Chapter 12: The Nibelheim Incident
"It's peaceful." Red noted.
"It's quiet." Cloud added.
"It's calm." I concluded.
The three of us looked at each other, before nodding in agreement.
"It's Kalm." We agreed.
Indeed, the town of Kalm was all three of those things that we had said. It was a peaceful looking town, with not a sound to be heard, but the birds in the sky. Strange, considering how close we are to Midgar. This town also had unpolluted air, so I've been breathing much better since getting here. I hadn't realized just how sore my throat had been, breathing in all that polluted air. I tell you, after several days in Midgar, you'll love being able to breath clean air.
"Let's go in the inn." Red advised. "I can smell the others already there."
Cloud nodded, and walked in without a word. Me and Nanaki followed him in. Inside, the clerk informed us that our friends were indeed waiting for us upstairs. Cloud thanked the clerk and walked upstairs, only to have Barret yell at us, in that loud, booming voice of his.
"Yo man, you're late!"
Cloud shrugged, looking a little sheepish.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." He apologized.
"Guess everyone's here now." Aeris said, taking a quick head count.
"So let's hear your story…" Barret said to Cloud "…You know, the one about Sephiroth and the crisis facing the planet. Let's hear it all."
I don't know what scared me more, the pleading tone Barret had when he said that, or the fact that he looked like a little kid waiting for his bedtime story. Cloud paused, looking at Barret strangely, but sighed and started anyway.
"I used to want to be like Sephiroth so I joined SOLDIER." Cloud began. "After working with Sephiroth on several missions, we became friends."
"You call that a friend?" Barret interrupted.
"Yeah, well…" Cloud hesitated, searching for the right words. "…He's older than me, and he hardly ever talked about himself. So I guess you'd call him a war buddy, We trusted each other. Until one day…"
"One day?" Aeris inquired.
"After the war it was SOLDIER's duty to put down any resistance against the Shinra. ……that was 5 years ago. I was 16……"
Cloud stood up from the box that was being used as the seat off the soldiers in the back of the truck. He took a couple of steps one way, then the other, obviously restless. He sighed, looking around the truck, and his eyes landed on his target. A young blond trooper, the same rank as those that Spike would dub 'moans' years from now. Not that Cloud knew that, as he advanced on the hapless trooper.
"It sure is raining hard." Cloud commented. "Hey, how are you holding up?"
"I'm alright." The trooper groaned.
"I wouldn't know." Cloud admitted. "I've never had motion sickness."
Cloud stepped away from the trooper and started to do some light exercises, before focusing on his next victim.
"Everything ok?" Cloud asked.
The trooper opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off as a deep voice spoke up.
"Hey. Settle down." Sephiroth ordered the swordsman.
"They gave me some new Materia." Cloud grinned, a grin he wouldn't wear years from now. "I can't wait to use it."
"Just like a kid." Sephiroth sighed.
"You going to brief us about this mission." Cloud ignored the remark.
Sephiroth waited for all three of his subordinates focused on him before starting.
"This isn't a typical mission." The silver haired swordsman began.
"Good!" Cloud interrupted.
Sephiroth rolled his eyes, before humouring the younger SOLDIER.
"Why do you say that?"
"I joined SOLDIER so I could be like you." Cloud claimed. "But by the time I made First class, the war was already over. My big hopes of becoming a hero like you ended with the war. That's why I always sign up whenever there's a big mission. Kind of a way to prove myself. Say, how do you feel, MISTER Sephiroth?"
"I thought you wanted a briefing?" Sephiroth interrupted Cloud's rant. "Our mission is to investigate an old Mako reactor. There have been reports of it malfunctioning, and producing brutal creatures. Then, we'll locate the problem and neutralize it."
"Brutal creatures?" Cloud asked with a childlike wonder at the thought. "Where?"
"The Mako Reactor at Nibelheim." Sephiroth sighed again.
Cloud stopped his pacing and stared at Sephiroth, wide-eyed. The blond soldier also put his undivided attention on the silver haired commander, though Cloud couldn't guess why.
"Nibelheim…" Cloud repeated, slowly. "That's where I'm from."
"Hmm…hometown…" The legend pondered aloud.
Before their conversation could continue, a loud bang was heard from the outside off the vehicle, followed the truck shaking for a few brief seconds, sending Cloud and the two grunts to the floor. The driver turned to look at the passengers, looking panicked.
"Sir …s, something strange just crashed into our truck!" he stammered.
"That would be our monster." Sephiroth sighed, unsheathing the Masamune.
Cloud grabbed the Buster Sword and followed his superior officer out of the truck. There, they stood before the monster, a large creature of the dragon variety. The silver haired man grunted and ran at the dragon, delivering a vicious slash at its chest, before hopping back to stand with Cloud.
Cloud grit his teeth and charged, but the dragon swung its tail at Cloud, knocking him back, into the side of the truck, denting it. Sephiroth rolled his eyes and cast full life, reviving the fallen Cloud. Cloud gasped as his formally dead body drew breath again. He rose to his feet, still trying to shake off the numbing feeling that always came with being dead, no matter how long it was. He grabbed his sword from where it had fallen.
The dragon drew a deep breath, before releasing it, in the form of fire, at Sephiroth. Sephiroth swung the Masamune in an uppercut, through the fire, seemingly splitting through the fire as it suddenly cut off and coiled to either side of the swordsman. Once the dragon stopped the fiery onslaught, Sephiroth charged at the dragon for the second time. The dragon attempted to do to Sephiroth as it had Cloud and tail whip him, but the SOLDIER leapt over the tail in a flip and swung the Masamune through the beast's tail, slicing it from the rest of the body. Sephiroth landed on his left foot, which he spun on, with the grace of a dancer, slicing through the dragon's ribs and piercing its lung. Once he had finished a full 180 degree rotation, Sephiroth leapt up, so that he was level with the dragon's head, and spun in mid-air, first kicking the creature's face, twisting its head around, and then slicing his sword through the dragon's vulnerable neck. The silver haired swordsman landed, with all the grace of a cat, and hopped back to where Cloud had been watching. The dragon struggled for a few seconds, before succumbing to death.
"Sephiroth's strength is unreal." Cloud concluded. "He is far stronger in reality then any story you might have heard about him."
"The opposite of most stories then." I muttered. "Most of the time, the stories are an exaggeration... sounds like a real charming fellow."
"So... where do you come into it?" Aeris asked.
"Me? I was mesmerised by the way Sephiroth fought." Cloud answered.
There was a brief pause, before Cloud continued.
"And then we reached Nibelheim..."
"How does it feel?" Sephiroth asked. "It's your first time back to your hometown in a long time, right? So how does it feel? I wouldn't know because I don't have a hometown…"
Cloud frowned at the explanation for asking the question.
"Ummm…how 'bout your parents?" Cloud queried.
"My mother is Jenova. She died right after she gave birth to me. My father…" here, Sephiroth paused, before waving his hand dismissively. "What does it matter…? All right, let's go."
"Yo wait a minute!" Barret interrupted. "Isn't that, um…? The name of Sephiroth's mother… I remember Jenova. That's that damn headless spook livin' in the Shinra building."
"You mean the deformed the deformed thing with an eye on its breast?" I asked sarcastically."
"That's right." Cloud nodded.
"Barret, would you please let us hear what Cloud has to say? You can ask questions later." Tifa scowled at the big man.
"Tifa, I was only……" Barret tried to defend himself.
"Okay Cloud, continue." Tifa told Cloud, ignoring Barret.
"It's a reunion of childhood pals!" Aeris guessed.
"I was really surprised with Tifa." Cloud admitted.
Cloud, Sephiroth and the two troopers walked into the town. Everything was still, not a sound to be heard.
"The town was quiet. Everybody must be staying in their housed, afraid to come out because of the monsters. No, maybe they're afraid of us…" Cloud told us.
"We leave for the reactor at dawn." Sephiroth informed the team. "Make sure you get to sleep early. All we need is one lookout, so you others, get some rest. Oh, that's right… You may visit your family and friends."
Cloud watched as Sephiroth and the two grunts walked into the the inn. Sighing, he moved towards the man who had walked out of the general store, holding a camera. Cloud frowned at the man, trying to recognize him. The man paused, looking at Cloud, confusion written on his features.
"Cloud?" The photographer asked with recognition evident in his voice.
Cloud nodded, still trying to remember the name of the man before him. Nibelheim being such a small town, everyone was usually on a first name basis with each other, and at the very least knew each others names, since Cloud hadn't been on a first name basis with anyone but Tifa.
"I don't blame you if you don't remember me." The photographer admitted. "We never got along very well. Is it true that Sephiroth is here?"
"You'll have to wait until tomorrow to see him." Cloud told the man.
The photographer groaned in annoyance.
"Oh well."
The man walked back into the shop, leaving Cloud scratching his head, still trying to figure out who the character was. He looked towards his old home, pondering whether or not to go in and visit his mom. Grunting, he moved towards what was once his home, but changed destination halfway there and entered the larger house next to it.
"Cloud, you went into my home?" Tifa asked, surprised.
"Yea, I thought you'd be home." Cloud answered sheepishly.
Inside, Cloud called out for Tifa a couple of time, but there was no answer. Shrugging, he walked up the stairs, remembering where Tifa's room once was. He entered the room that he was certain was Tifa's...
"You went in my room?" Tifa's voice was slightly indignant this time.
"Yes, like I said, I thought you'd be home." Cloud defended himself.
"What else did you do while there? Play my piano?" Tifa cried out.
"...Yes."
Tifa huffed, and crossed her arms.
"Jeez, Cloud. You sure made yourself at home in her house." I laughed. "You sure you were a SOLDIER? You seem more like a STALKER to me."
"...Moving on..."
Cloud left Tifa's house, tired of waiting for her to get home, and finally went into his old home. The memories of the place engulfed him as he stepped through the door. There, by the cooker, was his mother. The smell of apple pie entered his nostrils, and he sighed.
Cloud paused here, eyes lost in memory.
"Let's skip this part." He declared.
"Hey, I wanna hear this."
"Happy reunion, tearful reunion, I wanna know."
"Come on... please."
Yes, we were all so sad, we had to hear about Cloud's reunion with his mother. But Cloud crossed his arms and glared at us until we relented.
"She has nothing to do with this." He stated, before continuing, leaving out his reunion.
Cloud left his mother's home, sighing for the umpteenth time since returning. This wasn't the homecoming he'd pictured, he didn't know what it was he wanted, but this wasn't it. Shrugging to himself, he started towards the inn. He'd sleep there for the night. He'd had enough motherly love for a lifetime. He walked into the inn, and paused at the sight of Sephiroth talking to a stranger. He took a couple of steps closer and examined the strange man.
He had short, black hair, and stubble across his chin. He was dressed in urban camouflage pants, a black t-shirt and had a most interesting weapon at his side. It was a cross between a sword and a gun. Cloud found himself making faces at the thought of the weapon, it'd never work. He paused at the sight of the stranger's eyes though. Mako eyes.
"I'll leave everything to you then." The stranger said, shaking a bemused Sephiroth's hands. "No hard feelings about leaving the force. I have a kid to raise, and I'd rather see him grow then only visit him once every other year."
"No hard feelings." Sephiroth repeated.
The Mako eyed stranger turned to leave, but paused at Cloud.
"I swear they get younger every time I see them." He muttered.
"Who does?" Cloud inquired.
"You SOLDIER recruits. It's like every time I see a SOLDIER, they're younger then the last. Age?"
"Erg... 16." Cloud stammered.
The stranger's eyes narrowed.
"As I thought. They've lowered the age requirement. When I was there, you didn't become a SOLDIER until you were 21."
Cloud shrugged, moving aside so that the stranger could pass. The stranger grunted, leaving the inn. The blond swordsman moved up the stairs, following Sephiroth. Up the stairs, Cloud found the General staring out of a window, eyes glazed over.
"What are you looking at?" Cloud asked, looking at the view that had caught Sephiroth's attention so.
"This scenery…… I feel like I know this place……" Sephiroth murmured softly, before tearing his attention from the window and onto Cloud. "…We have an early start tomorrow. You should get some sleep soon."
Cloud nodded, moving into the room where the group would be sleeping.
The next morning, Cloud ran towards the crowd, which he knew had Sephiroth in the middle of. Pushing his way through the crowd, Cloud caught up with Sephiroth, who was looking bored of being the groups main interest.
"Once the guide gets here, we're moving out." Sephiroth told Cloud.
At that point, a very important looking man pushed his way to the front of the crowd and stood before Sephiroth.
"Listen to me, Sephiroth. In case something happens…"
"Trust me." The silver haired man interrupted, with a roll of his eyes.
Again, someone pushed their way through the crowd, but this time, the someone pouted at the man.
"I'll be all right, Dad! I have two men from SOLDIER with me." She said. Before turning to the SOLDIERS. "I'm Tifa. Nice to meet you."
"Tifa!" Cloud exclaimed. "You're the guide?"
"That's right." Tifa grinned. "I just happen to be the number one guide in this town."
"It's too dangerous!" Cloud claimed. "I can't involve you in something like this!"
"Then there's no problem if you protect her." Sephiroth snapped. "…Lets go."
Yet again, someone shoved their way through the crowd, this time it was the photographer from the previous day.
"Ummm…Mr. Sephiroth! Please let me take one picture for a memento! Tifa, can you ask him for me too…?" The camera man begged.
Sephiroth rolled his eyes, and stood alongside Cloud and Tifa. The photographer grinned and lifted his camera.
"Cheeeeese!"
The group was momentarily blinded, as the flash went off. The man hesitated a moment, before grinning again.
"Great, thank you!" He exclaimed. "I'll give each of you a copy once I get it developed!"
All distractions over with, Sephiroth started towards Mount Nibel, without a word. Cloud and Tifa exchanged silent glances before following him.
Two hours later, and they were almost to the reactor. Cloud had learnt early on that there was very little point even considering drawing his sword at the constant monster attacks, because all Sephiroth ever had to do was flick his wrist at the monsters, and they all died. Cloud could honestly say that he never actually saw the Masamune leave its sheath, Sephiroth was drawing and then sheathing it so fast.
Eventually, the group came up to a long rope bridge. Cloud eyed the bridge wearily, not trusting the aged ropes and wooden planks.
"It gets harder from here." Tifa warned the group. "Follow me."
Tifa started to walk across the bridge, those she was guiding marching behind her. They were halfway across the bridge when a loud snapping sound caught their attention.
"Uh..." Tifa frowned, wondering what had made the sound, before her eyes widened. "The bridge!"
Cloud tried to grab Tifa as she slid off the side of the bridge. He missed, and she screamed as she fell. Cloud and Sephiroth both grabbed onto the rope that hadn't snapped, eager to avoid sharing the same fate as their guide and the two troopers who had accompanied them. It was all for naught, however, as the second rope snapped promptly after, plunging them into the darkness.
Cloud landed in a roll, bringing himself back to his feet. Cautiously, he scanned the area, only relaxing once he was certain there were no monsters around. He turned around at the sound of footstep and found Sephiroth, looking like nothing had happened, marching towards him, a trooper and Tifa in tow.
"Everyone seems to be alright." Sephiroth declared, once he had checked the area. He turned to Tifa. "Can we get back to where we were?"
"These caves are intertwined, just like an ant farm." Tifa informed him. "Oh, and Sephiroth... There seems to be one person missing."
"It may sound cold, but we've got no time to search for him." Sephiroth told her. "We can't go back now, so we must go on."
The group entered the entrance to the cave that was nearby, and Tifa stopped in wonder.
"What's this?" Cloud asked, noticing the radiant glow that seemed to come from the very walls.
"A mysteriously coloured cave..." Tifa thought aloud.
"It must be the Mako energy." Sephiroth informed them. "This mountain is especially abundant in it. That's why the Mako Reactor was built here."
At an unspoken order, the group started travelling again, the trooper using a compass to make sure that they were headed in the right direction, since even Tifa didn't know much about the caves. After half an hour of walking, they entered a strange clearing.
"...And what's this?" Cloud asked, at the strange sight.
"A Mako fountain." Sephiroth claimed, looking intently at the fountain. "It's a miracle of nature."
"It's so beautiful…" Tifa cooed, running up to the fountain. "If the Mako Reactor continues to suck up the energy, this fountain will dry up too…"
"Materia." Sephiroth began. "When you condense Mako energy, Materia is produced. It's very rare to be able to see Materia in its natural state."
"By the way…" Cloud spoke up, curiously. "Why is it that when you use Materia you can also use magic too?"
"You're in SOLDIER and didn't even know that?" Sephiroth started. "…the knowledge and wisdom of the Ancients is held in the Materia. Anyone with this knowledge can freely use the powers of the Land and the Planet. That knowledge interacts between ourselves and the planet calling up magic……or so they say."
"Magic…" Cloud thought aloud, awe in his voice. "…A mysterious power…"
Sephiroth started laughing at Cloud's remark, looking amused.
"Did I say something funny?" Cloud asked, confused."
"A man once told me never to use an unscientific term such as mysterious power! It shouldn't even be called 'magic'! I still remember how angry he was." Sephiroth explained.
"Who was that?" Cloud pondered.
"Hojo of Shinra, Inc." The silver haired man answered. "An inexperienced man assigned to take over the work of a great scientist. He was a walking mass of complexes."
"A Mako fountain." Tifa murmured, ignoring the talk between the two SOLDIERS. "So this is where the knowledge of the Ancients is."
After a couple more minutes resting in the clearing, the General started to make them move again. This time, the travelling only took a quarter of an hour, when they finally exited the cave and stood before the Mako Reactor.
"We finally made it." Tifa cheered. "We sure took the long way through."
"Tifa, you wait here." Cloud ordered.
"I'm going inside too!" Tifa protested, glaring at Cloud. "I wanna see!"
"Only authorized people are allowed in." The silver haired swordsman said, with an air of finality. "This place is full of Shinra's industrial secrets."
"But..." Tifa started to protest.
"Take care of the lady." Sephiroth ordered the trooper, who saluted and took up a position that blocked the girl from entering the building.
"Mm, man!" Tifa pouted, before glaring at the trooper, who gulped. "Better take real good care of me then!"
Inside the reactor, Cloud followed Sephiroth through the building, looking around at all the machinery at work. After a couple of minutes, the pair arrived in a strange room full of pods. Cloud moved to the door at the top of a set of stairs, and almost concussed himself, walking into the door, which didn't open at his push. He staggered back, rubbing his head furiously, and caught sight of the sign above the door.
"This is…… Jenova, right?" Cloud queried. "The lock won't open…"
Sephiroth ignored Cloud and crouched beside one of the pods. A brief scan of the pipe work revealed the source of the problem.
"This is the reason for the malfunction." The General claimed, pointing at the part in question. "This part is broken. Cloud, close the valve."
Cloud rushed to the valve and twisted it, sealing it.
"Why did it break…?" Sephiroth pondered, reaching up and looking inside on of the pods. "…Now I see, Hojo. But, even doing this, will never put you on the same level as Professor Gast. This is a system that condenses and freezes the Mako energy…that is, when it's working correctly. Now…what does Mako energy became when it's further condensed?"
"Uh, ummm……" Cloud quickly realized that the last question hadn't been rhetorical. "Oh yeah! It becomes a Materia"
"Right, normally." Sephiroth agreed. "But Hojo put something else in there. …Take a look. Look through the window."
Cloud frowned and pulled himself up to peer through the small window on the side of the pod. Inside, he saw a strange monster unlike any he'd ever seen before, be it in the textbooks or on the field. The blond gasped, dropping onto his rear.
"Wh…what is this?" Cloud stammered.
"Normal members of SOLDIER are humans that have been showered with Mako." Sephiroth continued, ignoring the question. "You're different from the others, but still human. But, what are they? They've been exposed to a high degree of Mako, far more than you."
"…Is this some kind of monster?"
"Exactly." The General nodded. "And it's Hojo of Shinra that produced these monsters. Mutated living organisms produced by Mako energy. That's what these monsters really are."
"Normal members of SOLDIER?" Cloud wondered. "You mean you're different? H…hey, Sephiroth!"
"N…no…… …Was I?" Sephiroth grabbed his head, looking like he had a migraine.
Cloud attempted to approach the General but was forced to leap down the stairs as Sephiroth unsheathed the Masamune and slashed it around, wildly.
"…Was I created this way too? Am I the same as all these monsters……" Sephiroth grit his teeth, glaring into space at the questions that started to plaque his mind.
"Sephiroth." Cloud called out.
"You saw it! All of them…were humans…" Sephiroth snarled at Cloud.
"Humans? No way!" Cloud gasped.
"…I've always felt since I was small… That I was different from the others." Sephiroth told Cloud. "Special, in some way. But…not like this…"
Cloud opened his mouth to talk, to try and calm Sephiroth down, but the pod that Cloud had sealed the valve for started shaking. Cloud stepped back, uncertain of this new development. After a few brief seconds, the pod exploded, and in its place was the monster that had been inside it. Cloud pulled out his sword, gulping.
"Damn, Shinra! The more I hear, the more I hate 'em!" Barret growled, shaking his gun-arm.
"Who would have ever thought the Mako Reactor held a secret like that." Tifa said.
"That would seem to explain the increase in the number of monsters recently." Red mused. "I think we should listen carefully to Cloud. Don't you think so Barret?"
"Keep talking!" Barret ordered Cloud, after a brief pause.
"Tifa… You were waiting outside then?" Aeris asked.
"She would be." I pointed out. "After the fuss she made of wanting to go in, I doubt she'd just walk back home."
Tifa nodded.
"We returned to Nibelheim." Cloud continued his story. "Sephiroth confined himself at the inn. He didn't even try to talk to me."
"Then all of a sudden he just disappeared, right?" Tifa guessed.
"We found him inside the biggest building in Nibelheim." Cloud said.
"The villagers used to call it Shinra mansion." Tifa informed us.
"Long ago, people from Shinra used to live in that mansion…" Cloud explained.
Cloud walked up to the gates of the mansion, feeling the eyes of the entire town gazing upon him. He pushed open the gates and entered the building. The interior was dark and dusty; the whole building had an aura of old age about it. He looked up, sharply, hearing heavy footsteps. Upstairs.
Cloud ran up the stairs, and moved in the direction that heard the footsteps coming from. He found the surviving trooper from the trek over the mountain, blond hair poking out from under the helmet.
"Sir, he went into that room." The trooper pointed.
"Right." Cloud nodded, and entered the room.
The room was vacant of all but dust. Cloud spied another door and walked through it, before stopping. The room was empty. Not even another door to leave from. There wasn't even a window that the General could have climbed out of. Cloud was about to backtrack when he noticed the out of place stonework in the corner. The SOLDIER walked up to the stonework and felt a drought. Frowning, Cloud pushed against the stone and it swung open, revealing a spiralling staircase. Shrugging mentally, Cloud took a wild guess that this was where Sephiroth had vanished to and started to go down the stairs.
At the bottom, he shook away the bad vibes he felt from the tunnel he found himself in and started walking towards the other end of the tunnel, towards the door, which had a light coming from underneath. It didn't take Cloud long to get to the door, which he opened and found himself inside a large library. He spotted Sephiroth standing to one side, book in hand.
"…an organism that was apparently dead, was found in a 2000 year old geological stratum." Sephiroth read out loud. "Professor Gast named that organism, Jenova… X Year, X Month, X Day. Jenova confirmed to be an Ancient …X Year, X Month, X Day. Jenova Project approved. The use of Mako Reactor I approved for use… My mother's name is Jenova… Jenova Project… Is this just a coincidence? Professor Gast… Why didn't you tell me anything? …Why did you die?"
Cloud moved towards the General, who waved his hand at Cloud in a dismissive gesture.
"Leave me be." Was all Sephiroth said.
"He just kept reading and reading, for hours. All attempts at communicating with him were dismissed." Cloud told us. "But then..."
Seven hours later, Cloud woke up, breathing heavily. For a brief second, he hoped that the last day had been a bad dream, but one look at his surroundings revealed that hope to be in vain. He was still in the Shinra mansion. The blond shot up, sensing that something wasn't right. All the little sounds in the mansion, like the rattling of the windows as the wind blew against them, to the floorboard creaking when the trooper in the other room shifted his weight, had stopped. It was like time itself had slowed down. Something was wrong; he couldn't shake the feeling from his body. Slowly, he got out of the bed and moved to the room with the secret passage.
The trooper was still awake, and upon Cloud's entry, gave a half hearted salute, not even bothering to get up from the chair.
"He's still down there, sir." The trooper informed him.
Cloud nodded and walked down the spiral staircase and entered the library. Inside, he almost turned back, there was something about the room that scared him. Shaking off the sensation, Cloud walked up to the desk that Sephiroth sat behind. When Sephiroth caught sight of Cloud, he burst into laughter, a deep maniacal laughter that sent shivers down Cloud's spine.
"Who is it?" The General asked. "Hmph…traitor."
"Traitor?" Cloud repeated, confused.
"You ignorant traitor." Sephiroth sneered. "I'll tell you. This was an itinerant race. They would migrate in, settle the Planet, then move on… At the end of their harsh, hard journey, they would find the Promised Land and supreme happiness. But, those who stopped their migrations built shelters and elected to lead an easier life. They took that which the Cetra and the planet had made without giving back one whit in return! Those are your ancestors."
"Sephiroth..." Cloud tried to get the silver haired man's attention.
"Long ago, disaster struck this planet." Sephiroth continued. "Your ancestors escaped… They survived because they hid. The Planet was saved by sacrificing the Cetra. After that, your ancestors continued to increase. Now all that's left of the Cetra is in these reports."
"What does that have to do with you?" Cloud interrupted.
"Don't you get it?" The General asked, angrily. "An Ancient named Jenova was found in the geological stratum of 2000 years ago. The Jenova Project. The Jenova Project wanted to produce people with the powers of the Ancients……no, the Cetra! …I am the one that was produced."
"Pr-produced?" Cloud stuttered, shocked.
"Yes." Sephiroth nodded. "Professor Gast, leader of the Jenova Project and genius scientist, produced me."
"How…how did he…? Se…Sephiroth?" Cloud asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"Out of my way. I'm going to see my mother." Sephiroth snapped, jumping up and shoving Cloud aside.
Cloud flew into the bookshelf and grunted as all the books fell on him. He stood up, ignoring the bruises that were forming. The General had already gone. Cloud, feeling the sense of wrongness more now, to the point where he couldn't just ignore it, ran. Up the stairs, he barely noticed that the trooper was missing. He kicked open the doors to the Shinra Mansion and gasped and the rush of heat that slammed into him. His eyes widened at the sight which greeted him.
Nibelheim, was in flames.
Cloud charged out the mansions courtyard and stopped before two men, both of whom he'd seen in the inn. One was the ex-SOLDIER that he'd met. The other was a martial artist, if the clothing was any hint. Cloud had seen him in the inn, but hadn't spoken to him. The former SOLDIER pulled out his gun-sword and pointed it at him, while the martial artist tensed.
"Hey it's you! You're still sane, right?" The martial artist asked.
"Ya." Cloud shouted, to be heard over the roar of the fire.
"Then come over here and help us!" The ex-SOLDIER ordered. "I'll check this house. Zangan, check the mayor's house. You check that one over there!"
"Right, Shepard." Zangan nodded, running to check the house next to Cloud's.
Shepard fought against the flames and entered the shop, while Cloud did likewise and checked his mother's home. Inside was a very visual representation of Hell.
"MOM!" Cloud shouted, his throat already getting sore from the heat. "MOM! ARE YOU HERE!"
Before he could advance any further into the home, the ceiling collapsed, forcing Cloud to exit the house or be killed. Outside, he fought against the tears that threatened to spill. Why was this happening?
"Terrible..."He muttered. "Sephiroth... This is too terrible."
The sounds of a struggle caught his attention, and Cloud turned to witness Sephiroth brutally murder a group of villagers. The General looked up and smirked at the younger SOLDIER. Cloud found he couldn't tear his eyes from Sephiroth's, and found himself getting lost in the emerald orbs, which were dancing in madness. Cloud didn't have to look away, however, because Sephiroth turned and marched out of the town, towards the mountain. The general's last words rung in Cloud's ears, and he knew that Sephiroth was going to the reactor.
Cloud stood before the reactor, and pulled free his sword. He knew that he might not get through this and survive, but he was going to try. He stormed through the doors and moved towards the Jenova room, eyes dancing, searching for any sign of an ambush. Nothing so far. The blond reached the walkway to the room full of the pods and paused. In front of the doorway, Tifa was crying over the body of her father, the Masamune lying discarded beside them.
"Papa… Sephiroth? Sephiroth did this to you, didn't he? Sephiroth… SOLDIER… Mako Reactors… Shinra… Everything! I hate them all!" The girl declared, grabbing the katana.
Tifa ran into the next room, Cloud rushing in after her. Inside, he witnessed Sephiroth standing before the door that had been locked, their previous visit, arms spread out.
"Mother, I'm here to see you. Please, open this door." Sephiroth called out.
"How could you do that to papa and all the townspeople?" Tifa yelled, charging up the stairs, Masamune held out, ready to slash the SOLDIER.
Tifa reached Sephiroth's level and swung the katana. Sephiroth didn't react until the last moment, and caught her wrist, squeezing it at the joints. Tifa cried out in pain at his vice-like grip. The General gently plucked the sword from her grip and released her. For a moment, it looked like he planned on ignoring her, and he turned back to the now open door. He took one step inside, before twisting around and swinging the Masamune in a vicious uppercut, sending Tifa flying down the stairs, until she was at Cloud's feet. Sephiroth gave a soft chuckle, walking into the Jenova room.
"…You promised… You promised that you'd come……when I was in trouble…" Tifa struggled to say, looking up at Cloud.
Cloud sighed, blinking back the tears that threatened to come forth, and gently picked up the injured girl. He forced himself not to look at the long gash that covered Tifa's stomach, not trusting himself to keep his cool. He moved her to a spot out of the way and gently laid her down. He then turned his gaze to the room Sephiroth had vanished into and his eyes hardened. He walked into the room, expecting the worse. Inside, he found Sephiroth standing before a large statue.
"Mother, let's take this planet back together. I've thought of a great idea. Let's go to the Promised Land." Sephiroth boomed.
"Sephiroth… My family! My hometown! How could you do this to them?" Cloud demanded to know.
"They've come again, mother." Sephiroth laughed. "With her superior power, knowledge, and magic, Mother was destined to become the ruler of the Planet."
Sephiroth advanced towards the statue and grabbed it.
"But they… Those worthless creatures are stealing the Planet from Mother. But now I'm here with you so don't worry."
Sephiroth then pulled, yanking the statue, or machine, as Cloud could now see, from its place. The General tossed it aside, and looked at what the machine had been covering. There, inside a stasis pod, was Jenova.
"What about MY sadness?" Cloud shouted. "My family…friends… The sadness of having my hometown taken away from me? It's the same as your sadness!"
"My sadness? What do I have to be sad about? I am the chosen one. I have been chosen to be the leader of this Planet. I have orders to take this planet back from you stupid people for the Cetra. What am I supposed to be sad about?" Sephiroth answered.
"Sephiroth… I trusted you… No, you're not the Sephiroth I used to know!"
Both swordsmen readied their weapons, and stared at each other, waiting for the other to make the first strike.
"And that's the end of my story." Cloud finished, looking somewhat sheepish.
"Wait a damn minute! Ain't there more?" Barret asked, sounding like a little kid who'd just been told that Santa wasn't real.
"I don't remember." Cloud admitted.
"What happened to Sephiroth?" Aeris asked.
"In terms of skill, I couldn't have killed him." Cloud told her.
"Official records state Sephiroth is dead." Tifa claimed. "I read it in the newspaper."
"Shinra, Inc. owns the paper, so you can't rely on that information." Aeris reminded her.
"I want to know the truth. I wanted to know what happened then. I challenged Sephiroth and lived. Why didn't he kill me?" Cloud asked, rhetorically.
"Count what blessings you have." I murmured. "You're alive, ain't that good enough?"
"I'm alive, too." Tifa reminded him, something that made me roll my eyes.
"Seem like a lot of this doesn't make sense." Aeris grumbled. "What about Jenova? It was in the Shinra building, right?"
"Shinra shipped it from Nibelheim to Midgar." Cloud said.
"Did someone else carry it out after that? It was missing from the Shinra building." Aeris pointed out.
"Sephiroth?" Tifa wondered.
"Damn! Don't none of this make sense!" Barret exclaimed. "I'm going, going, going, gone! And I'm leavin' the thinkin' to you! Yo, Cloud! Let's get a move on!"
"Right." Cloud nodded.
"Yo, c'mon! Let's go!" Barret boomed out, as he walked down the stairs.
"Oh, brother..." Cloud moaned, resting his face in his palm.
"Cloud…? How bad was I when Sephiroth cut me?" Tifa asked.
"I thought you were a goner... I was really sad." Cloud told her.
Tifa was silent for a moment, head bowed.
"I… The Ancients… Cetra…… Jenova… Sephiroth and myself…" Aeris mumbled to herself as she walked down the stairs.
"Let's go." Tifa said, quietly. "Barret's waiting."
With those words, both Cloud and Tifa walked down the stairs.
"What a fascinating story…" Red mused, aloud.
"Indeed. Better then half the books I've read in my lifetime." I agreed.
Both of us stood up and stretched, before following the others down to the lobby area.
"Spike. What's your PHS number?" Cloud spoke up, before I was even down the stairs.
Sighing, I pulled out my mobile and checked the number that it answered to. Cloud responded by doing the same with his new phone, only he also gave out the numbers of the rest of AVALANCHE's PHSes.
"Right, you and Red will be with Barret. Meet the rest of us at the Chocobo Farm. It's to the east, near the cost." Cloud said, before leaving with the two girls.
"Is it just me, or is that a tad suspicious?" I stage whispered to Red and Barret.
"At least it proves he's straight." Barret grunted.
I sniggered at the remark, before doing some mental planning.
"Right... we'll leave once I've replaced my coat." I grinned.