Chapter 1: A young lady with crystal blue eyes
Chapter Text
„The Lifestream. Also known as spirit energy and mana. It orbits the planet, Gaia, with separate bands of green-white fluid, flowing as a whole.
It contains the essence of the planet and the memories, emotions and knowledge of all living beings that lived on the planet.
It is believed that portions of the Lifestream are used to create new life and that the energy of the people returns to the planet when they die, passing on to the planet the memories, emotions and knowledge they experienced in their lives.“
It was already in the middle of the night in Nibelheim, but a small family house lit up the village with a warm light that shone through the windows while the moon and the stars tried to flood the entire landscape with their shimmer.
It was also extremely quiet and you could hear the wind rustling through the leaves every time the wind longed for a dance.
In the family house, the fireplace in the living room was burning and a few candles on a table were lit in the room of a child to create a cozy atmosphere.
The wood made crisp noises in the background, which didn't bother the family much but rather added to the atmosphere.
Next to the bed was a wooden chair on which a woman was sitting with a fluffy blanket on her shoulders. She held a book in her hands that she was reading to her son.
Her voice sounded to him as if it belonged to an angel. The child listened intently to his mother who turned the page, paused briefly and gave her child the warmest smile after she saw her son's eyes sparkling with joy in the candlelight.
"You really seem to be interested in the planet, don't you?"
He nodded happily and lay down on the mattress, his eyes fixed on the book.
"The planet is so beautiful! Even the Lifestream is so interesting and gives nature and people the strength they need. I love it, mother!"
A giggle escaped from her lips.
"One day I want to travel the world and enjoy nature to the fullest. I hope that I will meet people who also have the same goal as me and that we can travel further together to better understand the planet and share new memories!"
Her lips formed into a sincere smile while her eyes reflected her child.
"That's a beautiful goal that I can only support!"
He stretched his arms up and stared at the ceiling.
For a moment he said nothing.
Her son had another dream that he wanted to fulfill, but would that dream be too far away to achieve?
He gathered all his courage, clenched his hands into fists and raised his voice to tell his mother about his second dream.
"I would also like to help people in need. No matter how small their worries may be. I therefore have to become much stronger in order to protect you too!"
Her eyes widened for a short time, but she closed the book after a few seconds and stood up from the wooden chair, which also creaked briefly, and placed the book on it. She sat down on her son's bed and gently stroked his cheek with her left hand while her right hand held the blanket that continued to warm her back.
"You have a lot planned for your future. Listen to what your heart tells you, but don't forget that I will always protect and support you and will always welcome you in my arms when it becomes too much for you."
"Thank you, mother!"
He smiled at her. Then his eyes wandered back to the book that was still lying on the chair.
"I hope that people don't have to suffer again because of the geostigma, that it never happens again. Fortunately, the Lifestream is strong enough to give everyone strength."
A surprised sound came from her lips.
"Oh! You continued reading the book?"
"Yes, I couldn't help it. I was so interested in what happened 500 years ago. That's why I want to help everyone who needs it."
He paused again, then he looked up at her.
"I still wanted you to read it for me. Your voice is so angelic!"
Her left hand now wandered to his hair, which she ruffled back and forth.
"I would read all books in the world for you!"
She gave him a kiss on his forehead before she stood up and tenderly covered him with his blanket.
He felt the weight of the blanket that landed on his chest, closely followed by the warmth of it.
This hour was extremely special for him. He was the only child in the village who stayed up late, as his mother allowed him to.
However, she insisted on setting a condition, namely that she would stay with him until he was tired and went to bed.
Every late evening, she would read him a story or a book worth knowing that told of the past in order to give him the necessary knowledge.
"It's really getting late now. Sleep well."
"Good night, mother!"
Another smile was on her lips. As she stood up, she took the book in her hands and went to a cupboard to put the book in it.
Then she got a candle snuffer and extinguished the small flames of the candles that had previously illuminated her son's room until it got darker.
When his mother closed the door, he looked out the window and could see the moon, which he found beautiful.
After the warmth of the candles disappeared, the light of the moon entered his room and individual rays of light spread across his bed.
He held his hands above his blanket and the light of the moon touched his arms and hands as if the light wanted to embrace him.
He always found the light cool but at the same time so pure and free. His eyes became heavier and it wasn't long before he fell asleep contentedly.
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The ground shakes and crumbles.
The Lifestream rages and is full of sadness.
A murder was committed that hurt everyone.
A child who froze after making a difficult decision.
His sword fell to the ground.
The image of his mother blurred.
At that moment, the most important object from that child, a necklace, disappeared, fell into the Lifestream and slowly dissolved into small green particles.
The memories and feelings merged with the white-green fluid - the threads of life.
They wandered around in the fluid and waited to be found by the right person again.
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It was a sunny day in Midgar.
The bright light embraced every house and every street gently. The adults pursued their interests and jobs while the children played various games and laughed together.
Looking down on Midgar from above, it looked like there were a lot of ants working there, the city was so crowded. No one dared to stand still and take a break for a minute.
Everything had to go quickly. "Time would never wait for you," was the only thing that was said.
But the sun's rays were not to warm the skin for long that day, because a mysterious woman appeared out of nowhere.
The people of Midgar never forgot that day. Gray clouds covered the view and blocked out the warm rays. It began to rain and a young woman stood motionless in the middle of Midgar's square.
None of the residents moved at that moment because their curiosity was too great. Everyone stood still. Some, however, took their umbrellas out of their bags to protect themselves from the sudden rain.
The drops hit her pale skin, her long, slightly wavy, black hair and her black dress caught the drops that was soaking wet in no time.
Nobody except a little girl came up with the idea of helping the young woman and offering her an umbrella.
She had an extremely tiny umbrella, that matched her size, ran to her and tugged lightly at her dress while looking up at her.
"You'll catch a cold if you keep standing here!"
When the young woman heard the little girl's voice, she blinked several times and then looked down at her.
The child was amazed at her appearance, as she had crystal blue eyes that were full of life and looked as if she was carrying the galaxy in it.
"Your eyes are so pretty!"
"My eyes?"
Before the little girl answered her, she took her hand and pulled her away from the crowd.
"I've never seen you here before. Are you new to Midgar?"
As she asked her a question, she looked more closely at her face and noticed her many birthmarks on the left side of her face.
"Woah! You have a lot of birthmarks! I have some too, but not nearly as many as you! When I grow up, I want to look as beautiful as you!"
A gentle giggle could be heard from the young lady's mouth.
"I inherited the birthmarks from my parents." The young lady looked into the little girl's eyes, which were shining brightly.
"Oh, then I really have to meet your parents! I have to see it!" she said with great anticipation and jumped up and down at the same pace.
The young woman paused.
Her thoughts were focused on her parents, whom she had been looking for since she was a child.
Two adults stepped out of the crowd to keep the little girl away from the woman. Not wanting to cause trouble, the young lady took a few steps back.
"I have to go now. Thank you."
With a warm smile, the young woman said goodbye and ran in the opposite direction. Her goal was the slums to find shelter, but the little girl shouted another question after her.
"What's your name?"
The black-haired lady turned to her one last time and gave her another smile.
"My name is Matsuri."
So many weeks and months passed in which Matsuri strolled through Midgar to find information about her missing parents.
She had always lived in Midgar, but on this rainy day, everyone's eyes fell on her as if it was fate that she should be seen.
She had already come to terms with it and got used to being ignored by her fellow residents and not getting any help.
Matsuri would not blame anyone for her parents disappearing without a trace. No one could have predicted it, she thought at that moment.
How long has it been since both of them disappeared? She no longer had a sense of time after searching for information day in and day out.
During all those months, Matsuri also helped people in the slums. She could put herself in people's shoes, as everyone had their own personal burden to bear.
In addition to her goal of finding her parents, she wanted to help people when they were in need or simply needed someone to talk to.
For Matsuri, a smile on their faces made her much happier and that motivated her to continue looking for her parents.
She received encouragement from the people in the slums and every night Matsuri was happy to have a roof over her head.
Sometimes she was visited by the little girl, who held the umbrella for her, called Aileen and they spent a few hours together before Aileen went home again.
Matsuri went out of her small house every day to see if anyone needed help.
Now that the people of Midgar were finally noticing her, she wanted to help even more and took on any task she could.
Be it going shopping for the elderly or doing housework. She even climbed roofs to help cats down and generally loved animals more than anything.
Some days she went for a walk and hoped to find information about her missing parents and even then she never forgot the people all over Midgar.
However, on some days she hoped to get help herself to find her parents, but only a few people managed to help her, for which she was nevertheless grateful.
"They give me their precious time. I am grateful to everyone," were her words in response.
The black-haired lady sounded too perfect, some of the residents thought. One evening there was a small group meeting and some of the residents expressed their concern about this woman.
"It's been two months since we saw her on the street. I'm surprised that so many people are playing into her hands," said an older lady in her forties, looking worried.
"Not only that. Her appearance stands out too much...This woman can't be up to any good." a young man intervened.
While the group continued to share their worries, the street lights came on and lit up Midgar again.
"Does Shinra actually know about this?"
When she heard the name Shinra, beads of sweat appeared on the older lady's forehead.
"You want to report it?"
The man crossed his arms.
"I mean, what if we get a nice reward for it?"
Another man intervened, stepping through a door and taking off his jacket.
"You want to hand over a person just to get a reward?"
"Just look at her?! This woman looks far too suspicious to me, despite the fact that she helps people and animals. Doesn't that all sound too perfect? There's definitely something dangerous behind it and we're wasting our time by holding a secret meeting here while she can keep snooping around our beautiful city!"
A younger lady now stood up from a chair. "You're right. We hardly ever get any help...so what if there really is something to it? She appeared suddenly. I don't remember ever seeing her in Midgar, as she claims. Not to mention her outfit. It looks like she's from another city...or even crazier...from another time."
Another woman now intervened. A woman who, judging by her appearance, must have had a lot of money.
"Have you noticed that she also goes to the slums every time to help the "poor" people there? As far as I know, she even seems to live there...voluntarily. Urgh."
An old man in his sixties now slammed his hands on a round table while everyone's eyes were fixed on him.
"There we have it! It was the poor and it will always be the poor. They are just jealous of us because we made the breakthrough! I agree with the gentlemen that we should report this lady, as it is very likely just a scam by them to get money!"
"Not only that. They also don't seem to be afraid of bringing children into the picture. Aileen is a good example. She must have been scared that day when that woman looked at her. Did you see her eyes?"
"Well, I think we all agree that we should report her to Shinra."
"Exactly. Things have to go back to business as usual and she is disturbing our peaceful everyday life."
That evening, a selfish decision was made.
Hidden by countless other residents and the slums, the same people made their way to the headquarters early in the morning to report Matsuri.
In fact, these people received a reward and went about their daily lives contentedly, thinking that they were right and had made the right decision.
For the group, this topic had already been forgotten and their sympathy was also non-existent. They let a young woman down even though the group also received help from her.
But on that day, everything is supposed to change for Matsuri.
A few days passed and the Turks were assigned to observe Matsuri.
Photos were taken of her continuing to help people, how she surrounded herself with animals and how she entered her small house in sector seven.
These photos were then collected in a file and given to Mr. Shinra personally.
The Turks even went so far as to speak to Aileen and ask questions about Matsuri, but Aileen gave them no useful information, only what the Turks already knew from their observation.
Aileen was worried about Matsuri and visited her every day after talking to the men in the black suits to see if she was okay.
The little girl sat on Matsuri's bed and looked at her from a distance. She was trying to sew a scarf for a young lady whose current scarf was torn.
"Since I met her, she seems to be putting in even more effort for people." thought the little girl and took a pillow to cuddle with.
"I wonder if she's thinking about herself too?" Her thoughts were circling around and her eyes were focused on the red scarf.
"Look, Aileen! I'm almost finished with the scarf! When I see the lady again, I'll give it to her and hope that it keeps her neck warm."
Matsuri's eyes sparkled with joy and her arms were stretched out in Aileen's direction to bring the scarf to the front.
"I didn't think I could sew! Would you also like a scarf in your favorite color, Aileen?"
The black-haired lady smiled gently at her.
"Oh yes, of course! I'd like a yellow scarf! Yellow for the sun, yes!"
Aileen pushed the pillow aside and jumped up full of optimism.
"No, wait! Or would I rather have orange for the dawn? Or green for the plants? Blue? Aaah!"
She threw herself back on the mattress and held the pillow on her head.
"I can't decide! All colors are so beautiful!"
Matsuri had to giggle and put the now finished scarf on the table.
"I already know what I'm going to sew for you. Stay tuned."
Aileen's amber eyes widened and her joy radiated from her face.
Aileen considered Matsuri her big sister despite only knowing her for two months.
She liked Matsuri and didn't care where she came from. She found Matsuri kind and helpful and that was all she needed to know.
In Matsuri's presence, Aileen could be who she wanted to be without having to pretend. In her presence, it was calm and comfortable.
But the men in the black suits were on her mind. Aileen hoped fervently that nothing would happen to her.
One day Aileen told the black-haired woman about her encounter with the men while her eyes reflected concern, but Matsuri calmed her down that day and told Aileen not to worry and gently stroked her head.
After that, Matsuri was more cautious than ever and paused her search for a while in the hope that the Turks would leave her alone, but that never happened. In fact, it was worse.
Not even a week passed when the residents were visited and questioned by several Infantrymen. At that moment Matsuri was on her way to give Aileen her scarf, but she had to hide after she spotted the Infantrymen.
"So it's true...but why?"
One of the Infantrymen spoke to the people and stepped a little closer.
"Have you seen this woman today? We're looking for her to ask a few questions."
"Shouldn't you know where she is? After all, she was being watched? We have nothing to do with her." a lady said, brushing her hair out of her face.
"That's right, but we couldn't find her in the places where she's most noticeable."
Matsuri's heart beat faster the more she heard of the conversation. She definitely didn't want to be taken to the Shinra headquarters.
She didn't know why, but as soon as she heard "Shinra headquarters" she got goosebumps and her body reacted immediately. Her hands started shaking. Her knees went weak as she gripped the scarf tightly.
As she carefully backed away in her black ankle boots, the man who had been there at the group meeting found her and ran to the Infantryman.
"There she is! Now is your chance!"
Matsuri's eyes widened and she started running away from the Infantrymen.
"Don't let her get away!"
The two Infantrymen followed Matsuri, keeping their weapons ready to fire if necessary.
Matsuri ran as fast as she could into the crowd, hoping that the Infantrymen would lose sight of her.
Her shoes slammed against the ground the faster she ran. Her heart pounded in her ears as she continued to hold onto her scarf with one hand.
"I shouldn't be in the crowd! The soldiers will hurt them if I keep running down the busy street!"
Her breathing was heavy and short as she stopped and looked around rapidly.
At that moment, someone grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the Infantryman.
"I got her! Quickly!"
Her fear continued to grow. She looked around again and noticed that some of Midgar's residents were planning to hold her and were coming closer.
With their arms outstretched, they walked towards Matsuri.
She didn't know why all this was happening and she tried to tear herself away from the man. Her eyes reflected the Infantrymen who were coming ever closer.
With a huge tug, however, she was able to free herself from the man who was holding her after he wasn't paying attention for a moment.
Matsuri ran into the alleys of Midgar and towards the slums. She ran as fast as she could and took every turn so that she wouldn't be seen anymore.
"Damn it, we lost sight of her! We should have shot her leg."
"Why did you get involved! We would have caught her sooner or later!"
An argument broke out and both the Infantrymen and the residents of Midgar blamed each other.
"You could have got her, but it took far too long! We don't want "help" from someone who is extremely strange! Have you seen what she looks like?!"
"Don't tell us what to do!"
The discussions continued and was now about something completely different.
Black clouds spread over Midgar until it started to rain and the people immediately got wet from head to toe. The argument went so far that Matsuri was forgotten from their memories and the topic took a complete turn.
The black-haired lady was now in a narrow, dark alley far away from the people who wanted to catch her.
She tried to calm herself down and took several deep breaths while holding her chest. She thought about the two months in which she had been taking care of people again and again.
What was the reason why she was supposed to be caught? She had just managed to escape, but how long would this work?
She ran her arm over her forehead to wipe off her sweat and ran her fingers over her slightly wavy hair.
"Why?"
She fell on the ground and looked for the scarf that she had been holding in her hand a few minutes ago, but it was no longer there.
"Oh no. I lost Aileen's scarf!"
She sincerely hoped that Aileen was okay and that she wouldn't get into trouble with her parents.
After all, she visited Matsuri every day after the Turks approached her.
Matsuri thought about getting up again to look for the scarf, but her legs were shaking so much that she stayed seated and crouched down for the time being.
"What did I do to make you all angry? Did I do something wrong?"
The young lady was shocked and sad. She was finally no longer ignored but accepted.
There was a lot of laughter after she offered her help. As long as she could make people happy, she was happy too. What had she missed?
She closed her eyes in exhaustion and tried to remain calm.
Chapter Text
"Aileen, my child. Please tell us where the woman is hiding. You have been with her all these last days. You should know where she is right now."
Aileen's father looked down at her sternly.
She felt as if she had been to blame for this situation. Aileen nervously swallowed her spit and began to tremble.
"My dear, please tell us where she is. We want to protect you from her."
Her mother now intervened. Her hand stroked Aileen's brown hair, which was tied in a side ponytail. But Aileen backed away, not understanding why Matsuri was wanted and why her parents were helping the soldiers.
"I don't know where she is and even if I did know, why are they looking for her at all? She hasn't done anything to anyone, on the contrary!"
"Aileen. Don't argue with us!"
Her father slammed his fist on the table, leaving Aileen shocked.
"My angel, you don't understand yet but it's important that you tell us if you know anything. This woman seems dangerous if the soldiers are already looking for her."
"She is not dangerous!"
"Aileen!"
Her mother was horrified when Aileen raised her delicate voice to defend a stranger to her. She grabbed Aileen by the arm and led her to her room.
"You stay here until we find her. She seems to have manipulated you! As your mother, I will not allow you to meet her anymore!"
"But -!"
Aileen's words died away with the loud bang of her bedroom door. To her horror, the little girl heard a key locking the door.
"I'm sorry, my child, but we have to protect you."
Aileen would never have thought that her own mother would lock her up and fell to the floor.
She should never have let herself get caught, but the infantrymen were clearly faster than Aileen because of their long legs and their training.
Aileen's amber eyes looked towards the window, which was covered in raindrops. She hoped that Matsuri was okay and that she could protect herself from the rain - wherever she was.
"No, I can't just stand here doing nothing... I have to go to my big sister!"
After thinking for a few minutes, she walked towards the window and looked down. If she was careful, she would manage to climb out, she thought, and her gaze wandered to her bed covers.
Would her plan work? Although Aileen was still a child, her intelligence was admirable.
However, the fear of falling out of the window was too big and she hoped that her mother would unlock the door again so she could run out.
"Please be safe, Matsuri."
The slums became restless as many infantrymen searched every corner for Matsuri.
The plates let many raindrops fall to the ground and puddles were formed, vibrating because of the infantrymen's feet.
The people who were watching the infantrymen were either outraged because they were disturbing the peace or flinched because they were afraid of being caught for some reason.
"Who are the soldiers looking for at this hour?"
"Don't you ever get any peace from the stupid soldiers?"
An infantryman stood in the middle and talked about Matsuri and asked if anyone could have seen this woman, but the people wanted nothing to do with it and answered the question in the negative without hesitation.
The infantrymen were still on their own to find Matsuri and continued their search.
Matsuri was still sitting in a narrow alley. Drops of water fell from the tips of her hair and onto the ground.
She was scared and thought about the people who wanted to grab her. She had never been so scared of being touched in her life until that point.
Some memories of her parents suddenly flashed up out of nowhere. She thought about how they laughed together when she was a child and played together.
She always found comfort in her memories of her parents. She felt a pleasant warmth in her chest but the only thing she really tried to remember were her parents' faces.
Every memory had faded and she didn't know if she would ever be able to find them again and where she should even start looking.
She closed her crystal blue eyes for a moment to take another deep breath in and out when she suddenly heard loud words from men nearby.
"Faster! We don't have time!"
The black-haired lady flinched, quickly got up and blinked briefly from the alley to see who was speaking so loudly and fearfully.
"Are those four looking for me?"
Matsuri watched the four infantrymen and noticed that one of them was carrying a lot of papers and another was carrying matches that he was trying to light in vain.
His hands were shaking incessantly and his head was moving unsteadily as it seemed to Matsuri that he was afraid of being discovered.
"Focus! We have to burn the documents! The more discreet the better!"
"I-I'm trying! But as we ran away the alarm went off! They're probably already hot on our heels!"
"Hurry up!"
The third and fourth infantrymen held up their weapons but both were also afraid as their weapons could be seen shaking.
"It looks like the four of them have another mission...but why did one of them talk about an alarm?"
She continued to look at the four men and listen to their voices. Hoping not to be discovered herself.
"I can't believe we worked for such a shitty company! If the public knew what was going on behind closed doors, everyone would go crazy!"
"Let's hope our informant didn't get into trouble!"
Matsuri was confused. However, she knew immediately that they were talking about the Shinra company.
For some reason, she knew what they meant.
Matsuri was also averse to this company and had already considered looking for her parents there, but she would never make it to the headquarters alone.
A hissing sounded in Matsuri's ears and a small flame appeared.
The infantryman managed to light the match.
"Quickly, the documents!"
But before the documents could be handed over, their luck ran out and several Shinra troops appeared out of nowhere and pointed their guns at the four men.
One of the troops shot right at the match, causing the infantryman to drop it and the small flame to go out.
Matsuri's eyes widened in shock and she took a few steps back into the alley.
"What is happening here?"
She heard the guns reloading and slowly looked back at the scenario.
Her hands began to sweat coldly and her breathing became heavier. The four infantrymen were shocked at how quickly the troops had found them.
However, it was really only a matter of time before they would be discovered. Gritting his teeth, the infantryman with the documents clenched his hand into a fist and spoke wildly in anger.
"Sephiroth was a true hero for us! He was our role model, we wanted to be like him because he cared for us!"
"Sephiroth? Have I heard that name before?"
Matsuri thought about the name, which seemed strangely familiar.
He started coughing because of his nervousness and looked over at the three of them, asking them to raise their voices as well.
"We stole Professor Hojo's documents so that he can no longer conduct experiments on people or animals! We finally know what is going on behind the doors of Shinra! Please, open your eyes everyone!"
"We didn't sign the contract to stand behind and work for something so horrible!"
"Exactly! We will always stay on Sephiroth's side. He is a victim as well and the four of us will make sure that the documents -"
However, before the fourth Shinra infantryman could finish his sentence, the loud sound of a pistol rang out and, seconds later, several in a row.
All four Shinra infantrymen were murdered by the troops. Matsuri let out a scream but was again able to stifle it with her hands.
Her questions piled up in seconds and her thoughts became louder, drowning out the sound of the guns.
"What should I do?"
"Should I have helped the infantrymen?"
"Could I have saved them from such a terrible fate if I had gone to them?"
"Could I have done anything at all?"
"What about the people who are looking for me? They must have heard that noise too, right?"
"Why are they killing their own people?"
"Why did they steal documents?"
Her thoughts grew louder and louder. Her breath caught in ragged gasps as she held her head. Her fear grew when she saw the lifeless bodies lying on the ground.
Just a few minutes ago they were alive and talking to each other and now they lie there motionless.
Matsuri had never seen anything like this before. It was as if the beautiful world she had always imagined had completely collapsed.
As she tried to keep a clear head, she suddenly heard an unpleasant laugh.
Her eyes turned to a man in a white coat, black hair tied in a ponytail and glasses that he adjusted with his index finger. Her eyes widened in horror.
"How stupid these insects are. They want to follow a monster but fail miserably."
Professor Hojo approached the men and looked down at them with curious eyes. He grabbed his chin and thought about something before telling the troops his new plan with a grin.
"Take the four with you. Maybe they will prove useful in my laboratory. I hope for all of you that this is a lesson and that you have all the documents together...otherwise I can't guarantee anything hahahaha!"
"Yes, sir!"
The troops started moving and marched towards the Shinra building after they dragged the lifeless bodies behind them and into cars to make them easier to transport.
Matsuri stood frozen in the narrow alley. The images of the shots remained in her head. Even the man with the glasses sent an ice-cold shiver down her spine.
As she slowly calmed down again, she noticed a noise that sounded like paper. She dared to take the first step out of the alley and let her eyes wander over the whole place.
In fact, she saw some papers that were stapled together on the red-stained ground that the wind had carried there.
Matsuri ran towards them and picked up the papers. Before she looked at them, however, she ran into sector six - towards the park to find a hiding place.
When she arrived at the park, Matsuri hid under a climbing frame.
She took one last deep breath before tucking her slightly wavy hair behind her ears and starting to read the documents that were stained with drops of blood.
"Sephiroth, our war hero! Even at a young age, he managed to defeat several Wutai fighters and won battles for Shinra, but his strength increased rapidly as he grew older.
His swordsmanship is a masterpiece, when I'm honest! His skills are so powerful that no opponent can withstand the attacks. I'm glad that we have such a strong fighter on our side!
He is so cool and always cares about others more than himself. He is a true hero. Shinra did a good job training him! We now also know how Sephiroth cares for his hair!
We have found out that he uses a whole bottle of shampoo and conditioner for his beautiful hair. These products he uses are of the highest grade!
They are scented with thirteen different perfumes including Rose and Vanilla.
We, the Silver Elite even managed to take a photo of him!
We spared no effort to show you this exclusive photo, my loyal readers! Look at him. He is tall, strong and handsome! We got him so well in the sunlight he's standing in, right?!"
Matsuri was extremely confused at first. Weren't those fan emails she was reading? She flipped through the document and found a large photo showing a man with long, silver hair.
The black-haired lady was stunned by his beauty and looked at the photo very closely.
To Matsuri, Sephiroth looked like an angel. She wondered why such a handsome man would work for Shinra, since he also looked intelligent to her.
"Sephiroth..."
Suddenly she was overcome by feelings she had never felt before.
Her heart beat faster than the ticking of a clock, even faster than the heart should beat, and a tear ran down her cheek to her chin and fell onto the photo.
She held her chest with one hand while she wondered what was happening.
"Why am I crying?"
Sephiroth is immersed in the light of the sunset while he looks dreamily into the distance and smiles slightly.
But his cyan irises eyes were also full of sadness. Someone must have taken the photo when he wasn't paying attention, Matsuri thought as she wiped away her tear and tried to stay focused.
Her feelings grew stronger and she didn't know why.
She looked at the photo for a while.
She noticed that his style of clothing was different from that of the ordinary soldiers and he held his sword with his left hand, which was covered with a black leather glove. She continued to flip through the document.
On this paper there was something written about “Project S”, “S cells” and "JENOVA cells".
What did this mean? Her eyes moved further down to the written text.
"Project S was a success. It started all in the Nibelheim Shinra Manor. There I began my glorious idea of injecting the JENOVA cells into an unborn baby.
When that thing was finally born, I immediately ordered it to be taken to the laboratory to collect and examine the so-called "S cells.
The face of the woman who gave birth to that monster was simply priceless as the two were separated. Oh Lucrecia, you did your part. You did it very well."
I had a lot of plans and so far I have been successful in creating new things with it cells. My creations are brilliant. Nobody can match my intelligence!
I just have to be patient and wait until it grows to take more S cells. Nobody can compete with me! Sephiroth, hurry up and grow faster!”
This was a piece of Hojo's diary entry.
Her vision blurred as she was overwhelmed by what Hojo wrote in his diary entry, she collapsed into tears, unable to contain the flood of emotions.
"What's wrong with me? Why can't I stop crying?"
She covered her mouth with her hand so no one would hear her. She began to shake slightly as she turned the page of the document one last time.
Next to the entry from Hojo's diary were more photos of a small, silver-haired boy lying on an uncomfortable, metal bed and next to him were capsules on a table labeled "S-tissue", "S-hair" and "S-Blood".
However, those weren't the only capsules there. There were plenty more capsules behind the other three. Matsuri was horrified.
She thought about Sephiroth.
How he must have felt after what he had experienced all these years.
It's all Shinra's fault. How Sephiroth had to live. She remembered the conversation between the four infantrymen and it was now clearer to her than ever how much weight their words had when they spoke about Sephiroth.
Matsuri leaned against the climbing frame and covered her eyes with her hands.
The four infantrymen were most likely doing everything they could to get this information.
Was it fate that some documents were still there?
Who helped them?
How is Sephiroth now?
Was he able to escape?
Something in Matsuri had clicked. Her thoughts were wildly confused. What should she do? Should she leave Aileen behind to look for her parents and Sephiroth?
She looked out of the climbing frame when she heard voices in the distance.
They were the infantrymen who had been looking for her a few hours ago. Did they know about the situation?
Matsuri had to decide quickly, because the infantrymen were almost at her.
She wiped her face with her hands, took the documents and walked out of the climbing frame.
She looked one last time in the direction where the voices were coming from and ran in the opposite direction. As fast as her ankle boots would carry her.
"I have to try to see Aileen one last time!"
Matsuri took a detour and hid as best she could from all the residents.
She took dark paths and tried to find Aileen's scarf that she had sewn for her, but there was no trace of the scarf.
She managed to get away from the slums and to the house, but several infantrymen were standing guard at Aileen’s home.
"Oh no..."
Her heart ached as she suddenly thought of Sephiroth again.
She knew that something was wrong with her body when she saw the photo. It was clear to Matsuri that she had to travel because she was no longer welcome in Midgar and had to look for her parents and Sephiroth.
Would Aileen be sad if she couldn't say goodbye?
"She would definitely be..."
Matsuri hoped that her presence would be enough for Aileen to notice that she was near her.
She couldn't explain at first why all the residents were looking at her on that rainy day.
She was ignored again and again, even when she was little. She had really beautiful memories with Aileen and she would always keep those memories in her heart.
How Aileen called her big sister, how they played together and how she looked after Aileen even though her parents were extremely protective and would rather send Matsuri out of the house.
They just never did it because of Aileen. For the young lady, the two months felt like years. Beautiful years that she would never forget. The day she was seen was one of her happy days of no longer being alone.
"Goodbye Aileen...and take good care of yourself."
Matsuri left her home. Clutching the documents tightly, she headed towards the highway in the hope of remaining undetected.
The rain let up and many residents left their houses to go about their daily lives.
Even Aileen was allowed to go outside and took a little walk in the hope of meeting Matsuri. She missed her big sister very much but she would never give up her trust in Matsuri.
She walked down the street where Matsuri was able to tear herself away from the residents and looked around. Suddenly she noticed something soft under her shoe and her eyes fell on a piece of fabric.
"Why is it here?"
Aileen took a step back and her eyes widened. It was the scarf that Matsuri sewed for her. The scarf was rainbow colored and Aileen remembered the conversation a few days ago when she was asked what color she would like.
Her little hands reached for the soft scarf. A great sob escaped her, and she covered her face with her new scarf while she wiped her cheeks every few seconds.
"Big sister!"
An hour passed when Aileen could no longer cry and she made her way home with the scarf while her eyes were red from constant rubbing. Her mother welcomed her as if nothing had ever happened, which surprised Aileen.
When she asked what was wrong, her mother replied that the sun was shining beautifully and how happy she was to have Aileen.
She was confused how her mother behaved, but the worst thing for Aileen was that her mother was happy, even though she knew exactly what happened the last few days.
Aileen said Matsuri's name and her mother looked at her questioningly.
"Matsuri? Who is that, Aileen? A friend of yours?"
"What...?"
"What's the matter, my child?"
Her mother came closer to her child as she put a hand on her shoulder but Aileen stormed into the house and wanted to ask her father about Matsuri, but when she entered the house, Aileen’s legs suddenly stopped and her amber eyes reflected her hand, which was holding the scarf.
"Who...does this scarf belong to?"
Notes:
This was chapter two! I hope you like it so far!
see you in chapter three!
Chapter Text
Matsuri managed to escape from Midgar but she didn't know which direction to go.
She felt lost in the place called Grasslands. It was the middle of the night.
Matsuri borrowed a dark brown, worn-out coat from Midgar, which had a few small holes in it over the years, from a fellow resident who wanted to help her escape, who kept her warm and gave her protection so that she wouldn't be recognized.
She took the hood and put it over her head. She wandered around and saw the many flowers, their heads swaying gently in the breeze while the rivers flowed peacefully.
She looked up at the sky and her blue eyes met the moon, which was shining brightly in all its glory.
Her eyes began to sparkle in the light - as if stars were dancing in her irises and inviting the moon to join in. Her black hair began to glitter in the moonlight - as if the universe was tangled in her hair.
"It's so beautiful here. I wish I could show the landscape to my parents...and Aileen. I'm sure everyone's eyes would sparkle."
Matsuri found a small cave and decided to take a short break.
She looked for wood beforehand that she could use for her campfire. However, she wasn't sure how to make a campfire because her parents hadn't had the chance to teach her.
When she had everything together, she tried to make a fire with two small stones. The cave echoed from the stones hitting each other and apart from a few sparks, no fire was created.
"What am I going to do now?"
Exhausted, she put the stones down and started to think. In her mind, an extremely large number of scenarios that she had experienced in the last two months and days were circling.
Could the situation have been prevented?
Should she have done a lot more for the people?
Were they not satisfied?
She closed her eyes and suddenly the photo of Sephiroth came into her mind. How his eyes looked dreamily into the distance. Her heart felt heavier and she asked herself why her feelings were so chaotic when she thought of him.
Matsuri didn't know Sephiroth and the photo was the first she had ever seen of him in her life.
Yet she felt his true feelings and a strong urge to find him. She opened her eyes and held the document in front of her. She flipped through the already crumpled paper and looked at the photo again.
"How can I find you?"
Her fingers stroked the picture slowly and gently.
"Do you need help?"
Her hand remained on the photo as she looked at the campfire again.
"I'm sure he didn't give up, so I shouldn't either, right?"
Matsuri put the documents in the pocket of her coat and leaned over the campfire. She took another deep breath before concentrating on it again.
"Come, fire..."
The black-haired lady was just touching the stones carefully when suddenly several sparks shot out of her hands.
"Ah!"
Matsuri's eyebrows shot up and a small scream escaped her as she fell backwards to the ground. Her hood fell off her head and her long hair unfurled again as she looked at her hands, trembling.
"What just happened?! Sparks came out of my hands?! But how?"
She hesitated. Was this scene just playing in her head or could she really conjure up sparks right now?
"What's happening to my body...?"
By now, Matsuri was shaking all over. Not from fear but from the night cold that was slowly creeping into the cave and spreading from all sides. It became so cold that you could see her breath, caught by the moonlight.
She had no choice but to bend over the campfire and try again. This time, however, she wanted to be on the safe side and held out both hands to see if she had just imagined it or not.
Matsuri tried to stay calm and paid attention to her hands.
"Come, fire..."
Her gentle voice echoed throughout the cave and the unbelievable actually happened.
At first, her hands tingled slightly until a small red-orange glow formed in her skin that came out and grew bigger and bigger.
Matsuri's skin was extremely cold at first but became warmer with the help of the slowly forming fire.
Her eyes widened. She would never have thought it possible that she could use mana and even now, although she could see the flame, she couldn't believe what was happening.
The flame fell on the campfire and it started to burn. The cave was enveloped in a warm light and at the same time surrounded Matsuri's body.
"How...?"
Her eyes wandered back to her hands and small green lights fell on her palms and disappeared into her skin.
She sat down next to the campfire at a safe distance and the pleasant warmth that surrounded her made her sleepy. Her eyes grew heavier and her body let her sink gently to the ground.
"Matsuri, look!"
Matsuri stood in a meadow full of flowers. The wind played with her hair while her black, elegant dress gently blew slowly.
After hearing a female voice, Matsuri turned in the direction the voice came from and saw a woman sitting on the ground. She held a flower crown in her hands, which she held up to show Matsuri.
"I made a flower crown for you! Come to me!" Her words contained a smile that warmed Matsuri's heart.
"Mother?"
A single word escaped from her tender voice before she slowly moved towards the woman. Her black ankle boots lightly crushed the grass she was walking on while her eyes tried to recognize her mother's face, but it still failed.
When she arrived, she knelt next to her mother and carefully held the flower crown that she made for Matsuri.
"Try it on! I'm sure it will fit you."
Matsuri hesitated for a moment. So many questions were running through her mind.
Where are you?
Are you okay?
How is dad?
Who kidnapped you both?
Are you hurt?
She couldn't believe her mother was sitting right next to her, smiling at her. How did she know she was smiling? She could hear it in her voice.
Even as a small child, she loved to listen to her mother, especially when she was happy - and she was most of the time. Matsuri's parents had a wonderful time together and they loved Matsuri more than anything.
For them, Matsuri was their treasure that they would never let go of.
As Matsuri continued to wander in her thoughts, her mother held her cheek.
"Is everything okay, Matsuri?"
"Oh...yes. I'm glad you're here."
The young lady smiled at her mother from the bottom of her heart and carefully placed the flower crown on her head.
With the many different colors of the flowers, Matsuri looked like a fairy princess in her mother's eyes. She giggled proudly and hugged her daughter.
"You look so beautiful!"
"Well, that's our daughter, my love."
Matsuri's eyes widened again. She broke away from the hug and looked into her father's empty face.
"Father! You're here!"
His face is also hidden from her, but the warmth and love that the two radiate shows that they are her parents. It can't be any other way, Matsuri thought at that moment and hugged them both again as her father sat down on the ground himself.
"I missed you so much."
Her vision blurred and tears rolled down her cheeks as she sobbed quietly and closed her blue eyes.
Being hugged by the people you love made Matsuri very happy. She felt safe and secure in their arms and forgot the pain she had experienced in Midgar.
She couldn't believe that she was holding both of them and hoped fervently that she would never lose them again.
Her parents' hands held her carefully but more tightly.
"We love you."
"We love you."
Their voices mixed together and held her even tighter until Matsuri opened her eyes and both disappeared in her arms again. There was no sign of them anymore.
"Mother? Father?"
She sat on the grass for a short while and wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. Then she slowly stood up and looked around but her parents were still gone.
She started to run, her flower crown still firmly in her hands, she searched further and further until she had to gasp for air and stopped.
"Mother! Father! Where are you?!"
She screamed through the sea of flowers but no one answered her.
"That can't be..."
She looked down at her hands and noticed that the flower crown had also vanished into thin air.
Suddenly it became stormy and her hair was blowing in all directions. She held her arms in front of her face to protect herself from the strong wind.
"Why is it suddenly so stormy?!"
She lifted her head and slowly opened her eyes after hearing someone crying quietly. She couldn't believe what she was seeing because someone was standing with their back to her from far away.
She stood motionless when she recognized the long, silver hair that was fluttering slightly despite the stormy wind.
"Sephiroth?"
He turned around slowly. His eyes were full of sadness as he gave Matsuri a small but desperate smile.
"Sephiroth!"
Matsuri tried to reach Sephiroth despite the strong storm that was getting worse. She stretched out her arm and held her hand out to him in the hope that he would accept it.
"Please take my hand!"
The man with silver, silky hair hesitated and looked deep into her eyes after he turned in her direction. She could feel how much pain he had been inflicted.
How much hate, sadness and anger must be inside him. His cat-like eyes told a story without words and with the documents that Matsuri was reading, she could understand his pain all the more.
Would she trust people if she were in this situation? Definitely not.
Matsuri desperately wanted to help Sephiroth. She didn't know where these feelings and strong desire came from, but she tried to get closer to him and tears started to flow again from her crystal blue eyes.
"I want to help you!"
His eyes widened when he saw someone crying for him.
He raised his hand, which was in a black leather glove, and wanted to take Matsuri's hand, but suddenly green and black particles came towards the two of them, followed by the storm, separating them from each other.
Matsuri was thrown back while Sephiroth was still desperately looking after her as she moved further and further away from him.
"Please hold on! Please wait for me! I will look for you and help you as soon as I find you! Please...!"
"Hey wake up! Is everything okay?!"
"Ah!"
Matsuri awoke from her dream, gasping, and noticed a boy holding her shoulder. His red hair was covered by a black hat with a teal band that slipped forward slightly as he looked down at her.
"Are you hurt? I saw you lying here when my chocobo smelled burnt wood."
The black-haired lady looked around and noticed the chocobo standing behind the boy, also looking down at her with a curious look.
She tried to breathe calmly.
"A dream...?"
The boy looked down at her questioningly.
"Oh, I'm sorry if I worried you." She sat up and gave the two a warm smile. Somehow Matsuri knew she could trust them. As she was about to continue speaking, she saw a plaster on his freckled nose.
"Are you okay?! You have a plaster on your nose!"
He looked the lady in the eyes in surprise and started laughing a short time later.
"Don't worry, I'm not hurt!"
"I'm relieved to hear that!"
The boy stood up and stood next to his Chocobo and stroked his yellow feathers.
"Do you need help? If you want, we'll take you to our farm, where you can rest better than on the hard stone ground!"
Matsuri also stood up and brushed the light dirt off her dress.
"Would you do that for me?!"
"Yes, of course! My name is Billy, by the way! Nice to meet you!"
He held out his hand and waited to shake hers. He grinned confidently and held his hip with his other hand.
She didn't hesitate for long and took his hand to shake it. She was happy that someone had stopped the trip to look after her.
"My name is Matsuri! Nice to meet you too!"
"Okay Matsuri, let's go!"
They walked out of the cave together and the sun's rays touched their faces.
Matsuri looked back into the cave and thought about her dream again.
Was it really a dream?
It felt so real, Matsuri thought. Her parents' hugs were filled with warmth and security while she felt sadness and coldness in Sephiroth's eyes.
She looked over at Billy who waved to her and grinned from ear to ear again. They walked to the farm while Matsuri hoped to find more information.
"Say Billy, have you seen anything strange in the last few weeks and months?"
She swallowed nervously.
"I'm sorry but I haven't noticed anything unusual. At least not here in the Grasslands and not near our farm either." Billy's gaze wandered to Matsuri. He saw the sadness in her eyes and at the same time an acceptance.
"Thank you. I'll keep looking then."
"Who are you looking for, if I may ask?"
Matsuri looked at her ankle boots first before she continued.
"I'm looking for my parents. They've both been missing for a long time. I was also a child at the time, so it's obvious that you can't know. I'm sorry if the question came across strange. I'm just slowly getting a little desperate and now I ask everyone who crosses my path."
She giggled out of embarrassment and raised her head to look at the blue sky while the wind danced lightly with her hair.
"I know how you feel...I lost my parents too. They weren't missed, they died when I was still small, but missing your parents...I know that feeling all too well and I wish you all the luck in the world to find your parents!"
Matsuri thanked Billy for his trust in her and also made Billy a promise.
"I'll find my parents and introduce you to them! Maybe we can help on your farm too!"
She smiled at the boy and he saw her crystal blue eyes, which sparkled like gemstones in the sun, much more clearly now.
"Kweh!"
His chocobo thought the promise was a good idea and let his wings swing around happily.
Even Billy liked the idea and although the two had only known Matsuri for a few minutes, she radiated a safer warmth in his presence that he couldn't describe.
He didn't have to, because as long as his chocobo was doing well and felt safe in Matsuri's presence, he would be fine too.
"Thank you! My sister and grandfather would also be happy to get more help and get to know you three!"
They both started laughing and continued on their way to the chocobo farm, closely followed by the chocobo himself, who was walking happily next to Billy.
"Woah" The farm looks so beautiful and all the chocobos that are there are so cute!"
Matsuri, Billy and his chocobo reached the chocobo farm after a few hours and Matsuri was amazed when she saw the farm and the chocobos playing with each other. She looked at Billy questioningly and hopefully.
"Yes, you can go to them, but slowly and carefully!" He grinned again and went with Matsuri, who immediately went to pet a chocobo.
Billy watched the black-haired lady and was surprised at how the chocobos reacted to her. None of his feathered friends seemed to be afraid of her and immediately let her gently pet them.
"They are so cute!"
"Kweh!"
For a brief moment, Matsuri was able to forget her worries and she was extremely grateful to Billy for that.
"Matsuri, if you want, you can take a bath before you leave again."
She smiled at Billy and nodded happily in his direction.
Billy is so kind, Matsuri thought as she took a bath.
Billy explained to her that his sister and grandfather were looking for nearby chocobos in case there were any that might be injured in the wild and were therefore not present to meet them at the moment.
She would have liked to meet them and wanted to express her thanks again. Matsuri had therefore made it her mission to come back here to keep her promise to Billy.
Because of the conversation with him, she had a good feeling about finding her parents and gained courage again. The warm bath water made the cold on her body disappear as she sank more slowly into the tub and continued to think.
During the conversation she had with the boy a while ago, she was about to mention Sephiroth but for some reason she couldn't. Her eyes wandered to the ceiling as she thought of his dreamy eyes.
"Will I be able to find all three of them? I should ask Billy where I should go next to gather information."
She looked at her hands as she remembered the situation in the cave. Could she actually use mana?
"My mind has far too many questions and no answers. I must not give up. Sephiroth certainly wouldn't give up either."
She smiled as she said Sephiroth's name. Then she splashed herself with the bathwater to stop the blush on her pale cheeks.
A few hours passed before they both sat together at a table and talked again. In the meantime, Matsuri got a brown, long dress that belonged to Billy's mother.
He never had the heart to throw her clothes away and kept them for his sister. As thanks, the black-haired lady had helped him feed the chocobos. Billy was amazed at how she treated them and her trust in the feathered friends, just like Billy, grew stronger. Matsuri's dress and coat were freshly washed by Billy while she was in the bath and were now hanging on a line to dry in the sunlight. Billy was just pouring her tea in a white cup when he asked her a question.
"Tell me, how did you end up spending the night in a cave? Judging by the coat, you seem to have been through a lot on the way to the grasslands."
Matsuri nodded, her eyes fixed on the cup.
"I actually live in Midgar, but the Shinra infantrymen and many of my fellow residents are looking for me...I had to flee."
"What?!"
Billy was horrified and had to sit down on the chair next to her.
"But why?!"
Her eyebrows twisted, but she smiled.
"I think they were afraid of me when they saw me that day. Not all of them, of course. I had had a good time too...but many also agreed to hand me over to Shinra, so...I fled when I still had the chance."
Billy looked sadly into her eyes. He felt sorry for her and didn't know why people would go that far. He hadn't had to experience anything like that before, but some nights he thought that animals were man's better friends. Billy put his black hat on the table next to his cup and looked her in the eyes again, his red hair revealed.
"I'm sorry."
Surprised, Matsuri raised her hands and moved them back and forth. "No, you don't have to apologize! After all, you didn't do anything, on the contrary!"
"But the fact that you had to run away from your own home makes me sad. Shouldn't they know you? At least most of them?"
Her hands reached for the cup and warmed instandly her fingers and palms.
"I don't really understand that either. It had rained on that day. Many people walked past me but then suddenly they stood there motionless and all eyes were on me. It was definitely weird, since everyone had ignored me before."
"That sounds terrible!"
She nodded again.
"But I don't blame them for what happened. Sometimes I'm just easy to overlook. I hadn't thought about it beforehand... until that day. When the infantrymen chased me, I had no choice but to leave Midgar. If I had been captured, I would never find my parents."
Matsuri began to hold the cup even tighter. "Unfortunately, I had to leave an important person behind. A friend who stood by me for the last two months. I hope she's okay and doesn't get into trouble because of me."
Billy drank his tea quickly - almost choking - and put the cup back on the table.
"Listen, Matsuri. I'm sure she's okay! You'll definitely see each other again! I hope even more now that you'll find your parents!"
"I'm glad to hear that. I'm just wondering where I should look for more information."
Billy jumped up from his chair, ran to a wooden cabinet, which he quickly opened, and pulled out a map, which he put on the table.
"How about trying the Gold Saucer? There are a lot of people there and they've probably heard something in the last few years!"
"Gold Saucer?"
"Yes, exactly!"
Matsuri looked questioningly at the map.
"Don't tell me you don't know Gold Saucer? It's an amusement park built over the ruins of Old Corel, it is a world famous tourist attraction operated by Dio."
"Oh I see! Then my journey should continue there. Thank you Billy!"
Their conversation continued and Billy suggested that Matsuri spend the night at the farm before continuing her journey. The sun was setting very soon and her clothes were still drying.
She agreed and together they spent time with the chocobos before she set off on her journey to the Gold Saucer the next day.
"It was an honor to meet you, Matsuri. Thank you for helping me feed the Chocobos even though you have to carry your own packages."
Matsuri smiled at Billy as she gently stroked the Chocobos one last time.
"That's the least I could do. After all, I was allowed to stay here for one night. I'll come back sometime and have my parents with me! Absolutely! Thank you for encouraging me."
"I'm looking forward to it! Take care of yourself!"
Matsuri was now back in her black dress and threw on her coat so as not to be recognized. Then they said goodbye and went their separate ways, hoping in their minds to see each other again and share their experiences on their travels together.
"Come, my feathered friends. We have a lot to do!"
Billy let the Chocobos into their stables and made his way into the house when his sister Chloe called for him.
"Billy! Grandpa and I are back!"
"Oh, welcome back!"
Chloe hugged Billy and was happy to be home after such a long journey. She showed Billy a basket full of flowers, which she filled on the way so that she could later put the flowers in vases.
"Luckily we didn't find any injured chocobos. How was it with you? Were our chocobos well behaved?"
The young farmer had to laugh and held his hips with both hands.
"Yes, everything is fine! That was child's play for me, sister! Oh, and there was something else!"
Before Billy could continue talking, their Grandfather came and told the two of them to come into the house because lunch would be served soon.
They both stormed into the house hungry and happy while sitting down on the chairs after both had helped their grandfather set the table.
"So, brother! What else did you want to say?"
Billy's eyes were fixed on the white cup that sat on a smaller wooden table.
"Billy?"
His eyes wandered to Chloe as he looked at her questioningly.
"I don't remember..."
Notes:
That was chapter three. I hope you enjoyed it!
See you in chapter four!
Chapter Text
Three weeks passed before Matsuri managed to arrive in Gold Saucer.
She was exhausted and sat down on a bench that was a little bit away from the crowd.
Her feet were literally burning from all the walking and small blisters were forming on her heels while her knees were extremely sore.
She closed her eyes for a while, she was still wearing her coat, the holes had gotten bigger now because she got tangled up in branches when she had to hide.
Hide.
This word described her journey perfectly, because the further away she went from the grasslands the closer she got to the city of Junon.
It was not easy to remain unseen because there were an extremely large number of Shinra infantrymen on patrol and they were not as easy to shake off as the Infantrymen in Midgar.
Every time she was discovered and asked to stop because she looked strange to many people with her coat on, she tried to climb onto roofs or escape into narrow alleys.
In order not to endanger her mission, she even hid in large laundry baskets or behind counters in shops as long as the shop owners didn't mind.
Nevertheless, the shop owners couldn't stop casting questioning glances at her as soon as she thanked them several times, apologized for the inconvenience and left as soon as the infantrymen gave up the search again.
When the sea crossed her path, Matsuri had no choice but to stay in Under Junon for a while and looked for a solution and, if necessary, information to cross the sea without being recognized.
At first she wandered aimlessly around Under Junon to find a hiding place, but she was lucky, because a woman named Rhonda introduced herself as the mayor and sheriff and took Matsuri to a nearby inn to find refuge there.
Rhonda explained that a cruise ship was leaving, but that it would be impossible for Matsuri to board the cruise ship without causing a big stir.
There would only be one opportunity and that would be to secretly board the ship during the upcoming parade.
She explained that there would be an extremely large number of Shinra troops there, as Rufus Shinra would show up and thus the ship would not be too heavily protected, so Matsuri decided to sneak into the cruise ship and hide there.
In all the hustle and bustle, she forgot to bring food with her on the ship.
Her hunger grew stronger with each day, and she had no choice but to wait for someone to come and drop some food on the ground. It wasn't tasty, but it would have been a waste, so she picked up the food and ate it herself to fill her stomach.
This didn't happen every day, because not many people on the ship were clumsy enough to drop their food, so she saved it as best she could.
It was a long journey for the young woman and time passed extremely slowly - at least that was how she felt.
During the trip she could hear the water gently hitting the ship while she thought about how beautiful it would be to see the ocean.
Matsuri even risked being seen when she ran to the exit after the ship arrived in Costa Del Sol.
She stayed for a while to find information about her parents, as this was their vacation spot. Unfortunately, no information was to be found and she started from scratch again.
Matsuri began to sigh and opened her crystal blue eyes again to look around the Gold Saucer.
There were a lot of people there who had been having fun. She wasn't quite sure if she could find out any information there. However, Billy seemed to be sincere when he suggested that she look for clues here, so she believed him. She took the documents out of her coat pocket, which now looked even more crumpled from all the walking back and forth than before.
"I should have paid more attention to them. Oh dear..."
She stood up from the bench while her feet still hurt and a small whimper escaped her.
"Don't complain, Matsuri..."
She took a few steps towards the crowd when she was suddenly bumped into something small and almost fell to the ground. Her hood fell back and her long black hair appeared.
"Ah! What was that?"
"Careful! Please move aside!"
"What?"
Matsuri looked in the direction where the scream came from and three people ran straight towards Matsuri, only to just miss her and disappear behind her.
"Sorry, but we're in a hurry!"
The black-haired lady was surprised and turned around again. She saw two men and a woman chasing a cat. When Matsuri tried to run after them herself, someone nudged her on the shoulder.
"Sorry, but we have to catch the cat that got away from us. I'm sorry if the three of them hit you too. Are you hurt?"
Matsuri saw a beautiful woman with long, black hair tied back. Her eyes were ruby red and despite the situation she was in, she smiled at Matsuri.
"No, I'm fine! Thank you for asking. Can I help you?"
A younger lady with short black hair also entered the stage.
"Well, I think two more hands wouldn't hurt! Come with us!“
Without wasting a second, Matsuri's legs moved of their own accord in the direction the cat and the three people disappeared.
She had no idea who they were, but each of them radiated a sense of security. A sense of safety that Matsuri had always longed for.
"What exactly does the cat look like?" asked the black-haired woman, trying to calm her breathing while she run.
"His fur is black, but his stomach and face are white. He also wears a red cape, white gloves, and brown boots!"
"A cat with boots and gloves?!" Matsuri thought. She had helped several cats out of trouble, but she had never seen one wearing boots, let alone gloves. Her eyes began to sparkle with curiosity.
It was clear to her that she absolutely had to see this cat as she sprinted forward, forgetting the pain in her legs and feet.
"Then we should definitely stop the cat!"
The other two ladies didn't miss the curiosity in Matsuri's tone as she continued to run forward, and despite the current situation, both of them giggled as they slowly caught up with Matsuri.
"I think someone's curious!"
"All the better for us! We can't let him get away! Not after we've come this far!"
The group ran, past crowds of people trying to jump out of the way while curses were hurled.
"Watch out, you idiots!"
"Watch who you're knocking over!"
Some guests seemed somewhat confused and annoyed by the commotion, and their looks told how they felt, but Matsuri and the others ignored the indignant looks and joined the others running down a flight of stairs.
The Gold Saucer was still foreign to Matsuri. All the colorful lights she saw in the hectic time looked beautiful to her. She thought of her family, Aileen, and Billy, and hoped to go there with everyone someday to have fun.
"There's Cait Sith!"
"Let's get the cat!"
The cat dodged the hands and charged straight through a barricade and into the staff room.
"Oh dear! I hope you can forgive me!"
The Gold Saucer staff were startled as the cat charged into the warehouse, throwing the goods behind it.
Still closely followed by the group and Matsuri, the cat seemed to disappear further and further from view. By now, Matsuri was running out of breath and had to hold on to a wall.
"How fast that cat is...it seems faster than ordinary cats in Midgar."
After all the hustle and bustle, she remembered the pain she still felt from her long journey and held her legs with her hands. She rubbed the sore spots and tried to catch up.
"Are you okay?"
A man with a long red cloak and long black hair approached Matsuri and looked her straight in the eyes.
"Thank you, but I'm okay. I had a long journey before I met you all, and I'm not quite used to traveling for such long distances yet."
"I understand."
"But we can go on! I don't want to separate you from your group."
Matsuri couldn't see his face completely, but she was sure that, judging by his nod alone, he must be a nice and caring person.
They both ran after the others. They ran around corners and dodged the objects thrown down by Cait Sith.
Matsuri wondered why the cat was running away from his group.
It was clear to her that there had to be a valid reason and she hoped to help both sides.
After all, this was her strength: helping people and animals. As she continued running down a corridor, she also considered whether it was a good idea to get involved.
She didn't know the group and didn't want to add fuel to the fire, yet she still wanted to be useful.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard loud mechanical noises, which grew louder the closer she got to the sound.
She recognized this sound and was just about to identify it when she looked around the corner and saw a helicopter starting the propellers. She stopped abruptly when she saw the men in black suits.
"What are they doing here?! Do they know about me?"
Matsuri's eyes wandered over to the cat who had handed them something.
"What is that? A round ball?"
"It's what's called a keystone. We've been looking for it for a long time, and that's why we were chasing him. Apparently, we were too late..."
The man with long, spiky, black hair stepped forward next to Matsuri, his arms crossed as he surveyed the situation.
Her clear eyes returned to the scene. She already felt the others' emotions, anger and disappointment at the cat as he handed the keystone to the Turks.
"Be safe."
"You too."
The words of Cait Sith and one of the Turks were barely audible over the engine.
The propellers blew out a tremendous gust of wind the faster they spun. One of the Turks, already sitting in the cockpit, scanned the group.
"Oh, wait a minute."
She took a pair of binoculars and looked directly at Matsuri, who was standing a few meters away.
"Isn't that the woman we reported as wanted?"
The Turk, who had taken the Keystone, now climbed into the helicopter and interrupted the woman in the cockpit.
"We have what we need. We'll deal with her later."
"Roger. At least now we know who she's traveling with."
It all happened so quickly. The helicopter flew away as fast as it could, and Cait Sith looked down, ready to see the disappointed faces of his friends.
As Matsuri approached the group, she could already hear the group's harsh words bouncing off the cat.
His face was filled with sadness and fear that he wouldn't be able to tell them why he was doing it.
This Keystone seemed to have been very important to the group, Matsuri thought, but she couldn't help but feel compassion for the cat.
He stood there alone on the other side, his eyes reflecting the disappointed faces of the others.
"It's not what it looks like! Please let me explain!"
His words fell on deaf ears, and after a short while, everyone turned their backs on him.
A hand gently touched Matsuri's shoulder.
"Thank you for your help."
It was the woman with long black hair who smiled at Matsuri for a brief moment and then went with her group.
Matsuri stood alone with Cait Sith. Her gaze turned to him.
"Can I help you in any way?"
When there was no response, Matsuri approached him and gently and carefully ran her hand over his head. His ears twitched in surprise.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Matsuri. I stumbled upon you all by chance."
"I see..."
Cait Sith was touched when Matsuri gently stroked his head, but he took her hand and carefully removed it, walking slowly in the opposite direction.
"Be safe…"
It was a new situation for Matsuri.
No one seemed to be looking for her help.
At that moment, she didn't know what to do with herself. She stood there motionless, her hair blowing gently in the wind, watching each side drift further apart with each second.
She didn't understand why no one took the opportunity to talk to each other and resolve the issues directly.
The most important thing in her life was to connect with people, especially when she was wrong. She wanted to apologize immediately.
This applied even when Matsuri was right. For her, it didn't matter who was right; it was about resolving the issues. For her, that would have been the solution to so many problems.
On her journey, however, she slowly understood that not everyone wanted help, and that there were discussions, arguments, and problems that wouldn't simply disappear with an apology.
Perhaps this was one of those moments when she couldn't reach out to anyone. Especially not with a group of people who didn't even know Matsuri.
In the few minutes that Matsuri was there, she felt not only a pleasant warmth emanating from the group, but also nervousness, anger, and confusion.
She knew they seemed to be on a mission. An important mission that depended on many important things.
"Is there really no solution to help everyone?"
whispered the black-haired woman as she saw Cait Sith one last time from afar before he disappeared into the distance.
She instantly felt useless when she no longer saw the cat, and the view of the group also faded further into the background. She held her coat tight and thought.
"Perhaps I could..."
Suddenly, green particles of light appeared before her blue eyes, slowly moving towards the group.
Hadn't she seen this light before? Her eyes followed the particles of light, and her memories flashed through her mind. How she used mana in the cave that time, and those same particles of light fell onto her hands.
Matsuri raised her head and ran back to the group.
"Please wait!" she shouted from a distance, but everyone heard it and turned around.
Her aching feet quickly carried her back to them. Then she stopped in front of the woman with the long, black hair.
"I know your situation isn't good right now, and you don't even know me, but...could I accompany you?"
"You want to travel with us?"
"Yes, I want to help you! Just like I want to help Cait Sith. I'm sure if you talk to each other, the problem will resolve itself."
"How are you so sure? Are you in cahoots with that cat?"
A man wearing sunglasses and using one arm as a cannon approached Matsuri. She felt his anger. An anger directed at something much greater than Cait Sith.
"Barret, please."
"But Tifa. We'd never seen her before, and she suddenly appeared when the cat took our key? This is no coincidence!"
As the two discussed about the situation, a lion-like creature approached Matsuri.
"What's your name, if you don't mind me asking?"
She smiled gently and knelt down in front of him to be at eye level.
"My name is Matsuri, and I'm on a journey. I'm looking for information about my missing parents...but unfortunately, it's been unsuccessful so far."
"I understand. My name is Nanaki!"
"Red, what's up with this? We don't know her, and you're just blurting out your name?"
"Barret, if we want to know more about her, we should exchange some information. Besides, I don't think she wants to harm us."
Another woman in a pink dress and a pink bow in her hair joined the discussion and smiled directly at Matsuri.
"Nanaki is right. I don't sense any danger from her either. I think we should hear what she has to say before we move on."
"You're right. Let's sit down where we can talk undisturbed, is that okay, Cloud?"
The woman with ruby-red eyes looked at Cloud, who was carrying a large, broad sword on his back and, at first glance, seemed to be a rather quiet person.
"It's okay, Tifa."
"Good. Let's hurry!"
"Oh yeah, if you don't mind, I'd get my Tiny Bronco ready, since we're in a hurry. You can explain the details to me later, once we're off the Gold Saucer."
A man wearing goggles on his forehead jerked his thumb in the direction of his ship and then eyed Matsuri.
"While we're at it. My name is Cid! Remember that name, because if you come with us, you'll meet the best pilot on the entire planet, haha!"
As Cid tried to lighten the mood, everyone gave him questioning looks until he left.
It didn't take long until everyone was sitting at a table.
Except for the man known as Vincent. He was the first to ask Matsuri if everything was okay as everyone ran after Cait Sith.
He stopped against a wall, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes, listening to the conversations.
First, everyone introduced themselves.
Then Nanaki explained to Matsuri that the Keystone was a key to the Temple of the Ancients, and they urgently needed to get there.
Therefore, they were shocked when Cait Sith stole the key and left without saying anything. Aerith agreed with Nanaki and reiterated the urgency of finding the temple.
Matsuri understood the seriousness of the situation but also told the others that Cait Sith probably also had a strong reason for stealing the key and handing it over to the Turks.
Barret didn't like her statement at all and immediately jumped in.
"He could have talked to us! We trusted him, and then he does something like that! That only makes the situation worse for the planet!"
Tifa held Barret by the shoulder and persuaded him to continue listening, as she also wanted to understand Matsuri's story. Barret then slumped into a chair and waited for her to speak.
Then Matsuri explained again that she was looking for her parents and hoped to go with them to get informations. Since the beginning of her journey, she hadn't had a single success.
Not even the smallest details came to her attention. No one she asked knew her parents. Barret was taken aback when Matsuri began to talk about her situation in Midgar. How she had been completely ignored for years since her parents' kidnapping or disappearance, how she suddenly became the center of attention on a rainy day, and how, months later, she was supposed to be handed over to Shinra.
"You were supposed to be handed over to Shinra? But why?" Yuffie asked curiously, turning her chair around to lean on it better.
"I can't explain it either. It's as if their feelings and opinions about me have shifted suddenly. Like the snap of a finger, they've changed towards me. Not entirely Midgar, though. I think if I hadn't gotten help, I wouldn't be here now."
Matsuri clutched her holey coat.
"That sounds really strange. I'm glad you're okay, though, and that you made it this far."
Aerith smiled gently at Matsuri and then wondered why the fellow residents might have reacted that way, but she doesn't know the answer either.
"I think part of it is my looks, and part of it is my...willingness to help. When I was finally accepted and no longer ignored, I wanted to help even more and was busy helping people and animals day in and day out. Maybe...it scared a lot of people away..."
Matsuri held her hands tightly together and looked down.
The fear of scaring people away or embarrassing them was great. Nevertheless, she had placed hope in them, knowing that there were also good people on the planet.
As they continued talking together, the Gold Saucer remained full of people. It seemed as if this place never stopped, attracting more and more customers.
The cat's chase was immediately forgotten. The colorful lights glowed in the night, making the stars pale in the clear night sky.
"We want to save the planet. Would you like to help us, Matsuri?"
Without much thought, she agreed with Tifa and the others.
"Shinra definitely has to be stopped. Therefore, I also want to help all the victims who have suffered or are still suffering because of Shinra."
"I think you'll be safer with us than if you continue on your own. I don't mind if you come with us."
Aerith and Tifa smiled at Matsuri. Yuffie, Nanaki, and Vincent agreed, while Barret wasn't completely satisfied but agreed after a while. Even Cloud smiled at Matsuri, having seen her help with the chase.
"I don't mind either."
A weight was lifted from Matsuri's shoulders. She was no longer alone and could help people again.
So the group set out with Matsuri to find the Temple of the Ancients, which they had previously discussed. But what no one knew was that Matsuri's life was about to take a dramatic turn.
Notes:
This was chapter four! I hope you enjoy it! Starting with chapter five, the story takes a completely different turn for Matsuri. So stay tuned!
The first four chapters have now been uploaded. The next chapter will be published every Saturday.
Next chapter: August 9
See you next week :)
Chapter Text
Everyone was now sitting in the Tiny Bronco while Cid steered his ship towards the new destination.
The group and Matsuri grew closer and shared their knowledge. They began to like and trust Matsuri more. An hour passed, with everyone involved laughing and momentarily putting the bad things behind them.
Nanaki played with Matsuri's torn coat, which had even more holes in it from his fangs. Matsuri didn't seem to mind, however, but was happy to bring someone a little joy on her journey.
The black-haired lady also asked again about her parents, but they couldn't help her. When Matsuri was finally asked for her last name, she paused.
"I can't... remember our last name. I don't know if it's because my parents never had a chance to tell me that when I was little, or if I forgot..."
Tifa reached out and held Matsuri's hand.
"Once all this is over, we'll help you find your parents."
"Exactly! They can't have vanished into thin air!" Yuffie exclaimed with a broad grin.
"Thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Suddenly, the sky darkened, and dark gray clouds covered the sunbeams. The water became choppy, and the wind whipped up a violent gust.
The Tiny Bronco fought against the forces of nature to reach its destination.
Cid began to scream as he frantically swung his head towards the others.
"Guys, look, something gigantic is happening here!"
Cloud and the others looked directly at the scene. Giant cube-shaped stones towered above the ground, covering the sky with their enormous size.
"What's happening?!" Barret asked in horror as the stones fell back down, plummeting into the depths.
An earthquake kept their eyes glued to the scene, and it wasn't long before high walls swept through nature and tore trees from the earth.
Their eyes widened as the stones shifted one last time, revealing a massive building.
"Is that...?!"
"It's the Temple of the Ancients!"
Cid began accelerating the Tiny Bronco while speaking to the others.
"Hold on! We're almost there!"
Yuffie fell to the ground and covered her mouth with her hands. It was obvious that the swaying wasn't doing her any good.
It didn't take long, however, for the Tiny Bronco to reach its destination. Everyone immediately jumped ashore, leaving the ship behind. Yuffie tried to keep up while still covering her mouth with one hand.
Vincent was the first to look up at the sky and notice helicopters, warning the others.
"I see Shinra helicopters. Be alert."
"So Shinra is here too? What are they up to?" Nanaki asked as he hurried forward.
"I'm sure they used the Keystone and activated the temple. I can't imagine it any other way."
Aerith tried to keep up, running as fast as she could.
"It's all thanks to the cat! If he hadn't run away, Shinra wouldn't be here now, causing trouble!"
Barret became angry again and this time didn't let himself be dissuaded from ranting about Cait Sith.
Matsuri thought of his sad words and sincerely hoped they could forgive him someday. But there was no time to think about it further, as the group was now standing in front of the colossal temple connected by a bridge.
Aerith was the first to walk forward and then knelt down, pointing her ear towards the ground. A tear ran down her cheek. "Finally," she said to herself as Barret began to quote.
"We who are born of the planet, with her we speak. Her flesh we form. Unto her promised land we shall one day return. By her loving grace and providence may we take our place in paradise."
He turned to Aerith, who was already standing up again, and she denied Barret's quote by telling everyone that this was not the Promise Land because this place was full of sadness and anger.
Matsuri took a few small steps forward when something began to glow beneath her ankle boots.
Separate bands of green-white fluid raked from the ground, flowing as one, and surrounded Matsuri's body for a few seconds until they slid over to Aerith and finally disappeared towards the temple.
"It's the Lifestream! It wants to show us the way."
"Then we should hurry."
Cloud was the first to rush across the bridge, picking up his sword to prepare for possible attacks, while everyone else quickly followed.
They ran straight towards the gate, which opened automatically the closer they got. Matsuri felt uneasy.
Her body began to get colder, and goosebumps ran down her spine. When she finally ran into the temple, she saw the Lifestream raging through the halls.
Her hair blew in all directions as she tried to stay close to the group, holding her arms protectively over her face. Barret grabbed Matsuri by her arm and pulled her closer to him to shield her from the strong gusts of wind.
An act she hadn't expected. Her eyes widened when he smiled at her. Behind his sunglasses lay a kind hearted man, Matsuri thought to herself and followed Barret.
"Look! There are Shinra soldiers!"
Tifa noticed the soldiers, but the temple seemed to be built differently inside than outside.
These soldiers were standing upside down on another stone platform, already fighting monsters.
Some soldiers, however, were so severely injured that they died instantly. Other soldiers were swept away by the Lifestream, which continued to rage throughout the temple.
The Shinra soldiers screamed the names of their fallen comrades, watching as their comrades were thrown against other stone platforms by the strong wind, leaving them unable to move.
One after another, they fell into the Lifestream, which continued at an uncontrollable speed, almost knocking Cloud and the others off the platform. A sadness and rage that Aerith had never experienced before.
Something seemed to be disrupting the Lifestream, preventing it from flowing naturally.
"Why does Shinra send its own people to their deaths?!"
"The company doesn't care about that. The only thing that matters to them is success and power."
Vincent's eyebrows furrowed. The sight made even himself angry, but he remained silent from then on to focus on the mission.
"Watch out, there are monsters!"
Winged monsters flew towards the group and let out a battle cry.
"They're coming from everywhere! Be careful!"
Barret stood protectively in front of Matsuri, Tifa, Aerith, and Yuffie and aimed his cannon at the monsters that were getting closer and closer.
Nanaki didn't just watch either, jumping onto Cloud's sword to launch an attack with his claws while Tifa brought down the monsters on the ground with her powerful blows.
Vincent stood next to Matsuri and aimed his pistol at the monsters' wings.
"Can you defend yourself?"
Matsuri had never harmed a living being. It was against her nature to hurt humans or animals.
She swallowed her spit out of nervousness and looked around. Everyone fought without hesitation. Everyone picked up their weapons, not thinking about the consequences the living beings would suffer.
But did she have the right to think like that now, when people she had taken to her heart far too quickly were in danger? Her crystal-blue eyes reflected the splashing blood that shot in all directions, the monsters screaming in pain and falling to the ground, the Shinra soldiers who could barely stand up to the monsters, the wounds Cloud and the others received from the creatures.
Her fear rose in her throat. Her whole body began to tremble at the thought of taking lives when she was doing everything in her power to protect countless lives.
"Make your choice!"
Vincent's deep voice penetrated her ears. She flinched as he continued shooting at the monsters.
Her breathing became heavy and rapid as her hands began to shake.
"What should I do?!"
Her thoughts were a mess. But suddenly she remembered when she had summoned fire in the cave. She stared at her shaking hands.
"Ah!"
Matsuri heard Yuffie's voice as she was thrown to the ground by one of the monsters. Her fear rose immeasurably, but another emotion grew within her, one she had never felt as strongly in her life as it did now.
It was her anger and her deep desire to protect everyone.
A slight tingling sensation spread in her palms, growing stronger and stronger. Her palms began to warm up, and just a few seconds later, fireballs emerged and shot straight towards the monsters, who immediately fell to the ground.
Matsuri screamed and unleashed her magic to protect Cloud and the others.
"Matsuri is using mana?!"
Aerith couldn't believe what she was seeing, but at the same time, she cheered Matsuri on, as the magic had tremendous power.
Matsuri's hands moved on their own.
Not only fire erupted from her palms, but also ice, lightning, and wind, which she sent flying in all directions to protect not only her group but also the Shinra soldiers, already traumatized by the monsters and the sight of their fallen comrades.
Her eyes were closed, her dress fluttered gently in her own wind and her hands moved agilely and smoothly in all directions. Her movements were fast, while she cast her magic so elegantly that Matsuri looked like she was dancing in front of the others.
Cid fended off more monsters crawling across the ground with his lance, while Cloud slashed the remaining monsters with his Buster Sword.
Nanaki, who was watching the whole spectacle, noticed that something was wrong with Matsuri's body and ran to Aerith.
"Aerith! These powers seem far too strong for her body! She won't last long!"
"You're right. We have to reach her soul!"
The last creatures were struck down by Matsuri's magical powers. She was slowly running out of breath and trying with all her might to suppress her mana.
"Matsuri!"
Aerith and Nanaki called her name as she tried to stop her power. She rubbed her palms together and knelt on the ground. Her forehead touched the cold, dirty floor as she shivered again.
"What have I done?"
Sparks shot out of her palms, and a short time later, green particles floated out of her hand. These particles flew directly to the Lifestream and merged with each other. Tifa ran to Matsuri and hugged her.
"Everything's fine! The monsters are gone! Are you okay, Matsuri?"
"Tifa...are you all hurt?"
"No, we're fine, thanks to you."
"I'm glad..."
"We should move on as quickly as possible before more monsters appear!"
Cid called to the others, pointing to another path that led further into the temple.
Everyone agreed with Cid and moved quickly. Tifa was still holding Matsuri so she could run faster.
The magic had robbed her much of her strength. Vincent looked into Matsuri's eyes, which were still filled with fear, but said nothing at first so as not to unsettle her further.
They went deeper and deeper into the temple, fighting more monsters and Shinra soldiers who stood in their way.
As Matsuri and the group ran deeper into the temple, they encountered more and more monsters, ready to strike down anyone who dared to enter the sacred halls.
At that moment, Cloud sprinted towards a staircase to reach a higher platform, moving further and further away from the group.
"Cloud, wait!"
Tifa and Barret shouted after Cloud, but he couldn't hear a word from his friends. It felt as if he were trapped in a tunnel vision. He gripped his sword even tighter, ignoring all the monsters that tried to attack him.
Meanwhile, more monsters attacked the group from behind, and a single bloodbath gathered in one place.
"We have to get to Cloud quickly!"
In Tifa's voice, Matsuri could sense her concern for Cloud.
If only she could control her magical powers, she would surely be of more use, the black-haired mage thought, but her body hadn't fully recovered yet. The battles passed so quickly, yet seemed endless. It's no wonder the Shinra soldiers were having such difficulties. Matsuri tried with all her might to help, refocusing on her mana.
"Please fire, let me help my friends."
At first, only small sparks emerged, but her bond with the new group was stronger, and she was able to cast large fireballs at the monsters once again.
However, she looked away, as she still hated to hurt living beings. Yuffie and the others cheered at Matsuri, and together they ran to the stairs Cloud had recently climbed.
Everything felt as if time were moving in slow motion. Matsuri's black dress and ankle boots were covered in the blood of the monsters she had slain with her magic.
Everyone ran up the last few steps until they saw Cloud in the distance of the platform, raising his sword against someone else.
"Cloud!"
Tifa was about to run to Cloud, but Barret stopped her and gently grabbed her shoulder.
"No, Tifa. It's too dangerous!"
Matsuri first looked over at Tifa and Barret, then slowly turned her head. Her eyes widened instantly when she saw who her eyes reflected.
It was a man with long, silky silver hair that, despite the strong wind, blew gently, while he carried a long sword in his left hand. His sword deflected Cloud's sword and pushed him back a few meters.
"Sephiroth?"
His name left her mouth quietly, but he could still hear her voice, and his cat-like eyes met hers for a split second.
She couldn't believe he was standing there. She never thought she'd find him first. Matsuri took small steps towards Sephiroth, who continued to dodge and block Cloud's attacks without effort.
"Matsuri! Have you lost your mind?! It's too dangerous for you!"
Barret grabbed Matsuri's arm again. She turned around, and Barret saw a desperate look in her eyes.
It was clear to the mage that she wanted to help Sephiroth. The strong emotions she once felt when she found the documents resurfaced, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Why are you fighting him? He's suffered enough!"
At that moment, Barret became angry. He let go of her arm and pointed his cannon at her.
"Barret, don't!"
Aerith stood between the two and opened her arms.
"Aerith, get out of the way! We should never have trusted Matsuri! Anyone who shows empathy for such a monster doesn't belong in Avalanche!"
"You can't do that, Barret!"
Aerith's words filled his ears, and for Aerith's sake, he decided to lower his cannon. However, his eyes remained fixed on Matsuri as a warning.
"One wrong deed, and I'll show no mercy. If you hurt my friends, that's it for you, understood?"
Matsuri couldn't believe that Barret thought she wanted to harm the group. However, she nodded at him without saying a word, wiping away the tears that continued to roll down her cheeks with the back of her hand.
At that moment, a black-purple smoke appeared, darkening the interior of the temple in a matter of seconds.
"What's happening now?!"
Yuffie screamed in shock, trying to escape the ever-expanding smoke, but soon the entire room was filled with it.
Matsuri's body immediately began to tremble. She stared into the darkness and saw a figure emerge from the smoke while the others tried to regroup.
A creature consisting of masses of flesh, tentacles, and a skeletal head appeard from the shadows, followed by a shrill scream that made Matsuri flinch in fear.
The creature's eyes stared directly at Matsuri before it dodged a blast from Barret's cannon.
The explosion cleared the smoke, and the monster was now visible to everyone.
"What is that monster?!"
Aerith's eyes widened and screamed to let everyone know what it was.
"It's Jenova! Be careful!"
The Lifestream no longer raged aimlessly through the temple but immediately attacked Jenova's horror form. The green and white threads shot towards Jenova from all directions, enveloping the living mass of flesh, but the alien withstood the attacks and hurled rocks at the group with the help of its tentacles.
The group ran in all directions and began to counterattack while Cloud still crossed swords with Sephiroth.
Matsuri used her mana again, and a gigantic fireball, manifested in fear, raced towards Jenova. Her eyes showed a hunted look as she continued to tremble. The magic slowly took over her body.
"Matsuri! Watch out!"
Tifa screamed in her direction as Jenova changed her prey and rushed at Matsuri without flinching, followed by shrill screams that sent chills down her entire body after she was struck by Matsuri's massive fireball.
All eyes turned to this moment.
How Matsuri tried to control her magical powers and yet failed, and how Jenova came ever closer to her, already prepared to attack her.
Matsuri feared for the safety of her new friends. She knew they only meant well. She wasn't angry or disappointed at Barret's initial reaction either, because that's how everyone would act, she thought.
Her thoughts swirled in her head. If she dodged, the blow would definitely hit Barret, Matsuri realized after she saw how close he actually stood next to her.
Her eyes fell on Sephiroth, who was no longer being attacked by Cloud, as Cloud ran to the scene to stop Jenova.
Matsuri had hoped to be able to help him. To show the others the documents and bring the truth to light.
With all her strength, she stood in front of Barret and her lips formed a smile as she looked at Sephiroth again.
This smile felt so warm to Sephiroth, the former hero, that his eyes widened slightly when their eyes met. Cloud arrived too late, however, as Jenova hit Matsuri directly on the chest, smashing her against a stone platform with full force, her blood covering the spot where she landed.
"Matsuri!"
The group's screams were louder than ever, but Matsuri couldn't hear them. All she heard were muffled sounds.
She slowly slid off the stone platform and fell into the depths. Cloud and the others ran along the edge of the platform, continuing to scream her name. Sephiroth also looked down, but Matsuri was no longer there.
"No! Matsuri!"
Tifa's tears found no rest and she fell to her knees.
"It's our fault..."
Barret couldn't believe what was happening either. She stood before him to help him, despite everything that had happened earlier. He clenched his fist and turned around, his rage unstoppable.
"Jenova!"
He fired at her as she swung again, tentacles ready to snatch anyone.
Sephiroth continued to stare into the depths when he suddenly clutched his head, visions haunting him.
"Please hold on! Please wait for me! I will look for you and help you as soon as I find you! Please...!"
___________________________________________________
"Matsuri."
Matsuri awoke when she heard an unfamiliar voice. She looked around but saw nothing except a dazzling, brilliant light in front of her.
"Where am I?"
Her gaze fell on a wound on her chest that was still bleeding. Her black dress was soaked with blood, running down her legs.
"Matsuri."
Matsuri raised her head again and looked around.
"Who's there?"
"Your wish...do you still want to try?"
"My wish?"
The brilliant light approached the black-haired mage, close enough for Matsuri to hold it in her hands.
"It's not too late. Try it."
The unfamiliar voice echoed through the void in which Matsuri was floating slightly.
"If I had another chance...I'd want to keep trying."
"So be it."
Matsuri didn't know what was happening. The only thing she could remember was when she was smashed to the stone platform by Jenova.
How were her friends doing? Had they escaped? Are Aileen and Billy okay? She still wanted to experience a lot in her life and made promises to important people that she probably couldn't keep.
She promised herself that she would find her parents. They must still be in trouble. Her eyes looked at the light and they glittered more brightly than ever before.
It looked as if one could gaze into a cave full of illuminated gemstones.
"Please let me go if I have another chance..."
Suddenly, the light floated towards her and disappeared into her chest.
"Go."
Before Matsuri looked around again, hands held her back to gently push her forward.
A light breeze brushed her skin, and as she looked up, a white dove feather slid down from above.
When Matsuri touched the white feather with her fingertips it began to glow. She cupped the feather in her hands and closed her eyes.
___________________________________________________
"This is gonna be rough! Don't die on me, okay!?"
Matsuri heard a male voice but that wasn't the only thing she noticed.
She also heard explosions and the screams of many people while the smell of explosive smoke hung in the air.
"Wait! Glenn look! There's someone standing there!"
Another male voice revealed itself.
“How did she suddenly get there?”
This voice belonged to a woman who immediately looked over to her team.
Matsuri opened her eyes.
"A girl?! What is she doing here on the battlefield?!"
Before Glenn and the other two could rush to her, a helicopter arrived and a young soldier with short, silver hair jumped down from the helicopter.
Matsuri's eyes widened while white feathers fell from the sky and briefly obscured the young soldier’s face.
It was Sephiroth who touched the ground directly in front of Matsuri.
As elegant as a swan, he managed to land on his feet while the feathers made him look like an angel while he drew his sword without even looking back.
He immediately attacked the opponents and after just a few seconds all opponents fell to the ground. The cuts were clean and precise and you could see the cuts under his feet.
During this time, a woman with short, black hair grabbed Matsuri by the arm and dragged her back to the others.
"What are you doing here?! How did you even get here?"
The mage was stunned because not only was she sent back in time and saw young Sephiroth infront of her eyes but she also became younger again. Was this the aftermath of her traveling back in time?
Meanwhile unleashed Sephiroth his magical powers and set the opponents along with the trees on fire.
As he slowly turned around, Matsuri remembered the sentences the mysterious voice told her.
"Your wish...do you still want to try?"
"It's not too late. Try it."
Matsuri now understood what was meant by that. She really got a chance. A chance to help Sephiroth.
Matsuri and Sephiroth looked into each other's eyes.
Notes:
Hello everyone!
Here we are at chapter five, and Sephiroth and Team Glenn are finally joining us!
The fact that Matsuri got smaller is actually thanks to the year she was sent. I can tell you that much already. She will also return to her normal age and size again. She is the same age as Sephiroth himself. However, I found it difficult to write down an exact age, since we unfortunately still don't know Sephiroth's birthday. I hope the devs decide to reveal his official birthday at some point.
What will Matsuri do now that she's been sent back in time? Is it even the past or memories of a certain former hero?
What is the mysterious voice up to, and how will Sephiroth react when he learns the truth?You'll find out in the next chapters!
I'm extremely grateful that you click on my story and show interest. It really means a lot to me.
Thank you so much! <3The next chapters will be published every Saturday!
Chapter six will be published on: 16.08.25
Chapter Text
For Matsuri it felt as if time stood still. For a moment she thought she had been killed by Jenova but suddenly she was transported to a time when Sephiroth himself was still young.
She could see how powerful he was even at that age. The mage was surprised, her eyes still reflecting Sephiroth until a young man with short, blond hair picked her up from the ground and asked her if everything was alright.
He introduced himself. Glenn Lodbrok was his name.
Matsuri had never heard of him before, but a warmth radiated from this man and she thanked him for helping her. He let go of her and Matsuri's ankle boots touched the ground.
Glenn introduced her to Lucia Lin and Matt Winsord, who in return questioned whether this was the right time to introduce themselves or not.
In the meantime, Sephiroth was already standing next to the group and explained to Glenn that he would now take over the leadership and that they should leave quickly to continue their mission.
This also applied to Matsuri, but he already noticed a magical power within her, which made him curious, something he, of course, didn't admit.
He turned his focus back to the soldiers who were getting closer and closer, already firing at the group with their advanced weapons.
"I'll take the lead from now on. More Rhadoran soldiers are coming, so go."
"Fine by me, for now!"
Matsuri didn't think twice and also ran in the direction the three had already fled, but a bomb from one Rhadoran soldier flew straight at Matsuri.
"Oh no!"
She had no chance to dodge. Inwardly, she tried to deflect the bomb with her magic, but she never got the chance, as Sephiroth had already jumped to her, grabbed her by the waist with one hand, and pulled her to safety behind pieces of the ruins.
His speed was breathtaking, Matsuri thought, because before she could thank him, he shot straight at the enemies, slashing each one with his sword without batting an eyelid, while still splitting the bomb in half.
It seemed to never end, however, as more and more soldiers appeard from their hiding places and surrounded Sephiroth, who remained calm, waiting for the right moment to rekindle his magic.
"Come, wind!"
Suddenly, Matsuri used her magic.
It looked as if she still didn't have her body completely under control, because her hands moved gently on their own, and a huge whirlwind swept the soldiers miles away.
Sephiroth's cat-like eyes were fixed on Matsuri, who looked majestic in the whirlwind. Her black dress moved in rhythm with her, while her hair blew in all directions.
Her eyes were still closed as her movements slowly came to a halt. Sephiroth said nothing but lowered his sword, Nameless, his eyes still fixed on the mage.
He marveled at the power he sensed within her. Did she also come from a Shinra laboratory? Who had she trained with? What kind of power was that? What tests had been conducted on her?
Many questions ran through his mind. Still, he was certain that she also worked for Shinra, because that's where all the weapons were manufactured. Perhaps she was a diversion to strike down the opponents in the right time.
"Hmph."
Sephiroth was confused.
Could this be a test by Professor Hojo? To test his strength? The young soldier raised Nameless again and attacked the newly arrived enemies, slitting their throats in a matter of seconds.
Matsuri held her head when she came to her sense and at that moment, she also felt weak, as she still lacked the necessary strength to control her body.
She looked at the silver haired boy sadly, now understanding how difficult his life must be. The mage’s empathy and compassion grew within her the more she watched Sephiroth fight.
The next wave of Rhadoran soldiers were killed instantly before he turned to Matsuri.
"..."
She approached him and was finally able to thank him for his help. A gesture he didn't understand.
"Why are you thanking me? I'm here to kill."
"You saved me. Without you, I would never have been able to escape the bomb in time and would have died. Please accept my thanks."
"...Whatever."
The young soldier went in search of Glenn and the others without turning around, and although he didn't say anything, Matsuri followed him.
Sephiroth took extra long strides to be faster, but Matsuri was on the move quite often in Midgar and could easily keep up with him, which bothered the hero for some reason.
Suddenly, Sephiroth stopped and looked at Matsuri, giving her a rather annoyed look.
"Tell me. What unit are you from?"
"Huh?"
Sephiroth began to ask more questions without thinking about what he was actually doing.
"Who did you train with? What medications did they give you?"
Matsuri was extremely confused. She had to think for a long time, and an awkward silence spread between the two.
What made it even more awkward was when Sephiroth looked her straight in the eyes, as if he were looking through her soul, until Matsuri realized why he was asking these questions.
"Oh! I don't work for Shinra, if that's what you mean. My name is Matsuri, and I'm from Midgar."
She smiled at him gently, breaking the unusual silence that had previously overtook them.
But her answer wasn't satisfying enough for the boy. He moved his left arm, which held his sword, and the tip of the sword landed under Matsuri's chin. She could feel how sharp the blade was, and she didn't move a millimeter.
"So you're also an enemy of Shinra?"
Matsuri was about to answer "yes," but she just swallowed her answer out of nervousness and shook her head several times.
She wasn't a good liar, so she tried to make it clear through her body language that she wasn't an enemy. At least definitely not to Sephiroth.
The whole situation had still been extremely unfamiliar for her, and she had yet to come to terms with the fact that she was still alive. She forgot about the sword that was held under her chin and lost herself in her thoughts.
She wasn't sure how to help Sephiroth.
When should she tell him that she knew everything?
Would it even be good to tell him everything?
Wouldn't it change the past even more for everyone?
How would he react?
Would he even like the truth?
Was she even allowed to interfere in his life?
Before the thoughts overtook her, however, Sephiroth spoke to her. His voice immediately freed her from her carousel of thoughts and her eyes met his again.
"You seem to possess an enormous magical power within you that even you couldn't withstand...that's why I asked you, because I thought you..."
He stopped himself and looked down. Matsuri saw the sadness in his eyes, shining like the northern lights in the sun. He lowered his sword, Nameless, and turned around.
"..."
"Sephiroth?"
"If you don't want to die, then follow me. However, I won't take any consideration for you, understood?"
Despite his answer, the mage was happy and hurried over to him. She looked over at the young soldier and noticed the feeling she'd already felt once after reading the documents.
Her eyes widened and she frantically grabbed at her dress, but the documents were gone.
How could she prove that she knew the truth?
She tried to stay calm and decided to search for Glenn and the other two with Sephiroth first. Perhaps she would find a solution, she thought, and quietly walked with him across the island called the Rhadore Archipelago.
Their journey together was extremely silent.
Neither of them spoke for a long time. It was so quiet that one could hear the birds chirping around, the water flowing nearby, and the wind constantly accompanying them.
It would actually be a peaceful island, were it not for the war between the Rhadore soldiers and the Shinra soldiers.
Sephiroth continued walking without turning around, initially ignoring Matsuri. His mind was focused on the mission.
The black-haired mage was also lost in her own thoughts.
She looked down at her body and realized that she remained as a child after waking up. Something she never would have expected.
She raised her hands and stared at them for a while as she walked behind Sephiroth. Unfortunately, her black dress was now too big and barely fit her body. Still, she was glad that she at least woke up dressed.
Her ankle boots slipped with every step, making it difficult for her to walk. Her steps were small yet quick, keeping up with the young soldier.
She looked over at him again and saw his short, silver hair gently dancing in the wind. At that moment, she wondered what he wanted to say to her.
"What did he think when he saw me? He interrupted himself..." Matsuri thought, hoping to continue the conversation once they were no longer in an enemy territory.
Sephiroth stopped abruptly and spotted a cave into which Glenn's team was running.
He immediately changed the direction and headed towards the cave.
“Come.” was the only word he gave Matsuri before he refocused on the mission. Matsuri, however, was happy when he spoke to her, whether it was just a word or, for some reason, a longer conversation developed.
They entered the cave and saw monsters approaching the two. Sephiroth quickly killed the monsters without batting an eyelid so Matsuri didn't have to help and could maintain control over her body.
The cave was large but you could still see the exit from far away thanks to the sunlight that shone brightly into the cave. The drops of water falling from the stones made a beautiful sound that sent several irregular echoes throughout the cave.
"Sephiroth, can you hear that? The sounds are beautiful, aren't they?"
Matsuri broke the silence between the two and tried to start a conversation.
She stopped briefly and held her hands behind her ears to better hear the sounds. Sephiroth turned to Matsuri and was surprised to hear her voice.
He wasn't used to anyone speaking to him normally. If anyone wanted to talk to him, it was only about missions where he wasn't even present, as this was his first mission as a leader.
Otherwise, only professors spoke to him about his body, which was regularly examined. He considered conversations pointless, since most people would only seek an advantage for themselves anyway.
"..."
"Close your eyes, Sephiroth, and listen to the sounds. It's beautiful, please trust me."
Matsuri came a little closer and smiled gently at him. He looked directly at her and saw the numerous birthmarks on the left side of her face. His curiosity rose again, but he only grunted quietly to himself.
"We don't have time, and what if Rhadore soldiers see the opportunity and seize it while I keep my eyes closed?"
Matsuri blinked several times before answering with a smile.
"I'll hold the position for a while, warn you before anything happens, and protect you! I promise!"
Sephiroth's shoulders shuddered briefly when he heard the word "promise." It had happened many times in his life that a certain professor promised him things, only to break them later.
For him, promises were nothing more than empty words used to force the consent of others.
Nevertheless, Matsuri radiated an incredible amount of kindness that even the young soldier couldn't ignore, and saying that she would protect him made him feel emotions he had locked up at an even younger age.
He looked around one last time and nodded to Matsuri as she clapped her hands together slowly and gently in joy.
Sephiroth slowly closed his aurora-colored eyes and concentrated on the sounds around him. He said nothing and wouldn't admit it, but being able to close his eyes was pure relaxation for him.
He was fascinated by the various noises and sounds he could hear if he focused on them.
The singing of the birds further outside the cave echoed up to the two of them, and the drops of water in the cave gave the birdsong a beautiful melody. He would rarely hear such enchanting sounds.
When he didn't have work, he usually sat in his much too small room on a box, waiting for further orders. He didn't have a window to listen to birds chirping.
He couldn't even see the warm rays of the sun or the moon shimmering in the evening hours, because every time he was on an observation mission, black clouds, that caused by the bombs, drifted across the sky.
Even though he didn't admit it, deep down he was sick of this terrible sight.
The sounds that kept ringing in his ears were weapons being fired or the engines of the helicopters he had already boarded to observe others on missions.
Even the sounds of the machines in the laboratories were no longer a rarity for him. For a moment, he felt a touch of normal life, at least he thought so.
When Sephiroth slowly opened his eyes again, Matsuri was reflected in his irises.
The sunlight embraced Matsuri's silhouette, and her crystal-blue eyes glittered in the soft glow of the sun's rays. She even gave him another smile when she noticed that he opened his eyes again.
Matsuri sincerely hoped he would enjoy it. He could trust her, and she hoped he'd realize it very soon after everything he'd been through over the years.
"I hope you enjoyed it!"
"...Let's move on."
Once again, he couldn't say what he thought. He turned around and continued towards the exit.
They walked out and now stood before a beautiful view. The entire island was covered in plants, the leaves covering the remains of the ruins, while the treetops could be seen.
"We're relatively high up! The view is beautiful!"
Matsuri looked down and then turned to Sephiroth.
"We haven't found Glenn, Matt, and Lucia. Did they come this way, too?"
"The cave is large, and since all three of them were under high adrenaline, they may have taken a different route into the cave. We'll wait here."
The black-haired mage agreed with him and, while they both waited, tried to adjust her dress so she could walk better and, if necessary, fight better. Sephiroth stood with his back to her, arms crossed, watching over at the cave for activity.
Some time passed when Matsuri heard a sigh from Sephiroth.
"They're late."
"I hope the three of them are okay and nothing's happened to them."
"..."
Sephiroth looked over at Matsuri.
"Tell me..."
"Hm?"
Sephiroth was annoyed by his own curiosity, but asked anyway.
"What are those little brown spots you have on your face?"
Matsuri was surprised by his question, but she was happy to realize he was simply curious and took a few steps towards him.
"They're called birthmarks. I have many because I inherited them from my parents. They both have many themselves."
"...Your parents?"
Matsuri's eyes widened when she realized she'd mentioned her parents.
She hadn't had a chance to gather any information yet. For some reason, she felt guilty and began to clutch her arms. She looked down at her shoes and thought.
Would she even find any useful information?
Somehow, her search seemed even slower since arriving on this island.
She was hoping for some lead she could follow up on, but she highly doubted she'd find answers here.
Besides, would it have been a good idea to mention her parents in Sephiroth's presence? She certainly didn't want to put him in an awkward situation.
"I’m sorry..."
She smiled at Sephiroth, but he could immediately see her sad expression.
He looked up at the sky before he began to speak.
"I'm looking for someone...I'm looking for my mother."
Matsuri now stood next to him.
"My —the professor told me she died after I was born...but my gut tells me she's still alive. That's why I'm looking for her."
Matsuri thought about the documents, but before she could say anything, Glenn, Matt, and Lucia came out from the cave, completely out of breath.
"Phew! We're finally out!"
Glenn called to the others, holding onto his knees with both hands as he gasped for air.
"Glenn, why are you rushing off so fast? We could have taken a much shorter route to escape the cave, but instead there were so many monsters on our heels."
Lucia said, somewhat annoyed and glad to be out.
Matt shook his head and simply said that Glenn was the leader, but he was still glad to be rid of the monsters.
Sephiroth interrupted the conversation and turned to the three of them.
"You're late."
Glenn straightened up and held his hips with his hands.
"What's it to you?!"
"Ah, look. The little one is with him too. It's good that she is alive."
Lucia smiled at Matsuri and then fixed her short hair.
Sephiroth interrupted Lucia and held his hand to his chest.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly. I'm Sephiroth. I was dispatched to act as your leader, and will be assuming command of the team immediately. Glenn, you've done well. Thank you."
After introducing himself, he bowed to the three of them, but Glenn took offense at the introduction and strode towards him, only to be stopped by Lucia and Matt.
"No way! You're a cyborg! You'll never be one of us! I refuse to fight alongside someone who didn't go through the same brutal training that we did!"
The blond-haired man pointed his finger at Sephiroth, who immediately lowered his head.
Matsuri couldn't believe what she had just heard.
Glenn called Sephiroth a cyborg?!
At that moment, she wanted to help again and told Glenn that he wasn't a cyborg and that he should be careful what he said, because words could hurt someone.
She said it calmly so as not to start an argument, but Sephiroth intervened again.
"That doesn't matter to me. The only thing that does is that you obey my orders."
The mood was anything but cheerful. But what could Matsuri do in such a situation other than stand by and try not to let things get out of hand?
Sephiroth then ordered them to change clothes and eliminate the remaining Rhadorans.
Matsuri's eyes widened as the young soldier showed no emotion and wore a cold expression.
She hoped it wouldn't come to that, but she had a bad feeling the further they got into the interior of the island.
The group now consisted of five, and together they continued along the path, each of the four holding a weapon in preparation for a surprise attack.
Matsuri's "weapons" had still been her hands, but would she lose control again if she used her mana?
The group continued south. Meanwhile, Glenn argued with Sephiroth again and told him not to whistle, to which Sephiroth apologized after the five had walked around the island for a while.
"I want to live a normal life..."
This sentence penetrated Matsuri's heart.
She could see that Sephiroth meant it. The mage believed him immediately after reading the documents and wanted to help him even more.
This was, after all, her attempt. A chance she absolutely refused to give up.
Matsuri waited for the young soldier and then walked beside him to reassure him. She hoped that would make him feel a little better.
Their goal was to first head for the Cawpine Caverns and from there attack the Rhadoran soldiers' base.
Was that really a good idea?
Couldn't another solution have been found for all of this?
Once again, Shinra was responsible for everything, Matsuri thought, and continued to follow the others.
When they arrived at the Cawpine Caverns, Sephiroth turned to the group and wanted to ask an important question.
"Do you know this woman?"
He approached Glenn and showed him a necklace.
On this necklace was a picture of a beautiful woman with long, brown hair tied in a high ponytail.
Matsuri was amazed by the woman and continued to stare at the picture until she heard a certain name that came out of Sephiroth's mouth.
"Her name is Jenova and my mother. You haven't seen her anywhere by any chance?"
Wait...
"Jenova...?"
Matsuri took two steps back and looked Sephiroth straight in the eyes.
"Do you know my mother? If so, please tell me."
Matsuri's thoughts raced. She remembered the documents and the diary entry Professor Hojo had written.
"The face of the woman who gave birth to that monster was simply priceless as the two were separated."
"Oh Lucrecia, you did your part. You did it very well."
This is the moment, thought Matsuri. She walked quickly towards Sephiroth and gently took his hands in hers.
She could no longer watch him suffer because of Shinra. All four of them looked at Matsuri, surprised by what she was doing.
Sephiroth didn't know how to react. He stood there, his necklace tightly gripped as he looked directly into Matsuri's bright eyes, that were full of life.
"Your mother's name isn't Jenova!"
The boy's eyes widened and he continued to stare into hers without blinking.
"Her name is Lu-"
Suddenly, an extremely loud bang echoed through the Cawpine Caverns. It was so loud that even the birds immediately flew away, frightening everyone.
"What the hell was that?!"
Glenn looked around and saw a Rhadoran soldier behind Matsuri, shooting straight at her.
"You'll regret this!"
Glenn, Lucia, and Matt tightened their grip on their weapons and ran straight towards the Rhadoran soldier, who continued shooting at Matsuri's back.
"No!"
Sephiroth grabbed Matsuri by her waist and jumped for cover as far as he could.
"Glenn! This soldier doesn't seem like the other soldiers we've seen before!" Matt called to him while dodging an attack.
Only then did Glenn notice how this soldier was acting strangely, repeatedly shouting "I found you." to himself. His hand was gripping his pistol so tightly that it seemed to have grown on him.
"What's going on?!"
Suddenly, the Rhadoran soldier's eyes glowed red, and purple smoke poured from his mouth.
"Now! Let's take him out!" Lucia shot the soldier, who was no longer in control, while Glenn and Matt rushed towards him and delivered the final blow.
They ran to Sephiroth and Matsuri and Glenn was shocked when he saw Matsuri lying bloody in Sephiroth's arms. She coughed repeatedly, and he could see the fear in her eyes.
His gloved hands were covered in her blood.
The last thing Matsuri saw was a blurry image of Sephiroth looking down at her.
She saw the innocent sparkle of a child in his eyes that he had desperately tried to hide. She felt his gloves on her back after the bullets had ripped through her dress and skin.
"Thank you so much for protecting me..."
"..."
He remained silent, but his eyes were always focused on her.
"Hey, little one! We'll help you! Hang in there!"
Glenn looked at Lucia and Matt with a worried face, but both shook their heads and looked down.
Matsuri noticed the slightly shaky words that Glenn spoke and gave the three of them a heartwarming smile as she thanked them.
"Why are you thanking everyone?"
The young soldier couldn't understand why Matsuri was smiling. What would she gain from it? No one would have been happy or thankful in this situation. So why is she smiling...?
His gloves felt warmer due to her enormous blood loss.
Suddenly, he felt a cold hand on his cheek. He had never let anyone touch him before, except for the professors who had experimented on him.
He flinched, but even though her hand was cold, it radiated warmth.
But before she could say anything, her powers left her, and her hand threatened to fall. Sephiroth reflexively grabbed her hand and called her name for the first time.
"Matsuri!"
_______________________________________
The black-haired mage floated around in the dark void. She slowly opened her eyes, but she saw nothing. It was far too dark.
"Sephiroth? Mother? Father?"
She was back to her original size. Matsuri was no longer a child, and her dress was as good as new. There was no trace of the bullet wounds either.
"What happened? Did I die?"
It was extremely quiet. She couldn't even hear an echo or see her hand in front of her eyes. What would happen to her now?
"Did I fail?"
Suddenly, purple-red clouds appeared out of nowhere, rising higher and higher, illuminating the darkness with their purple and red colors. She knew who the smoke belonged to, and her body trembled as she looked in all directions.
"That can't be...!"
A mysterious woman appeared before her. She had gray skin and white, long hair hanging down one side of her face. Her left eye glowed red as she made eye contact with Matsuri. Her legs were attached to an organ that looked like a heart.
As she approached Matsuri, the figure slowly began to raise the corners of its mouth.
Matsuri tried to run away, but she didn't seem to move a millimeter. Her breathing became faster and shorter the closer the figure came.
"Don't come any closer!"
She tried to use her magic, but Matsuri couldn't. It felt as if she had no power over where she was.
When Matsuri looked up again, after trying to move her legs with her hands, the woman was standing right in front of her, grinning broadly in her direction.
Her fear increased when she saw her distorted face smiling at her eerily.
"I found you."
Notes:
Hello everyone, here we are again! :)
I would like to thank everyone for their interest, even just clicking on my story. It really means a lot to me.Now Jenova enters the stage, and for some reason, she seems determind to find Matsuri at any cost. You'll discover why as the story progresses. The cat-and-mouse game begins, and Matsuri becomes increasingly aware of the seriousness of her situation.
Does Matsuri's interaction with Sephiroth have a meaning, or is there much more to it?
Chapter seven will be uploaded on August 23, 2025.
I look forward to seeing you!
See you next week! :)
Chapter Text
The mage was frozen with fear as Jenova stood before her, her helmet pressed directly against Matsuri's forehead while the tentacle-like organs slowly wrapped around her legs and arms.
She tried to free herself, but she clung too tightly to Matsuri.
"Jenova…!"
Her voice trembled as she said her name. Jenova began to giggle maniacally and showed her visions of her parents playing with Matsuri, only to be extinguished in the same moment.
"Stop!"
She grabbed Jenova by the shoulders and tried to pull her away. Her fingers felt Jenova's cold, rough skin while her fleshy tentacles tried to absorb Matsuri's magical power.
What was Jenova up to? Why did she need Matsuri, or rather, her uncontrollable power?
It wasn't long, however, before a brilliant white light burst from Matsuri's chest, and Jenova backed away, but without flinching.
She clearly knew what was coming and continued to stare at her with a wide grin before disappearing into the darkness.
The void, which had initially been pitch black, was now bathed in pure white, and directly in front of Matsuri floated the bright sphere that she had found in the Temple of the Ancient after her fall into the depths.
Matsuri herself began to float, her long, black hair swaying gently to the rhythm.
"You..."
"Do you want to try again?"
Matsuri reached out and gently held the light in her hands.
"May I? I beg you."
"So be it. Keep trying."
The light moved towards her chest and disappeared within her after a few seconds before Matsuri closed her eyes and was embraced by the dazzling light.
An icy wind swept over Matsuri's entire body.
She lay on a snow-covered ground, small snow crystals landing on her, making it look as if the mage was lightly sprinkled with sugar.
The snowflakes scattered on her black dress and melted immediately. She slowly began to open her eyes and felt the soft, slightly crispy snow with her fingers as she moved slowly.
Her eyes looked in all directions, reflecting small huts. She didn't know where she was. She didn't know this place, but she knew immediately that this village must be deserted.
The huts stood empty, some of them moldering or otherwise broken.
"Where am I?"
Matsuri wondered, standing up while dusting off her dress. She held her arms and tried to warm herself by rubbing them with her hands.
The wind grew stronger, and all she could do was find shelter to warm herself up. She considered using her magic, but ultimately let that thought go, not wanting to lose control.
Her black ankle boots left footprints behind her, while she heard crunching sounds beneath her shoes.
Matsuri walked down the street and saw an abandoned village pub, which looked relatively intact compared to the other empty huts, and began to walk quickly to get inside.
"Excuse me..."
She closed the door behind her and realized that even here she could see her breath. She was safe from the wind for now, but the cold was still present and the ground was also covered with a touch of snow.
The mage sighed and lowered herself to the ground. What had she already experienced? Her thoughts swirled even more in the silence.
Why couldn't she die?
Not that she wanted to, but something seemed to be preventing her. She should have died when she plunged into the depths and fell into the Lifestream, but for some reason, she kept coming back to life.
"Does this voice have something to do with this?"
She asked herself, continuing to think. She laid her head on her knees so she could rest for a short moment. Her slightly, wavy hair slowly fell forward.
Ever since she saw Sephiroth's photo in the documents, her greatest wish had been to be by his side and help him.
To give him what he had longed for, for so long.
But where did these feelings come from?
They still didn't know each other personally, but she felt a connection with him. As if she knew Sephiroth better than anyone else.
Did she even have the right to feel that way?
After all, he had suffered enough in his life, both physically and mentally. No one had gone through more terrible things than the former hero himself.
She would never forget the image of him gazing into the distance, and not only that, but it was also her wish to find her parents.
But she wasn't making any progress, which frustrated Matsuri greatly.
"What should I do?"
Why was all this happening?
She had far too many questions and no answers to all the events she had already experienced.
She thought of young Sephiroth, how he had already been a soldier at a young age, and it made her sad.
She wished she could stop it so he could live a normal life, but she was now in a completely different place and didn't know where to go. She raised her head and looked up at the ceiling.
"Sephiroth..."
Suddenly, the sound of an engine came from far away, but it kept coming closer.
Matsuri jumped up and looked out the already dirty window, hiding slightly to avoid being seen.
From a distance, she could see several cars. When these cars finally came to a stop, Shinra Infantrymen stepped out and signaled to search the entire village.
"What are they up to?"
She continued to watch, looking at Shinra second-class soldiers. This mission seemed important, with so many soldiers coming to an abandoned village, she thought.
"Look for Hollander's device! It has to be around here somewhere!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Hollander's device?"
Matsuri looked around questioningly, but there didn't seem to be any important-looking device in the building.
For Matsuri, however, this was a sign to leave as quietly as possible before the soldiers noticed her. She moved away from the dirty window as quickly as she could and looked for another exit.
She didn't know where to go, but she couldn't afford to be caught. Her mission would be jeopardized. Matsuri tried to breathe calmly and ran down the great hall.
The biting cold filled her lungs with every breath she took. When the door suddenly slammed open, she managed to hide at the last second behind large, closed boxes standing in the hall and covered her mouth.
The soldiers now entered the hall and searched chaotically for the device they had been talking about the whole time.
"Sir, we've found footprints!"
"Very good," a dark, gruff voice said and continued.
"Perhaps a henchman of Professor Hollander? Or even Genesis? The footprints are still fresh, which means the person probably hasn't gotten far. Search the entire hall!"
"Yes, sir!"
This wasn't good, thought Matsuri. She hadn't taken her footprints into account and had to act even faster to avoid being caught.
Her heart began to pound. As she tried to move away from the large boxes, she suddenly felt a powerful blow to the back of her head and lost consciousness.
The last thing she saw were three men dressed in black looking down at her.
Three Turks circled the mage before one of them carried her over his shoulder and brought her to one of the cars that were parked outside.
"We found someone."
"It was good that we came back here."
An Infantryman approached the group and looked down at Matsuri.
"She looks strange. Perhaps she had stolen the device for Professor Hollander and hadn't expected us to come back."
"If she knows Hollander, probably."
The Shinra squad leader, who led the mission, also arrived.
"We're taking her to the headquarters. I'm sure with Professor Hojo, we'll be able to get useful answers from her."
"Yes, sir!"
It took some time for Matsuri to regain her consciousness. She was taken to the Shinra headquarters and later locked in a cell, awaiting to be picked up and sent to the laboratory for interrogation.
She lay on an uncomfortable metal bed. When she finally woke up, the bright lights on the ceiling blinded her, and she squeezed her eyes almost completely shut.
"It's so bright... Where am I?"
She sat up and held the back of her head with her left hand, which still throbbed with pain.
"Ah... I should have been more careful."
The cell she was in was extremely small. Aside from the metal bed and the lights on the ceiling, nothing was visible in the room.
She went to the cell door and shook it, but of course it didn't move.
Should she use her magic?
But she couldn't, because she didn't want to hurt anyone. There were still plenty of Infantrymen who were still young, and she couldn't reconcile it with her conscience to hurt them.
She hoped these people would leave the company on their own, like the four Infantrymen had once tried to do.
She thought of how they sacrificed themselves for Sephiroth and were shot in the process, and a cold shiver ran down her spine.
She ran her fingers through her black hair, ruffling it.
"Why can't I control the magic?"
There was a small click at the door, and Matsuri immediately turned around. Her body tensed as she swallowed her spit out of nervousness.
There were two Shinra Infantrymen who were supposed to pick her up. One of them held the key while the other held a pistol.
"Come on and don't cause trouble!"
Should she try to run?
She had no chance, though, as long as she couldn't control her magic. She also didn't know the way to the exit, and she would certainly stumble upon more Shinra soldiers, so she nodded silently and followed the two Infantrymen.
They walked through long, narrow corridors that were extremely dark despite the many lights.
Some lamps flickered erratically. Her thoughts grew louder, and she wondered if she would find any informations about her parents in this building.
With every step she took, she looked around as thoroughly as she could, trying to read or see anything that might have even the slightest connection to her parents.
However, it was all in vain again, for they arrived at a laboratory, and the Infantrymen frantically opened the door and shoved Matsuri into the room.
As the black-haired lady stumbled into the room, an older man in a white coat stood with his back to her.
His arms were crossed behind his back. He stared at his monitors and began to laugh when he saw the camera footage of Matsuri's shove.
"Ah, another experiment."
Her eyes widened in horror as she realized who was standing before her. The man turned to her, and she had an extremely uneasy feeling.
It was Professor Hojo himself who was supposed to interrogate her.
She was extremely disgusted with him, and for the first time in her life, she felt an enormous rage building up inside her. She clenched her fists.
"Oh? You seem to already know me, the way you look at me. I seem to be getting more and more famous, hahaha."
Professor Hojo leaned back slightly as he began to laugh. He grabbed a clipboard and a pen and ordered the two Infantrymen to put the lady on the chair while he wrote something down on the blank piece of paper.
Matsuri initially refused, but one of the Infantrymen punched her directly in the face, causing her nose to bleed.
Shocked, she sat down on the chair. She held her nose and tried to stop the bleeding, which fortunately had already subsided.
"I have to get out of here somehow!" thought Matsuri, continuing to look around the room, hoping to find a back exit.
"So, my dearest. Since I'm supposed to question you, and not an ordinary soldier, I think I can use other methods to get you to talk. Oh, I'm so happy!"
He reached into a drawer and pulled out a syringe that he had apparently already prepared.
"You'll be my new experiment! Are you happy about that? Not everyone gets this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, hahaha!"
Matsuri's fear grew and outweighed her anger.
How was she supposed to help Sephiroth or find her parents when she was already in such a dire situation?
She thought for a moment, but she didn't have much time, as the syringe was getting closer and closer to her.
The closer the syringe came, the more uncomfortable she felt, and her head slowly began to ache.
What kind of purple substance was that?
Matsuri began to breathe heavily, trying to free herself from the Infantrymen.
The mage understood Sephiroth more and more. Seeing the syringe coming ever closer, with no chance of escaping the horror, was surely a terrible experience for Sephiroth, one he had to relive every day.
Days spent being sent to the laboratory with no hope of a warm meal, a soft bed that lulled him to sleep, and no affection or love returned to him.
With these thoughts in mind, Matsuri fought with all her might against the Infantrymen who had now grabbed her by both arms.
"Don't be afraid. It will do you good, believe me, then you'll talk on your own. It won't hurt, huahaha."
She jumped up and tried to escape, but the Infantrymen held her back. Her heart beat faster and faster until she instinctively used her magic and created a huge whirlwind in the laboratory, causing several glass vessels to shatter instantly.
Professor Hojo moved away from her and began to laugh like crazy.
"I haven't even started yet, and you're already a monster. Yeah, that's good! Let your feelings run wild, hahaha!"
The Infantrymen were hit by the gust of wind and fell to the ground. Matsuri looked at the bodies that were no longer moving and began to scream.
She couldn't believe she'd hurt people again because of her magic. She held her hands over her face and tried with all her might to stop the biting wind.
"What have I done?!"
Even if the Infantrymen were enemies, she never wanted to hurt anyone or even interfere in their lives.
Hojo's laughter filled her ears and she broke through the laboratory door with her magical power while she ran out.
Hojo didn't want to miss this spectacle. He grabbed his clipboard and pen and ran out of his laboratory.
He left the injured men behind that were still lying on the floor as he stepped on the glass panes, causing them to shatter even more into small pieces because of his shoes.
"She's definitely not normal! I could create so many experiments with her blood! I'll take every single drop from her, clone her, turn her into a weapon!"
He laughed maniacally and imagined other scenarios involving her.
"I could mate her with someone! How about another human? Or a monster? I haven't seen such a beautiful experiment run away from me in a long time!"
She kept running, hoping to find an exit.
Her heartbeat wouldn't slow down, and her breathing was extremely rapid and too short. She looked in all directions, dodging the soldiers as best she could to avoid hurting them with her still-raging magic.
"Please, stay away from me!"
She ran into a large hall, the lobby, and tumbled down a grand staircase after hearing Hojo's laughter in the distance.
Her magic continued to rage as she fell, striking several objects that instantly shattered. Even the stair railing was damaged, as were several Infantrymen, who were pushed away by the wind.
"No, please stop!" screamed Matsuri, slamming her eyes shut.
For a moment, she thought she was going to land on the ground, but someone caught her just in time, and because of the warm hands she felt on her back, her magical powers vanished as if from nowhere, and her body began to calm down.
"..."
Matsuri's eyes widened as she opened them.
She saw a man with long, silver hair, which had caught slightly in hers from her fall a few seconds earlier.
His eyes were even more beautiful and majestic up close, and his gaze struck Matsuri right in the heart, despite how close their faces were. It was Sephiroth who caught the mage and slowly set her down.
"Sephiroth...!"
It felt like an eternity, but now he stood before her in all his elegance.
"Who are you? An enemy of Shinra?"
Without saying a word, she shook her head. It was clear Sephiroth wouldn't remember her, and yet she didn't know what to say.
He looked down at her and noticed her fear. Professor Hojo came running up with several Infantrymen while holding his clipboard even tighter and laughed hysterically when he saw Sephiroth.
"Oh, Sephiroth. Come on, hand her over to me. She'll have to undergo many questions. Afterward, she'll be examined. Would you like to be there? I have an interesting idea for you that I would love to see with my own eyes."
"Tch."
Sephiroth knew how Matsuri would feel.
He grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the headquarters. None of the soldiers moved, as they had too much respect for the man, Shinra's hero, so they let him leave with Matsuri, which Hojo didn't like at all.
"He's been doing too much these days, which he shouldn't be doing. I should punish him appropriately when he comes back."
Sephiroth held her arm until he led her out of the building.
Matsuri noticed how gently he held her and was surprised by his caution not to hurt her.
However, he finally let the mage go at the exit.
"Take care."
He was about to turn around when Matsuri automatically pulled him gently by his black leather coat.
"Please don't go yet."
Surprised, he turned his head towards the black-haired lady and looked down at her. No one had ever dared to touch him, not even a small piece of his coat.
At that moment, it began to rain. It started lightly at first, but after a few seconds, the drops began to fall faster.
If the two weren't standing close together, they wouldn't be able to understand each other, the rain hitting the roof of the skyscraper so loudly.
"..."
Matsuri's arm moved on its own, and she didn't know what to do now. She couldn't let him go, not to someone like Hojo.
For Matsuri, however, Hojo was a demon rather than a human, and she wanted to get Sephiroth out of there at all costs.
Should she try to tell the truth again?
What would happen after that?
Would Jenova reappear and try to kill her?
Did Jenova even know where she was?
Meanwhile, Sephiroth turned to her and gently held her hand, which had been holding his coat.
The clouds were darkening, rain was pouring down rapidly on the city of Midgar, while a few drops pattered on Matsuri's back because of the wind.
He broke the silence between the two.
"You seem to radiate tremendous power. Are you an experiment of Hojo's or were you brought here, may I ask?"
Matsuri raised her head and her eyes met his.
"I was in an abandoned village covered in snow. Shinra troops eventually found and captured me. I guess I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Modeoheim."
"Excuse me?"
"You must have been in the village called Modeoheim. Troops were searching for a device from Professor Hollander that had been stolen."
"Yes, I had actually heard about their mission. Well... I was hit on the back of the head and then passed out. How long I was unconscious, I can't say. When I woke up, I was here, and they wanted me to talk. In the worst way, and..."
"...and your powers went out of control?"
He let go of her hand after she sadly lowered her head again.
"Yes. I seem to have hit some people with my magic too. Something I've been trying to avoid ever since I gained these powers. It definitely didn't come from Hojo."
Her talkativeness immediately subsided, and the sound of the raindrops took over.
She felt an inner restlessness she couldn't ignore. Anything she could say now would most likely result in her death.
"I understand. Stay away from Hojo. He's up to no good."
"Yes, thank you for helping me."
Matsuri began to smile at Sephiroth, and a warm feeling flooded through him.
Where did he know this feeling from?
It wasn't foreign to him, and yet he couldn't quite place it. He closed his eyes, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
His smile looked beautiful. Even more beautiful than an angel, Matsuri thought at that moment. She wished she could see that smile forever.
"What is your name, if I may ask?" Sephiroth continued to smile at her. Everything felt so familiar to Matsuri, so warm and safe.
"My name is Matsuri. Thank you again for earlier."
The young man began to giggle gently. They were both still standing under the roof of the Shinra headquarters, and neither wanted to leave first.
They both seemed to feel this cozy warmth emanating from them. A moment neither wanted to leave.
A moment of normality.
Even the cold raindrops were ignored as they gazed deeply into each other's eyes. For some reason, she seemed familiar to him, but he didn't know where from.
Something about her seemed to magically draw him to her. As if Sephiroth had seen her more often than he thought. For a moment, he wished this encounter would never end, that the hero could continue to spend time with her.
But was he even allowed to?
Was he allowed to feel happiness?
Yet he couldn't take his eyes off her, which was unusual for him. His silver hair danced gently in the breeze while his face gazed dreamily into her bright sapphires.
There was that dreamy face that Matsuri once saw in the documents. However, this time his eyes were not filled with sadness, but with kindness.
"I found you, sir."
Both were jolted out of their daydreams and were surprised when a Shinra Infantryman suddenly stood behind Matsuri.
"Is there anything to report?"
Sephiroth took a few steps forward and ordered the Infantryman to come closer. The Infantryman obeyed the order and now stood directly in front of them.
"What's the report?"
Sephiroth wasn't happy to be interrupted and gave the Infantryman an annoyed look, but continued with his work.
"I found you."
The situation took on a different atmosphere.
It suddenly felt uncomfortable and threatening but before Matsuri could react it was already too late.
The Infantryman drew his pistol and shot Matsuri directly in the stomach.
"Ah!"
The injury was so severe that she could barely utter a sound. Sephiroth's eyes widened in disbelief, he drew his sword Masamune and stabbed the Infantryman directly in the heart.
Huge amounts of purple smoke rose from the body into the sky.
His attention now turned to Matsuri, who was lying on the ground after the Infantryman vanished completely. She was covered in blood, barely breathing.
He knelt down beside her and held her in his arms.
Matsuri's body reacted to the unbearable pain rippling through her stomach. The warm blood sank down her black dress while drops of blood dripped to the floor.
"It...hurts...!"
"Matsuri, don't talk now! I'm taking you to a doctor!"
That would be best. Her wound must be deep, Sephiroth thought. He was a weapon, and he didn't want to hurt her any further under any circumstances.
His thoughts went even deeper.
Anyone he tried to help would lose their life sooner or later. He had no right to believe that he could protect anyone as a weapon, especially not after his friends had been reported missing.
Before he could carry her, Matsuri stopped him.
"Please hear what I have to say to you...!"
The mage felt his large hands grip her even tighter.
"You're a human..."
Sephiroth's cat-like eyes focused on Matsuri's lips which was slightly covered in her blood.
"Your mother is a human...her name is... Lucre-!"
Matsuri began to cough violently and spit up blood. This was the point where Sephiroth couldn't wait any longer.
He carefully lifted Matsuri from the floor and held her in his arms. Her back rested against his chest while her legs hung over one side.
He hurried into the building. His mind was jumbled as he quickly walked to various doctors.
He was human?
How could she have this knowledge if it were really true?
His mother's name wasn't Jenova?
It all made no sense to him, or did it?
He hurried through the building without success. All the doctors stationed at the Shinra headquarters refused to give her the treatment she needed and laughed at Sephiroth whenever he turned his back on them.
Several professors shouted at him to go and have her examined by Hojo, but he ignored them and tried to find a sane doctor who would help them.
Bloodstains spread throughout the hallway as Matsuri grew weaker and weaker. Her vision dimmed.
"Sephiroth..."
The first-class soldier was too focused on seeking help until the mage gently placed her already cold hand on his cheek.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you right away..."
"Matsuri…"
"Please remember...it's not your fault…“
"Don't speak. Conserve your strength."
Sephiroth stopped in the hallway and tried to heal her with his magic after all. He wasn't himself, or so he felt. After everything he'd been through, he didn't care what happened to the people around him.
The only thing he wanted was to have his friends by his side again, but he couldn't turn away from Matsuri, no matter how many times he tried.
If she told him the truth, she would have been all the more important to him. He couldn't let her die.
He successfully closed the wound with his healing powers, but Matsuri was bleeding internally.
The hero couldn't save her. It was too late.
"Sephiroth, your mother's name is Lu—"
With those last words, her strength left her body.
"Matsuri!"
Sephiroth stood alone in a dark hallway, still carrying Matsuri in his arms.
He couldn't believe what she had said a while ago.
Could he trust her?
After all, he'd only known her for a few minutes. He hadn't known what to do for a long time. If only his friends had been with him at that moment.
Perhaps he would have acted better and, above all, acted faster. His guilt crept up inside him.
Why did he feel warmth and security around her?
He should have been more vigilant, he thought. He looked down at her as his silky hair slowly fell forward.
He leaned against the wall and slid down slowly to avoid letting Matsuri fall.
His thoughts swirled uncontrollably as he looked at the ceiling. His breathing was heavy, but when he looked at Matsuri again, he calmed himself down.
He would sit there for a long time, holding Matsuri's lifeless body even tighter.
Knowing that she didn't push him away and gave him a smile that warmed his locked heart.
Matsuri's body slowly began to dissolve in Sephiroth's arms until the entire timeline disintegrated into small white-green particles and merged back into the Lifestream.
________________________________________
"I must prepare myself."
"Has the time of truth come?"
"Not yet, but it won't be for long now. Prepare yourself too, my faithful companion. A fight for life and death lies before us."
Notes:
Hello everyone!
Here we have chapter seven!
Matsuri is sent from one year to the next. Will she make it, or will she suffer a mental breakdown during her mission?
Hojo also enters the stage. (It was difficult for me to write about him, but I hope I succeeded a little)
Why is Matsuri still unable to control her magical power? Is there perhaps more to it?
Thanks to Matsuri's luck, she was accidentally saved by Sephiroth, and the two seem to have a common connection, but where does this feeling come from?
And what is the mysterious voice up to? And who accompanies the voice?You'll find out in the next chapters!
Chapter eight will be released on August 30th. I look forward to seeing you again! Thank you so much for your interest! :)
Chapter Text
Pitch black. A place the lady never wanted to be again.
She floated in the space and time of darkness.
Exhausted, she drifted. She had negative thoughts that she couldn't shake off so easily, once again she had died without having done anything for Sephiroth's fate, without finding her parents, who were probably still in danger.
What could she do?
She sat up and looked around, but she still couldn't see anything. The darkness was too powerful. No sounds or scents, only an emptiness and a silence that could be broken at any moment.
She died twice in Sephiroth's arms. The thought of it ached her heart, and she apologized to the hero repeatedly, even though she knew her words would never reach him.
Matsuri continued to look around as tentacle-like organisms shot out of the ground and clung to her legs.
Her fear immediately increased. She looked down and found Jenova's head beneath her, watching her.
Without blinking, she stared at Matsuri from head to toe, trying to pull her down.
"No!"
The mage tried to free herself from Jenova's grasp, stepping on her head with her ankle boots, but it was no use.
Jenova didn't even flinch and began to grin. At that moment, Matsuri felt that Jenova was trying to absorb the mage's magical powers through her flesh that were wrapped around her legs.
She felt dizzy, and her movements faltered.
Her tentacles stretched further up to her arms, making it even more difficult for the mage to move. The glowing red eye frightened her. It radiated an aggressiveness that Matsuri had never experienced before in her life.
The alien was so strong that it would have almost broken Matsuri's arms and legs if the light hadn't appeared at the right moment that broke through Matsuri's chest.
The sphere slammed straight towards Jenova, who quickly let go of Matsuri and disappeared into the darkness.
Matsuri was breathing heavily, but she was extremely happy to see the light again.
"Thank you!"
She gasped, but she managed to thank the light as it came towards her.
"Do you wish to try again?"
The light spoke to her again, granting her another try.
"Can I really do this?"
"Don't give up. Think."
Matsuri's hands enveloped the bright white sphere.
"You're right. I shouldn't give up. There are important people who need help, so I want to be there for them." She smiled and slowly closed her eyes.
"So be it."
Matsuri was more grateful to the light than ever.
She didn't know if cheating death by repeatedly resurrecting would ever have consequences, but she wanted to use the opportunities she was given to save Sephiroth from his fate and to save her beloved parents.
The light surrounded and resurrected her once more.
A light, warm breeze woke Matsuri from her sleep. She was just about to get up when she realized she was back in her little self.
"I’m back as a child...but why? Does it depend on the year?"
She left that question open for now and saw that she had landed back on Rhadore Archipelago. Not a good start, she thought. Still, she had no choice but to move on and gather information.
If she was back on this island, there must be something here that could be useful to her. Matsuri had decided to be even more cautious and pay more attention to her surroundings.
"I can't die again...I have to find solutions."
She adjusted her dress to make walking easier and made her way through the bushes, hoping to find answers.
Matsuri walked through the island in her now oversized ankle boots and saw many beautiful flowers along the way that she had never seen before. Despite the war raging, she was fascinated by this place and its beauty.
She stroked the various flowers and grasses gently with her fingers while remaining careful not to be discovered by the Shinra soldiers.
For some reason, Matsuri knew that the company was doing the wrong thing regarding the Mako reactors. She felt how the planet continued to suffer from the construction of the reactors.
Did Sephiroth know about this? Probably not as a child.
The mage found many caves. These holes of various sizes are connected beneath the surface, and she wondered how the caves came to be. By human hands or by nature itself?
The deeper she went into the island, the more she discovered a Rhadoran base.
At first, she hid to avoid being ambushed, but it was quieter than she expected. Matsuri ventured into the base with small steps, and a cool breeze greeted her.
Here, too, she was fascinated by the Rhadoran way of life and looked into every corner, curious to see if she might miss something. The further she went, the larger the corridors became and the more objects she found in the base.
Tables, chairs, even cabinets and piles of weapons were stored here. Small lamps gave the base a cozy feeling despite the weapons that could be seen in every large hall.
"They had prepared for the worst...but Shinra was unfortunately too powerful..."
she thought and continued walking.
She slowly moved forward so she could react quickly to possible traps when she heard faint noises.
It sounded like someone was talking to themselves while frantically searching for something.
She followed the voice and turned the corner when she saw several Rhadoran soldiers lying on the floor, no longer moving.
Her eyes widened when she noticed Sephiroth at the end of the corridor, searching in vain among the lifeless Rhadoran soldiers, trying to find something important.
What should she do?
Should she approach him again, or should she avoid him silently?
What would be the right solution? She leaned against the wall and covered her mouth.
Her compassion for him flooded her heart again. Her desire to help him grew enormously.
"But why...?"
Her thoughts never ended.
She wanted to help him.
In the past, she would have helped the people around her without thinking twice, and she still would today.
Yet Jenova gave her enormous headaches. Every time she tried to tell him the truth, one disaster after another struck, and she died.
Matsuri began to ruffle her hair while trying in vain to find a solution.
"Come on, Matsuri!"
"Who are you?"
Matsuri jumped in surprise when she heard Sephiroth's voice right next to her.
Her long, black hair covered her face, where she had ruffled it in frustration a few seconds ago.
"Oh no, what do I do now! I wasn't paying attention!"
The mage screamed inwardly.
"Are you an enemy of Shinra?"
Once again, she had to swallow her actual answer and shook her head.
"I'm definitely not your enemy!"
Sephiroth looked at her questioningly, his sword already in his left hand.
"Identify yourself."
Matsuri brushed her black hair back from her face and her gaze met Sephiroth's.
Several seconds passed before either of them spoke, as they were both speechless for the other.
When Matsuri looked at him, she realized it again.
His eyes told a story full of fear and sadness.
Even when he looked at her neutrally, she felt his fragility.
To her, he was like an enchanting glass sculpture that had to be handled with a lot of care. Matsuri broke the silence and introduced herself to Sephiroth once again.
"My name is Matsuri. Nice to meet you!"
Her smile came from the heart, surprising the young soldier, but he put his sword slowly into its scabbard and turned back to the Rhadoran soldiers, continued his search.
"Can I help you in any way? Are you looking for something?"
"..."
Sephiroth said nothing at first, but that didn't stop Matsuri from intervening and searching the Rhadoran soldiers for anything that might be important to him.
"Why are you doing this?"
Matsuri smiled gently at Sephiroth and answered his question.
"I want to help you. The two of us will surely find what you're looking for faster!"
Sephiroth's expression changed slightly. He was even more surprised than before. He didn't know her, and yet this child was helping him.
Who was she?
Was she part of Shinra or even the Rhadoran?
He looked at his leather gloves, which were bloody in places.
"I'm looking for a necklace…"
Matsuri thanked Sephiroth several times and began to search more intensively.
"He entrusted me with something important. I can't let him down!"
She apologized to the already lifeless Rhadoran soldiers for having to touch them, but it was important to her to help Sephiroth and be by his side.
Sephiroth paused his search and looked over at Matsuri.
He noticed her magical powers and wondered if she was like him.
If she also had to undergo tests to possess such strength. For some reason, he felt a connection to her, but he didn't know the answer.
He stood up and walked over to Matsuri.
"Tell me, were you tested by the professors?"
"Excuse me?"
His curiosity continued to grow.
"..."
"I'm Sephiroth. One of Professor Hojo's soldiers. I sense enormous magical power in you, which is why I asked if you..."
"Oh, that was the sentence he interrupted himself," thought Matsuri, and now stood up as well. She was now standing right next to him.
"Yes?"
"...if you're like me? Do you belong to another professor?"
"So that's what he wanted to ask me back then..."
Matsuri's expression was filled with slight sadness. Sephiroth seemed to be looking for someone who had gone through the same terrible experiences as him.
Someone who understood him. Matsuri looked down sadly and thought about the documents. So everything she read back then was true.
Bad things were indeed done to him while he was growing up. With no hope of having someone by his side who would understand him.
She raised her head and wiped away the tears that were about to fall with the back of her hand.
"...?"
"No, I don't belong to Shinra, nor do I belong to a professor."
She paused briefly.
Should she explain everything to him?
Would Jenova be waiting for her again if she told him everything?
Matsuri didn't understand why Jenova wanted her power so badly, but she desperately wanted to tell Sephiroth the truth.
Not leave him in the dark anymore, even if she had to die again. It wasn't easy for her to make progress and be there for him.
She seemed to be overlooking something important.
Sephiroth saw Matsuri's sad face.
Had he made a mistake?
"It was my fault... I shouldn't have asked..."
His thoughts swirled, and the chance of finding someone who shared the same fate vanished from his eyes.
"Forget what I asked. I'll go on. A child shouldn't be here. Go to our camp. You'll be taken care of there as long as you're not an enemy of Shinra and follow the orders."
He walked past Matsuri without turning around, but Matsuri instinctively grabbed his sleeve.
"Please don't go!"
Her expression was now more serious, and her decision was made.
"I'll tell you everything, but...I think after that, there's a fight to win."
"A fight?"
Sephiroth gently took her wrist and removed her hand from his sleeve.
She apologized several times for the inconvenience and was about to explain everything to him when Glenn, Lucia, and Matt suddenly appeared.
"Whoa, you really are scavenging corpses?"
"What?"
Glenn kept looking at both.
"Wait...who is this little girl, Sephiroth? A Rhadoran survivor?"
"No."
"A Shinra survivor?"
"No."
"Then what??"
Lucia and Matt laughed slightly at Glenn's confusion and then looked at Matsuri.
"Who are you, if you don't mind me asking?"
"My name is Matsuri, and I was just about to explain who I am to Sephiroth when you three arrived."
"Don't let us disturb you. Go on."
Matt smiled at the mage.
"That would be the problem...if I say it, we'll have to fight enemies afterwards."
Glenn perked up and stroked Matsuri's head.
"Then it's all the better that we're here now, eh?"
He started laughing and ruffled Matsuri's hair.
"I want to hear it too. I'm a soldier after all. I won't make it that easy for the enemy."
Sephiroth moved towards Matsuri and then stood beside her with a serious look. His sword, Nameless, already firmly in his left hand.
Matsuri prepared herself and cleared her throat one last time.
She sincerely hoped she would be able to tell everything she knew.
"I come from Midgar and one day I saw four Shinra Infantrymen stealing documents. However, they were killed by Shinra troops for their actions..."
All four were speechless. They already had so many questions on their minds, but they didn't interrupt Matsuri.
"The documents contained information about you, Sephiroth. Since then, I've been searching for you. Not just you, but also my parents, who were most likely kidnapped."
Sephiroth's cat-like eyes widened.
He approached Matsuri and slowly raised his hand to reach her shoulder.
"What was written in these documents?"
Before Matsuri could continue, however, the bodies of the Rhadoran soldiers moved, and purple smoke poured out of them.
"Oh no!"
Matsuri took Sephiroth's hand and ran in the opposite direction.
"Wait! Let me fight!"
Glenn drew his weapon and yelled at the two to keep running. Lucia and Matt were already engaged in combat.
"We'll take care of these creatures!"
"Glenn!"
Sephiroth stopped abruptly, pulled himself away from Matsuri's hand and wanted to help them but Glenn ordered him to keep running.
"Sephiroth! It's your chance to learn more about yourself! Seize your chance! Maybe this will help you find your mother!"
Glenn couldn't say anything more, as the creatures were already in full swing, attacking all three.
More and more Rhadoran soldiers rose up around Matsuri and Sephiroth, and the two had no choice but to flee the Rhadoran base.
Glenn's team was able to stop many, but some of the creatures ran straight towards Matsuri, who was dismembered by Sephiroth.
"Please continue! I'll hold off the enemies and listen to you!"
Matsuri was shocked by the number of enemies who were after her life.
The number was growing rapidly.
Should she use her magic?
She didn't have much time. If she wanted to tell the truth, she had no choice but to maintain control.
She realized she had to overcome her fear if she wanted to tell everything to the hero.
She took a deep breath and screamed as loudly as she could towards Sephiroth, so he could hear every word.
"Sephiroth! Your mother's true name is Lucrecia! You're a human!"
Sephiroth dismembered another creature before stopping abruptly.
For the first time in his life, he heard a name other than Jenova for his mother.
He turned to Matsuri and ran towards her while he dropped his sword to the ground.
When he was finally within reach, his hands moved on their own, and he grabbed her hands, unsure how to feel.
"Is this really true?!"
She could see the slight glimmer of hope in his eyes while she nodded several times and gave Sephiroth a heartwarming smile.
The young soldier still wasn't quite sure what he felt.
It all happened so fast and all at once.
He looked Matsuri straight in the eyes when she suddenly pushed him aside.
"What...?"
Matsuri stood protectively in front of Sephiroth as two other Rhadoran soldiers tried to attack him from behind.
She was immediately shot multiple times and fell to the ground.
Sephiroth ran to his sword, picked it up, and slit the throats of the two soldiers, who immediately disappeared in purple smoke.
He ran to Matsuri while Glenn and the other two came from the base and also ran over to them.
Matsuri's vision was almost completely lost.
The only thing she saw were the sad and shocked faces of the others.
However, she was happy to finally be able to say Lucrecia's name infront of Sephiroth.
"Why did you protect me?! The soldiers wouldn't have stood a chance against me!"
"I...my body reacted on its own. I couldn't have watched them...hurt you..."
No one had ever protected Sephiroth. Something he longed for for a long time.
Someone who would come and protect him from all the atrocities Shinra inflicted on him.
He held her back and gently lifted her from the bloodstained ground. There was the person who would ultimately protect him, he thought, and looked at Matt, who shook his head sadly.
"I hope something has changed... I hope Sephiroth can live a peaceful life..." were her last thoughts before she died with a smile.
___________________________
"Matsuri..."
A woman's gentle voice woke Matsuri from her slumber, and she found herself in a place whose entire space was enveloped in crystals that glowed blue-green.
The crystals around her reflected the mage, and her reflection was visible everywhere she looked.
"Where am I?"
She floated towards the crystals and carefully touched it with her hands. It felt cool but her fingers quickly got used to it.
She saw that she had returned to her normal size, and she now realized that it really did depend on the year whether she became a child or not.
After blinking, however, she was startled by her own face, for it was no longer recognizable. She held her hands up to her eyes before the reflection disappeared due to a bright light.
"Matsuri, I beg you..."
Suddenly, the mage felt two warm hands gently, almost too lightly, holding hers. She lowered her hands and saw an enchanting, brightly glowing silhouette surrounded by the white and green threads of the Lifestream.
"I know this warmth...but from where? Who are you?"
Matsuri couldn't identify who it was, but she sensed that the person had an urgent request. The silhouette began to hold her cheeks very gently.
"Please, save my son..."
Her feelings were now clear.
Even if she was ashamed of her past decisions, she wanted to do everything to be with her son and she sincerely hoped that Matsuri would be able to save him and guide her son to her.
She began to tuck Matsuri's black hair behind her ear as a sign of trust.
The mage stroked the hands that were holding her cheeks and looked directly in the bright light.
She remembered the documents and the name she read in Hojo's diary entry: Lucrecia.
"You are Lucrecia! I want to save Sephiroth! I don't know if I'm strong enough, but I know the truth, and I will try everything I can to free him from his pain and suffering."
Matsuri couldn't promise Lucrecia anything, but what she said came from the depths of her heart.
Her face was unrecognizable because of the bright light, but Matsuri knew that Lucrecia would smile.
"Where are you, Lucrecia? Where can I find you?"
Matsuri asked as Lucrecia slowly let go of her and her silhouette dissolved.
In the meantime, the bright sphere appeared in front of Matsuri and floated towards her.
"Would you like to try again?"
"Yes, definitely. Before you send me away, though... I need some answers from you."
"..."
Matsuri stared at the glowing white sphere, holding it with her hands as it began to float.
"Who are you really?"
"Am I not already dead?"
"Do you know anything about my parents?"
"Where are they?"
"Can I really save Sephiroth?"
"What does Jenova want from me?"
"I still have so many questions...but I fear that I am not strong enough to help him. Let alone find my parents..."
Matsuri waited for an answer, but it never came.
She begged the white sphere to answer her questions, but beyond a "Not yet," the sphere would not reveal anything.
For Matsuri, however, it was clear that the light seemed to know more than it was letting on. Her eyes reflected the sphere before she was sent away.
___________________________
The black-haired lady slowly regained consciousness as she felt her cheeks cold and damp.
"What..."
A tickling sensation spread across her cheeks.
She slowly opened her eyes as several small, white-furred cats licked her cheeks right in front of her.
One cat looked her straight in the eyes and began to meow loudly.
"Meow!"
"Woah!"
Matsuri jumped up but carefully held the cat to prevent it from falling to the ground as she stood up.
"Cats!"
Matsuri was incredibly happy to finally wake up in a time when things were calmer and there were no signs of war.
She hugged one of the cats and spun happily in circles until the cat alerted her to be let down.
She breathed deeply as a fresh breeze made her hair dance slightly.
"I wonder where I am. I should look around."
The white cat and her kittens began to meow again, prompting Matsuri to follow her.
She took the opportunity and ran together through the beautiful landscape.
Every now and then, the small group stopped to rest and recharge.
During her short break, Matsuri reflected on her time in Midgar, helping house cats get down from the rooftops.
She had always loved animals, especially cats. She was therefore all the more happy to see cats again.
Matsuri sat on a rock and let her thoughts continue to wander.
What if she had never witnessed the four murdered Infantrymen?
What would have happened if she had never seen the photo of Sephiroth?
Would she have been able to continue living a normal life in Midgar?
Her only task would have been to continue searching for her parents, but now she had another task, one that was just as important: to help Sephiroth and be with him.
She wanted him to never be alone again and to be able to lead a normal life as well.
After everything he had been through, her compassion for him was greater than ever.
However, she didn't know where these strong emotions came from. She hoped to be able to talk to him more and looked up at the sky.
Her break was now over, and the cats showed her the way to a small village called Nibelheim.
She was amazed at how small the village was, but it didn't lose any of its charm. She was thrilled at how many people could live there in peace.
"Thank you, my little ones."
She gently stroked each of the little cats before they continued to run into the village.
As Matsuri watched the little ones leave, she saw two Shinra Infantrymen standing in front of the village entrance.
"They're really everywhere..."
It didn't take long before Matsuri saw a very specific person standing next to the Shinra Infantrymen.
It was Sephiroth, talking to a first-class soldier before he went into the village himself.
Her eyes widened at the beautiful sight.
How the evening sun made his northern lights sparkle and bathed his skin in the warm rays of sunlight.
Matsuri unconsciously reached out her hand as a young man with spiky black hair approached her.
"Hey! Are you okay? You look like you were left out here alone."
She was surprised by how friendly the soldier was. She didn't know if she could trust him, but she took the plunge and introduced herself.
"My name is Matsuri, and it's true. I'm not from around here. I'm on a mission."
"Cool! My name is Zack. Zack Fair! You must have traveled a long way to get here. You'd better rest right at the inn! See you later!"
Before Matsuri could answer, Zack rushed into the village with the two Infantrymen to look around.
Perhaps this would be a chance to talk to Sephiroth.
She didn't know how long she had before Jenova would find her again, so she gathered all her courage to go to him.
"What do I say to him...?"
As she walked into the village, she thought, oblivious to her surroundings.
She collided with someone who immediately realized she was about to fall and gently grabbed her wrist.
"Oh, excuse me! I was lost in my thoughts!"
When she noticed the black leather glove, she immediately looked up and saw Sephiroth right in front of her.
"Are you all right?"
His gentle voice made her heart race.
He sounded different than when she first met him.
He didn't speak seriously and under stress, but in a calm and quiet tone. She focused on his full lips before her eyes moved to his.
"Thank you. I'm fine..."
"I'm glad. Take care."
His words warmed her heart, and it didn't stop pounding like crazy.
Her cheeks warmed, she stood there for a few seconds, watching Sephiroth walk away.
Matsuri held her cheeks and went into the inn. There she was given a room to rest in. Maybe it would be better this way.
She opened the bedroom door, which creaked slightly, and sat down on the bed.
She sighed and collapsed onto the mattress. She enjoyed the quiet moment.
"I haven't had this in a long time. I should enjoy it while I still can..."
She curled up on the bed and thought about the recent events she had experienced.
"So much has happened..."
Matsuri was extremely tired, but she couldn't fall asleep.
The fear of waking up somewhere else as soon as she closed her eyes was far too great.
She never admitted it to herself, but she was afraid that Jenova could kill her at any moment and that she would have to start all over again.
She ran her hands over her arms and thought about the countless pains she had already endured.
Even the light that had always helped her seemed to have secrets from Matsuri.
Could she trust the light?
She hoped so much for answers. But she was glad that she now knew there must be more to it.
Furthermore, she possessed magical powers so strong that she couldn't control them.
It felt to her as if it wasn't her magic, her mana, but someone else's.
Her gaze fell on a nightstand on which a newspaper lay. With her finger, she turned on a small table lamp and then picked up the newspaper.
"If I can't sleep, I might as well look for informations."
She flipped through the pages that smelled like old wood and ink until she read an article that shocked her.
"According to reports, there is still no trace of the missing people who were kidnapped decades ago.
But a person who wishes to remain anonymous and who saw the crime with their own eyes seems to have overcome their fears and provided us with new answers.
Answers we thought we would never get.
According to the person, the five kidnapped people were arrested and taken away by Shinra itself.
The anonymous person couldn't determine the reason.
However, they could hear one of the soldiers at the time shouting "Mt. Nibel."
The file is being reopened. We thank the anonymous person for their help.“
After the mage read the last sentence, her head began to hurt in an unusual way.
She held her forehead with her hand before the pain instantly subsided. "Perhaps this has something to do with the time jumps?" she thought, looking down at the newspaper.
Matsuri couldn't believe what she was reading.
Was one of the five people her parents?
She tore the article out of the newspaper.
After all these years, a clue had finally surfaced?
She wanted to believe the article and folded the paper smaller.
"Were my parents taken to Mt. Nibel? I absolutely have to go there tomorrow!"
Thinking of Mt. Nibel, she turned off the light and tried to rest.
Could she really lie here and wait for tomorrow?
Her body, however, was weakened by the journey, and it would be wiser to give it some rest.
She took the brown blanket and placed it up to her chest while her eyes were fixed on the ceiling which was already illuminated by the light of the moon.
Her last thoughts before she fell asleep were of Sephiroth.
Notes:
Hello everyone, here we are again!
Chapter eight has now been added, and we're getting closer to the answers Matsuri is seeking on her journey!
She found a clue about her parents, but can she trust this clue?
Lucrecia and Zack also enter the stage!
She was also finally able to mention Sephiroth's mother, Lucrecia. Will this change anything? Did it help Sephiroth?
Slowly but surely, Matsuri not only feels compassion and the urge to help Sephiroth, but her feelings for him are slowly growing even deeper than she herself realizes. What answers is the bright sphere hiding from Matsuri?You'll find out in the next chapters!
Chapter nine will be released on September 6th!
Thank you again for your interest! See you next week! Take care! :)
Chapter Text
The early morning sun covered Nibelheim, while the village was still sleeping soundly in the land of dreams.
Matsuri got up extremely early to investigate the news in the newspaper.
After all these years of endless searching, she seemed to have finally found a clue that might have involved her parents.
She fixed her long, slightly wavy hair and gently tapped the back of her black dress. There was a mirror in her room and she looked into it.
With a serious look, she examined her face very closely.
She had been through a lot, for even after she slept, she still seemed tired and exhausted. Death was closer to her than ever before, and yet she didn't know when she would die.
How many more times would she have to experience this back and forth?
How many more times would she have to endure the same process to finally reach her goal?
She didn't even know how many times she had died and been revived, only to fail again. It gnawed at Matsuri, drove her to despair, but she had no permission to stop and breathe a sigh of relief.
Was she allowed to show weakness?
Would giving in to her weakness make things worse for those she loved?
She had to keep going. For her parents and for Sephiroth, whom she had already taken into her heart.
At night she dreamed of her parents, of how she played with them as a small child and were happy together.
But this dream immediately turned into a nightmare when they were kidnapped and Matsuri was left alone. Why the kidnappers had never targeted her, the mage still doesn't know.
Did her parents have problems they'd been hiding from her?
It still didn't make sense, since her father and mother had reacted with shock and fear.
Matsuri was also far too young to understand what was happening. She couldn't even remember her parents' faces, let alone their names. The only thing she heard from her parents was her own name, shouted loudly several times.
"Okay, Matsuri. It's about time."
She patted her cheeks lightly and put on her black ankle boots as she quietly left her room so as not to disturb anyone's restful sleep.
As she walked out of the inn, she looked around to see which direction she should go and saw the mountain from afar.
"That mountain is gigantic..."
She was about to leave when the mayor of the village stopped her and crossed her path.
"I'm sorry, young lady, but going to that mountain is life-threatening. I must ask you to put that idea out of your mind."
"Please listen. It's really important that I go up there. I have a important information I need to investigate!"
The mayor, whose name was Zander, looked at Matsuri with a worried expression.
He meant well, but that wouldn't stop Matsuri from going to the mountain. Zander watched the woman as she occasionally held her forehead and was all the more concerned for her.
"I'm asking you to turn back. You don't seem to be feeling well."
"No, it's nothing. I think my head just hasn't adjusted to it yet from all the traveling. I really have to go. I'm sorry."
With her last words, she ran towards the mountain as fast as she could. Of course, Matsuri also felt guilty.
She wanted to listen to him, but after receiving a clue about her parents, she couldn't help but investigate.
Mayor Zander was dismayed and clutched his cowboy hat.
"What do I do now?"
He looked over the entire village and sat on a wooden bench for twenty minutes when he suddenly saw Sephiroth stepping out of the inn to prepare for the mission.
"Oh, excuse me!"
He immediately jumped up from the wooden bench and rushed to Sephiroth, who was already looking at him questioningly.
"A young lady ran to Mt. Nibel, and it's dangerous to walk there alone! I know you have to prepare for your mission, but I beg you, bring the lady back safely! I don't know what else to do!"
Sephiroth was surprised at first, and at the same time, question marks were written all over his head.
He first looked at the mayor and then turned his gaze towards the mountain.
"I beg you!"
"Okay. Please tell the others to wait for me."
"Thank you from the bottom of my heart! She seemed to have a headache. Please hurry!"
Sephiroth ran in the same direction as Matsuri and, due to his size and years of training in the Shinra company, was significantly faster than her.
He didn't know the lady, but he still wanted to help her. For some reason he knew the way but he didn't care about it and continued running towards the mountain.
"She seemed to be having trouble with her balance. Her headache might be responsible. I should hurry so our actual mission can continue."
______________
It was a rocky and steep path up to Mt. Nibel.
Every step she took caused small stones to crumble onto larger ones, while the sunlight made the landscape seem more vibrant.
Matsuri nevertheless gained a large lead before she was surrounded by several monsters, both on the ground and in the air. She dodged most of the attacks while managing to move forward.
"I want to see my parents. Please don't get in my way."
Without realizing it, her left hand moved, and small fireballs struck the monsters.
It wasn't long before they all fled from her magic. It seemed as if she knew the way.
As if hypnotized, her gaze was always directed forward. The closer she got to the mountain, the more often her parents' voices lingered in her head.
They grew louder, saying her name over and over again, screaming for help. Her headaches grew worse with every step she took, with every movement she made, the closer she got to her destination.
It wasn't long before she saw a bridge that was anything but stable.
But what choice did she have?
She automatically looked down and saw a strong current that she had to avoid if she wanted to reach her destination.
"I must not fall..."
She took a few steps forward, her ankle boots touched the worn bridge, which was already beginning to creak the further she went.
The wind caused the bridge to swing slightly from left to right, and she knew if she went any further, there would be no turning back.
She paused for a moment, thinking about the newspaper.
"Is there really information about my parents here?"
Shortly afterward, the throbbing pain came, and she held her forehead with one hand.
Why did she suddenly get so many headaches?
A side effect of her time travel?
She shook her head. She didn't have time to think about it. All she wanted was to find out what happened to her parents.
Matsuri wanted to see them again, hold them in her arms, and tell them so much of what she had learned and experienced over the years.
She received no help as she grew into a young woman. Something the mage wouldn't wish on anyone.
Her eyes were fixed on the top of the mountain as she continued walking. This mountain held a magical pull on her. It seemed as if she was becoming more and more possessed the closer she got to the other end of the bridge.
The mountain fascinated her, and when Matsuri blinked, she saw her parents standing on the other side of the bridge, motionless and silent.
Had she made it?
Were her parents really here?
"Mother. Father."
She held out her hand, unaware that some pieces of the bridge's wood fell already into the current.
Suddenly, the bridge swayed more violently, forcing her to blink again and cling to the ropes.
The wind grew increasingly stronger while gray clouds blocked out the sunlight.
"My child. Come to us! You're almost across the bridge!"
Out of nowhere, her father spoke to her in a raised voice.
Both her mother and father, however, were strangely calm and relaxed, considering the situation was becoming dangerous for Matsuri.
"I'll be...right there."
Still looking at her parents, she slowly approached them.
She didn't notice that the bridge was giving way faster and faster, and, finally, one of the wooden planks broke beneath her feet and she barely managed to hold on to the rope, but she remained focused on her parents.
Her left leg was now dangling in the air.
Her parents watched their daughter as she tried to stand up and place her left leg on one of the wooden planks when she was suddenly jolted out of her now-trancey state by someone grabbing her arm.
"It's really you..."
She turned around and saw silky, silver hair swaying in the wind.
Her gaze moved further towards his eyes of northern lights and she saw Sephiroth standing behind her.
The sun's light broke through the gray clouds and fell directly on Sephiroth. His eyes sparkled in the dazzling light, while the mage was reflected in his glitter.
Matsuri's eyes widened as she finally woke up from her trance.
There he was.
The soldier stood before her, his gaze once again tender. His hand gently held her arm.
For a brief moment, the bridge and the mountain seemed to fade into the background for Matsuri, as her attention was solely focused on Sephiroth.
The light made him look even more ethereal and majestic. Matsuri didn't understand why, but she was glad to see him again. A weight was lifted from her heart, for she was no longer alone.
"Sephiroth? What are you doing here?"
"I'm supposed to take you back. The Mayor is worried about you."
Matsuri could feel his grip on her arm, but he was still careful not to hurt her.
"Please let me go. I only have this one chance."
"What chance?"
Matsuri paused for a moment.
Should she tell him that?
She knew by now that the topic of family would be very serious and perhaps even traumatic for him. Would he understand if she explained it to the soldier? Her grip on the rope tightened.
"My kidnapped parents are supposedly here. I read the information in a newspaper. That's why I left so early, to search for them."
"Your parents...?"
His grip loosened slightly, and his hand slowly slid down her arm.
She hoped she hadn't brought back any bad memories, but if anyone would understand, it would be Sephiroth.
At that moment, another strong gust of wind hit, causing the bridge to sway even more violently than before, so that Matsuri lost her balance and, due to the violent jolt, could no longer hold the rope.
The hero acted at the right moment, pulling her to his chest and jumping off the bridge as quickly as he could to bring her to safety.
Even in such a hectic situation, Sephiroth looked elegant. His hair fell perfectly as he landed in front of the bridge after the jump.
"No, I beg you, Sephiroth. Let me go. On the other side of the bridge are my parents!"
Sephiroth raised his head and looked straight ahead, but there was no one on the other side of the bridge.
He was confused, but he had a hunch about what had happened to her and decided not to talk about it any further.
"Rejected."
Matsuri tried to free herself from his grip, but she had no chance. He was clearly superior to her in terms of strength.
"We're going back. I've also been told that you're not feeling well."
"I...I've had a headache since I read the newspaper. I thought it was because I wasn't used to traveling so much..."
Matsuri's cheeks flushed as she realized that she was still leaning against his well-built body, his strong arms around her waist. Her heart began to beat faster.
For some reason, the desire to find her parents subsided after she felt Sephiroth's warmth.
She noticed it even then, when she fell down the stairs in the lobby of the Shinra headquarters.
Her body was like a stiffened doll; she was nervous, afraid, her heart was beating incredibly fast, and she was breathing heavily, but as soon as she got closer to Sephiroth, as he held her in his arms, her body fell into a calm state.
As if she had found a missing piece.
Matsuri felt Sephiroth's arms slowly move away from her waist, while he did so with extreme caution and gentleness.
"Let's go back."
His voice was so soft after he had successfully protected her.
The mage looked back at Mount Nibel, but she felt nothing.
As if it had been a false lead. She turned to Sephiroth and nodded to him. In the end, she was glad that someone had come to take her back to the village.
What would have happened if she had gone further?
She stopped her thoughts and focused on the path, unaware that Jenova would be waiting for her at the other end of the bridge.
However, she quickly disappeared into the shadows after her plan to catch Matsuri failed.
______________
Sephiroth and Matsuri walked down the steep path together, searching for the way back to the village.
The path was anything but easy to navigate and reach the bridge at the same time.
Due to the monsters lurking on the way to the mountain, many avoided it. It was a stroke of luck that Sephiroth was taking the right path.
Or was it?
Matsuri walked beside Sephiroth and asked herself this very question.
How could he find her?
And how did Matsuri manage to find the way to the bridge when she had never been there before?
The black-haired lady looked up at Sephiroth.
"How did you find me? I can barely remember how I got there myself."
"Well..."
Sephiroth stopped and held his hand under his chin, thinking.
"I felt I had to take a certain path, so I followed it. Somehow, I knew where you were."
Matsuri hadn't expected that answer, and her face turned slightly red.
"I see..."
They walked a few steps further until Matsuri realized they were both lost.
"Uhm...Sephiroth? I think we got lost."
"We got lost?"
"Yes, I don't know the area. We must have taken a different route, because there aren't any monsters here that I..."
She paused and looked down. Some memories resurfaced. She attacked the monsters against her will, and that caused her grief, despite the fact that they were monsters.
Was it right to feel that way?
She didn't even know anymore.
Sephiroth looked at her tenderly. He sensed that she didn't want to hurt anyone, something he had also longed for deep down.
To be able to live a normal life and no longer have to be a weapon for others.
He knew that wish was still hidden in his heart, but he had stopped believing in it. However, when he looked into Matsuri's eyes as he caught her, that wish resurfaced in his mind, albeit with less than high hopes.
"Now, should we wait until someone finds us, or should we keep going?"
Matsuri turned to Sephiroth and smiled at him.
"I mean...we could at least enjoy the scenery around us..."
She was right.
How long has it been since he'd been able to enjoy such a beautiful view?
No one would be here to give him orders, and he'd be free at this point. The wind blew through their hair, and their eyes met again. Eyes that told more than words could ever describe.
For each of them, it was as if they had found the missing piece.
Sephiroth, in Matsuri's eyes, was more than just a soldier. She sensed his humanity, his willingness to help. She wished she could walk with Sephiroth every day and be there for him.
But she knew that as soon as she told him the truth, her life would be in danger again. And not only that, she would die again if she wasn't careful.
Did she even have a chance of escaping death?
Once Jenova found her, she would die instantly, no matter how many times she tried to fight back.
For Matsuri, it felt as if her death was inevitable, set in stone.
Would it be selfish of her to spend more time with Sephiroth?
She wanted to be with him and, if possible, forget about Jenova and death. But it wasn't easy.
Avoiding the problems would be the worst thing she could do, and unfair to the others she'd wanted to help from the beginning.
She thought for a moment and asked Sephiroth a question.
"I say...let's keep going slowly?"
"Okay."
Sephiroth agreed, and together they walked slowly side by side.
The landscape was breathtakingly beautiful to Sephiroth. He listened quietly to the wind and enjoyed the fresh breeze.
Was he allowed to do this when he was supposed to be preparing for a mission?
Did he deserve anything at all?
He was thinking about it when Matsuri brought him out of his thoughts.
"It's okay, Sephiroth. You can."
Matsuri slowly and tenderly held his arm and nodded to him.
The mage was sure he didn't know what to do, so she hoped this would reassure him.
A slight chuckle emanated from Sephiroth. For some reason, he felt comfortable around her.
"Could you read my mind?"
Matsuri's eyes widened as he smiled at her. She was glad that he laughed a little bit, but her heart pounded faster again, and she was forced to look away.
"I—I just thought you might need some cheering up."
The mage became increasingly embarrassed and held her hands over her now flushed face.
"Why are you hiding your face?"
"..."
The black-haired lady continued to hold her hands over her face to hide how red her cheeks had become.
She took a few steps away and turned her back on him.
She thought about her feelings, but should she?
She was gradually realizing the feelings growing inside her for him, and she didn't know if she was allowed to feel this way.
Her heart didn't stop beating extremely fast, and she wasn't sure how to look at him.
"I think if he just gives me a moment, I should calm down." Matsuri sank back into her thoughts.
She was sure she had no right to feel this way. It was his life, and he should live it the way he wanted.
Even in her presence. The only thing that mattered to Matsuri was that he could live a happy life without being trapped in a cage.
The documents had certainly been enough to understand what he'd been through.
"It's certainly not that feeling. I can't be selfish. Especially not when it comes to Sephiroth. What matters is that I save him. After all, I promised his mother... I'm sure it was her..."
Matsuri stood rooted to the spot until she felt two large hands on hers. Sephiroth gently moved them away from her face, revealing her flushed cheeks to him.
"Is everything alright?"
"Uhm... Yes, I'm sorry for this behavior."
"It's okay."
His voice, which sounded like sweet honey to Matsuri's ears, truly melted her heart, but she didn't admit it to herself in order to keep her emotions in check.
She turned her head to the side so she wouldn't see his expression, but Sephiroth surprised her again as his hand gently held her cheek.
"You don't seem to have a fever. That's good."
Her eyes naturally moved to his, and she saw how tenderly and relieved he was looking at her.
Matsuri wondered why he looked at her so gently.
Thinking about it, she couldn't really do anything for him yet.
Neither tell the truth nor help him in any other way. She was the one who needed help, and she felt grateful but also weak at the same time.
Would she be able to tell him about Lucrecia this time?
Tell him what happened to her?
She would love to lose herself forever in his beautiful eyes, but that wouldn't be her. Matsuri took the hand that was holding her cheek and closed her eyes for a moment to clear her head.
She breathed in and out deeply and smiled at Sephiroth again.
"Thank you."
Sephiroth nodded at her and slowly let go of her cheek when the two were suddenly surprised by several shouts.
"Hey, Sephiroth! Are you around here? Answer me if you hear me!"
"Zack?"
"Tifa and other villagers are here too! Hello? Sephiroth!"
"Tifa?" Matsuri wondered.
Sephiroth recognized the voice immediately and turned back to Matsuri.
"Let's go back."
"Yes. Can I talk to you again later? It...would be important."
Sephiroth gave her another smile, indicating that he agreed.
Matsuri let Sephiroth go first. She saw his soft hair swaying slowly back and forth.
She stood there for a moment, thinking about the brief moment they had shared.
It was now clear to her that she had feelings for Sephiroth. It would actually be a wonderful feeling if her important mission weren't involved.
She decided to keep her feelings contained for now so she could focus on her goal.
After all, she wanted Sephiroth to live a happy and free life at all costs, whether she ended up dying for it or not.
She took one last deep breath before running towards Sephiroth to catch up with him.
As soon as they arrived back at the village, Matsuri hoped to be able to tell him everything.
______________
The Lifestream flows around the planet, and a woman speaks gently to it.
"It's time, isn't it?"
She closed her eyes while the white-green threads gently circling the mysterious woman.
"I understand. She will learn the truth."
She turned her gaze to her loyal comrade and signaled for them to take up their positions.
"The time has come. As soon as Matsuri learns the truth, she'll need support. I ask you again: Are you sure you want to take on this task, or do you want to return to the Lifestream where your family and friends are waiting for you?"
Her loyal comrade didn't hesitate to answer her for a second, holding their chest tightly.
"I'm contributing to the fact that Sephiroth still suffers and can't rest."
"..."
"He's clinging to the last thing that keeps him alive. I also want to help him find peace. To make amends for what I did... if that's still possible. That's why I also want to help Matsuri, because she's getting through to him. I'm definitely ready."
"So be it."
"Sephiroth. We will save you!"
Notes:
Hello everyone!
Chapter nine has now been uploaded, and the truth seems to be about to reveal itself.
This chapter is a little shorter than the others, but the next chapters really pick up the pace of the story!
How will Matsuri react? Who are the mysterious people who want to save Sephiroth? And is Jenova still around Matsuri, to capture her?
You'll find out in the next chapters!
Chapter ten will be released on September 13th! Thank you for your interest and I hope you enjoy the story.
See you next week! :)
nora (Guest) on Chapter 1 Mon 25 Aug 2025 11:03PM UTC
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