Disclaimer: Square Enix owns Final Fantasy VII and all its characters (damn). I just play with them every now and then! :D


Chapter 12: Goodbye

Zack began to stir slightly and groaned as he put a hand to his head. "What the hell happened?" He sat up and looked around. He was in a cave…or something. He looked to his right and saw Cloud lying unconscious beside him. He hurriedly crawled over to him and touched his arm. "Cloud? Cloud, can you hear me?"

"Your friend is seriously ill," a voice said from behind him.

Zack spun around in a crouch, ready to attack whoever was behind him. "Who are you? Show yourself!"

The first thing that appeared from the darkness was an elongated gold boot. The next thing Zack saw was a red cloak and a golden claw attached to a very pale man with ebony hair and crimson eyes. Then man stopped moving once he was fully in the light.

"My name is Vincent Valentine," the man said.

"Zack Fair," Zack answered warily. "SOLDIER, first class. What's wrong with my friend?"

"Mako poisoning," Vincent said. "You were both to become Hojo's latest experiments."

"Hojo," Zack snarled.

"It's nice to know I am not the only one with negative feelings for him," Vincent said as he settled on a rock facing the younger man.

"How do you know Hojo?" Zack asked.

"I was assigned to protect him and his research team. He was…dissatisfied with my services and shot me. When I died, he decided to experiment on me," Vincent held his claw up for Zack to see.

"Wait a minute," Zack said as he shook his head. "You died?"

Vincent inclined his head. "Hojo used to prefer his specimens near death…however, now it appears he likes them alive and healed."

"How far did he get with us?" Zack asked as he glanced at Cloud. "I'm a SOLDIER so I am enhanced. But Spiky isn't."

"Hm. That may explain his mako poisoning," Vincent said quietly. "In the research notes it stated you had been given the first of what they hoped would be ten injections of the Jenova protocol. It is disappointing to know that Hojo has still not given up on Jenova's cells."

"How long have you known Hojo?" Zack asked.

"Almost thirty years," Vincent said.

Zack's eyes widened. "What? But how is that possible? You don't look over twenty-five."

"I was in my late twenties when he killed me," Vincent said.

"So you're like…in your fifties?" Zack asked incredulously. "What was Hojo trying to do? Preserve youth?"

"He merged my body with a demon known as Chaos," Vincent explained. "Eternal youth is a side effect of that merger."

"You have a demon in you?" Zack said as he eyes became almost comically larger with every revelation.

"I have four within me, including Chaos," Vincent corrected.

Zack shook his head. "Lucky you. Why did you save us?"

Vincent quirked an eyebrow and looked at the young man in front of him. "To save you from the torment I suffered."

"Well…thanks," Zack said quietly. "I don't suppose you've heard anything about two other SOLDIERs and Nibelheim's fate, have you?"

"I have been locked away in the ShinRa mansion for almost thirty years," Vincent said blandly. "I'm not the most up to speed anymore. However, when we were escaping, I did notice that the town seems to be under some kind of major renovation."

Zack snorted. "After ShinRa razed the damn place, it would need a major renovation."

"ShinRa was responsible for that?" Vincent asked before shaking his head. "Old man Shinra is still as crazy as ever."

"Where did you work when you were with ShinRa?" Zack asked, remembering that he had been sent to Nibelheim as a bodyguard.

"I worked under Veld," he said quietly. "I was a Turk."

"Veld allowed a friggin' Turk to become an experiment?" Zack asked incredulously. "What the hell, man?"

"I assume he was told I was killed in the line of duty," Vincent said carelessly.

Zack shook his head. "He of all people should have been aware of a false KIA report."

"Why did ShinRa order the town's destruction?" Vincent asked.

Zack sighed and rolled his eyes. "It's a long story."

"We appear to have plenty of time," Vincent countered dryly.

Zack smiled and chuckled softly. "That we do, my friend."


Sephiroth was surprised when he found Genesis in the library asleep with his head resting in Tifa's lap. He was torn between feeling bad for his friend's fate being revealed in such a cold manner and an extremely irrational feeling of possessiveness towards Tifa because of the intimate scene before him. Tifa saved him from his self-destructive thoughts when she looked up and smiled at him.

"He's been asleep for an hour," she said quietly as she waved him over to her.

"He's had a rough day," Sephiroth admitted as he moved closer and sat upon the ottoman Genesis had abandon earlier.

Tifa nodded sadly. "He told me he has a timeframe for his death now."

"Hojo is a cold bastard," Sephiroth spat. His eyes were drawn to his friend's face. In sleep, his distress was obvious. He had dark circles under his eyes, black veins of degrading flesh were now creeping further up his neck and his hair was streaked with white. "Hollander thinks we can give him something to stop his degradation and extend his life, but…"

Tifa nodded as he trailed off. "You doubt he would accept that as an option."

"Genesis is stubborn and quite honestly, he is used to getting his way in a lot of things," Sephiroth said, smiling slightly as he recalled the various times he or Angeal would cave just to avoid a Genesis temper tantrum. Sephiroth raised his eyes to Tifa's and held her gaze. "It is not safe for you to remain with us. Lazard has set up a meeting with the vice-president of ShinRa in Nibelheim. It is possible that a double cross is waiting for us there, so we must hide you somewhere safe."

"No place is safe," Tifa said sadly.

"Perhaps," Sephiroth conceded. "However, if we were to be captured, you would be alone here and would starve eventually. Banora is a dead town and to get supplies you would have to travel great distances alone. If ShinRa finds you and discovers you are a survivor of Nibelheim, they will most likely kill you to prevent you from telling the truth of the massacre in your hometown at their hands. The public would devour your story and ShinRa would be bogged down by inquests. They will think it more effective to silence you permanently than deal with the backlash your story would create."

"Where would you hide me?" she asked.

"Midgar," Sephiroth asked. "Another nameless slum rat would raise less attention then a new resident in Junon or Corel or even Rocket Town. Besides, there is a girl there you can trust. Zack was quite smitten with her. She has Turks watching her, so she is probably the safest person in Midgar. You will be safe too. Rufus controls the Turks and Rufus wants to put an end to his father's rule as much as I do."

"And if he betrays you?" Tifa asked. "What will happen to this girl and me then?"

"Lazard has instructions to relocate both you and the young girl to Wutai," Sephiroth said reassuringly. "Emperor Godo is the third piece of this deadly triangle to destroy President Shinra's hold on the planet."

Tifa nodded. "I'll go if that's what you want, but…I'd feel so much safer with you and Genesis."

"We will keep you safe, Tifa," he promised as he squeezed her hand. "Even if it's from a distance."

She nodded and smiled. "I know you will Sephiroth."

He smiled slightly at her blind trust for him. "We should move Genesis somewhere more comfortable."

Tifa nodded and gently stroked his face. "Genesis? Wake up."

He stirred slightly. "Mother?"

Tifa laughed softly. "Not exactly."

He opened his eyes and looked up at her before smiling slightly. "No. You're much kinder than my mother, little one." He lifted his head and saw Sephiroth sitting behind him. "Sorry about running out earlier, Seph."

Sephiroth shook his head. "You needed space and comfort. I am glad you found what you needed."

"You're exhausted," Tifa said. "Let's get you to bed."

He gingerly pushed himself to his feet and shook his head. "I can make it on my own. I'll see you both in the morning."

Sephiroth and Tifa both watched Genesis proudly stride from the room and once the door closed behind him, Tifa shook her head.

"That is one stubborn man," she said ruefully.

"You don't know the half of it," Sephiroth said.


Vincent listened as Zack recounted the tale thus far until it brought them to the present. "So, one of the men is degrading?"

Zack nodded. "Yep and I still don't know about Seph. It's possible his mind is degrading, but his creation was so much more intense than Genesis' or even Angeal's."

"Seph? Do you mean Sephiroth?" Vincent asked suddenly.

Zack frowned slightly. "Well…yeah. I call him Seph for short."

"Sephiroth is the name Hojo's wife gave their son," Vincent said stonily. "He is the reason Hojo killed me."

"What do you mean?" Zack asked.

"I tried to stop their intended experiment," Vincent explained. "First I tried to get through to Lucrecia, his mother. We had been lovers and I thought I knew her…however she refused to listen to my warnings. Hojo was a lost cause before I even started…nothing was going to stop him from experimenting on the fetus."

"Wow," Zack whispered. "That is twisted…even for him."

Vincent nodded and was silent for a few moments. "You plan on finding Sephiroth and Genesis?"

Zack nodded enthusiastically. "That's my plan…once Spiky is better."

"Then I will go with you," Vincent said firmly. "If nothing else, I have to pay Hojo back for his…kindness."

"Welcome to the team!" Zack said as he shook the other man's hand. "Do you happen to have a change of clothes on you? We should probably get the little guy out of that mako-soaked uniform ASAP."

"I found a uniform similar to yours in a bedroom upstairs at the mansion," Vincent said as he tossed a small bundle to Zack. "I figured we would have to change his clothes to prevent the mako in the fabric from seeping into his skin and poisoning him further." Vincent paused and watched the younger man unfasten the pants in his hands before speaking again. "Do you know where Sephiroth and Genesis may be hiding?"

Zack stopped moving. "I…have no idea."

"Perhaps while your young friend recovers, I can search for them using Chaos," Vincent suggested. "He has enhanced senses that may be of use to us."

"Cool," Zack said before raising his eyes to Vincent's face. "You're not going to ditch us are you?"

Vincent's lips curved ever so slightly and he shook his head. "No, I will not 'ditch' you. That is my promise to you."


Sephiroth watched the sun slowly rise over the horizon and found himself questioning why he had never noticed the simple beauty of something that happened every morning. What kind of man was he that all he thought of was work? He had such a rigid routine that when he had first arrived in Banora after the Nibelheim incident, he felt…lost. There was no paperwork to do, no classes to be taught, no battles to plan, and no boring meetings to attend. He had never realized just how much freedom he had sacrificed to a company that now pursued him with the probable intention of killing him.

"I've always loved the sunrises in Banora," Genesis said as he elegantly dropped beside Sephiroth on the ground. He glanced at his friend and smiled. "The sun setting is even more beautiful thought, especially when the Banora Whites are ready to be harvested.

Sephiroth nodded absently as he assessed his friend's appearance. "You seem to be feeling better today."

Genesis shrugged. "I have my good days and my bad days, Sephiroth, as any dying man would."

"Genesis, Hollander thinks he may be able to come up with a protocol that would keep your degradation at bay and allow you to live a long and healthy life," Sephiroth said. "As long as you keep up with the treatments."

"And when did you start believing scientists?" Genesis asked with a raised eyebrow.

"When his collar did not tighten," Sephiroth said honestly. "Unlike Hojo, Hollander really seems to care about your well-being, Gen. If Jenova is a virus, they could treat her like any other viral infection. They cannot cure you, per se, but they can keep you alive."

Genesis pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his face on them so he was still looking at Sephiroth. "Am I really worth saving Seph? Look at what I have done? I'm the reason Angeal is dead. I killed our best friend. I nearly drove you over the edge into insanity. I'm the reason SOLDIER was sent into Nibelheim to destroy it and that caused our little one to be so seriously injured. I have tried to kill Angeal's puppy countless times. I have killed every adult resident in Banora, and I started with my own parents. I am not worth saving."

Sephiroth shook his head. "You are wrong. You are worth saving. Angeal wanted to die because he couldn't come to terms with what we really are. And even though you pushed me towards the brink of insanity, you were the one who kept me from falling into that abyss."

"Our little one did that," Genesis said with a knowing smile.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "You are a hopeless romantic, Genesis."

He smiled slightly. "Until the day I die, Seph."

"You always underestimated your power, Genesis," Sephiroth said.

"Tch, I am the most arrogant SOLDIER you have ever known!" Genesis said dismissively.

"Arrogance can cover insecurity," Sephiroth countered. "Do you remember our fight regarding your unwarranted attack on Zack after he beat your simulation?"

Genesis nodded. "Unfortunately, I remember that. I was such an ass to you, Angeal, and especially that poor puppy."

"I was being honest with you about looking forward to spending an hour with you as we pretended to be doing some serious work," Sephiroth said before smiling. "I never changed anything about any of your battle plans Gen, because you are exceptional at what you do."

"You used to rake me over the coals on some battle plans and you know it!" Genesis protested as he lifted his head.

"No, I asked you to defend your plans," Sephiroth corrected him. "Name one instance where I ever told you that you would have to make changes to anything you had submitted to me as your official rules of engagement on any of your missions?"

Genesis opened his mouth but soon closed it with a frown as he fought to remember any such time. "Goddess, your right. I always got my way."

"You got your way, because your way was the best course of action," Sephiroth said. "And on those other occasions when I was not 'raking you over the coals', we did nothing but talk and you would read LOVELESS to me, or we would talk about that Turk you insisted on hitting on."

Genesis smiled. "Cissnei. Well, I did have that bet with Reno about who could get her private number first."

"And who won that bet?" Sephiroth asked.

"Pfft, me obviously," Genesis said as he made a face. "Some people actually enjoy listening to me quote LOVELESS."

Sephiroth chuckled softly. "I'm sure they do."

"So when are we meeting Rufus?" Genesis asked.

"Tomorrow," Sephiroth said. "Which means we have to sneak Tifa into Midgar today. Any ideas on how to do that?"

"I have a few uniforms from the seconds and thirds that defected with me," Genesis said. "We should be able to use them to blend in when we return to Midgar."

"We will have to time our arrival at the church to coincide with the shift change of the Turks to avoid any unnecessary encounters," Sephiroth mused.

"Tch! Forget that, Seph!" Genesis said dismissively. "I'll have my clones cause a distraction in the slums. That will take care of any Turks."

Sephiroth nodded. "I've never interfered with your battle plans before so I see no need to start now."

Genesis smiled. "Then we should start preparations to leave now. I will speak to my clones and you can prepare Miss Lockhart. Make sure she has everything she needs."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just wink at me in a suggestive fashion," Sephiroth said as he pushed himself to his feet.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Genesis said haughtily. "I merely had some grit in my eye. If you read something into that, then that speaks volumes of where your mind is currently wandering."

Sephiroth shook his head and smiled as he followed Genesis back to the entrance of the caves below Banora.


Tifa belted the black sweater Genesis had found for her and looked at herself in the mirror. The sweater was like a dress on her and the belt she had added just confirmed it. Once she got to Midgar, her first order of business was to find clothes. She couldn't continue to make dresses out of men's shirts for the rest of her life. She picked up her bag and went down to the library where Sephiroth told her to meet them. When she opened the door, Sephiroth and Genesis were already there wearing their pilfered second and third class uniforms.

"Were these things always so itchy?" Genesis complained.

"Yes," Sephiroth growled as he constantly pulled at the restrictive neck of the high collar on his third class uniform. "I feel like I'm going to choke."

"Just wait until we have the helmets on too!" Genesis said dryly. "I can't wait to see you try and get all that hair under there."

Sephiroth grunted. "It was much easier when I was a third. My hair was so much shorter."

"You two bitch more that a couple of girls," Tifa said as she dropped her bag on the floor and stepped closer to the two men.

"Well, we are too pampered in our clothing, little one," Genesis scolded lightly. "We are too used to the finer things being a general affords…like clothes that are comfortable and not so…generic."

"And my hair really will be a problem," Sephiroth said.

Tifa smiled and held up a few hair clips. "I can help you with that. I'm kind of an expert with long hair."

Sephiroth smiled and sat in one of the chairs before beckoning her closer. "Then I will defer to your superior hair styling skills."

Tifa smiled and gently grasped his long silver. "So are you two going to take me to this church or are you just going to release me in the slums like you would a tapped animal?"

"The slums are too dangerous, little one," Genesis said. "We will escort you there personally."

She nodded as she absently braided Sephiroth's hair. "I'd still rather stay with you two."

"I know, but trust me when I say it is safer for you to be as far away from us as possible right now," Sephiroth said.

Tifa sighed. "I know…but I still think I'd be safer with you in the long run. Still, I'll trust your decision." She stepped back and admired her work. "I just need to pin it in place and you should be able to hide it under your helmet quite easily."

Genesis covered a smile as he watched Tifa take the three braids she had made out of Sephiroth's long hair, and twisted and pinned it into an intricate style of weaving. Once she was finished, she smiled and stepped back. Genesis couldn't stop himself as he eyed Sephiroth with feigned consideration before smiling brightly.

"Well, Seph, I do declare that you are just the prettiest SOLDIER I have ever laid eyes on!" he declared dramatically.

Tifa rolled her eyes and shook her head before moving to stand in front of Sephiroth. "Just ignore him. No one's going to see you like this anyway except him and me anyway."

"One can only hope that you lose all your hair to degradation," Sephiroth said as he picked up his helmet and got to his feet.

"Whoops! Looks like I upset his majesty," Genesis said with a wink before turning to face Sephiroth. "I'm sorry, but I just couldn't help it. Don't be so sensitive Sephy!"

"Don't call me Sephy…Genny," Sephiroth said.

"Now that was just uncalled for," Genesis protested.

Tifa shook her head and smiled, thinking to herself, I am going to miss this.


Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow behind the facemask of his helmet as he observed the men and women screaming in terror as monsters and Genesis' clones chased after them. "You're clones are very…determined."

"Well, when they are told to draw the Turks to them, they do their best," Genesis said proudly.

Sephiroth's lips twitched with amusement before he turned to Tifa. "Gen and I are going to enter from the back to avoid detection. One of his clones is going to chase you so that when you enter the church during all this chaos, it won't cause any undo curiosity if a Turk is still watching."

"But do not worry, little one," Genesis said with a kind smile. "He will not hurt you."

Tifa nodded and waited for Genesis to call the clone to them. Once he appeared behind her, she ran as quick as she could and when she heard the clone hiss, she didn't need to pretend any of the fear that welled up inside her as she allowed him to herd her towards the church. She flung the doors opened and quickly slammed them behind her.

"Oh my goodness!"

Tifa turned at the feminine voice and saw a girl in white dress with a light blue trim and beautiful pink ribbon secured around her ponytail. She slowly walked toward the girl and smiled nervously.

"I'm sorry," Tifa said quietly. "There are monsters all over the place out there!"

Aerith giggled. "Again? ShinRa really needs to figure out how they keep getting into the city." She held out her hand and smiled. "I'm Aerith."

Tifa smiled and took the proffered hand. "My name is Tifa."

"I think we have more company," Aerith said as she turned to face the two men who had just entered.

Sephiroth slid the facemask up on the helmet. "I am sorry to intrude upon, Miss Gainsborough, however I have a favor to ask."

"I don't know, General," she said as she clasped her hands behind her back. "You are a fugitive now. I don't think my less than stealthy Turk guardians would think highly of a decision to help wanted men."

Genesis pushed his facemask up as well and considered the young girl in front of them. "I like this girl, Seph. She has a great sense of humor. The puppy has good taste."

Her face lost its playful softness at the mention of Zack. "Is Zack with you? I've tried calling…but he's stopped answering his phone."

"You will most likely hear he has been killed in action," Sephiroth said.

"No!" Aerith gasped.

Tifa reached out and squeezed her arm. "It's okay though. He's not really dead. He was captured by Hojo, but he escaped."

"You know Zack?" Aerith asked.

Tifa nodded. "He helped rescue me."

"Tifa is from Nibelheim and she is the reason I have come before you," Sephiroth explained. "This is Genesis."

"You're the SOLDIER everyone's talking about," Aerith said.

Genesis nodded. "I am."

"Tifa has been seriously injured and we cannot protect her while we search for Zack and his friend," Sephiroth explained. "I was hoping you could keep her safe in our absence."

Aerith smiled. "Mother always wanted another daughter." She turned and smiled at Tifa. "You can live with me until they come back."

Tifa smiled in relief. "Thank you so much, Aerith."

"You are welcome," Aerith said happily before turning to look up at Sephiroth. "I can keep her safe and so can the Turks who watch over me."

"Things are changing within ShinRa," Sephiroth cautioned. "There may come a time when the Turks are not your passive guardians…and I will not allow them to hurt either of you."

"Seph," Genesis said urgently as he looked out of one of the windows. "Our cover is thinning out. We should leave if we hope to escape undetected."

Sephiroth nodded and turned his gaze to Tifa. "I will return for you. I promise."

Tifa smiled and nodded. "I know you will."

Sephiroth looked unsure about something. He moved closer to her, and then stepped away, before stepping closer once more. Tifa sighed and rolled her eyes as she took his arms and wrapped them around her body before wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Tifa…"

"It's called a hug, Sephiroth," Tifa said against his chest. "It's perfectly normal for people to do when saying goodbye."

He nodded and returned the hug before stepping back. "You'll have to forgive my lack of knowledge in the area of normal human interactions. Hojo was a less than satisfactory example of normalcy."

Tifa laughed softly. "I will miss you, Sephiroth. Be careful out there."

"I will," he assured her.

"Don't hog all the hugging time, Seph," Genesis said as he too approached Tifa and hugged. "Be safe, little one. I don't want to lose a fellow fan of LOVELESS so soon!"

"We've yet to discuss our theories regarding the last act," Tifa said as he pulled back. "So I am counting on you to return safely."

"I would never miss an opportunity to discuss my theories with another person!" Genesis said dramatically.

Tifa sighed and watched to the generals disappear out the back entrance. Aerith put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her slightly.

"Don't worry, Tifa," she said quietly. "They'll be safe. The planet needs them."

Tifa nodded. "I hope you're right."

"Come on," Aerith said with a smile. "You have to meet my mom."


"You should have kissed her," Genesis said once they were in the air and heading back to Banora. "It would have been so romantic!"

"Then you should have kissed her yourself," Sephiroth said.

"What? And risk getting my face ripped off by her jealous admirer with his Masamune?" Genesis asked. "I think not, Seph. Besides, it's only romantic if her star-crossed lover kisses her that last kiss goodbye."

"We are not star-crossed lovers, Genesis," Sephiroth said as he shook his head.

Genesis smiled smugly. "Not yet…but you will be lovers one day."