Author's Note (and sarcasm warning): Dang it! This stupid site has removed all the scene dividers I previously had. Now it looks like I write like an idiot, mashing everything together. Yes, that is so helpful to me, I can totally see why they wanted to implement this change, which even affects my previously posted chapters. And my other fics are probably affected too! This will be quite a chore to fix. I am NOT happy. So, just to let you know, after I post this chapter, you may get a flood of messages with updates (depending on how their system handles notifications), once I go back to take care of what they've broken. Thank you, FanFiction(dot)Net. Thank you so much.

Please let me know if you see anything (in any of my chapters) that appears to be a scene change that's missing a FanFiction(dot)Net-approved, aesthetically-pleasing horizontal dividing line. It's late, and it's possible that I'm missing something.

Anyway... This chapter finally brings us to, you guessed it, the Star Wars galaxy! It was definitely a challenge to begin, since I had to develop the characters I have in mind to help the story progress. As of right now, the SW characters and the planet in this chapter were created specifically for this story. I had to re-familiarize myself with many of the Star Wars concepts, everything from the Force to types of starships, so this may continue to delay future chapters as I try to get things as accurate as possible.

One quick note - the length of time I give between now and when Zack originally joined SOLDIER was calculated as accurately as possible from his age at the time and the number of years that passed between certain significant events. For reference, this story takes place shortly after the events of Dirge of Cerberus.

EDIT: Last one!

Chapter Four

A Galaxy Far, Far Away

A short time ago…

High above a barren, lonely planet in the Unknown Regions, orbited a heavily modified Corellian corvette. To an external viewer, this corvette would be difficult to see – it was painted a deep black, and so would have easily disappeared into the darkness of space were it not for the red striping that, to some, evoked the image of a bloody spear point stabbing into the unknown. Four large, outboard engines, framing the ship's usual eleven, suggested that the ship was capable of speeds greatly surpassing the standard model.

Upon the dimmed bridge of this starship stood an imposing figure. The man, also dressed in black, and surpassing six feet in height, gazed down upon the planet. His cloak moved gently with the currents of the ship's air circulation system, and the gentle hum of machinery permeated the background.

The man, Yori Xan-Markos, captain of this ship, wore a thoughtful expression. Several days ago, he'd sensed…a disturbance originating on this planet, a gentle swelling of power through the Force. Shortly afterwards, the instruments on his ship had been able to confirm it, so he'd plotted a course that would bring him here as swiftly as possible.

It was fortunate, he mused, that he had already been in the area, else he might have missed the event entirely. He was an explorer, a researcher, or so he fancied, currently searching the Unknown Regions for points of interest. He'd already visited this planet, Dak'tar IV, once, though, due to circumstances outside his control, was unable to stay long. But he had remained long enough to seek out and discover the large, mysterious bed of crystals existing underneath the abandoned temple at the planet's surface.

What the crystals were for, Yori Markos did not know. It was curious how some of them, near the center of the formation, glowed with a faint light, while they grew dim and eventually darkened completely near the perimeter of the cavern. But near those glowing crystals, he had sensed a quiet reverberation in the Force, which had greatly intrigued him, and he had vowed to return to continue their study.

And so he had, upon sensing the unexpected swelling of power across the stars. Even more unexpected was what had occurred just a few minutes previous – the energy had suddenly blossomed in intensity, overwhelming his instruments, before vanishing completely. It had burned like a supernova in the Force, bringing him rushing to the bridge…but there was nothing to be seen upon the planet from this height. And now, though the energy signature was gone, Yori sensed something else…two very bright, very strong signatures in the Force, shining like tiny stars down on the planet – something his ship's sensors were unable to register.

Jedi? He wondered. They had to be very strong Force-users, whatever or whoever they were. But their sudden appearance, when the planet had been utterly devoid of life just minutes before, completely baffled him. Perhaps they'd been able to cloak their existence somehow. In any case, he strongly suspected that their presence was related to the surge in the Force.

Unfortunately, it seemed that he was not the only one to notice the strong power fluctuation.

"My lord, sensors are picking up several ships exiting hyperspace just beyond the planet's gravity well…" reported a voice off to his right. "They look to be Imperials. Two Strike-class medium cruisers and one Imperial-class Star Destroyer. …They're heading this way."

He swore under his breath. Blasted Imperials, always sticking their noses where they didn't belong. He'd known about their presence in this area for some time – apparently the Remnants had sent a fleet out here to search for resources, or some such thing. He'd always made an effort to steer clear, not yet ready to reveal his presence, and certainly not interested in explaining himself to those narrow-minded, impatient fools.

"Take us behind the moon. I don't want them to know we're here." He pivoted to stride back off the deck. "And ready my shuttle. I intend to find out what's down there before they do."

Everything burned with a red haze.

It was a haze that dulled his senses, stole his thoughts. It ripped breath from struggling lungs, and turned his legs to lead. It threatened to drop his arms to his side, and drop him to the floor, but, somehow, somewhere, he managed to dredge up the strength to keep going.

At first, the only thing Zack concentrated on was walking. Putting one foot in front of the other seemed like such an easy task, in principle. But the red haze his consciousness swam through, and the sharp pain that pulsed through him with each step, each breath, each heartbeat, made it infinitely more difficult.

He didn't know how long he'd been walking. Every minute stretched for a painful eternity, and he became aware of time only as measured by each rasping breath. He counted those breaths, those steps, because as long as he counted, he knew he was still moving. As long as he counted, he was still alive.

Breathe in. One.

Step, step.

Breathe out. Two.

Step, step.

In. One. Two steps.

Out. Two. Two steps.

One, two. One, two. In this way, Zack survived from step to step, breath to breath. He couldn't let himself stop, couldn't pause counting, because he knew that if he did, he wouldn't be able to start moving again, and that would be the end of him.

Every so often, at regular intervals, he would tighten his arm around the limp form he carried with him, ensuring that he didn't unknowingly slacken his grip too much and let the other man slip to the ground. But it was hard, and each time he wondered whether he'd make the same effort next time.

Beneath the red haze, he told himself that it was really no different from running a marathon, or helping Cloud when they'd escaped from Nibelheim. There'd been times during both cases when he'd been hurting, a part of him wondering, telling himself that he couldn't take that next step, that he had to slow down, could afford the loss of time, that it really wasn't all that important. That maybe, he just wouldn't make it this time.

But in the former case, he'd known that he could keep running, because he'd run like that before, and each new step was the same as the one he'd just taken. He'd seen Angeal's face in his mind's eye, judging his abilities, knowing it was challenging, but confident he could go until the end. And in the latter, each step had meant freedom. Each one was for Cloud's life, Aerith's smile, Angeal's honor.

And now… Now, though he told himself this time was the same, another part wondered just who he was making this effort for, if Aerith and Angeal were dead.

For Sephiroth… Was that even true? He supposed it must be, since, after all, everything he'd done thus far had been for Sephiroth. Even if he was still insane. Though the thought of carrying the man so close to him still made him want to shrink away, and that hurt because Sephiroth was supposed to be his friend, and this feeling felt to Zack like he was betraying their friendship. But images of the man's cruelty were still fresh in his mind, running through his thoughts. Yes, Sephiroth could be sane now, but not knowing… Gaia, not knowing was killing him as surely as his injury was. So he turned his thoughts away to something else.

For Cloud… Maybe he could see Cloud again! The expression on his face when he saw Zack would be priceless. And then Zack could tell him just how proud he was of him, how he always knew he could take care of himself… And then he'd bug his friend about how long it was taking him to hook up with Tifa, which he should have done long before now, in Zack's opinion! And Cloud would blush and stammer, and Zack would ruffle his hair and laugh, and it would be just like old times again…

For himself. Maybe that's who all this really was for. Zack desperately wished for a return to those old days, those good times before Hojo and Hollander, and Genesis and Jenova. Before the sanity left everyone he'd always counted on to be sane in such a crazy, twisted world. In a way, everyone had let him down. Oh, it was selfish to think that, but why couldn't everyone have just stayed the way they were? They were happy like that, and Zack could have celebrated his promotion to First, and Angeal could have been there too, and he would have been so proud, and Zack could have been the hero he'd always wanted to be…

Except, underneath it all, they really hadn't been happy – Angeal and Sephiroth and Genesis – at least, not near the end. And heroes never became heroes the way they wanted, and Zack was surely no hero if he'd been blind to all the underlying tension in his friends. And, without Hojo, Hollander, and Jenova, there'd be no Angeal, Sephiroth, or Genesis.

So, maybe it had all been pointless, and even if he could go back to those times, there really wasn't a true happiness to go back to.

Gaia, that was a depressing thought. Zack had spent many enjoyable occasions with his friends, surely they'd been happy too? Or had Zack truly missed out on everything, ignored what they really needed, Angeal and Seph…

Seph. The name burned his thoughts. For a long time now, he'd called the demon wearing his friend's face by his full name, Sephiroth, unable to use the shortened, familiar version he'd given the General, when it hadn't been his friend at all. And now…he didn't know if he could bring himself to use the nickname. Was the Seph that existed in his memories the same man he now dragged with him? And even if it was, the name, Seph, implied a level of trust and closeness that…well, that Zack didn't know whether he still had it within him to give.

That was another depressing thought. So Zack turned away from it, unwilling to face those problems just yet. He had enough of his own to worry about.

Suddenly, Sephiroth shifted slightly, or Zack imagined he did, and he froze, heart leaping into his throat. Would he wake up? Would he be sane? Would those piercing green eyes rip out his soul as they'd done in Nibelheim, and crush his dreams beneath booted feet? A thousand questions rushed through Zack's mind as he waited with baited breath to find out what Sephiroth would do, as had happened each time, previously, when the man seemed to have moved or made a sound during their journey.

After a tense moment, however, with no additional signs of movement, Zack concluded that he must have just imagined it. Again. Gaia, he was jumping over his own shadows! Shaking his head, he continued onward.

He'd been walking for a long time now. Through the fog his thoughts muddled about in, Zack was aware that he'd been constantly struggling upward, through the stone passage. On some, almost unconscious, level, he noted that there was something different about it… He didn't see the numerous branching corridors that had populated the path he'd come down before. But with the pain occupying his mind, and struggling to focus on other thoughts in an attempt to distance himself from it, the discrepancy failed to concern him. He was just grateful that he didn't need to try to determine his way through a maze, not that he would have noticed one through the darkness and haze, when it was all he could do to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other.

He stumbled, tripping over his own feet. The startled gasp drove knives into his lungs, and he was overcome by a fit of painful coughing. He lurched to the side to lean against the wall before he collapsed on the spot; he didn't think he'd have the strength to stand if he fell. As it was, he barely maintained his hold on Sephiroth until the fit passed. Shuddering, he slumped against the wall, tasting blood. He let out a rare curse. This was not good.

Closing his eyes for a moment in exhaustion, he turned slightly to let his forehead rest against the cool stone; it seemed to bring some relief to the fiery heat of his injury, chasing back the fog that clouded his mind. Zack almost wished that he were back in the Lifestream, where he didn't have to deal with pain like this. It had been so peaceful there… He'd almost forgotten what pain really was. If Sephiroth hadn't been occupying his time, he would have been happy, floating among the waves, spending his days with Aerith.

Aerith… Oh, how he missed her. He'd always been able to sense her presence, no matter how far he wandered through the green river circling the Planet. She'd always been a comfort he could turn to when things got really bad. But now… Now, alive again, Zack had been cut off from the Lifestream, from the soothing wash of souls, and he was so cold, so alone. No matter how desperately he reached with his mind, his spirit, he failed to touch anyone else.

How did people live like this? How had Zack been able to live like this, before? It was frightening. He'd tried to push the feeling away, but now, surrounded by the darkness and the weight of the rock around him, it returned, weighing him down. The loneliness, emptiness, threatened to drive the precious breath from his struggling lungs.

He had to resist it, he knew. What would Aerith say, if he gave up right now? Heck, what would Angeal say? Zack could almost see his disapproving gaze.

Remember your dreams and honor, Zack. He mouthed the words.

Dreams and honor… Sure thing, Angeal. Dreams and honor… But the question was, what dreams? What honor? Did he still want to be a hero? It seemed pointless now… Who would he be a hero for? It was a silly, child's dream. For Sephiroth, for Cloud… No, they weren't in need of heroes, least of all Sephiroth. And Cloud was a hero in his own right, with friends and fellow heroes of his own.

Didn't mean Zack couldn't drop by to say, "Hi," of course, if he made it through this.

And honor… What did SOLDIER honor mean anymore, when ShinRa was corrupt, dragging SOLDIER down with it? SOLDIER… It was a joke, really. Zack wondered whether it had ever really been the organization he'd thought it had. Lies, all of it.

But…the people there hadn't been lies. Sephiroth, Angeal, Kunsel, and the other SOLDIERs… Their dreams, their friendship, had been real. Their desire to help people, to help each other, to protect comrades and allies and fight for a better world… It had all been in ShinRa's name, but it was real. Those feelings had all been genuine, as pure as ShinRa had been corrupt. Maybe the idea of SOLDIER honor wasn't as laughable as one would think. Those pure ideals still held true; though the organization fell apart, the idea of everything SOLDIER embodied remained. Maybe Zack could still feel proud to call himself SOLDIER.

Though it was painful to remember those days, knowing what had become of the three greatest members of SOLDIER. In a way, the idea of SOLDIER just left Zack feeling hollow inside.

He gave his head a rough shake and shoved himself away from the wall to continue his trek. These thoughts were not helping him! He needed to try to reach that optimistic part of himself, buried beneath all the pain and suffering. Thinking back, he called up memories of talking to Cloud, as he hauled his comatose friend across the world.

"So…" At first, his voice came out roughly, rasping in his lungs. Maybe he shouldn't be speaking, but he had to defeat the silence and his thoughts somehow. He coughed painfully to clear his throat, though it didn't help much. "Uh…Seph. Sephiroth. You don't mind if I call you Sephiroth, do ya? It's just 'cause, you know, not knowin' whether you're sane or not and all, considering you tried to take over the Planet…" He trailed off. Smooth, Zack, starting off a conversation this way. He decided to change the topic.

"What did you want a whole planet for, anyway? You'd think that if you really wanted to "sail the cosmos" with it, you coulda just threatened the President to give Palmer more money for his space program. Woulda been a lot less hassle that way. …Though on the other hand, dealin' with either of those two fruitcakes is enough to make anyone go nuts." He noticed, absently, that his Gongagan accent was coming through more prominently than it had during his years in Midgar, when it had faded somewhat. Times of stress tended to do that.

He still needed a different topic, though. Thinking of President ShinRa was just making him glower at the memories of the selfish, money-hungry dictator.

"When we get outta here, you call for a transport, alright? Well, unless you wanna hike all the way through the Sleeping Forest to Bone Village, but I'm tellin' you right now that I am not dragging you all that way! The deal ends when we get out of these caves, got it?" He paused, as if listening for an answer. "What? You gotta speak up. Oh, yeah, yeah, I know I took Cloud practically all 'round the Planet, but he was smaller'n you, and 'sides, he had Mako poisoning. You…you're just sleeping, or somethin'. Lazy. Wake up, already." He tightened his arm around Sephiroth in a poor imitation of giving the man a shake, though the last comment was colored with a mixture of desperation and fear – he wanted Sephiroth to be alright, but was afraid to find out that he was not really the friend he so hoped for.

Zack coughed again. "Besides…you gotta have a Lunar Harp to make it through the forest, don't you? Don't know 'bout you, but I haven't got one in my pocket. Couldn't play it, even if I did, but it would be funny to see you try!" Zack grinned at the mental image.

"So…where do you wanna go, after we get outta here? I'm thinking ShinRa's pointless, since, between you and Cloud, there's not much left. And Cloud'll go all Omnislash on you, anyway. I'm still gonna visit him, though." He paused, thinking. "Hey…how 'bout Gongaga? You never did get to see my hometown. It's really pretty, with waterfalls cascading down the steep hills in the rainforest… Gotta watch out for those frogs, though," Zack smirked. "I know you don't believe me, but they really can turn people to frogs!

"And I can see my parents again…" His voice took on a wistful tone. "Man, I haven't seen them since I joined SOLDIER! That's, what, how many years?" Zack racked his brain. "Let's see, I joined SOLDIER when I was thirteen…" Zack's carefully measured steps faltered and came to a stop as he added up all the years between then and now. When he next spoke, his voice came only as a shocked whisper.

"…F-fourteen…years…?" He stood, rooted to the spot, unable to comprehend that it had been that long. "…Fourteen years!" Desperately, he cast agonized, violet eyes upward, as if searching for answers, something to tell him that it couldn't be true. That was a small lifetime ago!

But there were no answers to be found in the dark ceiling of the tunnel, and he hung his head, shaking it in utter disbelief. "It…it can't be…" A sudden wave of weariness passed over him, and his knees buckled. He stumbled, trying to stay upright, but Sephiroth's weight pulled him down. He was forced to let go, only to catch himself with his injured arm, which immediately gave out. Zack let out a pained cry as he was pitched into the ground.

He lay there for a few minutes, still in shock. "…Mom…Dad…" He'd written to them, at least at first, especially when the days of training got long and hard, and everything about the city was still so new and unfamiliar, and made him feel homesick. But after a while, once he'd made SOLDIER, and the missions started and became longer and more frequent…he just hadn't had the time. Heck, he couldn't remember the last time he'd actually managed to finish and mail a letter. It was at least…nine years since they'd heard from him, if not more. And he wasn't able to visit them when he passed through after Nibelheim – the first time he'd actually seen Gongaga since joining SOLDIER. They probably thought he was dead. Which, to be fair, he had been.

Were his parents still alive? He knew they'd been alright when he'd been there – Cissnei had told him so. And they'd been alive when Cloud and Aerith had visited while tracking down Sephiroth… So they had to still be there! They just had to!

Slowly, Zack drew his knees up, took as deep a breath as he was able, and pushed himself up to sit back on his heels. Determination shone in his eyes – he was going to make it back home if it was the last thing he did.

He reached to the side to gather up Sephiroth, biting his lip to avoid crying out as he was forced to, once again, use his left arm. Then he staggered back to his feet.

"…S-sorry, pal… Don't know what came over me. Must've…tripped…" He straightened and began walking. "One thing's for sure, though… You're gonna have to go on a diet when you wake up."

And so, Zack continued up the sloping path, thoughts filled with memories of home.

Zack was unable to say how much longer it was before he finally saw a sliver of real light up ahead. By now, his legs burned with fatigue, and he knew he was running on pure willpower and Mako alone.

As he stumbled closer, the light resolved itself into a narrow archway. Finally! He was through with the tunnels – after today, he never wanted to see another one, ever again. And he was home free.

Too tired to even sigh in relief, Zack focused his efforts on shuffling through the bright portal. He was forced to pause, leaning against the side of the doorway, to allow his eyes to adjust. And the sight that greeted him…

…Was not the lake or the dense trees of the Sleeping Forest that he'd expected. Zack's mind ground to a halt as he stared in utter confusion at the scene.

He was in…a vast hallway, having entered from the side. The room extended many meters in front of him, while the enormous length stretched to either side; yawning entryways at the ends of the hallway appeared as small doorways from the distance. Everything seemed to be made from a golden stone; giant columns supported a domed ceiling towering high above, which was open to the sky – great rifts crossing through the center divided it into six equal parts. Natural light, bright from his time in the dimness of the caves, shone through those gaps in the ceiling and permeated the area. Tall statues of strange, hooded figures were set into alcoves in the wall between the columns.

"…What…?" Zack had no idea what to make of this as he stared, at a loss. What had happened to the forest? Where was the lake? The large, seashell-like building? He felt, distinctly, that something had to be messing with his mind, because this was making no sense whatsoever.

…Must've gone loopy from all the time in the tunnels…

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed down the hallway to his right, and he stumbled forward to see past a large column, only to view a scene just as bewildering as the building he was in.

There were several people dressed in white armor of some kind, it seemed. They were shooting…ray guns?…at a black figure who was quickly pivoting and leaping from a fallen statue, only to deflect the bolts with two…glowing orange…swords…

Huh? Either ShinRa, or somebody, had invented new toys while he was away, or Zack had fallen asleep watching some hokey science fiction movie. Or he'd started to hallucinate from blood loss.

He stared for a few minutes, still working to comprehend what was going on. The figure in black moved quickly to defeat his attackers, spinning from one side of the hallway to the other. Zack heard strangled screams from the others as limbs were removed, while the figure seemed untouched by the fiery bolts slamming into the stone around it, kicking up debris, or somehow magically reflecting from the shining blades.

…Although, the figure might have more trouble with the rocket launcher one armored man was lifting to his shoulder. The weapon was secured in place, and with a loud boom, the rocket soared toward the swordsman. But he merely lifted a hand skyward, somehow boosting the rocket upward without touching it, which destabilized its trajectory and sent it straight for the column next to Zack.

Almost in slow motion, Zack watched as the rocket headed for the column. He absently noted that the black figure had seen them as it pivoted, turning its head to watch them for a brief moment, before spinning back to its own fight.

And then the explosive slammed into the stone above his head, and Zack was ducking and turning away, and activating Haste from the Time materia in his armlet…

"Time to mosey a little faster!"

And then he was speeding away, as the explosion kicked stone shrapnel into his back, and the column plummeted to the ground behind them.

The boost of speed brought them quickly to the huge archway framing the exit, and out onto a barren, rocky world. For all the commotion going on inside, there was nothing out here, not a single soul nor living creature or plant. It was as if the entire area had been deserted.

A wide, steep set of stairs spilled down in front of them, and Zack skidded to a halt, barely able to keep himself from tumbling down them. He panted, gasping for breath, the materia use having taken a lot out of him. He blinked, trying to clear eyes that had become blurry, and gazed around, attempting to determine where to go.

Various structures were built into the stone on landings on the sides of the staircase, and more stone figures marched down to the dusty, valley floor. An array of giant, curving stone pillars lined a wide pathway heading away to canyon walls rising up in the distance. The sky was overcast, and a cold, brisk wind blew, stirring up occasional dust devils that danced across rock and dirt.

It certainly didn't look very promising. Craning his neck, Zack looked behind them, back into the giant building. More explosions rocked the structure, and with small pebbles pattering down from the archway, Zack decided that trying to deal with whoever was inside was not a good option. Hopefully, they'd run into someone else!

Casting Haste once more to quickly bring them away from the dangerous battle, Zack bounded down the steps, then dashed out onto the plain, following the strange pillars. He could feel the spell start to wear off, too quickly, and cast it again, redoubling his efforts to put enough distance between them and the building.

Finally, the effort proved to be too much, and he staggered, the spell dying out. He gasped, trying to pull oxygen into his lungs, but it seemed like he could never breathe deep enough. He felt lightheaded, and dark spots swam in front of his eyes.

Quickly, before he completely gave out, he managed to stumble to one of the columns, dropping Sephiroth to rest against it. Then, tripping over his own feet, he lurched to the side, landing heavily in the dirt, too exhausted to even yelp at the agony spiking through him. This was it. This was as far as he could make it. He was unable to push himself any further. With one final effort, he pulled himself up to lean against the column, then let his arms fall lifelessly to his sides. Wearily, he tilted his head to stare blankly at the clouds, blinking slowly.

"Hey…Sephiroth. …I'm gonna rest here…for a minute…and you…you just let me know…when you're ready to go."

With that, his eyes slid shut, and Zack did not move again.

Awareness gradually returned to him, and with it came the feel of a chill breeze and the bright light of the outside world stabbing through his eyelids.

Sephiroth groaned, weakly shifting his head away from the light in protest, though it did little good. Because his head was resting against something very hard and solid, he thought he was lying down…and so suffered a nasty surprise when gravity dropped his head forward to his chest, only for him to automatically react by jerking back upward and snapping his eyes open.

Bad move. He squeezed his eyes shut against the offending light, wincing as both it and the sudden movement set his head to pounding, and raised a gloved hand to his forehead. What in Gaia's name had happened? So help him, if that Turk Reno had tried to spike the punch again with that foul substance he'd discovered in yet another effort to get his SOLDIERs drunk…

His thoughts trailed off. No, that wasn't it. Slowly, he opened his eyes to the world, taking in the unfamiliar sight – the twisted pillars, the rocky, dead lands, the overcast sky which he'd thought bright to eyes that had been used to darkness… This location, it was… Where was it, exactly? He remembered being in the caverns, the crystals, Jenova…

Spying a figure off to his right, he breathed a sigh of relief as he caught sight of Zack leaning against the side of the column. He leaned over, lifting a hand to set on his friend's shoulder and shake him awake.

"Zack…" But Zack only moved limply with the movement, and, his position disturbed, slumped forward. Sephiroth quickly caught him by the shoulders to push him back, sudden concern causing him to frown. He withdrew for a moment, only to catch sight of bright red staining his glove. His eyes widened, and his attention immediately drew back to his friend, heart starting to quicken in alarm.

Zack's entire left side was drenched in blood, from his neck downwards. The red liquid stained the column behind him, and pooled beneath him. There was a trickle coming from the corner of this mouth, standing out starkly against skin that was far too pale. The lack of movement, of any life at all in the still form, made it look like he was…dead.

No. No, this cannot be. In desperation, Sephiroth moved close to his friend, yanking off a glove to lay fingers against the chilled skin of Zack's neck and check for a pulse, at the same time bending over to listen for any sound of breath.

The seconds ticked by.

There. A weak fluttering beneath his fingers, too fast and irregular, and the faint, rasping sound of air moving through damaged lungs. Sephiroth sighed in relief. Zack was alive, but wasn't going to last for long at this rate, having lost as much precious fluid as it looked like he had.

Quickly, Sephiroth began to examine his friend to find the extent of his injuries. He gently tilted Zack's head back, finding a cruel gash along the left side of his neck. It wasn't critical, thankfully, and Zack seemed to have completely overlooked it while he was occupied with the wound in his chest and shoulder. Moving past that injury, Sephiroth spied another long gash scoring Zack's left side along his ribs; he carefully fingered the torn remains of the sweater to pull them away and get a better look. This one was deep enough to cause Sephiroth some concern and would certainly have been troublesome enough on its own, but again, Zack seemed to have missed it. Which, Sephiroth considered, as he finally turned to the most grievous injury, may not have been all that surprising. The one in Zack's shoulder seemed to pierce all the way through him. Sephiroth's blood ran cold as he carefully turned back the edges of the crude bandages to examine it.

It still seeped the dark fluid, though the flow appeared to have slowed. Sephiroth was unable to get a clear look at the full extent of the injury – he was hesitant to remove the bandages completely and risk tearing it back open where the blood would have adhered to the fabric. But he was able to note the ragged edges of the wound, and how they seemed to have partially healed in places. But if Zack had been able to use materia to heal the injury, then why…

Oh. One of the few limitations of the Restore materia, unable to properly fix misaligned bone… Oh, Zack… Sephiroth had seen instances of other SOLDIERs suffering the unfortunate fate, and it was never pleasant. He feared what extra damage Zack may have inadvertently caused. …Though, ironically, from the looks of it, it might have actually helped to keep him from bleeding out as fast as he must have been before, at least with parts of the ugly wound having knitted together.

Gently, Sephiroth pulled Zack away from the column to get a look at the other side of the injury. With one arm securely propping him up, the former General pried back the bandages along Zack's back. They were practically glued together from the blood, but Sephiroth was able to determine enough: Jenova's claw must have entered just barely behind his shoulder blade, likely damaging it, before exiting below the left side of his collar bone, two other of her claws sending careless gashes along his neck and side.

Gaia, if she had been any more careless…

Cursing the wretched monster under his breath, Sephiroth carefully laid his friend back down, and set to work finishing the job Zack had started. He mentally apologized for removing the remaining fabric on Zack's pant legs and reducing them to ragged shorts; Sephiroth would have used his own in a heartbeat, but leather was a poor choice for bandage material. Tearing the fabric into strips, he layered them across the existing bandages, this time binding Zack's upper arm to his side – a much more effective job than Zack was able to do himself. Satisfied, he did what he could with the remaining fabric to cover the gash in Zack's side, and chose to leave the wound in his neck alone, since it had stopped bleeding long before, and he'd run out of usable fabric in any case.

Then, because it was quite chilly out and Zack couldn't stand to lose any more body heat, Sephiroth removed his own long coat and wrapped it tightly around Zack's smaller frame, heedless of the blood that would stain it. The coat may not have looked very warm to others, but appearances could be deceiving, and it had kept Sephiroth quite warm on many a cold night. …If only Zack were awake now to appreciate it. His pale skin was too much of a contrast against the black leather.

Now… What to do? Sephiroth had no idea where they were – they needed to find help, and quickly.

When we get outta here, you call for a transport, alright?

Sephiroth frowned. Where had that thought come from? Well, in any case, it was their best option. Though, on the other hand, Sephiroth didn't have any numbers that weren't from ShinRa or SOLDIER, and he was positive that going back there wasn't an option. …But he had to try something, and maybe, just maybe, he knew of one person that might have the willingness and capabilities to help them.

Reaching into the pockets of the coat wrapped around Zack, Sephiroth searched for his phone. Was it still there? His materia and sword had come with him, but had anything else…?

There! Sephiroth felt the cool object in his hand, and swiftly removed it. It even still had the small chocobo charm Zack had once given him. He allowed a faint smile, before snapping it open to dial Tseng's number.

…Or he would have, had the blasted thing not blinked a "No Service" warning at him. Growling, he restrained himself from crushing the traitorous device in his fist, and replaced it in the pocket. He would need to find aid elsewhere.

Quickly, he secured both their swords to his back, though was unable to suppress a pained expression as he discovered, for the second time, the fate of his beloved Masamune. Was this all that Zack had salvaged? Surely, there'd been more… He shook his head. He should be grateful that Zack had been able to take even this much, let alone willing. By all rights, Zack should have left Sephiroth where he'd found him – the exertion it must have cost to bring them both, along with two swords, could not have helped him at all. And could Zack have forgiven him so easily, to risk his life like this?

…They would have much to talk about, when Zack was finally healed and woke. But right now, Sephiroth needed to get his him to safety.

Bending down, he gathered his friend close, and, ever so gently, lifted him into his arms. Unfortunately, one of his arms was forced to support Zack directly on the wound on his back; he saw Zack's brow furrow in pain as he was lifted.

"I'm sorry, Zack," he said, quietly. "But you're going to have to bear with it."

Zack's head rested limply against his shoulder, and for an instant he saw a flash of violet as Zack's eyes cracked open to stare blearily at nothing. Then they closed as he fell deeper into unconsciousness, his body relaxing further into Sephiroth's arms.

"…Hold on, Zack."

With mounting urgency, Sephiroth glanced about them, having no idea where they should be going. This place didn't look familiar in the least! Off in the distance, not unreasonably far away, he saw a large, domed structure…which they'd apparently come from, judging by the footprints. His mouth went dry when he noticed small spatterings of blood also marking the path.

Had Zack carried him all the way here? And up from the underground cavern, however deep that had been? How? By all indications, it should have been impossible in his condition. Then again, he was a SOLDIER, and when pressed hard enough, SOLDIERs and Mako could accomplish amazing things.

But even if he had, why would he have left the other building? Was there no one there who could have helped them? Sephiroth was tempted to go back and see for himself.

But Zack must have had a good reason to come all the way out here, when he must have had trouble merely standing. …I'll have to trust his judgment. There's not enough time to do anything else.

Sephiroth turned to view the strange pillars marching away from the structure, ending a short distance away when rugged rock formations began to rise to take their place. The path continued beyond them, heading into what looked to be the beginning of some canyon, stone walls rising up and obscuring the horizon. That's where he would go.

Gaia…I hope you know what you were doing, Zack. I only have one chance at this, and if I'm wrong…I honestly don't know what I'll do.

Taking one last, uncertain look behind them, Sephiroth set off into the barren wilderness, all too conscious of the time, and Zack's life, slipping away.

to be continued…