'What could they be doing in there...?'
Sephiroth, being curious of current events that had been happening lately, snuck down the hall of the Shinra Corporation. He dashed past any security camera or Shinra employee with perfect ease. His grace took him from all detection and made it into an elevator. Not a single person knowing of Sephiroth's presence, nor seeing any sign of the silver haired warrior.
'Something... just does not feel right...' the young general thought to himself, 'Why does this feel like... an illusion?' His finger hits the button to the 68th floor, the doors closing and slowly he started to rise upward. Sephiroth's sea-green eyes gazed over the city lights, watching as the buildings below him became smaller and smaller as he got higher and higher. His arms crossed his belted chest, pondering for a few more moments in deep thought.
'This doesn't feel real... where am I going anyway? The 68th floor? Isn't that the chemical labs? .... But I believe those were restricted... better figure out what is going on...'
The bells rang, the screen showing 68th floor, and the doors began to open. He stayed out of sight to the side, making sure that no one was waiting for an elevator or anywhere around to see him. When it was all clear, he made his move, quickly dashing down the hall, still unseen to the eyes of anything mechanical or living. It took him a few minutes to get to the lab with his tremendous speed, but had seen no one at all when he arrived at the open lab doors. There was 'no one' on this floor at all. Even as he came to a halt, there was not even a sound of anyone on this large floor, other than the beeping of computers, bubbling water, and silent speech of whoever was in the lab. The silver haired warrior did not rush into the lab with curiosity, only looking about the corner, out of sight of anyone who could be inside.
But what he saw was nothing that he expected. Far across the room in a huge glass test tube connected to the ceiling and floor by many wires, bolts, and computers, was a being of some sort... no, a woman. Her skin a dark pale blue, with many tubes connected to her bare skin. She had red, paper like wings protruding from her back, as well as a device on her head that was connected to even more tubing and wires. The device, covering what looked to be silver hair, draped forward as very long bangs, had "Jenova" inscribed on the plaque. The whole science department was inside as well, whispering in faded speech about the woman in the glass tube.
As he looked to Jenova, his Mako green eyes opened wide almost, seeming to remember this creature in some way. His mind dug far into his subconscious memories, but all seemed to vanish before ever being found, and yet his memoriestold him he knew who or what she was. The scientists did not seem to notice her head raising slightly, one glowing red eye seen as it was staring right at him. The gaze forced Sephiroth to take a step back, his eyes like that of a deer in headlights. Was it surprise that caused that movement? Or maybe fear that filled his body. Was he scared of what was in the tube, watching her return to her relaxed position with head bowed.
Protect her...
'What...?'
Protect... your sister..'Wait... I don't understand... can you read my mind...?'
The normal sounds about him began to return. The beeping of computers, and the typing of men upon the keyboards returned, though the voice inside his head was gone. A woman? The creature in the tube? And what did it mean by 'protect his sister'? Did she mean Jen? She was his only known relative, yet something was strange. Where was Jen? He saw Hojo, but no Jen.
His thoughts were caught in a twister of confusion. None of the men seemed to realize his presence even as he walked right into the middle of the room. The silver haired man was almost completely unnoticed, unable to think strait. Sephiroth's mind was so caught he did not notice the swirling energy of black demonic power spiraling down the tube that held the strange Jenova woman, who was still staring at him. The scientists were suddenly caught in surprise as the computers began to explode, unable to take the power surging from Jenova's body, the lab starting to go up in flames.
But the flames suddenly stopped, as the swirling energy seemed to freeze, Sephiroth looking in much more surprise than all the scientists in the room. His eyes watched everything freeze in time but every living object. The fires suddenly became frozen as if by magic, and the black energy had stopped flowing, though glowing brightly and vanishing like the pulse of a heart. The glass began to shatter, energy collecting before Jenova, as it seemed to stretch from her body with a bright glowing light. It was not a black ora of evil like the energy that surrounded her, but a white light, with some sort of being inside. The ball began to lower onto the once glossy tiled white floor. As it arrived to the ground the white light faded from existence, revealing the small young girl inside, her body bare of clothing as sat on her knees, bent over as if dead. She seemed to be about 5 years of age, with very long silver locks for someone that looked her age. Her head was bowed to Sephiroth, unable to see her face as he tried to get a clear view, as if recognizing who it was. Was it Jen? It had to be? But something was wrong. Horribly wrong, as her head began to rise, her eyes staring right back to his own, eyes filled with nothing but grey pits...
Sephiroth's body shot up from his sleep as he let out a slight surprised scream. His breath was heavy, a cold sweat running down his body as he placed his head into his hand, trying to think back to the nightmare. Jen... Was that really Jen? His eyes trailed over to her in concern with the vision of what he had saw still drawn into his mind. She was sleeping soundly though, with Shinta in her arms, just the way he had left her but the sheets tossed about by the Chocobo's kicking.
'What was that...?' Sephiroth asked himself within his mind, searching within and yet found no answers. Never before had he had nightmares of that sort, being a dreamless sleeper at most. Not once did he remember feeling so frightened, so scared... the feeling just eroding off of his nightmare. Was it real or just a memory? An illusion of Jen's real parent if Jenova would be called a parent at all? But he wondered deeply what Jenova was, and what caused Jen to be created. Was that the reason Jen had so much power? Her 'mother'? But those eyes... he did not ever recall seeing her eyes so blank since today. She always had those happy sea-green eyes and yet today they were barren of life or color. What did it mean though? Question upon question pilled within his minds, in search of answers that seemed to run from him. But as he pondered, he could only come up to one conclusion
'Jen must get out of here...' Sephiroth rose from his seat and went to Jen's bed, seeing the clock on the wall, still being at the break of dawn, the perfect time. With a gentle touch his hand stroked her head, shaking her almost slightly to try and wake her, only to wake Shinta first, with Jen following suit. Her tired eyes looked up to him, yawning loudly as Shinta did as well.
"Sephy...? Why are we... awake so early...?" Jen asked quietly, rubbing her tired eyes before letting out another yawn. Shinta shook his feathers violently, lapping his tongue against the edges of his beak.
"We are going away..." Sephiroth said with a calm, yet quickened voice, helping Jen from her bed, "I'm going to help you escape out of here and find you a nice home to stay in... It's too dangerous for you to stay with me... but I will gladly make sure you do not have to suffer like I once did..." The solider moved to the other side of the room in silence, hitting a button on a panel upon the once perfectly flat wall to open a door, revealing a few long jackets, some clothes, and other little dresses in the hidden closet. He pulled a long black cape from a hanger, draping it over his muscular shoulders and placing the hood over his head.
Jen yawned as she tried to keep standing, Shinta jumping out of the bed to only have his head dragging on the floor as he followed Jen over to Sephiroth. The general picked her up into his arms, his face hidden under the large hood of his cape, and placed some of the blankets about her body to keep her hidden as well.
"We better hurry... the sooner we get out of here the easier it will be for us to leave without being caught..." Jen nodded to her brother's statement, her eyes still tired with sleep, unknowing of what he had planned. Yet her little body shook, as if scared to leave this place, with horrid stories from Hojo about the outside world. Shinta rubbed against Sephiroth's leg, almost being worried himself, not wanting to be left behind. The warrior looked down into the little chicken's blue eyes, and gave him a reassuring smile. "We shall not leave you here... let us be off..."
Sephiroth made his march over to the window in the room, holding Jen tightly in his large arms as her little fingers wrapped about the white sheet. His Mako eyes narrowed as they began to give off a soft glow, focusing on the bulletproof glass while Shinta hid behind his leg. With one swift kick, Sephiroth shattered the glass to the window, with it falling down the side of the tall building.
"Hold on..." Without giving any other warning he kicked off the edge of the window with one foot. Their bodies plus the little Red Chocobo, who took flight, plummeted down story after story down the large building. His body fell almost horizontally as he placed his legs against the side of the building, running down the side as if he was naturally walking on land. His speed was like lighting, plummeting downward towards the streets until kicking off, and landing on the ground outside the corporation with a silent thud. His sea-green eyes looked behind him, keeping a look out for any movement as the two were still hidden beneath their covers. No one had followed, or has not realized the two had escaped, while the silver haired family with their Chocobo Shinta vanished within the busy streets while making way for their escape.
To Sephiroth's dismay, Hojo went looking for Jen only a few minutes after they had landed outside the building. Men from the SOLDIER units were already starting to fill the streets in search of the test subject and the general. They swarmed the streets, clearing anyone in the city and shuffling them back into buildings with cocked guns and fearless faces, covered by helmets with red shielding across the eyes.
Sephiroth looked over his shoulder to see the men following after on foot, though could not find the silver haired general. In worry, he began to pick up speed, running even faster as he dashed through the crowds of people. Yet when he arrived at the train station, each train had been stopped, all trips canceled and SOLDIER men were pulling people from the cars. All transportation out of the city to the land below the giant plate had been stopped, and anyone who tried to make their way out were being checked.
In even more worry and paranoia the silver haired general turned about and made a dash down an empty ally from the crowd, trying to avoid any oncoming warriors. Fear was not the emotion that kept him running, or escaping from battle, for he could easily take every man in this city if he desired. It was the little shaking bundle in his arms, Jen's body quivering in fear, as her grip upon his cloak was iron tight. She was too young and very fragile, and could easily be taken, or even hurt in battle if he left her side. Or... she would loose control of herself and take out the whole sector in the city within moments.
Sephiroth had been wandering aimlessly now in a dash, fatigue not fazing him at all. He was stopped though at the shot of a rifle gun, the bullet lodging right before his stopped boot as the little Jen let out a scream of surprise, Shinta's squawking there after.
"Well, well Sephiroth!" A void called out from the distance, "Going somewhere? Hm?" There was cockiness intertwined within the stranger's voice. However, it only gave his position to Sephiroth as his sea green eyes looked up to the building tops, knowing the sound of the voice.
Standing on the top of the stairs of a fire escape stood a man with long, spiky red hair. He wore black goggles on his forehead and a blue Turk suit with the jacket open to reveal the white tank top underneath. Within his grip was the smoking rifle gun over his shoulder, holding on to the side rails of the metal fire escape. Sephiroth said nothing as he looked directly to the man above him, Jen of course, curious enough to look up from under her sheet covering, watching as the man jump from where he stood, landing only about 2 yards from the young general and his sister.
"The whole company knows it's you Sephiroth! You're the only fool who would try to escape with Jenova II." He yells to Sephiroth, cocking the rifle and aiming the barrel at Sephiroth with a grin. "But unlike her, they don't care if you die." With that he pulled the trigger, the gat hitting the bullet as it flew from the barrel towards the silver haired man. But as it was ready to make contact, Sephiroth vanished into thin air.
"Reno you fool!" a man called out to the red headed gunman, "Don't tell me you lost them!?!" Reno looked behind him, still surprised by Sephiroth's disappearance to say anything, his mouth agape. More people began to fill the ally, one man having slicked back blond locks, wearing a long white jacket with tight white pants and shirt. Tseng followed after him, along with a bald black man in the same uniform.
"I didn't loose him!" Reno tried to explain with confusion still lingering on his voice, "He just vanished!!"
"Don't make up excuses you stupid fool!!" The blond man screamed at him, "My dad will have our heads if we don't find them!!"
"Well Rufus! If you'd like some more help... Sephiroth is wearing a long black cape and hood, Jenova II is wrapped in white sheets, and the baby red Chocobo is following after like a baby duck. Happy?" Reno's voice changed to cocky yet again, his facial expression casual while he placed the rifle back over his shoulder
"Fine...." the blond Rufus said with an aggravated sigh, "That will get you off the hook." He walked over to Tseng, the black haired man standing tall, looking down to the younger Rufus. "Inform the men that Sephiroth is wearing a black cloak, and still has Jenova II, and a silly little Red Chocobo with them. Shouldn't be too freaking hard to find..."
Tseng placed his hand over the headphone worn on his right ear, speaking into the thin wire microphone connected to it The streets began to fill more and more with men after the announcement, men running around like scurrying mice, lost in a maze while searching for their missing cheese. However, these mice have to kill their prey before they can take the prize.
Sephiroth looked behind him from the shadows of the dark empty alleyway. If he did not hurry, SOLDIER would surround him. Because of that, Jen's safety, as well as his own could be at stake. With as much speed as his long legs could carry him he dashed down the alleyway, with his hood still somehow over his head, unable to see the worried expression of his sister as her own Mako colored eyes looked up to her.
"Sephy... they're coming..." Jen muttered softly as Sephiroth finally took notice of his sister's worried expression. "They'll be here soon... and they'll kill you to get to me..."
"Jen... how do you know of this...?" Sephiroth asked silently through his running. He knew Hojo would have him killed to get his newest creation, his newest experiment of perfection. But she knew how close they were?
"Mommy told me..." little Jen said with a quiet voice, curling up against him even more. Sephiroth's eyes looked away as they continued their dash. Her mother? Her mother Jenova? Why would she be giving these warnings? Was it Jenova that caused Jen to attack the way she did? Is that why he had such a strange dream...? Because he feared Jen would be taken over by Jenova? Or was it a message of some sort... a moment in time he missed.
As he was lost in thought, he did not take notice that the SOLDIER had finally found him and were now following after. Screams filled the alleyway he ran down, 'fire at will,' or 'take him down', each mencicing scream held his death against their lips. Without even time to defend themselves a shower of bullets shot upon Sephiroth, Jenova, and Shinta, each one to either slow or kill the young general. Of course, Sephiroth continued to run, and easily avoided the poor men's aim. Shinta stayed right beside Sephiroth, having a harder time dodging while trying to follow after Sephiroth as the flying metal tore through his cape.
Sephiroth finally arrived at the outer edge of the city, looking upon the high, thick stone wall. SOLDIER men finally had him surrounded, each with a cocked gun pointed to the silver haired general, who's cape had been torn to bits already, as well as part of his own jacket. But he did not turn about, only staring at the top of the towering wall, not flinching, just acting as if they did not exist at all. The blond Rufus finally arrived on the scene, pushing away the crowds of Gun-ho men. Anger filled his face while facing Sephiroth's back.
"It's all over Sephiroth..." the young blond said with a growing grin upon his face, "You can't run anymore, and if you make a single move we'll fill you full of lead. Just hand over the girl and be on your way back to base. We're willing to forgive your foolish actions..." Rufus reached out to take Jen from him, but never moved an inch. His eyes were still staring to the wall, glowing with the Mako power that flowed within his veins.
"Hey are you listening to me!?!?" Rufus screamed out again, his grin vanishing, "Give me the stupid little experiment so I can get home already!!!" Still Sephiroth was still, his eyes closed for a moment, while Jen tugged on the edge of his hood, trying to get his attention, feeling worried he would do something like sacrifice his life for her freedom.
But that was not his plan. Sephiroth's eyes finally opened again, both orbs glowing with tremendous power. Through his clothing ripped out a large angelic wing, tearing off his cape that once hid him, as well as tearing through the leather fabric of his jacket, revealing that the wing was actually attached to his body. With a few flaps the wing took him airborne, lifting both him and Jen into the air as Shinta followed after. The men fired to Sephiroth, but of course, not one made a single hit as his silver locks disappeared over the outside wall.
The scream of Rufus echoed into the air, as he demanded that the men follow, but no one could fly. Sephiroth and Jen floated down without fear of being hurt any further, Jen's body shaking in fear of the large drop, Shinta trying to follow after in their slow decent. It took little time for the two to land, Sephiroth making a soundless touch down on the green fields on the outside of Midgar, and far from the slums. The angelic wing began to fade from his back, though they were safe, Sephiroth did not stop moving and began to walk once again. Jen looked up to her older brother yet again and pulled down her blanket hood, revealing her frightened face as she tried to relax.
"Sephy...? Where are we going now...?" Jen asked him, her voice frail and small, and yet fearful still.
"I'm taking you to a place where both you and Shinta can live in peace," he explained, "I'm bringing you to the ranch where I bought young Shinta. The owner trusts me, and I doubt that he wouldn't accept you until you are old enough to find a place of your own." Though as he talked he never looked down to Jen, his breath heavy as he was finally feeling slight fatigue, his eyes only on the horizon before them, seeing the silo that held the Green Greens for the Chocobo's of the farm.
"Jen, you must do one thing for me though. You are never to speak of where you came from, or why I have to have you stay here. Also, you can never call yourself Jen or Jenova again. Hojo will be looking for a young silver haired girl with sea green eyes who goes by the name of Jen." Sephiroth drew out a small silver bracelet from his long jacket while stopping before the edge of the farm. Jen held out her arm to him with a confused brow as he placed the bracelet on her small wrist. The small pink-purple stone within the bracelets center gave off a strange ora, before her silver hair changed to a light chocolate brown, and her eyes becoming a deep sea blue. Jen looked to her hair for a moment, pulling on the long brown bangs in curiosity.
"That bracelet holds a special Cover Materia. You can never take it off for any reason though Jen... speaking of which...we should give you a new name. Lets call you Alma. Yes... Alma."
"Ok... brother..."
"Jen... can you do this for me? Can you try and live a different life until you are safe enough to come out in the open as yourself again?"
Little Jen gave her brother a nod with tears still welling up in her eyes. She did not want to leave him, but she knew that if Hojo found her she'd be in really, really big trouble. Her head bowed slightly, giving off a small sniffle of sadness. Sephiroth placed his sister upon her feet as he tried to stand tall and brave before him, yet her hiding was pointless. He bent down before her on one knee, slipping a finger under her chin and lifted it so that their eyes would meet.
"I don't want you to get hurt Jen...." He explained to her, "The people here are normal... but very nice. They can help you raise Shinta, and raise you at the same time. I'll come from time to time and visit you if I can. And when you are strong, and think you can survive on your own, you can come look for me, all right... 'Alma'?" Jen nodded her head again, a faint smile forming on her small lips.
"Till I am strong as you Sephy...?" Jen asked him, her voice no longer seeming scared or sad. Sephiroth nodded to her now, watching as her smile grew wider and ran into her brother's arms, wrapping her small frail arms about his waist as much as she could, holding him tightly. His own wrapped about her as well, keeping her close against him. "I will get stronger Sephy... I promise..."
Sephiroth had left Jen, or Alma there at the Chocobo farm where he had bought Shinta for her. The owner was glad to take her and the small Chocobo in, but questioned Sephiroth, who of course gave him no answer. Jen was already in enough trouble, and with his mother dead and Hojo being the sadistic maniac he was, there was nowhere else he could leave her. But before Sephiroth left, the owner asked one last question. How they were brother and sister when they looked nothing alike. Still the silver haired man gave no answer, giving his sister one last hug before disappearing over the horizon.
Many years later, Alma learned many skills in magic. When she had reached the physical age of fifteen, she took an apprenticeship under an old fashioned Summoner, who taught her many ways to create different types of magic before his passing. Shinta grew to be a beautiful red Chocobo, becoming the fastest and strongest the farm had ever seen. More years would pass, and Alma began to travel the globe. She was recruited into the Esthar Army, where she would fight along side a man named Laguna, with his companions Kiros and Ward. But after all was done, she left his side, returning every so often during her journeys.
Sephiroth never returned to the farm, even after she inherited it as her own at the farm owners passing. It had seemed the young general had vanished off the face of the planet. Not once did he visit, and the image of his silver hair disappearing over the mixture of the green grass and blue sky on the horizon still lay within her mind. Maybe one day, she would find her long lost brother, and one last time would be able to hear her real name, and look into the strong eyes Mako eyes of her brother that she had looked up to for so long.
The End