Man, you guys are spot on and ask great questions. :) I will say that the furture (crazy) Seph is not in the past. There is only one time-traveling silverette. And don't worry, He'll return to the past and we'll still see moments from the future as well. It'll go back and forth a bit at times, but it won't be a yoyo. The story (at least where the future's concerned) is about three years after the game's end and one year after the events of Advent Children, yet before Dirge of Cerberus. the past takes place during the time of the ill-fated Nibelheim mission where he originally went bat-crap crazy. But, will he this time? You'll have to read on and find out. ;P

Enjoy!


Chapter Three

While the crowd in the bar was glued to the phone that Tony had set on the table while his friend Mark relayed the play-by-play of the fight between Cloud and Sephiroth, Tifa had just come back into the room after making a few calls herself. An emergency like this required all hands on deck and if Cloud needed his friends they would be there. She had also made sure the kids were safely tucked in bed. There was no way she'd let them fall into harm's path.

Time passed and Mark commented that he had lost them and he couldn't hear the sounds of battle anymore either. No one said anything, but they all were thinking the same thing. Tifa shared the same thought. That Cloud had hopefully won. If Sephiroth had won then the world would most likely be ending. Looking outside at the sky, she could see no dark, ominous clouds, which she took as a good sign. Perhaps calling in the rest of the gang was unnecessary.

Mark made it back safely and was peppered with questions before he could sit down. Tifa poured him a heavy drink and winked at him. "It's on the house, Mark."

"Thanks Teef," he replied as he took a big gulp of it before he sighed to calm his nerves.

"Tell us what happened! Was there blood?" asked one patron.

"Did the bastard attack you?" asked another.

"Did he tear up the place again?"

"How bad was Cloud hurt?"

"Hey, let him talk!" his friend Tony defended.

Mark nodded his thanks before taking another swig. "They fought like gods," he remarked.

This earned some chuckles from some of the crowd. "Someone's got a crush."

"I ain't fanboy'n! I mean it. I've seen normal men fight with guns, swords and their bare fists. But these two, the way they flew and struck out at each other. The very ground shook when their swords met and the air was bending around 'em as they fought."

"You can't see the wind, how could ya tell?" asked another patron.

"Cuz' of the way their hair was movin'," he replied before taking another swig. "They say a fight between two sword masters is like a graceful dance and after what I jus saw, I believes it."

The door to the bar opened and Cloud made his way in. He was tired in no mood to put up with questions Tifa realized by the look in his eyes so she clapped her hands above the crowd. "Alright guys. The drinks in your hands are on the house. Finish what you have and clear out. We're closed."

Amid the collective awe's, the crowd did as she said and left, but not before a few loyal customers left her tips and paid for their drinks anyway. Once they had cleared out Cloud flipped the sign to closed.

"Are you alright?" Tifa asked. He had come back, obviously victorious, but that didn't mean he was perfectly fine.

"No," he replied. "I'm not alright."

Tifa couldn't hold back the worried expression and was about to ask further when Sephiroth stepped inside. "Have they gone?"

Tifa's took a step back before she strapped on her leather gloves and got into a ready stance.

Sephiroth merely blinked at her before holding up his hands. "I'm not here to fight," he replied.

Tifa didn't buy his act for a minute as her gaze darted over to Cloud who pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is going to be a long night," he replied.

. . .

An hour later Tifa was pouring herself and the other two a cup of coffee. It took every fiber of her being not to pour some kind of poison into the General's drink, but she restrained herself. With all of the mako flowing through his veins it probably wouldn't affect him anyway. Walking back over to the booth where both men were sitting she set their cups down before taking her seat next to Cloud.

"So, you don't have a clue what happened after you fell into that vat?"

"As I've told you, I have no knowledge of the events you claim to have happened," Sephiroth replied as he blew on his cup to cool it before taking a sip.

"There's only one way that both events can be true," Cloud stated.

Tifa turned to look at him in confusion. "How?"

"Time travel," he replied flat out.

"I was assuming the same thing, but wasn't sure if it was perhaps too farfetched," Sephiroth agreed.

"Time travel?" Tifa repeated. "I'm sorry Cloud, but I don't buy it, especially if he thinks so too."

Sephiroth looked at her without blinking. "Have I apparently offended you as well?"

Tifa's fist clenched. "You killed my father, destroyed my hometown and left me for dead. Yes, you have offended me." She looked over at Cloud with a stern glare. "why haven't you killed him yet?"

The blonde warrior sighed before responding. "It doesn't feel right. What if he's telling the truth, Tifa? He could have ended up here from the past."

"Are you listening to yourself?!" Tifa shouted. "You above anyone else should be pissed off right now. I should be the one trying to hold you back from killing him! Don't tell me he's taken control of you again."

Cloud glared at her then. "I don't need to be reminded, Tifa. I fully know what I'm doing. If this Sephiroth is lying then I guarantee he'll never know what hit him, but if there's a chance he's telling the truth then he's innocent."

Tifa's mouth dropped open. She couldn't believe he had just said that. She got up without saying another word and headed upstairs. "Just remember what you swore to protect Cloud. If anything happens to them it's all on you."

With that she headed upstairs and slammed her bedroom door.

Cloud sighed in defeat and laid his head on the table with a loud klunk. He understood how Tifa felt. If anything he agreed with her. He hated Sephiroth and would never be able to forgive the man for what he had done, but if his theory turned out to be right then he would have killed an innocent man. It was then that Cloud heard the sound of Sephiroth's blade and looked up to glare at the man before he noticed what had happened.

Sephiroth had laid his sword on the table in its sheath. "As a sign of good faith," he replied. "You shall hold onto my sword," he then reached into his pocket and pulled out his materia. "And these as well."

Cloud was unsure what to make of this. "You trust me that much?"

"You had a chance to kill me before and you didn't, instead choosing to give me a fair chance. I believe I owe it to you to show my faith in return. Besides, I doubt you'd sleep if I remained armed."

Cloud looked from the General to the sword before slowly taking it. It was such a strange feeling - holding the very sword that had nearly killed him several times. As he held the weapon he could feel the ghost wounds reminding him exactly where the blade had stabbed him. He then picked up the materia and took it out of the general's sight. After it was safely stashed he returned to the barroom and saw that Sephiroth had moved to stand in front of the window and was looking out. From his vantage point, Sephiroth could see what was left of the Shinra building, barely standing atop of the plate which it had reigned over for years.

"In the other room, the couch pulls out," Cloud commented. "There are pillows and a blanket in the closet in the corner."

Sephiroth blinked slowly, but didn't respond. Cloud wondered if Sephiroth intended to sleep at all. He knew he wasn't going to sleep with his mortal enemy so close. Innocent time traveler or not. Cloud knew that it was very possible that even if Sephiroth was innocent now, he had admitted to being deployed to Nibelheim already. That was where everything went to hell. He only hoped that Sephiroth had not yet buried himself in books from the mansion yet, or visited the special room in the reactor.