Kingdom Hearts and its characters belong solely to either Square Enix or Walt Disney Pictures.

This chapter contains some very discreet implied CloudxSephiroth material. Only a little tho. So far it is only a very clean Shounen Ai, not even lemonish AT ALL. And like I said before, if you can't handle this, please don't feel the need to flame about this. This will only result in a larger damage quotient in Sephiroth's Hell-fire attack. WARNING: major sissyroth ahead

Unspoken Reminiscence

Chapter 2

By: Smiley-chan

(recommended reading music: vindicated- dashboard confessionals)

-Hope dangles on a string, like slow spinning redemption; winding in, and winding out, the shine of it has caught my eye-

Sephiroth groggily lifted his head from the soft surface that it had formally been gracing. He gazed out the window, with puffy eyes, unfamiliar with the itchy feeling after the onset of tears. 'Damn,' he thought, rubbing his eyelids, bringing them temporary relief. It was dark outside, tiny twinkling stars spreading across the heavens. Sephiroth let himself fall back onto his bed again, with a sigh. Maybe sleeping wasn't such a bad idea. The problem was, he wasn't tired anymore. "How long was I out?" he mumbled to himself.

"Not long at all". He snapped his head up in surprise, searching his room for the source of the voice. Finally his eyes rested on the large armchair in the corner of his room. His great uncle was casually draped over it, staring at the boy with intent golden eyes. Sephiroth shivered. He could have sworn the man wasn't there before.

"Oh, honored uncle, why didn't you wake me?" Sephiroth asked, wondering exactly why the man had called for him in the first place. He smoothed his shirt anxiously, scooting forward to the end of his bed. Even though they were relatives, Ansem still made him nervous. Most people thought him a great man, powerful and always for the good of his people. Lately, Ansem had changed. The tone in his voice held and icy undertone that made Sephiroth think he was possessed, and his stare had always reminded him of a Siamese cat, or even better...a heartless.

"Oh, you looked like you could use some sleep," Ansem replied almost sincerely. "You'll need it".

Sephiroth knitted his eyebrows together, slowly processing that sentence. "Are we doing something tonight?"

Ansem's eyes lit up with excitement, clapping his hands together. "I have something to show you," he said sounding quiet like an overgrown child on holiday. He stood, beckoning Sephiroth to follow. Sephiroth grumbled, pulling himself out of bed. On his way out, he carefully strapped his sword, a new gift from Ansem, around his waist. Chances were, he would be exposed to the heartless. Although he hadn't been attacked yet, he wasn't going to take that chance. He could feel it in his bones that those things weren't friendly at all.

"Are you alright down there?"

Cloud swiped at a smudge of oil on cheek, successfully smearing it across the bridge of his nose. "I'm fine Vinny," the blonde replied. Cloud tugged the nut on the ship a little tighter, trying to get the fuel from leaking everywhere.

The raven-haired man shook his head at the absurdities of either that he was worried about the kid or that his nickname made him sound like he was a member of the mafia. "That would be Vincent, Cloud," he mumbled. "You've been at it for an hour, that's all".

"So?" Cloud asked, not phased by this.

"Well," Vincent replied," the day you broke up with Aerith, you rewired all the controls. The day that Sephiroth said he'd never speak to you again, you practically polished Cid's ship until I could see my face in it. I'm assuming that fixing things is your way of venting bad feelings," he chuckled slightly.

Cloud rolled his eyes, sighing with relief as the drizzle of black liquid subsided. "Nothing's wrong. If your so worried, you could always come down here and help, Vincent".

"That would be only my honor," Vincent replied sarcastically. "But sadly, I'm babysitting today, if you have forgotten" ...and heaven forbid that any oil splatter on his perfect porcelain complexion.

Cloud kicked out from under the gummi, his face finally visible to the vampiric looking man. "I hope the Kisaragi's are paying you well"

"Yes, well it seems that I'm the only person Yuffie will behave for," he spoke, the thought slightly amusing.

"Really...now why's that Yuffie?" Cloud asked. The small child in the corner didn't even look up from her hand-held game console.

"Cause Vinny's cool, Spike," she said simply. Her eyes went wide with fury as her game emmited a small tune of despair, signaling that her character had indeed...died. "No! Link, don't leave me!" she wailed, scrunching up into a tiny ball and toppling over onto her side. Vincent sighed, walking over, trying to calm the melodramatic child.

Cloud chuckled slightly. Yuffie was an interesting kid, a little annoying, but interesting none the less. "Yeah, Vinny. She only behaves because she, like every other kid in Hallow Bastion, thinks you're a vampire". Vincent rolled his crimson eyes, cleaning peanut-butter and jelly stains from Yuffie's gameboy. He had managed to calm the child by promising to play 'Shinobi' with her later, a game of her own invention; basically sneeking around street corners and throwing shuriken at cats and small heartless.

"Vinny! Lets go play, okay?" the seven year old giggled, taking a hold of Vincent's hand. "Lets hide so Squall can't find us!" and she practically dragged him out the door. Cloud shook his head in amazement. He didn't think that Vincent had it in him to keep up with Yuffie's energy. Vincent did look like a vampire after all.

Cloud checked the ship over for any kind of damage, that he could repair. Truth was, he felt like shit, and if he looked the way he felt, there would be a lot more than oil on his face. After a long while, Cloud had to admit to himself that the gummi was flawless for now, and there was nothing more to do for it. 'Man, I need a shrink'. He chuckled a little at that thought. 'Or a five pound bag of skittles, or something'. Shrugging, he decided to go back to his room for the day.

"Hey kid, what the hell ya been doin' all day?". Cloud shrugged.

"Nothing much," he responded, opening the door to his room, ingoring the blonde cigarette puffing man behind him.

"Ah, good then. Ya can help fix that oil leak on my gummi," Cid said, as if there was nothing better in the world that Cloud had to do.

"Already did."

Cid raised an incredulous eyebrow, cocking his head to one side. "Already did, eh? Holy shit, what's eatin' you?"

"Why does everyone think there's something wrong with me...?" Cloud mumbled, opening a window to let the cool air in. Then he just collapsed onto the carpet, giving no remorse for the pain in the back of his head from this.

Cid shrugged. "You just give a hell of an expression like a pug dog that's been kicked hard"

"Its nothing, really," Cloud said. Like hell he'd tell a thing to Cid. He'd laugh so hard that his backside would probably fall right off. Besides, its not like Cid wouldn't find out for himself, that stubborn old goat.

"Heh, suit yourself kid," Cid laughed curtly, stepping out the doorway.

Cloud rolled over, deciding that talking a little couldn't hurt, right? "Cid?"

"Knew it," Cid chuckled, the stump of his burnt-out cigarette wobbling up and down as he talked.

Cloud scowled. 'He is so not related to me'. "Cid, did you know...that Sephiroth...is gonna be..." Cloud stopped, feeling a little ashamed that this was he was upset about. "Cid, Seph is gonna be king when Ansem goes!"

"Izzat so?" Cid mumbled amused. "I'm freakin disappointed, in ya kid!"

"Why? Cause I'm angry at that?!" Cloud shouted.

Cid quirked an eyebrow. "Hell no! Cause you didn't give that Sephiroth kid a piece of yur mind! You should tell lover-boy exactly what you mean"

"Yeah, I know what y---what the hell Cid?!" puffed Cloud, feeling his face become several shades redder. "You-tu-huh-lo-lover-AGGHH!"

Cid laughed insanely, trying to brush the look on Cloud's face from his mind. "Yeah kid, there's only one difference between odd an queer, and that's that one's strait!"

"CIIIID!!!" cloud barked, climbing to his feet, he retched open the door to his room. "I don't know what your trying to say, but I will go talk to Sephiroth..." He slammed the door behind him, running down the hallway. Cid shook his head, wondering how long is was going to take the kid to realize what was happening. He shrugged. Hey, what was the worst that could happen?

Cloud paced up and down, the hallways, considering all possibilities. 'If I were Seph, where would I be?' Cloud could assume that he wasn't still with Ansem; it had been a couple of hours after all. Sometimes he was in the village, doing nothing. But most of the time, the reclusive boy, would just be in his room...doing nothing, as far as Cloud knew. 'Come to think of it, he doesn't do much when I'm not around eh?' eh asked himself silently. "Its his room then," he announced to the empty room.

After climbing several spiraling stair-cases, because the elevators were reserved for members of the higher class, he reached his destination. Gently, he rapped on the door. Getting no response, Cloud knocked a little harder. "Seph, are you there? I need to talk to you...its not urgent, but..." He pounded both fists against the cool wooden door, surprised as the door pushed open under the force. "What the---?" The door had been unlocked the whole time. Curiously, Cloud stuck his head inside the doorway. "Seph?"

Sephiroth's room looked nearly untouched. Everything orderly and so clean it made Cloud cringe. The only thing that might have supported that Sephiroth had been there recently, was the way the comforter was wrinkled from what Cloud had graced, "Depressive Plopping", in which Sephiroth had no concern that falling onto his bed might ruin the furniture. The sword that was usually propped up against the corner of the wall was missing, so all that Cloud could assume was that his friend was out. "Imagine that," Cloud mumbled incredulously. "Maybe, he's in the village after all..." The village wasn't that big, after all, it couldn't be that hard to find one person. Sighing deeply, he closed the door to Sephiroth's room behind him, before he would set out on his quest to find his best friend. Hey, it wasn't such a bad thing after all, this way he'd have time to sort out what he would say when he got there.

Sephiroth wrinkled his nose as he entered the foul smelling room. It wasn't like he hadn't smelt this before, but it was one of those stenches that you can never get used to; the kind that cling to your cloths for hours afterward, filling you with disgust. This is why Sephiroth never did like Ansem's lab. The smell there was found very few places in the world, perhaps even only this place. That of decay, must, chemincals, and other potent ingredients that had yet to be named. Besides the horrible smell, lately it had taken to its visitors, feelings that were less than desirable; reeking depression, sadness, fear. All of which, Sephiroth reminded himself were not his own feelings, and should be ignored.

Following Ansem deep within his extensive laboratory, he could see the trailing efforts of the man's work. Piles upon piles of parchment littered every table, each page filled front and back with hastily scribbled and in an increasingly maddened fashion as the piles became fresher. It was obvious that Ansem's devotion to his work and to his people had slowly dwindled, no longer a responsibility, but rather an obsession.

Avoiding shards of broken glass, Sephiroth had to jog to keep up with his uncle, who's pace had seemed quicken with each passing second. "Tell me what's going on Ansem!" he shouted, suddenly regretting ever having agreed to this waste of time.

Ever slowly, Ansem's head craned around, the look on his face unforgettable. He looked out of it, sedated almost, a creepy half-lidded smile creeping up his lips. But it was his eyes most of all, that convinced Sephiroth. They were blank, golden orbs devoid of any light, but still seemed to glow in the dark. 'He's gone mad,' Sephiroth thought, a foreboding feeling growing in his heart. 'Turn back now'

Discreetly, Sephiroth backed up several steps, preparing to make a run for it. But as soon, as turned around, he found that he was unable to move.

"Come Guardian!"

Suddenly, he could feel his hands and feet being held from behind. He could feel the cold and unnatural substance against his skin, and he could tell. It was some kind of large heartless, one that his great uncle had summoned to keep the boy bound to him. He shook at the thing, trying to wrestle free of its grip, but it was no use. The heartless was strong, as strong as the ever growing population of heartless was bound to become.

"Please, grace me with your presence a little while longer, Sephiroth," Ansem spoke, his deep voice leaving no room for argument. The creature released Sephiroth, slowly creepy back behind its master like a shadow, while still keeping a watchful yellow eye on the silver-haired youth.

Trying to shake the dominant frozen feeling on his flesh, Sephiroth glared as coldly as he felt. "I feel as if I don't have a choice in the matter, do I?" Sephiroth spat, rubbing his tender arms. "But whatever it is, I want no part of it, understand?!"

"This way," Ansem said, making a large gesture in a direction. Pulling himself together, Sephiroth scowled, once again following the man who he was sure was up to something. After another maze of old reports, diagrams, congealed material and other such things...they came upon a door. Nothing special at all it would seem, wooden, it would seem, barely hanging on its hinges with a broken doorknob. Ansem nodded his head. Understanding, Sephiroth reached and gripped the door, not surprised when it swung open with ease. "Lets go in shall we?" Ansem said, giving his nephew a nudge in the side.

Sephiroth scowled, stepping cautiously through the doorway, taking his steps very slowly, feeling every dust-covered stone before setting his foot on it. The room wasn't necessarily dark, dim for there was a strange type of flickering light that shone from deep within. Most of all, Sephiroth could tell this place was old. The laid stones that made up the walls and floor looked several centuries old, crumbling at slipping loose, obviously ignored or forgotten about. But strangely, it seemed like no life had touched it ever, not a spider web to be found. Empty space. "What a waste of a room," Sephiroth mumbled.

"Not quite," Ansem replied dryly. "Look harder".

"At what? The room's empty," Sephiroth spat, his eyes flickering in the unnatural light of the cave-like room.

Ansem smiled, a taunting kind of smirk that made Sephiroth want to rip it from Ansem's face. "Is that so? Do you mind telling me which piece of nothing is emitting the light that allows you to see in this place?"

Sephiroth blinked, slowly processing the comment. This was true. A nasty curiosity began to bubble within him. Whatever it was, it wasn't normal, otherworldly. This unconsciously caught his attention, being the adolescent he was. Feeling unfulfilled in a sense, Sephiroth stepped closer to the light. After this action was repeated several more times, he thought he could see his target. Adjusting his eyes to the darkness, he peered deeper, recognizing the flickering light source that stood erect in the corner.

"Is that...fire?" Sephiroth murmured uncertainly. If it was fire, than it was most unnatural. It burned light green in color, and the sparks that dared to fly from its body shimmered like glass caught in sunlight. Slowly, Sephiroth inched up to it a child-like curiosity dominating his sane thoughts. Fascinated, he felt as if he should touch the flames. Sephiroth chuckled silently at the thought. Any peon with half a brain would know better than to stick their fingers into a fire. But still...

Sephiroth was certain that he was no peon, and the idea of touching whatever-it-was would have certainly been ludicrous, if...the flames hadn't been so entrancingly emerald in color. Slowly, he brushed his fingertips against the wavering substance. Half expecting to feel the burning on his skin, Sephiroth drew his fingers away, as the 'fire' had caused a tickling sensation to dance across his arm, like the feeling of the sand driven by the wind.

Testing it again, Sephiroth came to the conclusion that it was not dangerous, and that it definitely was not burning.

"What is it...?" he asked, his voice suddenly gone soft with mesmerization. Slowly he could feel himself going into a calm, not sleepy, just like there was nothing in the world he should be worrying about. That Ansem wasn't a crazy lunatic, and that he hadn't intentionally done horrible things to him. Some part of him, in the back of his mind speaking to him with a small voice, that this was wrong, that something bad would come of this, that this wasn't real. The voice went ignored.

"A doorway," Ansem spoke, sounding vain in the process. "I found it here, several years ago". Ansem's eyes gleamed sadistically, seeing the beginning of something more powerful begin to emerge from his nephew. Something that had rested there all along, but lay suppressed.

Sephiroth nodded hazily. "A doorway..." he repeated, the meaning of the words ringing clearly in his mind, but found nothing more to say that to repeat it.

"A doorway to another world," Ansem continued. "The desolate world in which the heartless reside"

"Heartless...?" Sephiroth murmured, finding his hands drifting back to flame like portal on their own accord. He knew, deep inside, that the heartless were something he should fear. He knew that the heartless were creatures of darkness. But...for some reason he didn't care anymore.

Ansem nodded. "Would you like to go see the heartless, Sephiroth?"

Blinking with blank green eyes, looked up at his great-uncle like a newly adopted puppy, willing to do a new trick. "Would I?"

"You would," Ansem responded, leading the silver-haired youth into the flames. For a mere instant, the flames burst white, than calmed. To two figures were there no longer.

Sephiroth blinked slowly, his vision adjusting to the darkness of this new world. It was so much more different than anything he had ever seen. The first word that came to mind was uncivilized, but things like beautiful and mysterious followed soon after. Vaguely, it reminded him of the stories the mass instructors would tell young children on Sundays, about what the universe looked like, before the gods molded it to their liking. Currents of dark energy ran everywhere; in the air, up the structures, and parading beneath the soles of his shoes. Everything...was made out of darkness.

"Its beautiful, isn't it," Ansem stated, rather than a question. Sephiroth nodded numbly, almost like puppet with worn out strings, his movements small and as clumsy as a child's. Thus was the strong hypnosis that the darkness had began to cast. Gripping the pinstriped material of Ansem's sleeve, Sephiroth spoke brokenly.

"Show me...what...you found," Sephiroth commanded, but the way it came out, I sounded more like a he was begging. He yanked on Ansem's sleeve.

"Of course, that's why I brought you here," Ansem replied, smiling crookedly. "Dear boy". Ansem led them both to the edge of the platform they stood on, where the claw-like rock formations didn't bar the way. Without qualms, he stepped over the edge, leaving Sephiroth there to stare. Ansem had not fallen, but rather transported to the next platform ahead of them, that held yet another set of strange colored flames.

Overbearing his better senses, that had almost completely been drowned out, he followed his uncle, feeling a strong rush of wind, then the solid feeling as he nearly tripped on the new landing. Smirking slightly, Ansem stepped into an orange red flame that could have passed as real fire. Collecting himself lazily, Sephiroth followed. But the moment he placed a single toe inside the substance, he feel heat flowing off of it. It wasn't real fire, but there was only a stubble difference between the two. For once, a sane though smacked him in the face. You'll burn alive if you follow him!

But, the darkness that had held on for so long without wavering would not be suppressed so easily. The darkness pushed him, spoke those comforting words that made the boy the darkness' puppet. Sephiroth nodded, almost having the need to jump into the flames, feeling the uncomfortable sensation similar to lying to close to a heater, as he was spit out on what seemed to be the other end of the doorway. It took a moment for the buzzing in his head to stop, and realize that he had toppled over, his cheek lying against the cool tiles of a hallway. He would have been content just to lay there, if the weird feeling in his heart wasn't there. I wonder if this is how heartless travel to other worlds the small voice within his head spoke.

Lifting himself off the floor, he continued down the hall, barely noticing the yellow eyes of thousand of beasts hiding in the shadows. Halfway down, Sephiroth found an open door, leading into a separate room. It was like someone had taken off a slab of Ansem's laboratory, and stuck it into this twisted world. Pipes stuck in and out of the walls, filled with strange substances, carrying them to a large, pulsating machine in the center of the room. But the now sedated Sephiroth couldn't care less about the functions of this machine, nor what it was running on. He was more interested in a large leather bound book, resting upon a table in front of the machine. The darkness pushed him again, encouraged his curiosities.

"Read it if that is your desire," Ansem said, that taunting grin never once leaving his face. He leaned forward. "Which I know that is"

Sephiroth nodded, obedient in every fashion. Collecting the book in his hands, he feverishly read every line, absorbing what it had to say.

"The heart of all worlds..."

Oh, gods...this can't be right.

"Consummate the great heart..."

No...

"Those without hearts will hunger...until..."

Ansem approached the boy, placing a single hand on his shoulder. "Darkness is the heart's true essence"

It's not! It never will be!

"Yes," Sephiroth answered monotonously.

"Darkness is power, darkness conquers all worlds. And you, Sephiroth, have a natural gift for black powers. Your heart harbors darkness"

Shut up! No! I don't belong to the darkness!

Ansem continued. "All those weak hearted fools who appose the darkness are"

"Worthless," Sephiroth replied.

What about people's lives. How could you ruin everything for the people who love and adore you, twisted bastard! There are people who care about us, how could you betray them?!

"Who do you care about?" Ansem asked, pleased with all the answers he received thus far.

"No one"

...what about Cloud...?

Ansem nodded in satisfaction, raising his face proudly. "At this moment, the heartless are combing our world, ridding it of all the worthless rubbish, that dirties the perfection that comes with darkness. This is the beginning of a great era. All who appose...will die"

All of them...all of Hallow Bastion? Monster...what about Vincent, and Leon, and even little Yuffie, Tifa, that Aerith girl...what will happen to them?

"Every last one of them"

What about Cloud?!

Sephiroth clutched his head, feeling weak for the contradictions in his own mind. "Cloud..." he murmered, barley audible. Ansem sneered, only being able to watch, as the darkness began to break away. This Cloud person would be the first.

WHAT ABOUT CLOUD?!

The bonds broke, the strings on the puppet cut free...bringing him into reality like a breathe of fresh air. His mind had cleared. The things that had seemed to insignificant, found their importance. Sephiroth looked up from the floor, his eyes now narrow slits as threatening as daggers.

"I will NOT let you hurt them!!"

TBC

Thanks to all of you guys. NEXT CHAPTER-will be freakin awesome. Thanx very much. Woo, now that I got the SissyRoth part over, I nearly died. Had to hug my advent children pillow. Poor Sephy, you're so overly abused.

DragonRose13 (I don't see what's so funny --), Jen0va99 ( XD thank you! Btw, you're a wonderful writer, me being the Yoai shipper that I am), SilverStrifey819, Promise, vash-lover323 ( thanx you why would Sephiroth be in love with Tifa? Two little words. Shounen Ai)