The Trials of Time

by HelKat

Young Sephiroth only wanted someone to trust absolutely. The Planet only wanted to prevent the death of the Lifestream. Cloud didn't want anything to do with this 'second chance'. Fate doesn't like to play nice. Timetravel. Crossdressing. Mentor!Fic.

2. Chapter 2

Title: The Trials of Time

Rating: T

Summary: Young Sephiroth only wanted someone to trust absolutely. The Planet only wanted to prevent the death of the Lifestream. Cloud didn't want anything to do with this 'second chance'. Fate doesn't like to play nice. Timetravel. Crossdressing. Mentor!Fic.

Disclaimer: You think I own Final Fantasy VII? You're crazy. My version would make much less sense than the real thing...

Warning: About a page or two worth of personification. I was wasting words, so feel free to skip it. I don't really understand it myself.

Not yaoi. Sorry, but not this time. We do have a bit of cross-dressing though.

Notes: Cloud is 26 and Sephiroth is 7.

Pages/Words (Total): 25 / 14969

xXx Chapter Two: September 1973 to February 1974 xXx

(AKA: Learning self-defense and about all that is Holy)

Cloud returned to Shinra Mansion a few times, subtly reaching with his senses through the house to check up on the silver haired boy. He never saw him, and sometimes couldn't sense him, but it was enough. He did gain a few insights of the workings of the mansion though, answering a few childhood questions and breaking more than one myth. Angel took Sephiroth's leaving harder than Zephyr, and Cloud knew she felt guilty. He didn't blame her, and tried hard for a long time to keep both birds happy without their silver haired child full of questions.

They had created a comfortable routine with Sephiroth and Serphina. It was hard on all of them without the boy traveling with them and hiding s a girl in the middle of the many towns they visited. Cloud wasn't sure how, but he was pretty sure the crazy birds knew what Sephiroth was likely suffering at the mansion without them, and it made that much harder to stay away.

Sephiroth needed to become a Soldier, and he had to be the General he once was in another time. He needed Hojo's treatment, and the growing influence of Shinra throughout the lands was making it harder for the Wutai government to remain polite with their refusal. They needed Sephiroth when war broke out. As much as they wanted to steal the boy away and keep him safe, they couldn't be selfish. The rest of their world needed him one day.

Cloud told himself this, but it didn't make it any easier to accept.

Cloud spent most of his time traveling and destroying monsters, returning to his house every so often to check on requests that had started coming in as if he was a legitimate business and answer them. He was surprised by the inquiries about Seraphina, and he had started telling people that his daughter was traveling with a tutor.

He named this pretend tutor Lucrecia, figuring the woman wouldn't mind if he used her name (despite her not being dead, he supposed) and to relieve the people of their fear of him being an irresponsible parent and leaving his daughter with a male unsupervised. They would instead assume he was leaving his daughter with a mother figure, despite female teachers were slightly less credible simply for being female.

The past was a little backwards, he was noticing, be he was glad it wasn't too drastic of a difference.

Now, as September of '73 started to end and the real cold weather started to think of coming around the lands, Cloud found himself looking towards the Shinra Mansion. Last year, he could catch no sight of the boy. He had seen Sephiroth near the windows this year, and was hoping to give the boy a clue that he could come back. He really missed the child, and wondered how open he would be when they were reunited. He just hoped the Turks swarming around wouldn't catch on to his snooping around as well.

That was the last thing he needed.

"Wark!" Angel chirped in an unusual display of eagerness. She was pacing in place, glancing between Cloud and the mansion. She was wearing Sephiroth's saddle, though Cloud supposed the boy would have grown and may barely fit anymore.

"What's wrong, Angel?" Cloud asked, carefully flashing a mirror towards the room he deduced was Sephiroth's. He had seen the window open a moment ago, and was flashing the reflection of the sun into the room every so often. He was trying not to do this too often, though the rising energy between him and the two birds was starting to make his foot want to kick the stirrups in impatience.

"Wark!" Angel shivered as she ruffled her feathers and started to claw at the dirt as she stepped in place.

"What, you wanna go get him?" Cloud asked. Zephyr crooned, unusually calm as well as he simply watched quietly, but with complete attention.

"Kweh!" Angel chirped. She fluffed her feathers excitedly and actually hopped in place a couple times. Cloud stared, unable to understand how the two chocobo switched personalities overnight. "Kweh!" Angel whistled as she stared towards the mansion and shuffled her feet.

"Fine, you can go to him!" Cloud let her, unable to take watching her energy simply growing. It was making him antsy.

"Wark!" Angel celebrated as she dashed towards the trees.

"Just don't let anyone but him see you!" Cloud called after her, hoping no one was around to hear him. He really didn't want to alert anyone of his presence.

Especially any Turks that may be patrolling the area.

"Kweh!" Zephyr sighed happily, starting a slow trot after the white feathered chocobo without prompt. Cloud pet the bird's neck.

"Yeah. I'm excited to see him soon too." He admit, a soft smile on his lips.

Angel had been adamant of Sephiroth's return to Shinra's mansion. When Cloud tried to visit too often, the bird would give him a look. It reminded him, somehow, of Aerith, and Cloud found himself feeling chastised without a sound. The chocobo was somehow tied to the Planet and the Goddess, but Cloud wasn't sure how.

"Kweh!" Zephyr chirped as he nimbly darted through the trees to catch up when the white bird was no longer in sight. The violet gaze caught his eyes before the bird looked forward again and chased after Angel.

'Were you both sent? Why? What do you two do?' Cloud wondered. He hoped...

Aerith's eyes glittered in his memory. Zack's grin warmed him at the thought.

He shook his head and focused on balancing on Zephyr's back.

This was the past. He could save them. He could save Seohiroth... but he wasn't going to. They weren't the same people he knew and remembered with fractured memories. It was best to just live life as it was; the fact that Sephiroth was in his life meant nothing more than that. Whatever happens will happen. He wasn't going to do anything more.

The little voice in his head that called him a liar was ignored successfully.

X

Sephiroth studied hard. He was determined to excel, and he worked with the resolution to be better than expected. He was going to be better than perfect. He was going to master everything expected from him, and he was going to do so quickly.

Behind all of this determination, he was going to prove himself to Daka the next time he saw the man. He refused to be thrown away again.

He refused to suffer through his 'mako enhancement treatments' any more than necessary. He mentally called Hojo cruel and inhuman, even as he slowly perfected his mask of indifference.

(And a part of him feared that Daka hadn't been real. It seemed as if all he had known was the labs and pain and disorientation. If it hadn't been for Angel's feather, he may have forgotten everything.)

He was seven now. Hojo had decided to force him into a coma last winter, so Sephiroth was unable to sneak into the snow as he had last time. Hojo had been trying to see if his mental waves changed at all, as they supposedly had the year before, so Sephiroth had wasted almost fifty days in a forced sleep. Only every few days between would he be roused so he could exercise and have his awareness checked.

Naturally, the man had been frustrated by the lack of difference in Sephiroth brain waves in sleep or wakefulness.

Sephiroth was mostly relieved the man hadn't thought to cut his now waist-long hair. After the hysteric fit Sephiroth had thrown, for the first time he could remember, he was glad the message was received and accepted.

Sephiroth sighed softly and closed his book. He had read as much as he could of materia, but nothing hinted to what Daka had done. His interest in the subject had only grown since he found the book. He hoped one day that he'd be just as resourceful with the small orbs of magic as Daka was. He hadn't seen anything that hinted to the combination the blond had done, so he felt even more interested.

Hojo, however, had slowly started to disapprove of his interest in Materia. The man wanted to start him on weapons, such as fire arms and blades. A part of Sephiroth was disgruntled to be interested, but he supposed it was only because Daka had such an unusual blade of his own. He wanted to be as capable as the blond who he called Pa. He wanted to prove himself, somehow. However, materia was his primary interest.

"Hm?" A flash of white caught his eyes, flicking just outside his window. He looked out to the trees, noting every bird and glint of leaves freshly wet with rain. He flinched as a flash blinded him from the Cliff. The Cliff, where Angel left him at.

'Angel?' He wondered. 'Daka?' Was the man there? Was Sephiroth allowed to come back? It had almost been two years. Sephiroth was starting to become frustrated with everyone. Though his expression never changed too much from the blank condescending expression he picked up from the Turks and Hojo, he found himself wanting to scream at the stupidity and slowness of the adults around him.

Sephiroth glanced around his room, absently deciding to clean and organize a little as he stretched and 'took a break' from studying. Would he need to bring anything with him, if he were to leave? He realized now that wandering in the snow with only his once-normal attire had nearly killed him, and he was lucky to have survived the illness that he suffered.

He was lucky Daka had saved him, and decided to keep him; even if Sephiroth felt abandoned when he was forced to return to Hojo.

'Don't make me kill you, Sephiroth.' Daka had said once. Once, Sephiroth believed he meant to not let him disappear. To not rely on his identity as Seraphina. He didn't think the strong and safe Daka who saved him would just as easily been willing to kill him. Here with Hojo, with the crazy man's ideas and experiments on and around Sephiroth, the boy wondered sometimes if Daka meant to take his sword across his neck. He didn't want to think Daka slightly capable of killing him, but he had seen the man fight and destroy monsters with ease. He could recall the odd things the man would say at times.

Things about his family and friends. (Contradictions were everywhere, sounding as if they were alive and dead and not yet born.)

How he would sound angry at the planet, before implying he had saved it futilely. (Futilely save the planet? Despite hating it? How does that happen? The Planet was still here, obviously, and he treated a lot of things as if they were precious and could die within a moment's notice.)

How his hometown had been destroyed in front of his eyes, and then replaced, and then how he hadn't been to his hometown ever. (That thought was simply a headache, though in its own way it explained Daka's expression of longing sadness when he thought about the place he had grown up at.)

Sephiroth sighed, taking to staring out the window again as he had finished tidying up his room. He liked having a window. He had asked for one for a long time before he was finally moved out of his smaller, prison-like room.

Sephiroth started to brush through his hair. It was much longer than ever, and he was really happy to have it as long as it was. It also made for a great stress reliever when he started brushing it. He did feel frustrated when he found frizzy ends, however. He was glad they were becoming less frequent. He let his thoughts drift as he slowly made his hair softer as he brushed through his hair.

He was still able to change his eyes, and he didn't think anyone had found out yet. He was certain Hojo had no idea he even could change his appearance like that. After studying a little about the anatomy of eyes, Sephiroth figured the cornea was simply a muscle he figured out how to control and flex at will. Why no one else was able to, he still didn't understand. Perhaps humans simply relied on reflex to see, whereas creatures like deep ocean mammals and fish were able to control their eye retraction at will.

He had wondered about changing his hair color too, but couldn't figure out how. After all, his eyebrows and eyelashes had changed color on their own too, as opposed to simply looking alike enough to seem the same silver-gold color as the dye Daka used. Sephiroth had figured that proven fact when looking in a pretty hand mirror Daka had gotten him that first transformation into Seraphina.

'Somehow, that doesn't surprise me as much as I think it should.' Daka had said when Sephiroth brought it up. 'You're a special boy, Sephiroth.' Sephiroth had pouted and crossed his arms in silent defiance. Daka ruffled his hair. 'Sorry. You're a special little girl, Seraphina. You're destined to do great things in this Planet. I guess a little self-magic shouldn't be too much of a stretch.'

Sephiroth idly thought about how he would find Daka as he stared at his hair and brushed through it. The man said he would let him run to him when he needed to. But he had also made Sephiroth return. Was he here? Was he allowed to come back? It's been two years. Two years of Hojo putting him under new tests and performance evals. Two years of injections and 'revolutionary' breakthroughs he had the honor of testing out in the name of a program called SOLDIER.

Sephiroth wanted to become Seraphina again. Hojo's fanatic obsession with enhancing him was becoming overly painful.

Sephiroth stared.

His hair just shifted a shade more gold.

'Change back!' He demanded of it as he carefully brushed his more silver hair over the golden streak. He had cameras in his room, but he never knew when they were on. He didn't want someone to notice. 'Change back!' He willed as he continued to brush through his hair at the same pace as before, even as he felt his panic start to rise.

He relaxed enough to put his brush down as he noticed his hair was the prior silver it had always been for Sephiroth.

Then his door opened.

"Sephiroth." Hojo started. Sephiroth retained his blank expression even as he started to panic again. Had Hojo seen his hair change in the sunlight? That was even worse than simply being caught! "Follow me, now, my boy." And the man turned on his heel and walked out, taking a right.

That direction led to the lesson's lecturing room.

'This is either good or bad.' Sephiroth determined. 'I would either be introduced to a new lesson plan.' He thought, knowing he just finished a basic's of geography. 'Or I'm in trouble.' He figured with disgruntled annoyance and little bit of fear. Did Hojo see his hair color change? Or was he going to rant about some small inconsequential thing again? (Like leaving windows open, which he hadn't done anymore after the first time.)

Sephiroth closed his window and followed after the man. He was due for something good to happen to him soon. He wanted something positive to happen to him, so he tried not to be so pessimistic.

X

Sephiroth could hardly believe his luck!

'They're a bunch of fools!' He thought, gleeful as he threw together a small survival bag; A water bottle, snacks, and the Blizzard materia he managed to be allowed to keep from lessons. He packed a jacket too and decided his bag was enough until he reached town to figure out how to find Daka.

He was going on a field trip.

"Today, you will be going with me to study the local fauna. I will hand you a book and will be lecturing you as we take a short stroll. Then I will give you a notebook and shall expect you to record what you see, adding a description and statistics from the book. Go grab what you need to carry everything." Hojo had said.

'I'm going outside! With permission!' Sephiroth thought gleefully as he walked out the room and towards the front door. Soon, he would be outside, and then he'd be away from Hojo.

He tried not to sneer or grin at anyone as he heard the heavy wooden doors creak to a loud slam as they closed behind him and Hojo.

"Well, Sephiroth, as your father..." And that was all Sephiroth really heard as he followed the other man into the trees, along a trail that Hojo may have said was created by the wildlife.

'If the ignoramus would just stop looking at me!' Sephiroth scowled to himself as he was pulled by the hand, as if he were a little child! 'Fool!' He screamed to him in his head.

Then he saw a flash of white again.

"-the way they would in winter. Those types of trees are called-" Sephiroth tried again to pull his hand free, trying to get space to observe the other side of the tree Hojo was talking about. He was surprised when Hojo finally gave him a look and let him go. "Feel free to compare the bark and branches of the trees surrounding this one." He said. "Also note the leaves each species holds." Sephiroth stared at the other man for a moment more before hitching his bag higher on his shoulder and stepping towards the tree.

"Yes Father." He said, secretly hoping Hojo would berate him as he started to.

"Hm?" Hojo hummed in question.

"My apologies. Yes, Professor." Sephiroth corrected, more than happy to not have to call the man his father. 'Daka is much more deserving of the title 'pa' than this man is of any paternal name.' He thought as he fished a notebook and pencil out and started making crude sketches of bark patterns and tree leaves. He wondered if he could spend more time drawing, if only to make his work more realistic.

"You'll do well to note the sketches added to the field journals in Dr. Arkensons work. Most of the species listed aren't close enough to-" Sephiroth crouched to the roots of the tree and dutifully sketched how he saw the wood growing. He heard Hojo move a little away, and so stood up to observe another tree specimen. After another moment, he started walking away, trying to maneuver around the branches and on the rockier mountain grounds to stay silent.

Hojo never noticed he left until he was already too far to find.

X

Sephiroth was panting as he stopped abruptly from his run. Having found a slight clearing, he had decided to run in order to put as much distance between him and the mansion as quickly as possible. He hadn't counted on becoming so tired so quickly. He also couldn't recall how he had been able to keep moving for as long as he did last time he wandered the mountains.

Hands on his knees and head facing the ground, he didn't see the glowing eyes narrow on his form. With his gasping for air, he also failed to hear the light steps of clawed feet slowly creep closer to him. When a twig snapped, however, he did look up quickly.

He was just as quickly pounced to the ground.

"Ghah!"

"Wark!"

"A-Angel!?" Sephiroth ignored the fact that he could hardly breathe from the sudden impact to the ground and hugged the huge white bird who was practically pushing him to the ground in her eagerness to nuzzle him with her head. "Angel!" He called happily, face buried in white feathers as he held on to her and refused to loosen his grip.

"Kweh! Kweh!" Angel crooned and chirped in happiness. Sephiroth felt tears build in the corners of his eyes as he hugged her. She nuzzled against him enthusiastically.

"I missed you." He said when she finally calmed enough to let him sit up to lean on his hands. She sized him up and chirped before presenting her side to him. He noticed she was already saddled and harnessed, so he scrambled to his feet to mount her.

"Kweh."

"Will we see Daka? And Zephyr?" He asked.

"Kweh!" She chirped brightly. Sephiroth smiled.

"Sephiroth." Daka's deep voice said just as Angel started trotting forward. Sephiroth turned to see the blond man he'd missed for so long, already riding on Zephyr.

"Daka!" Daka's soft smile made Sephiroth feel even happier. Zephyr's quick nuzzle against his thighs made him feel even more adored.

"Hope you've been good, kid. We're gonna be doing a lot." Daka promised as the two chocobo expertly maneuvered through the trees, down the mountain. Sephiroth nodded affirmative. "Great. We'll let you change before we hit the foot of the mountain, then we can talk about what you've learned; and I'm sure you've learned a lot." Daka said. Sephiroth couldn't stop smiling.

No one was actually curious about what he knew. He was always tested and taught a new subject when he passed his tests perfectly.

X

"Daka?" Sephiroth asked as Angel and Zephyr trotted leisurely along the grasses. They had just left the Nibel Mountain range, and would be traveling south for a week at their current speed.

"Hm?" The blond looked at him with a gentle gaze, his own smile. Sephiroth, as Seraphina with her own metallic gold hair and bright green eyes, smiled back.

"If you're my pa, who's my mother?" He asked, wondering and not sure if he wanted a mother figure in his life. Daka's gaze shifted suddenly, and his posture, though unchanged, emitted a guarded feeling. Sephiroth almost regret asking, except he was curious to know if Daka was lonely without him.

"No one, as there isn't a woman we spend time with."

"What is the purpose of a mother then?" Daka looked at him for a moment in silence. Angel and Zephyr warbled to each other in a quieter tone, and Sephiroth wondered if he was going to be thrown away again for asking.

"A mother is like the Planet; the Goddess and bringer of life. She loves the children she cares for unconditionally, and protects and guides them in their lives." It seemed like a nice answer, if Daka wasn't saying it with a slight monotone as if reciting it.

"You do that, and you're my Pa. Why is there a need for a mother and father? Should I have both?" Sephiroth asked, unsatisfied with Daka's reply.

His mother, Jenova, was dead. His father, Hojo, was living, but had no purpose in his life but to bring him pain and discontent.

"Not everyone has a mother and father, Sephiroth. While a child has a greater chance of happiness with both parents able to look after their wellbeing, others suffer more with their parents together. I grew up with only my mother. I was not shielded from anything and was able to learn how to be strong on my own. She had been raised much the same way, being able to make mistakes and learn from them. Parents are there for you, for better and worse. There's no necessity to having both."

Sephiroth thought he understood Daka's logic, but he didn't think it applied to him. After all, a man who was not related to him was taking care of him as a father would, and he had no one to call mother. As Seraphina, wouldn't it be better to have a mother? He had no experiences with a mother, how would he know he didn't need one?

"Should I have one? Are you lonely?" The birds suddenly stopped making noise, very obviously eavesdropping. Daka cleared his throat softly and shifted in Zephyr's saddle. It was the first time Sephiroth had seen the man uncomfortable, so it took a moment for him to recognize the other's expression.

"I keep busy enough to not need to worry. When you're here, I feel there isn't a need for anyone else. I like taking care of you, kid. Do you really think me not enough?" There was a slight teasing tone in Daka's voice that Sephiroth imagined no one else would have been able to notice. He also gave an air of worry, and Sephiroth likened it to the same worry that he had when he thought the man was thinking of abandoning him.

Was Daka afraid Sephiroth didn't like him anymore? Did the man really not need anyone else?

He decided to voice his thoughts another time. After all, even if Daka was a great father to him, he kinda hoped for a woman to call mother. Besides, he was changed into his dress and he was Seraphina now. There was no need to worry about the life Sephiroth lived and the thoughts he had right now.

"Daka, do dragons live on the Nibel Mountains?" The man gave another unreadable look, less open or friendly than before, but he gave a mischievous grin after another moment.

"Well, wouldn't you like to know?" Almost as if timed, a bestial roar from above sounded. Seraphina's gaze darted to the sky quickly, and she saw a fairly large flying form dart out from under the clouds before being hit by an even larger form. The shadows parted with a flash of blue light, fire? Lightning?, and the smaller shadow disappeared in the cover of the mountain peaks. The larger form followed.

"Yes?" She answered after a pause when she realized her mouth was hanging open. She jumped when Daka's hand rested on her head. Looking at him, Daka's gaze was at the clouds the dragons just flew into.

"There are many dragons in the area, though it's rare to see them. Those were rival species, and the smaller one was actually much younger than the other. One day, if it survives, it'll grow twice the size as the other."

"Do dragons always fight alone?"

"Not always. I've heard of a type that stay in wings, a group of dragons. I've never seen them though. Come on, let's keep moving."

'I wish I could fly like that.' Seraphina thought, glancing back towards the clouds one final time before letting Angel trot faster. 'This time, I won't be thrown away. I'll find Daka a friend I can call Ma, and maybe I can learn to fly.' She added as he looked thoughtfully at Zephyr's folded black wings. Sephiroth the silver chocobo, the title rang through her head and Sephiroth felt like laughing. Had it really been so long ago he first thought of flying like a chocobo? Do chocobo even fly?

Daka would hear the question on their next break.

Sephiroth would hear of the fabled Golden Chocobo; There had to be a real Silver Chocobo in the world!

X

The day was long but well spent. Well, Sephiroth imagined so at any rate as he wearily trudged to his room (his own room! It was furnished and not all white and he could do whatever he wanted to it!). His hair was still damp from his shower and the towel he wrapped it in was perched precariously on his head. The cooling night air still smelled of warm weather and fragrant foliage and Sephiroth decided to keep his window cracked open for that reason.

Deciding to dress in Seraphina's clothes for the night, mainly so he didn't have to worry about balancing to put on his pants, he yawned sleepily and threw himself on top of his bed. Sephiroth smiled at how many times he bounced. This bed was definitely better than the ones at the labs. He didn't even feel like moving just to move the towel back on his head.

And that was how Daka found him.

"You sure you don't want to be under your blankets, kid? It's kind of why we got them, isn't it?" The man said from the doorway. Sephiroth's eyes were already closed, so he didn't know what kind of expression he had.

"Yeah..." Sephiroth was pleasantly tired and comfy. He thought about trying to sleep in tomorrow, but then decided against it. He wasn't going to waste his time sleeping when he could spend it with Daka.

Daka gave a breathy hum, his normal way of laughing, and Sephiroth heard bare feet walk closer on the wooden floor. His bed dipped slightly (He wanted a firm mattress, and he got one!) And Sephiroth suddenly felt a slight chill over his shoulders and head.

"At least let me fix this for you, okay? No need to get yourself sick." A spotty memory of the last time he was sick, the only time really, reminded Sephiroth that he almost died. He never wanted to be sick ever again, so he pushed himself to sit up and allowed Daka to brush his hair. His eyes stayed closed as the repetitive brushing lulled him to a doze.

He let himself wake a little more when he realized that the humming in his head wasn't really a part of his dream. Daka was humming softly as he brushed his hair. Eyes open, Sephiroth glanced to the mirror near the door and saw Daka's reflection staring at his hair as he brushed and hummed.

Daka looked sad again. The tune seemed kind of happy, but Daka's face looked the closest to crying that Sephiroth had ever noticed. He decided to find Daka a girlfriend. That would make him happy, right? At least Daka wouldn't be all alone when Sephiroth was forced to stay with Hojo. When Daka had brushed through all of the tangles for the fifth time (since Sephiroth didn't really get tangles), Sephiroth decided to speak.

"Daka, will you tell me a story?" The brush didn't even falter, but the humming stopped; which was a shame.

"What kind of story do you want to hear? I don't really know too many."

"I dunno. A bed time story?" The brush was put down and for a moment, Sephiroth thought Daka was going to say no. Then he felt fingers parting his hair and realized Daka was braiding his hair.

"Alright, a bed time story..." Sephiroth smiled. He'd never had a bedtime story before!

X

Cloud wracked his brain for a story to tell Sephiroth as he took his time braiding the boy's hair. He could see his green eyes watching him from the mirror to their left, but ignored it.

"What kind of bed time story do you want?"

"Um, I dunno." Sephiroth said in an airy tone. Cloud tried not to snort. It was moments like these, when it was hard to tell if Sephiroth was being himself or trying to channel Seraphina, that Cloud briefly wondered if the boy was going to be suffering gender identity confusion later in his life. If he did it would be all his fault. A part of him wondered if it was bad to feel amused at the prospect.

"Well, what would Seraphina like to listen to?" Cloud couldn't help but ask. With the boy wearing his light green night dress, and he just finished braiding his hair, it was very much possible that he did have two different mindsets of his personality. Sephiroth hummed in a contemplative manner he often did as Seraphina, and thought.

"A love story." He decided, turning his head as if to look at Cloud's reaction.

"A love story? I don't really know any of those." Cloud replied, looking around the room and deciding to prevent this moment from happening again by getting the kid some story books.

"Friendship then." Cloud raised an eyebrow and Sephiroth seemed to realize that Cloud just didn't know any stories. "Make one up." Sephiroth suggested easily. Cloud almost felt insulted, almost. Sephiroth was more adult than child in terms of maturity. Most of the things he said or did, even when such behavior was to be expected of a child, was always less naive than it was supposed to be. Sephiroth simply thought in a very linear and precise way.

"Alright. Lie down, you." Sephiroth smiled brightly and quickly rolled under his blankets. He pushed his pillows back with his shoulders and hugged his favorite pillow. Cloud couldn't help but smile at those expectant green eyes. Sephiroth smiled happily. "Let's see, a story..."

The only real story Cloud was vaguely familiar with was the much debated LOVELESS. Even then, all he knew was what Cid ranted about and thus his knowledge was no doubt full of misinterpretations and insults.

Well, there went that idea.

"Once long ago, before there were buildings, people or animals, there were only the elements. They were simple, basic, and pure. The Goddess had created the world, Planet, and was traveling everywhere and nowhere to decorate Her first child.

"She created Wind, and it was a force to be reckoned with. Everywhere Wind blew, you could see where it had been. Even if you couldn't see it, you would feel it. It would be gentle during then, either bringing warmth or cold depending on its whim. Wind was free, and everyone liked it.

"She also created Fire, Water, Earth. From those elements arose many others. From those sub elements arose embodiments, such as Happiness, History, and Peace. Soon, the Planet was full of all sorts of decorations.

"Wind was friends with everyone, but one of his favorite friends, was, Cloud." Cloud mentally kicked himself for bringing himself into the story, but tried to go on without feeling like he was talking about himself. "Cloud was small. It was a tiny little white-ish cotton ball, and without Wind, it wouldn't really move anywhere by itself in the beginning. It was just too shy. Wind liked to play with Cloud, because not only was it helping out a friend, but everyone noticed both of them when they were together.

"One day, As Wind and Cloud played near Field, they noticed a new color in the vast green ground below them. It was a small dot of white. Curious, they came closer, and they immediately became excited." Sephiroth relaxed some more and Cloud could see that he was trying to guess who he had just introduced into the story. "The Goddess just made it last night, and as Sunlight poured over Field, Flower saw its first morning, and thus saw Cloud and Wind."

"Wind rushed right up to Flower, causing it to shiver and dance. Cloud watched from the sky, able to be happy by just looking at Flower. Cloud was so happy to see the other two happy that it became the same color white as Flower, bright and clean. Flower often faced Cloud and waved with Wind." Cloud saw how relaxed Sephiroth was and ignored the lump forming in his throat. He just described how he felt when Zack and Aerith visited him in his dreams, and it still made him want to cry at how alone he felt, yet relieved that at least they were together.

He hadn't dreamt of the two since he came to the past, and he missed them both.

"Every day, Flower would wake up with Wind brushing by and Cloud watching from above. But then Flower noticed that Cloud was always alone from way up in the sky, so it began to plan with Wind. It would look all around itself, and Wind would rush everywhere as well. Both looked and looked for something Cloud could hold with itself. They wanted another friend for Cloud."

"Wind asked Water if it could be Cloud's friend, but Water said it had Lakes, Rivers and Oceans to watch over.

"Flower asked Earth if it could be Cloud's friend, but Earth said it had Mountains, Caves, and Canyons to watch over.

"Wind asked Fire if it could be Cloud's friend, but Fire said it had to work with the Sunlight to watch over the Volcanoes, Deserts and Prairies. 'But,' Fire said, 'talk to Storm. Storm may know.'

"Wind knew of Storm. Storm always wanted Wind to join it when playing with Rain. But Storm had been avoiding Wind lately, and so it was no where nearby. Wind didn't want to leave Flower, or Cloud.

"But Flower said to go. It wanted Cloud to not be alone, so Wind reluctantly agreed. When Cloud saw Wind leave Flower, it started to follow, but Flower called it back. 'The sunlight is much too bright.' Flower said truthfully. 'Will you shade me until Wind returns?' So Cloud stayed and protected it as best as it could."

"Wind found Storm, and Storm was angry that it found a new friend with Flower. Storm wanted Wind all to itself with Rain, for they had so much fun before Wind started to wander. But because it liked Wind, it agreed to work with Rain in finding a friend for Cloud. And Rain had an idea. 'Let us play with Flower and you, Wind. All of us can make a friend for Cloud.'

"Wind was unsure. 'We are not to deal with the powers of the Goddess.' It reminded them. Rain was not worried. 'We will ask for a favor from the Goddess then. It is not worth a shot?' Wind was worried of punishment, but agreed to try.

"Flower was curious of how to play with such free elements as Storm, Rain and Wind, but agreed. Cloud stayed back, intimidated and unsure of playing a game with large Storm and enveloping Rain. Wind rushed by, Storm called out to everyone in a loud booming voice, Rain tagged everyone and little white Flower gleefully tried to dodge everyone's attempt to tag it too. They felt the Goddess watching, and Her magic tingled through them

"Before they knew it, their game made a Hurricane. Hurricane ran rampant through Field, tearing up Grass and endangering Flower. Earth protected Flower the best it could, but Flower was still covered up. Storm, big dark strong Storm tried to make Hurricane stop, but Hurricane was too much. Storm had to leave lest it be absorbed into Hurricane. Rain tried to force Hurricane down, as it could do with Tree and Hill, but Hurricane seemed to be made stronger. Rain had to leave lest it make Hurricane unstoppable. Wind tried to move Hurricane by force, since it was hollering and acting out too loudly to be heard by reason. Hurricane chased after Wind instead, so Wind left to save what he could of Flower.

"The Goddess seemed satisfied with Her new creation, and departed, taking Hurricane with her for another time, leaving Cloud to look on in worry. Everyone was gone. Floating where it could, it called out to look for Flower. 'I'm scared.' Flower called back, Earth too tired to move. 'I'm scared!' It called. Cloud called back, 'It's safe, Flower. It's safe now.' Flower slowly peaked out from under Earth, reminded of the days when it used to be Seed, and soon stood tall once more. It could not see Cloud. 'Cloud?' It called.

"Cloud had drifted away, having seen something near itself once Hurricane left. It was unable to get a good look, however, so Cloud had been drifting in circles around itself. The new something seemed to be behind it. 'Cloud, what are you holding?' Flower called in question.

"Cloud continued to spin. 'I'm not holding anything. It's holding onto me.' And Flower saw, and smiled. 'Cloud, you have a line of Silver on you!' Cloud stopped. 'Silver? Why are you on me, Silver?' Silver slowly shifted to sit on top of Cloud instead of behind.

"The little Silver lining hugged Cloud tight, and Cloud hugged back. 'Destruction was controlling Hurricane, and there was no one else I could feel safe with.' It said, a silent plea to be allowed to remain in its tone. Cloud couldn't refuse; it didn't want to refuse. Silver was young, new, and Cloud wanted to help it discover its places in the Planet the way Wind had done for it.

"Flower watched happily, thankful that everyone's efforts were rewarded by the Goddess. It turned out Cloud didn't need a friend, someone else needed a friend in Cloud. Wind returned and was delighted by the new color Silver. Flower said Silver complimented Cloud in any of its own colors, either white, black, or sunset gold.

"Cloud adored Silver and didn't ever want to let go, imagining that what it was feeling must have been what Wind had felt like when Cloud had been new. It floated away, eager to show Silver the Planet they lived on. Wind and Flower watched, happy for their friend.

"Wind was so happy, it danced around Flower until the little white flower shivered and danced with it in delight. 'The Goddess is ever blessing. To gift us with happiness, we should adore her.' Flower agreed. 'Yes, for Flowers will always dance with the Wind, and Clouds will always have a Silver lining!' The Planet watched silently."

Cloud abruptly realized that he was supposed to be telling a children's bedtime story to Sephiroth. Upon looking at his charge, however, he supposed he didn't do too bad. Sephiroth's eyes were closed, and he was completely relaxed.

For some reason, he felt he needed to actually read the play LOVELESS now. Tucking Sephiroth in his blankets, Cloud dimmed the light and left to check on the chocobo before turning on for the night.

He tried not to think too hard on how the story that spilled from his lips reflected the people in his and Sephiroth's life so well... If only he had a happy ending too...

X

Sephiroth watched quietly, not caring that his mouth was slightly open. Daka gave no indication that he knew he was watching, but a part of Sephiroth realized that the man was a swordsman, and to not be aware of those watching would make him an amateur. The fluidity and ease that Daka moved with was nothing less than the solid familiarity of a master swordsman.

The fact that the twilight sunrise made each shadow move with darting intensity probably helped the etherealness of what Sephiroth was watching. He recognized this fact, he really did, but Daka still looked cool.

'I wanna do that!' He thought to himself, wondering if Daka would teach him. He wondered if he would have a blade like Daka, or maybe a different weapon. He couldn't imagine fitting a large heavy sword such as Daka's First Tsurugi. Maybe a smaller one would be best. A quiet coo at his side startled him.

"Kweh." Angel sighed again as she settled onto the grass. Sephiroth pet her gently.

"Cool, huh Angel?" Angel didn't move for a moment before she finally turned her gaze from Daka to him. Her eyes were sad, and Sephiroth was concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Wark." Zephyr said lowly as he settled himself on Sephiroth's other side. He emitted an air of remorseful guilt that the boy didn't understand. Unable to figure out the bird's behavior and the reasons thereof, Sephiroth turned back to watching Daka and put it out of his mind in favor of imagining himself with a sword.

He wanted to be graceful with a sword, like Daka was. He would have to get a lighter sword than First Tsurugi though. Definitely thinner. Maybe Seraphina should use swords too? Yeah! Seraphina could use a normal sword and he could use a cooler one!

Daka locked his sword onto his back and Sephiroth stood up.

"Daka? Who taught you to use a sword?" He asked. He didn't feel right asking for lessons just yet. Daka continued to stretch in silence for a moment. Sephiroth waited patiently. Daka liked thinking about how he would reply to his questions, and Sephiroth didn't mind. Daka always seemed to know just what Sephiroth meant this way.

"I learned basics from a school. I had an informal mentor who influenced my style greatly. Most of what I know I perfected from combat."

"So your mentor didn't teach you?"

"No." Daka seemed to hesitate. "Zack never had the chance to do so formally."

Zack. Sephiroth knew about Zack. He seemed like a near complete opposite of Daka, from the few stories that had been shared, but Sephiroth knew his Pa respected Zack greatly. He held onto a deep regret about him too, and all Sephiroth could guess was that Zack died and Daka seemed to believe he should have died instead. He didn't know Zack had been a mentor, though. He thought he was a brother, or a best friend.

"Why?" Sephiroth had never pressed the issue before. Now felt like an appropriate time since Daka was already talking about him.

"He died, Sephiroth. He died because I was too weak to realize I needed to protect myself." Daka said, not looking anywhere else but the horizon over his shoulder; or maybe it was the hilt of his sword. Sephiroth regret making Daka upset, even though the man didn't look so, but he pushed on.

"Would you teach me to protect myself?" Daka flicked a cold, guarded gaze to him. He did that sometimes, Sephiroth noticed, if he said something that pushed the man to think really deeply about either him or an action or information he wanted to learn. He'd done so when he asked about the planet, the purpose of a mother, why he had been born, if he could learn how to fly, and now the roundabout way of asking to be taught swordsmanship.

"Why will you not let me continue protecting you?" Daka asked after a moment of unbroken staring. He didn't seem upset, or indifferent. Sephiroth couldn't place the detached emotion the man was emitting, despite the soft curious tone. He looked at his feet as he replied.

"I wouldn't want you to die because I was too weak to protect myself." Sephiroth said quietly, not wanting to imagine the scenario. If Daka became the man he was, emotion-wise, because his mentor died, Sephiroth believed he may come out even worse if the situation was his instead. Daka was more than his family, blood related or not. He was his world. If Daka died right now, Sephiroth would be devastated. If the man died because of him... Sephiroth believed he might just shut down.

"… Hitch Angel up." Daka said after a long silence.

"WARK!" Zephyr squawked from where he was watching near the house. Angel continued preening herself from next to the black bird.

Sephiroth expected to feel excited. Daka never said no. His tone was a consenting one. He was going to get something for his lessons!

He felt like he just disappointed the man, instead.

X

"Beg yer pardon?" The fuzzy blacksmith asked, his moustache hiding his mouth and wiggling with each word instead. Sephiroth had never seen a moustache that covered a person's lower face so well. Seraphina stared unblinkingly from where she stood next to her Pa.

"A simple custom sword, moderate weight with a well balanced hold." Daka repeated.

"And short enough fer…"

"My daughter, like I said." Seraphina smiled at the staring blacksmith. The man looked incredibly confused.

"Yer… Mr. Daka, I ain't makin no sword fer no little girl!" Seraphina stopped smiling. The man, whose name was never offered, became a little red in the face and started yelling. "A sword is a weapon! Not some toy! I woulda thought you be known that mer than anyone! No sir! I ain'ta doin it!"

"Fine. Thanks anyway." Daka said calmly. He tugged at Seraphina's pink gloved hand and turned around.

"Of all the things I heard of ya, I woulda never thought yer irresponsible! " The man continued to rant. Seraphina turned back to him for a moment. His moustache was shivering and spit was coming out from it.

"Ew." She whispered with a face.

"Yeah, some people are like that. He wasn't a good blacksmith anyway." Daka said, not having looked back like Seraphina. He ignored the people who stopped to watch the spectacle as well. She looked up at him.

"How do you know?"

"His shop wasn't taken care of. If he doesn't care about his workspace, how can he care about his work? No, he wouldn't have been a good man to commission a sword from. We can try a few towns over."

So they traveled for a few days to find a good sword smith willing to do a commission for a young girl and who was skilled enough to commit to the requirements requested.

Daka rejected everyone if they didn't reject the idea.

"Daka?" Sephiroth asked as they camped out on their fifth night. Angel was curled around him in the warm night, the breeze constant and cool being so near the ocean.

"Hm?"

"Who made First Tsurugi?" The fire cracked in front of them, and Daka chewed his food thoughtfully as he looked at the sword he propped next to a sleeping Zephyr.

"I did, with help from a friend."

"Who helped you?" Sephiroth winced inwardly as he watched Daka turn his focus to the moon. The man was haunted, he suddenly realized. He seemed so strong, so amazing and capable of anything, it was hard to notice how vulnerable he really was; how weighed down Daka was to the decisions he regretted. Sephiroth wondered if he would ever regret anything as much as Daka did. Would he ever become amazing and wonderful, yet just as haunted?

He hoped not. He'd be perfectly happy being normal.

"He's no longer here, kid. I can't make you a sword, so that's why we're looking for someone." Sephiroth said nothing else, slowly making himself take a bite of his food. "Don't fret, Sephiroth. You'll get a worthy sword and nothing less. You shouldn't feel like we're wasting time." He felt like it anyway. After the last three towns, he started thinking maybe he shouldn't use a sword. He nibbled on the crust of his bread before coming to a decision.

"It… It doesn't have to be a sword." He said quietly. Daka's gaze looked surprised. Disbelieving.

"You don't want a sword?" The man worded slowly, as if the thought was so hard to understand. Sephiroth tried not to feel insulted, though he didn't know why he would be. Didn't Daka not want to teach him just before they started this journey for a weapon?

"I want to learn to protect myself so you don't have to all the time. I want to be useful and not helpless. But, it doesn't have to be a sword." He said. Daka stared with an odd expression. Sephiroth tried not to let it bother him.

Yes, he was fascinated by Daka's sword, and since it was the weapon he was most familiar with because of seeing it so often, it was what he had thought of first. But he also knew he wasn't Daka. He would probably never be able to wield a weapon as large and unpredictable as First Tsurugi; He wanted something more basic and simpler to use anyway.

"Okay. What kind of weapon do you think you'd like?" Daka asked slowly.

"I dunno. Something I can use anywhere. Something fast and easy to learn."

"Did you notice anything in the blacksmith shops?" Sephiroth tried to think back. At the beginning, his gaze was drawn to the swords or he'd insist on seeing only the swordsmiths.

"Not the needles or ninja stars. I want something I can maintain and not have to worry about ammunition." He said firmly. He'd seen the care Daka gave his sword, and Sephiroth imagined the kind of dedication needed for a weapon was the same as a pet. He's never had a pet. Angel and Zephyr didn't count. They were too smart to be called pets. "I want something small though, portable, something I can conceal. I want to be underestimated when I have it, so I can always start with the element of surprise." Daka turned to look at the sky.

'The sky can't talk to you. Why do you always look at it for answers?' Sephiroth found himself thinking again. He worried when Daka started getting like that.

"Do you want one or two?"

"What?"

"Do you want a single weapon, or a pair?" Daka seemed to be getting an idea, and Sephiroth trusted him to discover the right weapon for him.

"A pair. If I lose one, I'd have other. Or, if needed, I can use them both together." Sephiroth nodded, liking the idea. He hoped he wasn't being too unreasonable. He didn't know too much about weapons; he knew there were weapons that required ammunition, bladed weapons, blunt weapons and even weapons that exploded. He didn't know the specifics of them though, but he did hope they were limitless.

Daka was quiet for a moment.

"We head across the ocean tomorrow. Get some rest soon." Sephiroth blinked in surprise. The man seemed ready to smile.

X

Daka took them to a land he called Wutai. Seraphina stared openly, mouth open and eyes wide. She held onto her Pa's hand tightly, Angel and Zack following them close behind. Even the language was different, and the people all looked calm and healthy compared to the bursts of individuality from rural towns or even the various expressions of personality from cities.

"Hai, arigatou." Daka replied to a man as he tugged Seraphina's white gloved hand gently down the dirt street.

"Daka, what language are you speaking?" She asked.

"It's Wutainese, common. I know a little of Wutainese easy and Imperial, but don't tell anyone about the last one." He added quietly.

"What does that mean?" She couldn't but ask. Daka was quiet for a moment, thinking in the way he does to answer her question and the ones she would have kept asking if he didn't answer them before she worded them. Seraphina waited patiently, trying to not let her attention be snagged by the really amazing stuff all around her. It was a very hard thing to do in this new and amazing country; focus.

"Wutainese common is a general language. Easy is a simplified version made for tourists and the ignorant. The last one is for the Emperor and those in his court. It's a version that's viewed as sacred and technically we shouldn't even know about it, but it's more of a common secret than anything. Wutai view it as a language from their Gods, and the only version that their Guardian, Leviathan, can understand as spoken."

"Can I learn the common one?" Daka smiled at her.

"Let's start with easy, first."

So she learned how to introduce herself and how to properly pronounce her syllables. By the time they arrived to their destination, a weapon shop, she felt like learning Wutainese would be easy.

And then Daka spoke to the weapon smith.

Logically, she knew he was probably asking for an idea of any pair weapons available. All she heard was a staccato of sounds she wasn't even sure she was able to make as fast as the two adults in front of her were making. She wondered how she forgot about it when that was all she heard on the way down the street.

She tried not to stare, or open her mouth to gape.

X

"A pair of sets? Let's see. I've got blades and gloves mostly. There's a whip that splits up, but you and your daughter do not look as if you would use it."

"Would you be willing to let Seraphina handle the weapons to see what she feels comfortable with?" Cloud asked.

"Of course. With these times, one should have protection to keep them safe from monsters or men. I have an area in back with a couple targets." Cloud nodded acceptance and beckoned Seraphina to follow them. The boy in girl's clothes, eastern and bright, looked everywhere with a look of controlled curiosity. Cloud was glad that this store owner had no issues with selling a weapon meant for a girl. It was a relieving change to all the hardheaded people on the mainland.

"I don't think she's ever tried martial arts." Cloud mentioned as the man, Fugare-san, started moving some targets around the middle of the small dojo. The man gave an incredulous look to them.

"You wish for her to start of weapon training without training her body and mind first?"

"She's ready for one. Her training just wasn't set up for hand to hand. Her self-discipline and control are fine. Her judgment of situations are sound." Cloud said, unable to help but note to himself that Seraphina and the Sephiroth he used to know so long ago were really not that different. Seraphina shouldn't be without a weapon, regardless of her being only seven years old. It didn't seem right anymore. The blade that is Masamune was out of consideration, but this child should still have a weapon.

Even if a part of Cloud feared being run through by it eventually.

'I can't be sure, but I'll aim towards giving him a solid foundation of self and trust. Will that be enough?' He found himself wondering. It was a thought/prayer/goal that Cloud was beginning to think he would repeat often.

"I shall bring them forward. If they feel if right, but the size is not, I will make a custom to confirm. I do expect payment regardless of whether she accepts after the sizing." Fugare-san warned. Cloud nodded. He could accept those terms. The shop owner and forger left them in his dojo/training room. Cloud waited quietly, watching the little boy with long golden hair standing next to him.

Seraphina stared at the targets, still clutching his belt chain. Her green eyes, slightly glowing in the artificial light, darted between the targets and the display in the back wall of Leviathan itself in its traditional pose. She bit a lip in indecision before letting go and walking up to it to get a better look.

Cloud would stop her if she decided to touch. He would tell her later just how important the Summon was to the people of Wutai. Yuffie certainly pounded that into his head with how many rants she could get into about the subject of her people's defeat.

"Please, help me find the right weapon for me." He heard her whisper. The shawl she had on hid the movements slightly, but Cloud was sure Seraphina just clapped softly and prayed for a blessing. He felt himself relax with a warm feeling of pride.

Maybe he didn't need to explain the Summon to his charge.

Fugare-san returned with a cart and rolled it to the edge of the wall. After straitening the many items on it, he gestured to the tabletop and stepped a bit towards the targets.

"Seraphina, come take a look at these. Fugare-san is letting you test them out on the targets." The blond child turned around quickly and darted to the table in excitement. Cloud snorted slightly when the cotton shawl was absently taken off and raised as if he would be taking it from her; which he did as Seraphina carefully inspected all the gloves to the left of the table.

There were gloves with knuckle plates, tiger claws, arm blades and a few other types of ingenious ideas laid out for a total of twelve glove type weapons. Seraphina carefully picked up the tiger claws and after a glance to Cloud, walked up to Fugare-san who was waiting next to the targets.

"Um, I'd like to try these out, please." She said. The man nodded with a stern expression, but Cloud thought he saw a corner of a smile beginning. Sephiroth could make a very cute girl voice, he had to admit. The man gestured for her to put on the small gloves, which were still a bit big, and as he demonstrated a few basic moves, Cloud looked over the rest of the selections made.

He was impressed with the variety.

Aside from the gloves, which he couldn't see Sephiroth using, there were a couple different styled nunchuku, bladed disks that looked like some were meant to be thrown and some that seemed to be held and punched, and a few different types of shin or arm guards.

Yuffie would have loved them all, regardless of whether she knew how to use them.

X

Sephiroth huffed in frustration as he tried out the basic punches and swipes that were shown to him. He didn't like these gloves with the long bladed hooks. He felt like his arm was too exposed and he wasn't able to rectify it with a flick of his wrist; the three blades ran along to the middle of his forearm, so he wasn't able to move his wrist. He looked at the nice patient man and the man only smiled and gestured to the table.

He tried three more of the gloves weapons with something sticking forward, and rejected those as well. So he tried the stick weapons that were chained together, but after the man showed him how to use them, he promptly put them back. He was going to injure himself just trying them! He wanted something simple, easy, and efficient! After trying most of all the weapons, Sephiroth gave an 'I'm a disappointed Seraphina' sigh and sat next to Daka as Fugare-san rolled all the weapons back to his shop.

'I guess, none of them were here?' He wondered, looking at the picture of the sea serpent on the other wall. 'Is my weapon in a different place?' He remembered Daka telling stories of finding weapons or items during his adventures around the world. Perhaps his fated match was in a cave?

Fugare-san came out and spoke with Daka in questioning tones.

"He'd like to know why you rejected everything. What felt wrong or missing to you?" Daka translated. Sephiroth bit his lip, tasting the lip gloss he liked to wear, and thought about how to answer the question. He raised his arms and gestured to the inside part of his forearm.

"It feels like anyone could always target me here, and if it is protected, I feel like I'm being constricted. Like I can't twist my arm or my weapon the way I want to. I don't want to throw anything, and I want to be able to help put more force in my attacks with my whole arm, not just my hand. Like punching." He described, pushing on his palm with a finger to emphasize a point of pressure. Daka translated quickly, repeating the two gestures he made. Fugare studied Sephiroth for a moment before nodding. He stepped out and quickly returned with a bundle covered in dust.

He gave a short speech to Daka, who glanced at Sephiroth a few times, but listened carefully.

"He said that his grandfather made these and lost them in the ocean. His grandfather said Leviathan itself came up, demanding to know who created the weapons that attacked it. His grandfather admit to it, apologizing, and hoping for the diety's wellbeing regardless of the accident. Leviathan supposedly blessed the weapons in this cloth, and Fugare-san's grandfather told him that he was told that the weapons were to be given to one person and one person only. They were only to be wielded by a certain soul. Most are punished for trying, receiving a curse of skinned hands if they try. Do you want to look at these Katara, Seraphina?"

Sephiroth looked at the bundle. He didn't know what Katara were and he had a feeling that the pair of weapons in there was gold, and he very much wanted to at least look at them. He nodded to the men in front of him. Fugare-san looked at Daka one more time, but knelt down and revealed what he had.

His first thought was that he was looking at a masterpiece. The pair in front of him looked like a mix between a glove and tiger claws that were melded together to a double point, but there was a bar that he could hold, and the metallic pieces were reaching towards his elbow. There was a sleeve he could put his arm into, and a snap that could quickly secure or release it. The metal was silver in tint, but he could see that when the light hit it, it glowed golden.

It looked a little big, but seemed to be able to be fitted for him. This was something he could grow into. And, it even seemed that the thin blades could be shifted back, so that they could blend into the arm braces they were on and thus hide from view.

They were perfect.

X

The sun was red, bathing the rest of the dry savanna area in a brown-red hue. Cloud walked back to where he left his little group of chocobo and a child and didn't bother hiding the small snort that escaped him.

Seraphina pouted harder.

"You promised!" The boy in his light blue dress yelled when Cloud swung himself onto Zephyr.

"No, I said I would consider it." He replied as he urged the black chocobo forward. Seraphina crossed her arms and sat sullenly. Glancing back at the stationary duo, Cloud just looked at Angel and nodded his head towards him. Angel crooned calmly and followed him. Seraphina scowled at her.

"Daka, that's not fair! I trained, just like you said!" She whined when Angel got close enough. "You said I could defeat any low level monster with these! You said I could help!"

"Seraphina..."

This was the third cluster of monsters that Daka had defeated without her. The first group Daka had said were too high level for her. The second group Daka said there were too many. This third group Daka hadn't bothered to say anything other than tell the child to stay put.

"I want to fight, Daka!"

"No, you don't." Seraphina was startled by the serious tone used in that small statement. "When you have no desire to fight, but only the need to fight, will I say you are able to fight on your own. For now, your opponent is going to be me, and nothing else." Daka's eyes glowed an eerie green in the setting sunlight.

Seraphina said nothing to that statement, only staring up to the man with wide eyes. Daka looked, blank. His eyes were empty and his face gave nothing away, but his aura vibrated and Seraphina shook in fear. This man... would kill her if he wanted.

Don't make me kill you. The words rung through her memory, and she didn't want him to kill her, Seraphina or Sephiroth. After another moment of silent staring, Daka turned away and his posture relaxed into something less intimidating.

Seraphina gulped, wondering if she passed whatever crazy test of worthiness Daka had for her. She really didn't want to raise her blades against the man. Not only because he was strong and intimidating, but because he was Daka. He was her guardian, best friend, and most favorite person in the world. She would never want to hurt him, never mind purposefully attack him.

Angel walked on after Zephyr, and Seraphina spent the rest of the evening trying to convince herself to ask Daka to train her more personally.

No matter how much she didn't like the idea of facing him, Seraphina would hate it even more if Daka got hurt trying to protect her. Daka may be very strong and capable, but no one was invincible. Daka had even told her that if he had a weakness, it would be her.

She refused to be that weakness. She refused to be worthless. She refused to be thrown away.

Her hand held the small orb of materia in her pocket, and she willed herself to be calm.

X

Sephiroth hummed quietly as he practiced making cookies in the kitchen. He glanced out of the window to observe Daka sparing with Zephyr, the clumsy big black bird darting and moving swiftly and gracefully. He sighed as he set the cookie dough down and touched the Katara on his hips.

'Anything but train...' He thought again. Daka would let him try anything, practice anything, learn anything, except how to use his weapons in self-defense. Professor Hojo had made him learn more about weapons than Daka let him... And at the time, he had been upset because he was so determined to master Materia.

In the grass outside, Daka slashed at Zephyr swiftly, his sword crackling with sparks of electricity that suddenly exploded. Sephiroth could smell the ozone in the air brought down from the spell. Clicking on the kitchen tiles brought his attention back to inside. Angel walked carefully through the room, beak high as she smelled the air and followed it to the high piles of cookies already cooling on the table. Sephiroth sighed and gave a soft smile as he leaned away from the window and started clumping cookie balls to put on the still warm cookie sheet.

He liked baking, and since Daka didn't do so – being a man of sandwiches, barbeque, and soups – Sephiroth took it onto himself to make sure there were sweets of a sort available. Yesterday was cakes, today was cookies. Angel gave him a curious look before carefully plucking a single cookie from the cooled pile.

"I won't tell if you don't." Angel cocked her head, not sure what he was doing that he shouldn't. Sephiroth showed her a small glass ball.

He had been using his materia to help him bake cookies, having gotten a Fire from one of his last battles with the monsters just outside the pasture. The Blizzard he had from the Mansion was being used to help him cool the cookies slightly and keep him from burning his hands. Angel cooed mischievously, clucking and chirping quietly as she looked at the door leading outside to Daka and Zephyr. The two were starting to get really loud now, Zephyr squawking as if enraged and Daka seemingly yelling insults.

Daka hardly ever got angry enough to talk to the target of his ire, so it was pretty interesting to watch.

Sephiroth took out his first materia from his pocket, Blizzard, and held both together in his hands. Angel clucked to herself as she munched her cookie.

"You know, I left so that I wouldn't have to train in weapons and focus on materia... I think I'm pretty good with my materia now, and am more than ready for weapons, but Daka won't let me do anything Angel." He said as a small boom outside signaled Daka's use of Firaga. "It's not fair."

"Kweh." Angel cooed softly, her beak rubbing Sephiroth's cheek. He sighed and glanced at the paper on the table next to the cookies.

New Base of Shinra Corp.? Will Midgar become the new metropolis?

The article explained some strange information. Sephiroth hadn't heard much about Mr. Shinra, but he was under the impression that Professor Hojo worked for the man. If he were to return to the mansion, as he felt Daka would make him do soon, would that mean he would eventually move to Midgar?

He didn't think he'd like that. This house, the Fenrir House, was close to Nibelheim, which Professor Hojo's lab was near. Midgar was farther, and if he ever tried to run from Midgar to come home, he'd probably be caught within hours...

"Nothing is fair in life, huh Angel?" He murmured, no longer in the mood to bake.

X

The two walked around the area carefully. There were quite a few shops, and everything looked fairly new so Seraphina was extremely excited, but at the same time she felt wary. She felt sad.

It was quite confusing.

Daka walked on ahead, his hand holding her gloved one as they weaved through the thickening crowd of shoppers and wanderers. They stopped by a building that looked very fancy, in an old fashioned sort of way. Daka stared at the great double doors for a moment, and Seraphina imagined his hand shook slightly.

'We don't have to go in.' She almost said just before he let go to push open the doors.

The dim sunlight filtered through dusty air from what windows it was able to get through. There was a single broken window that had been letting leaves in from outside, and a squirrel (or something) scurried away into a hole in a corner.

The building, seemingly just as new as everything else, was already abandoned. Daka walked deeper inside after a moment, and Seraphina followed closely. She wanted to hold his hand again, the place was kinda creepy, but she could recognize when Daka was in another world. It was easiest to tell when the man only whispered a name, Aerith, before stopping at the front of the isle. He stared at the statue in front of the pews and did an odd gesture in front of his heart before kneeling and bending his head down.

Seraphina knew, logically, that he was praying. She'd never seen anyone do so before. The gods on Wutai were spoken to as if they could be heard and were given offerings to please them. The eastern religions weren't worshiped the same way, including memorized chants and burning candles instead.

She stood against the pew that Daka was closest to. After a moment, she was startled to see that he was crying. There was just a few tears escaping his eyes, and he wasn't making a sound, but he was crying. After a few moments more, he opened his eyes and looked at the statue of a woman again. He stood up and didn't bother to wipe his eyes.

She wished he would. If he didn't, she would do it for him. If he let her.

"This is a likeness of Minerva." He said as he slid into the pew and gestured her to sit next to him. The wood was cold and she wondered how long the church had been abandoned. "She's an embodiment of Gaia, the Planet."

"Did she make you cry?" Seraphina wondered if Minerva could talk back to whomever spoke to her. If she made her people cry, maybe that was why the church was abandoned.

"No. I cried because," The man's eyes turned into himself again. 'Broken' echoed in her head again. She hoped he shared a little of why with her; she hoped she could find a way to heal him. "Normally, one of my friend's, Aerith, she can talk to me from the Lifestream." He had a familiar look, where he wasn't sure if she knew what he was talking about. He did it more often, and Seraphina was glad he was recognizing just how much she knew.

"That's where souls go when they don't have a body." Daka nodded. "But," She didn't think the dead could talk anymore... and she wasn't sure how to say that without upsetting Daka.

"Aerith was special. She doesn't always answer, probably for my own good, but this time..." He glanced at the statue again. Seraphina wondered if Daka's Aerith looked like the Minerva statue. "I don't think she'll talk to me anymore now."

"Has she been reborn?" The man was quiet for a moment before giving a small strange, sad, smile.

"Yeah, probably."

As they exited the church, Daka stopped and looked inside again. Seraphina waited patiently with him, and she wondered how the sunlight coming through the broken window near the roof could give the illusion that there was a puddle of water in the middle of the front. A small clear lake, maybe with flowers in it. She turned to look outside and nearly jerked back in surprise.

For a moment, there was a woman standing next to Angel, looked at Daka and her with a sad smile. Blinking made her disappear, and Seraphina wondered if Angel had a real angel looking out for her and everyone.

Maybe Minerva and the Goddess really were real.

'She still shouldn't make people cry though.' She thought to herself as quietly as she could, not sure if she could be heard in her mind. Just in case.

She liked the Wutai gods and guardians. They helped her when she asked for it. She wouldn't want to insult Minerva before she may need her help too.

X

Seraphina froze, Daka stopping as well since he was still holding her hand. Daka took one glance at the two men she had seen and immediately started walking again, forcing her to walk as well. The birds continued to cluck and croon to each other, only glancing back at them every once in a while.

"Just keep going, Seraphina." She shivered, keeping her head down and trying not to cry.

Hojo was talking to a fat man in the plaza behind them, and was gesturing to the tower in the middle of Midgar. Hojo was in Midgar.

'I'm going to move when I go home.' She realized, thinking back to that article. 'This is going to be my home...' She looked around herself, imagining how anything could feel homey here. Or if she would be allowed to even see the sky or explore the area.

"Want to look through there?" Daka asked, gesturing to a small shop on the corner. There was a sign advertising LOVELESS in the window. Seraphina wiped the corner of her eyes, Angel clucking at her in concern.

"Yeah." She didn't really care at the moment.

They left Angel outside. Zephyr was sent away with orders to wait for them outside the city after looking for anything that should be examined around the city borders. Mainly the dump zone for all the ongoing construction of the still growing city. They were planning to meet at dusk to head back home. Whatever was found for investigation was going to be done after Seraphina was returned to being Sephiroth, however soon or far that was.

Daka found a small book with really small print and very fine pages. It was a dark leather book with golden edges on its pages and deep black ink decorating the cover that glinted white in the light. Attention diverted from the father she wished she never had, Seraphina flipped through the first page. There was a quote sitting in the middle of the page.

When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end

The goddess descends from the sky

Wings of light and dark spread afar

She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting

'the goddess... on wings.' Seraphina read through the story, following Daka with her peripheral vision as she ignored the rest of the world and imagined that a voice, light, mature, and melodious, read to her in her mind.

X

Cloud was glad Seraphina wasn't tense with worry anymore. He could see the Turks spread through the city and wouldn't want to be under suspicion. Ever. He paid for their purchases and walked through the new and already abused sectors. Finding the playground, with the large tower not yet behind it, Cloud sat with Angel at his side as Seraphina slowly sat on his other side, engrossed in her book.

He could see her focused attention study each word as she read swiftly. He liked this Sephiroth, where the boy was able to concentrate on things he liked and wasn't forced to study. He didn't have a lot of books, but he reread them frequently. Being able to pretend to be a girl, a completely different identity, was a good idea.

Concentrating, Cloud could Sense that his charge had two materia with him. They weren't equipped to the Katara on his hips, but they were close enough to use. The Blizzard was a fairly high level, and Cloud wondered just how long the boy had it. There was also a Fire. Cloud knew Sephiroth had received it during one of his walks around the pasture, probably by finding a monster outside to fight, and it was definitely stronger than it was before.

Sephiroth really did want to fight. Cloud just wished he knew why. It was strange, for how much the child argued and complained, he always looked scared and worried when Cloud stated he would be his only opponent thus far. The monsters around the house were weak, and he had no doubt Sephiroth would find them too easy and frustratingly lacking a challenge. But he never asked to spar or practice.

Sephiroth had received his Katara almost two months ago. Cloud was going to make him practice soon. He glanced around the area. The sun wasn't quite setting yet, so they had probably an hour until they had to look for Zephyr. No one else was out in the area, so it was very quiet and empty. He stood up and stretched.

Seraphina glanced at him before standing up as well, nose still in his book.

"Book down, Seraphina. Pull out your blades." The girl took another cautious glance around the area before setting her new book quickly into the bag on Angel's harness and doing as told. Cloud was glad to note she still fit the grip and was able to hold the weapons firmly and comfortably. He drew his own blade out, separating one of the smaller blades to use by itself. "Prepare yourself." He said as he pointed the side to her. She started, her eyes wide with the realization of what he was planning.

"What?"

He swiped at her fairly slowly, trying to see what will make her parry. She dodged backwards and stepped to the other side of the park bench. Her weapons were lowered.

"Guard up, Seraphina!" He barked. She knew this. Cloud knew Sephiroth had the basics of sword play and was familiar with sparring. The boy said so himself how far along weaponry instruction he had gone through at the mansion.

"Daka!" Cloud hopped easily onto the back of the bench, crouching low and open to attacks. Seraphina didn't take a shot. She backed further away. "I don't want to fight you!"

"Well, how else are you supposed to learn to use your weapons?" Cloud asked, raising the blade from the ground to near his arm. He tried another slow slash. Seraphina's hands came up to block as she dodged. Better. It was a flinch, but it was better.

"Monsters." Seraphina answered, still looking scared and completely open. The girl was ready to run, and wasn't even looking for any way to retaliate.

"You've had your chance outside fences at home. You're going to be comfortable with your weapons before you leave them, understand? You're not ready for the higher level monsters and I will not let you spar with anyone else at this time. I am your opponent. Strike me, Seraphina." That felt odd to demand of the girl, considering he spent a long time training to be able to dodge Masamune.

"No!" Seraphina declared, cringing and closing her eyes as she stood still and waited for whatever attack Cloud was going to do next. Cloud sighed and hopped off the bench. This must be a type of phobia or something...

"Seraphina..." Cloud hummed in confusion as he gently lowered the girl's raised arms and studied her as she carefully opened her eyes. She had tears building in the corner of her eyes and she suddenly hugged him when she realized he wasn't posed to attack her again.

"I don't want to fight you. I don't want to hurt you." Cloud refrained from stating she couldn't hurt him, since in another time Sephiroth had very frequently fought him. And very seriously wounded him.

"Then why did we get those katara?"Cloud asked gently as he soothed her hiccups by petting her head.

"I want to fight with you. I don't want to fight you." She mumbled. Cloud could see a blush and wondered what was going on in this child's head. "You said Zack died protecting you. I don't want you to die protecting me. Ever. I want to fight to protect myself, and you." Cloud looked up in the sky, wishing Aerith or Tifa could give him inspiration on how to deal with this. Moments like these made him wonder if Sephiroth really did think of himself as female, because this was kind of sappy. Kind of really sappy. Granted, he was still a child, only seven years old and maybe almost eight. He supposed it was a phase to think that the child had to make sure to prove their independence so their guardian didn't look at them like a burden. Did he ever do this with his mother?

'Yeah...' There were a few times he was worried his mother would give up on their struggles and send him away. Or send herself away so he had every chance he could... 'Single parenting is hard...' He wondered why Sephiroth's declaration of not wanting to be the death of him was the perfect excuse to start him on weapons. Considering the sight of those blades in his hands made him remember the foreign sensation of a sword stabbing through him.

"Seraphina, we're not fighting so that we can determine how well you are and whether or not one of one is worthless or something like that. This is sparring. It's an exercise to get used to your weapon and familiar with your reactions. This is an exercise in trust, because I know you wouldn't fatally hurt me and I hope you know I would never aim to kill you. This is so you can get better." He stepped away.

"But I don't want to hurt you."

"Trust me, you can't." He held his sword in front of him. "Hit my sword. As hard as you can." Seraphina still looked unsure and unwilling, but she raised her blade and smacked it. "Harder." Still unsure, but less unwilling, she did. "Again. I want you to knock my blade out of my hand." Since he was holding it with one hand, it looked easy. Seraphina struck as hard as she could, but was startled when the blade didn't budge.

"What are you, a girl?" Cloud couldn't help but tease. Tifa would kick his ass if she ever found out he said that.

"But I-" Seraphina looked suddenly determined.

"Start with your left, and then strike with your right. As hard as you can." She did. "Watch your balance. Steady yourself with a wide stance. Back up a bit, and take a step forward with each strike." Cloud instructed as he stood there. He felt a little odd, not striking back, but Seraphina's face was full of determination and she was steadily finding a comfortable way to move with her weapons the way she hadn't been before.

It reminded him of Denzel, and so suddenly that he had to take a step back as he was struck. Seraphina looked surprised, but Cloud quickly found his bearings.

"Keep going." He said before she did. After a few more strikes, he took another step away; to the side. Seraphina chased after him with only small moments of faltering in her steps.

Angel watched quietly.

The Planet shivered as fate wound around it.

X

They reached home late into the night. Seraphina was sleeping in her saddle and nearly slid off when Angel stopped. Cloud caught her before she slid off and hefted her onto his back so he could get Angel unhooked. The white chocobo fluffed up and cooed as Zephyr clucked for attention so he too could unharnessed. Cloud started walking to the door just to tease the big black bird, but Zephyr cooed sadly as he trotted next to him for attention.

"Alright alright." Cloud grinned. Zephyr's crest rose in victory before he leaned to the side for Cloud to better reach the buckle. It fell off easily as Zephyr shook free, landing with a loud thwump of leather and metal. Angle hissed as Cloud shushed the bird. Zephyr's crest lowered as Seraphina mumbled in her sleep from the sounds of buckles hitting the ground with the thump.

"Kweh." He said softly.

"Can you guys take your saddles into the stables?" Cloud asked in a whisper. He shifted Seraphina into his arms so she wouldn't fall. Angel chirped affirmative as she held her saddle still on her back and reins in her beak. Zephyr held the saddle in his beak and the reins on his neck. He waved them goodnight as he brought Seraphina inside. Settling the child on the couch, Cloud prepared to start the fire to ward off the chill of the windy night when a groggy voice mumbled.

"Are we home yet?" Sephiroth asked, the tone too deep to call Seraphina's.

"Yeah. Go back to sleep, Sephiroth. I'm just starting a small fire.

"I'm not tired." Cloud refrained to snort. The kids at the bar would say that too when they realized he was going to be staying the night. He gathered a couple logs from the pile near the fireplace and knelt halfway into the oven-like fireplace.

He was proud of his half-fireplace half-bonfire idea. He was sure an unattended fire will never spread to burn the house.

"Sure." He answered as he lit the logs with a weak Fire.

"I like the rainbow that makes." Sephiroth commented quietly after a moment. Cloud had no idea where that subject came from.

"What?" He looked at the boy, wondering if he was already back asleep. He was laying down, curled onto the pillows Cloud liked having on the couches, and looking ready to sleep the rest of the night there instead of his bed. His eyes glowed like a cat from the fire light, but they weren't half-closed in fatigue. Sephiroth pointed to the shelves above the mantle.

The bottle of Holy Water glittered from the light below it, bounced off the glass of the coffee table and the reflective nick nacks on it.

"Oh, yeah. I guess the Holy Water does look nice like that."

"It's holy water? From the church?"

"From the Lifestream. It's supposed to cure anything." Cloud said softly as he took off his weapons and boots.

"Anything?"

"Yeah. I used a little on you when you were sick."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Where did you get it from?" The fire cracked softly and Cloud sighed. Sephiroth scooted more onto the large pillow to give him room to sit, so he did. He was slightly started when the boy relaxed and thusly slid half back onto his lap from the dip he made.

"You chocobo." Cloud accused gently. Sephiroth only smiled with a sleepy grin and watched him expectantly for an answer. "I got it from my friend, Aerith. She gave it to me from the Lifestream to help people with. Before I met you, I was traveling the world for more sick people to heal with it."

"Wow... So why do people still get sick?" He asked with a yawn.

"Because it ran out. This bottle is the last of it."

"Is Aerith who you prayed to at church? Is there no more because she was reborn?"

Cloud wondered why he never thought of this child as perceptive. He picked up mannerisms and accents very easily and could blend in very easily to the towns and cities they've traveled to. He even had a very basic grasp of Wutainese easy and common down. Wutainese Imperial was limited to simple sentences for now, but was still very well on its way to being understood completely.

He knew Sephiroth was to grow up to be a General, but with his only clear memories being of a mocking madman… He thought he achieved that rank because of field promotions for battle or something similar. Logically he knew growing up with Hojo was a major influence, but knowing the boy made him wonder what else made him such a bright boy.

"Maybe." Cloud said instead. The sound of the fire was soft and lulling. Cloud supposed being allowed to sleep in the sitting room every once in a while was alright. This may not have been a night of blizzards and snow-ins like what him and his mother endured, but it was a cozy night regardless. Cloud was just nodding off when Sephiroth spoke again.

"Thank you." He whispered.

"What for?" He whispered back after a moment to determine he wasn't hearing things.

"For... everything."

Cloud imagined he was talking either about saving him those couple of years ago, for the impromptu lessons earlier this evening, or anything ranging in between. Cloud gently gathered the boy into his arms the way he generally hugged one of the orphan kids and leaned back in the couch. A part of him was amazed that Sephiroth – the one who would/had/will never grow up to be the one who would destroy and strain his sanity and the safety of the world – only hummed and stayed lax. Another was grateful for being able to gain the boy's trust, and even more grateful to have the chance to show this boy humanity.

He wondered if the monster that sent him here was Aerith's doing. Or the Plantet's. Or just Fate.

"You're welcome." He said in a quiet breathe.

He prayed, again, that he could save Sephiroth and not just stop or destroy him. He was so tired of killing Sephiroth.

xXx TBC xXx

HK: I feel like I switched between Sephiroth and Cloud too much in this one...

Anyway, thank you thank you thank you so much for your wonderful support! I know there were a few reviews who asked some questions, and I'm sorry for not replying to them right away.

This chapter does not make up for the long wait. Sorry! I managed to make the next couple chapters, but I couldn't figure out what I don't like about this one… Thus, it's not as good as I'd like. Soo…

When would be a good time to post Chapter 3?