(Author's Note: I'm sorry that the chapters are short…that's just how they are…anyways…here's chapter 15…enjoy!)

Disclaimer: FF7 and Squaresoft are not mine. Rueh belongs to Rueh…Curtis belongs to my friend…Dete is mine…

Chapter 15

Enter Curtis…A Narrow Escape for One

"So Hojo has Dete and tried to get you 2 as well," Red said.

"Yeah," Sephiroth said still holding her weapon.

"Are we going after her?" Rueh asked.

"Not for a few days," Vincent said.

"Why not now?" Sephiroth asked.

"She could be anywhere," Vincent said.

"So? She's my friend!" Rueh said.

"I know Rueh. She's our friend too but we should wait," Red said.

"You're crazy! Who knows what Hojo will do to her! Look what he did to me and you Vincent!" Sephiroth said. Before Vincent or Red said anything else Sephiroth turned and stormed from the room with Rueh right behind him.

"We had best keep an eye on them," Red said. Vincent agreed.

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"Well now. That drug wore off nicely," Hojo said.

"What do you want?" Dete asked.

"Your friends Rueh and Sephiroth will come for you. I'm ready for them," Hojo said.

"What do you want with them?" she asked.

"You should remember me."

"You! Jenova!" Dete said.

"I need someone to do my dirty work for me. Your friends will help," Jenova said.

"No! Leave them alone!"

"You are in no position to say so," Hojo said.

"Leave them alone!" Dete said.

"Like you can stop us!" he said. Dete hung her head.

"See. You're trapped in there and can do nothing to stop us," Jenova said. Dete closed her eyes tightly as they laughed.

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"I can't believe them!" Rueh said as she and Sephiroth sat down on the front steps of the inn.

"I know! Hojo could do anything to her and they won't do anything to help her," he said.

"I don't care what they say…I'm going to find her," she said.

"I'm with you…but first…" his voice dropped to a whisper, "…they asked Yuffie to keep an eye on us…"

"That's no problem…" They stood and ran into the town. Yuffie followed. Rueh and Sephiroth turned a corner and hid in an empty alley. When Yuffie got to where they hid they jumped out at her. After a brief struggle the 2 left the alley, got their chocobos, and headed for Midgar.

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"Oh joy…the stairs," Sephiroth said.

"Oh come on. I'll bet Dete's in the lab," Rueh said. They started up the stairs.   

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"Hmm…she reacts to Mako the same way Sephiroth does…put her in one of the holding cells. I want to study these results before I do anything else," Hojo said. A soldier lifted Dete's limp form and took her from the lab.

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"You were wrong. She's not in the lab. She's in this holding cell," Sephiroth said.

"Whatever. Let's just get her and go," Rueh said. While Rueh stood watch Sephiroth broke down the door.  He went inside and picked Dete up. She was still unconscious.

"Hold it."

"Busted!" they said as they took a few steps down the hall. They turned around and faced a group of soldiers.

"I can't believe someone like you would work for Hojo," Rueh said looking at a soldier and shaking her head.

"Who? Me?" the soldier asked.

"Yeah you. Who else am I talking to?" she said. The soldier looked around at the others.

"…anyway. Why would you work for a freak like Hojo?" she said.

"I don't know," he said.

"Well you should after all you work for him."

"Shut up you little brat!" the leader said.

"Make me."

"Why do I work for Hojo?" the soldier asked.

"Because he told you to," the leader snapped.

"But I never really wanted to be a soldier," the soldier said.

"Then don't take orders from him," Rueh said pointing at the leader.

"Get them!" the leader yelled. The soldier turned and punched the leader square in the face knocking him out.

"See? How did that feel?" Rueh asked.

"Okay…"

"What's your name?"

"Curtis."

"Okay Curtis…you take care of them and we'll escape," she said. Rueh and Sephiroth ran down the hall.

"Umm…wait for me!" Curtis yelled and ran after them followed closely by a group of angry soldiers.

"Hey! I thought you were dealing with them," Rueh said.

"Yeah right! I'll help but not by myself!" Curtis said.

"Just run for now! Maybe we can lose them," Sephiroth said. They ran for a few minutes.

"Not working!" Curtis said.

"Left!" Rueh said and turned left.

"The doors! We can lose them in the city!" Sephiroth said.

"Maybe not." Hojo was standing in front of the doors.

"That's not fair!" Rueh said as soldiers surrounded them.

"Who said they had to be fair?" Sephiroth asked.

"I did," she said and pushed him.

"Like they're gonna listen to you," he said and pushed her back. She pushed him again, hard enough that he released Dete. He shoved her back harder. She shoved him back harder still. A few minutes passed whiled they pushed each other. Rueh gave a shove. Sephiroth fell backwards knocking someone else down as well.

"It works," she said as he stood.

"What works?" he asked. She pointed behind him. He turned. Hojo lay on the floor dazed. Sephiroth turned to Rueh.

"You…" he mumbled.

"What did I do?" she asked innocently. He was about to say something when Curtis cut him off.

"Hey…umm…since Hojo doesn't appear to be doing anything at the moment don't you think now would be a good time for an escape?" he said.

"He's got a point," Rueh said.

"Yeah he does. So let's go," Sephiroth said and picked Dete up. They stepped towards the doors.

"Halt! We have our orders…not one of you 3…4, I should say, is to leave this building," a soldier said.

"Who's going to stop us?" Rueh asked.

"Me," he said.

"And who's army?"

"This one," he said and motioned to the other soldiers.

"In that case…catch us if you can," Rueh said. The 3 ran at the soldiers. Rueh used her sword and killed a few as they attacked. Sephiroth held Dete still so he tried to dodge the soldiers. One came up behind him.

The butt of the gun was brought down on the back of Sephiroth's head. He fell to the floor, knocked out. Rueh was at the door with Curtis right behind her. They saw Sephiroth fall.

"Not good!" Rueh said.

"Get out of here before you get caught as well," Curtis said. Rueh turned to run but was grabbed from behind. She was pushed to the side. Curtis fell to the floor out cold. Rueh ran from the building as fast as she could. She got to where the chocobos where and went to her hands and knees. After a few minutes she mounted and headed back to Icicle Village, shoulders slumped.

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When Rueh got back to the inn she snuck into her room. After a few minutes there was a knock on the door.

"Rueh?" It was Vincent.

"Yeah?" she said. He opened the door and came in.

"Do you know where Yuffie and Sephiroth are?" he asked.

"…yes…I do…" she said.

"Where are they?"

"Yuffie's tied up in an alley and Sephiroth…he was caught…by Hojo…" Vincent was silent.

"I'll go get Yuffie," she said and left. Vincent followed. Yuffie's angry yells were muffled by a sock in her mouth. Rueh untied her but didn't touch the sock. Yuffie spat it out.

"Ewwww! Whose dirty sock is that?" she said.

"Sephiroth's," Rueh said.

"Ewwwww! I need more tooth paste!" Yuffie said as she ran back to the inn.

"I'm disappointed in you Rueh. I know Dete is your friend but you should have waited. Hojo expected us to act right away. If we had waited long enough he would have put his guard down and we could have gotten Dete," Vincent said.

"I know…" she said.

"I don't know if we should act now or wait. Hojo will be expecting the rest of us," he said.

"Maybe we should go after them now. He knows we didn't wait this time so this next time he thinks we will," she aid.

"You've got a point," he said.

"Let's wait till tomorrow though…I'm sleepy," she said.

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