Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Family ❯ Mother ( Chapter 22 )

Family
Disclaimer: We do not own any characters of Final Fantasy. They are the property of Square Enix and Sony. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Pairing: Sephiroth/Cloud
W A R N I N G: This is about male pregnancy (possibly) and male/male relationships. We are letting you know now what the relationships WILL contain. So, if you are AGAINST such pairings, please find something else more to your liking, you have been WARNED.

 

Flames will be ignored.

 

Special thanks to: MyOrli, Cold Drake Queen, akume, xslavextoxsephirothx, Empress Satori, Peachie Bunni, dreamgirl93, FFlove190, Polish, Firehedgehog, Gaara girl, 191026, Lady Lessien, dantesdarkqueen, SilverXXRain, ShellMich, Angelistical06, battousaisgurl1849, silverbrumby123, Schectersona, and to those who have read and didn't review thanks for reading thus far. We hope you enjoyed it.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Chapter 22: Mother

 

Two days had gone by since the wedding, and there had been no sign of Vincent since Sephiroth had spoken with him on the outcrop. With all the excitement of the union, and the following celebration, the red cloaked man had not been missed. But now he was, and everyone was at a loss as to what could have befallen the silent gunman.

 

Cid was beside himself with worry, as well as anger. He couldn't understand why Vincent had not put in an appearance at Clouds wedding. He thought back to the last time he had seen him. It had been in the boy's bedroom, when the little blond had thrown a tantrum, and Vincent had rushed off somewhere. Cid had thought that the ex-Turk had gone to look for Sephiroth. But that couldn't have been the case, for surely he would have returned with the silver haired man if he'd found him? Unless…….

 

Thoughts unbidden came to Cid's mind. What if Vincent had found Sephiroth….and Sephiroth hadn't wanted to be found? What if a fight had ensued? What if Vincent were lying somewhere, injured, hurt?

 

Troubled and concerned, he went to look for him.

 

Meanwhile, Sephiroth had a nagging instinctive feeling in his gut that Vincent was nowhere close by. And unlike most of the others, the dark haired man had dominated Seph's thoughts a lot since their chat on the cliff top pinnacle. Although the mysterious gunman claimed to have sired him, Sephiroth still held some reservations, especially since the man claiming to be his father didn't look a day over twenty-five.

 

Father, Sephiroth thought bitterly. After all this time of thinking he was alone in the world, his father declares himself alive.

 

Now the question was…. where in all of Gaia had Vincent disappeared to? Sephiroth had found out from Cid that Hojo had done something to Vincent years before. Sephiroth was not fazed by that information; that was of no surprise there. If Hojo had experimented on him as a fetus, and then as a man, and on his mother too, it only followed that his father would also be the subject of experimentation.

 

The pilot hadn't gone into any great detail, but Sephiroth could tell that the airman knew a little bit more than what he was willing to relate.

 

oOoOoOo

 

By the third day of Vincent's disappearance, Sephiroth was restless, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that the silver haired man needed to vent. Finding him propped up against the counter, yet another drink in his hand, Zack told his friend to get out of the bar for a few hours.

 

“Come on, Seph….You're not doing yourself any favors looking through the world at the bottom of that glass, you know. And how is Cloudy boy taking it, being ignored while you sit around here, wallowing? You should be the happiest man in the world, married to him! Are you nervous about going away on your honeymoon, eh?” he teased, winking.

 

“Need some pointers on how to keep your man happy in bed?”

 

Sephiroth playfully punched Zack's arm, smiling. Yes, he knew he was lucky to have Cloud.

 

“You go this Friday, don't you?” Zack said, referring to the start of Seph's honeymoon, rubbing his sore arm. “Two weeks of being alone together….Whatever will you do to pass the time?” Zack laughed, and relaxed when his friend laughed back with him.

 

Pushing the unfinished drink away, Sephiroth realized that in order for him to enjoy his honeymoon, he had to settle his unfinished business with Vincent, which meant he had a few days in which to find him and sort things out. So, with that in mind, he excused himself from Zack's company, and went to his room, equipping himself in his black leather uniform…….right down to Masamune.

 

Cloud came into the room just as Sephiroth was walking out.

 

“You…You're going somewhere, Seph?” the boy stuttered, the confusion showing on his face. Why was his husband dressed in his military garb? And why was he taking his sword?

 

Sephiroth stooped to plant a kiss on Cloud's upturned face, his hand cupping the blond's chin gently. “I won't be long. There's just something I have to attend to,” he said softly.

 

Cloud knew it would be futile to press Sephiroth for information. But he still needed to be reassured. “Will….will you be gone long?”

 

“No….I'll be back by tonight….hopefully,” Sephiroth answered, sounding more confident than he felt.

 

Cloud gave a small smile. He didn't like it, but what could he do? Once Sephiroth had his mind set on something, there was no stopping him. “Can I come with you?” he asked, desperate to remain at Sephiroth's side.

 

“No my love, not this time,” Sephiroth answered, breaking Cloud's heart. “This is something I have to do alone.” He turned to leave, and missed seeing the way the boy's lower lip quivered.

 

As Sephiroth descended the stairs and entered into the bar-room once again to say farewell to Zack, a sense of fear and anxiety washed over him, as startled looks and low whispers from the occupants within the room buzzed around him. Everyone seemed as shocked as Cloud had, to see him dressed so formally.

 

He cursed to himself as Tifa hazardously walked up to him, a strange gleam in her eyes.

 

“YOU!” she breathed, pointing a finger straight at Sephiroth's chest.

 

A silver brow rose in question, a look of distain clearly etched on Sephiroth's face.

 

“You—BASTARD! You work for fucking Shin-Ra!” the girl accused.

 

At the gasps of disbelief behind her, Tifa turned to face her friends, not understanding why they didn't see what she saw, why they didn't know what she knew. The finger still pointing towards the tall silver haired man was now shaking slightly.

 

“He…… is Sephiroth,” she said between clenched teeth, barely able to contain the anger within her voice.

 

The faces staring back at her were blank. Mrs. Strife looked embarrassed for her, while Yuffie tried to giggle and diffuse the situation.

 

“Yeah, we know who he is, and your point being?” asked Barrett, shifting his massive bulk in his seat, crossing his arms and legs and getting comfortable, as if he knew a long lecture was about to be delivered.

 

Frustrated at their apparent lack of reaction, Tifa snapped. “As in GENERAL Sephiroth—the one who nearly wiped out all the rebels of Costa del Sol and demolished Fort Condor! The same shit-head General who marched through Nibelheim, cutting down my family and friends, because Shin-Ra pulled out their backing of the mako refinery, because they said it was in such bad disrepair it wasn't worth fixing. Which was a lie…..”

 

She paused, waiting for her words to sink into the audience before her. Her heart was hammering in her chest, as she waited for any one of them to dispute what she had just claimed. When, after several moments, no-one said anything, she knew that her words had finally struck home, that they believed her. Now she turned back to face Sephiroth, a sneer making her pretty features ugly.

 

“So, General; when were you going to tell us, and Cloud, that you're nothing more than a murderer for that low life snake, Rufus?”

 

Igniting Sephiroth's tempter was not a thing Tifa should have been doing at that moment. Unfazed, his green eyes narrowed as he returned her accusing stare. His own voice, when he spoke, was dangerously low.

 

“My involvement with Costa del Sol is none of your business, little girl,” he said, emphasizing the last two words to show to her and the others the contempt he held for her. “And as far as Nibelheim is concerned, I ordered the civilians to vacate the premises in order for my men to do their job. I don't appreciate having a mob threaten me, or those under my command, Miss Lockheart.” There was a cold edge to his voice.

 

“You killed my father!”

 

“I would have killed anyone wielding a weapon against me in defense of protecting my own. And just for the record, Tifa…”

 

The temperature in the room was getting colder with each word that came out of Sephiroth's mouth. Frost was developing on glass, making the bottles of liquid stacked behind the counter crackle. A mist of fog was rolling into the bar-room from out of nowhere.

 

“Just for the record, my orders were to neutralize the entire town. If I was such the cold bloodied murderer that you claim, don't you think that you would have been dead too?”

 

Tifa backed off—scared. There was no emotion in the cat-like green eyes. She looked across desperately at Cloud, who had silently come into the room just moments before, pleading with her eyes for him to intervene on her behalf. But he stared only at his husband. Feeling betrayed and let down, Tifa ran from the main bar upstairs to her room, slamming the door.

 

Sephiroth, boiling with his own riled temper, turned to leave, when a small hand reached out and caught and covered his. He stopped and looked down into intense azure orbs, his anger dissipating as he saw the worry etched on his lovers face.

 

“I'm sorry, Cloud, that you had to hear about that.”

 

“No, don't be. Just… just be careful, okay?”

 

Sephiroth smiled at his husband, and bent to kiss Cloud, giving his tummy a gentle, affectionate rub. Then before he could change his mind and stay, he quickly left 7th Heaven, closing the door behind him.

 

Upstairs, Tifa watched through the window as the striking figure of the general strode purposely away from the building. Her mistrust and hate of him simmered just below the surface, and her gloved hands clenched into fists. If there was one thing that the marital artist had learned, it was that tigers never change their stripes.

 

Sephiroth was dangerous—not just to Cloud, but to the whole city of Midgar.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Not knowing where else to search, Cid finally found himself rummaging through the old Shin-Ra mansion. But, the only thing that he was able to find there, was more than his fair share of empty rooms filled with dust and cobwebs, busted crates, and other useless items.

 

Of Vincent, there was no sign.

 

Night was falling when he decided to call a halt to his search and head back to his airship. He would venture out again at first light, after getting some much needed sleep.

 

As he came outside and stood on the once opulent front porch of the mansion, Cid's quick eyes saw a shadow, outlined in silver, swiftly maneuvering around the dilapidated Shin-Ra home. Obviously there was no way for him to catch the speeding object, but Cid knew that whatever it was, it was heading up towards the side of Mount Nibel with purpose and determination.

 

oOoOoOo

 

A sweet melodic voice captured Sephiroth's attention, as he silently entered the cave hidden on the other side of Mount Nibel. He had followed his instincts in his search for his missing father, and the pull had led him to this place.

 

For reasons unknown to him, Sephiroth had always drawn toward this mountain, ever since he had first come to Nibelheim, five years ago. That had been two years before he had met Cloud.

 

Standing now in the vast cavern, Sephiroth's vision was greeted to something from legend.

 

In the middle of the dark grotto was a glowing crystal of mako, and encased inside this clear tomb was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes upon. Her long brunette hair was wrapped high on her head in a free flowing pony-tail similar, Sephiroth noted, to how he wore his most mornings before he got dressed, or when he lounged around privately in his quarters. A long split fringe outlined the delicate porcelain face that was frozen in sleep, curling around the sculptured chin, and drawing attention to the sensuous features of the nose and mouth.

 

Sephiroth's eyes widened. He realized he was looking at a female version of… himself.

 

His eyes widened even further when he saw that Vincent was there, standing in front of the suspended woman. Although his father's voice was low, barely above a whisper, the General could hear clearly every word that was being spoken.

 

“I must fight to control…..Chaos…..”

 

Deep heavy breathing followed, and then a low guttural growl echoed in the cave.

 

Sephiroth cautiously approached. He was but a few feet away from Vincent, fixatedly watching as the ex-Turk fought to resist transforming into the beast that was raging to gain control inside of him. The gunman's face was a mask of pain, and sweat trailed down from his brow. His breathing was hard, labored, his whole body shaking. Sephiroth took another step forward.

 

Spinning around to face him, Vincent stumbled before re-balancing himself. “You shouldn't be here,” he warned, Chaos still lurking just below the surface.

 

“I'm not leaving until I get an explanation,” Sephiroth snapped back.

 

The men began circling each other, preparing to face off, one angry at having his privacy invaded, the other angry at being made to search. Their eyes locked on one another. They would have come to blows, until another sad, apologetic voice cut in, the voice that Sephiroth had heard upon entering the cave.

 

Stop… please…

 

An image floated down from the crystal. The two men, their squabble momentarily forgotten, looked on in awe as the transparent figure came towards them, walking around them—accessing them.

 

“You're a lot taller than I imaged you would be.”

 

A giggle resonated.

 

“It's a pity that you didn't get your father's eyes. They are such beautiful eyes. But that's my fault, I'm afraid.

 

Please don't hate Vincent. He tried to stop me, but I, being young and foolish trusted Hojo.”

 

She stopped walking, placing a delicate finger to her small chin, as if deep in thought, only to grasp both her hands behind her back in a playful manner, a smile playing about her lips.

 

“Sephiroth, this is all that is left of me. I don't usually come outside the crystal as it takes a lot of my energy.”

 

He and Vincent could see Lucrecia's form beginning to flicker.

 

Sephiroth's voice, just as subtle as hers but as mesmerizing as Vincent's asked, “I want to know why you weren't there to save me from that maniac?”

 

The smile disappeared from his mother's face. She knew only too well the manic her son was referring to, and the pain and suffering he must have gone through.

 

“Hojo had shot Vincent, taking care to hit him where it wouldn't kill him out-right, giving Hojo enough time to conduct whatever experiment he was working on, on Vincent's dying body. He was keeping your father alive—barely. Once he was finished, he left Vincent unattended in the lab. I was most fortunate to have found Vincent; but the damage had already been done. To save Vincent's life, I did the only thing I could do… I infused the G substance into him.”

 

“G substance?” Sephiroth questioned, looking to Vincent's half feral form.

 

“The G substance is an unstable strain of mako. Regrettably, because of his anger for not being able to protect me, this is what the G substance has manifested into... Chaos. I had no other choice but to place the protomateria within Vincent to help him control Chaos. However, in this wild state, Vincent battles for control over Chaos. The protomateria must never be removed from his body otherwise it would unleash a terrible calamity thus ending all life on this plant.”

 

Lucrecia's image flickered once again as she walked up to her son. “Vincent is your father. Give him… time.”

 

Turning to her beloved, she said, “We meet once again, Vincent.”

 

“This… is our place…” the dark haired man breathed.

 

“But like me, this place is a part of your past… You, Vincent, must look to your… future…” Yellow eyes blinked, while glowing crimson orbs gazed lovingly at the former female scientist. She faded slowly from sight, reaching up to place a kiss upon Vincent's parted lips and then, quickly glancing towards the caves entrance, she vanished completely.

 

Vincent faced the crystal, silently accepting what Lucrecia wanted. She wanted him to live and not brood in his guilt—for he was not to blame. That fell back to man who had started all this… Hojo.

 

“Are sins… ever forgiven?” Vincent asked out loud.

 

Sephiroth wondered why his father would ask such a thing. But then he understood why. Vincent's soul was just as tainted as his, with just as much blood on his hands.

 

Yes…

 

oOo TBC oOo

 

A/N:

 

Mitts & ArchNemesis

 

oOoOo Teaser for Chapter 23 oOoOo

 

“Who is it?”

 

“Who's what, Rufus?”

 

“The mother, of course, Tseng. You can't deny the boy is not yours. He looks similar to you except for the hair and eyes.”

 

Tseng hung his head.

 

“I'm asking again and I won't ask a third time, Tseng. Who is the mother?”