This chapter isn't all that long. The next "section" was too big to fit on only two pages, and so if I had included it, it would have put me over my ten page limit (I try not to make my chapters much longer than ten pages. This is due to my old tendency to have my chapters be far too long. As some of you know, this story is the second draft of an earlier story I wrote. At that time, my chapters averaged a hundred pages).

Elena couldn't help being worried. She had good reason to be. There were a lot of jams the Turks got into. Reno and Rude always treated it as if it was nothing more than part of the routine, but not her. She couldn't stand some of the things they did, or how nonchalant they treated so many things. It drove her crazy sometimes. However, today she had special reason to be worried. Even Reno and Rude had been miffed after seeing what had happened to Krystea last night. That boded ill for them all.

I'll feel a lot better when we get out of here.

Packing wasn't much of an issue for the Turks. Other than their fat wallets and personal weaponry, there wasn't much here to obtain. They had made use of stock items while at the New Shinra HQ Dome, and so they had little to pick up now. Rude, typically, had the least. His weapons were his fists. So typically, he was the first one out. Elena had come soon after, a bit surprised that she hadn't been last. She was the one who was usually finicky about things. Reno had come out already too, although he had gone on ahead to "clear things up". That left the two Turks waiting on Krystea.

Elena was pacing through the "common area" at this point. The Turks had been assigned one of the "suites", a series of four bedrooms that were arranged around one common area with a few couches and a television. Pretty swanky considering how most of the troops were living. They had rarely used it, but now it served as a waiting area. Rude, on his part, was calmly sitting with hands folded on the couch. Elena kept looking from her watch to Krystea's door to the front door of the common area, which Reno had departed already, and from which they were awaiting his return.

The woman looked back to Krystea's door, and saw that it was still closed. She frowned and flustered before looking to Rude. "What's taking her so long?"

"…Relax." Was all the Rude responded, not even looking up.

"You don't think something else is wrong with her, do you?"

"No."

Elena crossed her arms and exhaled again. She uneasily stopped, and turned and looked around. "I don't like this. She looks just like…"

"Relax." Rude interrupted.

Elena snapped to him at this. "How am I supposed to relax? We have no idea what they did to her! What if they tried to make her into a-"

"If they did…and things go bad…then what good will it do to worry about it before something happens?" Rude calmly cut off. "And if nothing is wrong, then this isn't helping either and you're worrying for nothing."

Elena hesitated here. That was true enough…but it still didn't ease her fears that much. She flustered again for a moment, and then finally groaned. "…But we can't just sit here and treat this like it was having a bad hair day or something! I mean…she actually ripped off her old body and threw up her old innards! That's not normal!"

"No, it isn't." Rude flatly answered, keeping his head forward and not turning to her. "…So what do we do about it?"

Again, the woman paused as her mind went blank. Worrying about something was one thing, but one of the things that an excessive worrier never considered is what they could do about their situation other than worry. Such a thing was happening now. She had no answer for a few moments, before she grimaced, shrugged helplessly, and then ventured something.

"I don't know…maybe take her to…a doctor or something…some scientist…"

"…So does that mean you trust the scientists here?"

Elena snapped at that. "No! Not at all-"

"Then you're worrying for nothing." Rude calmly concluded. "For now we can't do anything other than take her to the scientists here. Since they're out, we can't do anything until we're off of this continent."

Elena opened her mouth to speak again, but nothing came out. With a sigh, she slumped back into her old mood and began to pace again. Rude was right, of course. No doubt he had reached this conclusion a while ago, and that's why he was handling this so well. He and Reno must have known they had already done all they could, and that now they could only wait until they could do more. She supposed she should feel the same way…but it was no good. She felt so helpless here…

A hiss of hydraulics went off nearby. For the first time, Rude turned and looked up. Elena immediately stopped and turned as well to the source. Krystea's door was opening up. She was finally coming out. The female Turk turned her body the rest of the way in that direction…partially to greet her, but subconsciously to marvel and stare at her transformation.

Both were soon gaping at a change…but it wasn't the one she went through last night.

Seeming rather casual…and perhaps even a little lusty…Krystea walked in. Her suit pants had been…modified. Now, they were cut all the way to the hips, and stitched together to form a little skirt rather than shorts. Her suitcoat was off and slung over one shoulder, and her white shirt sleeves were cut up above the elbow. Her tie was loose around her neck, with her top button undone.

It was a good thing that Rude wore sunglasses…lest he be revealed gaping at the sight. As it was, he found himself momentarily frozen with his mouth open. This new uniform seemed to bring out her new shapely curves and smooth, flawless skin rather strongly. Elena herself was astonished. Krystea didn't seem embarrassed at all as she walked in, her sidearm slapping lightly against her side. She was smiling as she did so, calmly walking around toward one of the couches. Elena couldn't be sure…but did she almost see her flash a larger smile at Rude?

"Sorry I'm late." She apologized in a calm voice. "I was getting tired of that cramped old uniform. So I altered it. I figured that no one would mind. Reno never wears his properly."

Elena stared a bit longer at Krystea, but then turned to Rude somewhat hesitantly. "Uh…Rude? I don't know…is this regulation?"

Rude, however, looked like he hadn't heard as he gaped at Krystea. After a pause, he shook his head and turned to her. "Uh…huh?" Was the only response he gave.

The woman frowned uneasily in response. Her old fears began to rise again. She looked back to Krystea…and saw her simply smile at Rude's reaction before leaning back a bit more. This began to make the woman more worried. This was too weird. Krystea never acted like this…especially not given her past. She had been sexually abused as a child. She always made sure everything was covered with her suit. Why would she suddenly be flaunting her figure like some old fart's mistress? She didn't look the slightest bit bashful or ashamed…

Before Elena could ponder this further, however, another hiss went out, louder this time. All three turned to the front of the chamber, and saw the two double doors open wide. A moment later, looking much calmer and more like his cocky, eternally cool self, was Reno. He was vigorously ignoring Dome regulations and smoking a cigarette as he half strolled in. Yet even now, he seemed a bit more hurried, and an underlying agitation was permeating him.

The man came into the middle of the common area and moved to speak. But before a word came out, his eyes drifted over to the woman on the nearby couch. Elena looked to her again as well…and saw that she had stretched out one arm on the top and crossed her legs in one of those more seductive postures… This only made her more unsettled…

"Yowza." Reno remarked as he saw her, his face spreading into a grin as he stopped and put his hands on his hips. He turned to his companion. "Rude? Why didn't you tell me you were having a party in here?"

Krystea smiled as well…a bit too much for Elena. She snickered a bit. "I guess that means you like my new look?"

Reno snickered as well and looked to her again…seeming to be drinking her in. Yet rather than look offended, Krystea seemed to enjoy it. This further unsettled Elena. "Like it? Heh… I think I'd have to resign as a card carrying member of the Male Chauvenist Pig Society if I said no. Who are you, and what have you done with Krystea Anne Valentine?"

This last part, of course, was in complete jest. That expression was used all the time, and was most appropriate here. It was also obvious that it was sarcastic. Elena saw this plainly.

Krystea, apparently, did not.

Almost immediately, Elena saw her smile evaporate. Her eyes lowered and narrowed more dangerously. She saw one of her hands clench into a fist.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She nearly snapped.

Elena's worry increased as she saw the change come over Krystea. Suddenly…she seemed a lot darker and stronger. Her green eyes suddenly seemed to burn a bit within her skull. Elena thought she felt a cold breeze suddenly move through the room. The air seemed a bit more dead, and the lights appeared to dim. She didn't notice this alone. Although it was scarcely perceptible through their poker faces, Elena saw Rude's mouth shift slightly, and Reno momentarily quake in his cocky mannerisms. She knew right then she wasn't alone in her worrying. The others had noticed this too.

Yet in a split second, it passed, as Reno smiled again.

"Hey, I'm just jerking you around, Krystea. Don't get all uptight like that. Bad choice of words, I know. Sorry about that slip up. Won't happen again."

Elena, however, was still rather tensed up. She turned and looked to Rude next. She saw that he too had resumed his old calm behavior. She looked back to Reno, and saw nothing indicating any fear or anxiety. Everyone was back to normal again. Swallowing a bit, Elena tried to do the same, although it was obvious she was failing at it.

Luckily, Krystea didn't seem to focus on her. She stared at Reno a bit longer in the wake of this moment of tension. But on seeing him perfectly casual and calm again…she slowly began to smile again as well. Her fist loosened, and she began to grow looser and more carefree once more. The darkness began to lift, and the room seemed warmer again. However…it didn't return fully to the state it had been in before, it seemed. To Elena, there now seemed to be some energy on the air. It was like Krystea had been a lion that had lunged at a potential foe…but after backing down she simply retreated and appeared normal, yet was still wary for another strike…

Reno soon turned away from her at any rate, and was calm again as he looked to the others. His old earnest and tension that he had from before came back. "Anyway, moving on…we have trouble."

Rude leaned up at this, and he and Elena looked to Reno. The moment had passed, and they now focused on this. "Trouble?" Rude asked. "What kind?"

"Apparently Colonel Maritza went AWOL last night." Reno explained.

Elena blinked in surprise and leaned in closer. "You serious?"

"Not just her." Reno answered. "She had about three hundred defectors with her. They pirated one of the destroyers and tried to sail for Midgar Bay. Didn't quite work out as she hoped. They were blown out of the water before they ever hit shore. But this was just the spark to the kindling. Now the General thinks they have defectors scattered throughout the army and he's going to try and iron them out. He's rounding up anyone who even hints at the prospect of switching sides."

Krystea, seeming to focus on this now, frowned a bit and looked somewhat uneasy herself. "…And I guess that includes us…seeing how we were so adamant about leaving the NSA last night."

That thought soon sent a wave of fear through all four of them. Strong as they were, they couldn't fight off an army or get through everything. And they knew the fate that befell anyone who betrayed the NSA. They had carried out several of them themselves.

"…Sh't." Rude finally stated.

"We need to get out of here before they make it this far." Elena threw in.

"Yeah…I noticed." Reno answered back, as if Elena was stating the most obvious thing in the world…which she was. "That's going to be a major problem. Every vehicle is being grounded, especially the airborne vehicles. He's wanting to make sure that no one gets out of here before they've been checked out. We couldn't even get a one-man snowmobile at this point."

Krystea sighed. "Terrific. So what do we do?"

Reno gave a shrug. "We get out of here using what God gave us…our own two feet."

"We're going to try and walk out of here?" Elena answered incredulously. "We can't walk across an ocean! And it's the dead of winter out there!"

Reno merely waved her off. "We'll live. We're going to get changed real quick, and then we're going to hike down south until we get to the Neo Junon port. Once there we'll try going through the normal channels of getting a boat. If we can't…" He shrugged. "We'll just have to purloin one."

"Why don't we grab a vehicle now, rather than have to camp outside?" Elena asked.

"Because we don't want to be doing anything illegal in the NSA until we absolutely have to." Reno flatly answered. "They can't bust us for walking. Besides, there's a storm moving in. We'll be covered."

Elena rolled her eyes and moaned at the thought.

"Ain't really many other options available to us, Elena." Reno reminded her. "Now let's get going before they start wondering what we're up to."

Rufus Shinra didn't normall receive phone calls. After all, he could list the number of people who had his telephone number on one hand. He normally used his phone to make anonymous outgoing calls. Therefore, whenever he actually heard it ringing as he did now, he knew that something had to be up.

The man turned to it on his desk. Not only he, but the person he had been talking to a moment ago. Reeve, who had been standing before his desk discussing a sudden development in the PPA, had his interest piqued as well. The bearded man immediately assumed what this was about, probably the same things he had been bringing up.

Rufus did have his own place in Isuzu Industries. After all, he was the head of the company. The name was a family name again, although not to him. It was one of his grandfathers' first names, the one who had given the family the title Shinra. No one really paid that much mind to it though. No one had managed to discover the link just yet. Ragnar might not have had a hold on propaganda, but the press still didn't ask too many questions of the army that was based in their own city. As it was, Rufus lived here. It was a lot like old times, to tell the truth. Only now he operated out of a windowless, office interior out of necessity and not occupational liability. The PPA was making very certain that no one knew Rufus was even alive, let alone heading the biggest munitions supplier for the Planet Protector Army. Even high level Wutai personnel didn't know…which was good thinking on the general's part. Their little alliance wouldn't last long if they did.

The area was Rufus' own office. It sat in the center of the factory like some core room, put under several locks and keys. It was secretive enough that most employees didn't know it existed, but here was where Rufus gave out his orders in the form of commands to numerous other puppet businessmen. It was working well for now, and he saw no reason to change it.

At any rate, the phone was on his mind at the moment. He looked up to Reeve, giving him a look that asked him if this was what he had been talking about. A moment later, he reached over and picked it up, and then placed it against his head.

"Rufus Shinra here." He announced. A brief pause, and then he sighed. "No, I don't feel too nervous about giving my name out on this phone, general, as it's a private line and only you, Cloud, and Reeve know the number. What's the problem?" A longer pause. "So…you signed on Captain Selena Maritza. She's not the first one I would have predicted to have defected, but she is on the list." Another pause, and then a shrug. "I don't really know that, general. She wasn't under my thumb. Scarlett was my weapon's division leader." Pause. "I can't confirm or deny any of that either. I don't have any instinctive reason to doubt her, however. I'll give you this much. She's always serious. She never says a thing she doesn't mean."

There was a bit of a longer pause here, in which Rufus seemed to listen a bit more intently. At once point, he began to interrupt. "I admit, the woman is a bit eccentric…" He trailed off here, however. A few moments later, he actually looked a bit surprised. "…Alright, she never was that eccentric. Maybe she's a bit 'touched' in her old age…" Yet another pause as the one on the other line seemed to interrupt. Rufus's eyebrows raised again. "…No, I most certainly wouldn't say that's normal. She was easily old enough to be my mother last I saw her. If she did do something to herself, that's her realm. Scarlett and Hojo never had anything like this planned…"

One more pause, before Rufus sighed and shrugged. "I don't really know what to tell you, general. I'm not the foremost authority on her. From what I do know, she's probably as trustworthy as I am. She's the biggest woman of her word I ever met. She may be silly, but she's not malicious. You'll probably be fine giving her the aides/spies. I'd go out and meet her personally to give you a better report, but I'm not at liberty to leave this spot." Again, a pause. "Well, I suppose that will be fine. Whenever she has a minute. I'm not going anywhere. But you might want to consider the hazards of letting someone as…scatterbrained…as the one you described be aware of my existence. Goodbye."

Rufus put the phone down a moment later, and then turned back up to Reeve. The standing man crossed his own arms here.

"I take it that was about Maritza too."

Rufus leaned back a bit. "General Ragnar wanted me to evaluate her based on past experience." He shrugged. "The truth is I'm reluctant to give any evaluation of any employee of Shinra I haven't been around in years. Old 'Horse Laugh' seemed perfectly competent when I first met him, but Shinra employees can change pretty quickly. My old man was far less scrupulous about who he hired."

Reeve snorted at this. "Don't I know it…" He murmured aloud. Here, he turned and made his way to a chair in front of Rufus' desk. Once there, he slowly slid down into it, as he gave an inquisitive look to ex-President of Shinra Inc. "Just out of curiosity…what do you really know about her from your time? I mean, I never really got wind of what the military did. Your dad thought I was too much of a 'bleeding heart' to let get too involved in other things."

Rufus leaned back a bit and looked to the ceiling. "Not too much. I have no idea how she's looking so young now…but she's been around since my grandpa ran the company. Dad saw no reason to get rid of her, and neither did I. She was kind of too low on the totem pole for me to even care personally. She started off as some lab aide when she signed on…worked her way up the ladder after that. She worked under and with Professor Gast quite a bit, back when he was still trying to find a successor. She wasn't involved with the experiment that gave rise to Sephiroth though. Some people think that was a sign of disapproval with her versus Hojo."

Reeve caught the wording here. "…Do you?"

Rufus shook his head. "I may not know much about Maritza, but I know that she made her intents known. That's nearly legendary among old personnel in her field. The woman never married but she wanted a child. That wasn't possible. She had a deficiency in receptors to let her build up an endometrium. Nothing could implant. Now…she was pretty old by then, but she still could have been on that trip instead of some pretty young brown-haired lab aide. But she wasn't as hard on for science. I'm thinking Gast thought that some young twink with an eye for advancement wouldn't care one way or another for giving up a baby to science. He knew full well that Maritza would. If they could get her pregnant and have her give birth, she'd fight them tooth and nail before they made him an experiment."

Reeve raised his eyebrows at that. "So…Maritza could have been Sephiroth's mother?"

"Could have. Wasn't." Rufus simply answered. "I think that's what Gast ultimately wanted to do. Spare her finally getting a child only to have to give him up.

"Anyway…a few years down the road, my old man was looking for a new head of weapons development. Gast was going to retire soon, so he was looking for a new head of the science division as well. Maritza was a candidate for both. Her forte was always machines, but she was no slouch when it came to biology and genetics either. She wasn't nearly as far along as Hojo, but there was some dispute over whether she wouldn't do a good enough job. Besides, she was more in tune with Gast's research. She was a friend of his, and advocated his methods. She was waiting almost on the edge of her seat for him to get done with his Icicle Inn research and report what he found. Hojo, on the other hand, wanted to take the research in a new direction that built on Gast's earlier ideas rather than his latest hypotheses. Well…as you know, that decision soon had to be made a lot quicker…"

Reeve frowned a bit here. Through the eyes of Cait Sith, he had personally witnessed the last records of Professor Gast…Aerith's father.

"Yes…I do."

"There was never any evidence to implicate Hojo, except in the footage that was left in Icicle Inn." Rufus went on. "Hojo was pretty sure he had destroyed that, I guess. Either my dad trusted him too much, or the investigators he sent were too blind, or Hojo merely had them done away with and made more of his test subjects without anyone ever knowing about it. At any rate, as you and I both know, he never faced any wrongdoing.

"Maritza, however, had no doubt that he had done it. She had disliked him before…but after that day she hated him more than anything else in this world. She started playing a few practical jokes on him in the lab…which got progressively more dark and serious. Remember what I said earlier. She always did exactly as she said. If she told you that she was going to stitch a third eye to your forehead while you were sleeping that night, as sure as I sit here you would wake up tomorrow morning with four dimensional vision."

Rufus leaned in a bit more here, his eyes narrowing.

"…One day…a lab tech overheard her saying she was going to slip 'something extra' into Hojo's coffee one of these days."

Reeve got the innuendo immediately.

Rufus paused, but then leaned back and shrugged. "As they say…the rest was history. Hojo got the job and Maritza was kicked out of the science division, and no longer in the running for head of weapons development either. Even then, however, my old man was unwilling to just let her go, especially with how smart she was at making weapons and the situation with Wutai escalating. So he put her where she could do the least damage and the most good…Shinra Corps of Engineers. That's where she became such a good architect, and eventually she got a position back in weapons development…although that's about as far up the ladder we'd ever let her. But she made enough friends so that when she was put in the New Shinra she was able to get where she was today."

Reeve exhaled and shook his head. "That's a lot more information than I thought you'd know. Any ideas as to why she would want to join us, if that's what she wants?"

"Not a clue." Rufus answered. "No one could ever tell what she was thinking, from what I heard…except with Hojo. People saw it in her eyes as soon as she first heard the news that she wanted to kill him. However, he's dead now, and so is Hoeng. Only other thing that could have incensed her that much is wanting to ruin one of his experiments. She did that quite a bit before she stated her intent to murder."

This only left Reeve more confused. "Like what?" He asked. "He doesn't have anything left around here…does he?"

"Nothing I know about." Rufus answered. "So I'm at a loss too. At any rate, no matter what happens…whatever she does next in the next few months promises to be exciting."

Cloud didn't mind the fact that he was sitting in the snow, even though it was slowly soaking through his clothes and leaving his rear end numb. He didn't mind the wind either as it blew by, biting and cold as it was. He didn't even mind the silence of this part of the city, which was occurring today due to the lack of interest in going outside due to cold weather. Part of it was due to simply being hardened against all of these things. Part of it was not.

The ex-mercenary was back at the sparring grounds. Although it was a bit later than normal, Ragnar had announced that he still wanted to get some sparring in. Naturally, this morning had been a bit too hectic to keep to the normal schedule. He had already pushed back to get some time in with Aerith. Soon, any moment now, he should be arriving for their session. Currently…it was fifteen minutes after he should have been here. He had to be running very late. Cloud was beginning to grow impatient.

His fingers drummed against Event Horizon, balanced over one of his shoulders, and he slowly exhaled. In truth…he wasn't sure if he was happy or sad about Ragnar being late. As soon as he got here, he would most likely top the record in his favor, after all. The man didn't think he would be so childish as to actually care about things like that. If there wasn't an upcoming battle with a deadly foe, he might not have.

However…the fact of the matter was that there was, and that they would both have to be in peak performance. And, unfortunately, Ragnar was outdoing him. Whatever had happened to him, it had made him superhuman compared to his own level of power. This couldn't be good for him.

Cloud reasoned that Ragnar had to be close to his own level of battle capability when he fought Sephiroth…perhaps a bit lower. Yet the kid had been thrashed within an inch of his life. Then there was how he had been so easily jumped by him when he first showed up… All of this indicated one thing to Cloud…Sephiroth was stronger than before. Much stronger. What the kid lacked in power he made up for with skill. He should have been able to at least hold his own for a while against him. Yet in the end, he hadn't. And that meant that he probably wouldn't have done that much better…

Now Ragnar was much tougher…yet he was still working out. That made it reasonable to assume that the kid didn't think he was strong enough to beat Sephiroth even now. That, logically, placed him below Sephiroth in skill and power. By extension, that meant that Cloud was also beneath Sephiroth. He wasn't sure by how much…but it had to be considerable. That wasn't good news for him. He had barely beat him last time. So what did that mean of his chances now?

Cloud groaned at the thought. Even when he had teamed up with the others and been at the top of his game, they had barely pulled off a victory. How would they do if stacked against him now? Tifa was back in shape…Barret had better weapons…Yuffie was still working out…Cait Sith was new and improved…and Aerith would be an addition this time. But Red XIII might not be at his best, and Cid was almost out. He hadn't seen him fight hand to hand since the fight against Bahamut Sin. No one knew what had happened to Vincent, or had heard any word from him. Even if Sephiroth had only been a bit stronger last time, they would have lost. Now…the conclusion was almost forgone.

This left the man frustrated. How did this split happen? Was it a mixture of biology and luck? Where did he suddenly find himself trailing? Cloud had been sparring for a month, and had made gains in that time. But he still knew he wasn't that much better. Not enough to make that much of a difference against Ragnar, much less Sephiroth. If he couldn't even handle the kid, then how would he fare against the big man?

Damnit…this stuff didn't even used to bother me. Cloud brooded to himself. I don't even know what I'm afraid of. I used to not even worry about this stuff. I didn't ever think of strength. I sure as hell wasn't as strong as even the weakest SOLDIER when I got him in the reactor. Then it was heart…and luck. That's all I've ever really had going up against him. And it used to be enough in the end. I always found a way to put him down. So why can't I be satisfied with it this time? Why am I even wanting to see myself stronger? Why am I doubting myself?

…I don't know… Maybe it's just feeling insecure. I used to think of the kid as being the rookie in this whole mess. Now it's like he's the master and I'm the student. Maybe I'm still hanging on like Tifa and Aerith used to say… Yeah, I beat him. But I wasn't able to stop him from doing a lot of things. I wasn't able to stop him from grabbing me…and I honestly don't know if I could have stopped him from killing Ragnar…

Cloud sighed to himself as he remembered what had set off his latest line of brooding. It had been back this morning…back when Maritza had made him her "offer". He still hated the idea of taking it. He didn't trust her for a moment. But she did say some things that were true, unfortunately. Whatever had happened to Ragnar, it had taken him beyond the level of what a body could do. Cloud was still confined to his, Jenova cells not withstanding. Psycho as she was, if Maritza was telling the truth then it might take him to their level again. If he intended to win next time he met Sephiroth, then he probably owed it to himself to make sure he was in the best shape possible.

So why am I hesitating?

Do I think of this as a "cop out"? A cheat? An admittance of defeat? If I'm going to feel that way, then I should have years ago. The only reason I can even perform Omnislash is because of my Jenova cells and mako infusion. I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel even better after I got out of the Lifestream. I may very well have gotten what I needed to beat Sephiroth from that. But I still can't help it… Even if she is telling the truth…this almost feels like its cheapening myself. It's almost like saying that I'm not good enough as is… But is that feeling legitimate? Or is it just me being stubborn and not accepting that I need to get higher?

Cloud didn't know the answer. But before he could think about it anymore…the phone at his side rang. He heard it, but he didn't immediately answer. He tried to finish his train of thought first. On failing to reach a resolution, he sighed and turned down to his pocket. He reached in, fished around a moment, and then pulled out and raised it to his head.

"General Cloud here."

"Cloud? It's me, Ragnar."

"Hey kid." He answered, somewhat unenthusiastically. "When are you going to come out? I'm literally freezing my butt off."

An uneasy pause on the other end. "Er…sorry, Cloud. I'm really backed up here. I've been spending time with Maritza all day, trying to get her and her soldiers set out. I haven't really formed a committee for this sort of thing, so I had to do it myself."

Cloud sighed and rolled his eyes. "…Just an hour, kid. Like you said, we both need to be at our best."

"Yeah, I know…I know… But I really need to get back to work. I really can't waste any time today."

Here, however…Cloud felt himself stiffen.

"…Waste time?"

"…I didn't mean to make it sound like that, Cloud…"

"You had no trouble wasting time with Aerith's lessons today though." Cloud spoke, a bit sharper and colder.

"Cloud, I didn't-"

The ex-mercenary hung up before Ragnar could finish. After doing so, he turned off the phone, making sure that he couldn't call back. Then…still not satisfied…he found himself gritting his teeth and flinging the phone against the nearby brick wall as hard as he could. It shattered on impact.

He thinks he's wasting his time with me. Cloud thought darkly. Great. I used to be the older, more experienced one…and now he's wasting time with me. He couldn't even defend himself from a bunch of thugs the first day I met him. I took him in to my house…trusted him…followed him…and now he's wasting his time with me. That little…

Cloud clenched his teeth and smashed his fist angrily down into the snow. He seethed for a moment. But afterward, he swallowed back and forced himself to start calming down. Maybe it was as he said. Maybe he really couldn't afford to spar today. As far as Aerith was concerned, that was a bit more than friendship, after all… And even if it wasn't…why should he be angry? The truth was that if the kid did come out here and spar…he'd just be humoring him. Every one of their matches was a joke. There were no two ways about it. He was the superior fighter now. It didn't mean he had worked any harder or been anymore responsible…he had just been the one that fate or destiny had made greater. The kid was right…this would be a waste of time for him.

It drove the ex-mercenary nuts as he began to rise from the ground. He couldn't do this anymore. Something had to change. He couldn't just sit around and brood about it any longer. There was a gap between him and Ragnar now, and so there probably was between him and Sephiroth. He couldn't expect to resolve it just through these practice spars anymore. If he was going to wipe the smile off of his face next time they fought, then he'd have to be greater. And he had to do something different. And if he wasn't going to accept Maritza's offer…then that meant that he'd have to start putting the strongest muscle of his body to work in another way.

Cloud fixed Event Horizon behind him. After doing so, he turned and looked out to the street. He didn't see anyone immediately, however. And so he began to jog out off of the sparring field and out onto the sidewalk. He soon emerged onto the street, and saw it clearly stretching in front of him and in back of him. He stopped again to look down either direction, before he finally saw something. A lone trooper, probably an envoy, was walking down the street toward him.

The ex-mercenary turned and ran over to him. The envoy saw him coming, and came to a halt long before he reached him. He stood at attention and saluted as he got closer. When Cloud was finally in range, he too slowed to a halt and stopped in front of him.

"Good evening, general."

Cloud gave him a hurried salute, not interested in being formal. "At ease. Private…where's the nearest cadet weightlifting center?"

Sephiroth felt the ends of the tongs sink a bit into the newly softened metal as he grasped it. He smiled at this. It had become loosened in the fires of Da-Chao after all. It had taken nearly an entire day, but it had done it. Now it was on to the next part…

The dark man slowly drew the ore out of the liquid magma on the end of the tongs. On bringing it up and out, it gleamed like a coal. The ends of the tongs themselves began to deform from the heat it now possessed. Not having much time, he quickly brought it over to more solid ground. There, arranged neatly, was a small smithing station. While the ore had been melting, Sephiroth had set up everything he needed to be able to craft a weapon of his own. Cooling tank…frames…anvil…hammer…sharpening wheel…everything. And now it was time to work it.

It would be hard. Even Da-Chao could not turn this ore into liquid once again. That meant that he would have to beat it into a sheet himself. Likely, it would need to be heated in the magma again several times before it was finally flat enough, but Sephiroth was patient. After all…he had a bit of time yet.

The dark man rested the ore on top of the anvil. After that, he reached down and took up the hammer. Using his own power, he was able to conduct heat from the end of the tongs back into the lump of metal, thereby increasing its malleability a bit more. And the power he possessed was greater than the strongest smith in history. Despite his build and appearance, he was well endowed to be able to craft this weapon. And his mother relayed all the instructions he needed.

With that in mind, Sephiroth brought the hammer down for the first of many strikes, and the sounds of a forge once again echoed throughout Da-Chao.

To be continued...