"Um, I hate to bring this up," Zack tentatively spoke up, "but, before you get in the sub, you might want to make sure you can't go back in the cave."

Sephiroth tensed. He was not ready for more, but he'd also been told to not leave the ocean before he knew Vincent's story. And even if he did not want to deal with more, he wouldn't be surprised if Cloud from the future would somehow know if he did or did not do as ordered. (It felt like an order, and he did not like it, but he would do it.)

Angeal, who'd stopped at Zack's suggestion, locked gazes with his commanding officer, waiting for his decision.

Sephiroth took a long, deep breath as unobtrusively as he could, and nodded.

Angeal walked Cloud back into the cave and…

Nothing happened.

Angeal walked the perimeter of the space, but it seemed to now be an empty, if eerie, cavern.

This time Angeal looked to Zack, who was frowning at the screen. "Well?"

"It let you back in, which, in most games this old, means there's probably more there. But whatever it is, it's probably still locked behind a trigger. For now, it's probably safe to leave it as is."

"Trigger?" asked Angeal.

"So that's what they're called? Apt," Genesis said thoughtfully. At the other SOLDIERs' blank looks, he rolled his eyes. "Please, we've encountered these 'triggers' before. When the game wouldn't allow us to go somewhere for whatever reason and we had to come back to it."

Ah, yes. That did, indeed, make sense.

"Most common use of triggers is for story, so you don't get the information out of order," Zack added.

"Interesting, but we should probably continue." Genesis prompted.

Sephiroth couldn't help but feel relief as Angeal simply nodded and exited the cave to reboard the submarine.

The next couple of minutes had Angeal moving the submarine back down the long, narrow cave and out into the larger area that led to said cave. It was… a welcome respite of both action and information, especially with that calm music.

Sephiroth was upset at the recent revelations – who wouldn't be? – but after going over everything again in his mind (and pulling out his own notebook in an attempt to articulate some of his questions), he once again came to the conclusion that he simply did not have enough information to make an informed decision. There really was nothing for it. He would either find more information when he read what they'd gotten from the Science Department, or he'd go to that mountain lake himself .

Or both. He wanted a full explanation from all parties involved.

Unfortunately, that probably also meant Hojo.

And he had no idea how to go about getting that. Not without extreme embellishments, twists, and outright lies. He supposed Hojo might be arrogant enough to actually just blurt the whole story out. However, he couldn't count on that.

No. He'd just have to wait.

He'd never been fond of waiting. He could do it. That did not mean he had to like it.

Meanwhile, Angeal had the submarine following the left wall again and had wandered into another passage, this one narrower than the other. Diligently following said wall, he reached the end and then went out of sight behind the right wall. The camera turned and they found another cave, one with a much smaller recess than the previous cave.

"What is that?" Genesis asked, sounding thoroughly unimpressed. Inside the recess sat what looked like… a tree? A dead tree? A stone tree? Sephiroth wasn't sure.

Angeal shrugged as he maneuvered the submarine so it ran into the object. The screen faded out and back in to the inside of the sub. Yuffie, on the right, seemed to be… running in place? Fidgeting, perhaps?

Cloud, in the driver's seat, of course, asked if anyone 'thought it was…' then trailed off. The number of times people trailed off in this game was ridiculous. Not as ridiculous as some other things but still worth noting in Sephiroth's mind.

Then, the computer (or so Sephiroth assumed) said the analysis was complete and the exact date of origin undetermined, but it said the object was estimated to be several thousand years old.

"Can submarines do that?" Zack asked.

"Some," Angeal replied at the same time Genesis said "no." They glanced at each other, Genesis raising an eyebrow in clear invitation for Angeal to explain. "If the submarine was used for exploration or underwater excavation of some kind.

"But, that's a battle sub?"

"It could have been repurposed."

"Ah," the Second replied with a nod. Genesis just looked thoughtful.

Meanwhile, the party received the 'key of the ancients'.

"Why does that seem both easier and more difficult than it should have been?" the red-head asked, almost amused.

"Game insanity," Angeal replied.

"Hmm," Genesis responded.

"So, back to Junon and then the Forgotten City?" the larger SOLDIER asked. The others nodded. Zack pulled out his PHS and checked the time.

"Whoa, hey! It's after 5! Can I order food now?"

"Sure, Zack," Angeal replied, pulling out his wallet. "Here. Put it on this." He grinned. "It is my treat to celebrate your promotion, after all. Get enough for all of us." Then he glanced at Sephiroth. "Actually, unless their menu is enormous, get a little bit of everything."

The Second's face lit up like a light. "Really? Thanks, Angeal! You're the best!"

He took his PHS and started rapidly pressing keys. Then kept entering far more than any phone number would require.

"Wait, are you placing the order on your PHS?" Genesis asked. "How do you still have functioning fingers?"

"...Are there many places that will let you do that?" Sephiroth asked, pushing himself to interact more. They were right, he probably should try. It was just… uncomfortable, not unhelpful.

"Order online? Big places, mostly, though it's becoming more common." Zack answered without pausing his typing.

"Convenient." Genesis sounded thoughtful.

Sephiroth felt he should protest, opened his mouth to – he really should go back to his original diet – but Angeal shook his head.

"This is a celebration meal. Hojo can take it up with me if he has a problem."

The Silver General closed his mouth. He didn't think Angeal really knew how bad things could get if Hojo decided to take things as far as he could, but… he appreciated his friend's thoughtfulness. And honestly, if Sephiroth really pushed it, he could probably get away with it. Hojo may throw a fit, but Sephiroth was pretty sure he could contain any damage that came from it.

So, while Zack typed away furiously on his little flip PHS, the others went back to playing. Angeal maneuvered the submarine around the potential WEAPON – that now loomed in place above a large circle in the ground on the bottom of the ocean – and made it back to Junon. He docked the Submarine (still ridiculous) and then got onto the airship.

A little over a minute later, Angeal landed in the canyon outside the Forgotten City.

"Hey," Zack said, "did you want some of absolutely everything? 'Cause there are some things I'm pretty sure only some people back home like, and no one gets it right outside of Gongaga."

"I think we'll leave it to your discretion, Zack," Angeal replied absent-mindedly, currently in the middle of a battle (though the party could kill the enemies in one hit).

"Ok. Desserts?"

"If you want."

"Yes!"

Another pause as Angeal took the left path again.

"What about drinks?"

"Something healthy, please," Sephiroth said.

Zack frowned and scrolled a lot. "Is milk okay? It should help with the spicy stuff too…"

Angeal paused and looked to his silver-haired friend, who nodded. "That'll be fine, Zack."

"Ok! I'll get some soda too, for the rest of us."

Genesis shrugged and Angeal nodded, neither one taking their eyes off of the game, where Cloud was running across the plank-bridge to the pedestal with the crystal and Bugenhagen on it. The old man commented on the fact that they'd found 'it'. Then he said something about a 'music box over there' (where?) and for them to wait as he went and used said key.

"Whoa, that's a big key," Zack said, glancing up from his PHS before going back to typing, looking between Angeal's card and the phone. Sephiroth agreed. It was rather large, though it had appeared larger than the submarine when they'd found it.

"And I'm sure that's the only thing they found and the only lost relic in the sea to find," Genesis muttered. "What are the odds?"

"Seeing as this actually happened in another universe…" Sephiroth said quietly, but didn't continue the sentence. Everyone tensed at that but just continued watching the screen. Genesis didn't look like he was completely on board with Sephiroth's statement, but knew better than to start something, thankfully.

On the screen, it faded out and back in to two small pillars on either side of a round pool of water with what looked like shards of stone sticking out of it. That was all a glass platform stretched between the two pillars.

"That's… a music box?" Genesis asked.

"I guess so," Angeal said.

"Okay, done! And it says it shouldn't take too long too!" Zack said, flipping his phone closed and causing everyone to jump. The Firsts all exchanged looks before going back to the game.

On screen, Bugenhagen laughed as he, rather awkwardly in Sephiroth's opinion, put the key in the hole. The scenes switched around a bit and then it cut to a more rendered version of the 'key' turning around. As it did, what he had assumed were 'branches' hit the spikes that stuck up… oh. Much like a music box.

Sephiroth felt a little sheepish after that. It wasn't a feeling he acknowledged often. Thankfully no one said anything… and neither did he.

An enormous pillar between the music box and the pedestal lowered and the crystal glowed. Water from the ledge above the crystal began to flow over it, pouring down in a very clear waterfall around the pedestal.

"Weren't 'they' supposed to stay there?" Genesis asked, referring to Cloud and his team.

"It's not that hard to move when you see water coming like that," Zack said, having put his PHS away.

"Hmm. True," Genesis conceded.

Bugenhagen laughed again, and then the screen showed Cloud at the base of the plank-bridge looking at the water as it poured down. The old man must have taken that time to approach them as he floated up behind Cloud, telling him to go inside – that hope may be inside. Or… their doom, Sephiroth assumed, as much as he didn't like to think about it.

Genesis sighed. "The cryptic nature of that man…"

The silver-haired SOLDIER shot him an amused look as Angeal moved Cloud towards the water.

The screen switched from the far-away view to the closer view, this time inside the waterfall, which seemed to pour in a perfect circle around the pedestal… and Bugenhagen was already there as Cloud's companions ran out of him.

"Wait, the guy can teleport now?!" Zack asked.

"Game insanity," Genesis said, a smirk on his face.

'This was just a screen to project an image,' the old man said. 'Look at the image projected on the water!'

"Of all the ridiculous—" Genesis started, but then the screen changed again. The camera zoomed from where the water image should be to behind the group watching as Aeris' theme (or at least the theme Sephiroth had begun to associate with her) began to play.

On the water, they clearly saw an image of Aeris praying.

"That's Aerith?" Zack asked.

"Aeris," Angeal corrected. "We've been using 'Aeris' for the game, 'Aerith' for real life. It helps keep them apart."

"O-oh," Zack said.

Sephiroth, meanwhile, felt his gut clench and he stood. "I'll be right back," he said. He knew what this would show. He didn't want to see it again. Before he could take a step, though, Angeal stopped him.

"It's fine, Sephiroth," he said quietly. "It isn't showing… that."

The Silver General paused and glanced back just in time to see the ribbon in Aeris' hair come undone and fall out. Along with it, the White Materia she carried. The round bauble bounced down the pillars leading to the pavilion (they'd called it an altar?) and into the water. The camera zoomed in on it laying on the ground at the bottom of the lake, glowing green.

The scene switched back to Cloud, who stated the obvious – that it was glowing and Aeris had already prayed for (and presumably received an answer regarding) Holy. He went on to say she'd known about this place and what she needed to do… and she'd done it at the cost of her life and future.

Sephiroth's fist clenched.

Then the blond said he should have figured it out sooner.

"Literally, how?" Genesis shot at the television.

Sephiroth agreed. The SOLDIERS had figured it out, but they also had eidetic memories (or at least, he did) and a unique perspective.

The boy really was too hard on himself. Sephiroth took note of that for future reference.

Cloud went on to apologize and say that after everything that had happened, he couldn't think. Then he told Aeris that he'd take care of the rest.

'I? ...You mean WE,' Vincent said.

'The hope she left us... We've gotta take a chance with it!' Yuffie said eagerly.

Cloud turned to them and then thanked Aeris. For… hope? Strange, but not entirely unacceptable. And since nothing else seemed to be happening with showing Game Sephiroth, the Silver General sat back down. Genesis nodded at him and Angeal shot him a supportive look. Zack's eyes didn't leave the screen. Apparently he'd finished his online order. Sephiroth managed to nod gratefully back at his two friends before turning back to the screen.

'Aeris' voice has already reached the planet,' Cloud said. 'Just look at the glow of the White Materia.'

"Haven't we already established this?" Genesis drawled.

Sephiroth agreed, but then Cloud asked the million gil question. 'But… what about Holy? Why isn't Holy moving?'

"Ah. Good question," the red-head said as if conceding a point.

'Something's getting in its way,' Bugenhagen said.

"And how does he know that?" Genesis asked, gesturing with his palm to the screen.

'…Him…' Cloud said.

Sephiroth looked away for a moment. It always came back to him didn't it. (He rather hated that.)

'He's the only one that could do it,' the blond continued. Well… he had a point, at least as far as the game had established. '…Sephiroth. Where are you?'

Vincent and Yuffie walked back into Cloud and Angeal turned to Genesis and Sephiroth. Zack, hearing the motion, did the same.

"Northern Crater?" the larger man asked.

Sephiroth and Genesis both nodded.

"Wait, how did you know that?" Zack asked.

"The last time we saw him in the game was there," Genesis replied casually.

Zack blinked. "Oh. Okay, to the Northern Crater then!"

Angeal had Cloud run out of the waterfall and to the stairs leading out, but then he stopped. Yuffie and Vincent walked out of him and the sound of a PHS ringing sounded.

"It is supremely unfair how he can access his device when not on the map," Genesis said with a sigh and a shake of his head. "My friends, the fates are cruel! No dreams, no honor remains. The arrow has left the bow of the Goddess…"

Cloud answered, and apparently Cait Sith was on the other end, apologizing and whispering. He explained that the Junon Canon had been moved, and that Rufus wanted to destroy Game Sephiroth with it.

"Well, at least now he's thinking on the proper scale," the red-head muttered.

Sephiroth didn't wince, but he did frown at his friend.

"What?" he asked. "It's true."

"Genesis," Angeal admonished.

"Fine," the red-head said with exaggerated defeat.

Cait Sith went on to explain that the cannon operated on huge materia, but since that had been used in the Rocket Plan, he'd moved the cannon to Midgar where they had eight different reactors. Well, he didn't say Midgar, exactly. He alluded to it, and then the scene switched to the underbelly of a helicopter as it flew. More joined it as they traveled around and over the ShinRa building, where the cannon had been mounted outside of it.

"I thought they had less than a week!" Genesis yelled. "How did they move it that fast?! How did they move it at all?!"

"You'd be surprised what people can do when their lives are on the line," Zack said quietly. Sephiroth glanced over at him, but he looked fine… He was still relieved when Angeal reached down and put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

The scene switched to inside the tower as Rufus addressed Reeve, Scarlett and Heidegger.

He told Reeve to adjust the output of the reactors. The brunet agreed, but didn't look happy about it. Scarlet told him to just let it go full speed. Heidegger said the idea of defeating Game Sephiroth and how that will make Meteor go away was all wrong.

And yet Rufus had come to the same conclusion as AVALANCHE, with their hard-won knowledge that the new President certainly didn't know, as far as they knew.

Rufus asked if Scarlett's mako powered shells would reach the northern border.

"Northern border?" Genesis asked, eyebrows creeping up to his hairline.

"From Midgar?" Zack asked, incredulous.

"I can see why Rufus is asking," Angeal said, looking stunned.

Of course, Scarlett didn't seem to have any lack of confidence that the shells would reach their target. Then she named the cannon 'The Sister Ray'*.

Well. Okay then. (Despite them discovering early in the game that it was more than just portrayals of people they knew, he couldn't help but think that the renaming was very in-character for Scarlett to do.)

The scene returned to Cloud in the Forgotten City… alone… and no PHS to his ear.

This game.

"Have the people who made this ever heard of 'segues'?" Genesis asked dryly, apparently thinking similarly to Sephiroth.

"Segues?" Zack asked.

Genesis let out a very long, put upon sigh. Then, much to Sephiroth and Angeal's surprise, he began to explain about acts and going from one scene to another and how doing so without transitional dialog, descriptions, or actions could take an audience out of the play. Or, in this case, game.

"Oh!" the boy replied. "I get it. Yeah, I've seen that lots before in games, but I've only ever heard them called transitions. I didn't know there was another word for it. Thanks, Genesis!

"Hmph," the red-head replied, waving his hand as Zack turned back around. Sephiroth didn't mention the slight blush he saw on the other man's face. For the first time, Sephiroth wondered just how much of Genesis' persona was a mask. He'd always known that a lot of it was, but…

Angeal had Cloud run out of the Forgotten City. They went to board the Highwind, but the screen started shaking. Cloud obviously had no clue what was going on.

The scene faded out and back in to Midgar from above, flying north over the sea towards the Northern Continent. It stopped as an area of the sea right before the Northern Continent. It looked like the water was getting displaced. And then something rose out of the sea. Something that looked a lot like what they thought was Emerald WEAPON. Had they been wrong because of the lighting? Or… No, the WEAPON they'd seen had been in the sea between Junon and Costa Del Sol, or that general area. He didn't think they'd been able to get to the area this thing rose from

"Is that another WEAPON?" Zack asked.

"Looks like," Angeal confirmed grimly as the thing on the screen screamed… or, well, it sounded like some garbled mess of a recording of a roar, but game logic and limitations probably played a role in that more than anything else.

Then it started moving. Very slowly…

"Is it walking on the water? Or floating?" Genesis asked, expression somewhere between horrified, disgusted and puzzled.

"Both?" Zack said weakly.

"Does it matter?" Angeal asked.

The screen faded back to the interior of the Highwind, presumably flying as evidenced by the movement in front of the windows (but not guaranteed, like when they'd not moved away from Junon after rescuing Barrett and Tifa). The screen flashed red, and Cid asked what that was. One of the officers said they were getting a strange signal, but didn't know from where. It was coming from Cait Sith.

Cait Sith lunged forward saying that the controls went crazy for a minute. Then he spoke about WEAPON coming out of the sea and heading straight for Midgar.

Cloud asked if the new weapon (meaning the canon, Sephiroth assumed) would stop it. Cait Sith said he didn't know if it was ready or not.

Then Barret ran forward, towards the moogle and cat combo, asking about Marlene. Cait Sith assured him that she and Aeris' mother were in a safe place. Barret just scratched his head (Sephiroth assumed that was what the movement was supposed to portray) and turned back to where he'd been before.

That seemed to offend Cait Sith because he jumped after the large man, asking what that 'scratching' was all about.

Barret said that as long as Marlene was safe, nothing else mattered.

"Hey!" Zack said as Angeal grit his teeth and Genesis scoffed derisively. "There are thousands of people here in this city! If you don't even care, then you're not a hero!"

"He certainly doesn't have the moral high ground he seems to think he has," Genesis agreed. Meanwhile, Angeal kept muttering about honor. Sephiroth had to fight a smile on his face, not at Barret's words (he was just as angry at him as they were) but at their reactions. It was amusing to see.

Then, to their surprise, Cait Sith said he had something he'd been wanting to say to Barret for a while. He went on to remind Barret about the Sector 1 reactor they'd blown up, asking if he knew how many people they'd killed that night.

The larger man dismissed that with a wave of his arm, saying that was for the planet and thus was different – an acceptable sacrifice. Just a few people.

"Can I punch him?" Zack asked angrily.

"Only if I can record it," Genesis said. Angeal shot him a dirty look.

"Deal," Zack said.

"You're not punching anyone for something they haven't done yet," Angeal protested sharply.

Zack huffed and pouted, arms folded and everything. Genesis just shook his head. If Sephiroth had to guess, the red-head likely realized he'd do the same were he in Barret's situation. They all had done the same thing, in a way, following ShinRa. Following orders in the war against Wutai.

Cait Sith asked what Barret meant by 'a few' and then said that those people meant something to someone else and to themselves. He completely called Barret out on his whole 'protecting the planet' crusade and that no one he surrounded himself with would go against him, so he thinks he can do whatever he wants.

Barret turned right around on Cait Sith, pointing out (rather loudly if the arm movements were anything to go by) that he didn't want to hear that from anyone in ShinRa. Which… fair. Sephiroth had just been thinking that himself.

At that point, Cait Sith just turned around, looking shamed, saying he couldn't do anything about that.

Fortunately, Cloud cut them off, telling them to stop it. Then Tifa stepped forward, saying that they remembered what they did, that they should never forget, and she knew the reason why Cait Sith – why Reeve, likely – stayed at ShinRa because he's worried about the people in Midgar.

"He wants to stay somewhere he can do some good," Angeal said quietly.

Genesis scoffed. "Like taking our Keystone – an Ancient Relic – and handing it over to the Turks."

"He did that?" Zack asked, surprised.

"He had his reasons," Angeal pointed out, still not sounding happy with his companions.

"True," Genesis conceded, "But that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Fair," Angeal replied. "That also doesn't mean he wasn't doing the best he could with what he had to work with though."

The red-head folded his arms. "You're only saying that because you met the man in person."

"He was a nice guy!" Zack defended.

On the screen, Tifa turned to Cloud, calling to him. The blond said they'd go fight WEAPON themselves.

Genesis, who had opened his mouth to say something to Zack, sort of deflated. "Fight WEAPON… by themselves… is he crazy?"

"Define 'crazy'," Sephiroth said lowly.

"Hey! Spikey's not crazy!" Zack said.

"Zack," Angeal said quietly, "he thought he was you. For the entire first disk and a large chunk of the second disk."

The Second looked stricken. "That's… a different kind of crazy," he said, though much weaker. To be fair, he wasn't wrong.

"Besides," he said, firmer this time, "someone has to try and stop that thing! Who knows what kind of damage it could do!"

Judging by the blue one at Junon, a lot.

Genesis frowned. "When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end, the Goddess descends from the sky."

Zack looked a little frustrated that Genesis had sidestepped an argument by quoting Loveless. Well, at least now he was beginning to see how annoying Genesis and his Loveless quotes could be.

(And yet it was so much a part of who Genesis presented himself to be, Sephiroth realized he wouldn't want the man to suddenly change.)

Thankfully, on the screen, Cid was the voice of reason, asking Cloud if he really thought they could win against that. At least Cloud replied that he didn't know, but they couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

Fair.

Sephiroth wondered if he could fight and defeat a WEAPON like that.

Then he remembered the golden armor future Cloud had worn and decided that he could probably defeat some of them, do severe damage to others… but some would be a challenge to defeat, even for him.

He… actually found himself a little excited at the idea. It had been a while since he'd had a truly challenging fight. Then he realized what he'd been thinking and shoved that thought down. To fight a WEAPON, he'd have to awaken the WEAPONs. Which would mean the world was at risk.

He did not want to wake the WEAPONs. (For more reason than one.)

The scene faded out and then back in to the view of the airship as the strange, garbled 'roar' sounded again.

"Can we fight it from an airship?" Zack asked suddenly.

Sephiroth and Angeal exchanged glances while Genesis shrugged.

"No clue," the red-head said.

As far as Sephiroth knew, they as a society hadn't learned to fight from the air as building planes and airships was expensive.

It wasn't difficult to find the WEAPON as they happened to be on the Northern Continent.

"I found it," Angeal said, "now what?"

"Um… charge it?" Zack suggested.

Honestly, it wouldn't be the most ridiculous thing they'd tried in the game, so Sephiroth shrugged and Genesis nodded. Angeal pushed the airship at the WEAPON, but a static sound crackled through the speakers and Cid asked what he was trying to do, break the airship? Then he suggested they fight on the ground.

"On the ground?" Genesis scoffed. "He's as crazy as Cloud is! They have a far better advantage in the air!"

Sephiroth agreed. Still, it wasn't like they had much of a choice. "Get between it and Midgar," he said calmly. He knew fights and tactics. If they couldn't attack it at sea, then they'd have to ambush it.

Not having a better suggestion, Angeal did as Sephiroth suggested, flying quickly to the north west beach of the Eastern Continent and setting the airship down.

"Make sure you have the party you want," Zack said. Angeal nodded in agreement.

"Who should I put in?" he asked.

"Barret," Genesis said immediately. "Him having to defend the people he cares so little for – in Midgar, nonetheless – is poetic justice."

Zack snorted and Angeal nodded.

"Then I guess I should bring Tifa back in too," Angeal suggested.

Genesis laughed. "A cruel irony, Angeal – the people who initially damaged the city…. I didn't know you had it in you."

The larger brunet smirked at his friend. "Liar."

The next several minutes consisted of them figuring out what weapons and materia they should take into the upcoming battle. No one could seem to agree and it took time to find the materia they needed (extremely inefficient). Once they had something everyone seemed content with, they went back to the map.

Before they could do anything else, Zack's phone went off. He took it out and glanced down, then grinned. "Oh, that's new! I just got a text that the food's here! That was fast."

For such a large order, it was…

"Huh, it's not the same PHS number. I wonder how they do that?"

Zack jumped up to head for the door, but Sephiroth waved him down. "I'll go and get it," he said.

"You sure?" the Second asked, sounding surprised.

Sephiroth glanced meaningfully at Genesis and Angeal, who then exchanged glances themselves.

"Yes," the silver-haired man said. "Keep fighting and preparing for… that." He gestured to the screen.

"Right," Angeal replied, as if he'd been given an order. Genesis didn't answer, only looking thoughtful. Zack frowned as he sat back down, like he knew he'd missed something but didn't know what.

Smart child.

"I will be back… shortly," Sephiroth said, calmly walking out of his apartment and shutting the door behind him.

He took a step towards the elevator, then paused. No… that wouldn't be fast enough. Not if what he suspected was true.

So instead, he strode quickly to the staircase at the end of the hall – the very one Cloud, Barret and Tifa had used to break into the ShinRa building. Sephiroth looked down the center, the stairwell was narrow, but had an open space all the way to the bottom. They were up a good thirty** flights…

He smiled a little, and hopped over the railing, plummeting down.

The hardest thing about it was preventing himself from hitting the sides of the staircases and getting injured that way as he passed each floor. Once he approached the bottom, he kicked out at just the right moment, using the momentum to both aim for his next point and slow his speed. Then he grabbed the railing and swung onto it for the last flight, sliding down and landing neatly at the bottom.

Then he stood, straightened his trench coat and walked out nonchalantly – as if he hadn't just fallen thirty flights of stairs or more.

It had been exhilarating.

The exit took him outside of the building, just like in the game. He quickly skirted the side and scanned the front… there. The same motorbike he'd seen the day before.

Adrenaline pumping, he rushed inside – while still looking calm, of course – then scanned the room for a mop of blond hair. Nothing.

Then he saw a bright-colored jacket under a hat and… blond hair sticking out from underneath.

Swallowing, he hurried up to the desk, only making sure to pause at the last moment as the blond collected a signature from the secretary at the front desk and then turned around. He wore sunglasses, but the way he tensed up let Sephiroth know he hadn't gone unnoticed. After a moment, Sephiroth could see mako-blue eyes fixed on him, despite the tinted shades.

So he put on his most cautious expression and looked the man up and down. He wore the loose, bright jacket over the modified Soldier First uniform Sephiroth remembered from his dream, down to the silver wolf on his shoulder. (That was one thing he'd been missing though – the shoulder pauldron… and the very large sword across his back.) He was short, too. Several centimeters shorter than Sephiroth, actually. And yet, his presence…

The General opened his mouth to say something about picking the order up for his friend, but only one word came out.

"Cloud."

xXx

*AN: Some of my readers pointed out to me that the Sister Ray hadn't been named back in Junon and I DO plan on going back to change it at some point. Ahem My bad.

**SOLDIER training is on floor 49, but let's be real, there isn't enough room for apartments up there too, so I figure apartments would be between floors, say, 30 and 40.

BetaNote: Imagination would like to apologize for adding to the delay with this chapter. Work is no longer kicking butt as bad, though, so yay! If you wonderful and patient readers spot errors, you are welcome and encouraged to point them out!

(Obi would like to point out that she does a phenomenal job . Thanks hon)

Discord: discord. gg/xDDz3gqWfy (no spaces)