Takes place after Kairi's rescue; contains spoilers for the end of Kingdom Hearts.

This chapter is written from Zack's perspective.


Yeah, I lied. Chapter 11 wasn't working for me, so rather than delay the entire fic, here's the second half of Zack's interlude. The timeline works out better this way, anyway, ^^;;

Enjoy.


~*~

Ephemeral Blossoms

Akai Kitsune

Zack's Interlude, Part Two

~*~*~


Two days later, I entered an unfamiliar coffee bar in the cleaner section of Midgar's slums, quickly catching sight of a dark-haired man facing away from the door in the corner booth. I made a brief order to the waitress and strode over, sitting down in the bench across from him. "Sorry I ran late," I apologized after a moment. "Those stiff-necks up top want me to help with the SOLDIER applicants all the time, now." I snorted. "They don't seem to care that I already am - just not in the way they want me to."

Tseng raised an eyebrow, taking a placid sip of his coffee. "I don't think I've ever seen you in civilian clothes. It couldn't be that you're ashamed of this little rendezvous, could it, Major?"

I rolled my eyes. "Even if I was, I can't expect you to keep it discreet, apparently."

The mercenary merely smirked, his teeth glinting in the dull light of the bar. "On the contrary. Part of our job is to keep our clients safely out of trouble like that. Professional courtesy, you could call it."

"I'm touched," I muttered. "My conscience is eternally grateful."

"Such sarcasm doesn't suit you."

I flashed the waitress a charming smile as she brought my own drink, my expression turning serious as she disappeared behind the bar again. "Look, I don't have a lot of time. Are you interested in a job or not?"

Tseng didn't even blink. "If I wasn't interested, you would have been meeting someone else."

"Good." I straightened up in my seat, hands clasped around the coffee cup. "A student of mine has gone missing."

"I had no idea you'd become a private tutor on the side. What subject, History of Midgar's Urban Development? Is that why you went to Reeve first?"

I sent him a withering look, but he just smiled coldly in response. "Cloud Strife, a trainee for SOLDIER. A while ago he had an interview with a Mako specialist. He called me and said he'd been accepted into the program... by the scientist." My brows lifted meaningfully.

Tseng drained his glass, his expression a fine line between thoughtfulness and boredom. "Unusual. And I can only assume this scientist was Hojo."

I nodded. "He's been missing ever since. He told me they were going to the trainee facilities, but I've checked the barracks. No one's even heard of Strife. I can't track down the documents to prove he went to see Hojo before he disappeared, either. All I have is my word, and the word of a slum barmaid. Hojo's vanished, and his secretary is on an extended vacation. To Mideel," I added, almost as an afterthought.

The Turk lifted his arm, summoning the waitress for a refill. "That's quite a trip, considering what little Mideel has to offer."

"My thoughts exactly."

"So what is it you want from us, Major? Track down this little friend of yours?" Tseng stirred the coffee listlessly, watching me.

I shook my head. "I doubt you could find any trace of him. This whole affair has been too neat - they've cleaned it up so well even I can't get the facts straight. Hojo's the key to it all. If we can find Hojo, we'll find Cloud. I'm certain of that."

For the second time, Tseng smirked. "Hunting down a scientist? That's even more of a hassle than a kid. And it's going to cost you."

"I knew that much when I called you," I sighed. "Any estimate?"

"50,000."

I nearly spat my coffee in his face. "F-fifty-?!" I spluttered, staring at him. The rest of the bar stared at me.

Tseng hadn't even reacted. "No need to get excited. Hojo's a troublesome man, you know - scatterbrained and impossibly disorganized. Half that price alone is barely enough to get Reno off his lazy behind. Besides," the man gave me a dark smile, "You probably spend that much just getting that sword of yours polished."

I felt myself redden. "I do not," I muttered. Nobody polishes that sword except me, thank you very much.

But I could understand his point. 50,000 gil wasn't such a big deal, especially with the salary of a first-class SOLDIER. It would hurt, but Shinra did put a lot of money into their military.

"All right," I finally growled, "It's agreed. But you don't get a single gil until you deliver."

"I can understand that. There's no guarantee we'll find him, after all. Midgar scientists are slippery characters." Tseng finished his drink, pushing the empty cup to the far side of the table. "But for now, you owe me 2000 gil."

I blinked. "What-?"

"For answering your first question."

Realization dawned in my eyes, and my scowl reappeared. I dug into my pocket, flipping through the gil I'd brought with me.

"And 20 gil for the coffee."

"You're a jackass, Tseng."





If there was one good thing to be said about the Turks, it's that they always deliver what's paid for. Within a week I had a list of locations handed to me personally by Tseng's second-in-command. My bank account was weeping from the purchase, but if it helped me find my friend, it was worth it. I owed it to Cloud to give this my all.

"It's specially encrypted," Reno explained as he passed me a second item, a disk, chewing idly on an unlit cigarette and looking bored. "You'll be the only one who can access it, and you can only use it in a certain computer."

I raised an eyebrow, lifting the disk to study it. It wasn't labeled - probably for security reasons - and looked like any normal computer disk. "Why only a certain computer?" I questioned.

The red-haired mercenary smirked. "That's because it doesn't actually hold anything. It's a hack - untraceable, but it'll get you into anything. It's programmed for just one shot, so be sure to make the right choice."

"So where am I supposed to use it?"

Reno gave me a lazy grin, propping his Nightstick on his shoulder and turning away. "You don't know? Aren't you looking for two people, not just one?"

My eyes widened, and I hurried after him, grasping his shoulder and spinning him around. "What did you find out?" I demanded.

Reno's expression faded into a glare, and he pushed my hand away. "We've done our part, Major," he responded in a cool voice. "Now it's up to you."

I let him go, fuming quietly, unable to brush aside my anger as easily as he could. I knew exactly what he had been talking about, and it infuriated me.

Sephiroth. He thought Sephiroth was involved?

Why would he be?

"I have no doubt you'll keep me informed."

"You look pleased today. The boy is doing well?"

"It's impressive. Certainly an interesting student you've found, Zack."

I looked doubtfully at the disk in my hand. I had no reason to trust the Turks, but they had no reason to deceive me, either. They did exactly what they were paid to do.

Only one way to find out...

But... what if...

No. No way.





My curiousity winning out over my anger, I returned to my apartment long enough to change and grab my weapon - I never went to headquarters without it - and, the folder of papers in my hand, made my way to the Shinra HQ. Breezing past baffled co-workers, ignoring the questions on why I was there so late and not on my council-inflicted mission, I headed straight for the military department. Apparently news got around fast, but it wasn't as if that was any surprise in Midgar.

The department of Midgar's militia was huge, since most of the city's budget went into keeping it well protected. The Bastion was notorious for wars breaking out between the different clans and regions, and the President was smart enough to know that truces didn't last long in this world. The SOLDIER facility alone consisted of seven floors in the massive Shinra Tower, and the floor I spent most of my time on had an entire arena dedicated to giving warriors a place to spar. That had been one of the reasons Seph and I had chosen to keep our offices there - and that was the very floor I was headed towards. Most of that section was empty by the time I arrived, and the hallway was dark, but I didn't really care enough to bother turning the larger lights on, leaving only the small spotters to light my path.

Once I reached my goal, I hesitated, gazing for a long moment at the two doors in front of me. My office... and right beside it, Sephiroth's. I had a keycard for both, so getting in wouldn't be any problem.

This is... part of my mission, right?

I'm supposed to be looking for Sephiroth.

It's not that I don't care about Cloud...

Reluctantly making a decision, I pulled out the keycard and unlocked Sephiroth's office, turning the handle and venturing inside.

But... why do I keep hoping I won't find any clues here?

The office was deserted as I had expected, smelling a bit musty from disuse. I could tell Sephiroth hadn't been back for a while. My gaze traveled around the room, drinking in the familiar sights - old reports, a rack for his uniform, a worn-out desk and chair. I had always found it amusing that the greatest soldier in the entire city found it most comfortable to work in such a dump.

The chair even squeaked. And people wondered why I'd never felt intimidated by Seph?

A tall bookshelf was pressed against the far wall, holding books ranging anywhere from Wutai's military tactics to modern poetry. I scanned through the titles, curiousity overriding my sense of urgency - or was I just trying to avoid what I might find? - and finally pulled out a book I'd seen on Sephiroth's desk many, many times in the past. I had always been confused by that fact... the book was called Miracles of Cellular Biology and made me yawn just by looking at the cover. From what I knew about Sephiroth, he hated everything about science, right down to the elusive head of the Science Department himself. But I was hard-pressed to think of anyone who liked Hojo.

I flipped idly through the book, raising an eyebrow at the neat, elegantly cursive writing I found scattered on most pages. It didn't look like Sephiroth's writing. Then, midway through the book, I found something I had never seen.

Pressed between pages droning about cell manipulation and "DNA recombination", or something along those lines, was the photograph of a pretty, dark-haired woman, smiling demurely for the camera. She had her arm tucked around someone else's, but the picture had been cut, so it was impossible to tell who she was with.

I gazed at the picture for a long time, eyes narrowed. This woman... her eyes reminded me of something. Someone...

Sephiroth...?

His mother? But why hide it? What's there to be ashamed of? He had always kept his family hidden from everyone, so even I didn't know for certain who the woman was. Who knows - maybe that was her writing as well.

The only way to find out is to ask him. And I need to find him, first. I closed the book and returned it to the shelf, making a mental note of it's contents. I turned back to the desk, tossing the folder down, and stared at the computer, my gaze almost challenging. The laptop was covered in a thin layer of dust.

Resigning myself to my fate, I sat down, heaving a long sigh.

-squeak-

... I hate this chair.

I turned on the computer, watching as the system booted up, the obligatory Shinra logos littered on every screen that flashed by. Thinking back, I couldn't even count the number of times I had told Seph his computer sucked. He always said it was "sufficient for the work he was assigned", which apparently didn't include video games on his days off.

I suspected he wrote poetry, anyway.

As the computer dragged it's sorry self into the land of the living, I picked up the folder on the desk and flipped through the pages it carried, scanning through the list of Mako reactors the Turks had tracked down. The number of machines they had found in such a short amount of time was impressive - even I had to admit that. I was barely two pages into it when a quiet blip told me the computer was ready.

I pulled out the disk Reno had given me and gave it a long, hard look.

"You can only use it once."

... Well, here goes.

As soon as I slid the disk into the slot, it loaded immediately, taking control of the computer before I could do a thing. I watched in surprise as it loaded a search program, tearing through any protected areas that might have been encoded in the system. Deleted files, letters sent and received, things Sephiroth probably thought were gone for good were found and recovered. As I waited, I wondered who among the Turks would be so knowledgeable with computers. I didn't think even Tseng was that good.

The computer blipped quietly and stopped it's search, and, taking a deep breath, I finally looked at the results.

My first discovery was that Sephiroth did write poetry, and he was painfully bad at it.

My second discovery was a letter from Professor Hojo, confirming my fears and sending a great part of my life crashing to the ground.



To: Gen. Sephiroth, SOLDIER, Base 1
From: Prof. L. Hojo, Director of Scientific Research, Shinra HQ.

Re: Project CS 1/Jenova

Message as follows:

You were correct in your assumptions. Subject has been uncooperative thus far, but is suitable for the treatments. I'd recommend that you either come to the facility and see for yourself, or contact me through a secure line. We must discuss this further.

Hojo



Damn. Hojo had Cloud - not that it came as any surprise - but Sephiroth was involved. Sephiroth, of all people! It wasn't as though we were close friends, but...

"I've never trusted anyone before. Do you know that?"

"I trust you. I trust you to watch my back."

I trusted -him- too... and now he's...

"Hey, you know that kid I was telling you about? He's really SOLDIER material. He reminds me of you sometimes."

"You should meet him."

"I'd like that, someday."

The facility, Hojo said. But which facility!?

I pulled open file after file, picking through each message and trying to interpret them word-for-word. Not a single one specified where Hojo's experiments were based.

Sneaky bastard. He knows exactly what he's doing and how to keep himself out of trouble while he does it...

The scientific rambling was giving me a headache. If it hadn't been so important, I probably would have given up and tried another way. But the guilt of my own involvement itched at the back of my mind... I couldn't stop remembering that it was me who had told Sephiroth about Cloud.

Me. I got him into this mess.

I'm not giving up... not until I find him!

Narrowing my eyes in determination, I went back to my findings.



To: Prof. L. Hojo, Director of Scientific Research, Shinra HQ.
From: Gen. Sephiroth, SOLDIER, Base 1

Re: Initial contact made

Message as follows:

It's about time. Our mutual friend has finally begun to show results, then? Have you determined where the resistance originated from? I have yet to see such resilience in one so young. Perhaps it is the proximity to home which gives him strength. That being a possibility, you should consider relocating.



... home...

What's home?

Pushing away from the computer, I grabbed the folder listing the Mako reactors. No way, no way...

And there, in the very center of the fourth page, was my answer.

Nibelheim.

Of course. How could I have been so stupid? Where else would someone base their secret, quite possibly illegal studies in than a completely backwater place that wouldn't even notice the extra burden placed on the reactor? The town was so small they only needed a tiny fraction of the sort of power that reactor was capable of. Hojo could do all the experiments he wanted without breaking a sweat. And since the reactor was run by Shinra, and they were condoning his research...

This whole thing... it's too big for me. Too big for us.

Why Cloud?

I have to get him out of there!

I pulled the disk out of the slot and shut down the computer, hastily packing up my gear and heading out. I had a destination now, and I wasn't going to waste any more time.

But as soon as I left the office, pausing only to lock the door, a familiar voice broke through the silence.

"Finished already?"

I froze, my hand still on the door's handle. I didn't turn around. "... Yeah, I'm done."

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

I closed my eyes, leaning my forehead against the frame. I didn't want to have this conversation. "I did."

"Ah. You don't sound pleased."

That made me look up, and I glared at the offending figure. "Dammit, Seph. Stop screwing around and say it."

The shadow across the room detached itself from the wall, and my superior officer approached me, a barely discernible smile on his face. I couldn't help but notice that he carried his sword with him, sheathed and in his right hand, though most of his body was still obscured by the darkness.

"What would you have me say?" he asked me.

"The truth, for starters." I clenched my hands into fists, the disk cracking beneath my fingers. "Why'd you do it? You've always hated Hojo! And... conspiring against Cloud... lying to me..."

Sephiroth's smile broadened. "I do hate Hojo. That will never change. But for the sake of my mother, I am willing to... tolerate... his faults. He is the only one knowledgeable enough to help me accomplish my goals."

My eyes narrowed. "Goals?"

He lifted his arm, and I felt a sudden chill spread throughout the hall. The lights illuminating the floor seemed to fade in the emptiness of his gaze.

"Can't you feel it?" he murmured. "Can't you feel the difference?"

Whatever I was feeling that moment was pushed aside when I noticed the glint in his eyes.

He's as crazy as Hojo is. But it's a different kind of madness... like he's...

I shivered, feeling an abrupt, icy shadow wrap itself around my leg. Leaping away, my eyes widened to see pools of darkness appearing all across the floor. What?

"Isn't it incredible?" Sephiroth continued, the tap of his footsteps drawing closer to where I stood. "Such power, such darkness... Mother would be proud of this planet now."

"What are you doing...?" I whispered, reaching back and touching the hilt of my sword. He's never been able to do this before...

... Mother?

He laughed quietly, and took another step. The lights dimmed once again, flickering once before dying out completely. Only one remained - above me, mercifully keeping the shadows at bay.

"Are you frightened, Zack? You should be happy. This world has finally found it's calling."

"Calling-?"

"To become a source of this darkness," his voice answered, and he stepped into the circle of light. "A home for greater beings!"

He stretched out his arm again, and with it, I finally saw what he had kept so carefully hidden. A wing was attached to his right shoulder - feathers charcoal black, glinting like carbon steel in the artificial glow above us. He smiled at the sight of my shock, and gave a vague wave of his hand, almost as though he was beckoning something.

And in response, that something crawled out of the shadows.

It was the most bizarre thing I'd ever seen - an insect-like monster with skin the same dark shade as Sephiroth's wing, two rounded eyes glowing a bright gold. I whipped out my sword, holding it in front of me to defend in case the creature moved to attack. It stood there, watching me, as though it were waiting for something.

"What is that thing?" I demanded, glancing at Sephiroth.

He smirked. "An answer to many questions," he finally replied, letting his arm fall back to his side. "Lord Ansem has appropriately named them Heartless."

Ansem...?

Him too!? How many people are involved in this?

"Don't be so nervous." My former ally laughed again, moving closer to stand beside the Heartless. "These creatures are simple, but efficient. They will follow my instructions - and right now, I don't want you dead."

"Even though I know what you're up to?" I asked, shifting my grip on my sword. By then I wasn't sure who I was trying to defend myself from anymore - the creature, or Sephiroth himself.

"Perhaps because of that. I told you once before, Zack. I trust you. Will you trust me this time?" He offered his hand. "Follow my lead as you always have. Help me change this world for the better."

My eyes widened, but only for a moment. "By kidnapping people against their will?" I snapped. "Working with crazy scientists who don't even care about their so-called specimens?"

"Whatever must be done," he answered in a clipped tone. "If you're so angry about Strife, you should come and see him for yourself. I have no doubt he'd be very happy to see you involved."

Oh, I'll bet. "I don't want to see him," I growled between clenched teeth. "Not in Hojo's little cage. I'm going to get him out of there." I leveled my sword at him, my decision made. "Even if I have to fight you in order to do it."

His smile faded. "Are you really going to oppose me? Your trusted partner?"

Not anymore, Seph.

"Don't you trust me?"

I wish I could.

Sephiroth closed his eyes briefly, shaking his head. Ha... like he hadn't known what my answer would be.

"I'm sorry, Zack," he said in what could have been a regretful tone, if that smile hadn't slowly crawled back across his expression. "I didn't want to fight you over this."

I had had enough. Lifting my sword, I rushed him, slashing through the Heartless in one blow. Sephiroth sidestepped my attack, and I slid past him, turning around and preparing myself for another strike. He watched me, one eyebrow lifted as if we were in the middle of a casual spar.

"You think that sword will stop me?" he asked almost lazily. "You think you have enough resolve to kill me?"

"Stand still," I muttered, "And we'll find out." He didn't respond.

I charged forward again, attacking with a widespread vertical slash that Sephiroth knew well. He rolled away, blocking my follow-up with his sword, still resting within it's sheath. I pursed my lips, watching his movements; he was completely relaxed, without any concern at all for his own welfare. He knew who was going to win.

And what frightened me most was that I knew as well.

Sephiroth had always been the better between us; there were reasons why he was the general and I was not. His prowess in battle was only the most obvious reason.

I have to do better than this. If I die here...

Who's going to help Cloud? Who's going to stop this?

I can't die here-!

"Such determination," Sephiroth noted, lifting his wing and gracefully stepping aside as I attacked again. "You must hate me."

"I hate what you've done," I retorted, shifting back a step and casting a fire spell as a distraction. He leapt over it, his expression meant to chide me for trying such an obvious move.

Fool, he seemed to say. We know each other better than that.

I thought I did. I'm not so sure anymore.

"I've merely done my part to give this world hope for a more prominent future." He shrugged aside the blame once again. "The Bastion is simply a single star in the sky - but when we are done, it shall be the brightest and darkest among them."

Light... dark... so many things I didn't know. I wasn't about to lose before I learned what was really going on.

"You're that angry about it," he continued after a moment. "You should be grateful I protected you from this for so long."

My eyes narrowed instantly, filled with barely contained rage. "You... you've been fooling me all this time-!" Protecting me? You've just been protecting yourself!

He shrugged. "I gave you an opportunity to join me; then you'd understand everything. There's no reason for you to die here."

I shook my head violently. "The only reason you kept it from me is that you knew I wouldn't approve! Why, Seph? Were you afraid of how I'd react? You thought I'd fight you?"

Sephiroth smiled, then; it was a haunting smile, double-edged and devoid of humour. I tightened my grip on my sword, ready to take a step forward as soon as he moved.

But instead he vanished, leaving only a flicker of smoke and a half dozen ebony feathers.

My eyes widened.

"And what makes you think," his voice murmured in my ear, as he stood just behind me, "That I would fear you, Zack?"

I heard the low hiss of his sword leaving it's sheath.

For an instant, I wondered if I was dead. That was how long it took for him to give my shoulder a rough shove, slamming me against the side wall of my own office. I let my broadsword fall from my hand, instead pressing it against the stomach wound he'd given me. I clenched my teeth against the pain, my fingers already slick with blood.

I hadn't even felt it until...

I can't die. I can't die here.

I can't let him kill me-!

I tried to tell myself that, but as he approached, sword painted a dull red, reality hit me. I looked up to meet his gaze before he killed me.

He wasn't smiling anymore. He pointed the sword at me, bringing the blade up against my chin. I stared back in defiance; if I was going to die, he would know that I never feared him.

That had been why we got along so well, after all.

"I told you," he finally murmured, "I don't want you dead."

Through the haze of red clouding my vision, I blinked. What...?

He spun around, the sword catching the curve of my cheek as it brushed past my throat. I barely even noticed it, but I listened for his words as he walked away from me.

"Follow me to Nibelheim if you can, Zack. We'll be waiting for you there."

We'll be waiting.

Hojo. Sephiroth.

And... Cloud.

I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, both hands pressed against my wound. My knees buckled, and I slid down the wall, leaving a reddish streak against my door. Nibelheim... I had to get to Nibelheim.

... have to...

Forget the pain. It's a distraction.

He's testing you.

I fought my body's insistence to black out, instead concentrating on my magic. The Materia at my wrist glowed brightly, and I began to weave a spell of healing around the wound. Gradually the bleeding slowed, finally coming to a halt. The skin around it began to close.

I was gasping for breath by the time my injury had faded completely. I was nowhere near top shape - I'd lost far too much blood to just jump up and fight. No one ever walked away so easily after a fight with General Sephiroth.

But... I was alive. For some reason, he'd left me alive.

Using the wall for support, I slowly made my way into my office, stumbling towards a locker in the corner where I kept my spare supplies. I pulled out a few potions and sat down on my desk, trying to regain my breath before draining one of the bottles.

Better.

As I uncapped the lid of the second bottle, I reached over and picked up the receiver for my phone, dialing a number I'd memorized over the past few weeks since Cloud's disappearance.

"Seventh Heaven, Tifa speaking!"

"Tifa," I spoke quietly, straining to keep my voice normal. "I need you to do something for me."





That morning I was on a train headed for the nearest port that could get me an airship. And from there...

Nibelheim.


~*~


AN: Again, apologies for delaying chapter 11. It'll be the nest one for sure! ^_^;; (It's not like I have a choice, anyway!)

I could explain a few things from this chapter, but to be honest, I don't know where to begin. I wrote the ideas as they came, so if anyone asks me to explain, I'll do my best. But I'll leave it as is until asked, for now.

Reviewer Responses:

link no miko: Ah, I gotcha. Yeah, it seemed short, but it was one of the longest chapters yet! ^^;;

Koorino Megumi: *pokes Zack* I guess for me, he'll always come first, ^_^ Sorry for delaying the much-awaited rescue again, but I hope Zack made it okay for ya.

Krigersk: I watched the trailer again recently - I saw Vince this time, ^_^ I'm happy now.

Seishin Kibou: *points to above* Yeah, the Cloud/Aeris scene should be interesting when redone. I wonder how many redone scenes from FFVII they'll have in the movie...?

Jade-Jaganashi: I'll be looking forward to any and all Zack pics, ^_~ I just know it'll rock!

sore-wa-himitsu-desu: Mm, brownies! *munches* Conflicts of Interest isn't finished, unfortunately. But I shall be patient...