Lucrecia pushed harder than ever, she shut her eyes and screamed out loud and then breathed in and pushed more. Hojo sat beside her and held her hand as she continued the hard labor of their son Lucrecia let out a gasp of pain and she opened her eyes wide and screamed again. Ghast stood over her and made sure the baby was coming out correctly and made sure she made it. Finally after ten hours of labor a baby boy was about born and with Lucrecia's final breath and strength she pushed and the baby came out into Ghast's arms and Lucrecia's head fell back and her essence left. With her final breath of life she brought forth new life and yet she didn't even get to hold it.
Hojo laid her hands on her chest and looked to Ghast and smiled and the baby he cleaned off. Silverish white hair shone in the florescent lighting and the baby cried as Ghast cleaned the fluid from his nose and mouth and made it able to breathe on his own. Hojo watched as Ghast wrapped him in a blanket and soothed his crying and then looked to Lucrecia's corpse and shook his head and a frown was laden across his face, but he looked to the new born and smiled a somber smile at it and the baby went to cooing and sleeping.
"So Hojo," said Ghast quietly. "What are you going to name him?"
"Number one… But if you want to name the specimen then you may," smiled Hojo devilishly. Ghast wrinkled his nose in response to the cruel words that originated from Hojo's mouth and looked at the child so innocent and undeserving of what laid ahead for the boy in his life.
"Sephiroth… We'll name him Sephiroth," said Ghast.
"You mean you'll name him that name, I told you what I'm naming him and I stand stern with my decision," said Hojo snapping back at Ghast's sentence.
Ghast walked out of the room with Sephiroth in his arms and stormed up the stairs Hojo was laughing and following as Ghast fumed about what had happened just moments before and their unpleasant conversation of the child's name. To Hojo he was no more a doll to play with than a human being, how Ghast wanted to give him a piece of his mind but alas he could not; he had neither the strength Hojo had nor the will to battle on.
Ghast laid Sephiroth in a crib that Lucrecia had bought for her unborn son to be.
Months passed and changed Sephiroth grew bigger and Hojo experimented on him as time went by. Sephiroth was an adorable pudgy baby in a sea green one piece outfit with slightly spiky white hair and his green eyes peered out from his angelic face like green flames in a skull. His baby body quivered and he hugged onto Ghast for comfort as Hojo relinquished him over to Ghast, and Sephiroth was protected for a while. Ghast smiled and ruffled Sephiroth's hair and kissed him lightly.
"You are as bad as Vincent… Watch out or I'll do the same thing to you as I did to him," threatened Hojo. Ghast didn't listen he just looked down at the infant whom peered up at him as well.
Time went by now Sephiroth was at the age of walking and talking a little, he was such an adorable baby with a curiosity none could match. He would toddle around ShinRa and get pampered by Ghast and the secretaries, and harmed by Hojo. Finally Ghast found a woman named Ifalna. She also loved Sephiroth very much to his surprise. She'd come to his room quite often and play with the infant, visit with Ghast, and even cooked for him sometimes. She was falling for Ghast and Ghast fell for her. Hojo on the other hand had other plans, he loathed Ghast and knew away to destroy him; he had it all planned out.
A year later Ghast and Ifalna were to be wed and Sephiroth was a toddler now and was smart enough to use sentences.
"Sephiroth we need to go to Hojo's office, are you ready?"
"Yes, sir," was Sephiroth's stotic reply as he sauntered to Ghast's right. They walked into the lab and saw Hojo and a new scientist getting ready for Sephiroth and Sephiroth gripped onto a pen his eyes glared at the new scientist.
"Hello I'm John Gutman I'll be taking Sephiroth to his appointment now," smiled the new kind scientist ignoring Sephiroth's glare. But as soon as Ghast turned his back a scream of pain filled the lad, Hojo and Ghast whipped around and saw the young boy standing there with a bloody pen in one hand and the Scientist kneeling down with blood pouring out of his left eye socket.
"Sephiroth, what have you done!" screamed Ghast as he ran over to the other scientist kneeling on the ground, Sephiroth's face remained unchanged. Hojo stood over near the table and smiled he was proud of Sephiroth even though he didn't admit it.
"I… I'm sorry," said Sephiroth.
"Sorry! Sorry isn't going to bring back his left eye you gouged out!" shouted Ghast.
"I said 'I'm sorry'! Isn't that enough! Isn't that what you told me to do if I regretted something I did!" shouted Sephiroth back, tears rolled down his face and he chocked back sobs.
"There, there; Ghast didn't mean to scream at you Sephiroth… He's just senile, but don't worry I'm here I'll help you," said Hojo as he wrapped his arms around Sephiroth and placed Sephiroth's head on his shoulder, and Sephiroth cried into his shoulder. Ghast hurried John to the infirmary and didn't even think about Sephiroth.
A day went by and there was no sign of Sephiroth anywhere Ghast started to worry and dreaded what he said to Sephiroth. It was true Sephiroth quoted him and that's what he had taught him… Then he betrayed him in one instant, he betrayed Sephiroth's trust. He hurried to the lab hoping he'd find Sephiroth and he did. But he was horrified, disturbed by what he saw. Sephiroth was on a table under a glass cup with wires this way and that connected to him and he couldn't breathe Ghast saw it. He saw Sephiroth panting for breath twisting his body in pain, he ran over and smashed the glass and picked Sephiroth up. Sephiroth was panting but not as frantically as he was before, his green eyes slowly opened and he looked up at Ghast with a dreary and forlorn look.
"Sephiroth are you ok?" asked Ghast but Sephiroth didn't reply he just looked away. "Sephiroth… I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have screamed at you!" sobbed Ghast and he placed his head on Sephiroth's breast.
"You'll be more than sorry," said Hojo was he walked in.
"Keep away from Sephiroth you monster!"
"Monster? Me? How crude Ghast resorting to name calling now are you? I was only helping Sephiroth get what he wants… He wants you nothing else."
"You stay away from us; I will kill you if I have to… You stay away from Sephiroth!"
"Ghast… Let me down," said the weary infant as he climbed down and walked to Hojo.
"Tell him what you know," coaxed Hojo as he stroked Sephiroth's hair.
"Your going to leave me, your leaving with that Ifalna lady… Your going to have a baby with her… And leave me behind," whimpered Sephiroth as he hid behind Hojo's leg and started sobbing.
"Sephiroth, that's not true! I wouldn't forget you I promise and you can stay with us, with your new family."
"No! I want my normal family! I want things to remain the same! But they won't, they can't… It's to late, I'm staying with Hojo."
"Sephiroth…"
"No! Stay away! I'm staying here! Go away!" cried Sephiroth as he ran off and hid on the other side of the lab.
"You can leave I'll have some guards escort you to the door," said Hojo.
"You don't know what you've done to him Hojo; do you want him to end up dead?"
"If he does he does."
"You---"
"Let's go Ghast your on paid vacation until further notice."
"Good Bye Ghast," cackled Hojo.
