"Tseng. A word."
There were very few people in the world who actually called him by his name. These people included what remained of his family members, Aeris and Elmyra, Reno out of consistent disrespect, and those above him (Or thought they were) in Shinra's chain of command. To everyone else, he was simply 'Sir'. He turned away from his dealings with a very inebriated Reno and saw the recently instated Vice President Rufus standing there expectantly.
"Sir?" he responded immediately.
"You and your team's endless bumbling to secure the Ancient - an Ancient that, rumour has it, may be closer to us than we ever dared imagine at this moment - is an increasing embarassment both to this company and my father. Your techniques are sloppy, and your results lacking. If my father were an intelligent man, he'd fire you on the spot." He hesitated, and looked Tseng squarely in the eye, holding his stoic expression. "Keep up the good work." Then he walked away.
"... What the crap was that about?" Reno asked, surly.
Tseng was somewhat taken aback aswell. "... I think it means I need a vacation."
"Aeris," he began. I had half expected him to get angry at me for what I'd just said, but it was true. Though he seemed to go from angry to contemplative, and now he had something important to say.
"Hmm?"
"What do you remember of the war in Wutai?"
"I didn't get to see the news much then, but I know a lot of people died, and it was at a stalemate. Then... Well, you ended it."
"That's right. That was about seven years ago." He paused and turned, leaning with his back against the railing. "I was twelve years old."
And I have never forgiven myself.
I was minding my own buisness reading a book in my room when the President himself interrupted me and told me he had a mission for me. I looked at the fat and stupid man infront of me and scoffed, returning to my book. I'm pretty sure he didn't like that answer, because instantly three Soldiers came in from outside the room and knocked me out.
When I came to I was in a steel box, and from the way it swayed about, I was already on a boat. I was angry they were transporting me against my will, like some kind of animal, so I spent my time in there hitting my bare hands against one side. I had managed to do so enough times that a hole began to form, but before I had one large enough that I could climb out of, the boat slowed to a stop. Then I heard the most horrifying thing a person could; Wutai had launched a surprise attack. The boat's crew and everyone at the base camp we had made port at were slaughtered to the last man.
Needless to say, I stopped hitting my metal prison and listened, hoping they wouldn't find me. But they had already heard me. They found me and carried me away as I was still inside the box, and I stayed as still as I could. My first instinct was to conserve my energy. My second was to avoid leaving the box, because I knew the men who had me would kill me if I did.
I suppose they weren't sure what to make of me. For some reason they took me to their town centre. One of them pulled me out rather aggresively. In a flash I managed to disarm him and cut him down where he stood. A second ninja tried to come to his defense, but I dispatched him just as easily. A small child wailed nearby, I suppose he knew him. His mother pulled him away.
"You're a monster. Don't you realize those men have family?"
"I wouldn't know. I don't have a family."
I made my way up the pagoda in the centre of town, fighting my way through all of Wutai's finest warriors. Finally, I reached the top where the leader of their nation resided. Lord Godo.
He had a couple of his ninjas try to take me by surprise first, but as with everyone else, they underestimated me. Seconds later, I pointed the sword I had taken earlier out at their lord and challenged him.
"Who are you?" he asked me.
"Sephiroth. Now, I can't go home until something happens today, so let's dance already." Even then, referring to Shinra as 'home' left a foul taste in my mouth.
His first move was to try and use some Ice materia to freeze me, but I was too fast and managed to close the distance between us. He was fast, too, and parried my every swing, at one time cutting my right arm. A few times he would try magic on me again, and every time he did I took advantage of his hesitation and cut him back. Neither of us were cut badly enough for it to be life-threatening, understand. But it slowed each of us down all the same.
Finally, he tried to Cure himself with a materia, and I managed to knock the orb right out of his hand with the flat of my sword. I knocked him to the ground then and threw his sword across the room. I had him at a disadvantage and he knew it.
He slowly stood up and congratulated me. He said I was the fiercest warrior he'd ever fought, and presented me with his sword as a token of respect.
"His... sword?" Aeris asked me.
"The Masamune," I clarified. "The Sword of Wutai."
Seems like every time I promise a chapter, life gets in the way and delays it further XD This has been half done for the last couple months. Sorry about the wait -;; No promises for the next one though, I've got to wrap up Cloud & Elena somehow and figure out other stuff. Oh, there is more Turks happy fun stuff planned in later chapters, where Reno briefly takes to spying on his boss. It will be most entertaining :)
