Hello people, I AM BACK! I have decided that I have some sort of anti-final-exam thing going on. Last nine weeks, I had a final exam, and I got pneumonia. This nine weeks, I had an exam and I got strep throat…. But the good thing is, I'd been wanting some popsicle and juicy juice, but mom wouldn't let me get any (every time I asked, she'd ask if I was six or something…) and the doctor actually prescribed both of those things. As I am typing, I am enjoying a popsicle.
Anyways… SCHOOL IS OVER… for me at least. Poor suckers have to go back to school for other exams, but not me! I am free. And that means… I can write more! YAY! I hope you enjoy this chapter. It starts out in Cloud's POV… but I changed to Seph's eventually.
I opened my mouth to speak, only to be cut off by very loud calls of Aeris' name. Damn those SOLDIERs. I shut my mouth and turned away; I didn't want to see what she was thinking.
How stupid of me… I was just about to tell her everything I ever knew about myself… a foolish mistaken I wouldn't make again. The planet seemed upset by this, and in turn I snapped at it. She withdrew, realizing it would be best not to anger me. If she did that, then Aeris and I might never become friends. I wanted to snap at her more, but another shout drew my attention.
"Follow me." I imitated Vincent. Short clipped speech with little to no emotion in it… except coldness. I could almost feel her frown.
"Cloud…" Her soft voice whispered, she didn't understand… she couldn't understand… and I didn't want her too. I ignored her and continued walking. I would take her through a couple shortcuts and she would be out of here in just a few short minutes.
Either the planet told her not to say anything more or she was smart enough to deduce it would be useless on her own. Either way, I was somewhat grateful for the silence. Within no time we were back to the exit. I kept my face blank as I faced her.
"Cloud…" She tried to reach out to me, but I grasped her hand before it made contact and held it in a tight grip. She gasped and her facial expressions showed clear distress.
"Don't." The word came out as a snarl, and she seemed taken aback by it. I narrowed my eyes. "The door is there. Bye." With those words I left her. I turned my back and walked off. The moment I was sure she was gone, I hit my fist against the wall.
How could I have opened up to her? She was nothing to me. Her and her generals… her pets. Furthermore, I wasn't just some play thing the planet could play mix-and-match with. I felt her recoil at that thought, but I ignored her. Asleep or not, subconscious or not… she had to learn.
Or maybe… I was the one who had to learn? It was my duty as who I was to serve the planet… more faithfully than the Cetra… and there was only Aeris left… just as only I was left. Because it is my duty to serve the planet… maybe… I…
NO. I may be the planet's… but I was also me. I choose what I did and why. Sure, I could choose to do things for my planet… but ultimately, it was up to me. Me and me alone. My secrets were mine to share… MINE.
I could faintly hear Aeris' SOLDIERs ask questions as she was returned to them. I could hear the concerned tones in their voices, among other emotions. I tuned them out.
I didn't need anybody; I was fine on my own. I didn't need Vincent, Aeris, Sephiroth, Genesis, or Zack. I didn't even need Fenrir.
I didn't even notice the tears falling from my eyes until I heard the gentle splash of one of them hitting the floor. Even then I was confused, until I touched my face and felt the wetness there.
I leaned against the wall, letting my head hit against it. Closing my eyes, I slid down to the floor. Curling up in a ball, I just let the tears flow.
~Sephiroth's POV
I was seriously considering getting Genesis to burn the damn mansion down, mission be damned. Aeris was in there, and she shouldn't be. Who knew what would happen to her? There was the freaky guy living in there, not to mention Cloud. I, personally didn't trust the blonde, and this situation didn't sit well with me.
Just when I was about to give Genesis the order, Aeris came stumbling out from behind the corner of the mansion. Zack was at her side in a moment, Genesis and I following not too far behind.
She gave a lie about finding the entrance herself and not wanting to wait. She knew that we knew it was a lie, but her pleading eyes told us to just accept it. Something had happened in there, something that affected Aeris to her core. To her spirit. It shook her, starling her perception of something.
I wanted to ask, and a quick glance at Genesis proved that he sensed it as well. If the puppy's antics were anything to go by, he noticed as well. Regardless, I let Genesis and Zack quiz her, while I gazed up at the mansion.
Briefly, I wondered how many secrets it kept. How many webs of lies was it caught between? How many stories could it tell? I sighed, and looked to Aeris. She was grasping Zack's arm like a lifeline, and I could see that she was doing everything possible to keep from crying. But it wasn't an 'I'm hurt' crying, more of an 'I feel so sad because of something I saw' crying.
"Aeris, you'll tell us later, right?" I asked in a low voice, more so to assure myself that she wouldn't keep this from us. To my dismay, she shook her head no.
"I wish I could, I really do. The only thing I'd dare to say is that he is very, very hurt… and I don't think he even realizes it." She shook her head, a few tears escaping her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. Genesis caught them, and then let Zack pull her into a hug.
We started to head back to the town, but I turned to face the mansion one more time. I blinked as from one of the windows I saw the man from before, the one who had all these answers about who I was. His blood red eyes gazed down, solely fixed upon me. I wanted more than ever to enter the mansion and speak with him. Zack called out my name, and I looked towards the black haired man… when I looked back up, the man in the window was gone. I sighed, catching up with my group. I'd have a chance to talk with the man, Vincent, if the story was correct, later.
"Okay, get this… there was a Turk named Vincent Valentine who was sent to do something that's classified at the Shinra Mansion. He died on duty there." Zack was bouncing as he spoke, looking at his PHS. "Reno wants to know why we're looking into a guy who was Verdot's partner. Hmm… Reno also said that if this guy was still alive, he'd be in his forties. He was twenty when he was sent to the mansion, and that was roughly twenty years ago."
"How'd he die?" Genesis asked, looking up from the red-leather bound book known as 'Loveless'. Zack pressed a few buttons on his PHS before waiting. When the small chime came that said that he got a reply, he pressed a few more buttons.
"Classified. Reno wants to know why we're looking into this. He also says to be careful if we intend to investigate this." Zack looked up to me, and I frowned. Classified?
"Did you try my clearance?" Zack pressed a few buttons, and the chime came again.
"Access only granted to the president…" I could tell he was holding something back, so I fixed him with a level stare. He shifted uneasily. "and… Hojo."
Hojo. The bane of my existence. So what if he was supposedly my father, I didn't like him. Not one bit at all. I'd rather shoot myself then call that vile excuse for a man my father.
"Seph." Aeris laid her hand on my shoulder, sending calming thoughts into my own. Hojo wanted her as well, one of the reasons we took her with us. She hushed that thought down, and smiled at me. We were all alive and well, no need to get all worked up.
"Rufus couldn't find out if he wanted to?" Genesis questioned, and Zack shook his head.
"I already asked. Reno said nope, and asked… again… why we're so curious about this. Although, I can tell we've piqued his interest. No doubt he'll bring it up, since this Vincent guy is a Turk and everything."
That made sense. Turks took care of Turks… and I can't imagine having a Turk whose file is classified with only access going to Hojo and the president would make many Turks happy. They hated Hojo nearly as much as I.
"So… Cloud's story has truth in it. That's interesting to note… due to the fact that it happened roughly twenty years ago." Aeris sighed.
"Can't we leave Cloud alone for a while?" There it was again… that sadness she obtained when she spoke of him. We, meaning Zack, Genesis and I, had figured out that Cloud had something to do with her not wanting to talk about the mansion and what happened to her there. The sadness that overpowered her when talking of either was too similar not to be related.
"No." I wanted to say more, but words failed me. She sighed, and looked out the window. Her small delicate hand touched the chilled glass. She jumped slightly, and I looked out the window to see what caught her attention.
Impossibly blue switched from Aeris to me, meeting my gaze head on. Cloud. He seemed just as upset as Aeris, if not more. Fenrir was missing from his place at Cloud's side. Even Cloud's sword was missing, the harness was empty.
His eyes flickered to the side, where Tifa was running up to him. She spoke with eccentric hand gestures, not that Cloud was watching her anyways. He spoke a few soft words, at which, Tifa seemed to deflate. She sighed, her head hung low. Now, Cloud looked to her, tilting his head to the side. The action reminded me of a chocobo, not that that wasn't surprising, due to the spikes in his hair.
"What are you two staring at?" Genesis asked, I could hear annoyance in his voice, but it was faint.
"Cloud." Aeris answered, her voice was a soft whisper, but even then, it spoke volumes. I could feel a change surround her, although it wasn't visible. Down below, Cloud jerked his head to look back up at us. His eyes narrowed, and I could sense Aeris was upset. Zack and Genesis could also feel the change of her aura. It was… unnerving.
Aeris was frowning, her bright grass green eyes locked onto bright ocean blue ones. The tension was palpable. Like a knife cut through it, both relaxed, although there was still a wariness between the two.
"I think… I need to talk with him." She finally spoke, turning away from the window. We all froze. How were we to let her speak with a guy we didn't even trust?
"Easily, Sephiroth. Just let me go down there, you can watch from the window. I shouldn't take long." She replied, probally sensing my general current of thoughts. Genesis frowned.
"And what if he asks you to go with him somewhere?"
"Then I'll be fine. I trust Cloud, just as the planet does. Don't worry." And with those words she stole out of the room.
I watched as Tifa departed, and Aeris joined Cloud. They spoke a few words, before Cloud made a small gesture. Aeris shook her head, obviously declining. After a few more words, Aeris looked towards me, her bright eyes catching my own. She smiled, and together, the two set off into the darkness of the awakening night.
Okay, people have been asking me what happened to Angeal. So I have decided to answer. What happened was I decided I didn't like him and that he needed to go away, and thus he did. I know there are Angeal x Zack people out there, and Angeal x Genesis x Sephiroth, and so forth fans out there… but… Angeal doesn't appeal to me. He irritates me… in the worst possible way. If it please you, imagine he died in the Wutai War… or in a helicopter crash or something. I don't know, or care as long as it was painful for Angeal. Who knows, I might incorporate that into the story, but I'd have to think about it.
