'Thing With Feathers'
Chapter 10 ~ The Reunion, Part I
Zzz...
"Oi. You."
A cold, steel-toed boot roughly prodded him in the side.
Wha…?
"Wake the hell up, grunt."
Cloud hesitantly cracked an eye open, only to see three crimson lights glaring down at him like devil's eyes.
Oh, thank god. Not Sephiroth.
Just one pissed off infantry pilot with the dreaded crimson scarf of asshole authority. That's what his fellow troopers whinged about, anyway...
"The hell's wrong with you?" The pilot's scowl deepend and he readied another kick. "I said-"
Cloud scooted away just in time, scrambling upright from his position on the helicopter floor. "S-sorry sir-" he started, bringing a hand to his mouth as his stomach lurched, "I didn't mean to-"
"Falling asleep? On duty? In front of the General?" The pilot – obviously a man with a stick up his ass – roughly grabbed Cloud by the front of his shirt. "SOLDIER is always giving us the dirty, and you show us up like this?"
Cloud felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment. He knew his place, but...he hadn't come all this way to have some prick with a seniority complex just run him over.
"Better than vomiting on him," he mumbled into his scarf.
Okay, not a hospital-grade burn – but for Cloud, that was a daring comment.
"God, they let a week-old kitten like you in the army?" With motion sickness? Bloody idiots," the pilot spat, releasing his grip on Cloud. He couldn't believe someone up the ladder had decided such a blonde-haired baby was worth Sephiroth's time…
Cloud bristled at this accusation of weakness. In seconds, needles of aggression prickled under his skin and his fists balled in anticipation of a fight.
No. Don't.
Cloud hissed in a breath.
He couldn't screw up. Not like this.
Instead, he distracted himself by tidying his sleep-tousled appearance, but soon caught sight of Sephiroth entering the hold again.
"Perimeter check complete," the General announced. "Are we ready to commence the mission?"
Cloud offered his best salute. "Sir!"
Sephiroth inclined his head in a nod. He then looked to the pilot, who was taking a long sip from a water bottle. "I'll be in touch when the mission is complete. Head to Icicle Inn until then."
"Certainly, General," the pilot replied with uncharacteristic politeness. He offered a well-practiced salute, but as soon as Sephiroth stepped outside, his devil-like visor gaze was on Cloud again.
"Don't think you're special just because he spoke to you, kitten," he sneered as Cloud moved to pass him.
The blonde cadet resolutely bit his lip and ignored the insult. The angry, snarling Nibel wolf inside of him was threatening to tear the pilot a new one, but he refused to break rank.
Not when learning from the world's greatest SOLDIER was on the line.
It was strangely quiet.
Snowy terrain was nothing to Sephiroth, but to a mere cadet, it was a damp slog of heavy footfalls the entire journey.
So for Cloud to have such a lightness about his pace was definitely unusual, but not unwelcome. It certainly gave his delicate hearing a rest, particularly after hours of the helicopter's roar.
However, with silence...came a wandering mind.
Sephiroth repressed a shiver as he and his charge headed deeper into the mountainous terrain. Despite having enhanced temperature regulation, he didn't appreciate the biting winds.
Nor, he imagined, did his old friends when they were here.
Not exactly a favourable place to...degrade, Sephiroth presumed, a troubled frown tainting his expression. Whatever possessed Genesis and Angeal to seek answers here, with such huge risks to their health… It was very perplexing.
One might've even considered it suspicious.
The mission reports told of a fatal skirmish between his friends - and they were verified by the Turks, who, Sephiroth guessed, kept covert tabs on any missions involving the three.
For once, he was grateful for a lack of security footage.
Despite being no stranger to death, to see Genesis, Angeal and Zack destroy each other…
Not even he could've handled that.
A shy voice broke the silence. "Hey, sir… are we within the target's range yet?"
Impressive. Cloud had managed to catch him up almost silently.
Sephiroth gently tapped his own ear. "We'll know soon enough. I haven't heard anything monstrous yet."
"It's odd…" Cloud murmured, keeping pace with Sephiroth. "We haven't seen any monsters, actually."
"They're probably hiding from our mutant griffon, if the briefing holds true," the General replied quietly.
"Ah."
The pair then fell into silence again as they continued their snowy trek. While they made progress up a steep incline, Sephiroth observed the young cadet from the edge of his vision. Somehow, despite being completely unenhanced, Cloud was keeping up without trouble.
"Your pace is impressive," the General remarked. At this he heard Cloud's footsteps falter slightly, followed by a deep inhale and a quiet reply.
"Well...I'm a country boy."
"Oh? From where?"
Cloud, by now, was convinced the universe was playing a cruel joke on him.
"N-Nibelheim," he breathed, gritting his teeth. By now, he was ridiculously expecting jovial laughter to greet him.
Sephiroth froze.
That name prodded his mind, like it should hold importance.
Was it...familiarity?
But he'd never set foot there...had he?
"Sir?"
The General took a moment to gather his thoughts. "My apologies. The name sounded familiar."
"Oh, the reactor," Cloud mumbled, shaking his head with sad amusement. "That's probably why."
"Perhaps. However, the area must be remarkable in some way, if it brought a promising cadet like you into the fold." Sephiroth offered a reserved half-smile. "Have you considered the SOLDIER program?"
Oh God. First the emotional flood from earlier, and now admitting his inadequacies…? Despite being on unexpectedly friendly terms with his hero, Cloud wanted an avalanche to sweep him off the mountain.
"I failed." Cloud's voice was clipped and swirling with humiliation.
Sephiroth raised a brow, finding this difficult to believe. "Have you made another attempt?"
"...many."
"Hm." The General's expression tightened with thought. SOLDIER was short-staffed enough as it was...how was it they passed over Cloud every single time?
"It's the mako," Cloud spat in frustration. "It just… messes with my head."
"Commander Hewley could've coached you on that," Sephiroth murmured, sadness lacing his voice. Having a firm grasp on one's identity and sense of self was critical for enduring mako treatments, and once upon a time, that was Angeal's speciality. That is, of course, until Hollander's reprehensible truths came to light...
Cloud startled briefly. "No offense to him - o-or to you, sir - but he sorta...knocked my lights out when I met him. On my last mission."
"...I see," the silver General winced. He truly wished he'd pinned Angeal down for more answers when he had the ch-
"Skreee!"
Instantly, Sephiroth stopped midpace. Cloud hurriedly did the same, and looked to the legendary SOLDIER with confusion. He clearly hadn't heard the target griffon's cry.
Sephiroth closed his eyes in concentration and gave the trooper a 'shh' gesture with his hand.
The griffon sounded again, only this time, a distinctively human voice followed it.
"No! Stop-!"
Turquoise eyes snapped open in uncharacteristic shock.
That voice-
No.
No, no, no.
It had to be some twisted side-effect of grief.
He was too enhanced to be hearing voices in the middle of-
"Urgh…"
Cloud watched on with growing anxiety. Clearly, Sephiroth was freaking out about something he'd heard.
The blonde cadet didn't get a chance to voice his concerns, however - Sephiroth leapt into a run with the barest hint of a 'follow me' gesture.
"Ack- hold on!" Cloud panicked, breaking into a sprint as the General left him behind. Trying to maintain a walking pace with Sephiroth was one thing - but running? There wasn't a chance he'd keep up!
Unfortunately for Cloud, his whereabouts had crashed to the bottom of Sephiroth's priority list. There was only room for one thought to loop in the General's mind as he darted through the snow.
It can't be Zack it can't be Zack it can't be Za-
With each frantic breath, he repeated this brand new mantra. He had to keep a level head. Even so, that didn't slow his lightning-fast sprint across the uneven terrain…
Several breathless minutes later, Sephiroth's ears pricked at the sound of talons dragging against snow and the faint shift of feathers. Crashing through the area as he currently was would definitely blow his cover.
To keep the element of surprise, Sephiroth slowed his frenetic pace into a low crouch and deftly slipped behind a mess of jagged, snow-covered rocks.
From there, he peered just over the edge to locate his mutant target.
Sure enough, some distance away, a griffon was snuffling around in the snow.
Sephiroth's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he focused.
Oh, of course.
It had to be a godforsaken Angeal copy, didn't it?
The armoured plating, the golden accents, the brilliant ivory feathers… it was unmistakable. Strangely though, he could see the creature's eyes - and this broke tradition with every other masked copy he'd had the misfortune of seeing. Given this peculiarity, maybe the copy was also a talented mimic, and used the voice of an injured Zack to lure unsuspecting travellers.
Surely Lazard had known about this...and had ridiculously thought, 'hey, the perfect mission for Sephiroth - certainly not traumatising at all!'
Meanwhile the copy, unaware of the catlike stare from Sephiroth, continued its searching, whuffing in apparent sadness as it digged at the icy ground.
The General watched on, and his heart tightened with grim certainty. It's probably lost, confused and angry without a master. Best to put it out of its misery - and finally lay Project G to rest.
As he retreated behind the rocks again, he caught sight of Cloud finally reaching him. Unsurprisingly, the cadet was exhausted from the effort, and Sephiroth felt an unexpected tug of responsibility. Long ago, he'd adamantly refused the SOLDIER mentorship program, but perhaps being to Cloud like Angeal was to Zack would give himself direction.
In a way, he felt sympathy with the Angeal copy. Lost and purposeless.
But perhaps not anymore.
"You move...so fast…" Cloud managed between gulps of air. A pointed glance and a silent 'shh' from Sephiroth made him fall silent as he gingerly crept towards the General.
"As a SOLDIER, when you see - or hear - an opening, you never hesitate," Sephiroth whispered. "I apologise for the lack of warning."
"S'okay," Cloud breathed. Frustration at the General melted away in favour of awe, and he eagerly filed away this advice.
"The key to a griffon is twofold," Sephiroth continued, raising his katana slightly. "Disable the wings via ambush, then deliver the killing strike."
Cloud's mouth formed an 'o' in realisation. "Like a Nibel dragon!"
"Precisely," the General smirked. "If your sword misses the mark, paralyse the wings with lightning." The blonde trooper nodded eagerly as several sparks jumped between Sephiroth's gloved fingers.
"Watch me closely, and if any other monsters move in, distract them," Sephiroth then instructed, dusting snow from his legs as he stood up.
"But...you're Sephiroth," Cloud stammered, feeling small. "As if you'd need backup!"
"But you need practice, correct?" Sephiroth retorted. "Live targets are better than cutouts in the training facilities."
"Y-yes sir," Cloud managed. His heart was fluttering like an excitable chocobo in his chest. Sephiroth was teaching him! Him! Hah! Not just a 'week-old kitten' anymore, buddy…!
"In position, cadet," the General nodded to him, a hint of amusement on his face.
Cloud gave him a strong salute, and nimbly climbed half-way up the rock pile to aim his rifle over the edge.
Sephiroth gave the blonde cadet a nod of approval. Then, with Masamune at the ready, he began to creep towards his unsuspecting prey.
In a matter of seconds, he silently closed the distance while staying out of sight. Simultaneously, the blissfully unaware griffon pounced with fox-like precision into a snowbank. It clawed vigorously in the mound, apparently intent on finding something.
The perfect moment.
Sephiroth breathed in, tightened his grip on Masamune's hilt, and-
"WaitwaitWAIT!"
Everything happened in an instant.
A frantic person with alarmingly familiar raven hair burst from the snowbank. The griffon shrieked in surprise, saw Sephiroth, hissed in animalistic rage and puffed out in defence to appear double the size. Gunshots fired, and several bullets peppered the ground near the griffon's back paws.
In the chaos, Sephiroth, the famed SOLDIER of unstoppable force, actually hesitated.
He paused mid-strike, leaving his katana to rest mere millimetres from one of griffon's unfurled wings. The birdlion screeched in alarm before darting out of the blade's way, iridescent mako eyes flashing in fear. Once away from Masamume's reach, the griffon placed itself squarely between Sephiroth and what was maybe Zack and snarled with guttural aggression.
"Stop!" The snowy figure shifted behind the griffon's feathers. "Please - don't hurt him!"
In the next second, a thousand conflicting fragments of thought collided in Sephiroth's mind.
You read the report. You know Zack isn't really here.
You just want him to be.
The mako concentration in the area is making you hallucinate.
It's time to move on.
Your duty demands it.
Finish.
His left hand clenched Masamume's hilt with forceful resolution.
Your.
His eyes, narrow and focused, turned cold.
Mission.
Oof!
"Sephiroth, NO! That's Zack!"
A slurry of icy wetness broke his resolve.
Decidedly heavy and pounding footfalls rang in his ears as he brushed the remains of a snowball from his eyes. As this happened, Zack Fair himself had managed to clamber in front of the griffon, seemingly trying to protect it.
"Holy shit Seph please don't hurt him he's a good boy I swear-"
Before Sephiroth could fully comprehend the truth of Zack's survival, he felt the force of a ShinRa infantryman shove him sideways.
Which, really, meant he shifted barely an inch.
"Couldn't you see him!?" Cloud exclaimed, panic and confusion plain in his non-enhanced eyes.
Sephiroth, completely unaccustomed to anything that was currently happening, was stunned into silence. Had the blonde trooper focused on him longer, he would've startled at the distant, empty expression the General was now displaying.
"And you!" The blonde cadet whirled on Zack, shoving him in the chest - albeit with similar results to Sephiroth. "What the ever-fricking hell!? What are you doing!? That thing's dangerous and also how are you not dead!? Why didn't you say something!?"
"Whoa, whoaaaa," Zack insisted, grabbing Cloud's arm before the trooper cut himself open on Sephiroth's still hovering katana. "Easy there, spike-"
"Easy there? Seriously? Are you kidding?" Cloud hissed, wrenching himself from the SOLDIER's intentionally loose grip. Not a moment later, he leapt sideways as the griffon gave him a warning strike with its talons.
"Shit-! Sorry, sorry- he's just protecting me-" Zack started, turning to the griffon with a soft, low voice. "Shh, Cobalt, they won't hurt us. It's okay. Right, Sephiroth? ...Seph?"
Sephiroth, frozen in place, looked as still and stoic as a statue. Not even his sword wavered from hand movement.
Zack backtracked quickly. Damn! It was so easy to fall into the old camaraderie he'd built with the General. He had to expect this sort of reaction.
"Seph, please," he murmured, "I can explain-"
Sephiroth slowly raised a hand, his face blank, his stare unbelievably cold.
"Don't."
"But-"
"Don't."
All the pieces were lining up with agonising perfection.
Zack defected. Just like everyone else.
Did no one give enough of a shit about him to explain? Genesis, Angeal, and Zack...all of them, the bastards, disappeared without a word of explanation.
Did he ever have their trust?
Or was he just too ShinRa for them to even consider understanding?
And Lazard.
He was in on it.
For some unfathomable reason, he thought it good to send him here - despite knowing doing so would break him.
And the only reason he could be convinced to go was founded on yet more deception.
Why was no one ever upfront with him?
Were all his relationships just...lies? Was he just some tool for everyone to manipulate for their own gain, discarding him when they no longer had a use for him?
Well.
If a tool was all he could be, then he should fulfill his purpose.
Remove the traitor and report back the victory.
At this thought, Masamune twitched - then slowly rose to point directly at Zack's chest.
Cobalt's threatening rumbles intensified, but the slightest pet from a motionless Zack kept him from moving. With herculean effort, the young SOLDIER took the steadiest breath he could manage, and met Sephiroth's gaze.
"Cloud, Seph- please," he implored, squeezing Cobalt's ruff to calm them both, "hear me- ah, I mean, us - out."
Sephiroth scraped the tip of his deadly blade against Zack's heart, but his mind was reeling at the other's words. ...us?
"And why should I?"
Zack flinched at the sheer chill of the General's tone, but made a slight head gesture at something beyond Sephiroth's position regardless.
Whilst the General didn't move a muscle, Cloud's gaze followed Zack's, only to land squarely on a terrifyingly familiar broad-shouldered man with a white wing. He flinched out of instinct as Angeal himself carefully approached the tense group.
The colour draining from Cloud's face was, oddly, enough to make Sephiroth finally turn his head.
If finding Zack was the initial stab, then encountering Angeal was the twisting of the knife.
However, if there was a mental war raging inside Sephiroth's head, he made it damn near impossible to tell. All he did was regard Angeal with an empty glare - the same one he graced Hojo with after particularly bad medical appointments.
It was a look Angeal knew too well.
Did he feel he deserved it?
Absolutely.
In one slow, deliberate motion, the white-winged SOLDIER kneeled into the snow, just out of Masamune's reach, and raised his empty hands.
Sephiroth's gaze tightened. Angeal, strangely, was without his signature Buster sword, and the only magical tug of materia the General could sense was his own.
"A man without honour deserves nothing. All we - all I can do - is beg for you to listen," Angeal breathed, bowing his head in what appeared to be shame. "We're unarmed. Do with us as you wish. We trust you."
At Angeal's nod, Zack followed suit and kneeled. This vulnerable maneuver spooked Cobalt, who resolutely tried to shield Zack again with his bulk. The young SOLDIER stroked his feathers and shushed him before gently pushing on Cobalt's shoulder to encourage him to sit. With an indignant squawk, he submitted - but still rumbled a low growl and glared at Sephiroth for good measure.
Okay, this is freaky. Cloud swallowed nervously as he watched Zack put himself at Sephiroth's mercy. Given the General had almost sliced him to bits earlier, he was finding it difficult not to just drag Zack away until Sephiroth was completely level-headed again.
Meanwhile, the young raven-haired SOLDIER let slip a sigh of relief as Sephiroth's katana dipped from his chest to point at his knees. That's gotta be a good sign...
"Give me one damn good reason not to expose you to ShinRa this instant," Sephiroth spat, the words dripping with a venom Zack had only ever experienced from Genesis until that moment.
Angeal released a defeated sigh. "Honestly, I...don't think I have one."
Zack coughed nervously, deciding just to blurt the truth. Angeal did say honesty was best…
"Sephiroth, Cloud...I'm so sorry. On the mission, I had to- I had to fight Genesis," Zack stammered, his expression twisting with remorse. "I nearly killed him...and…" the young SOLDIER's voice trailed off. He stared down at the snow and shook his head. "I just...couldn't..."
Angeal tried to offer the hint of a wry smile as Sephiroth processed Zack's words. "In the end, Seph...he was like you."
Sephiroth flinched, not wanting to dwell on that parallel. What did that say about his integrity if Zack, feeling similarly, so easily turned rebel?
"I should have reached out, I was just...angry, and afraid," Zack mumbled. "I was worried that if I spilled the beans to either of you, ShinRa would be on our asses."
He looked pleadingly from Cloud's bewildered expression to Sephiroth's uncertain gaze.
"I didn't trust you then, and I was wrong. So now…" Zack breathed, swallowing his nerves, "...I'm making it right. Give us an hour to explain."
"...and if that doesn't change your allegiance, we'll merely get what we deserve," Angeal finished, bowing his head.
Sephiroth's brows creased in consideration as a chilly breeze ruffled the other man's brilliant feathers.
...what did they deserve?
A/N: Good grief I am so sorry for the giant-ass hiatus everyone
I've been wrestling with this chapter for months, and only finally scrounged up enough inspiration to finish it. Part II is underway and all planned out for the most part, I just…need to…you know, write it. Haha.
Anyhow it was interesting to write Cobalt from Sephiroth's perspective…a bit more feral and less cute this time. :P
Also, writing Cloud has been very entertaining. It was especially satisfying to have him basically lose his shit at Zack, I won't lie.
Anywho. Enough rambling. I still love this story and I will finish it. One day. If other one-shot ideas and things leave my brain alone. Until then, look forward to Chapter 11!
~ May, a.k.a AutumnalBlep