AHHHHHHH! Okay, I'm home XD

Since I needed to upate...twice in the time that I was gone, I'll probably try to update again tomorrow! ^.^

Thanks to EVERYONE for your reviews! I can't say thank you enough to you all! It means so much! :D (Oh, and a big thanks to mochible, who I have a feeling will be revewing this soon! It's an honor to have YOU as a reader! heehee!)

animecookiefairy, SEE? Even your brother can't beat it! XDD I bet my brother couldn't either, now that I think about it hahahahaha

Okee-day, you've waitied long enough for an update, so let's get right down to it then. Let me know whatcha think!

...

And one more thing... *WARNING: RANDOMOSITY ALERT!* My friend and I started watching Death Note the other night. I NEEDZ WATCH MOAR DEATH NOTE! XD Okay, yeah, had nothing to do with this story, buuuut...yeah.

Okay, story time. Shutting up now. X]

-Chapter 25-

Zack

The next morning, Sephiroth called me into the briefing room. Apparently, he'd found out some new information.

"Legions of monsters have spawned near a regional mako reactor," he said, looking at a map on a screen on the wall. "The workers have all gone missing. Local SOLDIER operatives have also vanished."

Weird, I thought. Then again, I've heard and seen a lot of weird things lately. I'm more surprised that I'm not surprised, than I am at this new information, strangely enough.

Sephiroth turned to look at me. "The company is dispatching additonal operatives to investigate the matter. You and I, that is."

I sighed. "Roger that," I said, annoyed.

Sephiroth looked at me. "What's wrong?" he asked, sounding slightly surprised.

I shrugged and ran a gloved hand through my hair. "Well, you know…" I looked at Sephiroth. "I thought you found something about about...that other matter." I thought of the creature in the church -the Angeal creature.

"The missing operatives were the ones tracking Lazard," Sephiroth explained. "Also, they had reports of a strange pod-like device in the area."

I started. "Is that...Hollander's...?" I stepped closer, my question hanging unfishined.

Sephiroth nodded a little. "Probably the same device that was stolen in Modeoheim."

"Meaning...?" I asked when he didn't continue.

"Lazard...Hollander..."

I looked at Sephiroth. "...And Genesis?" I finished.

"We'll have to go see them," Sephiroth said.

"Mm," I said, nodding. "Let's go." Could there be some chance that Angeal was with them? Or that they knew where Angeal was?

"First, go to the SOLDIER floor," Sephiroth instructed. "We'll depart as soon as you and the rest of the men are ready to go."

"Understood," I said. I turned and started to go out.

"Our orders and to investigate the reactor."

I stopped and tilted my head, listening to Sephiroth.

"They mention nothing of...old friends." Sephiroth looked away. "Depending on what happens, I may abandon Shinra. Until then-" He looked back at me. "-I'll remain loyal to SOLDIER."

I thought for a momement, then left. "Depending on what happens"? I thought. What does that mean? And abandon Shinra? Why is everyone abandoning Shinra? Ah, I'm just so confused.

And not just by the things going on within the walls of this building.

I pulled out my cell phone and dialed 7th Heaven.

Even though I didn't want to put her in more danger, I got some strange sense of calm when Kiku was with me. I felt like I could protect her better when she was with me on a mission, instead of back at 7th Heaven. Which I know doesn't make a lot of sense, because she'd be in less danger not on the mission. Don't ask me why; it's just how I felt.

The phone rang four times before someone picked up.

"7th Heaven, how may I help you?" Anna asked cheerfully.

"Hey, Anna," I said.

"Oh, hey, Zack," she replied.

"Could I talk to Kiku for a second?" I asked.

"Um..." Anna said, dragging the word out for at least five seconds. "Yeaahhh...she's around here...somewhere... Clay!" she called. "Where's Kiku?"

"She's in the kitchen!" Clay called back.

"One sec, I'll get her," Anna said to me.

"Right," I said, nodding. I approached the elevator, and pushed the down arrow. I waited, listening to the sound of glasses clinking together, and silverware clattering into boxes. I heard running water, and the kerplunk of dishes being sumberged into the water.

I don't know why, but I smiled at the sound.

"Kiks?"

"Yeah?" Kiku replied.

"Telephone," Anna said. "It's Zack."

"Got it!" All the sounds stopped, and there was a short moment of silence before I heard Kiku's happy, "Hey, Zack! What's up?"

I smiled as I got into the elevator. "What're you doing today?"

"Me?" she asked. "Um, nothing. Why?"

The elevator doors closed and I grinned. "You wanna go on another mission?"

I heard her gasp. "No way! For real?"

I laughed a little. "For real."

"Where to?" she asked.

"I'm not sure yet. Sightings of monsters at a mako reactor. Sephiroth and I are gonna go check it out. Of course, we'll have to bring some grunts with us."

"I am so there!" she said excitedly. "But...are you sure, Zack? I mean..." She paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts. "You didn't seem too happy that I was on the last mission with you."

I leaned against the back of the elevator and hung my head a little. How do I say this? I wondered.

"Listen, Kiku." I figured that was as good a place to start as any. "This may sound sort of...crazy and irrational, but...I care about you too much to be able to go on a mission and have to wonder if you're alright. If... If you're there with me, then I know whether you're alright or not. ...Can you understand that?"

Silence from her end for a second.

"Yeah," she said. "Yeah, I can." She exhaled quietly. "Well, if you say so, I'll come." I somehow knew she was smiling. "Thanks, Zack. And, this way, I can know whether you're behaving yourself or not."

I laughed a little as the elevator doors opened on the SOLDIER floor.

"When are you leaving?" she asked.

"Soon," I said.

"Okay, then I'll hurry up and get myself down there! See you soon!"

"Bye," I said, then closed my phone and put it in my pocket.

I looked around the SOLDIER floor. It was empty. Strange, I thought. You'd think there'd at least be a couple grunts or thirds walking around...

I sat down, and waited. I watched the minutes tick by on a big clock on the wall.

After ten minutes of nothing, I sighed. "Doesn't look like anyone's coming," I said to myself.

The elevator dinged, and I looked up. Kunsel stepped out.

Oh, boy, I thought, half with dread.

"Oh, hey, Zack," he said, walking over. "I heard you're going on a new assingment with Sephiroth."

"Yeah," I said.

"Yeah, I also got orders to inspect the mako reactor at Fort Condor. Looks like we won't see each other for a while."

"Yeah," I said. "I guess this is goodbye..."

"Hey, why the long face?" Kunsel asked. "Are you that sad to see me go?"

Honestly, not that sad, I thought. But I guess I could play it up a little...

"I'm sad because..." I looked at him. "...I love you, man!" You have no idea how hard it was not to start laughing.

"Oh, I didn't know you ca- Hey!" he said, catching on. "Quit joking around! It's that girl that you're thinking about!"

How does he know about Kiku? I wondered. I suppose Kunsel has his sources...

"You still have some time, right?" Kunsel asked. "You should go see her before you leave."

I looked at him in surprise. I couldn't just leave! Sephiroth was counting on me to get the men ready! Then again...it'd be easier to get Kiku in if she was with me...

"Don't worry about it!" Kunsel assured. "I'll explain everything to Sephiroth."

"Okay," I said, nodding. "Thanks. See ya, Kunsel."

"Bye, Zack."

I ran back over to the elevator, and went down to the main floor. Then I went as fast as I could to 7th Heaven, hoping Kiku hadn't left yet.

;;;;;

I walked through the front door, calling, "Hello?"

Clay poked her head in from the kitchen. "Hey, Zack. Kiku and Anna are upstairs."

"Right," I said, nodding. "Thanks." I went up the stairs, where I met Anna in the hallway.

She looked at me for a moment. It looked like she wanted to tell me something, but didn't know how to put it. Then she looked away, almost like a voice in her head told her not to say anything.

She exhaled and smiled a little at me. "So," she said, "you invited her along?"

"Yeah," I said. "Sorry to take away a third of your staff."

She laughed softly. "It's okay. Just..." She looked at me. "Just watch out for her, okay?"

I smiled. "Not a problem."

She nodded, exhaling. "So where is this mission taking you?"

"I'm not sure," I said.

"Well, call to tell us you got there fine, okay?"

"Yes, mother," I said teasingly.

She gave me a look that was not unlike one my mom had given me in the past.

"I'm kidding. Don't worry. I will."

"And I might be out of town for the next couple weeks. I'm gonna go visit some friends. But Clay will be here watching things."

"All by herself?" I asked.

"She doesn't mind," Anna said. "She likes the solitude sometimes. It gives her a chance to catch up on her reading and things."

"I can see that," I said, nodding.

Anna laughed softly. Then she turned and knocked on a door. "Kiku? You almost done? Zack's here."

"Yep!" I said. "And he is?"

"Yeah, he is," Anna said, smiling. "What, did you think I was out here talking to myself?"

"Well, it's so hard to tell with you, Anna."

Anna and I laughed as the door opened. Kiku stepped out and smiled at us.

I'd never really thought about it before, but looking at Kiku in the grunt uniform, I thought that she could pull it off pretty well. I might go so far as to say she looked good in it.

But I didn't say it out loud. I knew she would just get flustered. (Even though, truthfully, I thought she was really...cute when she was flustered, I didn't want to embarrass her.)

"You two better mosey," Anna said.

"Right," Zack said. "Sephiroth's waiting back at Shinra."

"Well, we wouldn't want to keep the great Sephiroth waiting," Kiku said dramatically.

I laughed as I followed her and Anna back down the stairs.

"So why'd you come to meet me?" Kiku asked, turning to look at me.

"I figured it'd be easier to get you in this way," I said.

She nodded. "Good idea, Zack."

I blinked at her. "You say it like it's a rarity."

She, Anna, and Clay laughed.

"I'm only kidding, Zack. You've had many good ideas these past few months. Maybe even five!" She put the grunt mask on and grinned, walking over to the door.

Anna and Clay laughed.

"Oh, ha, ha," I said dryly, following her.

"Bye, Anna! Bye, Clay! See you guys soon!" Kiku called over her shoulder.

"Bye!" they called back.

"Be careful!" Clay called.

"And watch out for Zack!" Anna chimed in.

"What?" Kiku and I asked togther.

Anna busted up laughing, and Clay rolled her eyes, smacking Anna in the back of the head.

Kiku laughed. "Bye, guys."

"Bye, Kiku," they replied.

"And bye, Zack," Anna said.

"Thanks, Anna," I said.

And with that, Kiku and I turned and walked out, stepping out onto the streets of Midgar.

;;;;;

I had no knowledge of what was about to happen. Maybe it was better that way. If I had seen any of it coming, I wonder if I would've done anything differently. But maybe I wouldn't have. Even if I had had the opportunity, things might've still happened the same way. Isn't there some rule that says, no matter how many different ways you try to change the past, it will ultimately have the same outcome? Maybe it was how things were supposed to be.

Fate can be a funny thing sometimes...can't it?

Kiku

I could still hear Anna and Clay "talking" in my head.

Guys, calm down, I thought at them. I'll be fine. Before you know it, I'll be coming back through those doors. Just relax, alright? I can look after myself. And I've got Zack, like that thing said. It said for me to stay near him, and that's what I'm doing. Calm down.

Okay, they thought, unaware that they had both thought it at the same time.

I smiled a little, trying not to make it noticeable. I'll miss you guys. This is agent K.O., signing off.

"You okay?" Zack asked.

"Hmm?" I asked, looking at him. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just...kinda hyped-up for this mission and all."

He smiled a little at me.

"So...besides what you told me before..." I said, "is there any other reason you wanted me to come?"

He smiled. "I figure you gotta live while you can, right? And it's a dream of yours to be in SOLDIER. So let's take advantage of your undercover persona and see what happens from there."

I smiled back. "Makes perfect sense." I reached over and gently closed my hand around his. I squeezed his hand for a moment, then released it. "Thank you, Zack."

Suddenly, his thoughts came into my head. I tried to shut them out, but I heard one thought before it went silent again.

Will you be saying the same thing to me after this mission?

I tried to control my expression, even though most of my face was hidden under the grunt mask. Does he know something I don't? I wondered. Or does he just have a bad feeling?

I'm sure everything will be fine, I thought. But, even so...I do know that I have to tell him everything I found out yesterday. At some point, I have to tell him. I'm not letting myself slide with this one. It's not fair to Zack (no pun intended).

But how do you tell your best friend -that you think you might have stronger feelings for- that you're a Shinra experiment and you can communicate telepathically? Coming right out and saying that sounds totally insane, and no one in their right mind would believe it. Although, I don't think Zack is really in his right mind, so maybe that's for the best.

Still...I'm going to have to think long and hard about just how to put this. Man, it's not gonna be easy, is it?

;;;;;

Zack and I walked through the glass doors of the Shinra building, and my heart started racing. I'd been in there twice and no one had caught me, but, for some reason, I had this vision in my head of someone coming up behind me, taking off the mask and yelling, "This girl has infiltrated Shinra!" And then they'd drag me off to some deep, dark dungeon, never to be heard from again.

Yes, it's a lovely vision, isn't it?

We crossed the floor silently, going to the elevators. When the doors on one opened, we got inside. Zack pushed the button for the SOLDIER floor, and the doors closed.

I exhaled.

"Just remember to breathe," Zack whispered.

"Yeah, I'll try," I whispered back.

The doors opened again, and we stepped out onto the SOLDIER floor. The entire floor seemed empty, save for one familiar-looking grunt.

"I'm having a little trouble...rounding everyone up," the grunt said.

"We're in a hurry," Zack said. "Let's get a move on."

The grunt snapped his feet together and stood up straighter. "Sir!"

I knew it, I thought, suppressing a smile.

"Huh, wha-?" Zack said, looking at the grunt. "Cloud? Together again, huh?" He laughed a little and gave Cloud a high-five.

Cloud smiled back. "Thanks. I'll go get everyone."

Zack put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. He glanced at me, then back at Cloud. "Just...one other Cloud. Danny here's coming on this one."

Cloud smiled a little and nodded. "Good to have you back...Danny."

I smiled a little back.

Cloud ran off to get the other grunt, and Zack and I waited there on the SOLDIER floor.

"You nervous?" Zack asked quietly.

"A little," I replied, eyes shifting around, looking for any approaching strangers.

"But more excited than anything?"

"I think so," I whispered. "I'm not so sure."

Zack looked at me. "It's gonna be okay," he said. "It's probably just a routine thing. We do some sweeps, kick monster butt, find the missing people, and we come back here in one piece."

I exhaled. "You sound so sure."

He smiled a little. "Years of practice, my friend."

Cloud came back a moment later with another grunt. He signaled for me to go stand next to them.

Zack stood nearby, waiting.

I heard footsteps, and Cloud, the other grunt, and I all straightened up. It was Sephiroth.

Sephiroth looked the three of us over, walking past us.

I held my breath, hoping he didn't recognize me from the time we'd met in the elevator. Curse that scar on my face, I thought. It's so recognizable.

I thought his gaze lingered on me, but my nervousness was probably playing games with my imagination, as it so often did.

"By the way," Zack said to Sephiroth, "where are we going?"

I wasn't totally unsure that he had asked that question to get Sephiroth's attention off of me. It seemed like something Zack would do.

Sephiroth looked at us for another moment, then shifted his gaze to Zack. "To Nibelheim."

Cloud started, surprised, then smiled. He looked at Zack, looking the happiest I'd seen him in a while. (Probably since he'd seen Anna, but I digress.)

Oh, yeah, I thought, remembering once again. Cloud was born and raised in Nibelheim. So Cloud's gonna get to go home! Awesome!

Wait...didn't Anna say she was going to go visit some friends out of town...? I wonder if she meant friends in Nibelheim? I have a funny feeling we're going to bump into her there. And I kind of hope we do.

I have a strange feeling, I thought as we boarded the helicopter to Nibelheim. That this mission is going to be different, despite what Zack said. I feel like something major's going to happen. Like, really major. Life-changing, even.

Then again, it could just be my "premonition" senses on the fritz. It's happened before.