A/N:
I don't mean to take so long between updates, but my plot bunnies are being evasive. Anywho, check out my fairly new poll about my various oneshot ideas.
Rating (Chapter): T (language)
Word Count: 3,0382
Disclaimer: To quote another writer, "These are not my characters, I'm just abusing them."
Not Again!
By Catsitta
Chapter Three: An unpleasant turn of events
Staring aimlessly out the window proved to be a mind numbing endeavor by the third day of his captivity. Vincent had demonstrated himself to be a stubborn bastard and had locked Sephiroth inside his 62nd floor suite without hearing a word of protest. Not that Sephiroth minded too much the long days spent alone with his only company being his thoughts, but it did get rather tedious after a while.
Had he truly grown used to the constant meddling of Zack or Jenova during his lifetime? Did he actually need those moments of chaotic murmur to break the suffocating silence?
Apparently so…
And Vincent Valentine proved to be useless for human interaction.
The man, if he came home at night, would pour a glass of something strong and throw it back like a shot. Then he would allow those crimson eyes of his to settle on Sephiroth's face and he would shake his head, muttering some nonsense about a woman named "Lucrecia".
As a father, Valentine failed miserably. As a Turk however…he was the best there ever was to offer.
Before settling by the window and watching the people below scramble like ants during a rainstorm, Sephiroth had done some snooping around. Hidden in various places were subtle clues to the legend that masked the man. There were letters of promotion, records broken, medals and marks of honor galore. He as the most decorated Turk Sephiroth had ever known, and those high honors always came at a price. Typically, it was the person's humanity and their sanity at the very least.
Still, knowing these things were of little use. He was no less trapped in a teenager's body within a room he could not escape. From bullet proof glass windows, the coded doorways and more—this place was as secure as any top secret location would be.
"Why?" Sephiroth asked the empty air,"Why me?"
The silence gave no answer.
000X000
A week into his impromptu quarantine, Sephiroth was ready to go nuts.
His body could only be pushed so far, and his exercises were limited by the lack of equipment available as well as his injury. One armed pushups had become a favorite, but he had to be careful. He could only ignore the burn of his muscles for so long before his arm gave out beneath him without warning.
And Valentine, the paranoid freak that he apparently was, locked away everything that could be considered a weapon—that included kitchen knives and scissors—so there was no possible way for Sephiroth to train with a blade in hand.
So he had to entertain himself in other ways, resorting to reading what few books the Turk owned. Unfortunately, aside from the novels he found in his own bedroom, they were all romance. Not even ones with tolerable plotlines or some level of intrigue, either. They were practically erotica, the majority of them, and the trashy sort too.
Sephiroth came to suspect that either Valentine had an odd taste in reading material, or the 'Lucrecia' he kept muttering about was a female lover of some sort. Or, the silver-haired warrior considered, his own mother, whom he had yet to see and doubted that he ever would.
Tossing aside his latest find, Sephiroth began to pace. He had to get out. This level of confinement was suffocating, almost reminiscent of Hojo's labs. No. He would not think of those days. Never again would he allow anyone to violate his body like that. No more needles and mako tanks. No more scalpels and tubes. No more screaming in agony, crying out for a mother that did not exist…
"Sephiroth?" The ex-General whipped his head around at the sound of Valentine's voice. "You seem distressed."
Allowing the muscles in his face to grow lax, completely wiping whatever tension or panic the Turk had seen away, was Sephiroth's only response.
Valentine approached carefully, concern written on high-boned features. It was difficult to imagine this man as the same Turk who fought alongside Cloud and friends. His hair was short, for starters, with only a gentle sweep for bangs. He wore a navy suit without a trace of black or crimson. And his hands were very much human, capable of performing fine motor skills without a trace of clumsiness. But those crimson eyes were unmistakable, like blood-red rubies.
"Sephiroth…" the Turk began again,"I realize that these past two weeks have been difficult for you, but…"
"I am fine."
"Says you…a child."
"I am no child!" Sephiroth found himself snapping. He was sick of people calling him that.
"Your behavior conflicts with that statement."
"Do you have any other reason here than to irritate me?"
Valentine massaged his temples wearily,"I have come to wonder where my son has gone. Is it the inability to remember that causes you to be this…person? This…angry child."
The silver-haired warrior scowled and stalked away to the other side of the room. He just wanted out. He needed to breathe. Splaying his fingers against the glass window, he once again stared out, caught up in his own obsession with escape. He recalled his countless attempts to break the coded locks, or circumvent the security measures, but his electronics skills were rather lacking and he could no longer force his way into anything. All he had was an aching right arm with a hand covered in blisters to show for his earlier efforts.
"Freedom…You're rebelling because I have taken away your freedom." Valentine concluded, at last picking up all the clues. "Sephiroth, I have my reasons."
"And what might those reasons be?" The silver-haired warrior shot back,"Humor me…"
There was a long, tense silence before the older man let out a ragged sigh. He then pulled a pistol from where it was holstered within his jacket and began to fiddle with it absently—his self-imposed distraction consisting of disassembling and reassembling the weapon with remarkable proficiency.
"You are injured, for one." Valentine began, looking up and meeting Sephiroth's piercing gaze,"Two, you have amnesia. These factors make it very unsafe for you to go anywhere without constant supervision."
"I'm not made of glass…I'm not some doll…I can take care of myself."
"I let you join the SOLDIER program because I thought you would be safe, Sephiroth. You need the training, but you need observation more."
"What are you not telling me?"
Valentine was expressionless, undaunted. "Merely things you need not know."
Again, they stared at each other, but Sephiroth felt his temper building. How dare this insolent Turk dodge every question? It was then that something inside the silver warrior seemed to click—or snap, he wasn't quite sure—and a wry smile wormed onto his lips. He chuckled darkly, closing his eyes and pressing his forehead against the window.
"What do you find so amusing?"
"Everything about my situation."
"Sephiroth…"
"Vincent."
He heard the hitch in Valentine's breath—as if he could not believe Sephiroth had said what he had said. Curious, the silver-haired teen glanced back at his so-called father, only to see utter misery within those ruby eyes of his.
"You're so much like your mother." The Turk murmured,"Yet so like myself. Have I ruined what I tried to preserve in you with my actions, by indulging you?" Did Valentine every bother with trying to make any sense whatsoever? One moment he was saying one thing, the next something else, and following a conversation with him was like mapping a maze that constantly changed its shape.
Frustrated, Sephiroth grunted and left the window, determined to ignore Valentine's brooding presence as he had since arriving. However, the man caught his uninjured arm and held him in place, squeezing meaningfully…with warning. How bipolar could this damn man get?
"What?"
"I have made a decision."
About what? "Hm?"
"I'm going to pull you from the SOLDIER program."
Sephiroth found himself making the most embarrassing sound he had ever made in his life. It was a mix between a choke and a sputter, and it was all he could do not to trip over himself in disbelief. What had brought about this insane idea?
"No!"
"Yes. It's final."
"You can't—"
"As a Turk, I can."
"Bullshit!" It was rare that Sephiroth dropped to actually curse aloud.
Valentine leveled him with a glared,"Watch your language, Sephiroth."
"You can't do this!"
"I can and should have never let you join. It was a mistake on my part."
"Is this all because I was injured? Death happens on a regular basis, as a Turk you should know that better than anyone. Pulling me from SOLDIER is not going to keep me any safer."
"It will. I shall make sure of it."
"What!"
"Sephiroth…"
"NO!" At his exclamation, everything went dead silent. He was sick of being weak. He was sick of being told what to do. He had been one of the most powerful men on the Planet for Gaia's sake! The infamous One-Winged Angel. Calamity's Son. The Demon of Wutai.
"Yes. And you will cease to speak to me in such a way, Sephiroth. I have obviously been too lenient with you, especially since the accident. No more. It is quite apparent that you are capable of logic and reasoning, yet you behave inappropriately for no other reason than you are not getting your way."
"I'm acting the way I am because you have kept me locked up! I'm going stir crazy." Wait…When did he start sounding so much like a teenager? Where had his air of superiority gone? His dry charisma? Was it all slipping away from him?
"I have to." Valentine said softly.
"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not going to break?"
"But you already have."
Sephiroth shook his head and spat back venemously,"What do you propose I do now that you have decided to take away the 'indulgence' of allowing me to join the SOLDIER program? Am I to become an ordinary trooper—cannon fodder that ShinRa could care less about sacrificing?"
"Of course not. I'm going to continue the training you were receiving before you joined the military."
"Oh?"
"Perhaps the feel of a gun in your hands will jog your memory."
"Gun?" Sephiroth hated guns. He had no use for the damn things. Unlike a sword, you had to reload a gun. If you ran out of ammo, you were screwed. If an enemy got too close, you were screwed. At least a sword never ran out of steel and if someone made the mistake of invading your personal space you could bash their head in. Besides, there was a certain, artful elegance to swordplay that was distinctly lacking when it came to guns.
"Someone of your build is not suitable for hefting a sword. Guns would be more advantageous for you."
"Someone of my build?" It reminded him of how lean and fragile he was now. No mako. No muscle. He was pathetically ordinary, especially for the claimed son of a Turk. Had it been Valentine's goal to dissuade him from every joining the military by not helping him a build an appropriate physique? And what was this nonsense about allowing him to join SOLDIER being an indulgence?
What kind of person had this Sephiroth been before he had woken up in his body?
Then he remembered. He was a person much like the little hero, Cloud. Weak. Stumbling. Soft spoken and shy. Nothing remarkable about him and no leadership skills to speak of. Now, with the mind of a General used to respect, awe and fear—he was out of place. No longer was he a timid boy that people pitied, rather, he was an arrogant ass that no longer had the might to match his mouth. No wonder Valentine seemed uncertain of how to deal with him and suddenly became so resolute.
He had lost the son he had loved and worried over. The son that reminded him of Lucrecia. The son who had likely loved the man as a father and did not treat the man like a stranger. He knew it. He just did not know how to handle it.
"I'm not weak." Sephiroth whispered, feeling strange. Almost guilty.
"I never said you were."
"SOLDIER is my life,"—my purpose—"do not take it away from me."
"You have yet to experience life, Sephiroth."
"Then let me."
"I shall…when you are ready."
At that, Sephiroth left the room, a thousand emotions swelling in his chest. He felt so vulnerable. So human. He had to make it stop. He had to get this life back on track. He had to become a SOLDIER. No one, especially not Valentine, would stop him.
000X000
One week and three days after his blow up with Valentine, Sephiroth at last did what many deemed was impossible—including himself.
He hacked a Turk's security system.
After the man fell asleep, or passed out since he had drank himself into such a stupor, Sephiroth snatched up his laptop. With quickness and ease that only came with experience working with encrypted systems for a majority of his life, the silver-haired warrior cracked the code and found a backdoor in the programming. A sweep of his fingers revealed to him company secrets he had long since stopped caring about, as well as a clear path in how to disable the security measures put in place over the apartment.
Of course, quick meant a few hours rather than day or weeks, so Sephiroth knew he was pushing it close when he deconstructed the last of the infuriating barriers that separated him from freedom.
Abandoning the laptop and packing what he deemed essential, Sephiroth made his escape with the rising of the sun. With dawn came the waking of the city, so he had to be careful to avoid being detected. Which proved rather hard since any semblance of stealth was ruined by his klutzy nature, but he did manage to not fall over completely.
In fact, he was ready to grin with satisfaction as he made his way down the winding stairwell. It was a long journey, but there were no cameras there and few people ever used them. But his joy fell short when he heard the clattered of footsteps from above. Someone was behind him and Sephiroth believed he knew who it was.
Cursing mentally, the silver warrior threw open the first door he saw and shut it behind him, sinking low to the ground in hopes of avoiding being seen.
And it worked…possibly, since the footsteps grew louder, then softer as the other person continued to descend.
He sighed with relief, only to freeze with surprise when one the hall doors slammed open, revealing a rather disgruntled and furious Genesis. Sephiroth blinked, uncertain what to do. He was technically a Cadet on leave…on the SOLDIER floor. Even if his father was a Turk, he had no permission to be on this floor.
"You can't kick me out!" Snarled Genesis, whom had not noticed the teenaged form huddled by the stairwell entrance.
"I can and just have." Sephiroth's eyebrows rose nearly to his hairline. Was that…Cloud Strife's voice? Judging by the carelessly skewed way the auburn SOLDIER was wearing his uniform, and the bruises that marked the exposed skin of his neck, the two men were…lovers. He found himself cringing at the thought. Hojo would have skinned him alive at the thought of his prized experiment having any homosexual tendencies. The man was quite loud about the fact, though he also warned again sex with females, explaining that he more than likely poison an unenhanced partner due to the level of mako in his system.
He had to be careful.
Strife, apparently, was not the careful type if he was playing with the fire that was Genesis. The man had his pride and one hell of a temper, slighting him in anyway was a good way to get burned…literally. Sephiroth remembered one occasion where the man had caught his silver hair aflame in a fit of rage… Good memories.
"Bastard!"
"I told you I was only looking for a fuck." The door abruptly shut.
Genesis was obviously hurt, because never put a part of himself into any situation, he put all one-hundred percent, no matter what…no matter the consequences. But he would likely not admit his pain, especially not in front of the cause. Instead, he did what he always did, gritted his teeth, swept his hair back with a dignified tilt of his chin, and walked away, quoting LOVELESS like a forlorn poet shunned by the object of his inspiration.
Unfortunately, that meant he was walking directly towards Sephiroth.
Why was the man not using the elevator like an intelligent person?
Rising to his feet, he made to open the door…
"What are you doing here?" Damn it…caught.
"Hiding." No point in trying to lie. Genesis was infamous in his abilities to pick them apart as well as spin them in such a way that no one could ever untangle the web.
"From who? In fact, who are you?" The auburn SOLDIER was obviously in no mood to play nice if the expression on his face was anything to judge by.
"I am SOLDIER Cadet Sephiroth Valentine, sir." Sir tasted odd on his lips still. Genesis was always his subordinate, now, their roles were reversed. "As for whom I'm hiding from…a Turk."
"A Turk? What in Minerva's name did you do to piss off a Turk?"
"I was born."
"Cadet, don't test my patience."
Well, it had not been a lie. "Fine, I hacked my father's security system and left the room he had me locked in for almost three weeks."
Genesis frowned, apparently putting the pieces together,"You're Vincent's son, aren't you?" Was everyone on a first name basis with his so called father? "The one who survived the attack by AVALANCHE."
"Indeed I am."
"And you hacked into a Turk security system."
"I borrowed his laptop."
"Then you decided to run off and hide here…" He glanced at the bag by Sephiroth's feet. "long enough for your pursuer to lose track of you, in order for you to escape. Cadet, are you attempting to go AWOL?"
"No. I'm on leave. I merely was after some fresh air."
Genesis coughed, blinked…then began to laugh his head off.
"What…?"
"By the Goddess, I never…You…you are an idiot." Sephiroth frowned and opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by a sharp shift in the SOLDIER's behavior. Suddenly dead serious, the man stepped closer with a fierce, long-legged stride and stared down at him with shadows in his eyes. "How much did you see of what just happened?"
"…enough." Right, Genesis had mood swings that were ten times worse than Valentine could ever dream of having.
"Do you know how easy it would be for me to kill you?"
"Quite easy given your strength…but I would not go down without a fight."
"If I hear one word about myself and the General, it's your head I shall take, understand, Cadet?" Sephiroth nodded slowly. "I'll make you regret leaving that little safe haven your father made."
"Yes sir."
"Good…now, what were we talking about before things got unpleasant…? Ah yes, you being an idiot."
"I'm not…"
"Yes you are. If the rumors hold true, you are the little brat who Fair rescued from his peers the other day. That, and you are a target for having a Turk as a father and the ShinRa logo printed on your chest."—he poked the triangle of red diamonds on his uniform—"Outside of this building, that is a death sentence when alone. Especially since AVALANCHE has recently decided to play dirty…which you would know all about, wouldn't you?"
Sephiroth rolled his eyes and tapped the side of his head,"No, I wouldn't. Amnesia."
"Then you are more the fool than I first thought!" Genesis suddenly lurched forwards, grabbing Sephiroth's good arm and pulling him close, leaning down so that he could speak in his ear. "Go home little Turkling, before you get killed."
Genesis pulled him aside and neatly tossed him onto the floor as if to prove a point. Then, he opened the stairwell door and disappeared from sight, leaving Sephiroth alone with his thoughts.
000tbc00
A/N: (Will Vincent make good on his threat of pulling Sephiroth from SOLDIER? Will Sephiroth get out of the building? Why is Cloud the enhanced General and Sephiroth just a normal kid? Where is Lucrecia? What about Hojo? So many questions… But you can only find the answers by continuing to read!
Heh. Review please! I adore idea cookies…And I still need a beta.)