A/N: Haha! I have to thank Takebuo Ishimatsu for such a long review! Thank you! I also have to thank you about telling me how fast I seem to be going and to warn people of, again [:}], that this is a love story between Sephiroth and Cloud. _~_. (With time-travel going on, no doubt.) Also, about giving warnings about the spoilers in my summary. Apologies, this is my first time writing a fic online so things easily slip my mind.

Secondly, I have gone back to the previous chapters and edited the minor errors throughout. Things should be much cleaner now, with little to no mistakes.

Third, that I must agree with Takebuo Ishimatsu's advice about updating. It shall now have to be longer periods of time before the next chapter posts (because of school, etc…), but do not fret. I shall still be here. Anything else can be discussed later. Thank you all for such wonderful reviews and for understanding.

Well, sorry for the wait. Here is the next chapter…

Chapter 9

Hojo was furious. By no means did he calculate the chances of failure. Those worthless Soldiers, and how they had run away, were beyond infuriating for him. How had they managed to fail? The idea was to have injected the anesthetic into the boy while he was sleeping and to drag him away in the middle of the night. He threw his hands up into the air. Now, he had think of other means of acquiring the boy with the added possibilities that he was now aware of the attempt.

What exactly was that boy anyhow? He was the only one in the history of Gaia that had ever injected mako into his test subject, and now for Soldiers, let alone Jenova cells. When the boy was reported to have been unable to see, his eyes a sickly green, by the Soldiers that he had sent… Hojo had guessed that the only possibility was that the boy also had Jenova cells. That amount could only have been produced through a thorough injection of living Jenova cells. But now comes this boy with both! How was that a considerable possibility when the boy was never mentioned in any test records or was a subject under his influence? How could such a successful experimentation have been performed without his jurisdiction and knowledge? The boy was not degenerating, nor was he mutating into some hideous beast. There had to be some possibility, some miscalculation, he was disregarding.

He clenched his fists. He was not going to allow that cadet, Cloud Strife, to slip through his fingers again. He would see what was so special about the cadet, even if he had to do the work himself. He sneered. Yes, he cackled, indeed…

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

It had been three days since the incident and Cloud was as wary as ever. He had been released from the ward a couple hours ago and now he was walking around the halls, carefully. There were a lot of people crowding the halls this time of day and he didn't want to accidentally bump into some of them right at that moment. His puncture holes were still aching as rather large bruises. He sighed as he made his way down the hall. The entire time he had been assigned to the ward it had been either Sephiroth or Zack watching over him, since they had explicitly explained to him that he might have been in danger otherwise. There had been no talking them out of it.

His phone rang. "Hello?" he found he sounded none too happy, even to himself.

'Yo, Cloud? We got those documents ya wanted.' It was Cid and he seemed pleased. 'Yeah, and guess what? We got Alexander back fer ya as well.'

Cloud perked up. Had they just said Alexander? That had been a summon Cloud had been happy to rely on most times. It had been a loyal companion and a great help. "Wow, thanks. Where do you want to drop them off? Shinra won't be so happy if they saw the Highwind floating in front of their faces."

'Haha, I know what ya mean. I'll see if I can drop 'em off with Aerith. Red's gone back as chipper as a lion and Vincent's waiting to move the docs to her. I gotta tell ya, Cloud. I'll be happier the day we get rid of 'em.'

"I know and thanks. I'll go get them from Aerith when I get the chance." He hung up. Now he had to find a way to get a hold of Sephiroth without anybody noticing. He walked to back to the dorms.

On his way there someone stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. It was Lupus. "Hey, Strife. You doing better?"

Cloud glanced around and saw that they were the only ones left in the halls. "Yeah, just call me Cloud."

"Sure thing." Lupus looked sheepish before looking away and rubbing his hair in a nervous gesture. "Hey, I know you're hurt and everything but…" he grinned suddenly with a mischievous look on his face. "I can't believe you called the General by his name!" he laughed. "No cadet's got the gall, thinking that being too over-familiar with the General will get them killed. Not even most of the other Soldiers call him by his name." He kept on talking and talking as if this were some big scoop. Cloud drooped.

"…Yeah…"

"And another thing I can't believe is how you managed to drill your gun into the fiend!" he shot his hands up into the air, too excited with the remembrance. "It was amazing! I can't believe you pulled it off!"

"Lupus…"

"And then the General drove his sword right through the head!"

"Lupus."

"And then – "

"Lupus!" Cloud waved a hand in front of Lupus' eyes, trying to draw his attention back to reality. He smirked when Lupus looked a bit embarrassed from his overexcited chatting. "I was there, I saw it."

"Hehe, yeah, but it was still so awesome." He grinned. "Watching the General, I can't help but feel admired." He gazed into his lala-land as if seeing some strange thing Cloud couldn't begin to comprehend…nor would he want to.

"Uh huh…"

Lupus snapped out of it as if he remembered something. "Oh, I should be attending my course. I'll talk to you later, Cloud. Bye!" He waved running off in the direction he had come, leaving Cloud standing in the middle of an empty hall. Cloud shrugged and shook his head before turning in the other direction.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Sephiroth was preoccupied. He had gone to the infirmary when they had told him that Cloud had been released earlier that day. He was disappointed that Cloud had not contacted him after being released but realized that he had never given him his phone number. He wondered, if ever he got the chance, on what excuse he would give Cloud his personal phone number. He paused. Why did he want to give Cloud his phone number and for what occasion. He shook his head in worry. What had stimulated these sorts of thoughts? Exasperated, Sephiroth continued down the hall and past the Cafeteria.

One of the doors leading to the Cafeteria had been left open. It was time for lunch and people had taken time off to sit around with their food and chat. Sephiroth was going to merely ignore it all and walk past when he heard a commotion. Curiosity got the better of him so he leaned against the unopened door and listened, trying to distract his mind from his incomprehensible thoughts about why he wished to give Cloud his number.

"Hey, Cloud." Cloud? Sephiroth leaned in closer to the crack and focused his attention on the discussion. He could barely make out a group of boys sitting on the surrounding tables around Cloud. One of the boys, closer to Cloud, had tapped him on the shoulder.

"Huh?" Cloud looked up from his current preoccupation, which had been a book. Sephiroth couldn't help it and glanced at Cloud from around the corner. He noticed that Cloud still looked tired from recovering from his injuries.

"We all wanted to know." He grinned as all of the surrounding boys directed their attention to the conversation. "Hey, have you ever kissed anyone before? We were talking about how there couldn't be anyone here who hadn't ever been kissed and decided to ask around."

Cloud wasn't really listening but he answered anyway. "A wolf?" He smiled at the thought. He had been walking around the neighborhood when he was younger when, suddenly, a Nibel wolf pup had pounced on his face and licked him all over before running off. Then there was that other time when that Kalm Fang had done the same thing during his travels. He supposed wolves just tended to like him…

"No, not an animal or anything like that!" he laughed. "We mean a person. Have you ever kissed another person? And, no, your mother doesn't count." Unbeknownst to them all, Sephiroth was keenly aware of every word coming out of their mouths. He, he had to admit, was quite curious as well.

Cloud shrugged. He had never kissed anyone before and it had never crossed his mind to try it. "No. I haven't." he shrugged. He never had, not in this life, not in the last.

"Wha-, I mean, are you serious?" They all stared at Cloud as if he had suddenly grown another head.

"Yeah…."

"Wow. And here I was thinking you'd have a lot of admirers bowing at your feet, especially since you dueled the General in the tournament." Cloud knew that there were a lot of girls and boys that had signed up to join Shinra because of Sephiroth but most females tended to head towards the business side of the company, or join the Turks, not that a lot of them weren't in Soldier. They just tended to be discreet most of the time. "That sure impressed a lot of people."

Cloud started packing up his things. "Is that all you wanted to ask me?"

The boy shifted around on the bench and whispered. "Actually, I wanted to ask you about the General." He grinned as the other boys nodded in agreement.

"What?" Cloud was confused.

"I mean, have you seen the General? If he looks nearly as good in real life as he does in a picture we'd all be second-guessing our sexual preferences."

Cloud was still confused. "I don't understand what you're trying to say." Exactly, what were they trying to say?

He whirled on him. "What we mean is that we want to know things about the General. You know, what colors he likes, or what foods…"

Cloud cocked his head to the side even more confused. How was he supposed to know? It didn't make any sense. And why were they asking him in the first place? "Ask him yourself."

They all paled and shook their heads. "Nuh uh. That'd be suicide! Besides, you're close to that black haired Soldier 1st right? I think the General and he are friends so you would know." He waved his hand dismissively. "You also went on that mission with him too, so you would know more than us."

Oh was that why…? He shrugged. He doubted if even Zack knew Sephiroth's favorite color. "I don't know his favorite color or what he likes to eat."

Sephiroth, who had been listening intently the entire time, had been disregarding what the other boy was saying to Cloud. It was ridiculous. Why would they want to know what he preferred to consume? But his favorite color, on the other hand…… Strangely enough, he was starting to admire the color blue. It was Cloud's eye color.

"Then what about what sort of shampoo he uses?"

Cloud gawked. Now that was a really strange question. "You want to know what he smells like?"

The boy shrugged. "Or if you have a photo of him in anything other than his trademark… I bet it would sell for millions." He could see the gold piling up in front of him right then.

Cloud stood with his belongings. "Why would I be carrying a picture of him in my pocket?" he shivered. The last thing he wanted was a photo of Sephiroth glaring at him whispering 'I will kill you' 's into his head. He would've had nightmares.

"Then, what about a phone number?" They were getting desperate for something at least. A phone number would still sell for millions.

Cloud grimaced. "You know, now I'm starting to think that even if I did have his number I wouldn't hand it over to you guys." He shook his head disapprovingly. "With that many phone calls," with people proclaiming that they loved him, "I think he'd go mad." He shivered again. Now that was the last thing he wanted. He started walking towards the door.

"Wait!" Cloud paused, looked back, and cocked an eyebrow. "Is there anything he likes?"

Cloud thought about it. He suddenly realized that he knew very little about the man, besides the fact Sephiroth had always been out to kill him. He looked un-encouragingly back at the boys. There was only one answer he could give them. "His sword?"

They all paled at the thought of trying to take away the General's prized possession. It might even have a mind of its own to murder people unworthy of wielding it. "Impossible." Cloud merely shrugged and walked out the door.

"Hm?" He stopped right outside in the middle of the dark hall. It felt as though someone had been standing there until recently. Cloud looked around, wondering if anyone was still around. He frowned finding nothing in particular and continued resuming on his way down to the dorms.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Sephiroth had left the moment Cloud had mentioned his sword. He had quite the many thoughts to sort out and confronting Cloud would have only made him more disoriented than he already was. He quickly walked up the halls and into his office before letting out the breath he realized he had been holding. He had so many muddled emotions confusing him that he didn't know where to begin. He was elated that Cloud would keep his number to himself, if he ever got the chance to give it to him first, but was disappointed at how Cloud hadn't seemed too enthused about being near him.

What was he thinking about? He didn't know why he was so consumed with thoughts of Cloud. Sephiroth mentally slapped himself. Why was Cloud affecting him so badly? He hadn't been this jittery about any matter since…well, never. He shook his head with a frown thinking he shouldn't start now. He walked up to his desk and set down his sword before taking a seat in his chair. He hadn't bothered turning on the lights. He lifted a hand to his face and covered his eyes. This was becoming ridiculous.

He tried thinking things through with a clearer mind and thought about the information Cloud had given him when he had mentioned the past future. He wondered how Cloud could even bear the sight of him when the 'him' of Cloud's time had done such cruel things to him. Didn't Cloud hate him? He found he was dreading that the answer might be 'yes'. He sighed again, staring out the window and at the muddled view of the city.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Zack was running around in wild hysterics. He was desperate but he couldn't find either Cloud or Sephiroth anywhere, or even reach them on their phones. Where had the two of them gone? Firstly, he had an important message for Sephiroth concerning something about what he had overheard that weird scientist, Hojo, say while on his way out of the bathroom but the man was nowhere to be seen. Secondly, he had wanted to warn Cloud to keep away from the scientist. Apparently, something twisted was going on in that head of his and Zack was too worried that he might be too late to stop it.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Cloud lightly walked to the slums and towards where Aerith was living. He was nervous about showing the documents to Sephiroth but what had to be done had to be done. He sighed softly as the roof of Aerith's house came into view and quietly wondered if he was doing the right thing. He found Aerith tending to her garden as he walked up to her.

"Oh, Cloud! It's good to see you." She smiled.

"Same here." He couldn't help but feel glad that she was still alive.

"Guess what?" Aerith linked her fingers together happily. "Zack built me that flower cart again. I'm so happy I'll be able to sell my flowers again."

Cloud smiled. "Maybe you should get Cid to ride you around Gaia to sell your flowers."

"Would he?" She looked hopeful. "I should ask him." She turned to head back into the house to reach her phone but not before looking back with a smile. "Oh, yeah, Cloud. I think Vincent has been holding something for you. He's in the usual place."

"Thanks." He started up to the backyard forest as Aerith joyously bounded into the house. He saw Vincent resting on the particular tree that he had taken to napping on.

Vincent jumped down. "Cloud."

He nodded grimly. "You have them?" Vincent nodded as he pointed to the silver casings leaning against the tree, and to the red materia atop of it. Cloud couldn't help but smile at the thought of seeing Alexander again. The summon had been a very loyal companion and one who had always taken to defending its masters. He walked up to the two items and carefully held up the summon materia. He glanced at Vincent with gratitude. "Thanks, Vincent. I appreciate it."

The man nodded gruffly. To Cloud, it was evident the man was pleased, though not many people read the man correctly. "I am glad." He walked up and leaned against the tree.

Cloud reluctantly gathered the documents after pocketing the material. "I can't wait to see Sephiroth." He exaggerated. "He'll be delighted…"

Vincent offered him a look of sympathy. "Tread carefully, Cloud. This may not prove to be the best way."

Cloud nodded in grim understanding. "I know. I'll be careful." He walked back slowly and deliberately, trying to postpone the inevitable. "I know…" he whispered softly with regret.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Sephiroth had been resting in his room only to return to his office with an inability to sleep. Now, it was midday and his restlessness was grating on his nerves. Unfortunately, it was just then that Zack had decided to burst into the office in a rush of hot air. "Sephiroth!"

He masked his irritation at being disturbed quite loudly and leaned back in his chair. "Zack." He acknowledged with a nod.

Zack rushed into the room, seeing that the General was actually there, and started pacing around wildly. "I've been looking for you!" he threw his hands up into the air in an agitated movement. "And where's Cloud? I haven't seen him all day. I've got to warn him."

Sephiroth's attention suddenly became sharp at the mention of Cloud's name. "Zack, settle down. What do you need to warn Strife about?"

Zack stared at him with pent up frustration. "That man, scientist, whatever! He was mumbling something about experimenting on 'the cadet' and something like enhanced forms, or cells, or something." He ground his teeth. "I thought he was just some weird guy, that Hojo person, until I heard him mention Cloud's name." He started pacing more quickly, getting all the more restless. "I was coming out of the bathroom when I heard him saying all sorts of things about wanting to do this and that and things and I got worried."

Sephiroth froze. Hojo wanted to experiment on Cloud? Why? Was it because of the mako, or something else…? He had thought that the attempted supposed kidnapping of Cloud by Hojo had been done to see whether Cloud was stable enough to be around. He had never suspected that Hojo might have gotten very curious about the mako and would experiment on Cloud. Sephiroth frowned. No, that was incorrect. Hojo wouldn't bother himself about a mere cadet if there were only the possibility of mako. He may have fallen into a pool, or touched the lifestream, one time or other…so there must be something else. Something important. "We must locate Strife immediately." He paused. "Did Hojo notice you listening?"

Zack merely waved his hand and dismissed it. "Of course not. I ran out of the bathroom as soon as he was out of sight."

"Good." He stood, grabbed his sword, and walked out the door with Zack nervously trailing behind him. "His teachers or acquaintances should have some idea on where he is."

Zack shook his head. "I've already asked his teachers. That just leaves his friends."

Sephiroth didn't know any of who Cloud acquaints himself with and the thought slightly troubled him. On the other hand, "Who is he closest to?"

Zack frowned and crossed his arms. "Us, I think. The Yuffie girl, Lupus, and I don't really know anyone else. He doesn't hang out with a lot of people."

"I see. Find the boy." Zack knew he clearly meant Lupus. "Bring him to the office. I'll search around the area and meet you back within the hour."

"Sure thing." And Zack ran off to find Lupus.

Sephiroth couldn't help but feel anxious. Maybe they were already too late and Hojo had taken Cloud. He clenched his hand into a fist. If that were true, Hojo would have more than one nightmare bearing down upon him and he would make sure of it. The scientist didn't deserve to live in the first place. He grimaced. But first, he had to see if Cloud was still safe and around.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Cloud stopped at the entrance to Shinra Inc. He was deliberating with nervous apprehension. He was tightly gripping the case of documents as if they meant the world….and it did. It wouldn't be safe if anyone else looked at them for long. That would cause questions to arise and that was the last thing Cloud wanted. Drawing in a breath, he marched inside. He briskly walked past the counter lady and decided to take the stairs, unwilling to run into anybody who might question him about the case in a stuffy elevator. But, by the fifty-fifth floor, he was tired and regretting not taking the elevator. His nervousness had worn on him and being tense hadn't helped either. It took him nearly an hour to reach it. He decided he needed a break. Shinra was too darn big and he wouldn't make it if he continued up the stairs. So, deciding to rest, Cloud marched his way up to at least the sixty-first floor. It was the floor where people took breaks and he seated himself in a corner until he was ready to leave again. Unfortunately, he started dozing.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Sephiroth couldn't locate Cloud anywhere. He had inquired his instructors, employees around the area, and other student as well, very much to their surprise. He was getting worried but headed back to his office as he had told Zack he would. He entered his office to find Zack leaning against his desk and the boy, Lupus, sitting in the chair in front of it. They both looked up at him as he entered but waited silently until he was sitting his chair.

Zack was the first to speak. "I've brought him but I don't know if he knows anything."

Lupus shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He was thinking he was in trouble for doing something but he had no idea what. He had been attending his class when the 1st class had taken him out and to the General's office. "S-Sir? H-Have I done something wrong?"

Sephiroth glanced at him. "No."

They waited but when he didn't continue Zack did. "We were wondering if you knew where Cloud was. He hasn't been around and we've been getting worried."

Lupus thought about it, relieved that he wasn't in trouble but wondering if something had happened to Cloud. "I think I saw him heading out of Shinra earlier today. He seemed to be in a rush." And it was true. He had noticed Cloud walk out of Shinra with a nervous look and his face and wondered if there was a girl he was meeting later today. He had just dismissed it and headed to his class.

"Out of Shinra?" Zack looked drenched in thought. "Why would he go out?"

Sephiroth was partially relieved that Cloud might still be away from the trouble but was still mainly worried. The boy had said that Cloud had left earlier today but, glancing at the clock, it was now half past eight. He would surely have returned by now. "Did he mention where he was headed?"

Lupus shook his head. "No, I didn't get a chance to talk to him."

"I see…" Sephiroth was disappointed but figured Cloud may have had the chance to come in during the time they were talking. And, he was determined to keep searching. He stood and nodded to Lupus. "You are dismissed." Then he headed out the door with Zack behind him. They ignored it when Lupus stood, turned in their direction, and saluted a 'Yes, sir!'.

Zack jogged to catch up with Sephiroth's pace. "Should we continue looking for him?" Sephiroth nodded. "Then I'll search the cadet bunks and the lower floors." That left Sephiroth the higher ones. He grinned. "Don't worry. Cloud's strong and he can protect himself. " He nodded before running off towards the stairs.

Sephiroth couldn't help but be even more worried. If Cloud was strong, that gave Hojo even more of a reason to want him and he didn't want Cloud under the care of the good doctor. He grimaced as he made his way down the halls. He would find Cloud, he had to, and before it was too late. He sped down the ever darkening hallways of Shinra Incorporated.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Cloud awoke to the sudden noise of shuffling chairs. He shot up in his seat finding that he had fallen asleep gripping the case. He groaned and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand before glancing around. He froze. There were quite the many Soldiers quickly making their way towards him in all directions. He cursed, thinking that it hadn't been a great idea trapping himself in the corner. Of course, he had never thought that he was being chased or something. He shook his head, doubting that the Soldiers there were coming over to chat with him a little. They had a very direct threatening atmosphere and it was written in their body language.

Cloud stood and put a hand out as if it would somehow halt the people around him. "Wait, what're you looking for?" Not one paused, and no one answered. He muttered under his breath about bad luck before crouching a little on the defensive. The team kept advancing. Cloud took advantage of their attempt at crowding him at once on all sides by sprinting forward and somersaulting over their heads. He ran for the door.

"After him!" they all scrambled as one of the Soldiers yelled the command. Cloud glanced back to make sure they were still behind him and rushed towards the stairs. Taking the elevator was out of the option. It would take too long to get on it. He dashed faster but had to skid to a stop rather suddenly. At the top of the stairs, on each side, there were more Soldiers blocking his path and advancing towards him. He looked to the door out into the hallway but found more Soldiers crowding through the frame. He was trapped.

Cloud panicked, quickly glancing from one side to the next. Were they after the documents? How did they find out about them? How had they known that he'd had them? This was trouble and he had no weapon to defend himself. He clutched the case with his left hand and braced his right in determination and resolve. He would fight them. He would fight them until they gave up.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Sephiroth heard a commotion on the sixty-first floor, which was strange because there it should have been empty around this time. Not many people stayed late into the night at work for a rest. He quickly made his way down the first flight of stairs from the sixty-second floor. He had been making his way down, searching the rooms for any sign of Cloud anywhere. He had been in the sixty-second when he had heard the commotion. On the stairs, he found several Soldiers lying around and immediately disapproved of them disposing themselves in his path. He brushed past them quickly enough, though.

Sephiroth paused midway down the stairs. What he saw startled him. There was Cloud, at the center, fighting with nothing but a fist and a case clenched in his other hand. He was breathing harshly now but Sephiroth could see that he had knocked over twenty Soldiers away. He was impressed but worried. There were a lot more Soldiers left and the fact that they had staged an attack in so broad an area where anyone could have walked in on… This gave him a startling revelation. Frowning, he drew his sword and approached the crowd. Cloud's back was to him so he didn't notice Sephiroth advance.

He stopped right before Cloud and stood, examining the other Soldiers. They faltered at the sight of him and slowly started backing away. Cloud, sensing that there was someone behind him, twisted around with a swing of his arm. Sephiroth grabbed the swinging arm, quickly realizing that stopping it with his blade would be a very, very, bad idea. Cloud paused, realizing who was standing behind him and slowly dropped his arm. Sephiroth reluctantly released it before addressing the crowd that was slowly backing away.

"What is the meaning of this?" He stopped them all with his glare. They automatically knew the outcome if they decided to defy him. He would rip them all to shreds without them ever knowing.

"S-Sir." A Soldier 2nd saluted. He was perhaps the leader of the group. "We're under orders."

Sephiroth glared. "From Hojo?"

"Hojo?" Cloud whirled on him. It seemed that he hadn't heard Hojo's name mentioned during the first attempt and now the information surprised him.

"Y-Yes, sir."

Cloud looked back at the ones remaining. "What is he after? He can't have found out about the documents."

Sephiroth gave the man a pointed look explaining that it would be better for him to answer the question. "No," he growled, obviously angered at their second failed attempt. "He was after a mere cadet. I don't know why he's so interested in you even if you were able to beat the most of us." He waved a hand around, indicating all of their fallen. "There's something going on and I want an explanation. How could some random cadet beat a Soldier? Especially, this many of us?" The man sneered in Cloud's direction.

Judging by Cloud's reaction, Sephiroth could tell that it wasn't what Cloud had expected to hear. He merely ignored what the other Soldier had said about him being beating them all. He was still focused on Hojo. "How?" Cloud looked away worried. "How'd he find out?"

Find out? Sephiroth decided now wasn't the best time to be asking. Instead, he gave the man a menacing look. "You are dismissed."

"B-But, sir! We're under orders to – "

Sephiroth grabbed Cloud by the arm and started pulling him towards the direction of the elevator. He glowered back from the corner of his eye. "I said, you are dismissed." He put the command into his voice before continuing on his way. The Soldier said nothing.

Cloud and Sephiroth rode up to the higher floors where his office was located. He had called Zack to let him know that he had found Cloud and to meet them back at his office. They needed to talk. Through the whole way, Cloud had remained silent, following Sephiroth much like an obedient puppy. Sephiroth was sure something was bothering him. Cloud had mentioned something about documents to the other man and he couldn't help but wonder if those were the same documents Cloud had told some of his people to retrieve, if those were the same documents he had meant to read earlier. Thinking about matters, he managed to stop himself before he sighed irritably. They entered his office and Sephiroth turned on the lights. It seemed that Zack had not yet arrived. Cloud automatically took a seat next to the corner, sighing as he landed in it. The case was still clutched in his hands. Sephiroth wondered if Cloud was willing to answer some of his questions…but first things were first.

He scribbled some stuff on a piece of paper and handed it to Cloud, who looked at him confused. "My number. Use it whenever you need to reach me."

Cloud looked skeptically at the now intimidating piece of paper, lifting it only by his thumb and forefinger from the corner. "Why are you giving this to me?" He looked back at Sephiroth as though he had handed to him the most dangerous piece of paper in all of Gaia.

Sephiroth ran a hand through his hair and breathed out irritably. "You have gotten yourself into more trouble than I can count. I believe it'll be easier for you to call me rather than having me pinpoint your exact location every time there is a need. "

Cloud admitted reluctantly that calling Sephiroth would be much easier than looking all over for him when he needed to speak with him. He put the menacing thing into his pocket. He would input the number later. Sephiroth took Cloud's reluctant acceptance as a minor win for him. "Actually, I was coming to find you earlier when I fell asleep in the lounge." He handed Sephiroth the case, though he didn't let go. "Before you read it, you have to promise that you won't go insane. You have to promise you'll consider everything that I've told you and that you'll think about it before trying to destroy the world again. I'll answer all the questions you have." Cloud hesitantly let go of the case.

Sephiroth looked at Cloud carefully. He seemed to be very serious about the matter and all he could do was nod. He set the case down on his desk. He would read it later. First, he had a couple things to ask Cloud. He turned back to him. "Why is Hojo interested in you?" That made Cloud flinch, which made Sephiroth nearly regret asking it.

Cloud slowly relaxed and frowned. He hadn't expected Sephiroth to ask that question. But then again, the man always seemed to know what was most important at the exact moment. "Since I've promised…" Cloud began grudgingly. "It was right after Nibelheim." He shrugged, "Right after I managed to stop you the first time." Cloud looked straight at Sephiroth with haunted eyes and, instead of the man standing before him, he saw the past. "Hojo was furious. I had managed to thwart the great General Sephiroth and throw him into the reactor with the head of Jenova. Then, Hojo thought he would use us, the ones who succeeded, to undergo his experiments to clone the lost General. His projects became numerous. A lot of his attempts died in the process." He sighed and closed his eyes, bringing a hand to his head. "Zack and I were used specifically, dummies of his own hatred for the ruination of his greatest achievement. He injected everything he could in us, mako, drugs, experimental DNA of his previous creatures, and Jenova cells. We were in there for half a decade."

"Jenova cells?" Sephiroth was shocked. Hojo had tortured Zack and Cloud for five years?

Cloud gave a short bark of laughter with hatred in his eyes. "And to think, I was considered a failure." Sephiroth could only stare at Cloud. "You know, besides you, I was the last living organism with living Jenova cells. That's why I said I could help Genesis."

"You told Genesis you could help him? When?" He was getting worried again. Cloud was constantly putting himself in danger without him ever knowing. Sephiroth considered whether he should put a tracker on Cloud.

He shrugged. "Back at the reactor and the night we talked about Genesis contacting me."

"You met him?" Now he was really thinking about planting a tracking device on Cloud.

"We only came to an agreement. He should be contacting me again soon, anyway."

Sephiroth was about to make a pointed remark when he suddenly realized that Cloud had deliberately changed the subject. He leaned back on his desk and crossed his arms before taking a deep breath to calm himself. "Cloud…"

Cloud only looked at him and smirked with a snort. He knew he had been caught. "Is there something else you wish to know?"

"Tell me," he said amused, "Jenova's head? And, how did you manage to stop me?"

Cloud fell back into his chair and gave an aggravated sigh, waving his hand in the air as if dismissing the subject, but answered anyway. "I don't know. You went all mad and started killing everyone, only to start calling Jenova your mother. I ran you through with Zack's sword because someone had to, though that didn't stop you from walking out with Jenova's head in an outrage." Sephiroth couldn't help but be less than amused at how he had been acting. Had he really acted that…he didn't have a word for it. Just imagining himself doing all the things Cloud mentioned were more than shameful. He really had to have been a fool, or at least mad enough not to realize he was one.

Zack burst into the room. "Cloud?" Zack was panting in the middle of the doorway and glancing around fervently, until he spotted his target. "Cloud!" he rushed up to him. He patted him on the shoulder. "You're not hurt are you?"

Cloud shook his head. "No, Zack," He chuckled, "I'm fine."

He looked at Cloud doubtfully. "Did something happen?"

Cloud shook his head. He didn't really like lying to Zack but it would be best if he didn't know anything about the matter. His worrying needlessly and caring too much was what got him killed in the first place. "Nothing much. The General found me sleeping around in the lounge."

"Sleeping?" Zack shook his head. "You need to work out more. You can't be getting lazy, you know. Soldier can be pretty harsh." He laughed. Cloud listened to Zack intently as though everything he was saying was of the utmost importance. Sephiroth hid his slight smile behind his hand. It was going to be harsh, indeed. "So, anyway," Zack rubbed the back of his head. "I thought I should warn you about that Hojo creep. He's someone you don't want to cross paths with."

"I know what you mean. I've seen him around." Cloud shivered. "I wouldn't want to go anywhere near him."

"Good." Zack put his hands on his waist and looked at him approvingly. "We wouldn't want Mr. Creepy to get any funny ideas."

Cloud stifled a yawn and looked at the clock. "I think it's time to turn in for the night." Sephiroth looked at Cloud in a rather doubtful manner. He had been putting up an act in front of Zack but this was calling it close. It was barely half past eight.

"Hm," Zack nodded happily, "I like your style. Early to bed, early to rise." Sephiroth couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Alright! Time to hit the sack."

Cloud nodded fervently. "Yeah!"

"Then I'll be off first. Got to get something to eat before I hit it off." He squatted some and took off for the door. "See ya, Cloud, Sephiroth." He waved off before vanishing around the corner.

Sephiroth looked at Cloud, arms crossed and quirked a brow in his direction. "How clever of you."

Cloud merely shrugged. "Always the optimistic one, but I'm surprised you didn't say anything." He looked at Sephiroth questioningly. "I would've thought you'd say something about the Soldiers Hojo sent."

Sephiroth gave a sort of half shrug. "You wished to keep him out of it."

"…Thanks." Sephiroth was surprised. He hadn't expected it. Cloud looked amused. "He should be happy, together with her this time round."

"Her?"

He waved a hand away. "You'll find out soon enough." He stood and headed for the door. His hand was on the handle when he glanced back. "Read the documents tomorrow. It might be best to leave it be for now." He hesitated. "Don't show it to anyone else if you can. If you're not insane by then, I'll come by to pick them up when you're done."

"Alright."

Cloud nodded before stepping out and closing the door behind him. Sephiroth stood there in silence until he could no longer hear Cloud's footsteps. He sighed. This was going to be the start of a long night.

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