Sephiroth stared at the back of Angeal's head as he followed him out of the elevator, surprised.

"You… set up an appointment to see Tuesti tomorrow?"

Angeal nodded a little stiffly. "Indeed. You wanted me to take Zack and I figured he already had enough on his plate for one day. That and I assume you want me to be respectful. This is me being respectful."

He said it just a little too passively in Sephiroth's opinion. Either he was going out of his way to avoid the man (unlikely with Angeal's work ethic) or he was trying particularly hard to be pleasant and polite to someone he wasn't inclined to liking. At least, that was Sephiroth's guess.

And honestly, he didn't entirely blame the man. The Silver General himself had reservations regarding someone that intelligent being a turncoat… whether for ShinRa or for the future AVALANCHE. However, Angeal was also the type of person to give others a chance (otherwise he would not have become friends with Sephiroth or Genesis, he suspected), so if Tuesti played his cards right, was honest and straight-forward, he might win the larger First over. Honestly, Sephiroth didn't particularly care outside of the idea of having more people in their corner. Especially intelligent people who seemed to have morals. Not exactly a large commodity in ShinRa.

"Plus," Angeal concluded, "we've been doing a lot of seemingly random things lately. It's probably better to make appointments and stick to the confines of our normal schedules when we can."

Genesis agreed with a nod, though it seemed begrudging.

"Anyway," Angeal continued as they reached Sephiroth's apartment, "Zack insisted on giving me more snacks, so I'll go grab those real quick. And ditch my boots."

Genesis didn't bother replying and just kept walking alongside his long-time friend. Sephiroth stared after them for several seconds, watching them both disappear into their rooms before turning back to his own door and unlocking it. Angeal's mention of snacks reminded him that someone would need to fetch whatever Angeal ordered for supper later. With as much as this game seemed to have it out for him, being able to step away for a moment with a legitimate excuse appealed to him.

As he went about setting the game station up, leaving the controller on the table within easy reach of the couch, he thought a bit about the clearly advancing friendship he was quickly cultivating with the pair. Not that they hadn't been friends before but… this was different, somehow.

He was self-aware enough to know he was better off following Angeal's lead when it came to social interactions. He'd been playing and watching in his regular outfit before, but honestly, he would like to relax a little, even if Genesis and Angeal would be there. He'd never liked the idea of letting his guard down around them before… well, anymore than he already did. However, after everything that had happened in the last couple of days, he figured he could let them see him when he wasn't at his best (crying on Angeal's shoulder aside… actually, he would do his best to forget that ever happened now that he thought about it – that was just embarrassing). If Angeal was comfortable enough to leave his boots in his apartment, Sephiroth could make an effort to reciprocate and remove his own. He had a pair of SI boots he could throw on to pick up the food, or if he had to leave the apartment for any reason, and transferred them from his closet to the side of the couch. Maybe he should remove his coat, too?

No sooner had he hung his coat on the rarely used wall hook by the kitchenette (he usually used the stand in his room) than Genesis walked in, speaking with Angeal. Apparently Genesis also decided to follow his friend's idea as the red-head had 'dressed down' himself. Admittedly, Genesis still wore his red coat, but over what looked like black sweat-pants, of all things, and a white T-shirt with the picture of a neck-ruffle printed down the front of it – false buttons and all. He carried a six-pack of some beverage in his hand.

Angeal hadn't only left his boots behind, opting for looser pants and taking off his belt guard. Sephiroth assumed he'd left it with his sword and footwear in his own apartment. The strange array of candy and snacks practically spilled over his arms, bouncing precariously as he walked. He also wore extremely impractical shoes on his bare feet that flopped whenever he took a step. And they were pink. Pink.

"Your puppy got you those?" the red-head was asking as he stepped aside to allow Angeal to enter, nodding at the array in the other's arms as he did so.

"Yes," he said, smiling fondly. "Said something about making sure to save him some, so his motivations weren't entirely alturistic."

Genesis snorted as he strode over to the couch, "I suppose we'll have to get him dinner as well, then? You were about to order it as I recall?" He shot his friend a pointed look.

"Right," Angeal replied, hurrying into the apartment, closing the door with his pink-clad foot behind him. Then he laid the snacks out on the table by dropping them rather unceremoniously. Some of the packages bounced onto the carpet, leaving Angeal to scurry after them to pick them up. He also rearranged the cord to run under the table, so the snacks weren't sitting on it. (Practical. He would remember next time.)

He wanted to ask about the pink shoes, but neither of them had even blinked at him being in his vest-like undershirt or without his boots, so he simply took a seat on the couch next to Genesis who had decided to take the middle cushion this time. Angeal took the last cushion and they all sat for a couple of seconds as they settled in, staring at the screen that said "Load Game" and "New Game" on it.

Then Angeal brought out his phone. "Alright, I'm ordering food. If anyone has objections, speak now."

"Boneless." Genesis snorted and slumped a little, pouting. Apparently he wasn't a huge fan of barbecue. Still, he said nothing else, and Sephiroth was curious himself, so he remained quiet too.

The two other SOLDIERS sat in quiet amusement while Angeal gave the restaurant their order and then paid for it over the phone. Once he finished, he pocketed his payment card and then turned to smile at his friends. "They said that will take –"

"At least forty minutes," Genesis responded dryly. "Yes, we heard. We are not civilians who need everything repeated," he reminded his friend and tapping his ear pointedly.

"Right," Angeal said, looking a little sheepish. Then he sat back and the silence descended again. No one seemed to want to break it.

Then, finally, Genesis reached forward and snatched the controller off the table. "Oh, for Gaia's sake," he grumbled. Sephiroth would never admit how grateful he was that Genesis had volunteered.

He loaded the game and Sephiroth had to frown at the screen as the map and the small icon of Cloud faded into view. Part of him had to do this. Part of him really didn't want to.

"Very well," Genesis said and immediately entered the equipment menu, explaining his actions without prompting, "I recall picking up some new materia."

All three of them sat there in uneasy silence while Genesis spent a fair while messing with the equipment. He finally seemed satisfied with the arrangement after switching out Barrett for Vincent and exited the menu, moving Cloud out into what was apparently a snow field. They came across fights of everything from very large rabbits to wolves and even passed by a ridiculous, small peninsula covered in green as the white/gray stopped rather abruptly. No one commented on it.

Eventually, they came across some houses, likely a settlement and walked up to it. The game labeled it as Icicle Inn. Was this supposed to be the town of Icicle? He was sure everything in the area was named for the town; the diner, clinic, stables, and, indeed, the inn. He couldn't help but be annoyed at that fact that they'd only barely started the session and the game was already spouting nonsense. He could let this one slide, though, if it was simply a case of mistaken labeling. Icicle was certainly bigger than what they showed, though. Maybe it was like the section of the game that took place in Midgar, and was only giving them access to a select portion of the town. Of course, Kalm had been rather small as well.

Genesis made Cloud run around the snow covered area and talk to people. It still seemed pointless to Sephiroth, but it was almost nice to see some of that game insanity rear its head… almost.

They looked into the weapons shop first, but, unfortunately, could only buy one or two of the weapons there.

"What kind of weapons shop would not let us even test the materia slots?" Genesis asked suddenly. Sephiroth stiffened and then looked over at his friend, whose eyes were still stuck on the screen. The comment had… almost seemed normal. Well, for them playing this insane game in any case. Angeal looked back at him over Genesis head and then hid a smile.

Sephiroth wasn't entirely sure why, but he wanted to smile too. He allowed a little smirk for a couple of seconds. The atmosphere felt far more at ease after just that one comment.

"I was actually wondering about their clothing," Angeal said. "This is the Northern Continent. They're running around in snow and ice and I haven't seen any of them even mention a change of clothing."

Genesis snorted. "They'd freeze in a heartbeat near Icicle – likely in the winter if there is that much ice and snow."

"It could be Autumn or Spring," Sephiroth pointed out. "An early or late snowfall. After all, I've never heard of the snow entirely melting from the area."

The red-head shrugged and went back to the game.

Unfortunately, the next house on that side shortly destroyed any light-heartedness they'd regained.

The room they walked into looked like it had some strange monitoring or recording equipment around the edges. Genesis made Cloud walk up to the wall on that side and a menu popped up, talking about playing a video. He picked yes, of course.

Another menu popped up. 'Original Crisis', 'What is Weapon', 'Confidential' and 'Don't watch'.

"Well?" Genesis asked, sounding a little uneasy.

Angeal sighed. "Let's start from the top, I suppose."

Sephiroth nodded stiffly.

The camera changed to the same room with two people in it, a man working on the same 'recording device' (a computer perhaps?) and a woman with long, brown hair. It only took him a moment to recognize Aeris' birth mother from the train station, when the group spoke with Elmyra before the rescue mission. He'd not thought the flashback scene was of particular importance at the time.

"That's Aeris' mother, Ifalna."

"From…?" A pause as he also made the connections, and then Angeal nodded firmly. "Ah, yes."

The man fiddled with the equipment for a couple of seconds before turning and walking towards Ifalna.

The man looked up, then down and Sephiroth recognized him, even as a misshapen polygon caricature.

"That's Gast Faremis," he said, shocked.

"Who?" Genesis asked warily, pausing the game.

"A scientist," Sephiroth answered, shock giving way to puzzlement. The few references to the man so far made sense, but this… this implied something far deeper. "He was… different from the other scientists and lab assistants I remember, enough so that even as a toddler it was noticeable. One of the few scientists I've known who had any scruples... and he seemed to genuinely care for me, more than just as ShinRa's prize."

The other two stared at him in silence for several seconds before Angeal spoke carefully.

"What happened to him?"

"He just vanished one day, leaving behind only yearly messages for me with the Turks. Recordings of his theories and ideas about me."

"That's all you know?" Angeal prompted an encouragement in that strange manner that was somehow non-aggravating.

Was elaborating necessary? Sephiroth concluded that it could be important to their investigation, so he shook his head. "Hojo found me watching them once and the recordings disappeared. That was the day he told me my mother's name. Supposedly." After which Hojo promptly ordered Sephiroth to stop asking, saying he'd learn more when he could prove himself worthy of the information. "It's also when Hojo told me Gast was dead. That he'd died before I'd turned five. He wouldn't tell me anything else." That was plenty of information for now. They could draw any further conclusions about this 'video' on their own.

Angeal nodded.

Genesis didn't say anything for a moment.

Finally he posed the previously unspoken question. "Should we continue?"

Sephiroth had an unpleasant premonition that this particular scene would not end well. Still, he wanted answers, and that meant they had to get through the game. So he nodded.

Genesis studied him for a second longer before he continued.

Gast asked Ifalna to speak about the Cetra. She began with how their 'ancestors' heard the cries of the planet 2000 years ago. Then she spoke of a wound of the planet (that did not bode well considering what they'd learned of the Game Sephiroth's plan), how the Cetra felt said wound and then 'Knowspole'… whatever that meant. The Ancient's name for the nearby north pole?

Fortunately, Gast asked the same question.

The woman confirmed Sephiroth's conjecture, then went on to describe a 'planet reading' as a sort of conversation with the planet. So something only Ancients that can talk to the planet can do, if Sephiroth remembered correctly.

(He very carefully avoided the realization that there were no longer any Ancients alive in the 'present' of the game because of his counterpart.)

Ifalna continued to explain how something had fallen from the sky, making the large wound on the planet. Thousands of Cetra came together to heal the wound, according to the game. But they couldn't and it took years for the wound to actually heal.

"How do they know that?" Genesis asked.

"If that's Ifalna, then isn't she a Cetra?" Angeal asked, trying to keep his tone light with only moderate success. "Perhaps the planet told her?"

Genesis shrugged in that too nonchalant way he did when trying to hide his own unease. "It's as good of a theory as any, I suppose."

She continued to explain that the Cetra cultivated as much life as they could to keep the necessary energy up so the planet could heal. Then Gast pointed out that there, so close to the Northern Crater, the snow never melted.

He couldn't tell if that was new information to his fellow SOLDIERS as they kept their eyes on the screen. Or it might just be the game making exaggerations again. A phenomena like that would likely be easy to verify, but he jotted it down in his notebook anyway. After a moment, Sephiroth returned his own attention to the game.

Ifalna had bowed and said that the energy needed to restore the planet had withered the land away.

"Wait, if it's life energy, why would that 'wither' the land?" Genesis asked, frowning.

"Like watering a plant," Angeal proposed. "Overwatering can kill just as easily as lack of water."

"Doesn't 'wither' mean drying out?"

The brunet looked thoughtful. "Yes, but it can also mean 'decay.' Though, on further thought, it's probably more like light: a taller plant preventing sunlight from reaching the smaller, stealing away the resource."

"Or an overload?" Genesis countered, "like with Mako."

Sephiroth could see that, although that also raised the question as to what would the planet define as a 'wound'? Would a naturally occurring disaster – such as a volcano eruption or a mega-thrust earthquake tearing the land apart – qualify? Or does it have to be an outside force? Such as a meteor… What about comets? What about the construction of buildings and basements and underground tunnels? Mines? And how would overloading it with energy that can 'wither' what it touches if too much is used be a useful practice? Or was it simply the planet's natural reaction to something it considered a 'wound'?

He didn't have much time to contemplate that as the video moved on.

She explained (and it seemed rather difficult for her to do so) that the Planet persuaded the Ancients to leave the north. They did, if reluctantly (if Sephiroth had read the subtext correctly), but before they could go something appeared looking like their dead loved ones.

Sephiroth frowned. That made no…

And then he put it together.

"Calamity," he practically whispered, the sick feeling from earlier coming back. He searched for that strange presence from earlier, just to check, but thankfully found nothing.

Genesis and Angeal didn't look entirely happy at his vocalization either.

Then Gast asked who this 'person' that appeared from the Northern Cave was… and he said he didn't know.

So, all of the messages left behind for him, the ideas and thoughts Gast had, regarding Jenova – regarding anything before this recording with Ifalna – was… out of date at best. He'd… have to keep that in mind.

Ifalna called the 'person' the 'Crisis from the Sky'. 'Calamity from the Sky' seemed to fit rather well in that general thought process too.

And then it gave the people a virus.

The older Cloud's words from his dream came back to him. You don't need Meteor to completely destroy life on this planet. It's just the easiest way. Jenova has more power than you realize… more power than even Hojo realizes. If that… thing ever fully wakes…

Why did Sephiroth suddenly feel as if his skin couldn't stay in place on his body? He looked down and saw goosebumps rising on his bare arms. It had been a long time since his skin had done that. He took a deep breath and wrenched his eyes away from the small bumps on his skin and the nearly invisible hairs standing straight up.

Said virus apparently transformed the Ancient people into monsters…

Wait, as in the monsters that tended to fight and destroy ecosystems today? Like dragons and Bom-oms? There were some incredibly unnatural monsters in the world…

Somehow, his vestigial reflex* grew worse.

At his side, Genesis muttered a word. "Metaphor?"

That was a possibility, but it didn't help the feeling to diminish as Ifalna continued.

The virus was spread to other clans – likely on purpose, judging from Ifalna's choice of words.

At that point, Gast said they would call it a day and walked towards the recording equipment and old-fashioned computers.

Sephiroth wasn't sure whether to be relieved or upset…

Because they'd certainly gotten answers.

And more questions.

The screen returned to Cloud staring at the monitor of the old computer and the three SOLDIERS just sat there.

Somehow, Sephiroth got the feeling that actually processing that information would take a while for all of them.

It didn't feel right to force a smile, but… he could force himself to speak.

"So," he said, ignoring how hoarse his voice sounded, "how does a shack at least ten years old in Icicle still have power?"

Angeal looked over at him, blinking, then thought about that. Genesis just snorted. It was forced, but Sephiroth still felt as if he'd won a victory.

"Infinite in mystery…" the red-head muttered. Apt. "Do we play the other videos?"

Silence.

Then, finally, Sephiroth sighed. "Yes."

The other two looked over at him, concerned, (even Genesis, he thought… how unexpected, but not unwelcome).

"Are you sure?" Angeal asked.

Sephiroth took a deep breath, slowly and almost silent. Then he nodded. "Yes. We need answers, and this is possibly the most straightforward explanation we've gotten so far. We agreed on this."

Angeal didn't look happy about that, but he sighed and sat back on the couch, not protesting further. Genesis shrugged. "Very well."

He clicked on the next video: What is 'Weapon'?

Ifalna and Gast came on screen again. Ifalna was closer to the players while Gast fiddled with the old computer again. Then he asked her to describe 'Weapon'.

She spoke of Jenova – aka, the Crisis from the Sky (Sephiroth did not flinch, but it was a near thing – Angeal did). Apparently as long as Jenova exists, the planet cannot fully heal.

"Wait," Genesis sat forward, "Jenova? As in the… thing that may or may not be Sephiroth's mother and whose cells – or at least a mutation thereof – we have in us?" He gestured to Angeal and then himself again."

More silence, this one thicker and heavier somehow.

"Is this… game suggesting that we need to die for the planet to fully heal?" Angeal nearly croaked, looking distinctly pale.

No one had the answer to that…

Or, no one wanted to answer.

"There has to be another way," Angeal finally concluded, answering his own question. Then he nodded firmly. "Continue, Gen."

Sometimes, his friend's positive outlook was utterly frustrating. Sometimes it was the only thing Sephiroth could really find himself grasping on to. No wonder everyone tended to rely so much on Angeal. Although he had to wonder why he'd called Genesis by an abbreviation he usually only used when both were off-duty and thought no one else could hear.

"My friend, the fates are cruel." Genesis looked torn between gratitude and pity at his friend, but he didn't say anything further as he triggered the scene to continue.

So, apparently the planet made the Weapon – from its own will – as a defense mechanism.

Sephiroth had heard of 'Weapon' before but Hojo had dismissed it as myth, and thus, so had Sephiroth. Apparently, Hojo hadn't believed because no record existed of Weapon being used. It was actually almost cathartic to come across so much evidence that Hojo was just plain wrong in so many of his guesses.

Ifalna said a small number of surviving Cetra banded together and somehow sealed Jenova before the Weapon got the chance. Because it couldn't vanish, apparently it remains asleep.

"Well, that isn't ominous," Genesis said, tone dripping with sarcasm.

Sephiroth agreed.

"We'll have to fight them, won't we," Angeal said grimly.

The other two hesitated to answer him.

""In the game," Genesis said, "most definitely. I've seen less blatant plot devices in street performances. In real life…"

He let that hang and then continued the video.

Then Ifalna said that even though Jenova is sealed, it could come back to life…

Sephiroth hoped his face hadn't paled as significantly as he felt. He saw Angeal and Genesis turn to stare at him, a little horrified, out of the corner of his eye. When he didn't do more than that, though, they decided (very wisely) to not bring it up and continued their play.

The video ended shortly after that, with Ifalna saying she didn't know where the weapon was and that she couldn't hear the planet well. Then she… well, it looked as if she burst into tears for some reason.

Gast cut the video off and Cloud returned to the screen along with the 'Play Video' menu.

The 'Confidential' file had two videos under it – one of 'Daughter 10 days after birth' and one of 'Daughter 20 days after birth'.

"They had a daughter together?" Genesis asked, eyebrows approaching his hairline.

"Gast is Aeris' father?" Angeal asked, contemplative.

"So it seems," Sephiroth said.

The other two fell silent.

Then Genesis picked the first video.

The video was only black with dialogue boxes popping up confirming that yes, Ifalna and Gast seemed to have fallen in love (that was what 'honey' meant, right?) and produced a child. Gast (at least, that was who Sephiroth assumed was speaking) seemed completely awestruck at his daughter.

The daughter that had just died in the game.

Sephiroth had to swallow bile back down and refused to let it show on his face.

The game showed them picking her name (ten days after the birth? Weren't the parents supposed to pick a name before the birth? What were actual birthing customs? Did it actually matter?) then faded out.

Genesis picked the next video.

The screen showed both Gast and Ifalna again talking about their daughter and how they should raise her.

Sephiroth found it a bit ironic that of everything they'd seemed to find in this game so far, this particular interaction seemed so utterly foreign to him. He just… didn't get it.

Ifalna was worried for Aeris though. That, at least, Sephiroth understood. Gast comforted her, and they went to hug, but a knock at the door interrupted them. Gast seemed annoyed, but Ifalna went to open the door. Then she called out, 'It's them!' and ran back to Gast..

Angeal's hands clenched as ShinRa troops rushed into the house.

Sephiroth's followed suit when another scientist walked in: Hojo.

Hojo who proceeded to call their new baby a 'new sample'. Hojo who claimed he'd searched long and hard for them…

Gast told them he would be severing any ties with ShinRa, told Hojo to leave and somehow seemed to think the man would listen to him. Just how well did he know Hojo?

Ifalna seemed to have a better grasp on the situation as she offered herself in her daughter's place. Anger at Hojo's sheer entitlement and interference had begun building in Sephiroth's chest, but it seemed to pause as he stared at the screen. She'd… offered herself to Hojo's clutches? She had to know at least a little of what she was getting into and… she'd done it anyway?

Was that what a mother really was?

Hojo, of course, had none of it, stating that he needed 'all of them' (his 'precious specimens') for his experiments.

Then he must have seen the camera because he had one of the guards destroy it. The screen went blank. Someone yelled to 'Not hurt her!' then another, 'Professor, what are you doing?!' then 'Ifalna, take Aeris and run!'

And then what Sephiroth heard what had been the game's sound of a gun-shot and Ifalna screaming for her darling…

Then someone said, "Oh, and don't forget the child." That had to be Hojo. Then he spoke of videos and Ancients and Weapon and…

He'd known.

He knew Ifalna was a Cetra… and if he knew that, then he had to know Jenova wasn't… and thus that Sephiroth wasn't...

He'd lied.

Even if it had been mostly in the video game, it still hurt. Not that Sephiroth was terribly surprised, but he felt an ice cold rage begin to build in his chest.

What else had the man lied about?

He stood and began to pace.

The other two looked on in wary worry.

"Sephiroth?" Angeal ventured.

"He lied," Sephiroth hissed. "Hojo knew Jenova wasn't an Ancient! He knew I… Game Sephiroth wasn't an Ancient! He has, in real life, lied to the President at the very least. He told me I was the future of the Ancients." That had been an old memory he'd only barely remembered.

"That doesn't even touch on whatever remains under Nibelheim!"

Angeal stood, holding his hands out placatingly. "Hold on, those could just be old notes that he just didn't bother to take. It could be why he left them behind."

Sephiroth stopped and turned to his dark-haired friend, staring incredulously.

"You're… defending him?" he heard himself ask.

"No," Angeal said firmly. Then he sighed and shook his head. "No, I'm just saying we don't actually know."

"It seems like something he or Hollander would do," Genesis muttered.

The larger First turned to look down at the red-head. "True," he conceded after a moment. Then he sighed. "But I reiterate, we still don't know, and it's not a good idea to keep making assumptions based on the game alone, despite the accuracies so far."

He knew Angeal was trying to calm him with his logic, and he appreciated it… but somehow he knew Hojo had lied to him.

He knew it…

And the man would pay for it.

He continued to pace while Angeal and Genesis took a few minutes to write in their notebooks, before Angeal attempted to coax him into sitting back down so that they could continue. He finally did when Genesis flat out refused to continue until he sat, insisting as a counter to Sephiroth's insistence on continuing.

They clicked on the 'Don't watch' option (because, honestly, who would give a 'don't watch' option?) and… nothing happened. It simply exited the menu.

Oh. So, that wasn't an option with a video attached, but to return to normal gameplay.

Again, Sephiroth wasn't sure whether to be disappointed or relieved.

"Does anyone else find it odd that we were able to control the pace of a supposed video recording?" Genesis asked, breaking the tension further.

Angeal grinned. "Game insanity."

Genesis had Cloud wander around the house, picking up a couple of items just laying around (if Sephiroth hadn't been so frustrated, he would have sighed), and then Genesis headed back out.

He was just approaching what looked to be a dog (although that was debatable) when Angeal's phone rang.

None of them jumped.

Angeal gave a weak chuckle and opened the phone. "Hewley speaking."

The voice on the other end came through in a clear, enunciated, and professional tone. "Commander Hewley, this is Joan at the main lobby reception desk, verifying you placed an order for delivery with Chance's Best Barbeque?"

Sephiroth pulled his standard issue boots around from the side of the couch as Angeal replied. "Yes, thank you. Go ahead and have them bring in the order. Does this one want me to sign or are they okay with you signing?"

One moment, sir, I'll ask." The lady's voice became more muffled, likely from lowering the phone, but the device still managed to pick it up clear enough for them to all hear. "Do you need the orderer to sign or are you okay with us signing on his behalf?" The reply, on the other hand, was inaudible, but Sephiroth supposed it didn't matter when she relayed the answer a moment later. "I can sign for you, sir."

"Thanks, someone will be right down." He hung up the phone and turned a far more real grin at them. "Food's here! Who wants to go pick it up?"

"Not civilians," Genesis reminded back, "and Sephiroth's already laced up his boots."

With a nod the Silver General finished tucking the laces in and simply swung on his coat before striding out the door.

xXx

AN: * Goose bumps/goose pimples. Sephiroth would totally know what his body was doing in this situation. ;)

Firstly I would like to thank Imagination7413 again. Guys, she had to go through this close to a dozen times… if not more. I'm not kidding. (We may have been a little close to the situation at the end, so sorry for any problems we may have missed… *ahem*.)

Secondly, I would like to thank my Discord server for helping me with some nuances that I needed an opinion on. Between the polls in the announcement board and the comments in the FFVII boards, they've given me a lot of help. :) So, thank you.

If you'd like to join my Discord: discord dot gg/GPfDYy5ZPa

So my buffer chapters have gone back up. I wrote more than 9,000 words on this the other day… but when you write that much, it tends to be super rough, so it'll probably still take some time to really bring it all back, but we should be getting back to a weekly schedule soon!

Also realizing that this fic will likely be upwards of 60 chapters… O_o What have I gotten myself into?