Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of its characters. All rights belong to Square-Enix.

A/N: Well, I got some positive feedback from the last chapter. I'm very pleased about that, and would like to thank all of my reviewers who have continued to support me throughout this story. I realize that the last chapter was a little short, and I apologize for this. The reason being is that I rushed through this chapter to give you all something of an update. I'm now running into the part of the story that requires A LOT of thinking about what I exactly want to happen. I have a summary in my head, now I just need to work out the details. Thank you all for being patient, and I hope you enjoy this latest update! Oh by the way, I'm going to be writing a new fanfic for FFVII. The movie "Tristan + Isolde" has inspired me to write a fanfic based on it. The story will involve Cloud and Aeris (gasp But why! No need to worry, all will be revealed.) and will respectively be called "Cloud + Aeris". Look for the first chapter pretty soon.

Final Fantasy VII: Sin's Past

Chapter 9: Finding New Prey

Cloud walked down the long hallway of the dorms, the sound of his boots clanging on the metal floor echoing from the walls. He had made a new friend in training today: a fellow by the name of Zack. He was a dark, spiky haired individual; tall as well. In fact, it was the same guy Zetrion was talking about. Cloud was lost in his thoughts as Zetrion came up to him from nearly out of no where.

"Hey, Cloud!"

Cloud was brought back to reality by the echo of Zetrion's voice. "Oh hey. What's up man?"

"Not much. I just got done with morning exercises. How did yours go?"

"Pretty well actually. I certainly did better than the last time we talked about it. Where are you headed?"

"They're doing psychological tests soon, and I'm one of the first to undergo that training. It should be pretty simple though. I had a pretty good life; I got nothing to hide."

"Well, I hope that goes well for you. I only wish I had that much confidence."

Zetrion put a hand on Cloud's shoulder, trying once again to cheer his friend up. "I'm sure you'll do good man. Just have a clear head and think happy thoughts! Man that sounded really retarded."

Cloud let out a good, happy laugh at Zetrion's attempt to act like a Peter Pan wannabe. He was beginning to really appreciate the friendship Zetrion had extended to him. Even from the first day, Zetrion had nothing but happy thoughts and support to pass on to Cloud. "Hey, Zetrion."

"Hm? What is it?"

"I…I just want to say thank. Thanks for being a good friend and helping to cheer me up. It really means a lot to me."

"Heh, don't go gettin' all soft on me. But, you're welcome, Cloud."

They were both silent. "Well, I better go. I'm meeting someone to hang out. I'll talk to you later. Good luck on your test."

"Thanks, Cloud. Catch ya later!"

Denzel was sleeping, as was Marlene in the bed next to him. They were still in their own house, but the neighbor was with them. She was worried however. Cloud and Tifa said they would be back by today, and they were late by a couple hours. She checked her watch again to make sure it wasn't slow. Sadly however, it wasn't. Still 1:35 on the dot. Marian (the neighbor) decided to go check on the children. She made the mistake last night of letting the children stay up. In her old age, it was hard for her to keep up after them. Though it took some effort on her part, Marian finally made it up the stairs and silently opened the children's room door. They were still asleep, but it would only be a matter of time before they were awake again. She closed the door just as quietly as she had opened it. Being as careful as ever not to slip, she made it back downstairs for a glass of water. During this time, she picked up the phone to get in touch with Cloud. She grabbed the piece of paper with Cloud's cell phone number that hung on the refrigerator door. She pressed the seven digits and put the phone to her ear.

By the fourth ring, Marian was getting worried. After the fifth, Cloud's voicemail was activated. "Hey, this is Cloud Strife. Leave a message." Marian didn't give the voicemail a chance to beep because she had quickly ended the call. She set the phone down on the counter top and sat back down in her comfortable chair.

Cloud... Tifa… Where are you?

---

Cloud and Tifa hadn't stopped running down this tunnel since they had first found it. Neither of them knew how far behind their enemies were, but they sure weren't about to stop to find out. Cloud's strength was almost unfading. Tifa however, was beginning to become tired. She had been running so much after a tough fight that it nearly took all her energy away. Soon, they both received a blessing, and a curse, when they came to a fork in the tunnel.

"Oh man." Tifa managed to let out between breathes. "Where do we go?"

"This way." Cloud pointed down the left tunnel.

"How are you sure?"

Cloud looked at her with a serious face. Tifa then remembered that Cloud had been down this tunnel before, and remembered where he was going. She just nodded as Cloud continued on pulled her by the hand down the left tunnel.

---

The gang had busted through the door by the time Cloud and Tifa were gone. They didn't notice the tunnel immediately, and started searching the room very closely. They found no trace of the two escapees, and couldn't possibly comprehend how they could have escaped. Zetrion walked right past his foolish team and went straight for the tunnel. He stopped right in front of it, just staring into the darkness, taking it in with his eyes. Ox came up behind him, staring into the same darkness.

"They went this way."

Ox nodded his head, agreeing with his leader.

"They expect us to follow."

Ox was confused. "You mean we're not?"

Zetrion smiled as he continued gazing into the black abyss. One thing he knew to do was plan ahead. And he knew something Cloud and Tifa didn't.

"They won't get far. Cloud thinks he's the only one who knows…"

---

The pair had gone no further than a few feet before they were at a dead end. A recently made dead end at that. Rocks were piled on top of each other, preventing them from going any further. In the amount of time it would take to move the rocks, they would be cut off by their attackers.

"What! No… no! Damn it!" Cloud hit his fist against the wall, venting out his anger that Zetrion was anticipating them going this way. "How did he know!"

Tifa couldn't think of anything to say to comfort Cloud. She knew that it wasn't ok. Nothing was ok right now. But, she also knew that they couldn't afford to stand around for too long. "Come on, Cloud. Let's find another way."

The two backtracked the short ways they had gone and went down the other tunnel. "We should be fine." Tifa said. "That way probably could have gotten us out faster, but we can get out going this way too. Remember? I used to navigate these mountains for a living. They don't know the terrain here. I do."

"I hope you're right Tif."

They continued running down this new tunnel with a hope that their attackers were far behind.

---

"Shouldn't we go after them, sir?" Ox was still confused as to why they hadn't started moving yet.

"No need right now. I've got them right where I want them. Now… my little science experiment can take care of the rest."

Just then, a loud scream reverberated off the walls of the basement; followed by something even more fearsome: a loud and menacing roar. Zetrion smiled again. Those sounds were music to his ears. "Speak of the devil…" Both men left their positions in front of the tunnel to regroup with the rest of the men. They were grouped around a cage… a very large cage. A cage that held one of the most fearsome beasts the men had ever seen. If not for the strong containment prison it was kept in, this monster would have ripped them all to shreds. It looked like a hybrid between a lion and a horned beast. While it had the head of a lion, two curved horns protruded from its forehead. Its front paws held claws that could rip an entire limb off if given the chance. The claws were almost as big as the fist of a human. Its body was a mix of both fur and scales, but the grey fur stood out from the green scales. Its tail was nothing special, having the look of a regular feline tail. But this "animal" was much larger than any average lion.

"How did you… do this?" One of the men asked.

"There were some leftover animals from the experiments of Dr. Hojo. I thought I'd put them to good use. It's amazing, the powers of mako energy. There's just no limits to its possibilities." Zetrion let a wicked smile escape onto his lips, his eyes glowing with the same mako energy that he spoke of. "Ox, all of you, move the cage to the entrance of the tunnel." This was easier said than done as they all made an effort to move the beast to the tunnel's entrance. Most of the men were scared of becoming this thing's dinner, and only Ox put his whole self into moving it. Eventually, they were able to move the cage to the entrance. One of the men jumped on top of the animal's cage and prepared to pull the door up. When he got the nod from Zetrion, the grunt pulled the cage door straight up, letting the beast run into the tunnel at full speed. It did not have to sniff for very long before it caught Cloud and Tifa's scent, and was on the trail to find his next meal.

"This hunt just got a lot more interesting." Spoke Zetrion as he watched his pet run wild until it was gone from his sight.