As a child, Cloud had constantly been told to stay away from Shinra Manor. He listened – until the day he decided to go inside anyway.
And when Vincent had told him no, he did not want to be rescued, Cloud had listened for all of six seconds before deciding to help in spite of the man.
And when Tifa had been hurt and her father had forbidden Cloud from seeing her, well, he hadn't really paid the man any mind at all.
Suffice to say that when the siren blared and Sephiroth ran off shouting, "Stay here", Cloud did not listen.
He counts to five. Counts very, very slowly. Then, when he's almost entirely sure Sephiroth has to be gone by now, Cloud bolts out of the apartment.
He slides to a halt in the hall, red lights flashing all around, the siren roaring in his ears, and makes an entirely random decision as to which way to run. The way he sees it, eventually the chaos and confusion should point him in the right direction to go.
He's not exactly sure what's happening, but he can guess. The building's under attack. Shinra, already in the shitter, is now panicking even further. A panicky, confused Shinra is good for Cloud. Now, maybe he has a chance to look for Vincent on his own.
Well, for starters, he can't stay on this floor. There's no way Vincent's on the executive floor. Which means…
"Stairs," The man groans, hanging his head. He doesn't have a keycard for the elevator, so – stairs it is. "Ugh!"
Sephiroth moves with purpose and swiftness few can match. By the time people notice him coming, he's already passed them. A silver blur streaks through the Shinra Building, towards his destination.
Because he knows exactly what has happened. Shinra has distinct sirens for every emergency, and this one is for escaped lab experiments. The timing is too perfect. Vincent has escaped his cell, and Sephiroth refuses to let anyone else arrive down there first.
'Vincent and I,' He thinks, brow furrowing. 'He said it was about us…' What was this thread, this thin line between them, pulling them towards each other? What was Cloud keeping from him?
Fuming, Sephiroth speeds up, barreling down the stairs instead of taking the elevator. When he finally arrives at the proper floor, his speed is so great that slowing down dismantles the tile floor beneath him. But he does come to a halt, just in time to see cowering scientists fleeing for their lives, their screams echoing all around as bullets ricochet.
The general infantry who were assigned to guard the floor are there; as are the scientists who were already on this floor. No one else; so, Sephiroth is first. And there is the demon again, barely bothered by the bullets flying towards it. Even in the strictly tight space it outmaneuvers them, but – doesn't kill them.
No; it saves death for the scientists. With a bestial roar the creature falls upon another one, who shrieks in horror as fangs tear into his neck. This shocks one of the infantrymen so he cries out, drops his gun and flees for his life.
But his life was never in danger, if the general's theory holds true. Sephiroth scowls; he recognizes the bloody remains of the man Vincent has just mauled as a particularly weasel-y fellow named Crispin Mauser. A man who used to laugh when a young Sephiroth commented that the Mako injections made him feel like bugs were crawling under his skin.
"Maybe they are," The man would say, looming over him. "Maybe they're going to pop out of you any minute – or eat you up from the inside!" And he would laugh and wriggle his hands at the boy, scratching his skin like little insects until the child cried. Then Hojo would show up and dismiss him and smack Sephiroth for displaying unseemly emotions.
"You are better than him," Father said. "You are better than these puny creatures. They are the insects, you'll see."
It hadn't made him feel any better.
Scowling, Sephiroth turned his gaze from the corpse to the winged beast before him. Red eyes finally notice him, and the beast hovers nearby, not moving, just staring at him.
"Go," Sephiroth steps forward, dismissing the infantry with a nod of his head. Most of them are already running, along with the last of the scientists, until Sephiroth and Vincent are alone.
The world shrinks. Yes, the sirens are still blaring, and there's also the screeching of damaged computers and sparking electronics. Sephiroth chooses not to hear or see it. His gaze narrows to this anomaly, this peculiar man who has done what no one else has ever thought to try.
Sephiroth steps forward. The creature stays still. It's only a foot off the ground now, and the General barely has to look up at it.
You protected me.
He reaches a gloved hand out, slowly telegraphing his moves. The last thing he wants is to startle it.
Why?
Sharp red eyes meet green, and the creature makes a strange noise. "It's alright," Sephiroth finds himself saying. Then, the creature growls a little.
"Ckh-" Unruly fangs and a forked tongue seem to be making it hard for the creature – for Vincent – to talk. "Cchold. Whrr Chold?" It sounds like a screeching cat trying to talk but Sephiroth gets the jist.
"Cloud is safe. He's not in the labs." Sephiroth shakes his head. There's no reason for the beast to trust him, yet something in those ruby eyes softens. Another perplexing mystery. "I can take you to him –"
"He is not going anywhere."
In an instant, the moment of humanity is gone and the beast snarls, turning its attention to the newcomer to the room. Hojo stands at the opposite door, hands behind his back, his gaze obscured by the reflective glare.
"Sir," Sephiroth's heart skips a beat. He doesn't know how to feel about Hojo – when does he ever? – but this is the only man he's ever called family. "You need to leave the area immediately -!" He steps forward, but it's too late.
The demon shrieks and flies so fast that even Sephiroth can't match it. But it's no use – Hojo, as usual, came prepared. A shield materia, master level most likely, springs to life around him, and the demon seems to hurt itself more slamming into it than anything. A wry chuckle escapes the scientist.
"Come now, Mr. Valentine," The scientist grins. "Do you think me so foolish?"
They know each other. Sephiroth glances from the pure hatred in the gaze of one, and the amused glee in the other. There's no denying it, his sinking heart realizes. There is history here.
Vincent remains where he landed, still a demon, crouched upon the ground with his claws digging into the floor. For a moment he hesitates, then appears to decide to try again, when Hojo speaks.
"Ah, ah." The man smirks. "After all, you wouldn't want anything to happen to your little partner?" The smirk becomes a sneer. A robotic creature rolls up beside the scientist, with a small grainy screen showing footage from within the Shinra building. There's someone running, running through the halls with a monstrous creature close on their tail.
Sephiroth realizes it just as the demon gives a pained gasp beside him. To his surprise, he feels his own chest tighten anxiously.
Cloud.
Word is, something broke out of the labs. Of course, it can never just be one with Shinra, because once one thing breaks out, it causes chaos and destruction and a bunch of other things get out. Most of them have already been contained to a single floor and are being herded together, according to what Cloud's overheard.
Most, apparently, save for the giant Behemoth chasing after him.
"Out of the way!"
People shriek as Cloud runs past, practically shoving them aside in his haste. This is not a creature you want to fight in a crowded hall. He knows that much. Luckily, he's got his sword – it was with him when he went into town, and Shinra never took it from him – but he doesn't want to fight it here.
How the damned thing got fixated on him, Cloud can't fathom. It's the hair, he thinks with a frown, it's always the goddamn hair. He has always had the strangest, spikiest hair known to man. Bright blond, standing on end, save for his long ponytail in the back. He's been growing it out for years, a habit that started out of envy for Sephiroth's beautiful long locks. Now, he's thinking it's the only thing that sets him apart from everyone else, save maybe a lack of uniform.
"What's this thing got against civilians?" He grumbles, leaping over a fallen intern who'd tripped running away. Desperately Cloud hopes he's not leaving bodies in his wake. But he can't stop to check; he's got to keep moving. Somewhere there has to be a gym, a cafeteria, a lobby – something other than halls!
Finally, the man grins, and slides to a halt in a giant rotunda. The glass ceiling looms high above, an octagonal shape more than a hundred feet wide. It's a huge room, and is more than enough for Cloud.
He sets to move and face his opponent, when for a second his gaze is distracted. There are SOLDIERs across the room, dealing with another beast. But like the Behemoth, Cloud recognizes its type. His eyes widen.
"Stop!" He calls to them, but no one's listening. Grimacing, he glances back. The Behemoth is not far behind. Then he turns to the SOLDIERs again, barreling towards them. "I said stop!"
They don't seem to realize he exists until he collides with the first two, his shoulder knocking hard into the back of one. He goes down; and the creature in the center of the chaos turns to face Cloud.
Cloud looks straight at it. "Quick," He says, backing up, creating an opening. "Run!"
The orange lion-like creature's eyes widen; then, he nods, and races away from the SOLDIERs. The humans immediately turn on Cloud. Two try to take after the cat. Cloud sticks out his leg, tripping one, before finally putting his hand to the hilt of his blade.
The blade sings as it slides out of the sheath. Cloud grins at the sound. It's a relatively long blade, maybe five or six feet, with strange groves, twists, and turns in it, as if it's made of layers of metal. His hands go to the hilt. Then, he twists. The blade breaks apart into more blades, and he takes one of the small ones in his left hand, and tosses it hilt-first at the running SOLDIER. It knocks into the back of his head and he's conked out.
Cloud smiles at the small victory, even as more SOLDIERs surround him – but it's a short-lived victory. The Behemoth gives a roar as it charges into the area, immediately setting its sights on Cloud.
"Damn!" The man grimaces and rolls as it comes through, using the chaos to slip out of the circle of SOLDIERs. Two of them don't make it out of the circle – the Behemoth takes the group by surprise, one caught in its trampling paws, the other hit by the broadside of it and knocked away.
Frowning, he darts over to his other blade, snapping it back into the whole. "Okay," He murmurs, standing tall. Cloud takes a very deep breath. Nibelheim has some tough monsters on its outskirts, even a small dragon from time to time, but Cloud's never faced anything so big. Holding the sword, he faces the creature as it turns, slowing its pace, seeming to realize its prey has been cornered.
Cloud's biding his time – backing away slowly, eying the creature. It's slightly wounded, a slash to one shoulder, and to the lower left leg. But it's not winded at all, and there's a feverish glint to its eye. This thing is mako-crazy, or Cloud's a chocobo.
The man grunts, gripping the sword tighter, trying to ignore the thundering of his heart. He's terrified… and exhilarated. Sweat slips into his eyes and he shakes it away. His whole life, all Cloud's wanted is to be useful, to be worth something. He's trained for it for years. And now, here he is, facing a Behemoth, with a lot of people's lives on the line.
He can do this.
The beast is distracted momentarily when a SOLDIER lunges for its back leg. The man is distraught – he's screaming, clearly upset and not thinking. Before Cloud can shout to him a warning, the thing kicks out with its back legs. A wet thunk, and its back claws are embedded in the man's chest.
One of the SOLDIERs runs off screaming. The other… who the hell knows where he is? "Some military," Cloud grumbles, beginning to understand Sephiroth's complaints about the company. Still, he holds his ground, sword raised, faces the beast.
'Calm down,' He manages to think behind the haze over his mind. 'Deep breaths.' In, … out. In, …
Cloud moves. The beast responds with a screech, racing forward to swipe with its claws, but Cloud ducks, rolls with the motion, and on the turn swipes with his sword at the extended arm. He cuts pretty deep into the flesh, not severing the limb like he'd wanted, but damaging it. The Behemoth roars in fury, and Cloud gets back to his feet, running from a pain-enraged beast.
The creature lunges at him – he hits the ground, one hand bracing his fall, letting it soar overhead. Lifts his blade – hits a button, it falls apart into two different, long blades. One in each hand, he swipes at the creature's underbelly.
More pained screams, but it's not down for the count. This thing eyes are glowing; where a normal Behemoth would've been scared off by now, ready to find easier prey, this one refuses to back down.
"What did they do to you?" Cloud wonders, snapping his blade back together. Only a moment later, the creature lunges again, this time too close for Cloud to fall in time.
He'd seen it coming – and when the blades were one again, he hit a button and released a smaller blade. He threw it diagonally from him, then spun and ran at the wall. Using it to propel himself upwards and sideways, he leapt at the blade he'd thrown. It had become lodged in the wall, and became a handhold for Cloud to grab.
The beast gives an agonized roar at being robbed of its kill. Cloud, meanwhile, is getting the workout of his life. And it feels great.
Beaming, he positions his feet on the wall, still holding the sword, and kicks out, setting it free. He backflips towards the ground, landing on his feet a good fifty feet away from the beast. It comes towards him – he turns, pushes a button on his sword -
And nothing happens.
Cloud's eyes go wide. "No, not now," Finger jamming into the button he curses but nothing happens. The blade is stuck, half transformed and entirely useless.
A roar rips across the room and Cloud gasps, looking up – the beast is almost on him –
An orange blur slams into the beast's neck with a roar of his own. Cloud's gaze widens further at the sight of the large feline, sinking teeth and claws into the Behemoth's vulnerable throat. The monster keens, thrashing in an attempt to get free.
There's not a moment to waste. Gritting his teeth, Cloud reaches in and untangles the mechanism, and a moment later, the swords part with a satisfying hiss. He grins, holding the slightly curved blade in his left, the longer in his right.
Then, he waits. Stands with narrowed eyes, watching the beast thrash. The cat is thrown from him, and the recoil of the movement throws the beast's head back, long neck vulnerable.
One sword extended behind him, one ahead. He steps forward with his back foot, turning into the move. The back sword arm twists around his body, he turns, the other arm spins around his body, he turns, and builds momentum until he's close enough to take a small leap into the air, spinning with his arms extended, both blades slicing through the beast's neck once, twice, three times.
He can practically hear his mother's voice.
Big things like Behemoths, they're tough kiddo. That hide is too thick to get through with one hit or even two. You gotta strike the same place multiple times to do anything to them. That's the tricky part – getting enough hits in. Once that's done, it's over.
The beast falls with one last long groan. The whole room shakes when it crashes into the floor. Relieved, Cloud stands, sliding his sword back into one piece and into his sheath before releasing a breathless laugh.
"… is it over?" The cat walks over and talks to him.
"Yeah," Cloud nods. He turns to the creature. "Cloud Strife."
The cat looks at him quizzically. "… you may call me Nanaki." He says. Then, he tilts his head. "How did you know…?"
"My mom took me to Cosmo Canyon, once." He says, with an easy shrug. "She couldn't get me to shut up about the talking cats for months after that."
At his comment, Cloud's pretty sure he sees the cat smile.
Sephiroth realizes the breath he doesn't remember holding when the beast falls.
Half of him had wanted to go to the man's aid – the other had wanted to wait, if only to see what Cloud would do. He did not disappoint. Displaying physical strength beyond the mere human, and both technical and tactical fortitude, the man appeared to be a natural at swordfighting. Certainly, it had been close, but Cloud had won.
"Hm," Hojo frowns. "Another failure. And I had been looking forward to seeing it tear apart your little friend."
Sephiroth's chest tightens at the words and he frowns. Not that Hojo doesn't say stuff like that all the time. It just – hurts hearing it. Sephiroth can't imagine feeling that way. His father has always encouraged emotional detachment, but even then, Sephiroth could not say he enjoyed taking life. Sure, he loved fighting and combat but actually taking sentient life…
Why is father smiling about this?
"Professor, that is enough." Sephiroth retorts. "The show is over, and this man is coming with me."
"He is not going anywhere." Hojo steps forward, glancing to Vincent with a grin. "Ah, tired already?"
The General turns. Vincent is groaning, curling into himself and shrinking in size. The demon wings fade away, the fangs recede, all signs of monstrosity vanishing until all that's left is an exhausted, sweaty human. The man collapses, and at once the professor and the general move. Hojo makes to snatch the man up, and Sephiroth stands in his way.
"Out of the way, General," The man sneers the word, reminding Sephiroth of his place. It doesn't sway the man.
"He's coming with me." Sephiroth insists. Then he quirks an eyebrow. "Unless you're going to stop me?"
The other man's gaze hardens. He hadn't expected this much resistance – because Sephiroth doesn't resist him on much. But they both know that there's no way Hojo can force Sephiroth to back down.
Satisfied that the man is cowed, Sephiroth kneels and gently gathers Vincent in his arms.
"He is not under your jurisdiction." Hojo mutters to Sephiroth's back as the man saunters away.
"Take it up with the President," is Sephiroth's final quip, before he disappears into the elevator.
He's barely had the chance to stand up and breath before another body barrels into him.
Cloud reels, exhausted, but reacts instinctively with a punch towards the face. Luckily, the other man is good at ducking, and the sound he makes in reaction is familiar enough to make Cloud pause. He blinks; the haze clears, and he sees Zack, hands up, beaming.
"Cloud! You're amazing!" Once again, those arms are around his neck, pulling him in tight for a noogie. The man flushes, unsure how to feel – he'd expect the actions from a bully, but the words are kind. Zack lets him go only to put his hands on the man's shoulders. "I can't believe you took that thing on by yourself!"
Shrugging, Cloud tries to ignore his pounding heart. "I just – wanted to help." By now, he's red to the tips of his ears.
"I know, I saw on the live feed." He points to a camera across the way. "Security had it airing on the teleprompter. I came running fast as I could but by the time I was here you'd already kicked its ass!"
Cloud shrugs again. But this time there's a small smile on his face. "I had help." He glances past Zack to Nanaki, who is eying the SOLDIER warily.
"Well, anyway, we gotta run." Zack glances from the cat, back to Cloud. "A lot's happened since this morning. Your stuff from the hotel is here."
"Really? Where?" He hadn't seen anything.
"It got – waylaid." Zack frowns. "Luckily, the Turks are more loyal to Seph than they are Hojo. I've got the location. Come on," He gestures for Cloud to follow, and the blond makes to do so, before glancing back at Nanaki.
"You coming?"
The cat quirks his head inquisitively, and doesn't move. But when Cloud runs off, he hears four heavy paws hitting the ground behind him.
Genetics are a complicated field of study. Sephiroth can't claim to have a masterful understanding of it, but his personal research has taught him some things. He knows enough to get by, he imagines, in most intellectual conversations.
Enough that ever since he was a boy, he's looked in the mirror and wondered. Hojo might have been his father but they looked nothing alike. Sephiroth simply imagined he must have favored his mother very much. He'd spend hours looking in the mirror trying to imagine a woman like him, someone from whom he might have inherited his graceful stature, his thin bony structure, the long lines and curves of his face, the soft sheen of his hair.
The woman in the picture in the folder is… hard to compare to. It's a blurry old polaroid, from back before digital cameras existed. He can see she has long hair, up in a ponytail, and she does seem to be relatively tall, though not as tall as him. But it's so old and grainy it's really hard to tell.
Lucrecia Crescent. The file states she is "missing". No sign of her in thirty years. He murdered your parents and took you from them. Sephiroth doesn't want to believe, but… he's starting to. The paper crinkles in his ever tightening grip.
He flips to the next page. He's already read them all, and memorized them, but there's something calming in the repetition. Vincent Valentine. The image is grainy here as well, but then, Sephiroth doesn't need it. The real thing is sleeping on his couch.
Sephiroth glances up across his room, to the sleeping man. He'd taken off the cloak and shirt, in order to access the man's wounds. Vincent heals almost as rapidly as Sephiroth, but he'd never been treated for the bullet wounds from the original attack. It had begun healing with the bullets inside, and it had been a trying task fixing it.
Now, he's healing properly, bandages wrapped around his torso, a blanket pulled over him. He seems to be resting well enough. But restlessness itches under Sephiroth's skin. He wants – wants to give the man something to help, wants to make him something to eat, or drink, or – something. He's never had this driving need to care for someone before, but…
He looks at the file.
6'2". The man is Sephiroth's exact height. Their hair color might not be the same, but while treating Vincent's wounds, he'd found it to be the same thick shimmering style of his own.
Hojo's hair is… disgusting. Not that the man ever cares for it. It's wiry, thin, and constantly falling out.
Setting down the file, Sephiroth stands and moves towards the man. His eyes trace Vincent's features. The long thin nose, the high cheek bones, deep set eyes and high forehead. Gently, Sephiroth slips his fingers under the bandanna and loosens it, until he sees the man's face with no barriers between them. Almost naturally, Vincent's hair parts in much the same way Sephiroth's does, with two long bangs on either side of his face.
Sephiroth drops the bandanna as if it were alive. He stands, pacing to the window.
He knows genetics. He knows enough to realize that it has always been very unlikely that Hojo was biologically his father. He just… hoped. He wanted it to be true, for there to be one person in this world to call his own.
Now… he's almost certain he does, and it's not who he thought. The revelation… it's too much for him to understand how he feels about it. The shock has overtaken everything else.
The door to his apartment opens.
" – So I figure, he can at least fly back with us to Nibelheim when we leave, so he can cross over to Cosmo Canyon there. It'll be a lot easier –"
Cloud's voice filters into the room, with Zack quickly following it. Sephiroth tunes them out. One word rings in his mind, one word as he crosses his arms, brow furrowing.
"We're leaving." He says finally, turning around. He notices Nanaki, the cat he saw assisting Cloud in the security footage, but makes no verbal note of him. "Zack, you're in charge until I return."
"Wait, what's going on?" Cloud glances between the two SOLDIERs, until Sephiroth steps towards him.
"You," He begins. "Are coming with me."
The blond blinks. "Coming where?"
"To Nibelheim."
Someone is… crying. He straightens, listening for the source. Footsteps echo like chimes in the long dim halls, alongside gasping sobs from further away. Who is…
He moves into the light. She's there, hunched over in the grass, sobbing into her knees. Lucrecia. Vincent makes to run to her and hesitates only at the last moment. Grits his teeth, clenches his fist. But he still goes to her.
She notices him only when the glossy shine of his shoes catches her eye. He's standing beside her, gazing out into the woods, the picture of a detached agent. Sniffling, the woman wipes at her eyes.
"W – What is it, Vincent?" She should call him Mr. Valentine. She had cut off their personal ties, after all. But he could never bring himself to say so.
After a moment, he glances at her. "Are you alright?"
Her eyes widen. Lucrecia glances away, eyes out to the forest. "No, I'm not," She admits softly. "But you probably wouldn't want to hear it."
"No?"
"You warned me after all."
"Hm."
She shifts forward, arms wrapped around her knees. "… I was intrigued by the science at first." She tells him. "Imagine, if humans could combine with J cells properly… no more disease. No more aging. We could cure death, eventually."
"You needn't argue your case with me." She already had, after all. That had been their last argument.
"Yes, well, …" She sniffles, wipes at her face. "Don't I owe you an explanation?"
Vincent sighs, weary. After a moment the man sits beside her, reaching out with a handkerchief. Lucrecia seems surprised, but only hesitates a moment before taking it.
"Thank you," She murmurs, wiping at her face. After a moment, her look falls, arms lowering. "… it was just a fetus. Not a life, not yet. I thought… if it worked it could do so much good. And if not, well… it's not human. Not yet, really. But Hojo, he – he wants to do more experiments. I'm at seventh months already, and he still –"
"Human, inhuman, living, dead," Vincent shakes his head. "To Hojo, it doesn't matter."
"It should!" She insists. With a huff, her gaze fall. "How come I didn't notice that about him before?"
"You were distressed." Vincent sighs, tempted to reach out to her, but keeping his distance. "The mind can make excuses and rationalizations for many things when it wants to."
"Maybe." Sighing, Lucrecia wipes one more time at her eyes. "You know he doesn't want to name the child?" Vincent gives a nasty sneer at that. "He keeps calling him 'Project J'." Fuming, the woman shakes her head. "But that's fine. I'll just name him myself."
"Have you chosen a name yet?"
At that, her look brightens. She beams at her companion. "I have a few in mind," She begins, turning towards him slightly. "What do you think of…"
Sephiroth.
"Sephiroth, come on, let me drive!"
"Absolutely not."
Groaning, Vincent opens his eyes. The world is bright and overwhelming for a moment until the glare clears away. Then something moves in the way of the overhead lights, grinning at him.
"Vincent, you're alright!" Cloud beams at him, and at the sight Vincent can feel himself relaxing for the first time in days.
"Cloud, you –"He sits up. They're in a Shinra helicopter, and behind Cloud he can see a SOLDIER, a large feline creature, and –
"We relieved you of Shinra's custody." The helicopter's pilot, Sephiroth, shouts over the noise. "In a few short hours we should be in Nibelheim."
Relieved…? "Why?" Vincent asks, brow cocked. "You don't know me."
"He knows better than you think," Cloud says. "I talked to them. About his mom, and… you know," he shrugs, clearly nervous about mentioning the mansion. Then, leaning in, whispers, "I think he wants to see the lab himself."
That doesn't surprise Vincent. Sephiroth seems like a shrewd, intelligent man. So much like his mother. Flashes of memory come to him, impressions of the hours he spent as Chaos, and he sees – he sees Sephiroth's face. Not afraid, not angry, but…
"It's alright."
Vincent lays back down, settling in to wait. But he doesn't sleep; he thinks… and he remembers, and questions what those memories might mean.