Chapter 12: A Promise to Keep
Sephiroth didn’t end up sleeping at all that night. Instead, he remained seated on the ground, holding JENOVA in his arms while she slept. Sephiroth was felt too internally burdened to get any rest, and decided to stay awake in order to protect his sleeping Mother from any possible enemies that came by. He sighed and looked at the sky above “They don’t even know… they don’t know what’s going to happen before they get older… I cant do it… I cant tell them the truth, what’s slowly on its way to us… because then they wont cooperate, and they wont want to get stronger…” He was crying quietly, wiping the tears from his face. He shook his head “Mother, I’m sorry… I know I shouldn’t lie to them, but I just cant tell them what’s coming… forgive me, if you can…” She moaned, then slowly opened her eye. Her eye regained its red glow, and she sat up in Sephiroth’s lap “Sephiroth? And my younglings? Oh, thank goodness you’re alright…” Sephiroth forced his tears to stop and asked “Are you ok? You looked awfully bad when we found you unconscious in Shinra Headquarters…” She nodded and answered “I am fine, but I cant say the same for my wings… without them, I don’t have my full potential. But regardless, you know where you have to take them, right?” Sephiroth nodded slowly “Of course—the Northern Cave. I remember your instructions. But without your wings’ powers, is our goal impossible?” JENOVA shook her head “Fortunately, no. But it will make things slower for young Kadaj… much slower. Either way, we cant fly there. You lost your wing during your last battle with Cloud, and I too have been stripped of mine… we’ll have to rely on an external machine in order to reach the target area. If I still had mine, giving you your wing back would be simple… Forgive me, my dear son… I was caught off guard during my search for you and my young remnant children. The result was horribly brutal… I’m lucky to have just survived from that awful thing they set off.” Sephiroth agreed “No kidding. And to think they completed that machine so quickly… Hojo said Shinra called it specimen containment protocols, and said it has 3 phases.” JENOVA grew curious “He told you about it? That’s surprising. The last thing I would expect from that man is to give us the answers we want, but knowing that personality of his, its difficult to tell what he’s thinking at times…” Sephiroth nodded “I know… what is he truly after? I thought he wanted my young siblings here after I learned of them getting caught on what they labeled a rescue mission, and yet he didn’t even try to get them during the previous confrontation.” JENOVA giggled “Oh, Sephiroth… don’t be silly. He knows if he so much as tried to take them away you would go after him. Hojo of all people knows he is no match for you. He may be a reckless scientist, but I cant call him a complete fool. He knows you would get him if he tried anything you wouldn’t like.” Sephiroth replied “Even so, I cant let my guard down just yet. If they get a caught again, the enemy is certain to heavily fortify their headquarters in order to slow us as much as possible. They know they cannot defeat me or you, but I doubt they’d leave an open regardless. And we have to get them there before one certain somebody finds us again… I cant allow that man anywhere near them.” JENOVA nodded silently. Sephiroth stopped suddenly, carefully putting JENOVA down and quickly getting up. He drew his masamune and studied the area carefully “Quiet… there’s someone out there.” JENOVA got to her feet and began illuminating a faint silver glow, attempting to recover her full strength. Sephiroth lowered his sword and warned her “Mother, don’t do it! You’re too weak to re-enter your perfect form! I don’t want you getting hurt any worse!” She reluctantly obeyed, gasping for air. Sephiroth put his hand on her shoulder “Just take it easy. I’ll protect you this time, no matter what. Don’t get reckless or you’ll worsen your injuries you sustained during the incident at Shinra.” Sephiroth turned away, preparing to attack. A man laughed somewhere ahead, and his voice said “Impressive. You knew I was here before I even came into sight. Im glad to see you havent lost your touch, SOLDIER 1st Class.” A person came into view, and Sephiroth sighed “Hojo… hmph. I shouldve known you would follow us all the way out here…” JENOVA turned firm and kept her gaze on Hojo, who smiled at them both in a sinister way. JENOVA asked “What do you want, Hojo?” Hojo laughed “What do I want, you ask? Why, those three children of yours, of course. I’m interested in their potential.” Sephiroth got into his fighting stance again, preparing to attack “Don’t even think about trying. If you take even one more step towards them, you’re a dead man and you know it.” Hojo shrugged but seemed fearless, turning around “You can threaten me all you like, Sephiroth. I have no intention of killing them. But what if this research I speak of could help you with your plans, hmm? What will you do then?” Sephiroth disagreed “I don’t need the help of your science and stupid electronics to know about their powers and abilities. Mother has all of the answers. She created them—and me. Unlike your vile claims you wanted me to believe at all costs for your own foolish reasons.” Hojo turned back to them and said “That may be true, but what about the subject of precision? Do you not want precise answers about this matter? Because if you do, I am more than capable of providing that. And whats more, what I have in mind wont threaten their life in any way.” Sephiroth groaned under his breath, refusing to believe Hojo’s words. He didn’t move from his place. JENOVA drew closer to Hojo, keeping her expression hardened “You know he isnt going to believe you. And neither will I; not after what happened. If you want us to believe anything you say, you must start from the beginning and prove your worth. Until then, you are an enemy in my eyes; and my son’s eyes. We are not fools who will believe others easily.” Hojo shrugged, then replied “Very well, then. Just know that Shinra’s goals and mine are completely different, now that Rufus has taken the chair as President… I’ve been a rogue scientist since. And without your species in existence, I am quite out of a job… and grow bored rather easily. When your three remnants reappeared as children, I felt I’d finally had something worth focusing on. But alas, suit yourselves. I will be on my way.” He began to walk away, leaving slowly. Sephiroth lowered his katana, and sighed “Wait.” Hojo stopped and turned around with a smile “Yes?” Sephiroth shook his head “Fine… you can go with us. But if you make even one wrong move, you’re dead. Literally. So you’d better be careful if you don’t want to fall to my sword.” JENOVA worried and looked at Sephiroth “Sephiroth…” He noticed her feelings and apologized “I know, Mother, but… out of every living human on this Planet, he’s the only one we can trust at all at this point.” JENOVA silently stared at Sephiroth, and he turned back to Hojo “We part at dawn tomorrow morning. We need to find a route to the Northern Cave.” Hojo cried out “What?! Preposterous! There’s no way of getting there by foot! Are you mad?” Sephiroth grew firm “You think I don’t know that? After not one, but two failures on my mission… you think I’m unaware of that? We need to find a vessel that will let us go by air, and that’s what I’m currently focused on doing.” Hojo replied “Well, you may be in luck. I might be able to build one for you myself. However, I’m lacking the necessary tools to do so. I’ll be needing lots of heavy metal for the job. And because there are too many hazards out there, you and your family will have to do the field work on searching for the things I need.” Sephiroth shook his head “Hojo, we don’t have time to scavenge like that. The longer we wait, the sooner you know who will catch up and find us. It’s too dangerous to wait around for that with my young siblings here. The idea you’re suggesting could take up to 3 years or worse.” Hojo groaned “Gah! Why must you always be so difficult?! This isnt a race, SOLDIER!” Sephiroth argued “Ok, first off, I’m not with your crooked SOLDIER group anymore. Second, stop throwing a tantrum like a kid. Be a man for goodness sakes.” JENOVA said “Sephiroth, it’s the only option we have. If we go into the towns and cities to the west, we’ll definitely get caught. There’s no long way around there for us to avoid trouble.” Sephiroth worried “But Mother, they’re too young… they cant fight off Shinra troops. And they definitely cant beat Cloud. If he finds us, they’ll be stuck like this forever. It’s too risky… even with Reunion, it would require years for us to revive. They’re too young to face the world themselves. I cant put my youngest siblings in danger like that…” JENOVA laughed, and Sephiroth turned to her. She said “Then we’ll just have to focus on battle training them so that if they do find him, they’ll be ready for a big fight. Even if they are still children, they’re very capable of fighting well.” Sephiroth nodded in understanding “Alright. But, how do you suggest teaching them about fighting this Planet and learning the basics of survival in a world filled with enemies?” JENOVA answered “We’ll have to let them see the world for themselves, my son. I know you’re only trying to protect them, but we cant keep them hidden forever. We have an important plan to secure, and they’re necessary for its success. Besides, they might enjoy being able to travel freely and getting the extra exercise this long mission will grant them.” Sephiroth smiled and understood, and then he and JENOVA decided to go to sleep and call it a night. Hojo chose to sit near Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz when they fell asleep, focused on his studies and personal ambitions.
To Be Continued…
Sephiroth didn’t end up sleeping at all that night. Instead, he remained seated on the ground, holding JENOVA in his arms while she slept. Sephiroth was felt too internally burdened to get any rest, and decided to stay awake in order to protect his sleeping Mother from any possible enemies that came by. He sighed and looked at the sky above “They don’t even know… they don’t know what’s going to happen before they get older… I cant do it… I cant tell them the truth, what’s slowly on its way to us… because then they wont cooperate, and they wont want to get stronger…” He was crying quietly, wiping the tears from his face. He shook his head “Mother, I’m sorry… I know I shouldn’t lie to them, but I just cant tell them what’s coming… forgive me, if you can…” She moaned, then slowly opened her eye. Her eye regained its red glow, and she sat up in Sephiroth’s lap “Sephiroth? And my younglings? Oh, thank goodness you’re alright…” Sephiroth forced his tears to stop and asked “Are you ok? You looked awfully bad when we found you unconscious in Shinra Headquarters…” She nodded and answered “I am fine, but I cant say the same for my wings… without them, I don’t have my full potential. But regardless, you know where you have to take them, right?” Sephiroth nodded slowly “Of course—the Northern Cave. I remember your instructions. But without your wings’ powers, is our goal impossible?” JENOVA shook her head “Fortunately, no. But it will make things slower for young Kadaj… much slower. Either way, we cant fly there. You lost your wing during your last battle with Cloud, and I too have been stripped of mine… we’ll have to rely on an external machine in order to reach the target area. If I still had mine, giving you your wing back would be simple… Forgive me, my dear son… I was caught off guard during my search for you and my young remnant children. The result was horribly brutal… I’m lucky to have just survived from that awful thing they set off.” Sephiroth agreed “No kidding. And to think they completed that machine so quickly… Hojo said Shinra called it specimen containment protocols, and said it has 3 phases.” JENOVA grew curious “He told you about it? That’s surprising. The last thing I would expect from that man is to give us the answers we want, but knowing that personality of his, its difficult to tell what he’s thinking at times…” Sephiroth nodded “I know… what is he truly after? I thought he wanted my young siblings here after I learned of them getting caught on what they labeled a rescue mission, and yet he didn’t even try to get them during the previous confrontation.” JENOVA giggled “Oh, Sephiroth… don’t be silly. He knows if he so much as tried to take them away you would go after him. Hojo of all people knows he is no match for you. He may be a reckless scientist, but I cant call him a complete fool. He knows you would get him if he tried anything you wouldn’t like.” Sephiroth replied “Even so, I cant let my guard down just yet. If they get a caught again, the enemy is certain to heavily fortify their headquarters in order to slow us as much as possible. They know they cannot defeat me or you, but I doubt they’d leave an open regardless. And we have to get them there before one certain somebody finds us again… I cant allow that man anywhere near them.” JENOVA nodded silently. Sephiroth stopped suddenly, carefully putting JENOVA down and quickly getting up. He drew his masamune and studied the area carefully “Quiet… there’s someone out there.” JENOVA got to her feet and began illuminating a faint silver glow, attempting to recover her full strength. Sephiroth lowered his sword and warned her “Mother, don’t do it! You’re too weak to re-enter your perfect form! I don’t want you getting hurt any worse!” She reluctantly obeyed, gasping for air. Sephiroth put his hand on her shoulder “Just take it easy. I’ll protect you this time, no matter what. Don’t get reckless or you’ll worsen your injuries you sustained during the incident at Shinra.” Sephiroth turned away, preparing to attack. A man laughed somewhere ahead, and his voice said “Impressive. You knew I was here before I even came into sight. Im glad to see you havent lost your touch, SOLDIER 1st Class.” A person came into view, and Sephiroth sighed “Hojo… hmph. I shouldve known you would follow us all the way out here…” JENOVA turned firm and kept her gaze on Hojo, who smiled at them both in a sinister way. JENOVA asked “What do you want, Hojo?” Hojo laughed “What do I want, you ask? Why, those three children of yours, of course. I’m interested in their potential.” Sephiroth got into his fighting stance again, preparing to attack “Don’t even think about trying. If you take even one more step towards them, you’re a dead man and you know it.” Hojo shrugged but seemed fearless, turning around “You can threaten me all you like, Sephiroth. I have no intention of killing them. But what if this research I speak of could help you with your plans, hmm? What will you do then?” Sephiroth disagreed “I don’t need the help of your science and stupid electronics to know about their powers and abilities. Mother has all of the answers. She created them—and me. Unlike your vile claims you wanted me to believe at all costs for your own foolish reasons.” Hojo turned back to them and said “That may be true, but what about the subject of precision? Do you not want precise answers about this matter? Because if you do, I am more than capable of providing that. And whats more, what I have in mind wont threaten their life in any way.” Sephiroth groaned under his breath, refusing to believe Hojo’s words. He didn’t move from his place. JENOVA drew closer to Hojo, keeping her expression hardened “You know he isnt going to believe you. And neither will I; not after what happened. If you want us to believe anything you say, you must start from the beginning and prove your worth. Until then, you are an enemy in my eyes; and my son’s eyes. We are not fools who will believe others easily.” Hojo shrugged, then replied “Very well, then. Just know that Shinra’s goals and mine are completely different, now that Rufus has taken the chair as President… I’ve been a rogue scientist since. And without your species in existence, I am quite out of a job… and grow bored rather easily. When your three remnants reappeared as children, I felt I’d finally had something worth focusing on. But alas, suit yourselves. I will be on my way.” He began to walk away, leaving slowly. Sephiroth lowered his katana, and sighed “Wait.” Hojo stopped and turned around with a smile “Yes?” Sephiroth shook his head “Fine… you can go with us. But if you make even one wrong move, you’re dead. Literally. So you’d better be careful if you don’t want to fall to my sword.” JENOVA worried and looked at Sephiroth “Sephiroth…” He noticed her feelings and apologized “I know, Mother, but… out of every living human on this Planet, he’s the only one we can trust at all at this point.” JENOVA silently stared at Sephiroth, and he turned back to Hojo “We part at dawn tomorrow morning. We need to find a route to the Northern Cave.” Hojo cried out “What?! Preposterous! There’s no way of getting there by foot! Are you mad?” Sephiroth grew firm “You think I don’t know that? After not one, but two failures on my mission… you think I’m unaware of that? We need to find a vessel that will let us go by air, and that’s what I’m currently focused on doing.” Hojo replied “Well, you may be in luck. I might be able to build one for you myself. However, I’m lacking the necessary tools to do so. I’ll be needing lots of heavy metal for the job. And because there are too many hazards out there, you and your family will have to do the field work on searching for the things I need.” Sephiroth shook his head “Hojo, we don’t have time to scavenge like that. The longer we wait, the sooner you know who will catch up and find us. It’s too dangerous to wait around for that with my young siblings here. The idea you’re suggesting could take up to 3 years or worse.” Hojo groaned “Gah! Why must you always be so difficult?! This isnt a race, SOLDIER!” Sephiroth argued “Ok, first off, I’m not with your crooked SOLDIER group anymore. Second, stop throwing a tantrum like a kid. Be a man for goodness sakes.” JENOVA said “Sephiroth, it’s the only option we have. If we go into the towns and cities to the west, we’ll definitely get caught. There’s no long way around there for us to avoid trouble.” Sephiroth worried “But Mother, they’re too young… they cant fight off Shinra troops. And they definitely cant beat Cloud. If he finds us, they’ll be stuck like this forever. It’s too risky… even with Reunion, it would require years for us to revive. They’re too young to face the world themselves. I cant put my youngest siblings in danger like that…” JENOVA laughed, and Sephiroth turned to her. She said “Then we’ll just have to focus on battle training them so that if they do find him, they’ll be ready for a big fight. Even if they are still children, they’re very capable of fighting well.” Sephiroth nodded in understanding “Alright. But, how do you suggest teaching them about fighting this Planet and learning the basics of survival in a world filled with enemies?” JENOVA answered “We’ll have to let them see the world for themselves, my son. I know you’re only trying to protect them, but we cant keep them hidden forever. We have an important plan to secure, and they’re necessary for its success. Besides, they might enjoy being able to travel freely and getting the extra exercise this long mission will grant them.” Sephiroth smiled and understood, and then he and JENOVA decided to go to sleep and call it a night. Hojo chose to sit near Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz when they fell asleep, focused on his studies and personal ambitions.
To Be Continued…
