A/N: Same day as (and close in time to) the break-out!

Shadowed

Haruna was working at the counter in her shop while Maya was doing stitching in the back corner of the room set aside for her work when she heard the shop door open. It had been quiet since the noon meal, so this was her first customer of the afternoon, and she looked up with a smile—and had to momentarily freeze it on her face as she saw Fuhito enter with two others. One of those 'browsed' shelves near the door while he and the other walked up to her counter with small, genial smiles.

"Welcome," Haruna offered. "How can I help you today, gentlemen?"

"I'm looking for something—special," Fuhito answered. "I'd heard you have a good reputation for helping people find what they need, so I'm hoping you can help me."

In Standard, that could have been taken as a very complimentary and ordinary statement. Because it was Fuhito, however, Haruna knew better. Also, because he was a Wutain speaking to a Wutain, even when not speaking in Wutain, those same words had a double meaning any Wutain would recognize, even if they weren't sure of his angle.

"I'll do my best, if you have some idea of what you'd like?" she returned.

"Hmm..." the man paused to ponder, though he looked faintly amused. "Maybe something...explosive? Something that pops, loudly?"

That time, it was Haruna's turn to pause thoughtfully. Had they intended to actually attract Fuhito, though? She'd been under the impression that she'd been put in place to find an assortment of others. Still, it was an opportunity she couldn't bring herself to pass up—get into his good books and he was a lot easier to track. Especially if he'd somehow bypassed everyone's notice to get into Midgar directly.

Path decided, she said, "Wait here—I may have something like you're looking for in the back. I don't have them on the regular shelves because I can't risk them being stolen."

"Of course," he agreed as she stepped back from the counter and headed into the back hall to the rear storage.

On the way, she passed an apprehensive Aeris and told her softly, "Don't worry, this is part of my job, why I'm here. And I would never let him hurt you."

"What about others? He really feels bad," the girl replied as softly as she followed the older woman to the room so Haruna could find the bolt she thought would currently be most 'attractive' to Fuhito.

"That's all right, too," Haruna answered in amusement. "While some of what I have could be 'harmful', nothing is going to be devastating—they were all chosen very carefully."

Aeris stopped at the door, just watching her worriedly while she picked one bolt and returned to the door. The girl then followed her back to the door to the main room, staying in the back while Haruna returned to the counter, where Fuhito waited.

When he saw the bolt, his brow rose and he gave an impressed hum. "If that's what you had in mind, it certainly looks impressive," he commented. He then leaned close and asked, "Who's in the back?"

"One of my little sister's best friends and my honorary little sister," Haruna replied. "She comes here often because otherwise, her only option is—the Slums. I'd rather have her safely here than down there. As for this, it's impressive, and it's expensive. If you're good with the price, it's yours to enjoy." She flipped the tag with the price on it so he could see it.

For a long moment, he eyed the price tag, then motioned to the bolt and asked, "May I?"

"Just don't unravel it all—that's very lengthy to return to rights," Haruna agreed.

He pulled it closer, running his fingers over the fabric in a way which would imply he was closely checking for weave and flaws, but unwound just enough to find the first page of a larger schematic—and Haruna felt her lips twitch when he almost lost his composure with an excited gleam in his eyes.

"You are quite well-stocked here, I must admit," he said as he rolled up the bolt again. "I like it, and I suspect the lucky lady to get it will love it. For this, I believe the price is reasonable, and your reputation speaks true. I'll be back the next time I happen to need something just that little bit more special." Once the bolt was rolled, he pulled out the appropriate cash, so she gave him back the change and wrapped the bolt in plastic to shield the fabric from moisture.

"Don't get it wet until you're color-fasting it, otherwise the fabric will bleed color everywhere. Salt and-or vinegar and water for about half an hour will do. It's been a pleasure, and I look forward to seeing you again," she said as she passed the wrapped and bagged roll back to him.

"Of course, thank you. Good day," the man agreed, then left the shop, almost bouncing on his toes. She suddenly wondered if he'd actually give the fabric to someone like Elfé (Felicia) or just toss it, but ultimately, that didn't matter to her—she'd gotten her first bite, and chances were he'd pass word to others working against Shinra. It wasn't actually a bad thing, and she'd probably be able to leave on the required tracking trip soon. It almost felt like she was watching a pot boil while she waited for bites, so any progress was good progress.

When the man left, Aeris joined her to ask worriedly, "Really? That was okay?"

"Why don't you ask our mutual 'lady'?" Haruna replied in amusement, and Aeris blinked, then nodded and closed her eyes, brow furrowed.

Then, she blinked open her eyes and gazed at Haruna in amazement. "You know he'll kill you if he finds out."

"Sure. That's in my daily job description, though," the Wutain woman replied in amusement, and Aeris giggled in amusement of her own.

"Okay. I'll leave you to it, then. But, she says you'll probably have to make an excuse to have him know about me, and about the others—Hokuto, Tifa, and if I'm ever going to meet him personally, Cloud." She then pouted. "I've been trying to meet him since I met Tifa! Why's he avoiding me?"

"Nice note," Haruna nodded. "I'll see what I come up with after some thought. In the meantime, Cloud...knows he'll have to meet you sometime soon, but he's been putting it off because you remind him of someone he was very close to and lost very painfully." As she said it, she tapped the girl's heart with one finger, and her eyes widened in recognition. "I don't think he'll keep doing it for much longer, so just be patient, all right?"

"Okay, thank you," Aeris agreed, hugging her. "If I help straighten up some of the bolts today, can I get a little spending money?"

"Oh?" the older woman asked with a raised brow. "You have something you want to get, besides a Materia some 'spending money' from here wouldn't earn you in one day?"

The girl pouted. "I have friends, too, you know!" she answered in annoyance, then grinned again and asked, "Please?"

With a faintly amused sigh, she agreed, "Fine, but not just yet. Come back about an hour before closing."

"Yay! Thanks!" the girl grinned, jumping to hug Haruna around the neck, then happily running out the back.

"You spoil that girl rotten," Maya said from her seat, sounding amused.

"It's the first time in my life I've ever been able to," Haruna replied in annoyance.

"I know. It's cute, is all," the woman agreed. "So...I'm guessing he was not actually a planned bite, but a useful one regardless?"

Rolling her eyes, the Wutain said, "Meet Fuhito, one of the worst anti-Shinra terrorists we'll ever see."

Maya gave an impressed whistle. "I don't blame you for taking advantage, then. I'll wish you luck. Do you know why he ignored my presence, even though he obviously knew about it?"

"Because you easily pass for a Wutain, and you did exactly what you were supposed to of a Wutain partner in on a secret, so he's sure you know and agree."

"...Well, he's not wrong, exactly..."

Haruna laughed and turned to greet a young couple coming in, the woman holding her hands to her very pregnant belly. Her first thought was baby linens, and she turned out to be right. Back to business as usual.

MB

Scarlet was still shaking and just holding onto Cloud when Eonna arrived, but she'd stopped crying. And honestly, he was actually shaking some, too, partly from rage and partly in worry and horror for what had nearly happened. He'd known about one of them, just not who, but three...Had he asked friends to help him pin her down for him so she couldn't keep slipping away? He was sure the woman hadn't known about or been prepared for them, at least, especially since it had really sounded like she'd only had one persistent and unwanted...Well, he supposed the man was officially an 'attacker' now.

Eonna eyed the two of them for a long moment, then approached and crouched beside them, saying as she did, "Scarlet, Cloud asked Veld to send someone with something for you to wear. Honestly, though, I think you really need to tell us what's wrong and who's doing it so we can stop it, because everyone in that office is going to be livid on your behalf when they realize someone destroyed your clothes. Unless these two were them?"

"Two of three," Cloud answered flatly. "But I couldn't chase the third with Scarlet like this—I just...She needed me more."

Eonna nodded. "You did the right thing, Cloud. Thank you. But, I need you to step out for a few minutes while I help her set herself to rights, okay?"

He drew in a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Eonna."

Cloud then carefully detached from the woman and stepped from the room, the golden-orange pup following at his heels, and closed the door behind him. In the hall, he moved to the wall across from the door and leaned on it, watching the pup sniff around the area a little without really going more than a few feet from him. While normally it would have been boring to wait, he was too agitated to care, and only absently noted a few things about the pup, like how its half-formed mane spiked upward at the top of its head like his own hair. If he'd been in a better frame of mind, that even would have been amusing and cute on the pup, as the full mane wouldn't grow in until it was in its later juvenile phase of growth.

When the door opened a few minutes later, Cloud blinked when he saw Scarlet in a full Turk uniform and being led out by Eonna, who had her arm around the woman's shoulders. The dark haired Turk was also carrying the torn, red fabric. Silently, they all headed for the elevator, and Cloud thought to ask, "The monsters?"

"We took care of them quickly, thanks to your warning. Heidegger also just signed his own death warrant by being seen meeting the Restrictors and Fuhito in the Slums. Any chance he would have had for survival is gone, and the President's own orders are to kill him on sight. So, that's one more problem solved, at least, of our very long list of them. And apparently Vincent and Rufus earned us a private medical doctor. When we get back to the office, she's the one Scarlet's going to see for any injuries she may have gotten."

"Okay," Cloud agreed. "At least it's a woman." Scarlet's hand rested on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze, so he covered her hand with his. "By the way...Are Tifa and Hex there, or did they go somewhere else for awhile?"

"Tifa's been in our office or the cafeteria, but Hex has been going in and out through vents all day. Why?" Eonna asked.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Hex cast ice on the floor under one of my attacker's feet, and I was worried he might have found Tifa, is all. If Hex was in a vent across from where I fell, he probably wouldn't have seen or found her."

"Saying 'he' makes it sound like you fought a human, not a monster, Cloud," Scarlet said softly. "And I don't mean the ones who attacked me."

"Yeah...Apparently Hojo made a clone of Sephiroth who has none of Sephiroth's honor or caring for others," Cloud replied with a sour face. "He's only about my age right now, but in a cloned body with a genetic tweak to age rapidly..."

"You're not hurt?" Scarlet asked apprehensively, meeting his gaze.

He sighed. "The worst damage I took was a blow to the head when he accidentally knocked me into a vent. I'm not the one you need to worry about—my Mako already fixed it, and it was just a superficial surface wound."

The elevator arrived at the Turk's floor just then, so they stepped off it and Eonna led the way to the main office, where several Turks had gathered around a woman in a bloody doctor's coat who Cloud thought was somehow familiar. When the woman lifted the bloody arm to use her hand to shuffle Verde's hair so she could see his injured head, it was clear her injuries had been taken care of, but he was reminded of a sword. Had The Nightmare attacked her, too?

"We're back," Eonna announced. "When you finish with Verde, Doctor Rayleigh, the patient we told you about is here, too." She tossed the ruined, red material she carried on the nearest desk—and it drew all the Turks' eyes. Fury spiked, directed at the dress.

The brown haired woman with her hair in a ponytail turned to look at them for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's fine. A separate office for that would be best, though, if the implications I caught were right. And, well—Scarlet in a Turk uniform pretty much says that." She turned back to Verde and applied healing to it, then dropped her hands and said, "Some of the internal bruising will have to heal on its own, so don't be too rough on it for a few days. Being free of concussion symptoms doesn't mean the damage is gone."

"Fair enough," Verde agreed. "Thank you."

She nodded and turned to the ones in the doorway, asking, "So, a more private place?"

"This way," Eonna agreed, leading Scarlet out by the shoulders still, and the Doctor followed.

"So...What's with the pup?" Verde asked with a raised brow, seeing the little wolf behind Cloud's legs.

"It was stuck in the vents when the Sephiroth clone threw me into them, and was on the way out to the same room I found Scarlet in. Since I healed it, I pretty much can't get rid of it now," Cloud replied dryly, and the others traded amazed looks.

From the door to Veld's office, Rufus asked, "So wait—the pup the Commander told us about got found by a Turk?"

"What?" Cloud blinked in surprise, seeing Dark Nation standing beside him for the first time.

"Check your messages, Cloud...Why haven't you been?" Doriss asked in amusement.

"Forgive me for having to fight the fucking Nightmare in the middle of a monster attack, then having to save Scarlet!" Cloud snarled. "I haven't had any bloody time to check it since the Sephiroth clone showed up to fight me!"

Everyone gaped at him as a resigned Vincent said, "So he went after you when he left the monsters in a panic and Rayleigh injured." Cloud looked for him, then realized he was still in the office, probably sitting in a chair there, and with Rufus in the way, Cloud couldn't see him.

"Touchy much?" someone muttered, and Cloud's anger spiked—

Only for Vincent to say, "Leave it alone. All of you have no real idea of what he just fought and survived." The man appeared in the office door. "You also don't seem to realize how hard it was for him to see what happened to Scarlet. So, leave him be, let him have some time to calm down, and I'll do what I can to clear up exactly what he was just fighting when he fought The Nightmare."

The others gave agreement to that and moved to an area around Vincent to listen to him, all but Rufus, who followed Cloud to his desk and pulled over a chair to sit across from him. "So...I know very little about that Sephiroth clone, but I've grasped he's not the sort to be merciful. But what actually worries me more is the impact Scarlet's incident had on you. Even if you say you're not hurt...Are you really not after seeing someone you care about suffer like that? Especially when you're a protector by nature?"

Cloud snorted. "I'm not. That was something I realized was non-negotiable when things turned bad. It's become a habit since then, so I keep to it."

Rufus sat back and crossed his arms. "Avoidance."

"Of?" the boy replied in annoyance.

"Scarlet."

"Go away...I just—can't process that yet. Not with my mind already trying to process an actual fight with The Nightmare—again—already."

The older blond sighed, then shook his head and asked, "Her and Lazard, am I right?"

"About?" the younger asked in annoyance, knowing what it was but not wanting to admit it, just by having him say those two names together.

"Two of my other three half-siblings you knew about," Rufus answered. "Or suspected, at least."

A small 'woof' made both look down to see Dark Nation curled protectively around Cloud's new pup, who had settled to sleep against the black Blood Taste.

Rufus chuckled as Cloud pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's not 'suspect' anymore, all three are. And yes, Scarlet and Lazard."

The older blond's gaze turned hard as he asked, "Does my father know about her?"

"Yes, and he's doing it anyway. Neither knew when it started, though."

"That's hardly an excuse."

"For a womanizer, all of that is irrelevant."

"Tell me he's on your elimination list."

Looking up at Rufus, Cloud said pointedly, "Rufus, the only reason he's not dead yet is because you need to be ready to take over and be a good leader before we shove you into the role. The sooner you take your lessons seriously and show us you're more your mother's son than your father's, the sooner we can arrange an 'accident'."

"I could always change that and hand it off to another of my siblings," Rufus replied.

"No," the younger blond answered with a scowl at him. "Lazard isn't safe to have that much power—he'd just become like your father, even if he's good leading SOLDIER or the Public Safety Department. Scarlet is an engineer, and I don't think she can do anything else. Don't even go there with me—I have enough trouble being the leader of a small combat group. Your last half-sibling is eight years old. The only one who can effectively take it is you."

Rufus' eyes widened and he voiced only one word, "Oh."

MB

Sephiroth was actually pissed over being sent with a team—including Turks—to the Sector 1 Slums to deal with a terrorist group, only to find that some of it wasn't there. He'd have liked a shot at the Restrictors and Fuhito, but both of them weren't there anymore, and the group itself had migrated to a collection of warehouses near where the photo had been taken. Finding them had taken almost half an hour, and the group they found was smaller by then, but the Turks had recorded Heidegger going over what he'd give them for their help to get rid of the Shinra people who had 'betrayed him'. Since they had the proof, elimination was absolute.

Kal showed her skill as she and Akira took on two men who were—just wrong somehow. He also fought a few of those, and they felt...stiff? They had force, but it was the wrong kind of force, and cutting them showed sickly, red-green blood. No member of Deepground, and no actual human, had that kind of blood. Even SOLDIERs still just had red blood. So, keeping their traits in mind for his report and to compare to the Turks' records, he and the team proceeded to eliminate them all. The Turk called Anki got Heidegger when he tried to bolt.

But then, one of the AVALANCHE-uniformed people called on a Summon, which happened to be a Bahamut, and it blew out the ceiling of the warehouse Heidegger had been in. The other warehouses suffered from the falling debris of that, but largely, the people in the warehouse were unharmed, other than some of the ones closest to the 'summoner'. Thankfully, it was a short-lived summoning and only got the one shot to attack, otherwise it could have been bad. And it still bothered Sephiroth that the leaders weren't there.

As they were finishing up, he suddenly felt chills and spun to look upward—only for his eyes to widen as he saw a child version of him floating above the destroyed roof, one black wing sprouting from his left shoulder blade.

"Well, at least you made yourself easy to find, 'Big Brother'," the child version of him smirked, voice loud enough to be heard by everyone, drawing all eyes. Silence fell as they all watched him warily.

"Could I hazard a guess and say you were Hojo's response to my lack of cooperation?" Sephiroth replied warily.

"Hmm...Somewhat?" the child answered thoughtfully. "If Mother hadn't called my essence to this form, that's really all it would have been. Because she did, well...I have another chance to fulfill her wishes. You should be ashamed of yourself for refusing."

Sephiroth already knew only one version of him had ever meant Jenova (who was the only 'mother' he could think of who could have 'called' someone to a body) when he'd said 'Mother', and it wasn't him. How was that possible? Either way, he suddenly felt sick, but kept his feelings hidden as he called back, "Forgive me, but to the best of my knowledge, my mother was Doctor Lucrecia Crescent, whose wishes were benign. And I somehow feel yours are not."

"Oh? As far as Father said, you know Jenova as your Mother, too," the child him answered, sounding highly amused.

It was true, then. This was the one who had attacked Cloud and tried to kill him—three times. It also looked like he'd recently been fighting, and likely with Cloud if the trend held. Wait, was Cloud all right?

"Yes, he told me that lie," Sephiroth agreed. "Others I trust far more than he corrected that for me, with proof I could not refute."

"Oh? Let me guess—Cloud?" the child him smirked.

"Actually, no," the General said, raising a brow at the assumption. Damn, that version of him was really obsessed with Cloud. When the child's expression became a puzzled frown, the eighteen-year-old decided to add, "But, he did tell me you had very much earned the name 'The Nightmare'." The expression became an annoyed scowl, and the older of the two thought maybe he should actually ask, "Why did you come here, Nightmare?"

"To—hmm—test the waters, so to speak. But, you're weak," the child him dismissed, then suddenly plunged toward him as a sword appeared in his hands and a gleeful smirk crossed his face.

In that instant, Sephiroth felt true fear, and the only thing he could think to do was reach for Minerva, to call for help from the only one who could just then.

Light exploded from his body, forming a writhing network of white-green bands like whips, which reached out to strike and bind the child him, even as the core, white bubble around his body blocked the sword blow. Sephiroth felt dazed, like he was watching himself move from outside his body, as his own blade lifted, turned white-hot, and struck out at the child him—and six other blades pierced him from every direction. A pained yell and snarl accompanied a surge of dark power off the child, then he was gone.

Looking around warily from inside the protective bubble of energy, Sephiroth found the child again—back where he had begun, and looking highly annoyed as his injuries healed rapidly. "...It seems I underestimated you," The Nightmare said, then flew upward and away.

"Holy fuck..." Kal breathed from beside him as he relaxed and the energy bled away into the ground.

For a long minute, they all stayed still and silent, but then Sephiroth shook off the shock and called, "We had best finish up and head back!"

Everyone obeyed. And he now needed to check on Cloud.