Disclaimer: Final Fantasy Seven has been produced by Square Enix. I disclaim all intent to profit or other wise benefit from this fan fic.

Chapter 1: The Protégé

Missing lab equipment was the first indication that something was wrong, enough to warrant Hojo's attention away from his experiments. The Turks responded after a thorough catalog had been made of the missing items and who had access to the lab during the times it came up missing. Whispers spread quickly, rumors giving rise to the gossip that circled any small environment as to who could have taken the expensive equipment. Everyone had become suspect except for the ones who should have been given the closest inspection.

Sephiroth himself merely smirked as he passed un-harassed through the halls from a training session involving his two comrades in arms. He had recently met Angeal's protégé Zack and found himself wondering… Where could he get someone strong enough to one day is a challenge for him? Even after searching through the records of the entire company employee's Sephiroth had found he was disappointed.

Then an answer had presented itself in the form of Hojo's own madness.

Human experimentation had created cloning, genetic manipulation, and mapping DNA. It had all lead him to his current decision. If he could not find a protégé made to order, he would create one. The process had been astoundingly easy with his resources and financial backing. The entire ordeal was handled swiftly and easily, obscuring the smallest give away detail under bribery and murder.

It was completely bizarre in the fact that Hojo was his father, that he pursued this route himself.

Stabilizing his project was only his first step after securing the space that he needed to even begin. The cells of course were nearly all too easy to obtain, the light fingered theft of the maternal cells being the most difficult. For the paternal cells he added his own. He was of course perfect. His creation would be nothing less then himself.

Entering his apartment, Sephiroth turned to the security on the door. Initiating his own security protocols, the male turned to watch as everything slid away until only the green light of a mako filled tube was left. The slumbering form of a six month old infant slumbered peacefully within. The length of tubing providing nutrients and air twined up and over the suspended male. Pacing the length of the room towards his creation, Sephiroth accessed the key terminal to enter his access codes. Giving the machine a moment to respond, the Generals attention wavered back to his creation. Once he was free of the mako fluid and life support, Sephiroth pulled the child into his arms.

Pressing the boy into to his chest, Sephiroth glanced down at him as he opened bright blue eyes. "I've decided to give you a gift since you are amongst the most promising candidates. A name worthy of only my protégé. For any who dare to challenge me, you will stand in their way and gift them with misery, Cloud Strife."

"Still," the silver haired genius continued. "There is the matter of making sure you can survive on your own while I'm in Wutai."

The problem had exerted itself shortly after he had been informed of the news a month ago. Having spent a trial and error on several new born rats he had perfected the method of advanced growth and aging. A tutorial program administered through the Virtual Technology that the Shin-Ra company had developed would more then suffice to fill in the blanks of a swift growth formula. By the time he would be due to return to Shin-Ra headquarters his newly named protégé would have advanced to a twelve year olds level of growth and education. At least, that's what all of his theories had pointed too barring any accidents of course.

Pacing to a low table in the middle of the room, Sephiroth searched through the various chemicals and equipment until he found what he searched for. Filling a hypodermic needle with a pale blue liquid the teen administered the injection. Waiting a few minutes before returning the oblivious Cloud to his mako tube he added the newest batch of equipment. Settling sensors on the baby's skin, Sephiroth flicked a screen on and opened his program to begin the process to create the perfect student. The perfect challenge.

The perfect heir to his power.

He smirked knowingly as everything came online and all indicators read green. Pressing the enter key, Sephiroth watched as his protégé was once more immersed in the life giving fluid of mako. A panel set to catch mako radiation would power the room without draining more then a small percentage of the city's electrical grid.

"I'll see you soon, Cloud Strife. Do not disappoint me."

Turning to leave, the silver haired prodigy failed to note the one thing that would upset all his plans. A single bar on the grid jumped several notches up the original indicators before flashing a warning icon. Within the tube, bright eyes opened to watch the other leave before settling into a chemical induced sleep once again. Ice crystals slowly formed within the chamber creating a materia like barrier from all observers as Sephiroth's final serum set to work.

It was no mean feat when less then three days after Sephiroth's initial departure Hojo finally tracked his missing lab equipment down and found to his astonishment the form of a small child suspended in mako. In an unprecedented bout of parental pride, Hojo began allocating science department funds and men to keep an eye on the 'experiment' his son had crafted. After a routine search for written notes and finding nothing, Hojo began looking through the actual physical evidence left behind. Just as with the lack of notes, there was nothing for him to base any scientific basis on and he was left wondering exactly what Sephiroth had been attempting to create. Torn between pride and envy the man determined to await the results of his own kin's experiment. It would certainly be worth the patience and funds it would take to cover any additional charges Sephiroth had unknowingly indebted himself too.

Giving the human experiment one last look, Hojo allowed himself to speak to the watching specimen. "Just what is your purpose, Specimen S?" he asked the mute child. Just as with Sephiroth, Cloud watched the old man leave and then deigned to close his eyes to the outside world.

His purpose would be made clear when it was deemed he was ready to take the first steps into TRUE perfection.