Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy 7 characters, places and things all belong to Squaresoft and other involved companies. I own none of them. This fic is purely for the fun and enjoyment of others and myself. I own none of it.
SHARDS COLLIDE
CHAPTER 23
Zack still couldn't believe his eyes. Even after that eerie, shadowy voice spoke directly to him his senses were stunned to a point where he simply couldn't perceive what was being said. If anything, Zack found himself in a whirlwind of complete and utter shock.
Sephiroth looked at the startled man in mild annoyance. He slowly walked over to the now dead President of Shinra, his cape trailing behind him in perfect proportion with his silky, silver hair. He easily reached out and yanked his sword free of its home inside the man's back. Pulling out a white cloth from one of the many hidden folds in his cape, he brought the material against his blade, wiping it clean of any residual blood left behind from the recent attack.
"Has it been so long that you have forgotten how to speak?" He asked, giving voice to his annoyed demeanor.
At the sudden change in tone, Zack quickly snapped out of his trance and blinked his eyes rapidly. "Sephiroth? Is that really you?"
The silvery haired man closed his eyes and brought the palm of his hand to his forehead in a gesture of angry annoyance. "Do you really expect me to answer that question Zack? Really, you must learn to taste you words so that they sound palatable before allowing them to flow from your mouth."
Once again Zack felt himself falling into the role of undisciplined pupil towards the silver haired man standing before him. Yet he was no longer a child anymore. Zack gripped his hands anxiously into fists. "I don't understand. How did you survive Sephiroth? What's going on? Why did you attack Shinra? Why did you kill the President?"
A small smile formed on the ex-general's lips. The complete irony almost made him laugh. Even after all the years that had passed, his old apprentice was still the brash young youth he had always been. Despite the fact that he had clearly matured in some ways, there were still the many old habits Sephiroth found himself noticing in the man even now. "So many questions an no time to allow me to answer. That is the height of Rudeness Zack. I had thought I would have trained you better then that."
"Enough with the humor Sephiroth!" Zack said growing more and more tense by the moment. "What's going on here?"
Sephiroth continued to stare at the dark haired man in silence for a moment longer, then shifted in his steps. "Fine, in the spirit of times past, I will tell you."
Zack remained quite, following the leather clad man as he walked easily across the room.
"Think of a world Zack. A world free of the oppressive rule of Shinra and all other controlling forces. Think of a world beyond your wildest imaginations. Where you alone, have free rule over what you do and how you do it. Total freedom Zack! Think about it!"
Zack narrowed his eyes slightly. "You can stop with the riddles already Sephiroth. What are you talking about?"
"Power my friend! Complete and utter power! I am talking about the creation of a new world! The molding of a new era of dominance all under the watchful eye of a new being of pure greatness."
Zack was completely flustered by his ex-mentors words. "Sephiroth…"
"Join me Zack! Join me in creating a new world for mother! Together we can become rulers under her command! Aid me in ridding her of the annoyance of this world! Together we can create a world anew. One much better and ripe for greatness! A world destined for people like us! A world destined for warriors!"
Zack blinked his eyes incomprehensibly. "Sephiroth… what are you saying? You're talking madness! You want to destroy the world? Why? What purpose would that serve and who is this mother your talking about? Sephiroth your not well…"
" Quite the contrary Zack! Ever since Nibleheim, I have never thought so clearly in my entire life! Zack you can help me! I have finally retrieved mother from the confines of this building. These…" Sephiroth viciously pointed towards the dead President. "Maniacs! They tried to hide mother from me! But I made them pay! I made them all suffer for the wrongs they have done against mother and I! They cannot stop me now!"
Zack continued to look with horrified eyes at the man he once called brother, as he continued to rant and rave in his maniacal manner.
Sephiroth continued unheeded by Zack's expression. "Once I eliminate the Ancient there won't be any other obstacles in my way. Mother will be freed once more and she will return to glory."
Suddenly Zack's eyes snapped even wider. "Ancient?!? You mean Aeris???"
"Ahh so you know her then. This is good. Things will go much smoother this way."
Zack shut his eyes tightly against the new pain washing over his entire being. The sting of betrayal burned deep in his heart. He could hardly comprehend that this person, this… thing, used to be the man he once called his mentor in the past. He clenched his fists furiously, finally coming to the conclusion that there was no other choice left to him.
"I can't let you get away with that…" He said softly.
Sephiroth immediately broke off from his wild ranting and trained his eyes once more towards his young dark haired pupil. "What did you say?"
"I can't let you do this Sephiroth…" Zack repeated, more forcefully then before. "Aeris is my friend and I won't let you harm her. I won't let you get your hands on any of my friends!"
Sephiroth was completely taken aback by these sudden words. He had definitely not been expecting Zack to utter them. "What are you implying?"
"Refusing to open his eyes to the expression on his old mentor's face, Zack promptly yanked his buster sword from the sheath behind his back. "I won't let you hurt them Sephiroth. I will… kill you… to protect them from being hurt by you."
Sephiroth nearly laughed from the irony that had just invaded his senses. The scene now taking place before him was almost comical in nature. He could hardly believe what was now transpiring before his very eyes. "Zack… Do you know what you're saying? Think clearly upon the words you utter. I don't want you as an enemy. I would rather not have to slay you after investing so much time in training you to become the exceptional fighter that you now are."
Finally Zack opened his eyes and stared with raw determination towards his one time master. Once again his eyes were the fiery green color of a mako enhanced SOLDIER. At that very instant Sephiroth knew his young pupil had made his final decision.
A slight frown creased the man's face then he slowly assumed his own fighting stance. "Very well then… If that is your wish Zack, then I shall endeavor not to disappoint you."
Zack took a final steady breath and nodded his head in silent compliance to the agreement the two men had just forged. Only fighters as skilled and determined as them could possibly understand the momentous power behind that single sentence and the gesture, which was returned. Only warriors could understand the pain and determination of those actions.
Both men simply stood there, as if silently reliving the good times they each shared together and how much they would regret the future that lay beyond. They were now mortal enemies and nothing would ever change that.
Suddenly, Zack snapped his head forward and charged towards his opponent with a quickness far surpassing anything even he could have ever expected himself capable of. The whole room exploded into a furious flash of lightning speed and sword thrusts. Zack swung as fast and precise as he could, each attack coming in faster then the speed of light. Unfortunately for him, Sephiroth skillfully dodged each and every attack only blocking the last strike.
Zack hopped away deftly then slowly the two men began to circle one another.
"Even with the powers of a SOLDIER you still can't hope to defeat me! You know that Zack! Give up now before things go too far!"
In response, Zack once again charged in, swinging an overhead strike then angling it down into a diagonal slash at the last second. Sephiroth was the epitome of perception, however, as he skillfully ducked the first attack and blocked the second. He then forced Zack back as their swords clashed once more. Sephiroth moved in one single perfect arch hammering Zack yet again and flinging him forcefully into the wall from the power of his attack.
Zack crumbled from the impact of the blow and promptly coughed up a pool of blood onto the marble office floor.
Sephiroth held a steady gaze on his opponent then turned away evenly. "This is pointless Zack. It is a wasted effort trying to defeat me." Sephiroth began walking away when suddenly a voice called out to him yet again.
"Hold it!" Zack said, forcing himself to his feet as he leaned heavily on his propped sword for support. "T- the battle's not…over yet."
Sephiroth cast the man an annoyed glance then assumed his fighting position once more. Zack gave him no more time to wait as he charged in ruthlessly for his second attack.
****
Cloud snapped straight up in alarm at the sound of his cell door opening. However was still opening at a slow rate. His mind raced frantically to come up with a conclusion as to why the guards had come so soon. Was Hojo planning something even more dreadful for him and Zack? Cloud shuddered from the thought. He didn't know if he could take any more of those experiments the mad scientist was subjecting both he and Zack through.
He quickly glanced over towards Barret and saw that the burly man was just now beginning to stir awake from the sounds. Cloud rose up to his feet evenly. Whatever horrors lay in wait ahead for him he would face them like a man. He would not give Shinra the satisfaction of hiding away like some coward.
However, once the door had finished opening and he got a good look at who was standing behind it, his jaw dropped in complete and utter astonishment.
"CLOUD!" Aeris screamed in joy at seeing the young man again.
Tifa looked more closely and slightly gasped in surprise. "Cloud… Your eyes…"
Cloud glanced back towards her, smiling sheepishly as he scratched the back up his head. "Yeah I know. They're green now. Just like Zack's. I think it's because of that stuff Hojo's been pumping us with in his experiments."
Barret groggily rose to his feet. "Where is Zack anyway?"
Aeris eyes grew wide and she too began looking around anxiously. "Yeah, where's he at?"
"He left to scout ahead." Came a voice from the back of the group.
Cloud walked over to the orange/ red cat. "Red, you know what's going on?"
The fire-tailed animal nodded his head slowly. "Yeah but not by much. A while ago Zack woke me up saying that something felt uneasy to him. When we checked around in our cell, we found that our door was unlocked. We immediately scouted outside to figure out what was going on but all we found was a dead corpse a few yards back. Zack took off to see what was going on and find us an escape route while I got the rest of you out of your cells."
Cloud was livid with anxiety at this. "What? You mean someone's invaded Shinra and Zack's gone off on his own? That's way too reckless. We've gotta go find him! He may be in over his head!"
The rest of the group nodded in agreement. "He ran off down this path." Red said, walking in the direction of the dead body.
"Let's hurry!" Cloud urged and rushed off down the corridor. The rest of the group quickly scattered after him, trying to keep up with his pace.
Cloud quickly scaled the halls until he landed upon the main hall of their level. He nearly choked in shocked surprise at what he found. Lying in front of him were a dozen dead bodies all hacked and maimed beyond recognition. Cloud quickly averted his eyes from the ghastly scene and could hear the sudden intake of breath from Aeris a few feet away.
"Damn what happened here?" Barret asked in mild interest as he walked up alongside Cloud. The blond haired mercenary shook his head in confusion. "I don't have a clue. Who could have done this…"
Barret continued to survey the onslaught with disgust. "Whoever it was must have been pretty damn powerful that's for sure."
Cloud nodded absentmindedly then snapped his head up yet again. "If that's the case then we need to get to Zack a soon as possible. Whoever did this could have easily ran into Zack along the way and now he may need our help."
"I don't know about that…" Barret said evenly. "I mean look at all this. Whoever it was that did this must have been determined to shut Shinra down for good. If that's their motivation then we've got nothing to worry about. I mean that would make us allies right?"
Cloud didn't answer but continued to stare off into space. "… I don't know… but I've still got a bad feeling about all of this. Let's just hurry up and find Zack so we can get the hell out of this graveyard."
"I'm all for that idea." Tifa replied in a tense, shaky voice.
"So it's all agreed then."
"But where do we start?" Aeris asked in a pensive voice. "I mean this place is huge. Zack could be anywhere!"
"It smells like the trail of blood leads upwards…" Red said in a calm voice.
"Hmm Red's got a good idea there." Cloud agreed. "I'm guessing we keep heading upwards. Even if we don't find Zack, at least we can get an idea as to who is doing all of this. Like Barret said, we may be in luck and end up finding more allies."
Barret tightened his fist in determined resolve. "Then lets do what we gotta do! I don't wanna hang around this place any longer then I have to ya know?"
Cloud nodded his head and they all quickly ran up the stairs towards the higher levels. Red took the lead and he continued to guide them towards the trail of blood that seemed to continue higher and higher through the building.
Each Avalanche member in turn became more and more appalled by the varying scenes of mutilation that awaited them at every level but on the same token, it drove them on further to find out what was at the heart of such a massacre.
Once they finally got to the fifth level, Cloud suddenly stopped, abruptly halting the rest of the group.
"What's up?" Barret asked in curiosity.
Cloud immediately raised his hand signaling for the burly man to quiet down. Aeris traded glances with Tifa and both women then turned their eyes towards Cloud again.
"What's he doing?" Tifa asked.
"Don't have a clue…" Came Aeris reply. "Maybe he hears something."
"Without turning around to face them, Cloud confirmed Aeris suspicions. "I do… Don't you all hear that? It almost sounds like…"
Suddenly Cloud's eyes grew wide and he quickly rushed off towards the next set of stairs leading upwards. The rest of the group, startled from his sudden actions, tried their best to keep up with his sudden burst of speed.
Cloud relentlessly continued to speed up the stairs, heedless of his friends plight behind him. He was positive of the sounds he had heard a few seconds before. They were the clear sounds of swords clashing against each other and that could only mean one thing. Zack!
Cloud came up to the main entrance of President Shinra's office. He heedlessly burst through the front doors then all at once his entire world stopped. What transpired a few feet ahead was completely unreal to him. Soon the rest of the group followed close behind.
"Cloud what happened? Why did you leave us behind?" Aeris asked, not yet taking notice of what was happening only a few feet ahead.
Cloud didn't answer but simply stared wide-eyed at the scene taking place and at the two men who continued to fight ruthlessly before him. His arms shook with unbridled rage as recognition of the second combatant invaded his senses and finally made its way down to his vocal cords.
"Sephiroth!"
****
Zack breathed heavily as he and Sephiroth broke away from yet another duel of blades. He felt the strength in his whole body draining rapidly despite the fact that he was infused with mako enhancements. Fresh sweat beaded down his face, blinding his vision somewhat.
Zack anxiously drove an arm across his brow, eliminating the obstacle of stray sweat falling into his line of vision. Zack knew he needed to concentrate. He only had enough energy for one more attack and then he would be completely spent.
Zack narrowed his eyes wickedly, summoning all of his strength and speed. Sephiroth looked on calmly towards his opponent as the young dark haired mercenary's eyes began to flare up in a hue of bright green. Still, Sephiroth stood his ground.
Zack rapidly burst forth in a flash of movement then swung his blade in a downward arch. At the last exact minute Sephiroth pulled back yet not fast enough. Zack's blade bit into fresh flesh and a soft line of blood streaked across Sephiroth's face. A smile formed on Zack's lips at the sight of his sword trailing blood while he finished the downward trail of his attack.
Suddenly Zack's grin disappeared and his eyes shot wide as he felt the sting of cold solid steel entering his chest. Zack could hardly believe his sense as his eyes trailed down towards the blade that was embedded deep in his heart, literally sucking away the very life from him, then a soft trail of fresh blood slowly began to seep from his lips. He clenched his eyes shut against the sudden pain that engulfed him. Sephiroth was relentless however, and drove his sword even deeper through the man's chest, so close that their faces were merely inches apart from one another.
Sephiroth looked on almost sympathetically at the man who used to be his pupil. Now the dark haired man's face was laced with pain and he knew it would soon pale and become rigid in death. "It could have been different…" Sephiroth said apologetically. "If only you had joined me this would not have happened…"
To his surprise, Zack inched his eyes open in a final spiteful glare towards his enemy. "Never!"
Sephiroth closed his eyes calmly, a look of sudden sorrow on his face. "So be it." And with one final, swift movement, the silvery haired man yanked his blade away and out of the dark haired man, causing him to fall forward on his knees. Zack let out a final sigh of pain then his, once bright green eyes, slowly dimmed and flickered into hollow orbs of emptiness and his solid corps fell limply to the ground.
Sephiroth looked on grimly at his handiwork while walking a few feet away from the now dead body lying on the ground. Suddenly his concentration was broken by a loud noise.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Cried the voice of an enraged man with a mane of blond spiky hair.
::::::::::To Be Continued::::::::::
Author's notes: Thanks for reading and please stay tuned for chapter 24!