Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Lifestream buckled under the strain, quivering as the traveller moved from one point in time to another. It was unknown how this had come to be, such a thing was unheard of, but the fact was that it had happened and now it had to be dealt with.

So the Lifestream pushed onward, completing the task at hand and the traveler followed along in its wake, unaware of the confusion their unexpected presence had caused.

He awoke with a start, jerking upward suddenly, only to drop back down onto the rocky ground beneath him with a groan. His head ached and the world was spinning at an alarming rate, far worse than the time he'd helped Tifa find a drink with enough alcohol in it to effect someone with enough Mako in their blood to kill a normal person. Wincing up at the grey sky above him Cloud Strife vaguely wondered where the hell he'd fallen asleep this time and if he'd at least had the foresight to bring something to help with the hangover after his apparent bender. Painkillers would have been lovely right at that moment.

It was only after he sat up to take stock of his surroundings that it all came rushing back to Cloud. He was back. Staring into the distance at the everlasting night sky above the now thriving city of Midgar, Cloud could barely believe Reeve and Cid had actually managed it between them. They had really sent him back to before the Crisis had occurred. He could stop it, he could save Zack and Aerith. He could save the Planet.

Naturally Cloud had been a little sceptical about Reeve and Cid actually pulling Time Travel off, which meant he hadn't exactly thought up a proper game plan as it were. In his defence it had seemed a little too far fetched at the time.

With these thoughts playing in his mind Cloud swore and scrambled to his feet, his head was still pounding, but he ignored it in lew of checking the area, and relieved to find Fenrir parked not far off. His multi-bladed sword still waiting in the various compartments within the bike, broken apart for easier travel.

Safe in the knowledge that he had his own transport and was not, as he'd feared for one brief moment, stranded in the middle of a monster infested desert. Not that the monsters were that big a problem, it had mostly been the 'stranded in the desert without transport' that had caused his worry.

Another thing Cloud was relieved over was that he was in his own body, there had been some debate, should the machine Reeve and Cid had built actually work, on whether he would be sent back physically or if it would only be his mind and soul that would travel back. That he was not currently laying in his bed at the barracks or his home in Nibelheim made Cloud a very happy young man, going through puberty twice would have sucked and it wasn't like he would have been able to much in the way of saving anyone as an army grunt. Let alone a small child. Foreknowledge could only get one so far.

Knowing that just staring at the city in the distance wasn't going to do anything than make him worry more, Cloud climbed onto Fenrir with a grimace and started the engine. He needed to know how far back he'd been flung and, more importantly, how much time he had before everything fell apart.

Cloud obviously wasn't thinking straight when he'd decided to drive above the plate once he was in the city. Stupidly he'd ended up parked in LOVELESS Avenue, which he knew was dangerously close to Shinra's main building in Sector Zero. He should not have been this close, but he reasoned that how else was he supposed to get up to date information on current events. Cloud was definitely not hoping to catch a glimpse of his, now living, best friend.

He'd wandered into the nearest café and ordered a coffee, settling down at a small table in the back of the store with that day's paper nestled under his arm. By the time his order arrived Cloud was dearly wishing he had ordered something a little stronger. It was 1997. Sephiroth was roughly eighteen years old and the war with Wutai had been going for around five years now. Cloud gulped down his hot coffee, barely noticing how it burned his throat on the way down. His eyes were glued to the newspaper in his hands, skimming through the Shinra propaganda to get a picture of when in the timeline he'd shown up.

When Cloud was done he leaned back with a sigh, he'd ordered another coffee when he was half way through and it had gone cold on him while he was reading, though it did little to stop him downing it as he had the first. He needed the caffeine after what he'd just read.

According to the paper things in Wutai had settled a little recently and some troops, mainly SOLDIER's, had been pulled back to Midgar for some reason not clearly defined in the articles. Strangely this included Sephiroth, though the more he thought about it, the more Cloud felt as though Hojo had probably had something to do with the sudden call back on SOLDIER. It seemed like it happened often enough, the reporters didn't seemed too excited about it, but they were likely paid not to be by Shinra so they weren't that reliable in reality.

Running a hand through his unruly blonde spikes Cloud wondered how far he'd get if he attempted to assassinate the president, not as far as he'd probably like, he suspected. Not with an unknown number of SOLDIER's and Sephiroth between him and the overweight megalomaniac. He needed a better idea than just storming the place single handed.

Paying for his two coffee's Cloud wandered out of the café, looking about him aimlessly, while following his feet without much thought as to where they were taking him. So when Cloud found himself looking up at the towering form of the Shinra building he couldn't help himself. He had to go in. Why not? After all, the first floor was open to the public. He could check security while looking at the displays he reasoned. What could go wrong?

Of course what Cloud did not expect as he wandered from exhibit to exhibit in Shinra's show room was for a teenage Sephiroth to walk up next to him with that smirk on his face and say the words, in that voice, that had haunted Cloud for years.

"Good to see you, Cloud,"

Chapter Text

The Lifestream twisted suddenly, like it were suffering an unexpected strain on itself, and the Traveller glanced about him curiously. Had something happened that wasn't supposed to? Looking back he could see another bright light behind him, following along in his wake, but the Lifestream pushed him onward and the Traveller lost track of the steadily glowing light trailing behind. There was work to be done.

Awakening to a soft bed, and a real physical body, was a wondrous thing. Particularly when one had been mostly bodiless for centuries and had been stupid enough to allow an alien squid take over his brain before experiencing physical death at the hands of a petite blond army grunt. Perhaps not his greatest moment, all things considered.

With a ghost of a smile Sephiroth rose, swinging his legs over the side of the bed bed, and savouring the feel of the carpet beneath his bare feet for a moment. It felt like it had been eternity since he had felt alive and he was going to make the most of it. Standing slowly, getting used to having to deal with gravity once again, Sephiroth slowly made his way over to his en-suite bathroom. He needed to check a few things and make sure that promises had been kept.

The sight of himself in the mirror made pale green eyes widen slightly, Sephiroth did not remember ever being this young. Though perhaps that was due to the length of time it had been since he had been this young. Being a teenager, he was certain, had not been part of the deal. Although, he leaned forward to get a better in the mirror to look at one thing in particular, yes, that was different, good.

With a puff of air that could have been a sigh escaped Sephiroth's lips as he leaned back, away from his unfamiliar reflection. He didn't feel any different, that ache in the back of his mind that had followed him his entire life was still there, she was still there. With a frown Sephiroth went about relieving himself for the first time in who-knew-how-long, his mind whirling with plans and contingencies. This time would be different.

So far Sephiroth's PHS had gone off thirty six times, and it wasn't even noon yet, he hadn't answered it though. As soon has he'd seen the caller ID as Hojo, Sephiroth's lip had curled and he'd put the phone on silent to stifle the irritating noise it made. He would not be gracing the Science Department with his presence today, or any other day if he had his say, and Hojo could rot for all he cared. The man was more of a hack than he called Hollander and didn't even know it.

Sitting in his office on the fifty fifth floor doing paperwork wasn't his ideal day, sure, but it beat floating in the Lifestream, feeling the hatred of the Planet day in day out with nothing to do but haunt his Nemesis. He wondered, vaguely, where Strife was at this point in time. The boy was likely just that, a boy, still clinging to his mothers skirts. Sephiroth winced at that thought, the word 'mother' echoing in his skull as though it had been shouted, but he shoved it away for the moment. He had no time for that right now.

So when someone unexpectedly burst through his office door, plonked themselves down in the seat opposite Sephiroth and settled their booted feet on his desk, on his paperwork, to say he was surprised would have been accurate. It had been too long since he'd last seen Genesis Rhapsodos in person, and that encounter had not been pleasant for either if them if he remembered correctly. Though his memory of what people had come to call the 'Nibelheim Incident' was foggy at best, non-existent at worst.

"Are you even going to say hello? Honestly Sephiroth, I thought we'd gotten the common greeting into your thick skull," Genesis complained. The youth before Sephiroth was not the same as the dying man he'd last seen, he was alive, and that in itself was a marvel to Sephiroth. He had so much work to do.

"Hello Genesis, how can I help killing your boredom this fine day?" Genesis perked up a little at the tone of his voice.

"Did you just sass me?" he asked with a visible frown that seemed to want to turn upwards. It seemed his old friend was trying very hard not to smile at him.

"What did I tell you about foolish questions?" Sephiroth threw back. He pushed Genesis' boots off his paperwork and got back to work as though the other teen wasn't present. He heard the huff, and waited, Genesis would do something in retaliation and sooner rather than later. He never was all that patient if Sephiroth remembered right.

"Well aren't you in a mood today, pity I can't tell if it's a good one or a bad one," Genesis was leaning back in the chair again. "Did you have to go for another check up this morning? You're usually moodier after a session with Hojo," the comment made Sephiroth's mouth twitch downward.

"Like you don't get the same way after one with Hollander, besides, I may or may not be ignoring Hojo's calls," Sephiroth raised a silver brow at his friend. Genesis stared at him for a moment, before coming to the conclusion that his friend was completely serious, and grinning at Sephiroth broadly.

"Seriously?" Genesis leaned forward conspiratorially. The smirk Sephiroth sent his friend before going back to work was downright villainous.

Genesis had helpfully sent him an email, he'd turned off his phone after the fiftieth call from Hojo, that the damnable scientist had been seen making his way up to where Sephiroth's office was and that he should make himself scarce if he didn't want to deal with the fool. Sephiroth had sent a quick thanks back and high-tailed it off the floor, opting to take the stairs as he knew from past experience that Hojo wasn't likely to use them, or even think to poke his head into the stairwell when looking for him.

Sephiroth only breathed easier when he reached the ground floor, he knew he wasn't exactly the most conspicuous of people and that Hojo would catch wind of where he was, but it wasn't like he was going to hang around there forever. That was, until he caught sight of familiar blond spikes walking into the exhibition room. Green eyes wide, Sephiroth followed without thought, barely daring to believe that it was Strife. After all, Strife should have been in Nibelheim and a child, not a grown man wandering around Shinra Tower.

He watched the Strife look-alike as he moved from exhibit to exhibit quietly, making sure to stay out of sight in case it was, in fact, Strife, as unlikely as it was. The last thing he needed was Cloud Strife taking it upon himself to kill him before he'd had a chance to even attempt his plans.

It was only when the blond stopped beside the exhibition Hardy-Daytona that was on display that Sephiroth caught sight of his face. His breath caught and a smirk slid across his face unconsciously. It was him. How or why didn't matter, because Cloud Strife was standing across the room and he needed to be greeted. Sephiroth didn't care that he was a teenager, or that Strife somehow looked older than he did, he was going to enjoy this and nothing was going to stop him. He sidled up to Strife slowly, making no sudden movements until he was right next to the man and looked at him contently.

"Good to see you, Cloud," he said quietly. The look in those bright Mako blue eyes made Sephiroth's grin only grow, he could honestly say he missed that look in Cloud's eyes.

Chapter Text

The surging, pulsing, Lifestream ahead of the Traveller twisted, pulling him along, speeding his way, faster and faster. Until it felt like he was careening headlong through eternity without any breaks. It was exhilarating, dangerous and made him feel more alive than he had in a long time.

If only he knew where and when it was that it taking him.

"You-?!" Cloud took a decisive step away from Sephiroth. The fact that the man, teenager, knew his name was a very, very bad sign and Cloud was not going to take any chances. Not this time. He was more than ready to make this a fight, if he had to, despite the fact that he was unarmed and his blades were outside and down the street safely tucked into Fenrir's compartments. Cloud's entire body was tense, ready, and then Sephiroth sighed and shook his head. The teen looked amused, of all things, and when he met Cloud's eyes the blond felt his own widen slightly. Something wasn't right.

"Your weapon?" Sephiroth asked with a tilt of his head. Alarm bells were going off in Cloud's brain the longer he stood there without being attacked by the silver haired lunatic, this was all wrong and Cloud had no idea why.

"Outside," Cloud shifted his feet again. His edginess only seemed to amuse Sephiroth more as they stood there, it was almost awkward, in a weird, antagonistic kind of way.

"Hm, shall we go and collect it so you can get to the part where you try to kill me? Or perhaps you'd like to try with your bare hands first?" the raised silver brow only made Cloud frowned at the questions. This was all wrong, the always present buzz from JENOVA at the back of Cloud's mind wasn't nearly as overwhelming as it should have been, and Sephiroth seemed to be trying to have a conversation with him. At this point Cloud wondered if he had finally lost his fucking mind, but then he decided that, while as shaky and unreliable his mind was, he would not create a strangely talkative Sephiroth for any reason. It was just weird.

"I don't-?" he began. Cloud looked around uncertainly, why was Sephiroth just standing there? Where was the fire and chaos? A barely audible huff brought his attention back to the teen before him.

"I'd forgotten- never mind, let's go," now Cloud was even more confused. Sephiroth led the way out of Shinra, neither one of them breaking the uneasy silence, though for very different reasons. Once they'd reached the fountain Cloud took the lead, sort of, he wasn't going to trust Sephiroth with his back, so they ended up walking side by side, or as close as the pair could come to walking side by side, but with a few feet between them out of principle. When they reached Fenrir, Cloud was surprised that Sephiroth gave him a wide berth, allowing him to pull the separate pieces of First Tsurugi out of their homes in the compartments of the bike and snap them into place in peace. When he glanced over to the waiting teen Cloud frowned again, still uncertain as to the other's intentions. Although, looking down at First Tsurugi before placing it in his multi-sword holster that hung behind him, it seemed pretty clear they were going to fight at some point. Why else let Cloud arm himself? Sephiroth obviously knew him, though how he had managed to get to the past as well was beyond Cloud. Unless he'd tagged along with him, he did have JENOVA cells after all, maybe that had something to do with it. However he'd done it, it was likely exceedingly creepy and stalkerish in nature. It couldn't just be his back luck. Could it?

"So, what? Now we fight and tear Midgar apart in the process?" Walking over to Sephiroth cautiously, Cloud eyed the teen over. He was too at ease, it wasn't right, unless he'd already killed everyone worth protecting and was just waiting to throw that in Cloud's face at the opportune moment. Cloud grimaced slight at the way his mind was coming up with all worst things he could think of, even he knew he was being a little paranoid now. He wasn't even sure if Sephiroth was even aware of anything enough to know who mattered the most to his chosen nemesis.

"Is that what you'd like to do? If so, then fine, however there is an alternative," Sephiroth shifted his weight from one foot to another as he spoke. Cloud's frown was only growing by the minute.

"Of course it's not what I want to do," he snapped back at the teen. "I never want to fight, you're the one who always-!" Cloud cut himself off sharply. They were in public and he knew that Sephiroth was quite famous at this point in time. People were staring at them. People Sephiroth could hurt if he felt the need. Glaring Cloud realised the teen was effectively holding every civilian in the vicinity hostage without them even realising it.

"I see, well now we've established that fighting in the middle of the densely populated city is not something you want to do, why don't we go take a stroll in the slums and," Sephiroth began. Cloud steeled himself, this was it, the thinly veiled threat, he was going to go after Aer- "find somewhere secluded and away from prying eyes and ears, where you can try to kill me again, if you so wish, or, perhaps, have a little chat about a few things," he finished calmly. Cloud blinked, that was it? He hadn't even mentioned Aerith. Had he forgotten her? No, surely not, the young Cetra had had too much to do with Sephiroth's defeats for him not to know. He was just playing with Cloud, he was sure of it, that was all Sephiroth ever did after all. Other than causing serious bodily harm to Cloud in particular, and dying. Yeah. Sephiroth died a lot, now he thought about it. Maybe that was it, maybe he was trying to hold off on the dying for a bit. Cloud shook his head slightly, that was absurd, Sephiroth didn't stall for anything.

"Fine, whatever, I just don't want any innocents getting caught up in this," Cloud answered finally. Sephiroth inclined his head and then glanced around with a minute downturn of his lips, seemingly looking for something.

"I take it we will not be taking your monster of a bike down," the look on Cloud's face was apparently all the man needed in answer. "Then I suggest we head toward the train station in sector five, take it down to the slums and go in search of a place away from others in which we can conduct our business," Sephiroth looked back to Cloud for his opinion. All he got for his effort was a sharp nod of acquiescence, before the pair moved toward the stairs in the plaza as one. This entire situation was making Cloud's head hurt from trying to figure out Sephiroth's angle, because, honestly, he was being too nice and it was freaking the blond out.

The train ride had been silent, Cloud's thoughts were a never ceasing tornado of questions without answers, as such he wasn't exactly good company for the quiet teen that sat across from him. Sephiroth had been lost in thought too though, the way his green eyes had wandered aimlessly around the train car had made Cloud frown even more than he already had been. He was sure what he thought had seen earlier had been a trick of the light. It had to be.

The unlikely pair moved through the slums with little trouble, people knew Sephiroth on sight and Cloud was wearing a modified SOLDIER uniform while carrying a massive sword on his back, so no-one bothered either of them, though the few dirty looks they both received weren't unexpected all things considered. When they came across a small fenced in area away around a seemingly deserted commercial building away from the populace, it seemed as good a place as they were going to get.

"Well then, are we fighting or would you like to-" Sephiroth began. First Tsurugi meeting Masamune in a flash of steel brought the attempted conversation to a screeching halt, Cloud didn't want to talk. He wanted to stop Sephiroth before he hurt anyone else. What he wasn't prepared for as they glared at each other over their blades was to push the teen back a foot or two. Blue eyes widening Cloud realised one very important thing, Sephiroth was inhabiting a body that was younger than Cloud's own, one that wasn't fully mature yet and, as a result, physically weaker than the version of Sephiroth that Cloud was used to fighting. With this thought Cloud pushed harder, he couldn't remember a time when he had managed to do so before, and he revelled in it a little, even with the victories over the mad-man he had always considered himself to be the weaker of the pair.

Sephiroth pushed back, flicking Masamune a little and changing the blade's angle, aiming for Cloud's chest, who pulled away. He'd had enough of being impaled on that sword to last him more than one lifetime thank you. He glared at Sephiroth as he stood calmly a few away, patiently waiting for Cloud to attack again. This was odd in itself when Sephiroth had always been the one to chase after him, unrelenting in his advance and taunting Cloud the whole time. So what was different this time? Because it was different, the blond swordsman could feel it. Unlike all the other times, there was no killing intent emanating from Sephiroth, he didn't even really seemed interested in fighting.

"What are you waiting for, Sephiroth? I thought you wanted to see me suffer?" Cloud's words did little to the teen other than make him smirk. Cloud hated that smirk.

"Perhaps I already have, Strife," it was these words that sent Cloud hurtling back toward Sephiroth. Their blades sang as they struck, sparks flying from the force of Cloud's swings. Because Sephiroth wasn't attacking, remaining on the defensive and letting Cloud lead the fight. If it could be called that. The more Sephiroth blocked his strikes the more fury Cloud felt, he didn't understand why everything was so topsy-turvy this time. He didn't understand Sephiroth, or why the man wasn't attacking him ruthlessly.

He didn't understand why a small part of him was enjoying not having to fight for his life for once, having someone to fight who could keep up and wasn't trying to kill him. The small smile, not a smirk, but an actual smile, on Sephiroth's face only confused Cloud further.

Sephiroth was wearing down though, his blade was poorly made for defence and some of Cloud's hits were actually getting through. In a flurry of black the pair were staring at each other over their crossed weapons once again, though this time, when they're eyes met, Cloud actually took in what he was seeing. The realisation made him freeze, it had not been a trick of the light.

Sephiroth's pupils were round.

Chapter Text

The speed at which the Traveller was moving had begun speeding up, the Lifestream was almost groaning, whatever had caused the strain wasn't stopping and now he was careening towards his goal at an alarming speed. All the Traveller could hope for was that his landing would not be a painful one. His mind wandered about the bright light that was still following behind in his wake. Was that the reason for his sudden speed gain?

Cloud leapt backwards away from Sephiroth, staring at the teen in shock. His mind was reeling, unable to comprehend how Sephiroth's eyes had changed along with the rest of him. Because he had, Cloud couldn't ignore that any more. Sephiroth had changed.

"How-?" he started. His brain had too many questions, and his mouth couldn't decide which one to ask first. It was strange seeing an understanding smile grace the face of his living nightmare.

"Indeed, perhaps now you would be willing to listen?" Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow at him. Cloud grimaced at the teen, perhaps he should have let him talk in the first place, maybe then he wouldn't be feeling so conflicted.

"Then talk, just don't expect me to believe you," his clipped words only made Sephiroth huff lightly. If Cloud had not been enhanced he would never have caught it, but it was the fact that Sephiroth was human enough to sigh in any sense threw Cloud even further for a loop than he already had been. At Sephiroth's barely inclined head Cloud felt himself tense, his hand hurting at the tight grip he had on his blade.

"I would not expect anything less, Strife," Sephiroth paused. Looking Cloud over he frowned slightly and tilted his head as he thought. "When was the last time you encountered me?" he asked after a moment of awkward silence. Cloud blinked and frowned himself, it was an odd question, even odder when one considered who had asked it. He shifted slightly, moving his weight from one foot to the other as he stared down the teen.

"When we fought in the ruins of Midgar, you were possessing Kadaj or something," Cloud explained warily. His eyes kept flicking over Sephiroth's teenage form with distrust and a little disbelief. Surely this couldn't be happening, not now, after everything.

"Ah, that would explain your animosity, and-" Sephiroth shook his head and cut himself off.

"And what?" taking a step towards the other man Cloud felt his body hum with left over battle high. He really wanted to be cleaving Sephiroth in two, not having a conversation with the man-turned-teen.

"You are different to how you were when I saw you last," there was a careful hesitancy about Sephiroth's voice. Cloud didn't like it. It wasn't right.

"Different how?" the lack of actual answers was getting on the blonds last nerve.

"Younger," was the only explanation offered. Cloud stared at Sephiroth, his jaw clenching and body tense, waiting for more. When it didn't come Cloud shifted again and huffed himself. This was going to be difficult. Neither of them were talkative people, obviously.

"I was younger?" he asked for verification. Sephiroth shook his head slightly.

"No, you are younger," Sephiroth sighed. He released his hold on Masamune and the blade vanished from sight, allowing Cloud to relax, if only a little. "Much younger," green eyes slid over Cloud's black clad form slowly. The frown on Cloud's face only grew, none of what Sephiroth was telling him made any sense at all. And when he tried to ask, well;

"I don't-"

"The Planet was dying, you were the only thing holding it together, literally," with these words Sephiroth turned. He walked over to a low wall and sat heavily on it, suddenly looking more tired than Cloud had ever seen him.

With less caution than was strictly wise, Cloud strode after the teen, eyeing him over carefully as he walked, before stopping in front of him. Just out of arms reach. Cloud tilted his head slightly, unsure of what he could say to get more information flowing. How the hell could he have been holding the Planet together? No-one was that powerful.

"Just tell me we weren't friends," Cloud attempted with a forced half-smile. The barely-there snort he got in return only brought home how different this Sephiroth was to the one Cloud was used to dealing with.

"We were not," Sephiroth allowed. Green eyes met blue, without seriously clashing or one's mind over-coming the others, just two people looking at each other. It was weird.

"Good," the twitch of Sephiroth's lips did not make Cloud feel better.

"You helped pull me out of the darkness, we were not friends, but nor were we enemies any longer," Cloud physically jerked away from Sephiroth at those words. Rejecting the very idea of helping the man who'd taken almost everything from him, including his own sanity. The thought of them no longer fighting each other was just as foreign.

"Why would I-"

"As I said, you are different to how you were then," Cloud huffed at getting interrupted again. Sephiroth looked tired as he sat slouched on the hunk of cement.

"How?" he demanded.

"I already said you were-"

"Older than I am now, yeah I got that, but as I am now there's no way I have the power to hold the Planet together if it started dying," it was a childish satisfaction that Cloud felt at interrupting Sephiroth. The teen in question wasn't impressed and huffed again, this time much louder.

"My point exactly, you are different to the Cloud I have come to know, just as I am different to the Sephiroth you are used to battling," Sephiroth stood and stared down at Cloud impassively. Though his eyes had something in them that Cloud couldn't quite identify as they looked at each other. Perhaps it was the lack of insanity in them and absence of animosity between them. Or rather from Sephiroth's end. Cloud still had plenty of animosity in him for the both of them.

It was Sephiroth who broke eye contact, he looked away with a small frown on his face and tilted his head slightly, trying to hide behind his hair. Then the meaning behind his words hit Cloud, he wasn't the only one having trouble with this situation. While Sephiroth wasn't reacting the way he expected him to, it was likely it was the same for Sephiroth. He was used to dealing with an apparently very different Cloud.

"What happened?" the question was out of his mouth before Cloud had properly formed the question in his mind. Green eyes snapped back to his.

"I don't know, I think Gaia changed him over many years, by the time he pulled me out of my own darkness he was not the young warrior I had lost to again and again. Whatever had been done to him, had been done some time before then." Cloud frowned at the way Sephiroth seemed to have separated the two versions of him in him mind already. Cloud was having trouble doing the same thing, it just didn't make sit well with him to relax completely around Sephiroth.

"What do you mean Gaia changed me?" he asked quietly.

"She made him into a WEAPON,"

Chapter Text

It was a strange feeling, sliding into ones body at such a great speed and yet it felt like it was all so excruciatingly slow. The Traveller sighed as he slowly became corporal, after so long of being nothing, but spirit. A Memory.
For a brief moment the Travellers thoughts shifted back to the glowing light that had been following him, but it was gone now, and so was he…

Cloud grimaced as he stared down at the unconscious teen now drooling a little on his shoulder, Sephiroth was tall, that he knew, but the fact that he was taller than Cloud even as a teenager was now very literally weighing on him. The guy was heavier than he looked, maybe it was the armour and the coat? All Cloud knew was he had to so something about this, what that was, he wasn’t clear on, but it would have to be soon. If only he knew where his…not friend, no, not companion either; ex-enemy perhaps? Maybe. Yes. He’d go with that. If only he knew where his ex-enemy lived, that would have been helpful.

Shifting the unconscious teenager into a slightly less awkward position, Cloud glanced around the secluded corner of the slums that they’d sequestered themselves in for the showdown that hadn’t quite lived up to their usual standards. There was no-one in sight, which had been the initial point, but now, now it was just a pain in the ass and a relief all at the same time. At least he wouldn’t have to deal with the embarrassment of someone seeing him with Sephiroth all over him. This thought naturally lead to the thought of his friends seeing him in such a precarious situation, which lead to an imagined Zack laughing his ass off at Cloud. With an annoyed groan at his own mind Cloud awkwardly picked up his blade and slid it into it’s holster behind him, then started lugging the dead weight of teenaged Sephiroth toward the train station, because what else could he do? If only he knew where the bastard lived, that would make things so much easier. Not that anything was ever easy for him, especially concerning Sephiroth.

It was like he’d been hit by something large, strong and distinctly Zack-esque, the pain that suddenly exploded behind his eyes left him staggering as a series of grainy images flickered before his eyes. Zack’s memories, particularly those concerning Sephiroth himself, were often mismatched and confusing. This one left him reeling, the clearest ‘flashback’ he’d had for a while.

It was an odd feeling, watching things through Zack’s eyes, even if they were memories. Though witnessing Zack waltz up to an apartment door, beers in hand, and then proceed to let himself in, was strange. Even stranger when a frowning, and very obviously adult, Sephiroth appeared in the hallway of the apartment. His apartment. Zack offered the beers and Sephiroth seemed to sigh in defeated before motioning for Zack to follow him into the living area.

Cloud blinked and he was back in the slums with the unconscious, teenage Sephiroth, though now he had a vague recollection of where Sephiroth lived, courtesy of Zack. Now Cloud’s only dilemma was the issue of getting the young General back to said apartment without anyone important seeing them. That thought made him frown even more as he trudged back toward the train station, he had little doubt the Turks had had eyes on them earlier, now they could have been planning to murder him just for seeing Sephiroth pass out. Why did the universe have to made everything so damned hard?

He was almost at the station when someone, put a hand on his shoulder unexpectedly. Cloud hadn’t even heard him approach, he should have, in hindsight, but then Cloud turned, and hindsight didn’t matter so much anymore when he was awkwardly staring up at a ghost from Zack’s past. Angeal.

“I’m sorry, it’s just, my friend appears to have collapsed. On you. Is he alright?” the teenaged version of Angeal asked quietly. He was unaware of how seeing him again was making Cloud’s mind spin with memories, nausea and grief that wasn’t his to bare. Wasn’t aware of how Cloud’s throat contracted at the sight of him or how his eyes stung and how much Cloud wished Zack, his Zack, was there with him so he wouldn’t have to feel that way on his friend’s behalf. As it was, Zack wasn’t there, and Cloud, instead of standing there like an idiot, pushed through the residue grief passed on by Zack and opened his stupid mouth.

“Oh, yeah, I dunno,” he said intelligently. Angeal’s frown grew deeper, so Cloud tried again; “We were sparring, back there, and after he got tired, passed out, on me,” Cloud paused, and then continued awkwardly. “Wouldn’t have been right to just leave the…..kid…..there, so figured I should at least try to get him home,” he hoped that was enough. Angeal hummed as he eyed Cloud over for a moment before answering, thankfully he seemed to take Cloud at face value.

“I see, you seem a little weighed down, perhaps between the two of us we can spare my friend the embarrassment of being seen carried home like a sack of potato’s while drooling on the poor souls shoulder,” Angeal’s mouth twitched a little as he spoke. He didn’t laugh though, thankfully, and the pair of them slung Sephiroth’s arms around their shoulders with the unconscious teen between them. It was awkward, Angeal was taller than Cloud, like his ex-enemy, so Sephiroth’s head was practically propped against Cloud’s blond spikes. He was also certain that he’d just heard a snore or something in his ear from the teen and he really hoped that wasn’t drool he could feel sliding down the side of his neck, under his collar. Ew.

Sephiroth was so going to owe him for this shit.

“After that Angeal helped me get you back here, without any problems, he had to leave pretty quickly afterwards though, seemed like he had somewhere to be, but he asked me to stick around till you woke up, keep an eye on you,” Cloud shrugged awkwardly as he wound down his uninteresting tale. Sephiroth stared at him for a moment and then frowned.

“He just left me alone with a complete stranger?” he asked suspiciously. Cloud felt the corner of his mouth twitch and motioned to Sephiroth’s slightly worn appearance.

“Angeal said that anyone you would trust enough to spar with and could do that much damaged to you, and then turn around and try to get you home when you weren’t feeling well, was good enough to watch over you till you were feeling better,” he explained with a little bit of unstifled amusement. Sephiroth’s only response was to sit back against the couch with his arms folded, with a faint non-committal grunt to make his displeasure known.

“I did not drool,” was stated firmly after a few moments of silence between the pair. “And I do not snore,” was added as an afterthought.