Disclaimer: FF7 is owned by Square Enix and the author is merely a shameless moocher.
Sephiroth awoke at promptly 5:30 A.M. and was shocked to hear only silence instead of the usual wake-up blare. A brief peek at his surroundings revealed his bedroom at Cass's apartment. Habit nearly turned reflex made him turn back over and fall asleep again. Regardless of the day, he was at Mom's and Mom always let him sleep in. So back to sleep he went.
He didn't know the time when he woke up again. It was afternoon, but his bed felt too good to even stir in it. He rested his eyes and stayed where he was, just basking in a lazy glow that comes after too much sleep. He heard his door open, but still didn't move. A weight settled itself on the bed and he let a smile grace his face. A warm hand started petting his hair and he leaned slightly into it. He knew that smell. It only belonged with one person.
"You're awake," she said, but didn't stop her hand.
"Mmm," Sephiroth mumbled in reply. He felt too relaxed to do much else, so he laid there until he felt that something was off. There was a sound that usually didn't come with Mom or sleeping. It was faint, but it was there. Mom's hand felt a little funny too. Just a little shaky. He peered out. Mom was staring at the opposite wall in a lost-in-thought face that looked more lost than thoughtful. Silent tears streaked down her cheeks and every now and then she inhaled a soft gasp. Her other hand was gripping the bed hard. Sephiroth sat up.
"What's wrong?" he asked. He put one hand on her shoulder and began checking her for injuries. There was a large bruise on her neck. He'd been sleeping and someone had hurt Mom. She placed her hand over the one on her shoulder.
"I'm fine," she said, "I'm just sad." Sephiroth looked at her face to be sure. She pulled herself away from what was fascinating her on the other wall. This was not a sad that Sephiroth had seen. If she cried before, she hid it. Her touched her neck. Her other hand let go of the bed and took his.
"It was an accident," she said, "you couldn't control yourself." He blinked as he processed that. He had hurt Mom. "It doesn't hurt," she said, "I was just trying to make sure you didn't hurt yourself." He blinked again.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"I'm sorry too," Mom said, "I'm sorry I can't keep him away from you." Sephiroth blinked. She felt bad about that? Didn't she know?
"But you do," Sephiroth said, "Whenever I'm with you, Hojo goes away." She blinked this time. "You two can't be in the same room, so if I go with you, Hojo can't. I just can't be with you all the time."
"I'm sorry it's like that," Mom said starting to turn away.
"I'm not," Sephiroth said. She paused. Sephiroth took that as an invitation to continue. "I like coming home, but since Angeal and Genesis don't go home as often as I do, I think that means that at some point I'll have to do things without you. But I can still come back if I need to. Right?" That's how he understood it. She blinked.
"I don't know if I should be happy or sad that you're growing up," she said.
"Was I right?" Sephiroth asked.
"There isn't a right or wrong answer," she said, "but that's as good an answer as any."
"Do you feel better?" he asked, "Do you need a Cure. I should Cure you since I hurt you."
"I'm just sad," she said, "I had a bad day, and it doesn't hurt. I was more scared for you. I would have taken you back to the labs, if I wasn't so sure that Hojo would make it worse." Sephiroth nodded remembering a lot of pain and weird blank spots in between.
"Don't be sad," he said. She smiled as more tears came out.
"It's not always that easy," she said. He scrambled to think.
"Can we read for a little bit?" he asked. That always made him feel better. She gave a small laugh.
"If you want," she said. He slipped out before she could get up and got an worn out cover, next to much newer sequels. The original still had potency for him, probably because of the memories attached to it.
Although the fourth one was really good too.
He sat down next to her and leaned slightly into her shoulder. She took the hint and wrapped her arm around him. He started reading out to her. Over time, her head rested on top of his. He could hear her quietly whispering along with him, having read it so many times she had most of it memorized.
Sephiroth looked slightly downtrodden when he stepped back into the barracks. No one made a mention of the day before yesterday, but he was welcomed back. He had a fuzzy memory of his current squad being on a staircase with him, but it might have been a dream. He wasn't quite sure.
"You okay?" Angeal asked. Sephiroth nodded.
"Well you look kind of like you just threw up," Genesis said, "Not a pretty look for you." He blinked.
"It's not a pleasant experience," Sephiroth noted, "I'd image few people would look decent after vomiting." Genesis rolled his eyes.
"That was my point," he said, "but never mind." Sephiroth nodded.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Angeal asked, "you looked pretty terrible." Sephiroth nodded again.
"It is not an experience I would like to repeat," he said, "but the worst has passed." He paused, wondering if he could say the next part. It was something he would admit to Mom, but he was not sure about his friends. But...perhaps they would understand.
"I...I am not sure what's wrong with Mom," he said carefully. Angeal and Genesis didn't turn away from it. They looked concerned about it.
"Did something happen to her?" Genesis asked ignoring the idea that he was supposed to not show that he had a mild crush.
"She was...sad when I left her," Sephiroth said.
"What about?" Angeal asked.
"I don't know," Sephiroth said, "She didn't say, she just went quiet." Angeal held his tongue. This was a delicate situation. What had upset her so could be something she didn't want Sephiroth to know, but still his concern for her...especially in the wake of Sephiroth's latest testing. They had to do something.
Tseng exited his meeting with Veld silently, pausing only to pick up a small package before going on his way. He didn't know what to make of the meeting. The results were neither good nor bad, merely neutral towards him. Towards Cass...
He stepped out of the elevator and walked down her hallway. Sephiroth had left a little less than two hours ago. Cass was to return to duty within the next forty-eight. He pulled out a keycard he had programmed with her dubious blessing and entered without announcing himself.
"That'd better be booze in that package of yours," her voice said from the chair. He pulled out a bottle and set it on the table with two glasses before taking his seat.
"I don't recall ever seeing you drink before," he said.
"First time for everything," she said as she started opening the bottle. Tseng sat in silence as she poured, wondering how to bring up what he wanted to say.
"I never grieved for him," she said, "After the fact, everything went so fast. When it slowed down, it was just easier not to think about him. I thought they all died and just did nothing."
"As if you could do anything," Tseng muttered, "Sephiroth ensured their safety before yours. Did you ever tell him?"
"No," she said, "but he knows. He figured it out on his own. He grieved years ago. And now I get to watch as all of his hard work gets undone."
"There's been no command to bring her here," Tseng said, "just surveillance to make sure she's the real thing." Cass laughed darkly, the kind of laugh that a person does when there's nothing else to do.
"She should be far from here with her mother and father," Cass said. Tseng said nothing. Cass downed her glass and sat back. She sighed once.
"How'd your meeting go?" Cass asked. Tseng almost laughed at the opening she handed him, but he didn't take it.
"Fine," he said.
"Fine?" she asked, "You didn't get in trouble for pulling me out of a mission?" Tseng looked at her.
"You call me a stalker," he muttered.
"I'm not a stalker, you ass," she said, "I guessed and you told me I was right. Gimme details." Tseng hesitated. "I've been sitting in this apartment crying all goddamn day. I'm all cried out so nothing you say will make a difference."
"Like I said," Tseng said, "It went fine."
"Ah," Cass said, "fine for you. What's the news about me?"
"It's hard to say," Tseng said.
"Veld finally figure it out?" she asked.
"Figure out what?" Tseng asked.
"That I'm not a real Turk," she said, "I'm not like the rest of you, no matter how much I fake it. I don't know what I am."
"He said something of that kind," Tseng said, "but no one really retires from this job." She nodded.
"I noticed."
"I've been named second in command," Tseng said.
"Good," Cass said. Tseng blinked and looked at her. "Better you than me, than anyone else for that matter. I don't even know why I was in the running."
"Because Rufus likes you," Tseng said. She laughed again, actual mirth lying deep in it somewhere.
"He has bad judgement on character," she said, "but he is...fuck how old is he again?" Tseng chuckled lightly.
"Just to be clear," Cass said, "I'm not going to 'be retired' anytime soon?"
"No," Tseng said quickly, "Veld didn't even question that. I've just been placed ahead of you and...your clearance has been raised."
"So I'm just trapped in this company," Cass said, "Figured it would happen once Sephiroth reached adulthood. Halfway through puberty works fine too."
"You can refuse missions if you have to," Tseng said.
"I think this was a one time thing," Cass said, "I hope it was. I spent a lot of time grieving today and I'd rather not repeat it."
"Rufus does actually need extra hours," Tseng said. She snorted.
"He's gonna be hell when he turns sixteen," she said, "I'd love to see Daddy reign him in then."
"You'd probably help him," Tseng said.
"Depends on the deed," Cass said, "help him get away with murder? No. Fill the water balloon he tries to drop on Scarlet's head? Oh hell yes." Tseng laughed again and refilled his glass.
"Next time we drink I'm buying," Cass said, "Your liquor tastes like shit."
Cass opened her door after she went off duty and froze in her living room. What on Gaia was all of this? She heard a commotion coming down the hall.
"Shh...Oh no," she heard Sephiroth's voice say.
"She was going to figure it out at some point," Genesis said. The boys knocked on the door soon after. She opened it up to a trio of sheepishly grinning boys bearing more packages.
"Hello," she said, "What, uh, whatcha doin?"
"Nothing that didn't need doing," Genesis said, "Just a general pick-me-up." She stood aside and let them come in. She started laying out everything they brought to her. A lot of chocolate (probably rejects from the latest fan mail), A few pints of ice cream (a variety of flavors), a new coffee mug (in Cass's favorite color), coffee from Comso Canyon (the best caffeine on the market), a few books (all hardcover and expensive looking), and a CD set of the Midgar Symphony's latest concert. Cass put it together slowly.
"You made me a...gift basket?" she tried.
"More or less," Genesis said.
"I just didn't want you to be sad anymore," Sephiroth said. To his dismay, she started tearing up again. This wasn't working out like Genesis and Angeal made it sound like it would. It sounded like when people were given a bunch of things they really liked, they felt a little better. She sniffed hard and kept it back this time.
"I'm sorry Mom," Sephiroth said.
"I'm not sad," she said, "I'm happy." He looked up. People could cry because they were happy? She wiped her nose on her sleeve. "This was really nice of all of you."
"It was Genesis and Angeal's idea," Sephiroth said.
"It was Sephiroth's money and list," Angeal said.
"All of you," Cass said with a grin, "but if you ask my opinion. The ice cream is melting and I have little space in my freezer."
"Thus the reason I insisted on that chocolate," Genesis said. Angeal said nothing, but surreptitiously swiped a vanilla-chocolate mix. Cass sat back with her strawberry flavor as Sephiroth picked up the remaining pistachio he had developed a taste for.
"So," Cass said, still holding back tears, "how was your day?"
A/N: I'm completely done with 3 classes. Yay me! Only two more to go! Too bad they have the longest assignments with them. I'm almost done, but I totally procrastinated with this. Worth it though right?
Just FYI Pistachio ice cream is amazingly delicious. You should try it someday.