OoOoOoOoo
Chapter 3
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"How could you abandon me?" Zach yelled at the cornered Angeal.
"I didn't abandon you, Puppy..."
"Don't call me that!" Zach growled.
"You did abandon and betray us. Both of you." Sephiroth said with no more emotion than he had shown this entire time. All three flicked worried glances at the General. Angeal's and Genesis' held an element of guilt, Zach's a bit of surprise. He had almost forgotten the man was standing there, he was so still.
"It... wasn't like that." Angeal said hopelessly.
"We were sick." Genesis said flatly, not hiding behind metaphors to show how serious he was. "We were dying. I don't know if it would have taken weeks or months or years, but our bodies were decaying. That wound I got in the spar? It never healed. A fucking giant black wing sprouted out of it instead!" Genesis waved his arms around in agitation. "But that wasn't the worst part. It did something to our minds. It was so difficult to think properly. Everything was... it was a conspiracy. It seemed that way."
Angeal nodded and sighed. "I thought I was a monster. I felt I should act like one. I... I gave up my honor and pride. It was... it seemed like what I should do."
"Angeal..." Zach said sadly, his eyes getting wide and watery.
"How, then, are you healed?" Sephiroth asked, the barest hint of confused emotion cracking through his mental ice shield.
"That's the oddest part of the whole thing." Angeal lifted his hands in a helpless gesture and shook his head.
"'My friend, your desire/ Is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess.'" Genesis said reverently.
"Speak plainly." Sephiroth snapped.
"There was a man. He had blond hair and looked like he was in an extremely outdated SOLDIER First jumpsuit." Angeal replied in bewilderment. "He did something very odd to a vat of mako. When we asked him what he was doing he started spouting nonsense. And then, before we could counter, he had grabbed us and flung us in."
"He was so fast it was like we were regular army. Barely seen!" Genesis added.
"Impossible." Sephiroth denied.
"But somehow possible." Angeal shook his head. "I don't understand it either."
"And then, we were healed. A 'gift of the goddess', it must have been." Genesis said excitedly. "Of the Planet? Of Jenova? Who knows. Erk!"
"What do you know of Jenova?" Sephiroth asked, his focus eerily intense on the other SOLDIER he had dangling from his fist.
"She is an alien. We were injected with her cells. It was why we were dying." Angeal replied for the suffocating man held in Sephiroth's steel grip. "As you were, likely. You were made..." Angeal winced at the closing off of his silver-haired friend's expression. "Sephiroth, there is no shame in it. We could not help our births. We thought we were monsters because of the madness. It..."
Sephiroth dropped Genesis, who landed mostly gracefully on his feet. "My mother if Jenova." Sephiroth said, not looking at anything in particular. "I am not human." He turned and walked out of the room. If he had been any less controlled about it, the other three might have been tempted to call it fleeing.
"Nice work." Genesis coughed. "You handled that very smoothly."
Angeal frowned at the redhead before turning back to look out the door.
"Could Seph get this madness, too?" Zack asked hesitantly.
Angeal and Genesis looked at each other worriedly.
"I mean, not that he was terribly stable and emotionally healthy to begin with." Zack continued nervously into the horrified silence.
"Oh shit." Genesis cursed.
"If you wanted to take over the world..." Angeal said slowly, not wanting the thought to be finished.
"And you were set to become a monster..." Genesis continued. He allowed that he was not the most grounded of the SOLDIERs, but Angeal certainly was up there on the stable scale. And if it had affected him that much... "'But the three are still bound by a solemn oath/ To seek the answer together, once again.'" Genesis said solemnly.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Zack asked in confusion.
"It means that we need to go after him and make sure he doesn't try to destroy the world." Angeal said grimly. "We are the only ones who might be able to reach him. And I, for one, refuse to abandon and betray him again."
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Cloud was cranky enough entering the Midgar slums after his long and overly complicated journey that the sight of the empty church started his eye to twitching. "Ok, calm down." He said to himself. "No need to become a Calamity yourself. No matter how temping it would be. Just a little, local one..."
"Hello."
The voice was soft but Cloud jumped regardless. He landed facing the owner of the soft voice and felt some of his annoyance fade while other parts of it grew. "Aeris, I need to talk to you." Cloud said, crossing his arms across his chest.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" She asked in puzzlement. The emotion deep behind her eyes was fear however.
Cloud sighed. "Just..." He looked behind her and prodded the door to the church closed with the tip of his sword, causing Aeris to flinch out of the way.
"Are you a SOLDIER?" Aeris whispered fearfully.
"Not today." Cloud replied. It didn't serve to console her much. But then, Cloud supposed it wasn't really all that comforting a thing to say. "Listen, just ask the Planet, ok? I get really tired of explaining it to you all the time. And I could really use the Aeris in the know, you know?"
Aeris' eyes were even wider and she was getting alarmingly pale.
Cloud sighed. "I'm a WEAPON of the Planet, Aeris. I've been sent back in time an unknowable number of times and I'm starting to have this suspicion."
"Suspicion?" Aeris asked faintly.
"Yeah. I talked with JENOVA, you see..."
"You spoke with the Calamity!" Aeris squeaked. Cloud began to have a bit of doubt about this conversation. Maybe Aeris was just too young to handle this sort of stress?
"Yes, I did. I wonder why I never did before, you know? If you don't have her cells in you it can be an actual conversation. But it wasn't just what she said that got me to thinking." Cloud hurried to assure Aeris. "She was just sort of a catalyst."
"A catalyst." Aeris said weakly, sinking into one of the pews.
Cloud huffed in annoyance. This was not going well. Maybe he should just make a mental note and ask Aeris next time he was in the Lifestream. "You know what, forget it. I'm on vacation and I already ended up back in gods-cursed Midgar all agitated. I need to find a cave somewhere to hole up in and ignore the world or something." He winced. If he could stand the boredom. "Or maybe go wake up Vincent and spar with him or something." Or go see if he could finish what he started without Sephiroth skewering him. With the sword, that is. And preferably without the dress, though if that was what it took to get things going maybe... "Argh! I will kill Zack for corrupting me!" Cloud growled. "And I'm not letting him stab me with anything!"
Aeris looked at him worriedly. "Do you always talk to yourself?" She asked softly.
Cloud crossed his arms over his chest and glowered. "I seem to, yes. It seems to be a bad habit I picked up somewhere. Probably the Lifestream. It's not like you can keep anything inside your mind in there."
"You remember the Lifestream?" Aeris asked with wide eyes.
Cloud felt a sudden pang of sorrow. It was rather rare now, but he did miss that distant memory of having people who actually knew what he was talking about. When secrets were simple and kept because they were embarrassing, not because it was easier to let it go than to explain and oh-by-the-way it could end the world earlier than usual if it got out. Cloud sighed heavily. "Never mind."
"Ok." Aeris said in worried confusion. "Here, have a flower." She pulled out a spikey yellow one and handed it to him. "See, this one looks like you." She smiled.
Cloud smiled sadly. "Thanks, Aeris."
"You're welcome." She patted him on an arm. "Don't let this Zack fellow get to you. I don't think you should stab him or let him stab you."
Cloud blanched. "Eugh!" He shuddered. That mental image was too disturbing to even use to cool his libido next time it reared its ugly head.
"Sir?" Aeris asked worriedly.
"Don't worry about it. My mind has apparently become stuck in a deep, dark gutter right next to the rotting corpse."
Aeris looked disturbed.
"Yeah. Exactly." Cloud muttered. Now it was time to get out of Midgar before someone or something else happened.
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"You got the PHS text, too?" Zack asked Genesis. He was bouncing next to his mentor, somewhat nervously and somewhat elatedly. It still hadn't totally sunken in that the Firsts were back.
"Nope. Just you so far." Genesis grinned. "I was with Angeal when he got your message and decided to come along."
"Oh." Zack looked confused. And then downright shocked as the General swept by them without so much as a word and entered the Turk domain. The three of them had been avoiding actually stepping into the hallway even though that was where the summons directed them to.
"'My friend, do you fly away now?/ To a world that abhors you and I?'" Genesis called after Sephiroth, who twitched minutely. Or he may have just been rounding the corner.
"Let's go." Angeal started off after the silver mane with squared shoulders.
They entered into a room filled with all sorts of recording equipment. Sephiroth was already in one corner, arms crossed over his chest and looking like a grouchy gargoyle for all he was moving.
"Zack." Tseng acknowledged the Second and swept an eyebrow at his two tails. "We detained a subject down under the plate today for suspicious activity. He mentioned your name."
"My full name?" Zack asked. He tried to think of anyone that he knew in the slums and came up rather blank.
"No, just 'Zack'. We are not certain he meant you. But we have been unable to get him to say anything after we apprehended him. We are hoping that perhaps you can give us an ID or something to work on." Tseng replied.
"Uh, sure. Ok." Zack rubbed the back of his neck.
Tseng motioned to the Turk manning the equipment and the window became clear. Zach looked at the lean blond in confusion. "I don't know..."
"Him!" Angeal and Genesis burst out at the same time.
"You know this man?" Tseng focused on the two like a hound on a scent.
"Well, not really." Genesis shrugged. "He..." Genesis shook his head. "'Though the prisoner escapes, he is gravely wounded/ His life is saved, however.'"
Tseng looked mildly irritated by the quote. Which probably meant that he was extremely annoyed.
All eyes turned to the mystery man as he stood and walked over to the window and tapped on it. His mouth started moving and a few seconds later the words were piped through speakers at Tseng's nod.
"Hey, I appreciate your concern and all, but I'm on vacation. So if I could just be on my way that would be fabulous."
"He said that to us, too. What does he mean 'vacation'?" Angeal asked.
"Why don't you ask him." Zack offered.
"He said something about not fighting, but he had just done something with his sword and materia before we confronted him and then attacked us, so I am not sure how sincere he is about this 'peacefulness.'" Angeal shrugged.
Tseng leaned down and spoke into the microphone. "What do you mean you are on vacation?"
This time the reply was real-time as the speakers were on. "I mean that I refuse to kill anything, attempt to get stronger, or be stressed out." The man said, crossing his arms over his chest. "And being stuck in a lab is not conducive to any of these things." Sephiroth twitched in the corner.
As did Tseng, but for different reasons. "We're the Turks not some damned collection service for the Science Department."
"I'm going to go speak with him." Sephiroth announced.
"Wait! This is Turk jurisdiction. You already barged in here without being asked with different SOLDIERs than I requested." Tseng protested.
The three other SOLDIERs looked at each other in surprise. They had assumed Sephiroth had gotten a summons as well. How else would he have known where to go?
"My Firsts just reported that they were assaulted by this man, making it also my jurisdiction, regardless of what you arrested him for." Sephiroth said coolly as he turned the corner, not bothering to further comment on Tseng's indignant growl.
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Cloud was bored. And a bit anxious, he had to say. It wasn't the first time he had ever been picked up by the Turks. He should have realized it was a possibility when he went to Aeris, really. Especially with all the crap he was saying. He sighed. Refusing to be stressed out apparently led to a big case of foot-in-mouth disease.
He looked up hopefully as the door lock disengaged. And then went utterly still in shock.
Sephiroth had closed the door again and took two steps towards him before Cloud snapped out of it.
"I have the worst luck!" Cloud whined.
Sephiroth's demeanor stiffened even further. Cloud knew to interpret this as a sign of the General hiding something. What? Good question. He had a feeling that even being able to read the thoughts behind those cat slit eyes would not leave him any more knowledgeable.
Cloud thunked his head onto the window in front of him.
"Why did you assault my SOLDIERs?" Sephiroth asked coldly.
Cloud leaned against the window and said nothing. He raised an eyebrow.
Sephiroth took a step closer.
"Stay back!" Cloud said, his voice a bit higher than it really ought to be. He was not ready to do this. Why the hell had he come to Midgar? Oh right, because he had had a sudden thought and needed to rush to get it answered, obviously. It wasn't like he was an immortal time traveler with all the time in the universe or anything.
Sephiroth deliberately took two more steps forward. "Why did you assault my SOLDIERs." He repeated.
"You, sir, are asking for it." Cloud warned.
Sephiroth took another two steps forward. Cloud felt his sword holster- sans weapon at the moment- brush against the concrete wall. "Why..." Sephiroth began again.
Cloud poked the General in the chest, ignoring the delighted tingles his body serenaded him with originating from the fingertip in question. Sephiroth blinked with a sudden blank look. Cloud was pretty sure that the look was due to shock not emotional walls. The General's hand was uselessly raised halfway to block, but the movement had been too slow.
"I told you to stay back." Cloud said firmly. Sephiroth moved as if to walk forward. "Do you want me to poke you again?" Cloud demanded. And then tried to suppress the mental images. "Dirty, dirty..." He muttered to himself.
Sephiroth looked confused, then angry before his face blanked again.
"Not you. Me." Cloud said, wanting to nip that in the bud before it became a full blown angsty drama about 'not being human' and 'cleansing the world' etc.
Sephiroth still looked confused.
"Never mind." Cloud sighed. He seemed to be saying that a lot lately. "The crux of the matter is that I really do want to just relax for a while, but I think I've become an habitual meddler." He confessed. "Ok, fine." Cloud said after there was a long moment of silence. "Go ahead and stab me. Right through the heart if you would. I don't want to suffer unduly." Cloud tapped the familiar spot on his left breast.
"Do not stab the subject!" Tseng's voice came over the speakers.
Sephiroth crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Cloud steadily, studying him.
"Well either way, back off." Cloud said, stepping away from the wall. This put him only one step away from running into the General. Cloud brought both his hands up and was about to push the other back when his wrists were grabbed. Cloud lowered his hands from the flat push position and flicked Sephiroth's shoulders.
"Do not touch me." Sephiroth bit out.
"I will touch you if I want to touch you." Cloud smirked, poking the General again, though the other tried to force his hands away, Cloud would not let him. "See?" He poked him again. He knew he was heading for an impaling, but it was sort of fun to rile up Sephiroth like this. Plus that heady feeling of doom rushing towards him. Cloud was pretty sure he was addicted to it. Sort of like he was addicted to Seph... "I am not!" Cloud snapped, pushing forward until he almost was pressing against the General's body but not moving him an inch.
"You are not... what?" Sephiroth demanded, and odd gleam in his eye.
"I am not discussing with you my irritating habit of talking to myself, that's what." Cloud grumbled.
"I believe that you are." Sephiroth noted. The gleam was getting stronger. Was that... humor?
"Sir, stop groping the detainee and let the Turks do their job!" Came a playful voice over the speakers.
The gleam was gone and Sephiroth's icy stare was back. Cloud could practically feel the chill... because he was about an inch away from the General's nose. With a start of surprise he leaned back out of the way. Sephiroth released him and Cloud let his hands fall to the sides. "Isn't that Genesis?" Cloud asked.
Sephiroth inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement.
"Aren't you... friends?" Cloud asked. Sephiroth's gaze flicked to the window and back and his face went to solid stone. Cloud frowned. If Genesis wasn't a friend, then would the healing thing backfire on him? Oh well. It seemed either way he was going to die soon.
"'One becomes a hero, one wanders the land/ And the last is taken prisoner.'" Comes over the speaker again, followed by a brief racket then a mechanical squeal as the audio cut out.
"'Loveless' Act 1. But I can assure you it's only me. If I have to, I would really like to be the one wandering the land, though." Cloud said. His eyes didn't leave the General's. He was waiting for something to happen. "If I defeat you in a duel, would you let me go?" Cloud asked.
Sephiroth's mask thawed slightly with a modicum of interest, quickly shot down by disbelief. "You could not defeat me."
"Oh yeah?" Cloud rocked onto the balls of his feet. This, at least, was familiar. And he could admit that he enjoyed a good challenge. A non-lethal battle with Sephiroth? Sure. Though it would be pretty stupid to think that if he beat the man that he would be leaving the building any time soon.
"You do not have any mako enhancements." Sephiroth said dismissively.
"Mako does not a warrior make." Cloud said, his eyes twinkling in excitement. "I can poke you rather well, can't I?" Cloud refused to let his face leer at that comment.
Sephiroth turned dismissively and started to walk toward the door. Before he could close it, however, Cloud had wedged himself half out the door, only the General's braced arm keeping him nominatively contained. Shocked again, Sephiroth looked down at the chest pushed up against his elbow and then back to Cloud's face.
"See?" Cloud winked, then stepped back into the room. Sephiroth frowned thoughtfully before finally allowing the door to shut.
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"What just happened?" Tseng looked like he was getting a SOLDIER sized headache. He had a pretty good idea, but all the training in the world could not prepare a Turk for the complete black box that was Sephiroth. And this stranger was giving the General a run for his money on enigmatic. Though in the stranger's case it seemed to be due to madness.
"It looked like he was flirting with you, sir." Zack shrugged.
"'He begins a life of seclusion with her/ Which seems to hold the promise of eternal bliss.'" Genesis quoted, spinning as much as the small space would allow and looking at Sephiroth with an over-exaggerated smitten look. The General's lip twitched, then he looked thought the window with a puzzled frown. "Aha! Success!" Genesis smirked. "'Loveless' can soften even the most frozen of hearts."
"Thank you for your help, gentlemen." Tseng said in dismissal. "We'll take it from here."
"You mean torture him, don't you?" Zack pouted.
"I don't know how much you are going to get out of him." Angeal said dubiously.
"We do have techniques for the insane." Tseng sighed.
"You could let him fight Seph." Genesis offered. "You could make a deal with him. When he loses he has to answer all of our questions. And we tell him he is free to go if he loses."
"Finally admitting that Sephiroth is too powerful for you, Genesis?" Angeal asked slyly.
The redhead sniffed. "As you recall we just came back from an extended holiday. With that and the inspired attitude of our prisoner, I find myself still in a vacationing mental state. But if the General does not want to battle some nobody, I would be happy to pick up the slack."
"This is against procedure." Tseng commented without much hope that that would matter to the assembled men. If there were one group that was pampered almost as much as the Science Department it was these men. Perhaps more so since the return of the two other Firsts. Especially since other SOLDIERs were trickling back in as word spread that Genesis had returned. There was an amazingly generous amount of 'retrograde vacation time' being handed out.
"Aw, let us take him for a run before you make him disappear." Zack whined, giving Tseng the puppy eyes. The Turk was, of course, immune. Mostly. But he decided to let it go for now.
"I will fight him." Sephiroth stated.
And that pretty much settled that.
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A/N: I was really really tempted to make Cloud say "I am today" in reply to Aeris' question, but didn't. Perhaps he can come back and say that... (kudos to anyone who gets the reference).