Formerly posted under First Class, but moved here because of its setting.

Duty

"Seph!"

Sephiroth barely had time to register the panic in Zack's voice, before he was pushed roughly. He could only watch as a bullet tore through Zack's flesh, a bullet that had been intended for him.

Zack fell to his knees with a cry of pain, his hand covering his shoulder. Sephiroth knelt beside him.

"Find out where that came from!" he shouted to the nearest officer. The man saluted and ran off.

"Come on," he said to Zack, "There will probably be more."

Zack nodded and stood up. They walked a few feet toward the medical tent before Zack staggered and Sephiroth had to reach out an arm to keep him from falling.

Sephiroth helped him the rest of the way to the tent and onto one of the tables inside. The medic was there almost instantly and made Zack lay back.

As the medic went to work, Sephiroth seated himself on a vacant cot nearby. Now that he was beginning to calm down he had time to fully appreciate the fact that Zack had just saved his life. Why hadn't he been paying enough attention to notice the bullet? What kind of commanding officer was he if he put his subordinates in danger like that?

Zack's yell cut through the thick, warm air of the medical tent and straight through Sephiroth, making him feel even guiltier than he already did.

"Just a moment more," the medic said. He moved the forceps around in Zack's shoulder, before pulling out a bloody bullet and dropping it into the metal pan on the nearby table.

Zack heaved a sigh and went slack on the table, panting and sweating. The medic fetched some bandages and set about dressing the wound.

Sephiroth wondered what could have possessed Zack to take a bullet for him. That was going far above and beyond what was expected of a SOLDIER.

The medic finished bandaging the wound. "Go get some rest," he told Zack, and then went to tend to some of the other patients.

Sephiroth stood and went over to the table, where Zack was still lying. "How does it feel to be a war hero?" he said, sounding harsher than he meant to.

"I don't care about that," Zack said, looking at Sephiroth through half-lidded eyes.

"Then why?"

Zack smiled. "Just doing my duty."