Once again, he found himself trapped in that gaze.
But he met it head on, never flinching, never feeling a single spasm or shiver. He felt no fear towards those eyes or the imposing man whom they belonged to. However, he did faintly wonder if he was going to be reprimanded. The order had been to report in at 0500, and he was sure he'd arrived early, so there would be no reason for admonition. Maybe the man before him always looked like that?
"You're on time." It was merely an observation, not in any way praise; not that he expected any.
Zack said nothing. There was nothing to say. He only met that calculating stare with a level one of his own, and though the Second felt no unease, he did notice that he was standing straighter.
Long silver hair shifted as Sephiroth turned his gaze away.
"The Vice President and his Turk will be arriving momentarily. You do understand your objective?"
Zack nodded. "I'm supposed to protect the Vice President should things go sour, right?"
The taller man nodded his affirmative.
"Uh, sir? If I may," he started, waiting for permission.
"Continue," was his go-ahead.
"Why exactly are you here, sir? I mean if you're being sent on this mission, then why does Shinra need me there?"
Zack couldn't help but be confused. While he had been present at the mission briefing, Lazard had made no indication that Sephiroth would be going as well. And surely if there had been no need to inform the Second of the General's accompaniment, then he would not be needed for any potential combat. Not only that, but if Shinra had felt the need to send Sephiroth, then there would definitely be no need for Zack to be sent along. So then why were they sending both him and the silver haired man?
Sephiroth's expression had not changed from its almost catatonic neutrality, and he would have looked like a statue had it not been for the movement of his lips.
"Your reason for being sent on this mission is as Lazard described it to you," Sephiroth answered. "My accompanying you is not for the purpose of guarding the Vice President."
"Then why are they sending you with us?" Zack asked.
Sephiroth looked back to him briefly. "Just focus on your own mission, Fair. There is no need for you to be concerned about my presence on this mission."
It wasn't a reprimand. Zack didn't even think it was the General's way of saying "Mind your own business." It was nothing but a statement; a completely dispassionate statement of fact. He was honestly surprised it hadn't been said in a mechanical monotone, though it was pretty damn close. Nevertheless, Zack didn't press the issue. Either the other did not wish to discuss it, or he would find out soon enough, and there was no need to say anything. At any rate, it was not the Second's place to press a superior operative; he knew his place.
He noticed Sephiroth's gaze travel to something new. Automatically he turned to regard whatever it was that had grabbed his superior's attention.
He saw a young man in a white coat and another in the familiar black suit of a Turk, so the one in white must have been Vice President Shinra. They approached at an equal pace—with the Turk about a pace ahead of the other—and came to a stop only a couple of paces away from the two SOLDIERs. They all stood that way for a moment, as if both pairs were sizing up each other.
The black-haired Turk regarded Zack with stony brown eyes and was the first to speak.
"Tseng of the Turks. And you are SOLDIER Second Class, Zack Fair." It wasn't a question, but he nodded anyway.
"As you know, we are being sent to Wutai in hopes of coming to an 'agreement' with their emperor." He almost wanted to snort at that. "I trust that Director Lazard informed you of your objective?" Again, he nodded.
"Well... if everything goes as it should, you will not be needed—"
"Yes, then he will serve the same purpose as our 'Hero' here." The blond in white suddenly spoke up, a smirk marring his face as he made a gesture towards the SOLDIER First.
Zack bristled slightly at the blond's remark but more so at his tone. The man was clearly arrogant and didn't seem to realize—or care—that he was referring to an extremely powerful man as if he were nothing. All the while, said man was standing right there, in front of him! The Second chanced a glance at the First beside him; he hadn't flinched. The remark simply rolled off of him, and Zack wasn't really surprised. The brat could say what he wanted; he'd be just like all the other suits of the upper levels: all talk, but once there was trouble he would cower. Still, Lazard had said that the Vice President would be carrying out the negotiations. All of the sudden, he was pretty sure he knew why he'd been assigned as a guard. With someone like the blond before him carrying out negotiations in a war-torn country, there was no way it would end on a good note.
He was brought out of his musings by Tseng clearing his throat. Clearly, the Turk did not want there to be any conflicts when they hadn't even left Midgar.
"I suggest we board now. It would not do for us to be late." With that, he boarded the helicopter, the Vice President behind him.
Zack turned and regarded Sephiroth. With a tilt of his head, the General motioned for him to board, and he obeyed wordlessly. Once inside he looked towards the cockpit and noticed the pilot waiting patiently for orders. With a motion from Tseng, the pilot started the aircraft just as Sephiroth entered the cabin and slid the door shut.
Within minutes, they were in the air, departing from the pollution-choked metropolis to Wutai.
o0o
The flight to Wutai was uneventful.
No one spoke or moved from their places; aside from the sound aircraft's rotor, there was nothing else. Zack knew it would be a long flight, and it was going to get boring quickly. He decided that he would at least take in the two non-SOLDIERs that were a part of this operation.
The Turk, Tseng, seemed just as stone-faced as the SOLDIER general could be. There really wasn't much to him that Zack could see. He seemed cool, calm, and collected, so he had to question why Shinra wouldn't have sent someone like him to do the negotiations. Everything would certainly fare much better if someone like him were doing the talking. Tseng sat still, arms crossed, looking at his knees. He had spoken just like the General did: He was to the point, gave away nothing, and was all business. While those types did tend to grate on Zack's nerves… the man was a much better choice than his charge.
With that thought, he looked over to the blond that sat not too far from the brunette Turk.
The Vice President had an expression of complete boredom, cold blue eyes looking off to one side. He seemed to have little desire in being a part of the affair, so why would they send him? The young man came off as nothing more than an arrogant child and Zack wouldn't have been surprised if it were true; he was pretty good at reading people, after all. Nearly all of the higher-ups acted that way, too rich and cocky for their own good, too wrapped up in their own haze of self-satisfaction. Though, Zack would admit, the young man was easy on the eyes, but while Zack was pretty open to going either way when it came to sexuality, he did not find the brat attractive; even his looks couldn't compensate for that attitude. He almost worried about all the things that could, and probably would, go wrong at this meeting. If the Vice President didn't want any part of it, who was to say something wouldn't go wrong? And, of course, it was his duty to make sure nothing happened to the blond.
He was beginning to wish that the General had been assigned the task instead. Another few days of boredom certainly beat being involved in gone-sour negotiations and being duty-bound to protect the arrogant prick that would have most likely been the cause of it all.
Speaking of the silver-haired SOLDIER...
Zack glanced over to the far side of the cabin, where the tall man was. Just like the Turk, he sat unmoving. One leg was crossed over the other and his arms were crossed over his chest. The General's head was also tilted down, silver bangs veiling his face so that no one could see. The Second was hit with the funny thought of whether or not the man was sleeping. He felt the corner of his lips quirk at the thought of the SOLDIER General being asleep while pretending to be deep in thought. Although, he really couldn't blame the man if that were indeed the case, but he was pretty sure it wasn't. Sephiroth did not strike him as the type to sleep on the job.
For the rest of the long flight, Zack allowed his mind to wander unbidden. There wasn't much else he could do in the small, closed-in space. He thought about anything and everything, mostly to avoid thinking about the possibly horrible outcome of his mission.
o0o
On his mission to Fort Tamblin, Zack had seen very little of the nation of Wutai. For one, it had been in the dead of night when they'd arrived, and aside from the fort, all he'd seen was forest, forest... and more forest. That certainly didn't hold a candle to what he saw on this mission.
Zack, in his barely concealed excitement, was the first to emerge from the helicopter. It was late afternoon by the time they reached the actual city of Wutai, the sun still high in the sky but more oriented towards the west. It was the only real city on the entire, albeit small, continent, so it was easy to conclude that it was what he saw in the distance. He saw it clearly, sitting at the foot of tall mountains with no trace of smog hanging above it. While one could see Midgar quite easily as well, what with its sheer size, the city atop the plate was always veiled with pollution which also distorted the air above it. This was not the case with Wutai.
He chose to ignore the Turk and Vice President's passing him in favor of taking in more of these surroundings.
"Wow..."
He heard a soft, deep chuckle resonate from behind him, and he turned to see his superior approach from the aircraft. It was the first sound he'd heard from the taller man in hours, and he was almost surprised that it was a sound of amusement. Sephiroth came to a stop beside the Second and said nothing for a moment as if he were allowing Zack to take in as much as he could of the scenery. After a moment, Zack heard the sound of footsteps on grass and turned his sight to the silver-haired man as he began following the Vice President and Tseng.
"Let's go, Fair. You are not here to gape at the landscape," he heard that deep voice say. Zack could have sworn there was a hint of mirth in those words.
The city itself was like nothing he'd ever seen, and it took everything Zack had to keep himself from wandering all over the place in an effort to take in every last detail. His eyes went over anything and everything that was possible to see and glowed with amazement.
The ancient and traditional designs of the buildings were similar to that of Fort Tamblin yet still so foreign to him. However, without the obvious risk of enemy attack, Zack was free to see the architecture for what it was. People bustled about in equally foreign but nonetheless interesting clothes. They seemed to go about their business and took no notice of him and the others though he did notice a few glance at the silver-haired general that headed the group.
Above he could see what he learned was the Da Chao Mountain and the strange figures that had been sculpted out of the stone near the top, seeming to look down upon the city. Who or what were those figures? What sort of impact had they made to be sculpted into the mountains themselves? He had so many questions, so much he could learn from this beautiful place. That Crescent soldier had to have been wrong about Shinra's motives. Why would anyone want to potentially destroy something so amazing?
Up ahead a tall building, in the same traditional style as the others, loomed above. They climbed steps up to the courtyard before it. At the entrance of the building stood two men in what Zack would guess was traditional and very formal dress. They stood straight and proud, almost like the soldiers he had fought at the fort, and he just knew that they were of importance. Were these men who they were to meet with? No, he remembered Lazard telling him that they were to meet with the Emperor. So who were these men?
Zack keenly noticed the hard gazes of the men on them as they made their way across the courtyard. However, a second, closer look proved that their gazes were trained on the General. Tseng and the Vice President followed behind him, and Zack himself brought up the rear of the group, but the Wutai men paid little heed to them. Sephiroth stopped only mere feet from the men and bowed deeply. Tseng followed suit, and Zack quickly did the same, judging it to be the best course of action. As he bowed, he turned his eyes up slightly so as to see ahead and noticed that the Vice President remained standing straight.
The Second straightened with the General and the Turk, his gaze going to the Wutai men before them. Their eyes were no longer trained on Sephiroth, but rather they seemed to glare at the arrogant blond. He could just imagine the look on the young man's face, smug and full of conceit.
Perfect, Zack thought. Piss them off before the negotiations even start.
The Vice President stepped forward, ahead of Sephiroth.
"Rufus Shinra... Vice President of Shinra Electric Power Company. I have been appointed to speak with your emperor as a representative of the company."
The Wutai men looked at each other before responding, expressions of intense disdain on their faces.
"So, your President cannot show himself to the people he has slaughtered? Is he so cowardly that he cannot face the nation he has tried to destroy?" There was venom in those words, and Zack honestly could not blame them for feeling the way they so obviously did.
Rufus seemed unfazed by the words and the anger behind them. "The President is a very busy man. This war has taxed Shinra as well. But I assure you, as Vice President of the company, I am just as qualified as he is to negotiate this treaty." There was a pause, and Zack could sense the smirk in the blonde's next words.
"Besides, I believe you will find me to be much more... agreeable than the President himself."
Zack didn't quite understand the meaning of that statement. 'More agreeable'? Was that supposed to mean some sort of leniency? Whatever the meaning of those words, the two Wutai men seemed to see it, and found it an insult. Their scowls deepened to almost snarls.
"You wretched—!"
"I am not here to speak with the likes of you. Judge me as you wish, but I was sent here to speak with the emperor, not lowly servants."
He dropped the polite act pretty damn quick, Zack mused.
Without waiting for any sort of response, Rufus strode past the two men and through the threshold they guarded. Wordlessly, Tseng followed close behind. Sephiroth lingered for only a second before following suit, and Zack quickly followed behind the First. He almost wanted to apologize for the blond's behavior after he saw the disgusted faces of the men. Did Rufus not seem to realize that he was representing an entire, enormous group of people? Or did he just not care?
Inside, they came face to face with who Zack guessed was Emperor Godo.
He was of a strong stature and stood just as proudly as men outside, dressed in elaborate formal attire that clearly indicated his status in his country. On either side of him stood two other men, perhaps advisors. All three men wore faces like stone, giving nothing away.
Wow. Does everyone around here wear poker faces? Zack wondered.
He glanced about as he followed beside Sephiroth and noted the presence of armed guards. No surprise there. But, there were no weapons drawn; clearly, these soldiers were present for the same reason as Zack.
He drew his attention back to his front just in time to notice Rufus and Tseng stop. He stopped only a few feet behind, beside the taller SOLDIER, and kept his attention ahead. This was his mission. He would remain focused just as he was trained.
Emperor Godo regarded them evenly.
"You are of the Shinra," he said just as calmly. "If you would, follow me. A room has been prepared for this engagement."
They followed the Emperor and his men into a small conference room. Godo strode to the other side and sat at the conference table, his advisors standing on either side of him. Rufus followed suit, sitting with Tseng standing vigilantly behind. Zack and Sephiroth remained slightly further behind, stationed in the same fashion as Godo's own warriors.
Godo was the first to speak.
"Shinra requested that I have an audience with a representative in order to discuss the terms of an agreement."
Rufus nodded. "That is correct."
"It is curious that you would wish to settle this matter diplomatically, however, seeing as how you were quite quick to wage war upon us."
"With all due respect, Your Highness…"
"Shinra dog! You will address the emperor as His Majesty!" the man to Godo's right bellowed.
Before the man could say more, Godo held up his hand to stop him.
"You are to remain silent, Staniv," he said, not bothering to look to his side, seemingly unfazed by the... insult?
The man, Staniv abruptly turned to face the Emperor. "But Your Majesty, he— "
"Hold your tongue, Staniv," Godo's voice was firmer this time, sharper, and Staniv instantly relented.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Finished with his advisor, Godo addressed Rufus again. "I beg your pardon for Staniv's behavior. Continue."
"Oh, no. I must beg your pardon, Your Majesty," Rufus visibly smirked, "But your people were quite hostile with us when we proposed the building of the reactor. We only sought your benefit." He shrugged to himself and crossed one leg over the other. "But that is not the reason why I am here. There is no need to dredge up our past conflicts when we are trying to create peace... now, is there?"
Godo's eyes narrowed. "Indeed. There is not."
Rufus's smirk changed into a sickeningly charming smile. "We only seek to make Wutai a valued ally. We have no interest in taking your culture from you."
The Emperor did not look convinced. Neither did the men around him. "Of course there must be an end to this bargain that Wutai must uphold," he stated.
Rufus shrugged as if it there was little to be concerned about. "We have found that there is quite an abundance of mako on this continent," he answered. "We only seek to unearth it, and use it...for the benefit of Shinra and Wutai as well."
Zack noticed snarls growing on Godo's men's faces. Clearly, they were not pleased.
Godo remained wary. "Surely that is not all you seek?"
"We seek you cooperation. Join us. By becoming a part of Shinra, you will have the power to prosper so much more," Rufus said, that smile still gracing his lips. "You will also have access to our greatest asset."
At that, Zack saw Sephiroth step forward.
"I believe you are familiar with our SOLDIERs," Rufus purred as he gestured to the silver-haired man. "This one in particular... I believe your people have called him a 'Demon'?"
Zack briefly noticed the tension on Godo's face. But he was more curious as to what Rufus was getting at. Was this really why they brought Sephiroth here, to show him off?
"Whatever you wish to call him, he is our greatest weapon — "
"That is a man of flesh and blood, no matter how powerful he may be."
Rufus shook his head and short blond locks fluttered. "He is a weapon manufactured by the most superior scientists. He and the rest of our SOLDIERs were designed to be superior to the average warrior." That smile morphed again into a nasty smirk. "But this," he made a gesture to Sephiroth again, "It is of perfect design, strength unrivaled, especially now, since the only others that were on par are now long gone."
Zack couldn't believe what he was hearing! Weapon? Manufactured? It? Did that prick forget that he was talking about a human being, and said human being was right there? Who spoke about a person like that? Who would refer to a man who risked his life many times as if he were a mere object to be owned and used as one saw fit?
But then another thought occurred to the Second. Was Rufus merely speaking for himself when referring to the First that way? Or did the whole of Shinra share the same opinion?
A sick feeling settled in Zack's stomach at the thought. Was the First always objectified like that? Did Shinra really see him as nothing more than a tool?
It took all he had not to let the anger that built up show on his face, but with that anger came disbelief. Why would Sephiroth just stand there and allow himself to be degraded, dehumanized? There was no way Sephiroth could not be bothered by what was being said about him.
Zack tuned out the rest of the conversation, not wanting to hear anymore of the blond bastard's words. He just stood in his place and quietly seethed. He didn't notice that Sephiroth could sense the tension and had turned to look at him.
o0o
Rufus had been invited to dine with the Emperor, and as a show of hospitality, Godo had given them all rooms in his Palace during their stay.
Tseng had gone with Rufus as his guard, as he was ordered to do. But the sun had long set, and the two had not been seen. Perhaps, Godo and Rufus had gotten into another conversation. Zack couldn't have cared less though; his only intent was to find the silver-haired First.
He found him in the room which he had been given, still fully clothed and gazing outside. Zack cleared his throat gently to gain his attention, and the taller man turned his head without hesitation. He found himself, once again, caught in that piercing gaze, but he had a feeling that the other was not attempting to get him to cower and go away.
"Fair," he acknowledged, "what would bring you to see me this evening?"
For the first time Zack hesitated. He had no idea how he was supposed to address his concerns. Did he even have right to?
"Sir, I…"
At the pause, Sephiroth turned his body towards the Second and raised a sliver brow.
"Yes?"
Here goes nothin', I guess. "Why did you let him say those things about you?"
Zack almost thought he saw a look of confusion pass over that flawless face, but if it had, it was replaced quickly.
"What exactly do you mean, Fair?"
Zack sighed, "The way the Vice President was… objectifying you like that," he said. "Why would you let him talk about you as if you're just some weapon? Some object?"
Sephiroth's head tilted ever so slightly to the side. "Why would I speak against what is truth?"
He couldn't believe his ears! Did Sephiroth just agree with what had been said about him?
"Truth?"
"I was designed by Shinra for the purpose of combat. Is that not what a weapon is? An object which is used for purposes to harm?"
"Sir, with all due respect, that is bullshit!"
"I beg your pardon."
"You're not a weapon! You're a human!" Zack asserted, "Sure, you may be a bit different, but you breathe, you bleed—"
"Fair, while you may be correct in that I share bodily functions of Homo sapiens, it does not change what I was designed for."
What the fuck?
"No way—!"
"I think it may be best that you retire to you room, Fair," Sephiroth said as he turned his back on the Second. "You ought to wake in the morning well rested."
"But—"
"Shall I make it an order, Fair?"
Zack stopped there. While SOLDIER had no official set ranks, aside from First, Second, and Third, it was still common practice for a SOLDIER of higher standing to be treated as if they were of a superior military rank. As he'd been taught, if Sephiroth, a stronger SOLDIER, gave him an order, he would be 'bound' to comply. Why delay the inevitable?
Zack gave a soft huff of agitation, before finally complying and leaving to his room.
What he failed to notice was Sephiroth's eyes upon him, his face drawn in confusion.