Rain's eyes narrow, glued on Sephiroth. Crap it would be bad enough being caught by Zack, but at least she might have had a little wiggle room. There would be none with the General; she could see it in the way he was slowly walking toward them. Even the way he walked was threatening, dangerously calm and slow. This was not going to end well. Removing herself from Rush's support she stepped forward to meet them.

Sephiroth was surprised that as they got closer Strife took a step forward to meet them. Then saw the way he positioned himself between them and the other cadet and frowned. Did Strife think he would hurt the boy? They were his subordinates, not his enemies, but then again little of what Strife did made sense.

He stopped just in front of the cadet purposely using his height and size to intimidate the cadets. It worked the one behind Strife cowered back as if physically slapped. The blond swallowed, but impressively held his ground, his expression blank.

"Cadet Strife, do you have a fondness for getting into trouble?" The question might seem light and easy mannered, but coming from him, it was anything but that. It was a question that spoke volumes by itself and demanded an answer.

The cadet though only stared straight ahead his gaze fixed, except for a sudden blinking of the eyes as if he was trying to stay awake. Sephiroth then realized the reason the boy didn't respond was because he couldn't, probably suffering from a broken jaw and concussion.

Sephiroth signed. He had been ready for a confrontation, but obviously it was going to have to wait.

"Commander Fair, please escort cadet Strife to the infirmary. Then have him meet cadet…"

"Rush," Zack quickly filled in.

Sephiroth directed his gaze behind to the quivering cadet, "Then meet cadet Rush and I in my office."

Sephiroth turned to leave, but a harsh sound drew his attention back. Strife was backing away from Zack's approach, a panicked and terrified expression on his face, as he shook his head desperately.

The blond suddenly grabbed his jaw and applied pressure. Sephiroth's sensitive ears picked up the pop as the joint slid stubbornly back into place. Blue eyes widened, accompanied by an outcry of pain.

"Cloud!" Both Zack and Rush moved toward him in concern, but stopped as Cloud held up a hand. Opening his jaw wide and moving it from side to side resulted in little clicks as everything fell back into place.

"I'm fine sir, only a sour jaw." Cloud said quietly.

"Cloud, you shouldn't have done that," Zack protested, but Sephiroth could tell that through his concern Zack was impressed, "you still might have a concussion. Little hint buddy, head meeting steel wall, not a good idea. The wall almost always wins."

Sephiroth saw the cadet relax slightly at the teasing comment.

"Thanks commander, I'll remember that, but honestly I'll be fine. I've hit my head harder than that before. Growing up in the mountains there are plenty of high places to fall off of…. Please!"

The slight plea was added, when it looked like Zack would argue. There was something else there that Sephiroth's observant eye picked up on. Cloud wasn't just arguing with his superiors, he was flat out refusing. It was there underneath in the position of his body, masked by the quite, innocent plea. The boy was scared, a fear that overrode even a direct order from two of the most powerful men on earth. What kind of experience would bring about that kind of terror?

Tempted as it was to watch this play out, Sephiroth thought it might have more enlightening if he invested this on his own. So he put a hand on Zack's shoulder halting him from further pursuit of Cloud.

"All right, cadet if you are determined to deny medial attention, then we will skip ahead to the end."

The two cadets now stood rigidly at attention, obviously expecting the worst. Sephiroth was silent for a moment letting them shuffle nervously.

"Cadet Rush," he spoke harshly making the boy jump, "From now on you will be serving detention with Commander Fair."

All three of them, Cloud, Rush and even Zack looked at him in surprise.

Sephiroth softened his tone, "You were after all trying to better yourself. That is not frowned upon and is encouraged by Shinra. However you did break regulation rules and that cannot be overlooked, so do not think this is going to be easy or fun. After a few sessions you will be wishing you were running laps, but you want to improve, and the only way to do that is to be challenged and challenged you will be."

There was a pause both Zack and the cadets expression were a mix of surprise and relief. Zack was the first to recover, and gripped Rush by the shoulder playfully.

"Don't worry Rush, I won't kill you."

Sephiroth motioned with his head toward the door, "You're dismissed."

Zack took the hint and started walking toward the door with the cadet in tow. Cloud moved to follow.

"Not you Strife."

Rain froze, closing her eyes, and then turned around to face the General. Was it just her imagination or was there a slight smirk on his face.

"You will be serving your detention with me, from now on. Consider yourself on permanent detention. I will give you one day to recover from your injuries, which you are determined do not exist. We start tomorrow."

He paused, as if to let it sink in, and then gave an obvious smirk, "Dismissed."

"Yo, Rude, do you have the blondie in sight? I lost him." Rude signed, as his partners lazy voice came over the intercom in his ear.

"Reno, you are supposed to have him indoors. I'm covering the exists and he has not come out, so you better find him or Tseng will have your head."

"Ya, ya ya, whatever. I still don't see why we have to follow this measly guard. What did Tseng see in him anyway?"

"That's not our concern, just do your job and find him Reno!"

There was a silence over the intercom, and Rude moved his dark glasses, which were never absent from his nose. It was just like Reno to lose their target if he wasn't interested. The man was an awesome Turk, Rude would not have remained as his partner if he was not. The problem was when his interest dwindled, so did his skill.

Reno's voice suddenly piped over the intercom. It was more dole then usually. To anyone else it would seem like he was wallowing in his boredom, but to his partner of many years knew better. He was excited; something must have caught his interest.

"Hey, buddy I found them!"

Reno inside the building was starring down an impressive double barrel handgun. It didn't seem possible that anyone could hold and still fire the thing accurately, but apparently this guy could, for it didn't waver in the bearer's hand.

Reno lifted his gaze from the gun to the face behind the gun, and though he had seen some creepy things and people in his time, his eyes widen slightly as they met the dark haired man's red orb like eyes.

"What do you mean them Reno?" Rude's voice again sounded in his ear.

Reno moving slowly, being careful to show no hostile actions, tapped his ear in reply, "Blondie's got friends…big friends, with big guns."

He was interrupted by Rude's suddenly grunting and a noise common to a body hitting the floor. Reno's eyes narrow in anger.

"Your partner will be all right."

His eyes flickered back to the gunman. Who was now accompanied, by a figure dressed completely in black from head to toe, even his face. Reno knew instantly who it was. He had never met the guy, but had heard enough rumors among the Turks to recognize the famous Wutia General, when he saw him.

The General motioned with his head, "Bring them, we have much to discuss."

Doctor Hieden was alone in his lab when Sephiroth walked through the door. He knew as soon as the doctor looked up and his face visibly paled that he was hiding something.

The way Cloud had reacted about being treated and Zack's observation when in the infirmary with Rush made him wonder how the boy faired going though his medical examination coming into Shinra. Also the boy clearly had mako in his blood. How had that been missed and why had it not been recorded in his file and he the General not informed.

Going back to the cadet's file his suspensions grew tenfold when he saw whose signature was on the cadet's medical file and had been on every routine medial since then. Doctor Kilmen Hieden.

Sephiroth under normal circumstances disliked doctors in general, hence a small part why he had not forced the cadet to have treatment, but he absolutely despised anyone who was both a scientist and doctor.

Anyone who worked or had association with Hojo had learned long ago to stay clear of him if they didn't Masamune through their chest. He could not refuse Hojo, but he absolutely refused to be in his minions company. This resulted in the reason he had left Masamune in his office. Not that that would help really, Sephiroth could kill everyone he knew. It was such an easy thing to do, even by accident, which was why he was so very, very careful about the few people he let into his range.

It looked like it wasn't him though that would kill the man. The doctor looked like he would drop dead of fright if Sephiroth so much as moved suddenly.

"Doctor Hieden, do you have a moment?"

The request was put politely, but they both knew it was not a request. The Doctor nodded sweat already beginning to break out across his forehead, "Of course General."

Sephiroth moved into the lab, tracing his fingers lightly over various bottles and tubes scattered across various tables. He made sure to keep his movements slow.

"I understand you have in your care a certain cadet."

Muscles tensed, but there was no response.

"I find it odd that a person in your position would take interest in a lowly cadet."

The doctor collapsed onto a stool behind him, his hands across his face in obvious defeat. That had not taken much, Sephiroth had not even begun to push and the man was already collapsing. He had just been making a casual observation; people didn't know the difference between his casual tone and threatening tone, they could be so similar. He liked it that way, it kept people on edge. He just forgot how well it worked sometimes.

"It's not what you think General! I did not take interest in the cadet, the cadet came to me!" The doctor sounded panicked. He seemed to know the General's dislike of people such as himself.

"He came to you?" Sephiroth was surprised, "What did he want?"

The doctor paused as if something in the Generals statement surprised him, and he seemed to get hold of himself a little.

"He wanted me to sign his medial for entrance into the army."

"That was all?"

The doctor nodded jerky and Sephiroth's eyes narrowed, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, General all he wanted was for me to sign his forms and be the doctor that performed his medical exams in the future."

"Why would he come to you if that was all?"

"Be..because, sir I never actually preformed the examination."

Sephiroth was confused, "I thought you said that was why he came to you?"

"Yes, it was, but he never allowed me to touch him, not even get near him. It was like he was terrified and dominating me at the same time."

"Why would you sign if you never examined him?"

The Doctor signed and for the first time met him in the eyes, "Because General, he knows things and his eyes are very much like yours. They have a way of making people do what they want."

Sephiroth frowned, his mind quickly piecing in all the information and reading between the lines. The cadet was blackmailing him! But why for such a petty thing as an examination? What did the boy have to hide?

"He has mako in his system." It was more of a thoughtful statement then a question, and the doctor nodded vigorously.

"And if I might dare say so, sir. I would guess as much as any first class Solider."

How was it possible for a person to have that much mako in their system outside of Shinra? The company was the only place that refined mako so that it could be injected into the human body.

Sephiroth clenched his fists at his side, another piece to add to the mystery of Strife. Sephiroth never did like mysteries. He saw them as a challenge and a challenge only ever spiked Sephiroth's curiosity, which was usually unpleasant for the person on the receiving end.

Rain leaned forward, resting her head on her arms up against the wet wall, letting the water pound on the sour muscles on her back. She felt like she could barely stand.

Her previous physical condition had enabled her to make it through training and the extra detention without too much discomfort. It did not however enable her to handle training with the great General Sephiroth himself.

She cringed, just thinking about it. The first words the General had muttered when she stepped onto the training floor were, "The amount of inconsistencies that follow you around are, frankly, absurd, cadet. What are you hiding?"

Rain had thought her heart would stop, but he didn't give her time to respond. A training sword had been thrown at her and Sephiroth had draw Masamune, much to Rain's horror. He however only lunged at her in a typical strike at a speed that must have been painful for him in its slowness. She blocked it, slightly caught off guard.

The rest of the session had consisted of Rain letting Sephiroth beat the crap out of her. Not that he couldn't have anyway, but she purposefully showed no resistant or skill what so ever. Half of her bruises she had given herself, tripping over her own feet.

The General had said nothing throughout the entire session, not even a hint to correct her forum. Then he had stopped, pulling back to stare at her with emotionless eyes, that were suddenly filled with mako. Even in the bright light of the room, they glowed making the overhead lights dim in comparison.

For the briefest moment Rain felt the terror Cloud had felt ever time he looked at Sephiroth and saw those wild, mako filled eyes. Her body reacted automatically as her formal enemy lunged.

Moving into the correct position, legs braced, Rain met the attract head on, blocking the long silver blade with her own. The force of the blow sliding her back several feet though her legs did not unlock from their position. The training blade had than broke in half in her hand and Sephiroth had stepped back. Masamune not sliding even an inch past the broken blade, making her realize just how much control he had over the attack. The realization hit home, when he stepped back, the crazy mako in his eyes gone and instead a satisfied smirk was across his face.

He had grabbed her hands by the wrists checking for any lacerations from the broken sword before walking off the training arena announcing the training session was over.

Rain moaned under the showerhead, it was only a matter of time. She knew that, had always known. She didn't know how many times she had been tempted to just run. She didn't have to do this, things had already been changed. There was no need for her to go through with this, but every time she thought this the picture of Cloud screaming in the middle of the night. The pain of the planet's memories he had to endure would never end, and she knew she was right. This had to be done, to stop everything.

She signed and turned off the showerhead. It was late, past midnight, no one was up. It was three hours past curfew all the cadets would be in there bunks if not asleep; however that did not lengthen her showers past five minutes at max.

Grabbing a towel from her nearby pile of clothing, she wrapped it around herself before turning and froze.

Rush stood in the doorway, jaw open. They starred at each other, both speechless.

"Cloud? What…" Rush's voice was unsteady, like he had the air knocked out of him.

Rain quickly broke out of her stupor, and raised one hand calmly, but ready to spring if he should bolt. Crap, this made things complicated!

"Hey, Rush." She kept her tone light despite the situation, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to shower. I don't like showering with everyone else." His face suddenly turned red and he turned his head away, "Obviously I'm not the only one."

"Surprise!" Rain's voice dripped with sarcasm. Now that his head was turned she quickly took the opportunity to throw her clothes on.

Rush snorted, "Ya, surprise." There was a pause, "well, this explains a lo…actually this explains nothing! Cloud what the heck is going on?! Your, you're a…"

"A girl, Rush, say it. It's not that hard."

"Actually I was going to say woman. There is nothing girly about… about what you are."

Rain smirked; inwardly pleased. Cid always said she had a flat chest, especially compared to Tifa. Heck, even Yuffie was bigger that she was. She relaxed slightly at the unintentional complement. This might work out after all.

"Rush does this change things?"

Rush glanced at her, relieved then he saw her fully dressed again. He turned back to face her.

"Cloud what is going on?"

Rain signed, "Rush I can't really explain it. I just need to be here, and this is the only way."

Rush's eyebrows drew together in confusion.

"Look Rush, this is the reason why I didn't want to get close to you. I didn't want to put you in this position, but it's too late now. I can't blackmail you, or make you disappear like I normally would, because like it or not, you're my friend Rush."

"Then don't." Rush said unexpected and it was Rain's turn to look confused.

Rush smiled sadly, "You don't have to do anything. You're the only friend I've ever had Cloud, don't think I'm going to give that up, just because you're not exactly what I thought you were. You have your secrets and things that you need to do and I have mine. You learn that on the streets and how to respect that."

Rain was speechless. She had not been expecting this. After a moment's hesitation, she repeated, "So does this change anything?"

Rush smiled sheepishly, "Well, it might have changed our sparring sessions. I wouldn't have felt right hitting a girl." Rain glared and he quickly corrected himself, "Not that I could anyway, that one time was just a fluke, but since we got busted that doesn't really matter anymore."

Rain smiled and started to walk out of the showers, Rush following.

"Nope," he mused, "this does not change a thing, except from now on I think I'll be standing guard outside the shower door."

Great, Rain thought, maybe I can then expand my shower to ten minutes.

The General's hands were fists at his side and all who saw him coming down the hall, either quickly changed direction or if unable to do so stood stiffly at attention not saying a word, while he passed by them, wincing at the heaviness in his wake.

When Sephiroth finally had the solitude of the elevator, he growled and hit the button. Then let all the rage he kept hidden from his subordinates expel from him in waves, filling the small space fill with a heavy and dark aurora.

He had been putting off this day for the entire week, but Hojo ever persistent had found his new number after he had been forced to get a new cell after crushing his previous one during Hojo's call earlier that week.

He hated these appointments as Hojo called them, but as much as he hated them he was not at liberty to neither ignore nor refuse them. Not as long as he was an employee of Shinra.

Sephiroth felt the elevator slow to a stop and then the door slid open with a soft hiss. Putting on his normal impassive, impenetrable mask Sephiroth stepped from the elevator.

The stench of the sterile room, blood mixed with mako made his stomach threaten to empty. This was where he had grown up, or a place like it, a lab. This was where they had made him into what he was, a monster with human appearance. It was funny considering how many times he had and Zack told Angeal and Genesis the exact opposite when they had been in Deepground, but then they were not him. They had been turned into what they were; he had been born that way. An experiment, an experiment Hojo refused to let go of despite his best effort. The war in Wutia helped a lot, demanded much of Sephiroth's time and presence away from Midgar. He had not seen the deranged scientist for almost a year. Undoubtedly Hojo would make up for lost time.

Hojo was leaning over a table when Sephiroth entered, giving Sephiroth a chance to study him from behind. The greasy haired scientist was opposite from him in every way, his greasy dark hair a sharp contrast to Sephiroth's silky silver locks. The man was tall and skinny giving him a gangly look, where Sephiroth's tall frame, though lean was all muscle and grace, like a great cat.

Sephiroth shook his head slightly in disgust, and yet this man claimed to be his father. It was in name only though, Hojo could never be a father to anyone, not unless it meant to cut and torment your son under the knife. Then he was the perfect father. He had only revealed the fact about their relation to cause Sephiroth further pain and pain it did cause him. It gnawed at him like a dog would a bone whenever he thought about it, which was why he rarely did.

"Ah, my boy you are here." Hojo had finally noticed his presence and had turned to face him. He studied him as butcher would a piece of meat, deciding just how he would cut it.

"You are looking well, good, very good." He seemed pleased and Sephiroth knew the only reason for that was because Hojo would be able to inject him with whatever concoction he had planned without worry, not that he wouldn't even if he was bleeding to death.

"Well, take off your jacket and have a seat. Let's get started, shall we."

Sephiroth did so, with painful slowness, watching the man's impatient expression knowing he was incapable of doing anything about it. Hojo for all the power he held over him could not physically force him to do anything. He knew his actions would only cause him more pain in the long run, but then again nothing Hojo did was ever gentle.

As he lay back on the cold steel table, Hojo picked up a syringe filled with green liquid.

"I see you haven't had you mako shot yet this month. We'll start with that then. I've upped the dosage a little given your fit and rested state. Let's see how you do." With a sneer the man injected the needle with the delicacy of a drunken man throwing darts. Purposely causing him the most pain as the needle hit the bone in his forearm.

Sephiroth didn't even wince, just closed his eyes to shut out the pain that would show there. As the cold liquid filled his veins, before slowly turning to fire, he knew the after effects were not going to be pleasant.

Rain drummed her fingers impatiently on the steel wall, waiting for the elevator to come to a halt and the doors to open, slightly surprised at her relaxed state. Last week she had been in a jumbled mess of emotions as she waited for the elevator to take her to the General's office. Now she almost looked forward to it, almost.

It had gotten a lot easier to be the General's presence, which probably came with practice, and being with him every day the past week had certainly given her time to practice. Though she still kept her guard up whenever she was around him. Slowly she was starting to see past the memories that would sometimes haunt her whenever he was around. Those clear green eyes were soo different from the planet's great enemy that though their faces were the same, they seemed and were in every sense two separate people.

More surprising still was that she was lately starting to see even past the face of the General, past the hero that Cloud so vaguely remember, and see even what was beyond that. She knew it was because of the cells they both shared that allowed for this intimate look into the man the planet feared.

He was quite, not just for appearance sake, but natural soft spoken, though many people took that as even threatening. He was suspicious by character, and did not trust easily if ever. His observant and sharp nature, being a result of that suspicion. It was amazing that someone could read people and emotions so well and yet be totally unable to produce them or understand them.

In many ways he was like a child, exposed so completely to the dark side life that he fully understood it, putting strong walls around himself to protect himself from it, yet never having been exposed to the riches of life that brought on that softer side of a human being. He was caught in the middle, neither here nor there. A stone stature in the middle of an emotionally run planet.

The elevator door opened, and she quickly stepped forward through the outer office, surprised that no one was there not even the temporary secretary Sephiroth had hired. Strange. She continued on to the inner office, knocking on the door. When she heard no response, she knocked again.

"General, it is Cadet Strife."

Still no response, but she heard a click as the door which apparently had been locked, unlocked. Taking that as a clue to enter, she slowly opened the door. The sun was just setting in the long window behind the General's desk casting eerie shadows across the room. The chair behind the desk was turned to face the sunset, blocking it's occupant from view. Rain paused, something did not feel right. The familiar feeling of the cells coming to life was there, but there was something else as well.

"Come in and close the door." The order was quite almost hoarse sounding.

Rain slowly steeping in letting the door slid shut behind her, as soon as it did so she heard an electronic click as it locked.

She turned lunging at the door handle. It would not move! She suddenly felt a presence behind her and couldn't stop the gasp of terror that escaped her lips. The General was standing right behind her and for some reason his eyes were swarming over-productively with mako, making even the whites of his eyes disappear behind the green glow. Rain starred into those eyes and knew she was in trouble.

"Angeal have you seen Seph?"

Angeal looked up as his puppy burst into his apartment without warning, looking disheveled and very worried.

"No, Zack. What is wrong?"

Zack ran a hand though his hair, and began pacing across the carpet.

"He left a message on my phone. He had an appointment today."

The sound of a book snapping shut sounded from a corner where Genesis was been sitting in a lounge chair, reading a copy of Loveless. He now leaned forward concerned as Angeal stood up and grasped Zack by the shoulders, halting his pacing.

His voice was tense though he tried to keep it calm, "What kind of appointment, Zack? Mako shots?"

Zack shook his head, his expression now frantic. "With his shots he tells me to meet him in his apartment and bring cure material just in case. This time he told me he had an appointment and to cancel everything he had for the day and to send his secretary home for the next two days. Angeal I think he was going to see Hojo."

Angeal felt his fingers dig tightly into Zack's shoulder, and Genesis stand behind him.

"All right Zack, calm down. First thing is first, have you done what he asked. Our first priority needs to be keeping everyone away from him. If he was been to see Hojo we can guarantee it isn't just mako he will be receiving, so he will be even more unstable."

Angeal winced at the admission. Sephiroth was hard enough to deal with just fresh mako in his system no less anything else. Sephiroth knew this as well and usually took precautions barricading himself in somewhere, until it passed. Normally though he would have Zack, Angeal or Genesis with him or nearby to make sure he didn't escape from his self enforced prison.

He drew his thoughts back to Zack who was going through a mental checklist.

"Ya, I pretty sure I got everyone. Cancelled his meeting with Lazard, boy was he not happy about that. Gave squadron 83 their briefing on their mission. Yup, got everything. Seph was just going to spend the afternoon in his office. He had no meeting there so we should be goo…."

Angeal tensed as Zack's face visibly paled.

"Zack what is it?"

"Chocobo!" Zack's voice came out as more of a squeak, "I mean Cloud. He has orders to report to Sephiroth's office at the end of every week."

Angeal starred at Zack for only a moment, before all three men bolted for the door.