Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Hateful Transformation ❯ Chapter Thirteen ( Chapter 13 )

Hateful Transformation

Chapter Thirteen

A.N: Part of this chapter is from Young Cloud's POV. During this time, Cloud (As Seph……………..) Shall be referred to as `Sephiroth'.

Disclaimer: I DO own it! -Lawyers begin to gather ominously around authoress- Actually, I don't!

"What are you?!" Cloud cried mentally to the voice in his head……………………….

The voice that had just taken him over.

"I'm the `Crisis from the Sky'. Recently known as `Jenova'." She replied, as she forced him to continue watching his friends, whom were still both watching him intently, worried expressions on their faces.

"Jenova…Jenova…Jenova…?" He repeated over and over in his weakened mind.

"Yes… I believe the scientist called me your `mother'."

"But… But… You can't be…!" He screamed to her.

"I can't be? And why not?" She said in a low voice, and then laughed evilly.

~~

Vincent and young Cloud were both watching the general intently, not moving a muscle. He had stopped laughing just a moment before, and was now gazing at them both, smirk still etched on his face.

"Shall we go then?" He asked them both, his head tilted to the side.

Young Cloud bit down on his lip, and then nodded. He slowly walked up to him, still thinking there was something wrong.

However, Vincent stayed behind, still believing something was totally wrong. As young Cloud and his commanding officer turned their backs on him completely, he pulled out his small gun, and held it by his side. He then slowly began to descend forward.

~~

"They're going to figure out something's wrong… They're bound to found out about you…" Cloud said to Jenova, desperately hoping it was true.

"Are you sure…?" She asked, then laughed, this time actually causing his physical self to do so.

"…"

"You're not so sure, are you…?"

"…"

"Haha… You don't remember me, do you?" Jenova questioned, arrogant tone becoming far more noticeable in her voice.

"Remember you? Why would I remember -you-?!"

"You used to talk to me all of the time. When you were angry… Or lonely."

"No I didn't." Cloud said coldly, confusing his past with Sephiroth's.

"Yes, you did. To prove it…" She stopped suddenly, and chuckled. "I shall show you."

It was then; Cloud's vision of the Reactor vanished………………………R 30;……

And was replaced with a lab.

~~

As Cloud looked around, he quickly realized he was in a Mako container, one of the despised things that had kept Zax and himself captive for years.

The second thing he noticed…

Was that he was -a lot- smaller than he had been a moment before.

As he looked down at himself, he observed that he was just about the same age as `he' had been back in the `Sephiroth memory dream'; if not a little older.

However, unlike the `dream', he was actually controlling himself.

Attached to his face, was an oxygen mask, the two halves staying together by a binding behind his head. Chains were connected to his arms and legs… To keep him from trying to escape, he supposed.

"Do you remember this place?" Jenova asked creepily into his mind.

"…" Cloud said nothing to her directly, but was thinking rapidly, and then realized…

He -did-. And it wasn't just the memory from the dream.

It was -everything-. All of Sephiroth's memories were right there in his mind.

"I was wondering, at first, what had happened to you, when I first was able to speak to you again a few days ago…All of `our' memories, where you talked to me… Were at the farthest point of your mind, hidden, replaced by an `imaginary' world… Created by your imagination. You thought you were an ignorant little boy named `Cloud'… whom you made kill yourself in the end. Do you really hate yourself so?" Jenova said, and then cackled. "It was strange how you seemed to know of me though…How some of the plans your `enemy' did are similar to the ones I have planned for you… perhaps you really did still feel my presence, though I was too far away to feel yours…"

Cloud panicked. She knew -everything-? About Nibelheim? About Tifa? Aeris?

"I haven't seen all of your memories yet. But I will… In my free time. It's just so…Entertaining, shall I say. Oh, yes, this is just a mirage, just so you know. I had to push your own memories forward. Nothing will happen here. I also find it interesting that your partner shares a remarkable resemblance to your imaginary self. Same name, same body structure, same hair style… The only differences are the Mako-enhanced blue eyes, and that you're older. This is all really fascinating…"

Then, everyone faded to black, then back to the reactor.

~~

Young Cloud was still watching the general warily, always keeping a distance of a few feet away from him-though it really wouldn't matter-after all, he was the famous fighter of Shinra… What could he do against him, with his incredible agility and strength?

Young Cloud twisted his head around towards Vincent, and quickly noticed that he was grasping his gun tightly. He then seriously considered taking out his sword-but decided against it. Sephiroth would know about hostile movements-he had been in the war in Wutai after all.

He stopped for a moment, and looked down at the luminous green Mako below him. He gulped, and then looked back up, and straight in front of him. He started walking once more until all three were at the door than led into the very core of the reactor. Sephiroth bent down over a keypad, and entered the password, which was, `Reactor one'.

Sephiroth then turned around, and told them calmly, "Go inside."

Young Cloud nodded, and obeyed. He strolled inside, but he kept his head on the man the entire time. Vincent did nothing, and simply stared at Sephiroth with his glowing crimson eyes.

"What's wrong with you?" Sephiroth asked him, cold tone in his voice, eyes narrowed slightly. "Go in!" He ordered, pointing to the door with one finger.

This time, Vincent did so, but kept his emotionless gaze upon him. Sephiroth glared hatefully after him, and followed him inside the core.

~~

After all three were in the core, the door slammed behind them. The only light for them was the Mako from the strange containers that were scattered across the room, and from Vincent and Sephiroth's eyes.

Sephiroth felt around for some sort of power generator, and luckily, found one. He flipped a few switches, and soon the room became flooded with light. He then threw a glance at both young Cloud and Vincent, and then climbed up the stairs that were set in the middle of the room. Vincent continued to watch him, while young Cloud went up to examine the containers.

As young Cloud was looking over the containers, he bent down to one and announced, "I think I found the problem! Vince, can you help me?"

Vincent stopped watching Sephiroth, whom was then staring at the faded title over the door at the top of stairs, and then he went over to young Cloud.

He knelt down, quickly fixed the broken valve, and then stood back up. Young Cloud was gazing at the valve in awe, and then looked up towards Vincent, with a look of surprise on his face.

"You're good," He told him, then stood up. "I wonder what caused this problem?" He said, and jumped up to look in the window.

Then he screamed. "What…Is… That… thing?!" He said, breathing labored.

Vincent glanced at young Cloud for a moment, and then stood up on the tip of his toes to see what it was that had frightened the teenager so.

"I…Don't know…" The pale man admitted seconds later, after seeing the horrific human-like creature that was in the container.

"Do… You think Sephiroth would know?" Young Cloud asked warily to his old friend. He was examining Sephiroth with intense worry, now with intense fear. Young Cloud didn't wait for an answer, and simply began to go up the stairs slowly.

"Hey Sephiroth?" He whispered to the general, worry deep in his voice. Sephiroth ignored him, and continued to stare at the title over the door.

"Jenova…" Sephiroth said quietly, as young Cloud stood beside him. "They… told me that was my mother's name. Is this just a coincidence? Or… Is it something more?" He continued, acting as if he was talking to himself. Though young Cloud didn't notice, Sephiroth was watching him out of the corner of his eye.

Behind them, Vincent was silent, mind contemplating all that was happening. Jenova…………………. That was the creature they had injected the cells of into Sephiroth. "So they told him his mother was Jenova…" He thought, working it all out in his mind. "Hojo lied to him too… As he did Lucrecia… Damn you Hojo…"

"Sephiroth?" Young Cloud said quietly, staring at his hero, whom he had always wanted to be like. He had always admired him… Like one would admire an older brother. "I was wondering…If you knew anything about-something."

"I'll see if I do." Sephiroth mumbled quietly, then turned and sighed. "Show me."

Young Cloud nodded, and then jumped down the stairs two at a time down to the container he had seen the hellacious monster in. He pointed to it.

Sephiroth understood, and looked up in it. As he jumped down, he looked unusually troubled. "This is Hojo's work. I know it is…"

Young Cloud looked up into it once more, and asked, "What is it though?"

Sephiroth gazed blankly at the floor for a moment, then looked back up. "Normal members of SOLDIER simply have Mako poured over them once or twice……………………. But these…………………… things have more than you'll ever have in your whole career."

"Normal SOLDIERs? What about you?" Young Cloud continued. "Are you… Different?"

Sephiroth's eyes became downcast, and he began to shake uncontrollably. "Was I…? No.. No… NO!" He screamed, and took out his Masamune and attacked the container, a loud clang coming from it as the sword hit. He then stopped, his breathing out of synch.

It was then that one of the containers fell open, revealing one of the monstrous humans. It screamed, sounding like a hurt dog. Young Cloud, Vincent and Sephiroth were all watching it with wonder written on their faces, knowing, that once, this thing had been as human as they.

As it cried out in extreme pain, Sephiroth's eyes became hate-filled, and he grasped the Masamune at his side tightly. He then screamed a war cry, and ran up to it………………………… 230;.

And chopped its head right off of its shoulders.

Young Cloud watched his mentor with great horror, while Vincent simply gave him a look of slight surprise, shocked that the child of Lucrecia could behave this way. Of course… He had also been raised by Hojo.

Sephiroth looked at what he had done for a moment, then he kicked the head down the stairs, green blood flying everywhere, landing by young Cloud's feet. No reaction came from the teenager. He continued to gaze at the general with the same stare.

"Sephiroth…"

Sephiroth, in reply, smirked, and went down the stairs. As he walked by young Cloud, he stopped, and chuckled. He then threw the door open, and left the reactor, leaving young Cloud and Vincent, both wondering what had gone wrong.

~~

"Do you realize what I'm doing, my little Sephy?" Jenova asked Cloud, as she forced him to go back into the town of Nibelheim… To the library.

The detested library. Where Sephiroth, from his own past, seemed to have completely lost his mind.

But this time, it was -him-, not Sephiroth, that this was happening to.

"I'm making this whole thing seem natural. They don't think it's the `Jenova' that was mentioned in the reactor. They think it's just you. People -do- go mad. Very rarely is it because of someone other than themselves making them do it, you see." Jenova explained to him. "And soon, it actually -will- be you. I'll make you see the light."

"You'll never." Cloud stated coldly, feeling as if he were in a movie as `he' went down the mountain. They had passed Tifa and Kuno, both of whom had said nothing to him. No control whatsoever…

"You see, Sephy, you're mine…All mine."

~~