This notice here will likely eventually be deleted but I'll keep it up for the time being :)

Initially after finishing the previous chapter, I wasn't satisfied with the ending and thus I started to write this. After a recent reread of the last few chapters, I'm not as discontent with them as I was at first but it still could use a little something extra. As this continues where the previous one left off, I suppose this can be seen as an epilogue.

But enough of that! Have a read for yourself.

Fulfilled Desire

"I sent an invitation," Aerith said for what had to have been the twentieth time. "I really hope they got it."

"Considering I was forced to help you write the invitations," Yuffie told her, adjusting Aerith's veil for what also had to be the twentieth time, "and I double checked and triple checked that the address was correct, I'm pretty sure that they got it. Unless…Google Maps was wrong."

Aerith jerked her head up from her absent staring at her bouquet. "You used Google Maps to write my wedding invitations?!"

Yuffie quickly took a step back. "Uhh…see what had happened was—"

Coming to the rescue, Tifa cut in, "We used the Street View to make sure the locations were correct! That's what she meant by we checked and we double checked. Don't worry Aerith, Sephiroth and Lucrecia will be here."

Aerith nodded, but didn't seem to believe her. "I hope so. After everything everyone went through just to find Sephiroth, he deserves to be in the wedding. I don't even care if he's recognized. But Zack never stopped looking up to him and I know how much he wants this. Angeal's dead and Genesis…well, he certainly wasn't an idol but he was invited and is out there somewhere," she said, vaguely gesturing to the rest of the church where everyone was seated.

They'd taken a risk and had opted to hold their wedding in the now previously run-down church in the Slums. Their hope was that Shinra wouldn't take any notice to the goings-on under the plate and even if they did see Aerith or Zack…would they really waste their time to try to kill him again? Or try to capture her once more? With any luck, Shinra had better things to do.

In terms of the wedding location, the church would never again be used to hold service but they'd managed to make it passable for a wedding. The biggest detail that Aerith adamantly refused to have changed were the flowers standing in place of an altar. And as Midgar suffered from a botanical deficiency, nobody dared to contest that request.

Tifa checked the clock and looked nervously over at Yuffie, who both looked at Aerith. "It's almost time. They're going to be starting the music soon. I'm still pissed though that you made me walk down the aisle with Barret, of all people."

An outright evil smirk cracked Aerith's face. "He's sweet on you. Indulge him a little."

"Had Sephiroth been here, would I have walked with him instead of Cid?" Yuffie asked hopefully.

"No," Aerith said, and her smile began to fade. "He would've walked me down the aisle. But since he's not coming…"

Just then, Aerith's mother, Elmyra, brushed through the door and into the small area they'd transformed as a dressing room. Initially, she'd been shooed away for fussing over Aerith and making her even more nervous than she already was. And as though to further prove this, she instinctively began to reach out an arm to adjust the already adjusted veil, but slowly she put her hands back down and clasped them to keep them still.

"Looks like just about everyone is here," she said from where she stood, smiling behind Aerith as she stared at her reflection in the full mirror. "I spoke with the best man, Cloud, since you made your own mother the maid of honor and we're to walk together. He's quite handsome, but why is he so sullen?"

All three girls giggled, and Tifa said, "That's just Cloud. He's always kinda emo."

Elmyra actually snorted. "I know enough of the young generation's lingo to agree on that statement."

At that moment, the beginning notes of Pachelbel's Canon began, signaling the start of the procession. Tifa and Yuffie left out to take their places but Elmyra hung back. "Sweetie, I know you were looking forward to him coming. If you want, I'll be happy to walk with you instead of with gloomy Cloud. You're my daughter, you come first."

Aerith turned from the mirror to face her and managed to force her muscles to make another smile. "No, it's fine. Besides, it's too late to change the order up now. It's what, twenty steps? I can manage it. Besides, the whole 'giving your daughter away' thing is kinda old fashioned anyways," she laughed but it didn't even take a mother's intuition to tell that the feeling didn't quite reach her eyes.

Elmyra took her daughter into a hug and rubbed her back, also taking the chance to straighten that damnable veil. "I just want you to be happy, Aerith. I know having him here would be the icing on the cake, but don't let his absence completely ruin this day for you. This day is about you and Zack; focus on him. Which, may I congratulate you again on bagging such a hottie," she said and winked.

"Mom!" Aerith yelled but Elmyra had already slipped through the door, laughing all the way.

Aerith took a deep breath and was about to also walk out the door when she heard two quiet taps. The door creaked open slowly until Zack's face could be seen. He had his eyes closed though and turned himself to where he could lean casually against the doorframe.

"Just wanted to check in and make sure you were okay," he said quietly, still not looking at her. Yes, Zack believed in the age-old custom of not viewing the bride before the ceremony. "The bridesmaids are whispering about you missing Seph not being here. Do you…still want to go through with this? We can postpone if you want."

Now it was Aerith's turn to snort and she informed him, "A little late for all of that. And pretty selfish too. He's more or less your friend even if he and I are somewhat linked by our ancestry. No, I'm not going to bail on you, if that's what you were worried about."

Zack nodded. "If I'm going to be honest, I was. In which I'd have to kick Sephiroth's ass. Actually, I'm still going to kick his ass because we sent him his invitation three months ago and another two weeks ago. It's fine if he didn't want to be in the wedding but he should've at least replied if he was coming at all or not." Zack paused for a moment and tilted his head back thoughtfully. "Unless…something's happened to him and he can't reply back. He and Lucrecia…"

Aerith walked over and nudged him. "Stop that. I'm actually getting a bit tired of talking about him. As I learned during my ten minute stint as a burlesque dancer at the Gold Saucer, the show must go on. So, you get out there and take your position. And I…will meet you at the altar."

Zack smiled and squeezed her hand before taking his leave.

Taking a few deep breaths, she finally stepped out as well. The hallway was packed with last minute arrivals scurrying to find seats and the untidy cluster of those that were to walk down the aisle. She saw more than once Cloud throwing pleading eyes at her to somehow get him out of being the best man but she ignored his silent cries.

Already leading the way was Barret's daughter, Marlene, who wore a frilly pink dress, the color of choice for the wedding. The bridesmaids wore a similar shade as a tribute to the pink ribbon given to Aerith by Zack on the first day they met. As she walked, Marlene was heartily throwing flowers from a basket. She seemed to treat it more like confetti though, as she threw them more or less at people where only then would they flutter to the ground.

Trying for false bravado, Cloud held out an arm and Elmyra graciously took it and the two began walking together…with Elmyra all but pulling for Cloud to follow.

Next, Barret attempted to do the same for Tifa, who was more willing to take his arm but muttered loudly, "Try any funny business and I'll castrate you in front of your daughter."

"Good thing I already had her then, huh?" he replied and Tifa growled in place of a good comeback.

The last to go were Yuffie and Cid. Vincent was initially going to also be a groomsman and would have walked with Lucrecia but once it became apparent that she wouldn't be coming, Vincent was more than happy to relinquish his role in the spotlight.

However, right before Aerith was to begin her wedding march, a new person appeared at her side, silent as a shadow. Tseng.

"Since the great former General couldn't be here, mind if I take his place?" he asked. "Zack never wanted to believe me but I've always said that Turks were better than SOLDIERS."

She punched him gently on the shoulder before looping his arm through hers. "Don't let him hear you say that today. It'd ruin his ego." And just as the song was reaching the crescendo, she debuted her appearance.

Ten minutes later, she was officially known as Mrs. Aerith Fair.

~.~.~

If Zack smiled one more time, his face would break. He'd spent hours making rounds and posing for everyone with Aerith. His protests to wait until the wedding pictures were developed went unheeded as everyone wanted to bring their own cameras. So thus he'd smiled. He laughed. He danced. And now that the party was finally winding down, Zack was ready to tell everyone to kindly leave him the fuck alone.

Thankfully, most seemed to be quite funned-out as well and were starting to go home. Tifa had caught the bouquet tossed by Aerith and since then hadn't let go of Cloud. She was now latched on to him as they waved their goodbyes to catch a late plane back to Edge. Most of the others were staying at hotels for the evening before departing Midgar. Aerith and Zack had decided to do the same as they were planning to leave early in the morning for a honeymoon in Costa del Sol.

Zack had intended to spend the last moments of the evening with some quiet time for his family to see them off but noticed a rather obvious shadow standing in the corner. At first he thought it might've been Vincent; some of his female cousins had been eyeing him and he'd taken to his old habits of sleuthing off. However, upon closer look, Zack realized it was Tseng. Sadly, even in a suit-and-tie event as a wedding, somehow the Turk outfit still stuck out.

Or maybe that was just Turks in general. Zack had been notified multiple times throughout the day about possible suspicious characters at his wedding and had to assure his mother or his father that yes, Rude indeed was an invited guest, even if he did keep one hand inside his jacket in case he had to fire. Or to please excuse Cissnei's constant questions about personal matters as her curiosity could often come off more like an interrogation.

Tseng clearly wanted to talk and he met Zack and Aerith outside once they were finally permitted to leave. The streets were now empty and primarily dark as the sun had not only gone down but the night sky was also blocked by the plate. This wasn't enough for Tseng though; he pulled both of them further into the shadows of the church and leaned in close.

His first words were: "I know where Sephiroth is."

Zack, having been a SOLDIER for many years and Aerith, having spent some of her childhood within Shinra, didn't take the ominous bait which was a trademark of the Turks. Thus it was Aerith who answered him first, saying "Yeah, we're the ones who dropped him off with his mother. They're in Kalm."

The Turk shook his head. "No, they're not. They're at a recovery facility in Mideel."

They waited for him to continue but it seemed two (or in this case, three) knew how to play this game. With a weary sigh that almost killed him, Zack asked, "And are you going to tell us why they're at a recovery facility in Mideel?"

Tseng didn't even try to hide his superior smile. "It seems Sephiroth couldn't cope with regular society. His mother started to notice increased agitation just a few weeks after he returned home. It started with nightmares but by the end of three months, Sephiroth had more or less returned back to his mental state post-Niebelheim."

Zack ventured, "Eating out of trash cans and barking like a dog?"

"Wait, that really happened?"

Aerith and Zack nodded.

"Damnit, I missed it!" But catching himself, Tseng cleared his throat. "I truly do wish it were something so simple. Sephiroth attacked Lucrecia. The neighbors heard the commotion in the house when it happened and called the police and it was more or less confirmed by the marks on her neck. Lucrecia refused to file charges on her son but Sephiroth has a court order now to stay in rehab until he's deemed 'socially fit'."

Zack groaned and found himself slumping to the curb. "I thought we were past all of that. He let Aerith live. I thought he was pulling a "master of my own destiny" move and wasn't going to let Jenova win. "

Aerith crouched down in front of him, still in her white dress. She put a hand on his shoulder and he reacted by putting his on hers but didn't remove it. "Some people's demons are stronger than others. Let's be real, could we truly have expected someone with a history of delusional behavior and paranoia to really be absolutely fine with no medical help? Even before that, Sephiroth's only home had been Shinra. He'd never so much as taken a stroll without the consent of Hojo or Lazarus or the President of the company. I'm kinda impressed that he lasted as long as he did," she mused to herself.

Tseng cleared his throat to get their attention and then held up two rectangular pieces of paper. "I have plane tickets to Mideel if you wish to see him. The flight leaves in two hours."

Without needing to be told twice, Aerith automatically began to reach for them but Zack grabbed her and pulled back. His head was still ducked between hunched shoulders from where he sat and his body had begun to shake. For his pride's sake, Aerith hoped he wasn't crying. Tseng would get a kick out of it later.

Instead though, Zack's voice came between clenched teeth in an uncharacteristic moment of fury. "We're not going. We have a honeymoon planned. Why should we drop everything just because Sephiroth doesn't know how to control himself? Besides, Lucrecia's a doctor and his family." He lifted his eyes and spoke directly to Aerith. "I'm tired of cleaning up after him! He's not our child. If this is how he wants to act after everything we've been through, then I say good riddance. We're better instead cutting out this festering infection as there is no cure for it. We've helped Sephiroth enough. I just don't have the strength to do it anymore."

For being yelled at, it was Aerith that was crying, which made Zack feel like the lowest creature on earth for making his wife cry on their wedding day and not in happiness. But he meant it. He just couldn't see himself going on one more whirlwind adventure for Sephiroth. He'd had his hopes for him but it was clear that he would never be society's definition of normal. Or any variation thereof.

Tseng seemed to be siding with Aerith as he clicked his tongue in impatience. Balling up his fist which held the tickets, he reached down and forcefully snatched Zack forward by his tie.

"That's enough of that! 'Boo-hoo, Sephiroth wasn't cured in a day! I wasn't the big hero I thought I was!' How much more full of yourself can you get? For your information, some people get their strength from their friends. Lucrecia might be his mother but he's known her for six months. He's known you for years. Blood isn't always thicker. But fine, don't go see him. See if I care. I'll use the tickets myself. He needs all the support he can get and I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure whatever he was before doesn't come back. Have fun on your honeymoon."

He walked away while Aerith, still crying, futilely attempted to call him back. Zack punched the ground next to him, forcing himself not to flinch. In fact, it was because it hurt that he did it again and again. How the hell had things dissolved so quickly? Were they not laughing five minutes ago? He looked up at his wife who was using the pink ribbon he'd given her to dry her eyes.

Does not wanting to go really make me a horrible person? Sephiroth's hurt so many people…and initially, I forgave him. Even his murders I forgave because it wasn't his fault and I thought he could change. I thought he'd mastered Jenova. But Aerith's right…it's going to take longer than six months to fix everything. Am I giving up too soon? Or can anyone else see my justification in wanting to protect myself from being hurt yet again by someone I trusted?

Happy endings are so fucking overrated.

"Hey. Please stop crying," he croaked, wiping his own eyes with a sleeve. "We'll go." Then he tucked up a corner of his mouth in what was more of a grimace than a smile. "So much for the money spent on the Costa del Sol reservation, though."

Aerith knelt beside him again, pulling him close in that way that only she had permission to do so. "As long as we notify them twenty-four hours ahead of time, we can get a refund. Mideel is also known for having beach-side spa resorts. We'll have our honeymoon there instead. Oh, and Zack? Thank you. I know you only said what you did because you were protecting your heart."

She didn't have to say it like that, Zack groaned. Once they'd broken away, he got up and pulled her with him. Together, they both quickly ran down the street to find Tseng and accept the tickets.

Again with that knowing smile, the Turk handed them over and within another hour, they had boarded their flight and were on their way.

~.~.~

As Zack had been to Costa del Sol once before, he knew of its beauty. Now multiply that by a hundred. That was Mideel. It didn't spell "family fun in the sun." Instead, this was the get-away preference for corporations and host of designer labels. In short, clearly financing wasn't an obligation to Lucrecia when it came to caring for her son.

The location wasn't all. The hospital itself was prestigious, many ex-Shinra doctors making their home there afterwards. The care regimen was medical where it needed to be but no more. In fact, Zack wasn't quite sure they'd entered a hospital at first. Pots of large, tropical plants greeted them past the doors with one section off to the side where patients were receiving massages and another section adjacent to that with a communal hot tub. The room was filled with perfumed steam that instantly relaxed him.

Fighting off the haze, he and Aerith made their way to a reception desk. While it was placed right in the middle of the room, the desk was painted white, just like the spotless tile and the perfect walls to where it blended in. The nurse behind the desk wore a white dress—not a nurse's uniform—and smiled at them with teeth that were clearly bleached.

"Hello! Welcome to Mideel Recovery Spa! What can I do to help you lovely couple?"

Zack blinked stupidly several times before he could get out, "We're here to see someone."

"Oh, great! I'll be more than happy to assist you! What's their name?" The woman poised her manicured nails above the keyboard, ready to type.

"Erm, Sephiroth…Sephiroth, um…" Zack figured having his first name was enough but the woman was waiting for the rest.

"Crescent," Aerith supplied, giving Lucrecia's last name. "It's probably under Sephiroth Crescent."

"Sure thing!" the woman happily babbled and began her search. In two seconds, she'd pulled up the information. "Sephiroth Crescent, room 705. Are you family or friends?"

Zack could tell that Aerith wanted to lie and say family but Zack didn't want to back themselves into a corner they wouldn't be able to get out of later. He answered honestly and said, "Friends."

"Awesome!" she cheered, laying on the full customer service persona. "Here's a keycard for his room. It's only good for two hours though as we don't like to tire our patients out with a constant stream of visitors. If you'll step this way, you'll see a concierge who'll be more than happy to help take you up to his room. Bye-bye and I'll see you when you return back!"

They followed where she'd pointed which led to the elevators. Standing outside of them was a young man, dressed in white slacks with a white shirt that clung to his body and defined every muscle that he'd worked for, no doubt taking full advantage of the employee access to the gym. While his long, sandy-blonde hair fell casually to his shoulders, even that simple style looked expensive. He gave them another bleach bright smile and ushered them into the elevator.

On the ride up, the man began going over all the various popular locales that they could check out afterwards. Maybe it was just Zack, but he found it a bit awkward that here they were, visiting a mentally sick person and yet being encouraged to go parasailing afterwards.

Well, it was Aerith's idea to vacation here.

The elevator barely shifted as it came to a stop on the seventh floor. Their guide pleasantly led them to room 705 and gave two raps on the door before sliding his own card in to open it. He blocked their view but they could hear him call out, "Sephiroth, guess what? You have visitors!" before he threw the door open wider.

Sephiroth was sitting on his windowsill, one leg drawn up. One arm was propped while the other dangled at his side. His face was turned away and pressed against the window; his reflection looked tired but his cheeks weren't sunken and he looked well groomed. Like everyone else in the building, he was dressed in white. White pants (not sweatpants but nonetheless they were elastic) and a white shirt.

He didn't look at them.

"They tell me that they traveled all the way from Midgar to see you!" the male-model cooed. "Isn't that wonderful? I'll leave you three alone to catch up. You can press the button above the bed at any time if you need anything, but remember, you only have two hours. Bye-bye!" he gushed and took his leave.

Still without turning around, Sephiroth said "Hello, Aerith and Zack." And no, Zack didn't miss that he'd said hello to her first.

As though hearing this thought out loud, Sephiroth added, "I knew you were here the moment you walked inside. Jenova is still attuned to the Ancients."

Aerith gave a small smile that wasn't attributed to flattery. "I see. But Sephiroth, where's Lucrecia? I expected to find her here."

At last, he turned around to greet them properly but they were met with green eyes flecked gold that were just a shade too bright for Sephiroth's normal appearance. He blinked twice in amusement and they flinched back. "But surely you must know the conditions on which I'm here? I strangled Lucrecia. She's in recovery too! But not here. She's back in Kalm. She threw all her money at this place, figuring that the sea would make me better or some other bullshit like that."

"But," and he leaned forward, his smile showing wolfish canines, "I know she really put me here because she can't stand the sight of me. She says she forgives me and still loves me, and I guess she figured the money could do the talking for her. That said, I'm not a completely ungrateful child," Sephiroth shrugged. "The view indeed is beautiful and I'm treated more like a movie star rather than a deranged psychopath. Not bad for a mother's love."

Zack opened his mouth to protest but he could tell that the discussion was closed. Once upon a time, he would've given a spiel about giving people the benefit of the doubt, how he refused to believe that any mother could be so heartless. But he'd long ago given up those naïve thoughts. Instead, he lamely said, "We missed you at the wedding."

A glance at their rings and then back out the window. "So you two finally did it. I hope you'll forgive me saying but even if I were free to leave this place, I wouldn't have gone. I don't do weddings."

"And now he tells us, "Aerith tried for a joke.

"Why are you really here?" Sephiroth interrupted. "To save me from myself?"

An attempt at something witty failed on Zack's lips and he found himself nodding. "Yeah, something like that." Then he paused before adding, "Don't have to be such a dick about it. Excuse us for caring." He figured he'd keep it to himself just how close he had been to not coming.

"I've already put in motion what needs to be done to ensure this doesn't happen again," Sephiroth answered and the reflected face tiredly closed its eyes. "I've sent for Hojo."

"What?!" Aerith and Zack both screamed, causing Sephiroth to wince.

Walking up to him, Zack roughly grabbed his shoulder and shook him. "Wasn't the point to stay away from Hojo? And why not ask Lucrecia? She knows everything about you just like he does! Even if she's scared, I'm sure at least we could help to convince her." At least, Zack hoped they would've been able to…

But Sephiroth was already shaking his head. "Having the knowledge but no resources does me no good. Besides, it's not what we know—or don't know—about Jenova that's now the problem. It's clear I can't control her. She wants me to become her. I'm drawing the line at a sex change."

Zack remembered that the Jenova replica, Yazoo, had made a similar comment and inwardly snorted.

"Sooo…if you can't control her," Aerith began slowly, "What do you plan to do? How does Hojo tie in to this?"

Sephiroth got up finally and instead moved over to the bed. He sat down with his back to the wall and crossed his legs, looking perhaps like a participant in a yoga class. He added in a shrug and said simply, "I forfeit my Jenova cells."

Aerith only blinked. "No, but seriously, what the hell are you planning?"

He stared at her for a long moment. "I just told you. I'm giving up Jenova. Hojo will be here tomorrow to take me back to Shinra so that he can splice them out of me. And before you ask, 'won't that kill you?', I'm aware that it has a less than thirty percent chance of working. I'll take that chance."

Zack remembered how it'd felt during the ritual when his own Jenova cells were being ripped from him. He had lived, but then again, he hadn't been born with Jenova's DNA. To him, this seemed equivalent to him ripping his own mother's DNA from his body; quite impossible in his eyes.

Again, as though reading his mind, Sephiroth looked at him and said, "I, unlike most creatures, have three biological parents. I only need two. If I leave Lucrecia and Hojo's DNA intact, I should be fine."

Aerith and Zack cast each other a look that clearly read that he was over-simplifying the matter.

"If you'll excuse me," Sephiroth continued, picking up the remote and flipping through a few channels, "I'd like to be alone now. If you have any more questions, Hojo will be here tomorrow at ten."

"Aren't you worried?" Zack blurted out, unable to fully conceal his anger.

"No shit, I am," Sephiroth said, drawing up his legs to his chest and putting his head on his knees. Vulnerable Sephiroth would always make Zack uneasy as he was supposed to have been the strongest of the strong. "What I'm more scared of though is killing someone. Someone I care about. Jenova wants the head of just about everyone I know. I only barely kept her from killing Lucrecia and now look; my own mother is terrified to come near me."

He sighed and added, "I've also dreamed of killing Aerith more times than I care for. The doctors say I wake up laughing and speaking a language they don't understand. But I understand perfectly what I'm saying. 'I've killed the last of the Cetra. It is I who reigns supreme. Come, my son, and let us take back this planet together.'" He gave what was supposed to be taken for a chuckle but sounded more like a sob.

"I've fantasized about all the ways I can kill you, Aerith," he told her, his green-gold eyes locking on her green ones. Aerith swallowed but didn't move. "You don't know deranged until you wake up aroused at the idea of decapitation, dismemberment, impalement. Gouging out your eyes…torturing you by ripping off fingernails for no other reason than the sick pleasure of it. I'm honestly surprised I've not attacked you yet. A piece of that though is because Jenova is admittedly a little scared of Zack."

Oh yeah, who's awesome? Zack cheered, his grin splitting his face.

Aerith had paled at the laundry list of torture methods but at this final revelation, she relaxed a little bit, reaching out for Zack's hand to lead him to the door. "We'll be back tomorrow to speak with Hojo. I'm not one-hundred percent convinced on this plan. Until then…please try not to dream about dismembering me," she said and smiled at Sephiroth.

He smiled back and waved goodbye. "I'll start writing the Sandman that request right away."

~.~.~

They spent the rest of the day sight-seeing, feeling a little less guilty as at least they'd confirmed that for the time being, Sephiroth was managing. After a night's sleep in one of Mideel's five-star hotels (Zack didn't even want to look at the bill for that one), they made their way back to the recovery spa early to preempt Hojo's arrival.

However, it turned out that Hojo had preempted them. They found him in Sephiroth's room with four other SOLDIERs, the scientist pacing impatiently as Sephiroth packed his bags.

"Seriously, you were here for a week, how much could you have brought?" he snapped, checking his watch. "The OR is already prepped and we have some specialists coming in today to watch the operation. It takes five hours to fly back to Midgar. I want to have you ready and under anesthesia before they get there."

Sephiroth pulled himself up from where he was kneeling on the floor, holding up a lone sock. "Sure thing, dad. We'd hate to disappoint your science buddies, now wouldn't we?" He grunted as he fumbled to mate the lone sock with its match and instead ended up tying them both in a knot. With a dismissive shrug, he threw them into his bag and zipped it up, looking around the room one more time for anything he might've forgotten.

That's when his eyes landed on Zack and Aerith. Hojo noticed them at the same time and for the briefest moment, his eyes flickered with astonishment before he bowed his head to push back up his glasses. When he lifted his face, he'd rearranged his features. "I hadn't expected us to ever cross paths again," he chuckled, sending goosebumps down everyone's spines, the current SOLDIERs included. "It seems that everyone these days is seeking me out. First my son, now you! I'm going to assume you're here to try to stop me again?"

He smiled at them, which was worse than his laugh. Zack tried (and probably failed) to hide his repulsion. "Truthfully, that was the plan," Zack admitted, looking between the scientist and his creation…because Zack would never allow himself to acknowledge Sephiroth as his son. Pet lab rat was more fitting.

"He's going to come back, right?" Aerith asked, keeping her eyes on Sephiroth. While Sephiroth stared back, he'd spent his lifetime internalizing his emotions, thus she couldn't read his face. "You promise you'll bring him back?"

Hojo shook his head and gave them a pitying look that said, 'Oh, you poor simpletons.' Out loud he said, "Bring him back here? No. He's too mentally unstable though to ever put him back in the army. The doctors are claiming PTSD or some other crockery and Lucrecia actually had the nerve to threaten legal action if we attempt to make him fight again. However, from here on, he will be back under Shinra's control. Sephiroth himself has said he doesn't want to live with his mother and he never did learn the skills needed to live on his own. So," Hojo said triumphantly, "We'll reclaim guardianship of him for now."

Zack looked at Sephiroth, waiting, hoping he'd make a snarky comment. But Sephiroth looked as though he couldn't care less. Is this what we nearly gave our lives to accomplish? He thought. At this point, we're right back to where we started...no, worse. Docile Sephiroth is one thing. Unquestioningly submissive Sephiroth? That's a new low. I didn't waste twenty-four chapters of my life for this!

He actually found himself growling as he turned on him. "Aren't you going to say something? I'm aware this was your decision but c'mon, Seph! There has to be something else! Vincent has some kind of materia that keeps him in check. We could create something like that for you!"

"Tried, failed," Sephiroth said simply, standing up. He hefted his bag over his shoulder and instantly, the SOLDIERs flanked him. Keeping his eye on his old friend, he managed a small smile. "Trust me, I've thought of every other possible solution. This was a last-ditch effort. It's a win-win for both of us. Hojo gets his beloved Jenova cells back and I get my sanity back. And I don't have to live at Shinra forever," and here, he pointedly stared at the scientist, who nervously shuffled his feet. "It's just until I get the clean bill of health. Then we'll genuinely part ways and I'll never have to see him again."

Zack's growl lowered to a grunt and finally, he nodded, not seeing any other way around it.

Before anyone could stop her, Aerith threw her arms around Sephiroth. The SOLDIERs were too surprised and by the time they'd fumbled to get their guns out, she'd stepped away from him. "Bye, Seph! We'll come visit you once you're able to have visitors again." A look from Zack though made her hesitate. "Er…or, we'll have the Turks keep an eye on you for us, heh-heh…"

Sephiroth clicked his tongue but was still grinning. "Whatever. Peace," he saluted and as a tight huddle, the group moved out.

Once the sound of boots on tile had faded, Zack turned to Aerith, raising an eyebrow. "And now what?"

She thought about it for a moment before asking, "…Parasailing?"

Zack was happy to oblige.

~.~.~

Three days later, they were having dinner at Zack's parents' house. They had happily moved the couple into their home until Zack was able to make enough to live on his own. Zack had previously dreamed of being a mercenary but these days, Cloud's vision of running a delivery service was thriving much better. With horror, he foresaw himself someday becoming a courier boy.

Then again, considering he'd moved into his childhood bedroom, something had to change. Quickly. His parents had taken Zackary (as Zack was finally able to coerce his parents into calling him) into their own bedroom, despite that he was almost three. Even Aerith had voiced several times of also working, which Zack found bothersome for some reason. Leave it to Aerith to point out what that reason was.

"I think you're upset because it hurts your male ego," she told him bluntly that evening, in front of the entire family. Zack's parents pretended not to notice and fussed with the baby to get him to eat his vegetables, which the boy would swear on his action figures were the bane of his existence.

"I think that you wanted to be the prize breadwinner of the family and now that you realize that that's not going to happen, you're disappointed." She placed a dinner roll on her plate and calmly handed the bread basket to Zack, who meekly took one without saying anything. After losing one too many debates (they never outright argued…), Zack learned it was best to let her finish before he said anything.

Continuing, she added, "I know you had the image of me being a stay at home mom with the kids, but truth is, most families have two working parents. And I'm not ready to have kids at this point anyways. Besides, you didn't mind when I was selling the flowers, why is this any different?"

Zack waited a pause to make sure that it wasn't a rhetorical question; she'd tricked him one time by doing that and then easily sliced across his response with a counter-statement. Too bad she'd never gone to an actual school as she would've made an amazing debate team captain. But after waiting fifteen seconds with no further words from her end, he meekly informed her, "Selling the flowers were cute. I thought it was just a hobby…not a real job."

She snorted. "Anything that earns money is a real job."

"What about dealing drugs?"

"ZACK!" his mother yelled, cupping his little brother's ears.

"Me Zack!" the baby informed them, squishing green beans in his fingers.

"Sorry mom," Zack told her. To his wife, he raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to answer the question.

Aerith shrugged and said, "It's not a preferable job…nor legal…but it is a job. But tell me, Zack, why can't selling flowers be a real job?"

Aw, no, look what you've done, Zack! She's won this one…just like every other one. Just shrug like a meathead and give the mopey "I dunno" answer. You are the beta to her alpha, submit!

"I dunno," Zack mumbled, lowering his eyes in defeat.

In which Aerith proceeded to tell him why she feels Zack feels that selling flowers cannot be a lucrative job. Aerith wasn't over-bearing and she didn't make wild accusations. However, she could be extremely…clinical. When having a discussion, she said things slowly and emphatically, like a therapist highlighting all the issues that need correcting and then going through all the steps needed to fix the problem.

Her speech slowly became a background noise for Zack. Not that he wasn't listening—another painful lesson he'd learned, to never completely tune out—but he allowed part of his mind to drift elsewhere. Such as to what was for dessert. Now, was it cake or pie that his mother said she had cooked? Zack would rather cake, but if so, then there must be ice cream to go along with it. Due to this preference, his mother had once told him that she would no longer bake cakes. But maybe, just maybe, tonight she had relented…

Aerith had stopped talking. Still keeping his head down, Zack figured that she had finally completed her twelve-step program on the merits of selling flowers and was getting ready to enjoy the silence when he heard a gasp. His eyes snapped across the table to her, who was sitting stiffly in her chair. She'd clasped her hands in front of her, her eyes wide and staring up at a force that was unseen to everyone but her. Tears welled and fell without her blinking to acknowledge their presence.

She clenched her fists tighter, crushing her own fingers. "It didn't work," she whispered, still without looking at anyone. She wasn't truly seeing with her eyes anyways but what she more or less felt inside. The Planet's Lifestream. "The operation failed. Sephiroth's dead."

They waited for her to divulge more information but Aerith only put her face in her hands and cried. Zack barely had time to even process the words before the phone rang, and he jumped up to answer it since he was closest. The moment he picked up the receiver, he could hear someone on the other end roughly clearing their throat and composing themselves. Zack already knew who it was.

"…Fair residence."

"Hey," Tseng said, and cleared his throat again. Zack could hear him sigh, a long, sorrowful breath that contained all of his disappointment, sadness, anger…everything that Zack hadn't even had time yet to similarly process. "Look, it all backfired with Seph and he didn't make it. He was actually in stable condition for a few days but everything took a nosedive. He died just this evening. I'd call Hojo a goddamn murderer but it's actually not all his fault."

Behind him, Zack could see his mother patting Aerith as she continued to cry at the table. His father had picked up Zackary, who had begun to cry at the sudden shift in the atmosphere and was trying to rock him to sleep. He took the cordless phone into his bedroom and closed the door, slumping against the surface. "Considering that it was Hojo wielding the scalpel, explain to me how it's not his fault."

"Doing the procedure in the first place is his fault," Tseng admitted. "Once you and Aerith called me in Mideel and told me that Sephiroth had contacted him, I knew it was ridiculous to go through with it. And frankly, I think that Hojo knew it was a lost cause too. But he got what the hell he wanted; Jenova. No sense in keeping the cells in a body that refused to actively use them and if it meant killing Sephiroth to get them, it was good riddance on Hojo's part. By this point, Sephiroth was useless to him."

Zack nodded to himself on the other end, sinking down against the door and resting an elbow on his knee. He'd actually given the benefit of the doubt to Hojo that he'd want to at least ensure Sephiroth's safety, if not for the sake that that was his son, at least because of him being his greatest achievement. But at that thought, Zack almost laughed. Sephiroth was a has-been. If he wasn't doing something for Hojo within the moment, his existence was pointless.

"Everything you've told me still sounds like Hojo willingly led Sephiroth to his demise," Zack told him, getting up from the floor to sit on the bed. He ran a hand through his hair, thinking hard. "Something's still not making sense here."

Tseng was quiet for a moment before responding with, "It's actually pretty obvious." There was no condescension behind the words. "Sephiroth knew he wasn't going to win against Jenova which is why he scheduled the operation. But he also knew that there was no way he could be separated from her; biologically, she was almost more of a mother to him than Lucrecia. Sephiroth was the one who chose this, knowing the outcome. He knew all along he was going to die."

"Bullshit," Zack interrupted. "Sephiroth wanted to live. Are you trying to say this was assisted suicide?" He bit his lip, willing the tears to stay put.

The Turk made a noise of agreement. "You could put it that way, yes. I'm not denying Sephiroth's will to live, but his life was never his. Sephiroth always belonged to someone." There was a brief pause, then Tseng said "A life under someone else's control isn't living. Sephiroth has his freedom now, whether we agree with his method or not. Truthfully, I can't wholly fault him."

Something tugged at Zack's mind, another feeling of déjà vu. This situation was highly familiar.

Angeal.

"Selfish," Zack muttered and this time, the tears fell.

"Maybe," Tseng said, now sounding extremely tired. "Who are we to judge though? And don't go giving me any of that 'a permanent solution to a temporary problem' crap either. Jenova isn't temporary."

Zack said nothing.

"Look, I've gotta go. Some of the Turks aren't handling the news so well and Shinra is having a shitstorm over all of this. I'll call you back later. But Zack? Don't do anything drastic or crazy. And listen to Aerith. She'll know how to handle this."

The line went dead and he sat there in the dark for several minutes, too numb to even press the end button on the phone, the dial tone flat-lining in his ear. When he finally did, he could hear it was quiet beyond the door. He pointlessly wiped his eyes, knowing they were still going to be puffy and red and opened the door.

His family had moved to the living room. His father still had the toddler, who had fallen asleep on his lap. His dad was still awake but looked like he was fighting the battle to doze off. Zack's mother sat next to Aerith, who had pulled a quilt from the back of the couch around her daughter in law. Aerith held a cup of steaming tea in her hands but wasn't drinking it. She looked up when Zack entered but didn't say anything.

"Just Tseng," he said, gesturing to the phone he'd just put back.

"Mm," Aerith nodded, still looking into the cup.

Zack was reminded of how he'd felt after losing his mentor, the weeks it'd taken for him to get back to a resemblance of normalcy. He couldn't imagine seeing Aerith like that for days on end. He immediately walked over to her and took the cup away, putting it on the coffee table. In the same motion, he pulled her to his feet and into a tight embrace. They met each other's eyes and she was surprised to find him smiling.

"Hey, no pity parties," he said quietly. "What do you think Sephiroth would say if he saw all of us like this?"

Aerith sniffed. "I already know. He's calling us a bunch of pussies."

The entire family chuckled.

Zack shook his head. "See? That bastard is laughing at us. In which I hope Angeal kicks his ass for me. Now they have all eternity to settle that legendary fight."

Aerith pulled away from him with a snort. "No, they're going to wait on Genesis. It wouldn't be the same without him."

He shrugged at this revelation. "Makes sense."

Feeling marginally better, they retired for the night, mentally preparing themselves to inform the rest of their friends tomorrow.

~.~.~

Hojo sat in his office, drumming his fingers on the desk. In front of him sat a small, industrialized glass container filled with mako. Within the mako floated several tiny organisms that pulsed and glowed. It was almost beautiful watching them, like fireflies. Except Hojo knew there was nothing beautiful or serene about Jenova.

Clearly, Shinra no longer thought so either. With the loss of Sephiroth, they were now threatening to remove him from his spot as head of the Science Department. Hojo had faced that threat several times before, but had always redeemed himself. Even after the Nibelheim incident, they had given him a pass as he had captured Cloud and Zack. And after they escaped, they were still alive and viable subjects. But now, it was almost like he'd been returned to the very beginning. He still held the biggest marvel in scientific history in his hands but unlike back in those early days, he now had no idea of what to use them for.

He'd briefly considered testing Jenova with animals but discarded the thought immediately. Animals were even less predictable, too unstable. And if that animal should happen to escape and something was to kill it, the cells would be lost to him forever. Thus he found that it had to be a human subject.

Then again, humans aren't much better, he thought, tapping Jenova's container. Her cells were eagerly drawn to the noise, crowding around his finger. I almost lost Jenova when Sephiroth died. Knowing that son of mine, it was probably his plan, ending the cycle. Well, I'm not finished yet. There's still life in this old body yet.

Jenova was still clustered around the face of the jar, hoping to find a new host to latch on to. It would've been all too easy to release the mechanized seal and stick his hand in. That power that his son had not been worthy of would be his and he could utilize it to its full potential. He was sure there was much more to Jenova than being a cosmic entity that only destroyed planets and he was determined to unlock that hidden mystery…

Hojo instantly pulled his hand back and Jenova almost reluctantly dispersed. No…he couldn't become the experiment. At his age, Jenova would wreak havoc on his body; he would probably die in minutes. So that again brought him back to the fact that he'd need someone else. The pickings though were slim.

He thumbed back through the files on his desk, dozens of pictures of SODIERs that he'd asked to be gathered as potential candidates. None of them particularly stuck out though and with little care, he swept the entire stack to the floor. He wasn't usually one for such uncouth actions but he felt better after having done it.

The pictures filtered to the ground, raining in shades of red, blue and black, the colors of the uniforms. One picture though happened to catch his eye and he snatched it back in his hand before it hit the floor. In the midst of stony faced military ID pictures, the ecstatic smile of Zack Fair begged to be noticed. Not unlike the person himself.

Regrettably, Hojo had allowed Zack to slip through his fingers and had no intentions any longer of using him as a host. For that matter, considering Zack Fair was no longer a member of the Shinra military, Hojo found it redundant that his picture had even been provided. Just as he was about to tear it up, he noticed that the top corner had a staple. Upon flipping the picture over, a small note had been handwritten as an attachment.

Zack Fair, 24, pronounced Killed in Action to public in 20xx but was subject to Jenova testing. Escaped Nibelhiem lab, resides in Gongaga. Lives with mother, father and wife, Aerith Gainsborough Fair, whom is reported to be the last Cetra alive. Also has younger sibling, age three, by the name of Zackary Fair.

After reading, Hojo felt a chill run down his spine. It was that moment just before a puzzle piece clicked into place, when he had a resolution or an answer on the cusp of his mind if only he could work out all the kinks. Here, he knew he had found what he was looking for but it was not the outcome he would've ever thought of.

The statement about Aerith marrying Zack wasn't new to him and of course he knew she was a Cetra. He'd dreamed multiple times of combining Jenova with her and here he sat now, trying to think of the exciting possibilities if he finally began that project. Such innovation hadn't been seen since Sephiroth's birth.

But he found himself not satisfied with this. There was another detail that was incessant in his mind and after another reading of the letter, he picked up on it.

Zackary Fair.

He tried to rationalize again that Aerith was the better choice but for every positive, there were too many negatives, the biggest one being that Cetra and Jenova were mortal enemies. While it was a fascinating thought in theory, the reality was that if he were to inject Jenova's cells into Aerith, she had a high risk of going mad or worse. However, the toddler was unrelated to the Ancient lineage and was still young enough to adapt to Jenova. Best yet, he didn't even have to bring the kid to the lab; he'd come to him.

A smile spread across Hojo's face as he began making preparations to pay a visit to Gongaga.

I promise this time that this will be the final chapter. I apologize again for the massive time lapse but thank you to everyone that still stuck around :)