This story is set during AC, specifically the fight between Cloud and Sephiroth. Basically a "what if he had gotten closer to Genesis." It should end up being pretty lengthy in the end.
The only established pairing currently presented is Genesis/Sephiroth.
Other pairings will likely happen, but as the story progresses.
On another note there's probably some questions I'll get so here's a bit of a preemptive answer :
Yes this is a new chapter fic, since I just finished one, no it's not the sequel to Serendipity, but I am still work on it. I'm trying to have most of the story plausibly lined out before I start. I'm doing my best to may key plot decisions now, and alternatives for if things don't end up going the way I intend while writing. I've run into a lot of problems with some of my other stories, because I simply can't decide on where I want to go with them. While I've pretty much solved that problem for Brother My Brother and Days End (which both should see new updates soon) I can't make a decision on Redemption. I've had some ideas offered, but that story is really killing me right now XD. As for Exitus Fortunas...that's an entirely different boat. I can't say for sure that it will ever be finished, especially the way we had intended. But the problem there is purely personal, and has nothing to do with my ability to finish the story plot wise (there was actually plenty to do)
Anyway, that being said I hope you all enjoy this :) As always please leave a review - it does feed the plot bunny. DHT
Sephiroth stood, confident smirk on his face as he stared down the insolent blonde that had stood in his way for the last time. Cloud Strife would die here in the wreckage of Shinra, a fitting place in the former General's broken mind. The desire to toy with his prey was high. To make the imposter suffer. All the man could think about was the way to inflict the most amount of pain on the small blonde. To find what he cherished and rip it away from him...the same way...
The same way what? His mind was foggy all he knew was the monster he had become. Monsters didn't have things they cherished, things they loved.
'You were never a monster.' The thought flickered across his mind, it didn't come from Jenova, whose incessant presence he had come accustom to. Her voice always seemed to encourage his wrath. He could never please her thirst for revenge against the planet that had wronged her.
Sephiroth didn't think much of the whisper. It was from a ghost somewhere in the back of his consciousness. He couldn't even put a face with the voice. It wasn't like he had much time to spare, to think as the large sword came swinging at him. Still with his distraction he easily parried the blow, lips twisting into a cruel smile once more. "Such strength, I wonder where it's coming from." he taunted before taking off within the confines of the twisted metal. Sparks flew as he sailed through the building doing even more damage then what had been done two years prior.
Deeper and deeper he went, Cloud close behind him. A few times he would turn simply to taunt the blond after him, lifting his head slightly in a challenge. It was almost cute that the man though he could beat him. There were things about their confrontation in the Northern Crater that he hadn't been aware of.
But suddenly the voice came again. 'Sephiroth'. It was pleading in nature, like someone actually wanted help from him. That wasn't possible was it? No one sought help from a monster. Jenova seemed strangely silent on the issue, praising him for how he was handling Cloud, but it seemed she couldn't hear this other voice. That in and of itself was curious. A notion he hadn't felt in a long time.
Sephiroth's desire to toy with Cloud was suddenly drowned out by his desire to find the source of the voice. A memory of crimson flashed through his mind, though it wasn't blood, it still made his heart nearly stop. The former hero of Shinra stopped in his tracks, his advisory seemed startled which was fine, as a grin that could only belong to a twisted maniac crossed his face. "Well Cloud, it seems like our play date ends here. I have far more important things to attend to." His rich velvety voice purred, as he slashed Masamune in a downward arch.
"Sephiroth!" Cloud screamed. "You're not going anywhere. But you're right this is over. I'm going to end this here." A blue aura started to overtake the blond and Sephiroth just shook his head.
"Your best? I'm honored. Too bad it's just not enough." The former general held out his hand as a white hot orb started to form in it. A flash of surprise crossed Cloud's face, he had been sure that Sephiroth's power was suppressed since he had been inhabiting Kadaj's body. During their fight so far he hadn't registered even half the strength he'd seen in his previous encounters with the man 2 years ago.
A horrible realization that the man really had just been toying with him struck him as his body was caught in his own limit break. A searing hot pain engulfed his entire body as a white light consumed everything. When it was over Sephiroth didn't even glance back at the smoldering heap in the middle of a metal crater.
After the distraction with Cloud Strife was over, Sephiroth set out slicing his way down through the old Shinra building, searching for the source of the voice. Jenova was screaming at him, but the deeper he got the, more the voice of red drowned her out.
A face with sparkling blue mako eyes finally made its way into his mind's eye. Feelings he thought were beyond a monster like him coursed through him. Echoes of happiness, amusement, pride, passion, awe, joy were accompanied by despair, anger, betrayal, worthlessness. Over all that there was a feeling of belonging, of unity that seemed to fleeting. And above everything there was deep rooted feeling of love. All it was tied to the face with the eyes, and the color red. A name, eluded him.
His mind was tearing at itself. His mother's, voice was becoming incoherent. 'There is no hate, only joy , For you are beloved by the goddess, Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds' Old words drifted through his mind despite Jenova's rage. Words that had meaning. One that he couldn't recall but powerful nonetheless. The words seemed to be guiding him through a darkness he hadn't even known was there.
They were precious words, to the crimson form within his mind, to him perhaps? He didn't know. But the desire to hear more from those ruby lips pressed him on, as it became almost painful to move against his mother. ' My friend, your desire is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess . Even if the morrow is barren of promises. nothing shall forestall my return.'
The verse was like a drug, but instead of placing him in a haze, it was like he was waking up for the first time in his life. Sephiroth didn't know why but he needed the voice to survive, the feeling that his very existence depended on the song only he could hear. As he broke through the final floor of what was once his home, he stood firm on solid rocks. He had no memory of this place, but that was not surprising. There wasn't much he remember at all.
But pieces were coming back. There were sunsets that painted the sky, smiles that left him breathless, a book bound in leather with gold script sprawling across the page, swords clashing silver steal, and glowing red sparking across the battle field. There were apples the color of a rich summer sky, and a flash of eyes with a fire burning so bright that the once mighty General could do nothing but melt under their assault. And finally a name to go with the madness invading his mind. Genesis Rhapsodos.
Sephiroth paused, Jenova was nearly silent in his mind, whether she had given up or couldn't reach him he didn't know. There was a disorienting sense of loss at her absence, a constant presence for as long as the man could currently remember. His existence without her were like pieces of a puzzle that had been scattered to the four winds. But the man with the captivating voice had the answers. The former General had no doubt of this. This Genesis had to know why he could feel love when he was nothing but a monster, a blight upon this planet that others sought to destroy.
His memories from the battles with Cloud Strife were one of the only things he could hold on to. The hatred the other man felt for him was pure and abundant thus he had managed to sustain himself in the lifestream, ironically on his enemy's sheer force of will. Cloud would never forgive him, there for as long as he lived Sephiroth would never truly die.
But now he had a new source, someone who seemed to feel as passionately for him as Cloud Strife had, if no stronger. Someone who offered him love instead of rage.
'My friend, the fates are cruel. There are no dreams, no honor remains. The arrow has left, the bow of the goddess.' Still the words guided him, and yet he had no realization that this was a mockery of events that had happened before the world was wrought with ruin. That it was a similar road that had stripped him of his sanity, of his humanity. All he could do was follow the voice much like all those years ago in the aging reactor.
The scent of stagnant water filled his nose, but Sephiroth paid it no mind as he entered the damn cave. Thick leather boots splashed across the stone floor as Masamune fell from his grip, disappearing before it hit the floor. A gasp echoed through the chamber as he laid eyes on his crimson angel encased in solid mako. 'To become the dew that quenches the land. To spare the sands, the seas, the skies . I offer thee this silent sacrifice' With those words the voice went silent, though Jenova did not return in its absence.
"No" he cried, and in a flash he was standing before the crystal. A leather glove hand splayed across the blue material, pulsing with a life all its own. He wanted, no, needed the voice to return. Silence in his mind was something Sephiroth had not experienced in this existence, and to find it suddenly void was nearly painful. Especially when he was so desperate for answers, and the key to his questions was resting on the other side of six inches of crystallized mako.
Silver hair brushed the crystal as he rested his head against it. The material was cool to the touch, such a sharp contrast to the exotic fiery creature contained within. "Wake up." the former General spoke the words as if they were an unquestionable order. And when the man within didn't heed them, a sense of familiarity swept over him. It seemed like Genesis was used to ignoring his orders.
The sound of a howling wind surrounded him, this place was full of energy, a resonance with the planet. It seemed this man with the tempting voice had strong connections to Gaia. A pang filled his chest. The planet was his enemy wasn't it? And that would make his angel an enemy. It made too much logic, how could an angel and a monster ever love? His mind was twisted and he closed his eyes. Pulling his hand back, it slid into a fist before he cracked it against the crystal.
But as his mako eyes opened again, he realized the anger and animosity he had felt from Gaia was gone without Jenova's presence within his mind. Did that mean she was the one who had angered the planet? Was she the monster? Sephiroth shook his head, but she was his mother. That would make him a monster as well. The confusion caused him to strike the crystal once again to drown out the conflict with in his mind. He needed answers, and Genesis had them. Why had his angel decided to go quiet just when he needed him most?
As he peeled his hand back however his eyes caught the sight of small cracks. With a graceful leap, Sephiroth put some distance between himself and the mako. Masamune was back in his hand with one motion, if what ever held Genesis Rhapsodos could be taken by brute force, then it would fall before Sephiroth's might. The air crackled as Masamune flew through the air, striking true. The crack deepened, but still the man within the cage did not stir.
Strike after strike feel against the crystal, a flurry faster than an unenhanced eye could follow. "Wake up." Sephiroth ordered again. "Answer me" followed quickly in his frustration. The energy in the room surged, flooded with ancient whispers, lost to the wind as Sephiroth blocked them out, continuing his assault.
A chunk of mako flew past with one particularly powerful swing, as Masamune kept flying impacting the shimmering material. Jenova however had not given up her host as he had assumed.
Sephiroth froze clutching his head, as his elegant sword once again fell from his grasp, dissolving back into the life stream. Images flashed in his head. Those sweet ruby lips had turned devastatingly cruel, as his crimson angel confirmed his fears. 'You are a monster.' The smell of mako filled his memory, as his heart pounded in his chest. The sense of betrayal from all those years ago poured back into him as the former General let out an unholy scream.
His angel had turned on him? Anguish filled him, of course he knew that such a creature could not love a monster like him. The words replayed in his head over and over as Jenova reminded him of why he had abandoned humanity. Genesis Rhapsodos had been at the core. But like a crack, a flaw in any plan as the words rang through his ears, Sephiroth like me. That velvet voice thought he too was a monster like the man he was addressing. Truth, no matter how twisted with malice, flowed from those lips like a sparkling blue, crystal clear waterfall of knowledge. His angel was telling him the tale the rest of the world has sought to hid from him.
Like a fool, he had turned his love away. Reject him, when he needed him most. The perfect monster. Truer words had never been spoken. But no longer. Sephiroth's resolve returned as Masamune found its place in his grasp once more . He had failed Genesis once, and he wouldn't do it again.
Jenova screamed in his mind, clawing at it with gusto as her previous attempt was rebuffed, but the former general paid it no heed. Sephiroth was seeing more clearly then he had for a lifetime. The siren's call had lifted as he looked up at the form behind the crystal. He drew back, one full stroke. Time seemed to slow as the mako shattered into thousands of glittering pieces, that resembled diamonds floating through the air, catching the tiny bit of light making its way into the space and illuminating the whole cave if just for a moment.
The effect was immediate, as pulse of energy exploded through the cave, enough energy radiating out that it forced even Sephiroth in a struggle to remain upright. The shards of mako blew back, before dissolving into the air. The body of his angel stayed floating a moment longer, the only reason the once great General had time to position himself underneath Genesis. He caught the lithe body in his arms, pulling it tight to his chest, his own hair falling into place around him as the cavern went still. Silence descended on the cavern as Sephiroth looked down to find that his angel was still asleep. It seemed he had been successful in retrieving his body, but his mind was still out of his grasp.
The hum in the cave had died, the life that was swirling just before had been replaced with an eerie calm as Sephiroth tried to reason what to do. It had been so long since he'd had to make a decision for himself, Jenova had guided his every move for nearly a decade. His gaze never wavered from Genesis's sleeping face. He looked so serene, especially in contrast to the visions his mother has sent him.
His long black feathered wing stretched out, as an image of the man in his arms slipped back into his mind. It seemed his angel had the mate to the single wing on his back. A grin spread across his face at the thought. Something that never before had occurred to him since it had been after his fall to Jenova that his own appendage appeared. Perhaps he wasn't as far from the man in his arms as he once feared. Genesis had once considered himself a monster as well, even fallen angels were beautiful. There was just so much he didn't know. Pieces in his memory, in his own existence. He wanted nothing more than for those for those dazzling eyes to slide open, and those beautiful lips to part and fill in the gaps he knew they could.
The words "I love you." echoed through the cave, and excitement flared in Sephiroth's chest before he realized that they had emanated from him and not the beauty in his arms. He wasn't sure he had ever heard his own voice with such a tone, that he couldn't recognize it without the scathing hatred direct at the blond who was no longer quite so important to him. Once, however, somewhere tucked away back in his mind he knew the words of love had been uttered by his angel, meant for his ears alone.
Gently he adjusted Genesis's position in his arms. Watching as those crimson locks swayed, revealing more of his porcelain features. Sephiroth would find away to return Genesis to himself completely and with that thought he drew his wing up, before taking to the air, prize in hand. He had to find a place to care for his angel, and he only had one destination in mind.
In the back of the room however, suppressed by the darkness in the cave, he never seemed to notice the two eyes watching from the shadows. Not a sound was made as a figure with long black hair emerged from his hiding spot. The air around him almost sinister as he bent over to pluck a single black feather from the ground. Magenta eyes scanned it critically for a moment before the fingers clutching the object opened up, and the accursed feather disappeared, surrounded by wisps of darkness.
"I don't know who took you Ni-San." The voice purred, sounding almost happy rather then distraught. "But I don't like it. Your ours, I won't let someone else take you from our family." with that the darkness swirled once more. As an inhuman laugh filled the now tranquil cave. "I wonder what Weiss is going to think of this. Or poor Rosso." and with that the figure was gone and the cave was empty once more.
That's it for the first chapter, and while I don't normally do this, I'm going to put Cloud's fate to a vote. If you'd like to see more of him in this story (By no means will there be ANYTHING even remotely resembling Seph/Cloud in this story PERIOD. Do not expect an ounce of it at all, or even ask.) and thus have him live let me know. Or on the flip side if you just want him dead and out of the way I can run with that too. The story I have plotted out is easily adjustable either way, thus why I just really can't decide what to do with him. - DHT