-Chapter 26-

Stacked Deck

Wanna bite the hand that feeds me, wanna turn the tides; set the demons free and watch 'em fly. Strike down the one who leads me, I'm gonna take his place; gonna vindicate the human race.

Better watch out, cuz I'm a war machine. Better watch out, cuz I'm a war machine, yeah. Take the reigns of power and seize 'em, draw the battle lines; Armageddon's just a matter of time.

Tear down the voice of reason, let the arrows fly, your freedom's just a state of mind. Better watch out, cuz I'm a war machine. You'd better watch out, cuz I'm a war machine, yeah.

The hallway seemed to stretch on forever, though it winded and twisted every few feet. Lit torches hung in braziers on the wall every ten steps, the narrow slits for windows letting in a modest amount of light from the outside. The pair walked, passing by several other soldiers, all of whom saluted and muttered greetings of 'sir' and 'lieutenant' as they passed. The hallway then suddenly turned into a spiral staircase, leading deeper into the lower levels of Fort Condor. Down and down they went, the stairs never seeming to end.

"Tell me more about these 'ideas' of yours that I might like, Reij," The silver-haired man said as they were halfway through their descent.

The light-haired demolitions expert clicked his tongue, "Well since my baby is in ruins now, you're gonna need a new toy, right?"

"You mean you're going to need a new toy; I'm indifferent to it," The other responded with disdain.

Reij chuckled, his voice echoing in the narrow space, "Whatever, boss-man. Them fuckers have airships and warships and tanks of their own! What the shit do we have now?"

"An army of rampaging lunatics, mayhaps,"

"Hah! Fat chance that'll make a difference. Lot of 'em are rotting carcasses now,"

They continued to walk, down down down, until at last they reached the bottom of the stairs. Here, two more armed men saluted them, then pulled apart the barred double doors to let the two pass. This hallway was more spacious, but with fewer men on patrol here. Reij took careful note of this, and walked on beside the leader.

"Tell me why I'm wasting my time with an ant like you, Reij," The silver-haired one said as they continued down the hall.

"Thought you'd wanna know I've pulled some extra funds from the war effort," Reij said, smooth as silk.

That caught the other's attention, who promptly halted in his tracks, boots squealing on the hard floor. He turned on the other man with a venomous glare, "You've done what?" He spat.

Reij never blinked, and even started to smirk, "Relax! It wasn't much! Just enough to start building us a couple new toys!"

"How much and where?"

Reij thought a moment, "Somewhere in the six digit range. Same place we build all our weapons, where else?"

The leader fumed, and his neck began to turn red from anger, "A six figure cut isn't much to you, Reij? I should hang you for treason!"

The other stood his ground, and even managed to laugh, "You yourself, sir? I'd like to see you try!"

The leader drew back his fist and clocked the other man square in the already injured nose. Reij stumbled backward, hitting the wall and clenching his nostrils. His eyes watered, and a line of blood began to trickle down his face.

But still he laughed, "That was pretty good! My turn!" And began to rear back to strike the other.

Before that happened, a pair of militants descended on the two, "Oi! What's going on here?" One of them said.

That seemed to further anger the leader, "Enough! Get out of my sight, all of you! Clear this hallway, myself and this peon have some unfinished business."

"But, sir..."

"NOW!" The leader screamed.

A minute later, the entire hallway was cleared.

"Right then, Reij," The leader hissed, using gloved fingers to unlace a couple strings holding his black robe in place. He removed it over his head, and threw it aside into a heap. "Let's just get this out of our system, shall we?"

The other man cackled, removing his outer vest and letting it drop from his body. He noted the leader was shirtless, in nothing but dark colored breaches, boots, and his gloves. This one was of smaller frame than him, but his chest was taut and muscled. He cracked his knuckles, "Come on then, pretty boy!"

The smaller man lunged then, faster than Reij expected. Right fist flew out, only to be caught in Reij's hand, but the left came directly behind, connecting to his jaw. That side of Reij's face was injured, so he stumbled with a grunt to the side. However, he quickly found his senses, and lunged back. He threw out his left fist first, the leader side-stepping away and directly into Reij's right fist. The left came a second later, clocking the other on the cheek.

The silver-haired one took a step back, spitting out a bit of blood, grinning, "Not bad for an ant,"

Reij shook off what remained of the last blow, and lifted a middle finger, "I got your ant right here, mook."

The leader charged again, jumping through the air and colliding with Reij mid-flight. The two fell to the dusty floor in a heap, with the leader on top. Instantly he was swinging his fists at Reij's face, who in turn lifted his arms to deflect the blows. Remembering a similar situation with Tifa, he threw his legs upward, wrapped his ankles around the other's throat, and threw him backward against the floor. Reij was up in a second, booting the other in the ribs as he moved to stand. Despite the blow, the silver-haired man was up again, catching a second kick and yanking the leg upwards. This in turn caused Reij to be forced backward, hitting his back harshly. He saw stars, but quickly rolled aside as the other man stomped the floor where his throat was a moment ago.

"Get up and fight, Reij!" The leader spat.

Feigning defeat, Reij slowly wobbled back to his feet, "You really are a delusional psychopath, ain't ya?" He laughed. "You really think you're some sort of chosen divine being? You're bleeding just like me!"

Now the leader's face was red, "Blasphemer! How dare you question JENOVA or the great Sephiroth?" He shrieked, "I expected better from you, Reij. Then again, you're doing better than I assumed, considering a mere woman beat you to within an inch of your life!"

That caught the other male's attention, and was soon charging down the hallway all over again. He faked a left hook, ducked underneath the retaliating right of the other, and slammed his own right fist into the other's sternum. When the leader bowed forward, Reij gripped his hair and forced his face directly into an upraised kneecap. When his opponent hit his back, he was on him in a second, landing punch after punch to the man. After only three or four punches, the leader managed to swing both open palms upward, clapping Reij harshly on both ears. This discombobulated Reij, and his vision suddenly flushed and he fell off to the side.

Over the next half hour this went on, both men eventually adopting to a style of boxing, dancing around each other and thrusting out jabs and left hooks. Blood stained the floor in rivulets, and some of it somehow managed to be smeared on the walls. Finally, both were near to exhaustion, due to them still being relatively fresh from battle and from having beat each other half to death. They stood there then, still holding their fists at the ready, and teeth clenched.

"Well!" The leader huffed, "I feel good about all of this!" Then slowly relaxed his stance, and lowered his hands, "Wouldn't you agree?"

After a time, Reij did the same, "Hah! We should do that more often!"

"Don't think this changes anything," The rebel leader suddenly said, voice hard as rocks, "You will still be answering for what you've done. You should have consulted me first."

Reij held up both hands, "Just doin' whatever's best for the cause, boss-man,"

"I decide what's best for the cause!" The other yelled again, "Were Sephiroth here now, he would call you an idiot, just as I am now! From now on, no more rogue actions. It's bad enough I have to deal with that damned foreigner Tormuj."

Reij grunted, "Understood,"

"Let us get back. Hammerhand and the Twin Blades should be returning by now," Then turned his back to Reij, and bent forward to pick up his previously discarded robe.

That was the opportunity Reij had been waiting for. Quickly he looked around to make sure there were no witnesses, then reached into the back of his pants. He removed a thick, wooden two-by-four post that he slipped from his vest to within easier reaching distance. He slowly walked over, just as the leader was throwing his robe over his head, back still turned.

"Perhaps I'll let Edward's pet Hammerhand toss you around a bit. That might teach you a lesson," The leader said, and turned back to face the other.

Reij swung as hard as he could, solid wood cracking the side of the other's skull with a sickening sound. The victim instantly hit the hard ground, banging his head hard. Yet somehow, he was still conscious, albeit barely.

"You bastard...! You'll... burn for... this...!" He tried to yell.

Another swing of the post and he was knocked completely unconscious.

"Maybe, but not before you, asshole," Reij chuckled, discarding the bloody post then spitting upon the unconscious leader.

Right then, a door at the far end of the hall slid open, and four of Reij's personal men thump-thumped down the hallway. They each in turn spat upon the fallen leader, laughing. By now, silver hair was stained with fresh blood, streaks running down the side of his head to form small pools around his head.

"Damn, nice goin' boss!" One henchman said.

"Looks like we got us a new leader! Ha ha!" Another cackled.

Reij sneered, "Gonna be interesting, getting' the others in line. Is that prick Edward still here?"

"Just left, boss," One of the militants grumbled.

"Good!" Reij chuckled, "Get those 'contingencies' in place, I wanna make sure Edward doesn't get any funny ideas. And hurry up! He'll be back by tomorrow."

"Aye, sir!" Two of the militants said in unison, then turned and ran off.

"What about him?" Another asked, pointing with his rifle to the silver-haired man.

"First order of business," Reij growled, removing a knife from his belt, and crouching over the fallen body, "is makin' sure this asshole don't give me any more shit!"

Reij then pressed the cold gilded steel hard against the former leader's throat, and prepared to rip it to the left.

"NOT SO FAST!" A voice suddenly yelled.

All eyes turned to the far end of the hall, where the door was again thrown open and banged against the wall. Three figures quickly jogged towards them, and Reij was none too happy about the central figure. Beads in his hair clicked and clacked together, and while he never enjoyed this one's company, by him showing up it seemed he had another staunch supporter. He removed the knife from the other man's throat, and stood up.

"The fuck you doin' here, foreigner?"

Tormuj stopped a foot away and smirked, "You wrote this one a letter, remember?" In the thick foreign accent, "Come or don't come, well, here this one is!" Behind him stood two more armed militants.

The bronze-skinned one then looked down at the fallen body, then to the nearby bloodied (and nearly broken in half) wooden post, then forced a laugh, "Lovely work, sir Reij! Or should this one now call you... boss?"

Reij liked the sound of that, and laughed himself, "Get the fuck outta here, foreigner! You were supposed to be here sooner to help me deal with this bastard! I got this now!" Then went to place the knife back at the silver-haired man's throat.

"Wait! You shouldn't kill him just yet!" Tormuj said, and stepped forward.

Reij's eyes lit up in anger, and now held the dagger outward, pointing it at Tormuj, "This asshole here may have put up with your defiance, but I'll be a son of a bitch if I am!"

"Just listen to reason, mighty Reij!" Tormuj quipped, "The leader of the unstoppable Brotherhood has more pressing concerns than killing a lowly peon such as that one!"

Reij relaxed a bit, lowering his knife, "Yeah? Like what?"

"Just slice this foreign bitch and be done with it!" One of Reij's henchmen said. A second later, he fell dead to the ground, a small knife lodged in the front of his throat. The remaining soldier aimed his rifle at Tormuj, who's own men also aimed their weapons at Reij.

"You killed one of my boys!" Reij said, but with a hint of humor.

"Apologies, sir!" Tormuj bowed in apology, then reached outward and lowered his men's guns, "This one doesn't take kindly to insults!"

"Well..." Reij murmured, looking to the fresh corpse and the still unconscious former leader, "I knew you were fast, but not that fast! Ha! I'll let it go this time, could use a guy like you!"

Tormuj smiled a modest smile, "Leave that one to... this one, sir," He said while pointing to the silver hair, "You must cement your new position, and ensure everyone knows that mighty Reij is our new leader!"

Reij laughed now, ignoring protests from his own remaining guard, "Fuck it! I'm too tired to argue. Take this bitch and lock him in a cell while I take care of business! You, go with our foreign friend here," This he said to his guard.

"Glory to the Brotherhood!" Tormuj laughed,

"He's mine, though," Reij's voice suddenly turned serious, "No one kills him except me. And I'll be comin' for him soon!"

"Understood, sir!" Tormuj replied, "Since His Grace was kind enough to lend this one his personal man, this one's own two shall escort you!"

Reij was gone, then, laughing all the way down the hallway and already plotting schemes and ways to turn the tides of war around. Once the two were alone, Tormuj and the lone militant scooped up the fallen one by the arms and legs, and carted him away.

The thin, wiry man was not heavy by any means at first, but after a while the weight began to wear on the two men. They had to lug the unconscious one up two flights of stairs, from one side of the fort to the next. Once they finally reached the upper jail cells, Tormuj called for a coil of rope, and thick log chains, and a cloth to use as a gag. The two had no problems tightly binding the former leader, stuffing the white cloth into his mouth and tying it behind his head. After, they slammed the door shut, and Tormuj promptly locked it with a skeleton key.

"Right, he isn't going anywhere for a time!" Tormuj laughed as the two walked away.

"I don't like you," The militant bluntly said.

"And why not, good sir?"

Here the man stopped walking, eyes narrowed on the bronze-skinned man, "Somethin' ain't right about you, I've always suspected that since that prick in the cell let you into this army."

Tormuj grinned, hands on his hips, "This one has done nothing but help your boss become the new ruler of the glorious Brotherhood!"

"Cut the shit, foreigner," The man grunted, "You got some hidden agenda, I can feel it."

Here, Tormuj forced a laugh, "Good sir, you're paranoid. And don't forget, this one is of higher rank than you. Must this one explain the politics of respecting your superiors?"

"You ain't my superior," The militant said, turning and walking away, "I'm on to you, fuckhead! And once I tell Reij my suspicions, you won't last long in this army!"

Tormuj gripped the man by the hair, forced his head backward, and opened his throat with a dagger.

~ ` ` ` [VII] ` ` ` ~

~ ` ` ` [Junon Fields] ` ` ` ~

The landscape suddenly leveled out before them, with nothing but flat open plain as far as the eyes could see. Tara mashed the pedal all the way to the floor, and once the transmission caught up and flew into the gear, the entire truck lurched forward, nearly throwing Rude from the back.

"Damn, doc!" Reno complained after the back of his head slammed against the seat, "Edge ain't goin' anywhere!"

Tara ignored him, though did lean out the window and yelled an apology to Rude.

The landscape flew by them, the overcast sky looking as though it would soon release rain, or snow. Reno looked down at the speedometer, and the needle was pointing sharply to the right.

"So," Reno began, biting into a load of bread Rude handed him through the open window, "What're ya gonna do once we get back home?"

"Let's just hope there's a home to return to," Tara replied at first, accepting a bottle of water from Rude via her own open window, "You remember that Brotherhood host, right?"

Reno took another bite of bread, "Course I do! Wasn't no black op mission, that's for sure!"

"Exactly," Tara replied, "That was days ago. A lot can happen in days."

"Pfft!" Reno huffed, "Quit bein' a buzzkill doc! Think positive thoughts! What's your plans when we finally get back?"

Tara paused then, gripping the steering wheel even tighter, and trying to push the pedal even further. "I need to make sure my family is okay. After that... I don't know." She turned and looked at the redheaded Turk then, "What about you?"

Reno slouched down in his seat, crossing one leg over the other and reclining his head into both palms, "Not sure myself, doc. Guess I'm just as eager as you to see what's over the next horizon."

After that, they rode on in silence for a time, the only sound being the whipping wind past their ears. Reno stopped to try and seriously consider his and Rude's plans when they arrived. Surely they had their own family to look into, Rufus, Tseng, even that redhead Lysa. Doubt began to swirl in his mind then, that anything was possible. Any of them could be dead, or maybe nothing at all! He even entertained the thought that maybe that Brotherhood host hadn't gone anywhere near Edge or any of its allied cities. Maybe everything was just the same as when he and Rude left with the army to retake Fort Condor! Finally, Reno could take it no more, and reached down to click on the truck's radio, then tuned it to a local station he knew very well. The station was playing an up-beat mid-tempo rock song.

"I'm travelin' down the road and I'm flirtin' with disaster. I've got the pedal to the floor and my life is runnin' faster! I'm out of money and out of hope, it looks like self-destruction! Well how much more can we take with all of this corruption?"

Reno couldn't help but laugh, "Fits pretty well, don't it?"

Tara reached over and clicked the radio off again.

"Buzz kill!" Reno chuckled.

Tara ignored him, "You sure we're going the right way?"

"You're the outdoorsy soldier here, doc! You're supposed to know better than me where we are!"

"Not helping," Tara grumbled.

"Just trying to lift your spirits!"

"Still not helping."

In answer, Reno again clicked on the radio.

For several hours they rode on, occasionally stopping for one of them to excuse themselves to a tree or just to stretch their legs. After a time they located a main road that stretched north and south, then veered slowly off to the northwest. They came upon a fork in the road, and the truck suddenly shifted to a stop. In the center of the crossroad was a steel sign post It read:

EDGE CITY →

← FORT CONDOR

↑ JUNON

"Looks like we're almost home, boys," Tara said.

"We should stay off the main road; there could still be Brotherhood out there," Rude threw in from the bed of the truck.

"But the road'll get us there quicker! Come on, Rude, be reasonable!" Reno complained.

"I am," The bald Turk retorted, "We won't get home at all if we're assaulted by rebels and they cut our throats,"

"Rude's right," Tara said, "Better to be safe than sorry."

"Aw, man..." Reno complained again, "I was just getting excited too."

Just before Tara put the truck back into gear, Reno suddenly bolted up in his seat. "Hold up,"

The female gave him a questioning look.

"Over there," Reno said, pointing. Everyone turned and looked. Several plumes of thick black smoke were spiraling upwards into the air on the far horizon.

"And? Could be rebels," Tara said.

"Get real, doc. That's Junon over that next hill!"

"That Brotherhood host might be laying siege to the city," Tara replied,

"All the more reason for us to stay away," Rude commented, adjusting his sunglasses.

Tara paused to consider this situation. If indeed the enemy were attacking the city, that was the last place they needed to go. And if the city was taken and now occupied by the militant army, it would be that much more dangerous. On the other hand, the WRO may have driven them back, and were even now collecting their losses and preparing their next move. The next consideration was that her sister was almost certainly down there, dead or alive. In that moment, her mind was made up.

"We have to go down there, boys," Tara breathed, "My sister... she might be able to help us out."

"I got a bad feelin' about this, doc," Reno warned.

The woman gave him a cold look, "You were just bitching that we were avoiding the main roads."

Rude suddenly hopped off the back of the truck, and stood outside the driver side door, "And what are we going to do if we run into the enemy?"

Tara gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles began to turn white, "Fight or flee, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"Who said I wanted to go anywhere near that bridge?" Rude shot back.

"Don't you know, Rude?" Reno said, "You can't argue with a woman! They're always right!"

"You'll make a good husband one day with that outlook," Tara said to Reno, attempting to do so with humor.'

"I still don't like this plan, Miss Norfolk," Rude said again.

Tara was glaring now,"I'm going. Come, or don't come, but I'm going." Then pulled the gear shift down into drive. Rude barely had time to hop back onto the truck before it sped off down the western road.

By the time they reached the final hill the sun was beginning to sink, with only two or three more hours until sundown. The entire ride, all three of them had been tense, with Rude constantly looking behind them to see if they were being tailed. The closer they got, the telltale signs of a battle became more apparent. The road was covered in deep ruts from many other trucks like the one they were now in, and a couple especially thick tire tracks, no doubt from a tank or some like vehicle. The spiraling smoke lines were very close now, so thick it was that it blocked out what remained of the sunlight. Just before they reached the crest, a thick, horrible smell hit their noses, and Tara covered her mouth to prevent from retching.

"Death," Reno whispered ominously, "And a lot of it. I recognize that smell,"

"So much for lifting my spirits, eh?" Tara grumbled.

"Hey, I'm also a realist, chick. You should have learned that by now!" The redhead responded.

Then they topped the final hill, and Tara slammed the brakes, gasping.

The entire field was in utter ruins, large pools of muddy water scattered throughout. There were not so many bodies as originally, but several score could still be seen across the fields. Ruined, overturned vehicles were still ablaze, belching the thick black smoke. Police and military vehicle sirens drowned out the screams and the shouts, but only every so often. Helicopters zoomed this way and that, occasionally landing to pick up another score of wounded soldiers, then taking to the sky and angling northward. From this distance, it was easy to note a large airship, docked just outside the city, and a thick column of soldiers were being herded into it. The city itself, from this far away, appeared to be in complete ruins, and was the main source of the black smoke.

"Hand me them binoculars," Reno suddenly said, and received them. He removed himself from the truck, and peered through them.

It was easy to note that, while many of the remaining corpses were in fact WRO, many more besides were those of the enemy. He watched as a pair of WRO threw a burly Brotherhood corpse onto the back of a truck with more of his dead friends. The line of people boarding the airship were also of the WRO, and he even recognized the airship. When he saw the large WRO/ShinRa flag swaying in the breeze, he got goosebumps.

"Well? What do you see?" Tara asked after a time.

"Fuck me sideways," Reno gasped, "I don't believe it, our boys won! Looks like we missed one hell of a party."

"Not the time or place for shrewd jokes," Tara scolded.

"Come on, doc," Rude poked his head through the open window, "Let's head down there,"

Reno hopped back into the truck, which then rumbled forward and began its descent.

They barely reached within twenty feet of the farthest lines of battle, when the sound of bullets ricocheting off the metal and windows rang loudly. In a panic, Tara yanked the emergency break and all three of them crouched down. The bullets never ceased, and it sounded like many thousands of rocks raining upon them. Rude had since thrown himself from the bed of the truck and crouched low behind it, dropping the tailgate directly above his head. Peering underneath, he could see four or five heavily armored WRO jeeps barreling down on them, soldiers leaning out the windows or over the roof and fired upon them.

"Damn shit fuck!" Reno yelled, "Anybody got a white flag!"

Tara's biggest fear right then was that the unknowing soldiers were going to shoot out a gas tank, and that a stray spark would catch the leaking gas. She would die so close to home, despite all of the struggling and the hardships. Her base survival instincts and her will to return home, snuffed out because the soldiers firing on them now did not know better. Everything, gone, because of ignorance.

Finally, the firing ceased, but they all knew they weren't out of danger just yet. Tara panicked again, then just as quickly had an idea. She reached into her combat vest, daring to hope. The trucks were directly on top of them now, with two pulling around to come up from the rear, and two on each side of them.

"Don't you move, you rebel shit! I'll pump you so full of holes if you so much as blink!" Tara heard one of the soldiers say; she knew they had discovered Rude.

"You have no idea who you're..." Rude had started. Then Tara heard a solid sound, and Rude grunting, followed by a loud thump.

She and Reno held their breath, and tried to push themselves lower into the floorboard. Then Tara found what she was looking for, and yanked it out, promptly throwing it over and out the truck window. Her military red cover, with a big white cross charm signifying her as a combat medic just happened to land in the lap of one of the other soldiers.

"Hold your damn fire!" A voice yelled, "Friendlies! Lower your weapons!"

Very slowly, Tara and Reno sat back straight. "Sergeant Tara Norfolk,"

"Yo! What the fuck gives!" Reno yelled, forcing the truck door open and looking like he was going to assault the nearest soldier. He quickly changed his attitude when a wall of guns were cocked and aimed directly at him.

"Reno, enough!" Tara screamed as she removed herself from the bullet ridden truck. She and Reno then moved to retrieve Rude, who had been knocked in the head with a rifle, and had a sizable gash in his forehead.

"Deepest apologies, Miss Norfolk," The senior officer said, "But you're in an enemy vehicle. As soon as we saw the black and silver paint... what else were we to expect?"

"We didn't consider that," Tara reasoned, "But at the same time, do you honestly think a single enemy truck would be stupid enough to come back here?"

No one said a word.

"Rude! You all right partner?" Reno crouched down and hauled the other man back to his feet.

Rude stood straight, clutching his wound with his left hand. A split second later, he suddenly whirled around, clocking the soldier who struck him with his right fist, knocking him out cold instantly. "I am now," He groaned.

The senior officer waved the others to stand down, they having again pointed their guns at the Turk. "And who are you two?" He asked.

"Someone who's gonna have your ass and your rank stripped raw when I get back to Edge!" Reno fumed.

Tara surprised him then by whirling him around and shoving him towards the truck, "Sit down and shut the fuck up for once! Let me handle this!"

"Yo! What the hell is your..."

She surprised him further still by ripping her pistol free and aiming it directly at his left eye, "Don't push me right now, Reno."

He sneered at the woman, but eventually held up his hands and backed slowly away. Rude soon joined him.

She then turned towards the officer and saluted him proper, "I'm sorry, sir... we've been stuck in the wilds ever since Fort Condor. We're all three of us on the edge, and coming back to..." Here, she stretched out her arms to emphasize the carnage around them, "...this, you can understand our nerves a bit shot."

The man nodded, "I understand, and you're all lucky to still be alive; that's a long time in the wilderness. How did you..."

"Long story," Tara cut the man off, "If it isn't too much trouble, I'd like another truck for me and my friends here. Is Junon safe to enter?"

The senior officer turned to one of the vehicles, snapped his fingers and issued a few orders. The men in those trucks slowly climbed out and moved to a separate truck. "Safe enough, I guess you could say. You should be reporting to the commanding officer, but... I'll overlook it for now. Can't imagine what you've all been through."

Tara climbed into the driver's seat, with the Turks sliding both into the backseat. "Thank you, sir. One last thing... my sister, Private First Class Trinity Norfolk..."

The man smiled, "I know Trinity very well, and she's alive. Tending to the wounded in Junon's lower market district,"

"Thank you again, sir," Tara managed a smile of her own, then she turned the truck over, and they headed towards Junon.

"I'm sorry, Reno," Tara finally said after the truck passed under the entrance and into Junon, "about before."

Reno took a long drag off a cigarette, "Sorry if I don't forgive you so soon, doc. Ya pointed a fuckin' gun at my head!"

Tara watched him in the rear view mirror, "They would have killed you, you know, had you said the wrong thing. You gotta remember, these people are fresh out of battle, and they already thought we were terrorists. I had to contain the situation."

"By pointing a gun at my head?" The redhead scoffed.

"Quit actin' like a woman already. At least I didn't shoot you."

"As extreme as the situation was," Rude put in, "she's right you know."

"Fuck you, Rude, I thought you had my back!"

"Only when it's convenient for both of us," Rude teased with a small smirk.

The streets of Junon were no less war torn than the fields. Civilian and soldier alike ran all around, some tending to wounded, some rushing to put out the small fires still alight within the city, others to man their next guard shifts.

"Wait," Rude suddenly said, "stop."

The military vehicle screeched to a halt. Tara looked around, "What?"

"Isn't that Vincent Valentine?" Rude said, pointing a finger straight ahead.

"Who is he, and why should I care?" Tara huffed.

"He's one of Cloud's friends," Reno reasoned, and when Tara stared at him, he went on, "Who's also friends with the Wutai girl,"

"Let's go have a chat with Mr. Valentine, then," Tara said, already stepping out of the truck a second later.

Vincent had been overseeing a small team of medics gathering wounded civilians, who had refused to evacuate Junon for one reason or another. He stepped outside of a house, cradling a small child in his arms just as the trio stepped toward him. The gunman looked up, passed the child onto her mother, then remained motionless.

"Mr. Valentine?" Tara began, "I'm Sergeant Tara N..."

"I know who you are," He cut her off. He then eyed the two Turks briefly, nodding at them, "Reno. Rude. I thought you two might still be alive."

"You don't sound too thrilled about it!" Reno said.

"He never sounds thrilled about anything," Rude put in.

Vincent made grunting sound, "Rufus will be overjoyed," He said in a stale sort of voice.

"What's the situation here?" Tara asked.

"The WRO pushed the Brotherhood back, and they've paid a heavy price," Vincent replied, turning his back to the three, "This isn't over."

Reno lit another cigarette, lazily blowing smoke rings into the air, "I saw Cid's airship parked out front. Where's he and the rest of your buddies? Where's Chocobo Express?"

"Gone," Came the reply from the gunman, "Reeve has called everyone back to Edge for a post mortem meeting."

"And... why are you still here?" Rude asked with a raised brow.

Here, the enigma whipped around to face them, "Because I'm leaving,"

Tara decided then that she didn't care, "I assume Yuffie is with Cloud and the others too?"

A silence hung in the air then, as Vincent narrowed his red eyes at the female's green ones. Finally, "You don't know,"

"We've spent the last... who knows how many days stuck behind enemy lines. None of us know much of anything anymore." Tara said scornfully.

Another drawn out silence, until finally, "After Fort Condor, Yuffie never made it to the evacuation point," Here, Vincent again looked away, "She's presumed dead, but her body was never found." He shook his head then, "It's assumed she's being held at Fort Condor."

Tara's heart dropped down to her feet then. If this were true, not so long ago she was so close to her friend! "Is that confirmed? Is she there?"

Vincent only shook his head.

"If Yuffie's body ain't been found then she's obviously still alive!" Reno said, trying to comfort the female.

"The question is why they would take her hostage," Rude pondered.

"A bargaining chip for Wutai's loyalty," Vincent added, "Godo's only daughter would be a valuable prisoner of war,"

Reno spat on the ground, "That crazy old man hasn't got the sack to fight in a war! I bet most of his 'warriors' are all fat lazy drunks by now!"

"Don't underestimate a sleeping giant," Rude reminding his partner, "Godo is still a formidable foe, as are his warriors,"

"I'm going back," Tara suddenly declared, and started for the truck, "I have to find my sister first, and then I'm going to find Yuffie."

Vincent quickly stepped forward and grabbed the woman's arm. On instinct, she whipped around, ripping free her survival knife and thrusting it toward his chest. Vincent caught the knife, twisted her wrist until she dropped the blade, then pushed her backward. "You go to your death, should you take that path," He uttered.

Tara retrieved her knife, and returned it to her belt, "I don't care! Yuffie is a good friend of mine and I won't let her rot in a Brotherhood cell!"

"We've all lost loved ones to the ravaging of evil," Vincent replied.

"If there's a chance I can save someone I love, I'm going to take it!" She insisted, "They're both injured, so I'm leaving them in your care." This she said, referring to the Turks.

"Yo, hold the hell up!" Reno piped up, "After everything we've all been through you think we're gonna let you go off alone?"

Rude nodded, "Your fights are our fights now, doc. If we let you leave how would we sleep at night?"

"You're both injured!" Tara argued.

"No more than you are," Rude shot back, calmly.

"Yeah!" Reno added, "Injured or not, we've made it this far haven't we?"

"All of you are fools," Vincent's collected voice suddenly added. The three turned to look at the crimson enigma.

Vincent went on, "An army could not breach Fort Condor; what makes you think three could do any better? If the suspicions are correct, Yuffie will not be harmed; it's possible they've sent demands to Godo already."

Tara considered this a moment, "Then what are we supposed to do?"

Vincent went on, "I've made arrangements with a local captain; I'll go to Wutai myself."

Reno's heart skipped a beat, "That ain't no field trip, Valentine! That's a long ass ways away!"

Vincent scoffed, "Cid made the same comment."

"So why then?" Rude asked.

"Because Yuffie is a friend, and Reeve needs as many allies as he can get. Imagine then, were one of you two to go missing," Vincent said, eyeballing both Turks, "what would you do?"

On instinct, Reno blurted out, "Whatever I could!" Then went silent as he realized the other man's point was proven.

Tara had fell silent herself, listening to the back and forth arguments, her mind racing with possibilities and still more questions. She was conflicted, torn between her sole desire to rescue her friend and the realistic possibility of her own death should she undertake such a task.

"What the hell does Cloud or Reeve think of your little mission?" Reno asked.

"Why do you care?" Vincent retorted, "The discussions have already been said, my decision is final."

"When are you leaving, then?" Rude also asked.

"The Garland's captain is setting out to Costa del Sol in the next day."

Tara had since turned away from the three men, cupping her chin into an open palm. Regret began to swell within her, with the realization that her close friend was being held not far from where her and the Turks began their own journey together. Could she have rescued Yuffie, had she known that from the start?

"Well, whatever! We're goin' with you!" Reno said.

"No," Tara suddenly said, "I am."

"Eh? What gives, doc?"

The female medic moved closer to them then, green eyes bearing a glint of determination. She locked eyes with Vincent, "I'm going with you. If I can't save Yuffie myself, I can at least play a part in making sure she's rescued."

She then turned to the two Turks, "We've been through a lot in the past month or so, and the time we've had together are memories I'll cherish no matter what," Here she stepped closer to them, placing a palm to each of their shoulders, "Standing here now, I'm not looking at a wise-cracking smartass," She said while winking at Reno, then turned to Rude with a smirk, "or some quiet indifferent who seems too good to talk to anybody,"

"No, instead I'm looking at two friends, and close allies," She finished.

"Aw, hell... don't make me cry now, doc!" Reno laughed, slapping his own palm over the woman's, still on his shoulder.

Rude managed a small smile, also placing his palm over Tara's, "Likewise."

"We'd probably just get in the way anyway," Reno went on, "and besides, I'd like to sleep on a feather bed instead of hard ass ground!"

Tara nodded her own agreement, "Rude, your arm is still injured. You don't belong on the road anymore until you're healed."

Rude in turn stretched his injured arm out, and flexed his hand several times, "Barely feel a thing, but..."

"Here's my cell number, doc!" Reno said, after retrieving a pencil and pad of paper from a nearby soldier, then handed it to the woman, "Keep in touch! We'll try and catch up as soon as we can!"

"Good luck... Tara," Rude added.

Reno then removed the silver flask from his jacket pocket, unscrewed the top, and held it into the air, "Here's to a future happy reunion!" Then poured a splash of the gold brown liquor upon the cracked asphalt.

After a brief series of goodbyes, the two Turks then climbed into the armored truck, with Reno behind the wheel. The truck backed up, veered outward, then headed towards the exit of Junon. Tara watched them depart with a small smile; she knew she'd see them again.

Vincent hadn't said a word the entire time, but now spoke "What makes you think I'm going to let you come?"

She turned to face the man, "Because you need my help."

"I've faced far worse on my own, and here I stand,"

She took a defiant step forward, "I'm coming with you. You might know Yuffie a lot better than me, but she is still a friend. I woke up in the woods, less than fifty miles outside Fort Condor, not knowing if I would make it back here, if my family was dead, if Yuffie was dead or alive... I'm coming with you, Valentine."

Vincent didn't make a sound, never even blinked, "The Garland leaves at dawn. If you've any affairs to settle before then, best do it quickly." He then whirled around and began to walk away, "The ship, and myself, leave at daybreak; with or without you." Then vanished around a corner.

Tara nodded, more to herself than anyone, then turned in the opposite direction and began to walk. As she walked, her mind raced. One adventure was ended, and now another was about to begin. She headed towards the market district, to find her sister. Before she set out on this new journey, she had to put contingencies of her own in place. And she had to do it quickly.

~ ` ` ` [VII] ` ` ` ~

~ ` ` ` [Edge City] ` ` ` ~

The four companions sat in a large military vehicle, Cloud and Tifa on one side, Barret and Cid on the other. None of them had said a word since leaving the battlefield, but all of them had their own thoughts stewing in their minds.

Barret gazed out the small window, not paying attention to any sort of detail, but lost in his own thoughts.

Cid, his trusted spear leaning into the crease of his elbow, kept his eyes to the floorboard.

Tifa sat as close to Cloud as possible, her head resting on his shoulder, and watching herself twiddle her thumbs idly.

Cloud had an arm thrown over the brunette's shoulders, his mind racing, and avoiding eye contact with the others.

The convoy moved at a hasty speed, the five trucks having been ordered to return to Edge City as soon as possible. The sixth vehicle was actually a large tow truck, and upon the back of it sat the Fenrir, held down by thick chains and straps. Cloud had discovered the motorcycle had deep slashes in both tires, a completely bent frame, and busted headlights. Thankfully, Cloud had the foresight to use a button on his key to open the duel compartments, rather than activate them himself once he was on the bike. Once the compartments flew open, concentrated blasts of shrapnel and glass shot outward, and would certainly have killed whomever was sitting on the bike. It was concluded that it was obviously the rebel's doing, and had hoped to kill the blonde by whatever means necessary.

"You guys think Reeve is gonna attack Fort Condor again?" Tifa finally asked, unable to stand the silence.

"Fat chance," Cid answered flatly, still keeping his eyes down.

"Why do you say that?" Tifa questioned.

Barret answered instead, "Took a helluva beatin' today, Tifa! Unless Reeve is suicidal or just plain dumb, that won't happen for a while!"

"I wonder what's gonna happen now..." She whispered.

Cloud was the only one who heard her, "First we get back to the WRO Tower. We'll figure out what to do next then."

Tifa looked up at her lover, hopeful, "You think it'll ever end, Cloud?"

Mako infused eyes turned down to her ruby colored ones, "'Course. Everything eventually ends, right? These guys aren't invincible; you saw that yesterday, and today."

Everything eventually ends... Those three words stuck in the woman's mind, like glue. Right then, all she could think that that implied was the eventual end of all life; their lives, the life of the Planet.

"And besides," Cloud went on, never taking his eyes from hers, "I'm starting to think they threw everything they had at Junon. The battles might be over sooner than you think, Tifa."

Despite the overwhelming doubts, the thought that maybe it would all be over soon did bring Tifa some comfort. On impulse, she turned her head and kissed Cloud at the base of his neck, which gave him goosebumps. He in turn ran a bare hand through her hair, and kissed her forehead.

"Sheesh, get a room you two!" Cid suddenly laughed.

"At least keep it PG-13!" Barret hooted.

Instantly, Cloud and Tifa's faces went red and, on instinct, drew away from each other.

Cid continued to laugh, "Remind me next time I see Yuffie she owes me fifty gil!"

"Huh?" Cloud raised a brow.

"Me and Yuffie had this bet going, see," Cid explained, "about whether or not you two would end up as a 'thang' or not."

"And you betted in favor?" Tifa replied,

"Of course!" Cid laughed, "Come to think of it..." Here, the pilot turned to face Barret sitting next to him, "you owe me a hundred gil!"

"Yo, I don't know what the hell you're talkin' about, foo'!" The other man chuckled, then turned to face the other blonde and the female, "I always knew you two was gonna get jiggy with it one day! It was just a matter of time!"

Cloud and Tifa's faces turned even redder.

"This man's just trying to get me in trouble!" Barret went on, the metal middle finger of his grafted hand raising, aimed at Cid. He then leaned closer to Cloud with a wide grin, "So Cloud, did'ja smack that ass or just kinda grab it and hold onto it?"

"Barret!" Tifa yelled, her face turning redder still. She reached out and punched his shoulder so hard she nearly dislocated it; there would be a purple and black bruise there the next day.

Despite his own face being as red as Tifa's eyes, (which only made Barret and Cid laugh even harder), Cloud joined in the laughter.

"Well?" Barret pressed.

"PG-13, remember?" Cloud replied.

Cid finally managed to stop laughing, brushing a tear from his eye, "Well, our sex lives aside! Yuffie still owes me money when we find her!"

"If we find her," Tifa put in.

"Hey," Cid instantly said in a stern voice, "Don't start that shit, ya hear? We ARE gonna find that annoying materia thief!"

"Yeah, quit actin' like Vincent!" Barret chuckled, "we was all in a good mood and you go in be a buzzkill! Im'a start calling you Vincent, girl!"

Tifa giggled in response, "Sorry, been a while since I was put under that kinda stress,"

"Yeah no kiddin'!" Cid said, yanking a silver flask from his pants and taking a long guzzle from it.

"That stuff's bad for ya, you know," Tifa said.

"Says the bar maid! Hah!" Cid cackled, and offered the flask around; only Barret and Cloud accepted, Tifa respectfully declining.

"I don't drink, you know that Cid," She reminded the male.

"You should!" Barret interrupted, "Makes life a little less stressful,"

"And the next morning pure agony," Cloud suddenly said.

"Pah! What do you know about being hungover, son?" Cid responded, "One time I drank myself so stupid I was clingin' to the ground, screaming for help!"

There was a long pause, then finally Cloud asked, "...why?"

"Apparently I thought I was gonna fall off the Planet! Hah! Crazy shit right?"

"How the hell you even know that went down?" Barret laughed.

"Shera told me of course!" Cid joined in the laughter, and soon Cloud and Tifa were too.

"Why would anyone want to knowingly do that to themselves?" Tifa giggled.

"Well Tifa," Cid smirked, leaning forward, "Let's just call it a means of shattering your "give a fuck light," if ya know what a mean!"

"When this is all over, we're gonna have a big ass party!" Barret bellowed, "And Tifa, yo ass is gettin' drunk! I wanna see that!"

"I just bet ya do," Tifa said with a grin, "We'll see."

Overall, the next hour or so in the truck had been filled with laughter and high spirits, the four companions having decided that lingering on negative thoughts was the worst possible thing to do. Soon enough, Edge City was in sight, and it was indeed a welcome sight for all of the heroes. Tifa felt elated, seeing the city still in one piece, and that this was the very thing they were all fighting to protect. Little did she know that those hopes would soon be dashed.

The driver of the truck the four were in reached up and clicked on an overhead radio, "This is Cure Team nine, requesting entry into the city."

The static crackled and popped for a second, then came the response, "What's your verification code and cargo, Cure nine?"

"Seven-six-three-seven-five-nine-one-zero, One Strife, Lockhart, Wallace, and Highwind."

"10-4," The voice over the radio responded, "Doors opened and beds made; welcome home."

"No place like it," Cloud muttered to himself with the slight hint of a smile.

The five trucks and the tow truck soon passed into the city limits, after a large barricade of WRO vehicles and soldiers cleared the way and opened the gates. Reeve had spared no expense in the ultimate security of the city, and had ordered as much funds as could be spared into constructing tall walls and thick gates. Rufus himself had orchestrated a strict coding and inventory system, so that any vehicles leaving or entering the city could be closely monitored and tracked, so as to keep the enemy out.

Once the convoy passed into the city, the four heroes withdrew back into themselves, but carefully studied the rapidly passing cityscape. They suddenly heard sirens wail, and looked around in a slight panic. Only once the driver informed them that the sirens were coming from the convoy itself did the four of them relax. The trucks veered in and out of traffic, taking a seemingly never ending array of left and right turns, and even a few U-turns. Finally, Cloud peered past the driver and passenger of their truck, and could see it in the distance. A proud and gleaming symbol of hope, of good and restoring the world to how it was supposed to be. A giant silver and bronze spike reaching higher into the sky than any other building in Edge. The World Regenesis Order tower.

"Right! Almost time to figure out what the Sam hell is gonna happen next!" Cid put it. No one else said a word.

A few minutes later, the convoy halted directly at the base of the WRO Tower, Cloud and the others climbing out of the truck a moment later. What they saw was a heavily guarded front entrance, with armed soldiers and sand-bag barricades held together with mortar.

'This doesn't look good,' Cloud thought to himself as he and the three others stepped toward the entrance.

Before the companions got ten steps away from the entrance, the soldiers bunched up, blocking the entrance entirely. One senior officer held out an open palm, "Sorry, sir! You can't enter at this time!"

Cid and Barret instantly bristled, and began to protest when Tifa clenched both of their arms in a tight grip. Cloud continued forward, "I'm Cloud Strife, and President Reeve is..."

"We know who you are, Mr. Strife," The senior officer went on, "but a new order came down. Absolutely no one is permitted to enter right now."

Cid yanked his arm free of Tifa's grip, snarling at the soldiers, "Who the fuck do you think you are, punk? I'm Commander Highwind and as I get it, Reeve specifically asked for us to be here!"

The soldiers held their guns tighter, but kept them down. Again the senior soldier went on, "I'm just following orders, Commander. I'm sorry."

Tifa stepped closer to the soldiers then, offering a warm smile, "We understand, sir. Is there anything we should know?"

The officer nodded, "President Tuesti is expecting you, but an emergency came up; he said to tell you he'll call either you or Mr. Strife when everything settled down."

"What's happened? What kind of emergency?" Cloud asked.

The officer shook his head, "I'm afraid I know about as much as you, sir."

"What a load of shit!" Barret suddenly yelled. "Last time I heard this kinda bull I was lied to about my daughter being in danger!" He stomped forward then, "Outta the way, assholes!"

Before the soldiers could raise their guns, Cloud lurched forward, gripping Barret by the shoulders and forcing him backward. It took both Tifa and Cid to restrain the large man, and after Tifa lead him away from the sight.

Cloud snorted, "Sorry," The word seemed to ooze out of his mouth, "Fresh from battle, you get our nerves are all shot. Must be nice to get paid, standing around doing nothing while others are out there risking their lives and dying."

"Sir, I..." The senior officer started.

But Cloud would hear none of it, "Save it, I understand. Following orders. I was a soldier once too, believe it or not..." The false memories of SOLDIER started to creep in, but the blonde shook them off. "Whatever." Then turned and left.

"You get a message to both Reeve and Shinra!" Cid growled, "I still got a bone to pick with the both of 'em!" Then likewise stormed off.

Before he moved to follow Tifa and Barret, Cloud stopped at the tow truck with Fenrir strapped to the back. He eyeballed the driver, "Take good care of her,"

The driver of the truck nodded, "No worries, Mr. Strife! Already called my guy, he's gonna fix 'er up like new! We'll have her back to ya before ya know it!"

The blonde nodded, removing a few gil and handing it to the driver, "You can send the bill to Rufus," then walked away.

He and Cid caught up with Tifa and Barret a minute later, Tifa having pulled the man to a stop and was trying to calm the man down.

"Damn, man!" Barret yelled, punching a nearby brick wall with his graft hand. The impact caved in the brick a few inches, sending a small billow of dust outward. "What a load of bullshit!"

"Barret, calm down!" Tifa reasoned, "Reeve's never lied to us before, there has to be a good reason for this!"

"Never lied?" Barret said scornfully, "What about when he used Cait to SPY on us for Rufus!"

Now it was Tifa's turn to snarl, "Quit bringing up the past, Barret! All you're doing now is using cop-out excuses to justify your own anger! How about you quit whining like a baby and grow a pair already!"

That silenced the man, but Tifa slowly realized what she had said, blushed, and whirled away while covering her mouth. "I'm sorry Barret,"

Before another word was said, Cloud and Cid caught up to them. It was Cloud who spoke first, "Hey, what's wrong? Tifa?"

Tifa only shook her head, face still flushed and hands still cupped over her mouth. She avoided everyone's gaze.

Cid spoke next, "Let's just head back to the bar for now. I dunno about the rest of you, but I need a stiff drink, or twelve!" Here, he slapped Barret on the back, "Come on big man!"

The four of them then turned in the appropriate direction and started down the sidewalk. Cid and Barret walked in front, with Cloud and Tifa a step behind, hands clasped to one another's. Cloud heard Cid making some small talk, but it seemed that Barret was no longer interested in conversation after Tifa's outburst. Around them, the city almost seemed to be deserted, as there were not as many vehicles are other people walking the streets. The few pedestrians that did pass them by muttered greetings and even congratulations on the recent victory; it seemed that news traveled fast, despite the war raging around them.

"Why are all these people still here?" Cloud asked aloud.

Cid looked over his shoulder, the four of them still walking, "Army volunteers mostly, just in civilian clothes!"

"All of them?" Tifa pondered.

"Mostly," Barret said, though flatly.

"But why are they in plain clothes?" Tifa said.

"In case a spy was discovered," Cid answered, "if you're a terrorist, you're not gonna expect to have your ass kicked by a soccer dad carrying groceries!"

They took a left turn and soon enough the bar was in sight, and each of them breathed a small sigh of relief. To Tifa, it seemed strange that she somehow expected anything less than the place being in one piece. All the same, she was glad to finally be home. Before they took another step, Tifa gently grabbed Cloud's arm and pulled him aside.

"Cloud, I need to talk to you."

"Can't it wait until we get inside?"

The woman shook her head, cutting her eyes briefly at Cid and Barret, "Would rather have as much privacy as possible."

"Yo!" Barret yelled across the street, "what gives?"

Tifa reached around in her vest until she located the keys to the bar. Turning, she flung them across the street, to be caught by Cid, "We'll be there in just a minute, okay?"

Both men exchanged a look, shrugged, then turned and started towards the bar.

As soon as they were out of ear shot, Cloud faced the woman, "What is it, Tifa?"

Tifa sucked in a breath, exhaling it slowly, then looked up at him, "Remember what I said to you outside Junon?"

Cloud thought for a moment, fighting through the crazed and hectic memories, "Um..."

"The last delivery you made, you left me a rose and a note, saying you had something to talk to me about." Here, her muscles began to clench; she had hated to possibly start a fight, after everything that had happened, but now it was time to get to the truth. "And that you weren't going to lie to me anymore. Right?"

The memories rushed back to him then; he did remember writing such a note. Before he could return to the bar to explain himself, the monsters Sinnah and Sonnia had kidnapped her, and at the same time the Brotherhood launched their initial siege on Junon. Instead, he had to rescue her from the Twin Blades, then together they joined in the fighting. There was no time to explain anything at all, and while he had every intention of coming clean... right then, he didn't want to. Instead, he thought to settle into their bed, surrounded by familiar four walls and take his mind off of things before talking to her.

"Cloud?"

The warrior snapped out of his thoughts, "You're right, I did say that."

"And?" Now she looked at him suspiciously, "What's going on? Did you talk to Rufus again and not tell me?"

"No, of course not," He replied quickly, "It's more... personal than that."

"Since when do you fear to confront your precious gash, Cloud?" Sephiroth's voice suddenly echoed in his head, causing him to flinch.

"Shut up!" Cloud suddenly yelled, startling Tifa,

"Excuse me?" Tifa bristled.

"No... not you!" Cloud said.

"Who are you talking to then?"

Right then, Cloud spotted a small black object slowly descending from the sky. It passed by his vision, and his blood ran cold. A black angel wing feather. It landed by his boot, and he bent down to pick it up, staring hard at it.

"Cloud, staring at a bird feather isn't getting you off the hook!"

"Huh?"

Cloud looked up at her, and when he looked back to the feather in his hand, it was indeed a black bird feather, not one from an angel wing. He dropped it, letting it flutter back to the ground.

Tifa bunched up then, her eyes slowly filling with anger, "Don't make me get angry Cloud, I really don't want to. Now what's going on?"

Cloud sucked in a breath, then forced it back out. "I've been having dreams, Tifa. Lucid, vivid dreams."

She cocked her head slightly to the side, "About the fighting? That's what you want to talk about? I told you that I get them too, and..."

"You don't understand!" Cloud suddenly snapped, more harsh than he intended, "These dreams... they've been happening before we even knew the Brotherhood existed. Sometimes I think its the past, sometimes I wonder if it isn't the future. Blood, fire, death..."

"Cloud, you're scaring me," Tifa said, inching closer and tentatively reaching a hand out, fingertips brushing his arm, "What kind of dreams? Who's in them?"

"It's... it's..." Cloud couldn't spit the name out.

"Yes?"

"It's him... it's..."

"Spit it out, martyr," That voice again.

"...S..."

Before the name left his lips, Barret suddenly yelled across the street, "Cloud! Tifa!"

Tifa turned and faced the man, standing in the open doorway of the bar "Not now, Barret!"

"Hell with that! You both need to come see this! Now!" Then disappeared inside.

A palm went to Tifa's forehead, and she heaved a sigh. She looked back up at Cloud, eyes partially narrowed, "This gets finished later, Cloud."

The male nodded, "Promise."

Tifa went first, with Cloud half a step behind her. He watched her walk from behind, the way her curves twisted and bounced in just the right places, the way her hips swung left and right as she walked. Cloud smacked himself across the cheek, wondering just what in the hell was wrong with him; why he was suddenly thinking such things.

"Now I see the infatuation, Cloud," Sephiroth said mentally, "Lockhart truly is a fine piece of meat. In fact... I'm almost jealous," Then began to laugh.

Cloud's heart dropped into his stomach, had the veil in his mind truly torn that much? That if his nemesis was now living in his mind, that he was now controlling Cloud's own thoughts? The thought scared him more than anything else.

Finally, both of them reached the other side of the street, stopping just in front of the entrance. The sun was set behind the actual building, the light making it impossible to see directly inside. Here, Tifa turned and faced Cloud yet again.

"I'm serious, Cloud. You and I aren't finished."

"I know, Tifa,"

The woman nodded, turned, and stepped through the open doorway. Then sharply gasped.

The entire main floor was, for lack of a better word, demolished. Every chair and table had been hacked to pieces, and splinters of wood littered the entire floor. Upon the bar top, a sharp blade had sliced clean cuts all down its entire length, and here still more chips of broken wood were abundant. On top of that, every piece of glassware had been shattered, with broken pieces of glasses of varying size coating the bar top, and the floor behind the bar. The lights had been ripped from the wall, the chandeliers torn down and broken and twisted into unrecognizable shapes. There were still more slashes in the walls and floor, and the back door separating the main floor from the kitchen had been yanked off its hinges. At the sight, Tifa's strength left her all over again, and she fell down onto her knees.

"Fucking hell!" Cid swore, booting aside a pile of glass and shattered wood, "Who the fuck did this?"

"Who the hell you think, foo'!" Barret yelled. In a rage, he slammed his graft hand down onto the bar, further caving in the solid wood.

Cloud stepped past Tifa, carefully surveying the damage done. Then his eyes fell on something in the center of the floor, and he stepped towards it, "I know exactly who did it."

Tifa remained on her knees, stone-faced silent, and tears welling in her eyes. If it wasn't one thing, it was always another!

"Yeah? Who!" Barret called across the floor.

Here, Cloud bent down, brushing aside debris and picking up two objects. They were thin, slightly curved blades, each one spray painted a separate color; one red, one pink. He turned towards Tifa, making sure that she saw the two scimitars. "It was those monsters who kidnapped you, Tifa. The Twin Blades."

"What and who the fuck are the Twin Blades?" Cid asked.

"Monsters, either creations or agents of the Brotherhood," Cloud went on, "Right before the rebels attacked Junon, these two came and kidnapped Tifa,"

"Why the hell would they do that?" Came Barret's voice.

Cloud turned and looked at the other male, "Why else? I guess they wanted to lure me away to kill me, or maybe just to keep us out of the fight."

Cid spat on the ground, "Well let's go string them fuckers up!"

"No," Tifa suddenly said, finding her strength again, and slowly standing.

"Tifa?" Cloud dropped the weapons and hurried back to her side.

She pushed him away when he tried to put his arms around her, "We won't find 'em, they're probably already hiding back at Fort Condor."

"Yeah," Barret put in, "Like a bunch of pansies afraid of a real fight!"

"So what do we do then?" Cid said.

"We fix this," Tifa went on, stepping inside the space and shutting the front door behind her, "and wait for Reeve to call."

Cloud decided he wasn't going to wait on that, and went towards the bar's phone. Here he discovered the receiver likewise smashed to bits, and instead removed his cellphone. Punching a single number, he held the piece to his ear. It rang many, many times, and so Cloud snapped the phone shut, and dialed the number again with the same results.

"I'm gonna check upstairs," He finally said, and moved towards the stairs. He had to brush aside loose nails and broken glass with each step, but soon enough he reached the top.

The first thing he noticed when he reached the top, was the bedroom to his left, once the children's bedroom but Yuffie had taken it over before the major battles started. Like the kitchen door downstairs, the door to this bedroom had been ripped from the hinges, and was now speared into the wall about three-quarters deep. The bed was cleaved in two, spare clothes and sheets and other such things scattered in shreds of confetti, and, also like downstairs, thin cuts from a blade in the walls and wood. Cloud turned, and walked across the way into his and Tifa's room. The bed was reduced to shreds, one dresser missing, and the windows all shattered. Stepping to Tifa's side of the bed, he reached down and picked up a photograph, bits of broken glass sliding away. It was the picture of himself and Tifa, he standing behind her, arms wrapped around her mid-section, both of them cheek to cheek. Her hands rested together on his arms, and both of them smiling like there was nothing wrong in the world. He smiled at that, wishing that things could be how they were when this picture was taken. That, at least in that one night when they lost each other to their passion, nothing was wrong in the world. Something was wrong, however; he could have sworn Tifa kept two pictures on her bedside table.

"Cloud..."

The blonde whirled around to face the doorway, and almost couldn't believe what he was seeing. Standing there, in a thin, flowing pink dress and matching ribbon in her hair, was Aerith.

"What are you..." He breathed.

"I don't have much time, Cloud," She said, hurriedly, "He already knows I'm here,"

"So you and Zack are really..."

"Just listen, Cloud!" Now her voice carried an air of panic, "Your enemies aren't just on the outside, but inside as well."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cloud latched onto the information instantly.

"Remember what the silver-haired man told you, war is based on deception," Aerith answered, "Don't let your guard down, Cloud. I'm afraid things are only going to get more hectic,"

Cloud nodded, "I figured that."

Here, the apparition of the flower girl smiled a familiar smile, "I tried to reach out to you, you know... when you came to the slum church and threw a gil into the pool?"

Cloud nodded, remembering it very clearly. To him, it seemed that was what started all of this madness with his lucid dreams. "I remember. Why couldn't you?"

"Because..."

Just then, the misty shape of a long curved sword appeared behind the flower girl, and plunged through her back, protruding several feet out of her stomach. In response, Aerith's apparition shrieked in agony, then dissipated in a puff of white smoke and was gone. Behind where she stood, Sephiroth smirked, Masamune in hand, and his eyes glowing.

"Because I would not let her," He responded.

Cloud said nothing, but quickly turned his back to the door.

"I have a surprise for you, Cloud... the sooner you fall asleep, the sooner you'll receive it,"

In response, the blonde clamped his palms over his ears, but it did no good. That horrible voice, like strands of silk woven with spiked malice and hatred, reverberated in his mind.

"Accept your fate, and prepare for a thousand lifetimes of agony the likes of which you could never comprehend!"

After that, Cloud heard a whoosh and felt a small blast of air behind him, and when he turned to look, Sephiroth was gone.

Back downstairs, the other three had no idea what had just transpired, and had instead tasked themselves with trying to clean the bar. Barret managed to find three heavy duty brooms that hadn't been broken, and so he and Cid were sweeping up the debris and trash. Tifa was behind the bar doing the same, though occasionally bent down to pick up a stray gil and placing them in a plastic cup. She discovered that the safe she kept behind the counter had been moved, and there were several dents and scratches upon it, but otherwise seemed unharmed. Checking its contents, everything was still there, though was obviously disheveled and tossed around. The clay pot that held her and Cloud's emergency money had obviously been shattered, several gil spilling out as soon as she had opened the safe.

'Not surprising,' She thought to herself, 'they're not interested in our money, only our lives,'

"Son of a bitch!"

Barret's roaring voice caught her attention, and she quickly stood back straight, fearing the worst, "What is it?"

"Look at this!" Barret responded, and stepped towards the bar, Cid close behind.

He threw down a photograph, Tifa and Cid bending down for a closer look. Tifa's voice left her, and she was unable to speak.

"Either I'ma kill those Twin Blade sons a bitches or the whole damn Brotherhood myself!" Barret fumed.

"No way in hell they could have..." Tifa heard Cid say, but slowly his voice faded away and all she heard was her own heart beat.

In the photograph, was herself, Cloud, and the two children, Marlene and Denzel. However, her and Cloud's faces had been scratched out, and two large thumbtacks had been pressed into the back of the photo so that, looking at the front, a silver spike jutted from each of the children's eyes. And on the back of the photo, someone had written in red marker "Forever young."