ChapterTwo: A different time and place
God…
Frowning, Zack Swift of Gongaga came to stand over his friend, studying his features and swiftly deciding that the condition the other was in was a cause for worry. As he moved closer, his boots crunched the stale, dry grasses into the ground, causing the other to blink and stir slightly in the pale twilight. A few moments after the disturbance, a pair of glowing mako eyes slid open and focused on Zack's worried face.
"…Maybe we should have stayed in the town. At least there was shelter there." Sephiroth said, tiredly.
"…Yeah, well, I didn't wanna stay there any longer than I had to." Zack plopped down next to Sephiroth, and together, they lingered on a rocky outcrop, overlooking the valley before. They weren't terribly far from Nibelheim, but the area around the foothills was deserted and empty, devoid of any signs of sentient life. There were no animals, either, and the vegetation manifested itself in a few sparse grasses painfully clinging to life on the dry, barren soil. It was nothing but desolation for miles around, and there was not a light to be seen.
"…Ya think the world ended or somethin', while we were in there?" Zack asked, not able to bear the silence. "…Maybe we're the only ones left?" He threw his arms over his upraised knees, and leaned back, looking at the stars. Sephiroth, in response, let out a low sigh.
"…These lands have never been very populous."
"Yeah. But they didn't look dead, either. How long do you think its been?"
Sephiroth looked back up at Zack, and the younger man watched the shadows in his friends gleaming eyes for a few moments. The color was Lifestream… No other way of describing it, really. Not even someone better at words than Zack could come up with better description. Sephiroth had lifestream eyes.
Even so, they're still unnatural…
"I tried counting it." Sephiroth said, surprising Zack. "…I lost track at around five hundred…"
"Five hundred what?"
"…Days."
"How the heck didya count days? I never had any clue what time it was, or what day it was…"
"Hojo. He lives in the same rut… Day after day… He does the same things…. Passes by our cells at the same time… Studies in the library at the same time… It's always the same." Sephiroth scowled, a rare hint of emotion passing over his features. The only emotions he ever showed, really, were anger and contempt towards others… Zack couldn't remember seeing his friend smile, or laugh, or even smirk… Not for a long time, anyway.
"…I used to be able to keep track of it… But I lost count…"
"So… Five-hundred days… That's like… um…" Zack bit his lip, trying to visualize the numbers in his head and failing. Like always, Sephiroth broke in with the answer before Zack could even begin, but he no longer sounded irritated… Like he would have an entire lifetime ago.
Now he seemed oddly patient.
"…One year, one-hundred-thirty-five days… But I lost track a long time ago…" Sephiroth's voice faded out, and he closed his eyes again. Zack could sense his friend's exhaustion, and it worried him.
They were silent for a few minutes, but Zack could not keep his mouth shut for long. That was how it always was, both here and now, and in the past. Nature abhorred a vacuum, and so did Zack.
Right now, they were in a vacuum.
"…His hair turned gray." Zack said, after a short silence. "…There were streaks, at least… He aged while we were in there…"
"The entire world aged."
Zack liked to talk to Sephiroth – the man was brilliant, doubtlessly – but he had an uncanny ability to send a terrible chill down Zack's spine.
He's good at saying really creepy things…
The dark-haired man let out a hoarse sigh, after a few moments, and looked down at his friend. Sephiroth was tense, his leg seemed to be splayed at an awkward position, and the slight frown on his features indicated something about him was in disarray. Zack scooted closer through the dark.
"…Hey, Seph… Let me get a look at your leg."
"…Don't touch it."
"C'mon, man. What if it's infected?"
"…The mako will take care of it." Sephiroth opened his eyes, warningly. "…Don't."
"Seph…"
Sephiroth scowled. "…There's no flesh wound… I'm just… Weak."
Hearing Sephiroth say the dreaded word – 'weak' – sent another chill down Zack's spine. If there was one thing that the silver-haired man did not do, it was refer to himself as 'weak'. Everyone else in the world was weak – Hojo, President Shinra, the rest of the SOLDIER's, Rufus… Not Sephiroth. Even now, when it was painfully apparent that Sephiroth was in a bad way, Zack did not even want to think of his companion as being 'weak.'
"…C'mon… Just let me take a look. I mean, it might be swollen or something…"
"Don't worry about it." Sephiroth murmured, shutting his eyes again. Zack watched him for a while longer, before letting out an exasperated sigh and turning his eyes back towards the distant, pale horizon.
The harrowing silence in the night reminded him of the Nibel Reactor, and Zack could not suppress a horrible shudder this time, just thinking about it.
"…Sephiroth."
No response, but he could tell the other man was still awake and listening.
"…What happened?"
A silence. Sephiroth did open his eyes, but he did not answer.
"I've been thinking about it for so long… But I still don't understand any of it."
"Nor do I."
"…C'mon. You've gotta know something I don't…"
"I hardly remember… Any of it."
"Oh." That was understandable, because the fine details were fading in Zack's mind, retreating into a haze of pain, fire, anguish, screaming, and dark. Only one thing remained truly clear: the face. Visualizing it in his mind, he saw that demonic little grin, the soulless mako eyes, the pale brow and the thick shock of yellow hair…
"God… Spike… Why would you…?" Zack said, softly.
He knew Sephiroth heard, but he said nothing.
After a long while, Zack plopped down next to Sephiroth, and the two lingered in the cold and the darkness. Sleep was impossible, but it was nice to stretch out along the grasses and see the stars, to trace the constellations on their route through their heavens… Even without knowledge of the future, and with no certainty about the past, Zack derived comfort from the fact that both he, and Sephiroth, had escaped their glass prison together.
Morning dawned with the same silence, and Zack groggily rose to a sitting position. He had been curled up like a dog, his head buried in Sephiroth's shoulder and his knees pulled to his chest. The position was strange, unnatural – but born out of as simple practicality. For untold days, they had been cramped in the tiniest space, never able to truly stretch out their legs in the confines of the prison. Sephiroth still slept, but Zack could see he was ill and pasty by the morning light.
...He's always been pale, but he looks all yellowy…
Zack sighed, and lightly reached forth, brushing some of Sephiroth's fine, silvery hair off his forehead. The man would have hated to hear it, but the way his bangs dangled about his face and the strangely unguarded expression on his face made him look almost shockingly young.
But he's not really that old… Maybe a couple years older than me, really…
Sephiroth may have acted like a forty-five year old, Zack decided with a grin, but he was probably in his late twenties or early thirties, at the most.
A few moments later, it occurred to him that he was smiling… Yes, smiling. The expression came almost too naturally. It was a sign either that he was going insane, or that he was actually recovering from the hellish experience. Zack would have put money on the former, but it was so much easier to think that it was the latter…
Sephiroth awoke, interrupting Zack's thoughts.
"Hey, Seph. Good morning!"
Sephiroth looked up with the same grogginess Zack had felt, and Zack flashed him a sunny grin. The expression must have shocked Sephiroth, because Zack saw one of his silvery eyebrows raise in question.
"…Sleep well?" Zack asked, after a moment.
"No." Sephiroth moved to a sitting position, trying to hide the discomfort stemming from his wounded leg. Zack tried to ignore it, tried to tell himself that he shouldn't be worried…
…No, it was against his nature.
"…Seriously… It's light now. Why don't you take a look at it?"
"It's fine." Sephiroth said, icily.
"Uh-huh…" Zack scoffed. "…Look… Whadda we do now, Seph?"
Sephiroth looked at Zack, unable to believe how much this Zack sounded like the Zack from memory… The confident nineteen-year old, the same boy who had accompanied him through Wutai, to Nibelheim, and to countless other missions in between. Zack's cheerful hazel eyes seemed virtually unchanged, and the hint of the warm smile remained on his lips as he looked at Sephiroth. He was so patient, and kind…
Do I deserve this?
He feared that the answer was a resounding no…
Sephiroth frowned slightly, and shook his head. He was not past the shock, not yet… Zack might have recovered, but Sephiroth felt numb and distant, like the world around him was a million miles away. Maybe it was the final proof that he needed, the sole reminder that Zack was stronger than he was, that the dark-haired man sitting across from him was both more resilient and hardier than he was. But maybe it was nothing more than the most fundamental difference between their personality. Zack's life was rooted in optimism and hope; those words, to Sephiroth, were meaningless.
He respected Zack deeply, and his respect for the other had only grown over the years. Zack had started out as nothing more than an annoyance, a bother, someone who offered him something he did not know or want: friendship. But as the years stretched on, he grew to trust Zack, something Sephiroth had never placed in anyone. Now, after a period of seemingly endless hell, Zack had been the one to save them, Zack had been the one to fight, and Zack had been the first to bounce back, something Sephiroth thought was impossible. He could still see the pain in the other's eyes – it would probably always be there – but it was a side note. The warmth and caring in their hazel depths belied any negative emotion present.
"…Hey, Seph! Ding-dong? Didya hear me?"
Some might have thought that Zack's continual state of bliss was simply ignorance – including Sephiroth, years ago – but now he knew that Zack was simply a far better person than he himself was. Coming back to the present, he frowned and attempted to focus his thoughts on answering the question.
His mind was inescapably foggy. Every time he attempted to think, he had to wade through walls and walls of mist, leading him to believe that he was simply losing his mind.
"Hey. Earth to Sephiroth. Any signs of life up there?"
Zack saw a hint of a familiar expression on Sephiroth's face – the usual slight irritation – and could not help but grin.
Getting back to normal, isn't he?
But there was still something off about his friend, whether he denied it or not. Sephiroth normally seemed so precise and alert, but now there was a strange haziness in his expression. He seemed distant, as if his mind was elsewhere… Still caught up in pain and darkness.
"We should travel southwest, towards the cities… Costa Del Sol, if it's still there…" Sephiroth muttered, in his low, slightly commanding tone.
"If it's still there?"
"This could be an entirely different world from the one we remember."
"Jeez, lighten up!"
Sephiroth ignored him, as usual.
"…And we had better be cautious… We are former Shinra employees…"
Hearing Sephiroth refer to them as 'former' employees reassured Zack – Sephiroth, too, was now ready and willing to completely abandon all ties with Shinra, no matter what the repercussions.
"…Our appearance makes it obvious that we were SOLDIERs, anyway… And we have no clue what position Shinra holds in the world these days…" Sephiroth always sounded the most comfortable when outlining plans of action, and right now, he looked like he was in his element.
"You know, that reactor was shut down."
"…I know." The comfort in Sephiroth's expression did not last for long. His eyes became distant again, and his gaze turned towards the distant Nibel Foothills. Up there, the reactor still remained, a silent, grim reminder of days long past, of a tragedy neither one of them understood. Zack saw the pain in Sephiroth's eyes, but did not push – no, neither of them wanted to talk about it. Not yet.
"…It's been a very long time…" Sephiroth commented, after a moment, before looking back towards Zack. "…We should be off."
"All right." Zack rose to his feet with eagerness, unable to deny one thing: he wanted to get as far away from Nibel as possible. Hefting his buster sword in one hand, he watched as Sephiroth struggled to rise to his feet. Zack contemplating reaching forth to help, but knew it was futile. Sephiroth never accepted help from anyone, no matter how much trouble he was in… Just another strange facet of the older man's personality.
But now I know why he is the way he is…
Sephiroth was cold, as tough as nails, unrelenting, and inscrutable, but only because he had been raised in the very same hell they had just escaped from.
Shit… Hojo… Can't believe it…
"Zack?" Sephiroth questioned, and while his voice was flat, Zack heard the smallest note of concern deep within. It almost made him smile, just thinking how much Sephiroth cared and yet how much the man tried to hide it.
"…Yeah, sorry. Sorta checked out for a moment there." Zack smirked slightly, putting a hand to his hip. "…Ya know, I couldn't figure it out before… Why you looked so different… But now I know. You don't have your sword, man… Why didn't you grab one of the ones lying around?"
"I couldn't…" Sephiroth trailed off, and shook his head, mindful not to reveal too much about his mind's inner workings. "…It wasn't right…"
"So we gotta get you something else… Maybe."
Sephiroth said nothing, and he tottered for a few steps, before visibly tensing and taking his first real step on his tender, injured leg. He managed quite well, surprisingly enough, especially given the amount of struggling from last night. Zack watched his gait for a few paces, before moving into a trot alongside his friend. Together, the two men started their trek, going south at a somewhat shambling pace. Neither of them were in good shape – Zack's legs were still stiff, and Sephiroth limped heavily, trying to avoid putting weight on his injured leg.
They were silent for the first few minutes of travel, but Zack could not hold his mouth for long.
"…We gotta find somethin' to eat." Zack smirked slightly. "We both look like we've been doing some serious dieting lately, man."
"Hmm." Sephiroth's response was a short grunt, a drastic change from his usual precise articulacy. Every one of his actions, every aspect of his appearance, everything… All of it seemed to point to how exhausted and ill Sephiroth really was. The cloak he wore differed from his usual attire – it was nothing but a plain black trenchcoat made out of thick, ragged black cotton, over a pair of black, baggy soldier pants that sagged on his starved frame. His eyes were lined, and despite their outward emptiness, Zack could see the pain, barely below the surface.
His eyes haven't always been like that, have they?
Zack hoped not, and couldn't remember far enough back to be sure.
"So, uh… If we get to Costa Del Sol, then what?"
"You're getting ahead of yourself." Sephiroth said, in his usual lofty manner.
"C'mon… It ain't that long of a trip." Zack replied, in his typical cheerful timbre. "Do you think we should just stay there? The weather's always nice… And warm… Sunny…"
"We'll see when we get there." Sephiroth muttered.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"…Jeez, Seph, you must have gotten ten years younger when we were in there… You mean to tell me you don't have a complete battle plan mapped out for us?"
Sephiroth limped silently for a few moments, before replying, "We don't know what we'll find."
His words sobered the younger man immediately, and Zack nodded, after a pause.
"Guess you're right. How long d'ya think it'll take to get there?"
"We can't walk the entire way… It will take forever." Sephiroth said, after a moment. "…If we keep on heading southeast, we should make it to Quartz by nightfall. If we're lucky, the trains will still be running…"
"What makes you think everything's changed for the worse, Seph?"
Sephiroth looked at Zack rather sharply, but he quickly picked up on the seriousness in the younger man's tone.
"…When have things ever changed for the better?"
Zack only looked at him.
This time, the two were silent for a duration of about ten minutes, concentrating on the road beneath them, instead of the road ahead. Zack frowned at the dead grasses underneath his feet for a while, before his mind suddenly delved back into his past life. A series of faces flashed through his mind, some with names attached, some nameless… Hopeless curiosity overwhelmed him.
"…You know, I wonder how Aeris is doing…"
"Aeris? Your girlfriend?"
So he does pay attention… Zack cast a brief smile in Sephiroth's direction, and nodded.
"Yeah. You remember her, huh?"
"…Vaguely," Was Sephiroth's reserved response. Zack snorted.
"Huh. You remember every detail, I'll bet, 'cuz I've told you about a million things about her… Even though you acted like you were ignoring me…"
"I was trying to ignore you."
"Oh, yeah, I'll bet." Zack scoffed, sarcastic. "…Really, though…If it's been a pretty long time, she might think I eloped with someone, or something like that. You know?"
Sephiroth did not reply, but Zack could tell the other was listening.
"She might already be married, have a family… You never know."
"I doubt it."
"You doubt it?" Sephiroth did not elaborate, but Zack considered it for a while, before stuffing his hands in his pockets and refocusing on the ground. "Yeah, I doubt it… I mean… She was, like… A year younger than me, or something… And I sure as heck know I'm not old enough to think about a family right now…"
Sephiroth did not know family, Zack remembered… Had no clue, really, what a family was supposed to be like, how they were supposed to treat one another, what loving another family member was supposed to be… It saddened Zack, to think that Sephiroth's only idea of family was…
Hojo.
I don't know which of us has more right to kill him… Sephiroth, for what Hojo did to him, or me, for what Hojo did to my friend… the bastard…
Sephiroth must have noticed his sudden silence, and the raw hatred emanating from Zack, because those gleaming mako eyes focused on the younger man again, curiously. Zack looked up, catching Sephiroth's gaze with his own.
"…If we do one thing, Seph… We have to make that old fuck pay."
Sephiroth did not need to ask or consider it. The coldness in his eyes, instead, spoke clearly.
"…We'll kill him."
Midday and Zack was still recounting memories. They had stopped to rest by a dried up old brook somewhere on the endless plains between the small city of Quartz and Nibelheim, and Sephiroth sat in a deep haze of thought. Zack did not ask him what was going through his mind, but he continued to run through his old list of acquaintances, ticking them off on his fingers.
"Reno, he was Shinra too, the stupid punk… Probably a Turk by now, too… You know, that kid bugged me. Remember him? He was the weaselly little messenger boy during the war… And Tseng, that deserter from Wutai… He's probably way up there, too, if the Turks are still around. I liked him, you know. He was a good guy, I thought… Sure, he was a traitor to his own country, but the guy was smart, not a coward… Knew what it took to save his skin…"
Sephiroth continued to gaze towards the horizon, a distant look on his face, but he gave Zack a short nod that proved, if anything, that he was paying some attention.
"…And Rude… He was a Turk when we left, wasn't he? Just got promoted… Who else do we know? We've been through all the SOLDIERs… Uh…" Zack paused, another face springing up from his unbidden memory and plastering itself into his mind's eye. "…Tifa. Do you remember her?"
This time, Sephiroth looked up sharply. "…The guide?"
"Yeah… D'ya think she died, Seph?"
Sephiroth's voice conveyed no emotion, but something seemed to kindle within his veiled lifestream eyes.
"…She was bleeding heavily by the time we arrived. I doubt she lived."
"…Yeah… Still… It's nice to think that maybe… Christ, someone else had to have survived…!"
"I don't know. He killed those that weren't burnt to death in the fire." Sephiroth's calm, taciturn manner of speech disconcerted Zack, but the thought of him frightened Zack even more. There were many unexplained things in the world, stuff that Zack was sure he would never understand… And just what had happened in Nibelheim, on that painful, fateful night in late October, was something he knew he would never fully fathom, for as long as he lived. The forces at play that night had been utterly beyond imagination.
"…Maybe Zangan survived. The old martial artist guy, remember? I don't think he got burnt in the fire, and I didn't see him in the reactor…"
"Possibly. But we have no clue what happened after the reactor…"
"Hell, we have no clue what happened in the reactor."
Sephiroth did not reply, although Zack saw the slight hint of consternation spread over his friend's taciturn features. Now was the time, if any, to talk about it. So many hours and days had passed by since everything had happened… But so much pain and tragedy had been compounded into one night, it still stood out clearly in both of their mind's. Zack knew he would never forget it as long as he lived… Never understand it, either.
"…I still don't know why it happened the way it did."
Sephiroth's gaunt features seemed shadowed, even in the pale midday sun. He said nothing, but Zack kept talking.
"…I can't even understand why anyone would do that… especially to their home-town. It doesn't make any sense… And all the other stuff that happened…"
Sephiroth still remained silent, but Zack captured the other man's gaze with his own, making sure that Sephiroth remained looking at him.
"…You have to know more than I do."
"I don't know anything."
"…Seph… C'mon. What happened? How did you end up in the lab with me? In terms of skill, there is no way he could have ever defeated you, it doesn't matter what the hell he was… You were the most powerful man on the planet… So what happened?"
Sephiroth looked at Zack for a long time, expressionlessly, wordlessly, before giving his head a slight shake.
"I don't remember."
"You don't remember," Zack stated, incredulously.
"No."
"You remember everything."
"Not this."
"…But you remember Tifa… And you remember running into the reactor after him… What did you say to him?"
"…I don't remember."
"How could you not?"
"Look." Sephiroth's tone became almost menacing in an instant, as the deep anger and pain resurfaced in his glowing lifestream eyes. Zack had seen the same look a number of times during the Wutai war, and while they were in the lab, but right now, it terrified him – he still feared Sephiroth's anger when it was directed towards him, even given the state the man was in at the moment. "All I remember is taking my sword and going to face him… After that, I can't even tell you what happened. We might have fought one another… I might have killed him, but been brutally injured in the process… I might have even lost. I don't know."
I don't know. Zack saw his friend's confusion and shivered, trying not to think of the implications of those words. Sephiroth not knowing was something that occurred so infrequently, Zack could not even pinpoint the last time that it had happened. The other man always seemed in control, as if he owned the world he stood upon, like everyone else was submissive to him… Always so calm and in control, almost lofty, but now…? Sephiroth seemed like a shadow of his original self.
"…I… I'm sorry, Seph… I guess you don't know any more about it than I do…"
Sephiroth seemed somewhat surprised by the apology, but a frown spread over his face after a few moments, and he slowly shook his head.
"…It's like being in a fog…"
"You got that right," Zack muttered, though he was unable to hide the fact that Sephiroth's words and tone of voice worried him. "…I can't remember a whole lot about what happened in the Reactor… I think… I think I remember seeing you… And Tifa… And… I don't know…"
They were silent again, and before Zack could break the silence, Sephiroth rose shakily to his feet and started across the dry streambed.
"We should get moving."
"Oh… Yeah… Right…"
Five minutes later, Zack was once more ticking off faces and names on his fingers. "Let's see… Rufus Shinra… Think he's still the Vice President?"
"If Shinra's still around, why wouldn't he be?"
"…Someone mighta knocked off old man Shinra. You never know. Old bastard screwed over a lot of people…" Zack scowled. "…It would serve him right…"
Sephiroth said nothing, but Zack could almost feel the anger emanating off his long-time friend.
"…Not to mention, I think that fat old butterball was well on his way to a stress heartattack, last time I saw him."
It was hard to tell, but Zack swore he saw a slight smirk on Sephiroth's face. Taking it as a sign to continue, Zack moved on down through the Shinra hierarchy.
"Betchya that old broad Scarlett still works for them, along with that prat Heidegger… Two dumb asses if I ever saw 'em, though I guess Scarlett knew her stuff. Can't say the same about Heidegger… And Palmer, ugh, you remember how he drank his tea with lard?"
"Yes."
"That is just about the most disgusting thing I've ever heard, ya know? Who else? Who else did we know at Shinra…? Oh, I betchya Reeve is still working there. He was an okay guy… Bit of a weasel, maybe, but I never hated him like I did the others…"
"… I never want to see any of them again."
Zack smiled wanly in Sephiroth's direction. "Ya know what? I don't either."
Afternoon shadows soon stretched across the ground before them, and not long after, the hint of another deep twilight fell upon the two travelers. Zack kept a close eye on Sephiroth the entire time, watching the other man's pale outline and studying his limp with care. It appeared, to Zack, that the wound was centered somewhere around his knee, although it was impossible to be sure. While Sephiroth still moved quickly, he was devoid of his usual grace and dignity. Each step came with effort, although the pain did not show on his taciturn faces.
No, that was typical Sephiroth, the only man in the world who could probably be lit on fire and still not elicit a response.
(He seems kinda different, though.) Zack studied Sephiroth from where he trailed along behind the man, watching the lean outline of his back through the long, dark cloak he wore. His first impression did not lie – Sephiroth seemed different, somehow, oddly wilted and almost painfully weak.
(Not even like him…)
Zack's thoughts stopped abruptly, as his foot sank into a gopher hole and he let out a loud grunt, stumbling and pitching forwards towards the ground. Wildly, he wrenched his foot from the hole and hopped on one foot for a moment, before finally tripping over a pile of dried twigs and falling flat on his face.
A few moments passed before Zack dared to look up. Sephiroth now stood slightly ahead of him, looking at the younger man with one of his silvery eyebrows arched and a slightly disdainful look on his face. Zack looked at him, and he looked back for a few moments, neither saying a word.
Sephiroth, Zack decided, looked exactly like Sephiroth, for the briefest couple of seconds – and it almost seemed like another of his sardonic remarks was coming on, the kind of dark humor only Zack got to hear, but the expression faded and Sephiroth looked tired and weary again.
"…Come on. I think we can reach Quartz in an hour or so, if we keep moving."
"Quartz?" Zack questioned, stiffly rising to his feet.
"…On the Nibel province Border… A small farm-town."
"…Never been there before. Have you?"
"A few times." Sephiroth replied, shortly, but his form was already receding through the night.
"…Know anyone there?" A few moments later, Zack smirked at his own idiotic question. It was a curious thing, really, one he had wondered about it for the first few years that Sephiroth and he had known one another. No matter where they go, no matter what end of the Earth they traveled to, it had always seemed like Sephiroth never found home… Like what Zack had felt, the one time they'd done a mission somewhere in the Gongaga area…
(But what about… Him? He didn't want to go home, he didn't want to be seen by the people in his hometown… because he wasn't a SOLDIER… but… why?)
"…Seph?"
The other man stilled walked slightly ahead of him, and, like always, it was impossible to tell whether or not Sephiroth was listening.
"…Why did it happen? Why the hell did it have to happen like that? It just doesn't make any sense… Why would he…?"
Sephiroth did not reply, but the questions were rhetorical. Instead, he crested a hill with his long, slightly limping stride, and stood at the top, eyes narrowing slowly.
"Zack…"
"Yeah?"
The dark-haired man crested the top of the hill, and he saw it, too.
Below them was Quartz, once a thriving small town on the border of the Nibel Province.
… The town was now as empty and still as death, inhabited by nothing but abandoned, dusty old buildings and remains.
It was as if the entire world had been abandoned.
"Wait. I don't want to go down there."
Sephiroth paused, hearing Zack's voice, noting that it was softer than usual. Turning slightly, the silver-haired man studied his friend with interest, contemplating his tone. Was it fear, perhaps? In all the times since the Wutai War, Zack had not shown an ounce of fear, but the expression in his eyes seemed very close to being just that. Not wanting to look any longer, Sephiroth turned back towards the abandoned city below them.
"…There's nowhere else to stay for the night." Sephiroth said, after a moment of silence. His eyes roved over the outlines of the deadened buildings, before he started down the hill once more. Each time he put weight on his wounded leg, sharp, stabbing pains started in the knee and shot downwards and upwards through the entire leg, and a slight wave of dizziness overcame him… He had not looked at the injury, but he knew when it had happened…
Only a few days ago… A scalpel… Pain… Dizziness… The details were fading already, disappearing into an endless haze of dark agony. How long it had been, he truly did not know… But he and Zack had spent forever in those dark glass prisons, nothing more then experiments for a madman.
(God Damn you, Hojo…)
The thought, as vehement as it was, trailed away into the fabric of his mind, and he remained focused on the city below. It grew nearer and nearer, until finally he was limping along the main street, eyes trailing about for signs of decay, of disease, of whatever strange plague had damaged the entire world…
It soon became readily apparent to each of his senses. He heard the winds whistling through empty buildings and open windows, but he could smell ashes, and he plainly saw that several buildings were badly damaged, inside and out. Fire, he assumed… Explosions… The streets were cobbled as if an earthquake had struck, deep rends in some areas… Abandoned houses, empty businesses, not a sound or a light emanating from within…
"…They must have been attacked suddenly…" Zack murmured, from behind.
Sephiroth turned to him, and gave the man a slight nod. "Yes. But they had time to get out. There are no bodies."
"…How long d'ya think it's been like this?"
Sephiroth turned, his sharp, glowing mako eyes once more roving over the empty streets. Finally, they rested upon a fluttering newspaper, half-hanging out of a dispenser as the wind tore at it. The silver-haired man snatched it before it could fly away, and studied the headlines. Zack immediately attempted to look over his shoulder.
"Huh! Two-headed Calf Born to Farmer Jones?" Zack read, sarcastically. "Not a lot of help, is it…? But ya know, I'd like to see a two-headed calf… That does sound kinda interesting… I-"
"…The Date." Sephiroth said, quietly. Zack froze, and in the darkness, the two men stared at the paper with a new air of solemn worry and pain.
"…Seph…?"
"…This paper seems fairly recent, judging by the shape the paper is in… But the date… It's been over five years…"
And they fell silent once more, bathed in cool night breezes, under the pale moonlight. Around them, the lands seemed even quieter than before.
"Five years…" Zack murmured. "…Man…"
They had spent five years in the lab of a madman…
…And it seemed, for the time being, that the two – Sephiroth, former General of the Shinra Army, and his lieutenant Zack – were the only ones left in the entire world.
Author's note: hey... anyone wanna leave a review? insert cricket noises here.> ...No...? Okay, I get the point, but I'll keep writing and shamelessly begging for them, anyway. please review, and tell me whether this sucks or not.