Author's Note :: Remember how I said this was the last chapter? That was a lie, because we've picked up the purple notebook once more, and the insanity shall continue. I hope that that is considered good news by our readers rather than bad…
Chapter Five
~Friend
Sephiroth was distracted the whole trip. He somehow managed to block out Zack's non-stop chatter on the way back to Kalm, much to his disappointment – Zack's, that is, not Sephiroth's.
The fight was easy enough to find. Reno's red hair stuck out like a sore thumb, and Kadaj had a pile of bodies building around him so quickly only the occasional flash of his sword or silver hair was visible. Sephiroth kept his distance for a while, observing the battle. A small grin crossed his face as Zack rushed in, his face alight with excitement. His grin became wider as he recalled Genesis' comparison of the young soldier to a puppy. However, upon thinking of his friend again, the smile abruptly disappeared.
He heard Reno yell something about not needing any help, and that the two Turks were doing just fine on their own. Both Turks looked around in confusion when all the fight suddenly left their opponents.
"Way to ruin it!" Reno yelled, though it wasn't convincing since he had a grin on his face.
"I'm sorry, but these are all members of SOLDIER. They may only be Third Class, poorly trained, but they are SOLDIER none the less." Sephiroth saw Zack look down at his sword, an extreme look of relief crossing his face when he realized there was no blood on it. "SOLDIER," Sephiroth then asked the man standing nearest him, "What is the meaning of this?"
"We were gathered, told that Kalm was planning an attack on ShinRa, and that we were being sent to eliminate the problem."
"Funny, you've missed the problem altogether. Now, go home. We've got handle on things here. That's an order, SOLDIER," Sephiroth was lost in thought as his fellow ShinRa employees began to retreat, heading back towards Midgar. He knew that he had a list of people he needed to talk to, the president and Genesis being at the top.
"Well," he said, turning to Reno and Kadaj, "since you two can handle things here by yourselves, we'll leave you to it."
"Fine," Kadaj said shortly.
"Yeah, and tell ShinRa to send us another helicopter. I'm not too big on the idea of walking all the way back to Midgar. Plus, that way it'll be easier to keep an eye on the rookie," Reno added.
"Yeah? Well, it's just convenient because it means you don't have to walk your lazy butt home," Kadaj snapped back. He really didn't appreciate being called a rookie. The fact that it was coming from Reno made it understandable, but still not acceptable.
"I'll make sure one gets here. I suggest you not cause any more trouble than there is already by keeping your mouth shut. I know that's difficult, but please do try. I'm sure we'll se the two of you again soon," Sephiroth turned and walked away, leaving a sputtering Reno in his wake.
Kadaj watched the two SOLDIERs walk away with mixed emotions. In a way, he was relieved that he no longer had anyone he needed to impress, yet he was sad to see them go. Sephiroth had a way of getting under Reno's skin that was admirable. If anything, the short time spent in his company had made Kadaj admire the General even more.
"Hellooo…are you still with me, rookie?" Reno asked him, waving a hand in front of Kadaj's face.
"Unfortunately," Kadaj replied, managing to keep this temper in check for once.
"Good, because I would hate to think what would happen if a rookie lost his mind on my watch. They probably wouldn't let me baby-sit anymore. Hey," realization dawned on Reno's face even as he spoke, "Maybe you should pretend to lose your mind. I hate this part of the job."
"Sorry, the only lost mind here is yours," Kadaj replied. He smirked as a thought then hit him. "Then again, it's hard to lose something you never had." He walked away leaving a thoroughly angry Reno behind him.
"Come back here and say that to my face!"
"I thought I just did. Besides, you don't want to fight me. How would you explain to your boss that you lost to a rookie?" Kadaj returned to the inn, ending the argument.
Somewhere in the back of his mind it occurred to him he probably shouldn't antagonize the older Turk. He wondered what would happen to him upon their return to Midgar. Would they give him a partner? Would he be stuck in the ShinRa building? He sat in his room, his mind going over many things, both possible and not so easily achieved.
"Alright Kadaj, get out here!" yelled Reno, pounding on his door, "If they want me to bring you back there's a few things we need to talk about."
Kadaj opened the door and followed Reno down to the bar. "Okay, talk," Reno said, motioning the bartender away.
"Perhaps if I knew what you wanted to hear I could reply," Kadaj said, arranging his face into the look of calm disinterest Sephiroth so often had.
"Why are you the way you are? Did your parents beat you as a kid?"
"I don't remember my parents. I don't even know if I have them. My earliest memory is of ShinRa and the scientific labs there. If you must know, that's why I'm so disappointed to be a Turk. They told me they were raising me to be in SOLDIER, to be the best. To be like Sephiroth," Kadaj added in an undertone. He turned and looked at Reno, who for once had nothing to say. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get some rest." He returned to his room, leaving Reno at the bar with his thoughts.
Sephiroth was even quieter than normal on the trip back to Midgar. He could see that his silence was making Zack uneasy, but said nothing to reassure him. In all honesty he didn't know what to say. Monsters, monsters, how the word confused him. Both he and Genesis were men, nothing unusual to earn such a description. Yet, the word repeated itself in Sephiroth's mind, each time making him a little more unsure. He betrayed none of this in his expression, not wanting to alarm his companion any further.
"So, did you find anything out from Genesis?" Zack asked, clearly trying to draw Sephiroth out of his thoughts.
"I found out many things, but nothing at the same time. I found out things I will never disclose. I wouldn't want to ruin how people see him."
"Did you ever find out what if was he felt you needed to know so badly?"
"With Genesis, you rarely get to the point. There is too much poetry, too many irrelevancies. When he feels it's truly important for me to know the truth, he will tell me."
"Yeah, I've heard he quotes a lot of poetry."
"Not just any poetry – LOVELESS. I don't have the patience for it. Though he is an old friend, I sometimes find it difficult to have a conversation with him." The tone of Sephiroth's voice indicated the conversation was at an end, and the two SOLDIERs fell into a much easier silence. At some point Zack opened his mouth as if to speak, and then seemed to think better of it.
When they reached the ShinRa building, Zack stopped on the SOLDIER floor while Sephiroth continued on to the president's office. As he approached, he noticed a lone Turk beside the door that he recognized as Tseng.
"I need to speak with the president." Tseng looked at him for a moment before calmly telling him the president was busy. Sephiroth nodded, making it clear he would wait. Tseng called the office, letting them know the General was waiting.
"You were with Reno, weren't you," the Turk made it sound more like a statement than a question.
"Yes, and you'll be pleased to know he hasn't even attempted to kill Kadaj yet. Although that was when I left…who knows what may have happened since then." As Tseng was about to reply, the office door opened and President ShinRa appeared, motioning Sephiroth inside. "Sir, Kalm was attacked by a platoon of SOLDIER. What do you know about this?"
"No more than you, except that they were supposed to be under the command of Genesis," the President replied, emotionlessly.
Immediately Sephiroth's suspicion rose. "Genesis has nothing against the people of Kalm. He has no reason to have his men attack. Besides, he had no way of commanding them, nor did he have the time. I was speaking with him when the attack started. He had no opportunity to give the command." He saw the President's calm expression flicker, betraying a mix of triumph, fear, and irritation. "Sir, is everything alright? You seem troubled."
"I see no reason not to tell you. Perhaps you can even help. We think Genesis is the one in charge of the anti-ShinRa faction. If he is, it requires immediate action and most likely, his elimination."
Sephiroth knew the President was watching his expression for any change in the stoic look, and he managed to keep it neutral. "That's too bad. I'm sorry I don't have information to help you in your quest."
"You said you saw Genesis in Kalm."
"Yes, we met for a drink as friends sometimes do. Again, I'm sorry I don't have information for you. Maybe when you can explain the attack by SOLDIER, I will have some." He stood, exiting the office before anything else could be said.
~Me
Upon reentering the SOLDIER floor, Zack's eyes immediately began to search the area for someone familiar, waves of excitement still pulsing through his body from the events of the past day or so. Even though he had not been in much of an actual fight, he had still been in a few exciting situations and had done a mission with Sephiroth – he wanted nothing more than to tell someone else.
"I see you made it back at least."
Zack had been so focused looking in front of him that he had not even noticed the lift opening behind him and someone emerging until the voice startled him. The shocked feeling only lasted about a nanosecond, however, because he instantly recognized the voice. Zack quickly spun around, his mako-blue eyes wide and playfully shining. "Angeal!" he first exclaimed in recognition before resting his hands on his hips in his most confident pose. "I always make it back – you sound surprised."
Angeal had a faint smile on his face, and he just shook his head at Zack's words. "That's not a safe attitude to develop," he then replied calmly, always willing to give Zack a patient lesson whenever the chance presented itself. "When you become over confident in your own abilities it becomes impossible to see your weaknesses."
Zack let out a loud breath at Angeal's words, blowing his bangs up in the air for a moment with the action. Angeal never failed to have some reply like that for him that he would probably get more out of if he would only give it a few moments of extra thought later – but Zack lived in the present rather whole-heartedly, so that rarely happened. "Yeah, probably," ended up being Zack's mumbled reply, which sparked purely from wanting Angeal to be satisfied rather than an actual agreement with the statement itself. "But anyway…how did you know where I went?" Zack's curiosity quickly took precedence.
"I get suspicious when you disappear for long amounts of time, so I took the liberty of finding out if you were doing something legitimate. Did you uncover the faction?"
Zack's typical grin faded slightly, and his arms fell to his sides as he swung them about absently. Angeal was very well informed – perhaps he should have suspected as much. "Not exactly," he then slowly replied. He did not like that his sounded so close to admitting failure, so he quickly continued. "We did find Genesis there, however, though you will have to talk to Sephiroth to find out those details – he was being pretty quiet about everything."
Angeal's face instantly turned to one of confusion. "Genesis?" he repeated, running his hand back through his sleek hair, "I think I will find Sephiroth."
"But I want to—" Zack jumped towards Angeal as he began to argue, but was quickly stopped by the other man's hand in his face.
"Not now, Zack. This has urgency," Angeal's tone was flat, and his face serious. He turned back and reentered the life behind him, offering Zack a curt nod as the doors sealed between them.
"But I don't understand," Zack said to the cold metal doors in frustration as he clenched his fists. He hated not being trusted with information – especially when it dealt with a situation he had been involved in. Both Angeal and Sephiroth had an air of seriousness surrounding the Genesis situation, and Zack eagerly wanted to know more. "This really isn't fair," he then mumbled to himself, turning and stalking away from the lifts in search of someone else to talk to.
Reno was relieved when the helicopter touched the landing pad at the ShinRa building once more. He quickly jumped from it, not waiting for Kadaj or the technician that had flown the machine to Kalm to follow as he headed for the door into the building. The mission had been more frustrating than anything else, and although Reno had enjoyed the chance to bash a few SOLDIERs there near the end with his EMR, all he wanted to do was give his report and go get a drink.
As Reno approached the door of the President's office, he saw Tseng standing watch outside. The other man's expression did not change as Reno approached him. "Sephiroth already told Sir most of what happened from what I gather," Tseng did speak when Reno stopped before him. He heard another set of feet stop shortly afterwards behind him, and he assumed the source to be Kadaj.
"Looks like he took my job," Reno stated with sarcastic sadness before his typical cool tone returned. "Do I still need to report anything?"
"I doubt it."
"Good," the word was drawn out a bit as a smirk spread across Reno's face, "Where's Rude, then?" As he asked the second question he pulled out a cigarette, balancing it from the corner of his mouth.
"He left a little bit ago – you could always try calling him rather than relying on me for his whereabouts." Tseng's voice remained very flat.
"I have to use you for something, Tseng," Reno replied smoothly, lighting the cigarette.
"Don't smoke in here." Still, Tseng's voice and face did not change – Reno was slightly impressed.
"Right," the redhead replied, again drawing the word out as he let out the first bit of smoke from his mouth and turned from Tseng, headed for the lift. "I'm leaving," he stated unnecessarily.
"I mean it," he heard Tseng's voice behind him, as well as the footsteps once more.
"I always smoke in here," Reno simply muttered, completely unconcerned as he took another long draw as he pressed the button for the lift, "Fire me." He knew that was extremely unlikely, and he stepped into the lift when the doors opened.
"Out of curiosity, where are you going?" Kadaj asked as he followed Reno into the lift, a rather stoic expression on his face as well.
Reno shook his head – what was with all these emotionless people? – before pressing the button for the lobby many floors below them. "I think I earned myself a drink," he then replied with a glance towards the younger man as he dropped the cigarette to the floor and smashed it under the toe of his boot very deliberately. "You did, too," he then continued, "Just…not with me." He scoffed for a moment to himself before exiting the lift when the doors opened again, his hand already reaching for his mobile to locate Rude. He only hoped his friend was a step ahead of him on the drinks.
~Friend
Kadaj stood for a moment, debating on if he wanted to follow Reno or not. Tseng had not told him to stop, and he hadn't heard him relieve Reno of his 'baby sitting' duties. After a short internal debate he decided he would rather face an angry Reno than an angry Tseng. At least Reno would be amusing when he unleashed his anger. Tseng, well, in all honesty…Kadaj was slightly afraid of him.
He kept his distance, and when Reno entered the bar, he sat at a table as far as possible from his red-haired partner and his bald companion. As he sat, he sighed. "Three…two…one…"
"What are you doing here?! I thought I told you to stay there! I told you not to follow me! Go back right now!"
"I'm sorry, but I wasn't told I was allowed to go off on my own, and as far as I know neither were you. In fact, I think I'm your partner until notified otherwise." Kadaj expected a violent reaction, but instead Reno just smirked.
"I'm sitting across from my partner, kid. As far as I'm concerned, you can do whatever you want. They'll find you someone eventually."
Kadaj stood stunned for a moment, letting the words sink in, then released a low growl and exited the bar. As he left, he heard Rude say something to Reno, but did not try to figure out what had been said. He stormed through the streets, knocking everyone who dared to get in his way out of it. His fury radiated off of him, and stopped only when he heard a challenge shouted at him.
"Oi! You think you can shove me and just walk away? No one can do that! Not even Mr. High-and-Mighty-Sephiroth would get away with that!"
"Oh, really?" Kadaj said, "Well, let's see how well you can defend that claim." He knew his sword, watching with pleasure as the man's eyes widened in fear.
"I meant no disrespect sir, but you caught me off-guard. Please, let me go, please…"
Kadaj stopped short. Did this man think he was his hero? He waved him away, turning and continuing on in his previous direction with no thought as to his destination. Upon entering the ShinRa building he sighed, found a seat, and sat waiting for someone to say something or for something to happen. He was rewarded – or cursed – in a way he did not expect.
"Hey, have you seen Zack Fair?"
Kadaj looked up to see a boy a bit younger than himself looking at him eagerly through large blue eyes. He held back a chuckle at the way the boy's hair stuck up in every direction. "Shouldn't he be on the SOLDIER floor?"
"I looked there," the boy said, scrunching his eyebrows together, "but he wasn't there. The only people I could find were Angeal, Sephiroth, and some other people that weren't Zack….I'm Cloud, by the way. Who are you?"
"Kadaj," he replied, amused by the boy's rant, "and I wouldn't know where to find Zack. I'm not a SOLDIER – I'm a Turk."
"Oh, well, thanks anyway…" the boy muttered as he walked away.
"Cloud," Kadaj whispered, committing his name and face to memory.
"The annoying blonde kid?" Kadaj jumped at the sound of Reno's voice. "He worships Zack like you worship Sephiroth. Poor kid, thinks if he hangs around enough Zack will like him."
"Yeah? Well, I would rather death with him than you," Kadaj said, glaring at Reno through narrowed eyes. "I thought I wasn't your partner anymore."
"Well, Mr. President thinks otherwise. I'm stuck with you until this whole Genesis, anti-ShinRa group mess is cleaned up. Get used to me, kid, we're stuck for a while."
"I really hate the sound of that 'for a while' bit."
"Finally, something we really agree on."
"Now, now, fight nice boys. But if you can't fight nice, I have a few SOLDIERs who would like to watch."
"I'll give you—Sir!" Reno said, shocked to see the President with Sephiroth.
"Yes, I agree, Sephiroth. Keeping them together would be an excellent way to teach them patience," softly chuckling, the President and Sephiroth walked away.
As they were leaving, Zack walked in. "What did I miss? Was there a meeting? Are we leaving again?"
Kadaj ignored his questions. "Your friend Cloud was looking for you."
Sephiroth had put off telling Angeal about Genesis. He had some extensive thinking to do on that subject, and would not discuss things until he had done it. He knew Angeal would be confused by Sephiroth's avoidance of him, but did not think he was quite ready to see Angeal's face at the implications. He also did not plan to discuss his conversation that he had with Genesis with anyone else.
It took him a moment to realize he was back on the SOLDIER floor, staring out the window once more.
"Zack told me you saw Genesis in Kalm."
Mentally, Sephiroth sighed, and then glanced at Angeal out of the corner of his eye before going back to the view. "Yes, we did."
"He said you are the only one you really spoke to him. He said you were being quiet about it."
"I am the only one he spoke to, yes. I didn't share the information because it was for me alone. He says it involves you as well, but I assume he'll tell you when he's ready."
"What did he say, Sephiroth?"
"The same as always. Quoting LOVELESS and never really getting to the point." He saw a slight smile cross the dark-haired man's face.
"That does sound like typical Genesis, all right. Yes, I suppose he'll get to the point eventually. It must have been important for him to even say anything at all."
"Yes, it must have been," Sephiroth replied, his mind filtering swiftly through what had been said, trying to make sense of it.
"Sephiroth, do me a favor." Sephiroth turned to Angeal showing both his attention, and a slight nod for him to go on. "I think President ShinRa is planning on keeping Zack with you for a while. Keep an eye on him. He has a tendency to get distracted and a little over-enthusiastic at times."
"I think you forgot over-dramatic, but I'll see what I can do. As long as I can, I'll make sure he stays in one piece. If he goes looking for trouble, though, I can't make any promises." A slight smile crossed Sephiroth's face as a swift look of amusement and relief crossed Angeal's face. They both turned as they heard the lift open.
"Zack, I know you're here somewhe—oh, uh, sorry," the boy said, seeming to blush all the way to the ends of his spikey hair. He turned and ran back into the lift before the doors had a chance to shut.
"He sure does keep interesting company, I'll give him that. Next thing you know, he'll be best friends with a Turk."
"It really wouldn't surprise me. I don't think there is anyone that Zack couldn't make friends with. Oh, and speaking of Turks, I hear they have a new one."
"Kadaj. They stuck him with Reno for a partner. Neither is too happy about that arrangement."
"I can imagine. Poor kid, he's going to get the wrong idea about working for ShinRa."
"Kadaj is different from Reno. He's more like a SOLDIER than a Turk. I honestly think if given the opportunity, he would switch."
"Yes, I've heard he's different from Reno. In fact, I've heard he's a lot like you." Sephiroth didn't reply, turning once again to look out the window. "But of course, you have no response for that." Neither SOLDIER heard Genesis' approach from behind.
"Why would he? I'm sure if he knew the truth, if either of you knew, there would be a response. There is so much you don't know, Kadaj included. In time, the truth shall be known, and you will all join my cause." With that, Genesis walked off, softly quoting LOVELESS to himself.
"This is not the first time he's mentioned something about truth," Angeal said patiently, knowing that if he wished, Sephiroth could be as evasive as Genesis.
"Yes, it was mentioned, but never explained. In fact, a lot was mentioned. Angeal, Genesis is very troubled. He told me he killed his parents, and yet his only explanation was that they lied to him, that they were ShinRa's lapdogs. He says we are monsters, yet never told me why. Not that he really had time, thanks to the infantry that showed up," he allowed just a hint of worry touch his eyes, instantly seeing the worry reflected by Angeal's.
"What does he mean…monsters?"
"Yes, now we need to wait for an explanation or a reason." Both SOLDIER First Classes turned to gaze out the window, each lost in his own troubled thoughts.
Author's Note :: Hope that was worth the wait, sorry for the delay – I blame my job, and probably too much time spent role-playing, heh. Anyway, the next chapter is already started and on its way, as long as everyone wants it! Plus, neither of the authors of this story are Cloud fans – and that's just giving readers a fair warning.