"Stop right there!"  A Shinra soldier cried out.  "Stop or I'll shoot."

     The warrior turned to face his would-be attacker.  His eyes shimmered green
with the fluorescent light of the mighty Shinra corporate headquarters.  The
Soldier Third Class was paralyzed with fear.  Through his mind ran the images of
thousands slaughtered by the man in front of him, both as Shinra's personal weapon,
and as its most dire enemy.  He only saw the glint of the blade for a moment as in
a lightning quick motion, it was embedded into his ribcage.  He choked, trying to
find a last word.
     
     Sephiroth pulled the blade from the soldier's body professionally.  The
wound was so tightly made that the sword, having been pulled from the now lifeless
corpse, was clean.  Only moments afterward, did blood gush out from the stab mark. 
Sephiroth smiled morbidly.  

     He snapped his head to the right, hearing the elevator moving up.

     "They were in that elevator?"  He was asking an empty room.  "Those ones are
the ones that are going to be of use to our plan?  Very well then.  They have
fallen right into our trap."

***************************
*                         *
* Improfanfic Presents... *
*                         *
* FINAL                   *
*         FANTASY:        *
*                   FATED *
*                         *
* Chapter Five:           *
*        Quick Blood Rain * 
*                         *
*         By Jake Wallace *
*                         *
* Concept Started By:     *
*        Samantha Rodgers *
*                         *
***************************

     Inno Kinsley shivered.  She had never felt such power.  So it was him. He
was the murderer.  He was the one that would rend this world apart.  He was the
one that... would kill Inno herself?  'No,' she pushed the thought out of her
mind.  'You're being paranoid again.'

     "Are you alright, Inno?"  Cait Sith asked, genuinely concerned.
     
     "Yes.  I'll... I'll be fine.  We need to find Gabriel and the rest of them,
though."

     "If you don't mind me asking, who are you two?  And why is there a man
decimating the Shinra troops out there?"  The talking canine was making his
presence known.

     Inno answered, "I'm Inno Kinsley.  This is Cait Sith.  We're here with a bunch
of people from Midgar and AVALANCHE.  They were trying to finish off this
corporation once and for all.  Now that may be changing.  As for that man, I
don't know.  I'm not even sure of his na-"  She clutched her head and grimaced in
pain.

     The voices started again.  'Sephiroth... Sephiroth... One Winged Angel... 
Sephiroth...'

     "Inno!  Inno!" Cait Sith tried to shake her out of it.
     
     She stood up straight again.  "Sephiroth.  His name is Sephiroth."
     
     "That's Sephiroth?!"  Cait Sith was amazed.  "He... he's supposed to be dead! 
He died five years ago in some far off battle!"

     "No.  That's him.  He's alive."
     
     "He also looks rather angry from the look of it," the canine added.
     
     "Yes.  We need to find the rest of them.  By the way, what's your name?"  Inno
asked.

     "Hojo had called me Red Thirteen, a name that has no meaning to me.  My true
name is Nanaki, but you can call me whatever you wish."

     "Okay, Nanaki. Come with us.  We have to free our friends."
     
*******************************************************************************

     Cloud was busy focusing on the ceiling.  Most everyone else had fallen asleep.
 He thought he heard Barret still cursing under his breath in the corner.  He was
restless.  He couldn't get to sleep.  Even if he did, that voice would probably
come back to him.  He needed to know who it was, but he had no clue as to who
could be speaking to him in his dreams.

     Aeris was in the other cell.  She couldn't talk to him, even if he was awake. 
Tifa's was sleeping very lightly in the same cell.  She didn't want to bring any
bad blood between herself and the barmaid.  She did need someone to talk to. 
Wedge, however, had not complied, and was busy softly snoring in the corner.    
'At least I got the bunk,' she thought to herself.

     Gabriel was only pretending to be asleep.  He was trying to get a feel for his
situation.  Here he was, with eight hard luck cases trying to essentially overthrow
the world.  Shinra was the world, after all.  Who could compete?  'Not us,' he
thought to himself.  'They captured us like it was nothing.'

     A distant clicking sound could be heard.  Gabriel's eyes shot open, and he
stood up quickly, grabbing his chain sickle.  Shinra hadn't confiscated their
weapons.  Cloud looked up.

     "What is it, Gabriel?"
     
     "Someone's coming," Gabriel assured.
     
     "I don't hear anything."
     
     "Just get ready."
     
     A familiar beep came from the door, signifying a passcard being swept through
the readers attached to all the entries as a security measure.  The door hissed
open as Gabriel's grip on the sickle tightened.  He dropped it when he saw who was
standing across the threshold.

     "Inno?!" he exclaimed in disbelief.
     
     Inno, Cait Sith, and Nanaki stood on the other side of the door.
     
     "Come on!  We've got to hurry," she said.
     
     "Why?  What is it?" he asked as he hurried out the door.
     
     Cloud walked over to the sleeping form of Barret.  "Come on, buddy.  Nap
time is over."

     "Aw, damn," Barret replied.
     
     Gabriel looked down the hallway with disbelief.  A Soldier was down at the
end of the hallway.  His normally pristine blue uniform was splattered with
crimson.  His head, mask still covering nearly all of his face, was turned in an
unnatural fashion.  "What happened here?"

     "No time to explain.  Get the others!" she exclaimed.
     
     Gabriel complied, stripped the passcard off the fallen guard, and opened the
other two doors.  Aeris, Tifa, and Jessie were just waking up in one cell, arisen
by the commotion, while Biggs and Wedge were still fast asleep in the other.  "Wake
up, you two!"

     They groggily woke up, and all eleven met in the hallway.  Inno was the first
to speak.

     "We've got no time to mess around.  We've got to get up to the top of the
building, now!"

     She rushed off in the direction of the staircases before anyone else could
stop her.  The rest of them all ran after her, trying futilely to gain information
from her.

*******************************************************************************

     The plush violet carpeting on the penthouse office of the Shinra Headquarters
was ruined, soaked with blood.  A trail of death led to the huge desk which
occupied a good third of the total floor.  The eleven, led by Inno, stopped
suddenly when they saw what had transpired there.

     President Shinra was slumped over his desk.  His clothes were not
bloodstained like the others.  He had been killed with one wound.  A seven
foot katana was firmly stuck into his spinal cord.  It was perpendicular to the
ground.  Whoever had made the blow was incredibly precise.

     Inno, of course, already knew who the attacker had been.  However, the pudgy
associate of the former president, Palmer, decided it would be a good time to flee
immediately before she was going to speak up.

     Cloud and Barret grappled the cabinet member.  "Where do yous think you're
goin'?" Barret asked.

     "It was him!  He was here!  He killed the President!  He'll kill you too, if
he's still around!"  The corpulent Palmer was still shaken from the attack.

     "Who was here?" Tifa demanded.
     
     "It was Sephiroth!" he exclaimed.  "He told the President that he could never
have the Promised Land!  That it was already his own for the taking!"

     "Impossible," Gabriel stated.  "Sephiroth is a legend. He died years ago.  It
was in the papers."

     "He was here!  I swear it!  Let me go!" Palmer struggled.
     
     Cloud's grip waned.  Palmer ran off down the flights of stairs. 
"...Sephiroth.  Sephiroth is alive?"

     Barret spoke up.  "Hey, maybe this Sephiroth can help us out!  If he's against
Shinra, he can't be all that bad."

     "No way!" Cloud broke in. "You don't know Sephiroth like I do.  He doesn't
work for anyone but himself.  Everything is different now.  Don't you understand
that?  This is Sephiroth!"

     The whir of helicopter blades broke through Cloud's tirade.
     
     "Aw, shit!  It's Rufus!" Barret tried to speak over the deafening motors.
     
     "Who?" Aeris asked.
     
     "Vice-President Rufus!  Shinra's son!  I didn't expect he'd be here."
     
     The group ran outside to catch the Vice-President.  The future of Midgar
was about to take a turn for the worse, and they would be there to witness it,
firsthand.
     
*******************************************************************************

     A young man stepped out of the helicopter.  He wore a white suit, which
flapped dramatically on the windy terrace of the sixty-ninth floor of Shinra
Headquarters.  He was in his early twenties, and carried a frightening demeanor. 
He occasionally swept his bright red hair out of his face.  When he saw the group
of misfits and oddities running toward him, he smiled comfortably.  Rufus
Shinra had entered the picture, and he liked it.

     "Rufus!  I should've known your punk ass would show up!" Barret exclaimed.
     
     "Why, hello.  I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting.  I'm
President Rufus of Shinra, Inc."

     "You're only president because of your damn father keelin' over!" Barret
replied.

     "Well, aren't you a pleasant one?  I'd shake your hand, but it seems to be...
missing." Rufus smiled again.

     "You!  Why I oughtta..." Barret shook his gun-arm menacingly at the new
President.   Tifa held him back.

     "So, just who are you guys?" Rufus inquired.
     
     "Ex-Soldier," Cloud replied.
     
     "AVALANCHE Member!  An' don't you forget it!"
     
     "Me too!" Tifa, Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge piped in simultaneously.
     
     "A flower girl from the slums."
     
     "A test subject," Nanaki offered.
     
     "A fortune teller."
     
     "A treasure hunter."
     
     Inno chose not to speak up.  Rufus didn't take notice.  "What a crowd," he
replied.  "You few select people are about to witness a change. You're about to
see my term as President.  There's going to be a few changes around here.  My
father tried to rule the world with money.  He would throw away money to try to
keep the people happy.  There's no need for that.  I'll rule the world with fear."

     Cloud had had enough.  "Guys, wait for me down by the elevator.  I'm going to
take care of this guy?"

     "You sure you'll be okay?" Barret asked.
     
     "Yeah.  Just go.  I'll be fine."
     
     "Alright.  You heard 'im!  Let's move!" Barret barked.
     
*******************************************************************************

     The group hurried downstairs toward the elevator.  They stopped briefly when
they noticed Tifa wasn't following them.  She had stuck behind a few yard back.

     "I'll be waiting for Cloud!  Keep going!"
     
     The door sealed shut and locked with a satisfying click.  "I guess we should
keep moving.  Let's go!" Aeris suggested.

     They reached the elevator and stepped in.  The elevator had a tough time
fitting all ten people in.  Suddenly, gunfire blared from the other elevator shaft.
 The glass that surrounded the elevator shattered violently as a giant mech
launched an all out attack on the group.  Wedge, who had been shoved up against the
edge of the elevator when the group entered, lost his balance and fell over the
edge.  Jessie tried to grab him, but couldn't grab his arm in time, as he fell
down sixty-eight floors.

     "No time to worry about him!  We've got to fight!" Gabriel exclaimed, as
he checked the materia slots on his chain sickle.

*******************************************************************************

     "Why do you want to fight me?" Rufus was fairly shocked.
     
     Cloud merely shrugged.  Inside, however, his mind was racing.  He couldn't
let this tyrant take control of Midgar, or the world, for that matter.  Maybe if he
took him out now, Shinra would just fade away.  Everything would be better.  No
more Mako, no more plate, no more threat.  Somehow, though, with Sephiroth in the
back of his mind, he knew it would never be over, especially not with the death of
one man.

     "A man of few words.  I like that," Rufus noted.  "It won't save you, however.
 Dark Nation!  Attack!"

     A black canine with a tentacled mane materialized and jumped at Cloud, tearing
at his face.

     Rufus smiled at the sight, then took the opportunity to check his shotgun for
shells.  He snapped it back into firing position with a delightful cracking noise. 
"Dance."

*******************************************************************************

     Inno was strangely vacant while her new friends desperately battled the two
robots that had descended across the way.  She had just watched Wedge fall all the
way down the side of the Shinra Building.  Words were choked up in her throat.  He
was probably mashed beyond recognition from that height.  There would be no saving
him a second time.  She seethed with rage.  She tried to control it, but it brought
her on the brink of blacking out again.  She walked right into the line of
fire, much to the dismay of her comrades.

     "Inno!  What the hell are you doing?!" Gabriel screamed at her as he
cast another ice spell.  "Get out of the way!  You'll be killed!"

     Inno didn't hear her friends.  She only felt pain and suffering.  Her lip
twitched rapidly.  She would not stand for anymore death.

     ... and flash...
     
     Orange flames encircled Inno.  She focused her concentration on the robots
which were attacking rapidly.  She screamed a battle cry and launched a huge
fireball which exploded on contact with both robots.  The machines were knocked off
their legs a few feet into the air.  The one with the helicopter blades was
instantly vaporized, while the other fell off the elevator floor and straight down
onto the cold concrete below.

     ... and flash...
     
     Gabriel rushed over to pick up the fallen form of Inno.  "C'mon, kid. 
Wake up.  Don't go out on me now."

     "What's wrong wit' her?" Barret asked.
     
     "Dunno," Gabriel replied.  "She occasionally does that sort of thing.  She can
cast magic without materia, but that was no magic attack I've ever seen."

     "Magic without materia?"  Aeris asked astonished.  "I've never heard of such a
thing."

     "She's not a very normal girl," Gabriel answered.  He continued shaking Inno
gently.  She was showing signs of waking up just as the elevator made it to the
first floor.  "There you go.  All better.  Let's get out of this elevator."

*******************************************************************************

     Cloud lobbed off another fire spell at Rufus.  It had taken nearly all his
energy just to get rid of Dark Nation and keep himself alive while Rufus took
potshots with the shotgun.  However, he had managed to severely damage both Rufus
and his sick little pet.

     Rufus checked his ammo again.  He was all out.  'Damn,' he thought.  "That's
all for today," he remarked to his attacker as he grabbed a rope ladder which had
been conveniently dropped by the circling helicopter.  He rose up and out of sight.

     Cloud rushed downstairs only to find Tifa there waiting for him.  "What are
you still doing here?" he asked.

     "Waiting for you.  Everyone else is down at the bottom of the building.  I
think we've woke up the dead though with our assault.  The entrance has to be
packed with Shinra Soldiers by now!"

     "Hmm.  I've got an idea.  Let's go!"  Cloud exclaimed, grabbing Tifa's hand
and heading for the stairs.

*******************************************************************************

     The other eight members of the party were trapped on the first floor.  A huge
band of Shinra's troops were stationed right outside the main building.  Most of
the crew were sulking at the lack of hope in the situation.  Barret would have none
of it.  He occasionally popped a burst of rounds into the mob from his gun-arm.

     "Come on, you guys!  If we're gonna' go down, at least take a few of 'em wit'
us!"

     "Oh, you're so brave, Mr. Barret!" Aeris chimed in.
     
     "Aw, don' call me dat.  It jus' don't sound right!" he replied.
     
     Tifa came flying down the stairs at a breakneck pace.
     
     "Where's Cloud?" Aeris asked, highly concerned.
     
     "No time to explain!  Get into that truck!" she exclaimed.
     
     The nine squeezed into the truck, with a large degree of difficulty.  Tifa
fumbled with the keys and eventually got the vehicle to start.  A rumbling from the
stairs could be heard.  A motorcycle, with Cloud on it, came screeching down them. 
Having seen Tifa driving the truck, he nodded to her and began ascending the stairs
again.  The truck bumpily followed.  At the second terrace of the first floor,
Cloud revved the motorcycle one last time, and drove it straight at a window.  It
crashed through, the truck following closely behind, and landed on the crossing
highway.  The two vehicles sped off.

     "We did it!" Cait Sith exclaimed.
     
     "Don't celebrate too quickly," Nanaki replied.  "Look!  Shinra Pursuit
Troops!"

     "Hey, ladies.  Better step on it!" Barret yelled while smacking the glass
divider between them.

     Cloud unsheathed his buster sword while still on the motorcycle.  All the
people in the truck who were watching were impressed.

     "The kid's got guts.  I'll give him that," Barret noted.
     
     "Cloud's so brave!" Jessie added.
     
     Cloud slashed down half a dozen pursuit troops almost instantly.  They started
moving up in fuller force.  A few slipped past him and rammed the sides of the
truck.

     "Goodness!" Aeris exclaimed.
     
     Inno had not taken note that they were being followed yet, in her tight spot
in the middle of the cabin.  Now she knew that they were under attack.  She felt
part of herself slipping and losing control. "Bolt," she muttered.

     Cloud was trying to catch up to the truck and the pursuit troops attacking it.
 Suddenly, the sky darkened with clouds.  A series of lightning bolts streaked from
the sky and electrocuted the troops with frightening accuracy.  All the troops fell
off their bikes.  The group was home free.  Cloud sheathed his sword, and made his
way alongside the truck.  Suddenly, they reached the end of the highway.   
There would be no further driving, although the edge of the city was just below
them.

     "I guess we better climb down, or somethin'," Barret noted.  "We can't jus'
stay up here.  Shinra's goons'll be back real soon, I b-OOF!"

     A blast of flame knocked Barret over.  The group turned around to find a huge
robot towering over them.  Flames were emanating from various orifices on its
body.  It launched an assault of fire on the much smaller creatures.

     "Shi'!  This thing's insane!" Barret remarked.
     
     Inno felt a wave of confidence run over her.  She felt herself blacking out
again...

     ... and flash...
     
     Inno stood her ground at the front of the pack.  She walked slowly and
menacingly toward the giant robot.  A huge wave of fire, capable of searing flesh
instantaneously, consumed her immediately.  When it died out, she was still
walking toward it, with no apparent damage.  The remaining members of her group
were dumbstruck.  She raised her hands to they sky, and cried out, "Bolt3!"

     The air rippled with electricity.  Lightning bolt after lightning bolt
attacked the giant monster.  It was unable to defend itself, as it was attacked
rapidly from all angles.  It exploded, ironically, in a burst of flame.

     ... and flash...
     
     Inno fainted again.  Gabriel, who was well accustomed to the task of picking
up her unconscious body, set to work. Some of the AVALANCHE members were already
busy shimmying down the rope.  He didn't think he could hold the weight of two
people.  "Wake up, kiddo."

     She grimaced in pain as she woke up.  "What happened?"
     
     "You blacked out again.  Come on.  We're nearly out of Midgar."
     
*******************************************************************************

     The remaining ten warriors looked back at their former home of Midgar.    
They would probably never be able to come back here, and most assuredly not for a
very long time, if at all.  They were all leaving behind a piece of their past. 
The uncertain road lay ahead.

     "So... what do we do now?" Aeris asked.
     
     "We've gotta find Sephiroth," Cloud answered.
     
     Inno twitched briefly at the mention of that name again.
     
     "Yo, do we really need to be huntin' down the guy wit' dat huge sword?" Barret
responded.  "I mean, doesn't that seem a little dangerous?  Not like I'm scared or
anythin'."

     "I think I do. If Sephiroth is alive, then we're all in trouble."
     
     "What do you mean by that?" Cait Sith asked.
     
     "I'll explain it later.  We need to meet somewhere safe.  Does anyone know of
any towns nearby?"

     "Yeah!" Barret chimed in.  "There's a town just to the northeast of here
called Kalm.  We can meet at the inn there.  But we should split up just to be
safe."

     "Okay," Cloud said, thinking of ways to split the group.  "Aeris and Tifa,
come with me.  Barret, you take Biggs and Wedge.  Nanaki, Cait Sith, Inno, and
Gabriel, you're all together too.   Now let's go."

     "Figured you'd do that," Barret muttered as the three teams left for Kalm.
     
*******************************************************************************

     Kalm was a quiet town a few miles outside of the city limits of Midgar.  It
stood unnoticed in the giant city's shadow.  It was a thriving little village,
with commercial outposts, and quaint homes.  Barret knew from the start that he was
out of place.

     "Le's get inside.  I feel weird out here."

     Nanaki, Inno, Cait Sith, and Gabriel were all already in the guest suite of
the inn.  Cloud and his group took another half hour to get there.

     "Took ya long enough," Barret commented.

     Cloud shrugged while Aeris and Tifa found seats.  Cloud decided to remain
standing.

     "So, now ya got to tell us about Sephiroth," Barret demanded.
     
     "You don't want to know," Cloud assured.  It was replied to by the other nine
all whining for him to tell them the story.  He grunted as he realized he would
probably have to give it up.

     "Alright, alright," Cloud finally succumbed.  "You see, Sephiroth and I were
old coworkers together in Soldier.  You might even say we were friends."

     "You was friends with that guy?" Barret was astonished.
     
     "Yeah.  He was kinda quiet though," Cloud continued.  "I'll tell the story
to you. It all began five years ago.  I had climbed up the ranks of Soldier, all
the way up to First Class.  It was then that I finally was able to take a mission
to my own hometown of Nibelheim.  I was so excited..."

*******************************************************************************

     The Shinra truck moved steadily along the wet road.  The sky was pitch
black, and the small highways that ran across the continent were very dangerous. 
Fits of lightning would light up the sky, while thunder strikes rumbled the very
earth.

     Inside the truck, Cloud stirred.  He was obviously anxious about the trip to
Nibelheim.

     "Are you okay?" he asked one of the lower ranked Shinra troops who was doubled
over in the corner.  "I wouldn't know.  I've never had motion sickness."

     "Settle down," Sephiroth mumbled.
     
     Cloud took this as an opportunity to engage his hero in conversation.  "I just
got some new materia!  I can't wait to use it!"

     "Just like a kid," Sephiroth noted.  "Always rushing in."
     
     "I just want to prove myself.  I want to be like you.  After the war ended,
Soldiers like me didn't get the chance to become legends.  So I've taken every
chance I could get at these small missions.  Maybe one day..." he paused.  "So,
what's our mission this time?"

     Sephiroth looked up.  "We're investigating reports of alleged 'monsters' in
the area near Nibelheim.  I think it may be a malfunction in the Mako reactor
system up in the Nibel Mountains.  We should arrive by tomorrow."

     The truck rattled severely, and the driver slammed the brakes, nearly skidding
on the slick pavement.  He was terrified with fear.  A roar ripped through the
pitter-patter of raindrops.  Lightning illuminated a massive silhouette of a winged
beast.

     "That would be our monster," Sephiroth coolly noted.
     
*******************************************************************************

     Sephiroth and Cloud left the truck to see the monster firsthand.  It roared in
anticipation of their arrival.  Another lightning bolt struck, showing the front of
the beast.  Its scaly hide was battleworn.  Its neck reached to amazing heights. 
It was armed with ferocious talons and fangs, and occasionally, a small burst of
fire protruded from its nostrils.

     "A dragon," Sephiroth said.  "I didn't think any more of them existed.  
Best be on guard.  He's very strong."

     Cloud nodded with approval.  He drew his buster sword, and assumed his ready
stance.  This move was nowhere nearly as dramatic as Sephiroth's.  He slowly drew
his blade, Masamune, from its sheath, with a distinct grating noise.  He wielded
the seven foot blade one-handed, with amazing proficiency.

     The dragon, upon seeing weapons, took an opportunity to attack.  It let loose
a searing burst of fire right at Cloud.  The flame knocked Cloud backwards onto his
face, killing him instantly.

     "Life2," Sephiroth incanted, looking rather displeased.  Cloud stood back
up, very woozily.  "Why don't you just stay back and watch," Sephiroth
continued.  Cloud seemed disappointed.

     Sephiroth pointed his attention back at the dragon.  He rushed it with a
flurry of attacks from his blade. Every cut sliced easily through the dragon's
tough skin.  It keeled over, overwhelmed by the attack, and died.  Sephiroth
sheathed his sword, and walked away, leaving Cloud behind.  Cloud, being
persistent, ran to catch up to him.

*******************************************************************************

     "Wow," Tifa said.  "He just took that thing out?"
     
     "Yes," Cloud answered.  "You guys don't seem to understand.  Sephiroth's
power is unimaginable.  He's way out of our league.  If he's in this battle,
we're all in trouble..."

     The room was eerily quiet for a moment.  Everyone looked at the others,
searching for some sign of fearlessness.  None found any.

     "Anyway, the next afternoon we reached Nibelheim.  Sephiroth was talking to me
again, even though he was disappointed with me.  The next couple of days were one
of the most horrible experiences of any of our lives..."

*******************************************************************************

     The Shinra troops entered Nibelheim.  They stood there, in the gate to the
city, for a while, surveying the town.  Sephiroth was the first to speak, turning
towards Cloud.

     "So, how does it feel?  You said this is your first time back to your
hometown?"

     Cloud nodded in affirmation.
     
     "I wouldn't know.  I don't have a hometown.  My mother, Jenova, died in
childbirth.  I never knew my father.  They say that the first trip back to your
hometown is special, though.  Anyway, feel free to look around.  When you get
back to the inn, we can get to bed.  Tomorrow we'll go and inspect the reactor."

     "Okay.  Thanks!" Cloud yelled as he entered the town square.  The other
Shinra troops entered the inn. A town resident ran out of the nearest building.

     "Is it true?  Is Sephiroth really here?  Hey, buddy!" he was looking at Cloud,
who walked over.  "Do you think you could get him to pose for a picture?     
I've always wanted to take a picture of the great Sephiroth!"

     "Why don't you take a picture of me?" Cloud asked, halfway to a pose of his
own.

     The man looked on Cloud with distaste.  "I don't take pictures of nobodies,"
he said as he walked back into the building he came from.

     Cloud frowned. He wasn't a 'nobody.'  He would prove himself, surely enough. 
"But first..." he said as he headed for a small building on the edge of the road.

     He walked in the door, and looked around at the small house.
     
*******************************************************************************

     "Wait," Cloud said.  "That was my house, but I didn't go there five years
ago."

     "What do you mean?  This is your story.  Can't you remember it?" Gabriel
asked.

     "It's weird.  I would've gone to my house, but I can't remember doing it. 
It's blurry in my head."

     Inno winced in pain.  She was having another vision.  She saw a golden-haired
boy in a blue uniform talking to a middle-aged woman.  It was a series of random
images.  The boy was laying on the bed, while the woman milled about asking
questions about Shinra and when the boy was going to settle down.  Inno shook it
off, and continued paying attention to the story.

     "...I couldn't have," Cloud continued.  "I did go to another house though..."
     
*******************************************************************************

     Cloud opened the double doors to Tifa's house.  He walked around the rooms,
looking for her.  He didn't see her anywhere, and walked upstairs to check her
room.

     Tifa's room was the largest in the house.  It was quite luxurious.  It fit a
soft bed, a large bureau, and a full-size piano within its dimensions, with room to
spare.  Cloud was amazed by its size.  He walked over to the piano.  Although he
didn't know how to play a piano, he managed to belt out a tune.

     "I've heard that somewhere before," he noted as he walked over to the bureau. 
He opened some of the drawers, and looked through them, but found nothing of
interest besides some articles of clothing."

*******************************************************************************

     A pillow flew threw the air and hit Cloud firmly in the face.
     
     "Ow!" he cried.
     
     "You went through my drawers?!  You're sick!" Tifa exclaimed.
     
     "Calm down, Tifa," Aeris said as she tried to restrain the overwhelmed
barmaid.  "Why don't you keep going, Cloud?"

     Cloud continued, keeping a wary eye on Tifa.  "Anyway, it was getting late..."

*******************************************************************************

     Cloud left Tifa's house and yawned loudly.  'I should get back to the inn,'
he thought.  He walked across the courtyard and nodded serenely to the Shinra
soldier standing guard outside the inn.  There weren't enough beds there for all of
them anyway.  This one would have to spend the night outside.

     He walked into the inn, and checked with the main desk.  The man there
assured him that all the beds were assigned to Shinra for the night.  Cloud then
noticed a strongly built man in the corner.  He walked toward the staircase,
and was stopped by the man on the way.

     "Hello, young lad.  My name is Zangan," the man bellowed.  "I am one of the
world's finest martial arts teachers.  I have seventy pupils worldwide, all of whom
see me regularly to train and become the best the world has to offer.  One of my
finest students lives here."

     Cloud nodded sleepily, and continued to head upstairs.  He found Sephiroth
waiting there for him.  He was staring out a window which faced toward the
mountains.  He appeared deep in thought, although he engaged Cloud in conversation.
 Then both of them decided it was time to go to bed.  In the morning, they would
see the reactor and fix the problem.

*******************************************************************************

     Sephiroth woke Cloud up.  "Come on.  We need to go."
     
     Cloud groggily rose and headed for the door.  He had slept well.  He only
wished he could've spent another couple hours in bed.  He found Sephiroth and the
other Shinra troops in front of the mansion that dominated the town.

     "I've acquired us a tour guide," Sephiroth said.  "She's a local.  She'd
better be worth her trouble."

     A man came jogging down the path from further up.  Cloud recognized him
immediately as Tifa's father.  He was huffing slightly.  "She'll be here in a
moment, Sephiroth."

     "Good," Sephiroth said as a small girl skipped down the path.  It was Tifa. 
Cloud was noticeably surprised.

     "Tifa?!  What are you doing here?" he asked.
    
     "I'm your guide through the mountains," she replied.
    
     "I can't let you do that.  It's far too dan-" Cloud was interrupted by the man
who had been looking for Sephiroth's photograph the day before.

     "Mr. Sephiroth!  Mr. Sephiroth!" the man cried.  "Mr. Sephiroth!  Will you let
me take a picture of you?"

     Sephiroth rolled his eyes, and nodded, obviously annoyed by this intrusion. 
Sephiroth, Tifa, and Cloud all posed for the picture.  The flashbulb fired with an
audible pop.

     "Thank you so much!" he yelled back as he ran back to his building.
    
     "Come on," Sephiroth ushered.  "Let's go."
    
     The company began their hike up into the Nibel mountains.
    
*******************************************************************************

     The path was long and winding.  There were many pitfalls and cliffs along the
way, which they skillfully avoided.  There were also many monsters and creatures
that were dispatched easily by the mighty Sephiroth.

     "There," Tifa said.  "There's the bridge.  On the other side of it is that
Mako reactor that you're looking for."

     "Quickly, then," Sephiroth replied.  "I'd like to be back to Nibelheim as soon
as possible."

     The group moved quickly across the bridge.  Cloud suddenly cringed.  He felt a
twinge beneath his feet.  "It's going to snap!  Hurry across!"

     It was too late.  The bridge snapped in two.  The company fell down further
into the Nibel Mountains.

*******************************************************************************

     Sephiroth stood up and dusted himself off.  He helped pick up the fallen
Shinra soldier next to him.  They walked around the bend slowly.  There they found
Tifa and Cloud laying on the ground, barely conscious.  "Come on.  Wake up," he
said.

     Cloud stood up and rubbed his head vigorously.  That had really hurt.  He
arched an eyebrow, looking around.  "We're missing one," he said, noticing an
absent Shinra soldier.

     "I know this will sound cruel," Sephiroth said, "but we don't have time to
look for him, or what's left of him.  We need to move on, especially since we're
off the path."

     Tifa gaped at Sephiroth's actions, but led on anyway, right up through the
heart of a mountain.

     Inside the cavern, the walls were thoroughly moldy and wet.  The path upwards
was steep, but scalable.  Tifa spoke up.  "We shouldn't be too far off if we make
it up to the top of this peak.  It's right behind the reactor."

     The foursome made their way up into an open space.  Light descended from the
ceiling, where a gaping hole was present.  The light descended down on a green
structure, which flowered out of the ground in a sparkling fashion.

     "What is it?" Cloud asked, awestricken.
    
     "It's materia," Sephiroth answered, "in it's pure, unharvested state.  Mako
flows from the ground here, and after long periods of time condenses to form
materia."

     "Materia is where magic comes from, right?" Cloud asked eagerly.
    
     Sephiroth snorted at Cloud.  "Such a primitive word for a description.  Mako
is the condensed knowledge of the Ancients themselves!  Millions of years of
knowledge, poured into a material form, allowing fantastic feats of science to
work.  It shouldn't even be called magic!"

     Cloud was astonished.  'The knowledge of the Ancients?' he thought to himself.
 "Who told you that?"

     "Hojo, of Shinra Inc.," Sephiroth answered.  "An insignificant man set to take
over the role of a great mind."  He continued walking up the path which led out of
the mountain.  The rest of the group could only follow.

*******************************************************************************

     The Mako reactor loomed before them ominously.  Its age was told by the rust
which was forming at corners of the mighty machine.  Dark, cloudy skies blocked off
getting a good look at the outside of it.  Sephiroth began climbing the set of
stairs leading up into its innards.  He turned around and added as an afterthought,
"The girl stays here.  This is confidential Shinra business.  She can't be in
there."

     Cloud and Sephiroth walked into the reactor, while the other Shinra soldier
stood at the base of the steps.  He held up his hand as she tried to follow, and
shook his head persistently.  Tifa stamped her foot and crossed her arms in
defiance.  "You'd better take real good care of me, then."

     Sephiroth moved through the reactor with practiced ease.  Cloud nearly fell
off one of the walkways, but regained his balance just in time.  He caught up to
Sephiroth as he reached a red room, full of small capsules with windows at their
tops.

     "Welcome to the Jenova Project," Sephiroth said with distaste as Cloud
entered.  "Let's see what we have here."

     Sephiroth grabbed one of the capsules by the top, and leapt up so as to look
through it.  "Just as I thought," he noted.  "That bastard Hojo..."

     "What is it?" Cloud asked.
    
     "Take a look for yourself.  Look through the glass on the capsule."
    
     Cloud leapt up and took a good peer through the window.  Looking back at him
was a spiky-haired demon, with a skin texture that looked like granite.  Cloud's
grip slipped and he slammed into the metal floor.  "Wh... what is it?"

     "Our monsters," Sephiroth answered.  "That idiot Hojo thinks he can get away
with it, but I've got a surprise for him.  You know how normal Soldiers are infused
with Mako, right?"

     "Yeah."
    
     "Well, these poor souls were drowned in it.  This dosage is far beyond normal.
 They're more creations of Hojo's imagination than humans."

     Cloud stopped for a moment to think of an intelligent question, and then posed
one at his hero.  "So, how do you know you weren't created this way?"

     Sephiroth, who had been pacing, stopped dead in his tracks.  He snapped around
to face Cloud, his eyes wide with fear.  It was the first time Cloud had seen him
with that look in his eyes.  "No... It can't be.  I couldn't be..."  He faced the
capsules again.

     "No!" he exclaimed as he attacked the capsule with Masamune.  It clanged
loudly against the metal.  Cloud was afraid the machinery might burst open and
splash Sephiroth with a lethal dose of Mako, but it held.  Unfortunately, another
capsule underwent a malfunction just as Sephiroth had sheathed his sword.  It
exploded open, and the creature that had been held inside crashed to the floor in a
fetal position.  It was highly deformed, and quickly perished.  Sephiroth paid no
attention to it, and walked out the door.  Cloud tried to follow, but Sephiroth was
eerily quiet on their way out.

*******************************************************************************

     Cloud paused momentarily in his story.
    
     "What's the matter?" Cait Sith asked.
    
     "I'm just trying to remember everything," Cloud answered.  "Sephiroth
disappeared after that night for two days.  Nobody in town saw or heard from him. 
The other Shinra soldier and I were worried sick.  We didn't know if we should
leave or stay until we found him.  Eventually someone mentioned to us that they had
heard things coming from the Shinra Mansion, the big building owned by Shinra, Inc.
on the edge of town.  I went to it to investigate..."

*******************************************************************************

     The Shinra Mansion was an ivy covered, two story building.  It was massive,
and contained many bedrooms, dens, and living rooms.  Cloud investigated the place
thoroughly, looking for some clue of what might be making the noise.  Deep down he
hoped it was Sephiroth, but he wasn't sure of anything.

     He found the other Shinra soldier in one of the upstairs rooms, looking for
Sephiroth.  He hadn't a clue either of where their leader had gone.  Cloud
continued his search.  He was nearly ready to give up when he found a secret door.

     He slipped down the stairs cautiously, keeping his eye out for anything that
might jump out unexpectedly at him.  He found the passage led into an old library,
filled to the brim with logs and diaries of Shinra scientific developments. 
Sephiroth was pacing with a book in his hand in the back room, reading aloud to
himself.

     "Could it be a coincidence?" he asked Cloud as he walked into the back room. 
"Could it be some weird coincidence that my mother's name is Jenova?  The Jenova
Project?  I've been reading up on it.  The Ancients, no, the Cetra once ruled this
world.  They knew about something named Jenova.  Something which always fought
against them!  How could it be just a chance that my mother's name was exactly the
same?!  How?!"

     "Sephiroth!" Cloud yelled.  "Settle down!"
    
     Sephiroth looked Cloud directly in the eye and snorted in disgust.  "Leave me
alone."

     Cloud sighed and left Sephiroth to his own misery.
    
     "Why couldn't you have told me more, Professor Gast?" he asked to the empty
room as he continued his reading.

*******************************************************************************

     A few days later, Cloud was resting in bed in the Shinra Mansion.  Sephiroth
never came up for anything.  His meals were brought to him, what little of them he
did eat.  He never seemed to sleep.  The light in the basement was always
illuminated.

     Cloud felt a twinge at the small of his back.  Something was wrong.  He
couldn't put his finger on it just yet.  He sat up straight in bed and rushed
downstairs to find Sephiroth.  He found him, once again in the back room, reading.

     Sephiroth laughed at his entrance.  "What are you doing here, traitor?"
    
     "Traitor?" Cloud asked.
    
     "Yes, traitor.  You and your kind are all traitors.  I am of the Cetra blood. 
We once ruled this world.  We moved from planet to planet, in hopes of finding the
Promised Land.  When we reached this planet, we thought we had found it.  Then we
met your ancestors.  Slowly our race dwindled into oblivion, while yours grew fat
and lazy," Sephiroth said with contempt in his eyes.  He walked toward the hallway
where Cloud stood.

     "What are you talking about?" Cloud asked.
    
     "I'm talking about the future of this Planet, traitor!  Now out of my way!" he
screamed as he pushed Cloud aside.  "I'm going to see my mother."

     Cloud rushed into the back room to find some piece of information on what the
devil Sephiroth was talking about.  All the books that had been scattered on the
floor were shredded or burned.  He looked out the window and saw a sight that would
frighten him for the rest of his days: fire.

     He rushed upstairs and out of the mansion.  The town was burning at a furious
pace.  He rushed down to the main courtyard.

     "Hey!  You!" Zangan yelled.  "You're still sane, right?  Then help me save
these people!"

     Cloud leapt across the flames and looked at the two bodies on the ground.  One
was the photographer that had taken his picture only a few days earlier.  Now he
was dead.  Cloud suddenly had a panic attack and rushed over to his house.  He ran
in the door, driven by a passion.  He walked out, with a detached look on his face.
 His home was gone.

     The sound of a blade being unsheathed rang through the sounds of cracking
wood.  Cloud looked up to the Shinra Mansion.  Two town residents had rushed
Sephiroth.  He cleanly impaled one.  The other was beheaded with one swipe as
Sephiroth removed the blade from the first victim.  He then disappeared through the
flames and headed north, to Mount Nibel.  Cloud followed, this time in rage as
opposed to companionship.

*******************************************************************************

     Cloud wheezed as he reached the reactor.  He had ran here with all the energy
he could spare, and was still late in reaching it.  When he hurried in, he saw Tifa
standing over the dead body of her father.  Masamune was implanted into the base of
his neck, quite gruesomely.  She pulled the sword from him and rushed further into
the reactor, mumbling "Sephiroth did this..."

     Cloud hurried to follow.  He ran right into the room where the Jenova Project
was stored.  Sephiroth pounded on the door to the top room.  "Mother, open up!  It
is I, your son!"

     Tifa rushed Sephiroth.  "You murdered my father!" she screamed at him.  She
moved in for an attack, but Sephiroth's strength overwhelmed her.  He wrestled the
sword away from her, and slashed her across the midsection.  She tumbled down the
stairs.  Cloud picked her up and set her out of the line of fire, on the walkway
alongside the capsules.

     "You... kept the promise," she said with a smile on her face.
    
     Cloud became utterly determined to put an end to this.  He ran up to the top
room.  Sephiroth was there, looking with madness into the heart of Jenova.  He
ripped off the metal shell that was formed in the likeness of an angel.  Behind
that, was a glass tube containing a bizarre organism in the shape of a woman. 
Sephiroth cackled with glee.

     "Sephiroth!" Cloud yelled at him.
    
     "Oh.  It's you," Sephiroth responded.  "The traitor.  Don't worry.  Soon you
shall be punished for the pain you have caused her.  You all shall be punished."

     "What about the pain I feel?  My mother, my home, Tifa?  What about all those?
 We have to finish this!  Now!" he exclaimed.

     Sephiroth laughed in an attempt to mock Cloud.  Cloud drew his sword, as
Sephiroth did Masamune.  Cloud leapt into the air, and the battle began...

*******************************************************************************

     "And that's it," Cloud said.
    
     "Wha?" Barret asked.  "Shouldn't there be more?  What happened between you and
Sephiroth?"

     "I can't remember," Cloud answered.  "In terms of sheer strength, I couldn't
have beaten him."

     "But Sephiroth died five years ago, regardless," Gabriel retorted.  "I read it
in the papers."

     "The papers are owned by Shinra," Tifa said.  "They can't be trusted."
    
     "Well, shi'," Barret interjected.  "It don't seem like a good end to the
story."

     "I think we should all get a good night's rest," Nanaki spoke up.  "If we're
going to go hunting after this Sephiroth fellow, we'd better be ready."

     Everyone agreed.  They all quickly fell asleep, except for Inno.  She was only
pretending to be out.  Her mind was racing.  She now knew who Sephiroth was.  He
had to be the killer.  The images in her mind, however, were changing.  Instead of
Aeris being the one killed, the picture was more blurred.  She couldn't tell if it
still was Aeris, or if someone else was dying at the hands of that accursed sword. 
She decided to keep quiet about her visions, at least for a little while.  It would
do no good to make everyone paranoid about who would die.  Before she knew it, it
was morning...

*******************************************************************************

     Everyone had checked their gear and materia.  Everything seemed to be in
working order.  They were ready to head out.  Cloud nodded in approval, "Great. 
Let's get moving."

     Barret, however, was hesitant.  "Uh, Cloud?" he asked.  "Umm, I need to tell
you something.  In private."

     Cloud walked over to Barret, who was talking under his breath, trying to
remain unnoticed.

     "I gotta go back for Marlene," he said.  "I can't think straight without 'er. 
Me, Biggs, and Jessie are gonna go try to find her in Midgar."

     "Are you sure?" Cloud asked.  "You're welcome to come along with us to find
Sephiroth."

     "Yeah.  I gotta find Marlene.  Anyways, I've got this feelin' we'll all be
seein' you sometime again in the future."

     "Well, it's your choice," Cloud said, reluctantly.  "Maybe we'll see you again
soon.  Are you sure Tifa doesn't want to go too, though?"

     "Naw.  She should stay with you.  You've known eachother since yous was kids. 
Now we've got to get a movin'.  We'll see you later, Cloud."

     And with that, Barret, Jessie, and Biggs headed for Midgar.  They went the
opposite direction of Cloud and his crew, who headed out into the plains.  They
didn't know what would befall them next.  They had only one objective:  Find
Sephiroth.

*******************************************************************************

     Okay.  That's it.  This seg took me a little while longer than I'd hoped.  I
hope the ending worked out okay with the rest of the segment.  It felt a bit
rushed.  Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.

Jake Wallace
kwteach@probe.net