It took a few weeks to get accepted for a small leave of absence from the barracks. Paperwork had to be read and then signed, acknowledging that Shinra would not be responsible for her during her time away. That, should she not return in the allotted time, she would be considered AWOL. The return home was fast enough, only a few monsters daring to take on the truck in which she rode.

Before leaving Midgar, Cloud asked Tifa to meet her at Sector 7 to help her return to a more feminine appearance; it had been a good couple months since she had dressed in anything other than the infantry uniform. Tifa had convinced her to wear a sundress and pulled her hair into a small bun- it had grown a little since she left home- rationalizing that it's what her mom would prefer to see her in and it was the least she could do for leaving without saying goodbye. Cloud left it at that and started her journey back home.

The truck pulled to an abrupt stop. Looking out the windshield told her they had arrived just outside the village. Cloud stayed seated for a moment, her hand subconsciously playing with a strand of hair that had escaped her bun. She was nervous coming back to the home she had left behind, to the mother she had lied to and abandoned, to all the pain and ridicule the other children brought. With a sigh, the blonde lowered her hand and opened the truck door.

A few children could be heard screaming in play from behind a neighboring house as Cloud opened the door to her mother's home. "Mom, I'm here!" She called out to the empty foyer. She could hear voices from the living room. The blonde kicked off her heels, which had been tipping her balance since she left 7th Heaven. She made her way to the living room. "Mom?" She turned the corner.

"Sweetheart, you're here!" A blonde, a few inches taller than Cloud herself, stood of from a chair and rushed over to her daughter. The two blondes hugged, smiling at their reunion.

"So what's this important ma-," Cloud's words caught in her throat as she looked behind her mother, catching sight of familiar steel colored hair and prominent green eyes that shone with the blood of the planet. "tter?" She quit gaping long enough at Sephiroth to finish her sentence, back stiffening. She felt disdain for the superior officer standing in her childhood home.

Next to him, she noticed another man who was considerably shorter than the general. This man had long, and almost greasy, black hair tied behind his head. Perched precariously on the bridge of his nose were rounded spectacles, making his eyes appear that much larger. His most striking feature was the lab coat that hung loosely over his hunched shoulders.

Her mother caught her gaze and hurried into action, stepping away and moved back towards her company. "Cloud, dear, this is Dr. Hojo and, as you could probably guess, General Sephiroth." At her daughter's raised eyebrow, the woman continued. "Dr. Hojo is here on behalf of President Shinra, who has requested that he offer his son in marriage to the president's niece."

"What does this have to do me?" Cloud narrowed her eyes, uncaring if she was being blunt, her gut twisting uncomfortably as her brain told her what she was anticipating.

"Cloud, my sweet girl, I know I haven't told you much about your father..." The woman refused to meet the younger eyes. "This is for the best, darling. Sephiroth is an accomplished man. He will be able to support you, he-"

"I need to speak with you. Alone." Cloud's eyes were fire in their apparent anger. The girl could not believe what she was hearing. She was President Shinra's niece? Of all things? The man hadn't been in her life and was now trying to force her into a political marriage? And her mother, of all people, was in on it? She believed it to be utterly absurd.

Ms. Strife turned back towards her guests. "If you'll excuse us for just one moment."

"But of course!" The slimy looking scientist, declared. "Take all the time you need." Cloud was already pulling her mother out of the room before Hojo even finished talking. She didn't like the vibes she got from the man at all.

Once they were outside, Cloud whirled on the older woman. "What were you THINKING? You can't honestly expect me to agree to this, can you? I refuse to marry that man!" The blonde fumed aggressively.

"Cloud, President Shinra feels awful about what happened to your father. This is his way of repaying us. If we refuse this-"

"You think I CARE what the President wants? What the President thinks?" Cloud stomped her foot in frustration. Why couldn't her mother see that she couldn't do this? That she WOULDN'T do this? Sephiroth was not only loathsome, but he was her superior officer in SOLDIER! "I won't marry him!"

Ms. Strife narrowed her eyes at her child's insolence, she was losing her patience. "You can, and you will." The elder woman said with authority. "This is a very generous offer from your uncle and I will not allow you to turn it down so rudely."

"But-"

"There will be no more discussion on this matter. Are we understood?" When Cloud did nothing more than jut her head towards the ground.

The older woman stalked back into the house with Cloud trailing behind, acting like nothing had transpired between the two. The only giveaway was Cloud's flustered face and rigid movements. "Cloud, why don't you take Sephiroth outside? You two should get to know each other while Dr. Hojo and I discuss the details." Ms. Strife offered the two her best smile, ignoring the glare her daughter gave her.

"Of course." Cloud muttered, showing her obvious reluctance to do as such. Sephiroth did nothing but nod and follow after the petite blonde. Cloud had the two of the walk for awhile, neither of them uttering a word to the other. They walked around the old well, children and adults gawking alike at the sight of the Great General Sephiroth in their hell-hole of a village. As they made a complete circle around the town's center, Cloud changed pace and stalked to the right, heading in the direction of the Shinra mansion.

The silence was beginning to get to her. The man did nothing but trail her around, offering no words to aid their situation. With an audible sigh, she turned on her heel to face him after they made it to the fence surrounding the old building.

"I guess, since there's no way out of this mess, we should at least introduce ourselves properly." Cloud straightened her shoulders and offered out her hand. "I'm Cloud Strife. I'm the village outcast and bastard child of President Shinra's brother, apparently." Sephiroth made no move to indulge her. Noticing as such, Cloud dropped her hand. "The least you could do is humor me."

"I will go through with this marriage. But do not get me wrong, I have no intention of getting to know you. You know as much as I do that this farce of a marriage is for politics only. Do not get it confused with me actually enjoying your company." Sephiroth was fixing her with a steely glare that spoke volumes of how he truly felt about her and this whole situation. He didn't like her and wanted nothing to do with this marriage. Like her, he had no choice in the matter. He was Shinra's dog.

Cloud leveled the man with a glare of her own. "Fine. If you don't even want to try making this work, then neither will I!" The blonde turned on her heel and stomped away, kicking her shoes off when the heels stuck in the soft ground, not caring if her feet got dirty.