Bright Red

Sephiroth heard the cry of pain and it took a second for his mind to register what had just happened.

Zack was on his knees, hand over his upper arm, eyes squeezed shut, a look of sheer pain on his face.

Sephiroth moved away from the tree he'd been leaning against and went over, dropping to his own knees beside Zack. He tried to ignore the way Zack was crying out in pain, because it was grating on his nerves; he'd heard that sound far too many times, but never from anyone he was close to.

Blood was coming from between Zack's fingers, and it wasn't merely a trickle like a superficial wound would have produced; it was bright red and was gushing out in a steady rhythm.

"I…I'm sorry, sir…" the SOLDIER who had wounded Zack said, a look of horror on his face.

"Stop apologizing and bring me the damn first aid kit!" Sephiroth said.

The SOLDIER gulped and ran to retrieve it, bringing it back in a few seconds.

Sephiroth gently grasped the wrist of the hand that Zack had clamped over the wound. "Move your hand."

Zack obeyed, and blood spurted out. The wound was deep, almost too deep.

Sephiroth opened the box and sifted through it, throwing the unimportant things aside, until he came to what he needed, the put it around Zack's arm and tightened it down until the surge of blood stopped, and Zack fell against him, sobbing.

Sephiroth put an arm around him to steady him and glanced down at Zack's sword that lay on the ground beside him. He touched the green materia that was in one of its slots and was relieved to find that it was a mastered Cure. He should have known it would be, since Zack always brought it on training missions.

He closed his eyes and activated it. There was a slight whirring sound as it charged itself and then released its energy through him and into Zack. The green light covered Zack and Sephiroth watched the wound close almost completely, leaving only a moderate laceration.

Sephiroth released the tourniquet and wound a bandage around the wound, then checked to make sure Zack was okay.

He was still conscious, surprisingly.

"Fuck…" he said, barely loud enough for Sephiroth to hear.

"Can you sit up?" Sephiroth asked him.

"Think so," Zack said and he moved away from Sephiroth.

Sephiroth stood and looked at the SOLDIERs who had gathered around. The one who had done it, a young Captain, was pale and looked like he was about to cry, be sick, or both.

"Captain, I need to speak with you," Sephiroth said. "The rest of you are dismissed. I will see you this afternoon."

The SOLDIERs left quickly, some giving the young Captain pitying looks. They obviously thought this was the last time they'd be seeing their comrade, and the Captain thought the same, based on the look on his face and the way he was shaking now.

"Come here," Sephiroth said to him after they'd gone.

The Captain came over to them, moving like some approaching a rabid animal.

"Sit down." Sephiroth gestured to a place beside Zack where there was no blood on the ground.

The Captain sank down, giving Zack a thoroughly miserable look.

Zack gave him a smile.

Sephiroth sat down as well. "Captain," he said, "You should not feel guilt over your actions. You did exactly as was expected of you. The purpose of a weapon is to wound your opponent, and the fact that you did, in this degree, means that you are competent with it."

"It's my fault for not blocking," Zack said. "Don't worry about it."

"Go home and get some rest," Sephiroth said. "I do not want to see you until tomorrow morning."

The Captain looked at him for a moment, as if shocked that Sephiroth had just given him the rest of the day off.

"Go, before I change my mind."

The Captain nodded. "Y-yes, sir."

He stood, saluted and left.

"You're covered in blood," Zack said.

Sephiroth looked down at himself and the reality of the situation finally sunk in. He was sitting there covered in his best friend's blood and had there been much more of it, Zack wouldn't be sitting beside him.

Sephiroth suddenly felt ill.

"Seph?" Zack said, concern in his voice. "You alright?"

Sephiroth barely heard him. The entire scene was playing back in his head like a song on repeat; the blood, the cries, the feeling of Zack's body trembling from the pain.

He was brought out of it when Zack touched his arm and looked up to see his friend looking disturbingly pale.

"Uh, I think I'm gonna pass out here," Zack said.

Sephiroth had been too busy focusing on what had happened that he hadn't even realized that Zack wasn't out of harm's way yet.

He stood, pulling Zack up with him. Slung Zack's uninjured arm around his neck and helped him toward the building.

A short while later, they were seated in a room in the hospital wing, Zack with an IV in one arm and a sandwich in his other hand, looking like nothing had happened.

"Hey," Zack said, breaking the silence.

Sephiroth turned his gaze from the window.

"Thanks for saving my life," Zack said.

"I was returning the favor," Sephiroth said, recalling that time in Wutai when it had been him bleeding on the ground.

Zack just smiled and took another bite. "Ya know what the best part of this is?" he said, mouth full. "Free food!"

Sephiroth shook his head with a sigh.