Chapter 1: The Boy In The Walls

Eight-year-old Sephiroth stepped off the elevator leading to one of the top floors of the Shinra building. As he casually glanced out the window, he could see half of the plate that made up the upper-class part of Midgar. Though he had been born in Nibelheim(or so he'd been told), the giant metropolis that was Midgar was all he had ever been familiar with, until recently.

He had returned from a month-long trip to see all of the Western Continent. For the first time in his short life, he had ridden in a helicopter, been on a boat, and seen all of the important provinces of the large continent. He had seen the mako reactor of Nibelheim. He had traveled over the mountains to the village up north a ways, where the first airplane had been invented by a man named Fenix Highwind(and had been introduced to his ten-year-old grandson, Cid). He had spent time on the beaches of Costa Del Sol, where he'd managed to get sunburned. He was none-too-pleased when his chaperone declared that she would have to inform Professor Hojo about said sunburn. It meant he'd likely be visiting his lab the next morning for another battery of tests. The sun, his caretaker had said, shouldn't have hurt him like it did normal people.

Normal people.

Sephiroth knew he was not "normal people". He knew that he was not supposed to be "normal people". If he got injured like "normal people", it meant more testing so that he would no longer be as vulnerable next time. If he got sick like "normal people", it meant more injections, despite the fact that those usually made him feel even sicker.

The thought of having to see Professor Hojo was making him uneasy. Being in the labs with and of the doctors and scientists was bad enough, but he especially disliked Hojo. Immediately, he began trying to think of something that would keep his mind occupied until he had to face the inevitable.

Just then, his cat-like eyes lit up. Of course! He had sword training tomorrow! Kendo, Fencing, and Iaido back-to-back. The day after that, he had hand-to-hand training. Whether it was stand-up fighting or ground fighting, it didn't matter. All of those things were much more fun than when he simply had to run on a treadmill for two hours each day(even if the treadmills were attached to TV monitors for him to watch his favorite shows on).

He began walking down the corridor, weaving through the various personnel going about their jobs. White labcoats were a familiar sight for the child. If an employee wasn't wearing one, it was because they wore a helmet and the uniform of a soldier.

Soldier or scientist. It was all the same to Shinra Inc.'s "very special young man", as the company president always referred to him as. He was the young man who was going to change the face of the world one day. Everybody kept saying so, even if he didn't understand how.

"Welcome back, Sephiroth."

The boy looked up and saw a young officer dressed in red smiling down at him. Judging by the almost mint condition of his uniform, Sephiroth guessed that the man had recently been commissioned. "Thank you," he said mechanically.

"How was your vacation?" the officer asked.

"It wasn't a vacation," Sephiroth corrected him, "The powers-that-be thought that it would be in my best interests to see these places. I did enjoy learning about the world, though."

"Then I'm glad you had fun," the guard said as he continued on his way.

Sephiroth watched the man for a few seconds, and then continued along the long hallway that led to his quarters. That was certainly different. Most of the soldiers never engaged the boy, much less did so in the friendly manner he did. He was more used to the wary respect that they normally treated him with. Any familiarity tended to unnerve him. He had disliked Costa Del Sol for that very reason. He had found the natives to be intrusive and presumptuous, and had openly recoiled when a young tour guide had put his hand on the boy's shoulder. He had been slightly alarmed when his chaperone explained to him that in the outside world, many people behaved in such a forward manner with one another. It all just seemed ridiculous to him.

Finally, he arrived at the door to the small one-bedroom apartment he lived in alone(apparently something that didn't happen to other eight-year-old boys, but just another reason he was "special", he supposed). Just as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his key card, he stopped, listening carefully.

During his time at Costa Del Sol, he and his caretaker had stayed in a hotel room next-door to a set of new parents. Their screaming baby had unfortunately, kept the boy up half the night, until at last, the caretaker had requested a new room.

There was no mistaking his very sharp ears. There was definitely a baby crying nearby. However, it sounded even more distressed than the baby he'd heard in Costa Del Sol. This one sounded as if it were in great physical pain.

Puzzled, he decided to follow the sound.

As he drew closer, he picked up a new sound: a woman screaming hysterically. He rounded a corner and saw two guards stationed outside the door to one of the labs. He was certain the sounds were coming from behind there.

Strange, but Sephiroth had assumed that he was the only actual person that was subject to examinations there. The Shinra Science department had been his home for as long as he could remember, and he knew the 67th and 68th floors very well. Maybe someone had been injured and they were using the lab as a makeshift hospital?

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" he could hear the woman screaming, "SHE'S JUST A BABY! HOW CAN YOU HURT A HELPLESS BABY LIKE THAT?!"

Sephiroth then heard the unmistakable sound of a hard slap.

"One more word, Cetra, and I will personally silence you!" a familiar voice snapped.

Hojo.

Sephiroth's blood ran cold. The head of the science department, and his unofficial "caretaker" was in there. Sephiroth hated the man and everything about him. Professor Kazuhiro Hojo was nowhere near the genius that his former colleague Professor Faremis Gast had been. However, Gast had abruptly quit one year ago, without so much as a goodbye. This meant that Hojo was now in charge, much to Sephiroth's chagrin.

"Move along," one of the guards said coldly.

"What's Professor Hojo doing in there?" Sephiroth asked.

"This isn't for you to see," the guard said coldly as he roughly grabbed Sephiroth and shoved him out of the way.

Sephiroth pitched forward and instantly remembered to tuck his head down. Instead of being sent sprawling, he simply rolled forward, and back onto his feet. He glanced behind him and smirked mockingly at the guard, who was growling something under his breath.

Feeling cocky, the boy strutted over to his door. Taking his key card out, he let himself in, and glanced at the clock. He had a few minutes to change into his training clothes, and go up to the next floor for his latest test. Unlike the ones he had to put up with in the labs, this particular test was one he did not mind at all...

Sephiroth hurried as fast as he could through the tunnel. He may have been an incredibly fast runner, but he was having a lot of trouble maintaining a satisfactory speed while moving on his hands and knees. He would have to double his efforts once he got out of the tunnel.

Finally, he reached the end, and kicked the grate down. He crawled into a hallway that looked to be in utter chaos. Emergency lights were flashing, sirens were going off, and there was blood smeared on the walls. A couple of bodies lay slumped on the floor. Sephiroth growled in frustration. He was supposed to have protected those people. He had arrived too late!

He continued to look carefully around the area, his senses heightened. The faint sound his ears picked up on made him spin around, and he grinned at what he saw.

An enemy soldier charged at him, ready to grab him. Sephiroth was ready, though. He tipped over, tucking his head down, and managed to roll right through the soldier's legs. He got back to his feet, and kept running. He managed to do the same thing with the next one that came his way, only this time, he rolled around his enemy. When the third soldier charged at him, he ran up the side of the wall and flipped backwards, executing a side-kick that sent his target sprawling. The final one, he was simply able to outrun, and with that, he was able to make it to the goal.

The room suddenly changed from a long corridor with emergency lights flashing and blood splattered along the walls, to a plain, empty hallway.

"Not bad, Sephiroth," the technician/trainer said over the loudspeaker, "Especially that side-kick. Hand-to-hand combat is already starting to pay off for you. At this rate, you'll have a sword in your hand by the end of the month when you do these field tests!"

Sephiroth smirked, trying hard not to show how excited he really was.

"I had to dock points off for the tunnel performance. I'll have to let your regular trainer know what's going on as well. You're having a lot of trouble crawling through. I'm sure it's nothing some extra practice can't fix, though."

Sephiroth nodded, having expected that.

"Good thing it'll be a few years before you ever see your first real battle," said the technician, "When the time comes, I'm sure you'll save a lot of people's lives.

"Anyway, I think we're done for the day. You must be pretty hungry after such a workout. You deserve it, though."

The door opened, and Sephiroth sprinted out.

He made his way to the elevator, and saw the guard who had asked him about his trip earlier. He was waiting there, along with President Shinra himself.

"Ah, Sephiroth," the president greeted him, "I'd like you to meet your new bodyguard."

"Aren't Turks supposed to be bodyguards?" Sephiroth asked.

"Normally yes, but I thought a member of SOLDIER might be a better role-model for you, considering your future here," the president explained. He lit up a cigar and took a puff. "Have you met this man?"

"Sort of," said Sephiroth.

"My name's Wolff," the guard said as he took off his helmet, allowing his blond hair to spill over his eyes. He brushed it aside and then extended his hand to Sephiroth.

The boy shook it. "Nice to formally meet you," he said politely.

"I hope the both of you will get along splendidly," said the president, "and that Wolff here will prove to be a good mentor. Feel free to ask him anything about soldier life. Hopefully he can also keep you out of trouble, hmm? I know boys your age start to get curious about everything around them. Best not to poke your nose everywhere, though, right?" He leaned back and chuckled.

Sephiroth instantly understood. The room with the screaming woman...of course.

"Well, I'll be off, now." the president said with a wink, and nodded approvingly at the guard's salute. He took another puff of his cigar, and flicked the ashes onto the floor for some custodian to clean up. With a nod to both Wolff and the boy, he walked off.

Jerk…Sephiroth thought as he glared at the president's retreating overweight figure.

The door opened, and Wolff and Sephiroth got in. They rode the elevator in silence.

Sephiroth had only met the president a handful of times, but he did not like the man at all. He found him to be patronizing, two-faced, and slimy. He often acted like he was everybody's best friend, even though it was obvious to anyone with a brain, that the man clearly had his own agenda. To act like he was looking out for everyone's best interest, especially Sephiroth's, was simply insulting one's intelligence.

At least Hojo didn't put on any act. Everyone knew that Hojo looked out for Hojo. At least Sephiroth could respect that kind of honesty…barely.

Finally, the doors opened and they stepped out.

"Is Wolff your first name, or last name?" Sephiroth asked.

"First."

"In the old days," Sephiroth remarked, "members of the army were addressed by their last names."

"Ever since the president took over from his father," Wolff explained, "the army became much less formal. I guess it gives off a sense of approachability. I'm not sure if it actually works, though. Plenty of people are still scared of me when they see me in my reds."

"So what's your last name, then?" Sephiroth asked curiously.

"Gainsborough," Wolff replied, "Wolff Gainsborough."

"And how old are you?"

"Twenty."

"You think you'll ever make it to first class?"

"I hope so. Elmyra, my fiancee, doesn't believe in daycare, which means I need to be bringing home the big bucks if we ever want kids."

Sephiroth didn't quite understand that last answer, but nodded anyway as they stopped at the entrance to the gym. "This is where I get off," he announced.

"Okay. I'll be waiting when you come out," Wolff told him.

Sephiroth nodded again as he opened the door.

"And Sephiroth?"

The boy paused, looking expectantly at his new bodyguard/mentor, who smiled at him.

"I hope we can become good friends."

"Maybe," Sephiroth said matter-of-factly, "I've never had any friends before, so that might be interesting."

Poor kid…Wolff thought as Sephiroth entered the gym.

Sephiroth glanced at the clock. It was an hour before his bedtime, during which his caretakers would make sure he had brushed his teeth, put on his pajamas, and was in bed. Then his door was locked from the outside for the next eight hours. That would give him plenty of time to do what he planned.

He had already checked out the space behind the air vent in his room. There was a tunnel exactly like the one in the simulation he had done earlier that day. For all he knew, it was probably modeled after the very same tunnels in the Shinra building. He was going to practice crawling quickly and quietly through the ventilation tunnel. However, he decided to wait at least an hour after "lights out" to make his move.

He decided to kill some time by reading a book by flashlight. It was an account of the cities that the Ancients had built over two-thousand years ago. The hero, Galeas, was a powerful wizard who commanded all of the elements. He had commanded beasts to protect him, and became the leader of an advanced city.

Fairy tales, according to Hojo. For some reason, that man couldn't seem to keep his nose out of Sephiroth's personal life, right down to his tastes in literature. It didn't mean anything, though. Hojo could say what he wanted, but he didn't control what Sephiroth read, which was just fine with the boy.

Finally, he glanced up the clock, and saw it was time. He put the book down, got out of bed, and listened for a moment, making sure nothing suspicious was going on. After a few seconds, he was confident that everything was just fine. He went over to the grate on his wall, and pulled it off as quietly as he could manage. Crawling inside, he pulled the grate back into place, and began his journey through the walls.

Unlike the simulator, this tunnel was dark, and extremely dusty. Neither of these things bothered the child, however. His enhanced eyes could see every outline just as clearly as if it had been daytime, and he simply pulled his shirt over his nose to filter the dust out.

He nearly jumped, however, when he heard a loud, clanging sound. Looking around slightly panicked at first, he then realized it was simply the water heater clanging above him. The pipes must have been constructed right above the vent. He shook his head, and resumed crawling. Rounding a corner, he stopped as he saw how the tunnel now stretched out…exactly the same as in the simulation.

Perfect.

Sephiroth was just about to start counting while he took off, when his ears picked up another sound. He crawled up to another grate and lay still, listening carefully.

It sounded like a woman crying. He suspected it might have been the woman he had heard screaming earlier that day.

He peered carefully through the grate. He couldn't see anyone, but it sounded as if the woman was right next to him. Against his better judgment, he spoke out to her:

"Are you okay?"

As soon as he asked, he felt stupid. The woman was crying for Planet's sake! Of course she wasn't all right!

"Who's there?" he heard her ask.

"Don't worry…" he said, "I'm not a guard or anything."

The woman laughed nervously, in spite of herself. "Well, you sound a little young to be a guard."

"I'm behind the grate leading to the vents," Sephiroth whispered, "Is anyone there with you?"

"Just me and Aerith," the woman said, "Although I know there's guards stationed outside the door."

"Do you mind if I come in?" Sephiroth asked, "I'll be quiet."

"All right," the woman said.

Sephiroth pushed the grate down, still managing to make as little noise as possible. He crawled through, and got to his feet. He looked and saw a young woman with long brown hair lying on a small bed, hastily wiping her green eyes, that seemed to almost glow slightly, though not in the same way his own eyes did. She tried to sit up, but she could barely manage to lean up against the two pillows she had propped up against the wall.

A few feet away from the bed stood a cradle, next to a small desk and chair. The entire room was a fraction of the size of Sephiroth's comfortable one-bedroom apartment. He wondered how he himself could handle living in such tiny quarters.

"There's a pitcher of water on the desk over there…" the woman said pointing across the room, "I'm too weak to get it myself…could you please…?"

Sephiroth tip-toed over to the pitcher and poured a glass of water. He then tip-toed back to the bed and handed her the glass.

"Thank you…" the woman said weakly as she began to drink. When she finished, she put the empty glass on a small nightstand near her bed.

"Do you need this too?" Sephiroth asked as he picked up a bedpan and brought it over.

"Not right now, but thank you," she replied with a slightly amused smile. She then indicated the cradle with her head. "That's my daughter Aerith sleeping in the cradle. My name is Ifalna. What's yours?"

"Sephiroth," the boy answered, "Is the baby okay? She sounded like she was in a lot of pain earlier. I could hear her crying from outside my room."

"She was," Ifalna said as she glanced at the cradle, "They really hurt her this afternoon…but it's over now."

Sephiroth wondered where the woman was from. She didn't seem to speak with any specific accent, but her speech was still a bit odd, like a trauma victim who had just re-learned how to speak.

"I hate most of the scientists here," he muttered, "They probably made me cry like that when I was a baby as well. Hojo's the worst. He's no scientist. He's a hack compared to Professor Gast."

Ifalna suddenly burst into tears again, biting her fist to suppress her cries.

"Are you in pain?" Sephiroth asked, not knowing what to do, and feeling slightly awkward.

"Gast was my husband…" the woman whimpered, "Hojo had him shot when he wouldn't let them take us…they took us anyway. Oh, my sweet professor…!"

"He's dead?!" Sephiroth whispered in horror, "No! That's not fair! Why?!"

He sank to the ground, blinking back tears of his own, trying as hard as he could not to let them fall.

Aerith began gurgling.

"He's the baby's father, then?" Sephiroth sniffled.

"Yes…I can't even hold her right now. I don't know what it is they injected me with, but I'm so dizzy…"

Aerith began to fuss.

"I can push the cradle over to you if you want," Sephiroth offered as he stood up and wiped his eyes.

"Thank you so much…" Ifalna looked at him, grateful. "You've been so helpful."

Sephiroth said nothing, but pushed the cradle right next to Ifalna's bed. The woman reached in and touched the infant's cheek. Aerith quieted down.

"There's a good girl..." Ifalna whispered soothingly, "Mama can't hold you right now...but I'm right here, little one. Here, I'll hold your sweet little hand..." She touched the infant's hand with her index finger, which Aerith instinctively curled her tiny fingers around. "That's right...go back to sleep. Planet knows you need the rest..."

Sephiroth watched curiously as the young mother continued to whisper words of reassurance to her daughter. Curiously, he felt himself start to relax as well. He suddenly began to feel tired.

"I should go now…" he whispered, "I'm supposed to be sleeping. I'll be punished if they catch me, and I'll never get to use the vents again."

"What were you doing in there?" Ifalna asked as she lay in her bed, watching as Aerith fell back asleep.

"I was practicing for a drill," Sephiroth answered, "I'm training to be a soldier." He couldn't help but look somewhat proud as he continued: "The greatest soldier in history. People say I'm going to be a hero."

"I wish I had a hero right now..." Ifalna sighed. She then caught herself and looked away. "Sorry," she said, ashamed. Given what her late husband had told her about him, she knew he had to be dealing with plenty of his own problems. The last thing he needed was her selfishly piling her own troubles on him.

"It was...nice to meet you," Sephiroth said shyly.

"Would you please come closer?" Ifalna asked.

The little boy stared warily at her, looking slightly confused, but he obeyed finally. Ifalna looked at Sephiroth for a moment, and then reached for him, clumsily pulling him into a tight hug.

"You're a sweet boy…" she whispered, "Don't ever let them change you."

Sephiroth stood there awkwardly, not sure how to respond. Nobody had ever hugged him before.

"Thank you again for the water, and for bringing Aerith over to me. We'll both sleep better tonight, thanks to you."

"It was nothing," Sephiroth whispered as he climbed back into the vent, pulling the grate back in it's place. He then began making his way back to his room.

"There you are. I was told about the sunburn you experienced on your trip," Hojo said as Sephiroth entered the examination room the next morning.

Sephiroth didn't answer, simply taking off his shirt and looking for his usual gown.

"Don't bother," said Hojo, "I don't need to give you a full exam, and in any case, I'm much too busy. I'm quite confident this will help…" He handed the boy a bottle with no label. "Just rub it on the afflicted parts of your skin like any lotion and you'll be fine. We'll do a skin biopsy during your next check-up to take care of this problem once and for all. I can't have your skin burning. Even the slightest discomfort would be a distraction that could mean the difference between life and death. Not yours, likely, but the soldiers you lead into battle..."

Sephiroth remained silent and let the man ramble on. He always avoided speaking to Hojo unless asked a direct question, but ever since Ifalna had told him about Professor Gast's death, the boy had begun to smell a rat. He spoken to the phlebotomist who came into his room every morning before breakfast to do blood work. When asked about Professor Gast, the woman confirmed that he had indeed passed away…of a heart attack. She didn't seem to be lying to him, but when he had pressed for more information, she had confessed that it was Professor Hojo who had sent the memo out.

He planned to see Ifalna again and ask for more details, but he wasn't sure when. If he didn't get enough sleep, it would start to show, and he had rather enjoyed his excursion through the vents. It was exactly like the simulation, and if it meant he would get a little more practice and do even better, he had all the reason to keep doing it.

It wasn't like he was cheating…right?

"We're done for now," Hojo announced, "You may leave. Rub the lotion on the burned areas once every four hours. I'll advise your trainers as well so you won't forget. Hopefully the burns will be gone by tomorrow morning."

Sephiroth stood up and left without a word.

"...You're welcome!" Hojo snapped.

A/N: Thank you to (most of) my reviewers!

Destinykeyblade: I've fixed the plot a little and made it a tad more realistic(hopefully).

Guest: Thanks! I'm a fan of the pairing as well, so long as it happens realistically. Too many crappy stories have them falling in love almost instantly, even after he's killed her and they're in the Lifestream together. Altered timeline stories work better for me, and I'm always curious to see how they affect the main plot(usually, it means Zack and Aerith live :D). That's what I intend do to here, and see where the other characters come in.