Sephiroth walks into the inn room, noting that the other three are asleep. Notices that there are only three beds... and all are occupied. Takes off his gloves and cape, putting them on a chair by the door
Cloud Strife is sleeping peacefully... his thin body's musculature highly visible beneath the thin blanket.... If not for dignity he would sleep with a blanket at all
Sephiroth looks over at Cloud
Sephiroth o O (he sleeps in the buff? Wow.... )
Sephiroth walks over to his bed, then looks at the other two beds. Knows Zack would get very mad if he woke up with another in his bed.... And the other trooper is taking up the whole other bed. Slips into Cloud's bed and puts his arms around the trooper's chest... hoping no one will think any of this, even though he... himself... is thinking that. Closes his eyes and allows sleep to claim him
Cloud Strife wakes up slightly and mumbles something... feels arms around him and wonders what is going on
Sephiroth is sleeping peacefully, holding Cloud around the chest. His hands are far softer then anyone would have thought...

Cloud Strife looks at the hands and wonders... then wriggles enough to see exactly who is holding him

Cloud Strife says, "what is he doing in my bed? I've never seen him... that way before. I was under the impression that you never slept... you've got beautiful hands"

Cloud Strife gently touches Sephiroth's hands and muses

Cloud Strife says, "your hands... they should be callused ... from wielding that thing... perhaps you truely are perfection like all of the others say"

Sephiroth sleeps soundly, holding Cloud

Cloud Strife says, "You probably only crawled into my bed cuz Zack is such an ass... its a random thing... right? Listen to me you're dead asleep and Im talking to you. I wouldn't even make a peep.... If you were awake.... Im too shy to ever talk around you... afraid I might say something dumb"

Cloud Strife closes his eyes and drifts to sleep.... Allowing himself the luxury of Sephiroth's arms

Cloud Strife wakes up and sighs because sephiroth is gone

Sephiroth waits for everyone outside the inn

Cloud Strife dresses hastily and goes outside

Sephiroth gathers the others and makes for the rector ... being led by the guide

Cloud Strife follows... almost sad... but still glad to be on this mission in his hometown

Sephiroth gets to the bridge

Sephiroth says, "hmm, this seems a little unstable..."

Cloud Strife looks at the bridge dubiously but remains silent

Sephiroth starts across, behind Tifa and Zack

Cloud Strife follows... grimacing.... This bridge has always been dangerous

Sephiroth notices the ropes begin to snap

Sephiroth says, "Hurry!"

Cloud Strife clings to the bridge as it begins to give way beneath him

Sephiroth sees Tifa and Zack make it across as he and the two troopers start to fall

Cloud Strife o O (well I got one nice night before I've got to die)

Sephiroth snags Cloud's hand with his right hand and reaches out his Masamune hand to the cliff below, and grabs a ledge. Hears the other trooper plunge to his death

Cloud Strife winces as he hears the same thing

Cloud Strife squeaks in fear

Cloud Strife says, "d... drop me ...you can't hold on...."

Sephiroth looks down

Sephiroth says, "no... I'm not going to..."

Sephiroth manages to lift his right arm up with Cloud

Sephiroth says, "listen to me, grab hold of the ledge"

Cloud Strife o O (my ... he's strong)

Cloud Strife grabs at the ledge and clings to it

Sephiroth takes his hand away from Cloud and grips the ledge. Pulls himself up onto shelf and reaches his hand out to Cloud after setting down the Masamune

Sephiroth says, "come on"

Cloud Strife grabs Sephiroth's hand

Sephiroth pulls Cloud up onto the shelf with him and sets him on the ground

Cloud Strife leans over a little and pants

Cloud Strife says, "This... is why Im a trooper an not... a real soldier..."

Sephiroth sits down, wondering how to get off the cliff

Sephiroth says, "why?"

Cloud Strife says, "weak..."

Cloud Strife sits down as well

Sephiroth says, "why do you say weak?"

Sephiroth looks over at him

Cloud Strife says, "I don't have what it takes to be one of you guys... said so in my evaluation"

Sephiroth says, "ah... and you let some evaluation rule what you think of yourself?"

Cloud Strife says, "My dream was to be a Soldier... not a trooper... but well its better than nothin I guess"

Sephiroth nods. Stands up, grabbing his Masamune, as a dragon approaches

Cloud Strife says, "thanks... for saving me by the way"

Sephiroth says, "it's my job..."

Sephiroth watches the dragon get right up to them. Gets into a fighting position

Cloud Strife says, "eep..."

Sephiroth slices down at the dragon and listens to it roar in pain

Cloud Strife cowers slightly as his gun was lost in the bridge thing

Sephiroth slices through the dragon again and watches it scream in dying pain

Cloud Strife watches as the dragons' thrashing tail knocks some rocks off the cliff face... and stands transfixed in fear as they plummet towards him

Sephiroth drops his Masamune and drives on top of Cloud, protecting the trooper from the rocks

Cloud Strife says, "Again...."

Sephiroth lets up a little and looks down at Cloud, very close to him

Cloud Strife blushes a little at Sephiroth's proximity and hopes he doesn't notice

Cloud Strife feels a strange longing... something he's only felt perhaps once or twice

Sephiroth breathes softly, noting the proximity, and tries to contain his feelings

Cloud Strife says, "you... must be getting tired of saving my ass..."

Sephiroth says, "not really... it's sort of my job... protect the troops at all cost... it's what being in charge means"

Cloud Strife says, "So.... You actually care that we underlings exist? I figured we were just cannon fodder"

Sephiroth chuckles

Sephiroth says, "why'd you figure that?"

Cloud Strife brushes Sephiroth's hair out of his face

Sephiroth says, "hmm, maybe I should get up..."

Cloud Strife is pretty sure his face must be bright red at this point

Sephiroth o O (but it's so comfy here...)

Cloud Strife wants to protest... enjoying Sephiroth's body against his

Sephiroth places two gloved fingers on the side of Cloud's cheek

Sephiroth says, "you're all red..."

Cloud Strife says, "Umm.... "

Sephiroth says, "you are ok, aren't you?"

Cloud Strife says, "yeah... perfectly fine"

Sephiroth says, "well, that's good... I think we are trapped down here... "

Cloud Strife o O (Oh I don't mind that at all)

Cloud Strife says, "trapped.... And I didn't eat anything before we left... I was too busy sleeping and dreaming about..."

Sephiroth says, "ahh"

Cloud Strife sighs and looks at sephiroth

Cloud Strife says, "did... you.... Crawl into my bed last night? Or was I dreaming?"

Sephiroth says, "oh, I woke you up? Didn't mean to disturb you..."

Cloud Strife says, "Oh no... You didn't... not at all"

Sephiroth smiles a little

Sephiroth says, "that's good"

Cloud Strife blinks

Sephiroth takes his gloved fingers away from Cloud's cheek

Cloud Strife hopes he isn't red anymore. Slips an arm around sephiroth... slowly and tentatively

Sephiroth blinks. Does not protest though

Cloud Strife sighs. Lets his arm fall back and plunks his head back onto the ground

Sephiroth sighs as well and sits next to Cloud, on leg out and the other drawn up

Cloud Strife says, "Im sorry. If it seemed I.... I don't wanna get in trouble"

Sephiroth says, "I know what you mean..."

Cloud Strife blinks and remains silent ... mulling this over

Sephiroth sighs again and rests an elbow on his upraised knee... leaning his forehead into his fist

Cloud Strife says, "I really didn't mind... but I sleep in the buff... you didnt... see anythin?"

Sephiroth says, "..."

Cloud Strife blushes and sits up

Cloud Strife says, "how long we gonna be stuck here?"

Sephiroth says, "no idea"

Cloud Strife o O (Probably as long as he wants.... )

Sephiroth drops his hand away and looks over at Cloud

Cloud Strife twiddles his thumbs

Cloud Strife says, "I think...."

Sephiroth says, "yes?"

Cloud Strife says, "I think... you.... Are the most perfect thing in the world"

Sephiroth lifts an eyebrow, then smiles softly

Sephiroth says, "really?"

Cloud Strife says, "yeah... your.... Hands... are so soft... your hair... how... can you wield your sword and not... you have perfect hands... no calluses"

Cloud Strife suddenly grabs one of Sephiroth's hands and kisses it

Sephiroth says, "hmm... my gloves protect my hands"

Sephiroth takes his gloves off

Cloud Strife blinks and drops Sephiroth's hand

Sephiroth says, "are you ok?"

Sephiroth looks at Cloud

Cloud Strife says, "Am I okay?"

Sephiroth touches Cloud's cheek

Cloud Strife smiles slightly

Sephiroth runs his fingers along Cloud's cheek

Sephiroth says, "so, you like my hands because they are perfect?"

Cloud Strife says, "You in yourself are perfection"

Sephiroth says, "how do you figure that?"

Sephiroth looks at Cloud, wanting to drag the trooper over and set him in his lap, but holds back

Cloud Strife says, "you're.... Just... I got a look at you without your armor... they say armor bulks you up and makes you look stronger... you looked great without it"

Sephiroth grins

Sephiroth says, "well, the only bulky bit is my shoulder guards"

Sephiroth takes off his shoulder guards and sets them on his gloves

Cloud Strife blinks ... watching sephiroth

Sephiroth takes off his cape and spreads it on the ground

Cloud Strife wonders what sephiroth is up to... but cant help wanting to touch him

Sephiroth wants to drag Cloud onto him, but... will not make the first move

Cloud Strife edges over to sephiroth. Reaches out and strokes a finger down Sephiroth's chest

Sephiroth says, "mm, I like that... "

Cloud Strife blinks again and wonders what to do

Cloud Strife says, "Sephiroth... can I ask about your past? "

Sephiroth says, "if you wish"

Cloud Strife says, "You laughed about your father... and your mom is dead... you dinnt have any family?"

Sephiroth says, "nope, grew up in a lab"

Cloud Strife says, "A lab?"

Sephiroth says, "yeah"

Cloud Strife says, "that must have sucked"

Sephiroth says, "yeah"

Cloud Strife crawls into Sephiroth's lap with no other prompting

Sephiroth smiles

Sephiroth says, "ahh, we are all ok... minus that one trooper..."

Zack says, "Oh... damn.... "

Sephiroth walks on

Sephiroth says, "we need to get to the rector ASAP, no lagging"

Zack says, "I hate writing those letters"

Sephiroth heads into the reactor

Zack says, "Dear Mr. and Mrs... Blah... your son has died in duty ... "

Zack shudders

Sephiroth says, "you hate doing that Zack?"

Sephiroth spots the reactor

Sephiroth says, "ahh, here we are"

Sephiroth walks into the reactor and heads up the steps

Sephiroth says, "Tifa, stay here..."

Cloud Strife sighs and watches Sephiroth and Zack go into the reactor

Sephiroth looks around

Sephiroth says, "hmm, that faulty valve is the reason for the reactor's malfunction"

Zack says, "We always get the fun jobs... screwing around in reactors... I want some action..."

Sephiroth says, "like the war? Turn the valve Zack..."

Zack says, "Yeah... *fixes the valve* Like the war... better than screwing around in little dinky towns...."

Sephiroth says, "ahh"

Sephiroth goes in looks into one of the tanks

Sephiroth says, "what the?"

Sephiroth falls back and shakes his head

Sephiroth says, "the fool...."

Zack says, "What's in there?"

Sephiroth says, "take a look"

Zack pulls himself up to look in the pod

Zack says, "Monsters... what the heck?"

Sephiroth nods

Sephiroth says, "you see, normal members of SOLDIER are infused with Mako... but these people have been flooded with it"

Zack says, "They were people?"

Sephiroth says, "they were human..."

Zack says, "Normal members of soldier?"

Sephiroth says, "yes..."

Zack says, "you're not normal?"

Sephiroth says, "I've always felt different, even when I was small"

Zack blinks and nods

Sephiroth takes up his Masamune and looks at the pods

Sephiroth says, "was... was I made this way too?"

Sephiroth growls and starts to hit the pods

Zack steps back

Sephiroth slashes them

Zack says, "Seph... chill man....'"

Sephiroth slashes up half the pods before sinking to his knees, panting

Sephiroth says, "am ... am I even human?"

Sephiroth leans his head on the ground

Zack says, "You look it...."

Zack tries to be helpful

Sephiroth says, "The things in the pods, they are human... but don't look it..."

Zack says, "They were human.... "

Sephiroth says, "yes..."

Sephiroth wraps his arms around himself and lays on his side, drawing his knees to his chest

Zack kneels beside sephiroth and tries to give him some comfort

Sephiroth shivers a little

Zack says, "C'mon man.... You're fine.... What's it matter if you're different.... We've been pals all this time right?"

Sephiroth closes his eyes

Sephiroth says, "yeah..."

Sephiroth slowly gets to his feet. Walks out of the reactor without another word and goes back down to Nibelheim

Zack shrugs and follows...

Sephiroth looks around the middle of town. Folds his arms, his cape and hair flowing out behind him

Cloud Strife saw sephiroth come out of the reactor without giving him a sideways glance and wonders what's wrong....

Zack watches Sephiroth and bars Cloud from going to him... sure that the man doesn't want to be bothered

Sephiroth spies the mansion and gets a flash of memory. Walks down to the secret basement, knowing exactly where to go. Starts looking through the books

Cloud Strife pushes Zack aside and follows sephiroth down into the basement

Zack frowns but lets the kid go

Sephiroth is looking around some more

Sephiroth says, "... what is this? Jenova project?"

Cloud Strife stands in the doorway and watches sephiroth

Sephiroth says, "creation... Wha... what am I?"

Cloud Strife says, "Seph?"

Sephiroth blinks, and looks around

Sephiroth says, "Cloud..."

Sephiroth sets the book he was looking at down and sinks to his knees

Cloud Strife goes to Sephiroth's side

Sephiroth says, "I... I... remember something... I've been here before...."

Cloud Strife says, "y... you have?"

Sephiroth says, "I think... I was born here..."

Cloud Strife says, "you... were born here?"

Sephiroth looks around the basement lab

Cloud Strife kneels beside Sephiroth and puts a hand on his shoulder

Sephiroth says, "here... in this lab..."

Sephiroth looks down at his lap

Sephiroth says, "... born?"

Sephiroth almost cries

Sephiroth says, "I... wasn't even born.... They..."

Cloud Strife slips his arms around Sephiroth

Sephiroth rests his palms, still gloved, on the ground

Sephiroth says, "Mako... and... Something else..."

Sephiroth leans his head into the ground

Cloud Strife says, "Seph?"

Sephiroth sniffles

Sephiroth says, "yes?"

Cloud Strife says, "Seph... what's wrong?"

Sephiroth says, "I... I... Jenova... my mother... is that thing in the back of the reactor... I was told she was my mother who died when I was born but... that was to hide the truth. They... ShinRa... they..."

Sephiroth sniffles

Cloud Strife says, "thing at the back of the reactor?"

Sephiroth says, "yes...."

Sephiroth sniffles

Sephiroth says, "why... why...."

Cloud Strife says, "Seph... shh... im here... tell me"

Sephiroth leans into Cloud

Sephiroth says, "Mako... and Jenova cells... it's.... ShinRa used those to... create..."

Cloud Strife says, "Create?"

Sephiroth says, "me...."

Cloud Strife says, "Wha?"

Sephiroth closes his eyes tightly

Cloud Strife o O (it would explain why he's so perfect...)

Cloud Strife says, "Seph... Mako and Jenova... and human right?"

Sephiroth says, "..."

Cloud Strife says, "Seph?"

Sephiroth sniffles, leaning into Cloud

Cloud Strife says, "What then?"

Sephiroth says, "I... don't know"

Sephiroth sniffles

Sephiroth says, "I have no idea... I don't think I remember anything before the labs..."

Cloud Strife pulls Sephiroth close

Sephiroth thinks to himself

Sephiroth says, "except... I knew the land around the reactor.... I don't remember being there before... and yet, I some how knew it..."

Cloud Strife says, "Seph.... You're... not one of those dragon things? They live in the mountains... "

Sephiroth says, "..."

Sephiroth lies out on the ground

Cloud Strife says, "Seph don't act like that... I still..."

Sephiroth opens one of his green glowing eyes

Cloud Strife says, "I still...."

Sephiroth holds an arm out to him

Sephiroth says, "please... help me..."

Cloud Strife takes Sephiroth's hand

Cloud Strife says, "Im here for you... I... I.... Love you Seph... at least I think I do"

Sephiroth draws Cloud down across his chest. Takes off Cloud's helmet so he can stroke his hair

Sephiroth says, "what am I?"

Cloud Strife says, "You're Sephiroth. That's what you are"

Sephiroth chuckles a little

Sephiroth says, "well... I guess that is something"

Cloud Strife says, "You're someone I care about too. If that matters"

Sephiroth says, "I want to know... what was I before I was bathed in Mako and Jenova cells? It does"

Cloud Strife says, "Does it matter sephiroth?"

Sephiroth says, "I... want to know"

Cloud Strife says, "Well we could find out"

Sephiroth says, "I mean, if you just figured out you were not what you thought ... wouldn't you want to know the truth?"

Cloud Strife says, "I guess"

Sephiroth holds Cloud in his arms, slowly stroking his hair

Sephiroth says, "how can we find out?"

Cloud Strife says, "Its gotta be in one of these books"

Sephiroth says, "I guess"

Cloud Strife picks up a book and reads for a while

Sephiroth picks up another book and looks through it. Finds out about Jenova...

Cloud Strife says, "We need a book with a title like 101 recipes for sephiroth"

Sephiroth chuckles

Sephiroth says, "well, this one is on Jenova"

Sephiroth starts to read

Cloud Strife tosses his book aside and picks up another

Cloud Strife says, "Hmm... Looks like they did a lot of hunting up in the mountains. Hmm..."

Cloud Strife o O (Small silver and black dragon?)

Sephiroth reads his book

Cloud Strife says, "Hmm... I can't read this name Seph.... Wanna look?"

Sephiroth sets that one down after reading it all and picks up another

Sephiroth says, "what is it?"

Cloud Strife says, "Looks like a specimen log"

Sephiroth says, "ah"

Sephiroth walks over to Cloud after setting the book down. Looks at the book

Sephiroth says, "..."

Cloud Strife says, "All of them are creatures captured from the mountains... untainted by Mako"

Sephiroth says, "yes..."

Cloud Strife says, "Including... this one"

Cloud Strife puts his finger on an entry about a small dragon specimen

Sephiroth reads it and goes all quiet

Sephiroth says, "..."

Cloud Strife says, "Green eyes... silver spines...."

Cloud Strife blinks

Cloud Strife says, "Black scales...."

Sephiroth closes his eyes

Cloud Strife says, "Seph..."

Sephiroth says, "..."

Cloud Strife puts an arm around Sephiroth

Cloud Strife says, "Does it matter?"

Sephiroth leans on Cloud

Sephiroth says, "not for us... but... ShinRa..."

Cloud Strife says, "Shh... We don't have to go back you know"

Sephiroth says, "They can't get away with all this... they are ... doing horrible things..."

Cloud Strife says, "Yes... we can stop them.... There have got to be sympathizers too"

Sephiroth says, "yeah"

Sephiroth sniffles. Opens his eyes and looks at himself

Sephiroth says, "how did they do this to me?"

Cloud Strife says, "Dunno"

Sephiroth is still leaning on Cloud. Closes his eyes again

Sephiroth says, "Cloud... you don't just love the way I look, do you?"

Cloud Strife says, "well. You saved my life.... "

Sephiroth says, "I'm going to go to sleep for a while, ok?"

Sephiroth falls asleep, his head on Cloud's warm chest