Chapter 3 "Storm of Remorse and Memories"

    Cloud stared out the window into the dark, as the storm raged outside with all its fury. He didn't flinch as the lightning flashed, casting his reflection before him as he stared back at his mako eyes. The darkness, he thought as the sound of thunder was heard, how long have you held me for. As he stood there impassively, voices from the depth of his mind resurfaced as they played in his head.
    "What are you doing here?"
    "Nothing of your concern Turk."
    "So this is what you're doing here, President Shinra won't tolerate this insubordination, Hojo!"
    "You Turks already stand in the way of progress."
    "I can't allow you to get away with this."
    "So much like Vincent, the fire in your eye and like Andrian."
    "My Father?"
    "Goodbye Strife."
    *Gunshots*
    "HOJO!"
    Cloud wiped the sweat from his forehead as the voices replayed the drama in his head. Damn Hojo, what did you do to me? He stared questionably at his right hand for some reason it seemed alien to him like something was wrong with it. Sighing Cloud resumed his stare at the storm as the rain pelted down furiously on the window before him and lightning flashed in the distance.
    Cloud suddenly let out a gasped as a burning sensation built in his chest, gripping his chest as he leaned back against the window. The feeling quickly spread across his entire body as Cloud fell to his knee at the unbearable pain that struck.  Sweat fell to the floor as Cloud gritted his teeth as the attack eventually subsided; leaving Cloud sprawled on the floor gasping for breath.
    Rushing in to the disturbance, Reno asked, "Cloud!" Spotting Cloud on the ground he rushed to help him up, muttering, "Another attack?" Cloud nodded in reply too weak to speak. Frowning Reno said, "You'd better see a doctor or something, the attacks look like their getting worse."
    "No..." Cloud stammered as he stood up straight, "I'll be okay for now, let me be." Reno nodded and quickly left the room stopping only to take one last look. Cloud sighed as he straightened his suit and turned to face the storm
    "Long time no see," a voice joked as a figure stepped into the doorway. He was wearing a white trenchcoat with a black turtleneck underneath. He had orange hair all combing back except for the occasional strands that hung over his blue eyes.
    "You should talk, Rufus." Cloud smiled back as the two shook hands. "So how's life near the top been for you for the last five years?" Cloud asked.
    Sighing Rufus replied as he brush some hair back, "Well it's been busy Dad's been making take care of several project and Phylia's been sneaking off all the time."
    "That would explain this." Cloud remarked pointing to his leg, where a little blond girl in a dress was hugging Cloud tightly.
    Looking up at Cloud she chimed, "I'm so happy to see you Cloud."
    Smiling back here as he knelt down to her he said, "Well I'm glad to see you too."
    Chuckling, Rufus laughed, "Phylia shouldn't you be asleep it's past your bedtime."
    Nodding her head Phylia let go and skipped off. Smiling as she left Cloud commented, "Your sister is still the same after all these years."
    "Things change sometimes and sometimes they don't." Rufus shrugged as he looks at the storm with Cloud. "I've heard it from my father, but I really want to here it from you." He said. "What happen to you all those years ago?" Rufus ask.
    "Hojo." Cloud muttered back before he left the room.
    "The mad scientist?" Rufus muttered as he stood in the empty room as the storm continues on wills all its fury.
    Several floors down in the high executives lobby, Reno was enjoying one of his old pastimes he had here. Seeing how many bottles he can have before he lost consciousness. So far he was currently at 35 and everything started to get blurry as he struggled to find a bottle that wasn't empty at all. As he struggled he noticed a strange brown blob before him with one black eye.
    "Rude, long time no see, I think." He hiccuped as he finally found another bottle that was full.
    Sitting down besides him, Rude answered, "Yeah, you're still a drinker?"  Reno nodded his head before he accidentally hit himself with a bottle in a feeble attempt to drink it. "So how's the life after Turk?" Rude asked as he looks down at his fallen friend.
    Immediately standing up and wiping of all trance of drunkenness, Reno answered, "Oh, surprisingly active if you chose the proper job." "What?" he asked Rude gave him the weird look.
    "How did you get out being sober so fast?" Rude muttered as he looks at Reno.
    Shrugging Reno replied laughing, "Just a secret thing, I pick up on my journey with Cloud." As Reno said Cloud, a lab coat dressed man immediately spat out his drink in shock. Muttering a curse, he quickly stormed off to the elevator.
    "That's Meta," Rude grumbled as the person disappeared into the elevator, "He's the head of the biological weapons department. A real screwball like Hojo."
    "Weird." was all that Reno replied as he took a drink from another bottle.
    In his laboratory, Meta was frantically typing in commands in the computer as he muttered to no one, "It can't be, it can't be." As the screen light up before him, Meta slams his fist on the desk as he swore, "He can't still be alive, the mako poison should have killed him by now." Leaning back in his chair, Meta murmured to the ceiling, "Hojo your damn fun is endangering the entire plan." He switched of the computer as he walked out the lab turning off the light as he left. In the darkness that filled the lab a pair of glowing mako eyes floated in the back waiting.
    Meanwhile in the lower districts someone else was pondering about his fate. Cloud clutched the bandage covering his wound as he listened to the sound of the dropping rain. Staring out the window of the 7th Heaven, Cloud sigh as he watch people scattered all around to their homes and families away from the rain and misery. Yet I have no family, Cloud thought as he squeeze his fist. Sephiroth was my cause, but now he's dead, leaving me empty with no purpose at all. Everything I had you took all that from me.
    "Sephiroth..."
    "What?" Cloud muttered as he saw a strange black hood figure standing outside, seemingly starting straight at him.
    "Jenova..."
    "Who are you?" he asked as he stood up walking toward the door as the figure remains where he was.
    "Nibelhiem..."
    "The Planet..."
    Stepping out into the rain Cloud strode through the rain to the figure and asked, "What do you want?" Growling at not getting any answer, he barked as he grabbed the figure, "Who are you?"
    The figure raised it's head so that Cloud found himself staring at mako eyes from the depth of the hood as the figure spoke,     "Return to Sephiroth...." Cloud could only stare into the eyes as he found himself entranced by them as the thing continued, "Jenova seeks you..." He could hear the voice of Tifa and Barret calling him, but all he could do was listen.
    "Reunion must be com...." the thing croaked as its eye dim and it fell limp on to Cloud.
    Snapping out of his trance, Cloud grabbed the figure and screamed, "The Reunion must what?" Barret and Tifa quickly ran up to Cloud as the separate him from the figure he was shaking frantically screaming about the reunion.
    Examining the guy, Barret muttered, "He's dead."
    "Let's get them out of the rain for now." Tifa replied as she dragged Cloud who strangely passed out shortly after they separated him from the guy. Barret nodded as he heaved up the guy and carried him back into the 7th Heaven. In the 7th Heaven Barret gave the robe guy to Biggs to identify in the databank with Jessie. Tifa took Cloud down to the barracks below the tavern to let him rest.
    "So what happen out there?" one of the Avalanche member asked as he sat next to Barret.
    Shaking his head, Barret muttered, "No clue, Spiky went loony on us when he saw the black robe dude." Grumbling he ask, "How's Marlene sleeping?"
    Shrugging the Avalanche member replied, "Sleeping like an angel."
    "Barret!" Biggs cried as he dash up to Barret.
    "Quiet," Barret whispered, "Marlene is sleeping."
    "Sorry," Biggs gasped as he caught his breath, "you know the guy you had me and Jessie check?" Barret nodded, as Biggs finished, "We discovered that guy came from the town of Nibelhiem and also that he's been dead for the last five years!"
Jenova floated silently in the darkness, its eyes locked on the floating Black Materia before her. She had lost one of her minions to the Planet, but she had found the lost one. Chuckling to herself silently in the darkness, she knew she had found the perfect replacement for Sephiroth. Paying one last look to the Black Materia, she disappeared into the darkness to spin her web of deceit and ensnare her prey.
    Meanwhile a lone figure slowly stumbled through the rocky path of the mountain. His long spiky black hair partially obscured his face, as the rest of trailed down to his waist in the back. A black patch cover his left eye as a he clutch a batter edge blade in his right hand as he drag it against the ground as he stumble.  The clothes he wore were old and dust slightly torn in some place from his travel.
    Falling to his knee in exhaustion the figure look toward the distance and muttered before passing out, "She's waiting for me..."