DISCLAIMER: YESH!! Now they're all mine Squaresoft, mwahahaa!! *wakes up and blinks a couple of times.* Oh? The characters aren't mine as always. The lyrics to the song 'No Distance Left To Run' belong to Blur.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is the last intermission.. So enjoy this dream that's actually Sephiroths for a change. I had a some problems with writing again.. So sorry if you can spot that from the text. I'm just a little preoccupied right now, but I'd still like to continue this story as well. I hope I won't make any major mistakes! Umm yeah and thanks for the latest reviews, any constructive critisism is always welcomed & apprecciated. Anyways, let's move onto the story! ^_^
INTERMISSION 3.
"..Aeris?" Sephiroth blinked.
He heard waves rushing into shore, and could taste the saltry flavour of seawater in his mouth. Up on the clear blue sky, a few translucent white clouds wandered by. "..What the.." Sephiroth sat up, just as another wave broke against his bare feet. He noticed he wasn't wearing his usual clothes, but instead an ash grey t-shirt and loose black pants.
"Where am I?" Sephiroth turned his head, and cautiously searched for any signs of life. He noticed he was sitting on a beach, behind which tall cliffs rose almost vertically towards the skies. Sephiroth stood up, and brushed some of the loose sand away from his clothes. He then walked slowly towards the shoreline. The next wave rushed up the beach, washing away the wet sand that stuck to the soles of his feet. Sephiroth watched as the wave erased his footprints from the beach and then withdrew back into the ocean. He then turned his attention at the ocean, but couldn't see anything in the horizon beside a few dark shadows of rocks. The shoreline circled behind a corner of the cliff, the white soft sand turning to a slightly darker shade as the seawater washed against it again.
Sephiroth picked up a smooth stone from the ground, it looked like white marble. While walking forward, Sephiroth listened to the roar of the ocean, and watched another wave crash against a ridge not far from the beach. It was a beautiful place, yet Sephiroth had a strange feeling he couldn't stay. The restlessness in his heart forced Sephiroth to walk around the corner of the cliff, and further up towards a meadow of tall yellow hay. To walk in the sinking, wet sand was tiring. As Sephiroth reached a smooth, large stone he sat down on the side of it, facing the ocean. What strange place was this, Sephiroth thought. It looked like no other beach Sephiroth had ever been to. He noticed a red crab walk sideways past him, and followed the creature with his eyes as it digged into the sand below a large piece of driftwood. Something about the place was a little off, and the feeling wouldn't leave Sephiroth's mind. He solemnly watched, as suddenly the sand began to flow into a pit in the ground. The hole grew larger and larger, beginning to twist the sky and cliffs. Like wet paint, everything was sucked through the hole, leaving only a blank canvas behind.
Sephiroth sat alone, waiting for something to happen. In the empty void he was in, only a mechanic hum was heard, like that of an engine or an air-conditioning system.
"You should turn your eyes away from the light.." A voice suddenly spoke.
Sephiroth couldn't recognize the womans voice, yet he was sure it was familiar to him somehow. "Why?" He asked, and caught a glimpse of the shadows behind him. They moved like dancers, mingling with each other, merging into strange, twisted beings.
"Don't you want to see me.." The voice laughed, and the shadows turned into threads of darkness, forming into a woman. She had long straight black hair, and green eyes that had a weak glow of Mako in them.
"Who.. are you?" Sephiroth asked. The womans hair flowed in the still air as though blown by some violent gush of wind, spreading around her head like an halo of darkness.
"Don't you know?" The woman asked, momentarily dissappearing out of sight, then appearing again. "I've been waiting for this moment.." She spoke again. Sephiroth just shrugged, and kept glancing around him as though searching for somewhere to hide.
"It's a pity I only have a while.. I'd have so much to say." The woman said, and moved closer. She flew across the small distance, reaching her hand out to Sephiroth. "You're difficult to get a hold of.." She whispered, shattering into small fragments that exploded apart and flew into separate directions. Sephiroth began walking calmly forward, noticing a door in the middle of the limitless space.
"Come.." The voice urged Sephiroth, and he placed his hand on the door handle, turning it slowly. The door opened without making a sound, and Sephiroth walked through the entrance with a nonchalant expression on his face.
"Remember how much you used to enjoy sitting by the barred windows of Shin-Ra headquarters? You watched the clouds so intensely as they passed you by, probably hoping they'd carry your soul away from that prison.." The voice spoke from somewhere Sephiroth could not see.
"Yes.. I remember." Sephiroth's voice was cold, as he blinked lazily. He felt groggy, like on some sedative drug.
"But why can't you remember her..?" The voice asked.
"Who?" Sephiroth asked, not understanding who the woman was talking about. "And if I die now.. What difference does it make." He snorted.
"You're wrong.." The woman told him then, and Sephiroth felt someone push him forward. "You must remember everything.. For if you don't.. They win."
It's over
You don't need to tell me
I hope you're with someone who makes
you feel safe in your sleep
Being tonight
I won't kill myself trying to stay in your life
I've got no distance left to run
"Remember the party after your promotion?" The voice asked, as a familiar ballroom opened up before Sephiroth's eyes.
"This is impossible." He muttered, as he watched the noble women of Midgar pass him by in beautiful evening gowns. They decended down a set of stairs onto the dance floor, that was a large rectangle shaped space surrounded by a colonnade. At the end of the room, stairs climbed up to the next floor. Sephiroth swallowed hard, and raised his eyes. On the second floor, he saw a familiar figure leaning against the railing. Himself, only years younger than right now. Sephiroth stared at himself for long. He remembered this moment.. It had been almost midnight, but people were still celebrating like there was no tomorrow. Someone popped a champagne bottle open, making Sephiroth jump a little. Below the railing, the happy couples begun a new dance, to the rhythm of a band playing an old melody. "I hated this.." He spoke aloud, briefly thinking about how weird it was to see all the familiar people and places. Yet something about the way it was reconstructed was different from the way Sephiroth remembered it. The people were like ghosts.. even the younger Sephiroth.
"..Why?" The woman asked.
Sephiroth's eyes withdrew into two angry streaks. He felt irritated by the voice asking questions. Since she didn't have a form at the moment, Sephiroth had no chance of threating her with anything. He felt vulnerable and defenceless, and there was nothing Sephiroth hated more. "Look at them.. All those pitiful, infuriatingly--" Sephiroth stared at the dancers scornfully.
"..Happy people?" The woman interrupted.
"Don't pretend like you know anything about me! You know nothing, you got that!" Sephiroth scowled.
"I hit a nerve?" The woman asked, and laughed.
"Just.. let me be already." Sephiroth marched across the dancefloor, avoiding the mist-like dancers as he walked. "What do they care!" Sephiroth suddenly turned around, and shouted into nothingness, as the whole memory was replayed uninterupted. "They wanted me to be a weakling.. They wanted to see me fail.." Sephiroth muttered, as his gaze wandered back to the younger Sephiroth.
The look on the young mans face was unreadable, as he kept staring at the people below. He kept himself hidden from prying eyes, standing in the shadow of an archway. "I swore I'd show them.." Sephiroth said quietly, searching for the handle of his Masamune as though by reflex. To notice that the weapon was not there only angered Sephiroth further.
"They didn't hate you.. It was your party!" The womans voice was surprised.
"Hmpf." Sephiroth snorted, the sullen look on his face never dissappearing.
"Listen.." As the woman spoke her words, the whole ballroom turned empty, beside three noblewomen. They were giggling while talking, glancing up at the railing close to which Sephiroth stood in his new uniform.
"He's so cute!" One of the women said, smiling in Sephiroth's direction.
"I always knew he'd become a General, from the day he joined SOLDIER.. You know my mother and I keep an eye on the new talents.." A red-haired girl nodded seriously.
"Oh, I bet you are.." The third girl laughed.
"Too bad he's so cold.." The first girl spoke again, trying to catch Sephiroth's attention. Instead, the younger Sephiroth turned his back at the women.
"You don't think he's--" The third girl suggested with an awkward look on her face.
"Maybe.." The red-haired girl shrugged. "But to me it seems.. He doesn't like anybody. It's almost frightening.." She continued, and took a sip of her champagne glass.
"Yeah.. I'd love to talk to him.. But he looks like he might strangle me if I ever had the nerve to speak to him." The first girl, a blonde said, and gave her friends an exasperated look.
"Yeah, we know.. He's out of our league." The third girl said, and the threesome gave Sephiroth one last look before they faded out of sight.
"You see?" The black-haired woman materialized in the middle of the dance floor.
"How do I know you're not just twisting my memories?" Sephiroth raised his brow, still suspicious of the stranger. "Why should I trust you at all?" He shook his head gently. He was surprised by some of the things the women had said. Didn't they all think he was weird, an evil monster? Hadn't all those glances meant fear and resentment after all? Still, Sephiroth pushed the thought aside, what did it matter. He could have never enjoyed the touch of another.. not before Aeris.
"What reason would I have to lie?" The woman answered mysteriously.
"You tell me." Sephiroth said, and walked towards a large scenery window. Outside, the bright street lights of Midgars upper plate lit up rows of large houses with backyards and white picket fences. Sephiroth waited a while for the woman to continue, but as she just watched him in silence, he opened his mouth instead. "It couldn't have been, you know that?" He said, and allowed his eyes to wander into the stars. "There's no way.. For people like me.. to have normal lives.." Sephiroth bowed his head, and looked at the brightest star in the sky flicker, as though taking in it's last breath. "Dreams.. are but lies that people use to survive the horror of their real lives.." Sephiroth's voice was faraway, but not sad in any way.
"Hate is not the only way to survive you know." The woman said, her expression suddenly concearned.
"Perhaps, for others.." Sephiroth shook his head. "Why have you showed all of this to me? What do you want me to remember?" He asked impatiently.
"Well don't you want to remember everything? Isn't it true, there's a part of your memory missing?" The woman asked, heaving a sigh. She was getting a little frustrated, since Sephiroth didn't seem particularly interested in discovering his role in the events to come. If he didn't care what would happen, there was little point in telling him anything about those years at all, the woman thought.
"..Yes, it's true." Sephiroth answered.
"Well then.. Do you know why you forgot?" The woman asked again, and to her surprise Sephiroth turned to face her and walked closer.
"Maybe because of the experiments? I've had a pretty many Mako poisonings." Sephiroth shrugged.
"It's true Mako can cause amnesia.. But.. It's only a part of the reason." The woman smiled mysteriously, pretty sure she understood Sephiroth now.
"OK then, enlighten me." Sephiroth heaved a sigh, not sounding particularly interested. Yet, the woman was certain Sephiroth was curious of what she knew of him.
"You wanted to forget those years.." She said, hearing Sephiroth snort in reply.
"Why? I've been able to cope with more horror than you can imagine.. There's nothing so painful, I'd want to block it out of my mind.." Sephiroth spoke, and the woman frowned at him in response.
"This is.. There was a time you felt like a normal person.. And there was someone you loved-- like the good part you could never find from yourself.." The womans voice faded, as she dissappeared out of sight again.
"What are you saying..?" Sephiroth searched for the woman with his eyes, knowing he'd not find her unless she wanted him to. "I've never loved anyone, except.. Aeris.." He suddenly fell silent, standing in the middle of the ballroom as the music began again, ghosts of the past dancing across the floor. He wondered if he was ever going to see Aeris again.. Most likely they'd be torn apart even in death. Still, the words of the strange woman plaqued his mind. He couldn't help feeling he had all the pieces of the puzzle, yet for some reason he just couldn't put them together. It drove Sephiroth out of his mind, but he just couldn't force the memories to re-enter his mind.
When you see me
Please
Turn your back and walk away
I don't want to see you cause I know the
dreams that you keep
That's where we meet
When you're coming down think of me
I got no distance left to run
"Sir, we should be heading towards the shore.. Let's leave the rest of the crates behind." A SOLDIER informed Sephiroth, as snowflakes decended to the ground in total silence. Icicle Village looked like it was from a fairytale, as the small cozy cottages were slowly covered in a white layer of snow. The air was freezing cold, and Sephiroth enjoyed to watch as each of his breaths escaped to the skies like small fragments of his soul.
"Sir, the base has already sent the boat to retrieve us.." The same man continued.
"I'm aware of that." Sephiroth nodded at the man, a cold look on his face. "But we've got a mission to complete." Sephiroth snapped at him.
"I haven't forgotten that, Sir.. I just feel.." The man begun.
"I don't care what you feel, you'll do as you're told!" Sephiroth raised his voice, and then turned his back at his small group of six SOLDIERs. Deep in his mind Sephiroth shuddered as he heard the echo of his own voice. He had sounded so much like Professor Hojo..
"Yes Sir, of course." The man nodded, speaking with a small voice, and then retreated back to the other lower class officers.
Sephiroth turned his head at the path leading to the bottom of a valley, created several thousands of years ago when a meteor fell to the ground. The place was almost summoning him, there was something fascinating about it. Sephiroth couldn't quite put his finger on what that something was though. It was a feeling lingering in the air, invisible to everyone but him. "I have a feeling Wutai won't surrender as easily as this village.." Sephiroth smirked.
"So?" One of the SOLDIER's asked. "We can outpower them, they still live in the middle ages!!" He continued. Sephiroth glanced at him over his shoulder, wanting to roll his eyes at the man.
"Wutaian are proud.. They have advantages of the mountains and ocean.. They also have long traditions of training ninja." Sephiroth's voice was thoughtful.
"But General, you're not saying we can't beat them?" The man sounded amused.
"I respect them.. Do not mistake it for fear." Sephiroth glared at the lower rank officer, and then signaled for the others to follow. They walked down the side of the mountain, on a wide road leading towards the shore. They picked up the small wooden crates containing special parts for Mako Cannons. The material could only be found here, so it was important for Shin-Ra that the priceless equipment would not get into the hands of their enemies. Sephiroth could see the small black shape of their transport ship, and sighed. Moments like this, when he was only moved from one battle to another, made him feel like a pawn in some evil game. Sephiroth longed for more control over his life, yet he had no idea what else to do than fight. It was the only option he had ever been given.. Sephiroth doubted he had any other talents than to kill and destroy. Was he a coward, doing things the way Shin-Ra saw fit? Following orders no guestions asked? Sephiroth turned his gaze to his feet, and watched as his black knee-high boots kicked the powder snow as he walked. Sometimes he felt so tired of it all.
It's over
I knew it would end this way
I hope you're with someone who makes you feel that this life
Is a life
One that settles down
Stays around
Spends more time with you
I got no distance left to run
"Look at him.. Just a specimen." A brown haired boy walked closer to Sephiroth, a relatively large group of his friends just a few steps behind him. "Yo, pretty boy.." The stranger laughed, glancing at his friends for support. They all sneered at Sephiroth, who was sitting on a window sill in silence, staring at the clouds flowing by on the grey sky.
"Hey, we're speaking to ya! Are you deaf or something?" The boy laughed again.
Sephiroth turned his head slowly, glaring at the boy. Little did he know, Sephiroth smirked.
"Ooh, scary.." The boy laughed, completely ignoring Sephiroth's threat. The silver-haired boy looked like a poisonous snake that had just raised it's head to strike.
"That's kinda our spot.. So get the hell away from here." The boy continued to be the spokesperson. The others just encouraged him in silence, staring at Sephiroth mockingly.
"What makes you think I'd take orders.. from anyone." The tune of Sephiroths voice was loathing, and it only enraged the brown-haired boy further.
"Well.. You'll do as I say, or else.." The boy took a step closer, not intimidated by the younger, silver haired boy.
"Or else what?" Sephiroth jumped down from the window, and faced the boy who was standing in front of his group of friends.
"Well beat you up, that's what!" The boy proclaimed, and pushed Sephiroth back. "You're no different than the other weirdos Hojo sends here! They all turn into drooling idiots before they're even 20, my dad says so!" The boy continued, laughing at Sephiroths wounded expression.
"Must be fun.." Another boy added, and they all laughed.
"Whatta loser!" The brown haired boy continued.
"I've had enough." Sephiroth snorted and raised his gaze from the ground, powerful threads of energy emerging from his body.
"W-what the.." the brown haired boy took a step back, but not fast enough. He watched in horror, as Sephiroth gathered the energy into a ball he then cast against the taller boy. The brown haired boy flew against a wall, the ball of sheer energy burning through his clothes. The boy huddled up against the wall, noticing he had broken his arm due to Sephiroths attack. He watched with a fearful expression on his face as Sephiroth walked closer to him, stopping only a step away from the brown haired boys feet.
"Don't bother me again." Sephiroth snarled, and walked out of the room, leaving a charged silence behind him.
I'm coming home
So cold
Sad.. This was the last intermission in Pieces of Us. Yet, the story's not finished so I guess I have nothing to feel bad about. I hope you enjoyed this last dream, I tried to make it really.. dream-like. So basically lot's of weird stuff, huh? I'll really apprecciate a review, it's always nice to get new one's! ^_^