Chapter Text
The search was ongoing.
It had been months already and still the newest envoy had not been located. The gods of Gaia were powerful and could walk the planet on a whim if they chose to, but work never ended. Being the gears that kept life rolling, much depended on them. Each god had a human envoy that acted as their voice, their messenger, their complete representative on Gaia. Acolytes were important to keep humanity thriving every bit as much as a business needed employees or an army needed soldiers.
The envoys were long lived and nearly immortal, but ‘nearly’ was a very important word. Aging stopped in their prime and illness was nearly non existent but accidents happened, as did old fashioned murder.
In the case of the previous Envoy to War, they had died in war between Wutai and Shinra. The sudden severing of ties to the god he served had summoned the God of War himself. Sephiroth. Sephiroth who was enraged at the loss of his most loyal follower, and ended the war himself right there in that moment. Neither side won.
The victory had gone to Sephiroth alone, and a lesson taught to the mortals once more. Unfortunately it wasn’t the first time, and wouldn’t be the last. Mortals' memories were short. Not long after, the search had begun. Worshipers of Sephiroth had been given a summoning materia different from most. It came from the Lifestream itself. When they came upon the next chosen envoy, the materia would react and they would know who they would be following from that moment onward. They crossed Gaia, moving from country to country, doing whatever they could to not even skip the smallest town while children were gathered. Envoy’s were always found as children so they would then be able to grow into their role.
When papers across the planet caught wind that a new envoy was being searched for, it generally caused a ripple of excitement. The position was an honor. More often than not, it only aided in things wrapping up swiftly.
This however, did not go as planned. The troop that had been sent on the journey hadn’t yet found the child they were after, but every town they entered seemed to inflate their own self importance. They were treated so nobly to be on a quest for the gods envoy. They would make a show of collecting small groups of children at once and present the summoning materia. When nothing happened, and no child was chosen, they would wait a full day before collecting another group.
This dragged the process out tenfold, and when there were no more children they were quick to piss away several days in the same town. Still celebrating and eating and enticing the people along with their con to feel important.
Their disregard for their duty however backfired spectacularly when the god Andrea informed Sephiroth of their behavior. Andrea might have been the god of entertainers but many forgot that he was also the god of con artists. He’d sent his own envoy to clean up the matter.
When Leslie had stepped foot in Kalm the atmosphere had changed abruptly. His wrists and forehead covered in the marks that proved what he was at a glance had everyone parting for him.
He found the troop loudly drinking and eating, having the time of their lives instead of doing their job. In their drunken haze they hadn’t even given Leslie a second thought, merely treated him like a waiter and sent him for more drinks.
With a put upon sigh, Leslie slammed his hand against the table, breaking it in half with little effort. Each had been knocked back onto their asses while Leslie rifled through their things, searching for the materia that ended up being kept in a pocket instead of the spelled, and protected box they’d been given to keep it in.
“Sephiroth is not happy,” His words were spoken quietly, but it was more than enough to sober up the troop and frighten everyone else within earshot.
“Honestly! Are you guys just that dumb?”
Leslie turned, brow raised at the arrival of a second envoy. “Zack. What are you doing here?”
Zack just grinned lazily, he always seemed amazingly relaxed for a guy who had ended up being an envoy to not one, but two different gods. “Same as you. Every god across Gaia is trying to prevent Sephiroth from losing his shit. Again,” The happy go lucky look slipped off his face as he eyed the troop. “Are you stupid fuckers trying to get yourselves, and everyone around you killed?”
There were those that thought Sephiroth had over reacted when he ended the war, but the gods never reacted well in the event that their Gaian voice was killed. This search, this ceremony was sacred and they were tarnishing it.
They sputtered all kinds of excuses and promises but they fell on deaf ears as Zack and Leslie were no longer listening.
“We’re you planning to tag along?” Leslie asked, arms folded as he held the materia.
“If you don’t mind,” Zack mused. “The sooner Sephiroth is appeased, the better. Aerith can only distract him for so long.”
Leslie grunted, he couldn’t argue that. “Very well. Let’s get started.”
They’d have to start over, not knowing how thorough of a job these idiots had done but they couldn’t leave any stone unturned. Luckily, they’d be able to move far faster than the troop had.
“Sure thing,” Zack was back to grinning. “This is exciting. We should have handled it in the first place.”
Leslie just shrugged. “What shall we do with them?” He gestured vaguely at the troop who appeared to be trying to blend in with their surroundings and appear invisible. Hoping to be forgotten about was their only chance.
Zack’s smile remained. “Don’t worry about them. Vincent is coming to deal with them.”
“Ah,” Leslie felt better about that. The envoy to Chaos was creative with his punishments. Given how the troop paled, they knew it too. “Well then let’s be on our way.”
The collective sigh from the residents as they left was palpable. They’d no doubt be back, but they would start from the beginning and find this kid if it was the last thing they’d do. If they didn’t find them, it might be.”
~
Zack yawned, looking through their maps. The pair had grabbed Kunsel and a few other very loyal soldiers to Sephiroth and made their way back to the starting point to retest kids and make sure there were no missed towns or children in general.
It was disheartening how many places had been skipped over, little places that had been too small and a waste of time to the troop doing the original testing. Even Rufus’ boys had been poking around to see if they could catch wind of any decent candidates but it was just too hard of a thing to predict.
“Midgar. The grasslands. Junon. Mideel. Costa Del Sol. Gold Saucer,” He was checking off places and smaller towns. They’d been at it just under three months and had double the amount of space checked in the year the first troop had made. “It’s good progress really.”
Leslie just sat with his arms crossed. “I don’t remember it taking this long before.”
Zack snorted. “Weren’t you found in Midgar? That’s like the first stop.”
“Meh, it wasn’t Midgar then.”
“Whatever, same difference,” Zack grinned. “I was in some hick, dying town in Gongaga. You gotta look out for us little guys.”
Leslie hummed, cleaning his nails briefly. “So we leave here in the morning, where we headed next?”
“North Corel, then Nibel,” Zack said, studying the map carefully. Each place would be checked carefully, every little town visited no matter how obscure.
“Well, guess i should make sure everyone is packed, not that anyone ever really unpacks,” Leslie said, stretching briefly as he got up and then paused to look back at Zack who hadn’t answered. “What, no snark?”
He frowned, hand on Zack’s shoulder. “Zack?”
Zack’s head tilted to the side, eyes glowing softly as he zoned out.
“Ah,” Leslie released him and went back to his task. If one of Zack’s gods was talking to him, it was best to not interrupt. By the time he’d issued orders and returned, Zack was making changes to their itinerary.
“So?” Leslie was looking over his shoulder. “Not going to North Corel?”
“No, at least not now. We’ll go back to it if we have to, but Genesis says to skip it,” Zack was looking thoughtful. The order was to make sure no place was missed and not for any special reason. Going out of order didn’t have to be bad.
“What, he didn’t give more of a reason than that?” Leslie asked.
Zack shrugged. “He’s a god of prophecy, not a god of clear answers.”
Leslie actually snorted, a smile tugging at his lips. “Guess so. Nibel then.”
“Nibel,” Zack agreed, suddenly anxious to get a move on. They were doing this as a favor to Sephiroth, but Zack was excited to be a part of the process. He was almost two hundred years old now and still remembered being a little boy in his tiny town, awed when he was picked by not one, but two gods who seem to like sharing things.
He’d been nervous and enamored and could easily recall how he’d swelled with pride. He’d only been ten years old then. Someday’s it felt like another life, and other times, he could remember it so vividly as if it had just happened.
It was the same for every other envoy to the gods he’d asked.
Angeal and Genesis had been summoned by the materia reacting to him, just like the one he and Leslie now carried to find Sephiroth’s child. Leslie however, had been found by Andrea, himself.
Leslie once told him the story, he’d been picking a pocket of a rich man who wouldn’t give a donation to the orphanage he was in. Leslie thought he might help him spare a few coins. Andrea had caught him, but he hadn’t been chastised. No, Andrea had taught him to pick a pocket without being caught, just for fun.
He hoped this new kid would be able to soothe Sephiroth’s pain.
They raced off the next morning on their motorcycles, heading off towards Nibel and stopping at every town from there and in between. It got colder the closer they got but it wasn’t even winter yet. It made the thought of trekking up the mountain towns all the more unpleasant.
After six more towns of failure they pressed on, the only bright spot in the traveling being Genesis thinking they were heading in the right direction.
“Who lives in places like this?” Kunsel complained, hiking his backpack up higher onto his shoulder. “Cold. Overcast. Snow will come a month sooner here than anywhere else. Must be a bitch to import food up here.”
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way!” Zack cheered, carrying his share of their supplies. They’d had to leave their bikes in the last town and hike to this one. The roads weren’t very accommodating since a recent storm they’d had had brought down a few trees. Clean up and repairs weren't finished. It’s not like that was the town's fault, but it was sure annoying.
“What’s this place called again?” Leslie asked, looking shockingly fine in the altitude.
“Nibelheim,” Zack snickered. “It’s as bad as Gongaga.”
“And you enjoy that more than anything else. It’s another tiny, backwaters place,” Kunsel added. “But it would have to be for people to live here.”
Leslie rolled his eyes. “Just because you don’t know how to rough it doesn’t mean it’s going to be terrible. Get a move on.”
“Yes, sir.”
They really were lucky winter hadn’t come yet but the recent rains made things muddy. The town however seemed to be livable. Houses and shops were in clusters, and there was something of a town square with a water tower in the center. It was honestly more than they were expecting.
The fences were in good shape. The roofs were in great shape. People here must have really known how to bunker down for hard winters. It even looked like they’d slowly been putting in stone walkways to prevent the mud problems.
There was already a fair amount of people out gawking at both Zack and Leslie. Of course they had newspapers and knew the search was happening but the search rarely made it this far.
“I suppose we’ll locate the mayor before we can do anything,” Leslie muttered. “Must be the big house.”
“Nah, no need. He’ll come on his own. People talk ya’know,” They turned almost as a group and glanced at the little blond, chocobo haired kid with the cutest little small town accent.
“Oh i know,” Zack grinned at him. “My home was like that too. Once Mrs. Lanson heard about something, the whole town knew in minutes.”
“Yeah, that ol’ bat Sylvy saw ya coming and ran off. Didn’t even take her cane,” He paused and wandered to Kunsel, holding up a familiar thermos. “You dropped this a ways back mister.”
“Oh,” Kunsel looked at the side of his backpack where sure enough, his thermos was missing. “Oh! Thanks a lot kid.”
“Sure thing,” The kid said, wincing a little when an approaching man cleared his throat. Everyone’s attire had a bit of a western flare to it which was odd up in the mountains but this man was no different. He bowed his head to the envoys. “Welcome. We just got word you were on your way. We’ve pulled out the best accommodations we got for you as well. I’m Mayor Lockhart. Brian, please.”
“Nice to meet you, Brian!” Zack beamed. “We were just thanking this kid here for helping us out.” He glanced back in time to see the blond kid take a corner and disappear.
“Helping? Well that’s nice to hear of that one,” Mayor Lockhart said almost absently. He gestured behind him towards the large manor which was no doubt his own residence. “Please this way. I’m sure you must be in a hurry but we can offer you quite the dinner.”
“Thank you,” Leslie said, offering to shake his hand and Mayor Lockhart looked startled briefly before taking it. It wasn’t everyday someone touched by the gods showed up in town.
We thought we’d rest tonight and gather all the children tomorrow and leave afterwards if no child was picked. Agreeable?”
“Very much so. You’ll be the talk of the town for weeks, i’ll bet,” Mayor Lockhart said. It would have been nice to hear, had they not been hearing it every day for the last several months. Still, Zack had it in him to be charismatic.
“Thanks. We appreciate it. After the speed we’ve been going, a meal and rest would be great,” And hopefully phrasing it that way would mean they wouldn’t try to plan some feast or party. Zack was pro party, they just didn’t have the time now.
“If that’s what you want, then absolutely,” Mayor Lockhart said, opening the gate to his home and letting all of them pass. It was a grander place than they were expecting by name alone. This town might have been spit on the map but it must have been founded ages ago to be so substantial.
“Hi, everyone!” A small girl greeted them from the steps.
“Hi!” Zack said, matching her excitement.
“Ah, my daughter, Tifa,” Mayor Lockhart introduced, “Excuse her.”
Leslie just hummed and offered the girl a smile. “Are you looking forward to seeing the summoning materia, miss?”
Tifa beamed. “Uh huh. Everyone is. We see materia here a but never, never a special lookin’ one.”
“Well you’re in for a treat,” Zack offered, smiling a little when the mayor took her hand and led her inside with everyone else. “Your rooms are ready for you, i’ll show you myself. Dinner can be arranged within the hour.”
“Sounds great,” Kunsel sighed. All of them were wary by now and a chance to rest after having to deal with the mountain on foot was a gift they wouldn’t be ignoring.
“We got dessert too!” Tifa informed them.
“Those are some magic words, kid,” Zack laughed, following the mayor along to his room to rest. He’d been thinking about sleeping instead of eating but how could he refuse an invitation like that?
~~
Cloud sat in the grass behind his house. It was a safe zone for him. There were lots of places around town where he’d just get exasperated looks but he was fine in the safety of his own yard which backed up to the woods. He hadn’t ever really been popular but for the last year or so now he was really on the outs with the town.
His ma thought it would pass but she said things like that for him. To comfort him and boost his confidence. It was kind, and made him love her all the more, but it didn’t exactly make him feel any better.
He was a social leper and would likely just leave when he got bigger. He’d find something to do. Maybe hunting would help him somehow. He had a little tool bag next to him that his mom had helped him put together and small pieces of rope he was tying into knots. It hadn’t worked out last time, but he had no one to show him how. He’d figure it out.
If he could catch some meat, his mom would have more stuff to cook with. They weren’t starving but the same meals over and over, well… he wanted more meat.
“What are you doing?”
Cloud tensed, his already spiky hair standing on end as he looked over his shoulder at the tall, tall, super tall man with long, long silver hair pulled back at the nape of his neck. There was more that hung around his face, his very serious, nearly frowning face.
“You…” Cloud blinked but kept his eyes cast downward. “Did you arrive with the famous people? Them special ones the Mayor’s putting up.”
He hummed but didn’t get an outright answer. He just slowly came forward, circling around Cloud once before looking around the ground and sitting in the grass beside him. “What are you doing?” he repeated, looking at Cloud’s home made project.
“I’m uh…” Embarrassment filled him. “I’m trying to make a rabbit snare. For winter.”
“Winter is a ways off.”
“Well…” He wasn’t sure why his face was so hot. “Well, yeah but i gotta practice it now. If i don’t then it really won’t be good enough for winter.”
He grunted, the lines of his face firm. “That is practical and good thinking.”
Cloud felt heat wash through him, but it wasn’t like the shame he usually felt when adults spoke to him. “I’m just starting. This is only my second try.” he admitted, “So it’s not good yet.”
“Everyone learns at some point,” he said, the words were kind even though his face was straight. “Show me how you tried it last time.”
“Okay…” Cloud muttered, feeling unreasonably shy. He took two sticks and his rope, setting up each piece carefully. The sticks supported the rope and held it taunt.
“Did someone show you this?”
Cloud shook his head. “I just tried to look at other traps in the woods.”
The silver haired man hummed. “What are you trying to catch?”
“Rabbits. Prolly more squirrels though,” Cloud said.
He grunted again. “Your setup is correct,” He pulled something from his pocket and handed it to Cloud. A roll of wire. “But wire will work better than rope. Also, wear these,” Sephiroth pulled out a small pair of black gloves from another pocket. “It will keep your scent from being on everything.”
“Oh,” Cloud muttered, “That’s real smart. It’s okay if i put these on?”
“You may have them, yes.”
“What’s the catch?”
“Rabbit, if you do it correctly.”
Cloud paused and blinked up at him. “Was that a joke?”
“Yes, i’m not terribly good at them.”
“Well,” Cloud cracked a small smile. “It was funny, i just couldn’t tell.”
“Yes, i’m told that often. My social cues are a bit lacking. You may feel free to ask if my intentions seem unclear to you.”
Awkward? Was he saying he was just awkward? “I’m like that too,” Cloud mumbled, but was having a hard time looking away from the man's eyes. They looked funny. Shiny, with long pupils instead of round.
The man smiled very faintly and that seemed to change his whole expression. “Um…”
“Yes?”
Cloud made a face. “I dunno. Nothing…”
“You may ask.”
Cloud fidgeted. “Ma says not to ask rude things. I dunno if this is rude to ask.”
“I understand and i am braced,” He was still smiling a little. “You may ask.”
His face heated up again. “Your eyes…”
“Ah, yes. They’ve always been like this. Differences can be strange but it does not have to be bad,” he answered.
“Oh,” Cloud said, looking up at them still. “I think they’re pretty. Never seen eyes like yours.”
The man's breath actually hitched, his eyes falling shut for a moment. “You know, someone has told me that before.”
“Did i make you sad? I didn’ mean to,” Cloud muttered.
He shook his head. “No, in fact, while i have been sad for a while, i’m quite happy today.”
“Well that’s good,” Cloud said awkwardly as he held the wire. “Probably a good time for it. Everyone’s excited to see the worshipers.”
“Are they?”
“Uh huh, we never get anything like that here,” Cloud said. “Kinda boring normal days.”
The man shifted to cross his legs to mimic how Cloud was sitting. “Do you like you’re home?”
“It’s fine.”
“What do you like about it?”
Cloud hesitated. “Uh, well, my ma is here.”
“That is favorable. What else?”
“The uh, trees. I like the woods. The animals. I got to see Nibel wolves almost close once.”
“They are very beautiful creatures.”
Cloud smiled. “Yeah! They’re my favorites. I like the first of the snow, but i like the first of spring too.”
“What about the town? The people?” He asked.
“Well..” Cloud made a face. “I don’t mind them. They don’t really like me though…”
The man’s frown returned. “You’re just a boy. What could you have done?”
“I don’t wanna talk about it,” Cloud muttered, pulling on his new gloves and pausing at the soft, sturdy feel of them. They must have been expensive. He used his pliers from his tool bag to cut the wire and start a new snare.
“I see, i do not yet have your confidence. That is okay.”
“My confidence?” What was this man talking about?
He nodded to himself as if deciding on another course. “What do you dislike about your home?”
Cloud fidgeted. “The long winters. That we don’t always get good cuts of meat.” His voice got quiet. “That kids won’t play with me.”
“Is that because of the thing you wish to not speak about?”
Cloud nodded. “Partly, but it was never good, i guess,” He fidgeted with his new trap for a moment and the wire really was easier to maneuver.
“I see. I’m sorry some people are difficult to understand. Perhaps you need someone closer to your own wave length,” He mused.
“What's that mean?” Cloud asked, looking up at him and his nice glowy eyes.
He smiled again. “You are meant for greatness. They find it hard to compete.”
“Greatness?” Cloud snorted.
“I’m quite sure. What is your name?”
“Cloud,” He set his snare down for a moment. “Who’re you? You did come with the fancy people, yeah?”
“In a manner of speaking. I am called Sephiroth.”
Cloud stared, eyes slowly going wide. He knew he had a lot to learn in general, but he wasn’t so dense that he didn’t know the names of the gods. He knew why the fancy people had arrived. It was to show off the summoning materia and see if it reacted here.
“Do not cry,” Sephiroth said, scooping Cloud into his arms to hold him close with something akin to panic on his face. “I have never been good at soothing tears and i do not want you to cry over this, little Cloud.”
Cloud wanted to growl back that he wasn’t crying, but his throat was tight and his eyes were watery. “Why are you here?”
Sephiroth smoothed his hair back. “Was that not clear? Because i found my voice. My human counterpart.”
“You.. you can’t mean me!” Cloud was shaking from nerves.
“I can. I do. I know it may seem scary, being affiliated with war, but it’s so much more than that. I can promise you that much. I can answer your questions,” He looked up when a woman appeared out of the back door, the laundry basket slipping from her hands as she saw them. Unlike Cloud, she knew the powerful presence of a god when she felt one. “And i will not take you from your mother. There is nothing to fear.”
Belatedly, Claudia stumbled closer to drop to her knees and bow.
“That is really not necessary,” Sephiroth said as Cloud took in his mother with wide eyes. He’d never seen her bow.
“Please don’t take him,” She said, voice tight. “Please.”
“I will not,” Sephiroth repeated. “He is a boy. Boys belong with their mothers. For now, i ask you share him with me. He will grow to be a most excellent envoy.”
Claudia looked relieved, her shoulders sagging. “I thought the ceremony was tomorrow…”
“It is, but i found him sooner than that so…” Sephiroth shrugged. He’d seen no reason to wait so he didn’t.
“Ma…” Clouds voice cracked. “What’s going on? Why me?”
She looked nervous herself, but stubbornly head strong. “Because this god has sense, baby, And he knows what kind of man you’ll be. A good man.”
Sephiroth nodded approvingly. It was a suitable answer.
“But i’m, i’m just Cloud. I can’t even walk around town without mean things said.”
“That was in the past,” Sephiroth said quietly, his face was still firm but Cloud was starting to see the touches of softness to it. “It seems you’ve learned a hard lesson so young. Learning someone’s nature is a vital part of growing up, and i’m sorry you know it already. The people here will likely treat you better now, and you may forgive them if that is what’s in your heart, but never forget how you were treated either.”
“They’ll treat me better?” Cloud asked.
“Baby,” Claudia said softly. “Envoys are the closest things to gods. Some will consider you a god that walks Gaia. You will speak for Sephiroth and your word will be taken as law.”
He looked at her, expression wobbly. He was only a child. “I don’t know how.”
“That's okay,” Sephiroth muttered, ruffling his hair gently. “It is not something you must learn today. Tomorrow. This week. We have all the time in the world to figure it out.”
Cloud sniffed back tears that hadn’t fallen yet. “Really?”
“Oh yes. We’ll be connected, and i will keep you safe too.”
Hesitantly, Cloud leaned against him. He sorta liked the sound of that part.
“Almighty Sephiroth, god of war,” Claudia spoke softly. “May i also ask questions?”
“Of course. You are his mother,” It really wouldn’t matter what she said on the matter but Cloud loved his mother and that made her important to Sephiroth too. She seemed rather sensible so he would do what he could to put her at ease. “But first, I would like to see where Cloud puts his traps.”
Cloud perked up, face going pink. “You wanna see?”
“Yes, show me. Maybe i can help you with it again,” Sephiroth said. The smile it got him from the boy used to being alone was almost devastating.
Sephiroth got up and set Cloud on his feet in the process. “You have one snare done. Show me.”
Cloud took his hand, checking with his mother that it was okay and when she nodded, he led Sephiroth towards the woods. “This way.”