Start Date: June 22, 2022

Windwillow

I'll be doing things a bit differently because most of this is a flashback. Anything bolded is a flashback scene, with dialogue acting as usual. The breaks of normal text signify the party talking in the present. I apologize if this is too weird, but I wanted to make it so that everything jives with the system I've set up for flashbacks.

Final Fantasy VII

After departing Midgar, the party's objective was the village of Kalm, to the northeast. To get there they had to cross a deserted, barren wasteland filled with caves, cliffs, and enemy bandits.

Given that they decimated the bandits and stole all their money, they now had enough capital to set up shop in Kalm and start the day anew. Maybe not the most wholesome way to earn money, but hey, it was all stolen anyway. They were going to turn it in either way.

Now, the village of Kalm is just ahead. There, finally, Cloud will tell his story: of his past, Sephiroth, and of what he claims is a greater threat to the world than even Shinra. And it will shock everyone. Tifa, as well, but for a far different reason...

Chapter Fourteen: Back to the Past

Scene One

The haul that AVALANCHE collected from the Rockets was sizeable: several thousand Gil, plus a miscellaneous items. All of it had been stolen already, and in all likelihood some of the stuff could be returned to the original owners.

Having pillaged the pillagers, assumed control of their supplies, and tied them up, the party departed for Kalm. For all that, though, it took another day of travel - and another stint in Red XIII's makeshift shelter - before they reached the village of Kalm.

Compared to Midgar it was quite quaint, but very pleasant. They returned the goods they'd found to the town watch and set about their business. After enjoying a fine meal at a local restaurant, AVALANCHE checked into the local Inn. It was equipped, thankfully, with both a shower and a laundry room to clean the party's soiled clothes.

"Ahh, yeah!" Tifa said as she smoothed her hair. "I thought I'd never have a shower again!" As she rubbed a towel on her freshly washed body, Tifa stretched her limbs, entering Cloud's room. Everyone had already gathered, after freshening up for a night. She looked out at the party, fully refreshed.

Barret was less happy. He'd been thinking all night, and the thoughts he had were serious and important. The reason he'd started his war was his own business, but...

"It's time you tell us all, Cloud," Barret growled. "What is it with you and Sephiroth? And why is he somehow worse than Shinra? So far you've implied a lot of things but it's time to pony up and share the details." Cloud set down his soft drink on the table next to him and nodded, rising slowly.

"I idolized Sephiroth, once..." Cloud began. "After I joined SOLDIER we went on a lot of missions together and got to know one another. Dunno if you could call us friends, more like war buddies. I went with him a lot of places..." Tifa looked on pensively, her own thoughts uncertain. "After the Wutai War, Shinra started to crack down on dissenters."

... Why am I feeling odd right now?

"And five years ago, Sephiroth and I went on a mission together. To mine and Tifa's home town, Nibelheim." Tifa turned away as he spoke, eyes closing tightly.

But...

"Sephiroth and I took two infantrymen with us in a truck, heading to Nibelheim. And then..."

The truck wasn't terribly large, but it still held four people in relative comfort. In addition to two standard infantry troops, it carried two SOLDIERs: Cloud Strife, age sixteen, and Sephiroth, age uncertain. It was raining hard that day. Of the four, only one suffered from motion sickness.

"You okay?" Cloud asked, looking over at the infantryman. As the soldier waved him off, Cloud shrugged. "I've never had motion sickness, so I can't relate. Y'know-"

"Settle down..." Cloud turned his head to face a handsome man with long, silver hair, dressed in a long black coat, who otherwise sat silently in the corner of the truck. He was a hero, a bona fide SOLDIER who had brought victory during the Wutai War.

Sephiroth.

"Aw, c'mon, Sephiroth!" Cloud chided, hands behind his head. "What a buzz kill." He folded his arms. "What's the deal with the mission, anyway? Ah, well... Guess I have time to do a few squats..."

"Squats?" Aerith interjected, surprising Cloud. "You did those back at the gym, right? When you competed for the wig and-"

"So I did them before, so what!" Cloud snapped. He really didn't want her bringing that up again... or ever. "Anyway..."

After doing a few squats, Cloud hopped to his feet and tapped his gauntlet. "They gave me some new materia for the mission!" he stated proudly. "Can't wait to test it out!" Sephiroth craned his neck, looking on with disinterest.

"The mission," he deadpanned, "is to explore an old Mako reactor. It's been swarming with monsters. We're to both eliminate the monsters and neutralize whatever the problem is. It's a small town, called-" The truck suddenly screeched to a halt, shaking everyone inside. Sephiroth slowly rose to his feet. "Seems we've encountered one of our targets..."

Sephiroth hopped from the truck, leaving Cloud and the two troopers alone. "Hey! Sephiroth!" Cloud shouted, popping open the door. "I'll help... What the bloody hell is that?!"

While he'd heard of them before, Cloud had never seen a Dragon. A mythical beast with wings, fangs, and claws, this fire breather was legendary among warriors. With a shrug he detached the Buster Sword and charged forward. Sephiroth sighed quietly as the Dragon slammed Cloud against the truck with its tail.

As Cloud bounced off the truck and back on the ground, Sephiroth lifted his hand horizontally. A tiny silver pin prick of light formed from his palm, slowly glittering in the rainy night air.

"Allow me," said Sephiroth. The Dragon gave a mighty roar and lunged forward. Sephiroth slowly folded his fingers onto the pin prick, and as they touched an elegant, seven foot long katana formed in his hand. Seemingly unfazed, the monster's fangs licked with flames and it breathed a huge wave of fire at Sephiroth.

Cloud struggled to his feet, lifting the Buster Sword only barely before falling to one knee. "Sephiroth, watch out!" he screamed. "It's breathing-"

With a single downward stroke, Sephiroth cut through the flames, splitting them neatly around the truck. As Cloud was mesmerized and the Dragon wracked with fear, Sephiroth flicked his wrist and dropped it swiftly.

At first nothing happened. The Dragon stood frozen in fear, before a thin line formed on the top of its head. The line ripped through the Dragon from top to bottom, splitting it down the middle. Cloud was stunned, but Sephiroth casually flicked his fingers, his Masamune disappearing in the same light as it had come from.

Scene Two

Barret's jaw dropped. "He did what?! With one little swing?! How the hell could he cut a damn Dragon in half like that?!" A bead of sweat ran down his face. Dragons were supposed to be some of the strongest monsters alive! But Sephiroth...

"His strength," Cloud said coldly, "is outside the scope of your imagination. There is no man stronger than Sephiroth, I guarantee it. I couldn't believe what I'd just saw, and the two troopers-" His eye twitched for a moment, something he failed to notice. "... were equally amazed."

Aerith sat back in her chair, putting her hands behind her head. "Okay, so what happened next? Did they get to the town safely? Well, I guess there's no way they couldn't with Sephiroth around..." Cloud folded his arms and silently lowered his eyes.

"So..." Cloud said quietly, his eyes lifting to meet the party. "We reached Nibelheim. The town Tifa and I come from." Tifa averted her eyes quickly, but said nothing. Her heartbeat quickened.

No... You didn't...

A small mountain village, Nibelheim was scarcely populated. It had a few stores, a martial arts dojo, and a huge abandoned mansion, but other than that there was nothing remarkable about it. Well, other than being Cloud's place of origin.

The party entered the gates of the village, Sephiroth being the first to reach the entrance. He turned back to look at Cloud, his face as clear and empty as ever.

"So this is your home town?" Sephiroth asked with a shrug. "Nice place. What's it like returning here?" Cloud stepped lightly past the town gates and breathed in the air he'd been born breathing.

"Feels great!" Cloud laughed. "How about you? What would happen if you went back to the place you were born?" Sephiroth seemed taken aback by the question. He quietly folded his arms, deep in thought.

"I... don't have a home town. I have no idea where I was born. I never knew my father, but all they've told me is that my mother's name was Jenova..."

At the mention of the name Jenova, everyone jumped to their feet in shock. They heard the name before, and the place they'd heard it troubled them all.

"Jenova?!" Barret exclaimed, stomping his foot. "That's the name of that freaky thing at Shinra HQ! That thing is Sephiroth's mother? What the flying-" Seeing the party's reaction, he promptly shut up. Now wasn't the time. "Sorry, keep going..."

After several moments of deep thought, Sephiroth lifted his head, and shook it softly. He was clearly rattled by something that he'd said, but... It's not like he'd ever give it words.

"Ahh, right..." Sephiroth muttered as he turned to Cloud and the troopers. "I'm giving you leave to visit your family and friends. We don't need to head out immediately, and in fact, I feel a bit tired..." Cloud didn't believe that for a moment. "When you're finished, we have a room at the Inn on the second floor." He waved his hand. "Dismissed."

Sephiroth turned abruptly, brushing past a rather excited man holding a camera. As he entered the Inn, the cameraman breathed a sigh of disappointment. He clearly wanted a photo, but...

Cloud turned his attention to the rest of the village, eyes scanning it for the first time in years. He knew where his house was, but there was another place he wanted to visit. So, he turned and headed for a large house in the southern end of the town.

"You went to my house?!" Tifa gasped. "That can't be possible!" Receiving a bizarre look from Cloud, she quickly shut her mouth and shrugged. "No, I mean... Sorry, keep going..."

He'd been in the house before, several times. Of course, the last time he'd been inside, Tifa's father kicked him out. There had been an incident involving Tifa and himself, and... well...

Cloud stepped into the room and looked around, expecting to find Tifa. When he found no one, he turned to leave, but was grasped by the shoulder and whirled around to see the village's headman: Tifa's father. He was clearly NOT pleased to see Cloud again.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Tifa's father asked sternly. "And in that uniform... So you joined Shinra. Tch. You know I've told you before to stay away from here." With a sigh, Cloud extended his hand as a gesture of good will. The headman slapped it away, eyes firmly locked on Cloud's. He shook his head. "After what you did to my little girl, you've got some balls to come back here and expect me to let you see her again. Get out. Now."

As Cloud opened his mouth to respond, he remembered what had happened and quickly shut his mouth. He nodded, and left the house as Tifa's father turned his eyes to the second floor bedroom...

Barret tilted his head. "What an ass. What flew up his butt?" he asked. "Ain't no reason to treat you like-"

"No," Cloud interrupted, surprising Barret. "He had a reason. A good one. But after all that time, I knew I wasn't going to win the fight. So... I had to leave before I saw her..." Tifa swallowed hard, her fingers tightening. She never knew about it... "So, I visited my house instead..."

"Oh, so you saw your parents?" asked Aerith. Cloud paused for a moment and shook his head. "Um... Did I say something wrong?" Cloud sighed and lowered his eyes.

"I lost my dad when I was young... But my mother raised me well. She was a strong, vibrant woman... So when I saw her again, I couldn't help but notice she still had that same fire in her eyes..."

Cloud lay on his bed, eyes locked to the ceiling fan. His mother had greeted him warmly and offered him a drink, but he'd turned it down. The incident with Tifa's father was still fresh in his mind. She sat down next to him and softly brushed his hair, remembering the feel of each follicle.

"Well..." she began. "With that uniform, I bet you can barely fight the women off!" Cloud shrugged. It wasn't really like that.

"Nah, not really..." Cloud muttered. "Every girl in Midgar is obsessed with Sephiroth..." His mother looked at him for a moment and sighed.

"I'm worried, with you out and about..." Cloud's mother said quietly. "You should find a nice girlfriend." Cloud shut his eyes tightly, his thoughts jumbled. It was more complicated than that...

He shrugged. "Don't need one. My work keeps me busy..." His mother sighed, carefully gazing at her son from head to toe.

"You know, an older one..." she murmured. "Someone to take care of you..." Her voice dropped to a whisper, mostly saying it to herself. "Because I'm not there..." His mother shook her feelings off and stood up and turned to get herself a drink of water. "Anyway, tell me about your job!"

"Oh, that..." Cloud muttered. "Well, I..."

Cloud stopped suddenly, taken aback by something. For some reason, his memory cut out there like someone had snipped it out with a pair of scissors. Everything after that was gone, until he came to his senses standing next to Sephiroth at the Inn.

Huh... Okay, then... Whatever.

Before going to bed, Cloud had met Sephiroth in their room. He'd noted that their guide was young, and that he hoped she would be able to cut it. So, everyone went to sleep and opened the morning anew. Cloud exited the Inn with Sephiroth and the troopers and headed to the north end of town, where Tifa's father stood looking sternly at Sephiroth with a young Tifa standing behind him.

"I want you to promise me..." Tifa's father said sternly to Sephiroth. "If any harm comes to my little girl..." Sephiroth patted him on the shoulders with what sort of passed as a smile.

"Trust me," said Sephiroth. Tifa, five years younger and wearing a cowboy hat, nervously stepped from behind her father and waved at Sephiroth. Cloud was taken aback as he saw her.

"Tifa? You're going to be our guide?" Tifa turned to Cloud with a smile.

"Yep! I happen to be the number one guide in Nibelheim! And Dad, I'll be with two SOLDIERs so I know I'll be okay! 'Kay?" From far behind the party the cameraman from before darted between the troopers and lifted his camera eagerly. Tifa smiled endearingly to Cloud and then to Sephiroth, and slowly they stepped together to take the photograph.

As Cloud continued to talk, Tifa began to shake uncontrollably. The mention of the photograph being taken made her heart ache, but with all her strength she swallowed her emotions and returned to the story.

So, after that the expedition party headed out. Mt. Nibel was a monstrous grouping of caves, stone faces, and rickety bridges. There had been more than one incidence of a traveler falling from a bridge and severely injuring themselves. Not to say anything of the monsters! Twisted mutants trolled the caverns, attacking anyone who entered.

"Are you sure this bridge is safe?" wondered one of the troopers. "Looks like a long way down..." Regardless the four-man party continued across the well-worn bridge. It certainly didn't seem like it would hold...

And it didn't. First one rope and then another snapped and the expedition party plummeted to the craggy ground below. As they fell Sephiroth thrust his hand down, creating a gentle cushion of air that carried them down to the jagged earth below. Well, minus one...

The fall still took the wind out of them (minus Sephiroth), and for a few minutes the rest of the group was unconscious. As Cloud came to he groggily staggered to his feet, finding Sephiroth next to the chasm staring down into the abyss.

Sephiroth sighed. "We lost a man," he muttered. "Poor bastard didn't hit my Aero spell in the right place and fell to his death. Such a pity..." Tifa angrily clamped her hat on her head and stormed over to Sephiroth.

"A pity?!" she snapped. "You lost a friend and that's all?!" Sephiroth's eyes turned to her, freezing her ice cold. He honestly didn't give a damn, but he tried to give the opposite position. It didn't work.

"We lost a soldier," Sephiroth said coldly. "But the mission takes precedence. Come on, everyone..." He rose to his feet and turned towards the north. "That cave looks promising. Think we can reach the reactor from there?" Tifa swallowed hard, then nodded. "Then we move out. We need to reach the reactor..."

Scene Three

After entering the cave, it was a short walk to the next platform. Then back around to another room, back out again, and then into a large open area lined with stalagmites and stalactites. Sephiroth stepped carefully through the dimly lit cavern, looking around cautiously.

"It's too dark..." he muttered. Lifting up his right hand a small light formed on his index finger, soon becoming an orb of fire that lit the entire area. Tifa was surprised; for such a tiny ball there was little to no darkness left to be found.

As he stepped forward, Cloud quickly detached the Buster Sword and shoved Tifa out of the way. From the shadows behind a series of stalagmites, several helix-shaped creatures appeared. They were coiled like mutated springs, multiple eyes and multiple arms jutting from their bodies.

"Twin Brains!" Tifa exclaimed, stepping back quickly. "Local monsters that paralyze with just a look! Watch out, everyone!" Before she could react one of the Twin Brains' eyes locked onto hers. "N-No!"

Tifa's entire body was frozen in place, even her breathing being stopped. All she could see was shadows and all she could do was gasp for air. In her fogged vision a hideous face leered at her with its fangs outstretched, and while she tried to scream, she couldn't exhale any air.

In a flash of light her vision and breath returned, and the Twin Brain fell to the ground in two pieces. She turned to see Cloud holding his Buster Sword, having cleanly bisected the monster. The remaining four roared and flew forward.

"Tricky bastards!" snapped Cloud as he lifted his left arm. From his fingers small fires alighted, converging in his palm. The flames seemed to be pushed outward and incinerated three of the monsters. As the eyes of the remaining Twin Brain started to flash, Cloud cut it in half down its center. As he reattached the Buster Sword, Cloud turned to Tifa with a gentle smile.

Tifa remembered that smile, and it sent a chill down her spine. But she refused to show her apprehension to the rest of the party and continued to listen.

They continued through the winding caverns, passing through multiple chambers and crossing several natural paths outside of the mountains. As they exited one of the tunnels they found themselves on a narrow path with a bridge leading into another cave. This was getting tedious...

As the team moved forward two Dragons landed squarely in their path, roaring with fury. While the others began to panic, Sephiroth lazily extinguished the fire on his finger and flicked his wrist to summon the Masamune with a blank stare on his face. One of the two Dragons charged at Sephiroth.

"Sephiroth!" Tifa gasped. "Look out-"

With a single slice, Sephiroth beheaded the Dragon, much to the amazement of those assembled. As its headless body fell back he cut it to pieces in an instant before lifting the Masamune diagonally at the remaining Dragon.

"Away with you..." He muttered, swinging his sword down with... what seemed like less than lethal force. But as the Masamune touched the ground a thin wave of pressure sliced the Dragon in half. As he raised his right hand, Sephiroth flicked his wrist and a massive burst of flame burned the remainder of its body to ashes. Casually, he dispersed the Masamune and re-lit his finger before continuing on.

To the mere mortals watching, it was as if the Hand of God had descended and passed judgment. Swallowing their fears, they followed Sephiroth into a wide open space with a gorgeous blue spring in its center. Tifa gasped, awed by the beauty. She stepped forward, and found a lovely blue stone in the center of the spring.

"What in the world is this...?" Tifa breathed, examining the stone. It shimmered with light, and it almost seemed to be alive. She turned her head and saw Sephiroth examine it as well, making her heart jump into her throat.

"This," Sephiroth said with legitimate amazement, "is a natural Mako spring. Pure, unprocessed Mako comprises both the water you see and the natural materia in its center. The reason Shinra built a reactor here is precisely because of springs like this." Tifa stared at it in awe.

"It's so beautiful... I guess the reactor will dry up this spring eventually..." She paused and stared at the stone again. "That's materia?! I've never seen it before!" Sephiroth ran his hand through the blue water and caressed the materia, his fingers lightly touching its splendor.

"This is materia," Sephiroth remarked. "Natural materia, born from the Planet. It's rare to see materia in its natural state... In fact, it's my first time seeing it as well." He smiled softly. "Look. The wisdom and power of the Ancients beats within that materia. By linking our souls to materia, we can manifest the Planet's power to create what we refer to as magic."

Cloud stared in awe. "Magic, huh... How mysterious..." Sephiroth began to laugh, slowly at first, but steadily breaking into a sharp laughter. Cloud tilted his head. "Did I say something funny?"

Waving him off, Sephiroth's laughter began to quiet. "Oh, just an idle thought. I met a man once who was quite furious at the word 'mysterious.' It was amusing watching him blow his top." The remaining infantryman tilted his head.

"Who would that be, sir?" Sephiroth's face faded from a smile to a look of contempt, frightening the trooper. Somehow, the question had hit a nerve. Still, Sephiroth shrugged it off.

"An untalented hack who tried to emulate a great scientist... Hojo, of Shinra Inc. What a walking mess of complexes. It's hard to keep my composure even referring to him as a professor. Comical, actually..." He began to laugh again, unnerving the rest of the group.

"Hojo?! That son of a-" Barret stammered, clenching his fist wildly. "Why does that freak show up everywhere?!" He turned his eyes to a visibly uncomfortable Aerith. "D-Did I say something bad...?"

Aerith shook her head. "Sorry... But it's just I never heard what materia actually is, from the Planet, from the Ancients..." Barret shook his head and sighed.

"Sorry..." Aerith waved him off, more confidently this time. While she had her inner thoughts, she didn't want to say anything.

Mom's materia... from the Ancients, from the Planet...? So that's it!

With a smile, Aerith tilted her head happily. "Sorry! Please, keep going, Cloud!"

Apparently, smaller Mako reactors didn't look quite like Midgar's. This was connected to the mountain with huge, steel tubes, protruding from the reactor in every direction. The stench of Mako was almost overwhelming, the unnatural scent filling their noses with a vile smell.

Upon reaching the reactor, Sephiroth slowly ascended the stairs with Cloud close behind. As Tifa followed, he glared down at her with enough ferocity to make her blood run cold. But then he put on a gentle smile.

"I'm afraid too many of Shinra's industrial secrets are in here, little miss..." He turned to the last trooper with a stern face. "Look after the young lady," he ordered coldly. "You," he gestured to Cloud, "come with me." And so the two descended into the reactor...

Suddenly, Cloud put a hand to his head and stopped talking. Somehow, his vision and memory became... fogged. Before Barret could say anything, he waved him off and continued.

Barret would have a lot more to say a bit later.

Scene Four

While the outside was different, the inside was familiar. It resembled the inside of a Midgar reactor, albeit smaller with more narrow passages. After climbing down the chains into the entryway, Cloud noticed a strange odor coming from beyond. While he was repulsed, Sephiroth seemed unaffected, and so he continued on.

What awaited was something he didn't expect. Rather than one giant reactor, there were multiple, huge capsules sealed with various official jargon all over with a single clear opening in their centers. Looking like it could hold a human, Cloud had a bad feeling but kept going.

Cloud ascended a long flight of stairs, finding Sephiroth staring at a huge, sealed door directly in the center of the room. He noticed Sephiroth's fierce glare, looking at the plate above the doorway. The name was something he'd heard before, and was not by any means rationally explained.

"The name..." Cloud breathed, taking in air and swallowing hard. "Isn't that-" Sephiroth nodded. "But that doesn't make any sense! Why would that name... Isn't that the name of your-" Sephiroth narrowed his eyes as he stared at the plate.

"It reads: Jenova."

There was no discussion for a moment. Everyone sat in stunned silence. Even Cloud seemed uncertain he wanted to say the name. Remembering what he'd seen disturbed him greatly... Barret tried to speak, but no words came out. Tifa was the first to speak, after she suppressed the chill in her soul.

"Jenova...? Sephiroth's mother?! The same one as we saw at Shinra HQ?! What the flying-"

"I don't know," Cloud said sternly, surprising Tifa. "I never saw inside it... But I have a good idea of what it looked like... Anyway, that isn't the end of the story. Next..."

Slowly, carefully, Sephiroth brushed past a stunned Cloud and began to inspect the chambers. As he did his eyes fell on a small, broken valve. The cause of the problem...

"The valve," he said to Cloud. "Fix it." As Cloud moved to do so Sephiroth turned to the chamber labeled Jenova. "But, why did it break? Don't tell me..." He walked to one of the capsules and stared inside. "So that's it, Hojo. Even with all this you could never hold a candle to Professor Gast..."

Cloud swallowed hard as he turned from fixing the valve. "Uh, Sephiroth... what are you-" Sephiroth gestured for Cloud to look inside. Gathering his nerve he stepped up, looked inside...

And saw a hideous mutant, multi-colored horns and a withered face with a warped body that seemed, somehow, human. Cloud screamed and dropped to the floor, shaken by what he'd seen.

"Normal members of SOLDIER are infused with Mako..." Sephiroth snarled. "You're altered, but still human. This is the result when more Mako than that is pumped into living tissue. These used to be human..."

Cloud startled. "Human?! Those things are... human?!" He watched as Sephiroth lowered his head and clenched his fists.

"Monsters," Sephiroth said quietly, "are the byproduct of Mako poisoning within the systems of animals affected by Mako. They're infected, tainted, and the result is what we call monsters... Mutated living organisms, fabricated by Professor Hojo of Shinra Inc. Such abominations!"

"W-Wait... Wait!" stammered Cloud as he put the pieces together. "You just said normal SOLDIERs... what did you mean by-" Sephiroth angrily pounded his fist against the chamber, causing it to dent slightly. His breathing began to quicken and he started to tremble.

"No..." Sephiroth gasped, dropping to his knees. "It's not possible... It can't... It can't be possible!" He unclenched his fingers and gripped them again as the Masamune formed in his hand. "If these were humans... Was I created like them?!" Before Cloud could speak, he lifted his sword. "Since I was a child I knew I was different... special... but not like this! Not like THIS!"

Sephiroth cut the chamber in half, allowing the mutated Makonoid to roll limply to the floor. Slowly his breathing quickened and hit its peak, and he drove the Masamune into the creature's head. As the distorted flesh was cut, it ignited as Sephiroth pumped fire into it, incinerating the beast slowly.

"Am..." Sephiroth gasped, dropping the Masamune and falling to his knees. Cloud tried to comfort him but was thrown into the wall with enough force to nearly knock him out. As he steadily dragged himself to his feet, Cloud watched as Sephiroth tightened his fingers hard enough to rip his gloves and spill his blood through them.

"Am I... a monster like... these THINGS?!"

Author's Notes

Well, this was odd. Writing in flashback for so much of the chapter confused me, too. But I think I did a decent job of expressing both past and present. For those who've played the game I'll elaborate on what happened with Cloud and Tifa just for a little clarity in what I'm implying.. For those who DON'T know, you might want to turn your eyes away. This will spoil things a bit.

...

Tifa is apprehensive because she never saw Cloud at Nibelheim. And Cloud's memory is fuzzy because he heard what just happened second hand. Notice that Sephiroth has never once said Cloud's name. Beyond that, I won't say anything else. It'll come into play later.