Summary: Two sides to a mirror, two sides to a man. Zack reflects upon the enigma that was Sephiroth, with a little bit of Angeal and Genesis thrown in. Some spoilers for Crisis Core. Semi-canon.

Disclaimer: Ok, how many times do I have to repeat myself? I own jack-squat.

Queen's Quornor: This idea came from a magazine article on Crisis Core I read (Playstation: the Official Magazine, to be specific. Highly recommended, since it's the remade PSM!). I was trying to think up stuff for the next chapter of "Seed", and then mine eyes strayed to the open article on the desk beside me, and suddenly Zack's voice filled mine head. Maybe it's because I've been greedily watching as many English-subtitled CC movies and cutscenes and trailers on Youtube as I possibly can lately. I dunno. But in any case, I was possessed by a demanding muse, and finally this is what resulted. Hope you enjoy!

Reflections

You know, I never thought he was anything less than a god.

What? Is that so hard to believe? I idolized the guy; everybody in the military and at least half the world did! He wasn't just Sephiroth. He was SephiroththeHero! We never thought of him as anything less.

How did we all miss seeing him? The man behind the reputation, I mean. Yes, he was a hero. Yes, he had pulled off a multitude of near-impossible stunts and missions. Yes, he was insanely powerful.

But he was also just a man.

All of them were. Sephiroth, Genesis, and Angeal. No, they weren't just like you or me. They were different; nobody could deny that. Not even them. Normal humans don't have wings or silver hair, or powers like theirs. But their differences were what made them so admired. Seph, especially, was the epitome of all that a SOLDIER was supposed to be.

They all kept themselves from the view of the public. What I mean by that is they showed civillians and lower classes what they wanted to see, not what they were really like. We never saw how jealous Genesis was of Seph, for instance, or how much Seph cared about him and Angeal. They were close friends, and war-buddies.

Get that thought out of your head. They were friends, and definitely not like that. I never saw Angeal or Genesis with a girl, but Seph was quite the ladies' man. When he had time, that is. Usually he was too busy for relationships, being the general and all.

It's strange, how wrong I was about him. I always thought Seph was as stern and cold as the news always depicted him. My first real up-close-and-personal impression of the man, when he helped me out in Wutai, didn't exactly shatter that view. But over time, as I worked with him, I got closer to him and he started to open up to me. He told me so much about himself and the others, stuff I never would have guessed.

Genesis and Angeal were childhood friends.

Sephiroth had been hurt when Hollander told him he was not suitable for a blood transfusion for Genesis.

Genesis was jealous of Sephiroth's fame, felt that it should have been his.

Sephiroth got just as bored listening to Angeal's lectures about pride and honor as I did.

Sephiroth didn't want the army to kill his friends, was even willing to disobey Lezard in order to save them.

The revelations just kept coming, rapid-fire. It was a damn shock the day I realized Sephiroth actually had a sense of humor.

Each little discovery altered the original view I had of him. Changed it, transformed it. Until at last Sephiroth became Sephiroth, not the hero I had always imagined him as. He was fun to hang around with, and easy to talk to, believe it or not. I was closer to Sephiroth than I ever was to Angeal.

How did I miss his insecurities? The needs none of his friends could have fulfilled? Sephiroth told me about his hellish upbringing, but he hid the physical and emotional scars so well, I never realized he carried them. Then again, how could I have known about Jenova, or the lies she told him? I still don' t know exactly what happened in Nibelheim, but I can tell you one thing with absolute certainty.

The man in the reactor, the man who tried to destroy Gaia... That was not Sephiroth. He looked, sounded, and fought like him, but he wasn't Sephiroth.

You can see for yourself, if you don't believe me. He's in the Lifestream, too.

Angeal, Genesis, Sephiroth...

Despite the wings, despite the power. Despite the things they did...

They weren't so different after all.