EPISODE 19: A WEIRD DREAM? [CA X FFVII]

Summary: A man and child didn't think they would meet each other who may be both different…but similar.

A/N: This story's idea came out accidentally (it was supposed to be a second part of an AU), but now I (only me) cannot unsee another similarity between a Living Hell character and a Final Fantasy VII (Remake) character [Think of this chapter as related with the previous one]. Warning: This chapter contains spoilers for Crisis Core, Rebirth, and Ever Crisis (this one I don't know much about).

Also, I'm currently writing a different crossover fanfiction, so writing this story will indeed be longer and more difficult (I am hoping to write more from different fandoms or my original stories to be animated)

Disclaimer: I don't own Cross Ange or any of its characters and original plot, excluding the original characters I created for this story. This is a spin-off series of the main 'Cross Ange: Living Hell' story. So please read that before here.

Cross Ange and all its rights belong to King Records (Japan), Sentai Filmworks (USA), and Sunrise/ Bandai Namco Entertainment (Japan). This fanfiction is meant for entertainment only and not for profit. This story contains heavy language, blood and violence, and mild sexual themes not for audiences under 16-18 years old. [For this chapter and the previous one; FFVII belongs to Square Enix]

"…Moon…Moon…Big Brother Moon!" Moon woke up with a gasp from such a strange feeling and an adorable little girl's voice calling him from above, both the accent and being called Big Brother immediately alarmed him to frantically blink his blank grey eyes and see a pair of glowing green eyes and black sclera glancing back at him, startling him to wake up and rise on his butt with a gasp. "K-Khalifa!" Moon panted at seeing the adorably odd little girl supposedly curious about seeing him waking up in a cold sweat.

He did want to ask her how she was here with him but his mind immediately replayed a memory; Rush had a call with Khalifa's father who was about to start a meeting when the former suggested having the latter's children stay in the Haven during meetings, shocking their other teammates who STILL couldn't understand how Rush of all people got Embryo's good side unlike those before him, refusing to see how those two are more friends or rivals than enemies. Still, not wanting to have the same anger and hatred as everyone, Moon nervously but willingly helps and supports Rush by playing the role of a 'fake older brother' to the enemy's children…surprisingly Moon enjoyed Aya and Khalifa's sincere kindness towards him and everyone.

Realising something apart from Khalifa, Moon hurriedly whirled around and froze in shock at seeing that instead of Rush's office, the two found themselves without Rush's team, Ular, Hebi, and Aya and standing in a strange forest different from the Haven's rainforests. The sky was also surprisingly glowing bright green with bioluminescence light just like the Aurora lights that sometimes go over the Haven more than the mainland seeing it a few times. "W…Where are we?" Moon wondered aloud in dread, possibly also asking Khalifa who walked closer to his side.

"Don't know. But some guy found us right before fighting an animal happening right now." Khalifa shrugged with a finger pointing at the large bushes the front of them, where the two faintly heard a swoosh of metal clanking and deep animal growls and roars. Curious but making sure to hold Khalifa's left, rose-marked hand with his right hand, Moon nervously led them closer to the bushes and secretly pushed some of the leaves aside with their hands making a hole, seeing what surprised them.

At a clearing stood a vicious battle between a human swordsman and an indigo-coloured beast looking like a mix of a canine and wildcat with red eyes, a tentacle at the back of its neck, and wearing a blue collar with chains. The swordsman is tall and muscular with long silver hair parting bangs on either side of his surprisingly handsome face, glowing blue or green eyes with slit cat-like pupils, and wears a long black leather coat revealing his chest with silver pauldrons and leather suspenders crossed over it into an X, matching trousers and boots, but what shocks Moon was the extremely long katana sword he swiftly swings and strikes his left arm and hand towards the surprisingly terrifying and strong beast fighting him.

"He strong," Khalifa whispered with Moon surprisingly agreeing with her with a nod as they watched the strong swordsman expertly fight the aggressive beast rapidly slashing his blade with its front paws and even lunging its body like a spinning rocket only to bounce away after the silver-haired man swung his blade, longer than the owner, to send it flying to the other side of the forest. Once it landed on its feet and seemingly unscathed, the strange wildcat did not return to the fight but rather roared a ferocious howl towards the stoic swordsman before it speedily whirled and sprinted through the forest now leaving the man by himself.

'Who is that man? And what was that animal that attacked him?' Moon wondered in dread with his attention on the silver-haired man in black staring at where his opponent last stood. Even if he is staring at the man's back, Moon feels something strange about him but doesn't know what just as the two spies notice him slowly turning and face the bushes they were hiding…

"…Are you both alright?" The immediate soft and smooth voice from the stoic swordsman who somehow noticed their appearance made Moon meekly mewl in fright but hurriedly stood and showed himself, carefully and gently pulling Khalifa to walk through the bush and slowly walk closer to the swordsman. Even from afar, Moon can tell that this man is dangerously strong and his glowing cyan eyes with cat-like slits may have startled Moon but he never complains or speaks ill about people's appearances unlike Ammo sometimes.

"O-Oh, y-yes, we are. Thank you, sir." Moon nervously acknowledged, with Khalifa waving her free hand when Moon kindly introduced themselves towards the silver-haired man who frowned the same stoicism as Rush. "My name is Moon, and this is Khalifa."

"…I see. It's a pleasure to meet you two… I am Sephiroth." The silver-haired swordsman was introduced with a brief nod and a flat line that could be a smile. "I don't know how and why we're here or think it's just a dream, if not for the Guard Hound earlier."

"I guess it could be a dream. Khalifa, her brother and I were napping earlier." Moon presumed with Khalifa releasing a dramatic gasp and shocked expression. "It's a waking dream! We're awake and asleep at the same time!" Both Moon and Sephiroth look at Khalifa with slightly similar surprise and confusion on their faces although the latter raises an eyebrow at the child's assumption.

"…I think you're trying to say lucid dreaming." Sephiroth noted, hearing Khalifa mutter a faint 'oh' before he looked around their surroundings. "That could be possible. But maybe if we go further forward; we might find a way until we'll wake up back to reality." Sephiroth exclaimed.

"O-Okay. We won't get in your way." Moon agreed with a soft blush and a sad frown.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure you both are safe." Sephiroth reassuringly shook his head with a flat smile and led the two children through the same path the Guard Hound that attacked him earlier ran off although something just came up in Sephiroth's mind after they walked a bit farther from the clearing. "Can I carry you?" Sephiroth asked Khalifa trying to keep up with Moon and Sephiroth due to her age and size.

"It's okay if you don't want to. I'm just a weak baby…. huuuh?"" Khalifa's kind assurance was broken when she felt and Moon watched in surprise seeing Sephiroth gently grabbing the child with his hands, before placing her to sit on his muscled right arm and hand while resting against his chest, sporting a confidently amused smirk on his face before the now man and boy continued their walk.

"Who said you are? I would never."

Moon and Sephiroth continue to walk for who knows how long, possibly minutes, but all they and Khalifa see are nothing but the healthy trees with hardly any animals yet their ears pick up the faint sounds of birds chirping in the distance and the illuminating green sky. To Sephiroth, the light energy-filled sky reminds him of Midgar's mako reactors releasing mako energy and his teachings of the Lifestream although he did enquire Moon when he mentioned these 'Aurora Lights' from his home called Haven. So far there were no people or animals that they bumped into or fought so Sephiroth took the time of their walk to ask Moon and Khalifa about their home.

What they told him was not what he was expecting: Another world where humans have Light of Mana, girls who don't are sacrificial Norma who must fight invading DRAGONS and protect Mana users, and both Moon's foster father and Khalifa's biological father are both friends and rivals, to the chagrin of Moon and his leader's people who wanted this person dead but never understand their leader than they assumed. Although Sephiroth mused and noted his understanding, there is something he wished to know earlier and perhaps now is the best time to ask.

"Moon?" Sephiroth called, making sure not to hit Moon's skinny figure with his Masamune since he was still holding Khalifa almost sleeping on his arm and chest. "I've been meaning to ask you earlier but not wanting you to be afraid of me…"

"O-Oh no, it's alright!" Moon embarrassedly shook his head and hands with a shy frown twitching into a smile. A sincerely meek smile rather than a false smile hiding an intention, Sephiroth noticed. "Thank you for your concern, but I promised myself and my people to not give in to fear. You can ask me anything I might know if you like."

"Thank you." Sephiroth nodded, chortling a smile himself for this boy but frowned in curiosity. "I noticed that you're malnourished and terrified for your age. Can I ask why?" Moon first blinked his blank grey eyes in surprise at the question but softly scowled his sorrow, seemingly hesitating to answer …

"…I was once an experiment," Moon explained, immediately surprising Sephiroth who looked at the boy that sadly started his story as the two continued their walk. "When I was a baby, my parents and some of our people were killed gruesomely and I was found and raised by animals. But when the humans found me, they captured me and the animals of my home for awful experiments that would've killed us almost all our lives and my best friend Ammo…" Moon briefly pauses and looks up in surprise at Sephiroth's possibly disbelief reaction, immediately making Moon blush in worry and try to reassure the other while Khalifa listens blankly. "D-Don't worry! The Haven and their leader Rush saved us, and we lived in a new and better environment. We even taught the Haven how to communicate with animals."

Sephiroth was silent even after Moon tried to calm himself, initially finding his timidity adorable if not for learning his awful story but managed to composedly respond with a soft frown. "…That's good. I'm sorry you had a rough beginning before your rescue. But at least you have a better life now." But even when the two continued, Sephiroth occasionally peeked at Moon trying to look away from him with a concerned frown and his fidgeting hands scrunching his white shirt.

'…So, Moon is sort of like me…' Sephiroth realized from both Moon's story and how he just noticed that the boy does remind him of himself as a child, at the time of his first field mission but openly showing his fears and emotions; something he was viciously taught to never do as SOLDIER.

"Bridge." Moon and Sephiroth noticed Khalifa pointing a finger in front of them to be a long wooden suspension bridge leading to another mountain and miles and miles above a river leading to the waterfall at their left. First looking down to see the water going rapidly yet plausibly deep enough to not be crushed to death, which still frightens him, Moon felt a gentle, leather-gloved hand softly tap his back from his right to see Sephiroth and Khalifa looking at him with the former's left hand missing his giant sword that disappeared, startling the snakes-less boy's surprise.

"Get in front of me and make sure you walk slowly, Moon. I'll make sure you both will be safe." Sephiroth comforted without showing any worries from his faintly stoic frown, just like Rush, attracting Moon's surprise that slowly dimmed into hesitance for a second but nodded his determination.

"Yes, sir…" Sephiroth watch Moon nervously but slowly walks closer to the wide suspension bridge, taking some steps to initially stop whenever the bridge sways side to side but still proceeding further with caution. For some reason, Sephiroth couldn't help the subtly open smile on his face although he noticed Khalifa blankly looking at him, gently stroking her glowing blue hair with his other hand before Sephiroth joined Moon in the bridge. Presuming that Moon would understandably be afraid of both the suspension bridge's instability and the height of the rapids, Sephiroth watched in impressment and satisfaction that Moon was trying his best to be brave by not looking back and making sure that the taller man would walk closer from behind…

…the three are unaware that one or two more figures are happening to be watching them from the other side of the mountain, but Sephiroth hears a foreign noise from above that makes him stop walking.

"Moon, stop," Sephiroth called, alarming Moon to stop and turn around in surprise at the tone just as the three almost fell and braced themselves by holding onto the rope with gasps from Moon and Khalifa after the bridge under their feet wildly shook that almost topple upside down. Looking over Sephiroth's right shoulder before the first shake, Khalifa witnessed a lightning bolt strike the steps behind Sephiroth, destroying the previous steps to the start and leaving the three stranded in the air with the remaining steps in front.

Although luckily moved forward in time to avoid getting hit by that lightning strike breaking the quickly unstable bridge, Sephiroth almost reached closer to Moon who tripped onto the bridge and in front of Sephiroth's booted feet when he looked up and saw a blur of a figure standing in front of their path and away from the end of the bridge, holding something that looks like a gun aiming at the air and over his head just as another lightning bolt struck the other half of the bridge with them standing farther. That lightning bolt immediately snapped the now burned ropes suspending the bridge in the air and forcefully sent Sephiroth, Khalifa, and Moon descending towards the rapids with the latter screaming his fear just as they crashed into the water.

A few seconds after they landed, spitting the water out of his mouth but seeing the rapids' water flowing strongly past them reaches to his chest and still moving backwards from the water pushing them, a soaked Sephiroth manages to stand and tightly hold Khalifa in his arms as she coughs water out of her throat. But realising that Moon had disappeared before the sound of him gasping a scream alerted Sephiroth to look up and spot him wildly moving and spinning through the brisk river, unable to swim from the strength and speed, prompting Sephiroth to hurriedly move and swim closer and manages to catch Moon with his left hand before he could be swept away to his death.

"Look out!" Sephiroth heard Khalifa shouting in fear after he pulled Moon who quickly wrapped his bony arms around the other's neck for support, but the timing prompted him to look at the mountain and slide and swim to the side, dodging the incoming lightning strike as the three were continuously and hurriedly swept backwards through the river unknowingly heading to the waterfall.

Sephiroth dodged another lightning strike almost zapping him in the face but leaned his top half backwards and the three ended up descending over and straight through the waterfall, releasing another scream from Moon and Khalifa right before they crashed under the waterfall's base…

Panting from the surprising wet ride to death but fortunately alive, Sephiroth sluggishly climbed on his feet in the new and wide river now reaching under his waist, with his arms holding Moon and Khalifa's motionless bodies but he could sense that they were breathing once he carefully places them lying onto the dry ground with Sephiroth checking Moon first to feel him shaking and cold.

"Moon! Are you alright?" Sephiroth asked, gently patting and rubbing his gloved hand against Moon's back to help him cough and sputter water out of his lungs and throat a few more times.

"Mm-mmm mmh! Are…are you alright, Sephiroth?" Moon shakingly nodded with a faintly terrified smile but immediately frowned his concern towards Sephiroth, who blinked his cat-slit eyes in astonishment at the question, as if not expecting to be asked of HIS safety. But instead of words, Sephiroth responded with a nod and chortle from his mouth, either a frown or a smile before the silver-haired man and boy checked on the toddler girl the former carefully held her up without dropping her.

"Khalifa…" Sephiroth had just called when he received something that made him close his eyes with a shudder, with Moon flinching in surprise at Khalifa accidentally sneezing at Sephiroth's face.

"Salute." Khalifa weakly muttered with another sneeze away from the soldier's face.

"…Good, you both are safe," Sephiroth muttered with a tint of disgust from his slightly displeased smile, slowly pulling Khalifa's body closer to his face with his hands and playfully wiping his face with her body like a toddler-sized tissue, both heard Khalifa giggling from being tickled when he did until Sephiroth gently placed Khalifa on the ground with Moon and Sephiroth rising on their feet, the latter's subtle grin faltered into a serious sneer facing towards the waterfall. "I saw somebody at the other side of the bridge and saw that he unleashed those lightning strikes to kill us."

Moon and Khalifa blinked their eyes with a startled gasp at the possibility of the earlier event as the former unconsciously reached and crumpled his hands to the chest of his shirt. 'Who could try to kill us in this dream?' Moon wondered in fear, noticeable by Sephiroth frowning a flat line on his lips although both men saw Khalifa looking at something behind Sephiroth with a finger pointing at the source that prompted the latter to turn around and the three saw the arrival of a newcomer that appeared out of nowhere…only two of them recognized him and his companion cheetah.

"Rush/ Mister Rush! Sheeta!" Sephiroth notices the surprise and happiness on Moon and Khalifa's faces and voices when the three see the mysterious bronze-haired man who has bandages all over him except his right eye, nose, mouth and left hand under his fingerless black glove, alongside his pet cheetah growling at them dangerously like its owner's stoically cruel scowl.

'…He strangely looks almost like the Vice President.' Sephiroth spotted the similarity between Vice President Rufus Shinra and this man Rush, who Sephiroth remembered Moon calling his foster father and friend 'The Human Killer', noticing the gun hanging on Rush's hip…the same gun he saw right before the bridge broke earlier. "Moon, Khalifa, wait!" Sephiroth stopped Moon and Khalifa from running towards Rush and the cheetah believed to be named Sheeta, first seeing Moon's surprise when he turned around before they looked back at Rush and Sheeta to see the former leisurely reaching his bandaged right hand to his also bandaged left eye while his left gloved hand grasps the back of his other hand. At the same time, a familiar roar howled in the air and Moon immediately noticed in horror that Sheeta was replaced with the familiar Guard Hound that attacked Sephiroth earlier.

As soon as he silently grabs his bandages from his face and right hand, everyone watches as Rush swiftly pulls and tears the bandages down and off, alarming Moon with a gasp if not for him, Khalifa, and Sephiroth notice something surprising. In the blink of an eye, Rush is shown not only having perfect skin free from any wounds that Rush may have all over him, but he shockingly has a new change of hair colour and similar white clothes from bronze to platinum blonde, full white clothing with long pants under his skirt-like clothing boring multiple belts, and both black, fingerless gloved hands including his right hand instead of just his left hand.

"Vice President Rufus!" Sephiroth recognized.

'What? What happened to Rush?' Moon mentally gawked in shock at seeing Rush turning into a man who looked almost exactly like him but without bandages and few differences if not for Sephiroth calling him Rufus, his icy blue eyes glaring at Sephiroth hardened in composed rage after pulling out his matching black gun from his hip…with a shot of a bullet from his gun, Moon and Khalifa were slow to see Rufus rocketing towards them and swing his gun ready to hit either of the three. Instead, Sephiroth blocked the gun by materializing and grabbing his Masamune with both hands and holding it in front of the three, hearing Moon releasing a brief scream of dread.

"Moon, Khalifa! Get back!" Sephiroth ordered, not turning around to see Moon hurriedly and recklessly grabbing Khalifa off the ground with his hands when his main attention was on both Vice President Rufus and his Guard Hound now running straight towards him with another furious roar from Shinra's animal experiment.

Finding a large boulder closer to the trees to hide with Khalifa, Moon heard the sword slashing from Sephiroth and both peeked over the head to see him now fighting against Rufus and his canine-like companion creature who surprisingly fought on par with Sephiroth by Rufus propelling himself closer and zoom in different directions around Sephiroth by shooting his gun behind his back while his scary companion animal will either follow or leap away from his master whenever Sephiroth unleash flurries of sword attacks or beams of light by his magic. However, Moon and Khalifa noticed Rufus's body kept changing appearance in the blink of an eye from Rufus for one second to Rush and kept repeating during the fight.

"D, ready!" Sephiroth heard Vice President Rufus calling his Guard Hound who flew its body in a drill and got blocked by hitting Masamune's blade, while noticing the VP changing form into Rush and vice versa multiple times possibly in this dream/ fight. As soon as D jumped farther away from Sephiroth, the latter saw something and quickly slid to the side to avoid being shot by a pair of red laser beams caused by Rufus/ Rush's gun after throwing what appeared to be coins.

Sephiroth twirled his body with a leap and raised his Masamune pointing at the air, conjuring four orbs of purple lights that surrounded Rufus/ Rush who swiftly jumped and shot a bullet under him that rocketed him higher in the air. As he falls, Rufus/ Rush pulls something from his gun and reveals to now hold two guns he viciously shoots barrages of bullets straight at Sephiroth who swings his Masamune now glowing a white light and unleashes multiple slashes of light flying straight at Rufus/ Rush, a few of them hit and sent him falling back on the ground with a painful grunt.

Making sure to focus on not just Rufus/ Rush who quickly gets back on his feet but also D now running towards its master, Sephiroth held his Masamune over his left shoulder and heard his opponent whistle, holding his gun over his head after D howl again, the same lightning bolts that struck the bridge earlier hit the barrel of Rufus/ Rush's customized gun without blowing it off his hand right.

Rufus/ Rush aims his gun at Sephiroth and fires a ray of lightning at him. Sephiroth raised Masamune and blocked the lightning from hitting him and the boulder hiding Moon and Khalifa, creating a faintly harsh explosion that rang the air which alarmed Moon with a gasp from the loud volume that nearly blew him and Khalifa off.

"…Hmph. Not bad." Rufus/ Rush scoffed with a sneer and pulled out a single silver coin while D released a howl as both glowed a green light that Sephiroth recognized that magic spell to be a Curaga, receiving an annoyed growl himself that the VP's Guard Hound could do magic but said nothing when Sephiroth sprinted away from the boulder and dashed to Rufus/ Rush and D who strangely stood without moving from their posts.

Sephiroth had just swung his sword, about to unleash another more flurries of sword attacks when Rufus/ Rush threw the coin in the air and fired a bullet onto the coin, which automatically burst into a smoke bomb that surprisingly stunned Sephiroth to flinch and cough the smoke that almost blinded and suffocated him when he almost inhale in his mouth. With a few more coughs and keeping his eyes closed for a few seconds, Sephiroth hurriedly flickered his cat-like eyes to look around once the smoke cleared but he saw no sign of body-shifting VP/ Human Killer and Guard Hound. A smoke bomb to escape.

'That was the VP…but he's also Rush? Strange, even in this dream…' Sephiroth mused his curiosity with a tinge of disappointment for the revealed mock fight in a dream, although he remembered the two other people to turn around and look at the boulder. "They're gone. You two can come out now." Sephiroth called.

"Sephiroth!" Moon hurriedly ran out of his hiding spot and quickly joined Sephiroth's side, with Khalifa still in Moon's skinny arms. "Are you hurt?" Like earlier, Moon is confused about Sephiroth's surprise when he asks about his welfare, initially worried that he said something that will anger the silver-haired swordsman but luckily Sephiroth seems to be pleased when he nods with his small smile.

"…I'm fine, for it's just a mock fight. Thank you, Moon." Sephiroth answered but a slowly growing golden light emitted from under their feet caught their attention to look all over them slowly being shrouded with light. Sephiroth and Khalifa expressed a bit of astonishment while Moon was flabbergasted.

"We're glowing!" Moon noted in surprise, first looking at the light glowing to his waist before turning to Khalifa looking at her hands also glowing with the same light. "Are we waking up?"

"I guess all dreams will come to an end." Sephiroth presumed with a soft frown, initially looking at his right palm before facing Moon. "I don't normally act like this, but…" To surprise the meek boy, Sephiroth calmly reached the same arm and gently rubbed and stroked his hand on Moon's head, seeing him close his eyes with a pink blush on his cheeks and noise from the tender gesture.

"It was nice meeting you, Moon. Thank you…for being the first to treat me kindly. Promise me to be brave in your future." Sephiroth acknowledged with contentment in his smile, his promise brought Moon to open his blank grey eyes with a briefly soft gasp of surprise but immediately closed them again with a happy smile, further delighting the taller man. "O-Okay! I promise!"

"It's also a pleasure to meet you, Khalifa." Sephiroth also moved his hand from Moon's head to repeat stroking Khalifa's head and glowing blue hair, making the little girl happy with her energetic smile.

"You too, Sephiroth…be good and hope to see you again." Sephiroth chortled from his smile after listening to Khalifa's wish, not needing to see more of the light overtaking them when he closed his eyes.

'…I hope so too.'

The familiar sensation of his bed and sheets shrouding his bare body, and the darkness in his now sleepy eyes tiredly blinking them open brought Sephiroth to notice that he is now, instead of that strange forest with Moon and Khalifa, in his bedroom back at the Shinra Power Electric Company's SOLDIER apartments where he and the other 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Class soldiers and infantrymen are located. "What a strange dream…." Sephiroth yawned and sluggishly climbed off his bed, not caring that he was naked as he headed straight to his bathroom and got ready for today, hopefully having no missions to meet his friends.

"You seem like you woke up not being yourself." Sephiroth heard one of his two best friends Angeal enquiring him from his side, spotting the black-haired man looking back at him with a curious scowl while beside Angeal, their brunette friend in red Genesis looked up from his favourite book he's always obsessed with. "You had a dream?" Angeal asked again.

"…I don't even know if it's a good one or not. Only it's unusual." Sephiroth admitted with uncertainty.

"Is it a dream of accompanying someone from a different world?" Genesis teased with a faint grin although Sephiroth's startled reaction with a noticeable shift in body posture startled Genesis in bewilderment. "Wait, I'm right?"

"You sound like you had one like that," Sephiroth noted.

"Recently once; I was protecting or babysitting a spiky-haired, hyperactive toddler who acts like a baby brother, but also like Angeal's puppy, while we both go to different worlds…." Genesis shrugged his shoulders with a confused scowl facing forward as the three men entered the elevator taking them to their Director's floor. "They also have random musical numbers that would make me feel like a singer in another life."

"Okay, okay. Not the kind of dreams I would be hearing from you two." Angeal chuckled, resting his hands on one of Sephiroth's and Genesis's shoulders. "We're supposed to be on our good behaviour to meet the Vice President." It took a minute without delay and the three arrived in the meeting room they were asked to attend, seeing their Director alongside another blonde-haired man and his Guard Hound.

"Sephiroth, Angeal, Genesis. Salute the Vice President." Director Lazard notified with a composed smile and the three 1st Class SOLDIER saluted upon command, with Sephiroth recognizing the second blonde-haired man with icy blue eyes, no bandages, and wearing a white dress coat over his black turtleneck with a grey collar over another white dress coat, cuffed white dress pants and brown dress boots. Still, the part about how he fought Rush in his dream and the similarity between him and the VP immediately attracted Sephiroth to walk closer to the other, confusing the others including the Guard Hound growling in front of its owner.

"Sephiroth?" Sephiroth ignored Genesis calling him as the others watched in confusion as Sephiroth stared straight at Vice President Rufus's befuddled face in suspicion while slowly moving his right arm and hand closer…now hovering his open-gloved hand to shield the young VP's left eye and imagining seeing the confused or annoyed Vice President as Moon's foster father and Human Killer. "What are you doing?" Sephiroth heard the VP demanding him once he slowly lowered his hand…

"I'm sorry, sir…I thought you were someone who looked almost exactly like you but with bandages." Sephiroth's immediately stoic apology and response, however, increased everyone's befuddlement and dismay.

"Uhhh…" Red Death, Cynical, Hyacinth, Ammo, Tusk, and Apache muttered with all but Rush and Sheeta expressing mixed shock while the latter's hazel eyes bulged in rage at seeing Moon, Aya, and Khalifa sleeping on top of Ular's coils on the floor as he and Hebi on top of Moon's head watch over the three children sleeping surprisingly peacefully. Initially silent for seconds to almost a minute, almost everyone heard the quiet sound of a photo taken to see Rush calmly taking a photo of them with his flip phone. "Rush, why are you taking a photo of Moon and Embryo's kids sleeping?" Red Death asked in confusion.

"Thought it'll be cute to show the dad of three kids sleeping together." Rush answered with a shrug and shut his phone with his fingers before rising on his feet, ignoring their teammates now looking back at their leader in apprehension or anger when he mentioned 'the dad' and how unserious Rush spoke as always, inducing more concern of Rush than before.

"Rush, I don't think it's good to do that," Tusk warned.

"I still think they shouldn't be here because they're HIS kids!" Apache protested, still furious at the earlier events; They were about to spend the day with Rush only to walk inside his office and find him, Moon, and their companion animals watching over Aya and Khalifa who showed up out of nowhere, horrifying and angering them of seeing the children and Rush calling possibly Embryo in his flip phone to discuss something involving 'Embryo's meeting with the world leaders' and 'Rush taking care of his children'. However, the team couldn't help but fathom the worst of seeing Rush not acting as the serious leader the entire Haven WANTS him to be from the few glimpses of Rush smiling an unusually pleased and humane smile during the call, unlike what everyone remembers him expressing for someone who always frowns.

'Geez. They're supposed to be enemies, but they're acting like divorced husbands getting back together.' Ammo may have unknowingly joked about what made Apache almost stab his gauntlets' blades at him before he again confronted his leader. "He could be using them to spy on us, Commander!"

"If they were JUST his spies and NOT his kids, why didn't Embryo abuse them to do so? And why are we alive if they're spies?" Rush sarcastically and stoically demanded what made everyone gawk their horror at him for his words, for an open murderer like him.

"Rush, even if this is Embryo we're talking about, you can't expect us to think he would abuse children, especially his toddler son and daughter!" Cynical rebuked in annoyance for Rush's callous remarks although Ammo glances back at Moon, Aya, and Khalifa napping with his eyes narrowed in a tint of disgust towards the latter two. "I wouldn't be surprised if he did. Look at their weird appearances…"

"If you finish that fucking sentence, we'll watch you die once they find out you dissed the kids." Rush's threat hissing his anger, displeasure, and amusement with his right hand already pulling out his gun from his hip automatically angered Ammo in fear while Red Death, Tusk, and Hyacinth tried to hold and comfort their leader and friend in fear, knowing that Rush will not hesitate to kill even his allies unless they understood. "Rush, why do you always get pissed off at me for saying the truth!?"

"R-Rush, please!" Hyacinth begged, being the first to calm down herself when she turned and faced Ammo who flinched of seeing a rare angry scowl from her face and blank blue eyes. "As much as we want Rush to not react like this, I agree with him, Ammo…You can't speak ill of Rin's children and their appearances!"

"S…Seph…iroth…" Everyone heard Moon mutter in his sleep to see his sleepy face scrunch once or twice while faintly twisting his body on Ular's coils, surprising them in confusion after Rush released himself from the others and put his gun back on his hip as soon as both Moon and Khalifa tiredly blink their coloured eyes with a yawn escaping from Khalifa sluggishly climbing and sitting on Moon's lap. First tiredly looking left and right around the room, not noticing the mixed confusion and abhorrence on almost every face of Rush's team, Khalifa slowly woke up and faced Moon who tiredly but carefully held Aya's sleeping body in his arms.

"Big Brother Moon…Sephiroth's gone." Khalifa sadly notified what prompted Moon to also look around the room once before glancing back at Khalifa in sadness, further confusing the others. "Oh…"

"Sephiroth?" Cynical thought aloud to the others. "What could they be dreaming about?"

"Ah," Rush whispered his gasp, unconsciously reaching his bandaged right hand to his chest when he was confused by the strange heavy sensation weighing his heart, looking away from the others. 'Weird…When they mentioned this 'Sephiroth'...why do I feel angry?' Rush wondered in suspicion.

"Moon? What kind of dream were you both thinking? And who's Sephiroth?" Red Death asked Moon as the latter and Khalifa looked back at the others curious for the answer, with the two children initially showing hesitance in answering that question. However, Moon's eyes slowly furrowed with a soft but confident frown, one that attracted everyone's surprise of never seen Moon expressing bravery before, not even Ammo, until everyone patiently listened to Moon explaining his dream with Khalifa's help confirming anything that he may have forgotten. As they listened to Moon and Khalifa's dream, Rush and his team's expressions changed from surprise to bewilderment, confusion, and curiosity although Rush only felt suspicious until Moon and Khalifa finished narrating.

"Me without bandages, different blonde hair colour and white clothes, and fighting this guy with a creature I called him 'D'." Rush counted the description about the dream version of him fighting this Sephiroth, looking at the side to see only Sheeta also understood what he was thinking about as well with a nod from the cheetah. 'That sounds just like Rufus and Darkstar.' Even now, Rush and Sheeta never told anyone about the time he and Rufus switched places from each other's worlds. Perhaps he can ask Em when he sends in the photo.

"I don't know why…but I could've sworn I feel that me and Sephiroth are similar." Moon added what got Rush to look back at the silver-haired boy facing down in sadness with a tinge of curiosity in his voice, especially when Khalifa's green and black eyes blinked in a surprise glower and looked back at Moon with a nod.

"Mmh mmh! I did sense you and Sephiroth slightly have the same air. But his's stronger than yours." That also gave Rush more questions he knows someone will answer it for him.

"Oh my. That's so adorable…" Embryo softly chuckled his giddy amusement behind his tree in the Escarpment instead of joining the world leaders who were still discussing everything they deemed important regarding their world from potential risks of a Norma outbreak, secret survivors of the Destruction-clan Ancient Humans although that is unlikely to Embryo, and the usual reports given to them by the Human Killer. Speaking of Rush, Embryo just received a photo he is looking at right now to show Moon, Aya, and Khalifa napping on top of Ular's coils with the former's two snakes watching over them, almost like an older brother taking care of his toddler siblings which made Embryo giggle from his smile. Since he knows how some of the world leaders secretly disapprove of his marriage with Rin and having Aya and Khalifa as his children, Embryo prefers not to tell everything about him to the world leaders more than what Rush guessed and told.

However, Embryo wasn't expecting the message Rush added underneath the photo.

'Em? Moon and Khalifa had a dream of meeting someone named Sephiroth, fighting me who transformed into who I think was Rufus, and even believed that Moon and this Sephiroth were both similar but also different. Khalifa also said they have the same 'air'? Can we talk about it after your meeting? As promised, I'll cook us lunch if you want to join.'

"Ah." As soon as he finished reading, almost ready to respond about being invited to try or assist Rush with cooking lunch, Embryo had to double-take the name he believed he initially thought of misreading. 'S…Sephiroth…? As is…the one Rufus told me when he was alive!?' Embryo's composure immediately shattered into disbelief, glad of sitting behind his tree than his reaction publicly open to his pawns.

"Sephiroth was a dangerous man who tried to destroy the Planet using the Meteor and now his Geostigma curse is affecting others including me. Em; even if something happens to you and your world, promise me you DO NOT become like Sephiroth…or a pure evil version of you." Embryo remembered a memory of his past as Eric before his exile over 500 years ago; one of his secret visits to Rufus's world after his near death from this Meteor, with Eric receiving a gentle hug from Rufus who was bandaged exactly like Rush when he warned him about the ex-1st Class SOLDIER who destroyed his world away from Heisenburg.

'I suspected and now believed Rufus and Rush to be the same…' Embryo mused with his face and mind still horrified by the revelation he now bears after finishing reading Rush's message, thinking nothing but his concern for Moon. '…But why, of all people, Moon has a connection with…Sephiroth!?' Just thinking that adorable, kind-hearted Destruction-class Ancient Human boy with no darkness in his heart becoming a cruel-faced, powerful adult monster he was told from his past was enough to even make Embryo scream in his mind and almost shock the world leaders with his voice but managed to hold it in. 'NOOOOOOOOOOO!'

Aware that the meeting was still ongoing, Embryo quickly stood on his feet which was noticeable by the other rulers and stopped one of them from finishing their report, shaken in surprise but were forced to hold their tongue from Embryo swiftly walked away from the tree and now joined them by taking his seat but also impatiently rest one leg over the other and rest his elbows on the table, holding his face facing down against his fingers grasping each other. "M-Master Embryo?" One of the rulers nervously asked their master in mixed surprise for his sudden behaviour…

"…Will all of you kindly report me EVERYTHING of today this instant? I must head to the Haven as fast as I could." Embryo calmly demanded the world leaders with closed eyes and a passive smile hiding his ferocity that brought the entire table to shudder their spines in fear despite not understanding their master and God's menacingly collected temper apart from mentioning the Haven as a possible like Embryo must wipe almost all of Rush's team's memory about Midgar again once he heads back to Haven after this meeting.

BONUS ENDING

Inside the Shinra Power Electric Company, sometime after the Ancient Temple fiasco and the revelation of being fooled by Sephiroth using a clone in the form of Glenn Lodbrok, therefore creating a bigger problem now because of the new Shinra-Wutai war and his responsibility, Rufus was in his office with only his trusted and loved Guard Hound Darkstar sleeping between his master looking outside the window and down the city, and the table. He would be thinking about how to settle this situation before it could get out of hand, but Rufus is still having such foreign emotions apart from rage at being deceived like a puppet by Glenn/ Sephiroth. As he looked over Midgar from his position, Rufus leisurely reached his left hand to hold his head and left eye with a deep growl of a sigh with his mind clicking a memory of meeting Sephiroth when he was once 1st Class and before Rufus tried to assassinate his father when he was the company's VP…

'I'm sorry, sir…I thought you were someone who looked almost exactly like you but with bandages.'

'Exactly like me but with bandages…' Rufus wondered in suspicion, remembering his confusion when Sephiroth wordlessly shielded his gloved hand over Rufus's left eye that day, as he looked at his reflection in the window while slowly stroking his hand down from his face and cover his eye with his palm…his mind again clicked but briefly saw his reflection as not his's but a bandaged doppelganger he is familiar with from a crazy brief adventure, making Rufus widen his eyes including his left once he lowered his hand from his face…

"Sephiroth knows Rush!? Aaaaaahhhh!" Rufus's disbelieved scream woke Darkstar in alarm and panic, wildly jumped and frantically stood on its paws after noticing his master almost fallen backwards in a crouch and gripping his head and hair with both fingerless gloved hands in the rare fright Darkstar recognized it from its master's youth. 'Master!?' Rufus's ears heard Darkstar yelped his shock from screaming out of nowhere for the first time.

'How did Sephiroth know about Rush!?' Rufus demanded to himself in dismay, not even wanting to wonder how someone like Sephiroth knew about Rufus's childishly murderous doppelganger from another world nor wondered if Rush was strong enough to fight the ex-SOLDIER…when Rufus immediately thought of something that made him look up to his reflection now showing himself instead of Rush, dramatically gasping a wheeze for what he prayed that it hopefully DIDN'T happen.

'No wait…Sephiroth better not do anything that'll hurt EM!'

"D, I don't know how; but I'm heading back to the World of Mana!" Rufus hurriedly dashed away from the window and was about to run towards his office's doors, possibly heading to the labs when he yelped and ungraciously fell his body onto the floor by something grabbing his right leg, knowing Darkstar bit his pants' leg without injuring his leg.

'No, Master!' Darkstar cried in shock, trying to stop Rufus from leaving although the latter furiously claw his fingers against the floor with muffled, angry grunts. 'Even if you know how to get there; you'll disappear if you end up in another world just like that day! And you just said you're about to check on the Turks!'

"I know that, but I must check if Sephiroth did anything that hurt Rush and Em, mostly Em!" Rufus yelled his desperation as Darkstar continued to stop its owner from attempting to leave his office, worried about the other accidentally going to his death in another world as Rufus told him before. 'Master, please calm down!'

…Two years after Meteor and Sephiroth's REAL death, Rufus can only meet Em's revealed pre-Mana God self, Eric Asmodeus Zechs, who kindly and secretly visits him from his former world multiple times and is luckily unaware of Rufus's concern for him regarding Sephiroth back then. Still, just to be safe, Rufus must tell what he wants Eric to know.

'Em, promise me you DO NOT become like Sephiroth…or a pure evil version of yourself.' Rufus cautioned Eric while hugging the other despite being infected with the Geostigma since his 'childhood boyfriend', as Rufus confidently teased about their relationship to make Eric blush and whine but didn't even object either, is unaffected due to his light powers.

…What both Rufus and Eric didn't know until later is that the former shall die sometime before the latter will be exiled from his former world and will know the other's fate after being sent into his world…almost 500 years later to the Planet….

[My reason for adding Sephiroth in this story's chapter, slightly different than Rufus in the previous chapter: I saw the Ever Crisis story involving (young) Sephiroth [I surprisingly find it sad and sympathise with him more than I used to], and that made me accidentally realise that (young) Sephiroth and Moon are similar:

Both are abused 'test subjects' by a fucking mad scientist(s) all their lives, except Moon was rescued and lived a better life while Sephiroth…unfortunately not so much.]

- Also, I added something that serves as a foreshadowing for a new fanfiction story soon.

- For the Sephiroth vs Rush/ Rufus fight, I don't know how the former fights in Remake and Rebirth, so I used some of his attacks from the Dissidia series.