The Next Day.

Elie's POV

I stared at the bedroom's door, utterly in shock.

I knew what had happened seconds ago hadn't been exactly regular but, come on, there was no need to behave like that, say those horrid, tremendous things.

With slow movements, I got off the bed and arranged my pants. I went in search for my blouse, which rested on a nearby corner. I put it on and sat on the bed again, breathing heavily.

What the Hell had happened? Why did he have to put his hand around my neck and… remind of the person he once was, when he tried to strangle me? 'Cause that had been what screwed the moment. A memory. A God damned memory.

I closed my eyes and started thinking on what could have I done differently. Come on, he was basically holding me still, it felt so… wrong. The whole thing got me thinking that had to be how he did it with the whores and… was I just one more to add to the line or was I someone special after all?

I didn't know. Right now I didn't know anything, I felt so insecure and lost and… abandoned. I recalled his words over and over again, and I couldn't believe he had said those things to me. Hearing him say, accuse me that I still saw him 'like the monster I used to see him' hurt terribly. The part that I got scared of him all of the sudden was partially right. The way his actions changed nature actually startled me, and images of his older self came to mind. But… was I the one to blame on that? He had done it once, and he couldn't deny it had been horrible and nasty. So… why didn't he stay and let me talk it out with him?

Why did he have to assume he knew everything?

"Shit…" I whispered, hoping he would give me a chance to speak, at least. So I sat there, waiting. And as I waited, my hopes of him returning to bedroom gradually faded. Eventually, I decided to get up and off the door I went.

Without any specific direction to be headed to.

-/-

The night was cold and the breeze wasn't merciful with my obvious lack of appropriate clothing.

I searched everywhere for him, referring to him as 'The General', and no one had seen him for the last two couple of hours. It felt devastating and panicking, all this.

All I could think about was… 'Where is he, and why would he fade away like this?'

I didn't know what to conclude anymore, what to consider logic or rational about this. Come on, running away was not the way to solve things, no matter what!

"You seem troubled."

A manly voice came out exactly from behind, and I turned swiftly to see who it was. Or, better said, confirm who it was. Of course, it wasn't Sephiroth.

My eyes met red ones, as the ex-Turk scanned me with curiosity. I was willing to bet he wondered about what I was doing here, in the freezing cold, in the middle of the night, with a despaired frown on my face.

"I am troubled." I admitted, but didn't have the nerve to elaborate. It was private stuff.

"What happened?"

He asked, and I actually pondered on how I would describe what had happened without being too graphic.

"A misunderstanding."

"Hum. I was used to those." Vincent used a very calming tone, as if misunderstandings had been all he had been confronted with in the past. Which was actually true, I mean I knew every part of his history with Lucrecia and it was obvious they had fought and disagreed most of the times. And look where that had leaded them into. She snapped, Hojo killed him - so to speak, and they had been separated.

The thought that that might actually happen to me and Sephiroth made the little hairs on my neck rise.

"Who did that to you?" Vincent's question took me out of my reverie and I tried to focus on his words.

"Who did what?"

"Mako." He clarified, and in that moment I knew what he meant. I sighed at him.

"Hojo."

He blinked in silence for a moment, then took a deep breath.

"He's just like himself."

"He is." I said, and decided I might try to ask Vincent if he had seen Sephiroth around. It was a long shot, and I was pretty sure it wouldn't lead me to anywhere in specific, but I had to try. I had to speak with that stubborn, presumptuous son of a bitch. "Have you seen Sephiroth?"

Vincent's stare narrowed at me, as if grasping the intentions beneath my words. Really, was I that transparent?

"No." He stated, neutral enough. "But tell me, does he know?"

Confronted with his question, I made a face. What was he talking about, what was there for Sephiroth to know?

"Sephiroth. Does he know what he is, who his father is?"

Oh, that. Yeah, he knew that allright.

"Yeah." I declared, realizing I didn't have much to say to the man in front of me. Vincent smiled softly, as if considering what to say next.

"Lucrecia would be proud of him."

Vincent's declaration made me shiver. Well I hadn't ever considered that, what Lucrecia Crescent might think of the son she never actually knew for being a ruthless General, with a rather difficult personality. But hey, he was alive and sane - apparently. That was good enough. For now.

"She would." I eventually declared, nodding. Hell, what could I say against that?

Vincent moved, a step forward, and I grew a little warier. What was he doing?

"He'll come to terms with your differences." Vincent said, his tone low.

Gosh, how I wished him to be true.

"I don't know, Vincent." I said, worried. "I've had many altercations with Sephiroth, but this time… it's different."

Strangely, the man in front of me had his answer ready.

"Have faith."

"I'll try."

And with my feeble answer, Vincent turned and left, his enigmatic self walking slowly against the dark, until he disappeared.

I blinked, alone, for a couple of times, considering it might be better if I returned to the Inn. I wouldn't find Sephiroth, not if he didn't want to be found, and I was wasting my time searching out of him. Time and health, because I felt my throat ache. I had been wandering around in the cold with only one blouse on and the panic wasn't doing wonders.

So I walked, as fast as I could, until I reached the warmth and comfort of the Inn. Once I got inside, my eyes met immediately the ones of a person I missed talking to lately.

Reno.

"Reno!" I called out for him, and he urged me to sit right next to him on the bar stool. The place inside the Inn was cozy and warm and I wondered if I should tell him the whole thing or not. I felt I was completely out of chances here.

"Yo!" He smiled at me, but confronted with my lack of joy, it vanished at once. "What's with the face?"

I closed my eyes, and shook my head.

"Gosh."

"You fought again?" Reno's face was actually funny. "Good grief, girl you guys don't give it a rest, do you?"

I made a face and tried to disclose things softly.

"This time it's… serious."

"What do you mean?"

"I feel it. It was really bad, trust me. Did you see him?"

Reno's eyebrows went up.

"You mean the General?"

I nodded, and there was something on Reno's face that gave me hope.

"In the forest." He declared, and I stood up at once, preparing to leave, no matter where to, but Reno stopped me. His hand grabbed one of my wrists and his face turned serious. "Elie, I wouldn't go and search for him right now."

I stared at the red-headed in front of me, feeling truly appalled. What?

"Why?"

Reno seemed to search for the right words to say.

"Going into the forest with his sword means slaughter."

Hopelessness invaded me and I sat again, feeling truly sad. God, what had I done?

"Relax, Elie." Reno said, when confronted with my frown. "You've had much worse, he'll be reasonable, you'll see."

"Reasonable. Right." I snorted. "Reasonable and Sephiroth in the same sentence?"

There was a pause and Reno took of sip of whatever he was drinking. His blue eyes met mine and he tried to smile.

"Let's take your mind out of the gutter, shall we?"

He grabbed my hands and I knew he was trying to cheer me up, but tonight it wouldn't be possible. My partying state of mind had been destroyed.

"I'm not in the mood, Reno." I said, as I prepared to leave and go to up to the bedroom again. "I'm sorry."

Up I went, slowly and with my ego down. When I got inside the room I imagined how amazing it would be that Sephiroth might be inside, that this whole nonsense might be erased and that those wonderful moments might be relived again.

Of course, the bedroom was empty.

And as I sat on the bed once again, I had the feeling I would have a long, lonely night ahead.

-/-

I woke up with a noise on the door.

Startled, I sat, realizing I had been sleeping with my day clothing on. I looked around, the bedroom untouched.

So, he hadn't returned last night. Just as I'd predicted.

Another knock on the door made my head turn and I went to answer it. My thoughts wavered, and I considered who might be knocking at the bedroom door at… 10.00 am?

"Reno."

His face, for the first time, was not the joker one I was so used to. Which was inevitably worrying.

"We should be going." He said, and I reacted at once.

"Where."

"Home."

Our dialogue was being the weirdest ever. So, I had to do something about it!

"Get inside." I whispered, and Reno took his time considering my proposal. Something was innerving him and I wondered what could possibly affect him to the point of making him behave like that. I closed the door once we were both facing each other, and I crossed my arms at him, visibly worried.

"Where is Sephiroth?"

"I don't know."

The immediacy of his answer was enough for me to know he was not telling the truth.

"You're lying."

Reno made a face, and shook his head, his arms tense as his hands remained on the pockets of his jeans. He took his time gathering whatever he needed to look me in the eye and tell me what on Earth was going on.

"He called us this morning for us to pick you up." He said, and I couldn't believe what he was telling me. "He's back in Shinra HQ."

I didn't have words, and my face must have mirrored the shock I felt. Come on! Call the Turks to pick me up, not bothering in showing up so we could… talk? What kind of animal was this!?

My mind was being rude but I couldn't help it. Part of me knew Sephiroth was a very complicated person and that his actions, most of times, weren't standard. But this? THIS? Having him doing what he was doing to me wasn't only cruel. It was offensive and unnecessary. He - We were both grown-ups, why did he have to behave like that?

"I don't understand this." I said, as I walked around the bedroom, Reno's eyes on mine the whole time. "Why behave like this!?"

"Sorry, Elie."

I shook my head, realizing I had to confront the facts and actually do as the mighty General told us to. I was in Nibelheim and had no other way to get to Midgar, and since our little journey was obviously over, what chance did I have but to return home?

"What an arrogant asshole…" I declared, my fingers massaging my forehead. My eyes found Reno's again and I decided to just… play along. "Just give me ten minutes, I'll grab my stuff and we'll be going then."

Reno nodded and left the bedroom.

And I was left to my desolation.

-/-

I showered and got dressed, wearing some colorful clothes today.

I had a pink wool blouse today, black pants and boots. The coat was black as well - for a freaking change, and I gathered my stuff rather quick, saying my silent goodbyes to the bedroom that had witnessed the farthest step of my relationship with Sephiroth, as well as the saddest reaction afterwards.

There was nothing I could do about it now. He had been doing whatever for the whole night in the forest, gone home and cowardly told the Turks to take me home.

All this was completely unacceptable. Who did he think he was? I knew he wasn't experienced in the matters of the heart and that his reactions might be a little… off, most of the times, but come on. Running away and not talking about something as serious as what happened between us was not the freaking answer. He had to talk it out with me, allow me to explain what I felt and inform me - yes, I would question him about that -, what the Hell was he thinking about when he grabbed my neck like that.

"Let's go." I whispered, as my eyes met Reno's, who stood outside waiting for me. I closed the Inn's bedroom door and we both walked along the hall, reaching the stairs and going down from there. Once we reached the reception I stopped.

"What?"

"How much was the staying?"

Reno made a face.

"It's all been taken care of, Elie, you don't have to worry about that."

I made a face.

"I am not going to say what's going through my mind right now." I declared, as I continued, walking side by side with Reno. "I think all this is utterly and completely unnecessary. All because a grown-up man can't deal with his ego."

Reno didn't say a word against and in silence we left Nibelheim, headed to the place where the Helicopter remained. Rude was already there, and waited patiently for us to get near him.

"All set?" he asked, and we both nodded.

Rude turned to find his seat and Reno informed they were going to leave me home. I narrowed my eyes at him, realizing Sephiroth had instructed him that way. But now, it was enough of him ordering people around. He would have to talk things out with me, period.

"Leave me at Shinra HQ, Reno. I have things to do."

Reno blinked at me for a while, clearly disapproving.

"But-"

"I said, leave me there, under my responsibility. I have things to do, I mean it."

Reno sighed and stared at me, serious, for the second time today, which was a clear sign things were not going to end up well.

"Don't do that, don't confront him right now." Reno's tone was low and harsh. "You'll get hurt."

I considered Reno's words, and actually wondered if I should let things settle in before doing what I had to do… but no, this couldn't wait.

This was serious enough for me to take my chances with a very angry Sephiroth or whatever he was feeling right now. I was a human being too, deserved respect and since we weren't exactly a couple of five year olds, we were going to solve things like adults. Right now. Today.

"I'll take the risk." I declared. "I can't go home feeling like this, the uncertainly is unbearable."

Reno seemed to consider my words, and didn't answer me. He instead turned and shouted to Rude I was being dropped at Shinra HQ with them.

"Thank you." I whispered, and Reno nodded, making a sad smile.

Then, the pads started running.

-/-

It was a comfortable ride to Midgar, yet I felt my insides squirm. Anxiousness bit my nerves and as much as I tried to think everything was going to be all right, something inside me warned me to be brave.

Hell I had gotten this far, now I would face him. I refused to hide in my apartment and let things go by as if nothing had happened. It wasn't true, something had happened!

The moment the helicopter landed on Shinra HQ roof, I almost threw up. I felt terribly nervous and I had grasped, beneath Reno's words, that Sephiroth's patience wouldn't be much. But, even with all those warnings, I decided I would go through this today.

So I left the helicopter, asking Reno to be kind enough of dropping my bag at home. I would go directly to his office, and sort out all this right now.

My shaky feet took me to there, and with each step, I tended to let go more and accept what would happen no matter what. He would listen to me and we both would sort out this whole… episode. Yes, that was it.

I had to convince myself this was that exactly: an episode in which something went wrong, but of course, it would be solvable. I had to believe this would get along just fine.

When I reached the door of his office, I stopped for a moment, took a deep breath before knocking.

It's going to be fine, Elie. Just do it.

I tried to assure myself in every possible way that I was doing the right thing but… truth was, fear overlapped my confidence easily. Not that I feared him. I only feared losing him.

I heard his muffled voice after I knocked on the door, allowing me entrance. My shaky hand rested on the doorknob as I wondered, with my heart thundering in chest, what he would do or say when he grasped I was the one here.

I came to full view in an instant and I had the honor of seeing his face change subtly as he took me in, realizing I was the one getting inside his office.

"May I?"

"Yes."

His tone was so harsh and authoritarian and I wondered, how could a simple 'Yes' perspire that much? I walked towards his desk and stood there, the General behind that wooden furniture with a stance that I, for the first time, didn't recognize. He wasn't transparent to me anymore, his face didn't disclose anything apart from boredom and neutrality. For seconds we remained there, staring at each other, stares colliding and memories of the best moments of last night tricking my mind into being soft with him, until he finally broke the silence.

"What seems to be the problem?"

I went straight to business.

"About yesterday, I-"

"There's nothing to talk about yesterday."

His interruption almost rendered me speechless. What? His eyes left mine and he seemed to be very interested in some papers he had in front of him, totally pretending I wasn't there, in front of him.

"Yes, there is!" I stated, my eyes widening. "Stop despising me and listen to what I have to say."

He didn't bother to stare back at me, he only checked his wrist clock and made a declaration.

"You have one minute."

And then, finally, his eyes met mine so… I started.

"You misunderstood my actions. I wasn't afraid of you - I am not afraid of you, touching me or kissing me. I-"

A cruel snort interrupted my speech, and I was still at the beginning. I stopped, and our eyes locked again.

"You really don't get it, do you?"

I blinked at him, absolutely taken aback with his words. What was he talking about?

"What is it that I don't get?"

He made an ironic smile and started speaking.

"Your physiology, the way you work… is pretty basic." He declared, his eyes on mine. "You are very easy to figure out, Stevens. You wanted to play around with me, that's what you got. This is who I am and you can't take it."

His words were like whiplashes inside me. It hurt like hell, what he said, the way he was saying it. I hated to show weakness but, before I knew it, a couple tears formed and fell. And of course the man in front of me ignored completely that fact. And to be honest, I wouldn't expect he did.

"You're being nasty and unfair." I said, my voice shaking. "And I didn't play with you, ever. And I know and I am prepared to take you the way you are."

He blinked at me, and put his hands on his desk, supporting part of his weight on them.

"You think you are prepared… but when the moment arrived, you quivered like a child about to be abused."

My God, how could he say such things?

"I took you as a woman that could actually handle me - because of what you knew about me, but I was wrong. You're not ready and you will never be."

As he said the words, all I could think was 'Who is this man?'. I rendered myself speechless as Sephiroth spoke. Tears fell and I gulped dry, not believing what was happening. Could this get any worse?

"Just take your ridiculous notion that you can actually fix me and leave me alone for good."

It was incredible to actually consider so, but yes, things could get worse. Way worse. I didn't cry openly in front of him - despite the tears falling along their will, I didn't give him the satisfaction of him seeing me sob or whatever. His words though resonated in my mind, hurt every time my mind recalled them, hurt in a way I didn't deserve.

I had nothing to offer him now, all I had was my heart broken.

"What are you still doing here?"

His final question, clearly dismissing, didn't surprise me. And I had to do something fast or this man would smash what I had left of my dignity.

I turned silently and walked towards the door, closing it silently behind me. And as I walked absentmindedly along that hall, all I could think about was that nobody had dared to treat me that way, ever. Sephiroth had been the first… and the last. I would make sure of that.

I stopped when I reached the elevators, and my eyes landed on the signs that read by its left side, pausing at the 'Science Division' panel.

That was it.

John.

-/-

I walked inside the Science Division panting, absolutely in despair and my face a complete mess. I hated to feel this way, much less express my misery to people I had never seen or talked to, but today was an exception. One hell of an exception.

"John!" I called out for him, but all I got was a sign from a lab worker letting me know he was inside his office.

"John?" I called out again, this time opening the half-opened door of John's office. Thankfully there was no one inside and I dared to walk in and sit.

"Elie… what happened?"

His face had changed when he had taken a really good look at me. My eyes were puffy from the crying and my face… oh, my face.

"You need to help me." I said, trying to be calm and completely averting John's question.

"Help you?" He quoted, and bothered to sit right next to me, in a chair. His eyes were on me, I felt the weight of his stare. "Hey, just calm down, what happened? Are you feeling okay?"

And everytime he asked me about what had happened, the crying began. It was all too painful and unbearable and I couldn't think about it. And the more I tried, the more I failed. Sephiroth's words sounded ruthless in my head and a mix of shame, hurt and sadness overwhelmed me.

"I'm fine, nothing concerning the Mako thing, it's just… something else..."

I couldn't say a word more, and John decided to take me in an embrace, which actually allowed me to let it all out.

"Here," He said, with his supportive tone. "Just breathe in… and out. Easy." John sounded very calm, which helped me to compose myself as well. He had that innate capacity.

"Can I get you something?" He suggested. "A tea?"

The mere thought of food and ingesting liquids was nausea-inducing.

"No." I said, shaking my head.

"What happened?" He asked again, and I averted his question once more. I wasn't ready to talk about what had happened and there were more important things to say and do right now.

"I need to go back." I declared, pulling out of his embrace.

"I beg your pardon?"

I didn't know what John's problem was so I decided to be more specific.

"I need to go home, John."

Thankfully my tone was fierce, giving him little space to contradict me. I saw in him a frown of confusion.

"Wh… I mean, do you need a ride or-"

So, he still didn't get it.

"No, not that home."

And when his face changed, I knew he had grasped what I meant with 'home'.

"Oh." And I also knew he would try to talk me out of it. "Elie-"

"Please." I interrupted him, gulping dry as I tried to bite back fresh tears. "Please, I have to, right fucking now."

John took a deep breath and seemed to consider my request. He rested against the chair as he answered me.

"It's not that simple, Elie."

"Make it happen." I knew he could easily get me trough the PORTAL. He had the connections, and I needed out of this nightmare. "Just… do what you have to do. I'll do what it takes, but I won't spend one more minute in this place."

I sensed in him the curiosity. His face was the one of a man who was thinking what could possibly have happened for me to leave in such rush.

"Don't ask questions, John." I declared. "Not now."

"I'll see what can be done." He stated, rising from the chair. "Just wait here, I'll be right back."

I sat for a while, as I overheard John calling the building in which the PORTAL was in. He was blabbering the most insane lies so he could get me there and I wondered what I was doing with this person. He was my friend, my real, true friend and I… had to be insane for not falling for him instead. It would be so much easier, to love that someone we would like to. Loving John had to be wonderful, in all aspects. He was a decent man, smart, tender and comprehensive. He had everything to make a woman happy. He was handsome and he had his physical attributes. Of course, nothing comparable to - no, I wouldn't go that way.

Comparisons were cruel and I cared enough for John, so I wouldn't do that. The only tiny thing missing in this was the fact he I wasn't in love with him. There was no chemistry, there was no spark, no butterflies in my stomach, no goosebumps when he stared at me or when his hands touched mine.

Sadly, my heart had been swept away by the wrongest guy on the Planet.

And deep down inside, I hated him for that. I hated him for the power he had over me, for the way he made me feel with only one stare, the slightest of touches and for being responsible for the best kisses of my life so far. And I hated myself for loving him so much, in a way he would never understand or acknowledge, when all he did was hurting me. Over and over again.

I cried as conclusions were obvious. It was all very intense and unbearable to stand, hence my decision in leaving this place. I wasn't needed here, they had all the information they needed for the following two years, so I would go home and restart my life there. Again.

I didn't have the strength left to wake up tomorrow morning and face him, his indifference. It was all too shameful and painful to endure.

I sighed at my own thinking, wiping away the tears of my face. Okay, enough crying. I had to stand up for life, leave this place and go home. I would make my own living, I always have, so… this time it wouldn't be different. Maybe my decision was too radical, but it was necessary. This time, I needed it to be that way.

My eyes landed on a blank piece of paper John had on his desk. I could hear him talking with whoever was discussing PORTAL crossing and the rules behind it, as I grabbed a pen and wrote what my soul felt right now.

'Enjoy your second chance at life.'

Yes, that's what Sephiroth had to do. And, if I got to think about it, that had been my purpose here, right? Give the man a second chance, preventing his death.

So, I had done that. And now I had to leave him be. I didn't belong with him and I had been wrong to assume that, that in some strange, miraculous way he would be able of loving someone.

But of course not. He was Sephiroth. And there were things in him that would never change.

"We can go, if you want to." John's voice interrupted my thinking and I turned to see him standing right next to me. His eyes landed on the piece of paper I had under my hand. "What are you doing?"

I folded the paper in three parts, and put it in an envelope.

"Can you get this to Sephiroth? It's… It's important." I knew I was asking too much but, as expected, John didn't say a word against. It was the best thing to do, and considering I was leaving forever and the General would never see me again, the message would suit him just fine.

John nodded, not satisfied at all with all this. I stood up as well, now recalling an important detail.

"Where is my stuff?"

He blinked at me, as if I had said something very stupid.

"In your apartment."

"No, the ones I had with me when I got here."

John took some time figuring out what I meant and where those things were - in a sterilized box at the storage room. Nice.

"Here."

I opened the bag, checking if everything was okay.

"Good. My phone. Wallet. Home keys. Cool." I nodded, realizing I would have to find my phone charger when I got home. Still, it had some battery left I would use to turn it on from the PORTAL to my home. "I'm good to go."

My eyes found John's, who handed me a little box with something shiny inside.

"You'll need this." He stated. "It's materia. You'll need it to break the spells Sephiroth left on the other side."

I nodded, recalling how Sephiroth had done when he had been there. The day Zack died.

"Thanks."

"Let's go then, we have clear passage until the next shift.'

I walked along side with John, leaving the Science Division right straight to the garage. For the first time I saw John's car, and joked about him having a Sports model. He laughed and all, despite being sad. His frown was very alike mine, the one of someone devastated and disappointed with life. I was going to leave the place that had been my home for the last year or so… leaving amazing friends behind. John. Reno.

"You'll have to tell Reno. " I declared, as I focused on the road. John was an excellent driver, managing the wheel with the skill of a pro runner. But this time, John was the one averting my comment.

"You're leaving everything you have behind?"

"I don't have anything here." I stated, with a hard tone. "Well, except from you. And Reno."

I heard John sigh, clearly not happy with my line of thinking. The ride to the building where the PORTAL remained was fast enough and before I knew it we were parking. As I left the car, closing the door swiftly, I looked around, realizing it was mid-afternoon. Geez, time had flown.

"Elie-"

My eyes met John's and I didn't let him continue.

"Here. This is my address. If you want to, you pay me a visit. There's money we use in my world - pick a cab, a yellow car with the TAXI word on top and give the man instructions."

John seemed appalled with my suggestion. He stared at the paper with the address, the dollar bills and the most strange, panicking face on the Planet. I smiled a weak smile at him.

"It's okay to visit you?" He asked, as if confirming he was getting it right.

"I'd like that very much."

"Me? Are you sure?"

"Positive."

He put the money and the address in his jacket pocket and he nodded.

"Will you tell me then?"

"Tell you what?"

"The reason you're leaving in such a rush… emotionally destroyed."

"If I have the strength, I will." I stated, being bluntly honest with him. "I promise."

"Let's go then." John declared, and we both entered the building.

The passing through was complex and boring, and John and I had to underwent several check points to reach the pre-chamber that would lead me to the PORTAL. Our ID's were left at the reception, where mine would stay untouched. I would be going in a one-way trip.

I had no idea things had developed his far, since the day I had been found here, lost and in an abandoned building. Apparently , the whole place had been restructured and transformed into a fortress of kinds.

I sensed the moment of truth was arriving when I saw, through the glass, the energy ball I would have to cross. It was huge and it looked alive, like a sphere made of bluish energy, with its own shine and power. I had never seen the PORTAL like this.

"I don't recall it this way." I declared, and John was cool enough to explain me it was blue now because they had blue lamps on the chamber.

"It's transparent, adapting to the surrounding environment." He said.

It was actually logical. The night I had unadvertedly crossed it, it had no color. It was in that room, in that abandoned factory where I had been chased until exhaustion. It all seemed very distant, neons ago.

"Well, I should go." I said, and I realized the goodbye was being terribly painful.

John's brown eyes were so transparent, his emotions flew and I couldn't help but to hold him in a tight embrace, and mentally thank him for everything. He had been an amazing help, a true friend to me.

"If you feel something's wrong, please come back and I'll check on you."

"I will," I declared, even if I doubted something like that happened. Mako was inert on Earth, so… there should be no problem.

"Take care. And remember… I'll be here if you need me." He said, as the embrace faded.

"Thanks, John." I smiled weakly at him and opened the door that gotten me inside the chamber the PORTAL was in. It smelled sterile and the lights were calming. For the last time I checked if I had everything I needed with me. The bag I carried - the one I had brought with me when I fell the first time was strongly attached to me, and I walked slowly towards the energetic sphere, which seemed to take notice I was coming near. The blue got more intense and there was yellow there as well, turning the sphere into a green mass of energy. Deep down inside, I wondered what it might mean.

When I approached the sphere, right before taking the step that would lead me to my place, I turned, my eyes searching for John's, who stood with an incredulous look. I smiled at him and said my final goodbye.

"Bye."

I still had time to see him saying goodbye to me to, before the energetic mass of green suck me in.

Sephiroth's POV.

I was clearly exhausting me to a rather ridiculous point.

I was having enough of killing Genesis and Angeal for the thousandth time, the virtual training was getting too predictable for me.

In the middle of a bloody decapitation, something made me stop. That feeling again - the feeling I felt very occasionally, when…

I widened my eyes at the odds.

When the PORTAL was crossed by someone.

The simulation faded and I landed peacefully in the training room. It had been a swift, smooth sensation. I narrowed my eyes, as I tried to grasp who might have dared to do so, who might have any interest in going to the other s-

My thought froze and my eyes searched for the digital wall clock right above the door. Twilight was upon the Planet... and upon Earth as well.

I had my suspicions, it was a fact, but I would find out was playing around in there.

Personally.

A/N: And with this a new phase of the story begins, hope you're not too angry with me with the latest happenings, but it will be worth it in further chapters ;)

Now with Elie coming back home… what will happen? Will the General understand he screwed up big time? He's a stubborn, proud man… and Elie's hurt.

Well, see you soon in the next chapter… please leave your review, I can't wait to read your opinion :)