A/N:
HELLO HI GUESS WHAT, I'M NOT DEAD! \O/
I'M SOOOOOOOO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG OMG
I got a full-time job a few months back and I've had very little time to do anything since BUT YOOO I AM BACK WITH AN EXTRA LONG CHAPTER! B)
Also, thank you so much for all the lovely comments while I've been gone, you guys are the best!
Enjoy!
"You called me back from a war zone to ask me for a Summon Materia? Are you joking?" Genesis hissed at his friends, throwing a glare at the trooper standing rigidly across the room.
"Genesis, this is important." Sephiroth insisted, "We can't let them have it, it's safer under our supervision."
"Are you implying I can't look after a Materia, General?" He spat.
"No, I'm implying you're a showoff and you'll draw too much attention to it."
Genesis drew back, looking utterly insulted.
Angeal sighed a long suffering sigh, "Will you two stop bickering? It's not that big of a deal, Genesis. Specialist Strife thinks we should gather all the Summons and keep them in a safe place, just in case. We are considering a diplomatic solution, maybe offering them the Summons in exchange for peace. We don't need a second war on top of the one in Wutai. But if we don't go through with it, we'll give you back the Summon once this is over."
"You're planning on giving the most powerful Summon I have ever used to a bunch of axe wielding pillagers?" He snarled, "That's unacceptable! What if they decide they're not feeling very diplomatic and use the Summon against us?"
Sephiroth shrugged, "I've seen you use it before. Between the three of us, I doubt we would have trouble defeating him."
"With all due respect, Sir," Strife piped up, "I think you're underestimating Odin."
Everyone turned to look at the blond and Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. Genesis expected him to put the trooper down for the slightly insulting comment, but instead he simply looked curious, "Elaborate."
Strife shrugged lightly, momentarily breaking his parade rest, "As Summons, the gods are limited. Their power is...muffled, I guess. They are much less mighty than they were before they were imprisoned in the Materia, their abilities are limited by the Materia user's imagination. If the Nords free Odin, then he could be more powerful than you can even imagine."
Sephiroth nodded, humming thoughtfully, and Genesis cannot fucking believe he's actually listening to this kid.
"And how do we know you won't betray us and free Odin for your Nord friends?" Genesis accused, squinting suspiciously at the boy, who frowned at him in return.
"Cloud wouldn't do that!" Zack defended.
"You'll excuse me if I don't trust your judgement, puppy."
"Wha-!"
"They're not my friends, and helping them would not benefit me in any way, Commander." Strife replied with forced calm, but his furrowed brow belied his ire.
"And why is that?" Genesis challenged.
"What they want would end up killing thousands of innocent people, not to mention destroy some of those gods, including the one I follow."
Genesis narrowed his eyes further at the boy, "And which one would that be? Odin, perhaps?" He sneered.
Strife shook his head slightly, his ridiculous hair spikes swaying with the motion but he said nothing, which only served to rankle Genesis further.
"Who he follows is irrelevant to this discussion," Sephiroth interjected coolly, interrupting the scathing remark Genesis was planning to throw at the boy, "Just give us the summon, Genesis. You have plenty of others...Unless you're afraid you might be too weak without it?" He needled with a smirk.
Genesis scowled.
"Fine." He spat crossly. He unequipped the glowing red Materia from his bangle and lobbed it at Sephiroth, hoping, rather vindictively, that the stupid thing would somehow slip through the bastard's guard and smack him right in his smug face.
Sadly, Sephiroth's reflexes were better than that. He caught the orb smoothly, his smirk gaining a victorious edge.
And then the asshole walked right up to the boy and gave him the summon. Goddess help him, Sephiroth must have lost his goddamn mind.
It's not that Genesis has anything in particular against the boy, don't get him wrong. He seemed to have some spine, and that was enough to earn the fiery commander's respect, albeit begrudgingly. But Genesis was a distrustful man by nature, his perspective being that perhaps it was safer to be distrustful than to be too trustful only to regret it.
But if his friends were stubbornly insistent on trusting the boy, then Genesis might as well join them.
Genesis sighed, relaxing his shoulders, "So what's the plan now, kid?"
The blonde blinked, eyebrows lowering at the notoriously obstinate commander's sudden change of heart. The boy shifted his weight uncertainly, eyes quickly darting to Sephiroth as if seeking guidance, and then back to meet Genesis' eyes.
"If we don't want the Nords to find this," he emphasized by raising a fist that was currently wrapped tightly around the summon Materia, and Genesis suddenly realized the boy has refused to look at the orb since it was given to him, "We need to seal it and ward it. At least for now."
The SOLDIERS exchanged a look.
"Ward it?" Angeal asked from where he was lounging in a chair.
Zack placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head questioningly, "Seal it?"
Strife nodded, and seriously, how is his hair so gravity defying and bouncy, Genesis wondered, "The wards prevent the Nords from finding the Materia by magical means, and sealing it will hide it from sight."
"Are you able to seal and ward it, Specialist?" Sephiroth questioned.
Strife shook his head, spikes swaying, "Negative, General. I've never been good at that stuff, but my mother is."
Great, now they need the kid's mom to help them. Shinra's finest, bested by what was probably a stay-at-home mom. Genesis huffed, cocking his hip, "If they can find the stupid thing with magic, why haven't they already?"
Strife's expression grew pensive, "I've been wondering that myself, sir. I tried scrying for it last night and I couldn't get a lock on it. I can't be sure because, like I said, I've never been good at that stuff, but I think there's something blocking it."
Genesis noticed Zack mouthing 'Scrying?' to himself out of the corner of his eye and, for once, Genesis felt like he was bonding with the puppy in their shared confusion.
Sephiroth hummed thoughtfully, folding his arms across his chest, "A ward?"
Apparently Sephiroth wasn't dying to know about the scrying thing. Genesis envied him.
"It's possible." Strife replied with a shrug, "But it's best to ward it anyway, just to be sure."
Angeal stood with a grunt, "Shall we go meet Strife's mother, then?"
Strife's head whipped around to look at Angeal, eyes wide. "What?" He blurted.
Sephiroth smirked, "Yes, we shall."
"Hell yeah! We'll get to see Cloud's baby pictures!" Zack yelled excitedly, pumping a celebratory fist in his enthusiasm.
Strife turned his incredulous gaze to Genesis, "What the hel just happened?"
Genesis couldn't stop the vindictive laugh that bubbled out of his throat if he tried.
Shinra infantry helmets are the worst.
Do they provide necessary protection? Yes. Do they provide helpful sensors? Yes. Are they comfortable? No.
Cloud hated the clumsy tin can he was currently wearing on his head with a burning passion. It was hot, stifling and made his scalp itchy. Normally, he would jump at any opportunity not to wear it, but he cannot think of a better way to avoid Tifa. The rest of the Nibelheimers too, but mostly Tifa.
Zack's arm suddenly slipped around his shoulders, his weight leaning into Cloud's side. "Why are you wearing that thing, Spike? You usually avoid wearing it like the plague."
When Cloud looked away instead of answering, Zack leaned closer as if trying to magically catch the Specialist's eyes through the helmet. Cloud leaned back further and Zack retaliated by poking the blond's exposed cheek with a gloved finger.
"Come on, Cloud. What's up with the helmet?"
Cloud sighed in defeat. He cautiously cast a glance at where Sephiroth and Angeal, who were discussing something with the red haired Turk a few feet away by the helicopter, to make sure they were not listening in, before turning back to Zack.
"Ok, look, there's this girl, - shut up, let me finish -" He hissed when Zack's face immediately broke out in a teasing grin, "I told her I won't come back to Nibelheim until I've made it into SOLDIER."
"Oh." Zack muttered, smile dimming, "And let me guess, you're embarrassed to be back without the title of SOLDIER?"
Cloud sighed again and nodded glumly.
"You're showing up with some of the highest ranking SOLDIERs, though. General Sephiroth himself is going to have dinner with your mom. That should be impressive enough, right?"
Cloud shook his head roughly, "You don't get it, Zack. You breezed through the SOLDIER exams and practically got adopted by a commander. I've been with Shinra for years and I still haven't even made it to SOLDIER Third."
"Cloud," Zack began with gravitas, "The only reason you're not a SOLDIER Third is because your instructors are assholes."
Startled, Cloud blurted, "Wha-?"
"I'm not as unobservant as I seem. I know your instructors are holding you back. You're a good fighter, you're capable, your squad mates like you even though you're the broodiest chocobo on the planet and any Mako sensitivity you have can be accommodated; There's absolutely no reason you shouldn't be a SOLDIER Third already."
Cloud was silent for a few moments, overwhelmed. It was not often that he was praised so bluntly.
"...Yeah?"
"Yup. I mean every word."
Cloud exhaled a shaky breath, hands reaching up to lift the helmet from his head, shaking his spikes free from their prison; Unknowingly reminding Zack of their first meeting.
"Thanks, Zack." He murmured softly, with genuine gratitude.
Zack's face erupted in a brilliant smile, "Anytime, Spike." His gloved hand ruffling the younger boy's hair, "Now, did I ever tell you the story about a girl I knew in Gongaga and the Touch Me frog?"
"Uh...No?"
"You're gonna love this, I promise."
Three minutes later, Sephiroth and Angeal finally ended their talk with the Turk and found Cloud caught in a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Zack was in the middle of recounting a ridiculous tale about a girl that made the horrible mistake of kissing a Touch Me frog after hearing a fantastical old story about a frog that was turned into a prince by a kiss.
"-And then her mom was like," Zack's voice rose in pitch to imitate a woman's voice, " 'Where is my baby girl?' and Mr. Irvine - that was Warren's dad, by the way - actually said, and I shit you not, 'She's over there, making out with a frog'-"
Strife, normally quiet and reserved, wheezed extra loud at this, already having been reduced to tears at this point.
"-The look on her face was literally the most priceless I've ever seen, she looked scandalized that he just implied that her seven year old might have been making out with a frog and then she turned around and saw a Touch Me wearing her daughter's shirt and actually fainted. Mrs. Wilson eventually found a way to get the girl to turn back and when the mom woke up she thought she had dreamt the whole thing and everyone thought it would be funnier to play along so no one told her otherwise. She still thinks it was a dream to this day."
"That," Cloud gasped as he wiping a tear, "Is the funniest thing I've ever heard in my life."
"I know right." Zack agreed, grinning.
"The infamous Touch Me prince incident?" Angeal inquired, his smile amused.
"You betcha!"
"Ah, yes," Sephiroth smirked, "That one was particularly entertaining. Strife, I'm assuming you know the way to the town from here?"
"Yes, Sir." Cloud confirmed, pointing to a dirt road as he caught his breath, "That should lead us up to the town."
"Lead the way."
When they arrived at the town, the townspeople, who had been buzzing with chatter, quieted down. Their faces a myriad of awed at the presence of Shinra SOLDIERs, and surprised and suspicious at the sight of the Strife boy dressed in infantry blue fatigues.
Cloud lead them in a bee-line through the town square in the direction of his house, avoiding eye contact with everyone they passed. The sound of their heavy military boots against the cobbles was loud and echoing in Cloud's ears with the townspeople whispering so quietly amongst themselves. He would never admit it to anyone but being back in his hometown made him nervous. He had hated it there when he was younger, having had no friends because the other kids did not want their children hanging out with the 'Witch's kid'.
Zack fell in beside him, muttering a quiet "Why don't they take a picture, it would last longer." A reminder that he did have a friend now. A good one. It brought a small but fond smile to his face.
Eventually, they came up to a small modest house near the outskirts of the town. Cloud walked up to the front door and rapped his knuckles against the wooden door in a deliberate pattern. A moment later, the door swung open.
"Hej, Mor." Cloud greeted sheepishly.
The woman was definitely related to Cloud. Her hair was a similar shade of blonde, maybe a little darker than her son's. Her hair was devoid of Cloud's signature unruly spikes, instead it was mostly tame and sleek. It was cut short, falling a bit past her jaw. Her eyes were more grey than Cloud's vibrant blue. She was unexpectedly youthful, her face not yet lined with many wrinkles.
Her clothes were simple and practical. Comfortable trousers and a button up shirt in earthy tones, feet clad with heavy winter boots. A worn white apron was tied around her waist.
She smiled at her son, clearly surprised to see her son, but pleasantly so. "Welcome home, Valp."
Her eyes wandered to look over Cloud's shoulder, finally spotting the SOLDIERs standing behind him looking somewhat awkward. "Friends of yours?"
Zack was the first to step forward and shake her hand, "Hi Mrs. Strife, do you remember me? I'm Zack, we spoke on the phone?"
"Of course I do." Vivienne's smile grew into a grin, "I promised you baby pictures."
Angeal stepped forward next, "It's nice to meet you, Ma'am. I'm Commander Angeal Hewley, but please call me Angeal."
"Then you can call me Vivienne."
"This is General Sephiroth." Angeal introduced when Sephiroth did not introduce himself after a moment.
Cloud looked back at the General, only to find him looking towards the steps leading up to the Shinra mansion and the reactor.
"Nice to meet you all. Come in, come in!" She ushered, "I was just starting to make dinner, I'll make extra."
They thanked her on their way in, the SOLDIERs taking a seat around the dining table in their small kitchen while Vivienne bustled around the kitchen and Cloud set the table. Angeal and Zack asked a few curious questions about the town. Vivienne replied with a few stories, Cloud occasionally chipping in. Sephiroth was eerily quiet throughout the process, only showing interest when the reactor was mentioned.
"Alright, boys, dinner is ready." Vivienne announced, bringing a pot of stew with her.
"Smells good, Mrs. Strife!" Zack exclaimed, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Thank you, dear. Cloud, sit down."
Cloud obediently sat on her right. Zack immediately dove into his bowl of stew with enthusiasm. The dinner went along pleasantly, with Angeal and Zack complimenting Vivienne's cooking and exchanging stories with her about Gongaga and Banora. Sephiroth said nothing, eating his meal mechanically.
"So," Vivienne began as she set down her spoon, bowl now empty. "What brings you boys here?"
Cloud and Angeal exchanged a look before Cloud spoke, "Do you remember what I told you about the Nords and the god stones?"
"Yes?"
Cloud set down his own spoon and reached into one of the utility pockets of his uniform, pulling out the Odin summon and placing it on the table near his mother's hand. She paused, eyes observing the orb, then looked back at her son. Hesitantly, she picked up the orb, closing her eyes for a moment to reach out to it with her senses.
"Odin." She murmured.
"We were wondering if you could seal it and...ward it?" Angeal inquired, uncertain if he remembered the term correctly.
Vivienne nodded decisively, "Should be easy enough. I can hide it here for you, if you like?"
"That would be great, thank you." Angeal confirmed with a grateful nod and a polite smile. "I was also wondering if perhaps you had any idea where we might be able to find these Nords?"
"You mean the ones causing Shinra trouble?" When Angeal nodded again, she smiled shrewdly at her son. "No, but I know of a way to find out."
Cloud was confused for a moment, but the longer his mother looked at him meaningfully, the more obvious it became.
"Oh, no."
"Oh, yes."
"You know I suck at it, Mor."
Vivienne gave her son the universal Disapproving Mom Look™ that seemed to say 'Back talk again, son, I dare you.'
"Tough luck, valp." She said, pushing her chair back and rising to her feet.
Zack was looking back and forth between Cloud and his mother, "What's going on?"
A cloth bag, heavy with something, was dropped on the table by Cloud's elbow. He sighed heavily, rolling his eyes, giving Angeal perfect insight into the kind of huffy teen Cloud used to be.
"Zack, would you be a dear and help me clear the table?" Vivienne requested as she picked up Cloud's dishes and utensils to clear the area in front of him.
"Sure!" Zack agreed, jumping to his feet to help.
Angeal watched Cloud slowly open the bag, "How is the bag going to help us?"
"He's going to ask the Norns for guidance." Vivienne answered on her son's behalf, "There are three Norns. Urðr, who governs the past; Verðandi, who governs the present; and Skuld, who governs the future. Together, the three of them weave the cloth of fate and time."
Cloud reached into the bag to pull out a handful of small, vaguely rectangular shaped flat stones carved with symbols.
Vivienne turned to address the other three, "Please try and keep quiet while he does this, he needs to concentrate."
Angeal and Zack nodded dutifully. Sephiroth remained silent.
Vivienne moved to stand behind her son, placing her small hands on her son's shoulders in silent support. Cloud set the bag to the side. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes to focus on what he wanted to ask.
Where do we find the Nords that seek Ragnarok?
Cloud threw the stones onto the table and opened his eyes. Some stones landed face down. The others, he was surprised to find, faced upwards and spelled out his reply.
North-East. Sea.
Cloud gathered the runes.
How do I find them?
He cast again.
Another reply.
Ship. Hidden. Fog.
Cloud's eyes rose from the runes to meet Zack and Angeal's who had been watching him read the runes with fascination.
"They said that we can find the Nords on a ship hidden by fog, north-east from here."
Angeal's brows rose, "And you got all that just from looking at those?" Cloud nodded, "The Turks should consider learning to read those then, that was much faster than their recon missions."
Cloud chuckled as he gathered the scattered stones from the table.
Suddenly, the cloth bag tipped over and spilled the runes still in the bag all over the table with a clatter. Cloud felt his mom's hands squeeze his shoulders, and his stomach dropped with unease as he read the words they spelled.
Danger. Beware.
He hurriedly gathered all the runes, doubling the number of the stones in his hands, and silently asked 'What danger?' as he cast them.
They landed in three lines.
Evil.
Corrupting Silver Warrior.
Leave Mountain Now.
Cloud paled, his head jerking up sharply to finally take a good look at Sephiroth, who had been quiet ever since entering the town. The general looked dazed, like he had been drugged, but the Mako in his eyes was glowing far more brightly than usual, the catlike pupils dilated and unfocused; But even in his addled state, Sephiroth screamed danger to Cloud.
"What's wrong?" Angeal questioned, noticing Cloud and Vivienne's suddenly pallid faces.
"You need to go." Vivienne informed them gravely.
"Right now." Cloud agreed, standing up so hurriedly that his chair scraped loudly against the floor. Sephiroth did not flinch at the loud noise like the other two did.
Zack looked alarmed, "What's going on?"
"I'll explain later. We need to leave."
"But what about the baby pictu-"
"I'll show you the pictures next time, son. But right now, you need to get the General away from this mountain."
As the two SOLDIERs turned to look at Sephiroth, they began to look just as uneasy as Cloud felt.
"Zack, help me get the General out of here. Now." Angeal ordered.
"Yes, Sir!"