Final Fantasy VII
The Meaning of Betrayal
By LuckyLadybug
Notes: The characters aren't mine
and this really short little ficlit is.
"No! You're not the
Sephiroth I knew!" screamed Zack as he fought Sephiroth in
the mako reactor room. So, what was the Sephiroth he knew like? And
what were Zack's thoughts as they battled? They were comrades for a
long time and, some theorize, friends as well. It must have been
heart-wrenching, for Zack to watch what happened to Sephiroth---and
then to immediately be thrust into a fight with him. I would like to
expand on this concept later, but I think for now, it's good as it
is. I'm testing the waters, so to speak.
What have you done, Sephiroth?
What have you done to the town, to these innocent people? Why did you do it? Why did you burn the buildings and houses? Why did you kill the people? They didn't do anything to you! We're not fighting a war here. You destroyed them without any good reason! You're out of your mind! You never would have committed an atrocity like this before tonight!
You lunge at me with your sword, your famous and notorious Masamune. It's the first time I've ever been on the receiving end of it when we haven't been sparring. You used that sword for good! Do you remember? You led Midgar to victory against Wutai. You protected the people, and they trusted and looked up to you. I looked up to you! You're the traitor now, Sephiroth. Not me, as you're screaming I am.
Do you feel betrayed, Sephiroth? Do you really think I've turned against you?
I'm sorry about what happened to you. I'm sorry that you had to find out the way you did. But . . . so what if you were created through some nightmarish experiment? Really, so what if you were tortured? You're still you! That knowledge of your past doesn't change who you became; it doesn't change the good person you were. You've changed that yourself. Those monsters you showed me, those horrible beasts Shinra is creating . . . they're what you are now, on the inside. You've become what you feared. You didn't have to, Sephiroth.
Why? Why did you let this happen? I thought you were stronger than this!
Our swords clash again, the sound echoing off the high walls. Overhead, sparks are still raining down from when I accidentally hit a control box with my blade. You move forward, trying to back me over to the opening in the middle of the floor. A fall down that tunnel would lead to almost certain death. I push against your strength, throwing my energy and power into my own weapon.
We're locked here in mortal combat for a long moment, the blades grating against each other. Each of us is trying to force the other back, and the way it looks now, things could go either way. But I can't let you win. I get a burst of needed strength, finally managing to shove you away. You stumble over the uneven floor, but quickly get your bearings again. Again you run toward me, and I run to meet you head on. The blades crack as we step under a bright light.
For the first time, I get a good look at your face---and I don't even know you. Your eyes are wild, filled with a cold hatred that I've never seen from you before. . . . Your smirk is twisted, devoid of any humanity or compassion. . . . No . . . . this isn't you. I'm not fighting you. I'm fighting a stranger that took over your body. Talking to you doesn't do any good. All you can understand now is how to speak with our swords. And to stop this reign of madness, I'll kill you if I have to. It doesn't matter now. You are not the man I was loyal to.
That man, the Sephiroth I knew---my comrade, my friend---is already dead.