Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7 or it's characters

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7 or it's characters.

Scourge

The men rushed forward and Cloud grabbed the table that he had been sitting at and heaved it at the men in order to slow them down. Some of the men didn't stop quick enough and they ran right into the table and they collapsed under each other. There was then a ringing sound in the air and Cloud stood with his sword drawn and held in front of him.

The men stopped for a second as if to assess if they could beat just one man. While they were standing there Yuffie stepped up next to Cloud on the left and Tifa moved to his right and the two of them smiled at him. "Just like old times huh," Yuffie said finally happy that she was going to be able to vent some of her frustration on someone who would deserve it.

Marlene held back and the girl Cassandra stepped up next to her and drew her sword a bit shakily. She tried to hold it out in front of her like Cloud did but it just wavered in the air as if it was infused with her fright. Marlene looked over at her and smiled to her and whispered, "Don't worry Cloud won't lose. He has his old friends with him and I don't think that they can be beat. You will be fine."

"I hope so I don't want to go with my father. He used to beat me and I never want to go back to that. He also said once that I was very special and that when I was older I would find out why," Cassandra whispered back to Marlene and her voice shook with utter fear of her father and whatever her fate was supposed to be.

Marlene reached over and squeezed the girl's shoulder and knew why Cloud hadn't turned her away then. Marlene would never have turned her away either. Marlene decided that she would do her best to keep Cassandra safe from anyone who might manage to get by the wall that was Cloud, Tifa, and Yuffie.

"Get Them!" Tseng yelled at the men who started forward again a bit more slowly this time not knowing what Cloud would do. It was he that they feared more than anything except maybe the leader of their order. They feared that man more than anything alive.

Cloud was silent as he moved forward to meet the first rush of men. He didn't care what happened to him but he would kill as many of the men as he could before they got him. Of course he guessed that they were told not to kill him only to subdue him which gave him a advantage because he didn't care if he killed them.

The first man Cloud came to swung his club for Cloud's head but Cloud ducked under the swing and thrust forward with his sword slicing the man on the inside of the leg dropping him to the ground where he dispatched him with a thrust to the chest. Cloud heard the whistle of a club moving through the air and he rolled forward coming up facing away from the door to see who swung at him. The man was surprised to find that he hadn't hit Cloud who had just been sitting there with his back to him. He saw Cloud standing there and as he took a step toward Cloud he felt something hit him in the back and he pitched forward.

Cloud saluted Yuffie who had taken the man with one of her throwing stars. He then turned as man rushed him from the side and he swung his down in a cross slash which the man jumped back from. The man landed and swung his club low which Cloud took on the leg. Cloud didn't even feel it though and the man's eyes widened as Cloud stepped forward and brought his sword down in a overhand slash and cleaved the man in two. Cloud turned back to see how his friends were doing.

* * * * *

Yuffie was surprised to find that Cloud charged forward and how easily he dispatched his first enemy. She was almost frightened by how easily the killing came for Cloud. He didn't even slow up when he had killed the man it was as if it was nothing new to him. Yuffie had seen that one man was trying to hit Cloud from behind and she didn't like that so she threw one of her stars and took the man in the back. The man fell forward and Cloud saluted her which for some reason made her feel better.

After she killed that man she looked for her next target. She didn't really want to kill them unless it was necessary because she wanted answers and the men were the only way she was going to get them. A man rushed her and she took him in the eye with her throwing star and she shook her head. She was tired of killing but she knew that it was just beginning if she was going to get her children back.

That was when she felt something smash her in the side of the head from behind her. She pitched forward and heard a man yell, "I got the one who is using those damn stars!"

Yuffie tried to rise but the man put his boot in the middle of her back and hissed into her ear. "If you want to die then try and stand. I won't hesitate to kill you because I was told that you were going to be a prize once we had Cloud. The same goes with the other two women that are friends of Cloud."

Yuffie didn't try to stand again and she hoped that the others were doing better than she was. She hoped that Marlene would be fine because Yuffie had tried to protect the two girls. Yuffie knew that Marlene had never been in a real fight and she hoped that Marlene didn't have to fight because it changed a person the first time that you killed someone Yuffie knew.

* * * * *

Tifa watched Cloud charge forward and take out one man faster than she had thought was possible. Tifa though hadn't stood around after he had charged for she had moved to the left hoping to intercept from of the men that way and keep them from Marlene and the other girl.

Tifa met the first man and he brought his club around in a swing for her stomach which she blocked with her left hand. She held the club with her hand and stepped in close and punched the man in the throat with her right hand. The man's throat was crushed from the blow and he fell to the floor.

Tifa whipped around just in time to see another man coming up from behind her. She ran in low keeping her body as low to the ground as she could. The man swung the club for her and she tried to dodge but with such a low center of gravity she couldn't move quickly enough and she took the club on the shoulder. She felt her shoulder dislocate and she charged right into the man. He fell down with her on top and she punched him in the head knocking him out.

That was when she felt something bash her in the side of the head and she crumpled to the ground. She didn't know anything but darkness after that. The man who had hit her smiled and he looked over to Cloud who had just got done dispatching another man.

The man smiled because he was looking forward to the day that he and Cloud would duel. That wasn't to be today though. The man had just wanted to show up and see how Cloud had aged and see if he had slowed down any in his old age. The man who had hit Tifa walked from the room out the back and as the door closed behind him he shimmered and in the place of the man with the club who had been short was a man who stood over six feet tall. He had long black hair and a sword strapped to his back. His eyes were ice blue and to anyone who would have watched they would have sworn that he was the twin of Sephiroth even though their features were a bit different. This man had hard features that looked to be chiseled from stone instead of flesh.

* * * * *

Cloud had turned to see how his friends were doing and he saw that Yuffie was down with a man standing on her back talking to her. He looked over and saw that Tifa was unconscious from taking a blow to the head no doubt. He wasn't in the mood to play with the men and so he pulled a knife from his belt and threw it at the man on Yuffie's back. The knife spun through the air and hit the man in the throat.

The stepped back off of Yuffie as his blood sprayed down and coated him and Yuffie both. The man clutched his throat trying to stop the flow of blood but it was useless for Cloud had him in the vein. The man collapsed to the ground as his life continued to pump from him.

Cloud looked and saw two men trying to come up from behind him. He spun around and charged the man on the left. The man on the right swung his club and Cloud knocked it aside with his blade which left him open to the man on the left who swung his club for Cloud's head. Cloud ducked under it just barely and swung his own sword down in a diagonal cut that slashed the man across the chest and stomach. The man fell back against the wall holding his stomach. The other man kicked out at Cloud and hit Cloud in the knee. Cloud fell to the ground but rolled to the side at the last second as the club smashed into the floor where his head had been a second before. As he came to his feet he felt a slash on his back and he whipped around to see another man who had a sword.

Cloud ducked as the sword whistled for his head and he felt a club crack into his back as he ducked. Cloud swung around with his sword extended low and the man with the club didn't' move fast enough as the sword cut into his leg. Cloud moved forward away from the man with the sword and as he did he stomped on the man's throat who he had cut in the leg making sure he wouldn't have to deal with him later.

The man with the sword charged forward and swung the sword in a cut for cloud's chest. Cloud easily blocked the attack and shoved the man back due to Cloud's greater strength. The man stumbled but retained his feet. He charged forward again and swung low this time and cloud blocked that cut as well. The man brought his sword straight up in a vertical cut hoping to catch Cloud offguard but he didn't and Cloud stepped back from the cut.

The man had put too much strength behind the slash and the cut made him off balance after he missed. Cloud took advantage and brought his sword down cutting into the man's neck and killing him instantly while spraying Cloud with the man's blood. Cloud looked around and saw that there were two men that had were advancing on Marlene and Cassandra and he couldn't get there because at that time Tseng and Reno stepped in front of him with their guns drawn.

* * * * *

Marlene couldn't believe what she was seeing. She had seen Yuffie beaten by a man who had snuck up behind her but then Cloud had took care of him like he was everyone else. It seemed that he was nothing more than a killing machine because she noted that when he had men wounded and could leave them alone he always finished them off.

There were only about two men left and those men were heading towards Marlene and Cassandra. Marlene was a bit scared for even though she had practiced a lot she had never been in a actual fight so she didn't know what she would do if she had to fight the men which she knew that she would.

The first man went straight for Marlene and she ran forward just like she had been taught keeping low to the ground. The man swung his club which just missed Marlene because she was so low to the ground. She then came in close to the man a came up fast while bringing her fist up in a uppercut which caught the man in the jaw and sent him reeling. She kept on him and kicked him in the leg and then again in the arm. When she kicked him in the arm he dropped the club. Marlene ran in close and hit the man in the temple after shoving aside his feeble attempt at a block.

She turned and saw that Cassandra had her sword out and was blocking the attacks sent at her clumsily. She could barely get the sword in the way in order to block them and Marlene knew that she didn't have long before the man broke her feeble defense.

Marlene ran forward and just as she was about to kick out at the man he whipped around and swung the club in a arc. She tried to duck the club but she was too slow and the club grazed her head making her fall to the floor. She couldn't stand because it had been a bit more than a graze but she wasn't out of the fight totally if she had a few minutes then she would be able to help out some more. She just needed to get her bearings.

The man turned back to Cassandra who was holding the sword but it was shaking badly as was she. The man smiled and said, "Guess what girl. You are now ours and there is nothing any of your new friends can do about it."

She swung the sword wildly and the man dodged easily. She swung again and he just knocked it aside with his club. He then stepped forward and brought the club down on her wrist breaking her hold on her weapon and it clattered to the floor. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close as he hissed, "You are lucky that we are not allowed to have our way with you."

* * * * *

"Get out of my way or I will hurt you. Once long ago you made the right decision by walking away let's see if you can do it twice," Cloud said coolly to the men barring his way to his friends.

"I don't think that we can do that. You see we want my daughter and we won't leave without her," Tseng said.

"That is your problem then because she doesn't want to go with you anywhere," Cloud growled. He wasn't in the mood for talking.

He charged forward taking them both by surprise and cut down with his sword. The blade bit deep into Reno's arm and Reno dropped his gun to the floor. He turned and fled the room and Tseng fired a shot at Cloud who didn't even try to block it. The bullet tore into his upper arm and Cloud didn't even notice it. He was intent on getting to Tseng and killing him.

Tseng had never seen Cloud this way and he knew that in Cloud's eyes there was nothing but death. His own death and he was scared of it which rankled just a bit. He had never truly been afraid of anything and yet here he was afraid of being killed. Cloud was only five paces from Tseng when Tseng brought up his gun. He looked right at Cloud and said in a shaky voice, "Stop where you are Cloud. I will shoot you if you step forward. Don't come any closer I swear it."

Cloud looked at Tseng and smiled coldly. Cloud couldn't help it because the man was a utter fool. If the man had known that Cloud had been hunted for so long and his life tore away from him then he wouldn't have threatened to kill him. Death no longer held any fear for Cloud. In fact Cloud was looking forward to the day he was killed it would be nice to see death and then to see Aeris. Cloud said coolly, "Then shoot Tseng and see if you or I die. I know the answer to that but do you."

Cloud saw a drop of sweat slid down the side of Tseng's face. Then Cloud noticed that the muscles in Tseng's arm bunch and his hand start to tense. Cloud knew what was going to happen and so Cloud ran forward surprising Tseng and he knocked the gun from his hand. Cloud grabbed Tseng by the throat then and hissed, "Tell the man to let Cassandra go unless he wants to join his friends on the floor. The same goes for you Tseng."

Tseng couldn't believe what had happened. He was going to shoot Cloud and then the next thing that Tseng knew was that Cloud had his hand around his throat. Then he heard what Cloud said and Tseng was trembling in fear. He was old and now he feared death more than ever. "Release her," Tseng called out.

The man looked at Tseng and said, "I can't do that Tseng. Your life doesn't mean anything but I was told to capture the girl."

"Damn it you heard me release her. You are under my command," Tseng yelled not believing that the man had been given different orders than to follow Tseng.

"Sorry but I outrank you here," the man replied. Cloud was tired of this and he pinched a nerve in Tseng's neck which made him fall unconscious. Cloud then turned on the man. The man was tall maybe six foot three and he had short blonde hair. His eyes were hard and Cloud could tell that the man was a killer plain and simple. He had the look of hardness around the eyes and he had a hand that kept clenching as if he wished that he had a sword in his hand. Cloud was about to give him his wish.

"Pick that sword up and fight me," Cloud said to the man and Cloud smiled. He knew that he was about the last man on the planet that most men would want to fight but he also knew that a lot of men who were evil wanted to make a name for themselves and the best way to do that was by killing Cloud. Too many of those men had died in the last twenty years trying to make themselves famous at the expense of Cloud.

As the man released Cassandra a throwing star laced into his face. The man fell back clutching his face and Cloud rushed forward and sliced his sword across the man's throat killing him. Cloud then looked back and started to locate his friends. He saw that Cassandra was fine and so was Yuffie except that she was holding her head. Tifa and Marlene were unconscious but so was another man and he was going to get questioned once he woke up.

Cloud walked over and picked up Tifa and turned to Yuffie and asked, "Where is your room?"

"It is upstairs the first door on the left," Yuffie replied as she walked around and retrieved her throwing stars.

Cloud headed upstairs and Cassandra and Yuffie followed him. He opened the door and walked to the bed and laid Tifa down on the bed. He turned to Yuffie and said, "Watch her while I go get Marlene."

Cloud walked back downstairs and there he saw a man standing over Marlene with a smile on his face. Cloud didn't know the man but he knew that he wasn't here to help Marlene. The man had long black hair that glistened in the light and he had blue eyes that were much like Cloud's except that they didn't glow nearly as much. The man stood six foot and four inches tall and had a sword strapped to his back.

The man turned to look at Cloud and he smiled. He knew that Cloud didn't know him and that was OK. All that mattered was that he knew Cloud and one day soon Cloud would know him. "It is good to see that you have survived once again Cloud. You and I shall meet in the near future and then we shall see who is greater," the man said pleasantly as he walked towards the door.

Cloud noticed the sword on his back then and he almost stumbled the last step down. The sword was the same as that used by Sephiroth, but that had to be impossible thought Cloud. He had killed Sephiroth and there was no way that he could have survived.

Cloud shook his head to clear it as the man left the building and Cloud walked over to Marlene and picked her up in his arms. She was so light and seemed to him to be so fragile. Cloud shook his head for the second time this time though sadly. Cloud couldn't believe that he had let Marlene get hurt and that was something that he was going to never allow again if he could help it.

He owed it to her for being the only one who hadn't turned their back on him when he had returned. He kissed her lightly on the forehead and then carried her upstairs and laid her on the bed next to Tifa. He looked at the two women and then over at Yuffie. He realized that no matter what he thought he knew that he was always going to love the three of them just like sisters if never more than that.

Cloud walked downstairs and picked up the only man that was alive and carried him upstairs as well. He placed him in a chair and then he and the rest of his friends waited. Cloud woke Tifa and Marlene by splashing some water on their faces and when they came to they smiled to see that everyone was alive. They didn't ask questions though because of the look that Cloud had on his face. They knew that as soon as the man awoke the questioning would begin.