This is an entry for a contest on dA but I decided to share it with the people back home on FFN also! The fic here also serves as my first solely FFVII fic here on FFN and to make things better, Sephiroth, my FFVII fave, shares the spotlight here.
Alright then, go on and enjoy.
The city of Midgar stood as a symbol of power and wealth to all of Gaia. It housed the headquarters and base of operations for the super company Shinra, it is the home of the military's elite SOLDIER and it also had the best lights around. It maybe life drained from the planet, which could potentially kill it one day, but the people loved their 'pretty lights' too much to notice.
General Sephiroth, the hero of the Wutai war, the best of SOLDIER and a figure respected and revered by all, was out in the training yard of one of Shinra's many military facilities, training and honing his skills.
Standing at six feet tall, dressed in jet black from head to toe and with long silver hair that could only be matched in length by his sword, the Masamune, General Sephiroth was an imposing and graceful figure. His green eyes could strike fear into the hearts of those he stared at and his voice could make even the strongest of men feel weak. All of this combined with his dark and mysterious personality made Sephiroth a favorite among the media and officials.
But also among the ladies...
Sephiroth had been attempting to master this new move he had come up with while sparring with Angeal, who he defeated decisively and adding another victory to his belt. The move involved a rising vertical slash and then accompanied with a falling one and both were followed up with a flurry of stabs, meant to disorient his opponent on guard so once they dropped their guard, he'd deliver a powerful thrust to finish them off.
The general took a deep breath before starting the technique. As fast as lightning, Sephiroth performed two vertical slashes and then he began his barrage of stabs. He was ready to go in for the final thrust, already mentally patting himself on the back for getting the move, when all of a sudden he heard a voice yell-
"OH MY GOSH HE'S GOING FOR THE THRUST!" Sephiroth let out a light gasp and stopped what he was doing. His eyes scanned the area for anyone, but there was no one there other than himself. Sephiroth turned his back and was about to start the move again when he heard the sound of giggling.
"Zack, if that's you and your idiot friend Clod, or whatever his name is, I'll have the two of you shipped to somewhere where neither of you will see the light of day again and I'll be sure to have your pay cut by half!" Sephiroth threatened as he scanned the area again for where the intruders might be hiding. Out of the corner of his eye, Sephiroth noticed a box located by the wall, shifting around. The general sighed, mentally saying to himself how they don't make SOLDIER like they used to. He strolled over the box and kicked it over. "What a poor and obvious disguise you chose...Zack?"
Instead of Zack and his friend falling out of the box as expected, Sephiroth was surprised to see three teenage girls dressed in school uniforms in their place. One of them had black shoulder length black hair and wore what looked like a ushanka on her head with 'SE' in silver letters on it. The second one had brown hair tied up in two pig tails and she had freckles and wore a pair of eyeglasses. The last one had short blond hair and blue eyes. The three girls all looked up to Sephiroth and smiled. "Hiiii!" they greeted simultaneously, laughing nervously right after.
After getting over the initial shock of finding three teenagers stalking him, Sephiroth put on a hardened expression and glowered down at the girls, gaining scared whimpers from them. "What are you three doing here and how did you get past the two guards posted outside?"
"W-we just used a small distraction to get them to look away and when they did, we just snuck in!" the brunette one with glasses sobered up, still under the general's piercing gaze.
"What?" Sephiroth blurted out, dumbfounded. He quickly tried to remember who the two guards Angeal had assigned to watch the entrance of the training center but stopped when the culprits themselves came in person.
"Hey Sephiroth!"
"Figures..." the general quietly growled to himself upon hearing the voice. Sephiroth slowly turned to see Zack Fair and the new recruit Cloud Strife heading his way. He was sure to put on his 'I am not amused' face before looking to the two friends.
"Sephiroth!" Zack breathed out, hands on his knees as he panted from his run. The SOLDIER reached into his pocket and took out a piece of paper before handing it to his superior. "Can you help us out with this riddle? It's a really tough one!"
"Yeah, it's a real brain buster!" Cloud added, panting like Zack.
"What gets drier as it gets wet?" Sephiroth read aloud, giving Zack and Cloud an incredulous look. The two friends nodded their heads excitedly for Sephiroth to continue and tell them the answer. "A towel."
"What? You can't be serious!" Zack accused, baffled at the general's answer. Sephiroth turned the piece of paper around and written in bolded black letters that only a blind man could miss, was the word 'towel'. "Ah man, why didn't we think of that?" Zack asked exasperated, smacking his palm against his forehead. Cloud just shrugged.
"How did either of you get into SOLDIER in the first place?" Sephiroth sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"I...I never got into SOLDIER, sir..." Cloud responded glumly.
"Now you know why," Sephiroth stated coldly causing Cloud to drop his head in sadness. "Both of you, back to the barracks now!" Sephiroth snapped at the two, prompting them to obey immediately. Once Zack and Cloud were gone from the training grounds, the general reverted his attention back to the three girls, who were whispering and giggling to each other. They saw Sephiroth return his attention to them and stopped what they were doing. "Now I want someone to calmly explain to me what you are doing here and why I shouldn't call the truancy officer."
The girls exchanged looks among each other before two of them shoved the raven haired one forward to stand before Sephiroth. The girl smiled innocently up at the general and blushed. "We're here because...well...we're your biggest fans in the whole wide world and skipped school to watch you!" she explained swiftly, covering her mouth with her hands right afterwards.
"Biggest fans?" Sephiroth repeated, one brow raised.
The three girls all nodded at once. "Yes and together we're the 'Silver Elite'!" they declared in unison.
"Silver Elite member Nikki!" the blond one introduced, lying down with her head propped on her elbow and one leg raised.
"Silver Elite member Gina!" the one with pig tails stated, putting one hand on her hip and extending the other out to Sephiroth.
"Silver Elite member Brenda!" the raven haired one stated, getting between her two friends and holding her arms out.
Sephiroth just stared blankly at the 'Silver Elite' members, who were all still in their poses. The general turned his back to the girls and began walking away. "...I'm calling the truancy officer." Brenda, Nikki and Gina all let out a loud shriek in response. Sephiroth cringed at the noise. As he almost reached the exit but then he felt something heavy on his feet, slowing him down. The general looked down to see Brenda latched onto one of his legs and Nikki and Gina latched onto the other one.
"You can't do that! If you do we'll wither and die!" Brenda cried into Sephiroth's leg.
"Yeah!"
"You're our life!"
Sephiroth tried to keep moving but with the three girls attached to his legs, it proved difficult. Sephiroth let out a low growl before he looked back down to Brenda and her friends, who looked back at him with big teary eyes while clinging to his legs for dear life. The general uttered a reluctant sigh. "Fine, you may...watch me but no disturbances! I need complete concentration."
The girls squealed in delight, releasing Sephiroth's legs and jumped to their feet. The general grunted and turned on his heel and went back to where he was training before he was interrupted. Sephiroth got into his stance, Masamune poised and ready. Brenda, Gina and Nikki eagerly watched their idol, barely-no, unable to contain their excitement.
"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Sephiroth's letting us watch him train!" Brenda exclaimed, practically jumping up and down in place.
"I know! I know! I know! It'll be so amazing!" Nikki said, biting down on her lower lip.
" I can't breathe! I can't breathe! I can't breathe!" Gina squealed, putting both of her hands over her heart.
"Did I not tell the three of you that I wanted no disturbances?" Sephiroth questioned irritated. The three girls stopped in the middle of their 'moment' and calmed themselves. Sephiroth breathed in deeply and then out before quickly performing two vertical cuts at the air much like before. The general then began the barrage of stabs again and then, with no interruptions at all, delivered the final thrust, completing the move flawlessly. At first glance nothing appeared to have happened...that was until the building right behind the training center collapsed.
Sephiroth smirked in satisfaction that he performed the move he made up perfectly. Sure he may have killed or wounded many people but it didn't matter to Sephiroth, he mastered his move. The general turned to see Brenda, Nikki and Gina hugging together, jaws dropped and eyes wide with awe. Sephiroth made his way to the exit and the 'Silver Elite' followed.
"H-How did you do that?" Brenda asked while running to keep up with Sephiroth, repeatedly looking back at the destroyed building and the general.
"That was nothing..." Sephiroth replied bluntly, taking a step outside of the training ground. Several rescue teams and their vehicles went right past the general and his fans, all of them going in the direction of the destroyed building. "As you can see, my swordsmanship has attracted the eyes of many. It is unmatched after-all if I do say so," Sephiroth joked. Brenda and her friends gasped happily before looking to each other and giggling.
"It's so long though. How do you use it so well?" Gina asked, her eyes wandering the length of the Masamune. Sephiroth swiped suddenly at the air making Gina back up to avoid getting cut. Suddenly she fet something roll across her head. She held her hands out and her pig tails landed in them.
"No one can wield it as effectively aside from myself due to its great length and weight," Sephiroth informed as he put the sword away. Brenda and Nikki turned to each other blushing and then giggling again while Gina stared at the severed pig tails in her hands. Sephiroth smiled to himself and crossed his arms with pride. He could never have imagined that girls would be so intrigued by swords and swordsmanship.
Sephiroth and the 'Silver Elite' walked on further and eventually they ended up in a park. During their walk together Brenda, Nikki and Gina constantly complimented Sephiroth on almost everything even when he didn't return the compliment or even talk to them in the first place. The general, being almost like a celebrity, was used to getting complimented or having his ego stroked but it felt different coming from these girls rather than the likes of Heidegger, Scarlet, or worse, Professor Hojo. He could get used to having these girls around.
"Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess. We seek it thus, and we take to the sky. Ripples on the surface, the wandering soul knows no rest," a voice spoke elegantly, sounding practically angellic. Brenda, Nikki and Gina looked around for the source, as did Sephiroth. The general listened further and followed the sound to see his fellow general and rival, Genesis Rhapsados, sitting on bench beneath a tall tree, a copy of 'LOVELESS' in his hands. Genesis saw Sephiroth and his fans and sent a smirk in their direction.
"OMG, it's Genesis!" Nikki declared, sharing a 'fan scream' with Brenda and Nikki. The 'Silver Elite' dashed over to where Genesis was sitting and sat at the red leather clad general's feet.
"Wait, ladies!" Sephiroth called to Brenda and her friends but to no avail. The general felt rejection come over him as he painfully watched his fans run over to Genesis and leaving him in the dust. Practically tossing him to the side like a used toy. Sephiroth glared in Genesis's direction, his eyes filled with rage. Genesis always had to steal something from him! Sephiroth started to wear leather, Genesis began to wear leather. Sephiroth found out he had a single black wing, Genesis found out he had a single black wing. Sephiroth found out he had fan-girls, Genesis just went and stole them from him.
"Why not join us, Sephiroth rather than continuing to stand over there alone?" Genesis offered to his fellow general, motioning for him to come over. Sephiroth didn't budge, he knew Genesis was mocking him. The girls looked back to Sephiroth and waved for him to come over to join them. Sephiroth growled under his breath before turning his back to them and walking away. Genesis shrugged and then smiled at the girls at his feet. "So my friends, would you like to hear another excerpt?
"Yes Genesis, we love LOVELESS!" Brenda, Gina and Nikki said together, nodding their heads.
The red clad general chuckled to lightly, opening his book back up. "If that's what the ladies desire then I am obliged to do so," Genesis said smoothly. He cleared his throat before beginning. "My friend, do you fly away now? To a world that abhors you and I? All that awaits you is a somber morrow. No matter where the winds may blow..."
Sephiroth gritted his teeth in frustration as he walked away, brewing with jealousy and anger. Genesis was just adding salt to the wound he made by reading that particular passage and he knew this. Telling him he was going to live a somber morrow, he'll show him!
There was no way he would let Genesis get away with this...
AN: Sephiroth's planning revenge, what can he come up with to get the Silver Eilite back from Genesis? Will he succeed and recapture their hearts and what role will Angeal play in all of this? Find out all of this and more in the next chapter!
Please do not forget to leave a review. It would be much appreciated! :D