Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII is the property of Square Enix. I do not own any of the characters except OCs.
Angeal was very quickly beginning to doubt the wisdom of his decision to ask Genesis and Sephiroth for help with this unexpected situation. So far, neither had contributed anything but hysterical laughter and a stony scowl, respectively. Zack, meanwhile, had simply laid himself down on the floor and set his head on his paws, waiting with an unusual level of patience while the other three Firsts tried to puzzle out what to do about the suddenly canine SOLDIER.
"Ahaha! Aha… Ahem… Y'know," Genesis said, wiping his eyes when he finally managed to get his laughter under control. "I think I may actually like him better this way. At least now he has an excuse for having all the class and civility of a dog. And he looks better, too." Zack curled his lip and snorted at Genesis from his position by Angeal's feet, shifting his body so that his tail end was facing the redhead. The Crimson General merely rolled his eyes and chose to ignore it.
"Whether you like him this way or not isn't the issue, Gen," Angeal said irritably, running his hand back through his hair for what must have been the hundredth time that day. "We need to figure out how this happened so we can reverse it. Somebody's bound to get suspicious when a First-Class SOLDIER just disappears without a trace."
"Yeah!" Zack thought, wagging his tail slightly at Angeal's words. "And especially if a SOLDIER as awesome as me goes missing."
"Why don't we just ask him?" Sephiroth muttered, his first words to any of them since Angeal had brought Zack into Genesis's apartment.
"Uh… 'Cause I'm a dog? Ya know… Like the non-speaking kind?" Zack tried to say. Of course, all that came out was a bark, but he was pretty sure they understood anyway.
"I meant, of course, with yes or no questions," Sephiroth clarified, frowning at Zack as if the dog had insulted his intelligence. "You could nod or wag your tail once for yes, twice for no, something like that." Zack nodded as soon as he finished speaking, realizing that was the best option they had.
"Alright, so…" Angeal began, trying to think of the best questions to ask. "Did someone do this to you?" Zack shook his head. "You did this to yourself?" A quick nod; Angeal sighed and laid his head in his hands. "Was it on purpose?" Zack stood up and shook not only his head but his entire body this time – an emphatic "No!"
"Wait a moment," Sephiroth said, looking upward as he began piecing a few things together. "The scientists told you he was found near the Materia Experimentation Room, right?"
"Yes," said Angeal. "But I don't know of any kind of materia that turns someone into a dog."
"Neither do I. But what if it was a combination of materia, or a new hybrid being developed in the labs? Stranger things have come out of the labs at Shin-Ra than that."
"Like you, for instance?" Genesis asked with a snicker.
"In any case," the Silver General continued, ignoring Genesis completely. "I think the first thing we need to do is look into any and all types of materia the labs have been working on today. We shouldn't have to press them too hard for information, but if anyone decides that they should withhold anything from us…" He lifted Masamune from its position by his side, letting the tip of the blade rest ever-so-lightly on the floor. "I am sure I can convince them to reconsider." Zack's tail began beating the floor like a drum.
"Yeah! Go Seph!"
"Alright, Sephiroth, I think you've got the materia labs handled," Angeal said calmly, his eyes on his friend's enormous katana. "Genesis, you go down to the Bio-Labs and talk to Hollander to see if there's any kind of quick cure for something like this. He doesn't need to know who it's for, but if he insists on asking just tell him it's for a cadet that's gotten himself into trouble with a backfiring prank."
"And what are you going to be doing?" Genesis asked, leafing through his ever-present copy of LOVELESS boredly as he spoke.
"I'll take Zack with me and go get some… Pet supplies…" he said, almost embarrassedly. "We don't know how long he's going to be stuck like this, but people will probably get suspicious if they see that I'm keeping a dog and don't have anything in my apartment for one." Genesis nodded, understanding his reasoning.
"If that's the case, take him to the pet store on LOVELESS Avenue," he said. "And no, not just because of the name of the place. It's where I go to get things for Minerva." Minerva, Genesis's long-haired cat, was his pride and joy, and he spoiled her rotten. Zack and Angeal both secretly hated the ruby-red cat, but they didn't dare tell Genesis that for fear of being lit on fire.
"Right. Well, Zack, let's get go – Zack?" All three of the human Firsts looked down at Zack, confused to see him on his feet and standing completely rigid with his lips raised in a snarl. Angeal was the first to spot the problem – Minerva had just padded into the room, fluffy tail up behind her like a question mark while she strutted across the floor with her nose in the air. A low growl rumbled in Zack's throat, and he licked his lips as he stared fixedly at the feline.
"Zack, no!" Angeal shouted, making a grab for his student, but it was too late. The dog was off, chasing Minerva down the hall while the cat hissed and spat furiously at him.
"My baby!" Genesis shrieked, following behind the animals as quickly as he could. "Don't you touch her, you mongrel!" Angeal got up and bolted after them, but stopped and turned around when he reached the entrance to the hall.
"Aren't you going to help?" he asked Sephiroth, who was still sitting on the couch and idly rubbing a speck of dirt off of Masamune.
"That's a battle even I am not brave enough to fight." Angeal flinched when he heard a loud crash and the sound of breaking glass, followed by a demonic screech that was impossible to identify as either Genesis's or Minerva's. He sighed, following the sounds of chaos down the hall the moment he heard a decidedly pitiful canine yelp.
"You have no idea how much I envy you right now, Sephiroth."