Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Us And Them ❯ Chapter 2: A Place To Call Home ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: A Place To Call Home

 

“Ah, you're awake,”

 

The dark-haired man looked around groggily. What had happened? Then he remembered. Two days after he and Sephiroth appeared at the door of his former co-worker, the professor had offered to operate on Vincent, this time to undo the damage that Hojo had caused.

 

“I was able to fix some of the things that Hojo did to you,” Gast stepped into view, holding up four small materia orbs, “He apparently exposed you to contaminated mako. Definitely not a good thing. He also fused you with these sub-par summoning materia. You'd think these things were made in some third-world country, they're so shoddy…”

 

Vincent licked his lips, trying to speak, but found himself too weak to use his voice.

 

“Your eyes, as a result,” the professor continued, “Are now back to their normal color. Also, there was something about those summons that stopped the process of mitosis. That is the reason you never aged during those seven years. I also removed that claw from your arm. I have to say- that thing was like a shackle! I had a hell of a time getting it off!”

 

Vincent absently moved the fingers of his left hand.

 

“However,” Gast went on, “the mako and Jenova enhancements are there to stay. In fact, you might possibly be better off in the end, as they may protect you from your enemies. How do you feel?”

 

“W…water…” Vincent managed to say.

 

Gast nodded as he went over to the sink and began to fill one of his measuring cups.

 

 

“What are these?”

 

Ifalna frowned at the boy sitting at the kitchen table. “You mean to tell me you've never eaten pancakes before?”

 

“They always gave me a protein shake every morning,” Sephiroth told her, “Then I'd start training an hour later,”

 

Ifalna nodded. The boy had told her the other day that he had begun training in swordplay when he was five. Though he hadn't said much about it, the look in his eyes told her that it was the only thing he did during the day that ever gave him any real pleasure.

 

“Wow…” Sephiroth swallowed his first bite and stared at his plate in awe, “These taste…incredible,”

 

Ifalna smiled. She had beseeched the Planet, asking it Sephiroth was any part of Jenova's threat. As usual, it had left her with a cryptic answer.

 

Love…truth…will overpower her…

 

The Planet's habit of never stating anything clearly had always annoyed her, but its voice had been calm and reassuring. She knew that if the Planet didn't consider Sephiroth to be of any harm, then she didn't need to worry.

 

“Thank you for breakfast again,” Sephiroth held his empty plate, utensils and glass to her.

 

“My, you inhaled that, didn't you?” Ifalna exclaimed as she took them over to the sink to rinse them.

 

“Where's the professor?”

 

“He's been operating on Vincent since earlier this morning,” Ifalna finished rinsing and placed everything in the dishwasher, “Hojo did some terrible things to Vincent, and now Faremis is trying to fix him,”

 

“…Do you think he could fix me too?”

 

Ifalna went over to the boy and sat down next to him. “What did you want him to fix?”

 

Sephiroth ran his fingers through his silver hair. “I know it looks weird,” he sighed, “I've never met anyone else with it. Same thing with my eyes,”

 

Ifalna chuckled slightly. “Sephiroth- Vincent is being operated on because what Hojo did to him might be a danger to his health. Your hair and eyes aren't that kind of problem. Besides- I think they look lovely just the way it is. You're unique. There's nothing wrong with that,”

 

“I don't like people staring at me the way they do,” Sephiroth looked sad, “That's why I like the professor. He never looked at me that way. You don't look at me that way either,”

 

“Neither does Vincent,”

 

“But when he does look at me, he seems to get really sad,”

 

“Well, he was a good friend of your mother,” said Ifalna, “You probably remind him of her. He really misses her,”

 

“He knew Jenova??”

 

“Oh, no…” Ifalna shook her head, “Jenova was not your mother,”

 

“But Professor Hojo said-”

 

“Don't believe a word out of that man's mouth,” Ifalna interrupted him, “That man has been a thorn in my husband's side for years now. He's cheated his way through his job by cutting corners- no matter who it hurts in the process,”

 

Sephiroth looked down at the table, as if mulling over what the woman had just said.

 

Ifalna stood up. “Hmm…” she observed, “I should head over to the store and buy some groceries. Will you be all right by yourself for a while? I shouldn't be more than half an hour. Feel free to watch some TV,”

 

Sephiroth nodded and got up out of his seat as Ifalna went over to the entryway and grabbed her coat.

 

“I'll be back,” Ifalna called out, “Just stay up here until I get back,”

 

“All right,” Sephiroth answered as he turned on the TV.

 

 

“Can you stand?”

 

Vincent answered by slowly getting to his feet. Tentatively, he took a step, and then another, and then another.

 

“Must be the Jenova cells that got you recovering so quickly,” the professor marveled, “Pity that the real thing caused such a disaster so long ago,”

 

Vincent said nothing.

 

“So often I wish that I'd never gone on that expedition,” Gast sighed, “I feel partly to blame for what happened to Lucrecia. I should have never left Hojo in charge of the Jenova Project,”

 

“You're not to blame,” Vincent held up a small mirror he found, looking at his now normal brown eyes, “I should have put my foot down with Lucrecia,”

 

“The woman was stubborn,” Gast shook his head, “Ifalna reminds me a lot of her, actually,”

 

“At least I could do right by her son…though he suffered for seven years because of my self-pity,” Vincent sighed as he got dressed, “But he'll be happy with you and your wife. He already likes you,”

 

Gast looked at Vincent. “You sound as if you're going to leave him here. I thought you would take the boy with you,”

 

“I am not fit to look after Lucrecia's child,” Vincent stated, “As soon as I'm completely recovered, I'll be leaving,”

 

“Y-you can't just dump him here!” Gast sputtered, “I already have one child on the way!”

“Then I'm sure you can find him a good home,” Vincent replied as he fastened the straps of his cloak, “I can't exactly go around knocking on people's doors asking to take the boy in,”

 

“Maybe if you cut your hair and changed your outfit, people would be less afraid of you,” the professor pointed out, “Besides- it'll keep Shinra from recognizing you,”

 

“It doesn't matter,” said Vincent, “I'm not finished with Shinra yet. I'll find a way to destroy them,”

 

“By yourself?”

 

“If it comes to that, yes,”

 

“Vincent…” Gast decided to address an issue that had been bothering him for days now, “You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but…it was obvious how you and Lucrecia felt for each other. But she broke things off with you almost immediately before she became pregnant…do you think there's a chance that…?”

“There is,” Vincent nodded, “But that doesn't make a difference. If I am the boy's father, then it's even worse. I should have protected my son from Shinra. Instead, I rationalized that if Lucrecia was happy with Hojo, it didn't matter. So I took another mission far away, not even putting two and two together. By the time I came back, things had already gone to hell,”

 

“I could run a DNA test,” Gast offered.

 

“As I said- it makes no difference,” Vincent shook his head, before pulling out a single strand of his hair. “However, I know how insatiable your curiosity can be sometimes. So if you want to perform one, then knock yourself out,”

 

He handed the strand to the professor.

 

“Vincent…please reconsider-”

 

“I feel much better now,” Vincent interrupted, “So I'll be going. Thank you for everything you've done for me, and for welcoming both myself and Sephiroth into your home,”

 

“You can't just leave him here!” Gast protested, “And you're not better yet!”

 

“Trust me- it's best for him no matter who his father is,” Vincent argued.

 

He spied the claw lying on the table and grabbed it. He then walked up the stairs, not taking one look at the boy sitting in front of the TV set. He left, slamming the door behind him.

 

 

“So there's no doubt at all?” Ifalna asked the next day.

 

Gast had been up late running the DNA test. He'd found a strand of Sephiroth's hair on the couch, as he'd predicted. Thus, he was able to conduct the test without having to directly involve Sephiroth.

 

After all, the boy's had enough tests done on him to last two lifetimes…

 

“No doubt at all,” Gast sighed, “The tests were 99% conclusive,”

 

“And he had the feeling he might be the boy's father,” Ifalna said angrily, “And just left him here!”

 

“Hojo changed him,” Gast looked sad, “Vincent used to be a man of honor…or at least as much honor as a professional assassin could have. Vincent seems…broken now. He's not the same man they hired as security for the science department nine years ago,”

 

“…Yet another atrocity to add to Shinra's list,” Ifalna clenched her fists, “Forcing a man to abandon his own son…”

 

Suddenly, a crash could be heard from upstairs. The couple bolted from the room to see what had happened.

 

The reached the living room to find Sephiroth huddled in a corner. Three feet away from him lay a shattered mug.

 

“Sephiroth?” Ifalna ran over to the boy while Gast grabbed a broom and began sweeping the broken pieces of clay together. “What's wrong?”

 

The silver-haired child shut his eyes tight. I will not cry…! Crying is weak! Hojo always said that…

 

Didn't Mrs. Gast say that Hojo was a liar? A voice in the back of his mind asked him.

 

“W-why…” Sephiroth managed to ask, “Why doesn't my father want me?”

 

Gast stopped sweeping midway and looked at his wife, who laid a hand on Sephiroth's shoulder.

 

“You heard us talking?” she asked gently.

 

“Some of it…” Sephiroth admitted, “That Mr. Valentine was my father…but he was abandoning me. Why? Why can't I be like those kids outside? Like the kids on TV who have both a mother and a father? Why do I look different? And where am I going to go now?”

 

Gast and Ifalna looked at each other. Nothing more needed to be said. Both knew what would be done now.

 

“You're not going anywhere,” Ifalna reassured the boy, “You'll live here with us now. I know I can't replace your real mother, but the professor and I can take care of you from now on,”

 

“Consider us your new parents,” Gast smiled kindly as he dumped the broken pieces of the mug into the trash. He walked over to Sephiroth and Ifalna, then knelt down and ruffled the boy's hair playfully, “Though most TV parents aren't as eccentric as we are. Think you can live with a couple of oddballs?”

 

“Who's an oddball??” Ifalna pretended to glare at her husband.

 

The former test subject looked at both Gast and Ifalna. Finally, the dam broke. He threw his arms around Ifalna and began sobbing openly into her shoulder.

 

“Shh…” Ifalna reassured him, “It's all right now…welcome home, Sephiroth,”

 

 

“Have some apple cider,” Ifalna filled a small cup and handed it to Sephiroth, where he now sat on the couch.

 

“Thank you,” Sephiroth sniffled as he took the cup and began to drink the warm liquid.

 

“How do you feel?” Gast sat down next to him. Ifalna sat on the opposite side.

 

“I'm sorry about the mug…” Sephiroth said sheepishly.

 

“Don't worry about it,” Gast smiled, “The important thing is that you're all right,”

 

Sephiroth finished the cider and set the cup down on the coffee table.

 

“Things are going to be different for you from now on,” Gast told him brightly, “I think the four of us are going to be a very happy family from here on out,”

 

“Four?” Sephiroth looked puzzled.

 

“We're going to have a baby,” Ifalna confessed with a smile on her face.

 

“A baby?” Sephiroth still looked confused, “But I didn't see any tubes here,”

 

“Tubes?” Ifalna scowled.

 

“He means the tubes that the fetuses of animals created in the lab are raised in,” Gast explained, “No, there aren't any tubes here. Our baby is developing the natural way. It's inside my wife,”

 

“Inside?” Sephiroth's eyes widened as he tried to comprehend that idea.

 

“You know basic algebra and yet no one told you about the birds and the bees?” Gast chuckled.

 

“Should they have told me?”

 

“Naturally, babies grow inside the mother, near the stomach,” Ifalna told him, “In a few months, you'll start to see,”

 

“When will it come out?”

 

“In about seven months,” Gast answered, “Meaning you'll have a little brother or sister eventually,”

“Wow…” Sephiroth looked amazed.

 

Gast stood up, “If you're feeling up to it,” he said, “Why don't we all go for a walk together? The weather's a little warmer than usual today- what do you say?”

 

Sephiroth smiled for the first time since he'd arrived at his new home. “Sure,”