Warnings: Foul language (maybe), violence, some yaoi later on (which is why

I'm being bad and sending this to the YSML) FF7 belongs to squaresoft and
not me, I'm not worth suing.


--
Katsu "O-ka-ne" no Miko
"Erst wenn die Wolken schlafen gehen
kann man uns am Himmel sehen
wir haben Angst und sind allein...
Gott weiss ich wil kein Engel sein..." (~Ramms+ein~)



Multiverse Part II

Sephiroth rarely became truly angry. Annoyed, yes. Upset, on occasion.
Genuinely enraged? Unheard of. Yet somehow, the definite sensation of
red-hot anger burned in his stomach as he gazed down on the greasy,
black-haired little man in front of him.

The day had been a frustrating one. The ride in the troop transports back
to Midgar was colored by the oppressive heat and humidity of the
battlefield, as if the hellish climate was following them back. Cloud and
the few men he had scraped together had combed the valley for wounded while
Zack was arming the mines that would cover their retreat, and the results
had been depressing. Out of the thousands of bodies lying in various
twisted positions in the muck of the battlefield, fifteen wounded troopers
and a second class SOLDIER had been found.

En Route to Midgar, two of the troopers and the second class SOLDIER had
passed on. The young man had died in Sephiroth�s arms, whispering hoarse
apologies to the General as the last remaining field medic had tried
desperately to close the wound in his stomach, which threatened to spill
his guts across the floor of the transport. All Sephiroth could do was
smooth back the SOLDIER�s chocolate colored hair and reassure him that no
forgiveness was needed as the soft glow of the mako faded from the young
man�s gentle brown eyes.

Sephiroth, first and only general of the Shinra armed forces, had been
helpless, unable to save one young man from death, or even the pain that
had come with it. He despised being helpless, hated and loathed it with a
passion that he was sure he would never feel in connection with anything
else. He�d had quite enough of being helpless and at the mercy of forces
outside his control all throughout his childhood.

The memory of the young man apologizing flashed before his eyes, and he
blinked slowly, trying to force his mind back to the subject at hand.

�It will be a triumph of science!�

It took a great deal of control to keep his face from twisting into the
disgusted sneer he could feel coming on. Perhaps he was wrong in thinking
that he couldn�t despise anything as much as the feeling of being helpless.
The very presence of the odious, ratty little man in front of him was
enough to make him want to commit murder. Everything about him was
disgusting in ways that were not describable, from his greasy, stringy
black hair, to the way he stood, to the ill-fitting white lab coat that
hung on his cadaverous frame, covered with mysterious stains that Sephiroth
did his best not to look at.

�Are you listening to me?�

Mentally, he counted to ten, before answering in a voice that somehow
managed to remain even and calm. �Unfortunately, yes, I am.�

�Don�t you understand? This will be a triumph of science to surpass all
others! You will be a god!� Hojo exclaimed, his eyes lit up by emotions and
thoughts that Sephiroth couldn�t identify, and didn�t particularly want to
think about any way.

�You are insane.� It was a flat statement, one that booked no argument, and
Sephiroth was quite surprised that he managed to say it as calmly as he
did. To say that Hojo was insane was like saying that the ocean contained a
bit of water�an understatement of titanic proportions.

�That�s what everyone says�but they�re fools. When you take your place,
they�ll be the ones that are sorry for doubting me!� with a little giggle
that made Sephiroth�s skin crawl, Hojo rubbed his thin-fingered hands
together.

Everything about Hojo made Sephiroth feel unclean, especially the way he
looked at him; like he wasn�t human any more, just another lab rat for the
disgusting scientist to torment. No more. Sephiroth�s icy green eyes looked
coolly at the scientist in much the same manner as the scientist looked at
him; Hojo was an insect, to be examined, then stepped on. �You are the fool
for even daring to approach me, Hojo. Get out of my office.�

Hojo made no move to leave. �Don�t talk to me that way�I must complete the
experiment! You have to understand!"

Just go away, a small, frightened voice deep inside of the ice he covered
his feelings in pleaded. Just go away and stop hurting me� Ruthlessly,
Sephiroth ignored the thought. It was weak; something he would never allow
himself to be again. Before, he had been a child at the mercy of Hojo and
his experiments, but no longer. The experience hadn�t killed him, it had
made him stronger.

Damnit, you bastard, just go away and leave me the hell alone! I have more
important things to deal with! The rational, adult part of him added.

Indeed, he did. Midgar was still in the process of being evacuated, and
Sephiroth itched to be in the thick of it, directing people out the
subterranian passageways that ran for miles under the gates, surfacing a
safe distance from the giant city. He wanted to be able to do his job; he
wanted to be out there protecting the people of Midgar. It had been his own
fault that Hojo had tracked him down, though. Instead of sending one of his
myriad of aides to his office to shred the last of the important documents
in his desk and collect the pitiful personal belongings that he had stowed
in his room, he�d had to do it himself. Grimly, Sephiroth eyed the
scientist�s throat, considering strangling the man. He really should have
just sent an aide, even if it would have meant that someone would be
touching his few belongings�his pictures, his books and drawings, and the
well-loved stuffed bear that graced the head of his bed.

On second thought, if anyone had seen the bear, other than Zack and Cloud,
he would never hear the end of it. Never mind that a child from Kalm had
given it to him after he�d rescued her from a tree�he still kept it on his
bed, and if that got out, the troops would be impossible to control.

�This is very important!� Hojo was still blathering on, waving his arms
back and forth in an excited fashion.

Grimly, Sephiroth clamped down more fully on his emotions, ruthlessly
cutting off the fear and anger he felt with each word from Hojo�s mouth.

President Reeve had been right. He�d said �Hojo is insane, dangerous, and
has seriously disturbing effects on everything that touches him�but
unfortunately, he�s too important for us to execute for his crimes against
humanity at this time. He�s the only one that knows how to make
SOLDIERs�and we are going to need as many SOLDIERs as possible in the days
to come.�

That had been shortly before Wutai�s first major attack, when Sephiroth had
first spoken to the then-new President about the threat coming from the
East. Unlike old Shinra and Rufus, the new president hadn�t laughed, had
taken Sephiroth�s vague pieces of intelligence for their complete worth,
trusting in the General�s opinion.

That�s what makes him such a good leader�he�s willing to admit that ideas
other than his could be correct� Sephiroth wondered if Reeve and his
advisors had arrived safely in Junon yet. Cloud, Zack, and he had rushed
the president out of the building as soon as they had exited the troop
transports, though it was unlikely that Wutai would be able to crack Midgar
open for a few days at least. The man who was rapidly proving his worth by
holding together the crumbling company that Shinra had put together was far
too important to even risk losing. Reeve had been far too stunned to
protest�or perhaps he knew it was time to take advice from another person
on the situation.

��to your real mother��

At the mention of his mother, Sephiroth finally snapped, sudden fury
penetrating through the ice that it had been trapped in. Before he knew
what happened, he had actually jumped across his desk and grabbed Hojo by
the throat, lifting the much shorter man completely off of the ground. �You
are going to listen to me now, Hojo.� Sephiroth informed him calmly, far
too calmly for the violent reaction he was having. �All through my
childhood, I was controlled and used by you. You took everything away from
me that could possibly make me feel human, and tainted it with pain.�

Hojo gurgled softly, his thin fingers clawing ineffectually at Sephiroth�s
hand, which was tightening around his throat.

�I swore that it would never happen again. I will no longer allow you to
control my life in any way.� He looked down into Hojo�s inhuman eyes, the
icy green intensity of his gaze causing the scientist�s eyes to widen with
something akin to fear. �Never again.� Sephiroth smiled pleasantly. �I am
going to throw you out of my office, and you are going to quietly walk away
and never show yourself in my presence, or I will kill you with my bare
hands. Is that understood?�

Hojo made another soft gurgling sound that had an affirmative tone to it.

�Good.� Without so much as shifting his balance, Sephiroth physically threw
the scientist away. The ratty man hit the slick, tiled floor of the office
with an explosion of air from his lungs, and slid forward, through the
doorway, to strike the sterile white wall of the hallway. For a long
moment, Sephiroth stared coldly at him, arms crossed, until he pushed
himself to his feet and quickly scuttled away, his rapid, frightened
footfalls echoing loudly in the deserted hall.

For a long moment, Sephiroth stared at the spot where Hojo had struck the
wall, his breathing strangely heavy, his hands shaking slightly. A soft
sound pulled him suddenly from his reverie, and he blinked, looking at the
man that had suddenly appeared in his doorway.

�Wow�that was nice.� Zack grinned and leaned against the doorway, crossing
his arms.

The similarity between him and Cloud was striking. They dressed the same,
slightly-non standard SOLDIER uniforms matching exactly, down to their
belts, which Sephiroth had given to them. Their mannerisms, fighting
styles, and speech patterns meshed so well that at times, they seemed to be
the same person.

At the same time, they couldn�t have been more different. Zack, confident
and cheerful, always smiled, always talked. At times, he seemed almost too
confident, attempting things that a cautious person would never even think
to try. Then there was Cloud�quiet, indifferent, and as reserved as his
commanding officer at times, rarely smiling, until his unexpected and
rather cynical sense of humor popped to the surface, surprising everyone
around him.

But perhaps that was why the two friends were almost the same person at
times. Beneath both exteriors, there were kind, caring men that hid their
own emotional scars in order to better understand the problems of others.
The only two men that did not fear Sephiroth.

Cloud and Zack. Blonde hair, black hair, yin and yang, two halves of the
same coin. Sephiroth smiled slightly to himself. Yes, his two Majors, often
called Mayhem and Chaos�though never to their faces.

The silver haired man continued to smile internally as he looked up at the
SOLDIER leaning so non-chalantly in front of him. It isn�t often that Chaos
comes knocking at someone�s  door, he mused. �I�m glad that I provided you
with entertainment.�

�Endless rounds, Seph.� Zack continued to grin. �I�m surprised you didn�t
just kill the little greaseball. If you want, I can do it for you.�

Slowly shaking his head, Sephiroth couldn�t suppress the smile that crept
to his lips as Zack used the nickname that he and Cloud had come up with.
No one else would dare to address the General in such familiar terms. �Not
necessary, Zack. If I ever see him again, I will kill him myself.�

�So I�m guessing that we don�t need him any more?�

�Whether we do or not, I never make idle threats.� Sephiroth turned away
and walked back to his desk, opening a drawer and perusing the contents.
Carefully, he picked through the mass of papers in it, pulling out the few
photographs that had somehow gotten mixed up in the mess; Zack and Cloud
and he in Wutai, at one of the bars�another that was nearly the same, this
time in the wild mountains that served as the SOLDIER training
grounds�Cloud and Zack posing side by side for a set of newspaper
reporters� There were no pictures of just one of the men. The photos went
into the small lock box that sat on the desk, to join the books, drawings,
and the teddy bear. The papers went back in the desk, to be burned along
with the rest of the desk as soon as they abandoned the building. �Where�s
Cloud? I thought that where one went, the other wouldn�t be far behind�but
he�s failed to appear.�

�Eh�he�s packing up his stuff. You know Cloud�refuses to let anyone else do
it. Makes you wonder what exactly he�s so afraid of someone finding.�

�Indeed.�

�Probably a severed head or something�or a collection of porn.�

�Somehow, I doubt that.� Sephiroth replied vaguely, not really listening.

�Seph.�

He glanced up. At some point, Zack had walked over to stand by him. It was
a sign of how comfortable he felt around Zack that he let his guard down
enough to miss the sound of movement.

�You ok? You�re looking kind of tense�well, you always look tense, but
you�re looking a bit tenser than normal right now.�

�I�m perfectly fine.�

Zack blew out a sigh and plopped himself down on the corner of Sephiroth�s
massive desk. �Seph, we�ve known each other for a long time, and we kind of
had the unspoken agreement that we wouldn�t lie to each other�so don�t give
me that crap.�

Sephiroth looked sharply at Zack. �It�s rather strange for you to be
ordering me around.�

�We�re not on the field, Seph. I�m not your underling right now, I�m just
your friend, and I don�t like it when a friend of mine lies to me.� He
crossed his arms. �Look, I know you hate admitting that you feel anything,
since you�re the Great Sephiroth, who isn�t like us mere mortal men, but
come on. Something�s bugging you.�

The sarcastic estimation of Sephiroth�s view of himself had the desired
effect; the general smiled, letting out a soft snort. �Hardly. I just found
Hojo�s presence slightly disturbing.�

�The man�s a grade A psychopath. I�m not surprised, but I thought we were
all used to just ignoring him. Come on, Seph, I know you. It�s more than
that.�

�You know that Hojo claims to be my father, correct?�

�Yeah?� Zack nodded guardedly. As far as he was concerned, there was no way
that Hojo could actually be Sephiroth�s father. It was just another lie in
the chain of lies that Hojo surrounded himself with�and Sephiroth believed
it, because as disgusting as the prospect was, at least it gave him an
origin.

�He said something about my real mother.�

�Heh. And then what?� It was becoming evident why the general seemed to be
a little less controlled than normal, a little upset. The fact that as far
as he knew, he didn�t have a mother was something that preyed upon
Sephiroth�s mind constantly, Zack knew.

�I threw him out of my office.� Sephiroth shut the drawer, satisfied that
he�d found all the photographs.

�Didn�t even listen to what he had to say?� Zack asked, surprised that
Sephiroth hadn�t jumped at the chance of finding out something about his
mother.

�Why should I care about the ravings of a madman?�  He replied evenly. �It
was an obvious tactic to lure me somewhere. I will not allow Hojo to
influence or control me in any way.�

�Ok�I can see why that would piss you off a little.�

�Just a little.� Sephiroth stated dryly. Deep inside of him, under the
layers of ice, something squirmed uncomfortably. He hated lying to Zack,
hated telling any kind of untruth to anyone, really. But the source of his
disturbance was something that he felt he should keep to himself. It
smacked of a lack of control that he would never admit to aloud.

When Hojo had told him that he would be a god, deep down inside, in a place
that he never acknowledged and refused to touch, a small voice had
whispered, yes.

�Seph?� Zack put his hand on the other man�s shoulder, a little surprised
at his own audacity. The silver haired man had experienced so much
isolation in his childhood that casual touching tended to make him
uncomfortable.

Sephiroth�s eyes widened, and he brought himself back to the present.
�Sorry. I was thinking of something. Yes?�

�Nothing, really. Just�if you think Hojo is dangerous, or he�s still
disturbing you somehow, just tell me and Cloud. We�ll do something to fix
the problem.� Zack grinned. �Ok?�

�That won�t be necessary.�

�Oh, come on, it�s no trouble at all, we want to! Cloud�s getting really
freaked lately by the way that psycho stares at us. We don�t mind at all,
really.�

�Thank you, Zack.� Sephiroth smiled, genuinely. He made a small shooing
gesture with one hand. �If you don�t mind, I need to finish cleaning out
this monstrosity of a desk.�

�Hey, any time.� Zack slid off the desk, still grinning. �I should go check
on the progress that the evacuation now anyway. Just try not to give
yourself any paper cuts, since Cloud and I aren�t going to be around to
kiss them and make them better.�

�Very funny.�

Zack laughed. �That�s what I�m here for�my specialty is funny business.�
With a parting half wave, half salute, he stepped out of the door, his
cheerful voice echoing down the hallway.