The day will come through
It will only take some time
Look for the reasons behind it all
It might do you some good
 

This was it. Cloud, helped by Vincent and Elena had gathered everyone that they had been able to, Yuffie, Reno, Rude, Reeve and Lucrecia all stood in the room along with Tifa and Barrett. Cid would be there as soon as possible but was busy confirming details for the future space program and Red had not been contacted due to the fact that Cosmo Canyon was yet to have a telephone system installed. Lucrecia sat in a wheelchair, still recovering from Jenova's torture; sometimes she would say something that Vincent understood, but most of the time she spoke nonsense. Her brain had been corrupted by the overwhelming power of Jenova, but when she did say something Vincent would hold her hand and reassure her that everything would be fine, sometimes Vincent did it for his own comfort.

Everyone stood still and silent in the room, unaware of the situation that occured the night before, although Vincent suspected that it had something to do with the disturbance last night. From the look on Cloud's face, this wasn't going to be good.

" I suppose you are all wondering why I have gathered us all together like this for the first time in years." Started Cloud. " Well, it's not going to be easy to say this, so I'm just going to say it. Sephiroth is back, alive and well."

The room seemed completely motionless as everyone stared into nothingness, attempting to soak in what Cloud had just said. To many of them, the idea seemed incomprehensible; surely they had killed Sephiroth five years ago? In that instant all that the group had worked for those years ago had been taken away from them, just as the nightmares where finally beginning to end.

" Are you trying to say that we never killed him?" Wondered Vincent, breaking the silence.

" It doesn't matter." Said Barrett. " The point is that he's here now and we're gonna have to stop him again!"

" But that's not all." Whispered Tifa.

" What else?" Spoke up Yuffie. " What else could have possibly happened?"

" He's inside Liol." She replied.

" Who? Sephiroth?"

"Yes."

Silence took over the room, no one spoke for what seemed like hours although was probably a minute or two. Vincent and Yuffie stared into space, aghast and confused, unable to speak about what  Sephiroth had possibly done to little Liol. From outside, the sound of droplets splashing into a nearby puddle could be heard.

" If you are wondering, we do not yet know how Sephiroth has done this, or where he has gone with him. However, we do not think that Liol is dead, the soldier's body which Sephiroth had previously taken over was only unconscious, but was extremely traumatized." Cloud took a deep breath. " I think that Sephiroth may have tortured the man during his possession."

" Sweet Lord." Whispered Vincent, holding on to Lucrecia's soft hand.

" What do you suppose we do?" Stood up Reeve, in his blue well-fashioned suit. " What are we going to do to get Liol back?"

" I don't see that there is much we can do, we have no way of tracking or searching for Sephiroth. During last night we witnessed him changing his apperance at will, if he can do this, there's no way of finding him." Finished Cloud.

" Sit and wait time, then Cloud?"

" Yes, I'm afraid so."

While everyone continued their often silent conversation; Vincent turned Lucrecia around and pushed her along the corridor and into the nearby elevator. It pained him that he could not be with her 24 hours in the day, but he had to earn a living for himself and her and spent much of his current time with the Turks. For the moment though he was enjoying this brief moment alone with her. As the elevator slowly travelled down the building he smelt her hair and kissed her cheek gently.
When the elevator stopped he pushed Lucrecia along to the nearby bench area where the Turks often met to chill out. Since the arrival of Cloud and Tifa everyone was far too busy to take a break, it was a shame. The sun shone brightly over both of them as Vincent sat on the bench next to Lucrecia, he watched the water fountain as the water bubbled over the top and sparkled in the sun. Vincent stopped for a moment to look at Lucrecia and held her soft hand. He whispered to her.

" I love you."

As Lucrecia mumbled something unrecognizable back, Vincent smiled and held her until he shed a single tear and prayed that this would end.
 
 

Reeve sat back behind his desk after Cloud's revelation, Reeve got the impression that this matter would take up most of his time in the near future, but he didn't really mind, not if it meant helping the people he had known so well five years ago. If things did get really bad he could always call in some of his squads from Kalm. He stared at the miniature model of Cait Sith that stood on his desk, it seemed like a lifetime ago since he had last used that machine, perhaps it was.

In five, prosperous years he had took over the previously ShinRa owned Turks and turned it into a successful buisness venture. Now the Turks had been reformed from its days with ShinRa it’s main point in existing was to serve the public as an agency to be hired out on certain missions. Although the behind the desk atmosphere wasn’t quite Reeve’s style it sure did bring in the money and he lived in an expensive mansion in the outskirts of Rocket Town. He loved the lifestyle he now had and soon planned to settle down with a woman he had met recently, you could say life was good for Reeve. There was a knock at the door.

“ Come in.” He called out.

“ Sir,”

“ Yes Elena, what is it?”

" We're going to have to leave here again aren't we?"

" What makes you think that?"

" This whole thing with Sephiroth returning is gonna get bad, I can just feel it." Elena took out a cigarette and lit it with her gold-plated lighter.

" Look, I understand that the last few months haven't been exactly easy for you, but this whole deal doesn't have to be that way, despite what you might be feeling right now." Elena was silent, smoke billowed into the air. " I'm serious here, even if the worst comes to the worst and this shit gets bad then maybe we will have to leave here. But if we do we will still stand and fight, because that is your job and that in the end is what you really want to do."
 
 

Cid lifted his final bench press, sighed and wiped the sweat off his forehead with a  handkerchief, this training was tough especially for an ever aging man, but he knew the drawbacks of the space mission ever since he had drawn up the basic plans several years ago, to fly in space you had to be in good condition and that was that.

Things were finally starting  to fit together nicely with his life for the first time since Sephiroth had decided to destroy the world. He was married to Shera after years of confused relations with the woman, but he loved her and that was all that really mattered to him, the space program to the Droida asteroid was finally getting running and was Cid expecting to be ready in a month. In fact two astronauts from Kalm were being transfered over to Rocket Town in a day or so, things were moving so smoothly.

Wrapping a towel over his neck, Cid walked back to his home, "I'm tired of this place" he thought to himself, he had been running training programs and training in the gym for weeks, he needed a rest badly. He opened the front door with his rusty key and promptly slumped into his favourite armchair, this program was taking it's toll and he was exhausted. It didn't take the experienced pilot long to fall into a deep sleep and to snore softly nestled in his armchair alone.
 
 

Outside the residence of Mr. Highwind stood a tall, bearded homeless man. His hair was short and scruffy and the long brown trenchcoat that he wore was torn and dirty from years of living on the streets. Amongst the other vagrants that wandered the streets of Rocket Town, he almost blended into the background, he was nothing new or interesting, people just didn't care to notice him. No one would have the slightest clue that he brought  the planet to it's darkest hour only five years ago.

Sephiroth had watched Cid Highwind walk into his humble abode only five minutes ago, he was intending to kill the aging pilot, in fact he was looking forward to it. For the hours since the night before, Sephiroth had changed his outward appearance to that of a middle-aged homeless man. Sephiroth did not have to think for long, he never did when he thought about torturing someone to death. Imagining the cold steel of throwing knives in his hands, they appeared instantly and he smiled wickedly at the emergence of his new powers, this was going to be an easy task.
 
 

Cid heard a knock on the door and quickly woke up and sluggishly stumbled forward to the door. Who could be calling at this time of day? " Damn salesmen." He muttered before opening the front door.

" Hello Cid." Smiled the man at the front door. He wore dark, baggy clothes which looked like a dog had been at them, Cid could smell a distinct odour of urine.

" Sorry, do I know you?" He replied, trying to ignore the man's appearance.

" Oh yes, I think you do." Sephiroth quickly whipped out the first of his knives and threw it at Cid's right shoulder, making sure it would stick into the flesh. Cid winced in pain and held his shoulder, blood soon covered his hand and began to drip on the floor. The homeless man smiled and walked into Cid's house, slamming the door behind him. By the time Cid had begun to look up at his attacker, another knife was thrown into his left shoulder, he screamed out in pain and crashed to the floor in agony. Sephiroth pulled Cid's body up and slammed him against the wall. " Don't think you're gonna die so soon you filth."

" Who the hell are you?"

" Come on Cid, don't you recognise your old pal Sephy?"

Cid smiled. " You're not Sephiroth, he died five years ago, didn't you know" Cid laughed. " You're pathetic."

" Doesn't look that way to me, you're the one bleeding all over the carpet."

Cid looked to the floor below, the previously cream fabric carpet was covered in wet scarlet, he was bleeding fast. He couldn't die here, not in this house, Shera's house, not to this lunatic. He could barely move his arm anymore, but he managed to reach deep into his pocket for a fire materia and began to mutter. " Fire!"

" No!" Shouted Sephiroth as he sliced Cid's right arm with another knife, forcing him to let go of the magic orb and break the connection between him and the materia. Cid was shivering in pain, he could no longer move his right arm, Sephiroth smiled in delight. Sephiroth bent over to the floor, taking the fire orb and rotating it around in his hand playfully. " No tricks today Cid, no, you won't be escaping today."

" What the hell do you want from me? If this is just about money, I've got plenty in the bank,,,, we'll give you anything you want, just don't kill me."

" No, no Cid, money is not important to me, not anymore. I now longer have a need for it, no what I want is revenge." The face of the homeless man slowly shifted to that of a younger man with green eyes and long, silver hair. Cid stared at the face in front of him and shuddered in fear as realisation set in, the man who they thought they had killed all those years ago had returned. Cid couldn't even lie to himself, he was terrified. " Yes. You see it is your old friend Sephy, I'm back and as you can see I am not a happy bunny at all."

" No fucking way," was the muttered reply. " Even if it really is you, then I don't believe you'll achieve what you desire, Cloud,,,,, no the whole damn world will stop you,,,,, whatever it is that you desire."

Sephiroth flailed his head back and laughed a long maniacal laugh. " You really think that don't you? It's pathetic Cid, it really is. How the hell will anyone be able to stop me? Who's going to notice an aging homeless man? You certainly didn't, you see Cid, you don't even understand the full extent of my powers now, I can change my outward appearance to whatever I want." Cid replied with a quiet snigger.

Sephiroth toyed with his Mausarme and placed it under Cid's neck and made a slight cut, more blood poured out of the new wound, following this up quickly with a kick to Cid's shin and a punch to the stomach, Sephiroth sent Cid to the floor. Cid moaned in agony.

"You won't be sniggering soon, what you don't understand is that little Liol Strife resides within me, I've possessed his tiny body and now he's screaming in pain as I torture him from within, I doubt you, nor Cloud would find that something to snigger about!" Cid no longer had the energy to even flinch when Sephiroth mentioned poor little Liol, his entire concentration was focused on staying concious.

" But soon more will come, hundreds, thousands, millions just like me, with the same bitterness, the same taste for revenge as I. After seconds in the lifestream all you care about is leaving, getting out of that hell hole, they'll all be very happy to take someone's body, trust me Cid, you'll know all about it soon." Thick blood dripped out of Cid's mouth, Sephiroth had almost finished with him.

" What are you gaining by killing me! If these millions will eventually take my body, why bother killing me? What's the point?"

" My dear Cid, everything has it's point. If I kill you, you will simply gather as one of the spirits from the lifestream, either way you will become possessed or a posssesor. I simply enjoy watching you die in pain." Cid's breath slowed and his eyes had been closed for a while with the awesome amount of agony he was tolerating. Cid began to mutter, as if he needed to say one last thing to his enemy, Sephiroth moved closer in order to hear.

" I'll be seeing you in Hell,,,, bastard."

Sephiroth roared in anger and pulled back his beautiful mausarme to force it through Cid's torso, blood splattered over the walls and onto his face, he cursed himself for showing such a poor lack of discipline. Cid had intended for him to get so angry, in order for his death to be quicker, less painful. It didn't matter, the son of a bitch was dead now. Cid's body was a complete mess, he imagined the look of Cloud's face when he discovered his companion's body, a huge grin appeared on his face, this would be great, it really would.

He rid the mausarme and his face of blood with the wave of a hand and carefully placed the mausarme back into it's hilt. As he walked out of the house his clothes slowly returned to those of the tramp, being careful he was not seen, he quickly dissapeared into the rest of the Rocket Town folk.
 

To Chapter 3