【SC】Endless Journey

The car drove in the night, alone across the vast wasteland of Midgar.The weathered rocks on both sides of the road protrude from the flat ground, like monsters lurking in the dark, constantly rushing towards the car window.

White peeked at Cloud and Sephiroth in the rearview mirror. Their hair was steamy and had obviously been washed thoroughly before getting into the car, but he could still smell a hint of it from Sephiroth. If there is no fishy smell.He also noticed that the mental state of the two was also different. Claude was just very tired, but Sephiroth remained strangely quiet, looking out the window with distracted eyes.

White had already vaguely guessed what happened in the institute.He was terrified, but curious to death - he was afraid that if he asked, he would lose his life, but he didn't want to be silenced when he didn't know anything.

Fortunately, Claude in the passenger seat accidentally turned his head and realized that his shoulders were shaking, so he thoughtfully broke the silence.

"Is there navigation in the car?"

"Yes, yes!"

Claude clicked on the car computer and reset the route.White glanced down and found that Claude had changed his destination to Junong Naval Port.

"Are you going to Junon?" White was very surprised.

"Well." Claude's voice was very soft, as if he was afraid of disturbing Sephiroth in the back row, "Don't stop on the road except for refueling, if you are tired from driving, just tell me, I can exchange with you."

"But--"

White couldn't ask after all.

Theoretically, Claude has never left the institute since he was born, and he has never learned to drive. He should not have so much information about the outside world at all, but White knows that there is a reasonable explanation for all of this.

White is a devout Redeemer believer that Claude Strife saved the planet 200 years ago, so he was as ecstatic as everyone else when the crystal was discovered.When the Institute created Sephiroth, he was still a supporter of the Catholm Project. It was not until Cloud was born that he suddenly began to doubt the original intention of the project.

White discovered early on that there was a problem with Claude's training data, and knew that Claude's personality did not match his appearance, so he secretly withheld part of the training video.Compared with Sephiroth's precocious thinking, Cloud is more like an adult trying to pretend to be a child, and inadvertently showing some maturity.This made White think of something that sounds like whimsy, but after careful consideration, many clues can be found-if this thing is true, instead of resurrecting the Savior, they are blaspheming him.

However, at this time, most people in the institute have lost their awe of the savior, and they treat Cloud and Sephiroth as if they were two indestructible experimental objects, which seems crazy to White , so whenever Claude finds him and makes a request, he does his best to help the other party.

But these are no longer important, and now Claude finally got the freedom he deserved.

While White was gratified, he was also thankful that he survived the tragedy at the institute.In a way, this may be the planet's reward for his previous good deeds.

White insisted on driving for seven hours, and the sky was already slightly bright.They were still about [-] kilometers away from the Juneon border, but Claude left him in the parking lot during the last refueling.

Cloud got out of the car with him and didn't stop until he was far away from Sephiroth.

"I can't take you away after this." The boy said with a hint of apology in his tone, "The military will know about the institute's news this morning at the latest, and they may send people to hunt us down later. You can leave now before it's too late." .I suggest that you do not return to Midgar, you are the only one left in the entire institute, and the military will definitely interrogate you."

This was the first time White saw Claude talking to him undisguisedly, and there was a little gentle worry on his usually calm face.

Just as Claude was about to turn around, White suddenly stopped him: "Can I... ask you one last question?"

The azure blue pupils looked at him, as if waiting for his question.

"The savior...is he really resurrected?" White tried hard to maintain his composure, but the trembling voice still betrayed him.

The boy drooped his golden-brown eyelashes and didn't deny it.

...so his conjectures were all right.

He met the real savior, and that person was as kind and approachable as he had always imagined the savior to be.

White felt his eye sockets become hot and humid, and all these years of work had meaning.He watched the car that belonged to him disappear at the end of the road, then patted his face and walked towards the long-distance station.

Claude and Sephiroth could live in a new world, but he still had a wife and children, so he had to return to Midgar.

Perhaps this separation is a farewell, but he will not regret his choice.He saved the hero who once saved the planet, and the other party also saved him in the tragedy last night, so the next fate, whether good or bad, has been blessed by the savior.

He will work hard to prove that he is worthy of this blessing.

Claude bought a black raincoat and sunglasses in the store in the rest area, returned to the car and handed them to Sephiroth.The other party changed his clothes in silence before climbing into the cab from the back seat.

Although Midgar didn't know Cloud's existence yet, Sephiroth was a celebrity inside the military, and they had to disguise themselves to prevent Sephiroth from being recognized by patrolling soldiers.

Sephiroth adjusted the height of the seat and the rearview mirror, adapted to the operating system of the car, and then quickly drove away from the rest area.Claude set up the navigation for him, avoiding all main roads with cameras, and then turned off all electronic devices that can be connected to the Internet.

They drove out for about an hour, and the scenery on both sides of the road gradually changed from shrubs and withered grass to dense forests, and the distant shadows of the mountains became clear.

Claude was very tired physically and mentally.He hasn't closed his eyes since he overdrawn his magic power to summon Bahamut last night, and Sephiroth is also in an abnormal state after leaving the research institute.He is very concerned about what happened to the other party, and what the idea is to slaughter the entire research institute. This is related to whether he can bring Sephiroth to live in places where humans gather in the future, but he has no energy to ask for the time being. He felt that Sephiroth also needed some time to sort out his mood.

Claude observed the other party from the corner of the eye, and Sephiroth's outline had gradually changed into a youthful appearance, which made him feel a little uneasy.

In fact, he can fully understand Sephiroth's hatred towards the institute. Before being the perpetrator, the other party is the victim first. Therefore, when Catholm tried to control and use the other party, he should have expected such a day.But in the past, Sephiroth would extend this hatred to all human beings, so he had to send the opponent back to the stream of life several times, but the young Sephiroth in front of him is still unknown, and he must treat it with more caution. .

Claude looked at the dense forest outside the window restlessly, finally closed his eyes, and began to take time to rest.

Last night he suffered from motion sickness, which is an old problem from his previous life.The only solution is to drive by themselves, but they have to take the high speed in order to leave Midgar as quickly as possible. There are surveillance cameras all over the place, and they dare not operate blatantly.It is daytime now, and they can enter the mountain. There are neither cameras nor traffic police on the mountain road. Although it will take twice as long as the main road, it is better than safety.

During the lunch break, Claude stuffed a sandwich into Sephiroth's arms, and he went back to the cab to adjust the height of the seat and the rearview mirror.He was going to drive Sephiroth for two hours so he could take a nap.

Claude's plan is to escape to the territory of Junong first, find a boat at Junong Military Port to smuggle to the Western Continent, and then stay on the Sunshine Coast for a while, and then go north to the Klier area to go to Jindie—because in any case Taking Sephiroth around isn't an option, so he's going to find a reliable old friend for help.This may take a long time, and he needs to earn enough travel expenses from the golden disc to start the journey.

This old friend is Vincent.Although more than 140 years have passed, Vincent's situation should not have changed much. The other party is the only one who has the ability to provide them with shelter and also has the ability to monitor Sephiroth with him.The only problem is that Vincent is elusive, and it is difficult to find that person without being able to blatantly leave a message to the other party. He can only hope that he can find traces of his friend's stay during the long journey.

Sephiroth doesn't need to know this yet, and the other party doesn't seem to want to ask at all.Claude decided to wait for the right time in the future to tell him the truth.

The two took turns driving the mountain road for ten hours, and finally arrived at the border post of Junong in the early morning.

Claude hadn't driven such a long distance for a long time, and the muscles of his hands and feet were stiff when he got off the car.He went to the convenience store to buy two fast food, intending to let Sephiroth come out for some activities, but the silver-haired boy suddenly moved his lips, and said the first sentence since he left the institute last night: "We don't have identification."

This means they cannot cross the border normally.

Claude also considered this matter in the car, so he asked calmly, "Can you use chaos magic?"

Sephiroth nodded.

"Then take your luggage and we'll turn over by the checkpoint."

They left White's car in the parking lot so that maybe someone could look up the registered address from the license plate number and return the car to his family.After that, Claude asked Sephiroth to hide nearby, and he followed the immigration process to the outpost to check the situation.

Although there is no wanted poster for Sephiroth posted anywhere, the soldiers at the outpost are strictly checking every passenger who enters and exits.The trunks of all cars were opened for inspection, and all luggage and goods exceeding a certain size were unpacked. On the surface, it was to prevent people from smuggling. However, considering that under normal circumstances, few people would smuggle from victorious countries to defeated countries, This kind of interrogation seems very strange.

Claude suspected that the military had received news of the destruction of the research institute, so he informed the border inspection that Sephiroth would be intercepted in Midgar.He immediately rushed back to Sephiroth's side, carefully checked the other party's attire, and tucked all the exposed silver hair into the raincoat.

"Although I'm not sure, they might be looking for you." Claude reminded in a low voice.

Sephiroth ignored it.Knowing that he was still immersed in the emotions of last night, Claude was afraid that he would lose himself when he was in a trance, so he took his hand and walked to the wasteland outside the post.

They climbed up the hillside of the border line and found that the entire border was isolated by electrified barbed wire, with searchlights patrolling nearby, and there was a completely unsheltered open space on both sides of the iron fence.

The height of the iron net is easy for them to jump over, but it is a problem to pass through the open space without shelter between the two searchlights in turn, especially since they are carrying heavy luggage and six-style, the speed is not even as fast as normal circumstances.

Just as Claude was thinking about how to run across the open space before and after the fence, Sephiroth suddenly put the luggage into his arms, leaned into his ear and said, "Hold on tight."

Claude raised his head in doubt, but saw Sephiroth holding Murame in front of his eyes, posing an inviting gesture.

Claude immediately realized - the other party planned to use the momentum of swinging the knife to help him accelerate.

this is a good idea.He has knocked the opponent into the air many times in the duel with Sephiroth, so Sephiroth is well aware of the power of this move. Claude's own initial speed plus the power given by Sephiroth can directly jump over the first half distance, the remaining time is more than enough to run to the net.

So Claude immediately withdrew ten meters back, saw the timing of the alternation of the searchlights and started a run-up with all his strength. When Murasame accelerated to the maximum, he accurately landed on the knife face, and then ejected violently.

He landed at more than half the length of the open space, and rushed forward tens of meters by inertia, first threw the luggage over the barbed wire, and jumped to the other side by himself.The searchlight almost brushed him towards the area where Sephiroth was. Claude didn't dare to stay, and immediately dragged his luggage and ran towards the grass.

It wasn't until everything was completely settled that Claude found a place in the grass where he could see the iron net and waited for Sephiroth.But it was quite difficult to find the timing when the searchlights staggered. Sephiroth probably changed his position and climbed over the wall, so Claude waited for a long time without seeing the other party.

He squatted in the grass for 10 minutes, barely hearing any sound.So he began to worry about whether Sephiroth encountered any problems, such as being bumped into by patrolling soldiers when he was looking for a gap along the iron net, or the military set up some kind of trap here, waiting for Sephiroth to throw himself into the trap... …

These 10 minutes seemed as long as a century.Claude finally couldn't stay any longer. He was about to go back to check the situation on the other side of the wall, but suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder silently.

"—Woo!"

Claude almost pulled out the six-style, but fortunately, the people behind him were familiar with his movements, so they pressed the handle of the six-style knife before he could do it, and quickly covered his mouth with the other hand.

"……it's me."

It was Sephiroth's voice.

Claude completely relaxed, and immediately turned around and hugged the other person, feeling a kind of fear of regaining it after losing it.Sephiroth also buried his face into his neck, and hugged his body tightly, so strong that he even felt a little pain.

They hugged in silence for a while in the clammy darkness before Sephiroth took the luggage from him and took Cloud to the parking lot outside the border checkpoint.He threw the luggage into a chocobo truck, carried Claude into the car, and jumped up and sat down together.

"It's time to go." Sephiroth snapped his fingers, the driver nodded with dull eyes, and started to switch gears.

As the truck starts, Cloud is forced to lean against a chocobo.The female bird pecked his golden hair curiously, and arched him under her warm wings with her beak, as if taking care of him as a chick.

Claude squeezed his way through the feathers, wrinkling his nose. "Chaos magic?"

"Hmm." Sephiroth lifted up his raincoat and showed him the magic spar on his belt.

Claude scanned over, but Sephiroth brought a complete set, including the four elemental magics of ice, fire, wind and thunder, time, shield, chaos... and even a recovery magic stone.

Claude was a little surprised. He thought that Sephiroth's self-healing ability did not require healing magic.The other party noticed his eyes, and before he asked a question, he took the initiative to explain: "That's for you."

——Because there will be no C cell injections from now on.Claude understood what he meant.

Claude motioned Sephiroth to lean over and let the other person lie on him to rest.Sephiroth didn't close his eyes all day and all night, so he laid his pillow on his lap obediently.

Just when the other party's breathing gradually calmed down, Claude suddenly said in a very soft voice: "You don't have to think about these issues in the future, I'm not that fragile."

He saw the young man's slender eyelashes tremble, but he didn't speak in the end.

The chaotic magic didn't last long. The truck driver went to a motel to rest as planned. At this time, there were still four hours before dawn.Claude estimated the difficulty of finding a car at night, and decided to stay here with Sephiroth for one night.

He asked Sephiroth to open two rooms as a truck driver before the chaos magic ended, one for the driver himself and the other for him and Sephiroth.Claude stuffed the accommodation fee back into the driver's wallet to ensure that the other party would not notice the difference the next day, and then went to their own room with Sephiroth.

He went into the bathroom to put hot water and told Sephiroth to take a bath.There was no response in the room for a long time, Claude came out to take a look, and found that Sephiroth had fallen into a state of contemplation without knowing anything about the world, so he had to wash himself first.

After that, he carried the clothes of the two of them to the self-service laundry room downstairs while the other party was taking a shower. While waiting for the washing and drying process, he casually glanced at the TV and found that the news was broadcasting that the Midgar army was about to enter News from Junong Naval Port.

"...The prime minister will visit Junong Military Port next week. During this period, the military port and three nearby cities will enter a curfew. Citizens are requested to make purchase plans in advance..."

Claude suddenly woke up from sleepiness.Martial law at the military port means that he and Sephiroth cannot go to sea in the near future, and his plan has been disrupted again.

Claude's head started to hurt.He rummaged through the magazine rack in the laundry room for a while, and he found a tourist map that came standard with the motel, so he began to re-plan his route based on the map.

If Zhu Nong can't go to sea, they have to go south to the woodland island and find a boat to go around to the west continent from there, or they have to go north back to Midgar and go to the west continent via the north continent. Either way is very troublesome.Moreover, the Ancient Species Temple was located on the southern continent, and he really didn't want to take Sephiroth to relive that memory.

Claude watched for a long time, and inadvertently glanced at the pasture area to the east of the mainland. More than 100 years have passed, and the tourist map shows that the area is still a chocobo breeding base. The car Sephiroth is looking for seems to be a truck that transports adult birds from a certain chocobo farm to the south of Junong. a whole new idea.

——They might be able to go to Chocobo Farm to hide for a few months. It is far away from Midgar, Junon, all bustling cities and war zones. There are only endless wilderness and various local wild animals. It is an ideal hiding place. land.

Moreover, Claude is very familiar with chocobo breeding. This is one of the many messy skills he learned when he was still Claude Strife. Maybe it will come in handy if he needs to live on the farm later. .

So he returned to the room with excitement, intending to tell Sephiroth his new plan, but he was pulled in forcefully the moment he opened the door.

Sephiroth threw him on the bed, propped him up on both sides of his body, and completely enveloped him in his own shadow: "Where did you go?"

Claude's body froze for a moment before he could barely control the instinct to draw his sword: "Washing clothes?"

Sephiroth breathed a sigh of relief, took out the drying clothes from his arms and threw them on another bed, and withdrew his frightening expression just now. "Don't do this next time. Tell me wherever you go."

Sephiroth's state is very wrong.Claude confirmed this again.

The other person used to be nervous too, but never in this neurotic style.They had to find a place to settle down as soon as possible, and then he could ask each other about the institute.

"What?" Sephiroth frowned slightly when he noticed that he was looking at him.

"It's nothing." Claude thought for a while, half-kneeled up, and tapped his forehead lightly with his lips, just like Denzel himself did when he couldn't sleep when he was a child, "Go to bed early, tomorrow morning Something to do."

Sephiroth's expression suddenly became a little complicated, as if he wanted to touch the place where he was kissed just now, but felt that it was too obvious.

Claude pretended he didn't see it, lifted the quilt and lay down, closed his eyes with his back to Sephiroth.