Chapter 6: Angeal, a Traitor?

Sephiroth stealthily snuck into the main temple of Wutai and easily discarded the militia that greeted him. He knew he had a time limit but it didn't worry him because he was a strong soldier and could easily kill these guys with just a flick of the wrist. As the men came charging up some more, Sephiroth drew his Masamune and knocked them down with one slice. He charged further into the temple and discarded everyone who got in his way so the A unit could finish up.

"Who are you?" asked one of the warriors of Wutai, staring at Sephiroth in fear.

"Your worst nightmare," replied Sephiroth darkly before cleaving him through.

Sephiroth never felt any remorse for killing enemies because it actually empowered him to strive further but every time he closed his eyes the face of Haruka haunted him like she was telling him not to hurt anyone. He couldn't obey that because he had to fight in order to defend Midgar and even though he never stated he loved his home and Haruka to his friends. He knew he wanted her, the sensations he felt near her, and her tender kiss and smile. When he closed he eyes again, he could feel her gentle touches and kisses and he got a hard on.

What the hell! Bad timing! Sephiroth looked down at his growing…problem and felt his face flush with humiliation. Okay, just calm down. Erections are normal for men; just make a lame excuse and no one will ask.

Luckily for him, it was time for A unit to finish the job at Wutai so he could easily resolve his problem without people staring at him. All he had to do was think of a nasty image of Hojo in a Speedo or Palmer wearing a fez and the problem would go away and quickly.

"Sir," said one of the operatives, running up to him, "initiate signal?"

"Permission granted," answered Sephiroth in a steady, grave tone. "Go tell the others and I'll prepare the other soldiers." Immediately, Sephiroth ran and jumped out the window into the darkness.

…

In the darkness, Sephiroth walked around looking for enemies when he found some warriors in clothes that the Wutai soldiers didn't wear. They looked familiar like someone he knew and when he knocked them down he pulled off their helmets. His feline eyes widened in shock; he was looking at two identical Genesis'. They had all of the Loveless quoting man's features except for a few differences; they looked a little younger than him. For a moment, Sephiroth couldn't think because no thoughts or words could express his feelings.

All he could think was: why? Why did these clones attack him, and why did Genesis betray him? Finding no answers, Sephiroth held his head high as he brushed past the bodies that resembled one of the best friends he ever had, ignoring the pang in his chest. This was like one of those stupid childish fights that kids on the playground had due to gossip or whatever but this was more serious than the latter. How would he tell Angeal, or was Angeal in on it too, despite his honor lectures? It was bad enough that Genesis betrayed Shinra but he could imagine Angeal stooping to that level to hurt Shinra.

"General," said one of the infantrymen when he approached camp, "Director Lazard is being escorted to safety but a summon is in the area. A second class is fighting it but I have a bad feeling about it."

"I'll take care of it," assured Sephiroth, pulling his sword out. "Right now, you look out for Wutai troops or some men dressed in red armor and alert me if you catch any." With that, Sephiroth ran off into the forest as silent as a cat in the darkness of night.

The fire of the summon surrounded the area but it didn't stop Sephiroth from charging at it and defeating it with one shot. A bright light shone and the flame-infested area returned to the dark forest it usually was. He heard Zack gasp from behind him but he ignored as he removed the masks from two clones that laid at his feet.

"Genesis…" he murmured, staring at the bodies.

"The missing first class?" gasped Zack, watching with wide eyes. "They're identical!"

"A Genesis copy," said Sephiroth, still transfixed on the clones.

"Copy? A human copy!" Zack nearly shouted in awe as he gazed at them still.

Sephiroth's gaze snapped up to Zack and he asked anxiously, "Where is Angeal?"

For a second, Zack seemed a little taken aback by the question but answered. "I…thought he was fighting around here…"

Sephiroth let out a light gasp as he said dryly, "So he's gone too." He stood and started to walk a little but Zack's voice stopped him.

"What?" demanded Zack, crystal blue eyes hardening with anger. "Wait, what does that mean?"

Sephiroth closed his eyes as he said tightly, "It seems Angeal has betrayed us as well." He let out a soft sigh at the reality of the situation. It seemed Angeal did purposely go missing just to help Genesis, therefore betraying Shinra.

"No way!" shouted Zack in denial as Sephiroth walked away from him a bit more. "I know what kind of guy Angeal is! And he'd never do that!"

Sephiroth stopped briefly and turned to give Zack a cool, calculated look as the boy shook with anger. He didn't say anything because he wanted to believe Zack but it seemed Angeal did leave them hanging. The boy didn't know how much Sephiroth wanted to believe that but it just seemed impossible.

"Angeal wouldn't betray us!" shouted Zack, eyes resembling blue fire. "Never!" He waved his hand swiftly in anger like he wanted to strike Sephiroth but didn't have the nerve to.

For once, Sephiroth didn't care because he lost both of his friends and it hurt to admit the truth. He would never have them as allies again.

…

Since the war ended with a hitch, Sephiroth walked down to the slums to visit Haruka. Right now, he wanted her comfort because she knew what to say and do to help others. It turned out she was at the slum church under sector five because she wasn't at the club or her house and when he located her in the church he saw another brown haired girl with her as they worked on a little spot of flowers. He walked over to them quietly and stood behind Haruka just to surprise her when she turned around.

Haruka turned, stood, and jumped when she saw Sephiroth but recovered and leapt into his arms, embracing him tightly. So she wouldn't fall, Sephiroth wrapped his arms around her waist to support her and pressed kisses to her hair and face lovingly. He noticed the smaller brown haired girl gazing at him with mixed suspicion and curiosity. She appeared to be Haruka's sister because she had the older girl's similar hair, delicate complexion, and full lips.

"Hello," said the small girl, dusting her dress as she stood, "I'm Aerith, Haruka's younger sister. You must be Sephiroth; she told me all about you." She gave him a bright smile. "It's nice to finally meet my sister's boyfriend after such a long time."

"Nice to meet you," replied Sephiroth, shaking her hand with one hand as his other supported Haruka. "Would you mind if I borrowed Haruka for a few minutes? I need to speak with her privately."

"Oh, no worries," said Aerith brightly, walking over to one of the benches of the church. "I'll cover my ears so you can talk." To prove her point, she covered her ears and sat down on the bench, gazing at one of the painted glass windows.

Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow at the younger, shook his head, and set Haruka down to look in her eyes. "Angeal and Genesis have betrayed Shinra," he said in an icy tone, closing his eyes to squeeze back tears.

"You work with Shinra?" Aerith basically shrieked, staring at Sephiroth with wide green eyes.

"Aerith," said Haruka warningly, covering her ears to make her statement.

Aerith blushed, smiling an embarrassed smile. "Right," she whispered, covering her ears again and closing her eyes.

"What do you mean they betrayed Shinra?" asked Haruka, giving him a concerned look. "Did they run away from Midgar, attack you, or something?"

Sephiroth's eyes gave her all the answers. "All three," he answered. "Genesis clones attacked me during the mission to Wutai. I don't want to believe that they betrayed me but…"

"Then don't believe it," she said tenderly, stroking his cheek gently. "I'm sure they left for a good reason. From what you've told me, Genesis and Angeal are men swayed by their emotions but they're good at heart." Her brown gentle eyes softened as she stroked his silver hair gently.

"I know," whispered Sephiroth, bending to kiss her but stopped when he saw Aerith giving him a sharp look. "Your sister is watching us." He whispered this out of the corner of his lips to Haruka.

"Aerith," warned Haruka with a hint of a smile on her lips. "We're going outside."

The younger girl pouted and clumped back to her flower patch to work some more.

"Let's go," chuckled Haruka, taking Sephiroth's hand to lead him out of the church.

…

The two walked around the slums silently arm in arm, kissing and hugging when they had the chance. Haruka was so happy to have her beloved back in her arms because she missed him so much and she loved saying that she had a "traveling soldier" as her boyfriend. Sometimes, she and Aerith would sing the chorus of the said song when they tended to the flowers and it basically told the story of Haruka's life, minus the soldier's death.

She wrapped her arms around Sephiroth as they sat in the sector five playground and held him tightly. "I've missed you like crazy, Seph," she whispered with tears in her eyes. "I didn't think I'd see you again."

Sephiroth smiled tenderly, wiping her tears with a gentle thumb. "Haruka, I will always return to you no matter what. Nothing, not even death, could separate me from you. I will protect you and love you no matter how far we are from each other. Believe me." He pressed his forehead to hers tenderly and pressed a kiss to her lips.

She believed him because love would always bring him back to here no matter how far the distance. He was living proof that love conquered all and she was glad for that.

A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter because it took a lot of time and effort to put this together! There's no shame in reviewing you know because I don't bite (much) but honestly leave me reviews because I'd like to hear what you think. Leave nice comments! :)