And now, the end is near... Don't own, don't own, don't own...
Chapter fifteen: Monster's ball
-
"Yo, Seph!"
Sephiroth opened his eyes and squinted as the rays of the sun hit them. The shining orb was already far over the mountain tops. The General frowned and sat up, furious that Zackery hadn't woken him earlier. They had agreed to continue at first light. It must've been closer to noon, now.
He climbed out of the backseat of the car, where he had slept, and searched the surroundings with a quick look. He was sure he'd heard the Soldier calling for him, but the dark-haired man was nowhere to be seen.
"Zackery?"
"Over here, Seph! Come to the beach!"
Sephiroth turned towards the voice and the sea, figuring that the Soldier was there, behind a grassy ledge that hid the beach itself from his sight. He checked that Jenova was still on the front seat of the car and started towards the endless sea. He passed the small tent and peeked in quickly to see that it was empty. So Cloud must be at the beach as well. That made the General feel uncomfortable. He tried to tell himself that there was no reason to feel jealous, no reason to hate the blond, just because Zackery liked him. The Soldier was his best friend, he wouldn't abandon him, not because he liked someone else. There was no reason to be jealous... but he still couldn't help it.
"Zackery?" The General called again when he got to the edge of the small cliff. The sun shone so brightly, and even though the light came from behind him the sea mirrored it to his eyes, making it hard to see anything. Bright, moving light, the sea seemed to be on fire.
"Down here! Come on, Seph!"
Sephiroth jumped the seven feet down to the sand and, protecting his eyes from the sunshine, started to walk towards where Zackery was waving at him. The Soldier was clad only in his uniform pants, the pant legs rolled up to his knees as he stood ankle-deep in the sea, letting the sun warm his naked skin. Cloud was sitting just out of the reach of the waves, only the tips of his toes getting wet when the largest waves reached him. The boy stared at Zackery, not turning to look even when the General was almost behind him.
The Soldier walked onto the beach, a wide smile on his face, and grabbed Sephiroth's shoulders, who raised an eyebrow at that. They were good friends and Zackery had always been very open, but he didn't like being touched much, and this felt kind of odd. Especially when the dark-haired man squeezed him tightly and kissed him on the cheek.
"Z-zackery, what are you..."
"Sorry, Sephy-baby, couldn't help it! I'm just so damn happy!" Zackery threw his arms wide, his smile beaming like the sun. "Happy, happy happy!"
The General watched on, his mouth just about hanging open as the Soldier danced a little on the beach, throwing sand around. He turned to Cloud for an explanation but the boy was still staring out at the sea, his face completely hidden from sight. Suddenly Zackery grabbed his arm and twirled him around a few times until Sephiroth pulled away and staggered back a few steps. What the hell was going on?
"Aww Seph, don't just blow me off like that!" Zackery stopped and pouted for about three seconds, until his face split into another wide grin. "Come on, be happy! I am!"
"Why?" Sephiroth dared to ask, wondering how much weirder this day could get. What the hell was there to be happy about? The salty wind from the sea blew his hair around and tugged at his clothes like an excited child. He watched with growing concern and anxiety as Zackery lifted his hands to his hips and pushed them forward.
"Why? Why, because I'm in love! So I don't need you anymore! And it's all thanks to you!"
"How... how come?" The words seemed to stuck to his throat as the General felt the wind turn colder. Cloud still wouldn't look at them.
The Soldier shrugged and started to count on his fingers. "Well, first of all, you totally did blow me off. Come on, you must have known that I've always loved you. But you never answered it, man. You broke my heart. I wasn't good enough for you. Well, really, no one could be. But I didn't think I could be so easy to ignore. You never were enough of a monster to just use me and ditch me. That would have made me stop loving you, and I could have moved on. But no. So," second finger came up, "I just hang around, waiting for every little shred of emotion I could get from you. Anything. Even you saying 'good morning' to me makes me happy. But is that any way to live? Come on, man, you must have realized something. The way I always volunteer to go out to missions with you. You think it was because I wanted to reach First Class quickly?" Zax shook his head. "Nope. It was just to be with you. Getting to sleep in the same room, or tent, or maybe even share a bed... wow."
He lifted a third finger and threw a loving glance in Cloud's direction. "Three. Enter Cloud. He's always adored you, but he's not good enough for you either. Not worth your time. So you tell me to take care of him. You give me a substitute for your love. Even though you must know what he is."
Zackery was still babbling on but Sephiroth couldn't listen to it anymore, couldn't watch the violet eyes which so clearly called him a monster. Something was very, very wrong here, and the Soldier wouldn't be any help at all in figuring out what it was. Sephiroth stumbled on the sand and ran to Cloud, grabbing the boy's arm and turning him around almost violently.
"Cloud, what the--"
Words got stuck to his throat again as Sephiroth saw his own face, staring back at him.
Sephiroth opened his eyes, startled out of the sleep, and grabbed the backrests of the seats to calm himself. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid,' he chided himself. 'Just a dream. Just... a dream. Please, just a dream...' he dared to close his eyes for a few moments, and forced his heart to slow down. 'Just a dream.'
After the shaking stopped he dared to sit up slowly and stared at the mountains in the east, watched as the sky above them paled with every passing minute, moving towards the new day. He knew that he'd have to wake Zackery and Cloud soon, that they'd better be on their way long before the sun would reach the mountain peaks. There was really no rush, as far as they knew, no one would die if they didn't reach Nibelheim by tonight. But they were all driven by the need to know what was going on, what kind of schemes had Hojo weaved, and, most importantly, why. He could guess that Hojo had planned for him to meet Jenova and somehow merge with her or something, but he also wanted to know everything about his past, about the project of which he'd been the product of. Cloud wanted to know whether he was a monster or not. They both wanted to find Vincent, and Zackery, well, he obviously cared a lot for both of them, and wanted to help.
The dream hit him again, full force, making him shudder. It couldn't be true, Zackery never had given him any hints that he'd be interested in being anything more than friends. Sure, the Soldier had made it clear soon after they'd met that he 'played for both teams', like he liked to put it, but that had been the end of that conversation. Sephiroth had accepted it as a part of the dark-haired man and had thought nothing more of it. Zackery had joked about it, had made mock-passes at him, but had always laughed and made sure that he knew that it was just a joke. They did care for each other, very much, but in a way brothers loved each others. They were so much more than brothers, but they were not lovers. Never. He had never, not for a second... no, that wasn't true, he had considered it, and so had the Soldier, but after talking about it they'd decided that it wasn't worth possibly ruining their friendship. These thoughts, these doubts, they were all just his imagination. It was just a stupid, stupid dream!
But weren't dreams based on reality?
"No!" Sephiroth shouted and jumped up and out of the car in one fluid movement, just about marched to the tent and threw the flap open, almost daring the two to be doing something besides sleeping.
"Wake up!" He shouted loud enough to wake the dead. Zax just about jumped straight up, would have if he wouldn't have gotten tangled with his sleeping bag, and stared, sleepy and confused, as the General turned on his heels and returned to the car. Cloud had also woken and poked his head out from his cocoon, staring and blinking.
"Morning yet?" The blond asked, eyes wide, and Zax shrugged.
"Guess so."
"I don't want ANYONE to intervene this time!"
"If he brings the specimen with him, keep it here, and alive."
"If they bring someone else, finish them or let Malaka have them."
"All I need is Sephiroth and the specimen."
"I won't be far... my assistants will also leave the building, I don't want them to mess this."
"Luckily I have you, Vincent, to do what I want you to."
Hojo had said more, he always said more, but those were the main commands and guides he'd been given, the ones written into his spine. He would obey, but he'd also remember what Lucretia had told him.
Vincent sighed and waited.
"Nibelheim." Zax announced quietly just before hitting the breaks. The stop was so abrupt that Sephiroth, even though he had known to prepare for it, grabbed Jenova's head a bit too late and it fell down to his feet. Cloud almost fell to the floor of the car as well, and groaned as he picked himself up.
The trip had been a very quiet one, even though Zax had kept the radio on most of the time and even sang along. He was dying to know what was going on, but Sephiroth hadn't said a word, answering the Soldier's questions only with a nod or a shake of his head, killing every attempt for a conversation even before it was born. The General radiated a command for silence, and eventually Zax had fallen silent as well. Cloud hadn't dared to disobey at all.
The Soldier was worried for the both of them. He had tried, but soon realized that he couldn't possibly ever understand wholly what they had gone through, how they had to live with not knowing what they were. Sephiroth was his best friend in the whole world, one of the few people he was ready to sacrifice his life for, but with this, Zax didn't know what he could say that wouldn't possibly make things worse. He only hoped that getting the General to open up and speak would help, but getting him to open up and speak turned to be almost as hard as separating him from her. She had sat on Sephiroth's lap the whole day, staring at Zax with her strange eyes, unmoving and, hopefully, dead, but still radiating hatred towards him. What the Soldier couldn't understand was that if she was Sephiroth's mother, like he claimed, why did she hate his friends so? It seemed like she only wanted to turn them against each other.
Cloud was closed up almost as badly. Zax had tried to make the boy open up to him, make him trust his words and actions, but the blond still held himself back. The Soldier could imagine that it wasn't easy for the boy, to be a labrat one day, then free but pursued, to get your mother back only to lose her again. But Cloud was still so young, Zax couldn't bear to think that he'd just waste his life wondering what could have been or worrying that he was something he wasn't.
He had seen both Sephiroth and Cloud do scary, even horrible things, but couldn't hate them for it, not when he knew to blame Hojo for it all. The professor had screwed with Sephiroth while he had still been in the womb, and moulded the General into what he was today. The silver haired man had been over twenty before he'd started to make a life for himself, before he'd torn himself free of Hojo. Or had at least thought so. From Cloud the slimy man had stolen his life and future, turned him into something he obviously hadn't been meant to be, and deeply marred the boy's soul and identity in doing so. If the blond could ever get over what had happened, he might have a somewhat normal life. If you ignored the fact that he seemed to need human flesh and blood to survive. But they could find something else that he could eat, something that didn't involve killing people.
But all that would have to wait, now. They were here, whether they wanted to or not.
The town was as they had expected, abandoned and in ruins. Wind had blown soot all over the small town square and out through the black, ominous gate. The broken-down truck that had stood next to the gate for decades had exploded during the fire, and was now scattered all over in small pieces. They could see everything, the whole town from the gate, and saw that the only things still standing were the mansion and the well, although it was blackened and the narrow steps leading to the top had collapsed. Nothing was alive in the little town anymore, all the wild animals had left as well.
The sun had already set in the west, but the sky was still pale enough to illuminate the ruins, turning the world completely black and white. Wind howled and threw dirt around, making it hard to breathe, stinging when it got into their eyes.
"We'd better eat now, and get ready. We'll enter the mansion as soon as possible, there's no use waiting for anything." The General said, covering his mouth and nose with one hand. Zax nodded, and Cloud shrugged. The Soldier had brought him a gun and a sword from Cosmo Canyon, not knowing what he wanted to fight with. Still, the boy hoped that there would be nothing to fight. The bullet wound through his lower chest still bothered him a bit, making it hard to move quickly. But the main reason for not wanting to fight was that he feared that he'd be too afraid to even move if something attacked. The mansion held too many bad memories.
"Hold on..." Zax muttered and pressed the gas pedal down while Sephiroth and Cloud grabbed hold of the nearest thing they could reach. The Soldier sped straight into town, narrowly missing the well, and stopped in front of the remains of the small shop. "Maybe there's some food, or something else we can use."
Sephiroth, Jenova's head under his left arm, entered the shop, or what was left of it: the walls had burned down to the stone base and there was no door. Cloud stood outside, just a bit too scared to follow the General as Zax drove the car to a more secluded spot, just in case someone happened to walk into town. It wasn't likely, but stranger things had happened in the last few days.
He really didn't want to be here, Cloud thought as he slowly turned around, letting the image of his hometown in ruins burn itself to his mind. He had hated the place as a kid, no one would play with him, they only made fun of him and his mother, children and adults both. But there had been some happier times, when he'd gone up to the mountains alone, or when he and his mother had just sat at home, maybe baking something. And when she had sang lullabies and other songs to him... the thought of her almost made him cry, but the good memories were soon drowned out by the bad, more recent ones. Hojo and his assistants, running their sick experiments on him. Hurting him, breaking both his body and soul. Taking away the small haven that Vincent had brought to the hell that was his life. And now they were ruining even this. He'd actually made a friend, or that's what Zax had said. Now they were back here, facing the sick scientist once again, and they might not all make it. Cloud hated the darker side of himself so much, the thing that Hojo had turned him into, that dying would be almost a relief, but then again... what Zax had said last night, in the tent... it almost made him blush, and smile. Could someone really like him? Maybe even... love him? No matter what he was? The thought alone made him more determined to get rid of Hojo and the bad memories for good, just to see what could happen between the two of them.
But still, he really didn't want to be here.
Both Sephiroth and Zax returned almost at the same moment to Cloud, the General carrying a very crispy leg of a lamb in one hand, staring at it suspiciously.
"Gee, Seph, I think that that's a LITTLE bit overcooked..." Zax said, fighting back a grin. The General shrugged and tossed it back to the shop.
"It was the only thing still in one piece. All the potions and other supplies are gone. We'll have to get by with what we have." He muttered while shaking the dirt from his gloves.
Zax shrugged and lifted the small bag of food he had bought from Cosmo Canyon. "Potions we have, and I still got some bread and a few apples, I think. We're almost out of water, though."
"Um. I can check the well. I know how it works... it can be a bit difficult." Cloud muttered and threw a nervous glance at Sephiroth before wandering to the well. Zax watched after him for a moment before turning to the General.
"Ok, Seph. What's been eating you all day?"
Sephiroth lifted one eyebrow and gave the Soldier an unemotional, cold stare. "What makes you think something's bothering me?"
"Well, first off, you haven't said a word!" Zax started to count with his fingers, and the familiarity of the situation freaked the General as he feared what the other man would say next. "And second, you've been treating me like a fricking grunt on his first day out! Seph, it's me! Third, you kept throwing Cloud some pretty scary glares all day. I think he was just about to wet himself! Seph, is it... it's her, isn't it? She's doing something to you? Damn, Seph, don't listen to her, man! You know that she's with Hojo!"
"She's my mother." Repeating his name so much, Zackery had managed to calm him down a bit, to make him feel more like himself. But mentioning her had turned the General to ice. She was too deep in him, holding on too tight. Her feelings were now his. Sephiroth realized it, but he also knew that there was no way to fight her anymore. There hadn't been anything he could have done differently since the first time he saw her name, written in large letters above the door in the reactor. It was his destiny. And it was all so clear now. He could see his future in front of him now like a wide, straight road. Open and just waiting for him to step on it.
Sephiroth realized something else, then, as well. He would go to the mansion with Zackery and Cloud, he would find Valentine, get them out, do what he'd promised, but he knew that nothing the Turk could say would change his mind anymore. Nothing mattered; until he'd step on that road, everything would be meaningless. He'd still end up upon it, and go wherever it took him. And everything that came after that first step was already set. He was nothing but a puppet, destined to play his part. He was born to do it, it was what he'd been created to be. All the experiments, Hojo, Lucretia, Vincent and Jenova, the Mako, everything, just to make him what he was today. It was all her doing, he was but a vessel to her revenge. Just a puppet.
His voice was a flat monotone, he hardly even comprehended the words as they came from his mouth. "I am fine, Zackery. Just tired. Let's get this over with." When he heard his own voice, quiet and strained, speaking those words, he understood the truth in them. He was so very tired of it all. Running around, fighting, thinking about the next step, making plans to keep everyone safe. Someone else would have to worry about all that now, it wasn't his problem anymore.
Cloud wobbled to them with two buckets full of water just as Sephiroth turned and started to walk towards the mansion. Zax stared at his back, frustrated, fear clutching his heart. The General was acting so strange, he had just zoned out on him, hadn't answered, just stared into space.
"No way... no way, you bitch... you won't have him..."
"Uh, Zax?" Cloud had lowered the heavy buckets to the ground and was staring up at him, nervous and afraid. "What's wrong?"
"She's got him. But it can't be too late, there must be something..." The Soldier lifted a hand to his eyes for a second, then reached out suddenly and pulled Cloud to his chest, just holding the boy, tight. "Damn it, I care so much for you both... if something happens to either of you..." he grabbed the blond ponytail and gently tilted the boy's head back, leaning over and pressing his mouth to Cloud's, caressing the thin lips with his. Blue eyes went wide but closed soon as the boy leaned into the kiss. Soft, gentle, promising such sweet things, love and peace and an end to all this madness.
"Don't you leave me, Cloudy..." Zax whispered into the warm mouth before stepping away reluctantly. Cloud opened his eyes after a moment and smiled lightly before they started to fill their water bottles.
Sephiroth watched them from the gates of the mansion, feeling his heart grow colder. He was so tired of it all, he hoped it would be over soon. They'd go into the mansion, find Vincent, possibly Hojo... the thought occurred to him that the professor wouldn't let them leave, not without a fight. They'd have to kill him, then. Hojo had all the answers, but deep inside, a voice said that it didn't matter anymore. Hojo didn't matter anymore. He was also just a pawn in a bigger game.
The General stood by the gates and watched as Zackery and Cloud filled the water bottles. Would they really need them? They weren't going to spend more than a few hours in the mansion. Maybe it was some sort of an insurance. If they went in empty handed, they had resigned to the fact that they might not come back? 'We can't die, we have water to drink?' Well, he had heard worse reasons, Sephiroth thought as the two started to walk towards him. He turned and pushed the gate open, securing Jenova's head under his left arm. Maybe he should leave her outside, maybe it would be safer there. It would be easier if he'd get into a fight, not having to carry her along. Maybe it didn't matter.
The hinges of the large door complained as Zax opened it. Sephiroth was standing in front of the opening, Masamune in hand. Cloud was just behind him and a bit to the left, holding the gun Zax had brought. The sword was strapped to his back. The Soldier also had a gun, just in case.
They were prepared for just about anything, but were greeted with nothing. Nothing attacked them, nothing was moving inside the huge building as far as they could see, and they heard nothing. Sephiroth and Cloud lowered their weapons, and the General motioned the others close.
"We go in, find Valentine and leave. Kill anything that moves."
"What if it's Hojo?" Zax asked, grabbing the hilt of his Buster-sword.
"Especially if it's Hojo."
"Yes, sir!"
Even though the house seemed empty, they were very careful as they stepped in. They kept their weapons at hand, knowing that the whole building was full of monsters.
"If I see even one dorky face, I will scream. Just thought I'd warn ya." Zax muttered, throwing the others a wide grin. Cloud smiled back but grew serious again after glancing quickly in Sephiroth's direction. The General seemed to ignore them both, listening to the silence of the house. The floorboards creaked beneath them and the wind was howling behind closed doors. With all the cobwebs and remains of dead monsters, the lightless, large mansion was a perfect picture of a classic haunted house. Even if the ghosts were only in their minds.
Jenova was showing him everything he'd forgotten from his childhood. How he'd sneaked around the house, new back then, peeking into rooms and wondering why no one besides him and the scientist lived in a house so large, and if they were really so alone, why wasn't he allowed to have a room upstairs, where he could at least look out of the window, spy on the kids who played outside. The fights of the Shin-Ra guards, sent to keep an eye on the house, and how they played poker all night long. The laughter from outside, the sound of rain and thunder, the white, white snow everywhere during the winters.
He had been glad not remembering it all, not recalling how lonely it had made him feel.
Zax, ever true to his words, screamed at that moment. Sephiroth sighed and sliced the floating monster in half with one slash of his sword.
"...thanks..." the Soldier muttered, kicking at the still grinning remains. "So. Do we go straight up, and to the basement?"
"Yes. There's nothing else but ghosts in this place." Sephiroth answered and started up the stairs. Zax motioned for Cloud to go next, and followed the blond, keeping an eye on their backs. It would have been wiser to look ahead.
They got up to the second floor without meeting any more monsters, and were already in the hallway to the room with the hidden door when they heard it. Zax, still in the back, turned around and swore when he saw the thing coming at them from across the balcony. Sephiroth returned immediately to the opening, stood still for a second and motioned for Cloud to stay out of the fight.
"We can handle it. Check the room." The General ordered the blond while Zax screamed curses and demanded to know what the hell the thing was. Sephiroth lowered Jenova's head to the floor and joined the Soldier while he was emptying his gun into the monster, the bullets doing nothing to stop it. As a last resort, the dark-haired man threw the gun at the thing, but it only bounced off, the creature not even noticing it
"Oh crap it's ug-ly!" Zax yelped just before the monster crashed straight into them, not minding that the Masamune pierced its right side and the Buster sword impaled the left lung. It was over seven feet tall, looking like it was just pumped-up muscle, tentacles and claws. All in a delightful, greenish-gray hue. The Soldier gagged when they smelled it, rot and decay. Their swords were covered in dirty Mako when they stepped back and pulled them out, almost in unison, doing the dance of death perfectly. "Any idea what it is?"
"Well," Sephiroth said, slashing an arm off, "judging by the face, I'd guess it was once human. Emphasis on WAS, it smells like it's been dead for a few days already." The arm fell to the floor but didn't stay there. It started to wiggle its way towards Sephiroth's boot, until the General kicked it all the way down from the balcony.
"That would explain why it won't die!" Zax screamed and cut the other arm off before daring a look behind him, to check on Cloud. The monster took its chance and slapped his head with a cold, wet tentacle. The Soldier was thrown off balance and disoriented for a moment, but falling on his knees only put him in better level with the creature's.
"Jump!" Zax warned his General and slashed the Buster in a wide arch, just below the creature's knees, the blade going through the flesh like a hot knife through butter. Sephiroth didn't even look, just jumped on the right second to save his legs from harm. His knee hit the monster in the chin, throwing it backwards and off its feet, while the Masamune also traveled up, opening the bloated stomach. Zax got quickly back on his feet and jumped away from under the Mako and entrails that poured out of the gaping wound. The stench was enough to make him gag.
Sephiroth landed on the stomach and guided Masamune through the monster's throat, cutting the head clean off. It rolled away, and the General stopped to watch, curious, as bits of it just fell off, like they'd been glued on with bubble gum. Green, rotten Mako flesh fell off, revealing a half-melted head of a human. He didn't notice that the body still lived, the bowels wrapping themselves around his ankles and up his boots.
Zax quickly wiped away every trace of the monster that had landed on him as they started to burn his skin. When he looked up his eyes went wide and he gagged again. "Ugh, Seph... look down."
Sephiroth did, and shuddered. The body, armless and legless, wasn't able to fight them anymore, but it still tried to. It still lived.
"...we'll just have to... chop it up."
"Joy."
Cloud had pulled out his sword when he'd heard the approaching monster, but had been relieved when Sephiroth had told him to stay back. His hands were shaking as he walked quickly to the door, anxious to get to safety. He felt like a coward, but kept telling himself that checking the room was as important as killing the monster. And it wasn't certain that there wasn't a monster there, waiting for him.
The door was unlocked, and Cloud checked the room quickly before closing it again behind him. It was dark, the stars borrowed only a little of their light into the room. The door to the basement was open.
Breathing deep with relief to see the room empty, the blond turned to the door and pressed his ear against it, hearing Zax's voice. He closed his eyes and smiled a little, wondering what would happen when they got out of Nibelheim again. First they'd have to get rid of her, Jenova. She had a strong hold on Sephiroth, Zax had said so. Then, when she was gone from the General, and hopefully from him as well, maybe they'd get to relax then. After Hojo was dead and Vincent was free, and she was no longer present, making monsters out of all of them.
Cloud opened his eyes when he felt someone standing behind him, and turned around, sword raised. His eyes grew wide with relief and he relaxed immediately when he recognized the ex-Turk.
"Vincent! We've been looking for you!" He smiled and took a step closer to the man, hoping that this meant that they could get out of here, and fast! Maybe they wouldn't even have to confront Hojo now.
"Cloud." The broody man nodded a hello, and averted his eyes.
"Is something wrong?" Cloud asked, puzzled at the strangeness he felt in the other man. He took a closer look, and gasped when he saw what had been done to Vincent. "Oh, no... your arm... did Hojo..."
"Do not pity me. Please. I'm sorry." Vincent interrupted him, still staring at the floor. Cloud stepped closer, not understanding what was wrong.
"For what?"
"Hojo told me to take care of you, make sure that he got you back. And you know that I have to obey him. But this time, I won't."
Cloud was fast, but he never had time to react, as Vincent was faster. The ex-Turk lifted his human arm, the barrel of his gun going straight and unerringly to the boy's temple. The blond barely registered the move.
And then the gun went off.
"Did you hear that?" Zax asked, out of breath after chopping the creature into pieces and kicking them all over the place, so that it would at least take a while before it could gather itself again. The General cocked his head and nodded, still staring at the squirming bits at their feet. When would they stop moving? The feeling of her was strong in them, he'd felt her from the beginning of the battle. Maybe she'd keep the pieces alive for days, maybe even longer. From the look of it, the monster had been nothing but a human, covered with her.
"Yes. It came from... from where I sent Cloud."
They both took off running, praying that the target of the gunshot was Hojo, and that whoever pulled the trigger didn't miss. Sephiroth slowed to pick up Jenova before they stopped at the door, a thin trail of blood making its way from underneath it. They looked at each other and, swords in hand, Sephiroth nodded to Zax, and the Soldier kicked the door in.
"It wasn't locked."
Zax stopped just before his Buster-sword cut Vincent in half. His relief at finding the man was short-lived as he looked down and saw the bleeding corpse at their feet.
Sky-blue eyes stared up at him, wide open but unseeing. The look on Cloud's face was as surprised as Tseng's had been. The bullet had gone straight through the boy's head, ending his life immediately. Still, his pale face was unspoilt, save for a small trickle of blood coming from his nose.
"N-no..." Zax whispered. The sword fell from his hand, and the Soldier followed it, dropping to his knees. "No, no no..." he gathered the thin body to his arms and clutched it to his chest, weeping over his newly-found and now lost love. "...no... no, who... who did this?!" He should still have potions on him... the Soldier's hand instantly moved to search for them, but returned to hold the cooling body gently. It was too late, the wound was too severe. There was nothing he could do but cry.
"I killed him." Vincent said flatly, drawing both Sephiroth's and Zax's attention to himself. "I had to."
"WHAT?!" Zax shouted, enraged. "How could you?!" He lowered the body carefully back to the floor and closed the blue eyes before turning to stare at the ex-Turk, unable to believe what he'd just heard.
Sephiroth shook his head and covered his eyes with a hand. He was so tired... he didn't understand anything anymore. Why would Vincent kill someone he'd fought so hard to free from Hojo's clutches?
"I told you, I had to. I am sorry, but it was quick. He didn't have time to feel a thing."
"NO! You didn't have to!" The Soldier jumped up and lifted his fists. "You had no reason to!"
Vincent's gun came up, finger on the trigger. Sephiroth felt like everything turned to slow motion, he could clearly see the muscles in the man's arm move as he started to pull the trigger. Zax was unarmed and there was no way he could dodge the bullet, not after a marksman like Valentine had caught him. They'd all heard the stories about the Turk and his skill with guns. Zax had no hope.
Masamune moved faster than his thoughts, turned in his hands and rose up, catching Vincent's arm as it still rose, biting through the flesh and muscle, stopping at the bone, guiding the arm and the gun higher and higher, but the pain made the muscles convulse and the gun went off, bullet flying...
...and missing Zax's head by an inch. The Soldier had closed his eyes when he had realized his doom, but opened them immediately and punched the ex-Turk in the face. Combined with Masamune's guiding momentum, Vincent lost his balance and his gun and fell on his back.
Vincent didn't bother to try and stop the blood flowing from his nose and arm. Perhaps he could finally die now. Return to Lucretia. She'd be happy, he had protected their son. An angry nudge of a boot brought him back to reality, and he opened his eyes to stare into Zax's.
"Why? Why the hell did you kill him?! I thought you were his friend!"
Vincent stared deep into the violet orbs, his voice and expression unemotional and cold, matching Sephiroth's exactly. "He was a monster. Hojo changed him. He wasn't a real human being anymore."
"You're wrong!" Zax interrupted the monotone words and stomped around, unable to vent his rage and sorrow in any other way. "Cloud was as human as you, Sephy or me! You killed him!"
Vincent frowned and turned to look at the body. Could he have been wrong... no. He couldn't have made such a mistake. He had to be right. Zax crouched and shook him roughly out of his thoughts.
"No. You are mistaken. She told me--"
"She?! SHE?! Don't tell me you listen to that bitch as well?!"
Vincent's eyes narrowed into small, glowing slits and he raised his head, enraged. "How dare you speak of her like that?!"
"Oh FUCK!" Zax screamed and jumped up, walking in circles like a caged lion. "Fuck, fuck, FUCK! This isn't happening! How can you both listen to a dead thing that's nothing more than a head anyway?!" He stared in turn at the both of them but didn't get an answer. Sephiroth wouldn't even face him, just stared at nothing with a strange expression on his face while Vincent lowered his head to the floor, realizing that the Soldier wasn't talking about Lucretia.
Zax shook his head, feeling unable to even get through to the two and rubbed his eyes, hard. "All right, this has gone far enough. We'll--" he started towards Sephiroth but was cut off by a sudden gunshot. It surprised them completely, as Zax and Vincent were completely unarmed and Sephiroth was carrying a sword.
"What..." the Soldier muttered, eyes wide, and turned to stare at the blood that stained the front of his shirt. The others watched in shock as the Soldier stumbled a few steps and fell to his knees, still trying to understand what the hell had happened.
Vincent let out a dry laugh as Zax lowered himself slowly to the floor, strength escaping his body. It took a little more than one bullet to kill a Soldier, but he still had to lie down. Just for a second... the bullet had hit him in the middle of his back and gone straight through, probably piercing a lung or some other organ. The pain was only starting to hit him now, and the realization that there was nothing he could do anymore. He might heal, if he wasn't hurt any more, but not fast enough to stop what was happening.
"I said I don't want anyone to intervene." Hojo said and stepped into the room. Sephiroth didn't even look up, just watched as the puddle of blood grew around Zax. The Soldier was still breathing, probably conscious as well, but the General didn't make a move to help him. He had no will of his own left, no energy, no reason to do anything.
Hojo didn't pay any attention to Zax or Vincent when he saw Cloud. "My precious specimen!" The professor jumped over the Soldier and kneeled beside the corpse, checking for a pulse and swearing when finding none. "Damn it! Valentine, who did this? I said I want the specimen alive!"
Vincent had no choice but answer. "Lucretia told me to kill both him and the Soldier. They were a threat to Sephiroth." That made both Hojo and Sephiroth stare at him, their eyes wide and unbelieving.
"What?!" Hojo screeched and shook his head, almost laughing. Sephiroth also shook his head, in sorrow at finding out that all of his parents were monsters. What else could he be, then?
The professor was still giggling as he stood up and dusted off his trousers. "Fine, Valentine, whatever you want to believe." He moved to check on Zax, leaving his back open to the Masamune, but Sephiroth didn't even lift the blade, hardly noticed anymore what was happening in the room.
Vincent frowned and closed his eyes as he could hear laughter in his head. Laughter, and words.
/You did well, my puppet. Now they will certainly not intervene with what the fates have in store for 'our' son... your sweet Lucretia would cry so if she knew what you just did in her name.../
That was the last straw. He realized he'd been betrayed, in so many ways he couldn't even begin to comprehend them all. Most of all, he had let them do it, had lied to himself, forced himself to believe their lies just because it was easier than living with the truth that he was so alone. They had driven him to kill Cloud and attempt to kill Zax as well, while he should have strived to get rid of Hojo. It was all too much, and Vincent let his mind flow away.
Hojo was poking both Zax and Cloud and muttering to himself, too thrilled to notice how Vincent's limbs twitched and grew and a pair of wings started to grow out of his back. The ex-Turk didn't let out a sound, didn't fight back as his body transformed to that of Chaos, didn't mind when his consciousness was pushed aside and ignored completely.
When the transformation was complete, Chaos stood up, flexing his wings in a room that was barely big enough for him. Hojo did look up now, as did Sephiroth, when the demon let out a loud roar that was half laughter. The professor was too thrilled to be afraid, staring at the monster he'd created years ago. This was the first time he saw it himself, in its full glory, no humanity, no feelings, just pure rage and power. If it only could be handled and commanded, it would make such a good pet. But Chaos lifted its clawed arms to the throat and struggled with the slave collar until metal yielded and broke. The demon lifted the collar high and let it drop unceremoniously to the floor.
"Know, humans, that I would kill you immediately, if I didn't know that you shall sow as much chaos as I will, and it pleases me to watch it." With that, Chaos used its powers to blow away the wall that blocked its way to the outside, walked to the edge and took flight.
Hojo laughed long and hard before wiping his eyes and picking up his PHS. The General didn't object, didn't even move when a few of Hojo's assistants came into the room, picked up Zax and Cloud and carried them through the secret door, towards the basement. There was nothing he could do for them anyway. They were lost. All of them. So lost. It was over. He turned away from it all, and carrying the severed head, wandered out of the room, past the still twitching corpse, down the stairs and out, to Nibelheim. This was where he had been born, wasn't it only fitting that this was where his life came to such a tragic ending?
Sephiroth looked at his bloodstained hands, feeling his life and sanity slowly slipping away from their reach. He had already stepped on the road, there was no turning back. The choices he would make from now on were all already decided by someone else. The great General would just obey. He started to sob as the true cruelty of the reality unfolded in his mind, and tears burned in his eyes.
/It's all right, my son. Cry. Cry and accept the pain, your inheritance. Let it build your rage towards all who hurt you. Let it grow and feed you. And when you've accepted this, I'll show you the path of revenge.../
Sephiroth cried, still staring at his hands, but eventually the tears turned into laughter.
A.N: There. I'm done.
This was mostly made up while writing it, no big plot in the beginning. It was actually supposed to be a chapter or two, but then it grew and grew... and when I started this, I wanted to kick Hojo's ass SO bad, but somehow it all got twisted and... well if you read it this far, you'll know how it ended up!
This is the end. At least of part one. But a sequel of sorts is trying to crawl its way out of my head... I've still to kick Hojo's ass, so maybe.
Thank you for reading my story, hope you liked it, and a very big thank you to all who reviewed it!