Once again, this chapter was written by SolidChief of dA.
AN: The style of this fic is of a "jumping time line" where instances will take time hops between them. The world in which this story takes place is also an Alternate Universe of both FFVII and FFXIII.
She couldn't believe her ears, not a single sound could register properly at what she was hearing. Not even one decibel...
Claire had been at the academy taking part in a standard training exercise with the rest of her unit when a heavily wounded Guardian corps soldier appeared outside of the building. The man was in a horrid condition, Claire recollected how he was bleeding profoundly from a large wound across his chest and how he delivered a disc to an officer on the scene before dying. It was a miracle he had even made it this far.
The disc turned out to be an audio recording that he had made during his unit's morning reconnaissance excursion led by General Sephiroth. The sergeant had tensed at this revelation, worry overtaking her silently at this revelation for the absent Sephiroth, but she quickly suppressed it to concentrate on the situation at hand, not wanting emotion to cloud her head as Sephiroth taught her. The disc's recording soon turned out to be a grisly omen...
"W-e're under attack..." A hail of bullets sounded off in the background. "F...Fire...!" Blood curdling screams soon joined the gunfire along with the sound of clashing metal. "He... General Sephiroth...!"
His name. The recording ended in his name, she heard tit end right there, the soldier had screamed it! All the answers as to why or what had happened had vanished as the messenger's life ebbed away.
As the officers worked to keep the news of the possible loss of the Shinra general and his unit silent to ensure the academy's morale stayed strong and the students' oblivious with the sergeant being among the select few students being permitted to know of the incident. Claire had taken note of the arrival of a blue clad squad of men that evening. She soon discovered that unit had been sent by Shinra to assist in locating the lost general and the unit for "confidential reasons."
This proved to be her chance to go and find Sephiroth.
Knowing that Guardian would have vetoed any request to assist in what was a largely unknown operation, Claire snuck away from the academy and stalked the truck convoy of Shina soldiers into the lower levels of Cocoon and into an artificial forest where the lost unit was last seen.
Claire skulked underneath the bushes, trying her best to avoid any detection by the camped out Shinra soldiers. She peaked her head over the brush to see a pair of tents set up with tall flood lights set up at the edges of the site. There was no sign of any sentries on duty.
The sergeant crept slowly forward, hunched over to lower her profile and to avoid any chance of being illuminated by the light. She was alerted from continuing by the sound of voices coming from the tents. Claire stopped in her tracks, unfortunately on top of a stick which snapped. She heard the soldiers inquire as to what the noise was but then heard one shout to aim a light in her direction.
Claire quickly tensed as she heard the sound of boots coming towards her hiding place, her mind racing to figure out an option that would work best in this scenario. Running would illuminate her entirely and leave her open to the soldiers' rifles. She quickly considered hiding inside the bush itself but it was fairly thorny and going inside would make too much noise. Realizing all other options were few and left her open, Claire opted to fight.
As soon as the first soldier came into proximity, Claire's arms shot out to his rifle, prying it from his hands before forcing his body forward into his comrade, knocking them both down, the latter's rifle sounding off and knocking out a floodlight. Another soldier rushed forward wielding a large sword held high over head, swinging it at her in a downward arc. Claire nimbly jumped backwards, avoiding the attack before countering by kicking his feet out from under him before jumping to a less illuminated side as her victim hit the ground and gunfire flew in her direction.
"Dammit, there's so many of them..." Claire thought to herself as she peered out from the side of the tent to see the other soldiers helping their fallen back up and snapping another one awake. She reached behind her to the sheath that held her gunblade when she felt a hand grasp her arm. She quickly snapped her arm away and whipped around only to meet a rifle butt to the face. A sharp pain rippled across her head and her vision became slowly clouded by darkness before hitting the ground.
"Sephiroth..."
"Hey, are you awake?"
Claire's eyes fluttered open, meeting a sharp pain in her forehead and stars twinkling across her vision. She groaned in pain, raising her hand to rub her eyes clean of stars, her blurred sight clearing to reveal a Shinra soldier sitting across from her, his eyes and head covered by a helmet and visor. The sergeant shot up, almost readying herself to flee or fight but stopped when she noticed her weapon was gone and the soldier's rifle only inches from him, easy to grab and shoot her down. Realizing the futility of escape, she sighed and lay back down on the cot she woke up on.
"I hit you pretty hard, huh?" The soldier asked casually, his voice sounding as if he was only a few years younger than herself. "I'm sorry, you shouldn't have been out here, command said Guardian was to stay of this. How'd you get away anyway? I thought your academy was sealed off."
"Jumping over obstacles and tracking are basic training..." Claire grumbled, her head still throbbing from the rifle butt. Unbeknown to the Shinra grunt, she cast a 'Cure' spell, making it inconspicuous through the casual act of rubbing her hand over her forehead. The spell's effects went to work instantly as the sergeant felt the pain relief wash over her, removing her pain and disorientation. She turned her head to the soldier, eyes going to his weapon that he held securely in his lap, and then to her weapon beside him. Perhaps she could take advantage of his chatter enough that he'll lower his guard for a chance to disable him.
"Yeah, true... I had to crawl under barbed wire while they shot at us..." the soldier responded, looking away for a moment as if he was flustered by a bad memory of that moment but he looked back to his captive a second later to see her seat herself upright. "What's your name?"
Claire was taken back by such an unprofessional question from the Shinra soldier. Amodar had always taught her to never ask or devolve on such a question to her superiors or rank file members, let alone the enemy. She decided to play along to complete her plan, this action and his prior ones leading her to figure the boy was green.
"Sergeant Claire Farron."
The soldier nodded. "Private Cloud Strife of Shinra Infantry." He who was now known as Cloud replied before taking off his helmet. Cloud looked just as he sounded, appearing to be in his late teens with sky blue eyes and spiky blond hair. The young man shifted in his seat, placing his rifle to the side, Claire's eyes following it. "Why'd you come out here? "
"Uhh..." Claire stuttered, thinking quickly as to what she should tell Cloud; to fool him further or to just say her plan outright. The boy, though a rookie and seemingly careless, did not strike her as foolish enough to believe what would be an outright lie considering he seemed to know at least the reasons why Shinra was out here and Guardian subdued by their orders. She figured there'd be no harm in telling the purpose discreetly as she'd knock him unconscious the moment the opportunity presented itself.
"I wanted to find my commanding officer... General Sephiroth."
"General Sephiroth?" Cloud repeated to which Claire nodded curtly. The grunt's lips turned into a slight smile. "He was my whole inspiration for joining Shinra, I always wanted to be a hero, just like him since I was young..." Claire looked surprised, her eyebrows raising at what the boy just revealed to her. A slight warmth ached in her chest, Sephiroth had grown to be of similar importance to her over the months under his tutelage...
Out of nowhere, sharp scream, pierced the air from the forest entrance. Cloud and Claire simultaneously looked in the direction where the sound came from, Cloud springing to his feet with his rifle and helmet. "Something's happening!" the grunt blurted out, placing his helmet back on. He grabbed the gunblade beside him and without thinking, tossed it to Claire, who caught it.
"You're just letting me go?" Claire questioned confused by the action.
"My unit could be in serious trouble and I could use all the help I can get and you seem pretty tough, Claire." Cloud stated, fastening the straps of his helmet and quickly checking the clip already in his rifle to make sure it was full. He waved his hand for the sergeant to follow him. "We have to hurry so let's save this for later!"
Claire sprinted after Cloud into the forest, silently wondering what had happened inside. A feeling of dread overtook her as she caught up with Cloud at the entrance to a forest clearing.
"Oh my god..."
The scene before the two looked as if it was a picture taken of Hell. Shinra soldiers lay dead across the clearing, blood soaking the soil and dying it red with their entrails surrounding their corpses. Some of the men were charred and trees lay knocked over near them as flames burned all around. Cloud silently scanned the area, his jaw down and shaking slightly at the horror before him. Claire felt her stomach turn and then her heart stop when she spotted a familiar figure behind the flames.
Standing with a sword buried inside the chest cavity of a Shinra stood Sephiroth. He slowly turned to look towards Claire and Cloud, the flames lighting up his features to the two. His formerly neutral green eyes now contained an ominous darkness within that filled the two with chills that ran up their spines as he stared intently at them, never blinking. Sephiroth pulled Masamune casually from the dead soldier at his feet, stepping past the raging flames with not a single one touching him as he stood only a few feet away.
Claire racked her mind for answers as to how this could have happened. Sephiroth was not a traitor, he was not a cold blooded killer, why had he done this? She knew him but this was not the man before her... He wasn't the man who trained him... Not the man she loved...
"Sephiroth!" Claire called out above the burning flames, the general looked at her emotionlessly. The sergeant threw one of her arms to the side to the hellish image her general created. "What... Why have you done this? Answer me, Sephiroth!"
Sephiroth was not moved in any way by her words, he looked in Claire's direction almost as if she was invisible to him. His eyes soon locked with his student's, sending daggers her way. "They opened my eyes..." He mumbled cryptically, making the two before him exchange confused glances. "The Fal'Cie."
The Fal'Cie. The rulers of humanity that were said to be sent by the omnipotent 'Maker' centuries ago, beings that most people feared for their power. Claire had never known one before but she recalled her parents telling her and Serah stories of their vast foresight and wisdom that was unparalleled by any human.
"What did they say...?" Claire prodded, not understanding what the Fal'Cie would want with Sephiroth.
"I'm not human, I never was..." Sephiroth stated in a low tone, his sword hand slightly shaking. Claire saw this and could not tell if that was from sadness or anger, nothing else about him indicated either. "I'm a monster, a destroyer born to bring ruin to the planet. To bring humanity to it's annihilation and bring an end to the future..." He started to chuckle darkly, raising his head in full view to Cloud and Claire, a manic expression taking over his face. He sounded deranged to the two, a dark smirk crawling onto his lips. "I exist as a paradox, Claire. A hero praised by humans for my power, as a hero... Oblivious to the irony that I was born to wipe them clean from the face of the planet."
"Sephiroth, you need help..." Claire stated quietly. Perhaps what the Fal'Cie had said caused Sephiroth to form a complex with their "revelation", maybe he even misread what they had said. Fal'Cie were not said to be deceitful, they were supposed to be wise knowledge givers and rulers. "You're not what they say, you're a hero to many..." Claire continued, stepping towards Sephiroth, Cloud a few steps away.
Sephiroth looked at the two coldly, remaining completely still as the other two inched closer. Once his former student was within several feet of him, Sephiroth lashed his sword out at her with sudden ferocity. The sergeant gasped in shock, managing to bring up her weapon in defense at the last possible moment but the blow sent her flying into a downed tree trunk.
"CLAIRE!" Cloud yelled out, whipping his head back between the insane general and the downed woman. "How can you just do that!" The Shinra grunt berated, only to be met with a narrowly missed sword swipe that cut the barrel of his rifle off. A few inches closer and that could have been his head. Cloud tossed the weapon aside and ran in a panic to a dead soldier, pulling a sword up from beside the corpse and readying himself in a stance. "You'll have to cut me down too!"
"You, the two of you, are just mortals. Destructive humans that I exist to snuff the life out of..." Sephiroth said, stepping nonchalantly closer to the boy, pointing his sword at him. He smirked, it was no longer the collected and confident one from months before but instead it was one of pure malice and contempt. He looked to Claire, who was slowly pulling herself together from his attack. "Neither of you will leave here alive."
In a moment, the general vanished from sight, leaving Cloud shocked and confused. There was no sign of him when he suddenly reappeared beside him, throwing Masamune out in a horizontal slash that clanged against Cloud's sword. The boy growled and gritted his teeth, trying desperately to overpower Sephiroth. The general did not budge or even exert any strain as he forced Cloud's weapon back towards him. Cloud dropped to a knee under the weight of the attack before Sephiroth reared his weapon back and slammed the blade against Cloud's, a sickening crack following.
Cloud cried out, his forearm and wrist burning with pain from the bone shattering attack. The moment his guard fell, Sephiroth appeared over him and delivered a powerful swipe that sent Cloud skidding into a tree. His hit the trunk hard, his helmet falling off as he slumped over unconscious.
Claire stood up weakly, her legs feeling heavy beneath her and her entire world spinning from the prior attack. As he her vision stabilized, she saw Sephiroth striding over to an unconscious Cloud, poised to end the boy's life. "No!" Claire shouted, firing a volley of round at the general with her gunblade, all of which were cut down offhandedly. Sephiroth looked to her, his expression blank, almost reminding her of when she first met him. She quickly shook off the nostalgia and went into a stance.
"How could you do this? I thought you were better, stronger than this! What made you so suddenly stupid to just in to whatever the Fal'Cie told you and go berserk!" Claire berated angrily, her grit teeth further showing her feelings. The sergeant felt betrayed, the man she loved and revered had just turned into an entirely different being in a flash. The Sephiroth she remembered was always collected, cool and despite his aversion to showing emotion, a genuinely good person. This new Sephiroth was malevolent, insensitive and insane, far cry from the man she knew.
"Hmph. Your feelings, whatever they maybe..." The general began coldly, the flames burning behind him as he got into a stance. "Are worth nothing now, Claire."
With a battle cry, Claire dashed at her former general, throwing out several slashes to his of which were blocked with an attempt to parry the last one negated by Claire quickly pulling her gunblade back. She quickly ducked a retaliatory strike aimed at her head. She she rose, she threw out a kick but Sephiroth caught her foot and shoved her back.
Claire didn't hit the ground by performing somersault just before she made contact with the dirt. Just as she landed onto her feet, she was forced to quickly dodge another sword swipe from Sephiroth. The fighting was intense, the heat from the burning flames making it even tougher on Claire as her skin boiled and the smoke filled her began to exhausted her while Sephiroth continued strong, no sign of any distress.
"Have to keep going..." The sergeant panted silently to herself, jumping up on top of a downed tree to gain some leverage over the general. Sephiroth leaped suddenly and landed gracefully in front of Claire, almost seven feet from where he originally stood. Sephiroth tossed a one handed slash forward at Claire but rather than dodging as she usually did in her past spars with the general, she used one of his own tricks against him.
Just as Masamune came close enough, Claire thrust the side of her gunblade forward before pushing, using Sephiroth's own weight against him and making his balance stagger. The general was caught off guard at this but he jumped off the tree and as he fell, chopped it in half. Claire felt her balance falter and was forced to jump as well, landing hard on her feet.
As soon as she landed, Sephiroth was on the sergeant, sending many slashes her way. Claire managed to block a few but she had grown too weary to stop them all. Sephiroth threw out one final strike, shattering his former student's defense and the long blade digging itself deep into her abdomen. Claire let out a sharp gasp, dropping her gunblade and blood flying out of her mouth as she collapsed to her knees before Sephiroth.
"You fought well, Farron. Such strength..." Sephiroth commended, glowering down at his bloodied lover. He reached his hand out to cup her chin his thumb brushing her cheek absentmindedly in deep thought. The moment seemed to last forever, Claire's life seemingly flashing before her eyes and her mindset becoming slowly deluded as a vision of her lover from only a day ago, took over the visage of the mad man in front of her. She choked out his name but it came out as nothing more than a dribbles of blood to which Sephiroth just glanced at. The general stared at her for short moment, dropping his hand from Claire's cheek, her body slumping over onto its side
"Goodbye..." His final words echoed in the dying sergeant's head as she watched him vanish away from sight, her vision tunneling.
"Claire...? Claire!" A voice called out to the woman, not having the strength to look in the direction of where it was coming from but it was familiar. Soon enough, Cloud entered her fading line of vision, one of his arms hanging limp at his side from his battle with Sephiroth. The boy cursed when he spotted her gaping wound, grunting in pain as he struggled of a way to help her.
"Just stay with me, I'm going to get you out of here..." She saw him lean down beside her, looking into her eyes and lightly tapping her cheek to keep her conscious. "Don't give up, don't die!" He spoke worriedly as he rolled her onto her side as gently as he could to stop the blood gushing out of the sergeant's stomach.
Her vision had suddenly gone black and her hearing was fading, the only things she was able to hear was the seemingly far off frantic cries of Cloud to stay with him and that he'd get help. Her mind said it was of no use but her spirit kept on fighting to stay alive...
Sephiroth was still out there... She had to find him...
To bring him back, one way or another.