Sephiroth moaned softly, finding it difficult to move any part of his body without being in extreme pain. He felt nauseated, and utterly confused. What had happened? Why couldn't he clearly remember anything? His mind was blank...he was unable to remember what had happened recently, which bothered him, for he knew that something had happened, but the question was what?

"I think he's regaining consciousness," someone stated. He would have frowned, but again it hurt too much to do much of anything at the moment. That voice sounded so familiar to him, yet he couldn't place his finger on a name.

"Should I...?" another voice began. Again he remembered that voice, and again he couldn't place his finger on a name.

"Yes, unless you really want to have Jenova take over his mind and go through all of that again!"

"All right, I see your point...just clam down, Cloud. He's still too weak for Jenova to regain control of his mind," the second voice answered.

Cloud! Memories came flooding back into his mind just from hearing that one name. It had been Cloud who had...had what? Stood up against him? Stopped him from accomplishing Jenova's wishes? No, none of those fit. It had been Cloud and the rest of his friends who had saved him from following a path he didn't wish to follow. That was really the only way to describe what had happened. Memories of all the pain he had caused others...all the destruction he had done. Everything hit him like a tidal wave, forcing him to double over. He didn't wish to remember any of that, and yet now he did. That wasn't who he was...that wasn't who he was meant to be. Those he had thought were his enemies were in truth his allies...those who he had thought were his allies were in truth his enemies. None of this was making any sense to him. All the lies he had thought to be true...all of them had been the cause of all that had occurred in the past. He moaned softly as he slowly opened his eyes, staring at Cloud, who was standing in front of him. He vaguely felt a light prick in his left arm and absent-mindedly looked over to the second person, who was holding a syringe with an odd serum in it. His old fear of needles hit him like a ton of bricks as he tried to pull his arm free, but found that the person had an iron like grip and wouldn't let him.

In a few moments, Cloud was beside him, resting one of his hands on his shoulder. "Don't, Sephiroth. We're trying to help you. I know that you have a fear of needles, but this is for your own good. Trust me, please?"

He growled softly as he looked into his blue, Mako filled eyes. Cloud evenly returned his stare, unmoved by his anger. His glare softened as he stared into those eyes. He felt a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder. This seemed to calm his fear, but it also confused him. Why should he care what Cloud said? Why was this affecting him so much? He had been alone all his life, never counting on anyone else's support or comfort, so why was this affecting him so much? He nodded once looking away as the other man removed the needle. "Why are the two of you helping me? Do your friends know? Do they agree with it?"

"Well...um...they kind of don't know that we're here...and that's probably for the best. We're helping you because we need your help."

"My help? What do you need my help for?" he asked, as he looked at Cloud once more, raising an eyebrow quizzically. This was beginning to interest him. Just what was going on?

"Well..." he began looking at the other man. He nodded, understanding the pleading look in his eyes.

"We need you help figuring something out. You see there is someone parading around, killing innocent people and attempting to burn down small towns. We thought..."

"That because I had acted like that once before, I would be able to help you find this person before they struck again?" he finished as he slowly got to his feet, ignoring the protest that each and every bone and muscle in his body made. He would have to worry about that later. This was a pressing matter. If someone truly was killing innocent people and attempting to burn down towns, as Cloud and his friend...Vincent, that was his name, were claiming then they would need his help. He slowly crossed his arms across his chest, a small frown forming on his lips. "What exactly is going on? Has Jenova somehow found someone else to be a host for her intensions? If so, then why is this person doing exactly what I had done? Is he or she trying to frame me?" he thought, the frown growing slightly.

"What are you standing there for? We..."

"We?" he inquired, an amused smile replacing the frown as he looked at them. "Who said that the two of you were coming?"

"What are you talking about, Sephiroth?" Cloud asked as he walked up beside Vincent, who was now staring at him with narrowed eyes.

"What I mean is, get on with your lives," he answered then looked at Cloud. "I'm sure there's someone waiting for you to come back, and she's probably worried. Don't keep her waiting. Get on with your life and let me handle this person...and you..." he began as he looked at Vincent. "...You may not realize it yet, but there is still much for you to discover. Stop dwelling on that which you cannot change and get on with your life. Living in solitude won't solve your problems. Now, leave this person to me. I can handle anything they throw at me."

Cloud and Vincent exchanged confused glances then Cloud walked up to him, reaching into his pocket. "All right, Sephiroth. We'll give you that much, but if anything, anything happens, then contact me on this," he answered as he pulled out his PHS, holding it out to him. Sephiroth took it, staring at it blankly for several moments before returning his gaze to Cloud. He nodded once, a pleading sort of look in his glowing eyes. How could he say no to that sort of look? Cloud was after all looking out for his safety...how could he refuse this one simple request?

"Very well, Cloud. If anything goes wrong, I will call you. I promise," he answered, pocketing the PHS. Cloud smile in return as he backed away a couple steps then pointed behind Sephiroth.

"I don't think you want to leave that behind."

Sephiroth looked over his shoulder, finding the Masamune lying on the ground. For a moment he only stared at it then he walked over, bent down, picking it up then sheathed it in his belt. Cloud was right...he didn't want to leave this behind. True it brought back many memories he didn't wish to remember...it was, however, the only weapon he had at this point, and if he was going after one who had a reputation for killing people, he wasn't about to confront them weaponless. That would be the stupidest move on his part. He closed his eyes for no more than a mere second then faced the two of them, smiling as his form began to vanish. "Well...I'm off. I will find and stop this person before they strike again. No more people will suffer," he announced then his form vanished from sight.

Again Cloud and Vincent looked at one another, each raising an eyebrow. "Do you think he can actually handle it? I mean he wasn't one hundred percent, and that can hinder one's performance greatly," Vincent inquired, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.

"I know what you mean, Vincent, but what else could we have done? I know Sephiroth too well, nothing we would have said or done would've changed his mind. Plus I don't really want to get involved unless I absolutely have to..."

"How can you say that?"

"You remember what happened...if this person is really being controlled by Jenova, then what's stopping them from being able to take control of my mind? What's stopping Jenova from directly taking over my mind even as we speak?" he answered then began to look around the crater. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have more of that serum handy, would you?" he asked as he locked his gaze with Vincent's once more.

"Not with me...why...oh never mind. I'm sure there's a good reason to your train of thought at the moment," he answered as he turned and began to walk out of the cave. "Come on. We'll stop by the house I'm currently staying at and take care of your worries," he called back. Again Cloud looked around nervously then ran to catch up with Vincent. The sooner this was taken care of, the sooner he could get back to Tifa. A wave of relief washed over him as he thought about her, instantly forgetting about his current source of worry.

*

Vincent slowly made his way into Cosmo Canyon, looking around with his emotionless ruby eye, taking in everything around him. Not much had changed since the last time he had been here, but he felt as though something was missing in the air surrounding him. It now wasn't as vibrate with joy as it had been before. His face remained emotionless, even as one of the elders began to approach him.

"You're one of Nanaki's friends, are you not?"

"I am an associate. Why do you ask?"

"Then perhaps you could assist us. Nanaki has been gone for close to two hours. Before he left, he told us that he was going to practice his tracking skills. Normally it only takes him fifteen minutes to do so. Not only that, but for the last couple of days, he's been acting oddly..."

"And so you wish for me to see if I can find him?" he coldly inquired as he folded his arms across his chest. For a moment the elder remained silent, staring wide eyed at his clawed hand then he looked back into his eyes, nodding once. "Very well. I will find him for you, but only because this interests me, nothing more, do you understand?" he continued. Again the elder nodded. He nodded once in return then began to walk away, already having a good idea as to where Nanaki could have gone. He didn't understand why he was doing, but deep within him, something told him it was the right thing to do. How could he argue with that? He sighed softly as he made his way towards the woods surrounding Cosmo Canyon, fighting to understand what he was feeling deep within his soul...if it was possible for him to still have a soul. Although with all Hojo had done to him in the past...how was it possible?

He briefly closed his eyes, pressing those thoughts into the back of his mind, and concentrating on something else. It was then that he remembered what Sephiroth had told him before he left...or vanished as it were. Something about having more to discover and not to dwell on that which he couldn't change. What could he have meant by that? He knew everything about himself and his past, didn't he? Could he have missed something? If so, had Sephiroth managed to find it? Again he closed his eyes, a small frown appearing on his face, but it was quickly washed away with the stone mask as he entered the woods, following Nanaki's tracks. Just what had he been thinking, coming into woods that were no doubt filled with monsters, alone? He had to talk to him about that soon. Again he sighed softly, remaining in the shadows, for the time being, following the fire cat's tracks, and briefly looking around as a strange feeling washed over him. This was something he couldn't ignore...then again he never could. He slowed his pace, continuing to search the surrounding shadows for the source of his uneasiness.

*

Cloud slowly walked up behind Tifa, rubbing his arm where Vincent had given him the shot. He frowned slightly as he stopped directly behind her, running a gentle hand down her back. She jumped; releasing a startled cry then faced him. "What's the matter Tifa?" he asked as he noticed the frown on her face.

"Nothing..."

"Nothing, huh? The look in your eyes tell me differently," he interrupted as he gently took her hand. He slowly walked over to the couch and sat down, pulling her onto his lap shortly after. "Now, why don't you tell me what's really bothering you?" he asked, staring into her chestnut eyes. She returned his stare, running one of her hands through his hair.

"I was just thinking about the past."

"Yeah? And what about it?"

"Do you remember when I asked you about how badly Sephiroth had injured me and you claimed that you didn't think I'd make it and that you were really scared?"

"...Yeah..."

"Was that you really saying that?" she asked continuing to stare into his Mako filled eyes.

"Tifa..." he began as he gently pushed her off of his lap, standing up. She did as well, taking his hand.

"I know that at the time, you weren't living the truth, but I have to know. Was it true what you said?" she asked. He looked into her eyes for a moment then pulled his hand free, walking over to the window. Tifa stared after him, noticing the bandage on his arm. A small frown played across her lips as she followed after him. He glanced at her reflection in the window as she approached then looked away, staring outside. "Cloud..."

"It was the truth...even though I was living Zack's life, the real me was still inside. When you asked me that, I could do nothing else but say what I had felt," he answered in a soft, whispering voice, continuing to stare out the window.

Tifa smiled as she walked up beside him, gently resting her head on his shoulder. "So you did care..."

"Of course I care Tifa...I..." he began then looked away from her. "...I love you..." he whispered as he slowly closed his eyes.

"What?"

"I...uh..."

"It's okay, Cloud. You can tell me..."

"No, I can't. I've tried and the words just don't come out. That's how it's always been...there's so much I want to tell you, but the words never come out."

"I won't force you to tell me Cloud. When the time is right, and you're ready, you'll be able to tell me anything," she stated, turning to leave.

Cloud frowned slightly, an odd feeling coming over him, almost as if he was losing his chance. He reached out and gently grasped her wrist, causing her to face him. He gazed into her eyes for a moment then pulled her against his body. "Remember when you told me that words aren't the only way to tell someone how you feel?" he inquired then, before she had a chance to answer, pulled her closer still and kissed her lovingly, wrapping her arms around her waist.

Tifa's eyes widened for a moment as the shock sunk in then she slowly closed them as the tears began to force their way forward. She tried to hold them back as she wrapped her arms around his neck, linking her fingers in his hair, returning his kiss with just as much love.

*

Nanaki silently padded through the bushes, staring intently at the tracks before him. For the past hour, he has been following these tracks, trying to find what had made them. Shortly after he left the Canyon, he had stumbled upon these tracks...well not stumbled, but found them following the scent. It was a scent that was familiar to him in a way, but he couldn't identify it. He froze, hearing the bushes over to his right rustle...shortly after, a black hare dashed across his path. He released an irritated snarl then returned his gaze back to the tracks.

"Whatever made those tracks was obviously wounded," Vincent noted as he walked up behind him, emerging from the shadows.

"Vincent!" the cat cried, facing him, clearly taken by surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I came to visit Cosmo Canyon, that's all."

"Then why are you following me?"

"You're worrying the elders...they sent me to find you..."

"I can't go back, not yet," he interrupted turning away from him."

"Why?"

"I think I've found another of my kind. That is what I believe I am tracking at the moment..."

"Then I'm coming with you. Don't try to talk me out of it...you make an easy target when you're alone. I'm surprised you forgot that."

"I didn't forget, it just spaced my mind," he curtly replied, following the tracks once more. Vincent watched after him for a moment then began to follow.

"Exactly, you forgot."

"I didn't forget!" the cat exclaimed. Vincent smiled inwardly, staring down at him then looked around, still feeling uneasy about something, and yet not finding anything out of the ordinary.

*

Tifa pulled away from Cloud, gazing into his Mako filled eyes lovingly, her arms still wrapped around his neck. He returned her stare for a moment then looked away.

"I'm sorry, Tifa..."

"For what? You have nothing to be sorry for," she interrupted as she moved in front of him, locking her gaze with his once more. "...I think I'm beginning to understand."

"...Tifa..." he began, continuing to stare into her eyes, not wanting to look away. "I...I love you. I have ever since I first met you...I wanted to tell you, but the words just never came out the way I wanted them to."

"I love you too, Cloud...oh god...I've always loved you," she answered as she buried her face on his shoulder, attempting to hide the fact that she was about to cry. Cloud smiled for a moment then gently pushed her away from his body, falling to one knee. Tifa stared at him wide eyed, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. He stared at the floor for only a moment then gazed into her tear filled eyes once more, reaching into his pocket.

"Tifa...I don't ever want to think of life without you...that's why...Tifa...will you be my wife?" he softly asked, an embarrassed glow glowing in his already bright eyes. For a moment Tifa refused to move as she stared at the small box in his hand then she fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around his neck once more, burying her face on his shoulder, the tears continuing to fall.

"Yes...oh god yes. I will, Cloud," she quickly replied, her voice muffled because she still had her face buried on his shoulder. A huge smile played across his face as her answer sunk in then he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer against his body, closing his eyes.

*

Nanaki glanced over his shoulder at Vincent, who was now staring at his clawed hand. They were now resting in a small clearing, and would soon leave to continue the hunt, if one could call it that. "There's something else you're here for, isn't there?" he inquired as he sat on his haunches, staring intently at him. Vincent looked at him momentarily then looked back down to his claw.

"It's nothing," he coldly answered.

"Apparently it is...you have to learn how to show your emotions Vincent, so why not start now?" he inquired. Again Vincent looked at him then faced away from him, folding his arms across his chest.

"I'm incapable of showing emotions..."
"That's a lie and you know it...if you're so incapable of showing emotions or having feelings then why did you stay with us throughout the fight? You got your revenge on Hojo...why did you stay?"

"I had an obligation to finish. I started that fight, and I finished it."

"You had no obligation to the battle. You joined us halfway through it..."

"As did you. You weren't there in the beginning, and yet you finished it, why?"

"You came back the day before the final battle, when you had the choice to leave. We wouldn't have minded if you had left, so why didn't you?"

"Why didn't you?"

"Stop answering my questions with ones of your own! I came back because I was concerned about the safety of the planet! I cared about what happened and what the future held! Why did you come back?"

"That's none of your concern," he emotionlessly answered. Nanaki growled softly as he slowly got to his feet. He was beginning to grow impatient with the fact that Vincent was denying the ability to have emotions.

"Is it possible that you cared about what happened to the rest of us?"

"Perhaps it was a mistake to come with you. I'll leave you to your hunt...I'm in no mood to discover..."

"To discover that you are still human, and still capable of having emotions?"

"None of you understand what I went through in the past! I can never be as I was..."

"So you say, Vincent," he replied, narrowing his eyes. Now this was all becoming rather annoying. "So you think, but it's not true. The old you is still hidden in you, deep within that prison that you've made...but you're just too afraid to show it," he added. Vincent stared at him for a moment then turned and began to leave. "If I can't make you understand this, then perhaps someone else can," he called then turned and began to pad away, looking back down to the tracks.

Vincent froze for a moment then turned and watched his friend walk away. He knew...deep within that Nanaki was right, but he just couldn't accept it yet, could he? Even if he couldn't, he knew for certain that he couldn't let Nanaki wander around the woods alone, especially when he kept on having this feeling of dread...something was going to happen, but he couldn't place his finger on what.

As if that was some sort of cue, a tall man stepped out of the bushes behind Nanaki, pointing a shotgun at him. Vincent growled softly as he silently stalked towards the man, but even time seemed against him. The man fired twice, hitting the fire cat once in the flank and once in the shoulder. In response, Nanaki fell to the ground, but not before releasing a loud roar. Now something inside Vincent burned, but he knew it wasn't the transformation...it was something else, something he hadn't felt for years. He leapt at the man, drawing and pointing his handgun against his temple. "If you value your life then drop your gun right now," he snarled into the man's ear.

"Where the hell did you come from!?"

"Drop your gun!"

"Fuck you, asshole! I'm not about to pass this opportunity up," he snarled as he pointed his gun towards Nanaki, aiming for his head.

"That's your choice then isn't it?" he hissed then pulled the trigger of his gun. The man's eyes widened for a moment then he crumbled to the ground, dead.

"V-Vincent..." Nanaki began, trying to get up. Vincent hurried over to him, holstering his gun, kneeling beside him. He drew his Restore Materia, resting his hand on Nanaki's unwounded shoulder.

"Rest, Nanaki," he whispered as he cast Cure on him. The cat shuddered slightly as his eyes closed. Vincent sighed softly, sitting down as he pulled out his PHS. "Be home Cloud...I need your help now more than anything," he whispered, not noticing that a pair of golden eyes was watching him from among the shadows.

*

Aleira slowly scanned the people as they walked past the shadow-covered ally that she was hiding in. None of them thought to look in here. To them, no one in their right mind would hide in such a place like this. Well that showed how much they knew. None of them would in their right mind, come into a place like this, but for someone like her, this was where she felt the safest. No one could harm her, or make a fool of her here. Here she had the upper hand, all she needed was the perfect target. All her life she had been made the fool of for the pleasure and amusement of others. No one had ever thought about her, or the fact that she too was a human being, with feeling and emotions. No, that didn't seem to bother them! Always experimenting on her, and causing her pain! Nothing mattered to them, except the experiment. She was surprised that she hadn't been driven insane throughout the whole ordeal, or maybe she had. She never really took the time to think about that sort of thing, only that they had to pay for what they had done to her. None would escape her wraith, even if it meant that she had to burn down the whole planet in order to get her revenge, she would do just that! No matter what the cost, she would have her revenge!

Out in the crowd, a lone figure caught her eye. She frowned slightly as she watched him. Nothing seemed to stand in his way...it was almost as if the entire world feared him. Her frown grew even more as she continued to watch this figure intently. Even though he was wearing a black cloak that hid most of his features from the world, she was still able to tell that he was male. The muscular build, the height...no female could ever be that tall with that kind of build! At least she didn't know of any, but that wasn't the point at the moment. All that mattered was that she somehow felt drawn to this man, but she didn't know how or why. Something within her told her to retreat, but her gaze remained on him, and she was unable to think, or even to will herself to move. She wanted to learn more about him, and she had a feeling that she would, no matter how much her inner self told her that she didn't. Was it by chance that he came along? A million thoughts seemed to find their way to the surface of her mind as she watched him, unable to do anything else.

Sephiroth slowly made his way through the crowd, releasing an occasional growl whenever someone bumped into him, or tried to push him out of the way. How he hated crowds! Again he released an irritated growl as someone pushed him. He turned around and shoved the person back, knocking him off his feet. As the bystander stared up at him wide-eyed, he could do nothing else but smile. Someone else bumped into him, and they soon found themselves on the ground as well. Soon Sephiroth was laughing softly as he continued through the crowd, finding it enjoyable to push anyone who got in his way to the ground. He was glad to discover that his old strength hadn't left him, which seemed to relax his nerves, especially since he was now feeling as if the person he was searching for was near by. He didn't really understand how he knew this, but he did...it was almost as if her was drawn to this person. Again someone got in his way, and again they ended up on the ground. Another person soon followed, and then Sephiroth regretted shoving this person, for it was someone who had fought against him in the past. Why couldn't he remember any of their names? Not that it mattered, all he knew was that this could well mean more trouble than he had anticipated.

"What the hell's the big idea, pal!?" Cid exclaimed as he got to his feet, glaring at the cloaked figure.

"I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean to knock you to the ground...someone had bumped into me, causing me to loose my balance and crashing into you..."

"Yer voice sounds awfully familiar to me. Have we met somewhere before?"

"No sir, I don't believe we have," he answered staring at the pilot. All he wanted was for this fool to leave so that he could continue on his search, but it was obvious that he wouldn't, not until he was satisfied with whatever he was looking for.

"You sure we didn't meet somewhere before? Yer voice sounds awfully familiar..." he began but spun around, having heard someone cry something. As he turned, a sword came hurtling towards his head. Sephiroth gasped softly as he leapt forward, pushing the pilot out of the way, and blocking the attack with his own sword. Who would have thought that his former enemy would have drawn his target out into the open? He'd have to thank him later, if he got out of this in one piece, that is.

"How dare you aid him! He is your enemy, is he not?" the girl growled as she reached out and pulled his hood off roughly. He narrowed his eyes, glaring at her then did the same to her. They both stared at one another with narrowed eyes, daring each other to try something. The crowd no longer mattered.

"So you're the one who has been parading around as me, killing innocent people and burning down towns," he stated, not even bothering to answer her question.

"None of these fools are innocent, I went through hell because of them!"

"You foolish girl. It is not because of the world that you suffered. The ones who made you suffer are long since dead. I saw to that, because they made me suffer as well! You are not the only one who had gone through a hell!"

Aleira growled softly as she broke away from him, swinging her sword at his head. He easily blocked her attack, laughing as he did. "You find this funny?" she snarled as she teleported behind him, thrusting her sword forward. At the last possible moment he spun around and blocked that attack as well. Again she teleported as appeared above him, hurtling towards him with her blade pointed at him. As before, he managed to avoid the attack be vanishing, appearing behind her, laughing.

"This is all amusing, but you are no match for me, little girl," he teased, although he knew it was a lie. She faced him, glaring at him darkly then leapt forward. He gasped softly, barely having enough time to dodge her attack.

Cid watched Sephiroth and the girl for a moment then pulled out his PHS. "Barret, it's Cid. I need your help...I'm in Midgar and you won't believe what's goin on here. Sephiroth is still alive, and..." he began but pulled the PHS away as Barret began to shout every swear he ever learned then hung up the phone. He stared at the PHS for a moment, debating on whether it had been a good idea to call him or not, but who else was there to call? He shrugged, putting his PHS away. Over to the right, Sephiroth appeared, followed closely by the girl. They were still locked in battle, and it was obvious that neither of them were about to quit now. Even if Barret did show up right at this moment, there was nothing either of them could do. They'd have to wait until the battle was over.

As he thought about this, Barret came charging through the crowd. As he neared the two combatants, he froze, staring at them wide-eyed. Cid slowly strolled over to him, his arms folded behind his back. "Maybe next time you'll let me finish the story before you come charging over?' he asked.

"Cid, what the hell's goin on?"

"No clue. Sephiroth would be able to answer that, but he seems to be a bit busy at the moment. So we'll just have to wait for the girl to leave," he answered, facing the battle once more.

"Sir. There are several people here to see you who are claiming to have seen two Sephiroths in the area. . Would you like to see them?"

Reeve looked up from his paper work, frowning slightly. Were these people drunk or something? There was no possible way for Sephiroth to be alive. Cloud had told them he was gone, and Cloud wouldn't lie, would he? "Tell them I'm too busy to see any of them now," he bitterly answered looking back down to his paperwork. The secretary nodded then left the room, closing the door behind her. He sighed softly as he stood up and walked over to the window, staring outside. There was just no possible way that Sephiroth could be alive, it couldn't be possible. A million thoughts presented themselves, but not one of them was making any sense. Was it possible that some of the Sephiroth clones were still alive? Even if they were, none of them looked like Sephiroth. What did all of this mean? He groaned softly, leaning his forehead on the glass, closing his eyes. Maybe he should just call Cloud and ask him. A smile slowly played across his face then he hurried over to his phone and dialed Cloud's number. If anyone would know, he would.