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I bet you were wondering if I disappeared and never returned didn't ya? Well, I'm back! And I have Sessions 5, 6, and 7 here. I'm working on 8. And I'll tell you now. When this fic is over, don't despair and leave! I plan to rewrite this story some and add/remove some junk, explain things better and be more descriptive with my characters..Just because I'm capable of that. Also, for those romantic types, I have a fic in the works focusing around Jim and Shinobu, based off of an RP I'm part of. Its definitely gonna rock, trust me. The girl who RPs Shinobu is awesome at it, trust me. ^_^ She's a good friend of mine now. But anyways, enough of my blabbering, let's get moving!

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The residents stood outside, staring dumbfounded, not sure how to react to the strange events that had just occurred.

"Su-chan, you didn't make some other invention in secret, did you?" Shinobu asked as a slight sweatdrop began to form.

"No....I wonder if it's an invention from another planet?" Su said, now inspecting the girl with great curiosity. "Or maybe its yummy intergalactic food!" Su grinned before taking the girl's hand and stuffing it in her mouth. The girl, who had called herself Kuri, stepped back and pulled her hand out of Su's mouth and wiped it on the grass.

"Ew, gross!" Kuri exclaimed, then looked up again. "And I'm no invention. I'm a girl, like you.Er, I'm guessing you are. I was just chasing after that creep Sephiroth and found myself here."

"Sephiroth? What kind of name is that?" Gene said.

"It's an ancient name. It has some biblical references and stuff like that. For instance, the term 'seraph' or 'seraphim' meant an 'angel of the highest order' or 'an angel with six wings'. The name Sephiroth was also used in Judaism to explain Creation. There were ten Sephiroths mapped out on 'The Tree of Life', each with their own virtue. In order for a being to make it into Heaven, they would have to roam the Earth, seeking the ten Sephiroth and proving themselves greater than those." (A/N: Yes, I researched the meaning of the name Sephiroth, and the above info is true. Its not fictional hub-bub ^__^;) Jim explained. Aisha leaned onto Jim's head and ruffled his hair some.

"We needed a short explanation, not someone's biography." Aisha told him.

"So, what's with this Sephiroth guy, why you chasing him?" Jet questioned.

"Well, he's been attempting some kidnaps on me and even dueled my boyfriend, Dante." Kuri recalled. "But I got some new magic skills, and I overheard him talking with someone, and then he escaped here. So I followed him." Kuri shrugged.

"So, he's your stalker and your returning the favor." Spike stated, while leaning against a wall, smoking a cigarette. Kuri sweatdropped and rubbed the back of her head.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Say, what did you overhear this Sephiroth guy say?" Faye asked.

"Well, he said about a secret council hidden in Tokyo. He also said something about the police." Kuri said, and tried to remember any other details she had left out. "It was really confusing, and I didn't hear it all, but it didn't sound good at all."

"Hmm, I'll go investigate and see what I can find." Gene said. Soon after he said this, Spike, Faye, Jet, Aisha, Vash, and Suzuka decided to accompany him. Jim, Ed, and Melfina were left behind Su, Motoko, Shinobu, Naru, Kitsune, Keitaro, and Kuri, which didn't bother either group.

They watched over Hinata with care, because Kuri had told them of Sephiroth's power. Shinobu was rather frightened of Kuri's tales and eventually went to the kitchen to cook and get her mind off the stories. Jim decided to help, and joined her in the kitchen.

Su and the others, however, were deeply interested. In his mysterious disappearance 6 years before he was pronounced dead, his strange return, his involvement with the Lifestream, the Jenova Project, ShinRa, SOLDIER, and of his murder of Aerith (Aeris) and many others.

"Sounds creepy to me, I bet he's a wanted criminal with a large reward of money on him!" Kitsune chimed in, her hand stroking her chin thoughtfully.

"He's not the type you want to fight without a lot of talent and help." Kuri said.

"I have heard about swordsmen like him before. They are powerful spirits. But this man sounds like he has a purely wicked soul." Motoko added, informing the group in her normal, calm manner.

"I don't think we should get caught up in this. It might bring a lot of trouble." Keitaro advised.

"Coward." Su, Motoko, and Naru muttered at the same time. Kitsune and Kuri nodded in agreement as they heard the comment.

In the kitchen, Jim and Shinobu were baking some cupcakes, in which the sweet aroma filled the air. This was almost too much for the both of them, of being nearly the same age, with the smell of sweets in the air, and to top it off- the both of them had secret feelings for one another.

In Tokyo, the bounty hunters and the one runaway bounty searched for any idea as to what was going on. So far, they hadn't come across anything. They had become frustrated and set off deeper into Tokyo.

At the same time, back at Hinata Sou, the group decided to do their part on investigating the events. But more was to come than they could ever imagine.