Soooo hope you like the story so far, my lovelies. I'll spare you any sort of rant today, and just let you enjoy~ :D

P.S. Every Final Fantasy character belongs to Square Enix. Otherwise I'd be playing chess with Rude all the time ;P

The Midgar Zolom

The time which passed after that discussion amassed to four days during which Karinna hadn't gotten to talk to Sephiroth, or even see him. Zack had told her that his mission had been a success, even if she'd never doubted that outcome. On that particular morning, however, one male was heading toward the SOLDIER locker room. Upon reaching his destination, the Turk lightly knocked on the door waiting for an answer. He might have been a male, but he had no intention of taking the risk of seeing Sephiroth nude. It only took about ten seconds for Sephiroth to arrive at the door, opening it wide as he found himself facing the top member of the Turks.

"Tseng... what is it?"

Out of all the Turks he knew of, there was one whom he didn't think of as an ass – that was Tseng. As such, his tone was a simple one that carried a note of respect for the fellow Shinra employee.

"Good morning, Sephiroth. I have a message for you... a new mission. Recently, it has come to the company's attention that the numbers of the Zolom in the marshes have increased. The President wishes for you and your team to go there and destroy the nests located on this map."

At those words, he offered the General a folded paper, which was in reality a detailed map of the marshes, on which the nests had been marked in red.

"You will leave as soon as you and your team are ready. The ones you are to take with you are Zack Fair and... Karinna Hale."

He'd been a bit hesitant to say the girl's name, given that he considered it to be foolish to send a rookie in the marshes.

"The President has taken a special interest in her... he said that if the mission is a success, he will consider making her an exception and promoting her to SOLDIER rank."

The General nodded when the man wished him a good morning, quietly returning the sentiment so as not to interrupt his speech. Only when he was finished did Sephiroth raise his platinum brow and accept the mission data.

"...I see. I will call them from the lobby in five minutes. Thank you, Tseng."

There were very few warriors who could defeat a Zolom, himself being one of them, with Genesis and Angeal being the others. Then again, Zack had never tested himself against a Zolom to his knowledge, and neither had Karinna. But... Karinna, promoted to SOLDIER? What was the President thinking, so soon? With that thought in his mind, he stepped away and to one of the unused lockers, which he had reserved for himself. Skillfully inputting the combination, he opened it and brought out the sword known as Yoshiyuuki. It was a nodachi, much like Masamune, but somewhat shorter and with a less pronounced curve. It had taken some time to get a hold of it, since it had been kept in a museum, but it was in top shape due to the restoration project he had requested for it. In fact, with modern technology, it was stronger – and sharper – than ever. They had even managed to keep the ancient enchantment intact, which was somewhat surprising. However, the only original part remaining was the rectangular hilt, wrapped in coal and snow cloth. He had thought to get her a jitte, but considering how long Yoshiyuuki itself was, it would be impractical to use both.

Dashing out in a minute, he made his way to the lobby, which did indeed only take four minutes. Slowing to a walk, he pulled out his phone, both flicking it open and dialing with his thumb. The first one to call? Zack. The boy was always a little slow to get ready on short notice. Within a couple of minutes the boy was on his way to the lobby, just like Karinna. It had been quite a surprise that after not talking to Sephiroth for six days he would call her away when he knew she was on duty. Given that he hadn't mentioned the mission on the phone, her mind was now overridden with questions as to what he could possibly want. Though she tried her best to keep a logical line of thinking, she couldn't completely kill the bud of hope that perhaps he would... shaking her head to drive away those thoughts, she sighed. What the hell was she expecting him to do? Confess some eternal love to her? That was pathetic... by the time she got to the lobby Zack had barely arrived as well, thus she now quietly greeted the General, waiting to see the reason for their presence there. Sephiroth glanced between the two of them for a moment, impassive before he bluntly vocalized.

"We have a mission together, as a team. This is the kind of mission that I would rather do on my own, as it will entail great danger to both of you, but it will be valuable experience. The Midgar Zolom population in the marsh is growing out of control, wrecking the ecosystem, killing travelers and preventing imports from reaching Kalm, the Chocobo Ranch and Midgar... we are going there to destroy their nests, leaving only the unmated males and females alive. Since this is a killing mission, keep in mind that they are amphibious snakes; this means that they have a problem with extremely cold temperatures. Any questions?"

Blinking at that, Zack now raised a hand.

"Uh, yeah... I understand why they'd send me there. But... why Karinna?"

Smiling somewhat ironically, the girl crossed her arms.

"Maybe they thought you needed a babysitter." she stated in jest.

She knew from Sephiroth, as well as Angeal and Genesis, just how horrible the Zolom was, thus her humor soon faded away. Ignoring Zack's pout, she averted her gaze to Sephiroth.

"But, he's right... why me? I'm not ready to face a Zolom."

She knew she wasn't just being modest; she truly needed more experience first, before undertaking such a mission.

"I will just say... success or failure of this mission will make or break your career, Karinna. Use your materia well, based on the data I just gave to you and you will succeed. Also... I hope that you have practiced your swordsmanship, as I advised."

With that, he held forward the Yoshiyuuki, one hand wrapped around its hilt with the rest of it exposed for her hand. He knew it was exponentially stronger than the short blade given to infantrymen, and considerably more powerful than even the standard issue sword of SOLDIER which Zack used. Narrowing her eyes at his words as she pondered the meaning behind them, the girl then blinked when he offered her the blade. Reaching forward a bit hesitantly, she grasped the hilt and trailed her gaze along the length of the blade.

"Wow... is that Yoshiyuuki?"

Zack's awed comment briefly drew her attention.

"It has a name?"

"You bet..." he grinned. "But... this was supposed to be in the museum. It's an ancient sword. I've never heard of it being replicated."

Returning her focus to examining the blade, the girl now noticed the materia slots. Fortunately, she'd made it a habit of carrying the small leather bag with the extra materia at her belt, at all times. She never could tell, after all, when she'd need it. Now reaching for that bag, she untied it and retrieved the secondary Ice and Earth materia which she inserted into the blade.

"Better..." she said, with a slight smile.

She knew the Zolom made use of fire, which meant Ice and Earth were her best defense against it. Looking back to Sephiroth she now offered him a soft smile, doing her best to contain her blush.

"Thank you."

Sephiroth stepped close to the two of them, inclining his head as he often did in reply when he wanted to maintain professionalism.

"It is Yoshiyuuki... I cashed in a few favors to have it brought out, restored and tempered for Karinna's use. Now..."

He raised his other hand, opening the map to show it to them.

"The two of you will be working together to take care of the Western and Northwestern nests. They will be teeming with mostly young ones, but you may come across one or two adults. Kill them all. I will be working alone, and my phone will be switched to proximity and pinpoint modes. If you need help, you will dial one. I will come to you as soon as I can. Do not yell, or you will cause the whole marsh to go into frenzy. If you do that, both of you will die."

Offering a synchronized nod, both Zack and Karinna approached and briefly examined the map to memorize the position of the nests.

"Understood."

Within a couple of hours they were approaching the outer rim of the marshes and already they could see traces of skeletons, both human and animal alike.

"Well this is a warm welcome..." Zack muttered, readying his sword.

Upon entering the area, Karinna soon noticed a smaller skeleton near what looked like a puppet. Had that been a child?

"Horrible..." she whispered.

Averting her gaze she returned her focus to her surroundings. It wasn't that easy to discern if the sounds surrounding them were made by animals, or if they were already being hunted by one of the Zolom. Sephiroth stopped at the edge of the smelly, dark water.

"Watch your footing. The marshes tend to keep a consistent depth, but nests are deep holes in the ground. If you fall in, the young will come up to meet you and surround you. In a head to head battle they're nearly harmless, but when they get around you and start ripping bits out of you, you'll die from the blood loss if not from the microorganisms in the water. In that situation, though... I'd hope for the former. Now, get to work. If you finish, return here. If I'm not here, dial one."

Pulling his Masamune from his side, he casually strolled away. The strong survived, and on this day it wouldn't be the Zolom.

"Come on..."

With those words, Karinna moved toward the Western part of the marshes.

"Uh... yeah..."

Normally Karinna wouldn't have ordered Zack around, given that his rank was higher than hers, but he seemed airheaded enough that he wouldn't make a good leader in such a situation. To some extent, Zack himself shared her feelings on that matter which was why he now followed her without question. Not to mention that since she'd returned, something in her just made him feel... smaller, for the lack of a better word. She gave off an aura similar to Sephiroth's and he imagined it wouldn't be too long before she became a leader. It was like she'd been born to lead, as displayed by her lack of hesitation as she guided him through the murky waters toward their first target.

In the distance, roars could be heard, although they were rather quickly silenced. However, with those vibrations in the water, a pair of blackened eyes opened after minutes of noise, covered only by a thin membrane. The long, sleek body started to slither toward two pairs of feet, a forked tongue flicking out whilst it scanned them. It was a familiar scent... the smell of prey. Suddenly coming to a halt, Karinna nearly slipped on the tricky soil when Zack bumped into her back.

"Wh... what?"

Turning around she placed a hand over his mouth.

"Shh... listen..." she whispered.

Was that... the sound of something moving in the water? It was within a few moments that her peripheral vision caught the sight of ripples moving across the water somewhere to their right. If not for the rays of sun which fell here and there through the thick foliage, she probably wouldn't have noticed it at all. Turning toward that direction, she narrowed her eyes which then widened when she saw without mistake that there was indeed something moving toward them beneath the surface.

"Run..."

It was all she whispered before grabbing Zack's hand and dragging him along as she made a dash for the nearest stretch of land. Whether it was a mere alligator or a Zolom, they had to get out of the water; that was dangerous territory where anything could ambush them from beneath the surface. When the vibrations grew stronger, the creature's instincts went wild in its mind, soon causing it to break the surface. It was indeed a massive Zolom, the head of which by itself was about the size of Zack. Letting out a thunderous call, it swung its powerful body, batting Zack with a head butt that would send him several yards away and skipping like a deftly thrown stone. It would kill both of them first then eat. Looking over her shoulder, the girl gasped at the sheer size of that creature. Fortunately, since her grasp on Zack's hand had been firm enough, she was dragged by the momentum and thrown onto the ground along with him.

"Damn it..." he groaned painfully.

"Well... at least we're outta the water." she retorted.

Moving back to her feet as soon as she could, she grasped the sword's hilt with both hands, seeking out the Ice materia's powers.

"Oh, man... just our luck to run into an adult."

Zack's annoyed comment as he took his stand next to her briefly made her smile.

"Let's just hope he didn't call his friends to dinner."

After all, animals did communicate with one another... and she wasn't entirely sure they could handle this one without Sephiroth, much less more of them. When the snake saw that thing in the prey's grip it remembered the last time it had seen it... the membranes over its abysmal gaze peeled back to clear its vision before it rose up. Even after it towered twenty feet over them, it was still rising, engulfing them in its shadow as its hood became more visible. With that, it pulled in air and let out a deafening sound, though being so intelligent, this was part of a plan, rather than intimidation or a show of power; its tail darted out of the liquid, smashing into Karinna's body so as to send her even further than its last attack had sent the other. With that done, it grabbed the other in its mouth and threw him straight downward on the ground. Briefly stunned by its size, both Zack and Karinna were unable to do anything but watch for a few moments as the snake kept rising as if its body had no end to it. Blinking when a gust of wind engulfed him and the girl vanished from his side, Zack turned to see her being smashed into a nearby tree before he felt his feet leaving the ground just to crash back onto it with a force that made him feel as if his bones would shatter. In turn, this gave Karinna enough time to stagger onto her feet, holding her left side. Judging by the slicing pain, she probably had a broken rib.

Taking a deep breath, she clenched her teeth and balled her hand into a fist whilst charging one of the Ice spells, namely the third and most powerful one. Her aim wasn't the snake itself for the moment, but rather the water it was still standing in. Firing the spell, she hoped it would turn the water into a solid mass fast enough that the Zolom wouldn't have enough time to escape. Hopefully it would trap it there, giving her and Zack a chance to kill it. The Zolom was indeed captured in the ice, although the casting of it in such a way was hardly the most effective method of harming one of these tremendous things. Clenching its musculature, the ice began to crack until it ultimately shattered. With the force it broke, a rather large fragment flew into Karinna's face, the flat surface striking home. It really hated that one, now. That one would be the first to go. With the pain hindering her movements, the girl didn't really have enough time to move out of the path of that ice block or to charge any spell to stop it.

Having staggered to his feet as well by now, Zack found himself staring at the block of ice and the slender arm which was everything he could see of Karinna. Rushing to her side he kicked the ice which fortunately shattered upon impact. Kneeling he picked her up, gritting his teeth when the girl coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Karinna..."

Groaning in pain, the girl looked up at him though her gaze was dimming by now. She wished that she could've seen Sephiroth one more time before dying, but apparently not all wishes came true.

"G... get out..." she whispered before losing consciousness.

Widening his eyes in horror when his mind conjured up the thought that she was dead, the boy only realized he couldn't contain his voice anymore when he heard his own desperate shout echoing over the marshes.

"KARINNA!"

In a moment, the beast towered over its food, flicking its tongue to get the scent of blood. With its predatory instincts at their peak, it stalked for but a moment, eyes wide open before it felt just a second of something piercing its head, and all went dark. When it fell to the side, Sephiroth hit the water in front of its body with a plunk, standing over the two of them.

"Is she still alive, Zack?"

For now, his tone was subdued, since he wasn't aiming to attract anything else. However, how he'd managed to control his voice was something that he almost simply could not comprehend. Snapping out of his stunned state, Zack lowered his gaze to the girl. Setting the sword down and making use of his teeth to remove his glove, he placed his hand to her nose, sighing in relief when he felt her breath against his skin.

"Barely... she needs a hospital... now."

Really, why the hell had they sent her on that mission? Surely the President knew that a regular member of the military, namely one who wasn't infused with mako, would be more fragile than a SOLDIER operative. Sephiroth took in a breath, resisting the urge to exhale just as the other SOLDIER had. If he became emotional, he might not be able to regain his cool... reaching to the bloody blade of Masamune, his hand hovered over a certain spot until a glowing, green orb left it.

"Catch this, put it in your sword and use it... in your hands, since you don't use materia, it won't do much. But it'll be enough to keep her from dying. After that... no matter what you do, stay right where you are."

He could hear the sounds of the swamp's denizens, including the other snakes... steeling himself for a moment, he squeezed his blade's hilt. How many of them would come? Catching the small orb, the boy blinked in awe... how in the world would he use it, if he'd never used materia before? Setting the girl on the ground, he did as he was told without asking any questions. The sounds growing louder around them told him that they were likely surrounded already, thus he didn't want to distract Sephiroth who was by now their only chance of getting out of there alive.

"Be careful..."

With those words, Zack picked up the blade and inserted the materia into it. Almost instantly his mind registered the information he needed to cast the first healing spell onto Karinna's broken body. Settling her in his arms again, he charged the spell and allowed it to begin running its course, healing as much as it could of the extensive damage she'd taken. Raising both hands so that his arms were straight to either side, the General held onto Masamune. Taking in a deep breath, Sephiroth let out a war cry that came out with all of his soul behind it, the audio echoing around. With that, however, there came that ominous rumble; before now, this had been the worst case scenario, but now that was something far, far worse... with various monsters coming their way, the man swung his sword, sending a razor of energy slicing cleanly through their lines. Pivoting, he created another of the same to further reduce their numbers whilst the beasts came from behind Zack and Karinna, causing Sephiroth to run past the two.

"Hold tight!"

Putting forward one hand, he let forth a current of wind that quickly destabilized as it moved away from him. In moments, it became an immense tornado, sucking in and ejecting all that got in its way. In the distance, the monsters seeing this ended up starting to retreat, as survival instincts had taken over against their desire to frenzy and feed. Having been focused on healing the girl, Zack nearly jumped out of his skin upon hearing Sephiroth's voice which made a shiver roll along his spine. Was it even possible for a human to let out such an ominous, wild sound? He had picked up his sword when seeing the creatures approaching them, but when Sephiroth came in between them, he leaned down using his body to shield Karinna's face from the dirt and other things stirred up by the powerful winds.

"With as many as I killed before this, I think it's safe to call this mission a success. Until we get back to Midgar, keep that materia."

As he was speaking, Sephiroth slid Masamune back into repose. Moving down, he took Karinna from Zack and turned away from the boy, once he reclaimed a vertical base.

"Get on my back and close your eyes."

He rarely ever made use of this ability, but he didn't really want to waste time walking or running. The terrain would hold them back, as would the very exhausted Fair. Taken aback by that request, the boy moved to retrieve both his sword and Karinna's before somewhat hesitantly standing. Approaching Sephiroth, he lightly gulped, feeling just like a kid for a moment. Deciding now wasn't the time to feel awkward he complied with the General's order whilst inwardly praying that no one would see him practically hugging Sephiroth from behind. That would have really started some nasty rumors, which he wasn't sure he was willing to handle. Once Zack had a firm grip on him, Sephiroth shot up into the air and squeezed the girl against him before turning headlong toward Midgar. As if being shot out of a cannon, he headed into the distance. Whereas it had taken a moderate chunk of the day to get there before, he knew it would only take an hour for them to get back.

It was during that trip, that Karinna briefly regained consciousness due to the healing Zack had given her. Upon seeing Sephiroth's face, she felt her lips twitch into a smile before darkness took her again. Yes, now she really had no regrets if she died...