Quiet: I still can't believe this took me months to come out with. T_T

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters or the world. Just thought of the fic. :3

Thanks to my beta, the lovely ohxasphyxiationx! I couldn't do this without you. *huggles*

Professor Hojo, Head Scientist of the ShinRa Company's well known Science Department was not known for being a passionate man. But that morning, he'd awakened from the convenient little cot in his office with songs of death and joyous Reunion singing in his head, and he'd smiled. A genuine, open, joyous grin, not his usual thin stretching of lips or taunting smirk.

His first order of business had been to procure a helicopter and rouse the two Turks he'd bribed without Tseng's knowledge for a trip to Nibelheim, the very place Sephiroth had gone a week before. The lab assistants he'd ordered to get ready for departure along with him had never seen Dr. Hojo so happy as he'd been that morning. He hadn't called anyone incompetent idiots, ignorant fools, or raised his voice, not even when the clumsy new guy had dropped a beaker full of rare Gaea Marlboro poison. He'd merely ignored the sound and told all the staff currently not working on Project G and Project S to go home and not return until they received notices. And even though the Project G and Project S infected specimens had gone wild with seeming insanity and renewed vigor to escape, the Professor had refrained from taunting them and instead smiled. He'd even crooned to one mashed together horror in a sweet tone that set everyone watching on edge, "Soon, my precious specimens…soon…"

The light of an impending success was creeping into his eyes, but all of the scientists and assistants currently working under him had no idea what it was over; he'd been snappish and impatient just yesterday. Actually, for the better part of a week, he'd been tense with both anticipation and impatience. Everyone was certain that it was because Sephiroth had skipped his scheduled mako injections and "treatment" time on purpose before heading off to his latest mission, but the sudden change was both surprising and suspicious.

There had been express instructions left behind that stated if he didn't return then all of the Project S and Project G specimens were to be released; the G specimens after four weeks, and the S specimens after one.

It was beyond bizarre and baffling at this point.

Whenever Hojo was happy, something or someone most likely was or would be suffering.

As for the scientist himself, he knew that his excitement was telling; he was certain he'd seen more than a few disbelieving looks today than he had the day of his proposal for using his own son in the Jenova Project, but he couldn't bring himself to care. The blind fools had no idea what was in store for him, them, and even the very Planet itself.

Reunion was here.

Even if he'd wanted to resist, the Jenova cells he'd injected into himself had made that impossible long ago.

The nervous assistants he'd selected were either loyal to him and him alone, or simpletons that had families that could be used as "insurance" in case they ever decided they would leave or let information about his pet project leak.

He'd known Jenova would succeed and get a hold of their son like she'd always been meant to, so he'd prepared a special team of those disposable and those "invested" in the program like himself. They would ensure that Jenova's ascension would continue no matter what happened to him; Jenova had promised him a place in Reunion, and he would gladly take place once their son had awakened and given Jenova a new body to rule the Planet with. He had earned his right.

After all, he'd been the one to carefully plan that union, and nothing would get in the way.

It had been a long journey to the far side of the mountain.

For Cloud, the feeling was only intensified as he had struggled to move two unresponsive males twice his height and weight through small, close-fitting cave systems that no one but the locals—

the ones Sephiroth had killed

—knew about. Some were filled with small mako deposits that the occasional monster roamed into, but they were mostly safe as long as you watched carefully for signs of a wolf's den, or a dragon's nesting site.

The spent trooper slumped heavily against the wall of the carefully hidden grotto, his gaze on his two unconscious burdens. It had been quite a job hiding the two Firsts into the dense mountain foliage before scouting out a place safe from prying eyes to lie low until the…situation with Sephiroth was handled.

For the millionth time, Cloud wondered just what Zack could've meant by his words; the General had gone crazy and slaughtered the town! How could it not have been his fault when the evidence of Masamune's use had been branded on the torn flesh of the helpless villagers? His breath hitched at the memory of Tifa's broken form on the entrance stairs to the reactor. Strangely, he hadn't seen her upon exiting; hopefully someone—likely Zangan—had come looking for survivors and taken her to somewhere safe before ShinRa was called in.

ShinRa…

What would they do? Cloud wondered. How would the company explain the eradication of an entire town along with the disappearance of two of its top soldiers? Surely the Turks would come to investigate soon enough. And then they could hand over the General and…and…

…and he would get a slap on the wrist and a checkup from Dr. Hojo before some cover story was made to conceal their silver god's less than stellar deeds.

Cloud gave a bitter laugh. Who was he kidding? He worked for ShinRa; he knew how the company handled public relations. Any threat to the people's perceptions and it would be taken care of. Immediately.

'Now's not the time', he reminded himself. He had to keep them safe enough for at least Zack to recover enough to tell him what the hell had happened back there. His eyes strayed to the sight of strained features in the relative dimness of the cave as Zack's chest rose and fell in relatively steady breaths; every so often, a faint twitch would come from the soldier, and the faint shine of green hinted at mako working to heal him of whatever had put him in this state of…stillness.

Sephiroth looked deceptively fine and normal, but on the rare occasions Cloud remembered seeing the man actually sleep, there was a barely imperceptible shadow of alertness that made sneaking up on him particularly hard. But now…

He looked almost dead.

It would be so easy, Cloud thought, idly fingering the dagger strapped to his calf before tugging it loose, to make it so.

His blue eyes were sharp and steady on that pale face as he slowly leaned forward, shaky fingers reaching out to brush against pale silver as if in farewell.

Steel gray stood out starkly against pale, pale skin and it pressed, pressed, pressed, folding into soft skin, making the lightest of pinches. All it would take was one quick jerk, one hard slide…

Glazed green eyes slid open.

Hojo stared in acute displeasure at the mess that greeted his sight in the Nibelheim reactor.

After one of the Turks had informed him of what she'd witnessed, Hojo had been both pleased and disappointed in his prized specimen's response to Jenova. According to his little observer, Sephiroth had fought the First Class that had accompanied him on the mission, but the intensity and range had forced her to retreat to a safer distance. Luckily enough, the fool had enough sense to keep watch and had seen the arrival of the child that had…

Gaunt fingers clenched in reaction to the knowledge that some child, some weak human had ruined all of his life's work in the span of five minutes. Jenova was lost somewhere out in the depths of the Lifestream because some whelp had bested her. And to make matters worse, the insolent child had taken the bodies of both soldiers away before the Turk could confirm whether they had lived or died. Though it was likely they were both alive, Hojo decided. No one was going to drag a dead body around with them, let alone two.

He smiled in satisfaction. He may have lost Jenova for the moment, but she would eventually resurface. And when she did, he'd have her son ready and willing to take back this planet in her name.

"Find the boy," he ordered, not bothering to ask the Turk her name.

"And when I do?"

"Eliminate him and retrieve my specimen."

Even with Jenova in the Lifestream, he could still feel the call of Reunion singing on the edges of his consciousness like a faint beacon of light. He'd find Sephiroth and bring him to his Mother.

Then Reunion would begin, and Gaia would be nothing but a memory.

Sephiroth grunted in discomfort as consciousness flitted back on the edges of his awareness. He could smell so many things. Earth and sky, vanilla and sweat, smoke…and blood.

His eyes cracked open and met cold, angry blue from barely a foot away.

Silence reigned as he took in the sight of Cloud's usually earnest and timid face staring at him with the disgust befitting the lowest of the slum-dwelling monster population.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't slit your throat," Cloud whispered, bringing into focus the odd pressure Sephiroth had felt against his neck since his awakening. "You murdered a whole town, hurt my home, my mother, my friends…why should I forgive a worthless bastard like you?"

Sephiroth carefully kept his eyes locked on the livid male and tried to remember what he'd done yesterday; the throbbing in his head reached an all new high as he flashed to fire, pale blue skin, a soothing voice, Zack's betrayed face—had he really done such a thing….?

Oh he was capable, there was no doubt about it; he'd been raised and created for that very reason, to be a mindless killing machine, a tool, a weapon for ShinRa to crush all opponents with—

Cloud had known better than to expect to startle the General, and he knew way better than to expect begging, pleading, or even a bid for forgiveness. What he hadn't expected was for the General to slump against the blade like a puppet suddenly detached from its strings. Only the blond's quick backward jerk prevented more than just a thin line of blood from being drawn. Had the man truly lost it?

'Irrelevant, Strife,' he thought with biting humor. Of course he'd already lost it. Look what had happened to Nibelheim!

"Do what you will."

And suddenly, inexplicably, with Zack out cold inches away and this bleak eyed creature that was once a hero—his hero—Cloud was angry beyond belief.

His limbs began shaking as he clenched his teeth to hold back what would undoubtedly be a frustrated scream.

What reason do you have?" he asked in a low hiss. "What reason, what fucking right do you have to look at me like that after what you've done? What right do you have to live when there are so many people that deserve it more than you? You killed her, you killed her you bastard, and she was the only thing left for me here," he said slowly, his blue, blue eyes glowing hotly as he tossed the knife away and into the darkness of the cave, unaware that he had started crying.

"Why did you do it?"

When that impassive face just stared back, those incredible green eyes blank- so terribly blank -Cloud gritted his teeth. His face red with anger, he reached out and clenched his fist in a generous handful of that dirtied and blood-dulled silver and yanked, his furious eyes bright enough to rival a SOLDIER's for sheer luminosity.

"What the fuck is your problem?" he growled, uncaring if the Stop spell held or not; he wanted some goddamned answers and he wanted them now.

"Why, Sephiroth? Be a human for once, show some emotion! Or are you even capable of that? All those times Zack and I were with you, and you probably didn't give a fuck about—"

"That's enough, Cloud."

Stiffening, the small blond turned his head to see Zack, wearily half propped up on his elbows and looking at him with pleading eyes. Instantly, he deflated and crawled in the low space away from the still man with dull green eyes until he could help Zack sit up against the wall without further injuring himself.

There was a moment when Zack had to clench his teeth and bite back a cry of pain, because letting Cloud see any weakness would only make the kid even more anxious. By the way those worried baby blues stared at him, he knew he hadn't quite succeeded.

"Hey, I'll be okay," the First attempted to comfort, as he leaned his head against the wall. "Where are we anyway?"

"Still in the mountains," Cloud answered, glancing towards the rapidly darkening sky outside their hideout. "I brought you here just in case…something else went wrong."

Zack's lips firmed into a thin line. He knew what Cloud really meant: he'd gotten them somewhere safe before the Turks could arrive for "damage control." His eyes slowly roamed to stare at Sephiroth, who had slumped until his hair covered his face and his hands lay limply in his lap. He could see no visible sign of restraint, yet he was still just sitting there as if there was a great weight pinning him to the ground.

"Seph," he called softly, watching stiff shoulders hunch in as if protecting himself from a blow. "C'mon Seph, just talk to me. Don't get all Mr. General on me."

No response other than that initial self-protecting movement. Zack swore and carefully braced against the wall to lever himself off the ground. He ignored Cloud's protests about still being weak and limped his way towards the other man, noting that a few of the aches and pains he'd felt were a bit easier to manage and silently thanked the mako infusions and his younger lover for being so attentive.

"You know all that wasn't your fault. We have to tell ShinRa about that…thing. She got to me too, and I have a feeling she would've gotten to the rest of the guys if Cloud hadn't taken her out. You were just the one she wanted…"

He stopped, simply hovering over Sephiroth, knowing the other man could hear him, see him, feel him, and waited.

Sephiroth was well aware of Zack's presence, but the hard ball of dread in the pit of his stomach was telling him that things wouldn't be as simple as his lieutenant was trying to tell him. He knew what he'd done. He didn't want to talk to the other soldier because how then would he explain the logical madness that had dominated his thoughts when he'd burned Nibelheim to the ground? How do you tell someone who trusts, loves, and looks up to you that the world is different? A darker, more hateful place because of the truth behind every cold night spent alone, every yearning look of lust from strangers on the street, and every scream of terror that had ever crawled its way from your victim's throats—

Humans were despicable creatures.

Even without Jenova crowding his thoughts with screams of reunion and destruction he'd known that. Humans made war on one another for profit; they lied, cheated, murdered, and stole from each other. To them, the world was simply a place to make money and survive in for their own selfish reasons.

Even if Jenova had tried to manipulate him into destroying them all, he hadn't needed much prodding—the truth had been sitting right there all along.

And now Zack was waiting for an explanation.

How would he answer? How could he? It was like Cloud had asked—what right did he have?

Come my son, I have not left you…Find Mother…

His eyes rose to meet Zack's and he said the only thing he could:

"She's not gone…Jenova still lives. And as long as she's still here, you're not safe from me—"

"Bullshit," Zack said harshly, staring at Sephiroth with narrowed eyes. "I watched Cloud throw her into the reactor and if she was, she'd be trying to control you again."

Silver hair slowly shifted with a shaking head and finally, distressed green eyes rose to meet uncertain pale blue.

"She's waiting…for Reunion."