The smell in the air changed. At first the night was calm and boring. Cloud paced his small room, too anxious to sleep. He hadn't had a good work out in a while. So without properly taking his anger out on something he's felt the need to hunt grow.

Then he smelled fear. Large amounts of it. He paused, wondering what caused this. The others should be in their own rooms by now. Unless one of them was being enhanced?

No. Usually when one of them throws a tantrum then they're subdued. And no fear scent is this potent. Cloud sniffed the air again.

That's when he noticed there were faint scents he didn't recognize. Three of them stood out for they were heavy with mako. One smelled of spring meadows. One smelled of scorched summer. The final smelled of cold sharp winter.

The last one brought an excitement within him.

"Can I hunt that one?" Cloud wondered, now pacing back and forth alongside the door to the outside.

Suddenly alarms went off. The loud noise made him flinch. Damn them, were these intruders then? These strange scents? Cloud had thought they were just new people to interact with that the lab coats got their hands on.

Suddenly the doors unlocked and opened.

Cloud warily poked his head out. He sniffed the air again. Those scents were stronger. With a wicked smile reminiscent of a wolf, he bolted out of his cell. He ran down the hallway, passing the others who were suspicious of the open doors. Of the possibility that this was a trap to ignite the stupid collars.

But not Cloud. He was too focused on the hunt. A new challenge.

He skidded at the sharp turn. The blond was too excited at this point and ended up ramming into the wall and caused a large dent. The metal didn't break amazingly. Cloud ignored his mistake and rushed forward with full intent to lay eyes on the new scents.

Behind him the others raced. They had seen him run full speed without getting hurt. All doubts cleared their minds at that sight.

He charged through another door, tearing it off its hinges. Cloud recognized the large room where they're usually brought to fight. He glanced up at the survey area.

The lab coat was frantically messing with the controls. All the while his eyes never left something. A surveillance system? At the sight of all of them in the large room he took notice.

Then his voice sounded over the whole facility.

"Fight the intruders and I will take the collars off!" He promised.

Well. Must be serious to offer that as a reward.

"With what weapons?" Weiss narrowed his eyes.

Soon as he asked the wall behind them opened to reveal an array of weapons. Weiss grabbed his usual swords. The rest took after his actions and grabbed their weapons. Cloud studied the selection of broadswords before opting Twin Stinger.

"Do we stay as a group? Partner up or go on our own?" Azul asked.

"We don't know how many there are. But we would cover more ground partnering up and spreading out." Shelke didn't share the panic or excitement.

"We partner up. Nero, with me. Azul you partner with Rosso. Shelke, try to keep up with Cloud." Weiss studied the blond, and he saw within those eyes the want to hunt.

Shelke knew to stay out of his way and not interfere when he got like this. But at the same instance he would be a wild card. He could do something that would harm all of them.

And then Weiss had a speculation what Cloud wished to do. He smirked at the possibility. If it can be pulled off then there needed to be a change of partners.

"Actually, Shelke you're with me. Keep an eye on Cloud, brother."

And so they dispersed into different directions. Cloud saw this as an opportunity. He climbed into a ventilation shaft. With his nose he followed the scent of the lab coat.

It took many twists and turns. At one point he had to drop down and search through a maze of hallways. He knew in the shadows Nero was keeping pace.

Cloud then reached doors he couldn't access. He considered breaking his way through. But then that could give the lab coat time to react and activate the collar.

"Allow me." Nero offered and a portal opened.

He glanced warily at the other who stepped out of the shadows.

"Trust in me that we all wish this. And if you can pull it off, we won't pick fights with you ever again."

Cloud knew of the mental connection the brothers had. So in truth Weiss was speaking through Nero. So with that encouragement he leaped through the portal, hand on his weapon.

He appeared on the other side. Cloud was behind the lab coat, too busy on the security cameras. The man began speaking through the microphone again.

"This will be the grave of General Sephiroth and his commanders!"

Cloud raised his sword for a strike. He cut deep through the right shoulder. And a scream echoed over the sound of the alarm. A horrible sound with the gushing of blood.

The lab coat tried to turn to see his attacker. Cloud allowed it when he pulled his sword back. His wolf like smile was back when their eyes met.

"N-No! Please don't - " The plea was cut short when Cloud pierced through the man's stomach. The gurgling and gasping were music to his ears.

And the whole facility heard it all.

When the body went limb Cloud began his work. Nero appeared from a portal and began to mess with the controls. He first shut off the alarm sound, but for some reason didn't turn off the microphone that picked up the sounds of Cloud cutting and tearing apart the ribcage to reach for the heart.

Nero began to unlock all the doors of the facility. He even selected for the collars to deactivate and fall off. Which ended up needing a thumbprint. Cloud had the heart in his hand, so Nero wordlessly picked up the right hand. The body slumped as he pressed the thumb down for confirmation.

Three, two, one.

The collars beeped and came off.

Cloud was too focused on his long awaited award to care. Nero glanced at the cameras. Azul and Rosso were challenging a muscular man with black hair. His brother and Shelke were actually talking instead of attacking the red coat. Then a final man in all black leather and long silver hair was advancing towards them.

"Sorry, but I'm not interested in joining you lot." Weiss spoke. Nero heard the whole conversation.

"Azul, Rosso. It's time for our escape." Nero spoke through the microphone. After catching their attention he turned the microphone off.

The door opened to reveal the silver haired man. Cloud finished eating and glanced over. His wolfish smile returned. And Nero knew what that meant. He dropped the lifeless body as he watched Cloud advance towards the newcomer.

"You guys go. I want this one. I'll catch up." Cloud promised, too eager to pass this one up. This was the owner of the scent that excited him like never before.

"You know if you get captured we won't rescue you." Nero warned.

"I'll die before I be someone else's pet."

Wordlessly Nero disappeared through a dark portal. Cloud charged at his opponent. His eyes were feral and bright, his mouth and chin covered in fresh blood.

If the silver haired one was effected by the sight of him he didn't show it. He was more disappointed about something else. Cloud lunged with all his power and speed.

His attack was blocked. Cloud blinked. How? He hadn't seen the other even move. He studied the blade of choice. It was longer as the man was tall. Thin and sharp. So sharp that it sang with each drastic movement its wielder made.

Cloud stared into those eyes. Green, such vivid greens. And the pupils were long and thin. An experiment such as himself? Must be with those eyes. And despite knowing the others for a long time, Cloud felt a sense of kinship in another.

He repressed the feeling in order to fight. Calmly the other man deflected his attacks. Cloud tried to increase his speed. He released a frustrated growl as this method got him nowhere.

Finally his opponent began a series of attacks forcing the blond on the defensive. And he couldn't help but admire the way he moved. He was calculative, precise and graceful. He treated his sword as an extension of himself and he knew how to wield it well.

Cloud felt his chest burn and realized he was actually forgetting to breathe. He inhaled, almost gasping as he did so. He was overwhelmed with the scent of sharp winter and masculinity that his body reacted in ways he never thought possible.

He tried his best to stay focused. It didn't work out so well when they had little room to fight. Cloud had walked backwards without realizing his immediate surroundings. He stepped on the body of the lab coat and he was momentarily distracted.

This split second earned Twin Stinger tossed out of his hands. The force sent him backwards. He vainly tried to reach for the sword to get it back. But the handle slipped from his fingers.

Cloud bit back the cry when he landed. His head hit the cold hard floor a bit hard. For a few seconds he had a hard time focusing as he forced himself to stay awake.

When his vision cleared the tip of the ridiculously long sword was inches away from his face. Cloud snarled, obviously disappointed within himself. But he was covering up for the admiration he felt.

"You actually did it." Someone entered the room.

Cloud tensed at the newcomer. And actually there were two. One had dark hair, the other red. The one with dark hair grimaced at the body and the blood stains on Cloud's face.

"Stay back. I don't know if he'll listen just yet." The silver one advised, eyes never leaving the blond.

"...I'll follow your word." Cloud wanted to get away. But his instincts screamed at him to accept the man who overpowered him.

"You won't hurt anyone else associated with me." Those eyes narrowed.

"I've satiated my appetite enough."

Claiming that lab coats heart would last him quite some time. He had dreamt about that moment for years. Slowly the blade withdrew. It wasn't put away, for he was still wary of Cloud.

Slowly the blond sat up. He studied the other two. The dark haired man smelled of calm spring meadows. The red coat smelled of hot summer with a hint of fruit.

They were still nothing in comparison of the sharp winter. The scent made Cloud feel at ease. It was almost familiar somehow. And yet he knew he never met this man before.

An image of a woman doing the dishes. A long lost of memory of walking outside the house. Not even glancing once at the woman cleaning. As he stepped outside he smelled the fresh, cold air.

"I suppose we should let the Turks get all the information they need." The red coat sighed in distaste.

"We should make our way outside then."

"Hello there. My name is Angeal. The silver haired one is Sephiroth. And lastly this is Genesis. We don't wish to harm you." The dark haired one introduced as Cloud stood up. Those eyes were desperately trying not to stare at the mutilated body on the floor.

"...Cloud." He wasn't used to anyone being nice towards him. He wasn't quite sure what to make of this situation.

How did they get here? Why were they here? Was it some rescue? What will happen to him?

"I suppose you have questions. Follow us and we will answer as best we can." Sephiroth noticed his unease. He took the lead, and reluctantly Cloud followed after gathering Twin Stinger. Angeal and Genesis took the rear.

When they ventured outside Cloud gasped. For the first time he breathed in fresh air. He didn't care for the snow or the harsh winds biting at his skin. None of his small discomforts meant nothing.

He was finally free from his metal cage.