[ Start Text Message ]

/12:31:04/ Hey Seph you back from your mission? /

/12:31:20/ Mind if I stop by? I got something cool to tell you! /

/13:03:03/ Are you ignoring me? That's not very nice :,( /

/15:45:36/ Everything ok, bud? /

[ End Text Message ]

"He still hasn't responded?" Kunsel asked casually as he read the latest gossip on the Silver Elite message board.

"No, which is weird because he usually responds like, right away," Zack replied, turning his phone over in his hand. "He considers it rude not to," he chuckled a little, but the sound was tense.

"You know what, I'm going to go check on him," Zack announced and was on his feet a moment later. He shoved his phone in his pocket and shot a friendly salute to the other SOLDIER.

"Good luck with that," Kunsel called back as Zack disappeared out the door. He heard Zack send back a 'thanks' from half-way down the hallway and smirked, shaking his head.

Zack checked all the usual spots he might find Sephiroth. His office, the director's office, the VR rooms. All places, that if he were there, would warrant a delayed reply from his friend. No dice. Zack checked his phone again and still no reply. He couldn't quell the worry churning a hollow in his gut. Sephiroth's apartment was the last stop.

Zack stopped in alarm when he found the door ajar. Only just slightly, but Sephiroth would never just leave his door open. The silver general was excessively private and almost always had his door locked, even when he was at home. Zack quickly shot a glance down to each end of the hallway. No one else was around.

The SOLDIER brought his thumb to his lips and bit down on the nail. It was a nervous habit of his and Sephiroth hated it, but it helped him think. He didn't have his weapon with him, but if he chanced going back for it and Sephiroth was in danger - no - he'd made up his mind. He was going in!

Upon first glance the apartment was quiet; nothing immediately seemed awry. Zack silently closed the door behind him. He noticed some red droplets on the floor. They made a haphazard trail leading toward the bathroom. As he approached the bathroom door, the distinct tin of metal assaulted his nose. That wasn't just a small amount of blood!

"Seph?" Zack called out softly. He didn't receive a direct reply but he could hear a quiet voice mumbling from inside.

"...ripples form on the... water's surface...the wandering soul knows no rest…"

Zack slowly opened the bathroom door and found Sephiroth slumped on the floor against the back wall. He appeared to be awake, but took no notice of Zack in the doorway. The general's usually bright, attentive eyes appeared bleary and dazed, and he was muttering something rhythmically through blood-stained lips. Sephiroth's mouth was dyed red, and it was clear from the river of dark stains running down his chin onto his chest and stomach, he'd been bleeding for some time.

"… for you are beloved by the goddess. h-hero of the dawn, healer of worlds…"

Zack practically dove down toward the injured man, calling his name. He carefully cupped Sephiroth's face in each hand and lifted. It was only then that Sephiroth seemed to really become aware of Zack at all.

"Seph… Sephiroth… what happened to you?" Zack questioned his friend urgently, his voice laced with concern.

"Zachary… I am… not myself," Sephiroth responded.

"You're bleeding-"

Sephiroth shook his head. "No… not anymore."

"Did this happen on your mission? I can get you to medical," Zack offered, now fidgeting, not sure what to do.

Sephiroth shook his head again with some difficulty. He sucked in a slow breath and adjusted his tongue to try and re-wet it, clearing away some of the old blood stuck to the roof of his mouth.

"Hojo…" he finally managed. "called me to the labs after my mission. A new mako drug… bone density test. Teeth are the easiest to get to," he explained, trying to ignore the new sharp-edged molar growing back in.

"Fuck," Zack cursed in exasperation.

Sephiroth watched as Zack cycled through a myriad of emotions, most prominently fury and unease. Sephiroth could read it clearly on his friend's face, but was powerless to do anything about it. Powerlessness was a feeling that did not sit well with him.

"This is normal," Sephiroth offered, trying to ease Zack's worry.

"Normal? Seph, this is insane! Why would you let him do this to you?" Zack yelled.

Sephiroth didn't flinch, but he thought he should.

"You're angry."

"Damn right I am! You're my friend! I don't want to see you hurt."

Zack jumped to his feet and paced around the bathroom for a moment, ruffling his hands through his hair in agitation. Sephiroth watched him placidly, then lowered his eyes as if examining Zachary's response. He wanted to come to an understanding. He wasn't good at feelings.

When he looked back up again, Zack was hovering over him, holding out his hand.

"Let me help you up."

Sephiroth tested his arms and muscles. Nothing.

"I am unable to move just yet. The drug Hojo administered has placed me under temporary paralysis."

The hand returned to Zack's side.

"So that's why you're sitting here on the bathroom floor."

"Yes," Sephiroth replied with a clear tone of disdain in his voice. He would never generally spend any amount of time on a bathroom floor unless it was for cleaning, but under the circumstances it was either sit down or risk collapsing in a position where he might drown in his own blood. He obviously chose the option where he wouldn't die.

The irony was apparently not lost on Zack, because he let out a little snort of amusement.

"Well, at least let me help you get cleaned up a little. I'm sure having all that blood caked down your front feels about as good as it looks," he said, and quickly found his way to the linen closet to locate a fresh wash cloth.

Sephiroth watched as Zack wet the wash cloth with warm water and kneeled before him once again. He tried not to allow himself to feel humiliation. He was told once that friends and comrades often help each other when one is injured or indisposed. This situation would fall within those categories, he reasoned.

He glanced down and actually inspected the large stripe of blood painted down his abdomen for the first time. He tried incredibly hard not to blanch, but his body betrayed him by shuddering when the wet cloth swept across his sternum. He glared at the wall beneath the sink in frustration.

"So uh…" Zack broke the silence. "Was… was that LOVELESS you were reciting earlier?"

Sephiroth snapped his attention back to the other. He looked a bit like a deer in the headlights before his expression reverted back to a more familiar calculated calm.

"I... yes," Sephiroth cleared his throat in admission. "When I got back from the labs, I lost consciousness for some time and I dreamed of them. Genesis and Angeal. Genesis, he was reading it in my dreams, like he so often would, and when I awoke, it just kept repeating and repeating in my head. I thought…. I thought if I just said it out loud, I could make it stop."

Zack listened as Sephiroth explained himself. Genesis and Angeal were a sore subject, for both of them, but it was important for them to talk about it when things began to hurt. Zack nodded and offered Sephiroth a soft smile.

"Seph. You know it's okay that you miss them, right?" He leaned back and sat down cross-legged beside his friend. "Hell, I bet Gen would be secretly pleased if he heard you reciting LOVELESS. After all, mimicry is the highest form of flattery," Zack said, with a finger pointed upward, to look and sound more philosophical.

"I doubt that," Sephiroth muttered, looking into his lap with a frown.

Talking about them is hard, Zack reminded himself. He wasn't going to push Sephiroth. The good thing was, they didn't have to keep talking about them. With a slap on each of his legs, Zack quickly scrambled to his feet.

"Anyway, why don't I go grab you a change of clothes," he said pointing his thumb over his shoulder at the bathroom door. He took a step back, intending to leave the room, give Sephiroth a moment to breathe and process.

Sephiroth reached out with a shaking hand and grabbed the leg of Zack's pants.

"Will...will you stay for just a while longer?" Sephiroth asked, with eyes averted, brows furrowed in thought.

He would stay. Of course he would. How could he abandon a friend who needed him?

So, Zack did what puppy does best. He filled the silence with updates on his most recent mission and kept Sephiroth up to date on the latest gossip from the Silver Elite, courtesy of Kunsel. Even threw an anecdote in here and there to spice things up.

Sephiroth for his part just listened. He was good at that, except when he wasn't. It was clear his mind was somewhere else, but Zack didn't seem to mind. After some time Sephiroth interjected.

"Do you really think he'd be happy? That I can recite LOVELESS?" He asked slowly, hesitantly.

Zack's response was a blindingly bright grin.

"Absolutely! Genesis may have been jealous of you Seph, but he also looked up to you. Who wouldn't? You're cool and charismatic and confident and strong! You're like a magnet of awesomeness that pulls people in. You can't fix nature. You can't fight the moonlight," Zack cracked the joke with finger guns.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes, but gave Zack the benefit of knowing he'd made the Silver General snort.

"Oh, oh! Speaking of cool friends. I made a new friend I want you to meet. I call him Spike and he looks like a little chocobo, and you're gonna love him! I'll invite him over next time we hang out."

"Can't wait," Sephiroth replied flatly with just the hint of a smile curling his lips.