Series: Final Fantasy VII
Category: General
Rating: PG
Character: Sephiroth
Warning: Musings
Author's Note: I don't like the way Sephiroth is portrayed as an innocent sufferer in most fics, since I don't think he is that, so I wrote slightly different kind of story. Hojo is still the bastard, though.
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII belongs to Squaresoft. If it didn't, it would have had much sappier ending.
Archive: Abstract Reasoning.
Summary: How did Sephiroth react to Professor Gast's death?

Grieving Day

"What was my mother like?"

Professor Hojo swore under his breath. Couldn't that child leave him alone for one second? "I've already told you", he replied, glancing briefly at a young boy who was looking at him intensely with slightly glowing aquamarine eyes, seemingly uninterested, dying to curiousity. "She was a pleasant, beautiful woman. And that's all you need to know."

"Was she a scientist like you?" boy asked, completely ignoring what Hojo had just said.

Hojo sighed. Day by day, the child was getting harder to deal with. He had inherited none of his mother's tender nature, and instead of being the quiet, passive child Hojo had wished him to be, he was arrogant and demanding, and refused to let him do his work in peace, knowing he was the only one who knew the fate of his parents. "That's none of your concern. Now could you please be quiet already?"

The boy was frowning now, Hojo could tell it without even looking at him. "When is professor Gast is going to come back?" he asked all too soon for Hojo's liking after pausing for a moment. "He's much better than you."

"Professor Gast is dead", Hojo announced coldly, doing his everything to hide how much those words had stung.

After all those questions, silence that followed those words felt completely unnatural.

Hojo frowned, taking the syringe of which contents he had been preparing for last few minutes, turning his dark eyes to the silver-haired boy. The boy wasn't looking at him anymore.. he was staring blankly into somewhere unknown, his already pale face whitened just a little bit more, shock written all over his features. Hojo sneered in contempt.

"Oh please, Sephiroth", he said aloud. The boy snapped his head at his direction, still quite stricken. "It's not the end of the world. Everyone dies when their time comes, that's how life goes. So it's no use being that upset."

He walked over to the boy, grabbing the boy's thin arm to empty the contents of the syringe into his veins. The boy closed his eyes with a soft sigh, closing himself into the silent world of his mind that Hojo had no interest in entering.

* * *

Sephiroth stared up at the colourless ceiling, unable to sleep.

Professor Gast was dead.

The shock he had been forbidden to feel earlier returned in a wave of sorrow and pain, washing over him. He didn't remember ever crying before, but now he couldn't stop his eyes from moistening all over. He squeezed them shut, but he couldn't stop tears from rolling on his cheeks, streaming their way down.

He wiped them off angrily. No, this wouldn't do. He was used to pain, he couldn't let this break him. Even if professor Gast was, even when dead, the only person he had ever cared for.

Ever since he had been born, Gast had always been there for him, brightening Sephiroth's usually dark days with his charming smile only. His aura of kindness and warmth was completely opposite of Hojo's, who was cruel and cold-hearted, and while his eyes were dark and unfeeling, Gast's eyes had been of lively blue-green colour, almost shining with good.

And Sephiroth knew that eyes mirrored the soul, and in cases of both professors, that phrase held more truth within than one could ever have imagined.

Gast had been like a father to him, while Hojo was just a stranger who was ordered to look after him. Sephiroth had never been.. or would ever be.. that close with anyone else.

But it hadn't always been like that. During the last two monts when Sephiroth had seen Gast around, the close relationship they had shared had cooled down, almost faded away for good. All because of..

Sorrow that had gripped him so badly a moment earlier faded away almost completely as burning anger rushed to it's place.

All because of that woman.

A petite, fragile woman with long, auburn hair - so shiny and healthy that it seemed to live a life of it's own, snaking down her back - with large, emerald green eyes, full of serenity and peace.. all fake and forced in Sephiroth's eyes. That strikingly beautiful woman, as Hojo had referred to her.. that evil, heartless witch.. she had taken Gast away from Sephiroth, charmed him with the innocence of her appearance, ancient wisdom she carried within her heart, her loving nature.. she seduced an unaware professor with one, giant lie, eventually leading the honorable man to his destruction.

That witch.. Ifalna, if that was her name.. had been brought here as well, along with a little baby, locked up in Hojo's labs. Sephiroth hoped that they both would rotten to death there.

For not even trying to save the only one he had ever truly cared about.

He wondered if professor now realized, wherever he had ended up in, that Sephiroth had been right all the time. He should never have let that woman to come between their, destroy everything they had. But the mistake had already been made..

Realization didn't bring tears in Sephiroth's eyes, not anymore. Time for sorrow had passed by.

He was alone, but he would survive. He had been on his own, under the mercy of Hojo, for some time already, few months more.. no, few years more, would do no harm. He would be strong. He would make professor Gast proud of him.

Closing his glowing eyes, Sephiroth drifted off to the world of sleep, promising himself that he would last far longer than that witch and her spawn.. in the tribute of the one most honorable.

* * *

With the consant noise and movement around the two of them, it had been hard for Ifalna to lull her child to sleep. Aerith was sleeping serenely in her arms now, but they couldn't count for that peace to last for long. Hojo always seemed to return right then when Ifalna thought she wouldn't have to stand the sight of his figure until the next day.

As if to prove her right, someone entered the room.

To her great surprise, it wasn't Hojo. Instead, it was a young boy.. small and delicate, although she could tell that he would grow up to be a very impressive man in the future, with long, silvery white hair and piercing blue-green eyes. The boy halted aruptly as he noticed Ifalna, eyes widening with surprise.

"You!"

Ifalna had just been about to greet the boy, but something about his voice was enough to freeze the words into her throat. He continued to stare at her, the astounded look in his eyes turning into something completely different, doubtful, hostile..

Hateful?

"Hey kid, you're not supposed to be there!"

They both were startled by the harsh voice. The boy had to turn around to find out who it was, but Ifalna could see a man in blue uniform standing at the doorway, his eyes on the boy. "Listen, you should get out of here before professor Hojo returns", the man continued, glancing over his shoulder as if to make sure that no one was around. It was quite obvious that he wasn't worrying about the boy, though.. he had probably left his post for a moment, and from the nervous tone of his voice, he didn't afford to be caught.

The boy remained unmoving, replying the guard with a wordless nod, turning his burning gaze on Ifalna and her baby for one more time..

..and gave both of them a chilling smile before finally leaving.

Ifalna shuddred, wondering why that smile felt like a beginning of the end to her.

12. January 2001