Disclaimer: When the hell did I write this? Warning, strong language in this chapter.

Dark Embrace

X. Way to Heaven

Zachary, I did not agree to this!!

Warm laughter greeted my silent shrieking. Sorry, little dragon, but there was no other way.

Steel clashed on steel, sent sparks flying, sent Sephiroth skidding one way and me/Zack another. I kept trying to catch glimpses of myself in the Buster Sword or the Masamune, but it was kind of difficult since Zack was controlling where my eyes looked. But my eyes were definitely violet, and the lock of hair in front of my face was black and much more unruly than normal.

(confusion)

You know what? It's getting REALLY FUCKING CROWDED IN HERE.

I 'felt' Vincent's mental flinch and Zack's laughter. Block, parry, sidestep, swing. I do have to admit, Zack was beyond good at fighting.

My-our wings suddenly levered us up and away. I hadn't realised I still had them, much less that Zack knew how to use them.

I don't, he whispered inside my head. But you do, and so I can.

...I'm just going to pretend that made sense.

"Zachary!"

Oh, lookee, Sephiroth is speaking to him again. Zack levered us up over Vincent, hovering over him; I just hope Vincent has the good sense to stay still.

Zack is continuing to hover, but he holds the Buster Sword still and listens to Sephiroth.

Sephiroth lowered the Masamune. "Zachary. I mean you no harm. Nor do I wish harm to Highwind, Strife or Valentine."

Highwind?

Me.

Oh.

"Then what is it you want, Sephiroth," Zack growled. Sephiroth flicked his wrist and the Masamune disappeared.

"The same thing you do," Sephiroth said mildly. "I want to kill Hojo. Brutally and slowly. And I know how to do it."

Zack dropped lightly to the rooftop in front of Vincent, who was sitting up, dazed. Zack shouldered the Buster Sword and said softly, "And why should I believe you? We were your friends. We might not have come to By av Engel willingly, but you took us in, you looked after us...I thought we meant something to you!" Zack was yelling now, and I could feel the sting tears in his/my eyes. Zack blinked them away. He turned away from Sephiroth, steadied Vincent as the fledgling vampire tried to stand, and continued, "We would have done anything for you, Seph. Anything you asked of us, we would gladly have done, because you took us in when we were in danger of dying on the streets, brought us to Midgar, taught us to fight." Zack's voice dropped so low that I wouldn't have heard it if he weren't in my body and he stepped away from Vincent to face Sephiroth again, raising glowing violet to meet glowing green. "We would have done anything you asked us to. But you gave us away, like property, like fucking toys, and you left us in Hojo's hell for fifteen fucking years. When you return to the Citadel, Sephiroth, look in Hojo's rooms. Look in the back, in the Mako rooms, at the walls. There are five thousand, four hundred and seventy five scratches in the walls- one for each day that we waited and you didn't come."

The Buster Sword came up and Zack tensed into fighting stance, a low growl rumbling from somewhere deep in our body. "Tell me why I should listen to anything you say!"

"I cannot force you to listen. Still, it would only serve to benefit you."

Zack lowered his sword just slightly and shook our head. "How? How can it benefit me? It's too late, Sephiroth. Don't you get it yet? I'm dead. This is...this isn't even my body! I can't keep it-" you better not- "it's Yuffie's body and Yuffie's life. And you almost ruined her life, too! Hers, and Vincent's, and who knows how many others!"

Sephiroth held out a hand, almost plaintively, but I can't imagine him ever being plaintive. "Zachary. What has happened has happened. There is nothing to be done now. Nothing...but to kill Hojo. And we can do it, together."

"No, we can't," Zack said quietly. "You and Yuffie, maybe. But I'm dead, and Vincent is barely aware yet, Aeris is a healer and not a fighter...and you let Hojo shatter Cloud's mind, over and over and over again. Can you repair that, Sephiroth? Can you?"

"There is Tifa, and Reno. Barret, and Nanaki, and Reeve. They are all prepared to help."

"That isn't what I asked you."

Zack?

Yeah.

What's going on?

How you feel for Cloud? Imagine he handed you back to the Citadel, but to Hojo instead of Tifa.

My sense of betrayal at the mere thought echoed so strongly that Vincent actually cried out.

Yeah. Now you have an idea of what I'm feeling right now. Zack shot back into the air, brought my tail around and slammed the end of it into Sephiroth's gut, sent the one-winged angel skidding backwards. The single wing flared out again, making Zack pause in his attack. Sephiroth raised his glowing eyes again and hissed, "You are not the only one who has been tormented by Hojo."

Parry, block, repeat. Like the label on that shampoo Cloud has.

I caught myself forcing down a hysterical giggle, which was ridiculous because it wasn't like it would have been heard by anyone but Zack anyway.

"We shall go to him together," Sephiroth murmured. Zack narrowed my eyes.

"You know what, Seph? I thought you'd come when the wolves attacked. After all, you came the first time. You'd rescued us that time. But you never came, and this time, I didn't survive. And it's your fucking fault. Yours." Zack roared and swung the Buster Sword in a high arc around my head before leaping into the air and slicing swiftly down, watched as blood tracked its way down Sephiroth's chest. Sephiroth flicked his hand out to the side again, but this time it was the Buster Sword that disappeared. Quick as thought, he was behind me, arms encircling my waist and holding Zack in place. The embrace, if it could be called that, was loose, but his grip was iron. Zack tried to break away and couldn't. He tried again and Sephiroth tightened his hold.

"Listen to me, Zachary. What I did then was not of my will. Cloud's is not the only mind that was meddled with. Yours, Vincent's, Yuffie's...mine." I felt my eyes widen, either in Zack's surprise at Sephiroth or my surprise at my own name. "Do you understand, Faire? It was not my choice to make. I cannot repair Cloud's mind. I cannot return you to life. I cannot bring Highwind back to what she is supposed to be, or give Valentine back his humanity, or even fix the flaws in myself."

And he stepped away, leaving Zack to fall heavily to one knee. He twisted my head to say something to Sephiroth, but we all froze as a hoarse voice said softly,

"Yuffie."

It was the first time I'd ever heard Vincent speak. Zack and Sephiroth turned as one to face the shakily standing vampire. Long hair brushed against my back- that was Zack's hair, then, mine had never been that long.

Vincent had wings.

Huge, black, leathery ones. Reno's cloak came up far enough to cover Vinnie's face, but I could still see the dread in his eyes, feel it reverberating in my skull.

(fearpainconfusionguiltshame...safety)

And at the end if the kaleidoscope of emotions, the sky seemed to flash, and then we all stood in the apartment with Aeris starting up from the bed where Cloud was laying, barely conscious.

"Sephiroth!" As soon as Aeris spoke, Cloud shot up, eyes opening to blazing blue. It was dark outside; Cloud's gaze, Sephiroth's gaze and my own lit the room in shades of blue and green and violet.

Cloud's eyes widened and brightened impossibly when his eyes met mine. "Zack!"

My hand reached up and scratched the back of my head. Zack smiled sheepishly. "For a little while, anyway."

Stay for a bit, I grumbled, but he knew I meant it. Cloud looks so...happy to see you. And hey, I'm young, I'm a dragon, I have time.

There was a shocked pause, then a soft, Thank you. I never knew so much emotion could be packed into those two little words.

Unfortunately, time was still passing, Sephiroth was still there, and Aeris was still panicking. And this all added up to one massive, massive, angel-strength spell that was probably supposed to be aimed solely at Sephiroth going off in the room. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Aeris was panicking, as I believe I've already mentioned. So her aim was a little off, and consequently she hits me/Zack, too. Somehow, this managed to rebound through me to Vincent and through Zack to Cloud.

Long story short? Cloud, Sephiroth, Vincent, and I/Zack, still in different corners, still with our gazes locked, all found the ground rushing up to meet us as we all fall unconscious at once.

And the dream world is about to get even more crowded than my mind.

GuardianSaiyoko: And this is where the story managed to spiral completely out of my control, it seems. Hi Zack, you're not supposed to be here Zack, go away.

Zack (possesses Yuffie): I think I'll stay for a bit!

Guardian: Dammit.