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

A/N: Warning! There is some descriptive gore in this chapter.

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 education of circumstances is superior to that of tuition." –William Wordsworth

Chapter 75

They encountered very few monsters, which Tifa thought was a little odd. This part of the northern continent was notorious for its monster population. However, she wished that more monsters attacked, she needed to get warmed up. She decided to stop and do a little stretching and to get a drink of water and everyone then stopped for a break when she heard Yuffie yell, "Look!"

Tifa looked at where she was pointing and they all dove to the sides of the trail for cover. Her eyes watered up at the sight. Zack with his large black and red wings laughing as he flew fast across the cold sky, close behind him was Cloud and Sephiroth, also laughing as though nothing was wrong. They looked as though they were just out having fun, almost as if they were their normal selves. When the three of them dove close to their location, Aerith stifled a scream with the help of Vincent who put his hand over her mouth.

All three of them dove down toward the ground again and if they hadn't been laughing, Tifa felt sure that they would have seen them. Adjusting their flight to head straight up, they then banked to the left and disappeared. That's when the whispers began and the one that Tifa heard clearly was, "We're all gonna die."

Tifa stomped her foot and turned to the group behind her, "I don't know who said that, but if you want to leave, then go! I for one don't want Jenova to come back and take over the world, do you?" Tifa bent over and slung her pack to her back, "Let's go!" Being in the lead had its benefits, she could cry and no one would see her.

Jade was in meditation by now and Hojo was either asleep or dead, he wasn't sure. When it came time for Zack and Sephiroth to investigate Hojo, Cloud only watched from occupied eyes. His thoughts went to his feelings that this one kept pushing out at him. His cage was secure, so how was it possible? Once they were done with their turns with the scientist, he would explore more, but this time, he would look inwardly. Maybe then he could try to understand.

Cloud stood quietly at the wall of the sanctuary, waiting. He did a lot of waiting it seemed and during this wait, Zack walked around him, studying him.

Sephiroth brushed his hand over Zack's hair, "Come, let's meditate and ready ourselves." When Sephiroth took Zack's hand and neither one of them took his, they walked toward Jade and left him standing alone. Why he was always left out and pushed aside it bewildered him? It was something he wanted to try and understand.

Sephiroth and Zack both sat across from Jade. The shuffle of his booted feet toward them made a scraping sound that alerted them to look at him with questioning gazes. At least they were looking at him now. Hot breath left his lungs in a huff, joining them next to Jade, he sat on his knees. Calming his breathing, his heart and closing his eyes he returned to the recesses of this blond one's mind.

Cloud sat in his cell, tapping at his sole of his boots, bored and scared. Looking to his left, Sephiroth paced in his cell and to his right Zack lay still and quiet in his. The fight he put up against Jenova had worn him out and he'd slept for a while.

When he closed his eyes, he couldn't help but see the looks in their faces as Jenova subjected them to her attempts to break them. Seemingly putting them in a type of stasis so that they wouldn't 'die' right away, they were able to watch everything after their turn with her. Having control of them at that point, she kept their eyes open so that they could experience everything.

Seeing the panicked pain swell in the light blue eyes as Master shred, tore, and beat the life out of the once proud man. When Master pulled the knife out and the ripping of Sephiroth's skin and muscle, inside and out, the sound had been unavoidable. Between his screams, the wetness of blood soaked flesh flung away and hitting the floor in a splat was haunting in the darkness behind his eyelids.

He hadn't wanted to look, to see what Jenova was capable of and willing to do to them to get what she wanted.

After Sephiroth had endured his hell, it was Cloud's turn.

Watching the glee in the eyes of the man who had changed everything as he giggled at his new specimen, he swallowed the lump in his throat when he approached. After being pinned to the floor and before Hojo could do his work, the looks of horror in his friend's eyes sent him into a swirling madness. The feel of the scalpel and the burning sensation as it traveled down his torso was nothing until Hojo opened his large incisions. Being eviscerated alive and seeing the organs as they are pulled from his body was unlike anything of a describable nature. He waited for death, he wanted death to take him away from the horrific creature that was Jenova.

While Cloud lay there, bleeding and struggling for breath, it was Zack's turn.

Not having to see Charles rape Zack back in the workshop, he'd been fortunate enough to be able to stop it. However, the sight of Charles flipping Zack to his stomach while he squeezed his eyes shut in pain and biting his lip to quiet his screams as he tried to fight the man that hovered over him. Seemingly paralyzed and unable to shake the torture, Jenova locked them there by the invisible force that had held them to the floor. But the worst was yet to come. The knives and the smell of burning flesh, the sizzle of the boiling and bubbling heat crept into his nostrils. The sound of dull cutting tools jaggedly severing tissue and bone added to the nightmarish sounds of bloody flesh meeting its end. The only thing that drown out the nightmarish sounds were the screams.

Now, after all of that, here they were, together again and in cages. Somehow, they were still sane, or as close to sane as they could be. Perhaps that was the reason that Hojo had chosen them for the Jade project, they were strong physically and mentally. Or maybe it didn't have anything to do with Hojo. Cloud wanted to believe that they were stronger together than they were apart. He wasn't too far off the mark on this new revelation. That had to be it. That was what it was all about.

Touching his cheek where he had gotten punched he could feel the swelling. What were they going to do now? If only Zack had been able to get the key. The simple wooden bookshelf holding the keys stood mockingly just across the room. The cold bars dug painfully into his spine as he leaned back, he pulled up one of his knees and rested an elbow on it, "Hey Seph, what do you think now?"

"I think we are either stuck here forever, or when our friends attack, we are all going to die," Sephiroth continued his nervous pacing. He had even begun to bite at his nails.

"Geez Seph, depressing much?" Zack rolled over to his side and looked at them.

"What would you suggest?" Sephiroth stopped pacing and grabbed the bars in front of him and shook them, "Any workable suggestion would be appreciated Zackary!"

"Well if there wasn't a locksmith shop sitting on the shelf, I could have gotten the damn key!" Zack lifted himself onto his elbow, "Oh and by the way, it's nice to see you too."

"Why didn't you just grab a handful? That's what I would have done… Zackary!" Sephiroth glared at Zack from between the bars.

"Well General Sephiroth, why didn't you do that from the beginning?!"

"What was I supposed to do?"

Cloud jumped up and held his hands out, "Guys, both of you, shut up! Look." Cloud grabbed the bars in front of him and his eyebrows pushed together at the sight of… himself, only with large silver wings. There he stood at the door as he slid it closed behind him. No shirt, but the same jeans and boots he'd worn when they tried to save Zack. The silver wings were tucked neatly behind his back and the shiny feathers stirred against the air current as he walked closer.

Reaching through the bars, his green eyes gleamed as he took a hold of Cloud's shirt, "Tell me, what this Tifa woman means to you?"

"You leave her alone!" Cloud gripped at the hands that held him fast until he was slammed into the bars in front of him.

"Why do you want to be with her? Is she that important to you?"

The side of Cloud's face was firmly planted against the bars and he cut his eyes over to the green eyed version of him, "You know my memories and feelings. What do you think?!"

"I think that I want to hurt her, but I want to… what is this feeling? I want to touch her, be with her."

"You don't lay a finger on her you bastard!" Cloud jerked around and freed himself.

Sephiroth leaned his head on the bars and asked calmly, "Why are you here?"

Green eyes approached Cloud and reached between the bars again. Cloud stepped back and when the fingers signaled him to come forward, he complied; he didn't know why he was compelled to do so. With both of his arms through the bars, he took Cloud's head into his hands. Forcing Cloud toward him until his face was perched firmly in the space between the bars. His ears pained at the force of the bars against them.

The other Cloud was able to smell of him now. Kisses, light kisses on Cloud's face as he struggled to get away. Cloud's eyes shot to his doppelganger as his lips caressed his cheeks, nose, eyes, eyebrows and finally his lips. Kissing himself was weird on a whole new level. He kept his lips pinched closed but the other was insistent. Struggling, pulling back and pushing at the other, Cloud's attempt's to free himself were futile. Fingernails dug into Cloud's scalp and he pushed his head into the bars more, cutting into his ears until he yelled out in pain and the kiss reached another new level of strange.

When he was finally released, Cloud wiped his mouth and spit on the floor, "What the hell was that all about?"

Green eyes sparkled and a smile crossed his face, "I know now. I know what I must do now."

Wiping at his lips with his sleeve, he yelled, "Why'd you have to freakin kiss me?!" Cloud looked at Zack and Sephiroth as they watched the exchange.

Smooth and calm was the tone that he spoke in. As if he were in a Zen moment, quietly conveying his observations, "Ones guard is down while in intimacy. That is the easiest and fastest way for me to gather the information that I require, that which I desire, knowledge."

Sephiroth stood and held his hand up to the caged Cloud to be quiet so he could ask the other blond, "Let's go back a step, what is it that you know now? What is it that you must do?"

Green eyes approached Sephiroth, "The meaning of it all, love, fear, hate, despair, rage. Our nature, it is needed for Jenova, my curiosity and knowledge, your strength and combat, the one known as Zack, his protection, love and defense of our lives."

Cloud watched as the green eyed Cloud suddenly stepped back and looked at Zack almost in alarm. His eyes searched Zack's face, confused, "I sense a memory of yours, one that you have kept to yourself somehow. Help me to understand it. Aerith, she is the mate of the one known as Sephiroth. Why do you think about her when she belongs to someone else?"

"None of your business you winged freak of nature," Zack stepped back when green eyed Cloud stepped closer to Zack's cage, trying to grab him, "Definitely not if you have to kiss me."

"No, a kiss isn't necessary, but there is something and it is strange, help me to understand," Green eyed Cloud shut his eyes and spoke as if were reading a memory, "Oh gods what have I done? This could end up ruining me and Seph's friendship."

Zack interrupted with a paled face and stiffened shoulders as he jumped at his bars, he screamed, "Shut the fuck up you Jenova lap dog!"

"It is strange, why are you worried about a friendship?" The winged blond tilted his head waiting for Zack to answer.

Cloud and Sephiroth looked at Zack in confusion and Sephiroth asked calmly, "What is he talking about Zack?" The brunette's jaws clenched.

When he didn't receive an answer from Zack, the other Cloud continued, "We can't keep doing this, Seph might find out."

Sephiroth's blood pressure was rising and he started to wonder if what he had feared, what he had figured was going on, had in fact happened, "Zackary! What the hell is he talking about?!"

Zack swallowed a lump and dropped his head and the other Cloud continued, "I feel so guilty, so bad that I am doing this to Seph, but I don't want to stop… being with her."

Zack crumpled to the floor, in tears, "Enough…!"

Cloud stood in his cage and stared at him. Zack looked as if he had been beaten into submission. From the corner of his eye, Seph fell to the floor on his knees. What the hell happened? It was a whole new side to Zack that he had never seen. 'Why didn't he say anything to me?'

Sephiroth spoke from the floor, his voice cracked, "When? Why Zack? WHY?!"

Zack crouched down in the corner of his cell and spoke quietly, "I'm sorry Seph, it was only once, it just… it just happened. I missed her so much and I-"

Jumping at the bars, Sephiroth shook the cage, "I trusted you!" Tears of rage and hurt stained his face, "I thought you were my friend!"

"What the hell were you thinking Zack?" Cloud's eyes fell to the heap of a man that was what was left of his friend.

"Zackary, I thought we were friends. Why? Why would you do this?" Sephiroth fell back to sitting on his heels.

Having had enough of the bullshit that kept being thrown at them, Cloud grabbed at the other version of him, "Is this why you came here? Break our friendship, break us? You already have our bodies, just leave us alone!"

Green eyes danced in the light, a look of desperation crossed his face and he said sadly, "I don't want to die. You don't either, do you?"

Zack stayed in his spot on the floor and shut his eyes. Cloud leaned his shoulder against the bars and dropped his gaze. Of course he didn't want to die, unless this cage was his eternity. His hand went to his face and wiped at the wetness that covered his pale cheeks. Glancing at Sephiroth, he sat with his forehead leaned onto the bars and his hands clutched the bars next to his head. Beaten, defeated and useless men, all three of them. Fighting among themselves now, why? For so long they'd fought, scratched and climbed out of the hole, just to be shoved back into it at the first opportunity.

Cloud's hands stayed at his side, his shoulder on the cold iron bar. His eyes stared at the floor, "No, we don't, but there isn't anything to do. I'm tired, sick and tired of fighting, just to be stepped on again. I'm tired of being the bug that needs to be squashed and dumped on," Raising his eyes to his copy, "If you don't want to die, then why don't you do something?"

"But, I don't know if I can," Green eyed Cloud turned and left the three men in their personal prisons. Cloud sighed and slid down to the floor. With his hands in his hair, he waited.

The terrain was getting rougher and much more difficult to navigate. It would be getting dark in just a couple more hours, but they had to get closer, much closer without being detected. The entire group was lined up walking slowly trying to get through. Tifa's face was stiff and her lips straightened in a strained smile when Reno whispered, "Sure could use those wings right about now."

Once they got to where they could see a huge white area surrounded by high winds and snow that blew sideways, she swallowed hard. The wind was loud but the group squished together, "Alright, everyone keep your heads, don't let their appearance get too you. We gotta split here. Is everyone ready?" Waiting for acknowledgement from everyone, she added, "Remember, if we can, we gotta try and save them, but if we can't we got to… we got to do what needs to be… done." She swallowed down her tears and stayed strong despite what her voice sounded like.

Yuffie tugged Tifa into a hug, "I'll talk to you after we win and get all three of them back, okay." Everyone followed suit and then split and headed to their positions.

"Hey Teef, you ready?" Reno stood in front of her waiting.

Clearing her throat, she blinked and said, "Yeah, let's go."

It didn't take as long as she thought it would to get to their positions. Reno tugged open Tifa's pack and pulled out the binoculars. Pulling out her phone, she messaged the other teams: In position, not long now.

She got two messages just a few minutes later and they both read: Ready, waiting for your signal.

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."

Please send me your reviews if you want. It is really easy. Just click your arrow in the little box, write what you thought or felt about the chapter and then click right down there, just below the box. A little lower… a little to the right… yeah, right there! Click it! *grinning*

Guest reviews with my thoughts in bold:

(1)
5litai: "Hello, Disturbed Turtle. :3 (love your username and I want to apologize beforehand for my English, I'm still learning this language xD)
First thing I want to say this story is amazing. I've been reading this for two days non-stop and I'm really happy that I found this story. It's greatly written, it's entertaining and I've completely lost myself in this. XD It was a really long time since I enjoyed reading FFVII fanfiction so much :)
What I like about this story is that you make characters OOC, and it helps this story being interesting (well in my opinion o.O), since Zack, Cloud and Sephiroth went trough so much shit and it's really completely normal to change some personality traits.
The only thing I'm sad about is that Zack and Aerith aren't together. Love between them is so pure and beautiful that it breaks my heart to see them apart, but on the other hand it makes this story different and I love seeing broken characters (I'm a horrible person :) )
And thank you sooo much not turning this into a sick Yaoi shit between Zack and Cloud (Well there are some pretty fucked up stories :(), because I can't imagine anything more than brotherly love between them.
THANK YOU again for creating an interesting story which I really enjoy reading, hope it isn't near the end. And DON'T let the trolls get to you since they're still humans. They will get tired of doing nonsense.
Stay awesome Turtle and keep writing. c:"

I'm so glad you like my new name! I've had it as a nickname on my online game for a while and thought it was time to change it to something that I liked. By the way, your English is just fine.

I deeply appreciate your wonderfully kind words, but I must humbly admit that it isn't the best story on this site. However, this story idea kind of was birthed after reading a few stories and I wanted more, so I started writing. I am a fangirl of sorts, so I love reading a good yaoi story from time to time, but I didn't want this one to be one of those! I do agree with you about the brotherly love between them however. (It really is weird writing my other story where I wrote Cloud as a woman and then to turn around and write him as a manly man. My femCloud story is more popular than this one, and for the life of me, I didn't know that people would like a serious angsty romance/adventure with femCloud.)

I don't like to think of Seph as a bad guy, mainly because of Hojo. Hojo and Jenova have always been the real bad guys in my mind. About Zack and Aerith, I agree with you completely – their love would have been (and is) epic, but like you said, I wanted something different.

This story has 81 chapters and 1 epilogue, so there are 82 chapters that will be posted. I am, however, working on a sequel called, "Nexus of Fate." When I had this posted before, it pissed a few people off when they read the ending, despite the warnings on the intro/story summary. So I started a sequel for no other reason than to quell the questions and reviewers.

About my troll(s)… They/she/he/it don't bother me like they think they do. I'm too old and busy to care about their reviews and self-made drama to get to me. I made a huge mistake here on this site a long time ago and because of that, I almost left the fandom. But I prevailed above my depression and made amends with the one person who I needed to and made myself comfortable here amongst fellow fans of Final Fantasy VII!

I will stay awesome if you stay awesome as well 5litai!

(2)
"Payback is a Bitch. Lol"

Yes… Yes payback is a bitch.

(3)
"Hojo fate... Death by Poontah.. HA HA HA HA HA!"

Of all the ways I'd love to see Hojo meet his demise, painful and/or deadly anal sex isn't exactly how I'd picture it. That was not how I intended that scene to be interpreted.