Chapter 1
10 Years Later
Wutai
Laeryn's eyes snapped open. The sky was just beginning to
glow with traces of dawn. She stretched, and rolled out of her cot onto the
dirt floor of her tent. It was not a
large tent, but it seemed spacious because she was the only one in it. Ah, the privileges of being an officer,
thought Laeryn, I no longer have to share
a tent with at least five other people. She turned and admired her black
admiral's uniform. She'd been an admiral for two years now. And just last year
she'd been given the highest honor any Soldier could aspire to. She had been
promoted to the rank of Grand Admiral, the General's second-in-command. Her
father was right. She was successful.
Laeryn pulled her coat on over the red tube top she wore
for sleeping and training, the dark brilliant colors of her clothing standing
out against her ivory skin. Laeryn had never been described as a pretty girl.
Most people described her appearance as striking and a bit intimidating. Her
face and body formed angles instead of curves. Her ink black hair contrasted
starkly with her white skin, giving her the look of an alabaster statue with
pale blue gemstones for eyes. Years of training with weapons had left her hands
rough with calluses. Even so, her angular features, piercing eyes, and slender,
muscular build made Laeryn impossible to miss.
Since
Laeryn was very tall, her black pants were too baggy, and just a bit too short,
revealing some of the laces on her steel-toed combat boots. As she fastened the
last of the silver buttons on the high-collared coat, she reached for her comb.
She'd had the comb as long as she could remember. It made Laeryn smile as she
remembered how her mother always nagged her about combing her hair. Even six
months ago, when she last visited her family in North
Corel, her mother remarked about her hair. Mother, Laeryn had said, I'm eighteen years old now. I can take of my
own hair. Laeryn smiled and shook her head. Her hair was the same jet black
color it had been when she was younger, but she wore it in a different style
now. It was wavy and coarse and hung just past her shoulders though it was
usually held back in a ponytail.
Laeryn's
weapons were her most prized possessions. She had dreamed of having weapons of
her own ever since she was little, and she took meticulous care of them. She
pulled her long sword out of the sheath, and examined it carefully. Her cold
blue eyes squinted as she searched for any speck of dust on the slender silver
blade. Finally, she attached it to the longest of the belts, which wrapped
around her torso. She examined her other two weapons, a short sword and a
handgun, with the same scrutiny before belting them to her hips. Each of her
swords had four green, marble-sized stones set into the hilt. The stones were
materia. One of the privileges of being a high ranking officer was the ability
to use materia. Materia was concentrated Mako energy which infused its user
with magical power. Materia was dangerous and difficult to use, which is why it
was only given to high ranking Soldiers who had passed numerous tests showing
they could control it.
After
sliding on her black gloves, she grabbed her wrap-around sunglasses and placed
them on her forehead and strode outside.
The sun was just beginning to rise over Da-Chao Peak, but
it didn't bring any warmth with it. It was a damp, chilly morning, and Laeryn's
heavy boots made squelching noises as she walked through the carpet of soggy
pine needles. The side of the peak the Soldiers were camped on was sloped
gently and covered with a thin forest made of tall, scrawny pines. The other
side of the peak was almost sheer, with only a few narrow paths going up its
face. That side was also covered with spectacular, giant-sized carvings of the
water god, Da-Chao, and his servant gods, Omni, Magic, Power and Speed. In the
shadow of the peak stood the town of Wutai, which was currently engaged in a
war with Shinra over the building of a Mako reactor on Da-Chao Peak. Wutai was
actually the capital of a region that spanned almost an entire continent, and
as a result it was able to raise quite a sizeable army.
Laeryn stepped out of her tent into the huge clearing
that served as the Soldier campsite. She shaded her eyes with her hand and saw
her commander drilling the troops. The Shinra army was divided into five
sections, and an admiral oversaw each one. Each section also had a commander,
who answered only to the admirals. And there was the General, who oversaw the
entire operation.
She
picked out the ranks in her section by the colors of their uniforms- privates
wore blue, sergeants green, colonels purple, lieutenants yellow, captains
orange, and the commander wore red. There was also a white General's uniform,
but the current General never wore it.
Laeryn headed out onto the field to join them,
but was intercepted by a messenger girl who looked very
shaken up. She managed a sloppy salute before gasping out, "Grand Admiral
Chase, ma'am! A message from General Sephiroth. He
wishes to see you at once."
Laeryn smiled and shook her head as the messenger girl
sped away. The General did tend to have that effect on people. Laeryn opened
the envelope and looked at the message inside. It was written in cursive so
meticulous that it looked as if the General had spent hours writing it,
perfecting every line and curl. It read:
Good morning, Grand
Admiral Laeryn.
You may give your troops some time
off today. I want them well-rested for the attack tomorrow. Also, I would like
you to join me for breakfast this morning in about fifteen minutes. I have a strategy
in mind that I believe will bring us easy victory, and I want to discuss it
with you. At five o'clock this afternoon, we will meet with the other admirals
to tell them of our plans.
~ General Sephiroth ~
Laeryn
slipped the note into one of her pockets and stood there feeling rather stupid.
She'd been his second-in-command and military confidante for nearly a year now, there was nothing to be excited about. She suddenly
felt self-conscious, she felt the need to wipe the dew off her pants, make sure
her hair was exactly in place. She could feel her heart racing, even though she
was standing still. Before she could stop herself, Laeryn drew her sword. It
was so polished she could see her reflection in it. Using her sword as a
mirror, she adjusted a few pieces of her hair. She pushed her sunglasses back
onto her forehead and looked at her face. She still had dark patches under her
eyes from sleep. Laeryn frowned at her sudden fastidiousness and replaced her
sword in its sheath on her back. Her heart was still pounding, and she was
suddenly paranoid that other people would hear and ask her, why is your heart
beating so hard? And even though she knew, she'd never be able to tell them.
She'd snap at them for speaking to an officer out of turn, and continue toward
Sephiroth's cabin, red-faced.
Laeryn
took a deep breath. She glanced at her watch, and cursed under her breath. She
had five minutes to get to Sephiroth's cabin, which was about a fifteen minute
walk away. She composed herself quickly and walked across the clearing,
watching the other sections go through their drills, trying to focus on
something other than Sephiroth.
Instead
of a tent, Sephiroth stayed in hastily built cabin made from trees the Soldiers
had cut down to form the encampment. It was raised off the ground, had a smooth
stone floor and three rooms. Only one small window, though, Laeryn noticed as
she approached it. She stood in front of the door, and without even thinking
about it, wiped bits of mud off her pants and straightened the collar of her
uniform. Only then did she notice the two guards standing on either side of the
door. Laeryn was slightly embarrassed, and snapped at one of the guards, "Tell
General Sephiroth I am here."
"Yes, ma'am!" replied the guard, who disappeared into the
cabin. He emerged a moment later and said, "You may enter, Grand Admiral."
Laeryn stepped inside, and closed the door behind her.
The sun hadn't fully risen yet, and the light inside was fairly dim. Sephiroth
was seated at a table, eating his breakfast. His unsettling Mako-green eyes
seemed to be providing most of the illumination in the room. He looked up at
Laeryn, and she felt as if his eyes were shining spotlights on her. She
immediately performed her fanciest salute, and then wondered why she hadn't
chosen a simpler one that would have been more appropriate for the casual
situation she was in. Sephiroth stopped eating and neatly wiped his mouth with
a napkin. A barely perceptible smile pulled at the corners of his lips.
"At ease,
Laeryn. Sit down", he said. His voice was, as usual, soft and smooth. Like his hair, maybe, or his skin,
Laeryn wondered before she could catch herself.
"Yes sir", she replied and seated herself, feeling awful
that she had been late and embarrassed by her own thoughts.
Sephiroth chuckled gently, and gave her a
slight look, almost as if he had known what she was thinking. Laeryn forced
down the sudden panic at the thought that he could somehow read her mind.
"Please help yourself to some food. I cannot eat all this, since I had the
cooks made enough for two people" He picked up his silverware again. Laeryn
watched his hands for a moment, watched the elegant way he held his silverware.
His etiquette and table manners were impeccable.
Feeling self-conscious again, Laeryn reached over and
speared a couple of pancakes. As she did so, she scolded herself for acting so
foolish. I didn't get to where I am now
by acting like a silly little schoolgirl, Laeryn thought firmly to herself,
I am a Grand Admiral in the best army on
the Planet, and I will conduct myself in a way that is appropriate to my high
ranking position. I have been Sephiroth's second-in-command for about a year,
and I should not… Laeryn's thought
trailed off as she stole a glance at Sephiroth. He ran one of his long, slender
hands through his silver hair, which fell gracefully through his fingers and
flowed down his back. As his hair moved, it caught the light from the newly
risen sun and glittered as if it were actually made of metal. Laeryn tried her
hardest to focus on her food, and not stare, but was having a difficult time.
She was relieved when he began to speak again, so she would have a reason to
look at him.
"Forgive me, Laeryn, my mind is wandering. I summoned you
here to plan strategies, and I've said nothing useful thus far. Let me tell you
what I have in mind", he said.
Laeryn sat, her food forgotten, as she watched him speak,
watched his lips form the words. Like everything else about him, his lips were
elegant and precise, exactly the way they were supposed to be.
"Our campsite is at a location that is strategically
advantageous", Sephiroth continued, "The other side of this peak is almost
sheer. At the top, just above where we are camped, there is a wide plateau that
is as heavily forested as this area. The top of the peak overlooks the city of
Wutai It will not be difficult for us to launch an effective offensive strike
from this vantage point. There need not be any melee combat, and our losses
will be kept to a minimum. Knowing that we were on our way, the vast majority
of the Wutai army is now gathered in the city below, awaiting our next move. We
will position our troops on the plateau. They will be armed solely with long
range weapons- rocket launchers, vulcans, and other types of light artillery.
Armed in such a way, we will be able to annihilate Wutai's army by firing down
on the city. Due to the sheer cliff face, it will be difficult for them to
counterattack. This plan is still rough, but I believe it has potential. What
do you think?"
"We should attack when they are least expecting it. Not
right before dawn, but rather shortly after they settle down at night. I think
it's a good idea, though. They won't be able to mobilize in time to go around
the mountain and attack us from the rear, so that shouldn't be an issue",
Laeryn added, the logical, military side of her mind taking over, "Even if they
did try something like that, we'd easily be able to see it."
Sephiroth nodded, the movement making his silver hair
ripple. "That's a good point. They will probably be expecting an attack right
around dawn."
"I'll have to think about it some more. The other
admirals will probably have additional ideas", said Laeryn.
Sephiroth was silent for a moment before responding,
"That will be all, Laeryn. Thank you for joining me. I expect to see you here
this afternoon, when we will plan our strategy in further detail. You may go."
Laeryn rose from her chair and saluted. "Yes sir." She
turned to walk toward the door, but her feet barely cooperated with her. Laeryn
forced her mind to clear and purposefully strode out the door, ignoring the
guards.
Why did it always have to be like this? Laeryn wondered
as she made her way back to her tent. As his second-in-command, she had worked
closely with him for the past year and gotten to know him better than anyone
else had. A year! That was more than enough time to get used to him, to find
his faults. So why hadn't that happened?
"Grand Admiral Chase!"
She turned her head and saw the other four admirals
standing at attention. She addressed the one who had spoken, a boy two years
younger than her. His dark hair was sticking out in every direction imaginable,
and Laeryn couldn't help but wonder when he had last bathed.
"What is it, Zack", Laeryn mumbled, not pleased that he
had interrupted her thoughts.
"I was…uh…we were…uh…wondering what the General has in
mind for the battle," Zack stammered, looking at his feet.
"Be at his cabin at five
o'clock tonight", Laeryn said absently and
continued walking.
"I was…uh…we
were…uh…wondering what the General has in mind for the battle," Zack stammered,
looking at his feet.
"Be at his
cabin at five
o'clock
tonight", Laeryn said absently and continued walking. The other Admirals,
Martino Valdez, Cody Salo, and Galen Rance saluted as she passed.
As she
walked away, Laeryn shook her head and chuckled softly. Poor Zack, she thought, feeling a bit of pity for him. He tried so
hard to catch her eye, and she only had eyes for Sephiroth.
As
she walked away, Laeryn shook her head and chuckled softly. Poor Zack, she thought, feeling a bit of
pity for him. He tried so hard to catch her eye, and she only had eyes for
Sephiroth.
Sephiroth.
When Laeryn entered her tent and sat down on the cot, she
immediately lapsed deep into thought again. She absently began to comb her hair
and stared intently at the dark green canvas wall of her tent. Sephiroth's
aquamarine eyes glittered in her mind's eye, and his hair flowed like a river
of quicksilver. She flashed back to the first time she saw him, four years ago,
when the previous General had retired. Laeryn was fourteen at the time, and a
lieutenant. She was standing at attention, bored out of her mind listening to
the old General's retirement speech. At the very end of the speech, he
announced that his replacement would be Sephiroth, a twenty-one-year-old
military genius, widely hailed as the best swordsman in history. Laeryn
suddenly paid attention. Sephiroth. What an unusual
name, she had thought, but so pleasant sounding. She'd never heard of anyone
else named Sephiroth, and was very curious about what type of person would go
with such a name.
Sephiroth appeared on the stage a moment later and slowly
walked toward the podium, his posture straight and rigid. Laeryn watched him
closely, noticing every detail. His hands were clenched into loose fists. His
long silver hair and black floor-length coat flowed behind him as he moved, and
made it seem as if he were floating instead of walking. When he reached the podium, Laeryn saw his
face, and suddenly everything else was dull and colorless. When he tossed his
hair back from his face and began to speak, everything else was still and began
to fade away. Laeryn was so mesmerized by his presence that she almost forgot
to applaud at the end of his speech.
Nothing had changed since then, even though Sephiroth had
shown himself to be an extremely strict and authoritarian general. When most
people spoke to him he was incredibly cold, and seemed to have an air of
perpetual boredom around him, as if he were wondering why inferior mortals felt
the need to waste his time. He was
rather short-tempered, and had not a grain of patience. Things were to be done
when he said so, exactly the way he said so. No one dared do otherwise. The
troops lived in mortal terror of Sephiroth's temper.
Like everyone else, Laeryn had been subject to
Sephiroth's harsh discipline and flaring rage on several occasions. She had
hung her head in shame, and it was one of the few times she felt like crying.
The punishments themselves were nothing to her- the extra work, menial labor
and harsh words had no effect on her. The fact that she had
upset Sephiroth, disappointed him, failed him, brought tears to her eyes.
Somehow, not even Sephiroth's cold demeanor and short
temper could deter Laeryn's fascination with him. She wondered if he were just
putting up an unfriendly façade for some reason. Surely no one could be that
distant all the time. She tried to imagine what he was really like, maybe how
he acted with his family and close friends.
Laeryn had managed to impress Sephiroth, though. Her
natural talent for the use of both swords and guns caught his attention
quickly. On one occasion she had been practicing with her swords, slashing at
imaginary opponents, and had turned to see Sephiroth standing a short distance
away, watching her intently. Her cheeks flushed at the memory, as she recalled
how she had suddenly lost focus on her swords. She had ended up dropping one of
them and slicing her hand open.
But from that day on, Sephiroth seemed slightly less
cold, almost friendly, to Laeryn, and he never missed an opportunity to promote
her. As she advanced through the ranks, she became less intimidated by him.
Once she gathered up her courage and spoke to him, promptly backing away, not
knowing what his reaction would be. She had been quite relieved, not to mention
thrilled, when he actually engaged her in conversation.
Laeryn spoke with Sephiroth more frequently, even though
she usually ended up doing most of the talking. The following year he had
promoted her to Grand Admiral, his personal second-in-command. Laeryn spent a
lot of her time with him, and she gradually began to consider him her friend. Just my friend, Laeryn repeated in her mind,
just my friend, just my friend. Laeryn worked very hard to convince herself
that friendship and respect were the extent of her feelings for him. After a
moment, she sighed, and gave up.
Laeryn shook her head and steered her train of thought
elsewhere. She stood up, took a deep breath, and went outside to practice with
her weapons.
*
* *
North Corel
"Kile, think about the future. Think about your daughter!
You want her to have a hometown to come back to, don't you?" pleaded Dyne, one
of North Corel's town leaders. Dyne had always been a very political man. He
was always the one calling town meetings and starting debates over various
issues. Normally, the town meetings were fairly insignificant and the debates
were over very minor issues. The argument over the construction of a Mako
reactor on Mt. Corel was very serious, and Dyne was having the time of his life
with it.
Kile shook his head, and responded from the other end of
the splintery table, "Dyne, we don't need
a Mako reactor here. There's still plenty of coal left in these mountains. A
Mako reactor is completely unnecessary and would drive nearly everyone in this
town out of employment. Besides, not everything today is Mako powered."
Dyne sighed, and looked to Barret Wallace, one of the few
other supporters of the construction of a Mako reactor. Barret was a huge man
with a deep rumbling voice, and easily spoke over the side conversations that
had sprung up.
"Now ya'll listen up. I know how yer all feelin',
thinkin' that a reator'll ruin our lives. But hear this. It's gonna do nothin'
but good fer this town. Ain't nothin' that still runs on fossil fuels, 'cept
maybe some backwoods railroad line or somethin'. But the truth is there just
ain't no money in coal minin' no more. Dyne's right.
You gotta think about the future. I don't want my little girl Marlene growin'
up po' like I did, always wonderin' where her next meal's gonna come from,
wonderin' what she's gonna do wit her life in this dead-end town. A reactor'll
change all that. We won't be unemployed. We can get jobs wit Shinra, they pay
good, and they always lookin' fo' new people, and they
gonna need someone to take care o' the reactor. I'm only sayin' this fo' the
sake of our children. They deserve better than what dis town has to offer right
now."
Dyne
and most of the others cheered Barret's speech.
Kile leaned back in his chair, the legs creaking
dangerously. Barret had made some good points. But he still had a bad feeling
about this, something about it just didn't seem right.
Both he and his wife wanted to stick with the more traditional ways of life,
but he forced himself to think of his daughter first. She was a high-ranking
officer in the army now, and the thought of her returning to North Corel and
finding nothing but ruins gave him chills. She needed a home, needed a place to
come back to.
"Very well, Barret. For Laeryn's sake, I'll vote for the
building of the reactor" Kile sighed.
Barret's rough, dark face split into a grin. "Dat's da spirit, Kile. I'm sure Laeryn'll be excited when
she hears about dis. Now, let's 'ave a vote. All in
favor of a Mako reactor, 'ands up." Barret paused a moment and counted the
hands. "Now all against the building of a reactor, 'ands up."
Barret counted again and shook his head. "The majority is still against the
building of a reactor. Alright den, We'll send da
report to Shinra in da mo'nin'."
As people filed out of the small, cramped meeting house,
Dyne pulled Barret aside.
"Shinra won't be happy with the result of this vote. This
is the fourth meeting we've held, and the people are still against the building
of a reactor", he said worriedly.
"Yeah, I know. But we gotta go wit what tha people want,
Dyne. Until dey vote for it, we can't do nothin'. We
just gotta hope for da best, hope dey all come 'round sooner or later."
"You're right, Barret. When we send that report to Shinra
in the morning, there'll be nothing else we can do. We just gotta hope and pray
that things'll turn out okay. Now let's go home, it's getting late."
*
* *
"Laeryn's not in here" griped Zack, stepping away from
the tent, "She's probably out taking target practice or something."
"Okay then, but I'm not gonna be the one that interrupts
her, especially if she's got a gun in her hand!" yawned
Cody, rolling his eyes.
The two Admirals reached the target practice area, and
looked around.
"She's not here, either, Zack", stated Cody, "She's
probably on her way to the General's cabin already."
Zack shrugged and began walking the other way. He got
about three steps when a bullet zinged past his head and destroyed a
well-concealed target.
Both Admirals dropped
to the ground.
"Whoever's
there, watch where you're shooting! You almost just killed an officer, kiddo!
You could be executed for mutiny!" screamed Zack.
Laeryn
emerged from behind a tree several moments later.
"Shut
up, Admiral Page. Stop groveling in the dirt and get your ass in gear. There's
a meeting at the General's cabin in twenty minutes. And by the way, I don't
need to watch where I'm shooting. You need to watch where you're walking",
Laeryn hissed angrily. Despite her tone, her eyes shone with amusement. The
Admirals could be rather entertaining at times.
Zack
and Cody leapt up from the ground and hastily brushed themselves off, trying to
hide their embarrassment.
"Apologies,
Grand Admiral Chase! We'll be on our way then! Have a good evening, ma'am!" the
boys answered smartly in unison and marched away. Laeryn restrained the urge to
burst out laughing.
"I
can't believe I just made a fool of myself like that!" yelled Zack, smacking
himself on the forehead.
"It's
hard not to make a fool of yourself in front of Laeryn. Everyone knows she's
the best Soldier there is. Well, other than the General, of course" shrugged
Cody.
"That's
true", replied Zack, "And she reminds me so much of the General it's scary.
When he retires or gets killed or something, I bet you anything Laeryn's gonna
take over."
After
entering the cabin, Laeryn calmly seated herself beside Sephiroth. She folded
her hands in her lap and stared at them. She had to maintain better composure
than she had that morning. Nothing could jeopardize her authority or her
reputation. Laeryn closed her eyes and attempted to erase whatever thoughts or
feelings she had for Sephiroth from her mind. Her job demanded that she be
cold, calculating and objective. She had to think of the success of Shinra and
Soldier above all else, and could not allow feelings for a specific individual
to block her path. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she heard Sephiroth
rise and move to another part of the room. Cautiously, Laeryn looked up, only
to see Sephiroth directly in front of her, opening the door for Zack, Cody,
Martino, and Galen. A breeze from outside caught his long hair and sent it
flying out behind him. Laeryn took a deep breath and focused her attention on
the tabletop again. The Admirals sat down at the table, behaving much better
than they usually did, not wanting to irritate the General. Sephiroth didn't
even notice their exceptional behavior. He took his seat next to Laeryn,
straightened a few strands of his hair and began speaking. "There will be nothing left of
Wutai's army or will to resist Shinra when we have finished with them. I want
every long range weapon at our disposal to be utilized. From the top of the
plateau, send all hell raining down on that city. If we keep the attack quiet
they will not have time to organize a retaliation
before we crush them. Martino, Cody, and Galen, you will be chiefly responsible
for this effort. Your troops will provide the primary wave of firepower. Zack,
Laeryn, and myself will be waiting with the rest of
the army a short way down the slope, to relieve you when necessary. In the
unlike event that Wutai will attempt to retaliate, we will move tanks into
position as well".
Zack
had never been so excited in his entire life. This would be his first real
battle as an Admiral. Since he'd been promoted two months ago, he'd never done
anything more than simulations and training courses. Now he finally had the
chance to prove what he'd learned. The fact that he would get to stay with
Laeryn only thrilled him further. As Sephiroth outlined the finer details of
the plan, Zack began to daydream. He imagined that Wutai did fight back, and it
was up to him, Laeryn, and Sephiroth to stop them. His mind's eye surveyed the
scenario, and he saw himself saving Laeryn from the Wutai troops, winning the
battle, winning medals, winning Laeryn's affection…
"Admiral
Page! Are you paying attention?!" Laeryn's voice cracked like a whip, and Zack
hastily snapped back to reality. He looked up to see Laeryn glaring at him, her
eyes like frozen blue Mako.
"Y-yes,
Grand Admiral Chase" he stammered, and continued to watch Laeryn. She sat up
perfectly straight, her entire attention focuses on
what Sephiroth was saying. Or was her attention focused on Sephiroth himself?
Zack studied her face, and noticed her eyes. There was something different
about them, something that seemed new and almost alien. When he saw the
slightly less chilly look in her eyes, Zack knew he was seeing emotion. Not too
many other people have seen her show emotion, thought Zack, his attention
drifting again. The sudden triumph of seeing something about
Laeryn that no one else had faded as soon as it came, however, when Zack
realized what had caused such a reaction from her. It was Sephiroth, of
course. Her eyes hadn't wandered from his face since Zack arrived. A bitter
sigh escaped Zack's lips. He should have known better than to like someone such
as Laeryn. Only a man as feared and powerful as Sephiroth could catch her
attention. But then again, Sephiroth caught every girl's attention, so the look
in Laeryn's eyes was nothing to worry about. Or was it? Sephiroth kept stealing
glances at her, asked her opinion on just about every
aspect of the plan… Zack sighed. Of
course Laeryn liked Sephiroth. Every girl did. Even Zack's own girlfriend had
pictures of Sephiroth in her room. But the fact that Sephiroth seemed to ignore
every advance girls made gave Zack some hope.
"You
are dismissed. Begin preparing for tonight's attack" Sephiroth said succinctly.
The Admirals filed out of the cabin.
"You're
really not anticipating retaliation of any sort, are you?" Laeryn asked
Sephiroth, concerned that they would be poorly prepared for such a fight.
"The
entire army of Wutai is in the city down there. I've had a Gelnika spy plane
flying over every hour to detect traces of movement, and there have been none.
And in case they do somehow mobilize without us knowing, you and I and Zack
will be further down the mountain. We are better trained, better armed, and
better organized than they are. It's an easy victory" Sephiroth reassured her.
"So
what will you do when this war is over?" asked Laeryn, wanting to talk to him
about something other than the impending battle. Sephiroth's lack of response
made her uneasy, so she answered her own question in an attempt to move the
conversation along. "I intend to visit
my parents, back in North Corel. They'll be glad to see me alive and well after
the war."
She
glanced up at Sephiroth. He had a distant look in his eyes, like he was
searching his memory for something. The distant look passed and was replaced by
a look of anguish, tinged with curiosity. She raised an eyebrow. "Are you
alright, Sephiroth?"
"….Yes,
I'm fine", he replied, sounding as if his mind were elsewhere.
He sighed, and seemed to return to the present. "I'll go
back to doing what I've always done when this war is over. I'll go back to
Midgar and…Shinra…and Hojo…" His voice sounded strained, and the look of
anguish returned to his face.
"Is…Hojo your father?" Laeryn asked cautiously. She had
never asked him questions about his family before, and she hoped he wouldn't be
angry.
"God forbid!" said Sephiroth, gritting his teeth, "The
man is the closest thing I've ever seen to true evil. He tortures innocent
people, Laeryn. He tortures…." He trailed off, and turned away.
Laeryn had never seen Sephiroth in such a state before.
He was usually so stoic, and whatever thoughts he had
about people he kept to himself. He had been friendlier to Laeryn than most
others for some reason, but he was still very quiet and secretive. Laeryn
shifted nervously, unsure of how to deal with Sephiroth's unexpected show of
emotion. It was obvious that something was upsetting him, and Laeryn wished he were
more inclined to discuss what he was thinking. Seeing him upset weighed heavily
on her mind.
"Sephiroth…" she whispered, cautiously reaching out and
laying a hand on his shoulder. His entire body grew tense.
"Are you all right?" Laeryn continued, still speaking
softly.
Sephiroth turned to face her. The look on his face made
Laeryn want to cry. His brow was furrowed and his hypnotic eyes were widened
and shining with tears, which gave him an almost innocent look.
Laeryn gnawed on her lower lip. She desperately wanted to
do something to make him feel better. Like
hold him, stroke his hair, promise him I'll never let
him be hurt… Laeryn quickly captured that stray thought and buried it. He'd freak out in an instant, she said
in her mind, forcing herself to think more rationally, whatever's upsetting him that'd only make it worse. Besides, he'd
probably never speak to me again.
"Please…go now" he whispered, "I need to be alone…"
Laeryn slowly turned and headed for the door, hating to
leave him. Alone is the last thing you
need to be, she thought, you need
someone to talk to and comfort you. She closed the door behind her. "Even
if it's not me, you need someone", she finished her thought out loud.
Sephiroth sighed, and forced back the tears that had sprung
to his eyes. He could feel the back of his right hand burning where he had been
marked. He removed the glove and looked at his hand. His skin was smooth and
free of calluses, since he always wore gloves. It was marred only by a large
black number one tattooed on the back of his right hand. Sephiroth felt the
tears he so bravely fought return to his eyes. Every time he looked at or felt
that number one, he was reminded of how he was produced, not born. How he was
not a man, but an experiment. How he had no parents, only caretakers who
disliked him. Even though Sephiroth's eyes were shut tight, tears still leaked
onto his cheeks. He covered his face with his hands, paranoid that someone
would see him in his moment of weakness. As he cried, Sephiroth's memory began
to run wild, bringing back images from his childhood that he wished he'd
forgotten.
Sephiroth thought of the place where he had lived his
entire life. It was a towering skyscraper, but the only parts of it he ever saw
were the tiny, barren room in which he slept and the laboratory where they
experimented on him. Who were "they"? Sephiroth knew them only as the people
who stood around him holding clipboards, watching passively as Hojo sedated him
and strapped him to a metal operating table. He also remembered the looks of
total apathy on their faces as the needles pierced his skin and he screamed in
agony. Hojo's face wasn't apathetic at all. He was grinning
a mad twisted grin, a look that Sephiroth often had nightmares about.
Sometimes
the other children who lived in the building with him were visited by their
families. Sephiroth waited eagerly, knowing that someone must come for him,
too. Sure enough, a man in a white coat came and gestured for Sephiroth to
follow him. Sephiroth did what he had seen the other children do. He ran over
to the man and hugged him. A moment later he cried out in pain as the man's
foot slammed into his ribcage. As the man grabbed Sephiroth by the arm and
hauled him away, he yelled at how he mustn't touch anyone again because it
could be dangerous to their well-being. Sephiroth didn't understand what he
meant by that.
Sephiroth
had blocked out almost all the physical pain of his childhood, but somehow that
kick in the ribs and the following scold were still fresh in his mind. As he
slumped to the ground and hugged his knees, he could still feel the pain in his
chest. And now he was the great General Sephiroth, having entered the army
against his will when he was seven years old. Hojo had enlisted him, and
Sephiroth objected, saying he didn't want to be in the army because he didn't
want to kill people. Hojo slapped him then, and informed him that he had been
created to be the perfect Soldier, that killing was all he would ever be good
for, and that there was no way he was going to let Sephiroth's feelings get in
the way of his "grand project". Despite his initial objections, Sephiroth grew
to enjoy it, as he found fighting and martial arts to be the only outlets for
his pain.
That was the only existence Sephiroth had ever known. He
was punished for any display of emotions, and the worst punishments would
always come for expressing affection towards anyone. Even though he was
twenty-five years old, Sephiroth still wondered why no one had ever come to
visit him. While other children had parents that loved them, he had none. He
had always figured that there must have been something terribly wrong with himself, and that his parents hated him and gave him to
Hojo. Once Sephiroth had grown up, he had overheard Hojo talking about him,
saying that he was perfect, that the experiment was a success. Sephiroth knew
he wasn't perfect. He must have been far from it, since everyone always seemed
so displeased with him. As he grew older, he came to resent people's feelings
for each other with an almost envious attitude. He chastised others for
allowing their emotions to make them weak, but at the same time he longed to
have what they had. They all had mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters,
husbands and wives. Sephiroth was revolted at the bonds between them, yet he
couldn't help but feel a sting of jealousy.
Sephiroth tried to remember a time when someone had loved
him, or even done so much as react favorably to his existence. His childhood
was devoid of such memories. During his adolescent years, everyone else his age
was terrified of him, and never came near him.
Then he remembered the day he had been promoted to
General. As he stood at the podium and recited his bland and completely
contrived acceptance speech, he saw a single pair of eyes watching him
intently; all the others were downcast out of respect or fear, he never knew
which. Sephiroth never would have remembered that day if it hadn't been for
those chilly blue eyes, which looked at him without fear or hatred. In fact,
they held something that seemed to be quite the opposite.
Those
eyes belonged to Laeryn, of course. The only person alive who
did not appear to
either despise him or be terrified of him, which puzzled Sephiroth to no
end. He had treated
her no differently than any other Soldier, and she had been subject to his
anger on several
occasions. Somehow, not even seeing him at his worst could frighten her. It
seemed that nothing
could frighten her. Sephiroth had always been intrigued by her
fearlessness, and he
grudgingly admitted that the intrigue had grown to respect. That
fearlessness moved Laeryn
into a class of her, because she was the only one who had such a
quality. But at the
same time it bothered him not knowing why she was so unafraid. He
knew it wasn't
because she was stupid. In fact, she possessed a military genius that rivaled
his own. So what
was it? He couldn't answer that question. And then the question itself had
become more
complicated when Laeryn had done something for him that no one else ever
had. She showed
concern for him. Sephiroth recalled a bit more vividly than he cared to the
sound of genuine
worry in her voice as she asked if he was all right, and the way her icy eyes
thawed a bit to reveal
something he didn't understand. And then she touched him. Not to
hurt him, but to…
Why had she touched him? Her touch
was so light and cautious that he
barely felt it through
the thick fabric of his trench coat, but he felt it nonetheless.