Nibelheim Revisited (Final Fantasy VII, Sephiroth/Zack/Cloud)

It was supposed to be a routine reactor inspection, or at least that was the instructions Cloud’d been given when they’d been sent there. Honestly, he’d thought their group had been a little overpowered for a simple inspection. What kind of trouble would they possibly run into that would require the infamous General Sephiroth, the elite Soldier Zack, and a couple ShinRa guards?

Then people started talking about an alien called Jenova that was somehow supposed to be Sephiroth’s mother and some kind of research that Professor Hojo was involved in. In the chaos that followed, while Zack was calming Sephiroth down, he’d followed Hojo into the basement of the mansion that sat on the edge of the village. It was creepy. He’d never dared to go near it as a child, and it was just as foreboding now that he was an adult.

Following Hojo had been a mistake. He realized that as soon as his foot hit the pavement floor, but he couldn’t disobey a superior. Then there was a vial that glowed green. That was mako, the stuff Soldiers are made of.

His memories scattered like leaves on a windy day. He remembered screaming and a cage and then fire. Zack and Sephiroth. Suits. No, his mind corrected, Turks. Helicopter. White linen. White lights. Bright white lights.

When he closed his eyes it felt like he was floating. A strange voice echoed inside his skull. Later he’d learn that it was the voice of the planet, first one voice, then many, and then…