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    Today marks the child's seventh birthday. I have enrolled him in a school, hoping to stimulate his social skills. He is a very quiet boy, but a very intelligent one. How long will it be before Jenova takes his strength to the next level? I am uncertain, but, as always, I will keep a close watch on his progress. It is not yet time for him to realize he is drastically different from the other children. I have very high hopes for this boy. However, I am beginning to think he does not like me. Perhaps he would think differently of me if he knew that I was his father.

    "School?" Sephiroth questioned, glancing quizzically at Hojo. "Why?"

    Hojo shrugged and declined to answer the posed question. "Would you rather stay here?"

    Sephiroth glanced around the lab with a disgusted expression. He wished someone else had taken him in and not Hojo. He was a strange man, scary in some ways. If only his mother, Jenova, hadn't died and his father hadn't.....

    "Is that a no, Sephiroth?" Hojo spoke, interrupting the child's depressing thoughts.

    Sephiroth nodded. "It is."

    "Good," Hojo replied, heading for a desk stacked with books. "You start tomorrow."

    Sephiroth rolled down his sleeves. "Am I done now? No more protein studies today?"

    "No. You may leave," Hojo answered, flipping through one of the books.

    But Sephiroth stood still, just staring back at Hojo as though he were waiting for something.

    Hojo grew annoyed at being studied in such a manner and looked up in annoyance. "What is it, Sephiroth?"

    ".....today is my birthday," the child said timidly. Sephiroth was extremely mature for his age, and did not often display behavior parallel to that of his age. The sudden childish timidness was a puzzlement.

    "I am aware," Hojo answered, going back to his book.

    Sephiroth asked in the same small voice. "Do I.....do I get a present?"

    "A present?" Hojo looked up in confusion. It had not even crossed his mind for a moment. Had he given him a present last year? His memory of the event failed him. Had he written it down.....?? He fumbled through the books lying on the desk, but the correct volume wasn't there. With an annoyed sigh, Hojo pushed his glasses back up on his nose and looked at his son. "What do you want?"

    "A kitty....." Sephiroth answered quietly.

    "A kitty!" exclaimed the professor. "A cat?! You can't have a cat! Think of something more practical, then approach me about a birthday present."

    Sephiroth hung his head sadly and trudged off, mumbling something offensive under his breath.

    Hojo recorded his latest findings from Sephiroth's blood sample. The child had been told the research was on protein, another in the long string of lies Hojo told the child to cover up the truth. He could never discover he was a manufactured Ancient, created by the cells of Jenova. That was one of the several secrets Hojo swore to take to the gave, however far off it was.

    Think of something more practical....Sephiroth thought bitterly as he returned to his room. Maybe he should find something more practical to conduct his failed experiments on. Every day Sephiroth came up with a new reason to despise the greasy old man. Today was no exception. After all, Hojo had shot down his one desire without so much as a reason why. It became increasingly frustrating. If only Hojo would die....the thought passed through the child's mind often. Then he could live somewhere else...then he would be gone from the experiments....

    Sephiroth lay down on his head with a small yawn. Dreamy visions of school swan through his tired brain. What would the other children be like? Sephiroth had never seen someone his own age before. All his life he had been surrounded by adults. Were children much different? He wondered if the other children had parents or if they were orphans too. He hoped they weren't. That way maybe he could absorb some of their happiness....

    "Sephiroth."

    "...I want that kitty..."

    "*Sephiroth*."

    "...The white one..."

    "Sephiroth!!"

    The child jerked awake with a startled snort, silver hair falling over his piercing green eyes. "Yes?"

    Hojo stood impatiently in the doorway. He glared at the child. "Dress yourself. School begins shortly." He abruptly slammed the door and was gone.

    Sephiroth rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He had been having such a pleasant dream that he wasn't the least bit surprised Hojo had put an end to it.

    School. He had nearly forgotten about the whole concept. Sephiroth dressed as he had been instructed to. What from here? He hesitantly opened his door and peered out right into Hojo's stained lab coat. He lurched backwards.

    Hojo seemed annoyed. "Come, Sephiroth," he ordered, marching down the hallway.

    Sephiroth meekly followed him. Well, no matter what school is like it separates me from Hojo. That's a gift all in itself.

    The classroom was a wonder of color and movement. Sephiroth stood in the doorway, his senses absorbing everything in amazement. There were many other children playing, laughing and simply having fun. They looked so happy. Sephiroth was jealous. He wanted to be happy too.

    But he couldn't be until Hojo was gone. The old professor remained at the child's side, surveying the busy classroom. He nodded his head, seemingly pleased. "When you return home you are to report everything, understood, Sephiroth?"

    Sephiroth silently nodded, eager to be rid of the old man. he excitedly watched him disappear from sight and proceeded to run over to the children.

    They watched him approach with interest. There were four of them in this particular group, and one of the children held something protectively in his hands.

    "Who're you?" One of the kids asked.

    "I am Sephiroth," he answered promptly. "Hello."

    "I'm Alloy," said the child, gesturing to himself. He gestured to the other children as he continued the introduction. "That's Locke, Axel and Riker."

    Sephiroth's eyes became fixed upon the glinting object in Locke's tiny hands. "What do you have there?"

    "I ferget what it's called," Locke responded, holding it out for all to see, "But my daddy says you can cast spells with it. I brought it for show and tell."

    "Materia," said Sephiroth.

    Locke was confused. "Huh?"

    "That's called Materia," Sephiroth replied, gesturing to the glowing green orb as he spoke. "Restore materia, to be specific.

    "Spesefic?" Axel pronounced poorly. "What's that?"

    Sephiroth was taken back. "Specific," he repeated, "it means.....exactly."

    "Oh," Axel sighed.

    Sephiroth suddenly felt strangely out of place. How could they not know a word that simple....??

    "I need your report," Hojo said when the child returned.

    Sephiroth shrugged and sat down. He said nothing.

    "Sephiroth, you are to speak when you are spoken to," Hojo said sternly. "Tell me about your day."

    "Why am I smarter?" Sephiroth asked.

    Hojo could not help but jump at the direct words. "Excuse me?"

    "I said why am I smarter," Sephiroth snapped, his eyes glaring like daggers into the old man's soul.

    Hojo backed up a step. He's just a child, he's just a child, he's just a.... "Sephiroth, that question has an obvious answer." Hojo smiled to hide the fear. "It is because I have already taught you so much, and the other children have not had the same opportunity." A well spun lie, Hojo applauded himself. Sephiroth was a very smart child, but Hojo knew he was not smart enough to see through that.

    "Why am I different than everyone else?" Sephiroth asked.

    "You are not different," Hojo explained. "You're just like any other child."

    The look on the boys face told Hojo that he obviously was not convinced.

    "Is there anything else that should be brought to my attention?" Hojo questioned lightly.

    Sephiroth darkly shook his head. Clearly he was in no mood to discuss today.

    Before Hojo could be rid of the child for the day there was a knock at the lab door. Who was this? Hojo called, "yes?"

    Vincent Valentine, head of the Turks Organization cautiously entered, his eyes looking over Sephiroth before resting upon Hojo. "Professor Hojo....there's a problem."

    "Oh?" Hojo raised an eyebrow. "What's happened?"

    Vincent again looked at Sephiroth. It was clear he didn't want the child to hear, but had no other alternative. "He's gone."

    Hojo's log book fell to the floor with a dull thud. "WHAT?!"

    Vincent stepped back. "Professor Gast is gone....he left....we don't know where."

    Sephiroth listened intently. He knew Professor Gast well....he was Hojo's boss, in charge of the chemistry divison of Shinra. Gast was a brilliant man, his research far exceeding anything Hojo had ever done.

    "He left!" exclaimed Hojo again, stepping quickly towards Vincent. "Don't tell me she is too."

    Vincent replied evenly, not letting Hojo intimidate him in the least. "She is."

    Hojo cursed several times, the disgust written clearly across his face. "That bastard. Betraying me and all we worked for."

    Vincent again looked at Sephiroth, who's face had taken on a confused expression rather than an interested one. A smile crept upon the lips of the head Turk, but he said nothing.

    Hojo looked at Vincent and set his jaw angrily. "Oh no," he snarled. Whirling around he yelled, "Sephiroth, leave."

    "But--"

    "Sephiroth, now!" snapped the professor.

    Sephiroth slid off his seat and fled the room as quickly as he could.

    Vincent frowned.

    "Don't you dare think for a moment that I will let you or anyone else stand in the way of my experiment," seethed the scientist, waving a finger in the young Turks' face. "Gast may be gone, but the Jenova project lives as long as that child does. You don't hate human experimentation, Valentine," he snarled, "nor did Gast, until you convinced him too. You only took up that position because you're upset about Lucretia."

    Vincent shuddered. "Stop it, Hojo. That's not true."

    "You're a poor liar," Hojo spat. "To think you call yourself a Turk."

    The younger man narrowed his eyes. "To think you call yourself a scientist."

    Hojo swung to hit Vincent, but the young Turk evaded the attack and pointed his gun at the sputtering professor.

    The older man was bent over, panting in anger. "Don't stand in my way, Valentine," Hojo hissed. "You'll regret it."

    Vincent held his gun out for a moment more before he put it away. "If only I had stopped you...."

    Hojo sneered with a sinister smile, "we all have regrets."

    Vincent's crimson colored eyes glided over the door Sephiroth had exited through only a minute before. "Yes....we all do...." He was gone then, without looking at Hojo.

The Log of the progress of the Jenova child Sephiroth. Day 2572:

    Despite the absence of Professor Gast, the experiment is continuing as I had always hoped. Gast will be sorry later. I will hunt him down like the traitor that he is and throw in his face what he gave up. But that is a separate matter entirely.
    As for Sephiroth, he grows apart from me by the day and I can do nothing to stop it. He has grown distant, so to speak. He is beginning to see that he is different, and there is no more I can do to cover it up. So far it has not seemed to disrupt the class at all, but it disturbs him. It is something he will have to learn to live with. Sephiroth will always be different from the other children. It will all boil down to how much he realizes it.

    Hojo glanced up at the child and set down his pen. "And what is wrong today, Sephiroth?"

    Sephiroth glared. "You still have not given me a birthday present."

    "Your birthday was a long time ago," Hojo pointed out. "Forget about it."

    "I want a kitten," he insisted.

    "Sephiroth, no."

    The child's green eyes narrowed dangerously. "Why?"

    "How many times must to tell you that there is no where to put a cat!" Hojo yelled, frustrated with the entire situation. "What is it you want from me?"

    Sephiroth rose to his feet, eyes remaining focused on the target. "To be normal."

    "You are, no one sees the difference but you, " Hojo offered weakly.

    "I hate you," spat the child, stamping his foot on the floor in a burst of outrage. "I want my cat!" He fled the room.

    The scientist stared calmly after the child, not affected at all by the blatant display of emotion. He picked up his pen and wrote,

     Perhaps school was a mistake......?? Trial and error....trial and error.....

    His feelings had not subsided, and he went to school the next day with a sour expression and the anger knocking on his chest, begging for release. It waited. Sephiroth was in a foul mood.

    "What's wrong with you?" asked Axel.

    "Leave me," Sephiroth said simply.

    "Why?" asked Riker.

    "Why must you annoy me?" Sephiroth shot back, narrowing his eyes, "I said to leave me alone."

    "Is it that doctor guy?" Alloy questioned.

    His electric green eyes narrowed further. "That is none of your business."

    "Come on, Sephiroth," Locke insisted, "we're your friends! We wanna know what's wrong."

    "I told ya he's weird," Axel said in disgust, stepping away from Sephiroth. "He don't want any friends. He doesn't need any. He's so much smarter than us. You see how the teacher's always callin' him a genius..." he snorted and looked down at the silver haired child. "He ain't like us."

    Sephiroth balled his fists and looked straight down at the floor. "I am not...." There was a tightening feeling ins chest.

    "Yes you are."

    "Am not," he insisted, his knuckles changing to a deadly shade of white.

    "You are," Axel insisted. "We all noticed."

    He wasn't the only one who saw it...he had been lied to....Hojo...somehow it was not a surprise....

    Axel was not finished. "He ain't normal. That's why he doesn't do normal things."

    Sephiroth erupted. "NO!" With inhuman speed he hit Axel with three punches, sending him to the ground in an unconscious state.

    The other three boys simply stared at their fallen friend for a moment before looking at Sephiroth in true fear.

    "Is he dead....??" breathed Riker.

    Alloy stared at Sephiroth in shock and breathed, "like a monster..."

    The teacher came rushing to the side of the fallen child. "What happened?!"

    Sephiroth realized to his horror that he was shaking. What had happened....?? He had lost control, and now....Axel....would he be okay??

    The teacher was in a tizzy. "How could he knock him unconcious....a seven year old boy??"

    Hojo's such a liar....he's a terrible liar.....a terrible, awful man. Sephiroth was scared. Scared of his own strength, and scared of what was wrong with him....why couldn't he be normal?

    He ran from the room as fast as he could, tears building in his eyes. There was no where to run to, no where to turn....no where to hide.

    Desperate and frantic he nearly ran straight into his enemy.

    "Sephiroth, is something wrong?" Hojo's voice was completely unheeding.

    "I hit that kid!" Sephiroth exclaimed, the tears running down his face. So suddenly he reverted back to being his age again. "I hit him, and I knocked him unconscious!"

    Hojo was eeirely calm. "How many times did you hit him?"

    "Three," Sephiroth reported, "that shouldn't have knocked him out!"

    The professor nodded once, a satisfied smile creeping over his lips. "You're right, Sephiroth. It shouldn't have. You're very strong."

    Sephiroth's tears ceased and the streams of water dried against his skin. He looked up at the old man in confusion. Why was he taking this all in stride? "Why aren't I normal! Everyone knows I'm not! Why can't you see it? They called me a monster!"

    The head of the Shinra divison of chemistry patted his son gently on the head. "You're not a monster, Sephiroth. You're a step above the rest."

    Sephiroth wrinkled his brow in confusion. Better? Him? ....That thought had never crossed his mind. Somehow he trusted Hojo a little more. Suddenly exhausted,  all he wanted to do was lie down with a god damn cat and go to sleep. That sounded normal.

The child is no longer a child. Sephiroth is 16, and when my observations are complete he will become a member of SOLDIER. I know he will put the other members to shame.
    A brief comment on Rufus Shinra, the President's son who has just reached his first birthday. My careful miscalculations have corrupted him and the Jenova cells within him are basically useless. My plot to see Sephiroth as the ultimate ruler is progressing just as I have foreseen.
    My only concern remains that Turk Vincent Valentine. He had been spending much too much time with Sephiroth, and I can only wonder what foolish ideas he has been implanting into my son's mind. I will dispose of him, but first I must determine the severity of his contact, and plan a revenge based upon it......

    Sephiroth was a beautiful boy. His long silver hair cascaded over his broad, well built form. For only a teenager he had an impressive build. His neon green eyes, infused with those cursed Jenova cells, were intent as he slashed his masamune at his imaginary opponent. The masamune was an incredible sword, the length of the blade was so long it dwarfed Sephiroth. It would be impossible for any normal human being to handle safely. But Vincent Valentine knew that Sephiroth was anything but normal.

    Vincent stood off to the side, watching Sephiroth practice his sword technique. His green eyes were focused on the blade on his sword as he moved forward, his black cape swirling around him. It was like a sort of ballet to Vincent, and he was unable to take his eyes from the sight.

    Sephiroth stopped when he noticed Vincent standing by, eyes transfixed upon him. "Have you been watching long?"

    The Turk shook his head and approached the young man. "No. But I could have watched for longer. You truly look beautiful when you're fighting, Sephiroth."

    "It is my art form," he explained. "It is what I was born to do."

    Vincent froze. "Did Hojo tell you that?"

    Sephiroth shook his head. "No. He didn't need to."

    The two men went and took a seat off to the side.

    "I grow tired of Hojo," Sephiroth sighed. "His experiments are moronic and without purpose."

    "Sephiroth...." Vincent began carefully, "does Hojo still use for research?"

    The silver haired man nodded an affirmative. "Yes, but he says it won't last much longer. I'm to join SOLDIER."

    "SOLDIER...." Vincent mused. "You don't *enjoy* being experimented on, do you."

    "What man would?" Sephiroth offered. "It is my feeling that human experimentation is wrong."

    Vincent could not help but smile. "It seems we agree on yet another subject."

    Sephiroth chuckled. "Yes, well, that's probably due to our frequent meetings. I'm glad to spend time with you rather than Hojo."

    Vincent turned and laid his eyes upon the beautiful teenager. What a shame, the life that had been thrust upon him. Vincent sincerely hoped he never discovered the truth. "I enjoy spending time with you as well."

    The teenage turned his head and the two men were face to face. "Vincent...?" Sephiroth breathed.

    "Yes," Vincent replied in the same throaty voice. He gazed into the eyes of the younger man. Those beautiful green eyes....so innocent and yet so corrupted...

    "What do you think of Hojo?"

    Vincent was finding it hard to control his feelings. "I hate him."

    "Yes," nodded Sephiroth, gazing right back into the eyes of the Turk. "Me too."

    Vincent could restrain himself no longer. He knew he promised never to show the boy affection in public.... He leaned forward, ran his hand through those shining silver locks and captured his lips.

    Sephiroth moaned low in his throat and bent his head back, allowing Vincent's tongue to slide into his mouth.

     Vincent gently coaxed Sephiroth's tongue into his mouth and gently stroked it. Sephiroth moaned in pleasure, his Jenova fused eyes squeezed shut as his tongue slow danced with Vincent's. The Turk felt the younger man's hands slide under his jacket and up his back. Vincent continued to run his fingers through that lovely silver hair as he drew away from Sephiroth's lips. Instead he began to gently cover his face with light, fleeting kisses. The silver haired boy's mouth hung open, and his breathing grew course and heavy. His head bent all the way back, the older man moved downward and took advantage of Sephiroth's exposed neck. The Turk kissed and sucked upon the silken corded muscle, his hands still combing through the hair. Sephiroth's skin was cold and sterile to his tongue. Vincent loved it. This poor young man had never known love in any form before. It was such a shame, but Vincent was here for him now. Sephiroth had someone who loved him.

    Sephiroth's adam's apple moved up and down in a slow constant motion as lusty groans escaped his lips. "Oh yes, Vincent," he encouraged. The Turk felt a hand slide to his neck, making him shiver. Every part of him wanted to ravage this gorgeous teenager right now. To pin him to the ground and give what he was silently begging for. Anything to keep those lustful moans that came from the young man's throat. Each one was music to Vincent's ears.

    He moved back to those sweet lips, and Sephiroth responded with overwhelming passion, clamping a hand to the back of Vincent's head. The two moved close until their chests were pressed together. They were groaning in unison now, as each stroke of the tongue produced feelings of comforting pleasure. Vincent's mind seemed to shut down and all he could concentrate on was showing Sephiroth how he felt. He didn't hear the footsteps.

    "Sephiroth?!" Hojo seemed more in shock than anything. In the next instant Sephiroth drew away from Vincent. This happened so quickly that there was the distinct popping sound of their lips parting.

    "Valentine!" Hojo growled, eyes narrowing with pure hatred as he laid his beady little eyes upon the Turk. "What were you doing to Sephiroth?"

    For the first time since he had known Hojo, Vincent had no reply.

    "Hojo....what are you doing here?" Sephiroth's voice was shaking.

    "Get out," Hojo growled, never so outraged in his life. "He pointed at the flustered Turk. "Get out of here right now, Valentine. I never want to see you near Sephiroth again."

    "No!" Sephiroth protested.

    Vincent seemed like a limp doll as Hojo dragged him away from the teenager.

    "Vincent! Do something!" Sephiroth cried as he fumbled for the masamune.

    The Turk finally sprung back into action. "Sephiroth, you aren't nor--"

    Hojo clapped a hand over the mouth of the struggling Turk. He dragged him out the door, while the abandoned Jenova fused boy sat in shock, not knowing what to think, or what to believe. It would be days before he saw Hojo again, but it would be the rest of his life before he once again laid eyes upon his dark haired Turk.

    "Hojo, he's just a boy."

    "He is mine. He is my son and my experiment."

    "Human experimentation is wrong."

    "Shut up."

    "You don't even love him! Sephiroth has been neglected his whole life! Let him go!"

    "Not a chance. I've worked my life for this. I'm not about to let you or any other fool stand in my way."

    "...How many lives do you have to ruin for this project, Hojo? Haven't you done enough damage already?"

    "...Just wait till we get to Nibelheim...I will answer your question then..."

    Hojo entered his darkened laboratory several days later. He flicked on the lights and jumped in fear when he saw Sephiroth sitting on a counter with his sword in hand. His Jenova fused eyes bore holds into Hojo as the young man glared with an obvious flare of hatred.

    "What have you done with Vincent?" Sephiroth asked, his voice dark and ominous.

    Hojo stepped back. "You won't have to worry about him anywhere."

    Sephiroth hopped to his feet, the masamune gripped tightly in his hand. "Why did you do that?" Sephiroth faltered a moment, thinking back. His voice shook. "He *cared*."

    Hojo avoided the subject. "Forget him. It's time for you to take your place in SOLDIER."

    "You bastard!" Sephiroth howled, slashing the masamune and sending a rack of test tubes crashing to the floor. "I hate you! You're a self-centered, moronic fool!" Before Hojo could blink the masamune was pressed against his throat. "I should kill you right now," Sephiroth hissed through his teeth, eyes tearing into Hojo's warped soul.

    Hojo swallowed and backed up as Sephiroth pinned him against a wall. "Sephiroth, you can't kill me."

    "And just tell me why not."

    "Because I took you in when no one else would. I saved your life, and the least you could do is spare mine." He smiled icily. "Besides, once you join SOLDIER, you'll never have to see me again."

    Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "Never?"

    "No."

    "And I am to go now?"

    He nodded. "Yes."

    Sephiroth stepped away. "Very well."

    Hojo, still grinning, turned around and left the laboratory, motioning for Sephiroth to follow.

    The young man fell into step behind Hojo, head held high, eyes focused on a spot far away. He may not be the one to get Hojo, but he had a feeling that someday Vincent would.

    "Sephiroth! It's a pleasure to meet you." The President of Shinra Inc. greeted the youth warmly, extending his hand with a smile.

    Sephiroth stood stiff, a blank expression on his angular face. He gave the President's hand a cursory glance but refused to shake it. Any man who would hire Hojo was no friend of his.

    The President withdrew his hand and cleared his throat. "Well. Hojo has told me much about you and I know you'll be an asset to SOLDIER..."

    Sephiroth was only half-way listening. He glanced around the office and noticed a crib in the corner. Inside sat a small child with reddish blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He silently sucked his thumb and watched the action before him with interest.

    The President was going on, but a blonde woman in a low cut red dress entered and stopped the conversation. She whispered something into his ear and the old man turned a deathly shade of pale.

    "You don't say," he breathed.

    She nodded. "The word just came."

    "Hojo, come with me." The President took two steps and turned back to Sephiroth. "Sephiroth, an emergency has arisen. Could you please watch my son for a few hours?"

    The child in the crib? Sephiroth nodded. Sure, he seems neglected...just like me....

    "Thank you." The President left, Hojo in pursuit.

    Sephiroth turned and faced the child who stared at him with wide eyes. "And who might you be?"

    "Wufus," the child replied around his thumb.

    "What? Oh, Rufus." Sephiroth knelt before the crib so he was nearly at eye level with the child. "How old are you?"

    "One," the child replied. He blinked. "Who yoo?"

    "Huh? Oh, I'm Sephiroth," Sephiroth told him, not used to hearing a child so young speak.

    "Sephy?" the child asked.

    "It's Sephiroth," he corrected.

    "Sephy," the child insisted.

    Sephiroth sighed and gave up. "Fine. You may call me Sephy."

    The child smiled, his eyes lighting up happily. There was something familiar about those glowing blue orbs....but Sephiroth couldn't place what.

    "Pway?" the child requested.

    "What? Oh, you want to play." Sephiroth heaved a sigh. "Very well. What do you wish to play?"

    Rufus put both his arms up as an indication to be picked up. Sephiroth sighed, picked up the child and placed him on the floor. He watched him toddle over to the closet and drag out a box of blocks. The blue eyed baby dumped out the box's' content. He waved at Sephiroth and said, "build." The young man joined the child on the floor. Rufus smiled. "I wike you." Sephiroth couldn't help but smile back.

    Hours passed. Where was the President? Rufus didn't seem to give a damn about his father's whereabouts. He hadn't asked once.

    The child was growing sleepy, his little blue eyes kept blinking closed. Sephiroth didn't want to admit it, but he was growing weary himself. He said to Rufus, "I think it's time you went to sleep."

    The baby yawned. "I wanna sweep with yoo."

    "Huh? Sweep? Oh, sleep." Sephiroth heaved what was probably his hundredth of of the evening. "All right," he finally replied, eyeing a couch across the room. It was big enough for two. He stood,  prompting Rufus to put up his arms up in 'pick me up' fashion once again. Sephiroth obliged, and headed for the couch and placed the child down before getting on himself. Rufus grabbed onto Sephiroth for comfort and cuddled against him, closing his tiny eyes with a small sigh. Sephiroth closed his eyes too, and drifted off to sleep....

    He dreamt.

    He dreamt Vincent came back to him, caressed his face, and brushed his hair away from his eyes. "Sephiroth, I love you," he said gently, as he leaned forward for a kiss.

    "I love you too," breathed Sephiroth before their lips met. The touch was explosive. Oh Vincent....it's not fair....you're the only person who makes me happy...but now...you're...you're........gone.......Vincent......I......I.........

    "Sephy! Sephy!  Wake up! Wake up!"

    Huh? The young man eased his eyes open to find the child sitting up, and staring at him in concern. "Huh? What's wrong?"

    "Why yoo cryin'?"

    Sephiroth's heart nearly froze as he quickly wiped his eyes. Tears. Rufus was right....he had been crying...crying in his sleep... Hojo, if you only know what you have done to me... He patted the child on the head. "It's all right. Go back to sleep."

    The child sat there for a moment more, his bright blue eyes glowing in a familiar light. Suddenly Sephiroth recognized it as similar to his own. 'Sephiroth, you aren't norm--' Vincent had began. Hojo was a liar. He *wasn't* normal, but apparently Rufus wasn't either. What was it that made them different? What was it that made them both a step above the rest....?

SOLDIER wasn't just an organization. It was life, Sephiroth's life, and he enjoyed it immensely. He was a war hero, decorated for his heroic and precise actions in the war with Wutai. Fighting came so easily to him. Often people gushed to him about how amazingly strong he was, and how it was a wonder he could control that sword. To Sephiroth though, it was just doing what came naturally. I'm far stronger than anyone else but why?  Why am I this way?

    Thoughts of Vincent were rarer now, as it only upset him. The last thing he needed was more pain.

    He picked up his new orders and sat down to review them. Looked as if he would be heading to place called Nibelheim with two normal soldiers and another SOLDIER, first class, by the name of Zack Mainstay. The objective would be to get the old reactor in Nibelheim working again. It sounded like easy work, and although Sephiroth had been to many places in his days with SOLDIER he had never been to Nibelheim. He went to rest up for the journey.

    Hojo was in a frenzy. He nearly attacked Heidegger as he demanded information. "Are you out of your rational mind sending Sephiroth to Nibelheim?! Do you realize the information that is in that mansion? If he finds it, it just might--"

    "Gya haa haa!" Heidegger laughed, leaning back in his chair. "That library is hidden in the basement! He won't bother looking for it!"

    Hojo frowned, still not convinced. "He's far from stupid...unlike some others..." he mumbled.

    "Huh? Don't worry about it. Go back to your lab and....I don't know, go mix something together."

    Hojo clenched his teeth but elected to just walk away. Shinra was only endangering itself, and frankly he could care less.

    Stuck in a truck. Sephiroth sat silently as they traveled to Nibelheim, trying to drown out the noises of the others. Zack was talking to the other soldiers. One of them, Cloud...Cloud...something, was motion sick. Cloud made sure to tell everyone that Nibelheim was his hometown, but he hadn't been back in awhile...Sephiroth wished he had a hometown, but he didn't even know his parents....

                                                                            ...........

    The reactor...Sephiroth fled the premises as fast as he could. Jenova...those, those *creatures*...those wretched creatures. Was he created that way? Was he once just a life form in a tube like those....things? Had his whole life been a cover up carefully concealed by that moronic Hojo? Sephiroth, you aren't norm-- is this what Vincent had meant?

    He needed answers. This mystery had to be solved. He had to know the truth. Was the reason why he was so superior because he was an experiment??

                                                                            ...........

    The mansion. The basement was so full of books he didn't know where to begin. He searched the shelves for 'Jenova' and found an abundant amount of volumes labeled 'Jenova Project'. He reached for one and began reading. Somehow it wouldn't surprise him if Hojo had....had....

    He read and read and read, unlocking all the answers he had always searched for. He was nothing more than Hojo's experiment, the first specimen to be injected with the cells of an Ancient called Jenova. Jenova is my mother, huh? Sephiroth thought bitterly. Hojo, you should have been more creative.

    Sephiroth read well into the night as though he was under some sort of trance. Every page revealed more of Hojo's lies. The many experiments were to test the Jenova cells, not protein content or any of the other façades he used. Hojo hadn't cared for him in the least. Taken him in when no one else would did he? Sephiroth suddenly burst into hysterical laughter. Just when it all seemed like Hojo couldn't ruin his life anywhere he finds this, the ultimate lie behind all the small ones that gave him a life of such miserable hell all these years. This was it--the last straw. It wasn't just Hojo. It was all of them, all of *his* kind. They were all the same, all traitorous, lying monsters. The real monsters. Sephiroth had put up with their torture long enough. Now they would have to be eliminated. Every last one of them. Then he and Jenova, his mother, and last hope to be loved, could take over this planet which had brought him so much pain. Cloud Strife's town would soon be nothing more than a memory...

    The fire raged proudly behind Sephiroth as he moved to free his mother. The flames devoured the buildings in no time, leaving no one alive to tell the tale. This was to be the first massacre of many...

    He let no one stand in his way as he freed Jenova from the unworthy grasp of the 'normal' man. Sephiroth would make sure Hojo's greatest experiment became his greatest regret.

    Jenova in hand, and all who challenged him incapacitated, he proudly marched across the catwalk. What was this? Cloud Strife, this puny little boy, still thought he had a chance? Sephiroth easily impaled the challenger on the masamune. That took care of another life. Another useless normal life.

    Before he knew it his feet were off the ground. What?! What was going on!? This, this wasn't supposed to happen! No! Just when there was hope....

    As he plunged into the Mako below, Sephiroth knew this was far from the end.

    Hojo arrived in Nibelheim the next day. He was accompanied by Tseng and Reno of the Turks as well as Reeve and Scarlet, two Shinra executives. The wreckage was still smoldering.

    "What the fuck....??" Reno breathed.

    Tseng was silent.

    "Sephiroth did all this...." Hojo murmured with a nod.

    Reeve just stared.

    "There's nothing left," Scarlet commented.

    Hojo grinned. Had this been his son's idea of revenge? "There's enough."

    Scarlet turned. "What do you mean?"

    The Professor went on to explain. "We can rebuild Nibelheim like this never happened. Besides rebuilding the city it would also give me a chance to try a new series of experiments."

    Scarlet nodded. "I'm sure the President will be glad to see Nibelheim restored." She turned to the other executive. "Reeve, you are to assist the Professor. You two are in charge of the project. Be sure to document it. I'm going back to Midgar." She heaved a sigh and click clacked her way back to the helicopter in her heels.

    "Hmn.... he left the mansion," Tseng commented.

    Hojo sprang into action. "Tseng, call for reinforcements. Then I need you to round up everyone who isn't dead."

    Tseng nodded, but said. "Should I consult with Heidegger first?"

    "Just do as I ask," Hojo demanded, "forget him."

    The head Turk took out his PHS and called Headquarters.

    "Reno, I want you to go to the reactor and search for signs of Sephiroth."

    "At the reactor?" Reno exclaimed in disbelief.

    "Do not question my orders just because I am not Heidegger," the professor replied icily.

    Reno just nodded and headed up the mountains.

    "Reeve, come with me to the mansion."

    "I don't understand it," Reeve said in amazement. "The town is in ashes, but the mansion is undamaged."

    Hojo didn't reply.

                                                                         X*X*X

    "Sephiroth's dead," Reno reported as he wiped his sleeve across his brow. The young man had just returned from the reactor and was covered with dirt and sweat. "There is no sign of him."

    Hojo looked disappointed a moment. "My greatest experiment...."

    Two soldiers entered the library at that moment, dragging behind them two bodies. Tseng was with them.

    "This is the last of them," he reported as the near lifeless bodies were dragged towards Hojo.

    Hojo inspected the bodies. Two young men. One, a dark haired boy, was severely injured, sliced with a sword. The other, a blonde, had been stabbed clear through the stomach. The work of the masamune, that much was clear.

    Reeve stepped back and turned away as Hojo made his inspection. "These two are fine," Hojo decided. "Get them into the tanks."

    The soldiers silently obliged.

    The Professor turned back to the red haired Turk. "So Sephiroth is dead."

    "I didn't see any evidence to prove he's still alive."

    Very well. I have the resources, Hojo thought. I will clone him.

     Jen...ov...a...Jen...ov...a...re...u...nion...Jen...ova...re..union...must...
pro...ceede...to...crater...

    'Sephiroth' went into the Nibelheim mansion. Everyone believed Sephiroth was dead. He was not, but the man everyone thought was the legendary hero was not. The only completely successful clone was on his way to the crater, his mind almost fully controlled by the actual Sephiroth. But he had a few stops first.

    He headed down to the basement.

    Must...find...black...ma...door? He stopped enroute and was compelled to materialize inside. So he did.

    The room was filled with coffins, and reeked of death. There was the distinct sound of heavy breathing coming from the middle one. 'Sephiroth' knocked upon it and watched it creak open. An unfamiliar face rose from the darkness and met eyes with the intruder. Unfamiliar yes, but all too familiar all the same.

    "Vincent?" 'Sephiroth' questioned.

    "Sephiroth?" Vincent gasped. He looked the other man over and  shook his head. "No. You're not Sephiroth. You're some kind of clone."

    "Vincent....I am here."

    "Leave me be. That is in the past." The older man went to go back into his coffin, but 'Sephiroth' would not allow it.

    "Why didn't you tell?"

    "Tell you what?"

    "About Jenova."

    "I couldn't. You understand."

    'Sephiroth' did not reply. "I have a mission."

    Vincent turned away. "Let me be."

    Sephiroth allowed him back into his coffin, then proceeded to the library.

    Must..find...black...materia...

    Cloud Strife was coming. Sephiroth could see him flying towards him, Ultima Weapon clutched tightly in his hand. Sephiroth waited, masamune in hand, ready to end the battle to end all battles. To believe that spikey haired kid, whom he remembered best as being motion sick on that truck to Nibelheim, could actually defeat the soon-to-be controller of the planet....it was almost laughable.

    But Cloud had arrived. Sephiroth glared him down, but Cloud refused to be intimidated.

    Sephiroth stood perfectly still, refraining from attacking.

    Cloud made no move.

    He's charging up an attack, Sephiroth thought. Now's my chance to strike.

    But the silver haired man did not move a muscle. Suddenly he was so tired and still miserable. When he had known so much pain, how could he ever know happiness? Heh. His heart just gave up. No matter if his plan worked or not, he always had been and always would be lonely. He remembered seeing Vincent during the earlier fight...Sephiroth wondered if the former Turk still thought he looked beautiful when he fought.....he let Cloud come.

    The pain was immense. When the sword finally ceased striking his weary body, even lifting his head was hard. He did anyway, needing to  gaze into the eyes of the man who stood against him, against all odds, and defeated him. Sephiroth could feel the blood trickling down his face as he looked back at the victor in amazement. Before he exploded into oblivion, only two words crossed Sephiroth's mind:

    Thank You.