Author's Note: I really meant to keep up and release these more often; however, even the best-laid plans can fail. Unfortunately, my mother passed away in October, so I've been trying to cope with that. When you lose someone you love, being creative becomes quite the challenge. Hopefully, I am through the hurdle and can start updating more frequently. I thank you all for your patience.

- SCAPEGOAT -

All of us, including Shinra and Hojo, watched as Cloud vanished into the crystal. My face was throbbing from the beating I had received earlier, and the cold was starting to reassert itself now that the adrenaline stopped pumping. Barret had lowered his gun arm, a completely confounded expression dominating his features. Tifa's eyes were wide and filled with horror. Even Rufus seemed shocked at the turn of events.

Hojo, however, gleamed with delight, issuing a wretched chuckle that echoed through the cavern.

"So it begins!" Hojo laughed, clasping his hands together.

"Shuddup, you freak!" Barret yelled, taking aim at the scientist.

From behind the one-armed gunman, I saw three Shinra troopers, one of which slammed the butt of his gun into the back of Barret's head. He dropped like a rock.

"Barret!" Tifa cried, attempting to run to his side, Rufus pulled out a gun of his own, using it to keep Tifa where she was.

"Years of study finally confirmed… by a failure, but it was confirmed nonetheless!" Hojo continued, more excited than anyone had heard him in a long time, "I had no idea that Sephiroth had become so powerful, enough to even control Jenova! All the clones came here at his command, though they were drawn by Jenova. This is perfect!"

"Hojo, what the hell are you talking about?" Rufus growled at him, keeping his gun leveled on Tifa.

"The reunion, Mr. President," Hojo gleefully explained, "This was the Reunion, and it was by Sephiroth's will. A five-year experiment has finally yielded results."

"You idiot!" I yelled at the demented scientist, "Now Sephiroth will summon Meteor. It will destroy the Planet… you included."

"Yes, it will be a fascinating and glorious conclusion," Hojo laughed. For a moment, I could see the wheels turning in Rufus' head. The full gravity of the situation was just starting to set in, and he was finally realizing his mistake.

Before I could say anything, a minor tremor began which caused the cavern to vibrate. Small bits of rubble, rock, and snow broke from the ceiling and walls as the shaking grew more intense. At first, it didn't quite register to me what was happening… and then it hit me:

The Weapons!

"We have to get out of here!" I shouted over the growing rumble, "NOW!"

The questioning look Rufus gave me didn't last long. He knew my words were true, believing I could predict the future. He motioned for the troops to pick up the unconscious Barret and then signaled to Tifa and me to follow him. We were almost out of the cavern when my vision lit up with spots and a sharp pain blossomed at the back of my head.

"SKYE!" Tifa's voice called to me, but it sounded so far away. After that, I heard and saw nothing more.

Yet again, I found myself in the warm surroundings of my childhood home, yet somehow, it felt more empty now. Prasid sat in the chair by my drawing table, the white chocobo in his lap. His fingers gently stroked the small bird's feathers as it cooed happily back at him. I waited for him to speak, wondering what was going through his mind.

"I'll bet you believe you've failed," he finally broke the silence.

I sighed. "I shouldn't have revealed that I had the materia. I should've realized he was still inside Cloud's head… and Yuffie could've died…"

"You saved Aerith, though."

"Sephiroth still summoned Meteor," I countered.

"Amari, it would have happened no matter what," he told me, his expression reflecting years of wisdom and experience, "There are some things… that cannot be changed."

"I can't believe that," I replied, "Because if some things are meant to happen… then why bother making choices?"

A smile slowly spread across his lips, and he chuckled. "You've always been so stubborn, determined to make a difference. I admire that about you."

"And if you knew it was gonna happen anyway, why all the cryptic warnings about making changes?" I continued, giving him an accusatory pout.

"To make you think," he answered, staring at me with the saddest eyes, "How quickly would you have changed things without the warning? You might've told them things before they were ready to know them. You wouldn't have been as careful as you were."

I was so angry with him. All this time, I believed that there would be cosmic consequences for altering the events when, in reality, it was just to make me choose carefully. It had been so miserable, keeping these things to myself, a long and tumultuous torment that I never had to bear!

"So I could've changed things from the beginning?" I questioned, folding my arms over my chest?

The little white bird squawked at me and flapped its wings. It was almost like the chocobo was trying to tell me to think.

"What would you have done differently?" he simply asked.

What would I have done? I could have told Tifa the truth about Cloud or let them know that the mission to the Sector 5 reactor wasn't going to end well. Then again, exposing exactly what was happening to the blond hero might have resulted in a group that didn't trust him as much, thereby stunting the strength of their future friendships. Revealing information about the Sector 5 reactor results could have led to the cancellation of the mission… and then they might never have met Aerith. Dammit!

Prasid just stood there, waiting for a response from me, while my anger shifted to frustration. "Fine… you're right. Now what do I do?"

"Continue to be careful about the information you have," he replied, setting the little chocobo on the floor. It ran up to my feet and rubbed against my leg, trilling loudly. I crouched down, scratching it behind the non-existent ears again, "and be part of the team."

I could tell our time was about to end because everything around me started to fade into a white light. "Okay. Just don't leave me, Prasid."

His voice seemed farther away now as he spoke. "I never left you, Amari… and I never will."

As the brightness overwhelmed my vision, another sensation came to be… pain. A dull throb pulsed through my head as I squeezed my eyes against it. Bringing my hand up to my forehead, I groaned and tried to move. It was akin to waking up after being anesthetized, limbs responding slowly, grogginess weighing me down like a heavy blanket. Why was I so slow? Where was I?

"Take it easy, Miss Summers."

That smarmy, sell-ice-to-Eskimos voice…

My eyes popped open to confirm my assumption, and, unfortunately, there he sat, uncomfortably close to where I was laying, a glowing green sphere in his hand.

"Just hold still," he told me, "and your injury will be healed."

I glared but didn't stop him. I couldn't fix my mistake if I was injured.

"Where's Tifa and Barret?" I demanded.

"In holding cells," he answered as the wave of warm and powerful magic washed over me, taking the pain with it. If they were in holding cells, then was the storyline proceeding the same? Did he intend to execute them as scapegoats for what happened?

"Planning on executing them?" I probed. Even through that poker face, Rufus had perfected, I could tell it was exactly what he was planning. I shook my head. "Seriously, why do you find such pleasure in being an ass?"

He stared at me for a few moments, prompting my concern that he would backhand me. Instead, he began chuckling.

"I've never quite heard it put like that," he admitted, finishing up the healing.

I looked around the room, trying to figure out where I was. It looked like an office with several rows of desks with computer monitors upon their surfaces. Three giant windows framed a magnificent view of the ocean, and when looking down, I could see the top of what appeared to be a cannon…

wait…

The Sister Ray.

"Why am I here, Rufus?" I asked, "instead of with the other prisoners?"

He just looked at me, and I knew exactly what he wanted.

"You want to know the future," I answered my own question.

"You and your friends left before you had a chance to explain your rather mysterious prediction," he confirmed.

I smirked at him. "You mean the one where your body is wracked with pain?"

He huffed. "Among others."

"I wouldn't know how to explain it to you," I shrugged, "but there's no way to avoid it."

He carefully considered my words and then stood up. I wondered if it was possible to get through to him at that point. Right now, he was only interested in outshining his father, but maybe… just maybe…

"Your father was always so derisive to your ideas," I began, calculating what I thought I could reveal. There was always the chance that this risk that I was taking could backfire horribly, "Whenever you had an idea and told him about it, he laughed at you… sometimes telling you it was ridiculous."

He met my eyes, his expression unreadable.

"When the time comes, Rufus… one of your ideas will save your life," I finished.

A klaxon alarm broke the silence, and Heidegger burst into the room.

"Mr. President! One of those huge machines is on its way here!" he yelled.

"What are you waiting for?" Rufus growled, "Hit it with everything we've got!"

"Very well, sir," Heidigger agreed, "We'll load up the Sister Ray."

"Have the troops escort Ms. Summers to the airship," Rufus ordered, "and make sure no harm comes to her."

Heidegger nodded, motioning to some of the infantry outside of the room. "Get in here, now!"

Two of them scrambled through the door. "Take her to secure quarters on the airship."

They saluted then seized my arms, pushing me out of the room. Amongst the chaos of troopers carrying out instructions and alarms blaring, the two rushed me from one corridor to the next.

"I can walk!" I snapped at one of them.

"Don't give me no lip!"

It was a female voice, and it sounded so… cute… and a little awkward.

"Dammit, girl! I told ya not to say anythin'!"

I recognized their voices immediately.

"Cid? Aerith?"

"Shhh," Aerith hushed me, "You'll blow our cover!"

"Yeah, if Miss Sugar Voice over here hasn't blown it already!" Cid hissed, "Now, let me do all the talkin!"

With all the commotion going on, getting to the airship was easy. When I had played the game, one of my favorite parts was finally getting the airship along with the freedom to travel the world. Even with the limited graphics of the Playstation, the Highwind was an impressive piece of machinery. When I finally laid eyes on the real deal, I couldn't help but gasp.

The sheer size alone was enough to inspire awe, but the sophisticated engineering took my breath away. To see it in the game or even in Advent Children just didn't do it justice.

"She's a beauty!" I sighed.

"I know," Cid beamed, still rushing me aboard, "She's rock solid and the smoothest ride you'll find."

"Come on… let's get to the bridge," Aerith encouraged, "Cid brought in some of his people from Rocket Town to help us."

"Yeah, they was eager to help, what with Shinra shuttin' down the space program," Cid grumbled.

"We've gotta help Barret and Tifa," I interrupted, "Shinra's gonna execute them as scapegoats for the whole Meteor thing."

"Don't you worry about it, Miss Skye," Cid grinned as we entered the bridge area, "We're on top of that."

Of course they were. Yuffie and Cait Sith were dressed up as reporters… wait! Yuffie had been injured.

"Is Yuffie all healed?" I asked.

"She's gettin' there," Cid informed me, "She's in one o'the rooms, resting."

"So, who dressed up with Cait Sith?"

Cid blinked, surprised I knew that. He recovered from the shock quickly, however. "Vincent went with him."

Now, I was the one who was shocked. Vincent dressed up in a disguise? Sure, he used to be a Turk, but now he was so… stoic and quiet. I just couldn't see him wearing anything but that mystical red cape and the scarf… those pointy gold boots.

"He's in disguise?" I tried to confirm.

Cid just burst into laughter. "Nah, he's just hidin'. Cait Sith, though… he looks like a pillow dressed in a suit. It's hilarious."

It was a picture I really didn't need.

You and me, both!...

I had to wonder, though, how the fight between Tifa and Scarlet would go down. Would it be the catfight they made it in the game, or would Tifa be able to kick the crap out of that wench? I really hoped it was the latter. I wanted to see Scarlet land on her backside.

"GODDAMMIT, WE GOTTA GO BACK!"

Barret's voice rang through the air, and I did my best to follow it as Cid and Aerith ditched their Shinra uniforms. I saw Cait Sith doing his best to convince him, but he was immovable.

An enormous explosion drowned out all other sounds and left my ears ringing. They had fired the Sister Ray, and if events followed true to the game, the shot will have done nothing to the approaching Sapphire Weapon.

"The hell was that?" Barret demanded.

"The Sister Ray," I explained, "The Sapphire Weapon is on its way here, and Shinra is trying to fend it off."

"We gotta get to Tifa!" Barret shouted.

"Barret, Tifa will get out on her own," I told him, "but she'll need us. We need to get airborne."

He looked at me with uncertain eyes but eventually, he gave in and continued into the airship. A few moments later, the Highwind lifted off, and thanks to all the confusion with the Weapon, no one at Shinra noticed.

"Get us up higher than the cannon, Cid!" I called to him.

As the Highwind climbed into the sky, Barret and I made our way to the open deck, where we could see a huge, dark shadow shooting through the water towards Junon. I quickly scanned the deck and found a long rope.

"Barret, help me!" I urged him. We took one end of the rope and tied it to the railings on the deck.

Far below us, all of the smaller guns lining the front of the Sister Ray fired at the massive giant, but it didn't seem to do any damage to it. Once it reached the edge of the facility, the mech popped out of the water. It resembled a serpent with a head full of long, sharp blades, and it used one of them to slash at the upper structure of the cannon.

None of the firepower expelled by Shinra troops could penetrate its body, which appeared to be some metallic substance. When it opened its mouth, a bright ray of energy was emitted and caused massive damage to whatever it hit. A deep roar emerged after the ray, and I swear I could feel it in my soul.

The Weapon was about to take a bite out of the cannon when it fired with a deafening "BOOM," completely annihilating the head of the Weapon. Its body ceased all movement as it fell into the ocean, sinking out of sight.

On top of the cannon, I could see five figures, one of which I knew was Tifa.

"Cid!" I yelled, hoping he could hear me from the bridge, "Lower us down a little bit!"

"Are you nuts?" Cid argued.

"Trust me!" I shouted back, "Tifa needs us!"

As Cid complied, the figures began to come into focus more. Three infantrymen stood behind Scarlet, and I heard her give a command:

"Take her away!" the blond executive ordered.

The three troopers approached Tifa, who performed a perfect round-house kick and knocked one of them off the cannon. Another tried to shoot her, but she rolled forward, stomping her foot into his gut. Tifa followed up with an uppercut and knocked him out. The third trooper grabbed Tifa with his arms around her, but she threw her head back to collide with his face. Blood started spurting out of his nose, and he released his grasp on her to put his hands over his injured face. Tifa swiped his legs to make him fall backward, and his head hit the cannon, sending him into unconsciousness.

When she turned to face Scarlet, the cheap hussy was holding a gun on the brunette.

"Spectacular show… too bad it was for nothing," Scarlet sneered.

Tifa never blinked. She leaped up, kicking upward to dislodge the gun from the blonde's grip. Her foot then continued on its way, making contact with Scarlet's chin before the martial artist somersaulted backward, landing in a perfect fighting stance… ready for battle.

Scarlet's eyes widened as she fell back, and she screamed: "GUARDS!"

A few hundred feet behind Scarlet, a door opened, and out ran about eight more infantry.

"Tifa!" I shouted down to her, throwing the rope over the deck. The agile fighter ran for the end of the cannon and jumped, catching the rope. Cid must have seen it through the bridge window because the Highwind began to fly away from Junon. Barret started helping me to pull Tifa up to the deck

"S'alright, Tifa," Barret hollered to her, "We gotcha!"

At last, when she was close enough, Barret grabbed her hand and hoisted her over the railing to the safety of the deck. She was panting and covered with sweat but otherwise uninjured. Barret offered her a hand up, which she took, patting the dust off her clothes.

"Come on, girl," Barret told her, "Everyone's waiting."

"Everyone… Everyone's here?" she wheezed.

I nodded to her, turning to follow Barret to the bridge.

"Welcome to my airship: The Highwind!" Cid smiled as we entered.

Tifa tried to give a smile, but anyone who knew her could tell it wasn't genuine.

"Hey now…" Cid prodded, "What's with the long face?"

"Is this about that blond punk?" Barret asked.

"Barret, that's not nice," Aerith scolded him.

"Not nice?!" he repeated incredulously, "He gave that materia to Sephiroth!"

"You don't understand," I interrupted, "None of you do!"

They all stopped and looked at me.

"Tifa… remember what I told you at Cosmo Canyon?" I reminded her.

She thought about it for a moment. "You said that this was definitely the Cloud I know… but—"

"That hasn't changed, Tifa," I interrupted, "He's not a clone. I promise. He is Cloud Strife, born in Nibelheim."

"But that freaky science sicko said he was a failed experiment," Barret added.

"Yeah, that vile sycophant experimented on Cloud for four years," I explained, "He tried to turn him into a clone of Sephiroth… and failed."

"That damn psycho!" Barret raged.

"He doesn't remember it, though," I continued, "When he escaped… he witnessed something that… well, that broke him."

It didn't take Aerith long to connect the dots. "Ohhh…"

"What? What did he witness?" Tifa persisted.

"He watched someone die," I evaded, feeling the need to maintain some of Cloud's privacy. He would eventually tell his friends what happened but in his own time, "but that doesn't matter right now. Cloud is going to need your help, Tifa."

"My help?"

"Yes," I nodded, "He's shattered right now, and he is believing the lie Sephiroth told him."

"Woah, wait a minute," Barret interrupted, "You know where he is?"

I just stared at the gun-armed man, raising a solitary eyebrow.

"Oh… right," he huffed sheepishly, "Well, there's a bunch o'shit goin' down. How you expect me ta remember everything?"

I shook my head with a smirk, turning back to Tifa. "When we find him—and we will find him-you will have the opportunity to help him. I can't tell you how to do this, but be there for him."

"Wouldn't Aerith be more suited for something like that?" Tifa protested.

"No," I told her, "It has to be you. Trust me."

I knew Tifa had been there, and even though neither he nor Tifa thought so, Cloud had been there, too. He would convince both of them by revealing that he was there in the infantry uniform, to ashamed to show his face to his childhood crush. He had believed himself to be a failure, and so, he had kept his helmet on for the entire visit. It was something he would come to regret in the years to come.

"Alright, Skye," she agreed.

I sighed, wanting to tell them so much more, but I knew I couldn't.

"I can't tell you everything I know," I told them, "because some of these things are private details about each of you. There are things that will happen… some of them can't be changed."

I winced, realizing that Prasid had said that very thing to me.

aww I'm touched!...

That doesn't mean I agree, I protested in thought.

"So, now what?" Cid asked.

"We get to go find Cloud," I replied.

"And where would he be?" Nanaki questioned.

"Right now? He's a living person inside the Lifestream," I tried to explain gently, "and he will surface."

He would surface as a mumbling mess, and the group would split up, Tifa remaining with Cloud until the Ultima Weapon came, sending them both into the Lifestream. I looked at Cid.

"Head for Mideel."