When Sephiroth had given the order to pursue Hollander, Zack didn't question it. He didn't give much thought as to why Genesis had let him pass either. It was somewhat strange to him though; did Genesis truly think Hollander could get away from a SOLDIER? But when that all too familiar sword became the only thing standing in between him and Hollander, Zack knew why.

"Working for Hollander now?"

The words came out with a bitterness that he didn't know he possessed. It took all of his willpower to simply remain calm as the man that was once his mentor, Angeal Hewley stepped in between him and the former Shinra scientist.

Zack waited for an explanation, wanted an explanation, but the older man simply remained quiet. Tense moments passed by as different kinds of emotions began cycling through Zack's head. He clenched his fists as he willed himself to remain calm, a good SOLDIER didn't let emotions take over.

"Just what is it that you're after Angeal?"

The former first class soldier said nothing as he lifted his sword away and simply turned his back.

"Angeal!"

After a brief moment, the other man stopped walking.

"World domination."

"That's not even funny man."

Zack had enough, the sting of betrayal was still raw and he wanted answers. It wasn't the time for Angeal's sarcastic jokes. He walked over and grabbed the older man by the shoulder, demanding answers.

"Then how about, revenge?"

"For what!?"

Angeal only shoved him off in response as he walked away once again.

"Damn it Angeal! Stop messing around!"

The first thing that he saw was white. Snowy white feathers danced around the room as a great white wing emerged from his former mentor's back.

"I've become… a monster," Angeal softly whispered with a faraway look in his eyes, "A monster's objective… is usually revenge or world domination."

Shock was the first thing that registered for him. And then for a brief amount of time, confusion, before finally, denial.

"No… you're wrong. Those aren't the wings of a monster."

"Well then…" Angeal said as he flexed his wing in response, "What are they Zack?"

Zack held his hand out, grabbing one of the falling feathers out of the air. The snowy white appendage was soft to the touch, which only reinforced his beliefs; that those weren't the wings of a monster.

"Those are angel's wings."

"I see. Then tell me Zack, what should an angel fight for?" Angeal let his beloved Buster sword fall to the ground and all but screamed out, "What do angels dream of?!"

Zack was at a loss for words. He wanted to say something, anything, but his mouth remained wired shut. It was as if his brain had short circuited and was just now rebooting.

If Angeal felt anything at all about his former protégés silence, he didn't show it. Instead, he only took a step forward, then another, and one more until he was standing directly in front of the younger man.

"Angels only dream of one thing."

Zack wasn't sure, but he thought that he heard a hint of desperation in his voice.

"Please… Just tell me Angeal."

"To be human."

He hadn't seen the punch coming. The very thought of Angeal attacking him never even entered his head. It didn't even register into his brain until he was flying halfway through the air. Angeal didn't hold back at all. It was a heavy hit, and it did its damage in the form of a few broken ribs. At that point, SOLDIER training kicked in and his body instinctively positioned itself into a defensive stance.

The Mako in his system did its job, numbing the pain. He could already feel his enhanced healing going to work. Broken bones began to mend together while bruised tissue regenerated at astounding rates. It was too bad the Mako couldn't do anything about the sting of betrayal that burned so painfully in his heart.

The situation was absurd. His mentor, the man that had been almost like an older brother to Zack was supposed to be his enemy? Zack could only let out a bitter laugh as he let his hands drop harmlessly towards his sides. He wouldn't, he couldn't fight his mentor. He couldn't fight Angeal.

"Defend yourself!"

He could only smile and shake his head.

"If you won't fight, then get out of the way!"

Zack's eyes widened in horror when he saw the familiar glow of Materia activate in Angeal's hand. Instinctively, his arms came up in an act of pure self-preservation. As the red hot flames of the Firaga spell ripped through his body, he still couldn't believe that Angeal had truly betrayed them.

What had happened to honor?

The great white wing on his mentor's back was the last thing he saw as the ground gave way. He fell, and then everything went black.

"Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess."

A Final Fantasy 7 x RWBY Crossover

Of Heroes and Monsters

Chapter 1-

The End of Honor

Ruby Rose raised an eyebrow in confusion.

It wasn't every day you saw someone sleeping in the middle of the road after all. Actually, just the fact that there was someone new was already a surprise in itself. Living in Patch, you didn't get to see new faces all too often. And she was sure that this guy wasn't here earlier when she passed by the trail to mom's grave.

Upon closer inspection, Ruby was surprised to see that the man was in fact, actually a boy. Raven black hair framed his face and he was wearing one of the strangest outfits she had ever seen. An all-black sweater with dark shoulder pads that simply looked way too big for no apparent reason. He was also huge, easily over 6 feet tall so she had just assumed that the boy was an adult. But in actuality, he looked to be only a few years older than her. In fact, he actually looked to be around the same age as her big sis, Yang.

Kneeling down, Ruby placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and gave him a small shake. He stirred a little bit in response, but otherwise not much else, so she shook him again, with a little more force this time.

"Hey, wake up! You shouldn't sleep in the middle of the road you know."

The first thought that came to her mind was that the boy had beautiful eyes. Eyes that were as blue as the bright morning skies. Silver met a hazy blue as they held each other's gaze for a brief moment.

"Angeal!"

She let out a small yelp and fell backwards in surprise as the boy suddenly jumped up in a panic, his eyes darting back and forth, as if he was searching for something.

"Ouch…"

The boy's eyes briefly widened in response before he reached down and held out his hand, a small apologetic smile on his face.

"Sorry about that, I didn't mean to scare you."

She took his hand and returned the smile with one of her own.

"Eh he, don't worry about it. Uh… There aren't any angels here, but I'm Ruby."

The boy chuckled.

"Not angels, Angeal. He's a… friend of mine", the boy said as he pulled her back up, "Oh, and I'm Zack, nice to meet you Ruby."

Ruby dusted herself off before reaching down to pick up Crescent Rose, which had fallen out of its harness earlier. A myriad of questions ran through her head, but she decided to just settle for the most obvious one.

"So-o-o-o… Why were you sleeping in the middle of the road?"

Zack scratched the back of his head, looking around at his surroundings.

"Well… To be honest, I'm not too sure myself… Actually, you wouldn't happen to know where we are right now, would you?"

"Oh, that's easy. We're in Patch."

Zack raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Patch? Is that a sector in Midgar or something?"

This time it was Ruby's turn to be confused.

"Midgar? What's that?"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on a second. You don't know what Midgar is? You know, one of the largest cities in the world?"

Ruby furrowed her brow in thought. Was there a city like that on Remnant? She wasn't the most studious student, but she at least thought that she had basic geography down.

"Uh… Nope, doesn't ring any bells. Is it near Vale?"

Zack crossed his arms, a frown etched on his features.

"Vale? Oh boy… How about this, does the name Shinra sound familiar?"

She thought about it, but the word sounded so foreign that she quickly gave up and simply shook her head. The reaction that she received made her almost wish that she had just lied. The downtrodden look on Zack's face reminded her of a sad puppy.

She couldn't help but give him a pat on the back.

"Hey, it'll be okay. Oh, I know!" Ruby reached into her pocket and took out her scroll, "Let's see… There we go, take a look at this and see if it helps."

Zack took the device and raised an eyebrow.

"Is this supposed to be a map of the area?" He sighed as he handed the scroll back to the smaller girl, "I don't recognize anything on there."

Ruby's eyes widened in surprise as she took the scroll back.

"What? You've never seen a map of Remnant before?"

"Uh, Remnant?"

"Uh yeah… You know the planet we're on?"

"This is Remnant…? Zack paused, a hesitant look on his face, almost as if he was afraid to ask, "Not.. Gaia?"

Ruby only raised an eyebrow in response.

"You know what? I think you're like really lost, like out of this world lost. Or just really drunk, like how Uncle Qrow usually is."

Zack was, for the most part, still in a state of disbelief. Names like Vale, Patch, and even Remnant, meant absolutely nothing to him. He was almost positive that the slums were under the plates of Midgar, so where the hell was he now?

He could only sigh as he took a glance over towards his new walking companion. The girl sure had a preference for red and black, that was for sure. But, he supposed he wasn't one to talk, his SOLDIER uniform wasn't exactly the most color diverse outfit either.

They had been walking for a good ten minutes now. It was getting dark and the girl had suggested that they head over to her house to ask someone named "Uncle Qrow" for help. Zack still had no idea where he was so he didn't object.

"So-o-o-o… I've got this thing."

Zack's eyes widened substantially when he saw Ruby take out a giant transforming scythe out of no-where. If the blade wasn't menacing enough, the red and black color scheme definitely helped its case in that regard. He couldn't help but let out a low whistle in appreciation of the weapon. Busting that thing out was definitely one way to start a conversation. It was one hell of an ice breaker, that was for sure.

"Wow, I don't think I've ever seen a scythe that big before. Or one transform for that matter."

"It's called Crescent Rose, and it's also a high impact sniper rifle," Ruby explained as she twirled the scythe once before letting it rest on her shoulder, "So, what about your sword?"

"Definitely not as cool as Crescent Rose, that's for sure" Zack replied as he grabbed the hilt of his Shinra stock weapon and held it over his head, "Sorry to disappoint but it doesn't transform or anything. It's just a regular old sword."

"Hey, the classics are cool too I guess."

Zack laughed. She should have seen Angeal's Buster Sword or Sephiroth's Masamune. Hell, even Genesis's rapier was cooler than his. Their swords were definitely a lot better than Shinra's stock weapons.

He couldn't help but sigh at the thought of his former mentor. He didn't understand why Angeal would defect over towards Genesis's side. He knew that they were childhood friends, but with all the lectures about honor Angeal had given him, he found it hard believe that he could just betray Shinra like that. So much for honor. Zack didn't like having these bitter thoughts but Angeal's betrayal had hurt him, bad.

"Hey, I'm sure Dad and Uncle Qrow can help you find your way back, they're huntsmen so don't worry about it."

He smiled. Ruby was a nice kid, though her worry was misplaced. While he was surprised and a little shocked at where he ended up, it didn't bother him too much. Wherever he was, he was SOLDIER, getting out of sticky situations like this was what he was trained to do. He didn't have a single doubt in his mind; he was definitely going to find a way back. And when he did, he would knock some sense into Angeal and drag him back towards their side.

But, that would have to wait. For now, he glanced back towards his new companion, noticing the worried expression on her face.

"Hey, I'm good, just had a nasty thought that's all. So, huntsmen huh? What're they?"

The girl's eyes seemed to light up.

"Oh, huntsmen and huntresses are just the like the most awesome thing ever! They're-"

Zack stopped walking and didn't let her finish the sentence. He grabbed her and brought her close, his other hand gripping the Shinra weapon tightly. SOLDIER training took over at that point and his brain went into combat mode.

"H-h-hey, what the heck are you doing?!"

She tried to squirm, but he kept his hold on her tight.

"Protecting you, so stop moving so much would ya? We've got company and they don't look too friendly."

His eyes narrowed as a large wolf like creature jumped out from the trees. Then another, and another, until there seemed to be a whole pack of them. They were strange creatures, black fur with white bone like plating. The sharp fangs and teeth were what really caught his attention though.

Ruby's eyes widened.

"Grimm!" She shouted and began to squirm even harder, "Zack, let me go already! I can take care of myself, you think Crescent Rose is just for show?!"

He frowned. There were probably too many of them for him to protect Ruby alone anyway, so he decided to listen to her. He would just have to trust her. She seemed to know what these creatures were at least.

"What're these things?"

"Beowolves, they're one of the different species of Grimm."

Then she disappeared, leaving only a shower of red rose petals in her place. He let out another low whistle as he saw Ruby cut through two Beowolves with ease before switching into Crescent Rose's gun form and shooting three more down. He had to admit, the girl had some skills.

He allowed himself a small grin, he wouldn't be outdone though.

"Hey, save some for me too!"

He was surprised when he cut a Beowolf down and saw its body start disintegrating. How did that work? He wouldn't have a chance to think about it as another Beowolf leapt straight at him.

A swift kick to the snout took care of that problem. There were a lot of them, and while he could just cut them all down one by one, he was curious to see how his Materia would fare against these beasts. He called upon his mana reserves and charged a Fira spell. Once the flames began to form around his hand, he released it and a torrent of flame shot out, incinerating any unlucky Grimm that happened to be in the way.

While his mastery of Materia wasn't as good as compared to Genesis or Sephiroth, he was still one of the better Materia users on the planet. You didn't make first without being a Materia expert.

He glanced over towards his companion and saw that she was just about finished as well. A couple more gun shots later, and the pack of Grimm from earlier all ended up as a heap of disintegrating corpses.

"Hey Zack, was that fire attack your semblance? It was so cool!"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, what's a semblance?"

Ruby blinked.

"You really don't know? Then what was that fire ability you just used?"

"I don't know about a semblance, but that was just my Materia."

Zack held out his hand with the red Fira Materia orb resting on his palm. He called upon his mana reserves once more and channeled the Fira spell. As the flames once again began to form around his outstretched hand, he unleashed the spell on a nearby rock, engulfing it in a sea of fire.

"Whoa! So you're telling me that little orb lets you shoot out fire?! How does that work?"

He shrugged.

"I wouldn't know, you'd have to ask a scientist about that. But yeah, they basically let you use magic."

"That's… so awesome! It's like Dust, except cooler!"

He put his Materia away and clipped his Shinra sword back onto his back.

"So, what's a semblance? And uh, Dust? You mean like, dirt?"

"No silly, Dust crystals," Ruby laughed as she put Crescent Rose back into its holster, "As for semblances, well, I guess you could say that semblances are like a projection of your aura. You saw my super speed right? That was my semblance."

Zack scratched his head and began to walk back towards the road.

"I feel like every time you explain something to me, another new thing that I don't know about pops up. Like, what's Aura?"

She giggled.

"Hey, at least the things you're learning about are awesome!" Ruby exclaimed as she moved to follow, "Aura is basically like your soul, or well, a manifestation of your soul. It's what lets huntsmen fight against the Grimm by granting them protection."

Zack blinked. Soul magic?

Things were getting weirder by the minute.

"We're almost there," Ruby pointed out, "My house is just at the end of this road."

Zack nodded in response as he took out his phone again. No signal. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he closed the flip phone and put it back into his pocket. And Shinra guaranteed he would get reception anywhere.

"Look, my house is right over there!"

And just as Ruby had said, a lone log cabin rested along the end of the road. It almost reminded him of home, minus the snow. The area definitely looked about as backwater as Gongaga.

"Hey Zwei, you hungry?" Ruby happily asked as she bent down to pick up the dog that had just rushed out the door.

Zack couldn't help but grin when he saw Zwei. He had always liked dogs.

"Cute dog."

"I know right, isn't he just the cutest thing?" Ruby gushed as she put Zwei back down, "Come on, let's head inside."

Ruby's house was a homely looking place. Warm colors that were a stark contrast to the girl's outfit decorated most of the walls. He found a nearby chair in what he assumed to be their living room and took a seat while Ruby was pouring some food for the dog.

"Oh, hey sis, is Dad or Uncle Qrow back?" Ruby greeted as she continued pouring food for Zwei.

A blonde haired girl yawned as she walked into the room.

"Hey Rubes, how was your tri-," She stopped her sentence midway when she noticed that someone else was in the room, "Oh ho ho, what's this?" He raised an eyebrow at the sly grin that she had on her face, "You bringing home boys already Ruby? I've got to admit though, he's pretty cute."

The blush that was beginning to form on the young girl's face was almost comical to see.

"W-w-what? It's not like that Yang!"

"What!?" The man behind Yang interjected, "What's this about bringing home boys?"

"It's not-"

He raised an eyebrow as the blonde man stepped around Yang and walked over towards him in a menacing fashion.

"Now listen here, kid," The man grabbed his right shoulder pad and gave him a glare, "We're going to have to have a long conversation about my daughter."

"Whoa, whoa!" He retorted as he raised his hands up in a calming gesture, "You got the wrong idea here pops!"

At this point, Yang was howling with laughter while Ruby's face was about as red as a tomato.

"What's with all this commotion?" Another black haired man asked as he walked into the room.

"Ruby brought home a boy," Yang wheezed in between her laughter.

"What!?" The black haired man's face went grim and he walked over towards Zack as well, "Alright kid, me and you? We're gonna have to have a nice long talk about my niece."

"Get in line Qrow, I'm going first." The blonde man gruffly interrupted.

"Will you guys just listen to me!?"

The room immediately went silent as all eyes went on to Ruby. Zack didn't think it was possible for someone's face to get that red.

"I brought Zack home because he needed help. Not because of," Ruby glared at her sister who was still trying to hold in her laughter, "Why Yang thinks I did. He's really lost."

"Why'd you bring him here then? You should've just brought him to the police station." Ruby's father retorted as he let go of his shoulder.

Zack breathed a sigh of relief as Ruby's dad finally backed off. He'd dealt with his fair share of overprotective dad's and they were never a fun experience.

"Because, he's like really lost Dad. Like, out of this world lost."

"What do you mean by that, Rubes?" Yang, who seemed to finally reign in her laughter, questioned.

"Likehedoesn'tknowaboutValeorRemnantorPatchorAuraorHuntressessandHuntsmen!"

The room went quiet once again at that and all eyes turned towards Zack. He didn't pay them much attention though as he was captivated by what was currently outside the window.

"Uh… Why does the moon look like someone blasted off a piece of it?"

A variety of emotions went through the faces of everyone in the room. Qrow reached into his pocket for his flask and took a drink. He clicked his tongue in annoyance when he found that it was empty.

"I'm not nearly drunk enough for this yet."

Author's Notes-

I wanted to finish my other story before I started another one but my muse wouldn't leave me alone...

Well, anyway let's talk about the story. It's been a while since I've played Crisis Core but if I recall, Zack ended the game at 23. He got stuck in Hojo's fun lab for 4 years, so he was 19 when the Nibelheim incident happened. He started Crisis Core at around 16 or 17, and since Angeal's betrayal happens pretty early into the game, for convenience sake, I have him at 17 in the story.

Anyway, that's enough rambling from me. Enjoy the story, and leave me a review if you like it!

Cheers!

-SFX