If you're jumping in from this notification, you should just know that I've uploaded a major edit, mostly to part 2. As far as the edit goes, there have been quite a few changes, but if you've re-read it recently don't worry too much about it! He's just a small summary of the new stuff to read:

25 - Interlude 2: Family
29 - Tailed
32 - Anxious Heart
33 - Seventh Heaven
34 - Back in the Spotlight
37 - Return to Sector Five

For those of you wondering, the Corel chapters have been taken out. They didn't really fit, and I'm a lot happier with how things go now.

For new updates, I have about 7 chapters ready to go and I'll be posting them out hopefully more regularly. I know I'm terrible with updating, but I'm determined to see this through! If you liked the story, please leave a review, they mean the world to me!

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Return to Sector Five

December 15th, [ μ ] – εγλ 2000

"Get everything packed, Mouse. We leave in five."

Denzel returned the breathless order with a cocky grin, swinging his staff around to clip to his back. His superior's head had barely breached the corner to tell him.

"You've told me that twice, Zack," he said.

"Well, are you packed yet?"

The past hour had been tiring beyond belief, that that was only from watching. Zack had been bouncing — literally, at times — since they learned the details of their next mission. Not only would it be Zack's first mission leading a joint team of infantry and SOLDIER, something his mentor had dreamed about since he first put on his Third blues, but they were there to support Sephiroth.

And despite the gnawing dread and worried knot that name held for Denzel, he couldn't help his heart's flutter at Zack's elation.

"Are you excited?" Denzel asked, pitching his head slightly and letting his lopsided grin even out.

"What? No," Zack lied, "I'm just getting ready for the mission."

"Of course." Denzel swung his locker door closed and turned his head just enough for Zack to catch his quick wink.

"Hey, it's not a mission with Cloud," Zack replied, returning the wink with a more lascivious one of his own. "I'd get excited for that."

Denzel grunted, shoving past Zack hard enough that the older boy was shaken off balance, forced to wave his arms to keep upright. "Gross," he said, shaking his head.

"Hey," Zack replied, leaning in to his leer. "Your dad is anything but gross."

Denzel shot back an expression hovering somewhere between dismay and disgust. It may have been exaggerated a little — he'd had enough time to get used to Zack's puppy crush on Cloud, but it was still just… wrong, dammit. At least it taught Denzel one important thing — it is physically impossible to embarrass Zack Fair.

"If you can contain your drooling, we've got a mission," Denzel said grumpily, sweeping out of the room to the sound of Zack's playful "yes, sir!"

It was all of three seconds before Zack's freakishly long legs had caught up with him and they were walking down the halls of the SOLDIER floor. Denzel couldn't help but wonder if this was how it had been with Angeal and Zack, or maybe even Cloud and Zack, a lifetime and a Universe ago. The closeness, the camaraderie, he could see now why Cloud always had that look in his eye when he'd talked about Zack. It wasn't just the man himself, though that was undoubtedly part of it, but the bond between mentor and student that went well beyond friendship or collegiality.

For all the trouble it had caused, Denzel considered himself incredibly lucky to have stumbled on this jaunt back in time.

The rest of the SOLDIER floor was busier than normal, the last minute mission request having kicked off a flurry of activity as everyone from SOLDIERs to administrative staff hurried to their stations. Their smaller SOLDIER team, two Seconds that Denzel did not immediately recognise and a sole helmeted Third, were gathered in a corner by the elevator, talking amongst themselves.

"We ready to head out, Zack?" one of the Seconds asked.

"Yeah, we're gonna meet up with the troopers by the reactor. Seph's gonna meet up with us once we're deployed."

"Sephiroth."

At the sound of the man's voice, two conflicting reaction flowed through Denzel's body. One, a gnawing pit of terror filling his belly and threatening to pull his limbs down the floor, the other pure joy threatening to pull the corners of his mouth up to his eyebrows as he witnessed Zack's horror.

"Sorry sir! Er, Sephiroth!"

"I will be leaving you in charge of the mission, Fair. I expect your teams to be outside the reactor and ready to enter in half an hour."

"Yes sir!"

At least Zack waited until Sephiroth had turned the corner and was out of sight before whispering to Denzel, "Didn't really expect to be told what to do right after being told I'm in charge…"

"He can probably still hear you," Denzel whispered back. Years of living with Cloud had given him first hand experience. You couldn't get away with anything if Cloud was in the same city.

"Probably," Zack said with a grimace and a nod. He turned to the other SOLDIERs. "Alright, you heard him. Get to the trucks and if you forgot anything you better hope they've been restocked."

All teams fall back. Fair, I am taking command.

"Everyone, fall back." Zack waved the two troopers away from the door. Cutting the flame from the plasma cutter he was holding, one of the troopers looked up at Zack in askance. He ignored her. "Sir, what's happening?"

Genesis. Second Fair, make sure the teams get out.

"Fuck!" Zack released the button on his communicator just in time. He looked over the gantry to where Red Team was preparing to breach the other entrance to the room. "Sir, you need backup—"

Take the teams to the entrance, Fair. Now.

"Fall back, everyone," Zack said, running a hand nervously through his hair. He leaned over the railing, yelling at the Second who was leading Red Team down below. "Troopers are falling back. Make sure they get to the entrance!"

"Zack?" Denzel asked. He had that unerring feeling again, that one that always showed up when Zack was about to do something that he wasn't technically supposed to.

"I know what he said, Mouse. But he needs backup."

Denzel couldn't help the softest scoff. "He's Sephiroth, I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Yeah, but like… emotionally? Come on, we gotta go."

If there was one thing that came with Denzel's sense of Zack disobeying orders, it was the sense of inevitability. Nothing he could say would ever stop his mentor. No appeals to reason or logic, if Zack decided that something needed to be done then not even his death could stop it.
But that was more Cloud's story to tell.

Denzel followed close on Zack's heels as they ran through the reactor, chasing after the last known location of Gold Team, and hopefully then, Sephiroth. Running towards Sephiroth… certainly not his first choice.

The reactors looked like they'd been designed to be as difficult and as deadly as possible to navigate. Thin metal walkways with inadequate railing that shook violently from each thundering footstep. It didn't help that Shinra decided that every walkway needed to be hanging over a sheer, impossible drop at every opportunity. Praying to anyone who would listen that Zack knew what he was doing, Denzel followed his mentor in a blind leap off the railing, straight into the pitch darkness below.

Barely catching the scaffolding pole in time — it was only from sense of sound that he knew it was there, having heard Zack swing around it seconds earlier — Denzel swung himself on to the exposed platform, barely managing to make it over what he could now see was a dead drop in to the slums a few dozen metres below.

It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the gloom, and it was lucky he was even as enhanced to the level he was. The only light coming in was from the street lights of the slums below and the occasional spark from an utterly destroyed fixture. He could make out three figures standing in the room, closest to him Zack, his broadsword up in a defensive stance as he inched closed to the other figure — Angeal, it must have been, from the silhouette of the massive broadsword pointed towards his mentor.

The third shadow was already up in the scaffolding above the room. In seconds, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Angeal…"

Denzel pulled his staff from his back, holding it straight against his bicep and forearm in a ready position.

"You have a pup of your own, now…" he heard Angeal say. His voice sounded almost wistful, despite the harsh gravelly delivery. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"What happened, Angeal. Why did you leave?"

Denzel inched closer to Zack, making sure to keep behind his mentor and move slowly enough to avoid the other man being startled. He was well aware by now of when it was best to let others take the lead.

"It's too late for that, Zack. No, there's no other way."

"Just tell me, Angeal. I thought you could trust me, but if you can't do that, just tell me."

"Revenge."
"What? Would you start making sense already?"

"I'm a monster. What else does a monster do, except seek revenge… or maybe I should take over the world instead?"

"Where does making lame jokes fit in?"

"You should talk to Cloud…" Denzel cut in, taking a step closer to the pair. "Whatever you think… just talk to Cloud. He'll know how to help."

"Huh… him." That just seemed to make his mood darker, enough to stifle the air even in that grim room. "Just like the others… worse, even."

"He's right, Angeal," Zack said. "I trust him."

"Then you can't be trusted," Angeal sneered. With a clipped puff of white, a single enormous wing appeared from his back. Even in the near pitch black room, it still seemed to shine. With a great heave, Angeal launched himself into the air.

Zack and Denzel chased after him, futilely trying to catch up as he flew out of the room. Even after Denzel had given up, Zack was still climbing the scaffolding, yelling after his former mentor.

"Angeal!"

"ANGEAL!"

Are you alright, Sephiroth? Can you hear me?

That voice, it was so familiar. "Yes," he whispered.

Back then, they'd bring in you at the slightest cough.

"Back then? What do you mean?"

What about now? Can you get up?

Sephiroth tried stretching out his arms, only now finding out that he could still feel them. The feeling rushed back, along with excruciating pain. It felt like he had broken every bone in his body and when he moved his legs, his body just found some more bones to freshly break.

"Oh! He moved! Whew, am I glad."

He had expected a male voice, gruff and low or lilting and passionate. Not the sweet, earthy tone of a young woman. He tried to open his eyes, rewarded with only a blinding white light.

"Hello? Hello!"

With a great struggle, he pulled himself up, finding that he was in an old building with tall pillars and stained glass windows in columns along the high walls. The roof was broken, he guessed from where he fell through, the bright afternoon light streaming through the hole he made.

"Are you OK?" the girl said as he turned his head to her. She was a pretty young girl, with long brown hair tied back into a braid and thick bangs similar to own. "You fell through the roof, it really gave me a scare."

"The roof?" He looked up, back into the bright light above him. "Where am I?"

"This is an old church in the Sector Five slums. You're very lucky, the roof and flower bed must have broken your fall."

"Flower bed…?" Pulling himself to his feet, he brushed the dirt of his coat and looked down where he landed, a small patch of dirt showing through the broken floorboards of the church, with a single crushed flower in the middle. "I apologise," he said as he looked at the flower, already wilting and turning brown.

"That's alright. They say you can't grow flowers in Midgar, but I'm sure I can find some more."

"I… I am sorry. I will replace it."

"Don't worry about that, silly. Anyway, I'm Aerith." Aerith held out her hand and Sephiroth took it and give it a firm shake, which just caused Aerith to giggle some more, much to Sephiroth's confusion.

"My name is Sephiroth."

"Everyone knows that, silly." There was that charming giggle again. "You're famous."

"I apologise about the damage, I can pay to have it…"

"It's not my church…" Aerith turned her back on Sephiroth for a moment, rubbing her hands together before turning back with a smile and an outstretched finger. "But! If you want to help fix things up you can!"

Sephiroth nodded. "I will do that. Thank you, Aerith…"