Sinner

Interlude II: Incidents (part one)

It had been cramped in the helicopter.

No, worse than cramped. If anything, it was humiliatingly and annoyingly cramped.

"Genesis, kindly remove your rear from my lap."

"Tch, I would, but you won't stop digging your knee into my back!"

"You do know how much room a helicopter allows, right? I can't help the lack of space to actually move-!"

"Yow! Seph! Could you not move just an inch to your left? You are waaay too close to the family jewels!"

"Family jewels, pup? Didn't know you had them, much less used them."

"Genesis, you're such a dick!"

"You have no idea."

At the front of the helicopter, Cloud was infinitely grateful he hadn't been stuck in the back seat with those three. How exactly they had gotten into such tangled positions was completely beyond him.

"I'll be dropping you off and then leaving." The unknown Turk beside him informed casually, despite the ruckus in the back. "Just give us a call when you all want to be picked up again."

Cloud nodded, "Thanks."

He looked out the window; already the Nibelheim mountains were getting closer by the second. He wondered inwardly what he would do with Tifa. Should he greet her? Or just leave it like he had before? Only, this time, he wouldn't allow her to get hurt. Never again, he told himself firmly.

Suddenly, there was a high pitched, short-lived scream. The blonde jumped, his heart skipping a beat. He twisted around in his seat, confused as to how the sound had originated.

In the back, the other males were frozen.

"That wasn't me!" Zack said quickly, holding his hands up awkwardly due to the position he was in, wedged in tightly between Sephiroth and Genesis.

The redhead's eyes were wide from the sound. "Definitely not me!" He said, almost defensively when Cloud turned his eyes on him.

Everyone turned to Sephiroth.

The silver-haired man's eyes narrowed in distaste. "You really think I could make such a pitiful noise?"

Silence.

"Nevermind that." The Turk flying the helicopter interrupted suddenly, voice uncomfortably loud in the awkward pause. "We're here."

As soon as the helicopter touched down, the three Firsts stumbled out. There was cursing on Genesis' end, smoothing his hair down on Sephiroth's end, and immediately squatting on Zack's. Cloud got out more slowly, stretching his body. The ride was way too long for comfort, and Cloud had to wonder how the other three had managed it, especially with such a cramped space.

Immediately, the Turk took off without saying anything, and the helicopter quickly disappeared over the mountains.

"Ugh," Zack groaned, "now I'm stuck with two old men!"

"I'm not-!" Genesis began to say, indignantly, but Zack quickly grabbed Cloud's arm like a lifeline, his eyes sparkling innocently.

"I think you're the only one I can trust!" The dark-haired First said mournfully to the blonde.

Cloud shook his head, chuckling. "I'm sure it'll be fine, Zack."

Sephiroth ran a hand slowly through a lock of his hair, working out the knots. "Zack has a point though, in a roundabout way. I have to wonder why Rufus Shinra sent three First Classes for a routine check-up." He mused dryly.

"He did say something about an unusual cluster of those new monsters gathering here, didn't he?" Cloud said quietly, adjusting his gun holstering. Absently, he mourned the loss of First Tsurugi, but he was glad to have a weapon all the same.

"Still," Genesis said loudly, sauntering forward, "I bet anyone of us could take at least a group of them singlehandedly." He paused, then shrugged. "Well, I'm sure I could at least."

"Let's just get this over and done with." Sephiroth said, suddenly looking irritated. He started striding towards Nibelheim, still over two hundred metres away.

Genesis grumbled, but followed suit. "Tch, damn Turk for making us walk... 'Pride is lost; wings stripped away...'" He muttered the last part under his breath.

Zack casually followed after them, his hands resting at the back of his head. As Cloud walked past him quietly, he mused to his blonde friend.

"So we're going back to your hometown, huh? You gonna go say hi to your girlfriend?" He asked cheekily.

Cloud ran to catch up with him, scowling. "She's not my girlfriend! Tifa is my childhood friend, and only that!"

"Oooh, friendzoned, huh?" Zack snickered. "I wonder if she feels the same way about you?"

"That's none of your business." Cloud said stiffly, and his friend shrugged in defeat, dropping the subject. Barely a second later, he started talking again.

"You know, I have to wonder if both the Director's and his old man's deaths made Rufus a little crazy, considering he sent such an overpowered squad here." Zack said thoughtfully.

For a moment, Cloud was silent. Luckily, he knew, that wasn't entirely the case. He lifted his hands, looking down at them absently.

"I suppose he's just being careful." He answered slowly. Huh, I wonder what Zack would think if he knew I'd been the one to kill them, he thought, but pushed the notion to the back of his mind.

"Extremely careful." Zack announced, but didn't say anymore on the matter.

Inwardly, Cloud couldn't help feeling anxious. How would things turn out this time?

...Maybe he should've planned this out after all.

Too late.

"This is your hometown, right? How does it feel to be back?" Sephiroth asked, turning around to face the blonde infantryman.

Almost like last time, Cloud acknowledged, still feeling fidgety about the whole thing. Does that mean anything? He couldn't help being fidgety under the imperious gaze of Sephiroth.

"You've missed it, right?" The silver-haired man continued vaguely, gesturing around him. "I wouldn't know. I've never had a hometown."

Chills ran down Cloud's spine. Damn it, maybe Sephiroth would always say that, no matter what the circumstances. At least the events following weren't inevitable.

Hope flashed in him when Genesis drawled out, stepping past Sephiroth. "Don't go all sentimental on us now."

However, that bit of light died when Zack piped up curiously. "What about your parents?"

Sephiroth seemed slightly taken aback. "My parents? Hmph, my mother's name was Jenova and my father..." He started laughing, but it lasted briefly. He shook his head. "Why am I even saying any of this? We should move on."

The apprehension grew again in Cloud, and was it him, or was it unbearably hot under this helmet? Maybe it was the fact that this conversation repeated itself in its entirety, almost exactly in the past. Since Cloud had relived this moment in his past so many times, he could see what bits had changed and what hadn't. However, the gist of the conversation was still the same, and it made him feel nauseous.

"Finally!" Genesis' voice cut through his reverie, sounding lazy. They moved after the redhead as he turned and went into the nearby inn to book rooms for them.

Sephiroth turned to the rest of them. "Get some rest. I shall stay up and keep watch, and see if we can't get a guide to take us through the mountains-"

"Wait!" Cloud interrupted hastily. Inwardly, he cursed himself for sounding so urgent. "I, uh, I will take us there." He amended, trying to recover the situation as well as ignore the looks he was getting from Sephiroth and Zack. "Remember? This is my home village. I know the way from here to the Reactor pretty well."

For a moment, Sephiroth sized the blonde up, considering his offer. Cloud kept his expression carefully blank, even though the other man couldn't even see under the helmet. Finally, the General nodded.

"Fine." He said shortly, then turned and walked off.

"... I think he likes you." Zack said, laughing nervously.

Cloud certainly hoped not.

The walk to the Reactor the day after was mostly silent. Even the photographer that wanted a photo near the ShinRa mansion had a noticeably dimmer excitement than last time. For this photo, however, Genesis was there instead of Tifa. Cloud had opted to stay out of it, feeling a silly notion that the photo was a moment too steeped into his own history that he didn't want to change it by placing himself in there.

Inwardly, Cloud wanted to get this mission done as soon as possible. He didn't want to trisk accidentally meeting Tifa. Although the whole extra week spent here because of Sephiroth finding out about his origins was crucial.

Cloud had a plan – albeit a flimsy one – involving Lucrecia Crescent, Sephiroth's mother. Even if that plan went wrong, Cloud still had Genesis on hand as a back-up to maintain the General's sanity. Even Angeal was alive, so surely nothing could go wrong.

As soon as he thought that, Cloud scowled to himself. Way to jinx it.

Now they were approaching the Reactor; Cloud in front, then Genesis and Sephiroth. Unlike before, the bridge hadn't collapsed on their way there, so they had to take a somewhat longer route. Cloud couldn't very well ask them all to randomly jump off the bridge, even if they would survive it. Even so, they were all wary of attack from any monsters, especially the new ones that had been sighted around this region.

It was a silent trip, but Cloud was glad for that all the same. It gave him more time to think up a contingency plan, possibilities, and even more back-up plans. His feet had been automatically guiding them towards their destination, so he almost missed it mentally when they'd arrived.

"Good work, Strife." Sephiroth commented absently, and took the lead, striding easily up the stairs. Though the blonde had a suspicion the General had other things on his mind, he was glad that he went first; this way he could keep an eye on him.

But even as they advanced into the Reactor, Cloud could sense right away something was wrong.

Even without the visual, he would've figured it out eventually, had he been paying any kind of attention to that particular part of himself. She'd been a vague presence in the back of his mind – constant, but not altogether dominant. In his past, whenever he got close to her, or even near a large concentration of her cells, a faint voice was always there. He'd always blocked it out and concentrated on other things, so it hadn't really bothered him much.

But then, this body was not affected by Jenova cells. It was both a comfort and damnation. In a way, Cloud could've used his connection with Jenova to try and find out where she was.

However, in this place, Jenova's absence was now painfully obvious.

Cloud had almost forgotten – he'd been concentrating on Sephiroth finding out about his heritage that the more simple solution was in plain sight.

Except not anymore. Not like it had been in the past. Where Jenova was usually housed in this Reactor, there was nothing there.

For a moment, Cloud began to panic, a similar feeling to the time he'd found himself in Banora when he first came into this world. He'd suspected that maybe some part of Jenova, a remnant perhaps, had tagged along with him and arrived before him long enough to change a few events. He knew that he had definitely chosen to time travel into his own past, so perhaps someone else had time travelled as well. Either that was the case or maybe...?

"Zack, close that valve." He heard Sephiroth command.

Cloud looked up, realising that they inspection had already begun. He tensed in mild alarm when Sephiroth approached one of the pods. Even from his vantage point on the platform, Cloud could see the monsters suspended inside.

He was almost glad that he was standing on an angle to be able to see Sephiroth's facial features. This way, he could at least try and read the feelings that spanned the man's mind.

Behind him, he vaguely realised that Genesis had decided to laze around instead of help. The redhead had decided to lean against the railing and start reading through his copy of Loveless again. Cloud had never really bothered with books, but then, the ways Loveless could be interpreted interested him.

"'My friend, the fates are cruel, there are no dreams, no honour remains...'" Genesis quoted quietly, and the blonde couldn't help but tense. The faint chuckle he heard behind him told him that thre redhead had noticed, yet he didn't say anything.

Cloud directed his attention back to Sephiroth, feeling bemused but a part of him distantly agreed with the redhead.

The General still looked as blank as ever, however, his silver eyebrows had drawn together in a fraction of a frown.

He's realising it now, Cloud was sure. Yet his reaction was a whole lot calmer than initially. He tensed when Sephiroth's right hand clenched into a fist, tight even for the knuckles to turn white. Even from where he was, Cloud could see the burning sorrow, anger, and self-doubt, coiled but growing within the General's eyes.

That was his queue. Cloud moved, but suddenly Genesis was there, jumping forward gracefully. He strode leisurely towards Sephiroth, eyes still glued to his book. Cloud paused, and after a small debate inwardly, he decided to no intervene. Not if the situation required his interruption that is. Zack, already finished with his task, stood silently a few feet away from Sephiroth, observing the situation with an unreadable gaze.

"'My soul, corrupted by vengeance...'" Genesis uttered softly. Once again, the guy had a talent for choosing the right words to go with the situation, and Cloud felt a weird respect for the redhead. "I think we're done here." He said clearly, laying a hand on Sephiroth's shoulder and snapping his book closed with the other.

Sephiroth tensed at the contact, and Cloud held his breath. For a moment, everything went deadly silent amidst the hum of the Reactor. Genesis was patient, staring calmly at the back of his friend's head. However, even that facade didn't conceal the alarm present in his eyes.

Finally, Sephiroth nodded stiffly, and Cloud breathed out a sigh of relief. The General turned and the blonde was surprised at how emotionless his features were. Genesis backed up, a smirk highlighting his expression, yet even he seemed relieved.

"I agree." Sephiroth answered monotonously, and strode past Genesis. He paused just before reaching Cloud, saying over his shoulder. "However, I think I shall remain here for a few days. I believe this was a successful check-up. You are all dismissed." With that, he strode away, jumping lithely up and disappearing into the shadows.

"He sure loves his dramatic exits." Zack commented dryly.

Unlike before, Cloud had free reign on whether to leave Nibelheim or stay. Since Sephiroth had dismissed them, they were no longer tied to the mission. What Cloud couldn't understand was the lack of monsters. Reports had said that a large cluster of the 'creatively' dubbed new monsters had been sighted in the mountains, yet why hadn't they been attacked by anything remotely resembling them?

The existence of these new monsters in and of itself was an alarming factor to Cloud. Never had he heard of them before, and it only enhanced his theory of someone else arriving in this timeline before him. Of course, the other case of him having been zapped into a completely alternate timeline was possible...

He shook his head, jumping out of bed and doing a few quick stretches. He, along with Zack and Genesis had decided to remain in Nibelheim, all for the same reason – for Sephiroth. While the man had remained elusive, both Genesis and Zack were out looking for him while Cloud decided to stay low at the Inn in case the General came back.

However the blonde was, after two hours of waiting, fairly certain by midday that Sephiroth was in the mansion, though he wasn't entirely sure. With nothing else to do, he decided to go there.

Faced with this place, he couldn't help a shudder. This had been the beginning of his nightmares, and he'd never been too keen to go into this place more times than he had to. He shouldered away his uneasiness, and made his way to the secret passage. Along the way, he encountered the odd monsters that dwelled within the place. Unfortunately, Ribbon didn't carry along with him, and so got affected with Confuse several times.

However, the presence of them only alerted him to the fact that maybe Sephiroth hadn't come into this place after all, considering the many monsters present. If the General had been around, then there would be less activity by them.

Nevertheless, he continued down the circular ramp even though the theory that Sephiroth hadn't visited this place as of yet became more credible. The air was too stale for someone to had been wandering around inside recently, he knew, and even the stone door would have made much less noise.

Then where exactly had Sephiroth gone?

Despite that thought, his feet guided him further. AS he passed through the dank corridor towards the lab, he fingered the Fire Materia in his pocket. It wasn't even Mastered, or even linked, but it still provided some kind of defence if he couldn't aim and shoot his gun fast enough.

He halted at the basement door. Vincent was just beyond there.

For a moment, he considered going back upstairs and getting the key. He could still remember the combination, and maybe he could take on Lost Number if he found a sword. If he set Vincent free, then he'd have even more help, and also lead him to Lucrecia-

No.

He decided against it. If he awoke Vincent now, he wouldn't be able to get the man out of Nibelheim without the SOLDIER Firsts noticing. Cloud didn't want to subject Vincent to interrogation within the first hour of him waking up from a several decade long nap. Hopefully, Cloud would be able to visit Nibelheim at a later date, without any company.

Later, he promised his old friend, and moved on.

As soon as he stepped into the lab, he couldn't help a shiver of revulsion at the sight of those familiar Mako tanks. Those had been the source of his nightmares for far too long; the never-ending pain as his body both rejected and absorbed Mako – pure Lifestream; and he would never forget the drowning sensation he'd been constantly kept captive under. His memories had returned to him slowly, and he knew that he had been half-conscious – it was an experience that was pure torture for him.

Suddenly, he wanted it all to just go away. Panic rose in his throat – he never could stand being in this place for too long. He just wanted to erase all that had happened and-

And, abruptly, there was fire.

Unconsciously, he'd activated his Fire Materia. Flames leapt to the shelves opposite him, and he jerked back in shock as the research caught fire quickly. Cloud cursed; he had wanted an end to this dark part of his past, and the Fire Materia had answered his wish. For a moment, he considered letting it burn, letting the fire consume the mansion, in a way purifying it if theology was anything to go by-

"Shit, Vincent!" He cursed under his breath. Immediately, he cancelled the energy he'd been feeding into the Materia, and the fire slowly began to die out. Finally, he had to step forward to beat out the last few sparks, and sighed in relief when the last of it went out.

Staring at the burnt research, it was no loss to him. He had no care for something that would probably disgust and horrify him. It was Hojo after all.

He shook his head, turning to leave. He didn't know why he went down here in the first place. It was fairly obvious Sephiroth wasn't here.

But there was one more thing he had to do.

He moved back, and headed towards the study, aiming for a fairly noticeable book. It didn't matter either way; Sephiroth would start reading everything in this place obsessively. Picking up a black leather bound book, he slipped a note in between the pages and tucked it in one of the bookshelves beside him. That done, he made his way out again.

It was a flimsy plan, but it was better than nothing. If that failed, then he could just tell Sephiroth himself, but he'd rather avoid confrontation.

Hopefully he'll go, Cloud thought.

Because inside that book he had placed the location of Lucrecia's cave.

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Thunder Of Friendship

While writing this, I kept on forgetting Angeal wasn't meant to be there. Ugh, if I missed editing him out... just know he wasn't there, okay?

It has been a while since I'd last updated. I'm finally running out of motivation for this story now. However, I'll try to do as much as I can before inspiration runs out. I don't like to sound tardy, but reviews do help.

I'm not sure whether to keep the incentive or not. I may stop it, I'll decide in the next chapter's A/N.

I will post up a part two to this incident sometime. Keep an eye out?

Anywho, reviews are always appreciated.