Final Fantasy VII

Ghost Of A Diamond Rose

By Lucky_Ladybug

Notes: The characters from the franchise aren't mine. Any other characters and the story are mine! This takes place in my Twilight and Dawn verse. They're on Earth, Sephiroth is sane, and he and Cloud are very close. This calls back to the story The Diamond Rose Glassand one of the loose ends I deliberately left dangling.

Chapter One

Sephiroth had been quiet ever since the incident with Genesis. He always forced himself to be alert and involved in anything requiring his attention, but then he would go silent again and slip away by himself.

Cloud found him like that, sitting on the edge of his bed and staring off at the opposite window. "Hey," he said softly as he went in.

Sephiroth snapped to attention. "Has anything more been determined about Angeal?" he asked.

Cloud sighed and shook his head. "It's weird because it definitely looks like hypnosis from the video, but Shera hasn't had any success finding a post-hypnotic suggestion or any memory at all from Angeal about it, even when she puts him under hypnosis again."

Sephiroth sighed heavily. "I should go to him." He started to get up.

"Zack's with him right now," Cloud said. "Sephiroth . . ." He hesitated. "We're worried about you too."

"I know." Guilt flashed through Sephiroth's eyes. "I've tried to pull myself together, and for the most part I've succeeded, but . . ."

"Yeah." Cloud sat down next to him. ". . . I wonder if Genesis has ever even been grateful for how much you love him."

"I can't deny I've wondered as well," Sephiroth said. "If what he did really does eventually lead to our finding how to help Angeal, I suppose I'll have to feel that him hurting us was worth it. But part of me keeps wondering if everything really was an act or if he was using his real feelings to put on his show."

"Zack admitted that Genesis said he'd be curious to have a fight with you under friendly circumstances, nothing like a duel," Cloud said.

"Yes." Sephiroth nodded. "And then I wonder . . . if he ever approached me wanting that, would I be able to grant it to him? Or would it hurt too much to fight him, remembering what happened before when we fought?"

Cloud pondered that. "I think if you ever wanted to spar with me, I'd feel more okay with it now . . . but only because of how far we've come. I don't think I could've done it if you asked when we were still in trouble."

"That is a conclusion I've come to as well," Sephiroth said. "I feel like I would have to heal first. I need to be able to have a serious talk with Genesis, at least. But I don't know if he will ever grant me that chance. And I'm trying to school myself to feel alright with that . . . but I don't yet."

Cloud nodded. "It's okay if it takes you a long time," he said. "I know what that's like. Just know we're here for you all the way."

Sephiroth smiled. "And that is what's keeping me anchored," he promised, drawing an arm around Cloud. "If I were alone . . . or felt that I was . . . I might snap again. Or at least sink into despair." He hugged Cloud close. "But I never can as long as I know I am truly loved."

"Good." Cloud hugged him.

"I've been trying to get my mind on something else lately," Sephiroth admitted. "I wondered if there was any pattern to these fake Promised Lands—where they are and what's been found in them."

"Did you figure anything out?" Cloud asked.

"Unfortunately, not much," Sephiroth said. "There was the one in Montana, and then the ones the rest of you found when I wasn't here were in Idaho and Colorado. That could indicate a pattern of keeping them in the Western states, but it depends on where the ones are that Dalton found. He admitted he found a couple more. Of course, he didn't say where. I actually did try to research where he's been the last several weeks, but wherever it was, it doesn't appear to have been officially recorded anywhere."

"Great. Of course it wouldn't be that easy," Cloud said, rolling his eyes.

"The items found within them have ranged from weaponry to pieces of armor," Sephiroth continued. "If there's an entire set of armor, with the continuing pattern of only one piece per fake Promised Land, that alone could account for several more to be found. But the weapons could be numberless."

"I guess the pictographs don't help with telling how many are out there," Cloud grunted.

"I've been studying them more closely as well in the hopes of that," Sephiroth said. "If there's a code that tells the total number, I have yet to find it. Aerith has been examining them as well and also hasn't learned anything."

Cloud sighed. "What was really weird, and maybe doesn't mean anything, was that in the place we found in Idaho, the pictographs showed some glasses. Drinking glasses, you know? And there were pictures by them that looked like a diamond and a flower—a rose, I think."

Sephiroth started. "You didn't mention that," he said. "Did you take a picture of it?"

"Yeah." Cloud dug out his phone and went through the pictures until he found it. "Here." He held it up for Sephiroth to see.

Sephiroth stared at it, frowning deeply. "I can't figure out what those items have to do with anything, but isn't it curious it would seem to be exactly like what we dealt with in that bizarre mystery a while back?"

"Yeah, no kidding." Cloud frowned. "We actually went back out to that lodge in case there were any clues there, but we didn't find anything. And Linda and Dave are still looking for the actual glasses."

"It might be that there's no connection at all beyond the love of such glasses," Sephiroth mused. "Where did that man get the idea to craft something unusual like diamond rose glasses? Perhaps the person who commissioned him saw something like that owned by someone with a connection to the Ancients and wanted to own some himself."

Cloud started. "I never thought about that, but do you think there might be other Cetra here?!"

"It's possible," Sephiroth agreed. "For there to be so many fake Promised Lands, there must have been quite a few living here at one time. It's not a stretch at all to think that some of them might have decided to settle here instead of going back to Gaia. And if there wasn't any danger like Jenova here, they might have lived on and endured."

Maybe it wasn't a stretch, but it certainly sounded mind-blowing. Cloud slumped back. "Wow."

"I believe I will try to find out how the idea came about to craft those glasses." Sephiroth took out his own phone and searched for Linda's number.

Cloud sat by, waiting as Sephiroth located the number and called. When Linda answered, she sounded strange. "Hello, Mr. Sephiroth . . . or should I call you, Mr. Strife-Fair?"

"Either is fine," Sephiroth replied. "We were wondering how you're doing and if you've ever had success finding those diamond rose glasses."

"Well . . . I think maybe we should discuss those in person," Linda said. "We've been thinking we should talk with all of you, especially Ms. Gainsborough. Would you be free this evening?"

"Yes," Sephiroth said, exchanging a bewildered look with Cloud.

"Good. Dave and I'll come by. Maybe around 6?"

"That's fine," Sephiroth said. He hung up in bewilderment. "What on Earth . . ."

"Weird," Cloud remarked.

Sephiroth sighed and started to get up. "To want Aerith there, they must be aware of the Cetra connection with the glasses, or so it would seem," he said. "We'd better tell her to be ready."

"Yeah." Cloud followed after him.

Baffled and somewhat tense, most of the group waited for the visit that evening. Linda and Dave were prompt, arriving right at 6. Sephiroth opened the door to let them in and they entered, Linda carrying a thick folder under her arm.

"Good evening," Sephiroth said, his eyes flickering with wariness.

Linda nodded to him, looked for Aerith, and relaxed to see her. "We want to get right to the point," she said bluntly once the door was shut. "We of course know who all of you are by now. And we knew eventually there might come a day when you'd contact us to ask about the glasses. We decided we should really tell you first, but then you were . . . lost shortly after our decision and we weren't sure what to do."

"I see," Sephiroth said slowly.

"What about the glasses?" Aerith asked. "Were they inspired by something to do with the Cetra?"

"Well . . . that's where it gets more complicated," Dave spoke up. "The story we've told around about them isn't really accurate, but we didn't want to say the truth."

Linda nodded. "Great-Grandfather wasn't inspired by just any old glasses, and in fact, he didn't make the diamond rose glasses at all. They're a family heirloom, passed down through many generations. You see . . ." She looked right at Aerith. "We're Cetra."

Aerith gasped.

Sephiroth didn't look as surprised. "That was another option I'd considered," he admitted. "We learned about the Cetra connection because of seeing the glasses depicted on pictographs at a fake Promised Land. We're trying to stop a madman bent on power from finding the real Promised Land before we do. And . . ." He sighed, heavily. "I know how that must sound, coming from me. But I swear to you that I am not insane as I once was."

"We know that," Linda said. "We'd never consider telling you otherwise."

". . . So the glasses must be more than just pretty drinking things, aren't they?" Aerith said. "They wouldn't be on the pictographs for no reason."

"We were always told that the arrangement of the diamonds in the glasses makes a map when they're laid out a certain way," Linda said. "The map points the way to the real Promised Land."

"May I ask how such a valuable thing was lost?" Sephiroth asked after a moment of stunned silence. "I'm guessing the entirety of the story you told us before was false, including the glasses being with a collector."

"Well . . . not exactly," Linda sighed. "The collector stole the glasses from our family. Them being lost in a fire is true. And Great-Grandfather did think someone ran off with them in actuality, maybe a servant, or maybe the collector himself arranged the fire so the glasses could quietly disappear."

"So why couldn't you tell us that much before?" Zack wondered. "Why all that stuff about him making the glasses for a collector? Why couldn't you say that he made them for the family, if you wanted to keep up the story that he made them?"

"We didn't want anything at all to point to the glasses being more than just pretty things," Linda said. "We didn't want them connected with the family any more than they had to be . . . until we were sure we could trust you." She looked to Sephiroth, who sighed.

"I understand. And I'm assuming this happened many years ago and the collector is long dead?"

"Unless he faked it and is hiding out somewhere," Dave said. "But he'd be an old man by now. Really old. I think he was middle-aged when the glasses were stolen."

"Do you have his name and the servant's name?" Sephiroth asked. "We could start tracking both down and see if we could find a descendant. The madman we're trying to stop is Dalton. If he gets any wind of any of this, he will be trying the same thing."

"Dalton?" Linda looked surprised. "He didn't seem that dangerous before."

"Because he had amnesia!" Zack said. "But he's real dangerous! He's tried to kill us more than once, and he's just bent on finding the real Promised Land!"

"That's . . . disturbing." Dave frowned deeply.

Linda sighed. "Well, I've brought copies of everything I have, all the information that might help." She held it out to Sephiroth. "There's old newspaper clippings and other things all about the collector. The servant is mentioned in most of them. He was the man's valet and went everywhere with him."

Sephiroth nodded in thanks and opened the folder. ". . . Von Tassle," he mused. "I've heard of a collector by that name living in Germany."

"Really, Seph?!" Zack exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't know you followed that kind of news!"

"I only know about him because I remember he and Dalton were both attending some auction in town and bidding on expensive items," Sephiroth explained. "It was casually mentioned in the paper."

"Francis Von Tassle," Linda supplied. "We've talked to him. Of course, he denies that he still has the glasses, or that he ever did." She sighed.

"Of course he would," Sephiroth grunted. "Even if he was unaware of their true value, something with that many large diamonds would likely be priceless to a collector."

"So either he's lying or a servant really did run off with them," Cloud said. "Or they really were destroyed in a fire."

"Unlikely, but yes, the possibility has to be considered," Sephiroth said.

Aerith suddenly looked concerned. "Is there any chance this Von Tassle person doesknow their true value?" she wondered.

Zack groaned. "Then we'd have somebody else trying to get to the Promised Land too!" he cried. "It's bad enough trying to stop Dalton!"

"As far as we know, he's just an eccentric collector," Dave said. "And if he did find the real Promised Land, I'm sure we'd know it."

". . . So what happens if somebody really does find the Promised Land?" Zack worried.

"To be honest, even we're not sure," Linda said with a weak smile. "Some people think a wish will be granted, any wish at all. Others seem to think the mysteries of the universe will unfold. And others . . . well, they think a beautiful, peaceful place to live would be more than enough."

Sephiroth was still looking through the information. "The servant's name is unfamiliar," he said. "I'll have to run it through the supercomputer and see if it can turn up any relatives or descendants. And regardless, we'll have to start learning all we can about Francis Von Tassle."

"Everything we know is in the folder," Linda said. "I'm sure there are others who know more."

Sephiroth nodded. "We'll try to find people who have interacted with him who might know more." He paused. "Thank you for entrusting us with your secrets. We will do all we can to help with this."

Linda smiled a bit more. "I'm glad we decided you can be trusted."

"We are too," Aerith smiled back. "This might be just the break we need!"

As the two left, Sephiroth shut the door after them and sighed, leaning on the doorframe with one arm. "Angeal opted not to attend our meeting, afraid he might learn something he would reveal to Dalton," he remarked. "How sadly right he was to stay out of it."

Zack sighed heavily. "We really can't tell him anything, huh?"

"Not until we can break Dalton's hold on him," Sephiroth said. "It could be disastrous otherwise." He looked down at the folder. "I'm going to go see what the supercomputer can find on this valet. Let's hope it turns up more information than when we tried to find Genesis."

"Yeah," Zack said. "I just wish something in there could help Angeal too."

"There has to be a way to fix what was done," Sephiroth said. "We'll find it." He laid a hand on Zack's shoulder as he turned to head for the basement.

After Sephiroth had settled in the basement with the supercomputer, he heard one of the others come in and sit beside him. He looked over. It was Cloud.

"How is Aerith taking the news that she is no longer the last Cetra?" Sephiroth asked.

Cloud shrugged. "She seems pretty excited, I think. Probably has a lot she wants to ask Linda and Dave."

"Yes, I would imagine so," Sephiroth said. "I'm curious about it myself. It just hadn't seemed the right time to ask." He typed into the keyboard and leaned back, waiting as the supercomputer ran its searches throughout the world's databases for the servant's name and family tree.

"Never would've thought that case would end up being important for the saving of the world," Cloud remarked. "Maybe two worlds."

A smirk. "Who would." The results began to load and he started to scroll through them.

Cloud watched. "When did that whole thing go down, anyway?" he wondered. "The thing about the glasses being stolen, I mean."

"According to the folder, it was in the 1930s," Sephiroth replied.

"Wow." Cloud shook his head. "Almost a hundred years ago. Crazy."

Sephiroth suddenly went stiff. "What . . ."

Cloud started. "What is it?!"

Sephiroth pointed to the screen. "I just loaded the servant's family tree. Look who his daughter married."

Cloud looked, and his jaw dropped. "A Tuesti?!"

Sephiroth nodded. "As in Reeve. They might be his grandparents."

"But that's . . ." Cloud slumped back in disbelief. "How would they end up on Gaia if they're from here?"

"Someone in the family must have found a portal, if this isn't a colossal coincidence," Sephiroth grunted.

"That doesn't seem like a common name on either planet," Cloud said.

Sephiroth nodded. "I doubt it's a coincidence. I believe it's time I take us for a visit to Gaia. And wouldn't it be ironic if Reeve has the glasses? Imagine, all that time Shinra spent looking for the Promised Land . . . and one of their own held the secret all along."

Cloud snorted. "That'd be pretty ironic, alright."

Sephiroth printed out the family tree and got up. "Let's gather everyone who's coming and prepare to go."

"Tonight?" Cloud blinked.

Sephiroth paused. "We could prepare tonight and go tomorrow," he amended. "I don't know how long we'll be there. I hope not long, but we should probably pack for several days to be safe."

". . . What about Angeal?" Cloud asked. "What'll you tell him?"

Sephiroth heaved a sigh. "Obviously he can't come with us. Not when we don't know yet how to break Dalton's hold on him. He would be the first to agree."

"Yeah. But . . . what'll you tell him?" Cloud wondered.

"I'll say we have a lead and ask him to hold down the fort here," Sephiroth said. "Tifa might want to stay behind with the children as well."

Cloud nodded. "We probably shouldn't take them," he agreed, "and Angeal shouldn't be left alone with them." He followed Sephiroth to the stairs. "So it'll be you, me, Zack, and Aerith. Are we calling Linda about this?"

"We don't know yet if it's a dead end," Sephiroth said. "But it's her property. Yes, we should call her."

Cloud nodded. That was about what he expected from Sephiroth. "Should we take anyone else?"

"Cait Sith should come. He might want to stay with Reeve. And we could take Yuffie to see her father, if she can be ready to leave by tomorrow," Sephiroth said. "Vincent was heavily involved in the Diamond Rose Glass mess, so he might want to go. His schedule might not allow it."

"I'll call and ask," Cloud said. "I know Barret would be interested, but he's so busy all the time wanting to work to get money for Marlene's future."

Sephiroth nodded. The first times Barret had come around to the house had been very awkward. But he recognized Sephiroth was safe to be around or he never would have allowed Marlene to stay on with Tifa and Cloud. Recently when he had come by, he had been glad to see that Sephiroth was alright after believing him lost in the void.

"I suppose when the Promised Land was so central to Shinra's plans and ended up involving all of AVALANCHE, all of them might want to come," Sephiroth realized. "But I'd rather we didn't have too big a crowd right now. If Reeve does have the glasses, this might only take a short visit to him."

"If he has them, do you think he knows what they really are?" Cloud wondered.

"Probably not," Sephiroth said. "Unless he was trying to hide them from Shinra, knowing they shouldn't find the real Promised Land either."

"He could've done that, I guess," Cloud said.

Sephiroth stopped walking at the stairs and looked over at his friend. "Cloud . . . are you . . . ready to see Gaia again?" He sounded hesitant, concerned. Would it bring back too many painful memories for them to be there together? Or would it be a source of healing and love, knowing they were in a better place now?

Cloud stopped too. ". . . I hope so," he said. "I want to do this. I know we need to do this." He placed his hand on the banister. "What if we do find the glasses, though? Do we just hand them over to Linda and figure they'll be safe from Dalton there?"

"That's a good question," Sephiroth said. "Are they the only map to the real Promised Land? What if Dalton finds an alternate route? We have to know the land will be safe." He sighed and shook his head. "We'll decide what to do if we find them."

"Fair enough," Cloud said.

They started up the stairs together.