It was cold. That was the only thing the three realized, but they didn't care. Sephiroth and his brother knew Shadow was ahead. Or something that was calling to them was. That was the only thing that mattered. As they headed towards their destination, Sephiroth noticed that they passed a town.

On they moved Sefiroth in the lead, his brother at the end, and Cloud in the middle. None of them knew how this arrangement had been made, and none of them cared.

Finally, about 2 hours after they exited the gate, trekking through the snow, Sefiroth saw something. It was a large, red, green, and yellow colored object. He glanced back at the others, then ran towards it. He knew what it was before he even arrived…

There, lying in the snow, severely wounded, was Shadow. Sefiroth was worried. So was his brother. Neither of them could see any signs of life. Shadow just laid there, not even seeming to breathe. Her strength was almost gone, and it didn't seem like she'd last long out in the cold.

Sefiroth looked back at the other. "We have to get her out of this weather. I can access her materia, but we'll need somewhere to get her out of this weather…"

Sephiroth looked at his brother. "We past a town just back there. Maybe we could get shelter there…"

Slowly, the other two nodded. Sefiroth managed to access the link, and used magic to shrink Shadow. He picked he up, and the three made their way back to the village. Before they arrived, they were noticed.

As they entered, a man met the three. "It's bad weather for travelling."

Cloud stepped in front of the three. "We know. But it was a matter of life or death. And it still is. Do you have somewhere out of this weather? We have one with us who is almost dead from the cold…"

The man nodded. "Follow me." He led the three to an empty hut. "You may rest here. Let us know if you need anything. We may not have much, but we'll share what we do…"

Cloud nodded his head in thanks. "Thank you. You may have saved our companion's life…"

The man turned and left. Cloud looked back at the two brothers. They seemed to be deep in thought. Then Sefiroth turned to him. "I know you do not trust us. And that is part of the reason I am reluctant to ask you this. However, I see no other choice. Dragon Shadow is dying. She doesn't have the strength to heal herself. I believe that my brother and I could give her the strength she needs, but it will leave us defenseless. And I believe that, at this moment, if either of us die, then so will she. We need you to guard our backs. Will you?"

Cloud stood there. He knew he was willing to do almost anything to save Shadow. But this was something he hadn't expected. To protect the life of two he wanted to kill…

But he knew. He knew that what he owed Shadow was more important that revenge. And he knew that he would do it. Slowly he nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

Sefiroth looked at his brother, knowing the final decision would come from him. He also knew what it would be. Sephiroth nodded, and the two brothers moved towards the still figure. They knelt beside her, and each placed a hand upon Shadow. Then they fell over, and Cloud knew the battle to save a life had begun…