The 'Gift' of a Second Chance

by KnightsShadow

Cloud gets sent back into the past. How will he change it, what will he change, and will Sephiroth remember? Perhaps something very unexpected will happen instead. Though you'd think the title said it all. A SxC story. *Crisis Core Spoiler.*

15. Chapter 15

A/N: That's strange… I came to look back at my previous chapters but it seems the markers (The dashed lines that mark one point of view to the other) have disappeared. How infuriating. Should I re-upload it all back up? I could have sworn they were all there before…

…It doesn't work… I'm sorry to say (and very much angrily) that the dashed lines don't appear anymore. I hope that doesn't ruin the story but… if anyone has an idea on what I can put for breaks, please tell me and I'll try to change it. Thank you. (Maybe letters? Hm…)

Actually, I've decided. I'll start using x's for breaks now. It will be the same as before. But, if it bothers many of you, I shall consider changing it to another letter or something. (like cccccc's maybe?) Now I've gone and replaced them all. How time consuming…

Well, in any case, I apologize. I know the weeks have been getting longer between updates but, well, complications just come and go. I'll try to quicken the pace but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Hopefully, this chapter will be worth the wait for many of you. Enjoy. _~_zzzZZZ~

(Cloud's shirt seemed to have slipped my mind… Well, it's there, now.)

Chapter 15

Rushing up the stairs, he looked back at the times he had encountered Sephiroth. All of them had ended with them in conflict and, with a clash of swords; they had determined the fate of the world. Now, it wasn't like that. He had changed things and Sephiroth had accepted. Thinking about things, he stifled a whine and looked up towards the ceiling. Having Sephiroth at his side was strangely reassuring and, though he thought about it reluctantly, it was admittedly comforting. It was strange in a way that it didn't seem possible. After so many years of hardship, how could his feelings have changed so drastically over time? Now, thoughts of Sephiroth and Sephiroth's presence were things he looked forward to, if only for a moment at a time. He had strength to admire and was admirable in his own right. There was nothing he could fault the man for. Cloud looked down to the floor with a sigh. He had to admit, that he was starting to like Sephiroth. His presence had become a familiarity he looked forward to.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. Their first priority was to find Rufus. His presence would be the reassurance the people would need now, especially in times of chaos. Cloud sighed. All this running around really wasn't making his condition any better. He hadn't even had the time to patch up his back a little, so that it would at least slow the bleeding down. The only thing remotely stopping his bleeding was his shirt that he had found lying beside him. It had been cut straight down the middle so now it blew in a makeshift jacket that didn't irritate his back too much. It was all he could find down at the labs and he had thrown it on unconsciously…. Well, he supposed desperate times called for rational behavior. "I'd rather die than go back to Hojo." He muttered under his breath in spite. Thoughts of how much trouble Hojo had caused for the Planet and its people still made his heart heavy until this day. It never ceased to surprise him how much trouble one man had caused; leading everything into a catastrophe, "Never again…" he murmured rushing up the stairs.

Sephiroth's ears twitched at what Cloud had just said with great worry. Cloud had said that he'd rather die than return to Hojo's hands but…if he really were to die, then what would he do? He couldn't simply sit by and do nothing. It was enough for him to want to try and drag Cloud back to Hojo whether he willed it or not. He looked away from Cloud's back, thinking that this couldn't go on any longer. Somehow, they would find a way to fix all this…somehow.

They rushed towards the back of the floor, where Rufus' office was currently situated and crashed through the doors, "Rufus!" Cloud called, "Are you here?"

He didn't need to look far. Rufus was currently occupying a chair in the center of the room, staring at Cloud in surprise. "Cloud." He smiled, "What a pleasant surprise." He reclined back in his chair and linked his fingers together. His eyes flicked towards Sephiroth, "General." He nodded in acknowledgement, a little less pleased. "What brings you two here?"

Cloud huffed. Was Rufus really ignorant on what was happening just outside of his doors? "You're the next President. We need you to take charge."

Rufus sighed, somehow knowing that this was the subject that was going to be brought up. "I have already taken matters into my own hands and done what I've can…" He glanced suspiciously at Sephiroth, wondering if the man had planned the attack somehow but, what purpose would it serve now? The General didn't seem like he'd lost his mind…at least, not yet. He cleared his throat, straightening up in his seat, "Reeve has informed me that a board meeting is necessary," he smiled at Cloud, "and that you had informed him of the possibilities of such an attack."

Cloud made a nervous gesture, "But that doesn't mean it's true."

"Either way, it…" he stood abruptly, startling Cloud, and his eyes grew wide and worried, "Cloud…what happened to your back?" His eyes flicked towards the slow dripping of a crimson liquid from behind him.

Cloud ran a frustrated hand through his hair, "It's nothing." He mumbled, "But, that's not important right now. We have to try and neutralize the situation."

Rufus ignored his plea and strode his way over. He grabbed Cloud by the shoulder and spun him around so that his back was towards him. He lifted the back of Cloud's shirt, none too gently, so that he could gain a better look. He looked on in shock. Glowing green veins of poison were slowly spreading across his back in webs. All of them originated from the singular large gash across his back, and it was…sickening. He dropped the edge of the shirt, "What happened?" he demanded, returning to his desk to shuffle around in his drawers. "How did you get yourself in such a mess?" he slammed his fist on the table, "Why does it always seem that I am unable to accomplish anything?" he cried frustrated.

Sephiroth was speechless. This had been the first time he had actually gotten a look at how bad Cloud's back was. It was obvious that Hojo had injected something to ensure that the wound would not heal, and the thought was frightening. Even through all the injuries he had sustained before…none of them were ever like this.

Rufus returned to them with a roll of gauze and a towel in his hands and rolled his sleeves up. "Turn around and take off the shirt." He ordered, "I'll call in for a new one after I'm done."

"There's no ti–"

"We'll make time." He flicked an annoyed hand, "For now, all we can do is already being done but…" he looked at Cloud from top to bottom disapprovingly, "you shouldn't run around that filthy bleeding to death."

Cloud grumbled but complied, taking off the shirt and throwing it down. Rufus handed him the towel and pushed him into a sitting position on the floor. Cloud started wiping all the grime off, grumbling that this isn't what they should be concerning themselves with. "We should be doing this after everything is over…"

Rufus and Sephiroth both disagreed. Sephiroth leaned against the wall with arms crossed and watched as Rufus attempted to wrap Cloud up until he was satisfied…or at least until the blood stopped leaking through. He sighed, wondering if he should be doing something at the moment, like going after Hojo. "Cloud."

He looked up, "Huh?"

"What did Hojo inject you with?"

He looked back down and shrugged, earning a glaring reproach from Rufus, "Not sure."

Rufus clipped the end of the gauze and patted Cloud's back to make sure, eliciting a stifled gasp from him. Sephiroth and Cloud both glared at Rufus who merely shrugged, "So…Hojo really is behind all this." He pulled his sleeves back down and fretted with his cuffs.

"He said something about a chemical that would cancel out the regenerative properties of the cells." Cloud recalled, "I think he meant that whatever cells I used to recover my back are now in paralysis."

"So any injury you sustain on your back will stay that way." Rufus clarified.

"Yeah…"

Rufus sighed and walked back to his desk, "Hojo's too brilliant of a scientist…but like all brilliant things, they eventually go mad." He shot Sephiroth a look.

Sephiroth lifted a fine eyebrow, a smirk of amusement coming into play, "I believe I've already gone over that phase, President."

Rufus snorted, leaning against his desk, "So it seems."

Cloud looked from one to the other with a look of exasperation. Couldn't everyone just get along for once? It might even make his life a little easier for once. He stood and dusted his pants, "We should go check on the others…"

Rufus frowned at him but didn't attempt to stop him. "I'll call Reeve to see how things are going at his end."

Cloud nodded, "Then we'll go check up on Genesis and see if he's found anything." They started out the door, "Will you be fine by yourself?"

Rufus chuckled, "I have backup." He looked at Cloud concerned, "Actually, I'm more worried about you."

"We'll be fine." Rufus nodded as they headed out the door. Immediately after stepping out, they ran into someone else. Cloud started, recognizing that crisp suit and straight posture anywhere. "Tseng!"

Tseng tipped his head in acknowledgement and handed him a folded piece of cloth, "This is a spare shirt. Rufus ordered it to you."

Cloud took it gratefully but looked confused, "When did he ever touch the phone?"

Tseng smirked and chuckled lowly, "He has his ways."

Cloud pulled the shirt on while Sephiroth looked at Tseng with a frown, "So the Turks managed to survive."

"Of course." Tseng clasped his hands behind his back, "It is our duty to remain while the President's life is in danger."

"How…convenient…" he smirked.

"…To be sure."

Cloud smoothed down the white shirt and regarded the both of them warily. He could swear no one in Shinra liked getting along…well, besides how he and Zack had. "Let's go…"

Sephiroth nodded.

xxx xxx xxx

Genesis fell on his knee and panted harshly, clutching his right shoulder. He was still gripping his sword but…, he swallowed once looking over the damage they had done to the roof. How could Hollander have become so powerful? He ground his teeth to stifle the pain. Blood was blinding the vision in his right eye and his body was trembling with tension. He punched at the ground in frustration and anger. Hollander had gotten away and now there was nothing they could do to stop it. Cloud had been right when he'd said that there was going to be trouble. Except…now they were too late to stop it. And it was all because of him. He looked towards the sky and yelled his anger.

xxx xxx xxx

Zack, Reeve and the others had surprisingly managed to get the majority of the crowd out of the higher floors in as much of an orderly fashion as was possible, given the dire situation. Though, Reeve feared that some of the people who wouldn't believe their words would not evacuate the floors and obstinately stay put. Running a hand through his hair, he sighed. People were just too stubborn sometimes but he would do what he had to. He flipped his phone and dialed Lazard's number. They had decided to split up into different parties so that they could cover more ground but…

The roof suddenly shook with a large tremor very much unlike the last. It was nearly powerful enough to blow the whole roof off. He froze and looked up, seeing pieces of plaster crumble and fall to the floor. What, exactly, was happening up there on the roof? He shook his head. No, right now his priorities ran to finding a safer place for the rest of the people to be. Reeve suddenly noticed a minor sound vibrating through his phone and realized that Lazard had picked up and asked what his situation was.

"Lazard," he answered, putting the phone into his ear, "how's everything holding up on that end?"

'That last tremor helped convince quite a few people. All of them are now in evacuation.' Reeve heard Lazard sigh on the other side and automatically knew he was rubbing his temples to soothe his frazzled nerves. Heck, even he wanted to do the same. 'Exactly, what is going on up there?'

"My question exactly. I would love to be updated on everything but its chaos right now to do anything right."

'Well,' he talked wearily, 'Fair and I have just finished on this side. I suppose the same could be said for you?'

Reeve glanced around the floor with its upturned tables, chairs scattered every which way, plaster crumbling, and the lack of peoples. "Yes, I think we've succeeded in the evacuation."

There was a deep exhale of breath, 'Oh, thank goodness. This day has been too hectic with the President dead, the troubles of the mass, and the rooftop madness, where we know Gaia knows what's going on.'

"It is not over yet, let me remind you."

'Yes, I rea–' He was cut off when a ground shaking tremor overtook them all in a blast of loud noise. Reeve was knocked off his feet and stumbled backwards from the force. The roof and several stories were coming down and around him quickly.

He scrambled out of the way of most of the debris and headed for the downward stairs. He flicked the phone back to his ear. "Lazard! Are you well? Answer me!"

There was static coming through but Reeve barely made out a voice. 'Re-v-, I h… you. C-ca…. Can yo.. he..r me…?'

"Lazard? Lazard!" Reeve yelled into the phone and over the static. The worst of the explosion, he deemed, had passed and now, there were sparks of electricity dancing here and there and rubble everywhere. He took a moment's glance before dashing down the remaining stairs and noticed that the evacuated peoples were dashing in panic from left to right. "What happened?" he demanded.

There was a buzzing on the other side before Lazard's voice came through, 'I don't know…' He paused to yell at some of the people on his side and shouted orders to others, 'It seems some people have gotten themselves trapped within the rubble.'

"Damn it!" He pushed past the people and ran down another set of stairs. The whole building was in chaos. "We need to know what happened, now!" He ran a hand through his dusty hair and felt pieces of the ceiling fall away. "I'll call you back, Lazard. I'm going to check on Cloud's end."

'Alright. But, hurry! If we don't calm everyone down this instant, the whole city will be in ruins next.' There was a click as the connection was cut.

Reeve growled his frustration before realizing that he had some blood on his hands. He touched his forehead, where it had seemed slick and warm before, and found it trickling a little river. He wiped the blood on his coat and found himself even more furious. Nothing was going right! He snapped open his phone again and called Cloud. He immediately picked up. "Cloud!"

'Reeve?' There was a rustling on the other side, 'We're on our way to check out the situation but…'

He sounded worried, "What is it? Has something happened?"

Cloud sighed on the other end, 'We were on our way up when the damn roof exploded. Three floors are missing and the explosion barely missed us by an inch.'

"What?"

'There's nothing up here anymore, Reeve. I can't even find Genesis.'

"Cloud…what about Rufus?"

'He seems to have evacuated with the rest of the Turks. He's fine.' There was a noise in the background before Cloud started up again. 'Besides…that…, I mean, Rufus, isn't likely to get himself killed anytime soon anyway.'

Reeve let out a relieved sigh. It would have been pandemonium if Rufus had died as well. "Alright, Cloud. We'll try to diffuse the situation here. After that, we need to gather everybody we can and talk things out."

'Yeah.'

Things were starting to become more and more complex…and he didn't know who was responsible. He just hoped that things would get better before they got worse. "Good luck."

xxx xxx xxx

Re-pocketing the phone, Cloud coughed the rest of the dust out of his lungs and tried taking a couple of shallow breaths of fresh air. The debris and dust left behind from the explosion was making it hard to see and it was bugging him. He looked behind him to find Sephiroth scanning the area for any signs of life. Of course, Cloud didn't think he'd find anything, with a large gaping hole going through the center of the floors to show the floors underneath and the open sky above their heads. Even they were standing on what remained of the stairs, though it was quickly crumbling beneath them. "We should head back…" he wheezed.

Quickly looking around once more, Sephiroth nodded. "There are no signs of Genesis. We should head back immediately." He started down the stairs.

Cloud followed, glancing back up at the now darkening sky and paused, "Wait," he squinted and tried focusing on a moving dot on the horizon, "I think I see Genesis."

Sephiroth looked from Cloud towards the spot in the sky that he had indicated and, surely enough; there was a wavering red dot of something flying steadily towards them. It was Genesis. "He's been injured."

Cloud looked at him surprised, "You can see that far?" Not even he could make out much of the details from so far away.

They didn't have to wait long until Genesis came crashing heavily onto the staircase they were on. It was a good thing the stairs were made thick, otherwise Cloud didn't think it would have held all of them. But, now wasn't the time to be worrying about that. Genesis was bleeding heavily from his right shoulder and there were scorch marks that didn't look too good. "Hollander's in league with Hojo…" he panted, full of disdain. "They're mad. They're both mad!" he spat.

Cloud crouched beside him, "What happened?"

Genesis took a hitching breath and attempted to stand, his limbs trembling terribly. "Hollander planted bombs all throughout the building. He had planned to take out all of Shinra at once." He hissed.

Cloud grasped Genesis good arm and slung it over his shoulders. Sephiroth twitched but didn't say anything. "Where is he, now?"

Genesis looked away, "He got away." He admitted angrily, "Something's changed. He's gotten much stronger, more like a demon than a monster."

That struck something in Cloud's memory. He remembered the last time he and his group had seen Hojo and shivered inwardly. Hojo had injected himself with Jenova cells but…it had resulted in a monstrosity. "Maybe Hojo did something to Hollander to make him stronger. He might have some Jenova cells left with him."

He sighed, "It's possible, but still he degenerates." He smirked, grateful that he was no longer in Hollander's position and looked towards Sephiroth, who stood a mere distance away with a stiff posture, "My friend, your desire is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess." He recited.

Sephiroth frowned while Cloud looked between the both of them somewhat confused. "Loveless." He barely hissed, turning away.

"Well," Cloud interrupted, "in any case, we should be getting out of here. I want to go check up on Zack and the others and see if they're alright."

Genesis looked beside him at Cloud, "You must remember that Rayleigh and I have defected from the company and are, therefore, considered traitors."

Cloud shook his head, "Not anymore. Rufus is now the head of the company, with the President dead, and he'll need all the help he can get now that Hojo's gone and Hollander's on the loose."

Genesis looked at Cloud, impressed. "You have thought things through."

"I've had time to do it." He admitted in a whisper.

Genesis quirked a brow at that questionable statement but left things unsaid at the moment. There were more important matters to attend to and no time to do it. "We should hurry."

xxx xxx xxx

Zack watched as all of the Shinra personnel settled down amongst themselves on the remaining lower floors of the building. It would be a wonder if no one found out about the attack but…since the roof was blown off, there was no chance the people outside wouldn't find out. Soon, news of the President's death would be broadcasted all over Midgar, and then to the rest of Gaia. It would be chaos if Rufus didn't take control well enough… He sighed, looking beside him as Rayleigh assisted a couple of nurses tend to some of the injured. When she finished, she came to stand by him with a weary look on her face. Zack frowned, "Maybe you should take a break." He suggested.

She shook her head and took off her glasses to clean with the edge of her coat, "No. The lack of casualties will make it better for Rufus to be received." She sighed and looked at her glasses sadly before putting them back on. "I fear this is going to prove to be much more complex than it at first seems."

Zack observed her worried countenance with one of his own. "So, you're saying that there's more to this than meets the eye."

"…exactly."

It was then that Cloud came scrambling down the stairs with Genesis draped over his shoulder. Zack reacted immediately and rushed over to their side with Rayleigh trailing behind. "You guys okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Mostly." Cloud replied, helping Genesis down to the floor and nearly crumpling down himself.

Rayleigh kneeled beside him and started inspecting him for damage. She huffed in irritation. "Only just recently healed to be injured again, Rhapsodos? You really must wish desperately for death." She poked a particularly nasty looking burn on his arm and Genesis clenched his jaw in pain.

He shot her a hot glare, "Watch yourself, Rayleigh. If you wish for your own end, I shall be very glad to grant it."

Rayleigh took his glare in her steady one, looking rather bored instead. "I feel no fear from your threats." She waved a hand dismissively, "Rather, it is getting tiresome."

"You dare –"

"Now's not the time!" Cloud interrupted, though not as sternly as he would have wanted. "First, we should put together the information we already have and figure out what Hojo and Hollander are up to."

Rayleigh and Zack looked surprised, "Hollander is in on this?" Rayleigh frowned, "Impossible. He should be dead."

Genesis snorted, "Cloud believes Hojo spared some remaining Jenova cells to grant Hollander power. It may be true." He turned away, "He has bested me in battle."

They didn't say anything when Genesis seemed so down. His pride had gotten trampled by a no-name second-rate scientist… Zack glanced around, "Huh? Where's Sephiroth?"

Cloud was the one who answered, "He got a call as we were making our way down here. He wouldn't say who it was from but…it seemed serious." He scratched the back of his head and leaned lightly against the staircase weakly, "I'm actually kind of worried."

Zack looked from one side to the other in confusion. "How did he get out? None of us saw him go out the front door."

Cloud shrugged and stifled a yawn. It had been a long day and he needed some sleep. "He took a shortcut."

"Shortcut?" Zack sighed and decided to take a seat next to Cloud. He noticed the new bandages and shirt but became worried when blood and something else was still oozing through. "How's your back?"

Cloud looked tiredly at Zack as if he hadn't heard what had been said but answered anyway. "It's fine…"

Zack took in Cloud's slumped posture and how pale he seemed now. He was losing too much blood too fast. The blood was seeping around the bandage and his shirt to his front, soaking up every white spot in their way, and around it was a thin green lining that looked like decay. "W-We should get a fresh change of bandages." He shifted around nervous at the sight of it, almost on the verge of panicking, and looked to Rayleigh. "We need new bandages."

Rayleigh took one look at Zack then turned to Cloud, a frown upon her brow as soon as she did so. She was close enough that she got a handful of Cloud's shirt and hefted it up. Her eyes widened at the sight. "Great goddess, Strife. How are you still alive?" She threw the shirt off and started un-wrapping the bandages.

Cloud was surprised but found he didn't have the strength to complain. "I'm kind of tired." He admitted.

Zack took one look at the actual bandages under the shirt and almost started in a hysterical laughter. What was he supposed to do? "I-I think…I-I think w-we should, uh…"

Genesis frowned and slapped Zack across the cheek. "Snap out of it, puppy. You won't be helping him by panicking." He released a small breath and kept looking at Cloud. "He's been running purely on adrenaline but…the moment he calmed down…"

Cloud's vision was now going blurry and he felt the desperate need to sleep. Rayleigh kept tapping lightly at his cheek while trying to undo the bandages, "Don't fall asleep on me, Strife. We cannot have you unconscious." She ordered sternly.

Zack didn't know what to do or which way to turn, so he opted for calling out to Cloud. "Cloud…? H-Hey, c'mon, Cloud."

Rayleigh shot him a look. "Take hold of him and try to keep him awake. No matter what, you cannot allow him to sleep, Fair. Understand?"

Zack crawled up closer and took a hold of a really tired looking Cloud, nodding rapidly as he did so. "Y-Yeah…"

Genesis ground his teeth together. "That fool." he spit silently, "What has he gone to do when what he holds dear is on the verge of death?" he shot up and started walking away.

Zack noticed and called out, "Wait, Genesis. Where are you going?"

"I am going to find that fool." He turned back to look at them, "There is no way I will allow that boy to die, not right now." Not after he had saved my life, he thought.

"You are injured." Rayleigh stated.

Genesis continued walking, "I am healed enough." He made his way out the doors of the Shinra building, "And I shall return soon, with that fool."

xxx xxx xxx

"The antidote for the boy is with me." Hojo leered. "What will you trade for me to give it?"

Sephiroth glared at the scientist with disdain. "And what is it you wish?"

Hojo clasped his hands behind his back and turned away with a smirk. "Give me the boy and I shall administer the antidote myself. He should be of no importance to you."

Sephiroth knew that was where Hojo was wrong but…if he indicated otherwise, it might put everyone's life in danger. "I cannot let you have him." He stated blandly, as if that were the most obvious and natural answer.

Hojo glanced at him from the corner of his eye, "Oh?" he turned to fully face him again, only to glance down at his watch with a satisfied hum. "Then, he should be in the final stages of stasis now. The…poison…that I had injected him with at first seems like there is no change besides constant bleeding from a wound. Very naturally, if you will. But, that changes after a set amount of time. His body will slowly begin to fail and his blood will flow. The Jenova cells I had supplied him with will not be enough for him to recover." Hojo laughed, "Only a miracle may save him now or," he looked at him slyly, "by my hand."

Sephiroth froze, and it felt as though his own heart had stopped. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to fight an enemy he had no leverage against? No, he shook his head and looked at Hojo. There was still that one antidote. He drew his sword. "Whether your words are lies to deceive me…or the truth that I have been searching for, it makes no difference." He readied his sword and glared at him banefully, "You will die here tonight."

Hojo laughed aloud, as if Sephiroth had said the most amusing words in his lifetime. "So, finally, you take charge to take my life. But is it really something you can accomplish?" Hojo looked at Sephiroth in a very calculating manner and readjusted his glasses with a smirk. "I am you father, boy." He chuckled.

Sephiroth froze again. This couldn't be true…could it? This was the man he had been searching for? He was who Sephiroth had always hoped to meet? How could it be Hojo? The man was mad! He softened his gaze. But, then again…Hojo had always dreamed of creating a monster…and he had succeeded. "If that is true," he replied, his glare coming back more harsher than ever, "then you have succeeded in birthing the greatest monster." It was his turn to chuckle, "One who would even murder his own father."

Hojo didn't look fazed, merely, he looked thoughtful. "I see…" he smiled and turned away, "I suppose I did create a monster. A perfect creature that could surpass any mortal being." He looked out over the cliff and towards the lapping of the sea waves on the shore. A dark look bore into his eyes, "Except that boy." He sneered.

"What?" Sephiroth paused.

"Did you think me blind, boy?" he grimaced. "These dreams have plagued me," he indicated to his head, "that at first I had dismissed them as mere folly on my part." He looked again back at Sephiroth and grinned evilly, "But, you see, there came that boy," he laughed, "and the things he had said…no," he shook his head, "I could not simply dismiss coincidence like that, could I!" he spread his arms out and took on a maniacal glint in his eyes, "It was true!" he announced overexcited, "That boy, Strife was his name. He proved to be just like the dreams! He bested you, you know. My perfect creation."

"You have lost yourself."

"No," he shook his head in a negative and readjusted his glasses again, "not quite right, my boy. I have simply found the perfect specimen. He has untouched abilities, the missing last part of Loveless." He looked at Sephiroth cunningly, "Haven't you ever wondered why that book's ending was never found?"

"It was unfinished." A voice interrupted. The both looked behind Hojo to find Genesis landing before them in a flurry of black feathers. He glared at Hojo harshly, "The book was never finished."

Hojo simply smiled amused, "There were theories that you had mentioned before about the duel's end."

"Yes," he hissed, "but that is no longer necessary." This time, he looked towards Sephiroth. "Sephiroth," he frowned, "what he said is true. Cloud is dying."

Sephiroth felt his heart drop but stubbornly stood his ground. He felt urgency press against his chest and felt the slow starting of paralysis climbing up his limbs from shock. "Hojo carries the antidote."

"Oh?" Genesis drew his sword and directed it towards Hojo the way Sephiroth was doing beside him. "Then we shall have to relieve him of it." He looked on softly, "My soul, corrupted by vengeance hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey in my own salvation." He sighed and peeked a glance at Sephiroth from the corner of his eye, "I am grateful for that."

"I am not the one who you should be grateful."

Genesis smirked, looking back at Hojo who was eyeing him with interest. "So it seems."

"Hm…fascinating." Hojo looked Genesis up and down once. "So you have recovered…by the boy's hand, I presume?"

"It is no business of yours." Genesis hissed.

"On the contrary, it is imperative to my research." He chuckled. "Rather, this may prove rather interesting. He has proven that he harbors the cells of the goddess. Quite the opposite, in fact, of Jenova's. How fascinating."

"Enough of this." Genesis snarled, swinging his sword in a downward arc and directly over Hojo's head. It didn't hit. Rather, his sword was met with an invisible force holding it back from ever reaching Hojo. "What?"

Sephiroth took the opportunity to swing in from the right, but was stopped as well. He blinked but didn't falter. "Hand over the antidote, Hojo. It is of no use to you now."

"Damn it." Genesis flipped backwards and landed a few feet away, his sword still before him.

Hojo glanced from one to the other, amused. "True. If the boy won't return to me, I have no further use for this vial." He took out a clear tube from his pocket and held it up to the fading light. It glow a light translucent purple where it sloshed around in the vial. Both Sephiroth and Genesis took a reactionary step towards it but found they could get no further. Hojo gave a hysterical laugh and tossed it up into the air, their hearts stopping as he did so, before he caught it back within his hand. He tsked in a disapproving manner, "Is that how you treat you father, boy?"

Genesis gave a look of great distaste and chanced a look towards Sephiroth's own disgusted features. "I do not envy you that, Sephiroth." He slackened in distaste. Sephiroth said nothing.

Hojo continued, as if he had never been disrupted. "Well, no matter. It was good for research."

They both paused, their hearts in their throats, as Hojo gave one great toss into the air and saw it in slow motion as he drew the gun out of his coat. Sephiroth was the first to react, launching for the vial before Hojo's aim was proven true. Genesis, a split second later, found himself hurling towards the unwary scientist who was focusing his shot. "Die!" he yelled, driving his sword forward.

Hojo didn't flinch as Genesis' sword was met, yet again, in an invisible blow and shot out three shots in quick succession. He laughed, "To spare one life, you fight an endless battle, do you?"

Sephiroth had no time to answer as he reacted faster than he thought was possible. He deflected the two bullets out of the way while the third somehow managed to slip by him and aim right for the bottle. He froze, unable to react or to move in the least bit. "Sephiroth, damn you, think!" Genesis yelled at him.

He moved, swinging Masamune from the bottom in an upward arc and managed to reach the vial enough to tip it. The bullet hit and he almost thought the vial had shattered…but it had only grazed the top. He grabbed it and landed before Hojo got any more bright ideas. He turned around and faced the man that was his father in deadly silence, pointing his sword at Hojo's throat. "Are you challenging me?"

Hojo smirked, "My boy, the vial is of no concern of mine." He waved his hand, "Use it however you wish. I no longer have any use for it." He reached into his pocket and pulled out another vial. This one contained a translucent liquid of shimmering gold. "You see, the boy has served his purpose. He may have been able to become the greatest Soldier but I no longer have any use for him either. I have already extracted that unique cell coding and gained enough information to create Soldiers that will make the current Soldiers seem like tiny insects." He chuckled, gaining a look of longing as he stared at the vial.

He didn't notice when Sephiroth burned his anger into the swing of his sword and drove it his way. Masamune sliced through the invisible barrier with enough force that the seared edges started melting with the heat. The vial shattered in his hands and Hojo's look became one of astonishment and anger. He ground his heel into the floor and spun in his direction, a mad glint in his eyes. "Impossible! You fool!" he yelled, "You dare damage my precious research?"

The now visible bubble around Hojo dissolved into a shimmering mass of opal liquid before he stretched out his hand and aimed it at Sephiroth. From a dark spherical glow in his arm, three beasts launched themselves out of materialization and circled around in front of them. They all eyed Sephiroth hungrily. He ignored them, still glaring at Hojo. "Your life ends here."

Genesis became impatient and attacked the beast closest to him, stabbing it through the heart and killing it. "We don't have time for this, Sephiroth." He growled, "Or have you forgotten why we have come here?"

Hojo clasped his hands behind his back, as was his gesture, and sneered in contempt. "I suppose it's a good thing I have gathered enough information about the cell. This may have set me back but it will not hinder my research." He turned away and started walking. Looking back at them, he added, "Do not disappoint me, boy. You may actually prove to be the perfect monster."

Genesis charged at him, but was met with another invisible barrier hindering his path. He growled in frustration. "How can he stop me?"

Sephiroth frowned, wondering if Hojo had somehow been able to utilize a shield similar to Zirconiade's. It seemed to materialize without any effort on Hojo's part and that was going to be troublesome, especially when it had stopped his attacks before. He sighed. He would have loved to end Hojo's life right then but, looking down at the vial, there was no time to be fighting an enemy they could defeat later. "Genesis." He called, interrupting Genesis' attempt to barrage the shield with his fire materia. "Where is Cloud?"

It was a good thing they weren't too far away from Midgar. It wouldn't take long to reach Shinra. They only hoped it was enough time. "He's on the lowest floor by the stairs. I would hurry if I were you."

xxx xxx xxx

Zack panicked, or more like, he panicked hysterically. Cloud didn't seem like he could open his eyes, let alone mumble a response every time Zack tried to make sure he was still conscious. "Cloud." He shook him by the shoulder a little, "Cloud! Answer me!" He looked around desperately, "What are we going to do?"

Rayleigh had been frowning hard from the very beginning, hoping the boy would make it…only, she didn't believe it was possible anymore. The blood wasn't stopping and now, his whole back and shoulders streamed green lines of poison throughout his body like decay. She didn't know what to do either, but she couldn't just give up. She couldn't give up on him. "Zack! Calm down or you'll give me a heart attack." She admonished, still trying to keep the bandages in place to at least minimize the overflow. "Stay with me, Strife." She whispered to him and wiped the sweat on her brow.

Zack couldn't sit still so he opted for crawling around on all fours and gathering all of the equipment closer to them. He stopped when he noticed a pair of boots hurrying their way. "Reeve!"

Reeve hurriedly approached them, looking shaggy with all the dust and debris stuck to him on various areas, and kneeled beside them. "What happened?" he demanded, a grim look on his face when he saw Cloud's condition. "How did this happen?"

Rayleigh didn't look away from her work. "Hojo." She hissed.

Reeve rolled his sleeves up and started helping her, pressing Cloud's soaked shirt to the wound to minimize the bleeding while Rayleigh started with another set of bandages. "This looks terrible. Isn't there anything we can do to stop it?"

Rayleigh never took her eyes off Cloud, her brows still furrowed, "We've been doing all we can." Her voice cracked with the strain of tension. "I don't know how much longer he can hold." She sat back and looked defeated. Her hands dropped to her lap and a desperate look crawled to her face. She looked at Reeve this time but with hopelessness. "I don't think he can make it." Her voice strained.

"No. He will survive. He's a fighter." Reeve strained, not believing it much himself.

"Yeah." Zack looked wildly around, "He has to. We can't lose him yet." It was just then that Zack noticed two figures rushing their way. He automatically perked up and felt relief flood him. "Genesis," he cried, "Sephiroth!"

Sephiroth immediately rushed to Cloud's side and handed Rayleigh the vial. She took one wide-eyed look at it and hurriedly shuffled around for an extra syringe. Sephiroth pulled Cloud up and started tapping his cheek lightly, "Cloud." He called with a worried frown.

Zack started muttering something beside them. "He won't wake up. He just won't –" he choked.

Genesis looked at Zack and sighed, "Settle down, puppy. Your mutterings are not helping."

Sephiroth pulled Cloud closer against him, bracing his head on his shoulder. "Cloud." He said, lost. Cloud was sweating pale faced. His hair, slick with sweat, was plastered on his face and his eyes were screwed shut as though he were in great pain. Sephiroth stroked his cheek and looked down at that pale face that was quickly dying before him, and he couldn't bear it. He closed the distance between them and kissed him deeply, trying to savor every essence. He couldn't lose Cloud, not yet.

Rayleigh felt a vein pop in her head as she finally found the unused syringe and drained the liquid into it. She shuffled around until she reached Cloud's bare arm around Sephiroth and injected Cloud with it. "Now really isn't the time to be romantic, General." She nearly snapped. When the syringe was emptied, she sat back and sighed.

Genesis, Reeve, and Zack just stared and froze at the lack of consideration Sephiroth had just shown. They gawked. "W-W-Wha–?" Zack stuttered, unable to form coherent sentences.

Reeve turned away with a blush and cleared his throat with a cough. "Well…" he coughed again. "Uh…who would have thought…" he lost his voice in speechlessness. Genesis just smirked and crossed his arms.

The kiss was broken when he felt a hand push against his chest. "Y-You bas-tard…" Cloud panted with a huff, a bleary look in his eyes. His voice rasped as he tried for some balance while he tried to hide the slight blush on his face. "What…" he swallowed once to soothe his parched throat, "do you think…you're doing…?"

"Cloud!" Zack hyped, "Are you feeling better?" he asked, completely forgetting about what he had just seen for a split second before he fell silent again in embarrassment.

"I feel like I'm dying…" he admitted.

"Well," Reeve cleared his throat again, "it seemed you were, just a moment ago."

Cloud looked around the area, which he had to do around Sephiroth who was blocking his view, and frowned. "What happened…?" he asked.

Genesis shrugged, "Hojo escaped." He looked towards Sephiroth, amused, "though for good reason."

Rayleigh took this time to pull Cloud by the arm and out of Sephiroth's embrace. He frowned but she met his stare with a cool one of her own. "If you'll excuse me General, I'll need to borrow him for a second." She deadpanned, turning Cloud around and observing his back.

They all stared, making Cloud nervous. "Is is that bad?"

"On the contrary," Reeve breathed, impressed. "I've never seen anything like it."

Rayleigh poked at his exposed back and looked fascinated. "Rather interesting reaction." She mused.

Cloud shivered. His back felt really sensitive at the moment, but he didn't know why. "Why? What's happening?"

"New skin is forming around the wound and closing it up faster than any medicine I have ever seen. By my guess, it should feel like touching something for the very first time." Rayleigh explained, running her hand over the newly formed skin to test its authenticity. Cloud froze as another shiver rose throughout his body. It really did feel…new.

Sephiroth didn't like it…, not at all. He didn't want anyone else feeling Cloud unremorsefully when even he himself had never had the chance. "Please restrain yourself…professor." He ground out.

Rayleigh paused, and then a slow devious smile came to play on her lips as she looked at Sephiroth. Oh, this was going to be fun. She slid a finger straight down Cloud's back and made him shiver again, all the while never taking her eyes off the General. She grinned; a mischievous glint came from her glasses as she teased the General. And, who could resist? "Of course…General." She replied slowly.

Sephiroth was speechless. No one had ever, dare he say it, teased him before. What an unrelenting new experience. He just sat there, motionless and not knowing what to do. He eventually opted for frowning.

Rayleigh laughed at the expressions that raced across Sephiroth, the General's face and vowed to tease him more often. Who knew teasing the General could be so much fun? But, of course, there were things they had to be doing first, at the moment. She stood and glanced around. The people of Shinra were still recovering from the shock of it all. "Director." She caught Reeve's attention. "We should evacuate the building and address a mode of action. The President should be informed."

Reeve nodded. "Of course. We shall notify the board immediately." He looked at all of them, "Will all of you attend?"

Cloud nodded, "We'll need all the help we can get if we're going to rebuild the company."

They all nodded except Zack, who sat there speechless throughout the whole conversation. A shocking scene kept replaying in his head.

xxx xxx xxx

Every news reel flashed news of the President's death and the ascension to the throne by Rufus Shinra, and the fall of the Shinra building. It had shocked all of Midgar when the explosion of the largest structure shook all the levels from top to bottom. Now, they all awaited the next announcement from the heads of the largest company in Gaia.

Rufus sat down at the end of the long table with a sigh. They had found a spare board room on one of the lowest floors where the area was still mainly intact. The rest of the Shinra personnel, they had sent home. He opened the folder in front of him. "The first thing we must address is what to do about the reconstruction of the building." He stated looking around.

Reeve and Lazard nodded, flicking on a spare computer that they had brought from somewhere else, and directed the imagery towards the larger screen hanging on the wall. Needless to say, the screen had miraculously managed to survive. "As you can see," Reeve began, indicating towards the largest screen across from them, "Shinra has sustained an overwhelming amount of damage. It seems that the easiest approach to repair is to tear it all down and start from the beginning."

"Yes," Lazard agreed, linking his fingers together. "The Shinra building has had its foundational structures damaged beyond repair. If we were to attempt to rebuild upon them…it would result in nothing but chaos. A simple shake would topple us."

"But, the question is, what we can use as a base of operations in the meantime." Reeve continued.

Rufus looked at the other two. When Heidegger and Scarlet had heard what had happened, they had been on an unannounced vacation in Costa del Sol, they had immediately rushed over to take charge, and it infuriated Rufus. How had they managed to climb this high in the company, anyhow? "Where have you two been?" he demanded, though he already knew the answer. He didn't even bother mentioning Palmer. Even Reeve had left the cowardly man out of their conversation earlier on the phone. The man had probably run away much earlier and he wasn't going to even bother looking.

Scarlet looked around and fidgeted nervously, never quite meeting Rufus in the eyes. "We, uh…" Scarlet began, opting for playing with a lock of her carefully positioned hair.

"Gya ha ha ha!" Heidegger bellowed. "See here what happens when I'm away!" he laughed aloud some more.

"Enough!" Rufus snapped. "This happened partially because of your inability to be here to diffuse the situation!"

Heidegger popped a vein, instantly turning to anger. "I can be a better President than you ever could!" He stood and slammed his hands onto the table, "Since I am the head of the military, Sephiroth is under my control!" he growled.

Rufus frowned, wondering if Heidegger was as big a fool as he had never imagined. Had the man completely forgotten that he was a temporary head, and that had only been after Sephiroth had gone mad and defected from the company. Perhaps, Heidegger had been having dreams of being an all powerful General for some time. "Then, let us ask the General what he thinks himself." He replied calmly.

Heidegger instantly paled and sat back down. "H-He's…not here right now."

"Actually, he is." Rufus leaned back in his chair. "He's only stepped out for a moment."

Reeve stood, "Shall I go retrieve him?" he asked, sharing an amused look with Lazard. How they loved to see Heidegger put in his place.

Rufus waved a hand towards the door. "He should be right outside with somewhere." He paused for a moment in thought. "Oh, and can you bring in Cloud and Tseng as well?"

"Of course." He headed to the door.

"N-No, wait." Heidegger stammered weakly, "I-I don't think that's necessary, now is it?"

"Be quiet, you fool!" Scarlet hissed, shooting him a glare.

Reeve opened the door anyway. They'd eventually have to have Cloud and Sephiroth's opinion as well. This just served a double purpose. He looked out the door and glanced around for the three of them. "Cloud? General? Tseng?"

Cloud was wrestling against Tseng, who was trying to force him into a shirt. Reeve just blinked in surprise. "It is indecent to meander around with no shirt on." He heard Tseng say in his stoic, no-nonsense type of voice. "Especially when you are to meet with the President."

Cloud huffed angrily. "My back itches and feels prickly all over. Even the slightest breeze makes me shake. What makes you think I'm going to put a shirt on then?" he argued, holding off the white piece of cloth that Tseng was pushing towards him with both hands.

Sephiroth, on the other hand, and Reeve noticed, couldn't seem to take his eyes off Cloud. He just sat there and stared, like it was the most fascinating thing in Gaia, and Reeve blushed, remembering just a couple moments before. He shook his head to clear himself of such thoughts and cleared his throat. "Um…The President requests everyone's presence." He announced dully.

Tseng looked at him with a sigh. "Of course." He stared down at Cloud and handed him the shirt with a stern glare. "You will put on the shirt."

Cloud growled and snatched the shirt out of his hands. "Fine!" he shouted angrily. "I'll wear the shirt!" he pulled it on roughly, wincing when the soft fabric came into contact with his back. He started muttering some things of displeasure.

Letting out a relieved breath, Tseng stood and headed inside. Cloud was still muttering to himself on the floor when Reeve quirked a brow. "Where have Genesis, Fair, and the Professor gone?" he asked, looking around once more.

"They've gone to see if there were any other survivors." Cloud grumbled, "They should be back any moment now."

"I see…"

xxx xxx xxx

"Ow! Hey!" Zack yelled at the piece of rock, dodging a bit of debris and running up to catch up with Genesis and Rayleigh once again. He was limping a little from stubbing his toe on a piece of fallen ceiling. "Hey, wait up!"

Genesis looked around absentmindedly while Rayleigh scanned the fallen structures with little interest. She sighed, dusting off her lab coat and readjusting her glasses. "There seems to be no survivors left."

Genesis twitched when he spotted movement just a little further yet. "I wouldn't be too sure." He drew his sword and walked to where the rubble obscured his view. As he approached closer, he started hearing low murmurings. He dashed around the corner and swung, only to stop immediately after. There were three boys, wearing Soldier uniforms, murmuring amongst themselves. He lowered his arm. "What are you still doing here?"

The three of the paused, looked up, and jumped in surprise. "Heinz! What do we do?" the one with the red hair stammered.

"Calm down, Zemus." Hissed the boy with the extremely long braided black hair.

The sandy haired boy, who Genesis guessed was Heinz, elbowed the two of the others. He stood and dusted his pants off nervously. "Uh, sir…" he greeted. The others did the same, looking guilty and downcast.

Genesis re-sheathed his sword with a look of amusement as Rayleigh and Zack came up to him. Zack recognized them immediately, "Hey, they're Cloud's friends!" he chirped.

Rayleigh frowned, "But what are they still doing here?" She quirked an eyebrow at them.

"Uh…" Heinz answered softly, a slight blush on his features as he looked up at her. "We just came back to look for Cloud…" he glanced away. "We didn't see him anywhere, so we thought he might be in some kind of trouble." He quickly explained.

Genesis smirked at the boy with a glint in his eyes indicating that he knew something the others didn't. "He's fine." He turned towards the other two. "Bring them along with us. We should leave as soon as possible."

Zack patted Heinz on the shoulder with a grin. "Don't worry. Cloud's just dandy." He chuckled.

Heinz lowered and scratched his head. "Y-Yeah," he stammered, peeking a glance at Rayleigh.

Zack looked at her then back at the boy and a sly grin came over his features. "C'mon," he motioned to the others. "Let's get back to the meeting."

Rayleigh sighed, "I just hope the nothing has gone wrong."

Genesis glanced at Rayleigh as they were walking back. "You mean between the two of them."

"Of course, I do." She cried frustrated. "Those two better not have created some sort of trouble." She started muttering to herself. "Leaving them alone like that was not the best idea."

"…I'm sure they're fine." He smirked.

xxx xxx xxx

Sephiroth couldn't tear his eyes away from Cloud. He hadn't had time to notice before but…Cloud was absolutely perfect. From the smooth creamy tone of his skin to the perfect proportions of his body…, needless to say, Sephiroth couldn't find the strength to look away. He sighed as he sat and watched Tseng and Cloud try to struggle against each other around a shirt. He couldn't just seem to find any amusement at the moment, with Cloud still ignorant about his feelings. Or perhaps Cloud had simply thought that he was performing CPR…

He shook his head. In any case, he found he was absolutely in love with Cloud Strife…

It didn't take long for Cloud to reluctantly pull the shirt over his head, sitting cross legged and straight backed on the floor, when Reeve announced that…what had he announced? He looked up and his confusion was what finally enabled him to look away from Cloud. He looked up just in time to see Genesis come through the doorway with the professor, Zack, and three Soldiers. Cloud immediately shot up. "Heinz. Zemus. Kain!" He shouted in surprise. "You're all okay!"

"Cloud!" the three of them responded. "What happened to you out there? We haven't seen you in ages!" Heinz spoke up, reaching out and grasping him by the shoulders. "Boy, it's good to see you again."

Cloud smiled. "Same here." He looked at the three of them. "But…what are you three doing here?"

They smiled sheepishly. "Well, we were worried." Zemus answered. "I mean, after the building crashed, we didn't see you anywhere."

"So we came to find you ourselves." Kain nodded, his eyes flicking towards the General unnoticed. He was looking absolutely murderous with his eyes, though his face betrayed nothing. His eyes were thin slits in the shimmering depths of green.

He stood suddenly, the three of them flinching at the movement, and strode over to them. Heinz and Zemus paled, as they had not noticed the General's presence by being overjoyed at seeing Cloud, and stumbled backwards. Kain, who had remained standing, stepped a couple of steps back. Cloud looked at them then at Sephiroth confused. "Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth strode over and grabbed Cloud by the arm, pulling him up off the ground. He pushed him in front of him as he started walking back towards the door where Reeve was waiting for them. His mood lightened and he smirked when his hand brushed up against Cloud's back, causing him to shiver with the sensation. "We are needed elsewhere." He said faintly.

Cloud went along but with a bit of reluctance, glancing back at the other three. "Still…"

He frowned; this was not what he wanted. Perhaps, he should order the three away…? But, no. That would be too much. Instead, he sighed, looking down at Cloud's golden crown of a head. "They will be fine. There are more important matters we should take care of first."

Cloud snorted but otherwise didn't say anything before they went through the doors and vanished, leaving a partially confused group behind. Genesis merely smirked and snorted as well and, with a shake of his head, followed them inside. Rayleigh brushed a stray lock of hair back out of her face, readjusted her glasses, and looked irritably about. "Zack," she called softly, "we should proceed as well." She indicated towards the door where Reeve stood coughing for a bit.

Zack nodded, looking at the other three. "Sorry, guys." He called, "President's orders, you know?" he grinned, "Don't worry; Cloud'll be right back out. You guys can wait here or turn in for the day if you're tired." He gave them a playful two fingered salute while walking towards the door. "See ya later."

The door closed shut and the three of them looked between each other. "What…just happened?" Heinz scratched his head confused.

Kain hid a smile behind a raised hand. "It seems that our General has a more…personal…relationship with Cloud than we thought. They seem close." He chuckled.

"Close?" Zemus shook his head. "I thought he was going to murder me!"

Heinz just looked blankly from the floor to the door and frowned. "I swear," he whispered confused, "that this has happened before…"

Kain looked amused and crossed his arms. "Really? It doesn't seem as though Cloud realizes the General's…affections for him."

"Affections…?" Heinz and Zemus' eyes widened, "You mean to say that the General is in love with Cloud?" Heinz choked.

"You can't be serious!" Zemus looked at him incredulously.

"Can't I…?" Kain tipped his head off to one side in thought. A slow smile spread across his features. "How fun…" he chuckled. "What the General doesn't realize is that most everybody knows now of his affections. Only, it seems, that his attentions are being distracted by outside forces and he remains…jealous."

Heinz paled. "T-That would explain the first time when we met Cloud…" he swallowed.

Zemus and Kain looked at him in surprise. "You saw the General?"

"Y-Yeah…and I thought he was out to get me with that glare of his." He shuddered. "Or lop my arm off…"

This time, after a pause, Zemus was the one who broke into a grin. "We should spy on them. It's a scoop!"

"…indeed, it would be worthwhile…" Kain looked mischievously, "to watch them suffer…"

Heinz and Zemus looked up at Kain in a new respect. "How cruel…" Heinz couldn't help but laugh, "I never knew you had an evil side to you."

Zemus nodded.

Kain looked at the two of them. "Well, at least we are clear where our loyalties lie." He beckoned for them to stand, "We should head off. It's been a long day and," he glanced back towards the door leading to the board meeting, "give them time to themselves before we go and ruin it for fun."

Heinz shook his head. "I'm glad you're on our side, Kain."

He looked at him. "…So am I."

xxx xxx xxx

Rufus watched Cloud walk in with Sephiroth at his back…and it unnerved him enough that he frowned upon their entry. Sephiroth was standing a bit too close to Cloud for his comfort and he felt compelled to do something. Of course, now wasn't the greatest time to become jealous over something as little as that… "Cloud." He greeted with a smile. "Sephiroth."

"Rufus." Cloud acknowledged with a nod before sitting down in one of the chairs at the end of the table. Too far away from him, was what Rufus thought. He also noticed that Cloud made an effort to stand straighter than usual, and walked with a stiff posture. He frowned, thinking it strange when he had heard from the professor that Cloud's back had, more or less, healed.

"This is becoming more troubling than I wish to deal with." Genesis entered. He sat down on the other side of Cloud, the side Sephiroth was not hogging, leaned back and propped his feet up on the table. He sighed, finally content at being able to sit down.

"Yes," Rayleigh walked up and sat next to Genesis. "Hojo has eluded us for far too long. Something must be done."

Zack went and sat across the table from Cloud and leaned back as well. They were all tired from the events that had just passed and every one of them would have appreciated a break to sleep. "And isn't Hollander in on this too?"

Reeve went ahead and sat back in his seat next to Lazard. "Yes, he is." He brought up a video recording to the large screen. "Unfortunately, the only thing we were able to salvage from the wreckage was the proof of Hollander dancing upon our roof…"

Rufus leaned forward and linked his fingers together. "We must discuss our course of action." He glanced beside him at Heidegger and Scarlet, "Unless, of course, you two have something you would rather like to say."

Heidegger had, somewhere along the line, gotten out a handkerchief and was now wiping his sweaty face with it. "I'm still in charge!" he yelled in a fit of madness. "I'm in charge of the army! They will do as I say!" he gruffly proclaimed.

"You ignorant fool!" Scarlet glared at him. She snapped her teeth shut, looked down at her white gloved hands then back up at Rufus after a thought. "I'll assist in the redevelopment of Shinra." She stated after awhile. "I will redirect my efforts into the construction of the building and halt research into the weapons development for now."

Rufus looked at her in slight surprise. "I'm surprised. Your views seem to have changed."

She looked away and worried her bottom lip. "There were important things that I seemed to remember…" she stated quietly. "I shouldn't have acted so…immaturely…before…" she dropped off, looking as though she had realized something troubling.

Heidegger still continued in a rant. "No matter what you say, Rufus, I am still the head of war!" he pointed a finger at Sephiroth, "And the General is mine to command!"

Rufus' eyes widened in surprise but he said nothing.

Sephiroth's ear twitched. What? He had been looking at Cloud the entire time, not quite following the conversation, until he heard his name mentioned. He looked up this time and stared at Heidegger in a blank expression. Had the fool of a man actually said what he had just heard? He frowned. "If you believe yourself to be in control of me, Heidegger, you are sorely mistaken." He replied slowly.

Heidegger paled, but otherwise didn't back down. "That is no way to talk to your superior officer, General!" he barked, "You will obey or be tried for treason!"

He looked at him carefully. "…So be it…"

Heidegger faltered. "You will listen to me!"

He was quickly getting bored and took to staring at Cloud again. He was thinking how beautifully the golden strands swayed around whenever Cloud moved when Cloud just suddenly spoke up in anger. "Hey! He's been fighting for Shinra before you ever became important. You have no right to demand that he listen to you."

Sephiroth felt touched, truly he did, until Heidegger took to glaring daggers at Cloud. "Now, listen here, boy!" he barked sharply, pointing an accusing finger at Cloud's chest. "You have no right but to go through those doors and leave the business to the Shinra heads!" he hissed. "A mere Soldier shouldn't do anything but follow orders and become shields for the more important people of this business." He gruffly spat.

Sephiroth felt a burning anger prickle under his skin at the insult thrown Cloud's way. He glared sharply at Heidegger. "You will be silent, Heidegger, or I will ensure silence for you." He threatened softly. "You're incompetence is unneeded here."

Rufus shook his head and sighed. "And if Sephiroth doesn't, then I will." He looked angrily at Heidegger. "Cloud's presence is more important than you will ever be."

Heidegger looked at all of the faces in the room, stunned. "Wha–?"

"Get out." Rufus hissed.

Heidegger's chair fell over as he stood to slam his hands onto the table. "But, you need me!"

This time, it was Sephiroth's turn to sigh. It was time he tried to set his feelings aside a bit to help manage things through. "You know nothing of the situation. Your position has now been rendered irrelevant and," he glanced briefly at the others before his eyes flicked back to Heidegger's haggard countenance, "you cannot offer us anything we do not know already."

"I–" He flicked his gaze towards Scarlet.

She didn't look at him in the face. "The General's right." She whispered. "This is no time to be fooling around."

Heidegger's face grew red, and full of anger. "Fine!" he pounded the desk again. "Just you wait! I'll get all of you for this!" he marched towards the door, "And I'll get the last laugh!" he stormed out and the door slammed before him.

They all let out a collective breath. "Well," Lazard chuckled, "that proved interesting."

"Yeah, I could almost feel the tension in the air." Zack mused, standing, "Excuse me for a bit. All this tension made me need to go…" he laughed embarrassed, scratched the back of his head, and headed out.

"You know," Cloud pondered, "I think its better this way. At least, he won't die this time."

They all looked at him. "What?" Scarlet chirped. Genesis, Lazard and Rayleigh observed him dryly.

The others looked sheepish before turning their faces away, trying to indicate that they knew nothing. Cloud just froze, blushed, then stammered, "I-I mean…" he grumbled and put his face in his hands, "Ah, who am I kidding?" he muttered and looked up at them with sharpness, "And it's better this way, isn't it? That way, I won't have to explain myself. I mean, is there anybody who doesn't know my secret?" he grumbled some more.

"So…" Rayleigh smirked in amusement, something she shared with Genesis, "it was as we suspected."

"That would indeed explain a few things." Genesis tipped his chair back and took to examining his gloves.

"You mean that you have entertained that absurd notion as well?" Lazard laughed.

"It is proving true, is it not?" Rayleigh laughed as well.

Scarlet looked between them in utter confusion. "There seems to be something important of which I haven't been informed." Her sharp impatience started leaking through and her confidence grew. It was obvious that they needed her; they hadn't kicked her out yet, so she also had a right to know everything the others did.

Reeve looked at Cloud with a furrow of his brows. He seemed a bit worried. "Cloud, is this really what you wish?"

Cloud waved his hand. "Its better if it's out in the open, isn't it? That way, we can all plan something without having to hold anything important back or explain it later."

Sephiroth and Genesis paused, exchanging a glance before Genesis spoke up. "Cloud." He called, "Hojo knows."

Cloud whipped his head around to face Genesis. "What?"

He shrugged. "I didn't think it could be true but…what he mentioned back there…" he looked towards Sephiroth.

"Hojo held the antidote, Cloud. That is how we spoke with him." He clarified. "He mentioned dreams that had been plaguing him…"

Cloud groaned into his hands. This sounded oddly familiar. "Then Aerith was wrong." He looked at Reeve grief stricken. "I thought we were the only ones who were supposed to know…supposed to remember." He rubbed the back of his head, "But, Bugenhagen and Godo remembered too…"

Reeve looked grim. "Then, I suppose there's nothing left but to tell them."

Scarlet huffed in frustration. "What is so important that everyone is reluctant to say?"

"We're from the future." Cloud puffed, settling his head down on the table. It was just then that he remembered that none of them had slept at all for a while. Still, he would have to ignore his fatigue until after the meeting. "Aerith and I were the only ones sent back with all of our memories intact. I was sent back with half my strength so that I'd have the power to do something about the past." He explained carefully.

Scarlet shook her head. "That can't be true."

Cloud's eye flicked towards her sadly. "I can tell you what happened to you if you want…"

Scarlet paused. Did she really want to know what had become of her? No, not really but…he had said so himself, things were different now… She slowly nodded, "Yes."

Cloud frowned. "Your last creation was called the Proud Clod. You and Heidegger were so bent on destroying us that we had no choice but to defeat you." He sighed, remembering the time, "When the machine detonated, you two went with it."

Scarlet grew pale. That was the name of the mechanical suit that she had been currently working on before her little vacation. And she had died… "No…" Well, it was obvious that the project would be discontinued.

Cloud looked around. "Anyone else?" he snorted, trying to make light of the situation but failing miserably.

They all looked serious and glum as they thought about the implications of knowing everyone and everything beforehand. "Then, what of me?" Lazard spoke up. "I am quite curious of what becomes of me."

Cloud gave a sideways glance at him and scrunched his temples in thought. "I think I saw you when…I had mako poisoning." He lifted his head off the table and rubbed the side of his head. He was getting a headache trying to remember. "Only, you didn't look like you do now. Something about being a clone…" he trailed off. "I think you mentioned being an 'Angeal clone', I think." He sighed, his head aching and gave up. "Then you died helping us."

Lazard looked absolutely pallid and swallowed. "I suppose…your changing things have also changed my future. I'm grateful."

"Angeal…" Genesis sighed. "His talk of honor and justice…how has it served him now?"

"Well…" Cloud looked nervously around and bowed his head, "now that everybody knows–"

They were interrupted when the door burst open and Zack came grinning his way back inside. "So," he plopped down ungracefully, "what did I miss?"

They all looked at him with blank stares and blinked. Then they all stared at Cloud, then back at Zack. Rufus coughed. "I believe we should adjourn this meeting and continue tomorrow." He leaned back in his chair. "You are all welcome to stay at my manor at the edge of Midgar, if you have no place to go."

Cloud's eye twitched. He really didn't have anywhere else to go, unless he wanted to intrude in on Aerith's house, or sleep in the church…but he could really use a shower and a warm bed to sleep in… "You don't mind?" he asked, not wanting to intrude too much.

Rufus looked at Cloud with an odd twinkle in his eyes and a slow smile made its way onto his face. "Not at all…" he said slowly.

Sephiroth tensed. The look in Rufus' eyes when he was looking at Cloud was not something he wanted to see. There was no way he was leaving Cloud under Rufus' care alone. Of course, Genesis spoke up for all of them so that he didn't have to. "The Shinra building is in shambles." He snorted. "None of us has a place to stay at the moment."

Rufus didn't look surprised. "You are all welcome to stay. There are plenty of unoccupied rooms on all of the floors." He smirked. "Besides, it has been rather quiet without much company."

"Reasonable." Rayleigh stated. "It would also serve as a good base of operations for the moment, with us all gathered into one area rather than being spread out."

"Yeah, then when an emergency comes up, we could just get together and solve it." Zack clapped.

Lazard stood. "Wonderful. Then I shall inform the servants to prepare some rooms."

"Huh?" Zack looked surprised. "You already live with him?"

Lazard smiled. "Yes. Surprisingly, Rufus has invited me to live within the manor of the family. And, now that our father is gone…"

"Huh? Y-You mean your father is…"

He nodded. "Yes, though we are only brothers by half."

Cloud tried to stifle a yawn. Though this was all very interesting, he really was getting tired. He just wanted to go to sleep. "What time is it?" he asked blearily.

"Too late into the night and too early in the morning." Genesis punctuated. It was obvious that his lack of sleep was frustrating him as well.

"Well," Reeve nodded, "I shall go and try to salvage some of the remaining equipment so that we may figure out where we are." He stood. "I shall see you all in the morning." He said and walked out the door.

"I will accompany him. It will take more than one man to carry all of that equipment, though I hear that his Cait Sith has already been working on it." Lazard stood as well before striding towards the door.

Scarlet had remained silent throughout the rest of the discussion but decided it was time she spoke up. "I'll need workers, engineers to help me try and rebuild some of the equipment…" she sighed, "In the morning; I'll gather some of the remaining Soldiers and start working on the medical devices first."

"Alright." This time, Rufus stood, "Everybody else is to clear out and get some rest. We'll continue this discussion in the morning."

Everybody stood and filed out.

xxx xxx xxx

Cloud slumped into the bed and it was a struggle not to immediately drift off as soon as his head hit the pillow. He sighed, too tired to change out of his clothes, not that he had spare clothing, but thought of how beautiful the house was that Rufus and Lazard owned. When they had walked in, it seemed he and Zack couldn't stop gawking at the overly rich interior. It was definitely the house of the richest family in all of Gaia, and he became a little jealous. Of course, immediately after they had stepped inside, a man directed them all to separate rooms, though they were all next to each other. He gave a little frustrated cry into his pillow, especially since his back had started itching again, and decided not to think about things until the morning when a knock sounded on the door. "Come in…" he muffled.

The door opened and Rufus walked into his room, carrying spare clothing in his hand as he made his way over. Cloud peeked up at him from the corner of his eye. "Cloud," he said softly, "I've brought a spare change of clothing for you to sleep in." He came up and sat next to him on the bed.

Cloud blinked, "Thanks…" he replied softly. With his back itching so much, he had tried to scratch it…but whenever he tried, he would scratch it a bit too hard and it would sear his back with pain instead.

A sly smirk overcame his features. "Do you need help getting dressed?" he chuckled. "It should also relieve some of the irritation on your back. It's made of silk."

"How did you know?" his eyes widened in surprise.

Rufus shrugged. "I noticed your failed attempts to relieve the irritation on your back. I also noticed the flinch every time you did so."

Cloud forced himself to sit up a little. "Oh…" He scratched his head. "You know, you act a lot differently than the Rufus I used to know."

"Oh?" he quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah," he frowned, "I always thought you were out to get me…"

Rufus looked at him softly, "…Perhaps I was…" he leaned over and brushed a chaste kiss over Cloud's mouth.

Cloud pulled back and blushed, his arm coming to cover his mouth in shock. He blushed profusely and frowned. "Not in that way!"

He chuckled. "Oh, I am pretty sure it was 'in that way'." He set aside the clothing and looked at Cloud, amused.

"You aren't serious!" he exclaimed. "I mean…"

"Cloud," Rufus interjected. "When I saw you before…for the first time, I was stunned. Then when I remembered, I couldn't stop thinking about you." He looked at Cloud closely, their faces mere inches apart. "Cloud. Be mine." He whispered.

He blinked, and he swore for all of Gaia that his heart had frozen in shock. "W-What?" he stammered, becoming nearly unable to think properly. He was getting dizzy with confusion. "W-Wha…?"

Rufus reached over and stroked Cloud's cheek with his thumb. He looked softly into his eyes and clarified. "Be mine, Cloud. Be my lover."

He froze in shock. "I–"

The door slammed open before he had any time to answer and Sephiroth stepped inside with a wave of anger that was nearly tangible around him. If one were to be close enough, they would feel the wave of heat emanating off his skin. "Rufus…" he growled, seeing nothing but red.

Rufus straightened slowly and smoothed out his clothes as though there were nothing wrong. "Sephiroth," he said calmly, "what a surprise."

Sephiroth didn't dare take another step lest he lose control and let his itching fingers strangle Rufus. So instead, he froze and glared murderously at him. His heart clenched strongly in his chest. "It's late." He stated, "Cloud should be left to rest."

Rufus looked at the General with a quirk of the brow. "Then, what are you doing here, General?" he smirked. "Or did you have something to say to Cloud as well?"

Honestly, he didn't have an answer. He had been so consumed by jealousy and rage after hearing Rufus confess to Cloud that he hadn't been thinking at all until he came in to barge into the room. But, sometimes, having so great a hearing wasn't such a bad thing. "Yes." He answered sharply, "I did."

Rufus laughed then sighed. He got up and looked Sephiroth straight in the eyes. "Then I suggest you make it quick. As you have said, Cloud is tired and needs his rest." He looked down at Cloud, who had just been sitting there dumbfounded, and leaned forward to lift his chin. He caught him by surprise with another kiss, but Rufus watched Sephiroth's reaction from the corner of his eye.

Cloud backed away and blushed again. Not only did Rufus kiss him again but he did so in front of Sephiroth. "W-Why did you do that?"

Rufus chuckled again and stood straighter. "Then I shall bid both of you a good night." He smiled, heading to the door. He looked back and added, "I shall see you in the morning", before stepping out and closing the door behind him.

Sephiroth whipped around so fast that Cloud didn't even notice the movement until seconds later, and grabbed the doorknob. He felt the burning desire to go after Rufus and to murder him brutally for even thinking of touching Cloud, especially in his presence. He paused, took a deep breath, and slowly let go of the doorknob. He sighed and looked back at Cloud, who sat there looking embarrassed and traumatized. "Cloud." He breathed, taking a seat where Rufus had occupied just moments before.

Cloud looked at him red-faced. "I-It isn't what it seems…" he whispered unconvincingly.

Sephiroth closed his eyes and covered his face with a hand. "Do you…do you love him, Cloud?" he asked quietly, now looking seriously at Cloud.

"What?" he looked surprised. "No. At least, I never thought I did…"

He felt a little better knowing that but not by much. He looked beside him and found the articles of clothing that Rufus had gotten for Cloud…black silk. He lifted them and handed them to Cloud. "You should change and get some rest." He stood, "It's late. Rest well, Cloud." He said before walking out and closing the door softly behind him.

Cloud stared at the door for the longest time before he blinked and looked down at the clothes. Why had Sephiroth come into his room? Did he have something important to say? Why had he asked whether he loved Rufus? Cloud groaned. He knew he felt nothing for Rufus but…for Sephiroth? He choked, a blush spreading across his face. He was starting to like him again, the General he had once admired from afar.

He hadn't had much time to think of it before but…that had been a long time ago, and an affection he had long since forgotten and forsaken. Now, it all seemed to be coming back to him. What was he going to do?

xxx xxx xxx