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Well, here we are. The end of book one. It took way to long to get it out, but I hope you guys have enjoyed the ride. Next up, the Intermission. Which should hopefully just be a few, huge chapters. Then on to book two.
Do you recognize the names of the people that are mentioned in this story? I'll glee if you do. *grins*
So, here we are.
Beta'd by![[insanejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/ij-userinfo.gif)
aikonamika
Chapter One: Escape
Interlude One
Chapter Two: Clean Up
Interlude Two
Chapter Three: On the Run
Interlude Three-Part One
Interlude Three-Part Two
Interlude Three-Part Three
Interlude Three-Part Four
Chapter Four: Plans Begin
Interlude Four-Part One
Interlude Four-Part One
Chapter Five: In The Inn
Interlude Five
Chapter Six: Sanctuary
November 1994
She had been waiting, lurking in the trees. Had been a lot of work to get away from her guards, but she had been doing that since she was seven. She was the great ninja Yuffie, after all. And today, she was on a mission.
The text just a day ago had been unexpected. She hadn’t heard from the one Shin-Ra man that she liked in almost a year, but she did know that something big was going on long before he contacted her. Her dad had been closeted with his advisors for a bit, and they had been going over spy reports. Including one that Sephiroth had vanished from Shin-Ra. True or not, it had represented an opportunity. They had been waiting for more information before deciding anything, but Yuffie knew that if Sephiroth had left Shin-Ra, the main reason that Wutai lost would be gone. So she was all for him leaving.
Then Zack had sent her a message. She hadn’t recognize the number, but he called her Treasure Princess, and only one person knew that nickname.
So here she was, waiting and lurking, hoping to see them soon. The birds she had liberated where on a farm near here, so all she had to do was wait.
It was going to be good to see Zack again. He had a way of getting all the good stuff, and she knew she was good enough now to get it away from him. Besides, she had missed him. He had spent more time with her than some of her family, and had been...nice. He had protected her, even when he didn’t have to. While Yuffie wouldn’t admit she couldn’t take care of herself, she had been happy for that. It made her feel good to know that someone was like that for her even without knowing who she was. Though he had eventually figured it out, but he never changed how he acted with her, even if she was the Princess. She had appreciated that.
Now, it was her turn to help him. He had said they were running from Shin-Ra, that the company had hurt someone he cared for a lot. And that he -trusted- in her, and knew she could help. Heady stuff for an young girl. Especially from a cute older guy. And Yuffie remembered how cute he was, even if it had been a few years since she had seen him.
Movement caught her attention, and she noticed a dark haired man walking down the road. The hair was flat, and the clothes were different, but she still recognize him. It was all in the walk and the eyes. Even from here, she could see that they were unusual. Wutian ninjas were well trained in spotting that glow. Waiting, she lunged at him as he got close, giving out a battle cry that might have sounded a bit like a squeal of joy.
Zack started, but he caught her easily, and Yuffie wrapped him in a full body hug. “It’s you! I can’t believe you’re here and not hiding better. Dad still wants someone to kill you, but nobody is going to get me to stab you in the back. What did you do to your hair? How did you get it to lay down like that? Magic? It would probably take magic and -glue-.” Mouth going a million miles a moment, she huffed when he began to laugh and gave her a hug back.
“It’s good to see you as well, Yuffie.” He rested a hand on her head. “Everything going okay for you?”
She was about to answer when she caught movement from the corner of her eye, and Sephiroth seemed to melt out from the trees around them. There were others, but she was focused on Sephiroth. Sort of. She managed to squirm around so she was on Zack’s back, and he was between her and the....pink haired man.
Eyes going wide, she began to laugh. The great warrior Sephiroth, Demon of Wutai, had -pink- hair. Still clinging to Zack, she pointed at the tall man and managed to get out the word “pink” between fits of giggles.
“I told you it was pink,” was all Sephiroth had to say.
///
However Godo had expected his day to go, this was not it. They knew that Shin-Ra was hunting for Sephiroth, finally having gotten the reports back from more spies. It was kept quiet, but Shin-Ra had lost their prized little fighter. That had been excellent news. Nobody knew where Sephiroth had gone, though, and that was not so excellent news. A fighter of that caliber was not something that one wanted running around without anyone knowing where he was. A few discreet inquiries said that Sephiroth wasn’t the only one missing, either. Another of their 1st Classes was gone as well. Godo remembered the man. He had lead several slaughters in Wutai, including almost an entire fort full of ninjas. Though he wasn’t sure what to think of that one. He never touched civilians, only the ones who attacked him first.
Still, that meant there were two of the best fighters of Shin-Ra’s super elite SOLDIER program were missing, and he had no idea where they had gone. Though it seemed as if Shin-Ra didn’t either. Well, good. They could look for them all they wanted, and he could concentrate on figuring out what he could offer them to get them to stay away from Shin-Ra. Had no desire for them to return, and if they were out of the way, he might be able to fully start the rebellion and throw Shin-Ra and their greedy fingers out of his country.
He had not expected to have one of the messengers run into the room as if he was on fire and stand there, panting for a moment, obviously trying to calm himself. Then he looked at Godo, eyes wide.
“Princess Yuffie has captured Sephiroth and four others.”
Oh, he had to be kidding. “What?”
“They are heading this way. She’s...riding on one of them.” The messenger shook his head. “Sephiroth had made some effort at hiding who he was, but some of the ninja recognize him still.”
“Of all the....” He shook his head. “Call in my guard, and let the others know to not start a fight. Bring them here, and we’ll figure out what to do from there.”
The man nodding, and went out. This once, Godo would forgive the rather frantic face the man had presented. It was General Sephiroth, the Demon of Wutai himself, being walked up the main street. Godo was surprise he wasn’t hearing more panic in the streets. Though why....
Godo suddenly smiled. He knew why Sephiroth was here, and he had a good idea of who his daughter was forcing to carry her. She wasn’t nearly as sneaky as she thought, especially when she was younger, and he had the reports of her interaction with that SOLDIER.
So they came here for sanctuary. In giving it, he knew it would be an overt challenge to the rule Shin-Ra thought they had here, and war would start earlier than later. It would be dangerous to do, especially as they weren’t ready for it yet. However, the opportunity to gain such powerful fighters, well....
Two SOLDIERs. With two, his scientists might be able to find out the method of how they were created. Or at least get an idea of where the notes might be for the process.
He would have to come at it carefully. Nothing forced, as much as he wanted to have it now, he knew if he angered them, those two alone could do massive damage to his power structure here. And the last three, he had no idea of what they were capable of. But a barter and trade...well, he could do that. They were bringing war upon his country if he allowed them to stay. They had better do their best to make it worth the risk.
Smiling, Godo gestured for another of his messengers to come to him, absently making sure that Leviathan was in the proper spot. He had people he needed gathered, and plans to quickly put together.
///
This was hard.
Walking through the main city of Wutai had been hard as well. Getting through Wutai had been difficult, but Sephiroth had kept away from most people. Zack had blended in to a scary degree, and he never realized just how much his friend looked like the native people here. Vincent also didn’t have much issue. Both of them had dark hair and didn’t hesitate to get some clothing that matched the local outfits. Cloud and Aeris stood out more. Brown hair wasn’t so common here, especially that pale of brown, but neither of them stood out like Sephiroth. And given his rather unique looks, cat eyes and the silver undertone that still showed through the dye, it was far too likely that someone who he had fought in the past would see him and know who he is.
Yuffie had done her best to take them around in a way to keep from any big towns, or anyplace she knew where there were ninjas patrolling. Sephiroth was impressed that she had done such a good job.
Then they had come to capital, and there was no more hiding.
The moment they hit the wall, Yuffie had parked herself on Zack’s back, refusing to move, and making him carry her. It was easy to see that it helped keep the guards from stabbing any of them automatically, so neither Sephiroth nor Zack commented too much on it. Instead, Zack just adjusted his balance and carried her.
They were walked right to the doors of the palace, where they were met by Godo. The man said nothing, just looked at the guards around them all, and walked. It only took a few comments, and Sephiroth and the others followed. They came to a large area, and were escorted to the side.
“Sit,” was the only order that was given to Sephiroth. He obeyed and there he stayed. Then Godo’s plan became clear.
Shifting, Sephiroth watched as Aeris struggled to keep up the fight with the ninja set against her. Vincent had said there would be a test, but he didn’t imagine it was this. Him fighting, yes. But watching the others with him go up against highly trained ninjas while he did nothing....
Aeris was struggling already, and Sephiroth could tell the man she was facing was holding back. But the girl never had to fight normally. She just a little to deal with the few monsters and occasional wannabe mugger. She was not a trained fighter, and he dearly wanted to call off the fight. But part of the test was for him to do nothing. Instead, he had to sit there as watch as Aeris’s strikes got slower and slower as she tired out.
This was the last fight. Vincent had drawn even with his battle against the one called Chekhov. Zack had faced Staniv and won, but he was tired. Cloud had lost against his opponent, but it was expected since the teen was still recovering from far too long in the labs. And now Aeris was facing the last of the set. These were special fighters. Sephiroth could tell that just by how they interacted, and he would have to find out who they were later. He had to watch this for now.
While he knew that she wouldn’t be killed, Sephiroth’s heart still clenched as he saw Aeris slowly losing this fight. Then, with a flurry of strikes, it was over. She was sitting sprawled on the ground, her staff off to the side, and panting.
Godo’s eyes were on him, and Sephiroth forced himself to relax. Zack was instantly in the ring the moment Aeris was down, and offering her his hand.
Now the bargaining would happen.
They waited until Zack had brought Aeris back over, the woman leaning on his arm and obviously winded. She settled down with a grateful look. Then Sephiroth focused his attention on Lord Godo.
For a moment, there was only silence as drinks were served, and once the servants faded back again, the leader of Wutai looked at each of them.
“You wish for me to risk open war with Shin-Ra again so that you may live free from them. Tell me, why should I do that?”
Sephiroth shook his head. “You would have started a war with them soon or later regardless. There is no guarantee that they will start a fight with you. While they won, the battle was long and drained quite a few resources they had. And, honestly, they won nothing that justified the war. There are no mako reactors here, no profit. They continue to lose money simply by keeping what troops they do have here. It would take a lot to make Shin-Ra start a war, at least until they recover the losses from the last one.” He looked steadily at Godo.
“There is also the fact that if we were allowed to stay, you would have the bragging rights of having stolen some of their best fighters.” Sephiroth’s voice was calm, with no sign of bragging. It was simply the truth. He was the best fighter Shin-Ra had, and Zack was not far behind. “The fact that their best known SOLDIER abandoned Shin-Ra to go to Wutai will also make some of the more recently acquired areas to try regaining their freedom, and that will simply add more fires for Shin-Ra to focus on. Which they will need to deal with before they could focus on you again. Even they aren’t as foolish as to leave spots of rebellion active far closer to Midgar. They’ve been focusing on Fort Condor since Wutai fell and the soldiers at the fort decided to rebel.”
He saw Godo studying him, and wondered what the man was going to ask next.
“Leviathan devours those who swear false oaths. Would you swear an oath to serve Wutai, and to never return to the service of Shin-Ra? It is not a simple set of words. You will be marked by Leviathan, each of you.” The man smirked faintly. “It would be a great honor for you. Normally, only those of great trust and honor are marked by the Great Serpent.”
Sephiroth looked at the others, then back at Godo. “What would be...required in this marking?”
“Oh, nothing complicated,” Godo said, amusement clear in his face. “You simply hold the summon of Leviathan, and if he deems you worthy, he leaves a simple mark on your skin. After that, you are part of Wutai. Though if he find you lying to him about your intentions, all the water of your body will vanish.” Which was lethal, but he was sure that Sephiroth and his companions could figure that out. “One has to be willing to submit to the will of Leviathan for this to work. Would you be willing?”
Another glance at the others, and Sephiroth got faint nods from each of them. “All right,” he looked at Godo again. “I’m willing.”
“Me, too,” added Zack, and slowly each of them agreed, even Vincent. The man had traveled with them so far, and Sephiroth was pleased in a vague way that he had decided to stay. Cloud was fond of him, and seemed to relax when the man was around. Given that it sounded as if Vincent had been the only means of support that the blond had had for a while, Sephiroth could understand.
Once the others agreed, Sephiroth looked at Godo again. The man nodded, and then pulled the summon loose. Around them, the four people that the others had fought early shifted, and Sephiroth tensed to their movement. They were ready to fight if Sephiroth tried to take the summon. He could see that they were very serious about this, and forced himself to relax. When Godo offered it to him, Sephiroth took the glowing materia, and curled his fingers around it.
As he did, it suddenly went bright, almost blinding. Shutting his eyes, Sephiroth felt....something. He didn’t know what it was, just as if someone very, very strong and very old was petting him on his head and telling him to run along. It was very...odd.
Then there was a flare of pain on the back of his right shoulder, and there was a growl from Zack from the side. It cut off when Sephiroth shook his head, the pain fading as quickly as it had come. With a shaking hand, he dropped the materia back into Godo’s hand. “What was that?”
The ruler of Wutai just chuckled. “You just got the approval of Leviathan. Let us go through the others, and we will decide what to do with each of you.”
Zack was next, and when he held it, Sephiroth suddenly realized what that pain was on his back. When Zack went tense from the pain, he pressed a hand to the back of his neck. When he pulled it down, Sephiroth could see there was a new mark, dark violets and black, with swirls of green marks. It looked like a tattoo of a finned serpent, only much more vibrant in color than any of those marks he had seen before.
“That was fucking weird,” Zack muttered. Aeris was next, and her mark was easy to see, a curl of another of those serpents around her arm, in pale yellows and dark greens, fins spread in a pattern that reminded Sephiroth of her flowers. Cloud and Vincent’s, he didn’t see. Cloud just pressed a hand to the center of his chest and Vincent rolled his left shoulder.
Once it was done, Godo handed the materia to the man Vincent had fought, and the four vanished behind a screen. “Well, none of you died,” he said, looking at the mark on Aeris’s arm. “And each of you are marked now. Welcome to Wutai. With your help, we will make her strong again.” He looked at them, eyes moving from one to the other. “The House of Byakko has been empty since the war ended. Yuffie, take them there.” He looked at them, meeting Sephiroth’s eyes.
“We will have much to talk about, Sephiroth, including things such as how SOLDIERs are created and what secrets that Shin-Ra has that might be of use to us. You are part of our court now, and Leviathan has accepted you. Do not be surprised if his people are slower to be so accepting. Still, he had marked you, and you are welcomed to my home. If anyone troubles you, bring it to my attention. It is obvious that our god has plans for you, and it is not for us to try to disrupt them.” The man stood, nodding at each of them.
“Yuffie will show you where to go, and I will have servants bring you what you need. The House of Byakko has not been used since the last warrior chosen to by Leviathan lived there with his family. With your eyes, I wonder if he didn’t chose you long ago and it simply took you this long to find us.” He nodded at them.
“Welcome to your new home.”
With that, the man left, and Yuffie squealed and reattached herself to Zack. Which made Sephiroth chuckle, given the look on Zack’s face. Yuffie didn’t seem to notice, and just traced a fingertip along the serpent on Zack’s neck. “I’ve never heard of five people getting marked at once. That’s pretty cool.”
Then she let go and bounced towards the door. “Come on. I got to show you where your new home is.”
A home. Sephiroth looked at the others. Aeris and Cloud were smiling tiredly, Zack grin was bright, and even Vincent looked a little pleased.
Home.
They were safe for now, and Sephiroth was content to let things be like that for a while. Now was time to rest and recover.
They had two years to catch up on, and he planned on enjoying it.
Chapter wordcount: 3,395
Book One wordcount: 53,638
Tada~ Hope you guys enjoy it.
Do you recognize the names of the people that are mentioned in this story? I'll glee if you do. *grins*
So, here we are.
Beta'd by
aikonamikaChapter One: Escape
Interlude One
Chapter Two: Clean Up
Interlude Two
Chapter Three: On the Run
Interlude Three-Part One
Interlude Three-Part Two
Interlude Three-Part Three
Interlude Three-Part Four
Chapter Four: Plans Begin
Interlude Four-Part One
Interlude Four-Part One
Chapter Five: In The Inn
Interlude Five
Chapter Six: Sanctuary
November 1994
She had been waiting, lurking in the trees. Had been a lot of work to get away from her guards, but she had been doing that since she was seven. She was the great ninja Yuffie, after all. And today, she was on a mission.
The text just a day ago had been unexpected. She hadn’t heard from the one Shin-Ra man that she liked in almost a year, but she did know that something big was going on long before he contacted her. Her dad had been closeted with his advisors for a bit, and they had been going over spy reports. Including one that Sephiroth had vanished from Shin-Ra. True or not, it had represented an opportunity. They had been waiting for more information before deciding anything, but Yuffie knew that if Sephiroth had left Shin-Ra, the main reason that Wutai lost would be gone. So she was all for him leaving.
Then Zack had sent her a message. She hadn’t recognize the number, but he called her Treasure Princess, and only one person knew that nickname.
So here she was, waiting and lurking, hoping to see them soon. The birds she had liberated where on a farm near here, so all she had to do was wait.
It was going to be good to see Zack again. He had a way of getting all the good stuff, and she knew she was good enough now to get it away from him. Besides, she had missed him. He had spent more time with her than some of her family, and had been...nice. He had protected her, even when he didn’t have to. While Yuffie wouldn’t admit she couldn’t take care of herself, she had been happy for that. It made her feel good to know that someone was like that for her even without knowing who she was. Though he had eventually figured it out, but he never changed how he acted with her, even if she was the Princess. She had appreciated that.
Now, it was her turn to help him. He had said they were running from Shin-Ra, that the company had hurt someone he cared for a lot. And that he -trusted- in her, and knew she could help. Heady stuff for an young girl. Especially from a cute older guy. And Yuffie remembered how cute he was, even if it had been a few years since she had seen him.
Movement caught her attention, and she noticed a dark haired man walking down the road. The hair was flat, and the clothes were different, but she still recognize him. It was all in the walk and the eyes. Even from here, she could see that they were unusual. Wutian ninjas were well trained in spotting that glow. Waiting, she lunged at him as he got close, giving out a battle cry that might have sounded a bit like a squeal of joy.
Zack started, but he caught her easily, and Yuffie wrapped him in a full body hug. “It’s you! I can’t believe you’re here and not hiding better. Dad still wants someone to kill you, but nobody is going to get me to stab you in the back. What did you do to your hair? How did you get it to lay down like that? Magic? It would probably take magic and -glue-.” Mouth going a million miles a moment, she huffed when he began to laugh and gave her a hug back.
“It’s good to see you as well, Yuffie.” He rested a hand on her head. “Everything going okay for you?”
She was about to answer when she caught movement from the corner of her eye, and Sephiroth seemed to melt out from the trees around them. There were others, but she was focused on Sephiroth. Sort of. She managed to squirm around so she was on Zack’s back, and he was between her and the....pink haired man.
Eyes going wide, she began to laugh. The great warrior Sephiroth, Demon of Wutai, had -pink- hair. Still clinging to Zack, she pointed at the tall man and managed to get out the word “pink” between fits of giggles.
“I told you it was pink,” was all Sephiroth had to say.
However Godo had expected his day to go, this was not it. They knew that Shin-Ra was hunting for Sephiroth, finally having gotten the reports back from more spies. It was kept quiet, but Shin-Ra had lost their prized little fighter. That had been excellent news. Nobody knew where Sephiroth had gone, though, and that was not so excellent news. A fighter of that caliber was not something that one wanted running around without anyone knowing where he was. A few discreet inquiries said that Sephiroth wasn’t the only one missing, either. Another of their 1st Classes was gone as well. Godo remembered the man. He had lead several slaughters in Wutai, including almost an entire fort full of ninjas. Though he wasn’t sure what to think of that one. He never touched civilians, only the ones who attacked him first.
Still, that meant there were two of the best fighters of Shin-Ra’s super elite SOLDIER program were missing, and he had no idea where they had gone. Though it seemed as if Shin-Ra didn’t either. Well, good. They could look for them all they wanted, and he could concentrate on figuring out what he could offer them to get them to stay away from Shin-Ra. Had no desire for them to return, and if they were out of the way, he might be able to fully start the rebellion and throw Shin-Ra and their greedy fingers out of his country.
He had not expected to have one of the messengers run into the room as if he was on fire and stand there, panting for a moment, obviously trying to calm himself. Then he looked at Godo, eyes wide.
“Princess Yuffie has captured Sephiroth and four others.”
Oh, he had to be kidding. “What?”
“They are heading this way. She’s...riding on one of them.” The messenger shook his head. “Sephiroth had made some effort at hiding who he was, but some of the ninja recognize him still.”
“Of all the....” He shook his head. “Call in my guard, and let the others know to not start a fight. Bring them here, and we’ll figure out what to do from there.”
The man nodding, and went out. This once, Godo would forgive the rather frantic face the man had presented. It was General Sephiroth, the Demon of Wutai himself, being walked up the main street. Godo was surprise he wasn’t hearing more panic in the streets. Though why....
Godo suddenly smiled. He knew why Sephiroth was here, and he had a good idea of who his daughter was forcing to carry her. She wasn’t nearly as sneaky as she thought, especially when she was younger, and he had the reports of her interaction with that SOLDIER.
So they came here for sanctuary. In giving it, he knew it would be an overt challenge to the rule Shin-Ra thought they had here, and war would start earlier than later. It would be dangerous to do, especially as they weren’t ready for it yet. However, the opportunity to gain such powerful fighters, well....
Two SOLDIERs. With two, his scientists might be able to find out the method of how they were created. Or at least get an idea of where the notes might be for the process.
He would have to come at it carefully. Nothing forced, as much as he wanted to have it now, he knew if he angered them, those two alone could do massive damage to his power structure here. And the last three, he had no idea of what they were capable of. But a barter and trade...well, he could do that. They were bringing war upon his country if he allowed them to stay. They had better do their best to make it worth the risk.
Smiling, Godo gestured for another of his messengers to come to him, absently making sure that Leviathan was in the proper spot. He had people he needed gathered, and plans to quickly put together.
This was hard.
Walking through the main city of Wutai had been hard as well. Getting through Wutai had been difficult, but Sephiroth had kept away from most people. Zack had blended in to a scary degree, and he never realized just how much his friend looked like the native people here. Vincent also didn’t have much issue. Both of them had dark hair and didn’t hesitate to get some clothing that matched the local outfits. Cloud and Aeris stood out more. Brown hair wasn’t so common here, especially that pale of brown, but neither of them stood out like Sephiroth. And given his rather unique looks, cat eyes and the silver undertone that still showed through the dye, it was far too likely that someone who he had fought in the past would see him and know who he is.
Yuffie had done her best to take them around in a way to keep from any big towns, or anyplace she knew where there were ninjas patrolling. Sephiroth was impressed that she had done such a good job.
Then they had come to capital, and there was no more hiding.
The moment they hit the wall, Yuffie had parked herself on Zack’s back, refusing to move, and making him carry her. It was easy to see that it helped keep the guards from stabbing any of them automatically, so neither Sephiroth nor Zack commented too much on it. Instead, Zack just adjusted his balance and carried her.
They were walked right to the doors of the palace, where they were met by Godo. The man said nothing, just looked at the guards around them all, and walked. It only took a few comments, and Sephiroth and the others followed. They came to a large area, and were escorted to the side.
“Sit,” was the only order that was given to Sephiroth. He obeyed and there he stayed. Then Godo’s plan became clear.
Shifting, Sephiroth watched as Aeris struggled to keep up the fight with the ninja set against her. Vincent had said there would be a test, but he didn’t imagine it was this. Him fighting, yes. But watching the others with him go up against highly trained ninjas while he did nothing....
Aeris was struggling already, and Sephiroth could tell the man she was facing was holding back. But the girl never had to fight normally. She just a little to deal with the few monsters and occasional wannabe mugger. She was not a trained fighter, and he dearly wanted to call off the fight. But part of the test was for him to do nothing. Instead, he had to sit there as watch as Aeris’s strikes got slower and slower as she tired out.
This was the last fight. Vincent had drawn even with his battle against the one called Chekhov. Zack had faced Staniv and won, but he was tired. Cloud had lost against his opponent, but it was expected since the teen was still recovering from far too long in the labs. And now Aeris was facing the last of the set. These were special fighters. Sephiroth could tell that just by how they interacted, and he would have to find out who they were later. He had to watch this for now.
While he knew that she wouldn’t be killed, Sephiroth’s heart still clenched as he saw Aeris slowly losing this fight. Then, with a flurry of strikes, it was over. She was sitting sprawled on the ground, her staff off to the side, and panting.
Godo’s eyes were on him, and Sephiroth forced himself to relax. Zack was instantly in the ring the moment Aeris was down, and offering her his hand.
Now the bargaining would happen.
They waited until Zack had brought Aeris back over, the woman leaning on his arm and obviously winded. She settled down with a grateful look. Then Sephiroth focused his attention on Lord Godo.
For a moment, there was only silence as drinks were served, and once the servants faded back again, the leader of Wutai looked at each of them.
“You wish for me to risk open war with Shin-Ra again so that you may live free from them. Tell me, why should I do that?”
Sephiroth shook his head. “You would have started a war with them soon or later regardless. There is no guarantee that they will start a fight with you. While they won, the battle was long and drained quite a few resources they had. And, honestly, they won nothing that justified the war. There are no mako reactors here, no profit. They continue to lose money simply by keeping what troops they do have here. It would take a lot to make Shin-Ra start a war, at least until they recover the losses from the last one.” He looked steadily at Godo.
“There is also the fact that if we were allowed to stay, you would have the bragging rights of having stolen some of their best fighters.” Sephiroth’s voice was calm, with no sign of bragging. It was simply the truth. He was the best fighter Shin-Ra had, and Zack was not far behind. “The fact that their best known SOLDIER abandoned Shin-Ra to go to Wutai will also make some of the more recently acquired areas to try regaining their freedom, and that will simply add more fires for Shin-Ra to focus on. Which they will need to deal with before they could focus on you again. Even they aren’t as foolish as to leave spots of rebellion active far closer to Midgar. They’ve been focusing on Fort Condor since Wutai fell and the soldiers at the fort decided to rebel.”
He saw Godo studying him, and wondered what the man was going to ask next.
“Leviathan devours those who swear false oaths. Would you swear an oath to serve Wutai, and to never return to the service of Shin-Ra? It is not a simple set of words. You will be marked by Leviathan, each of you.” The man smirked faintly. “It would be a great honor for you. Normally, only those of great trust and honor are marked by the Great Serpent.”
Sephiroth looked at the others, then back at Godo. “What would be...required in this marking?”
“Oh, nothing complicated,” Godo said, amusement clear in his face. “You simply hold the summon of Leviathan, and if he deems you worthy, he leaves a simple mark on your skin. After that, you are part of Wutai. Though if he find you lying to him about your intentions, all the water of your body will vanish.” Which was lethal, but he was sure that Sephiroth and his companions could figure that out. “One has to be willing to submit to the will of Leviathan for this to work. Would you be willing?”
Another glance at the others, and Sephiroth got faint nods from each of them. “All right,” he looked at Godo again. “I’m willing.”
“Me, too,” added Zack, and slowly each of them agreed, even Vincent. The man had traveled with them so far, and Sephiroth was pleased in a vague way that he had decided to stay. Cloud was fond of him, and seemed to relax when the man was around. Given that it sounded as if Vincent had been the only means of support that the blond had had for a while, Sephiroth could understand.
Once the others agreed, Sephiroth looked at Godo again. The man nodded, and then pulled the summon loose. Around them, the four people that the others had fought early shifted, and Sephiroth tensed to their movement. They were ready to fight if Sephiroth tried to take the summon. He could see that they were very serious about this, and forced himself to relax. When Godo offered it to him, Sephiroth took the glowing materia, and curled his fingers around it.
As he did, it suddenly went bright, almost blinding. Shutting his eyes, Sephiroth felt....something. He didn’t know what it was, just as if someone very, very strong and very old was petting him on his head and telling him to run along. It was very...odd.
Then there was a flare of pain on the back of his right shoulder, and there was a growl from Zack from the side. It cut off when Sephiroth shook his head, the pain fading as quickly as it had come. With a shaking hand, he dropped the materia back into Godo’s hand. “What was that?”
The ruler of Wutai just chuckled. “You just got the approval of Leviathan. Let us go through the others, and we will decide what to do with each of you.”
Zack was next, and when he held it, Sephiroth suddenly realized what that pain was on his back. When Zack went tense from the pain, he pressed a hand to the back of his neck. When he pulled it down, Sephiroth could see there was a new mark, dark violets and black, with swirls of green marks. It looked like a tattoo of a finned serpent, only much more vibrant in color than any of those marks he had seen before.
“That was fucking weird,” Zack muttered. Aeris was next, and her mark was easy to see, a curl of another of those serpents around her arm, in pale yellows and dark greens, fins spread in a pattern that reminded Sephiroth of her flowers. Cloud and Vincent’s, he didn’t see. Cloud just pressed a hand to the center of his chest and Vincent rolled his left shoulder.
Once it was done, Godo handed the materia to the man Vincent had fought, and the four vanished behind a screen. “Well, none of you died,” he said, looking at the mark on Aeris’s arm. “And each of you are marked now. Welcome to Wutai. With your help, we will make her strong again.” He looked at them, eyes moving from one to the other. “The House of Byakko has been empty since the war ended. Yuffie, take them there.” He looked at them, meeting Sephiroth’s eyes.
“We will have much to talk about, Sephiroth, including things such as how SOLDIERs are created and what secrets that Shin-Ra has that might be of use to us. You are part of our court now, and Leviathan has accepted you. Do not be surprised if his people are slower to be so accepting. Still, he had marked you, and you are welcomed to my home. If anyone troubles you, bring it to my attention. It is obvious that our god has plans for you, and it is not for us to try to disrupt them.” The man stood, nodding at each of them.
“Yuffie will show you where to go, and I will have servants bring you what you need. The House of Byakko has not been used since the last warrior chosen to by Leviathan lived there with his family. With your eyes, I wonder if he didn’t chose you long ago and it simply took you this long to find us.” He nodded at them.
“Welcome to your new home.”
With that, the man left, and Yuffie squealed and reattached herself to Zack. Which made Sephiroth chuckle, given the look on Zack’s face. Yuffie didn’t seem to notice, and just traced a fingertip along the serpent on Zack’s neck. “I’ve never heard of five people getting marked at once. That’s pretty cool.”
Then she let go and bounced towards the door. “Come on. I got to show you where your new home is.”
A home. Sephiroth looked at the others. Aeris and Cloud were smiling tiredly, Zack grin was bright, and even Vincent looked a little pleased.
Home.
They were safe for now, and Sephiroth was content to let things be like that for a while. Now was time to rest and recover.
They had two years to catch up on, and he planned on enjoying it.
Chapter wordcount: 3,395
Book One wordcount: 53,638
Tada~ Hope you guys enjoy it.
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-- sanctumsfw@LJ.com
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So it was mostly just a battle to get a place to call home, and so they don't have to keep traveling around and can actually settle down.
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I'll be excited to read the next part whenever it comes out!