With Cait Sith being held in Cloud's arms as he and Tifa left the gathering in the old Sector Five church a bit early, Reeve shut down the device and glanced out his office window with a sigh. It had been a long, wearying day, and it was only halfway over. Much of Edge's central square had been destroyed by a mutant Bahamut summon, which also saw fit to try and wreck a tower under construction. It was fortunate, then, that the remainder of the battles that were fought had been confined to Midgar's ruins. Still, that hadn't made Reeve any less tense, especially when he, along with everyone else on board the Shera, witnessed Kadaj's transformation into Sephiroth. Fortunately, the powerful swordsman—and their single greatest enemy—was again destroyed by Cloud, and Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz met their ends.
         Reeve stood up from his chair to get ready to leave. After a quick shower, he put on a fresh suit and headed out the door towards Seventh Heaven, a number of blocks away. As he took a shortcut through a nearby alley, he happened upon a large grey wolf blocking his path. The wolf looked like a Bandersnatch, a species native to the Northern Continent, but even if it was of the local Kalm Fang variety, the sight of a wild beast in the heart of a thriving city at all struck Reeve as more than a little bit odd.
         "Hey, get out of here," Reeve said to the sitting wolf, whose back was facing his. "Or at least let me get by."
         The wolf turned its head toward Reeve, looking at him momentarily before turning back, getting up, then rummaging through a nearby trash pile. This movement on the wolf's part did nothing to help Reeve, as it was still in his way.
         Reeve sighed. "Come on, move it. I haven't got all day."
         Instead of moving, the wolf simply dug deeper into the trash before finally pulling something out. It was a long, steel sword, and a rather unusual one at that, as it had two identical blades attached to its hilt, each one perfectly parallel to the other. The wolf walked before Reeve and dropped the weapon at his feet, then sat up again—facing him, this time—and panting.
         There was something familiar about this weapon; it seemed to fit the description Vincent had given him of Kadaj's sword. Reeve himself had never gotten a good look at it, as Cait Sith's visual receptors weren't perfect, plus the cat was too far away from much of that action to get a good look in the first place. Slowly, Reeve bent down and picked up the sword. As he lifted it up to catch what little sunlight shone into the alley, Reeve squinted at it. In the light, the two blades became one, combining their respective lengths.
         "The Masamune," Reeve whispered out loud. He lowered the sword again, and it appeared as did before. In the meantime, the wolf had vanished.
         Reeve turned around to go back home and drop off the sword.

         His second attempt to get to Seventh Heaven was successful, as well as largely uneventful. Upon reaching the bar, he found Rufus and the Turks sitting around outside. This was Reeve's first encounter with Rufus since that final meeting in his office, shortly before the Weapon's attack, and he couldn't help but notice something different about him, other than the obvious physical changes. Rufus caught Reeve's gaze and addressed him. "You've made it." The Turks all looked over in his direction.
         "Yes. Were you invited?"
         "I was. At least according to Elena."
         "Right," Reeve replied, before properly greeting everyone. "I assume Cloud and Tifa haven't finished their preparations."
         "Cloud went off on his bike to get some supplies," Reno replied. "Tifa's still in there. She said she'd let us know when she's done."
         "No one else has arrived yet?"
         "Nope."
         "I see."
         Silence, once again. Reeve felt awkward about seeing Rufus for the first time in nearly two years. Even when the former Shinra President had business with the WRO, it was always conducted through one of Reeve's subordinates. Having the Turks here as well, especially Reno, didn't make things any less uncomfortable for him.
         Just then, a thud came from within the bar. Reeve walked up to the front door and knocked. "Tifa? It's me, Reeve. Is everything all right in there?"
         No reply.
         "I'm going to check on her," he told the others. None of them protested Reeve's decision as he opened the door and walked inside.

*****

         The afternoon was waning as Vincent arrived at Seventh Heaven, along with Cid, Yuffie, Barret, Nanaki, Marlene, and Denzel. Idling in front of the bar were Rufus and the four Turks.
         "What's going on?" Cid asked. "Tifa and Cloud ain't done setting up yet? We sure as hell gave 'em enough time. And where's Reeve?"
         Reno replied, "Cloud's gone to pick up some stuff, and Reeve went inside about an hour ago."
         Cid nodded and walked up to the door. He knocked and said, "Hey, anybody home? You ready to open up?"
         A set of footsteps could be heard approaching the door, which opened a few moments later to reveal Reeve. "Hello Cid, everyone. Yes, we're just about ready."
         Vincent could sense the tension in Reeve's words. Clearly, something was amiss here, but before he could say anything, Cid asked, "You all right there, buddy? You look pale as hell."
         "Do I? Well… don't worry about it. I take it Cloud hasn't returned yet?"
         "Nope," said Reno. "Is Tifa all right?"
         "What?" Barret exclaimed. "Somethin' happened to Tifa?"
         "She's okay," said Reeve. "She just fainted is all, but she's recovered now."
         "From the looks of things, I'd say you nearly fainted yourself," Vincent said, only just now noticing that Reeve held a glass of scotch in his right hand. Reeve took a sip, the ice clinking in his glass.
         "Just come inside," was all he said before turning away, leaving the door ajar. Reno looked at the group and shrugged before following him.

         Upon entering Seventh Heaven, each member of the group, in turn, had their own unique reaction to the sight that met their eyes.
         Tifa stood behind the bar, leaning against the back counter with her head bowed and gripping her left arm. Reeve stood on the opposite side, now holding his drink in both hands and, like Tifa, with eyes turned away from anything in particular. Sitting at the bar itself and facing the newcomers was Aeris, a half-full glass of white wine in her hands and that warm, familiar smile on her lips. Vincent's eyes widened before shifting over to get a quick look at Tseng. The dead Turk merely stared back at Aeris with his own smile.
         Reeve lifted his eyes, which landed on Yuffie, who had tears streaming down her face. "Princess, do you need a drink?"
         "I-I don't think I'm o-old enough, Reeve."
         "I'm sure we could make an exception for today. Besides, I think you could use one," Reeve stared into his glass. "I think we could all use one."
         "No shit," Cid said, his cigarette quietly burning on the floor; it had dropped from his slackend jaw upon his entrance.
         Vincent nodded before stepping over to pick up Cid's cigarette and extinguish it in the nearest ashtray. He wasn't much of a drinker himself, but seeing Aeris here like this, as though nothing had ever happened, suddenly made him crave something hard.
         "I'm sorry," said Aeris, causing everyone in the room to lay eyes upon her. She sipped from her glass and set it on its coaster atop the bar. "I didn't mean to give you all such a shock. Tseng and I will explain everything."
         "Tseng died two years ago himself, if you recall," Reeve said.
         "That's right…" said Nanaki. "You told us so yourself on the Highwind. Or rather, Cait Sith did." This time, several of the heads in the room roved away from Aeris and landed on Tseng. The Turk shoved his hands in his pockets. "Hmph. I suppose this sort of reaction was to be expected, but we're short on time. The Planet has charged us with a task, but someone has been getting in our way lately."
         "Sephiroth," said Vincent.
         "Precisely."
         Just then, the roar of a motorcycle could be heard outside, a roar which soon stopped. Cloud had arrived. The crowd in the bar parted to let him inside, and soon he came before Aeris.
         "You're back."
         Aeris lowered her head and nodded. Cloud looked past her to Tifa. "I brought the supplies," he said, gesturing his head at the crate he carried under one arm. He then looked over his shoulder at the guests. "Thanks for coming, everyone."
         He set the crate down behind the bar and went upstairs.

*****

         "Are you secretly an Ancient?" Rufus asked, shooting a sidelong glance to Tseng.
         "No sir, I'm not," Tseng chuckled. "Why do you ask?"
         Somehow, Elena had wound up sharing a table with these two men, as well as Vincent. Rude, her ex, hovered around the bar along with Barret, Aeris, and Denzel, while Tifa and Marlene served drinks. Meanwhile, Reeve and Reno had retreated to a different table with Cid, Yuffie, and Nanaki. Cloud had not yet come back downstairs.
         "Because you're here, right now," Rufus replied. "I can touch you and you feel solid, as if you're really alive. But you aren't."
         Vincent asked, "Are you suggesting that coming back from the dead was one of the powers the Cetra possessed?"
         "Either that or he and that Ancient have been exposed to Jenova cells. After all, they kept Sephiroth from returning to the Planet."
         "Rufus, we both know that's impossible," Tseng replied.
         "Right, because you were S-Class. So how do you explain your former squadmates? Obviously they had to have picked up their Jenova cells from somewhere."
         Tseng furrowed his brows. "We haven't figured that out yet."
         "Perhaps this is all Sephiroth's doing," Vincent mused.
         "I wouldn't put it past him."
         "So when are you and Aeris supposed to tell us what's going on?" Elena asked.
         "As soon as everyone is ready."
         Elena deliberated for a moment as the three men continued their conversation. Finally she stood up and, apparently unnoticed by everyone else present, started toward the back stairs. Shortly before reaching them, she heard someone calling her name. She turned to see Aeris, having taken Tifa's place as bartender; Tifa herself was now sitting at the bar, leaning against Barret's large body.
         "Going to get Cloud?" she asked.
         "Yeah. Why?"
         Aeris held up a finger, then turned back to the bar and poured a glass of brandy, which she then gave to Elena. "Please take this up to him. I think it might help."
         Elena took the glass from Aeris and nodded, then went up the back stairs.

         At the top of the stairs, she found a closed door, which she knocked on.
         "Who is it?" Cloud's voice called. She replied with her name, and Cloud invited her in. Elena walked inside, finding that it was a bedroom. It was a little bit cluttered, but had an earthy feel. Cloud sat on the far bed with his back facing the door; a large window was before him, its curtains half-drawn. She closed the door behind her and approached him.
         "Aeris gave me this to give to you," she said. He took the glass from her and sniffed at the liquor before taking a sip.
         "I guess everyone's wondering when I'm gonna come downstairs."
         "Yes, but… that's not the real reason why I'm here. If anything, that was just an excuse I had prepared, so I could talk to you in private."
         Cloud stared down into his glass, swirling the liquid within. "Oh yeah? About what?"
         "I saw your reaction when you first entered the bar earlier today."
         "So did everyone else. What about it?"
         "You knew she was coming back, and you knew it would be today. The dreams and visions you had led you to believe this."
         For the first time since she had entered, Cloud looked at her, his eyes both wide and inquisitive. He shifted over and patted the quilt, silently inviting her to sit down next to him.
         "How do you know about my visions?" he asked.
         "I began to have them of Tseng shortly after my newborn chicobo disappeared. They would occur out of nowhere, usually when I was alone. They were so real…"
         Cloud nodded.
         "Aeris appeared in the last one. She never said anything, but both her and Tseng smiled at me, and Tseng said, 'It's time for the Turks to be heroes again.' The next day, we got a call from Rufus. I went to Healin with Reno and Rude and… there he was."
         "I see…"
         "Cloud," she said, staring down at her hands, "did you go through the same thing that I did?"
         "Yeah, but I had a flower instead of a chocobo, and there was someone other than Tseng who was with Aeris in my final vision."
         "Who was it?"
         "A guy named Zachary Winfield. He was a friend of mine in the military and Aeris old boyfriend, but as far as I know, he's dead."
         "Do you think then that…"
         "After what you've told me, yeah. He's gonna be next."
         Elena nodded. "Anyway, everyone's waiting for you. We should go back downstairs and hear what Tseng and Aeris have to say."
         "Yeah." Cloud swallowed some more brandy, then set his glass down on the bedside table to his right. He lay his left hand, palm up, beside him. Without saying anything, Elena took it. "Before we do, promise me one thing."
         Elena knew what was coming next. "Okay."
         "I take it you haven't told anyone about your visions, or anything else we've just talked about."
         "Of course not. I don't want people to think I'm crazy."
         He nodded. "Same here. Elena, promise me that we'll keep all this between us: the signs, the visions, Zack, and everything else."
         "I promise, Cloud."
         They continued to sit on the bed for a few moments, holding hands in silence. Then, Cloud let go of hers and stood up. He picked up his glass and stared at it, then sniffed the liquor again. "You know something?" Cloud suddenly asked.
         "What?"
         "When you gave me this, there was something familiar about how it smelled, but I couldn't place it until now." He turned to look at Elena. "This was my father's favorite brandy, according to my mother. We had a bottle of it in the house, but it was never opened again after he died… I was really young at the time and barely remember him. I never even knew I had this memory."
         Elena couldn't find anything to say in response to Cloud's story, so she didn't. Instead, she stood up and watched Cloud as he drained the glass and started toward the door. She followed him, and they went back downstairs.

*****

         Once Elena had returned with Cloud, Tseng got up from his chair and joined Aeris behind the bar. The chatter quieted down. Before either of them could talk, however, Barret spoke up.
         "Hey, should the kids be hearin' this?" he said, indicating Marlene and Denzel. "Dunno what you two plan on tellin' us, but if it's adult talk, maybe we should send 'em upstairs."
         Tseng and Aeris whispered amongst each other for a moment before the latter replied, "It'll be fine, and actually, we'd like them to hear what we have to say, since it affects them as well."
         "Well then," Tseng said, "where do we start?"
         "If I may suggest a topic," Rufus replied. "I would like to know more about geostigma, specifically how it was cured. Miss Gainsborough?"
         Aeris smiled. "Actually, I only came up with the method of delivery—that rain we had earlier today. Had a little help from the Planet to pull it off, naturally." She removed a green materia from one of her armlets and tossed it over to Yuffie, who immediately held it up to the light.
         "Whoa!" the ninja exclaimed. "Is this Water materia? And it's mastered too! So cool!… You uhh… don't want it back, do you?"
         "You can have that one."
         "Thanks!"
         While Yuffie examined her new treasure, Cloud asked, "So if the cure itself wasn't yours, then whose was it?"
         "It was Tseng's."
         "What?" Rufus exclaimed.
         Tseng nodded. "It's true. I'm still not entirely sure how it works, but I am able to break down Jenova cells into harmless elements. The Planet was extremely helpful in perfecting the procedure, and of course, I couldn't have done this without Aeris. I've had this ability for some time, but refrained from curing anyone on my own, as it would raise questions and draw unwanted attention. We decided that it would be better to cure everyone at once."
         Rufus nodded. Tseng was as sensible and no-nonsense as always.
         "Well then," said Vincent, "it seems the issue of geostigma has been addressed. Now what are we to make of these silver-haired men? Who are they, where did they come from, and what do they want?"
         Aeris leaned against the back counter, her eyes fixed on Tseng, as the deceased former leader of the Turks began to speak.

         "The SOLDIER Special Class program was started during the early days of the Wutai War, at President Roland Shinra's request," Tseng started. "There had been a handful of promising SOLDIER candidates who balked at the idea of mako infusion, and, on top of that, President Shinra thought it would be wise to have a control group for Hojo to compare his findings to in the SOLDIER project. Hojo didn't like the idea, but went with it all the same.
         "There were eight of us all told. We were given special uniforms and codenames, and were sent on the same types of assignments as First Class SOLDIERs. Our unit wasn't as physically strong as the others, but all the same, we had some of the highest success rates in the field. Part of this was due to the fact that we didn't suffer any of the side effects from mako infusion and Jenova cells, but it was also because the eight of us got along so well that we were able to pool our talents with great efficiency. Naturally, Hojo disliked the results we were getting and had our unit disbanded. As my father had some degree of pull with the Shinra executives, I wound up in the privileged position of Sephiroth's personal assistant. My former squadmates were not nearly as lucky; they were dispersed across several First, Second, and Third Class SOLDIER units. As far as I know, not one of them survived the war.
         "Ziv was our communications and tech specialist; one of the brightest people in our squad, and handy with a pair of knives. Yazoo's specialty was firearms, and he always had a cool head, no matter the situation. Loz was purely a physical fighter; a bit sensitive, though he never showed any mercy to his enemies. Kadaj was the youngest amongst us, and also the most frail, but what he lacked in power he more than made up for in sheer energy.
         "Having witnessed their actions since their return, I am certain of one thing: these four that I once fought alongside, and the four that we have all fought recently, were the same squadmates I remembered, and yet they were not. Aside from the color of their hair, skin, and eyes, their basic physical forms were like those they had when they were alive, and the same went for their core personalities. However, their souls were completely different."
         Rufus asked, "How much do these newcomers know about what has gone before? Specifically, about Jenova and Sephiroth?"
         "They all seem to have been aware of Jenova."
         "Yes, but it's Kadaj in particular I'm thinking of, since he knew of Sephiroth. It makes me wonder what we have to look forward to with the remaining three."
         "No way!" Yuffie exclaimed. "There's gonna be more of 'em?"
         "Tseng did say that there were a total of eight in his unit, including himself," Reeve replied. "Subtract him, as well as the four that have been eliminated thus far, and that leaves us with three potential enemies."
         Cloud asked, "Can you tell us about the rest of your squad, including your place within it?"
         "Of course," Tseng replied with a nod. "My codename was Veck. As I was the only person of Wutaiese decent in our unit, I served primarily as a scout and intelligence operative during the war. My weapons of choice were pistols and swords.
         "As for the remaining three, there were the twins Sirpal and Xeno, and our leader, Thanatos. Any one of them is at least as dangerous as the others we've faced so far. What worries me right now is what Rufus had seen in Kadaj, and whether or not this means Sephiroth's influence over these new enemies has been growing stronger. If that is the case, then we should consider these men greater threats than the four we have already faced."
         "We don't know if any of them will surface," Aeris added, "but in the meantime, we must do everything we can to ensure that neither Jenova nor Sephiroth can ever harm the Planet again."
         "By getting rid of the remaining Jenova cells?" Tifa asked.
         "Well yes, but there's more to it than that."
         "How so?" queried Cid.
         "That's a secret for now," Aeris replied with an oddly comforting smile, "but everyone will soon see for themselves."

         The evening wore on, and it was late by the time Rufus and Tseng left the bar. Rude and Elena had already taken off to return to Healin, while Reno had recently departed with Reeve for their house, both of them drunk and being more affectionate with each other than Rufus had ever hoped to see. The kids had been tucked into bed upstairs several hours ago, and only a few guests still lingered inside Seventh Heaven.
         Tseng began to wheel Rufus toward the Shinra helicopter currently parked in the wrecked central square. As they traveled toward their destination on Edge's otherwise abandoned streets, Rufus felt compelled to ask Tseng about the one thing left that had been nagging at him.
         "Tseng."
         "Yes, sir."
         "How long have you and Aeris known each other?"
         All he got from Tseng was a "Hmph."
         "I take it you aren't going to answer my question."
         "I see no reason why I should."
         "Fair enough." Continuing on in silence, they reached the square. There was an enormous hole in the ground where the Meteor memorial—whose design and construction had been sponsored by Rufus himself—once sat. He sighed to himself, thinking about what a pain it had been to get it erected in the first place, and how he would soon go through that process all over again. "Tseng, I want to move to Edge as soon as possible. There's no reason for me to stay at Healin any longer; I'd be better off continuing my rehabilitation here, as well as my work."
         "Understood." By this time, they had reached the helicopter. Tseng stopped the wheelchair and walked over to the vehicle, where he opened the cockpit door. "Is there anything else, sir?"
         "After my move, I will officially void the Turks' exclusive contract with the Shinra Electric Power Company."
         Tseng paused in what he was doing and turned to face Rufus. "Excuse me?"
         "I'm not as ignorant of the Turks' history as you might think I am. I'm well aware of your organization's existence long before the Company's."
         "But not of its original purpose."
         "Eh?"
         "As I suspected. You have much yet to learn, Shinra." Tseng climbed into the cockpit; soon, the cargo door opened and a ramp slid out. Rufus flicked a switch on the small console at his right hand, and the wheelchair moved of its own accord toward the ramp.
         As the helicopter's blades whirred to life, Rufus wondered what the future would bring, and whether or not the final three S-Class SOLDIERs would manifest themselves. He also reflected on everything that had happened since the Weapon's flames nearly did him in, and how much that one experience had changed him. Indeed, the way he regarded the Planet had come to be altered, and although the old Rufus was very much alive, it now shared space with a new, still emerging, self.
         Shortly before entering the helicopter, he glanced over at Tseng, idling in the cockpit. He turned away again, having confirmed that it was not just his worldview that was changing.
         Despite the constant physical pain Rufus had endured since his awakening, it was insignificant when compared to the wrenching knowledge that this man whom he had once loved—and whom he was starting to fall in love with again—was forever lost to him by the combined forces of death and his own irredeemable selfishness.