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Final Fantasy VII: Awakening	By : Saan Category: Final Fantasy VII > General Views: 844 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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"It seems like it's been forever." Tifa said as she poured liquor in a glass for her husband.

Vincent eyed Rude nervously. "Indeed it has."

"I'll have mine in a bottle." Cid held a finger up.

Tifa set a brown bottle in front of the pilot.

Yuffie was the only one that seemed to be accepting of the latest developments. She gnawed on an appetizer. "Silly underage rules. Jeez, you help save the world and yer still treated like a kid...the nerve of some people."

"Honestly, I never thought I'd see any of you again." said Tifa as she poured a juice for Yuffie. "Everyone seemed to have taken their own path." She set the small glass down in front of the grumbling ninja. "Vincent, you and Cid went on to Rocket Town. Shinra's organization collapsed. Barrett broke up Avalanche and went with Red to Cosmo Canyon. Cloud�" she glanced around. "�Where's Cloud?"

Yuffie broke from her tantrum and looked at Cid.

The grizzled pilot tugged at his collar and coughed.

Vincent got tired of the cowardice exhibited by his teammates. "He was arrested for murder. One of Reeve's personal army got killed and they found Cloud's weapon at the scene."

Rude lowered his glasses. "Wow, harsh."

"That can't be right! I know him better than any of you! Where is he now?"

"My guess would be the prison." Yuffie offered. "They've moved it since Meteor. I'll take you there. I might be able to get you visitation. I am the emperor's daughter after all." she smiled and pointed her thumb to her chest.

Tifa gave instructions to her coworkers and left the bar with her former teammates. As they followed Yuffie, Tifa noticed Sephiroth out of the corner of her eye. The area they walked through was somewhat isolated. She wondered what he was doing. The former Shinra hero was squatting down beside some kind of marker.

Vincent had also caught sight of Sephiroth as well.

"Here we are!� Yuffie said excitedly.

The prison did not share the same architecture as the other buildings on the island. The tall concrete structure stretched out as far as the eye could see. "It was built over an armory that got blasted apart during the war. No one visits here willingly."

"I would guess not." Cid elbowed Vincent in the ribs.

"Can you stop?!" Tifa hissed at him.

Guards stood around every corner of the unfenced prison. Security still seemed lax to Vincent. As a Turk, he had served time in a multitude of maximum-security wards. Shinra had bailed him out countless times, so he never had to break out. He was sure that this particular prison would not be able to hold a young man such as Cloud.

Yuffie stepped up to one of the guards and babbled something in her native tongue. The tall man in red body armor studied the girl's companions. His broad shoulders lowered and he nodded to her.

With a quick hand signal, the tall black metallic doors slowly slid apart.

"Cloud's down this way. Apparently dad wanted him in a cell by himself." Yuffie stated quietly.

The group began to move again and the heavy metal doors ground together.

"I still can't believe he's being held for murder." Tifa directed at Rude.

The bald man nodded. "Maybe for underage drinking�not murder."

The walk lasted for several minutes. Another man in blue armor appeared. He stood upright in front of another black door. A knocking could be heard from the inside. The door opened with an un-oiled creak.

Everyone was curious as to who would emerge. They held their breaths in hopes that Cloud had somehow been released.

"Hello everyone." Reeve exited the room while the guard closed the door.

Tifa stormed up to the President. "You couldn't stop this from happening? He trusted you through everything!

Reeve calmly fixed his black tie. "Oh, you know about Cloud than."

Tifa clenched her fists. Cait Sith bounded down the hall and saw the group gathered. He stopped beside Tifa and Rude. "Easy girl. He's working as hard as he can. We all know Cloud's innocent. We just have to try and locate the guy that discovered the body."

It was time for Rude to press. "Speaking of body. Has anyone seen it?"

Vincent and Yuffie slowly raised their hands. "They even found the guy's blood on his sword." Yuffie put in her two cents.

Rude peered over his dark lenses and tugged at one of ear his piercing. "Can I see it? I've had plenty of experience with stiffs, so has Reno."

Yuffie covered her mouth with her hands and turned beet red. She was trying to hold back her laughter at Rude's comment on "stiffs".

Rude missed the girl's humor but Vincent did not. "Not that kind!" he barked and swatted at her.

Yuffie ducked out of the ex-Turk�s path and stuck her tongue out at him.

Reeve put his hands on his hips. "I'm afraid they already disposed of it. It's been burned in a test fire for the SOLDIER's funeral. They wanted to make sure that ashes wouldn't even be left."

Tifa's eyes grew big. "SOLDIER?! Cloud?! Is Cloud dead?"

Rude wrapped his arms around his young wife. "It's okay�it's okay."

Reeve shook his head. "No Cloud's inside. He's fine. The Highwind crew apprehended a SOLDIER who was part of Hojo's Jenova Project. We tried to rescue her but it was too late�my niece knew her. She pushed for the girl's body to be cremated."

Vincent's eyes gave the appearance of being engulfed in flame. "THAT IS ABSOLUTE�"

"Did you want to say something, Mr. Valentine?" Reeve managed to coolly let out.

Cid put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Easy, Vince. I don't know what's up either. We know what really happened. Just let it go,� he whispered.

Vincent grudgingly shook his head.

"Hey, Boss." the cat intervened, "They still can't find the lieutenant guy. The general just happened to realize something too. They want you back at the ship."

Reeve removed a pair of sunglasses and put them on. "Excuse me." As Reeve and the mechanical cat made their exit, all eyes were on him.

"What is he hiding?" Vincent prodded at Cid.

"It's true; Leira did push for the girl to be burned." Cid agreed.

"No, that's not it." Vincent crossed his arms and watched the light reflect off his claw. "It was one of Reeve's own men that killed her. Hojo's�experiments never finished her."

"Boss," Cait Sith began. "When are you going to tell them about what's really going on? The general discovered the time of death for that Redo guy too."

The hallway echoed with Reeves footfalls. "Cait, this is not the time."

"Boss, the guy's been dead since." Cait Sith stopped as two armed guards passed by. He continued to bounce dutifully beside his master.

"Since when?" asked Reeve.

"He's been dead since the Highwind lifted off from Costa del Sol. Someone apparently snuck aboard�and,"

"And?"

"At the risk of sounding like a Turk. Someone snuck aboard and offed him. That's what the general wanted to tell you." the cat finished.

Beneath his glasses, Reeve was upset. Why had it taken so long for these to developments to come to light? Did he not pay top dollar to support that army? Reeve reflexively straightened his tie. "Do they have a suspect or anything?"

"You mean besides the kid?"

"Don't screw with me Cait. I'm not having a good day here."

The little mechanical cat shook its paws. "Mine's not peaches and cream either, boss. General Tate thinks it might be the clone you mentioned�that twenty nine guy."

Reeve continued to walk. "Does Tate have any proof?"

The cat was just a little irked but kept it to himself. That's another reason why he wants to see you�"

The two had made it to the exit of the prison. The doors slid open for them and two guards took positions behind them.

"Thanks." Reeve said. "But we don't need escorts."

The guards broke off and went back into the ward.

Cait Sith did not bother to continue. Reeve had seen something and immediately stormed off. "Tell Tate I'll meet up with him shortly." The President hollered.

Sephiroth held a vigil over a brown wooden marker. He knew exactly what it stood for. Soon he would be bringing Leira to visit this same spot. He slowly traced the broad flat top with his exposed pointer finger. His sunglasses slid down his nose allowing his aquamarine Mako enhanced eyes to see it in the bright sun. Yuffie was right, he thought to himself. An armory had indeed been built on the same stretch of land long before it was destroyed.

The medium sized square of petrified wood had no words or symbols carved into it. It was placed there under Sephiroth's watchful eye during the battle with Wutai. It was a way for him to honor the memories of SOLDIERs in his unit that did not make it back home. He was surprised that the Wutai government had not removed it. He put his hands on the tops of his knees. How would Leira react to seeing this marker?

"I thought I told you not to come around here!" Reeve's voice broke the calmness that Sephiroth had been experiencing.

"I have just as much right to be here as yourself." Sephiroth said in a relaxed tone.

"You were the one that got them killed in the first place! Seeing you here is just like putting chocobo dung on it!� Reeve protested.

The ex-Shinra general pushed his shades back into place. His head lifted to view Reeve. "Are you going to bring her here?"

"No and you aren't either!"

Sephiroth pushed his hair back over his shoulders. "Funny," he sighed, "I never really knew my real parents. Besides Jenova and Gast, these two were the only ones I knew. They were the closest things to a mother and father�"

Reeve was unsympathetic. "That's too bad. You let her family die. You could have helped them. You didn't. After you disappeared she was doing much better."

"Reeve, you screwed with her memories." Sephiroth pointed out.

"I did. I did so that she could lead a normal life without having things like this to look back on constantly, and you."

Sephiroth lifted himself to his feet. He stepped up to Reeve and towered inches above him.

"Where are you going?" the President asked nervously.

"I'm leaving you. I've done what I needed to do for the time being. I have to meet with someone." He took one side of his glasses in his hand and lowered them while he flashed a cruel smile at Reeve. "If you'll excuse me."

A wind seemed to spring out of nowhere and Sephiroth vanished without a trace.

Reeve glanced around in horror. What had he just seen?

Cait Sith bounded over to his creator. "Reeve, you okay?"

Never had he expected to see Sephiroth use the powers that Jenova still provided him. His skin turned white and his head dashed around. "Cait, let's get out of here."

The visiting room door opened for Yuffie and her comrades. Cloud's light smile provided the group with a little bit of rest.

"You didn't have to come all this way to see me,� he said. "How ya doin', Tifa, long time no see?"

"Hey, you know us!� Yuffie smiled back.

Cloud was dressed in a baggy white suit. His hands were cuffed in front of him. The boy's legs were loosely chained and attached to the wall of the cell.

Tifa rushed at him and wrapped her arms around him. "We'll get you out of this!� she wept.

"So, what have you all been up to?" Cloud asked.

"We've been trying to find a way to save your butt." Cid remarked.

"No one here believes that you're capable of murder." Rude spoke up.

Cloud's eyes widened for a moment after hearing the Turk talk.

"Reeve and the cat were having a talk�you might be out of this situation sooner than you think." the pilot added.
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Final Fantasy VII: Awakening