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Part 2 Chapter 1

September 4th, Cargo Ship to Junon

Year 3

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Cloud was a strange one, Vincent decided at long length. He had an unassuming air about him and a thoughtful disposition. He was the kind of person that—if you did not know him—you would be hard pressed picking him out of a crowd. He had a way of keeping attention away from him, despite his unusually shaped hair. He looked so small and weak, a perfect target for bullies. The only reason the boy had escaped Nibelheim's local bully was because of Vincent's recent presence and it made him wonder how he planned to avoid those in ShinRa. It was about time, he supposed, that Cloud learned to deal with the 'survival of the fittest' philosophy that was the prevailing belief in the world. It wasn't like Vincent would be around forever to ward off those who thought the blonde would be easy pickings.

He could understand why Lucia had been so dead set on him going with the boy, but at the same time he questioned whether his continued presence would cause more harm than good. Vincent would be lying if he said he wouldn't feel better where he could keep a distant eye on the boy, he'd become one of the people close to him an one of the lessons he'd learned over the years was to keep those few precious people safe. Right now, his danger sense was going off a mile a minute, increasing in volume with each mile the cargo ship inched closer to Junon. It wasn't merely military bullies that was tripping the alarm, but it was the company involved that sent all the sirens blaring in his ears.

He did not trust ShinRa, not even one fraction of a bit. He would never trust the company, not unless Hojo was fired(not to mention locked up in the deepest, darkest pit available and kept down there until the end of his days. Or dead by way of Vincent's gun, either one worked) and the company board of administrators was completely rehauled. Even then he didn't think he'd be completely willing to trust his own life to the company, much less those that he cared about. Cloud and his mother had done something he hadn't been sure was possible, slowly, over the years he'd spent with them, they'd managed to worm their way behind his guard, slowly chipping at his shields and melting the ice he had formed around his heart when Hojo had begun the agonizing process of experimentation, torturing him every day as his friend and the one he loved hovered on the other side of the glass.

Of course he was still rather cold to anyone he had just met, a habit that he could not bring himself to break. He knew very well the way of the world. If you did not protect yourself, you would die. Despite the age old adage, he had started opening up to the Strifes. Ironically, the thawing of his heart was what had landed him in his current predicament.

He was going to Midgar, a place he never wanted to set foot into again. It held too many painful memories, memories of the Turks, of Hojo—of her. It was there he had met her. Vincent shook his head, derailing the train of thought before it entered the land of no return, he could not let those things stop him. Cloud was joining SOLDIER. How could he expect himself to let the boy go alone? He would not have been comfortable in Nibelheim, not with Cloud nearly in the clutches of ShinRa's infamous mad scientist

There was one little snag in his quest toward keeping a covert eye on Cloud, and it was none other than the pesky scientist that caused his paranoia. It seemed that many of his worries led irrevocably back to the professor. Vincent would be recognized easily because of his distinctive taste in clothing and his claw. How could he not? Hojo was the man who had created the image of what he now was. Hojo had graced him with the metal gauntlet, a method of identification far more effective than any tattoo. He could not remove it, the metal molded seamlessly without latch or catch. One might even think it were a full-blown prosthetic, if it weren't for the very real gloved hand that emerged from the metal casing. Most people missed it, their eyes being drawn by the golden-plated claws that partially covered it.

Luckily, he still had plenty of time to think about it. They were still two weeks from the city, longer if they traveled by foot. One leg of the journey was over; Vincent could see the ShinRa seaport known as Junon looming on the horizon. He and Cloud had gotten this far by catching one of the Cargo Ships at Costa del Sol. However, even that city had been on the other side of the continent and there just was not time to walk the entire way. The deadline for new recruits had only been a month away when they had originally set out.

They had gotten to Costa del Sol by way of chocobo back. Chocobos were a species of wild birds that were capable of carrying a human being on their backs. They were flightless, and usually yellow in coloration. The most identifiable feature about a chocobo was its rather distinctive crest of feathers on its head. Cloud had displayed an as of yet unforeseen talent at both catching and taming the wild birds. Unlike most wild birds, they had not dashed off when the pair had dismounted near the outskirts of the port-town; they had just stood there docile, as if they were raised around humans all their life. Cloud had even managed to coax them on board the ship so they would not have to catch new ones once they reached the continent. They were currently lounging below deck, in the cargo-hold itself.

At least they would not have to walk to Midgar, Vincent reflected, his human arm dangling absently over the rail. He had no idea how they would get the birds through the Mythril Mines, but Cloud had said that he had it covered. Vincent had his misgivings, but Chocobo-head was the expert.

Vincent leaned against the railing, looking thoughtfully at the expanse of blue that seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance. The sun was setting in the eastern sky, setting the sky aflame in blazes of reds and gold. It was a beautiful sight.

"You didn't have to come." He tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement of the speaker behind him, replying with a soft, "I know."

"Mother…" Cloud paused, "She would've gotten over it eventually. You don't have to come the rest of the way with me…I know you hate Midgar."

Vincent glanced over his shoulder, his scarlet eyes alighting upon the blonde who had given him a chance to live again, "Lucia wasn't the only reason I came." His shoulders rose and fell in a dismissive motion, "It doesn't sit well with me knowing that you would be traveling into the very clutches of that mad-man. I want to be nearby in case something happens. I am doing this as much for myself as for your mother."

An unreadable emotion flickered in the boy's eyes and he did not speak for a few moments. His voice was soft and subdued, barely audible over the crew's loud calls as they prepared to dock, "The SOLDIER are near the ShinRa building…what are you going to do?"

Vincent shrugged, returning his gaze to the ocean, "I will find a place in the slums. Hojo would never be caught dead beneath the plate. He is the only one who would be able to know me on sight…I don't look like I used to."

Cloud ducked his head; he knew better than anyone did how much Vincent hated that man, "Why don't you search out Aeris? I'm sure she could help you get settled in. I suggest Sector Six. It is a little less seedy than the others…as long as you avoid Wall Market, anyway."

Aeris…He filed the tidbit of information away, recognizing the name of the girl Cloud had been corresponding with the past few might explain the blonde's knowledge of Midgar, he knew quite well that Cloud had never even left Nibelheim before now; she could have been telling him about city life in her letter. The information did fit with what he remembered of the city, although this "Wall Market" did not ring a bell. Perhaps it was a recent addition.

-September 21th, Midgar-

Zack yawned and stared out over the masses of new recruits. He did not even bother taking note of the number; it would be cut in half before the first month of training finished. He ran a hand through his spiked black hair, tuning out President ShinRa's opening speech, it wasn't like he would miss much. He'd heard it so many times before that he'd begun to hear "blah blah, blahblah" whenever the induction ceremony came around. His attention slowly shifted from the restless recruits, traveling instead along the line of assembled ranking officers. He could not help the small grin that crossed his lips as he saw the artificial lighting glinting off silver hair. He could not see the General's expression—he was turned away—but he could easily fill in the image with his overactive—and did he mention bored?--imagination. Sephiroth was probably trying to convince himself that killing President ShinRa was a bad thing—he disliked speeches almost as much as he loathed the man himself. Almost.

Zack bit his cheek to prevent a small chuckle from escaping, but the method was not as effective as say, muffling the sound with a hand, but he was not allowed to break position. Not only would Sephiroth know that he was laughing at him(the general knew that Zack loved having a laugh at his expense, so even if it wasn't the case—which didn't happen often—it would be the first thing to his mind) but he'd also get reprimanded by Heidegger and he really didn't need to hear that horse talk any more than necessary. Either the chuckle wasn't quite silenced, or Sephiroth had developed mind reading abilities, because the General's cat-like green eyes zeroed in on his neighboring subordinate. The first Class had a feeling it was the first(he was hoping it was the former, a mind reading general was just SCARY) and Zack predicted that he would have an extra pile of paperwork on his desk tomorrow…

He HATED paperwork.

But it was worth the knowledge that he was one of the few who could ruffle Sephiroth's feathers.

A sudden lack of "blah blah, blahblah"-ing alerted the SOLDIER's wandering mind that the president had stopped speaking. Zack mimicked his peers and snapped to attention as the fat, balding man waddled off the stage. Another of the Soldier 1st's –Zack could not remember his name—stepped up to the podium and addressed the recruits, "You were all given a number when you turned in your registration papers. That will be your squad number. " The huge screen behind him flickered to life, displaying a map of the complex.

Zack zoned out again, this person sounding like, "blahblah, blah" to his ears, until the sound of his name snapped his attention back to the present, "Number Six. Report to Dorm 2, your commanding officer is SOLDIER First Zachary Fair."

The black haired SOLDIER glared at the announcer, resisting the urge to remind them politely that his name was not Zachary, thank you very much, it was Zack. Sure, the official roster said Zachary, but one could never trust those official documents. He still swore there was a conspiracy going around to get everyone to answer to their full names, no matter how awkward or creative those names were. He knew plenty of people who hated their names more than he did.

It only took a quick breath and he regained control of his wandering mind, slapping his customary devil-may-care grin back onto his face. He turned on heel and slipped out of the line of SOLDIERs, paralleling the group of recruits who had left the hall when his name was called. He stepped out in front of them, "So you are my little sixes? I'm Zack Fair. Never call me anything but my first name, no Zachary, Mr. Fair, or sir or I'll assign you to cleanin' duty in the training room."

"He'd do it too." Zack just barely caught the soft-spoken comment in between the whispers of the other recruits. His eyes quickly found the speaker, unconsciously attaching the voice to the face, "Did you say somethin', Cadet?"

"Yes sir," The recruit was a small blonde whose blue eyes rose to meet his own cobalt ones. Zack watched as the cadets around the blonde backed away, fearing what they thought would be their commanding officer's wrath. The elite hummed a little in his mind, he'd never gotten to be on this side of a squad before. Maybe this new assignment wouldn't be so bad, if anything he got himself some unwilling victims "What did you mean by that?"

He had to give the boy credit, he was not backing away in fear like the others had but he was not overly cocky either. This kid had both guts and brains, not a very common combination, "Meaning no disrespect sir, but you look like you would make us clean and enjoy every minute of it."

"So true," Zack grinned at the cadet, "Your name soldier?"

"Cloud Strife, sir."

"Well Strife, thank you for volunteerin', report to the gym on Friday."

"Yes sir." He could have sworn he saw amusement flickering in the depths of the cadet's eyes. Zack chuckled. He liked this kid already.

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"Did you have fun with the brats?"

Zack tilted his head, glancing up at the General through his black bangs, "Nah. Bunch of pansies they are. I expect them all to drop out before the end of the year."

"All of them?" Sephiroth's eyebrow rose, voice thick with half-heartedly concealed amusement.

"Well…" Zack sat down at his own desk, pulling at the pile of papers that had built up all day while he had been settling his troops in, "Maybe not all of them. But, I only see one of them makin' anything other than a ShinRa regular. He's a small one though, so I don't know how he'd fare in the actual strength training. His name is Cloud Strife."

"Strife…" Sephiroth murmured, his silver brows drawing together in thought, "Where have I heard that before."

"Dunno. Maybe he had a relative in the military..." Zack shrugged, signing yet another paper without even looking at it.

"Perhaps," The General copied Zack's motion, going back to reading the mission report on his desk, "It doesn't matter anyway."

"Yeah well…we'll see what he can do soon enough. My group is scheduled for the trainin' center Friday afternoon." Zack stared at the pile in disgust, "Paperwork…I loathe paperwork. I thought that when I reached First Class I'd get more missions…but no…they have me doing paperwork!"

"I hate ShinRa. You don't see me complaining."

"You just did." Zack pointed out ever so helpfully.

Sephiroth did not even bat an eyelash at his partner's statement, "Point."

-September 21st-

Vincent wandered Sector Five, wondering what he should do now. He had made a mistake, forgetting that you needed to get a permit from ShinRa to purchase a house in Midgar. Getting a permit would mean an interview…not a good idea considering he wanted as little to do with ShinRa as possible…Perhaps he should just find a place in Kalm…

Eventually he wandered into Sector Six, running across a deserted old playground near the border between Six and Seven. Vincent frowned, remembering the last time he had been in the place. It was here that he had met her.

It had been an easy mission, a quick get in, get out assignment. He ignored the blood that had splattered over his blue Turk suit, he hadn't known why ShinRa wanted the man dead, nor did he overly care. His job was to follow orders, not question them. The man had run into an abandoned church in Sector Five, and Vincent had caught him there. The resulting battle hadn't been pretty, but Vincent wasn't cruel. He didn't draw out the chase as his partner liked to do, and he had ended it in the quickest way possible.. ShinRa's clean up crew would be on the scene to clean up the mess soon enough, now all he had to do was get back to headquarters. But headquarters was above the plate…

Unfortunately, Sector Five's train line had been shut down to help corner the target, to cut off the escape routes, meaning he had to walk all the way to Sector Seven in order to get back above the plate. He had expected the way to be empty. The citizens of the slums knew better then to linger near a bloodstained—or even a clean Turk. Those that did had an unhealthy tendency to not live very long. He had just reached the gate to Sector Seven when the creaking of swings drew his attention. Swinging gently back and forth was the most beautiful woman he had ever—or would ever—met. She paused in her swinging, brown eyes alighting on the Turk—

"Hello…"

Vincent nearly jumped, his red eyes immediately going to the run down swing set. A courtly looking maiden was sitting on one of the swings, the rusted chains still creaking slightly even though she had stopped the gentle swinging motion. Green eyes—green not brown—watched him with curiosity. The curiosity quickly changed to surprise, "Vincent?"

Confusion was foremost in the gunner's thoughts; did he know this girl? "Who are you?"

The girl was puzzled for a moment but realization dawned, "Oh! I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself. I am Aeris. Cloud and I were pen pals. He told me about you. We've been too busy to write lately. What are you doing here?"

"Cloud…He's up there." He gestured vaguely at the plate above them with his human arm, "He wanted to join SOLDIER. I tagged along to keep him out of trouble. I miscalculated."

She frowned worriedly at the news, "Cloud in SOLDIER? I thought he hated ShinRa…What do you mean by miscalculated? Is Cloud in trouble?"

"He said it was something he needed to do…" The ex-Turk eyed the girl distrustfully. He didn't like the way she made him feel at ease, lowering the shields he had erected as a defense against the city. Midgar was a dangerous place, especially the slums. For all he knew she was a spy for Hojo, but he did not think so. A fragment of memory…

"Why don't you search out Aeris?"

Therefore, Cloud did know her, a little at least. He decided to trust her, infact, he couldn't help but trust her. There was something about her, in her stance, in her face, in her voice, that made himself just want to tell her all of his troubles. He didn't like it, especially when he caught himself about to do just that. "Cloud is fine."

He green eyes bore into him, and he felt as if he were floundering in the depths of the lifestream, as if she could see everything. "You look lost…you can't find a place to stay, can you?," Aeris put a finger to her chin thoughtfully, ignoring the surprise that flashed across his face at her question, "I wish I could help…I suppose I could ask my mom about letting you stay with us…That's it! Hey, can you be a bodyguard?"

Vincent took a couple moments to recover from being opened up like a book and read, it was as if his masks and shields were useless to this mere slip of a girl. "I suppose so…why?"

"'Cause the slums are a dangerous place and Mama is getting so worried about me going out and about…especially near Wall Market." She gestured to the road that ran from the gate off into the distance, "She's afraid I'll be kidnapped or something. I don't want to worry her…but I can't just stay home. I grow flowers in the old church in Sector Five and I sell them to people. If I stopped we wouldn't have enough money…If you agree to be my bodyguard Mama wouldn't be so worried and you would be able to live with us—without ShinRa knowing any better."

The park was silent as Vincent considered the offer. At long length he nodded; it was either this or Kalm, and no matter how much the brown-haired girl unnerved him, Cloud knew her and his instincts weren't whispering to him to get away. It wasn't like he had a better option. "I'll take the job."

"Great! This way Cloud will be able to know where you are."

Vincent nodded his face impassive as he listened to the girl talk. His thoughts drifted off, devising ways that he could keep from being detected by Hojo, and forming hypotheses about this strange Aeris girl.

A/N: Hittocere, this is for you. If you hadn't sent that PM…well, let's just say I wouldn't have been motivated to attempt to work on revising this(it was horrid…I hated the original un-revised version, unfortunately, that made me very unmotivated. ) There was a bit of Vinny OOC there in the end where he told her his trouble…I kinda fixed that n.n; made Aeris into a mind reader…

Zack is fun to write…

I will not give a date for the next update…I find that when I even hint at the time I end up failing horribly…at least school's out now. Yay for lots and lots of free time! (I'm going into my last year in high school ;-; it's scary…)

This chapter is dedicated to two, Hittocere and my rabbit Yuuki. Hittocere just because you've stuck with me for so long(and still bug me about it) and my rabbit just because he's the cutest thing ever(and he's kinda watching me as I type…)

Ahem. Anyways, that's the end for now.