Note: I'm so bad at this deadline thing. Sorry the kick wasn't as effective as it should have been, mysterious Guest! ;)

Published on: 08/07/2012
Corrected on: 11/14/2015

Chapter 2

The ex-SOLDIER's white wings were spread, the biggest one brushing against one of the alley walls. It made him seem even more imposing and menacing than he already was, and since Cloud very much liked his neck, he didn't dare move so much as a muscle.

"Angeal," Zack said, a warning in his voice.

The man grunted, not taking his gaze from Cloud. Still, he lowered his sword. Cloud breathed more easily.

"You know I don't trust him," Angeal said.

"Cloud is a good guy. Have faith, man! If he can help, I'm sure he will."

Nervous, Cloud backed up against a wall to try and keep the two of them in sight.

"What's going on, Zack?"

Wasn't Angeal a deserter? What was he doing here, in Midgar of all places? Zack reached a hand and squeezed his shoulder, trying to reassure him.

"It's all right, Cloud, Angeal won't hurt you. You can't tell anyone you saw him here, though. You get it, right? Angeal isn't working against Shinra or anything, and it would be bad for him if they tried to chase him now."

And for Zack too, if it got out that he was still in contact with his old mentor. Since Modeoheim, Cloud had learned a bit more about Angeal and Zack's past. About that Genesis guy, too, since Zack had told him as much as he was allowed to. It was bordering on treason, what Zack was doing right now.

"Okay," Cloud said slowly, though in a worried voice. "If you say so, Zack. I trust you."

Zack grinned at him.

"Thanks, Spike, you're the best."

A ruffle of feathers caught Cloud's attention. Angeal had backed a few steps and was rubbing a tired hand against his brow. He stopped when he noticed him looking, but Cloud was now becoming aware of the ex-SOLDIER's pinched face. It was difficult to see in the poor lighting, but he seemed paler than in Modeoheim, too.

"I was trying to prevent this," Angeal grunted in answer to his scrutiny.

"What?" Cloud said, baffled.

Angeal shook his head and strode a little further away in the alley.

"Cloud," Zack said. "Angeal is having problems… keeping his head clear. Uh… I don't understand everything myself but it's probably related to the… y'know… wings and all. So, I know you said you only used logic in Modeoheim but… you sure you don't know anything about this?"

Cloud stared. Zack lost a little of his assurance.

"Because if you know anything, anything at all… I mean, it'd be okay. If you have more info than us, anything that could help—"

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't barged in," Angeal interrupted.

"Angeal!"

He turned back to them, glowering at Cloud.

"You said Sephiroth needed me. But what use can I be to anyone when I'm like this?"

His voice rose at the end and Cloud flinched, having gotten the impression that the man was usually the picture of calm. Angeal grimaced and cradled his head, shaking it. His other hand was clutching the hilt of his sword like a lifeline. Cloud could see its tremors from fifteen feet away. He sneaked an alarmed glance to Zack, who was looking more worried by the second.

"Please, Cloud. If you know anything…"

Oh damn, no. Cloud reached frantically to the back of his mind, but nothing to it; Rain was dead asleep.

Rain could have known something about this. He had seemed to know so many things about Angeal and Genesis already, maybe he could have helped. Maybe he would still be able to, when he awoke. He couldn't just tell them that no, he didn't know anything! Zack's friend needed help, and if they had come to an anonymous trooper for advice, obviously there was no one else to provide it.

"I—I'm sorry," he said, and already he could see the hope die in Zack's eyes and a rigidity in Angeal's shoulders. "No, wait! Maybe I can help but not… not today. I mean… Planet, I'm sorry," he breathed, feeling guilty for not offering more.

Zack looked confused, now.

"What are you saying, Cloud?"

"I may… okay, I admit I maybe know more than I should. But it's not from me, that knowledge! It's just really bad timing, but I can't contact him now. Maybe if you leave me a few days, I can see if he knows anything about this…"

Talking about Rain, even in such ambiguous terms, made him nervous, and Angeal's accusing stare wasn't helping.

"So that Shinra can be warned about my presence here?" he growled. "No, thank you."

"Angeal, come on, man!" Zack pleaded. "Cloud already gave his word."

"I heard nothing like that. You are too naïve, Zack."

Judging by his gritted teeth, the swordsman was having difficulty controlling his temper, but Cloud didn't really understand what he wanted. Zack squeezed his shoulder.

"Cloud, can you swear you won't tell anyone about Angeal? It's alright if he does, right, Angeal?"

Angeal hardly looked convinced, but remembering what Zack had told him about the man, Cloud drew his sword all the same and held it before him. Angeal didn't even bother tensing, a somewhat painful reminder that he had nothing to fear from a non-enhanced soldier like Cloud.

"I swear on my honour as a swordsman that I will not tell anyone about your presence in Midgar, except for the person I told you about. And I swear on his behalf that he will not tell a single soul."

Angeal looked slightly mollified by his unwavering gaze. Zack jumped on it.

"And Cloud is damned good with a sword, too! He nearly got in SOLDIER, would have if it hadn't been for an allergy or something to the injections. What a waste!"

Cloud sheathed his weapon and tried his best not to scowl. He knew Zack was trying to help, but he didn't need his failure to be broadcast. Angeal had gone pensive.

"No, that's probably for the best, in the end. SOLDIER is not always… a good place to be."

Cloud blinked, surprised.

"That's what he said, too."

"Your mysterious 'friend'?"

When Cloud nodded, he let out an amused grunt and smiled, the first time Cloud had seen him do so.

"Then I'm ready to believe that he does knows more about Shinra than he should. Very well. Wait for me here in three days, same time. If you two don't come alone or if I have reason to believe you were followed, I will leave Midgar for good."

He took to the air before Cloud could even say that three days might be too short. Rain had been known to sleep for two weeks straight. Better hope it would not come to that. He looked on until Angeal reached the top of the buildings, his white wings contrasting starkly with the dark plate above before disappearing.

Cloud lowered his eyes in time to notice the wounded expression on Zack's face before his friend managed to wipe it out. Well, no wonder, he realized. His mentor had just warned him against betraying him. Hadn't Zack already proved his loyalty? His opinion of the ex-SOLDIER lowered again. Despite a bad first impression, he had tried to stay neutral to respect Zack's obvious affection for the man, but he was making a bad case for himself.

Zack probably noticed something on his face, because he smiled sadly.

"Hey, don't think too badly of him, okay? He is not like that, usually. Not so short-tempered, and not so paranoid either. Not that he doesn't have reasons to be, but…"

He sighed and his shoulders sagged.

"Yeah, I think something is really wrong with him. I hope you can help, Cloud. But all the same, thanks for trying. It means a lot to me."

He smiled and Cloud did his best to answer in kind.

"If it's for you, it's no problem, Zack. Just don't ditch me in three days, okay?"

Zack laughed. Looping an arm around his shoulders, he stirred him in the direction of the train station.

"Come on, let's go back. Want to grab something to eat?"

"Sure, I'm famished."

Three days later, an anxious Cloud was waiting in the HQ lobby.

His eyes nervously roamed around the huge room. Sometimes it made him uneasy to notice that there were virtually no traces left of that attack back in April, when the building's security robots had gone crazy and started firing left and right and Genesis copies had swooped in to add to the confusion. It had been a huge fight, but barely a week after, it had seemed like nothing had happened. Shinra was really good at covering shit. And that sounded a lot like something Rain would say. Cloud smiled, secretly pleased that his brother was rubbing off on him.

He stretched inward and found Rain just in his reach. He had woken the day before and Cloud had told him all about Angeal's problem, but his waking time had been an issue. Rain had no clear-cut solution to Angeal's difficulties and he wanted more details. To do that, he had to be awake during Cloud's next encounter with the ex-SOLDIER, but it was nearly impossible to achieve.

He usually was awake for a maximum of ten hours before snoring away for a few days straight. He could not stay awake until the time of the meeting, but if he slept, he would miss it. Rain had then decided to try something and see if he couldn't sleep more lightly. He had alluded that he had once been a very light sleeper, which meant that he was talking about The Mysterious Time When He Was Not Yet With Cloud, and Cloud had tried his best to not break his brain thinking too hard about it. Anyway, it had made Rain laugh and he had promised to tell him more soon, so it would have to be fine.

Still, just because Rain seemed closer to consciousness than usual didn't mean that it was going to work. Cloud had postponed trying to wake him up as much as possible, worried that it had all been in vain… but Zack would be here any minute, now, so it had to be done.

He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders and gave a good mental poke. He felt Rain stir faintly. Encouraged, he kept poking until Rain's presence began to unravel. Like a sleeping hedgehog, he thought.

'Good day to you, too,' Rain grumbled sleepily, apparently not appreciating the comparison.

'Hi!' Cloud answered, excited. 'It worked!'

'So it did.'

Rain sounded serene, but satisfied.

'This should make things easier in the future. I am still sleepy, though.'

'Yeah, I can feel that. Sleepyhead.'

All joking aside, it probably meant he wouldn't stay awake more than a couple of hours. Oh, well.

They didn't have to wait long before Zack emerged from one of the elevators. Cloud jumped to his feet, but stopped when he noticed that his friend was not alone. A SOLDIER Second was walking by his side. Zack spotted Cloud and, to the trooper's surprise, signalled the SOLDIER to follow him as he approached.

"Hey, Cloud," he said. "My friend here will be coming with us tonight, alright?"

What? But… hadn't Angeal said he didn't want to see anyone other than Zack and him? He did a double take.

The unknown SOLDIER hadn't even bothered to take his helmet off, nor did he say a word. He just stood there. It wasn't Kunsel, either. Cloud had already met Kunsel, since he was a good friend of Zack, and the guy wasn't that tall.

As for Zack, to anyone else in the lobby, he would have looked nothing more than a little sheepish, like someone bringing without warning a stranger to an evening with a friend. But Cloud could see the well-hidden warning in his eyes. Right. Not saying anything suspicious in Shinra territory. Anyway, he guessed Zack knew what he was doing.

"Okay," he said, shrugging.

"Alright!"

Zack clapped his arm, grinning.

"Gaia knows the guy needs to unwind. Let's go!"

Zack led the way down the lobby stairs and to the exit with his usual energy. Cloud followed next to the Second and sneaked curious glances at him. Being openly curious was fine, right? The guy was certainly mysterious. He didn't even react to his scrutiny.

'What do you think, Rain?'

'Hum…'

Rain sure seemed pensive.

'Let him go first,' he said when they came to the exit turnstile. 'Observe him for me.'

Cloud did as he was told, politely stepping aside and staring at the stranger as he waited for his turn.

'Huh,' Rain said when they were outside.

He sounded disturbed.

'Well?'

'I… may be wrong. It's just a hunch.'

No matter how much he badgered Rain after that, he just said they would see soon enough. As for Zack, when Cloud managed to sneak him an interrogating glance while they were boarding the train, he just winked. Cloud huffed, annoyed, and sat next to the stranger just for the hell of it. The man gave him an odd look and, for some reason, Rain was suddenly on edge. Well, he deserved that.

Zack breathed a laugh and mussed up his hair.

"Never change, Spike," Zack said, content to sit on his other side and ignore the glare he was sending him on behalf of his poor hair.

They bantered a bit while the train led them under the Plate, though the Second never said a word. They weren't talking about anything of importance anyway, since apparently things of importance were prohibited.

When they got out, Zack turned to Cloud to ask him:

"By the way, did you find anything?"

He was aiming for levity for appearance's sake, but it didn't fool Cloud.

"Nothing definite yet. I have a few questions for him."

He would have liked to provide more, but Zack nodded and gave him a grateful smile. He turned to their companion.

"We're nearly there."

The guy nodded without a word. So he was coming with them to see Angeal. Cloud hoped the ex-SOLDIER wouldn't flip his lid and leave without talking to them. That would kind of defeat the purpose.

Zack led them through a completely different road than the previous time and Cloud nearly corrected him, before he realized he was trying to set off potential spies.

'Good call,' Rain said, and Cloud may have blushed a little under the praise.

If the Second walking next to him noticed, though, he didn't seem to care.

They reached the alley. Cloud slipped in first while Zack talked to his other friend to cover the fact that they were making a last check on their rear. Angeal wasn't here yet so Cloud waited near the wall, bouncing nervously on his feet. He really hoped Angeal wouldn't flee.

The two SOLDIERs came in. The Second abruptly raised his hands to his helmet. He began taking it off, and Cloud couldn't restrain a gasp when a river of silver hair cascaded down his back.

He heard Rain groan, and remembered to close his mouth just before Sephiroth, of all people, glanced at him. He snapped to attention as if struck by lightning.

"At ease."

Cloud slowly relaxed. Zack gave a small punch to his shoulder, sheepish.

"Sorry I couldn't warn you, Cloud. We were trying to keep it under wrap. It's really not easy for Sephiroth to get out of HQ without anyone noticing."

Sephiroth nodded.

"I apologize for the deception, Strife."

Okay, it was definitely one of these moments where he was not supposed to squeal in surprise that his hero actually knew his name.

"Of course, sir," he managed to choke.

He didn't have as much success getting rid of the deer in the headlights look. Thankfully, Angeal took that moment to make his descent from the sky.

"Sephiroth. I am surprised to see you here," were his first words.

Cloud breathed more easily. Angeal had come despite Sephiroth's presence and the attention had switched from him. Bonus!

"You take a lot of risks coming to Midgar," Sephiroth answered, slit green eyes impassive. "I wanted to know what could be so important, that you would do it now that Genesis is no longer a threat."

Cloud remembered Zack and Rain saying Sephiroth had been friend with Angeal and Genesis before their desertion. Although it explained his presence, it didn't show much.

Angeal sent a curious glance to Zack, who lifted his hands.

"I didn't tell him anything! Don't ask me how he guessed."

"There is a white feather stuck under your shoe."

Zack's hand shot out to brace against Cloud's shoulder and he lifted his foot. Sure enough, a small feather had inserted itself in one of the grooves of the sole. It was splattered with dry mud and few people would have assumed it was originally white. Especially since there were no white birds in Midgar's grey skies.

Angeal grunted, amused.

"I didn't know you cared, Sephiroth."

Cloud tuned out the banter between the two men.

'Rain, you could have warned me! You knew, didn't you?'

Now that he noticed, Rain only ever became this tense when Sephiroth was nearby. So he had to have known! And, oh Gaia, he had sat next to Sephiroth in the train…

'I would really rather have been wrong.'

Yeah, Rain didn't like Sephiroth alright. Why hadn't he said anything sooner, then? He knew Cloud idolized the man. Now it kind of made him feel guilty, like he had to somehow choose between the two people he respected the most.

Meanwhile, Zack and Angeal had seemingly decided that telling Sephiroth about Angeal's "health troubles" was acceptable. Sephiroth looked pensive.

"Have you tried looking into the research data Hollander stole from Shinra in April?"

"I didn't find it in Modeoheim. I wouldn't be surprised if Turks were sent to retrieve it."

Sephiroth frowned.

"If that is the case, why didn't it reappear in Shinra's data room?"

"That's right," Zack said. "You spent a lot of time in there lately."

Angeal sighed, looking more tired than ever.

"We could spend a lot of time speculating, but I'd really rather begin by asking Zack's friend if he has anything to say on the matter."

They turned to him. Unfortunately, Cloud had discovered an unexpected problem: Rain was clamming up. He started under their sudden attention.

"Yeah, uh… just give me a minute," he stammered, blushing.

He turned his back to them and took a few steps away. There was really no subtle way to hide that he was having a heated argument with the voice in his head, but he still cringed under their dumbfounded gazes.

"I still don't understand what made you think an infantryman would be privy to this kind of information," came Sephiroth's deep voice, sotto voce.

"I told you, Sephiroth," Zack answered. "It was just some things he said…"

"And he outright admitted to it three days ago," Angeal added.

"That, too."

Unfortunately, what Cloud could hear, Rain could too.

'This is getting worse and worse. I had figured Zack would call Sephiroth's attention on you after what happened in Modeoheim, but this is just peachy!'

Cloud had never known Rain to be so agitated. It would have scared him, if he hadn't sensed somehow that Rain's anger was entirely directed at himself.

'Come on, Rain, I'm sorry I said I had a way to get this information, but since they know now…'

'No,' he flat out refused. 'This is putting you in danger, Cloud. I should have known better than to get you involved in this mess.'

'Now, wait a minute! You can't coddle me, Rain. I am the one who made the choice to help Angeal!'

'This is much too big for you. The attention you're attracting because of me…'

'It's already done anyway! You think they are going to leave me alone if I just tell them my informant dropped the line? And we can't leave Angeal like that! You didn't see him last time, he was downright scary. He nearly said this thing was why he wanted Zack to kill him in Modeoheim!'

Rain went quiet at that.

'That… I guess I can… see why.'

Cloud could feel something shift in the way his brother viewed the ex-SOLDIER. Maybe Rain had decided he wasn't a coward?

'We made him change his mind. Shouldn't we assume the consequences?'

He could feel Rain hesitate for a moment. Rain wanted to help, he was sure of it.

'No,' Rain said. 'Not us. Me. I am the one who asked you to interfere.'

'And I made the choice to do it. Not just for you, but for Zack as well. If I can help, I want to, so don't go telling me I can't because it's dangerous! You know why I wanted to be in SOLDIER, why I'm still in the army, you know it! You are the same, too. You'll help even if it's dangerous, because someone has to!'

A hand on his arm distracted him from his internal dilemma. He looked up at Zack's worried face.

"Cloud, we can't stay here too long. Sephiroth's absence could be noticed."

Cloud glanced past him. He tried not to look at Sephiroth's impatient frown, focusing instead on the lines on Angeal's tired face. Rain sighed.

'Fine,' he yielded. 'Fine. You win. But be careful, Cloud. You are stepping in something big.'

He'd be careful, he would. For his sake, and Rain's.

"Yeah," he said aloud, blinking to get his mind back on track. "Alright, I'm done."

"Okay," Zack said slowly, baffled.

They joined Sephiroth and Angeal. The ex-SOLDIER fixed an irritated gaze on him.

"Were you able to talk to your contact or not?"

"Yes. Yes I was. Hum… Could you give a better description of the, uh, symptoms? Anything you can tell."

Angeal heaved an impatient sigh, but complied.

"My thoughts are… muddled. Slowed, and sometimes some of my decisions and acts retrospectively make little sense to me. I haven't been able to sleep well in months. On occasions I get flashes of images, impressions, that I forget as soon as I wake up."

"No voices?"

Angeal gave him a wary look.

"No, no voices. Are you implying I might be experiencing schizophrenia?"

His tone was getting dark, but Cloud just blinked, more focused on Rain.

"Huh? No, nothing like that."

Angeal relaxed a little.

"Any idea, then?" Sephiroth asked.

Cloud tried not to stare at him, leaning against a wall in his strange Second Class uniform.

"Well, my contact is pretty sure of the cause," he said slowly, "but he doesn't have much on ways of stopping it."

"What is it, then?" Angeal asked avidly.

"It's the… J cells."

Cloud had had to pause. The J cells? Like the stuff they injected every SOLDIER with? The thing was actually dangerous?

'Only in very high doses,' Rain answered.

Fortunately, none of the enhanced men had noticed his lag as they were busy exchanging startled looks.

"The J cells are not known to have this kind of effect," Sephiroth said.

"Really? Did you ask Genesis?" Cloud shot back, then realized Rain's formulation was super impertinent. "Uh… sir," he added, wide-eyed.

Sephiroth shot him a curious look.

"Well…" Zack hummed, uneasy. "There is no proof that Genesis' behaviour was only caused by his degradation…"

"It seems too convenient a timing," Angeal rebuked, not convinced.

"Yes it does," Rain actually agreed through Cloud's voice. "Something in the degradation may have triggered a reaction in the J cells. Or not. There's no way to know. But for you, do you remember when it started? Knowing if something triggered it might actually help."

"It happened progressively," Angeal said, shaking his head. "I can't pinpoint a moment in time."

"But you had no symptoms before Genesis came to you in Wutai?" Sephiroth asked.

"No, of that I'm sure."

"You think Genesis, or more likely Hollander, did something to him?" Zack suggested.

"That would require Hollander being aware of this phenomenon, and I am still not convinced Shinra scientists ever recorded such an happening."

The doubts were clear in Sephiroth's voice. Meanwhile, Rain's mind was whirring in the background of Cloud's brain.

"If it really is the J cells, though," Zack insisted, "what can we do? I mean, they're a part of Angeal, right? How do we stop that? Cloud, any idea?"

Cloud was trying to keep his ears open to both the conversation around him and his brother, but Rain was thinking a bit loudly.

"Uh," he said, startled. "I think… Hum…"

Thankfully, Rain came to his rescue.

"It might… Well, it's really only an idea, but… do you use your wings a lot, Angeal?"

The man gave a mirthless grunt.

"I rarely get rid of them, nowadays. They're kind of an useful tool for a fugitive. Why?"

"Well… they are… a manifestation of the J cells, so…"

A thunderous frown had appeared on Angeal's brow.

"Are you saying this may be caused by the wings?"

"It may not be helping, at least. While you have them out, a lot of J cells are active…"

A big fist closed on his shirt. He nearly swallowed his tongue when Angeal dragged their faces closer. He looked furious and Rain had gone tense with worry at the back of his mind.

"Do you think I'm stupid, trooper? I'm not going to let you strand me in Midgar to be picked up by Shinra—"

A gloved hand wrapped around Angeal's fist. Cloud rolled his eyes upwards to see Sephiroth give a deadly stare to his old friend.

"Drop him, Angeal."

Angeal bared his teeth.

"So help me, Sephiroth, if you are in league with this…"

"Come on, Angeal," Zack said.

From the corner of his eye, Cloud could see he had unsheathed his sword, but he looked unwilling to use it. If Cloud came to be in danger, though, he knew his friend wouldn't hesitate. He relaxed a little.

"You're being unreasonable, man. If we had wanted to turn on you, we could already be fighting you right now. With Sephiroth and me, we'd easily overpower you."

Angeal gave a nasty snarl.

"Is that your backup plan, then?"

The man was obviously giving in to paranoia. Sephiroth's hand disappeared. A fraction of second later a sword passed a hair's breadth away from Cloud's nose. He was snagged by the back of his shirt and flung away where he landed in Zack's arms. Zack staggered, just as startled as him, then put him on his feet and pushed him behind his back. The clang of clashing blades was already filling the alley.

Cloud gaped at the collar of his shirt. A large bunch of tissue was missing where Sephiroth had cut to free him from Angeal's fist. Then he gaped at the two SOLDIER Firsts duelling in the middle of the alley.

It was a thing of beauty, watching them fight. Angeal's sluggish thoughts didn't reflect on his fighting style, and even if Sephiroth was only wielding a standard Shinra sword instead of his Masamune, he didn't seem diminished in any way.

'The sword is going to give,' Rain said suddenly.

'Huh?' Cloud stammered, still in awe.

'Sephiroth is favouring his sword. It's too low-quality for this fight, it'll break if he give it his all. Send him yours.'

'It's even worse quality!'

'He'll make do. Do it!'

Well, if Rain said so… Kneeling, he drew his weapon and sent it spinning on the floor toward the fighters.

"Sephiroth!"

Sephiroth barely needed the warning. Just as the blade reached him, he hooked a feet under it and sent it flying to his right hand without missing a beat or even glancing at it. Cloud watched with glee as he proceeded to fight dual-handed, using the combination of both swords to take the edge out of Angeal's blows.

Zack chanced an impressed look at Cloud. He had obviously been about to intervene.

"Good thinking, Spike!"

"Thanks…"

Cloud was beginning to feel overwhelmed. He was alone with no less than four master swordsmen, because yes, at this point it was obvious that Rain was one too, and it made him feel very small. Still…

'Thanks for that. I know you don't like Sephiroth very much,' he told Rain.

He grunted. 'He did get you out of Angeal's range… And he's not the insane one right now.'

With those mysterious words, he retreated to the back of his mind to watch the fight.

Despite the narrowness of the alley, Angeal had managed to take flight. It didn't slow Sephiroth much, though, as he was expertly jumping from wall to wall, barely affected by gravity. And then suddenly, he reared back in free fall and shot a hand forward. A fireball flew from his equipped Materia. Angeal braced himself, but instead of heading to him, it struck right at his extended wings.

He screamed and collapsed to the ground, feathers aflame. Sephiroth landed gracefully, and an instant later he was behind his friend who was struggling to get to his feet. Zack took a step forward as if to stop it, but too late. One of Sephiroth's blades swooped down and Angeal's bloody and burnt wings fell to the ground, severed. Zack and Cloud both cringed.

Angeal crumpled back to his knees, swallowing back another scream that came out instead as a keening moan. His arms braced him on the floor, shaking. His sword lay forgotten in his hand.

"What… have you done…" he groaned.

"What you were evidently in no state to do yourself," Sephiroth answered calmly, flicking the blood from his weapons.

Zack was at his mentor's side in two strides.

"That may have been unnecessary," he protested, kneeling next to the man and taking his shoulder.

"Maybe," Sephiroth acknowledged. "Time will tell. You are not leaving Midgar, Angeal."

Zack gave him a startled look in lieu of Angeal who kept his head bowed, defeated.

"I am not delivering you to Shinra, either. But I won't let you leave the city until I can ascertain for myself that no more of these outbursts will occur. I won't have a second Genesis running around."

"And if this changes nothing…" Angeal gasped. "If it changes nothing… will you kill me?"

A brief silence resonated in the alley. Zack squeezed Angeal's shoulder and his face crumpled, but he said nothing. Cloud felt like a stranger.

"If this is your wish," Sephiroth answered, strangely expressionless.

Angeal nodded silently. After a beat, he let Zack help him to sit so he could treat his injury. Blood ran freely down the ex-SOLDIER's back, but before long the gentle glow of a healing Materia illuminated their faces.

"I could bring him to…" Zack said, breaking the silence.

"No," Sephiroth denied instantly. "She is under Turk surveillance."

Zack granted him with a weird look.

"Right… I never did get the full story on that."

Cloud had no idea what they were talking about.

"Both of our absences would be noticed," Sephiroth said.

"And Cloud…" Zack began, glancing at him.

"… would not be able to resist Angeal in case something like this happened again. No offense, Strife."

Cloud mutely shook his head. After the fight he had seen, no way was he offended! Sephiroth gave a last look at the blade in his right hand, then flipped it and held it out hilt first to him.

"Thank you, by the way."

Cloud stepped forward to take it back.

"No problem, sir."

Zack gave Cloud a pale smile, then turned back to Sephiroth.

"How about Kunsel, then? He is a Second. If he kept Angeal under status alterations, he could guard him during the day, and I could relieve him from time to time so he could sleep."

"Hmm… Can you guarantee his loyalty?"

"Oh yeah, that I can. He knows Shinra isn't all flowers and sunshine. And… that Angeal is important to me."

"Then this seems like the best solution. We'll find a hotel, one not too curious about their clientele."

'Should not be too difficult in the slums,' Rain interjected dryly.

"You will spend the night there with him while Strife and I go back to Shinra. I will talk myself to Kunsel and he will come relieve you tomorrow morning. Is that suitable?"

"Yeah, works for me."

Zack sent a questioning glance to Angeal, but he just flopped a tired hand without answering.

"Guess it's a plan, then."

Zack slid under one of his friend's arms to help him stand. Cloud hurried to take Angeal's other side while Sephiroth retrieved his helmet. While Cloud stared, he twisted his impressively long hair around his head and slid the helmet in place.

What remained of the severed wings was still smoking on the ground. Cloud noticed Zack glance sadly at the white feathers scattered around. Sephiroth didn't seem to have as many regrets, because he didn't hesitate to use his fire Materia a second time before sheathing his sword. Well, Cloud thought, watching the fire consume the wings to ashes, it would probably have been suspicious to leave that kind of things lying around.

Still, like Zack he had to avert his eyes. It was difficult to think that something so beautiful could be responsible for so much pain.