Sephiroth felt like a massive weight was being lifted from his shoulders the further down Mt Nibel they walked and he could tell at a glance that his friends felt the same. The tightness around Angeal's eyes and the thinned line of Genesis' lips had eased along with his own tension.

The three friends hadn't had a moment of relaxation since they'd worked out in Wutai that all of them had the same experience at the same time. It was almost amusing looking back at each of them dancing around the subject and trying to work towards the same goals without concerning one another with the drastic changes in their demeanors.

There was a faint tremor from above as they took the long way around to avoid the now cut remains of the rope bridge and he made a note to warn the townspeople about it. It was a convenient way to keep anyone from going up to see what they'd done at the reactor. It wasn't going to explode completely but all of the remains of Jenova and the horrific experiments contained therein had been taken care of.

Exhausted, the three of them bemusedly watched the scuffle of fighting children on the edge of town as they approached.

"Take it back!" a boy's voice shouted from the middle of the pile of boys, obviously on the losing side of whatever disagreement had led to a four on one conflict.

A flash of messy golden hair caught their eyes as it was yanked rather viciously by one of the boys, another using the opportunity to punch their victim in the stomach. It was impressive, Sephiroth had to admit, that even that didn't make him cry out.

"Stop that you horrid little monsters," Genesis snapped.

The boys behaved as though they hadn't heard it, naturally.

Sephiroth sighed and waded in, very gently plucking Cloud Strife from the huddle by the back of his jacket. Pulling him out was much like grabbing the scruff of an angry kitten, the boy automatically kicking backwards at him with a snarl and twist as he tried to escape.

Angeal had come up behind them, glaring daggers at the children who'd been ganging up on Strife. They all wilted, eyes wide and more than a little frightened at the three grown men before their mouths dropped open - they'd definitely recognized the three 'war heroes' as they were being touted by Shinra. It was getting rather old to have this happen everywhere, but for now it was useful.

Sephiroth nearly forgot his wayward charge who had slumped in his hold once he'd realized who or what exactly had snatched him up.

"Sir?" Strife kicked his legs slightly, "thanks but can I get down?"

"Oh," Sephiroth blinked at the boy and set him back onto his feet, "are you alright?"

"Fine sir," Strife shrugged, sticking his hands in his pockets and flushing as he looked away.

Genesis reached out and ruffled the boy's hair, gaining him a confused look. "Does this happen often, getting into violent altercations with other boys twice your size?"

"'Bout everybody's twice my size," Strife sighed.

"That sounds tiresome," Genesis nudged Strife's shoulder, "let's go talk to your mother."

"It's not like she can do anything," Strife sounded more than a little exasperated, "and everyone else is friends with each other and they're not gonna do anything either."

Sephiroth's mouth twitched, "You can make friends in Midgar," he said, "once you join SOLDIER."

Strife gaped at him, "What?"

Genesis gently punched Sephiroth's shoulder, "jumping the gun a little my friend."

"Anyone who can eat a punch like that," Angeal said, having sent the other boys scrambling, "without making a fuss no less, is the kind of person we'd like to see joining up."

Strife looked skeptical, an expression that said he was expecting a trap - for them to be mocking him. One of his cheeks shifted as he bit the inside of it, before nodding slightly, "oh, sure, yeah, that makes total sense."

"Like I said," Genesis prodded, looking delighted at the sarcasm, "let's go see your mother."

Angeal grinned as Strife began to lead them through town, "Oh Zack's gonna love him."

"He did," Sephiroth said under his breath, "he really did."