SUMMARY: Jenova had been destroyed and Sephiroth is captured. Will Cloud get his answers before the man is executed?

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or any characters related to the game, and I do not make any money/profit in making this. A beautiful band called Second Person created the songs "Fire", "Water", "Wood", "Earth", and "Metal" and "Too Cold to Snow".
You don't need to listen to them, but they do have a certain feel for the characters' part in the story.
Second Person used the Chinese elements to represent different stages of a love story or personal crisis.

Rated: M (for mature) *rated for slight language and the fact I think any 'pairing' situations should be viewed by emotionally mature audiences*

iWARNING! This fic has character death in it. It is also a YAOI (M/M). This is a Seph/Cloud fic and if you don't like then LEAVE. It also has language… compliments of Yuffie. (haha not Cid this time, take that FF7 Fandom!)

AN: There will be character notes about actions at the end of this chapter. During the story I tried to give hits at who the characters were without actually saying the names. (IE: the weapons, actions, paranoia)3

EDIT: I've edited this beginning chapter: I've added more to Tifa and Vincent's perspective, and a little to Reeve's to get a better feeling of what I wanted across. I also had redone the ending part a little. Not much has changed so if you don't want to reread it you don't have to.

~Anyways~
To all others that have just begun to read this: I hope you enjoy my fic!

Too Cold to Snow
(By: Second Person)

Part 1
Fire

I will admit that I was one of the first of us to throw a punch at the already defeated man. He was just standing there in front of us with his sword hardly raised. This was a pathetic sight. We went through all this trouble, Cloud went through all that turmoil, just for him to give up as he watched his mother get burned to a crisp.

I didn't scream like a girl when I saw that tentacle-like leg twitch. Barret was asking me if I was alright as Cid was carefully taking the Fire Materia from my hands. I was fine, and I didn't scream like a girl when I set it on fire.

I am proud of our group. We saved a planet! Yet my pride is still overshadowed by my hatred of that man. I sat in silence as I'm in the chair to Cloud's right, and Yuffie was on the other side of him. I've begun to become somewhat jealous of her. Sometimes I feel like he pays more attention to her, but he also treats her like she is his kid sister.

This happened all because of that man. I want him to suffer, want him to feel the pain that wasn't even a sliver to the pain I felt, wanted him to understand the fact that everyone on this planet wanted him dead. How dare he do what he did! How could he not foresee the consequences of his actions?! Why did ne not think there wouldn't be anyone that would stand up to him?

I watch. I wait. I stare.

These feelings of mine feel like someone else's. I've never seen myself as vengeful woman, but he deserves this. After he killed my mother, my father, my village! How can he not pay for the crimes that he had committed! Catching him and finally given the chance to make him repent for what he's done somehow angers me. This quick death we're giving him is not enough. It should be humiliating, long and painful, with him begging for it to end.

I volunteered to be one of the guards that escort him to the gallows. The keychain is hardly heard as the other prisoners groan and complain about our disturbance. The steel door opens to reveal that man with the long silver hair. He's hardly a shadow to what he once was. He was sitting on the wooden bench attached to a wall and appeared to be trapped in his own thoughts. He hadn't once glanced up since we came in. His body covering leather was torn in places, his once brilliant hair was ratted, and chains encased his wrists and feet.

The man had been weakened and didn't even try to fight as we grabbed him and forced him to stand. He stood there still for a few moments, his face still blank. I gave him a quick punch to the ribs with my metal knuckled fists to get him moving. I try to convince myself that he doesn't deserve nice treatment, that he should be grateful that he had even gotten a trial, but for some reason my actions seemed to weigh down on my heart.

As the event begins I see Cloud standing in front of him, yelling at him, and I don't stop him. He needs to vent out his frustration, and this was the first time I've ever seen him so upset. I gasp as what I see is processed in my head. It was an action that was totally unexpected, and from my angle I saw everything. Within a few seconds the guards ran to them and were forcefully pulling my friend off of the platform… I saw… what?

.

..

Why?

Wood

It still surprises me, humanity that is. They run in panic and try to hide when where they're running to can't possibly be any safer than the spot they were already at. They get angry and push the blame onto others when the other party, though having a part in it, couldn't have possibly been the cause of it. They come together to try and save the life of a madman just because it would be the 'humane' thing to do.

Yes, there were people that had come to the trial to claim that taking a life of a killer is wrong, but they have no problem with sticking him in a cold, dark cell for the rest of his life. People are ignorant, and though it is said that ignorance is bliss it is also ignorance that gets people killed.

Yet I feel this is all a part of an act. People's expectations of other people cause those people to lead more expectations. The ballet dancer must be graceful and never to go beyond the line that crosses into the passionate dance of the tango. The gang member must be harsh, never showing the part of himself that wishes to become a savior. The creation must destroy…

The noise around us becomes increasingly louder, and the people in the audience begin to scream and throw rotten vegetables. Cid and I quietly watch as the man is brought into the open area by Tifa and the other guards. I assume she wants to be there in case the man tries to escape, or maybe she just wants to be in the front row while this ends. I believe it could also be a combination of the two.

I hear Cid grumble beside me. I do not know what he said, but I've known him long enough to assume it isn't anything pleasant. The older blond wasn't one to pay much attention to appearances, but it seems that he is pondering on a thought that had arisen in his head. He tries to be as subtle as he can as his eyes shifts to the silver haired man and back toward me. I can't help but get the feeling he's thinking something he's not supposed to. Not even I had begun to think of it as a possibility, at least not until after we had captured him.

Cloud had gotten drunk that night, which was very uncharacteristic of him, but after everything he'd been forced to endure none of us could blame him. I had volunteered to carry him home. One of his arms was thrown over my shoulder to make the job easier as he had stumbled over his feet. He had been looking at me strangely for a while, and halfway to his home he'd blurted out that I had some facial resemblance to Sephiroth.

I had almost dropped him as I tripped over my own two feet. He had passed out right after that so the conversation had ended, but it had been said, the damage had been done, and now I can't get the 'what if's out of my head.

The crowd does to what an angry crowd is expected to do. The hangman appears as to how a man of death is supposed to appear. The silent prisoner is the single anomaly in this humanoid theory of expectations.

This was the act, it all lead up to this. That's all it was, and the curtain had opened centuries ago. I watch as they play their roles. There's a critic beside me, studying me like one would study the resemblances to the main actor and his stand in.

Water

I want a drink, all this boring stuff was making me tiresome and my throat was getting dry! I'm lightly elbowed in the ribs by Cloud to get me to stop wriggling. I can't help it. I'm an active person and need to be in constant motion! The judge finally comes in and I'm mentally thanking Gaia that this is one step closer to being finished. Coming in from the doors behind us is Sephiroth along with 10 guards surrounding him and an extra 20 behind in case he tries to fight. Being from Wutai I'd like to give myself a little credit at reading people and their movements, but I cannot read this man. He was the one who killed my people in a power struggle oh-so long ago, but I don't hold grudges, me and my farther are still alive. Well, I did force Cloud and his group to take me with them to help stop the silver haired man, but what I really wanted that Materia, damn it!

Thinking of which, my eyes slide to the sword Cloud had brought with him. There's Materia in there… He always has the good stuff carried around with him. I wonder which ones he's- he elbows me again and a glare is sent my way. He knew what I was thinking about, shit!

A good half an hour has gone by; the ex-General is being represented by Shinra's finest lawyer, but the lawyer working against them is the world's finest. All of Wutai had offered to chip in to pay for him if Cloud didn't have enough gil to do it himself. He politely thanked them and refused the offer, cause he knew he could afford it and the lawyer even offered to do it cheap! (It's still a mystery as to why the monsters are carrying 148 gil and magic fire rings) But the lawyer is a good man- I get elbowed again and I share a glare with Cloud. What the hell did I do this time? He looks down between our chairs and I notice that my hand was wandering off into dangerous territory. Actually I think I might need an exorcist… damn my thieving habits!

I pause as I realize something, the giant man in the chair is quiet and withdrawn. I frown and try to read more. He wasn't even going along with the Shinra lawyer at claiming temporary insanity. Quiet. Withdrawn. Emotionally detached. It appeared that this man had accepted his fate. The lawyer that Cloud had hired is fluent in his movements and has his whole body in use to bring attention to his passion in what he's talking about. Even I couldn't not listen to him.

"You say that he's claimed temporary insanity, but from what the officers have written is that he did not ONCE speak since being captured! He even refuses to speak now! How can h-" That catches my attention and now I've tuned the lawyer out again as I study the silver haired man in a different light. People who have accepted their fate are quiet, but they still speak on occasions. People who have a secret to hide… those are the people that hold their tongue no matter what torture is brought to them.

From the way the Cloud has tensed beside me I can tell that he's on the same thought process as I am.

Earth

I keep my bloodshot eyes on the TV as I watch the news… my mechanical cat lay motionless beside me. I'd turned his power off a while ago. I don't need the contraption now since I'm not undercover under Shinra nor am I using it to fight the man that was currently on the television. I couldn't go to the trial or execution. My mind was still remembering moments of the past. Even I had once admired that man. I had worked with him on occasions and it felt like the highlight of my life, still feels like the highlight of my life.

I down a shot of whiskey. I don't know how many I've had. I'd been drinking constantly since yesterday and my head was in a constant state of disarray.

…Memories, precious memories that only I could speak of to myself. I'm sure that if I tried talking of them with other people they would look at me in disgust. Though I was sent to the agricultural division of the science department, the General had come by time to time to see if anything was better underneath the plate. How did such a compassionate man turn into what he did?

No, he's still there.

Another shot burned down my throat as I tipped the glass back. My head swirls and I lose balance as I almost slammed the glass onto the table next to my couch.

I had tried to save him... wanted to save him. When I first heard from some scientists that the General had gone berserk I was the first one to offer to go undercover and find him. Even though Cloud's group found out who I was I still didn't tell them about how I wanted to bring the General back from his rampage. I wanted to be the one to help him, to befriend him, me, me, me…

I take another shot while trying to choke down tears. I was so stupid and self appreciated. How could I have thought that I could change a man that I hardly even knew? The first time I had seen him since his days at Shinra was at that temple, and I had seen the insanity in his eyes. Back then I thought that there was no use in talking to him, to try to negotiate, no use in trying to save something that wasn't there.

But there he was…

I don't know what had happened after that, my new model hadn't gotten there fast enough, but from what I heard Cloud had gotten lost in the Lifestream. It had been a month since we found him again, washed up on shore and was staying in Mideel of all places. He had been strapped down in a bed. The party had assumed so he wouldn't accidentally hurt himself, but overhearing conversations from the townsfolk it sounded as if he were a dangerous animal. I recall Tifa asking him how swimming in the Lifestream had been like. His response had been 'I can't remember'.

I look back to the TV at the man sitting in the chair. He seemed like a different man than who we had fought. No, that was the man from so many years ago, the man that could control his emotions. He wasn't waiting to hear what they had to say, he was waiting for it all to be done. He was the epitome of indifference, something even most SOLDIERS still strive to achieve.

It was the General.

I fall to the ground on my side as I tried to get up to get another bottle of Walkers. I've accepted the fact that no matter what I had to say to the people of Gaia the man would still be sentenced, so why bother trying? My breathing is heavy and I feel like I've overexerted myself with just that little bit of movement. I start to feel sick. There's a whole bunch of nothing around me and now I can't even tell how long I've been on the ground, but my head feels excessively dizzy and I wish for this headache to end. In my intoxicated state I can hear a distant cry from the background, but everything is blurring together and sleep comes to claim me...

Planet be damned, I don't even care what happens to us anymore.

Metal

Ever since the trial I had a suspicion that there was something that man wasn't saying. It was making me mad. No, it was making me furious! How dare he hide any secrets while he's on death row! I'm trying to think of the reason why he's been so calm about this ordeal. Does he know of a way to bring Jenova back? Does he know how to bring himself back? Was it his plan all along to die so he could somehow take control of the Lifestream? Does all of our hard work at stopping him not matter?! I can feel my hands tightening their hold on the cloth of my pants. I need to calm down, this is just all in my head, there's no way he could come back.

But what is he hiding?

I sit in bed as I wait for dawn to break. I couldn't sleep last night from all the thoughts running through my head. The execution will be held today. Morning came and I sluggishly move off of the bed and get ready for the day. All of the old team, except for Reeve, is staying with me and Tifa for the trial. Though there's seven of us cooped up inside, the house seems hauntingly quiet. Vincent and Cid had offered to take the floor in the living room since there weren't enough bedrooms. Nanaki, who had gotten to sleep at the end of Yuffie's bed, found humor in that.

Vincent, if not in the company of Cid, had taken to himself ever since that time. Even then the gunman can't look me in the eye without getting a distant look. I remember what I had said. At first it was a passing thought, and at first it didn't even involve Vincent! It started when Hojo had claimed that Jenova was Sephiroth's mother, then we'd found out that a woman named Lucrecia was the real mother, and then when Hojo claimed to be the father I was shocked from the lack of physical resemblance. Sometime after Hojo's defeat I had witnessed Vincent without his cape on. His eye shape, nose, and even his jaw structure strongly reminded me of Sephiroth's. That was when the thoughts of what Hojo saw as the 'father' came into play. The thoughts haunted me and I was half tempted to ask the gunman so he could deny my question and put my thoughts at ease, but I was too scared of the answer… to scared if, now judging by his silence, he didn't even know the answer himself.

At 10am sharp we were all there as witnesses to the execution. Tifa went with the guards as extra muscle in case the man has decided to bail, but in my opinion I doubt she'd be enough if he did decide to kill them all. I smirk at my thoughts. He's so weak right now and even still I'm giving him praise on his strength. Tifa probably could take him on like this… no, I know she can take him on.

There's so much I want to know. So much that I've forgotten and want to remember again. Like Zack, his image has been plaguing my mind, but I can't see his face clearly… we were friends, weren't we? Or was it just something he asked to try and create a bond with me, a no number project failure just like him?

I see Tifa coming out the door. She moves off to the side and the hundreds of witnesses yell out boos and jeers toward the man behind her. My thoughts from earlier are rushing into my head as I see him.

There's something he's hiding, I know it! He's hiding a secret! He's not telling something that's important!

The tall man walked alongside the hangman, clearly trying not to look at the people throwing objects at him. He stepped up on the platform and the noose was wrapped around his neck.

He knows something!

I jump onto the wooden floor and yell at them to stop. There's shocked silence around me and the guards are too stunned to hold me back. I run to the platform and step on that too, and grab the silver haired General by his leather collar.

I can hear myself yelling and trying to force out his answers. Shouting and demanding that he tells me the secret he's so obviously hiding. The look on his face brings me to a stop, and it seems strange to me that his calm face, once angry with distain and unseeing eyes, looks surprised at my actions. His eyes are green like the Lifestream and so clear… so sane.

If I didn't know any better I'd even think he was smirking me, but his face was too smooth for the maniacal grin to have appeared. It seemed as if Gaia had stood still as we were looking at each other, studying one another. Every now and then his eyebrows would faintly come together in a soft frown.

The guards seemed to remember that an execution was to be taking place. They rushed toward me to stop me from interfering, and before I knew what was happening lips crashed down onto mine. My gasp gave the man in front of me enough incentive to shove his tongue in my mouth and gently, passionately, intertwined with my own. Again, I surprise myself as a moan is forced from my mouth, and in this temporary state I'm helpless. His tongue feels powerful as it gives one last caress to my own and pulls back into his own mouth. I didn't even realize that I'd kissed back until I opened my eyes and only our lips were connecting.

The guards didn't make a moment's pause when they rushed in. It had only been an instant since the kiss began that they are grabbing hold of me and jerking me away from the man to shove me near Tifa. I don't fight them, I can't fight them. I feel paralyzed as the men are making me stumble my way to my new viewing spot. I bring my hand near my lips. That kiss seemed so familiar. WHY?! I bring myself back to reality and he and I are back to staring at each other, but that calm, intense look he's giving me…

HE KNOWS SOMETHING! Something important!

The hangman once again has his hand on the lever to drop the platform the ex-General is standing on.

I look into green eyes, my own blue eyes widen as he slowly nods his head once and gives a soft smile. I know that he knows something, and he knows that I know this.

It's our secret… and the knowledge will die with him.

I find myself yelling, screaming at them to stop, trying to force my way out of a shocked Tifa's and three other men's grips. My chest feels heavy, I'm panicky, I can't let it end here on the gallows. I'm silently begging them to not kill that man, because for some reason I feel like I'm being gutted. The hand forces the lever down, the platform collapses underneath black leather crafted boots. Silver hair is floating freely on the air and comes to a lifeless rest when the rope is pulled taut.

I don't know why the audience is watching me, I'm only sitting on the ground. Right before he was dropped they were cheering it to go on… The sudden silence was almost surreal.

Too Cold to Snow

The area was filled with the screaming of hate, but when a sudden, earsplitting forlorn cry rose up above the racket it left behind the feeling of despair. All other sounds stopped to wait for its brief echo to end. All of the anger, rage, and hate that was around the area had seemed to be stripped from the people and carried away with the howl. A young man had collapsed to his knees and was on the ground. His eyes were jaded and his face was blank, he looked as if his mind was still trying to process what had happened. There was a wet trail on one of his cheeks, indicating that somewhere along the line a tear had been let loose. It was the only one that had escaped the silent blond.

It was a day just like any other. The sky was a clear blue, the sun was brilliantly shinning in the sky, and the sequoia trees were in bloom while its petals were fluttering down from the blossoms. A pleasantly warm breeze swept through the town to carry the fresh sent of air that everyone in the slums always seemed looked forward too. All regular human beings take what they're given, be it big or small, for granted until they lose it. They will never change. The day was absolutely beautiful.

To be continued…

AN: I hope you guys have enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Tifa-(Fire) At the beginning she's trying to force herself to be mean because she knows she hates the man. So she hit him as she wanted to, but because she's really a good person she didn't feel right about her actions no matter how bad she tried to justify them.

Vincent- (Wood) He views the world kind of in a surreal state of mind. I guess I could say that I put a small part of myself into Vincent when he was talking about humanity because those are part of my own opinions. In a part of the writing he's saying that the people blamed AVALANCHE for what was happening even though Shinra was the main cause of it… just because Shinra said it was really AVALANCHE's fault. It was easier to believe.

Yuffie- (Water) She's crazy and loveable in her own special ways. Simple as that XD

Reeve- (Earth) He's in denial, yet can't hide from what he knows. He drinks himself into a stupor because he knows the man they're hanging has come to his senses, but even if he said anything the man would have to hang for the crimes he committed. Reeve is one of those people that can't take the possibility that sometimes good men have to die, and because of the this knowledge he starts to lose his feelings for humanity.

Cloud- (Metal) I believe the writing speaks for itself.

Ending Paragraph- I hope that spoke for itself because that's truly how I feel about everyone. Everyone (the general populous) tend to follow what is the 'popular' thing to do. The people in the slums probably had fresh air at one point in time, but they didn't begin to appreciate it until it was lost. It's a lot like the world we live in now. You never honestly begin to enjoy something until it's taken away. Everything you're used to, be it big or small, you don't fully appreciate, and I'm certainly no exception.

I didn't write Barret, Nanaki, or Cid's down cause I felt it would be too much perspective, and neither of them really had a close hitting problem to Sephiroth, just Shinra.
With Reeve… I also don't think he had one but since he worked with Shinra you never know! I just added something cause that character was so over looked in that game and I wanted to play with his reasoning a little.

Please Review, I like to know if people like my writing or not! (Criticism accepted as long as it's constructive…)