I started this a while back... got 5 pages into it and sort of lost motivation.
I still plan on finishing it at some point, but I figured I should post what I have completed so far so I don't just... forget about it.

Mild Sephiroth x Zack.

Explosions and airship engines rattled the Planet and sky alike. If the noise had been any louder, it certainly would have made the heavens crash down upon the battlefield beneath them. Such a thing would probably cause less damage than the fighting below, anyway. Sephiroth hoped for it. He commanded a unit of the SOLDIER army sent out by Shinra, here. But the war was chaotic now. Wutain troops were masters of stealth and their efforts had thrown his unit into frenzy.

Shouting orders at the top of his lungs, the General was blatantly ignored. Men scrambled past him in terror, paying him no mind regardless of what he did to catch their attention. Only recently promoted, he was beginning to doubt his ability to handle the situation. All around him, his own men were being ripped apart by spells and bombs.

He'd like to think that they were doing plenty of their own damage, but there was no such proof to confirm this.

Cherish.

Amongst the chaos around him, one SOLDIER in Sephiroth's unit stood by calmly; he'd positioned himself low in the tall grass of the plane. He lied there with the gigantic sword he wielded resting beside him. Only because the General stood could he see the man there—one of the few First-Class SOLDIERS in this unit—and knew that Shinra did have some sense, considering who they promoted.

Thank the heavens that Zack knew what he was doing.

Two circular hues of blue with a gray shade;
So captivating.

While most of the unit darted about uncontrolled, some wandering too far out and getting mowed down my materia casters, Sephiroth's attention focused on Zack. His behavior was a sharp contrast to that of the other men on his side. Hands over his head, he seemed to be calmly biding for the panic to subside before righting himself and continuing the fight.

Perhaps Sephiroth should have followed this lead to begin with. Then maybe he'd have a firmer grip on his men's behavior. Stupidly, he bided there momentarily, just taking in how composed the other man was despite hell-on-earth reigning around him. This man was a true soldier.

More than you know.

Suddenly, a blast sounded too close by for comfort, and as dirt and grass was uprooted and flung in the General's direction, he dove to the ground. Luckily, he had aimed true and landed next to Zack. Immediately, gloved hands flew over the back of his silver head of hair. He didn't even know where his sword had fallen—he'd dropped it long ago.

Surely as a result of this maneuver, Sephiroth heard other men hitting the ground around him. Good. If they could just lie low and recuperate, the Wutains would wear thin and hold off on attacking further. Or at least he hoped such would be the case.

It took a moment before Sephiroth glanced to his left and saw that Zack was looking at him. Instead of a mocking, egotistical expression as the General had expected, the brunette's face seemed to silently speak relief. The fact that his commanding officer had realized the best option was a comfort.

Aqua eyes locked with the subordinate's for a moment and they lingered in silence until another bomb shook the earth upon which they lay. Almost simultaneously, the men stuck their noses back into the dirt and flattened their bodies in hopes to remain hidden from view in the grass. For now, they were safe. Hopefully the other men that had dropped and covered were in one piece as well.

False perceptions…

Every second that ticked by felt like an hour, and with little else to keep his mind off of the horrific sights he'd seen on the battlefield, Sephiroth began to count explosions. From time to time, they occurred frighteningly close, showering him and likely anyone near him in a light coat of dust.

It was approximately the seventh bomb that the General counted that sounded far too close. The blast not only spewed more chunks of earth at Sephiroth, but it nearly knocked him sideways. A muffled cry sounded somewhere to the left of him, and his heart leapt into his throat. Had it been the other First-Class?

Only moving his head and arms slightly, Sephiroth stole a glace at the man lying alongside him. Face still buried against the ground, his body was rocking from side to side slightly in a writhing motion. It was as though Zack was trying to shake pain away from him, but the General couldn't tell exactly what was wrong.

They had only fooled themselves into thinking hiding in the grasses upon which they fought was the best option; Zack's left arm was bleeding heavily at the bicep after that blast, bits of soil sticking in the liquid. He had sustained damage from the last bomb—a fist-sized shard of shrapnel protruded from his flesh.

That brought forth these questions of
Truth, love and hope…

Only upon observing the damage did Sephiroth come to realize that he was sitting up further than he should have been, craning to see the injury. He was no doctor, but knew Zack had to get out of there. The man wouldn't be able to wield such a weighty weapon with an injury like that. But more prominently, something stung at the General's heart. One of the few other First-Class men in the unit was more or less disabled now. And off of the battlefield, Zack had made an effort to get to know Sephiroth better than most. The brunette had always blamed it on his amiable nature. Very few people tended to care to get to know him whatsoever, satisfied with the perception most had of him as the Shinra prodigy.

Though Sephiroth could not think of anyone else he would risk his life for right now, Zack topped the list. They were sitting ducks, but he wouldn't leave his comrade there.

"I'm getting you out of here," he hissed, straining to be heard above the sounds of war.

Zack responded by simply restraining his writhing and turning his head to rest his cheek on the ground. He was biting hard into his bottom lip; eyes squinted nearly closed as he endured the pain without making another sound.

Now that you're injuring,
I carry you with me, just
Please hold on.

Shooting to his feet, the General spun around and back again, taking in his men—some injured, some not; some cowering in the grass, some not—and bellowed: "Back to the camp!" Many of the men heard this first order, but just to be sure, he followed-up: "RETREAT!"

Zack began to push himself up using his intact right arm, but Sephiroth was already swooping down to assist him. Hoisting the fellow SOLIDER as Zack hooked his good arm across his General's shoulders, they began to trek off away from the field.

Sephiroth moved as quickly as possible, oftentimes feeling Zack stumble beside him. Neither spoke along the way, but he could feel the subordinate's eyes on the side of his face most of the time. Surely he was confused as to why his boss would risk his own neck just for him. But words were not necessary right now; survival was.

Mentally, the General begged whatever gods, spirits, or supernatural beings watching over the war to just let them out of there in one piece. If they had to die, he wouldn't mind going later. As for now, Sephiroth needed to just get back to the camp with his companion. They'd have to be okay, just this time. The Wutains should be far enough away in the field that they wouldn't be followed, but the airships above could blow them away at any moment.