“So,” Vincent was saying, “That’s how it is.”

He was sitting just across from Lucrecia, but they had never seemed so far apart.

“Vincent, I…”

“No, that was inexcusable, just because Hojo needed someone, a, a test subject?”

“Vincent.”

“And I thought that I, that I loved you?”

“Vincen-“

“Shut up, just shut the hell up! You can’t even say anything other than that? I am leaving!”

Lucrecia tried one last desperate push to keep him at her side, “Don’t you want to hear about the gun?”

Without a word, Vincent sat down once again, vowing to himself that he would never speak to this woman again after this was
over.

                    _______________________________________________________

He was floating in the green muck, but he could still breathe. The girl next to him seemed as confused as he was. He tried
opened his mouth to speak. Strangely, no sound was made, but surprisingly he heard a reply.

What?! Ah, so telepathy worked in here.

Hey, ninja chick, is that you?

Yes, and its Yuffie, not ‘Ninja Chick.’

Oh, ok ninja chick.

Oh, gawd. She looked angry, but he could see that she was smiling.

Where the hell are we?

Uh, the LifeStream, I think.

What?

The LifeStream, you know, the thing that saved us all when Meteor fell.

Oh yeah. In truth, he didn’t know what she was talking about, but Meteor sounded like the thing that had fallen and…

What are you talking about? He’d forgotten that his mind was as transparent as glass in this muck.

Oh, nothing.

You sure?

This would not do at all, he couldn’t have this girl probing into his past. Yes I’m sure! Now leave it at that!

Yuffie didn’t seem too happy.

Now you listen here… She stopped. Hey wait a minute. What’s your name?

Oh, she probably deserved to hear that. It’s Salkas.

Well, Salkas, I suggest we stop arguing and try to find a way out of here.

Good idea.

With that, Salkas and Yuffie began wading through the luminescent sea of life.

                    _______________________________________________________

The moogle wandered through the streets of Kalm. It seemed to have a purpose, then it nearly crashed into a wall.

“No, no,” said the cat, perched on its shoulders, “That way.”

Cait Sith kept weaving through the slight crowd of the early morning folk out doing exercises or on their way to work. He
stopped in front of a large building and rapped his megaphone on the door.

“C’mon, c’mon,” he seemed desperate, “Cloud! Tifa!”

Cait almost fell forward as the door swung open. He looked up and saw the monstrous figure of Cloud Strife standing in the
hallway.

Cloud rubbed his eyes, “What is it Cait? You nearly woke the dead.”

“Cloud, who is it?” asked Tifa, she sounded concerned.

“It’s Reeve.”

“No, no, no, it’s not Reeve. That’s why I’m here, Reeve was captured last night.”

This stopped Cloud, “Then why haven’t I heard anything of it?”

“Cause we’re trying to keep it on the down low.”

Cloud considered this, then nodded his head, “Very well. Do you know where they took him?”

“Some of my peeps saw a strange looking man carrying something out of here to the east. Don’t know much ‘bout that
though…”

“Sounds like a good place to start. C’mon Tifa, let’s go.”

“Huh,” Cait seemed confused, “Wa-wait a sec, I didn’t say that…”

Tifa appeared right next to Cloud, apparently ready to go, “So, Cait, are you coming or not?”

The cat seemed distraught, “Alright,” he decided, “It’s not like I’ll ‘die’ or anything.”

“Great,” said Cloud, “then let’s go.”

With that the three exited the small house and set off to find Reeve.

                    _______________________________________________________

Priscilla was just sitting on the beach, as usual, when she noticed a solid form slightly offshore. She pulled the whistle out of her
pocket and blew firmly. In seconds, Mr. Dolphin was by her side. She patted its head and said a few calming words, then
pointed her finger at the form.

It only took her a few moments to reach it, and she realized that it was a man. As she grabbed his arm and began searching for
a pulse, she wondered who this man was. He was very handsome. Priscilla giggled to herself, only fourteen and already thinking
of men!

He was about as big as Cloud, the nice man who had saved her from drowning at least half a year ago. She looked at the silver
hair spread out in the water around him and he almost looked like an angel…

                    _______________________________________________________

Shake was standing guard at the Turtle Paradise when he saw the three black-clad figures enter the town. He didn’t need a
second look to tell him who they were.

“Oh shit, oh shit,” he kept repeating to himself. He had to get to Lord Godo right away. This was a matter of utmost urgency.

Reno looked around the distinctly oriental town of Wutai. It wasn’t a sight to see if you were the traditional type, but it held it’s
own alluring air. At any rate, Reno wasn’t here to sightsee. He had more pressing matters to attend to.

Elena was the first to speak, “Are you sure this is the right thing to do?”

There she went again, letting her emotions get in the way of getting the job done.

“Elena, did you forget what he told us? He threatened to kill a Turk! Shinra law clearly states…”

“SHINRA IS DEAD!!!” she spat out vehemently , “You are going on about rules and regulations that no longer exist! Think
about what you’re doing, enough have already died! Stop this now Reno.”

She expected anger, but what she got was different, he merely shook his head, “I had such high hopes for you, Elena…” he
said as he pulled the gun from his holster

Elena was completely unprepared for this and she knew that she couldn’t get to her own gun in time; she just waited for the
inevitable.

“Drop the gun NOW,” she heard the firm voice of Rude command, “I don’t know what the hell is going on with you, Reno, but
I don’t like it.”

Reno lowered the gun, he lazily gazed at the figure of Rude, “You too, Rude?” he sighed, “No matter, I’ll take out this bastard
myself.”

Rude reached out and tried to grab Reno by the arm, but was met with his former friend’s electromagnetic rod. Rude twitched
a bit, then fell to the ground, although not unconscious.

Elena saw this and was enraged, “Reno…” he turned and leveled the gun at her.

“Now where were we?” he asked nonchalantly as he shot Elena in the shoulder. She collapsed from the wound, but still tried to
get up, fighting against the pain.

“Damn…you…Reno,” she stated weakly.

“No…” he trailed off, “Damn you,” he aimed the gun at her forehead.

Suddenly the figure of a man, nearly in his thirties, by Elena’s reckoning, crashed into Reno, dislodging the gun from his grasp.
He quickly followed up with a series of punches and kicks.

“The hell…” was all that Reno managed to say before he was subdued by the approaching figures of Gorkii, Shake, Staniv, and
Chekhov.

“Stay still,” Gorkii was saying to Elena. With that, he pulled a green materia crystal out of his pouch and began concentrating.
“Cure!” he screamed and Elena watched in wonder as the wound began to heal itself. Her skin itched slightly once the bullet
forced its way out of the skin.

Gorkii helped Elena to her feet. She looked over and saw Chekhov doing the same for Rude. Elena stared at the battered body
of Reno with shock, she hadn’t expected him to go crazy like that.

It was then that Staniv looked at Reno’s face; his eyes widened with shock, “Oh my god!” he said, “Do you realize who this
is?”

“Well, yeah,” Elena began.

“Of course!” said Chekhov, as he appeared beside the younger man, “The similarities are striking!”

Now they turned to her, “Why didn’t you bring this man with you before?” it was more of a scold than a question.

“Well,” she began, “Reno said he was busy, that we should go out and look for a job.”

Now it was Gorkii’s turn to speak, “Then he must still not have forgiven us…” the others nodded their heads in agreement.

“What in the hell are you talking about?”

“You mean you don’t know? Reno is Lord Godo’s son.”

No one in Wutai had ever seen anyone’s jaw drop as low as Elena’s did that day.

To Chapter 4