Director and General

by Ale Sieben

After being locked up in a coffin by Hojo and Lucrecia, Vincent wakes up to find that they're both dead and Sephiroth is alive and well. After a bit of coercion Rufus and Veld, Vincent decides to rejoin the Turks as Head of the Department. Things go rather well until Vincent starts getting hot flashes and Sephiroth says he wants to be friends.

15. Let It Sink In

Chapter Summary:

Sephiroth returns to Midgar seeking answers after having Jenova throw a fit in his head. After getting an explanation (and a scolding) from Genesis, he gets to witness just how much Vincent needs and relies on Chaos. This leads the General to reassess his behavior and sets him on a path to make amends with Vincent and the Turks.

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The helicopter carrying Sephiroth landed on a private helipad a few blocks away from the Shinra building around seven in the evening. He paid the pilot and made his way towards Headquarters without a clear destination. On one hand, he felt compelled to go to a specific room within the medwing, a room he was sure was currently occupied by Cloud Strife. It was an instinctual drive, much like in his youth years when he felt drawn to wherever Genesis and Angeal were when any of them was in any kind of distress. It was the same impulse that pulled him away from Junon and had him paying a dismal amount of money to an off-the-books pilot to get him to Midgar without questions asked and, more importantly, to keep him quiet as to his fare and destination.

On the other hand, he wanted to ignore all warnings, both internal and external, and go find Vincent. He was certain that whatever had happened earlier to send Jenova into a frightening fit had something to do with the gunman or one of the creatures within him. He wanted answers about that, and he wanted those answers to come from Vincent and no one else. However, the pull to find Cloud was stronger and more urgent.

Plus, if he was being honest with himself, he was very curious as to why, seemingly out of nowhere, there was now a connection between himself and Cloud, of all people. He kept thinking about the blond's actions and words on the day of his lunch meeting with Vincent and the fact that, in spite of all his misgivings, he had managed to trust the younger man, if only that day. The jealousy (Genesis was right about that, as difficult as it was for the General to admit) had still been there afterwards, most notably at the tailor's when the gunman mentioned Strife was the kind of man he would not only support but 'follow anywhere'.

Earlier that day, shortly after Jenova had freaked out and all that remained of her voice was a trembling echo, a single warm pulse broke through the icy shards that clung to his consciousness; a brief image of Vincent had been accompanied by a sense of relief and security before dissolving into an almost pleasant darkness. It left him feeling confused but also strangely guilty, like he'd tapped into something deeply personal. He knew it related to Cloud in the same way he could discern between Genesis and Angeal's thoughts whenever he happened to catch them.

Without realizing it, he had changed course and found himself walking towards the Science Department, specifically the observation area. He made it past the front desk without running into anyone, which struck him as slightly strange but by then the link between him and Cloud was so clear that he easily ignored the lack of personnel. He made his way through the labyrinthine halls with ease, following not his memory of the place but the pulsing thread tugging at the back of his mind that led to Cloud. It wasn't painful, more like the dull pressure he would sometimes get if he tied his hair too tightly and for a long period of time. Because he had learned how not to intrude on Genesis and Angeal's thoughts or emotional state, he was only aware of Cloud's presence… unless he concentrated. The younger Soldier apparently had no idea how to guard himself so Sephiroth had gotten a few flashes of the younger man's thoughts and impressions. He could tell that Cloud was anxious about what had happened at the labs, and was trying very hard not to intrude on the General's mind.

What caught his attention the most, however, was that he also caught glimpses of memories. First, a very young Cloud following some kids his age to the mountain range with a sense of exhilaration that gradually gave way to mounting dread and panic, then falling into a bright, thick pool of mako. Pain and disorientation, then darkness for a long time. Then, tests and combat, moments with Zack and Kunsel, some with the Turks. Sephiroth physically recoiled at those images, forcefully severing the connection that he had absent-mindedly allowed to unravel and go unchecked. He went on for a few more feet until he found himself in front of the door to the room Cloud and Genesis were in. He took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders before knocking, not bothering to announce himself.

A moment later, Genesis opened the door but didn't move to make room for Sephiroth to enter. Instead, he stood in front of him, arms crossed over his chest and the most disapproving look he could muster on his face. Behind him, Cloud was sitting on the examination table, sensors hooked to his arms, chest, and temples, and going towards a machine that monitored his vitals and some other stats that Sephiroth couldn't read from where he stood. The blond tried to give him a neutral look but there was the slightest widening of his eyes that gave away not surprise but a certain degree of wariness. Feeling how guarded the younger man was, Sephiroth immediately made a more conscious effort to keep their connection off.

Genesis pulled him out of his staring contest with Cloud by clearing his throat and taking a step back so he was in the General's field of vision.

"Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Say for myself?"

"You abandoned your post not only without permission but without letting anyone know what you were doing or where you were going. If you think Lazard and Rufus are going to let it slide, you're sorely mistaken."

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed and he focused his attention on his friend. "Jenova had a fit of epic proportions, Genesis. I wasn't going to stay on the other side of the continent until someone saw fit to fill me in."

No one doubted that Sephiroth was aware of Jenova's reaction to what happened earlier at the labs. The problem was that, instead of calling his father or anyone else in Midgar (or, indeed, answering his phone when people were trying to contact him), he literally flew under the radar and sneaked back without making contact with anybody. Under different circumstances, Lazard would be present to admonish the General and pass down punishment at the very least. Anyone else would likely be looking at court martial or worse, but a lot of things (and people) had come into play in this particular scenario so that Sephiroth could be standing in front of Genesis and Cloud and not in a conference room… or a cell. Genesis informed him as much, leaving names out but making it clear through his tone alone who exactly the General had to thank for his freedom.

"And why, exactly, is that?"

"They want to know how deep the connection between us is," Cloud said. "If it'll interfere with our regular life or work."

Sephiroth refrained from asking who Cloud meant by 'they'. Still, his jaw set and his fists tightened, and he could see that one of the graphs coming from the sensors on Cloud's head became erratic for a few seconds before going back to normal. He also caught the young man's pupils shifting to slits like his own; it didn't last more than a couple of seconds but he felt a minute sense of dread set in his stomach. That had never happened to Genesis or Angeal, and as far as he understood, it was because the strains of Jenova and its combination with mako were different enough in each project that each carried a distinct variation of the creature. That Cloud had inherited or hosted the same strain as him…

"Professor Gast says it's because of the mako pool I fell into as a kid," Cloud said. His pupils flickered again and he blinked hard before continuing. "It's very likely it was tainted with discharge from Hojo's experiments at the mansion."

He left out the fact that both the professor and Chaos had been apologetic about not catching the fact that there were dormant Jenova cells within him all this time. Gast less so, though, simply because tests to detect the presence of Jenova were very specific and warranted in very limited circumstances. The Weapon, on the other hand, took it as a personal failure and had vowed to be more vigilant; he had also apologized profusely to Cloud, even though the young Soldier and even Vincent had told him it wasn't necessary.

Truth be told, Cloud was thankful that he'd been unconscious for much of what transpired at the labs, not to mention that Chaos had been around to halt Jenova's advance swiftly. The thought of having to go through any of what the senior Firsts had had to endure in the past was enough to make his skin crawl; that he was spared all that felt like a huge mercy and left him indebted to Vincent and the other two forever.

While he didn't voice any of this, Sephiroth still caught Cloud's agitation; it also wasn't lost on him that the young man had answered his unspoken question before, likely having dipped into his thoughts unaware that he was doing so.

"You'll need more practice in blocking the link," Sephiroth said in as neutral a tone as he could muster. "It might take a few days but we should be able to go on with our daily lives without having to think about it constantly."

Cloud blushed faintly, realizing what had happened, and nodded slowly. "I'll get the hang of it. I'm sorry if I've seen or heard things I shouldn't have. At least I can promise I won't tell anyone about it."

Before Sephiroth could comment on it, Genesis huffed almost playfully. "Not even when ordered to by his superiors, no." Cloud's blush intensified and Genesis eased his stance for the first time since Sephiroth had arrived. "I'm joking, Cloud. I know it's hard under the circumstances but you should relax a little."

The young Soldier nodded and looked at Sephiroth with mild apprehension. "Do you know what happened earlier?"

The silver-haired Soldier shook his head. "Not really. All of a sudden I heard Jenova scream in anger and pain and fear, and for the first time in years I could make out words." Genesis looked at him with concern plain in his eyes and Sephiroth shook his head again, this time in reassurance. "Just a few disjointed ones - 'come', 'find me', 'at last'."

"I heard the same," Cloud said slowly. He had mentioned this to Gast and Vincent earlier, but he hadn't been able to assure them that it was Jenova speaking to him rather than something else. He had no experience with the creature, no frame of reference to go to… until now.

Genesis sighed and went to sit on a chair close to Cloud. He rubbed his face and lost most of the bravado he had displayed in front of Sephiroth mere minutes ago. He looked tired and much younger than his usual facade indicated. When he noticed that Sephiroth remained standing up, he told him to close the door and take a seat.

"Your father's not here to explain this because he has to keep an eye on Zack and Kunsel. I promised I'd look after Cloud while you got here and fill you in on what happened at the labs. He'll want to talk to you afterwards, though, and he might need to run some checks on you, but that's between you and him." He paused for a moment and, when Sephiroth simply nodded in acknowledgment, he went on.

"Everything seemed to be going well with the enhancements. Chaos was keeping an eye out on the procedure, making sure nothing weird happened… Until it did."

"Why was Chaos there?" Sephiroth interrupted. "No one other than my father and his aides has ever attended an enhancement session before."

Genesis was hoping Sephiroth wouldn't ask about that. Vincent had said he would explain his own particular link to the Soldiers after the summit; it was a delicate subject, and given the tension between both men, Genesis wasn't sure how his friend would take the information. That was part of the reason why he hadn't volunteered to be the one to fill Sephiroth in on the matter, but now he might have backed himself into a corner.

Before he could decide how to broach that particular subject, Cloud chimed in. Whether it was to spare him or out of a sense of loyalty to Vincent, Genesis couldn't tell, but he appreciated the intervention, all the same.

"Vincent told us that Professor Hojo used some of Doctor Grimoire's research to enhance the Soldier program, namely Vincent's regeneration factor. Professor Gast wasn't aware of it until after we returned from Nibelheim this last time, and he wanted to add that regeneration factor to the new enhancements for Zack and all new Soldiers First, including Kunsel and I. Vincent agreed, but he wanted us all to know that, as a side effect of it, Chaos would be able to track us all the time. I mean, not actively, but if we ever go missing or something he'd be able to find us. They wanted you and the Commanders to know that that was already the case with you three, and for Zack and us to be aware of it and get our permission to go forward with the new enhancement.

"After that, since it was a new procedure, Chaos stayed to monitor us and make sure things went down well. Which I'm thankful for, given what happened after."

To his credit, Cloud managed to sum up Vincent's explanation in a way that made sense. Also, he stayed calm even as it was clear that Sephiroth was becoming agitated. Genesis had a feeling that he wouldn't take the news well, just like Angeal hadn't. He waited a moment while the General processed the information, and wasn't at all surprised when he got up and kicked his chair before pacing in the limited space of the examination room.

Cloud jumped up a little and the readings on his monitors spiked briefly before returning to normal. He winced a couple of times, closing his eyes tightly against a barrage of intrusive thoughts coming from Sephiroth. He did his best not to pry, but he still got waves of intense feelings—anger was obvious, aimed more towards his biological parents than Vincent but there was some resentment against him, too; he was also very confused and hurt, and there was a lot of mistrust. He wanted to tell the General that he was getting it all wrong, that Vincent had said they'd only ever use the 'tracker' with their permission, that it was good to have that option available to them, but he also knew better than to try to intervene in whatever inner turmoil the other man was going through. By now he understood that Sephiroth wasn't being entirely rational about his—Cloud's—relationship with Vincent and, as much as he wanted to clear the air in that regard, he knew it wasn't his place. If anything, he feared he might make it worse.

After a while, Sephiroth stopped pacing and he turned towards Genesis, pointedly ignoring Cloud. He felt his control over their link slipping and he needed to focus on something else to keep that barrier up. "How long?"

Genesis shrugged. "He didn't specify, but I imagine always. Like Cloud said, he made it very clear that while it's something that's technically active all the time, it doesn't mean they are constantly keeping tabs on us. Like Cloud said, he offered it to us as an option if we ever go missing, which I accepted. So did Angeal, albeit reluctantly. Zack and the others were far more enthusiastic and appreciative of the idea," he ended with a small smile towards Cloud, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere in the room.

"Before you even ask," Genesis continued, "because I know you will, just like Angeal did, I accepted because I don't really relish the idea of going missing and never being found. It's a bit of extra insurance, if you want to look at it that way, and it costs us nothing."

"Nothing?" Sephiroth spat. "If it was 'nothing' then why didn't he say something sooner?"

"If it was so nefarious, why bring it up at all now?" Genesis countered. He'd had a very similar conversation with Angeal earlier so he was confident that he would be able to field pretty much anything Sephiroth could come up with. "I know it feels like a trespass, and it makes my skin crawl to rely on yet one more thing Hojo came up with, but what's done is done and to reject Vincent and Chaos' help in this regard is just foolish. You seriously need to get over yourself and focus on what really matters, General."

Sephiroth bit back a snarl and shot Genesis a somewhat hurt look. His friend rarely addressed him as 'General' outside of work settings, and this definitely didn't feel like one. The title was meant to shame him, and it did, more than his earliest admonishments about abandoning his post and the consequences anyone else would have faced for doing so. The hardened stare that had greeted him when he arrived at the examination room was back on his friend's aquamarine eyes, and he could feel just how annoyed and tired he was. Annoyed at him, tired of him.

With a heavy, defeated sigh, Sephiroth returned to his chair. After a long, tense silence, he asked Genesis to continue telling him about what happened at the labs.

Genesis told him about how everything had started off normal but all of a sudden he and Angeal could hear Jenova going berserk inside their heads. "A few moments before, I had noticed that Cloud was twitching inside the tank and Chaos had stood up abruptly. I only know for certain what happened afterward because we reviewed the security footage."

Almost at the same time that Cloud's body began to twitch and tremble within the tank, Vincent stood up but it was Chaos in control, the gunman's arms having transformed into the Weapon's claws. It was then that Genesis and Angeal doubled-over in pain, clutching their heads in agony. Gast had no time to react before Chaos lunged at Cloud's tank, hitting it twice before breaking the glass and yanking the young man out, ripping out his mask and sensors. He dragged him away from the tank, pressing down on his left arm almost viciously to keep at bay the black ichor that had begun to ooze out of the blond's skin. About a minute later, Gast got his bearings and tried to talk to Chaos, thinking the Weapon had gone berserk during the procedure. Around then, Genesis and Angeal stopped hearing Jenova and were in the process of clearing their heads.

"Your father didn't want to believe him when Chaos told us that Jenova had something to do with the black ichor coming from Cloud's arm, but Angeal and I were able to confirm it. We also checked the security footage from the containment room and its main body became active at the same time as the incident in the labs. We called Aerith and your mother at Chaos and Galian's request and they were able to cleanse Cloud with aid from Holy. According to Chaos and the preliminary tests your father ran on him, while Jenova's cells are still present in Cloud's body, it remains dormant as in the rest of us. Only time will tell if there are any secondary effects beyond the link you now share."

The auburn-haired Soldier didn't miss his friend's expression whenever he brought up Chaos but there was no way around it. Sephiroth would have to learn to cope with his feelings and not let them get in the way of his work. Still, he gave him some time to digest the information.

At the same time, he kept an eye on Cloud and the data strips that were continuously filling up as they sat there in silence. Other than a few, sporadic spikes in the readings, everything seemed normal. Vincent had relayed some of Chaos' concerns, mainly that the connection between Sephiroth and Cloud could become an issue during times of stress, such as in the middle of battle or a mission. Genesis had suggested a sparring session between the two in order to ascertain whether their connection would flare up in a negative way. While Chaos and Vincent admitted it was a good idea, Vincent made it clear that he would be physically present so Chaos could get a reading but he wouldn't interact with Sephiroth. Genesis understood and made no attempt to try to dissuade him; in fact, he was somewhat surprised that the gunman had agreed to that much, given how adamant he'd been before about not meeting with Sephiroth at all until after the summit.

This would have to be done before Cloud and the Turks left for Modeoheim, which was another reason why the Director hadn't pushed for Sephiroth to be sent back to Junon right away. It meant, however, that the sparring session would need to take place on Sunday at the latest, as Vincent and his team were scheduled to leave for Modeoheim along with Soldier before break of dawn on Monday. Gast had advised against doing it on Saturday, arguing that he would need time to do some more checks on Cloud and the young man needed time to rest. Vincent hadn't been particularly happy about it but he understood the Professor's reasoning so he agreed to set some time aside on Sunday as early as possible. With Cloud on board, it was only a matter of getting Sephiroth to accept the terms.

"I don't see why not," he said after Genesis explained the situation to him. "Am I required to stay away from headquarters in the meantime?"

Genesis shrugged. "That wasn't discussed, so you'll need to check in with Rufus or Lazard on that one. Unless you want to take the initiative and stay at your parents' as a preemptive measure."

Sephiroth looked at Cloud with narrowed eyes. It took a second, but the blond was able to close himself off before the General could get a reading off him. That seemed to have settled something in Sephiroth's mind and he nodded slowly. "I'll stay out of the building. I suppose you're okay with helping Cloud a bit more with the link?"

"Not a problem," Genesis replied with a short nod. "Will you go now?"

"I think it'll be best if I do. I'll report with Lazard tomorrow morning and see what he has to say. Will you please let him know?"

"Yeah. I'll stay with Cloud until your father comes back and then I'll start making some calls and arrangements. But at least let your mother and sister know you're alright—they were quite worried."

Feeling guilty and tired after the rush of adrenaline and anxiety started to subside, the silver-haired man simply nodded and left the room without another word. As soon as the door closed behind him, Cloud sighed heavily and slunk back on his seat, the tension he had been holding on to washing off him in a rush. Genesis noticed and offered him some water, which the younger Soldier gladly took.

"It'll all be alright," Genesis said. "You're doing great."

"Thanks. It's just… It's odd, that's all."

Genesis nodded and didn't pry. It didn't even occur to him to try to test his own link with Cloud, knowing he would hate it if their roles were reversed and the blond tried something similar on him. He just hoped that the next two weeks would go by swiftly and incident-free so they could start picking up all the broken pieces around Sephiroth and Vincent and putting them back together in a way that didn't hurt anyone.

A few minutes after Sephiroth left, the door opened again and in came Vincent. There was a slight pinch to his look but he forced himself to soften it when both Cloud and Genesis looked up expectantly at him. He'd been waiting in an examination room a few doors down so Chaos could monitor the interaction between Sephiroth and Cloud as well as Galian's reaction to Jenova in case the proximity between the two Soldiers triggered the alien creature within them.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," he said, foregoing niceties. "Jenova doesn't seem to have stirred. How about your connection to each other?"

Cloud shrugged but it was Genesis that spoke up. "Still active and flaring up if they get distracted, but we can work on it. It took us three a few weeks to figure it all out."

Vincent nodded. "Well, I'm sure we'll have time for that after the summit. For now, we just need to make sure things don't get too muddled before we leave for Modeoheim. What did Sephiroth say about the match?"

"He's good with it. We just need to settle on a time," Genesis said.

"Right. If it's not too much trouble, could you guys figure all that out and let me know tomorrow? I'll work around whatever you decide."

Vincent was tired and barely holding himself together; Chaos' exhaustion was beginning to drain him and he desperately needed to sleep. He would've wanted to stay up until Zack and Kunsel came out of the enhancement tanks, but Gast and Tseng had managed to talk him out of it by reminding him he had a long weekend ahead of him and it wouldn't do for him to succumb to burnout. Gast even went as far as doing a quick test on Zack and Kunsel to make sure there were no traces of Jenova in their systems; when the results came back negative, Vincent couldn't deny the huge wave of relief that washed over him and a lot of the fight he was putting up evaporated. The last thing he had managed to put his foot down on was monitoring Cloud's conversation with Sephiroth. Now that that was done, he felt himself about to collapse but he reckoned he had enough steam to make it out of the labs on his own. He'd likely have to message Tseng or Rude to help him the rest of the way back to his apartment, though.

Genesis picked up on the gunman's exhaustion and nodded. "Don't worry, we got it covered. And Sephiroth will be staying at his parents' house at least this weekend so that's one less burden, I figure."

"It is, actually. Thank you." He sighed heavily and gave Cloud a quick once-over. "Are you sure you're feeling all right?"

The blond nodded decisively. "Yes, I feel fine. I'll be ready to go for the summit, don't worry. I won't let any of you down."

Genesis saw the fond look that coloured Vincent's tired features and his careless comment from earlier that day came back to echo inside his head. He shook it off and did his best to smile reassuringly at Cloud while he clasped his shoulder lightly. "Of course you won't, Cloud. You'll do us all proud. For now, though, let's call Professor Gast over so he can look at these results and then you can go rest."

"If you feel unwell or need anything, anything at all, call or send a message to myself and Tseng. Doesn't matter what time it is, okay?"

Cloud nodded. "Will do. Thank you, Vincent. Just… go rest."

"Seriously, you look like you need it. I'll make sure Cloud gets some rest and I'll be in touch if anything urgent comes up."

Vincent hesitated for a second but Galian nudged him and he sighed softly. "Thank you. I will see you tomorrow."

He gave the two Soldiers a last, soft smile, and left the room. He had just made his way towards the elevator bank when he heard a soft apology coming from Chaos and then an almost complete disconnect from the Weapon. It scared him a little, but he understood that the toll of keeping Jenova at bay and then being subjected to Holy's magic had been too much on Chaos.

He barely had a moment to ponder about it when the pain on his right arm returned with an intensity that made him stop and lean against the wall. His vision blurred for a few seconds and he would've fallen to his knees if Galian hadn't stepped up to lend him some of his strength.

Typically, the pain he felt after transforming into Chaos or Galian was dull and bone-deep, like pressure that came from the inside out. This time, it was sharp and insistent, pulses focused on his joints and the areas where the Holy-infused water had touched the Weapon's skin. Vincent frantically rolled his sleeve up expecting to see his skin burning, but nothing looked out of the ordinary. With trembling hands, he tried to reach for his phone to call Tseng but it slipped from his fingers and clattered noisily at his feet. When he bent down to pick it up, he felt the protomateria pulse, which intensified the pain in his arm and caught him off-balance, making him topple forward. He would have fallen face first if someone hadn't caught him by the shoulders and helped him get to his knees.

There was another flare of panic as he felt Galian bristle, but it was short lived—the Planet Protector quickly retreated and even though he didn't completely disconnect like Chaos had, Vincent felt uncomfortably alone. The reason why Galian left in the first place became obvious when he refocused on his surroundings and realized it was Sephiroth holding him upright. With Chaos as exhausted as he had been, it was no surprise that they had missed the fact that the General was still in the building; truth be told, Vincent hadn't even thought about asking Chaos to let him know if the swordsman was still around.

"Vincent, what's wrong? Do you need me to call my father?"

"No!" Vincent managed, more forcefully than he intended. He bit back a groan and continued, "No more labs."

He was having a hard time concentrating on words but just the idea of spending any more time at the labs cleared his head enough to make it abundantly clear that calling Gast wasn't an option. The pain in his arm wasn't subsiding, and even though it didn't seem like the protomateria was acting up, Vincent was struggling to contain his rising panic and anxiety. He wanted to get up and move away from Sephiroth but he didn't have the strength. Fighting against the tunnel vision he was developing, he tried to get to his phone but the silver-haired man beat him to it.

"Let me call Tseng, then," Sephiroth said as he dialed.

Vincent wanted to tell him to just have Tseng come to pick him up and then go away, to stop touching him. He managed none of that and couldn't do anything but listen to Sephiroth's side of the conversation, which ended with the General telling Tseng to meet them outside of Vincent's apartment since it would be faster than having to wait for the Wutain and then go up. While they were talking, Vincent at least succeeded in pulling his sleeve down; he didn't like being exposed to Sephiroth, even that little bit. At least it wasn't his left arm, he mused.

Next thing he knew, the swordsman was coaxing him to his feet and holding him upright with one arm around his waist; having noticed the way that Vincent held his right arm, Sephiroth draped the gunman's left arm over his broad shoulders and guided them towards the elevator bank in silence. Once inside the elevator, the swordsman allowed him to stand by himself in a corner but kept his eyes on him in case he needed help. Vincent did his best to focus on his breathing to keep the panic at bay until he was safe in his apartment and could try to contact either Galian or Chaos. But the pain in his arm refused to let him concentrate; in fact, it seemed to be getting worse, and he couldn't stop himself from pulling at his sleeve again to make sure his skin wasn't peeling off.

Sephiroth caught the frantic motion and also couldn't keep himself from looking at the gunman's exposed arm. He had to push away the memory of that first kiss and how much he had wanted to uncover the other man's skin. It was easy when the gunman kept running his left hand up and down his arm as he twisted it every way he could to try to get a better look at it. He remembered Genesis' account of the incident at the labs and pieced together what might be going through Vincent's mind. Without thinking about it, he said, "There's nothing there, Vi—Director. Your arm looks fine."

He mentally scolded himself at the easy familiarity that almost escaped him. Just because the Turk was putting up with his presence now and briefly allowing him (or suffering him) to assist him, it didn't mean that things between them had magically healed up. Besides, he had decided to rebuild the wall of professionalism and near indifference that had naturally existed between himself and Vincent, at least for the foreseeable future.

If Vincent noticed the slip and its immediate correction, he didn't let it show. "I know," he said; it came as a whisper, one even Sephiroth had to strain to pick up. That fact alone made the General really worry, but Vincent kept on talking in the same hoarse murmur. "This is Chaos' pain… I don't know why… he left me alone… after everything… the pain's fine, but it's… I'm so… hollow… I don't want this silence…"

The last word was barely a breath that escaped Vincent's lips almost at the same time that his eyes rolled back and he collapsed forward. Sephiroth was just in time to catch him again, barely keeping the gunman's head from hitting the tiled floor. He called his name to try to wake him up but the other man was not responding; a cold sweat broke over him, too, and his pulse was erratic. The swordsman cursed and picked up the gunman, carrying him so his right arm was cradled against his chest for support. He stared at the floor indicator as if he could will the elevator to go faster; when they finally arrived at the Turks' floor, Sephiroth nearly lunged sideways through the door, too eager to reach Vincent's apartment to wait for the mechanism to finish trudging along.

He didn't run down the hallway, but his strides were long and purposeful. The moment he spotted Tseng standing by the open door to Vincent's apartment, he quickened his pace and made it clear that he wasn't going to stop until he could set the gunman down somewhere safe.

"Is he unconscious?" Tseng asked as he led Sephiroth towards Vincent's room. He was sure the Head Turk would be protesting right about now if he could but he'd switched to care-taking mode the minute he received Sephiroth's call and his lover's hypothetical complaints held little sway over his decisions at present. "You didn't say he was unconscious, Sephiroth!"

"That happened in the elevator. I didn't have time to call you with an update."

He carefully laid Vincent on his bed and left his cellphone on the nightstand. He watched as Tseng checked his pulse and pupils, as well as his temperature, and he told him what he'd witnessed in the past ten minutes or so he'd spent with Vincent.

"Wait, hold on. He said what about Chaos?"

"What I just said—he was wondering why Chaos left him alone. He sounded…"

He struggled to find the words to describe just how devastated Vincent had seemed right before losing consciousness. Truth be told, he hadn't had time to digest it until just that moment, and he was starting to really comprehend something Genesis had told him days before, something that Vincent had heavily implied during that night—Chaos wasn't a burden on Vincent, but an asset and a comforting presence he was so used to that losing it could potentially break him.

"He was terrified, Tseng. Terrified and just… gutted that Chaos had left him."

Tseng's eyes opened wide and Sephiroth could see that his breathing had become agitated; his hands opened and closed tightly, presumably in an attempt to keep himself together for Vincent's sake.

"I thought Chaos couldn't just leave, though," Sephiroth said. He knew Tseng well enough to know that keeping his mind on task was important so he tried to help by asking questions that might keep him focused.

The Wutain nodded slowly and looked at him warily. He wasn't sure how much he could trust Sephiroth with, or how sincere the General was being with his help. He was grateful that he'd sprung to action when he found Vincent, for sure, but that didn't really change the things he'd done and said days before. One look at Vincent, though, paler than usual and clearly in distress even though he was unconscious, settled it for him.

"He can't, no. He can disconnect temporarily, usually by choice, but from what I understand, Vincent always knows he's there. The same with Galian. If he said Chaos left… Do me a favor. Call your father and tell him what you know, then ask him if we should administer a protomateria shot even though we're not sure that it's acting up. I'll get some painkillers from Rude in the meantime."

He took out his phone and made his way towards the living room, leaving Sephiroth stunned for a few seconds. A pained groan from Vincent centered him in the task at hand, though, and he called his father like Tseng had requested. He told him about Vincent's collapse and what he had said; the professor beat him to the protomateria, though, and advised him to use one shot and wait at least an hour for the Director to react. If he was still unconscious or seemed to be in severe pain, he instructed Sephiroth to call again.

"And son, if at any point Galian takes over, please leave. As much as I trust your mother's influence on him, it's best not to put extra stress on him or Vincent, especially if Chaos is locked out for whatever reason."

"I will. Do you have any idea what could have happened, though? With Chaos, I mean."

They had talked briefly earlier, so Gast knew that Sephiroth had at least a partial account of what had happened at the labs.

"Holy is a very powerful spell, and Chaos has a permanent disadvantage against it. Being exposed to both it and Jenova must have taken a great toll on him, particularly without a full transformation. Vincent has been under a lot of stress lately, as well. It was a bit of a perfect storm, I'm afraid."

"I see. I'll stay for as long as Tseng will allow me and then I'll make my way back home. I will see you later."

"Understood. Call me, or have Tseng call me, if there's no improvement and we'll see what else we can do."

Sephiroth thanked him and ended the call. He was alone with Vincent and he felt uncomfortable to the point that he started to fidget a little. He didn't want to look around but he also didn't want to leave the room in case Vincent woke up or got worse. So he settled with leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed and his eyes closed until Tseng returned a few minutes later with a bottle of pills plus a water pitcher and a glass. When he told him what his father had said, Tseng sighed heavily and left the stuff he'd brought on the nightstand. Without saying anything, he left again for a few minutes and came back with a small black case. When he opened it, Sephiroth could see five syringes inside filled with a murky green liquid that glinted faintly in the room's low light.

"Is that the protomateria compound?" he asked. Tseng's only answer was a short nod. "Is that all that's left?"

Tseng nodded slowly again. "We had twice as much but we had to use the rest that night." His tone was casual, but his body language was very tense.

Sephiroth tensed, too, but said nothing. He really had no idea what had happened on Vincent's side after he left. Genesis had only told him a little bit about the Turks and Rufus' reactions, and even less about Vincent himself. He had been curious about it, of course, but he'd had no way to ask anyone about it, not without running into confrontations left and right.

He had half a mind to apologize just then but Tseng was sitting on the bed next to Vincent with one of the syringes he had taken from the case and was prepping it.

"I'm going to need you to turn away for a moment, Sephiroth. But I might need your help restraining him if this hits too hard."

The request ruffled him but he bit the retort that threatened to escape and turned his back to the bed.

What he missed was Tseng quickly undoing the buttons on Vincent's shirt and exposing the area above where the protomateria rested within the gunman's body. He didn't want Sephiroth to look at Vincent's marred skin, knowing how guarded the Head Turk was regarding his body when it came to outsiders. Tseng had already crossed a number of lines by allowing Sephiroth to stay and continuing to enlist his help, but this was a boundary he didn't dare push past. Besides, if he was being completely honest with himself, he was also reluctant to allow Sephiroth more access out of a sense of possessiveness and lingering hurt over the General's reaction. The fact that his own personal life was chaotic in and of itself didn't help matters any; he'd needed and wanted a friend to talk to other than Rufus and the rest of his team, and usually he would've gone to Sephiroth for a quick chat regarding his family, but he'd been unwilling to do that. He was hoping they could at least start to mend things now, but it would depend on how the swordsman reacted to the rest of the evening.

Shoving those thoughts aside, he took a quick, deep breath, and drove the syringe hard and fast into Vincent's chest, pushing the liquid down steadily. As soon as the syringe was empty, he pulled it back and redid the buttons on his boss' shirt. He didn't stop to see the green tendrils of the compound spidering out of the injection point and then being absorbed into the precise center of the protomateria; he'd seen it happen five times when they were trying to subdue Galian on the night Vincent had lost control of the guardian and the sight was burned in his mind forever. Just another reminder that Vincent might very well be living on borrowed time and that the summit was just one more hurdle to cross before they could devote any time to figuring out how to stabilize the protomateria.

Almost immediately, Vincent's cold sweat subsided and his right arm stopped twitching as much. The deep frown on his brow eased, too, and his breathing became less labored. Tseng exhaled deeply and his shoulders visibly relaxed. He threw the syringe into the bin next to the bed and rested his elbows on his knees, covering his face in his hands. After a moment, he uncovered his face and told Sephiroth he could turn around. He was going to tell him they could go wait in the living room when he saw the silver-haired man had taken on a semi-defensive stance and looked apprehensive.

Before he could react or ask what was going on, Tseng felt Vincent's hand wrap around his wrist with more strength than the gunman's weakened state should allow. Turning around, he was surprised and relieved to find Vincent sitting up on his elbows, his right eye its usual warm crimson colour while his left one had a very faint gold coloration.

"Tseng?" Vincent's voice was a hoarse whisper but he could still hear the confusion and some of the trepidation Sephiroth had described before. "Why is—? I don't understand…"

The Wutain grasped Vincent's hand in his free one and squeezed reassuringly before turning to Sephiroth. "I think it would be best if you left now, Sephiroth. I'll be in touch."

The General was about to ask if he was sure, but he remembered his promise to his father, plus his own resolve to keep things professional between himself and Vincent, and he limited himself to nodding towards Tseng before turning around and leaving the apartment.

Tseng waited until he heard the front door close before turning back to Vincent.

"How are you feeling, itoshii? I thought I told you I can't take that many scares anymore."

The gold around Vincent's left eye was gone, and with it the strength he had mustered to sit up. He fell back on the bed with a soft grunt but managed to pull Tseng with him. After moving around so Tseng was pressed against his side, Vincent gathered his thoughts and ignored his second-in-command's comment, instead asking a question again.

"Why was he here, Tseng?"

Tseng sighed and buried his face against Vincent's shoulder, wrapping his right leg over the gunman's left and pulling himself even closer to him. "He found you near the labs' elevator bank earlier. You were in pain and nearly collapsed so he called me and brought you up here—it was faster than me going to get you. On the way over, though, he said… He said you were in a lot more pain and were talking about Chaos leaving you right before you did collapse. He rushed you here and helped me get in touch with Gast while I got you painkillers. I had to use a protomateria shot—"

Vincent tensed and did his best to look at Tseng's face. "Did he see—?"

Tseng shook his head and squeezed Vincent's arm reassuringly. "He didn't see anything, I made sure. I talked as little as possible about the protomateria, and only answered one or two questions he had about Chaos, mainly because of what you said in the elevator. As you saw, he left without putting up a fight. I know, Vincent, I know how hard it is to trust him, but tonight he just did the right thing. And I, for one, am glad he found you, otherwise I don't know how long it would've taken me to go looking for you."

Vincent exhaled and covered his face with his arm. The sharp, searing pain was gone, and in its place was the more familiar and tolerable dull ache that lingered after a transformation. Something else lingered, too, a sense of emptiness and dread that was barely staved off by the rush of protomateria. He'd heard what Tseng said about his rant at the elevator, and he had a foggy memory of it. He wanted to ask about it but knowing that Tseng wasn't there, that it would be a second-hand account of what Sephiroth had heard… Of all people, it had to be the one person he didn't want to open up to that caught him at perhaps his weakest and most vulnerable moment.

"What did I say?" He eventually asked.

"Apparently, that Chaos had left you alone and just left pain behind. He said you used the word 'hollow' and that you didn't want silence." He hesitated on his next words but pushed through. "He said you sounded terrified, to use his word. He… I'm only saying this to help you understand how bad things were, okay? Sephiroth was genuinely shaken by what you said and by your demeanor, Vincent. I think he's finally beginning to understand how important Chaos is to you."

He had to quell the flutter of hope that threatened to grow in his chest at Tseng's words. Ignoring it was made simpler by the weight of Sephiroth's account.

"I don't remember saying that, but I do remember that feeling. Right before the pain in my arm started, I felt Chaos disconnect almost entirely. He had a chance to apologize before it happened, but I don't know if it was intentional or not—the disconnect, I mean. Suddenly he wasn't there anymore, and even though I could still feel Galian, Chaos' absence and the silence it left behind were palpable and frightening. I'm not sure I can explain it properly or that you'll be able to understand, but I've always been able to reach out to him—for over 30 years he's been a constant presence in the back of my mind, an almost tangible weight on my consciousness. Even when he's disconnected to keep me from feeling pain… Even when I shut him down and refuse to listen to him, I always know and feel he's but a call away. All I need to do is reach out and he'll be there. To not be able to do that… And then, the more time passed, the stronger and deeper the pain became. I was obviously not thinking clearly, to talk so freely in front of Sephiroth about Chaos… But 'hollow'?… Yeah, that was an apt description."

"Is he back?" Tseng asked softly. "I think I saw a bit of him before, but…"

Vincent nodded. "I can feel him again, but he's very weak. I think Holy took a bigger toll on him that he let on, and yet he stuck around to check on Cloud and Sephiroth. The protomateria shot helped but he'll need rest, a lot of it."

He didn't have to state the obvious—there wasn't enough time for Chaos to recover before they had to leave for Modeoheim. Postponing their plans wasn't an option, either, not with the date for the summit so close, not after all the work they'd put into it, all their sacrifices and the hopes of everything they needed to achieve long-term.

"I can go in your place," Tseng suggested after a long pause. "You can stay back and shadow Rufus when necessary, keep meetings and non-essential activities to a minimum, and give Chaos as much time as possible to recover before you absolutely have to be at Modeoheim. I'll help everyone set up over there and I'll keep an eye on Cloud, if you need me to."

His instinct was to say 'no' right away, but Vincent caught himself and took a moment to think about it. The only reason Tseng was staying behind with Rufus was because, officially, he was the President's bodyguard, and that was more a matter of familiarity than skill—any one of them was more than aptly suited to fill the role. While it might be a bit of overkill to assign the Director of the Turks to the head of the company, and it might send the wrong signal to everyone else, the plan had merit. There was no way Vincent would have any kind of downtime at Modeoheim, not with the way they had planned their week, and it certainly felt like any little bit of respite he could get would go a long way towards allowing Chaos to recover. His misgivings about feeling alone inside his own mind notwithstanding, they needed the Weapon on task to sense any disturbances that may escape them.

"I hate having to make more changes, especially this close to the actual date, but it'll have to be. We're also cancelling the Cloud versus Sephiroth match, there's no point if Chaos can't monitor it." He thought for a moment more before asking, "Do we know if he finished the inspection at Junon?"

"He did, actually. I overheard Lazard saying he wanted to send him back as punishment but then he received the reports. Nothing out of the ordinary with regards to Avalanche activity in the area, and the troops there are aware and on alert."

Vincent huffed, his plans to remove Sephiroth from Midgar for a few extra days going up in smoke before he could even voice them. Already he could feel exhaustion taking over so he asked Tseng for a couple of painkillers, which he took with two full glasses of water. He gave the Wutain instructions to contact Gast and let him know he was awake, and to update Rufus and the rest of the team, as well. They would figure out the rest of the logistics the next day and try to make the best out of their current situation. Lastly, he asked him to let Genesis know about the cancelled match and to make sure his phone wasn't on silent, in case Cloud needed anything.

Tseng left for a few minutes to make the necessary calls before returning to snuggle with Vincent. The gunman didn't mention it but, after their conversation, he was sure his boss wouldn't want to spend the night alone. And while he would probably not say it out loud, Tseng didn't feel comfortable letting Vincent out of his sight if he could help it. He would have preferred to stay behind with his boss and leave Cissnei in charge of the preparations at Modeoheim, but he knew Vincent wouldn't go for that, so he'd have to trust that he would be safe on his own for a few days.

After reciting a quick prayer to Leviathan under his breath, Tseng fell asleep alongside Vincent.

---

After leaving the Turks' floor, Sephiroth made a quick stop at his apartment to get some clothes to take to his parents' house. On the way there, he called his father to let him know Vincent was awake and that Tseng should have more information later on. He debated whether to call Genesis or not, and decided to just send him a message asking him to meet for lunch the next day. He had already talked to his sister earlier to let her know he'd be home soon, but finding Vincent at the labs had delayed him so he sent her an update, as well.

He told himself he was being thorough and making up for his lack of communication earlier that day, but the truth was that he was trying very hard to keep himself from thinking too much about Vincent and what happened earlier. He couldn't say he knew the Director well, and they had never been on the field together, but from what he knew from others' accounts, the man was unflinching and self-assured. To see him so despondent and transfixed with fear really shook Sephiroth. It also made him feel deeply ashamed of himself for not heeding Genesis' advise to take things slow with Vincent. If he had, he wouldn't have been so tactless when it came to Vincent's decision to keep Chaos and Galian with him. In fact, it hadn't been just Genesis to suggest it; his mother had also tried to impress upon him how integral Chaos and Galian had been in finding a way to stop Genesis' degradation.

He took the train back to his parents' with a couple of small suitcases at his side. On the way over, he decided he would try to apologise to Rufus and the Turks before they left for Modeoheim. Regarding Vincent, he would do his best to keep out of his way until everyone returned from the summit, and perhaps even beyond that. He would have to take his cue from Genesis (and, hopefully, Tseng) to know when it would be acceptable for him to approach Vincent… if at all. The thought crushed him in a way it had never done before, the weight of his actions and the memory of a distraught gunman almost mocking his hopes and desires.

By the time he made it to Sector Two, it was almost 10 in the evening. He'd been back in Midgar for a bit over three hours and he was beginning to feel the exhaustion of jet lag catching up to him along with the adrenaline crush from the roller coaster of emotions he'd been through since he heard Jenova screaming in his head earlier that day. Thinking of that reminded him of the link with Cloud and, absent-mindedly, he felt for the young Soldier. He could tell he was back in the barracks building where his quarters were, but that was about it. He was tempted to push harder and see if Cloud would be able to keep him out but he recognised the idleness of the impulse and decided against it.

In spite of how tired he felt, a part of him hoped that Aerith would be awake so he would have someone to talk to. He was getting lost in the maze of his thoughts and feelings and didn't think it was a good idea to stew in them for long. Genesis had replied to his earlier text and agreed to meet for lunch, but that was too far away for comfort. Besides, it would be good to put his thoughts into some semblance of order before talking to his friend; he had no desire to feel or be chastised again, and going into that conversation as confused and scattered as he currently was would only give Genesis further incentive to treat him like a lustful teenager yet again.

To his relief, both Aerith and their mother were in the living room when he arrived, apparently waiting for him. There was a tray with a steaming pot of tea and three mugs on the coffee table, as well as some sandwiches and cookies. Sephiroth smiled and set his suitcases down in the hallway before walking over and greeting them with a warm apology and tight hugs. He sat between them and took the tea they offered him, relishing the mild sense of normalcy that enveloped him before trying to untangle the dissonant thoughts in his head. They allowed him that for several minutes, talking about their day as if the mess at the labs hadn't happened, as if his being home wasn't an anomaly or completely unexpected.

After his second cup of tea, Sephiroth felt ready to ask for advice. Or, at least, to ask to be heard so he could try to organize his thoughts. Both Ifalna and Aerith urged him to speak his mind, and he did. He talked about the disastrous night at Vincent's and where his mind had been at then and ever since—he was as vague as he could regarding Vincent's affairs with Rufus and the Turks, not wanting to divulge the man's personal life. He knew it wasn't his place and he was determined not to hurt his chances at an amicable relationship with Vincent any further.

Acknowledging that he felt jealous of Cloud wasn't easy, but it was definitely less bitter than conceding the point to Genesis, who had seen through him so easily weeks ago. He brought up his conversation with Vincent at the tailor's, where he'd dumbly asked the Director if he'd follow him anywhere like he'd said he would follow Cloud. He also admitted that seeing him interact freely and lightheartedly with the Turks and Rufus made him envious, which frustrated him because he had no idea how to meet that version of the gunman.

He fully recognized that he hadn't understood the nature and depth of Vincent's link with Chaos (and, by extension, Galian) until earlier that night. He recounted the night's events with more or less the same details he had provided his father earlier, but highlighting what he had told Tseng: just how scared and vulnerable Vincent had seemed, and how deeply it affected himself and how it put everything else into perspective. He had been brash and utterly selfish, and he was desperate to make amends but didn't know where to start.

Even with that insight, the fact that Chaos could track them all the time and had been able to do so from the beginning still rubbed him the wrong way. Adding to that the fact that now Cloud was also connected to him through Jenova, it felt like more chains and shackles were added to his life. He understood that it was Hojo and Lucretia's experimenting that were at the core of the situation, but he was having a very hard time unraveling the threads of this particular skein. Every time he tried, he could feel himself getting further tangled in them, frustrating himself and leaving him with more trepidation each time.

The last thing he said before slumping back on the couch with his hands covering his face was that it felt like everything was hopeless, that he had made such a big mess of everything that there was no way to fix it.

Aerith was snuggled up to him, resting her head on his shoulder and patting his thigh reassuringly. Ifalna took his hands in hers and made him look at her.

"Nothing is ever hopeless, dear. Granted, things between you and Vincent might not get to the point that you would want them to, but that doesn't mean you can't heal this rift between you. But no matter what happens, you must respect his wishes and his decisions regarding Chaos and Galian. You have to give him time and space this time around, dear."

He felt his sister twitch a little at his side and he cast her a curious glance. "Do you feel differently about this, Eri?"

She shrugged and curled closer to him, hiding her face between his arm and chest. "Not exactly. I…"

"You can let him know, love."

Sephiroth frowned and looked at his mother with concern before turning to Aerith and lifting her chin up slightly. He didn't force her to look at him but the gesture indicated that he would've preferred if she did. "What should I know, sister?" She hesitated and he felt moisture on his fingers. Realizing she was shedding tears, he felt panic rise in his chest and cupped her face gently. "Aerith, what's wrong?"

She placed her hand over his, shaking her head and trying to smile through her tears. "Nothing, it's just… I've had this feeling for some time now, like something is coming. A shift… it's not exactly an ominous feeling but after what happened at the labs today… I worry about Vincent. I wish I could be more specific but, like I've said before, it's difficult to put into words the impressions I get from a person's Lifestream."

"Are you worried I will somehow… hurt him?" More than I already have, he wanted to add, but cut the thought short.

She shook her head again. "I worry that he feels that all these burdens are his alone and that he'll cloister himself in spite of all the people that love him and care about him. But more specifically than that… I have a bad feeling about the next few days. Not about the summit," she said placatingly, feeling Sephiroth tense and trying to calm him before he went into a rant. "Just about Vincent's ability to cope with everything that's going on and anything that might come about in the immediate future. What happened tonight with Chaos…" She shrugged again, unable to find the words to express her anxiety.

"I wouldn't let him go to Modeoheim without talking to him first," she eventually said, slowly and very carefully. "I feel like he needs to know that you'll wait, that you'll be there when he's ready in any capacity that he'll need you or want you. But, brother… don't ask for anything, just… offer."

Genesis had said something similar days before—about how making demands wasn't the way to get what he wanted. Somehow, doing the opposite hadn't occurred to him until now, perhaps because it seemed like a simple thing but it was actually intimidating. An offer could be refused, and the sting would likely be deeper than an unmet demand. After all, hadn't Vincent turned him down already? He had talked about his desire to be friends with the gunman during their first outing and the Director had let him know that he didn't think he could make new friends, let alone foster other kinds of relationships.

"A lot has changed since," Ifalna said once he voiced his concern. "There have been other meetings between the two of you and, from what you've told us, he's been more open and even friendly. If you really care for him and want to be a part of his life then you're going to have to take the risk, son."

Sephiroth sighed and slumped back on the couch. Aerith took his left hand and Ifalna his right, both holding on tightly to him. Each kissed a side of his face before Ifalna advised him to go to bed and get some rest. He thanked them and picked up his suitcases before heading to his room.

---

His training didn't allow him to sleep late, even on weekends, so Sephiroth was up and ready to go about his day around eight in the morning. His father had come in very late the previous night and was unlikely to get up anytime soon; his mother and sister would likely sleep in, as well, so he was left alone with his thoughts once more.

Not liking that prospect at all, he decided to go out to the garden for some sword practice, hoping to be distracted enough not to dwell on Vincent and everything that surrounded the gunman. Still, echoes of Aerith's advice (don't ask for anything… just offer) kept coming back to him and he found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on his form. He was about to give up on that and find something else to do when Ifalna called him inside for coffee while she made breakfast. Thankful for the distraction, he went back inside and chatted with his mother as she moved about the kitchen fetching pots, utensils, and ingredients.

Aerith joined them soon after, looking and sounding more like her usual cheerful self than she did the previous night. Sephiroth fought the urge to ask how she was doing, not wanting to bring down the mood or give himself cause to return to his grim thoughts. However, when his father eventually emerged when the food was ready, Sephiroth couldn't help but to ask if he had heard anything from Tseng.

"He called me not too long after you left Vincent's apartment to let me know that he was awake and Chaos had reestablished connection. They are both still very weak, though, so Vincent will likely stay out of the office the rest of the weekend. I'll see if I can get him to come for a checkup before he leaves but…" he trailed off with a shrug.

"He didn't want to go back to the labs last night," Sephiroth recalled.

"Overseeing the procedure yesterday was a huge commitment," Gast mused, "one that he insisted upon. Even though he wasn't the one receiving treatment, just being in that section of the building always sets him on edge."

"It was really important for him," Aerith said softly.

Gast nodded, reluctantly conceding the point. "I know I had originally said it wasn't necessary for Chaos to be present, but I'm glad he pushed for it. There's no telling what could have happened to Cloud without his intervention."

The connection flared up briefly for Sephiroth but, again, all he could tell was that Cloud was at the barracks. The desire to push for more wasn't there this time, though, and he was relieved.

"Anyway," Gast continued, "I'll be able to keep an eye on him while we're at Modeoheim and be close by in case he needs anything. By my count, we're low on protomateria shots so we need to tread carefully."

A pang of guilt faintly coloured Sephiroth's face. He was sure at least Aerith noticed it, but neither she nor their parents brought it up, for which he was grateful. The sound of one of his alarms distracted him, too; it was a reminder to check in with Lazard back at the office. Genesis had arranged a meeting between them to discuss Sephiroth's Junon report… and likely some disciplinary action for abandoning his post. He wasn't looking forward to any of it, but at least it would keep his mind occupied, he figured.

After helping clear the table and tidy up in the kitchen, he took the train back to headquarters with his father. They didn't talk much on the way over, mostly because Gast spent the majority of the ride talking to his assistant, going over his agenda for the day and finding the time to check on Zack and the new Firsts. Sephiroth was thankful for this, as he was having a hard time not asking his father a million questions about Vincent, Chaos, and Galian. He had wanted to discuss that more in-depth with his mother and sister, but the previous night's conversation hadn't exactly left room for it. He might still bring up the subject with them sometime during the weekend, but that would depend on how the rest of the day went.

He parted ways with Gast in the lobby as each went to his respective office. Sephiroth just went in to pick up his spare tablet—he hadn't packed anything when he decided to return to Midgar—and to put in a request to have his personal effects sent over from Junon. He briefly considered the possibility of Lazard sending him back to the base as punishment but thought it highly unlikely due to the proximity of the summit and the fact that he was supposed to be back on Monday, anyway. Having him return would be a waste of time and resources, and he had every intention of bringing that up if anyone tried to send him packing again. Thus determined, he headed to Lazard's office after sending Genesis a message letting him know that he was on his way.

He was surprised to find Genesis waiting outside of Lazard's office for him. The auburn-haired commander had a pinched look on his face that immediately sent Sephiroth into alert mode. In lieu of a greeting, Genesis motioned for Sephiroth to follow him to a corner, away from the door to the office. The General frowned but followed his friend, exercising all his patience not to bombard him with a million questions.

"You're going to have to remain calm and act as professionally as humanly possible," Genesis said. Sephiroth gave him a mildly annoyed look but nodded slowly after the Commander stared him down. "Tseng and Reno are with Lazard. He wants us to be present for a joint report of Junon and Reno's undercover mission; he figured he could get both out of the way at the same time before the Turks leave for Modeoheim."

Sephiroth's right eye twitched and he took a half-step back. He had mentally prepared himself to talk with Tseng in private, but having to deal with him and Reno at work was completely unexpected. He couldn't even feel insulted that Genesis had intercepted him to warn him; he was actually grateful. He took a deep breath and released it slowly, closing his eyes and gathering patience. To buy time, he asked if Tseng had mentioned Vincent at all.

"All he said is that he's indisposed after yesterday's events. Lazard didn't pry and I certainly wasn't going to."

The General's frown turned to one of concern. He'd seen just how out of sorts Vincent had been the night before, and he certainly wasn't expecting that a good night's rest would clear everything up, but for him to miss a meeting like this was troubling.

"I didn't think it was that bad. With Vincent and Chaos, I mean."

His friend shrugged, sounding worried. "You'd have a better idea about it than I, at this point. Like I said, Tseng didn't offer many details and we didn't think it appropriate to ask." He paused for a moment to take stock of the silver-haired swordsman. "Will you be able to handle this meeting?"

All the answer he received was a short, resolute nod. He returned the gesture and both Soldiers made their way to Lazard's office.

Reno and Tseng were sitting in silence in front of Lazard's desk, each holding a tablet while the blond Director sorted through paperwork. As soon as he heard the door open, he turned towards the two Soldiers coming in. Sephiroth didn't miss the slight narrowing of his superior's icy-blue eyes, or how quickly he put on a polite smile that did little to hide the fact that he wasn't particularly happy with the General. Strangely enough, that made it easier for the swordsman to slip into hyper-focused professional mode.

"Good morning, Lazard. Tseng, Reno," he said, briefly nodding in the direction of each man as he and Genesis walked towards the free seats to the right of the Turks.

He supposed that, much like Genesis had with him, Tseng had a conversation with Reno beforehand because there was the barest hint of an eye twitch when the redhead heard his name, but he remained otherwise composed, returning Sephiroth's greeting with a neutral "good morning". There was no eye contact, something that Sephiroth would've usually found disrespectful but that, under the circumstances, actually helped. Tseng was more open, looking up as Sephiroth sat down and returning his greeting much more casually. It gave the swordsman hope that a private conversation with the Wutain later that day might not only be possible but yield a positive outcome, too.

This train of thought was interrupted as Lazard kicked off the meeting.

"Thank you all for coming in on relative short notice today. This is likely going to be the last chance we'll have to go over the results of Reno's mission before the Turks leave for Modeoheim on Monday. Since both Genesis and Sephiroth will be in charge of security in general here in Midgar, I thought it appropriate for them to get a first-hand account so we can adjust our strategy if necessary."

He looked at the others for a moment to check if they had any questions or objections. When no one said anything after a few seconds, he nodded and turned towards Reno, signaling for him to start his report.

"There's too much cross-chatter underground to be sure one way or another that Avalanche hasn't infiltrated the leadership clusters. No one really talks about Avalanche itself but there are anti-Shinra factions that are always grumbling and mumbling about getting out from under our thumb, but it's just talk and nothing new, to be honest. I'm not worried about Avalanche getting to them, though, just 'cause the people underground don't buy into the whole 'saving the planet' spiel Avalanche hides behind."

He paused for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts, and it gave Genesis a chance to intervene.

"Something does worry you, though, doesn't it?"

Reno half-shrugged and gave Tseng a look. After a small nod from the Wutain, Reno nodded. "Yeah. I've talked about this with Director Tuesti before but he's no longer in charge of Urban Development so it's been kind of in limbo for a while. And, I mean, that was sort of okay but it might become an issue now."

He had also brought it up to Rufus several times, but the President hadn't been in a position to do much about it. With the company's new structure and the goal to detach itself from Midgar, having an Urban Development Director wasn't a priority. They were in communication with the mayor to make sure the most important things didn't fall through the cracks, but there wasn't room to do much beyond that.

"The people below the plate have been messing with the architecture and structure over there," Reno continued. "Nothing major that makes our schematics obsolete or anything, but they've come up with new ways in and out of the city as well as in-between sectors. I've mapped out most of it and I've sent copies to Lazard already, pointing out the areas I believe are most vulnerable to an incursion. The thing is, if I've been able to do this in between other missions, someone with way more free time in their hands might have a much better understanding of how all these new areas work."

"Someone like an Avalanche spy," Genesis said. Reno nodded. "I see. Based on your experience, do you think it would be worthwhile to post guards in the areas you have pinpointed?"

"If we can spare the manpower, I think that would be wise, yeah. I've been leaving some cameras and bugs whenever I can—nothing's come up on the feeds so far, but the reception is spotty at best down there."

"Do you have any contacts that we could connect with?" Lazard asked.

"I can give you some names and descriptions," Reno said, "but these people are very paranoid and suspicious of any newcomers. I'd advise against trying to get too buddy-buddy with anyone in a leadership position right off the bat."

Lazard nodded and made a note on a printed copy of Reno's report while Genesis and Sephiroth did the same on their digital copies. He then looked towards Sephiroth. "Your report on Junon states there's nothing out of the ordinary in the area and that there have been no Avalanche sightings or activity in the last couple of weeks. Did you find any vulnerable areas in the city proper or in the Shinra garrison?"

"No. Or, at least not new ones. The underwater reactor has always been a point of concern, so we reinforced the security in that zone. We also compiled a list of vessels authorized to enter Junon's territorial waters, as well as names and descriptions of the captains and crew that typically man them."

The Director thought about it for a moment before asking if anyone had any other concerns for either Midgar or Junon's security.

"None on our side," Tseng said. "At this point, it looks like the plans we have are the best possible under the circumstances. I checked with Vincent earlier today and the only thing he mentioned was that we need to make sure not to spread ourselves too thin. All these rumors and cross-information might very well be an Avalanche ploy to weaken our defenses."

"I would agree," Sephiroth said. He didn't miss Reno's minute twitch, or how he adjusted in his seat when Tseng shot him a warning look, but he decided it was best to ignore them for now. "Junon is as fortified as any Shinra location is ever going to get, and targeting any of the smaller reactors doesn't seem to be part of Avalanche's agenda. Their current aim appears to be to undermine us from the inside out, so our efforts should be focused here and at the summit."

Lazard nodded and closed the dossier that was in front of him. "Agreed. We'll continue with preparations as they are, except for the change the Turks need to make in light of Director Valentine's current condition."

Genesis and Sephiroth looked first at each other, then at Lazard and Tseng with obvious confusion.

"What change?" Genesis asked.

"I'll be traveling to Modeoheim on Monday along with Cloud and the Turks. Director Valentine will be staying behind with the President and joining us up north on Thursday," Tseng replied. He made it a point of looking directly at Genesis when answering, avoiding Sephiroth's scrutiny.

"I thought Vincent wanted to take Cloud to Modeoheim to keep an eye on him," Genesis said. He directed the question at Tseng while keeping an eye on Sephiroth's reaction.

Tseng sighed and shook his head slightly, clearly on edge because they were once again in an impossible situation and the choices they were forced to make weren't ideal. "It's Chaos that can monitor Cloud, and he's in no shape to do that, or much of anything, at the moment. Director Valentine balanced the pros and cons and, as long as Cloud remains stable today and tomorrow, there's no reason why he can't travel with us. We'll be keeping an eye on him and will report to Professor Gast and the Director if anything out of the ordinary happens."

There was a very tense pause before Lazard cleared his throat and thanked both Tseng and Reno for their time. He had barely finished dismissing them when Reno bolted from his seat and strode towards the exit, not bothering with saying goodbye to Lazard or the two Soldiers. Tseng was visibly unimpressed by his partner's behavior but decided not to call him out in front of the other men. He simply thanked Lazard and wished him and the other two a good day. He was halfway to the door when Sephiroth called out for him. Tseng turned around and tilted his head slightly, indicating that he was listening.

"Would it be possible to meet up with you later this afternoon? Whenever it works for you, if it works for you."

There was a moment's hesitation before the dark-haired Turk nodded slowly. "I will need to prep and oversee some things, but I will call you as soon as I have a moment, General."

Visibly relieved—even though he tried to hide it—, Sephiroth thanked Tseng. After bowing, the Wutain left Lazard's office.

As soon as the door closed, Lazard's amicable facade dropped and he pinned Sephiroth with a hard stare. "Don't you dare think that I'll let slide the fact that you abandoned your post and returned to Midgar ahead of schedule and without leave, Sephiroth."

The silver-haired swordsman took a deep breath and nodded. "I am sorry that I acted impulsively, Lazard. Jenova going berserk threw me off and I just had to come back to figure out what had happened. Being linked to Cloud didn't help matters, either."

Ice-cold eyes continued to stare him down for a few more seconds. Eventually, Lazard sighed and slumped back on his chair. "I suppose I can understand that. However, there are protocols in place for situations like this, Sephiroth, and Rufus is entirely displeased with your behavior. I can't just ignore what you did."

Sephiroth crossed his arms over his chest and resisted the urge to huff. He was certain Rufus' displeasure was personal rather than professional, but he would prefer not drag Lazard into that situation. He waited a moment to see if Genesis would intervene in any way; when it became clear he wouldn't, he shrugged his shoulders.

"I'll take whatever disciplinary action you think is appropriate, Director."

"Well, for now there's only an administrative sanction and a penalty to your pay. I won't send you away again for the same reason we discussed earlier with the Turks, but somewhere down the line you'll probably be sent back to Junon on assignment. We'll get to that after the summit, though. Right now all of our efforts should concentrate on that.

"Angeal is currently working with Zack and Rude to make sure the equipment the troops will need on Monday is loaded by tomorrow morning. I wasn't planning on having you here this weekend but I would appreciate it if you could give them a hand."

Sephiroth's eye twitched slightly at the idea of having to spend the rest of the day working with one of the Turks, but he had no leeway to talk himself out of it. Again, he chanced a glance at Genesis and found no support there, so he bit his tongue and agreed to the assignment. Satisfied for the moment, Lazard dismissed them and almost immediately resumed the paperwork he was doing before.

Once outside Lazard's office, Sephiroth grunted and glared daggers at Genesis. "Why didn't you say anything when he sent me to help Rude?"

"Why didn't you?" Genesis countered. "Other than the fact that you don't have a leg to stand on and it would've been pretty shameless of you to make any kind of demands after yesterday." When Sephiroth didn't answer, Genesis went on walking towards the elevator bank, his friend following close behind. "Serves you right. Besides, if you want things to return to some semblance of normalcy, you have to learn to keep work and your personal life separate. You did well with Reno just now, and Rude is hardly the chatty type, so you shouldn't have an issue with him."

Sephiroth huffed, following Genesis into the elevator. "I'm pretty sure Tseng put a muzzle on Reno before the meeting. I caught him wanting to say something snippy at least twice."

"Yet he refrained. You might want to follow his example." Another huff was Sephiroth's only answer. "Anyway, to use your expression, I had to 'muzzle' Angeal, too. He's been itching to give a piece of his mind to Vincent, Rufus, and the Turks for a while."

"Trying to defend my honor, is he?"

Genesis smirked fondly. "Precisely. It would help if you could be civil to Rude in front of him so he understands that he can stop mad-dogging the Turks every time they cross paths."

Guilt crept up again in Sephiroth's heart. He knew how passionate Angeal was about protecting his own, and he could only imagine the animosity that had been brewing in his friend's mind and heart all this time. It occurred to him that he hadn't really talked to him much lately, and he made a mental note to invite him to his lunch with Genesis later that day.

Genesis dropped Sephiroth off at the armory on his way to meeting Tseng and Kunsel at the Turks' office. He stayed long enough to make sure that Angeal and Rude weren't butting heads. They weren't, but there was undeniable tension in the air. Zack was doing his best to keep things light, but even his perpetually chipper demeanor was dampened by the Angeal- and Rude-shaped dark clouds around him. There was a moment when Rude first noticed Sephiroth and Genesis thought that maybe he should override Lazard's orders and take his friend somewhere else; the feeling got worse when Rude understood that Sephiroth would be staying and working with them.

Zack looked pleadingly at Genesis then, and all the Commander could think to do without being painfully overt was to look at Rude with not so much a pleading gaze but with an approximation of the look he had seen Tseng give Rufus at the mall that one Sunday. He wasn't sure if it would work, so he was mildly surprised and, in no small measure, relieved when the Turk sighed almost imperceptibly while he rolled his shoulders and dropped most of the aggressive attitude he had been sporting. He wasn't relaxed or happy by any means, but it was clear he wasn't going to start a fight.

As soon as Rude's demeanor shifted, Zack beamed and went through the process of explaining to Sephiroth what they needed to do. The young Soldier gave Genesis a small smile and a thumbs-up, mouthing we're good once Sephiroth started sorting through crates of ammunition. Genesis returned the smile and announced he would be available on his phone if anyone needed anything.

---

With an extra pair of hands, sorting through the equipment and ammunition for the troops went by faster than Angeal had originally planned–that and the fact that Rude and he had stopped passive-aggressively getting in each other's way. He still felt like pulling the Turk aside and unloading on him, but Genesis had made it painfully clear how he felt about that. Besides, Sephiroth was making an effort to be professional around the stoic man, and Rude had followed suit after the General arrived, so to start something now would be foolish.

Instead, he swallowed his grievances and thanked Rude for his time, dismissing him as politely as he could. Unsurprisingly, all he and Sephiroth got from the man was a short nod; Zack, however, got an almost friendly 'see you later' as the Turk left the armory. Trying not to feel offended at what he perceived as a slight, he turned his attention to his pupil and his friend.

"Since we're done early, you can take a break before your next assignment, Zack."

"Sounds good. Cloud should be almost done with his examination at the infirmary so I'll go wait for him and maybe grab some lunch before the final checkups."

Angeal approved of the decision and asked Zack to give Cloud his regards. Sephiroth hesitated a moment before asking the younger man to do the same, sounding less certain about it than he would like. If he noticed it, Zack didn't bring it up. He simply smiled and nodded, bidding his superiors farewell.

Unsurprisingly, Angeal did pick up on his friend's slip and wasn't about to just let it go. "How are you holding up? Genesis told me about last night."

Sephiroth shrugged and leaned against one of the crates they had just finished loading. "Better, in some ways. Still very confused about this connection with Strife, but… I have to keep reminding myself that not much of what Hojo did, intentionally or otherwise, ever made sense."

Angeal nodded and stood next to him, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the crate, too. "Understandable. What about Director Valentine?" When his friend's immediate reaction was a deep, long sigh, he winced playfully. "That bad, huh?"

"Perhaps. It feels like we haven't talked in forever. Why don't you join me and Genesis for lunch and we can catch up a little."

Angeal agreed and they made their way to the elevators. He called Genesis and they agreed to meet at the lobby to figure out where to go for lunch. They settled on one of their favorite restaurants in Sector Six; they had a private booth there on reserve that would allow them to have a conversation without interruptions.

After ordering their food, Genesis and Sephiroth updated Angeal on their meeting with Lazard and the Turks. The dark-haired man was surprised that Lazard's reprimand had not been more severe—even if he understood Sephiroth's motives to abandon his post, Angeal was a stickler for rules and felt that his friend's actions deserved more severe consequences.

"You're the highest ranking officer within Soldier and, as such, you're meant to set an example for everyone else," he admonished.

Sephiroth knew better than to argue the point; not only was Angeal right, but trying to defend himself in any way would only trigger a lengthy lecture that he just didn't feel like dealing with. So he admitted to his slight and promised to be more focused moving forward. Satisfied, Angeal went on to voice his concerns about making further changes to their plans so close to the summit but admitted that the revised situation made sense. He made a note to talk to Zack about the areas Reno had pointed out to figure out if they could spare some Seconds or Thirds to keep an eye on them. Genesis asked him to talk to Kunsel, too, since they had covered some of that in the meeting he'd just had with him and Tseng.

Sephiroth took the opportunity to bring up the subject of Angeal's desire to talk the Turks and Vincent.

"Speaking of Tseng… I know you've been meaning to give him and the Turks a piece of your mind, but I would ask you to stand down. It's not that I don't appreciate your impulse to protect or avenge me, but they haven't done anything wrong—I'm the one that didn't listen to anyone and made a mess of things with Vincent. If I have any hope of fixing things between us, I need to make amends and part of that includes not alienating his entire team."

Before Angeal could question him, he told them about his conversation with his mother and his sister the previous night. He told them about his plans to apologize to the Turks and Rufus, and to talk to Vincent before the summit, like Aerith had suggested. Angeal seemed skeptical but Genesis found himself agreeing with Sephiroth's family.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't apologize," Angeal said carefully, "but I don't understand how you're still thinking about pursuing any kind of relationship with Vincent outside of work, Seph. I mean, the arrangement that he has with everyone…"

"I'm not going to speak for Sephiroth, especially not when he's right here, but just because you wouldn't want to be in a polyamorous relationship it doesn't mean that other people can't have them, Angeal."

"And it's not like I went looking for one," Sephiroth said. "I mean, in hindsight, I sort of saw some signs but there really was no way to know just how different Vincent's situation was until he told me about it."

"I get that. What I mean is, now that you do know, why are you still thinking about making things work with him? Romantically, I mean."

Genesis nearly choked on his drink but Sephiroth spared him from having to answer. Still, the auburn-haired man couldn't help but to be supremely annoyed at his lover for being so obtuse when it came to matters of the heart.

"My feelings for him haven't vanished, Angeal. And just because something is hard it doesn't mean it's not worth fighting for."

They paused while the waiter brought the food they had ordered earlier and refilled their drinks. While Angeal and Genesis started on their food, Sephiroth continued.

"I don't know how any of this will work out if Vincent decides to even try to be friends again. From what I gather, there's a good chance he won't want to, but at this point I need to at least apologize to everyone involved and try to make peace so we can at least work together moving forward."

"That makes sense, I suppose," Angeal conceded. "I'm sorry if I've come across as pushy or close-minded, but… forgive me, friend, you don't do well when it comes to sharing." Seeing his friend bristle, he put his hands up placatingly. "You know it's true, Seph. There's a reason we always get you a separate room when traveling."

"He's got you there," Genesis chimed in. "Are you sure you're ready for this kind of commitment?"

Sephiroth pouted around a bite of food before answering. "I'm trying not to get ahead of myself again. I made a lot of assumptions before and I'm trying not to do that anymore. If Vincent accepts my apology and decides to give me a chance, then we'll need to have a conversation about what we're both willing to do. I can't really say one way or the other now, but I want to at least have a chance to get to that point."

They ate in silence for several minutes, all of them mulling over the conversation so far. A notification tone from Sephiroth's phone cut through the silence. He checked and let his friends know it was Tseng asking if he still wanted to meet.

"He did say earlier that he would try to make time for you today," Genesis offered. "If he's up for it, you should definitely take the chance to talk with him."

Sephiroth nodded and arranged to meet with Tseng in a couple of hours at a bar the Turks frequented over in Sector Three. Once the silver-haired man put his phone away, Angeal asked a question Sephiroth himself had been mulling over for some time.

"Why would he want to help you out with Vincent? I know you're friends, but it would seem to me like it would be a lot easier for all of them to leave you to sink or swim on your own."

"I don't know. I've wondered that since the day after… you know." He turned to look at Genesis and continued. "It's not just him—from what you told me, Gen, Reno and Cissnei had been conferring with you before I went and barreled through like a behemoth in a potion store."

Genesis chuckled at the image but nodded. "Yes, they were. We didn't have a deep discussion about it, though. All I knew from them is that they were aware that Vincent had an interest in you but also a lot of reservations, and all they knew from me was that I was willing to help along because you were interested, too. Needless to say, they never mentioned their relationship with Vincent or anything else. That just leads me to believe they were willing to make accommodations for you, I just don't know how far they were thinking of going."

"Have you talked to any of them about this since?" Angeal asked. "I know you met briefly with Vincent the morning after the argument, but things have been very hectic since."

"Not much," Genesis admitted. "Vincent was very firm in not wanting to discuss the subject at all until after the summit so I dropped it. I suppose he told them the same and they've followed along with his request."

"Well, meeting with Tseng now is not about asking for his help but his forgiveness," Sephiroth said. "I don't want to lose a friend over this."

"That is the mature thing to do," Angeal agreed. "Again, I'm just worried about you, Seph. It seems like navigating this situation won't be easy and I can be very overprotective. If you want me to stand down, I will. It just might take me a bit longer to behave neutrally when around the Turks."

"You've had an issue with that since your last mission together," Genesis pointed out.

The dark-haired man sighed and rolled his shoulders. "Their methods are very different from ours. Plus, it was the first time I'd seen Director Valentine in the field and… well, I can't say I'm not in awe of the abilities he displayed, but it's definitely hard to reconcile what I saw out there with the impression I'd always had of him—and Tseng, for that matter."

"There's a reason they're not in the public eye," Genesis said with a shrug. "Rufus might want to clean that up moving forward but I'm afraid that it'll be very difficult to do so."

Sephiroth took a long sip of his drink before speaking up. "Whatever our feelings about their job and methods may be, the truth remains that we need them—a lot. So, it's in everyone's best interests to get along as well as we can, at least during working hours."

Angeal and Genesis agreed and they continued their meal, stirring the conversation elsewhere. Once they were done, Sephiroth paid the bill and bid his friends farewell. He had about an hour to kill before meeting Tseng and he decided to talk over to Sector Three to clear his head and go over what he wanted to say to his friend. He was nervous, but also strangely hopeful, a feeling he clung to tightly as it had become rare of late.