I wanted to get this out a bit sooner, but I didn't expect to have such a busy schedule this past week. Sorry 'bout that guys. Aside from work and playing the new Dissidia game which is both really fun and a royal pain (I'm lookin' at you Shiva challenge) there's also tons of new KH3 hype. As of this morning there were TWO new trailers dropped for it and holy sweet mother of Gaia does it look amazing! I won't spoil it for you. Go watch it for yourself to have your mind blown. Ah! I'm so happy he's back! Looks like I'll have to step up my efforts on that "Light is for Everyone" chapter update. xD
Fangirling aside, this story is coming along nicely. I'm coming up to a point where I'm at a fork in the road. There's two different ways I can take this, but I can't decide. I think I'll leave it up to you guys and make a new poll to see which path you guys would rather take. A lighter tone or a darker one. I'll let you guys pick. Just go to my profile and vote. I'll leave it up for a bit to give everyone time.
Until the next update my wonderful readers,
Enjoy!
With Zack on his extended mission and Kunsel out searching for clues on Hojo's whereabouts it left the general with the task of sniffing out any information he could extort against the company he had served for well over a decade. It had angered him when he first learned that he had been used this entire time. Not as a simple military dog, that was already known from the moment he found out what exorcizes that Hojo had classified as 'playtime' in his youth were really for. No, this was anger that spawned from discovering that all this time he was some science project that had given Hojo the A+ he needed to keep his job as head nerd of the science club in this mad house of a company.
Admittedly, Sephiroth had started to take his anger out on the wrong people, unintentionally almost committing the same crime as before. Thankfully he realized that there were people he could trust in this infernal company who didn't see him as Hojo's walking blue ribbon. In Sephiroth's mind all Hojo deserved was a dunce cap and Masamune shoved through his heart...or whatever he had that was supposed to resemble one.
Turning a sharp corner however, the general was reminded of another rare soul in the company that actually had an important role to play…as he collided with him. Sephiroth staggered back a pace while Reeve Tuesti ended up on the ground. Coffee spilled over his unkempt business shirt and a stack of papers littering the floor. The general processed the man's story at the first glance. He had been working late again. So late in fact that he was far past burning the midnight oil and kept it going through the midday supply with Coffee as his only means of continued consciousness. So burnt out was the man that he didn't even realize who he had bumped into as he only observed the figure from his peripheral vision.
"I'm so sorry ma'am. I was in a hurry and let my mind wander for just a moment."
Sephiroth ignored the mistake, recognizing the dead-tired eyes that should have given into rest several hours earlier. Before he wouldn't have allowed himself to feel sympathy and only tolerated it before pressing on, this time however he realized that it was never a good thing to completely ignore one's emotions lest they build too much pressure and shake the bottle loose.
"Why don't you get some rest, Reeve? You're beyond the point of being productive. Any further negligence of sleep may cause you to make a critical error that would only ruin your project…whatever it is."
Reeve blinked, confused as to why the female he had bumped into sounded so masculine. It was then that he realized to whom he was speaking to. "Oh, ge-general, my apologies. Perhaps I am pushing myself a bit too hard if I made that mistake, but I feel like I'm so close to a breakthrough and I don't want to lose that momentum."
"May I ask what that would be?" Sephiroth didn't want to push this particular future ally too far, knowing how clever he was, but he was also beyond tired and might not catch on as quickly. It was a risk worth taking.
Reeve failed to fight back a yawn as his mind slowly processed the general's question. "Hmm? Oh, my project? It's something for the new attraction being built in the desert."
"The theme park?"
Reeve nodded, "That's right, The Gold Frisbee."
"Gold Saucer," Sephiroth corrected.
"That's what I said. It's a robot that can tell fortunes and offer bits of advice for whoever asks. But I don't know what animal to make it. I want it to be something everyone might like, boys and girls, children and adults alike. I have the prototype's programming and voice box set; even gave him a funny accent for humor. I just need a proper frame…"
"How about a cat?" He hadn't meant to force the future on him, but there was something that felt wrong when Sephiroth tried to picture the robot as anything else.
"A cat?...Hmm…a cat. Yes…yes that should work perfectly! Thank you general!" That seemed to wake him up a bit as he turned to leave, but then stopped as if realizing something. "Was there anything you needed, sir?"
And that was one of the things Sephiroth liked about Reeve that set him apart from the other board members. He genuinely cared and was not only intelligent, but courteous too. Sephiroth decided it was only fair to return the gesture.
"There is, but it can wait until you get some rest. You're no good to anyone in your current condition, especially yourself."
Reeve looked at his watch and sighed as he admitted internally to himself that the general was right and accepted his defeat. He was not the master of sleep; it would always win whether he ended up succumbing to it in his own bed or face-first on his desk (which happened far more often than he'd ever like to admit). With a nod and a yawn the head of Urban Development admitted to the general that he was right. "Very well general, just let me know when you'd like to drop by my office, or would you rather I come to yours?"
"Your office will do fine." Sephiroth left out that his office was most likely bugged and what he needed to discuss wasn't for outside ears.
"Alright, I'll see you later then." With that he walked off towards his office. Sephiroth hoped he was just going to deposit his papers before retiring to his apartment instead of passing out on his desk.
A few hours had passed and the general was getting fed up with his search. He was turning up nothing but dead ends. Well, he knew he could find what he needed, but the problem was he had to tread so carefully to avoid any hint of betrayal. He liked Zack's term a bit better. Instead of a betrayal the optimistic warrior had proclaimed it as a "Coup D'état for Justice", which was very true. The problem was all the files he needed were locked behind a firewall. Sure, he had clearance to it, however anyone who accessed those files that wasn't the president or Hojo would trigger a notification to the mentioned parties notifying them that someone was looking at them. If it was disclosed or authorized then it was no problem, but in Sephiroth's case it wouldn't bode well for his defense.
Leaning forward he rubbed his temples to ward off the incoming stress headache that was tickling his brain. Thankfully that's all it was. He knew from that one instant what Jenova's influence felt like and it wasn't pleasant. He hadn't heard her voice since the day he ordered Zack and Cloud to destroy her in the reactor, and that was just fine with him. However he wondered why he couldn't sense her now. If she was still alive then why hadn't that strange buzz returned?
A strange background noise that had always sounded on the lowest frequency in his mind, similar to the sensation of constantly ringing ears. With others sounds you would barely hear it, but in the dead of night it was deafening. This however was dead silence and it confused the general. True it meant Jenova was no longer lingering in his mind, showing him odd dreams and trying to bend him to her will in his subconscious, but it was still very eerie.
The blaring sound of his ringing PHS pulled him out of his thoughts as looked at the ID of the caller before answering.
"Go ahead."
"…Seph…"
A cold chill filled the room as Sephiroth focused his sole attention on his lieutenant. He hadn't heard him sound this broken since the day Angeal had died.
"What happened?"
Zack's voice was raw and hoarse as he answered, as if he had thrown it out with excessive use. "I screwed up so bad. I thought…" he broke off as his voice cracked, Sephiroth could hear the raspy breaths; however he couldn't tell if it was from running or his upset state…probably both. "I thought I could make it better for him this time, but oh why did I suggest that stupid idea! He hates me! He hates me and I screwed up again!"
"Calm down Zack. Who are you talking about?"
"Who do you think?!"
Sephiroth actually pulled his ear away from the phone, not just because of the volume of Zack's tone, but also because of the way Zack had retorted. Zack wasn't the type to snap at anyone and Sephiroth knew who he was talking about, but he was hoping Zack would come up with a logical code name on his own, thankfully he hadn't mentioned Cloud by name either. So Sephiroth did the only thing he could, knowing his phone was most likely wire-tapped by the Turks.
"Zack, did I not tell you before how sensitive chocobos could be? They're not simply beasts of burden that take you from one place to another. They are intelligent and deserve respect. If you neglect them they will not take it well. I told you this from the very beginning when you suggested leaving him there that he would get fed up and wander off."
"I'm a horrible friend. How can I aim to be a hero when I can't even…"
"Zack, what happened to Strife wasn't your fault," this part he could openly state without worry and focus his attention on helping Zack through this. This was out of his element, considering his track record for helping his own friends was terrible, however he was finding it easier to deal with as time went on and he let himself open up to those around him.
"Strife's death is just as much my fault as it is yours. If I had acted sooner and promoted him to Third Class then he may have had the reflexes and abilities needed to survive that attack."
He waited for a moment for Zack to answer. He didn't, but his breathing had quieted, telling the general that the upset SOLDIER was calming down. "Now I know it was a heavy loss, but we cannot let it cause is to make more mistakes. Remember, you're carrying Angeal's honor forward. Don't bring shame to his legacy by crumbling to pieces now. It didn't do him any favors and besides, you have a lost chocobo out there to find."
"…Ok…you're right Seph. I won't stop trying."
"Good. Dismissed." With that he hung up.
That just made things a hundred times harder. True, Strife was listed among the dead, but if the wrong person were to spot him then their cover would be blown apart worse than a direct hit from the Junon Cannon. Sephiroth had half a mind to request a mission to head out that way and knock some sense into the runaway chocobo himself, but he needed to find out what he could here. He had to trust that Zack would find him.
It was really hard to outrun a First Class. Even in the pouring rain Cloud was still trying lose Zack who had been hot on his tail for what seemed like the past twenty minutes. He didn't want to cut his ties with his friends, however he needed time alone to process all of these vivid…he didn't even know what to call them. They weren't dreams because he was awake. They weren't hallucinations because others confirmed they were real. He needed time to sort them out and try to find out what each one meant. This was why he was reclusive and spent most of his time alone when not training with Tifa. This last one however…it was the most upsetting and it had come at the worst time.
Perhaps that's why it had surfaced though, Cloud had meant every word, well except for when he decided to be a sarcastic asshole. He sorely regretted it when the vision hit him like a freight train. Seeing Zack laying there dying and covered in blood, the buster sword passing to him the feeling of dread at carrying such an impossible burden. And then when he came back to reality he saw the blade in the ground covered in rust. Even now more whispers assaulted him.
"I said I'd live out both our lives….easy to make that promise. I swore…"
Pain.
"Don't pretend like you're sad. Face it Cloud, all you are…is an empty puppet."
Cloud was so caught up in his internal struggle that he didn't feel the hand reach out and grab him from a crack in the canyon wall and pull him in. Someone covered his mouth to muffled the blonde's startled cry and both stared as Zack zipped right passed their hiding spot and keep running followed by the SOLDIER calling out his name.
Only when it grew distant did the stranger let go. Cloud jumped out of the crack and shot a glare at the stranger only for it to vanish when the red head stepped out of the shadows.
"Reno?"
The ex-Turk smirked as he saluted him. "Yo."
"What are you doing out here? And why did you help me get away?"
Reno just laughed. "I only act stupid to throw people off. I had a feeling you were eventually gonna take off on your own by the way everyone was treating you. I kinda like to think you an' me are alike in that regard."
Cloud just gave him an annoyed look. "How do you figure that?"
Reno just shrugged his shoulders before swinging a bag over his good shoulder, prompting the next question from the blonde. "Where are you going?"
Reno just smirked. "With you," he then tossed Cloud a second backpack. "I figured you wouldn't plan for the trip ahead so I did that for you. You're welcome by the way."
"What makes you think I'm going anywhere?"
Reno sighed in frustration. It looked like he was going to have to spell it out for him. "You really want to keep sitting here twiddling your thumbs while the others get to have all the fun? Besides, we're the perfect team to take care of the secret stuff. Everyone thinks we're dead so no one is going to be looking for us."
"But if we get caught then it'll look bad for the others." Cloud may have been sore about being left out, but he wasn't about to endanger his friends.
Reno just held up a finger. "Keyword there is 'if'. We play our cards right and we could be the ones to save the day and wouldn't it be better to try and help our friends who are tightly bound by Shinra's leash while we're cut loose? Think about it for a minute. We could be the reason the future is saved."
A small voice in the back of his mind was telling him this as a very bad idea, but he had already taken the first step. He might as well go all the way. Taking the bag, he threw the strap over his shoulder and nodded for Reno to lead the way.
It wouldn't be until the next morning that Zack would return to the village. The rain had stopped sometime around three in the morning, but it had done its job of washing away any tracks Cloud might have left for him to follow. Zack's emotional state reflected his physical appearance. Drenched, muddy, utterly defeated; he felt like he had let the world down.
Aerith was waiting for him at the top if the steps and while he tried to work up a smile, he just couldn't manage to form one. Aerith offered him one of her special hugs. The kind that said "I know it hurts, but I'm here for you." He let out a small sigh, a sign that it helped a little. "I tried. I looked all night, but I couldn't find him."
It was then that Aerith held up a note for him. "This is probably why."
Zack took it and read it to himself.
"Yo, I could hear you guys shoutin' all the way from the candle. You guys need to chill out and let him live up to his role. Shame on you for taking that away from him. I didn't ask to be sidelined either, so you know what? We're done with you guys. I'm takin' Cloud and we're gonna beat Shinra without your help! I'm sure we'll get a lot more done by actually doing something. See ya after we save the world.
-Reno
P.S. Hope you enjoy your midnight jog. You probably passed right by where we were hiding, clumsy Soldier. Point to the Turks! xP"
Zack crumpled the paper in his hands and glared at it as if he wanted to set it aflame with his glare alone. "Damn it Reno!"
Sephiroth was finding his patience was wearing extremely thin as he kept up the appearance of a good SOLDIER First. Presently he was sitting at his desk signing mission requests and reports and accepting or denying countless forms and he had signed his name so much his hand was beyond cramped and it was only ten in the morning. That's when his PHS rang and Sephiroth prayed to all the gods that it wasn't Zack calling back to report he still couldn't find his chocobo.
"What."
"Sorry, did I catch you at a bad time?"
Sephiroth's irritation vanished as he registered Reeve's voice. "It's fine. I was about to take a break from my current task."
"Ah, the dreaded paperwork of this place knows no rival." Reeve's voice was full of both sympathy and humor. "I'm free for the moment if you wanted to stop by my office so I could show you the progress I've made. I must say the suggestion you made for my prototype turned out perfectly. I'd like to have your opinion on it before its finished, that is if you have some free time?"
"I'll be over shortly."
With that he hung up and headed for the door. The general stopped and glanced at Masamune for a moment before taking it with him. A side quest for the training rooms wouldn't hurt before returning to something he couldn't destroy. At least in training he could work off some stress.
