Failure. Again.

This time, he had brought many others down with him, people he had almost dared to call friends. And now Sephiroth would remain subject to Hojo's experiments. Aeris had no one but Nanaki and Miera to protect her. And Lucrecia... what would happen to her? Would Hojo steal her away again? I'm so sorry... But, she had told him to stop apologizing, hadn't she? There was, afterall, no point in it. It did not solve anything.

"Hey, Vinny, you awake?"

He opened his eyes to find a pair of dark grey eyes watching him. The voice had the guise of cheerfulness, but it was strained with uncertainty and fear. Vincent sat up, black hair falling forward to hide his eyes. He brushed back the strands and noted that his bandana was missing. He glanced at Yuffie questioningly.

She shrugged nervously and pointed to his arm. "It makes for a good bandage." She made a face. "They took all our materia. Now I know why you guys got so mad at me."

He nodded, ignoring the second statement and murmuring a quiet "thank you" before looking around. The room was small and empty; that was all there was to it, besides the door. The door had a complicated lock that was not liable to be picked or broken. Any unsuccessful attempt at doing such would trigger an alarm.

"Oh!" Yuffie exclaimed, attracting his attention with her voice. He turned his head to look at her, and it was then that he noticed the dull pain in his head. Yuffie must have had it worse, but she had not commented. Vincent was impressed. "I think it was Minerva... um... she left this for you." She handed him a small, cloth-wrapped bundle. The cloth was blue-blue like Minerva's shirt. He unfolded it, silently, finding a few tools inside. No explanation was necessary. The tools were an apology, and she had left them for the reparation of his arm, which now hung as a dead weight at his left.

Vincent set to work immediately, removing the obtrusive bandage and pushing up the sleeve to expose what flesh there was on that arm. The wound had begun to heal, tentatively, but he ignored its progress and stabbed the metal point of a sharp tool into the gash, searching for the damaged parts of metal. He ignored the pain, but he saw Yuffie wince and look away.

"I wonder how the others are doing..." she said quietly, as if uncertain of whether or not to speak to him. Vincent did not reply. The sentence invited speculation, and he had none to offer.

Yuffie glanced at him briefly and looked away again. He wondered if she was afraid of him; she had every right to be.

"Is it bad?" she asked. He paused to spare her a questioning glance. She pointed. "Your, uh... injury."

He shrugged and went back to work. Somehow the lack of response failed to encourage further attempts at conversation. Silence stood as the only sound, stillness as the only passage of time, besides the diliberate movements of the tools in his right hand working at the section where metal met flesh.

Vincent studied Yuffie out of the corner of his eye. She seemed oddly poised for action, sitting on her heels, yet the barrier of the unknown and the untouchable served to block any decision she chose to make. She did not speak until he set down the bloodied tools and retrieved the crimson bandana. It surprised him to hear a tinge of bitterness in her voice.

"I'll bet I can guess what you're thinking, if you even bothered to note my presence." She rocked back off her heels to sit on her rear, stretching her legs out in front of her. "'Aw, shit. I'm stuck with Yuffie of all people. I hope she'll just shut up and leave me be instead of being her usual annoying, bratty self.'"

Vincent listened silently, winding the red fabric around his arm.

Yuffie leaned forward. "Only, you'd never say it like that. Or maybe you'd never say it at all because you think yourself too much of a gentleman. You'd just refuse to acknowledge your contempt for me. But let's face it-you don't like me at all."

He replaced the tools in the scrap of blue cloth and looked up at her. "I will be blunt. You could not be farther from the truth."

The ninja blinked in surprise. "What? You mean you don't think I'm annoying?"

"No."

She took a moment to process this. "...then what do you think?"

Vincent looked down at the floor, not answering.

Yuffie shrugged, grinned tentatively. "I guess that's going a little far, huh? To ask the opinion of Vincent Valentine."

He sighed, but realized that Lucrecia wouldn't want him to treat her like this. She wouldn't want him to treat anyone like this. He had done it his entire life, for everyone but her. He kept his gaze lowered, murmuring, "If you must know, I will tell you..."

The ninja stared at him. "You will...?" She hesitated. "Um... could you? I don't wanna force you into saying anything you don't want to, though.. I mean..."

"It's all right, Yuffie." Vincent glanced up at her. "I think... No, I know that you've matured over the past few years. You have grown stronger, and not just physically either." He hesitated. "You remind me of a woman I once met in Wutai."

Yuffie sat up eagerly. "You're from Wutai?"

"No," he replied. "My mother was."

"So, you went there...?"

"Once when I was a child and several times as a Turk."

Her face fell. "Oh. Right." She paused. "You helped destroy it, didn't you?"

"Yes." He studied her, uncertain of how she would respond to learning he had helped destroy her home.

But when Yuffie looked up, she was smiling. "Well, that's okay. It was a long time ago. And, it's not like you can undo stuff that's already happened. Wutai got ruined; you can't change that."

"But you can," Vincent said softly.

"Huh?"

"With you to lead it, I am certain Wutai will be restored to its former glory."

Yuffie blushed in embarrassment. "Thanks..."

He shrugged uncomfortably.

She grinned broadly. "No more tourism. Wutai'll be a REAL town. No, a city! Bigger and better than Midgar 'cause we don't use Mako and we don't terrorize our people."

Vincent nearly smiled. If they had been in any other place, he would have.

The ninja noticed the slip and laughed. "That's the second time today. Don't tell me you're going soft!"

"Actually," he corrected, "I believe that was yesterday."

"Yeah, I guess it was... Anyway, you were gonna say something?"

He hesitated, then shook his head. "It is not important."

"Oh." Yuffie shrugged. "Guess I won't push it. I mean, you've already said more in the past five minutes than you used to in a week."

"Hmph. Perhaps I am 'going soft' then."

Yuffie tilted her head at him, winking. "Or maybe you're just sweeter than I thought you were." Vincent raised an eyebrow and she laughed. A moment passed and a more serious expression fell across the young ninja's face. She sat back, pulled her knees up to her chest, and wrapped her arms around them. "...what do you think they're gonna do with us?"

Vincent frowned slightly; he had not bothered to consider it. "Likely he wants us for the same reasons as he wants Sephiroth and Aeris..."

Yuffie shuddered. "You mean... human experimentation?"

"Yes. In your case."

"That's right," she said, resting her head on her knees. "You're not human, and neither are they. You've all been through it before, haven't you?" Vincent nodded, trying not to think of any details or the ripping agony of that first transformation and every new form afterwards. "I'm scared," Yuffie said suddenly. "Of what he might do to me..."

The lock attracted his attention once more. "I know," he said, almost absently. There was nothing he could say to comfort her. "We need to find a way out."

She perked up a bit. "Hey, is that why he put us together?" Vincent glanced at her. "I mean, he doesn't want us to get out, so he threw us together 'cause he expects us to be, like, counterproductive. 'Cause you don't talk, and I talk too much... Which means, I guess, that I should shut up now, so we can get to work, right?"

"Right."

Yuffie grinned. "Looks like it didn't work very well."

Elena pushed herself up, rubbing her head. She hopped to her feet, then stumbled, wincing. Why did her head hurt so badly? Where was she? She steadied herself and looked around. A metal-walled cell greeted her eyes, featureless, devoid of furniture save for a small cot shoved into a corner, almost as an afterthought. She glanced down and saw Cid just beginning to come to his senses. She waited for him to sit up, then asked:

"How's your head?"

The pilot stared up at her for a moment, then cleared his throat and said gruffly, "Fine." A pause. "How're you feeling?"

"Oh, my head feels terrible," she complained melodramatically, grimacing, as she sat down on the edge of the cot. It did feel terrible, but that wasn't a big deal... "I guess we're just lucky nothing worse happened to us," she said more seriously. "Still got all our limbs, afterall."

"Huh. For how long? Maybe he'll do one of us like he did Vincent."

"Ugh! He'd better not choose me!"

Cid grinned a little. "That was probably just a special case. He's got nothing personal against us."

Elena leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. "Do you think we can get outta here?"

"Dunno. Can you pick that kinda lock?" he asked, nodding towards the door. She followed his gaze, then shook her head.

"Maybe Reno could. Maybe. He'd have to get it exactly right on his first try or it'd trigger an alarm. I can't get it for sure."

"Damn."

She looked around. "...I don't see any other way out, do you?"

"Do we have some kinda vent system?"

"...none that I can see." Elena sighed. "Looks like we're stuck then. I didn't think she'd be that strong..."

Cid nodded in agreement. "She was a powerful bitch, stronger than Sephiroth... Whoever does manage to get out is gonna have to steer clear o' her. We shouldn't've listened to her in the first place."

"It wasn't her idea to lead us here. Yuffie asked her to. Took a while to convince her, too." The blond shook her head. "We should've tried to find our own way in instead of forcing her to take us..."

"You what?"

"She told you guys it was risky, didn't she? It's just like she said. If she wanted to kill us at the start, she would have, but she didn't know if she could hold out against Hojo."

The pilot shook his head. "So weird..." He snorted. "But hey, your friend seems to like her, right?"

Elena rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Reno likes anything that's female and isn't me."

"Why'd he rule you out?"

"No clue. When we were Turks, he just saw me as 'the rookie' and now I'm just like... I dunno, some bothersome little sister to him."

"Huh. Guess that sucks."

"Oh no, I don't care. You think I want him flirting with me? I'd take 'little sister' to that any day."

Cid laughed. "Wouldn't know, kid."

Elena smiled a little, but her thoughts were elsewhere. She was stuck on when she had been a rookie. Reno had been cool to her, and that was fine, but... so had Tseng. Most of the time, he barely even noticed her, except to give orders or scold her for doing something stupid. She knew she needed that. But what she had wanted more, was for him to notice her for who she was, rather than what she was. Finally, it had been at the Temple, where he had talked to her like she was his equal. And, he had asked her to dinner.

But what did it matter? She hadn't seen him again until he was on his death bed, and what had he said? 'Tell Aeris I'm sorry.' Like everyone else, he cared for Aeris. Elena... had only been a second choice, because he knew he couldn't have the Cetra. Why? What did Aeris have that was so attractive? Okay, so it wasn't that hard of a question; she was pretty, she was smart, she was nice, and she was brave, too. Elena could never amount to something like that. Even if Tseng was revived, he would never want her.

She lay down on the cot and stared up at the ceiling. "...no dots to count," she commented.

"Huh?"

"Nothing to do until they come and tell us what they're gonna do with us."

"If they bother telling us."

"Think they'll kill us?"

"Hojo? Nah. That bastard wouldn't waste lives like that. Not when he has so many 'potential specimens.' He'll find something to use us for."

"'Potential specimen'? I'd rather die."

"Goddamnit..." Reno muttered, forcing his eyes open and carefully pushing up to a sitting position. The pain in his head seemed to swirl violently and he almost fell over again.

"I thought you'd be used to it," a voice remarked flatly. Reno looked up. The voice belonged to Cloud, and an annoyed gaze to a pair of deep blue eyes. "What, with your hangovers and all," Cloud added.

The Turk grumbled incoherently, then stood. He pushed brusquely at his messy hair. "This is worse than a hangover."

"Whatever. It's about time you got up."

"Sorry," Reno said dryly. "I wasn't aware we were in a hurry."

"You wanna stay here forever?"

His face relaxed into a grin. "Sure, seems pretty nice to me. I just love the whole lack-of-color thing they've got going on."

Cloud folded his arms. "This is no time to be joking around."

"Hell, you're no fun. Just tryin' to lighten up the whole situation. Why'd I have to get stuck with you? Even Elena would be better company than you."

"Thanks a lot. You're no picnic either. But we've gotta get out of here." He made a sound of annoyance. "We should never have listened to that girl. All she did was lead us inside so she could beat the hell out of us."

"Hey!" Reno exclaimed. "She was trying not to beat the hell out of us. It's not like she wanted to do it, and she certainly didn't plan on it. She even warned us!"

"You're only defending her because she's female."

"Okay, so she's cute. But that has nothing to do with it!"

Cloud leaned back against the wall. "Sure it doesn't."

"Anyway, she said she was sorry."

"That doesn't make up for anything. And she didn't sound sorry."

Reno shook his head. "No, no, not then. I mean, after the fight."

"What?"

"You mean you didn't hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"Minerva saying she was sorry!"

Cloud sighed. "No. I didn't. She didn't say anything."

"It wasn't out loud. It was like... in my head."

The blond eyed him critically. "Are you feeling all right? Besides the worse-than-a-hangover headache, I mean."

Reno glared at him, roughly shoving his hands in his pockets and opening his mouth to say something. He stopped. He never carried anything but loose change around in his pockets, yet here was a slip of paper and-he pulled the items out-a screwdriver. Reno glanced at Cloud, who was watching as though no longer certain whether or not to be angry. He unfolded the paper; the handwriting was neat and sharp, but with no time wasted on being pretty.

I am sorry, but they would not let me heal you. They would know if I tried. I put you in this room for a reason. There is an air vent above you that I believe you can access and fit into. I am sorry as well that I cannot help more directly. I am sorry for being such a fool as to think I could help you.

"What's that?"

He handed the note to Cloud, pocketed the screwdriver, and looked up. At first, he could see nothing out of the ordinary; just a metal-panelled ceiling with several bright white lights set in it.

"I don't see anything," Cloud commented after a moment.

Reno glanced at him. "What, you think they'd make it obvious?" The two looked in silence for several minutes before the redhead pointed. "There."

The blond hesitated. "Oh. I see it."

The Turk made his way over to the bed. "Think you could give me a hand? We lift it vertical and it should be sturdy enough..."

"Wait. How do you know she's not trying to trick us somehow?"

"What d'you mean?"

"Well, why can't she help us 'more directly'?"

Reno shrugged. "I guess it's like Elena said. Some sorta mechanical implant that Hojo uses to control her."

"How likely is that?"

"Very likely." He waited, on hand on the headboard of the bed.

Cloud shrugged. "Okay, okay. I guess it's our best chance, right? Why trick us if we're already captured, huh?"

"Right. So are you gonna help me with this or what?"

The blond nodded and walked over to help Reno lift the bed so that it rested on its backboard. The Turk then scrambled up to perch on the top while Cloud held it steady. He pulled out the screwdriver and proceeded to open the duct and remove the cover. He set the panel aside carefully and poked his head into the opening.

"Woah, small."

"Can you fit in it, though?"

"I think so. Lemme try." Reno pocketed the screws and hoisted himself up into the duct, crawling forward a ways. He backed up again so that he could stick his head and arms out of the opening. "Yeah. Just barely enough room to move around in though. I don't think you could fit."

"You just saying that because you wanna leave me here?"

"Naw. You wanna climb up and see for yourself? Be my guest."

"All right, I will." Cloud pulled himself up to the top of the bed while Reno crawled backwards out of his way. The blond stuck his head into the opening. "...it is small." He pulled his head out and climbed back down to the floor. The redhead promptly reappeared.

"See? So I'll go and see if I can get you and the others out. It may take a while 'cause I've got no idea where this goes."

"How do I know you won't just bail yourself out and leave the rest of us here?"

"Hey," Reno said indignantly. "You think I'd leave my Turks behind and abandon the mission? 'sides, Aeris wouldn't like it if I left you locked up, of all people."

Cloud frowned.

"Anyway," Reno went on before Cloud could comment, "you've gotta cover my tracks so they can't figure out where I've gone." He pulled the screws out of his pocket and set them carefully down on the panel cover so they wouldn't roll off. "Hurry up and get everything back to normal. If someone walks in when the room's like this, we're in deep shit."

"What do I tell them?"

The Turk grinned. "Pretend I was never here. That's easy enough, right?"

Cloud nodded.

Reno waved. "See ya later." He pulled himself forward across the opening and towards the darkness of the air duct. He wondered where it led, and if he would be able to hear any other prisoners-if it led across all the rooms. Apparently, the duct wasn't accessable from all the cells, so it wouldn't matter if he did or didn't.

It was annoying that he couldn't see anything, and after a while his eyes started making up faint designs and swirling colors to make up for the pure blackness of the passage. It was slow going, and it seemed even slower with nothing to mark either his progression or the passing of time. He hoped Cloud wasn't making a fool of himself. He hoped the others were all right.

He wondered if Minerva had healed all her wounds; even if she had won in the end, they had put up a good fight. And did Hojo punish her for holding out on him, even if she accomplished what he wanted in the end? Reno hated to imagine what it was like for her, being a lab specimen her whole life. Had she ever seen the sun? Maybe. When she captured Sephiroth.

He stopped. What was that? He heard a faint humming, a murmur of song... coming from up ahead. The humming stopped, and there was the lower murmur of speech. Reno crawled forward, to be closer to the sound as it started up again. This time he could make out the words and the tune.

"What are demons,
If you don't fight them?
Supposedly they add to your burdens,
But if they do, I don't notice.

"And what is pain,
If it doesn't hurt you?
I have heard people scream from it,
But I never have, and why should I?

"And what is love,
If no one loves you?
Presumably it is to be strived for,
But what's one emotion worth?

"And who am I?
What am I here for?
I have no strength, no love, no fear...
So who would desire such a girl?"

By this time he had crawled close enough to identify the singer as Minerva. She had a beautiful singing voice, he thought; clear and clean, even though she wasn't singing very loudly. He heard her sigh below him and mutter, "No one, no one at all."

He wished he could tell her it wasn't true, but he worried that the sound might carry to other parts of the lab. Instead, he tapped softly on the panel below him, hoping she'd notice.

"Oh," she said softly, "I see you have made it into the ducts. Do not say anything; your voice will echo."

Reno shifted slightly. It was torturous not being able to say anything.

"You heard me singing, didn't you? You want to comfort me?" From the tone of her voice, he could imagine her shaking her head. "Humans are so strange... If you continue in the direction you are headed, you will come out in the reactor. You can make your way out from there."

He tapped harshly against the panel. Gods, he wished he could speak to her!

"What? Oh... your comrades. I would not advise coming back for them." She paused, and the tone of her voice changed slightly, although making out the difference was all he could do. "I have heard Aeris is coming. You should try to stop her from entering. She will only get herself captured like the rest of you."

Aeris is coming? What the hell does she think she's doing? Reno hesitated, then silently thanked Minerva and went on his way. Silence and darkness slunk in to claim their thrones as he crawled. Time stretched out as thin as it would go and then stretched further until it seemed as though it was standing still. Crawling was monotonous, yet somehow he found no room to think in the suffocating closeness and darkness and silence of the air duct.

Light filtered in slowly enough for him not to notice he was nearing an exit until suddenly there was the end of the duct and a thin metal ladder leading downward to a fragile-looking walkway. He climbed down gratefully and nearly ran around in circles when his feet touched the metal grating. Reno peered around in the semidarkness which nearly seemed as bright as day compared to the duct's pitch black.

This part of the reactor did not look familiar at all. Was the layout different for this one? As a matter of fact, he could not remember many missions to the Sector 7 reactor... The more important thought in his mind, however, was the decision to go back or to warn Aeris. Going back, he might be able to free the rest of the party, but there was a good chance that he'd get caught. If he ran into Minerva... he wasn't sure if she'd be able to control herself or not. Talya was a mystery to him. Were the old Turks any better than the younger ones? Or could he beat her easily? If he did decide to go back, he didn't want to find out.

But what would happen to Aeris if he didn't stop her? Knowing her, she'd fight to the best of her abilities, and fight until she was badly beaten. Talya would hurt her bad. Minerva would get her worse. It depended on who found her first. But if he was the first, then... maybe he could talk her out of it. And then he could go back for the others on his own. No losses there. If they caught him again, it would just be starting over again. Surely one of the others was working on getting out, too. They weren't stupid.

Reno looked around again and nearly laughed. What was he thinking? He didn't even know which way was which. Maybe out was forwards, maybe it was backwards, or maybe it was to the left. He had no clue. Shrugging, he figured he might as well try to find the way out, and if he ended up back in the lab, he'd try to rescue everyone else.

"Arg, Rude! Can't you think of anything? You were a Turk, weren't you? Aren't the Turks supposed to be experts at getting in and out of places without being noticed?"

"Sorry..." he muttered. Why did Hojo have to put him with her? He could have worked with anyone, even Cloud, but not her.

Tifa turned to look at him critically. "What's up with you, anyway?"

He shook his head. "Nothing, I'm sorry." He leaned back against the wall and scanned the room, but his mind refused to focus. Maybe I should just tell her... Tell her what? That you're in love with a married woman? No, he wasn't in love with her. It was just a stupid crush that had never died properly, as it should have. But five years hadn't changed her. She was still just as strong, and just as lovely... and currently, just as angry as she used to get sometimes.

"No, it's not nothing," she continued, frowning. "You've got something on your mind besides getting out of here and you're not gonna be helpful until you're done thinking about it. So spit it out. What's wrong?"

Rude fixed his eyes on the door behind her. "...five years ago... when you were with Avalanche... I had a... a crush on you."

"What!?" Her eyes were wide in surprise.

He took a breath and forced out. "What vexes me most is why those feelings have not faded."

"How??" she demanded. "I don't understand. We only ran into you guys a few times."

"The Turks did not specialize in getting caught."

"......looks like you're caught now, though."

Rude nodded.

Tifa cleared her throat. "So can we get back to the whole escaping thing now? Can you get that out of your head?"

Another nod. He could tell his admission of his feelings had only made her uncomfortable, but at least she wasn't angry anymore. He went back to scanning the room, wondering if maybe there were any air vents, or perhaps a secret passage like the one Minerva had led them through when they first came. After closely studying the walls and ceiling and finding nothing in the way of an escape route, Rude shook his head and strode forward for a better look at the lock on the door.

"Anything?" Tifa asked after a few minutes.

He shook his head again. "...the lock is similar to those in the Shinra building, but it's different enough that I can't figure it out."

She sighed and slumped against a wall. "Does that mean there's no getting out of here on our own?"

Rude nodded.

Tifa frowned worriedly. "Let's hope the others had better luck..."

Reeve lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, the cold of the hard tile floor seeping through his clothing. He was alone. He wondered breifly if the others were alone like he was and how they were doing. His own head hurt, but that was not important. What was important, was getting out, setting them free. He saw nothing promising in the ceiling, and the lights were beginning to blind him. The metal panels were fit too snugly; there was nothing above them. He sat up and looked at the door, studying the lock. No, he didn't know how to get past that. Ceiling, door... floor? He lay down and peered underneath the cot. Nothing useful there.

He knew his other options. Either of them involved using Cait Sith. Reeve was a little out of practice with it, but he could still operate it. The last time he had used it had been on Marlene's ninth birthday, to make her laugh at the sight of a walking, talking stuffed cat. He smiled. Marlene was a sweet little girl, and he was glad he got to see her once in a while, when he visited Midgar.

If he used Cait, though, where would he go? He could come back to the reactor... and what? He didn't know the way to the prisoner block, or whatever the place was called. If he could open the passage Minerva used to lead them further inside, perhaps he could remember which turns to take, but getting to that point even would be a problem. Maybe if Mog threw Cait across... How much help would a stuffed cat be?

His other option was to send Cait to Cosmo Canyon to seek the aid of Nanaki and Miera. Both of them were intelligent, and maybe they could figure out a solution. The problem with this idea was that Aeris would want to get involved, and he didn't want to risk putting her in danger. Then again, she had probably already sensed something was amiss and was on her way already. He might as well meet up with her and help her rather than letting her fumble through on her own. Perhaps she could find a way to the lab. Her being a Cetra, she had powers the others didn't. Perhaps she could figure out how Minerva had opened up the way. Besides, what good would her staying away accomplish? Minerva could capture her no matter where she was.

Reeve moved onto the cot and lay down. No point in being uncomfortable. He closed his eyes and concentrated on moving Cait Sith. It took a moment, but Cait moved and soon enough he and Mog were bouncing out the door of Reeve's apartment in Junon. He only had to decide where to meet Aeris. Well, since he didn't feel like waiting, he went off to the harbor, intent on catching a ship to Costa del Sol. He wondered, with some amusement, if they sold tickets to stuffed cats.

"Thank you so much," the shopkeeper said, smiling. Aeris hefted her newly aquired Prism Staff. It was light and, despite going over five years without it, the make still felt familiar in her grip.

"Excuse me," the woman said, leaning forward, arms folded on the counter. "Your face looks familiar..."

The Cetra looked up. "Why, yes, I suppose it would. I came here with my friends about five years ago."

"Five years ago..." she murmured. "Oh! You're one of Nanaki's friends?"

"Yes."

The shopkeeper straightened and the smile returned. "Have you been here long?"

"Only a few days," Aeris answered.

"And you're leaving already? Where are you going?"

"...Midgar."

The woman's eyes widened. "All the way to Midgar? I've heard it's a dreadful place, all ruined and mangled by Meteor. Why do you want to go there?"

Aeris only shrugged. "I have business there... Besides, I grew up in Midgar. It's about time I went back."

"I guess... Well, have a safe journey."

"Thank you," Aeris replied, beaming. She headed down the steps to the ground level where Nanaki was waiting. He bumped his head against her leg in greeting.

"You look cheery this morning."

She knelt down to stroke his mane. "I feel like I could take on the world."

He turned his head to look at her. "You know, that is what you're doing, basically."

Aeris laughed. "I guess you're right. What did Miera say?"

"She is staying here. 'Someone has to keep the little ones out of trouble,' she says."

"Mmhmm." The Cetra straightened. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," he replied, then turned his head sharply. Aeris followed his gaze to watch Katrina run up.

"Hey, guys," she greeted, albeit rather confusedly. "You going somewhere?"

Aeris hesitated. "We're worried my friends are in trouble. We're headed off to Midgar to help them out."

"...wasn't there some reasons you stayed behind?"

She shrugged. "Not very good ones. I can take care of myself, no matter what the others think."

"Um... I guess so," Katrina said uncertainly. "You mean, you're all rested and everything? You got your energy back after... uh.... being dead and then reviving Lucrecia?"

"Not completely, but if they're in trouble, then I can't afford to waste any time."

"Can I come with?" the girl asked brightly.

The Cetra shook her head, smiling. "No, of course not. You couldn't protect yourself from a few wolves; this battle will be much harder. There is no reason to endanger yourself."

"But..."

"Now, I know you want to help, but just wanting isn't good enough. You would only get in the way if you tried to fight with us. I'm sorry to say it, but it's true. Just stay here and keep Lucrecia company until I get back."

Nanaki nudged the girl's foot to get her attention. "Look after Kari if you can. She is the most troublesome child in the village."

Katrina smiled waveringly. "I... I'll do that."

"Thank you."

"I've been taking care of the chocobo for the past few days, like Sephiroth told me to. It should be nearby."

Aeris smiled. "Thanks again. Well... goodbye. The Planet willing, we'll return swiftly and safely."

"Good luck!"

"Farewell."

Nanaki trotted off through the gate and down the steps to the canyon floor, Aeris a few steps behind him. Sure enough, the gold chocobo was wandering near the bottom of the stairway. Aeris stroked its neck for a moment before mounting it. She glanced back towards the gate. "I can't help but feel like I was a little too harsh with her..."

"You were firm, not harsh," said Nanaki. "There is a difference."

"I guess so." She glanced down at him. "Can you keep up with a chocobo?"

"Fairly well. I will tell you if you need to slow down. I presume we are going to Costa del Sol first?" He said it without sentiment, but she saw his nose wrinkle slightly in distaste; he hated the heat there.

"Only for as long as it takes to find someone to take care of the chocobo and to buy passage on a ship to Junon." He nodded. Aeris turned the chocobo to the northeast. "Well. Let's get going. We've got a long road out ahead of us, in more ways than one."

Katrina sat dejectedly in front of the remains of the Candle. It was still too damp to light it again, and the villagers wouldn't just get fresh wood to rebuild it. They wanted the fire from the old lumber. A phoenix from the ashes, to continue on until its death and then birth the new firebird... The girl wondered what had caused it to go out the first time, and what had happened then. Of course, she didn't believe in the superstition, but some coincidence had to have made them come up with it in the first place, right?

Miera nudged her gently. "What's wrong, child? You look depressed."

She blinked, not having noticed the creature approach her. "I wanted to go with them..."

"Sometimes, just knowing the heros can be an adventure of itself."

"But I haven't done anything adventurous."

"You've traveled with Sephiroth, seen him revive Aeris, watched them make their plans, even spoken to one of their enemies. Isn't that enough?"

Katrina sighed. "I watched it, sure... but I wasn't part of it."

"I am certain that people will have a great deal of healing to accomplish when they return. I don't mean physical wounds, either. You could be of great help to them then. Surely that should be enough."

She shook her head violently. "I want to fight! I want to help them kill that Hojo guy and save Sephiroth. Nobody brags about comforting heros. Nobody would even believe that they're weak enough to need it."

Miera shook her head, sighing. "You don't know what it is like, killing. It changes you, especially if you are as kind and innocent a person as you. It shatters some."

"Why would it bother me to help kill someone like Hojo? I haven't heard a single good thing about him."

"It should not matter who you kill. It is still a violent act, and it still brings you down to what you humans would call 'animal impulses.' It is that part of you that wants to hunt and slay for meat, only turned against one of your own kind for no purpose but to kill. That is what makes it so frightening."

"I still want to do it. I feel so useless..."

Miera smiled helplessly. "I suppose there is no changing your mind once it is made up. If you want to fight that badly... I do not think their battle with Hojo will be their last. You could learn to fight in order to help them in their next one."

Katrina looked over at her. "Who'd teach me?"

"Hmm. I know what you are thinking; I cannot teach you because I use claws and teeth, not a weapon. But I'm sure there is some human in the village who knows how to fight. Stop at the weapons shop first to choose one. Perhaps the shopkeeper could give you a little advice there."

The girl smiled. "Thanks..."

Miera returned the smile with a grin. "I do what I can to cheer people up. Even if I end up arguing with them a bit."

"I guess sometimes you have to argue..."

The creature tilted her head. "Oh?"

"Well, I mean, it makes them think more about what they're saying, right? And maybe somewhere along the line, they'll find a solution to whatever's bothering them... right?"

"Mmm. I think you're right. Now, you do not want to sit here all day, do you? The Candle is depressing when it isn't lit."

"When are you lighting it again?" Katrina inquired.

Miera sniffed the wood. "Tomorrow, possibly. If everyone feels up to it."

She nodded. "Oh! Where's Lucrecia? How is she doing?"

"I believe she is still sleeping. It is still morning, afterall. She seemed quite well yesterday, however. She seems a very agreeable person."

"Mmhmm," Katrina agreed. She pushed herself up, then shifted on her feet. "Well... I'm gonna go check out the weapons shop. I'll see you around."

Miera smiled. "Later."

Sephiroth studied Talya carefully from across the room. "How are they doing?"

"Hmm?"

"Aeris's friends. Minerva captured them for you, did she not?"

Talya looked down. "Oh... Yeah." She looked back at him. "Who told you that?'

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter. How are they?"

"They're all right. Min said most of the attacks she used didn't have any lasting effects besides really bad headaches."

"I see..."

"Aeris wasn't with them," Talya said suddenly.

"I know."

"Oh..."

"You will be going off to get her soon though, won't you?"

She shrugged. "No orders as yet. Minerva's been acting kinda weird..."

"That is understandable."

Talya peered at him. "Then could you explain? 'cause I sure don't get it."

Sephiroth only smirked.

She sighed and looked around. "You haven't tried to escape, have you?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Why should I?"

"You mean you want to be one of Hojo's specimens? You want him to treat you like this?"

"No."

"Then why don't you leave?"

"Because I need to be contained. I am dangerous. If I leave here, I will hurt people."

Talya scoffed. "You wouldn't do that. You're sane."

"Am I?"

I've been wondering the same thing. You have not said much since you remembered what you did to Aeris.

"What are you talking about?"

"How do you know I'm sane?" Thanks to you, I cannot think straight. I keep imagining how beautiful she looked when she died... But I will never fight for you. No more slaughter! I am staying here, where I cannot get to anyone, where Minerva will keep my powers out of my reach.

What if Minerva were to let go her control?

"Sure, you're more secretive than before, but that doesn't mean you're insane. You look fine..." Talya didn't look so sure of herself.

Sephiroth smiled. "You're such a fool. You think I would show it that plainly?" I might let go mine.

And you'd kill for me?

"Last time, you burned down a village and killed hundreds of people... I'd call that 'showing it plainly.'"

"I've no villages to burn and nothing to burn them with. No people to kill save you, and nothing to kill them with save my bare hands..." His eyes flashed emerald. Not for you. I was created to destroy, was I not? It is the easiest thing for me to do. And I enjoy it so much... You were right about that. But even if I enjoy it, that does not justify it.

So you're glad they have you trapped like this?

Talya had nothing to say. Her eyes were a bit too wide and she kept glancing uncertainly towards the door.

He moved to stand. "I wonder... if I could kill you here and now... Of course, it wouldn't be a pretty death. No cuts, no slashes... no blood flowing to soak you and collect in pools on the floor. Perhaps you would wish to leave now...?" Definately. I hope she leaves. I might just try to hurt her... maybe later though. If I had something sharp. He winced. No... no... why am I thinking like this?

Because it's in your nature.

The former Turk hesitated, then went to the door. "...get a grip on yourself, okay? You're scaring me..."

"I'll try," he managed, honestly, "but I doubt I can." Why? Why must I have such a bloodlust?

Why don't you ask Aeris that one? Jenova sneered. Certainly, she knows the answer.

Talya stared at him a moment longer, then quickly slipped out the door and locked it behind her.

...good, she's gone.

She's afraid of you.

She should be.

She listened to the sounds the locking of Sephiroth's door and the receding footsteps with equal indifference, her hand travelling slowly to her head, eyes closing. She sat down, the fingers sliding through her silver hair, searching pointlessly. When he had electrocuted her, she felt as though she could feel it... right there. Her fingers stopped. There was nothing but scalp and fine hair. She let her hand drop. Then whatever it was, she had no access to it.

The electricity had hurt her, but the pain originated from that one point, and she wondered if the energy had damaged the device, too.

If it was damaged, then why didn't you stop fighting, hmm?

Minerva's eyes snapped open and her head shot up. Shut up. I don't want to hear anything from you on the topic.

But doesn't it prove that you enjoy hurting them?

It proves nothing. I simply cannot think with that pain in my body...

So you still claim you do not want to kill them? You know you may have to, if the Professor deams them worthless.

I refuse to do so. I will kill myself if I am told to kill any of them. Just fighting them... I cannot. I will not do it again. He cannot make me!

You know... if you'd only change your mind, you wouldn't have to stay here. You wouldn't have to kill them. My offer remains the same.

...you would only have me slaughter others. I refuse.

Then don't come crying to me when you have to execute Aeris's friends.

Since when have I asked you for help?

Never.

Exactly. So shut up. Her eyes were on the lock. I wonder... if it truly is damaged, could I... just walk out? I could destroy the lock and leave without them ever noticing?

It's strange... Sephiroth would never have had any problem getting out of here, but you have so much trouble with it.

What do you mean?

Oh, he'd just teleport himself elsewhere. Minerva could sense the venom in Jenova's words as added, Back to that Cetra friend of his.

I do not know how to do everything Sephiroth does.

...if you could release him from your spell, he could have the both of you out of here in an instant.

The last time I tried something like that, the Professor nearly killed me.

Ah, yes, that would be fresh in your mind. What was that? Two weeks ago?

I believe so.

I still don't understand why you did that.

I... felt something... and I knew I had to leave before...

Before what?

This.

Jenova was silent; Minerva sighed in relief. She stood, studying the lock. It would be so easy to rip it apart... if only... She took a step forward, put a hand to her head. Would it work, was the damage only superficial? Or was it dead now, just a useless piece of metal in her head? Only one way to find out.

Author's Notes: I think I somehow managed to put all the characters in here... wow. ._. And I had some rather odd character pairings as far as scenes went, which is kinda neat. Oddly enough, I've discovered characters I used to hate to be quite fun to write(mainly Yuffie). And in case anyone's wondering, I made up Minerva's song, and it has a tune, so I'm actually quite proud of it... ^_^;