A Door Between Worlds

"What do you remember?"

Sephiroth and Tifa were riding chocobos, headed North from the canyon, having already passed Lucrecia's cave. Ironically, they weren't far from where the group had been camping. That seemed like a lifetime ago to Tifa now.

"You really want to go there?"

"In a literal sense, we are going there, Tifa. It would be best if you recalled what you could of what happened. It will help to understand things when we arrive."

"Understand things? What's there to understand, Sephiroth? You came to the town, with Zack, and with Cloud acting like a coward in that guard uniform. You went to the reactor, found Jenova, went to the mansion, went nuts, and killed everything in sight. Does that about sum it up?"

"Not very well, I'm afraid. Tifa, you need to understand that memories change over time to fit what we thought happened, rather than what, in fact, is accurate. We are uncomfortable confronting the reality, and dispelling the memory."

"We left uncomfortable behind as soon as you showed up, buddy. All of this is so far beyond uncomfortable, it's pathetically sad."

"Have you been back?"

"We went to the mansion. It's how we found out how to bring Aerith back. We weren't counting on you being part of the package deal."

"I meant, have you been back to the town itself?"

"Yea, when we were chasing you. Shinra changed everything. Nobody knew us. So I don't see what you think will be accomplished by going back."

"When Shinra was bankrupted, the town was as well. Those who Shinra sent to it are gone."

"And that changes what?"

Sephiroth sighed. He knew this was going to be difficult.

"I suppose you'll see when we arrive. What, in detail, do you remember?"

Tifa was silent for a while. Then she started into the story. "My father sent word to me that Shinra had sent a SOLDIER to town to fix the reactor. I assumed it was Cloud, because of what he said he was going to do when he left. It's not like he sent me letters along the way. I just had to guess that everything was working out for him. Once he set his mind on something, he tended to get it, one way or another. Anyway, you and Zack showed up with the regular thugs following. We hated Shinra. They had know about the town needing help for a while, but they didn't send someone until their pocketbooks were hit by the reactor going down. My father said to be nice, make the best of it. We needed the reactor back on-line. So I played the good little tour guide for you and the boys. I had no idea Cloud was one of them."

"What did you think of Zack?"

"Why?"

"Just curious."

"I thought he was refreshingly honest. My father didn't like the flirting, as I was still pretty young, but I liked the attention. It wasn't like the great Sephiroth was showing me any attention."

"I tended to be...reserved."

"That's one word for it. So, like I said, we went, and you fixed. Made me kind of mad, because it seemed like a fairly simple fix, but Shinra wouldn't let us into the reactor to fix it. To many secrets, I guess. And, admittedly, having the freaks in the tubes was pretty messed up."

"Indeed. Shinra's idea of a new dawn of war."

"Not Shinra's, Hojo's."

"Where Hojo went, Shinra was usually happy to follow."

"True. So you freaked out when you saw them, and started wigging out about how you thought you were one of them. You went back to the mansion, and when you came out, you were in full Psycho mode. You killed and burned all you saw, and headed up to the mountain."

"I asked what you remembered, not what you heard happened. What did you see?"

"I saw my father laying dead next to the people I had grown up with. I saw houses burning to the ground. I heard screaming, and crying. I saw blood everywhere."

"And then?"

"What is this, some kind of psychological exercise for you? I saw hell."

"Keep going, Tifa. What happened next, as you saw it?"

"I ran up the mountain, into the reactor, and found my father, dead, with your sword next to him. I grabbed the sword, and ran into the room to find you. I tried to kill you, but I couldn't use the sword, and you took it from me. You slashed me down the middle, almost killed me, and next thing I know, Zangan is caring for me. I buried the bodies, and headed for Midgar."

"You buried the bodies?"

"That's what I said, isn't it?"

"Are you sure?"

"What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean? Of course I'm sure!"

"But that's just it, Tifa. A memory that isn't accurate. In the physical state you were in, you couldn't possibly have dug a grave for any of them. You were almost in one yourself. Zangan dug them."

"How can you possibly know that?"

"Cloud told me."

"You're lying."

"We will see, Tifa. So that's all you remember?"

"Enough for one lifetime. So why couldn't I use the sword on you?"

"That's...difficult to explain. You will see, in time."

"Can't wait."

The continued on, and were soon at the edge of town. As Sephiroth had said, it was deserted.

Almost

As they came into town, they found a...what? Tifa wasn't sure. It didn't look like any monster she had ever seen. But looking back at Sephiroth, he was pale as a ghost.

"So it's true."

"What's true?"

At the sound of voices, the monster looked up. Then it made Tifa that much more confused.

It spoke.

"So he returns at last. I was beginning to lose hope."

Tifa looked back at Sephiroth. "You know this thing?"

"It is one of the clones that was created in the reactor. There will be others, I fear."

Tifa looked back, and, sure enough, there was the taint of Mako in it's eyes. Tifa climbed off of the mount, and put her gloves on.

"Tifa, don't. It's too powerful."

"Like hell it is."

She charged at the creature, and was knocked back immediately. Before she could get up, it was on top of her, moving with inhuman speed, far faster than Dio had. And it wouldn't be distracted, as he was. Very quickly, she was losing the fight.

"ENOUGH!"

The creature stopped, mid blow, at the sound of Sephiroth's voice. It growled, like a wild animal, "Why? She is one of them. They taint the planet, and mother would have them gone."

"Hold, or I will destroy you myself."

"Are you lost, Sephiroth? They hunted mother. They hurt her"

"They killed her."

"Never! She is immortal."

"Clearly, you are mistaken."

"You have been tainted as well."

"Do I have to prove my point more forcefully?"

The creature grunted, "So be it, traitor. This will end soon.", and it headed off toward the reactor.

Sepheroth dismounted, and walked over to Tifa, offering her a hand up. Reluctantly, she took it.

"CURE 3!"

The feeling of Cure floated through her, and her aches lessened. She hadn't been aware that he had the materia, but it made sense, and she cursed herself for not being similarly prepared. The materia in her gloves were all offensive, and she hadn't had the wind in her lungs to use any of them. She had to admit that the beast may have gotten the better of her.

"Thanks", she mumbled.

"That won't be the last fight here. You must be more cautious."

"I will be."

With that, Tifa looked around the town. The houses had been rebuilt exactly as they had been before. She felt again as if she was years in the past. As though her father would come out of their house any second. But he wouldn't. Never again. Because of him.

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Help me, just now." She couldn't bring herself to say save me.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because he is one of you, Sephiroth. He's a son of Jenova."

"He is a terrible mistake by a horrid monster. He was a creation of Hojo, to mindlessly serve his whims."

"Was it Hojo? I heard it was Gast."

"Gast did start the project, and he made the discovery of Jenova in the first place."

"And it was Gast who thought Jenova was an ancient?"

"Indeed. But he wouldn't agree to Hojo's experiments."

"You sure? I heard he started some of them himself."

"His focus was always on the ancients, on their origins. He didn't care about a better soldier. It was for that reason that he abandoned the project, and Hojo later killed him."

"How much do you know about Gast?"

"Not much, admittedly. My focus was on Hojo."

"But some of his research would be in that mansion, wouldn't it?"

"Unlikely. Most of it would be in his lab up north, by the glacier."

"Whatever. Let's just get through this in one piece. We have bigger things to worry about."

"At the moment, you do not. Follow me.", and with that, he headed for her old house.

The replica of it, she reminded herself. Tifa was still unnerved how close they got things, down to the interior details. As they were entering, Sephiroth turned back toward her.

"Get Masamune."

"Why?"

"If you want answers, retrieve it now."

Unsure, she headed back to her chocobo, and pulled the sword out. It still had no sheath, and, given how sharp it was, she wondered again how he carried it with him everywhere. She walked with it toward the house. To Tifa, the sword was a nuisance. It was so bloody long, she had to hold it upward to go anywhere. Soon, she found Sephiroth standing in the front room.

"Why did I..."

"Hold it up high. Look at the hilt."

Tifa did so, and saw that there were stones embedded into the hilt. Not stones, she realized a moment later.

Materia

But they were small, like shards. Every color was represented. Red, yellow, green, blue, and...

White

She had only seen one white materia in her life.

Holy

"Is this..."

"No, it is not. It is a materia found ages ago. It had no name."

"What does it do?"

"Hold the sword up again. Then close your eyes."

Tifa held it up, and no sooner were her eyes closed, then she was looking into the face of her father. Her eyes shot open, and Sephiroth was looking at her.

"What the hell was that?"

"Look again"

Slowly, she closed her eyes again, and again was looking into his face. He was standing in the center of the room. But he wasn't looking at her. She turned to see what he was looking at, and her blood turned to ice.

It was her mother.

Tifa stared at the woman, so young and beautiful. She looked back at her father, and saw that he was years younger than she had remembered him. Tifa watched her mother walk up and kiss her father. Then he moved his hand down to her belly, and held it there.

"Have you decided on a name?", her father asked.

"Tifa."

"Tifa? And if it's a boy?"

"I heard it in a dream. I think it's going to be a girl."

Tifa stood, speechless. She was watching the past. These were her parents, naming her before she was even born. She opened her eyes, and was alone again with Sephiroth.

"What did you see?"

"My parents were naming me, before I was born. What just happened? Does this materia affect memories?"

"How could it be a memory if you weren't born yet?"

"Then what is it?"

"Not yet, Tifa. Just close your eyes. You will come to understand."

She did so, and the room was empty. But there was a commotion, and a moment later a child ran into the room. Not just any child, though. It was her. She was crying, and her father came in behind her, looking older, more like she remembered him.

"Sweetheart, your mother is gone."

"No! she can't be."

"She is. It was an illness. Nothing could be done."

"That's not true!"

"Honey, you have to stop this. You have to be brave now, for her."

"I don't wanna be?"

"That's when it is the hardest, and the most important."

A wave of emotion hit Tifa. She remembered this day. She watched her younger self run from the room. As she was about to follow her, Tifa realized that her father was still in the room. Then someone walked through the open front door, and Tifa almost fainted.

It was Professor Gast.

"Didn't take it well, I imagine."

"You didn't think she would, did you?"

"Children are resilient. She will manage. Your wife will be well taken care of."

"I know. I just don't understand why she has to go to Midgar for treatment. And why I have to tell Tifa she's dead."

"It is for the best. Your wife will be gone for some time, perhaps years. It will not be possible for Tifa to see her. Do you want her to go through that?"

"No. I see your point, but I don't have to like it. And this is all paid for by Shinra?"

"Paid for, and we will take care of you both while she is in our care."

"What will you do to her?"

"It is best you don't ask. It will be long and difficult for her."

"If you say so. Tell her every day that we both love her."

"I won't be seeing her every day, but I will pass on the message."

Her father left the room, and Gast's pleasant smile melted away.

"If only you knew. No one will be telling her anything, my good man."

Tifa watched him leave, and the room was again empty. She could hear her father again trying to comfort her, as a child. Tifa's eyes had tears running down them, and she had to open them.

Again, it was just Sephiroth.

"Did you know?"

"Tifa, I don't know what you just witnessed."

"Did you know that Gast took my mother, and had my father tell me she was dead?"

"No. As I said before, I knew very little of Gast's work."

"His work? He took my mother. I was lied to"

"I told you things weren't all as you remember them."

"How do I know this isn't a trick of yours?"

"You don't."

"Why would they take her?"

"Shinra wanted to cure the diseases of the past. Some believed it was to help the world they were destroying. Others feared it was to use the cures, and the diseases, as weapons. I don't know, Tifa."

"What is this thing? How is it doing this?"

"I can't explain it, Tifa. You have to see for yourself."

"I can't. I won't."

"Then you will never know what really happened all those years ago."

"Why? Why are you doing this to me? Haven't you done enough? Do you hate me that much?"

"I never hated you, Tifa. I am doing this for you. You can't have a future until you learn to forgive. To do that, you must know the truth."

"What truth?"

"It's time to go outside."

"Why?"

"Just go, Tifa. Have faith."

With tears still falling, she made her way outside. Moving to the center of the town, she again looked around.

"Hold it up. Close your eyes."

Very reluctantly, she closed her eyes.

She could see herself that day. The day they came for the reactor. She had been about 15. She still looked so young. Her hair was getting longer, and her chest had already developed considerably.

And that hat.

As she watched, Tifa saw Sephiroth approach with Zack, and his troops, in tow. She immediately spotted Cloud. Now that she knew, it was obvious which one he was. He was one of only two with his helmet on. She watched mini-Tifa greet the group, and they all headed for the inn. But Cloud stayed behind. After she left, he took his helmet off. He looked around at the houses. His face held a look of shame, and sadness. She knew this wasn't how he had wanted to return. She saw Zack come up to him.

"Nice to be home, huh?"

"I guess so."

"You know, you're still like, what 16? Next time you come back, you'll be badass. I can see it now."

"Whatever."

Zack dropped an easy laugh. "Cheer up, Cloud. Hey, you know that tour guide, I bet."

"Yea, so?"

"Hey, ease up chief. I don't do jail bait. But she's kinda cute. An old friend of yours? Old girlfriend, maybe?"

"No, just someone I knew back then."

"She seems nice."

"She is."

"Well, I can see I won't get much out of you. I'll have to ask her, won't I?"

"Don't, Zack. Don't tell her I'm back."

"Why not?"

"Just don't. It's not time yet."

"Okay, buddy. Whatever you say."

Zack, still laughing, walked away. Cloud looked at his mothers house, then put his helmet back on, and headed for the inn. Tifa watched him go, then opened her eyes.

"You witnessed our arrival, yes?"

"Yea. I saw Cloud talkin to Zack after I left for the inn. He sounded so sad."

"He thought himself a failure."

"Was he?"

"SOLDIER would never had accepted a 16 year old boy. He was years away from that, at best. Zack and I had both been in the service for years. We weren't sent at random."

"I guess not. So if none of this had happened?"

"Who is to say. He had promise, and certainly determination. Coincidentally, he spoke of you to myself and to Zack. You were his world, even back then,"

"Then his world ended, along with mine. So now we head to the reactor?"

"No. To the mansion."

"But the reactor happened first."

"I know. In order to understand what happened there, you must see what happened here."

"I can't, Sephiroth. It's too much."

"You're stronger than you believe."

"How do you know?"

"I know, just as I knew it then. I expressed concern that your father wasn't taking us himself, but he said you knew the trail better. You were the better guide. He was right."

"And if it had been him, I would be the one who died."

"That's not an accurate assessment, and you know it."

"Why do you have to be so formal?"

"It suits me, I suppose."

Tifa let a faint smile cross her lips. She had to admit, he was charming. He didn't come off as stuffy, or arrogant.

"Yea, it does.", and she headed up to the mansion. She held the sword up, and closed her eyes, preparing for the worst.

But all she could see was her father standing outside the mansion, with Zangan and a few of the troops. She knew Zack and Sephiroth were inside. This was the part Cloud had told her about, when he went nuts. She saw Zack run out the door.

"There's nothing that'll hurt the town, right?", Zangan asked Zack.

"No way! It's Sephiroth. He would never do that."

"Oh my. You sure do have faith, don't you?"

Her father looked mad. "Until we know that there's no danger, we're not moving."

Zack nodded his head, and headed back inside. Tifa watched her father give Zangan an uneasy glance.

"I don't like this. Tifa said he went berserk at what he saw up there. What is Shinra hiding?"

"Who knows. But the boy seems to be reassured."

"He's a fool, worships the ground the bastard walks on. I don't trust Shinra."

"None of us do. But the weight is still in their favor here."

"For now. Someday, someone will stop them. If I were ten years younger..."

And suddenly, Sephiroth emerged. He looked possessed. He headed for the edge of town. Zangan stood back, but Tifa's father held his ground.

"What's going on? What did you see up there? What is Shinra doing?"

With a speed that was as blurred as the monster that had attacked her, Sephiroth rushed forward, and plunged the sword through her father. He didn't even have time to react, before he slid off of the sword, and Sephiroth slashed down through his own men. Zangan was knocked to the ground by the body of her father, and Sephiroth passed him by. He headed for the edge of town. Suddenly a scream was heard from a house close by. Sephiroth looked up, and smiled, as one of those freaks came out. More screams, more crashes, more monsters coming out. Sephiroth stood by, watching it all happen.

Watching

Tifa didn't know what to think. The monsters had all been in tubes at the reactor. How could they all be here, in town? Then someone else came out, in a white lab coat, covered in blood and soot.

It was Hojo.

His wicked grin died on his lips when he saw Sephiroth. This clearly wasn't expected. Hojo pointed at Sephiroth, yelling for the clones to attack him, but they cowered in fear, then ran away. Hojo cursed, and headed for a Shinra truck that Tifa hadn't even seen there. He climbed in, and sped away, as the screams increased, and the town was burning out of control. It took Tifa a moment to realize that the house he had come out of was Clouds. The blood on his coat. Had it been...Cloud's mother? Why was Hojo here? How did he let them all out?

Tifa's head was spinning. She saw Zack come running out of the mansion. He looked frantic. As he came to the center of town, Zangan saw him.

"Hey, it's you! You're still sane, right?"

Zack nodded, numb.

"Then come over here and help me! I'll check this house, you check that one over there."

Without another word, Zangan ran into a house, and Zack ran into another. Zack emerged, still numb, shaking his head in disbelief. He turned around, and saw Sephiroth slice through a few others. He walked toward the reactor, Zack close behind.

Tifa could see it all, could hear it, could feel it. It was just as she had seen it in Cloud's memories. But it hadn't been Sephiroth. He had killed her father, and several others. But the town wasn't him. It was Hojo. After all this time, it was Hojo.

Opening her eyes, she saw Sephiroth standing in front of her. The difference was unmistakable. Then, he had been a man possessed, his eyes haunting. Now they were looking into hers with concern. She stared into his eyes for a while, not knowing what to say. She wanted to believe it was a lie. But it wasn't. She knew it. It had happened this way.

"Hojo?"

"Yes. He was in town to inspect his soldiers. He had traveled in secret, so no one knew he was there. When he discovered someone had found the truth, he released the clones, sending them to erase the town, so he could start over again. He never suspected it was me. That complicated things. He wasn't ready to awaken Jenova within me yet. Only fate knows when he intended to do so. But the plan was ruined. He lost the clones, and knew he was powerless to stop me. So he watched from a distance instead."

"Why?"

"Shinra never gave him final approval for the Jenova SOLDIER project. He didn't have their confidence, as Gast did. By then, of course, Gast was dead. Shinra rebuilt the town to cover Hojo's sin, not their own. He was a loose cannon. If he had been approved of, he would have known we were coming, and removed all evidence before we arrived."

"Why did I need to see this?"

"To know what really happened. I have your fathers blood on my hands, but not Cloud's mother, or the rest of the town."

"So you're only partly a monster?"

"There is more to see, Tifa. At the Reactor."

"You still haven't shown me what this sword is doing. What is this materia?"

"You will see, Tifa. I promise that. But you must see the rest of it first."

They left town, with the sun setting. Inside, Tifa knew they shouldn't set out so late in the day, but there was no way she wouldn't see this through to it's conclusion. As she rode up the trail, she watched Sephiroth. She could feel his pain, his guilt. He wasn't seeing it, but he knew what she was seeing. She wondered how Aerith knew about any of this, why she had said it was 'Time' for her to do this. Had she seen it all? Did she know about Hojo's involvement? Tifa intended to find out.

Strangest of all was Sephiroth. She should be furious with him. She had watched what she had missed years before. She had watched him kill her father. It had been so fast, so brutal.

But she didn't know what she was feeling. It was all so much to process. And he had been the one to take her here, to show this to her. She still didn't understand why. So it had been Hojo. So what. What did it change? She already hated him, she already knew he was a monster. It changed a lot for Cloud, but not for her. So why wasn't she mad?

As they traveled, she took a moment to look closer at the hilt of the sword. She didn't know how the materia could have been inlaid. They looked like they were a part of the sword itself. She went back to the thought she had come when she first picked it up. It was a masterpiece. Then another thought came back.

"Sephiroth."

"Yes?"

"Where did you get Masamune?"

Several moments of silence followed. She knew he had heard her, and waited for the answer. She fully expected him to tell her she would see, in time.

"I suppose I should tell that story." He looked up at the setting sun. "It was a gift."

"From Hojo?"

"That man never gave freely, unless it was pain and agony. No, it was a gift from Gast."

"Gast?"

"Strange, I know. He gave it to me upon my acceptance into SOLDIER. He said I would need it."

"For what?"

"I didn't know, until I found it's power."

"Which you still won't tell me about. Anyway, it's very well made."

"It should be. It was crafted by the ancients."

"What!?"

"Or so Gast assured me."

"How did he come by it?"

"I've no idea. He said only that he had held it for years, waiting for the right one to come."

"Wait a minute. Gast would have been dead by then."

"He was."

"Okay, you lost me."

"He bequeathed the sword, along with a letter, to me. In it, he stated all I have said. I never met him in person."

"Then why give it to you?"

"That is the question, I'm afraid. He knew I was Hojo's offspring, so he would know I was Jenova's seed. And he had learned from Ifalna that Jenova wasn't an ancient."

"Who?"

"His beloved. Aerith's mother."

"So when did you discover the swords power?"

"That is another story. Perhaps I will tell it someday."

Tifa fell silent. Why did it seem that Gast was such a part of what had happened. Up until now, his name hadn't been one that came up often. She knew he was doing research on the ancients, but not much else. Cloud didn't know much of him, and Sephiroth didn't seem to either. Maybe Aerith did. He was her father, after all.

Just as this thought was passing, they came to the summit, and to the reactor. Strangely, it looked as though it had aged 20 or 30 years since that day. Much of the exterior was in considerable decay.

They both dismounted, and Tifa, sword in hand, led them to the door.

"Do I go in?"

"Yes."

They made their way through the interior. As they approached the door to the inner chamber, where the pods had been, Tifa felt a shiver. This gangway was where Cloud had been run through, and where Sephiroth had supposedly died. Walking through the door, she saw that all of the pods were open. Hojo had opened all of them. His soldiers weren't ready, but it didn't matter. He would have intended to destroy them anyway. There was still blood in the room, and she knew some of it was hers. She looked over where Cloud had told her he had found her. She could remember none of it, after Sephiroth had attacked her. But then, that was why she was here.

Without waiting for his instruction, she lifted the sword, and closed her eyes.

And saw nothing.

Opening her eyes, she looked at him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Then why can't I see?"

"You're trying to see the wrong event. There is something else to see first."

"What?"

"Stop telling it what to look for, and just open your mind, then close your eyes."

'This is getting more and more confusing', she thought. But, nevertheless, she did as he told her, and found herself standing in the room, empty. The pods were open, but not as they were now. They looked brand new, ready for their cargo to be inserted. She turned around just as Hojo entered the room, followed by a row of men in underwear only. They were fit and trim, obviously troops. But not the regular grunts. These were disciplined soldiers. They seemed to know what was about to happen. But did they?

Hojo turned to address them. "You are the first to begin a new age for Shinra, and for the planet. You will be our elite, better than SOLDIER even. You have all been specially chosen for this assignment. Now, as previously stated, you will be in a state of hibernation. You will be unaware of the changes happening to you. But they will be significant. Imagine having the strength of ten men, the ability to hear from a mile away. You will be gods! Now, let us begin."

Each man assumed a position in front of a pod, and, upon the word given, climbed in. Hojo, with two assistants, closed each pod, securing it. Tifa felt strange standing in the middle of the room, with the others oblivious to her presence. But then, she wasn't present. She was watching a memory. Once all of the pods were secure, a switch was flipped, and the sound of Mako rushing into each pod could be heard. After a moment, it was over, the pods were full, and the assistants began looking into each window, writing down what they saw. Hojo just looked over it all with a maniacal grin. Tifa again felt ill. This had happened before she was born. This had all been here for her entire life. Shinra had never come to check on the reactor when it failed, because Hojo wouldn't let some Shinra engineer in to discover his secret. The decision to send Sephiroth and Zack must have come from high enough to out-rule Hojo, but not to know what the reactor held. And then Tifa had a thought. Was this the only batch, or simply the first one? How long did the process take? Were there completed supersoldiers out there somewhere? Hojo had mentioned SOLDIER, so it must have already existed. And these weren't clones, in any case. They were already living men. It didn't make sense. Unless what she had seen in town, what Sephiroth had seen all those years back, hadn't been a clone, just a deformed man.

She walked up to the top door, the one holding Jenova, she knew. It was open. Passing through, she found...nothing. No statue of Jenova. She wasn't here. These soldiers were being Mako treated, but not with Jenova's cells.

Tifa walked back into the room, just as Hojo's two assistants left.

What was she seeing? What did any of this have to do with her?

And then Gast walked in.

'Him, again. How much a part of all of this is he?', she wondered again.

"All levels normal?"

"Within tolerances. They'll live."

"We've secured the ancient. The Jenova project has been approved. We can begin as soon as it arrives."

"My soldiers will need months for the treatment."

"We won't be needing the pods, just the power that the facility provides. Two birds with one stone, as it were."

"Whatever."

"Just make sure Lucrecia is ready for the injection."

"She'll be ready."

"Good. Just imagine it, Hojo. A new race of ancients."

"Oh, I can imagine.'"

Gast left, and Hojo followed him to the door.

"A new race indeed, professor. Pretty soon, these grunts will know real power, and we will have a truly unstoppable army."

With that, he left.

'So that was what this was about?', Tifa wondered. Better troops? Why would Hojo care if Shinra ruled the planet?

Tifa took a last look around, and felt drawn to a pod down the way. She took a look into it, and fell back down in shock. Getting back up, she looked again.

It was Zangan, much younger.

He had been a supersoldier. Her mentor, her trainer, had been a Shinra grunt. It actually explained a lot. Why he had been so nervous about Shinra, unwilling to take them on. Why he had seemed to her to have superhuman reaction to everything. This was getting weirder by the minute.

Looking around one more time, she opened her eyes.

"Did you know?"

"You forget, I cannot see what you see."

"Yet you seem to know what I'm about to see."

"I know what Aerith told me."

"How does she know?"

"A dream."

"I figured as much. Anyway, I saw Hojo doing supersoldier experiments, before Jenova. I saw Gast come in and tell him they were bringing Jenova here to do more research, and to inject Lucrecia."

"Then it was shortly before it all began."

"Zangan was one of the soldiers."

"This surprises you?"

"Not really. But did you know?"

"I did not. It isn't important at the moment."

"It is to me."

"It will be. But not now. You must press on."

"If you say so."

She closed her eyes again, and the room was again empty. The pods were all opened. It was post Sephiroth visit Number 1.

Suddenly a thought occurred to her. She ran out of the lower door, onto the causeway. And there she was, all of 15 years old. Looking at her father's body with the sword stuck in it. But how was that possible? She had seen him run her father through in the town. How could he be here? No one would have carried the body all the way up here. There was only one explanation. Her father must not have died in town. He must have survived long enough to get up here. But that was absurd. It was a journey of several hours. How could he have made it this far in his condition? Tifa's mind was raging. And how could she be here already? She had just been in that room. Sephiroth wasn't there. She hadn't been there first, she had arrived after him, hadn't she? She couldn't remember him passing by her. But when she turned around, Sephiroth was at the upper door, waiting for Jenova to 'let him in.' How had she missed it, then and now?

She saw young Tifa (what else could she call her?) grab the sword and run into the pod room, just as Zack came into view from outside. She watched her run up to Sephiroth, and waited for the slash. He grabbed the sword, pulled it from her hand, and swung down. Tifa watched the sword tear through the child, and her body be thrown through the air, and down the stairs, like a rag doll. She could feel the cut again. Zack raced past her, and into the upper chamber. She heard them battle, and saw Zack fall. His own buster sword fell away from him. Sephiroth went into the chamber, and moments later, Cloud came in. Seeing Zack fallen, he picked up the sword, and ran into the chamber. She heard a grunt, knowing it to be Sephiroth getting stabbed by Cloud, and saw Cloud come out, and pick young Tifa up, carrying her out of the room. Sephiroth emerged, bleeding profusely, with the head of Jenova, and moved out of the room. Tifa followed him, and watched him stab Cloud. Cloud used the momentum to knock Sephiroth and the head into the Mako beneath, before collapsing. Tifa knew that he and Zack would later be captured, while Zangan would come get her. And her father...

Was gone.

His body was gone.

It hadn't been there when they had all gone out.

She continued to look at the spot he had been occupying. Then she raced outside, as fast as she could go.

There was blood on the steps outside. She looked around frantically.

And she saw him.

He was slowly walking away, making his way down the mountain.

Her father was alive. And he had left her there to die.

He would have had to have exited before Cloud ran in, so he might not have known she was in there. But it was unlikely. He would have heard the fighting, must have heard her scream of rage, and then pain. He had to have heard.

And he had left. Tifa didn't even realize that tears were pouring down her face. She found herself looking into the eyes of Sephiroth. He looked like someone had stabbed him again. The pain in his eyes was incredible.

Masamune fell to the metal floor with a clank.

"You knew?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Would you have believed me?"

She knew she wouldn't have. She would have hated him all the more for suggesting it.

"He left me."

"He didn't know."

"BULLSHIT!"

"He didn't know. He was in such pain, he couldn't hear, couldn't think. He was trying to get back to town to find you, the same reason he had come up."

Tifa collapsed, her knees giving way. Only Sephiroth's lightening reflexes saved her from a fall. He held her against him as she cried, endless tears flowing. Time seemed to stand still.

Sephiroth hadn't killed the town

He hadn't killed her father.

He was here, holding her.

Tifa pulled back, enough for Sephiroth to release her, though he still stood directly in front of her. The only sound was her ragged breathing. The only light was coming through the door from outside, and it was almost gone. She could barely see his face in front of her.

Tifa wasn't thinking. That's what she would tell herself for years to come. It was the only semi-plausible explanation for what happened next. She leaned forward, and kissed him.

Hard.

It was a kiss of desperation, unlike any she had ever known. It held nothing back. And he kissed her. His arms found their way around her again.

Tifa didn't know how long they stood there, locked together. It seemed to last forever, and yet be over in a moment. She stood, staring into his eyes. 'So beautiful', she thought. She placed her hand against his face, feeling the tears he was now shedding. She moved his hand to her, directly beneath her left breast. She put his hand on the scar, and held it there. He understood. It was all that was left of that day. It had been a clean cut, almost surgical. It had been sewn up, likely by Zangan. She held his hand against the scar, and softly kissed his wet cheek. He, in turn, leaned down, pulled the shirt up over his hand, and looked at the scar. A moment later, he placed a series of kisses up it, her body shivering with each. Then she pulled the shirt over her head. Other clothes soon followed.

They made love there, in the darkness, inside of the reactor.

It wasn't planned.

It wasn't logical

But it was perfect.

Where Cloud was naive the first time, with both of them exploring each others bodies like unknown mysteries, Sephiroth was a master. He knew how to touch, where to touch, when to touch. Tifa felt pleasure she had never dreamed possible.

Afterward, they slept. It shouldn't have been comfortable, laying with only his cloak to cover them both, on the hard metal. But she didn't notice.

As they got ready to leave the next morning, Tifa looked over at Sephiroth. He was standing next to his mount, staring at the reactor.

"So?"

He turned around.

"So?

"The sword. What does it do?"

He looked at Masamune, wrapped in cloth, tucked into her saddle.

"It claims you."

"I don't understand."

"As I said, neither did I, at first. I wondered about the stones, wondered if each was individual. But their not. They look like part of the sword because they are."

"I'm still not getting it."

"The sword is not a sword, or, more specifically, the hilt is not. It's materia."

"Materia?"

"Yes, with the crafted blade somehow set into it. How, or why, I could not say."

"But what materia? You said it wasn't Holy."

"It's not. It's unlike any materia I have ever encountered. It doesn't work by your command, and it doesn't work for just anyone. You couldn't use it against me that day because it had already claimed me."

"Because?"

"Who knows. Perhaps it is sentient itself. But it does claim, and, for now, it has claimed you."

"But how was it showing me everything that it did?"

"Memories are the ghost of what was. They are left behind in a place, like echoes. The sword, the materia, can find those echoes. It shows you only what you must see. And more than that, it bonds to you in battle. It moves with you, flows with you, like a dance. Perfect balance, perfect weight."

"So you couldn't use it again, even if you tried."

He gave her a mischievous grin. "Not while you are alive. I died, remember?"

Tifa smiled. Again, she marveled at how much had changed in so short a time. She had come here wanting to hate him. Now, she didn't know if she was capable of doing so. She didn't know if this was love, but it was more than she had known in a long time.

"Sephiroth."

"Yes?"

"I forgive you."

A new look came over his face, like a weight being lifted.

"Thank you. How do you feel?"

"Reborn. I've never felt like this."

Sephiroth's smile slowly faded. "There is still much to do."

"I know. We should get going."

"Not yet."

"What do you mean?"

"There's one thing left to do."

"And that is?"

---

A while later, they found themselves in the basement of the mansion, standing outside the door to Hojo's lab.

Tifa looked at him. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I must, to find closure."

"Alright."

They entered the room. Tifa wasn't sure why, but she had felt the need to bring Masamune. She didn't intend to use it on the place, though it was tempting. Sephiroth, on the other hand, was carrying a lit torch. He was going to burn the place to the ground.

As he dropped the torch on various books, and then shelves, the place went up pretty fast. They wouldn't have long. Then without knowing why. Tifa closed her eyes.

She looked around the room, no longer on fire. The books were neatly stacked in the bookshelf, which looked recently cleaned. But it wasn't the books that caught her attention. It wasn't even Hojo, standing over a body, doing experiments. It was the body in question. She had assumed at first that it was Vincent, but realized quickly it wasn't. But the experiments looked much as Vincent had described them. Tifa worked her way around Hojo, to get a look at the face of the one laying there, but he was making it difficult. Then Lucrecia came in.

"Is he ready?"

"He is. Will this work?"

"We've done it before."

She handed him a syringe, filled with a dark liquid. Something about this all was familiar to Tifa, but she couldn't place it.

Hojo injected the man, and he cried out.

"Chaos is injected."

Tifa looked up, startled. Chaos? Then this had to be Vincent. But the arm wasn't a claw, and Vincent had said Hojo crushed his arm, and replaced it, before injecting Chaos. It didn't make sense. She was getting tired of that feeling.

"Let's hope he takes it better than that Turk did."

"That 'Turk' had a name."

"So did the professor."

The professor? Tifa looked at him again. She now had a clear look at his face.

It was Gast.

Hojo had killed him. Or so she had thought. But, then again, he had also shot Vincent.

So Gast had lived, and had Chaos injected in him. That meant he would have been unable to age, like Vincent. He could very well be still alive.

Suddenly she felt herself being shaken.

"TIFA!"

It was Sephiroth, screaming into her face. The room was completely engulfed in flames. They both ran for the exit to the mansion, running out the front door as it was going up around them. They stood outside, watching it burn. Tifa looked into Sephiroth's eyes, and saw what she hadn't seen there since his return.

Anger

Unbridled, Undiluted. Pure anger.

She understood. This was where he had become the monster, where Hojo had injected him before he was even born. He had never had a chance at a normal life. He was born tainted. Her mother had told her that all babies were born into this life innocent. But he wasn't. He was corrupted in the womb. That sounded like a pretty solid reason to hate. He looked down at her, and the look became concern again.

"I was afraid for you. You were gone again. What did you see?"

"Gast."

"Gast? Here?"

"It was after Hojo shot him. He brought him here, alive. He injected him with Chaos, just like Vincent."

Sephiroth's face now registered shock. "Then he may still be alive today."

"It's a pretty good bet. He wouldn't age. and he might even have Vincent's healing ability."

"We must inform the others."

They headed South, back toward the Canyon. They had gone less than an hour, when they saw Highwind passing overhead. The ship came to a stop, and they led their chocobos on board.

They both went up to the bridge, and found everyone there.

"What's going on?", Tifa asked.

"Aerith is gone. She was taken."

Tifa went pale, and turned to Sephiroth, "It has to be him."

"Has to be who?", Cloud asked.

Tifa looked back at Cloud. "This will take some time to explain."

"It has to be who!?"

"Professor Gast. He's alive. He has Chaos within him"

"What?"

"Head for the Icicle Inn."

"Why? Why would he take her?"

Sephiroth answered. "Because the planet's not in danger now. Only Aerith is."

-----

Obviously, this is a change of pace. My knowledge of the Nibelheim incident is sketchy, so I may have contradicted the game, or even myself. Feel free to point it out if I did.