Chapter Text
Cloud's mother had explained to him that there were two groups of gods and goddesses, the Asurim and Vanirot. Each group consisted of a number of deities that could possibly claim you. A claim by a god or goddess was determined on one's fifteenth birthday and for most people it had significance on a purely symbolic level with some claims having more prestige than others.
Unless you were Asura, then you were destined for greatness. If you were Vanir, things got complicated.
As a child, Cloud never cared about any of that and had decided on pursuing one path and one path alone. SOLDIER. It was easier said than done but it was a plan. A plan to work to build up his fighting capabilities and strength, enlist as a recruit, and work his way up to SOLDIER. Simple as that.
Okay, admittedly it wasn't that easy but that was another story.
Okay admittedly Cloud knew at a young age that a claim was important enough to proclaim himself marked by Fenrir when he was around the age of five and used that as rationale to go and sneak out into the forests surrounding Nibelheim in search for Fenrir's emissaries, the Nibel wolves. Needless to say, Cloud caused his mother a lot of grief in his wanderings, but that was a whole different story entirely.
People took one look at him and scoffed, but Cloud enjoyed three things: doing what people said he couldn't, proving people wrong, and the satisfaction of doing so.
Cloud had been fairly successful.
Sure, he was smaller than the average recruit, perhaps he would have been taller if it weren't for the harsh realities of Nibelheim winters. But what he lacked in physical prowess he made up for in swordsmanship, intelligence, and a knack for materia that even managed to impress Commander Rhapsodos, who was never impressed by anything.
Additionally, as Cloud was never the most popular boy among the youth of Nibelheim and so he was adequately prepared for dealing with other enlistees and drill sergeants who thought he was too much of a pretty boy for the army.
The more people he could prove wrong the merrier.
Cloud had everything in favour of success. If he kept up the work. Nothing could go wrong.
That was until bureaucracy got in the way.
One mark on his Identification card was all Shinra needed to decide he was suddenly incapable of doing everything he had been perfectly capable of doing.
The symbol of Vanirfreya.
Cloud had been marked by the Vanir goddess of fertility.
If Vanir meant things got complicated, then Vanirfreya meant Cloud was completely and utterly fucked.
Cloud sighs as he finishes applying the light blush to his cheeks, lowering his head as he notices the watchful gaze of his teacher, knowing he had already done enough today to provoke the ire of his instructor the day before.
Upon finishing he stands eyes gazing down at his shoes
"Come here," the instructor beckons. Cloud obeys.
"Very good," she says as she inspects Cloud's appearance from head to toe. She looks around his room.
"Why isn't the bed made?"
"The bed is made" Cloud replies, he had already ensured that she would find nothing out of place.
"You know what is expected of you,"
"That's Marion's bed." Cloud points out "Mine is on the left, I was in the army I can make a bed" He replies without raising his tone but laced with bitterness that doesn't go unnoticed.
The instructor smiles as if she was almost proud of him which irritates him more," Very well. You are doing so well dear but there's no need for any outbursts. I will speak to him later about this," Cloud bites his tongue failing to fully hide the irritation boiling with in him.
She looks down at his desk,
"Your reflection, I hope?"
Cloud nods, "Yes, Madam,"
"Good,"
Cloud says nothing. He shouldn't have written what he did on that paper, but what was done was done.
"Go to class, and then report to me to discuss your reflection,"
So, Cloud went about his day not exactly looking forward to that conversation. Etiquette class, followed Household Administration, which was followed by a class called Understanding Purpose and Divine Harmony which basically was three hours of being lectured on why Vanirfreya were important to society and why that rationalized all the bullshit expectations and restrictions. Then came Dance which Cloud admittedly enjoyed as much to his chagrin. Then there was the Art of Partnership, the class that probably pissed Cloud off the most. He had never been good with dealing with people, and he had no desire to improve on that.
After all that, they were given a free recreational period before dinner which often ended up as a disciplinary period for Cloud for having argued too much in Partnership class. Go figure, debate wasn't tolerated when the idea being discussed was your husband's word is final even if they are a complete moron.
Cloud knocks on the door of his instructor, accepting that sitting properly at dinner would be made more difficult for the next few days. The instructor opens the door and lets Cloud in and gestures for him to sit down.
"Cloud," Cloud looks up. Shit. "After having read your reflection, I wasn't sure what to think,"
Cloud shifts in his seat, "Relax, you are not being punished, rather I think I need to clear up some misunderstandings regarding your perception of your status." She looks down at the sheets of papers and takes out a file with Cloud's name on it and sets it aside.
"You have never been particularly accepting of your role as Vanirfreya, haven't you,"
"Not particularly, no." Cloud admits.
"I understand you feel trapped by the path the Goddess has chosen for you, and you hold resentment for that but as I said I want to clear up your misconceptions."
"I understand perfectly fine what being Vanirfreya means, it means that all I am supposed to do is get married, obey my husband, and become a baby factory."
"And that's where you misunderstand, that isn't the only path for Vanirfreya, Cloud."
"What paths are there,"
"There are two,"
"What are they?"
"None that you want to choose, but I think you already understand what happens if you aren't chosen by an Asura." Cloud thinks for a moment but is cut off "Nothing that I discuss in this room will leave this room understand?"
Cloud shifts apprehensively.
"Do you understand Cloud?"
"Yes, Madam,"
"As long as you hold on to the understanding that nothing leaves this room, you may speak freely, understood?"
Yes, Madam"
"Good. If a Vanirfreya consistently fails to find a suitable partner, policy is that they are sold. If they are fortunate, they are given to Asura households as servants usually attending to the Asura's Vanirfreya. Of course, not all marriages are happy among Asura and Vanirfreya and often the wife is filled with resentment, feeling trapped and unfulfilled. When there is disagreement between man and wife, she accepts his decision, but her anger finds the poor girl attending to her.
Cloud could easily read between the lines, he knew his peers. Sure, a Vanirfreya was supposedly sweet, nurturing, and compassionate, but one, he wasn't any of those things and two, he quickly learned that the bullying in among the enlistees in training was in no way unique to the military.
"And the second option?"
"Sold to a brothel. You have always quite strong willed and yet so beautiful it worries me,"
"Because some sick freak's gonna enjoy that?"
"Do not think for one minute that they won't break you."
"I understand,"
"But you aren't content with what I'm trying to make clear to you, are you?"
"No,"
"Now tell me why is that, I read your paper, but I want to hear it from you,"
Of course I'm not! I'm just supposed to accept marriage to some asshole because it's the better alternative to two other shitty scenarios, that I should just happily submit to my husband and let him decide everything for me all because I am so grateful I'm not enslaved in a brothel?"
He never did like that phrase about clouds and silver linings.
"I'm not telling you to submit Cloud, I am telling you to be smart."
Cloud looks at her incredulously. Just this morning she was scolding him for his "outburst" like he was a child, and now she had completely dropped the standard act of every instructor at the institution.
"I have been doing this for a long time Cloud, long enough to know that the usual approach won't work with you" she picks up Cloud's papers, "Now, you never wrote this, so it won't go in your file. I suggest you write another and make sure it's far more agreeable to the ideals of this school and bring it to me tomorrow."
"Yes Madam,"
"You will be choosing an Asura soon, and this reflection is the exact opposite of playing it smart. Do you understand?"
"Yes Madam,"
"I hope for your sake you do understand,"
Loud and perfectly clear.
"Soooo, did you get your ass beat again, Mister Strife? Aerith asks.
"No!" He denies a little too loudly eliciting suspicious looks from his classmates seated near him in the dining hall.
"Aww your face is so cute when you're embarrassed, so cute and rosy!"
"Aerith!"
"Made to write lines?"
"No,"
"Made to practice your manners again?" Aerith can barely restrain herself now.
"No!"
Aerith is clearly enjoying this way more than Cloud would appreciate.
"I was hoping I'd get to hear one of your speeches at dinner again all about what you got up to this time and how very, very sorry you are and how thankful you are for our dear teachers for correcting you!" Aerith teases.
"Sorry to have robbed you of a dinner and show" Cloud rolls his eyes.
"So, what happened?"
"Nothing happened,"
Just his teacher informing him that he was gonna piss someone off and they would probably beat him to death or something.
Nothing really.
"I don't believe you,"
"Then don't,"
"Oooh, I think I know what happened,"
"Yeah, of course you do,"
~~A few weeks later~~
Sephiroth had no desire for a mate, but he knew the longer he stalled the more time he gave for Shinra and more likely Hojo to force him to agree to a far more unsavoury arrangement.
So now a half dozen men and women stood before him and he was supposed to choose one to bear his children.
As he was Shinra's top general and war hero, he had gone too long without a Vanirfreya much to the public's dismay. Shinra didn't want Sephiroth to be seen as anything less than the ideal. So now he had to choose a random stranger to live with for the rest of his life.
He needed to choose carefully. Zack had decided to come with him to help him decide but his friend so far wasn't much of help.
"Ooh, I wasn't expecting to see people this good looking,"
"Zack, focus,"
Sephiroth knew telling Angeal's puppy to focus was as pointless as telling a Behemoth to fly.
"Well, Hellooo there, Who might you be?"
"Well I was wondering who this handsome guy was!"
"Oh, that's Sephiroth," Zack answers simply.
"I know that, silly! I meant the cutie in front of me!"
"I'm Zack!"
"I'm Aerith, and I think we'll get along quite fine Mister Handsome,"
Why did Sephiroth think bringing Zack would be any help?
"Zack, please I need advice,"
"Um just go with your gut or whatever,"
Well, the next four Vanirfreya introduced to him failed to win him over, their introductions were nothing but needless praise about him. Nothing but platitudes he was tired of hearing.
At the end of the lineup was a boy with striking blue eyes and wild hair, who said nothing but a simple hello, and for the most part ignored him, occasionally rolling his eyes when one of his companions said something particularly trite.
Sephiroth gave the boy a quick look.
"I will take him,"
He could work.