Cloud slowly looked around the now crowded bar with a blank, tired expression. Over the course of the past week, he had gotten hardly any sleep, and Sephiroth haunted any that he did manage to get. It was always the same thing each night. He'd find that he couldn't move, while Sephiroth gloated about it then he would try to kill him. It always ended the same, except for the other night. Just before he woke up, he had seen a gentle green glow. He didn't understand what that glow had meant, but he had seen it before in the past, but with his mind in the tired state that it was in, he couldn't place his finger on when and where. He sighed softly as he turned away from the crowd, only to find Tifa staring at him worriedly. He smiled slightly, running his hand through his unkempt hair, closing his eyes halfway.

"Cloud...you look like crap. Will you please tell me what's going on?" She demanded as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the counter.

"Nothing's wrong Tifa. I just haven't been sleeping well lately. It'll pass, you have nothing to be concerned with, trust me, all right?"

"The last time you said that, Sephiroth tried to take control of you," she bitterly replied, narrowing her eyes. He cringed slightly as he stared into those eyes with his own Mako filled ones. She was right. The last time he had said something along those lines had been the time that Sephiroth had been attempting to control him.

"Honestly, Tifa...it's nothing. I promise," he assured her, smiling one of his best charming smiles. She continued to stare at him for a moment then faced one of the newest customers, who were now sitting beside Cloud.

"What'll you have..." she began then gasped softly. Cloud frowned then glanced to his right, noticing that one of the Turks was now sitting beside him. He frowned slightly then looked over to his left, finding another Turk sitting beside him. They in turn returned his gaze then one of them spoke.

"I'll have something hard, no ice."

"Me too," the second one added, staring at Cloud through his sunglasses. Again he frowned then looked at Tifa, raising an eyebrow. She shrugged in response then went about preparing their drinks. He shook his head slightly then looked back to the first Turk.

"So what brings you to this neck of the woods, Reno?" he inquired as he looked down to his half empty glass. Reno laughed softly, shaking his head. Loose strands of red hair fell into his eyes, partially concealing them. Cloud sighed softly as he picked up his glass, taking a small sip as he watched Tifa set the drinks before the Turks.

"Can ya believe that, Rude? He actually remembered my name..."

"Is that so shocking?" Cloud interrupted looking at him. Reno smiled slightly, noticing the drunken glow in the Mako filled eyes of the former leader of Avalanche.

"No, I suppose not. As to why we're hear...this bar just happens to be the best in the area."

"Really? I'm surprised the two of you can still afford any drinks. Who are you working for now that you quit working for Reeve?"

"Watch it Strife. You're treading on thin ice at the moment."

"No, really?" Cloud retorted as he turned on the stool, facing the crowds once more. Reno glared at him for a moment then looked at Rude, taking a sip out of his drink.

"It's too bad about what happened. All those people ruthlessly killed..." Rude began then took a sip out of his drink. Reno smiled slightly, realizing just what he was doing.

"Yeah, and didn't the reporters say something about each victim getting killed by what they thought was a katana? Boy, I'd hate to be in their shoes..."

"What's the matter with the two of you? I've heard no such report..." Tifa began, slamming her fists on the counter. Reno looked up to her, smiling a charming smile. Rude also looked at her, smiling slightly. It was then that Reno remember that he had a crush one her.

"Have you watched the news lately? It's all over the place. Some random person is going around, murdering countless numbers of people," Reno began as he stood up then walked over to the closest T.V. turning it on. Everyone in the bar became silent as they all faced the T.V.

"And in later news, Investigators are still baffled by the recent string of events, leading to the many deaths of innocent people. Yesterday evening a bystander was on his way home when he came across the body of a fellow worker. Baffled by how the other man was killed he found that his throat had savagely been slit by a dagger that was found not too far from the body. Other eyewitnesses claim that they saw a man wearing a black cape had been seen leaving the scene. It is till unclear why these people were killed and where the murderer shall strike next," a reporter began then some one threw a glass at the T.V. smashing the screen.

"Who did that!?" Tifa demanded rushing out from behind the bar. For a moment no one moved then all eyes fell on Cloud, who was now standing by the door, covering his eyes with his hands. "Cloud? Did you do that?" she asked, walking towards him. He frowned slightly then looked at her with clouded Mako filled eyes.

"Sorry Tifa. I just couldn't listen to that any more. I don't know what came over me..."

"Like hell you didn't you spiky-headed nitwit!" a voice called from the crowd. A few moments later Cid joined Tifa, staring at Cloud. He glared at him for a moment then turned to leave, only finding his path blocked by Vincent.

"I'm not letting you leave here until you tell us what's going on," he replied in a monotone voice. Cloud growled softly as he tried to push past him, finding that he only pushed him back. By now the rest of the crowd had departed, leaving behind the two Turks, Tifa, Cid, Vincent, and himself. Again he growled softly, tightly closing his eyes.

"What in the hell's gotten into you Cloud? For the past week you've been acting oddly...always lookin' over yer shoulder as if somethin' might attack you, not to mention the fact that you look like hell," the pilot stated, staring at his friend. Tifa nodded in agreement, staring at Cloud. He sighed softly, realizing that he had to think of something that would cover up what was really going on.

"It's like I told Tifa. I haven't been getting much sleep lately, and that's probably what's wrong. It'll eventually pass...honest. It's not that big a deal."

"That doesn't explain why yer always looking over yer shoulder..."

"I don't understand that myself...I just can't explain it to you, but I feel like someone's watching me from a distance...that's all I can say, I really don't know why I'm feeling this though..." he answered as he looked at the pilot. That wasn't entirely true, but then again it wasn't a lie either. He knew that someone was watching him from a distance, and he knew who it was as well. Again Sephiroth's words began to echo through his mind, forcing him to briefly close his eyes.

"Cloud...stop denying the truth to us. I can tell just by looking into your eyes that you're lying to us. This is something more than just a lack of sleep," Vincent stated, crossing his arms across his chest, staring at him. Cloud met his gaze, shuddering slightly as he stared into those ruby orbs that seemed to glow as if they were filled with Mako...who knew, perhaps they were. God only knew what Hojo had done to Vincent all those years ago. Not even Vincent knew, or he just didn't talk about it.

Tifa slowly looked in Vincent's direction, feeling several emotions pass over her. How could anyone be so void of any emotion? It made her feel depressed sometimes, but then she would always catch a glimpse of a smile on his face, or glowing in his eyes, and she knew that he was only trying to hide what he felt. He had closed himself to the world long ago, and she didn't blame him. Suddenly she had feelings for him, and not just because he was her friend. It was something more, but she didn't know what it was at the moment. She sighed softly then looked back to Cloud

"I swear, it's nothing," he stated as he stared at Vincent, who looked as though he was about to say something else, but didn't have the chance to. Barret walked into the bar, shoving the former Turk to the side. He momentarily glared at him then looked back to Cloud.

"Cloud, we your friends, and friend don't hide nothin' from each other," he said, glancing at Vincent then looking back to Cloud. He stared at the two of them for a moment then looked away.

"Please Cloud. Tell us what's going on so that we can help you. It's what we're here for," Tifa added as she stared at him. He returned her stare and saw a type of pain in her eyes. He silently cursed himself for being the cause of her pain, and wanted nothing more than to tell her what had been happening the past week, but that would mean involving them, and he didn't want to do that, not if he didn't have to.

"He ain't telling us. So we'll deal with this later. Reeve's outside and he wants us to investigate sumethin'," Barret explained as he broke the silence. Cloud smiled slightly as he pushed past Vincent and Barret, glad for the distraction. Barret sighed softly then walked out, followed by Cid and Tifa.

Vincent remained behind, staring out the door. Cloud was definitely hiding something from them, and his gut told him that it had everything to do with these killing sprees. He folded his arms across his chest for a moment as he closed his eyes then drew his gun and began to twirl it, lost in thought. He had forgotten that Reno and Rude were still in the bar. Reno watched Vincent for a moment then looked at Rude.

"Didn't Tseng once mention that there was a Turk named Vincent Valentine?" he whispered as he looked back to Vincent. Rude nodded once, setting his cup away from him. A few moments later it shattered, spilling its contents on the counter top. "What the hell!?' Reno exclaimed then cried out as his glass shattered, also spilling its contents. He stared at the pieces for a moment then looked back to Vincent, who was facing them, holding a smoking gun at his side. "What the hell was that for!?"

"The bar's closed, it's time for you to leave," he coldly answered. "That is unless you wish to argue," he added raising his gun. Reno smiled bitterly as he stood up and began walking towards the door, followed by Rude. Vincent lowered his gun and grabbed Reno's sleeve in his clawed hand. Reno froze then looked into his eyes. "And yes, I was once a Turk, but that no longer concerns you. You and the others abandoned me, just like the rest of this world," he growled then walked out of the bar, putting his gun in its holster. Reno watched after him then brushed his sleeve off.

"Rude, we have some research to do," he growled. Rude walked up beside him, also watching Vincent as he and the rest of Avalanche boarded the Highwind. "I want to find everything we can on our friend Vincent Valentine..."

"You do realize that the files were probably destroyed by Hojo, don't you?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Rude. Of course they were, but keep in mind that President Shinra also kept copies of those files hidden below Shinra Headquarters..."

"Which Reeve has ordered to be torn down..."

"Which is why we have to move fast. Get in touch with Elena and tell her to meet us in front of the Shinra Headquarters," he interrupted then walked out of the bar. Rude followed after him, shaking his head as he pulled out his cell phone, dialing Elena's number.

Elena moaned loudly as she looked around the darkness, narrowing her eyes. "And what is it we're looking for again?" she asked, for the third time, glaring at Reno's back.

"Must you always be a pain in the ass, Elena? We're here to try and find the files President Shinra kept on Vincent Valentine. Now keep your mouth shut!" he bitterly answered, glaring at her over his shoulder. She stuck her tongue out at him then wandered away, entering a room covered with largte pieces of stone, which crushed any and everything in the room. She released a slow whistle as she looked around then looked up to the massive hole in the ceiling.

"Guys! Come check this out!" she called, not moving from her spot. Shortly after Reno and Rude ran into the room, looking around at the distruction.

"This must be from when Weapon struck...this hole looks as though it goes straight up to the president's office..." Rude observed, raising one of his eyebrows.

"Yeah...hey, look at all these computers...maybe Vincent's files are in here somewhere," Reno interrupted as he ran up to one of the few desks not destroyed. Rude shrugged in response, walking over to one of the others. Elena remained where she was, watching as they looked through the numerous drawers of each desk.

"Even if his files were somewhere in this room, do you honestly believe that they'd be in a desk?"

"Yup," Reno answered as he held up a manila folder full of papers.

"Not only did we find Vincent's, look at what I found as well," Rude stated as he held up two folders of his own. Elena walked over to him, frowning when she noticed the names. Reno joined them moments later, rubbing his chin.

"Now, Cloud's name I know, but who's Zack Strife? I never heard Cloud mentioning that he had a brother..."

"Maybe because he didn't know he did," Rude answered as he opened the file. "According to this, Mr. Strife, Cloud's father, was wanted for several murder attempts on President Shinra. For safety reasons, he and his wife gave their oldest son up for adoption, while they agreed to raise Cloud as their own. Shortly after their son was adopted, Mr. Strife vanished and was assumed to be dead. Mrs. Strife raised her son, Cloud, since then, and hasn't mentioned his brother to him..."

"Hm...in a way, you gotta feel sorry for Cloud...never knowin he had a brother...that's gotta suck. What's in Cloud's file?"

"Mainly the same story...it seems that when Cloud was sixteen, he came to Midgar to join SOLDIER, only he didn't make it because he and one of the superior officers got in a fight...Cloud nearly killed the office. As a result, he became a Shinra guard, but he and Zack were good friends by then. It also explains what took place during the time he, Zack and Sephiroth went to the reactor at Mt. Nibel..."

"Hm...this may come in handy...all right, let's go. We found what we came here for," Reno replied as he walked out of the room, followed by Rude, Elena prepared to follow, but froze, seeing some movement out of the corner of her eye. She narrowed her eyes as she faced that direction, shinning her flashlight on the source. A few moments later, a loud scream was heard all throughout the basement of the Shinra Headquarters.

Cloud slowly walked through the dimly lit hall quickly looking around. For some odd reason, he felt that he shouldn't be here, none of them should. His gut feeling told him that something wasn't right. He frowned looking over to Tifa, who was walking beside him nervously looking around. "Maybe I should just call this whole thing off," he thought looking back down the hall. They had received a call from the manager or whatever he was, saying that odd things were happening, strange deaths. Again Cloud frowned staring ahead of him. He stopped at the intersection of the hall and looked to the left. Something definitely didn't feel right. He frowned once more then turned right.

"Cloud wait. Do you hear that?" Tifa asked grabbing his arm. He froze and listened. Over to the right, he heard someone release a loud moan.

"Tifa, stay here," he whispered as he walked up to a door. She watched him remaining absolutely still. He looked over his shoulder then pushed the door open with his foot as he drew the ultimate sword. He looked around the room then down to a man who was lying in a pool of blood, his blood no doubt. "What happened?" he asked kneeling beside him. He looked up at him with weak, unfocused eyes. It was clear that he would die any minute.

"Get...out..."

"Who did this to you?" Cloud demanded, as he looked down to the massive slash that started at the bottom of his neck and ended at the top of his hip. He already had a good idea of who could have done it, but he didn't want to believe it.

"...Sephiroth..."

"What?"

"Sephiroth...is here...you must leave..." the man replied then fell limply to the ground, dead. Cloud gasped softly as he quickly got to his feet. It couldn't be. It had only been a week since the hellish dreams had started. Sephiroth couldn't be ready to exact his revenge, not now. He had to get the others out of here, but how? Not only that, but he had to get Tifa out of here as well. He didn't want to see anything happen to her. True he only thought of her as the sibling he never had, but he loved her nonetheless, and he didn't want to see anything happen to her. Not now, not ever. He wanted to see her live out her life and be happy, although he knew that first he would have to break her heart by telling her that he loved another. And what hurt more was that the one he loved was dead. He shook his head, frowning slightly. He couldn't think about that now, not when they were in danger.

"Tifa...Call the others and tell them to get out of here," he growled, realizing the danger they were now in. She stared at him then pulled her PHS out of her pocket. He watched her then looked around as he walked out of the room.

"...Cloud. No one's answering the PHS..."

"Let's go Tifa...Maybe they already left," he said as he began to run back the way they had come. Tifa was close on his heels.

Sephiroth emerged from the shadows, watching as Cloud and Tifa attempted to escape. He looked at the boy who stood by his side and nodded. "We'll go after the girl first to get her out of the way," he said. The boy nodded then ran after Tifa, as did Sephiroth.

"Cloud!" Tifa cried as she began to fall behind. Cloud froze then turned around watching as Sephiroth and a boy no older than at least 18 tackled her.

"Tifa!" he cried running towards her, but sopped as Sephiroth got to his feet glaring at him. He gasped softly as he started to back away.

"Get out Cloud!" Tifa cried then fell to the floor as the boy hit her. He growled softly then turned and ran towards the door. Sephiroth chuckled softly then ran after him.

"Come on get to the door!" a voice cried in Cloud's head. He gasped softly as he attempted to run through the door. Something grabbed onto his ankles causing him to lose his balance. He released a loud cry then was momentarily dazed as his head hit the door. He slowly shook his head then looked at Sephiroth, who was still holding his Ankles. He cried out then tried to free himself.

Sephiroth glared at Cloud as he began to struggle then tried to pin him to the ground. They glared at one another then Cloud began to struggle again. "You can't escape me Cloud. You never can and you never will," he growled grabbing Cloud's throat.

Tifa quickly attempted to pick the locks on the handcuffs glancing at the boy as she did. It was very easy to pick up a few tricks from Vincent, but she had never imagined that picking a lock was so difficult. Sephiroth quickly glared at Tifa then looked at the boy.

"Get rid of the girl," he ordered. The boy stared at him for a moment then began walking towards Tifa, drawing a short sword as he did.

"No!" Cloud cried trying to free himself. Sephiroth glared at him then smiled evilly as he moved behind Cloud tightly wrapping his arm around him throat.

"Watch Cloud. Watch as the one you love dies," he growled, smiling evilly once more. Cloud growled softly as he closed his eyes, quickly looking away. "Watch Cloud," Sephiroth growled through clenched teeth as he grabbed a clump of his hair yanking his head up. Cloud cried out the stared at Tifa and the boy. Tifa momentarily stared at the boy then looked in Cloud's direction. In her eyes he could see a type of sadness. He also saw that she was trying to say for him not to blame himself for whatever happened.

"...No," he whispered as he stared at her. She stared back smiling a small smile then her eyes, her beautiful brown eyes, widened as the blade stabbed her in the chest. "Tifa!" he cried trying to pull away from Sephiroth watching as Tifa fell to the floor. He released a loud cry, tightly closing his eyes. He felt as though part of him had just been killed.

Sephiroth chuckled softly then stood up, roughly pulling Cloud to his feet. Cloud growled softly glaring at Sephiroth. All that he had ever cared for, he had been robbed again. Everything that he had ever loved, gone, taken away by this man, this monster, who had once been the man he had looked up to. Sephiroth smiled as he stared into Cloud's eyes, watching as mixed feelings passed through those glowing blue orbs. "Poor Cloud," he whispered then laughed as Cloud narrowed his eyes to mere slits.

"Shut up Sephiroth..."

"What's that? I can't quite hear you Cloud...Speak up," Sephiroth retorted as he cast a stop spell on him. Cloud's eyes widened as he realized the danger he was now in. Again Sephiroth laughed then faced the boy, who was now kneeling beside Tifa, crying. "What are you doing fool?" he growled walking towards him, forgetting about Cloud for the moment. The boy looked up at him then leapt to his feet, holding his bloody sword in front of him. Sephiroth looked down to the blade then back to the boy. "You weak pathetic fool..." he growled drawing the Masamune. He looked at the boy for a final time then ran him through. The boy cried out in pain then fell limply against the sword. Sephiroth smiled then threw the boy away from him then he faced Cloud who had managed to free himself form the stop spell.

"Now It's my turn Sephiroth," he growled as he leapt at him holding his sword above his head. Sephiroth growled softly as he blocked Cloud's attack then cast an ultima spell on him. Cloud cried out as he was thrown away from Sephiroth. His head hit the wall then he fell to he floor, barely conscious. Sephiroth slowly walked up to Cloud, kneeling beside him.

"Do you honestly think that you're stronger than me?" he growled then watched as Cloud passed put. He laughed softly then stood up. "Time to go," he whispered as he and Cloud faded into the shadows, leaving behind Tifa and the boy.

Vincent quickly ran down the hall staring ahead of him. He knew something wasn't right. He always had that ability. He quickly turned the corner and came to a halt staring at Tifa, who was on the floor in a pool of blood. He also saw a boy who looked no older than 18, and Cloud's ultima sword. He frowned then ran up to Tifa, kneeling beside her. "Tifa? Tifa!" he said then pulled out his life materia. He tightly closed his eyes, praying that it wasn't too late. There was a bright flash of light then Tifa moaned softly. He opened his eyes, staring down at her. She opened her eyes then sat up fearfully looking around.

"Where's Cloud? What has he done with him?" she asked then looked at Vincent. He stared at her sensing that something horrible had greeted her and Cloud.

"Tifa...what happened? Where's Cloud?" he asked pointing to the massive sword. Tifa looked down to the weapon then whimpered softly.

"He took him...oh god," she whispered closing her eyes.

"Who took him Tifa? Please tell me what happened..."

"Sephiroth took Cloud...he tried to kill me and took Cloud. He's going to try to kill him. We have to find Cloud!"

Vincent gasped softly staring at her. Surely she wasn't serious. Cloud had killed Sephiroth in the Northern Crater. They all knew that. There was no possible way that he had survived...but something happened here that now has Tifa fearful for Cloud's safety, something unimaginable. "Tifa, are you sure it was Sephiroth?"

"Of course I'm sure! I saw the whole thing! Sephiroth attacked us, along with that boy. He ordered the boy to kill me and forced Cloud to watch...Vincent, I'm scared...what if Sephiroth..."

"Stop it Tifa! Don't think like that. Even if Sephiroth tried to...Cloud wouldn't let him. You should know that," he replied grasping her shoulders. She stared at the ground then tightly closed her eyes as tears began to roll down her cheeks. Vincent watched her for a moment then stood up and walked over to the boy. He stared down at him for a moment then closed his eyes as the life materia flared to life once more. The boy released a loud moan then rested his hand on his forehead, keeping his eyes closed. "Are you all right?" he asked, staring down at the boy. Again he moaned then sat up, fearfully looking around.

"I'm not dead, am I?" he asked, looking up at Vincent. He slowly shook his head, glancing at Tifa as she walked up beside him. "Thank god you're alive!" he exclaimed as he got to his feet, smiling slightly. Tifa frowned slightly, getting a good look at the boy for the first time. It was then that she saw that he looked almost identical to Sephiroth. The only difference was the fact that his long, vibrant silver hair was tinted with black highlights, while his bangs were entirely black. The other thing that bothered Tifa was that fact that his eyes were the same inhuman red color that Vincent's were. "You have no idea how bad I felt for doing what I did to you. I never intended to kill you, but Sephiroth had seen through it, and tried to kill me as well..." he continued then faced Vincent, his smile fading. "So I finally get to meet you. Mom's told me a lot about you..."

"What do you mean? How does your mother know me?"

"Don't you remember her? Her name was Lucrecia."

"It...it can't be. Lucrecia son was Sephiroth, and his father was Hojo..."

"No. None of that was true. Hojo never was Sephiroth's father. Mom knew this, but she never had enough time to tell you. Sephiroth is your son, just as I am," he boy interrupted staring at Vincent with an emotionless mask covering his facial features. Vincent returned the stare with his own emotionless one, hiding what he was truly feeling inside. "Mom also told me to deliver a message to you. She said for you to move on with your life and to forgive that which happened in the past. She said that you did everything you could to try and help her and for that she's thankful, but that it's time for you to move on. Let the past die and move on with your life."

"I can't let the past die..."

"You have to dad. Please, for her sake? It is because of your guilt that she was unable to move onto the Lifestream, and that was how she was able to raise me. She knows her time is done, but that yours isn't. She wants you to be happy."

"Happy? I don't know the meaning of being happy..."

"Then you have to find it, dad. The answer lies somewhere, locked away inside you, you just have to find it," he interrupted, smiling a sad smile. Vincent stared at him for a moment then looked away, closing his eyes. Tifa stared at the two then looked around. She didn't understand how it was possible for this boy to be Vincent's son. What confused her even more was that fact that this boy claimed Sephiroth was Vincent's son. She started to ask a question, but stopped herself. It would have to wait. There was a more pressing matter to deal with.

"For the time being, let's not tell the others about what happened here. I don't think they'd be able to handle it. And I also suggest that we find a disguise for...um...what's your name?"

"Cyan," he answered shifting his gaze to her. She smiled slightly, nodding once.

"As I was saying. We should find a disguise for Cyan...the others will try to kill him when the see him. And as for what we just discussed, that will remain between the three of us for the time being, understood?" She asked, looking from one to the others, folding her arms across her chest. They nodded in return then a small smile played across Vincent's emotionless mask for a brief moment.

"And all this time the others thought that only Cloud and Cid could be leaders..." he joked. Tifa smiled, but it quickly faded as she walked over to Cloud's sword. As she prepared to pick it up, it vanished. She leapt back, frowning slightly, quickly looking around. Cyan did the same, narrowing his eyes.

"No one just saw that, all right? I'm sure we're all shaken up as it is," she stated after a moment of silence. Again Cyan and Vincent nodded. She nodded in reply then made her way towards the door. They followed close behind, still looking around as they did, making sure that Sephiroth wouldn't leapt out at them any moment.

"So what are we going to tell the others? We have to tell them something, or else they'll begin to worry in their own way..." Vincent began, walking up beside Tifa, who was looking through a closet. She stopped for a moment, a thoughtful look appearing on her face before she continued her search.

"I don't know Vincent, I honestly don't..." she began as she pulled a trench coat off of one of the hangers, holding it out to Cyan. He took it, admiring it for a moment before he tried it on. Vincent watched him with a keen interest, folding his arms across his chest.

"Why not tell them that something came up...someone called him to talk to him about something from his past?"

Tifa stopped for a moment, looking over her shoulder at him, watching as he got use to the feel of the material. "That could work, but what could it be about?"

"Does it matter? Say that this person had just recently found a file that explained that Cloud had an older brother who wanted to be reunited with him or something. Tell them that Cloud didn't want to bother them with this, and said to continue the investigation in his absence."

"It's all we have, Tifa. It would be the only thing that works," Vincent added. She stared at the two of them for a moment then nodded, going back to her search.

"All right. We'll tell them that, but I still don't like it," she said as she pulled a hat off of the shelf, holding it out to Cyan. He took it, smiling once again as he pulled his hair up, hiding it under the hat, except for his bangs, which only fell back into his face. He chuckled softly, brushing them out of his eyes. Tifa watched this, smiling slightly. How could he be related to Sephiroth? How could Vincent? None of this made any sense to her at the moment. "Okay, now we can go. I doubt anyone will ask any questions, for the time being," she added them began to walk towards the entrance. Cyan and Vincent exchanged glances then followed after her, remaining silent and on guard.

Barret continued to pace, ignoring the complaints of the others. Cid stood off to the side, watching him intently as he pulled a cigarette out of the pack, resting it between his lips as he searched for his lighter. Nanaki was lying beside him, striking the ground with his tail impatiently also watching Barret.

"You know, you aren't helping the rest of us any," Yuffie stated as she watched him folding her arms across her chest. He glared at her then went back to pacing, returning his gaze to the ground.

"I say we give them five more minutes," Reeve observed, breaking the silence as he continued to fix Cait Sith, who had malfunctioned shortly after they had recived a call from Cloud, telling them to meet him outside. Barret stopped pacing, nodding in agreement. Just then the doors opened then Tifa and Vincent walked out, followed by someone they didn't know. "Tifa? Where's Cloud? And who's your new friend?"

"His name is Cyan, Reeve. As for where Cloud is. He had to leave. He told me that someone had contacted him, claiming that they had found someone who was claiming to be his brother. Cloud then told me that he didn't want to bother everyone else with the matter, and left," she answered, crossing her arms across her chest. "He told me to tell you to continue the investigation while he was gone," she added.

"That would probably explain the call we all got from him..." Reeve began, rubbing his chin. Tifa stared at him for a moment, frowning slightly.

"What call?" Vincent asked looking in Reeve's direction. The other man shuddered as he stared into those eyes then went back to repairing Cait Sith.

"About fifteen minutes ago, Cloud called us and told us to meet him outside, but that was all he said..."

"Oh, that call," Tifa interrupted. "That's right. I remember him telling me about it, I guess it spaced my mind. After he had made the call, he told me to come out here as well, to tell you guys about what's going on. I hope this isn't some joke that someone is playing on him...this is all he needs..."

"Do you remember him ever havin a brother, Tifa?" Cid asked as he pulled the cigarette out of his mouth. She frowned once more as a thoughtful looked passed over her face. Vincent watched her, smiling briefly. He had to give her credit. She was a good actress.

"I don't," she answered then shook her head. "The past doesn't really matter at the moment. What does is that Cloud has trusted us to continue while he's gone. I suggest we do what he asked us to and continue the investigation..."

"Who's gonna lead?" Barret inquired. Vincent smiled, stepping forward.

"I suggest we let Tifa try," he suggested glancing at her. Everyone else looked at one another then faced her, waiting for her to give out the orders.

"Well...things are going to be done differently, I hope you're all ready for it," she began looking about her. Everyone nodded in response. She smiled slightly, closing her eyes for a moment. "Okay, first off, I think it would be easier if we split into three groups of three. We'll cover more ground that way. Reeve, I want you to go with Barret and Cid. Yuffie, you're with Nanaki and Cait Sith, that is if he's functional..."

"He is," Reeve answered as he stood up, activating the Mog. Tifa nodded, smiling once more.

"All right, that leaves Vincent and Cyan, who are going with me. Now, Barret, I want your group to check out Gold Saucer. If Dio has any objections then tell him the situation. Nanaki, your group is going to go to Cosmo Canyon. My group will check out Nibelhiem. Any questions?"

"Yeah, how are we supposed to get to Cosmo Canyon?" Yuffie asked, glaring at her. She returned the glare then looked at Cid.

"That's easy you nitwit. I'll drop everyone off at their places then my group will go on to Gold Saucer," the pilot explained, smiling slightly. Again Tifa nodded, closing her eyes once more.

"All right, let' go, unless we need to go back to Midgar for supplied or anything..." she began as she looked around. Everyone shook his or her heads once, staring at her. Again she smiled as she began to walk towards the Highwind. "Let's move out," she called over her shoulder, smiling at the memory of the times when Cid lectured Cloud about that sort of thing. Behind her she heard several laughs then everyone followed her. As she boarded the Highwind, she closed her eyes, releasing her held breath. "Please be all right Cloud. I lied to the others for you, so you better come out of this alive," she thought as Cid walked past her, towards the cockpit, followed by the others.