After they ate, Cloud, Tifa, and Lina picked up the campsite. Before they left, Cloud cleaned his buster sword, while Tifa and Lina had a conversation about the battle. Finally when he finished, Cloud stood up and sheathed his sword on his back.

"So were off?"

"I'm ready." Tifa exclaimed.

"Me too." Lina said, now dressed in khakis and a white T-shirt.

Cloud tugs on his black tank top that he changed too.

"Cloud why are you always tugging on your shirts?" asked Tifa curiously.

"I don't know, I guess its because I'm still used to the SOLDIER uniform. Oh and Tifa!"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for the good cooking."

"Ah, compliments to he who provided the meat." Lina said.

Cloud grins. "Alright then, lets go.

After a few hours of walking, they battled a few really small birds, but nothing threatening. Lina used her staff, to aide her walking. While Cloud looked behind them to see if anything decided to surprised them yet again. Tifa was walking with her hands behind her head, enjoying the breeze, even if the temperature was significantly hot.

In the distance, loud banging could be heard. "What's that noise?" asked Cloud. Tifa already dropping her hands to look.

"I don't know." Said Lina.

Cloud puts his hand over his eyes so he can see well. He saw a lights appear over and over. "I see lights, I guess that's what is causing the noise." Then it came into view for him. "Oh no!"

"What?" Asked Lina

"Those are explosions."

"WHAT!" Tifa yelled.

"Oh no! Its them." Lina starts running towards what seemed like a battle.

Cloud without thinking started running after her. Tifa joined a second thereafter. "Cloud what do you think is going on?"

"I don't know, but lets be careful."

When they finally reached the general area, Cloud and Tifa finally caught up to Lina. "Hey you run pretty fast." Cloud said.

"They are attacking Athena."

"Who are they?" asked Tifa.

"Some new corporation that sprung up overnight. Mostly ex-Shinra, that did not like the way Reeve runs things."

"You mean scumbags?" asked Cloud.

"Basically."

"Well let's do something. Who are the good guys?"

"Most of them will either be the people being killed, or the men in khakis uniform."

"Got it!" Cloud dropped his bag, and started running towards Athena.

"Wait Cloud!" Lina shouted. If he gets killed I don't know what I'm going to do with myself.

Tifa didn't even wait, she just started running after him. "I'm behind you."

Cloud looked back and nodded his head. He turned his vision back to the battle. The "bad guys" seemed to be wearing the same basic design as the Shinra uniform excluding the fact that it's red.

Once they were twenty feet away. Cloud unsheathed his sword, and picked up speed. A man in khakis uniform saw Cloud with the oversized sword, and threw himself on the ground "Don't kill me!!!"

Cloud ran past him, as well as Tifa, and jumped into the fray. The man in khakis noticed what happened. Cloud charged at a group of three soldiers. Meanwhile, Tifa was already fighting off a soldier trying to kill one of the builders.

"You guys think you're too much for me." He jumped up in the air with his sword overhead. "Guess again!" he said as he slammed his sword onto the head of the soldier in the middle. Instantly killing him, Cloud pulled his sword out of the bloody corpse, and looked at the other two. They both lifted up their guns and started shooting at him. Cloud sidestepped away from the first volley of bullets, then dove on the ground rolling towards the closest soldier. The soldier stepped back as Cloud swung his sword sideways from behind his right. The soldier yelled in fear. Cloud hammered his sword into the side of the man cutting him in half. The other soldier by this time started firing more bullets, when he noticed fire was forming around him. When the fire exploded, the man flew to the ground in burning flesh.

Cloud looked back and saw Lina was about ten feet behind him. "Where's Tifa?" He said as he looked to see that a pile of bodies already accumulated around her. Most of them either had broken limbs and couldn't do anything, or were plain unconscious. Cloud grinned, "That's my Tifa." He looks back to Lina, "Call reeve on my PHS, tell him what's going on."

Lina nodded and ran back towards the area outside the village, where they all left their bags.

Cloud looked at the village. It was made of marble, and other stones, and had a very nice appeal to it. The village looked fancy, to believe this village was meant for those who lost their homes. Cloud nodded the thought away as he saw two men charge behind Tifa.

Tifa notices a man about to punch her from her right, and grabs his arm in mid-punch. She twists his arm until its broken under pressure. With her ultimate flexibility, her leg lifts of the ground, brings her knee to her chest while holding the soldier's broken arm, and kicks his straight on the nose. The man falls back on his back, blood falling down from his helmets broken visor. Immediately Tifa brings her other leg, and kicks another man to her left in the same fashion. Suddenly Tifa hears two screams. When she turns around she sees Cloud standing over two bodies, or more like four. "Thanks"

Cloud smiles to her and raises his stance back to fighting. Tifa does the same.

"Yes, were under attack, Yes I think it's them. Red, no no no, red. Send something if you can. Please Reeve, its bad, Cloud and Tifa are here helping. Thank you. No I haven't seen the Turks." Lina hung up the phone, and starts running back to the village.

"Cloud behind you!" Tifa yelled, as Cloud spun around while swinging his sword. Not even aiming, he hit a solder in the leg, cutting it off. The man's screams were quickly muffled as Cloud knocked him in the back of his head with the dull end of the sword. Rendering the soldier unconscious. "Lets go save some of the workers."

"Its kind of hard Cloud, we are drawing all the attention, consider the body count we started." Tifa looked at him, felt something in her, and then focused her attentions again in the battle.

Cloud saw two men in line for firing squad. "Tifa over there!" he points

"Lets go."

Cloud was already charging with his sword in the air.

Tifa jumped in the air, and kicked a soldier in the head knocking him to the ground.

Cloud swung his sword to his left, and ripped through another soldier. "Check if the builder are ok." When Cloud looked they were on the floor not moving.

Tifa ran to check their pulse. "Nothing."

Cloud noticed something by the side of his eye. Reacting quickly, he brought his sword to his right, blocking what seem to him as club. I know this weapon, Cloud thought.

"Hello again blondy." Reno said.

"What are you doing here?" Cloud noticed another club, and moved his sword to block the other man's swing. It was Rude.

"Nothing really, just my job." Reno said. Reno swung his club again.

Cloud blocked that swing as well. "So what is it this time?"

"None of your business!" He jumped back. "Rude!" They nodded at each other.

Cloud glanced at Tifa, she was preoccupied with a few soldiers.

The two Turks charged in both directions. Cloud waited for a time to react. When they both started to swing furiously their electrocution clubs. Cloud dashed in between them and baseball slid under both of their swings. Immediately Cloud started to swing his sword. Reno jumped back, while Rude took a step and attempted to block it. Cloud swung his sword right through Rude's club.

Reno noticed an opportunity and dashed to Cloud while the blue-eyed warrior was finishing his swing. Reno brought his club overhead and slammed it down on Cloud's back. Cloud staggered to the floor. "Alright blondy, hope this doesn't hurt too much." Reno's untucked shirt was flapping in the air. Reno stabbed the round point of the club into Cloud's rib, and pressed a button located on the handle.

Cloud felt electricity flowing through his body. He tried to scream in pain, but couldn't. Suddenly the electricity stopped, and Reno fell to the ground next to him. Struggling to get back up, Cloud sees Tifa landing down after a jump kick. "Thanks."

Tifa's smile quickly faded when she saw Rude charging at her. She jumped forward, and ducked under his punch. She then thrust herself upward with her punch, and landed it into Rude's stomach.

Rude staggered back. "."

Cloud noticed that Reno was almost up. "Oh no you don't." Cloud said as he swung his sword downwards. Reno rolled out of the way, as Cloud's buster sword slammed onto the ground. Pulling it out instantaneously, Cloud used his sword to block a quick hit by Reno.

"This is a bit tiring, I never would have thought that I would waste my energy on you." Reno smoothly steps back.

Rude and Tifa's fistfight continue. Tifa blocked a punch from Rude with her arm and brought a swing of her arm to his face, it connected leaving a red mark on his left cheek. Tifa jumped at him with a kick, but he moved his torso out of the way, and grabbed her leg, slamming her down on the ground. Rude on his knees, swung a punch at Tifa's face knocker her on her back. Rude jumped on top of her, but she kicked him over her. When Rude got up, he charged at her. She sidestepped to the right, and gave him a backhand to the back of his head with her left fist. Rude fell on his stomach, and had trouble getting up.

"Oh its time." Reno said softly. He then dashed forward. Cloud attempted to block whatever swing Reno would do at him, but noticed Reno ran past him.

"Huh?" Cloud said to himself.

Tifa lifted her leg in the air, and swung down. Right before she stomped Rude in the head. She felt a furious blow to her stomach, then a surge of electricity. Tifa bent forward with the hit.

"Tifa!" Cloud screamed and charged towards Reno.

She fell on her knees and then on her face.

"Tifa!" Cloud yelled again, but there was no answer from her.

Cloud thrust his sword forwards, but Reno did a spin with his club, and slammed it onto Cloud's back. Cloud trampled forward, and then fell on his elbows and knees.

"That's its blue-eyes? Your down already?" Reno taunted, then scratched his nose with his thumb. "Oh well. It was fun bought we have to go." Reno looked at Rude who was scratching the back of his head. "Rude lets go. We have unfinished business."

"." Rude gave no expression putting back on his sunglasses. Then the two Turks ran off.

I didn't even hit him once. I'm a total failure. I couldn't protect Tifa.

He painfully got up and noticed that there were no signs of red-uniformed soldiers. He placed his arm on his back, and dropped his sword on the ground. Slowly he made his way to Tifa. "Tifa?" he said softly. He kneeled beside her. Cloud picked her up and held her in his arms. "Answer me, are you ok."

Lina ran up to the two of them. "Cloud!" she looked at Tifa. "Is she ok?" Lina asked.

"I." Cloud paused. "I don't know."