Nibelheim was a small, but beautiful town. But I suppose the nicest thing about it, was that it was the place I would be able to see the only person I'd ever truly had a connection with again. I literally skipped into town, humming to myself as I did so. My hair was the color of dark chocolate, with subtle caramel highlights throughout. I also wore blue contacts for measure. I was hoping that no one would be able to recognize my face, besides Sephiroth. Of course, that might be a bit difficult. I was practically a celebrity four years ago.
I would take it in stride though. Nothing was going to deter me from seeing Sephiroth again. After months of roaming and hiding and being plain miserable, I needed a friendly face. I needed someone to talk to. It gets so lonely. No, I shouldn't think about it. Thinking about it just makes it worse. Today, I'm no longer going to be lonely.
"You must be Sephiroth's girlfriend," That was definitely Zack. He had the same cheery voice as he did over the phone. I stopped skipping and turned to my right to face him. He had spiky black hair and wore a soldier first class uniform. He had the buster sword on his back and my mood dampened a little with the realization that I would never see Angeal again.
"Sephiroth's too cool to have a girlfriend," Was my immediate reply. Zack burst out laughing, obviously knowing Sephiroth well enough to get the joke. When he stopped laughing he grinned at me and held out a hand for me to shake.
"I'm-"
"Zack Fair, I know." I answered for him with a small smile. He raised an eyebrow.
"Sephiroth tell you?" He asked and I shook my head slightly, and pointed to the sword on his back.
"Actually, I knew about you long before you even became a first class. I was friends with Angeal. I was actually supposed to be your opponent as a sort of final test before being ranked a third class." I replied and his smile dropped.
"Are you Cerise Shyr?" He asked. I regarded him carefully. So far, Zack seemed like an okay guy, but that didn't mean he wouldn't rat me out to Shinra. "It's an honor to meet you," That caught me off guard. I blinked several times in surprise, and then cocked my head to the side. He smiled fondly, as if greeting an old friend. "Angeal talked about you a lot. He really thought highly of you," He said lightly, but I could tell the memories were overwhelming after such a short time since his death. When I had found out the truth, it had left an ache in my heart, so different from the usual.
"I'm glad Angeal remembered me. And I'm glad he had someone fight for him so fiercely. Thank you Zack, for trying to save him." I said softly and then shook off the sad feelings and smiled. "So, where is Seph?" I asked, surveying the town clearing for the familiar long silver hair.
"We just arrived, so he's probably setting everything up. He should be at the inn." He informed and I nodded my thanks, heading that way. I caught sight of him just as he walked out of the inn and I grinned.
"Sephiroth!"I shouted, capturing his attention. I raced towards him, not the least bit worried about what everyone else would think as I rushed into a leaping hug, wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders, snuggling my head against his neck. My eyes watered with tears of happiness but I pushed them away. I could feel his surprise at first, but he relaxed quickly, wrapping his arms around my back and holding me to him.
"Hello Cerise," He said, amusement lacing his tone. I held on for several more seconds before pulling back,smiling up at him.
"I've missed you." I murmured, hugging onto him once more. He laughed slightly, and it was such a wonderful sound that enveloped me. He didn't laugh very often, even back in the good old days, and it was amazing to get such a treat on our reunion. I hugged onto him tighter. His arms tightened around me as well.
"And I you," He said quietly next to my ear. I pulled back, grinning up at him and pecking him on the cheek, earning a few shocked gasps from our spectators. I dropped to my feet-not even having realized he was holding me up-and looked back at them, giving a playful smile. Most of our spectators were infantrymen, several of their mouths hanging open. Others were townsfolk, looking less, but still surprised at my bold action. I didn't see, but I assumed Sephiroth sent his soldiers a glare, because they all started shuffling off, besides Zack of course. He just continued to grin cheekily, eyes dancing with amusement. He approached once all spectators had fled, laughing slightly.
"So, are you coming with us up to the reactor?" He asked casually.
"No," Sephiroth said, at the exact time I said "Yes,". I glanced up at Sephiroth, and our exchange quickly became stare-down. I looked back to Zack.
"I'm coming with." I said firmly.
"It's a classified mission." Sephiroth objected, but to the trained ear he sounded like a pouting puppy.
"That has never stopped me before. You remember when You, Genesis, and Angeal went on a mission to Kalm, and Genesis and I came up with the brilliant plan of me hiding away in one of the compartments on train?" I asked casually. Sephiroth eyed me, hidden mirth glowing in his mako eyes.
"I also remember you falling asleep and Genesis forgetting you were in there. The train took you halfway to Junon before you woke up and realized what was going on." He pointed out. I blushed slightly at that, glaring at his reminder of the little incident.
"I got back alright," I defended. He arched an eyebrow.
"If I remember correctly, you spent nine hours convincing Cissnei not to tell Shinra." I scowled at him.
"She gave in!" I reminded him, and then smiled, wagging a finger at him. "That's the power of my persuasive abilities." I grinned triumphantly. He almost laughed again, a small, almost imperceptible smile crossing his lips.
"I believe Zack may know this story." He said in bemusement, looking to him. Zack laughed and nodded.
"Cissnei told me about it! She never mentioned you by name though, so I didn't know it was you specifically. She told me she'd just gotten back from an exhausting two day mission in which she'd had no sleep. She went to check on one of her assignments at the time, only to find she was missing, with no one having seen her for seven hours. She searched the entire building, but only found her when she received a frazzled phone call from said assignment." He gave me a teasing look. I laughed and agreed.
"I was thirteen and all by myself! I was a celebrity at the time, everyone kept staring at me and I was afraid of what Shinra might do to me once he found out. Well, actually, I was scared of what Cissnei would do to me as well, but she was the lesser of two evils. Turns out, I should have been more afraid of her than I thought," I said, laughing sheepishly at the memories. Sephiroth's almost-smile grew.
"You were her sparring partner for two weeks." He commented and I rubbed my back just at the thought of it.
"Wait," Zack said, looking between the two of us. "From what Angeal said, you sparred with him, Sephiroth, and Genesis all the time. Why was sparring with Cissnei terrible?" He asked curiously. I winced.
"Because unlike the guys, Cissnei never went easy on me." I winced again just at the thought. Sephiroth finally chuckled.
"Cissnei packs quite the punch." He responded, watching me with deep amusement. I rolled my eyes and stretched my arms over my head.
"My only question is how it took you nine hours to stop Cissnei from reporting your little adventure to the higher ups?" Zack asked curiously. I grinned evilly and leaned forward.
"She had been awake for more than forty-eight hours. I just talked nonstop until she promised to cover for me." I answered with a shrug. Zack busted up laughing.
"She held out nine hours?" He guffawed. I laughed along and nodded.
"She is a Turk afterall." I reminded him.
"I hate to end the fun, but it's time we started up the mountain," Said a cheerful, dark-haired girl as she approached us. She was young, she had a young face. Maybe fifteen or sixteen? She eyed me for a second, clearly curious, but then smiled and held out a hand.
"I'm Tifa, you are?" She asked politely. I smiled back, taking her hand and shaking it.
"Angel. It's nice to meet you." I said, sending both Zack and Sephiroth warning looks when she was no longer paying attention.
"Are you coming with us?" She asked.
"Yes, is that alright?" I inquired. She smiled brightly once more.
"No problem at all! More the merrier! Are you all ready to go?" She asked, looking over us. The journey up the mountain was long and a times dangerous. Tifa was an excellent guide though, showing us all the ways around the dangers that lurked. Plus, it was kind of hard to be intimidated by anything when your bestfriend is a general and war hero.
Eventually though, everyone was getting tired and ornery, even Tifa. It was at the point that I yelled at a chipmunk for scampering over my boot that Sephiroth decided it was probably a good time to take a break. We took seats on rocks or logs in a little clearing Tifa pointed out, claiming many people came up to this spot to have campfires. As it was getting to be evening, it was quickly decided to set a campfire. Tifa, being the resourceful person she is, brought marshmallows. I think she was secretly hoping for this. She seemed to be a bit starstruck by Sephiroth. A cadet grabbed some firewood and was trying to start a fire, whilst Zack found some long sticks to roast the marshmallows on.
"I'll do it," I said cheerfully, once I noticed the cadet couldn't get the fire started. I held my palm out, fire shooting out of it and into the fire pit. The fire caught instantly. No one questioned how I did it, which was expected. They all merely assumed I had materia on me. Sephiroth gave me a particularly displeased look when no one was looking however. The firelight gave our small camp an eery glow, though to me it was mostly calming. At some point, a stick and marshmallow were handed to me, but I didn't set it over the fire, too enchanted by the flames. How they flickered and sizzled at the slightest thing touching them. Soon though, the flames stopped looking like flames, and more like mirages. I saw a town, one that looked nearly identical to Nibelheim, except it was burning. I swear the crackling of the fire were the screams of the townsfolk. Now I couldn't turn away. A face I knew well emerged from the fires, he had mako eyes and long silver hair. He was tall, and carried the masamune in his left hand. Now, I was no longer enchanted-I was petrified. What was this? I started shaking, but I barely paid attention to it as his face slowly melted into someone else's.
Her face looked eerily close to mine. She had long, blonde hair, a few shades darker than mine. Her skin was as pale as mine, her eyes the exact same color. Her face was more mature though, her eyes sharper, and her lips pulled down in a frown. She looked wise and intimidating at the same time, but there was a sense of panic to her. She was looking directly at me.
"You can stop this," She said gravely, the images of Nibelheim burning flickering across her vision for a split second.
"How?" I whispered, unable to ask any further questions. Her eyes stared deeply into mine.
"Kill him. Kill the abomination." Her words were like a bucket of cold water. I jerked back from the image. I blinked, but when I looked back the image was gone, and all I felt was someone shaking my shoulder gently, a several pairs of eyes staring at me. I looked around. Zack shook my shoulder gently, a concerned but cautious expression on his face. I blinked several times, trying to get a grasp on the situation. I met Zack's eyes.
"What happened?" I asked, still in a daze. He stopped shaking my shoulder, but his expression didn't change.
"You looked like you'd seen a ghost," Tifa said quietly. "Then you started speaking to the fire. You said something about stopping something, then you asked how. Finally you said…" She trailed off, looking to Zack, and then to Sephiroth. I looked over to Sephiroth to gauge his expression. He was stone-faced, but his eyes were both concerned and contemplative. He nodded, as if he'd come to a decision. He met my eyes.
"You said 'kill him. Kill the Abomination.'"
It was a silent walk the rest of the way up the mountain. Everyone was on edge after my apparent lapse in sanity, including myself. I remembered the mirage and the woman vividly, which only frightened me more. I wanted to believe I'd somehow fallen asleep, but everyone said my eyes were open the entire time. Sephiroth didn't say anything about it either, but every once in awhile I'd look up at his face to see the same expression from before. I couldn't have been more relieved when we made it to the reactor. Tifa was promptly told to wait outside (to her chagrin) as we 'Shinra personnel' went inside. We walked up the stairs of the Giant Reactor, a name listed above.
"Jenova." I said quietly, tasting the name on my tongue. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. Finally, we made it to the top of the stairs. Zack stopped in front, looking up and around.
"Jenova...Interesting. The door is...sealed, of course." He murmured and then turned around, before stopping. A look of surprise and panic covered his face, and he turned to look back up at the sign. "Jenova!" He looked back to Sephiroth, but he was walking back down the stairs. I looked between them, curious, but turned around. I started to hop back down the stairs. Sephiroth stopped in front of some strange chamber, a blue light glowing inside. It almost looked like the life stream. I stopped beside him, peering inside curiously at a strange lifeform. Something about it felt...wrong.
"This is the cause of the malfunction. This section is broken." Sephiroth explained. He looked to Zack, who was still walking back down the stairs. "Zack, go seal the valve." He ordered him. "Why did it break?" He wondered aloud. Sephiroth stared at the creature inside, and then moved to the opposite side, looking at the creature inside that chamber as well. Zack soon followed, gasping in shock at the creature.
"What is that?" I asked, looking up to Sephiroth for an answer. These things made me feel uncomfortable. I moved a step back from the chamber.
"Average SOLDIER members are mako-infused humans. You're enhanced, but you're still human." He said. He looked to the chamber. "But then, what are those things?" He asked. I looked down at my hands and wrists, looking at the purple veins. I looked back up at the creature, my troubled expression increasing. Was I...related to those things? I grabbed onto Sephiroth's arm for support. He looked down at me, but then back up at the creature and continued speaking. "Their mako energy levels are exponentially higher than yours" He finished. I clutched onto his arm tighter.
"Are they...monsters?" Zack asked. I narrowed my eyes, glaring at him.
"They're not." I said, a little too sharply. Sephiroth met my eyes and then moved away, towards the center of the room and away from me. I instantly felt unsafe without him at my side. I moved to get closer but stopped when he spoke.
"They are. The Shinra scientist Hojo was the one who created them. Abominations spawned by mako energy. That's what monsters are." He answered him. I looked at my hands again, tracing purple veins. Monster? Abomination? Is that what I am? It is...what Sephiroth had said. A large hand placed over mine. I looked up, seeing Sephiroth giving me a knowing look. He shook his head and I got the message. I nodded. I held onto his arm again.
"You said "average" member. What about you?" He asked. I looked up at Sephiroth curiously. He had said that, hadn't he? My thoughts were cut off suddenly when Sephiroth suddenly pulled away, stumbling and clutching over, holding at his head.
"Seph?" I asked, concern filling my voice. "Sephiroth?" I asked again, panic beginning to seep in. This wasn't like him.
"Hey, Sephiroth!" Zack yelled as well. He went to his side, but Sephiroth pushed him away abruptly.
"Seph!" I yelled again, moving closer as well, but scared he'd push me like he pushed Zack. Not on purpose of course, but I couldn't take a hit like Zack could. Knowing Sephiroth, he'd only blame himself later. He continued to move away, stopping in front of the chambers. He stopped suddenly, looking down at his hands.
"Could it be...that I…? Was created the same way? Am I the same as these monsters?" He asked himself.
"Sephiroth!" I called, running up the stairs and to him, grabbing onto his arm. I didn't care if he flung me across the room anymore, he couldn't be thinking such a thing. He was nowhere near one of those creatures. If he was, then I was even closer to them than he was. But I wasn't, and neither was he. "The Lifestream isn't bad," I said softly, showing him the veins in my arm. I picked up his hand, and used one of his fingers to trace the veins on my arm. "I'm not an abomination, am I?" I asked him. He met my eyes, and gave an almost indiscernible shake of his head. He traced the veins himself now, absent-mindedly in a soothing manner.
"No, you are not." He said quietly, but he didn't seem all that convinced. He looked straight ahead, eyes glazed off in some distant memory. "I knew, ever since I was a child...I was not like the others. I knew mine was a special existence. But this...This was not what I meant." He pulled away from me abruptly, and held up his hands, staring at them as if they were no longer his own. I reached towards him, but stopped. He couldn't hear me now. "Am I...a human being?" He asked, more himself than me or Zack.
"No such luck. You are a monster." I whipped around at the familiar voice, and then looked upwards. Genesis flew through the air. Zack flew back, hitting the wall behind us. A fireball flew at Sephiroth as well, but he blocked it easily. Genesis landed on the tall staircase behind us. I grit my teeth, glaring at him.
"Genesis, you bastard! Don't say such things!" I yelled, angrily clenching my fists. He ignored me though, keeping his attention on Sephiroth.
"Sephiroth...you were the greatest monster created by the Jenova project." He told him, voice calm and soothing. Just as I suspected a devil would sound when soothing you to commit murder.
"Genesis...so you are alive." Zack called, voice filled with pain. Genesis looked to Zack, giving a pompous, but bitter look.
"I suppose I am if you can call this living." He said, tracing a hand up his face. He really did look bad. So much worse than the last time I'd seen him.
"What is the Jenova project." Sephiroth called, turning Genesis' attention back to him.
"The Jenova project...was the term used for all experiments relating to the use of Jenova cells." He answered. I glared at Genesis.
"Stop talking! Stop spewing lies right now!" I yelled. Again, he ignored me.
"My mother's cells?" Sephiroth murmured, looking away from all of us. Genesis smirked, spreading his arms out.
"Poor little Sephiroth. You've never actually met your mother. You've only been told her name, no?" He asked. Genesis moved, crouching down to sit on the stairs, as if this conversation was discussing the latest fashion trend. "I don't know what images you've conjured up in your head, but…" Genesis was abruptly cut off.
"Genesis, no!" Zack yelled, still clutching at his side in pain.
"Jenova," Genesis said loudly, ignoring Zack's pleas. "was excavated from a 2000-year-old rock layer. She's a monster." He proclaimed. I moved towards him, hands outstretched and ready to strangle him.
"Shut up, Genesis! As if you know anything! Stop trying to infect your hate into the minds of others!" I screamed at him, but he merely evaded me, and continued on ignoring me as I wasn't even there. I turned to Sephiroth helplessly, as he gasped and stepped away, looked as if he'd been shocked. I moved towards Sephiroth, wrapping my arms around his torso.
"Stop! Don't believe him, he's a liar, he always has been!" I yelled against his chest, begging him to believe me. In all honesty, I didn't know if Genesis was speaking the truth or not, but I knew what the truth of where you come from can do to a person. How much pain it can cause. I was hoping Genesis had stopped running his mouth, but it seems we were out of luck.
"Sephiroth...I need your help. My body is continuing to degrade." Genesis said, and then stood, glaring at Sephiroth. "SOLDIER first class, Sephiroth!" He shouted louder, capturing Sephiroth's attention. "Jenova project G gave birth to Angeal and monsters like myself. Jenova project S…" He trailed off.
"S…" Zack whispered, but none of us paid him any mind.
"...Used the remains of countless failed experiments to create a perfect monster." Genesis continued. Sephiroth pushed me away. I growled and glared at Genesis, but I felt helpless. I didn't know what to do or say, and they both seemed determined to ignore me.
"What do you want of me?" Sephiroth asked quietly.
"Your traits cannot be copied onto others. Your genes can't be diffused. Therefore, your body cannot degrade. Share your cells with me. 'My friend, your desire is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess.'" He quoted LOVELESS, holding out a Banora apple. Sephiroth moved towards him, a look I could not decipher in his eyes. Then, he looked up to the sign atop the Reactor that read 'Jenova'. He sighed.
"Whether your words are lies created to deceive me or the truth, that I have sought all my life...it makes no difference." He said, hitting the apple out Genesis' hand. Sephiroth glared hatefully at Genesis, a look I had never seen on his face before. It lasted only a second, but it was enough to make my heart beat faster in fear. "You will rot." He said coldly, and then turned away. Sephiroth began to leave, and I moved to trail after him.
"I see...Perfect monster, indeed." Okay, that was it. I yelled in fury, shooting blasts of fire and blizzard out at him. He managed to perfectly dodge every attack, and still ignore me. "'Whether the war of the beasts brings about the world's end The Goddess descends from the sky. Wings of light and dark spread afar she guides us to bliss,...her gift everlasting." Then Genesis turned and left as well. I ignored Zack as he yelled, and ran out the doors after them, searching desperately for Sephiroth. I moved past Tifa and the injured Cadet, ignoring them as they yelled out as well.
"Sephiroth! Sephiroth, wait! Please, you're not a monster! Please, just come back, we'll walk back together! Sephiroth!" I yelled, running down the path we'd taken earlier. I heard Zack and Tifa calling for me in the distance, but the only voice I was eager to hear was Sephiroth's. Unfortunately, I never did.
MMMMMMMMMMM
*Phew* Well, that was a thing! I hope you all enjoyed the first part of the Nibelheim incident chapter. Depending on how well the writing for the rest goes, it may be in one or two more parts. Hopefully one, as I don't think it will long enough that I split it up, but it should certainly be longer than most chapters.
Hopefully, next chapter will answer any and all questions you may have. Like 'Why didn't Cerise react much worse when Sephiroth pretty much said she was a monster?' There is an answer! I will bring it up next chapter, among other things. If I don't answer your questions for the Nibelheim incident parts, then you can ask me and I'll be happy to answer! As for when the next part will be out...I don't know...Hopefully soon...Unfortunately I haven't gotten any of it written, but I do know exactly where and how I want it to go...Spoilers there will be some Mild sexual content. Not alot...I don't really do lemons...
Finally, This is unedited. I literally just finished writing it, and I had to go watch the crisis core Nibelheim scene for this, so if things are a little odd on that part let me know! Also, I don't even know if a campfire even happens, and in this version it is night instead of evening by the time they are leaving the Reactor, so just keep that in mind. Also, I noticed I did something stupid, which is I messed up Cerise's age. Cerise was supposed to be Eighteen when the Nibelheim incident went down, but she's nineteen. This is because Crisis Core takes two years, and Cerise left two years prior. However, I thought the events in Crisis Core took the course over one year. Besides that, I also messed up on her age even further. Don't judge me! I believe that her actual age is 26 in present chapters but she still stopped aging at about 22. I'm going to go back and edit it at some point, but not right now. Because I'm lazy. And I want to focus on writing, and not fixing my stupid mistakes. Again, don't judge me. Love you, thanks for reading! 3
