Author's Note: Thank you, everyone, for being patient with us! Had a few things happening in our lives, but we will try harder to get chapters out more quickly.

CHAPTER 10 – NEW FRIENDS AND FOES

The following morning brought a busy day all around the Seventh Heaven bar. Supplies had been arriving from Tifa's local supplier in the city which had finally gotten a new shipment in from Wutai of the fancy wine Yuffie had fully endorsed and demanded Tifa sell. The kids were in school, Angel's tutor was due to arrive soon, but Tifa would be seeing to that.

There was a reason Cloud had cleared his delivery schedule, which he cursed in a surprisingly thick Nibel accent and had Zack in stitches, even though he was fighting to keep it reigned in to a collection of snickers. He couldn't understand everything the blond said, but he'd wager it'd make Cid proud.

The two boys had been hard at work trying to save Cloud's beloved Fenrir. Zack gave him props though; he hadn't fallen over the bike's remains bawling in despair... yet. The first matter of business was getting Cloud's swords and phone free. That had taken almost two hours.

"Finally," Cloud declared as he opened the compartment and pulled out his now dead phone which he plugged into the charger that was sitting on his workbench.

"Shiva, this is going to put a cramp on holiday deliveries," he grumbled.

"I gotcha covered," Zack told him. "I can handle the most of it, and you can use the truck for the bigger stuff. That way you can spend more time helping Tifa around the bar, too."

"You're always saving my ass, aren't you?" the blond commented with a smirk.

Zack's smile beamed as he proudly pounded his chest. "That's what best friends are for!"

Tifa set about getting the bar ready for opening at 5pm. For once, she had wanted to be ahead of the curve, maybe giving her a little free time to lie down. She hadn't been feeling very well, possibly coming down with some kind of stomach flu. Keeping any kind of food down had been challenging.

When she heard the knock on the front door, Tifa set the box down on a nearby table and went to answer it. Opening the door, she saw a woman standing there, possibly mid-thirties, with short dark brown hair and green eyes.

"Hi, I'm Damira Nihan; Mrs. Rogers sent me," she introduced.

"Oh, come in." Tifa invited. "Pardon the mess. We're just getting ready for opening."

"It doesn't look so bad," Damira smiled kindly, "I've seen worse."

"Angel, can you come down here, please?" shouted Tifa.

"Is there some place that we can work?" Damira requested.

"Yeah, I set up a table over here in the corner," Tifa told her, leading the woman to the area, "I put you both near a window. Angel gets a little claustrophobic and likes to be where she can see outside."

"Of course," the woman said, taking a seat at the table "I understand."

A few minutes later, Angel descended the stairs.

"Over here, sweetie," Tifa beckoned her over, "This is Damira."

"Nice to meet'cha," Angel greeted. "My name is Angel."

"Hello, Angel," Damira smiled, "It's lovely to meet you, as well. Please, have a seat."

As Angel did, Tifa placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'll be right in this room, okay?"

Angel nodded, focusing her attention on the new tutor. She was nervous; Tifa could tell... in fact, the barmaid could almost feel it.

Wait... I CAN feel it.

Tifa stopped, taking in that new piece of information. There was no mistaking it. She could feel Angel's nervousness, and it was the oddest sensation. It was like having a stranger in a room full of friends. You knew it didn't belong, but it was there anyway. Tifa smiled, thinking maybe the bond between her and Angel was finally becoming stronger. Just as she left the two of them alone, another knock sounded on Seventh Heaven's front entrance.

"Cloud! Zack!" she hollered as she scurried to the door, "They're here!"

She opened the door, ready to welcome them in... and felt her stomach drop.

It can't be!

"Jessie?" Tifa gasped, stumbling backwards.

"…if you could see the look on your face…"

The door leading to the garage opened as the two grease monkeys entered the bar and Cloud hurried to Tifa's side when she saw her stumble back.

"Teef, you okay?"

Zack smirked as he glanced over at the woman.

"Don't mind those two; they're really protective over each other. I'm honestly not sure which one I'd be more afraid of," he finished with a chuckle before offering a handshake. "Zack Fair. We spoke on the phone."

She shook his hand, a slightly confused expression on her face as she watched Tifa. "I suppose since we'll be working together, it's all right for you to know my name... it's Nessa."

Tifa jerked her head at Nessa, trying to get Cloud to look at her. She was staring at Jessie from back in her AVALANCHE days, but... Jessie had perished at the support pillar when the plate came crashing down! It couldn't be Jessie.

Determined that she was physically okay, Cloud turned then to greet their new ally, and then he saw what had spooked his fiancé. It spooked him too, and the memory hit him like a fist to the face. Rushing up the massive stairwell of the sector 7 pillar... Wedge injured on the ground and Biggs dead on the floor below with a serious gunshot wound to the side. He rushed up the stairs to find Jessie, laying there bleeding out.

"So… you're the guy… who gets to hear my last words…"

"Like hell they're your last,"

"It's okay, Cloud… they were my bombs… they were all… my victims… I had it coming…"

"Just try to hang on."

Cloud had to shut his eyes and shake his head to clear the memory.

"Jeez," Zack commented. "What's with you two, you look like you've seen a ghost."

Nessa stared at the two.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"You... you don't..." Tifa stammered, "Either you're a doppelganger... or just some kind of twin. You look like a friend of ours who died years ago."

Up until that moment, Nessa appeared to have been growing more nervous by the second. She thought, maybe, they were going to try and arrest her or something. Then when Tifa explained, the tension vanished.

Zack offered a kind smile as he nodded, understanding then. "My mother once told me we all have a twin somewhere in the world, right before she prayed that mine was on the other side of the planet because she didn't think one continent could handle two of me."

Once Cloud had gotten over his initial shock, he offered her his hand and motioned towards one of the booths. "Let's take this over here. I don't want to interfere with Angel's studies."

She took his hand, grasping it firmly.

"This is Fritz," she introduced the male to her left with light brown hair and blue eyes, "and this is Shan."

The man with the sandy blond hair waved sheepishly, staring at Cloud like he was Ifrit. Nessa chuckled, shaking her head, and the three of them followed him inside, Tifa bringing up the rear. She still looked a little shocked, but it was starting to settle down.

Cloud guided them to the large, spacious booth in question. It was the one Tifa had set in the corner which was perfect for meetings, parties and poker games among other things. He let their guests take their seats first before he lovingly grasped his fiancé's hand.

"This is Tifa," he told them before looking over at her. "I know you're busy, but I'll help out once we finish, if you would join us? You always bring a valuable element to any meeting."

He then glanced over at Nessa's team. "Fritz and Shan was it? You were the ones who were with your leader last night, right?"

Fritz nodded.

"Yes, sir," Shan replied, "We were there... we try to accompany Ness when she goes somewhere that might be dangerous. You know... gotta keep the boss safe! It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it, right?"

Fritz facepalmed.

"Calm down, Shan," he scoffed. Shan scowled at Fritz and sat down.

Nessa stifled a chuckle, taking a seat. "They're entertaining, too."

Tifa smiled at Cloud, adoration shining in her eyes.

"I'll be done in a few minutes, and then I'll join you." She left the table, setting off to finish up in the bar.

Cloud watched her go, and he couldn't help but see her in a glowing light. Zack's chuckling brought him back to the meeting though.

"Oh man, this is twist, huh Spike? I remember those days back then when you had it bad!"

Cloud arched a questioning eyebrow until he focused on Shan, and then he understood. He really hoped he hadn't made Sephiroth feel this odd, even though the general had probably been more used to it. Well, unlike the general who had to keep a strict appearance, Cloud had the freedom to do as he pleased.

He reached over and clapped Shan gently on the shoulder. "Relax. I'm just a country boy from a backwater town."

He smirked.

"Right... " Shan agreed, nodding, "I can do this... not a problem... no sweat."

"Oh, for the love of Shiva," Fritz rolled his eyes, though he had a smirk.

"Just ignore them," Nessa said, "This is totally normal. Well, Shan is a little more high-strung than usual, but he... is a little chatty under normal circumstances."

Cloud nodded to her, still trying to see her as Nessa and not Jessie, though it was hard. Before sitting down, he headed over to the area behind the bar where he had set the list down. He returned and opened the folder, spreading out the files as he seated himself. Each file had an image of the enhanced in question along with personal record information. "These files were made from a collaboration of their official Shinra records, WRO records, which are more accurate, and personal accounts."

The list of people included were:

Cloud Strife, Zack Fair, Sephiroth Crescent, Angeal Hewely, Genesis Rhapsodos, Kunsel, and Alex Sanders.

He also pulled out two mostly blank files of Belladonna and Angel

"These last two are enhanced, but one was raised cruelly in a lab as a test subject and the other was misguided by a deranged scientist."

Nessa looked over the files, frowning. "This is very interesting... almost everyone on this list... are the names given to us by two specific people within our ranks. These are the same people who said they saw you..."

She indicated Cloud. "...with a group of mako dealers about a week ago. That was why we ordered the attack. Of course, if they had included a name, we would have told them they were wrong."

She looked at Fritz. "We need to arrange a chat. Something doesn't add up with them."

"Clearly," Cloud replied sternly, "I will clarify one thing. I was involved with a group of mako dealers last week."

He looked over at Angel then who was smiling as she continued her first lesson before he returned attention back to the meeting. "They were attacking a member of my family who was walking home."

She switched her focus on Cloud. "None of our ranks will attack any of these people. You have my word on that."

Zack sighed. "Oh, good. I can rest easy. I gotta tell ya, you guys made me nervous. I hate that feeling of being hunted. I've dealt with that once already in my life. I don't need to deal with that ever again."

"We're not out of the woods yet," Cloud corrected him, "We still have the mystery troops to worry about."

"We'll try to keep an eye out for these other people," Nessa stated, "What they're doing could severely undermine everything my group is trying to accomplish."

"Not to mention it could start generating a prejudice for anyone mako-enhanced." Fritz added.

"I increased the patrols this morning," Shan chimed in.

"In the meantime, everyone on that list should remain cautious until we've figured this out. " Nessa finished.

"What about the weapons?" came a voice from behind them. Tifa stood there, her arms folded over her chest.

"Weapons?" Fritz repeated. "We've stopped using the paralytic. It's strictly sedative... even though sometimes, the sedative doesn't work with people who abuse mako."

Tifa looked over at Cloud. "They don't know..."

Cloud turned and smirked at her. "Like I said... you bring valuable elements to any meeting. I had honestly forgotten about them."

"I didn't," Zack commented to himself.

Cloud sighed, hoping they wouldn't take this question the wrong way. "Do you guys have any daggers or guns on you right now? I'm not accusing you of being armed; I just want to see them for a moment."

Ness took her dagger, still sheathed, from her belt and handed it to Cloud. Fritz and Shan followed suit.

"We didn't bring guns today." Nessa told him.

Cloud took one of them while Zack took the other two, drawing them from their sheaths. Cloud looked at it as if he was bracing himself to touch a viper, and Zack didn't fare much better. Cloud eased his finger against the blade and sighed when it didn't burn him. Zack's expression also reflected relief. The General-to-be chuckled sheepishly at the trio who were giving them confused looks.

"Sorry, we just had to check. The other night some men that were dressed like you guys attacked us on the roof. Both Spike and Gen were hit with special bullets that burned like glowing hot irons. The other night, Genesis reported that they also had blades that burned. The thing is, they only react to the enhanced. Sure, they still hurt if a normal person is shot or stabbed, but it's almost like it tries to melt any mako it comes in contact with."

Cloud was looking away, embarrassed and Zack sympathized. "I've never seen either of those two react that way to pain before. Someone who suffered his entire body slowly dying and another whose endured how much suffering every time the world needs saving? I know they're anything but wimps."

Nessa widened her eyes. "This is sounding more and more like some kind of conspiracy."

Tifa seated herself next to Cloud, still looking a little green around the gills. She leaned, slightly, into him.

Cloud adjusted his posture to let Tifa lean more comfortably against him. He realized that she seemed to be feeling under the weather and took her hand in his before he nodded. "What it sounds like, is you're being used. Both as a distraction and a scapegoat."

Zack nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. It's like they do the shady work, feed you bad information, only to set you up to take the fall while they watch from the shadows."

"Unfortunately for them, we're a lot smarter than they give us credit for." He smirked over at Nessa. "I may not be a genius, but I'd like to consider myself a good judge of character."

"And I'm grateful for that," Nessa smiled, "A lesser man wouldn't have been so forgiving."

Cloud shook his head with an amused huff. "Please, you give me too much credit. I'm only who I am today because of my team."

Shan grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, we're... again... really sorry about that."

He offered Shan a forgiving glance. "Why should I be angry at the ones who were being set up? I'm still pissed at the bastards who almost killed me, but they won't be getting that chance again."

"So, we'll go talk to the ones who gave us the bad info." Nessa said, accepting her weapon back and refastening it to her belt. "Is there anything else you need from us?"

"Be careful," Zack warned. "If those guys are as devious as they were when dealing with Cloud and they tried to set you up, I wouldn't put anything dirty past them."

"Maybe we shouldn't let on that we know," Shan mentioned.

"Hmm... you may have a point," Fritz agreed begrudgingly.

Cloud sat up straighter, encouraging Tifa to lean against him again. "Trust me; it's not to be underestimated. I'll have Reeve send you more info about it now that you're in the loop."

"And don't be afraid to call us for help," Zack added. "I mean, we're friends now, right?"

"You always make new friends, don't you Zackary?"

Cloud and Zack turned towards the doorway to see Sephiroth standing there, but he was alone. "Angeal went on ahead to Genesis' apartment, but I figured I'd stop by to get an explanation as to what happened the day before yesterday."

"Nothing happened the day before yesterday, Seph," Cloud replied, his warning clear not to spill the connection they had with Angel to protect her.

"At least not on our end. Did you run into trouble?" he finished.

Sephiroth caught the hint and sighed. "Perhaps I was just stressed. Trying to get adjusted back as a sane non-villain isn't easy. I'd rather be back at my old desk at Shinra doing paperwork."

Zack shuddered, "Don't remind me. That sucked!"

Tifa leaned in and whispered to Cloud, "He's probably talking about the thing with Angel."

Fritz stared at the silver-haired warrior, his expression clearly in awe.

"We'll remember that, Zack. Thanks." Nessa turned to her friends. "Okay, guys. Patrol time."

Cloud stayed where he was, concern for Tifa clear. She wasn't acting like her usual self, and it was bothering him.

Zack caught on and winked. "Well, guys, it looks like we're going to have an awesome force by the time everything is set up. We'll exchange numbers before you leave, and totally don't be afraid to give us a call if you need help!"

Sephiroth remained behind looking down at the warrior, but realized his focus was elsewhere. "I shall speak with you later, Strife."

With that he respectfully followed after Zack, leaving the two alone. Cloud felt her forehead. "No fever, maybe you should call Petra to come in tonight. I know it's her night off, but you don't look good."

He leaned in and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

She shook her head, stubborn as usual.

"It's just a stomach bug." she told him, "I'll be okay."

She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek before standing up... and completely passing out.

"Teef!" He caught her before she hit the ground and picked her up in his arms, carrying her upstairs.

"You're overworking yourself again," he gently scolded his unconscious future bride, "You promised you wouldn't do that. You can lean on me for help."

He set her in her bed and took off her shoes. "You're taking the night off, and I'm not taking no for an answer."

*FFTT-FT*

Bella sat on the couch in the living room, having laid out her fusion materia on the table. She grinned at her father, feeling a little bit of pride at her accomplishments. She didn't know of anyone who could fuse materia the way she could. She wondered if her father could, though.

"This one is a very special Manipulate. It was tricky, but I fused Confuse with it to lower the resistance to the spell. I also infused the essence of a Jemenezmy to boost control and range. I can control someone from over 300 meters away... as long as there is a clear line of view." she explained.

She pointed to the next one. "This is what I like to call... the Repulsion. I fused Barrier with Reflect. Not only does it reduce the damage you take, but it also pushes the attacker back. I think you saw this when you took care of Licer."

She lifted up the third one like it was a precious commodity. "This one took me some time to get right. I fused Thundaga with a Shield spell. It took so long to get it to where it doesn't electrocute the caster. In light of recent attacks, I wanted something that would cause damage to someone who attacks you. When you cast this, it covers you with a shield... and anyone who tries to melee with you will receive a Thundaga..."

She raised her eyes to meet her father's. "What do you think?"

Genesis stood there, eyes wide with wonder as he picked up the last one she listed off and rolled it between his fingers, getting a feel for the magical properties within. "My dear... you never cease to astound me. The immense amount of skill it takes to fuse a basic materia is complex, yet you've managed to create three highly advanced materia... frankly I am quite humbled."

She smiled slyly, "I've been told that you were quite skilled, yourself, with fusing materia."

Oh, she loved hearing tales of his younger years. It made her feel so much closer to him and reaffirmed that she was, indeed, his daughter. She also knew it took very little to get him reminiscing. If only that infernal knock hadn't sounded at the door. She sighed, disappointingly. She'd have to get him talking later...

Genesis however wasn't done. He knew his friends would wait, so he inclined her to remain where she was.

"Those two are impossible. Besides, they know better than to interrupt me," whether they knew it or not, he mentally finished as he pulled out two materia.

They looked like normal Fire materia but he was smirking, proving they were anything but.

"These materia I have given very special names. Phoenix and Seeker."

He pointed to Seeker. "This materia allows me to control the fire cast from it and bend it to my will. I used it on Sephiroth once, and he couldn't counter it."

He picked up the other materia then. "Phoenix is among my most favorite. This isn't the summon, as its name would suggest. It casts a powerful healing flame on the one who unleashes it."

On command, he activated it, creating a fire to ignite along his arms, snaking upwards towards his shoulders. "It does not burn; instead, it heals, like the firebird reborn from its own ashes."

He spread his wing, adding to the dramatic flare he was known for when the knock sounded again. His wing dropped and the fire went out instantly.

"Oh, for the love of Shiva," he snapped as he made his way over to the door.

She might not have heard it had she not been enhanced. The years of tormenting mako baths had not all been in vain. The sound of footsteps met her ears, not from the door as expected... but from behind them both... on the balcony.

"Father..." she warned, hoping one word would be enough or that maybe he would read the tone in her voice. She waited for him to look at her before she turned her head ever so slightly to indicate the balcony.

Genesis caught her tone, and indeed he heard it too, catching the slightest of movements that went against the curtains. A Cheshire grin formed on his lips then.

"I have not yet shown you Seeker; perhaps Angeal and Sephiroth would like a demonstration..."

He waved his hand as flames ignited from his palms. He closed his fist and then turned, launching the spheres of fire towards Bella, but they flew harmlessly around her, aiming for the outside. The screams and hollers let him know he hit his mark, not that he needed confirmation. He turned then as the door burst open and drew his sword, which was glowing a brilliant red.

"Welcome to my home," Genesis said as he clashed his sword against the rifled man, who raised his gun to block. "And your own personal hell."

Bella leaped off the couch, hearing the beautiful shrieks of agony outside, and drew her staff, pressing the release that allowed it to split into two weapons. Spinning around, she assumed a defensive stance as four people intruded into her home.

"We don't appreciate party crashers!" she spat at them.

"We're not here to crash the party," said one of them with a commanding voice, "We're here to break it up."

The four of them were armed with swords, thankfully, and Bella took this opportunity to use her newly fused materia. Two of them lunged forward, and as soon as the swords made contact, the fireworks began. Tendrils of lightning spread out across their skin, crackling with electricity. Both of them fell to the floor, still twitching. The third man looked to the one who had spoken, suddenly not so certain of their victory, but the man only smirked.

"Impressive," he admitted, "An interesting combination."

"Care to try your luck?" she smiled.

"Don't mind if I do..." he replied, drawing a dagger and hurling it at her.

The dagger got halfway before a flaming missile struck it off course and it buried its tip into the floor. A man unleashed a dying wail as Genesis turned and glared at the person who had been so stupid as to strike at his daughter. He simply waved his hand and the flames that swirled outside came rushing in through the open balcony doorway and struck him one after another until they created a large, controlled fireball. Genesis pulled his hand back, a pulse of energy glowing in his palm as he launched it forward and the flames imploded before expanding outwards, but Genesis directed the blast out of the open doorway and away from them, the man's burnt body blowing away with it.

"You know..." Genesis said as he reflected on the result of that attack. "I'm rather glad Angeal had stepped in and stopped that attack last time. It would not have killed Sephiroth, but..." he didn't even finish that sentence.

The third man, who seemed to be the only one left, looked around, more than a little nervous.

"Still want to break up the party?" Bella asked him. In response, he started backing away, his eyes really wide.

"Oh, stop being such a coward," came another voice from outside. In through the balcony walked another man... a stupid man, in Bella's opinion. He walked forward, unafraid and unhindered.

"Genesis Rhapsodos, I presume," he said, not really waiting for any kind of response. "And friend?"

He glanced at Bella before returning his attention to Genesis. "That was quite a display... with the fire spheres... really classy."

"Spare us the monologue, moron," Bella sighed to which the man smirked.

"You'd like me to simply get down to it?" he asked, "Very well."

He cast so quickly with a minor lightning spell that struck Bella, enough to throw her off to the side.

"Let the adults talk, kiddo," he grinned, not taking his eyes off Genesis.

Genesis glared at the new target. Only taking his eyes off him for a moment to glance in Bella's direction to make sure she was alright before his glare returned back to the walking corpse. He lifted his head slightly, regarding him with stern distaste.

"You'll find I'm of a much higher class than you. You do not get to attack my company and expect me not to retaliate. I'll give you a moment to pray to the goddess for a safe passage."

The man laughed. "They said you had a sense of humor. Come on... she'll be fine... Let's get on with it, shall we?"

Genesis smirked as the man went to attack and scoffed.

The intruder didn't even blink before he cast again, only this time, the lightning was much stronger and seemed to be under the man's control. The branches emerged from his fingers and shot towards Genesis, wrapping themselves around his arms and pinning them at his sides. As the lightning did this, it also delivered violent jolts of electricity into his body.

A lightning attack was nothing... but then it took on a life of its own, and he found himself at the mercy of the violent electrical assault. He grunted in pain, but his stubborn will refused to let him fall, or cry out. He would not be brought to his knees on a first attack, but oh Shiva did it hurt like hell.

With a large bit of effort, Genesis focused enough to activate Phoenix and covered himself in a powerful protective flame as he spread his wing out, waves of fire bursting out from him as he lifted and then hovered in the air.

"When lightning strikes a tree, it unleashes a massive wildfire! You have just done the same!" Genesis launched his Seekers then, an entire barrage of them heading straight for the man.

The assailant saw the sphere's coming for him, but he didn't move. The flames engulfed him completely, but from within the ball of fire, he could hear the man laughing. A few moments passed before this individual simply walked out of the blaze, unscathed.

"I came prepared for you, Genesis," he chuckled, pulling out a dagger. With his other hand, he made a fist, and the lightning constricted around him again, making it impossible to draw a deep breath. The jolts he was receiving intensified as the man pointed the dagger toward him, ready to thrust it into his gut.

"NO!" A scream erupted from the side of them as Bella, who had pulled herself up, launched a kick for the hand holding the dagger, sending the blade flying into the wall.

"I hate being interrupted." he sighed, casting the full lightning at her. Genesis watched as the branches encircled her, and she winced in pain. He walked calmly to where the dagger stuck into the wall and yanked it out.

"Now... where were we?" the man continued.

The electricity ravaged him with pain and tore through his body, and it was all Genesis could do to keep his vision focused on the man, and what he was doing. That dagger... whether it was coated with that special alloy or not, was aimed for a vital organ, one that would bleed out quickly if struck. Genesis tried to move, but this attack...this magic attack was too much for even him to counter.

"Ugh... even if the morrow... is barren of promises... nothing shall forestall... my return..." he grunted in defiance.

"Unless you never leave at all."

Suddenly the flashing steel of a very long, yet thin blade struck out and sliced the dagger clean through and a blur of silver and black got between the man and his target, accompanied by bright, glowing green eyes and a massive black wing. Genesis blearily looked up through the pain and silently thanked Minerva. He could hear the chorus chant his friend's name from here, but for once it did not annoy him. Sephiroth wasted no time striking out at the man; his main goal was to save his friend.

The man staggered backwards, narrowly avoiding a slice through his hand from that legendary sword, though it cost him his materia. As the blade slashed cleanly through the sphere, the lightning that held both Genesis and Bella prisoner vanished. Angeal made his way over to Bella, knowing that Sephiroth could easily handle him. The man took only a moment to calculate his chances of winning before he ran back and jumped off the balcony.

There was no sickening crunch of a body hitting the pavement, however. The sound of shoes colliding with the ground and running met their ears. Once the lightning had released Bella, she collapsed, and Angeal was there just in time to catch her. He carried her to the couch and set her down. He then redirected to assist Genesis.

Genesis raised his hand to stop Angeal before he slowly shuddered to his feet. He was in immense pain, but he refused to be helped along like an invalid after a failure that grand. Sephiroth stood at the edge of the balcony, watching the retreating figure vanish into the shadows.

"What are you waiting for. Go after him," Genesis growled.

"Not worth risking," Sephiroth replied. "If he could incapacitate you, with magic, the very element you pride yourself in, then he is no idle threat. I will not blindly chase after such a foe."

Genesis snarled as he took a painful step forward. "Then watch her while I finish him off. I am not afraid to engage in a fight!"

His eyes widened as his legs gave out and he fell forward, but Sephiroth grabbed his arm, stopping his descent.

"Have you learned nothing? It is not weakness to rely on friends."

Genesis glared at him with pure anger until he saw the concern in his friend's eyes.

Angeal knew this was coming. His mother had always told him that pride comes before a fall, and Genesis had cornered the market on pride. So, he simply waited for his friend to come to his senses. In the meantime, he concentrated on the girl, checking her over for any injuries, of which there didn't seem to be any.

"I think she'll be all right," Angeal said. "I'd like to know why they are targeting Genesis."

Genesis averted his gaze, unable to meet Sephiroth's eyes. His pride was injured, and it hurt. Bella's condition however compelled him to drag himself over to his daughter's side. If anything had happened to her, no god or goddess would be able to save the wretched soul from where Genesis would send them.

"You've had it easy living in paradise," Genesis told Angeal. "Meanwhile over here, we enhanced have been hunted down like stray dogs. This is not the first time I've encountered these savages before."

He glanced over at Sephiroth and then towards the broken dagger. "Go on, simply touch the metal with your bare hand."

Out of pure curiosity, Sephiroth complied, and his eyes widened when he pulled his finger away and saw the tip burning as if he had just stuck it onto an open grill.

"Now," Genesis told them. "Imagine that pain buried deep within your body, as a bullet forcing you to convulse so violently you crumple into a fetal position and spasm against your will. That is what happened to both Strife and myself the other night."

Checking her over, Genesis found that Angeal's assessment was accurate. There was no serious injury, however, that lightning had definitely hurt her. She was simply unconscious.

Angeal stared at Sephiroth's burned finger. "What kind of weapons are these?"

"I can see now why Zackary was so worried on the phone earlier," Sephiroth added, "and it might also explain why Strife was holding that meeting. Though I did not recognize his guests."

He turned to Angeal, "Perhaps we should not have 'hit the local diner' before coming here. They may not have tried to attack if the three of us were in one place."

Genesis huffed in annoyance. "I am not so feeble that I need a babysitter! I alone sent Shinra in a mass wave of chaos, or did you forget the attack my clones launched?"

Sephiroth leaned in real close, using his towering figure to intimidate his ex-commander. "That was an army of clones. They may have been copies of you, but they were not all you. A clone becomes their own person no matter how they're engineered."

Genesis wasn't intimidated; he was just too annoyed to slug his friend in the face. He heard something then and a small smile grew.

"Perhaps this defeat can provide some useful information after all..."

Out on the balcony, the last remaining attacker was trying to remain as still and silent as possible, but he was also trying to get away. He couldn't sneak through the front door. It would mean instant death! And the ropes he and his team used to get up there in the first place had been burned away by Genesis' attacks. He was trapped!

Suddenly a rush of feathers got in his face as a red-leather gloved hand grasped his uniform's collar. He was pulled and forced to look into the cold, blazing eyes of Genesis.

"You're up a creek without a paddle my friend, and there's a waterfall ahead."

The man trembled in his grasp, but his eyes bulged with fear as Genesis ignited his Phoenix materia and let it course up along his arm, igniting at the shoulder and traveling over his wing. He was simply healing himself, but it did not appear that way to the grunt. It looked like he himself was about to be engulfed by the fires of hell, and a servant of Ifrit was about to take him there. "Please, spare me..."

Genesis grinned evilly. "Perhaps I might... once I'm done letting off some steam."

He pulled out another materia, which was a simple sleep spell, and the man collapsed. Genesis hoisted him over his shoulders and brought him back inside. "Let's stuff this in a sack and bring him to the bar. It should still be open... at least I believe so..."

A quiet groan arose from the couch.

"Ugh... that... bastard!" moaned Bella, trying to sit up but then thinking better of it, "I'm going to feed him his own spleen!"

She placed her hand on her forehead, wincing.

"Not if I get to him first, my dear," Genesis replied, his voice betraying none of the relief he felt that she was already awake.

He tossed the useless lump to the side, and Sephiroth fought back a wince as the man's head hit the corner of the coffee table. "Genesis, I would imagine it would be hard to extract information from him if he suffers brain damage."

"He should have known better than to invade my home and attack me," Genesis defended as he focused his attention on his daughter. "Are you up for a trip? We need to meet up with the others and squeeze every drop of information out of this fool. It's our best lead."