Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in the Final Fantasy franchise.
Chapter 1
Snow began falling lightly as Cloud continued on trying to find shelter. His village had finally chased him out, deciding that he was the reason for all their troubles. Fifteen years old, and they only saw him as a demon, and all because his eyes were a little odd. The first five or so years had been fine, but it wasn't until the incident with the mayor's daughter did things go downhill.
Of course they would, Cloud thought bitterly. He was just the poor bastard, a product of a one night stand, that no one would mourn if he died. His own mother didn't even try to stop them; the look of disgust on her face as she shoved him outside at the mob was answer enough to her thoughts of him.
All of the villagers were completely human, cut off from the rest of the world as it had been for centuries. The only news from the outside that ever reached them was from the occasional merchant passing through, and most of the villagers would openly sneer at their tales of demons and humans coexisting peacefully. Cloud would of course eavesdrop and listen in wonder at their tales, just a tiny bit heartened that someone like him might exist out there somewhere.
Cloud shivered as another gust of wind blew even more snow down. He was lucky that he was wearing his heaviest jacket already, not that it did him much good in the current white out. He didn't even know which way he was going. His body was getting heavier and heavier with each step and Cloud wasn't sure how much longer he would last out here.
He had been run out just after dawn that morning and it was now nearly nightfall. If he didn't find shelter soon, there was zero chance of him surviving the night.
Suddenly, he realized that he was no longer alone. Cloud looked up and stared at the shadowed figure in silence, not a single thought processing as the man continued to stare.
Finally, with a strangled sob, Cloud collapsed in front of the dark figure standing not five yards from him, unconscious before he hit the ground.
Sephiroth had been enjoying the warmth of the Shinra mansion with his friends, ignoring the bickering from Zack and Genesis, while waiting for Angeal to come out and inform them that dinner was ready when the proximity alert went off. Years of military training sent them instantly on alert and any order that Sephiroth gave was instantly obeyed.
Together, three of the demons headed out and spread out to cover more ground and to make it harder for anyone to ambush them. Angeal had stayed behind to direct them from the monitors. Speaking of, Angeal's voice sparked in his ear over the comm.
"A little more to the east, Sephiroth, and Genesis, make sure to cover his flank ," he cautioned.
Soon enough, he caught sight of a human form stumbling through the snow. Something was off about them. His presence was almost familiar. Guarded now, Sephiroth tensed and cautiously inched forward. He could feel, rather than see, his companions do the same.
It took a moment, but soon the person, a young boy apparently, noticed him. He looked up and-
Sephiroth and Genesis- who was now just close enough to see the child's face but still stay unseen- inhaled sharply. He looked barely older than twelve with pale, angelic features. Soft, golden hair wreathed his head and rose in spikes, an odd style to keep, and his face was pale and round with lips just beginning to turn blue. The cause for their astonishment, however, were his eye. They were a bright blue and glowed softly in the darkness, slit pupils dilated in fear.
This was no human child; this was a fledgling!
Children amongst their kind were rare because of their long lifespan, so any children born were cherished and guarded jealously. No demon would intentionally harm one. To find one this far away from others like them, seemingly abandoned and injured sent Sephiroth's bloodlust burning.
Before any of them could react, a sound like the whimper of an injured animal escaped the young one's busted lip and he fell forward. Rushing forward, Sephiroth managed to catch him just before he hit the ground. Cradling the child close to his chest, he turned and pelted toward the mansion all the while ordering a now confused Angeal to get the medical supplies ready. The front door was flung open as they neared and a wide eyed Angeal stood aside to let them in.
"I set up in the den," Angeal said, leading them to the correct room. Sephiroth gently set the boy on the chaise nearest the roaring fire. Immediately Angeal set to work, Genesis explaining to the other two what they saw. Zack sat eerily quiet on one of the chairs.
"His eyes… I feel like I've seen them before," Genesis continued sounding extremely agitated. "He even feels familiar."
"We need to contact HQ, he's hypothermic and needs a proper doctor. Whoever did this…" Even the usually gentle Angeal was riled, his eyes lowing brighter than normal.
"I will," Sephiroth stated calmly, needing an excuse to leave. The longer he stayed and looked at the fledgling, the more infuriated he felt.
Exiting to the library, he went to where he left his laptop and opened a call to Lazard. The man answered, looking surprise to see him. Understandable, considering they were supposed to be on vacation for the entire week.
"Sephiroth. I didn't expect a call for a while; the four of you aren't due back for another three days."
"We need an extraction immediately." He paused before clarifying. "A medical transport."
Instantly the blonde man went on alert. "Who-?"
He was cut off. "Not us, an injured fledgling stumbled onto the property and needs better medical attention than what we can provide."
Lazard was silent as he digested this startling information.
"I'm sending one of the turks over immediately. They will be there by morning," he said abruptly. With that said, the call ended.
As promised, a medical transport arrived first thing in the morning, far earlier than they had expected given the storm. It took all of ten minutes to get everyone strapped in and take off again. The air of solemnity around the four SOLDIERS kept even the usually boisterous turk Reno subdued.
Seven painfully long hours of near complete silence later and they were finally at headquarters. Waiting for them at the helipad, in addition to some nurses, was Tseng. The turk commander watched with a frown as they hurriedly carted the boy inside before turning to face the soldiers.
"So you can feel it to," Genesis stated before Tseng could speak.
"Yes, more than likely he's related to someone we've crossed paths with. I will have them run some tests when he is in the clear. For now, no one is to know of him unless strictly necessary." With that said, the man then turned to follow after the medics.
Once he was out of earshot, Zack grinned.
"So he does have a heart!" he exclaimed, turning to the others only to receive three identical looks of disbelief. "What?! Don't tell me that that didn't remind you of Angeal when he's in mother-chocobo mode."
"You know I think he's right," Genesis replied after a second.
Sephiroth chuckled and nodded his head in agreement.
Angeal could only sigh in exasperation, a fond smile on his face.
AN: This is the first time that I have posted any of my stories to a public site. I figured that it could be good way to get feedback about my writing, so while I like criticism please no flames, Feel free to point out any grammatical errors or if I've misspelled anything; I'll note it and try to fix it at a later date.