NEVER a { m e m o r y }

[Knight]

Roxine Valentine had a small problem. Well actually it was a huge problem. And its name started with an S. Can't guess yet? Let me help you; Sephiroth. The silver haired, snake eyed charmer from Roxy's worst nightmares had been born again and was wreaking havoc. With the previous defeaters of the creature now old and grey, it fell on the shoulders of the next generation to fight this old evil.

And it should have been that simple. But for Roxy, the problems ran deeper than that. She had always known that Sephiroth was her brother. But until recent years, it had never been anything other than a simple fact. And then the dreams had started. She would wake up shaking, her dreams filled with haunting blue-green eyes with snake-like pupils. Whispers echoed in her ears upon each awakening; 'I will never be a memory.' They were an ominous promise, but it had taken her a long time to understand them.

Once she had realized what they meant, they had grown progressively more terrifying. 'You're my living legacy.' Sephiroth had promised her once, in a twisted version of what Zack Fair had once told her friend's father. 'You're just like me.' These words had haunted her for years, filling her mind with shadows. And now he was well and truly back. He could now harm all, not just the one person in the world tied most closely to him. And Roxy wasn't about to let that happen.

Despite the fears and the whispers that still danced in her mind, Roxy was determined to fight back. She had gone first to her father, who had been quite against it at first. He had been ready to fight himself, to shoulder the burdens of this war as well. But Roxy's mother had convinced him to step aside and to let the next generation fight this old evil. So Roxine had gone to her old friends, to the sons and daughters of Cloud Strife and Genesis Rhapsodos and Zachary Fair.

In the end, only a few had chosen to come with her. They were in their twenties now, older and wiser and many had begun to settle down. Celit Strife, son of Cloud and Amara Strife, had been the first to stand at Roxine's side. With the spikey blonde hair of his father and emerald green eyes of his mother, and his father's legacy of the Buster Sword, Celit was ready to fight. He would uphold his father's honor and fight Sephiroth as Cloud could no longer do, as much as his mother had tried to convince him not to go.

Alia Fair, the daughter of Aerith Gainsborough and Zack Fair was the next to join with Roxine. They had never been close as children, as the quarter Cetra had always been more of a loner than anything else. She was all too aware of the fact that she was more alone than even her mother was, and had kept to herself for years. Unable to hear the earth or feel the fear of the sky that had haunted her mother for years, Alia was Cetra but not Cetra enough. And yet she had put all of that aside to stand with Roxine and Celit against the menace that was Sephiroth. The quiet, if snappish woman with a strong gift for medicine had been trained by none other than Vincent Valentine in the art of gunwielding. It had been her father's idea; her mother had been staunchly against it. But now it was paying off. She could help. She could prove that she was not defined by her parents and destroy Sephiroth once and for all. It was Alia's secret plan to sneak away from the group and be the one who dealt the decisive blow and kill Sephiroth this time. She was not about to be outshone. She would make her parents proud.

All in all, they were an . . . interesting group to say the least. From their METLAM leader with her haunting dreams of Sephiroth, to the Mako-less son of Cloud Strife who seemed to have the same great strength as his father before him and the gun toting daughter of a Cetra. They were a motley crew, but they were all that stood between the world and destruction.

There would be others coming, of course. Roxine had sought out a few more of her childhood companions before giving up the chase. And she currently had them gathered in the ruins of the Shinra mansion, long since abandoned by the experiments that haunted this place.

They were all arranged around the table at the moment, with a massive map and various papers strewn across the table. Their weapons lay at their sides, with what little armor they wore abandoned at their feet; they had clearly worked late into the night, and all were dozing lightly at the table as the sun crept over the horizon.

[Matsi]

He had been the first to know about the odd dreams. How could he not know about them. Roxy told him everything. The first time she told him about the dream, he just brushed it off and told her that she was thinking too much about the stories that her parents told her. Of course, Roxy's parents had stories about Sephiroth's scary side. His father only had interesting stories to tell about the Jenova Project man. He had always been told about how Sephiroth was the hero, and how his father always wanted to be the better hero. How Sepiroth was a brutal fighter, and would do almost anything to win. He heard about how Sephiroth turned against his father when his father was degrading, before he had become a part of the Metlam experiment too. Ceol was never really afraid of the man, only in wonder. If the man was able to almost kill his father, then he had to be great.

Then, the stories of the sightings of the silver haired man began to spread. Until that day that he saw him with his own eyes. Sephiroth appeared at his family's mansion to speak to his father, Genesis. The two men didn't battle. They just traded a few words, firm words to say the least, and the silver haired man left. Ceol knew something was wrong though, judging by the concern in his father's blue eyes. Ceol consulted his sister and older brother, but they could only agree with him and not answer his questions.

That was when he finally called Roxy back and agreed that something was wrong. He set out to meet up with her for the first time in some odd years.

The son of Genesis and Ella wasn't afraid to see what he could do, and was actually surprised when his parents only set him off with encouraging words. He knew his father was proud and wanted to join him, but he knew Genesis wanted to protect his mother, as always.

So he left the saftey of his family's hidden Mansion. He had one place to hit first, a small town on the side of the valley close to where he called home. He had a companion there, one that he only spoke to when he needed advice, and he wanted to see if she could give answers.

He wandered into the town and into a dark building where the palmreader kept her shop. The woman was young, only in her twenties if that, yet she stayed garbed and in the shadows as if she were a zombie. Ceol knew her well enough, though, to not be freaked out.

He consulted Taikoa, and went through the palm reader's cerimonies. Yet nothing seemed to become better or change. She mearly told him that she forsaw a battle and a tough decision in his future. Of course, he didn't care about that! He got up to leave when the palmReader stood quickly, jingling as her bells and chains swayed in the sudden movement. She requested to join him. She saw something important in not only his future, but her own, on that path.

Ceol hesitated, but finally gave in. He knew that they would need all the help they could get. He waited for the Palm Reader to change and gather her things before leaving.

As they left, it was the first time for Taikoa, to expose her true face and form to the town that she had lived in for the last nine years. Her skin was pale and creamy from the lack of sun exposure, and her hair was a bleach blond, almost moon-silver but with streaks of star gold.
Her eyes, which were typically hidden in the darkness so no one could see them, were white all the way through, and the only hint of a pupil she had were a slightly silver area where they were located. White scars lined over her eyes and down the bridge of her nose from her forehead, and three silver hoop earrings found home on each ear. Typically, Ceol knew, she wore long purple or navy blue gowns that were covered in bells, chains and silver peices that made her jingle as she moved. Those gowns covered everything that the shadows wouldn't. Yet, now, She was almost exposed looking. Her tanktop had one, thick strap on it over her left shoulder, and she had shorts on under a long skirt. Her shirt was white, while her skirt was black. Her arms, neck and part of her back was left exposed, letting the world see her bright purple marks (whether or not they were tattoos, Ceol didn't know).

Ceol was impressed that the palm reader opened up like that, but was soon focused once more on the task at hand. The son of Project G and a normal human led the way to the old Shinra building where Roxy told him to meet up with her.

Now, Ceol sat at the table, his father's red-bladed sword in his lap. A pinkish t-shirt was tight over his chest, and black pants were baggy on his legs. His blue tipped-silver and blonde hair was a mess and hanging in his face as he leaned back in his chair. His double-shaded blue eyes were locked on the ceiling as he thought to himself.

Across the table, Taikoa sat with her hands in her lap. Her white eyes watched each person as she tried to glimpse into their past, present and future. A few of them were so off guard that she could see right to their hearts, while a few others, like that young lady that Ceol hugged so enthusiastically when they arrived, were barred up and almost impossible to glance into. Taikoda didn't mind being blocked off, though. Instead, she found it interesting, and thought of it as a chance to make herself stronger. She would only glance at a person for a few seconds, then move on. Around and around the table her eyes would go as she searched them. She was paying attention though. Not that anyone was saying anything...


Sephiroth had finally be brought back. Hate still boiled in his veins, and he still looked at normal humans as the enemy. They were the reason for his... his suffering. It was all because of them. His birth mother was long gone, and his DNA mother, Jenova, was a monster. His father was an interesting mixture of both, and he was ready to destroy the planet for it all.

The man looked no older than mid twenties as he walked down the streets of the old capital where he once lived. Where he was once the hero. Few people lived there any more, especially since that time that Omega rose. He knew his own blood destroyed Omega, which was appalling. His own blood, his Father saving the people of this world. Maybe it was from the wretched man that he got his Hero status from. Hmm. Interesting.

Sephiroth made a note of his thoughts, and then pushed them away as he approched the old Shinra building. He was dressed in clothing that was quite different for him. No, he was not planning an attack yet. Only an...an observation. He walked with a tight black t-shirt on his chest. A shirt so tight that it seemed like it was about to rip. Black jeans, like Ceol's, were baggy on his lower half. On top of his head was a dark red and black hat, making his hair straighter than normal. Sure, he wasn't totally different looking, but to people that had never truely seen him before, he was just another person, he was certain of it. Of course, he just had to make sure no one got close enough to see his eyes. That damn Jenova trait was sometimes so inconvienient.

Remember, Vincent, our father, has another child... he told himself as he thought of his plans.
That child's mother is not normal, so I have heard... The voice in his head was hard and demonic, so to say. He couldn't really explain that voice in his head, just that it always seemed to speak to him differently.
That child could have...abilities..
Not as bad as that Cloud Strife, though...
Surely better than that puppy, Zack, though...

His thoughts paused as he let his connection with the life stream reconnect.

Sephiroth. Do not do this. Angeal's voice echoed into his very core. Sephiroth ignored his old friend's voice, though, and continued to walk into the building. Now was time to see what he could learn...





((Taikoa is based off of fav.me/d5d8r2z))

[Knight]

Celit was the first to stir, emerald eyes blinking open and finding themselves focusing on two new figures. It took him a moment to realize that one of them was familiar, though. In that moment, his hands moved towards the buster sword that rested at his feet. But when he recognized Ceol, the Celit relaxed once more, all of this occurring in seconds. "Roxy." The blonde murmured softly, reaching out to touch the girl's shoulder.

Roxy's eyes blinked open lethargically and for a long moment she stared blankly at Celit. "Hmm?" she mumbled at last, still looking a little dazed.

"Look." Celit replied softly, grinning slightly. She would be happy, he knew. Though he had long since ceased being anything other than her friend, Celit did still care about her. they were friends, and that meant that Celit was glad when she was happy. So that was that.

Roxy shook her head, grinning at Celit. She seemed to be awake, for the most part by then. "They came in last night, hun. You slept straight through it." There was a teasing note to her voice as she replied to Celit, grinning. "You were out like a light. And no one wanted to wake you up." Pushing her silver bangs out of her eyes, Roxine stretched lethargically, glancing absently towards Ceol and his mysterious companion. He hadn't really introduced the woman, but she seemed to be very . . . seeing? Was that the right word? But Roxy didn't like it. Ceol may have written off her dreams of Sephiroth but she suspected that if anyone was to see how bad they were it would be this woman. So Roxy wasn't sure if she liked her just yet.

It was then that Alia's eyes opened slowly. She remained silent for a while, her gaze focused on the floor, tuning out the conversation. "Something's not right." The quarter Cetra announced at last, making Roxy jump violently.

"What do you mean, Lee?" Roxy questioned nervously, her mind flashing towards the dreams that had haunted her sleep that past night. Sephiroth had, as always, been the dominating force in them, leaving her feeling ill rested.

Alia shrugged, "I can't tell. But something's definitely wrong." The girl muttered, frowning. But no, she didn't have the skills necessary to tell what was wrong. But something definitely was and it had been bad enough to wake her up. And with her very limited powers, this meant that it was probably very bad. So Alia was on high alert, her gaze flashing this way and that as she sat, her body tense and nervous. She didn't know what was wrong, and that was bugging her. Alia didn't like not knowing.

A frown crossed Roxy's features, but she smoothed them almost immediately as she lanced at Celit. "Can you go check it out? Celit and his friend can come too, if they wish." Roxy glanced at the two, biting her lip absently. Truthfully, she didn't really remember the strange woman's name and almost hoped that she wouldn't have to learn it. Maybe she would leave soon. Roxy felt bad for hoping, but something about her seemed a little off.

Celit nodded absent, getting to his feet and glancing at his two potential companions, waiting to see what their response would be. "We got it, Rox." He said after a moment, grinning confidently. It couldn't be anything too bad, and besides, Celit had the Buster Sword and that was enough for him. It was a weapon with an impressive legacy, after all.

Alia glanced at Celit, a hint of a smile crossing her features. She was amused by her eagerness and shared a little of it, of course. Alia wanted to know what it was, but Roxy hadn't chosen her to go check it out. Which of course meant that Alia was going to try and tag along. She didn't like not knowing.

[Matsi]

Ceol listened to Roxy and Celit, but he never moved. Not even his eyes shifted. He was content to just listen. He was tired, but too much ran through his mind to allow him to even shut his eyes for a moment. First there was the direct problem that haunted his thoughts. What was Sephiroth's plan? Why had he spoke to his father? What was going to happen next? All of these were the, what he called, typical thoughts going through his mind. Of course he was thinking about these things. What else should he be worried about?

Then there was the "family" issue of the whole problem. Sephiroth was the son of his Aunt's husband... which man him his cousin, right? In an odd way, yes, it did. Even though he wasn't related to his Aunt by blood, he still let the family tree lines imprint into his mind. Sure, that meant that, not directly by blood, that he was a "cousin" to Roxine and Sidra, but in that situation he considered the blood aspect as a line....

Wait... What was he getting at?

Oh right! With Sephiroth being his indirect cousin, that meant that the man was Roxine's brother... And not only indirectly, but by blood. They both shared the same father. Ceol began to wonder how this fact would effect Roxy.

It was then that he lowered his gaze to look at the young woman that resimbled her mother so much. Of course, he thought she was prettier than her mother, but that was just his opinion. He watched her for, well, what he thought were mintues, but he wasn't sure how long it actually was. Either way, he watched her, thinking to himself, until Alia shot up, making him jolt and almost topple out of his chair.

Taikoa looked at Ceol, watching him as he watched Roxy. She could see the colors of his thoughts and heart changing slowly. The colors never revieled what he was thinking, mearly the color, or tone, of his thoughts. She could see the shocking yellows of fear dappling the silver of confusion and the red-pinks of admiration. She couldn't help but smile slightly. She could feel something, something about to happen, and she turned to look at Alia, just seconds before the girl jolted awake and spoke.

Ceol stood as Roxy started to speak. He didn't need to be told what to do. The typically sweet and joyful man was oddly stern and tense, but he tried to cover that up as he approched Roxy.
"You know this could be a trick, I know you know that," He muttered to her, under his breath, as he stood just infront of her.

Taikoa looked at Ceol and Roxy for a moment, trying to hear them, but gave up and looked at Celit as she stood.

"I want you to be careful, Roxine Neba Valentine." his eyes were locked with hers for a second.

"Master Ceol. Are you joining us?" Taikoa finally spoke out as her own white eyes looked back at Ceol and Celit spoke.

Ceol looked over his shoulder, in a way that his own father often did, and nodded. He glanced at Roxine one last time and turned to join the "search" party.

"Master Ceol, you are worried about her," Taikoda said smoothly, her voice almost monotone as she looked up at the taller man.

"Quit calling me Master," Ceol rumbled. He didn't want to disclose such information!



Sephiroth made it through the first gates and looked around. His eyes were sharp as he looked around. He could hear footsteps coming, and he wanted to avoid them as best as he could. So he did his best to pin point where they were coming from.... The left stairs... So he would take the right.

Sure he didn't know where he was going that well, he knew the building well, he just didn't know where these... These mutts... would be hiding. So he decided it would be best to try the old meeting room first. The same room that Lizzard, Zack and He had last talked, when he was still a hero.

((Just gave rox a random middle name...it can be changed hahahaha (Means Heaven...Kinda based it off of her being a symbol of Vincent being forgiven for his sins lol))))

[Knight]

Roxine shook her head slightly, seemingly unaware of Ceol's eyes on her. The girl tilted her head back, closing her eyes and rubbing at them. Her body felt as tired as ever, but there was no time for that. If Alia thought something was up, something was up. So Roxy rubbed her eyes again and shook herself slightly, glancing forward again to find her gaze focused on Ceol. She blinked, a smile slowly forming on her features, only to fade swiftly as he started to speak.

Roxy shook her head slightly, "It could be. But I trust Alia." She shrugged, glancing at the daughter of Aerith Gainsborough. Her gifts were nowhere near as strong as her mother's, but they were there and they were all that the group had at the moment to detect things that were . . . off, for a lack of a better word.

Still, she grinned, trying her best to not look too worried. This whole leading was fairly stressful, but people had handled it before and Roxine would again. Sure, maybe they weren't haunted by dreams of their mass murderer brother, but she could do it. If she wanted to protect Sidra, she would have to be able to take care of Sephiroth now. Before he learned about her family and decided that there might be revenge in order. After all, Vincent Valentine had been the one to destroy Omega. "I'll be careful. You too, okay. Come back to me in one piece." Roxy smiled slightly, watching as Ceol turned his attention towards the 'search party.'

Celit, meanwhile, stood patiently. He tuned out the whispered exchange between Roxine and Ceol and mostly just fiddled with his sword as he waited, his emerald gaze flicking constantly towards the strange woman that had showed up while he was sleeping. He wasn't too surprised by Ceol's arrival. Ceol tended to show up when Roxy was in danger. But this stranger? He didn't know what to make of her.

So Celit waited, his foot tapping the ground absently as he waited, though his eyes did flick towards Ceol, amusement evident in them as the girl called him 'Master.' Perhaps there was more going on than Celit realized between these two. He'd certainly ask later when they tried to look for whatever had alerted Alia.

As soon as they were ready, Celit wandered off, frowning slightly. "I don't suppose any of you have any idea where we should start looking?" Celit questioned, glancing over his shoulder. "I'm Celit, by the way." He added, directing his words towards the female. He knew who Ceol was, of course. It was impossible to be friends with the Valentines and not know the Rhapsodos family. They were practically cousins, which only made Ceol and Roxy's relationship that much weirder, in Celit's eyes.

They were mere seconds out the door when Alia hopped to her feet. "I need to go to the bathroom." She said by way of explanation before heading out the door, leaving Roxine alone in the room. Alia followed her 'intuition,' which was a fancy way for her to say she just went wherever the heck she felt like. Maybe she'd get lucky and stumble across whoever or whatever had alerted her.

But meanwhile, Roxy was alone in the room. Closing her multi-colored eyes for a moment, she sighed and sprawled back in her seat, closing her eyes. Maybe she'd see if she could get a nap while her friends were gone. Or just wait. Alia should be back before long, and so would Celit and his companions. Roxine doubted that whatever it was would give her friends any trouble. So meanwhile, she'd wait.

[Matsi]

Ceol put his hands in his pockets, after putting his sword in its holster, and walked with a blank expression on his face. Had it not been for the hair color, one could have easily mistaken him for his father. He now stood at the same height as his ol' man, and had the same delicate and almost femanine look to him. The only main differences were the hair, which was more like an odd genetic mix of both of his parents, the fact that he had one eye that was the light blue like his father's eyes, and his other eye was the dark blue like his mother's. The biggest difference, though, was how Ceol carried himself. He did not walk in a quiet, almost stalking manner that either of his parents did. No, he walked tall and chest out, as if he was daring the world to challenge him. Even when he wasn't stiff with concern and fear, he walked as such. Hard to believe such a playful spirit could be so daring, right?
That playfulness was hidden behind closed doors now though. He couldn't hide it, he was frightened. Not because there was a chance he could fight Sephiroth and be killed by him, no, he didn't fear death. But afraid that he could allow the others to parish too.

"Master C-....I mean... Ceol, would you like me to go back to that young woman that you are worrying about?"
Taikoa's smooth voice broke into Ceol's thoughts and he looked over at her, then looked up at Celit as he spoke.

"No, Taikoa, It's all good. And I say, go down the east stairs and make a round back up the west from there," He hummed slightly as he turned to go to the east wing. He stopped and looked at Celit and Taikoda.
"Unless you want to do down the central command and check out the back doors? I can take the east-west round?" He shrugged and continued down the east wing without listening to Celit's answer. He was in too much of a ghostly state to think straight after all.

Taikoa looked at Celit, waiting for his answer before she answered his other question. He sure did have a lot of questions. She was used to questions, though. She was a fortune teller and palm reader after all.

"Master Celit, shall we follow him or go down the center like he said?" She said in an airy and curious tone as her white eyes looked around. She was trying to see all of the possibilities, but was having issues with it. There was... interferince happening with her Sight. She had only had that happen a few other times. When around the Mako reactors, When around people dying, during the nights that stars fall heavily, and when around someone with strong ties to the Lifestream. Maybe there was a still working Mako reactor in this place?


Sephiroth ran lightly and silently up the west wing stairs, away from the voices that he had heard. His hair billowed around him, but when he slowed, it layed neatly along his back and he started to walk again. He had reached the top floor with ease, and without running into a person. Now was the time to start playing innocent. Especially since he could hear light footsteps, similar to those of a delicate female. Yes, his eyes could see her now, coming out of the restroom. He had to resist lunging at her, he didn't have his sword on him after all, but he did have his magic.

"Excuse me, miss," He said, barely trying to cover up his voice. These... children... never heard his voice anyways, so there was no worry about that.
"I am looking for the crew that is... meeting about the Sephiroth incident," He muttered smoothly, his tealish eyes focusing on the delicate girl. Something about her looked familiar. Yes, her face. It held an eagerness and...puppy like... look to it. It clicked into Sephiroth's mind, and he smiled slightly.
She had to be the daughter of Zack. And judging by her eligant movements, that Certa woman, Aerith. He couldn't help but be amused by this. So, even after he almost died, that woman waited for him. How interesting.

"I am... Xenos," He stated, taking the cover-up name that his "fragments" had taken. It was a good name for him, after all.

[Knight]

Shrugging slightly, Celit glanced at Ceol. The son of Genesis Rhapsodos could probably handle himself, so the thought of leaving him to make the loop alone wasn't a big deal to Celit. And it would be better to cover as much ground as possible. It made sense. So, with another shrug, Celit watched Ceol turn and wander off, keeping his mouth shut, for the most part. He was a little surprised to see that the chick that Ceol had brought with him had stayed with him, but ah well. Celit could roll with whatever. He tended to be pretty accepting of the things life threw at him.

After a long moment, the woman spoke and Celit shook his head slightly, running one hand through his spiked hair. "I suppose that we'll head down the center." Celit muttered absently. "Ceol can handle himself and it makes sense to cover as much ground as possible." Celit clarified as he began to walk, making his way towards the center of the sprawling building that had become their meetingplace.

He frowned slightly, mulling over his thoughts as he walked. His previous suspicions about their being something slightly funky going on with Ceol and this chick were mostly assuaged when she called him master as well. Maybe it was just what they called guys where she was from? Or something. Anyways, Celit was sure that it had an explanation. And he should probably focus.

Green eyes narrowing slightly, Celit made his way along, gaze flashing this way and that. He was on edge, though he did his best to hide it. He wasn't too good at it, however. He was twitchier than a mouse trying to get cheese from a trap as they made their way along.

Alia jumped slightly, eyes widening when a smooth voice echoed in the air. She blinked curiously, turning to face the man who spoke. Something about him seemed different, but Alia couldn't put her finger on it, and surely this couldn't have been what was so off in this place. It was probably just the mako reactors spiking or something like that, right? Which almost made Alia feel bad about sending everyone else on a wild goose chase, but Alia was doubting herself already.

When the stranger continued, distracting Alia from her thoughts, she nodded absently. "I think I can help you there, Xenos." She said in a friendly tone. Unlike Celit and Roxine, Alia was less inclined to believe that the word was out to get there and saw absolutely nothing wrong with inviting a stranger into their room. Especially a stranger as handsome as this Xenos was. And he was pretty handsome. Not in a conventional way, per say. But Alia had interesting tastes, it seemed.

"My name's Lia." She added a moment later. It wasn't entirely the truth, but it was a nickname that most of her friends used. And Alia certainly hoped that this man would be a friend. With that, however, Alia started to make her way along, turning back towards the door that she'd left mere moments ago. It wouldn't take them too long to get back to the room where Roxine waited, mind blank as she did her best to relax while waiting for her companions.

[Matsi]

Ceol wandered into the front corridor and sighed as he looked around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Far from it to say the least. He sighed again as he turned to the west staircase and started up them. Absently, he started to hum. It was a mild attempt to calm his racing mind. What were they thinking? They weren't heroes. All of their parents had had training of some type in their past, but them...they all just had those small trainings that their parents or friends had given them. Except Ranni and Amuso, but there was a reason they weren't there, and that was because they were still IN training. How ironic it was that the ones that were trained were not there.

He started to sing to himself, once again, trying to distract his mind as he looked into each abandoned room that he could find. There were still remanints of things from when Roxine's father had gone through during that time of Omega, but he paid them no attention. None of them would help now. Bullet shells, bones from old, decomposed beasts that had ventured out of Deep-ground, and metal scraps from old weapons. One room he entered made him pause though...

He had kicked the door open, to avoid touching the cob-web covered handle, only to have the door fall to the ground. Inside, the walls were covered in bookshelves stacked with old books and papers. In the back side of the room was an old, rusty examination table with a few papers on top of it.

Ceol approched the table to read the papers.
Omega and Chaos Report, part one.
Doctor Lucrecia Crecent

Ceol frowned slightly as he tried to remember where he had heard that name before, but then picked up the papers. Vincent must have had these back when he was going through this building before Omega rose. He picked up stack of papers, only to have something fall from the papers and bounce on to the ground with a clang.

His blue eyes watched as the Video-Materia bounced a few times, then rested itself on the dusty floor. He ignored the materia for a moment to read the papers some more.
"Oh, thats right, she was the one that did the huge Omega research...But...she studied Chaos too?" He asked himself as he looked over the papers.

Finally, he lowered himself to the Materia and picked it up, which triggered it to show what had been saved on it so long ago. Ceol jolted as a woman appeared and started to speak, but she wasn't talking to him, she was talking to....Roxine's dad? But, Lucrecia was died about fifty years ago... How would she know Vincent?

Even with these questions rising, he only watched as the Materia finished it's video, and the image vanished.

I'm So sorry Vincent... Let the child go. I'm so sorry.

The words of the old, dead doctor echoed in his mind for a moment. Then he tightened his grip on the Materia in his hand and grabbed the papers. He wasn't sure if it would be a good thing to show Roxine, but she needed to see it eather way. If what he thought was true, then this could change a few things.


Taikoda nodded to Celit, only ever so slightly, as she started to follow him. She walked just behind him, her eyes watching the colors of his hear and thoughs change and swirl. So much yellow of fear, yet some shades of confidence and more of confusion. Hmm. Maybe she could help him? But how would she do that? She was just used to giving people's their fortune and tell them what their hands had written on them.
"Why are you afraid?" She asked finally, her voice still smooth and wondering. She didn't want to offend him, but she knew that being direct was usually the best way to approching things.
"Is it because of Sephiroth? Or because of something else?" She asked after a moments hesitation. Of course, it would make sense if it was because of Sephiroth, but she still wanted to know for sure.
"You shouldn't let fear push out all other feelings. That can destroy you faster than a bullet in the gut," She hummed as she took a few larger steps to match pace with Celit.


Sephiroth let his smile leak onto his face and out of his mind. Oh, this girl was so unknowing. It was brilliant. So, this meant he would be able to get some inside information after all.
"Lia, eh? I will remember that," He said smoothly. He pushed some strands of white hair out of his face and fixed his red and black hat.

He waited for a second to start following her, just to give her some space. Wouldn't want her thinking that he was going to kill her just yet after all. In due time, she would fall into his hands, but not until he got all of what he wanted. What did he want? He wanted to know their plans, and to find out who they were working for. To add to it, he wanted to know if he could find out where the old Avalanche gang resided, so he could put them out of their miseries. They destroyed him once, and he planned on repaying the favor. If this girl was the daughter of Zachary Fair, then the rest of the Avalanche gang's children were probably there too, right? It only made sense and Sephiroth...Or Xenos... Was good with thinking things like this through.
"You kind of remind me of a puppy," He said smoothly, already trying to pry things out of the girl. Maybe this would bring up her father...

[Knight]

Celit made his way along, slowly beginning to calm as the house seemed peaceful. He really wouldn't have put it past Alia to simply have been confused. It wasn't that she wasn't intelligent, but her powers were weaker than that of her mothers and that of fully blooded Cetras. It was possible that she had just been confused, and that nothing was wrong. The thought calmed Celit slightly as they made their way along.

When the woman spoke, Celit jumped slightly, glancing at her curiously. Was it that obvious? Well, it probably was. Celit had never really seen the point in hiding things. "Well, mostly 'cause this place is creepy." Celit said with a shrug. "And yeah, Sephiroth's contributing." Maybe he should elaborate a bit. He didn't entirely feel comfortable with this stranger, but if she was leaving soon it wouldn't matter and if she was sticking around, she deserved to know the truth. So, with a sigh, Celit continued. "My father defeated Sephiroth practically singlehandedly. And I'm not sure if I can do the same." He murmured after a moment, glancing distractedly at the ground.

He slowed his pace slightly upon noticing that she had to extend her legs to keep up. "I will do my best. Thank you for your words of wisdom." There was a slightly ironic note to his voice as he wandered along. "They are rather more comforting than anything that my mother had to say." Celit chuckled absently at the joke. His mother had never been the protector, so seeing her trying to look out for her son had been both comforting and funny.

Alia smiled slightly, tossing a glance over her shoulder at Xenos. "It's all right if you forget." She shrugged slightly. It was flattering, to say the least, to hear him say that. But Alia didn't have such unrealistic expectations that she really thought he was going to remember her name after the whole one time.

She was unaware of the scheming going through Xenos' mind as she lead him along. They reached the room before long, and Alia pulled the door open just as Xenos spoke.

A slight giggle escaped Alia as she glanced blankly at Xenos. "Oh, thanks, I guess?" While her mother had teasingly called her father a puppy jokingly on occasion, but Alia did not make the connection in that moment. She was currently blushing slightly, pleased by the compliment (or so she figured) from Xenos.

Roxy's eyes snapped open as the smooth words echoed in the air. She rose to her feet and glanced over her shoulder. The white haired figure looked far too familiar for Roxy's tastes. And she knew exactly what he looked like, too. But it wasn't her place to judge. She believed in offering the benefit of the doubt and maybe he just sounded and looked like the Sephiroth of her dreams . . . well, a lot. "And who is this, Alia?" Roxine questioned softly, distracting herself from her thoughts with a shake of her head. One hand moved mechanically to brush her silver bangs out of her face and Roxy eyed the stranger curiously.

"Oh, this is Xenos!" Alia said with a smile, the blush still imprinted on her features. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she eyed Roxine, a hint of irritation on her features. Roxy didn't seem too pleased by this development, which wasn't exactly . . . good. Not in Alia's book. She should have appreciated this development.

One eyebrow raised and Roxine narrowed her eyes slightly. "It's pleasant to meet you, Xenos. My name's Roxine." She deliberately neglected to mention her last name; Roxy wasn't entirely sure that she trusted this stranger. Maybe it was just shitty luck that he looked and sounded like Sephiroth but Roxine didn't believe in luck.

[Matsi]

Taikoda smiled at Celit as he started to speak. Well, her type of smile. It was an interesting smile that looked almost more like a evil grin than anything, but that was truely her trying to smile in a happy and reassuring way.
"He is an...intemidating man. I was not born yet, of course, when he was destroyed, but my family passed the story of him on to me. Him and your family, and the family of Ceol also. You may not be them, but you are spoken of also," She said, trying to find ways to reassure him. Sure he said that she helped, a bit, and she could tell, but she wanted to help more. It was the main reason she had the job she did. She loved helping the people that came into her shop. Well, that and that her parents were all gypsies, so she was sort of born into the profession, but that didn't count right now.

"Your mother... I was told about her, just a little bit. How she was pretty as a bird, but shy as a mouse. Is that true? Stories can twist and turn things sometimes," She asked softly, curious. She wanted to know more about the son of Cloud. After all, it was almost like meeting a movie star!


Sephiroth...Xenos... Was disappointed when Alia didn't go into detail about the puppy comment. It didn't discourage him, though. He was almost positive that she was the daughter of Zack, which meant she would deffinently need to die a slow and painful way, the way that her father almost did.

Sephiroth, please, you don't really want to do that. Angeal's voice echoed through his lifestream connection, making him grimace.
Of course I do, Angeal. Now leave me be!

He let out a sigh, but hid his aggrivation as the door opened before him. His eyes immediately settled on the young woman inside and he frowned. There was no doubt in his mind.... That was his "sister''. She had the eye shape of Vincent, and how she moved, in just those small movements, was just like Vincent Valentine. But wait... Sephiroth looked her over more. Something about her looked oddly familiar, but not in a "Valentine" way.

The silver bangs... Who else had he seen that had the silver bangs?
He thought for a moment as the two women traded words.
He had it.
That damn experiment girl that was raised with Genesis!
His eyes narrowed slightly. So, his father dropped THAT low? Of course he had. Sephiroth pulled himself back, allowing his thoughts to boil in the back of his mind, as Roxine introduced herself.

"Roxine Valentine, none the less I am guessing. You look alot like your father," He said smoothly as he looked her up and down, trying not to act like himself. He was just a traveler that had had his father cursed by Sephiroth. He was Xenos...


Ceol, made his way up towards the meeting room, his thoughts still pouring over the edge. So much was just learned, especially as he walked and read the Omega reports...

[Knight]

Intimidating? Celit had to grin to himself. If there was one thing to be said about living in the shadow of Cloud Strife, it was that there wasn't much intimidating about him. Sure, his legacy was intimidating, but his father himself? No, not really. But then, Celit had never really felt Cloud's wrath. His father had always doted upon him and rarely had Celit even seen his father irritated. But Celit had been sheltered from the more stormy side of Cloud. Amara had cleared Celit out of there when Tifa came knocking, after all. But Celit could imagine what had happened.

And there he was, getting distracted again. Celit shook his head slightly and smiled a tiny bit. "I guess that's good to hear. Thanks." Celit nodded slightly, his green eyes sweeping the area once more. So far, the lab seemed to be rather peaceful, and if Celit remembered correctly, soon they'd be headed back towards the place from which they'd come and they'd be back in that oppressive little room. If it hadn't been for Roxine (Celit had never been too close to Ceol or Alia, for sure) he wouldn't have been there at all. Someone else could have handled all of this. But when Rox had come knocking, Celit had gone alone, mostly to make sure that his second favorite Valentine didn't get hurt.

Returned to the present by the almost hesitant words of his companions, Celit had to grin. "I don't know if 'pretty as a bird' is entirely true. My father probably would've gone with a butterfly. They can't see their wings, you know. And they don't know how pretty they are. People are like that too." Okay, so that sounded pretty smart, right? Well, Celit had gotten it from his mother, of course. She'd always been the one saying that kind of thing. His father had just shaken his head and gone with it. "Well, that's what my mom says anyways. But anyways, shy doesn't begin to cover it. She was better when she had someone to look after instead of being looked after, I guess. But before I was around my father swears she was afraid of anything and everything." Celit chuckled slightly, wandering down the hallway as he laughed.

"And what are your parents like?" Before she turned the topic to his father, Celit wanted to talk about something (anything) else.

Roxine's gaze narrowed slightly as this Xenos spoke her last name without missing a beat. It was no secret that Vincent Valentine had a daughter named Roxine, but that didn't mean that it was obvious, was it? Then again, she did have one crimson eye just like her father and black hair like her father (and silver hair like her mother but that was a different story). So it probably wasn't TOO subtle that she was the daughter of Vincent.

Forcing a smile onto her features, Roxine nodded slightly. "Roxine Valentine, at your service." She said sarcastically, earning herself a sharp look from Alia, which she mostly tuned out. "May I ask what you're doing here?" And why the hell Alia brought you here? Roxine could have smacked the quarter Cetra right then. Really? A stranger in their meeting room, with their plans strewn across the table? Yeah, that was great planning. And it wasn't like Roxy could even mess with anything without making him suspicious. So she'd just hope that he'd leave soon.

Hearing Roxine's less than pleasant tone made Alia glower sharply. While the 'leader' of their group didn't seem too impressed by this guy, Alia was quite impressed and that meant Roxine should be too. This was stupid. Why did she put up with Roxine again? Oh right, because Roxine Valentine was special and their 'leader.' Alia rolled her eyes at the thought, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She was less than impressed by the attention that Xenos was paying to Roxy.

She had completely forgotten that she'd noticed something was wrong earlier and instead, Alia was focused on this handsome new stranger. The combination of curiosity and his handsomeness had done a number on Alia's generally reasonable disposition. Especially since he seemed so much more interested in Roxy than her.

Grumbling under her breath, Alia sighed and glanced at the window, waiting for the exchange to be done. Maybe she'd give Xenos a tour of the place later on.

[Matsi]

Taikoa smiled again, slightly, as Celit spoke. His words held much love for his parents. She was sure that there were moments that he hated them both, she had been the same way with her own parents, but in this moment, she could see his colors boiling with aadmiration and love for them.

"Your words are quite pretty," She muttered as she lowered her head to watch her feet and to allow him to finish speaking.
What about her parents?

Tailkoa sighed and smiled slightly.
"My mother was a dancer, my father was a musician. We...we were all gypsies," She smiled again. Most people frowned upon gypsies. She couldn't blame them. Her people tended to be thevies and whores.
"My mother was beautiful, but she knew it. She was indeed a bird, not a butterfly. While my father was...less than appealing. But they had an arranged marriage." She shrugged and looked up to look around.
"To this day, no one knows if my father is really my father, especially since I got my gifts from my Mother's Mother." She let out a soft giggle. Her giggle didn't last long, and she soon fell silent.
"My mother and father both caught the Stigma, and even after your father destroyed Sephiroth, the Stigma never faded. I was five when my Mother finally succomed to the infection. Nine when my father did. Tried to find a way to get revenge on Sephiroth through the life stream, only harmed myself, and have been a fortune teller since," Taikoa shrugged and fixed her one shirt strap.

Sephiroth or Xenos...He didn't know what to call himself at this moment... Smiled slightly at Roxine, then tried his best to look shocked.
"Oh, please excuse my manners," He said as he lowered himself to one knee. He lowered his head and closed his eyes for a moment.
"I heard rumors of a Sephiroth resistance, and I wish to join. My father was once cursed by Sephiroth's Stigma, and his business was destroyed. Sephiroth also killed my grandfather in the explosion of their business' largest Mako reactor," He said as raised his head slightly to look up at the girl.

Before he could move again, though, the door busted open. Sephiroth stood and looked at the young man with the interesting hair.
"I don't care who you are, but you and Alia get out for a minute. Rox, I need to talk to you, NOW," Ceol's eyes glared at "Xenos" for a moment, then Alia, then back to Roxy as he held out the Materia and papers to the girl.
"I found these, and they may not help with Sephiroth, but, I think it's important for you to know," He muttered as he looked at "Xenos" again.

Sephiroth stood and nodded.
"I understand. I will...wait outside to talk with her," And turned to wander out.
That damn boy. That was Genesis' son. He remembered seeing him when he went to speak to Genesis. He did not expect to see that child here. Still, as long as the Rhapsodos child was too distracted to recognize him, then he would be safe.

[Knight]

Some nights, I stay up cashing in my bad luck,
Some nights, I call it a draw,
Some nights, I wish that my lips could build a castle,
Some nights, I wish they'd just fall off.

A look of amusement appeared on Celit's features as he listened to her soft words. Pretty words? That was a first. He had heard many compliments in his life (mostly because of who his father was) but this was the first time that he'd heard anyone tell him he talked prettily.

Gypsies. An interesting heritage for an interesting stranger. Celit himself bore the gypsy people no ill will. If it made them happy, they could do what they wished. It wasn't like they were hurting anyone, so Celit honestly cared little about their lifestyles. His thoughts wandered down a different path as she mentioned the Geostigma. His father had suffered from it while battling Sephiroth (just another legacy to live up to), but hadn't it been healed? He had been under the impression that all had been healed like his father, but clearly he had been wrong.

He frowned slightly at her words, confusion dancing through his mind. Still, Celit shook himself slightly. "I'm sorry..." Celit said softly, glancing at the ground. "Well, I guess being a fortune teller is probably a good profession. Can you really see the future?" Celit questioned curiously, doing his best to not dwell too much on the matter of the Stigma. It needed to be looked into, for sure, but not right then. Not with Sephiroth a looming threat on the horizon and something wrong in this house at this very moment.

They were almost up to the room but would probably take a minute or two longer, Celit decided, slowing his pace slightly. He was enjoying conversing with this stranger and didn't really want to have it end so soon. For all that he still wanted to check out the house, he was enjoying talking. Perhaps Ceol wasn't totally crazy for bringing someone no one had met out here.

Roxine's eyes narrowed in disgust as the man bent onto one knee. "You're excused." She said distantly, listening to his story dispassionately. Many had been affected by Sephiroth, but why should she let this man join them? Roxine needed people that she could trust to have her back, and this stranger who's voice sounded like the ones who had haunted her dreams was not exactly high up on Roxy's list of people that she wanted with her. "And why should I let you join us? What makes you so special?" Roxine questioned, raising her eyebrow.

And then the door was flung open. Roxine jumped slightly, glancing towards the figure who stood before them. It took her a moment to recognize Ceol, but when she did she relaxed immediately. Not anyone coming to kill them, it seemed. She shook her head at Ceol's half muttered words, remained silent for the moment. She'd respond once Alia and Xenos left.

Meanwhile, Alia was fuming. Who did Ceol think he was, that he could just kick her out? He wasn't anyone special, and she didn't take too kindly to being spoken to like that with this handsome stranger right there. Eyes narrowed angrily, Alia spun around and stalked out, irritation evident in her stiff movements. She yanked the door shut sharply behind them and glanced apologetically at Xenos. "I'm sorry. Normally they're not so . . . rude. I don't know what's gotten into my companions." Alia said, shaking her head slightly. She was pretty pissed, but she was trying to be nice because she wanted Xenos to like her and not the rest of her companions.

Standing inside, Roxy waited until the door slipped shut behind the duo. "I do not trust him." She said softly, a frown on her features. "What are they?" Dragging her attention from Xenos, Roxy took the papers and the materia, examining the first page blankly. Omega and Chaos? She knew her father was the chaos experiment and Omega was the creature he had destroyed after Sephiroth had been defeated the second time. But did they have any other connection.

Curiosity was the driving emotion in Roxine reading past the heading, her gaze flicking swiftly down the page. And as she read, a pit seemed to form in her stomach. Something wasn't right with these papers either...

But I still wake up, I still see your ghost
Oh Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for oh
What do I stand for? What do I stand for?
Most nights, I don't know anymore.

[Matsi]

Taikoda put her hands behind her, and walked in a childish way, making the bells and metal beads on her outfit jingle and sing out.
"I can see the many different futures that CAN happen, but only if that person opens themself up to me. That girl, Roxine, is too shut up for me to even see her heart colors. It's isn't really a bad thing to be shut up like that, but it isn't really good either," She swayed as she walked and then jumped up on a bench and walked across it.
"It's like locking yourself inside. You don't get hurt or anything, but you start to get weak and crazy. You can do that to your own spirit and heart," She smiled in her odd way and skipped off of the bench and proceeded to follow Celit.

"But, usually, if someone came into my shop, they were willing to let those walls down enough," She shrugged and started to fiddle with one of the bells on her skirt. Her white eyes watched all the things around them, but she didn't really take in anything that she saw, she was just...looking, trying to keep herself busy and to keep herself from staring at the young man that she accompanied.

"Xenos" was about to reply to Roxy, though deeply amused by her temper. She had a temper like that experiment girl indeed! Chaos and Metlam genes were surely a contributer to that though. Though, he soon moved out into the hall again so that Roxy and her companion could speak. He made no sound of displeasure or irritation as he moved. He knew that this would take some time, so he wasn't too worried about it. What he was displeased with was the fact that this girl wouldn't leave him be. He hadn't had any true interaction with a female, in a friendly way, since before Genesis started to degrade. So, it was understandable that he felt uncomfortable with her around, especially since he couldn't strike fear into her heart yet. Damn plans of his. They always had some negitve to them.

"It is a stressful time. They do not know me, they do not trust me. It is all understandable. Though, their family knows my father quite well," He huffed with his act. He had to play this out correctly. He had to make them think that his story was his true story, and what better way to start then with this annoying lil' girl? She would fall the hardest when he let his true identity break free.


Ceol watched as the door closed and handed the papers over.
"Like I said, I don't know if it will help with Sephiroth much if at all, but I think it may... It may put some light onto who YOU are..." He said as he took some of the papers back and flipped to a page that he remembered reading. It was the last page of the report that he had, though it was clear there was more of the report exsisting.

"'I injected a man, Subject V.V, with Chaos as his body started to decompose from death..." He looked at Roxine.
"Wasn't your father the first and only PURE chaos experiment? And isn't his initials VV?" He asked as he stared her down. He wanted to understand it all too...

[Knight]

Into the night,
Desperate and broken,
The sound of a fight,
Father has spoken.

Celit nodded absently, mulling over the fortune tellers words solemnly. If she could see the future, then perhaps she might be an important asset to their group. She could help them along the path that they were all feeling their way along, dreaming of one day living up to their parents' legacies. All of them shouldered the silent burdens of trying to be their parents. But they weren't their parents, were they? Celit grinned at the philosophical turn of his thoughts. Useless at the moment, but interesting all the same.

"Rox is what you could call . . . guarded." Celit said with a shrug, "She gets a lot of it from her family. Her father is Vincent Valentine. You don't grow up around him without getting some of his silence. And she's always been her sister's guardian. There's never really been anyone looking out for her. Their family tends to focus on Sidra." Who Celit happened to prefer more than Roxine, but that was a moot point.

He looked amused by the sight of the girl walking across the bench, a smile forming on his face as she leaped lightly down. "Makes me feel bad for her dad." Living like that for so many years must not have been pleasant. But they said he'd begun to open up, to loosen since he'd met Roxine and Sidra's mother. If that was true, then the Vincent Valentine before Alicia must have been something to behold.

Hmm. Perhaps once Sephiroth was gone, he could get his own fortune told. Though if they didn't defeat Sephiroth, that would be the least of his worries. He'd probably be dead if they didn't beat Sephiroth, after all. And the buster sword would have lost another handler. His sword didn't exactly have the best legacy; it had been forged in blood by its recent handlers, handed from dying hand to dying hand.

Alia stirred slightly when Xenos spoke, glancing at the stranger curiously. "They know your family?" She questioned curiously. Okay, probably not the smartest question ever, but Alia wanted to know a little bit more about that story. Maybe that was why he seemed more interested in Roxy than her. And maybe it had nothing to do with Roxy at all. Which made Alia feel slightly better. "These may be trying times, but that's no reason to be alienate potential allies." Alia added absently after a moment.

If they were to destroy Sephiroth, they'd need all the help they could get. Alia had no delusions. She knew that they weren't as strong as their parents had been (or maybe it was only her), but none of them were Cloud Strife or Vincent Valentine or Genesis Rhapsodos or even Zack Fair. Or Aerith Gainsborough, to be fair. None of them were their parents and they would never do what their parents did. They would have to forge their own legacy.

As Alia spoke, Celit and his companion wandered up to them. They had completed their tour of the house it seemed, and hadn't found a thing out of place. He glanced at his companion curiously, "Well, looks like we've checked out everything. I didn't notice anything up, did you?" With that, he turned his attention towards Alia and the stranger, looking them up and down curiously. "Hello!" He said cheerfully, though he was a little confused by the sudden appearance of this man.

Roxine, meanwhile, stood solemnly inside the room, examining the pages silently. "Perhaps understanding me is the key to understanding Sephiroth." Roxy muttered distantly. "He is my brother after all. We're more closely entwined than my father would admit." Exhaling softly, Roxine watched as Ceol flipped through the report until he reached the final page of the papers that she held.

She nodded her head as he spoke, biting down on her lip. "Yes, he was the only pure Chaos experiment. And those are his initials. But he never said anything about being dead. This doesn't make sense." The pit in her stomach seemed to grow heavier. Roxine didn't want to read this report. She had a sneaking suspicion that she wouldn't like what it contained. But Roxine woodenly examined the page, forcing herself to read the words and information upon the page.

"Who is this woman?" She asked at last, glancing at Ceol. The name wasn't familiar to Roxine. Her father had never spoken of Sephiroth's mother in anything other than passing, stating that she was no longer a part of his life, so Roxine wasn't making any connections in this moment.

We were the kings and queens of promise,
We were the victims of ourselves,
Maybe the children of a lesser god,
Between heaven and hell,
Heaven and hell.

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