Chapter Twenty-Four: Hopes Lost
"What are you doing here, Sephiroth?" Hojo asked, glaring down at the small boy.
Sephiroth returned his gaze, his hands clenched with rage and hatred. He did not say a single word.
"And you brought Miss Aralyn along. How very…charming." Aralyn shrank behind Sephiroth, seeking protection. She clenched the papers closer to her heart, hoping that Hojo had not seen them.
"Let us go," Sephiroth demanded, his voice small but his strong expression making up for it.
"You have trespassed on private Shinra property, Sephiroth. I don't know if you've been told this before, but you could be arrested for such a feat."
"You wouldn't do that," Sephiroth retorted.
"No, but I can take measures to dissuade you from ever trying it again."
Sephiroth blanched, though his expression did not relax, nor did his form show any fear. "G-Go ahead," the boy challenged.
Hojo frowned deeply; Sephiroth clearly had not reacted like he thought he would. He turned his gaze to Aralyn. "And how about you? Do you have anything to say to me?"
"No!" she screamed, though her voice broke, revealing how afraid she truly was. Hojo smirked, his expression turning malicious.
"No matter. I will find out the hard way then. Sephiroth, come with me."
The boy's eyes widened, but soon he relaxed. "Keep the file safe," he whispered to Aralyn.
Aralyn started to panic. "What…?"
"Hurry up, before I decide to take your little friend as well," Hojo taunted. Sephiroth walked obediently forward, looking surprisingly frail.
"No!" Aralyn screamed, suddenly grasping what was going to happen. "You can't hurt him!"
"Do you have something to tell me, Aralyn?" Hojo repeated the question, grabbing Sephiroth's hand to make quite clear what would happen if she refused.
"Please, Aralyn…don't! I can take it!"
But Aralyn ignored Sephiroth's pleas and threw the folder at Hojo's feet. Papers spilled out, and both children got a quick glance at a photo of a man with dark hair and blood red eyes. "There!" she cried.
"At least one of you will submit to reason." Satisfied, Hojo bent down and flipped through the papers. "Ah," he sighed. "So this is what you were looking for. I'm disappointed, Sephiroth. You could have at least gone for something worthwhile."
Sephiroth's hands were clenched even harder, his nails causing rivulets of red running down his wrists while his knuckles, in stark contrast, were white.
"If the fate of Mr. Valentine is of interest to either of you, content yourselves with knowing that he is dead," Hojo continued. "It was Dr. Crescent that told you to seek him out, no? Foolish woman…should have known she wouldn't have the spine to sacrifice what was necessary."
Sephiroth listened in defeated silence. Aralyn looked away, trying to hide the hot tears that fell of their own accord. She desperately fought them with the edge of her sleeve, but they did not relent.
"You may return to your rooms," Hojo said, unbarring the doors. "I trust that no such mischief will happen again."
Sephiroth roughly grabbed Aralyn's wrist, dragging her along, ignoring her inability to keep up with him. He didn't look at her the whole way, and released her like she had been poisonous when they reached her room.
"Sephiroth, I'm sorry! I couldn't let him…"
"Just leave me alone, Aralyn."
"Sephiroth, please! I just-"
"I don't want to talk to you anymore!"
Aralyn's tears fell faster, and she sobbed so hard that her words were only just decipherable. Sephiroth never yelled – especially at her.
"Sephiroth I—!"
It happened before either of them knew it. In desperation, Aralyn made the mistake of grabbing Sephiroth's arm, trying to get him to listen.
It was the final straw.
She saw his eyes flash, and then her world spun. She didn't hear the clap that echoed through the empty halls as he struck her face with all the force of his anger – she didn't even hear her own scream of fright.
She did not try to move from where she had been thrown to the ground. She could only cup her bleeding cheek in shaking hands and look up to where Sephiroth stood above her, screaming.
"I don't want to see you ever again, Aralyn! You hear me! Never!I hate you! I hate you!"
He was crying too, but these were tears of rage. Because of her weakness, Sephiroth might never again find out the truth that Lucrecia had left for him.
He would never know anything about his parents.
Aralyn didn't try to apologize anymore. She was scared of Sephiroth. She was hurt. The only thing she could think to do was run.
She scampered to her feet and ran into her room, slamming the door behind her and then collapsing on her bed, wrestling with her heavy shame. Her cheek stung fiercely, but the hurt was small compared to what was in her heart.
Aralyn curled into herself and sobbed, wishing she could disappear.
The room next to her was oddly silent. So far as she could tell, Sephiroth did not speak or move the entire night.
He never came to take back anything of what he had said or done, and the longer he stayed away, the less Aralyn blamed him, and the more anguished she felt.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…" she sobbed right up until sleep finally claimed her several long hours later.