Cloud's seen it a few times by now- fleeting glimpses of Sephiroth's emotions beneath the calm, quiet way he has of both speaking and carrying himself. By now Cloud's also realized and at least partly (if not mostly) accepted that this Sephiroth's way of it is fundamentally different from the Sephiroth- or rather Jenova- that haunts his nightmares.
Even so, it still winds the merc to hear those levels of emotion come from the First's mouth. It hits as a shock every damn time, especially when the emotions are ones he hasn't yet witnessed.
And especially when the emotions and what's said strike Cloud as relatable on any level.
"...Yeah..."
Every interaction between them seems to result in more of their similarities coming to light. Cloud isn't recoiling from that as hard as he did initially any longer, instead landing in a contemplative space only lightly tinged with the remains of denial. After all, it keeps happening over and over.
His frown deepens at the initial response, and stays steady while Cloud bears witness to Sephiroth doing something he is no stranger to himself- pulling everything back together and putting the walls back up. The recognition of that in particular actually hits the blond with an unexpected pang of sympathy and understanding. For a fleeting moment, Cloud Strife got to see Sephiroth's buried self, felt a piece of what lay beyond the ironclad fortress around him. Perhaps, with moments like this, he can start to understand what Aerith and Tifa saw in him. What Wedge sees in him now.
Cloud actually finds himself shaking his head, the words coming out surprising even him. "You don't need to apologize when I'm asking." A pause. "...Just makes me want Hojo's head on a platter even more. You were just a kid." Sephiroth was a child. A child, traumatized and honed into a weapon against every shred of his own will as a human being. The memories Cloud witnessed are tangible proof. While it doesn't and would never erase the death and destruction the SOLDIER caused with his own hands, it certainly makes the situation far less black and white than Cloud ever would have dreamt of considering prior. "You saying there's things here now from back then?"
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Even so, it still winds the merc to hear those levels of emotion come from the First's mouth. It hits as a shock every damn time, especially when the emotions are ones he hasn't yet witnessed.
And especially when the emotions and what's said strike Cloud as relatable on any level.
"...Yeah..."
Every interaction between them seems to result in more of their similarities coming to light. Cloud isn't recoiling from that as hard as he did initially any longer, instead landing in a contemplative space only lightly tinged with the remains of denial. After all, it keeps happening over and over.
His frown deepens at the initial response, and stays steady while Cloud bears witness to Sephiroth doing something he is no stranger to himself- pulling everything back together and putting the walls back up. The recognition of that in particular actually hits the blond with an unexpected pang of sympathy and understanding. For a fleeting moment, Cloud Strife got to see Sephiroth's buried self, felt a piece of what lay beyond the ironclad fortress around him. Perhaps, with moments like this, he can start to understand what Aerith and Tifa saw in him. What Wedge sees in him now.
Cloud actually finds himself shaking his head, the words coming out surprising even him. "You don't need to apologize when I'm asking." A pause. "...Just makes me want Hojo's head on a platter even more. You were just a kid." Sephiroth was a child. A child, traumatized and honed into a weapon against every shred of his own will as a human being. The memories Cloud witnessed are tangible proof. While it doesn't and would never erase the death and destruction the SOLDIER caused with his own hands, it certainly makes the situation far less black and white than Cloud ever would have dreamt of considering prior. "You saying there's things here now from back then?"