The sun was nearing its peak in the sky and the pair were still walking along, coming now to the beginning of the snow fields. It was colder there, and even the bright sunlight seemed to give little warmth to the place. Katrina took the green coat that had been draped over her arm and put it on, hugging it tighter about herself to warm up a little. The swordsman glanced at her, saying nothing, simply continuing his walk through the deepening snow.
The girl had made no comments on the fact that they were not being attacked, and he wondered if she even noticed. He did not think long on the matter, however, for it only brought him back to the question of who he was. Judging by what he had heard of Sephiroth, he had no desire to be the man, though everyone claimed he looked exactly like him. But if he was Sephiroth, he could remember nothing before the endless snow. If he was Sephiroth, it made little difference to him.
A cold wind whipped around them, causing Katrina to shiver violently. The swordsman glanced at her, wondering if she was still cold, despite her coat. After a moment, he voiced his concern. She shook her head, but didn't say anything-he could see that her teeth were chattering. He let the Masamune fall to the ground, continuing to walk, not even noticing as the sword disappeared from where it lay. He ignored Katrina's questioning and slightly fearful look and unbuckled his shoulder guards, tossing them aside. He took off his gloves and shrugged out of the black cloak, handing it to her. The girl blinked at the gesture, then shook her head. "N-no. You keep it. I don't... you'd freeze..."
He shook his head slightly, still holding out the cloak. "I will be fine. The cold doesn't bother me as much as it does you. Take it." She reached out a hesitant hand and took the cloak from him, pausing to take the bag from her shoulder and put on the leather garment over her coat. The cloak was much too long for her, and the sleeves hung down, almost covering her hands. It hardly mattered though, for it provided more warmth, and so she picked up her bag again, slinging it over her shoulder.
The swordsman suddenly realized that he no longer held the Masamune and turned to look for the blade. To his surprise, it simply appeared in his hand. He blinked, standing there, staring at it. There was something very wrong with the long blade... He shook his head and turned to continue, glancing once at Katrina. The girl appeared momentarily frightened and kept her distance from him, eyeing the Masamune.
They continued trudging through the snow, the swordsman hardly noticing the cold wind against his bare chest. Suddenly, he halted, grip tightening slightly on the handle of the sword as his blue-green eyes scanned the sky. He sensed Katrina as a confused presence behind him. A dark creature swooped downwards and alighted in the snow a fair distance away from him. It was a dark blue-violet color with impressive scarlet wings sprouting from its back. It glared at him through glowing red eyes, its fanged mouth fixed in a devilish grin.
The man took a few steps forward, motioning for Katrina to stay back. If this monster had had the courage to face him, then it had to be powerful. He approached it slowly, raising the Masamune, but he stopped as the creature lowered its head, cringing as though in pain. The wings seemed to shrivel and retreated back into the thing's back as it shrunk slightly, skin turning pale until the creature was recognizable as a human. The man crouched there for a moment, then stood, brushing snow from his vermilion cloak and fixing the swordsman with his cold crimson gaze.
The swordsman looked him up and down, noting the metal claw in place of the man's left arm, the pale face, and the long black hair that fell past the man's shoulders. He felt as though he should have known who he was, but no name came, only the faint sense of recognition. "Who are you...?" he asked finally. The stranger said nothing at first, walking forward so that he was just out of range of the Masamune, not that it mattered, then stopping. He stared at the swordsman for a while before speaking.
"Sephiroth... You do not remember me...?" The voice was soft and low.
The swordsman shook his head. "I remember nothing."
The other man nodded slowly, glancing at Katrina, then looking back at him. His face revealed no emotion whatsoever, but the swordsman did not find this disconcerting in the least. He was merely surprised that the man was not afraid of him, as the others were. But then, he was no ordinary man-he was almost as tall as the swordsman, and held himself in a way that suggested that he was capable of deadly speed. A long rifle was tucked into the man's belt, and he looked as though he knew quite well how to use it. Finally, he spoke. "Lucrecia said that you would return in five years time... Perhaps your loss of memory is part of the third chance she spoke of..."
He still did not understand. The stranger took another step forward, but noticed as his hand tightened on the Masamune. "Who are you?" the swordsman insisted.
"Very well," the other man sighed. "I am Vincent Valentine. I knew you in your previous lives... not that it should matter."
The swordsman did not move. "But how can you be sure that... that I am Sephiroth? I cannot remember anything."
Vincent nodded minutely. "You are Sephiroth, there is no mistaking you." He gestured towards the sword. "Only Sephiroth can handle that blade." He lifted his gaze to the swordsman's eyes. "And you have the same eyes-Mako eyes. You look the same as you did when last I saw you in your human form. But more importantly... Lucrecia predicted your return at this time. She said that you would be given one final chance, and you have no memory of what happened before. Which is just as well, for if you had remembered, there would simply be a repeat of what happened before."
The swordsman was not convinced. "Who is Lucrecia...?"
"Lucrecia..." Vincent said quietly, "was your mother. She instructed me to look after you."
The swordsman still remained suspicious of this expressionless man. That Vincent knew more about his past than he himself did disturbed him. "How do I know that I can trust you?" he asked, not loosening his grip on the Masamune.
Vincent sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly tired. "Sephiroth... how can I make you believe me? You have no memory, you say..." A long silence followed in which the man reopened his eyes and fixed the blood-red gaze upon the swordsman. "My own memories are clear. I remember your birth, thirty-five years ago. Then when you ravaged the world, driven insane by the knowledge of the experiment. You caused so many people so much pain, how can you simply stand there and challenge the truth?"
Finally accepting Vincent's statements, 'Sephiroth' lowered his blade, staring at him with renewed curiosity. "You don't look old enough to remember my birth. Even if you were a child at the time..."
Vincent did not tear his gaze from the swordsman's face. "You are not the only experiment. I am frozen in time, so do not let my appearance fool you. I am sixty-two." Sephiroth-finally accepting his title-stared at Vincent in disbelief. "I told you, I am an experiment as well." Sephiroth nodded.
"But just what are you?" came Katrina's voice. At the arrival of Vincent, the swordsman had completely forgotten about her. He turned to glance at her now. She had begun to walk forwards, now quite certain that Vincent held no threat. "I mean, you... were that... that thing..." she faltered.
Vincent nodded slightly. "I would have changed back sooner, but Chaos is hard to control... especially since I was in its form for so long."
The girl looked confused. "What do you mean?" she demanded.
"As I said before," he said calmly, "I am an experiment. I am... no longer entirely human..." There was a pause and he murmured softly to himself, "A monster..." He lifted his head and gazed stoically first at Katrina, then at Sephiroth. "I cannot be certain of what to do... I suppose it is best to tell you of your past before you find out the same way as last time." He glanced at Katrina, then addressed the swordsman. "Who is she...?"
Sephiroth said nothing, simply turned to the girl, indicating that she introduce herself. He was too lost to do so. So he was Sephiroth afterall... what was this man expecting of him now? He would have to wait and see... so much now depended on his past, whatever it might have been. "I... I'm Katrina," the girl stammered, unnerved by Vincent's crimson gaze as it lay fixed on her. She turned her eyes to the snow-covered ground. Vincent asked no further questions, simply turned towards Snow Village, his air suggesting that he expected both to follow him. Sephiroth eyed him thoughtfully for a moment, then glanced at Katrina before walking after the man, holding the Masamune so that the blade trailed after him, making a faint trail in the snow.
Beneath Vincent's cool exterior, he was struggling violently with Chaos. After being in control for several hours of flight, the creature simply refused to give up so easily. He kept his hand clenched in a tight fist while his metal claw hung idly at his other side. He could feel Sephiroth's cold gaze on him, as well as Katrina's fearful one. He did not look back however. He had more important matters to attend to. Chaos needed to be permanently suppressed, and they needed to find shelter from the weather-the sky in the north was a dark grey. A storm was brewing there, and would likely have unleashed its fury by the time they got that far.
Vincent continued to struggle with Chaos, trying to push the monster back into the recesses of his mind. The thing only growled in his mind and fought more ferociously. Vincent's expression became increasingly morose as the battle inside his mind raged on. His thoughts could not function with the creature's screams for blood. He stopped abruptly and stood there for a moment, lifting his hand to clutch at his head, as though he could rip Chaos out of him. He felt the familiar sensation of transforming, the horrible pain tearing through his body. He had become used to it, but this time it was worse than usual. He managed to remain standing, but he wasn't sure if he could hold off the transformation. He struggled for a moment, then sank to his knees, still clutching his head, his eyes closing. He remembered the other two near him. Would they be able to fight back Chaos...? But then, Sephiroth was there... "N... no......"
Another wave of pain ran through his slender body and the wings began to sprout from his back. He fell forward onto his hands as the agony tore at his body, morphing his cells, changing them completely. When he finally straightened, he was no longer human, but the demonic form of Chaos. Evil crimson eyes glowed fiercely as the creature pushed off from the ground, spinning to face Sephiroth and Katrina...
Sephiroth stared at the creature that had once been Vincent, not quite sure what to do. He sensed the vicious air about the monster, so he shoved Katrina back behind him in an attempt to shield her. Chaos, however, had wings, so he couldn't be entirely certain this would work. What was he supposed to do? The thing was Vincent, and yet, it was not... He held his sword defensively, waiting for the creature to attack first. Chaos grinned at him maliciously before raising one clawed arm, some invisible force stabbing through his chest, as though some sword had just cut into his flesh. He flinched slightly, but found himself unharmed... at least, the blow did not seem to have done any damage.
Sephiroth moved forward with incredible swiftness, wielding the Masamune as though it were as light as a feather, slashing the blade towards the creature. Chaos was not slow, however, and quickly darted to the side, reaching out with a clawed hand. Sephiroth spun around quickly, swinging the long blade through the air to cut a gash through Chaos's arm. Though both possessed inhuman speed, Sephiroth was the faster of the two. In several minutes, he managed to force the creature to the ground. It was bleeding in a dozen places and its breath came in quick pants, voice growling, eyes still glaring fiercely.
The swordsman was unable to discern whether it would transform back into Vincent any time soon. It seemed best to kill the thing. He did not know exactly what it was, but something told him that he should kill it, that that was the best thing to do. So without another moment's delay, he made several more quick cuts, destroying the creature's throat and stabbing it through the heart for good measure. He heard a gasp from Katrina. She had been watching, frozen, during the battle. Sephiroth glanced at her, taking only a moment to note the horrified expression on her face. He then took a step back from the corpse, looking down at the Masamune. The blood on the sword seemed to be slowly diminishing, as if the metal was absorbing it. Impossible... But the Masamune was no ordinary blade.
He let the matter lie and turned his emerald gaze to the fallen Chaos, watching as the thing shrunk, morphing back into the still form of Vincent. Sephiroth waited for a moment, but the man did not move from where he lay on his back, eyes closed, face pale. He did not appear to be alive.
Katrina rushed over to the still body, crouching down and putting her fingers to his neck, searching for a pulse. After a moment, she shook her head worriedly and lay her head against the man's chest. She sat upright and turned to Sephiroth. "He's not breathing, and he has no heartbeat," she informed him, a slight waver to her voice. "You... you just killed him..."
Sephiroth had nothing to say. Something still told him that the man was alright. He shook his head slightly, but otherwise remained completely still where he stood. His eyes remained fixed on Vincent. After a moment, he became aware of a wound in his leg, looked down to see a single tear in his pants, blood slowly trickling down his leg, as if reluctant to move. He watched the red liquid for a moment before returning his gaze to the apparently dead man lying in the bloody snow. The silence stretched.
Suddenly, Vincent's crimson eyes opened, focusing on Katrina. The girl gave a little start and jumped to her feet, taking a few steps backwards, almost tripping in the snow. Vincent stood easily, looking completely unhurt. He glanced once more at the girl, then turned his emotionless gaze to Sephiroth. "...thank you," he said softly. Without another word, he turned northward and continued his trek through the white towards Snow Village.
They reached Snow Village in the midst of a blizzard, stumbling to push their way through the streets, against the wind. Sephiroth had taken Katrina by the arm so that she would not get lost, though he could barely feel her in his grasp. His entire body felt numb with the cold. Vincent led them through the door of the inn and the three burst in, Katrina pushing the door shut behind them and slumping against it. Sephiroth had let go of her arm and he turned now to brush the snow off of himself, barely feeling anything. He glanced at Vincent who had already regained his composure and was speaking quietly to the innkeeper.
The short man kept glancing fearfully towards Sephiroth and shaking his head. Finally Vincent sighed, looking exasperated. He laid his hand on the gun that lay tucked in his belt and spoke again. The innkeeper gulped and nodded quickly, turning towards a door and saying in a louder, slightly shaky voice, "Right this way..." Sephiroth glanced at Katrina, then followed Vincent and the innkeeper through the door and down the hall to a small room. "Th-this is all I have..." the man muttered, shooting a final glance at Sephiroth before hurrying away. Vincent looked after him, then entered the room. The other two followed.
The room was indeed small, but it would suit their purposes. A single bed lay against one wall, next to a window. A nightstand sat beside the bed, a softly flickering lamp sitting atop it. The only other furnishings in the room were a tiny corner table and a worn-out looking arm chair. Sephiroth paused to shut the door, then collapsed into the chair. After a week or so of being on his feet, walking, he was finally beginning to feel tired. He sighed and turned his gaze to the window. Nothing was visible outside except for the snow pelting against the window, a blur of white. He glanced at Vincent, who was leaning against the wall opposite, then at Katrina, who had taken off his cloak and sat down on the bed. Sephiroth looked down at his hands for a moment, then closed his eyes and went to sleep, regardless of the other two in the room.
He awakened several hours later and opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that someone-probably Katrina-had covered him with the black cloak. He looked around the room, finding that Vincent was still in the exact same position as before, watching him with that cold red gaze. The girl was lying on her back on top of the bed, her boots cast on the floor, eyes staring boredly up at the ceiling. Sephiroth stood, putting on the cloak and turning to Vincent with an air of expectancy. When several minutes passed by and Vincent said nothing, the swordsman spoke. "You were going to tell me of my past, weren't you?"
Vincent nodded minutely, but continued to remain silent, closing his eyes for a moment. Without opening them, he began his story, speaking in a soft undertone. "Thirty-eight years ago, a creature was found frozen in a 2000 year geological stratum. Professor Gast of Shinra, Inc. named the organism, Jenova." The name sent a shudder of recognition through Sephiroth's body. His eyes remained fixed on Vincent, waiting for the man to continue. "Jenova was thought to be an Ancient, and the Jenova Project was approved by Shinra. Professor Hojo and Lucrecia conceived a child for the experiment. Jenova cells were injected into the womb while the child was still growing..." Some emotion flashed across Vincent's face, but he quickly concealed it and continued on.
"Nine months later, Lucrecia gave birth to her first and only son. She named the child... Sephiroth. Professor Gast soon traveled north to this village, leaving Hojo to finish the research. Hojo, seeing that Lucrecia's usefulness was at an end, poisoned her. When I discovered what he had done... I ran down to the basement to talk some reason into him... But he shot me, used me for his next experiment, then locked me in the basement of the Shinra Mansion in Nibelheim.
"Sephiroth's childhood was a mystery, even to him I think. He joined SOLDIER at some point, and quickly made his way to the top rank. Sephiroth was known to be the best. Ten years ago, he was sent on a mission to Nibelheim. He was accompanied by another, less experienced member of SOLDIER named Zack, and a normal Shinra trooper, Cloud." The name... it sounded so familiar...
"They were sent to inspect a malfunctioning Mako reactor. Sephiroth took his party up to the reactor, where the creature, Jenova, was being kept, and monsters were created using the Jenova cells. After seeing what was being done, Sephiroth confined himself to the basement library, reading all the documents of the experiment. He was driven insane by what he read, and burned the village, making his way to the reactor to take Jenova with him to the 'Promised Land.' However, Cloud was somehow able to kill him in the reactor, sustaining heavy injuries. Professor Hojo gathered the survivors in Nibelheim for another experiment involving Jenova."
Vincent paused and, after a moment, opened his crimson eyes and met Sephiroth's intent gaze. "Five years later, Sephiroth returned to ravage the world. Cloud and his followers were intent on stopping him. After several encounters, they met at the Temple of the Ancients, where Sephiroth told them of his plan to become one with the Planet. Cloud retrieved the Black Materia from the Temple in hopes that he could keep it from Sephiroth, but he was used as a puppet and handed the materia over to Sephiroth.
"Aeris, the only true survivor of the Ancients, or the Cetra, left on her own mission to counteract the Black Materia by summoning Holy. Just after she had finished, Sephiroth killed her. He then went to Northern Crater where he summoned Meteor. The Weapons were unleashed by the Planet and caused destruction, also occupying Shinra's attention. Cloud took his group down to Northern Crater where they engaged in a final battle with Sephiroth. He was killed once again, but it was too late for Holy. Aeris used the Lifestream to stop Meteor instead. It has been five years since that day."
After Vincent had finished, a thick silence fell over the room, in which none dared speak. Sephiroth turned his gaze to the window where the snow continued to swirl around, the wind rising and falling, whistling eerily and causing the eaves to shudder in response. Finally, Sephiroth turned to Vincent. "If Jenova was not an Ancient... then what was it...?"
Vincent nodded slightly. "During the time of the Cetra, something huge crash-landed in Northern Crater, wounding the Planet. The thing, Jenova, was a virus, infecting and killing many of the Cetra. They finally managed to freeze the creature, and buried it deep so that no one would find it. Unfortunately, Shinra found it anyway..."
Sephiroth lowered his gaze. "So I am infected with the Jenova virus...?"
"Yes."
"Will I go insane as I did before?"
"I cannot be sure... but I do not think so."
Sephiroth gazed down at his boots for a long moment, then straightened, looking at Vincent. "I'd like to visit this 'Nibelheim.' It might make things seem more... real."
Vincent's crimson gaze bore into him for several minutes before the man spoke. "But I must warn you not to read any of the books in the Shinra Mansion. The information they contain is too twisted for your eyes. I cannot let you take the risk of insanity again."
"I understand," Sephiroth replied.
Katrina sat up, speaking for the first time in several hours. "How are we gonna get to Nibelheim? It's on another continent..."
Vincent nodded, glanced briefly at the window. "It seems we will have to call on Cloud for some assistance..."
Sephiroth looked up sharply. "You said it was Cloud who killed me. Why would he help us?"
Vincent fixed him with a cold look. "I was with Cloud when he entered Northern Crater. It will take some explaining, but he will understand... As long as he does not have to help directly, he will consent." Vincent reached into some pocket and pulled out a slightly battered-looking PHS. He dialed Cloud's number and waited for a moment for the man to pick up. There was a pause, and a faint voice could be heard. "(Hello...?)"
"This is Vincent..."
"(Vincent!?)"
"Yes."
"(...what do you want?)"
"I need to borrow a few chocobos."
"(Why?)"
"Because Sephiroth is with me."
"(Sephiroth!? But I thought we-)"
"Calm down, Cloud. He is not insane."
"(Calm down!? This is Sephiroth we're talking about!)"
"Yes. But you remember him before Nibelheim, don't you?"
"(What? You mean now he's a cold bastard instead of an insane one?)"
"Cloud. Please. Do you really blame him for being distant?"
"(So you want me to pity him now, huh? After what he did!? He-)"
"I remember quite well what he did, Cloud. But he doesn't."
"(He lost his memory?)"
"Yes."
"(And this is supposed to make me feel better?)"
"Cloud."
"(Yeah?)"
"Give him a chance. He hasn't killed anyone. In fact, he has been travelling with a girl from Bone Village, and protecting her. Does he sound insane to you?"
"(...no. But if he is alive, why is he with you?)"
"It is my obligation to help him."
"(Because of Lucrecia...?)"
"Yes. It was her wish..."
"(Then I'll send them over. Just bring them straight back as soon as you can. I'd prefer if you just kept Sephiroth away from us.)"
"...Thank you." Vincent put the PHS away and turned to Sephiroth. "You heard that, I am sure. We will have to wait." There was a pause. "...do you have any questions?"
Sephiroth nodded. "I want to know more about my mother... Lucrecia."
Again, there was the flash of emotion, and Sephiroth could see that it was pain. But Vincent soon concealed it, resuming his emotionless mask. "Lucrecia... She was a beautiful woman. Long brown hair and bright blue-green eyes. She was full of energy and always smiling... until the Jenova Project..." He trailed off.
"You are holding things back," Sephiroth stated. "Don't."
Vincent sighed, closing his eyes. "Lucrecia was... a good friend of mine from the start. Before the Project, we used to talk often... But... she went with Hojo instead of me... Hojo didn't love her, but she was too blind to see it, and I had not the heart to tell her. She probably wouldn't have believed me anyway. She was too caught up in the Jenova Project. It was everything to her. Hojo had told her that it would make them famous... but he was lying. He had no intention of giving her any credit for her participation, for her hard work. And I... failed to protect her. I let her go through with it, despite her deteriorating condition, despite what I knew of Hojo. That was my sin. I abandoned her..."
"You... you still love her, don't you?" Sephiroth asked. Vincent opened his eyes and looked at him for a moment before nodding solemnly. "Couldn't you use magic to revive her? And... and the people I killed...?"
Vincent shook his head. "It was much too late for Lucrecia by the time I got to her... I lack the capabilities to ressurect one from the dead after longer than a few hours, just like anyone else. And those you killed... cannot be revived because of the Masamune blade."
Sephiroth looked down for a moment. "Is it possible that I could revive them, since it is my sword?" Vincent shook his head minutely, indicating that he didn't know. It seemed obvious that Vincent was a man of few words, and that speaking to Sephiroth as he had just done was much more than he would normally do. He had only said that much because of Lucrecia. Sephiroth looked up at him. "You said that you met with Lucrecia again... didn't she die?"
"Yes... but the Jenova cells brought her back to life. She struggled with the virus for thirty years before she finally died again..."
"And you saw her then?"
"Yes."
"What did she say?"
Vincent turned away, looking instead to the window. "It is nothing that you need to hear."
"She was my mother. I want to know her last words," Sephiroth persisted.
Vincent glanced at him. The man's eyes glistened slightly, but he soon closed them, lowering his head. "She... told me to look after you," he said finally.
"Is that all?"
"No..." Vincent said softly. Sephiroth waited, keeping his blue-green eyes fixed on him. "...she told me... that none of this was my fault."
There was something in his tone of voice... "You don't believe her."
Vincent shook his head. "How can I? I abandoned her... I loved her, and yet I abandoned her. There is only one name I could give myself-monster."
"From what you tell me, I was no better," Sephiroth said quietly.
"No... you had no control over your actions. I did." He regained his composure and looked out the window again, murmuring softly, "She never even got to hold you... Not even once..." There was a pause. "She said that was her sin-that you couldn't call her your mother," he said to Sephiroth. "But it wasn't her fault... I didn't protect her... she was so helpless..."
A long stretch of silence followed in which neither Sephiroth nor Katrina were quite sure what to say to the morose figure. Vincent, however, did not even seem to notice them. He continued to stare out the window at the snow. It was falling lightly now, swirling every now and then as the wind picked up, but even the wind seemed to have fallen silent. Sephiroth finally lowered his eyes to his hands. It was hard to take in, that he had caused so many people so much pain. He knew, however, that it had to be true. Certain names were familiar to him, and somewhere from the recesses of his suppressed memory, images of people he had once known surfaced.
One seemed to be the most prominent at the moment-a young woman, in her early twenties, kneeling on a circular platform, a pale stone railing encircling it and yellow glass reaching upwards, a short staircase leading down to a series of stone pillars. The girl was pretty, dressed in a long pink gown that was buttoned neatly down the front. Over this, she wore a short red jacket with ridiculously puffy sleeves, but somehow, the style seemed to suit her innocent appearance. She was upright on her knees, her feet concealed in a pair of large brown boots. Her hands were clasped, held close to her bosom, head bowed. Her long bangs fell in front of her face, shadowing it. The rest of her long brown hair was tied back in a thick braid, save for two twirled locks of hair, one on either side of her face. In her hair was tied a large pink ribbon and a small, white materia was somehow pinned to the ribbon, the tiny sphere glittering in the pale blue-green light that bathed the area. After a moment, she lifted her head, opening her bright green eyes, and smiled. This was Aeris... the Cetra whom he had killed, moments later.
Sephiroth wondered what his mother looked like. Vincent had said that she was beautiful... But that didn't describe her very well. In his mind, he had formed an image quite similar to that of Aeris when Vincent had spoken of his mother... Lucrecia. He sighed. He felt as though he had woken up from a dream, unable to remember it, and someone else had told him exactly what it was about. He was now responsible for many sins that he knew nothing about... and yet he felt guilty of them anyway. A complicated matter.
The heavy silence was interrupted by a timid knock on the door and Sephiroth immediately lifted his head, looking in that direction. He glanced at Vincent, but the man's crimson gaze remained fixed on the falling snow outside. A moment later, the doorknob turned and the innkeeper peeked in, looking very uncertain. The little man pointedly tried to ignore Sephiroth and turned his eyes to the indifferent Vincent.
"Mr., uh... Valentine...? There's some chocobos here for you..... from, um... Cloud...?" Vincent nodded minutely and turned away from the window, glancing at Sephiroth and Katrina before walking to the door. The innkeeper started a little, moving away from the door. Vincent pulled it the rest of the way open and walked off down the hallway, not saying a word.
Sephiroth stood, not bothering to check on the girl, and walked swiftly past the fearful innkeeper, following Vincent down the hall. He was vaguely aware of Katrina's footsteps behind him. He heard the door shut and went outside immediately, finding a pair of gold chocobos outside, Vincent standing near one of them. He heard the girl come out behind him. She walked over to the chocobos, smiling, delighted by the sight of them. She probably had never seen birds with such brilliant plumage. Sephiroth took a few steps towards one of them, then paused, glancing first at Vincent, then at Katrina. Two chocobos, three people. Vincent mounted the one of the chocobos and it walked forward a few steps. He glanced at Sephiroth, then nodded towards the girl.
Sephiroth climbed on top of the other bird and hesitantly reached a hand downwards towards Katrina. She blinked, then smiled a little, a very slight blush coming to her cheeks as she took his hand, climbing up behind him and putting an arm around his waist. Vincent glanced at them and turned his chocobo to the south, tapping its flanks lightly with his metal-toed boots. The gold chocobo raced off and Sephiroth was quick to follow on his. The birds moved swiftly across the snow, the landscape flying past in a blur. Before he had even realized it, they were over the mountains that had dominated Sephiroth's sight on the long trek the day before.
Soon, the chocobos were sprinting across the ocean, the brilliant blue water splashing upwards, leaving rippling wakes behind them. He looked out across the horizon, watching as the other continent came into view, moving rapidly closer. And then they were on land again, over another mountain range, then across the desert, across the river, and over the Corel Mountains and onto a great plain. The chocobos slowed, and Sephiroth noticed a town to his right. The two gold chocobos paused to shift their wings a little bit, then strutted into the town. They stopped where the dirt-covered stone street began. Vincent leapt easily from the chocobo and landed on the ground at its side. Sephiroth waited for Katrina to get off before dismounting.
He turned to the town and took a few steps forward, looking around. The building to his right had its back turned to them, a pile of junk lying at its side, and a white fence going around the front. A small archway crossed over the little street, meeting another fence on the other side, encircling someone's back yard. Further into town, there was a small inn and several plain, yet cozy-looking houses. A large well marked the center of the town, and the dusty street. The place had an depressing, sleepy look to it. It was quiet as well-nothing seemed to stir, save a small dog that lay in the shade of the well, tail thumping the ground every few minutes.
Vincent cast him an emotionless glance, then turned to walk along the street, striding past the well without giving it so much as a glance. Sephiroth followed him, seeing a building at the other end of the small village that didn't quite seem to fit. The fence that surrounded it was much taller than the other fences. The wooden boards were close together so that no one could see into the yard, and they hadn't been painted. A slightly rusted metal gate marked the entrance. A stone path led to the front of a huge mansion. It was only two stories high, but it had many windows on either side of the large double door. Two dark columns, one on either side of the door, only added to the grand appearance.
Sephiroth glanced at Vincent, who had stopped to the one side of the door, then stepped through into the mansion, pushing one of the tall wooden doors open, wincing a little at the creak in the hinges. He took a few steps forward, then stopped. The first thing to catch his eye was the curving staircase on the right that led up to a wide landing. There was another, shorter set of steps that went up to the top floor where there were several dirty stained glass windows that shone muted colored light upon the wooden floor. A black, cobweb-covered chandelier hung from the ceiling. There were four doors leading from the main entryway, one to the right, one below the landing, and two to the left. The place felt incredibly familiar. "The Shinra Mansion..." he murmured, though the name held little meaning to him.
The swordsman turned to his left, absentmindedly walking through the first door. There were a couple sheets of yellowed paper lying on the floor, covered in a spidery handwriting. Sephiroth bent down to pick them up, read silently to himself. I must get rid of all those that stand in the way of my research. Even that one from the Turks. He blinked, glanced at Vincent, who had moved to stand silently a ways behind him, watching. Sephiroth turned his attention back to the words on the paper. He recognized that handwriting... I scientifically altered him and put him to sleep in the basement. Here, he stopped and tossed the papers back on the floor.
He turned to Vincent. "That was... Hojo's writing...... about you..." Vincent nodded slightly. Sephiroth walked past him, looking around, as though in a slight daze. "I'm... starting to remember. I remember this mansion. I remember going down to the basement and reading... reading... for days on end...." He wandered towards the staircase, looking at the stained glass windows as he made his way up. They had once been beautiful, no doubt, but there was such a thick layer of dust and cobwebs that it was impossible to tell what the design was supposed to be. He turned to the right, entered a room.
Sephiroth stepped forward, pushed open a heavy stone door, then paused in the doorway, listening to the grating sound echo down the cavernous room beyond. There was a spiraling set of wooden steps that led downwards into darkness. After a moment, he started down them. The light dimmed as he made his way towards the basement. The steps weren't very well maintained-some were rotting, others were broken, and some were missing entirely. He reached the bottom, a rough stone floor, a dimly lit rock tunnel ahead of him. He walked along it, turning to a wooden wall on the left, with a heavy door set into it. He pushed the door open, looking around the room.
There was hardly any light here, but a sputtering lantern had been set on the floor, casting eerie shadows against the walls. Five coffins were in the room, all opened. Four of them held skeletons that looked as though they would turn to dust the second they were touched, and the coffins themselves did not look as though they were in much better shape. The coffin in the center of the room, however, was perfectly neat, though considerably dusty, and the lid had been slid off to one side. Sephiroth walked to the coffin, peered inside, and glanced once more at Vincent, who nodded very slightly. This was his coffin... The swordsman turned his attention to the far wall, where dozens of human skulls were piled. Oddly enough, he felt nothing uncanny or unnerving about this, but he had the strangest feeling that Vincent was the one who had killed those people, whoever they might have been.
There was another memory from his past that fought its way to the surface of his tangled thoughts: A man, not particularly tall, in his sixties. He wore a white labcoat over a pair of black pants and a blue shirt that looked as though it had not been washed in several weeks, but his clothes could not hide his bony figure. His eyes were set back in his skull, quick, darting black eyes that didn't look entirely sane. A wrinkled forehead sloped back to a retreating hairline, where the man's long black hair was swept back over his head, tied in a small ponytail at the nape of his neck. His skinny hands were clasped behind his back, long fingers... Wisps of black hair hung in front of his face, a pair of glasses were perched on his long nose. His thin mouth kept twitching into a grin, one that looked oddly maniacal, as though at any moment, he might break out into evil laughter. This, was Hojo of Shinra, Inc. ... his father. Sephiroth grimaced and forced the image away, turning to walk back out of the room.
Vincent stepped back, out of his way. Sephiroth noticed Katrina standing a ways behind Vincent, looking nervous and fearful. She kept glancing around at the shadows as though something might leap from them at any second. But nothing dared attack them, thanks to Sephiroth's presence. The swordsman almost loathed this fact, however. It only further distinguished him from the others, set an invisible barrier around him, pushing everyone and everything away.
He turned down the hallway, towards the library. He recognized the place immediately. Images flashed through his mind, too quickly for him to make out exactly what they were. A pair of black eyes, a ceiling... nothing too recognizable. He turned his attention back to the library. On the left side, the shelves were crammed with books, some leaning over on eachother, others half-fallen off the shelf. Piles and piles of books lay everywhere, discarded, some opened, pages torn and in tatters, some with dirty bootprints where he had absentmindedly stepped on them.
The right side, however, was no library. There were a few sets of shelves, containing several books, but mostly an assortment of various dust-choked jars and bottles, containing who knew what. There was a cluttered desk without a chair in the center of the main room, and on the far wall, a tangled maze of chords and pipes led to a pair of large glass cylinders, green-tinted, once filled with thick Mako. He could still smell the residue. He walked slowly towards the cylinders, peering at them. Once, they had contained human test subjects-Cloud and Zack. He knew not where this knowledge came from, but it was the truth. Hojo had infused them with Jenova cells, drenched them in Mako. He could smell the Jenova here, too, a lingering stench...
Sephiroth wrinkled his nose in disgust and turned away, his blue-green gaze finding the cluttered desk. There were hastily stacked papers lying on it. He brushed them aside to see the plain wood-bloodstained wood, very old blood, though. One of Hojo's victim's, no doubt. He wandered around the desk, towards the endless books. His eyes scanned a few titles-Jenova Specimen VII, Jenova Project... then one that seemed out of place-Specimen VV-01. Curious, he reached out a hand to take the book from its shelf, but a strong grip around his wrist stopped him.
"I cannot allow you to read any of these," came Vincent's soft, but stern voice.
Sephiroth nodded, lowing his hand, but his gaze remained fixed on the title. VV-01. VV... Vincent Valentine, perhaps? He glanced at the dark figure by his side. "That was..."
"Hojo's records of my... abnormalities," Vincent finished curtly. "There is no need for you to dwell on me either." He hesitated. "We should leave now. You have seen enough."
Sephiroth looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, studying the cold crimson gaze. He nodded minutely. "I want to see the reactor as well, if only briefly, before we leave." Vincent met his gaze, then turned away with a curt nod. He led the swordsman back out of the library and down the hall. Katrina fell in line behind the two men as they made their way back up the staircase and out the heavy stone door, emerging into the rest of the mansion. It was no less eerie than the basement, but at least it wasn't quite as dark.
Sephiroth took the lead, some sudden whim leading him down the curving stairs to the first floor, then to the second door to the left. There was a magnificent stain-glass window there-or, rather, it would have been magnificent had it not been covered in dust and cobwebs. Still, it managed to cast a rather pretty pattern of light upon the dingy wooden floor. There was a small tea-table to one side of the room, a tea set, frozen in a tangle of webs, still sat on the little table. Two equally entangled wooden chairs sat near the table, one on either side. A piano sat in the center of the room, though slightly off to the side. It was large and black, the top to it battered and slightly askew. The yellowed keys looked somehow less dirty than everything else, as if someone had touched them a bit more recently.
The room held a fallen air, once beautiful, it was now reduced to this miserable state, a heavy silence weighing down upon the lingering sorrow. Sephiroth was drawn to the piano, ran his fingers lightly along the keys, picking up dust as he went. He wiped his hand on his cloak, then faced the ivory keys. He didn't know how to play, but he felt a sort of attachment to that particular piano. He lay his fingers gently on the keys, played a few random notes. The last one screeched loudly, letting its noise echo around the room, breaking the silence so horribly. The noise finally faded away, and Sephiroth turned from the room with another glance at the mute figure as he passed him.
The swordsman strode out of the oppressive mansion and into the daylight. The sky had begun to cloud over, but there was still some blue visible to the south. He turned northward, along the wide path that led out of the town, past the high fence surrounding the mansion. He heard footsteps behind him on the ground, belonging to only one person, however. He glanced behind him to see both Vincent and Katrina following. Vincent simply made no noise.
Sephiroth continued onward across the valley in the center of the mountain range before finding the beginning to the winding stone path that led up Mount Nibel. The path was steep at first, then leveled out a bit, curving around a crevice in the dull blue rock. The ground underfoot was hard and rough, a strange yellow mist clinging to the mountain. They continued up the lonely peak. There was nothing here that dared attack them, nothing that could live because of the greedy Mako reactor. It had sucked up all the life on the mountain, and everything there had simply shriveled up and things ceased to grow. There wasn't even a single dead tree to mark the passing of the once-existent vegetation.
The sky had turned completely overcast by the time they finally reached the reactor. It was a hideous thing, all shining metal with the Shinra, Inc. sign on it. It did not belong here on this desolate mountain. It belonged nowhere. The thought crossed his mind to destroy it, but he had no weapon, save the Masamune blade. Still, maybe they could find a way to shut the thing down...
He walked up the metal steps, not bothering to use the railing, listening to the soft metal ping of his boots against the floor. The door to the reactor opened easily, but with a slight creak of its hinges. Once inside, his senses were filled with the sounds of machinery-the rich Mako gushing from the pipes, churning below him in a blue-green mass... Looking down at that Mako, it seemed somehow familiar. Another flash of memory-a young man with spiked blond hair, sword thrust through him-the Masamune. Grasping onto the end, being flung into the Mako pit far below, feeling the blood seep from him and into the deep pool, falling, suffocating, dying...
Sephiroth wrenched his gaze away from the churning blue-green substance and climbed down to the pipes that ran across to the main control room. The control room was filled with odd looking pods, however, strange, almost organic, metal tubes ran from each of the pods, up towards the wall, where they disappeared into the next room. There were metal steps that went up to the top platform, where a sealed door was... Above the door, a sign reading 'Jenova' had been nailed. He stared at the sign for a moment, then turned away. Even if the virus was not there, he had no wish to see that room. He knew that the machinery was still there. The broken glass, the long snaking tube full of blood and Mako...
He shook his head. It was vivid enough in his memory now. He remembered the places, yes, that seemed to come to him easily enough now. But it was the events themselves that he still struggled with. He made his way back out of the reactor, the place of his first death. Sephiroth led the other two back down the mountain, through the multicolored caves, down the mist-covered path. It began to rain then, a light drizzle at first, but by the time they had again reached the town, it had turned into a heavy downpour. It was late afternoon by now. A glance at Katrina told him that she was both tired and hungry from the day's travel.
Sephiroth turned to a two-story house to his left, and, seeing no one there, led the way upstairs. It took him a moment before he realized whose home this was, though the name meant little to him: Tifa. He went up the stairs, found the bedroom. He glanced at Katrina, then gestured towards the two beds, bidding her to rest. They would be leaving again in the morning. The girl hesitated, then kicked off her shoes and flopped down on the far bed, falling asleep almost immediately. The swordsman sat down on the other bed for a moment, then tugged off his boots and lay back on top of the soft quilt, staring up at the ceiling. Then he closed his blue-green eyes, intent on getting some sleep...