Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Calamity's Child ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Cloud heard the knock on the door, and grudgingly got off the couch. At four months, he wasn't that large, but it was still considerably more weight than he had ever carried. Except for when Yuffie decided to be a human leech, of course. Reeve had said that, given his current progress, the pregnancy would be closer to seven months than nine. Or he was carrying twins. Cloud had told him, quite firmly, that there was no way in hell that he was having twins. Reeve wisely stayed quiet after that. Still, he was an executive, not a doctor, and Hojo might still have more surprises, so he wasn't counting on anything at this point. He grabbed his PHS, sending a quick text to Reeve to make sure that it was him and he didn't have to change for one of the townspeople. It was supposed to be the executive with the papers he had been able to dig up on Hojo's experiments, but it wasn't worth taking a chance and assuming. Thankfully, the answer came back quickly, and he made his way to the door.
Reeve was standing on the doorstep, holding a few piles of papers, and a few more boxes scattered around him. Cloud's eyebrows rose as he took in the sheer amount of papers there were, just on him.
"If you think this is a lot, you should see what the man had on Vincent, or even worse, Sephiroth. We gave Vincent's to him, but we looked through some of the journals on Sephiroth, or 'Specimen S' as Hojo called him. They are absolutely terrible to read. Half of them are the man's ego speaking, the rest..." Reeve shuddered. "He would explain in detail his procedures, and the 'specimen's' reactions to them. Even Rufus and the Turks were looking ill at some of the things we read. I know we had no choice but to kill the man, but the things that were done to him as a child...I can't find it in me to hate him for what he did."
Cloud grabbed a few boxes and started to carry them inside. He didn't need to be told – he had his own memories of the first year or so of his own torture, and vague memories of Zack's four years under Hojo's control. "I don't understand though – if Hojo did such horrible things to him, why did he never retaliate? From what I remember reading, he had reached the level of First Class by the time he was fifteen; surely he could have taken out one deranged scientist?"
Reeve grimaced. "Everything that was done to him in Nibelheim, before he went to Midgar to join SOLDIER, was wiped from his memory. If the knowledge of what Hojo – his own father – did to him came back while he was here, well, I can't see who wouldn't go a bit mad from that."
That made an incredible amount of sense, even if the thought of his town burning still haunted him. "I remember...things he said when we were here. Or Zack heard it." Some memories when both of them had been present were still mixed up in his head, although as time passed he got better at differentiating them. "Either way, he had said that things looked vaguely familiar. But he also said he had never been here before."
"Yes, he was here until he was...eleven I believe. He had joined the newly formed SOLDIER when he was twelve, and seen war by the time he was thirteen. I was only a lowly office worker, but I remember the fuss the executives threw over him. Everyone used to say he was cold and distant. I always thought he seemed sad."
Cloud shook his head; appalled at what the man had to go through. Granted, the blond had joined Shinra at fourteen, but he had lied about his age. And he had joined willingly; he would bet his sword that Sephiroth had not been given a choice. Cloud remembered his first meeting with Zack – they had been hunting down the two AWOL Firsts, with orders to kill, not capture. The two men hadn't even been given the option of a trial, and they had been considered the 'failures'. True, it had been mostly to keep the secret of Shinra's human experimentation from becoming public, but Cloud didn't doubt for a minute that Sephiroth would have been hunted just as fiercely had he tried to leave the company.
If Sephiroth had tried to escape Shinra with proof of those experiments, there wouldn't have been anyplace he could have hidden. General or not, strongest SOLDIER or not, the company would have thrown every SOLDIER, every Turk, and every infantryman into hunting him down. Even with superhuman strength, the numbers would have eventually overwhelmed him. Just look at Zack.
Zack-memories also told him that he had very few real friends in the company; Angeal and Genesis, Zack later on, and Tseng to an extent. Although Cloud was sure that any friendship with the Turk had to be handled carefully.
And it was all because his father had treated him as a living weapon rather than a person.
"At least he is dead now, and can't cause any more harm."
Cloud nearly growled at Nanaki, who was padding carefully down the staircase. "He is still causing harm."
Reeve nodded in agreement. "It's true; the ongoing effects of both the Mako reactors and the damage caused by Meteor are still hard to gauge. We probably won't have solid solutions for years yet."
"I was actually talking about the whole 'pregnant male' thing, Reeve." The executive gave him a disparaging look. Cloud rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Fine, yes, the world is a mess as well."
Nanaki sighed. "I still don't see why you consider this to be such a curse, Cloud. You are being given a unique opportunity, and I personally think you will make a wonderful father."
Cloud's eyes blazed green, and Reeve unconsciously took a step back. The file the blond was holding went flying across the room, papers fluttering to the ground. He was glad that papers were the only thing that the younger man had been holding.
"Why do you two persist in thinking this is such a blessing?" The last word was practically hissed, and Nanaki flinched. "I am a freak. It is uncomfortable and I keep throwing up, and nothing fits, and I should have had a normal child with a woman like Tifa! And let's not forget about how I got this way – that I was raped when my friends abandoned me. If that fucker hadn't gotten his claws on me I would have never even known. Now I'll never be able to forget."
Hands still clenched, Cloud spun on his heel and left the room. A few moments later, they heard the door slam and Fenrir start up. Reeve sighed and shook his head. "Why did you have to say that Nanaki? He is having a hard enough time with this."
The feline sat down, tail swishing in agitation. "I know I shouldn't push him, but Reeve...I am worried that his hatred for this situation will lead to him hating the child. That isn't fair either, is it?"
"No, of course not, but I don't believe he will hate the child. Once the baby is born, I'm sure he'll see it the way that we do, but right now, as his friends, and the only ones he actually trusted enough to tell, we should be supporting him."
Nanaki sighed, and looked away, every inch of him looking like a scolded child. "And now he's out somewhere, upset and probably looking for monsters to take his anger out on. I'm sorry Reeve."
Reeve smiled slightly. It was hard at times to remember that even if Nanaki was technically older than him, he was mentally and emotionally much younger. "It's alright, I have managed to put my foot in my mouth with each of my sisters during at least one of their pregnancies – even if Cloud is a special case, his condition will lead him to react differently than he would normally. I am frankly surprised this is the first time he reacted like that."
"No, it's actually not. There's a local man that keeps trying to...court...Cloud. The last time he came over, with a bouquet, Cloud took it and started smacking him over the head with it. I suppose we should just be lucky that his sword wasn't close to him."
The executive raised an eyebrow. "Is this someone we should be worried about? I know Cloud will hate it should his secret come out,"
Nanaki shook his head. "No, I think that Cloud had managed to convince him that his interests aren't wanted; at least, he hasn't been back for a while. I suppose having to walk back through town with leaves and petals still stuck in his hair might have done the trick."
Reeve allowed himself to chuckle. "Well, that's something, at least. Have there been any other issues with the people in town?"
The feline shook his head. "Not that I've seen, or that Cloud's mentioned. He did mention they were starting to comment on his being pregnant, and from what they can see, unmarried, but he said he had been expecting that, and it's more likely that they'll avoid him rather than expose him. Cloud's not concerned about it at least."
"Or he's pretending not to care. Well, either way, once he's back in Edge it will be fine – there's no such thing as a normal family unit anymore, and as sexist as it may be, single fathers aren't looked down on like single mothers are."
Nanaki snorted. "You humans are too hung up on things like that. Children are something to be celebrated." He flicked his tail in irritation, but it was definitely time to change the subject. "Will you stay until Cloud returns?"
Reeve nodded. "I suppose I should." Cloud was normally more than capable of taking care of himself, but right now, the executive couldn't help but worry about his friend.

Cloud sliced through another small monster. It felt good to be out again, with a sword in his hands. He knew it was a really bad idea, but it was, and always had been, a stress relief to hunt. The monsters around Nibelheim, with the exception of the dragons and Nibel wolves, weren't too dangerous, even in his condition. As long as he didn't go too far up Mt. Nibel, he'd be fine.
Truthfully, it really wasn't that awful anymore. The nausea had disappeared a few weeks after his arrival, but he was still tired all the time, and the mood swings and cravings just made him feel like he didn't even have control over his own body. Physically, it was bearable. Mentally, he was as much a mess as his hormones.
That had been the reason the town had figured him out. He had wanted a Nibel burger, which hadn't been surprising, since it was a staple of Nibelheim, and each wolf could make a lot of burgers. However, wanting to add Wutain fried rice to it had turned a few heads, and it didn't take long for someone – rather predictably Mae – to ask if he was pregnant. There was no point in lying, but he had still just nodded, knowing that a whole slew of questions would follow. They did, of course, but he either ignored them, or gave one word answers. Thankfully no one really thought it was strange anymore, as they had all gotten used to 'Sera' not being much of a talker.
The difference between the 'real' Nibelheim and the fake had also become much more obvious – the original townspeople would have been outright rude to him, or shunned him completely. Now, there were some disapproving looks, and rumours flew, but it was not nearly as bad as he thought it would be. Cloud guessed it was because, even though they had been posing as people from a small town, they were probably all from Midgar originally, and some of the city's more liberal mindset must have stuck. He was grateful – while it would hardly have been dangerous to him to have the town dislike him, it made things a lot easier that they didn't.
After taking out his aggravation on the small monster population, he turned to the regular wildlife. At least he could bring something back for dinner. He was sure that Reeve would still be there; the man worried far too much about him.

It was nearly dark by the time Cloud finally returned, and Reeve had to restrain himself from commenting on the dangers of hunting in his condition as he saw the meat that the blond had field dressed and carried back with him. He seemed calmer, which was something at least, and there was no point in getting into another disagreement. The stress was just as dangerous as the hunting.
They ate a quick meal, and Cloud grudgingly offered Reeve a room for the night. They were on their way to their separate bedrooms when the blond paused, and turned to them.
"I'm sorry. I know you mean well, and I am sure it'll be worth it in the end, like you said. I just..." he paused, trying to collect his thoughts and word how he felt so that it would make sense to them. "I still feel like I'm sixteen. I lost so much time, and the last year has been so crazy – even if it was Tifa and I having this kid, I don't know if I'd feel ready. Having it like this...I just want the next few months over with. I am grateful for your help, and your support, but please don't try and convince me this is a good thing."
He didn't wait for their responses, just disappeared into his room. Knowing that anything they said would be overhead by the blond the two simply exchanged a look and went their separate ways. Cloud didn't speak much, and rarely did he actually tell people how he was feeling, so neither wanted to upset him anymore that day.

Rubbing his ever-growing stomach, Cloud forced his eyes open and onto the papers in front of him. He had found, after the first few folders that he would have nightmares after reading any of the notes, regardless of the time of day - his memories and Zack's coming to the front of him consciousness - and it was better for him to read them when he was half asleep. Otherwise he had to grab the Tsuragi and go chop things up, picturing Hojo's head on them. Then Nanaki would scold him, he'd yell, and he'd feel just as stressed out as before he went out to kill things. While he wouldn't admit it to the annoying feline, even at a little over 5 months he was getting too large to effectively wield a Buster class sword, and had taken to only bringing a few of the smaller blades when he went out. Even that would have to end soon enough.
So gruesome bedtime reading it was.
The first few boxes he could distinctly remember happening; his body, and Zack's, cut open and stitched back together in every way imaginable, testing the limits of his and his friend's endurance, and the endless injections of Mako and Jenova cells. Those years actually hadn't been that bad; he and Zack had been able to help each other through it, the other one's presence enough to keep them fighting. The endurance training had actually been a relief – they were allowed out of the tubes and cells, even if there was still no way out of the lab. Being able to stretch their muscles, to feel like they were doing something – and most importantly, not strapped to an exam table – was a reminder of 'normal' and of their lives before hell.
Some of Hojo's reasoning boggled the mind, but he did write down a purpose behind each and every experiment. The fact that he could justify the pain and suffering he had caused, and even have some of it approved by the former President, was sickening.
It was after he had succumbed to the Mako poisoning that it got bad. Zack was summarily ignored; Hojo having come to the conclusion that since he already had more Mako than blood, and there were no signs of any of Jenova's traits, that he just wasn't susceptible. The First was kept mostly because there was no way he could be allowed free, and the scientist wasn't about to just throw out a 'specimen' that he may one day find a use for. Hojo then turned his entire attention on Cloud, assuming that since the blond wasn't going to be returning to consciousness any time soon, and therefore wouldn't be able to be an effective clone or fighter, he could try some of his ...riskier (read: more insane) experiments on his unresponsive body.
Including giving a male a fully-functioning womb. Reading about that had him in nearly a white hot rage. Hojo had expressed his regret that the womb couldn't have been installed in the 'stronger' specimen, but that at least with the amount of Jenova cells in him, any children would be even closer to the Calamity than Sephiroth was, especially considering that Sephiroth would have been the father. Cloud was just glad that Hojo's ego had allowed him to try it with the General's genetic material rather than his own. The thought of that man's spawn growing in him made him sick. Still, Hojo wanted results, especially after the 'failure' of his first experiment had lowered him in Shinra's esteem, and the scientist knew the best way to get them.
It had taken some fiddling to get him to be able to conceive, and the first few tries had failed completely. After that, Cloud had been shocked to find out that conception had taken place, but the embryo had miscarried within the first couple of weeks. As cruel as it sounded, Cloud was glad for that – the child would have been brought up by the same man who had 'raised' Sephiroth, but without the backing of being an official 'project' of Shinra Corp, and without the minor freedom that becoming a SOLDIER would bring.
He just couldn't understand how the man could be so uncaring about using his own son – and planning on using his own grandchild – as nothing more than experiments. More than anything that had been done to him, or Zack, or Vincent, that made him want to bring the man back and kill him again.
That train of thought always led back to the parentage of the child currently growing inside him. He knew, logically, what must have happened, even if the actions were lost in the haze of Mako – something he was eternally grateful for. The blond had suggested his dip in the Lifestream, but Reeve was certain that there wasn't a way for him to get pregnant from just that. The Lifesteam was spirit energy, not physical, and there was also the fact that Tifa had gone in after him and not gotten pregnant. Reeve at least seemed to understand where he was coming from by grasping at straws, but the executive wasn't about to let him delude himself like that.
Instead, he had sent a team from the WRO to take blood samples from the entire population – including women and children, simply because the cover story was that they were monitoring the effects of the Lifestream erupting there. It would also be a way to find out the parentage should the man have died. That way, once his child was born, they would at least be able to give a name to the father. Cloud planned on going and treating the man to a very long and painful death.
After that, the child would just be his, and he'd never have to think about the other father again. He would go back to Edge, make a story up about finding the child with its dying parent, and that since he couldn't abandon an infant, or provide for it on the road, went back there to try and provide it with some sort of stable environment.
Then Reeve just had to go and point out that he couldn't lie to save his life.
Unfortunately, it was true. That just meant that the story would have to be very basic, and very vague, and pray to the goddess that the girls were too busy cooing over the newborn to pay too much attention to the details.
Reeve had given him a dubious look, but had just shrugged. Cloud knew that the executive still thought he should just tell people.
As it was, there was one last person he'd have to tell. Just a couple days ago he had found the papers dealing with the mechanics of the womb, and Reeve had been right – he would have to have a c-section. The uterus that Hojo had placed inside him had a passage right above his prostrate that would allow impregnation, but his body simply wasn't able to accommodate a natural birth. There had been notes about the possibility of removing his male organs and replacing them with female, which would allow that, but (thankfully) the scientist had decided that would be extra work for no good reason as he had been in a coma and unable to give birth anyway. Cloud had cringed at how close he had come to actually being made fully into a female. It was bad enough that he had found out that he wouldn't ever actually be able to father a child; at least he still looked like a man. Or would; once he was no longer pregnant and wearing dresses.
Reeve had called his brother in law, and the two would be heading up in a few days. The executive had assured him that the doctor was trustworthy, had delivered all of Reeve's nieces and nephews, and Cloud had grudgingly agreed. It's not like he had much choice in the matter, and he figured he could still threaten the man if he tried to expose his secret.

Cloud paced through the mansion. Reeve and his doctor were due to arrive at any time, and the thought of having a complete stranger see him like this was stressing him out. He had gotten used to the stares and the whispers in town; although that was something else he had to thank Reeve for. A few weeks ago, Reeve had stopped into the general store on his way out of town, mentioning how grateful he was for everyone making 'Sera' welcome, since they had been worried about the poor air quality in Edge. Without having to lie, people had just assumed the executive was the father, and since he was there (sometimes, at least) Cloud was taken out of the 'shameful single mother' category.
Now people greeted him like a member of the community, which he found highly ironic, but at least he was able to go into town to shop without dealing with scorn. Of course, instead he had to deal with every single woman coming up and trying to touch him. He didn't get it, and didn't like it. Even his glares didn't seem to deter people.
But at least they weren't exactly strangers, and they all thought he was female. This person, who he had never met before, and only had Reeve's word that he was trustworthy, would be coming here to give him a full check-up.
It was like a nightmare.
Nanaki sat on the landing and watched him pace, and the feline's calm only served to aggravate Cloud more. Thankfully, there wasn't much longer to wait before he heard the car come up towards the mansion, and then the sound of two sets of footsteps. Cloud contemplated taking off on Fenrir.
"You may not like it, but there really isn't much of a choice." Nanaki had walked down to join him, and give his own version of 'moral support.' "If it seems like he's not trustworthy, I can always eat him."
That got a small laugh out of the blond. "Nah, I don't think it will come to that. I might not be able to use my damn sword anymore, but I can still shoot."
The door opened, and Cloud tensed. Reeve walked in with an older man, taller than him, which Cloud had to grudgingly admit didn't take much, greying hair, and glasses.
"Hi Cloud, this is Dr. Myaki. I've filled him in on your situation, and he's agreed to help you, and of course to keep your secret."
"Nice to meet you Cloud. Reeve has also told me your dislike of doctors in general, and given your reasons, I can hardly blame you. The first thing I'd like to do is to talk to you about how the pregnancy has been progressing so far, and what else you can expect. Then I'll do the physical to make sure everything's okay. Reeve, would you mind setting up the ultrasound machine while I speak to Cloud?"
Reeve nodded and headed back to the car, giving Cloud a small smile, probably meant to be encouraging.
The two men went into one of the sitting rooms, and Nanaki curled by Cloud's feet. He wasn't sure if the doctor realized that the feline was intelligent, but he was glad for his presence regardless.
"So, Cloud, tell me how the pregnancy's been progressing so far?"
The blond spent the next half hour answering Myaki's questions, and was somewhat glad to find out that while it was progressing a bit quicker, it was more or less normal. This was he could at least have an idea of what was coming. Myaki had said that he wouldn't know exactly how long there was left until they did the ultrasound. (Which Myaki – and Reeve – had had to reassure the blond was completely non-invasive about a dozen times) Cloud was surprised to find out that what he had thought were stomach pangs was actually the baby moving.
After Myaki's seemingly endless questions, he had Cloud take his shirt off for the ultrasound. Cloud watched him warily as he smeared the gel on his stomach, but true to his word, all he did was move the wand over his stomach. It took a few minutes, but the doctor finally paused. When the doctor turned the screen towards Cloud, the blond was shocked. He had been unable to deny what was happening to him for months, ever since he started getting bigger, but the picture on the screen was a nearly fully formed baby, and the full impact of his situation hit him. There was actually someone - not something - but another living person, growing inside him. Dr. Myaki flipped another switch and he heard a fast paced thumping which he realized was the baby's heartbeat.
"That's...amazing."
The doctor grinned, and nodded. "The best part about doing this is seeing parent's faces the first time they see an ultrasound of their child. I have some reading material for you, as well. I would estimate you to be around 27 to 28 weeks, which from what Reeve says, you're actually only 22. If you continue at this rate, we'll probably want to have the c-section at around thirty weeks. But of course, we can adjust the date as needed.
"I'll print some of the pictures off for you. Everything looks good, but I do still want to take a blood test to make sure."
Cloud just nodded, and barely even noticed when his blood was drawn, eyes riveted to the screen and the gently moving form depicted there.
"Reeve also mentioned that you have the notes Hojo wrote? I would like to go over the ones regarding the womb and anything that might affect your health or the baby's health."
The scorn in the man's voice when he said Hojo's name made Cloud rethink his automatic 'no'. It was better than having another surprise sprung on him at least.
Reluctantly, he moved, and Myaki shut off the machine, and the fast-paced heartbeat went quiet. Cloud slipped his shirt back on, and went to get the papers the doctor wanted, one hand still sitting on his stomach.
Now he could understand what Nanaki had meant when he said that it was a 'unique opportunity'. Sure, he would be much happier if it could have been a normal pregnancy, and he could have been a normal father, with his wife or girlfriend carrying the baby. Nothing would ever make him enjoy being pregnant. But seeing that baby – his baby – growing inside him...there really was something special about that.