This is seriously AU. Fingers crossed you've not read anything like it. Partially inspired by 'Ashen Skies' by Xenobia (Must read material) in the way that people are alive that shouldn't be, and others are dead that should be alive. I'll chat about the main inspiration by the end of it, but not right now.

There will most likely be a mix of all of these throughout the story: Course language, violence, mentions/implications of suicide, drug use, character death, possible OOC-ness, self mutilation, torture, and abuse of mental and physical kind, as well as graphic/moderate/mild sex scenes. This is not intended to be a happy, fluffy story, but there will be bits and pieces of comic relief and such.

I'm not telling anyone the pairings. There will be Yaoi, there will be Het, and there will even be Yuri. The only thing I'll tell you is to expect the unexpected. Just about every pairing here will be a rare one. I'll give you warnings of what 'coupling' (e.g. Het, Yaoi, Yuri) you may find in each chapter, and how graphic it may be, so you can choose whether you wanna check it out or not. The pairings will reveal themselves along the course of the story.

Chapter Warnings: Extremely light yaoi.

Chapter One ~ Normality

Midgar was a city that continued to pulse and thrum with life, even after enduring scandal and heartache. Shinra continued to work at healing the damage they caused, and righting their wrongs which they had created, with the ever continuing presence of their three winged angels and the fighting force of their army. Then there was Cloud, destined to be a guard for the rest of his life, and coming to terms with accepting that. Despite his lamentation over it, life continued through a constant course of equilibrium…

The city sprawled out beneath him, a pulsing glow of mako energy causing it to thrum in time with the power supply struggling to fuel the city during peak hour night traffic. Six years he'd been working for Shinra now, and every night he'd stared out across the city, thinking of how things might have been different if he could have just changed. He knew he wasn't exactly SOLDIER material, but he'd tried so hard, and he'd honestly believed that somewhere down the line he'd be able to fight alongside his heroes; Beside Sephiroth; beside Zack. He still did, he supposed, just not as a SOLDIER. He let out a soft sigh, before a hand gently grasped his shoulder, squeezing it lightly as he raised his eyes to meet Tifa's.

"You're up late," she said softly, as the guard turned his gaze back out the window, the brunette taking a seat beside him, "You come here every night, and do nothing but stare out that window, Cloud…"

"Yeah, I know."

"So, what is it that you're looking for?" She asked, as the blonde felt her probing gaze on his cheek. His brows furrowed slightly as he pulled his mask back over his face and shook his head, crouching slightly as he used his momentum to pull himself to his feet, slinging his assault rifle over his shoulder, as he stretched nonchalantly.

"It's getting late, Teef," Cloud shrugged a little, offering the brunette a hand up, "We should be heading to bed."

Tifa gave a small sigh and stood, aided by the blonde's firm grip, before she placed a hand softly against his chest.

"Every day you look a little more worn down," She murmured, "Don't work yourself to death."

With that, she turned and headed for the exit, offering a small smile over her shoulder as she stood in the doorframe. Cloud returned the favor, thankful for the glowing shield of his mask to protect his creased eyes from her view as he watched her leave.

The blonde reached a hand to scratch at the back of his head as he pressed a control panel on the wall and brought the outer shutters down across the windows, the dim glow from the city beneath him dissipating with a low metallic hum, as he was surrounded by darkness once again. His frown deepened as he worried his lower lip, the urge to follow after Tifa and answer her question almost overwhelming. Since when had he begun to keep things from her? He opened the door and stepped out into the hall, his eyes adjusting instantaneously to the sudden light, as the door closed with a soft click behind him.

"Strife," a smooth voice wafted from his left, startling the blonde as he snapped to a salute. The figure stepped away from the wall and offered a wry smirk.

"You've been in there for over an hour."

"My apologies General Rhapsodos, sir," Cloud said firmly, his hand not straying from his abrupt salute, "I lost track of time."

"That Tifa girl was here again, no?" Genesis mused, smirk widening.

"Yes Sir."

"What have we said about her wandering around the compound at this time of the night?"

"It's forbidden, Sir."

Cloud finally shifted on his feet, causing the stunning blue gaze settled on him to soften considerably.

"She was probably looking for you, right?"

"Yes…"

There was an extended pause, as the General brushed a few stray hairs from his face, as his eyes scoped out the guard's general appearance.

"You look awful. Head back to your quarters, Cloud," Genesis gave a softer sigh, clapping an arm around the blonde's shoulders and squeezing him slightly, using his free hand to pinch at the bridge of his nose. It was seemingly a habit that Cloud himself had provoked in the General.

"Goddess help me, I have no idea what we're going to do with you," the auburn haired SOLDIER murmured, offering a sidelong gaze from crystal blue eyes, as a wry smirk crept along his lips. Cloud flushed slightly at the attention, but gave a small nod.

"How long were you waiting for me, Genesis?" The blonde asked, dropping formality as the General steered him down the halls. Genesis gave a brief glance at a wall clock they passed, before his attention returned to the blonde.

"For a little over an hour. I followed you here," The SOLDIER admitted bluntly, "And I merely stayed out of sight when your little… friend… appeared."

Cloud wriggled out of the General's grip at the spoken words, and Genesis let out a small, humorless laugh.

"Oh please, little one," The SOLDIER patronized, "You expect me to observe everything that goes on around here and not pick up on how close you two are?"

"You're really up the wrong tree, Gen," Cloud snapped, as the General continued to smirk. The blonde continued to scowl as they marched down the halls, his patience only going so far when it came to Genesis. He'd come to deal with Sephiroth's unbearable attitude at times, and Angeal was nothing short of a Gaia sent blessing. Out of the three Generals, Genesis was by far the biggest pain in the ass.

It had been three years since the three Generals had gone through the emotional turbulence that was the unveiling of Jenova. Gradually, Genesis and Angeal had begun to degrade, their cells too weak to sustain the alien growth within them, and their bodies had begun to fail. That had been the least of their problems however, as Sephiroth's descent into madness had progressed far swifter than the degrading process had. The three of them had nearly destroyed the entire town of Nibelheim, the primary reason that Rufus Shinra had sent for the remaining citizens and offered complimentary accommodation until the town was rebuilt. Tifa had come in with Cloud's mother and her own parents, her eyes wide with apparent surprise upon seeing Cloud in the guard uniform. She'd said nothing about it however, tears streaking from her eyes as she'd flung her arms around the blonde and sobbed against his shoulder, lamenting the destruction of their home town, the death of some of their friends, and her fear of the Generals that had done it. Cloud had stood and comforted her, whilst his mother looked on hopefully, her eyes wide with ideals of Cloud settling down and producing children. His mother had always been fond of Tifa, despite the brunette having spent most of her childhood blatantly ignoring the blonde's attempts at friendship. Cloud was willing to live and let die though, gently patting the girl's back as she soaked his shirt with her tears. Cloud was more than a little conflicted, having idolised Sephiroth and grown fond of Angeal as Zack's mentor, yet feeling bound to Tifa as fellow townspeople and neighbours. He'd known the girl his entire life, yet he'd never really known her. He'd managed to have several conversations with Sephiroth, and even had something bordering on friendship with Angeal. Even Genesis had come to know him by name, and often exchanged small talk whilst on missions with him. Still, he comforted Tifa by reassuring her with softly spoken words and gentle pats on her back, his mind undoubtedly straying to the well-being of the Generals still running amok in Nibelheim.

Thankfully, Hollander and Hojo had managed to subdue the three and bring them back to Midgar, placing them into solitary confinement for long enough to receive the necessary psychological treatment to return them to their previous states of mind, albeit far wiser about their own existence. Sephiroth had sat in a room with Hojo and Hollander for three days straight, grilling them with questions whilst Angeal and Genesis had listened and occasionally given their own questions, until the five of them had emerged on reasonable grounds. Since that time, however, Cloud had noted an increasing awkwardness on Sephiroth's behalf whenever Hojo was around or spoke to him, much as Angeal was having issues with Hollander. Genesis however, seemed entirely unphased by the entire ordeal, and had even taken to showing off his wing whenever he'd had the chance. There was something about being unique that Genesis seemed to revel in, and any opportunity to show the 'lesser' beings on Gaia that he was a special breed, he took. For one reason or another, Shinra had taken the discovery of his three self-aware angels and made it public. Not long after, rebel attacks against the company had lessened considerably. Seemingly, fighting against un-natural warriors was a territory that people were unwilling to cross in to. Upon Shinra's death by suspicious circumstance, leaving Rufus Shinra to take charge and mold the company as freely as he'd wished, the attacks had all but ceased entirely. The young Shinra heir had done wonders for the public image, and had even cut down on mako usage, implementing a new plan to incorporate mako recycling. The planet was showing its gratitude by producing healthier crops, somewhat placid wildlife, and a noticeable decrease in the more threatening monsters across the Eastern plains. The rebel alliances had very little to continue hating Shinra for. Rufus had taken charge and surprised many, clearly defying the 'apple never falls far from the tree' theory. Many suspected the newer president had underlying motives for his actions, but none dared to question him.

As time had moved on, a somewhat comfortable peace had settled across the planet. Shinra had made amends with the people of Wutai, and the young princess herself had often attended the city to check up on things, as Emperor Godo's health began to ail dramatically. Whether or not this was a primary cause of the peace agreements between the two nations was debatable, but in any case, things were good. After extensive research into the use of Jenova cells, many individuals in Midgar were given injections for the mere use of their healing properties. Cloud began to see an increase into the number of SOLDIER recruits as the injection numbers went up, some people taking full advantage of the Jenova cells in their training regimes. Cloud found himself doing the same, and yet his unstable self doubt and hesitancy in combat continually marked him incapable of performing at a SOLDIER level. Zack had been beyond supportive with the whole ordeal, but in the end, Cloud had accepted fate as a Shinra guard, content to be sent on missions with SOLDIER First Class operatives and help in any way he could. After all, what was SOLDIER other than a few extra shots and added infusions of the Jenova gene? He was a good fighter, even Sephiroth had remarked so, but he just wasn't fit for SOLDIER. It hadn't stopped him from performing to the best of his abilities, and gradually, he'd become a friend of many of the SOLDIERs, most of which were endeared by his 'little brother' persona. By chance, or possibly just by incredibly luck, his closest friends had quickly become the three Generals themselves, all due to Zack's incessant fussing over him like a deranged mother hen. Cloud admittedly enjoyed the attention a little, as it often meant the other guards and new cadets approached him in a much friendlier manner, and even began to take a shining to the blonde themselves. Maybe life hadn't worked out like Cloud's 'big plan' had dictated, but it had worked out just fine for him.

"You think too much," Genesis remarked off-handedly, as his arm found his way around Cloud's shoulders once again, a smirk toying across full lips. Cloud wouldn't go as far to admit that he didn't like Genesis; because he did. For the most part, he enjoyed the General's company, but Genesis had a way of grating at his nerves, as well as most of the other Shinra employees'.

"Maybe you think too little," Cloud retorted huffily, as Genesis gave a small 'hmph'.

"Your attitude may start to become an issue, I think," The first class teased, before easing off of Cloud's frame as they approached the busier area of the Shinra headquarters, and calling forward his wing from within his body to extend outwards, and then rest by his side. As close as Cloud was to the Generals and other high class personnel, they were still not permitted to show anything other than professional respect for each other in front of the Shinra community. Cloud didn't take it too hard, knowing full well that such policies were put in place to deter anyone's idea that Cloud may be being favored by his higher ranking friends. General Rhapsodos, however, being a somewhat affectionate individual when he felt so inclined, was entirely disheartened by the rules, and often made a point of telling Cloud all about it.

"Ridiculous," the General muttered, offering a clipped nod as a third class saluted him on their way past the administration area, "If I should choose to show appreciation for a friend of mine, I should be permitted to do so freely."

Cloud said nothing, straightening his posture as he spotted the president himself walking in their direction, flanked by three Turks, one of which was murmuring words of advice to him as the blonde scoured over a paper in his hands. He raised vacant blue eyes as Cloud and Genesis approached, offering a polite nod to the both of them, before returning to the paper in his hands.

"I remember when he used to stop for brief conversations," Genesis mused, "Now he barely has time to eat, let alone speak."

Cloud gave an acknowledging nod, before the pair of them stopped at the line for the SOLDIER barracks check in. Genesis stretched slightly in apparent boredom, his wing extending seemingly of its own accord, before falling back to his side as his arm did.

"Are you coming in today?" Genesis asked, almost in passing, as he picked at his teeth with still-gloved fingers. Cloud gave a small shake of his head, and Genesis almost rolled his eyes. Cloud looked through the glass walls of the security checkpoint, at the people bustling around, heading in and out of their quarters as curfew neared closer. He'd have to earn the right to walk so freely in and out of such a compound. He'd said that single line almost every time Genesis had asked him that simple question.

"You earned the right some time ago, Strife," Genesis shrugged slightly, seemingly anticipating Cloud's remark as he brushed his hair from his eyes and caught the attention of a pretty little secretary exiting the SOLDIER barracks. She smiled, turning her gaze shyly away as Genesis offered a subtle, yet charming smile, bringing a blush to her cheeks as she passed. Cloud often witnessed such occurrences, Genesis seemingly not fazed by whether the target was male or female, as long as he was able to garner a response from them. Nine times out of ten, that was exactly what he got.

"Besides, who in there would have anything to say about it?" Genesis smirked smugly, "You are the first class pet, after all."

Cloud gave a small frown, taking his mask from his head once again, and running a hand through blonde locks as Genesis watched him in a curious fashion.

"Why is it that anytime I've seen you around Tifa, you choose to hide your face?" Genesis asked cryptically, "Perhaps you think you've got something to hide?"

"With all due respect, sir," Cloud narrowed his eyes slightly as he locked onto the quickly falling smirk that Genesis had to offer, "I don't think that's any of your concern."

"Have it your way," Genesis remarked flatly, "I'll see you tomorrow I presume."

Cloud gave a small nod and headed for the guard's quarters, saying nothing further to the General still waiting to be checked in.

He remained silent, circling his own thoughts through his mind as he headed for his room. Whilst most guards were bunked up with one other guard, after six years of loyal service, Cloud had been permitted to stay in his own quarters. The extra bed and storage space were still there, but they were Cloud's to do with as he wished. For the most part, the spare bed held the washing that the blonde was too lazy or fatigued to put away, and the extra storage space was cluttered with bits and pieces of useless junk that the blonde had accumulated over the years. There was a small kitchen, enough of a living area to place a small lounge chair and a cheap television, and apart from the tiny bathroom, was entirely open plan living.

"Home sweet home," Cloud let out a soft sigh as he swung open the door and threw his mask and rifle atop the most recent pile of clean washing on the spare bed. He picked up the mail from the floor, where it had been slipped through the designated slot, before half-heartedly kicking the door closed behind him with another defeated sigh. One was a Shinra newsletter, another was asking for payment to be made on his uniform, and another was a bill for his last medical trip, after a mission to Kalm had been far from what the name might suggest. He threw all but the newsletter onto the kitchen bench, before falling back onto his bed, a stray spring pressing into his skin and forcing the blonde to shift uncomfortably. He gave a half-hearted look over the newsletter, admittedly impressed with a photograph of the 'three angels' in there, wings extended in all their glory. Angeal had a stern expression on, arms crossed in seriousness as he stared down the camera lens. Genesis was much the opposite, a teasing smirk at his lips as he all but flirted with the lens, his arms by his side, whilst one held the hilt of his sword in gloved fingers.

As was the norm, however, Sephiroth drew the most attention. Being the tallest of the three and the most unique in appearance, a solitary black wing extended behind him, he wasn't even looking at the camera. Instead, his eyes were slightly downcast, seemingly lost in thought as he stared out across the ground before him. Cloud felt a pang of sympathy for the General. Sephiroth had been hardest hit when finding out about the methods that had made him a step above the rest, and it had obviously changed the already troubled man somewhat. He had always been a man of little words, and Cloud had come to not expect terribly too much when it came to conversation with Sephiroth, but he knew that it was possible to crack into that shell and worm his way into the tighter ring of friendship that Sephiroth had. He often spoke with Genesis and Angeal, and was more often than not offering conversation to Zack. It wasn't that Sephiroth didn't speak as much to Cloud; he just didn't speak as freely. Sephiroth seemed to have three types of friends; those that he spoke to freely, those he spoke to often, and the very rare case of those he spoke to both often and freely. So far, only one person had wormed their way into that circle, and it had taken many by surprise. Those who knew the General well knew of his sexual preference, but he wasn't exactly open about showing it. Should he ever seek the company of another male, his discretion was to the point of paranoia, and the other Generals did their best to keep Sephiroth's liaisons strictly confidential. That was, until Sephiroth made what many considered to be a large mistake in his usually strict secrecy, by allowing himself to be snapped by the paparazzi locking lips with the Commander of the Turks. Cloud and the others had known, however, that the bold move was simply Sephiroth's way of announcing to the world that he was serious about this one, and his friends had been nothing less than supportive.

Nobody else in the public eye had dared question it. When the two participants of an 'alternative relationship' were a highly skilled assassin, and a General of elite military soldiers, people weren't often keen to cause controversy. As for the Turks, they had far too much respect for both Tseng and Sephiroth to ever judge their leader or his significant other, and so the relationship was often accepted immediately in many cases, and people moved on with their lives.

"To be honest, I'm just glad he's getting nooky," Zack had grinned cheekily when Cloud had mentioned it in passing, clapping Cloud over the back, "And hey, they're both far too alike for anything to go wrong there."

Cloud had found the coupling odd at first, but it seemed fitting. Like Sephiroth, Cloud had had somewhat of a morbid fascination with Tseng from the moment he'd first seen him, dark hair and eyes drawing damn near every eye in the room to him as he stood behind Rufus at his induction as President. It wasn't often that many of the Turks were seen or spoken about, but on the odd occasions that they made their presence known, they really made their presence known. Cloud knew he'd probably been graced with the presence of a Turk more times than he could count, slinking through the city streets, or through the Shinra building in smart casual gear, coming back from missions or otherwise. In uniform, however, and willingly allowing themselves to be seen, Turks stood out like sore thumbs. As soon as Tseng had slipped onto the stage, everyone had burst into skeptical rumors of his identity, which Cloud had merely disregarded, his eyes enraptured with the dangerous aura that the Turk Commander had thrown off. Thinking back on it, Cloud could recall thinking that his mere appearance seemed to simultaneously lure attention and turn it away. The blonde shifted slightly in his bed, the spring continually causing an issue, regardless of where he seemed to rest. It was the least of his concerns however, as he felt a shooting pain through his skull. The spring then seemed irrelevant, as his body lurched and he fell from his bed, his back now faced with a hard wooden floor, as he curled involuntarily, and clutched at his skull.

The pain continued for a good minute or so until the onslaught ended as abruptly as it had began, and Cloud was slowly becoming aware of a large amount of activity outside his room. He stood, groggily swaying a little on his feet, before forcing his feet to carry him towards the door, severe fatigue seemingly washing over him. Before he'd even had the chance to open it, there was a frantic knock from the other side.

"Whoissit?" the blonde slurred, propping himself against the wall, as the door swung open and Tifa burst in, sheer panic across her features.

"Cloud!" She cried, rushing to the blonde's side as he raised his eyes to meet her, "Cloud, we have to take you to the infirmary. Something's not right."

"My head feels kinda…strange…" The blonde managed, as Tifa nodded, taking his arm and assisting him to walk.

"Just about everyone here seems to be having the same problem," She said breathlessly, as they entered the hall, a flurry of movement around them as people headed to the infirmary or checked on friends, "I was heading back out of the compound, and Gaia Cloud, it was terrifying…"

She squeezed his arm slightly, as they headed down the stairs towards one of the lifts. Tifa pushed the button, her arm not leaving Cloud's as the blonde continued to fight the grogginess invading his body.

"People started dropping like flies, Cloud," She continued, brown eyes wide with concern, "Full grown men and all, just… falling. A lot of them seemed to be having some sort of-"

"Head pain?" The blonde interjected, and she nodded, before her eyes turned from his, a commotion breaking out across the Administrative foyer. A large group of people were now congregating on the one spot, seemingly peering at an object on the floor, as Cloud tried to focus on the shouts around him.

"…Get one of the professors here!"

"…fell just like the rest of them…"

"…Not waking up and…"

"What on Gaia is going on?"

Cloud's curiosity was drawing his attention to the spot, but Tifa was now steering him into the elevator, Cloud swaying slightly when the elevator door closed and the machine began descending. Then, it came again, the blinding pain through his skull, before he and two of the other occupants of the elevator slumped against the walls. The other occupants fell into near hysteria, including Tifa, whose wide brown gaze was coaxing Cloud to meet hers.

"Cloud," She said firmly, "Keep your eyes open. Look at me, Cloud…"

Cloud managed to meet furrowed eyes briefly, before he fell into unconsciousness.

Angeal gave a criticizing gaze to his left as Genesis idly picked at the tubes connected to his arm. The auburn haired first gave a cheeky smirk when he noticed he was being watched, whilst Hojo and Hollander continually swatted away lab assistants, each of them attempting to ask questions to the professors or offer information regarding the recent incidents that every SOLDIER, Turk, and Shinra guard had succumbed to.

"Picking at it will get you a reprimand if you're not careful," Angeal chided dryly, as the other first shrugged nonchalantly, toying instead with the heart monitoring pads attached to his chest. Angeal resigned on the matter, before turning his gaze to his right, his eyes furrowing further with the realisation that Sephiroth was yet to wake up. A wave of panic had broken over Shinra as members had fallen like proverbial flies, but none had gathered quite as much attention as the silver haired General, when Sephiroth had fallen unconscious in the middle of a crowded foyer and could not be roused. After groggily stumbling across Genesis in the hall, both of their pagers beeping furiously with urgencies from the labs, the two had come across the other General's unconscious form and began to carry him towards the labs, before another wave had hit, crippling the still conscious two effectively. Thankfully, they recovered quicker than the others seemed to, and so continued the journey only moments later, reluctantly ignoring those who approached them pleading for assistance. At that moment, Sephiroth had been their main priority, and at this moment, he appeared to be Hojo's.

"Get out of here!" The professor snapped, the students and assistants seemingly becoming too much, "Very little can be done when you're invading this space like a flock of deranged sheep. Get out."

Hollander gave a small clear of his throat in disapproval at his colleague's approach to the clearing of the room, but gave a nod of agreement anyway, sending any un-necessary individuals from the lab and locking the door shut behind them.

"Genesis," Hollander frowned, as the first class raised his attention from his own chest and gave a somewhat cocky smirk in the professor's direction.

"Yes?"

"This is somewhat of a serious situation. It would be wise if you treated it as one," Hollander said seriously, as Genesis flicked his gaze in Angeal's direction.

"You both have the same 'serious face', did you know?" Genesis remarked, and Angel turned his gaze back to Sephiroth, fighting away the awkwardness that stuck in his chest every time Genesis made such a comment. Hojo was drawing samples from the silver-haired General's arm and furrowing his brows as he clucked his tongue.

"Dear me, Sephiroth," he murmured, seemingly to no-one in particular, "Your mako appears to have sky-rocketed."

"This has something to do with Jenova, doesn't it?" Angeal asked, and Hojo sneered a little.

"Well done, Hewley," the professor murmured, "Yes, Jenova seems to be reacting in a rather peculiar fashion. Going through the list I was handed before of each member affected by this odd reaction and their severity, she seems to be responding differently depending on how well the affected individual accepts her cells."

"Are there many more still unconscious?" Angeal asked, as Hollander scanned his eyes across the list with a small frown.

"No, just one by the looks of it," the professor scribbled a note down on the sheet, before turning his gaze to Hojo.

"Don't you find that odd?" he asked, as Hojo pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and shook his head slightly.

"I presume it's that Strife boy, considering his high acceptance to the treatments," Hojo remarked airily, turning his attentions back to Sephiroth once Hollander had nodded. Angeal's gaze snapped to Genesis, who was mirroring his own concerned expression.

"Cloud Strife?" Genesis frowned, as Hollander nodded once again, his attention still on Angeal,

"Isn't he that friend of yours?"

Angeal gave a nod in response, his lips in a tight line across his face.

Cloud had become somewhat of a favoured individual amongst their tight-knit group, and more often than not, he'd been grateful for his own puppy having introduced the blonde to them. He was a docile kind of guy, very sweet and softly spoken, and more often than not spent his spare time helping people; or more specifically, helping Zack. He'd also seen Cloud outside the building at the emergency accommodation for the Nibelheim residents, mingling in the shy, polite manner that Angeal had become accustomed to the blonde showing. His stomach sunk slightly at the thought that many of those people would never have had to come to Midgar if it weren't for he and the others doing what they'd done. He could still feel the heat prickling along his skin sometimes if he thought on it; could still smell the smoke wafting through the air, and hear the cries of the townspeople as they destroyed all evidence of Jenova's existence. The only thing that had saved them from destroying themselves in the process, was finding Valentine in the basement. Finding out that the gunman was burdened with sins of his own, yet cursed with immortality to forever endure them, had brought a sense of sane understanding about just what Shinra was capable of and the methods in which they implemented them. Sephiroth had then remarked that if they should die, they would die informed; about everything. By the time they'd exited the now-flaming mansion, Hojo and Hollander had been waiting with something akin to elephant tranquilizers, and all four of them had been brought back to Midgar via helicopter. Hojo, seemingly having an uncharacteristic change of heart, had let Vincent go, and Angeal had yet to see the former Turk since.

The days after that had been grueling, but they'd managed. Degradation had been entirely extinguished, and both Angeal and Genesis were declared fit for combat duty once again. Life moved on, and gradually, Cloud had wormed his way into the quad of SOLDIERs. Eventually, he'd become accepted by just about everyone at Shinra, and was being nurtured into one of the finest fighters that the company had. Sadly, due to one small complication, the boy was destined to never enter into SOLDIER. Hojo was simultaneously adamant about it, but frustrated by the lack of another favored presence from the science lab. He'd had his eyes set on Cloud for some time, seeing just as much potential in the boy as everyone else had, and had been the most disheartened every time he was rejected entry into SOLDIER. Hollander had surprisingly suggested pulling strings to get the boy entrance, but the psychologist had been unyielding in the opinion that there were many underlying issues and insecurities that the blonde held that would quite literally threaten the integrity of SOLDIER. Sephiroth, ever the responsible leader despite his own friendship with the boy, had put his foot down. Not for the first time, the silver haired General's actions had sparked a heated discussion between he and Genesis, of which the latter walked away unsuccessful.

"How is he, anyway?" Genesis broke Angeal's trail of thought, gesturing in Sephiroth's direction. Angeal's attention was more focused on Hojo, however, who was staring intently at a sample of Sephiroth's blood under the microscope. He called Hollander over, as the pair of them spoke in murmured voices, Angeal's eavesdropping unsuccessful due to Genesis' rather loud complaints that nobody ever bothered to answer his questions. Angeal focused a little harder, and managed to catch the end of their seemingly heated discussion.

"…Exact same behavior as the last time!" Hollander cried, as Hojo let out a small snort.

"And there was little concern then, no?"

"We were lucky last time," Hollander hissed, before standing upright and pulling out his cell.

"I suppose you're calling Tuetsi, then?" Hojo sneered, as Hollander narrowed his eyes in his colleague's direction.

"Among others, yes. We're taking it to the board this time," Hollander stated firmly, as Hojo's sneer widened, his attentions returning to the microscope before him.

Angeal's gaze turned to Genesis, whose crystal blue eyes were narrowed in concern. The auburn haired first turned to face Angeal, and the pair exchanged a knowing glance, the one statement in that discussion giving it all away. Last time the three of them had been drawn to near insanity, Jenova had been acting peculiarly in a way that had both baffled and intrigued the scientists and professors surrounding them. What had apparently triggered it were the self loathing thoughts festering within the First Class' minds. Jenova had responded by forcing their destruction on to an alternative path. It was the most active her influence had been since they'd first begun studies of her, and upon testing it further, Hollander had determined that she had acted out of fear of losing her hosts. If the first class SOLDIERs were right in their presumptions, and the near comatose form of Sephiroth was any indication, attempting to force her hosts into stasis was a defense mechanism.

Jenova was sensing a threat.

A/N: This has started being posted slightly earlier than planned. Just wanted to get it out for the person it's dedicated to: Wintersheart1766. Please everyone wish her a speedy recovery from an accident she was in. Hope this has caught your interest so far. Lemme know.