Queen of the Nibelheim Incident

Hi! I'm Holly! Welcome to my blog for storing fanfictions! I try to reply to comments with my main blog (@holly-sephiroth). My Master list is pinned!

[holly-fixation]

Master List

*Link to AO3 - Please use the ao3 link if tumblr links are not working. Especially on Mobile.

Stories:

Ink Clouds - 25+1/25 Chapters

Tainted Child - 13/13 Chapters

Damaged Doll - 16/? Chapters

An Astral Myth - 7/? Chapters

Angelic Aid - 7/? Chapters

Inked SOLDIERs - Ch 1, Ch 2 (Abandoned)

Three... Guards? - 19/? Chapters

Ink Stained Cloud - 4/? Chapters (An Ink Clouds Remaster)

An Instinct to Protect - 3+1 Chapters

Silver Turncoat - 7/? Chapters

Fallen Silver - 5/5 Chapters

Seraphic and Sinister - 29/? Chapters

.

One Shots:

One Winged Feathers are EVERYWHERE - Part 1, Part 2

Another Part to Hurt, Another Special Trait

Until It's Useful..., Until I'm Ready...

One White Wing

The Song of Despair

A Divine Plan - Part 1, Part 2

The Perfect Voice

Like Words on a Page

Another Thing to Hide

Zero Lives Remaining

What Makes A Mother?

Since the Beginning - Part 1, Part 2, Transition (Part 1.5)

Just Once

The Last Straw

Listen to the Cries of the Planet

Perfect Timing

Sprouting

When the Planets Align

The Remnant Remains - Part 1, Part 2

An Unknown Reunion

Suffering Seraphim

A Duty to Perform

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Songs on soundcloud

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Look at my #requests tag for information about them! (Rules, type, type of work you want in return, etc).

[holly-fixation]

Did anyone notice it's harder to type a post on Tumblr through the phone app?

Every time I start a new line, it brings me back to the top of the post. It's very difficult to keep a story straight as a result.

[holly-fixation]

Since Ever Crisis is shutting down, here's the tier list I made back at launch

[prismaticpichu]

Hey, you! Wonderful author! 🫵❤️

What’s your favorite line/passage from one of your fics or original writings??? (This can be for its prose, dynamics, humor, angst, catharsis—no wrong reasons whatsoever!)

If you’re comfy doing so, plz feel free to share those beautiful words! I’d be honored to see some delicious writing bits!) 🐁💖

[holly-fixation]

I still like the way this sentence came out:

The books of stars suffered with well loved, creased spines while the battle texts were nearly perfect in their abandonment.

[rocket-sith]

Reblog if you write fic and people can inbox you random-ass questions about your stories, itemized number lists be damned.

[rottenpumpkin13]

A new transform materia has entered the SOLDIER floor, one of Hojo's newest excitements. Everyone is super curious as to what it turns people into, but it doesn't work on anyone.

Except Sephiroth, apparently. Because it turns him and only him into a merman/siren.

Bathtub jail until the effect wears off

[holly-fixation]

Zack Fair may be the most friendly puppy like character of FF7, but I'm pretty sure if anyone hugs him, they will have their arms and hands stabbed by his significantly long and spikey hair

[holly-fixation]

Chapter 29: To Pry Apart Protection

For the first time in either lifetime, two specimens remained together in defiant obedience under the threat of destroying one forever. The small bench barely provided enough length to allow both to sit beneath the constant observation.

“So. About this precious promised land of yours…” Hojo purred his latest question, meeting the Ancient’s gaze. 

Chapter 29

The low hum of fluorescent lights and central air lulled through the dim laboratory of the Shinra Building. Digital monitors waited at every work station, every specimen considered valuable and unique. The ever present blue glow forced creatures awake and delirious, trapping all who entered under a timeless ceiling with no sun or moon. 

Just as a test tube held solutions to be assessed, the glass tanks allowed observation from every angle. The clarity refused the lone creature inside any shield from prying eyes and harsh voices. 

For the first time in either lifetime, two specimens remained together in defiant obedience under the threat of destroying one forever. The small bench barely provided enough length to allow both to sit beneath the constant observation.

Virus. Danger. Death. 

Aerith felt every warning from the Planet, but the little girl at her side showed vulnerability and the ability to protect her. The child was exactly that: a child. A child that knew her first love. 

She ignored every call from the Planet with that simple fact. 

The unarmed scientist pacing in front of their cage never left her sight. She could barely see the child’s locked on expression as the two prepared for the scientist’s attack. 

“So. About this precious promised land of yours…” Hojo purred his latest question, meeting the Ancient’s gaze. 

Aerith tensed but hardened. 

“Come now, Aerith. You misunderstand my intentions.” He acted hurt, a hand on his chest. “I wish only to satisfy their material greed so I can be left to pursue my great work.” He held out his obsessive arms like a welcoming friend. “Our great work, my dear.”

Her eye squinted, but her body did not move. 

“Hmm. You're the spitting image of her now.” 

Her mother’s face came to mind. She didn’t know if the words were true. 

Hojo turned away, somewhat mournful. “I regret it to this day. If she had only trusted me instead of trying to run, it could have played out quite differently.”

Differently meaning losing her own freedom, not a happy ending. 

“What a terrible tragedy, to lose the last of the pure-blooded Ancients…” the damaged remorse did nothing to soothe the woman’s anger. 

Something touched her hand. Something cold but soft. She deliberately ignored it. 

“...though not completely. Would you like to see your mother?”

She couldn’t stop the childlike hope from bubbling in her heart. 

“Albeit, through the lens of one of my microscopes.”

You monster. 

“Did you really think we'd leave such a precious specimen to rot in the gutter? We collected and catalogued every last bit of her.” He reached as if plucking each last sample from the air. “Hair, skin, organs, every fragment of every bone... As breathtaking in death as in life! As you, my dear!” 

She felt contact again, comforting and asking. This time, she grabbed it. 

It was the virus’s hand, and it returned her grip with a kind, firm one, the cold hand the only warm given in this entire corporate tower.. 

“Ifalna was elegance, right down to her cellular structure.” His eyes met hers, and he smirked at her strength. “And there it is. That same elegance.” Hojo’s stare and fawning lasted through his final chuckle. 

Aerith counted ten seconds before the scientist’s gaze snapped to the other prisoner. 

“Speaking of ‘elegance’,” He mocked, and Aerith felt the girl attempt to hide her flinching through her palm. “You’re looking quite well compared to your time in the Midgar Badlands. Tell me, how did you convince the entire army you were dead?”

Aerith saw the girl’s movement out of the corner of her eye, the twitch of brows and the slightest tilt of her head. 

“Even the recording showed someone different. Did you switch places with a cadaver? And a fresh one at that? Did you use someone as a shield for your own protection? I’d be so proud of you.” His slimy grin returned, waiting like a venus fly trap for the simplest mistake. 

The child’s head shook left and right, the answer a hesitant, silent, terrified ‘no’. 

Hojo’s head tilted curiously. “You really don’t know?”

Her fists tightened and her posture raised, a front, a glass mask revealed in her touch. 

“Let’s show the Ancient what you’re truly capable of,” The grin returned to his face as a wave of his hand brought a round flying drone to his side. He turned, typing on projected keyboards and swiping through projected screens. 

For a single second, Aerith broke her death stare of defense from Hojo to truly confirm the virus’s reaction. 

Sera stared back at her with genuine confusion and a small shake of cosmic hair. Both of their gazes returned to their proper target before it noticed their shift. 

“Aha,” Hojo exclaimed as the hologram grew larger. “There we are.”

The large play button in the center faded out of view, and the footage showed the barren landscape with the crowing jewel of Midgar. The bottom corners revealed two arms with red armor and a gray uniform. The bottom center showed a rifle. 

A Shinra security officer. 

The unsteady movement of the camera despite the controlled stance moved toward someone on the floor in a crimson puzzle, the first trickle of rain drops splashing against the red leak barely visible through the quality of the video. A standard cadet and officer looked over the body in black baggy clothing, a massive wide blade fallen at his side. 

Aerith’s brows knotted in both confusion and denial at the single recognition. A First Class SOLDIER, killed by the company considering the nod from the other officer and cadet. 

“Target neutralized.” The camera turned, revealing hundreds of Shinra troops, possibly the entire army standing against that single SOLDIER. “The others can’t be far. Find them!”

The SOLDIER had black hair and a massive blade both weapon and shield at the body’s side. 

Aerith gasped. 

Zack. 

That was her boyfriend, the man she loved, on the ground, not moving. 

This was the moment he died. It had to be. 

She couldn’t let Hojo break her. She had to calm her breath. Her hand tightened around the child’s. Shaking. The virus was still, but the hand in hers was shaking.

“Over here!” 

Aerith’s attention was pulled back to the display. 

“This must be them!”

The officer followed the voice, and the cadet gestured behind the large rock formation with a small mumble of ‘sir’.

The camera curled around the rock and two new bodies came into view, a blond man and a dirty brunette child. In the visor, a wanted poster appeared on the left of the screen. 

Wanted: Alive. Seraphina ‘Silver Joy’. Reward: 500,000 Gil. 

The lighting, the angle, the forced blank expression. It wasn’t a mug shot, technically speaking. The picture was a perfect examination photo. Aerith had been in her own when she was young in this horrible place.

Approaching the two bodies, the officer wedged his foot under the kid’s left torso and flipped her over. The back landed with a soft thunk on the hard ground as the officer stared straight down at the face. 

It wasn’t Sera. It wasn’t alive either. The hair was a natural brown down to the very roots. The face was the wrong shape. The nose was longer. The skin was a shade darker than a tan could produce naturally. The dead eyes that stared back were a common brown, not an inhuman slit. 

The officer looked up, but the cadet shook his head. The blond with shoulder length hair was dead too, not even worth inspection by the officer. 

“The traitor picked up new strays,” the man spat in disgust. The camera turned to the army. “Return to HQ! And find our last visual on the escaped specimen! We need locations and time stamps ASAP!” 

“Sir, Yes, Sir!”

As the video retreated to the nearest helicopter, the visual went black, and the projector closed its light. 

Aerith checked on the child for the first time since she saw Zack. 

The virus sat with terrified bated breath and bewildered brows. 

“You didn’t know?” Hojo’s voice rang like an execution bell. 

The girl took a quick inhale and hardened against the scientist, but the shiver of muscles tensing beyond control gave every answer he needed. 

“Fascinating…” He chuckled excitedly, ecstatically. “Absolutely fascinating!”

Beep beep beep beep. 

Aerith couldn’t tell where the noise was coming from. All she knew was it came from outside their tank. 

The girl at her side jumped up and readied a curled palm at her hip, a quiet reminder of the singing blade always at the ready.

“Oh. Yes.” He rolled his eyes, utter disappointment in his tar filled posture, “Time for yet another meeting.” He leaned against the glass one final time, staring at both and neither inside. “Sit tight. I won't be long.” The demon in white walked away, a casual stroll out of his intricately designed hell. 

Aerith gasped with a sob the moment the doors closed, turned away in a desperate attempt to keep it together. This place. Her mother. Her love. It was all too much as another cry left her lips. 

Danger! Virus! Calculating! Killer! 

The renewed warnings crashed into her like a tidal wave and forced her to survey the child. 

The girl stared where the hologram once was with arhythmic blinks and stunned pants, gripping her own left side. “I don’t understand…” She kept searching as if the room hid her answer. “That’s not- How did-”

Aerith tried to stay strong and offered a hand. If the only good this virus did was stand by her against Hojo, so be it. She would return it in kind. 

“I didn’t- but that did- I-” The girl hunched forward, intangible agony shimmering in mako eyes as she grabbed her own shimmering hair. “If that was real,  why didn’t it save him too…?”

Liar. Selfish. Murderer. Destroyer. 

No. Aerith was the selfish one if she let the child suffer alone. The Planet feared something, but it couldn’t be this child. “Sera…?” She called softly, a hesitant ask. 

The child winced then tightened to steel herself before sitting close on the bench. The edge of the child’s arm pressed against hers delicately. The cold soldier returned. “Forgive me. I… It will pass.”

Aerith gave a small nod to the girl that refused to look at her. “We’ll talk when it’s safe, okay?” 

Sera nodded too, an immediate sadness revealed in her eyes. “...Okay.” 

* * * 

Standard Physical Readiness Training tests were required in SOLDIER. Depending on your rank, age, weight, and gender, a specific number of sets or lengths were assigned to complete by your PRT date. Cloud had completed hundreds, maybe even thousands of squats in his enlistment at SOLDIER. The burning sensation in his thighs and calves were an old friend to him. 

Yet nothing- no mission, no training, no battle- prepared him for the searing soreness of fifty nine flights of stairs. Sitting for an hour sounded wonderful. Barret wanted to lay out like a starfish and stay there for a day. Tifa mocked them a bit for their continued exhaustion, consistently two stories above the rest of their team. 

The lack of battles was both a gift and a problem. With no adrenaline, they had no choice but to suffer in the consequences of their own avoidance. The presentation exhibit, cubicle separated offices, libraries, none of Shinra’s spectacles distracted from the extreme soreness in their legs. 

But they were here on a rescue mission. The longer they took and the more attention they drew to themselves led to extended torture of their hostages and tighter security, which wouldn’t be an issue if they knew where to find them. 

Their small group received help from AVALANCHE inside the highest reaches of the tower. Even the Mayor of Midgar wanted to see Shinra suffer for the injustices of the people and the Planet. Given access to the sixty fourth floor and every escalator higher, they searched for a way into- and the location of- the lab. 

At the sight of the professor in the lab coat, the icy anger that washed through Cloud forced Barret and Tifa to physically hold him back by his arms. 

He didn’t even reached his sword when they reacted. 

“If we take him out now, how long will we have to find them? Even if we find the lab, do you know how big it is? What then?” Barret questioned, and Cloud snapped out of the bloodlust. 

“We need to follow him.”

With their luck, they watched the scientist enter an intricately designed meeting room with the president of the company at the head. Not a sound traveled through the doors or walls, and even if they did, stalking the meeting from the halls was bound to draw attention. 

A rumor passed them which mentioned voices overheard in the men’s bathroom. What were the chances they could hear what they needed to know?

Upon quick inspection, the rumors were true, but the only way to identify the executive meeting was to get closer. 

“You two go on ahead,” Barret mumbled, gesturing to the ceiling vent then to his own broad body. “I’ll keep watch. Fill me in after.” 

Tifa exchanged a small shrug with Cloud’s nod. They scaled the stalls and popped the vent to the entrance. 

Crammed and careful, Tifa took the lead and it took Cloud too much of his power to maintain focus on their mission and not the sight of her in front of him. The gaps between words from the meetings below filled with thoughts he wasn’t ready to share. 

Thankfully, they heard a voice they both recognized: the president of Shinra. Through the slits of the vent, they saw the massive mahogany table with every executive Cloud knew on site. 

“With the Ancient and the SOLDIER in our custody, Reeve, you should be focusing on the Neo Midgar project. Not this worthless reconstruction plan,” came the president’s absent tone. 

“But Mister President,” the man named Reeve apparently tried to care, “the people of the city need to recover! For man, relocating is not an option!”

“Well, it won’t be an option when we build all our new reactors on site,” A woman in red explained cruelly. Scarlet, if Cloud remembered correctly. “Why keep the old ones running at a loss when we can enjoy infinite mako energy from the perfect source?”

“Hojo,” the president redirected, “How much longer until the Ancient obeys?”

The scientist adjusted the obscured glasses on his face. “Not much longer. I only need a little more time to plant the seeds of doubt and confusion. Then it’s simple to put them in a training room and sic an experiment on the Ancient.”

A melodious tainted chuckle from the woman turned their attention. “I’ve personally never had a problem with torture.”

“Whatever gets the job done right,” came the militant head of security in green. Cloud had seen that man too many times. Heidegger, head of security.

Hojo waved them off. “Nothing like that. Giving the girl a target should be more than enough of a distraction to take the Ancient away. There’s always the rash method to separate the two, but at the moment, the risk and injury would delay us far longer than necessary.”

“You better be right,” the president huffed another breath of his cigar. “No more escapes. We are not repeating any mistakes. Am I understood?”

“The exit the Cetra used has been sealed for years,” Hojo stated plainly. “And the girl never made it far here in Midgar.” He gestured to the man in green. “As long as your security team prevents any outside help from arriving, we should be set on The Promised Land soon enough.”

Heidegger practically growled, “Why, how dare you-!”

“Enough,” the president interjected, silencing the conflict in a single word. “You all have work to do and a future to secure. Meeting adjourned." 

Every member of the board stood from their seats, but only one attempted to speak to the head. 

“Mr. President, please!” 

Cloud and Tifa locked eyes. This was their chance to get into the lab, to follow the lead scientist who waited a moment in quiet thought before walking to the exit with the crowd of executives. 

He exited the vent first with Tifa following behind. Face to face with Barret, he stated the plan, “We follow Hojo. Right now. Or we won’t make it.”

“Time to take back his two for one special,” Barret agreed. 

Two for one because of your bad parenting and the Ancient’s botched rescue. 

No. Cloud shook his head, his face calming from the flash of… whatever that was. He didn’t blame Marlene. He didn’t blame Aerith or Barret. 

He was the one to blame for taking her into Midgar in the first place. 

Tifa hopped down and re-adjusted her clothing. “Let’s go.”

All that mattered was getting into Hojo’s lab and saving them both. 

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To be continued…

Chapter list here!

Thanks for reading!

[holly-fixation]

Cloud Strife has dressed himself successfully ONCE. Everything else proves he has no sense of fasion.

The One Time:

Every Other Time:

You'll notice I didn't include Cloud's "default outfit". His default outfit is a UNIFORM.

THIS MAN CANNOT DRESS HIMSELF (affectionately)

[holly-fixation]

I forgot my inspiration for making this Cloud's FITS outfit.

[holly-fixation]

What's your reaction to Ever Crisis shutting down?

I played it, stopped playing after First Soldier, forgot about it

I'm playing it. No opinion on EOS

WHY ARE THEY TAKING THIS GAME AWAY FROM ME? MY LOVE! MY LIFE!

Playing it. Sad to see it go.

BEFORE CRISIS??? AT EOS??

Voting ended onJul 9

[holly-fixation]

Honestly this has more Before Crisis love than I was expecting. Enjoy it while it's still here!

[holly-fixation]

It is kind of funny that EOS for Ever Crisis was announced, they're jamming in the last of the promises they made at launch by making Before Crisis a playable thing for the first time ever outside of Japan, and the FF7 media with the least representation in EC is still Advent Children

[holly-fixation]

What's your reaction to Ever Crisis shutting down?

I played it, stopped playing after First Soldier, forgot about it

I'm playing it. No opinion on EOS

WHY ARE THEY TAKING THIS GAME AWAY FROM ME? MY LOVE! MY LIFE!

Playing it. Sad to see it go.

BEFORE CRISIS??? AT EOS??

Voting ended onJul 9

[itsoverfeeling]

ppl on ao3 should use the "this work was inspired by" option more. so many fics out there that put links to other fics in the a/n but theres a better option.....

☝️ use this!!!!!!

[itsoverfeeling]

important addition i forgot that not everyone might know. similar to how ao3 bookmarks work, you can also link to non-ao3 fanworks using this format. so, for instance, if theres some fanart on tumblr that inspired you to write the fic? you can link that fanart to your fic!

[holly-fixation]

Chapter 28: Weighted Risks

Upper Junon was too great of a risk, but staying on this continent would force them into isolation forever. Upper Junon stood tall like a mocking elite, beckoning the unknowing populace into its walls. 

Even at night, the canon stood tall over the cosmic horizon.

Chapter 28:

The City of Junon stood tall against the rocky coastline. The former Republic of Junon clung to the last strands of life in the moon drawn shadow of the canon. Shinra’s oppression continued decades after victory. Wutai, far away, fought to defend their land and their dignity to prevent becoming the next warning. 

Shinra prohibited the small fishing town from use of all sea vessels. No docks or private docks owned by citizens were permitted to launch any ship. 

Sephiroth pried the bit of information out of the chocobo stable hand in the nearby ranch. Every detail shot down his plan for a charter, at least one with the smaller chance of Shinra finding them. 

Upper Junon was too great of a risk, but staying on this continent would force them into isolation forever. Upper Junon stood tall like a mocking elite, beckoning the unknowing populace into its walls. 

He felt his daughter adjust against his hold as he left the ranch and headed for the city. The rusted, barbed wire fences guided his path under the glow of the single billboard which promoted recruitment for SOLDIER. Even with his light footsteps, the occasional deer fled from the road at his approach. 

Even at night, the canon stood tall over the cosmic horizon. 

The roads were worn but bare. Most tourists entered the city by flight. Only the few with family, work, or connections came to the lower city by choice, the slightest remains of the old republic. 

Under the canopy of cheap metal awnings came the real view of Lower Junon. The poor town barely glowed with the embers of life under the unforgiving eclipse of the canon. 

On the only path to the entrance stood a woman with an electronic tablet, skimming through the screen and glancing up. Next to her, someone paced. Someone larger, broader, stronger. Someone he…recognized. The pattern of steps, the bounce of the neck length hair, the mentor-like worry in every glance up. He knew them well.

Angeal. 

Run. His first instinct put his daughter’s protection first. Any loyalty to Shinra was a threat that would lead to their capture. 

His rational side recalled the previous month, the maintained patrols from troops, not less or more beyond the initial surge after their battle. Angeal wasn’t a threat, but his heart told him the friendship died after their fight in the tower. Maybe this was his one and only chance to apologize? His old friend was clearly anxious but waiting for something from the pattern of pacing steps. 

Sephiroth chose to take the chance. “Seraphina, I need you to try to sleep, okay? Just until I say it’s safe to talk.”

She nodded against his shoulder. 

With his hand on her back, she didn’t fight the command. He felt her relax into his hold. “Don’t get too excited,” He added, mostly as a reminder for himself. 

One breath: inhale, exhale, before he approached his friend. 

Angeal turned to him the second he rounded the final corner of the path. “There you are, Seth! How’s the new baby?”

What god awful act was Angeal trying to put on as he approached. The current SOLDIER walked up and wrapped an arm around him. 

Sephiroth tensed. Seraphina wiggled in his arms. 

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Come on, let’s go catch up before my mission.”

“...it’s good to see you…” He spoke in a bewildered mumble. 

Angeal let out the least believable fake laugh as the man led the family back down the path they came. 

Sephiroth separated from his friend and stared for an explanation. He didn’t bother scolding his daughter for turning and watching the man either. 

His old friend scanned the landscape and perimeter before letting out an exhausted sigh. “I am never doing that again. I told Genesis it would be too obvious.” He reached into the pocket of his black baggy uniform pants. “Thank gods you made it…”

“Why are you here?” Sephiroth asked, removing his emotion deliberately. 

“It’s good to see you too,” there was no hint of sarcasm in his words as he held out a new flip phone and a removed battery. The lack of power to the device prevented unwanted tracking, a simple tactic they used dozens of times on high risk missions. “Take this. Send a message with your location within the next twelve hours to the only number saved. Genesis will arrive to pick you up.”

Slit eyes stared at the device. So much could go wrong the second that electronic reached his hand. It begged for answers before he could agree. “Has Genesis recovered?”

“Within three weeks.”

Sephiroth let out a relieved breath. 

“And the moment he was out of the lab, he started planning this.” He pushed the phone forward. “This is under my account.”

His eyes widened. “Your family-”

“You are like family to me.”

His ears rang. He stood there, stupified. 

“I can afford it. It’s the cheapest plan and I don’t expect you to send too many messages. Genesis has a burner until the end of his medical leave. And no one will assume I have a permanent second phone for a secret lover or anything. So Genesis isn’t a long term option.” 

Sephiroth searched for flaws in their plan. Many, of course. Multiple new concerns stared down at him in return, yet he could not deny these new issues were far fewer than if he dared step foot in Upper Junon. He slowly wrapped his hand around the device. 

“Seraphina,” Angeal called with a sudden kind smile. Apparently, he could fake emotions for a child with reasonable accuracy. 

The baby turned and was met with a small wave. 

“Be good for your father, okay? Sorry we don’t have any more time. I need to get back to my mission.” 

Sephiroth’s daughter tilted her head. “...What is your name?”

He flinched, but Sephiroth nodded simply to reassure this level of progress was expected. “My name is Angeal.” 

“Angeal,” She repeated cleanly. 

“You’ve got it.” He hopped back, leaning toward the town. “I have to run. The sea serpent should be here any minute.” He pointed to the phone as he jogged away. “Send that text. We’ve got you,” his final words left before he turned away and ran to the village, the Buster Sword latched proudly on his back as it reflected the silver beams of the moon. 

* * *

Less of a risk than Junon. 

Sephiroth reminded himself of that simple fact with every instruction he followed. His daughter watched the dark colored screen with bright white text as he typed out their latest location: ‘the edge of Isle Condor’. 

He waited, watching the dark shoreline like a predator stalking prey. He searched for Shinra ships and listened for the contact of military boots. Seraphina stayed silent and still in his arms, preventing any distraction or new noise. 

The darkness helped. Most would struggle to notice details within the various shadows, to catch the difference between a wave and a small ship on the water. 

Just as Angeal said, a single vessel approached. The captain’s cabin sat above the living quarters lit by dim lanterns. The sliding glass door revealed couches, counters, and a television. The only possible location for sleeping quarters was below deck. 

Angeal did not say it would be a yacht. A small yacht, but still a yacht. A vehicle significantly larger than they would ever need for a captain, a friend, himself and his baby. The biggest advantage stared him in the face regardless: this wasn’t a Shinra vessel. Shinra’s extravagant tastes would add a floor and triple the length, creating a cruise ship rather than private transport. 

He watched the driver hop out of the cabin and open a small compartment on the edge of the ship. With chain in hand, the anchor launched into the water. 

A second man came into view, a crimson coat he recognized in a heartbeat. The man stood on the deck and opened a phone with a single hand. 

Sephiroth opened his silent device and inserted the battery. After the initial bootup, he received a new message. 

“We’re on shore. We can only wait an hour. I’m on deck.”

Glancing up, he saw the captain enter the living area while the man in red remained outside, sitting on the water proof cushions with his back toward the land. There was a door next to the red sleeve with ladder rungs down to the water. The boat couldn’t get any closer to shore due to the rocky nature of the land. 

Less of a risk than Junon. 

Sephiroth held his daughter in front of him and watched her expression. “Stardust, I need you to hold onto my neck and try not to breathe in the water. It will be cold,” he saw the pleading look on her face, “but it will be quick. We’re going somewhere far away from Shinra.”

She nodded, inhaled, and puffed her cheeks as the air stayed trapped in her body. 

“Only when we reach the water. Can you swim?” 

The baby exhaled and shook her head. 

“Yell if you’re in trouble.” He took the plastic bag of their belongings and tied the two handles together, pressing on the inflated air. 

No movement, no sound, minimal leaks. It might protect their supplies. It would have to do. 

On the rocky coast, he moved Seraphina to his back, confirming her grip on his neck before he walked into the water until it reached his neck. The bag stayed on his hand as he slowly treaded water toward the boat. His distance remained a far off concern. His main concern was keeping Seraphina on his back and safe above the water. 

He felt relief when his hand landed on a rung. He adjusted against the ship and began climbing. 

He barely made it two steps when the door flung open and he met his former friend. 

Genesis stood before him with a red sling over his left arm and a black brace over his knee. Despite the injuries, he smiled and reached out to help. “Good to see you again.”

Sephiroth froze in place for just a second as all the anxieties he avoided the past few hours dissolved in an instant.

He didn’t lose either of his friends after their battle. This wasn’t a trap from Shinra. 

He handed Genesis the bag of their belongings. His friend waited as he climbed the final handles before closing the door behind him. He used the added time to remove Seraphina from his back to hold her properly against his wet skin. 

His child shivered. 

Genesis threw a towel over them. It was warm, and Seraphina grabbed it immediately. “Get inside and help your daughter.” 

Sephiroth nodded and went into the cabin, barely catching Genesis’s command to the captain. 

“Brandon, get out here, it’s time to leave.”

The man stood up from the couch and individually cracked his knuckles without looking up. “I don’t care who you are. Just make sure everything is clean when you leave. Cleaning supplies are in the closet downstairs. The water heater only works during the day, but do not waste my water on frivolous showers. You get three minutes. No more. And you break any electronics, and your friend here has to pay for them. Capisce?”

Sephiroth didn’t trust his voice and nodded once again. 

The captain left and closed the door while mumbling, “Not my monkeys, not my circus...”

He immediately shifted focus to his daughter, spreading the towel on the couch before laying her down and wrapping every inch around her. She seemed a little better in her cocoon. Her shivering relaxed. 

“We’ll find somewhere to dry you off completely, okay?”

She tried to move her arms but they were trapped in the confines of the bundle. “Dada… you’re wet...”

He barely noticed his hair rapidly dripping on the mounted rug. Or his soaked clothes. Or the puddle growing beneath him. “I’ll be okay. I’ll take care of it soon. Let’s keep you warm first, okay?”

The sliding door opened and another towel slammed against his head, catching on his shoulder. 

“Dry your hair. There’s a change of clothes for both of you in the bedroom downstairs,” Genesis took a seat on the chair opposite to the couch, unphased by forced medical supports on his body as he plopped their tiny inventory with a crunch of the plastic bag. “Then we’ll talk.”

Sephiroth saw Sera rest against him as the engine hummed to life. For the first time, they were both safe. He denied the potential deception at the genuine kindness of his friends’ words and actions. All he had in this moment to repay them were two simple words: “...Thank you…” 

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To be continued…

Chapter list here!

Thanks for reading!

[holly-fixation]

Sephiroth has never experienced the weird questions teenage boys ask each other

[holly-fixation]

PSA: I received 2 spam comments on AO3 in the past week, both on the same fic, both guest accounts. One of them was complete hate and in portuguese (that I will not be sharing), but the second was someone in Canada (specifically) begging me to send a hard copy of my fic to them for money and putting a full address in the comment. Apparently this form of spam is common and it is listed in AO3's spam warnings, but here is an example for anyone that needs it.

[altocat]

Sephiroth wakes up after the events of advent children or dirge or whatever. Maybe he has memories of what he did or maybe they’re fragmented, ur choice.

How does it go?

I think that any version of Sephiroth completely purged of Jenova's influence would either be in a state of extreme agitation or possibly broken beyond repair. Ignoring whatever the hell Sephiroth is up to in the R trilogy, Sephiroth in this scenario is mostly rendered confused and dangerously unstable. His sanity has been restored, but the disgust in himself and his actions is too much to bear.

Assuming Cloud and the gang don't take custody of him, he'd probably just be a wandering hollow shell, burdened beneath the weight of his sins, a danger to himself and others until someone (probably Genesis) whisks him away for safekeeping.

[holly-fixation]

How did it come to this?

Sephiroth knew the answer.

He knew every guided decision. He knew every debated decision. He knew every decision he and he alone conjured and fulfilled.

How did he get here?

Clinging to memories in the Lifestream. Clinging to Cloud and Geostigma. Clinging to M o t h e r.

The Cetra severed his connection, the connection to Jenova.

She couldn't change his divine cells, but she blasphemously managed to cut communication.

No, it was more than removing Jenova.

He awoke with wet skin and tattered clothing. He saw the remains of wooden pews and the sky through a massive hole in the roof. Flowers swayed with his every movement, surrounding his body.

Her church. The cetra resserected him and threw him in her church.

Alone, he stayed frozen on the ground.

With regret, he knew the damage was his fault.

Through greif, the city around him crumbled by his choices.

Silently, he lamented the lives he ended as well as the insanity lost to the Lifestream.

Why bring him back like this? Why make him suffer in a world against him?

He questioned his new life, but without Jenova, knowing she was not his mother, he had no purpose. He wanted no purpose.

He just wanted to be left alone with his head in his knees until starvation stole him just as he stole so many other lives.

Maybe a day passed before he learned he was not safe.

Why can't that group leave this church alone?

Sephiroth did not look up at the sound of the door opening. He did not turn or great. He stayed down, in ragged clothing in a curtain of his own silver hair.

"Stay back!"

Cloud.

Of course it was Cloud.

His nemesis.

His puppet.

No. He didn't want to control anyone.

Just go away, he hoped.

Just leave, he prayed.

Just help us both and let me rot, he screamed internally.

"Sephiroth!"

He killed so many people, by both Shinra's order and his own choice. Would this be his final death?

A sword rang through the air, multiple blades clicking together.

He may have heard footsteps, the creaking of leather gloves by another.

He believed her name was Tifa, a fact he couldn't confirm due to his previous fixation on Cloud.

They approached cautiously, each footstep ready to bounce into action at the sound of a leaf crushing beneath it.

He was a threat to them, after all. Even in this miserable, curled up form.

"Cloud, wait!"

Cloud had launched first.

"What if this is his latest plan?"

No. No, please no. He had no plan, but every word out of his mouth would be tained and false in their ears.

Do it.

End this.

"We have to think about this carefully."

"He's right here!"

"When has he ever made it easy for us!?"

He said nothing as they argued.

They called in friends, thankfully saying "Rufus won't be able to help himself". That should mean the rich bastard who caused a hatred so deeply ingrained it continued even through his single moment of divinity should never cross paths with him again.

The only person on the Planet capable of causing blood thirsty drive in his broken actions.

First cursing and the smell of cigarettes.

Then talk of the planet and returning to a guardian post.

Then bullets by his feet, making him flinch to his own dismay. The crowd shouted and debated immidately.

"He's causing problems!" Barret announced.

"He hasn't moved, dumbass!" Cid countered.

"We must be cautious," Red persisted.

"Let's just kill him already!" Yuffie yelled.

"Aye. What a big mess ye all got us stuck in..." Cait Sith, the cat, complained.

All names he learned throughout their discussions.

Even now, every memeber of Cloud's crew kept their distance. He could draw an exact circle on the ground where they never chose to cross.

The last member of Cloud's team arrived late at night. Cloud, of course, was the only one keeping watch that night.

He was so tired of Cloud. Their combined memories served only to torture them both.

This last member was the gunslinger in red, the only one to genuinely approach, Despite the leader's comment of "Don't get yourself killed for this, Vincent."

A nod, he assumed from the slight movement.

Something touched his shoulder, cautiously applying the weight of the whole mass.

A hand?

He didn't mean to look up, for any of them to see his misery. The team could asume vindictiveness or malice, but not if they saw his sunken eyes, pale skin, and barely visible veins.

"Are you alright..?" Vincent asked genuinely, almost naively, but there was far too much experience in every movement for the question to be a mistake.

Sephiroth turned away, not saying a word.

"Are you hurt?"

He grabbed his own hair like a hood to shield himself from these pointlessly painful questions.

Take it as defiance, he prayed. Take his movement as a reason to leave or end this.

He didn't care which.

But the man in red disagreed.

"He needs food and water." Vincent stated to the group.

"We are not helping him regain any strength," Cloud seethed.

"This is not the person we fought seeking world domination."

Sephiroth heard something unclasp before a warm fabric embraced him.

He didn't mean to relax into it, a hand pulling the crimson to spread the warmth across his bare skin between the rags.

"I will watch him."

"He's throwing a tantrum. This silent treatment won't last forever and we'll be lucky if he speaks before he tries to escape."

"It won't happen."

"How do you know?"

Vincent went quiet. "...Come with me."

"No. You answer this here, in front of him."

Sephiroth didn't want to hear anymore.

"You claim this is all an act. If he hears this, he will snap-"

"Try it," Cloud refused to budge.

Red eyes glanced back apologetically before meeting the glare behind blond bangs. "He's acting like his mother."

M O T H E R.

His stomach twisted painfully.

Cloud questioned, "Jeno-?"

"No. Lucrecia. His human mother."

Bile rose in his throat.

"Any part of him that is human is long dead. Jeno-"

He fell to his side, his hands and knees on the ground for balance until a lurch made him grab his mouth shut.

"I don't think so. Not anymore."

Vomit splashed on the ground. He couldn't focus on their conversation as through his own retching. His body trembled from the force.

Another mother. The thought alone treated to kill him.

He was breathing hard.

Cloud and the other man readied weapons against each other.

Sephiroth wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before speaking for this first time since this rebirth: "Please... stop saying that word..."

He couldn't see what they were doing, but at least one weapon was pointed at him.

"Finally decided to talk?" Cloud spat.

Vincent said nothing, but he felt a hand on his back.

"How are you alive?"

He heard a second blade.

"And do not lie to me."

If a lie ended in his own death, it was a tempting offer rather than a threat.

But why lie? He had no plan, and he had nothing to protect.

"The Cetra..."

Now the blade was against his neck. "How dare you-?"

An impact of the other man came as a warning.

"...She severed Reunion..." His own words stung more than the blade. "He winced. "Mother- Jenova- We're separate..."

"You don't get to blame-"

"The goal was hers but the decisions were mine." He wouldn't deny anything. He didn't care to use their emotional connection against him. "...Either you kill me... or I leave this church and you never hear of me again..."

"And if I call Shinra?"

An emotional tactic, not a real threat, but that knowledge didn't stifle his rage. "I will not go back there, Cloud..."

"You don't get a choice."

Masamune appeared in his hand.

"Stand down," Vincent's voice boomed. "I will take him."

"That's not an option."

"I can handle him."

"NO you can't."

Gods, they were arguing amongst themselves again. Masamune vanished as he leaned away from the vomit and found himself against a pew.

Cloud calmed down quickly, the simple conclusion lying in wait. "Everyone gets a say in this. We'll take a vote in the morning."

Time ticked painfully until dawn. Cloud remained on watch. Vincent stood by Sephiroth's side.

Sephiroth stayed on the ground.

No one, not even Tifa, voted to sick Shinra on him.

He found himself following to a small house outside Kalm with Vincent leading the way.

Sephiroth barely spoke, communicating mostly through nods, shrugs, and shakes of his head. Vincient established a routine of household tasks such as laundry, vacuuming, cleaning dishes.

With his hair tied back, a pair of glasses, and civilian clothes, Sephiroth was occationally permitted to aid the locals for a few hundred gil: the chocobo rancher and the windmill engineer usually top of his list. Though he communicated normally with the civilians.

Normal. This is what normal life was like, right?

Vincent rarely pushed, but Sephiroth knew it was a matter of time before more questions came.

He didn't expect it to come in the form of irresitible pumpkin soup.

"This was your mother's favorite recipe."

He nearly broke the bowl at the word.

"Your human mother. Not Jenova."

He pushed back from the table.

"She loves you."

He froze. "...'Loves'?"

"She's alive." Vincent always understood his silent questions.

The hole in his heart where Jenova once festered begged to be filled.

Another mother to abandon him.

"When you're ready, I can take you to her."

"I'm ready."

Vincent only glanced at the newly summoned Masamune. "Only, when you are ready."

Life was easier when he didn't know for the first time in a long time, he had a goal.

But every mention of his supposed mother either brought Masamune to his hand or left him violently ill with vertigo.

Cloud's team, on their scattered visit, tested him. Baited him. Pushing him to react. So far, he had not hurt anyone, but he always had the potential to do so.

"Vincent," he called, so tired of this agonizing loop, "what did she look like?"

Vincent's description matched memories he thought lost to the Lifestream: a locket and a mission in Wutai.

When he finally convinced Vincent to escort him, the entire team waited at the entrance.

"There is one last condition," Vincent stated before they entered. "She thinks you are dead. Do not wake her, or you will explain everything you've done."

To see a woman behind glass was nothing new to him.

But Sephiroth wanted to see her, even if his severed Reunion made him kill her.