So in this chapter, you find out lots of good stuff, so I hope you enjoy, and please review :)

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"Hey Brooke, how are you? I'm so sorry I'm late, I overslept." I lied as I jogged straight towards the back of the bar.

Brooke stopped cleaning the beer mug in her hands and followed me towards the back room. "Hey! In a rush or something?" She asked.

"Nah, I'm just very energetic this morning," I said a little too happily.

Brooke raised her eyebrow in suspicion, but didn't comment on my haste. "Well, Sheila stopped by and told me that she can't work today. She has to go to her friend's house for a baby shower, and unfortunately I can't work late tonight," she said rather quietly.

"Oh Brooke, what's your excuse this time? Last time it was because you had an 'ehem' cough," I joked, mimicking her coughing fits from a few weeks ago.

"You know I was sick that time. No, it's not sickness this time. My sister is coming in from Wutai and I need to pick her up…I'm sorry." She sounded very apologetic as she spoke.

I knew she hadn't seen her sister since…it happened. Her sister used to live right here in Nibelheim, but after it happened, she moved to Wutai, thinking it was the furthest thing away from all the destruction back then. I could understand why she would want to be with her when she came back.

"Alright, alright. I guess I'll be working late tonight then, huh." I grumbled. I wasn't very excited about working late. After four nights of having to either work late or baby-sit Marlene, I really could have used a night off tonight.

I turned on my heels and started towards the kitchen. "Hey, Tifa?" Brooke called to me before I went in the back.

I leaned my head out of the doorway. "What's up?" I asked her.

"Thank you," she smiled and went back to serving customers their breakfast.

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The bar was busy most of the day, not only because it was the only bar in Nibelheim, but because it was also one of the best eateries around. By 9:45, the bar started to clear out as it usually does on Sundays, and I was exhausted. I didn't finish my side work until around 11, and by 11:10 I was on my way back to my house, jogging swiftly as thoughts from last night swarmed in my head.

As I entered the deeper part of the forest, I thought about the mystery man I saw. I was surprised at my immediate thought of the man being Sephiroth. He was supposed to be dead; why on earth would I immediately think him? Sure, this man looked a lot like Sephiroth, with his figure and especially his eyes, but I found it unsettling that he was the first person I pictured in my mind. I suppose that one could only think the worst when coming across a situation like that. The sounds of the forest snapped me out of my thoughts, and I decided to put on my fighting gloves. There was no way I wouldn't run into enemies, this late at night.

Sure enough, I was right. I was temporarily stopped by two giant scorpions. The first jutted an immensely sharp claw right at my face, but being the martial artist I am I was able to easily dodge it, while jump-kicking at its abdomen. I made a direct hit, and the scorpion died instantly. The other one was not so easy to kill. Its lethal tail faked an attack at my face, but then quickly drove down into my leg. I felt the poison draining my HP, but I knew I could survive losing half, and use cure after I killed the enemy. I used fire 3, which burned the scorpion to the ground. After the fight was over and the poison left my body, I quickly restored my HP and continued on my way.

I was about 5 minutes from my house when a huge, black dragon appeared in front of me. Damn! As I checked my slots, I realized I didn't have my ice 3 on me, plus I left the summon for Shiva at home. I'd have to beat this one by using my gloves alone. The dragon used flame thrower on me and burned me badly.

"Finally!" I yelled as I reached my limit break. I haven't had it since I used it on Jenova back last year, for very little opponents were quick enough to hit me after that fight.

"Beat Ru…" I started, but my voice died out.

As I watched the dragon, it started acting extremely strange. It stopped attacking me, and started looking around. It seemed to hear something, and seemed very desperate in trying to find where the noise was coming from. I could have attacked it right there, but curiosity got the better of me, and I looked around as well. I could hear it too; a very quiet rustling sound. The sound stayed for only a few moments, and then died out.

The dragon's attention finally went back to me after a full minute of listening and looking around. I was about to attack and finish it off when it started swaying on its feet. It didn't seem to be fully aware of where it was, the way its head was moving back and forth like a boat on the sea. It gave a quick snort, and took flight, flying in a very awkward, unstable way.

Why did it take off like that? I asked myself as I watched it almost fly right into a branch, and disappear above the tall trees. And what's with its flying pattern? It seemed very unbalanced. Just then, the clamor came back. The second the sound entered my ears, I started to feel really dizzy.

"Oh no, not again," I said weakly. "What is going ..." But before I could finish my sentence, I was lying on the ground, and quickly lost consciousness.

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"I told you not to come here." said a deep voice.

"…I…" I muttered as I attempted to open my eyes. I felt the cold, hard ground beneath me, and tried to focus my eyes in the direction of the voice.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw who the voice was coming from. As my eyes started to focus, I saw the color green, a beautiful green that shined most brilliantly. The color flashed behind bright silver strands. As my vision cleared, the face became discernible. A sturdy jaw, tender lips, a strong brow…I gasped as I muttered the name of the man I thought I'd never see again…

"Sephiroth."

His dazzling green eyes seemed to smile. "I've been watching you; you seem to have a knack for passing out," He said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Anger and pain started to well in my chest, somehow surpassing the incredible fear I felt inside. I sat up quickly.

"How dare you set foot anywhere near Nibelheim; all the destruction you've caused, all of the lives you've taken, all the families you've ruined!" my voice started to rise. I tried to stop myself from losing it, but I couldn't help it. Years of anguish came pouring out of my mouth uncontrollably.

"You took everything from me! My home! Papa! Aeris! EVERYTHING!" I screamed, with tears of anger starting to stream down my face.

He stared at me with a very strange expression. I couldn't distinguish whether I saw anger, pain, or grief. Maybe it was all three…but Sephiroth, feeling pain or grief? It was impossible. Before I could discern any other feelings, he turned away, aware that he was revealing his emotions through his eyes.

"I told you not to come here," he repeated sternly, turning back to face me.

"What do you care if I come here!" I shouted. "From your actions last year, you don't seem to care about anyone but yourself," as I said this, I touched the scar above my abdomen that he gave me when I was younger.

He saw me do this and looked away, his eyes down.

"Do you want to know why you've been dizzy recently when you're in the forest?" he asked me.

This question took me by surprise. What would he know about it? I started to stand up, but I struggled, because of screaming so much, and because I was still somewhat shaky from passing out. Sephiroth watched me try to stand, and finally held his hand out.

I looked at his hand as if it were a snake, ready to strike at any moment. "Why are you doing this?" I asked him. "You could have killed me three times already. Why haven't you?"

"If you want answers, follow me," he said quite mysteriously, and held his large hand further down for me to take.

I thought about my situation. I knew that I wasn't strong enough to kill him alone, so there was no way I could attack. But to take the hand of the man that I truly hate? The man who took away my father? I thought about all these things, and then another thought struck my mind. The rustling noise. It's obviously connected with my dizzy spells and fainting, not to mention the "drunken" dragon. I really wanted to know what was going on. If Sephiroth hasn't killed me yet, it's not likely that he will try now. He had plenty of opportunities to before, and he didn't. Not like I had much of a choice…I could take his hand and risk being killed, or I could try to run and most certainly be caught by him anyway, considering his speed.

Reluctantly, I took his hand, and he pulled me onto my feet with ease. He motioned for me to follow him in the direction of my house. We walked in silence, Sephiroth slightly ahead leading the way.

As we walked, I looked at him with great curiosity. His eyes were almost like flashlights, making a well-lit path in front of us. His hair was blowing back gently in silver wisps behind his long, black cloak. He was wearing the same thing he wore the first night I ran into him; his boots muddy from walking in the forest no doubt. My eyes drifted to his strong shoulders, and down towards his chest. He seems really strong, I thought. Perhaps even stronger than when we "defeated" him last year. I noticed his biceps, which were powerfully built, his muscles rippling each time he swung his arms. On his right forearm I noticed a long scar, which went from his elbow to his wrist. I gazed at his sturdy jaw, and then continued to move my way up. His eyes were hypnotizing; such a shimmering glow they had to them, and I continued to repeat adjectives in my head which described them. Dazzling, brilliant, glimmering, and amazing are a few that I thought of. How is it possible that such a dangerous man could have such lovely eyes? I suppose I had soldier to thank for that. Only one other man still living who I know had eyes like that; my best friend Cloud, in a shade of blue.

We had passed my house almost twenty minutes ago, moving deeper into the forest when Sephiroth turned to me. "We're almost there," he said, eyeing me suspiciously as he caught me staring.

"Oh," I said, blushing a little bit. "Okay then."

Smooth, Tifa, real smooth. Why are you staring in the first place? He's a murderer!

It's his eyes. I can't stop looking at them.

Which is why you shouldn't have been staring at them to begin with!

Damn these internal conflicts!

I decided to keep my eyes on the ground in front of me to avoid any more unnecessary staring. As each minute went by, the leaves of the trees grew thicker, and the sky grew darker. Finally, we came to a very steep hill. I was about to brace myself and climb when Sephiroth moved some vines aside to reveal the mouth of a cave.

"This way," he said, entering the cavern.

I followed him in cautiously and looked around. The grotto was shaped circularly, and not very big at all. At the far side of it there was a bed made from an old mattress, with an old sweater stuffed with leaves and brush for a pillow. On the right side, there was a small wooden table, with two logs across from each other, used as chairs. To the left, a small cubby, where I saw an extra change of clothes, a few scraps of food, and a container filled with water.

"What is this place?" I asked him.

"For the past six months, this is where I have resided," he explained. "After last year, you must have presumed me dead."

I nodded.

"Obviously, you were wrong," he said with some enthusiasm. "However, you and your friends did make me very weak, especially with Knights of the Round. I escaped from the crater shortly after your "victory", and who was I to come by than my dear friend, Hojo," he bared his teeth when he said the evil scientist's name. He was obviously not fond of him.

"Hojo brought me back to his brand new laboratory, way down south near Mideel, or what's left of it, to do some experimenting on his glorious specimen, namely me." He said, each word sounding more violent than the next. I felt my body go stiff with fear, and I started to contemplate my safety.

"While he was working on me, he explained his new-and-improved plan to finally reach the Promised Land," he said, taking a seat on the log closest to the back of the cavern. "You might as well sit down Miss Lockheart; this story isn't exactly short," he said, offering me a seat next to him.

"Fine," I said, sitting down across from him rather than next to him. The idea of being anywhere near Sephiroth frightened me.

"Here's what happened…" he began.

"Back in Hojo's lab, I was tested on for Jenova cells, and upon finding them, Hojo surgically removed some of them and stored them in a sealed jar in his lab." He showed me the scar on his right forearm that I noticed earlier.

Well, that explains the scar.

"Apparently, Hojo discovered that the cells could travel, almost like they had a mind of their own. He assumed that the direction that they would travel would lead him to the Promised Land, considering Jenova herself supposedly wanted to reach the Promised Land. What Hojo didn't realize was by removing some of the cells from my body, my sanity began to return to me. Slowly but surely, I had realized what I had done, and hated myself for it. My goal had gone from being a powerful Soldier to taking over the world, enclosing the Lifestream into my veins, becoming a divine power, and destroying everything in my way. The cells were what caused me to do all of these things. And, the reason why I was so horrible was because of Hojo. He was the one who put the cells inside of me in the first place."

He paused, and I looked at his face, seeing utter disgust and fury. Once he calmed down a bit, he proceeded with his story.

"It was about three months after Hojo took me as his specimen when I decided I was strong enough to break free. On the day I escaped, Hojo entered his lab to discover both the cells and I were gone. His lab was all in ruins, due to my lividness towards him. There was glass everywhere, files were torn to shreds, tables were flipped over…it was a huge mess, thanks to me. The last thing I heard from Hojo was a loud scream of frustration."

Upon hearing this, I wondered how Hojo was able to control Sephiroth. It was obvious that although Sephiroth was weak, there was no way that after three months of recovering, he couldn't harm Hojo. Why didn't Sephiroth kill him before he left? Or at least give him a black eye or something…

"I took off with the cells in the jar towards the next continent over, keeping under cover so no one would be alarmed, or try to kill me," he said. "I crossed the water to the next continent over, and made my way toward Nibelheim. I knew that Cloud was living here now, and that he and Aeris had shared thoughts about the Promised Land, before I…killed her."

He stopped speaking, and put his head in his hands. He looked as though he would explode into either tears or a screaming fit any second. However, he controlled himself, and picked his head up again.

"I thought if I could confront him, he would be able to give me enough information to stop Hojo. Of course I know that he, among many others hates me, but I'd have to try." He raised an eyebrow towards me, then continued. "If not, Hojo would cause ten times the amount of destruction that I had caused."

"But I thought that you said you took the cells," I interrupted. "How would Hojo be able to find the Promised Land without them?"

He breathed a long, exhausted sigh and continued.

"The Great Sephiroth is not always swift and graceful. I ran into several creatures in the forest on my journey to Nibelheim, and in the heat of one battle, the jar fell out of my cloak and broke open, leaving the cells to move as they please. This happened just outside of Nibelheim. Once out of the jar, the cells made their way right into Nibelheim. Unfortunately, these cells are extremely small…not microscopic; these aren't normal cells we're talking about here. You would have to really look closely for these cells in order to find them. This is what makes them extremely powerful and deadly. The moment the jar broke, the enemies I fought collapsed and after a minute, died. I did not collapse of course, because I still have some Jenova cells inside of me. These cells can tell the difference between their own kind and other cells, so I will never be harmed by them."

"Ever since then I've been following their path, seeing many dead creatures along the way. Fortunately, I haven't seen any people who have been killed by them, but at the rate their going, they're bound to kill someone soon."

He paused and ran his hand through his silver hair.

"I've heard from reliable sources that Hojo is on the move, tracking the cells down through a device that he cleverly put in them to pin-point their location. If he gets his hand on just one, he will be able to replicate it and have the new cells lead him to the Promised Land."

I sat their in awe as he finished his story. Jenova cells on the loose? No wonder I've been feeling dizzy in the forest. What I didn't understand was this: if the cells were in the forest, could they also have been at Barret's house when I was baby-sitting Marlene? They must have been, because when I looked outside, I didn't see anything that could have been making the rustling noise.

"I heard the rustling noise at Barret's house while babysitting. Could they possibly have gotten into the town already?" I asked with trepidation. They could be there right now, and no one would even know it!

Sephiroth glanced away from me guiltily and said, "No, Miss Lockheart. They were not at Barret's. That was me."

"You were spying on me?" I asked as the hairs on my arms and neck stood on end.

"I was only looking out for you," he replied when he saw my anxiety. I thought back to last night when I passed out, and then woke up the next morning in my own bed. I recalled the footprints. The muddy footprints...

He looked around and then cleared his throat before continuing. "I also needed to speak with you, to ask you to speak to Cloud. You're his best friend, and he might listen to you if you just explained the situation."

"I suppose," I began. "But how do I know I can trust you? I mean, just last year you tried to kill us all."

"I thought you might say that," he said as he stood up and walked over to the cubby. "I want you to take this," he said, as he walked over to me. "Open your hand."

I looked at him quizzically, and then slowly put my hand out. He placed a beautiful aquamarine gem in my palm, and closed my fingers over it. I opened my hand and studied it. It was in the shape of a sea shell, and with each movement of my hand it shimmered brightly.

"What is this?" I asked him.

"This gem was created by Hojo to keep me from attacking him at any time while I was under his observation." He explained. "Although I had the strong desire to kill him, the gem prevented me from causing him any harm. I stole it along with the Jenova cells right before I escaped. The idiot left it in the lab, thinking I was still under his control. As long as this is in your possession, you can be positive that I cannot harm you."

He took out his long sword and said, "For example…" He raised his Masamune sword high above his head.

My eyes widened as I stared at the sharpness of the blade and started to protest. "Wait. What are you doing!" I stood up and put my hands out to defend myself.

He took a huge swing right at my mid-section. "NO!" I cried. As the sword came inches within my stomach, the sword came to a complete stop. Some force was blocking the sword from cutting me.

"You see?" he said grimly, "I told you. There is no way I can harm you. But please understand, Miss Lockheart, that I have no desire to harm you. Of that, you can be sure of." He said, continuing to stare at me with scrutiny.

Something in the way he was looking at me caused me to shudder. Why was he looking at me like that? I tried to look away, but his eyes were extremely captivating. His gaze was impossible to discern. What was he feeling? He trusted me with the one item that could prevent him from doing anything to me. Did he do this out of concern? Out of trust? There was no way a monster like that could feel those things. He did say that when Hojo took the Jenova cells from his body that his sanity started to return to him. Perhaps when his sanity returned to him, the evil departed from him as well. Having this on my mind, I began to speak.

"Thank you," I said, my eyes locked with his. "Perhaps I should try and talk to Cloud alone, before re-introducing you to him. You have to remember that as of right now, you are supposed to be dead, and Cloud would be absolutely stunned if you were to just walk right up to him and try to start a civil conversation." I almost laughed at the absurdity of the scene, then realized that it was altogether possible, and kept my mouth shut.

He walked over to the cubby and grabbed his extra change of clothes. "Very well," he said, as he started toward the exit of the cave. "Shall we go?"

"Wait, where are you going?"

"You don't expect me to stay here, do you? Is it possible that you could spare a room in your house?" He said rather roughly.

"Fine, but there's no need to be rude," I said brusquely, but he was already out the door, out of earshot and walking swiftly towards my house.

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As we entered the house, Sephiroth headed straight for the bathroom, and closed the door rather loudly. He must have so many thoughts running through his mind right now, I thought. Ever since we left his little hole of a home, he hadn't said a single word to me. I guess considering I along with Avalanche tried to kill him last year, he probably wouldn't want to talk to me. I walked to my bedroom and plopped down on the bed, blowing my hair out of my face. This whole situation was absolutely nuts! Sephiroth is using my bathroom, and I'm sitting here, perfectly fine with it. Tifa, you're crazy to let him stay here.

My thoughts went from my sanity back to Sephiroth's encounter with Hojo. Sephiroth had said that Hojo took cells from his body and was planning on following them to the Promised Land. I wonder how he was planning on doing this. If the cells did lead him to the Promised Land, how would he know how to enter it? Aeris told us that you can't really see the Promised Land; it's something that you feel in your soul.

"Hojo will never be able to find it…he has no soul." I said under my breath, starting to shake with anger. I distinctively remembered that Sephiroth wasn't the only evil man we encountered on our journey to save the planet. Hojo planned on Sephiroth leading him to the Promised Land all along. I remember finding him in the underwater reactor at Junon. He had told us that he was excited about Sephiroth's return and eager to see his plan carried out. He had also told us that he himself had injected Jenova cells into his body.

"Wait…" I started as pieces of the puzzle started to fit together in my mind. If he had injected himself with Jenova cells, why not take them from his own body, rather than Sephiroth's body? "That doesn't make sense…Why would he need Sephiroth?" I asked myself softly.

"Because Hojo doesn't like getting his hands dirty," Sephiroth said from the doorway.

His hands were folded across his chest and he was leaning against the doorway on his back, eyes looking directly into mine. I heard someone gasp, and then a second later realized that the gasp came from my lips.

Sephiroth saw my surprised reaction and snickered.

"Now isn't the time to be afraid," he said. "Hojo is out there somewhere, and perhaps nearby. For now, you should get some sleep. It's getting late."

I peered at my wristwatch in time to see the second hand reach the twelve and hear the beeps announcing 3 A.M.. Good thing I didn't have work early tomorrow, I thought as I took a deep breath.

"I suppose you're right," I said, "You can take the spare bedroom. As you walk out the door, head left down that hallway. It's the second door on the right. Would you like me to show you?" I asked politely.

"I have no intention of sleeping," he replied with a hiss. "If Hojo shows his face anywhere near here, I want to be prepared to tear him limb from limb." With each word he spoke, a shudder of anger surged through his body so clearly I could see it.

With those words, he stormed out the door and closed it rather harshly behind him. By the time I lied down on my bed, I realized that my heart was beating a mile a minute. My hand found my way to my racing heart and stayed there for a second. I then slid my hand towards the knob I felt under my tank top and closed my fingers around the pendant that Aeris gave me. I held it, and it somehow calmed me, and slowed my heart beat to normal. What have I gotten myself into? The second I closed my eyes, I was drifting off to a rather unpleasant sleep.

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Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! A lot has been explained, but don't worry, there's much more mystery to come...don't think you've figured everything out just yet, lolz R&R:)