Little did the two lovers know that they would indeed be torn apart. Cruelly and without any remorse or guilt. Tears soaked the dark blindfold she wore as she entered the demolished city and eventually she ripped it off in frustration, allowing her blank eyes to be revealed. If anyone had seen her eyes, they would have gasped at the stark resemblance they had to the color of mako and how extraordinarily bright they were, but they leaked tears of anguish and the brows above them quivered and narrowed in emotional pain. Never before had Lunara knowingly wept as hard as she did at this moment. In her Chryochamber, her tears mixed with the liquid that kept her alive so she had no way of telling how many tears she had shed in self pity.

The memories coming back to her were like bricks crashing into her stomach, sending her further sinking into the endless ocean of sorrow and unable to breathe. She hated Shinra, she hated Hojo, she hated everything. She briefly wondered if this was what her friends felt like before they betrayed everything they ever knew; before they killed innocent people, destroyed innocent cities and destroyed what was left of their humanity. Lunara refused to take the same path they did although she couldn't lie and say she was not tempted.

Far off in the distance, she heard the clap of thunder and soon rain began to pour relentlessly around her, yet she stayed where she was seated on a mound of broken stones and wood that used to be someone's home. No, even through her hatred, she knew it was wrong to kill innocence and to take revenge selfishly. Unlike her lover and friends, she knew that there was still a small percentage of good people left in the world; Cloud and his friends proved that.

As another clap of thunder shook the cold air, the blind woman's unseeing eyes danced around as if she were searching for something. Although no images met her gaze, she knew exactly what was around her. She knew where every broken stone and building was, where every obstacle was, she even knew where the rat was that scurried off to hide from the rain. The less light that disturbed her dead eyes, the more she was able to sense around her and therefore, the blindfold was necessary. Sighing, she slumped back and let herself become soaked as more memories flashed through her mind.

"Face it, Angeal, there is no way you can beat me, even with that giant dinosaur cock you call a sword," taunted Zack as the raven haired man swung his buster blade effortlessly at his student, who barely missed getting his head cut off with a laugh.

Angeal smirked as he attacked again, only to be parried and pushed away by Zack who quickly attacked as well. The mentor blocked the attack easily and swung his buster blade again, nicking the young SOLDIER's arm. Off to the side of the battle arena, Lunara sat comfortably with her back rested against the wall eating a cup of yogurt and chuckling at her friends' antics.

Angeal and Zack had been going at it for hours with hardly any breaks and hardly any signs of exhaustion. After Lunara had finished with a Third Class SOLDIER who was having trouble with his blade, she had gravitated over to the area her friends fought at and was void of any other spectators who were terrified of the angry grunts and sparks that flew from the scuffle. Lunara, however, had been witness to this plenty of times and had since been used to such things.

Only twenty minutes after she sat down with her snack had Sephiroth appeared and sat beside her, far enough away to not seem intimate, but close enough to be friendly. As he sat down, Lunara had winked at him with a sly smile to which the General had returned. Chuckling, both of them returned to the fight and Lunara continued sipping at her yogurt. A few times, Lunara glanced at her secret lover and smirked when she found him watching her as well, inconspicuously watching the creamy white substance enter her mouth and her tongue dart out to lick up a drop that fell just below her lip.

She enjoyed teasing him when they were in public. It made the adrenaline rush through her veins at the thought of being noticed and she knew that Sephiroth secretly enjoyed it as well. She knew because countless times after meetings or social get-togethers, he'd drag her to some secluded area and proceed to practically suck her face off or ravish her until the point of delirium. She didn't mind it, in fact she loved it, but she hated answering questions such as to why her hair was a mess or why her clothes looked so wrinkled. Sephiroth, of course, was the master of calm and perfection as his hair was always flawless and in place and his clothes as crisp as ever.

As she continued to eat her yogurt cup and sneak glances at the man next to her she didn't notice the drop of yogurt that fell on her chin, but when she finished her snack and put her full attention on the fight, she didn't notice Sephiroth moved closer to her. She was surprised when his face was suddenly next to hers and his tongue was darting out to lick her chin before his head moved to the side to gently nip her ear, a place he discovered to be her sensitive area; in other words he performed an action that usually made her moan in pleasure.

At the affectionate gesture, a delightful tingle ran up Lunara's spine and she had to bite her lip to suppress a moan. She looked around to see if anyone was watching before closing her eyes and letting out a happy sigh. Sephiroth chuckled beside her ear before giving it another nip and leaning away. She wanted to giggle like a little girl, but that wasn't her so she winked at him instead.

"You are absolutely barbaric," she chuckled as she lifted the empty yogurt cup back up and dipping her finger in to wipe the rest of the food off the edges and lick it off. Beside her she heard Sephiroth let out a groan so quiet that she hardly noticed it, but when she tilted her head to look at him she could see the restraint in his features and his legs press firmly together.

"I could say the same thing to you, Ara," he replied before giving her a smile that would have made any girl fall to her knees in ecstasy. Fortunately, Lunara was able to keep her hormones at bay until they were alone.

Grinning at each other, they snuck a quick kiss before returning their attention back to the fight. Later, when their friends still didn't stop, they snuck off to the equipment room and locked the door so that they wouldn't be disturbed.

Anyone reading Lunara's mind at that moment would have thought that her relationship with Sephiroth had been nothing but sex, and although that was partially true, she would have to tell them that it was because of the sex that they got to know each other. They learned what made each other squirm, what made each other laugh and what annoyed them. If Lunara hadn't come over so often for their long night rendezvous, then she wouldn't have been able to get anything out of him when they were around their friends. He told her things that he had never told Angeal or Genesis and it made her feel like he could trust her and she liked it. Not once did she ever believe that Sephiroth lied to her and she was comfortable with the fact that one day they could tell people about their relationship.

Of course, everything had to go wrong by then. The secrets of their pasts were discovered, truths finally coming to the surface and her dear lover's mind had to shatter, her friends had to die and she had to be locked away in a chamber for eight miserable years of pain and sorrow. If the three silver haired men ever did succeed in bringing Sephiroth back, Lunara couldn't decide whether to be happy or devastated.

If Sephiroth ever was going to come back, he'd surely try to destroy the world again and as much as she hated that fact, Lunara couldn't deny that she knew she would feel immense joy at seeing him again. Maybe, if he saw her alive and well and out of that blasted chamber, his mind would heal and he would set aside his destructive plans to be with her in peace. Maybe she'd save the planet and more innocent lives just by getting him to look at her.

But she knew deep down in her heart that it wouldn't be. As much as she loved Sephiroth and as much as she believed he held feelings for her, he still didn't love her the same way. They had never said the three dreaded words to each other or even implied them, but she knew that his feelings for her weren't as strong as hers for him. Sephiroth, no matter how different his thoughts were, was still the same person and he would never admit defeat or love.

No matter how much she tried to convince herself of it, she couldn't help the little spark of hope that lit within her. The others might not know it, but she also believed that there was still some good in him. She had to hold on to that. If she didn't, then she just might crack as well and all would be lost.

Two months to the day Lunara last was in Seventh Heaven, she still didn't return and Cloud and Tifa were beginning to worry. The blind ex-SOLDIER didn't have a phone for them to contact and even Cloud's attempts to find her in Midgar were futile. Cloud himself had become obsessed with finding information about the three silver haired men and finding his old friend, but both were in vein. He stayed out all day with deliveries, then it gradually turned into nights where he was gone looking. Soon he stopped coming back to the bar for days at a time, his delivery service abandoned, and he spoke less and less. By the time three months rolled around, Cloud stopped answering his phone and he stopped coming back all together. A month after that, there was still no signs of either Cloud or Lunara.

Tifa, although worried, felt more annoyance. She couldn't blame Lunara for not staying in touch to see if she found anything considering she didn't have a phone, but she could have came back to Edge to let them know she was alright. And Cloud; he just disappears all of a sudden? She was even more annoyed with the blonde because he actually did have a phone to let her know he was alright and he had a bike that could bring him back once in a while for a good night sleep. But no; they didn't contact her at all and it was making her exceedingly frustrated, something that didn't happen often. When vowed that when she saw those two again that she was going to give them the biggest lectures of their lives. She might not have known Lunara very long or very well, but she knew that the woman would never hurt her, so she wasn't afraid to let out her anger next time they met.

Huddled on the ground by a small fire she had made, Lunara slept dreaming of her days back in SOLDIER with the only man she would ever love. About a month after she reached Midgar, sleep started to overcome her senses once again with the effects of the Chryoliquid finally wearing off. She had made a camp under an overhang of rocks that she could tell used to be a room considering she found a tattered blanket and pillow that she now used as her bed.

Almost every day she could hear the rumbling of Clouds motorcycle, Fenrir, and concluded that Cloud must have been looking for clues as well as her, but she didn't want to be found, not yet anyway. At night, she snuck away to her little cave that she made into a home and during the day she searched for clues while avoiding Cloud's attempts of finding her. One night she actually followed Cloud to find out where he went every night because she knew that he never left the city. She never once, since he got there, heard Fenrir's roar leaving Midgar towards Edge.

Her dear ex-guard friend had taken to staying at the church where the only bed of flowers in all of Midgar grew. She didn't know why he chose there to spend his nights, maybe he found the flowers comforting in such a gloomy deserted city or maybe it was something else. She had stood by the door and heard him kneel on the ground in the flowers mumbling to himself about being sorry. Lunara had narrowed her eyes under her blindfold in question, but she decided to leave and let Cloud have his privacy.

It wasn't long after Cloud had decided to take up residence in the church that he finally found her. He was a lot harder to avoid when he stopped using Fenrir to get around and Lunara found it inevitable that he would eventually discover her. It was one night when he was attracted by the light of her fire that he found her. She had hidden in the shadows upon hearing him approach and although she knew it was probably him, she couldn't take the chance of being attacked by a creature or someone else without being prepared.

But as soon as Cloud's spiked locks came into the light of the fire, Lunara had also stepped out of the shadows. Upon hearing her footfalls, Cloud's eyes looked up from curiously looking about her camp and held his sword up ready for battle.

"Calm down, Cloud. It is only me," she said calmly as she sat down by the fire to warm her hands with a small smile. When he didn't say anything, she turned her head in his direction. "Goodness. You act as if you are seeing a ghost."

"Pretty damn close to it," he mumbled before sheathing his sword on his back and crouching by the fire as well. "Luna, why are you still here? Why have you been avoiding me?"

"To answer your first question; I'm here for the same reasons you are. To find clues and help stop Sephiroth. And for your second question; I've been avoiding you because I know you would try to convince me to go back to Edge. Considering you won't be going back anytime soon either, the answer is no," she said smoothly as she took a stick and poked at the fire.

"Luna," he sighed, putting his hand to his forehead as if annoyed. "You have to go back. You can't just live out here."

"I could very well tell you the same, Cloud," she returned sharply, startling Cloud with her suddenly stern expression. "You have to help Tifa take care of those kids. Me; I have nothing to lose out here. Go back home, Cloud. If I find something, I'll return to Edge and let you know."

"I can't allow that. I promised Tifa I would find you," he said softly.

"So you have found me. Go home and tell Tifa not to worry. I'm capable of taking care of myself as you very well know, Cloud," she practically growled once again startling her friend.

"Fine. I'll go home if you come with me," he countered stubbornly. If Lunara was going to give him attitude, then he was going to give it right back. Lunara's face remained passive and she stood to defiantly place her hands on her hips.

"No."

Cloud sighed and shook his head slightly while his eyes gravitated to the ground. "Luna, please-"

"I said no, Cloud. Leave. Go back to Tifa." When Cloud still didn't move she added, "That's an order."

Cloud's head suddenly snapped up and his eyes flared slightly in anger. "What?"

"I have seniority as well as rank over you and I order you to leave," she said again, her hand raising to point towards the exit while the other stayed firm on her hip. Cloud was sure that if she wasn't wearing her blindfold than he would be able to see her glaring at him so he glared right back.

"We're not in Shinra anymore, Lunara. You're rank doesn't mean anything," he growled.

"Well then, I still have seniority. Leave me." Her voice was hard and cold, not like he remembered from a few months ago when she had been sad yet calm and composed. He figured she was just frustrated with the lack of results from their searching and he couldn't blame her.

With a sigh of defeat, Cloud gave his friend a meaningful look that was returned with an emotionless façade. He knew she was hurting, there was no way anyone could have gone through what she did and not be emotionally scarred, but she refused to let it show. When she said nothing else he finally gave in and turned and left her cave. The next morning he left to search the wastelands. He hoped that when he returned she would be willing to go with him back to Edge or at least work together.

After Cloud left Lunara sat quietly in her cave thinking. She shouldn't have been that hard on Cloud; he wanted to find the three men just as much as she did; there was no need to snap at him. And using her rank… What had she sunk to? She hardly ever used her rank during SOLDIER to get what she wanted; she never even used it on Zack to be quiet or to settle down. Putting her head in her hands she let out a groan. What had gotten into her? Sure she was frustrated with trying to find clues, but she'd never lost her patience this quickly. She'd apologize in the morning, she decided.

But when morning came, Cloud was gone and she wondered if he had actually listened to her and went back to Tifa, but after climbing onto a tall building to hear where he went, she knew he hadn't. She could hear Fenrir going in the opposite direction to Edge, but all that was that way for miles was wastelands. She decided that she'd move her own little pillow and blanket to the church and wait for Cloud to come back so that she could apologize.