“ You where sleeping, you’re gorgeous, thus Sleeping beauty.”

When the smoke cleared Vincent found his friend unable to keep his balance. Cloud held his chest and coughed frantically as he swayed. His chest burned and cried out for air that he was somehow not able to supply.
Vincent took out his Gun. “Poisana All,” he said weakly. Even though he had worn the mask, the poison still took an affect on him. He felt light headed and weak. The magic from the materia swirled around then in a healing haze. Cloud could feel the burn ceasing, his lungs relaxing and air coming to his lungs once again. He regained his equilibrium and grabbed his now blue sword that came to life in his hands.
“Cure3 All” With those words a similar hazy swirl surrounded the two, giving them back their energy and strength.
“ He went down the left hall. That’s where his voice trailed of to.” Vincent said gravely as he ran down the hall in said direction. Cloud followed his lead.
“Vincent, not that I don’t appreciate your talents, but following the trail of blood would tell you the same thing and more,” Cloud said noticing the fresh trail of thick, red blood at his feet. Vincent didn’t seem to care about Cloud’s smug comment. He led the way through winding dark hallways, various labs with hidden doors, and the wreckage that Hojo’s oversized companion made.
“Vincent stop!” Cloud said from behind his inhumanly fast friend. If it hadn’t been for his SOLDIER skills he doubted he could have kept up. Cloud stood in the middle of  a crossroads. Vincent was straight ahead and he was angry.
“What?” Vincent exclaimed more then asked in outrage at his partner’s plea for him to stop. “ How can you ask me to stop when I’ve just found that the most insane man, If you can even call that demon a man, of all this world is still alive, torturing another victim’s soul for his pleasure? Cloud we can’t let…
“Vincent shut up and look at this.” Cloud said using Vincent’s earlier words and tone. “There are two trails of blood.”
“What?” Vincent asked confused as he walked to where Cloud stood.
“While you where busy following your 6th or 7th sense, I noticed that there is both a trail of blood in the hall in front of us and the hall to the left of us.” Cloud pointed his finger towards the left corridor. “ So which one do we go to?”
 “The trail of blood here is….” Vincent’s reply was cut short by the sound of the sharp, loud scream of a Zolom.
 “Guess it’s this way.” Cloud said and made his way left.
 “But that doesn’t…”
 “ Weren’t you the one going on about ‘we have to get the girl’. That’s the annoying shriek of that stupid Zolom. Now c’mon it’s not that far.
 “Fine.” Was Vincent’s reply. He ran ahead of Cloud down the long corridor. At the first turn they found Hojo’s mutated Zolom and a robotic cat dancing with it’s mog in victory.
 “Cait?” Cloud asked. “What are you doing here?”
 “Oh well lokee here I finally found you. Tifa and the others are sure gonna be glad.” The cat reached in its mog’s pocket and pulled out a PHS. “ Hey what where you guys…
 “Did you see Hojo? Cloud interrupted Cait’s question rudely.
 “Hojo? Why would I…
 The too men didn’t bother to listen to the rest of it. They made their way through the hall that Vincent had originally ran to and stopped where the trail of blood ended. They were in crossroads once again.
 “Hojo must have had his friend bring him this far and when he noticed it was leaving a trail of blood he sent it back to confuse us.” Cloud concluded. “ So where now?”
Vincent sniffed the air in response and followed the hallway to the right of them. Before the two warriors reached the end of the hall they heard Hojo working. Metal and all sorts of gadgets made from the material fell making loud thuds and clanking sounds. Weakling, Cloud thought. He could just picture the evil bastard letting everything drop.
 Vincent and Cloud reached the door each one drew his respected weapon. Cloud was to the left of the huge, elevator -like, metal door and Vincent to the right. The too men looked at each other knowing that their enemy lay behind 7 inches of metal. Cloud gave Vincent a confident smile that was replied to by the phlegmatic stare of a man on a mission. With that, Cloud pushed the large red button on his side and charged in to find a very pissed Hojo in front of a covered seven feet tube that was attached to a respirator.  Cloud was ready to attack, but the tail of something very large hit him dead on the head. He fell back hard to the entrance where Vincent aimed his gun at the Flying Zolom. The quick creature moved its self in fast fluid motions escaping Vincent’s bullets. He managed to hit the creature even still because of his impeccable aim, but a few of his bullets escaped towards the covered tube.
 “Well, now Vincent don’t you at least want to see my knew creation, my daughter before you kill her? You can’t be that heartless. Or are you?”  The decaying scientist eyes gleamed maliciously. He pulled off the large grey sheet covering his masterpiece. A woman, whose features where concealed by the green Mako surrounding her, floated amongst the green pool in fetal position, she huged her knees close to her body as her head dropped towards them. Numerous wires were attached to her naked body and a respiratory mask covered her face.
When Vincent laid eyes on her he felt his heart beat faster, a ghostly shiver came to his body, and he suddenly had a desire to do anything for this woman. He wanted to help her, to shield her from anything evil, which meant Hojo It was as if he knew her from another place, another lifetime perhaps, but he couldn’t remember specific details. The connection he felt to the woman whose face he had not yet seen made him feel like he was betraying Lucrecia. Vincent didn’t understand this unearthly rush of unfamiliar yet welcomed emotions All he knew was that this woman was important somehow and he needed to protect her, needed to save her from Hojo. He was determined not to fail again. Vincent looked in awe at Hojo’s daughter.
 “Oh, I can assure you, she’s very beautiful. We wouldn’t want to hurt such a vessel.” Hojo said egotistically as he lovingly caressed the surface of the glass. “ Flying Zolom B get him!”
 The flying snake took a swipe at Vincent with its large tail, but made no contact. His agile opponent leaped and rolled over the constant attempts. The Zolom snapped at him with incredible speed and strength as Vincent leaped form power cables and tables, to try and get a good shot at the monster, but this Flying Zolom proved to be quicker then his familiar. Quicker, but not smarter. Hojo’s pet didn’t notice a certain blond man with a large, glowing sword. Cloud had received enough injuries for today. He raised his sword up high as clouds and heavenly light surrounded him. A rush of energy came to him as he slashed the Zolom in all of its body sections with inhuman speed. The hero cut the unnatural beings wings and diced up its snake body. With a terrible scream, the Flying Zolom accepted its last blow that split its head in half and ended its life of servitude.
 Vincent leaped from the cable high in the lab ceiling and landed next to his friend. They both stared at Hojo, weapons drawn, determined to take the scientist down. Hojo seemed just as eager to fight and just as confident that he would be the victor.
 “It’s so hard to make good help today. You can change their strength, their agility, their appearance, but their intelligence is another thing.” The mad man said complacently.
 “Face it, Hojo. Your out matched and out numbered.” Cloud said.
 “ Really now? Well, I’m not opposed to getting my own hands dirty.” Hojo was ready to fight for his precious specimen. Vincent wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. This way when he savagely tore the bloodsucker limb from limb he could use the heat of battle as his excuse. Hojo you’re going down.
 “Cloud!” Tifa screamed as she, Cait Sith, Barret, Yuffie, RedXII, Cid, and the Turks ran towards them. Each one noticed Hojo and took out their weapons.
 “No!” Hojo screamed when he realized he had no chance of winning this battle. His precious specimen would go unclaimed by the rightful owner. Vincent aimed to shoot at the man who had lost his taste for a fight, but lowered his weapon when he placed himself in front of the Mako tube.
 “Give up Hojo!” Yuffie commanded as she pointed her giant Conformer at him.
“ Never! This is only the beginning” he responded to her command. An ear-piercing shriek was heard and the Lab began to tremble.
“Turn that dam thing off!” Yuffie exclaimed as she covered her ears like everyone else. The shrieking hit its peek and the roof of the Lab disintegrated into nothingness. 2 floors above them the heavenly stars and a Flying Red Zolom laid above them. The Zolom flew down and pushed the group to fall 5 feet further back then they where from Hojo. The blast left the Turks, who where in the back, still standing. Elena shot at Hojo with great aim, but the creep didn’t even phase.
“Stop! You’ll hurt the girl,” Vincent said as he stood up, but he was knocked down again by the shrieking Zolom. Hojo climbed on his creation’s back in obvious fury.
“This is not over. You little ingrates will pay.” Hojo looked back at Vincent as the Zolom arose to the second floor above them. Perfect, Vincent thought, now I can shoot. He shot at Hojo but now he was in the night sky and out of range.
“Take care of her! One day she’ll take care of you” Hojo yelled back at his enemies in spite and he flew away on the back of his creation.  Vincent looked on in rage and hate. Someday I’ll get my revenge and you won’t plague any others.
“Whoa…” Reno whispered in awe. He saw the girl in the Tube and could almost feel her familiar presence. He ran to her and almost stepped on some of the members of AVALANCHE who where now getting up from the shock. They rubbed their heads and stood on their feet as Reno touched the glass of the Mako tube. He looked intensely inside it, trying to figure out who the girl was. He could have sworn he knew her. Reno couldn’t see anything, but he just felt it, a connection to the woman made a specimen. Everyone was up now. Cid asked Cloud what they all wanted to ask him.
“What did you guys do? How the hell is Hojo alive? And who the hell is that?” He said rubbing his head with one hand and pointing to the Mako tube with the other. Cloud didn’t know how to answer that very well so he didn’t answer it very well.
“She is … um she’s … well Hojo he… and Vincent and me we just…”
“It’s a long story.” Vincent explained for Cloud. “And as for her, she’s a woman in need. A victim of Hojo.” He looked at the woman somberly. How can we help you? He noticed that Reno pondered about her. It was as if he was trying to remember her. She was after all a Turk.
“Hey Cid you think your guys can bring this thing up? I don’t want to open it without someone who knows about this there.”  Cloud said after he mentally thanked Vincent’s simplistic nature and the fact that people took it as is.
“Sure Cloud.” The pilot replied.
“ And I’m sure we can find a doctor who can take care of her in Neo-Mideel.” Red added as he too gazed at the woman with the rest of the group.
“Hey Cloud!” Yuffie called when she got over the awe phase “You do realize that you’re going to have to explain this in details. I mean this is freaky!” The others joined in with an energetic “Yeah!”
“Hey, why can’t Vincent explain it for once?” Cloud asked as he pointed to Vincent who looked at him with his usual face of apathy and anti-socialism.
“Vincent doesn’t talk” Yuffie said unapologetic. “Ain’t you s’pose to be the leader anyways?
He always does that when we get in trouble. It’s not fair, Cloud thought, smiling, shaking his head in dread of the big long speech he would have to make to the group by himself.
“Ok let’s get to the Highwind I’ll explain there. AFTER I get some rest!”
                                                   * * * * *
Cloud laid on his bunk inside the Highwind, starring at the ceiling, battling with himself, thinking all too much. What if she goes crazy? / What if she’s just a scared girl? /     What if she’s been brainwashed and Hojo can control her? /What if she has a strong will that could not be broken? / What if she’s like Sephiroth? /What is she’s like Vincent or you, or maybe even like Aeris? / Aeris, how he missed her. He still had to pick the flowers he left behind. Aeris, he called her name like he always did when he needed help, what should I do? He closed his eyes and concentrated hard. Maybe this time she would answer him. He thought of her and what she might have done. The beautiful image of her face filled his mind, he waited for her to answer.  Only silence spoke back and he fell into a deep slumber.
          *  *  *  *
“I know her … I just can’t…” Reno looked at the girl in the tube intensely as if another hour of starring at her would help him figure it out. He was at the storage room of the Highwind where his voice echoed as he talked. “Rude help me out here. Don’t you feel it too? You know that weird feeling that you’ve seen a person before?” The red head asked as he put his face on the fogy glass.
“Reno, you haven’t even seen her.”  Was his other partner, Elena’s reply. “There is no way you can see anything other then a shadow in there.” She walked up to Reno and pulled him from the glass. “And the lighting” she moved her had to show the darkness of the dusty room, “is really not helping you see anything more.”
“You can’t see but you can sense in the dark,” the silent Rude said. Reno grabbed the surprised man’s collar and looked passed the dark shades and into his eyes.
“You sense it too! We know her Rude!” Reno let go of his partner’s collar abruptly and put his hands in his pocket. He thought hard of who the woman could be. Let’s see, it’s gotta be someone we both know. There can’t be that many. Well, actually at the bars…It could be anyone!
“She was a Turk once,” the Ex-Turk clued them in. Vincent walked towards where the Mako tube and the Turks where.
“What?” Elena asked both startled and confused by Vincent.
“According to Hojo’s report. This woman was a Turk, captured when she was 17.” Vincent repeated.
Both Reno and Rude gasped and looked wide-eyed towards the shadow of the woman. They know who she is, Vincent thought.
“You guys know who she is don’t you?” Elena asked echoing Vincent’s thoughts.
“It can’t be…” was Reno’s quiet reply.
“Impossible, she’s dead,” Rude said almost angry. I just got used to the idea that she’s gone, it can’t be. He crossed his arms and refused to think of the possibility that it could be her. Reno, on the other hand, didn’t dismiss the possibility he embraced it.
“Hey, Vincent…was her name…”
“Nemesis, Hojo’s daughter.” Vincent answered before Reno finished asking.
“Hojo’s daughter!” Elena said surprise. “That bastard should ‘a’ had hamsters for kids!”
“Yes! I knew she couldn’t die like that” Reno screamed in happiness. He gave Rude a big pat on the back, which made him stumble forward.
“Reno, Sis ( Sis being Rude’s nickname for her) didn’t have a father,” Rude said negatively. Reno wasn’t about to give up hope.
“You’re wrong, she didn’t know who her father was, but she had one just like everyone else” Reno said as a comeback. He was sure this girl was his old friend.
“She didn’t look anything like Hojo.” Rude retorted sternly
 “Definitely… but you know she kinda did look like Sephiroth!”
“Hey, what if she goes crazy like her brother?” Elena asked no one in particular. You’re so riled up about this mystery woman. Bet it slipped your mind that she could be a lunatic, Elena thought in spite. She saw through Rude’s negativity, she knew he wanted Reno to prove him wrong, and badly, too. I wonder what they would say if that were me.
“Elena, you don’t know Nemesis. This woman tied me to a tree once for a whole day without food because I said nature was stupid. She wouldn’t let me go if I didn’t apologize to the tree.” Reno now laughed happily at that miserable day. “She wouldn’t do anything like Sephiroth tried to do.”
“I’m glad you think so.” Vincent said. Reno had forgotten he was even there. “Reno, Rude, she is going to need people on her side.” He looked sternly at each one of them. “Her last name is going to make very few friends.”
“If this woman is who Reno thinks she is, then the Turks will be behind her.” Rude said sincerely. Elena looked at the floor trying to hide her anger. No one asked her how she felt about it. Reno was right, she didn’t know this woman and that’s why she couldn’t trust her.
“Hey, you know, I still have her clothes,” Reno said giddy as a schoolgirl.
“What?” Everyone replied.
“Yeah she handed her uniform to me, before… well, she said she would comeback for it.” Reno looked towards the Mako tube and the woman. “She always did keep her promises,” he added quietly.
    * * * *
 /Cloud/
 What?
 /Cloud, you must help her. Cloud, she needs your help. /
 Aeris is that you?
 Cloud Strife opened his eyes to a world where beautiful flowers of all different colors, shapes, and sizes grew. The grass was fresh and green, with a soft dewy texture. In the air were the songs of bluebirds and the smell of roses. But nothing neither felt nor smelled, nor sounded, nor looked as beautiful as the woman who stood before him. He cupped her face with his hand and felt her soft skin. A sad smile appeared on his face as he looked at her there, with her kind green eyes and her beautiful smile. She was there with him, but not really there at all.
 Aeris, there is so much I want to tell…Aeris placed her delicate fingers over his lips. She looked urgently at him.
 /I don’t have much longer Cloud. Please hear me out. Help Nemesis. Help her. She will help you, all of you. She may me cold and sarcastic, but that’s not real. It’s just a mask, just a mask. Help her and you help me, you help the planet. Please Cloud help her, help yourself, help your friends, and help the planet. Don’t let HER have Nemesis, don’t let Nemesis become her name. Please…/
 With those words the dream world began to fade, as did Aeris who in her own kind way both smiled and pleaded at the same time.
 Aeris don’t go! Please stay just a little longer. Aeris please. Cloud ran after her fading image with tears in his eyes and a knot in his throat.
 “Aeris?” Cloud whispered as he opened his eyes.
 “No Cloud, Tifa.” Tifa looked down at her best friend worriedly, his hand cupped her face. Cloud gave her a big smile that told her not to worry so much and took his hand back. He knew he had hurt her, calling her Aeris.
 “Hey, are we in Mideel yet?” Cloud stood up and rubbed his face lazily.
 “Yeah, and you still haven’t told us what happened,” she said, softly punching him in the chest. “Or what in the world possessed you to go to Hojo’s labs with only Vincent. We could’ve helped you, too.”
 “I didn’t want you guys to go there because of what I wanted and Vincent and me handle ourselves just fine. We have common goals.”
 “Yeah, but you were also planning on doing this for as long as it took and your were going to live with him. The man doesn’t talk.” Tifa said in outrage at Clouds plan that didn’t include her in it. She was hurt. He talks, you just don’t listen, Cloud thought, but he wasn’t about to fight with Tifa.
 “Where are the others?” He asked.
 “At the bridge, waiting for you to explain everything.”
 “What about the girl?”
 “Vincent and the Turks are taking care of her. They brought her to the Mako poisoning facility.”
 “Good. Let’s get to the bridge.”
 Cloud and Tifa walked into the bridge as anxious faces waited for his story. He would tell them about what happened, the girl’s situation, and the truth about who she was. Then they would make their way to the Mako poisoning facility, hoping she would be awake. Cloud inhaled deeply and started to talk. He wondered how they would take this.
     * * * *
 Vincent looked at the girl who rested in the bed of a square hospital room. There where two doors. One lead to a bathroom and the other led to the waiting room, where Avalanche and the Turks, after they got done with the paper work, would wait for Sephiroth’s sister. However there was a slight chance they would meet no one at all. In the windowless room the doctor checked the woman’s pulse and then her eyes with his flashlight. The woman named Nemesis still did not move. Vincent just looked at her, only a white bed sheet covered her body. The way she looked, she was so…
 “She’s alive. That’s about all I can tell you. She should be dead though.” The young doctor looked at the girl through his chic square eyeglasses. He raked his fingers through his sleek, jet-black, short hair as his dark, brown eyes wondered how this woman could still be alive. Five to Six years immersed in Mako would kill anyone.
 “ I gotta tell you, this woman is strong, not to mention beautiful. She’ll pull through. I wouldn’t be surprised if she woke up any minute now. For now all we can do is wait.”
 “Thank you doctor,” Vincent forced himself to say. He didn’t like doctors, they where too much like scientists.
 “ No sweat,” the young man said, happy to help. “ I’m gonna get some lunch, my secretary will page me when the patient out of it.” The doctor smiled and went out of the room through the door behind Vincent.

Vincent could tell the doctor was scared of him, which made him a happy man. I hate White coats. He turned his attention to the square room. It was light blue, with no windows, and it was practically barren. Only the bed where the patient laid, a cart with an empty food tray, an IV pole, and a blue chair next to the bed, where the objects inside the room. Vincent walked over and sat on the chair.  He leaned over to look at her face, maybe he would remember her.
Nemesis heard voices outside of her head. They were foreign. The consciousness of the Mako was no longer with her. She could feel that her consciousness was back in her body, no longer flowing with the Life water. Her senses came back to her. She could smell the sterilized hospital smell; she could hear the sound of distant steps, she could taste the sourness in her mouth, she could feel the starchy sheet that covered her body, and she could sense. She could sense the shape and size of the room, the IV pole to the right of her, the cart and the food tray to the left of her, and the chair to right; pass the IV pole. She could also sense a presence, someone that was glaring at her intensely and now she slowly opened her eyes to see who it was. At first everything was blurry, the first thing she saw clearly where crimson eyes, jet-black hair, and the pale face of a man. A man! Not again, she thought. She instinctively reached for the empty food tray and swung it against her attacker, but stopped mid way on noticing her startled onlooker.
“Sleeping beauty,” she said dropping the food tray and wrapping the white sheet around her.  She looked in awe at his surprised crimson eyes. Without knowing it, she leaned closer to take a better look at them. To Vincent she looked a little out of it “You have beautiful eyes,” she said frankly. “How did you ever manage to open them?”
“Excuse me, ‘Sleeping Beauty?” was Vincent’s only reply. He was so confused, he felt he knew this girl, but what did “Sleeping beauty,” mean? “I’m sorry, do you know me?”
“When I was in Shinra Mansion, I saw you there in the coffin.” It was so odd that she trusted this man, although she had only seen him sleep. “ You where sleeping, you’re gorgeous, thus Sleeping beauty.” What the hell did I just say? She stopped gazing at his illustrious eyes in embarrassment and made sure the sheet was covering her. “Strange that you should be the one to wake me from my sleep.”
 Vincent wasn’t quite sure what to say so he just stood up and became very business like. He was nervous, but hid it under his informative tone.  “AVELANCHE is here and so are the Turks. You’re in Neo- Mideel. We know that you’re Hojo’s daughter, so you’re going to have to prove yourself. I wouldn’t be surprised if they made you a prisoner. Although I don’t think that’s the case. ”
“All that in one breath, huh?” Nemesis looked at him cockily. “AVELANCHE and the Turks? Wait, AVELANCHE was that new terrorist group in Midgard. What are they doing with the Turks?”
“Long story,” was all Vincent said.
“Ok, so do you have any women’s clothing by any chance?” She said sarcastically. At that moment Elena walked in with Nemesis’s old uniform and other things.
“Oh she’s up.” Elena said startled. She walked up to Nemesis and gave her the outfit. Her heart beat fast, she was half expecting a sword to pierce her heart right about now. Nemesis sensed her fear and she also noticed Elena’s outfit or more precisely her uniform. New Turk. Nemesis stood up and took the clothes from Elena’s hands.
“If you don’t mind,” she said looking at both of them. “I need to change.”
“There’s a bathroom behind you and through this door is the waiting room. The people I told you about will be there soon,” Vincent said when he noticed Elena was struggling to speak. Nemesis looked behind her and walked inside without a word or care. Vincent’s heart now calmed down. So that’s how I know her, she talked to me while I was asleep, he thought disappointed, No it must be something more then that Vincent. You feel it inside.
“Hey, you wanna wait in the waiting room? The others are coming and a lot of them seem pissed,” Elena said. “ They didn’t take it well. Cloud said they want Sephiroth’s sister to be watched at all times.”
“They’re taking away her privacy?” Vincent said sourly, and indeed not surprised.
“It’s better then Barret’s idea of putting her back in the Tube. Let’s go wait for her.” Why do Reno and Rude like her so much? Elena thought as she walked out of the room.
 

Author’s notes:
What’s Reno and Rude’s connection to her? Who is Nemesis really? How does she even look like? I haven’t said one bit of how she looks like. Elena was speechless when she stood up. Is she tall? Or maybe she’s extremely short. I didn’t mention anything about her except that little part where Aeris said she was cold and sarcastic. And speaking of that, if you read what she says, first with a normal voice and them after a coma with a ghostly voice you’ll get the effect I was going for. Like an echo. Remember that nothing is, as it seems. Criticism and thoughts are appreciated.J The next chapter maybe a little confusing because it was meant to be the first chapter, but I think I fixed it so it wouldn’t be.
 

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