AN: for all of you that read my story "Snow Day" this is a prequel to it, this story will follow Tseng from leaving Wutai till wall into his days as a Turk. If you read snow day you will recognize some chapters as they are pulled directly from the story but they will be changed up slightly to make them longer and more detailed.
This story will be a side project against "Dark Prince" and "Snow day" so please be patient with this one. This actually takes place during one of the future chapters of Snow day.. so you all get a little sneak peak!
Disclaimer: FFVII is owned by SquareEnix.. I just came up with the crazy plot line!
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Sairento Kage: prolouge
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Half gloved fingers absently ran along a battered piece of parchment lying on the table in front of him. Characters so familiar yet so alien ran across the paper in familiar perfect strokes, the black ink a stark contrast to the soft yellow hues of the paper. Each stroke as flawless as the last, if he didn't know better he would almost assume this was printed via a computer and not made by a human hand.
Dark black eyes saddened as fingers trailed absently over the characters scrawled over the front of the paper. 'Sairento Kage, that was what they used to call me.. now I am simply known as Uragirimono, traitor…'
Black eyes darkened at the thought, he knew that his dream of becoming more than just a temple priest would bring dishonor to his family. He knew that running away to Midgar would brand him a traitor to the people he was born and raised into.
But he never imagined it would hurt this bad to hear those words uttered towards himself, they hurt even worse to see them printed on paper.
Anata wa uragirimonodesu
You are a traitor…
Shoving the horrible last letter from his father away, Tseng allowed his head to fall into his hands. The letter was old, but its words carefully written by the perfectionist hands of his own father still cut through the very marrow of his bones.
Taking in a shuddering breath he willed the tears to remain where they were, tucked deeply away inside. He had cried long enough over this, he did not need to start again.
Fourteen years had passed since he simply packed up and ran away from his temple home in Wutai against the Da Chao Mountains, ran away to join the brand new SOLDIER program that the Shinra Electric Power Company was hosting as the elite of their military.
'I was such a fool back then,' here he was 16 year old bow legged scrawny little Wutai boy running off to the other side of the world to join an elite fighting force for a company that was trying to over throw his own government.
But he was young and spirited with no thought of those he would hurt with his plan, the family he would lose forever that day.
Leaning back in his computer chair Tseng looked over spying a leather book that had been sitting on his desk unmoved for years now.
When he was young he used to write everything he did down, from what he ate for breakfast to what bugs he saw running through the high grasses at the base of the mountain.
Sitting up he felt his back popping painfully, a full reminder of exactly why he was currently relaxing in his computer chair at home and not currently sitting in his even bigger computer chair in his lush office in Shinra Tower.
This last mission had been one of the worst on his aging body, he may have only been 30, but he felt so much older as his body started to creak and groan with any form of movement. Also being shot twice in the chest at point blank range didn't help any either.
Reaching up he absently rubbed the massive bruises that covered his chest. The only thing that had saved him from deaths door that day was an experimental "bullet proof vest" that was just released to them.
Death.. he had been staring it in the face since he first became a Turk, but never in the 13 years since he first donned the black jacket and tie had he ever been this close to returning to the life stream.
Maybe, it was time he told his story. He was normally a very private person, a rare few knew the true story of how he arrived in Midgar and even less knew of his trials to reach where he was today.
Snorting he flipped open the book and pulled out one of his pens, this wouldn't be made public.. no he was keeping it for five certain young men that had made his lonely life among a city of steel and mako bearable.
Though only ten years younger than himself, Tseng knew those five young Mako and Jenova fueled boys would far out live him. With them, at least he would remain alive through their memories, even long after he had passed into the life stream.
Ignoring the painful twinge in his back Tseng sat forward, his pen scrawling across the paper in perfect elegant English. He had long since lost the will to write in his native language though he still could he never had the drive to write out those cursed characters.
'Sairento Kage – Silent Shadow. Once I was nothing more than the next in line to run the local temple, a boy no older than his 16th year of life. Never would I dare have dreamed that one single poster carelessly left on the shrine steps would take me from priest.. to Assassin.'
Feeling weight on his shoulders, Tseng growled as a new shock wave of pain shot down his poor bruised back. what he would not give to be mako enhanced right now!
"Whatcha doin?" pushing back slightly at least till it didn't hurt as bad, Tseng looked over his shoulder at the black haired nineteen year old that was leaning against his back, arms folded casually over his shoulders, brilliant blazing Sapphire blue eyes gazing down at the paper he had been writing on.
"Writing.. or attempting to until a certain puppy started leaning on me."
Making a noise in the back of his throat, Zack leaned over and picked up the book reading over what little had been written so far.
"Are you serious?" he asked looking down at Tseng.
Flushing just slightly, Tseng reached up and grabbed the book from the hyper active puppy and shut it firmly.
Rolling his eyes Zack pushed off the older man and headed out of the study and into the main part of the apartment. "SEPH! Dad's going through a midlife crisis again!"
Flushing an even deeper shade of red Tseng quickly stashed the book in his lockable drawer and shut it swiftly.
"Zack what the hell are you spouting off about now?" he heard the tell tale voice of a certain auburn haired young man from somewhere deep in the apartment.
"I went to find out what Tseng was up to since he's been MIA for a while and I found him writing his life story down… what's next are we gonna have to buy him a convertible?"
"He was writing his life story down?" came the confused deep baritone of a certain silver general.
Oh he should have waited to do this until the three stooges were not here!
"If he wants to write it down why not let him? I'm sure his story if probably a hell of a lot more interesting than any of ours is." The one voice of reason in the bunch outside of the stoic Angeal, Cloud always managed to be the to handle the three numbskulls out in his living room when Angeal was busy.
"It's a man's choice if he wishes to retell his story.. do we not all do it through words to friends?" the deep baritone of Vincent floated in through the open office door. Another voice of reason among the group, though his came with years of wisdom earned through pain and suffering.
"Yeah but, Tseng is only what? 60? He's not that old yet."
Tseng instantly bristled at that, standing up he moved out of his room and instantly launched himself at the redhead.
Laughing loudly Genesis tore off across the apartment, Tseng hot on his heels ready to just pummel the boy alive!
Shaking his head Sephiroth turned back to where he was helping Angeal prepare the food for tonight. They had all come over to visit Tseng after what happened during the last mission to make sure he was alright.
It was obvious he wasn't, the physical wounds would heal in time.. the mental wounds..he didn't know if those would ever heal.
Sighing softly Sephiroth set the chef's knife down and wandered into the small room Tseng used as an office here at home.
Sitting down in the still warm computer chair he noticed the piece of parchment lying on the table. He was not the most fluent in the Wutai language, but he knew enough.
Unfolding the aging parchment carefully he felt his blood run cold as several words jumped up at him almost instantly. 'Demon offspring, traitor, war monger, dishonored, never return, disowned, a disgrace to a great nation.. a monster in human form….murderer'
Sephiroth could almost feel the venom pouring from the very paper as he read over the letter. Shaking slightly Sephiroth folded the letter up once more and set it back in his place, never before had he ever read such disgusting words about the man he loved as his big brother.
Tseng was none of those, Assassin yes but not a murderer. Tseng didn't enjoy the kill, not like most SOLDIER..Like he did. Sephiroth always knew when Tseng had been sent to assassinate someone, he would come up to the shared apartment of the 1st class SOLDIER and simply move into Sephiroth's room and sit next to his windows on his pillows and just stare out at the city.
He never cried, but you could see the pain in those haunted black eyes every time he was forced to take a human life.
No, Tseng was not a monster. The person who dared to write such venom on this paper was the real monster.
Shaking the building rage back to where it should be, locked behind his mental wall Sephiroth moved back out into the living room. Moving up behind one of the massive leather couches he couldn't help but smile at what he saw.
Genesis was currently flat on his back laughing like a damn hyena with Tseng sitting on his waist tickling the younger man mercilessly. One of Genesis well not so hidden secrets anymore, he was highly ticklish, along with slightly claustrophobic.
"UNCLE UNCLE!" Genesis cried out trying desperately to wiggle out from under the Turk without hurting him.
"Do you yield? Are Turks superior to SOLDIER?" Tseng continued to tickle him knowing he was winning by the sheer fact he was hurt. Normally Genesis had no problem throwing him off him, but he knew Genesis wouldn't and was playing it up.
"YES! TURKS RULE! GET OFF ME!" smug smirk firmly in place Tseng pushed himself off Genesis and leaned back into the couch grunting with the effort.
Panting hard from laughing so damn hard Genesis pushed himself into a sitting position, shoving errant strands of auburn hair back behind his ear, "That was low Tseng!"
Tseng merely smirked down at the redhead, "and? I am a Turk." Resisting the urge to stick his tongue out at the Turk Genesis pushed himself up and over to one of the other couches.
"Since we have time until dinner is done, Tseng.." Sephiroth moved to sit next to his big brothers side, "Tell me how you came here, I know it was to join SOLDIER.. but you never told me specifics."
"Seph are you serious?" Zack asked moving out into the living room, glaring darkly at the younger man Sephiroth reached under the coffee table and pulled out a roll of bright pink duck tape and held it out threateningly. "I will use this…"
Smartly Zack clamped his mouth shut and took a seat next to Angeal who had just moved out and sat down next to Genesis.
"I'm curious about that to Tseng." Cloud moved over and sat down on Genesis lap curling up into his lover, he would have actually prefer Seph since the man was larger but he knew by the look in Seph's eyes that it wasn't the time or place.
Vincent made a noise in his throat and came to sit down next to his son. "I have been curious as well."
Seeing so many eyes watching him many with curiosity he couldn't help but sigh and lean back against the silver demon that had made his life hell, but at the same time bliss.
"Alright.. but no cracks or I will allow Sephiroth full control of the duck tape."
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AN: there you go the prolog to Tseng's story.. please review and tell me what you all think! Yes they do OOC but remember this is tying into Snow day's where they are supposed to be acting their ages.. not what Shinra made them into.