Hello! I know it's been a while, but hey- an update's an update, right? Oh, and, yes, things are supposed to be a bit confusing. A couple of things sort of got away from me, so I have to do some serious outlining, but I think it will all come together in the end. Also, this chapter is a bit graphic. Not enough for an M rating, I think, but correct me if I'm wrong. Enjoy, and please review!

I don't own FF7, or any related characters. In fact, a few feel a little OOC in this...

Enjoy!

Chapter Five

MentalBreak

She sighed. The sun shone lightly through the window. Her hands folded in her lap, thumbs moving slightly over each other. A bit of hair fell over her eyes as she bent her head. Her shoulders slumped.

Something inside of her seemed to twitch- to flash a warning. Something wasn't right. But what could be wrong? She was living as she had been for the past few years...

-a black thing reached out for her, eyes glowing-

She jerked upright at the faint reel of memory passed over her eyes, rubbing her head. She had such a headache.

"Aerith?"

She turned, smiling a little at the man in her doorway. "Yes, Barret?"

He shuffled a little, hands in his pockets. "I jus' wanted to thank ya for watchin' Marlene so much for me. It's hard, not seein' her as much as I'd like, but I feel better knowin' that she's with you. You're a good girl, Aerith." He gave one of his gruff smiles, light glinting off of his shining black forehead.

Aerith stood and smiled. "It's no problem at all, Barret. She's wonderful. I'm glad that I've gotten to know her. Is Myrna bringing her by on her way to work?"

Barret nodded. "Yeah, I jus' figured I'd stop by on my way 'round the mountain. I should be back by eight...but Myrna might come before me, 'round seven or so..." He looked a little worried. "Sorry about the lateness an' all..."

Aerith smiled. "It's no problem. It was my break day anyway. It's not as if I'm the only healer in town!" She laughed. "And the flower shop is being managed by Yuffie. Don't worry so much; I love spending time with Marlene. She's like the sister I never had."

Barret shook his head. "I 'preciate it- though I don't know how you can trust that ninja girl to watch over your flowers." He scowled, though his eyes showed his humor.

Aerith laughed again. "Yuffie will be fine. Bored maybe, but fine. I am positive that the shop will still be standing tomorrow."

Barret chuckled, and then backed out the doorway. "You know how to contact me if there's any problems. I'll see ya later, Aerith." With that, he was out the door. Aerith walked over to the window and watched him walk out of her house, waving at Myrna as she pulled up. The older woman got out of her car and spoke briefly to her husband, seeming almost concerned. He waved her off. She rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. Barret seemed to shrink back a little and nodded. Myrna smiled, and then waved up at Aerith, opening the back seat of the car and pulling out the two-year-old Marlene, who bounced up and down on the sidewalk, grinning.

Aerith walked out the door and into the hall, passing the familiar pictures of her mother and father, making her way to the living room and opening up the door just in time to be tackled in the legs by a very energetic little girl.

"Aery!" Marlene cheered. Aerith laughed, prying the little girl off of her legs. "I'm glad to see you too kiddo." She looked up at Myrna, who smiled at her, though her expression was a little worried. Aerith frowned, and cocked her head to one side, eyes asking the older woman a silent question.

Myrna's eyebrows furrowed a little, and she bit her lip. "I'm just nervous...going anywhere near that place. Too much has happened there for me to not be...anxious. Barret and I are rarely called there for anything, so going there now makes me worried about what we might find along the way."

Marlene, still a bit young to completely grasp what was going on, said: "Mommy, why you sad?"

Myrna smiled, bending down to her daughter. "I'm not sad sweetie. I'm just anxious to get back home to you after this. But daddy and I have to work, so we won't see you for a while, okay?"

Marlene frowned. "Do you hafta go?"

Myrna smiled again, her eyes still tight. "I'm afraid so, sweetheart. But you'll have so much fun here with Aerith you'll hardly miss us." She leaned forward, giving the child a tight hug and a kiss on the forehead. "I'll see you soon, Marlene." She stood up, blowing her gently graying black hair out of her face, taking a deep breath. "I convinced Barret to wait for me so we could drive past there together, so I have to go now, or we'll both be late." Once again, her smile did not reach her eyes.

Aerith could understand her worry. After all, many strange things had happened around the mountain-

-A terrified boy with blue eyes screamed, the black things reaching for them all, and she felt the boy push her back, Zack grabbing her arm at the same time so that she toppled over on top of him, and the black thing missed her, and turned to the blue-eyed boy-

Aerith blinked, and shook her head, her right temple throbbing steadily. She clasped Myrna's hands. "Everything will be fine. I'll see you later, and I'll call if there's any problems."

Myrna looked grateful, and nodded. She took a few steps from the door, and then looked back, her smile so fragile, like broken glass that had been clumsily glued together, her eyes a little wet with tears that didn't fall.

"Bye," She said, and turned, walking the rest of the way to her car, driving off with her husband right behind her. Aerith watched their cars fade, and then looked down at Marlene, who grinned at her, the few teeth that she had recently gotten gleaming.

Aerith tried to force down all the worry she felt, the sudden thumping of her heart. She clapped her hands together. "Come on Marlene, let's have some fun."

The little girl giggled, and they were off.

~(~)~(~)~(~)~(~)~(~)~

Zack cursed vividly, punching the wall so hard that the whole house shook. Enough of this, he thought. It had been two days. Maybe he was being impatient, but he was tired of waiting. He should have gone with them in the first place!

Well, that was that. He was pissed at himself for not insisting to go, but there was only one remedy for that: to go after them. Better late than never, right? Unless it was too late. Don't think like that, he told himself frantically.

It wasn't as if he didn't care about Marlene- he honestly doubted whether anyone would be able to find a sweeter little girl. It also wasn't as if he didn't care about Aerith. Far from it- they were best friends, and at that moment were still husband and wife. Even if things hadn't exactly worked out for them, he still loved her. As a friend, or as something more, it didn't matter. He loved her. He wanted to help her and Marlene, and Tifa and Yuffie, who had been his friends as long as he could remember.

But first...

He went into his room, grabbing his sword. The sword that had belonged to the man that had raised him for half of his life, before he, too, died. Zack shook his head, taking a deep breath as he remembered the man that had been a combination of mentor and, if not father, then perhaps uncle.

He swung the sword around, testing it. The weight felt good in his hands, as it always did. He clipped it to his back, and ran out the door into his own car.

The drive took a number of minutes. It was the place where Marlene had last been spotted, the place where so many had disappeared, or died.

He pulled to the side of the road, getting out of the car, eyes narrowed.

He had avoided this place, just like everyone else, for most of his life.

It didn't look frightening. Trees grew up along the gentle slope of the mountain, and the road went straight for a long while, completely flat, giving the illusion that nothing would be able to sneak up on you as you drove along. One hand gripped his Buster Sword, the other hand in a tight fist. He took a step forward, and gasped, images flashing over his eyes-

-He was gone, he was gone, and Zack didn't know what to do, didn't know what to say-

-and Aerith screamed, and blue eyes flashed, mixing with his own scream as he was dragged up and away, the adults that came to their rescue too late-

Zack opened his eyes, gritted his teeth, and walked forward. There had to be some sign of, well, something! Footprints, some evidence of a struggle...

There! Something small and white, no bigger than the average leaf. Swallowing past the queasiness that automatically made it's way up his throat the longer he stood there; Zack went to the waving piece of cloth. He ran it over his gloved fingers, nodding. Definitely Marlene's, from her nightgown. Well, it was a start.

He took a look around again. It was hard to believe, just by looking, that so many bad things had happened here...

-because it was his fault, his fault, he hadn't been able to save him-

Zack shook his head, running his other hand through his hair. Get a hold of yourself, Fair, he thought. This is no time to loose it!

Bad things had happened here- horrible things. He knew that, and yet...

A headache rippled across his skull, and he nearly collapsed at the force of it. "Damn it," he hissed. "Why can't I remember...?" There was something, some reason he had to come here, to try and make himself remember, remember that thing, that time, when he had failed, when he had lost-

-"They took him," Aerith cried. "Why? Why would they take him?!-

"They took him..." Zack mumbled, leaning against a tree as he stumbled slightly. "They took him...we couldn't...I couldn't...save him..."

-"It's all my fault," she sobbed. "They took him, Zack! They took Cloud!"-

With a loud gasp, he righted himself, reeling, nearly falling backward. He had to go up the mountain. Now. They had to get Marlene, and get Aerith out of there.

"Cloud..." He whispered. "Cloud..." And there it was, the memories playing in his mind- flashes of the little boy with his big blue eyes, and shy smiles, the little boy who at one time had not been so little, but had been his best friend. Cloud.

Cloud had been taken, all those years ago. And now Marlene was gone, taken as well. That place had taken, it had killed, some that he had known, others he had not, and now he knew- now he knew that Cloud and Marlene had been taken for a reason.

And that reason was Aerith.

~(~)~(~)~(~)~(~)~(~)~

"Marlene!" Aerith skidded to a stop outside of the hallway. A giggle reached her ears, and she smiled in spite of herself. "Marlene," She scolded lightly, walking toward the little girl and snagging her around the waist before she could run away again, "It's your bedtime."

The little girl shook her head. "Uh-uh!"

Aerith rolled her eyes, smiling. She bent over, putting her face right up to Marlene's. "Uh-huh!" She insisted.

Marlene shook her head again. She wriggled, trying to push her way out of Aerith's grip. The older girl held her securely. "Marlene," She said sternly.

Marlene looked up at her pleadingly. "No! I'm not goin' to bed 'till mommy comes!"

Aerith smiled, even as she felt an odd pang inside of herself. "Marlene, I can understand, but it's getting late. If nothing else, get ready for bed, alright?"

Marlene considered this, lips jutted out in a pout. "...Okay." She said finally. Aerith set her down, and Marlene scampered off down the hallway. Aerith shook her head, and straightened, yawning. It was only eight thirty. Barret had phoned an hour ago saying that they would be back just a little bit later than he'd said, probably close to nine. She was glad that Marlene was lucky in adoptive parents, like she had been. Not everyone was, and Marlene deserved wonderful parents that loved her very much.

Aerith sucked in a sharp breath, pressing her fingertips to her forehead. She had such a headache-

-and their fingers were reaching out to each other, but it wasn't enough-

Aerith bit back a gasp, and shook her head. She stumbled backward a little, bracing herself against the wall. Her head throbbed, and her heart pounded, fear spiking her veins. But why? What was wrong? What could possibly be happening?

She had never felt this way before, not even when her mother had died, and she had known it before anyone else had, even though she hadn't even been there at the time...

"Aery?" Marlene's voice came from behind her. "Do you have an ouchie?"

Aerith turned, and smiled at the little girl. "I just have a headache, honey. Come on," She held out her hand. "Let's go sit at the couch by the window." She grasped the small fingers in her own and led her into the living room, trying to ignore the fear that still made her heart pound, and her head twist worriedly at every odd sound.

They went through about eight rounds of patty cake before Marlene's eyelids started drooping. Outside, lightning flashed. Aerith jumped a little, frowning at the dark sky. That was odd. It hadn't looked like it would rain earlier...

Marlene tried to stifle a yawn, but Aerith caught her, and raised an eyebrow. The little girl blinked rapidly several times, trying to straighten up. "No bed!" She said, valiantly keeping her eyes wide open for about five seconds before they drooped again. Aerith bit back a laugh. "Alright Marlene, if you say so. But, you know, if you wanted, it's okay to close your eyes for a second. You wouldn't be sleeping, you'd just be resting your eyes..."

Marlene blinked, nearly shutting her eyes right away at Aerith's words. She shook her head and blinked a few more times. "No sleep..." she mumbled, eyes closing and then seeming to drag themselves open again for a few more moments.

Aerith smiled, gently leaning the young girl back against the couch, laying her legs out straight, tucking some hair behind her little ear as her brown eyes fluttered and closed again-

-Where was Marlene? Where was her daughter? She had to find her-

Aerith jerked back, breathing uneven, shaking her own head as if trying to get rid of her tiredness, heart thumping madly. What was going on? What had she just seen? It had felt so real-

-memories overlapped, Tifa-Zack-Marlene-Yuffie-Marlene-blue eyes-Barret-a little doll with bright green eyes-her real mom- Elmyra, her adoptive mom-Marlene-blue eyes-Tifa-Yuffie-Zack-blue eyes-black tentacles reaching, groping, grabbing-death-death-death-gone-gone-gone-blue eyes-Marlene-that night-wrong, all wrong-dancing-stars-wrong-

She fell backward, landing on her side off of the couch, eyes closed tight, hands coming up to her head as tears collected in her eyes. What was going on?! Why was this happening?! What were these things she was seeing?

Her head felt as if it was going to burst open, right down the middle. Suddenly, her eyes flew open, and she gasped. Almost catlike, she jumped up, and crawled quickly to the window, staring at it, hair falling in front of her eyes. "Barret," She breathed, stepping backward shakily. "Myrna...oh no!"

Aerith ran. She grabbed the staff her birth mother had given her, and went out the door, worried eyes glancing at Marlene before shutting and locking it. The rain poured down on her in sharp pellets, lighting flashing, thunder seeming to vibrate the very ground as she ran, breath coming in heaving gasps. She should have taken a car, but there was no time to get hers started, there was no time, no time-

-black things, horrible things, reaching, screaming, tearing-

Her feet slipped, getting cut open, for she had not even grabbed her boots. Her toes scrabbled against rock and dirt, mud making her path slick, frantic steps unsteady and flailing. She tripped, and she started crying out, for what, she didn't know, but this couldn't happen, she couldn't let it happen, she had to try and stop it-

-she hadn't been able to stop her mother from dying, either mother, but she had to try, she had to get there in time, even though she had failed with not only them, but with Cloud, too-

She climbed her way up a hill, low hanging branches cutting at her skin, tangling in her hair, pulling at her like clawed fingers, as the forest at the base of the mountain teemed with screeches and moving things, black things that stared at her. She could feel them; feel their eyes as her hands pushed away at the wooden fingers that scraped her forehead and arms. Water ran into and from her eyes, her head turning about frantically, as she turned a corner-

-and there was nothing she could do; there was no hope, no nothing-

She screamed, her voice coming out raw, twisting, as she tripped and fell, knees scraping, palms stinging, mud and water splashing in her face as another bought of lightning scorched the sky.

Two cars were before her, mud-splattered and wrecked, crashed and crumpled, black creatures teeming out of the forest, reaching with long fingers toward a screaming Myrna, who was pinned to her seat, the steering wheel pressed up against her chest, as one of the creatures reached through the broken glass and pulled, Myrna's screaming cutting off abruptly as the creature pulled too hard, and the glass cut what was left of her, the pinned steering wheel holding down the rest-

Aerith couldn't move, she didn't know why she literally couldn't move. Her limbs wouldn't move, no matter how hard she tried, and her head would not turn away, nor would her eyes close against the sight that she desperately wished she could un-see, but her body didn't seem to belong to her anymore, and this couldn't be happening, this couldn't be happening, it couldn't be, she hadn't-

-she fell forward and was violently sick, the others around her gasping and crying as they stared at what they had been too late to change, as always-

Barret screamed his wife's name, as one of the creatures grabbed hold of him by one arm, the other dangling uselessly, the tentacle-like fingers wrapping around him even as he kicked and screamed and struggled, wrapping around his limbs and stilling him, covering his mouth.

"This one is strong," a voice seemed to rumble from the very shadows, louder than the thunder. "The Master says to bring him. Perhaps he will be of some use."

And the strange shadows converged, the towering monsters swarmed upon Barret, who continued to struggle violently, eyes passing over her as if she wasn't there, as if she didn't exist-

But then shouts came from behind her.

Aerith found her head turning against her will, turning like a screw that has rusted and can hardly move as she fought against whatever force was holding her. Her eyes widened, and she tried to talk, tried to scream.

For it was Zack that was running up the hill, Zack and Tifa and Yuffie, her shuriken clutched tightly in her hand. Behind them were others, people she knew from around town- Jessie, Elena, Reeve, and Tseng, all with their own types of weapons raised; everything from dinner knives to old pitchforks, to the best of swords or guns.

Rain dripped down Zack's face, rolling past his nose as he glared at the creatures, sharing a quick glance with Tifa and Yuffie before they charged, the others behind them. Aerith struggled, trying to reach out a hand to them, for what she didn't know, but they went past her, not even glancing at her as she lay prone on the muddied road, held down like a heavy slab of stone was pressing down on her, breathing short and gasping.

The black things turned to them, and converged, gliding toward them, the one holding Barret going around, and up into the trees, disappearing.

Jessie was the first to die.

The black creature dived at her, and she screamed, even as she made a wild swipe with the pitchfork she was holding, the creature stopped in front of her, and slashed with it's tentacle like claws at her, slicing her clean through so that she crumpled, a shredded mass of skin and blood that lay like ripped clothing on the ground.

Elena fell not long after, screaming in defiance and firing her gun to the last moment, sliding on her knees in the slick mud, as one of the creatures beheaded her, the blood following the severed limb in an arc. Her body fell slowly, limply.

Zack, Tifa, and Yuffie were holding their own as best as they could, but the shadowed creatures fought harder, and did not seem to tire.

Tseng was stabbed in the gut, one of the creatures having punched him, its fist going completely through his body, as if it was as sharp as a sword blade, breaking Tseng's spine, the older man falling suddenly, swiftly, like a puppet whose string has been cut.

All she could do was watch helplessly as one by one, people that she had come to know and love died before her eyes.

It took two of the creatures each to take down Tifa and Yuffie, who fought with swinging fists until the end, when the darkness swarmed on them, ripping them apart, their screams cutting off just as Myrna's had, horribly, the ringing silence worse than their piercing screams-

And Zack screamed too, screamed their names harshly, as his sword arced again and again, almost seeming to pass through the monsters as if they were no more than wisps of smoke.

This couldn't be happening, this couldn't be happening, it wasn't right, it wasn't true, it couldn't be-

-Zack told her not to look, not to look at the remains of the older woman that had been Marlene's mother-

There was something on the edge of her mind, she was just missing it, but it was there, and she concentrated on that something as hard as she could, trying to close her eyes, turn her face away from the horror before her, trying to turn off the sound of her friends screams, even as she desperately watched, Zack, still swinging his sword, even as the creatures tore at him, striking his flesh and making him bleed, he fought on, yelling and screaming in terrible anger.

She had to think! Because this couldn't be true, it couldn't be happening, it couldn't, it wasn't-

Zack twisted in the air, giving an almighty swing even as the creatures converged on him. One of the creatures lifted it's hands, which were shaped almost like swords, and swung at Zack as he spun, catching him midair, separating his torso from his legs, his sword falling from his broken body-

It wasn't, it couldn't be-

He seemed to turn slowly in the air as he fell, legs spinning away from him, light leaving his eyes as they found her, his arm reaching out toward her, and she somehow was able to close her eyes-

-real.

-Cloud-Marlene-Tifa-Yuffie-Zack-Marlene-Cloud-Tifa-Zack-Yuffie-

It wasn't real. Her eyes opened suddenly.

Aerith jerked, and everything, everywhere, stopped.

Slowly, the scene around her seemed to vanish, slipping away, leaving her trembling slightly, panting, fists clenched on the ground even as everything went away. Her head darted around, and she climbed to her feet. "What's going on?!" She called into the nothingness. "None of that was real! What are you doing to me?! And what have you done with my friends?!"

There was no answer, but a soft chuckle seemed to come from behind her. Aerith whirled around. No one was there. Aerith felt tears prick her eyes. The darkness threatened to swallow her up, and she took a few steps backward. "I want my daughter," She said quietly, her voice somehow all the more fierce for it's volume. "And I want my friends, and Cloud. Where are they?"

"Ahhh, getting specific now, are we?" A mocking male voice spoke from the darkness, just to her left.

Aerith's head snapped around, and out of the darkness a man stepped. He had blonde hair, spiked, and eyes as blue and wide as Cloud's. But the eyes were cold, like chips of ice. He leaned back, and the darkness seemed to solidify behind him, so it was as if he was leaning against a wall. He crossed his arms, smirking. He wore a suit, like only the very rich could afford.

"...Who are you?" Aerith asked.

The man stared at her, ignoring her question. He looked her up and down, and then nodded to himself. "I see. You are quite beautiful. And your eyes- they're very deep. Like they can tell everything about a person just by looking at them. I see why he's so fond of you."

"What are you talking about?"

The man continued to ignore her, almost talking to himself. "Yes...and you really figured it out? Of course, yours was almost the easiest one. Your friends all experienced things that they actually witnessed, so it would be much harder..."

"What are you talking about?" Aerith hissed, getting frustrated. "You did...whatever all of that was, you did it, didn't you? What I was seeing...you did that to me, right? Are you saying you did it to Tifa and Yuffie too?!"

The man's eyes went directly to hers for the first time, and his lips twisted in a smile. He stood, and began walking toward her. Aerith reached behind her back, pulling out her staff and leveling it at him. He started laughing.

"Very brave of you, but I'm afraid it won't do you much good here. What you just saw, where we are now, none of it's real, you see...but what is real beyond this illusion? How can we tell? I don't know anymore, but what does it matter?" He stopped, just in front of her staff, and she crouched a little more, making her grip tighter.

"Tell me what is going on," She said, her voice still surprisingly calm.

He looked at her for a few moments with a raised eyebrow. "Well, you already partially figured it out for yourself. But, yes, I suppose there are some holes in your knowledge..."

"Stop this!" Aerith cried, advancing on him. "Tell me what is going on! Tell me where my daughter is! And my friends, and Cloud! Tell me where they are!"

"Bossy, aren't you?" He asked snidely. He put his hands in his pockets, seeming at ease, though something in his eyes darkened. "There is a puppet master in all of this, as I'm sure you've guessed. The real question is; how many of us are truly his puppets? And how many of us puppets no longer want to be?"

Aerith stared at him, eyebrows coming together. For a moment she didn't say anything. "...Stop with these questions," She said finally. "Tell me where the others are, and what is going on here!" He stared at her for a moment, before giving a cold smile.

"My name is Rufus," He said. "Do you find me sadistic, Miss Gainsborough?"

She blinked. "What?"

The man's smirk vanished, and his eyes became almost bleak, while still somewhat cold. He took his hands out of his pockets. "I was sent here to torture your mind, in the worst way I could find. I was to torture the minds of you, and of your friends. It's something I have a knack for- easily seeing what hurts people the most. One of the things I inherited from my father. I was told to break all of your minds, to the point where you would not struggle or fight. It's something I've done often. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's not. You and your friends all have some rather...interesting memories. Some of which seem to have been hidden from you, though I can't say how..."

"I don't understand what you're talking about," Aerith insisted. She didn't lower her staff.

The man shrugged. "Well, it is complicated, I suppose. But I can't really explain the whole to you, I'm afraid. I don't understand the whole myself. But let's just say this: I'm a puppet who wants to cut my strings, and walk without my master. What I do to people doesn't work if they realize that it's fake- that's just how it is. I am neither evil, nor good. I could be either, if pressed correctly. I like power, I'll admit. But I was kidnapped into this slavery, and the last thing I want to do is benefit the power of the slave master."

Aerith drew back, just a little. "What are you saying...?"

Rufus smiled. It was both pleasant, and frightening, and it made her wary. "I am going to help you, if I can."

"Then help me!" Aerith insisted.

The man shook his head, almost pityingly. "Not that simple, you should know that. My strings haven't been cut yet, after all. Hell, I'll get trapped in one of my own illusions for this. But we've got time. The master is away for a while." His eyes hardened. "I'm going to tell you as much as I can, and maybe you can figure out the rest. So listen, got it?"

Aerith's lips thinned, but she nodded warily.

"Good. Yes, I made you go through that nightmare of an illusion." Rufus's voice was lofty. "But you realized that it wasn't real, unlike your friends. They're illusions, were very real to them, for the simple reason that my master was breathing down my neck, and wasn't sure I still wanted to be his puppet. Hate me for that if you wish, because yes: I put your friends through a lot of pain. And as a result, they're being held prisoner. Now, my master wants you. He's been after you ever since he learned of your existence, which is something your mother tried to keep a secret for as long as she could. Both of your mothers, actually. Because you've got just as much power as my master does, if not more. And because, like him, you don't come from the town in which you grew up. You know you that you have magic, right?"

"...Yes." Aerith stared at him, unsure what to make of his words.

"That's a start. But you don't know everything that you can do. My master has an idea of that. Which is why he wants you. Even though you might be able to stop him, he also wants to use you. I don't know what for. But the key to solving all of this is with that doll your daughter picked up, understand? As well as the doll's guardian. And with your friends. They all have a part to play in this too, unless I'm wrong. And I'm never wrong." He glanced up, as though he was looking at the sky to tell what the time was. "My master wants you to come to him, beaten and weak in mind so that he can easily use you. But that is not what's going to happen."

He looked straight at her. "Ever wonder why no one moved from the town, even though so many dangerous things happened there? Or why those that did say they were moving just seemed to vanish? My master is building an army, so that he can take on the world. He took people that were strong, or young and fit, young enough to be brainwashed, so that he could do this. He wants to take on the world, and the company that once had a branch in the mountains here. The company that was responsible for spawning him, making him as he is. My father's company. But there's more to it than that, I just don't know what."

Rufus looked at the sky again. "I'm going to tell you where you can find the cages. Along the way, you'll meet someone that's going to try and hurt you as much as she can. The cages are farther away that they'll look, and the castle is larger than it seems. Nothing will be as it seems, remember that. Your daughter should be with Vincent right now, along with that doll. She's safe for the moment, though I don't know how long that will last. My master knows she's here, and as soon as he returns, he will go after her. But Vincent isn't tied to my master, and neither is the doll. Once you're close to the cages, the red light will tell you where to go. From there, follow the green light. Even if you can't see it, you should be able to feel it."

Aerith hardly knew at all what he was talking about; she struggled to mentally keep up as he continued.

"I'm sure Cloud is as desperate to find you, as you are to find him. He'll probably be in the cages as well. Remember: nothing is as it seems. Try and unlock your memories. If you find Cloud, he can help you. I'm going to drop you off right where you were- just inside the castle. There will be a lot of monsters, but they won't kill you. Sneak around as much as you can, and if you can't, use your magic. They won't like that."

Everything started to fade again, including Rufus, as he stepped back. "You'll get to the point where my master's puppets will be falling away from him. When that time comes, I'll find my way there, and you can decide if I'm your enemy or not." He smiled, and leaned closer to her. "You never did say, whether or not you find me sadistic, Miss Gainsborough. Well?"

Aerith stared hard at him, even as everything began to swirl around her, and his smirking face began to fade. "I don't know," She said, her voice surprisingly strong. "But I don't think so."

She got only a slight glimpse of his surprise, before she fell away from everything.

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END OF CHAPTER

Ah, Rufus...I haven't written much of him. In one of my other FF7 stories, he's a complete a-hole, so I felt a little odd making him less of one...he's sort of an anti-her I guess, which is sort of how Rufus strikes me anyway. But, I could be wrong. And, I totally stole his 'sadistic' line from Kill Bill. I love that line. :D

Hope this illuminates a few things that have been going on, and answers a few questions. But it probably raises just as many as it answers! Sorry the update took so long...I just updated my CA FF7 Piece of Me story too. That one is a little more outlined than this one is, but I'm not abandoning this story, I promise!

Reviews:

Superis: Wow, thank you. I've never really done mysterious stories, so this is quite fun for me!

: Haha, glad you like so much, I'm flattered. :) Sorry, no updating soon. An update though!

Princess of the Kinght: Hello! Cloud angst is fuuuun, even if it makes me cry. I think angst is a writers' best friend. :D And yeah, Tifa is not a spiteful bitch. She annoys me sometimes, but I DO like her. She's Aerith's best friend, something I really get to delve into in 'Piece of Me'. Thanks for the review, and I'm really glad you like so much!

That's it!

Okay, no promises on the next chapter, but I will work on it. Reviews honestly help me to write faster!

Hope you all enjoyed. 'Till next time. :)