Warnings: None of any importance.

Chapter 35 : Tales

They took some time to rest and to heal. They hydrated with taste bud-numbing electrolyte drinks and ate nutrient bars that were filling if you could actually get them down. They'd retreated from the combat zone to get out of the smell but, as Zack sadly said; it didn't help anything taste better so what was the point? The First had tucked his wings away, saying that the pack didn't leave them enough room. One hand had waved sadly at them before disappearing. Tifa had cooed at it which made the tall, former Turk bury his face behind his hair and his collar. Tseng and Tifa didn't hear the sub-sonic growl but the three enhanced fighters did. When they'd looked at Vincent in surprise, the gunman had buried his face even deeper behind cover—this time to hide his embarrassment.

They discussed what had happened after the crash and why Tseng and Tifa had been tied up and blindfolded. Unfortunately, neither of those affected could explain what had drawn them in. In fact, both of them said they couldn't remember anything about the experience until they'd 'awoken', bound, blind and with their throats raw. Considering Tseng's voice became flatter and colder the more it was discussed, Cloud thought the Turk remembered more—much more—than he was willing to admit.

He didn't bother to call the Wutaian on it. Cloud had his own problems with The Sleeping Forest. Namely, he hated it. It made his skin creep. He felt like this whole area was reaching inside his mind and looking at it, pulling the strings of his memories to see how they resonated. It reminded him of the way Hojo had examined his raw muscles during surgery. He couldn't wait to get out of here.

They talked about the fight. What had worked, what hadn't, what they could do better next time. Except, as Sephiroth was the first to say, no two battles were ever alike, just as no two battles were ever totally different. Still, the supplies and the materia were redistributed. Cloud wound up with the Summon Vincent had found but couldn't comfortably wield. It lit up when he held it which was, he was told, a good sign. It felt like a soft hum next to his skin, odd but not irritating. He'd accepted it casually, as befitting a battle-hardened soldier, but inside he couldn't deny he was looking forward to the chance to use it.

Tifa hadn't closed her vest completely. She kept sneaking touches and stealing glances at where the feather had soaked into her skin, as if it should be marked in some fashion. She also kept peeking at the tall gunman who'd given up such a legendary item for her. They could all guess that money and power didn't mean much to Vincent Valentine, ex-Turk, ex-Lab Experiment, ex-Dead Guy, but that Phoenix Down would have bought him prime real estate on the beach at Costa del Sol, plus the requisite luxury yacht to sit at the dock. And he'd sacrificed it, without hesitation, for her.

Looking at the fighter, watching her watch the tall gunman, Cloud thought that maybe she wasn't quite as ready to give up on a hero as she'd thought. He snuck his own glances at Sephiroth and Zack, and understood what she felt right down to his toes.

Then it was time to continue. Now that they were out of the trees they could see daylight just turning to dusk. This far north days were a lot shorter than they had been back in Midgar, or even Nibelheim with its surrounding mountains.

"We can camp once we reach the top," Sephiroth said. "Perhaps that way we won't get any more unexpected visitors dropping in on us."

"What if there's wind? It's already pretty cold out," Tifa asked.

The three SOLDIERs looked at each other; none of them had noticed the temperature as their altered metabolisms kept them warm except in the absolute worst conditions. They looked at Tifa and Tseng, both mostly normal and, now that they were looking for it, shivering slightly. Then they looked at Vincent.

"I don't feel cold either," he said in response to their unasked question, "but I do not think I generate heat the way you do." At that statement both Tifa and Zack had to check so everybody presented an arm to compare temperatures. Sephiroth was the hottest, followed closely by Cloud and Zack. Tifa's higher warmth was probably due to her being born and raised in Nibelheim and the somewhat accidental mako experimentations that had gone on in the small village. Tseng was average but Vincent... Vincent was cold. The spooky ex-Turk's skin was the exact same temperature as the air around them.

"If you started developing frostbite, would you notice?" Sephiroth asked. In the past, most troop injuries on the Northern Continent resulted from poor cold management rather than attacks or accidents. The wind chill was notorious.

Vincent cocked his head slightly, considering—or maybe talking to his resident demon for all Cloud knew. "Frostbite, hypothermia, any naturally occurring cold, won't be a problem for me."

"Is that what your team told you?" Zack lightly mocked.

Vincent looked at him, eyes flat, no expression. "Yes."

"And you trust them?" Sephiroth asked sharply, ignoring the external tension in favour of their future survival.

Vincent turned his attention back to the silver-haired General, his son. "In this, they can be trusted."

Sephiroth nodded, accepting the gunman's statement. When Zack opened his mouth to probe—or likely tease—further, the General glared him into silence. "For now, it should be enough if we share blankets and sleep in a mass, alternating altered and unaltered team member. The tent barely is big enough to fit four but five can fit tightly and, in an emergency six can fit if a couple sleep on top the others." Zack punched at Cloud's arm, eyebrows wiggling. Cloud dodged it and took another bite of the nutrient bar. Everyone carefully didn't look at Tifa or Vincent.

The General ignored them all. "When necessary, Tseng and Ms. Lockhart will use the tent and one or more of us SOLDIERs will join them to provide heat. Any objections?" he snapped. His gaze was stern as he swept it over their group, allowing no argument. It was, perhaps, harsher than he intended but the sleeping arrangements he'd just dictated meant that he would not be sleeping next to either Cloud or Zack for the rest of their journey and the thought did not make him happy.

As if sensing the General's impatience, the discussion ended soon after that. Everyone finished their food and their drinks. They packed up and they marched out, following the General who once again assumed the lead. Not that there were many choices of direction; there was one road, clearly marked now by large, rounded, stone slabs, half-buried in the cliff's dirt but still obviously man-made. The fact that the stones were there had led to all sorts of speculation—mostly between Tifa and Zack but Cloud and Tseng occasionally pitched in.

Sephiroth ignore it; he already knew where they were going. Even without Ms. Gainsborough's vague instructions, he could feel the pull directing him that way, that way, over there. If the enemy hadn't brought down the helicopter, he had already planned to order Tseng to land it.

At first part of him had been glad they'd crashed because it meant he would have a few more days to enjoy Zack and Cloud's company before the mission turned bloody. He would talk with them during the day and sleep close to them at night, and he would savour their living presence. Yet, because the Sleeping Forest had hypnotized two of them, there had been no casual conversation as they walked; because of the cold there would be no holding them close in the intimacy of night. He should tell them what he had planned. He knew that. He knew he was being unfair to them, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. Not if it would spoil this time they had together.

He'd never thought of himself as a coward before. Now, he knew that's exactly what he was.

Standing at the top of the cliff, treeless and windswept—and completely out of the question as a place to camp for the night—they all took a moment to appreciate the view. The trail they were on followed the ridge for a bit before heading back down to the canyon floor. They could look across the divide and see the face of the other side. Tseng had pulled out a map and was trying to find out why such a large and obvious geographic feature wasn't on it. The only explanation they could come up with was that the Sleeping Forest was just weird.

Zack didn't like feeling this unsettled and was, as usual, determined to hide behind a jaunty air. He was more than willing to add to the spookiness if that's what it took so he announced that the stone pathway they were following reminded him of vertebrae. "I feel like I'm walking on some poor skeleton's spine," he added, just in case the others didn't appreciate how creepy he found it.

"Ewww," Tifa wrinkled her nose.

Cloud, feeling equally disturbed, agreed with his friend, "It's even more obvious looking down," he said, "It's like one of those skeletons they assemble and put on display in museums."

"This place is freaky enough without you two being gruesome," Tifa complained. "Next we'll be coming across some decrepit village mysteriously abandoned by a forgotten people, and you guys will jump with joy."

"That's a great idea, Tifa," Zack bounced up beside her, "There will be moaning ghosts and creaking doors that shut all by themselves but we'll tell ourselves that it's 'just the wind'." The small fighter glared at him. He smiled, "It'll be fun!"

Cloud stepped up beside her, "The best thing you can do is ignore him; otherwise he'll take anything you say as an invitation to continue or a challenge. If you ignore him, he might shut up."

"Hey!" Zack gave him an innocent, hurt look with big eyes and soft lips, "Is that any way to speak of your best friend?"

Cloud placed a hand on Zack's shoulder and gave him a solemn look, "It's because you're my best friend that I can speak so honestly. It's a precious gift." He shook the First a little and said, voice low and very, very serious, "Thank you for that, Zack." He kept his eyes steady on Zack's.

"That sucks," the big SOLDIER finally said. "How am I supposed to argue with that?"

The Corporal smiled smugly, "You're not." Then he sauntered away to stand beside his silver-haired lover.

"He's changed a lot," Tifa said, as they watched him plant himself at the General's elbow. If he was a little closer than protocol dictated, neither Tifa nor Zack was going to file a complaint. "He's a lot tougher than I remember him being."

"He was always tough," Zack countered.

Tifa tilted her head in thought, "Maybe. Maybe he was so shy nobody saw it, or rather I didn't see it," she corrected.

Before Zack could respond Sephiroth turned back to the group, "Shall we continue everyone?" He barely waited for their assents before marching down the stone road, Cloud at his side.

Zack had planned to spend some time with the Nibelheimer, the one person who'd known Cloud when he'd been a kid, but suddenly Vincent was standing right there. He didn't glare or frown. He just set his spooky red gaze on Zack and didn't move it. The SOLDIER jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "I'm gonna go catch up with Tseng. It's been a while, after all."

"You don't have to," Tifa protested but Zack was already gone.

Vincent walked beside the young fighter without a word, a silent yet dominating presence. She blushed like a little girl, snuck glances at him like a teenager with her first crush, and then blushed some more for acting so foolish. Vincent may not have noticed her action but his guest did.

*You could grab her now, my host. Sneak away behind some trees and ravish her,* Chaos suggested hopefully, *I don't think she'd object.*

'First,' Vincent snarled back, 'There are no trees. Second, I am not going to sneak off with her. This is a proven hostile area. It would be irresponsible in the extreme to expose ourselves, and the others–'

Chaos didn't wait for him to finish. *I despair of you, my host, my own. There is no romance in you at all.* He felt his unwelcome guest sigh. He knew when the creature perked up. *I can guide you. I will be your romantic soul,* it offered. Putting aside the question of whether or not he even had a soul anymore, Vincent had no hesitation in rejecting Chaos' offer. A quicker route to disaster he couldn't imagine.

Chaos huffed. *At least talk to her, my stubborn immortalis. Let her know you like more than her breasts.* Vincent was impressed at the demon's insight until it followed with, *although, with those, she really doesn't need anything else.*

Vincent didn't even bother to sigh at its crude remark; he could ignore it because Chaos had been correct. He did need to talk to Tifa if they were to build up any kind of relationship. Perhaps, if he and Lucrecia had talked more, things would have been different. Different choices, different past, different present...

He shook the gloom away. He would learn from Fair and Strife; the past was done. Accept it and continue living.

Easier said than done, of course.

He snuck a look at the small female keeping pace beside him. She was tiny, barely reaching the middle of his chest, but her stride was confident and strong. Her eyes were clear, not haunted, not guilt-ridden.

He had no idea what to say.

What did people talk about when they wanted to get to know each other better? He'd never been good at casual conversation. He'd been even worse when it was important. He could compliment her on her resilience–

*Ooo, yes. That will make her feel cherished,* Chaos rolled non-existent eyes.

"Thank you," her soft voice interrupted his panic. He glanced a question at her. "For giving up your Phoenix Down."

She looked at him. He looked away. They walked in quiet for a few more minutes, not looking at each other, until Vincent knew what to say. With all the conviction he could muster he stated, "It was worth it."

He looked down at her while she looked up. Delicate colour flushed her cheeks and she was beautiful. "Oh," she whispered and looked away.

*Now that,* Chaos purred, *was romantic.*

She'd believed him. It was enough for now. He smiled in contentment and... hope.

"Zack," Tseng barely nodded his head in acknowledgement at the SOLDIER's arrival.

"Tseng," the First responded. "How you been?" The question was polite and expected. Zack wasn't sure he cared about the answer and that bothered him—he always cared—but he wasn't sure he wanted to walk beside Tseng, to talk with Tseng. Or that the Turk would want to walk beside him, for that matter. 'Coward, liar, hypocrite,' Zack's mind chanted but he wasn't sure if he meant himself or Tseng.

"You know the Wutaian curse, 'May you live in interesting times'?" the Turk answered.

Zack snorted. "Should I feel sorry for you?" He kept his eyes roaming over the cliff top and over the valley. He watched the clouds and noticed the wind blowing the dust around. He couldn't bring himself to look at the man walking beside him.

"It is not required," was Tseng's calm response. They walked in silence, able to hear the quiet conversation of the others. The Turk spoke first, "I'm glad to see you well." There was no inflection in his wondered if the Turk was anything more than a shell. Three years ago he'd thought he'd known.

Coward, liar, hypocrite.

The First's glance slashed toward Tseng and then away. "Hmm," he mumbled an acknowledgment.

He could feel the man's dark gaze upon him but Zack couldn't bring himself to look. He knew it was completely unlike his usual persona, but he could not bring himself to look at Tseng.

Before Nibelheim and... and everything, the First had always assumed that there was a whole person behind the Turk façade, a person with a soul and feelings, capable of love and friendship. Odin knew the man was capable of loyalty—look at what he'd done for ShinRa—but he had to be loyal to more than just the company, didn't he? He should be loyal to the President (not that the fat bastard had deserved it) and to his fellow Turks and to his friends, right? Tseng had to have those qualities; it was just that he kept them carefully hidden.

That's what Zack had told himself back then. He didn't fucking believe it anymore.

He really wished he was walking with Cloud and Seph. Or even Tifa and the Vamp. He could feel the rage rising inside him, making his nerves vibrate and his stomach clench. 'Deep breaths,' he told himself, suiting action to thoughts.

It might have worked except Tseng decided to speak. "You won't look at me."

Zack's hands formed into fists. 'Can't hit him. Can't hit him. Fuck, I wanna hit him.'

"I can only assume that you're angry with me."

This had been a bad idea. He should've just joined Cloud and Seph even if he'd have been intruding. Deep breaths. "I saw you at the lab," he finally managed to say.

"Ah," Still the Turk's voice was devoid of expression, no remorse, no guilt, not even a smidge of embarrassment.

"I fucking know you saw me, and Cloud." The memory was so clear. He'd been floating in one of those fucking tanks, surrounded by green liquid. Bubbles had been streaming upwards through the stuff making everything seem fucking unreal. "It was early. Shit, maybe only a couple months after we were caught. You saw us and I thought you'd report it once you got back and then we'd be released because, y'know," He swept a hand over himself, "SOLDIER First Class, PR asset, expensive project, all that fucking shit, but nothing."

"Zack–" the Turk started but Zack didn't let him finish.

"I thought we were friends," Tseng opened his mouth. Zack cut him off, "Or, if not friends then, shit, colleagues or something, but you fucking left me there."

"How do you know I didn't report it?" Tseng's voice was merely curious.

"Because Hojo would've gloated about being 'above' the all-powerful Turks, that's why." Zack's voice was bitter but he was right and they both knew it. If a demand had been made by the Turks to have the SOLDIER released from the lab only to be overridden by the crazy professor, then there's no way Hojo would've not bragged about it.

"I reported to Veld and we made the decision not to inform the President."

"You fucker!" Zack growled, his eyes flared dangerously.

Tseng raised an imperious hand, "Hear me out."

Zack clenched his teeth. He curled and uncurled stiff fingers. He resisted the urge to let his wings out, even though he wanted to use their sharp talons to pluck those calm, distant eyes out of Tseng's head. Deep breaths. He managed a short nod.

The Turk lowered his hand, "Perhaps the President would've ordered your release if we had told him. There was no guarantee. Hojo may have scoffed at the idea that the Promised Land actually existed, but he was more than willing to exploit the President's obsession with it. In return, the President would not hear complaints about Hojo. If called on his hijacking of an expensive ShinRa resource, Hojo could have talked the President into approving it then you would've belonged to him. That wasn't something we wanted to see happen."

Tseng wasn't finished. "We knew Hojo had a secret location, a secret project, but we could never prove it. Money was being diverted, resources were consumed yet the President never gave us the authority to investigate."

"I know that," Zack ground out, "but that doesn't–"

Tseng interrupted, "We already suspected that Hojo was 'harvesting' ShinRa's military personnel and having them declared missing or dead, and that they were somehow connected to his secret project, but those disappearances were never questioned. If we had the President demand your release, what was to prevent Hojo from arranging for your 'accidental death' and moving you to the unknown location? Or he could've killed you for real since, from what I overheard at the mansion, you weren't a very satisfactory test subject. I doubt anyone in the lab would've used a Phoenix Down on you if Hojo had approved your death."

Zack said nothing. Tseng's points were valid. It still stunk and his fists clenched once more.

"We monitored the location, put assets in place to watch you and Strife so that if you were moved we'd be able to follow you."

"So you could find Hojo's secret lab, no doubt," Zack sneered at the Turk.

Tseng merely nodded, "And so that we knew where you were at all times. When Sephiroth returned, we leaked the information as to your and Strife's location."

The SOLDIER snorted, "I bet it was after he signed the contract." He glared down at the Wutaian.

"Of course," No shame, no guilt, just a bare recognition of the facts. "There was no point in telling him sooner. He needed the resources Rufus could offer and Rufus needed him to take his rightful place as head of the ShinRa forces." Tseng finally turned to look at the tall SOLDIER. "It was a win-win situation, Zack, and the quickest way to gain your release."

Zack stared back. The Turk wasn't asking for forgiveness, he wasn't asking for anything. He was waiting for the First's judgement, whatever it would be.

He could kill him, Zack realized. If that's what he decided, then he could pull out his Buster and cut the Turk in two and Tseng wouldn't lift a finger to stop him. His rage demanded that he do it: kill the traitorous bastard, watch his blood pour out of his body, listen to him die! He could be a god of vengeance, as cold and removed as Odin himself. Zack swallowed. He didn't want to be that person, but...

"I'll think about it and let you know."

Tseng nodded once again, "Understood."

They were going downhill now and the path was slippery with dust and small rock chips. They didn't need to talk to each other when paying attention to their footing was a good idea, so they didn't. What more was there to say?

"What is bravery?"

Cloud looked over at the General in surprise. Of all the things he might have expected Sephiroth to say, something like that certainly wasn't one. He'd never heard that Sephiroth had ever indulged in rhetorical philosophy.

"What is the nature of bravery? What does it mean 'to be brave'?" the swordsman repeated the question, so softly he might have been talking to himself. "Is Zackary brave?"

"I'd say so," Cloud responded.

"Why? What makes him brave?"

Cloud blinked. "Well…" How to answer that? "I think it's because he sees what has to be done and he does it. I mean, a lot of people do that every day, but they can't usually get hurt or killed by doing it. You know what I mean?"

"Hmm," Sephiroth acknowledged the comment.

They walked for a while in silence. Cloud couldn't help sneaking looks at his silver-haired lover; something was off with this conversation. He was about to ask when Sephiroth spoke. "Maybe it's easy for him because he doesn't see what the consequences might be. Danger doesn't exist, death isn't real, it's all exciting fun and gives him another chance to be the hero."

"If he finds it exciting it's because he finds life exciting. He's just… exuberant, that's all," the Corporal disagreed emphatically, "but he's not stupid or blind; he sees the danger and he knows death is real." An image flashed in his mind, hazy and green. They'd been in the tubes in the main lab, watching. Watching what? A form on the table, a woman, screaming, body arching in pain. Electricity and mako. She was cooked alive. Zack thumped and kicked and fought against his confinement until the green in his tube turned brown from all the blood it had in it.

...failure...His chest hurt. Unconsciously, he rubbed it away. He swallowed against the nausea, subtly worked muscles gone numb. He struggled to remember what they'd been discussing: Zack, bravery. Is he a hero?

"Yes, he's a hero. He can't help it because he cares." He'd cried, Cloud remembered. Once the 'lesson' was over they'd been sent back to their cell and Zack had sobbed with the abandon of a child and the helplessness of an adult. Cloud had held him, rocked him, and felt so very useless... He gathered himself back from the past. "He'd face down a thousand soldiers if he needed to, but he'd do it with a joke and shout because that's the way he is."

"Maybe he wouldn't believe that a thousand soldiers could kill him?"

Cloud thought about it and saw Zack on a rocky plateau. Armed, faceless, soldiers—thousands of them—papered the rocks surrounding him. The big First sighed and rolled his eyes, and prepared for battle. Why were there tears in his eyes? It was this weird forest, he knew it.

Once again he shook himself back to the conversation. "He'd be ready for death but he'd be hoping to live."

"That sounds closer to stupidity than bravery." Despite the harshness of the comment, the General's voice was soft, without accusation. "Surely, he should retreat."

"Not if it's the only way. I mean, he'd look for another way," the blond added hastily, "It's not like he wants to die, but he'd do it if it would protect us. You know that, right, Sir?" He looked up at the silver-haired warrior, his eyes large and silently begging for an indication that he did, truly, understand that Zack was brave and not stupid.

Sephiroth looked down at him and smiled, "I do know that. He'd die for us. I'd die for both of you."

"I'd rather we all lived, Sir," he interrupted.

The General chuckled, "Good point." He looked away again, back out over the looming glow of the forest. "Do heroes feel fear, knowing they're about to die for what they believe in." Again, it was so much a question but a mused thought spoken out loud. Cloud answered anyway.

"Probably. If they didn't they might just fall into that stupid category you mentioned earlier."

"I don't think Vincent Valentine feels fear." He had a choice of fathers, Sephiroth realized, one without fear or one without compassion. It was an odd thought and somewhat intriguing. Cloud slipped on a stone and bumped him, pulling him out of it.

"Vincent has an immortal demon inside him. I don't think he can die," the blond pointed out.

"Possibly not. It would certainly nullify the 'fear of death' argument," Sephiroth smirked.

Cloud's lips turned up in appreciation. A thought occurred to him, "Still, I don't think he's without fear. He just fears things besides death." The General's eyebrow went up again. "Emotions and feelings. Caring about someone is scary." His gaze flashed up to the General's, then skittered away from the perceptive green gaze. "Trusting that someone will be there for you, supporting you and accepting you."

"Ah yes," Sephiroth said slowly, "That does require a different kind of courage."

Cloud couldn't look at him. Instead he looked at the cliff that rose up behind the trees on the valley floor. If he looked at the General then he'd know that Cloud had been hinting, asking for reassurance—yet again—that the Silver General wasn't just playing with him now just to break his heart later. He shouldn't need that. He should be stronger than that.

Fuck, he was a weak bitch, sometimes and he was starting to panic.

"I trust you that way, Cloud," Sephiroth stated calmly. His words and his tone fell like a balm on Cloud's agitated heart. "I started trusting you three years ago and I have never stopped.

Cloud couldn't breathe for a moment. His ribs were stuck and his throat was closed. The world was blurred. He swallowed. "Thank you, Sir." He was panting, but at least he was talking, responding. "I trust you too." He still couldn't look at his lover; his lover, the General, the Demon of Wutai.

"I know, Cloud," Sephiroth answered. "Thank you," he added, as if the blond's trust were a precious gift and would be treasured.

Head bent to hide his furious blush, Cloud couldn't help the smile that took over his face, his heart, his whole being. Suddenly, this weird forest didn't seem so bad after all.

They walked until they reached the canyon floor and were back among the trees. By the time they were under cover the sun had set almost completely, not that the sky's darkness had any effect on the light levels, not with glowing trees all around. They watched Tifa and Tseng for any signs of whatever it was that had hypnotized them before but this part of the forest seemed devoid of power. The trees were pretty and mysterious, but not enticing. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief, especially Tseng who knew Zack would never let him forget that he had sung. Out loud and in public.

They had time enough to set up their camp without hurrying. For supper, there were more protein bars and some MREs, which were only slightly more appealing than the bars. Zack offered to take Cloud hunting for something more satisfying. Between the blond's wolf-ness and his bat-ness, he said, they should be able to find something edible in no time. Sephiroth vetoed the idea. They had tried to light a fire but the wood they'd found, though dry, had resisted everything—even his cast Firaga. Since they had no way to cook anything they caught, a hunt was pointless.

Vincent was relieved. Galian might like fresh meat but he did not. Instead, the ex-Turk accepted and ate the lukewarm, SOLDIER-standard goo without comment. When it was time to organize the night watch, he volunteered to do that with as little fuss, easily dismissing Sephiroth's concern that a full night was too much for one person. Finally, the General nodded acceptance. It wasn't a good idea for Tifa or Tseng to be without the heat of the SOLDIERs, and he wasn't sure that either Cloud or Zack were quite one hundred percent yet, both of them were trembling slightly.

It was somewhat warmer on the canyon floor, and they could hear running water someone in the forest. There were trees and bushes to give privacy so everyone decided to find spots to wash up and take care of their pre-sleep needs.

Vincent resisted the urge to follow Tifa, knowing that the desire had more to do with Chaos' voyeuristic urges than any doubt that she could take care of herself. After all, he'd already scouted the area around the camp and scared away any would-be predators while the others were laying out the bedrolls. Tifa would be perfectly safe.

He also ignored the demon when it tried to get him to follow Strife and the General as they left the campsite together.

*But they're probably going to have a quick bout of sex. If we don't hurry, we'll miss it,* Chaos pouted.

'I am not spying on my son and his lover,' Vincent thought firmly back. He folded his arms and planted his feet and he: Did. Not. Move. Not even when Strife returned, looking excited and, considering the leaves in his uniform, more than a little mussed. He grabbed his dark-haired friend and dragged him back into the woods with an excited 'I want to share a secret' look about him.

Vincent didn't follow them. But a part of him really wanted to.

Chaos crowed in delight.

"You know, I don't mind quickies in unexpected places but this may not be the best time to indulge," Zack chuckled, dragging his feet a little bit.

"It's not about that, Zack," Cloud frowned at him, "Not everything is about sex." Zack raised his eyebrows, getting ready to argue the point when the blond stopped and pulled him down into a crouch. The glowing trees had thinned and given way to more normal looking bushes and scrub trees. "Keep quiet or you might scare them off." The Corporal then moved out slowly and carefully, making no sound against the soft, forest floor.

Intrigued, Zack followed. They crawled over a small crest and he saw a little pool formed from a small brook that spilled over rocks and was caught up in fallen trees. He also saw fireflies, thousands of them. They were on the water, in the air, and around the bushes lining the stream. They twinkled and flashed, dipped and swooped. They were innocence and mystery combined. A childhood treasure revisited. "Holy shit," the First whispered in joyful awe.

He took his eyes off the show and looked to where Cloud had settled. There was Sephiroth as expected, watching the insects with narrowed eyes. The General had his chin resting on his stacked fists. Zack crawled up and flattened himself out on the other side of the blond. Warm, acid-green eyes flicked his way in acknowledgement. "How did you find them?" he whispered, slurring the consonants into a soft blur so as to not disturb the creatures.

"We didn't," Cloud replied the same way, "We were just using the water to brush our teeth and they started showing up. They didn't come in close until we left the pond." He looked at Zack with happy eyes. "There were just a couple dozen to start with. Now look at them."

"I believe there's a pattern to their flashing," the General stated, "related to the individual variation in colour."

"Perhaps they're signalling to each other," Cloud suggested.

"Perhaps," His eyes narrowed further as he considered the suggestion, "It's a workable theory."

Cloud turned to the dark-haired First. "The General never got to chase fireflies as a kid," he explained.

Zack grinned. "It's about time then," and he wiggled himself into a more comfortable position and settled in to wait until Seph had looked his fill. Cloud looked at him, a small smile on his face. Then he startled them both by leaning over and giving the First a soft kiss full on his lips. The blond looked at him wide-eyed for a moment before ducking his head bashfully. Zack glanced over at Seph to see if he noticed his lover give a kiss to another man. Not that he thought Seph would really object; Cloud was covered in the General's scent so Zack figured they'd been sharing some hot tongue-sucking action before the fireflies had showed up. Still, considering his CO's possessive streak, it was best to check.

He needn't have worried. Sephiroth had noticed. His unique eyes were turned their way, watching them more than the bright, little insects. A small smile played on his lips before he returned his gaze to the pool. In fact, he took it as a good sign that Cloud had initiated contact with Zack. It was a return of confidence that the General feared they would all need to rely on in the coming days.

The coming days...

He didn't want to think of it. So he didn't. He deliberately turned his mind away from what he would be facing tomorrow and concentrated on what was here with him today. As Cloud had reached over and kissed Zack, Sephiroth leaned over and kissed Cloud. Then, as Zack had done, he wiggled himself into a more comfortable position and enjoyed the insects' colourful dance until it was time to return to camp.

He kept his mind blank as they sorted out their sleeping arrangements. He thought of other things as he wrapped himself around the shivering Turk. He willed himself to sleep until he thought of nothing at all.