"Ow…Cramp…"

"Flame, I expected you to have held up better."

Zack gasped for breath, hands resting on his slightly bent knees. He glared over at the General, wanting to set fire to his long silver hair as it tossed itself elegantly in the wind. Wrinkling his nose and hanging his head he repeated the generals words in a mocking whisper, his voice slightly shrill and twisted into an annoying buzz.

"Flame." Zack's black haired head jerked up, eyes meeting the green ones of Sephiroth. "I heard that."

Zack gave him a sly grin. The general shook his head. "What am I going to do with you?"

"You could give put in a good word with Shinra and have them give me a raise."

"Not hardly. Tossing you off the mountain sounds much more entertaining, and less effort."

"That, and you don't have to deal with the fat mans constant nagging, eh?" Zack asked, pushing himself back into an upright position and following Sephiroth as he followed Tifa away. Behind him Cloud and the other guard, the last 2 guards of the three they originally had, trudged up the mountain path. Zack smiled wearily.

"what a day. First the bridge collapsed, we were then lost in the maze of tunnels, Sephy lectured us on magic and science, and now this friggen cliff."

"And the monsters." Tifa's sweet voice carried back to him. Zack shrugged.

"That was the best part." He told her, but to himself he muttered something about holding her before the fall. That gained him a smack upside the head, gifted by Cloud.

"Ouch. You little worm!" He snapped, grinning as he looked over at Cloud. Under his mask the blonds face was on fire with rage. "I was only joking choco head."

Cloud shook in rage and hissed, "Keep walking, jerk, and I wont fill you full of holes. May I remind you that my guns loaded."

"Ohhh, threats now. Well-"

"Shut up!" Sephiroth snapped at them, shaking his head. "Like an old married couple. Bicker, bicker, bicker. Dammit, get counseling. Until then, keep your thoughts in her heads and not in ours!"

Zack blinked, shocked at Sephiroth's sudden outburst. But he nodded none the less and fell back into step with Cloud, letting the other guard pass them. He didn't want to be anywhere near that 7 foot sword General Sephiroth was stroking threateningly.

"Oh goodness. Phew."

"What?" Zack asked, stopping next to Tifa and looking at her with curiosity spread thickly over his face.

"We finally made it. We sure took the long way through!" She exclaimed, breathing heavily and looking up at the reactor.

It wasn't a pretty place. Silver exterior had long sense become victim to rust and grime. Shinra's red seal was painted on the front of the structure, paint chipped and peeling off. A set of metal stairs led up to the door, and large tubes came from the top and sides of the reactor. About two stories up was a criss cross of stairways. It was smaller then the ones found in Midgar, but that was because most of the reactor was built underground.

Cloud looked over at Zack as his childhood friend Tifa made her way for the stairway. Zack grabbed her quickly, knowing the thoughts racing through Clouds head. If Tifa was hurt in there…

"Tifa, you wait here." He told her sternly, letting her go before she got the idea to smack him for touching her( which he had tried to do on a number of occasions and only received very convincing threats)

"I'm going inside too! I wanna see!" She said, taking a step away from Zack and starting once again for the stairway Sephiroth was climbing. The general stopped and sighed, shaking his head and turning back to her.

"Only authorized people are allowed in. This place is full of Shinra's industrial secrets." The silver haired man told her, staring her down.

"But!"

Sephiroth looked away from Tifa to Cloud. The younger boy flinched, but held his gaze. "Take care of the lady." He told the blond, and turned to walk inside. Zack trotted after him, glancing at Cloud. He gave the worried guard a half hearted smile and opened the door. As it shut, he could hear Tifa's bitter words-

"Mm, man! Better take real good care of me then!"

Zack grinned. "Oh, he will." He whispered.