Chapter 4 – Seven years later (age; 12)
Sephiroth stepped out from the trained grounds, with Hojo clapping his hands. Another monster had fallen to the young boy's short Katana. He rubbed of the monster's blood from his face and Hojo came towards him. The boy continued to walk, ignoring the man in the lab coat. Sephiroth knew what Hojo wanted and he wasn't getting it, but the man proceeded and he picked up the child; after he'd put the sword down where he always leaves it and brought him into the labs. He forced the child onto the operating table and he put a mask on his face. The child went down and was in an unnatural sleep. Hojo called in Zoe for a helping hand. She took of the child's jumper and lay it flat on the table.
"Just as I thought." said Hojo looking at the boy's right arm.
The arm was broken just above the wrist joint. Hojo notice the injury when the child put an end to his foe. Hojo made sure that the child was deep in his sleep before scrubbing up and cutting into his arm. It was a simple break, which was fixed in about an hour. Hojo had place pins and a metal plate that was screwed onto the bone. He placed Sephiroth in a recovery room to wake up.
When he woke up, his arm was in a sling and there was a strange seven year old girl that stood smiling at his bedside. Her smile got bigger as he opened his Mako infused eyes to let in the light of the room. She wouldn't stop staring into the young boy's cat like eyes. He didn't understand why his right arm was in a sling.
"Hello, I'm Aerith."
"I'm Sephiroth. Do you by any chance know why my arm's in this sling?"
"Oh, that's easy. You broke it while you were training."
"I don't remember feeling any pain."
"Normally, if you don't know you're hurt you wouldn't feel it, Hojo knocked you out before you noticed that you were hurt."
"I got hurt?"
The young girl smiled at him, "But you're ok now."
"I guess, what are you doing her?"
"Me? Well, me and my mother were pulled in here." her face was still plastered with a smile.
"Why? Oh, I know."
"Huh..." said Aerith.
"Your mother is a Cetra. They're going to test on her."
"Test!? And on me too?"
"Probably, where's Gast?"
"Daddy? He was shot by Hojo." she was still smiling.
Sephiroth looked at her funny, "And you're happy about that."
The smiled didn't come from her face, "Police gave up with the investigation. Mother said that he returned to the planet and we will all return to her one day."
"We need to get you out." he said hopping out of the bed.
Aerith didn't tell him to get back into bed when he grabbed her arm.
Sephiroth led the young girl out of the labs and to the elevator. He pressed the button to the first floor, but held the door open.
"Now hide somewhere outside the Shinra building until your mother calls you, ok. I'm going to go save your mother."
"But you don't know where she is."
"Hojo's labs will be the first place that I'm going to check."
He let the doors go, Aerith went down in the lift and followed out her instructions.
With stealth , Sephiroth snuck into Hojo's labs where Aerith's mother was being held. Hojo was not in the room at the time when the child entered. The keys to her cell door were left in Hojo lab coat pocket, Sephiroth fished them out and opened the door. Ifalna was relived that she was free and she quickly walked out of the cell. It was at that moment, that the young boy spotted some Fire 2 Materia and picked it up. He'd not been trained how to use Materia yet, but he held it up high and scorching flames touched the lab. It went up in seconds. Ifalna grabbed the young boy out of the flames and Sephiroth dropped the Materia. Then he led the woman to the lift, but they were stopped by Hollander. He stood right in the way of the lift, blocked Ifalna's exit to freedom. Sephiroth rushed passed the woman and up to the scientist. Firmly, gripping onto his arm, with both hands. Cleanly, snapping Hollander's arm like a twig. He fell to the ground and Ifalna went into the lift. She pressed the button to the first floor and Sephiroth stayed put. The doors closed as Hollander woke up and jabbed the child with anaesthetic. 'At lest they got out.' Sephiroth thought to himself.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Aerith had got off the train to the Sector 7 slums. Her mother was badly wounded and she collapsed on the steps to the train, due to the fact that they were attacked on the train. No one offered to help her mother. Aerith lay next to her mother as the rain continued to pour. The Cetra was still breathing and she reassured her daughter that she was going to be fine. A woman walked up to the train platform and rushed over to the dying Cetra. She lay her face into Ifalna's eyes and smiled.
The Cetra coughed, "Who are, you?"
"I'm Elmyra."
"Ifalna." with every breath the Cetra got weaker.
"Is there anything that I can do?" Elmyra asked kindly.
"Yes, please take Aerith somewhere safe and keep her away from *Cough* Shinra."
"Mummy." Aerith said hugging onto her mother. The smile had been wiped clean off Aerith's face.
"Ok, come on Aerith." said Elmyra.
The two walked away, but the young girl was resisting and wanted to stay with her dying mother. Elmyra picked the child up and took her to the house in the Sector 5 slums. Ifalna passed away shortly after.