Standing at the center of town at that tall stone fountain made me feel alone. Really alone, terribly alone I was to some extent very much so alone. I suppose that was me being childish however, keeping people out pushing people away. I had always done it, it was my specialty. It always had been, that and to a lesser extent kicking ass. I smiled a small rueful smile as I heard foot steps approach behind me. I placed my hand on the hilt of my sword and turned around to find Cloud walking towards me.

"Cloud," I said with a small nod.

"Seraphim," the nod was returned. "I… Tifa had to go back, she couldn't find someone to watch over Denzel and Marlene," I nodded more as I watched Cloud pause and look dead at me, "You… you're making a mistake," I tilted my head to the side.

"How am I making a mistake?"

"I'm sure Shinra's not as bad as you think, Rufus isn't his father," he crossed his arms and squinted those too blue swimming mako enhanced eyes at me.

"Then why are they going after Jenova!" I leaned forward a bit and was sure to speak slowly to draw out my words to not like the anger seep into them.

"To keep her out of Yazoo and Loz's hands, I dunno, this doesn't feel right Seraphim," I laughed at him and turned around.

"Cloud nothing feels right anymore, but I've seen things with my own eyes that say this is right, that they are going after her for their own ends,"

"If you say so," he stood next to me and looked at me for a moment, I looked at him and smiled.

"You just miss Tifa," I laughed again and smiled at him "It's a good change, a month ago I would have said that you miss Aeris,"

"It was time to move on…" he trailed off a bit, his voice seemed so sad.

"Cheer up Spiky! Moving on is a good thing, it's not fair to Tifa if you're going to live off of a memory,"

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Kadaj? You know he's not going to stay on our side for long," His words stung a bit, but I didn't let it show I turned to face him and smiled a bit.

"Let me worry about Kadaj, I'll deal with him when… If it comes to that,"

"And if he embraces a piece of Jenova again?"

"I'll worry about that if and when it happens, It will be my problem, my fight,"

"If you say so," he sized me up for a moment. "But you couldn't face Sephiroth last time," and with that he turned on his heel and left. The anger that welled up inside of me was a terrible thing, I had to walk, I couldn't stay standing around in that square.

Walking always helped me think, and cool down. I learned that about myself the year after dealing with Sephiroth. Walking is a very very good thing for me. So I walked slowly around the town and in the direction of the reactor. I had done it so many times that my feet knew the path. I remembered my seventeenth year, I was brought here by Hojo, I remember looking at the mansion and thinking about how dirty it looked. Looking back on it was funny for me mainly because it was mere weeks before Cloud was there with Sephiroth, mere weeks before he lost his mind.

Now it was just this side of amusing to stare up at the creepy old dilapidated mansion. To know of all the secrets that hid inside of its walls and all of the experiments that had taken place simply in the name of Hojo's twisted science. I sighed and stared up the road passed it at the jagged peaks of the mountains and the glint of the abandoned reactor in the far off distance. I couldn't help but to think about what twisted tales those walls would tell if they could talk. Even looking away from it and starting down the road didn't stop my thoughts from wandering there. Unfortunately you couldn't walk in through the front doors anymore, they were sealed shut after we wandered in two years ago. So we were forced to go in a different route, through the mountains and in through the sewers. I was not looking forward to the adventure through the sewers.

My mind was so wrapped up in itself and it's morbid thought process that I was almost glad when I saw Yazoo standing in front of me. I drew my sword and grinned before he even said a word. I had a little bone to pick with Yazoo, and this time I was ready for him. After the last time he got the drop on me I promised myself I wouldn't let it happen again.

"Nice to see you again… sister," he spoke lazily as he slowly approached me, I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What do you want Yazoo?" I spoke softly as quickly glanced him over, and then looked around. I was hoping that it was only Kadaj who could call the shadow hounds.

"Nothing in particular, I know where Mother is… I know you know where mother is…" he smiled a small smile, "But I cannot seem to find a way in,"

"And you're not," I said with a grin and I pursed my lips and readied myself for him to strike.

"But sister, I only want to help our Mother! Don't you want to help Mother, Seraphim?"

"Let me tell you a little something about Mother, Yazoo. I couldn't possibly care less about what Jenova wants, in fact I want Jenova dead, and I won't rest until I have all of her little pieces in a nice big bonfire!" I yelled the last part as I rushed him, I figure what the hell why shouldn't I initiate the fighting, after all I don't even pretend to be a good guy.

Fighting, isn't as easy as they like to make it seem. I jumped at him slashing my sword in a very appropriate downward arc but with Yazoo being so much similar to what I am he moved just in time and my Katana shuddered against the steel of the wrought iron as I sliced through it easily.

Unfortunately my little follow through gave him enough time to draw those little gun daggers of his and come after me shooting. I dodged most of the bullets and deflected the rest with my sword. I did have a shield materia equipped but I was saving it for a very precise moment.

Every now and then I got close enough to him to slice at him a bit, and I usually got a few very good slices in, namely at his arm shredding the leather of his suit and leaving a nice little red cut that dripped blood. This made me happy, perhaps happier than it should have.

Then it happened the moment I was waiting for. He left himself wide open when he went to shoot at me and I activated my shield. The shell went up around me and his bullets just bounced off, and I ran towards him as fast as my tired legs could carry me and I kicked him as hard as I could in the chest. He went flying through the air and landed on the ground yards away. I slumped over a bit as he peeled himself off of the ground and narrowed his eyes at me before he turned to run away.

"And I'm not your Goddamned Sister!" I screamed at him as he ran and I sheathed my sword and near to collapsed against the nearest tree. Not wanting to rest was apparently not an option as my muscles screamed at me even as I sat on the soft over grown green grass by the side of the road. I was totally out of breath and exhausted so exhausted that it took a moment to realize that unfortunately Yazoo had run off in the right direction. "Damn," I cursed as I took my cell phone out of my coat pocket. I dialed Cloud's number.

"Hello?"

"Cloud, you need to get everyone together and we need to head out now," I emphasized the now as much as I could.

"Why, what's wrong?" he seemed almost apathetic to the fact that I sounded like I was going to die of exhaustion.

"Yazoo is what's wrong he's here… kind of I think he knows how to get into the mansion,"

"Are you sure?"

"Am I sure?! Look just get everyone together and have the start for the mountain's I'll meet you on the way,"

"All right… I'll get them together…Where are you?"

"I'm by the mansion just hurry okay, I have a sneaky suspicion that Loz is near by too," I hung up my phone and leaned back against the tree again. Within seconds my breathing was back to normal. I was worried for a second about how winded I had gotten and then I remembered. Jenova. It took a lot out of me to be around others who were infected when they were being hurt. For a moment I almost thought that I might not be able to do this, I quickly pushed the thought out of my head and stood. I stretched my back and stared at the mansion. I had a thought that chilled me to the bone, and the thought was maybe Sephiroth was right for burning it to the ground. I pushed the thought out of my head and started in the direction of the Inn either we would run into each other or I would get there while they were still getting packed either way same end.