Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy VII: Awakening ❯ The Truth At Last? ( Chapter 7 )

"You know…Cid …" The Elite began to unbutton her blouse. The elder pilot could not help but watch her hands.

"Yeah." He said slowly as he tried to pry his eyes away.

"Where did you have the old girl parked? That was a hell of a quick rescue."

The old pilot turned his attention to the six-man team controlling the aircraft. "Vince told you that we were rebuilding it right?"

"I didn't think you had her that close to town?"

Cid wanted to smack her forehead but he let it blow passed him. "We had it on the outskirts of town…what was left of her…" He dug his chin into his collarbone. "We were so close to Meteor when Holy was crawling along the land. The crew was scared about what would happen…I was kinda scared too."

Leira tried to think back to the events that happened after her assignment to find Sephiroth.

"There was one bright green explosion and the ship was swatted away. Next thing I know, we're grounded right outside Rocket Town. The kid kept sayin' somethin' about Aeris lookin' out for us." He looked up at the ceiling and than down at his feet.

The Elite felt awkward during this conversation so she put a hand on Cid's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him and take her mind off the bitter past.

"I dunno, maybe she was keepin' an eye on us," He started again. "…Anyway, we ended up back home. My Bikini Goddess was almost in pieces! She was a couple miles from the mountains. We kept her there while we looked around every scrap metal site we could think of."

Leira wrapped her arms around him. "Thanks for saving us."

The captain of the Highwind began to feel warm. He tried to fight this feeling as best as he could.

"Sir, we're in range,” said one of the crew.

The Turk dropped her arms and watched the airship's approach through its large bridge window. She could see the landmarks that made up the small vacation resort clearly.

The Highwind touched down just outside of the town. Every one of the crewmembers was looking forward to their short vacation. Vincent decided to stay on board with Cloud and Yuffie. As much as Valentine protested, Kisaragi swore that she felt safer being beside him rather than going out onto the sunny beaches.

The place Reeve lived was none other than the former Shinra villa where Leira had spent her early Elite days. Reeve had always planned to retire from Shinra and start a pleasant life for himself far away from all the blackmail and murder. He wanted to live with the people that he fought so hard to protect. It resembled a mini fortress to the tourists passing by, the way it across the beach.

Leira exited the ship and took her Shinra issue shoes off. She walked to her uncle's villa with her footwear suspended over her shoulder. It had been two years since she had been able to see her only surviving family member without her casts. She knocked on the tan sun dried door and wondered what his reaction would be. The last time either of them had met with each other was from a hospital room in Junon. Leira was forced into many months of bed rest after Meteor made it‘s semi-touchdown. Her uncle visited her often during her hospitalization after the chaos.

"I'm coming,” groaned a man from inside.

The Turk took a deep breath. She was still wearing her air-dried clothes and her long hair had become tangled.

The door opened slowly. "Can I help…wha…?" The man that answered was a couple inches taller than she was. He was rather attractive looking in his dark blue business suit. He had a pleasant face to go along with his pleasant voice and his dark hair tightly combed hair. His small mustache had an even trim, which accented his lips just so.

Leira was amused by the drop of the man‘s jaw as he studied her. "What happened to your goatee, unc?" She put her left elbow to the doorframe and leaned her curvaceous figure against it.

Reeve looked her up and down. He was surprised to see the attractive woman before him. He could not believe that this same woman had been a part of his company's most ruthless secret service. "Lieandra?!" The President flung his arms around her and held her close. Tears had begun to form in his eyes. "It's so good to see you!"

"Still the sharp dresser, I see." She muttered as she pressed her face into his shoulder, while returning his embrace.

"Come on inside,” said Reeve as he swept at a tear.

Leira looked around and whistled. "I can't believe Cloud sold this place to you. It still looks mighty sweet."

Reeve looked at her quizzically. "How did you know that Cloud sold it to me?"

Leira grinned. "I did serve as a bookkeeper during that whole death of President Shinra ordeal…I'm a Turk, Reeve. Rufus didn't care who he sold it to, as long they had money." She lightly bopped him on the head with a closed fist.

Reeve shook his head. "That kid. No matter how hard he tried to avoid it, he still ended up like his father."

Leira crossed her arms. She tried not to let her uncle's comments bother her. "You wanted to see me?"

Her uncle was very much anti-Shinra. Even while they employed him, he still disagreed with the methods of the organization. "You never told me about Tseng wanting you to run after Sephiroth." As much as he tried, Reeve could not avoid the subject at hand.

Suddenly, the Elite found herself gazing at her bare feet. She wiggled her toes than looked back at Reeve. "I didn't tell you because I know how much you hate Tseng…even after his death."

She still thought Tseng to be the only reason for his unhappiness and concern. Despite his outward appearance, the new President smiled.

Cid Highwind approached the house. After spending a few minutes at the tavern connected to the President's residence, he remembered what he was doing in the resort town of Costa del Sol in the first place. The grizzled pilot rapped softly on the open door. "Hey, anyone there?!"

Reeve was the first to notice the intrusion. "Hey, Cid! We're on our way!"

As soon as the old pilot was out of sight, Reeve and Leira headed out of the villa. Her uncle held onto her wrist as tight as possible for fear that the slightest misstep would pull them apart again.

Once aboard the airship, Reeve sought out a solitary deck in which he could talk to his niece. He did not care if the rest of the people onboard the Highwind knew his goals or not as long as she heard everything first.

Reeve looked at Leira. "Lieandra, what I have to tell you may surprise you. It might hurt you too. When I first found out you were seeing Reno, I had to let him know too...for his own safety."

Her green eyes widened at his words. "I thought you didn't want anything to do with him. What could you possibly have told him?"

Reeve looked down at the floor. "Sephiroth, he was the young general that led your parents into battle against Wutai. He was also your childhood friend."

"Why don't I remember any of this?"

"He was also the one that informed us of your parents' deaths. Someone else would have been assigned to tell us but with him being a general, and a war hero, he chose to inform us himself." He paused slightly to let this new information sink in. "Your parents would take you over to Midgar during their briefings and the two of you would play together, when you were little. He was a few years older than you but they had hoped that you two would grow up to be quite the couple."

"Sephiroth knows me? My parents didn't even tell me. I'm not even sure what you're trying to tell me, Reeve." Leira placed her head between her clenched fists. She knew her memory was grossly insignificant, how could it have been that distorted.

"Your memory might be a little patchy in some places.”

Ya think?! She had wanted to scream.

“You were watched every time. It was obvious in that little boy's eyes that he thought the world of you. So, I'm sure he told his father about you." It looked like Reeve was about to cry. "Your parents weren't just any other officers..." his voice trailed away.

Confusion began to set in. Leira's mind was a whirlwind of thought. She got up from her chair and grabbed her uncle by the throat pinning him to the hull of the Highwind. "What is it that you're getting at?"

"You've got your father's strength." Reeve was gasping for air.

Leira leaned in closer so they were eye to eye.

"What's going on? I heard a noise. Is everything okay?" Cloud had heard the sound of Reeve's body crashing against the wall from his location across the hall. The sight that greeted him made him freeze in his tracks. The ex-SOLDIER briefly looked back in the hallway, to make sure that nobody else was behind him. After the coast was clear, he walked into the room and shut the door behind him. "This isn't just an ordinary briefing is it?" he asked shrugging his shoulders.

"My loving uncle was just going to let me in on a long kept family secret. Weren't you, Reeve?" her eyes never wavered from her uncle.

"Leira, he's turning blue!" said Cloud.

Leira turned her attention to Cloud and dropped Reeve. She stood over him with her arms at her sides. Her brown wavy hair had fallen over her shoulders. The new president crashed to the ground and grabbed his throat, gasping for air. Cloud started to approach Leira but Reeve waved him off. "No. Cloud, I'm fine,” he coughed a little then clenched his throat in his hands, “this was the reaction that I knew I’d get. It's my fault."

Cloud walked over and sat on a nearby crate. "I'll stand guard while you two settle your differences."

Reeve knew that it was time to continue his tale, air or no. "Leira, your parents were part of SOLDIER. They were infused with Mako. Your strength and reflexes came from them. You've never been an ordinary girl. You've got Mako running through your veins too. You may not have been in SOLDIER directly but you're like Cloud. You share the same abilities. Yours came from your mother and father.”

Leira's stare hardened. "Go on." she barked.

"Hojo was surprised by your abilities. Even as a child, those traits were apparent. There were times that you and Sephiroth would argue and end up fighting. You would go toe to toe with him...Punch for punch." Reeve gave a slight chuckle at the thought. "I remember your parents and Hojo running out to where you guys were fighting and breaking you up. Reann and Tres would haul you out kicking and screaming. They would always apologize to Sephiroth's father for your behavior."

Leira shot Cloud a glance. "Do you know anything about this?"

Cloud swallowed hard. He was unsure of Leira’s past. When she had taken him under her wing, she never really talked about her past. He did know something about Sephiroth and Hojo though. "Leira, Hojo was Sephiroth's biological father. He had also incorporated Professor Gast's Jenova experiment into SOLDIER."

"In a way you and Sephiroth and Cloud were all part of the Jenova experiment. The three of you, while still looking human, have increased knowledge of military techniques, almost superhuman strength and cat-like reflexes. Unfortunately, in all your cases, a lot of your long-term memory is absent. The past, usually centered on your childhood, can be extremely hard to recall."

Leira dropped to her knees in front of Reeve. "Why did you just let me go on without ever telling me? Why did you let me forget all this?"

Cloud walked over to Leira and put his hands on her shoulders to try to comfort her.

"Hojo had plans for you. Out of all the children whose parents had passed on the Mako legacy, Hojo was most impressed with you. It was because he thought you and Sephiroth were so much alike. In his own twisted way he wanted the two of you to remain together." Reeve continued. "Your parents were unaware of this. I had no idea what would happen while you were with Hojo, until after your parents died."

This was almost too much for Cloud to take.

“You and Sephiroth spent a lot of time growing up together he couldn't help but love you. It was because of your feelings for him that made you want to join the army."

"What happened after her parents died?" Cloud asked.

Reeve managed to get up and walk over to the wall that Leira had pinned him to earlier. "She was kidnapped a few weeks later when I was called away on business. Hojo had sent the Turks out to grab you and take you to his laboratory in Midgar."

Cloud looked at Lieandra he knew that all of this was too much for her to take. He was sure that what he was hearing was too much even for him. He wondered what she must have been thinking at this point. He remembered Sephiroth's reaction to finding out about his past and realized that his own recollection was no different. He knelt on the floor beside her and wrapped his arms around her. The remembrance of utter humiliation preyed heavily on his well-being.

"Once in his hands, you became a guinea pig. He put you through a series of tests to see how you would measure up with Sephiroth." Reeve said.

"Are you trying to say that Hojo was trying to mate her with Sephiroth?" Cloud's jaw dropped. He pulled her in closer.

Reeve nodded his head slowly. "Hojo wanted to see if he could try to recreate what he had done with his own wife and child. He figured that the offspring from Leira and Sephiroth would become more than just a super-SOLDIER. He was trying for a god."

"I'm going to take her back to her quarters, Reeve. If there's anymore, which I'm sure there is, we'll hear it later." Cloud helped Leira to her feet and they walked slowly out the door.

Reeve covered his face with his hands. There was more to the story and he knew he would have to tell all of it to her.

Cloud escorted Leira to the living quarters. He ended up having her lean against his shoulder as they walked for Leira's knees had begun to give out. When he asked her about how she was feeling, her only reply was that she was tired. At first Cloud believed that it was just stress but as soon as they entered the quarters, Leira looked up at him.

"Cloud, I don't feel so hot." With those words, she fell to the floor.

In a panic Cloud ran over to the intercom and pressed the alert button for the bridge.

"Sir, we've got a problem in the below deck,” said the navigator in a dulcet.

Cid dropped his cigarette and ran over to look at his panel. "I guess you're right. I'm heading below." In a flash, Captain Highwind rushed to the personnel deck. In a couple minutes, he was at Cloud's side. "What the hell did you do, SOLDIER boy?!" He and Cloud bent down to try and lift her off the ground.

Cloud looked into his face. "I…I, didn't do anything. She just passed out."

"Shit!" Cid muttered. "We don't have a doctor on the ship we need to get her to one fast."

"What happened?" Reeve heard the commotion and went to see what was going on. The sight that welcomed him dropped him like a rock. There in front of him was Cid Highwind and Cloud Strife with Leira's arms draped over their shoulders. Her skin was pallid and tiny purple bruises had begun to form underneath her eyes. Reeve outstretched his arms. The thought of loosing his only surviving relative was making him nauseas. "What happened to her?"

"We don't know, Reeve, we were going to ask you." Cloud yelled.

"That's enough, kid." Cid shouted breaking up a possible confrontation. "We've got to take her to a doctor. Reeve, you help Cloud hold her I'm going to take us to Mideel."

Reeve was puzzled. "Mideel, what's out there? One of those damn weapons brought the whole town down years ago! There still isn't anything out there!"

Cloud looked at him in disgust. "Reeve, there's a doctor out there. He helped me out, I'm sure he can do something for Leira."

"You two find a crate and lay her down. I'll have the nav guys set a path for Mideel. I'll also try to keep the others away until we know what's going on." Cid turned on his heels and ran out the door.

"What did you do?" Cloud asked as he and Reeve laid her down.

"I didn't do anything to her." Reeve was reduced to tears. He knelt down next to Leira's lifeless form and wrapped his arms around her. "I didn't do anything."

Up on the bridge chaos had ensued. "What the hell is going on?" cursed Vincent.

"Yeah, what up with that?" put in Yuffie.

"Uhmmm. Cid, this isn't the way to Nibelheim,” replied a bewildered Cait Sith.

"We ain't looking for Sephiroth right now. We've got a problem below decks."

"What?" everyone blurted in unison.

Vincent looked around. "Where the hell are Cloud, Reeve and Leira?"

Cid looked at Vincent and adjusted the goggles on his head. He smiled stupidly. "That's the problem we're having below decks."

The ex-Turk’s fists tightened. "What happened?" he asked angrily.

Cid turned around, faced the group and cleared his throat. "No one knows. When I got there, the chick was passed out and Cloud was looking after her. She just dropped out."

"What did he do?" Vincent was on fire now. He did not know her enough yet. He wanted to know her more each passing day. Now that he found something that he cared for it was being ripped from him yet again.

"Ease up, loverboy." Yuffie yelped as she grabbed Vincent by his claw. "You know as much as we do that he'd never hurt her. Cloud loves that woman too much to harm her."

Vincent growled and wrenched his claw out of Yuffie's grip. His head sunk as he pondered her words. He sighed and started to head out the door.

Yuffie ran ahead of him. "You can't go down there now, we need you up here."

Cid put his hands behind his head. "The kid's right. It's a family thing going on down there now. It's best we just let Cloud and Reeve handle her for now. We're heading to Mideel to see the good doctor."

The Highwind passed over forests, oceans, and islands as it traveled through the air. Vincent needed to get some fresh air so he headed to the observation deck. He watched the world fly by. Memories of the past flooded his thoughts as he stared out over the railing. Yuffie wanted to escort him but he quickly reminded her that she was the last person he wanted to be alone with.

The sun started to go down. From where he stood on the deck, he could see the Nibel area and its mountainside waterfall. He could see the cave where he last saw his first love, Lucrecia. If he still had the ability, he would have cried at his memory of her. It was hard for him to believe that a man that was half monster would still have human feelings from time to time. He was half monster, after all, and was able to have feelings for a woman that he hardly knew. At times like this, he began to ponder what motivated Hojo to make him into the creature he was.

"Vincent."

Valentine turned around to look behind. Cid Highwind stood in front of him with a concerned look on his face. "Vince, she'll be okay. She's still out but those docs in Mideel are miracle workers. They'll fix what's wrong…”

"We're almost there." Vincent said slowly. "Are Reeve and Cloud still with her?"

"Cloud's a good kid. He and Reeve were just as disturbed by her passing out as you. They're family, I told ya."

Vincent turned back toward the railing. He hoped that things would work out well. He understood how much she meant to everyone.

Cid walked up to him. He hated to see Vincent depressed. After heaving a heavy sigh, Cid wrapped his arms around Vincent. Together they stared out as the sun began to set.

"Sir." The voice of one of the Highwind's six-man crew came over the intercom. "We're on final approach now."

"Be down in a sec." Cid said slowly as he rubbed Vincent's shoulders. "You gonna be okay, kid?"

Vincent nodded. Cid looked back and gave him thumbs up as he went back down to the bridge.

As the Highwind underwent landing procedures, Cid cursed the ground of Mideel. Because it was pretty, much jungle the monster table was always high. The massive airship had to land a few miles out from Mideel because of the huge trees. Cid would have given anything for a tractor or a flamethrower. It was going to be hell to haul a lifeless body through that mess. To Cid, it might as well be him, Yuffie and Cait Sith walking through the jungle alone. He figured that Reeve was not a fighter and Cloud, one of the best fighters the old pilot had seen, would be too busy helping Reeve carry Leira. Vincent obviously was not in top form emotionally to carry on a good fight in case of monster attacks.

The group exited the airship and began to slash through the jungles of the tiny island. Reeve was terrified to be trudging through this territory. He had never been there before and had even less experience in dealing with monsters. He looked down at his niece's face buried in his shoulder. It was hard for him to believe that this girl was as tough, if not tougher than she looked. She was the daughter of his sister and brother in law, both top SOLDIERS. Reeve held Leira's head closer to his shoulder. Over the years, she had become a daughter to him. He loved this girl and to know that he might be losing the last member of his family saddened him. The child in his arms, he believed, would have a much bigger role to play in life. Reeve knew that genetically she was destined for greater things as well

Behind Reeve, Cloud acted as a bodyguard. The young ex-SOLDIER held his buster sword over his shoulder ready for an impending attack. From time to time, he would glance over to the new President, carrying the body of his niece. It was upsetting to Cloud that this was how things were supposed to go. The Turk woman was very special to him. He had lost a friend in Zack and a possible lover in Aeris. Leira was a mother figure to him and, during his early days in SOLDIER, she was one of his best friends.

It made him smile when he remembered the times that Zack and Leira would fight and argue with each other. Zack would always hate the fact that Leira was assigned to command their unit. It was customary that one of the Elite stay with a platoon of SOLDIERs. The role of the Turk Elite in that situation was to be back up in case things got rough, second in command if the first commander was killed in action, and clean up. If at any time, the mission had failed, and the SOLDIERs in the platoon had not carried out their mission to the fullest, the Elite were to kill everyone and destroy the bodies. Cloud had heard from other Elite that Leira had been responsible for three clean up operations. When he and Zack had defected from the Nibelheim operation, she was the one assigned to handle their capture. Cloud had learned later that her mission to retrieve him was cut short because of her reassignment to protect Rufus Shinra, the vice President

It made Cloud nervous to think that the same woman that became a mother figure to him could have ended up killing him. He wondered if she was still going to have to kill him after her Sephiroth mission was completed.

Yuffie and Cait Sith walked side by side. It was almost a comical sight. The little boyish Ninja strode along next to the tiny cat seated on the shoulders of a huge pink mog. Yuffie looked around slowly as she walked. She figured that she hated these jungles as much as Cid and the others. A crackling sound was heard from above them. She stopped in her tracks and looked at Cloud. "Nope, still there." She whispered.

The entire group paused and looked up in the direction of the sound. Vincent had his ultimate weapon, Death Penalty at the ready. He stood there calmly looking up into the tree line. Yuffie had one of her massive shurikens ready to throw. As a little Ninja, she was trained to use all kinds of weapons but her best attacks usually came from the huge throwing stars at her disposal. Reeve had taken a position behind Cloud on the ground. The blonde spiky haired boy stood above him with his sword in hand.

"Where is it?" asked Cait Sith nervously.

"Don't you mean what is it?" cautioned Cid.

"Shhh." Yuffie whispered.

The sound grew louder. It couldn not be one object it had to be a few dozen of something. The sound was heading downward at them from the top of the trees. Whatever it was it traveled fast.

"Get ready,” barked Cid.

"Uhmmm, Cid, it sounds like there's a lot of them." Yuffie said as she tugged on Cid's sleeve.

The pilot gazed upward as a shower of leaves sprung forth from the trees. Long brown tendrils began whipping around through the foliage. "I hate this friggin' jungle!" Cid cried as he grabbed his spear. The mass was almost upon them. Shrill cries of hunger sounded forcing the party to cover their ears. Immediately, large brown chunks of living wood began falling over the group.

"Holy shit!" Cid bellowed.

The bodies of these creatures were circular and had two long tendrils that whipped around. The faces of these creatures took up their entire body. They had large evil eyes and a huge mouth twisted into a crazed grin.

Vincent sprung into action shooting any creature that came close to him. Yuffie lined up her targets, let fly with her shuriken, and mowed them down three at time.

Cait Sith ran over to Cid. "Y'know what? I think you should call on the Highwind crew for help."

Cid looked at the little black and white cat staring him in the face and than looked over at Cloud who was thrashing his sword at the creatures in an attempt to protect Reeve and Leira.

Yuffie looked over at Vincent. "Get ready I'm gonna burn!"

The dead man smiled as he noticed her fingering the matured fire materia imbedded in her weapon. "Fire in the hole." He shouted as he dropped to his knees.

Cid grabbed Cait Sith and pulled him to the ground. Cloud used his body to shield Reeve and Leira.

Yuffie Kisaragi raised her hands to the heavens and whispered a little chant. Within seconds, a huge fire bolt shot down from the sky. The entire mob of plant creatures was engulfed in a fiery blaze.

FWOOOOOSH

The surrounding trees caught fire too. Yuffie had not figured on the rest of the jungle catching fire as well. "Uhm, anyone have ice materia." She yelped as the burning creatures began to spread the fire around the forest trying to escape.

Vincent tapped her on the shoulder and pointed over at Cloud who had already begun to chant. "I think that's our cue to get out of here." He said and lifted her onto his back.

"Everybody lets go!" shouted Cid.

Reeve gathered Leira up into his arms and sprinted after the others. He looked back at Cloud briefly to see if he could assist him.

"Don't worry! I've got everything covered!" the boy shouted.

Reeve waved and was on his way. As he ran through the forest, he noticed the air had gotten noticeably colder and it appeared that a light snow was starting to fall. He had to move quickly or be caught up in a major blizzard.

The group had cleared the worst part of the woods and entered the ruined town of Mideel. Not a lot had changed since their last visit. The tiny wooden houses were still in pieces but there was evidence of them being inhabited. When Reeve finally entered the clearing, he looked around. "This is where the top doctors are supposed to be living. You guy's are nuts. There's nothing here but splinters."

Cid turned to Reeve and buried his fist in his palm. Just as the scene was about to get ugly a man in a white coat came out.

The man bore the appearance of being tall and friendly looking. A tall blonde nurse followed him. "Hi, guys!" he said. "What can I do for you?"

Yuffie smiled at Reeve. The President could just stand there with his jaw hanging open. "You people live like this?"

The doctor ignored him and turned his attention to Cid. "Where's your young friend?"

Cid smiled and pointed at the smoke rising from the forest. "He'll be catching up soon. Anyway, we were wondering if you could help us with a problem. You see, one of our crew suffered some kind of episode and, well, she kinda passed out. She's breathing but not too much."

The doctor motioned to his nurse. She went over to Reeve and opened up Leira's eyelids. She shook her head in surprise. "What happened to her? Doctor, you've got to take a look at her eyes I've never seen anything like them."

The doctor approached and looked for himself. He slammed his hand over his mouth. A look of fear covered his face. He shook his head and stepped back. Her eyes had begun to darken. They were almost black in color like a newly formed bruise. There was almost no white left in them.

"What's going on?" Cloud asked as he joined the group. He sheathed his sword and looked at the expression on the doctor's face. "I take it, it's nothing good."

"Come on, we've got to get her inside!"

The nurse led the way as they headed toward a tiny tent. A tiny desk and a table were all that was in it. The doctor motioned for Reeve to lay Leira down on the table. Reeve backed away and stared at his niece just lying there. Vincent stood next to him and looked on.

The Mideel doctor took one last look at her eyes before looking up and addressing the group. "It appears to be another case of Mako poisoning." He said flatly.

"Yo, doc, what's wrong with her eyes?" pressed Cid.

"Ah, that. That's the problem. The Mako poisoning isn't the worst thing."

Everyone's eyes locked on the doctor. "Her eyes are telling me of something else. She has some other kind of chemical flowing through her blood stream. That's what contributed to the color change in her eyes. It appears that this chemical has been flowing through her blood for a while, for her eyes to look like this."

Reeve looked at the intimidating Vincent Valentine standing next to him. He looked back at Cloud who had his eyes locked on Leira, over at Yuffie who was also looking at his niece. Reeves eyes wandered over to Cait Sith who was staring back at him shaking his furry head. "I think we should tell 'em boss."

At this point Reeve began to regret ever giving this creation of his artificial intelligence. The whole room eyed him. Reeve heaved a sigh and put his hands to his head. "I'm responsible for what's going on. The chemical was injected into her before Sephiroth went AWOL." A tear flowed from his eye. "I didn't want the same to happen to her. Hojo had kidnapped her…did so much to her. I couldn't stand by and watch as she became a love toy for Sephiroth."

"What did you do?" snarled Cloud. Vincent was making Reeve uneasy too. The blood red eyes turned on him and his weapon rose.

For everything he said, Reeve knew the only story he could tell to ensure his safety was a half truth. "One of the Midgar doctors learnt of what Hojo did to her. He was concerned too. She was going to be Hojo's ticket to godhood. I couldn't let that happen." He gulped and looked into those blood red eyes again. "We thought it would be best if we injected a serum into her that would make her forget him faster, forget anything having to do with Sephiroth and Hojo. We didn't know she'd end up like this."

Yuffie threw her arms around Cloud and buried her face in his chest.

"Why?" asked Cloud.

"We figured that if we kept her memories intact she might fulfill Hojo's dreams or go mad like Sephiroth. We…I didn't want to take that chance. It's bad enough that her genetic makeup is that of SOLDIER." Reeve heaved a sigh. "The chemical was also meant to cancel out any of Sephiroth's powers. It's kind of like a liquid materia. The carrier can only use certain types of materia effectively. Magically speaking his powers shouldn’t cause her too much damage.”

"Dude, you're sick." Spat Yuffie.

The doctor shook his head. "I see you didn't really research this drug completely. I'm going to take out some blood samples and take it from there. In the meantime, I think it best you guys look around. I'll send the nurse out to you when we're ready."

Cloud stood next to Reeve. "For your safety, I think you'd better stay here."

The ex-SOLDIER turned and walked out with Cid, Vincent, Yuffie and Cait Sith.

"This isn't the drug developed for the safe release of Gold Saucer convicts into society was it?"

Reeve turned to him. "Yeah it is.” He lied. “The science department modified it a little to handle materia."

"I see. You do realize that the Mako in her blood stream was already toxic enough without this chemical. I really honestly don't see why Shinra needed all these modifications to their army."

Reeve wandered over to the edge of the tent and looked outside. “If you wanted to keep a lie alive long enough to overcome the guilt of losing loved one-a loved one would you have done any different?” He saw Vincent sitting outside on a log with Death Penalty balancing on his knees, his eyes fixed on the tent. Cid Highwind was sparring with the little ninja. Reeve blinked and saw Cloud pass by the tent with Cait Sith. It appeared they were guarding the tent.

The doctor took a needle out of his pocket and began to draw blood from her. "This test will show just what it is that's going on."

Outside the tent, the mood was somber.

"Come on that's her uncle for Christ's sake. You don't think he did it deliberately do you?" Cid asked as he dodged a flying kick from Yuffie.

"Comin' at ya!" Yuffie said as she landed behind him and threw a haymaker. Cid swung his body around, with spear in hand, and swept at her feet. Yuffie unceremoniously fell to the ground.

"I don't know what to think of any of this." Vincent said.

"None of us do really,” said Yuffie. "I just can't believe that Shinra would do something like that to their own people."

Vincent turned his eyes on her. "You can't? Than how do you explain me?"

"Easy Vince." Cid said patting him on the shoulder.

All was quiet inside the tent. Reeve sat down on the ground and buried his head in his knees.

"Would you like some coffee, sir?" asked the nurse.

The President did not even raise his head. He waved the nurse off. He tried not to think about how things were. The past began to remind him of how ugly the truth really was. Leira lie still on the examining table. If it had not been for his fear of losing her, in the first place things might have been different. "Damn Sephiroth!" he cursed.

"Excuse me,” poked the doctor.

"I'm sorry." Reeve apologized. He had no idea he expressed himself aloud.

The doctor turned back and began to look the girl over. He lifted her eyelids again and took out another needle. "I'm going to draw some more blood. Your friends out there…" he paused as he tried to think of what to say. "Two of your friends anyway, might be able to reverse the effect of your little memory drug."

Reeve winced. What could the doctor mean? To which “friends” was he referring?

"I just have to run a few quick tests on this blood and I should be able to tell you who I need in a couple seconds." The doctor drew some more of Leira's blood and wandered over to a tiny microscope in the far corner or the tent.

Cait Sith bounced over to his master and hunched over him. "What's he gonna do?" asked the black and white cat.

"He wants to run another blood test."

"I heard that,” said the cat. "What about the guys outside?"

"I don't know."

"Mr. President,” said the doctor. "Can you bring in the SOLDIER and the man in the red cloak?"

Reeve's eyes went wide. He didn't mind calling in Cloud but Vincent was another story. Ever since his niece's collapse, he had felt nothing but hatred from the ex-Turk. To say Vincent made him feel uneasy was an understatement. "You want me to call who?"

"The blonde haired boy and the man in the red cloak. They were both products of Hojo were they not?"

Reeve cursed to himself.

"Vincent…hoo-boy…I'll be happy to get your medical insurance papers in order, Mister President." The cat mused as the big pink mog stood up.

Reeve had wanted to hit the android but decided against it. There was no point in arguing. Deep in his heart, he knew the doctor and the cat were right. Vincent Valentine and Cloud Strife were indeed products of the mad scientist known as Hojo. Vincent, Leira's uncle knew, would make sure that Reeve paid for his sins in blood.

The President ran his hands through his shoulder length black hair and took a deep breath. "Why do you need them?" he asked as a means to try to find something to argue with the doctor.

The man in the white lab coat lowered his glasses. "One of the two might have strong enough blood to counter the virus that's ripping the girl apart…unless you can think of anyone else that might be willing to be a donor."

Suddenly, Reeve felt sick to his stomach. There was indeed another man he could think of modified by Hojo. The man who he feared all his life, Sephiroth himself, would have been a likely donor. The last thing he wanted to do was hunt down the ex-Shinra general. "No," he said slowly. "I can't think of anyone else."

"Okay then." Said the doctor as Reeve walked out of the tent.

"Here we go,” Cloud said noticing the life-sized puppets approach.

"What's the verdict?" asked Cid."

"Yeah,” said Yuffie.

Cait Sith hopped over to Vincent. The cloaked man eyed the cat suspiciously.

"You and Vincent,” Said Reeve.

"What?" asked Cloud looking over at Vincent.

"The doctor wants to see you and Vincent. He figures that because Hojo tinkered with the both of you, your blood might be strong enough to help her. Since Red XIII's not here, you two will have to do."

Vincent rose and shouldered Death Penalty. Cloud scratched his head and followed the dead man.

"Well said, boss." Cait Sith mused.

Yuffie and Cid stared at each other pondering the next steps.

Cloud, Vincent and Reeve entered the tent.

"Good, good,” chided the doctor. "I need a blood sample from the two of you. I've found that her blood has not only Mako in it but also a small quantity of the Jenova byproduct. I have records left over from you, mister Strife, which indicate you as being a member of the Jenova Project."

Cloud stepped forward and held out his right arm. "I thought you still had samples from the time I was suffering from Mako poisoning."

The doctor shook his head. "Everything but the written records and some of the shop goods were destroyed. Blood samples, lives and the like were totally destroyed by the Weapon attack."

"How did you know I was a product of Hojo?" asked Vincent.

The doctor blushed. "I didn't. It was just a guess really. I just looked into your eyes and noticed that they were a very unusual color."

Vincent began to feel uneasy as he rolled up a sleeve. Was it that obvious that he wasn't like every other human?

The Mideel doctor filled a vial of blood from Cloud and Vincent. "There isn't anyone else I could use in case these samples aren't strong enough, is there?"

Reeve shot Cait Sith a warning glance. The cat and mog raised their paws and left the tent.

Vincent approached Leira and held her hand. It was amazing to him that she was still hanging on to life. She was breathing but very lightly. Vincent wondered to himself, why Reeve had not mentioned Sephiroth as a donor. He knew from the tussle in Nibelheim that Sephiroth would have graciously come along. No matter how odd it seemed to Vincent, he remembered seeing the look of concern on the silver haired man's face when Leira was caught in the crossfire.

"Why didn't Reeve mention Sephiroth?" asked Cloud from behind Vincent. "I know he isn't the nicest guy in the world to deal with. I mean other than us; he doesn't want any harm to come to mom."

"Reeve's afraid of something,” Vincent said flatly. "Pride is clearly an issue with him."

The doctor mixed the blood samples separately. The types were indeed very different. Cloud's contains an extremely high Mako content but not even close to the fallen Turk Elite. There was a high amount of Lifestream in the tiny sample. He picked up the vial of Vincent's blood and mixed a clear solution into it. "Wow!" Yelled the doctor.

"What's that?" asked Reeve as he leaned over him.

"Mr. Valentine. You're a lot older than you look!"

"What does my age have to do with anything?" he hissed at the Mideel man.

"Absolutely nothing." The doctor grinned. "You aren't a good candidate. Not only do you not seem to have a good sense of humor…You seem to be lacking any lifestream or Jenova content in your blood."

Vincent's eyes glowed with rage. The sharpshooter stormed out of the tent without glancing back.

"Poor fellow." The doctor beamed. "You on the other hand, Mr. Strife, may hold the key to unlocking the cure."

Cloud's eyes widened. The doctor grabbed the young man by the arm and pulled him over to the microscope. "Watch this." He said excitedly.

The medical technician opened the top of Cloud's blood sample and mixed it with Leira's. Nothing seemed to happen but the doctor was overjoyed. He started bouncing up and down excitedly.

Cloud scratched his head. "What happened?"

"Nothing! That's just it."

Reeve did not understand any of this.

"I can tell you're all confused but it's nothing, really. *ahem* Cloud has a lovely little cure-all in his blood called lifestream. You can't see it but it is there. Cloud's Mako content wasn't as high as hers but the lifestream kind of makes up for it."

"I don't get it." Cloud winced. "Do you just want us to take her out back and hold her in the lifestream?"

"Is that what that green water is?" asked Reeve.

"Yes. That is lifestream out there,” the doctor said, "As for holding her in it…don't be absurd."

The ex-SOLDIER and the President looked at each other in confusion.

"When you floated onto our shore you were only in the lifestream for a couple days. It managed to bring back your memory and cure your poisoning. Without it, you would have been suffering from permanent brain damage. What's going on with her isn't that much different."

"So?" asked Reeve.

"The way I see it." The doctor continued. "I need to find someone with a huge amount of Mako in their blood as well as a good portion of lifestream…preferably someone that's bathed in the stuff for years. I don't think anyone's capable of surviving that type of exposure so she's just about as good as lost."

Cloud was angry. "Can't my blood help her out any?!" he shouted.

"For some strange reason, I can only use it for a temporary cure, a couple days at most.”

"Isn't there enough of your cure-all in there?" Reeve‘s voice boomed.

The doctor raised an eyebrow and studied him with utmost suspicion. "Only enough for a temporary fix. She might end up totally brain dead from the tiny bit of lifestream interfering."

"Why is lifestream so important for her survival in the first place if it’s going to end up making things worse for her, anyway?!” Cloud was now completely outraged.

"You see, mister Strife, she doesn't have any lifestream in her blood at all. You have just enough inside to balance the Mako content in your blood to keep you alive. I figure if I can find someone living with a huge amount of Mako and Lifestream, maybe she won’t end up being brain dead for the rest of her life. I figure that lifestream in its purest form might throw her body into distress, that's why the Mako is so important."

"What's wrong with you Reeve?! Don't you know that there's only one person now that can help her?!"

A tear flowed down the cheek of Leira's uncle. It seemed that the object of his hatred was going to play a part in the girl's life after all.

The doctor was confused. "Do you know something?" he asked turning towards Reeve.

"There is a…no…was a man who was born with Mako blood." Reeve began.

"Excellent." The Mideel native blurted out.

"He was also a product of Hojo. Almost eight years ago, his body was set adrift and eventually encased in lifestream."

"Really,” inquired the doctor. "Who is he? Do you know where we can find him?"

"His name is Sephiroth." Cloud replied solemnly. "Isn't it, Reeve?"

"Wait, wait. The Great Sephiroth?!" The doctor began to shake his head wildly. "I thought he was dead."

"No." said Reeve finally. "He's very much alive."

"I met up with him a couple days ago in Nibelheim. My guess is that he's still there." Cloud said slowly.

"What makes you so sure?" asked Reeve.

"It's just a hunch,” Cloud said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I think something pretty big is going down and Nibelheim will be the place where it's all going to happen."

Reeve and the doctor glanced at each other.

"As Sephiroth dragged me around I felt a strange air. The entire Shinra mansion was being rebuilt too. Along with Tifa, Vincent, Sephiroth and myself have strong ties to the village."

The next thing Reeve knew he was in the Highwind and on a course for Nibelheim. "Now let me get this straight. You're suggesting that we just go up to him and ask for his help!" The President slapped a hand over his face.

"Maybe we could say please!" spat Yuffie.

Vincent stood over in the corner of the control room. He did not care about what was going on. All he wanted was to finally get the Elite back and deal with Sephiroth for the last time. As he stood there with his arms folded, dressed in his crimson cloak, he wondered what Sephiroth's reaction would be. Would he be sympathetic to the groups cause or would he be angry at what had happened to Leira after he found out about her collapse? Vincent was not sure what had happened back in the dungeon of the Nibelheim mansion that day.

"I gotta admit," said Cid, "it does sound kind of silly."

"You should have seen him back in the basement." Cloud waved a hand and shook his head. "He wouldn't hurt her. She just walked right up to him and he let us go."

"Yeah but not without a going away present!" interrupted Yuffie. "Remember the huge fireballs he smacked the side of the ship with?"

"That's right," remembered Cid, "there's still burns on my bikini goddess!"