Chapter 5. Dreams

Sora's POV

I went home feeling mad and frustrated. My conversation with Tseng couldn't have been worst than that.

How could I convince them that Sephiroth wasn't exactly guilty of crimes at Neibelheim?

I sighed at my logics.

I couldn't. They wouldn't believe me. If I started talking about Jenova and the way she had appeared to me in that reactor, the things she did to me - to us, I would certainly be admitted in the psychiatric ward. They'd take my child away from me and… who knew. I might very vell stay in an asylum for the rest of my life!

And I didn't want that. I had to try and figure out a way to solve this.

When I got to the bar, Tifa was busy with the costumers, waved a hand at me, in sign of 'hello'. Her mood had improved but she avoided conversations. To her, I was a silly woman with obvious mental issues for being in love with a man like the General.

Up to my bedroom I went, closing silently the door behind me. God, I felt so lost. What should I do? I had the feeling I was wasting precious time just staying at home doing nothing. Literally, I did nothing.

Confronted with the lack of activity, I turned the TV on and remained on the bed. I stayed there for what was left of the afternoon, dozing in and off to sleep until Tifa called me out to dinner. Cloud wasn't there, but the kids smoothed the environment immensely, talking about what they did in school and the games they played with their friends.

Eventually, nighttime arrived and we were dismissed to our bedrooms. Tifa cuddled the kids to sleep and waved me goodnight.

What choice did I have but to bear such indifference?

With a deep sigh I prepared myself to go to bed - another lonely night without my dark angel next to me.

I fell asleep faster than usual.

Sephiroth's POV

I was getting fed up with this cell. I felt very impatient indeed.

They had caught me well, I had to admit, but truth was I had much matters to bother with and yet… I was here.

Trapped as a mouse.

My thoughts lingered on Sora for the most part. I knew Tseng had said she was okay - and I trusted the man enough to know she was actually speaking the truth, but I wanted very bad to see her, even knowing I couldn't. They would never allow me such luxury.

I was in the middle of a conflict of interests.

They didn't know what to do with me. I had a feeling all of them hoped for the day of my execution, to finally get rid of me.

Being Hojo the exception. The man would never give up on me, his biggest experiment of all. If he could he would drag me to his lab again and would have his wicked fun until my body allowed.

I knew Hojo enough to know the man didn't have limits. Of any kind.

I laid on the bed, my stare on the padded roof.

My thoughts wandered to Jenova. She was behaving erratically. After that episode in the woods, she had been silent. After ordering me, shouting inside my head like an angry feline not to let Sora die… it all had become strangely muted.

I didn't have a good feeling about it. Jenova was cunning and I felt she was up to something.

Thing was, I didn't know what it was. What She wanted, what She was preparing.

I fell asleep eventually.

To a dream I knew to be real.

I stood, in the middle of wasteland. The breeze was soft and warm, and my eyes scanned the horizon line. Midgar.

Abstract lines of buildings, gray and metallic. It all felt so strangely silent.

'General.' , a voice called.

I turned to see who it was but my mind knew who was way before. Sora. She was there.

With me. Right by my side.

'Sora…'

I wanted to ask her so many things, to tell her what had happened the day the Turks had invaded our place, but I couldn't. There was something preventing me from doing so.

Explosions on the horizon line caught our attention. Midgar burned. The fire and the smoke swirled in the sky, as if a tornado of devastation annihilated the city.

Screams, panic and death surrounded us.

It was then, when the clouds of fire calmed, that I saw who had wiped away Midgar from the map.

It wasn't Jenova.

It was… a child.

Out of nothing a hand grasp mine, and I felt Sora's despair. I smelled her tears as the child proceeded, us as the bystanders in such decadent happening.

I didn't have time to think, ask mental questions as to why was that child behaving like Jenova would.

Before I knew it, my mind was suddenly invaded with images that gave me all the answers. Like in a movie, Jenova showed me what she would do - her goals, her intentions. It all resumed to an intense, mental stimulation with a footage in which past, present and future mingled harmoniously.

And when she finally finished, all I felt was death taking me - and the woman grasping my hand tight.

I woke up with a loud breath, as if I had been immersed for hours. My pulse quickened and, for the first time of my life, I felt panic.

Everything was so obvious now.

"Sora." I whispered, recalling the feeling of losing her, still too recent in my mind. I stood still and rested my forehead on the padded door of my cell.

And after that, I started to scream her name.

Sora's POV.

I woke up panting, in the middle of the night, with my heart heavy and tears in my eyes.

I had been dreaming again.

It had been as real as my last dream that involved Jenova, but the content of this dream had been terribly disturbing.

I remained with Sephiroth side by side, watching how a child devastated Midgar. It looked like an infernal thing. I didn't have the time to say a word, nor did he, because the view consumed our sanity.

That turmoil of fire took everything on its path. It was like a divine, yet wicked event. The child, beautiful and familiar, seemed focused on destroying everything.

Then the mental images invaded me. Sequences, descriptions and events that took all my doubts as to who and why those things were happening. It was like a footage from hell.

The conclusion was obvious though. Slowly I recalled, over and over again, what seemed to be printed in every neuron inside my mind.

That calamity child, so alike Jenova in almost every aspect -physically and emotionally -, was the baby I had growing in my womb.

And she would be the perfect vehicle for Jenova to destroy the Planet.

I put my hand on my chest as realization took me over, my eyes scanning the dark inside the bedroom.

"My God… It can't be…"

I couldn't believe what I had been shown. I refused to accept the baby inside me would be the bringer of death to the Planet.

I didn't want to, really.

But all I could see was the image of Jenova's smile of joy… as she stole my baby away from me.

I didn't mind it was seven a.m.

I called a cab to take me to Shinra's headquarters. I had to see Tseng, tell him what was going to happen. All my previous fears didn't matter anymore. Things were going to get out of hand and they need to know what Jenova was about to do.

Maybe this way, they would believe me and who knew… maybe they would release my beloved General. I missed him terribly and I would do anything to see him again. It didn't matter how and when.

I didn't mind my manners. I opened the door of Tseng's office under the warnings of his assistant, who didn't have the time to stop me.

"Tseng."

My voice came out like a cry of despair. Inside the office, Tseng was having a reunion with a man, and two pairs of eyes met mine in surprise. Tseng was the first one speaking.

"I'm in the middle of-"

"It's important."

My God, I was behaving so rudely. I wasn't like this but the images I had in my mind didn't let me behave otherwise. Tseng eyed me with a heavy stare and I took my opportunity to go straight to the point. Or I was certain he would shove me off the office.

"It was Jenova. She did that to him."

My words were like bombs. The silence that followed weighted tons and Tseng dismissed the gentleman with a discreet eye-contact.

The man left the office and when there was only me and Tseng, he took his time to step towards me, his frown serious.

"What?"

"She took over the General's mind. That's why he did what he did." I said, almost choking with stress. "And she wants my child now. Our child."

Tseng blinked at me, as if I was saying a bunch of nonsense. He sighed and massaged his forehead with his index finger.

"You can't be serious."

"Please, you have to believe in me. She… she was the one that allowed all this to happen. The General going mad, me finding him in the reactor, the pregnancy-"

"Are you even listening to yourself?"

"She used him. It's all she does. Use, to have it her way."

He sighed again and made a face.

"You need to see a medic."

Oh, my GOD! Sweet despair.

"Please, believe in me, I-"

"You're going to see Hojo right now." Words hadn't yet left his mouth and he was heading us out of his office in a rush.

"Please, please, at least-"

"It's decided."

As we walked towards the building where Sephiroth was staying, I tried to talk things out with Tseng but he refused to listen to me.

He communicated with Hojo's staff, who informed the scientist was now in Sephiroth's premises. Apparently, something had happened, what seemed to bother Tseng immensely.

I felt my heart on my throat. Anxiety ate me on the inside and I wondered if I would see the General or not. I wanted very bad to see him.

We walked and walked, Tseng always grabbing my arm.

"You'll do as I say, Sora. No talking, no nothing. Something happened to Sephiroth."

I almost felt my heart stop in that moment.

"W-What do you mean?" My voice almost failed me and that terrible oppression on my throat was the prelude of a torrent of tears.

"Hojo's with him." Tseng informed. "He snapped last night."

"Snapped…" I quoted, feeling lost and sad.

Oh, my poor General. He was not okay and I… I was away from him. Who knew what Hojo would be doing with him.

"We'll be in a room and you'll be able to see him." Tseng informed, serious. "But don't say a word unless I say so, okay?"

I nodded, my heartbeat peaking. My God. I was going to see my General after all.

When Tseng and I reached the floor, I noticed something was definitely wrong. There was staff running everywhere and no one noticed us. I wondered if Sephiroth had been responsible for such rush. Chaos seemed to have been spread in that place.

Tseng led me to a room whose walls where decorated with LED monitors. It took me a moment to realize those were surveillance devices. My sight met immediately the one where Sephiroth was. I approached the monitor at once, trying to grasp what was going on.

My General's cell looked like a war zone. It was partially destroyed and I could see he was talking to Hojo's hologram about something that clearly angered him. My General dressed all black, some sort of uniform, with bare feet. Sadly, the sound was off.

"What's happening?" I asked, and my stare met Tseng's at once.

"Hojo is trying to calm him down." Tseng declared, with a mobile phone in one of his ears. "But it's not working."

"Why do you say that?"

Tseng sighed before answering.

"Nonsense is all the man says. Just like you."

A shiver ran down my spine at the implications of Tseng's words. Oh, my. That could only mean one thing: he had foreseen, like me, the infernal scenario with the child destroying everything. My eyes widened and I considered what to say to Tseng. I wanted very much to suggest talking to him.

But I already knew the answer. Tseng would never let me-

"Tseng."

Hojo's arrival to the room interrupted my little dilemma. Hojo's stare met mine and then, Tseng's.

"Why is she here?"

I guess it was the first time I'd ever seen Hojo staring at me with dislike.

"She came to me minutes ago with some crazy theory about Jenova-"

A blast that deafened us and made the whole room shake interrupted us. A couple of LED's on the wall fell and crashed, making a serious noise.

My heartbeat peaked, because I knew what had happened. He was out. Out of that dammed cell.

And, obviously, blind with feelings and emotions, I ran towards the exit, passing by arms and screams, the voice of Tseng and Hojo right on my tail.

I only had to reach my beloved and that was it. I would be in Heaven.

As I opened the door, I faced a fog of smoke and people running, headed both ways. Little niches of fire decorated the walls of the hall, and before I could think or do anything, my eyes found his… and in that moment the world around me stopped existing.

Time stood to a halt. Everything around me moved in slow motion, muted.

My General stood in the middle of the hall, just like a black angel. His wing was retracted and his hair flew, as if there was a breeze around him.

I blinked, taking him in, recalling random moments we shared when we had been together. My loins stirred. Joy and elation took me over. I smiled at him, as his green stare pierced mine.

"Sora!"

Hearing him call my name almost made me cry. It sounded to tender, so worrying. I missed him like crazy and couldn't wait to hold him. I needed to smell him. Feel him.

I ran towards him but didn't make it.

His expression on his face made me stop when I was 5 meters from him. Fright suddenly invaded me as the warmness of his eyes turned suddenly to dead cold.

My throat tightened and I felt despaired.

"General…" I whispered, hoping my voice would soothe his poker face. But there was nothing capable of changing the dreadful stance of that man.

His eyes weren't on mine anymore. They focused on my lower belly the whole time. Reflexively, slowly, my eyes traveled towards my womb as well.

The baby. He's listening to it.

It was the most obvious conclusion at this point.

"Are you listening?"

I was risking him snapping again but, I had - at least -, to try. He was the man I loved and I intended to tell him I was with his baby but then again… things always worked out differently with Sephiroth. It was like a damned nightmare.

"How do you know I'm listening to something?" His voice sounded harsh and his expression didn't change. Which wasn't a good sign.

"It's yours. It's growing in her womb."

Hojo's voice informed him before I had the chance of telling him something.

"What?"

He narrowed his eyes at me again, and I couldn't feel more oppressed. Damn Hojo. He was taking my moment away! Come on!

"A gift. A miracle."

Hojo's words did something to the General. He made a face and I sensed he was recalling something. The dream, maybe?

"That's no miracle."

He basically snarled the words at me, and I felt my eyes swim in tears. Good God. This was supposed to be a nice, good moment! I didn't seem him for ages, I missed him terribly and now he was saying these horrible things to me?

"General-" I started talking but he didn't let me finish. He took some steps towards me instead, his hands on my arms. All I could think was about his touch - so warm, so familiar. But his words and his stare destroyed everything around us.

"You must remove it." He said, serious, with his stare on mine. Tears fell and a sob escaped me. He didn't pay me no attention, his eyes searching for someone else "You must. Now. Hojo, take it from her. Destroy it."

"Sephiroth…" My feeble whisper didn't touch his walls. His eyes met mine again but I could see he was focused; he only cared about one thing only. Killing my baby.

"You don't know what it will be. But I do."

"How-"

"Have it removed and dead, Sora."

Now, his voice admitted a more threatening tone.

"What are you saying?"

"DO IT!"

The reaction to his scream did the deed. I shivered out of fear and sadness, and a multitude of guards came up to grab him. The electric sound of tasers deafened me, as Hojo pushed me back, Tseng keeping me there, trapped like a biped. Tears fell as I watched the man I loved being taken away from me again. Liked a caged animal on the loose.

"Calm down." Tseng's words didn't do anything to calm me down but his tone felt soothing. I couldn't help but to ask him:

"What is wrong with him? Why is he saying such things?"

"I don't know."

Hojo answered instead.

"We'll figure this out." Hojo declared. "Now leave. For your own sake."

Tseng took me away as I heard Hojo ordering the soldiers.

I waited in a room with chairs and a table that seemed to be more like a conference room of some sort.

Tseng didn't say a word. He resumed getting me a pack of Kleenex and depositing them in front of me.

Hojo eventually made an appearance, tiredness all over his face. I wondered what had happened for him to look so wasted.

"Spill it out, Sora."

I sounded like an order and I didn't like it, but I had no choice but to tell him everything. What could I do instead? I felt lost and Jenova had been playing with us since the beginning.

I had no one. Literally.

So, even if I didn't trust the man or the Turks… I had to confess the whole thing, from the very beginning.

So I started.

A/N - Okay, I had to cut the chapter or it would be huge. I'm sorry I did that LOL. Hope you like it :) R&R as you like people , you know the drill! :D