Final Fantasy2
Chapter Eighteen: "It’s About Time The True Sephiroth Revealed Himself"
Hojo opened his eyes slowly, his tight features for once arranged calmly on his face. His gaze reached to the ceiling, as if it were a screen upon which he could see the many things troubling his mind. He stared for several minutes. "How very interesting," he murmured, though his expression remained still. "Something has happened."
He sat up and felt a sharp pain in his chest. Hojo had never been strong physically—his body suffered from an incurable illness, a kind of heart condition that his science had never been able to remedy. It had plagued him all his life, and he hated how fragile he had become in his old age. His bony hands reached for a jar of tablets on the bedside table, but brushed against something else; a thin, glass test tube which he’d been studying earlier. It was filled with a frozen red liquid, carefully sealed from contamination. He stared at it. The surface was cold on his fingers, and they tingled with the strength of its power; even such a small quantity it was amazing.
"You could heal me more effectively than any pill," Hojo mused, taking the tube out of its stand and cradling it in a loose grip. "More than any treatment. I wonder…"
There was a knock on the door, and the professor quickly replaced the item in its stand. "Yes?" he barked.
The door was opened by Scarlet, one of the President’s many advisor—though he admitted that he’d never understood what exactly she advised him on, executively speaking. She was a tall blond woman in her early thirties, and also one accustomed to using her well-proportioned figure to get what she wanted from men. In earlier years she’d even tested her charms on him. But now he wasn’t worth the bother; his body was decrepit and her position was high enough to satisfy her. Besides, she had other targets now.
"President Rufus wants to see us," she said in her thick voice, leaning against the door frame; a habit of hers, as it allowed the front flap of her outfit to slide, exposing more of her legs. "Says we got a report from the Turks."
"Very well. Will you allow me to make myself decent first?"
"Of course." She slipped outside and closed the door behind her.
Hojo sighed, shaking his head as he dressed into the white suit and lab coat that he’d become inured to after thirty years of working as a Shin-ra scientist. "That woman," he muttered. He was about to leave when his eye caught sight of the circular table once more; the jar and the tube stood side by side. After several moments—moments of debate that had replayed themselves time and time again throughout the years—he emptied one of the oblong pills into his hand and quickly swallowed it. The tube he dropped into his pocket.
Rufus was standing on the bow of the ship, one hand reaching down to touch the fur of his pet’s head as he stared out over the sea. He didn’t notice at first as the pair approached. Tired of waiting, Scarlet cleared her throat.
The President turned. "Thank you both for coming," he said, though his tone implied no such gratitude. "We’ve received word from Reno in the Nibel Mountains."
Hojo couldn’t help but feel a twinge of excitement despite himself. "How fortunate. What have they found?"
"Sephiroth. The real Sephiroth. He’s alive." His eyes sought the older man’s. "You said he was dead, and that we were merely following Sephiroth’s slaves."
"We were," Hojo replied, trying to suppress a grin from spreading across his thin lips. "But unfortunately the slaves have been dying—it’s about time the true Sephiroth revealed himself. Tell me: was Cloud there?"
Rufus’ eyes narrowed. "What haven’t you been telling me, Hojo? You’ve been hiding the facts from me since the beginning: we weren’t following slaves, we were following members of SOLDIER." Beside him, Dark Nation scratched his claws in the deck.
The professor regarded him with careful scrutiny. The boy’s smart, he thought to himself, the smile fading. He won’t be as easily manipulated as his father. "You’re correct," he stated plainly. "Members of SOLDIER are now all acting under Sephiroth’s control, and that is why I refer to them as his slaves." He straightened. "I always anticipated this—the start of the Reunion. And I knew Cloud would be the one to begin it."
"You mean, the boy the killed the former President?" Scarlet interrupted. "How can he accomplish anything on his own?"
"He has more power than you think," he replied calmly. "I admit that, as of yet, I haven’t been able to determine the source of that power."
Rufus’ mood didn’t match the ease of the professor. "My father gave you much freedom for your experiments," he said quietly, "but I won’t be so simple-minded. Our prime goal is the Promised Land—in order to assume control of Midgar we’ll need to demonstrate our power, the kind that Edgar would never be able to match. I won’t rule with pathetic lies like the previous president." He turned his gaze back toward the ocean. "We’re going to Cosmo Canyon. The Turks interrupted a signal that Cloud’s group sent, and that’s where they’re headed. If they’re following Sephiroth then we will follow them. Until this mission is completed all other experiments are suspended. All our resources will be dedicated to furthering our knowledge in these areas." He glared at Hojo over his shoulder. "Do you understand? No more experiments and no more new SOLDIERs. None of your Jenova nonsense."
Hojo’s eyes narrowed, and his voice took on a defensive edge. "I beg your pardon?"
"You heard me. Don’t think me a fool, Professor; I know what you’re up to." Dark Nation growled agreement.
He pulled his lips tightly over his teeth. "Very well, Mr. President." Bowing his head in acknowledgement he turned and left.
"What was that all about?" Scarlet asked wonderingly. "You certainly called him on something important."
Rufus sighed, removing a strand of blond hair from his eyes. "It was a bluff. But it was effective. I’ll have to keep him on a short leash." He chuckled. "No offense to you, Dark Nation."
The animal growled deep within its throat, but the sound was non-threatening. It nuzzled his hand and received a scratch behind the ears.
Scarlet frowned. "You and that pet of yours. But seriously, Rufus." She leaned against the railing, turned toward him. "You might not want to get in Professor Hojo’s way—your father had reasons for staying away, you know."
"I know, but I don’t care," he said. "Father didn’t have the guts to take care of his own—Edgar should have been assassinated long ago with his father, but now it’s too late, and people would get suspicious." He snorted. "Beside, right now any number of women could claim to be carrying the heir to the throne, the way he lives. That bastard." A new thought entered his mind, and he turned toward her. "Like you, Scarlet."
She grinned slyly. "Edgar is all charm," she retorted. "I’ll bet his still a virgin."
"If you say so. Soon it won’t matter. He’ll be gone, and there won’t be even a memory left to comfort him."
"We’ve got to stop," Sabin said, bringing the group to a halt. "Can’t keep going until morning."
"Why not?" Tifa demanded worriedly. "Is Cloud okay? What’s wrong?"
"We’ve been going all night and all day, and my back is killing me!" He moved off the road and dumped Cloud onto a patch of soft grass near a stand of trees. "He weighs a ton! Oh, and thanks for being concerned about me. It’s touching." She stuttered on a reply, and he laughed. "It’s okay; I was kidding. But anyway, it’s getting dark. There’s some fruit in those trees, and I’ve still got some meat left over from that thing we killed a couple hours ago." He started to unload the pack he’d carried in front of him in addition to Cloud’s weight. "I’ll start making dinner."
They all settled among the trees, grateful for the rest. They’d been able to get out of the mountains thanks to a path that Aeris discovered, and now Rocket Town was only another day’s travel away. If they stayed following the main road it would make their travel remarkably more easy, and there was the chance of running into someone who could help them. Despite what had gone on the night before, things were looking up.
Aeris sat down next to Cloud, checking on how he was doing. There had been no change, save in what phrases he whispered. Over the last several hours he’d changed from "Call him back" to "it’s so quiet" and finally "I can’t let go." She wished there was something she could do to help him, whatever it was that went on in his brain.
After a dinner of peaches, lizard-thingy meat and fresh water left over from a mountain stream they found, Sabin tended the fire while everyone rested. Crono stared at it dumbly for a long time. The entire world was new to him, and he viewed it with the wonder of a small child. Nadia thought it was cute, especially when they’d stopped for lunch earlier. She’d never seen anyone with so voracious an appetite. They’d soon discovered through his gestures and symbols that he’d been using the power of his healing materia to stay alive rather than eating food, which meant he’d never left the reactor for even a few hours to hunt something down. None of them could comprehend how that life had been, and why he would have isolated himself in the first place.
Crono was suddenly agitated. He began looking through all their materia pouches, not to mention Tifa and Sabin’s gloves and Cloud’s sword. Finally he discovered a materia that Cloud had bought in Nibelheim and held it expectantly under Nadia’s nose. She stared at it, not recognizing the sphere. "What’s this?"
He made a face and waved it in front of her some more, indicating that he wanted it to be cast. With a helpless shrug to the others she accepted it, but then Aeris took it from her. "Let me," she volunteered. "I’m better with materia, and I think I know what this is. It’s a dispel materia."
"You mean, to dispel the silence field?" Tifa hazarded.
"Yeah, I think so. Let’s try it out." She held the materia carefully in her palm and concentrated. The sphere began to glow.
Crono shook himself, blinking rapidly. He cleared his throat. "Can…can you hear me?" he stuttered, his voice timid and rough with inexperience. He moved his long hair out of his face.
Nadia’s face lit up. "You can talk! Maybe we can figure out what’s going on at last."
Everyone moved closer to hear, as he could manage a tone not far above a whisper. "My name…is Crono Vedic," he started slowly, testing each syllable to make sure they were correct. "I want to tell you about…Sephiroth." His emerald eyes landed on Cloud briefly. "I’ll…tell you about what happened five years ago."
Tifa stared at him, feeling uneasy. Already images of her past were beginning to return. But her curiosity overwhelmed her fear. "You were in Nibelheim five years go?" she asked quietly.
He nodded, and began to remove the many layers of cloaks that he wore. When she saw what was left she gasped in surprise. Instantly her memory affirmed the fact. "I was there," he said, setting the fabric aside. He was now clad in the blue uniform of a regular soldier, however ill-fitting it was after so many years. He’d long since removed the metal armor plates that would have confined his growth, but the outfit was unmistakable.
"You were the soldier, the one that Sephiroth saved?" Sabin asked, scratching his head.
"No," Tifa answered for him. "I remember now. Crono…when the bridge collapsed we lost him. We thought he was dead."
Crono smiled faintly. "I’m not."
"So how’d you end up in the reactor guarding Sephiroth?" Nadia asked.
"Cloud told you the story, didn’t he?" He spoke slowly, as if being careful to chose exactly the right words. "Nadia…she told me what he said." He laughed, and then was startled by the sound of his own voice. He laughed some more. "I always sounded like this? No wonder Cloud got annoyed so much."
Nadia smiled. "Your voice isn’t bad."
"Well, I laughed because Cloud was lying. He was never in SOLDIER—he was a regular soldier, like me. I was brand new. I used to think I was lucky, working with Sephiroth." Crono paused, and a disturbed look settled into his face. It was an expression that would not leave him for the rest of the tale. "But he was cold. I didn’t know how Cloud was friends with him."
Tifa tightened her arms around herself, glancing at Cloud. He really was friends with him she thought. Maybe it wasn’t all a lie. He was there—just like he said. But why didn’t he ever say something to me? Why couldn’t I tell?
Crono had begun to speak again, and she pushed the thoughts aside to concentrate on his words. "Cloud was right, I guess, except that he was the other soldier, not Zack." Aeris, who’d been listening intently, flinched at the name but kept silent. "Zack was a First Class member of SOLDIER. Cloud and I both idolized him, sort of, but Cloud didn’t want anyone to know. Zack was the one that wanted to be a mercenary."
"But what about Nibelheim?" Sabin interrupted impatiently.
"I can’t say much about the first part," he admitted. "I didn’t fall off the bridge—I held on, and climbed to the ledge. I tried to follow you guys but got lost." He was speaking to Tifa now, as these were memories they shared. His voice began to gain back its confidence the more he talked. "I wandered around forever, but I guess it was only a week. I ate all my food rations. It’s embarrassing, because I was so stupid. I couldn’t get back. But then I saw the smoke." His eyes became unfocused, staring into the flickering heat of the fire Sabin had made. He swallowed hard. "There was a fire, and later I saw Sephiroth. I followed him to the reactor, but I didn’t want him to see me. It was dumb. I was a coward, and I didn’t want him to be upset with me for getting lost.
Nadia poked him in the shoulder. "Cut it out. It’s a good thing you didn’t go up to him—he could have killed you."
"I guess." He smiled, amazing them all with the courage he was showing despite his earlier predicament. As far as they could tell he’d spent at least the last five years alone, trapped in the reactor with only the corpse of a madman as company. Where had all his strength come from, to travel all day when he wasn’t even used to walking, and to smile so much despite all that he had lost? "But I went inside and hide by the door. One of the townspeople came, and I followed him to the egg room."
"My father," Tifa whispered. "Samuel Lockheart."
He nodded. "They fought, but…"
"He died."
"I’m sorry."
She bit her lip, looking away. Sabin watched her for a moment, then motioned for him to go on.
"Tifa came in next," Crono said slowly. "She…was badly injured by Sephiroth. Then Zack came with Cloud, and Sephiroth beat him, too." They expected him to break down from the memories, but obviously he was beyond that now. "Sephiroth went into the Jenova chamber and Cloud followed, and I pulled Tifa to the corner of the room. She was bleeding badly, and Cloud came out. I was surprised because he wasn’t hurt. Then Sephiroth came out too—he was wounded, which was even more surprising. He went out onto the gangway and Cloud went after him again." He paused. "I was a coward again. I didn’t want to see Cloud get killed, so I stayed with Tifa. When it got quiet I went to find them. Cloud was bleeding, and Sephiroth…was dead."
"Are you sure he was dead?" Nadia asked. "Not just hurt and unconscious?"
He shook his head violently. "No, he was dead. I know—I checked a dozen times because I was so shocked. I didn’t know what to do, but when I went back Zack told me we had to get rid of Sephiroth. We had to be sure. So I…I don’t know what happened to me." He stared again into the fire as if its movement and energy gave him strength. "I didn’t think. I dragged the body into a space between the pipes to hide it. There was so much blood everywhere that I figured no one would be able to follow the trail. I stole all of Sephiroth and Zack’s materia. I hid there until Shin-ra came. They took Zack—I told him to not let them find me, or they might take Sephiroth back and…well, I was afraid he’d stop being dead. So I stayed, and they took Zack, Cloud, and Tifa."
They waited as he paused to collect his thoughts. "I can still remember the professor. He was there, shouting and cussing everyone. But I couldn’t let them find the body. Finally they left. I didn’t know why I did it—it felt right, somehow, like I was doing something important. The professor took Jenova so the capsule was empty, and I locked Sephiroth inside. That’s when I cast all the barriers. I was too afraid to think straight. I just didn’t want him to get out…"
Tifa stood suddenly, without a word walking swiftly away from the camp. No one said anything and no one followed. Nadia turned back to Crono. "So why can’t you talk? If Cloud broke all your materia, why are you still mute?"
He shrugged, but when his lips began to move they made only soft muttering noises, and then nothing at all. He sighed deeply and looked to Aeris.
"Sorry," she apologized, staring down at the materia. It was dull and silent. "The spell ran out. I can get it to work again later, but it needs time to recharge." She tucked it away. "But the silence field question is kinda easy: he’s been using the same spells for five years, right? After all that time the effects have got to rub off."
Crono nodded, then decided on a demonstration. He picked up a fist sized rock that had a jagged edge on it, and jabbed it suddenly into his arm. They all cringed, but quickly realized that he wasn’t hurt in the least. "See?" said Aeris. "That’s a barrier spell. No wonder his eyes are green—the materia’s almost like part of his body by now."
"Will it wear off?" Nadia asked hopefully.
"Don’t know."
She looked disappointed, but tried not to let the emotion show for his sake. "Well, that’s okay. I think we could all use some sleep right now, though. If there’s anything else, you can tell us another time."
Crono nodded, and was about to retrieve his cloaks to use as blankets when Aeris spoke up with a question. "The guy you talked about," she started hesitantly. "Zack. He…I mean, was he Zack Trablin?"
Crono considered a moment, trying to remember. "A tall guy," she prompted, "with black hair?" Finally he nodded, and she sighed. "Thanks, Crono." She moved over closer to Cloud, spreading the blanket over him. He’d stopped muttering, and she hoped that was a good sign.
"Hey, Aeris." Sabin turned to her as Nadia and Crono settled. "Listen, about Zack…I’m sorry." She started to reply, but he kept going. "Tifa told me about him when we were in Junon. She knew he died back then. I’m sorry we didn’t tell you—we didn’t know your Zack was the same, and…"
"It’s okay, Sabin," she said, smiling back at him. "It’s been years anyway, so I’m okay. You’re sweet, though. Better go check on Tifa, right?"
He shot her a glare and she giggled mischievously—back to her old self in an instant. "It’s really none of our business, is it?" he asked. He felt that the more the two of them went for what they wanted, the more Tifa and Cloud were pushed apart. He wondered if Aeris felt guilty about that. "We’re just getting in their way."
She shrugged. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. There’s a place for all of us somewhere."
"If you say so." He stuffed his fists in his pockets. Her answer was evasive at best, but he understood how she must have felt. "Be back in a while."
"Sure."
Tifa leaned her back against the thick tree bark, hoping it would giver her some stability. She felt like a fool. Five years… for five years Crono had protected the planet from Sephiroth, sacrificing years of his life to live in a lonely hell. He didn’t even understand why he had been doing it—he wasn’t a coward, he was braver than all of them. That kind of blind devotion, that dedication, was rare in any person. A lesser man would have given up, let alone a young boy.
But then there was Tifa. She’d set out with the hope of doing some good of her own—she’d been told it was her duty to stop Sephiroth, and she’d done nothing. She’d even helped Sephiroth. He’d thanked her. It made her sick to think of it, him standing so close to her, his hand touching her face—
"Hello, Tifa."
A hand covered her mouth, and before Tifa could retaliate her view was filled with the dark figure of a man. She couldn’t see his face in the dark, but his eyes were glimmering: they were emerald. It was Sephiroth, that ancient demon of her mind’s deepest nightmares. "I’d like to speak with you," he said in a low, cold tone. "Alerting your friends would only get others involved who don’t need to be. This is between you an me, and I wouldn’t want to kill them."
She returned his gaze with as much defiance as she could gather, but she was also shaking. A flood of memories cascaded over her sight: the inside of the reactor, expansive and dark; her father, lying in a pool of blood; and then Sephiroth, his eyes devilish and angry, raising his sword over her as he prepared to strike.
"You remember, don’t you?" Sephiroth said, a tint of satisfaction in his voice though his words carried no flare of arrogance; only frigid ice. "Of course you do. I killed your father, and I almost killed you." His eyes narrowed. "You’re always getting in my way, Tifa."
She pushed his hand away. "Leave me alone," she hissed, though she didn’t try to escape. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."
"You should have listened to the Turk when you had the chance." His expression eased a bit. "It’s too late to stop me now, but you might be able to save yourself and your friends."
Tifa glared at him. "What do you mean?"
"I like you, Tifa." A twisted smile spread across his face, and that look was somehow even more frightening than his indifference. "You’ve helped me immensely, almost as much as Cloud. But now he’s no use to me. Why don’t you kill him?"
"What good would that do you?" she shot back. "You said it was too late."
"If you don’t, he’ll die anyway. He’ll take several of you with him, of course." Sephiroth hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe I’ll repay the boy for guarding me so well. Maybe I’ll kill the King’s brother, or that Ancient. Cloud would do that for me. He is my slave."
Tifa stared at him, confused and wary. He was telling her to kill Cloud, but why? What had he to gain from killing his own helper? But then she remembered Cecil and the pale-haired SOLDIER who had both been killed by betrayal. Her mind was spinning, struggling desperately to make sense of her situation.
"Cloud’s pretty unpredictable," he added darkly. "He may even try to kill you."
Cloud’s eyes flicked open, absorbing the heavens that stretched above him. His lips parted. "Leave her alone."
Aeris stared down at him and leaned close to hear. "What? Did you say something, Cloud?"
"Leave her alone," he murmured. "Just leave her alone."
Sephiroth pulled back, and Tifa exhaled deeply—she’d been holding her breath, not realizing. "Think about it," he advised, turning away. "Who can you believe, after all?" He slowly disappeared into the shadows.
"Tifa?" She couldn’t hear Sabin’s approach. Her legs were shaking, and silently she dropped to he knees. She felt as if all her strength had been drained—taken with that man, that terrible beast that taunted her mind and mocked all she held sacred. She was more lost than ever.
Sabin stared down at her. He wanted to know what was going on, but something told him not to say anything; she was just as confused as he was. He helped her to her feet, touched her hair, and smiled faintly.
"Sabin, I…" Tifa swallowed hard and looked away. "I don’t know what to do. It doesn’t make sense. I—"
"Shh. I don’t want to hear it right now." And though his words implied some lack of sensitivity, the tone was anything but cruel. It was almost assuring. "I’m tired of hearing about a victim, Tifa. We get enough of that from Cloud. Everyone’s having a difficult time, and we all have to make decisions. All decisions affect everyone—that’s just the way it is, and we can’t whine about it anymore."
She stared at him, a bit surprised. He was telling her to be strong—she almost recognized the speech, as her own master had said very similar things during her martial arts training. She nodded, and he nodded back as if an understanding had been reached between them. "Good," he said. "Not let’s get some rest." He took her by the hand and led her toward their camp.
