It was some hours after midnight that finally Lightning made her way down from the top of the Shin-Ra building in one of the fancy glass elevators.

It was late and the party had been kind of a flop. Her friends had been caught up with their dates and almost everyone else had been drunk. She'd been spending the last few hours sulking around all by herself, thinking about home and Serah and how life could have been.

All in all she was looking forward to the calm and quiet of her privat quarters, to the comfort of her blankets.

Well... Only a few more floors to go.

Waiting for the elevator to reach it's destination the pink haired second class let her mako enhanced gaze wander over the city and then down to sector 0, to the Shin-Ra headquarters' entrance some fifty something storeys beneath her, where a flash of silver caught her eyes.

Sephiroth had returned.

Stepping closer to the glass pane Claire Farron managed to make out her sensei´s form getting off one of the company´s motorcycles and making his way to the front gates.

He was back indeed. And he wasn't injured either Lightning thought with a flash of relief as she watched him swiftly stride towards the doors.

The elevator stopped and a cool female voice announced her arrival at level 59.

Lightning was about to exit when suddenly she saw her sensei stop and another figure approach him from inside the building.

She couldn´t make out who it was, but they were obviously discussing something important, the newcomer gesturing wildly with their arms.

Then the unidentified person left to be replaced by the forms of what had to be Genesis and Angeal, judging from their hair and clothes, now talking animatedly to the First Class General.

Lightning hadn´t even noticed the two of them had left the party.

Anyway. Her sensei had returned. And that was all that mattered. All she needed to know.

Still.

She couldn´t help but wonder what had taken him so long.

The mission had actually been scheduled for only a week.

But the silver haired legend had been gone for more than a month.

And he hadn't been injured either by the looks of it so that couldn't have been what held him up. Then what...

Had something happened on the mission?

Had it something to do with the wutai war?

Claire Farron couldn't help but wonder.

She could have been there. Could have experienced it all first hand. If she hadn't been so stupid to cut her sensei with that fucked knife.

Screw it. Screw Zack. Screw Sephiroth.

'Level 59 – Skyview Hall.' the cool female voice announced again, the doors still open wide as though the elevator was waiting for her to get off.

Taking it as a cue to leave, Lightning turned away a tiny second to late.

Her silver haired mentor suddenly directly looking up at her, their eyes locked for a tiny agonizing moment before hurriedly the pink haired second class made her way back inside.


It was late. Later than he´d planned, when finally General Sephiroth Crescent made it back to Shin-Ra HQ.

The silver haired first class had completely lost track of days and dates. He hadn´t even realized that it was New Year´s Eve already until he´d seen the fireworks go off in the distance.

He really could have chosen a better date for his return.

The decorated war hero hadn´t expected his mission to take this long.

And he also hadn´t expected Director Lazard, waiting for him at the entrance hall in the dead of the night as if he had forseen his return.

The general delivered the news the director seemed so eager to receive, hoping that Lazard would be satisfied easily this time and would just leave him alone.

He just didn´t have the energy for things like this right now.

The director did seem pleased and to Sephiroth´s great relief he left at once, probably to inform his master, the almighty president Shin-Ra.

What a bunch of fools, the general thought.

They had no idea what lay in wait for them. No idea what they were in for. As usual.

The intel he had gathered on that mission didn't bode well.

Sephiroth didn't know how Lazard could keep that calm.

It was typical. They always underestimated their enemies. They could certainly afford to. They had the most advanced kind of weapons. They had the best trained army Gaia had ever seen. And they had him.

Counting on him to win their wars for them was typical for Shin-Ra too.

Knowing they had him on their payroll was what made them sleep soundly in their beds each night.

This night noone seemed to be sleeping soundly though...

It was just a few seconds after the idiot of director had left that the decorated first class was greeted by Genesis and Angeal.

They too were eager to receive the news the silver haired man was already getting tired of spreading.

Why, oh why did they have to pester him like this?!

And at that unearthly hour too...

Did they have no manners?

The silver haired first class just wanted to get this over with as fast as possible.

"What do you mean they are gathering their forces again?" Genesis Rhapsodos inquired, sounding concerned, while Angeal Hewley stood in silence, his forehead lined in worry.

At least someone seemed to take the news seriously, the silver haired first class thought.

It was at that very moment that suddenly General Sephiroth Crescent felt being watched.

Instinctively looking up, he met the gaze of his apprentice spying on him from inside one of the glass elevators.

Their gazes locked for a moment and then a second later, she was gone.

Lightning...

"What?!"

Angeal and Genesis both looked up as well, but they were too late.

There was nothing to be seen.

"Nothing." Sephiroth assured them.

His hand subconsciously travelling to the spot at his neck where the pink haired second class´s lack of attention had left a tiny scar, his gaze lingered at the place where she had vanished for a few seconds longer, before finally his attention returned to the two men in front of him.

The silver haired hero felt weak and spent and it definitely took a lot to make a man his caliber feel that way.

He´d had to fight a small army in order to make it back to Midgar and his stamina was running low.

He desperately needed a Mako shot.

Now.

'Let´s talk about this later guys, there´s still something I need to do.' was all he offered his comrades as without saying another word he just pushed past them to enter through the main gates and made his way straight into one of the elevators.

Checking the lobby behind him to make sure that Genesis and Angeal hadn't followed, he made his way up to level 59 to step into the very glass elevator his apprentice had occupied only minutes before.

Inserting his keycard into the corresponding slot he rode up to floor 67. Up to the science department.

He knew Hojo would be waiting for him as usual and he was not disappointed.

Eventhough it was New Years Eve and about three o´clock in the morning, he easily found the head of the science research division working on no doubt some crazy new invention of his.

The general briefly wondered whether Professor Hojo actually slept at all.

Probably not.

The devil never sleeps.

'Ahhh, what do we have here... My precious experiment...' the professor greeted him with one of his crazy cackles.

'I already wondered when you would visit again... HAHAHA..."

Extracting his hands from the lamina flow workbench infront of him, he let his office chair glide backwards so he could meet his visitor's eyes.

"I knew you would be back soon. Craving my Mako aren´t you?!" Hojo observed as he got up on his feet.

He gave his eerie laugh again as limping over to the adjoining examination room he gestured for the silver haired man to resume his usual position on the operation table that stood ready in the middle, waiting to be occupied.

Sephiroth didn´t know why the professor always had to play his games.

Hojo knew what he had come for anyway.

Knew the silver haired legend would never come to visit if he could avoid it.

Knew he needed that mako injection more than he would have liked. More than he would have admitted certainly.

Well..

There certainly was no reason for trying to hide that fact from Hojo. No need for pretence.

Professor Hojo knew everything.

His eyes trained on his feet in embarrassment the silver haired first class followed the scientist in silent defeat.

Oh, how much he hated coming here!

How much he hated showing weakness!

How much he hated being depended on something. On someone!

Especially Hojo...

But it was no use.

He needed the mako. Needed it badly. That much was for sure.

And the professor... Well, he´d get what he wanted every single time.

There was no way around.

Approaching the operation table on whobbly feet Sephiroth felt the muscles in his legs protesting, spasming, felt every inch of his body aching with exhaustion, every cell screaming in need.

Professor Hojo had known the general was going to seek him out soon.

Knew his last shot wouldn't last forever.

Knew that the duration of effect was growing shorter and shorter, that the doses he required were getting higher and higher.

Yes. Hojo had expected him. Had been expecting him for quite some time now probably.

Sephiroth couldn't remember when he'd last stayed off mako this long, not in the previous year that was for sure, and his body was showing the withdrawal, badly so.

His hands trembling nervously he felt cold sweat running down the lenght of his spine, felt his muscles cramp in weakness, felt a little dizzy, faint. A pounding headache tormenting his temples, it made it hard for him to think, to concentrate.

Suddenly the operation table in the middle of the room seemed lika a hundred yards away.

It had begun a few days ago, out in the wastelands and it had grown worse steadily. That weakness. That exhaustion. That need.

His last encounter with those wutai forces on his way back, it had almost done him in.

It was a weird kind of relief when finally he'd made it into the privacy of Hojo's personal laboratory.

Was a bitter kind of gratefulness with which his hand now touched the reassuring solid surface of the operation table. A terribly kind of anticipation with wich he looked up at Professor Hojo as he turned around to face him.

Yes. The mako shot was an integral part of being a member of soldier. It was mandatory. It was what made the Shin-Ra defence forces stand out, made them superior to any other army in all of Gaia. It lent them their superhuman strenght, gave them enhenced perception. The effects usually stacking up with every shot they did receive, it made them more resilient. Made them faster, fitter, better.

But for General Sephiroth Crescent it was different.

It was true. The mako did lend him more energy, more speed, more strenght. But for the silver haired legend the mako treatments went beyond that. To him the mako was like a drug. It was his life force. Sure he needed food to eat and water to drink and air to breathe just like everybody else but the mako was what truly kept his degenerated body going.

Professor Hojo knew that of course. Knew how much he needed the blasted mako treatment.

The bastard even had his injection ready.

Sephiroth hated how the head of science department was always able to predict his actions, his needs, his everything.

Well... He guessed that was just what came with the gaunt man being his creator.

The tall lean soldier usally so pround and intimidating, he couldn´t help but feel pathetic and weak as shivering all over his body, he took his place on the stainless-steeled operation table.

He was in a bad shape there. He really was. He in fact couldn't remember ever having felt this weak. But still, he didn´t jump when Hojo's icy hands examined his forarm, didn't breathe a sigh when those rough hands cut off the circulation in his arm with one of their fancy tourniquets, didn't bat an eyelid when the needle pierced his skin, it´s poisonous contents cursing trough his veins and into every cell of his body, burning his flesh from the inside.

Closing his vibrant green eyes, General Sephiroth Crescent took a few deep steadying breaths to help him cope with the searing pain that came with the shot, a pain that already felt familiar now, felt good in a weird and sick kind of way.

He'd gotten used to it. True. Had learned to live with it. Still, after all this time, the intensity of the pain the mako inflicted inside him never seemed to cease.

His nerve ends set on fire by the mako raging in his body, the silver haired man´s marble features didn´t show any of the agony he felt inside.

No.

He had learned to stop his body from granting his creator the satisfaction of showing his torment a long time ago. It was the only way he could still defy professor Hojo. And over the years he had perfected his poker face.

Where he'd once rampaged, trashing and screaming in fear, in agony, now he just lay there, waiting patiently for the mako shot to kick in, letting the professor draw a blood sample of his to check on his DNA as usual, so he could assess whether everything was in the ordinary. If one could categorize the first class´ degenerated DNA as ordinary in the first place that was.

Naaaaahhhh. It was rather to assess whether everything was as usual. Just to make sure he wasn´t going to mutate and sprout extra heads anytime soon.

The silver haired first class didn't really care.

He was too occupied with himself and his body battling with the mako shot.

The only thing he saw was the darkness of his eyelids.

The only thing he heard the rushing of the blood inside his veins.

The only thing he felt was pain.

It was a good feeling.

A feeling of liberation, of deliverance.

When you felt such agony the rest of the world faded to the background. Suddenly seemed far away.

Nothing else felt real.

Nothing else mattered.

For a few minutes there it would make him forget.

Forget who he was. Forget what he had done. Forget what he would have to do.

Forget about his place in this world. His responsibilities. His duties. His purpose. His sins.

For a few minutes none of it existed.

For a frew minutes he himself did not exist.

Loosing himself in the soothing numbness of the pain, in the dark void of oblivion that came with it, the steely surface of the operation table beneath him vanished and the litte examination room he lay in turned to endless space.

For a few minutes there the pain washed away the burden of being himself, for a few minutes there it set him free.

On the edge of consciousness, General Sephiroth Crescent heard the old fool of a scientist muttering to himself again.

Hojo obviously was excited, as always when he had the chance to lay his hands on some of the first class´ blood. But this time Sehiorth didn´t even bother to listen.

He just tried to relax while he let the mako do it´s magic and it was only very slowly this time that he felt his body restored to it´s usual form.

It was true he tried to avoid professor Hojo and his shots whenever he could, but never had he planned to run out of mako this spectacularily.

The mission he'd deployed for had been sheduled for only a week and it should have been an easy task, shouldn't have become this physically demanding.

Things had run out of hand, had turned far more complicated than he had anticipated. Could have turned out far worse.

He shouldn´t have gone on that mission alone. He knew that. Had known from the beginning.

Well, he actually hadn´t intended on going alone, had he?

He metally face palmed himself as he remembered what had led to him leaving all alone at the crack of dawn in the first place.

Lightning...

Her face appearing infront of his inner eye, all set jaws and blazing eyes, determined and angry and fierce. That was the way he remembered her from their last training session.

She had surprised him there.

She really had.

Suddenly pulling that small knife at him, the little cheat. What would Angeal have said?

Where is your honor, Farron...

Still. It had been a clever move. He had to give her that. And in a real world scenario...

Well... Who would have thought.

'Ah...You were in fact my most brilliant creation...' professor Hojo's eerie voice interrupted the general's reminescant thoughts.

'What a pity... I´d love to do some further research.'

The gaunt man´s words bringing the silver haired first class back to the bleakness of reality, Sephiroth quickly got up into a sitting position, his eyes snapping open alertly as he sensed his creator getting ideas again.

Dangerous ideas.

'I think I´m done here.' the General said as as swiftly as he could he got up from the table, eager not to stay any second longer than was absolutely necessary.

He found Hojo´s face in an expression of disappointment and only inches from his own.

He had probably hurt the gaunt man's feelings.

Some ungrateful speciman he was...

'I´m sure we´ll meet again soon.' the man in the lab coat simpered.

'Not if I can help it.' Sephiroth murmured as he made his way over to the door.

He had almost reached it when he heard the professor calling after him.

'You know... You should send up your second class sometime soon...'

General Sephiroth Crescent stopped dead in his tracks. Held his sucked in breath as he waited for the old fool to say something he´d make sure he´d regret.

'We could undertake her some further modifications...'

Sephiroth had the bastard of a scientist pinned to the wall behind him in just a fraction of a second, his leather clad left hand crushing down on the scrawny man's windpipe hard.

The burst of energy he had received from the mako shot threatening to take the little self-control he had these days, he felt like ripping the professor's head off. He in fact almost did.

'You´d better leave her out of this you crazy old fool, or I swear I´ll make sure you will regret it!' he spat at his creator, his voice deadly, as barely able to contain his anger, he fought the urge to just crush the old man and get this over with once and for all.

It was the wicked grin forming on the crazy gaunt man's face that almost made him forget were his alliances lay. How important Hojo was for Shin-Ra. How important Hojo was for him. How much he relied on him. How much he needed him.

Damn the fucked mako shots!

Disgusted with himself, the silver haired first class abruptly let go of his victim.

The man in the lab coat slipping down the wall, General Sephiroth Crescent left him to sink into a heap on the ground as hurriedly he made to exit the room.

He had to get himself out of there before he would have the time to do something stupid.

He was beginning to feel the high of the mako, making it harder to control himself, and the sudden burst of energy did nothing to calm his flaring temper.

He had barely managed to resist the professor´s provocations this time.

The evil cackle that followed him out of the room, it made him want nothing more than to turn around and rip Hojos head off.


Professor Hojo barely felt the hand choking him, so excited was he, as finding himself with his back crushed against the hard tiled wall, he marveled at his precious experiment´s abilities. Abilities he had so generously equipped him with.

The effect duration of the mako shots may decrease, but the effects themselves still didn't seem to cease.

Yes. He was still incredibly fast. And strong. His perfect little killer machine.

Oh how much he wished they´d let him make more of his kind...

Of course he'd had to adjust the concentration again.

A little more of the precious mako every time. A little more condensed. Sure there'd be adverse effects someday, quite terrible ones probably.

But what did that matter really?

One day it would kill him. That much was for sure. But that day still lay far in the future. And until then there was still so much work to do. So much fun to have together. So many things to observe. So much information to gather. So much data to collect.

Getting up from the floor and stowing his subject's blood samples away for recordkeeping in one of the giant fridges that lined the back wall of the room, Profossor Hojo reminisced fondly of the days when Shin-Ra still let him make some real experiments, some real contributions to science.

Those days were long gone of course.

Shin-Ra were nothing but a bunch of cowards these days.

They'd been glad to have Hojo when they needed him to provide them with a whole new brand of supersoldiers. But when they found out what he was really doing, when they found out what it really was they had excavated and used in their experiments, instead of seeing the potential, the greatness of their discovery, they'd gotten cold field, shit their pants.

The experiments were abandoned and all further research cancelled. And Hojos life's work was put on ice. Indefinitely.

They'd kept him and gave him the job of head of science department out of courtesy. Or maybe because they were scared of him. Of the stories he could tell. Or maybe they just knew how valuable he was. Too valuable. Yes. Maybe they simply couldn't afford for him to work for someone else. The enemy maybe.

Either way.

A title was all it was.

Head of science department...

There wasn't much real science going on at Shin-Ra HQ these days anymore.

The truth was when Shin-Ra had given him that job, Hojo had seen it as a retirement notice. And a retirement notice was really all it was.

Still. Professor Hojo was not one to retire easily. There was no expiration date to thirst for knowledge. To real genius. To megalomania.

And his time there at the science department was not entirely wasted either.

There were always ways do do some further research. To experiment. To observe.

Always a way for developement. For growth.

And that was all this really was about. Wasn't it?

Science. Real science. Was always about knowledge and developement.

But what good was all the knowledge they had gained in their experiments if they were not going to use it?

They had it all. The knowledge. The technology. The data.

Not doing further research on all the things he had discovered was a sin. A sin Professor Hojo was not going to commit.

What he had created was one of the biggest triumphs in history of mankind, was the next step of evolution.

And evolution always found a way.

Whether Shin-Ra wanted it or not.

The DNA sample he had secured would give him further insights on the workings and abilities of Jenova-human hybrid cells. Their potential was only marginally understood after all.

Imagine all the things they could do. Besides creating super soldiers that was. That was only what Shin-Ra had paid him for.

The application possibilities were endless. From physical modifications like improved eyesight, strenght and stamina to potential treatments for cancer, heart desease and various injuries. Jenova cells did heal incredibly fast after all.

It were such possible applications that the head of science department passed his time with these days.

It was all nice and well. Probably one of history's most important discoveries.

All based on the work he had done on Sephiroth.

But oh, how much he wished he could get his hands on that little bitch of his...

That apprentice.

Yes. She was a very promising specimen after all.

Having taken that specially created mako shot so well...

President Shin-Ra hadn´t been happy with him. Had cancelled some of the next year's research funds to punish his incompetence.

Incompetence!

Professor Hojo couldn´t hold back another laughter.

Fools.

Without him they would have lost the war a long time ago.

The Wutai troops outnumbered the Shin-Ra defense forces easily. And without his precious creations, well, they would surely have been done for.

Professor Hojo didn´t feel too disappointed though, didn´t really care.

He knew he would get what he wanted anyway.

Sooner or later.

He´d just patiently wait there.

Biding his time.

He had nothing to loose after all.

One day his time would come.

And he would be ready.

Ready to perform greatness once more.

It was only a matter of years. Months maybe.

One day they would need him. Of that he was sure. And that day he'd be ready.

Still. There was something that bothered him. Something he couldn´t quite explain.

Thinking about everything that had ensued again, the professor couldn´t help but feel surprised at how much his last words seemed to have offended his favourite first class specimen.

'Protective of that girl aren´t we...' he muttered to himself as he made to straighten his now blood stained lab coat.

This was something he had not expected. Something that had come out of the blue.

He hadn´t created the first class soldier to protect or to care for anybody.

He hadn´t raised him to have feelings.

He had been created to fight and kill. To carry out orders. To lead battles.

And nothing else. Nothing.

It therefore was interesting, the way he was defending her, the way he was trying to protect her.

Very interesting indeed.


General Sephiroth Crescent finally made it back to the privacy of his room with his shirt drenched in sweat and sticking to his back as though he'd taken a few lenghts in the natatorium.

Still feeling on edge from his encounter with Hojo he made his way to the bathroom and straight into the shower. An attempt to calm his jittery nerves, his flaring temper.

It had almost happened there. He had almost snapped.

Somehow he felt like losing control more often lately.

Coming from him, that was nothing to be taken lightly.

He could have easily killed Hojo there. He almost had. He was aware.

He wasn't sure whether it was the mako's doing or whether it just lay in his nature. But whatever it was. He had to get it back in check again.

Before something terrible would happen.

Taking deep calming breaths, the silver haired man let the steaming hot water soothe the aftereffects of the mako injection he still felt burning in every muscle of his body. Feeling himself slowly coming down from his previous outburst, his fingers absentmindedly came up to trace the tiny scar he had received in his last training with Lightning.

A souvenir of his incompetence.

He could have easily healed the cut with the aid of his Jenova cells, leaving nothing behind but a memory. But for some strange reason he wanted to keep that scar. A reminder of how he hadn´t been in control of the situation. Of how he had underestimated his counterpart. Of how he had underestimated her.

He hadn't paid attention there.

Not enough at least.

In another situation he could have been dead.

Fuck.

He could have been dead as it was.

Lightning had tried to kill him in the past hadn't she?

She had...

She could have killed him right then and there. Had she really wanted to.

Had she wanted to?

Somehow it didn't matter. Or did it?

This way or the other. What had happened there.. It was inacceptable.

He'd gotten used to her presence. Used to her weakness. Her inexperience.

He'd gotten careless.

And that wasn't something he couldn't let happen ever again.

His long hair soaking wet, the tall lean man finally stepped out of the shower.

Closely observing his reflection in the mirror, he studied his deep green mako eyes.

He couldn´t detect an ounce of emotion in them.

They were the cold calculating eyes of a predator. Of a killer. Not a human being.

He couldn´t believe he had lost his focus like that.

Wasn´t it his job to stay in control, always?

Somehow he´d found it hard to concentrate around Lightning lately.

Her icy blue eyes, so full of defiance, of a fire, that seemed to burn so deep inside of her, somehow they distracted him.

Distracted him a lot. And the silver haired first class couldn't even begin to grasp why.

Lightning...

Somehow the silver haired first class caught his thoughts travelling back to her a lot recently. And he couldn't really explain that either.

Was it because she'd gotten him in training?

It probably was.

It was something unprecedented. Wasn't it?

Neither Genesis nor Angeal had ever managed to so much as scrape his skin in sparring and it had been a long long time, decades maybe, since he'd last gotten himself hurt in training.

He'd still been a child.

Yes. It had to be that.

That and the fact that technically she'd been cheating pulling that knife on him like that.

Nothing else.

Definitely nothing else.

Still. He shuddered to think of what Hojo would actually do to her, if he ever had the possibility to get his dirty hands on her.

He could never let that happen.

He was her mentor. It was his duty to protect her wasn't it?

It had to be.

Yes.

It was his duty. Was his task. His responsibility. That was all there was to it. Nothing more.

Still. No matter how he turned it General Sephiroth Crescent couldn´t deny the fact that somehow the pink haired second class was getting to him.

And somehow he hated her for it.

It was ridiculous.

Ridiculous and irksome.

He had to stop this nonsense. That, he was aware of. Needed to stop it, now.