Setting: Before Cloud & Co. head into the North Crater to defeat Sephiroth.
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII, Squaresoft does. Now read the fic.
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"Almost Closure"
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"All right guys, here we go!" said Cloud as he and his friends climbed off the Highwind to the Crater to defeat Sephiroth once and for all.
The group climbed down the rope quickly.
'I can't believe we're doing this.' thought Cloud. 'It's amazing. A week ago I was hired by Avalanche, and now look. I'm saving the world. I will defeat Sephiroth for Aeris, Nibelheim, and everyone else. Finally.'
'Here we are.' thought Vincent. 'The Crater. This may be the last time that I see the light of day.' he realized before heading into the dark cave that would lead to God knew where. He checked his Death Penalty again. It was fine, and so was he. In fact, he hadn't felt this good in years.
'I don't believe I'm doing this!' thought Yuffie. 'I am such an idiot to be doing this! I better get their materia when this is all over. My plans don't include dying now!'
'I wish Grandfather could see this.' thought Nanaki (Red XIII) looking around the North Crater sadly. 'He would have loved it. Wish me luck and guide me Seto.' he prayed as he jumped into the cave.
'Damn, it's dark in here.' thought Cid looking around the cave with the others. 'Where is that son of a bitch Sephiroth? Bastard got my Tiny Bronco shot down. Where is he?' he wondered giving one last glance around the cave before following the others down the path.
'Well, we're here.' thought Tifa. The others around her were silent, lost in thought like herself. Up ahead was Cloud, leading the way. 'He looks so different.' she mused. 'Two days ago he was a vegetable in Mideel, and now he's so intense. I must be an idiot or in love to follow him down here.' she realized looking around.
'God damn, why's it so dark in here?' wondered Barret. 'I hope that Marlene's all right. Dyne, Midgar, why?' he thought sadly. 'Stop thinkin' like that. You goin' soft or somethin'?' he scolded himself as he hurried to keep up with the group.
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"They come." said Jenova to Sephiroth.
"I know Mother." said Sephiroth polishing his Masamune. "Don't worry. I'll take care of them."
"Good." said Jenova.
'Well Cloud, you've made it this far.' thought Sephiroth. 'In fact, you made it much farther than I'd anticipated. Somehow, I am sorry that I have to kill you. You were a good puppet. What a shame.'
"Do not feel sorry for the boy." said Jenova.
"You were reading my thoughts again?" asked Sephiroth, unsuprised.
"Yes." said Jenova. "Do not underestimate him. He has several fighters, as well as powerful materia including the Knights of the Round."
"What a waste of time and gil. Anyway, it does not matter." said Sephiroth, totally nonplused. "I will not be beaten, even in defeat. They are too late."
"You hope so." said Jenova.
"I know so." said Sephiroth. "I have done everything that you told me to."
"Good." said Jenova. "Remember, follow the plan correctly, and we shall rule the world."
"Yes." said Sephiroth. 'And what if there is no world when Meteor hits?' he wondered. Try as he might, that thought kept surfacing in his mind.
"You worry." said Jenova.
"It is nothing." said Sephiroth. "It must be my human side acting up. It's amazing they've survived this long."
"Yes, but not much longer." said Jenova. "Here they are."
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"We're here now." said Cloud. "There's no turning back now."
"Let's go then!" said Cid hurrying down the path.
"All right, Cid and Tifa, you're with me." said Cloud, as he and his party hopped down the tile like steps.
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Sephiroth heard the party advancing. They had just defeated Jenova, but that was all right. He still carried her cells, and she would regrow. Now he just had to eliminate this small party. He approached them.
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Cloud and the others finally found Sephiroth in the planet's core. They were thrown back, and hung suspended in the air.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sephiroth faced the two parties in battle. He was in a mutated form that he called Bizarro-Sephiroth. He was not afraid.
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Now Sephiroth faced Cloud's party again. After so many years, he finally understood what it was like to be afraid. The fear was unexplainable. True, Cloud would defeat this form, but he should rise again. His mother had promised.
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'Finally.' thought Cloud as he faced his nemesis alone. Somehow the holy magic from the planet was filling his limit. And he knew just how to use it. The fulfillment of what had plagued his conscience for days could be summed up in one word. Omnislash!
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'So this is how it ends.' thought Sephiroth. Cloud had just hit him with an attack that was more powerful than he ever dreamed. He staggered, and fell. Now that death was imminent, he was calm. The pain was far away. Somehow, he knew that he would not be coming back, and he was glad. He was so relaxed, and wonderfully content. In the instant before he died, he realized his folly, but now he was tired and just wanted to sleep. He traveled down, down. He was almost there, just a little farther. Then, out of nowhere, a bolt of pain, and a white light filled his head.
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Cloud collapsed as well. He had done what he had promised he would, but he wasn't as relieved as he thought he'd be. Instead, he was exhausted. 'For you Aeris.' he thought before passing out.
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"I found him!" yelled Yuffie to her friends who were searching for Cloud.
"He looks awful." commented Cait Sith.
"It's Sephiroth!" exclaimed Vincent drawing Death Penalty.
"Put away your gun you idiot." said Barret. "Can't you see he's dead."
"God damn." said Cid. "Cloud killed him. Again."
"We should get him out of here." said Tifa.
"What about him?" asked Vincent pointing to Sephiroth's limp form.
"Leave him here." said Tifa. "He's dead anyway."
"Yes ma'am." said Red XIII.
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However, Sephiroth was not dead. Not yet anyway. His consciousness floated in the white light. He seemed to be walking down a road. At the end, a figure in a gray cloak stood, and he approached it unafraid.
"Where am I?" he asked the hooded figure.
"You don't know?" it responded. The voice was musical, but very serious.
"I am dead." he said."I must be in the Lifestream."
"You're half right." said the cloaked figure. "You are in the Lifestream, but you aren't dead."
"What?" asked Sephiroth incredulously. "Why aren't I dead?" suddenly, he was hit with an unexplained sense of sadness. In some way, he wished he were dead. It had felt so wonderful before he died. God knew he deserved it for what he had done. Why did this person say he was alive?
"I am here to explain your situation to you." said the hooded figure. "Call me Guide."
"Guide, why aren't I dead?" asked Sephiroth."I felt like I was about to go. Why didn't I?"
"Jenova." said Guide.
"No." said Sephiroth. "I realized before I died what she intended to do. She meant to kill me so her cells could regenerate through my body's connection to the Planet."
"That was her plan." said Guide. "Explain her plan to yourself, and try to find an answer."
"She had me connect my body to the planet." said Sephiroth obediently. "She had me do this because she said it would allow me to come back to life through the planet's energy. But, the way she had me connect was through her cells. When I died, the planet would give its' energy to those cells, not me. Instead, her cells would take my life energy to increase their growth. I should be dead."
"Jenova made one mistake." said Guide. "Connecting her cells to the Planet was a bad idea, because the planet's energy rejected them, which explains why she is dead, and you are not."
"She's dead?" asked Sephiroth, stunned. 'She tried to kill me, but she was still my mother.' he thought.
"That is your problem." said Guide. "Come, there is something that you need to see. You have to end your loyalty to Jenova."
"You read my mind." said Sephiroth, stunned.
"Yeah, that happens here." said Guide, turning away. "Now, will you come or not?"
"Sure, might as well." said Sephiroth.
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"Here we are." said Guide.
"So?" asked Sephiroth, looking around. He was standing in front of a portal. It was just sitting in the middle of the "road" they had been traveling on.
"Go through it." said Guide, pointing to the black hole. "Unless you are afraid." it continued mockingly.
"I'm not afraid." said Sephiroth, even though he was. 'Whatever is beyond this will mess everything up for me, won't it.' he thought, but he went through. He was instantly brought to another place entirely.
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"Vincent..." came a voice. Sephiroth looked up to see who was speaking. It was a lady dressed in a lab coat. She stood in the midst of a white light that seemed to emanate from her.
"That voice? It can't be." came another voice. It was a man, and Sephiroth turned his head to look at him. It was that Turk who had been re-engineered. "Lucrecia?" asked the Turk.
"Vincent...?" asked the lady who must have been Lucrecia.
"Lucrecia!!" cried Vincent as he raced toward her. Sephiroth looked behind him and saw Cloud and Cid coming up behind Vincent.
"Don't worry, he can't see you." said Guide who had appeared next to Sephiroth. "No matter what you hear, do not say anything."
"Stay back!" yelled Lucrecia, but it was too late. The white light suddenly swallowed the cave up, and Sephiroth found himself in another place. He saw a young man following two men, and a woman in lab coats. They headed into the Shinra Mansion.
Then suddenly, the scene changed. The man in the suit and the woman in the lab coat were talking. Sephiroth realized that they must be Vincent and Lucrecia, but they were younger.
The scene changed again, and Vincent and Lucrecia were talking. Suddenly, Lucrecia ran away.
The scene shifted again, and this time Sephiroth saw Vincent watching as Lucrecia and another scientist hugged. As he looked closer, he recognized the man as Hojo.
'If she is happy then...I don't mind.' he heard, and realized that these images were from Vincent's memory.
Then, Sephiroth saw Lucrecia sitting in a chair.
The scene changed again, and this time Vincent was arguing with Hojo.
"I'm against it!" yelled Vincent. "Why experiment on humans?"
"She and I are both scientists!" yelled Hojo back.
'After that, a child was born to Lucrecia.' came Vincent's voice. 'That child's name is...Sephiroth.'
Sephiroth felt his knees weaken and threaten to give in as Vincent's words hit him. He closed his eyes, and willed away the voices, but eventually, he listened again.
"I wanted to disappear..." Lucrecia was saying. His mother, not Jenova. "I couldn't be with anyone. I wanted to die. But the Jenova inside me wouldn't let me die." she continued. "Lately, I dream a lot of Sephiroth. My dear, dear child. Ever since he was born I never got to hold him. Even once."
'I never knew.' thought Sephiroth miserably. 'Professor Gast, he never told me.'
"....I heard that he died 5 years ago. But I see him in my dreams too oftern. And I know that physically, like me, he can't die so easily. Please tell me..." said Lucrecia.
'You have no idea.' thought Sephiroth sadly.
"Lucrecia," said Vincent, "Sephiroth is dead."
Then the world went black on Sephiroth.
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"I don't understand." said Sephiroth. He was back in the Lifestream. "Professor Gast said that Jenova was my mother."
"In some ways, she was." said Guide. "Just as Hojo was your father."
'And that was why he was always by me.' thought Sephiroth. 'I knew that he created me, but my father? I never even suspected.'
"So, all that I did for Jenova was for nothing?" asked Sephiroth feeling sick again. 'All the deaths I caused, for nothing?' he thought guiltily.
"Yes." said Guide.
"Why are you showing me this!" yelled Sephiroth suddenly enraged. 'This doesn't matter to me. I should be dead. Why am I being tortured like this?' he wondered.
"I only know what the Planet tells me." said Guide. " You've got to stop thinking that you are dead."
"Why?" asked Sephiroth.
"Because you have a job." said Guide.
"And what would that be?" asked Sephiroth.
"What do you know about the Planet?" asked Guide.
"It's at least two thousand years old." said Sephiroth. "A long time ago, the Cetra came to it and nearly all died defending it."
"And how old do you think the Planet is?" asked Guide.
"I dunno." said Sephiroth losing his patience. "A million years?"
"The Planet is at least 20 billion years old." said Guide.
"You mean you don't know how old?" asked Sephiroth skeptically.
"Oh, it's older than that." said Guide. "It's modern history started at least 20 billion years ago. How long it was around before than is anyone's guess."
"So?" asked Sephiroth.
"The Planet works in cycles." said Guide. "A cycle begins when a species dominates the Planet, and ends when they destroy all life on it. There have been millions of cycles in the Planet's history. So many in fact, that anomalies have started to occur. People are being born and are turning out like others from a completely different period. Now for every person there are two people who were so alike, that you would swear they were the same person. This pair of people are called tet. Everyone is part of a tet, but they almost never occur in the same period."
"That's impossible." said Sephiroth. "No two people are exactly the same."
"I never said they were exactly the same. And besides, sometimes there are more than two in a tet." said Guide. "They are just remarkably similar. They don't have to look alike, but they are the same."
"Where do I fit into this?" asked Sephiroth.
"Do you know what a time riff is?" asked Guide.
"Stop answering my questions with a question." said Sephiroth frustrated. "I don't know what a time riff is."
"A time riff is a natural bridge between two cycles." said Guide. "Normally, they are very small, and simply fade. Unfortunately, due to Time Compression the riffs have gotten bigger, and that is a problem. You see, it means that people who were killed before, aren't dead now because they still exist in some time period, and they can return."
"So Jenova is still alive?" asked Sephiroth. 'And just what is time compression?' he wondered. It didn't sound good to him.
"I'm afraid so." said Guide "And there are more that are coming. Luckily, there are others who fought against these people who are still alive. Some of them are even tets of those who defeated you. Your job is to collect them."
"You can't be serious." said Sephiroth.
"Oh, but I am." said Guide.
"Where do I go?" asked Sephiroth.
"You'll know." said Guide. "Now, get started. We have wasted too much time already."
"Wait!" yelled Sephiroth. "How much time was lost? What is Time Compression? Who are you?"
"You'll see me again." said Guide, and walked away.
'Where do I go now?' wondered Sephiroth. He wasn't sure what to do, so he continued walking down the path that he had been traveling on and pondered.
'So, what now?' he wondered. 'It's not fair. I'm a soldier, I do what I'm told. I'm good at it.' he thought. 'But isn't that what got you into trouble in the first place?' his mind asked. 'It doesn't matter.' he realized. 'Whatever happened in the past doesn't matter because I have to worry about the future. How do I get these people? What would make them come? What would we be up against? Who are they?' he wondered as he strode down the path.
He was mildly suprised to find another path had opened up.
'Guess I'd better go in now.' he thought walking down the new path, and he was immediately knocked out.
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'Where am I?' wondered Sephiroth when he awoke. He was outside, somewhere in what seemed to be the middle of a thunderstorm. Lightning streaked through the sky, and thunder boomed. There was another sound too, but it didn't take Sephiroth long to recognize it. He knew the noise well because he had heard it nearly all his life. The sound was the harsh clang of steel on steel. Sephiroth walked toward it, and was suprised to see two men fighting with swords. One wore black, and the other gray. Both were obviously highly skilled, and fought as though possessed. 'What's going on?' Sephiroth wondered. As soon as he thought this, the fighter in the gray glanced his way. Sephiroth stood his ground and studied the young man. There was something familiar about him, but Sephiroth wasn't sure what. It didn't matter, however, because the other fighter in black knocked the gray one down, and suddenly Sephiroth felt himself back in the Lifestream.
'That was strange.' thought Sephiroth as he continued walking down the path. 'I need a plan.' he realized. 'What do I know will draw out people?' he wondered. 'Hate.' he thought. 'And the unknown. What do Cloud and his fighters hate enough to come to me?' Suddenly, Sephiroth knew what to do, and he was just as suddenly in Mideel.
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Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed it. R&R please.
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII, Squaresoft does. Now read the fic.
---------------------------------------------
"Almost Closure"
-------------------------------------------
"All right guys, here we go!" said Cloud as he and his friends climbed off the Highwind to the Crater to defeat Sephiroth once and for all.
The group climbed down the rope quickly.
'I can't believe we're doing this.' thought Cloud. 'It's amazing. A week ago I was hired by Avalanche, and now look. I'm saving the world. I will defeat Sephiroth for Aeris, Nibelheim, and everyone else. Finally.'
'Here we are.' thought Vincent. 'The Crater. This may be the last time that I see the light of day.' he realized before heading into the dark cave that would lead to God knew where. He checked his Death Penalty again. It was fine, and so was he. In fact, he hadn't felt this good in years.
'I don't believe I'm doing this!' thought Yuffie. 'I am such an idiot to be doing this! I better get their materia when this is all over. My plans don't include dying now!'
'I wish Grandfather could see this.' thought Nanaki (Red XIII) looking around the North Crater sadly. 'He would have loved it. Wish me luck and guide me Seto.' he prayed as he jumped into the cave.
'Damn, it's dark in here.' thought Cid looking around the cave with the others. 'Where is that son of a bitch Sephiroth? Bastard got my Tiny Bronco shot down. Where is he?' he wondered giving one last glance around the cave before following the others down the path.
'Well, we're here.' thought Tifa. The others around her were silent, lost in thought like herself. Up ahead was Cloud, leading the way. 'He looks so different.' she mused. 'Two days ago he was a vegetable in Mideel, and now he's so intense. I must be an idiot or in love to follow him down here.' she realized looking around.
'God damn, why's it so dark in here?' wondered Barret. 'I hope that Marlene's all right. Dyne, Midgar, why?' he thought sadly. 'Stop thinkin' like that. You goin' soft or somethin'?' he scolded himself as he hurried to keep up with the group.
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"They come." said Jenova to Sephiroth.
"I know Mother." said Sephiroth polishing his Masamune. "Don't worry. I'll take care of them."
"Good." said Jenova.
'Well Cloud, you've made it this far.' thought Sephiroth. 'In fact, you made it much farther than I'd anticipated. Somehow, I am sorry that I have to kill you. You were a good puppet. What a shame.'
"Do not feel sorry for the boy." said Jenova.
"You were reading my thoughts again?" asked Sephiroth, unsuprised.
"Yes." said Jenova. "Do not underestimate him. He has several fighters, as well as powerful materia including the Knights of the Round."
"What a waste of time and gil. Anyway, it does not matter." said Sephiroth, totally nonplused. "I will not be beaten, even in defeat. They are too late."
"You hope so." said Jenova.
"I know so." said Sephiroth. "I have done everything that you told me to."
"Good." said Jenova. "Remember, follow the plan correctly, and we shall rule the world."
"Yes." said Sephiroth. 'And what if there is no world when Meteor hits?' he wondered. Try as he might, that thought kept surfacing in his mind.
"You worry." said Jenova.
"It is nothing." said Sephiroth. "It must be my human side acting up. It's amazing they've survived this long."
"Yes, but not much longer." said Jenova. "Here they are."
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"We're here now." said Cloud. "There's no turning back now."
"Let's go then!" said Cid hurrying down the path.
"All right, Cid and Tifa, you're with me." said Cloud, as he and his party hopped down the tile like steps.
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Sephiroth heard the party advancing. They had just defeated Jenova, but that was all right. He still carried her cells, and she would regrow. Now he just had to eliminate this small party. He approached them.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cloud and the others finally found Sephiroth in the planet's core. They were thrown back, and hung suspended in the air.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sephiroth faced the two parties in battle. He was in a mutated form that he called Bizarro-Sephiroth. He was not afraid.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now Sephiroth faced Cloud's party again. After so many years, he finally understood what it was like to be afraid. The fear was unexplainable. True, Cloud would defeat this form, but he should rise again. His mother had promised.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Finally.' thought Cloud as he faced his nemesis alone. Somehow the holy magic from the planet was filling his limit. And he knew just how to use it. The fulfillment of what had plagued his conscience for days could be summed up in one word. Omnislash!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'So this is how it ends.' thought Sephiroth. Cloud had just hit him with an attack that was more powerful than he ever dreamed. He staggered, and fell. Now that death was imminent, he was calm. The pain was far away. Somehow, he knew that he would not be coming back, and he was glad. He was so relaxed, and wonderfully content. In the instant before he died, he realized his folly, but now he was tired and just wanted to sleep. He traveled down, down. He was almost there, just a little farther. Then, out of nowhere, a bolt of pain, and a white light filled his head.
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Cloud collapsed as well. He had done what he had promised he would, but he wasn't as relieved as he thought he'd be. Instead, he was exhausted. 'For you Aeris.' he thought before passing out.
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"I found him!" yelled Yuffie to her friends who were searching for Cloud.
"He looks awful." commented Cait Sith.
"It's Sephiroth!" exclaimed Vincent drawing Death Penalty.
"Put away your gun you idiot." said Barret. "Can't you see he's dead."
"God damn." said Cid. "Cloud killed him. Again."
"We should get him out of here." said Tifa.
"What about him?" asked Vincent pointing to Sephiroth's limp form.
"Leave him here." said Tifa. "He's dead anyway."
"Yes ma'am." said Red XIII.
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However, Sephiroth was not dead. Not yet anyway. His consciousness floated in the white light. He seemed to be walking down a road. At the end, a figure in a gray cloak stood, and he approached it unafraid.
"Where am I?" he asked the hooded figure.
"You don't know?" it responded. The voice was musical, but very serious.
"I am dead." he said."I must be in the Lifestream."
"You're half right." said the cloaked figure. "You are in the Lifestream, but you aren't dead."
"What?" asked Sephiroth incredulously. "Why aren't I dead?" suddenly, he was hit with an unexplained sense of sadness. In some way, he wished he were dead. It had felt so wonderful before he died. God knew he deserved it for what he had done. Why did this person say he was alive?
"I am here to explain your situation to you." said the hooded figure. "Call me Guide."
"Guide, why aren't I dead?" asked Sephiroth."I felt like I was about to go. Why didn't I?"
"Jenova." said Guide.
"No." said Sephiroth. "I realized before I died what she intended to do. She meant to kill me so her cells could regenerate through my body's connection to the Planet."
"That was her plan." said Guide. "Explain her plan to yourself, and try to find an answer."
"She had me connect my body to the planet." said Sephiroth obediently. "She had me do this because she said it would allow me to come back to life through the planet's energy. But, the way she had me connect was through her cells. When I died, the planet would give its' energy to those cells, not me. Instead, her cells would take my life energy to increase their growth. I should be dead."
"Jenova made one mistake." said Guide. "Connecting her cells to the Planet was a bad idea, because the planet's energy rejected them, which explains why she is dead, and you are not."
"She's dead?" asked Sephiroth, stunned. 'She tried to kill me, but she was still my mother.' he thought.
"That is your problem." said Guide. "Come, there is something that you need to see. You have to end your loyalty to Jenova."
"You read my mind." said Sephiroth, stunned.
"Yeah, that happens here." said Guide, turning away. "Now, will you come or not?"
"Sure, might as well." said Sephiroth.
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"Here we are." said Guide.
"So?" asked Sephiroth, looking around. He was standing in front of a portal. It was just sitting in the middle of the "road" they had been traveling on.
"Go through it." said Guide, pointing to the black hole. "Unless you are afraid." it continued mockingly.
"I'm not afraid." said Sephiroth, even though he was. 'Whatever is beyond this will mess everything up for me, won't it.' he thought, but he went through. He was instantly brought to another place entirely.
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"Vincent..." came a voice. Sephiroth looked up to see who was speaking. It was a lady dressed in a lab coat. She stood in the midst of a white light that seemed to emanate from her.
"That voice? It can't be." came another voice. It was a man, and Sephiroth turned his head to look at him. It was that Turk who had been re-engineered. "Lucrecia?" asked the Turk.
"Vincent...?" asked the lady who must have been Lucrecia.
"Lucrecia!!" cried Vincent as he raced toward her. Sephiroth looked behind him and saw Cloud and Cid coming up behind Vincent.
"Don't worry, he can't see you." said Guide who had appeared next to Sephiroth. "No matter what you hear, do not say anything."
"Stay back!" yelled Lucrecia, but it was too late. The white light suddenly swallowed the cave up, and Sephiroth found himself in another place. He saw a young man following two men, and a woman in lab coats. They headed into the Shinra Mansion.
Then suddenly, the scene changed. The man in the suit and the woman in the lab coat were talking. Sephiroth realized that they must be Vincent and Lucrecia, but they were younger.
The scene changed again, and Vincent and Lucrecia were talking. Suddenly, Lucrecia ran away.
The scene shifted again, and this time Sephiroth saw Vincent watching as Lucrecia and another scientist hugged. As he looked closer, he recognized the man as Hojo.
'If she is happy then...I don't mind.' he heard, and realized that these images were from Vincent's memory.
Then, Sephiroth saw Lucrecia sitting in a chair.
The scene changed again, and this time Vincent was arguing with Hojo.
"I'm against it!" yelled Vincent. "Why experiment on humans?"
"She and I are both scientists!" yelled Hojo back.
'After that, a child was born to Lucrecia.' came Vincent's voice. 'That child's name is...Sephiroth.'
Sephiroth felt his knees weaken and threaten to give in as Vincent's words hit him. He closed his eyes, and willed away the voices, but eventually, he listened again.
"I wanted to disappear..." Lucrecia was saying. His mother, not Jenova. "I couldn't be with anyone. I wanted to die. But the Jenova inside me wouldn't let me die." she continued. "Lately, I dream a lot of Sephiroth. My dear, dear child. Ever since he was born I never got to hold him. Even once."
'I never knew.' thought Sephiroth miserably. 'Professor Gast, he never told me.'
"....I heard that he died 5 years ago. But I see him in my dreams too oftern. And I know that physically, like me, he can't die so easily. Please tell me..." said Lucrecia.
'You have no idea.' thought Sephiroth sadly.
"Lucrecia," said Vincent, "Sephiroth is dead."
Then the world went black on Sephiroth.
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"I don't understand." said Sephiroth. He was back in the Lifestream. "Professor Gast said that Jenova was my mother."
"In some ways, she was." said Guide. "Just as Hojo was your father."
'And that was why he was always by me.' thought Sephiroth. 'I knew that he created me, but my father? I never even suspected.'
"So, all that I did for Jenova was for nothing?" asked Sephiroth feeling sick again. 'All the deaths I caused, for nothing?' he thought guiltily.
"Yes." said Guide.
"Why are you showing me this!" yelled Sephiroth suddenly enraged. 'This doesn't matter to me. I should be dead. Why am I being tortured like this?' he wondered.
"I only know what the Planet tells me." said Guide. " You've got to stop thinking that you are dead."
"Why?" asked Sephiroth.
"Because you have a job." said Guide.
"And what would that be?" asked Sephiroth.
"What do you know about the Planet?" asked Guide.
"It's at least two thousand years old." said Sephiroth. "A long time ago, the Cetra came to it and nearly all died defending it."
"And how old do you think the Planet is?" asked Guide.
"I dunno." said Sephiroth losing his patience. "A million years?"
"The Planet is at least 20 billion years old." said Guide.
"You mean you don't know how old?" asked Sephiroth skeptically.
"Oh, it's older than that." said Guide. "It's modern history started at least 20 billion years ago. How long it was around before than is anyone's guess."
"So?" asked Sephiroth.
"The Planet works in cycles." said Guide. "A cycle begins when a species dominates the Planet, and ends when they destroy all life on it. There have been millions of cycles in the Planet's history. So many in fact, that anomalies have started to occur. People are being born and are turning out like others from a completely different period. Now for every person there are two people who were so alike, that you would swear they were the same person. This pair of people are called tet. Everyone is part of a tet, but they almost never occur in the same period."
"That's impossible." said Sephiroth. "No two people are exactly the same."
"I never said they were exactly the same. And besides, sometimes there are more than two in a tet." said Guide. "They are just remarkably similar. They don't have to look alike, but they are the same."
"Where do I fit into this?" asked Sephiroth.
"Do you know what a time riff is?" asked Guide.
"Stop answering my questions with a question." said Sephiroth frustrated. "I don't know what a time riff is."
"A time riff is a natural bridge between two cycles." said Guide. "Normally, they are very small, and simply fade. Unfortunately, due to Time Compression the riffs have gotten bigger, and that is a problem. You see, it means that people who were killed before, aren't dead now because they still exist in some time period, and they can return."
"So Jenova is still alive?" asked Sephiroth. 'And just what is time compression?' he wondered. It didn't sound good to him.
"I'm afraid so." said Guide "And there are more that are coming. Luckily, there are others who fought against these people who are still alive. Some of them are even tets of those who defeated you. Your job is to collect them."
"You can't be serious." said Sephiroth.
"Oh, but I am." said Guide.
"Where do I go?" asked Sephiroth.
"You'll know." said Guide. "Now, get started. We have wasted too much time already."
"Wait!" yelled Sephiroth. "How much time was lost? What is Time Compression? Who are you?"
"You'll see me again." said Guide, and walked away.
'Where do I go now?' wondered Sephiroth. He wasn't sure what to do, so he continued walking down the path that he had been traveling on and pondered.
'So, what now?' he wondered. 'It's not fair. I'm a soldier, I do what I'm told. I'm good at it.' he thought. 'But isn't that what got you into trouble in the first place?' his mind asked. 'It doesn't matter.' he realized. 'Whatever happened in the past doesn't matter because I have to worry about the future. How do I get these people? What would make them come? What would we be up against? Who are they?' he wondered as he strode down the path.
He was mildly suprised to find another path had opened up.
'Guess I'd better go in now.' he thought walking down the new path, and he was immediately knocked out.
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'Where am I?' wondered Sephiroth when he awoke. He was outside, somewhere in what seemed to be the middle of a thunderstorm. Lightning streaked through the sky, and thunder boomed. There was another sound too, but it didn't take Sephiroth long to recognize it. He knew the noise well because he had heard it nearly all his life. The sound was the harsh clang of steel on steel. Sephiroth walked toward it, and was suprised to see two men fighting with swords. One wore black, and the other gray. Both were obviously highly skilled, and fought as though possessed. 'What's going on?' Sephiroth wondered. As soon as he thought this, the fighter in the gray glanced his way. Sephiroth stood his ground and studied the young man. There was something familiar about him, but Sephiroth wasn't sure what. It didn't matter, however, because the other fighter in black knocked the gray one down, and suddenly Sephiroth felt himself back in the Lifestream.
'That was strange.' thought Sephiroth as he continued walking down the path. 'I need a plan.' he realized. 'What do I know will draw out people?' he wondered. 'Hate.' he thought. 'And the unknown. What do Cloud and his fighters hate enough to come to me?' Suddenly, Sephiroth knew what to do, and he was just as suddenly in Mideel.
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Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed it. R&R please.