A/N: But I LIKE the center aligning! Why does everyone think it's so hard? (cries) Anyway, I revamped the first two chapters so that they're friendlier to those who don't read center-aligned documents. (starts crying again)

Apparently, no one likes the idea of non-yaoi one-shots… Dang, and I'm having fun with this. Oh, well. New one-shot!

Characters: Zack and Sephiroth

Pairing: Non-Romance

Genre: Angst

Setting: One day before Nibelheim

Music Listened To During The Making Of This One-Shot: Oasis, Gackt (Just. Don't. Ask. Who could possibly not love this man?)

"Hey, you okay?"

"…?"

"I said, are you okay?"

It was raining in Midgar again, and dark clouds had swarmed above the floating city, drops of water falling like tears from a perturbed sky. Streets were flooded with water, and people were rushing underneath the dry safety of their umbrellas or their coats to escape being soaked from the oncoming downpour. Lightning danced across the sky, soon followed by the cracking peals of thunder that soon became strong enough even to shake windows. Truly, Heaven must have been in great peril for it to express its turmoil upon the Earth below.

"… it is nothing."

"Oh, that's bull and you know it. You're too quiet today."

"I'm always quiet."

"Not this much."

High above the wet streets and buildings of Midgar, a single edifice stood tallest in the city, the logo of the Shinra Electric Power Company emblazoned brightly at its very pinnacle. It stood defiantly against the tempest, against the storm that seemed to threaten its position. No, it remained, a symbol of Shinra's eternal power over all, even the forces of nature.

Those whose sight was strong enough would be able to see a pair of tiny male figures high up in one of the upper floors, one leaning against the window and gazing out into the city, the other pacing back and forth beside him. The pacing one was of medium-build, in the purple SOLDIER's garb, and had wild ebony hair that seemed impossible to tame. The other beside him was much taller, dressed in a long, black leather coat and pants. His hair, long and silver, cascaded like a silver waterfall down to his middle thighs, with the exception of two gravity-defying locks that framed his face and glowing eyes.

"Come ON, Sephiroth! What's eating you? Surely you'd have the heart to tell your best friend!"

"Nothing is 'eating me,' thank you very much. And who deemed you my 'best friend' anyway, Zack?"

"Oh that stung, man! C'mon, you know you love me."

Zack turned his chocolate-brown eyes towards the silver-haired man, a sloppy grin plastered on his face. The older one, Sephiroth, rolled his eyes at the younger man's look, before turning his eyes back towards the window. Zack frowned, crossing his arms at the General's stubbornness and huffing a sigh.

"If it's about the upcoming mission, I don't see why you should worry. It's probably just a stupid pipe that's busted; it's not like the whole Mako reactor is going to explode. Besides, I hear the Nibelheim locals are just a bunch of mountain people, not AVALANCHE. And even if they do give us trouble, Gaia forbid there should be an opponent anywhere CLOSE to your level."

Sephiroth felt his lips twitch, and almost too easily suppressed the smile that threatened to twist them. However, Zack saw this, and grinned that silly grin again, earning another roll of eyes from the silver-haired General.

"If you're so interested, I'm not worried about the mission. I'd rather something much more challenging."

"…you had entirely WAAAY too much fun in the Wutaian War, didn't you?"

Another lip-twitch and Zack knew his antics were beginning to ease Sephiroth's nerves. The black-haired SOLDIER didn't really understand why, but ever since they'd received the assignment to Nibelheim that day, Sephiroth had been on a violent edge, the kind that made him explode at anyone who slipped up in any way at any time. Zack himself had even been on the receiving end of Sephiroth's heat, and it really did sting to feel it, especially from one of his closest friends (though the stubborn idiot would never admit it, not even to himself).

It was like walking around on eggshells; the only difference with Sephiroth was that the eggshells were explosive and came with a seven-foot-long sword called Masamune.

"So, what's been your deal about Nibelheim?"

Sephiroth shook his head, which resulted in a groan that escaped Zack's lips. The emerald-eyed man internally scoffed at the SOLDIER 1st Class. He refused to reveal such intimate details with himself, details that even he was unable to confront. His forehead went back to the window, where he gazed out into the dark rain clouds.

Sephiroth didn't want to admit it, but the memories he had of Nibelheim were not his most favored ones. Especially the mansion and what lay beneath. His early childhood, spent in a white Hell of colorless walls, freezing sterile tables, hypodermic needles, and the agony of the green substance that he'd experienced ever since he was able to retain memory. In fact, the memory of the burning pain of Mako shots were some of the first he ever had. The agony of the Mako shots and the cold, heartless black eyes that belonged to Professor Hojo, always staring hungrily down at him, haunting him and reminding him that he was only a monster.

Green, white, and black. These were the colors he hated most. And yet these were the colors that made him into what he was. These were the colors that composed him. A green-eyed, white angel and a sin-black wing. An angel of death and destruction.

Perhaps the only thing that kept him sane was the belief that, at one point in his life, a point he did not remember, he was normal, not the monstrosity that he was now. That at one point in his life, he was human.

"Look, Sephiroth, I know you're not used to this, but it's okay to actually talk every once in a while."

…Well, perhaps that and the fact that he had at least one person who gave a flip about him.

He wouldn't dare admit it, especially not to himself, but having a person like Zack around, who had enough of a soul left to look past the monstrosity and see another soul, however warped and infinitesimal it was, was calming… not that it meant that he should give in to petty human emotions, but who said he couldn't occasionally enjoy it?

Zack was almost his polar opposite. Where the General was quiet, cold, and deeply contemplative, Zack was warm, outspoken, inviting, and spontaneous. While Sephiroth would never act on a silly whim, it seemed that that was all the black-haired man ever did. And his deep brown eyes were warm, friendly, and relaxing, hiding nothing to the beholder. Sephiroth's emerald eyes were cold, unforgiving, yet strangely awe-inspiring and mysterious, and one could only imagine what unfathomable enigmas lay behind them.

Zack had a soul, whereas Sephiroth had lost his long ago, despite how often Zack said he did have one.

Sephiroth returned his crystalline gaze to the shorter SOLDIER, a sneer playing on his face.

"Really? I thought you liked the sound of your own voice."

Zack stuck his tongue out at Sephiroth, who decided not to hold back a momentary chuckle of triumph as his sneer regressed back into a smirk. Zack chuckled too, and both somehow settled into a silence of ease. Zack smiled, knowing that such moments must not have come very often for Sephiroth.

"So, this mission… we've been given a couple of cadets to join us. 'In case anything goes wrong' or some other crap like that. Really, do they think that a few Mako-induced monsters are going to be a challenge for the Almighty Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth was silent, but shrugged to indicate his indifference. He really couldn't care less about the mission, much less some facts he'd heard already that day. All he wanted to do was get the mission over with, quell his nerves, come back, and get on with his life. Zack leaned back against Sephiroth's desk, letting his eyes wander around the immaculate room.

"They assigned us Eric Marco, the Lieutenant Colonel, and Cloud Strife, the Private 3rd Class. And I already checked Marco out; he's a pretty out of the way guy. And you don't need to worry about Cloud either – he's my buddy, so he'll be cool. Just don't mention anything about the SOLDIER test-"

Sephiroth couldn't really hear him anymore, letting his mind wander to the faraway town of Nibelheim. He refused to admit it to Zack that there was something wrong about going to Nibelheim, something that perturbed him about the mission. If Sephiroth were a lesser man, he might just put in for sick leave, rather than go to the mountain town. But, pride wouldn't let him stay, and he wanted to know what was so odd about Nibelheim.

"-and when we get back, we can all head to the bar and get loaded and laid. Whaddya think, Seph?"

Sephiroth winced internally at the nickname, the name only Zack was allowed to call him when absolutely NO ONE was around. Turning his head back towards the SOLDIER, he saw the mischievous look in those velvet brown eyes and shrugged, knowing that Zack would eventually win in the end.

"Sure, why not?"

Zack's smile grew once more into that lop-sided grin that charmed any man or woman within a five-mile radius. Sephiroth wouldn't dare admit it, the fact that it was always agreeable to see that silly grin plastered on the ridiculous black-haired man's face. Because of that smile, Sephiroth could pretend he really did have a soul for a moment. It was a secret he kept to himself and no one else, though surely Zack was smart enough to understand it by now.

"Great! Let's head home then. I'm ready for bed and the ride's probably going to be bumpy tomorrow."

"Fine."

Three days. One day getting there, one day for the mission, and one day getting back. Three days and they would be back in Midgar. Nerves quelled, pointless mission accomplished, and soon after most likely paraded around to a bunch of brainless girls while under the strong influence of some unknown liquor Sephiroth didn't dare question about in Zack's presence. At least, lost somewhere in the metallic alcoholic haze, Sephiroth could freely pretend he had a friend.

Zack was already at the door, Buster Sword in its holster on his back. His gloved hand was on the doorknob, and he was halfway out in the hall already, the grin still on his face. Sephiroth stood and headed his way as well.

"C'mon! Let's mosey!"

Three days until he could pretend.

A/N: It's too bad those three days never come, ne? I don't really know how this came about in my mind. I just kinda got to wondering about Sephiroth… one thing led to another… and I got this.

So, I got a little ahead of myself. Yeah, yeah. Sephiroth's probably not in character, Zack's probably a little too hyper. I know, I know. Constructive criticism is always nice, though. It's very helpful… please tell me you get what I'm implying.

Oh, and I just found out Crisis Core comes out a couple weeks before my birthday. Not to mention Dirge of Cerberus… More FF VII goody-ness!

Ja ne!

The Psychotic One