Wings of an Angel
By Henrika

Henrika- IMPORTANT! It pertains to this chapter and to this story so please read. One, I have no intention of abandoning this story. I was just seeing if other people liked the concept. The story is already plotted and having its kinks worked out. Second, speaking of those kinks, we have this chapter. Explanations are given herein, and I will ask not to have people jump on my back. I'm implying something, which will not necessarily come true. In fact, the next chapter and the one directly after that will have a more concise explanation of what's really going on (I'm tempted to post it in the next few days, just to clear up the inevitable confusion and gnashing of teeth about the plot).

In essence, bear with me on this one. Explanations will come further on, though the background laid here will come into play.

Third and final, I'm stuck in finals week. My brain is currently resembling a gooshy pile of mush and will continue to do so for the remainder of this week. If I get some time and some inspiration, I will continue to let my muses abuse me with FFVII fics. Cheers! Enjoy and review!

"Reeve!" The door opened further. "Vincent!"

"May we come in?" Reeve asked, shaking the rain off his blue coat.

"Yeah, but what are you doing here?" Cloud asked from where he was propped up on the couch, dressed in his usual attire minus his boots and armor. The question wasn't unfriendly, but it had enough suspicion that Reeve dropped his lie about the WRO visiting Edge to check up on the new town.

"Tifa called." He said instead.

"Oh." Cloud leaned back against the couch as Reeve and Vincent took the armchairs opposite him. "She's in back with the kids."

"You know we came here to talk to you." Vincent said, shifting forward. Cloud suddenly had to stifle a laugh in the back of his mind before it even got to this throat. The sight of Vincent lounging so casually in Tifa's comfy brown chairs was so at odds with the red-cloaked gunman that Cloud had to remind himself he'd be shot quickly if he said so.

Reeve pulled a sheaf of paper from a satchel Cloud hadn't noticed, effectively distracting him from Vincent. "If there is one thing that can be said for Hojo, it's that he meticulously documented his madness."

"I don't want to hear anything about that man." The blonde said sharply, rearranging the dark green blanket Tifa had laid over him to hide the way his hands had started to tremble.

"You will hear it though." Vincent said, his crimson gaze piercing enough that even Cloud couldn't stand it for long.

"Fine." He said petulantly, resisting the urge to cross his arms and huff under his breath.

Cloud waited for Reeve to start speaking, but it was Vincent's deep voice that filled the room. "Sephiroth was Lucrecia's child. While Sephiroth was still in the womb, she injected herself with Jenova cells, mistakenly believing they were the cells of the Cetra. As a result, Jenova found a puppet that could call forth the calamity from the skies that she desired." He paused for a moment. "Jenova invaded his mind when he found out about his creation. He set out to bring forth the Planet's destruction. He started and failed in Nibelheim. Because of you."

"But he…"

Reeve leafed through a report. "You and the SOLDIER named Zack were given to Hojo as test subjects. You were subjected to high amounts of Mako and Jenova cells. The experiments failed on Zack completely. But you had a different reaction. You…"

"Shut up Reeve. I already know this part. I know it far too damn well."

"Fine. Hojo tried to make you into Sephiroth. He failed. You weren't rejecting the cells, but you weren't accepting them either. Then you escaped." Cloud gripped the blanket hard enough for his knuckles to change color, but Reeve took a path Cloud hadn't heard before. "Even though Hojo wrote you off as a failure, his personal notes suggested that he suspected something special about you."

"And?"

"Sephiroth's remnants. Even though he would never know of Kadaj and the others, he predicted their existence."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"You already know, don't you?" Vincent asked.

There was a long silence, one that attempted to choke all the air out of the room.

"Oh, I didn't think you two were coming today, what with the weather being so bad." Tifa stepped into the room, effectively shattering the silence. She flicked on a lamp to brighten the gloom from outside. "Would you like something to drink?"

"I'm the source, aren't I?" Cloud interrupted. "The remnants came from me. That's why they called me "Brother". And now that the remnants are gone, Sephiroth's last chance of destroying the Planet is me. If he can activate the Jenova cells already in me with others, I have the potential to become a successful clone. To become Sephiroth."

Tifa gasped. Reeve looked away while Vincent nodded. "In all likelihood, if the cells are obtained, that is what will happen." He said. "But…"

"But?" Cloud asked, a strange sense of complacency descending over him as his own prediction sunk in. He couldn't place the feeling.

"You've defeated him three times and managed to break his influence over you when he was controlling you. It accounts for something. There's a chance that if you can defeat his this time, Sephiroth will be cleansed from this planet in everything but memory."

"He told me he would never become a memory."

"He also believes himself to be immortal. There is no such thing Cloud."

"So I can fight this?"

"You have that choice."

"Vincent! How can you say that?" Tifa asked.

"You had geostigma. You gave up. You have the same option now."

"I…"

"Cloud." He easily recognized the pleading tone in Tifa's voice.

"I'm going to fight this." He reassured her. "I'm just not sure how."

"And that's where we come in." Reeve said, laying more reports on the table. "Knowledge is the best weapon in these kind of situations.

Henrika- I'm begging you, read the note at the start. Explanations and a vicious twist are headed your way soon!