Damaged Doll: Chapter 7
Summary: Angeal and Zack discover a man in all black trapped under boulders in the mountains near Icicle Village: Cloud, a doll created by Jenova for reasons currently unknown. His PTSD prevented him from explaining why he was there, by a panic attack induced by the Crimson Soldier's questions.
Based on this prompt by @im-totally-not-an-alien
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Chapter 7: Distractions
“Genesis,” Angeal scolded the moment the blonde fell to chemically induced sleep. “What the hell were you thinking?”
The man in red threw his hands up in frustration, “I figured we should get the tough questions out of the way! How was I supposed to know it would break him?”
Mako-blue eyes narrowed. “Why do you think we were being so careful?”
“I don’t know because he clearly has bad blood against only me.”
His shoulders dropped as he crossed his arms. “Really? Because he pissed you off?”
“He flat out called me inhuman.” He gestured to the body in the hospital bed, which now had the Silver Soldier and the First in training at its sides. “That man is clearly insane!”
“We know how it sounds, but he knew the name of Sephiroth’s mother. Did you?”
“You didn’t tell me that!”
“We absolutely told you that-”
It went on and on, their pointless discussion, Genesis trying to defend his decisions and Angeal cutting through each defense with logic and the start of a lesson. If this started only a few minutes before, they wouldn’t be in this situation. And maybe Cloud wouldn’t be in chemically induced rest as the only counter for his trauma, his ‘panic attack’. On and on they argued back and forth. On and on. Louder and louder. Minute after minute. Until finally-
“Genesis, Angeal,” The baritone voice of their friend caught their attention and silenced them long enough for a single crystal command, “get out.”
Genesis took the slightest step back at his friend’s blackened tone. A slightly surprised expression claimed Angeal’s features, and the black haired boy only stared in frozen fear.
Only Zack acknowledged that the most powerful man on the planet gave the order in absolute anger.
“Sephiroth…-”
“You added to my list of headaches in a single conversation and you knew the day I had. I don’t want to hear it, Genesis.” He blocked their gazes with his bangs, but Zack saw the angered flickers in his eyes. “You tried to help, you completely failed, and you deserve the lecture from Angeal.” He raised his head, yet kept them out of sight. “I will wait here until I guarantee Cloud is okay, and I will message you both when I leave for the evening. I believe that’s a fair trade after what you caused.”
Gilt gushed through Genesis like a broken dam. He didn’t want this. He didn’t mean for this to happen. He hated that tone. Why didn’t that stupid blonde just tell the truth? Sephiroth never spoke down to them like that.
Angeal grabbed one of the black pauldrons before he could respond, though he was only trying to think of the best thing to say. “Let’s give them some space…” He would explain more the moment they were out of earshot, but that was a little far due to Sephiroth’s insane natural abilities. “Zack, stay here.”
The boy quickly nodded.
Genesis only mumbled a small apology before allowing himself to be pulled out of the room by his oldest friend.
Now only Sephiroth, Zack, and the sleeping body of the blonde remained. For a few moments, only silence passed among them, then the body already began to stir.
“A low dosage…?” Sephiroth asked softly.
“Yeah…” Zack replied awkwardly as he rubbed his neck. “I told them to only knock him out for a few minutes. I don’t know what they put in him, but…”
Though the boy trailed off without the slightest intent to continue, the Silver Soldier hummed in acknowledgement.
Zack tensed, glancing away and hesitating. “...do you want me to go too…?”
“No.”
His mako blue eyes met the other set of the same.
But the snake-like slits turned away a second after they met. “Angeal won’t let me hear the end of it if I kick you out…”
Zack nodded, vaguely understanding what he really meant. Angeal didn’t want Sephiroth to be alone right now. Not today. Not after that body. Not with these emotions.
A few more minutes passed in absolute silence as they both watched for any new signs of life from the blonde. Zack pulled over a chair and sat in it for an easier time, but Sephiroth only scanned the body, too many questions and too much dissonance crowding his mind.
Finally, the blonde’s eyes pushed open agian. The inhuman mako-blues hazily scanned the ceiling of the new room before slowly inching downward along the corners, the walls, the gadgets, and then silver.
Sephiroth sighed as the eyes locked on him once again, a gaze that completely ignored the boy at his side.
Cloud forced himself up, at least enough to straighten his posture, but the sadness, disappointment, uselessness in his eyes only grew as he stared. “My prince…” Gods, his voice cracked as if on the verge of tears.
Sephiroth didn’t point out the use of the false title instead of his name, if only to prevent the blonde from digging further into a pit of despair. “Cloud, are you-”
“No,” He denied, looking away to gain some semblance of control, “no, please. Let me apologize. I’m so sorry. I can’t control it. I can’t talk about it. I want to. I want to tell you. I'm so sorry for my disobedience. I’m trying. I’m trying.”
“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Zack called in a soothing voice, reaching for his side.
“Please, please, let me make it up to you,” He begged as he searched the room for something, anything, any other way, completely ignoring the boy that saved him. “I just need- maybe- just something to write with… Yes, I can write it. I can explain. Please let me explain. I can at least try to-”
“Cloud.”
That tone instantly silenced him, and he bowed his head in sorrowful respect, his final words barely a whisper above his breath, “...I’m sorry…”
Sephiroth sighed, exhaustion staining his voice. “...Just stop…”
Those two words sent a ping through his chest, and he scrunched the sheets in his hands from the horrible feeling through him. No… No…
“Cloud…” Zack called softly and carefully placed his hand on the shoulder of black leather. “Are you okay…?”
He nodded slowly, but his body tensed. “...I want to tell you…” He admitted pitifully. “But I can’t talk about it… I’m so afraid and this panic just-” He seized his own chest, curling into his own body to the closest ball his injured form allowed. “Just, please… Please don’t put me back...”
Suddenly Sephiroth grabbed his other shoulder, staring so deeply into his mirrored eyes with utter frustration and absolute determination.
Zack’s grip automatically tightened as incredulousness claimed his entire being, his mouth partly opened and his eyebrows lifting as well.
“We will never, put you back there,” Sephiroth declared.
Cloud wanted to cry. From happiness or sorrow, he did not know.
The boy shook his head. “Not a chance, Cloud.”
“You are here. You are safe. You will write and speak when you are ready without judgment. If anyone dares threaten you with your past, I will have them thrown out of the building immediately.”
Cloud stared in silent shock with a soft gasp. Why would his prince do that for him?
“Understood?”
He nodded slowly, hesitantly. “Thank you, My prince…”
“Good.” With that final confirmation, the instant fire in his eyes wisped like a candle in the wind. He was so tired. Gods he was tired. He slowly reached for his materia, taking out one of the green orbs and placing it in Cloud’s hand.
The black haired boy leaned back in defense and confusion, the Silver Soldier handing the mind broken man the equivalent of a live bomb.
“Just… Show him what you showed me.”
Though Zack glared in concern, Cloud simply nodded and gripped the marble before opening his other palm and holding it towards the First in training. This time, sparks and embers swirled around the palm like leaves in the wind before a small flame appeared. Zack cautiously watched as the flame vacuumed sealed itself to curl and stretch to the new details with bright oranges and yellows. This time, it was a perfect replica of a Northern wolf, the fur so realistic Zack almost touched it with a single tip of his gloved hand.
“Whoa…” He blinked in awe as it silently howled before sitting, its tail moving slowly from side to side as it watched the dark haired boy. “You gotta teach me how to do that.”
He didn’t deny the tiny hint of joy in his chest at the childish reaction.
The smallest smirk grazed Sephiroth’s face as well, as he watched the two before him, yet it faded in less than an instant.
Cloud was determined to bring it back. “I can try. This is truly the best I can do with materia, so it may be difficult to learn.”
“What do you mean?” Zack asked with the slightest tilt of his head.
The wolf suddenly ran in circles along his palm, chasing its own tail, and Cloud’s eyes fell to it, a sliver of hesitation in his being before he responded, “...I cannot use materia as a weapon. Not well. But these came naturally to me.”
“How does it work?”
Cloud gave the same explanation and requests as he gave to Sephiroth earlier. Zack kept tilting his head for different angles and a better view of the incredibly detailed craft. Sephiroth watched in silence, allowing himself to be entranced by the dancing flames in the blonde’s palm.
After a few minutes of welcome distraction, Sephiroth determined Cloud was okay and no longer needed supervision. He suddenly left the room. Zack stared at the entrance in bewilderment. Until the silver haired man returned with a small notebook and pen. Zack gave the First Class a cautious glare.
“Cloud,” He called, handing him the booklet and pen while taking back his materia.
Cloud’s eyes were wide and entrapped, every part of him ready to obey, brushing his thumb along the side of the white pages.
“If you think you can write your past, do it in this book.” Sephiroth met his eyes now, a deep seriousness emitting that no one could ignore. “But if you feel even a fraction of what triggered your episode, you must stop until you recover. Understood?”
He nodded, clicking the new tool unconsciously. “Yes, Sephiroth.”
Gods he was happy to hear his own name again. He started turning to the door again when he heard a question.
“Will I be seeing you again?”
Sephiroth sighed, moving away slowly. “Later…” the single word crawled out of his throat.
Cloud nodded in understanding. “I'll be close. Whenever you need me.”
The Silver Soldier nodded as well and left the room for the evening.
Zack gave Cloud a careful pat on the shoulder, the blonde calmly turning to him and away from the entrance. “You okay?”
“Yes. Thank you for your company, Zack.”
His brows knotted in confusion. “Why do you say that like I’m leaving?”
Cloud’s head tilted as he glanced at the entrance then back to the boy before it dawned on him. “My apologies. I assumed you would leave with Sephiroth.”
“Nope,” He smirked. “Now you get to hear a little more about me.” He was clearly trying to distract Cloud from the day’s events. But Cloud allowed the moments of thrilling stories of past missions before his first attempt to put his own past to paper, a small smile on his face as he listened to the excited tales of the boy who saved him.
* * *
Sephiroth took one last look at his phone as he sat on the side of his bed, scrolling through the final unread emails of the night. Most of them were spam; confirmations for receiving reports, a few small mission updates, some company team building garbage he ignored unless he absolutely had to, and…
He shot up, rigidly fixing his posture as he re-read the email again, and again, and again.
No. No, don't do this. Not right now. Not today.
He denied everything he read. This couldn’t be happening. Not today. What good could this possibly do him?
From: Lazard Deusericus
To: Sephiroth
Subject: Mandatory Rest Days. Apologies in Advance.
Sephiroth,
Upon notification of Dr. Hojo’s sudden passing, we are giving you the next three days off. You will receive no missions within this time, and I will be locking you out of your work account until then. As of tomorrow, you will receive no mission updates or reports. I will not bar you from the training areas, but I’ll be damned if the board demands you work in your current state. This is not a punishment. This is only to help you recover. I’ve informed both Genesis and Angeal, and they agreed to take up any extra missions while you rest.
If there is anything else I can do to help, please let me know.
Kind regards,
Director Lazard
What he could do, was give him his access back. This was absolutely a punishment for Hojo’s death. How else was he supposed to take this?
He responded to the email as formally as he could, requesting his access be returned under the claim he would ‘take it easy’ those first three days, which he knew was a lie but he didn’t care. He needed SOLDIER right now, any mission he could get. Gods he just wanted to bury himself in his work until this frustrating, unbalanced feeling faded to the darkest corner of his mind. How was he supposed to gain a shred of control if they kept him trapped in his own mind?
Whenever you're ready. Whenever you're not. I'll be here, Sephiroth.
Damn it. He didn't want to use Cloud for his own gain. That wasn’t fair. Cloud was a patient, and he needed rest. But maybe…maybe this was his chance to get answers to all of his questions. Or a way to find proof of what Cloud claimed. He refuses to waste these two days 'relaxing'. He needed a way out of here.
He sighed, closing his phone and rubbing his eyes. Perhaps he would speak to Cloud tomorrow. Yeah, that’d be a good place to start. For now, he finished preparing for bed before finally ending the day, accepting even the worst possible sleep with open arms.
* * *
Cloud carefully wrote every detail he could remember in the small booklet. This was for his prince. He would not leave anything missing. But even then, he felt that clutching in his chest, and only when he neared the cliff of absolute panic did he stop and take moments to breathe. Soon, he hoped, he’d use this time to walk and perhaps even run again, praying his increased mobility could aid His prince. If these healers could do something for him, he hoped it was at least one of the two.
A knock at the door pulled him from his writing, and he looked up to see the red haired Turk with the gloves for a large shuriken, this time with a rectangular leather bag dangling off her shoulder. “Hello, Cissnei,” He greeted kindly as he removed the pen and closed the book in his hand.
“Good evening, Cloud,” She answered calmly, closing the curtain behind her and taking a few steps closer to him. “Is everything alright? How are you feeling?”
Cloud nodded. “I am well. I’m very lucky. I know many weren’t. I didn’t see any monsters during the breakout.”
She smirked softly in response. “I'm very glad to hear that.” She flicked her head in the direction of the pen and book. “What are you writing?”
“Just an old story,” He lied cleanly. “A children’s tale from the Cetra. I’m trying to learn your penmanship.”
“May I see?”
“Of course.” He placed the pen in his lap. “But I warn you, it is not a cheerful tale, so I apologize if it is a graphic page.”
She shook her head and waved him off. “No worries at all.”
He removed his hand and seemingly opened to a random page, holding the book as he showed her.
'They treated me kindly. Their curiosity of my existence drove this. No other reason made sense. I was new. I was different. I was interesting to them-'
Sure enough, the penmanship increased in style, elegance, and legibility as the sentence continued. But he closed the book as she tried to scan for more.
“This is not why you’ve come,” Cloud stated simply as he tilted his head slightly. “What do you need of me?”
“First, to give you this.” She removed the bag and placed it carefully at his side, and he reached for it cautiously. “But before you open it, I need you to answer a question.” She met his eyes, forcing the severity of the request into them. “This comes straight from the president himself, and you must keep it silent. Do you understand?”
His brows scrunched but he nodded softly.
She accepted the silent confirmation. “Do you know anything about The Promised Land?”
His confusion only grew. “What do you wish to know?”
That answered her question. “Do you know where it is?”
A question from the president of the company His prince worked for had an interest in death? No. No, something was off. The way she asked her followup, she believed The Promised Land was a place. They had an interest in it as a location. They may also investigate said location. Thoughts rapidly zipped through his mind as he contorted his answer towards helping his queen. Maybe this was his only chance. The Cetra aimed to contain her. They needed to keep her close in the north. “Beneath the Northern Crater,” came his final answer.
She shook her head. “You sound so confident, yet we already looked there, and found nothing.”
Cloud was made there. He knew every detail of his lie like the back of his hand. “Did you find the Weapon?”
Her eyes narrowed. “What kind of weapon?”
“The Planet’s Weapon. Enormous creatures created by The Planet to defend it in dire situations.”
Clearly, she did not, judging by the pause before her answer, “I’d have to look into it to be sure.”
“Did you find the cliffs of materia?” He asked. “Sky blue and dozens of feet tall? Almost reflective of the ocean itself?”
That caught her attention. So, the false Promise Land had something to do with materia, maybe the Lifestream as well. “We did not.”
Cloud spoke simply, not as if explaining a simple fact, a simple truth, all in an attempt to rescue his queen. “Then you did not search deep enough.”
.
.
.
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Thanks for reading!
Author's note: Singular class is still kicking my ass but here is my humble continuation of this fic.
Chapter 1 - Discovery Chapter 2 - Learning Chapter 3 - A Link Chapter 4 - Coaxing Chapter 5 - Death Chapter 6 - Failure Chapter 7 - Di
