*Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters except for my little joy Jayden! X3 all characters are owned by Square Enix and Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII*
Ch.9
Zack looked around the area of the reactor noting all the guards that were posted in almost every corner of this place. This was going to be tricky but diffidently a fun challenge. "It's show time!" Zack whispered with a smirk as he ran past guards and with such sly, if only Jayden could see him in action he would be amazed by his father. Zack smiled as he thought of Jayden he hoped he wasn't too cold but knowing Tseng, he was keeping him warm.
After Zack went past some guards and getting into a couple of fights with some, he finally got to the entrance of the reactor.
Zack looked around as he study the place it was very big like the many other reactors he had been in, he started running up the ramps reaching the top of the platform after fighting off some Genesis copies 'They are diffidently getting annoying…' Zack thought to himself as he headed for the elevator, getting in and going up to see what was going on up there.
Genesis crept toward Hollander with his sword in the man's face eyeing him wearily. He did not look so good Genesis's hair was going gray, his eyes were dulling seeming to have less life in them less spirit as well, his face was ashen as if he were sick, and the upper part of his coat seemed to be deteriorating.
Hollander backed up nervously having the sword in his face knowing this man for his fighting skills and magic even if he was deteriorating slowly and becoming weaker. Out of fear and being a chicken, the man let out "Genesis your making a grave mistake you need me! I can help and fix this!" he let on in fear.
Soon the elevator came up, Zack saw the scene, and he started running toward the men he blocked off Genesis's sword with his own and seeing Hollander back away and hiding behind him. "Genesis stop this please we can help you Shinra can help!" Zack looked at the man sadly.
"I don't need your help!" Genesis hissed, "I know what I need"
"And what is that Genesis?" Hollander asked curiously but knowing what he needed
"Jenova cells" The man snarled
"You can't get those!" Hollander hollered, "Hojo hid them no one knows were they are! And if you did find them you would destroy the world and yourself!"
Genesis stood there with a smirk on his face "I'll find them I assure you even if I'm close to rotting away" he let out gently as he struck Zack's sword
Hollander was soon hit and he started to run off to the elevator until Cloud caught him.
"Oh no you don't!" Cloud let out
"Good work Cloud!" Zack smiled but then noticed Cloud got a looser grip and Hollander started to escape "Don't let him get away Cloud!"
"I wont!"
Zack then looked at the auburn man and shook his head knowing he would have to fight him to get this war with him over with so everything could go back to normal for him, everyone else, and his little boy.
XXX
Zack looked at Genesis seeing him in defeat from their battle he didn't want to fight him in the first place but the man gave him no choice he started at him and hit his sword.
Genesis looked at him in anguish and defeat and simply said in a hoarse defeated voice. "We are… monsters we deserve neither dreams or honor"
"You're wrong Genesis we are not monsters we are SOLDIER!" Zack looked at him trying to get it through the auburn man but he wouldn't listen.
"No your wrong we are monsters and so is your little son!" Genesis hissed, "He never should have been born, never should have had a father like you"
"Do no talk about my son that way! Or me for that matter." Zack shouted angrily with tears in his eyes now.
Genesis scoffed. "That boy is nothing but a disappointment! Can't run around with out having to take a puff off his inhaler" Genesis laughed but then started to falter. "He is weak, like you weak."
Zack looked at the man with sadness 'My baby is not weak, it's not his fault he has asthma' he thought to himself as he thought about his little boy his baby that he hoped was safe in this moment.
Genesis began to falter more backing up and mustering to say "My wings…. They have shattered." He soon fell but got up flying in the air he looked at Zack then flew over to the railing and finally his wing gave out and he fell into the depths of the bottom of the tower they were on.
Zack ran to the railing to see if he could see Genesis but there was no sign of him. Zack immediately thought he had died and looked down sorrowfully as he left to go outside of the reactor to go to Modeoheim.
Zack was outside the cliff where he had saw Tseng with Jayden and but they were gone with the infantrymen. "Huh, must of headed to Modeoheim" Zack spoke aloud as he himself headed to the ice covered city to search for Angeal and to see if Jayden was alright.
Zack was soon in the city and on the icy trail of the city covered in ice. He fought off some monsters, as he got closer to where he needed to go. He found some treasure chests and got some stuff from them. He was soon in front of were he needed to be a run-down bathhouse. "Wow you guys chose a great place to hide out." Zack stated placidly as he headed into the bathhouse waiting to see what was ahead.
As he went in Zack was ambushed by the usual weird beetle monsters, which he slashed pretty good and got rid of them like that! *snap* "Whew you guys are light weights even my little boy could beat you!" Zack laughed as he finished his work in what appeared to look like the waiting room to get into the bath. He then headed toward the hallway where there was clutter everywhere. "Geez man this place really is run down" Zack muttered to himself as he shook his head and took the corner, which lead to a room that from looking in the doorway looked to be the bath area.
Zack walked in and looked around but then noticed a little figure in the corner; it looked like Jayden curled up in a protective ball. "Jayden is that you buddy?" He asked quizzically.
Jayden looked up frightened and saw his father but then his eyes grew wide from what he saw looming over his father flying above. Jayden screamed "Daddy look out!" he then started to cry hard.
Zack looked behind him to see a griffon flying above him, it then landed in front of him cawing and rising on its hind legs a bit. He saw that it had a crest in the middle of its forehead the crest being Angeal's face it also did not have eyes in less they were blocked off by feathers. Zack gulped "An Angeal copy!" he let out, and drew his sword "Time to get this over with, Jayden stay where you are baby" Zack asked sternly as he started to fight the creature giving all he had to defeat it.
XXX
Zack stood in front of the beast with some cuts but other then that he was fine he defeated it easily, not much of a fight to him. He looked to the corner to see his little boy frightened and crying he walked over to him and knelt down in front of him. "Are you okay Jayden?" Zack asked concerned for his little boy.
Jayden looked up at his father who had a few bruises on his face and small cuts on his muscular arms. Jayden then started to cry more and he hug his father. "Daddy, Tseng and Cloud they left me here saying it was safe, they told me to stay here and I did but I saw a lot of monsters and they looked scary!" Jayden cried into his father's chest truly scared of what he saw.
Zack held his child close and protectively "Hey don't cry I'm here buddy" Zack cooed as he rubbed Jayden's back and shoulder. He smiled as he felt his son nuzzle him but he soon got up and let Jayden go. "Let's find Tseng and Cloud okay bud?"
"Okay daddy" Jayden smiled as he wiped away his tears and followed his father up the stairs to see a fallen Cloud and a slumped over Tseng.
"Cloud!" Zack yelled as he ran to the young man
"I'm fine Zack but…" Cloud took a breath he was in a lot of pain. "I don't know about Tseng."
Zack looked over to see Jayden standing in front of Tseng tearing up again he then started to walk over to the two.
"Uncle Tseng" Jayden cried but then heard his voice
"Don't worry I'm alright Jayden" Tseng looked up and smiled at the little boy
Jayden looked like he was dreaming; he then hugged the man but made him wince in doing so.
"Easy Jayden I'm still injured…" He winced as he hugged the little boy close.
Zack looked at the two he wanted to smile but it was not the right time to gawk. "Are you alright Tseng?" he asked concerned for the man.
Tseng held Jayden close with his left arm as he clutched his right side "No I got injured" he sighed "Angeal is waiting for you."
Zack smiled "okay I'll go see him" Zack started to walk off when he heard his son call for him.
"Wait daddy, I want to go with you" Jayden looked up at him from were he was on Tseng's lap.
"I'm sorry Jayden but it's dangerous the rest of the way" Zack sighed, "You need to stay with uncle Tseng" he went on sadly
"Please daddy" Jayden asked again
"Zack we are fine up here take him with you" Tseng interrupted
Zack sighed, "Okay you can come as long as you stay with me at all times okay?"
"Yes daddy" Jayden looked at him seriously.
"Good let's go buddy, okay?" Zack took his little hand and walked along following the trail to Angeal.
XXX
Zack had followed the trail holding Jayden's hand and not letting go for a second in less he had to fight some monsters, which seemed to frighten Jayden. They continued up and found that the trail was leading outside they went out and went up the make shift ramp leading back inside and they started on the path again taking a corner and now in a new hall.
"Okay Jayden where going to see grandpa okay" Zack said with a sad smile
"Okay daddy!" Jayden sounded happy to see Angeal he missed him so much it hurt to think about him sometimes but he wanted to see him.
They walked along continuing down the hall to a little room.
"Okay baby I need you to stay against the wall okay?" Zack asked his little boy
"Why daddy?"
"Because I don't want you to get hurt bud" Zack frowned not knowing how Angeal was going to be "Please Jayden?"
"Okay daddy I'll do it" he looked down sadly but then felt Zack hug him close.
"Jayden I'm not trying to be mean I just want you to be safe" Zack quivered as he said this "I don't know if grandpa is going to hurt you or not and I'm not going to take that chance okay baby" Zack asked with tears in his eyes
"Okay daddy" Jayden replied sadly
"Good" Zack then kissed his little boys cheek, wiped his tears away, and took Jayden's hand once again "let's go" he replied as he entered the room seeing the figure of his beloved mentor with his one white wing.
Zack lead Jayden to the back wall and kissed his little cheek, and went toward Angeal.
"I should have dealt with Genesis" Angeal looked down sadly
"Yeah… then why did you send me?" Zack looked at him with anguish "I have someone who needs me" Zack looked at him sadly
Angeal looked behind Zack to see little Jayden he had gotten so big since the last time he saw him. He looked down but then looked at Zack with seriousness "To prepare you… For your next fight."
"Angeal have you lost it!" Zack looked at him quizzically with Angeal's big blade in his face.
Angeal began to swing his blade around trying to get him to fight back.
"Stop it!" Zack yelled not wanting to fight.
"Stop grandpa Geal!" Jayden yelled with anguish in his voice and tears in his eyes.
Angeal looked at the little boy "You two have someone waiting for you no? In addition, you have your little boy right here, your asking to loose many things in your life. It was a big enough risk bringing him here!"
"Angeal please don't do this" Zack drew out his sword with sadness in his movement
The two then started to clash swords each one of their hit's blocked by the others sword Zack had improved so much since his days of being trained by his mentor he was close in Angeal's own range now. Jayden looked in ah but could not help but think that the fight was senseless, he was now scared for his father's life and his own.
"Very good Angeal" Hollander replied with an evil smile plastered on his face. "Now we must exact vengeance for our family's suffering!"
"Family?" Zack asked with curiosity as he landed his blade onto the buster sword
"No! My father is dead!" Angeal yelled on the top of his lungs as he pushed Zack's blade away
"Fine then do it for your mother!" Hollander asked with scrutiny
"My mother's shame made her take her own life"
Jayden looked at the scene before him he was having a hard time understanding what was going on but all he could muster was. "Geal lost his mommy too?"
Angeal looked back at Jayden with a sad look he had forgotten that Jayden shared the same pain as him loosing a mother even though he was so young when he lost her Zack told him about her, so he knew the pain. He wanted to go and hug the boy in that moment the boy he thought of as a grandson. "Yes Jayden I lost my mother as well…"
Jayden felt tears coming and whispered, "I'm sorry grandpa Geal…"
"Shame? She should have been proud of her work!" Hollander let out angrily "Proud she was the namesake of our project, Project Gillian."
Angeal out of anger grabbed the man by the shirt attempting to hurt him in someway. "Don't say her name!"
"Gillian the woman implanted with Jenova cells, Genesis who had her genes mapped on to him during the fetal stage" he let out "I'll admit Genesis was a failure though, but you Angeal… were bred inside her body, you are perfection!"
Angeal shoved him hard in the chest sending him back falling. "Zack I am perfect" he then looked to him and then to the little boy he loved just as much as Zack did "A perfect monster, I'm able to take genetic traits and pass on my own to others"
"A two way conduit" Hollander smirked "Jenova's power passed on to you completely"
Angeal gave him a sneer of hate and looked back to Zack. "Zack do you remember about the enemy that creates suffering?"
"Yes but your not at all one of them" Zack let out calmly "Angeal me and Jayden love you and that wont ever change please don't fight me." He looked at him sadly
"Yes but I created my own, and I know you two love me, please don't make it harder then it is" Angeal then saw Jayden running to him "Jayden don't you come close to here."
But Jayden continued to run toward him until his father stopped him with his arm.
"Jayden what are you doing?" Zack asked sternly
"I-I don't want to see you hurt daddy, and I don't want you and grandpa to fight!" Jayden yelled, "I miss grandpa I thought if I just hugged him or something it would all stop!" Jayden looked down crying Zack then looked at his little boy, brought him into his arms, and held him close
"Jayden this is something you can't stop, now please go back to the wall baby," Zack asked sadly letting his son go who went back to the wall and sat on the ground sad.
"Zack let me show you what my suffering is, the both of you" Angeal let out eyeing Jayden in the back.
"Stop you don't know what you are doing!" Hollander screamed
Soon Angeal called upon at least one of each of his copies as Zack drew out his sword to prevent them from coming closer he saw his son go wide eyed at the monsters he looked scared, he hoped none of the monsters would snap at his son or he would be on them in a second.
"Damn just one sample!" Hollander tried grabbing for Angeal's hair but Angeal pushed him down knocking him down once again.
Zack looked at the monsters reluctantly as he started to swing his sword at them but every swing he made he missed because all the copies went past him going for Angeal. "Angeal!" He looked as all the monsters piled on to him. He heard the cries and screams from his mentor as he changed into a vile, gigantic monster.
Jayden saw the monster his grandpa had become and he was scared now; scared that he was going to hurt his father someone he loved dearly and someone he did not want to loose. However, it was the same for Angeal. "Angeal where are you?" Jayden muttered quietly as he looked at the monster from afar as his father stared at the frightening thing.
Soon Hollander ran off scared at what became of Angeal.
Zack continued to look, as the monster cut his left cheek he felt the sting of it as the blood trickled down. 'That's going to leave a nasty scar…' he thought to himself as he felt the sting.
"Daddy!" Jayden yelled as he cried out for his father seeing his cheek cut open deep.
"Jayden it's alright I'm fine" Zack looked back at him to assure him, but saw the look on his face as he saw the cut. "I'll be fine baby I promise" Zack then blew him a kiss. He then turned back to the monster Angeal and glared. "Angeal what happened to honor!" He yelled as he got into fighting stance ready to fight the hardest most painful fight in this man's life with his son as a witness.
XXX
Zack looked at the monster he was almost down he just needed a couple more hits and he'd be out. Zack dodged the trident, went behind, and cut his hind leg sending the monster in a tizzy.
Jayden watched the two fight it was quite amazing how his father fought, he was acting so heroic and awesome he could not look away. He then thought to himself 'Daddy you are my true hero no matter what' he smiled as he thought this in his head and continued to watch the battle.
Zack just needed one last hit and one last hit was what he got. The monster was down and was starting to change back into his mentor except he looked much; much older then he was almost how Genesis looked except it showed on his full body. He looked down sadly at his mentor he was dying right here before him. Zack signaled Jayden to come and he did very quickly.
Jayden came and looked to see Angeal in a state of dying, a state of rotting away, and a state he did not want to see. He began to cry as he looked at the man, he used to look so young even though he called him grandpa, he cried hard until he heard him speak.
"Jayden come here," he said quietly as he pulled the little boy down and held him to his body.
Zack began to cry witnessing his son hugging his dying friend, father, and mentor. It tore him apart inside, he knelt down in front of Angeal and began to sob, something he had not done since Jayden had his first asthma attack.
"Zack don't cry, you need to stay strong." Angeal smiled at him as he continued to hold Jayden feeling him cuddle against him for the last time in his life.
"I can't Angeal" Zack yelled "I love you like a father Angeal, please don't go you were such an inspiration in my life you taught me the meaning of honor and being a man!" He let out in a cry and began to sob again. He felt a hand go behind his neck it was Angeal's, as he brought Zack's head to his chest and whispered to the boy's quietly and gently.
"Zack I may of helped you become a man and showed you honor but the person who taught you to be a man and to show honor was your own son" Angeal smiled as he rubbed Jayden's back and felt both of his boys tears on his chest. "He was a great influence in your life as well Zack" Angeal went on.
"I know Angeal but you taught me what honor was." Zack cried as he felt his mentor's breathing get heavier.
"I know and I hope for you to teach your son that too." He smiled as he kissed Jayden on the cheek making him bawl
"Hey Jayden don't cry baby" Angeal smiled gently as he moved his hair out of his little eyes and looked into them, "I was always jealous of your eyes Jayden, don't ever forget that" he smiled as he kissed his forehead gently
"I won't grandpa Geal I won't." Jayden smiled with tears streaming as he got up and kissed Angeal's cheek back.
Angeal looked at his two boys next each other, they were spitting images of one another it made him laugh a bit but he looked at Zack with a regal look. "Zack I want you to take my sword, and continue to show your honor." Angeal handed Zack the buster sword who took it graciously.
"I promise I will Angeal" Zack looked at him sadly as he put the blade up to his forehead and thought for a minute of the honor he had today, that honor being his son. "Jayden you are my honor buddy always have and always will be" he smiled with tears and put his hand on his little boy's shoulder.
"Daddy you're my hero" Jayden smiled up at him with tears as well and felt his father pick him up,
"Baby you make me so happy inside and so proud I love you." Zack looked at Angeal who was smiling peacefully as he went off to the lifestream "I'm going to miss you dad, but I'll always remember you" Zack cried as he hugged Jayden close to him.
"I'll miss you too grandpa" Jayden cried out in pain as the two left back to Midgar in tears.
XXX
Aerith smiled as she looked at the flowers admiring them of their beauty. "Zack, Jayden would you like to see the flowers?" she asked happily and looked back to see her two boys sitting on the floor crying.
She felt her heart sink as she saw them Zack holding Jayden as Jayden cried into his chest. She walked over to the two of them, placed her arms around Zack's neck, and reached to touch Jayden's hair.
"Zack he's in a better place now," Aerith cooed in his ear loud enough for Jayden to hear as well.
"I know Aerith but it hurts" Zack cried as he held Jayden closer and tighter
Aerith smiled as she hugged her two boys, her boys that would be depressed for a while but back to normal soon which happened soon enough in a couple of months. Her two boys happy-go-lucky once again.
*5 months later*
Zack smiled as he held his sleeping baby boy in his arms once again a normal thing for him and his son and the rest of the gang but not normal for the regulars at the park they were at which made him chuckle. He cooed as Jayden moved a bit to calm him down. "Jayden my beautiful boy are going to miss saying hello to Grandpa"
Jayden nuzzled his chest in response to Zack's cooing.
"Fine suit yourself sleepyhead" Zack laughed then went silent for a moment and whispered in the air. "We love you and miss you Angeal, but you're always watching over me and Jayden with love and care" a single tear dropped from his left eye and over his still semi-cut cheek. "You'll always be in out memory Angeal" he whispered as he got up holding Jayden close and heading home to take a nap with his baby boy since he was off work for the time being. As father and son walked off a single white feather flew from out of the sky after them. Zack saw the feather smiling knowing that Angeal was truly watching over them. Zack smiled knowing his father loves him and Jayden always and forever, just like how Zack loved Jayden. Regardless of anything, he loved his son deeply to pieces and the same went for Jayden. Father and son loving each other unconditionally with a father above showing them the same kind of love from above.
