Butterfly Effect: Chapter 31
Oct. 28th, 2007 12:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bard_linnAuthors: Bard Linn and Kiraya
Genre: General/Drama
Pairings: That'd be telling!
Rating (Overall): PG-13
Summary: “Very nice. I’ve been wanting to have this one for a while.”
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all associated characters and symbols are the exclusive property of Square Enix and its associates. We’re just borrowing them for a while.
Chapter 31
Mount Nibel.
The mountain had never been very appealing to Cloud, even when he was growing up in its shadow. It had an ominous feeling about it that he’d never been able to fully ignore. The blond had often felt almost as if the huge structure was staring down at him with unseen eyes. Only the fact that Vincent had lived a little further up had coaxed him from the relative safety of town when he was a child. Cloud did not like the mountain.
Of course, getting nearly flambéed by a dragon at a young age might have had something to do with it, but...
Now, for the first time in his life, he was looking down at the mountain instead of the other way around. It amused Cloud somewhat that they were taking the same route Hojo had used to spy on their mission four years ago, flying in by helicopter and stopping in the middle of the mountain range.
The plan was to survey the reactor, the town, and, most especially, the Shinra mansion. It had been surprisingly easy to get the President to allow them to investigate the incidents Tifa had described in her letter, particularly because the report had come from a civilian rather than a ShinRa operative. Rufus Shinra, it seemed, believed in being proactive when possible. It had been even easier for Cloud to be assigned to the mission. Vincent and Sephiroth were givens, of course, and Zack would bring down the Plate before allowing his friend to go after Hojo alone, but Cloud had half expected to have to create some elaborate scheme to get to go along. As it turned out, however, the new president himself had suggested Cloud accompany the mission, pointing out his dedication and familiarity with the region. The SOLDIER Second had privately suspected that he’d been sent along largely to keep an eye on Vincent as well, but that was perfectly fine with him since he’d have done it anyway.
“So how are we going to do this — investigate one at a time or split up?” Cloud asked, glancing between the other occupants of the chopper.
“Split up, I think,” Zack suggested. “We’ll be closer to the reactor when we land, but if we all up there and then head back it’ll be after dark by the time we get to town.”
Sephiroth nodded in agreement. “Two pairs should be fine.”
“Right! Well, let’s draw straws again!” Zack suggested, eyes bright.
“Again?” Cloud groaned, remembering the last time the SOLDIER First had pulled this. “I guess, as long as this time you don’t rig—” He stopped rather abruptly, clamping his mouth shut.
Sephiroth had gone very still. “…Please, Strife, do finish your sentence,” he said crisply.
Cloud forced himself not to fidget as the General turned one of his iciest glares towards him. “Um…”
“Leave the kid alone, Seph. I made him do it,” Zack put in, sighing. “Maybe it sounds stupid, but I didn’t want you going up to a reactor Hojo could’ve messing with, okay?”
If anything, Sephiroth only seemed to become more remote. “If you insist on doing such things out of some pointless need to protect me—”
“Odin’s blood, Seph! I did it because I was worried about you, okay?” Zack shot back. “I’m your friend, dammit — it’s my job to watch your back!” Cloud winced slightly at that as the helicopter came to rest, but he couldn’t help wondering if the dark-haired SOLDIER hadn’t been right to worry, considering how much Zack had been affected by whatever it was…
“We will still need to separate into two teams,” Vincent interjected, cutting off the argument before it really went anywhere. “As both Sinclair and I have already been to the reactor, I suggest we head there. Cloud can accompany Sephiroth to the town. He knows the way well enough, I believe, and would notice if anything seemed out of place.” The former Turk climbed out of the helicopter and turned to look at Zack, clearly expecting the SOLDIER to do the same.
Sephiroth exited first, moving to stand on the opposite side of the machine, determinedly not looking at Zack. The SOLDIER First sighed, and softly said to Cloud, “He’ll get over it. Just do your best — he won’t take it out on you unless he gets frustrated by your incompetence, and if there’s one thing you aren’t it’s incompetent.”
“Zack…” Cloud hesitated. “Be careful.”
Well aware what Cloud was referring to, Zack gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll be all right. I’m warned now, and that’s half the battle. Just go knock our General’s socks off with your incredible mission skills, okay?” The SOLDIER bounced down from the chopper, heading with Vincent off towards the reactor. Cloud followed suit a moment later, though with a bit less enthusiasm and heading in the opposite direction, following the silver-haired swordsman who had already started down the path towards Nibelheim. Please, he silently begged whomever was listening, keep them both safe. I can’t lose them, either of them.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Zack was privately grateful they were so close to the reactor rather than the town. It would take Cloud and Sephiroth some time to get there, which would hopefully allow Sephiroth a chance to cool down. The SOLDIER First wasn’t particularily happy that he had essentially dumped the brooding General in Cloud’s lap, but he hadn’t had much choice. They could hardly be claiming to be ‘splitting up’ if Sephiroth was the only one who didn’t go to the reactor.
And after what had happened last time, Zack would personally hand himself over to Hojo before he let Seph get within twenty feet of the place.
The SOLDIER couldn’t help his relief that Cloud had gone to the town as well. During the last reactor trip he hadn’t been affected the… thing in the reactor, but he had nearly been seriously hurt by Zack. And now that he was a SOLDIER… well, Zack had some suspicions about why only he had been affected by the thing — Cloud had been unenhanced, and whatever had been done to Vincent, it was pretty obvious it differed from the process SOLDIERs underwent.
“Thanks for keeping Cloud away from the reactor,” the SOLDIER said quietly as he followed Vincent up the mountain.
The Turk gave him a blank look. “It was the logical division of labor.”
Zack rolled his eyes. “Look, I may not be Turk trained, but do I know a few things about ‘em. One of them is once they have a Personage, they’ll do anything to protect them. You’re worried that thing might get Cloud too.”
Vincent nodded shortly. “The thought had occurred to me.”
“Glad I’m not just being paranoid, then.” The pair made their way through the materia cave, pausing at the entrance of the reactor. “Look,” Zack said, “if anything happens, just… do what you have to.”
The former Turk nodded, his hand placed upon his gun in silent promise. Zack took a deep breath, and they entered the facility.
The eerie silence despite the reactor’s active condition struck immediately, making it almost hard for Zack to breathe. His feet did not want to go forward; being inside the metal structure had made memories he had long tried to bury reawaken with a vengeance. He could be very well be walking to his own doom.
“…It’s quiet.”
Thank you, Captain Obvious! Zack almost rolled his eyes, but then he realized what Vincent had meant. Not only was it quiet to his ears, but the disjointed whispers that had murmured in the back of his mind on their last visit were missing.
Relief flooded through him, but at the same time he couldn’t help a frown. Where had Jenova gone…?
The pair exchanged a glance, and acting almost as one they sprinted through the reactor, quickly reaching its core. The formerly sealed door bearing the name Jenova lay open — and the chamber behind it was empty.
“This doesn’t make any sense,” Zack mused aloud, frowning. “She was here for the last inspection…” He glared at the empty room as if demanding it tell him where its former occupant had gone.
“And when the reactor team made routine repairs two months ago.”
“She had to have been moved recently,” Zack concluded. “It’s gotta be Hojo, but… where would he take her? It doesn’t seem like something you could just toss in a box and haul out of here — at least, not very far…” Whatever it was, it had definitely been alive in some fashion. It probably needed some sort of complicated feeding system, which required a laborator—
Oh no.
Zack felt like someone had punched him in the gut. “Vincent,” he said slowly, “didn’t you say there was a lab in the basement of the Shinra mansion?”
The red-cloaked man went very still at that. There was indeed a lab in the basement of the Shinra mansion — the very same mansion to which they’d just sent Cloud and a decidedly out-of-sorts Sephiroth.
“Shit,” Zack cursed with feeling, reading the man’s sudden silence as confirmation.
A low growl was Vincent’s only response, and his form blurred around the edges—
Having been witness to one of these changes before, Zack wasn’t as shocked this time. He was, however, beginning to wonder exactly how many of these different forms Vincent had.
Without so much as turning to acknowledge him, the horned lupine beast that had been Vincent Valentine took off towards the reactor entrance, moving far more rapidly than Zack had expected. Biting off another curse, he cast Haste on himself and raced after him, not willing to let the creature out of his sight. “It’ll be faster if we take the chopper!” he hollered after it, though he wasn’t sure if Vincent could even understand him like this. Screw the possibility of warning Hojo — they had to land right in the middle of town.
They’d never get to Sephiroth and Cloud in time otherwise.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cloud trailed slightly behind Sephiroth, trying to stay close enough that he was not in the General’s personal space, but not so far away the man would get the impression the blond was afraid of him. Which he wasn’t. Did he respect Sephiroth? Of course. But even with his current dark demeanor, Cloud wasn’t afraid of him. A little upset at himself for going along with Zack’s plan last time, and for being so stupid as to spill the beans about it, but not afraid. Perhaps wary would be a better word for what he was feeling…
Despite his best efforts, however, Sephiroth continued to look back at him as they traveled down the mountain range towards town. They were making far better time than they had their first trip, Cloud noted, and he had to wonder how much of it was because they had no non-enhanced members in their party. He and Tifa must have slowed them down a lot… though, he reminded himself, knowing exactly where they were going this time was probably helping….
“I am not… upset with you, Strife,” Sephiroth finally said. “Whatever part you played in Zack’s trick was undoubtedly minor, and I understand that, as he was your superior officer, you could not have refused him.”
Cloud nodded, and after a moment’s hesitation ventured to add, “Sir… Zack just cares about you, is all. He wants you to be safe. It can annoying when he gets protective like that, but…” He shrugged. “Vincent can be the same way. You just… learn to live with it.”
Any reply Sephiroth might have made was cut off by a roar, and both SOLDIERs jumped aside as a tongue of fire seared the spot where they had been. Cloud glared at the dragon, a female guarding her nest, from the looks of it. “I hate dragons,” he muttered, drawing his swords as Sephiroth did the same.
“Go from the left,” the black-clad man instructed. Cloud nodded and circled wide, attempting to create a two-point attack as Sephiroth went right. He silently wished he was as good as Zack — the dark-haired man would have read Sephiroth’s intentions without a word.
A moment later the silver-haired man blurred into action, striking the dragon’s flank. Cloud followed a precious second later, his blades clanging against the hard scales without significant damage. The Masamune, at least, had drawn blood, but the cut looked shallow.
I really hate dragons.
Cloud caught sight of the green, glowing light on Sephiroth’s blade and dashed out of range. A moment later the Thundaga spell struck, frying the delicate membranes on the dragon’s wings. She screamed in fury, flapping her now-useless wings and unleashing another blast of fire.
This time, Cloud didn’t dodge, instead gritting his teeth and running into the flame, somersaulting and slashing downward, managing to hit the thing’s eye, blinding it. Sephiroth was a step behind, the Masamune thrusting deep into its brain. The dragon’s battle shriek was cut off suddenly, its body thrashing violently for a moment before it slowly crumpled to the ground.
Mercilessly efficient, Sephiroth cast a Blizzara on the eggs, rendering the shells brittle, then fired off another Thundaga, killing the growing dragonets within. Cloud, meanwhile, carefully cleaned his blades before sheathing them once more.
“Do you require healing?”
Cloud blinked, momentarily surprised by the question, but then shook his head. He gestured with his hand at the gold bracer on his arm, the same one Vincent had given him for his birthday years ago. “Elemental-Fire combination.” He’d made sure to keep his Elemental and Cure equipped as often as he could since he’d gotten them, trying to strengthen them so he could tap into their greater powers. His other materia still had a ways to go, though he could almost reach the second spell in his Lightning materia — it had come in handy defensively when he was in Wutai.
“A wise choice.”
“Getting roasted by a dragon once was more than enough for me,” Cloud replied.
Sephiroth “hmm”ed in response, his lips quirking slightly as he gestured for Cloud to continue following him. The Second did, eyeing the dragon’s carcass carefully as they went; it wouldn’t be the first time he’d thought a monster dead only to have it come back when he least expected it.
After a short while Sephiroth spoke again. “…I can understand Zack’s urge to protect me.” Green eyes flickered back to the figure behind him, and Cloud really hoped his superior wasn’t having an urge to protect him. “I suppose… I should have adjusted to it by now.”
“Yeah, well, Zack takes a lot of work to get used to,” Cloud replied, trying to lighten the mood. “I hate to think what kind of insanity he’d come up with when faced with a dragon.”
Sephiroth nodded, and after a moment said, “He had a most… unusual plan of attack when we fought a blue dragon together once.”
“Oh?” Cloud’s eyes all but lit up. “Where was this?”
“We were on a mission up at the glacier near Icicle Inn some years ago. A squad had gotten lost by the cliffs…”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It took Sephiroth some time to get used to having Cloud at his back rather than Zack. Despite having known each other for as long as they had — had it truly been four years since the last Nibelheim mission? — they had rarely worked together professionally, and Zack had accompanied them most of those times. Unlike other SOLDIERs Sephiroth had worked with, Cloud had a certain feel about him reminiscent of Zack, undoubtedly due to his aide’s teaching. The young man’s style was all his own, though, blending elements of Vincent’s and Sephiroth’s with Zack’s for something completely unique. It made for a slightly strange experience, but as he slowly began to adjust to it, Sephiroth found he liked it. They had done a good job training this SOLDIER, and he more than deserved his place within the ranks.
After the General finished his story, they passed the rest of the trip down the mountain in silence, both searching for any signs that Hojo had been traveling back and forth between the reactor and Nibelheim. The few unusual traces they found were rather old, which struck Sephiroth as odd. Zack had mentioned he’d seen evidence of scientific experiments in the reactor before they’d left on this mission, though he’d not been specific about it. Sephiroth wondered if Hojo truly was here; surely he would not have left the reactor alone so long if he was? It was likely he had stopped here briefly and left already.
As they drew near the town of Nibelheim, Sephiroth frowned, noting a cluster of figures in the distance. It appeared they had a welcoming committee… something he was not happy to see. They had been trying to keep this quiet.
“General Sephiroth… We weren’t aware you were coming,” Mayor Lockhart greeted them as they entered town. “Is there something you require?”
“We received a report of suspicious activity in the area.”
“We sent no such report.” The man frowned. “Are you sure it is genuine?” His gaze slipped momentarily from Sephiroth to Cloud, eyes going cold. It took the General a minute to decipher the look, until he recalled that the mayor believed Cloud was engaged to his daughter, who had intended to marry the young man when he became a SOLDIER. If he remembered correctly, however, it was merely a ruse… though clearly one Mr. Lockhart hadn’t seen through.
“The report came from a reliable source,” Sephiroth replied smoothly. “We have already completed our survey of the surrounding area. We just need to inspect the town’s immediate vicinity and the Shinra mansion, and then we will conclude our visit. If you will excuse us…”
Lockhart moved quickly out of the way, allowing the SOLDIERs to pass. The pair circled the outskirts of town, but they could find nothing out of place. “…I guess that just leaves the mansion,” Cloud noted, and Sephiroth nodded in agreement. “Well, then… shall we go, sir?”
It was strange for Cloud to be entering the mansion through the front door rather than one of its secret passages, but the familiarity of the place almost made him smile, except… “Someone’s been here since Vincent’s left,” he commented, one hand on the hilt of his sword. “Things weren’t in this shape last time we were here…” Indeed, there was far less dust than there should have been, and some of the more decrepit parts of the staircase looked to have been repaired recently.
“You know the building structure better than I,” Sephiroth pointed out, turning to look at him. “Which area do you suggest we search first?”
“East wing, first floor, I guess.” Cloud paused for a moment, then suggested, “Or we could split up, you take downstairs and I’ll take upstairs—”
But the General was shaking his head. “I would rather not divide our forces again unless absolutely necessary.” He surveyed the room with his green eyes. “Some of this damage appears to be non-human in origin.”
“Yes, sir.”
They searched carefully, but found little evidence of human habitation other than the very little dust. Even the kitchen seemed unoccupied, and the handful of monsters they encountered seemed to indicate that, if Hojo had indeed been staying here, he had left some time ago.
“Well,” Cloud said finally, “there’s nothing down here.” He shifted slightly, and his next words seemed oddly reluctant. “I guess we’ll have to look upstairs…”
Sephiroth nodded, though it seemed his attention had been drawn to the grand piano in one corner of the room. Lightly brushing one of the white keys, he startled both himself and Cloud with the soft, surprisingly in-tune note it made.
“Sir?”
The silver-haired SOLDIER stared at the instrument, a faint memory surfacing — someone, a man, sitting here, saying… something. “…more to life than just…”
“Sir?” the blond ventured again, and the General shook his head free of the memory, wondering who the man had been. It couldn’t have been Hojo; it hadn’t looked much like him at all, and the voice had been too… kind. He raised a hand to his temple, trying to massage away the headache that had been building since they’d come within sight of the town. Despite what they said about Midgar, he found himself missing the city. At least when he suffered headaches there, he knew their cause: the absurdity of his so-called superiors. He hoped he wasn’t getting sick — he’d never been sick from anything but Mako treatments before, and if he started succumbing to other illnesses now Zack’s protective tendencies would only become worse.
“Are you all right?”
Sephiroth blinked, finally noticing blue eyes studying him in concern. He had forgotten how much Strife could be like Zack, including those protective tendencies… which, unfortunately, probably meant the boy — young man, really — wouldn’t accept him simply brushing the concern away. With more than a little reluctance, he admitted, “…For a moment, I had the strange feeling I’ve been here before.”
His subordinate hesitated, then spoke again. “That’s… not impossible, sir. It is likely you were born here, after all, and we don’t know when you moved to Midgar.”
If I was ‘born’ at all, Sephiroth thought, suddenly bitter. He had no memories of his mother, and his father… well, the man who claimed that title had never shown an inclination towards paternal care. He didn’t particularly care to think about his childhood and issues of family.
::mysonmysonmysonmyson—::
Suddenly restless, the General turned away from the piano. “Let’s move on.”
The rest of the investigation went quickly. The upper levels of the house had that same unoccupied feeling to them, and were for the most part undisturbed under the layers of dust, except for the stone wall in one of the east wing rooms. Without hesitation, Sephiroth touched the hidden switch nearby, opening the hidden passage to the basement.
“I didn’t know you knew about that, sir,” Cloud commented, coming to stand beside his superior.
“It was mentioned in some of the old blueprints the President’s investigators uncovered,” Sephiroth replied, eyes on the unsteady wood of the staircase as he began his descent. Cloud followed a few steps behind, senses alert.
The rough-hewn hall at the bottom was even more unassuming than the primitive stairwell they’d just descended, but Sephiroth barely paid it any mind as his steps quickened, moving towards the end of the hall. This was the last place, and it had to be—
Sephiroth’s pace slowed as he entered the library-laboratory, studying the bookshelves all around him. It had changed some in the years since he’d last been here, but he knew this place. Past blended with future as green eyes swept the room, examining every niche. He half expected to see one of the many scientists who’d hovered about him as a child to come around the corner, in one of those white lab coats—
“Hello, Sephiroth. We’ve been expecting you.”
::My Son My Son welcome My Son welcome at last at long last to Our Reunion o My Son::
The silver-haired man jerked in surprise, not so much at the appearance of their quarry as in response to the sudden, clear words in his mind. What the…?
“Hojo!” Cloud barked, glaring. His blade was held at the ready, Sephiroth noted absently. Why hadn’t he done the same?
::because there is nothing to fear:: whisper-sang the one-and-many voice in his mind, warm and welcoming and exultant, strange and yet somehow as familiar to him as the beating of his own heart. ::as long as You and I are together o My sweet beloved Son never shall there be anything to fear::
The scientist they had been searching for was standing directly before him, hands clasped behind his back, watching Sephiroth closely, as if making note of his every reaction. It was like something out of his memory-nightmares, where he had been weak and powerless before the man. But behind him…
::My Son o My Son Mother has been waiting so very long for You I have been waiting::
Sephiroth took a single step forward, hand sliding slowly off the Masamune’s hilt. The creature was very definitely nonhuman, almost monstrous in appearance, but She was so… so warm, offering acceptance on a deeper level than anyone else ever had, somehow inside him without ever having touched him…
Cloud also stepped forward, blue eyes flickering to his superior. “Dr. Hojo, you are under arrest for—”
“Oh, you brought a present,” the professor said sweetly, as if Cloud hadn’t spoken. “Very nice. I’ve been wanting to have this one for a while.”
::no:: Her — the creature’s — Mother’s voice interrupted suddenly, a sharpness to it that made Sephiroth start in surprise even as the comforting murmur behind it intensified, wrapping him tighter in its soothing warmth. ::kill it::
Hojo frowned. “But—”
::all is secondary to Him to My Son the child must be destroyed it will only get in the way::
“But a dead specimen is practically useless…” Hojo sighed, looking at Cloud regretfully. “Well, Sephiroth… you heard your mother.”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re trying to pull, but it isn’t going to work,” Cloud snapped, trying to move around the General and get a clear path to the scientist.
The voice that filled his mind and quieted his thoughts changed again, gently coaxing now. ::kill him My Son My sweet My dearest one he is trying to stop You from taking Your rightful place at My side kill him::
Sephiroth turned slowly, hand once again gripping Masamune. He stared into Cloud’s face, the blond’s eyes showing anger and uncertainty, but also complete trust in him.
…Why should he kill Strife? That didn’t make any sense.
The voice grew more insistent. ::kill him kill him kill him kill him now::
Sephiroth frowned. He — they — had worked too hard on Strife to just throw him away like that. He hadn’t done anything. Besides, Zack would kill him if anything happened to the young man.
::kill it::
He shook his head. …No.
::foolish boy you should listen to your Mother:: the voice declared, and suddenly that soft touch in his mind became white-hot pain, dark laughter echoing — let Me show you—
And then everything went dark.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The Galian Beast ran.
He ran over rock and soil, down mountainous slopes and through Mako-formed caves. He raced past monsters and dragons, not stopping to challenge them despite their angry cries.
Their cub was in danger, and he would not waste time for his pride.
He knew he could not run forever, though; he was strong, but he was also the least of those within his host. As he approached the great metal flying beast, he could feel his strength waning. Vincent would soon emerge again.
“Hey!” a human voice yelled from behind. “Wait! We’ll fly the chopper down to the village — it’ll be faster!”
::He’s right — as surprising as it may sound, coming from a Calamity-tainted mortal. Pull back — we’ll let the humans handle this for now.::
Obedient to the will of their leader, the beast withdrew into Vincent’s mind, triggering the transformation to return the man to his former state. The gunman shook his head as he straightened; these changes always disoriented him a bit.
“Valentine!”
Vincent turned. “Sinclair—”
“Man, it’s good to have you back.” The SOLDIER looked a bit worse for the wear, showing the strange glow around his eyes that indicated repeated spellcasting — Haste? — along with a few scrapes and the more normal signs of the sort of exhaustion one would associate with running down the side of a mountain at full speed. “Think you can land the chopper in the middle of town?”
“Most likely,” Vincent replied. “However, it’ll take away our element of surprise—”
“If he’s got Jenova down there we’re going to have bigger problems than that,” Sinclair interrupted. “Let’s move.”
The pair climbed into the helicopter, Vincent easily taking the driver’s seat while the other man fished a few things out of the supplies. “Need anything?”
“No,” Vincent replied, checking all of the systems briefly before starting the machine. He watched as Sinclair gulped down a potion, a hyper, and an ether one after another. He raised an eyebrow, well aware the drugs did not necessarily interact well.
“Upset stomach’s a small price to pay for staying upright,” the SOLDIER elaborated. “Can’t take the chance that I’ll keel over halfway through this.” Sinclair shut the first aid kit, checking his materia. “What’s our ETA?”
“Ten minutes.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cloud had to admit he’d been worried about letting Sephiroth down into the basement here. He knew Vincent had always had a difficult time being down there, even though the Turk had insisted they practice in the confined area (“This environment is different from the rest of the house, Cloud. What can you use as a weapon here?”). He’d had no idea how Sephiroth would react, if at all, to the place where he’d probably been born, but after the General had rejected his suggestion they split up to search the mansion, there wasn’t much he could’ve done about it.
The SOLDIER Second hadn’t noticed much of a change in the library except perhaps a bit less dust than he recalled, files and books stacked a little more neatly. He hadn’t realized anything was wrong until Hojo had spoken, and even then he wasn’t worried — until Sephiroth had turned to look at him with eyes that were first strangely blank, then sharp with a wicked gleam.
Cloud was almost too slow to raise Shiranui to block Sephiroth’s strike, staring at his superior officer in shock. “Sir! What in…?”
If it hadn’t been for Vincent’s training, he might have died from the next attack — but the former Turk had trained his student to fight in any situation, even when his mind wasn’t keeping up with the rest of him. He moved without conscious thought to parry the General’s attacks, but the man wasn’t holding back, and it was hard. Every time their swords clashed, Cloud felt his arms, screaming in protest, nearly give way. He retreated with each blow, giving ground rather than have his arms shattered.
Can’t keep retreating forever, his instincts pointed out. I’ll run out of room. Time to make this into my kind of fight. It wasn’t like he didn’t have any advantages in this situation; unlike Sephiroth, he’d fought down here before, and his weapon was shorter, more suitable for close-quarters fighting. The young man dodged left, the Masamune following—
Only to lodge in a bookcase as Cloud rolled away. He frowned as Sephiroth wrenched the blade free with none of his usual grace. That was sloppy… Cloud struggled to counter the next two attacks, then used the momentum of the third to propel himself upward, somersaulting over the nearest bookshelf. He kicked the piece of furniture, sending it crashing into Sephiroth; if he were lucky, it’d slow the General for a minute or two, at least—
Or not, the younger SOLDIER thought glumly as the wood and paper went up in flames, frowning as another thought occurred to him. Unless Sephiroth had changed his materia when Cloud wasn’t paying attention, he didn’t have a Fire equipped. Nibelheim was not a place one generally used fire magic, considering the dragons, unless it was paired with an Elemental.
Cloud reflexively jumped back, barely avoiding colliding with another shelf as tongues of flame leapt from the blaze, reaching for him. Normal fire spells did not do that. Rather than retreat again as the flames crept closer, Cloud ignored them, eyes trained on the Masamune. With his Elemental materia equipped, they wouldn’t do any damage.
And Sephiroth would know that.
The blond felt like someone had doused him with cold water. The odd behavior, the sloppiness of the swordwork, and now using fire, of all things, against him… they were not the work of General Sephiroth. Something else was calling the shots in Sephiroth’s body. If Cloud hadn’t seen it before, with both Zack and Vincent, he might have thought the General had gone insane, but he knew better.
Gritting his teeth as he countered Sephiroth’s blade yet again, the SOLDIER Second turned slowly, leading Sephiroth away from Hojo. As difficult as a fight on the stairs would be, the further he got the General from the scientist — or, more likely, the thing behind him — the more likely it was that Sephiroth would be able to fight it off. From the conversation he had observed between Vincent and Zack in the reactor years ago, and the few times either of them had been willing to talk about the Incident, Cloud knew that proximity and possibly pain were the best ways to shake that thing’s hold. While the one called Chaos had been able to snap Zack out of it, though, Cloud very much doubted he’d be able to wound the possessed General — sloppy or not, it was still Sephiroth — so his only option was to try to draw him as far away as he could.
Sephiroth followed him willingly enough, though Cloud’s retreat only caused more damage to the library and its contents, swords slashing through books and papers, sparking off the stone walls as they moved slowly down the hall. Glancing at them, the young man knew he had about fifteen feet before he hit the staircase. Getting close—
Suddenly the silver-haired SOLDIER stopped, a slow smile growing on his face as his gaze was drawn behind Cloud, and the Masamune shifted, aiming past him. Knowing it could be a trick and cursing himself even as he moved, Cloud couldn’t help turning to glance at what had caught the General’s attention, and his eyes went wide when he recognized the figure at the foot of the stairs.
It was Tifa.
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Genre: General/Drama
Pairings: That'd be telling!
Rating (Overall): PG-13
Summary: “Very nice. I’ve been wanting to have this one for a while.”
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all associated characters and symbols are the exclusive property of Square Enix and its associates. We’re just borrowing them for a while.
Chapter 31
Mount Nibel.
The mountain had never been very appealing to Cloud, even when he was growing up in its shadow. It had an ominous feeling about it that he’d never been able to fully ignore. The blond had often felt almost as if the huge structure was staring down at him with unseen eyes. Only the fact that Vincent had lived a little further up had coaxed him from the relative safety of town when he was a child. Cloud did not like the mountain.
Of course, getting nearly flambéed by a dragon at a young age might have had something to do with it, but...
Now, for the first time in his life, he was looking down at the mountain instead of the other way around. It amused Cloud somewhat that they were taking the same route Hojo had used to spy on their mission four years ago, flying in by helicopter and stopping in the middle of the mountain range.
The plan was to survey the reactor, the town, and, most especially, the Shinra mansion. It had been surprisingly easy to get the President to allow them to investigate the incidents Tifa had described in her letter, particularly because the report had come from a civilian rather than a ShinRa operative. Rufus Shinra, it seemed, believed in being proactive when possible. It had been even easier for Cloud to be assigned to the mission. Vincent and Sephiroth were givens, of course, and Zack would bring down the Plate before allowing his friend to go after Hojo alone, but Cloud had half expected to have to create some elaborate scheme to get to go along. As it turned out, however, the new president himself had suggested Cloud accompany the mission, pointing out his dedication and familiarity with the region. The SOLDIER Second had privately suspected that he’d been sent along largely to keep an eye on Vincent as well, but that was perfectly fine with him since he’d have done it anyway.
“So how are we going to do this — investigate one at a time or split up?” Cloud asked, glancing between the other occupants of the chopper.
“Split up, I think,” Zack suggested. “We’ll be closer to the reactor when we land, but if we all up there and then head back it’ll be after dark by the time we get to town.”
Sephiroth nodded in agreement. “Two pairs should be fine.”
“Right! Well, let’s draw straws again!” Zack suggested, eyes bright.
“Again?” Cloud groaned, remembering the last time the SOLDIER First had pulled this. “I guess, as long as this time you don’t rig—” He stopped rather abruptly, clamping his mouth shut.
Sephiroth had gone very still. “…Please, Strife, do finish your sentence,” he said crisply.
Cloud forced himself not to fidget as the General turned one of his iciest glares towards him. “Um…”
“Leave the kid alone, Seph. I made him do it,” Zack put in, sighing. “Maybe it sounds stupid, but I didn’t want you going up to a reactor Hojo could’ve messing with, okay?”
If anything, Sephiroth only seemed to become more remote. “If you insist on doing such things out of some pointless need to protect me—”
“Odin’s blood, Seph! I did it because I was worried about you, okay?” Zack shot back. “I’m your friend, dammit — it’s my job to watch your back!” Cloud winced slightly at that as the helicopter came to rest, but he couldn’t help wondering if the dark-haired SOLDIER hadn’t been right to worry, considering how much Zack had been affected by whatever it was…
“We will still need to separate into two teams,” Vincent interjected, cutting off the argument before it really went anywhere. “As both Sinclair and I have already been to the reactor, I suggest we head there. Cloud can accompany Sephiroth to the town. He knows the way well enough, I believe, and would notice if anything seemed out of place.” The former Turk climbed out of the helicopter and turned to look at Zack, clearly expecting the SOLDIER to do the same.
Sephiroth exited first, moving to stand on the opposite side of the machine, determinedly not looking at Zack. The SOLDIER First sighed, and softly said to Cloud, “He’ll get over it. Just do your best — he won’t take it out on you unless he gets frustrated by your incompetence, and if there’s one thing you aren’t it’s incompetent.”
“Zack…” Cloud hesitated. “Be careful.”
Well aware what Cloud was referring to, Zack gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll be all right. I’m warned now, and that’s half the battle. Just go knock our General’s socks off with your incredible mission skills, okay?” The SOLDIER bounced down from the chopper, heading with Vincent off towards the reactor. Cloud followed suit a moment later, though with a bit less enthusiasm and heading in the opposite direction, following the silver-haired swordsman who had already started down the path towards Nibelheim. Please, he silently begged whomever was listening, keep them both safe. I can’t lose them, either of them.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Zack was privately grateful they were so close to the reactor rather than the town. It would take Cloud and Sephiroth some time to get there, which would hopefully allow Sephiroth a chance to cool down. The SOLDIER First wasn’t particularily happy that he had essentially dumped the brooding General in Cloud’s lap, but he hadn’t had much choice. They could hardly be claiming to be ‘splitting up’ if Sephiroth was the only one who didn’t go to the reactor.
And after what had happened last time, Zack would personally hand himself over to Hojo before he let Seph get within twenty feet of the place.
The SOLDIER couldn’t help his relief that Cloud had gone to the town as well. During the last reactor trip he hadn’t been affected the… thing in the reactor, but he had nearly been seriously hurt by Zack. And now that he was a SOLDIER… well, Zack had some suspicions about why only he had been affected by the thing — Cloud had been unenhanced, and whatever had been done to Vincent, it was pretty obvious it differed from the process SOLDIERs underwent.
“Thanks for keeping Cloud away from the reactor,” the SOLDIER said quietly as he followed Vincent up the mountain.
The Turk gave him a blank look. “It was the logical division of labor.”
Zack rolled his eyes. “Look, I may not be Turk trained, but do I know a few things about ‘em. One of them is once they have a Personage, they’ll do anything to protect them. You’re worried that thing might get Cloud too.”
Vincent nodded shortly. “The thought had occurred to me.”
“Glad I’m not just being paranoid, then.” The pair made their way through the materia cave, pausing at the entrance of the reactor. “Look,” Zack said, “if anything happens, just… do what you have to.”
The former Turk nodded, his hand placed upon his gun in silent promise. Zack took a deep breath, and they entered the facility.
The eerie silence despite the reactor’s active condition struck immediately, making it almost hard for Zack to breathe. His feet did not want to go forward; being inside the metal structure had made memories he had long tried to bury reawaken with a vengeance. He could be very well be walking to his own doom.
“…It’s quiet.”
Thank you, Captain Obvious! Zack almost rolled his eyes, but then he realized what Vincent had meant. Not only was it quiet to his ears, but the disjointed whispers that had murmured in the back of his mind on their last visit were missing.
Relief flooded through him, but at the same time he couldn’t help a frown. Where had Jenova gone…?
The pair exchanged a glance, and acting almost as one they sprinted through the reactor, quickly reaching its core. The formerly sealed door bearing the name Jenova lay open — and the chamber behind it was empty.
“This doesn’t make any sense,” Zack mused aloud, frowning. “She was here for the last inspection…” He glared at the empty room as if demanding it tell him where its former occupant had gone.
“And when the reactor team made routine repairs two months ago.”
“She had to have been moved recently,” Zack concluded. “It’s gotta be Hojo, but… where would he take her? It doesn’t seem like something you could just toss in a box and haul out of here — at least, not very far…” Whatever it was, it had definitely been alive in some fashion. It probably needed some sort of complicated feeding system, which required a laborator—
Oh no.
Zack felt like someone had punched him in the gut. “Vincent,” he said slowly, “didn’t you say there was a lab in the basement of the Shinra mansion?”
The red-cloaked man went very still at that. There was indeed a lab in the basement of the Shinra mansion — the very same mansion to which they’d just sent Cloud and a decidedly out-of-sorts Sephiroth.
“Shit,” Zack cursed with feeling, reading the man’s sudden silence as confirmation.
A low growl was Vincent’s only response, and his form blurred around the edges—
Having been witness to one of these changes before, Zack wasn’t as shocked this time. He was, however, beginning to wonder exactly how many of these different forms Vincent had.
Without so much as turning to acknowledge him, the horned lupine beast that had been Vincent Valentine took off towards the reactor entrance, moving far more rapidly than Zack had expected. Biting off another curse, he cast Haste on himself and raced after him, not willing to let the creature out of his sight. “It’ll be faster if we take the chopper!” he hollered after it, though he wasn’t sure if Vincent could even understand him like this. Screw the possibility of warning Hojo — they had to land right in the middle of town.
They’d never get to Sephiroth and Cloud in time otherwise.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cloud trailed slightly behind Sephiroth, trying to stay close enough that he was not in the General’s personal space, but not so far away the man would get the impression the blond was afraid of him. Which he wasn’t. Did he respect Sephiroth? Of course. But even with his current dark demeanor, Cloud wasn’t afraid of him. A little upset at himself for going along with Zack’s plan last time, and for being so stupid as to spill the beans about it, but not afraid. Perhaps wary would be a better word for what he was feeling…
Despite his best efforts, however, Sephiroth continued to look back at him as they traveled down the mountain range towards town. They were making far better time than they had their first trip, Cloud noted, and he had to wonder how much of it was because they had no non-enhanced members in their party. He and Tifa must have slowed them down a lot… though, he reminded himself, knowing exactly where they were going this time was probably helping….
“I am not… upset with you, Strife,” Sephiroth finally said. “Whatever part you played in Zack’s trick was undoubtedly minor, and I understand that, as he was your superior officer, you could not have refused him.”
Cloud nodded, and after a moment’s hesitation ventured to add, “Sir… Zack just cares about you, is all. He wants you to be safe. It can annoying when he gets protective like that, but…” He shrugged. “Vincent can be the same way. You just… learn to live with it.”
Any reply Sephiroth might have made was cut off by a roar, and both SOLDIERs jumped aside as a tongue of fire seared the spot where they had been. Cloud glared at the dragon, a female guarding her nest, from the looks of it. “I hate dragons,” he muttered, drawing his swords as Sephiroth did the same.
“Go from the left,” the black-clad man instructed. Cloud nodded and circled wide, attempting to create a two-point attack as Sephiroth went right. He silently wished he was as good as Zack — the dark-haired man would have read Sephiroth’s intentions without a word.
A moment later the silver-haired man blurred into action, striking the dragon’s flank. Cloud followed a precious second later, his blades clanging against the hard scales without significant damage. The Masamune, at least, had drawn blood, but the cut looked shallow.
I really hate dragons.
Cloud caught sight of the green, glowing light on Sephiroth’s blade and dashed out of range. A moment later the Thundaga spell struck, frying the delicate membranes on the dragon’s wings. She screamed in fury, flapping her now-useless wings and unleashing another blast of fire.
This time, Cloud didn’t dodge, instead gritting his teeth and running into the flame, somersaulting and slashing downward, managing to hit the thing’s eye, blinding it. Sephiroth was a step behind, the Masamune thrusting deep into its brain. The dragon’s battle shriek was cut off suddenly, its body thrashing violently for a moment before it slowly crumpled to the ground.
Mercilessly efficient, Sephiroth cast a Blizzara on the eggs, rendering the shells brittle, then fired off another Thundaga, killing the growing dragonets within. Cloud, meanwhile, carefully cleaned his blades before sheathing them once more.
“Do you require healing?”
Cloud blinked, momentarily surprised by the question, but then shook his head. He gestured with his hand at the gold bracer on his arm, the same one Vincent had given him for his birthday years ago. “Elemental-Fire combination.” He’d made sure to keep his Elemental and Cure equipped as often as he could since he’d gotten them, trying to strengthen them so he could tap into their greater powers. His other materia still had a ways to go, though he could almost reach the second spell in his Lightning materia — it had come in handy defensively when he was in Wutai.
“A wise choice.”
“Getting roasted by a dragon once was more than enough for me,” Cloud replied.
Sephiroth “hmm”ed in response, his lips quirking slightly as he gestured for Cloud to continue following him. The Second did, eyeing the dragon’s carcass carefully as they went; it wouldn’t be the first time he’d thought a monster dead only to have it come back when he least expected it.
After a short while Sephiroth spoke again. “…I can understand Zack’s urge to protect me.” Green eyes flickered back to the figure behind him, and Cloud really hoped his superior wasn’t having an urge to protect him. “I suppose… I should have adjusted to it by now.”
“Yeah, well, Zack takes a lot of work to get used to,” Cloud replied, trying to lighten the mood. “I hate to think what kind of insanity he’d come up with when faced with a dragon.”
Sephiroth nodded, and after a moment said, “He had a most… unusual plan of attack when we fought a blue dragon together once.”
“Oh?” Cloud’s eyes all but lit up. “Where was this?”
“We were on a mission up at the glacier near Icicle Inn some years ago. A squad had gotten lost by the cliffs…”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It took Sephiroth some time to get used to having Cloud at his back rather than Zack. Despite having known each other for as long as they had — had it truly been four years since the last Nibelheim mission? — they had rarely worked together professionally, and Zack had accompanied them most of those times. Unlike other SOLDIERs Sephiroth had worked with, Cloud had a certain feel about him reminiscent of Zack, undoubtedly due to his aide’s teaching. The young man’s style was all his own, though, blending elements of Vincent’s and Sephiroth’s with Zack’s for something completely unique. It made for a slightly strange experience, but as he slowly began to adjust to it, Sephiroth found he liked it. They had done a good job training this SOLDIER, and he more than deserved his place within the ranks.
After the General finished his story, they passed the rest of the trip down the mountain in silence, both searching for any signs that Hojo had been traveling back and forth between the reactor and Nibelheim. The few unusual traces they found were rather old, which struck Sephiroth as odd. Zack had mentioned he’d seen evidence of scientific experiments in the reactor before they’d left on this mission, though he’d not been specific about it. Sephiroth wondered if Hojo truly was here; surely he would not have left the reactor alone so long if he was? It was likely he had stopped here briefly and left already.
As they drew near the town of Nibelheim, Sephiroth frowned, noting a cluster of figures in the distance. It appeared they had a welcoming committee… something he was not happy to see. They had been trying to keep this quiet.
“General Sephiroth… We weren’t aware you were coming,” Mayor Lockhart greeted them as they entered town. “Is there something you require?”
“We received a report of suspicious activity in the area.”
“We sent no such report.” The man frowned. “Are you sure it is genuine?” His gaze slipped momentarily from Sephiroth to Cloud, eyes going cold. It took the General a minute to decipher the look, until he recalled that the mayor believed Cloud was engaged to his daughter, who had intended to marry the young man when he became a SOLDIER. If he remembered correctly, however, it was merely a ruse… though clearly one Mr. Lockhart hadn’t seen through.
“The report came from a reliable source,” Sephiroth replied smoothly. “We have already completed our survey of the surrounding area. We just need to inspect the town’s immediate vicinity and the Shinra mansion, and then we will conclude our visit. If you will excuse us…”
Lockhart moved quickly out of the way, allowing the SOLDIERs to pass. The pair circled the outskirts of town, but they could find nothing out of place. “…I guess that just leaves the mansion,” Cloud noted, and Sephiroth nodded in agreement. “Well, then… shall we go, sir?”
It was strange for Cloud to be entering the mansion through the front door rather than one of its secret passages, but the familiarity of the place almost made him smile, except… “Someone’s been here since Vincent’s left,” he commented, one hand on the hilt of his sword. “Things weren’t in this shape last time we were here…” Indeed, there was far less dust than there should have been, and some of the more decrepit parts of the staircase looked to have been repaired recently.
“You know the building structure better than I,” Sephiroth pointed out, turning to look at him. “Which area do you suggest we search first?”
“East wing, first floor, I guess.” Cloud paused for a moment, then suggested, “Or we could split up, you take downstairs and I’ll take upstairs—”
But the General was shaking his head. “I would rather not divide our forces again unless absolutely necessary.” He surveyed the room with his green eyes. “Some of this damage appears to be non-human in origin.”
“Yes, sir.”
They searched carefully, but found little evidence of human habitation other than the very little dust. Even the kitchen seemed unoccupied, and the handful of monsters they encountered seemed to indicate that, if Hojo had indeed been staying here, he had left some time ago.
“Well,” Cloud said finally, “there’s nothing down here.” He shifted slightly, and his next words seemed oddly reluctant. “I guess we’ll have to look upstairs…”
Sephiroth nodded, though it seemed his attention had been drawn to the grand piano in one corner of the room. Lightly brushing one of the white keys, he startled both himself and Cloud with the soft, surprisingly in-tune note it made.
“Sir?”
The silver-haired SOLDIER stared at the instrument, a faint memory surfacing — someone, a man, sitting here, saying… something. “…more to life than just…”
“Sir?” the blond ventured again, and the General shook his head free of the memory, wondering who the man had been. It couldn’t have been Hojo; it hadn’t looked much like him at all, and the voice had been too… kind. He raised a hand to his temple, trying to massage away the headache that had been building since they’d come within sight of the town. Despite what they said about Midgar, he found himself missing the city. At least when he suffered headaches there, he knew their cause: the absurdity of his so-called superiors. He hoped he wasn’t getting sick — he’d never been sick from anything but Mako treatments before, and if he started succumbing to other illnesses now Zack’s protective tendencies would only become worse.
“Are you all right?”
Sephiroth blinked, finally noticing blue eyes studying him in concern. He had forgotten how much Strife could be like Zack, including those protective tendencies… which, unfortunately, probably meant the boy — young man, really — wouldn’t accept him simply brushing the concern away. With more than a little reluctance, he admitted, “…For a moment, I had the strange feeling I’ve been here before.”
His subordinate hesitated, then spoke again. “That’s… not impossible, sir. It is likely you were born here, after all, and we don’t know when you moved to Midgar.”
If I was ‘born’ at all, Sephiroth thought, suddenly bitter. He had no memories of his mother, and his father… well, the man who claimed that title had never shown an inclination towards paternal care. He didn’t particularly care to think about his childhood and issues of family.
::mysonmysonmysonmyson—::
Suddenly restless, the General turned away from the piano. “Let’s move on.”
The rest of the investigation went quickly. The upper levels of the house had that same unoccupied feeling to them, and were for the most part undisturbed under the layers of dust, except for the stone wall in one of the east wing rooms. Without hesitation, Sephiroth touched the hidden switch nearby, opening the hidden passage to the basement.
“I didn’t know you knew about that, sir,” Cloud commented, coming to stand beside his superior.
“It was mentioned in some of the old blueprints the President’s investigators uncovered,” Sephiroth replied, eyes on the unsteady wood of the staircase as he began his descent. Cloud followed a few steps behind, senses alert.
The rough-hewn hall at the bottom was even more unassuming than the primitive stairwell they’d just descended, but Sephiroth barely paid it any mind as his steps quickened, moving towards the end of the hall. This was the last place, and it had to be—
Sephiroth’s pace slowed as he entered the library-laboratory, studying the bookshelves all around him. It had changed some in the years since he’d last been here, but he knew this place. Past blended with future as green eyes swept the room, examining every niche. He half expected to see one of the many scientists who’d hovered about him as a child to come around the corner, in one of those white lab coats—
“Hello, Sephiroth. We’ve been expecting you.”
::My Son My Son welcome My Son welcome at last at long last to Our Reunion o My Son::
The silver-haired man jerked in surprise, not so much at the appearance of their quarry as in response to the sudden, clear words in his mind. What the…?
“Hojo!” Cloud barked, glaring. His blade was held at the ready, Sephiroth noted absently. Why hadn’t he done the same?
::because there is nothing to fear:: whisper-sang the one-and-many voice in his mind, warm and welcoming and exultant, strange and yet somehow as familiar to him as the beating of his own heart. ::as long as You and I are together o My sweet beloved Son never shall there be anything to fear::
The scientist they had been searching for was standing directly before him, hands clasped behind his back, watching Sephiroth closely, as if making note of his every reaction. It was like something out of his memory-nightmares, where he had been weak and powerless before the man. But behind him…
::My Son o My Son Mother has been waiting so very long for You I have been waiting::
Sephiroth took a single step forward, hand sliding slowly off the Masamune’s hilt. The creature was very definitely nonhuman, almost monstrous in appearance, but She was so… so warm, offering acceptance on a deeper level than anyone else ever had, somehow inside him without ever having touched him…
Cloud also stepped forward, blue eyes flickering to his superior. “Dr. Hojo, you are under arrest for—”
“Oh, you brought a present,” the professor said sweetly, as if Cloud hadn’t spoken. “Very nice. I’ve been wanting to have this one for a while.”
::no:: Her — the creature’s — Mother’s voice interrupted suddenly, a sharpness to it that made Sephiroth start in surprise even as the comforting murmur behind it intensified, wrapping him tighter in its soothing warmth. ::kill it::
Hojo frowned. “But—”
::all is secondary to Him to My Son the child must be destroyed it will only get in the way::
“But a dead specimen is practically useless…” Hojo sighed, looking at Cloud regretfully. “Well, Sephiroth… you heard your mother.”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re trying to pull, but it isn’t going to work,” Cloud snapped, trying to move around the General and get a clear path to the scientist.
The voice that filled his mind and quieted his thoughts changed again, gently coaxing now. ::kill him My Son My sweet My dearest one he is trying to stop You from taking Your rightful place at My side kill him::
Sephiroth turned slowly, hand once again gripping Masamune. He stared into Cloud’s face, the blond’s eyes showing anger and uncertainty, but also complete trust in him.
…Why should he kill Strife? That didn’t make any sense.
The voice grew more insistent. ::kill him kill him kill him kill him now::
Sephiroth frowned. He — they — had worked too hard on Strife to just throw him away like that. He hadn’t done anything. Besides, Zack would kill him if anything happened to the young man.
::kill it::
He shook his head. …No.
::foolish boy you should listen to your Mother:: the voice declared, and suddenly that soft touch in his mind became white-hot pain, dark laughter echoing — let Me show you—
And then everything went dark.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The Galian Beast ran.
He ran over rock and soil, down mountainous slopes and through Mako-formed caves. He raced past monsters and dragons, not stopping to challenge them despite their angry cries.
Their cub was in danger, and he would not waste time for his pride.
He knew he could not run forever, though; he was strong, but he was also the least of those within his host. As he approached the great metal flying beast, he could feel his strength waning. Vincent would soon emerge again.
“Hey!” a human voice yelled from behind. “Wait! We’ll fly the chopper down to the village — it’ll be faster!”
::He’s right — as surprising as it may sound, coming from a Calamity-tainted mortal. Pull back — we’ll let the humans handle this for now.::
Obedient to the will of their leader, the beast withdrew into Vincent’s mind, triggering the transformation to return the man to his former state. The gunman shook his head as he straightened; these changes always disoriented him a bit.
“Valentine!”
Vincent turned. “Sinclair—”
“Man, it’s good to have you back.” The SOLDIER looked a bit worse for the wear, showing the strange glow around his eyes that indicated repeated spellcasting — Haste? — along with a few scrapes and the more normal signs of the sort of exhaustion one would associate with running down the side of a mountain at full speed. “Think you can land the chopper in the middle of town?”
“Most likely,” Vincent replied. “However, it’ll take away our element of surprise—”
“If he’s got Jenova down there we’re going to have bigger problems than that,” Sinclair interrupted. “Let’s move.”
The pair climbed into the helicopter, Vincent easily taking the driver’s seat while the other man fished a few things out of the supplies. “Need anything?”
“No,” Vincent replied, checking all of the systems briefly before starting the machine. He watched as Sinclair gulped down a potion, a hyper, and an ether one after another. He raised an eyebrow, well aware the drugs did not necessarily interact well.
“Upset stomach’s a small price to pay for staying upright,” the SOLDIER elaborated. “Can’t take the chance that I’ll keel over halfway through this.” Sinclair shut the first aid kit, checking his materia. “What’s our ETA?”
“Ten minutes.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cloud had to admit he’d been worried about letting Sephiroth down into the basement here. He knew Vincent had always had a difficult time being down there, even though the Turk had insisted they practice in the confined area (“This environment is different from the rest of the house, Cloud. What can you use as a weapon here?”). He’d had no idea how Sephiroth would react, if at all, to the place where he’d probably been born, but after the General had rejected his suggestion they split up to search the mansion, there wasn’t much he could’ve done about it.
The SOLDIER Second hadn’t noticed much of a change in the library except perhaps a bit less dust than he recalled, files and books stacked a little more neatly. He hadn’t realized anything was wrong until Hojo had spoken, and even then he wasn’t worried — until Sephiroth had turned to look at him with eyes that were first strangely blank, then sharp with a wicked gleam.
Cloud was almost too slow to raise Shiranui to block Sephiroth’s strike, staring at his superior officer in shock. “Sir! What in…?”
If it hadn’t been for Vincent’s training, he might have died from the next attack — but the former Turk had trained his student to fight in any situation, even when his mind wasn’t keeping up with the rest of him. He moved without conscious thought to parry the General’s attacks, but the man wasn’t holding back, and it was hard. Every time their swords clashed, Cloud felt his arms, screaming in protest, nearly give way. He retreated with each blow, giving ground rather than have his arms shattered.
Can’t keep retreating forever, his instincts pointed out. I’ll run out of room. Time to make this into my kind of fight. It wasn’t like he didn’t have any advantages in this situation; unlike Sephiroth, he’d fought down here before, and his weapon was shorter, more suitable for close-quarters fighting. The young man dodged left, the Masamune following—
Only to lodge in a bookcase as Cloud rolled away. He frowned as Sephiroth wrenched the blade free with none of his usual grace. That was sloppy… Cloud struggled to counter the next two attacks, then used the momentum of the third to propel himself upward, somersaulting over the nearest bookshelf. He kicked the piece of furniture, sending it crashing into Sephiroth; if he were lucky, it’d slow the General for a minute or two, at least—
Or not, the younger SOLDIER thought glumly as the wood and paper went up in flames, frowning as another thought occurred to him. Unless Sephiroth had changed his materia when Cloud wasn’t paying attention, he didn’t have a Fire equipped. Nibelheim was not a place one generally used fire magic, considering the dragons, unless it was paired with an Elemental.
Cloud reflexively jumped back, barely avoiding colliding with another shelf as tongues of flame leapt from the blaze, reaching for him. Normal fire spells did not do that. Rather than retreat again as the flames crept closer, Cloud ignored them, eyes trained on the Masamune. With his Elemental materia equipped, they wouldn’t do any damage.
And Sephiroth would know that.
The blond felt like someone had doused him with cold water. The odd behavior, the sloppiness of the swordwork, and now using fire, of all things, against him… they were not the work of General Sephiroth. Something else was calling the shots in Sephiroth’s body. If Cloud hadn’t seen it before, with both Zack and Vincent, he might have thought the General had gone insane, but he knew better.
Gritting his teeth as he countered Sephiroth’s blade yet again, the SOLDIER Second turned slowly, leading Sephiroth away from Hojo. As difficult as a fight on the stairs would be, the further he got the General from the scientist — or, more likely, the thing behind him — the more likely it was that Sephiroth would be able to fight it off. From the conversation he had observed between Vincent and Zack in the reactor years ago, and the few times either of them had been willing to talk about the Incident, Cloud knew that proximity and possibly pain were the best ways to shake that thing’s hold. While the one called Chaos had been able to snap Zack out of it, though, Cloud very much doubted he’d be able to wound the possessed General — sloppy or not, it was still Sephiroth — so his only option was to try to draw him as far away as he could.
Sephiroth followed him willingly enough, though Cloud’s retreat only caused more damage to the library and its contents, swords slashing through books and papers, sparking off the stone walls as they moved slowly down the hall. Glancing at them, the young man knew he had about fifteen feet before he hit the staircase. Getting close—
Suddenly the silver-haired SOLDIER stopped, a slow smile growing on his face as his gaze was drawn behind Cloud, and the Masamune shifted, aiming past him. Knowing it could be a trick and cursing himself even as he moved, Cloud couldn’t help turning to glance at what had caught the General’s attention, and his eyes went wide when he recognized the figure at the foot of the stairs.
It was Tifa.
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