Taking no prisoners - I like how you worded that in your review ElectroNerd. Yeah, Cloud's done playing games. I'm bringing out this update because it's ready and I don't feel like waiting a week like I was originally going to. However that means it may be a bit before another update comes out. I normally don't update this often, but it's going to bug me if I let it sit on my computer any longer. So enjoy and stay tuned for the next update. :)


Chapter Two

Sephiroth was relieved when he had spotted another living soul among the wreckage, but as he approached the man his enhanced hearing had picked up the man's voice. He was on a PHS. This puzzled Sephiroth. So they were working and yet he couldn't get a signal? That made no sense. His phone was among the best quality of the time. How could it get no signal yet another phone could? He'd have to ask the man once he caught up to him. However the stranger was not making it easy for him.

Between dodging ducking and weaving, the man obviously knew the area well; however Sephiroth was a First Class SOLDIER and the best warrior in Shinra. He caught up to him easily enough. The man had been cornered against a fallen wall and he braced his back against it. It was then that Sephiroth noticed he was trembling.

"I mean you no harm; I merely wish to ask you a few questions." He tried to keep his voice level and calm. Whatever had happened must have traumatized the people. They had always avoided him on the streets before, but never had they been as afraid as this man.

Mark however was frozen with fear and only managed to stutter something that Sephiroth couldn't make out. A slow sigh escaped his nose as he took a step forward and set down his sword, to show he had no intentions of harming the man. "I'm not going to hurt you, I just need to borrow your phone."

Just as his reach got within a foot of the man a sword suddenly flashed by and pinned itself down right between the two.

"That's far enough Sephiroth!"

The general turned to see another man heading his way. Striding slowly forward with a purpose, the man glared at him as he drew another blade from his back and held it at the ready. Sephiroth took a step back to reach his own sword.

"I have no intentions of harming anyone, I simply need some answers."

Cloud didn't believe that for one moment. "You want answers?"

He launched himself at the silver-haired warrior and forced him to leap back on the defense. Cloud got between Sephiroth and Mark only for a moment before leaping at his enemy who grabbed his sword and defended himself. Once again Masamune and First Tsurugi clashed as the two pushed against each other. Cloud and Sephiroth both refusing to back down.

"I have no quarrel with you," Sephiroth said through gritted teeth. He was amazed by this man's strength. He had no idea who this man was yet he possessed the strength of a First Class SOLDIER.

"Your tricks won't work on me anymore," Cloud countered as he glared daggers at his enemy.

Sephiroth jumped up and prepared to strike back down, but Cloud skillfully dodged out of the way only to retaliate with a powerful slash of his own.

Mark had scrambled to what he hoped was a safe spot as he called his friend back. "Tony! Yeah, I'm alright jus…no just…would ya shut up! Cloud jus showed up outta nowhere and now he's fightin' Sephiroth! Yeah, they're goin' at it like the world's at stake."

And Cloud was fighting with that thought which was very real in his mind. Sephiroth however was just fighting to defend himself and trying not to severely wound this man who was clearly mistaken. Perhaps the mako he had was having a negative effect on him, which was quite possible.

"I did not come here to fight," he tried again as he and the blonde warrior became locked again. "I only wish to find out what happened here! Where is the rest of SOLDIER And what became of the city?"

Every word that came out of Sephiroth's mouth only pissed Cloud off further. "Are you only now realizing the results of your actions?" he countered before pushing Sephiroth back, forcing the ex general to jump back among the rubble to gain higher ground.

Cloud followed and launched a blade beam which Sephiroth deflected with a well aimed slice from his kitana.

"What actions? Are you saying Wutai caused this? Because of what I did in the war?"

Cloud came right at him then and Sephiroth had no choice but to use the blunt side of his blade to knock him back. Cloud fell and landed hard in the rubble. He didn't stay down for long as he stood up with a blue aura surrounding him. His limit ability had been activated. Leaping high up, Cloud swung his sword which channeled his limit into a powerful attack and it sent Sephiroth flying as it hit.

Sephiroth landed hard on a flat surface of what remained of an old building and got to his knees, but froze when he felt the cold metal of Cloud's sword pressed against his throat. He looked up at the man in pure shock. He had never been defeated in combat, let alone in a sword fight. Even Genesis with his supreme mastery of Materia could never best him in a spar. Yet this man seemed to be his equal and perhaps his better and that surprised and even scared Sephiroth. How could such a man exist?

"Are you ready to finally answer for your crimes for the last time?"

"My crimes?" asked Sephiroth. "What are you talking about?"

Cloud growled as he waved his free hand around them. "This! All of this is your doing! Or have you forgotten Meteor? Have you forgotten the people you slaughtered? The way you tried to control me to do your dirty work, and the race that you wiped out when you killed Aerith?"

Sephiroth could clearly see the pain in the other man's eyes. His foe was not lying, but then how was all this possible? How could he have done all of this when he knew he had not. There was only one way they could both be right and as ludicrous as sounded it was the only theory that made sense. "What year is it?"

Cloud glared at him, not wanting to answer, but he wasn't getting anywhere any other way. "2,000."

Sephiroth's expression turned from confused to shocked. "Impossible! It's 1993, or at the very latest 1994. What happened to the last six years?"

Now it was Cloud's turn to be confused. This Sephiroth was far weaker than the one he had fought previous times. He didn't take the dirty, underhanded swings in the fight and missed an opening that Cloud had unintentionally left unguarded when he left his side too exposed after a swing. Sephiroth had seen it, but hadn't taken it. And before he had purely enjoyed tormenting him about the past and taunted him with his name, but Cloud had to be the one to point out the past to him? It made no sense. At first he thought it was a new ploy. A different tactic to get the upper hand and strike when he least expected it. Cloud still expected it, but only because of all the times he had fought the madman. Though, now he seemed less insane and more lost. He decided to try and figure this out before chopping off the man's head.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

Sephiroth felt very uncomfortable with the sharp end of a dangerous sword pressed against his throat, but it was clear his adversary was not about to lower his guard. So, under duress he obliged and told him all he knew.

"I am the General of SOLDIER. I was sent out on a mission to a small mountain town to investigate a higher monster count and to check on a reactor. I had another First Class SOLDIER with me and a couple of infantrymen. The town's people didn't appear to like us, but they treated us well enough. We hired a guide to escort us to the reactor where she was told to wait outside with one of the infantry while the other SOLDIER and I went inside. I was walking along a cat walk when I was overcome with a great pain and lost my balance. I fell into one of the mako tanks and fought my way to the surface where I came out somewhere near Medeel. It was a large pure mako spring."

He stopped as Cloud slowly lowered his sword. The way he described the town and the events could be none other than, "The town's name. What was it?"

Sephiroth blinked and thought back before remembering. "Nibelhiem."

The sword pressed harder against the silverette's neck. "You left out the part where you burned down the town, attacked Zack and cut off that thing's head before I threw you into the vat."

Sephiroth blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about? I never attacked anyone. Lieutenant Fair is my second in command. What reason would I have to harm him?"

Now Cloud was torn. Sephiroth really seemed to be telling the truth, but after everything that had happened, all the tricks he had pulled before, Cloud had no idea what to believe.

"Zack is dead, no thanks to you."

Sephiroth's eyes widened at this news before he lowered his gaze to the ground. "How?"

If Cloud didn't know any better he'd have thought Sephiroth was grieving. "Three years ago. On the outskirts of the city. He was gunned down by Shinra troops."

"Impossible," Sephiroth argued as his eyes darted to look Cloud straight in the eye. "Zack was well liked by many in Shinra and he was one of the most loyal men to ever serve the company. What reason would they have to kill him?"

Cloud really was unsure of the situation now. In all the time he had known the man, even back before things had gone to hell, he had never known Sephiroth to act like this. He quickly took everything Sephiroth had told him into account before asking. "You say the last thing you remember was falling into a vat of mako and resurfacing in a pure mako spring in Medeel?"

"That's correct," Sephiroth replied.

Cloud took a slow deep breath before pulling his sword away from his enemy's throat. "Come with me."


Oh, and another quick note. I don't know the accurate dates for the story events in the game, so I just went by the year the game was released and went from there with how the years passed in the story. The game was released in 1997 which stand as when the main story happened. the events of Crisis Core happened 4-5 years before that and Advent Children most likely happened two years after the main game and since this partially takes places after AC then it's three years after the main story event. Confusing? It had me a bit dizzy for a while. *sweatdrop* But there ya go.