By a Fraction of a Degree

A FFVII Fanfiction work by findthetiger129

Rated T for Violence and Language.

I do not own Final Fantasy VII, or any of the characters, trademarks or likenesses from Final Fantasy VII or its spinoffs. That honor goes to Square-Enix.

Part II: Reunion

Chapter 30, Zack's Decision

December 25th [ ν ] – εуλ 0007

It was getting close to dusk now, and the Tiny Bronco zoomed through the air at its top speed. Freya was grateful for the spare pair of goggles she'd found in the glove compartment to keep the wind out of her eyes, but nothing could be done about her current mood. Part of her felt guilty. Not a feeling a Turk should have, she admitted. She felt bad for leaving the others, but she was sure she could get back in time to help them make plans. Right now, she had a mission to complete. Her eyes drifted over the vast peaks of the Corel Mountains, but her thoughts weren't on them. She was thinking about a time just barely two months ago, when after Zack had been taken to the Shinra building, she and Tanjuu had loaded Cloud's unconscious form into a van and taken him to the annex.

The younger man had been in terrible shape, according to Owen. While Zack had obviously done his best to care for him and keep him fed and hydrated, there were limitations to what one man on the run could do, and it showed…

…The nurse that had been called in had been in the process of washing away the dirt and grime that Cloud had accumulated on his journey from Nibelheim. His face and arms were caked with it, and Freya had been watching from her place against the wall in a heavy silence. The nurse hadn't been told who Cloud was aside from the fact that he'd suffered Mako Poisoning and that he happened to have SOLDIER enhancements. No one had been privy to any other information aside from Owen himself, even among those who were aware of the annex's true purpose, but in spite of that, she seemed to have figured out already that Freya had known him before. "Well look at that, you opened your eyes." The nurse was talking conversationally even though Cloud made no sign that he was aware of her words. "They're such a pretty blue too." She looked over to the Turk. "You know, if you try talking to him, it might help," She said, wiping down Cloud's chest and arms with a washcloth.

"What?" The lady Turk looked up in surprise.

The nurse smiled. "I've worked with patients like him before, Mako poisoned and otherwise, and while some of the worst may not seem to know what's going on, it's important to keep those channels open. It may seem silly, but if you can give them something to focus on, then they'll have an easier time pulling themselves back."

Freya warred with herself a little at this. She'd probably been a little less professional out in the wastes than was strictly necessary when she tried and failed to keep the blonde man awake, but she found herself thinking he would probably prefer a complete stranger over her trying to talk to him. "I don't know if he'd want me to, after everything that's happened."

The woman clucked her tongue and shook her head. "You are concerned about his well-being though, right? You may be a Turk, but you don't seem like a bad sort. And from what I can see, you're the only thing solid he has to reach out to at the moment."

That was true. Without Zack there, Cloud was alone and at their mercy, and if he was coherent enough to realize it, he was probably terrified. She didn't remember much of her own experience with Mako poisoning but the disorienting affects had been bad enough even when she'd felt certain of her own security. She couldn't be his ally even if she wanted to right now, but the least she could do was have the kindness to not be his enemy.

After a moment, she walked over to the bed. "Cloud, I know you probably don't trust me right now. But no one is going to hurt you here, and Zack will be back with us soon, all right?"

No response…

"His name is Cloud?" the nurse asked. "That's an unusual name."

"Yeah, I thought it a little odd too, when I first heard it, but he wasn't a bad kid. He could be a little quiet, but even untrained he could handle a sword really well and he had a stubborn streak a mile wide…" She paused. Cloud had apparently made an impression on her if she could remember this much about him. Of course, then again, who could forget what had happened in Nibelheim… It had been such a horrifying night, finding the town burning to cinders, following the guys to the reactor and discovering Tifa…

Tifa! She suddenly had an idea. She was pretty sure this room would be clean of bugs for another hour too, until Rod could deliver the equipment. Perfect!

"Cloud, do you remember the promise you made to Tifa? About how when you made SOLDIER you would keep her safe? When everything happened at…" She stopped herself just before she said Nibelheim, remembering that was information the nurse was not supposed to know. She thought for a second about her words before trying again. "When it happened, you were so worried. But it's all right… You did it. She made it out safely… and I know she's out there somewhere… So try to wake up for real, okay?"

No response…

She reached out and gently pulled Cloud's bangs out of his face before turning to the nurse with a sheepish smile. "He was really shy about that when he found out I knew. You won't tell anyone, will you? He'd probably already be mad at me for talking about it around someone else."

The nurse simply nodded, an understanding smile on her face, apparently falling for her attempt at leading her to believe this secret would only be important to the man she was tending to. "Not a soul..."

She'd felt rather bad about it later, not saying anything more, but after that, she hadn't been in a situation where she could safely say anything. Allowing Tifa and Zangan to leave had been something she'd never told anyone about. Even though she'd done so before the order had gone out about where the survivors were supposed to go, so much had happened that night in Nibelheim that saying anything was a huge risk. That particular piece of information could very easily have started a manhunt for the martial artist and his young pupil, who could spread the word about the town that had been razed overnight. It had been tricky enough being specifically vague about who Tifa was around the nurse and hoping she wouldn't say anything to the wrong person, and then after the Turks had been disbanded things had been so crazy even as she'd still entertained the thought that she might be taken back into the fold.

By the time the fight with Jade WEAPON had happened, so much had changed it had driven the entire incident completely from her mind, until the news broadcast anyway. But now, she felt reminded of it because in a way, here they were again. What had happened at the Temple was a big problem, and she had no idea how they were going to deal with it. Whatever it was had definitely been caused by the events in Nibelheim, leaving Cloud once again in a position where things were happening to him beyond his control. Maybe he wasn't comatose this time, and to be sure, he was surrounded by people whom she was sure cared about him and wanted him safe, but…

She realized her hand was gripping the flight stick too hard and forced herself to relax. When it came down to it, even though it was Sephiroth who had taken advantage, and Hojo who was the root cause, Shinra had facilitated them. The company she had worked in for years, whom Tseng had sacrificed his freedom and loyalty to, while allowing her and the rest of the renegades to leave. The company which to her mind had once provided so much opportunity, a place to test her skills, to grow, to learn, to use her talents for the betterment of the world through the provision of mako power and SOLDIERs, and so many other fascinating innovations. The company she had once been proud to serve in spite of its shortcomings now seemed so…

How she wanted to scream in frustration! She couldn't remember a time when she'd felt this angry before. Underneath it all though, she hoped she could get back to Mideel soon. She didn't know for sure what Zack intended to do, but if he and Cloud needed her, she wanted to be there.

Dr. Rayleigh was waiting for them at the landing site along with Zack's parents, Elmyra, Jessie, and Marlene. Pleasantries were not exchanged however, aside from Barret picking up his little girl and giving her a big hug. Zack was too concerned with Cloud at the moment to do much talking. Once they were down, Zack had Kunsel carry his friend's equipment while he lifted Cloud off the stretcher and began to carry him back towards the house. Tifa and Aerith were not far behind them, along with Cissnei, though she kept more of a distance. Rayleigh on the other hand was right next to him. "Was he hurt badly?" She asked.

"No." Zack shook his head. "Tseng knocked him out before that could happen, but I doubt he's gonna take this well."

The doctor nodded. "I'll be up there in just a minute."

They passed through the foyer headed towards the stairs when he happened to look down the hall leading to the rooms on the lower floor and to his surprise, spotted Liz standing at a door not far down. She looked in his direction, but remained where she was.

With his experience at carrying people, he was up the stairs in less than a minute and it wasn't long before he had Cloud laid out on his bed in their room. Since it looked like Tifa wanted to join them, he offered Tifa a chair they usually kept in the corner. Aerith had disappeared to go back downstairs but Kunsel stood at the door. He ran a hand through his unruly hair, probably just as agitated as they were. "What exactly happened down there?" he asked. "One moment, you had the materia in your hand and the next Cloud went completely crazy, and I didn't know what was going on."

"I don't know," Zack admitted. "There was a second or two where things went kind of fuzzy and then I heard my PHS ringing and if I didn't know any better…" He looked up at his friend. "Kunsel, I almost handed it over to him. Just like that. I might have caused the end of the world right there. I was able to fight it, but Cloud… I don't know, it's like whatever it was just completely took him over."

"What do you think it was?" Kunsel asked.

"I don't know man, but I'd bet every gil to my name that Hojo had something to do with it…"

That was when he noticed that Tifa was biting her lip nervously as though she had something she might want to say. "Is something on your mind?" he asked.

Tifa placed her hands in her lap and took a moment to prepare her thoughts. "In the temple, when Cloud started laughing… why did you ask him if he remembered who he was?"

Zack sighed. "Habit, mostly. When he first came to after the Turks found us, sometimes, he'd get these weird episodes… We never were able to figure out if it was some kind of seizure or what but it'd leave him with these painful headaches, and sometimes he'd come out of them really confused. I thought they'd stopped, but…" He shook his head and glared at the blonde man who lay on the bed across the room. "Idiot. I told him to let let me know if anything was wrong, but no, he has to go be a martyr and 'not make me worry…'"

Tifa hung her head. "I should have said something."

Zack looked back at her in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"When we were in Junon… I was talking to him and suddenly he had this weird moment where he just suddenly got really distant and then he was resting his head in one hand, like he was in pain… after what happened down in the basement at Shinra Mansion… I wanted to ask him about it… but I didn't know if I should…"

He shook his head. "There's a lot of things we probably should have said something about. You didn't know."

Tseng was looking over the papers on his desk and found his pulse quickening by the second, and it wasn't because of the coffee that sat undrunk on the desk by his right hand. It was no longer steaming and was probably quite cold now. The newly decrypted files lay in an open folder in front of him, just delivered to his desk yesterday as he'd been waiting in the Gold Saucer to get the keystone, or failing that, meet up with Zack. All of it now lay before him in ways even he'd never seen before. Hojo's notes on Jenova, the Reunion Theory and the premise behind his experiments. All of it. But for what? Surely these experiments could have just as easily been carried out with lab animals, like a dog or something, why human beings? There were other ways to conduct studies like this, far easier and more practical, not to mention that while it didn't directly harm the company it didn't seem to forward any of the goals either the late President or Rufus had in mind. A waste of effort was not worth the money, or the hassle, or the backlash from the populace should these atrocities become public.

Now that he knew of Sephiroth's plans for the Black Materia, he had few options. He could instigate a search for Zack and see if he could secure the Materia and neutralize Sephiroth when Zack and Cloud were eventually drawn to Jenova, or he could locate Hojo. In the short term, Hojo was far easier, as he was still sunning himself in Costa Del Sol.

He'd also considered the idea of tracking down Freya since she'd said clearly she was going to Rocket Town, but given that the person she was trying to contact had disappeared following Rufus's order to place him under arrest, he was pretty sure she'd be there a while. But he was short-handed and had absolutely no intention of sending matters related to renegade Turks into Heidegger's jurisdiction, or Scarlet's. That left the scientist. The man was, above and beyond all doubt, crazy, but unless he wanted an entire army beating the bushes in Mideel for Zack's party for months while Zack and his comrades were laughing at them in Wutai or some other out of the way place, he failed to see a more viable option. But more than that, if anyone could figure out where Sephiroth was going, it would be Hojo.

He reached for his PHS and contacted Heidegger to send a detachment to retrieve the scientist from his 'retirement' and bring him to Junon immediately. He also stipulated that when they arrived, he was to be brought directly to the Junon branch of Turk headquarters. Rufus would be present of course, but Tseng had some very pointed questions to ask.

He was in the Lifestream again, watching the tendrils of green mist flit by him, but this time there was no pull, he was just there.

"Quite a show, 'Cloud.'" The voice dripped with annoyance and mockery and he could taste the derision when the voice used his name.

He whirled around to find himself faced with a familiar pair of reptilian green eyes. He backed away, fear and anger fighting for prominence in his thoughts as he tried to assume a defensive stance. Rather difficult when he couldn't tell if he was standing or floating. " Sephiroth! What do you want? What did you do to me?" He reached for his broadsword but soon realized it wasn't slung on his back.

"All I did was awaken the real you."

"What do you mean?!" Cloud demanded.

"Perhaps if you'd take a moment to think about things maybe you'd figure it out and end this charade." The tendrils of lifestream began to fade as his vision darkened, erasing the apparition from view…

…There was a familiar light seeping through his eyelids. It was the warm light of a single light bulb. Not terribly bright but when he instinctively tried to open his eyes, he quickly brought his hand up on reflex to block it, groaning as he did so.

Almost as soon as he'd moved he heard someone else off to his right before a shadow blocked the light out of his face. "Cloud?" He blinked. Zack was standing next to the bed watching him and Tifa was behind him… His throat went dry. He'd felt so powerless… and his sword. How it had stopped, he didn't know, but… he slowly pulled himself up.

"Tifa… I… almost…"

"I'm all right, Zack stopped it in time,"

Tifa's voice was gentle but it was Zack who was standing at the head of the bed and he put a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "It wasn't you, man. You didn't do anything."

"Is Aerith okay?"

"She's downstairs helping Elmyra," Zack said. "She's fine too."

Cloud looked up at his friend as suddenly he remembered what had happened before that moment and tried to flinch away, but Zack refused to let him go. "How can you feel safe around me after that? I attacked you!"

The ex-SOLDIER shook his head. "That wasn't you!" He said emphatically. "I don't understand how it works exactly, but Sephiroth did it. If things had gone any different he might have gotten to me too." He sat down on the chair next to the bed, his brow furrowed in thought.

There was silence in the room and Cloud took that opportunity to pull himself over to the side of the bed so his feet rested on the floor. "Did you hear him?" he finally asked.

"Hear what?" Zack said.

"Before it happened, I heard this voice say 'Wake up' but no one was saying it out loud…" Cloud trailed off.

Zack considered his words for a moment. "Actually, I didn't recognize it for what it was at the time, but now that you mention it… while we were down in the pit, I heard this weird noise just when Sephiroth showed up. At first I thought someone was whispering something I couldn't make out, but then the next thing I knew, my PHS was ringing." He gave Cloud a hard look. "It hasn't happened before has it?"

Cloud couldn't look at him anymore. "I didn't know it was him, and it was never anything like that before…"

"But why didn't you tell me?" Zack asked.

Cloud shrugged, still not meeting his friend's gaze.

The door opened again and he saw Dr. Rayleigh standing there with Kunsel behind her. "So he's awake?" she asked.

Zack turned in her direction and nodded.

The doctor walked into the room, and Cloud noticed she was holding a notebook in her hand. "I suppose we'll have to bring you up to speed then. I've learned a lot since we last talked. But I'm sorry to say, I don't think you're going to like it."

"…I don't know exactly how he's still running around, but once I remembered what you told me about encountering Jenova after he appeared, all of these phenomena made sense. Hojo was trying to draw these Sephiroth copies… or clones to Midgar. Whether the will behind them is Sephiroth's or Jenova's in Sephiroth's form, I haven't been able to determine, but somehow, this will is what's been manipulating the clones. The reason I called you was because I wanted to know if either of you had felt that same pull… because even though Hojo labeled you failed subjects, you still underwent the same procedures," Rayleigh finished.

Zack listened with a frown on his face. Trust Hojo to do something this sick and twisted just because he could and there were injured people lying around so conveniently. It was an insult in addition to an injury that already ran deeper than anything the Masamune could have inflicted. "So basically we're like the Angeal and Genesis copies that were running around up until this year?"

Rayleigh considered the question for a moment. "Yes… and no…" she said at last. "The majority of the Genesis copies had no autonomy, and were given his cells directly, outside of the SOLDIER enhancement process, not to mention they and the Angeal copies were suffering from degradation issues due to the cellular deterioration their donors suffered."

"What's fascinating about your cases is this." She produced the folder she held underneath her notes and opened it, revealing the photos she'd taken of their SOLDIER enhancements. "Like with SOLDIER, Hojo treated the S-Cells not as an injection that would spread throughout the body through the bloodstream, but as implanted material that would adhere itself to your muscles, bones, and nervous system. Because of this, you're a lot closer to the SOLDIER you used to be than the Genesis copies, but at the same time, you both have the potential to be stronger than they ever were."

Zack thought about that for a moment before saying dryly "So that's why Kunsel usually gets tired before we do in training."

"It's not funny," Kunsel said. "She's basically saying that I'm not that far off from what happened to you. I might be just as vulnerable to this as you are."

"I never said it was," Zack said. "There's a lot we don't understand about this, but at least now we have some idea what's going on, right?"

Rayleigh adjusted her glasses, and considered the assumption before answering. "More or less. What this means for you is that whether the will behind these clones is Sephiroth or not, it is capable of drawing you to it, and because that is the purpose for which Hojo conducted these experiments, you must be aware of how that might affect you. I don't know what you plan to do now with this… Black Materia or whatever it is he's after, but that purpose is a factor you must account for." Rayleigh closed her notebook. "Cloud, Zack told me you were still having those headaches, was there any correlation between them and anything else?"

Cloud considered the question before answering, "Kind of. I didn't notice it for a while, but it seemed like I'd get them at night a lot, or when there was something going on, and sometimes when he was nearby…"

"Like down in the pit?" Zack asked.

"Yeah."

"What was your side of that?" Rayleigh said, directing the inquiry to Cloud.

"There isn't much to say. I heard a voice and things got really blurred. I knew what I was doing, but I couldn't stop… I tried… but…" Cloud was pointedly not looking at Tifa, his hand clenched into a fist.

Rayleigh's expression softened behind her glasses. "I see." She turned her attention to Zack. "I think we've probably talked about this enough for now."

Zack nodded in agreement, suddenly becoming very aware of the smells of Elmyra's cooking downstairs. "You're right. We did just save the world again after all, and we've still got to finish the job. But right now," he looked back over at Cloud "we should take a break and have some dinner. Sephiroth's not bringing Meteor down on our heads and we don't even know where he is at the moment, so we've got time to figure this out later. I'll bet you're probably starving, aren't you Cloud?"

"Are you sure I should be down there?" Cloud asked.

"Staying up here won't help anything. Besides, we'll all be around if anything happens, right?" Zack looked around at the others for support.

"That's right," Tifa said softly.

"See?" Zack said. "Now let's go before the food gets cold." Grudgingly, Cloud stood up and once the others had left the room, he followed Zack and Tifa out into the hall and down the stairs. If there was one thing this discussion had made clear to Zack it was this: Whatever they did, the Black Materia couldn't stay here. He wasn't about to have another scenario where he had to kill someone else he cared about because there was no other way. Destroying it didn't seem to be a viable option either, so if the Materia was what Sephiroth wanted then there was only one alternative. Place it beyond his reach. And if he wanted to do that, he'd have to place it beyond his and Cloud's reach too.

The dinner table was a very gloomy place that night in spite of the fact that it was surrounded by a lot more people than usual. The others had been alerted to what was going on already, and one of the first things that Aerith did when she saw that Cloud was awake was march up to him and give him a hug. Zack saw him visibly flinch back at her approach, clearly afraid that he might try to hurt her again, but nothing happened and though his friend hadn't been able to bring himself to look at her, he spoke softly. "I'm really sorry…"

"Don't worry about it," she had answered. "We're all here, and we'll find a way to work this out, so hang in there, all right?" She looked up at him with one of her gentle smiles, and though he didn't return it, Cloud nodded slowly. Aerith had returned to help her mother after that.

It was now later in the evening and things were starting to quiet down. The dishes were done and Cloud seemed to have decided to sequester himself upstairs again. Zack shook his head. Part of him felt like he should be up there too, but there was something he needed to take care of first. He walked out of the kitchen and through the living room. Marlene was in there with Barret and Nanaki and when he walked in she was looking up at the two of them with serious concern that didn't belong on her young face. "What's wrong with Cloud, Daddy? Is he sick?"

Barret seemed to be having trouble thinking of an answer. "Kinda… it's hard to explain…"

"But he'll get better, right?" Zack had been almost to the door when he heard that and stopped. As a teenager, there had been so many things he didn't understand about what had happened to Angeal. What must this be like for a little kid?

"Of course, he will." Zack said from across the room. "We're gonna do whatever it takes, okay?"

The little girl seemed to have just noticed him standing there and when she heard that reassurance she smiled. "Okay."

Zack returned it with a tired grin of his own and passed Cissnei and Yuffie to go outside. Just a few hundred yards away, Kunsel seemed to be training alone, though Zack could almost see the frustration in his sword movements. He looked around the porch, hoping he'd guessed right, and finally, he spotted the man he was seeking. Vincent was leaning against the wall on the far end, observing Kunsel's movements with the eye of one who also understood the emotions behind them.

He turned and walked up to the man. Vincent didn't move, or even visibly acknowledge his approach, but once he was within earshot, he heard the other man's voice drift out from behind his collar. "I know what you would ask of me."

Zack was taken aback, but only for a moment. "How so?"

A pair of red eyes looked back at him from the shadow beyond the light shining out of the living room window. "Because I am the only man for the job."

"And why do you think that?" Zack asked.

Vincent smiled wryly. "You and Cloud have been compromised. The Black Materia is not safe if it stays with you. Kunsel may have been compromised as well. Freya and Cissnei would be no match for Sephiroth even if they were together. The other renegades' loyalties are to the Turks as an ideal, not you. Aerith and Tifa? You would not risk them. Barret? He's too hot-headed. Nanaki? He's too trusting. Cait Sith and Reeve are too close to Shinra, Yuffie is a child, Jessie is an amateur, and everyone else here is a noncombatant."

Zack laughed humorlessly and shook his head as he realized this had to have been the most Vincent had ever said in one go. "I couldn't have said it better myself." He pulled the materia out of his pocket and let the light from the window reflect on its dark surface. "I don't expect you to fight him if you can help it. But I know you know how to hide, and that you're tough enough you should be able to hold him off long enough to run for it if you need to. Don't tell me where you're going to hide it. I don't know if he can read minds, but he may already know, so the sooner this thing's safe, the better."

"I trust you have plans of your own," Vincent observed.

Zack nodded. "Whatever Sephiroth tried to do, I managed to shake it off, with some help, but Cloud couldn't do a thing about it. We'll do what we can about that while you're gone, and see if we can find him, but we need to make sure the Materia is safe first."

"Agreed," Vincent held out his right hand and Zack dropped the black crystal into his palm. "The longer we keep this here, the more likely something will happen before a solution can be found. The time will come when even this place isn't safe…"

Almost as though to confirm Vincent's statement, Zack jumped when he heard the sound of glass breaking. He raced around the side of the lodge with Vincent behind him and Kunsel in hot pursuit. When they rounded the second corner they saw that a window on the first floor had been smashed open and a black-cloaked figure had shambled out, followed by Liz. Tifa had heard the noise from inside and was standing at the front door, her eyes wide at the sight.

"Black… Materia…" the man rasped, turning his head towards Zack and Vincent and suddenly lunging in their direction.

Zack was momentarily transfixed in shock when he saw in the low light of dusk, the eerie green mako glow of the clone's eyes, just like Sephiroths, but he recovered quickly and brought up a fist, connecting with the man's jaw and knocking him to the ground. "I almost forgot about you," he said after a moment, pity in his voice. "You're just like us, really, but do you even know who you are anymore?"

The cloaked figure made a sound disturbingly like a hiss before pulling himself into a crouch. "Must get it… Black Materia…" Zack watched the eyes look around the clearing before they landed on Vincent. It was at that moment when Liz sprang into action, diving at the man and trying to secure him again, but he threw a wild punch and with an animalistic growl, pulled himself free. As Tifa moved to help the martial artist, the man lunged again, this time dodging past Zack towards Vincent. The man didn't waste time dodging but quickly drew his weapon and fired a single shot, crippling his leg.

The clone collapsed at the gunman's booted feet, still muttering.

"It seems his plans are already in motion," Vincent said, holstering his weapon again and turning his attention back to Zack. "Look for me in a week. I will not fail, but if I am not back by then, you can assume I will not return."

Zack's expression was grim as he turned his attention away from the Sephiroth Clone and back to the gunman. "No mission is impossible for the Turks, huh?"

"I'm no longer a Turk. But if the world ends, I'll never find Hojo. Nothing will stop me from finding him." Or killing him, Zack didn't doubt it.

"Take care Vincent," Zack said.

The ex-Turk inclined his head one last time, and then turned to leave. It was at that moment when Zack heard someone next to him and found Aerith there, apparently having come out to investigate the breaking glass and the gunshot. He put an arm around her as the two of them watched Vincent disappear into the trees, vanishing out from under the moonlight like a ghost.

After he was gone Zack approached the clone, along with Liz, ready to help her drag him back inside. But when he approached he heard the man say something very different from his previous ramblings, and he was laughing to himself. "You could have followed us… become one with him… you had that choice…"

"Yeah? Well I'm sure the old Sephiroth would have forgiven me for not wanting to end up like you," Zack said, attempting to lift the man up, but recoiling back into a guard position when the Clone grinned madly at him and made a motion like he was planning to claw at his throat.

"Hehehe… he'll be most displeased… he would have accepted you… willingly… Reunion will cleanse the world… but he knows… hehehe…"

The crippled man pulled himself up on his one good leg, and limped closer to Zack, speaking between cackles. "He knows… hehe… he'll always know… and when he comes for you… hehehe… you'll know… you… chose… pain…" In a movement Zack barely saw, the clone thrust himself forward and on impulse, he crouched down into a block, but he realized too late that attacking him was not the clone's objective. With no concern for his own body or even his own life, the man threw himself across the shattered glass shards from the window, reached down to run one of them through his own throat. Aerith turned away, unable to watch anymore. Before Zack could pull the shard away and reach for his Cure, the clone impaled himself even deeper, ending his own cursed life for good.

Wow, over 200 reviews? I'm amazed. Thank you all so much for your feedback, I can't emphasize enough how much I enjoy hearing from you!

In story news, the original party is still in Wutai, dealing with Yuffie.

Not much else to report, so until next week, see ya!