Disclaimer: I do not now or before and most likely not in the future, own Final Fantasy, Square Enix or any of the characters.

Reviews, critiques and flames are welcome. I absolutely love all reviews about the story as it gives me motivation, I use good constructive criticism to help my writing improve and I feed the flames to the fires of my imagination.

Thanks to my before posting beta Queen of Jokers and my after posting beta SubZeroChimera!

"The more sand that has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it." –Jean Paul

Chapter 73

As Drake walked along with his two solider escorts back to the hotel, more people approached that he recognized from the restaurant in Rocket Town only days ago. Were they with the pretty woman and man with the red cape? He looked to his sides and then back to the group. He wondered if he should help them, but he was being sent back to his brother which is where he was headed anyway. The silent man knew that his brother would understand why he helped them.

Once they reached the hotel, he turned and put his hand up to stop the soldiers from following him into the lobby. When he entered the front door to the hotel, the soldiers left. Now, he just had to find the group he'd seen. It was a big city, but he figured that if he followed the path back from where he'd come, he would be able to find them.

When he saw the pretty girl with long light brown hair, he remembered how nice she was. Her eyes were so soft and kind. When he approached her, she startled and he smiled at her, she asked, "Do you need something?" He nodded and waved his hand for them to follow and she asked with curiosity, "Do you know where our friends are?" When he nodded again, she yelled for the others, "He knows where they are."

"Hey buddy. You know where they are? How do ya know us?" Barret looked around for an ambush or spies. When Drake didn't answer, Barret pulled Aerith back and said, "Don't tell me that you're going with this guy. We don't even know him."

Red stepped between Barret and Drake and his eye scanned the strange man, "I believe that I remember this man, he worked at the diner in Rocket Town."

Cid came back from the store that he stopped off in, "Hiya Drake! What're you doin' here?"

"You know him?" Barret's eyes narrowed at Cid.

"Yeah, sure do. He worked at the diner back in town. He's a mute, so he don't say nuthin." Cid lit a cigarette and blew out a thick cloud of smoke, "Pretty nice guy, helped me 'round the shop with repairs and shit. He's pretty handy."

"So we can trust him?" Yuffie inquired.

"As far as I know, he ain't ever done nuthin to me," Cid blew another cloud of smoke out and smiled as Yuffie coughed and waved her hand trying to rid herself of the billow.

"Okay, then it's settled," Aerith took Drake's arm and said, "Let's go."

Drake retraced his steps, steering clear of any patrols until he got them to the cells that held their friends. From the looks of the number of guards, they knew that they were coming. Barret ordered, "Okay, the first team, let's go. Zack, Tifa and Vincent are right behind that door, let's get 'em back."

Aerith put her hand to his arm, "Shouldn't you stay back, since your gun makes a lot of noise, it might attract more attention."

Cid smirked, "Yeah, why don'tcha let us take care of business?"

"Fine, go. Just as long as we get 'em back," Barret conceded, but not willingly.

Drake watched as Yuffie twirled and flipped as she struck down guard after guard, graceful in her movements. She let her weapon fly out as she simultaneously kicked at more guards, flipping over them and then catching her weapon as it came back to her.

He'd seen Cid in action before. The few times that a monster would wander into town, he would be one of the first ones to fight it. He was impressive on his grace. A man such as him, gruff, loud and obnoxious, you wouldn't think that he would be that refined in his technique.

Red was odd to look at. However when he would grab a hold of a soldier and flip, it would send the target down to the ground with bone breaking force. His tail lit up and he fought like his tail, full of fire.

Once all the guards were down and out-of-the-way, Barret ran forward and grabbed some keys. The door was blocked by bodies, some dead, most just unconscious. Once ridding the door of its blockage, they entered to find more guards that needed dispatching.

"We're over here!" Tifa yelled from the far cell.

Yuffie ran and sighed in relief that Vincent was unharmed. When the door was finally open, she openly hugged and kissed him. Aerith and Barret hugged Tifa and Aerith's face dropped as she asked, "Where's Zack?"

Tifa's face saddened, "They took him and tortured him. When they brought him back he looked like he was on the verge of death. Then… Cloud and Sephiroth showed up and took him."

"What?!" Barret's shocked response got interrupted by Drake as he waved for them to follow quickly. Drake seemed to know where he was going when Barret asked him to take them to the airfield.

Once they got close to the large Shinra airship, Cid's eyes widened, "I get to fly this?! I'm as happy as a weasel in a hen-house! Fuck that other itty bitty piece of shit!"

They all boarded except for Drake, "Are you coming Drake?"

With a shake of his head he backed away until Reno appeared, "He can't, he has to get back to Midgar."

"Why? Who is his brother anyway?" Tifa finished tying her hair back.

Looking around, Reno spoke only loud enough for the closest people to hear him, "His brother is Lazard, the director of Soldier. Lazard is already in deep shit and if his brother's caught up in this shit, it's the end. The End, if you know what I mean." Reno took Drake's arm and pulled him away from the ship. Drake waved to them before he turned and left with Reno.

His head hung limply and the wind blew his thick black spikes around his head. Sephiroth had a tight grip on him as they flew north. Zack was still in there, hiding and in pain. It would be easy now, while he was in pain, to take his body from him. Then they could have what they still missed.

The blond one who was currently caged in this body fought harder and almost broke through completely. It was just a momentary thing, but he had it under control now. However, having gotten through just a little, it started his fighting over again. It was starting to tire him even though he appreciated the spirit of his fight.

Right now though, the one they called Zack was priority, he had to be ready now. How had he gotten past the last barrier when Cloud and Sephiroth hadn't? Jenova had this planned for so long, but didn't expect such strong resistance. Once Jade became Jenova, would she want or need them anymore? If so, what would they be worth to her?

Battered, Zack's head draped weakly over Sephiroth's arm and one of his arms hung down, waving lightly in the wind, while the other that was closest to Sephiroth's chest, lay across on his stomach. Cloud wondered if the black-haired man would push him aside as well, or would he embrace him as a brother? Sephiroth pushed him aside, unknowingly, but still the same. Once Jade got a look at Zack, she will be furious and is sure to lash out at them.

How could one incarnation of Jenova be more powerful than another? He guessed that being born with the cells already played a major role and if that was the case, he and Zack were both outsiders. While Jade was busy with meditation, he could explore Zack's mind and hopefully find out more about him. After all, his nature was curiosity and a thirst for knowledge, where Sephiroth's was strength. What would Zack's power be?

Laying Zack gently on the ground in front of Jade, Sephiroth and Cloud slowly backed away. The look in her eyes flared a fire around her and seemed to engulf her in rage. She flew toward them both and slapped Sephiroth to the ground again, harder. Blood splattered from his mouth and painted the pristine floor with the ruby colored droplets. Then she got a hold of Cloud and flung him across the sanctum. He hit a large boulder and he sank to the icy ground in a heap, coughing out scarlet blood.

Cloud then watched as she began to beat Sephiroth before he was able to get back to him, "Please stop." Cloud stood behind Sephiroth and gained her attention before she backhanded the blond across the floor. Again he pleaded, "Please, the one known as Zack needs healing."

She stopped her rampage and turned to Zack and while she occupied herself with his well-being, Cloud helped Sephiroth to his feet. He thought it odd that as his nature being strength, Cloud was always helping him. But then again, her attacks hadn't sent him flying across the room either. He and Sephiroth sat on the ground on the other side of Zack as she began healing him. Cloud took Sephiroth's hand and closed his eyes. While she was busy, he would explore.

Sephiroth went with him on his journey to Zack's mind, to find the one they sought.

"Haven't I been here before?" Zack rose from the floor and recognized his surroundings, the lab. Oh, how he hated the sight of this room. So much pain, so many bad memories and the loss of his freedom. All of it covered the walls, floor, table, everything. Had he ever regained freedom after they escaped the labs? As much as he loved Cloud and Sephiroth, he wished that Hojo had left him dead when he died out on that cliff. At least then, he had peace.

The lab in which he stood now, it had three chairs and one table this time. Running his fingers along the cool metal and smooth wood, his thoughts flashed to all the pain that those chairs saw.

When he approached the door, he hesitated, what would he find on the other side?

Zack muttered, "Well, there is only one way to find out." The door opened with a swoosh and he found himself in the hallway leading to the cells. Instead of going toward the cells though, he went to the exit door and he expressed one last thought before going through the door, "Cloud, Sephiroth. I wish that I could help you, but I'm not sure how to help myself." On the other side of the exit door, was three cages, the two on the right were occupied and the empty one had the door open. Blinking with a twitch, he asked himself under his breath, "What the hell is this?"

The large plain room held very little to look at, but it was the occupants that drew his attention immediately.

"Zack!" Cloud frantically screamed at him from the middle cage, "Run!"

Feeling a looming presence behind him, he ran for a door on the other side white tiled room.

Sephiroth jumped to his feet and yelled, "Get the key!"

"What fucking key? Where?" Zack scrambled and used his best dodging abilities to keep the looming Jenova from getting a hold of him.

Cloud's and Sephiroth's arms stretched out from the bars and pointed in the same direction, "Over there, on the shelf!"

Zack ran to a shelf that had hundreds of keys, "Are you shitting me? Which one is it?!"

Sephiroth screamed, "Watch out!"

Jenova swiped at the brunette and he went tumbling across the floor away from the shelf. This whole running away thing was ridiculous. Jenova was a huge mass of arms and hair/tentacles that reached for him. He guessed that since the backward and sneaky way to get them didn't work on him, she was going for plain in your face overpower the enemy until they're yours. He jumped to his feet and ducked just as she swung her hand to grab him. He took off and when she swiped at him again, he jumped up, landed and with his forward momentum he rolled out and then jumped back to his feet.

"Guys! Tell me something," Another dodge, "I need to know what to do!" A tentacle came out from the side and grabbed his ankle.

"Don't let her put you in the cage!" Cloud yelled to him, Jenova hit the blonde's cage, knocking him to the floor.

"Easier said than done!" Grabbing a hold of the heavy bars on Sephiroth's cage, he kept her from pulling him into the empty one.

Sephiroth got a hold of his wrists, "Hold on Zack. Don't let go!"

Cloud stood back up and punched at the tentacle that was right in front of his cage, "Zack, remember that time when Seph and I showed up in your mind. You know just before Davis showed up!" Cloud got a hold of the tentacle, "It's the same thing!"

The same thing? Did he mean the way he pushed Jenova out? Was it really that simple? How would he be able to fight a possession? It was just there, always. He was living proof of that. The way he had to fight that night on the bathroom floor, "She's too strong."

Sephiroth looked in his eyes, "Zack, don't forget," He wrapped his wrists tighter, "Listen! You can beat her again. She doesn't really need us."

"What?! All this shit we've been put through and she didn't need us?" Zack clenched his jaw and held on as the frigid tentacle moved up his leg.

Cloud wrapped his arms around the tentacle, "Well, she needs us since we carry the different aspects of Jenova. They have to join to bring her back. After that though, she won't need us. We don't know what will happen after that."

"That's just great! Now how the hell am I supposed to keep that from happening?" Zack's hand slipped and he grunted as Sephiroth tightened his grip.

"This is our world, not hers," Cloud got hit by another tentacle and flew back to the back of his cage again.

"Has anyone told that to her?!" Zack struggled, thanking the grip on his wrists from Sephiroth, and cursing the shivers of cold that went up his leg as the tentacle pulled on him.

A/N 2: Thanks to everyone who reads, favorites, subscribes and/or reviews, I appreciate your time and I dedicate all of this to you. To quote another author, "Getting reviews makes me feel all warm and squishy."

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...Ooo'kay... I've been accused of worse...