REPENTION
Sephiroth was curled up on his side, taking a nap, having nothing better to do, not to mention he really didn't have that much energy, having spent three months abed before. He knew it would take a while to get his energy back up, so he simply bided his time. Layla kept coming in every thirty minutes to check on him. Under his chin, the kitten he'd saved from becoming dog breakfast was curled.
Sephiroth woke to find someone gently shaking him awake and hearing the frightened hisses of his new kitten. He opened his eyes, looking up to see a frightened young man. "Sir- you've been summoned before the Committee," he said shakily. Sephiroth yawned widely, sitting up and stretching. Reaching down, he picked up the kitten and sat it on his shoulder after he got to his feet.
The young man had brown hair and was somewhat stocky in build. He had blue eyes that glowed, Mako eyes, he'd been in SOLDIER, though Sephiroth had personally never met him. He realized that this boy would know who he really was and tried to act nonchalant, giving the kitten on his shoulder scratches now and then.
"Follow me, sir," the young man said and turned, making his way out.
"No need to call me that," Sephiroth commented softly. "It's not like I'm an officer or anything special," he felt somewhat sick denying the only things he'd ever known were true in his life.
The young man looked over his shoulder at Sephiroth, "Y- you're not?"
Sephiroth simply shook his head, recalling the smile he'd found earlier when playing with the kitten and pulling his lips into it again. "No. I don't know what I was, but I've got the feeling that it doesn't matter much now anyway."
The young man's back relaxed somewhat, as if his fears that Sephiroth was going to kill him while he wasn't looking were eased somewhat. "That's good to know."
The sky was bright, it was midday now, some clouds off to the west, but they'd passed already, so there was no possibility of rain. Sephiroth walked behind the young man that he began to recognize as Roscoe, a young man who'd only just joined SOLDIER when Sephiroth had been sent to Nibelheim. The young man had a lot of promise, but was a little too sympathetic to his foes. Sephiroth reached up, picking his kitten off his shoulder and cradling it in his hands.
"How has life been to you, Roscoe Kenton?" Sephiroth murmured softly, but only loud enough for the young man to hear him, though he seemed to have been talking to the sleepy kitten.
Roscoe's back stiffened then and he looked back over his shoulder frightfully. "How-"
"I'll tell you when we get inside," Sephiroth replied, sighing and blowing across the kitten's ears. The grey fuzzy animal woke up then, growling and suddenly hopping up and biting Sephiroth's nose. Roscoe blinked a few times, watching the kitten hang on like a leech for a moment then he started laughing.
Sephiroth found that his breathing only caused the kitten to tighten its grip on his nose and he held his breath a moment. Finally the kitten let go and flopped down to resume its nap. "Bakara!" Sephiroth exclaimed, tempted to throw the kitten back to the dogs but immediately calmed his anger, instead laughing softly as well. His fingers gently caressed the kitten's fur while it was curled up on one palm.
Roscoe seemed to have forgotten Sephiroth's earlier words, for he continued to laugh, but Sephiroth detected a note of wariness in the boy's voice and smiled slightly. Sephiroth could feel eyes on him as he walked down the street, knowing all the girls were watching him and the boys were glaring out of jealousy. The buildings on either side of the cobblestone street were made of logs, cut down from the forest that surrounded the small village of New Mideel. Off just to the east was the ruins of Old Mideel where the Lifestream had burst upward to create a lake of Lifestream. Anyone who resided near it for any period of time seemed to feel more alive and energetic.
Sephiroth felt alive, but he certainly didn't want to be in that state. Bakara purred, rolling over in his hand, almost rolling completely out of his hand. Sephiroth had to juggle quickly to catch the kitten and keep it from falling on the ground. He looked up only to smack into a low hanging sign- face first.
Laughter burst out around him and Sephiroth felt the burn of blood in his cheeks for the first time in his entire life. Lifting a hand to his face, he checked his nose first then put his palm against his forehead. Sidestepping the sign, Sephiroth continued onward toward the Council House at the end of the street. The kitten stared up at him innocently.
He stalked into the dimness of the entry hall, pushing past the double glass doors that blocked entrance. Roscoe hurried to catch up, looking a little worried, he'd seen the look on Sephiroth's face. "General- I uh I-" he sputtered, having bungled it completely.
"Geez... at least you did it in here instead of out there," Sephiroth growled and Roscoe stopped in his tracks.
"B-but - but you said-" Roscoe hurried, trying to catch up to Sephiroth's fast strides through the small waiting room and into the council room.
There were five people sitting at a horseshoe table facing the door. They all noticeably jumped when Sephiroth came storming in. Sephiroth took a long deep breath, controlling his fluttering nerves. "I will not lie to any of you. I know who and what I am, I have since I recovered."
There was a gasp, "The doctor said you didn't though!"
"Originally, I was going to go along with that. But I've decided not to. Too many things to trap me later. So I'll just come straight with you all now. My intentions here are to.." he paused a moment, feeling somewhat embarrassed at his rather silly plans, plans he'd spent the time between that rainy day the week before and now making. He cleared his throat, afraid his voice would crack, "I just want to.. to..." bowing his head, he couldn't look at their faces.
"I never wanted to do what I did. It was always someone else's orders.. Shinra's. Hojo's. Scarlett's.... never mine... but now.. now I have the chance to do what I want to," Sephiroth blurted, lifting his chin once again to look at the council members who stared in awe. One elderly man spoke up softly.
"What Do you want to do?" he asked, the tone soft yet severe, as if he blamed everything that had ever gone wrong on Sephiroth.
Sephiroth swallowed, blushing deeply for the second time in his life. "I want to.. to.."
"Yes?" they leaned forward, almost as one, eyes wide, expecting something terrible.
"To..."
Roscoe clenched his fists, his eyes wide, he'd worshiped Sephiroth practically all his life and to know what that great man had truly wanted in his life was an honor.
"To..."
The council members held their breath.
"To-"
"Spit it out!" the old man shouted.
"GROW FLOWERS!"
As one, everyone hit the floor.
"I... that's all I want to do.." Sephiroth hunched his shoulders up, feeling incredibly stupid. The kitten in his hands yawned and stretched, blinking at the loud crash that had just sounded.
"F-f-flowers?! But- General Sephiroth!" Roscoe held out one hand toward Sephiroth, as if pleading it weren't true.
Sephiroth kept his face absolutely straight as he watched them all then he threw back his head and laughed. "That- was... fun!" He laughed a moment more then wiped his eyes, "No.. not flowers. I wish to train your military or equivalent here so that this town has adequate protection from the monsters. I'll need a new weapon, Masamune has apparently been lost.. all the better. Let it be damned to hell along with Shinra."
The council members slowly picked themselves off the floor and resettled their chairs with much coughing. "Our... soldiers are trained well enough, General Sephiroth-"
"Please... don't call me that," Sephiroth interrupted softly, "That's also part of what I want... I want Sephiroth dead. I don't want to be him anymore."
"Then what should we call you?" asked the old man, apparently the spokes person of the group.
"Ano... Joseph is alright," Sephiroth shrugged, realizing that telling them this committed him to that name from that day forward probably.
"We'll think about letting you train the Soldiers here, but until then... stick to your flowers," the old man said. Sephiroth was amused yet again and gave a crisp salute.
"Yes sir."
Sephiroth was curled up on his side, taking a nap, having nothing better to do, not to mention he really didn't have that much energy, having spent three months abed before. He knew it would take a while to get his energy back up, so he simply bided his time. Layla kept coming in every thirty minutes to check on him. Under his chin, the kitten he'd saved from becoming dog breakfast was curled.
Sephiroth woke to find someone gently shaking him awake and hearing the frightened hisses of his new kitten. He opened his eyes, looking up to see a frightened young man. "Sir- you've been summoned before the Committee," he said shakily. Sephiroth yawned widely, sitting up and stretching. Reaching down, he picked up the kitten and sat it on his shoulder after he got to his feet.
The young man had brown hair and was somewhat stocky in build. He had blue eyes that glowed, Mako eyes, he'd been in SOLDIER, though Sephiroth had personally never met him. He realized that this boy would know who he really was and tried to act nonchalant, giving the kitten on his shoulder scratches now and then.
"Follow me, sir," the young man said and turned, making his way out.
"No need to call me that," Sephiroth commented softly. "It's not like I'm an officer or anything special," he felt somewhat sick denying the only things he'd ever known were true in his life.
The young man looked over his shoulder at Sephiroth, "Y- you're not?"
Sephiroth simply shook his head, recalling the smile he'd found earlier when playing with the kitten and pulling his lips into it again. "No. I don't know what I was, but I've got the feeling that it doesn't matter much now anyway."
The young man's back relaxed somewhat, as if his fears that Sephiroth was going to kill him while he wasn't looking were eased somewhat. "That's good to know."
The sky was bright, it was midday now, some clouds off to the west, but they'd passed already, so there was no possibility of rain. Sephiroth walked behind the young man that he began to recognize as Roscoe, a young man who'd only just joined SOLDIER when Sephiroth had been sent to Nibelheim. The young man had a lot of promise, but was a little too sympathetic to his foes. Sephiroth reached up, picking his kitten off his shoulder and cradling it in his hands.
"How has life been to you, Roscoe Kenton?" Sephiroth murmured softly, but only loud enough for the young man to hear him, though he seemed to have been talking to the sleepy kitten.
Roscoe's back stiffened then and he looked back over his shoulder frightfully. "How-"
"I'll tell you when we get inside," Sephiroth replied, sighing and blowing across the kitten's ears. The grey fuzzy animal woke up then, growling and suddenly hopping up and biting Sephiroth's nose. Roscoe blinked a few times, watching the kitten hang on like a leech for a moment then he started laughing.
Sephiroth found that his breathing only caused the kitten to tighten its grip on his nose and he held his breath a moment. Finally the kitten let go and flopped down to resume its nap. "Bakara!" Sephiroth exclaimed, tempted to throw the kitten back to the dogs but immediately calmed his anger, instead laughing softly as well. His fingers gently caressed the kitten's fur while it was curled up on one palm.
Roscoe seemed to have forgotten Sephiroth's earlier words, for he continued to laugh, but Sephiroth detected a note of wariness in the boy's voice and smiled slightly. Sephiroth could feel eyes on him as he walked down the street, knowing all the girls were watching him and the boys were glaring out of jealousy. The buildings on either side of the cobblestone street were made of logs, cut down from the forest that surrounded the small village of New Mideel. Off just to the east was the ruins of Old Mideel where the Lifestream had burst upward to create a lake of Lifestream. Anyone who resided near it for any period of time seemed to feel more alive and energetic.
Sephiroth felt alive, but he certainly didn't want to be in that state. Bakara purred, rolling over in his hand, almost rolling completely out of his hand. Sephiroth had to juggle quickly to catch the kitten and keep it from falling on the ground. He looked up only to smack into a low hanging sign- face first.
Laughter burst out around him and Sephiroth felt the burn of blood in his cheeks for the first time in his entire life. Lifting a hand to his face, he checked his nose first then put his palm against his forehead. Sidestepping the sign, Sephiroth continued onward toward the Council House at the end of the street. The kitten stared up at him innocently.
He stalked into the dimness of the entry hall, pushing past the double glass doors that blocked entrance. Roscoe hurried to catch up, looking a little worried, he'd seen the look on Sephiroth's face. "General- I uh I-" he sputtered, having bungled it completely.
"Geez... at least you did it in here instead of out there," Sephiroth growled and Roscoe stopped in his tracks.
"B-but - but you said-" Roscoe hurried, trying to catch up to Sephiroth's fast strides through the small waiting room and into the council room.
There were five people sitting at a horseshoe table facing the door. They all noticeably jumped when Sephiroth came storming in. Sephiroth took a long deep breath, controlling his fluttering nerves. "I will not lie to any of you. I know who and what I am, I have since I recovered."
There was a gasp, "The doctor said you didn't though!"
"Originally, I was going to go along with that. But I've decided not to. Too many things to trap me later. So I'll just come straight with you all now. My intentions here are to.." he paused a moment, feeling somewhat embarrassed at his rather silly plans, plans he'd spent the time between that rainy day the week before and now making. He cleared his throat, afraid his voice would crack, "I just want to.. to..." bowing his head, he couldn't look at their faces.
"I never wanted to do what I did. It was always someone else's orders.. Shinra's. Hojo's. Scarlett's.... never mine... but now.. now I have the chance to do what I want to," Sephiroth blurted, lifting his chin once again to look at the council members who stared in awe. One elderly man spoke up softly.
"What Do you want to do?" he asked, the tone soft yet severe, as if he blamed everything that had ever gone wrong on Sephiroth.
Sephiroth swallowed, blushing deeply for the second time in his life. "I want to.. to.."
"Yes?" they leaned forward, almost as one, eyes wide, expecting something terrible.
"To..."
Roscoe clenched his fists, his eyes wide, he'd worshiped Sephiroth practically all his life and to know what that great man had truly wanted in his life was an honor.
"To..."
The council members held their breath.
"To-"
"Spit it out!" the old man shouted.
"GROW FLOWERS!"
As one, everyone hit the floor.
"I... that's all I want to do.." Sephiroth hunched his shoulders up, feeling incredibly stupid. The kitten in his hands yawned and stretched, blinking at the loud crash that had just sounded.
"F-f-flowers?! But- General Sephiroth!" Roscoe held out one hand toward Sephiroth, as if pleading it weren't true.
Sephiroth kept his face absolutely straight as he watched them all then he threw back his head and laughed. "That- was... fun!" He laughed a moment more then wiped his eyes, "No.. not flowers. I wish to train your military or equivalent here so that this town has adequate protection from the monsters. I'll need a new weapon, Masamune has apparently been lost.. all the better. Let it be damned to hell along with Shinra."
The council members slowly picked themselves off the floor and resettled their chairs with much coughing. "Our... soldiers are trained well enough, General Sephiroth-"
"Please... don't call me that," Sephiroth interrupted softly, "That's also part of what I want... I want Sephiroth dead. I don't want to be him anymore."
"Then what should we call you?" asked the old man, apparently the spokes person of the group.
"Ano... Joseph is alright," Sephiroth shrugged, realizing that telling them this committed him to that name from that day forward probably.
"We'll think about letting you train the Soldiers here, but until then... stick to your flowers," the old man said. Sephiroth was amused yet again and gave a crisp salute.
"Yes sir."
