Disclaimer: I don't own FF7. Goodness, I hope no one actually thought I did. I apologize if anyone somehow got that idea.
A/N: Ahhhhhhh! I'm sorry this one took so long! Too many distractions and other not-nice things, I tell you! Thank you for being patient, though!
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It was well after midnight. Hojo sat alone at his kitchen table, his ink-dark eyes wide as he refused the persistent tug of sleep. He eagerly perused the letter he'd received earlier that evening, his thin lips twisting into a cunning little smirk as he finished the last paragraph. "Perfect," he muttered. "Just perfect."
He reached across the table, snatching a tablet of paper and a pen. He hastily scribbled notes on the blank sheet before him, so thrilled with the news he'd just read that his penmanship was a scant shade above illegible. "I think it's time for a new test," he quietly chuckled.
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(The last week of basic training. The last week I'll have to tolerate…him.)
"Materia," Sergeant Bailey announced. He nodded at the other officer that had joined him this morning; this one held a long, narrow black box, which was no doubt filled with the pale green orbs. "Unless any of you children were living under a damn rock, I'm sure you all know what the hell it is, so I'll skip the explanation. Now you get to use it, provided all of you can muster enough of your feeble brain cells to do so."
The second officer undid the brass latch on the box and began to hand out the spell materia, placing one piece of it in each recruit's hands. Though no one took so much as a second to look at what they'd been given, since they were all waiting at attention, the half-smiles that lit several of the faces were ill-concealed.
"This is all Fire materia," the sergeant said. "One of the most basic kinds, and hopefully easy enough for all of your pea-brains." He paused for a moment before adding, "And if any of you set anything on fire that isn't supposed to be, you better hope like hell you can run faster than me, because if I catch you, I will make you pray for death."
As the other man continued doling out the materia, Sergeant Bailey moved to where Sephiroth stood at the end of the line, staring hard at the teenager's averted emerald eyes. "You," he snapped. "Come with me."
"Sir!" Sephiroth moved into stride behind the officer as the older man exited the training room, heading down a long, bleak, and vaguely familiar hallway. "May I ask where we're going, Sir?"
"I got special orders for you, boy." Sephiroth couldn't see the officer's face, but it wasn't hard to tell that he was grinning--no doubt rather maliciously, from the tone of his voice. "Just this morning. That loony Hojo has something else in mind for you instead of learning to use Fire materia." He gave a bitter little laugh. "Something more complicated, I guess. Apparently it's not enough that you think you're a deity; your psychotic old man must think he's gonna try and make you one!"
(Hojo? Not him again! Does he plan on loading me with Mako again? Or…) Sephiroth felt his throat clench at the thought. (I don't fear Hojo. I said I wouldn't, and I don't. It's what that Mako does to me that…)
"You're awful quiet there," Sergeant Bailey remarked snidely, interrupting his thoughts. "Did I hit one of your girly little nerves? Or are you just scared someone found something you might not be able to be so frickin' perfect at? Is that it?"
Sephiroth knew exactly how he wanted to reply to that, but he wisely withheld what he was going to say. "No, Sir. Not at all."
"Huh. We'll see about that." The sergeant abruptly halted, turning for a moment to flash Sephiroth a malevolent smirk. "Your daddy might have found something I can watch you fail miserably at. I can't wait." He turned around again and continued walking, his footsteps clomping loudly on the hard, immaculate floor.
(I hope you can, because whatever it is Hojo has in mind…won't get the best of me.)
Sephiroth followed Sergeant Bailey to the end of the unusually long hallway, where the officer stopped again, this time before a solid steel door. He stood there for a moment, his back to Sephiroth, before stepping aside and raising his hard-edged eyes to meet the radiant Mako glow. "Go ahead," he sneered. "Hojo wants you, not me. I'm just here as a spectator."
(Indeed.) Sephiroth's emerald orbs narrowed a bit, yet he remained silent as he slowly took hold of the cold door handle, pulling it open just a crack, reluctant to open it fully, knowing he'd be met by his father's wretched, sadistic leer. He'd believed that maybe, just maybe, once he'd joined--or rather, was told to join--SOLDIER, he wouldn't have to see that awful excuse for a human being again; if not for the rest of life, at least until he'd fulfilled his self-promise.
But now, for some reason he wasn't sure he wanted to know, Hojo had called him out of basic training to try something 'more complicated,' as Sergeant Bailey had put it. He had little doubt in his mind that, regardless of how 'complicated' this was going to be, pain was inevitable. (He always laughed whenever he hurt me. And I'm sure he will now, too. He likes seeing me in pain. He must.)
(Of course he does.)
"Well, what are you waiting for? A swift kick in the ass? Go! I'm looking forward to seeing this, but I don't have all damn day!"
Sephiroth gladly would have turned around and knocked the cantankerous bastard to the floor, but he caught himself when he thought about how little that would serve him. (I don't have to resort to that. Outranking him someday will prove far more rewarding.)
He tugged the door wide open and before he could so much as place a foot in the room beyond, Sergeant Bailey more or less shoved him through, yanking the portal shut behind them.
They stood in a windowless, absurdly huge room with stern gray, almost black walls, that was illumined by a ring of dazzling fluorescent lights spaced just so in the center of the ceiling that only the barest edges of the room were left in shadow.
And in the center of the room, appearing deviously pleased with himself, stood Hojo, his dark eyes invisible behind the white glare the lights cast on his glasses.
"Sergeant Thomas Bailey, was it?" The scientist's grating voice echoed harshly in the bare room, loud and as unpleasant as someone scratching a chalkboard. "Thank you for bringing my son here," he said. "I understand it must have been quite inconvenient to take him out of training, but this is a matter of utmost importance, so I appreciate you obliging my request."
"You didn't request, Doctor Hojo, you demanded. And yes, it's inconvenient, but…I have to admit I'm pretty damn curious as to what this is all about. You don't mind me staying until this is through, do you? I'd really like to see this." He shot a furtive glance of pure malice at Sephiroth as he waited for the scientist to reply.
"No, no, not at all. Please, do stay," Hojo cackled. "I would advise you to keep your distance, however. I'm not sure I know quite what to expect from my son."
Though his eyes weren't visible, Sephiroth could feel his father's black gaze settle on him. A phantom tingle of Mako tickled his veins as his body involuntarily tensed under the scrutiny.
"Come here, Sephiroth. The sooner you do as I tell you, the sooner you can return to training…and get away from me again."
(Damn! He still does that!) the teenager thought as he reluctantly walked toward his father. He halted several feet away from Hojo, forcing himself to match the man's odd, unnerving stare. "All right," he said, after a long, awkward silence. "What is it you want me to do?"
Hojo chuckled softly to himself, raising his head slightly so that his glasses didn't catch so much of the light and his inky orbs were more visible. "You're doing very well, Sephiroth. And you were concerned about never having used a sword before." He paused and took a quick look past his son to the officer who was leaning against the door, his black boot tapping a regular rhythm on the floor as he waited impatiently for some clearly expected entertainment. "I hear your unexpected prowess rather…upset…your officer there. And I can tell it must have confused you at first, too."
"It did. But I excel at it, and that's that." Sephiroth tucked a stray tendril of silvery hair behind his ear. "You haven't told me what you want me to do yet."
Even before he finished speaking, Hojo thrust a hand into one of the deep pockets on his lab coat and withdrew none other than a piece of green materia. He extended it in an open palm toward his son. "Use this," he stated brusquely.
(Materia? He wants me to use materia? But that's what I was about to do in training anyway. Why would he segregate me to have me…use materia?)
"This isn't ordinary materia, Sephiroth. Not Fire, like those other boys are using. Oh no." A devious twinkle caught in his eye as he grabbed the teenager's hand and pressed the cool orb into it.
"This is…Ultima."
Sephiroth's heart skipped a beat. "Ultima? That's…"
"…The most powerful spell short of the summons." Hojo took a quick step backward. "Now use it."
Sephiroth felt a light flush of angry confusion rise in his pale cheeks. "That's absurd," he replied in a low voice. "I've never used materia before, and now you expect me to cast Ultima?"
"Of course. And don't fool yourself, Sephiroth. You're more than capable of doing so." The scientist glanced over at Sergeant Bailey again. "And it appears your officer is waiting for the show, so don't disappoint him…or me." His eyes narrowed and grew even darker still, glazing over with an ominous, almost reptilian sheen. "I'm quite sure you know there's a lot at stake here." He took several more steps backward before turning and heading to the wall opposite the sergeant, leaving his son standing in the middle of the room with an immensely powerful piece of materia in his hand.
Sephiroth watched Hojo intently as he retreated to the far wall. He could feel his verdant orbs glowing even brighter than usual; the Mako in his blood must have been reacting to the unawakened power of Ultima.
He let his gaze wander down to the pearly green sphere in his palm. (Hojo wants me…to cast Ultima. That would please him. Sergeant Bailey wants me…to fail…at anything, just so he can see me fail, and that would please him. I…don't want to please either of them. Not for the way they've treated me.)
(This isn't right. Ultima…is Ultima…)
(But…I'm doing what I'm doing for…myself.)
(So, all right then…) Sephiroth's slender fingers tightened around the materia, and he shut his eyes. (Ultima…)
He'd seen pictures of the spell before, so he focused on the images he could most clearly remember. He concentrated on feeling the energy within the orb, mentally willing it to stir. There was tangible resistance to his efforts; he felt the materia grow icy cold in his hand. (No.) he silently halted the spell's refusal. (I…no! Listen to me…and work!)
The Mako in his body began to burn within him like a sudden fever as he forced every last ounce of willpower he had into conjuring Ultima. He vaguely recognized the sheer absurdity of what he was trying to do, and where he was trying to do it, for that matter, but he broke that doubt before it interrupted his concentration.
Sephiroth felt his limbs start tingling, and his heart hammered. He felt consciousness trying to escape him; it was as if he were pouring his very life into calling upon this awesome energy, and the extreme effort was taking its toll.
(Don't…I have to…)
The orb warmed like the artificial fluid surging in his veins.
(I will…)
His body went completely numb.
(Ultima…!)
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Hojo watched with ever-widening eyes as his son attempted the monumental task--after all, a fresh, teenage SOLDIER-trainee trying to cast the most powerful and mentally taxing spell known was unheard of, ridiculous to the point of being laughable. "But I know you won't fail, Sephiroth," he murmured, grinning triumphantly when he saw the first spark of emerald energy ignite in the air in front of his son. "I didn't leave room for failure in this experiment."
"Neither did…Jenova."
With a sudden, explosive howl, the spark erupted into a blinding wall of searing white-green power, swirling and crackling wildly for what seemed an eternity before dissipating as quickly as it had appeared, leaving in its wake a distant, fading roar and a lingering taint of unnatural force in the room.
Sephiroth stood perfectly still as the Ultima spell died, his Mako green eyes as intense as the energy he had just conjured. Intense, but eerily vacant.
Hojo approached him, as did Sergeant Bailey. The officer was lighting into him with a livid and shockingly colored fount of obscenities, and Hojo was muttering something about certain scientific success, but before he comprehended any of the words being directed at him…he collapsed, slumping to his knees with a soft moan before falling face-first to the floor. The now-chilled green orb slipped from his fingers as he fell, hitting the gray tile with a delicate clink.
Hojo said nothing as he crouched down beside Sephiroth, swatting away the platinum locks that had drifted across his face. He peered down into the dulled emerald eyes and slowly nodded his head. "Just as I suspected," he announced.
Sergeant Bailey bent over, his curses momentarily ceasing, to see for himself what this oddball scientist was looking at. "Holy shit!" he hollered, snapping upright. "I sure as hell wanted him to fail, I mean, it was Ultima, but…damn! It frickin' killed him! You're just as delusional as he was! Damn! You loony son-of-a--!!"
"I would advise you to hold your tongue, Sergeant," Hojo barked, standing up as well. "You don't want to find out what I…or my son…is truly capable of firsthand. Believe me." His dark eyes flashed venomously. "And he's not dead."
"How the hell could he not be? That was Ultima!! Top brass don't even use that!"
"No, they don't. There's a reason for that, a reason you would be wise to not try and ferret out. My son is capable of more than your feeble, obscenity-tarnished brain can comprehend, and that is the only explanation you will get, so don't waste either my valuable time or yours by inquiring further." He leisurely stooped and retrieved the discarded materia and dropped it into his pocket again.
"I'm done with him. Give him a couple minutes, then take him back and continue the training as usual," the scientist ordered. "He'll be fine." He strolled past the flustered and indignant officer without casting a second glance back at his fallen son, leaving the two of them in the hollow room as he undoubtedly returned to his lab.
As the door clanged shut behind Hojo, Sergeant Bailey scowled down at the unconscious teenager. "Cocky little bastard," he snarled. "I will see you fail at something. You mastered the kata and then cast a damn-near forbidden spell…I don't know what you…or that psycho are up to, but so help me…" He rammed a hard boot into Sephiroth's ribs, rudely turning him on his side.
The teenager inhaled sharply, his Mako eyes brightening and loosely focusing on what he could make out of the officer's boots. Carefully drawing himself into a sitting position, he raised a weak hand to his throbbing head and took another deep breath.
(I…cast…Ultima.) Though his thoughts were yet muzzy, he distinctly remembered what had made them so. (Ultima…)
Above him, Sergeant Bailey shouted for him to drag his ass back to training. Sephiroth sat a short while longer, allowing his senses to fully return before obliging his enraged commanding officer and easing himself to his feet. He made a deliberate point of rising to his full height, which was enough to shadow the sergeant by a couple inches, and met his shards of flint with orbs of the purest emerald.
The sergeant had nothing more to say to him as he pivoted on his heel and made for the door.
Light-headedness still lingering, Sephiroth followed. (I did what you wanted me to, Hojo. It wasn't for you…but I did it. And I'm never using Ultima again. Like the sword…I don't know quite how I did that…but I will not use Ultima. What that did to me…I don't ever want to happen again.)
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A/N: Bad place to end it, I think, but I'd type all night if I don't stop myself here. Let me know what you think of this one! I had such a hard time getting this chapter started…and it probably shows, too. ^_~
I have a couple days off of school this week (midterm break--YAY!), so I'm hoping to get chapter nine up by this weekend. Please keep the reviews coming! I need all the motivation I can get, believe me…
A/N: Ahhhhhhh! I'm sorry this one took so long! Too many distractions and other not-nice things, I tell you! Thank you for being patient, though!
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It was well after midnight. Hojo sat alone at his kitchen table, his ink-dark eyes wide as he refused the persistent tug of sleep. He eagerly perused the letter he'd received earlier that evening, his thin lips twisting into a cunning little smirk as he finished the last paragraph. "Perfect," he muttered. "Just perfect."
He reached across the table, snatching a tablet of paper and a pen. He hastily scribbled notes on the blank sheet before him, so thrilled with the news he'd just read that his penmanship was a scant shade above illegible. "I think it's time for a new test," he quietly chuckled.
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(The last week of basic training. The last week I'll have to tolerate…him.)
"Materia," Sergeant Bailey announced. He nodded at the other officer that had joined him this morning; this one held a long, narrow black box, which was no doubt filled with the pale green orbs. "Unless any of you children were living under a damn rock, I'm sure you all know what the hell it is, so I'll skip the explanation. Now you get to use it, provided all of you can muster enough of your feeble brain cells to do so."
The second officer undid the brass latch on the box and began to hand out the spell materia, placing one piece of it in each recruit's hands. Though no one took so much as a second to look at what they'd been given, since they were all waiting at attention, the half-smiles that lit several of the faces were ill-concealed.
"This is all Fire materia," the sergeant said. "One of the most basic kinds, and hopefully easy enough for all of your pea-brains." He paused for a moment before adding, "And if any of you set anything on fire that isn't supposed to be, you better hope like hell you can run faster than me, because if I catch you, I will make you pray for death."
As the other man continued doling out the materia, Sergeant Bailey moved to where Sephiroth stood at the end of the line, staring hard at the teenager's averted emerald eyes. "You," he snapped. "Come with me."
"Sir!" Sephiroth moved into stride behind the officer as the older man exited the training room, heading down a long, bleak, and vaguely familiar hallway. "May I ask where we're going, Sir?"
"I got special orders for you, boy." Sephiroth couldn't see the officer's face, but it wasn't hard to tell that he was grinning--no doubt rather maliciously, from the tone of his voice. "Just this morning. That loony Hojo has something else in mind for you instead of learning to use Fire materia." He gave a bitter little laugh. "Something more complicated, I guess. Apparently it's not enough that you think you're a deity; your psychotic old man must think he's gonna try and make you one!"
(Hojo? Not him again! Does he plan on loading me with Mako again? Or…) Sephiroth felt his throat clench at the thought. (I don't fear Hojo. I said I wouldn't, and I don't. It's what that Mako does to me that…)
"You're awful quiet there," Sergeant Bailey remarked snidely, interrupting his thoughts. "Did I hit one of your girly little nerves? Or are you just scared someone found something you might not be able to be so frickin' perfect at? Is that it?"
Sephiroth knew exactly how he wanted to reply to that, but he wisely withheld what he was going to say. "No, Sir. Not at all."
"Huh. We'll see about that." The sergeant abruptly halted, turning for a moment to flash Sephiroth a malevolent smirk. "Your daddy might have found something I can watch you fail miserably at. I can't wait." He turned around again and continued walking, his footsteps clomping loudly on the hard, immaculate floor.
(I hope you can, because whatever it is Hojo has in mind…won't get the best of me.)
Sephiroth followed Sergeant Bailey to the end of the unusually long hallway, where the officer stopped again, this time before a solid steel door. He stood there for a moment, his back to Sephiroth, before stepping aside and raising his hard-edged eyes to meet the radiant Mako glow. "Go ahead," he sneered. "Hojo wants you, not me. I'm just here as a spectator."
(Indeed.) Sephiroth's emerald orbs narrowed a bit, yet he remained silent as he slowly took hold of the cold door handle, pulling it open just a crack, reluctant to open it fully, knowing he'd be met by his father's wretched, sadistic leer. He'd believed that maybe, just maybe, once he'd joined--or rather, was told to join--SOLDIER, he wouldn't have to see that awful excuse for a human being again; if not for the rest of life, at least until he'd fulfilled his self-promise.
But now, for some reason he wasn't sure he wanted to know, Hojo had called him out of basic training to try something 'more complicated,' as Sergeant Bailey had put it. He had little doubt in his mind that, regardless of how 'complicated' this was going to be, pain was inevitable. (He always laughed whenever he hurt me. And I'm sure he will now, too. He likes seeing me in pain. He must.)
(Of course he does.)
"Well, what are you waiting for? A swift kick in the ass? Go! I'm looking forward to seeing this, but I don't have all damn day!"
Sephiroth gladly would have turned around and knocked the cantankerous bastard to the floor, but he caught himself when he thought about how little that would serve him. (I don't have to resort to that. Outranking him someday will prove far more rewarding.)
He tugged the door wide open and before he could so much as place a foot in the room beyond, Sergeant Bailey more or less shoved him through, yanking the portal shut behind them.
They stood in a windowless, absurdly huge room with stern gray, almost black walls, that was illumined by a ring of dazzling fluorescent lights spaced just so in the center of the ceiling that only the barest edges of the room were left in shadow.
And in the center of the room, appearing deviously pleased with himself, stood Hojo, his dark eyes invisible behind the white glare the lights cast on his glasses.
"Sergeant Thomas Bailey, was it?" The scientist's grating voice echoed harshly in the bare room, loud and as unpleasant as someone scratching a chalkboard. "Thank you for bringing my son here," he said. "I understand it must have been quite inconvenient to take him out of training, but this is a matter of utmost importance, so I appreciate you obliging my request."
"You didn't request, Doctor Hojo, you demanded. And yes, it's inconvenient, but…I have to admit I'm pretty damn curious as to what this is all about. You don't mind me staying until this is through, do you? I'd really like to see this." He shot a furtive glance of pure malice at Sephiroth as he waited for the scientist to reply.
"No, no, not at all. Please, do stay," Hojo cackled. "I would advise you to keep your distance, however. I'm not sure I know quite what to expect from my son."
Though his eyes weren't visible, Sephiroth could feel his father's black gaze settle on him. A phantom tingle of Mako tickled his veins as his body involuntarily tensed under the scrutiny.
"Come here, Sephiroth. The sooner you do as I tell you, the sooner you can return to training…and get away from me again."
(Damn! He still does that!) the teenager thought as he reluctantly walked toward his father. He halted several feet away from Hojo, forcing himself to match the man's odd, unnerving stare. "All right," he said, after a long, awkward silence. "What is it you want me to do?"
Hojo chuckled softly to himself, raising his head slightly so that his glasses didn't catch so much of the light and his inky orbs were more visible. "You're doing very well, Sephiroth. And you were concerned about never having used a sword before." He paused and took a quick look past his son to the officer who was leaning against the door, his black boot tapping a regular rhythm on the floor as he waited impatiently for some clearly expected entertainment. "I hear your unexpected prowess rather…upset…your officer there. And I can tell it must have confused you at first, too."
"It did. But I excel at it, and that's that." Sephiroth tucked a stray tendril of silvery hair behind his ear. "You haven't told me what you want me to do yet."
Even before he finished speaking, Hojo thrust a hand into one of the deep pockets on his lab coat and withdrew none other than a piece of green materia. He extended it in an open palm toward his son. "Use this," he stated brusquely.
(Materia? He wants me to use materia? But that's what I was about to do in training anyway. Why would he segregate me to have me…use materia?)
"This isn't ordinary materia, Sephiroth. Not Fire, like those other boys are using. Oh no." A devious twinkle caught in his eye as he grabbed the teenager's hand and pressed the cool orb into it.
"This is…Ultima."
Sephiroth's heart skipped a beat. "Ultima? That's…"
"…The most powerful spell short of the summons." Hojo took a quick step backward. "Now use it."
Sephiroth felt a light flush of angry confusion rise in his pale cheeks. "That's absurd," he replied in a low voice. "I've never used materia before, and now you expect me to cast Ultima?"
"Of course. And don't fool yourself, Sephiroth. You're more than capable of doing so." The scientist glanced over at Sergeant Bailey again. "And it appears your officer is waiting for the show, so don't disappoint him…or me." His eyes narrowed and grew even darker still, glazing over with an ominous, almost reptilian sheen. "I'm quite sure you know there's a lot at stake here." He took several more steps backward before turning and heading to the wall opposite the sergeant, leaving his son standing in the middle of the room with an immensely powerful piece of materia in his hand.
Sephiroth watched Hojo intently as he retreated to the far wall. He could feel his verdant orbs glowing even brighter than usual; the Mako in his blood must have been reacting to the unawakened power of Ultima.
He let his gaze wander down to the pearly green sphere in his palm. (Hojo wants me…to cast Ultima. That would please him. Sergeant Bailey wants me…to fail…at anything, just so he can see me fail, and that would please him. I…don't want to please either of them. Not for the way they've treated me.)
(This isn't right. Ultima…is Ultima…)
(But…I'm doing what I'm doing for…myself.)
(So, all right then…) Sephiroth's slender fingers tightened around the materia, and he shut his eyes. (Ultima…)
He'd seen pictures of the spell before, so he focused on the images he could most clearly remember. He concentrated on feeling the energy within the orb, mentally willing it to stir. There was tangible resistance to his efforts; he felt the materia grow icy cold in his hand. (No.) he silently halted the spell's refusal. (I…no! Listen to me…and work!)
The Mako in his body began to burn within him like a sudden fever as he forced every last ounce of willpower he had into conjuring Ultima. He vaguely recognized the sheer absurdity of what he was trying to do, and where he was trying to do it, for that matter, but he broke that doubt before it interrupted his concentration.
Sephiroth felt his limbs start tingling, and his heart hammered. He felt consciousness trying to escape him; it was as if he were pouring his very life into calling upon this awesome energy, and the extreme effort was taking its toll.
(Don't…I have to…)
The orb warmed like the artificial fluid surging in his veins.
(I will…)
His body went completely numb.
(Ultima…!)
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Hojo watched with ever-widening eyes as his son attempted the monumental task--after all, a fresh, teenage SOLDIER-trainee trying to cast the most powerful and mentally taxing spell known was unheard of, ridiculous to the point of being laughable. "But I know you won't fail, Sephiroth," he murmured, grinning triumphantly when he saw the first spark of emerald energy ignite in the air in front of his son. "I didn't leave room for failure in this experiment."
"Neither did…Jenova."
With a sudden, explosive howl, the spark erupted into a blinding wall of searing white-green power, swirling and crackling wildly for what seemed an eternity before dissipating as quickly as it had appeared, leaving in its wake a distant, fading roar and a lingering taint of unnatural force in the room.
Sephiroth stood perfectly still as the Ultima spell died, his Mako green eyes as intense as the energy he had just conjured. Intense, but eerily vacant.
Hojo approached him, as did Sergeant Bailey. The officer was lighting into him with a livid and shockingly colored fount of obscenities, and Hojo was muttering something about certain scientific success, but before he comprehended any of the words being directed at him…he collapsed, slumping to his knees with a soft moan before falling face-first to the floor. The now-chilled green orb slipped from his fingers as he fell, hitting the gray tile with a delicate clink.
Hojo said nothing as he crouched down beside Sephiroth, swatting away the platinum locks that had drifted across his face. He peered down into the dulled emerald eyes and slowly nodded his head. "Just as I suspected," he announced.
Sergeant Bailey bent over, his curses momentarily ceasing, to see for himself what this oddball scientist was looking at. "Holy shit!" he hollered, snapping upright. "I sure as hell wanted him to fail, I mean, it was Ultima, but…damn! It frickin' killed him! You're just as delusional as he was! Damn! You loony son-of-a--!!"
"I would advise you to hold your tongue, Sergeant," Hojo barked, standing up as well. "You don't want to find out what I…or my son…is truly capable of firsthand. Believe me." His dark eyes flashed venomously. "And he's not dead."
"How the hell could he not be? That was Ultima!! Top brass don't even use that!"
"No, they don't. There's a reason for that, a reason you would be wise to not try and ferret out. My son is capable of more than your feeble, obscenity-tarnished brain can comprehend, and that is the only explanation you will get, so don't waste either my valuable time or yours by inquiring further." He leisurely stooped and retrieved the discarded materia and dropped it into his pocket again.
"I'm done with him. Give him a couple minutes, then take him back and continue the training as usual," the scientist ordered. "He'll be fine." He strolled past the flustered and indignant officer without casting a second glance back at his fallen son, leaving the two of them in the hollow room as he undoubtedly returned to his lab.
As the door clanged shut behind Hojo, Sergeant Bailey scowled down at the unconscious teenager. "Cocky little bastard," he snarled. "I will see you fail at something. You mastered the kata and then cast a damn-near forbidden spell…I don't know what you…or that psycho are up to, but so help me…" He rammed a hard boot into Sephiroth's ribs, rudely turning him on his side.
The teenager inhaled sharply, his Mako eyes brightening and loosely focusing on what he could make out of the officer's boots. Carefully drawing himself into a sitting position, he raised a weak hand to his throbbing head and took another deep breath.
(I…cast…Ultima.) Though his thoughts were yet muzzy, he distinctly remembered what had made them so. (Ultima…)
Above him, Sergeant Bailey shouted for him to drag his ass back to training. Sephiroth sat a short while longer, allowing his senses to fully return before obliging his enraged commanding officer and easing himself to his feet. He made a deliberate point of rising to his full height, which was enough to shadow the sergeant by a couple inches, and met his shards of flint with orbs of the purest emerald.
The sergeant had nothing more to say to him as he pivoted on his heel and made for the door.
Light-headedness still lingering, Sephiroth followed. (I did what you wanted me to, Hojo. It wasn't for you…but I did it. And I'm never using Ultima again. Like the sword…I don't know quite how I did that…but I will not use Ultima. What that did to me…I don't ever want to happen again.)
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A/N: Bad place to end it, I think, but I'd type all night if I don't stop myself here. Let me know what you think of this one! I had such a hard time getting this chapter started…and it probably shows, too. ^_~
I have a couple days off of school this week (midterm break--YAY!), so I'm hoping to get chapter nine up by this weekend. Please keep the reviews coming! I need all the motivation I can get, believe me…