Nanaki paced over to the shattered window and looked down to the street below. Even with his one remaining eye's sharp sight, the body of Hope was little more than I speck in the middle of the road. Cars stop around him and people rush over to the body. Nanaki knew it wouldn't be long before guards burst through the office door. The red furred beast turned towards the exit, knowing he would be blamed for this, as the door bursts open.

"Nanaki?!" Reno gasps with a pistol gripped tightly in his hand.

"It was not-" Nanaki begins to explain, but is cut off by the Turk.

"I honestly couldn't care less. We were on our way up here to put a stop to him anyway. Let's get out of here," Reno instructs.

Nanaki follows the two Turks out of Hope's office and into the lift, where they descend down to their office. It was clear to him that something was wrong, because nobody batted an eye at his presence as he walked through to Director Rufus' office. The former President of Shinra frantically typed away at his computer, oblivious to his new guests for a few moments.

"What is going on, Rufus?" Nanaki questioned, causing the worried leader to look up from his computer.

"Nanaki? Reno, where is Hope?" He demanded, trying to process the scene.

"Hope's dead. Splattered across the road," the red haired Turk replied bluntly.

"Must have been his final stand," Rufus surmised.

"Rufus.." Nanaki repeated, not wishing to be kept in the dark.

"It would appear Hope has launched missiles towards Disciple cities. I don't know what he was hoping to achieve, but he's just started a war. One we are not prepared for," Shinra explained.

"He's trying to make up for what he's done.." Nanaki muttered.

"And what exactly has Mr Estheim done?"

"He loved Lightning, so he made a deal with Bhunivelze. Hope orchestrated Cloud's death in the hopes that one day, she would be his. I found this out, and as a result, was imprisoned," the red furred beast explained.

"One way or another, that woman is going to be the death of me," Rufus sighed, "Nanaki, I know you will want to go home, but I have a job for you. I will inform Deneh of your safety, but I need you to go with Reno and tell Lightning what has happened. She will believe you."

"Very well.."

Disciple Naval Base

With the Pandora's box stashed securely in a backpack, Kunsel seals the reactor room door to keep anyone from disarming the slowly overloading reactor. Still wearing the officer's uniform, he makes his way off the ship and heads towards the exit of the Naval base, where he could find transport to the central headquarters. Keeping up appearances as best as he could, the former Soldier marches sternly down the road leading towards the checkpoint. Many soldiers salute him as they pass, not looking past the rank on his shoulders.

A few minutes later, Kunsel made it to the checkpoint where he's greeted by a lone guard, who initially stands at attention, until it becomes apparent that he had been made. The guard hastily draws his rifle before the former Soldier could reach into his jacket for the pistol, leaving him with no choice but to place his hands in the air in defeat.

"Great.." Kunsel sighed, as he desperately tried to figure out how to get out of this situation.

Keeping the rifle fixed on Kunsel's chest, he shakily reaches his chest mounted radio with his left hand, which would no doubt send a small army to their location. With less than a second to react, Kunsel takes a step forward, hoping that he'd be able to stop the guard calling for backup, even if it meant taking a bullet. To his surprise though, a barely audible pop breaks through the air as a puff of red mist bursts from the guard's chest, dropping him to the floor in an instant. Turning around, Zack's friend sees nothing at first, other than a few sailors in the distance who were oblivious to what had happened.

"Up here," Tifa's voice said into his earpiece.

Kunsel scanned the rooftops of the surrounding buildings until his eyes fell upon the brunette's silhouette, crouched on the edge of the building with a sniper rifle held purposefully in her hands. It was clear to him that she was not a soldier by the way she allowed herself to be so exposed on the corner of the roof, but there was no denying that she had saved him from a premature death.

"How the hell did you get up here? Don't you know how dangerous this is?" The former Soldier scalds down the radio.

The brunette doesn't respond, but instead climbs down the side of the building using a drainpipe that shook violently, even under her slender form. Despite being grateful for her assistance, it was clear to Tifa that he didn't look impressed by her presence.

"Do you realize how dangerous this is?" Kunsel shakes his head.

"Now you listen to me! You are not throwing your life away!" The brunette snaps back. "No more of my friends will die because of someone else's crusade."

"This is war.. Sometimes it's unavoidable. Better me than thousands of innocent people."

"You're just like Cloud! Determined to be the martyr! Well I won't give up on you, so come on!" Tifa scalds, before marching out of the naval compound, only to stop just outside the gates. "So… erm.. Where are we going again?"

Claire's Hideout

The jet black helicopter landed in the valley a few hundred meters from Claire's hidden home. Reno shuts down the engines and goes to climb out of the seat, but is stopped by Nanaki, who shakes his head. Claire wouldn't want an audience for what she was about to be told, and the amber furred beast imagined that she wouldn't want to see the Turks regardless of the situation.

Tracing the edge of the icy river, Nanaki makes his way towards the waterfall which served as a natural gateway to her home. Just being in the valley was a welcome pleasure to Nanaki, who had known nothing but concrete for what felt like an eternity. Stopping for a moment in front of the crashing water, he lets the spray wash over his fur before leaping inside. Half expecting Claire to be constantly on guard, he quickly examined the room in case she was waiting with her gunblade, but instead found stillness.

In the fur lined bed, a mess of pink locks rested just outside the sheet, as well as a slender hand that was resting inside of the cot next to the bed. Taking cautious steps to not alarm the sleeping Farron, Nanaki heads over to the bed and peers into the baby's cot. As he had predicted, the young baby shared several of her father's features, including his blonde hair. She slept peacefully, holding onto her mother's finger, which was draped over the side. Nanaki lingered for a moment, enjoying the beautiful sight, before retreating to the far end of the room, where he let out a gentle cough, which roused Claire.

"Nanaki?" Claire says softly, as her tired eyes fall upon the red furred beast.

"It is I."

"How?"

"Claire.. I have something to tell you. I'm going to need you to sit up and listen very carefully," Nanaki instructs with a serious tone.

"You're worrying me. Is everyone okay?" Claire replies, quickly sitting up.

"Cloud's death was not an accident. Hope orchestrated the whole thing to get him out of the picture. He hoped with Cloud gone, he would have a chance at winning your heart," Nanaki explains quickly, watching her reaction.

Nanaki watched the gears in Claire's head turn, and rage begin to build in her eyes. She seemed less than concerned about her lack of clothes as she threw herself out of bed and began to quickly get ready. Perhaps because Nanaki was not human, but more than likely she was too furious to care.

"Why would you say that?! He wouldn't-"

"Claire, he was the one who imprisoned me. He shot me with a tranquillizer gun and locked me away in a warehouse."

"Nanaki, you're talking about Hope! It must have been an imposter- a fake!" Claire argues, but Nanaki senses this was her way of processing things.

"I am quite capable of sniffing out an imposter. He knew things.. things only the real Hope would know," Nanaki replies.

"He wouldn't do this to me! After everything we've been through!"

"He's telling the truth, pinky," Reno interrupts as he enters through the veil of water.

"We all eat lies when our hearts are hungry, Claire," he tells her, hoping to calm her down somewhat.

"What lies!?"

"Bhunivelze had been poisoning his mind. He discovered Hope's love for you and exploited it. Hope is human, and they're easily lead astray with their feelings. Especially at such a young age."

"Bhunivelze.." The pinkette mutters.

"You could not have foreseen this," Nanaki quickly states

"You clearly did! Where is Hope now?" The pinkette asks, throwing on a pair of jeans.

"Dead," Nanaki replies bluntly, causing her to stop in her tracks and turn to him, "when I discovered the truth, I was imprisoned by Hope. I still don't know how long I was held captive for, but when I escaped, I made my way to HQ to stop him.. He told me what he had done before taking his own life."

"...I killed Bhunivelze. How is this happening?" Claire mutters, changing the subject and turning her face, which did nothing to mask the attempt to control her breathing.

"I do not know, but we now have a much bigger problem," the red furred beast sighs, "In his last act, Hope launched four missiles at the four main Disciple cities. Even if Rufus manages to stop them in time, It will surely be the start of a war we had not prepared for."

"How did you get here?" The pinkette asks, still with her mind racing.

"We got a chopper outside. But you should wait here. It's not safe for you or your child while Bhunivelze is lurking in the shadows." Reno tells her.

"You tell me that he's the reason that Cloud is gone, and just expect me to sit here?!" Claire barks, waking up her baby. "Who else can stop him?"

Letting out a defeated sigh, Nanaki wonder to himself if this was Rufus' plan all along. There was no denying that with Cloud gone, Claire held the highest chance of defeating Bhunivelze. She had done it before, but could she do it again? Was it fair to even ask such a thing from the woman who had given everything for the sake of the world on multiple occasions.

"I see that you aren't going to listen to reason. Come on." Nanaki sighed.

With military efficiency, Claire gathered up her things and threw them into a large backpack, before plucking her daughter from her cot. Turning to the waterfall, she takes a step towards it, before stopping and returning to her bed. Nanaki watches in curiosity as the pinkette dives her hand under her pillow and pulls out a creased photograph. His sharp eye quickly takes in the picture, which was of Claire and Cloud, holding hands and walking into a setting sun.

"Vanille took it when we were leaving Fang's house one day," Claire tells him, feeling his gaze on her. "It's proof that once, even if just for a heartbeat, everything was perfect.."

Expertly avoiding Nanaki's gaze, the pinkette walks past him to use the control panel on the wall, to spare her daughter from the cold chill of the waterfall. Although appearing more human in her emotions, Nanaki worried that she was a far cry from the warrior that he had come to know. And right now, a warrior was what they needed.

Valhalla

Vincent senses Chaos's demonic power, like a smell lingering in the air as Sephiroth lead him through Valhalla. It was not like the Turk had imagined, but he guessed the 'Hell' Chaos had taunted him with was nothing more than the place from which it was born. Even so, Vincent listens the whispers of death in his ear as he paces towards the Colosseum.

"How do you plan on returning Chaos to it's fleshy prison?" Sephiroth muses.

"I thought the man who brought me here would hold that answer," Vincent replies, instantly realizing that he was to do this on his own when the new God of death scoffs.

"Fang.. She is different from my mother," Sephiroth states, changing the subject.

"I do not begin to guess why the heart desires what it does, but it's not based in logic," the Turk answers.

"I wouldn't know," the silver haired man tells him when they stop outside of the Colosseum. "Inside you will find the demon."

"You're not watching?" Vincent frowns at Sephiroth's lack of morbid curiosity.

"I grow tired of the screams.." He replies, before vanishing into a dark smoke.

Accepting his fate, the crimson cloaked man heads through the marble archway, and across the sandy floor of the Colosseum. The white sand in this theatre of death was stained with blood, and Vincent finds himself stopping when his feet meet something solid in the sand. Looking down, his crimson eyes find something golden, half buried in the sand. Taking a knee, still keeping a cautious eye on his surroundings, he pulls out a helmet from the sand that was lined with blood. A shiver runs down his spine, causing him to quickly drop the helmet and rise to his feet. Despite seeing nothing, he knows Chaos is here, watching from the shadows.

As The former Turk gets closer to the centre of the arena, it becomes clear that this was nothing more than a glorified cage to house a monster. Fragments of Genesis' swords lay scattered across the ground, alongside a single white wing that was glazed in blood, still attached to the spinal cord. This destructive power that the reserved and mysterious man had held inside for all of those years would finally keep its promise to kill him, and in his failure, Fang would die.

"Foolish creature.. You off all people should know the danger of entering my domain," Chaos' voice echo's.

"To think this as any more than a prison shows your stupidity, beast," Vincent growls into the emptiness.

"You dare insult me!?"

Leaping down from the top tier of seats, the demon lands on the opposite side of the sandy battleground. The tips of his bat like wings stamp down into the sand, before finally folding away behind his muscular torso. To best this thing in battle would be a task that Vincent feared was too great for any man, but the price of failure was to high for him to accept. If he could not succeed in the impossible, he would amass an amount of sins so great, that death would be a mercy.

"I have waited a long time for this moment, human." Chaos grins, just before launching himself in The dark haired man's direction.

Diving to the left, narrowly missing the talons on it's wing, Vincent fire three successive shots into the demon's back. It growls in anger, but he inflicts nothing more than annoyance onto the beast. Before getting the chance to move, Chaos' blackened hand grips the retired Turk's throat and lifts him off his feet. Chaos pulls him close with a sinister grin, forcing him to look into his glowing eyes, which looked like the gates of a fiery hell.

"Without me, you're nothing more than an insect. Something that can be squeezed from existence with little effort." Chaos says in his demonic tone.

"And without me.. You're Sephiroth's pet.." Vincent replies defiantly, struggling under it's grip.

"I am nobody's pet!" The demon spits, throwing him to the ground, "I am Chaos! Vanquisher of life!"

"I may be foolish for trying to beat you, but you truly are mindless," Vincent laughs in an attempt to anger it.

Enraged, Chaos throws it's wings towards it's former host violently, knocking him to the ground with a gust of wind. Rolling back across the sand, Vincent opens fire as he charges towards it, only holstering his weapon when he was up close. Ducking under a swipe from it's clawed hand, he attempts to pierce it's skin with his razor sharp gauntlet, achieving nothing but superficial scratches in it's armour like hide.

"I cannot be felled by such an inferior being! Why do you even try?" Chaos mocks, piercing through the thick, red cloak and into Vincent's shoulders with the talons on the end of it's bat like wings.

"I'm not the puppet," Vincent grins through the pain.

"I am not a puppet!" The demon roars, gripping the golden gauntlet and squeezing so tightly that it crushes it, breaking his former host's arm.

"Leave this Colosseum then," Vincent goads Chaos, determined to keep the pain from his expression.

To Vincent's relief, pride and anger guide the demon to prove him wrong. Chaos throws the cloaked gun slinger to the ground and spreads it's bat like wings, before ascending into the sky. Watching and praying that his theory was correct, Chaos continues to climb before finally hitting an invisible wall of energy, sealing him inside of the arena. The demon's roar echoed throughout the arena, increasing in volume when his calls for Sephiroth go unanswered. Flames erupt from the demon's body as he plummets back down to the sandy ground. Holstering his weapon, knowing it did little damage, Vincent watched carefully as Chaos approached.

"It would seem like your only way out is with me," he tells the demon.

"I will not swap one prison for another, human. Not so that you may leech my power."

"Understand this, beast.. I do not wish to have you in my head any more than you do. But a war is nearing, and we must fight," the former Turk explains.

"I have no interest in fighting you insects. Not unless my primary purpose is called upon," Chaos growls.

"I'm not offering you a fight with mortals. I'm offering you the chance to slay a God. One who claims himself as unkillable."

"Such a being does not exist." Chaos replies.

"Then prove him wrong."

Disciple Naval Base

"There," Kunsel points at an old Jeep just outside of the Naval base perimeter wall.

With little effort, the former Soldier punches the driver's window, shattering it before climbing inside. He brushes the shards of glass off the passenger seat and opens the door to let Tifa inside. The brunette climbs in, stowing the sniper rifle across the back seat, before watching Kunsel rip apart the plastic housing around the steering column and mess around with the wires.

"I thought you liked to use your fists?" Kunsel nods to the rifle as he continues to pull apart the wiring.

"Vincent gave me a lesson or two after Lightning told me I should carry a pistol. I've never shot anything like that before," Tifa replies truthfully.

"Good to know I could have just had my head blown off," the former Soldier laughs as the engine grumbles into life. "We've got a decent drive ahead of us and not enough fuel to cover it, so get some rest, because we'll soon be on foot."

"Yeah, okay," Tifa nods, adjusting herself before closing her eyes.

"Hey.. thanks," Kunsel tells her, realizing the great danger she had put herself in to help.

A little less than an hour later, the old Jeep had used up all of it's fuel and shuddered to a halt. Tifa had her eyes closed for the journey, but Kunsel doubted that the brunette was sleeping after catching a mild grin across her beautiful face as he cursed under his breathe for making a wrong turn a few miles back. Emptying the jacket of his navy uniform, Kunsel places the pistol on the dashboard before opening up his map and resting it across the steering wheel. He studied it for a moment, then gently prodded Tifa in the arm to rouse her.

"You ready for some Soldier training?"

"Yes, sir," Tifa teases with a mock salute.

"Very funny," Kunsel sighs. "Right, we're here. Intel suggests there is a military compound here. It's where they're housing all of the mako infused soldiers. I need to get over that mountain and down into the valley on the other side without being detected."

"You mean WE? The brunette frowns.

"You're staying on the mountain. It's too dangerous for you to be in the compound. Besides, you can provide overwatch with the sniper rifle."

"But I don't know how to properly use it," Tifa protests.

"We've got a long walk ahead of us. I'll teach you."

Had a lot of requests for another chapter, and although it took a while, here it is. It was started and scrapped a few times, but iLadyA kindly helped to spur me on and give a lot good input into the chapter. Stay tuned for more.