Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7…

Beta'ed by: Ioeth

Writer to SOLDIER

Chapter 15: Freedom!

Genesis gathered the best strategists in his unit to come up and discuss a strategy to infiltrate Wutai. Zack, Kunsel, and Leon were around there to listen and give their ideas and suggestions. Genesis was against on having Leon who was a low ranking cadet to be in the meeting but Zack convinced him to let the young boy come. Leon was still considered the best strategist in his batch. Besides, he refused to leave the said meeting even if Genesis kicked him in the arse.

Genesis examined Leon from head to toe. He remembered him as one of the male cadets who was always around Setsu. It made his blood boil thinking that but he shoved those feelings to the back of his head. He smothered the feeling of jealousy and focused on the mission. The mission given to him was a very important one. He couldn't let his personal feelings impair his judgement. Their mission was to save all the SOLDIERs imprisoned by the Wutaians, not just Setsu.

He crossed his arms and began spoke directly to Leon. "Remember that this is a war, boy. There is no one here who can babysit you. Better treat yourself as a full-fledged SOLDIER and not just some weak cadet."

Leon clenched his fist and looked at Genesis straight in the eye. There was no way that he was about to let himself be intimidated by his commanding officer but he didn't allow himself to disrespect Genesis either. "I understood that this is a war, sir. There is no need for you and any of those SOLDIERs to babysit me. My goal is to save my captured friend, Setsuka from the hands of those Wutaians but rest assured I will do my best to assist all of you in the process. I will not get on anyone's way… not with Lieutenant Zack, Sir Kunsel, and most importantly not to you, sir." He replied, keeping his tone crisp and formal.

He was aware on Genesis' feelings towards his friend but he decided to keep his mouth shut for the better. Genesis' hot-temper was not something he wanted to deal with.

A muscle on Genesis' jaw tightened as he listened to Leon's words. Just listening to that boy's goal made his jealousy rise up to the point where he wanted to burn Leon right then and there but it wasn't a good idea. Setsu would kill him if he did that to one of her friends. Well, he knew that she couldn't kill him. He's like one of those cockroaches that won't die. He's too powerful for her but attempt to kill him? Yes, absolutely, definitely, there was no denial. How Leon was able to admit all of that, he didn't know. Genesis wished that he could expose his feelings in the open and claim that Setsu was his but if he did that, it would only cause trouble for both him and Setsu. He couldn't act like some lovestruck boy to a girl who was not only a few years younger than him and lower in rank but from a completely different world.

Genesis ignored his feelings and devoted his full attention to the mission at hand. They brainstormed on what was the best plan to attack Wutai.

Zack suggested on attacking it straight on but Genesis automatically rejected that idea. It was too dangerous and risky. They had a limited amount of men ranging from First Class to Third Class SOLDIERs. Attacking an enemy's base head on without the full power of the Shinra Army and any back-up was plain suicide. An awkward silence enveloped the group. Leon coughed to bring attention to himself

"Sir, may I suggest something?"

Genesis glanced at the cadet and nodded. "Speak your thoughts" He ordered with a commanding tone.

Leon nodded, sharing the strategy which formed in his brilliant mind. "Sir, we all know that Wutai is currently quite difficult to attack directly. To do so would just be a suicide attempt and if we calculate the amount of men there are on this mission which are approximately two thousand, if we compared it to the Wutai's full army which is a hundred thousand plus or maybe millions; we are just only a puny force. Remember that we are also in their territory. They know the IN's and OUT's of this place. It's completely obvious that we are at a disadvantage."

Zack cringed at the thought. SOLDIER, a puny force… That was insulting but unfortunately it was the truth. Kunsel pondered on it as well. Everything that Leon said was true. They were at a complete disadvantage.

Genesis released a forced laugh and stared down at Leon. "Are you trying to dishearten us, kid?"

Leon smirked and retorted smugly "Nothing of the sort, sir."

Genesis scowled and gesture for Leon to continue.

"Our mission was to save the captured SOLDIERs. According to our intelligence, there are approximately 3000 SOLDIERs imprisoned in that place."

"You're not thinking of adding those 3000 to our current force which made of 2000, aren't you?" Genesis interrupted, he was starting to get a general idea as to what Leon was planning to do.

Leon nodded and explained more. "That's the plan, sir."

"But how do we do that? They were already captured!" Zack reminded them.

"Not only that… There is a possibility that their numbers have already lowered down given with what the Wutaians were doing with those "public executions". We are also not sure if those prisoners were strong enough to assist us from the inside." Kunsel provided another problem for them to solve.

Leon decided to answer Kunsel's statement first. "It is true that there is a possibility that their numbers might be lowered down but they will still be a great addition to our current force right now. As for them being strong enough or not to assist us, they will have no other choice but to keep on-going. It's a survival instinct, afterall it's when a human has nothing else to lose that they fight most ferociously."

Kunsel smiled and lifted both of his hands on the air. He has nothing to say on that junior of theirs. He couldn't possibly believe that someone like Leon was still a cadet. The boy should have been promoted long ago.

Zack scratched the back of his head and crossed his arms, asking the same question again.

This time, Genesis answered Zack's question. "We'll send a small force to infiltrate Wutai. That small force will be the one which would free the prisoners and have a rendezvous with them."

"How small is that small force, Genesis?" Zack replied as he rubbed his chin.

"Six Men…" Leon blurted out which earned him a stare from Genesis, a shocked face from Zack, and a hanging jaw from Kunsel. He cleared his throat, reminding the men of the task at hand. "We should send six men to infiltrate Wutai, General Rhapsodos."

"I know that we'll send a small force to infiltrate Wutai but I didn't think it would be that tiny!" Zack used his index finger and thumb to emphasize how SMALL the small force is.

Genesis wanted to ask the cadet if he had some death wish on suggesting that number but he kept the thought to himself. Instead he shook his head "Sending six men is not enough, cadet."

Leon turned his head to the side to face Genesis. "No, sir… Six men are just enough to do the job. Once they are inside, they will be divided into half. The first half will free the imprisoned soldiers. The second half will cripple the Wutai army by destroying the armory and their weapon stores. As for the remaining men, they will be on standby until the party sends off a signal from the inside."

A smirk began to appear on Genesis' face. Destroying the army's source of power. The kid had guts and he absolutely loved the idea. "Fine! We'll send six men to infiltrate Wutai."

"You can't be serious!" Zack exclaimed. He scowled as he realized that the six chosen men would most likely have all the fun to themselves.

"Yes I am! Now, beat it, puppy!" Genesis scolded while laughing deep inside at Zack's thoughts.

Second to Setsu, Zack was the second who was easiest to read in Shinra.

Time passed by and the sun was about to set, Genesis had finally made a decision on who was to send in Wutai. He decided on sending two First Class SOLDIERs, two Second Class SOLDIERs whom Kunsel was included, one Third Class SOLDIER, and Leon. He was against on sending Leon but the cadet was just too stubborn and would most likely have gone even if it meant on defying him, the commanding officer.

Sending Zack was not a good choice at all. Zack was too "lively" and energetic. There might be a large possibility that he'd get too excited on the infiltration mission which would destroy their carefully crafted plan. It took them quite a time to convince Zack to stay and assist Genesis.

Genesis would have volunteered on that but had Leon reminded him that he had an army to lead. If he went to Wutai, no one would be ranked high enough and charismatic enough to lead the remaining force. He mentally cursed on his rank. If it only wasn't for his rank, he bitterly though, he could have… he could have… Genesis shook his head to dispell the idea. He decided to agree and have Leon go.

The sun was about to set when the six men lined-up in front of Genesis and Zack completely prepared. Kunsel, together with one First Class and Third Class SOLDIER, were assigned on destroying the army's armory and weapon store. Leon, the other First Class SOLDIER, and the Second Class SOLDIER were given the task to save their imprisoned comrades and give the signal from the inside.

They were about to leave when Genesis approached Leon and leaned closer to Leon's ears. He whispered something to him which Zack and Kunsel failed to hear. He made sure that no one was watching him or Leon. "I will only say this once. Save her at all cost."

A mysterious smile slowly appeared on Leon's face and nodded. "Don't worry, sir…" He met Genesis' gaze sending a chill on the Crimson General's spine. "Even if you didn't say that, I WILL save her. She is MY "precious friend" after all."

Genesis straightened up while returning the look on Leon. His eyebrow twitched and without him realizing, he was already glaring at the cadet which made the cadet's smile grew more mysterious. He didn't like his tone of voice at that time.

With that, Leon gave a salute and left together with Kunsel and the others. It would be by nightfall when they arrived on Wutai by foot. They wore their respective disguises so that no one could detect that they were from Shinra.

Zack turned around, leaving Genesis watching them leave. He decided to wait and prepare himself until his turn to shine comes.

Genesis crossed his arms. The grip on his upper arms grew tighter as he remembered Leon's remark. The tone of the cadet wasn't just of a male friend and that "precious friend"-thing wasn't what it was supposed to be. He ran his hand through his hair and he released a deep sigh. "That kid can't possibly be… Ugh! It seems like it's not only Sephiroth whom I have to deal with."

He walked back to the camp site to get his rapier, preparing himself and his men for a possible impromtu battle.

Setsu was starting to panic, she rapidly switched from one key to another as she threw the keys which failed to open her cell to the other cells. She'd gone through 20 keys already and none of the keys opened her cell. Some of those keys opened the cells of the other SOLDIERs who helped their comrades escape as well. A tear rolled on her cheeks which she quickly wiped with the back of her hand. There was no way she would cry like a baby. Even if she was dead scared in her situation, she was trying to keep her composure. She thought that if she lost her self-control and mind, she would be letting her real feelings show and consume her. She didn't even scream like some freaking damsel distress. None of her friends or her commanding officers were there to help and save her. She was all alone for heaven's sake.

A clack sounded from her neighbouring cell which took her attention for a second but ignored it. She had no time to waste. She still had a cell to open and free herself. A hand shot through on the bars and grabbed one of the remaining keys near her. Setsu looked at the source and recognized him as the brown-haired man named Sebastian.

"Huh? Didn't you…?" Setsu trailed off.

Sebastian tested one of the keys which he grabbed on her cell. "Be quiet! We promised that we'll help you get out, right? Now, concentrate on finding the right keys."

Before he was tempted to abandon Setsu and just get out of that hellish place, leaving all of his comrades behind including Essai just to survive. He was just planning to trick and use her. His mind changed when he saw her crying for a split second. He could see the fear in her eyes but she was trying to hold on and kept all of her feelings from showing. Normally, in that situation, people tended to surely lose their composure and give up. Sebastian definitely knew that but Setsu was different. Even if she was trembling in fear and knew that she was about to get killed, she never gave up, not even once. His selfish thoughts made him sick. He decided to help Setsu just like he and his friend promised. It didn't matter to him if he can't save all of his comrades; he just wanted to save Setsu.

Meanwhile, Essai, who also escaped from his prison cell along with Sebastian, helped the others escape. He took the keys which failed to open Setsu's cell and tested it on others until it opened the right cells.

On the 50th key, Setsu's cell was opened by the key which Sebastian used. Sebastian dragged her out of the cell quickly while some of the escapees kept an eye on the door which was their only way out. It was the only way where the warden could come in and out.

Cloud and Marcus were standing completely dumbfound at where they were dragged to by the new companion whom they met in the forest. It was no wonder why Marcus found her name seems familiar. The little thief was a freaking princess of Wutai, the only daughter of Emperor Godo Kisaragi, ruler of Wutai. The two cadets were in the royal palace… to be exact, in the throne room… together with Yuffie who was receiving a harsh scolding from her father, the emperor himself.

"Yuffie! Where have you been all this time?! Keep in mind that you are the princess of Wutai, the sole heiress of this place. Running away from this place, are you out of your mind?!" The emperor scolded his daughter without even noticing on the audience that he gained.

Yuffie cringed at her father's voice but she refused to listen. She hated it when his father would go "blah-blah" and kept her inside the palace all by herself. It was pretty boring living the life of a princess. Sure, she has everything. Clothes, jewelry, you-name-it… but all of those things meant nothing to her. She wanted to be free to roam Midgar, she hated being like a bird which was locked up in a cage.

"Agh! Shut up, Father! I'm safe and alive! There's no need for you to make a ruckus out of it!" Yuffie yelled back. Despite the blood that ran through her veins and position that she was born into, she never bothered to act like a princess.

The emperor sighed, knowing that his daughter wouldn't listen to him. He turned his attention to Cloud and Marcus. He greeted them like he was the nicest man on earth. Marcus was tempted to kill the man, knowing that it was all just a façade. If they found out that they were cadets from SOLDIER, he was pretty sure that the emperor wouldn't spare them from an execution.

Cloud gave Marcus a look which told him to stand down and keep calm. Then, he bowed a bit, acknowledging the emperor's presence.

"Thank you for bringing my daughter back, my good sirs."

"No, your highness… It should be us who should say our thanks. If it wasn't for your daughter, we might have lost our way towards Wutai." Cloud replied respectfully.

If Marcus didn't knew that Cloud was a country bumpkin, he would have thought that he descended from some noble family or something.

The emperor smiled at Cloud. He had never seen a pretty boy in his entire life. This was a first for him. "I see but I apologize for any trouble that my daughter may have caused you."

Cloud was about to tell that she was a one hell of a troublemaker but he got a hold of himself. "It is fine, your highness. The princess has been a great help to us."

The corner of Marcus' lips twitched at the lie. He was now sure that Cloud was one heck of a smooth-talker and probably a playboy.

Yuffie pouted her lips when Cloud addressed her. She didn't like to be called a princess. Just her plain name was enough for her.

Godo was extremely curious as to where Cloud and Marcus had come from. He was oddly specific for his questions, it seemed like an interrogation.

Cloud put on a surprising real, fake smile. "I'm sorry, sir. I can't answer that question. As you can see, we are travelling performers. We've travelled everywhere as we showcase our talents in our performance. Even we are not sure where we came from for we go anywhere the wind blows us." He lied to all of them.

The emperor guffawed and patted Cloud's back. "I like you, boy! I've never seen anyone like you… kind of mysterious…"

Marcus laughed and quickly turned it into coughed at Godo's remark while Yuffie stuck her tongue out. Cloud let the emperor do what he wanted with them.

Their bonding moment was stopped when Godo was called by one of his attendants. He was reminded on the work that he left. With no other choice left, the emperor left Cloud and Marcus after inviting them on a party which will be held tomorrow night.

Cloud agreed right away just to be polite and before Marcus could say anything else. As they left the throne room, he thought that was if they were around during that time and that is if their real identities hadn't been discovered yet either.

The servants brought Cloud and Marcus to their respective rooms while Yuffie was dragged by another batch of servants in her room against her will. Yuffie wanted to stay with Cloud and Marcus to listen more on their stories. However, Godo didn't allow her. "Men need their share of rest, Yuffie" he sternly told the girl before exiting.

Cloud and Marcus remained in their rooms, waiting for a chance to search the palace for Setsu's whereabouts.

Sebastian, Essai, and the other SOLDIER prisoners who'd managed to escaped formed a huddle as they thought about what to do next. They were grateful to Setsu for helping them but that didn't mean that they could relax. They didn't have any weapons for their protection and for most of them, the lack of food was making them weak. Most of them were just forcing themselves to move in order to escape.

Setsu stood beside Sebastian, watching all the men discuss on what to do next. A cadet like her who had no experience with anything about war seemed like out of place there.

Sebastian spared a glance at her and patted her head. "We'll get you out of here. Even if that's the last thing that I should do. We owe you our lives after all."

Setsu looked up at him and thought things carefully. It's true that the only thing came on her mind when she got there was to escape but now that she had thought things carefully, she had changed her mind. Setsu couldn't just leave and abandon all of them while she saved her own arse. She swatted Sebastian's hand away from her. In a voice full of conviction she said "I'm staying"

Heads turned towards her with a surprised expression. They just heard her wrong, right?

"Say what?! Are you nuts?! After all the trouble that we've been through, you'll stay?!" Sebastian exclaimed in disbelief. He glanced at the skeleton in the cell where Setsu had been then he resumed looking at her. "You like that skeleton so much that you can't leave?"

He received a kick on the shin as Setsu's answer to his question.

"What I'm trying to say is that I'll lend my help to all of you! I can't just leave here and abandon all of you and save myself alone! Well, that is if you don't mind accepting the help of an inexperience female cadet."

A small chuckle escaped from Essai and the others. Sebastian grinned and ruffled her hair which earned him a small screech from Setsu for treating her like a kid.

"How brave of you, kid… But none of us here can be your Knight in shining armor… No one here has the time to watch out for you and keep you protected." Sebastian warned her as he kept on ruffling her hair.

Setsu swatted Sebastian's hand again. "There is no such thing as Knight in shining armor and I don't need one as well! I can take care of myself… uh… probably…"

Sebastian eyed her, stopping himself from dropping a punch on her head. An image of Setsu's dead body crossed their minds.

"I said I can take care of myself… If that isn't enough, my luck will back me up and keep me safe." Setsu reassured all of them and gave them thumbs up.

"Luck, huh?" Essai looked at her thoughtfully.

They all began to scatter when they heard some incoming footsteps, some of them started to hide while some returned to their cells pretending to be imprisoned. Sebastian paled when he saw Setsu took the bone of the skeleton in her cell and ran beside the door. "The F-…" He facepalmed when he saw her offer a prayer before taking the bone. He just couldn't understand her thought process.

Setsu took the leg part, highly thankful that the skeleton was a tall person when it lived. She ran and stood beside the doorframe, waiting for a chance to use her new found weapon.

The door opened and the prison warden entered. His face was blotchy and red, he staggered around and his breath smelt like alcohol. The witnesses were completely thankful that the opened door hid Setsu from the man's view. One wrong move from her and she would've been busted.

The warden closed the door and turned to his right side. He might have seen Setsu if he turned to the left. As he slowly turned to face forward and check the prisoners, Setsu snuck quietly behind him, matching his shuffling movement so that he didn't notice her presence. Small people had their benefits in time of crisis. The warden hiccupped as he stumbled forward, unable to realize the person standing behind with a bone of a human leg raised like a mallet.

He dropped the bottle of beer that he was holding when he saw the prisoners who failed to hide or conceal their escape. "Just how-"

Whatever the warden was about to say, it was all cut when he lost consciousness. With all the strength that she could muster, Setsu hit the back of the warden's head with the bone that she was carrying. The force snapped the bone into two while the warden fell on the floor unconscious.

"He.. He's still alive, right?" Setsu panted while holding the other half of the bone.

Some prisoners clapped while some whistled.

Sebastian walked towards her after stepping on the warden, making sure that the dude won't wake up. "Not bad, kid. Your badass imagination never failed to surprise me."

"I-I just thought that whoever came inside here should be knocked out."

"I like your sadistic initiative. Now, we should just make sure that this dude here won't spread the word about what happened here."

The prisoners stripped the warden with his clothes, tied up, and placed on the last cell far from the exit where no one will find him quickly.

Sebastian wore the warden's clothes for his own use. He can use it as a disguise. "Freedom is just close, guys! Don't give up!"

Essai approached him and told him what to do. "Sebastian, get out of here and find some weapons for us to use. If you can find clothes for us to use for our disguise, then that's better. While you do that, I and the others will free our remaining allies who are still imprisoned. We can't go out in huge parties. We'll risk ourselves in being discovered. If that happened, our chance of escaping is gone. We'll keep this place in control. Whoever comes here, we'll knock that person out like what Setsuka did to the warden."

Sebastian nodded and agreed. "Alright… I'll take three people with me."

Three men volunteered to go and support Sebastian. Just as they were about to leave, Sebastian jumped a bit to the side when he saw Setsu tagging along them with a new bone at hand. How she managed to get that new bone, he didn't know. The only thing that he realized was the skeleton in Setsu's cell was missing two legs already.

"You little punk! What are you doing?! Stay here and help Essai!" He grabbed the scruff and dragged her back into the room, itching to throw the new bone that she was holding.

Setsu puffed her cheeks while holding her new bone weapon. "No way! I'm coming with you! My unbelievable good luck that keeps enemy monsters at bay will be helpful! I'll be handier if I'm with you."

"Stop the bullshit!" Sebastian can't bring himself to believe it.

"It isn't bullshit, you shit! Ask your fellow SOLDIER in Shinra about it once you escaped from here. That is if you live."

Sebastian threw his hands up in the air and shook his head. He can't handle her stubbornness properly at all. "Don't go killing us, you twerp."

Essai butted in and stopped the two from bickering. He decided to let Setsu go with Sebastian, realizing how stubborn she can get.

"Oh… By the way, Essai, wrap Skelly on something! We can't just leave him behind." Setsu told Essai.

"Skelly?"

"Yeah! Skelly! He needs proper funeral! After all the help that he did for us, he needs to be respected. Besides, the dead should be respected." Setsu said as she went for the door.

"Who the heck is Skelly?!" Such a ridiculous and stupid name…

"She meant that skeleton in her cell." Sebastian answered for Essai. "Please twerp, spare me the lecture on respecting the dead when you disrespected him by stealing two of his bones and made it as your weapon."

Setsu opened the door, only to see a staircase which was lighted by torches that were attached on the wall. Together with Sebastian's party and two escorts, they left the cell to do their task. They ended up in an open room that split into two corridors. One corridor was in front of them while the other one was on their side. Without waiting for Sebastian's orders, Setsu ran to the corridor in front of them to check what was in there.

"Hey… you!" Sebastian sighed and ordered one of their escorts to check what was in the other corridor. He and others walked and stood in the middle waiting for Setsu and the other man.

The escort returned shortly telling Sebastian that the corridor on the side lead to the other prison cells. Sebastian nodded, telling the other escort to inform Essai about it while the other escort went back to help and free the others. Sebastian's party went on their way and followed where Setsu disappeared. A new stairway greeted them. They stopped on their tracks when they saw Setsu planted on the huge double door in front of them. Sebastian slowly approached her and tapped her arm.

"What are you doing?" He whispered to her.

"Shuussh! There are guards…" Setsu answered him in whisper.

Sebastian noticed the door slightly ajar. He took a peek from it and saw some men passing. He had recognized them with their uniforms. "Wutai Soldiers…"

"Should we knock them out?"

"Yeah… But that's our job, not yours." Sebastian flicked her forehead. "Stay put and let us men do the work."

As soon as the guards passed through them, Sebastian and one of his comrades came out from their hiding place as quickly and quietly as they could. They knocked the two guards out that were patrolling and guarding the area. They dragged the knocked out guards back inside on where they were hiding. Two of his comrades took the clothes of the guards. Setsu kept her watch on the slightly ajar door, saving herself from the strip show behind her unconsciously. They made sure to tie up the two guards as well to keep their mouths shut.

After making sure that everything was clear, they went out from their hiding. They were in a hallway where they were the only ones present miraculously.

"Problem now is where can we find the place they are hiding the weapons." Sebastian thought carefully. "Hm… Should we go left or right?"

"I say we go right. My instincts tell me so." Setsu said without thinking on their situation.

Left or Right, the chance of encountering an enemy and spoiling their escape was really high.

"Be serious for once, little twerp!" Sebastian whacked the top of Setsu's head.

"But I am serious! Waahh…" Setsu cried as she rubbed the top of her head.

Sebastian split his party into two. He ordered two of his comrade to go to the left while he, his other comrade, and Setsu went to the right.

"Hmph… You went to the right in the end."

"You are destroying my concentration. Shut up, twerp." Sebastian replied on Setsu's sarcastic remark.

While Setsu was busy assisting here fellow prisoners for their escape, Cloud and Marcus decided to make their move late at night after making sure that most people were asleep. They were in the room located in the guest wing of the palace. The room has two beds and adorned with decorations that showcased Wutai's culture.

Marcus was sitting on top of his bed, looking at Cloud pacing back and forth. "Do you have any idea where they brought Setsu?"

"She is a prisoner. Where do you think a prisoner will be taken? To a five-star hotel?" Cloud answered as he continued pacing.

Marcus stood and shook his head. He dragged Cloud out for a walk. "Now, you are the one who is starting to panic."

"I know but every second counts, Marcus. What if Setsu is…" Cloud trailed of, unable to continue.

"Shut up, Cloud. That brat won't die. I'm sure she won't. She's too stubborn and troublesome to die." Marcus snapped back. He buried that uneasy feeling he felt when the idea of Setsu's death came into his mind. "This time, YOU calm down. We'll find her and go back to Shin-ra. That punk still has to go back to her own world. If she died here, she won't be able to return on her own home." Any feeling that rose up within him on the idea of Setsu leaving them someday was completely trampled on by Marcus.

He liked voluptuous women, women with big breast, round butts, curvy waist, and smooth long legs, not a short girl who has a body of a wooden plank, mouth that can piss off anyone in any time of the day and a full-embodiment of a stupid genius if that made sense. Marcus comforted himself with those thoughts to keep his interest at bay. Setsu was nothing but a friend… so he thinks…

The two went for a walk that night, searching for clues on the whereabouts of the prison cells. Cloud was able to obtain a map of the palace from one of the maids who were still awake and they've encountered during their walk. He studied the map properly and memorized the entire thing. Marcus gave up after one second of looking at the map.

"They have an underground prison and it's located on the opposite side of the guest wing." Cloud informed his partner.

"Are you serious?"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah… Setsu might be held captive somewhere in there. We have to get her out as soon as possible."

Marcus punched his own palm, completely fired up. "Alright! Let's go!"

Using the night to their advantage, the two went to the underground prison in hopes of finding Setsu.

In Wutai's entrance, Kunsel's party together with Leon reached the place without any problems. To be exact, they were surprised to see the Wutai's guards unconscious and lying on the ground. Kunsel looked around to examine the place. He spotted two men in black suits whom he recognized. One was red-haired and the other one was bald. "Reno? Rude?"

Reno looked at Kunsel and greeted them with a mock salute. "You guys are finally here, yo! Better strip those guards up and take the clothes. It will make your infiltration mission easier, yo! Rest assured that the Turks have this place in full control even if it isn't obvious, yo!" He winked at them.

Kunsel and the others followed Reno's suggestion. They took the guards' clothes and put it on. Two of his party members were left behind together with Rude to keep watch on the entrance, just to ensure that Genesis, Zack, and the others would be able to infiltrate the place successfully after them or back them up.

Reno joined Kunsel's party leaving Rude behind to handle everything it needed to be handled regarding the entrance. "I'll be your tour guide, yo! After months of spying this place, I know it like the back of my hand, yo!"

"We'll be counting on you, Reno."

After disguising themselves as one of the soldiers of Wutai, Reno lead the way towards the palace where they can find the prisoners that they have to save.

A big explosion which was soon followed by a series of explosions shook Wutai to the ground. It caused some chain reaction which spread the fire quickly and brought the entire place in a state of panic. Judging from where the thick black smoke came, Reno could tell that it came from the palace where firearms, dynamites, ammunitions, and other explosive things were stored.

"Just WHO is the reckless IDIOT who set that place on fire?!" Reno exclaimed as he ran towards their destination while being followed by Kunsel, Leon, and the others.

"What's that place, Reno?" Kunsel asked Reno, matching his speed.

"It's a part of the palace where firearms were stored, yo! Dynamites, Bombs, Ammunitions, and other deadly babies are in there! Set one in fire and say hello to fireworks!"

Just on cue, one firework exploded to the sky which was soon followed by four more.

"Speak of the devil…" Reno cursed.

The fire grew bigger in every second and it spread like plague. "This is bad…" Leon spoke suddenly. "If that fire won't be stopped, Wutai will be burned to the ground!"

Reno scoffed, openly expressing that he didn't care one bit about Wutai. "I don't care if Wutai gets burn. The problem is that the source of the explosion is close to where the captive SOLDIERS were being held captive. If we didn't reach there in time, we'll only see roasted SOLDIERS, yo! And you guys coming here will be a waste… plus… Shinra will lose a huge amount of SOLDIERS. How great is that?"

Leon clicked his tongue and increased his running speed. Roasted SOLDIERS meant a roasted Setsu too which didn't sound good at all.

Back in the camp where Genesis and Zack were, all of them were in full alert. There was no way for them to miss that huge black smoke that was coming from Wutai. Even if they were kind of far from it, they didn't miss the explosions that occurred.

"Woah! So they finally did it, huh? Duty calls!" Zack shouted excitedly as he prepared himself to attack Wutai.

Genesis stopped Zack before the puppy could do something stupid. "That's impossible, Zack! By this time, Kunsel and the others might have just reached the entrance."

"What?! Then who could have done that?"

"How should I know?! Thanks to whoever did it, our plan might get messed up!" Genesis was extremely ticked off. All those waiting made his short-temper shorter than what it is then some force of nature was threatening to destroy their plan. How he wanted to slash that person with his rapier and burn that person's body to ashes with his firaga. "Prepare and Assemble the men, Zack! We're going to Wutai!"

"Sir!" Zack saluted and ran off to prepare the men.

During all those ruckus caused by the explosion, Cloud and Marcus were in a four-way hallway, trying to figure out the right way towards the underground prison. They've heard the explosion and saw the people running, screaming, and starting to panic. Despite of that, they did their best to remain calm and search for Setsu. The sound of the weapons clashing and a loud "thud" from the north forced their feet to run there. As they ran closer, they could see a tall and wide double door. Black smokes were leaking out from its corners. Cloud and Marcus could tell that they reached the source of the explosion. They have heard a woman's voice coming behind the doors. The closer they get, the clearer the voice become. Their blood ran cold… Their faces turned pale the moment they heard what that woman said. The woman's words were enough to let them know who was behind those doors.

"CURSE YOU! I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU WHEN YOU WERE STILL STUCK IN YOUR CAGE! DIE, LITTLE GIRL!"

Author's Notes: Waaahhhh! I AM SO SORRY! I DISAPPEARED FOR A YEAR (or maybe almost a year)! I BROKE MY PROMISE BACK THEN! IAMTERRIBLYANDEXTREMELYSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYY! I DON'T KNOW IF THIS CHAPTER IS WORTH THE WAIT BUT STILL I AM SORRY TO ALL OF YOU! I AM A HORRIBLE AND BAD WRITER! I ACCEPT AND UNDERSTAND IF YOU GUYS WILL START BITCHING ON ME! I ACCEPT THY PUNISHMENT! *curls into a ball on the emo corner, crying*

I also would like to thank "Ajeng Paramitha Lighthalzen" who keeps on encouraging and reminding me in facebook on writing the new chapter. I don't know what her FFN penname is so that's all I can say. Thank you very much!

Thank you so much for those who have reviewed, supported this story (despite the VERY slow update), and encouraged me to keep on writing. Due to some real life stuffs, I can't write or update so much like before. I can't give any promises… (and I won't give any longer… because I am so bad at it and learned my lesson… *cries*) but I'll still do my best to keep on writing now that I've found my "spark" in writing again. By the way, I'm still living… Please don't kill me yet. I have to live… =A="

Consider this as a gift for the Christmas Season, Belated Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Do enjoy reading everyone! ^_^