Chapter 20

Zack sprinted towards the two men, Sephiroth nodded to Weiss to fight the battle. Zack swung his sword straight into the ground creating a large beam heading straight towards Weiss. Weiss jumped into the air to dodge the blow. "Hahaha aren't you going to try something new!? Your so predictable!" Weiss yelled as he sailed though the air.

Zack just grinned, "Or maybe you did exactly what I wanted you to." Zack said as he vanished. He popped up behind Weiss who was still in mid-air. Zack grabbed Weiss by his hair and tossed him with all his might to the ground. Weiss flew at an incredible speed to the ground. He hit with great force, shaking the entire town. Zack dove after him, on his way down he cast a lighting spell near Weiss, he missed horribly. The explosion of the lightning spell created dust from the rocky floor.

Weiss quickly got to his feet and was prepared for Zack's attack from above. He waited, still no attack. He looked around to see if he could see Zack, he was nowhere to be found. He turned around to see Zack smiling and waiting to strike. Zack kicked Weiss square in the face. The attack came so fast that Weiss was unprepared to defend it. Weiss started to sail through the air from the strike, he had to recover from that blow before Zack attacked again. Before he finished his thought Zack grabbed his foot and tossed him into a brick wall. Weiss was spinning he couldn't see straight. Zack was just toying with him, he could have killed him at any moment, he didn't even use his sword yet. Weiss was in serious trouble.

Weiss walked towards Zack who was leaning against his sword, it was holding him up like a kickstand. "Hey! You know how to use that sword?! Or are you just going to play your stupid fucking games!? Be a man and fight! Don't be a little bitch like your friend." Weiss said mocking him.

"Don't talk about Genesis that way!" Zack yelled filling with anger.

"Oh I'm not talking about Genesis. Although he was a little bitch as well. I was talking about your friend with a gun arm. O my how he begged for me to spare his life. He said he had a daughter in this town; I will just have to help her be reunited with her father huh? His team was funny; it was almost a game to me to hack them down one by one. It was truly entertaining! HAHAHA!" Weiss said as he chuckled with joy.

Zack was getting angrier and angrier by the second. He was crying tears were flowing down his face. His eyes began to glow green, his pupls faded to red. Something snapped, Zack was no longer Zack. He was blank, he grabbed his sword and charged at the grinning Weiss. Suddenly a stern voice could be heard, "Weiss!" Sephiroth yelled knowing that Zack was coming with real power. Zack charged at Weiss, he moved faster than Weiss could keep up with, Weiss prepared for an attack, Zack swung his sword hitting both of Weiss's swords. Zack kicked Weiss in the chest sending him flying. Weiss was being beaten; Zack had this fight in the bag. Zack walked over to finish Weiss to avenge those he had killed. Zack drew his sword ready to take Weiss's life, before he swung the blade a long cold steel blade stopped him in his path.

"Hello Zack. How nice to see you" the tall man said.

Zack turned and looked at Sephiroth, and let out a bone chilling scream as he hit his sword away from him. He charged Sephiroth, he wanted him dead now! It was time to end all of this! Sephiroth looked at the brokenhearted man with curious eyes. He had gotten stronger, much much stronger. His power could maybe even rival his own. Sephiroth knew Zack was going to be a threat. He rushed Zack sending out a flurry of swipes from his sword. The moved so fast the natural eye could not see it. Zack had blocked all but one of the attacks, that one creating a great gash on Zack's leg. The wound did not seem to faze Zack, he charged the man in black with eyes out for blood. He threw his sword at Sephiroth, he easily dodged it. Sephiroth looked at where the blade was heading. Sephiroth eyes widened, Zack had missed on purpose, he was aiming for Weiss who still laid hunched over knocked out. Zack buster sword impaled Weiss in the chest, he screamed in agony, as he tried to pull the blade out.

Sephiroth moved his focus on the unarmed Zack, he trusted his blade toward Zack, who dodged it quickly. As he dodged it, he grabbed the sword spinning Sephiroth in a circle. This was a mistake, Sephiroth just drove his sword forward stabbing Zack in the chest. Sephiroth starred in awe as Zack did not even wince in pain, he was still blank. He pulled the blade deeper and deeper into his chest. He did this until the blade hilt was at his chest and stood face to face with Sephiroth. The man looked into Zack's eyes, he saw nothing. He took full note of what he was looking at, something was going on, Zack Fair had grown great power in such a short time.

Sephiroth ripped his sword out of Zack's chest, blood covered his blade. Sephiroth turned back to look at Zack, he was gone. He turned and looked behind him there stood Zack with his sword dripping in Weiss's blood. Zack's eyes had regained their normal cooler, just this time they were glowing a bright green. Zack's body had gone through some sort of transformation, he was no longer blank, he had his emotions back on his face. But his power was still there, he could feel it. Zack looked at him with eyes filling back up with tears. "Sephiroth! What happened to you!? You used to be a good man! Now all you want is destruction! I hate you! You are a true disgrace! Angeal would be so ashamed!" Zack yelled out.

Sephiroth just starred and didn't say a word; he just moved the hair from his eyes. He turned his back to Zack, Zack charged at the man who was more than ready for it. He turned and stopped Zack's blow and sent him flying into a building. Zack had gone through the wall of the inn and crashed into the front desk. Zack quickly gathered himself and ran outside to face his opponent. He and Weiss were gone. Zack looked at the town, the fires had faded all that was left were burnt buildings. Things were ok, but Sephiroth was for real, the planet was in trouble.

Zack felt warmth moving down his chest, he looked down and saw a open wound and blood had been pouring out, shit this wasn't good, he had to get it patched up soon before he lost too much blood. Zack took a few more steps toward the stairs, his vision became blurry he began to fall to the floor but was caught just before he hit.

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Zack woke up the next morning, he was in pain, his wound did not seal properly like it should have. He looked down at it and saw that it had been burnt shut. He sat up in the bed with everyone sitting in the room around him, waiting for him to wake up from his nap. Zack stood and walked over to the table where the guys were all sitting. He sat down next ot Aerith and kissed her cheek and held her hand.

"Zack let's cut to the chase. Barret still hasn't returned we will be moving out shortly to find him" Tseng said with a stern voice.

"Don't bother, he's dead, they are all dead. Weiss killed them." Zack said with no remorse in his voice. His voice only sounded broken.

"What!?" the entire group said at once.

"You heard me, Weiss killed Barret, Biggs, Jessie, Wedge; they are all gone. Let's pray that god will take good care of our friends." Zack said holding back tears as he looked out the window with his back turned to the group. Sobs could be heard throughout the room. Tifa and Aerith were in pieces. Cloud was doing his best to be there for the two of them. Zack just stared into the window, his heart was heavy, and his soul was in pieces. So much life was lost, all because of him. He didn't prepare enough for this mission, he could have saved the people in the slums, he could have done something. Genesis was lost because of him. He was in such a hurry to get back to Aerith that he took the most predictable route. He would not have had to kill one of his best friends from SOLDIER, the people of the Cosmo Canyon would still be alive, Hojo wouldn't have been looking for him there. All this destruction, all this death, would things have been different if he just stayed in that fucking tube? Cissnei… she would be alive too… Zack broke down into tears, he could no longer hold it in. He fell to his knees; he just wanted everything to stop hurting.

Aerith walked up behind him, she was still in tears. She put her arms around him and they cried together. After the tears stopped flowing, Zack laid in bed with Aerith and drifted into a deep sleep.

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Zack was laying in a field of soft grass, the wind was gusting a soft and refreshing breeze. Zack felt at piece for the first time in a long time. It's been five years since he was truly happy. He closed his eyes and took a fresh breeze to his face, it flowed through his hair. Zack smiled, this was bliss. Zack turned his head to the left, and looked in shock lying right next to him was Angeal. Angeal just smiled as he looked up to the bright blue sky. "Hello Zack, how have you been?" Angeal asked with concern.

"Not good Angeal. Things are falling apart; I don't know where to turn. Everyone is looking up to me for all the answers, for me to know what to do. That alone is driving me nuts." Zack said.

"Zack I know that's not what's bothering you, you're much stronger than that, you can handle pressure." Angeal said know Zack was holding things back.

Zack looked at his mentor, how did he know? "You're right, that's not what's bothering me. What's bothering me is that, my friends, my allies are falling quickly. And it's my fault. I tried so hard to take down Shinra, but it' came at to hefty of a price. Thousands have died Angeal, and for what, one company's destruction." Zack said with sorrow in his voice.

"Zack honor is quite the burden at times, you know this. Shinra needed to be destroyied, at all costs. If you didn't move a quickly as you did, Rufus would have taken over, and it would have made the fall of Shinra so much harder, and the death toll would only rise. I know your distraught about killing your friends, but trust me it is ok." Angeal said as he looked intensely at Zack.

"What do you mean ok?" Zack yelled almost angered at what his mentor said.

Zack was ready to say more before he was interrupted by another voice.

"My friend, the fates are cruel
There are no dreams, no honor remains
The arrow has left the bow of the goddess" The voice spoke up. Zack knew who it was immediately, it was Genesis. "Zack at times, your destiny may take you in a direction you do not wish. But it is your destiny, it has already been chosen for you, by the goddess. Do not lose faith in what you are doing Zack, the planet needs you. Stay the course, and finish your mission, and you will earn your place among us." The man in the red leather said.

"He's right Zack; you must stay the course, and continue on with your journey. I know you miss your friends and feel guilty for their deaths, but ask yourself, who they complain about dying to save the planet. You know they were just as determined to save the planet as you are Zack." Angeal said shedding some light on a new prospective Zack didn't think of.

"But what about Cissnei, and Kunsel? They died by my hand, and what about the people of the Slums?" Zack asked looking for answers.

Angeal looked at his protégée; he knew this was what was truly destroying him on the inside. Put his hand on his shoulder, "Zack, as it pains you to have done it, it was very necessary. If you didn't as fast as you did Shinra would have continued to kill the planet, creating a mess of things. I know it hurts Zack, I can't imagine the pain that caused you, for that I apologize. I wish it was my burden to bare." Angeal said truly wishing things were different for his friend.

Zack looked down at his hands, "There is blood on these hands I cannot ever wash off. Your blood is also here Angeal, why did this have to be my burden?"

"Because Zack, you were chosen to save the world, everything happens for a reason. Things that happened had to have happened; the planet would have been destroyed if you didn't do what you had to. Do not ever second guess yourself Zack, we live through you, we will not be lost, we are fighting by your side." Genesis said as he put his hand on Zack's other shoulder.

"Zack look at me, stay strong, everyone needs their leader. Finish the mission. It's you destiny." Angeal said with a smile.

"Well that's easy for you to say, you don't have to kill Sephiroth, he is sooo fucking strong." Zack said realizing what he had to do.

"You have the strength Zack, you are stronger than him. And you have a weapon that he doesn't. You have heart. You will not except defeat, you are a true SOLDIER." Genesis said with a huge smile on his face.

"That's a good point, to do kick ass! But one more question, what the hell happened in Kalm? I felt so powerful, how did that happen?" Zack asked looking incredibly puzzled.

"That Zack is an excellent question. I don't know where to start, I guess I will with the explosion. When the reactors exploded it leaked out mako into the flames. This created very dense mako smog. You're actually lucky. If you were not a member of SOLDIER and having a great immunity to mako saved your life. As for Cloud, he accentually had his SOLDIER injections form Hojo, saving his life. A normal person would have been transformed into a monster." Angeal said as he looked into Zack's eyes. "But in your case, you had gotten an incredibly concentrated amount of mako, from reactor 0. This mako is the best around, incredibly strong, you yet again lucky, it should have killed you. When you were fighting Weiss, the mako finally fused with your blood, making you far more powerful than you could ever imagine. But Zack this mako is so strong, you could lose your mind, possibly like Sephiroth. But let us handle that. " Angeal said.

"So I'm like super strong now huh…wicked! Wait… did you just say I could end up like a bad guy!? Shit! Fuck my life. Is anything simple these days?... NO!" Zack said as he argued with himself.

Angeal and Genesis just chuckled. "Zack just remember, stay the course and no matter what save the planet." Angeal added.

"Time to go Zack" Genesis grinned as he shoved the unsuspecting Zack. Zack fell to the ground vanishing in thin air.

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Zack fell out of his bed and hit his head on the night table next to him. The thud turned everyone's attention to him. He sat up and smiled, "Ouch! That hurt a lot, sorry to startle you guys." Zack said. He stood up, he felt lighter, and happier. Did he really go and visit Angeal? Was it real? Zack looked on his shoulders; he saw two hand prints on them. They were visible because of all the ash from the burning town. It was real! Angeal really was there for him. He was watching him, guiding him. Zack smile got bigger and bigger. Angeal was right, things were going to be ok, and his friends were there for him in spirit.

Zack walked over to his friends who were all ready and packed. "Are you ready to go Zack?" Cloud asked?

"Yeah let's get going." Zack said as he hugged Aerith. He looked down into her eyes. "Aerith, look at me. I want you to know something before we head out. I just wanted to let you know something. I love you. I am truly sorry for making you worry these last few days. I'll always be here for you." Zack said as he kissed her and held her close. Everyone stared in awe, Zack was happy, he wasn't sulking for the first time in days. But what shocked him the most was Zack telling Aerith he loved her, Zack never wore his feeling on his sleeve, well not his personal ones.

Aerith's face was blood red, she was so happy, she had her Zack back. She missed him dearly.

Zack let go of Aerith, and turned to address the group. "Everyone, I'm sorry, I let my mind get in the way of my focus. But look everyone I need to talk so just stay quiet until I finish. Barret and his group were killed by Weiss. He took them from us, use that as motivation, but don't let it become revenge. Revenge will drive you wild and make you forget about our mission. Barret knew the mission and he died to accomplish it, he died and honorable death. Don't forget that. What I want you guys to do is to focus on what you are fighting for, keep that in your mind when times get tough." Everyone nodded and looked at Zack in a deep gaze, they were thinking what they were fighting for. "Our enemy is strong, and he has an ally who is just as strong, we cannot take them lightly. Although I doubt that they are hunting us down, but they will leave a trail of destruction. I remember back at the Nibleheim incident, he told me that he and his mother wanted to rid the planet of human. So he will be out looking to destroy everything in his path. With Weiss, things will only get worse. Look guys this isn't going to be easy, and I won't blame any of you if you want to stay behind. Does anyone want to stay behind?" Zack asked.

"Are you kidding me Zack, we're buster brothers for life, I'll always be fighting by your side." Cloud chimed in.

"I am here with you till the end Zack, you promised me Hojo's head, the least I can do is fight by your side." Nanaki said.

"Zack you know that I will help out with whatever I can do. I can get access to weapons, vehicles, you name it, and you got it. I can also help on Intel; I can call and inform you of the latest Sephiroth sighting. "Tseng said.

"Zack, you have my fists at your command, I will do whatever it takes to help out." Tifa said as she punched the air.

"Well I don't have anything useful I can use in battle. All I'm good at is using materia, my mom taught me so I could defend myself from Shinra. I don't know if that will be of any use, but I will help the best I can!" Aerith said.

"Wow guys that really mean a lot. I'm glad all of you want to help. Cloud I'm glad to have a brother fighting by my side. Tseng, Nanaki, Tifa, you all will be a great asset on the battle field. AHAHA Aerith you know what?" Zack asked.

"What?" She replied as she turned her head and smiled.

"Being able to use materia is a in expendable skill to have, you're going to be a big help!" Zack said with a sense of pride in his voice.

The group gathered their things and headed out of the inn. Cloud walked close to Zack, followed by Aerith and Tifa. Nanaki and Tseng followed in the back. They just left Kalm and started toward the Chocobo farm. They had only walked a few miles when Tseng received a phone call.

"Hello, Yes, ok I will be there shortly." Tseng answered quickly. "I need to head back to Kalm, I will meet up with you at Fort Condor. Sephiroth was reported there, be careful. Once I return I will bring supplies and materia, until then stay safe." Tseng addressed the group, the turned and ran towards Kalm before anyone could say a word.

"Ok then… I guess we will be meeting him up at Fort Condor, let's get moving, we should reach the Chocobo farm by night fall, hopefully they will provide us with a room, if not we have our tents.' Zack said as he picked up the pace leading the group.

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Boy that was a long chapter!! I hope everyone is liking the story so far! Please review! It makes my day!