Merging Journeys

Well, since my computer acted to be an utter piece of crap, I had to redo this whole chapter!! (Not to mention the *whole* freaking document!!) I guess I should consider myself lucky with "Merging Journeys"; at least I had the sense to make a backup disk for it. "Rufus and Cloud," however, is another story. . . ;_; Ahem, Final Fantasy VII is the property of Squaresoft and shouldn't be used without permission.

(Re)Started: June 26, 1999

Finished: August 6, 1999 (Forgive me for being so slow!!)

He couldn't breathe.

There, before his eyes, was . . . himself. The same cold blue eyes -- not Mako-infused -- that had belonged to him less than two months ago were trained on him, a mocking flame deep within the gaze. Rufus Shinra couldn't bring himself to tear away from the eyes, Ragnarok clattering to the ground as it slipped from his grasp. Behind him, he could hear Tifa and Cloud's gasps and the sputtering of several other AVALANCHE members, but he hadn't moved since laying eyes on the white-clad man.

A horrifyingly familiar sneer took the man's face as he strode forward and grabbed hold of his shoulder, yanking him forward and into a choke-hold. Rufus' look-alike whispered into his ear, his voice as flowing as water, "I'm not so idiotic as to try to say I'm really you." Rufus directed his shocked gaze at him as he continued. "I'm a clone. Hojo created me for the mere purpose to take over Shinra upon your death." The clone gave him a wild smile before shoving him back towards the AVALANCHE members.

Cloud Strife glared at Rufus' clone as Tseng bent to help the young man. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded, his hand twitching as it grasped his Ultima Weapon.

This man, who resembled the old appearance of Rufus in every way, allowed his arms to cross slowly over his chest. "Like I said, I am the President of Shinra Incorporated," he replied, cocking his head ever-so-slightly in a lazy fashion. "I am the clone of your Rufus there. You may call me Ruvus, to avoid confusion." He gestured with his chin at the shuddering man that was rising from the ground. "All the high executives had clones created in case of a . . . state of emergency." Reeve and Palmer exchanged looks of pure horror.

"Then where's ya clone-dad? 'Da Old Man Shinra ain't gonna just let his kid run 'da show!" Barret Wallace growled, aiming his gun at Ruvus.

A hand reached up and flicked back blond strands of hair. "I took the liberty of having him . . . disposed of." Ruvus smirked evilly as he gave his horrendous reply.

"He's even more @*%@% twisted than the real one!" Cid Highwind gasped out, preparing to strike with his Venus Gospel.

Ruvus laughed lightly as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small remote control, allowing AVALANCHE to look at it before speaking. "If you value your lives, you won't do any stupid stunts," he stated. "And even if you don't value your lives, keep in mind that there's are hundreds of innocents on the middle stories."

"You're a bloody psycho!" exclaimed Cait Sith. Reeve seemed surprised his robot had even spoken up in such a way.

"Perhaps," the clone chuckled, flicking back his hair in some sort of cruel taunt. Rufus seemed to twitch when he caught the movement. "But it doesn't quite matter if I die; there will always be others. You all, on the other hand . . . you cannot be replaced."

"Damn you. . .," Cloud hissed, eyes narrowed. After a few tense moments, he lowered his sword. His comrades soon followed.

"A wise choice." Ruvus lowered the control, but did not put it away. He averted his attention to Cero, who had remained silent the whole time. "Cero, I believe it is time for you to prove yourself."

To the surprise of the heroes, Cero stared coolly at Ruvus, almost defiantly. Then, he stepped towards the rebels, pulling forth a long scabbard from his back. His face remained emotionless as he unsheathed a long blade that AVALANCHE knew all too well. "Where the heck did he get Masamune?!" Yuffie Kisaragi gasped, voicing the question they all wanted to ask.

A slight smile, always cool, creased Cero's pale face. "No one's saying." His voice shocked them; everything about his voice sounded like Rufus Shinra. Cero took this shock as an advantage, dashing forward at an incredible speed. Cries and screeches echoed through the group as they scattered, desperate to avoid the thirsty blade's sharp edge.

Cloud brought his sword up quickly, engaging Cero as his companions gathered their wits. He couldn't rip his gaze away from the result of Project Ultimatum. . . Sephiroth's face and hair, Zack's eyes, Rufus' voice, his posture and body structure . . . and the strongest sword ever created. Was this Shinra's goal? To create a weapon that was unstoppable?

"You're nothing more than a puppet." The voice had suddenly changed. This time, the voice stirred an unforgiving soul inside of the ex-Shinra guard. Cloud jerked his eyes up to meet Cero's, shock apparent on his face. Cero's face seemed to speak in unbelievable volumes, causing Cloud to stagger backwards. "A worthless puppet that can't accomplish anything."

'Puppet, puppet, puppet. . .' Cloud cried out and fell to his knees, shaking his head in soundless agony as the word rang through his mind relentlessly. Sephiroth's voice had triggered it. Sephiroth's voice, coming from Cero. Beyond the pain, Cloud could barely hear Ruvus' laughter.

"Cloud!" Tifa reached for her childhood friend, concerned. He shuddered and continued holding his head, like when Sephiroth had-- Oh, no. "NO!!"

Barret heard Tifa's scream and glanced at Cloud. "He's #*(%@ lost it again," he muttered, glaring at Cero. "Ya damn Sephiroth-clone!! #*%@ you!" He released a hail of gunfire at the silver-haired man, shock registering when a wave of Masamune caused the bullets to fall to pieces, showering down upon them all.

While this was happening, more of the members of AVALANCHE were battling the clones of Scarlet and Heidegger, who were loaded to the teeth with guns and Materia. Scarlet tossed a small grenade to the ground, cutting off several rebels, before shooting at Reeve and Tseng. Yuffie brought her armguard to her face as shrapnel flew her way, mumbling under her breath before leaping at Heidegger. The large clone tried batting her away, turning several times around before managing to throw her off. Those precious moments were enough time for Nanaki to set up a destructive Fire 3 spell that sent Heidegger flying into a wall.

Cait Sith whooped, casting an Ice 3 spell that smashed into Scarlet. The woman snarled, training her Mako Gun on him before letting out a destructive magical lightning shot that sliced through the lower torso of Cait Sith's Mog. As the large robotic Mog fell to the ground, its rider was hurtled through the air, only to be caught in the arms of Reeve.

"Dammit, now I have to fix that damned Mog," the AVALANCHE spy muttered as Cait Sith curled around his neck. To his dismay, Scarlet fired another Mako shot -- fire this time -- at the Mog, blowing it to kingdom come.

". . . Guess you'll have to rebuild it, not fix it," Cait Sith replied wryly. Reeve sighed and prepared a Trine Enemy Skill.

Rufus, finally having recovered from his shock, dove at Cero, sword ready. Cero disarmed Cid of his spear and spun just in time to meet Rufus' attack, his emotionless face betraying no weakness as he quickly overwhelmed the young man and forced him onto his back. Cero's sword came up for the kill, descending at a speed Rufus couldn't even begin to comprehend. Only milliseconds from its destination, the Masamune was hit away, embedding itself in the ground less than three inches to the left side of Rufus' body. Rolling away from the deadly blade, Rufus beheld his dark-haired, red-eyed savior. Vincent gave him a curt nod and aimed Death Penalty at Cero.

The ex-Turk shot at the dark-garbed Project Ultimatum subject, blinking in surprise as the man pulled his sword out of the ground and bypassed his bullet. Rufus couldn't react fast enough to stop Cero as he lunged at Vincent, Masamune poised to kill. "Vincent!!" he gasped, unable to do anything else.

Everything seemed to move in slow-motion as Cero prepared to skewer the dark-haired man. Vincent took a step backwards, not quite believing this was actually happening. Suddenly, a huge, white and purple sword came out of nowhere and drove the longsword down, turning the lethal stab into a long, painful cut over the thigh. Vincent's eyes went wide as he tumbled to the ground, holding his leg in agony. Cloud, eyes slightly glazed with pain, gripped his sword with both hands before launching at the man that was four men.

Rufus shifted Ragnarok in his hand as Tifa stepped close to him, casting a FullCure spell on him. "Thanks, Tifa," he murmured, trying to smile at her. He failed, unable to keep his eyes off of Vincent, writhing on the ground. "Help Vincent. I'm going to help Cloud with that bastard."

"Be careful," whispered Tifa as she passed him, kneeling next to Vincent.

Again, Rufus failed to smile, although his heart was a good deal lighter than it had been before. He lifted Ragnarok with ease, wondering for a brief second how in the world it could be that people had trouble wielding these huge weapons that he and Cloud used. A grimace settled in as he turned to support Cloud. This ability to use swords, along with the ability to wield it with one hand, belonged to someone else. He knew that this Zack character in Cloud's past -- whose memories he now possessed along with his own -- was somehow connected to his present predicament. But how had Hojo managed something like this? What had he been trying to accomplish by doing this to him?

Cloud's hisses of anger knocked Rufus back into reality, making him push all thoughts behind him. No time for thinking now; all he could do now was act, and thank whatever gods there were for allowing him the memories of someone with knowledge of battle instead of some dawdling flirt.

He curled his hands into loose fists, his senses slowly returning. Dull pain was the first feeling to be felt. This was understandable; he had only been shot several moments after getting shocked by the electric bars of his prison. He cursed and worked himself onto his knees, muttering something obscene in the alien tongue he had learned from Jenova. Being in the condition that he was, Sephiroth wasn't aware he had fallen back onto the language. He looked in distaste at the corpse of the scientist he had slain. The stench of the body was overwhelming. How long had he been out this time? Knowing Hojo, who had been increasing the dosage of the tranquilizer as to make sure he would never grow immune to a certain amount, he probably had pumped enough of the stuff to take him out for nearly two days.

"That goddamned Hojo," he growled, returning to the normal language of the Planet. He glared at the electric bars before him before lowering his gaze, hissing in shock when he realized his sword missing. "That-- that bastard! How dare he take my sword?" He remained there on his knees, frowning dangerously at the ground. "And he says he's my father? I would rather be the forever-damned puppet of Jenova than his son. . ." He pounded the floor mercilessly, creating several cracks in the stone underneath him. "When I get out of here, I swear I'll make Hojo pay. . ." Raising his gaze to the ceiling, Sephiroth began to concentrate. 'As for Masamune. . . Masamune, return.'

"Where do you think you're going!?" Tseng frowned dangerously as he noticed Ruvus stepping towards the descending staircase.

Ruvus eyed him, a glint of surprise showing as he recognized the ex-Turk. "That is none of your concern . . . although I must wonder how you can still be alive. . ." He smirked, lifting his shotgun and shooting Tseng before disappearing down the stairs.

Tseng cried out in shock as the shotgun shell tore through his arm, causing him to stagger backwards. Aeris was at his side immediately, her eyes wide with concern. "Are you all right, Tseng!?"

"*Dammit!*" the other cursed, holding his bloody arm and gritting his teeth. "I must be losing my touch. . . I didn't even think about dodging that shot. .!"

Aeris held him up and gripped his good arm. "You haven't done very much fighting for quite a while. Don't worry; I'm sure it'll all come back."

The dark-haired Cetra sighed raggedly, opening his mouth to reply when Reeve dashed from the fray and to his side. "My God, Tseng!" he hissed, seeing the bloody hole in the ex-Turk's arm. "Hold on a second, and I'll heal that thing." He brought forth a Restore Materia and proceeded to chant over his wound.

Meanwhile, Cloud had broken away from his engagement with Cero long enough to realize Heidegger and Scarlet were both gone as well. "Damn!" He looked towards his comrades not engaged in direct combat. "Where did they go!?"

"Down the stairs," reported Red XIII before getting ready for another spell. "They are the least of our problems as of now though, Cloud! We must stop Cero!"

"We still have to get the others," Cloud retorted, looking around at his comrades. "Barret, Cid, Reeve! Go after them!"

Cid spun away from facing Cero and leapt in Cloud's direction. "You sure about that, Cloud?"

"I'm sure," the blond-haired ex-mercenary snapped. "Get going before you lose 'em!"

Reeve looked at Tseng before acknowledging Cloud. "We're going, Cloud!" He nodded at Tseng and followed Cid and Barret out of the office, Cait Sith still bouncing around his shoulders.

"Do you think they'll be all right?" Tseng asked Aeris.

"They can hold their own. I know that they won't die easily," Aeris replied, smiling serenely at her fellow Cetra.

"I don't see how you can smile at a time like this," Tseng sighed.

The brown-haired woman shrugged. "It takes practice. Lots of it." Tseng stared at her, then rolled his eyes.

Tifa was pointing at the Masamune in Cero's hands. "It's glowing," she started, seeing the sword give off a slight yellow pulsing light.

"What the hell. . .?" Cloud stepped back from attacking Cero, motioning the other AVALANCHE members to back off. Cero was frowning dangerously at the blade, eyes narrowing more and more as the pulse grew stronger. Before everyone's eyes, the sword flew from the silver-haired man's grasp, flying around the large room. "Duck!!"

Everyone hit the ground, including Cero, as the Masamune flew in circles around the room. After a few minutes of this, it drove itself through the floor, plowing through it as if it were paper. ". . . What just happened?" queried Yuffie, looking at everyone present for an answer.

Cero growled angrily and got to his feet. "You got lucky, AVALANCHE," he announced, his voice once again mirroring Rufus'. "Next time we meet, I won't let Masamune's actions faze me." With those words, Project Ultimatum disappeared in a manner much like Sephiroth.

"Damn. . ." Vincent frowned and holstered his gun, averting his gaze to Cloud. "Cloud, I'm going after Masamune."

Cloud didn't seem too surprised by Vincent's declaration. He nodded and said, "Take Yuffie and Tseng with you. If you run into Cero, you'll need help."

"Got it." Vincent waved the said two to follow him, adding, "I'll contact you on the PHS if something comes up." Then, the three were gone.

Palmer, whom everyone had almost forgotten about during the battle against Cero, piped up. "Hey-hey, what about him?" He pointed at Veraldei, still lying in his own blood.

Surprise dawned on Cloud's face. "I forgot all about him. . . Tifa, can you--" He was cut off when his PHS began ringing, its shrill ring echoing throughout the room. He pulled it from his belt and activated it.

"Cloud!" It was Cid, gasping for air. "We got a problem -- we lost Shinra's @*%$ clone on the 62nd floor! He just . . . #%(#&%, he just disappeared! We can't look for him, though; Scarlet and Heidegger are headin' for a weapon storage, or so Reeve says! #*%$&^ , I hate this!!"

"This is just getting worse and worse," Cloud mumbled. "Okay, we'll get on it. Just keep following them!" He hung up and turned to his companions. "Ruvus broke away from Scarlet and Heidegger. Tifa . . . Rufus . . . we need to go after him." He noticed the expression on Rufus' face darken considerably, deciding then to avert his gaze. "Nanaki, can you stay here with Palmer and heal Veraldei? He may prove useful later."

"Of course, Cloud," Red said, nodding his head. Palmer blinked, suddenly a little uneasy about being left alone with a speaking beast. Red XIII noticed this and chuckled. "Do not worry, Palmer; I do not bite . . . in most cases."

"Hey-hey . . . that's not exactly comforting."

Rufus smirked. "You'll get used to it."

"Gawd, how far down did that thing go?" demanded Yuffie, peering down through the hole Masamune had created. "We've been down five floors already, and that sword's plowed through all of them!" She sighed and got up off her knees, scratching her head as Vincent eyed the hole. "So what should we do now?"

"We'll go down five floors or so until we find out where Masamune stopped at," the red-eyed man said. "We have to find out why in the world it did what it did."

"Knowing the history of that sword, it's probably going right back to where it's needed," Tseng stated, his arms crossed.

"'Where it's needed?'" repeated Vincent, brow raised.

"I doubt it was taken willingly to Cero," Tseng explained. "It's probably returning to wherever it was before it was taken to him."

Yuffie swallowed hard. "I'd hate to find out where Masamune went, then."

"Well, we're going to find out, like it or not," Vincent sighed. "So get over your fear and let's go." He whirled and started towards the closest elevator, his red cape billowing as he turned.

Tseng chuckled, and Yuffie looked at him. "What's so funny?" she asked.

The former leader of the Turks gazed down at her. "I'm absolutely sure he was formerly of the Turks now. Only a Turk would say what he just did." He smiled and walked after Vincent.

Yuffie blinked hard. "I don't see how you can smile at a time like this!" she called.

This drew another laugh from Tseng, much to the confusion of Yuffie. "It takes practice. Lots of it," he replied.

A slight smile crossed his lips as he saw Masamune glide towards him. "Ah, Masamune," he began, wrapping his fingers around the hilt of the longsword, "when I can't count on anyone else, I can always count on you."

Sephiroth drew away from the electric bars that kept him prisoner, falling back into a stance that he had almost forgotten about during the time he was manipulated by Jenova. Masamune acted like an extension of his body, fitting into his stance as easily as a glove on a hand. It would have struck awe in the hearts of any that witnessed Sephiroth's stance; he and Masamune were so closely-bound that only death could separate them for a long period of time. His next action were so fluid that there was no mistake that he was sure of his movement. Masamune slashed forward, cutting through the bars easily. They clattered noisily against the ground, causing Sephiroth to frown.

When he realized that no one was coming to check on the noise, the One-Winged Angel of the Lower Reaches left, the destroyed prison and rotting corpse the only signs of his passing.

His PHS was ringing. "Damn thing. . .," he muttered, rummaging through his coat to find it. "'Can't a guy just have beer in peace?" His bald partner remained silent, taking this moment to down his own beer. "Reno here. What is it?"

"You damn Turks," Heidegger's voice came. "Where are you when you're needed!?" Reno was quiet, allowing his silence to speak volumes. ". . . Never mind. Get back to the Shinra Building; AVALANCHE has stormed the building and are on a rampage."

"Sure, yeah, whatever," Reno hissed, picking up his nightstick and motioning for Rude to find Elena. "We'll be there ASASH." He then hung up, leaning against his barstool.

"ASASH?" Rude repeated, a brow rising as he looked over at the red-haired Turk.

Reno smirked, tipping his shades as he straightened. "'As soon as shit happens,'" he explained, walking past Rude. Rude shook his head in amusement, then followed him out.

'Where does it end. . .?' thought Vincent as he, Yuffie, and Tseng rode down the elevator. 'We've gone down every floor and the Masamune keeps on going.' "Tseng, how far down can we go?"

Tseng frowned thoughtfully. "There's supposed to be several underground floors below the lobby," he replied. "They've been used by the Science Department for over a decade now."

Vincent's eyes immediately narrowed. "Hojo's department," he mumbled. "How do we get to those floors?"

"We'd have to have the proper codes. But, since that's not going to happen anytime soon. . ." Tseng trailed off, tearing away the elevator panel's metal surface and setting it aside. "I hope I remember how to do this."

Yuffie gripped the bars on the sides of the elevator. "I hope so, too," she whispered.

Aeris looked over Tseng's shoulder. "Are you sure about this, Tseng?" she queried. Tseng didn't reply, too immersed in his work say anything. She leaned against the wall and began humming.

". . . Stop humming, Aeris," Tseng sighed.

The other two glanced at each other, then nodded. "Er, yeah, Aeris," Yuffie said. "Don't disturb Tseng right now."

Aeris giggled at Yuffie's lack of conviction that she was actually there. "I wish she could be as understanding as Vincent," she murmured.

"Mmm hmm," Tseng hummed, not looking up. He continued to rearrange the circuitry of the control panel, the elevator lights flickering several times as he worked. "Okay, this should work," he finally announced, gazing at his comrades. The Cetra held two wires together for a second, then pressed them together. There was a spark as the two wires met, then nothing. Tseng blinked in confusion.

Immediately, the lights went dark and the elevator fell downward in an unbelievably quick rate.

"TSEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!"

Rufus stopped and frowned. "That's funny . . . I thought I heard screaming," he remarked, averting his eyes from Cloud to Tifa, then back.

". . . It must be your imagination," Tifa said, squeezing his wrist. "We've still got to find Ruvus."

"You're probably right," Rufus hesitantly agreed, throwing a last glance behind him. "But still. . ." Shaking his head, he gestured for Cloud and Tifa to go, concentrating on the situation at hand. "Let's find that bastard-clone of mine." Cloud's lips curled into a slight smile, then he nodded in agreement.

The groaning around her was the first sign that no one was dead. That was always good. She floated around for a few moments before touching ground, kneeling next to her soulmate. "Tseng? Tseng, wake up."

"Unnnnggg. . .," groaned the black-haired Cetra, not even trying to rise from where he laid on the elevator floor, flat on his face.

Aeris rolled her eyes, then shoved him over. "It's your fault this happened, you know," she stated.

Tseng muttered something unintelligible, then got to his knees. "Have a little respect for a comrade who's down, Aeris," he said, his voice almost teasing. Aeris smiled, helping him stand up. "Is everyone all right?"

"No thanks to you, Mr. Cetra," mumbled Yuffie, lifting herself off the floor. "I swear, I saw my life flash before my eyes!!!"

"That must have been pretty short," remarked Tseng. Yuffie "hmphed" and began dusting herself off. "Vincent? How about you? Are you okay?" There wasn't a reply. ". . . Vincent?"

It was then that it dawned on Tseng, Aeris, and Yuffie. Vincent was missing.

"&%&(*#% this!" Cid puffed, running in the lead of his small division of the AVALANCHE group. They had been dashing around the Shinra Building for well over an hour. "Reeve, where the hell do we find that #%&@ storage?"

"We're almost there!" Reeve reported from behind him. Barret lumbered behind him, taking up the rear.

"We better be," the pilot growled, "or I'm gonna have your #*@(&% head on the #%(&*#% end of my #*%&#$^ spear!!!"

Reeve grimaced at Cid's threat, then pointed at a door ahead of them. "There! That's the storage!"

Cid panted heavily as they finally stopped, allowing Barret to step forward and open up the door. "There's nothin' in here," Barret hissed, whirling to face Reeve. "Reeve, what're ya trying' to pull!?"

"He's not pullin' anything, Barret," Cait Sith snapped back, still wrapped around Reeve's neck. "You have to enter a secret door in there. Do you honestly think Shinra'd allow a weapon storage to be so easily accessed?!"

Barret grumbled something and moved out of the way so that Reeve could step into the room. The Shinra executive-turned-rebel searched the walls silently for a few moments before revealing a control panel built into the far wall. He spent several minutes pressing buttons on the panel, turning around and gesturing Barret and Cid to come forward once a door slid away, exposing an elevator.

"I managed to break the code on the door," he announced. "Come on; if we hurry, we can still catch up with Scarlet and Heidegger's clones." He walked into the elevator first, eyeing the elevator's control panel.

Cid looked over his shoulder and pointed to a message scrolling across a screen at the top. "What's that say?" he asked.

Reeve frowned at the message on the screen. "'Elevator one to basement level four disabled.'" He shook his head. "The basement floors were used by the Science Department. At the moment, that hardly concerns us." He pressed the 'down' button the panel and sighed as the elevator began to move.

"Get ready for anything," Cid murmured, already beginning to take Venus Gospel off of his back. "Those damn clones already have a big lead on us."

It didn't take long to reach the end of their destination. The elevator chimed, and Barret brought up his Missing Score. "They ain't gonna survive 'dis encounter," he declared. Reeve nodded and opened the elevator doors. They slid away quickly, admitting the AVALANCHE group into a large, open room that looked large enough to fit all five of the WEAPONs. "Damn!" Barret gasped, looking the place over. "And 'dis is still part of 'da Shinra Building!?"

"But of course."

Everyone froze at the voice of Scarlet, but hastily recovered. "You damn bitch!" Cid shouted. "Where the hell are you!?"

"Kya ha ha!" There was the signature laugh of hers. "No need for the cursing, Mr. Highwind! Your question is about to be answered."

Following her words came the sound of metal meeting metal. Chills ran down the three men's spines as a large, hulking robot that resembled the Proud Clod lumber into view. Heidegger's infamous horse laugh droned out of the red giant through a speaker. "Gya ha ha ha! How do you like the Proud Clod Alpha, AVALANCHE!?"

"Hmph!" Cid spat. "It doesn't look like much of an improvement over your last model!"

"You haven't seen anything yet!" It was again Scarlet's voice. From behind the Proud Clod Alpha came a slim, blue robot that flew with grace as it touched ground next to its red counterpart. Rocket boosters adorned its legs and back, while guns weren't visible on its surface. Behind its red, robotic eyes, however, was a dangerous power that immediately gave the slim creation a feeling of foreboding. "Meet the Proud Clod Omega. Remember our names, AVALANCHE . . . you'll be screaming them later! Kya ha ha!!!"

The four members of AVALANCHE all looked at each other, horror etched on each of their faces. Simultaneously, two words came to life on their tongues.

"Oh, shit."

Vincent remained silent as he crept through the corridors of the basement, a hand to his gun at all times. He knew he shouldn't have left Yuffie and Tseng back in the elevator, but strange sounds had flooded his ears upon his awakening. His enhanced hearing had drawn him away from the crashed elevator and far into the hallways, and yet he hadn't met anything strange yet.

The echo of footsteps caused him to slam his back against the wall, red eyes narrowing instinctively. He edged towards the turn of the hallway, looking down it before relaxing slightly. Vincent allowed himself to breathe in relief before continuing on, walking onward until he approached another turn in the path. No more footfalls came to his ear, so the ex-Turk turned the corner without so much as a moment of hesitation.

And immediately, he found himself face to face with the one person that could make his day worse. The one person that many would fall backwards in fright of just because they were in his presence. The one person that rocked the dreams of every so-called hero, villain, and victim. But the nightmares had ceased with his death. The fear had been washed away when the rain swept away his blood. But now here he stood, with the same unholy eyes, the same silver hair, the same legendary sword.

And the nightmares would begin again, for the legendary Sephiroth was alive.

"My God, she finished a chapter!" The whole Planet quakes with fear! ^_^ Now that Vincent knows about Sephiroth, what do you think is gonna happen?? What's gonna happen now that there's TWO Proud Clods? What is Ruvus up to?? *grins* You'll have to wait and see!

On to Chapter 14.

Back to Merging Journeys.