~Chapter 1~
-- The Verdict--
In order for a Cetra to be able to enter the promised lands, they
have to lead a prosperous life. They fulfilled the long hard journey faithfuly
and their reward was the promised lands. However, for those that
strayed from the journey, was a place totally different.
The place lacked all the fun, beuty, carefree and elated soroundings.
The place was a barren waste lands. All you could see around you
was brown dusty plains and the hint of mountians in the far distance.
You barly passed another being there, and even if you did, you would not
recognize them. Most were delerious from hatred or boredom.
It would be best if one lost all sense of reality and feeling.
Eternity would go alot easier for those. A few held on to their feelings,
to save those last thoughts of angry pain that rooted in the heart
of one's soul. As you probably guessed, Sephiroth chose the hard
way in dealing with his sentance. It has been six months sincehe was judged
and ruled to be sent to the barren void. They claimed he had strayed
from the journey. Nomatter how hard Seph tried to convince them that
he was taking the planet back for the Cetra, none of them believed them.
His wanting to become a God was claimed wrong with out a shadow of a doubt.
" Fools," I muttered to himself as he skipped a stone of the
water of a pitch black lake. " I was doing it for their own good.
It's not my fault that they are all dead now. I was setting them
up for something good." He walked under a dead tree and tried to
get in the little shade the lifeless thing could. The day was growing
hot. Resting his head against the tree, Seph closed his eyes and
started to dream.
His latest assignment was to head towards Nibeleim to check out
the Mako reactor there, and to dispose any monsters that were there.
Assigned with them were three other members from SOLDIER. Zack, Larry,
and CLoud. Zack was the only officail member of soldier there, the
other two didn'tmake it. They set of in mid-afternoon to take
the four hour trip to the town. Seph sat there resting for
later deep in thought, or at least trying to. Zack was distracting
him and the other two members with his ranting in excitement. He
bragged at how he never got motionsickness. The way he jumped all
around it was a shock he didn't fall over in sickness Seph thought.
" You should rest up," Seph said. " You need all the strength
you have later on."
" Nah, I'll be fine." He repied. " So are ya gonna breif us on
the mission?"
" There is a malnfuction in the reactor in Nibeleim. We
have to fix it and dispose of any monsters it has caused..
There was a bang on the side of the truck and the team was bounced
around a bit.
"Speaking of which.. Lets go, we have work to do." Seph said
as he sprang to his feet like a cat and leaped out the back door of the
truck, with Zack quickly at his heels.
Seph fought the dragon easily, and managed to keep Zack alive
as well. The truck was in bad need of repair,but thankfully they
were kind of close to the town. They oonly had about five miles to
walk, in the rain. Zack yawned and tried to not show anyone that
he was getting tired. The whole squad walked towards the town,Seph
in front,followed by Zack, then Cloud, and finally Larry.
They arived in the early evening, Cloud was on the first watch. Zack
ran around visiting people he knew in his hometown before he came back
up to the room to get some sleep. This gave Sephiroth time alome
to sleep. Well, not completely alone, Larrywas sleeping before his
shift, but nothing could wake this boy up.
Seph looked out the window imagining what it would be like if
he was in his hometown, if he had one. He peered at some kids playing
with a ball. They were trowing it back and forth keeping it from
another kid. He tried as hard as he could to place himslef in as
one of those kids. He tried toimaging what it was like having a true freind.
To always have someone there to share in your happyness, pain, and sorow.
Seph could not picture it. ALl he could remember about hs childhood
was white walls, fear and pain. Everything that was brought up in
his mind was frightening. He remembered the tall white walls
he was lead down by Hojo to the room. The most dreaded room
ever. Once there he would have to take off his shirt and Hojo would
place this cold round objecty he used to listen to his heart. He
always said his heart was fine, but Seph didn't think Hojo knew what he
was talking about. Seph was unhappy, didn't Hojo hear his heart telling
him that? Or hat he wanted to see his mother for once, the one he missed
with all his heart. His heart ached for the freedom he never had
in his life, the love he never recieved, and the attention he never got.
Hojo's heart reading thing must have been broken. Seph realized now
what that thing was was called stethoscope and allowed the doctor to listen
to the heartbeats. But it didn't take a rocket scientist to see that
the boy was very unhappy. Hojo never seemed to notice his depression,or
at least didn't care about it. He just jabbed him with needles all
day, or took blood samples, or enjected him with various numbers of stuff.
That's all that he remembered.
Seph was snapped out of his trip down memory lane by Zack calling
to him repeatedly.
"What are you looking at?" Zack said glaring out the window and
spotting the kids playing, the one in the midle was crying heavily now
for the ball.
"Nothing, this veiw jyust reminded me of something in the past.
You better get to bed and get some rest. We depart to the reactor
at dawn, I will not wake you up." Seph said. "If you do not wake
up and come out, I will leave you behind."
With that said,Zack went to bed while Sephiroth continued to
glare out the window. The little kid finally got the ball, and ran around
with it to show his victory. Seph snickered for the little one who
was teased got what he wanted. Seph then decided to get to bed also,
since he had nothing better to do.
Seph woke up in the darkness of night. He rubbed the sleepyness
out of his eyes and stood up and cracked his back. He cursed Hojo
for his past. How he hated what he had done to him. Glaring
up at the millions of stars, I realize that they wre the only thing pretty
in this place. One could get lost in the stars, I for one always
did. Seph sighed and tried tomakesense of this place. I was
sent here for my punishment. A punishment I see no deservingof.
Maybe taking a midnght stroll will help, but nothing one could do
here could fight off the wondering mind, you could only give into it.
Back to his childhood. The earliest thing remembered was
playingin a little room with a bunch of stuffed toys. His favorite was
a little green chocobo. He didn't remember when he recieved it, but
the little bird whent werever he did. He remembered when the nurse
came into get him for his weekly shots. The door creaked slowley
and Seph glanced up and with wide yes dreaded what was to come. He
pulled Jade into his arms and the nurse tried the get him to leave
the little stuffed toy behind. Seph began to kick and scream when
she pulled the green bird from him, so much that she gave it back to him,
mumbled, and carried him to the hallway.
"Stand up and walk on your own boy," She said harshly to him.
Seph did as he was told, and took slow steps forward. The nurse was
impatient with the boy, and did everything to urge him on.
"The longer you take to get there the longer it will take you
to come back and play." Seph just continued to walk slow, dragging
his feet now making an annoying scuffing sound. He
danced his chocobo off the walls happily and tossed him in the air clumsily
and dropped him.
"Uh-oh," Seph said and whent to pick him up. The
nurse stood at the door, punched in some codes, and the door swooshed open.
She pushed him in and the door closed behind him. He saw Hojo's back
towards him. He was preparing the tests that he would have to endure.
Hojo turned around, barely acknowledging his presents untl he almost tripped
over him.
" You can put that rediculous toy by the door until you ae done,"
Hojo said.
"No."
" You want to repleat that agian to me child?"
"N-No sir." Seph stuttered out. Hojo rolled his eyes and
tosed him a hospital gown telling him to strip down and put that
on. Seph sighed and did what he was told, taking forever. He
never pushed his limits with the old scientist, and he wanted to try it
out on some one other than the nurse. First he started making
the green chocobo fly around in the air. Hojo reminded him he was
supposed to be changing. Seph put the toy on the table and acted
like he was going to do as he was told to do until Hojo turned around.
He then started to bandage the bird's wing and take it's temperature.
Hojo turned aound and tohis surprise he kid was still not changed.
"LISTEN!!" He shouted as his face turned red with anger.
" I am not taking my eyes off of you until you get ready! I am almost ready
to start! Now change!"
Seph pushed the chocobo back on the table and took off his shirt,
then his boots. He folded his clothes only because it would take
longer. He took off one sock at a time and folded it. He took off
his pants and neatly put them on top of his blue shirt. He
looked up at Hojo.
" Take it all of and put on the gown." He said sternly.
Seph hesitated. " But you'll look." whined Seph.
Hojo through up his arms in frustration and turned around. Seph
then put the gown on the chocobo and continues to bandage his wing. Hojo
asked if he was done, and got no answer. He turned around and saw
what Seph was up to,and had enough.
" I gave you plenty of warnings child, and if you won't do it
yourself, I will." He spat at him and grabbed his wrist and forced him
to get changed. " You want to play games? Well, how about this one,
it's called punting" Hojo then used the green chocobo as a football
and punted it into the other room. Seph was then sorry pushed Hojo so far.
He surrendered and got up on the table.