Chapter Text
Sephiroth rolls his shoulders and opens his eyes. The room is not familiar to him, though he knows it must have once been.There are a few picture frames on bookshelves with two men, but he can’t be bothered to try and remember them. He assumes he must have once been somewhat close to them, but they no longer matter.
They aren’t Cloud Strife, and Cloud Strife and Mother are the only ones who matter.
Fortunately there is a laptop on a desk and Masamune resting on a sword rack. The only misfortune of focusing so much on his puppet while in the Lifestream is that his memories of his life at Shinra are all but non-existent. The laptop should be able to give him at least some information, and should be able to help him locate his puppet. He thinks he had been high ranking when at Shinra which should give him access to who works at the company.
His Mother is likely not in it, though he can’t recall why that is. It doesn’t truly matter, because Reunion will always guide him to her. It’s just a pity that his puppet hadn’t given his or Mother’s cells yet, making it impossible for him to use Reunion to call Cloud to him. That would simplify things and allow him to leave Midgar within the day.
He sits down and his eyebrow twitches slightly at the computer’s request for a password.
Ah. That could be a minor issue.
How does he reset that…
Alright. At the present his puppet is barely fifteen and in the Infantry. He’s failed the SOLDIER exam three times for reasons that seem to be more due to mental health issues than physical fitness. That isn’t exactly much of a surprise...the unfortunate detail is Cloud’s age. He had forgotten just how much younger than him Cloud happened to be. From checking his own record, at the present he should be twenty one and Shinra’s SOLDIER General.
Though the additional issue of how to give his Cloud his enhancements remains since he can’t really remember how Strife got them in the first place. Maybe repeated transfusions of his blood would work? And once he reached Mother some of her’s? Since handing him over to Science feels wrong. And completely enraging for reasons he can no longer remember, beyond a general desire to slaughter them all.
He should probably get on that if nothing else.
He frowns up at his office ceiling, resisting the urge to glare at it as he thinks. He feels like he should know where Mother is. The location feels like it’s on the tip of his tongue, but Reunion doesn’t seem to be in effect. Then again, up until his first resurrection he hadn’t been able to use Reunion on anything...Well he also hadn’t exactly needed to use Reunion for anything either.
...Why does he feel like he could have used Reunion on something here? Just didn’t know how to?
Whatever. He doesn’t need Reunion to find his puppet.
He can just access his Cloud’s records.
Cloud opens his eyes and sees the almost relieving sight of his former barrack’s ceiling. It’s a sight he hasn’t seen in almost fifteen years, and one that fifteen years ago he’d be borderline depressed seeing, but now is a relief.
Seeing it meant that he’d successfully sent himself back to the past. Somehow.
Gaia itself had some sort of hand in it, but not the only hand in it. He’d definitely gotten a sense of something that was both other and familiar, and it’s going to bother him until he can figure it out. Especially since it weirdly enough made him think of his Ma .
In hindsight there’s a lot of questions he should have asked his Ma and never did, like who he Da was, and who his grandparents were. Well now that he’s back in time he can do that...she’s still alive now.
That makes him grin. His Ma is alive . His Ma is alive and he needs to make sure she stays that way.
He isn’t entirely sure how, but he’ll figure out a way.
He’d known there was a very high chance that the Sephiroth of his time period would be in the past. After all, the entire point of him going back in time was to stop Sephiroth from destroying the Planet. Now he knows for sure Sephiroth, his Sephiroth, is also in the past. Since. Well. Sephiroth is being Sephiroth.
He had not realized that Sephiroth would have no issue with being himself towards him while he looks underage .
Thankfully, other people seem to take issue with that.
Like Commander Rhapsodos.
Commander Rhapsodos, who is perfectly fine with letting him hide behind him. Thank Freyr the man is taller and slightly broader than him.
“Sephiroth, what the hell is wrong with you?!” Commander Rhapsodos demands. “Why are you bothering a trooper?”
Cloud can tell he wants to add, an underage one at that , but suspects Rhapsodos won’t since he doesn’t exactly know his age. For all Rhapsodos knew he could just be a very babyfaced eighteen year old.
In a weird way he’s technically a very babyfaced thirty year old due to time travel and being shoved into his fifteen year old body, but that’s a different issue. Sephiroth is arguably a thirty six year old suffering from delusions of godhood and severe mommy issues instead of a twenty something year old pretty Shinra poster boy.
“I just need to speak with Trooper Strife,” Sephiroth says and nope. Cloud does not want to have any sort of conversation with him. Not when the first thing he’d done was do the creepy shoulder touch thingy and called him ‘puppet’.
“Would this talk be something I’d need to warn HR about?” Rhapsodos snarks, continuing to keep himself between Sephiroth and Cloud. Cloud can't help but be grateful to that. “Or alert Angeal to?” Cloud thinks he can see fire flickering slightly in Rhapsodos’s hand. He feels like he has a vague memory that Shinra’s Red Commander had been known for his use of fire materia.
And for throwing fireballs at people who’ve annoyed him.
“Out of my way,” Sephiroth orders.
“Not until you explain why you need to talk about anything with a trooper,” Rhapsodos says. “Especially after touching him like that.”
Technically touching someone on the shoulder isn’t that weird. The fact Sephiroth is radiating his standard creepy energy towards him and calling him ‘puppet’ is probably what’s making it weird.
Which, with him technically being fifteen again is going to cause a lot of issues and raise a lot of eyebrows.
Cloud misses whatever Sephiroth says next, only that Commander Rhapsodos flicks a fireball into his hand.
“I’m going to be blunt. Back off now Sephiroth or else I’m getting Angeal involved at minimum, and probably Lazard as well.”
Sephiroth just narrows his eyes at Commander Rhapsodos, but apparently the threat of a fireball, possibly getting Commander Hewley involved, and whoever Lazard is involved, is enough to get Sephiroth to back off.
Thank Freyr.
“Thank you Sir,” Cloud says, not entirely sure what to do now. His rounds? Does he have class today? Honestly, he can’t remember. He’d forgotten to check his schedule before leaving the barracks and why are his hands shaking, Sephiroth has been like this to him before!?
Commander Rhapsodos studies him thoughtfully. “Trooper Strife, just how old are you?”
“Fifteen Sir,” he says, tilting his head slightly in a way Zack once told him made him think of a kitten. “Why?”
“Goddess’s sake Sephiroth,” Commander Rhapsodos grumbles instead, rubbing at his forehead. “Alright, you’re coming with me. I’ll alert your squad leader, but in light of this I’m a bit leery of leaving you somewhere where Sephiroth may be able to have access to you, and with people who haven’t witnessed, well, that .” He grimaces.
Cloud gives Rhapsodos a wary look, making the man grimace more. Obviously it hadn’t occurred to him how that could come across especially after that. Like Cloud didn’t really have any worries that it would be like that, but he shouldn’t go anywhere with another SOLDIER right after being arguably sexually harassed by their leader.
“I have a boyfriend and you are much, much too young for my interest Strife,” Rhapsodos says. He looks thoughtfully at him. “How about this? I’ll request Second Class Fair to join us. He’s only a couple of years older than you. You may have even met him before, I know he does some training with troopers.”
Cloud honestly can’t remember if Modeoheim had been the first time he’d met Zack or not, and since Commanders Rhapsodos and Hewley are still around it has to be at least a few days before the men and half of SOLDIER will defect.
“Okay,” Cloud says slowly. It’s still probably safer than doing whatever it is he’s supposed to do and possibly get grabbed by Sephiroth. “I don’t remember if I have, but that should be okay.”
And hopefully between Commander Rhapsodos and Zack, Sephiroth could at least be slowed down.
“I’m sorry Sephiroth was what ?” Angeal gapes at Genesis, and then glances over at the fifteen year old dozing on his boyfriend’s office couch, head on Zack’s thigh. Zack is asleep as well, head tilted back in a way Genesis knows Zack will regret when he wakes up.
“Harassing Trooper Strife, who is underage by Midgar standards,” Genesis repeats. “And while normally I’d assume it’s just him being socially stunted, Sephiroth isn’t exactly known for getting touchy feely even with us , let alone some fifteen year old I don’t think he’s ever met before. And whatever he said to Strife, which I couldn't quite hear, seemed to freak him out as well.”
Angeal looks as disturbed as Genesis feels. They’d never had any indication before that Sephiroth may be like that, but now based on how he acted towards Strife, Genesis has Concerns. Concerns that he suspects Angeal also now has.
“Now, I’m going to push through paperwork with Lazard to allow me to take on Strife as an apprentice, since that will also allow me to put him up in my spare bedroom,” he adds. “That way we don’t have to worry about Strife ‘vanishing’ from the barracks, which I think is now a concern, or at least now is a concern for me .”
“Yeah…” Angeal grimaces. “Also, can you apprentice a trooper?”
“I can if he has an aptitude for materia and has a history of taking the SOLDIER exams,” Genesis says. “He’s technically been failing due to mental health reasons, but said mental health reasons sound suspiciously like isolation and bullying issues. Also possibly touch starvation which...further worries me in terms of Strife and Sephiroth interacting. I’ll send him to a therapist, which frankly should be done anyway. He does have ridiculously high materia scores, which I’m surprised hasn’t been brought to mine or Eanna’s attention.”
Angeal narrows his eyes. “That doesn’t make any sense. Since when can candidates fail for mental health reasons? We’d honestly lose a good third of SOLDIER if that was an actual restriction.”
“Oh good, I’m not the only one to find that suspicious as well,” Genesis drawls. “Between that and how neither Eanna or I have been told about his materia scores, that means something is going on. I want to take a look at what type of missions he’s done as a trooper as well. Since even if they were keeping him out of SOLDIER for mental health reasons and maybe a concern of the enhancements aggravating it, there’s no reason Eanna shouldn’t have been told, especially if he got sent to Infantry instead. As is, if I don’t get approval, I’ll reach out to Eanna and have her specifically apprentice him and move him into her and her wife’s apartment. Honestly I was almost tempted to just do that anyway since they live off-site.”
“What are you checking specifically in his missions?” Angeal asks.
“If he’s been doing easy, regular, or hard missions,” Genesis says. “And I suspect the answer will be ‘easy’.”
“Oh?”
“Well, who does Strife look an awful lot like?”
Angeal studies the teen and...
“Ah. Shit.”
“Yes. I’d imagine even he’d not want his own child in the possible hands of Science thus explaining him not being allowed in SOLDIER, and since Strife came to work for the company rather than asked for child support or something like that, he would possibly get easy missions instead of potentially painful death.”
“...What.”
“Let’s leave it that Lazard is an anomaly and now Strife may be too, and it’s in part because no one’s been asking for any sort of support.”
“Why do you even know that?”
“Because unlike you, I pay attention to gossip. And Lazard while drunk.”
“...Genesis please do not spy on our boss while he’s drunk.”
“It is not spying when he’s drunk and bitching in part because Rufus is being a prat.”
“ Genesis .”
Lazard stares silently at the request in front of him from Genesis, along with the report concerning Sephiroth’s, well, concerning actions as directed towards Cloud Strife. That sort of interest from an adult towards a teen reminds him of things his mother had warned him of when he lived in the slums. And makes him immediately willing to throw Sephiroth’s similar request in the trash. That’s something Genesis wouldn’t lie about; the report sounded like the man was too disturbed for it to be some weird aspect of their rivalry.
However what is more confusing is Rufus’s request for custody of Strife based on familial grounds . Did they have a younger brother? How would Rufus even know this already? Are the Turks only telling Rufus things again and no one else?
Sometimes he’s jealous of how loyal they are to Rufus when compared to SOLDIER and himself. He’d briefly toyed with the idea of using SOLDIER in the past to take over the company and immediately abandoned the idea. It’s not so much that SOLDIER is particularly loyal to the company, but they are loyal to the Trinity. And at the end of the day they’re about as loyal to him as they are to anyone in the company not a SOLDIER.
Still...he grabs his phone and taps in Rufus’s number. It rings once.
“He’s our nephew, not our brother,” Rufus says, not even letting him get the question out.
“I’m sorry what?” Lazard says, leaning back in his chair.
“We have an older sister, one Claudia Strife . Up until I was born apparently she was the company heir and still is in line after me,” he adds. “Her son Cloud is technically in line after her. The only reason our Father hasn’t yanked him out of the Infantry is because Claudia’s status as the oldest Shinra child is not known, and giving Cloud some managerial job after applying for SOLDIER would make it obvious there’s something going on with him.”
“We have an older sister,” Lazard says flatly, ignoring the fact that Rufus technically shouldn’t even know they’re related. He’d never said anything, but then again, the Turks likely ran DNA tests on everyone who worked in the company. “And even though it sounds like she’s illegitimate, she’s still in line to inherit the company?” Seriously ?
“Yeah. Which has always confused me since she grew up in poverty and so did Cloud but apparently there was some sort of agreement with Skye Strife, Claudia Strife’s mother.”
Lazard stares incredulously at his phone, since that sounds an awful lot like their father had offered someone child support. Their father, who had literally had people shot for trying to get money out of him on the basis of being his child. And it had been rejected .
“Don’t think too hard about it, I know it’s confusing,” Rufus says after he doesn’t respond for a good thirty seconds. “But it’s how it is. Inheritance goes me, Claudia, Cloud, and then you.”
“Wait what?”
“You...you do realize our Father’s been aware you’re one of his bastard sons since like, a week after you were hired right? That’s how you made Director so quickly. And since you’ve shown yourself to be competent, you ended up in line to potentially inherit if something went ridiculously wrong and me, Claudia, and Cloud ended up dying.”
Lazard rubs at the bridge of his nose.
He’d always planned on if he did do a hostile takeover claiming he deserved the President’s position on the basis of being older than Rufus. Claudia’s existence would ruin that argument, since by that logic she should have the company. She’s even mentioned in the will as getting the position of second heir due to being the oldest illegitimate child.
On the other hand, she’s never worked for Shinra so maybe…
“Why didn’t she ever work at the company?” he asks, honestly confused by the woman who’s apparently their sister and was willing to live in poverty rather than try to claim anything from their father.
“Didn’t want to,” Rufus says, and he can all but hear Rufus shrugging. “That’s what Father said and seeing as he seemed kind of annoyed at the fact... There also seems to have been... something involving Skye Strife according to Veld when I asked about it, but he wouldn’t go into detail. Possibly pride on both Claudia and her mother’s side of things between not accepting child support or working at the company thing.”
Something then occurs to Lazard.
“Why are you asking for custody of Strife? He’s been here for a year, and if the President left him in Infantry to avoid someone realizing Strife’s his grandson…”
“Sephiroth’s actions towards him,” Rufus says, and Lazard can almost sense something tightly controlled in his younger brother. Possibly rage. “I am not allowing our nephew to be in a position where Sephiroth can get easy access to him, and the barracks are easy access.”
“How did you hear about that?”
“Really?” Rufus asks flatly.
…Alright, that was a stupid question, since. Turks .
“Commander Rhapsodos is requesting to apprentice Strife and move him into his apartment. He’s the one who alerted me to the situation at hand as well, apparently very disturbed by Sephiroth’s actions,” Lazard says, tapping his fingers against his desk. “Wouldn’t letting Strife move in there be a good method of making sure he’s protected from Sephiroth, along with keep it hidden that he’s the President’s grandson?”
“At this point it’s safer for our relationship to the Strifes to be public knowledge. Father has agreed with me on that, you aren’t actually the first call that’s been made,” Rufus says. “It’s fine for Rhapsodos to apprentice him, and based on Cloud’s materia scores even justifiable. I’ll ‘handle’ our Father if he complains about Cloud eventually joining SOLDIER, and if our sister has an issue with it I’ll suggest he go into the Materia Specialists under Eanna’s command.”
“That should work,” Lazard says slowly.
“I know. So let’s set it up and be on our way.”
“I’m sorry, who is getting who?” Genesis asks, already on his phone to demand answers from Lazard upon his application’s partial rejection.
“Rufus is being granted custody of Trooper Cloud Strife for the time being,” Lazard says patiently, “due to familial relations. Strife is apparently the President’s grandson and thus Rufus’s nephew. He apparently caught wind of the situation with Sephiroth and did not want him anywhere near Strife. I suspect that you and he shared a concern; Strife ‘vanishing’ from the Infantry barracks.
“On the other hand, your request for Strife to be your apprentice has been approved. Rufus says he will ‘handle’ the matter with his Father if he has any complaints. I could actually hear the quotation marks in his voice when he said ‘handle’ which is...admittedly a bit ominous.”
Genesis blinks.
“I’m sorry, the President made his grandson be in the Infantry?” His eyes narrow. “Wait, is that why Strife has been failing the SOLDIER exams based on mental health when we all know a good third of SOLDIER would have failed if that was the case?” Including honestly Sephiroth and himself. Angeal was the only stable one of the three of them.
“Yes. As you may have discovered when looking through Strife’s mission records, and don’t pretend you haven’t, I know you Rhapsodos, he’s always sent on easy missions. Things like guarding the villa in Costa del Sol. Per Rufus it’s been done to keep Strife alive and keep his status as the President’s grandson hidden.”
“Why would he care ?” Genesis asks, genuinely mystified. “Everyone knows the President isn’t exactly a family man.”
“Because he’s in line to inherit the company, not that Strife is probably even aware of that,” Lazard says and what ? “And apparently based on how Skye Strife, Trooper Strife’s grandmother is literally the only person who the President has ever offered child support to, though she turned it down, that implies there was something more there.”
...What the hell ?
“So to reiterate. Rufus has custody of Strife, but your mentorship has been approved, and how the hell it’s going to work with him becoming an actual SOLDIER is technically up in the air, though arguably he could easily transfer into the Materia Specialists if needed.”
No fair, if he trains someone he should get to keep them .
“Now, from what you said earlier Strife is at your office. Tseng is on his way to pick Strife up and take him to Rufus’s apartment. Make sure he’s ready to go.”
Rufus bites back a sigh at the suspicious look Strife is giving him. It would make his life so much easier if Claudia had ever mentioned technically being a Shinra. He knows that his Father ignores the existence of the vast majority of his bastards, but Claudia Strife had been the one he’d acknowledged. And he knows she knows.
He has so many questions about his Father’s former relationship with Skye Strife. So many.
“Look, I’m your uncle, not someone interested in harassing you the way Sephiroth seems to be intent on,” Rufus finally says, exasperated. “Yes, I know we’re close in age, but your mother is also the oldest of my siblings. And had you young,” he adds.
“What.” Strife asks flatly.
“You’re my nephew,” Rufus says. “My Father and your grandmother had a relationship at some point about thirty four or so years ago. Your mother is the result of that. You are the result of a teen pregnancy. Do the math.”
Cloud blinks and looks very, very surprised. Which is admittedly an understandable reaction. He’d be very surprised too if he was told he was the illegitimate grandson of the most powerful man in the world.
(Cloud suddenly has so many questions for the Rufus of his timeline. So many.)
Vincent Valentine wakes up to his coffin’s lid being moved and a woman who looks incredibly like Cloud staring at him. He blinks at her, not entirely sure how to react. Chaos had just sent him back almost fifteen years into the past in an effort to deal with Jenova and hopefully locate Cloud who he knew was also sent back.
The woman he can only assume is Cloud’s mother (he could swear Cloud once mentioning her name was Claudia) grins. Her eyes are as bright blue as her son’s.
The first thing she says is honestly something he should have expected out of a Strife.
“Do you want to commit arson?”
(Ah. So that’s where Cloud gets it)