Final Fantasy VII: Another Side

By:

Mystwalker

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII.

A/N: The boss Zack and Seph fight in this story is stronger than the experiment Cloud and company fought in the game, because, well, we know Hojo has stronger monsters than that in the lab—we fight them in Crisis Core as part of the missions, and if he was planning to have it hold back Zack and Sephiroth, he would probably send something made of stronger stuff. (Theme song: SOLDIER Battle).

JazzQueen, Hojo wins that award by unanimous vote. And yes. In the actual game, Seph has control over Jenova, but in this version, because he's sane and wants nothing to do with her, she sees it as an opportunity to do the controlling.

Irish-Brigid, well, he's Zack. It probably seemed like a good idea at the time, lol. And actually that chapter was longer than most of my updates. I'll take it as a good sign that it felt short.

CupofTeaforAliceandHatter, why thank you. I'm glad you think so. I'll keep working on it.

Riku Uzumaki, Angeal's probably sitting in the Lifestream thinking 'Zack and Sephiroth are just screwed without me'. XD He's taking on the role that Aerith and Zack took on in Advent Children, it feels like.

ryuukoshi, thanks, glad you liked it. And she can't take all the credit. It was a team effort!

XxXxX

File 010: Blood of the Ancients

Zack stood at Sephiroth's left side as the monster rose up from the elevator, raising up the Buster Sword to a ready stance. Sephiroth did the same with Masamune, holding the sword in his left hand so that the two of them ended up standing back to back. Hojo's experiment roared, stepping forward. In an instance, the two of them moved. Zack let out a battle cry, ducking underneath one of the creature's sweeping arms and darting to the left. He slashed out at its leg just as Sephiroth leaped into the air, slashing at its right arm. Both blades bit into flesh, and Zack quickly rolled out of the way as the monster thrashed in pain, slamming its fist down onto the ground where he had just been standing. The creature swung its other hand around toward Sephiroth.

The other SOLDIER dropped down neatly onto the ground, ducking his head and avoiding the attack. The monster's fist sailed over his head as Sephiroth stepped neatly inside its range, bringing Masamune up in a single controlled slash. The nodachi cut a line across the creature's chest, and it took a step back, howling in rage. It immediately reached out with one clawed hand, slashing out at Sephiroth. He jumped back and out of the way, just in time for Zack to get back to his feet and jump into the air, slashing downwards across its back with the Buster Sword.

Sephiroth was attacking again before Zack could pull away. His sword was a streak of light in the air, all of his movements seeming to blend seamlessly into each other as he advanced. The monster thrashed, throwing Zack to the ground angrily as it rushed at Sephiroth. It was made of strong stuff, and its hide seemed difficult to pierce—Sephiroth's blade left long gashes, but none of the clean battle-ending cuts Zack was used to seeing when the other SOLDIER got truly serious. Still, Sephiroth was relentless. He moved tirelessly, shifting from form to form almost like he was dancing as he struck at the creature.

Not wanting to be outdone, Zack let out a shout as he rolled himself to his feet, swinging the Buster Sword in a wide arc along the back of the creature's legs. The heavy blade left a slightly deeper cut than Sephiroth's sword, but a blow that would have severed the legs or at least hamstrung the monster instead had it stagger forward a little, before whirling around and sending one massive arm swinging at him. Zack saw the blow coming out of the corner of his eye and bent his knees, bracing himself for impact as he raised his sword. The blow struck the flat of the Buster Sword, and he jumped back upon impact, landing on the ground a few feet away. The monster was strong, and the blow sent shockwaves of impact up his arm, but both he and the Buster Sword could take the hit.

And it had given Sephiroth an opening.

Zack grinned as Sephiroth immediately took it, jumping into the air. He gripped Masamune in both hands, angling the point directly at the monster's face as he plunged downward. The monster growled, turning its head away at the last moment, so that Sephiroth's strike instead sliced a long line down its chest. He landed crouched on the ground, rolling forward with a barely audible grunt of effort as the monster lashed out at him with a fist. Sephiroth wasted no time in turning back around, turning to the left as the monster thrust a clawed hand out towards him. The claws skittered off the edge of his pauldron, giving Sephiroth enough time to step inside and slash at the creature again, his green eyes blazing. He cut and cut and cut, Masamune biting into flesh time and time again.

He was angry, Zack realized, observing the ferocity with which Sephiroth threw himself into the battle. He was angry and was taking it out the only way he knew how. He could understand that. He would be angry too, if he just found out that Hojo was his father.

He spun around, throwing his body weight behind the sword as he lashed out, attacking the monster from behind as Sephiroth attacked it from the front. The monster spun around, and this time the blow did catch him into the side, sending him spiraling into the glass. He thought of Aerith, of what Hojo had been about to do to her, and he could almost feel her presence in the room with him, in the back of his mind. Could almost hear her voice wishing him luck.

He got to his feet, grabbing his sword. The blow was nothing. The monster lashed out at him again, this time with its tail, and Zack jumped clear over it, swinging the sword down over its head. Sephiroth finished one last slash, moving quickly out of the way as the monster snarled at Zack, before careening to one side and nearly crashing against the wall. Zack ran over so that he was standing beside Sephiroth, bouncing once on his feet as he faced the monster.

It was on its last legs. One more good blow would do it. It was clear that Sephiroth knew it too.

As one they charged forward, Sephiroth darting right and Zack darting left. The two of them swung, Sephiroth with his left hand and Zack with his right. Masamune and the Buster Sword crossed over each other in midair, cutting straight into the monster's sides. Zack gripped with both hands, letting out a shout of effort as he pulled.

The blade pulled all the way through. Sephiroth cut straight through on his end. He turned around and faced the monster just as it pitched forward, raising Masamune and bringing it down along his side in one smooth cut. Zack slid and turned as well, giving the Buster Sword a spin before replacing it onto his back.

The monster hit the ground for the last time, the crash reverberating through the chamber. Zack grinned. For a moment, he almost expected to hear that robotic voice that had plagued him through his training simulations.

Conflict resolved.

He looked over at Red XIII, who was standing in the center of a collection of three smaller monsters, all of which appeared to have either been clawed to shreds or had died when the larger monster did. He had a cut along his side, but beyond that, he appeared to be unharmed.

"Elevator," said Sephiroth, his tone slightly clipped. Zack nodded once, glancing at it. The rest of their party had gone down there. They were probably waiting on the floor downstairs. The sooner they got to them, the better. This place would be swarming with SOLDIERs soon. He looked over at Red XIII, who was now watching them with a cautious expression on his face.

"C'mon, Red," he said, waving his hand.

Red XIII hesitated for just a moment before bounding over to them, following the two of them as they ran into the elevator and pressed the button to the floor below.

Sure enough, the rest of their group waited just downstairs, varying degrees of concern and irritation on their faces. Aerith stood with Cloud and Tifa in the far corner of the room. Both she and Cloud immediately perked up as the elevator door opened. Aerith immediately walked over to him. Cloud hesitated for a moment, as if he wasn't sure whether or not he should do the same. In the end, he lingered behind, standing next to Tifa. Aerith stopped a few feet away from him, hesitating slightly as she looked over him.

"Zack, you're hurt," she said.

Zack looked down at himself. The monster had managed to scratch a set of three gashes down the front of his chest. It wasn't too big of a problem for him, enhanced as he was.

"It's nothing. Just a scratch," he said. "I'll deal with it later."

She looked uncertain for a moment, before her eyes drifted towards Red XIII. "You're hurt too," she said. "Let me have a look."

Zack watched as she crouched down next to Red, her hands seeming to glow with energy as they hovered in the air over the creature's side. He shuddered, remembering Hojo's plan. "About that," he said. "Are you alright?"

"She seems alright," said Tifa, coming to stand next to them as well. "...In many ways."

Red looked up from the healing, seeming almost insulted. "I have a right to choose too," he said. "I don't like two-legged things."

"What are you?" asked Barret.

Red shook his head. "An informed question," he said. "But difficult to answer. I am what you see." He pulled away from Aerith as she finished, the wound on his side completely gone as he stepped forward. Aerith straightened up, lowering her hands to her side. "You must have many questions. But first, let's get out of here. I'll lead the way."

"I agree," said Cissnei, folding her arms and coming to stand next to them. "It's too dangerous to linger. Hojo must be sounding every alarm."

Zack nodded, looking around at the group. There were eight of them now, he realized, and with Red, Barret, and Sephiroth they made an odd group. He glanced at Sephiroth, Cloud, and Cissnei, and saw from the looks on their faces that they were thinking the same thing. "We need to split the party," he said.

"Mm," said Sephiroth, nodding his head. "Two groups of three, one group of two. We'll rendezvous at the elevator."

"You said you knew the way out of this building?" asked Cissnei, turning towards Red. Red nodded.

"I've had multiple opportunities to observe the scientists coming and going," he said.

She folded her arms in thought, looking over the group. "That makes you, me, Zack and Sephiroth the ones that know the building best. Cloud and Tifa, I'm assuming you two are sticking together?"

Tifa nodded. Cloud hesitated for a moment, before nodding as well.

"And Zack and Aerith..." said Cissnei, looking over at them.

Zack glanced at Aerith. He wanted to, very much, but now that he thought about it, he had no idea what she might want. They hadn't really had a chance to talk, and he'd been gone for five years. She glanced at him, and the look in her eye told her that she wasn't sure where things would go between them either.

They could sort it out later. For now, he had to protect her.

"I'd like that," he said. "Aerith?"

"Mm." She nodded once. "You still owe me a story."

Cissnei looked around at the group, her eyes darting from person to person before she made her decision. "I'll go with Cloud and Tifa," she said. "And, Sephiroth..."

Sephiroth shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me." He paused for a moment, before glancing over at Aerith and Zack. "...Although Aerith is more likely to be targeted."

"Red can go with Barret then," said Zack. "If that's alright."

"It does not matter to me either," said Red. "As long as we hurry."

"Right," said Zack. "So...the elevator?"

There were nods and words of assent all around. Zack took a deep breath, studying the group of eight. "Everyone be careful," he said. "We're all making it out of here alive."

The group nodded. They divided into three, taking off in three separate directions.

XxXxX

Cissnei replaced Rekka at her back as the guard fell over, glancing back at Cloud and Tifa. They were moving quickly, making good time over towards the elevator. The two of them had made a lot of progress in a short amount of time. It was clear that both of them were tired, but they weren't done yet. She ran forward, sliding her keycard through the slit in the door and opening the elevator up.

Cloud and Tifa followed along behind her, the three of them entering the small elevator. Cissnei moved fast, running toward the control panel. She reached into her vest, searching for the right keycard as her hand hovered over the button for Floor 60.

A fourth set of footsteps made her freeze, her hand hovering lightly over the panel.

"Would you press 'up', please?" asked a familiar voice.

Cissnei looked up, turning her head to the side and peering over her shoulder. Rude stood in the elevator with them, his expression serious. Her heart thudded in her chest, her eyes widening.

"Cissnei?" he continued.

She turned around quickly, whipping Rekka from her back and slashing at him. Rude moved as though he had been expecting this, grabbing hold of her wrist. He pushed her weapon hand out of the way, twisting her arm so that she was off balance and kneeing her in the gut. Cissnei gasped for air as the blow connected, Rekka clattering to the elevator floor. She twisted out of his hold, grabbing onto his hands and using the momentum to kick him in the head as she jumped away, pulling him into the elevator. His sunglasses crunched under her boot, and she flipped over in the air, landing smoothly on the ground with her back to the door.

Rude stumbled back, one hand over his face. She took a deep breath, reaching for her sidearm.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Something cold and hard pressed into her back, and Cissnei tensed, glancing behind her. Tseng stood directly behind her, his eyes impassive. He pressed the barrel of the gun further into her back to make his point.

Cissnei inhaled slowly, removing her hand from her side. She reluctantly raised her hands up holding them next to her head.

XxXxX

Sephiroth watched as Zack walked ahead of him, one hand on the flower girl's wrist as he cautiously led them along the corridor. Aerith's eyes darted from left to right, as if she was expecting a threat to pop up at any moment. She held the Mythril Staff that Zack had gotten her loosely in one hand, her grip letting him know that she had a minimal understanding of how to use the weapon at best. Likely she would not have been able to find a proper teacher.

Whereas Aerith was nervous, Zack was alert. He kept his eyes focused straight ahead of him, his expression serious. He made sure to keep the girl close to him, even slowing his pace to match hers. It was clear that he took his role as her protector very seriously indeed, and that he understood they were not out of danger yet. He noted, not for the first time, Zack's growth. There had been a time when Angeal's puppy would have treated this like a game.

Zack had grown past that stage. From a puppy to a guard dog. And one with teeth.

Angeal would have been proud.

Or was he already?

Sephiroth frowned as he thought back to the scene he had seen while under Jenova's influence. Had that really been Angeal? Or was that all...just a dream?

The sound of movement ahead of him shook him out of his musings, and he moved quickly, grabbing Zack from behind by his collar and dragging him, and Aerith by extension, into a side hallway. The girl yelped in surprise, but quickly stifled it when she saw his expression, raising one hand to cover her mouth as Zack glared at him.

"What the hell?" he whispered.

"Turks," said Sephiroth, inclining his head to the hallway that led toward the elevator. Zack peeked around the side, his eyes widening.

Tseng and Rude were walking down the hallway, leading a familiar group of five between them. Their hands were bound around their backs, and they walked in a single file line between the two of them. Tseng had Cissnei with him personally, one of his hands gripping the cuffs that bound her wrists as he pressed his gun into the small of her back, egging her onward. She gave him a defiant look, but continued to walk.

Zack muttered a curse. "They got caught," he said.

"What are we going to do?" asked Aerith. She stepped away and looked at the two of them, a worried look on her face. Zack stared down at the ground, his eyes darkening in thought. Sephiroth looked away from the sight.

"...Our priority at the moment is getting you out of the building," he said.

"But what about Cloud and the others?" asked Aerith.

"They knew the risks," said Sephiroth. He glanced out at the hallway again, then turned back toward Aerith. "Besides," he said. "They wouldn't be killed immediately. They'll be held overnight. The President will want them questioned first."

Except for Cissnei...said a nagging voice at the back of his mind. Tseng would deal with her himself.

He shook his head. He couldn't think that way. The mission was to protect Aerith. Once he revealed himself, those Deepground SOLDIERs would come running. And they had the advantage of number. He could protect himself against them, but he wasn't sure of his ability to protect himself and her.

"We can't just leave them," said Aerith.

"We're not going to."

The voice came from Zack. Sephiroth glanced over at him in surprise. He had his phone in his hand—his phone? Why his phone?—and as Sephiroth watched, he smiled.

"Sorry Seph," he said. "Can you look after Aerith for a while? I've got a plan."

"...Zack?" asked Aerith, concern in her voice as she looked over at him.

"What are you planning to do?" asked Sephiroth.

Zack moved his hand, flipping his phone closed and sliding it back into his pocket. He stepped forward, looking over his shoulder at them. "Something really stupid," he said. He grinned. "I'm calling a friend on his offer."

Before Sephiroth could ask him what he meant, he ran out into the hallway. Sephiroth took a step forward, reaching out a hand to pull him back, but he was already gone.

"Wait—!" Aerith said, taking a step forward as well.

"—Zack," said Sephiroth

Zack looked back at them, pointing at Sephiroth once. "I'm counting on you," he said.

TO BE CONTINUED

XxXxX

A/N: Somewhere along the line, I started referring to Red XIII as Red. I think I'll keep that—Red works a little better in the narration and is easier to type and I feel like they wouldn't actually call him 'Red Thirteen' anyway, now that Zack's shortened it. (And yes, I know his real name is Nanaki. But they don't.)