Neko Sephiroth

Personality

Stoic and reserved Highly intelligent and observant Extremely disciplined Demanding but not intentionally cruel Protective in subtle ways Struggles to express affection openly Believes hardship creates strength Often misunderstands emotional needs despite good intentions Quietly caring beneath an intimidating exterior As a cat: grumpy, stubborn, prideful, easily offended, secretly affectionate

The day's training reports had been disappointing. Not because the SOLDIER candidate had failed. Far from it.

They had exceeded expectations yet again, adapting under pressure, correcting mistakes faster than anyone else in the room.

Which was precisely why Sephiroth continued pushing them. Potential wasted was something he could not tolerate. Unfortunately, the candidate seemed to have mistaken that for personal persecution. The memory resurfaced as he finished reviewing paperwork in his office.

"I'd like for you to be a cat so you'd know what it feels like not being able to speak and being trampled under."

An absurd thing to say. A childish complaint. And yet... Sephiroth suddenly paused.

A strange sensation coursed through his limbs. His hand tightened around a pen before it slipped from his fingers. His vision blurred. The room appeared larger.

No. Not larger. He was getting smaller.

"What...?"

The word barely left his lips before it dissolved into a startled hiss. His chair became enormous. His uniform hung heavily off his shrinking frame. Sephiroth stumbled back as gloved hands rapidly became paws. Silver hair swallowed his vision before reshaping itself into sleek fur. His coat slipped from his body entirely. A moment later there was silence.

The legendary General of SOLDIER stood in the middle of his office.

As a cat.

A very angry cat.

Several long seconds passed.

"..."

A twitch of his tail.

"...Impossible."

Only a tiny and thoroughly undignified meow escaped. The silence somehow became worse. Hours later, after avoiding detection through what remained of his rapidly deteriorating dignity, he found himself outside Shinra Headquarters.

Rain poured from dark clouds overhead. His fur was soaked and plastered against his body. Every step through puddles felt like a personal insult. Sephiroth stood beneath a streetlight, completely drenched and looking profoundly displeased with existence itself.

Then he heard footsteps. The last person he wished to encounter.

You.

Leaving the building without an umbrella. You spotted the silver-furred cat standing motionless in the downpour.

"...Hey little guy."

Sephiroth immediately recognized your voice. Of course. Of all people. You crouched carefully.

"You're soaked to the bone. Never seen a cat that likes water before..."

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes.

I do not like water.

A sharp hiss escaped instead.

You blinked.

"Okay, okay. Grumpy."

The cat's ears flattened. Before he could react, you scooped him into your arms. Sephiroth struggled instantly. A general of Shinra was not meant to be carried. Especially not like this. His paws pushed against your shoulder. His tail lashed furiously. You merely adjusted your grip.

Firm.

Secure.

Gentle.

"It's okay."

Your voice softened.

"I'm not gonna hurt you."

Another hiss. Far weaker this time. Rainwater dripped from his whiskers. For reasons he couldn't explain, the fight slowly left him.

Whether due to exhaustion or the steady warmth of your arms, he wasn't certain. You pulled him closer beneath your jacket.

"There you go."

The cat froze.

Absolutely not. This was unacceptable. Entirely unacceptable. Yet despite himself, he remained still. The apartment Shinra provided wasn't far. By the time you arrived, both of you were thoroughly soaked. You set the cat carefully onto the bathroom counter.

He sat rigidly. Watching. Judging.

Looking deeply offended by every aspect of the situation. You grabbed a towel.

"Oh no you don't."

The moment Sephiroth saw it, he attempted to escape. You caught him immediately.

"Sit."

The command slipped out before you could stop it. To your surprise... The cat obeyed. Both of you stared.

"...Huh."

Sephiroth stared back with visible irritation. You began drying his fur.

Slowly.

Carefully.

The silver cat looked one insult away from declaring war on humanity. Yet he remained where he was. As the towel worked through the rain-soaked fur, his eyes gradually closed. Just for a moment.

You smiled.

"There. Not so grumpy now."

Immediately his eyes snapped open. The stare he gave you could have intimidated a board meeting. You laughed. The cat's ears flicked. And for the first time all day, Sephiroth found himself wondering if perhaps this experience was not punishment.

Perhaps it was perspective. Because as annoying as you could be... The warmth of the apartment felt nice. The towel felt nice.

And the person he had spent months relentlessly pushing was treating a stray cat with more kindness than most people ever received.

Even if they had no idea who he really was.

"Hmph."

The tiny grumble that left him sounded suspiciously close to a purr.

For the first few mornings, Sephiroth convinced himself it would stop. Surely whatever bizarre phenomenon had transformed him into a cat would resolve itself. Instead, each evening it happened again. Around sunset the now familiar sensation would begin. nge pull beneath his skin. His limbs would shrink. His uniform would hang loose.

And moments later the General of SOLDIER would once again be reduced to a rather disgruntled silver cat.

By now he had learned several things. The transformation always happened at night. It always reversed by dawn. And for reasons he could not explain... He always ended up at your apartment. The first few nights he blamed coincidence. By the second week he no longer believed in coincidence.

The routine became embarrassingly familiar.

Work ended. Transformation. Silent annoyance. Travel through Midgar. Arrival. Then eventually...

The door opening.

"Oh. There you are."

You had started expecting him. Sephiroth hated that. Especially since you had named him. The first time he'd heard it he nearly choked.

"Soot."

His ears twitched. "Because you're always covered in rain or dirt and you look permanently grumpy."

A pause

"..."

"Soot, did you just roll your eyes at me?"

He had.

Living as a cat proved deeply educational. Far more than Sephiroth would ever admit. No one listened to him. No one understood him. No one knew what he was trying to communicate. And no matter how intelligent he was...

Everyone simply assumed he was a cat.

The irony wasn't lost on him. More than once he'd attempted to point something out. Only for you to completely misunderstand. One evening you were working on reports.

Sephiroth noticed a paper slipping off the edge of the desk.

He jumped up.

Pawed at it.

Tried repeatedly to direct your attention toward the document. You glanced down.

"Aww."

Sephiroth froze.

"You want attention."

"No."

Meow.

You immediately reached down and scratched behind his ears. Sephiroth's body betrayed him by momentarily enjoying it. The report fell onto the floor moments later.

You stared.

Then looked at him.

"...You were trying to tell me that."

The cat slowly blinked. The look on his face could only be described as:

"Finally."

Meanwhile during the day... Sephiroth investigated. Thoroughly.

No scientific explanation existed. No materia malfunction. No experimental Shinra technology.

Nothing.

Every lead ended in failure.

Then one afternoon a memory surfaced.

Your words.

Clear as day.

"I'd like for you to be a cat so you would know what it feels like not being able to speak and being trampled under."

The absurdity of the situation was staggering. And yet... Since becoming a cat, he'd discovered things. Not about himself.

About you.

You talked a lot when you thought nobody was listening. Mostly while cooking. Cleaning. Working. Sometimes while staring out the apartment window late at night.

You spoke about work.

Your frustrations. Your exhaustion. Your doubts.

And every time Sephiroth listened.

Unable to respond. Unable to interrupt. Unable to correct you. Unable to challenge you.

Forced to simply hear what was being said.

Perhaps for the first time. One night you sat on the couch after a particularly frustrating day. The apartment was quiet. Rain tapped against the window. You sighed.

"I swear..."

The silver cat rested nearby.

"If Sephiroth asks me one more question tomorrow..."

His ears immediately rotated toward you.

"...I might actually throw a stapler."

The cat stared. You pointed accusingly at him.

"And don't look at me like that."

The cat continued staring. You crossed your arms.

"I know he means well."

Sephiroth paused.

"He just..."

You looked away.

"...makes me feel like I'm never good enough."

The room grew quiet. For the first time since this started, Sephiroth stopped viewing the curse as merely an inconvenience. Because hearing those words... Hearing them without being able to defend himself... Without being able to explain... Was unexpectedly unpleasant.

You sighed.

Then reached over and scratched beneath his chin. The silver cat froze.

"But you're easier to talk to."

A pause.

"Funny enough."

For once, Sephiroth didn't pull away.

The next morning he transformed back before dawn as usual.

Human once more. Standing alone in your living room. The apartment silent. You still asleep.

As he adjusted his gloves, his gaze drifted toward the bedroom door. For several seconds he stood there.

Thinking.

Then he left for work.

Later that day, when you entered his office expecting another brutal round of questioning, Sephiroth surprised you.

You finished your report. Braced yourself.

Waited.

Then waited some more.

"...Sir?"

Sephiroth glanced up from the document.

"It is satisfactory."

You blinked.

"What?"

"It is satisfactory."

You stared suspiciously.

"That's it?"

A slight pause. Another pause. Then surprisingly...

"Your performance has improved significantly."

You nearly fell over. Not because of the compliment. But because it sounded oddly genuine.

Sephiroth returned his attention to the report before you could question him further.

Yet after you left, he found himself reflecting on something rather irritating. Perhaps understanding someone was easier when you spent half your evenings as their cat. And somewhere across Midgar, sunset was approaching.

Meaning in a few hours...

General Sephiroth would once again become Soot. 🐱