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holly-fixation · 2 years

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Damaged Doll: Chapter 4

Summary: Angeal and Zack discover a man in all black trapped under boulders in the mountains near Icicle Village. They notice things are extremely wrong about this man, but one thing demands their attention: mako blue eyes with slit pupils. Sephiroth will want to see this. But after meeting the blonde man, the inevitable confusion kept the Silver Soldier away, until necessary.

Based on this prompt by @im-totally-not-an-alien

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Chapter 4: Coaxing

It had been ten days since the snake eyed stranger was rescued by SOLDIER after an unrelated mission in the northern mountains. Cloud was still receiving daily physical therapy and, for reasons beyond the SOLDIERs, history lectures from the Turks. He was eating regularly and no longer needed any IVs or liquid meals, which were primarily for his own safety, and his arms and hands were free of the attached monitoring devices he awoke with. Even now his chest was strong enough to handle basic tasks on his own. He finally put his black coat on around his hospital-like gown, giving dirty looks to the attempted patches before silently sealing his reactions and thoughts about them. Why Hojo was completely ready with most of the machinery and supplies since the beginning of this was a question no one should think about for too long, unless they actually want the horrid answers and secrets of the science department. Cloud was given a cane, though therapy for his leg would not begin for at least two weeks, to get used to the feeling and adjust as necessary, and for use in case Sephiroth returned. He didn’t stand or leap from the bed again, no matter what anyone in R&D tried to coax him with. He was stubborn against their wishes, as well as scarily obedient to Sephiroth. Without the inclusion of the Silver Soldier, the patient remained in the bed and reacted instinctively to the pain of his injuries, instead of pushing through with every ounce of willpower for the sake of ‘his prince’.

Most of the Firsts approached the patient various times for inquiries and information. However they limited their questions because of his fragile state, and clear post traumatic stress from whatever happened to him. No one knew what occurred, and Sephiroth, to the rest of the First’s knowledge, had not returned to the room after that initial encounter. He already hated what the ‘fans’ did to him, so it never came as a surprise when he denied all of their offers to join. Though Cloud was pleasant and his stories were consistent, usually short, something was…off. He knew things he shouldn’t but he didn’t know the basics of the most common objects. Zack mentioned a motorcycle once, and Cloud stared at him blankly before asking what a motorcycle was. But his knowledge of obscure materia was undeniable. It wasn’t consistent. It didn’t seem like brain damage or amnesia, it was too unfocused.

Ten days had passed since discovery. It was time for true questioning, and true answers.

By the request of R&D, sent the previous night, the founders of this man were asked to come in after 6PM and question him officially, though they did suggest that all First Classes join as well. With Genesis busy as usual, though they could not recall if the crimson soldier ever met the snake-eyed patient, Angeal and Zack created a plan: what questions to ask, how long to wait for a response before moving, what to do if they triggered another episode. It wasn’t that they didn’t believe the odd man, no one assumed he was a spy because honestly, who in their right mind would dare enter R&D under Hojo’s eye for any information on this company. No amount of honor or loyalty on the Planet would convince anyone to suffer such a fate. Even Wutai, during the war, never dared enter that floor. They’d have a much better, and easier, life if they just disguised themselves as a lab tech if that was their goal, if they even got that far. So Cloud was innocent, without a doubt in their minds. Their plan was nearly complete, but it was missing a key component, the biggest factor for their success, and the biggest challenge to get to do anything when paperwork needed completing.

They needed Sephiroth.

He was almost guaranteed to get honest responses from the patient, even with the extremely odd behavior. Again, they didn’t think Cloud was lying to them, but there was no way to ignore the effectiveness and efficiency in which Cloud obeyed the Silver Soldier and only the Silver Soldier. What was not their best idea, was when they decided to bring this up to him.

By ambush. Or Gods they tried to make it an ambush.

Never in the time Angeal had known Zack did he act more like a puppy, the begging glimmer in his eyes as he looked up at his mentor was almost as sad as it was kind of funny.

“Please do not make me help you with this,” He pleaded, his mako blue eyes large with desperation and anxiety, his hands held in front of his chest almost like a prayer.

Angeal gave a soft sigh, calmly meeting his gaze and placing a hand on his apprentice’s shoulder to try to soothe the tension. “Zack. We just need to talk to him.”

“I will do literally anything else.” He didn’t even hesitate, it was an instant response. He raised his empty hands in offering. “I’ll do your paperwork for a month?”

Angeal crossed his arms, his face as stern as a school teacher. “You are not authorized to do my paperwork, so please do not make false promises.”

He gestured with increasingly extended jerks of his hand, his voice nearly whining. “You’ve known him longer. I’ll just get in the way.” Then he returned his hands to his chest. “Please.”

“You’d be surprised what a lively soul can do to him,” Angeal explained with a small wistful expression on his face, suddenly recalling how the Firsts became friends, a soft memory in the back of his mind. Then he returned to his teaching tone. “If Genesis can convince him to do anything, you’ll be perfectly fine.”

Zack exhaled in frustration, dropping both of his arms to his side and giving his mentor a childish glare. “Fine,” He caved with a frustrated brow. Then he sighed to release it, giving a genuine glint. “But what do I say?”

He shrugged, which absolutely did not help Zack’s lack of confidence. “Just be yourself.” Then he flicked his head in the direction of the door. “Come on.”

The puppy pouted one last time before Angeal led the way. Though he instantly dropped it upon entry to the large but mostly bare office. The walls had plenty of nail holes and spackle patches from the previous decorations, but the only sign of life was the single plant in the corner of the room. Not even the soldier working at the desk exuded anything other than robotic diligence, his silver pauldrons moving with each methodical shift of his shoulders and hands.

Knocking on the open door after they already entered, Angeal spoke first. “Hey, Sephiroth,” Though there was an obvious question in his voice, the man in the chair didn’t even break his rhythm, never giving a response to the greeting. “Did you see the email R&D sent out?”

“I saw it was optional,” his baritone voice rumbled, neither his face nor his eyes moving from the papers as he filled in more of the blank lines.

“But it was about Cloud!” Zack added, genuinely surprised at the apathetic response.

His brows creased, signing one report and moving to the next. “Who?”

Zack gestured vaguely at the Silver Soldier in confusion, his volume growing in a perfect crescendo, “You know, the blonde we found in the North? The one that ‘bowed’ to you and called you ‘my prince’?”

He stopped all movement, only staring at the blank part of his desk for a solid second. Then he shook his head and returned to his work. “That man is delusional. Asking him anything is a waste of time.”

“Are you trying to tell us that Cloud knew your mother’s name from a delusion?” Zack did not know where that sudden burst of confidence came from but he instantly backed down when the question left his lips, realizing he couldn’t grab the words in the air and force them back down his throat. He felt unintentionally insensitive, looking away from both First Classes shamefully as he worried about his rank demoting from this outburst, and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry.”

“No, that’s a fair question,” Angeal defended before looking at the man for an answer.

Now he stopped completely, placing the pen on the desk. It was quiet for what felt like an eternity as Sephiroth calculated the next response. “...He’s a man you found at the bottom of a cave. His mind is not in the right place.”

“That doesn’t answer the question.” Angeal countered, but gestured softly in suggestion as he watched his old friend. “You’ve only talked to him once. Maybe he’s okay now that he’s had some rest?”

“He’s not.” He stated it as a fact. Not like a fact, as a fact. There was something about that specific lack of emotion, something about the small shift of his body, that showed something more than the usual wall.

Angeal crossed his arms, and realization reflected his eyes, only one assumption coming to mind, a challenge straightening his posture. “You talked to him without us.”

Zack gave his mentor a confused look, but to his shock, the general was not denying the claim.

“When.”

Sephiroth leaned back in the office chair, avoiding both pairs of mako blue eyes. He stayed silent, his inhuman eyes hidden by his bangs.

Angeal chose to back off, taking a soft breath and lowering his tone. “Then what's one more?”

Sephiroth inhaled and glared at his old friend. “I need to finish these reports.”

“Those are due in three weeks,” He stated and crossed his arms. Before Sephiroth could counter, he continued kindly, “The Thirds will have to wait whether or not you finish them today anyway. You know how it is.”

As his mentor was speaking, Zack scanned the size of the completed report pile with a raised brow. “How long have you been in here?”

Sephiroth followed the gaze. “Six this morning.”

He looked at the clock: 5:15. “You at least had a lunch break, right?”

No response.

“Zack,” His mentor interrupted in a disappointed tone, “This is normal.”

He closed his mouth but gave the Silver Soldier the dirtiest look of confusion.

Sephiroth kept his head down as he stood, pushing the chair back as he did. “What time do we go?”

Angeal nodded, knowing they had finally convinced him. “Six.”

“Which gives us some time to get a bite,” Zack added, genuinely surprised when he nodded in agreement. “Where do you want to go?”

Sephiroth only gestured to the door. They did not ask any more questions until they left the office section of the SOLDIER floor. Though they all quickly realized that answers would be much clearer when everyone had food in their stomachs.

* * *

After their short meal on the recreational floor, as their best attempt to eat some actual food before their task, they began their ascent to the laboratory. With only about three or four floors to climb, they figured the escalators would be quicker than waiting for the elevator. So they walked, Zack and Angeal chatting away while Sephiroth watched and occasionally made small comments at either’s expense in friendly banter, the orange glow of twilight shimmering sparkles onto every surface in the complex.

But as they reached the 65th floor, Sephiroth’s phone pinged, and both others looked to him in surprise. Who would message him this late in the work day through a text? New missions were always calls, without exception, and Genesis was busy with another showing of Loveless that night, so no texts from the crimson soldier. He opened the message, which came with some kind of photo, his eyes glazing over the moment the picture registered in his brain.

Zack leaned into view of the silver general, only watching the unexpected reaction, but he calmly tapped the screen closed. “What happened?”

“Someone leaked a photo to the ‘Silver Elite’,” He was practically growling, his eyes closing and twitching in frustration as he brought a hand to his temples. “Lazard wants me to make a statement before more rumors spread. I apologize, I’ll catch up with you later.”

Both of them stared bewilderedly at him. This was not normal. Why the hell would anyone at Shinra care enough for a statement to be the only logical solution? Neither one of them were sure if Sephiroth had spoken ever publicly on any issue.

“Absolutely not,” Angeal countered sternly, but the caring glint in his eyes was the only reason Sephiroth did not walk away or challenge him. “What’s the leak?”

He sighed and stayed silent for a moment. Then he opened his phone again and showed the image. Hadn’t he caused enough trouble for them today? He knew if he did not show them, it would only be a matter of time before they found it online anyway.

It was clearly a screenshot from security footage, date and time both visible in the corner. It was Sephiroth with Cloud, and they were hugging, in the middle of the night, Sephiroth practically melting into the embrace from the smaller man. That’s all it was: a hug. They knew the small action of affection wouldn’t matter if it was someone else. However, Sephiroth was never caught doing anything with anyone, and the press clearly couldn’t keep their dirty hands away from the abnormal images, spreading lies and gossip until Shinra itself needed him to step in.

Now they left for an elevator, each of their different approaches to the situation stirring in their minds. Whatever the solution, they could not lose Cloud. Too many questions surrounded the odd man, right now none louder than why he and Sephiroth were hugging like that. How long did it take the silver general to let Angeal or Genesis hug him? The short answer: much more than one day. Once inside the doors, Zack and Angeal asked what happened that night, what Cloud told him, if it was logical, what was fact or delusion. Once through teeth pulling an explanation out of him, which was almost a practice round for when the press inevitably bombarded him later, they all discussed what he should say to keep Cloud safe, or realistically out of the public eye.

The only solution they could agree on was manipulating Hojo’s initial cover up, which claimed Cloud was an escaped experiment. They knew what they found; Cloud was not an experiment. It didn’t matter why Hojo released the fake information, what mattered was how they could bend it. A freakish mutation from the radiation levels surrounding the Northern Crater? Just a man they managed to save from an avalanche? They can’t mention the broken leg since he was standing in the photo, and honestly, the public did not care how they found this man, they were interested in the potential relationship of the silver general. Public Relations approached the silver general with multiple different statements for potential response. Sephiroth eventually settled on a simple explanation, hopefully enough to keep Shinra and the press off his back for a while: the man awoke with only Sephiroth in the room and the man requested the hug because of whatever trauma he experienced before he arrived in Midgar. The only logical conclusion Sephiroth could derive involved turning the public against ridiculous romantic endeavors to ‘a soldier who is both a demon on the battlefield and an angel at home’. If that was enough to convince the public, thank gods. Though in the back of his mind, he knew nothing would leak like this unless Hojo found out. That bastard. Hojo must’ve learned from that assistant on the late night shift. He needed a way to stop Hojo from releasing stuff like this, but what was he supposed to do when Shinra did not care and he…he couldn’t stop Hojo from doing anything? The few boundaries he had to protect himself from the mad scientist were already daunting tasks to maintain, even for him.

After nearly half an hour of wasted time, the SOLDIERs finally made it to the lab, scanning Sephiroth’s ID to open the doors. They made their way up the initial staircase, then heard a scream. A quick glance between them all had them silently ready for a fight. None of them had their swords. If they ended up in combat, the materia they had on their uniforms and their own strength would have to suffice. All three of them ran ahead to find the source of the scream.

“Situation now stable,” they heard from the loud speakers after a click. “Bodies may now be removed.”

What the hell happened here?

They found the answer far sooner than they hoped. At the first mako tanks of the lab, just a hallway past the initial staircase, covered in blood and terrifying lacerations of claws and bites and gods know what into human skin, laid the head of the science department, face down, black glasses broken next to the body, reaching for something he clearly did not activate before his demise, his tattered white lab coat nearly a perfect crimson from the fatal impacts.

Hojo was dead.

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#ff7 #ffvii #final fantasy vii #sephiroth #cloud strife #jenova #zack fair #final fantasy 7 #angeal hewley #ff7 angeal #it begins #our little doll is a Murderer #but how?#we'll find out!#thanks for reading!! hope you enjoy!!

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