Halo

( sephiroth & aerith )

Disclaimer: I do not own anything -- Square does, to their greatest benefit and my greatest displeasure. But not really. It would take to much effort that I would never be able to give. Damn.

NOTES:

This is probably my last set of notes for my dear readers. Gackt (sorry, Genesis!) will in no way make any kind of appearance in this fic... At the moment. Unless I find some use for him, he is of no use to me and I will not kill myself in attempting to bring him into this story. What else? Many characters will make an appearance... Cloud, Tifa, Kunsei from CC... You never know who else may pop up. Of course, we're not going to be seeing Cid, Barret, Red or anybody like that. Strictly sticking to CC. Anyways, I know this is probably an annoying fore bit to chapters and I think that's all you need to know...

Enjoy the story! :)


Zack had told her he'd be back quickly after repeatedly assuring her that Sephiroth would have time for him. However, she'd been waiting in his room inside the Shinra building for over half an hour and she was feeling nothing short of paranoid. Sure, the door was locked, but this was Shinra. Shinra was full of Soldiers who knew how to do their jobs.

What if he had just told the general outright instead of breaking it to him gently? That was definitely something Zack might do if he felt cornered... And if he had, maybe

Sephiroth had already refused? Or worse...

"Stop it! Stop it!" Aerith berated herself aloud, but her fear was beginning to transform itself into frustration. Frustration, for her, inevitably turned all thoughts into exaggerations of worst-case scenarios. She was going to go insane if he wasn't back soon!

"He said Sephiroth would help. Sephiroth would be fair. That he... understood." She hesitated on that particular reason -- what did he understand? Maybe it was a sore subject for him and Aerith being in a similar position would only aggravate him instead of induce sympathy...

A knock on the door had her jumping out of her skin. Was it him?

Was it someone looking for Zack? He'd warned her that people liked to frequently barge into his room!

"Zack? You there?" Someone called through -- and that someone was not Zack.

"Planet, what do I do!?" She whisper-screamed, watching the door without blinking, completely still. She had never felt so panicked in her life as she did now. It wasn't the greatest feeling. The doorknob was turning...!

But it was locked. A great sigh of relief escaped her, though she made sure it was quiet. Who knew what trained Soldiers could hear behind closed doors!

"A locked door? That's unusual..." Whoever was outside said to himself, sighing. "Well, uh, if you're in there, I'll come back later... But you might not be... Maybe I should just wait here..."


"You brought a woman into a restricted facility?" Sephiroth asked Zack, his voice telling of the interest and minimal disappointment he was feeling. "I hope you can get her out just as quietly."

"Well, uh, that's the thing... I'm not taking her back out." Zack smiled goofily, hoping to lighten the mood that was always carried whenever Sephiroth was in the room. Sometimes he was just too serious and this was a situation he wanted to end well. He scratched the back of his head, feeling the first little bit of apprehension creeping into his stomach and knotting itself up.

Sephiroth turned his glowing eyes on Zack, the question in his eyes clear.

"There's something I need your help with. It's specific to who she is."

"Who would she be?" Sephiroth asked. "I didn't know these girls liked to stay for more than a night."

"Woah, she is not one of those girls!" Zack sputtered, holding his hands up in front of him. "No! Sephiroth, what do you take me for!?"

The corner of Sephiroth's lips quirked up a smidgen. "Right."

"I think it might be better if I... showed you."

"Are you going to regret showing her to me? This secretive pretense doesn't suit you too well and I can only assume this means that if Shinra knew, they wouldn't be happy." Zack shook his head in agreement. "How unhappy?"

"They would probably kill me to get her if I didn't give her up without a fight." Zack deadpanned. "She's the real deal."

Sephiroth raised a cynical eyebrow. "My curiosity is piqued." He looked like he would have sighed if he were the kind of person to do so. "And you can not go to any other person about this?"

"No. Absolutely not. And I'm hoping we're good enough friends that you'll help."

"You will soon know then, won't you?"

"Uhhhh, by the way," Zack started as Sephiroth walked out the door, "she's a little panicky about me coming to you in the first place." Lowering his voice to a hushed whisper, he continued, "so try not to intimidate her too much. I know how much you love to do that. She's really a sweet girl."

Sephiroth said nothing to that, but Zack took that as a good sign. At least he was interested. He supposed he couldn't ask for more than that.

After a few minutes of silent walking, Sephiroth asked Zack the dreaded question. "How did you manage to get inside without anyone noticing? If she's so important to the company."

"Well, we climbed up the side of the building. Not all the way, of course," he added when Sephiroth threw him a dubious glance. His rooms were at the very top of the building due to his Soldier status. "Just far enough until we got to an area I knew we wouldn't be caught. Then we rushed it. It was a little difficult though." He admitted. "She was so nervous. But you'll understand when you see her."

The continued walking, the infantrymen and lower class Soldiers nodding their heads stiffly or bowing down to Sephiroth as they passed, keeping their wide eyes on the impossibly long sword attached to his hip all the time. It was ever-present though and Zack wondered why they weren't yet used to it. It was the epitome of Sephiroth, the thing he was perhaps most known by. He redirected his thoughts to Aerith however, given that there was no point in thinking about the way everyone acted around Sephiroth when he already understood.

Aerith was probably jumping off the walls right about now over how long he'd taken. He hadn't meant to, of course... But she would thank him later if he could get Sephiroth to give them his very valuable help.

She would like Sephiroth anyway; that was just how she was. She'd find something in him. It would be good for the man in question, too, no doubt.

Stepping into the elevator, Zack stood silently as they passed by more than thirty floors. Slow down, Zack, he thought. Getting ahead of yourself there. He hasn't even met her yet -- or agreed!

"You have some company." Sephiroth informed him, after they had stepped out of the elevator and made thier way around the corner. Zack moved around him and had to stop himself from bursting out into laughter. He could only imagine what the Aerith was doing in his room now, with someone waiting outside... talking to himself, it looked like. "Kunsei!" Zack called, striding over to his room, Sephiroth in tow.

Kunsei turned and smiled. "Zack! I wasn't sure if you were avoiding me or something; your door's locked!"

"Yeah, crazy, huh? That's definitely a first!"

"General Sephiroth, sir." He acknowledged, standing stiffly in the customary military stance. Sephiroth nodded, indicating he could relax.

"So where were you guys?" Kunsei asked.

"Ah, just somewhere talking about this and that. All that Soldier stuff."

"Right, right. So, wanna go inside? I got something to tell you!"

"Uh, Kunsei, now is really a bad time." Zack said, sounding sorry. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "How about a little later?"

"Oh, okay. Yeah, no problem." He nodded, turning to walk away. "Talk to you later, then! Keep him in line, Sephiroth, sir!" He laughed.

"Yeah. Right." He sighed, clapping Kunsei's shoulder. "Sorry again, man." When the other man was further down the corridor, he added, "I'm gonna need it where I'm going."

"Assuming the worst usually brings it about." Sephiroth said, giving Zack the eye.

"Right. Right. I'm just suddenly a bit nervous!" He said, taking out his room card and swiping it.

"Do you have reason to be?"

"Didn't we already talk about this, Seph? Hope you don't mind me calling you that, because you don't have a choice anymore. If I die, I want to have the words, 'gave Sephiroth a nickname and he loved it' across my tombstone."

"You're being melodramatic."

"Oh well!" Zack cheered, swinging his door open. "After you!"


Aerith wasn't sure what she felt when she'd heard Zack come back; she could hear him talking to -- Kunsei, was it? -- through the door, seemingly alone, until Kunsei made mention of Sephiroth. Her heart dropped, that was for sure, but she'd been otherwise calm.

The conversation had gone on a little bit further and then suddenly she could hear the swipe of the card in the door and she watched as the door swung open.

And then he walked in. He was... there.

He seemed to take her in for a moment, watching her with those eerily green eyes. His face showed absolutely no emotion, which she supposed she should be used to, even having not known him. That was the face you saw everyday, on posters, on TV screens, on billboards...

It unnerved her. She was glad when he took his attention off of her and turned his head to Zack. "I believe I understand now."

"Right, I thought you would. You can only imagine." Zack nodded, sending her a reassuring smile over her confused frown. "It's nothing. Aerith, this is Sephiroth. But you already knew that." He turned to shut the door and she was being watched again by the intimidating silver-haired general. She couldn't believe she was in the same room as him! She was beginning to understand why people were in such awe over him when they came back from seeing him face to face. "Sephiroth, this is Aerith." Zack introduced, moving past the general to stand beside her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

He didn't say a word.

"I, um... Hi." She smiled brightly, holding up a hand.

No response. He just watched a little oddly.

"Sometimes the words escape him." Zack joked. Sephiroth's expression finally broke as he eyed Zack.

"So?" But Sephiroth could feel a powerful energy emanating from the girl. She wasn't someone to take lightly; she was different from the normal human being, that much was clear.

"Aerith is... the last remaining Ancient that the Turks have been after." Sephiroth's eyes shot back to green eyed woman. That explained it. "We've been friends for months now and I've known, but it's not the Turks specifically who have been after her. They were sent after her; Hojo wants her."

"Ah." Sephiroth muttered, his eyes hitting the floor. "That almost explains why you brought her here. Except for the fact that Hojo works in this building." Sephiroth said, a hint of mocking in his tone.

Zack had to ignore it. "You agree with me when I say there's no way he can have her. You and I both know what he would try and do. Or at least, we can assume that, anyway."

"But you need my help for what, exactly? You seem to have the situation covered."

"We're in the building where she's most wanted. People aren't going to be looking for her in here, but... when I'm gone on missions and you're here, I need you to look after her. Besides that, if this doesn't work out and she has you on her side, we might have less of a fight on our hands. I could be discharged for this, possibly killed over it, but at least you'd still be here to help her. She's important. You know what the higher up's have been talking about, Sephiroth." Zack's mouth tightened into a taught line. "She deserves more than that."

Sephiroth turned his eyes back to Aerith, considering. "What do you mean, 'I would have to look after her'?"

"Hehe..." Zack scratched the back of his head, nervously, a habit indicating to Sephiroth that what was about to come out of his mouth wouldn't make him terribly happy. "Well, you know, people like to randomly walk into my rooms. They would never walk into yours--"

"No."

"Sephiroth--!"

"She is not staying with me." The general shook his head. "There is a lock on your door. Use it."

"Seph--"

"Please?" Aerith spoke up. "At least think about it." She was scared out of her wits, but she was willing to try. Zack's words about Hojo and the suggestion of what they'd want her for was news to her and she hadn't liked the way Zack sounded over it. "I mean, I know... I'm sorry. It's not right to spring this on you." She turned to face Zack. "Zack, take me home, okay? The Turks don't scare me, I've been outrunning them for years now and--"

"Sephiroth, don't do this to me. I'm putting my life and career on the line here. You're my friend. Please, do this for me. I know you know what Hojo would do to her, I know you understand." His voice quieted as he continued. "Don't leave her to suffer the same way."

Sephiroth's eyes went sharp as he listened to Zack. "Do not presume to know what you don't."

"I'm not!"

"Zack would do the same for you." Aerith spoke up again, feeling bolder. Stepping forward, she strained to look up into Sephiroth cold eyes. He loomed over her, but she resolved not to let him see her fear. "I don't know what happened to you, but..." She laid an arm on his forearm and he tensed automatically under her touch. She nearly flinched when he ripped his arm away. "I'm sorry." She couldn't finish and looked down at the floor. He was still standing before her, didn't move an inch. "I don't know what they'll do to me and I don't need to stay in your rooms or anything, I didn't even know that was what Zack had in mind. I can stay here, but I think I would feel better knowing you have Zack's back. And mine."

Sephiroth regarded her for what seemed like hours. Minutes under his scrutiny was enough to make one jittery, but she didn't give in once. Finally, he looked up at Zack.

"We'll sort out the details later." With that, he turned and left the room.


"My dear Planet!" Aerith breathed, holding a shaking hand to her chest. She closed her eyes and turned around to Zack, who, when she opened them again, had a big smile on his face. "Did that mean yes?"

"That meant yes. I think." He cheered, grabbing her hands and dancing around the room with her.

"He's so cold. Distant. He barely spoke and he was terse with you. Is that his idea of friendship?"

"I don't know him all that well yet." Zack admitted. "Angeal, he knows him better. He's another First Class Soldier and he and Sephiroth have been friends for years. He's told me certain things about him in confidence, though he tells me Sephiroth has to be the one to answer some of my more personal questions. I've always had the impression that he's had a rough life. That's his way of protecting himself I'd guess, but I don't know for sure."

"Huh. But he shouldn't be so rude! A little politeness goes a long way!" Aerith huffed.

"Yeah, well. That's where you come in!" Zack grinned.

"What?"

"I know you're intimidated by him. We all are at some point. But... I want you to try and befriend him. Try and open him up a little!"

"I don't think he can stand the sight of me already. I value my life, Zack." Aerith smiled. Zack was ever the peacekeeper, the kind and loyal friend. It was obvious to her that Zack was sincere in wanting Sephiroth to find some happiness in friends. She just didn't think she could -- or should.

"I know, but... come on, he's really not that bad when you get to know him and if he's going to help us, I want you two to be friends. At least the civil kind."

Aerith chewed on her bottom lip nervously for a minute before nodding. "Okay. I'll try."


Sephiroth walked down the hallways without a facet of emotion playing across his face. Inside, he was churning.

He would never want another soul to suffer at the hands of that ridiculous head scientist Hojo. He'd had enough poking and prodding from the man in his own lifetime to understand where Zack was coming from. But he wasn't about to take in some girl and hide her away in his rooms when Zack needed him to. He'd already taken a chance on befriending Zack and he'd even found he liked the man, but a woman?

And she was an Ancient.

She was most certainly wanted, Zack was right on that point. Zack may have thought he'd heard it all, but...

He had no idea. The talk about her and what she could do for the company was increasing. The Turks were beginning to get serious, which had probably pushed her to tell Zack, which in turn gave Zack the incentive to bring her in here, under his and now their protection.

He would help her, for Zack. He would do his best to keep her presence a secret.

But when the situation blew up in their faces...

He couldn't say what would happen then.