Disclaimer: I do not own FF7, or anything related. Square Enix is the amazing company responsible for so many great, slashible characters.
Warning: eventual yaoi, just for you people who don't like that, get away now. Possible language and alcohol. Mention of unethical scientific practices, and religiously sensitive topics, perhaps. If any of these are problems, RUN AWAY NOW. Because frankly, I don't want to hear it. Kthnx.
Author's Note: I know, I know. Aeris is alive. Don't kill me. And don't worry, she will not be anywhere near anything of importance for a very, very long time. Seriously. I don't like Aeris. However, I am going to start getting into plot now, since I've got some introduction to the idea of this world in here. Now, on to the fun stuff! Oh yeah, and no one worry. There is no Seph/OC. I refuse. REVIEWS ARE LOVE. WITHOUT REVIEWS, I HAVE NO REASON TO WRITE THIS. PLEASE REVIEW.
A SOUL SEEKING HOLY
Chapter III: Inspiration
"You're working out a lot lately."
The purr of a voice made him jump, Leo on his feet and spinning into a salute in a fraction of a second. He held his breath once in that stance, head held high, lips pursed shut, eyes fixated close to the ceiling across the room rather than at the one addressing him. At the last minute, Leo corrected the angle of his feet, hoping that minor error had not been noticed before he could remedy it. Then again, this was a SOLDIER First Class who had just addressed him, and Sephiroth to top that.
Who wouldn't be worried?
No one that Leo knew, that was for sure. From what Leo remembered hearing while a Third, most of them would break out in a nervous sweat by just hearing there was a chance Sephiroth would be out on the training field while they were running drills. For some reason, Leo didn't think this was the effect the SOLDIER First Class was going for. Not at all, actually. Leo swallowed back the lump in his throat, still staring somewhere near the ceiling without seeing, refusing to look down.
Though he tried to keep his emotions in the matter towards respect, edging into awe, he couldn't help but fear Sephiroth, and he didn't want the man to see that in his eyes. Leo knew continuing to hold his breath, as he was, was not helping any, but his lungs refused to respond, muscles rigid, at attention. Leo couldn't move. Paralyzed; he had a feeling the SOLDIER First Class wouldn't appreciate that, either, but he couldn't help it. His body just seized up.
"At ease."
Though Leo dropped his salute, spread his stance and clasped his hands behind his back, the line of his shoulders was still taut and his gaze would not waver. It was like his neck had been glued in place. It was true, he had been working out a lot lately, training a lot lately, jumped at every mission to come his way, and actually went out of his way to take up new ones. Leo was eager to please, and couldn't help but be that way.
The title of hero was not what he had his eyes set on. He just wanted to help people. Someday, he wanted to go back to his home village and help all the people there up their standard of living, get on track. He didn't want them to stay up at night out of fear of monster attacks anymore. As a SOLDIER, he could put them at ease. When he became a SOLDIER First Class, the first thing Leo was asking for was a transfer back home, to that outpost, so he could help out. That was his whole reason for joining SOLDIER. His vision had not been lost.
"If you keep this up, you'll be passing me in no time."
Leo couldn't help but hear the smile in those words, slowly letting his gaze drift down, until he locked eye to eye with Sephiroth himself. Those eyes, their bizarre pupil shape and hue, sent a shiver running up his spine. They always did that. It probably wasn't ethical to give a kid mako treatments as early as it was rumored Sephiroth got them, but that was what happened. One could only make due with what they were given, after all. Leo was here, working out after hours, in hopes to get what he had to its full potential faster. It was a good hope, and obtainable hope, and the tone of Sephiroth's voice spoke that clearer than if the quiet man had ever said the exact words aloud.
The fact that Sephiroth was speaking at all was appreciated, really.
"Thank you, Sir." Leo gave a nod; it felt too formal, but it was the best he could manage. "But, if you don't mind my disagreeing, I don't think any of us could even get close to catching up to your skill if you were frozen for four years and we got to fight, fight, fight the whole time." Leo let out a nervous laugh. He didn't mean for it to sound that way.
Now he really just wanted to get out. He was probably making a fool of himself, but he was so set on continuing his work out that he didn't leave. He wanted his privacy back, and to get going again. The rush of his blood was starting to cool down, and that was not a good thing.
"Ah-ha! There you are!" The SOLDIER floor receptionist, someone none of them ever saw very often, took a step into the room, with a warm smile on her painted lips. She stood daintily there in her high heels, completely out of place, two young men following her in. "Boys, this is SOLDIER Second Class Leo Elstair, and he'll be showing you to your rooms in the cadet dorms."
It took all his willpower not to groan. Leo rolled his eyes, turning to face the duo, these 'boys', who had come in after her. One was slightly thicker in build than the other, with black hair slicked back from his face. That face had a hard set jaw line, with dark eyes in it. Dark, piercing, determined eyes. That was always a good look to have for SOLDIER, considering just how much determination it took to get through the initial testing just to get in the cadet program. Most never even made it that far.
The other had red hair, which looked utterly chaotic to Leo, though it very well could have seemed groomed to others. Those blue eyes already had a slightly mako glow to them. That was… abnormal, to say the least. Who got mako treatments outside of SOLDIER? Leo couldn't think of anyone. These two 'boys' were definitely no the average kids coming in to be a hero like Sephiroth, that was for sure. In fact, they had only given a brief glance to the silver haired teen before re-concentrating on Leo, a feat in and of itself. Most people couldn't stop gaping at Sephiroth, or decided not to look at him at all in order to avoid the prior instance. It was sad, but true.
Well, it looked like his work out was entirely over. Leo would have to come back another time.
Giving a mumbled good night to Sephiroth, Leo was surprised to receive a clipped wave and 'take care' back from the man. That was far more friendly than Leo had expected, considering all of the rumors.
But rumors were just rumors, and Leo was starting to learn otherwise. With a fake smile plastered on his lips, Leo led the two young men through the halls, not talking at all until he got to the door with their names on it. That was their stop, so Leo wished them luck and headed off quickly. He had another early morning drill session tomorrow, so he probably should have been in bed sooner to begin with. At least he got some extra work done, though.
0 0 0 0 0
Their train had been grossly late, not that they could tell through the thick smog and perpetual dark of Midgar. As the train slowed, and pulled to a stop at the station, Angeal was already standing at the door, Genesis slowly twisting to his feet, slinging his bag over his shoulder. There was still sleep in his eyes, though Genesis shook his head, auburn hair falling in a chaotic array around his face, not that he cared. Half stifling a yawn, Genesis hopped gracefully down from the train and onto the landing, hips swaying as he quickly went after Angeal.
It was a surprise Angeal had not given himself a heart attack. A pleasant surprise, but a surprise none-the-less. For the waking moments of the train ride, Genesis had been vaguely worried about his best friend, his only real friend, glancing over between verses of Loveless to make sure the broader though slightly younger was still alive over there. Just as surprising was the fact that Angeal had not fallen asleep, at least pretending to pay attention as Genesis read his way through the epic poem yet again. Genesis was thankful for it.
It would have been crushing had Angeal, especially Angeal, fallen asleep during it.
The ShinRa Tower was like a giant glowing phallus jutting up into the sky. Genesis stared for only a moment, stopping his quick strides to gawk up at it. Was that a symbol of masculine power, or what? Angeal glanced up, shook his head and kept walking, spurring Genesis to hop on after him. Did Angeal not realize what that looked like?! Probably. Sighing, Genesis hurried to catch up again, trying not to snicker.
After walking, and walking, and walking, they were finally there at the front steps, where two security guards stood firm at the door. They asked for identification. Great. Angeal turned and looked back at him questioningly. Double great. This was not going good at all. Genesis pulled his bag around to the front, undoing a few ties and zippers before he was actually in a pouch, pulling out the papers Hollander had given them. Taking a breath and holding it, Genesis held those papers forward.
The guards looked over it, one over the shoulder of the other, and the further down the page they read, the stiffer their posture became. Genesis wished he could see their eyes, but those damn helmets, with three red orbs on the front, were blocking his view of their expressions. He wished he could know what they were thinking, what this meant.
With a grumbled apology, the papers were handed back, and they were motioned inside. There was a big sign on the main floor, detailing that the Exhibition Room was currently undergoing construction and that no one but construction personnel could go within. That also meant that there was absolutely no reason for civilians to be within the ShinRa Tower. It clicked now why the security had been so tight, when Hollander had mentioned nothing about checks until the front desk was approached.
So, they next approached the front desk, Angeal smiling and striding ahead with barely veiled excitement, though he stepped aside again to let Genesis do all the talking, or lack there of in this case. Hollander had been very express about their only handing over the papers. They were not to say a thing about who they are, who they dealt with, anything, just had over the papers and go. For once in his life, Genesis actually complied with the rules without complaining. It was probably for the best. His mouth would only lead to trouble, trouble, and more trouble.
Soon enough they were powering upstairs on a glass elevator, receptionist lady with them, looking at them through the reflection of the glass. Genesis ignored it, catching instead the shrinking city view as they rode their way up the Tower (phallus). The woman looked nervous, in the way she kept fixing her hair and fiddling with her glasses, every now and then smoothing her suit skirt or jacket.
With a ding, the glass doors slid open, the receptionist leading the way, talking briefly to one helmet wearing SOLDIER before leading them down a hall, and into a door. Genesis let his gaze sweep the room immediately, breath catching in his throat as he saw Sephiroth, standing all tall and erect, in there. That wasn't who…. It wasn't, as the receptionist introduced them to the other SOLDIER in the room, who quickly took them out of the room after wishing Sephiroth good night.
They were obviously friends. Genesis felt a pang of envy, but suppressed it the best he could, furrowing his brows in until there were creases, eyes narrowed. Looking angry always kept the questions at bay. Genesis had learned to use it to his advantage. It worked now, too, the SOLDIER Second Class (Elstair?) leading them to the dorms, and the room with their name on it.
Angeal thanked him one too many times, Genesis not even bothering since his friend had gone overkill. Soon Elstair was gone, Genesis slinging his bag to the ground before flopping on his bed.
"We finally made it!"
"Hmph."
"We even got to see the Sephiroth, first night here!"
Genesis rolled his eyes, sitting up only long enough to peel off his shirt before falling back against the bed again. Angeal shot him a glare, entirely ignored as Genesis started on his pants. The clearing of Angeal's throat was the only thing which stopped Genesis from whisking them right off.
"If you don't want to see, turn around."
"You could have a sense of decency. Or shame."
Snorting, Genesis pulled off his pants, slinging them at his bag before crawling under the sheets. Angeal didn't look away fast enough, which was obvious by the angry look on his face. They were best friends. Seriously. It wasn't that big of a deal. Genesis rolled his eyes again, turning his back to the room and shutting his eyes. "Night."
With a loud, frustrated sigh, Angeal gave him a good night as well. Genesis could hear him changing, staying exactly where he was until Angeal said it was safe, at which point Genesis rolled to his stomach, cheek on his stiff pillow so he could quirk an eyebrow at his friend. "You know, SOLDIERs probably have to shower together. And share tents out in the field. Stop being so damn squeamish. You've seen me naked before."
"Not on purpose!"
"Pfft. Like that matters." Genesis stretched from his position, as awkward as it was, shoving the sheets down to mid-drift. It was too hot anyway. "You are going to see cocks galore here in SOLDIER."
"Genesis!"
"What?"
Another over loud sigh came, more like a groan than anything, Angeal burying his face in his pillow. Genesis knew that would be all for conversation. They needed sleep anyway. Mornings would start getting really early now that they had made it to Midgar. Sleep was a must, and Genesis quickly drifted off into it.
0 0 0 0 0
The file was dropped on his desk, papers sliding slightly out of the manila folder, making a fan-like spray on his clean though dust coated desk. Gast stared down at the unmarked file before finally looking up. The hunched stature of Hojo was the first thing he saw, followed by that usual look of disdain, perhaps jealousy, marring his face. There were a few new grey hairs streaking the man's back hair, and deeper wrinkles around his eyes than Gast remembered.
Whenever Gast left on his 'research trips', Hojo was the next in line, and had to not only continue with his own studies and projects, but pick up the slack left by Gast's absence. Something must have happened, otherwise Hojo would not look so thoroughly aged, or sour for that matter, though Gast was used to the latter. Also, Hojo usually slid his reports under the door of Gast's office, or if Gast was in, he dropped them on the desk and immediately left. Hojo was still lingering. Something had most definitely happened.
Gast merely watched the stooping man, quirking an eyebrow as the silence ensued. Clearing his throat, a slender hand balled over his lips in the motion (probably to hide the grimace Gast saw anyway), Hojo finally spoke up, voice ever so hoarse. Had he been yelling? Gast knew he was about to find out.
"Your son has competition."
It took a moment for the words to register, filtering in to his ears and sitting stagnant before it hit. Gast blinked, removing his glasses and carefully polishing the lenses as he thought. It was an automatic response of his, a way to garner more time. Hojo waited, standing there with his hands tucked behind his back. Gast could see those fingers fidgeting in the reflection of the mostly glass door. "Hollander's two projects?"
"Both of them. Here. Getting ready to take the test for admission into SOLDIER."
That was nervousness Gast heard in Hojo's voice. It was an entirely new sound. The man must have been sweating, not that Gast noticed anything. He looked down at the file, flipping it open. There was information on both of the test subjects within, and pictures paper-clipped to the corresponding sections. This was not the report Gast had been expecting, though when he thumbed through it, he found the actual report behind those other details.
"Neither of them received early mako therapy like Sephiroth, so there should be no competition, Jenova cells or no."
A knock came on the door, soft, just knuckles. Gast glanced past Hojo, seeing the tall but lean frame in silhouette behind the glass. It seemed like the old paranoia about saying a name calling the being actually rang true.
"Enter."
Hojo stepped slightly to the side, hands still tucked behind his back, though they had stilled. He did not turn to look as Sephiroth, his biological son, stepped in the room. There was no acknowledgement, not even a slight nod, as Hojo stood there as much like a statue as he probably could. In contrast, Gast smiled, putting his glasses back on. Seeing the youthful, perfectly smooth and chiseled face of Sephiroth made him self-conscious about the deep smile lines on his face, the creases above his brow. He forced that out of his mind, refusing to stop smiling.
"Am I interrupting?" Sephiroth let his eyes slide sideways at Hojo, the only returned acknowledgement, which was very little. If only Sephiroth knew… But he couldn't know. Gast could imagine what a mental blow it would be to discover Hojo, of all people, was his father. Gast shook his head, motioning with a science weathered hand for him to continue. "Doctor Hollander's—"
"We know. Is there a problem?"
"I do not feel I would be able to conduct myself in an unbiased manner during instruction, and would like to be excused from my duties handling cadet activities until their graduation. Director Lazard said he would need more than just my request for this to be done." Sephiroth stood straight backed, hands lax but ready at his sides. There was a flickering of something in Sephiroth's green eyes as he stood there, and for a moment Gast thought he might be holding his breath.
"Why?"
Closing his eyes, Sephiroth let the question hang in the air. A response came, however, just more delayed than Gast expected. "I have been hearing that this is a rivalry which will cause strain within SOLDIER, and that the positions of Doctor Hojo and Doctor Hollander may be compromised in the process."
"That's not all." Gast was a perceptive man. He always had been. That was how he had gotten this prestigious position in the first place.
Letting out a sigh, shaking his head, Sephiroth pivoted on his heel and left, gingerly shutting the glass door behind him. That was entirely unexpected. Gast blinked, staring at the door after Sephiroth left, not sure what to think anymore.
"While in Banora, your son saved the elder of Hollander's tests from one of the monsters of the mako caverns, which had gotten loose." Hojo finally did turn his head, giving a quick glare at the door before refocusing his gaze on the desk, the file. It seemed like everyone had more than one topic gnawing on their minds right now.
"Hmm." Gast folded his fingers together, resting his forehead against them. He needed some time to think, and to catch up on everything which had transpired in his absence. "I'll come up with a solution. Thank you for the report."
Hojo left soon after, Gast waiting until the door was shut to open the file again. He started by reading the information on the elder one, Genesis Rhapsodos, and then skipped over the information on Angeal Hewley before getting to the actual report.
There had been sightings of an Ancient in Modeoheim.
Gast felt like his heart had stopped. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Gast picked up the phone, dialing a number he knew by heart now. Hojo picked up on the other side. No one else knew about this so far, Hojo keeping it to himself, thankfully. Gast told him to burn the files. At the same time, he fed the copy Hojo had given to him through the shredder, watching it be torn apart with wide eyes.
He needed to move Ifalna and Aeris now.
0 0 0 0 0
They wouldn't listen. It had not been something Sephiroth expected. So far, he had gotten anything he asked for, without even having to explain himself. Often it was handed over on a silver platter. This time, it didn't happen that way. Sephiroth turned on the water, putting his hand underneath the tap. It was still cold, and slowly grew in temperature. Years of mako treatment had hardened his skin, though the nerve endings beneath were even more sensitive; it all balanced out in the end. Sephiroth felt the proper heat, and turned it up more, flicking the switch to make the shower head the main receiver of water, and pressure.
This was going to be difficult, to say the least.
He was intrigued, by both of them. Despite the attention he had gotten as a child, as a young adult, he had still been alone in the most technical of senses. Other SOLDIERs were put through a certain amount of scientific experimentation, but nothing like him. He was the only one.
And now there were two more.
Sephiroth wanted to know more.
Letting the towel drop, he stepped into the steaming hot spray, letting the water wash over him, carry away the labors of his day. Though he could not care less if Hollander or Hojo lost their jobs, Sephiroth understood how precarious a balance it already was. With how involved Sephiroth was in the cadet program, it would be inevitable, their interactions. Sephiroth did not want the peace to be disturbed, or fall apart, because of him.
Sighing, he worked the water, and then shampoo, through his long hair, making sure to get all the way to the tips. From the looks of things, there was nothing he could do. This curiosity was insatiable. It wouldn't leave him alone. Even as he made sure all the lavender scented suds were gone from his hair, he kept thinking of the arched white trees of Banora, the smell of their fickle fruit, the sweet yet spiced flavor of the pie.
If he couldn't concentrate, this was going to be insufferable.
Groaning, Sephiroth pushed the water off, neglecting conditioner, or the wait associated with it. The wait would just be torture.