Chapter 2: Sephiroth gets yelled at, "Mother said" isn't an excuse

Cloud… honestly didn't really know what to think. Getting to President Shinra's office had been ridiculously easy, when he thought about it. Even with the help of Domino and his men... it had been almost too easy.

And President Shinra... was even more cowardly than he thought. The blond watched the man supposed to be the most powerful on the planet curl up in front of Barrett's rage, who demanded that he tell the truth about what had happened to the Reactors and for the fall of Sector 7. Cloud was almost disgusted at the kind of slug that the President had become, who kept backing away... until he got to his desk and suddenly pulled out a pistol from a drawer. Swearing, the swordsman abruptly pulled the girls back to protect them, even though the President currently seemed more focused on their leader than on them. Red XIII also took a defensive stance, head bowed and his tail waving from right to left, snarling furiously.

"You are really too naive," said the President with derision. "The truth... honor, glory, freedom... what frivolous vanity! What do you think the world would be without Shinra and Mako energy? Nothing ! Everything would be empty and dead!"

"And this is what will happen to the Planet if you continue!" Snarled Barrett angrily. "You suck, and suck, and you don't give the Planet time to recover! The reserves are not unlimited you idiot!"

Shinra's contemptuous laughter made Cloud cringe, who tightened his grip on his sword. Seriously, if that continued he would take care of relieving the President of his head. Seeing how little he used it ... it wouldn't be a big loss, he thought absently.

"And do you think people will be ready to live a life of misery? All this to escape the abstract threat of a potential disaster?"

Barrett growled in response.

"Except that if we do nothing, this "abstract threat" will become very real!" He barked. "And it's not like we would leave them with nothing," he added with a gesture of his valid hand. "There is still coal, solar or wind energy, or even water energy! Everything you called "unsustainable" because it required too much money to invest to be a little more efficient, and it would compete with you!"

"Humf. You must have liked to play vigilante for the Planet," replied Shinra, contemptuously. "But it's over now," he said, lifting the gun, aiming at Barrett's head. "I'll let you ask yourself if your vision of justice was really legit... and don't hurry to find the answer. You will have plenty of time to think about it in the afterlife."

Barrett swore mentally as he saw the President's finger begin to pull the trigger... before freezing at the sound of boots echoing on the ground, accompanied by the screech of a sword scraping the ground. And it couldn't be Cloud, either, because he could see him motionless from the corner of his eye. Holding his sword in front of him with both hands, white as a sheet and sporting an expression that mixed anger, hatred... and fear too? Shinra took several seconds to react... and then he turned around. Before letting out a squeak of terror as he stepped back, clearing Barrett's field of vision, who felt an icy chill run down his back when he saw what the pig had hidden from him. Or rather, who he had involuntarily concealed with his body. Impossible… he is supposed to be dead! Thought the big man. Or did they lie about that too? But where would he have been during all this time?

Almost absentmindedly, he noticed that there was something wrong with Sephiroth's expression, who was walking towards President Shinra, which was stuttering and demanding to know where he had been for the past 5 years. The silver haired man chuckled softly in response, and Barrett shivered. The sound… had something vaguely broken at best, and at worst he sounded completely unhinged.

"Good evening… President Shinra. I think... you know why I'm here. You made Her disappear... it's time you paid for it."

"I... I don't know what you're talking about... Urk!" Groaned Shinra as Sephiroth impaled him with Masamune, his expression as cold as the North Continent.

Barrett stumbled in his haste to move away from the two men, the point of the sword far too close for his liking, and he found himself on the ground, almost crawling on all four to get away.

"You know who I am talking about," he hissed then, making the spectators shiver. "Hojo harassed her with your blessing, despite all of my warnings. She came to the point of not daring to go out for weeks because of him! The only thing that keeps me from taking care of him is that Mother said he was still useful. You, on the other hand... you are useless to us. So goodbye, President," he growled, wrestling Masamune from the man's body, causing a spray of blood.

Shinra collapsed to the ground, his blood draining far too quickly for the members of AVALANCHE present to have time to save him... admitting that they wanted to. By now, however, regardless of whether they were preparing for a fight that was going to be long and difficult at best, almost everyone thought the same thing. She? Who's she? All except Aerith. She knew who he was talking about... just as she knew that person was no longer there. However, she wasn't dead, which made her confused. She was no longer on the Planet... but she wasn't in the Lifestream either, the young woman was sure of it. Where was she in this case? She wondered while preparing like the others.

Barrett gulped when he saw the attention of the Icy General turning to him, wondering in the back of his mind if he would have time to raise his gun before being stabbed. Sephiroth... looked completely nuts, he realized, a crazy, murderous gleam dancing in his eyes as he raised his sword. The big man, still seated on the ground, mentally made his prayers, apologizing to Marlene for not having kept his word. Sorry honey, it looks like your father won't be coming home this time. Before he jumped like everyone else at the roar that echoed in the opulent office, addressing Sephiroth of all people.

"SEPHIROTH!" Someone thundered, making the former general freeze mid-attack, and opening wide, terrified eyes. "WHAT'S THIS I HEARD ABOUT THOSE BULLSHITS YOU'VE BEEN DOING LATELY?"

"Nothing?" almost squeaked the silverette in a hesitant tone, to everyone's surprise.

As if he was responding reflexively more than anything else, not even seeming to realize it before the word came out of his mouth. And Barrett blinked in surprise as he saw him make himself very small, tucking his head in his shoulders with a terrified look, looking towards the office's large doors. Taking the opportunity to get away from the ex-general, Barrett got up quickly and joined Cloud and the others, the blond looking like a Chocobo chick who had just crossed a Nibel Wolf. In other circumstances, the big black guy would have found the way the younger man was hiding behind him funny, if not even adorable, but considering how Sephiroth himself suddenly looked like a Chocobo caught in the headlights, he didn't know if he had to worry about their chances of getting out or not. Especially considering that the guy who had just entered must be easily in his forties, if not more, and was covered in scars. However, given the reaction of the two former SOLDIERS, you would have thought it was a Tonberry with the voice of a dragon, the leader of AVALANCHE said to himself, contemplating the scene with a certain concern, even if the old warrior seemed to ignore them at the moment.

"DON'T GIVE ME A "NOTHING", KID!" He barked in response. "YOU BETTER EXPLAIN WHAT YOU WERE DOING EXACTLY!"

Chuck paused when he saw President Shinra's body on the ground, bathing in his own pool of blood, before sniffing with some contempt.

"Hmmf, it couldn't have happened to a better person, BUT IT DOESN'T EXCUSE ALL YOUR OTHER BULLSHITS FROM THE LAST YEARS!" He said, raising his voice again at the end of his sentence.

Barrett had the furious urge to burst out laughing, the legendary Sephiroth, the most powerful SOLDIER in the world, who was getting yelled at like a naugthy kid, barely daring to respond! The only thing stopping him was the fact that the silverette clearly feared this old veteran, and that only made him wary, despite the fact that he wasn't paying attention to them.

"Mother said…" Sephiroth timidly began, looking like a kid caught red handed doing something stupid.

He was interrupted by an annoyed growl, making him swallow fearfully.

"Last I heard, kid, your mother was dead! Are you telling me that you're listening to a dead person's voice?" Chuck asked, crossing his arms and looking him down with an unfriendly look. "IS IT?"

Sephiroth shook his head in terror, completely forgetting the voice that was screaming in the back of his mind, blocking it without thinking so that he wouldn't have to hear her tell him to kill the old warrior again. He'd preferred to go face a pack of Behemoths with his bare hands rather than his former instructor. He had at least a chance against the monsters, not against Lieutenant Nokia. Which clearly hadn't finished tearing his head off, because he spoke again, his tone stern.

"Now where have you been for 5 years, kid? Do you have any idea what happened while you were on vacation without asking? Not that you didn't deserved them, BUT THE LEAST YOU COULD DO WAS TO ASK DAMN IT!" He barked, making the silverette tremble. "NOW, YOU'RE GOING TO CLEAN UP YOUR BULLSHIT, OR I'LL DRAG YOU BY YOUR UNDERWEAR TO THE NEAREST VR ROOM TO KICK YOUR ASS!"

"I died," replied Sephiroth in a very small voice. "Cloud Strife... Zack's friend ... threw me into the Reactor heart... after I burned his village to the ground."

Chuck raised an astonished eyebrow upon hearing this, glancing briefly at the blond, who was holding his head with a grimace, as if he suddenly had a migraine. The episode seemed to disappear as quickly as it had come, the Chocobo shaking his head as if to get his thoughts in place, before blanching when he saw that the old SOLDIER attention was on him. The boy immediately hid behind Barrett, not wanting to be the subject of the Lieutenant's attention, to Tifa's surprise, who looked at him in disbelief. He had literally jumped at Sephiroth's throat when they crossed paths not too long ago, and he was afraid of an old SOLDIER covered in scars? The situation was so funny for Aerith that she wanted to laugh, holding back out of compassion for poor Cloud. She'd have to help him get his mind back on track, she thought absently as Chuck turned his attention back to a sheepish Sephiroth looking like a kid caught by his stern father.

"Now, you're going to clean up your shit, kid, and come over to my place," he ordered in a slightly softer tone. "There's someone that's been missing you a lot in recent years."

"What?" Said Sephiroth, sounding suddenly lost.

Like a child that couldn't believe that his father wasn't that angry with him after all, Tifa realized in amazement. Now that she thought about it... that day in Nibelheim... Sephiroth... had seemed completely nuts. He and Zack... seemed worried about something... or someone? She realized suddenly. The black haired man, despite his kind and cheerful character... had seemed concerned about something. She vaguely remembered hearing them talk about someone... a girl? Zack's girlfriend, if she remembered well? The barmaid noticed the way the old warrior rolled his eyes, like an exasperated grandfather in front of his grandson's escapades.

"Honestly, kid, I'm tired of ejecting this slimy son of a Zenene of Hojo from my apartment, every time I have to wash my hands because he decided he wanted to get his hands on that kid Fair's girlfriend."

In the same way confirming Tifa's suspicions about what they had talked about when they were in Nibelheim... but making her wonder who this girl was for Sephiroth, exactly. A friend? More? Did Zack knew? Sephiroth, though, looked like he had been slapped with a fish. The mixture of shock, confusion and hope in his usually impassive expression almost squeezed the heart of the fighter barmaid. As if the old warrior had just pulled the carpet from under the silverette's feet, cutting him off from the urge to fight. And that nothing was more important to him, as his new question showed.

"Caro… is alive?" Sephiroth asked weakly.

His voice almost gave the impression that it was going to break, closer to a painful whine than the confident tone that Tifa remembered before his breakdown in her village. The sound he made at the affirmative nod from Lieutenant Nokia (and the young woman had finally recognized him, the latter hadn't often appeared on television for interviews, saying "That he had better things to do than answering some morons' stupid questions") surprised Tifa, breaking her heart without her realizing it. It was a broken whine, reminding her of the sounds the Nibel Wolves made when they lost one of their own, especially the alpha couple. The heartbreaking keens they let out when it happened were heart shattering… and, strangely, it was almost the same sounds Sephiroth let out. Whoever "Caro" was to him… she was clearly someone he cared about more than anything else. And the Lieutenant also knew, obviously, if she judged by the way his expression softened slightly, becoming less severe.

"Now, now lad. Come on, she's waiting for you you know?"

And Sephiroth followed him like a little Guard Hound puppy, completely ignoring AVALANCHE, who felt like the world had stopped turning, totally lost. After a few minutes, it was Cloud who broke the silence.

"What the hell just happened?"

"Did we just see Sephiroth submit to an old scarred guy like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar?" Tifa asked in response in a confused tone. "And almost cry about a girl? He who was almost reputed to be asexual?"

"Yep, that's the case," replied the black man.

Barrett then burst out laughing loudly, startling everyone, and Red XIII gave him a reproachful look, sitting down while gazing at him with a wan look in his one eye.

"HA! THIS IS WHAT IS CALLED BEING SCOLDED LIKE A NAUGTHY BRAT!" He exclaimed loudly, relaxing his nerves. "On the other hand," he added, getting serious again, "that would mean that if I understood correctly, he would have lost his girlfriend without warning, and so, he did a revenge carnage? And is that just my impression, or would he have had a "little" nervous breakdown in the process? Because right there, he didn't seem like the most psychologically stable person before this guy came along."

Aerith nodded gently, advancing a little, gazing at Shinra's body with some sadness.

"That's kind of it, Mr. Wallace (call me Barrett, girl, grumbled the concerned man)," she said in a soft voice. "Even if, from what I know... Caroline was Zack's girlfriend more than his. But he was never the most mentally stable person, even before that. Many… would certainly have snapped long before him," she finished, looking up from the corpse which had started to decompose into green pyreflies, dissolving quickly.

"And now what do we do?" asked Red XIII, staring at the door suspiciously, as if he expected Sephiroth to change his mind and come back to take care of them.

Barrett shook himself at the question, realizing that it was all well and good, but that they were still in the middle of enemy territory... and that their means of transport was supposed to come and recover them at any moment now, he realized, taking out his PHS.

"We better go to the helipad," he said, seeing the time. "We have... allies, let's say, who are supposed to pick us up by helicopter. And don't worry big guy, you're coming with us... if you want to get out of this rotten place of course?" Asked Barret, looking at the beast. "I'm sure we can convince them to drop you off somewhere if you want."

Red XIII looked at him carefully, his tail wagging slowly from right to left as he reflected, before nodding, rising to his feet.

"Anywhere will always be better than here ... or in Hojo's hands," he added, a growl creeping into his voice at the scientist's name. "For now… I will stay with you."

Barrett nodded as they stepped out onto the huge balcony surrounding the top of the tower, heading for the helipad. He was impatient to get out of there, the tower as well as the laboratories giving him the Chocobo bumps. Hojo was even more crazy than he had thought, and what Cloud and Tifa had found at this board meeting… made him wonder why the President thought it was a good idea to keep that crazy guy… Even if this Scarlet Head Slut was no better, he told himself angrily, clenching his fist, feeling his old wound wake up. Of the whole board… the only one who seemed pretty much salvageable was this guy called Reeves, who apparently ran the Urban development department. Perhaps another ally in Shinra, he thought, looking up, watching for their means of transportation. The problem would be to contact each other without ending up with the Turks on their backs, he thought, finally seeing the lights of several helicopters in the distance. But it was a problem for another day, he thought, watching them approach. For now, they already had to get out of there without a problem. The rest would wait until they were safe.

Meanwhile, Sephiroth followed Chuck in the Tower's hallways, ignoring the cleaning staff they encountered and who pressed themselves against the walls when he saw him, an expression of confusion on their faces at his presence... before meeting Lieutenant Nokia stern gaze, and to decide that, whatever had happened, they didn't want to know. Pulling out his keyring, the old SOLDIER opened his door, beckoning the silverette to enter, who complied shyly, hesitating to enter his elder's territory, only the hope of seeing Caroline allowing him to gather the necessary courage.

Closing the door behind him, Chuck resumed his head, and raised his voice as he entered the living room, sounding amused.

"Hey, girl, there is someone looking for you who's here!"

Sephiroth felt his breath stalled when he heard a door open, before Caroline entered the living room, rubbing her eyes with both an annoyed and tired air, lifting her glasses.

"Mr. Chuck, could you please drop your voice?" She asked wearily. "He just... Seph?" She whispered in shock and surprise as she opened her eyes, her gaze falling on the silverette.

The latter remained rooted in place for a few seconds, looking at her without believing that it was real. Advancing without even realizing it, he grabbed the young woman, hugging her as hard as he dared, almost forgetting that she was much more vulnerable than him. Her "Ooof, Seph, fragile!" said in a small breathless voice reminding him that she wasn't as resilient as he was. The rest of his mind couldn't think of anything other than the fact that she was there, that she was real, in his arms, and, and…

And there, Sephiroth literally collapsed, in every sense of the word, bursting into tears while hugging Caroline, letting himself slide to the ground without letting go, holding her against him as if she were made of spun glass, his nose buried in her hair. He vaguely felt her run her hand through his hair, stroking his back with her other hand as he sobbed like a broken man, which he was if he had to be honest with himself. Whispering comforting words in his ear when all he managed to let out were heartbreaking sobs and broken keens.

Finally, after a few minutes or an eternity, Sephiroth would have been unable to say, he eventually calmed down. The sobs spaced apart, and he managed to breathe normally again. Talking, however, was beyond his reach. He was afraid of crying or wailing again, or both, if he tried to say something. And he was afraid that she would disappear if he ever released her. Fading in the wind like a dream upon waking. He wasn't sure he could handle it if it ever happened. Trembling, he gently hugged her a little more, afraid of losing her. Her hand passing gently through his hair, the gesture reminding him of those rare times he had been able to relax, lying on the couch, resting his head on her thighs, dozing as she petted him, almost like a cat. Sniffing, he vaguely noticed that her smell hadn't changed, helping him to believe that it was indeed real. She had put her head on his shoulder, he realized vaguely, feeling her breath against his neck, tickling him.

A presence made him look up, instinctively hugging Caroline to him to protect her, before releasing his hold, sheepishly, when he heard her softly protest that she couldn't breathe. Chuck looked at the silverette with an amused expression and compassion, as if he understood Sephiroth's reactions.

"Are you feeling better now, kid?" He asked gently in a gruff tone.

The concerned could only nod in response. To say he felt better... was a bit of an exaggeration. Above all, he felt completely emotionally washed out, like a mop that had been wrung out to remove as much liquid as possible. His stomach groaned at the moment as he smelled of food, and he realized he was hungry. When was the last time he actually ate? He wondered hesitantly. His memories of that week in Nibelheim... were particularly vague, he realized with confusion. The clearest moments... were the appearance of Genesis... and his disconcerting and hurtful words... and his death at the hands of Cloud. A hand on his cheek pulled him from his thoughts, and he looked down, meeting Caroline's sad and relieved look. His heart sank when he saw her. She looked even more tired than the last time they saw each other before his mission to the village. And now that he thinks about it ... there was something fishy about it. Why had there been no Turks with them? Why send two SOLDIERS of their class for an inspection mission?

Too many questions... and the few conclusions he came up with didn't please him... and raised even more questions. But he was too exhausted to even think about it, he realized wearily. He needed to eat... and he needed to rest. Slowly, he reluctantly stood up, not actually releasing Caroline. Fearful, like a small child, that she would disappear the moment he released her. The latter gently took his hand, giving him a weary, worried smile. Making him realize that she probably felt the same things, if he judged her reddened eyes. As if she had cried too. The sight gripped his heart, and he followed her without resisting when she pulled him gently behind her, leading him into the kitchen, where the old SOLDIER had already prepared the cutlery, the young woman thanking him gently, and him sweeping her thanks in his gruff way.

"This brat needed you more than an old schnock like me. And you do enough like that the rest of the time. Now put your asses on the chairs and eat. You can let go, kid," he added towards Sephiroth, rolling his eyes when he saw that he didn't dare let go of Caroline. "Trust me, she's not going to fly away."

The silverette reluctantly released his grip to grab his cutlery, jumping almost despite himself when he felt her press against his arm, with her chair closer so they could stay in touch. Chuck rolled his eyes at their nonsense but said nothing, aware that it was the best he could hope for. He doubted Sephiroth would be comfortable enough to take his eyes off her for months at best. Maybe even longer, he thought, watching them eat. Now... he just had to get his hands on that pyromaniac little shit's ass, he had two words to say about his bullshits.

When the meal was finished, he gently chased the two youngest out of the kitchen, telling them that he might be old and with a crazy leg, but he was perfectly capable of doing the dishes all by himself. And there was something she needed to show Sephiroth.

The latter had taken Caroline's hand, following her without resisting, disconcerted. What could she have that important to show him? He wondered without understanding, watching her open a door a little further in the apartment... before becoming breathless when he saw the figure lying on the bed, connected to devices he only knew too well having seen them so often in Hojo's labs, monitoring heart rates, breathing and so many other vital parameters. But it was the face of this sleeping, lying person that shocked him the most.

"Zack?" He whispered softly, watching the black haired man sleeping on the bed, almost peaceful if not for his pallor, his disheveled black hair contrasting with the white sheets.

To be continued…

Yes, Zack is alive!

Things are getting a little more serious now, and no longer follow the game. The reason why Zack is alive will be explained in the next chapter.