#ink clouds

Chapter 1: Thinking

Cloud had done everything right: he saved The Planet from Shinra, from Sephiroth, from Hojo, and by extension JENOVA itself. So why? Why was that familiar feeling back in his chest? Why was reunion stronger than Her?

Yes, he knew he failed her at the altar. But he'd dedicated his life to helping her summon Holy, then save The Planet from all threats. Why couldn't she or The Planet save him from this?

Why was this reunion stronger than Sephiroth's?

His eyes burned, like they were on fire.

...JENOVA, it had to be. JENOVA had the power to destroy all life on Gaia, but failed. It couldn't destroy The Planet alone, with monsters exposed to mako or itself or even Sephiroth: 'her son'.

Cloud looked to the rusted Buster Sword on the same hill overlooking Midgar, the brown specks climbing the metal as expected, but the hilt was broken, as was the gold accent at the bottom of the blade. The feeling of Reunion climbed into Cloud's mind, and he fell to his knees, clutching his head. Gods, they're back, and he's alone.

He thought he could handle anything alone, but the laughter of some genderless voice echoed everywhere at once. Each syllable forced him down in greater pain. The louder it got, the more his vision tunneled. He struggled to see; quickly he couldn't see at all.

But no, he wasn't going to pass out. He was going to suffer for stopping its plans. He felt water enter his lungs, but the expected burn in his chest didn't come. It burned his head instead. He had to stop this, ground himself in order to do so. He couldn't feel the ground, but was floating on his own. The darkness around him began to clear into dark blues and whites and...fish?

What? Why were there fish? He looked up, left, right, behind, down. Down. His legs. They weren't there, replaced and growing out like the One Winged Angel's lower wings.

Sephiroth?

Six purple tentacles reached out from his waist down. His former clothes broke off as if decayed. Below he could see a floor of rocks and coral. Coral forming a nearly body like shape, the shape of a long haired woman with two severed wings.

JENOVA?

His breathing quickened, faster and faster and faster. Oh gods, what was happeni-?

A silver shark swam by him and he unconsciously followed. Pretty.

Pretty? What is wrong with his head? Focus. What was he? How- what- why-? this shouldn't be possible. He had to survive. He can't think. He has to remember Aerith. He has to trust the Planet. Plant?

Strings of seaweed swayed in the calm atmosphere. His eyes were drawn to them.

No! He has to get out of here. He has to leave- eat? He has to survive. Everything around him was going dark again, with dark clouds from below. What are these?

He can't think straight. He can't think. But he has to survive. He feels the need in his chest and his head. He doesn't want to get hurt. Not by these things floating around him or the loud rumbling above from rusty metal bowls. He has to survive. For something(one?). For what? Laughter rang in his ears again. Whose voice? He searched in panic. Leave. Survive. He swam away.

* * *

Broadcast from the Shinra International News Network

ALL VEHICLES, PERSONS, PERSONAL POSSESSIONS, AND OCEANIC GEAR MUST STAY OUT OF THE OCEAN UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

Three weeks ago, Shinra Research & Development began looking into the strange boating attacks and darkening water of our oceans. What started as small cases in lower Junon of every ship and submarine getting attacked by a new monster, the cause of the dark water is believed to be over production of ink from diseased monsters, presumably squid like in nature. This disease transmits rapidly from water to humans, as a small touch results in increased infection duration before either the body fights it off or dies trying. Large physical contact with the water, like whole arms, face, etc, result in deaths of three days after exposure.

DO NOT TOUCH THE WATER

Cases are coming from all over Junon, to Costa del Sol, to any town that gets their fish imported from multiple locations around the world. Disease symptoms include: extreme fatigue, black blemishes on skin, black puss, migraines, and 101°F fevers. There are already hundreds of deaths reported from around the globe from this disease.

Though Shinra refuses to give out the newest information to prevent incorrect initial information from spreading, Cosmo Canyon scientists believe this is a disease and weapon from the planet, as the origin of the black liquid started around Junon's underwater mako reactor. They call the disease "Geostigma", as it can easily be linked to overproduction of mako energy from the Planet's core. We will be adapting their name until Shinra R&D can give us more accurate information. Shinra has not released a statement.

If you know anyone with symptoms of Geostigma or who has had contact with the waters of the central ocean, get them to a hospital immediately. Earlier this week, Shinra dispatched all members of SOLDIER on a fleet into the central ocean between continents. The hope is to find the source of this disease and bring it back to Shinra's Science Department to develop an antidote or vaccine to stop Geostigma, and open our waters once again.

* * *

"You know why I joined SOLDIER. To be a hero, to protect people, to help the weak instead of gaining power solely for myself. But why do they need Firsts for this squid hunt?" Zach groaned as he casted another metal net into the ocean.

“Technically, you’re not a First yet,” Angeal lectured, letting the steel cable glide through his palms to reach lower depths. "It's been two days, and you're already impatient."

“Of course I am! They said every SOLDIER member should be on this mission, yet they don’t dare send Sephiroth this way. So it’s clearly not that important." He continued to complain, but never stopped aiding in the project.

“You want to say that to his face?”

“Nope.”

Angeal chuckled, then sighed. “The Turks couldn't handle this, Zach. They almost caught the creature, but it broke their net just before they could get it out of the water. Seconds and Thirds have been having lesser but similar issues."

"What?" He shot up, worried. "Then they shouldn't be here in the first place!"

"The company needs to lower the threat in the public's eye by getting rid of the source quickly, Puppy." The red haired First replied, flipping another page in Loveless. "The other ships are rounding up the creature to our own. We capture it when it has nowhere else to run. This wandering soul won't be able to help itself."

“Can you at least work on throwing the fish back? The tanks can’t hold much more, Genesis.”

“So they can get stuck in the net again?”

“Okay, fair.”

* * *

Cloud can't calm down. Cloud can't think. Everything was a threat: the gray bowls that glided on the surface of this domain, the fake fish that he attacked multiple times for food, the silver and bright green of some odd formation at the bottom of a cliff, even these black clouds that follow him no matter where he goes. But he has to survive for the silver he can’t stop chasing. For her (Two ‘hers’? Three?). Why? He can’t answer that question. He can’t answer any question.

Shit. What did he touch this time? Even as he panicked, trying to rush out in any direction as these metal claws around him pulled him to the surface, and he couldn’t break free this time.

* * *

What the hell did they just dredge up?!

Zach was the first to react when he realized this wasn’t another batch of fish from the thrashing. Angeal and he pulled the net tight to stop the creature from breaking out on the deck. Zach had its shoulders, but no real grip as he tried to pin it down. What kind of monster were they looking at?

Zach was lucky. Angeal ripped the Buster Sword from his back and flattened it against the purple tentacles that did not stop moving, but he got too close. Genesis, who replaced his book with his sword and his free hand with magic ready to cast, saw the whole thing.

This creature. This blonde, half human-like creature, inked Angeal with the same black substance that caused Geostigma.

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Thanks for Reading!

Chapter 3: Orders

Don't. Move. Sephiroth thought as he kept his breathing calm, despite the extremely close creature wrapped around him.

"You," the creature mumbled again, softer than the last one. Another green slit of the same shape started glowing from the center of its back.

The First slowly raised his arms so his hands were level with his shoulders. The creature only adjusted its grip to the movement.

"Stop hurting it," the assistant ordered while pressing the red button on an intercom nearby. A deep and unignorable siren began overhead.

Unlike before, the creature did not react to any of them as it stared at The First Class SOLDIER, its limbs climbing and falling up and down his body, unable to be still.

"Are you okay?" Zack asked as he approached carefully, but Clouds didn't notice.

"...It has no slime." Sephiroth accidentally responded with the weirdest thought going through his head before turning to Zack. "Grab the far tentacle on my left arm."

Zack knew what he meant. Sephiroth could rip this creature apart if he wanted to, but the only way to find a cure was to keep it alive. The more intact, the better. Zack could be more careful because he seemed to care about the creature. Sephiroth didn't want to risk crushing the creature's limbs in any way, and the only guarantee was to stay perfectly still.

The moment Zack put his hand on the first tentacle, Clouds turned to him, coiling its limb further up Sephiroth's arm, and shook his head before nearly hiding it in Sephiroth's shoulder.

"...no…"

All three of them turned their heads to its.

"Did he just talk?" Zack practically yelled.

Responding to the sirens, guards rammed through the doors and into the lab.

"Stay back!" The assistant yelled to the guards, who got confused looks in response. "Stay back! Get against the wall!" They turned to the SOLDIERS. "This is amazing progress; keep it talking while I get the professor!"

Sephiroth glared, and the creature mimicked him.

"He'll be behind one-way glass, you won't be able to see him," they assured, and both of them calmed as they ran out through the doors by the guards.

Once they were no longer visible and the guards seemed more worried about guarding the door than taking down the creature, Sephiroth carefully wrapped his hand around one of the moving tentacles.

No luck, the limbs were too slippery to grab carefully.

"Hey, Clouds," Zack softly spoke as if tending to a child, but the creature looked to him and shook its head.

"Cloud," it corrected. Both SOLDIERS tensed.

"Okay, Cloud," He tried again, willing his body to calm, "why don't you grab my arm instead?" He extended his left arm to the creature, the same one it bit on the ship.

Cloud's purple limb slowly moved across Sephiroth's arm to Zack's hand. It wrapped around the glove and moved up to his wrist. It seemed to consider the request, weighing its options, but ultimately recoiled.

"No… Sephiroth…"

Okay, now this was a problem. He couldn't just stay on The First Class SOLDIER like jewelry.

"Cloud."

Sephiroth's deep voice visibly snapped the creature to attention. Cloud turned directly to him like a soldier, and all of his body stopped its never ending movement.

"Go to Zack."

The creature followed the signaling nod of the man giving orders. Though there was reluctance in every movement, Cloud slithered on to Zack with a betrayed look in his eyes. One of its tentacles kept reaching for the silver haired man as Zack slowly backed away toward the tank.

"Thanks, Man. Really appreciate it." His voice dripped with sarcasm as the creature adjusted to the smaller stature of its new stand.

Click. "Sephiroth?" The assistance voice called through the overhead speakers, "Go to the testing room. Leave Zack, we have a plan for him."

The man in question looked to the younger man for affirmation.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I've done this before," Zack reassured with a thumbs up. A tentacle wrapped around the hand and thumb, almost mimicking the gesture.

Sephiroth nodded and entered the testing room, a loud beep symbolizing that he closed the door behind him. Zack took a breath.

Some of the pipes leading into the tank suddenly rattled, and both of them turned to it as the tank was being pumped full of fresh fish.

Cloud desperately looked to Zack and grabbed his hand with its, asking him without speaking.

"Go!" Zack shouted with a smile and excitement. The creature instantly followed suit and climbed back into the massive tank.

* * *

It was him. His connection, his lifeline, his reunion.

But this reunion has hurt me before.

Every fiber of his being desired closeness to Sephiroth (to hold? To obey? To kill?).

Cloud, back in the tank, tried to keep his eyes on the door the silver left through but to no end. Everything was distracting again. Nothing could be focused on for more than a second. However, no dark clouds surrounded him.

Then a low beep, the one-way observatory glass faded into normal glass.

That scientist was there. Hojo. The calm that Sephiroth caused vanished as the ink returned, but now the transparent edge of the ink was dark mako green instead of black.

Show them what you know.

Cloud had heard that voice (maybe?) one other time. An unknown, genderless voice that held the weight of the cosmos in its words. A feeling more than a command.

Cloud swam to the bottom, but there was nothing to use. No sand, no rocks, nothing he could manipulate. He went back to the top and pulled a silver cord. The pipes rattled. A few fish fell through the openings. He ripped them open and tore out their skeletons with each of his eight limbs before shooting back to the base of the tank. With each limb holding bones, he scratched into the metal as the discarded fish floated to the surface, their blood the only liquid leaking into the water. The clouds had stopped.

Hojo activated various buzzers and shocks into the water, but the creature did not stop carving. Though his assistant began rambling about needing to cure Geostigma with its ink, Hojo grinned without turning from the creature.

"Professor? Are you listening? Professor Hojo?" They asked with concern.

"Yes, yes." He literally waved them off. "Leave me with the creature alone."

They knew they could not argue and left the room, mumbling before closing the door and assuming Hojo could not hear them, "Cloud. Its name is Cloud."

* * *

"So, do you want to explain what that was all about?" The young SOLDIER asked his superior as they entered the break room.

"We have the same information," Sephiroth replied, glancing at the large tree in the center like the glass was the tank. "I don't know why."

"Oh I know, and I believe you because I was there. But neither of them will accept that answer."

The guards from the alarm activation absolutely planted seeds on the Shinra rumor grape vine. They needed answers to give, fast.

"Do you have any ideas? Because I'm stumped."

"Hm." Sephiroth scowled. He was right, neither of the Firsts would believe this creature tore through the tank chains just to climb him like a post, even if it was the truth. Even through the silent sample gathering after the incident with the creature, no theories he came up with were logical. It had mako eyes. Extreme overexposure from the Junon reactor, perhaps? That might explain what it is; not why it was enamored with him.

"Did the pattern on its scales look familiar to you?" Zack asked suddenly as Genesis and Angeal came into sight.

They were sitting at what had unofficially become the First's table, away from most of the lines for food and distracting TVs.

"Did they, Hero?" Genesis sneered. SOLDIER hearing. They were all used to it.

"Not from what I saw of it," Sephiroth answered.

"And you still don't know why it climbed you?" Angeal asked.

"No idea."

"Then you should read this." He slid the tablet he was messing with across the table to them as they approached.

"What is it?" Zack asked after the general had already begun reading.

* * *

Shinra Research and Development Report: Update on Geostigma XX/XX/XXXX, 19:28

[ - THIS REPORT DOES NOT GUARANTEE A CURE BY ANY DATE - ALL INFORMATION IS HOURS OLD AND MAY NOT BE RELIABLE UPON FURTHER RESEARCH - ]

The cure process has moved from treating to stabilizing the disease. Previous attempts at a cure resulted in treatment with the only result of slowing down the growth of the disease attacking the body. After today, we have discovered a way for its ink to produce human-like antibodies in the ink itself. With three cases so far, Geostigma patients with this cure keep their visible ailments but feel and act as if nothing is wrong with them. Our new goal is to cure the symptoms and growth as we did in these three patients for a temporary solution.

We've known for some time now the creature has an affinity for silver objects. However we did not predict that it would be attracted to large masses of silver outside of its tank and break out of containment as it did at 15:59 this afternoon. We do know that because of this event, we are 256% closer to our final cure than predicted models suggested.

* * *

Affinity for silver: that phrase kept running through Sephiroth’s head.

“A research assistant told me its feeding wire is also a silver-looking metal for that exact reason,” Angeal mentioned, practically reading Sephiroth’s mind.

“That's not it.” Zack shook his head quickly. “Cloud talked to us.”

Genesis raised a brow and questioned with boredom, “Cloud?”

“It told us its name,” Sephiroth defended the puppy. “Cloud.”

“That thing barely made a noise when we dragged it out of the ocean, yet it talked to you on sight?” Angeal asked to clarify. “What else did it say?”

“‘No’, ‘Cloud’, ‘Sephiroth',” Zack blurted as he counted the words with his fingers.

“‘You’,” Sephiroth mentioned quietly, and the youngest of them stared at him in confusion. “It said ‘you’ to me twice before they triggered the alarm. I assumed it was struggling to breathe and I misheard it.”

“Did anyone say your name in front of it while you were there?”

They thought for a moment.

“The assistant,” Zack remembered, “right before it broke the chains.”

“Angeal.”

They all knew that tone. The general was about to switch topics, and honestly, none of them looked like they would argue with a change of pace.

“How is your stigma?”

He lifted his head up. “Not as bad as expected. The black spots are sore but nothing we can’t handle.”

Sephiroth smirked. “Good. Keep it up until they find the cure.”

After the two late-comers took seats at the table, the four SOLDIERs did not mention the creature again for the remainder of the night. They chose to treat the night with normal conversation and a few good laughs (some of which will absolutely get Zack another lecture from Angeal once he is fully cured). Even with their superior sight and hearing, none of them notice the young, red haired girl in a full black suit watching them from the second floor of the lounge.

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Thanks for Reading!

Chapter 24: The Western Continent

Finally, after twenty three hours, they could see their destination: Costa del Sol, the western continent. Once they stepped foot on solid ground, they had very little time to relax. One hour: get food, get stocked up, and get moving. The two parties would split when they were closer to their goals, but for now they finally started packing and preparing the few things they would bring with them on shore once they docked. They were so close, so close, to the answers they were looking for. They were here. They were ready.

“Alright,” Angeal spoke first as they loaded into buggies outside the resort. “Two of the cadets will ride our Mountain Chocobos behind us as we drive to Corel. Once we pass through, we split off near Gold Saucer. Nibelhiem team takes two of the buggies and waterfall team takes the last buggie and the two chocobos.”

“One last thing,” One of the scientist’s interrupted their final ‘SOLDIER only’ meeting. All five of them turned to the scientist. “The creature, no matter how much we don’t want to do this, has to stay with the Nibelhiem team. Any chance of it breaking out near the waterfall is a risk we cannot take, even at the cost of delaying cure production.”

“Understood,” they all nodded at once.

The scientist left, and Angeal took the opportunity to finish.

“Us four Firsts travel in the first truck, the creature will be in the back with us horizontally. It wasn’t a problem last time we transported it so it shouldn’t be this time. Cloud, Tifa, and Zangan go in the second with half of R&D. Then the chocobos. Then the rest of R&D takes the last one.”

“There’s no dossier for this mission?” Cloud asked genuinely.

“There is, but it’s completely filled with technical speak from R&D and this is basically all the important information that applies to us.”

Both him and Tifa nodded, who had apparently showed up when the scientist did.

“Alright, let’s break,” Genesis commanded, and every member went to their respective vehicles.

Cloud and Tifa left for their vehicle, while the rest of them headed back to the ship.

“Why are we going back to move the creature to the truck?” Zack asked genuinely.

“Because the only thing R&D can plan is an experiment, not a convoy,” Genesis explained with a huff. “Angeal and I are responsible for carrying it while you two stay in sight and keep it calm.”

“Understood,” They spoke in sync.

* * *

The natural beauty of the Western Continent was a sight to behold. Beyond the bridge leading to Corel, the small mining town that recently had a Mako Reactor built nearby. Every SOLDIER noticed the initial joy of having mako energy was still present in the town, not realizing that a mako reactor doomed the town to a standstill. No more development or expansion, the town would grow smaller until all the inhabitants left or the reactor malfunctioned and forced all the sane citizens to leave their homes.

But what was a home? All the silver general knew was the upper floors of Shinra Tower. This creature, for whatever reason, was his one. shot. at finding the only family he hoped was still out there.

“Mother…” The creature spoke softly as if it read Sephiroth’s thoughts. The truck was barely large enough to hold the creature in the tank, with the two pairs of SOLDIERs up against the walls of the buggy, sitting on turned wooden crates for room. The creature was forced to lie down, although its back never rested against the glass. It floated in the middle, on top of the water, its upper half closest to its silver haired master.

Sephiroth moved his eyes from the window to the creature, and it put a hand flush against the glass in response.

“Is it really, always, like this?” Genesis asked with a hint of disgust.

His old friend nodded. “Since it spotted me.”

“It just stares like that all the time?” Angeal added in.

He took a breath as he dared to look to the creature’s mako blue eyes, which always stared straight through his inhuman blue to his soul. “Yes.”

“And that’s not…creepy?”

“No. It is ‘creepy’,” he parroted the word.

“This is better than the time it escaped,” Zack explained. “That was…genuinely concerning.”

“Ah, the video,” Genesis remarked. “That was for the first drawing, correct?”

“Correct.”

They all looked to the creature and silenced. It bobbed like it was still in a tide despite the lack of any movement beyond the shaking of the truck. Its purple limbs stacked on top of each other and bent upwards in order to fit in the tiny tank.

But it didn’t care. It just stared at Sephiroth with wide, innocent eyes as it always had.

“We’re almost at the breaking point,” Angeal spoke after a few moments.

“Then we split,” Zack spoke softly, as if he was reminding himself of their fate.

“There’s still time to switch.”

“I’m leaving it, to chance,” The silver general directed gravely.

They all nodded one last time. Then they all felt the buggy begin decelerating. It was almost time.

Zack leaned back against the wall with his hands behind his head. “The waterfall will be a nice change of pace from the other mountains I’ve been to,” he spoke casually.

“Hm,” Sephiroth gave his short reply.

The creature suddenly slammed the glass. The SOLDIERs all snapped their attention back to it, and it was shaking its head desperately, its mako blue eyes wide with fear.

“No!”

Why?

“Sephiroth! No!”

“Don’t slam on the glass,” He commanded, and it retracted its hands instantly but did not stop frantically begging.

“No. Please. Please…”

“Why can’t I go to the waterfall?”

“Mother. Jenova. Reunion,” It tried to explain.

“If my mother’s not there, why did you draw a waterfall?”

It grasped its wounds, then its head, and shook its head.

“Stop avoiding the question.”

“Mother,” It nodded, then it shook its head as it spoke again, “No Jenova.”

It’s where my mother is, but not my mother?

“What?”

It winced and slowly writhed in phantom pain. “Sephiroth. Please…”

“...I’m going to the waterfall, Cloud,” He stated coldly, not moving from his original decision. “You will go with Angeal and Genesis. You will not ink. You will not break your tank, and you will stay in it until I say. Do you understand?”

It looked like it was about to cry, but it nodded just the same.

“We’re here!” The driver yelled from the front as the car stopped. “Waterfall team, head out the back and we’ll meet you in Nibelhiem when your mission is complete.”

Zack and Sephiroth turned to each other, gave one nod, and left out the back. Angeal and Genesis stayed with the creature until the switch was completed, and Tifa, Cloud, and Zangan funneled into the now open ‘seats’.

“Welcome aboard,” Angeal joked, and Zangan was the only one brave enough to give a laugh in reply as he closed the doors.

“Glad to be heading back with some help,” He spoke as the buggy began moving slowly. “Getting out of Nibelhiem is not easy without corporate aid or a truckload of gill.”

“It is in the middle of nowhere,” Genesis commented.

“Even has a reactor…” Human Cloud mumbled, getting an agreeing point from Tifa.

“The old Shinra Manor and the reactor are the only notable things in the area if you’re not from there.”

“What’s notable to you, then?” The redhead asked genuinely.

Tifa looked away with a small smirk and a light blush. “...The water tower, that we are not supposed to climb. No one stops you if they don’t see you. The stars, since we’re so far from the city…”

Human Cloud was looking away from all of them as he crossed his arms.

Then, to their surprise, the creature spoke. “Promise…”

Tifa looked at it in confusion. “Promise?”

“Promise,” It repeated. “Reunion.”

The real Cloud and Tifa looked to each other, then back at the creature.

“Do you…?” Cloud couldn’t finish his question, but the creature nodded anyway.

“Sephiroth…” It spoke softly.

“Just ignore it,” Angeal suggested. “It’s just going through its vocabulary.”

The three nodded, but the teens knew this creature was not speaking randomly. Their promise to come back if they were in danger was something it only knew about because Tifa told it when she snuck into the lab. The two kept their thoughts locked up, and they all spoke casually until they reached their destination.

* * *

Come to me, my son.

It was louder. So much louder. Zack didn’t seem any different beyond how they usually acted when they heard the voice. But the silver general was struggling to hear with this voice in his head. This kind, cosmic, motherly voice. No. He shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts running through his mind.

Come to my reunion, my son.

They were both on mountain chocobos, and they split off from R&D and the cadets, which were parked as close to the mountains as possible without putting themselves in danger of a rock slide, avalanche, or any other unpredictable disaster. They were tasked with clearing the area and making a safe path to the waterfall, but they both knew what their real goal was. They were nearly through to the open waterfall, when both chocobos suddenly stopped. Both SOLDIERs tried to make them go forward, but neither of the animals obeyed.

“It’s too steep for them,” Zack spoke their shared realization, and watched as Sephiroth scanned the area, the way they came, and the last mountains they needed to conquer.

Then his gaze stopped at the peak of the next mountain. “Zack.”

“We can make that,” Zack agreed to the silent thought.

He nodded and dismounted, and his apprentice followed his lead. He drew his sword as a precaution of what may come, or if they slipped, and Zack drew his own just the same. Sephiroth turned and spoke to his apprentice one phrase before they took this risk.

“Let’s go.”

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Thanks for reading!

Chapter 14: Blue and Silver

Gods. Again?

The two Firsts were barely in the lab for two minutes, still getting a cure update from Ace, when Sephiroth found himself getting climbed by the creature again with all of its tentacles wrapping around his limbs.

“Will this make it produce more of the ink you need?” He questioned.

The head assistant shied away. “Sorry, we haven’t been able to test that yet. We hope. We can try getting him a tree but…”

He gave a small glare to the creature that was now on his back, and the creature responded with curious eyes and a tilt of its head.

“Lastly," he turned to them, the creature tried to follow, "we have to ask that you don’t let it draw anything. Or say something that makes it start drawing.”

The SOLDIERs gave them extremely confused stares.

“It doesn’t produce a lot of ink when drawing, and when it does it's the wrong ink,” Ace explained in small frustration.

They both nodded, but this put a wrench in their plan. With quick send-offs, the scientist returned to the observation room and the SOLDIERs were stuck with the creature that would not stop staring at Sephiroth’s eyes. Before Zack got a chance to speak and initiate their original idea, the creature spoke first.

“Jenova,” it spoke smoothly as it tapped the center of Sephiroth’s chest, over his heart, then the spike of his bangs, his head.

Zack made eye contact with the creature and questioned softly, leaning towards it as he spoke “...Do you know?”

Cloud nodded. “Reunion.”

"How do we stop it?" Sephiroth asked, gaining its full attention.

It shook its head with sad eyes. "Reunion."

"No other way?" Zack chimed.

Cloud shook his head again before resting it on Sephiroth's shoulder. Its tentacles climbed slowly, softly along his SOLDIER uniform. Then it started to hug him from behind.

Sephiroth rose a brow in confusion. "Why?"

"Sephiroth…" was its only reply, its voice tired and calm. They waited, but It never elaborated.

"Cloud," Zack called carefully, and the creature looked to him but did not let go. "Can I ask you something?"

It nodded slowly.

"You'll be...my living legacy," He repeated as close as he could to the message in his mind. "What does that mean to you?"

"Zack…" it spoke without hesitation.

Both of them were confused.

"Me?"

It nodded.

"Why?"

It closed its eyes, and its hands tensed. It hid its head behind one of Sephiroth's pauldrons.

"You don't know a word?"

It nodded.

Damn, and they can't ask it to show them.

"Do you know someone who might?"

It shook its head.

Zack sighed and looked to the silver general. "Should we ask it?"

Sephiroth tried to look at the creature cowering below his shoulder. He gave a short nod before speaking. "Cloud."

It shot to attention above of his shoulder.

"Did you hear anything recently?"

"Come. Reunion," it answered instantly.

"How do we get to this 'reunion'?"

Cloud gave him a confused look, like he was supposed to already know.

Sephiroth shook his head slightly. "I don't know."

It looked lost and stared at him for a few seconds before looking to Zack for help.

The younger SOLDIER held his hands up in surrender. "Don't look at me. I don't know either."

It looked to the carving of the angel. The carving of Jenova.

Then it hugged Sephiroth tighter and looked at him with desperate eyes. "Please."

“I don’t know what you’re asking me-” He tried to explain.

“Please!” It cut him off. “Forgive! Cherish! Future! Reunion!”

“No!” Zack jumped to the creature in alarm and tried to stop its words, but its tentacles stopped him from covering its mouth or even grabbing Sephiroth. “Cloud, Stop! Don’t!” He had to help Sephiroth. Gods why is it stronger?!

“Jenova! Reunion! Mother!”

But Sephiroth was already tense with clenched fists. He was already assaulted by the messages in his mind, yet now they were stronger. He saw and felt everything in them.

First, he was staring nearly straight down at Cloud, but a completely human one in black clothing, both of them in battle stance, standing on what looked like the outside of the Shinra building. The blonde wasn't on the building itself. What was Cloud standing on? He had decent footing on the nearly collapsing building. Collapsing?

On your knees. I want you to beg for forgiveness.

Second, he was glaring down in near victory at Cloud from a hundred feet above. Cloud was on the ground with fresh and bloody wounds, struggling to stand, if at all. The same wounds that glowed on the creature. He was…he didn’t know. He couldn’t feel the ground. What he could feel is a large mass on his right shoulder throwing off his center of gravity. He wasn’t moving at all; he couldn’t have jumped. He felt like the epicenter of a storm, carried by the weight of his rage.

Tell me what you cherish most. Give me the pleasure of taking it away.

Third, Cloud’s below him again. He was always above Cloud. This time they were both on solid ground, much closer in height than the other two. He had his hand in the air as dark clouds swirled in the sky, his sword in his left hand as it always was. Cloud, at the bottom, was ready to fight to the death. He could see it. He wanted it.

And one day we’ll find a new planet, and on its soil we’ll create a shining future.

Fourth, he was looking down at a much younger Cloud. But this one was in a trooper uniform, and impaled by his sword. Yet somehow he was in the air, holding onto the hilt in his left hand like his existence depended on it, and something he couldn’t make out by feeling in his right. All four of these images shared the same grudge of deep malice in his chest, even when looking down at this young boy.

Then his vision flashed. Blue. Then silver. Then blue again. Then silver. And for two seconds he was looking up at something he couldn’t see with a hand on the glass of some kind of tank. Only then did he feel the opposite of hatred; he felt hope, joy, desperation, reunited. Then flashing again. Faster. And faster. And Faster.

“Stop,” Sephiroth commanded as he grabbed his head with both of his hands. His vision was slowly returning as he focused on regulating his breath and heartbeat. He felt lighter. He felt alone. What changed?

When he could finally see again, Zack was dozens of feet away from him with the creature in the corner between the wall and the tank. Zack was holding his arm and breathing hard. The creature acted normal, no different than its usual behavior. However, this creature looked at him with curiosity, while his apprentice glared at him in betrayal and disgust.

“We’re leaving.” Zack had never sounded so serious before. There was no room for argument, and no room for response. “Now.” Zack glanced at the creature and flicked his head. "In the tank. Right now."

Both of them obeyed Zack's orders.

He said nothing as he walked through the doors, and his apprentice followed him behind. Only after they got to the exit to the lab did he hear a sword sheath. Zack’s sword was drawn? How did he miss that? He looked to his apprentice’s blade, and, to his dismay, there was blood dripping from the tip.

What did I do?

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Thanks for reading!

Chapter 15: Publicity

Two days had passed since the incident in the lab. Sephiroth and Zack committed to a strict ‘mentor-apprentice only’ communication regimen. The only talking during training was instruction. They did not converse outside of the training room. They did not go back to the lab. They never received another call. Both of them were diligent in following SOLDIER schedules. But Sephiroth wanted to know what happened. Zack never told him. He tried to ask, but Zack shut him down. He didn't know what he did in that lab, and he didn't know what he would do if he was summoned for the creature again.

Why were these the thoughts running through his head on the way to another early morning meeting with Lazard?

They didn’t last long when Sephiroth entered the director’s office first. The other SOLDIERs had not appeared yet. Lazard gave him a short nod in greeting, which he returned before leaning on one of the tables and crossing his arms casually. The rest of the Firsts (and First in training) entered within the minute.

“Glad you’re all here,” Lazard greeted, “Let’s keep this meeting short.”

They all nodded in agreement.

“First, Zangan, yes that Zangan, is arriving today with his latest student, and I expect all of you to be on your best behavior. He’ll be here for ten days. One day to adapt to the building, seven days of seminars, and two days to recover and pack.”

Three of the Firsts stared at him in soft surprise while the red haired one crossed his arms.

“Genesis, you've already been informed, so I hope you followed up on what we talked about.”

He waved his hand. “I made a short training regimen for the student. We'll see if they survive it.”

“No,” Lazard scolded. “Training does not mean ‘get them seriously injured’. You know what to do.”

Genesis scoffed. “Of course.”

“Why is Genesis the one in charge of the student?” Zack questioned. He didn't find Genesis the best at first impressions.

“Shinra needs a First for publicity,” the director explained. “Angeal has the stigma, close to a cure or not, and Sephiroth has you.” The small glare the First in training gave him did not go unnoticed. “And Genesis has the freest schedule. The most availability.”

“You have the freest schedule yet you're always busy?”

“I do have somewhat of a life outside of SOLDIER, puppy.”

Zack glared with annoyance.

“Alright.” The director glared at them both. “Moving on. Second: Angeal, be careful with that recruit you took under your wing. Some of the other troops are yelling ‘special treatment’, so whatever you're doing either shorten it or get better at hiding.”

Angeal thought back to the three, three, conversations he had with Cloud after his seminars in the past few days. “I'll see what I can do.”

He nodded. “Lastly,” He looked to his right at Sephiroth, then looked to his left at Zack, as far as they could be separated without being obvious. The master and apprentice could not be more distant. “R&D informed me that you’re not returning calls or emails since your last visit to the lab.”

A small knot formed in Sephiroth's brow. Zack turned away and crossed his arms.

“Though the creature has been cooperating, you two need to head to the lab before R&D has the right to sick the Turks on you. And that won't reflect well on SOLDIER.”

“I'll talk to R&D and see what I can do,” Sephiroth replied.

“They don't want to talk. They want you there.” They all paused. No answers came. “I don't know what happened, but progress on the cure can't be stopped or delayed. If R&D contacts me after 10AM, I will have to write a report, and all of SOLDIER will be under questioning for your behavior. Am I clear?”

They all nodded.

“Good. You're dismissed.”

* * *

“Zack,” Sephiroth finally spoke after a solid three minutes of silence while they walked to the training room. “What did you do?”

“What did I do?” He spat back immediately.

“I haven't received a single message from R&D-”

“Because they don't have your contact info, they have mine,” He seethed.

"What did you do?” Sephiroth repeated, with absolutely no emotion in his voice.

“I told them the truth,” He explained and his mentor's blue eyes widened. “That it’s unsafe for the creature to be around you. That somehow the last time the creature climbed you, your headache nearly knocked you to the floor. That they have no right to ask for you until the creature stops producing the necessary ink: the entire reason we risked what we did in the first place.”

He took a low breath, relieved that he didn’t mention the messages. “What did I do...?” He asked his apprentice in vain.

“Give me two more hours, don't go to R&D, and keep yourself sane. Then I'll tell you.”

“If we don’t go, all of SOLDIER will be repremanded,” Sephiroth countered before regretfully continuing. “You'll be taken out of First without question.”

Zack scowled and clenched his fists. “Now you're threatening me? What happened to trust!?”

“They'll find me unworthy of mentoring. Genesis has Zangan’s student. You’ll be on your own and sent back to Second until Angeal is capable. I have no say in that.” He spoke with an emotionless voice, but his eyes were down and away from his apprentice.

Zack took a sharp inhale. “You want to know what you did that badly? That you’re putting the biggest step to my goal on the line? Are you that desperate?”

“You don’t need to be a First to be a hero.”

They both silenced, finally entering the training room. Once the door closed, no one outside could hear what they said. All they heard was the sounds of ridiculous power exertion and explosions inside and yelling from the apprentice.

* * *

At the entrance of Shinra HQ, the waiting of Director Lizard and SOLDIER, First Class: Genesis finally came to an end as the martial arts master entered the building with their young student.

“Zangan,” Lazard spoke charmingly with his hand stretched. “Welcome to Shinra HeadQuarters.”

“Glad to finally be here, Director.” He grabbed and gave Lazard a firm handshake.

“I hope your trip went well?”

Zangan let out a short laugh. “About as well as you’d expect when the oceans are still a mess.”

“Understandable.” He nodded before gesturing to the man in red. “This is Genesis Rhapsodos. He will be your student’s mentor here, if you'll allow him. He already has a regimen complete for the next three days.”

“Although,” Genesis began with slight confusion while staring at the student. He wasn’t expecting a sixteen-year-old girl with long black hair and a… less than ideal build for fighting. “I may have to change it now that I’ve met you.”

The girl crossed her arms with an annoyed stare from under her hat. “You change a thing and I'll break your kneecaps.”

Genesis smirked, surprised a young girl would show so much fire around a First Class SOLDIER. “You're a feisty one, aren’t you?”

She nodded, then stretched out her hand. “Tifa Lockheart. Glad we can start off on the right foot.”

He shook it, catching the glint of a challenge in her eyes.

“First, let's get you both to your apartment, and then we can begin with the grand tour,” The director explained.

All three of the others nodded.

“Will you need any help with your bags?”

“We only packed the essentials,” Zangan answered with a gesture to his own bag. “One bag each. It makes travel much easier.”

“Understandable. Then please, follow me.”

On the way to the apartment, Lazard crammed as many public areas as possible into the path. Shinra needed publicity, and this was the cost. Luckily for them, the paparazzi and news crews kept their distance for better photos.

* * *

9:47. The two Firsts cut it very close to the limit they received at the meeting that morning. Now, they were on the elevator, a few floors below R&D.

“You know the deal,” Zack confirmed.

Sephiroth gave a short nod. “No weapons. I can only talk to you, not the creature. I don't speak at all if it climbs me. We hope for the best. Then you tell me what happened last time.”

“I promise.” Zack nodded in response as they looked through the glass doors. Before the elevator opened, they saw a small figure stealthily follow one of the panicked scientists through the door to the lab. They glanced to each other quickly. The second the door opened, the firsts ran after the intruder. With their enhanced hearing, they followed the soft yet fast footsteps deep into the lab. Through multiple sets of stairs, past dozens of specimens, through the halls for medical operation and observation. This intruder didn’t know where they were going. So many dead ends and unexplainable turns eventually lead them into the stigma creature's lab.

Only when they dashed through the door did they get attacked by… a young girl?

“What did you do!?” She yelled and thrashed as Sephiroth grabbed both of her wrists to stop her assault.

Before they could ask for clarification or even for her to calm down, she asked a question with far too deep of meaning for someone scrolling through social media to understand. She was connected, somehow, to whatever she thought or knew this creature was.

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO CLOUD?!”

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Thanks for Reading!

Chapter ??: What if...?

Nibelhiem. Finally. Sephiroth was silent for the trip back from the waterfall. Zack explained most of what happened to the small R&D team that were forced to join. The researchers were disappointed that the mountains were too dangerous for them to travel, and their research was at the whim of what the SOLDIERs were willing to share. With Sephiroth, practically the source of the experiment, silent, they knew most of their report was missing. Did he hear another message? Or did he destroy whatever was inside, and Zack is hiding it? The possibilities rooted in Hojo’s notes were endless.

In the small village, night life was nonexistent. It was silent, except for the SOLDIERs that left Shinra manor to join them.

“We’re going to the reactor,” Sephiroth spoke mindlessly with cold eyes.

“Hell no,” Angeal was the first to deny him. “Those mountains are too dangerous after dark.”

“Then don’t come,” The general spat. “But don’t stop me.”

“What happened at the waterfall, Sephiroth?” Genesis questioned. “What did you learn?”

“Everything.”

“Is that you talking, or the voice in our heads?” Genesis spat and grabbed his arm with a grip too tight for Sephiroth to shake off casually, even if the general wasn’t briefly staggered at the accusation. The accurate accusation. “You need to see what we found in the lab.”

Lab? Now his attention moved to the Firsts instead of the reactor.

Come to me.

He tensed before shaking his head like a wet dog to get rid of the voice. He needed to know what they meant, but the pull was so strong. All of them noticed his strange behavior, and he could barely react before his friends were forcing him inside Shinra Manor as they spoke either orders or asked soft questions for the sake of his being. His feet were still on the ground, still moving him forward, in the direction they led him. Not his lead. Not his mother's.

“What is it telling you?” Cloud, the poor young Cloud, asked hesitantly. He practically absorbed everything that was going on through osmosis since no one would tell him.

“It said something new,” Zack explained quickly, only knowing from earlier observation.

“What did it tell you now?” Angeal questioned.

Come to me.

He winced. It was too loud and he didn't answer any of their questions as he focused on keeping his thoughts straight. “I am going, to the reactor, tonight,” He insisted, even as his traitorous body kept following his friends to the underground lab.

“Did it tell you you're an experiment?” Genesis questioned. Another statement that staggered his resistance.

He practically fell into the only chair at the end of the lab, at the end of the library. Experiment? “How do you know-” He’s out of breath. Out of breath? How? He looked to Zack with accusation in his eyes, who was holding green materia. “How?”

“I told you sleep might work, if you can't control yourself.” He was timing it perfectly. Genesis knew how to fight with both a sword and words, the latter of which Sephiroth was decent at but not nearly to the redhead's precision. Every moment of distraction was a chance for Zack to cast Sleep. He’s usually immune to mental attacks, but not in his current state. Now he’s only resistant, slowly losing his grip on consciousness. But they weren't trying to put him to sleep, they were trying to talk to him without the voice getting in the way. They just needed to keep him in one place.

“Zack, let me-”

“Jenova is a 2,000 year old Ancient Shinra discovered in the Northern Crater, and her remains were used to create the Jenova project,” Angeal poured the information onto Sephiroth, and Zack filled each opening of emotion with Sleep spells. “They wanted a human-Cetra hybrid to lead Shinra to The Promised Land. One baby injected with Jenova’s cells later and they got you”

“Sound accurate?” Genesis questioned.

“Jenova’s not a Cetra,” Zack corrected before Sephiroth could clear his fogging mind to respond. “And his birth mother told us he needed to die off planet.”

“...If the Lifestream is a cycle of life in the planet already,” Human Cloud mumbled. “Why wouldn’t he be allowed to die here?”

“I won’t die here…” Sephiroth spat the only coherent thought he could form. “I will rule it… Just as she said…”

“Are you insane?” Angeal inquired. “Are you the real Sephiroth, or are you the visions you keep seeing?”

He held a hand to his head, “Those visions are real.”

“Then why can’t we change them?” Zack questioned. “Why are you convinced this is set in stone?”

“Because Jenova, is the only mother, that wants me, and I will do anything for her.” He’s struggling to stay conscious, a breath between nearly every word.

My son.

“At least let me see her…” Dear gods he’s begging, and he’s about to pass out. “All I need is the reactor…”

“Why can’t you choose for yourself?” Zack responded quickly. If the general was this exhausted, they were running out of time.

Angeal didn’t ask and took the materia away from Zack.

“Zack…”

A sudden idea hit the apprentice. “Angeal, Genesis,” Zack turned to them both. “How do you feel about an emergency return to HQ?”

“I’ll call Lazard,” Angeal spoke first, ignoring Sephiroth’s groans of protest.

“We need fast transport. What are the chances we can get that Airship in Junon?”

“I have a pilot friend there who owes me a favor,” Genesis chimed. “Clearance or not, we’ll all come out of this with a spotless record.”

“Good.”

“Zack, stop…” Sephiroth slurred.

Zack turned to him one last time. “We’re not losing you to whatever Jenova is.”

The general fought against the darkness pulling at his eyelids by glaring at the apprentice, but his body gave out on him, the last plucking sound of the sleep spell ringing in his ears.

* * *

Getting help at Midgar was interesting. They were cleared for the Airship, but Hojo utterly refused to offer treatment and demanded Sephiroth and Zack go to the Nibel Reactor. With only one division head left to turn to, the other Firsts practically begged Hollander to do psychological testing, something they all should have considered a long time ago. During Sephiroth’s treatment, they found no signs of mental illness. What he was hearing was real. Wasting no more time, the group used persuasive measures to get the absolute truth out of Hollander. The rat helpfully answered all the questions they had. First: Jenova was an alien creature, not an Ancient. That’s all they needed to know to explain the truth to Sephiroth. That explained every confusing request his birth mother gave. Second: Jenova was never fully dead, found in materia and in the same water she is still kept in some unknown location. The Ancients knew what she was. The call still rang in his mind, but his will began overpowering the voice once he learned the truth.

The biggest issue was putting a plan into motion. They needed that corpse off the planet, and that required a rocket. Convincing Shinra to continue the failing space program was not an easy task, but they claimed they compared the stigma creature’s ink to the alien’s DNA and found a direct match, and sending the corpse off planet would brand Shinra as complete heroes, even to Wutai. But what they actually did, was compare the DNA to Sephiroth’s. Too many things were making sense. Also, too many things weren’t. The creature itself showed absolutely no matches with Sephiroth’s genes. The creature itself was human and its ink wasn’t, but they couldn’t risk another outbreak of Geostigma.

That’s how Cloud found himself on the Shinra No. 26 with the creature plaguing his thoughts, just before take off, the cosmic voice screaming in his mind to attack, to do anything to stop this, but his true master’s orders kept him in place. Only one passenger was leaving this vessel before launch, and it was Sephiroth.

Sephiroth drew his massive sword, but spoke to the creature as if consoling a child. “Do you have anything you’d like to tell me last?”

Cloud stared into the inhuman eyes, but not with the possession he was forced to before, with the last grip of his sanity.

“Thank you…”

First it was pain, and then it was white. In the blinding light, he could almost see a figure. Then he realized it was a hand stretched to him.

“Grab on, Cloud.”

It wasn’t a voice he expected. He’d only heard this voice a few times in his true life. He grabbed the hand and felt his soul getting pulled into the lifestream, no more ink clouding his mind.

“Thank you…” She spoke, though he still could not see her. “Thank you, for saving my son.”

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The (Alternate) End.

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Thanks for reading!