Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of the characters, I only enjoy writing new plots for fun.
Chapter 1Sephiroth could hear the lifestream around him and had expected to be reduced to part of it by now. The fact that he wasn't, only mildly surprised him. After everything that he had done it wouldn't surprise him to find that the planet didn't want to accept him as part of its lifeblood.
He could vaguely recall the events that had brought him to this point. He knew that it would be deserved if he was damned to wander for eternity, never being allowed to be reborn or become a part of the planet he had tried to destroy.
He wanted to feel bitter and rail against the judgement but could not. Although most of the happenings of the last decade or so only came to him like it was through a haze, he knew he deserved to be where he was.
As he was contemplating how he might spend the rest of his eternity he began to hear a voice. It seemed to be coming from all around him, but it took some time for him to understand that it was speaking to him directly. Once he realized it was calling his name he put more focus into trying to distinguish it from all the other voices in the lifestream. It cleared up to be a voice he thought he recognized but was unsure of who it could be.
It was a clear, high voice and he found it was pleasant. It was coming in clearer now and he could tell it had been waiting for him to focus. "Oh Sephiroth, do you really believe you deserve the worst the planet can throw at you, that you don't deserve another chance?"
He tried to answer but realized he really didn't have vocal cords to answer with. While he was separate from the lifestream, he still didn't have a corporeal body anymore. He settled for thinking on his answer instead. I almost destroyed this planet for the purpose of gaining power. I deserve whatever punishment the planet deems necessary.
"Whatever punishment?" There was almost a lilt to the question that made Sephiroth pause but he soon realized it didn't matter. He really did feel ready for whatever the punishment would be.
The strange voice almost sounded sad as his thoughts were broadcast. "You know you weren't blameless, but you should also know you weren't entirely to blame. The calamity has used and tricked many through the millennia."
He couldn't help but scoff at the voice. I… may not have had complete control but I allowed my control to slip away. It was my power that allowed things to go as far as they did. I cannot accept pity when I KNOW I am to blame.
He heard a soft sigh, as if the voice was exasperated, but not surprised. "Sephiroth, you are being given a choice. You can wander the lifestream for eternity… or you can go back and make it up. Think about this before you decide. Also know that, although we know you were not in control, the world still sees you as the symbol of their near destruction and it will not be an easy path."
The thought that he may be given a choice, and a chance at redemption completely surprised the General. Why would I be allowed to go back?
"I already told you that you will have a chance to make amends. It is still up to you." The voice had lost all traces of both the sadness and humor. It almost sounded like the clear words of a judge.
He took some time to think over his options. He knew if he had the chance to make up for what he had done, he should take it; even if the world still viewed him as an enemy. He couldn't help but have more questions though. He was almost afraid to even think some of them, but he couldn't continue to hide them from himself. If… if I go back and manage to somehow make amends, will I be allowed to become part of the cycle again?
He could finally hear the smile back in the light voice. "Yes. If you can manage then you would become a part of the lifestream like all other life on the planet and continue on."
He rolled this option over in his thoughts, almost not allowing himself to believe that it could ever happen. If I decide to go back, how could I possibly even start to make up for what I've done?
"You must walk the path of one you harmed. See through their eyes and use what you find to help. In order to succeed you must find one person that will love you unconditionally, without fear, guilt, anger, or any other negative motivation behind their emotions. If you can find one person that can give you this level of love and return that love, then you will have proved you are capable of what is necessary." The more the voice spoke, the more impossible the task seemed to Sephiroth. He wasn't even sure he understood what love was, so had no idea how to find a person to fit that criteria.
He was almost ready to dismiss the offer but remembered that, even if he couldn't find the required person, that did not absolve him of his responsibility. He realized that he had to at least try. Walking the path of one he hurt and trying to help the world was the least he could do. His only question being which person. He had hurt many over the years.
The voice must have heard his resolve as it wrapped tighter around him. "Remember, it may seem like you have much to make up, but if you focus on what I have told you, you will be able to succeed."
The female's voice was barely audible as it faded out. As the voice trailed off he felt the lifestream push in harder around. A fact that surprised him once he realized it. He hadn't been able to feel anything previously.
The pressure continued to build, and he could feel himself starting to spin. He had to close his eyes to fight dizziness, he was spinning so fast. At one point he dared to open his eyes only to see the silver strands of his hair forming bright lines as it whipped in the whirling around him. He couldn't move his limbs but the pressure, and pain, were enough to let him know his entire body was being reformed.
He closed his eyes once again and worked to fight the yell the pain was trying to pull from his lips. Every nerve ending seemed like it was being struck with lightning all at the same time. He wasn't sure how long this went on. Time seemed to stretch in strange ways while the pain drove his sanity to the brink again. The only thing that kept him from submitting to the pain was the horrors he had once lived through.
That vague thought almost made him slip as he thought how ironic it was that the pain he had once lived through would be the one thing to save him now. As he focused on this strange thought he realized the spinning was finally coming to a stop, as was the intense pain.
He could feel something that felt like liquid surrounding him, like he was floating in water. His entire body still ached and felt foreign to him, after not having one for an unknown amount of time.
After a few minutes of calmly floating he opened his eyes. It took a moment for his new eyes to focus but once they did he realized he was indeed floating, in what appeared to be a pool of water inside a building.
He managed to stand and found the water was barely up to his waist. There were flower petals floating in the water around him. He took a few shaky steps towards the edge, cursing to himself at how unsteady his new body still was. A stray thought hitting him; was his new body 'normal' or was he still like he had once been.
He pushed the thought aside for now. If the planet decided to remake him as something other than what he had been, he would deal with it as he figured it out. His first priority being to figure out where he was and his next steps.
He looked around once more to find broken pews, stained glass, and old, tattered walls. He realized with a start that he was in an old church. He was surprised by that revelation but more by the fact that the place seemed familiar, although he couldn't remember it exactly.
He finally reached the edge and managed to pull himself out of the water. His muscles screamed at him at the action, but he ignored them and made his way toward the doors. His hair was plastered to his body, covering him almost entirely.
When he opened the door, a chill wind blew past him quickly, making him take stock of his lack of clothes. He hadn't realized when he first climbed out of the water that the only thing covering him was his hair.
He absently pulled his hair back and looked down to asses the state of his body briefly. When he did, he froze on the spot. He looked back down and could not believe what he was seeing.
He quickly made his way back to the water to see if he could get a glance at his reflection. He kneeled next to the still pool and looked down. The reflection was a little hazy but was clear enough to give him answers. He had not been seeing things.
The reflection staring back at him was the last thing he had ever expected. There was still long silver hair that was trying to make its way back over a shoulder as the face continued to stare down at the water. There were also bright green eyes that still held the glow that indicated mako exposure. The pupils couldn't quite be seen but they seemed to be regular round ones.
The other changes to the face were even more shocking. The eyebrows looked delicate and arched. The cheekbones were still high and striking but the chin was much narrower and delicate. The lips looked pinker than they ever had before and were full and plush.
The most surprising changes were to the body that was reflected back. It was hard to see everything from the kneeling position, but some were easy enough to notice. The first, and the ones that had drug Sephiroth to the water in the first place, were the pert breasts gracing a chest that curved down to a narrow waist and then what looked to be gently flared hips. No matter how long he sat there staring at the reflection in front of him, there was no way for him to deny that he was now in a decidedly female body.
He had no idea how long he had sat there staring at the strange reflection when he tentatively reached up to touch his chest. He couldn't hold back the sound of surprise that escaped when his hand made contact. They felt as real as they looked. The sound of the voice that escaped caused almost as much alarm as the reflection. It was so many more octaves higher than anything that had ever come out of him before.
In all his years of leading the Shinra forces he had never lost his head to panic but he realized he was now coming close. He forced himself to take deep breaths with a reminder that he had agreed to accept 'whatever punishment' the planet had deemed appropriate. As shocked as he was at the form of that punishment he realized he had no right to complain.
Now that he was starting to calm down again, the shock was wearing off and confusion was left in its wake. He continued to stare at the familiar, but unfamiliar, face staring back. He almost fell back again as a different reflection started to overlap his own in the water. It resolved into the face of a woman with braided chestnut hair.
He stared harder as he realized the face was familiar and tried to understand why. His eyes widened as realization came with the sound of her voice in his head once again. "Sephiroth, I had no idea the person was supposed to be… oh… I am so sorry. This isn't how it was supposed to be."
There was a frown on her face. Sephiroth was still trying to make sense of the girl's words when he noticed an arm around her shoulder. His eyes followed the arm to the last face he ever expected to see again. "Zachary Fair!"
"Hey Seph! You know I always thought you were pretty but damn, are you looking good these days!" A smirk accompanied his trademark exuberance.
The woman in the pool with him gave him a disapproving glare and smacked his arm as she pushed it off her shoulders. "Really Zack!"
Sephiroth had come to look on the puppy as a friend, but at the moment was wishing that he was more than just a reflection in the water, so he could strangle him. He didn't need to respond though; his trademark scowl was enough to have the younger man scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
With Zack's look of contrition, Aerith, for that is who the other girl was, turned back to Sephiroth with her brightest smile. "Well, this may be unexpected to all of us, but the goal is the same. There is someone nearby that might be willing to help you, but it will be up to you in the end. I believe in you Sephiroth!"
Before Sephiroth could ask any of the questions burning in his mind, Zack added his own well wishes. "Hey Seph, no matter what, I have faith in you man! Just know we are all here rooting for you! Have faith in yourself too!"
Sephiroth still did not have the chance to ask any questions as the images of the two people started to fade before Zack was even done speaking. His last words echoing more in Sephiroth's head than in the air around him.
With the worst of the shock gone and realizing there were no more answers to be had by standing around in this abandoned church, Sephiroth stood again and tried to figure out what the next move should be.
He looked down once more and realized that no matter the gender, his brain was still Sephiroth. He may eventually get used to thinking of himself as a woman, since that was the hand that fate dealt but currently that was the least of his problems. First, he needed to find shelter, food, and clothes… especially clothes.
With the departure of the other two people, if you could still call them that, Sephiroth had noticed there was a buzzing in the back of his mind. It wasn't loud or unpleasant, and nothing like the invasive voice of Jenova. Instead, it was a gentle pull. Sephiroth barely noticed it at first, it was such a soothing presence. The only reason it was brought to the front of his thoughts was because it was growing in volume.
It wasn't exactly a voice, but it still conveyed meaning. It seemed to be urging Sephiroth towards the exit again. Trying to remain wary of this unknown he was reluctant to just follow the urge but soon found there wasn't much alternative anyway and headed toward the double doors.
They had been left open in his rush back to the water and Sephiroth was only thankful that nothing or no one had bothered him during his examination of his situation. It wasn't like him to be so careless.
The ex-general stopped before reaching the door as he noticed a sound that was not coming from his subconscious. Scanning the area for what could have made the noise, the rest of his senses were on high alert as well.
Even with superior hearing, Sephiroth was still caught off guard by a silent figure blowing in through the doors with a swirl of his deep red cape. The figure resolved itself into a man with the bottom half of his face covered by the top of his cloak. Sephiroth noticed the stranger was just as stunned to see him standing there.
The stranger was the first to break the silence. "Who…are you?" His eyes had finally broken from Sephiroth's face to notice his body. The man's eyes widened as he took in Sephiroth's nakedness and forced his gaze back up. Sephiroth noted that he didn't turn away and gave him a mental nod for keeping calm.
Unfortunately, he didn't think that starting a conversation with his name would be the best course of action. Instead he tried to take the offensive. "I could ask you the same. You came in here unannounced."
Sephiroth hadn't thought it would throw the stranger off but it gave him time to think of a solution. He looked around surreptitiously to see if there was alternative route for escape and found the back half of the roof had caved in at some point. If he could use that to make it to the roof he might be able to escape and then he could figure out what to do next.
The stranger had still not answered. Instead he watched as Sephiroth glanced around the room out of the corner of his eye. The stranger tensed, waiting for the woman in front of him to make a move. He couldn't explain it, but his senses were telling him this person was dangerous.
As for Sephiroth, as soon as a path was decided he acted on it. He was pleased to see that he still had superhuman speed as he ran towards the back of the building and started jumping up the rubble to the roof.
He was surprised when he heard the squeal of a bullet pass close enough that he had to dodge. He didn't waste time looking back but really wished he had his Masamune. He wondered if he could access it still and quickly reached out his left hand and concentrated. A smile graced his lips as he felt a familiar weight fill his hand.
He quickly looked at his partner and was surprised to find it altered. He knew he shouldn't be surprised, since his own body had been changed so much. The blade was slightly shorter, including a reduction in the size of the hilt. It still had a perfect balance though.
The shock of seeing his sword transformed as well caused the general to almost miss the last jump to the roof. He righted himself quickly, but it gave the man that followed enough time to catch up. Sephiroth dodged a blow this time. He was shocked that the man was able to keep up, but he hid it well.
Sephiroth knew the first goal should be to get away and regroup until he understood things better, but this man didn't look like he was going to give him that chance. Up close he looked familiar but again, Sephiroth could not figure out why. The part that had him gritting his teeth was the look in the man's eyes. There was surprise and recognition. "Sephiroth!?" The thought of being recognized had him on edge.
With his recognition the man had not stopped trying to attack but his tactics changed to capture instead of kill. He didn't give the man a chance to confirm his identity though. With a great leap, he managed to finally reach the roof and took off immediately. He had to find a place to hide until he could figure out his next moves.
For now, he was far enough ahead, that with the crumbled buildings all around he should be able to find somewhere. Despite the dire circumstances it seemed luck was on his side as he spied a small crack in a nearby wall. The building was mostly collapsed but there looked to be enough room for Sephiroth to squeeze in.
Once inside the crack he carefully picked his way as far back as he could go and worked on quieting his breathing. There were no sounds outside as the minutes passed. The stranger could have gone a different way, or he could be outside waiting but Sephiroth was nothing if not patient. He made himself as comfortable as he could get and focused on making sense of his situation, committing his senses to focus on his surroundings while his brain was busy trying to make sense of what was going on.