Sephiroth circled slowly around his opponent. His challenger was
masked and clad in black ninja gear, and wielded two short swords.
Sephiroth was also in the ninja gear, and he too was masked. And, of
course, he wielded two short swords for the fight. He was locked in a match-
up that Godo had randomly thrown together. He didn't know whom exactly he
was fighting, but he was willing to bet it was Staniv, Godo's top student.
Ever since Sephiroth had woken up from his coma Staniv had been jealous of
how much attention Godo paid to Sephiroth. Before Sephiroth had come Staniv
had it all, yet Sephiroth showed amazing potential with the blade. His
reflexes, speed, agility, power, balance, coordination, and basically
everything imaginable was above what most people achieved in a lifetime,
and as far as Godo knew Sephiroth was completely untrained. Since then
Staniv had lost the spotlight, and he made the grudge he harbored towards
Sephiroth no secret. Then again, Sephiroth didn't hide his distaste for
Staniv's cockiness. Godo claimed this match was random, but Sephiroth knew
Godo all too well. This was to teach Staniv and him a lesson. Well,
Sephiroth was just happy to get his chance to beat up on Staniv.
Sephiroth continued to circle his opponent, and all his foe did was stand there until Sephiroth could quite literally stab him in the back. Definitely Staniv. He'd have to pay for that mistake. Sephiroth lunged at Staniv, positioning his blades so that the attack wouldn't kill Staniv. Sephiroth would have enjoyed killing him, but living with humiliation was worse that death in Sephiroth's eyes. Unfortunately, Sephiroth didn't get to create that humiliation. Staniv whipped his swords behind his back in a cross pattern. Sephiroth's blades clanged against them and slipped to either side, thrusting into the air. Sephiroth managed to keep his balance and not collapse forward. In his moment of repositioning Staniv brought his swords back to their original positions before jabbing backwards. The hilt of one of his swords rammed into Sephiroth's gut and Sephiroth was forced to take another few moments to inhale and refill his lungs. In that time Staniv turned and brought his blade up. Unlike Sephiroth, Staniv appeared to have the intention to kill Sephiroth. Sephiroth could practically see the smirk that came to Staniv's lips, as Staniv was undoubtedly stopping for a moment to enjoy his triumph. A grave mistake.
Sephiroth snapped his head up and into Staniv's chin. Staniv stumbled back and Sephiroth swung the flat of his blade straight into Staniv's head. Staniv fell to the ground from the blow and didn't get up. He wasn't dead, he wasn't even unconscious, just humiliated. He made an attempt to get up in the time allotted but Sephiroth raised his boot and kicked it into Staniv's chest. He planted it there firmly, keeping Staniv from getting up. Staniv reached for his swords, which he had dropped. Sephiroth raised his foot from Staniv's chest and crushed Staniv's outstretched hand with it. Staniv screamed in pain, and Sephiroth enjoyed that thoroughly. He twisted his good until he heard the distinctive snap he had been looking for.
"Stop! That's enough, Sephiroth!"
Sephiroth peered over to Godo, who had a cold look on his face. He was obviously most displeased with Sephiroth's.extremity. Had it been anyone else in Wutai who had asked him to stop, Sephiroth would have kept going, but he respected Godo. Besides, he had seen Godo in action, and Sephiroth that wouldn't be able to beat him in a swordfight, yet. So Sephiroth freed Staniv's hand. Staniv immediately grasped it with his good hand and began to flex his wrist. He then began to get up when Sephiroth lashed out with his foot and bashed in his chin again. Staniv was knocked back onto the mat.
"Sephiroth! When I say stop, I demand that you stop!" Godo yelled, the cold anger having become red-hot. Sephiroth backed away from Staniv and looked at Godo. He was surprised when he saw that, standing next to Godo, was Staniv. His gaze darted back to his opponent. He had been sure that it was Staniv. So, who had he been fighting?
His opponent took off his mask and revealed his identity. It turned out Sephiroth had been fighting Gorki. A look of shame came to Sephiroth. He wasn't an expert with short swords, everyone knew that, but still, to have almost been defeated by Gorki. It was true that Gorki had the potential to become one of Godo's top students, yet in the present he was still amongst the bottom half of Godo's protégés. Sephiroth looked over to Staniv, who was doing his best not to laugh. Sephiroth's eyes narrowed and he gave Staniv a look colder than ice. Staniv was undaunted and returned the stare. An idea came to Sephiroth. He stooped down and grabbed Gorki's short swords and threw them at Staniv. Staniv caught both and walked onto the mat Sephiroth was standing on. The two slowly circled around each other, waiting for the other to strike. Just as Sephiroth prepared to move in to attack a long sword jutted out in front of him. Sephiroth was barely able to stop himself before impaling himself on the blade. Sephiroth saw that Godo had been the one to stop the fight. He backed off and dropped his swords, as did Staniv. A stern look was present on Godo's face, and it looked as though he was about to deliver one of his infamous lectures on the "three main faults of mankind".
"Pride," Godo looked over at Sephiroth, "cockiness," Godo looked to Gorki, "and arrogance." Godo turned to Staniv. "These are the three main faults of mankind. We need some pride. That is true. However, too much pride gives us unneeded shame, humiliation, and provides us with arrogance and cockiness. Sephiroth, you have far too much pride. You believe that every battle is vital, because, in your eyes, a single loss is something to be ashamed of. To you, one loss, no matter how minor, is the end of the world. I picked this match to teach you a lesson. Gorki's expertise is with short swords, and you have made little progress with their use. I was hoping that you would lose, but your victory confirms my other reasons for this match-up.
"Gorki, you hold the fault of cockiness. The battle could have been easily won for you, but you stopped, allowing Sephiroth time to recover. That is what cockiness does, it makes us think that we have won, no matter what, when, in all truth, we have lost. As long as we are cocky, we shall always lose. If you do not lose your cockiness, Gorki, you will never come close to reaching your true potential.
"And Staniv, you hold the worst fault of all, arrogance. You believe that you are better than other people, and every time you believe that you are better than someone, you become worse than that person. You might be at the top of my class now, but your arrogance causes you to become complacent. You have barely trained this week, while Sephiroth has trained six hours a day. He already has an edge over you considering how naturally talented he is. Give him time to refine that skill and he will quickly surpass you, as will everyone else in this class.
"There is one cure to all three maladies. This is humility. Learn it, experience it, and teach it to others. When we are humble, we are at our best, because we seek to become the best that we can be. That is all. Class is dismissed."
The class filed out of the pagoda, heading to their homes, recreational areas, perhaps even the mountains to pray. Sephiroth did not leave, knowing that Godo wanted to see him. Besides, he lived in the pagoda anyways. After everyone else had left, Godo walked over to Sephiroth.
"How are you feeling?" Godo asked.
"I'm fine. Still no memories. All I can remember is my name. It just seems to be ingrained into my mind."
"You are lucky to have retained even that. You are the first known person to ever come out of a Lifestream-induced coma, let alone remember your name. Still, I would have thought that the amnesia would have been temporary. It has been over a month now since you woke up."
"Well, I do almost remember something. I'm on a narrow beam. It's made out of metal, and rusting in several places. I'd like to say that I remember more, but that's really it. For some reason though, I just keep having images of that beam flashing through my eyes."
"It matters not. The meaning of that image will become clear with time, and your memories will return. You just have to have faith that they will."
"Right." Sephiroth nodded his confirmation as well before heading up into his quarters. Perhaps he'd train a little, then go to sleep. It was getting fairly dark.
Sephiroth tossed and turned in his sleep. Everything, it was all coming back to him. The memories came back, one by one, and then the last one fell into place. He was standing on the beam, fighting the rebels, and they were the ones to knock him off. He sailed helplessly through the sky, and the Mako came closer and closer.
Sephiroth woke up with a cry on his lips. A cold sweat was on his forehead, and the unusually humid air made the atmosphere rather sticky. A light breeze carried through the tranquil night, providing a frigid chill for Sephiroth. Despite the cold, Sephiroth felt red-hot. His anger was growing, consuming him. The people of Wutai, they had betrayed him in the worst of ways. First they tried to kill him, and then they took advantage of him. They thought that just because he had no memories they could mold him into a warrior to fight for their cause. Sephiroth would prove that you could not betray him and expect to get away with it. Sephiroth quickly got out of bed, putting on his more favored attire. It was a black coat with silver epaulets. It showed power and nobility. He then grabbed one of the broadswords that decorated the wall, choosing it for its qualities as far as hand-to-hand combat went, and for its six materia slots, all linked. He went over to his dresser and opened up a hidden compartment, in which he hid his good materia, all of it naturally occurring, of course. He hastily picked the best of the bunch and slipped it into his new sword and his pockets. He had managed to get twenty of the colored orbs. Four independent, four summon, four support, four command, and four magic. Just as he was about to close the compartment, he noticed the fire materia that was sitting in the compartment. It wasn't quite as good as the time materia he had picked over it, but on such a cold night it would be a shame for the villagers to freeze.
Fire blanketed all of Wutai. The villagers panicked, running to and fro. Godo tried to establish order, but it was useless. He then realized that he hadn't thought to get his daughter Yuffie to safety. She was still only three, and wouldn't be able to get herself to safety. Godo rushed to his home to find that it was untouched by the fire. In front of it was Sephiroth, who stood watching the blaze, sword in hand.
"Sephiroth! I'm glad you're okay. When I saw that the pagoda was on fire I thought you had perished with it."
"Old man, of course I'm okay. Why would I set fire to the pagoda when I was still in it?" Sephiroth said, before turning to face Godo. In his sword was a fire materia, glowing as it prepared to unleash another devastating attack. Godo's eyes widened.
"But.why? Why would you do this?"
"Why else? It was this town that sent me into the Lifestream. First you try to kill me, and then you try to use me! I'm not your toy! You treat me as though I were some kind of experiment! I won't take it! Now, witness the destruction of your home!" Sephiroth pulled the materia out of his sword and directed its power at Godo's house. Unwilling to stand while Sephiroth went any further, Godo drew his blade and ran in front of Sephiroth. Sephiroth hesitated for a moment, and then the glow in the materia faded. Sephiroth put it back into his sword, then raised his blade in a challenge to Godo. Godo looked back at his house. It wasn't on fire just yet, but the rampant fire was nearing it. He knew that he could beat Sephiroth, but not quickly enough to save his daughter. He backed away, heading towards the door of his house. Sephiroth dashed around him and blocked Godo's entrance to the door.
"Come on, Godo. Haven't you ever wondered whether or not you could beat me in a battle? I'm using my best weapon, and you're using your best weapon. It should be interesting. The best part is how high the stakes are. You lose, and your precious family dies. I lose, and I lose my chance at a more proper vengeance. Of course, there's a time limit to this match, as there is to any good match-up. I give you.two minutes before the fire I was so kind to create overtakes your house. Three minutes, and we'll both be trapped in a ring of fire. Of course, with my materia, I could easily walk through the fire, so for me, the important thing is to make this match very, very long. For you, it's important to end this quickly. Now, let the match begin!"
Sephiroth stood in front of the door, waiting for Godo's attack. The agony he was going to inflict on Godo was something to revel in. He quietly began to prepare the fire materia, coupling it with the elemental materia in his bangle. Godo grew urgent and impatient with Sephiroth's game, so he began the attack. A fast and furious combination of strikes came Sephiroth's way, and while he could have easily countered them all, he chose to let himself be beaten. Godo stood over him, the tip of his blade at Sephiroth's throat. Sephiroth was interested in whether or not Godo would be able to kill his favorite student. The cold metal of the blade pressed lightly against his bare throat, and Godo began to circle around Sephiroth, towards the door to his house. It appeared he couldn't bring himself to do it. So noble, so pathetic. After the blade was a safe distance from his throat, Sephiroth leapt up and unleashed a fire spell straight on Godo's house. The material easily caught fire, and as Godo rushed in to save Yuffie before it was too late, Sephiroth made his retreat. As he was about to complete his escape, he found that just as Godo couldn't kill him, he couldn't leave Godo and his family to die. He pulled out his ice materia and cast a spell directly over the part of Godo's house that was on fire. The ice instantly melted into water and doused the flames. Shocked with his remorse, Sephiroth then ran as fast as he could, away from Wutai. He never looked back.
Several miles away from Wutai, he ran into an abandoned boat. Its owner must have left when he noticed the fire. As far away from Wutai as he was, Sephiroth could see the fire, glowing in the distance. It had lit the way for Sephiroth, and he stopped to utter his thanks. In one fell swoop he had gotten his revenge and covered his escape. However, Sephiroth wasn't done with making the rebels pay. They had knowingly betrayed him, and for that he would hunt them down until every last one of them was dead. He realized the best way to do that was to join up with Shinra, and the nearest accessible post was Rocket Town. So Sephiroth climbed into the boat and pulled out the navigational instruments. He plotted a course to Rocket Town, and set sail into the vast oceans, lit up not by the moon, but by the fires of Wutai.
Sephiroth continued to circle his opponent, and all his foe did was stand there until Sephiroth could quite literally stab him in the back. Definitely Staniv. He'd have to pay for that mistake. Sephiroth lunged at Staniv, positioning his blades so that the attack wouldn't kill Staniv. Sephiroth would have enjoyed killing him, but living with humiliation was worse that death in Sephiroth's eyes. Unfortunately, Sephiroth didn't get to create that humiliation. Staniv whipped his swords behind his back in a cross pattern. Sephiroth's blades clanged against them and slipped to either side, thrusting into the air. Sephiroth managed to keep his balance and not collapse forward. In his moment of repositioning Staniv brought his swords back to their original positions before jabbing backwards. The hilt of one of his swords rammed into Sephiroth's gut and Sephiroth was forced to take another few moments to inhale and refill his lungs. In that time Staniv turned and brought his blade up. Unlike Sephiroth, Staniv appeared to have the intention to kill Sephiroth. Sephiroth could practically see the smirk that came to Staniv's lips, as Staniv was undoubtedly stopping for a moment to enjoy his triumph. A grave mistake.
Sephiroth snapped his head up and into Staniv's chin. Staniv stumbled back and Sephiroth swung the flat of his blade straight into Staniv's head. Staniv fell to the ground from the blow and didn't get up. He wasn't dead, he wasn't even unconscious, just humiliated. He made an attempt to get up in the time allotted but Sephiroth raised his boot and kicked it into Staniv's chest. He planted it there firmly, keeping Staniv from getting up. Staniv reached for his swords, which he had dropped. Sephiroth raised his foot from Staniv's chest and crushed Staniv's outstretched hand with it. Staniv screamed in pain, and Sephiroth enjoyed that thoroughly. He twisted his good until he heard the distinctive snap he had been looking for.
"Stop! That's enough, Sephiroth!"
Sephiroth peered over to Godo, who had a cold look on his face. He was obviously most displeased with Sephiroth's.extremity. Had it been anyone else in Wutai who had asked him to stop, Sephiroth would have kept going, but he respected Godo. Besides, he had seen Godo in action, and Sephiroth that wouldn't be able to beat him in a swordfight, yet. So Sephiroth freed Staniv's hand. Staniv immediately grasped it with his good hand and began to flex his wrist. He then began to get up when Sephiroth lashed out with his foot and bashed in his chin again. Staniv was knocked back onto the mat.
"Sephiroth! When I say stop, I demand that you stop!" Godo yelled, the cold anger having become red-hot. Sephiroth backed away from Staniv and looked at Godo. He was surprised when he saw that, standing next to Godo, was Staniv. His gaze darted back to his opponent. He had been sure that it was Staniv. So, who had he been fighting?
His opponent took off his mask and revealed his identity. It turned out Sephiroth had been fighting Gorki. A look of shame came to Sephiroth. He wasn't an expert with short swords, everyone knew that, but still, to have almost been defeated by Gorki. It was true that Gorki had the potential to become one of Godo's top students, yet in the present he was still amongst the bottom half of Godo's protégés. Sephiroth looked over to Staniv, who was doing his best not to laugh. Sephiroth's eyes narrowed and he gave Staniv a look colder than ice. Staniv was undaunted and returned the stare. An idea came to Sephiroth. He stooped down and grabbed Gorki's short swords and threw them at Staniv. Staniv caught both and walked onto the mat Sephiroth was standing on. The two slowly circled around each other, waiting for the other to strike. Just as Sephiroth prepared to move in to attack a long sword jutted out in front of him. Sephiroth was barely able to stop himself before impaling himself on the blade. Sephiroth saw that Godo had been the one to stop the fight. He backed off and dropped his swords, as did Staniv. A stern look was present on Godo's face, and it looked as though he was about to deliver one of his infamous lectures on the "three main faults of mankind".
"Pride," Godo looked over at Sephiroth, "cockiness," Godo looked to Gorki, "and arrogance." Godo turned to Staniv. "These are the three main faults of mankind. We need some pride. That is true. However, too much pride gives us unneeded shame, humiliation, and provides us with arrogance and cockiness. Sephiroth, you have far too much pride. You believe that every battle is vital, because, in your eyes, a single loss is something to be ashamed of. To you, one loss, no matter how minor, is the end of the world. I picked this match to teach you a lesson. Gorki's expertise is with short swords, and you have made little progress with their use. I was hoping that you would lose, but your victory confirms my other reasons for this match-up.
"Gorki, you hold the fault of cockiness. The battle could have been easily won for you, but you stopped, allowing Sephiroth time to recover. That is what cockiness does, it makes us think that we have won, no matter what, when, in all truth, we have lost. As long as we are cocky, we shall always lose. If you do not lose your cockiness, Gorki, you will never come close to reaching your true potential.
"And Staniv, you hold the worst fault of all, arrogance. You believe that you are better than other people, and every time you believe that you are better than someone, you become worse than that person. You might be at the top of my class now, but your arrogance causes you to become complacent. You have barely trained this week, while Sephiroth has trained six hours a day. He already has an edge over you considering how naturally talented he is. Give him time to refine that skill and he will quickly surpass you, as will everyone else in this class.
"There is one cure to all three maladies. This is humility. Learn it, experience it, and teach it to others. When we are humble, we are at our best, because we seek to become the best that we can be. That is all. Class is dismissed."
The class filed out of the pagoda, heading to their homes, recreational areas, perhaps even the mountains to pray. Sephiroth did not leave, knowing that Godo wanted to see him. Besides, he lived in the pagoda anyways. After everyone else had left, Godo walked over to Sephiroth.
"How are you feeling?" Godo asked.
"I'm fine. Still no memories. All I can remember is my name. It just seems to be ingrained into my mind."
"You are lucky to have retained even that. You are the first known person to ever come out of a Lifestream-induced coma, let alone remember your name. Still, I would have thought that the amnesia would have been temporary. It has been over a month now since you woke up."
"Well, I do almost remember something. I'm on a narrow beam. It's made out of metal, and rusting in several places. I'd like to say that I remember more, but that's really it. For some reason though, I just keep having images of that beam flashing through my eyes."
"It matters not. The meaning of that image will become clear with time, and your memories will return. You just have to have faith that they will."
"Right." Sephiroth nodded his confirmation as well before heading up into his quarters. Perhaps he'd train a little, then go to sleep. It was getting fairly dark.
Sephiroth tossed and turned in his sleep. Everything, it was all coming back to him. The memories came back, one by one, and then the last one fell into place. He was standing on the beam, fighting the rebels, and they were the ones to knock him off. He sailed helplessly through the sky, and the Mako came closer and closer.
Sephiroth woke up with a cry on his lips. A cold sweat was on his forehead, and the unusually humid air made the atmosphere rather sticky. A light breeze carried through the tranquil night, providing a frigid chill for Sephiroth. Despite the cold, Sephiroth felt red-hot. His anger was growing, consuming him. The people of Wutai, they had betrayed him in the worst of ways. First they tried to kill him, and then they took advantage of him. They thought that just because he had no memories they could mold him into a warrior to fight for their cause. Sephiroth would prove that you could not betray him and expect to get away with it. Sephiroth quickly got out of bed, putting on his more favored attire. It was a black coat with silver epaulets. It showed power and nobility. He then grabbed one of the broadswords that decorated the wall, choosing it for its qualities as far as hand-to-hand combat went, and for its six materia slots, all linked. He went over to his dresser and opened up a hidden compartment, in which he hid his good materia, all of it naturally occurring, of course. He hastily picked the best of the bunch and slipped it into his new sword and his pockets. He had managed to get twenty of the colored orbs. Four independent, four summon, four support, four command, and four magic. Just as he was about to close the compartment, he noticed the fire materia that was sitting in the compartment. It wasn't quite as good as the time materia he had picked over it, but on such a cold night it would be a shame for the villagers to freeze.
Fire blanketed all of Wutai. The villagers panicked, running to and fro. Godo tried to establish order, but it was useless. He then realized that he hadn't thought to get his daughter Yuffie to safety. She was still only three, and wouldn't be able to get herself to safety. Godo rushed to his home to find that it was untouched by the fire. In front of it was Sephiroth, who stood watching the blaze, sword in hand.
"Sephiroth! I'm glad you're okay. When I saw that the pagoda was on fire I thought you had perished with it."
"Old man, of course I'm okay. Why would I set fire to the pagoda when I was still in it?" Sephiroth said, before turning to face Godo. In his sword was a fire materia, glowing as it prepared to unleash another devastating attack. Godo's eyes widened.
"But.why? Why would you do this?"
"Why else? It was this town that sent me into the Lifestream. First you try to kill me, and then you try to use me! I'm not your toy! You treat me as though I were some kind of experiment! I won't take it! Now, witness the destruction of your home!" Sephiroth pulled the materia out of his sword and directed its power at Godo's house. Unwilling to stand while Sephiroth went any further, Godo drew his blade and ran in front of Sephiroth. Sephiroth hesitated for a moment, and then the glow in the materia faded. Sephiroth put it back into his sword, then raised his blade in a challenge to Godo. Godo looked back at his house. It wasn't on fire just yet, but the rampant fire was nearing it. He knew that he could beat Sephiroth, but not quickly enough to save his daughter. He backed away, heading towards the door of his house. Sephiroth dashed around him and blocked Godo's entrance to the door.
"Come on, Godo. Haven't you ever wondered whether or not you could beat me in a battle? I'm using my best weapon, and you're using your best weapon. It should be interesting. The best part is how high the stakes are. You lose, and your precious family dies. I lose, and I lose my chance at a more proper vengeance. Of course, there's a time limit to this match, as there is to any good match-up. I give you.two minutes before the fire I was so kind to create overtakes your house. Three minutes, and we'll both be trapped in a ring of fire. Of course, with my materia, I could easily walk through the fire, so for me, the important thing is to make this match very, very long. For you, it's important to end this quickly. Now, let the match begin!"
Sephiroth stood in front of the door, waiting for Godo's attack. The agony he was going to inflict on Godo was something to revel in. He quietly began to prepare the fire materia, coupling it with the elemental materia in his bangle. Godo grew urgent and impatient with Sephiroth's game, so he began the attack. A fast and furious combination of strikes came Sephiroth's way, and while he could have easily countered them all, he chose to let himself be beaten. Godo stood over him, the tip of his blade at Sephiroth's throat. Sephiroth was interested in whether or not Godo would be able to kill his favorite student. The cold metal of the blade pressed lightly against his bare throat, and Godo began to circle around Sephiroth, towards the door to his house. It appeared he couldn't bring himself to do it. So noble, so pathetic. After the blade was a safe distance from his throat, Sephiroth leapt up and unleashed a fire spell straight on Godo's house. The material easily caught fire, and as Godo rushed in to save Yuffie before it was too late, Sephiroth made his retreat. As he was about to complete his escape, he found that just as Godo couldn't kill him, he couldn't leave Godo and his family to die. He pulled out his ice materia and cast a spell directly over the part of Godo's house that was on fire. The ice instantly melted into water and doused the flames. Shocked with his remorse, Sephiroth then ran as fast as he could, away from Wutai. He never looked back.
Several miles away from Wutai, he ran into an abandoned boat. Its owner must have left when he noticed the fire. As far away from Wutai as he was, Sephiroth could see the fire, glowing in the distance. It had lit the way for Sephiroth, and he stopped to utter his thanks. In one fell swoop he had gotten his revenge and covered his escape. However, Sephiroth wasn't done with making the rebels pay. They had knowingly betrayed him, and for that he would hunt them down until every last one of them was dead. He realized the best way to do that was to join up with Shinra, and the nearest accessible post was Rocket Town. So Sephiroth climbed into the boat and pulled out the navigational instruments. He plotted a course to Rocket Town, and set sail into the vast oceans, lit up not by the moon, but by the fires of Wutai.