A/N: Chapter 10 is finally up! Sorry 'bout the long wait. This was a short chapter to write actually, but… I didn't really want to cover everything so soon so, this… is how it turned out.

Disclaimer: FF7… blah blah blah… not mine.

Summary: A discussion about No. 34, how to bring her and everyone else back. Vincent thinks back to his past and remembers a certain experiment hanging around Hojo's lab.

Silent Wind
Chapter 10

Taking A Step Further

"So… that's what really happened, huh?"

"Yes, unfortunately."

As soon as everyone made their way inside the Highwind, AVALANCHE and the Turks wanted some of their questions answered immediately. Why and how Number Thirty-four came to be. The dragons had already explained SW's plan to escape out of Hojo's laboratory and how she longed to seek revenge on the SOLDIER. SW actually wanted to continue being the scientist's experiment, but, ever since 'Sephiroth' came to be, she just couldn't take being ignored anymore. It took several years until Hojo actually trashed SW away and that was when she heard that Sephiroth had joined SOLDIER. After she had been trashed away, SW had been observing the planet as she was searching, soon coming across the Lifestream and sensing the SOLDIER's spirit from within it.

"The only thing she doesn't realize is," continued the bigger dragon, "there's no way to fulfill her revenge on that SOLDIER."

"Why not?" Tifa spoke up, cradling Cloud's head on her lap.

"Sephiroth is already dead. He is merely a soul she managed to steal out of the Lifestream. She'll only be defeating… this boy instead."

"Then we have to do something!"

"But, she will not stop until her desire has been achieved."

"You're not making any sense!" snapped Yuffie, punching the air. "How can she do it… if she can't… do it?"

"Which is why we're heading towards the lab. Like I said before, she needs a solid body… so we need to search for that DNA that Hojo used on the other experiments. Plus, we need a body for Sephiroth as well…"

"Couldn't we use Cloud or Elena's body to return them?" Rude asked.

"SW is the only one that can make two souls enter a body. Even if we did try it, I guarantee that it would just destroy them from the inside out and their souls would remain in the Lifestream forever."

"This is so shitty," Cid grunted at the two dragons and paused. "…Sephiroth too?"

"You'll understand everything once our plan starts."

Red XIII stepped forward. "And? You never told us how you guys came to be."

The smallest dragon shrugged his tiny wings and responded with a squeak, "To make a long story short… we don't know. We just somehow met and we joined forces to defeat this 'Sephiroth.'"

"Heh, man… she's full of bologna," the other dragon snickered.

"Indeed she is, brother."

"Gah! Why do you act like that towards your friend!" Barret growled, rubbing his head with his hand.

"Because! We just like to see her suffer. After she stupidly told us about herself and that if she would never fulfill her revenge on this SOLDIER, she would just-"

"EXPLODE!" The tallest dragon said, making his brother snicker.

Everyone made an annoyed look and sighed at that.

"Captain!" one of the pilot operators said to Cid, "We're now heading towards Nibelheim."

"A'ight!" Cid replied.

'Hojo… he only concentrated on that Jenova Project,' Vincent told himself, 'I could have sworn I saw something in that lab...'

'You know somethin'?' Chaos (at long last, heh) suddenly spoke up.

'I remember… there was this small test tube that Hojo always kept in a drawer, but never said what it was.'

'Is it the DNA?'

'Perhaps.'

'Tch. It's probably gone by now. You realize how long ago that was?'

'But, that drawer had a lock in it.'

'So?'

'It could still be there. Plus, I also remember an experiment that the scientists were working on at that time…'

'…Number Thirty-four?'

'…she was an experiment of Jenova. I overheard Hojo saying that she was too powerful to work with, so he decided to work on something else. Unfortunately… I believe that since he had been concentrating on Sephiroth, he forgot about SW, and trashed her years later…'

'Thanks, mister obvious.' Chaos yawned. 'Why don't you say something already?'

Vincent grunted to himself, 'I just want to make sure. I'm still trying to put all the pieces back together...'

'…I hate puzzles. They take forever to finish. Every one of them looks exactly the same… especially if you're trying to put flowers together… sheeeesh.'

Vincent ignored Chaos' whining and concentrated outside of the Highwind, focusing on their next destination: Nibelheim, The ShinRa Mansion.

Just then, Tifa's PHS started ringing. After she scrambled across the room to reach it, she started to wonder… who would be calling?

"H-Hello?" she answered with an unsure tone in her voice.

"Ho ho ho! Hello there, Tifa!"

"Ah! Bugenhagen?"

Red's ears perked up at that, "Grandpa?"

"Yes, unfortunately, Cloud left his lil' bring-along phone with him." Bugen snickered. "Anyway, how was the little reunion?"

"…it was horrible," the fighter sighed.

"…was Cloud acting funny?"

"…well, somehow he-"

"Turned into Sephiroth?"

Tifa paused then practically yelled into the phone, "YOU KNEW ABOUT THAT?"

Bugen cleared his throat, "I'm sorry I haven't told you sooner. But, I wasn't exactly sure. I had to let him go."

"B-But…"

"He seemed to have this… mysterious glow in his eye, and that told me that he had something important to take care of. When he came to be, I heard him mutter out, 'Where is she.' Do… you know what he meant?"

"… Sephiroth said…'Where is she?'"

"…but, he'd only be saying that 'cause of his so called… 'Mother.'" Yuffie pointed out.

"In other words, Jenova," Red added in.

"Number Thirty-four was a Jenova experiment!"

Everyone paused and slowly turned towards Vincent who had his mouth covered by his hand.

"…Vincent," Cid said with a mysterious tone in his voice.

"Whatcha, hidin'?" Barret added in.

'Damnit,' Vincent growled, 'Why the heck did I say that!'

'Ahaha! Guess you really wanted to point out something important didn't ya, sport?' Chaos laughed.

"I-Isn't it obvious?" Vincent finally said out loud. "Any experiments that were done by Hojo had some kind of connection with Jenova, correct? And since Number Thirty-four had something to do with Jenova, Sephiroth must see her as some kind of… mother…?"

Everyone remained silent at that.

'…whooooo, who would have guessed that you can talk so big in front of people, eh?' Chaos snickered.

'…it might not be right.'

'Tch. Doubter.'

The two black dragons tilted their heads at Vincent, "You seem to know a lot. We will find you much helpful."

Before anyone can make any comments, the Highwind came to an immediate stop. Everyone turned their attention out the window, revealing Nibelheim and its ShinRa Mansion.

A/N: End of Chapter 10. Ah! Lots of information right there. I might have pointed out the obvious several times, but, I just wanted to make a point. Hehehe, ANYWAYS! I hope you enjoyed and please tell me how you thought of it!

I decided to put up a lil' extra right 'ere. I did this to Part 2 of Human Years I believe, so… if you want, check that out. Anyways, here's the random extra that has nothing to do with the story whatsoever! If you played FF7, then you would understand what it's really supposed to be. :snickers:

Extra

FF7 Blooper

Wedge: Cloud never came…

Biggs: Cloud… wonder if he was killed?

Barret: AHAHAHAA! I PITY DA FOO'!

Jessie: Damnit! Quit talkin' like Mr. T!

Barret: SHU'UP, FOO'!

:Cloud crashes through the roof of the train and lands on Barret, knocking him over senseless:

Barret: Xx;

Jessie: Oh thank god…

Direction: CUT! GAH! CLOUD!

Cloud: I KNOW! The stupid roof broke through on its own!

Wedge: …noooo…

Cloud: xX;

Director: …morons.