Disclaimer: All of the characters except Tempest, Wyndham, Winchester, and Harley belong to SquareEnix.

Big thanks to my friend Writer Chica who came up with the bit of advice about roots Zack's mom gave him.

000

"This is bullshit, pure and simple!"

After the incident with Sephiroth in the lab, Wyndham had gone immediately to find his fellow gunners General Colt Winchester and Colonel Anton Tempest. The three decided to head down to the shooting range to "think" which involved firing shots at a large cardboard cut out of Hojo.

"I knew he was pulling crap like this. The General only confirmed it." Wyndham fired his shot hitting Hojo in the throat.

"The only person who can really stop him is the President, but ShinRa treats him like a spoiled child, under the guise of scientific excellence." Tempest fired hitting Hojo in the heart. He lowered his gun and let out a breath. "I am grateful he restored my sight, but that doesn't make him a saint. Gaia only knows what else he tested on me while I was out of my head or out cold."

"You're right, he's got it in his head that we're his own personal guinea pigs." Wyndham muttered, looking down at his hands that were tremoring slightly. "I only hope he didn't slip me something extra at my injections today." He clenched and unclenched his fists a couple of times and the trembling stopped. "Good it's just the old war wound." He shook his head and reloaded his gun. "There's got to be something we can do, at least for the general. Every month ol' snake eyes has got him back there in his own personal torture chamber."

"It makes me sick," Tempest said somberly. "I was only subjected to that for six months. I can't imagine going through that every month of every year."

Colt sat down on the ground and rubbed his temples. "You and every other SOLDIER here."

"The more the Prez gives him, the more he takes." Wyndham muttered.

"Wasn't there another scandal few years back? A cadet had to have heart transplant, but they used serum instead of anti-rejection meds to see if it would go smoother." Tempest said quietly. "He went home and not only did he suffer an overdose, but his body rejected the heart away. Not a happy way to go."

Winchester looked up at the younger SOLDIER pensively. "Where'd you learn about that?"

"Well when people think you are completely comatose, they tend to say more than they should." Tempest said soberly.

Wyndham looked a little shocked. "And you still continued with their treatments?"

"Well for me it was do or die, so I was willing to take the risk." Tempest shrugged slowly. "Besides... stopping the body from rejecting foreign tissue and regrowing its own tissue are different things."

"I think we're getting a bit off topic here," Colt said sharply

"Apologies sir," Tempest continued. "My point with mentioning that is that I could just as easily been the General in that boy's stead." His voice softened a little. "Isn't there something we can do?"

Colt stood up and began pacing. "We can't stop the experiments all together. Hojo would convince President ShinRa that the experiments are still necessary for some ultimate purpose."

Wyndham rolled his eyes. "And our great leader is just gullible enough to believe it."

Colt stopped and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What if we used that gullibleness to our advantage?"

Both Wyndham and Tempest exchanged glances. "Sir? What're you thinking?"

"Well during the Wutai War, The General was constantly being stationed in various places so he didn't get as much time in the labs, maybe two or three times a year. What if we convinced the President to put him back on that schedule? It doesn't get him off the hook completely, but 2 or 3 times a year is better than 12."

"Great idea sir!" Anton grinned.

Wyndham nodded, but looked a little more wary. "It listens good, But... why would the Prez agree now? During the war it made sense but why now?"

The three men drifted into silence trying to root out a solution. Finally Tempest snapped his fingers. "Inefficiency!"

"Right!" Winchester gave Tempest a friendly slap to the back. "If I put it to him like this. It takes almost as much energy to run an empire as it does to get it. If can't have my superior officer out of commission 5 to 10 days every month from experiments, it's inefficient. I mean how much better is SOLDIER gonna get? I mean he's already got a good product, why fuck with it?"

Anton's face fell a little at the last statement. "Sir.... if... if... I may… please don't call the General a product. I don't think that's a good way to put it to the president."

Colt gave Tempest a hard look. "I was referring to SOLDIER as a whole. I'm coming up with this off the top of my head as best I can. Give me a chance to rehearse the speech first."

Tempest rubbed the back of his neck and lowered his head. "Sorry sir."

Colt sighed and put an arm around his fellow gunner's shoulders. "Oh don't start moping, you were just starting to kick that habit."

Anton could not suppress a tiny smile.

"Wait a minute, y'all are forgetting something." Wyndham waved to get their attention. "Suppose Hojo gets wind we're behind this, what's to stop him from having us all overdosed into a lethal coma?"

Colt nodded, losing none of his confidence. "Yeah, I thought about that too, but I think I got that licked."

The other two SOLDIERs raised their eyebrows.

The munitions General smiled slyly. "With some clever words I can make the president think it's his own idea. You know that man likes to claim good ideas as his own."

Wyndham crossed his arms over his chest in challenge. "And just how 'ya gonna pull that off?"

The sly grin on Colt's face broadened. "Hey Rhapsodos wasn't the only one with a way with words. Besides I'm more dangerous cause you don't see it coming from, "Colt's smirk broadened and he cleared his throat reverting his voice back to his home town accent. "ol' Colt Winchester from down in ol' hick town Rocket Town."

Anton bit down on his lip to keep from laughing while Wyndham rolled his eyes. "Don't let cousin Cid hear you say that, Colt."

"Yeah, yeah," Colt waved it off. "He can deal with it, since he's one that put a hick town on the map with all his space age experiments." He looked at his watch. "Well I'd better go talk to the Prez, sooner's better than later."

"Permission to come with you sir?" Tempest began to follow after him.

Winchester stopped and answered simply. "Denied."

"But sir—"Tempest began, but what cut off.

"I said denied, SOLDIER," Colt said in a firm "I am the General and you are my subordinate" voice. "No sense in all of us ending up on a lab table if it all falls through." His voice softened a little. "At least if it's just me I know I got two reliable guys to take my place."

Tempest opened his mouth to protest further, but a shake of the head from Wyndham signaled it was no good. "Yes, sir"

Winchester nodded and continued on his way.

"You take care now Colt," Wyndham said and despite the friendliness there was a touch of the odious worry they were all feeling.

000

Sephiroth let out a weary sigh as he opened the door to his apartment. The satisfaction of yelling at Hojo had worn off and he was not looking forward to walking into his now lonely bedroom. He felt so tired all of a sudden and he knew tomorrow was going to be a long road to try and patch things up with Zack.

Now that his anger had calmed, he felt strangely relieved to know that Zack had parted from him not because he feared Sephiroth, but he was trying to protect him. If that was the case, things could be made right.

He stepped into his apartment and turned on the light. He almost jumped when the light revealed Zack sitting on his sofa.

The two remained silent for a few minutes as they mulled over what they could possibly say to each other. Finally Zack stood up though he kept his eyes cast to the floor.

"Um, Kunsel said you had my necklace," He said softly. He shifted uncomfortably before taking a few steps forward till they were only an arm's length away. He held out his hand, though he still kept his eyes averted away from Sephiroth. "I want it back."

Sephiroth's eyes flitted down to the necklace then back to Zack. As much as he was flattered that Zack was just trying to protect him, he was determined to get Zack back. He had to show his young lover that life without him at his side was worse than anything Hojo could do.

"I think I would rather keep it," He said calmly, his voice monotone almost cold. "It's the only thing I have left of you, leave me something to remember you by."

Zack's outstretched hand visibly twitched and his other hand clenched into a fist. "Not this." Zack's voice sounded like it was coming through clenched teeth, the molars holding in all of the emotion built up in the younger man's heart. "You know what it means to me."

"And you mean even more to me," Sephiroth said his tone softening a little.

Zack shook his head. "General… Seph… Please don't do this… We've already had this conversation."

Sephiroth gently pushed Zack's outstretched hand away. "I cannot accept it, because I know it's not of your own will."

Zack finally looked up at him in shock. His lie had been discovered, frantic he answered automatically. "Yes it is!"

"I don't believe you."

Zack's mouth opened and closed several times, groping for words that weren't there, words he did not even want to say. Sephiroth stepped forward and took Zack's arm gently, but firmly.

"Zack, I know you are trying to protect me, but you must understand you are only making it worse for me."

The younger SOLDIER sniffed, trying to hide the fact that he had tears threatening in his eyes. He lowered his head and offered weakly. "But what else can I do...? I can't protect you from him any other way...."

"You can't." Sephiroth said the horrible truth plainly. Zack's upper body shook as sobs began to wrack his lungs. Sephiroth let out a ragged breath as well and pulled Zack close to him.

Zack couldn't resist leaning his head against the beautifully toned chest of his general. "No... I'm not worth it..."

Sephiroth let out a ragged half-growl, half-sigh. "Fool, can't you see I'm hurting even more without you?"

Just as Zack began to relax into the silver haired general's warm arms, terrible memories of things he had seen in Hojo's lab surfaced and he pushed his way out of Sephiroth's embrace. "No! I SAW what he does to you! Hours and hours of it! If I don't let you go he'll make it worse for you! DON'T ask me to make you go through that all the while I'm having to sit there helplessly!!"

Sephiroth couldn't believe his ears. Hojo had convinced Zack to part from him by showing him past experiments? Not just showing, but torturing him with it?

The General felt the rage rise up in him again. Anger at Hojo, frustration at Zack. He finally snapped. He grabbed the front of Zack's shirt and practically screamed in his face.

"And you would rather standby and watch me waste away slowly in loneliness?! Don't you understand before I met you and Genesis and Angeal, I was a living corpse! I felt nothing! He wouldn't let me feel! I will NOT go back to that!"

He let Zack go roughly and turned away his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. The younger SOLDIER only stared at the silver general for a long moment, his eyes wide and his breath coming out in shaky gasps from shocked lungs.

Finally Sephiroth turned around. "Mark me," He pointed at Zack, his eyes glowing bright green and his voice low and raspy. "I will love you. I will have you at my side no matter what happens to me." His voice rose until it was shouting again. "I will have you even if it breaks the world in two and casts both halves into the void!"

Zack took an involuntary step back his heart pounding against his chest. Meanwhile Sephiroth blinked few times and then covered his eyes with his hands taking a few deep breaths before lowering his hands again. Now the anger was completely gone and there was only a desperate sadness. He slowly reached around and took the necklace off and held it out to Zack. "You are worth it. You are the one truly good thing left in this dismal world I've been brought up in. Please don't turn away from me now. I... I... need you."

Zack's eyes shifted back and forth between the necklace and Sephiroth. He never dreamed he would ever see the silver general falling to pieces in front of him. It was then he realized his mistake, he had walked right in to Hojo's plan of breaking the new lively spirit he, Angeal and Genesis had been cultivating in Sephiroth for the last few years now.

He slowly reached out and accepted the necklace. Looking at his own name etched into the shell, he remembered his mother's words when she had given him the necklace.

"Don't forget your roots sweetheart! Roots need watering; they need to grow, too! The more roots, the stronger you'll be to face the storms of life..."

Angeal... Genesis...

They had been Sephiroth's roots, but the wind had blown too hard and they had been ripped out. Now Zack was the only one left anchoring Sephiroth to a normal life, a life with some love and happiness even if it was small. It was a horrible thought that Hojo had tried to pull out that last root, break Sephiroth so he would be the indifferent, untouchable God he had once been. A God yes, powerful respected, but unloved. A sad life indeed...

He put the necklace back on and approached Sephiroth, managing a small smile. He reached out and gently ran his hand through a few strands of silver hair.

A smile tugged at Sephiroth's lips as well. He reached out a hand and gently caressed Zack's cheek. "Will you stay?" He asked softly.

Zack nodded and gently nuzzled his neck. "Forgive me."

"Nothing to forgive," Sephiroth kissed the top of Zack's head, inhaling deeply the other SOLDIER's scent.

Zack smiled his eyes still watery. He gave Sephiroth a soft kiss on the side of the neck, breathing in his lover's scent just as much as Sephiroth was breathing in his. Not loosening his hold one bit, Sephiroth gently guided him over to the couch and sat them both down.

"Now," Sephiroth said softly and slowly, he was already regretting asking the question on his mind, but he had to know, he couldn't let the mystery of what Hojo had done to Zack remain like brick wall between them. "Tell me what happened while you were in the lab."

Zack let out a shuddering breath, pressing his face into Sephiroth's chest. For a moment the silver general thought Zack would refuse to tell, but after a few more seconds the younger SOLDIER began with a shaky voice.

"Right after you left me and Dr. Harley after he discovered the extra ingredient in the Serum.... I'm sorry Seph, I know I should've left it alone like you said... but I couldn't just let it end like that!"

Sephiroth shut his eyes, swallowing any annoyance he might have felt at Zack directly disobeying him. As usual Zack only meant well.

Zack swallowed hard and continued. "I went into the archives to see if I could find anything incriminating. I epically failed, but I did find something."

"Yes?"

"A video of when you were a kid," Zack finally looked up at him and could not suppress a smile. "You know, you were really cute when you were five."

Sephiroth could not keep himself from smiling fondly back. "Thank you."

Then Zack's expression grew sad again. He bowed his head and his voice darkened. "I don't see how he… How anybody could do that to you."

"They do not view me as you do Zack." Sephiroth said softly.

"Those fuckers." Zack hissed bitterly. "He must have hit me with something because the next thing I know I'm strapped to a table and he's injecting Gaia knows what into me, and…"

Zack's voice hitched as his story came to the most dreaded part. "He made me watch all the horrible experiments on you. You were so much pain. Ten fucking hours of hearing you screaming…"

"And that's how he convinced you to stay away from me? He threatened he world hurt me like he'd done before," Sephiroth said keeping his voice stoic, almost indifferent.

Zack could only bring himself to nod.

"That was vile." Sephiroth said in a harsh whisper, and he resumed gently stroking Zack's hair. "And the hard truth is, even if you kept up your end of the bargain, he would still carry on the same."

Zack swallowed hard, keeping his head low. "Yeah… I didn't think about that before."

Sephiroth's face softened. He placed a hand under Zack's chin and tilted his face up to his own. "Except now I have you to come home to."

"And that's enough?" Zack said softly, his eyes conveying disbelief.

Sephiroth brushed his lips against Zack's which trembled in response. "More than enough." He whispered, finally covering Zack's lips with his own.

The raven haired SOLDIER's eyes fluttered closed moaning softly against Sephiroth's mouth. He could feel the warmth of the general's lips stream through his entire body, like little torches running through his blood. He opened his mouths allowing the general entrance, loving the way the general caressed his tongue sending little lighting bolts through his nerves.

In response he slid a hand under the cool leather of Sephiroth's coat running it up and down the sculpted planes of the general's abdomen, wanting more with every finger tip touch. Sephiroth responded in kind by slipping his own hand under Zack's shirt, the soft young skin shivering delightfully under the cool leather glove.

Sephiroth pulled his lips away only for a moment to speak, but kept his face close. Even still Zack whimpered slightly at the tiny cold space.

"No more separation," Sephiroth whispered, sliding his hands down the back of Zack pants, making his intentions perfectly clear.

Zack sighed happily capturing Sephiroth's lips again, nibbling the bottom one playfully. "None," he answered kissing the side of Sephiroth's mouth as his hands slid down to stroke Sephiroth's thighs, showing he shared his lover's intentions.

Just as things were about to get interesting Sephiroth's cell phone rang. Both men groaned loudly.

"Noooo," Zack whined loudly, dropping his head to Sephiroth's shoulder.

Sephiroth pulled out his cell phone, but ran a hand through Zack's hair comfortingly. "Zack I promise if it's anyone short of President ShinRa himself, I'm not going to answer."

Zack looked back up at him, a little surprised, but grinning broadly. "Really?"

Sephiroth nodded and checked the caller ID. Immediately his face fell and he let out a weary sigh. Zack's grip on Sephiroth's coat tightened. "Who is it?"

"The President…"

Zack groaned and flumped back on to the couch, putting a pillow over his face. "Kill me now."

Sephiroth answered the phone. "General Sephiroth. Yes Mr. President… Could this wait until tomorrow? I was about to sleep…" Another resigned sigh. "Very well Mr. President I will be there in ten minutes."

"Fate is a bitch." Zack grumbled as Sephiroth lifted the pillow off his face and looked at him apologetically.

"Yes," the general got up and straightened his clothes, before turning back to Zack who by now was sitting up and looking like a puppy who'd just had his favorite chew toy stolen. Sephiroth managed a small smile back. "Zack, wait here I will not be gone long and if you go I will seek you out and take you wherever I do find you."

Zack managed a smirk, though his eyes remained serious. "Promise?"

Sephiroth nodded back firmly. "Promise."

Zack watched forlornly as Sephiroth made his way to the door, and exited the apartment. Sephiroth had only taken a few steps down the hallway when his cell phone rang again.

It was Zack.

"Yes, Zack?" Sephiroth said, unable to hide the amusement in his voice.

"Hurry back." The youth answered then hung up.

Despite laughing off the phone call in his head, Sephiroth's pace did noticeably quicken as he continued on his way….

000

Yay! Seph and Zack are finally back together again! But once again there attempt to consummate their relationship was foiled.

And what of Winchester? Will his plan succeed or will it all fall through?