Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to anything within the Final Fantasy VII Compilation and that will remain true through this entire story, unfortunately.

A/N: I edited this story before I posted each chapter, but in going back over it again once it was finished there were a few small things I found. Nothing that might detract from the story, but enough that I want to go ahead and post the edits. I have the whole things finished so it will only be a matter of posting the revised chapter. I hope that any readers enjoy the story!

A/N 2: Also, I want to state up front that occasionally I may add a note during certain chapters for a soundtrack. Not every chapter will have one, but special ones will have song/s that add to them in some way. Thank you for reading, and please let me know what you think, good or bad.

Chapter 1

Genesis only stumbled a little when he finally got his door open. It had taken him longer than it should have to get the key to work correctly. He almost lost his temper and melted the key in his hand before it clicked into place. Once the door was open, he stifled a laugh as he thought about the night he was just getting back from.

He and Angeal had managed to rope Sephiroth into an evening out. They were seldom in town at the same time for any length of time and even when they were, it was hard to pry the General from work long enough to get out and enjoy himself. Today had been the third day in a row they had all been at headquarters together and the beginning of the weekend. Since none of them had any missions planned for at least another week, they had been able to convince Sephiroth that it was okay to get out and relax a little. He hadn't stayed out with them the whole time. He left a couple of hours before Angeal and Genesis decided to call it a night.

Genesis huffed at the thought of Sephiroth abandoning them, when it had been for his benefit in the first place, but they had enjoyed the rest of the evening nonetheless. None of them drank often as they had many responsibilities, added to the fact that it took a lot of alcohol for them to be affected. Genesis was still feeling slightly fuzzy, but it was fading quickly. He sighed at the thought that it might not have been worth the hangover now that he was sobering up. His only consolation was that it would be morning before he had to deal with it and the same mako enhancements that caused the alcohol to flee his system so quickly would also be responsible for helping clear his hangover.

He didn't bother turning on the light in his bedroom as he entered. There was enough light from the window to allow his enhanced eyesight to see well enough to get ready for bed, something he was looking forward to immensely. He had already taken off his duster and hung it in the hall closet before entering his room, so he was only fighting to get his boots off. He sat on the edge of the bed to pull off the second one and started to flop back when he noticed it was already occupied.

He jerked back up awkwardly before he accidentally touched the other person. His shock gave way to irritation as the moonlight shone on the head of silver hair that just peeked out from under the covers. The face was away from him but there was only one person he knew with that color of hair. He reached out to roughly shake the figure and called out at the same time. "Sephiroth, you're in the wrong apartment. I didn't think you had that much to drink."

When the figure didn't immediately move Genesis reached out and turned on the lamp then shook the figure again. "Get up. I need sleep and you need to get back to your own bed. Mine is off limits."

The figure finally stirred but didn't awaken. Genesis huffed in irritation again, this time he stood and turned on the light before he yanked the covers off the figure. The person sat up immediately, still obviously sleepy but becoming more alert by the second.

When the figure sat up Genesis froze in shock. His stillness finally broke when the figure locked eyes with him. It was not his friend and rival, instead it was a woman he had never laid eyes on before. Her shock at seeing him seemed to be just as deep. Under normal circumstances Genesis would have already reacted but between his still fuzzy thoughts and his shock, the woman moved first; standing and looking around wildly. He was even further shocked by her state of undress. She was wearing nothing except a t-shirt and underwear leaving her legs completely bare.

His attention was brought back to her face when she finally started yelling. "What the hell is going on? Who the hell are you and where am I?"

A furrow formed between his eyes at her outburst. "I should be the one asking those questions. You were in my bed after all." He watched as confusion washed over her face. This was quickly becoming the strangest encounter he had ever had. He knew people from his fan club could be… extremely forthright and aggressive, but this was going too far. He moved to take her by the arm and escort her out of his room immediately, finding he cared less about the how currently and more about getting her out of his rooms.

Before he could place his hands on her however, she jumped to the side and grabbed the lamp from the bedside table, holding it in between them like a weapon. "Don't come near me!" She brandished the lamp as if she were either going to swing it at him or throw it.

Any remaining buzz he had felt was fading in the face of these ludicrous circumstances. He was now extremely tired and done with this situation. He glowered at the woman and moved toward her, ducking the lamp when she finally threw it. When he had moved to pull the covers off the bed he had made the mistake of allowing her to be closer to the door. She hadn't waited to see if the lamp connected before she took advantage of that fact and raced out the door.

The apartment wasn't large, but she was slowed by the unfamiliar layout. She made it nearly to the door, when Genesis caught up to her. He was beyond frustrated at this point. He wasn't normally one to raise a hand in anger to a woman, but he was done playing around. He grabbed her arm, spun her around, and quickly had her pinned to the wall just to the left of the door. "What are you doing!?" His voice was rougher than he would have liked but he could already feel the beginning of a headache and his near to non-existent patience was shot. He watched in confusion as her lower lip trembled slightly in fear. Her eyes held nothing but anger though. He had gripped her with his left hand holding her right wrist against the wall slightly above her head. His other hand was around her throat, not hard enough to choke her but still pinning her firmly against the wall. Her free hand grasped at his fingers, trying to pull his hand away.

Neither of them had noticed the pounding on the door right next to them, both were trying to figure out what had happened and working to get themselves back under control. Their eye contact was broken when a deep voice called out in accompaniment to the pounding. "Genesis, what's going on in there?"

Genesis recognized Angeal's voice and only sighed. It seemed as if their little scuffle had been louder than he realized. He only hoped it had not roused the puppy and the General as well. His attention was dragged back to the woman he still held as he heard her whisper his name. The look on her face was dumbfounded. Before he could process this new change, her eyes widened then rolled back. Her body stiffened unnaturally under his hands and she let out an ear-piercing scream.

It seemed to go on for minutes, making his sensitive ears ring horribly once it was cut off finally. Her body fell slack when the scream ended, only held up by his grasp on her arm and neck. It was at that moment that the door finally crashed open, revealing a worried Angeal followed quickly by a scowling Sephiroth. When their eyes fell on the scene in front of them Angeal's worry quickly turned to upset. "What did you do Genesis?"

Genesis was shocked at the question, only realizing after he opened his mouth to rebuke his friend, how this situation must look. He closed his mouth and released his grasp, catching the unconscious woman before she could fall. He pulled her slack form up into his arms and fully faced his two friends. "I didn't do anything. She was in my bed when I came in tonight. I have no idea who she is or how she got in here."

Angeal gave him a skeptical look. "If you didn't do anything then why was she screaming, and why was she pinned to the wall? You should know better than to treat an unarmed person that way." Sephiroth only continued to scowl.

Genesis rolled his eyes at Angeal. "I was only trying to stop her from running. I didn't hurt her if that's what you're asking. I have no idea why she screamed."

Sephiroth spoke up at this point. "She could be a desperate stalker or a spy. It couldn't have been easy to sneak onto the SOLDIER floor. Why don't we take her to a holding cell for now?"

Genesis paused at that suggestion. He was tired and really just wanted sleep at this point, but he was hesitant to get the security division involved unless it was proved that she was more than just a fan. She had done nothing to indicate she meant any harm. Instead she tried to flee. He understood it could have been an act but if it was, she was really good. For now, he wanted answers but didn't want her harmed if it proved she had no nefarious intentions. "Fine, but I don't want the Turks involved until we get some answers. We can have some Thirds watch her."

If Angeal and Sephiroth were surprised by the request they didn't show it, only nodding in agreement. They started back out the door, looks of chagrin on their faces when they saw it broken on the floor. Everyone had forgotten about it in the hurry to get to the bottom of the situation. Genesis stopped them and handed the girl to Angeal without a word. Angeal took her with a confused look but didn't bother to ask. His confusion was cleared when Genesis returned a few minutes later fully dressed. He grabbed his duster and took the girl back, not bothering to worry about the door Angeal propped up as they walked down the hall.

Clarissa woke up to the feeling of her head pounding and nausea trying to fight its way up her throat. She was used to waking up with migraines, some bad enough to keep her from moving for days at a time, barely able to keep water down. This one already felt like one of the bad ones and she hadn't even moved yet. Light was already piercing her eyes and she hadn't even opened them. It took some time for her pain addled mind to realize it was far too bright, even if it had been daylight, she kept her curtains closed in her bedroom and they were blackout curtains so very little light should have made it into her room.

She shielded her eyes with her hands before opening them, allowing the light to seep through her fingers a little at a time until her sight became more accustomed to the brightness. It still felt like knives were gouging them and pushing through the back of her head, but she was able to see well enough to recognize this was not her bedroom. She staggered to her feet trying to make sense of what was going on. She had gone to sleep in her own bed and had no memory of leaving it. She vaguely recalled some strange dreams, but she had never slept walked before so dismissed the idea.

Wherever she was, her head could not have picked a worse time to disable her. She fought through the pain, barely able to focus long enough to see it was a small room with no windows and one door. The only thing in it was the cot she had been laying on and the half wall she was leaning against. She managed to twist her body, so she could see over the partition and found a stainless-steel toilet.

Looking around the room again it finally hit her that it looked suspiciously like a jail cell. That thought was quickly followed by her nausea letting her know it wouldn't wait any longer. She barely made it around the partition before the last of what was still on her stomach made its way out.

After her dry heaves had finally stopped she couldn't manage to do more than lay her head on the cool tile of the floor. She vaguely thought about how disgusting her position was, especially since she had no idea of her location, and thus no idea how clean the floor might be. She was comforted by the thought that she couldn't even see any dust. It's lack pointing to cleaner rather than less so.

She had no idea how long she laid there, the cool floor the only comfort she could get. No one had come in to check on her or interact with her at all. She wasn't sure if that was a bad thing or not. She decided she wouldn't have cared to speak with anyone right now anyway, so she counted her blessings.

She managed to stand, her stomach revolting when she did. She stood still for a moment to make sure it was safe to leave her spot. Once she was sure there was nothing else coming up she moved to lie back down. Before she reached the tiny cot, a thought struck her, and she moved slowly to check the door knob. She was unsurprised to find it locked but she would have derided herself for not checking at least had it been open.

With a mental shrug she laid down and pulled the thin covers over herself before putting the pillow on top of her face. It barely managed to block most of the light, but it was better than nothing. She focused on breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth slowly. Focusing on something other than her pain allowed her to relax enough to doze.

She was awoken some time later by the sound of the door opening. She jerked when she heard the heavy steps on the tile and cursed when the movement caused the cycle to start over again. Ignoring whoever had disturbed her she turned towards the wall and clamped the pillow tighter over her head.

A man's voice broke the silence causing her to cringe under her makeshift shelter. "Sit up."

Given the circumstances she was in she knew it would probably be a good idea to obey but she was close to being sick again. Staying as still as possible was the only thing keeping her from needing to empty her stomach.

The voice interrupted her thoughts once again. "We have questions for you, it's important that you sit up and answer them."

The voice had a note of irritation to it. She assumed she was putting someone out but still didn't move. When he added a sharp "Now!" she finally moved just enough to raise the middle finger of her left hand before allowing it to fall back on top of the pillow over her head. She heard the sharp intake of breath and another man's attempt to stifle a chuckle. She made a note of the fact that there were at least two people in the room with her now but couldn't bring herself to care. This was beginning to rank among her top migraines ever.

She heard two sets of footsteps leave the room and the door clicked closed. She was only thankful that silence had descended. She hadn't had much time to recover when the door opened again. This time the voice was much deeper. "I understand you are in some kind of pain. Would you please speak with us, so we can see if we can help?" If she hadn't been in so much pain she might have enjoyed listening to him speak. As it was, it scraped against her already fraying nerves causing her to finally sit up and face them, a scathing remark on the tip of her tongue that died when her eyes landed on the man in front of her.

He was tall, taller than anyone she had ever met. His impossibly silver hair reached down to his knees, falling passed large silver pauldrons on both shoulders. They were attached to a long black duster that covered black pants and boots, but strangely enough he wasn't wearing a shirt. She had a feeling he looked familiar, but her brain was fuzzier than normal. This migraine seemed to be doing a number on her cognitive functions.

His expression changed to one of shock when she finally locked gazes with him. His eyes were so green they were glowing. It was such a strange sight that she just stared, not able to make sense of what she was seeing. She watched as his gaze flicked to another man standing in the doorway and spoke. "You didn't mention her eyes."

She had no idea what he was talking about but followed his gaze to the other man, her shock growing. He had bright red hair and a duster similar to the man in front of her except his was red with black pauldrons. Again, something was pushing at her memory, but she was having a hard time grasping it. When it finally dawned on her what it was she gasped. The men in front of her were Sephiroth and Genesis Rhapsodos.

Her thoughts scattered at that point. Her brain had already pushed passed its limits trying to figure out what was going on. It immediately went to cosplay figures she had seen in the past, but she couldn't figure out how they got their eyes to glow like that. It also struck her that if they were cosplaying, why would they have her in what was obviously a detainment cell and asking her questions.

She stood up to better face what she perceived as a threat, but when she did her stomach reminded her it didn't appreciate sudden movements. Her eyes widened slightly as she realized she might not make it. She rushed passed the tall, silver haired man, not caring that she bumped him hard in her rush to get behind the partition before she lost it again. She barely made it in time before her traitorous body started trying to bring up anything that was still left. She couldn't bring herself to care if it made the men uncomfortable. The bile that was burning her throat only added to her misery.

When the spasms in her stomach finally subsided, she sat and leaned against the wall. She had started weeping at some point during the last few minutes, only noticing her own tears when the sobs made her head pound even harder. She concentrated on stopping the wrenching breaths and managed to calm enough that she didn't want to bang her head against the wall, but she couldn't stop the flow of tears.

She had almost forgotten that she wasn't alone, only being reminded when a hand touched her shoulder. She jumped and screamed, regretting it instantly. She covered her face with her hands to block the light as well as the sight of the strangers. She couldn't deal with this right now. She wished she could black out finally, but it never worked that way.

She could feel the presence of a person kneeling next to her but refused to budge. She couldn't have gotten far had she tried. It was an effort just to keep from bawling or throwing up again. She was surprised when she felt herself being lifted, an arm under her shoulders and another under her knees. She finally uncovered her face and found the face of the red-head inches from her own.

She didn't get a chance to protest or ask what he was doing before he spoke. "Be still." His words were brusque, but he held her gently. Her surprise kept her from objecting.

He stood with her in his arms and headed for the door, stopping when the other man called out. "Genesis, where are you going?"

Clarissa tried focusing on the man holding her when she heard his name called. Her mind refused to allow that she had heard correctly. Whoever these people were, they were taking it too far. She tried to push away but only succeeded in making him give her a stern look and having him grasp her a little tighter. If she had been feeling anything but miserable she might have been able to do more but she currently barely had the strength to lift her head. Giving up for the moment she laid her head on the stranger's chest where she could hear his response reverberating. "She is obviously in no shape to speak. I'm taking her to the infirmary. We can revisit the issue when she isn't in this state."

She wasn't sure if that made her feel better or not. The whole situation was too strange, especially since she could barely think. The silver haired man hadn't budged from the doorway though, blocking them from leaving. "I understand, but you do realize the halls are likely to be busy at this time of day?"

"And your point is?" If Clarissa had been feeling better, she might have laughed at his nonchalant answer. As it was she barely managed a small smile.

"I don't believe it would be appropriate to walk around with her… in that state." She was almost offended at his statement until she realized he was talking about her state of undress. The fact that she was still in nothing but her sleeping t-shirt had escaped her until he pointed it out.

Apparently, she had not been the only one to not think about it. She noticed the moment it dawned on the man holding her too. She wasn't looking at his face, but she could almost feel him rolling his eyes when his voiced dripped his unconcern. "If you think it's a problem then grab the blanket and move." She heard the other man sigh almost inaudibly then felt the blanket cover her. She was thankful that one of them thought to cover her at least. She had too much on her mind to care more than that.

She had closed her eyes again and buried her face into the man's chest to block out the light. She hadn't thought it was possible, but it got even brighter when they left the small room. She tried to focus on the sound of his footsteps instead of the rocking motion while he carried her, her stomach rebelled at it. They had only been walking a moment when she felt something cool wash over her and her stomach started feeling better almost instantly. She looked up but the man holding her was looking forward. She decided she would just be thankful that it didn't feel like she was going to puke on him anymore before she laid her head back down. She was thankful though when they finally stopped. She heard the swish of a door and voices before she was laid down again. She immediately turned on her side and curled in on herself.

"Commander Rhapsodos! What's going on? Who is this?" There were several voices all clamoring to be heard at the same time causing Clarissa to only bury her face further into the mattress in an effort to block it all out. They suddenly stopped, and she was able to hear another set of footsteps nearby. "Ah, General Sephiroth!? What brings you and the Commander here today?"

As she lay there listening to the voices around her the only thing she could think was that this was either the most elaborate prank anyone had ever pulled or there was something seriously messed up. If it was a prank the timing couldn't be any worse. She couldn't think of any of her few friends that could or would pull it off which made her head hurt even worse.

Her thoughts were broken by the distinctive voice of the tall man with silver hair. "She is involved in an investigation, but it appears as if there is something wrong. She also appears to be in quite a lot of pain. Please see what you can find out and immediately let me know when you conclude."

There was a chorus of 'Yes sir!' before quiet mumbling started back up. She wasn't paying attention to it so when something cool touched her forehead she jumped in surprise and had to repress a sigh when she opened her eyes. The red head had laid a hand on her forehead and the cool leather of his glove felt wonderful. She closed her eyes again and frowned when he withdrew. His absence was quickly filled with a group of people in white lab coats.

It only took her moments to realize this had to be more than an elaborate joke. One of the people flashed a light in her eyes causing her to cringe involuntarily while another took her arm to check her vitals. Some decision must have been made when they turned to each other and nodded. The one that had her arm laid it down for a moment to return with a syringe. "This should help you feel better so just relax."

Clarissa was used to needles but was worried about the strange situation. She didn't have the strength to fight it at the moment. When she found the pain lessening and her consciousness started to fade she realized she didn't really care anyway.