Hey all! Where are my reviews huh? Haha I'm just kidding, but seriously where are they? They make me happy and motivate me to update faster!

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Chapter 21

The door opened with a bang, as Sephiroth dragged Weiss into the shadowy building. Weiss was losing a lot of blood; it was a miracle that he survived this long. The man walked up a set of stairs the curved to the next floor. Weiss's boots created a loud echo as they thudded on each step. Sephiroth continued to walk as he dragged the near dead man; he entered a room with a bed and a stone wall. Weiss's body made a thump as it was thrown onto the bed. Sephiroth walked to the stone wall and pushed in a stone, the large stone door began to slide open. The tall silver haired man turned to grab his wounded ally. He grimaced at the sight of Weiss. "Your pathetic, scum" as he said as he threw the man over his shoulder and turned to the door way. The huge stone door slide shut as he walked down the stairs. The stairs coiled down to a cave like basement, the stairs went on for an eternity.

Sephiroth opened a door that led to a lab, he looked around to see if anyone was there, and the place had been abandoned. He walked over to a table and laid Weiss down. He walked over to look at the supplies, he was looking for mako. He looked down at the base of two broken tubes, there was a rotting corpse laying there, making the room reek. He looked down and smiled, he knew the wound, it was Zack he knew it was him. He looked back at the tubes, "So…this is where you have been, interesting." He said. He heard a creak in the door, someone was here, he turned quickly with his sword drawn. He looked at the man standing in the doorway, the man stood hunched over, his large glasses sliding down his noise, and the greasy ponytail… It was Hojo. The man looked at Sephiroth with studying eyes, he was very interested with the turn of events.

"What are you doing here Hojo?" Sephiroth asked with anger in his voice.

"Shinra has been wiped out; I need to get all my supplies to continue my research. My how far you have come, look at you."Hojo said as he picked up Sephiroth's arm looking at him.

With on motion Sephiroth flung the man across the room, crashing into a book shelve. "Get of me you, don't you ever touch me!" Sephiroth put his sword to Hojo's neck. "Oh how I have waited for this day, at last I will have my revenge for your sins." Sephiroth said as he made a small cut on Hojo's neck.

"Sins? What sins? You were the greatest success of all of Shinra's experiments." Hojo said grinning at the thought of the experiment. "May I ask, what are you doing here?" Hojo looked over to the table.

"That's none of your business. It's time for you to die!" Sephiroth said with great rage in his voice.

The blade moved closer and closer to the man's neck, Hojo began to sweat, fear filled his face, he was not ready to die yet. "WAIT! WAIT!! I can help! Whatever you need I can give you! Please!!" Hojo begged with a great fake cry.

Sephiroth looked down at the man, his eyes were filled with curiosity, and he could be a useful asset. If things didn't go as he wanted, he could just kill the man at any second. "What use could you possibly be to me?" Sephiroth said with caution.

Hojo pointed over to the table, "He could be a start." Hojo said with a slight crack in his voice.

"What can you do for him?" Sephiroth asked.

"I can save his life, and anything else you may want me to do to him. How did he get these injuries?" Hojo asked.

"He was defeated by Zack Fair. Such weaklings." Sephiroth said with disgust.

"Ahh Zack Fair, what a curious specimen, he used to be stored in this very basement. My how that failure turned to be a rather curious piece of my work… so fair defeated Weiss, of Deepground." Hojo said.

"Deepground?" Sephiroth asked.

"Yes Deepground, it was formed after your disappearance. It was president Shinra's personal team of super advanced SOLDIER's. Although the experiment was never finished, Genesis Rhapsodos was never located to continue their advancement. They were still very powerful, but by no means as powerful as you. But Zack Fair had beaten him huh?" Hojo asked not expecting a answer.

"Beaten, that is an understatement. He did even come close to landing an attack let alone win the fight. Zack made him look like a fool." Sephiroth said with a bit of curiosity to what the mad scientist was going to say.

"Very very interesting. Sephiroth… you should be careful, if Fair was that powerful, he could only progress; he may become your equal if you are not careful. Eliminate him as soon as you can. Deepground had a lot of power Sephiroth, Fair has gotten far stronger than expected. Don't take him lightly." Hojo said rather shocked to hear about Zack's strength.

Hojo made his way over to Weiss's barely alive body. He studied it thoroughly, he grabbed his arm to feel his muscle, and build. He bent over to look into the wound, he was cut straight through, several organs and bones had been broken, he was truly in a critical state."We must hurry if you want your friend to live." Hojo said as he ran around the table and put the restraints on Weiss.

"He is not my friend; he is nothing more than a tool I intend to kill once he serves his purpose. If he dies, he dies." Sephiroth said with a cold and heartless voice.

"Ah I see, interesting. Now I have a very important question." Hojo said to Sephiroth who nodded. "We should make him stronger; he lost to Fair, what would be the point in reviving him just to lose. I could give him a second mako treatment; it will make him stronger…" Hojo said. He looked up to see Sephiroth's anger face. "Oh he won't be nearly as powerful as you. You are truly gifted. If you would only focus on the battle and not toy with your opponents, you could never lose. You power is truly limitless!! Hahaha that is the power of Jenova!" Hojo laughed in amazement of Sephiroth's power.

Sephiroth leaned against the wall hold back his rage over the use of his mother's name. Hojo walked over to a book shelf and pulled a book. It was a lever that opened a hidden door behind the shelf. Sephiroth's eyes widened at the site of the hidden lab. Hojo disappeared into the lab, and returned seconds later, carrying two large syringes filled with mako. He walked over to Weiss who was barely breathing. Sephiroth just stood and watched closely, as Hojo inserted the syringe into Weiss's lifeless arm. Hojo pushed the top of the syringe and the mako began to go into Weiss's blood stream. Within seconds Weiss began to shake violently in the table, the restraints barely held him down to the table. Sephiroth looked in awe as Weiss's wound began to close instantly, the mako was truly powerful. Hojo grabbed a pen and a tablet taking notes on the effects the mako had on Weiss. He turned to Sephiroth, and asked, "may I have just one droplet of your blood?"

"Why do you need my blood?" Sephiroth asked still looking disgusted to be in Hojo's presence.

"With just one drop of your blood in the next injection of mako, you will have total control of him. Summon him with your mind forsay." Hojo said without looking up at the large man. Sephiroth took off his glove and came over to the man. He put his hand out to have his blood taken. Hojo, pulled out a pin and poke Sephiroth, he did not flinch. Hojo took the blood drop and mixed it into the mako. Sephiroth put his glove back on and walked back to his wall. He watched as Hojo inserted the last syringe into Weiss's veins. Weiss had jerked out of the restraints from the mako; he stood up and grabbed Hojo by the neck. Hojo began to gag as he was being choked, Weiss's eyes began to glow greener than ever. He was about to snap Hojo's neck when Sephiroth decided to try out Hojo's theory.

"Put him down, and step back" Sephiroth said in his mind. Weiss instantly dropped Hojo and took 3 steps back. Sephiroth grinned; he had been given a pawn to do whatever he pleased. Sephiroth walked over to Weiss, and looked over his new toy. Hojo had gathered himself and walked over to the two light haired men.

"So I assume my theory was correct. How do you feel? Lively?" Hojo asked Weiss as he was taking notes.

"I feel fine, better then fine." Weiss said as he stretched his arms out. "Where are we?"

"Nibleheim, that's all you need to know. Let's move out, let's send Zack a message he won't forget. HAHAHA" Sephiroth said as he cleared the hair from his face.

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Zack and company had finally reached Fort Condor; they had gotten there rather quickly due to the lack of monsters to slow them down. They had been given a room to stay while they waited for Tseng, days past and he was still nowhere to be found and no communication. Zack was the first to wake that morning, he climbed the latter and went to the main room of the fort. He took a seat at a table near the latter. He did not want to wake his friends, they needed the rest, there was a good chance this would be their last time for a while to rest. Zack felt restless, they needed to leave soon, they couldn't afford to let Sephiroth get to far ahead, and his trail could run cold. Zack leaned back in his chair deep in thought, when Cloud climbed up the latter.

"Ehh, I slept ok I guess. Aerith kind of hogs the covers, and somehow she manages to end up sleeping on my pillow. No matter how hard I try to roll her over so I have room… she just rolls right back. I'm the one with fricken mako enhancement and I can't get her to let go of the blankets. What the hell man." Zack said with a smile. He truly enjoyed sleeping with Aerith; just the blanket hogging had to go.

" I know what you mean, I share a bed with Tifa and Nanaki, Nanaki is a heavy son of a bitch. He laid on my legs the other night, I felt like I was cemented to the bed… God I want waffles and bacon right now. Haha sorry about the topic change, my belly just growled." Cloud said rubbing his stomach.

"O I hate you with a passion now, now I want waffles! Ugh food!!! I'm gunna eat this table if I don't get food soon!' Zack whined. Zack and Cloud continued to have small talk, neither one really wanted to talk about stressful matters, they needed a break from it all.

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Two hours later the entire group had finally woken up, everyone sat around the table, waiting for the kitchen to open to get food. Zack knew he had to break it to the group that they were no longer going to wait for Tseng, but they truly needed to move on. Everyone eventually got there breakfast, it was nothing special just some eggs and toast, god how Zack wanted those waffles.

"Cloud I really hate you right now, you made me want waffles, nothing is going to satisfy me until I get them. Ugh!!!" Zack groaned as he banged his head against the table.

"O hush Zackary! Stop being so picky and be thankful for the food you have." Aerith said sounding like Zack's mother.

"HAAHAHA Zack I'm sorry, but you better do what your mother says!!!" Cloud laughed almost choking on his eggs.

"What is a waffle?" Nanaki asked. The entire group focused their gaze at him, they all burst into laughter.

"Are you serious? You never had a waffle? Wow, it kinda sucks to be you. Imagine a soft spongy gift from the heavens! O it's so good… fuck you Cloud, now I want a waffle!" Tifa said.

"Oh ok, I must try this waffle sometime." Nanaki said as Cloud was still in stitches.

"Ok guys, I don't mean to be a mood killer, but we have some important things to go over. Tseng still has not called us, nor has he shown up. I have called him several times and it went straight to voicemail. It's been days, it's time to move on, before we lose track of Sephiroth. Tseng has my number so he can get in touch with us and meet us anywhere." Zack said in a serious voice.

Everyone looked at him and nodded in agreement, they understood the logic behind this move. They couldn't let Sephiroth get away, the planet was in great danger and they needed to get moving. Cloud and Tifa both stood up at the same time, "Everyone finish up you breakfast and pack your things, and we should get going soon." Cloud said.

"Yeah guys we gotta get that bastard" Tifa added in.

Zack agreed with a nod. Everyone finished up their meals and gathered their things. Zack said thank you to the old man who took them in, and headed down the small mountain. They headed north to what was left of Junon, hopefully to find out more about the whereabouts of Sephiroth. They had been walking for a little over an hour when Zack's phone rang.

"Hello? Tseng! Where you been man?" Zack asked.

"That's not important right now, I have some men roaming around trying to locate Sephiroth, and they will contact me with more info once they get it. Have two very important things to say, so please don't interrupt. First off, Sephiroth has been sighted near the Gongaga, and Corel area, so proceed with caution. Secondly, I have even worse news. Weiss has survived from the wound you gave him, so he is still a major threat. But he isn't the bad news. The bad news is that his brother Nero, is looking for him. He is also looking for you. He has some extraordinary powers, if you see him…run. It's a battle you cannot win. I don't know exactly what his powers are, but they are extraordinary. I have files on him an Weiss, along with other members of a group called the Tsviets. They are part of a secret organization only the top officials knew. I will give them to you to look over in Gongaga, we will meet up with you there. On another note, I have arrange a chopper to take you outside of Gongaga. I'll see you soon Zack, stay safe." Tseng said.

"Thanks, you too Tseng." Zack replied as he hung up the phone.

"What did he say Zack?" Cloud asked as the rest of the group had their eyes on Zack.

"He said Sephiroth was sighted outside my home town. Also, Tseng has arranged us a ride to that area. Tseng has some very valuable info for us, he will meet us at Gongaga, so let's get going guys." Zack said deliberately leaving out Nero, he was afraid it would put fear in them. He could afford that, not right now.

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The group had arrived in the ruins of Junon 3 days after Tseng's phone call. They could see the helicopter sitting in the distance. Zack looked at the ruins of the fallen city, he felt bad for all the Shinra employees families who lost their lives. Fuckin Shinra forced him to new limits he never believed he would ever reach. Never in a thousand years did he think Shinra and Sephiroth were destroying the planet, nor did he think he was capable of killing so many people. Zack muttered to himself, "I'm sorry, rest in peace."

Zack and company walked over to the chopper, they greeted the pilot and took their seats. Zack looked at the man, he had hair about his length, and it was black and extremely messy. Zack looked at him, something didn't feel just right, but he had no reason to fear, so he boarded the chopper and sat next to Aerith as the chopper took off.

The pilot came over the loud speaker informed them that the flight was going to be about 3 hours, and they would be reaching Gongaga, right before night fall. Zack thought it would be a good time to take a nap and be fully rested in case he and Cloud had to fight Sephiroth and Weiss. He put his head on Aerith's shoulder and drifted to sleep.

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Zack woke up in the field once again, this time violently. He opened his eyes and looked at Angeal, who was waking him, something was wrong. "I'm awake… or asleep or whatever…you get what I'm talking about." Zack said.

"Zack this is not the time to joke, come with me now, I need to show you something." Angeal said as he practically dragged Zack.

Angeal pulled Zack to a small lake that was near the tree in the field. Angeal threw Zack to the ground. "What the fuck Angeal!?" Zack yelled at his mentor who was being oddly rough. Angeal completely ignored him and jammed his head into the water of the lake. Zack began to struggle, fearing he was going to drown. Zack began to panic, and then he realized the he could breath, he wasn't drowning. He opened his eyes and began to see an image.

There was a man leaning against the helicopter, Zack did not recognize the man, he looked like a normal gentle man. Who was this man? He had to know; maybe this was what was so important. Zack continued to watch the man, who was awoken by the pilot. The man on the ground looked startled.

"Yes can I help you?" The man who was just sleeping said.

"Yes you can, get off my chopper…now." The dark haired man said.

The man looked up at the towering man with black hair. He was looking at him intensely. The man stood up and approached the pilot. "Look, this is my chopper, I'm here waiting fpr some people and give them a ride."

"Who are you giving a ride to?" The black haired man said.

"Some group, I think his name was Zack, and…. Um Cloud…yep that's it, and whoever else is with them." The man dumbly answered.

"Ah, I see, I'm going to take you chopper now." The dark hair man said coldly.

"No you're not!" The man said as he bent over to grab his shotgun. As he stood up he was greeted by a huge pistol. In a blink of an eye, a shot was fired; the man lay on the ground bleeding everywhere. The dark hair man moved his hands and dark energy came from the ground, picking up the man into the air. The energy formed almost resembled arms, grabbing the man on both his arms and legs. In one motion form the man in black, the arms tore the man into four pieces. In a flash the four dark arms pulled the limbs into the dark abyss. The man was dead, and the man in dark hair took a seat where the real pilot had been sitting.

Zack pulled himself out of the water and woke up back in the helicopter. He starred in fear and shock…the man was not the real pilot, the man with the messy black hair was Nero.