Disclaimer: I do not own Shakespeare, Sephiroth, the Planet or Gaia blah
blah blah... but Keire, Arne and Avine are MINE! ~grabs OCs and looks around
suspiciously ~
Author's Note: FF.net KEEPS swallowing my italics so I'll change the words of the Planet to –words—. Okay? Also, anyone recognized the first two lines of my li'l poem in the prologue? It's a quote from Act Four in the Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare, which I'm studying for lit this year. Also, I'm using a lot of OCs in my story, so be warned if you don't like Ocs. (I promise, no Mary Sues or whatever.) Okay, enough of my blabbing. Let the story begin!
Chapter One: On to Gaia!
Arne Leonheart stared morosely at the report he held clutched in his hand, its words black and crisp against the paper, blaring its bad news (an understatement, indeed) out to his eyes. He released his breath in one, long exasperated sigh, crushing the paper in his fist and lobbing it onto his bed. He sank down on the mattress with a groan and stared at the ceiling, sighing almost exaggeratedly again.
"What's up, mate?" his best friend, Keire Wulcan, asked, stretched out comfortably on his carpet. He blinked his crimson-hued brown eyes lazily, brushing a lock of dark amber hair from his forehead.
He continued, "You've been sighing and groaning ever since young Kate brought you that letter from the Head earlier. You look like, well, someone has died." He rolled over and fixed his friend with a curious gaze. "Keen to share?"
Arne plopped onto his belly and propped his chin on his hands. "It's frickin' disastrous," he muttered flatly. "Worse that worst. Y'know, remember Avine Swifter?"
"The sorceress?" Keire inquired. "Last I heard, she was happily staying with Edea at Centra learning the finer points of being Hyne's daughter." He sat up straighter, and his eyes opened wide. "Aw, shit—don't tell me that something..."
He trailed off, unable to finish. Arne nodded solemnly. "Fine, I won't tell you. But you'll find out about it anyway. The Head's called a meeting for all of the instructors, SeeDs of senior rank, and chief-of-departments to attend at the Gathering Hall this evening. She's already sent messages, flagged red, to the necessary peoples' coms."
"Cheerful." Keire grimaced and shook his head. "She's a sorceress, Arne. Just how did this happen?" "An inexperienced one, Keire," Arne corrected. "She inherited her powers from my mother about only a year or so ago."
"Poor thing...she never asked for it, did she?" Keire shook his head in disbelief. "So, who has her?" He snapped his fingers, a sly grin spreading across his face. "It's Galbadia, isn't it?"
"No prizes for winning," Arne drawled. "But there's definitely a major chance of Galbadia being involved. "That nation's been power hungry for, like, forever, and the situation definitely hasn't been improved by that guy, Edigier Deling, coming into power. Nephew of the Deling from the second Sorceress War, and certainly as ruthless as, if not more, as his late uncle. They've been trying to get Rinoa on their side for a long time, but Mom's way too crafty to get snared. Whereas Avine hasn't got that kind of experience..." his voice trailed away miserably.
"Our spies have detected increase ratings in the manufacturing of weapons and intense training of the soldiers. Every able young man has been dragged out to join the infantry. Galbadia's definitely up to something," Keire offered helpfully.
"However," he added thoughtfully after a period of observation, "It's definitely unwise to argue with a guy who has the bigger army, more money and greater resources to draw upon, hmmm?"
"And it's not like we have any real evidence," Arne said in a tone of absolute depression.
"Well, did you expect Galbadia to leave a big sign saying, "Hi, it's me I kidnapped your sorceress?" Keire asked with a snort. "Cheer up, Arne, we've faced worse situations than these. It'll be cleared up in no time."
"It's not that," Arne said softly. "Only you, me, my parents, the headmistress and a handful of the other instructors knew that Avine would be spending a month at Edea's place. Either we've got a leak in our network the size of a Ruby Dragon or..." He dropped his voice. "There's a spy."
"So why're you telling me this?" Keire asked, startled.
Arne blew out a breath softly. "Because I trust you," he said brusquely. "And you had better not give me reason to doubt that trust."
"Hell, I wouldn't, Arne!" Keire hastened to reassure his suddenly moody friend. "We're pals!"
"One must always be careful," Arne replied quietly. There was an uncomfortable silence, during which the air grew pregnant with tension.
The atmosphere was abruptly shattered by a loud, piercing beep from Arne's laptop. The captain got to his feet and ran his hands over the keys. "Xu wants to see me at once," he said at last, with no change of expression at all.
"What does the Head want this time?" Keire asked curiously.
Arne shrugged. "She didn't say. You know Xu."
"Yeah, I do, indeed," Keire said with a smirk. "The Queen of Mystery."
Arne smiled, but in a preoccupied fashion. Keire reluctantly climbed up from his comfortable position and joined him at the door. Arne locked his room with his keycard and departed with a 'see you.'
Keire watched his friend's retreating back with a sigh before heading to the Training Center to brush up on his gunblading skills.
***
Meanwhile, in a forest east of Garden...
An upright, round oval of leaping flames the hue of budding leaves in early spring blazed into sudden, unexpected existence a few inched above the ground. Birds chirped in fright and deserted nearby trees in droves. The curious and more bolder creatures ventured close in hopes that a good meal might suddenly fall out.
Something did fall out, causing them to retreat in alarm. It was a tall, lean figure with silver hair, who fell onto his hands and knees before leaping up in a second, eyes peering alertly at his surroundings. He stumbled a little, still somewhat confused to be back in a solid, material body.
Behind him, the fiery emerald gate shrank and closed, resealing the temporary tear between the material fabrics of the two worlds.
Sephiroth was momentarily a little disoriented as he was abruptly awoken by his undignified landing on the hard ground, but his confusion was hastily swept aside as he found himself staring straight into the beady black eyes of what appeared to be a giant caterpillar, jaws opening wide to bite. Years of training took over, and he managed to recover, diving to one side as the caterpillar's mouth closed on empty air.
Sephiroth rolled to his feet with the grace of a newborn calf, but at least, he thought wryly, it was effective. Instinctively his hand reached behind his back—to close around a familiar hilt, very much solid.
(Bless the Planet! And I take back any rude things I ever said to insult it.)
So he thought as he drew the gleaming, six foot length of deadly steel from the sheath that hung across his back. The Masamune seemed to pulse in its owner's hand. As though it was very much glad to be back there as Sephiroth was to see his beloved sword there.
He grinned evilly at the caterpillar, advancing furiously and unaware of its imminent doom. He waited patiently until the monster was near enough, then swept the Masamune across in a vertical stroke.
There was an explosion of blood as his sword tip streaked past and landed on the grass. The caterpillar teetered, having been neatly sliced into two. It slumped, twitching, onto the ground and leaking its fluids everywhere before fading away to wherever it was that dead monsters went to when they died.
Sephiroth regarded the newly greenish-stained blade of his sword in disgust and wiped it as best as he could on the grass. He glanced around briefly for another foe which was foolish enough to challenge him, but they had all fled to a respectful distance after the short, and if he might boast, pathetically easy fight. Apparently else not all the monsters were in favor of being sliced into half.
He trooped through the leafy trees for another five minutes before he came upon a conveniently situated pond beneath an equally helpful tree growing next to it, shading him from any merciless rays the sun might deign to throw his way. He first spent a few minutes prodding the patch of land and testing it for any traps, years of service in SOLDIER having made him an almost overly cautious and paranoid man, but hey, anyone who had been in his position would be.
Besides, he thought philosophically, better safe than sorry. That should have been ShinRa's motto. It might have saved them. If they hadn't decided to play with forces greater than their puny company, they could still be existing now, with much less gil in their pockets but, on the optimistic side, very much alive and kicking.
A parasite, feeding on its surroundings and giving nothing back but filth...yep, that was an apt description for the ShinRa, alright. He wondered who was in charge now. After all, old man ShinRa and his son Rufus were dead, by all accounts. \
He dismissed his idly wandering thoughts, and, convinced that the pond was totally trap-free, sat down and concentrated on scrubbing the caterpillar's blood off from the Masamune. He gazed at his own reflection in the water lazily, then sat bolt upright and let out a cross between a sputter and a snort of disbelief a second later as it dawned on him what it was that he was really seeing.
"By the fires of Ifrit," he breathed. "Just what has that cursed Planet done to me?" Quite forgetting his earlier vow never to insult the Planet again, I might add.
His silver hair was still long, hanging right over his shoulders, but it was the face it framed that had changed, drastically. His eyes remained jade-green, shining with eerie luminescence even in broad daylight, but the perpetual wrinkles of bitterness and hate and vanished from around his orbs. His features were still his own, but very much younger, a face that came from Sephiroth's discarded memories of Hojo's torture, from a childhood he had never had.
Somehow, the Planet had reversed his years from twenty-so to...he thought briefly about it and decided that he ought to be around fifteen or sixteen now.
In the middle of this observations, he'd also taken note of his altered clothing. His black leathers were gone, replaced by a loose, comfortable black cloth shirt and a pair of trousers. A bronze armlet, plain but for a single oval stone that shone a misty green set right in the middle encircled his right wrist. A crimson scarf that reminded him inevitably of Vincent Valentine's own article of clothing was wrapped around his neck, held in place by a silver brooch fashioned in the shape of the Masamune, right down to the minutest detail, with tiny jewels winking in the hilt to represent Materia orbs.
Speaking of Materia...he emptied the contents of his Masamune into his hand and examined them. Mostly green Materia—fire, ice, lightning, earth, sleep, time, cure etc. Seemed to be his own too, as they were all mastered. The last was a pink orb that increased his hit points in battle, to enable him to be able to take more damage than usual before he was officially knocked out cold.
So far, so good, then. He placed the Materia orbs back into their respective slots, feeling, as he did so, a little more drained—the price to pay to be able to wield the magic of the Planet. He stood up, scratching the wrist of his right arm, which brought his hand into contact with the green stone on his new armlet.
Something seemed to flash in his mind. He stumbled a little, causing him to sit down again with an unwelcome jolt. "What?" he managed to say before a voice rang out in his head.
—Do not be alarmed.—
"Do not be alarmed?!" Sephiroth said indignantly, after identifying his unexpected visitor as the voice of the Planet. "After you barge in my head like that without warning?"
—I apologize for the intrusion.—
"Seeing as you have spared my life, I believe your apology is all that is necessary." Sephiroth contemplated his armlet. "So this is...?"
—The Armlet of the Cetra. It serves as a link between both of us, or you could phrase it as a telephone between two worlds. In addition to allowing me to communicate with you, it will protect you partially from status- effect attacks, such as sleep, poison, and so on.—
"That is generous of you," Sephiroth replied. He paused, and looked faintly disgruntled. "Is it truly necessary to alter my appearance?" he asked, in hopes that the Planet would realize its horrible error and remedy it immediately.
—Yes, it is.— the Planet replied, a trace of amusement resounding in his tone. –Garden will only accept students up to a certain age, so that there is time to train them before the muscles grow too stiff, and of course, so that there is sufficient time for loyalty to the SeeDs to set in.—
"Garden? SeeDs?" Sephiroth muttered, completely lost.
The Planet hastened to explain. –A military organization much like SOLDIER without the Mako treatments. Founded by Cid Kramer—
"Not another Cid Highwind, I hope," Sephiroth commented.
The Planet proceeded as though there had been no interruption. –and his wife Edea around fifty or so years ago. It could be said, in the crudest terms, to be a group of mercenaries, who would sell their swords and souls to the highest buyers for money. But Garden goes beyond that. It has its own SeeD code, its own strict rules of honor. If it is an unsavory job, albeit with a large sack of gil to add to SeeD's funds, they will refuse. Of course, Garden's very capable leadership also contributes to this fact.—
"Mmmm," Sephiroth mumbled, to show that he was listening.
A small pink rose of amusement blossomed in Sephiroth's thoughts. –You are still quite a distance from Garden. Go forth now, and while you walk, listen well, for I have much to teach and you have much to learn.—
"Very well," Sephiroth returned in answer.
***
It was late afternoon, drifting into the deep purple and red shadows of evening when Sephiroth got his first glimpse of Balamb Garden, the ingenious flying airship that had contributed so much in the infamous second Sorceress War.
During his hike through the forest, Sephiroth had learnt a lot about Gaia's history from his ever-patient teacher. The Planet spoke to him of the two Sorceress Wars, the heroes, the nations, the four Gardens, and the state of the entire world.
Sephiroth listened intently, tucking all the information inside a mental folder labeled 'IMPORTANT' in his head as the Planet spoke, to be opened later for future reference when needed.
—In the last fifteen years a new state has been formed—Coruthary. Its founders were dissatisfied officials of Galbadia who broke away from the Galbadian Central Party and formed Corutharn, which spans the whole of the Galbadian Plains including land previously held by the Galbadian government, up to fifteen acres from the western side of Galbadia, now Corutharn property.. The city was built on the eastern side of the Plains. Though still young, Corurthary already faces the threat of war from its hostile neighbor. Galbadia has not been happy ever since the land was taken from them. Balamb is very much a friend of Coruthary, and it is feared that Balamb and Galbadia Garden will clash again.—
He also took note of the Planet's words on the current circumstances of the heroes:
—Ten years after the second war, Squall and Rinoa Leonheart wed, and had a son, Arne Leonheart, who holds the role of captain in Balamb Garden. Squall held his role of commander for five more years before leaving his post and going to live with Cid and Edea in their restored orphanage. Cid left his post to Xu Fraden, an extremely capable headmistress and it is chiefly under her guidance that Garden has flourished so much. The Leonheart couple help the Kramers take care of the children, though they leave occasionally to visit their son or teach some of the classes. Quistis Trepe is the headmistress of the newly built Esthar Garden under President Loire's sponsorship. Zell remains at Balamb Garden, taking up the role of martial arts instructor. Irvine and Selphie Kinneas have taken up residence at Trabia Garden, completely repaired despite the serious damage it had received in the war. They have two children, Lisa and Ivan Kinneas, who serve as ambassadors of Trabia and popular instructors in their spare time. I believe Lisa is on the Committee of Social Events( silent laughter ) while Ivan is the Co-Chief of Arms.—
And the more infamous members of the war:
—Seifer Almasy and his two friends have, too, settled down in Cetra under Edea's care. It is to be observed that he does seem genuinely keen for the world in general to forgive him. Edea does her best in speeding that process along.—
And Gaia's new, one and only Sorceress, and her fate:
—About a year ago, Rinoa contracted a severe illness. After she recovered four months later, she discovered that her sorceress powers were gone. A frantic check was made on any female that had made contact with Rinoa and eventually a girl named Avine Swifter came up positive, a student who had tended to Rinoa many times during her illness. It appears that this gift can sense when its host is dying and immediately move to another female to carry it. Recently, though, she has been kidnapped under orders of President Edigier. I cannot see who has her now, or her location. A black mist seems to surround her, and I cannot penetrate that veil.—
"That is reassuring," Sephiroth informed the Planet dryly.
—Be careful to keep this knowledge secret. It is not generally known to the public that the Sorceress has gone missing. There is a spy, somewhere, but again he or she has, through some means unknown to me, shielded themselves from my sight.—
"Again, real comforting," Sephiroth muttered, a little troubled by all the doom and gloom the Planet was pouring on him. Make that VERY troubled.
That was when he got his first glimpse of Garden, and his jaw dropped, a second before he hastily recovered his composure and just stared.
(Graceful. Like a swan.)
Midgar had been nothing compared to Garden. ShinRa didn't care about beauty, just money and practicability. But here, shaded with the dull crimson of the setting sun, just grazing the tops of the mountains behind the parked airship—which made a nice backdrop, by the way, he absently noted—Garden seemed to glow in comparisons, with its nicely defensible positions, as his keen soldier's eye, roving about, noticed happily, gleaming, offensive shark-headed, missiles poised to slay, and proud, silvery curves and arcs which made it pleasant for the human eye to linger.
—Yes, your new home—the Planet said in his mind, a pink bubble of pleasure swelling.
"Thank you for the effort you have made in choice of accommodations. You have immensely great taste," he said with a smile, his first, true, warm smile in a long, long time.
—Why, you're welcome.—the Planet replied, with a cascade of silver laughter that washed over his mind with a pleasant tingle.
He laughed, too, and pausing only briefly to slice what like an overgrown bug into half, walked down to the gates of Garden.
Okay, that's all, folks, for this chapter. I had originally planned to write more for Sephy's first day in FF8, but I really wanted to post this chap up for any eager fans to pounce on ~grins~ Also, I may be inaccurate in my memories of the Materia in Seph's sword, so please dun flame me! Readers are welcome to make corrections, though. C'mon, Seph, let's go. Sephiroth ~points Masamune at unwary readers before leaving~ : Review...or taste my sword! ( A bit of Authory Advice: You had better listen. He means it.)
A big warm thank you to my first reviewers for REALLY boosting my confidence!
To:
Hikari-Sephy Obsesser ( for being my very first reviewer)
G. Zan ( for being the second)
T.A. Skywalker ( for being the third)
By the way, thanks for honoring my fic by making it the very first FF7 story you have reviewed!
Author's Note: FF.net KEEPS swallowing my italics so I'll change the words of the Planet to –words—. Okay? Also, anyone recognized the first two lines of my li'l poem in the prologue? It's a quote from Act Four in the Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare, which I'm studying for lit this year. Also, I'm using a lot of OCs in my story, so be warned if you don't like Ocs. (I promise, no Mary Sues or whatever.) Okay, enough of my blabbing. Let the story begin!
Chapter One: On to Gaia!
Arne Leonheart stared morosely at the report he held clutched in his hand, its words black and crisp against the paper, blaring its bad news (an understatement, indeed) out to his eyes. He released his breath in one, long exasperated sigh, crushing the paper in his fist and lobbing it onto his bed. He sank down on the mattress with a groan and stared at the ceiling, sighing almost exaggeratedly again.
"What's up, mate?" his best friend, Keire Wulcan, asked, stretched out comfortably on his carpet. He blinked his crimson-hued brown eyes lazily, brushing a lock of dark amber hair from his forehead.
He continued, "You've been sighing and groaning ever since young Kate brought you that letter from the Head earlier. You look like, well, someone has died." He rolled over and fixed his friend with a curious gaze. "Keen to share?"
Arne plopped onto his belly and propped his chin on his hands. "It's frickin' disastrous," he muttered flatly. "Worse that worst. Y'know, remember Avine Swifter?"
"The sorceress?" Keire inquired. "Last I heard, she was happily staying with Edea at Centra learning the finer points of being Hyne's daughter." He sat up straighter, and his eyes opened wide. "Aw, shit—don't tell me that something..."
He trailed off, unable to finish. Arne nodded solemnly. "Fine, I won't tell you. But you'll find out about it anyway. The Head's called a meeting for all of the instructors, SeeDs of senior rank, and chief-of-departments to attend at the Gathering Hall this evening. She's already sent messages, flagged red, to the necessary peoples' coms."
"Cheerful." Keire grimaced and shook his head. "She's a sorceress, Arne. Just how did this happen?" "An inexperienced one, Keire," Arne corrected. "She inherited her powers from my mother about only a year or so ago."
"Poor thing...she never asked for it, did she?" Keire shook his head in disbelief. "So, who has her?" He snapped his fingers, a sly grin spreading across his face. "It's Galbadia, isn't it?"
"No prizes for winning," Arne drawled. "But there's definitely a major chance of Galbadia being involved. "That nation's been power hungry for, like, forever, and the situation definitely hasn't been improved by that guy, Edigier Deling, coming into power. Nephew of the Deling from the second Sorceress War, and certainly as ruthless as, if not more, as his late uncle. They've been trying to get Rinoa on their side for a long time, but Mom's way too crafty to get snared. Whereas Avine hasn't got that kind of experience..." his voice trailed away miserably.
"Our spies have detected increase ratings in the manufacturing of weapons and intense training of the soldiers. Every able young man has been dragged out to join the infantry. Galbadia's definitely up to something," Keire offered helpfully.
"However," he added thoughtfully after a period of observation, "It's definitely unwise to argue with a guy who has the bigger army, more money and greater resources to draw upon, hmmm?"
"And it's not like we have any real evidence," Arne said in a tone of absolute depression.
"Well, did you expect Galbadia to leave a big sign saying, "Hi, it's me I kidnapped your sorceress?" Keire asked with a snort. "Cheer up, Arne, we've faced worse situations than these. It'll be cleared up in no time."
"It's not that," Arne said softly. "Only you, me, my parents, the headmistress and a handful of the other instructors knew that Avine would be spending a month at Edea's place. Either we've got a leak in our network the size of a Ruby Dragon or..." He dropped his voice. "There's a spy."
"So why're you telling me this?" Keire asked, startled.
Arne blew out a breath softly. "Because I trust you," he said brusquely. "And you had better not give me reason to doubt that trust."
"Hell, I wouldn't, Arne!" Keire hastened to reassure his suddenly moody friend. "We're pals!"
"One must always be careful," Arne replied quietly. There was an uncomfortable silence, during which the air grew pregnant with tension.
The atmosphere was abruptly shattered by a loud, piercing beep from Arne's laptop. The captain got to his feet and ran his hands over the keys. "Xu wants to see me at once," he said at last, with no change of expression at all.
"What does the Head want this time?" Keire asked curiously.
Arne shrugged. "She didn't say. You know Xu."
"Yeah, I do, indeed," Keire said with a smirk. "The Queen of Mystery."
Arne smiled, but in a preoccupied fashion. Keire reluctantly climbed up from his comfortable position and joined him at the door. Arne locked his room with his keycard and departed with a 'see you.'
Keire watched his friend's retreating back with a sigh before heading to the Training Center to brush up on his gunblading skills.
***
Meanwhile, in a forest east of Garden...
An upright, round oval of leaping flames the hue of budding leaves in early spring blazed into sudden, unexpected existence a few inched above the ground. Birds chirped in fright and deserted nearby trees in droves. The curious and more bolder creatures ventured close in hopes that a good meal might suddenly fall out.
Something did fall out, causing them to retreat in alarm. It was a tall, lean figure with silver hair, who fell onto his hands and knees before leaping up in a second, eyes peering alertly at his surroundings. He stumbled a little, still somewhat confused to be back in a solid, material body.
Behind him, the fiery emerald gate shrank and closed, resealing the temporary tear between the material fabrics of the two worlds.
Sephiroth was momentarily a little disoriented as he was abruptly awoken by his undignified landing on the hard ground, but his confusion was hastily swept aside as he found himself staring straight into the beady black eyes of what appeared to be a giant caterpillar, jaws opening wide to bite. Years of training took over, and he managed to recover, diving to one side as the caterpillar's mouth closed on empty air.
Sephiroth rolled to his feet with the grace of a newborn calf, but at least, he thought wryly, it was effective. Instinctively his hand reached behind his back—to close around a familiar hilt, very much solid.
(Bless the Planet! And I take back any rude things I ever said to insult it.)
So he thought as he drew the gleaming, six foot length of deadly steel from the sheath that hung across his back. The Masamune seemed to pulse in its owner's hand. As though it was very much glad to be back there as Sephiroth was to see his beloved sword there.
He grinned evilly at the caterpillar, advancing furiously and unaware of its imminent doom. He waited patiently until the monster was near enough, then swept the Masamune across in a vertical stroke.
There was an explosion of blood as his sword tip streaked past and landed on the grass. The caterpillar teetered, having been neatly sliced into two. It slumped, twitching, onto the ground and leaking its fluids everywhere before fading away to wherever it was that dead monsters went to when they died.
Sephiroth regarded the newly greenish-stained blade of his sword in disgust and wiped it as best as he could on the grass. He glanced around briefly for another foe which was foolish enough to challenge him, but they had all fled to a respectful distance after the short, and if he might boast, pathetically easy fight. Apparently else not all the monsters were in favor of being sliced into half.
He trooped through the leafy trees for another five minutes before he came upon a conveniently situated pond beneath an equally helpful tree growing next to it, shading him from any merciless rays the sun might deign to throw his way. He first spent a few minutes prodding the patch of land and testing it for any traps, years of service in SOLDIER having made him an almost overly cautious and paranoid man, but hey, anyone who had been in his position would be.
Besides, he thought philosophically, better safe than sorry. That should have been ShinRa's motto. It might have saved them. If they hadn't decided to play with forces greater than their puny company, they could still be existing now, with much less gil in their pockets but, on the optimistic side, very much alive and kicking.
A parasite, feeding on its surroundings and giving nothing back but filth...yep, that was an apt description for the ShinRa, alright. He wondered who was in charge now. After all, old man ShinRa and his son Rufus were dead, by all accounts. \
He dismissed his idly wandering thoughts, and, convinced that the pond was totally trap-free, sat down and concentrated on scrubbing the caterpillar's blood off from the Masamune. He gazed at his own reflection in the water lazily, then sat bolt upright and let out a cross between a sputter and a snort of disbelief a second later as it dawned on him what it was that he was really seeing.
"By the fires of Ifrit," he breathed. "Just what has that cursed Planet done to me?" Quite forgetting his earlier vow never to insult the Planet again, I might add.
His silver hair was still long, hanging right over his shoulders, but it was the face it framed that had changed, drastically. His eyes remained jade-green, shining with eerie luminescence even in broad daylight, but the perpetual wrinkles of bitterness and hate and vanished from around his orbs. His features were still his own, but very much younger, a face that came from Sephiroth's discarded memories of Hojo's torture, from a childhood he had never had.
Somehow, the Planet had reversed his years from twenty-so to...he thought briefly about it and decided that he ought to be around fifteen or sixteen now.
In the middle of this observations, he'd also taken note of his altered clothing. His black leathers were gone, replaced by a loose, comfortable black cloth shirt and a pair of trousers. A bronze armlet, plain but for a single oval stone that shone a misty green set right in the middle encircled his right wrist. A crimson scarf that reminded him inevitably of Vincent Valentine's own article of clothing was wrapped around his neck, held in place by a silver brooch fashioned in the shape of the Masamune, right down to the minutest detail, with tiny jewels winking in the hilt to represent Materia orbs.
Speaking of Materia...he emptied the contents of his Masamune into his hand and examined them. Mostly green Materia—fire, ice, lightning, earth, sleep, time, cure etc. Seemed to be his own too, as they were all mastered. The last was a pink orb that increased his hit points in battle, to enable him to be able to take more damage than usual before he was officially knocked out cold.
So far, so good, then. He placed the Materia orbs back into their respective slots, feeling, as he did so, a little more drained—the price to pay to be able to wield the magic of the Planet. He stood up, scratching the wrist of his right arm, which brought his hand into contact with the green stone on his new armlet.
Something seemed to flash in his mind. He stumbled a little, causing him to sit down again with an unwelcome jolt. "What?" he managed to say before a voice rang out in his head.
—Do not be alarmed.—
"Do not be alarmed?!" Sephiroth said indignantly, after identifying his unexpected visitor as the voice of the Planet. "After you barge in my head like that without warning?"
—I apologize for the intrusion.—
"Seeing as you have spared my life, I believe your apology is all that is necessary." Sephiroth contemplated his armlet. "So this is...?"
—The Armlet of the Cetra. It serves as a link between both of us, or you could phrase it as a telephone between two worlds. In addition to allowing me to communicate with you, it will protect you partially from status- effect attacks, such as sleep, poison, and so on.—
"That is generous of you," Sephiroth replied. He paused, and looked faintly disgruntled. "Is it truly necessary to alter my appearance?" he asked, in hopes that the Planet would realize its horrible error and remedy it immediately.
—Yes, it is.— the Planet replied, a trace of amusement resounding in his tone. –Garden will only accept students up to a certain age, so that there is time to train them before the muscles grow too stiff, and of course, so that there is sufficient time for loyalty to the SeeDs to set in.—
"Garden? SeeDs?" Sephiroth muttered, completely lost.
The Planet hastened to explain. –A military organization much like SOLDIER without the Mako treatments. Founded by Cid Kramer—
"Not another Cid Highwind, I hope," Sephiroth commented.
The Planet proceeded as though there had been no interruption. –and his wife Edea around fifty or so years ago. It could be said, in the crudest terms, to be a group of mercenaries, who would sell their swords and souls to the highest buyers for money. But Garden goes beyond that. It has its own SeeD code, its own strict rules of honor. If it is an unsavory job, albeit with a large sack of gil to add to SeeD's funds, they will refuse. Of course, Garden's very capable leadership also contributes to this fact.—
"Mmmm," Sephiroth mumbled, to show that he was listening.
A small pink rose of amusement blossomed in Sephiroth's thoughts. –You are still quite a distance from Garden. Go forth now, and while you walk, listen well, for I have much to teach and you have much to learn.—
"Very well," Sephiroth returned in answer.
***
It was late afternoon, drifting into the deep purple and red shadows of evening when Sephiroth got his first glimpse of Balamb Garden, the ingenious flying airship that had contributed so much in the infamous second Sorceress War.
During his hike through the forest, Sephiroth had learnt a lot about Gaia's history from his ever-patient teacher. The Planet spoke to him of the two Sorceress Wars, the heroes, the nations, the four Gardens, and the state of the entire world.
Sephiroth listened intently, tucking all the information inside a mental folder labeled 'IMPORTANT' in his head as the Planet spoke, to be opened later for future reference when needed.
—In the last fifteen years a new state has been formed—Coruthary. Its founders were dissatisfied officials of Galbadia who broke away from the Galbadian Central Party and formed Corutharn, which spans the whole of the Galbadian Plains including land previously held by the Galbadian government, up to fifteen acres from the western side of Galbadia, now Corutharn property.. The city was built on the eastern side of the Plains. Though still young, Corurthary already faces the threat of war from its hostile neighbor. Galbadia has not been happy ever since the land was taken from them. Balamb is very much a friend of Coruthary, and it is feared that Balamb and Galbadia Garden will clash again.—
He also took note of the Planet's words on the current circumstances of the heroes:
—Ten years after the second war, Squall and Rinoa Leonheart wed, and had a son, Arne Leonheart, who holds the role of captain in Balamb Garden. Squall held his role of commander for five more years before leaving his post and going to live with Cid and Edea in their restored orphanage. Cid left his post to Xu Fraden, an extremely capable headmistress and it is chiefly under her guidance that Garden has flourished so much. The Leonheart couple help the Kramers take care of the children, though they leave occasionally to visit their son or teach some of the classes. Quistis Trepe is the headmistress of the newly built Esthar Garden under President Loire's sponsorship. Zell remains at Balamb Garden, taking up the role of martial arts instructor. Irvine and Selphie Kinneas have taken up residence at Trabia Garden, completely repaired despite the serious damage it had received in the war. They have two children, Lisa and Ivan Kinneas, who serve as ambassadors of Trabia and popular instructors in their spare time. I believe Lisa is on the Committee of Social Events( silent laughter ) while Ivan is the Co-Chief of Arms.—
And the more infamous members of the war:
—Seifer Almasy and his two friends have, too, settled down in Cetra under Edea's care. It is to be observed that he does seem genuinely keen for the world in general to forgive him. Edea does her best in speeding that process along.—
And Gaia's new, one and only Sorceress, and her fate:
—About a year ago, Rinoa contracted a severe illness. After she recovered four months later, she discovered that her sorceress powers were gone. A frantic check was made on any female that had made contact with Rinoa and eventually a girl named Avine Swifter came up positive, a student who had tended to Rinoa many times during her illness. It appears that this gift can sense when its host is dying and immediately move to another female to carry it. Recently, though, she has been kidnapped under orders of President Edigier. I cannot see who has her now, or her location. A black mist seems to surround her, and I cannot penetrate that veil.—
"That is reassuring," Sephiroth informed the Planet dryly.
—Be careful to keep this knowledge secret. It is not generally known to the public that the Sorceress has gone missing. There is a spy, somewhere, but again he or she has, through some means unknown to me, shielded themselves from my sight.—
"Again, real comforting," Sephiroth muttered, a little troubled by all the doom and gloom the Planet was pouring on him. Make that VERY troubled.
That was when he got his first glimpse of Garden, and his jaw dropped, a second before he hastily recovered his composure and just stared.
(Graceful. Like a swan.)
Midgar had been nothing compared to Garden. ShinRa didn't care about beauty, just money and practicability. But here, shaded with the dull crimson of the setting sun, just grazing the tops of the mountains behind the parked airship—which made a nice backdrop, by the way, he absently noted—Garden seemed to glow in comparisons, with its nicely defensible positions, as his keen soldier's eye, roving about, noticed happily, gleaming, offensive shark-headed, missiles poised to slay, and proud, silvery curves and arcs which made it pleasant for the human eye to linger.
—Yes, your new home—the Planet said in his mind, a pink bubble of pleasure swelling.
"Thank you for the effort you have made in choice of accommodations. You have immensely great taste," he said with a smile, his first, true, warm smile in a long, long time.
—Why, you're welcome.—the Planet replied, with a cascade of silver laughter that washed over his mind with a pleasant tingle.
He laughed, too, and pausing only briefly to slice what like an overgrown bug into half, walked down to the gates of Garden.
Okay, that's all, folks, for this chapter. I had originally planned to write more for Sephy's first day in FF8, but I really wanted to post this chap up for any eager fans to pounce on ~grins~ Also, I may be inaccurate in my memories of the Materia in Seph's sword, so please dun flame me! Readers are welcome to make corrections, though. C'mon, Seph, let's go. Sephiroth ~points Masamune at unwary readers before leaving~ : Review...or taste my sword! ( A bit of Authory Advice: You had better listen. He means it.)
A big warm thank you to my first reviewers for REALLY boosting my confidence!
To:
Hikari-Sephy Obsesser ( for being my very first reviewer)
G. Zan ( for being the second)
T.A. Skywalker ( for being the third)
By the way, thanks for honoring my fic by making it the very first FF7 story you have reviewed!
