Merging Journeys

Wow, this story's going by faster than I thought it would be. I'll probably finish this by the time school comes rolling by. *shrug* A girl can dream, can't she? Anyway, you know the drill about the disclaimer; Final Fantasy VII and all its characters belong to Squaresoft. This chapter is dedicated to Jen, also known as Highwind32. Good luck with your story, Jen; I look forward to seeing more of it! This chapter is the ice-breaker of the story; read this chapter over and over so that you'll understand it better. ^_~

Started: July 11 (12), 1998

Finished: August 17, 1998

Tifa Lockheart looked from one Cloud to the other. The two were almost identical in every way; no wonder she had been fooled. She stared at the impostor that she was still clinging to, seeing the dismay in his glowing Mako eyes as he gazed back at her.

Cloud, the real one, fingered his Ultima Weapon, gritting his teeth. "Tifa, get away from him," he ordered harshly. "He's dangerous."

"Tifa. . .," the fake Cloud (let's just call him Cloude) whispered. Tifa suddenly felt betrayed. This man had masqueraded as the man she adored and had kissed her . . . more than once. Shivering, the young woman backed away, looking back at the real Cloud.

"Come on, fake," Cloud growled, "fight me."

"I-- I don't want to." Cloude backed away slowly.

As Tifa looked on, Cloud suddenly rushed his impostor, striking him with the flat of his glowing sword. Cloude went sprawling to the ground, holding his stinging cheek. "Then you're just a coward?" he hissed. "You just waited for someone to come up for you to stab in the back so you could steal their life?"

"I did no such thing!" Cloude shouted back. "You know what happened. . . That thing-- that bird creature took us both out. Your two friends, Cid and Barret, pulled *me* out of Hojo's laboratory."

"And you didn't even tell them that you weren't me!!" Cloud advanced, striking Cloude with his sword again.

"Cloud, don't make me--" Cloude screamed abruptly, grabbing his head in pain. His head felt as if it was ready to explode; so many things were pouring into his brain. Tifa gasped, stepping forward as Cloud backed away in shock. Cloud held his breath. 'This . . . specimen suffers from the same headaches I had? What can be triggering it. . .?' Cloude opened his eyes, blinking weakly before falling back to the ground. "Nibelheim. . . Fire. . . Sephiroth. . ." The young man shut his eyes, falling into unconsciousness.

"How would he know about the Nibelheim incident?" wondered Cloud. "He's just one of Hojo's failed experiments or something. . . Like . . . I was."

"Are you saying that he could be another failed Sephiroth clone?" Tifa queried, kneeling next to the unconscious impostor.

"I don't know," Cloud sighed, his anger beginning to die down. If that was the case, he would have to feel sympathy for the man; he knew through first-hand experience how depressing it was to know that you were a `mistake`. "For all we know, he could be a clone of *me*."

"I don't think so," Tifa said in a quiet voice. "Cloud . . . he's a lot different from you."

"I can see that." Cloud frowned, sheathing the Ultima Weapon. "C'mon, Tifa; we've got to get back and tell the others about this guy."

When Cloud turned away sharply, Tifa shouted out, standing up from where she had been kneeling. "You don't mean to leave this guy here, do you!?" she exclaimed. "Cloud, if he's one of Hojo's experiments, won't Shinra be after him?"

Cloud spun around, looking at her sternly. "What use is he to Shinra?" he growled. "He may be able to use a sword, but I doubt he'll be the next Sephiroth!" At the mere mentioning of the name, Tifa cringed. "Personally, I think he's almost pitiful!"

"Pitiful?" Tifa and Cloud averted their eyes to the young man on the ground, who looked at Cloud venomously. "Look who's talking! I took a bullet to the head to make sure those Shinra troops didn't haul your ass back to Shinra! You-- taking my sword and leaving me out in the rain--" Again, Cloude clutched his head in pain, screaming out as head began to ring.

Meanwhile, Cloud's blue Mako eyes had widened considerably. He stared at his `clone` in horror before averting his gaze to Tifa. "Tifa--" he started. "Tifa, he's talking about . . . after Hojo did--" When Tifa looked at him in confusion, Cloud took a deep breath, collecting himself. "He's talking about . . . when Zack died. . ."

"Zack? The SOLDIER that went to Nibelheim with you and Sephiroth?" queried Tifa. She looked down at Cloud's impostor. "Can he be. . .?"

Cloud shook his head. "Zack had black hair and darker eyes, even though he looked a lot like me. I don't know who this man is, but he knows things only Zack and I knew." After mulling over his choices, Cloud walked back to Tifa's side. "I guess we'll have to take him with us. I want to know how he knows what he knows." With that said, Cloud picked up Cloude and started back towards Sector 3, Tifa a few steps behind, her eyes always locked on the impostor that had kissed her.

"What do you think will be Miss Elmyra's reaction when she sees Aeris again?" Vincent queried as he walked with Tseng through Sector 3 with the other AVALANCHE members.

Tseng shook his head, glancing to his right when Aeris said something to him. "Well, I can't say, but Aeris thinks that she'll be crying with joy."

"I think Aeris is right," Vincent sighed. "Maybe Miss Elmyra will finally forgive Cloud completely for Aeris' death." When Tseng threw him a confused look, Vincent explained, "Miss Elmyra wouldn't have come back to Barret and the others unless she trusted all of them enough."

For a moment, Tseng looked at Vincent. Then, he turned, nodding in understanding. There were no words between the two, or anyone in the group, as they approached the AVALANCHE hideout. Barret glared at Tseng as he allowed the former Turk to enter after Vincent.

"Ya better watch your back, Turk," he hissed, shutting the door behind him.

"Leave him alone, Barret," Red sighed, turning to them as he padded towards the other room. "I don't know if it's my place to say this, but I think Tseng's telling the truth about the Ancients, or the Cetra." He turned his head to Tseng. "What do the Cetra see as a threat to the Planet?"

"This new Shinra is planning something horrible for the Planet, I can feel it," Tseng replied. "I think they're going to do more than suck the life out of the Planet."

"That don't sound good," Barret muttered.

"It won't be good, either, if Shinra starts all the reactors up again."

"Yeah!" Barret's eyes suddenly went wide. "We heard in da buildin' that Scarlet was rebuildin' the Sista' Ray! They be needin' all the reactors up to get that working, right?"

Tseng nodded, wondering what could have destroyed the Sister Ray in the first place. "I don't know what Shinra plans to do with a rebuilt Sister Ray, but it can't be any good."

"Now," came a voice from the other room, "that's a voice I haven't heard for a long time. Is that you, Tseng?"

Elmyra walked into the room, inhaling sharply when she saw Tseng. "Hello, Elmyra," Tseng greeted. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"I was told that Sephiroth killed you by that spy, Reeve," Elmyra managed.

'Reeve is a spy for AVALANCHE? He must be in the Shinra Building, then.' Tseng cleared his throat. "Any reports about my death were greatly exaggerated. I managed to stay alive even after Sephiroth slashed me up." Aeris tugged on his sleeve gently, causing him to avert his eyes to her own pleading ones. "Aeris wants to talk to you, Elmyra."

"Wh-- what?" gasped Elmyra. She shook her head, shaking away her confusion. "Tseng, Aeris is dead."

"Miss Elmyra," interrupted Nanaki, "Tseng is an Ancient. Like Aeris. He can talk to her."

Elmyra went pale in the face. "You're a Cetra . . . like Aeris?" she queried in disbelief. Her eyes filled with tears. "How is she now? Is she all right?" Tseng smiled mysteriously, grasping Aeris' hand and shutting his eyes. Aeris opened her eyes to find her foster mother staring at her in shock. "A-- Aeris?"

Aeris nodded, tears glistening in her eyes as well. "It's me, Mom." Elmyra embraced her, holding onto her for dear life. "I missed you so much." Nanaki and Barret watched them embrace for a moment before leaving.

"Have you really come back to me?" whispered Elmyra, looking deep into Aeris' eyes. "Are you for real?"

Tseng turned to leave. "I'll see you later, Aeris. I think you'll be able to tell where I am when you go looking for me." He smiled as he walked right through the front door and disappeared from sight. Aeris smiled in understanding, continuing to hug her foster mother.

Cloude's eyes flickered open and he blinked, his eyes focusing on Tifa moments later. "Where am I?" he whispered.

"On Cloud's back," replied Tifa. She looked at him with a frown. "Who are you?"

Now that he was being forced to face the truth, Cloude had to look away from Tifa's prying eyes. "I don't know," he sighed. "Can I get down now? As much as I like not having to walk, I don't feel right about this."

Cloud let his impostor off and crossed his arms across his chest. "You don't know?" he repeated. "How can you not know? You're your own man, aren't you?"

The impostor bowed his head. "I'm not even sure about that," he said in a small voice. "I've been Hojo's prisoner for as long as I can remember. That's not very long, mind you." He held his head, and Cloud tensed; he almost expected his fake to start screaming like he had when Sephiroth had been tampering with his mind.

"How do you know Zack's memories?" The question was abrupt and caught both Tifa and Cloude off-guard.

"Who's Zack?" queried Cloude.

". . . You really don't know?" Cloud sighed, scratching his head for a second. "You told me that you took a bullet to the head . . . to save me from Shinra. Only Zack would know about that."

The other blond-haired man shook his head. "Did I say-- wait, yeah, I remember saying that now. The memory . . I don't know why, but it seems like it just happened yesterday. . . I could probably recall the whole thing right now--"

"Please don't," Cloud quickly interrupted.

Cloud's fake suddenly looked back at him, his face hardening and his eyes narrowing. "I wasn't planning to," he hissed darkly. Almost immediately, his face relaxed and he shook his head again. "I-- what's happening to me?"

"Can there be more than one mind in there?" Tifa asked Cloud.

"That would explain his sudden personality changes," Cloud said.

"I don't have a split personality!" growled Cloude. "There's just . . . some memories that aren't my own. . . And other memories. . ."

"Other memories? You have more memories than just your own and Zack's?" queried Cloud, fingering his Ifrit Materia.

"Yes. . . I remember . . . intense heat . . . glass shattering all around me. . ." Cloude shook his head before burying his face in his hands. "It's always pain . . . always agony. . . Never a thought of joy or happiness. . ." Tifa squeezed the young man's wrist, frowning with concern. Cloude looked up at the woman, tears running down his face. "Never joy. . . Always pain. . .," he continued to whisper.

"Cloud, we have to help him," Tifa whispered, looking up at her friend.

"How? We don't know how to help someone with this kind of problem and even if we *do* succeed in helping him, what good will it do for us? Shinra Incorporated will still be active and Veraldei will still be reconstructing the Sister Ray! Not just that, but I think the Turks may be onto us!"

"He's right," Cloude sighed remorsefully. He wiped the tears from his face. "I'm just one of Hojo's specimens. I don't even know if I was a person before Hojo. I-- I guess I'll never know." He looked at Tifa and Cloud. "Tell the others . . . I'm sorry for deceiving them. I didn't want to deceive them for a moment. . . All I wanted was a life. . . I'm sorry. . ." With that, Cloude ran off, disappearing into the slums. Tifa and Cloud could only look on.

Tseng sat alone on the top of a mountain of wreckage in the slums, staring at the Shinra Building, which loomed over everything else in Midgar. He wondered how the Turks were doing. Especially Elena. Out of the three, Elena must have taken his "death" the hardest. He had known that Elena had loved him with all her heart. At that time however, he did not return the feelings. Now that he had been given a new perspective of the world, he realized that love was something that shouldn't be thrown away.

As the Ancient drew his gaze downward, he was surprised to see a familiar-looking young man running through the slums. He didn't appear to care where he was going, as long as he kept on running. 'Isn't that Cloud?' Tseng thought. Suddenly curious as to what was wrong with the young man, Tseng climbed down from the wreckage and hurried after the man.

Cloud was stunned the moment he walked back into the AVALANCHE hideout. Sitting there on one of the couches, with Marlene and Elmyra at her left and right, was Aeris. His face must have gone extremely pale, as Aeris looked up at him and giggled. "You look like you've seen a ghost, Cloud!" she exclaimed.

Tifa pushed her way past Cloud at the very sound of Aeris' voice. "Aeris?" she gasped, her eyes wide with disbelief. She dashed across the room, grabbing Aeris' hands. "You're alive! I thought-- aren't you supposed to be--"

"Dead," finished Cloud, nearing the dead Cetra as well. "Aeris. . .? How can you--"

"I'm still dead," explained Aeris. "You're able to see me because of Tseng. . ." She looked around and frowned. ". . . He isn't around at the moment, unfortunately."

"Tseng? The Turk??" Cloud gasped. "He died at the temple!"

Aeris grinned. "Wrong!" she giggled. "He's still alive and is my soulmate."

"YOUR WHAT?!??!" shrieked the two.

Vincent walked into the room, rubbing his eyes with one hand. "How the hell is anyone supposed to get sleep around here with people screaming?" he queried. He narrowed his red eyes on Cloud, then frowned. "Oh. No wonder."

"You knew about Aeris and you never contacted us, Vincent!?" Cloud shouted, as if Vincent's appearance was no surprise.

"I disconnected my PHS so that I would have privacy," Vincent explained. "When I met Tseng and Aeris, the thought of contacting you never crossed my mind."

Tifa was trying to shake off her shock. "Aeris?" she whispered, finally letting go of Aeris' hands. "Can you explain this to us? What exactly is going on?"

Aeris smiled and nodded. "I already told my mother and Marlene . . . I don't think she'll quite understand everything." She looked down at Marlene, who was starting to look drowsy. "Go to sleep, Marlene; I think you've been up for too long."

Marlene looked up at her and nodded. "All right, Flower Lady," she yawned. Elmyra took Marlene's hand and led her out of the room, towards Barret's room.

Cloud and Tifa immediately took their seats around Aeris. "This is a pretty long story. . .," Aeris began.

"Well, we have a story for you, too," Cloud said. "But you can go ahead." Aeris nodded and started her story.

'Why am I repeatedly left unconscious on the floor?' Reeve thought to himself as he picked himself off the floor of his romo. He eyed the Materia he still held firmly in his hand wearily, brushing his clothes with his free hand. Shoving the Materia into his pocket, Reeve sat down next to the bird-creature, which cocked its head at him curiously.

"Damn. . .," Reeve hissed, seeing the sun outside his window. "I've been out for quite a while." He shook his head, looking down at the creature. "You know, this is all your fault." The bird made an indignant noise, as if it had understood every word Reeve had just said. "Well, it is," Reeve snapped, frowning at the bird. He sat there a few moments, then pulled the Materia out again. He put it in front of the bird-creature, who blinked and pushed the Materia so that it rolled from the tips of his fingers into the middle of his palm. "What is it with you and this thing?" queried Reeve. "I can't activate it; I don't even know what it's supposed to do!"

*It is called the Legacy Materia, named for legends and magical pasts.* Reeve stared down at the little red creature at his feet, his eyes wide. *Please do not faint. It wasn't fun watching you crash to the floor the first two times.*

"Oh . . . my . . God. . .," gasped Reeve. He picked the creature up in his other hand and looked it in the eye. "What are you? How can you communicate with me?"

*The Materia that you hold allows me to talk to you,* replied the creature. *I am an ancient creature that the one you call "Hojo" mutated. You humans would know us as either phoenixes or firebirds.*

*Ph-- Phoenixes?!" Reeve went pale in the face. "*You're* a phoenix? What the hell did Hojo do to you?"

*I do not quite understand what he did myself, but that is not the important thing at the moment,* the firebird continued. *The Planet is again in danger, but this time the danger comes from something that lives and yet doesn't live."

"What? Is it the president of Shinra?"

The bird puffed up its feathers, as if saying no. *The president isn't the threat, but isn't a pawn. Veraldei is a pawn, but thinks he is the threat. Those that you believe are your fellow executives are pawns and yet the threat. The only ones you can trust are your friends and your foes.*

Reeve's eyes bulged out. The firebird's whole explanation didn't make sense at all, at least to him. He opened his mouth to speak. "Can you say that in English, please?"

*I speak your language, and yet I am not understandable. One cannot lead destiny with their hand; they must search for destiny with their weapon. The Legacy Materia is your weapon. Destiny is your foe, in the form of Ultimatum.*

"Ultimatum? What are you talking about?"

*A weapon of four your Hojo has made,
four of which power was weighed.
One of strength, one of skill,
one of wit, one of will.

Four against one -- the heroes lose,
the Ancient One then must choose:
between life forever and death apart
the Holiness that comes from his heart.

Strength is one of golden hair,
Skill is one of life unfair,
Wit is one of unforgiven lies,
Will is one of Mako eyes.*

Reeve was silent as he took in the poem. ". . . The heroes lose?" he whispered in disbelief. "Then this whole fight against Shinra is for nothing?" The executive was quickly growing depressed. "What's the use of going on if there's no hope?"

*On the contrary, Legacy Bearer, there is hope. The Cetra will pull through in the end. We are not fighting a Calamity from the Skies; Ultimatum is not quite that strong compared to the one you called Jenova.*

"The Cetra are gone -- extinct, wiped out, destroyed, taken off the face of the galaxy. . ."

*You would be surprised, Legacy Bearer. I sense the energies of two Ancients nearby, in this very city of yours. There is a male and a female, that I am certain. Yet . . . the male is here, and yet not completely here; the female is dead and yet is living.*

Reeve set the deformed phoenix on the ground and stood up. "I have a headache," he announced before retreating to his bedroom, the Materia still held firmly in his hand. Shaking its head, the firebird hurried after Reeve.

Tseng blinked in confusion when he finally caught sight of "Cloud" again. The young man had climbed up onto one of the wrecked subway rails that had erupted up out of the subway and was staring up at the blue sky that could be seen through a gap in the plate above Midgar. For a moment, Tseng could only stare at the gap in the plate. He remembered when the gap had been created; he and Reno had been ordered to destroy the pillar that held up the plate over Sector 7, just to get at AVALANCHE. Murmuring a prayer to those that had returned to the Planet, Tseng climbed up after "Cloud," sitting next to the younger man once he had reached his side.

"What are you doing so far from the others, Cloud?" the Ancient wondered outloud, even though he knew that the young man wouldn't be able to hear him.

Cloude started mumbling, tears rolling down his cheeks as he stared upward. "Always pain and never joy," he whispered. "Why. .? Did I do something bad in a past life to deserve this?"

Tseng frowned. "Pain? What pain?" Slowly, hesitantly, Tseng brought a hand up to Cloude's forehead, shutting his eyes to concentrate on his new powers. He didn't quite understand what he was hoping to accomplish by his actions, but-- It hit him suddenly, as if he had struck a brick wall. Flashes of memories ran through his head, and Tseng opened his eyes in shock. Blood and rain, then fire and flames that surrounded him . . . burning him, torturing him . . . but not killing him. The eyes of a feathered creature right before he met flames again. . . Tseng shook his head, clearing it of the transferred memories. He stared at Cloude in horror. "Oh, my God," he gasped. "I know who you are. . .!!" Tseng held his breath. "What the hell happened to you?"

"I wish I knew what I was before Hojo," murmured Cloude.

Tseng grabbed Cloude's shoulders and gazed into his Mako eyes. "*Hojo* did this to you!?" He started to go red with rage. "He is a *dead* man! How could he do this??? He-- he's completely altered everything about you. . ." Shutting his eyes, Tseng concentrated his thoughts on Aeris. He didn't know why, but he did it.

"Aeris?"

Aeris opened her eyes, only to find herself gazing into Cloud's glowing eyes. A sudden thought streaked her head as she stared at Cloud. "Tseng," she whispered.

Cloud frowned, blinking in confusion. He had expected *his* name to be at the tip of her tongue, and he was a little disappointed. "What's wrong?"

The pink-clad woman looked past Cloud to see Tifa, concern lingering in her large, brown eyes. She shivered, hesitantly raising her hands and placing them on Cloud's shoulders. When Cloud looked at her quizzically, Aeris said, "Don't ask. . . It's not quite within our control." She shut her eyes, concentrating on Tseng. 'All right, Tseng . . . I don't know what we've gotten ourselves into by bonding, but it seems that there's more to it than either of us know of.'

At the exact same, Tseng and Aeris opened their eyes, and as Aeris suddenly felt herself becoming lighter, Tseng felt himself solidifying. Cloud watched in horror as Aeris became transparent before his eyes, releasing her grip on him as she sank to the floor, gasping for air and biting back a scream. Cloude suddenly felt hands on his shoulders and he looked up in alarm, screaming when he saw Tseng's transparent form. The young man tumbled backwards off the rails, falling downward into one of the subways. If Tseng hadn't fallen over in pain and shut his eyes, he would have seen a startling look on Cloude's face as he disappeared into the darkness below.

A look of recognition.

Reno's eyes narrowed at the sound of screaming. He tightened his grip on his nightstick, gesturing to Elena and Rude to follow him as he quickly took off in the direction the scream had come from. Although it didn't show on his face, Reno did not look forward to meeting Cloud again.

Tifa watched as Cloud gathered Aeris up in his arms, feeling a pang of jealously flare up in her chest. She had promised herself long ago that she would tell Cloud how she felt about him, and someday, marry him. But now, as she looked on at how Cloud held Aeris in his arms, she saw how right Cait Sith-- Reeve-- no, Cait Sith had been about the two of them. They *did* belong together; she didn't belong in the picture. Never did, never would.

"Aeris. . . Aeris. . What's wrong??" Cloud repeated over and over, concern written all over his face as he whispered.

"Tseng-- Tseng's. . ." Aeris gasped for air, clutching Cloud's arm and squeezing him as she shut her eyes. She felt herself nearing unconsciousness, and she forced herself to stay awake. "P-- Please, get me a Restore."

Cloud nodded, looking at Tifa pointedly. Tifa bit her lip, quickly hurrying out of the room to fetch the needed Materia. She ran into Barret as she made her exit, but Barret had his eyes on Aeris and Cloud. "What the hell happened?!" he demanded, striding across the room and kneeling next to the two.

"D-- don't worry, Barret. . .," whispered Aeris. "I'm all right . . . I think. Being bonded is quite interesting, believe it or not. I'm afraid for Tseng, however. I don't know how he'll take this experience."

Tifa came back in with her FullCure Materia in her Premium Heart. She chanted the spell over Aeris, kneeling down next to Barret as Cloud helped Aeris sit up. "If this happened to you," Tifa whispered, "I don't even want to think about what happened to Tseng."

"We have to get to him," Aeris managed, forcing herself to her feet.

"How will we find him?" queried Cloud. "He'll be invisible, won't he?"

"He will be," Aeris confirmed. "But I know where he is. I always do."

"What's 'dat supposed to mean?" asked Barret.

Aeris giggled. "Since Tseng and I are bonded, there's many things that we can do; being Cetra also adds to our list of powers. We always know where our bonded partner is; whether we like it or not."

Cloud shook his head, hurrying for the door. "Vincent! Yuffie! C'mon, we're going out!"

"Sorry, Spike," Barret started, "but I ain't commin'. Marlene, ya know?"

Cloud nodded in understanding. "Marlene needs you, I understand. We'll be all right; watch over everyone else while we're gone, okay? You're my second-in-command."

Barret smiled slightly. "Don't get yourself killed now." Aeris and Tifa walked out in front of the house and Barret started for the stairs.

"Wait," Cloud started. He had almost forgotten about Cloude. "The person that you saved in the Shinra Building wasn't me."

"Huh?" Barret stopped at the bottom of the flight of stairs, turning around to stare at Cloud in confusion.

"You grabbed one of Hojo's specimens. I was still in the Shinra Building that whole time, and when I finally got out, I confronted him and Tifa. He apologized and I haven't seen him since."

"A specimen??" repeated Barret. His face hardened considerably. "So Hojo's been makin' @*$^%$&^ clones of you in that lab of his or something?!"

"I don't know," Cloud admitted. "Can you tell the others about that, and tell them that I'll explain it in further detail when we get back?"

"Yeah, yeah," Barret sighed. "Be careful, and if that Turk tries anything, slash 'em up."

"I don't think that Aeris would like that very much, Barret," Cloud chuckled.

Barret shrugged. "'Dat Tseng of the Turks can't be trusted none!"

Aeris popped her head back into the room. "That's *formerly* of the Turks!!"

Cloude groaned in pain as he opened his eyes. Every muscle in his body screamed in agony as he pushed himself his knees, Ragnarok weighing down on his back. This made him fall backwards and into a wall, a metallic clang echoing through the subway tunnel as his blade met the metal wall. He gritted his teeth as he rolled his aching shoulders, looking around wearily at the semi-darkness that surrounded him. His Mako eyes allowed him to look a little farther than a normal human, and his heightened senses of unknown origin just added to this. This allowed him to hear the soft sounds of footfalls that were slowly approaching from his left, but he didn't even try to get up; he knew his knees would simply buckle under him if he tried to rise.

The first distinct feature Cloude could make out of the first stranger was his hair; a fiery red head of hair with dark crimson strands the color of blood weaving through it. His hair was tied back into a messy ponytail, a pair of black shades adorning his hair. Next were the eyes -- sharp and cunning, intense and powerful, and the color of emeralds. For a moment, Cloude could have sworn he saw them flaunt recognition, but if it was ever there, it was locked deep within the man once again. A scarred face came next; the scars marring his thin, taut face along his cheekbones. They were a blade's constant reminder that one could never be cocky in battle, and that he wasn't as fast as he thought he was.

A second and third figure appeared to the red-haired man's sides. To the blue-suited man's right was a tall, bald man, his eyes hidden behind a pair of black shades. Even under the blue suit he wore, Cloude could make out a muscular upper body; the man's broad shoulders told him that much. He was a fighter, and a good one -- a very good one indeed. To the red-haired man's left stood a young woman, whom, by Cloude's guess, wasn't too much younger than himself. (But then again, she might be older, as Cloude didn't even know how old *he* was.) She wore her hair rather short, the blond tendrils barely touching her shoulders. Her brilliant blue eyes shone through the darkness, clearly showing hatred towards him. 'Whatever for?' he wondered.

"Well, look who we have here," the red-haired man, clearly the leader, despite his unkempt style, said.

"Who are you?" queried Cloude, gripping the wall under him. There was something oddly familiar about these three. Had he seen them while he had been imprisoned in Hojo's lab?

A dark shroud fell over the crimson-haired man's face, and he frowned. "Don't play dumb with us, Cloud," he growled angrily. "You're not getting away."

'Aww, shit, they think I'm Cloud!!' he shouted in his head. He steadied himself against the wall as he slowly stood, gritting his teeth as his muscles screamed in protest. "Hey, look--"

Reno eyed "Cloud" as he got up, noticing that he seemed to have a hard time standing. When he started to speak, he decided to cut him off. "Don't take this the wrong way, Cloud," he started, "but we have orders to have you eliminated; we don't really want to do this."

"Speak for yourself, Reno!" the young woman snapped, glaring at Cloude with absolute hatred. She pointed an accusing finger at him. "You killed Tseng! You're going to pay for what you did to him!"

". . . Don't be so weak, Elena," Reno said monotonously.

'Tseng. . .? Why the does that name sound familiar?' "Look, I don't want any trouble," Cloude managed. "I just fell down here--"

"And now you're going to die!!" Elena shrieked, pulling out a grenade and throwing it at Cloude. His eyes wide with shock, Cloude sprang away just before the grenade exploded.

Reno slapped his forehead, shaking his head as he watched Cloude leap. "Dammit, Elena," he shouted, "that's gotta be the stupidest thing you've *ever* done!" He pulled out his nightstick as Cloude scrambled to his feet, watching him brandish his sword. "Turk Light!"

A gasp escaped Cloude's lips as he saw the red fireball heading in his direction, and he once again leapt out of the way, only to find himself meeting Rude's fist in the gut. Clutching his stomach with one hand, Cloude lunged at Rude, swinging down at him with Ragnarok. Rude felt the sword bite into his shoulder and he backed off, surprised; he had never seen Cloud able to pull off such an attack with one hand.

Elena pulled her gun from its holster at her waist, sending bullets flying at Cloude. The specimen brought up his sword to block the bullets, a few grazing his arms and legs before he turned and broke into a sprint. He knew he didn't stand a chance against all three of them, but he also knew that he would pay dearly later about not obeying his hurting muscles.

Aeris raced down the slums of Sector 3, Cloud, Vincent, Tifa, and Yuffie right behind her. "Gawd," Yuffie panted, "I thought you said she wasn't in shape, Cloud!!"

"Well, I guess I said that too early!" Cloud shouted back. He couldn't believe the stamina Aeris had magically obtained; when they had ran away from Reno in her church, she had barely been able to keep up with him.

"Up there!" Aeris suddenly cried out, hurrying up a wrecked subway rail.

"Aeris, be careful!!" Cloud screamed, following her up.

"It's always Aeris, isn't it?" Tifa whispered to herself. She suppressed tears and starting climbing up as well.

By the time everyone else had gotten up, Aeris was kneeling on the ground. "Oh, Tseng," they heard her whispering, "are you okay?" It appeared that she was talking to nothing.

Tseng slowly opened his eyes, allowing his vision to focus on Aeris before he spoke. "A-- Aeris?" he managed to query. "What happened?"

"We figured out another of our powers the hard way," replied Aeris. "Are you all right now?"

"A little weak, but I'll live," Tseng whispered, sitting up with Aeris' help. He rubbed his eyes, then gasped; he had forgotten all about the specimen! "Aeris, that specimen--"

"Specimen?" queried Aeris. "What specimen, Tseng?"

"My clone?" Cloud wondered outloud. "Aeris, what is Tseng saying about my clone??"

"You're not sure if he's even a clone of you, Cloud," Tifa said.

"Clone? Specimen? What in Leviathan's name are you talkin' about?!?" demanded Yuffie, placing her hands on his hips. Aeris disappeared before their eyes and was replaced by Tseng. "Gawd, I'm still not used to that."

"Cloud, that specimen of Hojo's that looks like you isn't a clone," Tseng managed, steadying himself by leaning on his Nova Guardian staff. He understood everything now that he had searched Cloude's memories.

"Then who, or what, is he?" queried Tifa, walking towards the edge of the rail.

"Be careful, Tifa -- you might fall," she heard Vincent say. She nodded, looking down into the depths of the subway that had collapsed until it was below ground level. For a moment, she could have sworn she heard voices and an explosion.

"Well, you might not believe me, but Cloud's so-called clone is-- What the??" Tseng's eyes averted downward in alarm, and he shouted out, "Get down -- Turk Light!!"

Everyone immediately ducked at Tseng's cry, everyone, that is, except for Tifa. She screamed out as a fireball struck the railing under her, sending her tumbling downward into the darkness of the subway below.

"Tifaaaaaaa!!!!!" Tifa couldn't be sure whose voice it was; it sounded like Cloud, Tseng, and Vincent shouting in unison. She could also hear Yuffie simply screaming her lungs out as she watched her fall.

The last thing Tifa heard before she blacked out was a faint sound. Like a scream, but barely audible; as if the person was miles away.

It sounded like Aeris.

Cloude almost stopped when he heard an audible thud far behind him, but then he dismissed it for something his ears imagined up and kept running. Hot on his heels were Reno, Elena, and Rude, Reno managing to stay in the lead. They continued on for a while before Reno shouted out.

"I've had enough of this!" he declared, stuffing a hand into his pants pocket and putting away his nightstick. Elena and Rude stopped, blinking in shock when they Reno pull his hand out, four Materia clutched skillfully between his fingers. He brought his hands back to his left side, his emerald eyes glimmering as he shifted the four Materia -- Earth, Fire, Lightning, and Ice -- from hand to hand, all of them glowing even though Reno didn't carry an armlet on him. The small orbs flared to life, creating a ball of energy that quickly grew in size. "Chaos Burst!" Reno thrust his hands forward suddenly, wrists together, a blue burst of energy shooting out of his hands and the Materia.

"What in the world is that??" gasped Elena, her jaw dropping as she looked at the beautiful, and yet deadly, energy that flew directly at Cloude.

Rude frowned. "One of the limits that Reno uses in emergencies; one of his stronger ones," he replied.

Meanwhile, Cloude swallowed hard when he saw the blue energy coming up from behind him. He knew he couldn't stay ahead of the blast; it was quickly gaining on him. 'Drop,' a sudden thought shot through his head. 'Drop!' He shook his head, running onward. 'GODDAMN you, DROP!!! Fall to the ground!!' shrieked part of his brain. Holding his breath, Cloude complied, shutting his eyes as the energy passed right above him, just centimeters away from scorching his hair and clothes.

He hoped for dear life that he would survive this.

Tifa rubbed her eyes, blinking back tears of pain as she got to her feet and brushed herself off. It took a moment or two before her eyes got used to the semi-darkness surrounding her, and she looked upward. Dim light showered down from the large hole in the subway ceiling, but she couldn't make out Cloud or anyone that was up there.

"Chaos Burst!"

The sudden voice made Tifa spin, her eyes narrowing. "That's . . . a Turk's voice," she whispered to herself. She swallowed hard, looking down nervously at her Premium Heart and Minerva Band and the Materia in them. "I-- I think that's Reno. . ." Breathing hard, Tifa took off down the subway tunnel, hoping that Reno was alone; she highly doubted it, though.

Reno wiped a bead of sweat from his brow as his limit died out. He really hadn't wanted to use Chaos Burst to kill Cloud, but he doubted that Cloud would have come quietly. A look of disbelief fell over his face when he realized that Cloud was still alive, slowly climbing to his feet and turning to face him. He pocketed the four Materia he had used for the limit and eyed Cloud wearily.

Cloude frowned and unsheathed his sword. "Do you honestly think that I would have forgotten an attack like that so easily, Reno?" he growled, his eyes flickering. Reno's attack had triggered more memories; not Zack's, but another person's. Probably the memories of his true self. "Next time, do be more careful of who you allow to watch you practice."

"What the hell are you talking about?" demanded Reno. He didn't understand what Cloud was talking about.

Cloude stopped. What *was* he talking about? He gripped Ragnarok, shaking his head. "You said that you had orders to kill me. Well, then, I'm not going to die easily!"

Reno shook away his own thoughts and yelled out, "Get him!"

Rude was the first to attack, lunging at Cloude so fast that Cloude couldn't dodge. He staggered back, wincing as a wave of agony claimed his left forearm. Gritting his teeth, Cloude countered with his Counter Materia, striking Rude with the flat of his sword. Rude fell back, rubbing his swelling cheek.

Gritting his teeth at the sight of Elena readying another grenade, Cloude sheathed his sword and thrust his shoulders back. "Fire 3!" he shouted as he brought his hands in front of him again, in the same fashion Cloud had taught him. Elena shrieked as the flames grew around her and dropped the grenade, the pin falling out as it hit the ground. Reno and Rude's curses were audible as the grenade exploded, and they slammed into opposite sides of the subway. Rude sank to the floor, unconscious.

"C'mon, you're mine," hissed Reno, readying his nightstick and facing Cloude. He glanced at Elena, who went to tend to Rude.

"Why do you want me so bad?" queried Cloude as he attacked Reno.

Reno deftly dodged, sneering as he thrust his rod towards Cloude's gut. "Orders, my man," he replied. "I wouldn't be doing this otherwise."

"Why are you following these orders if you don't like them?" Cloude asked, backing away from Reno's attack. He retaliated with swing at Reno's midsection.

The Turk, being as quick and agile as he was, managed to sidestep the swing and brought his nightstick up, hitting Cloude's right shoulder. "I'd rather not go up against Shinra Incorporated; I cherish my life," he stated.

"So do I," Cloude hissed, rubbing his shoulder, "but I don't let fear control my life." Cloude stopped, another memory clicking into place at those words. The next thing he knew was Reno's nightstick connecting with his head, and he fell, blacking out before he hit the ground.

He looked towards the sky in disgust; the stench of death was everywhere. One hand clutched at his panther's neck, keeping it from going towards the building. The black panther yowled, begging his master to let him go. "Be quiet, Dark Nation," he hissed through clenched teeth, "or I'll get out my shotgun." The panther immediately fell silent.

"Are you sure you want to go in alone, sir?" queried the man in the helicopter, his shoulder-length black hair flyingt wildly, as the engine was still on.

"I'm sure," he shouted back, starting towards the entrance of the building. He was only a few steps from the helicopter when a familiar fat man in a tan suit came running out of the building, sweat rolling down his face as he stopped in front of him.

"He-- he's d-- dead!!" he managed, sputtering out the words. "Seph-- Sephiroth was here--!! AVALANCHE is here, too!!"

Cloude watched this all in silence, an invisible specter looking back into a past that possibly was linked to his own. Who was this white-clad man? Who was Sephiroth? The only person he recognized was the helicopter pilot; he was the one that had appeared like a ghost before his eyes on the subway rails.

Suddenly, a group ran out of the building. Cloude recognized all of them but one. Cloud, Tifa, Barret, and Red XIII. The last one was a beautiful, brown-haired young woman clad in a pink dress and red jacket. She clutched a staff to her chest as she followed her comrades. They were stopping as the man in white spoke.

"So. . ." His blue eyes, like sapphire-colored flames, burned through each and every one of them. "So Sephiroth was actually here." The fat man standing next to him whimpered before fleeing to the helicopter. The blond-haired young man looked from each of the intruders calmly, his face completely emotionless. ". . . By the way, who are you guys?"

"I'm Cloud, former SOLDIER First Class!" Cloud announced, glaring at the older man.

"I'm from AVALANCHE!" Barret growled. Cloude blinked. They were AVALANCHE? The whole time he had been with them, he had never known they were this AVALANCHE. A frown crossed his face; he still didn't know what AVALANCHE was.

"Same here!" Tifa piped up. She stood a little away from the group and brought her hand up to draw the nameless man's eyes. Cloude stared at her with loving eyes; the moment he had laid eyes on her, he had known she was the only one he could ever love.

". . . A flower girl from the slums," the pink-dressed woman said. She refused to loosen her grip on her staff.

"A research specimen," Nanaki said last. Again, Cloude blinked; he hadn't known that Red had been a specimen like himself. But then again, Red hadn't known that *he* was a specimen.

The young man shrugged, a tiny smirk appearing on his face. "What a crew," he sighed, his voice lazy with confidence. He flicked a few rebellious strands of hair from his face with such nonchalance it made Cloude glower. Everything about the man seemed to radiate arrogance. "Well, I'm Rufus. The President of Shinra, Inc."

"You only President, 'cause your old man died!" Barret shouted angrily.

"That's right," Rufus said calmly. Cloude silently hoped that the arrogant bastard was burning in Hell at the moment. "I'll let you hear my new appointment speech." He walked over to Tifa, staring intently at her. ". . . Old man tried to control the world with money. It seems to have been working."

Cloude gritted his teeth, screaming out, "Get away from her, you asshole!!" No one would be able to hear him, though; he wasn't really there at all.

Rufus' eyes went to the other young woman and he walked up to her. "The population thought that Shinra would protect them."

The next person Rufus stopped in front of was Barret. He remained there, frowning ever-so-slightly at Barret. "Work at Shinra, get your pay. If a terrorist attacks, the Shinra army will help you." His eyes trailed downward, towards Barret's gun-arm. "It looks perfect on the outside." Rufus' eyes came back up and he looked again at Barret. "But, I do things differently." Barret glared at him hatefully. "I'll control the world with fear. It takes too much to do it like my old man." Six pairs of eyes followed Rufus as he walked towards the balcony. "A little fear will control the minds of the common people. There's no reason to waste money on them." The words were cold; iced over from years without love or caring. A sneer slowly formed on Rufus' lips.

Everything stopped, literally; everything froze in place, from Tifa's moving lips to Rufus' evil sneer. Cloude's Mako eyes went wide with horror and shock as he realized something horrid. "`I'll control the world with fear,`" he whispered. "Oh, my God. . ." He staggered backwards, shivering violently. Words formed on his lips -- words that came unhindered. "I . . . will rule the world . . by fear, not by money." He buried his face in his hands, tears claiming his vision as he looked at Rufus. Shinra. He now knew the man's last name. Cloude sank to his knees, sobbing.

These new memories would change his life forever.

Tifa gasped as she stopped, seeing Cloude crumpled on the ground before Reno of the Turks. She screamed, "Get away from him!!"

Reno spun around, cursing when he saw Tifa standing there, her face twisted with anger. "Dammit!" he hissed. "Elena, let's get out of here! Where there's one AVALANCHE member, there's bound to be more!"

Elena hesitated, looking down at Cloude's prone form. "But we're so close to finishing this, Reno!" she said.

Shaking with rage, Tifa pulled up her Odin Materia and shoved it into her Premium Heart. "Gunge La--"

"NOW!!" Reno ordered, helping her drag Rude away. He knew he would have to face Heidegger and Veraldei's wrath later, but he didn't feel like having Odin's Gungnir buried in his gut at the moment.

Tifa sighed as the Turks scurried away, hurrying to Cloude's side and kneeling next to him. "Cloude, are you okay?" she queried, concern in her voice. She ran a hand through his spiky hair. He had said that he loved her. Could she love him in return, even though she knew he wasn't Cloud? She decided right then and there that she would love this man, despite the fact that she still didn't know who he was.

Cloude squeezed his eyes shut, as if fearing to wake up. Tifa coaxed him awake by whispering comforting words and was rewarded when he finally opened his Mako eyes. There was something different about him -- a bitter anguish that seemed to be eating him alive.

"Tifa. . .," he whispered, frowning sorrowfully at her.

"What's wrong, Cloude?" she asked, helping him sit up. Ragnarok rested at his side.

"Tifa," Cloude rasped, bowing his head. "I-- I know who I am."

"You do??" gasped Tifa in excitement. "That's wonderful!!" She stopped when she noticed that Cloude was frowning. ". . . Who are you, then?"

"You won't like it," Cloude glumly replied.

Tifa wrapped her arms around Cloude's shoulders. "As long as you're not a clone of Cloud, I think I can take it," she said.

Cloude took hold of Tifa's shoulders and pulled her away from him, allowing her to look into his eyes as he saw his next words. This was the moment of truth. He doubted that she would handle this well.

"Tifa, I'm actually Rufus Shinra."

On to Chapter 9.

Back to Merging Journeys.