SECRETS

Sephiroth stared down at his flowers, he felt like destroying them, but knew it wouldn't change what had happened and only go to prove their point... the point that he was a monster. Bakara had run off somewhere, he didn't expect her to come back anytime soon. He shook his head, his bangs brushing the top of his forehead. Turning, he stalked off into the woods to find a place to use as a shelter, camping here for a week had been fine, but he really thought he shouldn't be this close to the town. They weren't going to come out looking for him and ask him to come back.

He was just about finished packing his things when a woman stepped out of the trees, more stumbled out of the undergrowth, but that wasn't the point. "Give him back."

Sephiroth straightened, looking at her, it was the woman he'd rescued. He was about to demand why they'd want him back when he realized that's not what she'd said. "Give who back?"

"My son! He didn't do anything to you! If you want to punish someone take me instead!" she started crying, she looked as if she hadn't slept in a week.

"The kid?" Sephiroth asked, thinking back to the last time he'd seen the boy. "I'm sorry, but I don't have him, nor do I know where he is."

She stared at him, "You- you don't have him?"

Slowly, Sephiroth shook his head, "Remember? I don't take prisoners-"

"-You killed him?!-"

"-And I don't kill unarmed children. I don't know where he is, I haven't seen him. If I find him, be assured, I'll bring him back in whatever condition I found him in." Sephiroth turned then, leaving the clearing to her.

She stepped up to the little patch of flowers and knelt, looking at the bright blooms and arrangement. "He...planted these..." she realized.

Some traveling brought him to Old Mideel, or what was left of it. Sephiroth looked though the wreckage of the town, but found nothing usable. He turned, about to head back into the forest when something caught his eye, a building off just in the trees, untouched by the uprising of the Lifestream.

He made his way over to the building, stepping over things that had grown across the walkway leading to the front door. Sephiroth paused a moment, there was something wrong, he could feel fear coming from inside, as well as sadistic delight. Something told him that people with mako and Jenova cells were inside and he was about to walk in on them. He slowly pushed the door open, or tried to, it fell flat on the floor inside the moment he put a little force to it, the hinges had broken long ago, apparently. The room was bare, dusty, and broken.

The bright glow from his eyes lit the interior as he stepped in, the feeling of fear from someone else coming stronger. There was a choice as to which way to go, there was only a short hallway directly inside the front door with a door on either side. Looking into the left door, the glow of his eyes reflected off what was left of a table and some chairs. Looking right-

"So you've finally returned to me, Sephiroth," a familiar voice said in the darkness then lights came on. Sephiroth squinted slightly, finally seeing the boy and Hojo. The boy was strapped to a folding table, needles stabbed into his muscles injecting mako into him. "I'd like you to meet your new little brother, Sephiroth," Hojo said with sadistic pleasure as he watched Sephiroth's face for any reaction.

"You truly enjoy tormenting me, don't you?" Sephiroth asked stoically as he looked upon the scene of a make-shift laboratory.

"With how you failed me- my own son failed me!" Hojo glowered at Sephiroth. "I knew your mother was just a shoddy excuse for a whore and your being related to her is no doubt why you failed." Sephiroth's eyes narrowed slightly, everything fell into place now.

"No."

"'No' what? 'No' you'll do as you're told now or 'No' you won't do as I tell you to?" Hojo demanded coming up to Sephiroth, trying to look the much taller and younger man in the eyes.

"No I'm not your son."

"Yes you are-"

"Did you check?" Sephiroth interrupted.

"I don't have to-"

"Really... then you don't know for sure."

Hojo fumed, "Whatever gives you the idea that I might not be?"

"Well, you mentioned my mother was a whore," Sephiroth leaned against the doorframe nonchalantly, waiting for Hojo to just turn his back.

"The only other one- she said she hadn't!" Hojo hissed then leveled a finger at Sephiroth, "No son of mine could have failed so miserably, you must be the bastard of that damn Turk!"

Sephiroth's own hand snapped out, grabbing Hojo by the arm and dragging him out of the building entirely. "And now I'll teach you to never point at me," Sephiroth growled as he began breaking every bone in Hojo's body, thankfully out of sight of Billy.