Dear all,

Thank you so much for the favourites and alerts during the long hiatus period. And of course, thank you so much to vanessahalad297 for the review. Anyway, here is a teaser.

Where did they go? Cloud raced down the hallway, turning his head from side to side, trying to find for any signs of them. He was only later than them by a few minutes. How could they disappear so fast? He stood at the middle of the corridor, glancing around anxiously. He took a few tentative steps towards the left before backtracking and turned to the right instead.

He bit down the bottom of his lips nervously. Where could they possibly be?

His hands were curling into fists by his side. He still remembered how terrible the last feud turned out, ending with Genesis in the infirmary. He never wanted anyone to get hurt because of him. Not again.

He quickened his footsteps. The hallway was swarming with SOLDIERS heading up from the staircases, clutching books in their hand. He was getting close to the library. He didn't think that they would have a conversation at the public area.

The footsteps faltered behind him while his own echoed loudly in the empty hallway.

Panic surged up inside him.

Where could they be?!

And then just as sudden, a cold chill descended over his entire body and Cloud gave an involuntary shivers. It was like the temperature was dropping rapidly. What just happened?

Cloud Strife darted anxious looks behind his shoulder. Strange. He had the strangest sensation that he was being watched. But there was no one around. There was no hiding place at the wide empty corridor. Besides, Shinra was supposed to be one of the safest place in Gaia right? With all its fancy technology, so there's no way–

Cloud swallowed a gulp.

There's no way there was going to be an ambush, right?

He continued his path, trying to shake the thought from his mind, but even so, he thought he could hear light footsteps or the sound of someone breathing. He must be overthinking things. He was just too worked up about the whole Sephiroth-and-Genesis situation.

He reached the end of the corridor.

Just when he was trying to make up his mind which direction to take–

A dark shadow slipped out from nowhere, blocking his path.

Sephiroth's head was pounding.

The headache was unlike the others he normally had. Especially when it came to dealing with the haughty board members.

No. This was far worse than all that.

This was a constant throbbing in his head which he couldn't shrugged off, no matter how hard he tried.

He blew out a breath as he marched down the corridor, looking like he was going to punch anyone or anything in sight.

He had absolutely no way to resolve this situation and somehow it bugged him even more.

The talk with Genesis didn't go the way he expected. Not at all. His forehead twitched at the thought.

It was like speaking riddles with that guy, he couldn't get a straight answer out from him and that made him even more suspicious. Genesis didn't avoid his question, but he also didn't give a direct answer. And the whole time, he wore that irritating smirk on his face, gazing at him with those mischievous green eyes, like he knew something Sephiroth didn't.

He didn't even budge when Sephiroth attempted to threaten him. He merely walked away with a swagger, but then he turned around to flash him a half smile. "Don't you think it's unwise to leave your precious Cloud alone?"

His statement was like an alarm that was tripped, triggering all the warning bells in his mind.

Genesis took the chance to slip away from him, his trademark chuckle still waffling in the air together with his scent.

Shaking his head to himself, Sephiroth decided to leave even though a strong dissatisfaction stirred inside him. He knew all too well what would happened if they continued talking. Once or twice, he had been itching to whip out his katana. A fight would have broke out there but he didn't want to create more chaos than necessary, it would bring more attention to himself.

And it would give them the more reason to take Cloud away from him.

Besides, there was some truth in Genesis' words. He had better stick close to Cloud, making sure that he was well protected. If he couldn't get any answer from Genesis or anyone for now, he would just pretend that everything was alright, and only make a move when there was a weakness in their armour.

Unknowingly, he had reached the cafeteria. It was like his feet had a mind of his own. Heaving a sigh, he forced himself to look calm, hiding the strain he felt and headed towards their usual table.

His breath stuck in his throat.

Fear gripped him like he never knew before. He actually staggered a step as the view in front of him blurred. Cloud. He wasn't there. The spot Cloud was occupying just now was empty. Angeal and Zack were still sitting at the table, laughing over something and looking like they were having the time of their life.

Holding his breath, Sephiroth was right at their table within a few strides. "Where is Cloud?!" His voice was agitated. Loud. Alarmed.

Both of them glanced at him in surprise and then Zack smiled. "Oh, Sephiroth, you're–"

Sephiroth had always possessed inhuman strength, but coupled with the fear that was eating him up alive, he was now practically invincible. He hardly felt anything as he held Zack up by his sweater, his feet dangling from the floor.

There was a clatter as the cutleries on the table shook.

"Sephiroth!" Angeal shouted warningly, his eyes darting anxiously towards Zack, his hands resting on the Buster's sword handle.

"Why did you let him out of your sight?" Sephiroth practically yelled at Zack.

Zack's mouth turned into an 'o' shape as he stared at him with wide stricken eyes. He was not the only one. An unsettled silence had settled in the cafeteria and every single pair of eyes were aimed at their direction.

So much for not creating more chaos. But he couldn't control himself. Not when–

His chest constricted painfully as thousands of terrible thoughts surged through his mind.

"Sephiroth, get a grip on yourself," Angeal warned, one hand gripping tightly around his arm, his face rigid and pale. "Let Zack go," he said firmly, tightening his grip around Sephiroth's biceps.

Angeal's voice managed to cut through his haze of maniac.

Slowly, Sephiroth released Zack who was gaping at him in shock, massaging his throat and looking at him like he was mad. Which he probably was.

The moment Sephiroth let go of Zack, Angeal moved swiftly in front of Zack, as if shielding him from him – the monster.

Sephiroth turned his head away, taking a deep breath to control the trembling he felt. "Where did he go?" His voice was barely audible.

"We don't know." Angeal kept one hand protectively around Zack's back as he stared him down, like he was angry with him.

Sephiroth was the one who should be annoyed here. How could they let him out of their sight when he specifically asked him to stay here?!

"Why did you let him go?" His voice lined with rage.

Angeal stared back at him cooly. "He went to find you, didn't you see him?"

The fear solidified inside him, it was nothing compared to how he felt just now. It was as if invisible fingers were gripping his windpipes, causing him unable to breath. It was like all the air in the room was completely sucked off.

"What?" Sephiroth asked in hushed whisper.

Genesis walked gaily into the elevator, feeling satisfied that he managed to one-up Sephiroth. That sure wasn't a victory he could savour everyday. When he saw the annoyed look on Sephiroth's face just now, he was actually doing a secret victory fist-pump inside his mind. Genesis knew that he probably had a death wish but damn, he really was enjoying himself too much. Still chuckling under his breath, Genesis pressed the 'close' button with his red gloved hand when a huge burly hand popped up in the middle of the elevator doors.

"Hold it, will ya?" The voice was loud and gruff.

Genesis resisted rolling his eyes. Great. It didn't seemed like he had any choice as the elevators door opened automatically.

The moment he entered, the elevator felt cramped, with him taking up all of the place. Heidegger merely smirked at the sight of him like he was oh-so-important.

Genesis chose to focus on the button panel.

"Couldn't you hold the lift just now?" Heidegger grunted.

"Didn't see you," Genesis replied with a smirk. That sure was saying something, especially with Heidegger's huge brute size.

Heidegger seemed to get the feeling that he was being snubbed. The frown on his face flicked upwards.

"Going to see the president about your secret mission?" Heidegger leaned in and lowered his voice at the last two words. Then he straightened himself like they were some partners in crime.

Genesis shot him a flat look, one eyebrow slight arched even though his heart practically skipped a beat at those words. He pursed his lips and kept his gaze directed at the elevator button panels with a slight frown.

Was it possible that Heidegger did knew about the secret?

It seemed highly unlikely though.

"Heard it all about from President Shinra himself," Heidegger said with his booming voice, patting his stomach confidently as he gave one of his patented loud horse like laughter. In such a small confined area, it was torture for someone like Genesis who had enhanced hearing.

Genesis eyed the buckle on his belt warily. Heidegger seemed to increase more in size rather than intellectual. Scars could be useful at times to display as a symbol of bravery however he didn't want to leave the elevator with a scar caused by a stray buckle.

"Hey, do you know that I'm talking to you?" Heidegger's loud booming voice sounded again.

"Of course," Genesis replied with slight derision. Like he needed any telling. There was only two of them in this tight cramp place after all. His voice was light but he was holding back the irritation he felt inside him.

"So, what's going on

"Where are you heading?" Heidegger asked bossily.

"None of your business," Genesis drawled.

"Just because you think that you're a First Class SOLDIER, you think you're better than me?" Heidegger's voice boomed inside the tight space.

Genesis rolled his eyes, his back against him. Of course he thought himself better. But he had to get his priorities straight and he had a very important appointment now. The edges of his lips curled up when he saw the floor they were at.

Genesis flashed him a sweet smile, clasping his gloved hands together. "You know what, you're right. I'll have to agree with you on your highly insightful thoughts."

The elevator doors opened and Genesis stepped out from it gracefully.

Heidegger looked completely confused, like a buffoon. The gears in his mind were slowly clinking into places. Then a complete rage came over his features when he finally realised what Genesis meant and a roar rumbled at the back of his throat.

Genesis hid a chuckle under his breath as he marched gracefully across the red carpet, leading to the Executive Office.

"You're late."

The cold voice resonated across the huge chamber. A dark silhouette stood by the window, against the glimmering city of Shinra.

Genesis gave a low bow. "I was eh – slightly obstructed."

Genesis had always thought that the office design was a smart move, constantly reminding everyone that he was the man behind Shinra's success.

As President Shinra moved towards his seat, his expression was shrouded by shadows.

"President Shinra," Genesis said, tipping his body slightly to President's Shinra direction before taking the seat in front of him.

"Did Sephiroth find out anything?" President Shinra asked gruffly.

Genesis was taken aback by his words, but the smile on his face merely widened. "Shouldn't you have more confidence in me?"

"I received reports of him cornering you after his mission from Junon," President Shinra said, straight to the point as usual. He threw a sheaf of photos on the table.

Genesis' eyes flickered towards the photos for a second before flashing a bright smile at President Shinra. "Nice shot," Genesis commented cavalierly. "The photographer did a good work in capturing my fine features."

President Shinra glowered at him.

Genesis' smile lost its wattage for the briefest of second before the smile widened. "I have the information you requested." He took out a sheaf of papers beneath his cloak and slid it across the table.

"Everything seemed to be in order," President Shinra muttered, flipping through briefly. Then he threw the stack of reports on the table. "Anything else you wish to inform me?"

Genesis' heart thumped forebodingly for a second. What did he mean? There was something in President Shinra's tone that made him felt quite uncomfortable.

"Pardon?"

President Shinra narrowed his eyes, cold and mistrust. The scorching, intense gaze was fixated on him, as if trying to burn a hole right through him so President Shinra could see that he was telling the truth.

Ire burned slowly inside him like embers, President Shinra's words fuelling the fire. Couldn't this old geezer see how hard he was trying? Couldn't he give him any points for effort?

"Whose side are you truly on, Genesis?" President Shinra clasped his fingers together and surveyed him with a hard, stern look.

Genesis leaned in close, staring at him right in the eyes so he would know how serious he was. "Rest assure, I've everything planned out." But even though the smile on his face was as sincere as ever, his heart skipped a beat when President Shinra knitted his brows slightly.

Time seemed to be running out.

To be continued…