A/N:
Alright, one more installment after this. I hope everyone enjoys this update, 'cause I'm not sure when I'll have time to update anything next. AP exams are underway. I've taken one and have three more to go. So, yeah. Add in a projects for English and Biology, and, I'm a very busy writer…hehe.
Anywho, I adore my reviewers. You guys are the reason why I keep writing.
Any comments, reviews and the like are loved. I thrive off feedback.
Disclaimer: This was for fun, not for profit. I own nothing FF7 related….blah blahblah. To quote another writer: "These are not my characters, I'm just abusing them".
Summary: Gift for Meggurra: Sometimes, changing the past causes unexpected results. travel !Seph x AC!Cloud. m/m slash. Seph centric.
Words: 5,898
Rating: M
Cause and Effect
By Catsitta
Lesson Five: All things must come to an end—even nightmares
"Seven years…" Sephiroth murmured as he stared at the photograph resting at the corner of his desk. There, staring back at him from within the confines of a simple frame, was Lieutenant Cloud Strife, SOLDIER First Class—age 28. A sixteen-year-old version of himself stood next to the blond man as they both posed for the Midgar Monthly magazine. It was a snapshot…a captured memory…a moment in time that could never be lost or allowed to fade.
His mako-colored gaze shifted to the wall.
Scarred by the abuse of war, yet still gleaming with pride, was First Tsurugi. The fusion sword hung above a memorial plaque, one that honored Cloud's service as a SOLDIER, mentor and hero. Yes. Hero.
Despite all his efforts to stay away from the limelight, to merely fade into the shadows and allow his achievements to shower over others—Cloud Strife was a hero in the eyes all whom knew him. Including Sephiroth.
The twenty-five-year-old General shook his head, trying to clear it of old haunts. Every year, come this day, nightmares plagued him during both his days awake and nights asleep. There was no escaping the guilt and grief that resonated through this day. Then again, he hardly tried.
000X000
"Run, Sephiroth. Run while you still can."
The smile Cloud wore was contented, ironic…he accepted his fate. Sephiroth turned, unable to change the course of events, and ran. Sadness ripped through his body. He knew what was next.
He reached the entrance of the reactor. He hesitated and glanced over his shoulder. The world went white and then spiraled into darkness.
000X000
A knock sounded at the door.
The silver General pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment before bidding whomever it was to leave.
There was a moment of blissful silence, then the door swung open, revealing his Second-in-Command. Sephiroth sighed and watched the other man approached, too lost in the past to even scold the SOLDIER. After all, the eighteen-year-old was just another reminder of that fateful day in Gongaga, with unmistakable raven-colored spikes and aquamarine eyes.
000X000
"Hey…wake up…c'mon Mister SOLDIER."
Pain shot through his entire body like lightning. It hurt to breathe…to think…
Cool glass pressed against Sephiroth's lips, followed by a bitter liquid. His muscles seized for a moment, then went utterly lax as the Elixer did its work, healing not only the General's body but also restoring his depleted MP. After a minute or so, he opened his eyes just a hair and gazed up at his rescuer.
A small, dirt-streaked face hovered above his own, eyes filled with concern.
Calloused, work-hardened hands suited to a child used to chores of manual labor, gently brushed Sephiroth's cheek. Zack frowned as he pulled his hand away. Then, he disappeared from the teen's peripheral vision for a moment only to return a few seconds later, shirtless. Said article of clothing was balled up in his little fist and dampened with a canteen of water.
"SOLDIERs heal fast, don't they?" Zack asked quietly as he began to wipe Sephiroth's face with the moist cloth, scrubbing away what he assumed was dirt and blood. "All this blood but yah aint…" He allowed he words the trail away. The boy was young; it was understandable if he was uncomfortable with the concept of death." Yeah. Though, you're in pretty bad shape, Mister. Had to use the stuff in your pack that didn't turn to dust after the explosion. Mama once told me the pretty gold feathers could wake people up after they were hurt really bad and fell unconscious. And you were barely breathing…so…"
The boy pulled away and Sephiroth sat up, wincing as every nerve screamed in protest. He could feel the burns on his skin blistering, and the shards of shrapnel imbedded in his flesh pushing a slow path to the surface. Blood oozed from nearly every injury, some in a slow trickle and in other places, in a steady flow. In all regards, he should be dead.
Then it hit him.
"Cloud."
Zack looked away and shook his head.
"I used pretty feather on him too, but…"
Sephiroth forced himself onto his hands and knees, ignoring the boy's cries of protest and searched the area with frightened eyes. And then he saw it. A tuft of blond amongst the ruins of grey.
"No…"
000X000
"Seph…Hey Seph!"
The silver General blinked. Zack Fair stood before him, palms flat against the surface of the desk. A familiar frown of concern marred his typically smiling features.
"Zackary…"
"Seph. I know today's the anniversary and all, but…"
"Leave me alone, Zack."
"I'd rather not." The raven-haired SOLDIER pushed away from Sephiroth's desk and crossed his arms in a way that reminded the General of Angeal…yet another beloved friend lost. Both he and Genesis defected from the military nearly two years ago without a word of reason given to their General and childhood companion. But he knew when Zack returned from a mission a short time ago, face lined with grief and the Buster Sword between his shoulder blades, that Angeal Hewley was no longer among the living.
And if the Degredation, as Zack explained it, continued to wreak havoc on Genesis, then the last of person whom made his childhood bearable…made him feel human in those days of doubt…would be dead as well.
It seemed that over the past few years, he did a lot of failing friends.
"Seph…look at me. You're in no shape to work right now and you have a mission in three days. Can't have you running around in the mountains after not eating or sleeping properly in a week. You'd get gobbled up by a dragon!" Zack always did have a bit of flair for the dramatics, and he proved such by the arm waving he did and the multitude of expressions he displayed in those few sentences.
Sephiroth, unmoved by Zack's performance, went back to staring at the photograph on his desk. Of which, his young Second-in-Command snatched up a split second later.
"Lieutenant Zackary Fair, if you know what is good for you then you will place that picture back exactly where you found it within the next three seconds."
The SOLDIER ignored his threat, proceeding to examine the picture with interest before asking,"What was this guy's name again?"
The silver-haired General gritted his teeth,"Strife. Cloud Strife."
"I thought so. Man, this is going to make the mission coming up a little bit complicated."
"Pardon?"
Zack grimaced,"Seph. Before he mysteriously popped up on ShinRa's doorstep over a decade back, did Strife have…I dunno. A life?"
"Of course."
"Did he ever talk about it? Maybe mentioned something about a girlfriend…a wife maybe…or a son?"
A wife? A son? What was Zack trying to get at?
"No. He never spoke of his past."
"I see. Well…there's this Cadet…he's from Nibelheim, the place where we're going on this mission…and he's a blondie…about five foot five or so. Blue eyes. Spiky hair. Never met his father, though he said something about him going off to war after marrying his mom. And he's…he's named Cloud Strife."
Sephiroth fell silent.
He supposed it was possible. Should he had lived, his mentor would be thirty-seven; it was entirely possible for Cloud to have a son around fourteen to sixteen years of age. After all, he did not join ShinRa until he was twenty-five, which left a whole chunk of his young adult life unaccounted for.
But a wife and son?
Sephiroth knew that there was much about his mentor and lover he never had a chance to learn, but something like that was quite the…revelation. And it made his gloomy mood darken. It did not matter that Cloud kept secrets from him…not really. The dead were dead and they stayed that way, taking whatever skeletons in their closet with them.
"Seph?"
"It doesn't matter."
"I think it does."
"And why is that?"
"Seph…I'm worried that you might…confuse my Spike for your…Strife. The kid looks a lot like him; all he'd have to do is grow a couple inches and a shot of mako to be identical."
"I'm not a fool, Zack. I know my mentor died seven years ago in Gongaga."
"But do you accept it?" The First offered those words softly, but in the still air, the phrase cut through loud and clear. Zack drew a little closer, his boots soundless against the carpet. "Ghosts plague you, Seph. It's why you cannot let go of the past and put your anxieties to rest."
Sephiroth turned away, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the truth that Zack was waving about like a flag.
"Y'know. We have a tradition in Gongaga…Those that pass on into the Lifestream are honored through a single day of remembrance. It's not a time to mourn, though. It's a time to recall all those happy moments those lost gifted to us in life. We decorate our homes and the gravestones, even those who no longer have descendants to do so, and have a village feast. And come midnight, we say goodbye to the dead, whom are said to visit on that day to join in the festivities."—Zack paused— "But aside from that day, we honor our dead in the only way we can. We forgive ourselves and let our grief leave our souls. It's why we can have a graveyard at the village's entrance without feeling burdened by its presence. We don't mourn like you are doing. We don't linger on what could have been. We let those we love go and give them peace."
The silver-haired General sighed and shook his head,"I have long since accepted my mentor's death. I am not grieving. Now, I do believe its best that you leave."
Heeding the warning in Sephiroth's tone, Zack turned and walked away, but much to the General's dismay, he took the photograph with him.
Left with an empty space on his desk that had always been occupied by a familiar face, he felt a similar space open up in his heart. Now he could no longer look at the face of the man he loved, even in death.
"I will live for both of us…" Sephiroth murmured as more memories washed over him, stripping his barriers raw, "Your living legacy."
000X000
Cloud lay motionless; his sword askew, just out of reach of its master. His uniform was in shreds, what remained blackened, much like the skin beneath. A layer of blood and grime coated pale skin, clotting within blistered burns, causing the injuries to ooze and weep. Blond locks were burnt and ashen—all except a small, rebellious tuft marking his most prominent spike.
Disbelief intermingled with anguish, and Sephiroth, already on his hands and knees, for he could only crawl in his weakened state, began to pray. He asked—nay, begged!—every god and goddess he could name to let Cloud be alive. To let the man he loved with all of his heart continue on this journey known as life. He needed him. Cloud was part of his soul, his very existence. Without him…Sephiroth would be incomplete, and the silver General knew that all too well.
With quaking hands, he cradled his lover's head, hardly noticing when a tear escaped and landed on a grey cheek. Cloud felt so cold…so small and light in his arms. Like a child—a mere boy lost to the ravages of war too young…except Cloud was no boy, and this catastrophe was no war. He was a man and this place was a trap.
"Wake up…" Sephiroth whispered, rocking back and forth gently, ignoring his own hurts. Mako would heal him. Any physical damage sustained from this incident would be entirely superficial and fixable. But mako could only do so much. It could make a man stronger and faster; make him nearly indestructible and capable of superhuman feats. It could not, however reverse death, not on its own at least.
If Cloud was truly….gone, then…
The silver teen shuddered, his rocking becoming more frantic and his breathing hitched. His tears came quickly, in a sudden rush which left him breathless between strangled sobs. And then they ceased as swiftly as they came. Sephiroth, distraught with grief, felt himself become chillingly numb. If Cloud was gone…he had nothing left to cry for. No one left to live for. His other friends could move on in their lives without him…without Cloud, what was there for him?
He let his forehead rest against Cloud's, his motions stilled. This was all too much. He couldn't…
"S…S-seph…?"
It was a soft, cracked croak. His name rattled and creaked upon blistered lips, half-spoken for it was all the speaker had the strength to muster. And yet it filled Sephiroth with energy and life, as if was an elixir of regeneration rather than a mere raspy whisper.
"Cloud."
Eyes of once mako-tainted blue opened, their hue almost grey—practically devoid of life—unfocused and reddened. The blond stared up at him, his countenance expressionless, his gaze unseeing. Blind. Cloud was blind. But that was okay…as long as he was alive, then everything would be okay.
"S-so impulsive…" Cloud murmured dryly,"Foolish…"
"Save your strength." He could sense the critical nature of his mentor's condition, but Sephiroth refused to give up hope, not when there was now a glimmer to reach for yet again. "Help will be here soon." The silver General stroked Cloud's face again, his touch expressing in the simplest of ways his affection…his devotion…his love.
Suddenly, the blond swordsman laughed, or at least dried to. It was more of a coughing fit in the end. Sephiroth frowned and was about to scold the older man for wasting his energy, when the sound of liquid rattled in Cloud's lungs. He paused.
The putrid, black bile that leaked from the blond's mouth and spattered against his chest a moment later gave the teen a reason to gasp with alarm.
Again, Cloud laughed. And again, the foul bile bubbled up from the depths of his chest.
"No…" Sephiroth wiped away the sticky mess in a vain attempt to erase the problem. To help preserve the illusion that his mentor and lover would be okay, that he would heal and live a long, healthy life. "No…hang on. Just…just a little longer."
Slowly, the blond shook his head,"I'm dying, S-seph…"—another series of coughs…more bile—"I've been dying for…oh…seven years now…" He drew in a shallow breath,"Geostigma…My blood was too tainted…Even the strongest…strongest of healers could not cure me…not completely. It's a slow…painful way to die…Geostigma…as your body eats away at itself…as your life force fades, and changes…rots…" Cloud chuckled. "It was only a matter of time before…before I began to Degrade. After all, once all the Lifestream in my body…all my mako…burned up…there was nothing to keep the virus from eating away my flesh. It just happened…sooner than…than expected."
Cloud lifted his hand, the movement weak, and showed the teen the withered appendage. His skin was like charred paper, blackened and thin, curling and peeling away from muscle…muscle that existed in the form of ash. Bits fell from bone like clumps of dust from an ancient book, revealing the extent of the damage, for, said bone was not white as it should be, rather, it was grey and before Sephiroth's eyes the color darkened to black and began to gleam and ooze. Bile.
Every bone and organ within the older man's body was melting into bile…but how was that possible? What virus could cause such destruction and so quickly? Then again, perhaps the radiation from the explosion…
"T-there is one…one thing though…that I need to ask of you…b-before I die."
"Anything…" Sephiroth whispered.
"Live." Cloud commanded,"Live for both of us…make sure…sure no one forgets what w-we have done for them. Make sure…you live…live to tell the tale…of my…our legacy." A smile graced his withering features. "Be my living legacy, Seph…Sephiroth. Endure. T-that's all I ask."
"Your living legacy…" The words echoed upon the silver teen's lips.
"O-one last thing…m-make s-sure you never…never forget it…" Cloud choked, more bile flooding from his lips,"I…l-ove…love you…even…even if I…n-never said it."
"You didn't need to say it…I knew you did."
"Remember…"
"I will…I will never forget."
There was no response.
"Cloud?" Sephiroth blinked, realizing that there was no more bile oozing from his mentor's mouth, and his small body felt inconceivably more fragile than ever before. "Cloud…Cloud!" Ashen skin continued to crumble like paper. "Wake up…wake up!" He was shouting, his grip deathly tight on the figure in his arms. Then, he let out a shallow sob of disbelief. "Please…"
But Cloud did not wake. Instead, from the charred ground beneath them came tendrils of green, quivering and snaking in corded wisps. The green enveloped Cloud's corpse in its gentle embrace, an event that Sephiroth had only read about in storybooks. Gaia, the Planet Herself, was reclaiming Her child. She did not wait until Her son's body was buried within the confines of the soil. No, She took him away mere seconds after his spirit left his mortal shell.
As what remained of Cloud dissolved into a mist of green, Sephiroth closed his eyes.
He did not open them until small hands wrapped around his own.
Despite this small, human comfort, the proud General of ShinRa had never felt so alone.
000X000
Sephiroth felt insubstantial throughout the next few days.
He was alive and awake, but he felt caught in a dream. Everything reminded him of Cloud, from the SOLDIERs that passed him in the halls, to the clear-blue sky outside his office window. The silver General did try his damndest to forget, to drown himself in work, but he only succeeded in making himself feel worse.
So, as the day before his next mission dwindled to a close, Sephiroth decided that it was time to get his act together…that the past was the past and he could not let it interfere with his performance. He pulled his PHS from the pocket of his leather coat and began to dial Zack's number. An apology given to his currently closest friend was due. Zack only wanted to help and he had snubbed the teen.
Just as he pressed the last button, Sephiroth found himself colliding with something small and obviously, very much alive. The device few from his hand and clattered down the hall as he attempted to catch his balance and not crush the poor fool who managed to walk into him.
Straightening up, the General glanced down at the prone form now sprawled on the floor. It was a Cadet judging by the uniform…kid was wearing the standard issue helmet, no wonder he ran into someone as noticeable as himself. It was a wonder any of the troopers could see anything with those idiotic contraptions stuck on their heads.
With a slight sigh, Sephiroth offered his hand to the Cadet, whom, he noted let out a squeak of surprise (or perhaps embarrassment) when he noticed who exactly it was he almost knocked down.
"G-General…s-sir!"
"It's alright Cadet. I am at just as much fault as you for this incident. After all, I should have been paying more attention to my surroundings…being as I doubt you can see much with that helmet on."
The boy stared at him, apparently awed by the fact that the fearsome Demon of Wutai was not ready to slaughter him for an infraction as minor as walking into him in a hallway. Although…what was a Cadet doing on this floor in the first place? He would need permission from a SOLDIER and a keycard to be this high up in the building, even if he was taking the stairs the entire way.
"Cadet?"
"Sorry…sir." He took Sephiroth's offered hand and allowed the General to help him to his feet.
"Cadet…where might you be headed at this time of night?"
There was a pause and the boy shuffled his feet some, a clear sign of nervousness, "I have permission to be on this floor, I swear I do sir!"
"That is not the question I asked Cadet."
"Lieutenant Fair…he told me to come by his quarters so we could talk about the mission tomorrow. I know it's not regulation, but…" His voice trailed off.
"What is your name, Cadet."
"S-strife…Cloud Strife, sir."
000X000
The whirl of helicopters filled the air. Turks.
Sephiroth lingered where he was, unwilling to move from the place where his mentor died. Masamune lay beside him as he cradled the hilt of First Tsurugi in his half-healed hands. In the fusion sword's reflective surface, the silver teen could see the sheer physical damage wrought by the explosion. The visage staring back at him was likely to scar, and the waist-length locks of silver he once possessed were the color of charcoal and broke apart at the slightest touch.
Ethereal, nearly flawless beauty was gone, leaving behind a creature truly monstrous, deserving of the title 'Demon'. Blistered, bloodied skin was caked with dirt and ash. In places, raw flesh gleamed wetly, oozing despite and perhaps because of the mako coursing through his veins. His prized uniform was but scraps of soiled cloth clinging and sticking to damp wounds.
Feline eyes of luminescent green were dull, almost gray like Cloud's had been, save for the rim of shine around his peculiarly shaped pupil.
"General Sephiroth!" It was Tseng's voice. The Wutainese Turk was second only to Veld and known throughout the company for his lethal brutality and uncompromising loyalty to the President. But he was also known for his strange understanding, his way with empathy that made him an even more effective assassin. He could get into people's heads, persuade them, manipulate them, and turn them into mere puppets with which to watch play. "What happened?"
Aggravated by the curt, unsympathetic tone—Sephiroth spat on the ground. "Veld sent us on a suicide mission, that's what happened. The reactor blew before anyone could do a damn thing."
"Where is Strife?"
Quivering with rage, the silver teen rose to his feet. "Dead."
Silence…
"I am sorry for your loss, General."
"Save it, Turk."
"Very well." Tseng called for backup, and soon the area was swarmed with ShinRa staff. Turks, SOLDIERs, and medical workers each did their assigned duty with calculated swiftness, never once faltering.
Soon, Sephiroth found himself strapped into one of the helicopters, all sorts of needles poking into his flesh.
It was not long before the painkillers began to work, dragging the silver teen into a drugged state of unconsciousness.
000X000
"Take off your helmet, Strife." Sephiroth commanded the second he regained hold of his senses. He had to see the boy's face for himself and disprove the nonsense that Zack instilled within his own mind. It was just a coincidence that there was another person out there with as strange a name as 'Cloud Strife'. Right?
The Cadet made a disapproving noise before reluctantly obeying his superior's order. He pulled off the clunky headgear and pointedly found a scuffmark on the floor very interesting.
"Eyes up, Cadet." The silver General ordered, struggling to keep his composure. Blond spikes a little taller and wilder than those belonging to the man he remembered had sprung up from beneath the boy's helmet, but the coloration and style was unmistakable. His breath hitched as the face some of the longer spikes framed lifted into view. Large, almost child-like eyes met his own—the purest blue he had ever seen. There was no rim of mako shine around the boy's pupils, and his cheeks were soft with youth, but the face belonged to his lost lover. For it could belong to no one else.
"S-sir?" Cloud looked nervous and his eyes kept darting back down to the scuffmark on the floor.
Sephiroth shook his head with disbelief—anger suddenly overwhelming him, "So it's true."
"W-what are you—?" The blond began, but he was cut off by a leather-clad glove wrapping around the column of his throat. He choked and his eyes widened with panic. Small, weak hands clawed at the hand that had a hold of him like a vice, but his efforts were in vain. Thin, cloth gloves prevented him from getting any kind of grip and the sheer amount of strength belonging to the General stopped any of his attempts to wriggle free. After about a minute, his eyes went out of focus as his cut-off oxygen supply nudged him near the cusp of unconsciousness.
Then, just as those traitorous blue eyes slipped shut, Sephiroth realized what he was doing and recoiled, releasing the innocent boy and watching him slump to the ground.
What had he just done?
Gathering the Cadet in his arms, Sephiroth tried to shake the boy awake, but to no avail. He checked Cloud's pulse and found his heart beating steadily, albeit rapidly, and his breathing was quick and shallow.
"I'm sorry…" Sephiroth murmured. Only a monster would do what he just tried to do. His lover would have been more than disappointed in him; Cloud would have been furious. He would yelled at Sephiroth, likely struck him for his stupidity and gone off on some rant about how he needed to learn some level of control when it came to his impulsive nature. He might have even taken Masamune away as punishment, as he was prone to do, and then ordered Sephiroth to make it up to the Cadet he injured.
He blinked.
That's what he needed to do. He needed to make up for his behavior towards the mini-Cloud. But how? Then he thought of First Tsurugi and how the proud weapon hung in his office doing nothing more than collect dust and remind him of his failure. If Cadet Strife was really his mentor's son, then it belonged to him anyway.
Conflicted about his decision, since, despite it being the right thing to do, Sephiroth selfishly wanted to keep the sword as well as squish the little Cadet for being his lover's unmentioned spawn, the silver General stood in that hallway for a long while…thinking.
A squeak interrupted his inner debate and he realized that the boy he attacked and then held like a broken doll was now awake.
"!" Cloud sputtered out quickly as he tried to escape Sephiroth's arms.
"Do not apologize, Cadet…I forgot myself…" Sephiroth confessed, suddenly wanting nothing more than to quell the boy's fears and stroke those familiar spikes.
The blond shivered as his struggles weakened and eventually ceased.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm as fine as someone can be after a SOLDIER tried to choke the life out of him!" Cloud snapped, clearly becoming somewhat hostile about his situation. It reminded him strongly of his Cloud, his lover, whom became snappish and aggressive when he felt distressed or uncomfortable. His trigger was easier to pull than this boy's seemed to be, but Sephiroth knew instantly he had backed the boy so far up into a proverbial corner that his fight-or-flight instinct was telling him that his only option left was to fight.
"Watch your tone, Cadet. I am still your superior."
The Cadet once again struggled for a few breaths before growling,"Just put me down already, General."
"No."
"No?"
Sephiroth had no idea why he was acting the way he was. Holding Cloud like this was entirely inappropriate and considered harassment the moment Cloud asked him to put him down. But he could not let go. This boy, this Cadet Cloud Strife, was a flesh-and-blood reminder of his lover. Again, his emotions waged war, half of him wanting to hold the boy close, the other half screaming for him to kill the blond and be done with him.
Cloud glared at him for a few minutes longer before letting out a groan of acquiescence and going limp in Sephiroth's arms.
Silence drew between them for a while before the Cadet spoke up,"Sir. Does this at all have to do with my father?"
The silver General flinched.
"I see…" The blond sighed,"Sir…may I ask you something about him?
He nodded.
"Was my father…a hero?"
"Yes."
"Then why was he never mentioned in the newspaper?"
"He never wanted the recognition."
"I didn't believe it, y'know…when Zack told me that I had the same name as one of the most famous SOLDIERs to ever live…not until he showed me a picture yesterday of you and him, and told me that the man was First Class Lieutenant Cloud Strife…Ma said…said I looked like my dad when I was growing up, and said that it would make him proud to know that his son was joining the army to be like him. But she never told me he was a SOLDIER…in fact, she never even told me his name." Cloud paused for a moment, his eyes trailing across Sephiroth's face, as if taking in every detail. "All I know is that about seven years ago, the money Ma got every month stopped coming, and she waited for about a year for some sort of letter from ShinRa telling her that her husband died…but when it didn't come…she assumed the worst…that maybe he found somebody else here in the city."
Sephiroth said nothing. He was struggling to absorb some of the information himself, although he refused to betray the fact on his face or in his words.
"Zack never told me how Lieutenant Strife died, sir. Just that you and he went on a mission to his hometown of Gongaga, and you came home alone…"
"There was an accident…at a reactor. He saved my life."
The barest of smiles crept upon Cloud's lips, reminding the silver General of every reluctant moment of approval and affection his mentor gave. "So why did you try to choke me, General? That is if there is no ill will between you and my father."
"Strife kept many secrets to himself, Cadet. Having a son was one of them. Imagine my shock when the spitting image of a man I thought dead for seven years walks into me."
"That is…an odd reason to attack someone."
"I will…make amends for doing so, Cadet." Sephiroth offered carefully before lowering Cloud to the ground at last, allowing the boy to stand on his own two feet. "There is something in my possession that rightfully belongs to you. I am sure your father would want you to have it."
"There is?"
"Before the mission, come by my office. I will give it to you then."
"T-thank you, sir." Cloud actually grinned, flashing pearly teeth—youthful features alight with excitement.
"Now go, before Zackary wonders where you are and hunts you down. I can imagine the hell that would rain down if he caught me anywhere near his 'Spike'." Sephiroth smirked at the slight flush that overtook Cloud's fair features.
"Yes sir."
And with that, Cloud saluted and turned, hurrying towards Zack's room.
000X000
It was days after the tragic event before Sephiroth was allowed back into consciousness.
When he awoke, he was strapped to cool, steel operation table rather than a bed. He flexed his limbs. Everything felt heavy and weak. All he wanted to do was sleep.
"Ah, you're awake." It was Hojo. The man made his slow approach, shoulders hunched, clipboard in hand. "Good. Good. It means your mako levels are re-stabilizing. Gave everyone quite the scare when you showed up in the state you were in. But, with luck, I can make all the damage disappear. Can't have my prized specimen waltzing about with those nasty scars on his face. No. No." He chuckled. "It will take a few weeks to reconstruct your facial bones and remove and repair the scar tissue marking your skin."
Hojo drew closer, reaching out with one hand to card his fingers through what remained of Sephiroth's fabulous, silver mane. Which, to the teen's dismay, was but a few stringy tufts.
"Re-growing your hair will be a simple task after everything else is said and done."
"Hnnn…nuhhh…" Sephiroth struggled to shape words, his lips refused to cooperate, and ended up only grunting groggily in response.
The 'good doctor' chuckled as he continued to card his fingers through the teen's cropped locks. His touches were strangely comforting, something Sephiroth had never come to associate with the man whom made his younger years a living hell.
"Calm down, boy." Hojo commanded softly. "No need to get excited." He then reached over to the IV drip attached to the General's left arm and turned a dial, allowing more of the fluid within to enter Sephiroth's system. "In fact, all you need to do is close your eyes…and go to sleep. I have the data I need."
000X000
Sephiroth slept fitfully, his dreams haunted by living terrors as well as a fragile child.
He was likely worse for wear by the time he reached his office in the morning to finish some last minute things before the mission. The General tucked away unread files and organized half-finished forms. Once he killed a few monsters and got some fresh air to clear his head, he would be able to concentrate on work again.
A soft knock at his door broke his mechanical routine.
"Come in."
Keeping his back to the door, Sephiroth finished putting away his paperwork and locking it safely in his filing cabinets. He knew who it was whom entered his office, but a part of him was still reluctant to acknowledge the boy. But, he eventually stopped fighting the inevitable and turned around, only to find Cloud with his back to him, attention absorbed by the impressive blade hung on the far wall.
"That would be First Tsurugi." He drawled, stepping from behind his desk,"Lieutenant Strife's trademark weapon."
Cloud made a soft sound of awe. The sword was longer than he was tall and nearly as with across about the blade as he himself was about the shoulders. Silvery metal marked by years of wear and tear still gleamed, reflecting in its surface the face of whom observed it. It was a proud, unique and powerful weapon. One befitting of a strange and commanding SOLDIER.
"My father wielded this?"
"He created it. Although, he never confessed how he crafted such a blade."
"Amazing."
"Most certainly."
Sephiroth came to stand beside the blond and he stared at his own reflection in the metal. No trace of that day in the reactor remained. Not a single blemish marred his skin. Not a single curve of bone was out of place. His hair, while potentially longer had the event not occurred, rippled down to the base of his spine in a cascade—arched bangs cut close against his face.
Silence drew between them for a while before Cloud turned and looked at the silver General with expectant and curious eyes. In response to his unspoken question, Sephiroth merely nodded and lifted First Tsurugi from the wall bracket, holding the blade out for the blond to take.
As uncertain fingers closed around the sword's hilt, a wave of reassurance washed over the General. This was the right thing to do.
He could almost picture the approving smile of Cloud's face as the older man watched his student pass his legacy down to his son. Such a smile lifted a tremendous weight from Sephiroth's chest and in turn, he realized something.
It was time to start living.
A/N: ( Alright, I know I have some explaining to do.
It is mentioned that SOLDIER Cloud is Cadet Cloud's father. Is this true? No. In this story, Cadet Cloud's father was a military man that was lost during the Wutai War about the same time SOLDIER Cloud showed up. SOLDIER Cloud learns of the man's death and continues to send money to Cadet Cloud and his mother under the 'Strife' name. Cadet Cloud's mother does not have a picture of his father to show him, thus he has no way to disprove the idea that the lost SOLDIER is his unnamed father.
SOLDIER Cloud, when he is dying, mentions Geostigma and a virus. I went on the assumption that mako controls the Jenova virus in a person's system and keeps it from mutating the host body. Then I treated the Geostigma like an auto-immune disease, where the body (due to the Jenova virus in the lifestream and in turn, his cells) begins to attack itself. Mako is used by the body to heal and Cloud possessed high enough levels to maintain his health for a good number of years, especially since Aerith's healing rain (from Advent Children) helped suppress the physical symptoms of the 'Stigma. But, due to the shock to his healing factor by the reactor explosion, where practically all of his mako is used just to preserve his life, his system can no longer withstand the force of the Geostigma and the Jenova virus. In turn, he begins to Degrade at an accelerated rate.
!—There is one more chapter after this. The epilogue in which this story comes to its conclusion, and Cloud and Sephiroth's future is unveiled—!
Review please!)