Here's the second chapter.  C&C welcome and appreciated.  Don't expect
no3 to come out quite as quick.  For a _much_ better copy, go to
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Dojo/6757/sac.htm
          
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Final Fantasy VII; 
Such a change
By myrriden
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Chapter 2



Sephiroth shook his silver mane clear of the rain,"C'mon, dad! I'll be
fine!" 
"Shinra is still searching for us, Sephiroth. If we stay in Gongaga, they
are certain to find us." Vincent looked over his shoulder uncertaintly. 

His eyes drifted over the open field. "Vincent," he heard to his left,
turned and saw an old friend. Johnathan Strife. A visitor from Nibelheim.
"I have the information you needed. Tseng is the leader of the Turks now.
Korrie retired permenently...her son Reeve is due for a promotion any time
now." He grinned. "Old man Shinra really likes him." 

"Aw, you're too worried about me dad." Sephiroth smirked, making the
bright green eyes glitter, "I could take anything Shinra threw at
me...well except the Turks, o' course!" 

"Tseng always was the fool," Vincent returned. "How is your wife, now,
John? She is with child, so I've heard." 

"Of course," Vincent smiled, covering himself fully with the red cloak. "I
still have yet to see why you fight with such a primitive weapon,
Sephiroth." 
"Marusume?" Sephiroth asked, clanking the long blade against his broad
shoulder. "'Cause I like it." He sighed suddenly. "At least let me say bye
to Zack, alright?" 

John laughed, "Yup. Our first kid. It's kinda funny, because our friends
next door, the Lockhearts, are gonna have a kid too. How's Sephiroth? He's
eight now, right?" 

"Alright," Vincent relented, "But be back as soon as possible, son. I want
to seek refuge with Bugenhagen. He was a very good friend of my father's." 
"I'll be back soon, dad." The silver haired boy flashed a grin. Vincent
laughed too, and sat down in a dry patch of grass underneath a canvas.
Sephiroth ran towards Zacks house, surprising the young black-haired boy.
Though Zack was at least eight years younger than the seventeen -year-old
boy, they were both good friends, Zack surprisingly mature, but very fun,
while Sephiroth was a bit childish in some ways. 

Three months later, Vincent recieved word his young friend was killed by
the Turks for giving information to him. 

Young Zack was an absolute terror amongst the young girls, a tremendous
flirt, along with his feats with the older, more handsome silver haired
boy, making him a bit famous. "Hey, Seph! Whatcha doin' here, I thought ya
had t' leave with y'er pop!" 
"I came back to say goodbye, Zack," Sephiroth chuckled. He grabbed the
boy's head, and ruffled the hair. "I'll miss you good buddy, but you can
be sure I'll be back, y'hear?" 
"Ya betta beleive it, big guy!" The kid grinned. "I'll be sure an' count
th' days til' y'er back." They slapped hands in the town handshake. "Ya
take good care o' that swords o' yours, man. Pop gots a sword he wants t'
pass down t' me, so I respect them swords y'know." 
"Marusume is honored by your concern, little friend." Sephiroth smiled,
about to continue, when a man ran up shouting. 
"Vincent! The Turks are coming! You had better head out before they get
here!" 
Sephiroth snarled, and ran back to his father, who had already grabbed the
packs. "Come, boy. Let's get out of here." The both started racing down
the path, avoidng the blue coated figures ambling easily down the path
towards the reactor. 
Vincent snapped the buggy on while Sephiroth threw the bags into the
trunk. Two sets of doors slammed in unison, and they were off. 
After a few hours of silence, Sephiroth ventured a question. "Dad, why are
we running away from Shinra?" 
Vincent was quiet for several minutes. "It's because they want you,
Sephiroth. In their eyes you're an experiment that needs to be taken care
of. They want to draft you into Soldier, fill you with Jenova cells, make
a monster out of you essentially. 

The battle with Mary was brief. "Why, Vincent? You're betraying everything
you...we beleive in!" 

"You already know how powerful you are, Sephiroth. But they don"t care
about _you_. They care only about maintaining control, no matter what,
through you. 

"Lucrecia's son is in there, Mary," he said coldly, frightening her with
the unknown passion in his voice. "I have to save him." 

"I'm running from them because I don't want to see you killed. The body
might live, but the person within would wither away and die. I can't let
that happen, but we aren't powerful enough to fight." 

Her death was quick. Vincent continued on to the clinic where the babe was
kept. Scientists scattered as he moved, his dark eyes frightening them
into an inch of their lives. 

It was an answer much more complex than the usual, "I'll tell you when
you're older." Provoking unwelcome thoughts in his mind. "Dad?" Vincent
looked over at him. "Why? Why do they want me? What's so special about
me?" 

His little green eyes sparkled with joy when Vincent came into his sight.
He gurgled so beautifully, and held out his tiny arms, as if waiting to be
taken from this cold sterile room. Small strands of hair, silver from the
looks, curled around. In spite of himself, he smiled at the child, who
gazed back, his eyes only holding love for the man who scared so many
others. 
A single tear tracked its way down Vincent's cheek, and then the two were
gone. 

Vincent breathed deeply, "Do you really want to know, son? This will
hurt..." 
"I have to know, dad. If I'm to fight Shinra, I have know everything, so
they can't pull any surprises on me." 

Vincent saw the gun appear in Hojo's hand, and jerked away, feeling the
bullet sting past his abs, pulling a strip of meat and muscle with it.
With an almost feral snarl, he slammed his own gun into Hojo's stomache,
then gave a powerful strike to his head. Hojo flew back, grunted once, and
saw Vincent standing above him, gun aimed. 

Vincent sighed, slowing the car, and pulling over. "Sephiroth, I'm not
your father." His deep eyes glittered unexpectantly, "But you are the son
of the woman I loved dearly. She was a scientist through and through. But
she was so special, and beautiful...her laugh was like rain on jewels, if
you can imagine that, Sephiroth. Her eyes were bright as the sun, to
bright and beautiful to stare at for to long. Her face radiated peace and
happiness, and it seemed she was never unhappy. 

"Lucrecia died in your ungodly experiment HOJO! I _knew_ I should never
have allowed her to do this! But science was her passion, and I felt it my
duty to aid her any way possible!" The hand was shaking badly now. But you
used that against her! You used her trust...her _faith_ in you!" The hand
clenched, spitting up dust behind the badly frightened scientist. Another
round clicked into the barrel, so loud in the sudden silence. 

"Hojo...a man I hated more than anything, took advantage of her love for
science. I don't know everything, but I do know he took his own, and your
mothers genetic material, implanted it with Jenova cells, then put them in
Lucrecia's womb. During the pregnancy, they constantly implanted new
Jenova cells into her, as well as forced Mako showers on her. 

Finally Hojo spoke, "We were both scientists, Turk. If she had bred with
you, it would have been an abomination unto the world. But our child was
perfect. Intellegent, with her strength...you'll never have it, nor the
pleasure!" 

"Then she gave birth to you, Sephiroth. Hojo, always thinking of you as an
experiment, didn't even care that Lucrecia died in the childbirth. He told
me that sacrifices must be made. I told him, as I killed him, that I would
never allow the child Lucrecia died to bare to grow in his evil hands. I
stole you away, and raised you as my son. The way it was _meant_ to be." 

He died grinning, what was left of his head, that is. 
"Lucrecia died for that child, and I will be damned if I allow it to be
raised in your evil hands." Vincent snapped the gun into its holster.
"Sephiroth...is Lucrecia's son, not yours, Hojo. He will be raised by a
man who can love him for that. 

He risked a glance at Spehiroth, who was breathing heavily and clenching
his sword. "I never expected to, but I eventually grew to care for you as
much if not more, then I cared for your mother. Your eyes, so like hers.
Bright with excitment and mischeiviousness, silver hair, so intellegent
and quick. 

"I swear on your soul, Lucrecia," Vicent closed the library door, "I swear
that child will become a man proud of his destiny...he will be a blessing
to this world. 

"Yet also so kind open and caring about people you've never even known."
Vincent's head thumpd against the back of the truck. "I'm sorry I lied to
you all these years, Sephiroth. It was wrong of me, but I had to...I
couldn't let Shinra destory the son I've come to love." 

"He'll make you proud, Lucrecia my love. He'll make you so proud. 

"Y'know," Sephiroth grated out, teeth and eyes clenched together in
obvious pain, "I like it better when you call me son." He let loose a
breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, "You're my dad, you raised
me. Raised me to honor my mom's memory...If Shinra betrayed her, then
Shinra is my enemy. No revenge, dad...but if they ever get in my way, I'll
kill each and every one of those bastards." 

"Because, I know, Lucrecia, he has made me proud." 

"You honor, me Se...son...more than I deserve." 
"Feh..." Sephiroth stared out the window. "I owe you a lot. Can you
imagine what I would be if you hadn't raised me? I'd...never know a
father's love. All I would know would be anger and resentment. That
thought...makes me hurt inside." 
"We're almost there." Within his musing, Sephiroth hadn't noticed Vincent
start the car and begin drving once more. 
"Gotcha, dad."

End of Chapter 2 

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-/\/\- out

http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Dojo/6757
        Lost World of Ryouga