Chapter III
He had one hand behind her head while his other grasped her curved hip, angling her to him, taking him deeper inside her. He could feel her whole body trembling around him, gripping him, taking all of him. Her small hands grasped his shoulders, her back arching towards him. The spasms were taking over her and she gasped, eyes rolling back, tossing her head to the side, mouth parted. There was excitement and terror. The excitement was within her and terror within him. He was terrified he would break her. Her vulnerability was his eternal undoing.
His wife's breathy sighs filled his ears. He grunted and thrust forward. She whimpered and tightened her legs around his waist, heels digging into his lower back sending a delicious shiver up his spine. She was too much for him like this; soft and tiny, like a butterfly wrapped around him.
Sephiroth wanted to make it last longer before she came apart in his arms.
But it was all too soon. She began to contract around him, pulling him to join her, her hips lifting higher towards his downward thrust.
Her eyes snapped open as the beginning wave overtook her. Through heavy lidded eyes he watched her come undone beneath him, her body trembling, muscles tightening around him. He hissed through clenched teeth, not letting her go, holding her closer to him as she began to cry out.
And cry out.
And then, "I love you!"
He angled her hips and slid further, hitting a sweet spot that caused her to unravel again, and this time, he came undone with her.
Hojo recoiled in shocked horror.
Sephiroth lifted the head of Jenova by the hair.
"Here you are, father."
But Hojo, wide-eyed and speechless, was still taking in the sight of the beheaded alien and had yet to reply.
Insanely, Sephiroth thought it was not a surprise that the alien had silver hair. He was the product of this vile creature after all. Violet veins ran over a humanoid face. Black liquid seeped from the neck where he had beheaded the body in the tank. How the alien still bled, he didn't know. He'd been clutching the head for three days now - his fingers felt permanently tangled in Jenova's hair.
Arriving at Shinra Headquarters he set out immediately for the president's office. In his mind, the mantra had continued. Liars. Liars. Liars! Sephiroth, burning with such hatred, stormed into Old Shinra's office and promptly plunged the Masamune into the old man's heart, killing him instantly. Afterward, he tore down the hallways where upon arriving at the Department of Science he found Hojo, and without ceremony, kicked open the door.
"You foul monster, you've desecrated Jenova!" Hojo finally yelled, eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. His nasal-like voice grated on Sephiroth's ears.
"Yes, I am a monster. You created me, isn't that right, father?" He stepped towards the shorter man, leaning into him. Hojo took a step backward, eyes darting from Sephiroth to the head that dangled from his hand.
And then Hojo's calculating black eyes snapped to Sephiroth's, bizarrely appearing distracted by the head. "Father? Ah yes, I see now. You've discovered certain truths about your biology, Sephiroth. No matter." Black brows drew together, narrowed again on the head. "Now, my son, let go of your dearest mother."
But Sephiroth lifted the Masamune, points its tip towards the head, taunting Hojo with the head, shaking it from side to side by the hair. "I rather like carrying the head of my mother."
"You stupid fool. Let go of Jenova at once! Don't soil her with your filthy hands!"
"Filthy, am I? You're one sick fuck to say that to me."
"You've ruined everything! You were perfect, better than Angeal and that arrogant bastard, Genesis. They failed where you did not, until recently." Hojo's hands twitched continuing to stare at the decayed head in Sephiroth's hand. "You were my masterpiece and now look at you! You destroyed the reactor and burned important files in Nibelheim. I'm going to have to start over! You obviously can't be controlled, you've become defective!"
"Start over?" Black spots dotted his vision. He was on the precipice of a rage he had never known. "What makes you think I'm going to let you play god a second time?"
But the scientist barely registered to Sephiroth's vehemence. "You don't know what you've done, boy. I have yet to uncover all her mysteries and you would dare shame the entity that blessed you with supernatural abilities!"
His right hand tightened around the head's thick hair, fingernails grating on decayed scalp. Sephiroth raised the Masamune towards the scientist, the tip's edge touching Hojo's throat.
"Did you not hear me?" He pressed the tip further; slicing through flesh, blood seeping through the wound and onto Hojo's lab coat.
But Hojo began to laugh insanely, not paying attention to the blood that continued to run down his throat. He laughed, spittle on the corner of his mouth, eyes glazing over.
"Go ahead and kill me, my son," he heaved, laughing. "But you will never escape the bonds of Jenova. She will have dominion over everything and everyone - including you."
"Shut up!" The fine line he'd been walking on broke, and he stabbed Hojo through the shoulder. Blood came forth, splattering.
"She is all beauty and power. Jenova is my one and only love, you see. I took her out of the crater where the Cetrans buried her. I could feel her – such power – I knew she was the one. The promise of all that knowledge was at my fingertips!" Hojo's rapturous expression disgusted Sephiroth.
"You're a sick bastard."
"No! I did what any great scientist would do!" Hojo declared passionately. "I sought to discover, to understand the unknown! And she, a creature given to me from the universe…"
"Enough!"
And yet – still – the Hojo continued to laugh. "Do not underestimate your genetics, boy. That is the beauty of Jenova. Her cells will take over you, for she lives within you, and eventually she will live through you!"
Sephiroth thrust the blade forward, slicing downward, cutting muscles and tendons, tearing through flesh and bone.
Hojo's left arm fell off.
Hysterical screams sounded. The limb twitched on the tiled floor, blood seeping into the grout, staining.
Destroy him.
Sephiroth staggered back, hands loosening on the alien head. A wave of dizziness and nausea swept over him. The voice was so subtle, so quiet, he wasn't sure if he'd actually heard it.
Hojo shoved past Sephiroth, running towards the door, blood trailing.
But before he could escape him, Sephiroth turned with inhuman speed and plunged the Masamune through the other man.
Hojo fell noisily.
The smell of flesh and bones was filling the air.
"We're going to die today. All of us. We all go together..." Sephiroth murmured in a steady voice, ignoring Hojo's agonized screams. "I should never have been born."
Sephiroth looked down at Hojo who was choking blood, gurgling. His booted foot dug into Hojo's back as he slid the Masamune out. The scientist pitched forward. Sephiroth heard teeth cracking on the tiled floor. He raised his spare hand and summoned fire. He watched with a detached expression as Jenova's head began to burn in his other hand. A sickly smell came in the room. Burnt flesh – both human and alien flesh. Hojo tried to get up, yelling through mouthfuls of blood, "No! No! Don't burn her!"
But Sephiroth tossed the burning head on the floor. The nearby desk caught fire. Soon the whole laboratory would burn.
Hojo rolled onto his belly, sliding forward, using his remaining right arm to propel himself towards the burning head. "Jenova, oh Jenova!" He reached out towards the flaming head, his fingertips nearly touching the scorching fire. "My love!"
Sephiroth stabbed him once more, tearing into the body beneath him, cutting into his father's heart.
Suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck rose and he looked up from the corpse and the flames. He'd felt another presence in the room, but only for half a second and it was gone.
"Who are you?"
His reflection only stared back at him, his eyes glowing in the dim light. Damp silver hair clung to his forehead. The short hair was still an adjustment he was trying to get used to. He missed the feeling of its length.
Sometimes Sephiroth's dreams were actual flashbacks. This one, in particular, came to him regularly. Even when he was awake, the memory was so tangible he could almost feel Jenova's hair twisted around his fingers.
But the question. The question plagued his mind night and day.
His mouth was set in a deep frown. His nose was straight, his face like carved stone over angled cheekbones. Silver brows slashed over his eyes. He had ridiculously long eyelashes. His wife was terribly jealous of that.
"What are you?"
That question tortured him even more.
He clenched his fist, wanting to drive it into the mirror, wanting to destroy his reflection, but really wanting to destroy himself.
His back ached and he lowered his fisted hand, unclenching, and reached behind to massage the muscle and bone behind his left shoulder. His upper back had been aching since the day he'd murdered the president and Hojo. He'd hated Hojo his entire life and finding out he was a product of that man's seed – he nearly killed himself at discovery. He was nothing more than a science experiment derived from the mutated genetics of an alien entity. He was no Cetran descendant. He knew the creature they'd uncovered in the crater had not been an Ancient. That much was proved through the notes in the Nibelheim mansion's library.
"General?"
His wife's soft voice was on the other side of the door. Another tentative knock sounded. He was still damp from his shower. Running a hand through his wet hair he reached and turned the knob.
With her hand still poised for another series of knocks, Aerith stood before him wearing a yellow dress with a pink apron tied snug around her waist. Thick mahogany hair was piled high in a messy bun, a few strands framing her sweet face. And she smelled like burnt cinnamon.
Aerith blushed. He was completely nude in front of her. He reminded himself that she was still young enough to feel embarrassed by his nudity.
He would never forget the moment he awoke to her face bent over him worriedly. He would never forget the shock of sincere sweetness and genuine kindness he had never known before.
Sephiroth was many things – war hero, former General, SOLDIER and the list went on. However, Sephiroth was also many other things – cold, calculating, strategic, ruthless, uncaring to a point and…very lonely.
Aerith Gainsborough. He would keep her, have her, take her – make her his . His reasons were his own but they were absolute. He needed her. So he took her away and made her his wife.
Sephiroth towered over her by the bathroom door.
"Dinner's ready." His wife looked up at him shyly.
He bent and sniffed her neck, he felt her shiver. She fidgeted, clasping her hands together as he peered into her eyes. "I-I made c-cookies for you." A dimpled smile appeared and his heart tightened. "They're cinnamon cookies."
Her nervousness was an aphrodisiac to him and he needed her to absolve him, to keep the terror at bay. The uncertainty of who and what he was.
Sephiroth lifted her to their bed despite her protests.
She gaped at him. "The food will turn cold…"
He laid her flat on her back and reached beneath her dress, pulling at her underwear, sliding it down smooth legs.
"What are you d-doing?" Aerith stammered, watching as he tossed her underwear to the floor. She looked absolutely terrified. He smirked.
He tossed the skirt of her dress and apron upward, piling it around her hips until she was bare before him.
"Sephiroth - "
He would lose himself in her, bury his memories to smother the nightmares.
Sephiroth looked down at hands and trembled.
All he could think in that moment was that blood was the color red, but with the moonlight and darkness, it almost appeared black.
His head began to pound.
"Am I...a human being?"
"No such luck," a familiar voice taunted. "You are a monster."
Nearby he heard Zack yell. But he was too distracted and paid no attention to the other SOLDIER. His mind was ablaze, wondering if it could be possible. He blinked as fire shot past him and he watched, detached, as Zack was blasted off his feet. His senses snapped and he reacted reflexively, lifting his left arm, shielding himself from another offending blast that had been aimed for him.
He heard the beat of a wing and instantly knew who it was. He was not surprised that even in his degraded state, the flame haired man still looked as arrogant as ever.
"Sephiroth you were the greatest monster created by the Jenova Project."
Zack's struggled to his feet. "Genesis...so you are alive!"
"I suppose I am. If you call this living."
Though it seemed that Genesis's pride remained intact, he looked haggard and wasted. His face was crusting; the skin peeling and his once brilliant eyes shriveling. He was degrading rapidly.
Sephiroth didn't care and merely looked at him. "What is the Jenova Project?"
Genesis turned hard mocking eyes his way. "The Jenova Project was the term used for all experiments...relating to the use of Jenova's cells."
"My mother's...cells?" Sephiroth could hardly finish the sentence.
Genesis opened his arms wide, "Poor little Sephiroth. You've never actually met your mother." There was a pitying look in his eyes as he sat on the stairs. "You've only been told her name, no?"
Having been told by one of his several caretakers that his father was unknown and assumed dead in a previous war, he'd only been given the name 'Jenova' for his mother. That had been enough for him. He'd secretly cherished that name.
"I don't know what images you've conjured up in your head, but..."
Suddenly Zack yelled in an urgent, pained voice. "Genesis, no!"
And as Sephiroth stood, motionless, Genesis told him the horrible truth.
"Jenova was excavated from a two thousand year old rock layer…she's a monster."
Sephiroth would have laughed, would have reacted but…nothing came out. Instead, he shook his head and stepped backward.
Monster.
An abomination spawned by mako energy.
He was dimly aware that he'd said those words to Zack only minutes earlier.
"Sephiroth, I need your help." Genesis eyed him warily. "My body is continuing to degrade."
Inwardly, he felt like he was on the verge of suffocating. The massive doors that read Jenova within reach. The truth within reach.
"SOLDIER 1st Class Sephiroth! Jenova Project G gave birth to Angeal and monsters like myself." Genesis lifted his arms carelessly. "Jenova Project S..."
Sephiroth stared hard at the doors.
From the corner, he heard Zack's horrified whisper. "S...?"
"…used the remains of countless failed experiments to create a perfect monster."
Sephiroth clenched his jaw, shut his eyes briefly and in a pained tone, ground out harshly, "What do you want of me?"
"You're traits cannot be copied unto others. Your genes can't be diffused." A glint of anger flashed in the other man's eyes. "Therefore, your body cannot degrade." The jealousy was evident in his tone.
Sephiroth watched coldly as Genesis approached him.
"Share your cells with me." Genesis extended an apple in his direction and recited LOVELESS. "My friend, your desire is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess."
He could feel his world shaking around him.
Everything he had ever known was crumbling beneath his feet.
"Whether your words are lies created to deceive me..." Sephiroth looked at the words Jenova once more and then turned hard eyes to his former comrade, "...or the truth that I have sought all my life." He saw the brief second Genesis's face turned hopeful right before he destroyed it. "It makes no difference." Sephiroth sneered, shoving the extended apple away. His eyes narrowed cruelly. "You will rot."
He left the reactor not sparing a glance backward.
"I see...perfect monster indeed..." he heard Genesis whisper as the doors shut behind him.
Later that night he sought the truth and barricaded himself in the library of the Shinra Mansion where his mind finally broke.
He went back to the reactor and tore through the mouth of hell that held his mother. With bloodied hands, he broke the confinements that surrounded the tank and slashed open the glass that carried an alien female inside.
The nude creature fell across broken glass. Her body was mangled from the large tubes and holes that had been inserted in and around her. Sephiroth stared, expressionless for a moment, and then without ceremony or hesitation he lifted the Masamune and sliced off her head in one single motion.
Sephiroth shook his head to clear his vision.
The memories.
The dreams. The nightmares.
The blur was tangible and not. Here and there he could feel bits and pieces of himself withering away.
What was happening to him?
Stumbling through the monstrous mess and blood, Sephiroth walked over to one of the dead carcasses - reached for the Masamune embedded in the corpse - and walked home.
