Final Fantasy VII: Something Wicked This Way Comes.

Summary: "((An Angeal x Zack, Sephiroth x Genesis story)) As things finally start to heat up in more ways than one, and world-shattering decisions are made, and as the ShinRa's top 1st Class Generals finally open their eyes to the terrifying reality of The Ring, they learn not only of a sacred promise, but of the sacrifice made by the man who they only knew as SOLDIER, a man who gave his freedom and his life for others, and of a beautiful letter, handwritten by a desperate young hero-to-be, who pleads not for his life, but that of the man he treasures above his own life. Will the remaining 1st Classes make the right decision- and is even more suffering in order? Or will they all just be included in the final body count?"

Warning: "This will be a Yaoi ((male x male)), first off. It will have rape, reference to rape and childhood abuse, and also implied rape. There is a reason that this Fanfiction is rated "M," and by continuing to read this story, I am no longer responsible for any offense taken by the manuscript, and will not receive any more complaints and/or hate mail because you have hereby been warned."

Disclaimer: "I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of its characters so don't haul off and think I do. However, the following characters are actually mine, whether or not these characters actually appear in this particular story, so I hope not too see ((as flattering as it would be, actually)) a copied character of mine without my written consent: 1st Class SOLIDER Marshall Willowstaff, Cadet Captain Benjamin ((Ben)) Adler, Captain Daniel Marks, and Head Physician Julian Jake."

A_ _ _N

Chapter Thirty-Four: Of an Honorable Sort.

Genesis' eyes opened slowly, like he was unsure if it were really happening or not. A bright contrast of silver and black made him smile a little and reach for it.

"I knew… you were coming."

A soft chuckle was his answer.

Come on, the voice said, it's time to get up now.

A_ _ _N

As Sephiroth helped Genesis back up to his feet, Angeal let himself breathe again. "You just like seeing us panic, don't you?" He said playfully as Genesis looked up at him. The auburn-haired man smiled weakly, as if he'd fully expected Angeal to say that.

"Maybe just a little," Genesis admitted, softly. "But admit it, you thought I was dead."

Sephiroth gave Genesis a shake of his head. "Never do that again."

"I'll try not to."

Angeal just shook his head. He could feel Zack shifting in his arms, and he knew the boy was regaining consciousness. When he looked down, he noticed that the boy was looking up at him with midnight blue eyes- a flash of recognition.

"You… didn't let go."

Angeal smiled a little. Zack gazed at him with a serious look, and Angeal eased him to the ground. "Ow… easy on the back," he groaned as he got unsteadily to his feet.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Angeal asked, concerned as the boy stretched his arms.

"You're asking me that while a guy who just stopped breathing a second ago is doing the same thing," Zack pointed out. "Besides," he added with a small smile, "we'll get out faster if it's like this."

"Angeal, Sephiroth? Come in! This is Julian Jake on the other end!"

Sephiroth fished into his pocket and pulled out the cell. "This is Sephiroth. We have Zack and Genesis. Are you out yet?"

"No, I'm not out! Julian responded, rather irritably. "I've got Lummox on both sides!"

"Go for the head," Angeal advised through a cell of his own.

"I figured that one out," Julian said. They could hear the firing of his shotgun on two fronts- through the cell and downstairs, under them. "If you're going to go after Anderson, I think you'd better do it quickly! I've got swarms of Lummox and other hostiles coming in!"

"Call the Turks," Sephiroth answered, "Tseng will know what to do."

"You got it! Just hurry! I think they're-"

The line snapped.

Sephiroth closed the cell and put it back into his pocket. "Getting Zack and Genesis out of here will be difficult. Neither of them are in any condition to fight," he said, as Genesis gave him a weary glare, "I think it will be best if we let Anderson go for now."

"Are you nuts?" Zack demanded, as he steadied himself against the wall. "Anderson is the whole fucking reason we're here! If we don't stop him now, no one will! ShinRa will turn their back on everything again, just like they turned their backs on Willowstaff and Alex!"

"Zack's right," Genesis said, softly. "If we don't finish this now… everything we've suffered through to this point was meaningless, Sephiroth."

"Your safety, and Zack's, must be our top priority," Sephiroth answered, hesitantly. "And if that means letting Anderson go and tracking him down later-"

"Where's the honor in that?" Zack interrupted, bitterly. He looked over at Angeal with a hurt look in his eyes. "You were always going on about honor, weren't you? Willowstaff, Alex, and a whole bunch of people- some of them my friends," he added, angrily, "gave their lives to take down Anderson. What kind of SOLDIERs are we if we don't lay down ours, too?"

Zack pushed himself off the wall, stumbled a little, and then regained his balance. "I'm going after Anderson, like Alex did," he announced, eyes bright with anger, "and I'm going to stop him."

Angeal glanced at Sephiroth, then stepped forward. "I'm with Zack," he declared, gently. "We need to take down Anderson."

Genesis smiled at Sephiroth as he, too, went to them. "Come on, Songbird," Genesis said, gently, "we all know you want to kick Anderson's ass as much as we do. None of us is going to be hurt, and none of us is going to die here," he said, pointedly. "Everything's going to be all right, remember?"

Everything's going to be all right.

Sephiroth looked each one of them in the eyes as he considered them- as much as he hated it, Zack was right about this- a bunch of little kids, some more than half his age, were all willing to lay down their lives to take down Anderson.

Willowstaff had given his life.

Marks had lost his whole unit and had been tortured for months.

Julian and Ben were both fighting for their lives downstairs.

Zack and Genesis, victims of the Ring, were barely able to stand- and yet they wanted to fight.

An honorable sort, indeed. Sephiroth thought as he nodded at them after a long moment of silence.

"All right," he finally conceded, "We go after Anderson."

Zack just grinned back at him in response.

"Follow me, then." He said, already turning and half-limping up the next flight of stairs.

A_ _ _N

Benjamin Adler reloaded his shotgun and took aim at the closest Lummox's head- and took his shot. Like the good shot he had always been, the Lummox's head exploded, and its body thudded to the floor, only to be replaced by a second one almost instantaneously.

"Julian!" Ben called to the cover a ways behind him, where the Physician lay in wait with an unconscious Daniel Marks in his arms. "Julian, did you get through to them?"

"Yeah, I did!" Julian called back, "Tseng is on his way! He's bringing everyone he can with him!"

"Will- they- make- it?" After each word he spoke, Ben shot off a round, each one catching one of the lumbering Lummoxes in the head, most of the time causing its head to explode in a mess of gore.

"No fucking clue!"

"Keep fighting, then! We can't let them reach Sephiroth and the others!"

Ben shot off another one's head just as the entire building gave a serious tremor- like there was something big coming their way.

"What the hell was that?" Julian called to him as the old Captain took aim again.

"No fucking clue!" Ben answered back, just as another tremor shook the building.

The next tremor caused Ben's aim to be shaken off- he missed the Lummox's head and caught it's chest instead. Instead of dying or stopping, the thing's skin turned a sickly yellow color and roared at Ben, lunging at him and pinning him to the ground.

Goddess damn-

Everything went black.

A_ _ _N