even turning around to acknowledge us.

"The least you could do is remember my name! It's Cloud!"

"Every time I see you, I...It just pains me that I had so little scientific sense...I evaluated you as a failed project. But you…ha, ha, ha…You are the only one that succeeded as a Sephiroth-clone." He shook his head. "I'm even beginning to hate myself for creating you."

"None of that matters...just stop this nonsense!"

Hojo finally spun around in his seat and faced us. "Nonsense?" He laughed. "Sephiroth is counting on a lot of energy. So I'm going to give it to him."

"Why're you doing this!? Why're you helping him!?"

"Quit asking me why, you moron." He turned his back to us again and continued pushing buttons on the control panel. "Energy level is at 83. It's taking too damned long. My son is in need of power and help." He raised a finger upward. "That's the only reason I'm doing it."

Cloud's jaw dropped alittle. "Your son?"

Hojo laughed maniacally. "He doesn't know yet. I can't imagine what he'll think when he finds out I'm his father?" He continued to laugh. "Always looking down on me like that. Trying to get me fired from Shinra!"

"Sephiroth is your son?"

"I offered the woman with my child to Professor Gast's Jenova Project. While Sephiroth was still in the womb, we took the cells of Jenova and…" He started laughing again, unable to finish what he was going to say.

"I can't believe you're the one behind all of this. The illusionary crime against Sephiroth..."

Hojo stopped laughing and faced Cloud. "No! You're wrong! It's my desire as a scientist! I... I've been defeated in the past…but no more. I've injected Jenova's cells into my own body! Here are my results!" He tossed two balls on either side of him, conjuring up two creatures I had never seen before.

It was time for another fight.

While I handled one of the creatures with Lightning and Fire, Vincent caste Comet and four of them came down on the second creature. Cloud wanted Hojo to himself and we let him handle the demented scientist. Unfortunately Hojo had an invisible barrier that Cloud couldn't seem to penetrate with either sword or materia.

Strangely enough, as soon as the two lab experiments were killed, Hojo suddenly morphed into a seven foot giant thing. It was so hideous I couldn't even describe it.

Cloud slashed at it first before the rest of us hit it with weapons and materia spells. This deformed Hojo was no match for all of us. He had underestimated our abilities and was about to lose another battle.

In the end, the creature disappeared, replaced by Hojo's battered and bloodied body.

Cloud rushed over to the control panel and started slamming his sword down on it, sending pieces and sparks flying into the air.

As if someone had turned off a switch, the entire engine room slowly powered down until there was complete silence.

Barret heaved a sigh of relief. "Well, that's the end of the cannon. It won't overheat and destroy Midgar."

I walked over to Cloud as he stared at the demolished control panel. When I touched his shoulder he jumped and then relaxed. "Let's go, Cloud. We have to find Sephiroth."

He nodded and we all left the way we came.

In hindsight, one of us should have checked to make sure Hojo was dead. And we'd later regret that minor detail.

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