Note: I don't know when I'll post next. The last of my buffer is kind of a mess of disjointed scenes I need to work on before it can form a coherent chapter 18. But on the bright side, I estimate we're now, at most, 3 chapters and an epilogue away from the end! Plus this one is pretty long, so enjoy. :)
To people wondering if the Fusion Swords/Cloud's bike will make their comeback: Sorry, no. I'm not going for the fandom idea that he made either, because while what sounds super cool, I don't believe he has that set of skills. So he bought/found them, and he has too much going on right now to track them/their owners, if they even exist at this point in time. (They probably don't. Remember we are 7 years before Advent Children and Fenrir seemed pretty state of the art to me.)
Published on: 05/15/2016.
Chapter 17
Even for a town renowned world-wide as a vacation spot, Costa del Sol had rarely seen so much activity.
Everywhere Cloud's eyes went, men milled around in one form or another of the Shinra military uniforms. SOLDIERs were still easily recognizable, but the infantrymen had ditched or substituted parts of their regulation outfits as it pleased them. The only common point was the total absence of the Shinra logo, systematically replaced with the number 1 painted over the SOLDIER symbol. It had even been hastily drawn over the sides of the military trucks lining the streets.
An infectious optimism pervaded the atmosphere. Even the rare people doing nothing more involved than basking in the sun held themselves straight and exuded a sense of purpose. Cloud was nearly vibrating from how badly he wanted to join everyone and make himself useful.
"Oh, come on, move!" Tifa huffed suddenly.
She leaned over Cloud and used the car horn before he could stop her. It didn't succeed in making the three troopers blocking their way hurry in their crossing of the street, although one of them turned to give them a wave of acknowledgment. He stopped mid-gesture. He wasn't wearing his helmet and Cloud recognized him immediately.
"Ah!"
He lowered his window as Sergeant Bolt hurried to the driver's side.
"Strife! Well, I'll be. It's good to see you."
"Good to see you too, sir," he said, grinning.
Bolt glanced inside the car. He found Tifa's disgruntled pout in the passenger seat and Aerith's shy smile in the back. His lips twitched, but thankfully, he didn't make any of the tawdry comments Cloud was sure had jumped to his mind. There weren't many women in the military. Shinra was sexist like that.
"Your brother said you were fine, but I'm glad I got to confirm that with my own two eyes. The boys will be happy to have you back."
"You talked to Rain?" he perked up. "We're looking for him."
"He should be near the docks with Sephiroth, organizing the boats and everything for the crossing to the east continent. That's some family you've got, Strife. I saw that guy fight, you know. He was…"
The sergeant trailed off, apparently at a loss for words. Cloud's grin widened.
"Yeah. He's really something."
The pride in his voice was unmistakable.
"Well, I'll let you and your two lady friends go. Look our squad up later, you've probably got tons of stuff to share. Oh, and here."
He slipped something through the window. A cloth patch with the new First Class logo landed on Cloud's lap. His eyes lit with pleasure.
"Thanks!"
Bolt waved him off with a smile. Cloud stepped on the gas pedal even as he carefully stored the patch in his pocket. He'd have to take a moment later to stitch it up on his shoulder.
"A friend of yours?" Aerith asked.
"My commanding officer. He's an alright guy."
"You've been grinning ever since we entered the town," Tifa said. "Even all the way here from Cosmo Canyon, it was like you were trying to jump out of your skin. You're starting to creep me out."
A rustle sounded from the back. Nanaki's head peeked from under the tarp they had draped over him before entering Costa del Sol, just in case.
The lion-like creature had insisted to join them when they had departed. Cloud had thought Bugenhagen, his grandfather figure, would protest, but he had actually encouraged him to step out and see the world. He was as safe as he could be with three friends, even if Tifa and Aerith didn't have much practical experience with travelling either.
"Why would you want Cloud to be unhappy?"
"I don't! I'm just saying…"
She stopped and squirmed in her seat. Her face did that thing where she was trying to not let anyone see through her tough girl mask. Her eyes wandered over the military men the car kept crossing paths with. Always so empathic, Aerith leaned from the back to touch her shoulder.
"I'm a little scared too," she confessed. "In Midgar, I mostly did my best to avoid the soldiers. But these people are here to help, right?"
Feeling guilty for not having thought of the girls in his excitement, Cloud took Tifa's hand and smiled at Aerith.
"Yeah. You don't have to worry. All these men follow Sephiroth and Rain. You are perfectly safe here."
Tifa humphed and turned her head away. But she left her hand in Cloud's, and he could see her cheeks were just a little red.
The docks were even worse than the rest of town. It was a veritable beehive, people running everywhere and vehicles loaded with supplies constructing a complex choreography near the boats. In the middle of it all stood Sephiroth, receiving reports and giving orders like he had been born for it. Rain could be spotted from afar. He had perched himself out of the way on a tall stack of crates and bundles and stared in bewilderment at everything going on below.
Cloud parked the car as close as he dared and bounded out.
"Rain!"
His brother perked up at the sound of his voice. Even Sephiroth stopped and turned. Cloud gestured broadly. Rain jumped down and made a beeline for him. The crowds parted for him as naturally as they did for Sephiroth twenty steps behind; not that he seemed to notice.
"Hey."
The brothers clasped forearms in a warm greeting. Rain nodded at Tifa and smiled at Aerith as they too disembarked from the car.
"Guess what?" Cloud said, grinning.
Aerith held the door so that Nanaki could shimmy out behind her. He did so with his ears flattened nervously on his head, glancing everywhere at the strange town and the strange people. Rain's utter astonishment made the surprise worthwhile.
"Red?" he gasped.
Nanaki turned to him and blinked.
"Hello," he said cautiously. "My name is Nanaki."
Sephiroth, who had just come up to Rain's shoulder, made a sound of surprise at hearing him talk. But Rain's expression was already slicking back to something more natural.
"Ah. Of course. It's good to meet you, Nanaki."
Despite his best efforts to look unaffected, he sounded a bit strained. Cloud touched his arm, worried he had made a mistake after all. He had assumed Rain would be happy to see an old friend, but maybe it was too difficult for him to have Nanaki not remember him. Rain just gave him a quirk of his lips. He didn't seem sad, at last, so maybe it was okay.
Sephiroth pointedly cleared his throat.
"Ah," Cloud jumped. "Uh, Nanaki, these are Sephiroth and my brother Rain."
"How do you do?" Nanaki said, always so polite. "I've heard much about the two of you from Cloud, Aerith and Tifa."
"More Cloud and Aerith than Tifa, hopefully," Rain commented dryly, earning himself a huff from Tifa.
The men around had stopped what they were doing in their shock at Nanaki's appearance and voice. But since Rain behaved like a talking lion was an everyday occurrence and Sephiroth, as in so many things, seemed determined to take his cues from him, they progressively went back to work. Nanaki relaxed a bit at no longer being the centre of attention.
"I apologize if my words are rude," Sephiroth said, "but what manner of creature are you?"
Nanaki was unperturbed as ever when questioned on the subject.
"I am what you see."
Sephiroth sent a questioning glance at Rain, who looked amused. He shrugged.
"Nanaki's species is nearly extinct."
"Ah."
"You've met another like me before?" Nanaki asked eagerly.
"Well… in a manner of speaking. No one you would be able to meet now. Sorry."
"Oh. No, that is alright."
"Nanaki will be accompanying us," Aerith said. "If that's okay?"
"Sure. And how was your training, Aerith?"
"It was fantastic! I'm really glad I went. Well, right now I can only heal small cuts… but I know I'll keep getting better with training. So please let me patch you up if something happens, alright?"
"Grandfather said he had nothing left to teach her," Nanaki added. "Since he is not a Cetra himself. Everything else, she's sure to learn on her own."
"One thing, Nanaki," Sephiroth cut in. "I have no reason to veto your presence if Rain agreed." Rain blinked like it hadn't even crossed his mind to check with him before doing so. "But please don't go anywhere alone. The men wouldn't react well to seeing an unknown feline roam around unaccompanied."
"I see. Thank you."
"You're preparing to lead the troops to Junon to junction with Angeal and Genesis, right?" Cloud asked brightly. "Anything I can do to help?"
Sephiroth looked contemplative.
"Maybe. I have been using Cloud as my errand boy to pass messages across town." Here Rain rolled his eyes. "I could use another easily recognizable face."
"Hold that thought," Rain said all of a sudden.
Cloud at first wondered what he could possibly find objectionable in Sephiroth's plan. Then he realized his brother had tilted his head and was listening to something. Under the din of the docks, a low droning sound could be heard. It kept getting louder and louder.
Sephiroth tensed in alarm.
"Not Hojo?" he said, looking like he was waiting for the first symptoms of the proximity of Hojospawn.
But Rain's tiny smile grew as whatever it was came closer.
"No. Cid."
And with these cryptic words, he turned just in time to greet the massive airship flying over the last houses. It came to a roaring stop above them. Cloud gaped. It was at last seventy feet long, all sleek steel and chrome glinting in the sun. He had never seen anything like it. Every single eye on the docks stared.
"I give you the Highwind," Rain shouted above the engines. "Shinra's would-have-been flagship."
"It can't possibly land here," Sephiroth said, sounding stunned.
"Oh, no. It needs a good ten acres for that."
Far above, a rope was slung over the open deck's railing. One after another, three forms slid down it and dropped the last ten feet.
"Zack!" Aerith yelled happily.
She ran to her boyfriend who picked her up and whirled her around, laughing as she shrieked in surprise. Vincent emerged from the shadow as the ship turned with grace and headed for the fields outside of town. A scruffy blond man about Rain's age followed him, aviator goggles perched on his head, looking disgruntled and wary.
Rain approached them. He exchanged nods with his ex-Turk friend, then turned to the newcomer. Cloud recognized the look in his eyes. That one was as familiar to him as Nanaki.
"Cid Highwind."
The man grunted.
"And who the fuck are you?"
"You can call me Rain. And this is Sephiroth." Sephiroth nodded in acknowledgment. "Thank you for agreeing to lend us aerial support."
"Yeah well, don't go getting any ideas, you hear? The Highwind is mine. Don't want any greedy assholes thinking they can swindle me out of my property, be it Shinra or you ragtag rebels."
"Yeah, I know. It's no problem."
He glanced at Sephiroth as he said it, as if daring him to make a remark like he had for Nanaki. Sephiroth quirked an amused eyebrow.
"I suppose there's no stopping you from doing what you will. I can't complain when you bring me such nice toys."
"The Highwind is no &% $ toy!" Cid spluttered, outraged.
Sephiroth turned away from Rain's glare, leaving him to pacify the pilot while he went to confer with Zack and Vincent. Smiling from the banter, Cloud joined them. He earned himself a greeting pat on the shoulder as he came up to Zack's side.
"The troops are already on the move," his friend was saying. "We'll be returning to them shortly, we just wanted to liaise with you guys for a little while. That ship is incredible, let me tell you!"
"It must be if it got you here so quickly. That's excellent. We'll be able to use it for emergency support and reconnaissance."
"Try not to antagonize Cid if you want him to agree," Vincent said.
"Yeah man," Zack laughed. "That guy has got a temper."
Cloud turned to find Rain looking in their direction.
No, he realized. He was looking all around him. At Zack, Vincent, Tifa and Aerith, Nanaki and even Cid. For once, the emotion was plain to see in his eyes. How much must he have missed his friends during those long years spent cut off from the world in his head?
Cloud caught his eyes and smiled. His brother smiled tremulously back.
The Corel troops departed for Junon the following day. They had to move quickly, before Deepground could hope to recover and regain any footing.
Much to his dismay, Rain was left in charge of the fleet of transport boats. Vincent, Cloud, Tifa, Aerith and Nanaki went with him, but Sephiroth opted to stay behind. Bringing the troops back from Wutai was as tedious for Zack as it must have been for Shinra to get them there in the first place. Sephiroth took a small contingent to wait for them in Costa del Sol.
Rain had tried to argue that he could do that in his stead, that Sephiroth would be much more adequate to lead the fleet, but the SOLDIER would hear none of it. According to him, much of the heavy lifting had already been done and the crossing itself would be smooth sailing. Rain could just sit back and make sure everything ran smoothly.
Well, Rain begged to digger. Less than twenty-four hours in their journey and he had already been accosted by plenty of officers asking for his advice or his benediction on one thing or another. Even the boat captains deferred to him.
Rain was no military commander. He could lead a small team, sure. He even found himself unconsciously assuming that position more and more often since he had once more met with Barret, Nanaki and Cid, the memories bubbling at the back of his mind in a swell of nostalgia.
But an army?
Surely Sephiroth hadn't needed to stay behind in person. He was doing this on purpose to force him away from his zone of comfort, he was convinced of it. And after he had expressly said he was okay leaving him to it, too.
"I'm sure he had his reasons," Cloud would say when he grumbled about it.
He knew Cloud was doing his best to help, so he tried not to snap at him despite his irritation. Bumbling his way through a command post was putting him in a foul mood.
At least he managed to establish some sort of rapport with the regular officers and the SOLDIER Seconds that had stepped up to represent their peers. One day that he was snatching a moment of peace in one of the cargo bays, he overheard a conversation.
He had been idling behind the wheel of one of the numerous vehicles stored there bumper to bumper, feet on the passenger seat and absently fiddling with the radio. He squashed the off button when he heard the bay doors open. Footsteps and voices echoed in the vast space, but they were not coming in his direction. He relaxed.
Until the subject of the exchange caught up with him.
"What's the deal with that Rain guy, anyway?"
"Don't you know?" "I heard he was from Deepground," two men said at the same time.
"I was gonna say that!" was huffed.
"Yeah, but… what's the deal with him? Why is he on our side now? Is he really on our side? Why do we gotta obey him?"
There was a lull in the conversation as the group presumably reached its destination and started producing rummaging noises.
"There is this guy in Bolt's squad…"
"Oh yeah, the blond one? With the two cute chicks and the freaking talking lion?"
"Word is he's Rain's cousin or something."
"His brother, jerkwad. I tried to talk to him once, but he wouldn't say much. Real tight-lipped."
"Weirdness must run in the family. I mean, a talking lion?"
"I think it's a tiger."
"Whatever. Why are we even talking about that?"
"You don't think it's weird? No one had even heard from that Rain before and now he's grand poobah around here."
"I think Sephiroth left him in charge, that's what I think. You wanna argue with Sephiroth about his choice of second-in-command? I mean, come on. It's Sephiroth."
A respectful hush fell over the cargo bay. The names of the four SOLDIER Firsts were practically revered these days, and Sephiroth's most of all.
"He's gotta know what's up with him."
"Yeah, and he still looked real tight with the man. I was at the Corel reactor, you know?"
A chorus of groans.
"Yeah, right. If anyone who said they were at the Corel reactor had actually been up there, it would have been a freaking concert hall."
"I was, though! And Sephiroth completely ignored the Behemoth guy. Rain was fighting it not ten feet away from him, and he was all like, whatever man, this one is already dead. Turned his back to them and all."
"Sephiroth is so awesome," was breathed in wonder.
"Yeah. And it's gotta take someone else pretty awesome to impress him like that. I'm fine respecting that."
Their various agreements faded as they left the room and the doors closed behind them.
Something red moved in the shadows near the roof. Vincent peeked at him from the beam where he had been silently keeping him company. Rain was sure he wasn't imagining the hint of amusement in his friend's crimson eyes. He shrugged at him and looked away.
So, he was now officially Sephiroth's second-in-command… and while it was tedious, he found with every passing day that he didn't mind it as much as he should have.
Still, it was a true relief to reach Junon and let Angeal and Genesis step in charge. Unlike him, they knew what they were doing. In a few hours, all troops were assigned bunkers and the equipment was disembarked with brisk efficiency. Despite Junon being the second biggest Shinra HQ until their coup, it was a tight fit with so many soldiers around, especially with the prisoners they had to keep locked away.
Angeal patted his shoulder when he pointed it out.
"Yes, we know. Don't worry, we are on it. Now that we've got your reinforcements, we'll be able to send forces to the rest of the continent. If we can retake Kalm, Midgar will be completely cut off."
Yeah.
So they did know what they were doing.
Vincent departed with the fleet on its return journey to Costa del Sol, just in case Deepground had some boats lying around. The Highwind also granted support against a more likely aerial attack on the convoy.
It took less than a day for Rain to wish he had left with them. Junon was so well protected that Deepground would never dare launch an assault on the town. Now that he no longer had orders to give or sanction, his presence was by and large unnecessary.
Cloud, Aerith, Tifa and Nanaki took the opportunity to explore the city, which bloomed with energy now that the oppression was no more. He joined them for one of their expeditions, but found himself the odd man out.
These four had had time to get to know each other, and they got along like a house on fire. Although Nanaki was about as old as the other three put together, he was still a teenager according to his species' lifetime. Cloud and Aerith tried their best to include him, but Rain felt like an adult bore when he witnessed their youthful energy and their laughter. He was glad Cloud had made such good friends… but they could do without a chaperone.
The distance hurt a little. However much he tried, he couldn't help imagining himself in Cloud's place. Aerith, Tifa and Nanaki had been his friends, once upon a time…
But no, it wouldn't have worked. He was too broken, now, and them still so young. That past, or future, was dead and buried. Maybe later, when they had matured a bit more…
He comforted himself with the thought and regretted Vincent's quiet support. More than ever, he was grateful he had at least managed to reconnect with the sniper.
He was considering asking to go with the troops about to depart for Kalm when he received an unexpected phone call from Sephiroth. The flash of pleasure he felt as he looked at the caller ID was startling. He had no idea what to do with it and so promptly suppressed it.
If anything, he was good at denial.
It didn't last, anyway. Sephiroth was calling to warn about an aborted attack on Costa del Sol.
"What?" he exclaimed.
"They were aiming for the docks; mostly heavy hitters with some artillery. They attacked in the dead of the night, of course. We were able to head them off with minimal damage to the facilities, but I lost some men."
Sephiroth's voice was matter-of-fact, though a hint of frustration filtered through as he mentioned the casualties.
"The boats?"
"Still about a day off the coast, according to Valentine."
"Then why…?"
"We would be hard pressed to embark entire troops aboard without proper docking installations, Cloud," Sephiroth remarked, obviously amused. "Wutai used to routinely destroy our ports on their land to slow us down. Necessity made them excellent guerrillas."
"Ugh."
He hadn't thought about that at all. When he and his friends used to travel during their search for Sephiroth, they used chocobos, the buggy or the Highwind. After that, he had had nothing to do with the general organisation of WRO troops. Ironically enough, he was an ex-terrorist who knew next to nothing about guerrilla manoeuvres and how to foil them.
"Is that why you stayed?"
"Of course," Sephiroth said, sounding bemused.
And now he felt like an ass. Here he'd been behaving like a surly teenager, convinced that Sephiroth was annoying him on purpose, when the man had simply been using all resources at his disposal.
"You could have told me," he muttered, then regretted saying anything when Sephiroth just chuckled at him.
He requested an update of the situation in Junon, which Rain mechanically gave him. All the while, something was niggling at him. He finally placed it as the conversation was lulling down.
"Why did you call me?" he blurted out.
"Pardon?"
"Why did you call me? Why not Angeal or Genesis? I'm going to have to tell them everything you said anyway."
These days the three friends seemed comfortable with each other, leaps and bounds from just weeks before. They worked together like well-oiled cogs, like a crisis was all they had needed to remember how they fit. Or was he mistaken?
"Hmm… I suppose I simply wanted to hear your voice."
His brain screeched to a halt.
"Goodbye Cloud. See you soon."
The line disconnected before a single thought could pass through the dizzying void in his head. It took a full minute for him to bring the phone away from his ear. He stared at the device, befuddled.
"… What?"
He met with Genesis and Angeal in the afternoon. They convened in one of the meeting rooms with a beautiful view of the city below. Genesis seemed content to stalk in front of the window and gaze down at it while Angeal sat at the table with Rain, hands folded on the rich wood as he listened. You could hardly see one man without the other lately.
"I suppose it's nothing unexpected," Angeal said as he finished recounting Sephiroth's report. "Zack should reach him in two or three days, and he'll have the Highwind tomorrow. If they are desperate, they'll try again soon, but it won't do them much good."
"A week and we'll be at full force," Genesis agreed with a flash of sharp teeth. "We won't let them stop us."
"Zack hasn't had any trouble?"
"Not yet, but they are still far into the lands. Difficult to reach by men coming directly from Midgar. We're expecting him to encounter some form of resistance soon."
Rain nodded.
"Hopefully the President will be too paranoid at this point to send either of his remaining Tsviets…"
"You worry as much as Angeal," Genesis said, snorting.
Angeal grinned at Rain.
"Honestly, I expected you to be gone by now."
"Gone?" he repeated, confused.
"It felt like a small miracle when Sephiroth said he had managed to convince you to lead your troops home without him, but I thought for sure you'd board a boat back to Costa del Sol as soon as you got here. And here I believed you couldn't be removed from Sephiroth's side without a shoehorn."
Rain stared at him. Realisation hit him hard.
He had sworn to keep watch on Sephiroth at all time. Yet at no point in the past week had he questioned the entire ocean that now lay between them. He felt antsy, sure, but it had little to do with imagining the man losing his mind and going on a rampage without his supervision.
When had he started letting his guard down so much? Was a common enemy really all it took to divert his attention?
He perfunctorily took leave of Angeal and Genesis, mind reeling. He had intended to ask about their plans for Kalm, but now he couldn't believe he had thought to join in. He wouldn't be going anywhere until Sephiroth set foot in Junon.
The troops left the next day with Angeal. Rain watched from afar as Angeal exchanged a warm handshake with Genesis, only stopped from a more demonstrative display by the presence of the men. To anyone who knew them from an informal setting, it was obvious they were loathe to separate.
That it was these men who had remarked on Rain's propensity to stick to Sephiroth like glue was distressing.
He turned on his heels and walked away.
Zack collapsed gratefully in the armchair Sephiroth offered him.
"Maaan," he said in a long sigh. "This trip took forever. Can we take a day off before loading everyone in the boats?"
Sephiroth's sole answer to his puppy dog eyes was a smirk.
"You can take the night off," he conceded grandly, even as the sun had already set behind the windows of his hotel room.
He opened the little fridge beneath the TV set and retrieved a bottle which he lobbed at his pouting friend. Zack brightened as he snatched the beer from mid-air and recognized his favourite brand. He twisted the cap off and guzzled half of it in the time it took Sephiroth to sit in the opposite chair.
"You can keep the room tonight," he added. "I'll be making rounds with Valentine and bunking down with the men to stave off any last minute surprise."
Zack set greedy eyes on the king-size bed.
"I won't say no, that's for sure. You're expecting trouble?"
"I'm always expecting trouble, but especially now. There hasn't been any attack on your troops before you liaised with us. It's highly suspect."
"Yeah… I know what you mean. It's making me paranoid."
Zack rolled his head around, trying to loosen the kinks in his neck.
"Everyone in Junon is fine, right?"
"Nothing to report. Angeal will get to Kalm tomorrow or the day after. The Turks warn he should meet some resistance, but nothing insurmountable."
"Right. Yeah. That's good."
He sounded distracted. Sephiroth allowed himself a small smile.
"I'm sure Miss Gainsborough is in perfect health."
Zack blushed.
"I know, I know! And I swear I'm not just thinking of her. I worry for everyone. I just… I miss her, is all."
He shrugged, embarrassed.
"Sorry. You don't need me being a sap."
He took a sip of his beer to compose himself. Sephiroth kept silent long enough to earn a quizzical glance. He slowly took his gloves off, pensive.
"I… actually envy you," he admitted.
Zack's eyes widened.
"Me?"
"To have someone you care so deeply about, and have them care back…"
He cut himself off and glanced away. Zack coughed, surprised.
"Well, you know… I'm lucky. I mean, I'm super lucky. Aerith is awesome, and it's incredible that she feels about me the way I do about her. And my friends are her friends, and I know they care about her too and I can sleep easy knowing they'll protect her even when I can't. When I think about what could have happened if Rain hadn't gotten her out of Midgar…"
He shuddered and gulped the last of his drink, setting the bottle on the coffee table. Sephiroth tilted his head and stared at him.
"If I may…"
"Uh?" Zack said, clearly unused to having him behave with any kind of uncertainty.
Sephiroth almost reconsidered asking the question. It was really none of his business, and emotional conversations were not his forte. Still, despite all his attempts to ignore the matter, it kept niggling at him.
"Do you never get bothered by the way Miss Gainsborough and Cloud act toward each other?"
"Clou— Oh, you mean… the oldest one."
The face Zack made then, scrunching his nose and wincing, was unexpected. Sephiroth felt a fool for having presumed. Just because Zack was usually an open book didn't mean he was incapable of hiding the feelings he'd rather not advertise.
"I apologize."
"No, it's not…" Zack sighed, shoulders slumping. "Yeah, it bothers me. I'd like to say I'm a better man than that, 'cause… 'cause it's kinda dumb. Aerith would tell me if there was anything there, I know she would. She wouldn't hide important stuff like that. And I trust Cloud, so I trust Rain too, even though I don't know the guy half as well as I'd want to. It just… Well, that's jealousy for you. Nothing logical about it."
He shrugged awkwardly. Sephiroth felt a pang of fondness for the young man.
"I don't think you have anything to be ashamed of, Zack," he said, smiling. "Have you tried talking to her about it?"
"I don't want her to think I don't trust her. I do!"
"But is it really a good idea to let the wound fester? You don't have to make accusations. That's obviously not how you feel about it. Just tell her it bothers you. Put your mind at rest once and for all. From what I know of her, she'll understand."
"She always understands," Zack agreed, brightening. "You know, I think I'll do that. Thanks, Sephiroth!"
"Don't mention it."
"Uh. To be honest, I didn't expect you to… Well," he said, blinking in confusion. "That's not a conversation I expected to have with you."
Sephiroth snorted in dismissal.
"I'll leave you to your rest," he said, getting up. "See you tomorrow, bright and early."
"You got it. Goodnight, Sephiroth!"
Sephiroth let the door click shut behind him.
For a moment, he stood still in the corridor. He could hear faint sounds in some of the nearby rooms as the officers lodged on this floor prepared for sleep. In the relative silence, he let himself think what he hadn't dared to earlier.
It bothers me too.
His phone chimed in his pocket. He opened it to find a message from Rain. Against his will, his eyes lightened. It was an enquiry about some of the SOLDIERs Sephiroth had sent back to Junon with him. The questions were perfectly benign, suspiciously so, and of little import now that Rain was no longer required to interact with the men on a regular basis.
He felt his lips stretch in an involuntary smile. Had he flustered him so badly the last time they had talked that he felt obligated to check in?
Or his paranoia had finally awakened, like Sephiroth had expected it to since the moment they had parted ways. His mood plummeted as abruptly as it had lifted. The phone casing creaked under the tight grip he was subjecting it to. He forced himself to relax.
He had to make things so much harder for himself, didn't he? A lifetime of keeping people at arm's length, of only a couple of painstakingly forged and perilous friendships; yet even as it was barely recovering from all the lies and the betrayals, his usually so careful heart had to fall for the man that would always see a ghost when he looked at him.
Sephiroth didn't make a habit of lying to himself. He knew what it meant when you felt someone's absence from your side so keenly, when seeing their name on a phone screen made you want to smile, when the attention they showered on someone else gave a twinge in your chest. He knew, even as it was the first time it had happened to him. He cursed the distance that had allowed him to untangle the tangled spool of his feelings, just as he was grateful for the clarity it had brought.
For a moment, the bitterness nearly had him write back something cutting, a sarcastic reassurance that he hadn't lost his mind yet, thank you for checking.
But he sighed and composed a bland answer. He clacked his phone shut and strode down the corridor, letting the shadows of the night swallow him.
Rain's skin wouldn't stop crawling.
A man like President Shinra must surely be panicking by now, and panic should have made him sloppy. But instead of desperate and easily fended off attacks, the only thing they got was this eerie calm. The last troops had embarked for their crossing without any mishap. Kunsel hadn't reported to Zack in weeks.
The anticipation and the inaction were threatening to drive him mad. The boats couldn't arrive soon enough. At least then he would have something — someone — specific to watch out for. He could only check on Sephiroth through text messages so much before the man realised what he was up to and took offense.
When he once more found his fingers poised over his phone's keyboard that evening, he had to wrench himself away from the temptation. He threw the device on the bed of his officer quarters and got out.
It was late, most of HQ was already dark for the night. He walked through the corridors, needing to let out some of the nervous energy that wouldn't let him sleep. Maybe he could head to the gyms, get a workout. He was about to make for the elevators when he noticed a familiar pink ribbon out of the corner of his eye.
Aerith sat at a table in one of the common rooms, nursing a cup of something steaming from one of the vending machines. She looked up when he came in, startled and skittish, but relaxed and smiled when she recognized him. Her hair was down, the ribbon tied around her wrist so she wouldn't lose it. She was bare-footed and only wore a white nightgown. She was a vision of loveliness.
He sat near her, feeling calmer already.
"Couldn't sleep?"
Her smile turned sheepish, her cheeks coloured faintly.
"Ah, no. It's a bit silly."
Her bashfulness made a rush of affection warm his heart. He nearly reached out to brush a wayward lock of hair out of her eyes, but stopped. He reminded himself that she was much younger than him, now, and not that close to him besides. She would probably get uncomfortable. But thoughts of what was appropriate or not made him realize:
"You miss Zack."
Her blush darkened and she averted her eyes to her drink.
"I know he'll be here soon, but… It's like the closer he is, the more I miss him. See? I told you it was silly."
"I wouldn't know," he said with a shrug. "But I'm glad."
"Glad?"
"Seeing you and Zack… You… mean a lot to me. Both of you. As friends, of course, but not only…" He stopped, not knowing how to describe the strength of everything they inspired in him. "Seeing you happy together, it's a symbol to me. It reminds me of everything I've lost and saved. It pushes me to be better, to fight harder, to protect everything I hold dear. If I can keep you safe and smiling…"
… then maybe he could forgive himself one day. But he didn't say that. He had already said too much, really. He didn't want to burden this fragile Aerith with his mistakes and his regrets.
"… Sorry."
She shook her head wordlessly. He was alarmed to see the faintest sheen of tears in her eyes. Before he could think of something to say to fix his stupidity, she threw her arms around him. He froze, taken aback.
"I'm glad we're so precious to you… but I'm also sad…"
"Sad?"
"You shouldn't have to look to other people for happiness. You should be happy yourself."
She drew back and looked him in the eye, deadly serious.
"When this is over, we should find you someone of your own."
He gaped.
"What? Why would you…"
"I'm sure Cloud would be happy to see you date, too. We worry about you, sometimes. You're always so serious, and you don't have many people to talk to here."
Aerith would always be Aerith, after all: compassionate to a fault and forever searching for ways to better the world around her. She had so neatly turned the tables on him he had to chuckle.
"I'm fine, Aerith, really."
"You say that, but you look very glum these days."
"I'm just tense, that's all. It's all the waiting that's getting to me. I'll be better once we start moving again."
"Okay…" she said reluctantly. "But you know you can talk to us, right?"
"I know."
And because his heart was full to bursting with fondness and gratitude, he shoved propriety in the back burner for a moment and kissed her forehead. She made a little "oh". He retreated to see her blushing, but smiling.
The sound of someone clearing their throat burst their little bubble. They turned to see Tifa, Cloud and Re— Nanaki standing in the door. Tifa was glaring more balefully than usual in his direction, and strangely, he couldn't read the look on Cloud's face. Worry, confusion, something else entirely? Both were wearing their night clothes, though Cloud held his sheathed sword in one hand.
"What's going on?" Rain asked, puzzled. "Why are you all up?"
"Apologies," Nanaki said. "It's my fault. I have a very strange feeling. I woke Cloud up, and he agreed we should investigate…"
"And then they came to get me, and that's when we realized you weren't in our room," Tifa told Aerith. "We were worried!"
"I'm sorry, I couldn't sleep. I didn't want to wake you up."
"Well, next time, please do. You shouldn't wander around alone in this place, especially dressed like that. You never know what scoundrel could try to take advantage."
She sent a pointed look Rain's way, but he was already approaching Nanaki.
"What kind of feeling?"
Nanaki looked chagrined.
"I'm sorry, I don't really know. It's the first time I've felt anything like this. Something is wrong. That's all I can tell."
His ears flattened on his head as if he expected to be berated. But Rain knew better than to ignore his old friend's instincts. Nanaki's species had a unique connection to the Planet and senses far superior to those of humans.
Besides, now that he focused, he could kind of feel something too. His conversation with Aerith had helped to quiet his nerves down, but now they began to thrum anew. Something was definitely amiss. It was too quiet.
"I suppose there's no chance of persuading you three to go back to sleep?" he asked the three teenagers.
The looks he received said it all. He sighed.
"Alright. Can you try and pinpoint that feeling, Nanaki?"
Nanaki perked up and nodded, apparently heartened by his willingness to listen. He led them to the elevator banks where they piled in a cabin. Rain hadn't undressed for bed before leaving his quarters, and a long-ingrained habit had him carrying his weapons around even in a military base full of allies. He was grateful for it as they rose through the floors and goosebumps started to bloom on his forearms.
On a whim, he jabbed the button for the SOLDIER floor. Nanaki blinked at him but didn't argue.
All was calm as they stepped out. Rain took the lead and hurried down the corridor where Angeal and Genesis had their quarters. Two SOLDIERs should have been there, standing guard. There was no sign of them now, not even any trace of a fight. Rain's ears popped in the ringing silence.
But no. It wasn't so much due to the absence of noise as to a queer hint of pressure.
Rain threw himself at the next door down, barging in as if the splintering lock was made of paper.
"Genesis! Wake up!"
There was a cut-off curse from the bedroom. He made it to the doorway to see Genesis roll to the ground just in time to avoid the pocket of darkness erupting above the bed where he had lain a second before.
He caught the SOLDIER's arm to haul him back to his feet. Dishevelled and clad only in sleep pants, Genesis was pale from the near miss, his wide eyes obvious even in the dim light. Even so, his hand flew unerringly to the blade propped against the wall at his bedside.
Tifa slapped the light switch. Nero instantaneously came to sight. He was hovering in the air in a corner of the room, his shadows standing out like a sore thumb against the harsh electrical light. He grunted at being discovered and disappeared.
"After him!" Rain barked. "Before he vanishes all the SOLDIERs on this floor."
Belatedly, as they reached the hallway, he added:
"Stay together and watch each other's backs. Be very careful. He can come from anywhere."
Cloud, Tifa, Aerith and Nanaki nodded, grim-faced. Genesis strode out behind them. He had found the time to snatch his red coat. He made a beeline for the nearest fire alarm, smashed the glass with his bare fist and pulled the handle down. A shrill scream filled the air, making all of them wince.
"No one is going to sleep through that," Genesis said. "The entire tower will be awake. I need to get to the control room to deliver a proper warning."
"I'll come with you," Rain said.
Genesis relaxed visibly and nodded. He would never have been so transparent in other circumstances. Nero's darkness scared him. Rain couldn't trust that he'd hold his own if he went alone. Still, he didn't like the idea of leaving Cloud and the others. Perhaps sensing his hesitation, Tifa took the decision from his hands.
"We'll go round up everyone we can find!"
"Yeah, leave it to us," Cloud concurred, leaving Rain feeling at once annoyed and proud. "We'll warn everyone on this floor and send them down to help others."
He sighed, but didn't argue. Genesis was already turning away and he hurried after him.
They took the stairs, neither of them fancying the odds of surviving an elevator ride if one of Nero's portals bloomed in the cabin. When they arrived, the tower's surveillance booth was as ominously empty as the SOLDIER floor had appeared. The room was dark, only lit by the pale glow of dozens of camera monitors. Two tables sat in the middle of the space. On one of them, a mug waited in front of a toppled chair. When Rain brushed his fingers against it, the liquid inside was still tepid.
Genesis stepped up to one of the bank of equipments and started fiddling with it. From his frustrated grunt, he wasn't very familiar with the system. Rain had no help to offer there.
The blaring of the fire alarm swallowed the sound of the portal opening. It was only the feeling of his ears popping once again that had Rain dive to the floor, ducking sudden gunfire. He rolled behind one of the tables and unsheathed Remus in one smooth movement.
Time to see if the blades would hold their promises.