Disclaimer: SquareEnix Everything except Colonel Wyndham, I just brought everyone else out to play.
000
Sephiroth sat in his office trying to refocus his mind on the monthly evaluations, but it was no use he was too angry about Hojo and too sad that he still didn't have Zack back.
He toyed with the shell on Zack's necklace between his fingers. He wanted those warm arms and that equally warm smile more than ever. He had not felt this empty since Angeal and Genesis had left his life forever. One dead and one a mere shadow of his former self.
The ring of his cell phone snapped him out of his reverie. He had the passing urge to ignore the call, as he did not feel like conversing with anyone. He ventured a look at the number, and promptly changed his mind when he saw it was Doctor Harley.
"Hello, Doctor, how's the packing for Costa Del Sol coming?" Sephiroth tried to sound positive.
"General, you're not going to like this, call it my last hurrah," Harley said, his voice grave with an edge anger to it. "Zack came into my office the other day before we gave our report to ShinRa. He said he wasn't feeling so I took a blood sample."
Sephiroth swallowed hard, a terrible apprehension making his heart pound against his chest. "And..?"
"I found traces of sodium pentothal in his blood, that's an interrogation drug." Harley growled.
There was a moment of numbing shock, as Sephiroth processed the full meaning of the information. Sodiuem Pentothal in Zack's blood? Zack's necklace in the labs? Zack breaking up with him...? It all fit together like a watch.
"Thank you, Doctor," Sephiroth said stiffly through clenched teeth and hung up the phone abruptly.
Hojo may have sleazed his way out of expulsion from ShinRa, but this time the General would personally make sure the Chief Scientist knew that if he dared harm Zack or any of his SOLDIERs again, there would be severe consequences, ShinRa approved or not.
000
Hojo's smug smile could not be undone. He had not only dodged another bullet, but he had also acquired Science department involved medical records, something he had been puzzling on how to get his hands on them for quite some time now. All of this and he had managed to separate Sephiroth from that stupid Lieutenant Fair.
Hojo walked into the main injection room where Colonel Wyndham was waiting to receive his SOLDIER serum injection. It was the end of the day's injections, and Wyndham was the last one. Hojo recalled the Colonel had only suffered two symptomatic overdoses. The SOLDIER seemed to have a high serum tolerance, meaning even after receiving an overdose of serum he did not generally display the common symptoms of overdose. Hojo wondered just how high that tolerance went, it would certainly be an interesting attribute to test, and there was no time like the present. Just one word to Garrett and a little extra serum to the injection, and it would be done. All Hojo had to do was cross the room.
However, the chief scientist did not get his chance, for at that moment Sephiroth stormed into the lab. To say the general held the expression of a storm cloud, would be putting it mildly, it looked more like a hurricane. Without a word, he grabbed Hojo by the throat and shoved him up against the wall, startling everyone in the room.
"You are the scum of the earth!" Sephiroth snarled, his eyes glowing a deadly green. "Hear me now for I shall only say it once! If you ever come between me and Zack again, if you ever use Zack or any one of my SOLDIERs as an unknowing guinea pig or punish them just to get back at me I will break you! If I even so much as suspect you have done these things, ShinRa or no ShinRa I will squeeze the puss out of you with my bare hands!"
He let Hojo go with a shove, sending the scientist into the wall again. The shocked and disheveled doctor could only watch as Sephiroth turned on his heel and exited the room. It was the first time Sephiroth had really threatened him, and looked like he would actually carry it through.
Fascinating...
Wyndham looked between the Chief Scientist and the General storming away. After a moment's hesitation, he leapt out of the injection and followed after Sephiroth.
"Sir, your observation," one of the techs called after him.
"Back in a bit," Chet called back. Or not, he thought.
He had already received the injection while Sephiroth had been chewing out Hojo. As a colonel his only punishment for not completing his mandatory post injection observation time would be a reprimand from his superior officer, who happened to be General Winchester, who disliked the labs as much as he and would probably laugh it off along with him.
"General," Wyndham finally caught up to Sephiroth in the hallway. "What happened? What did the ol' slime ball do now?"
"It's none of your concern," Sephiroth said coldly.
"The hell it's not! If it's about my safety or the safety of any of my boys it's my concern too," Wyndham protested firmly.
Sephiroth let out an annoyed sigh, acknowledging the truth in Wyndham's words.
"It's more about me and Lieutenant Fair than anything else. I have reason to believe he's trying to separate me from anyone I have become close with," Sephiroth said bitterly. "I feared for your safety as well as some of the others for your association with me beyond the professional level."
Wyndham's eyes widened at first then narrowed. "So in other words Hojo's goin' to threaten us to keep you in line? And vice versa?"
"In basic terms yes," Sephiroth nodded. "But mark me I will not let him get away with it anymore. But don't you get involved , you are too involved as it is due to your friendship with me."
"General I – " Wyndham began, but Sephiroth cut him off.
"That's an order Colonel," Sephiroth said stiffly, though his eyes betrayed his worry for his friend. "You have a family to think of."
Wyndham looked down at the floor, sighed, and shook his head before looking up again. "I am thinking of my family."
He patted Sephiroth's arm and gave him a smile and headed back toward the injection room. "Take care of yourself General and don't worry about ol' snake eyes. Your little talking to" earlier probably sent him to his office with his tail between his legs for the rest of the day."
Sephiroth couldn't resist the small smile that crept across his face at the image of Hojo doing just that.
000
Kunsel took in a deep breath as he stood in the front of Zack apartment door. He knocked on the door hoping Zack would answer at least then he would know his friend was okay. He also hoped Zack was in a semi-good mood or at least wouldn't kill him for giving the necklace to Sephiroth.
Sure enough, Zack opened the door, and Kunsel almost winced. Despite a day and half of being off duty, Zack looked utterly exhausted. There were bags under his eyes and all of the color had drained from his usually rosy cheeks.
"Hey Kuns," Zack whispered and managed a weary smile at his friend.
"Hey buddy," Kunsel stepped into the apartment even before Zack invited him. "Just wanted to check on ya'"
"I'm fine," Zack said calmly but furrowed his brow when Kunsel shifted uncomfortably. "Is something wrong?"
"Good news and bad news," Kunsel said, absently rubbing the back of his neck. "Good news, I found your necklace."
Zack's face immediately brightened up 'till it was almost beaming. "Kunsel you're awesome man!"
The elated soldier made to hug his friend, but Kunsel stepped out of it. "Don't hug me yet man, you haven't heard the bad news yet."
Zack shook his head. "What could possibly be bad?"
"I found the necklace in Hojo's back room lab," Kunsel said darkly.
Zack's face fell then contorted in anger. "Dammit Kunsel I told you not to get involved!"
"Hey I was just looking for your necklace!" Kunsel snapped back. "Now why did I find it back there?"
"I told you before to just drop it! Now give me back my necklace!" Zack growled holding out his hand expectantly.
Kunsel folded his arms across his chest and planted his feet on the ground defiantly. "I gave it to Sephiroth."
"You WHAT?!" Zack shouted, his voice cracking from the shock. He blinked a few times as his mind wrapped around the situation then pointed an accusatory finger at Kunsel. "You did it on purpose didn't you?!"
"Yup," Kunsel answered without hesitation or apology.
"What did you do that for? I thought you were my friend!" Zack shoved Kunsel's shoulder.
"I am your friend!" Kunsel shoved back. "A good friend sometimes has to kick his friend in the ass when he ruining everything good in his life!"
"Shut up!"
"I won't! If you're just gonna lie down and give up your family heirloom because you don't want to see Sephiroth and you're going to give up Sephiroth just because of something Hojo did or said to you, then you're fucking coward!"
In the blink of an eye after Kunsel's harsh words, he suddenly found himself sprawled on the floor and seeing stars out of nowhere.
Meanwhile Zack froze in his position, his arm still stretched out to where his fist had connected with Kunsel's face. Zack blinked a few times panting, before he shook his head, running his fingers through his hair.
"Kuns," Zack said in a soft shocked numbed voice, before kneeling down at his friend's side. "Kunsel! I'm sorry man! I don't know where that came from, I—"
He didn't finish for at that moment Kunsel's eyes snapped open. He grabbed the front of Zack's shirt and jerked him to the floor, using his friend's body as a counter weight to get him to his feet.
Kunsel then began to drag the still partially stunned Zack toward the door of the common room Zack and Sephiroth shared.
"You're gonna go see Sephiroth," Kunsel said between grunts with the effort of pulling Zack's weight. "And stop being all miserable, even if it kills you!"
With one hand still on Zack, Kunsel reached for the door handle with the other. However, Zack regained his senses, swung his leg around, and kicked Kunsel's feet out from under him.
The SOLDIER landed with a loud thud as his head hit the floor along with the rest of his body. It wasn't enough to knock him out cold, but it did leave him a bit dazed and with a massive headache on top of the pain from the blows Zack had already inflicted on him.
Zack got up and grabbed Kunsel, hauling him up to his feet by the shoulder straps of his armor.
"You don't understand!" Zack screamed in Kunsel's face. "I'm not a coward!"
Kunsel swayed a bit, the only thing keeping him upright was Zack's grip. He looked back at his friend with dazed, but sympathetic eyes.
"I know you're not," he said softly. "So why are you acting like one?"
Zack opened his mouth, lips trembling, but he could not find the words, nor the voice to speak with. Instead, he buried his face in Kunsel's chest. And started sobbing.
Was it really worth it? Hurting his friends, himself, and possibly Sephiroth, the very person he was trying to protect with all of this sacrifice and silence.
It had only been two days since the breakup, but Zack missed Sephiroth so much that it hurt physically as well as mentally. It was if his heart was broken for real.
Kunsel slowly sank to his knees, taking Zack with him and curled protectively around his friend. "It's okay, I'm sorry."
"You're right," came Zack's shaky sob ridden voice. "I'll go see him."
Kunsel smiled slightly and patted Zack's back before the two uncurled themselves from around each other. From there Zack wordlessly made his way over to the common room door and after a deep breath opened it and stepped through.
Kunsel let out a relieved sigh before getting to his feet. He stood still upright for a few seconds waiting for the world to stop spinning. It did after a few seconds, but his head continued to throb with pain.
He rubbed his temples and grumbled, "I picked a hell of a day not to wear my helmet..."
000
Poor Kunsel, sometimes being a good friend is not always appreciated. At least Seph finally gave Hojo what for! yay!