*Chapter 1: Traumas*
14-year-old Sephiroth never felt guilty. A month ago, he killed Rosen, the last Rhadoran on that island to save Glenn and his team. Now Glenn hates Sephiroth for it. He believes the silver haired teen didn't even talk to Rosen into leaving the island and just murdered him. If only Sephiroth could tell Glenn it was a mercy kill, and Rosen never wanted to be the last Rhadoran. Rosen had a good heart. Sephiroth didn't want to kill the kid, but he had no other choice. It's either Glenn and his team, or Rosen. Sephiroth can't save everyone. But one day, he will save everyone. He won't have to pick. What upset the teen the most is that he lost the necklace with his mother's photo in the locket. He blamed himself for losing something precious to him. Until that day when Sonia and Cyrus arrived on the island for a visit, Cyrus found the necklace and gave it back to Sephiroth when he returned to Midgar. But Sephiroth decided to let Cyrus keep it.
The teen walked down the hallway to get to training, but he saw Hojo and Sonia arguing. Hojo's sleeves are burned, and his hands are red. What happened to him? Another experiment gone wrong perhaps.
"You can't keep doing this to her! She's just a child! She's only 8! For two years, you've been treating her and Sephiroth horribly! They're just kids!" Sonia argued.
"They need to learn discipline! And Cyrus dared to raise a hand to me!" Hojo said.
"You deserved it!" Sonia told him with a sneer. "She could've done worse if you keep this up! Hell, she could even burn this building down and kill us all." Hojo turned away from her. Sephiroth hid behind the wall as he overheard this. Hojo must be treating like Cyrus like a guinea pig. That was foolish of him to do so. Cyrus could kill anyone with her Phoenix powers. She was learning to keep them under control, but if anyone presses her buttons, they will get burnt.
Cyrus was locked in some sort of storage room where piles of boxes and crates were stacked in one corner. There are books and crayons, a little coffee table in the center of the room, and a bed against the wall. The girl hits the locked door with her fist.
"Let me out! I don't like it in here!" She yelled. She hears a beep sound and she backed away from the door. Coming in was Sephiroth and Hojo. "Sephiroth...?"
"What is she doing here?" Sephiroth asked, turning to Hojo.
"You need to teach your sister some manners! She refuses to obey orders!" Hojo said.
"What do you expect me to do? How long are we going to be in here?" Sephiroth asked.
"When I see some changes. You will be used as instructed." Hojo walked out of the door and shut it, locking the kids in the room. Cyrus sat on the floor on the other side of the coffee table. Sephiroth sighed and turned to his little sister. He looked around the room. It's a decent size for the both of them. The sofa is on the other side of the room. Next to it was a door to the bathroom.
"I heard you attacked Hojo." Sephiroth said, crossing his arms. Cyrus lowered her head. "Not gonna lie. I found it amusing."
"I don't like Hojo." Cyrus told him.
"I know. But you can't use your powers on anyone. There will be consequences." Sephiroth replied. Cyrus didn't say anything. She picked up the crayons and started to draw something on the sheet of paper. Sephiroth walked pass her and rest on the sofa. He really doesn't know what to do with Cyrus here. Is he here to learn how to discipline her? He can't hit her like Hojo did to him. Scolding is one thing. The teen looked over at Cyrus and noticed some bruises on her arm.
"What happened there?" Sephiroth asked, sitting up.
"...Nothing." Cyrus replied. The teenage boy won't take that as an answer. He came down and gently took her arm to examine it. Cyrus pulled away from him. "No!"
"Cyrus."
"Leave me alone!" Cyrus said, moving away from him. She climbed on the bed and had her back on him. Sephiroth blinked. He looked up at the camera, knowing that Hojo could be watching them. Sephiroth turned away and returned to the sofa.
It was past curfew on base, and the kids felt tired. If only Sephiroth knew what time it is since there is no clock in here and he didn't bring his phone. Cyrus is coloring something on paper. It looked like a black bird. Sephiroth peeked over to see the drawing. To him it looked like a black chocobo. But there are black and purple flames in the background.
"Looks good." He spoke. "Is that a chocobo?" Cyrus shook her head in response. "Well, what is it? Just a bird? A crow?"
"A Phoenix." Cyrus told him.
"But...Phoenixes aren't black." Sephiroth said.
"I dreamt of one." Cyrus said. "It's a Dark Phoenix." Sephiroth is silent for a moment. A Dark Phoenix. There's never one out there. Like Cyrus told him, she only dreamt of one.
"You need sleep." Sephiroth said.
"I'm not tired." Cyrus responded, not looking at him. Sephiroth sat up on the sofa.
"Bed. Now." He snapped his fingers and pointed at the bed. Cyrus looked at him. She put the black crayon down and walked over to the bed. Sephiroth followed her and pulled the sheets to help her settle in. He must at least try to be nice to her and try to be a good responsible brother. He isn't gonna be like Hojo. Cyrus is settled in bed, looking up at her brother with her aqua eyes.
"Are we going to leave here tomorrow?" Cyrus asked hopefully.
"I'm not sure. But I'm here with you. Just try to behave yourself. It's what Hojo wants from you." Sephiroth said. Cyrus made a look and turned to the side. "See you in the morning." Sephiroth said, returning to the couch. He took off his shoulder armor and boots. He let out a groan. "Cyrus. We forgot to brush our teeth."
"Hojo brought spare toothbrushes." Cyrus said, getting out of bed. They both walked in the bathroom to brush their teeth.
XX
Hojo couldn't help but to find it amusing as he watched the screen. He couldn't hear the kids, but only see what was going on. He couldn't tell if Sephiroth was trying to teach Cyrus a thing or two. Cyrus was coloring while Sephiroth was doing sit ups on the sofa earlier tonight. Maybe tomorrow will be better. Hojo plans on taking some of Cyrus's DNA for testing. That won't be an easy task.
"A little convincing from her brother would help." Hojo said to himself as he took out a long needle. "The boy wouldn't dare defy me."
The next morning arrived. Cyrus is flipping through the pages of the book she couldn't understand while Sephiroth is taking a shower. Her stomach is growling, she placed her hand over it. Sephiroth came out of the bathroom, all dressed up and his hair is almost dry. The door opened to reveal a man with a tray with two bowels on it.
"Breakfast." He spoke, placing the tray down on the coffee table.
"Wait!" Sephiroth called to the man. "How long are we going to be in here?"
"Until Hojo says otherwise." The man replied before hurrying out, locking the kids in. Cyrus looked down at the bowl and made a face. It's rice porridge. She hated this stuff. Sephiroth wouldn't blame her. The food came out of the can and it's tasteless. If only Sonia was here to give them the good food. Sephiroth picked up his bowl and sat on the sofa, picking up the spoon to take a bite out of the porridge. He groaned in disgust at the tasteless flavor. Cyrus kept dragging her spoon through the porridge.
"Stop playing with it." Sephiroth said.
"I don't like it."
"Neither do I, but you need to eat. I can't let you starve." Cyrus pouted for a moment before picking up her spoon and put it in her mouth. She slowly took a few bites. The two ate quietly. Cyrus pushed the bowl away and walked over to the books. A silver necklace fell out of her pocket. "You dropped something." Sephiroth spoke. Cyrus picked up the locket. "I see you've been taking care of it."
"You can always have it back." Cyrus said.
"I trust you can take care of it for me. It's the only thing we have of mother." Sephiroth said, placing his empty bowl on the table.
"Are you sure you don't know anything about her?" Cyrus asked, sitting next to her brother, opening the locket. Sephiroth wished he knew, but Hojo refuses to tell him about their mother. Only her name is Jenova. She died shortly after Sephiroth is born.
"No. Just...her name." Sephiroth replied. Cyrus closed the locket and put the necklace around her neck, tucking the locket under her pink shirt.
"What do we do now?" Cyrus asked.
"No clue." Sephiroth replied.
"Um...maybe we play a game?"
"I don't play games."
XX
They don't know how much longer they'd be staying in this storage room. Sephiroth is so bored. He should be training or go out on a mission or something. Cyrus has been behaving well, but she would be acting feisty if Hojo comes in. Cyrus whimpered a bit as her bruised arm is hurting, she rubs it gently. Sephiroth had to know what happened to her. He could take a wild guess of who was responsible for it.
"Cyrus, you know you can talk to me." Sephiroth told her. Cyrus looked at him, then at the camera. Sephiroth followed her eyes, then look back at her. "Did Hojo hurt you?" He asked. Cyrus didn't say a word but nodded. "Is it because you burned his arms?"
"He...he was hurting me. He said if I tell anyone, someone will get hurt too." Cyrus spoke. "Hojo might hurt you or Sonia, or anyone." Sephiroth made a look.
"Hojo lies sometimes. He is saying that just to scare you." He took her hand. "If he comes in, I'll protect you from him. He shouldn't be treating you like this. He'll have to go through me." Cyrus got close to Sephiroth and wrap her arms around him. The teen hugged her back. "Next time...you talk to me or Sonia. We'll help you." The door opened, causing the kids to pull away to see a man in a lab coat.
"Come on, Cyrus. The professor needs to see you." The man said, taking his hand out. Cyrus went behind Sephiroth.
"What does Hojo need her for?" Sephiroth asked.
"Just a little checkup." The man replied.
"No! No more shots!" Cyrus yelled, gripping onto Sephiroth's leather coat. The man frowned a bit. Sephiroth thought about going with Cyrus on this "checkup". He couldn't trust Hojo alone with her.
"May I come along with her? She's...very scared." Sephiroth asked the man.
"I...I'm not sure if you can-"
"She'll behave better if I'm with her." Sephiroth told him. "It's what Hojo wanted to see." The man scratched the back of his head, thinking it over. He told Sephiroth he can come along as long as he doesn't get in the way. Sephiroth turned to his little sister. "You hear that? I can go with you. Come on." He took her hand to walk out of the storage room.
Hojo is in the room, looking through the drawers of different kinds of tools. Tools more menacing than weapons lay on trays with latex gloves, machinery designed for dissection were pointed at two reclining black leather chairs with restraints on the arms and legs.
"Professor." The man called as he walked in with Sephiroth and Cyrus. The teen gave the madman a sneer.
"Hmm. I see you decided to join us." Hojo said with a smirk. Cyrus hides behind Sephiroth. "Come here now."
"What are you planning to do?" Sephiroth asked.
"That is none of your concern. Now, bring the girl over to me." Hojo said. Cyrus didn't move. Sephiroth held her hand in a firm grip, letting her know that he will be here to protect her. He slowly guides Cyrus out front. Hojo brought out a needle. "Just need a blood sample." He said, getting close to Cyrus. He grabbed her bruised arm, causing her to yelp and squirm.
"You're hurting her!" Sephiroth yelled, pulling Cyrus away.
"If you are here to keep the experiment still, then do it! I never ask you to be here." Hojo said. "Give me the girl."
"You only want her blood?" Sephiroth asked.
"For testing. Nothing more."
"Then...allow me." Sephiroth brought his hand out for the needle. Hojo was hesitant at first but gave the teen the needle. Sephiroth turned to Cyrus, holding her arm up. "Stay calm. This will only hurt a bit." He told her. He brough the needle to her arm, pricking the skin. Cyrus whimpered a bit, shutting her eyes. Her blood is seen in the needle. Sephiroth pulled the needle away and showed it to Hojo.
"Hmph. She didn't even try to fight back with you." Hojo said, taking the needle out of Sephiroth's hand.
"Maybe it's because I never lay hand on her." Sephiroth said. Hojo stiffens a little. "If you harm her in any way, you're going to pay for it." Hojo turned to Sephiroth with the look.
"Are you threatening me, boy?"
"Maybe I am."
"You disobedient child!" Hojo stood up and ready to strike him, but a click of a gun is heard. Hojo's eyes widen behind his glasses. The man moved out of the way as Sonia walked in with her gun. Sephiroth and Cyrus moved out of the way.
"Don't touch them." Sonia said in a low tone. "You two. Go." Sephiroth dragged Cyrus out of the room. Hojo glared at the woman.
"You dare raise a gun at me? And you are not in charge of giving them orders." He said.
"It's my job to look after them, isn't it? I raise them better than you have." Sonia replied. "I treat them like human beings. Not weapons."
"They need to learn obedience! Cyrus is the problem! And Sephiroth hasn't even trying to teach her a thing or two!"
"Abuse is not the way to teach children to learn manners or how to fight. Cyrus is learning how to control her powers. If you continue to push her buttons, Cyrus will become worse." Sonia said. Hojo puts the needle of Cyrus's blood down on the table and took out another needle with blue liquid. He smirked to himself.
"You are absolutely right, Sonia. Cyrus has...much to learn." He spoke.
Cyrus had some bandages around her bruised arm and a band aid over the tiny hole where the needle pricked her skin. Sephiroth brought her to the doctor's office to get her arm checked, and thankfully there is nothing else wrong. Hojo shouldn't be treating Cyrus like this. Sephiroth is wondering what Sonia is saying to that madman now. She's probably scolding him and threatening him. He couldn't help but to chuckle at the dark thought of Sonia shooting Hojo in the head. If only...
"Sephiroth?" Cyrus's voice called to him. "Are we going back to that room? Because I don't want to."
"I...I'm not sure. But I'll stay with you in case anything happens. How is your arm?"
"Hurts a little. But I'm okay." Cyrus replied. "Thank you." Sephiroth gave her a small smile. "Are you really going to protect me from Hojo?"
"I will. I promise." Sephiroth told her. "But remember what I told you. Just come to me or Sonia if Hojo has done something." Cyrus nodded at him. She held her stomach as it began to growl. "I suppose you're hungry. It is lunchtime after all." Sephiroth said. "Let's eat the good food. Not the rice porridge."
XX
"Hey Sephiroth! Where you been?" Angeal's voice called in the cafeteria. He is one of the trained SOLDEIRS. He is a year older than Sephiroth. Angeal noticed Cyrus with him. "Oh, you brought your little sister?"
"Long story. But I hope you don't mind. Hojo is the problem." Sephiroth told Angeal as he sat down with the tray of food. Cyrus sat next to him, setting her tray down.
"Oh..." Angeal started to figure it out by looking at the bandages on Cyrus's arm.
"Cyrus, say hello." Sephiroth told her. Cyrus looked at Angeal.
"Hi."
"Hey kid." Angeal smiled. Cyrus quietly ate her food. Two teenage boys talked while they ate. Sephiroth never thought he could be glad to eat the good food and talked to one of his friends again. Still, he isn't sure if he and Cyrus should go back to the storage room or not. Hojo's orders were to teach Cyrus how to obey him. It won't be easy. Cyrus only obeys her brother and Sonia. Sephiroth still can't blame Cyrus for not listening to Hojo at all. He couldn't be trusted.
XX
"Get what you need. I'll take you back to your room. I've got training to do." Sephiroth told his sister as they returned to the storage room. Cyrus picked up her drawings and crayons. But coming in the room is Hojo. Cyrus gasped.
"What do you want of us now?" Sephiroth asked, giving the man a glare.
"I'm here for the girl." Hojo brought out the needle with blue liquid inside. Cyrus's eyes widen. She dropped her drawings and backed away. "Come here."
"No! Go away!" Cyrus yelled, backing up against the wall. Sephiroth got in front of Hojo.
"Move, boy!"
"No!"
"Get out of the way!" Sephiroth withdrew his sword and pointed it at Hojo, gritting his teeth. "Oh, this will not do." Hojo hissed. "I have to adjust your manner!" He grabbed Sephiroth by the hair, pulling him aside. Sephiroth grunted, and his sword slashed Hojo's coat. Cyrus's eyes turn yellow and had flames in her hands. Sephiroth's eyes went wide. Cyrus is going to attack Hojo!
"Now, now, my dear. Just stay calm and the pain will pass." Hojo snickered as he brought up the needle. Sephiroth got up and grabbed Hojo by the coat and punched him in the jaw, knocking him down. Sephiroth gritted his teeth as he got a grip on the man's coat, bringing his fist back. Cyrus is shocked to see this. Hojo glared up at the teen. "How dare you!"
"Leave my sister alone." Sephiroth warned him. "You wanted a strong SOLDIER. You got one. If you ever touch Cyrus again, I'll end you!" He threw Hojo back against the wall. He dragged Cyrus out of the storage room, collecting her drawings. Hojo held his jaw, groaning a bit. If Sephiroth hit harder, it'd be broken. He was holding back. Not he won't be the next time.
Cyrus is back in her room. Her safe haven. Sephiroth stood by the doorway, making sure she had everything she needs. Sonia will be checking on her soon. Cyrus placed her drawings and crayons on her desk where her Moogle toy sat.
"Hojo won't bother you anymore." Sephiroth said.
"But...he hurt you too. What if he comes in here?" Cyrus asked.
"He won't. Trust me. Sonia will be checking on you soon. I have to continue my training. Angeal's waiting." Sephiroth told her. "I'll come back after." He left the room and shut the door behind him. He walked down the hallway to get to the elevator. All that trauma and abuse they both went through at a young age. The only person who treats them with kindness is Sonia. She is more like a parent to them. A mother figure. She's protected them from Hojo earlier. Now Sephiroth will do the same with Cyrus. Sephiroth placed his hand over his heart.
"Did you see, mother? I'm protecting Cyrus."
*Author's Note: I'm aware of the scene where the necklace popped up out of nowhere in Ever Crisis in First Soldier, but honestly, I wanted to change it. Cyrus found it instead. So, she is holding onto the locket. Remember, this is just a fanfic with my OC with minor changes.*