A/N: As you may have read the teaser, the main OC might seem like a Mary-Sue at the start. I'll try to adjust her character as the story progresses. I DO NOT OWN FINAL FANTASY VII, BUT THE PLOT OF HL AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO ME. Constructive criticisms are welcome but no flames! No swearing allowed either! That is all, you may begin.

Final Fantasy VII:

"Heartfelt Lacrimosa"

~~~PROLOGUE~~~

There Can Be No Rainbow without a Cloud and a Storm

Briefing Room, ShinRa Corp.

May 26th, (Five Years before 'Crisis Core')

11:30PM

As director of SOLDIER, Lazard had grown accustomed in keeping himself busy with bizarre situations in almost every moment of his work. Every time there would be new recruits, he always predicted—and patiently put up with—the amusing yet somewhat irritating personalities each of them have. He also became immune to 'abnormal' occurrences, after being exposed to extraordinary potentials of SOLDIER, namely: Genesis, Angeal, and Sephiroth.

Lazard Deusericus thought that there would be nothing 'abnormal' in this planet that could surprise him...until now.

He's currently waiting for Vice-President Rufus Shinra in the Briefing Room, the latter stating that there's a matter needed to be discussed. Tseng, the leader of the Turks, was also called for the matter and is waiting together with Lazard. "Do you happen to know the reason for this abrupt meeting?" the Director asked curiously. Tseng stared at him before shaking his head and spoke, "Unfortunately, the President and his son thinks that it should be said personally to both of us."

Lazard raised a brow. The Wutaian Turk continued, "Whatever it is, I'm vaguely sure that it involves both SOLDIER and the Turks."

Pondering about it, Lazard is quite shocked and amazed. Through the years, the Turks and SOLDIER make sure to stay out of each other's way. They only get involved with each other if deemed necessary, especially in missions. SOLDIER is, after all, actually loyal to its own principles; and the Turks are most certainly loyal to ShinRa like marionettes. It's a clash of beliefs and perspectives that resulted to rivalry.

Knowing that both are needed for one topic, Lazard found it interesting and surprising.

Just then, the door slid open to reveal the Vice-President: Rufus Shinra. "Good evening to you, gentlemen."

Both Lazard and Tseng took a slight bow, and seeing Rufus sit, they mirrored the movement quietly. Tseng then noticed a few folders in front of Rufus. He glanced at Lazard to see that the blonde Director noticed the same thing. "What is it you wanted to discuss, Vice-President?" he asked.

Rufus cleared his throat before speaking, "Ah, yes. Before we begin, I want the both of you to give me your word: whatever will be discussed in this room will remain confidential and classified information, unless approved of." Lazard and Tseng both nodded. Rufus continued, "Three months ago, Midgar has been gaining several cases of robbery. There have also been attacks on some residents, particularly the slums. A handful of these have been observed to be targeting the company as well."

"Yes, and after that, I've sent some of the Turks to investigate." Tseng stated "So far, there has only been small progress." Rufus narrowed his eyes, "That's because someone already put a stop to it after two weeks."

"What?! How can that be? They reached the culprits before we did?" Lazard slightly exclaimed.

Rufus handed a folder to each of them. Tseng and Lazard opened the said folders, and saw a file about an odd creature. It looked like a miniature version of a Bahamut, except for the pure black skin and glowing blue eyes. The top of the file was named 'Shadow Serpents'.

"Shadow Serpents?" Lazard questioned.

"Those creatures were the culprits behind the robberies and attacks." Rufus stated, earning shock expressions from the other two.

"According to those files," he continued "Shadow Serpents can attack discreetly and quietly as long as there's darkness; thus gaining the name. That's why we couldn't detect nor track them down. They can adapt easily to their environment." There was silence for a few moments. Tseng always wondered how the culprits could get away without a trace. There were no fingerprints, or any evidence that might point them out. It made him wonder how this mystery was solved, to begin with.

"Then, who was the person that managed to solve the case?" Lazard asked, voicing out the Turk's thoughts. Rufus stared at Lazard, and then glanced at Tseng. He looked at the other folders in front of him, while leaning back on his chair with his arms crossed. At first, he looked deep in thought; then a smirk appeared on his face.

"Unfortunately, their identities cannot be spoken of…" Rufus said, his eyes not leaving the folders in front of him. "…at least not at the moment. The main purpose of this meeting is to notify both of you about a new and advance unit in ShinRa."

"A new and advance unit?" Tseng echoed. Rufus nodded as he continued to explain, "After proving themselves by solving the robberies and attacks, they have managed to contact us directly. By hacking into mine and my father's computer, they managed to arrange a meeting with us behind everyone's backs. Of course, we didn't bother calling security, knowing that they're not to be underestimated."

"'They'?" Lazard questioningly repeated. Rufus paused to look at him, before leaning his elbows on the table and lacing his fingers. He explained further, "The 'special unit' has two members. Each of them is kept as a secret, so they'll be using coded names: Zircon and Amethyst. They can only obey orders and undergo missions that are approved by either my father or me."

"Then why was there even a reason to notify us? They could've just consulted you personally." Tseng reasoned.

"Simple, it's because we can't and don't trust them." Rufus replied "They have made it clear that they absolutely hold no loyalty toward the company. They even warned us to be on guard personally."

"Then, why would they bother to join forces with us?" Lazard asked sceptically.

"No one knows their true motives. However, I'm fully aware that these people are trying to protect something or someone. As long as we let them dwell peacefully and freely, they would do everything they can to do the same for the company and its orders. We already agreed, seeing that it's better to make them allies than foes. If all it takes is to shield their princess from the war, so be it."

Rufus proceeded by giving another two folders each to Lazard and Tseng, before dismissing them. He then stopped by the door as he spoke, "I suggest you take a look at those files. Our two new 'comrades' provided them to assure us of their skills. You might see their 'little princess' around, but sadly, her own files were not included." He then left the other two men in the Briefing Room.

Lazard looked towards Tseng's direction, only to see the Turk deep in thought. "Are you wondering about the new 'special unit' as well?" he asked. Tseng snapped out of his short reverie, and turned his gaze towards the Director. "Yes, that's one of them. However, I was also wondering about these 'Shadow Serpents'." He stated. Lazard raised a brow at him.

"I mean, why would they be interested in robbing people?"

Lazard, in return, pondered about it. Then, he remembered the smirk the Vice-President had on his face. That could only mean that he knew more than he was showing. Lazard and Tseng both contemplated about it, until the truth finally hit them: the 'special unit' was behind it all along. Tseng gave a meaningful look of understanding before silently excusing himself. After a few minutes, the Director did the same.

(Somewhere in the Hallways)

Sephiroth dazedly walked towards his apartment. Like all SOLDIERs First-Class, he has his own place in the ShinRa building. Sephiroth's room happens to be a bit grander since he grew up in it.

Like any other day, Sephiroth is sore and exhausted after a long day of work: from slaying monsters in missions, to signing a mountain pile of paperwork in the office. Then as night comes, he'll enjoy a nice shower, a satisfying meal, and a well-deserved rest.

However, it would seem that there would be a slight difference tonight.

For some reason, the Silver General is feeling uneasy and anxious. At first, he thought it was merely the storm outside the building; or maybe something that he forgot to do. What made him think otherwise? His instincts did.

Something seems to be screaming at him in the back of his mind. It's as if he's having a premonition of some sorts. Sephiroth felt the need to prepare his self for the worst, like on the battlefield. "Maybe I'm just paranoid due to exhaustion…" he reasoned to himself.

Just as the silver-haired General turned to another hallway, he abruptly bumped into someone. Some papers flew around from the folder he was holding a while ago, and Sephiroth slightly twitched in annoyance. He then picked up the folder on the floor, and as he stood back up, another folder was being handed to him. "The one you're holding is mine." The person said "This is yours."

Sephiroth exchanged folders with the stranger. From the voice, he assumed that it was a male. The stranger wore a black cowboy hat, an enclosed navy blue trench coat, and black combat boots. The General couldn't see his face because of the hat, but he noticed that the stranger seemed to be smiling. He could also see some strands of light brown hair straying from the hat. He was also exceptionally tall…almost reaching Sephiroth's height.

"I'm sorry for rudely bumping into you." The man spoke again "I was deep in my thoughts just now."

Sephiroth blinked. Then he replied, "Oh, it's nothing to worry about. I'm also at fault for bumping into you."

The SOLDIER General noticed the stranger's smile slightly widened. If it wasn't for his mako-enhanced hearing, he wouldn't have heard the other man's mumbled 'Excuse me' as he passed. "He must be one of ShinRa's V.I.P. guests." Sephiroth thought "He wasn't even armed."

He then proceeded on his way until he finally reached his apartment. He wasted no time to place Masamune on its designated stand before going to the bathroom. After his shower, Sephiroth swiftly dressed into his bathrobe before sitting on the edge of his bed. He decided to reorganize the files within the folder. It's bound to be messed up after the unexpected 'encounter' a while ago.

However, the General was surprised to see the order of the papers untouched. He could've sworn it was a mess in the hallway a while ago. There was no way anyone could rearrange it all in a matter of seconds! Sephiroth then remembered the man's own folder a while ago. He tried to think about the imprinted title on the front: 'SOLDIER First-Class'.

His bright mako green eyes widened. Only a handful of people could get their hands on the First-Classes' files. They were, after all, known to be the top-ranked. As he contemplated deeper about it, Sephiroth's uneasy feeling a while ago just got worse.

Whoever that man was, Gen. Sephiroth Crescent will make sure he finds out every secret that's being hidden.

Shinra Manor, East Wing

(Guest Lounge)

He never expected to meet THE General Sephiroth so soon. As honoured as he was, it was kind of ironic how the silver-haired SOLDIER First-Class held the files that supposedly contain his own data. "He must've thought I was a mere guest," the man thought "seeing I was 'unarmed' and all."

"What are you doing?" a feminine voice asked him. The man continued to stare at the window as he saw the vague reflection of a woman—dressed only in a knee-length lavender nightgown—behind him. "Just thinking about our new job." the man explained "I'll take this storm as a good sign. After all, one can find a rainbow and a starry night sky in every vicious typhoon."

For a while, there was silence. Only the storm provided sounds of rain, wind and thunder in the room. The man spoke again, "How is she?"

The woman turned away and replied, "She's peacefully sleeping. You should get some rest as well…Lord Zircon." The man grinned, "That I will…Lady Amethyst."

A/N: Starting from this chapter and timeline, here are their ages:

~Genesis: 16; Sephiroth: 17 (older than Gen by months); Angeal: 18 (older than Seph by a year)

Genesis and Angeal went to Midgar when they were 12-years-old, while Sephiroth was already in the SOLDIER Preparation Program. Sephiroth became a First-Class when he was 13-yrs-old, and a General after a year which was the conclusion of the war with Wutai. Angeal and Genesis became First-Classes then, and was 15 & 14 years of age respectively. This is ONLY based on my story's convenience. If it turns out different from the real one, I'm sorry but I'm not changing it anymore since I already planned it to agree on my terms. Again, I DO NOT OWN FF7...! SUCH MASTERPIECE BELONGS TO SQUARE ENIX! PLEASE R&R AS WELL!