ATTACK OF THE CABBAGE MAN!
Sephiroth frowned at the magazine he was looking at while he perched on the bed he'd woken up in. "Attack of the Cabbage Man" it said on the front page, but Sephiroth could find nothing in the magazine's pages that had anything to do with either cabbages or attacks. Tossing the magazine aside, he lifted his eyes to find Layla mooning at him. She stood there with her hands clasped together up near her face and her eyes sparkling with adoration. Sephiroth was utterly disgusted.
"Oh Joseph! Do you not like that one? I can get you another if you want? Do you want anything to eat or drink? If there's anything you want I could fetch it for you!" Layla babbled.
"I want some privacy," Sephiroth growled at her and her expression changed to one of a kicked puppy. Sephiroth would have felt sorry for her, if he hadn't had to deal with her fawning all over him for the past week already.
Reluctantly, she turned, leaving the room, her shoulders slumped and her head bowed, hair falling forward. She stopped at the door to give him one last hopeful look before leaving. Sephiroth sighed, running his hands through his hair. It had turned out okay once the ends had been evened out. Layla had wanted to cut his bangs and he'd hesitated before allowing that as well. He'd felt somewhat upset as he watched the long silver hair fall down into his lap. He'd once again taken to wearing all black, having gotten out into New Mideel to buy some clothes that actually fit. He got up, brushing his lap off as if brushing off the memories of the past week. Going to the window, he looked out it.
It was storming terribly outside. Lightning flashed brightly and thunder crashed almost right overhead. Everyone was inside at this time and Sephiroth was just stuck inside under the careful eyes of the Doctor, his assistant Harold and the obsessed eyes of Layla. Sephiroth found that he'd been up and about for only a week but he had many little female followers. Many of the girls in town stared at him with wide eyes like their brains had fried and the heat pressure was going to make their eyes pop out.
Sephiroth hated it, he hated every second of it because it was just like it had been in Midgar, in Shinra. He despised it and wanted away. He'd never been that courageous when it came to social events or having a conversation with people, nor even when people were looking at him.
"Coward," Sephiroth muttered to his reflection in the glass as he put his hands on the sill. "Absolute coward... you never stuck around for much of anything. That's why you never got what you really were after. Well... Sephiroth, you're dead. Cloud killed you. I'm going to actually make something of myself now. I won't be a puppet... not like Cloud was. He hid himself in his own little world in his head and somehow he still broke from his strings. Its time I broke from mine. Not Jenova, or Hojo, or Shinra, or anyone can hold me now. No one but me will make my decisions." He tapped his finger on the glass as if to prove his point.
"That's the first step to becoming free," said a soft voice from behind Sephiroth and he turned around quickly. The Doctor stood there with his arms crossed a slight smile on his face, twinkling in his eyes. "Making that first decision to become free is the first step. I've been waiting for you to make up your mind about it for a while now."
"You've known," Sephiroth stated, leaning back against the wall beside the window, the pulled aside curtains brushing against his arm.
"Yes... I knew the moment I found you on the beach. After you'd been the way you were for as long as you were, I'd thought you wouldn't be making a recovery, but you did." The doctor smiled kindly. "You'd almost fooled me into thinking you really didn't remember who you were," the old man winked, "Almost." I sent Layla and Harold home, so they won't be listening in."
Sephiroth pulled his eyes back from the door, he'd been staring at it almost the moment the doctor had started speaking, just waiting for Layla to come in with some cookies or something of that sort. "Good. I'd rather no one else realized."
"Yes, it would put you in some suspicion. Though, I have to tell you, the Committee was worried, they know who you are as well, but I assured them that you don't remember who you were, they're uneasy though," the old man moved over to the bed closest to the window, perching on the end of it. "They've begged for a meeting with you to see if you really know who you are."
Sephiroth folded his arms together, his head bowed slightly, frowning at his feet. "I'll meet with them."
The old man shifted, scratching his thigh some. "I suggest you lie if you really want to make something of this second chance you have." Sephiroth nodded slightly then, feeling somewhat amused at being told to lie. "And maybe you should stop acting like him too. If he's really 'dead' as you said, lay him to rest and take up your new name."
Sephiroth sighed. "I-... don't know any other way to act..."
"Try being happier?" the old man suggested sympathetically, stretching and curling his fingers, trying to relieve the arthritis in his joints.
Sephiroth snorted, turning to put his shoulder against the edge of the window, looking out it again. "I've never experienced that, hence I could not act that way."
There was silence in the room then, silence except for the roll of thunder and patter of heavy rain against the window and roof. Sephiroth stared out at the rain, though his eyes focused on his reflection once again. His bangs were now the same length as the rest of his hair, though they still jutted upward and folded down to just above his eyebrows. The rest of his hair was level at his chin and some of it was let to fall around his ears, though they still poked out between the locks of silver.
It took a moment for Sephiroth to realize the doctor was speaking again. "Then maybe you should try caring first?"
"Who should I care about?"
"Who do you want to care about?" the old doctor returned his question like a ball over a net. Sephiroth sighed. "Why not start with something simple? Say, a pet?"
"Pets are for children."
"But are you not technically a child now? If your former self has found his rest, then your new self would be new to this world," the doctor returned yet again. Sephiroth found it maddening but it did make him think, as the doctor had intended. He refrained from answering and silence fell between them again. He saw in the window that the doctor was smiling yet again, his eyes bright.
"Suppose I'll leave you to your thoughts. Just don't dwell on them too much or you're likely to end up in the same rut he did, and look where that got him," the doctor said just before he got to his feet, making his way out. "I'll be in the front room if you need me." He left then, Sephiroth stayed at the window, listening to the rain.
"A pet..." Sephiroth commented softly to himself.
Sephiroth frowned at the magazine he was looking at while he perched on the bed he'd woken up in. "Attack of the Cabbage Man" it said on the front page, but Sephiroth could find nothing in the magazine's pages that had anything to do with either cabbages or attacks. Tossing the magazine aside, he lifted his eyes to find Layla mooning at him. She stood there with her hands clasped together up near her face and her eyes sparkling with adoration. Sephiroth was utterly disgusted.
"Oh Joseph! Do you not like that one? I can get you another if you want? Do you want anything to eat or drink? If there's anything you want I could fetch it for you!" Layla babbled.
"I want some privacy," Sephiroth growled at her and her expression changed to one of a kicked puppy. Sephiroth would have felt sorry for her, if he hadn't had to deal with her fawning all over him for the past week already.
Reluctantly, she turned, leaving the room, her shoulders slumped and her head bowed, hair falling forward. She stopped at the door to give him one last hopeful look before leaving. Sephiroth sighed, running his hands through his hair. It had turned out okay once the ends had been evened out. Layla had wanted to cut his bangs and he'd hesitated before allowing that as well. He'd felt somewhat upset as he watched the long silver hair fall down into his lap. He'd once again taken to wearing all black, having gotten out into New Mideel to buy some clothes that actually fit. He got up, brushing his lap off as if brushing off the memories of the past week. Going to the window, he looked out it.
It was storming terribly outside. Lightning flashed brightly and thunder crashed almost right overhead. Everyone was inside at this time and Sephiroth was just stuck inside under the careful eyes of the Doctor, his assistant Harold and the obsessed eyes of Layla. Sephiroth found that he'd been up and about for only a week but he had many little female followers. Many of the girls in town stared at him with wide eyes like their brains had fried and the heat pressure was going to make their eyes pop out.
Sephiroth hated it, he hated every second of it because it was just like it had been in Midgar, in Shinra. He despised it and wanted away. He'd never been that courageous when it came to social events or having a conversation with people, nor even when people were looking at him.
"Coward," Sephiroth muttered to his reflection in the glass as he put his hands on the sill. "Absolute coward... you never stuck around for much of anything. That's why you never got what you really were after. Well... Sephiroth, you're dead. Cloud killed you. I'm going to actually make something of myself now. I won't be a puppet... not like Cloud was. He hid himself in his own little world in his head and somehow he still broke from his strings. Its time I broke from mine. Not Jenova, or Hojo, or Shinra, or anyone can hold me now. No one but me will make my decisions." He tapped his finger on the glass as if to prove his point.
"That's the first step to becoming free," said a soft voice from behind Sephiroth and he turned around quickly. The Doctor stood there with his arms crossed a slight smile on his face, twinkling in his eyes. "Making that first decision to become free is the first step. I've been waiting for you to make up your mind about it for a while now."
"You've known," Sephiroth stated, leaning back against the wall beside the window, the pulled aside curtains brushing against his arm.
"Yes... I knew the moment I found you on the beach. After you'd been the way you were for as long as you were, I'd thought you wouldn't be making a recovery, but you did." The doctor smiled kindly. "You'd almost fooled me into thinking you really didn't remember who you were," the old man winked, "Almost." I sent Layla and Harold home, so they won't be listening in."
Sephiroth pulled his eyes back from the door, he'd been staring at it almost the moment the doctor had started speaking, just waiting for Layla to come in with some cookies or something of that sort. "Good. I'd rather no one else realized."
"Yes, it would put you in some suspicion. Though, I have to tell you, the Committee was worried, they know who you are as well, but I assured them that you don't remember who you were, they're uneasy though," the old man moved over to the bed closest to the window, perching on the end of it. "They've begged for a meeting with you to see if you really know who you are."
Sephiroth folded his arms together, his head bowed slightly, frowning at his feet. "I'll meet with them."
The old man shifted, scratching his thigh some. "I suggest you lie if you really want to make something of this second chance you have." Sephiroth nodded slightly then, feeling somewhat amused at being told to lie. "And maybe you should stop acting like him too. If he's really 'dead' as you said, lay him to rest and take up your new name."
Sephiroth sighed. "I-... don't know any other way to act..."
"Try being happier?" the old man suggested sympathetically, stretching and curling his fingers, trying to relieve the arthritis in his joints.
Sephiroth snorted, turning to put his shoulder against the edge of the window, looking out it again. "I've never experienced that, hence I could not act that way."
There was silence in the room then, silence except for the roll of thunder and patter of heavy rain against the window and roof. Sephiroth stared out at the rain, though his eyes focused on his reflection once again. His bangs were now the same length as the rest of his hair, though they still jutted upward and folded down to just above his eyebrows. The rest of his hair was level at his chin and some of it was let to fall around his ears, though they still poked out between the locks of silver.
It took a moment for Sephiroth to realize the doctor was speaking again. "Then maybe you should try caring first?"
"Who should I care about?"
"Who do you want to care about?" the old doctor returned his question like a ball over a net. Sephiroth sighed. "Why not start with something simple? Say, a pet?"
"Pets are for children."
"But are you not technically a child now? If your former self has found his rest, then your new self would be new to this world," the doctor returned yet again. Sephiroth found it maddening but it did make him think, as the doctor had intended. He refrained from answering and silence fell between them again. He saw in the window that the doctor was smiling yet again, his eyes bright.
"Suppose I'll leave you to your thoughts. Just don't dwell on them too much or you're likely to end up in the same rut he did, and look where that got him," the doctor said just before he got to his feet, making his way out. "I'll be in the front room if you need me." He left then, Sephiroth stayed at the window, listening to the rain.
"A pet..." Sephiroth commented softly to himself.
