Sephiroth glanced up, green eyes darting towards the door to his room as there was a mechanical whirring. The bullet-proof glass panel that served as a door to his world slid back, causing a current of sterilizer scented air to rush in. The cloying scent had almost faded off his skin, and it assaulted him again with full force, bringing with it the near instinctive fear of the man who that scent always followed. He froze where he was, waiting for those footsteps. He'd thought they were done for today, that he would at least be left alone until they turned the lights out and he slept.

Those quick footsteps sounded crisply against the cold tiles on the floor, each step like a jab driven down hard. But this time another sound came with it, a sound that Sephiroth had never heard before. Crying, wailing, in a high, small sounding voice, repeated again and again and echoing off the walls. It was a somewhat disturbing sound; it twisted something inside him painfully and it made him immediately want to stop the sound.

Hojo swept into the room, walking with his characteristic fast, mincing steps. Sephiroth watched him very closely, ready to flinch away if he had to. Hojo's glasses glinted in the air and he was scowling, but more than normal, and there was an air of frustration that followed him like a cloud. The wailing intensified as he got close, but Sephiroth was reasonably sure that Hojo wasn't the one making the sound. It confused him.

Hojo stopped in front of him, looking down at Sephiroth. Sephiroth stayed perfectly still, looking up at him in complete silence. The sound was deafening now, gasps and wails and screams, but Sephiroth couldn't tell what was making it.

"Gah!" Hojo spat finally in his high reedy voice, and shoved something wrapped in a white blanket towards Sephiroth's head. He hadn't seen it against the white of Hojo's lab coat In the split second he realized that the cries were coming from this little bundle, Hojo was lowering it down and Sephiroth's hands came up automatically. The little thing was heavy, and warm! It...it had to be alive! He glanced down at it before Hojo's voice brought his eyes back up.

"Make her stop crying," Hojo ordered, shoving the bundle against Sephiroth so that he stumbled a step back, fumbling to hold onto it. The little thing gave another wail. With that statement, Hojo turned on his heel stomped out, the glass door of the cell sliding shut behind him.

Sephiroth stared after Hojo for a long moment. Then the little thing he held in his arms cried out again and suddenly moved, startling him so much he jumped. Carefully, cradling the squirming, crying bundle as gently as he could, Sephiroth sat back on his bed, trying to get a better look at what exactly it was.

He stopped when he finally could see what it was, for a moment too shocked to even think.

A tiny person was wrapped up in the blanket. Small hands, much rounder and softer than his own, formed soft fists and waved jerkily back and forth as it cried. The little thing didn't look like any person he had seen before; its head was much too big, it's limbs short and stubby. But it was definitely and unmistakably human; the tiny, waving hands proved it beyond any doubt. He was for a moment transfixed by them.

But the tiny thing was still crying, tears streaming from its eyes, deafening in his ears. He winced and hesitated for a moment, unsure what to do.

But he hated being alone. Maybe it was scared. Gently, Sephiroth hugged the screaming thing against him. "Hey, are you ok?" he asked quietly.

It paused in its crying and made a soft little "Ooo" sound. The little thing turned its head up towards his voice and larger then normal eyes opened to gaze up at him, still shining with tears. Sephiroth blinked. Its eyes were bright green, like his.

He didn't know what to do with those bright green eyes looking at him. The little thing squirmed gently back and forth as it looked up at him, it's upper lip still quivering from crying.

"It's ok," he said finally, his voice dropping softer. Without really thinking about it, he nodded. "He's gone."

The little thing gurgled softly, looking at him with sparkling green eyes. Then, as a wide, toothless grin spread across it's face, it cooed quietly and reached up a hand. Sephiroth froze as it patted his chin, having absolutely no idea what to do. It was so...soft, playful. He'd never seen anything like it.

The little one giggled suddenly, amused at something he couldn't fathom. It reached out and gathered up a lock of his hair, playing with it gently, apparently delighted by the way the strands flashed in the light. Strangely, it didn't even pull hard enough to hurt him. He found himself staring at the way those green eyes suddenly sparkled as it wound his hair around its tiny little hands.

He wasn't sure for how long it played with his hair, flipping it back and forth lazily. But after a while, the little thing yawned softly and, still holding a strand of his hair in it's hands, curled up against him. It grabbed onto his shirt and squirmed quietly, as if trying to burrow into it. He started slightly, then relaxed as it mumbled softly and closed it's eyes, still holding onto him.

Sephiroth was quiet for a long time, sitting on his bed against the wall, as the incredible little person slept in his arms.