Warnings: Lots of exposition but at least they're on the road again

Chapter 43 : Equinoxe

The next morning, they were on the trail before the sun cleared the edge of the canyon. They turned east at the crossroads following Vincent's low voiced instruction. The ex-Turk had explored most of the valley when he'd been avoiding them after the fight in the underground city and he had already figured out how to get out of the valley. When they came to the cliff face they had two routes to the top to choose from.

The one through the cave gave them access to the west side of the continent which was warmer and more populated because it was sprinkled with ski and hot spring resorts. If they went west it would be easier travelling and they would probably have better access to supplies. The other path, which clung to the side of the cliff where it hadn't completely fallen down, led to the mostly frozen east side, colder, barer, tougher.

Of course, they were going to the less civilized east. Less civilization meant less reason for DGS to be prowling around.

Looking up at the path, Sephiroth, Cloud and Zack snapped out their wings in order to fly the unaugmented members over the large gaps. At the first appearance of Sephiroth's wings Yazoo's eyes went large and awestruck. He reached out a tentative hand, "You have wings," he breathed. For some reason, despite having discussed this, Sephiroth having wings hadn't been real to Yazoo… until now.

"All of the SOLDIER Firsts have some kind of mutation as a result of the injections of Jenova cells," Sephiroth explained. He stood calmly as his genetic brother ran his hands over the strong feathers.

"We don't-didn't have wings," Yazoo said, meaning himself and his two brothers, "None of the clones do."

"Perhaps Hojo changed the formula," Cloud suggested. "He didn't like it when Sephiroth and Zack were so resistant to her in Nibelheim."

Zack backed him up, "I remember. He used to rant about it a lot."

Cloud nodded. "If he'd made changes to the mix, the mutation thing might have been lost."

"Are we going to climb out or make camp right here," Tseng asked. His voice was the same uninflected one he always used but the words were, once again, harsh and condemning. The young man withdrew his hand and curled it up next to his chest as if to protect his heart but his eyes remained on the General's wings, one white, one black. He looked so wistful that it made Zack's breath catch.

"C'mon, Sprite," he said stepping up to sylph-like clone, "Let's go flying." He opened his arms and gave his trademark grin and Yazoo's face lit up with anticipation. Sure enough, once Zack had the fighter secured they took off, straight up, shortcutting over the dozens of narrow, life-threatening switchbacks. To make it even more fun he twirled and looped and dipped almost faster than the eye could see. For the first time, they got to hear Yazoo's laughter, a low gurgling sound like a large stream falling over a series of rocks, tumbling and carefree. The ones left behind watched them manoeuvre through the sky. Tifa's eyes were lit. "Oh wow," she murmured.

Cloud, standing beside her, swallowed. "We can do that. My control's good enough now. If you want to," he offered.

"If I want to?" she turned to him, "You bet I want to. But if you drop me, my boyfriend will eat you." Involuntarily, Cloud looked at Vincent who tucked his face away behind his collar.

"I won't, y'know, drop her," he promised. Vincent merely growled and Cloud pretended not to see the bright colour staining the ex-Turk's cheeks.

Tifa latched on to his front with arms around his neck and legs around his waist and he couldn't help but think of the boy he'd been seven years ago. When he'd been fourteen, having Tifa cling to him like this would've fulfilled a lifetime's worth of dreams, and provided him with decade's worth of fantasy material as well. Now, all he thought of was making sure her balance was right and her grip tight enough, but not too tight. Then he jumped up and pumped his large wings, quickly gaining altitude. He spun in a barrel roll as they rose then arced over into a loop. His acrobatics weren't as fast or sharp as Zack's but the ride was smoother.

Considering that his childhood friend had buried her head in his chest and was, once again, chanting 'Ohmygodsohmygodsohmygods' he thought that was probably a good thing.

Back on the ground, Vincent gave another low growl and cast Haste on himself. He leapt up the trail so fast all they saw was the blur of red from his cloak. He jumped over chasms if it they were of no more bother than a crack in a sidewalk. Sephiroth looked down at his companion. "To walk up the path and jump over each gap individually would, at this point, seem the height of conceit and inefficiency, don't you think?"

"Agreed. The aerobatics are not required," the Turk replied and then they, too, were flying, skimming through the air no more than an arm's length from the side of the cliff. They beat Vincent but only by moments. Cloud and Tifa were next, landing with a 'plop' next to the forest. Zack swooped down over top of them, so close they could've put a hand out and touched them, before he pulled them upright, stopped, hovered for a moment, and then landed with a final flourishing pirouette.

When Yazoo unwrapped himself from the big First, he actually bounced on his toes. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were bright. For the first time, he looked like the teenager he had been grown to resemble. It was Tifa and Cloud that he decided to share his adventure with, although he did smile softly at the other augmented warriors—his genetic 'brothers'—before settling into the march beside her. Even with his excitement, the clone's voice was deep and melodic, almost soothing in the flow of it. It blended in very well with the natural sounds generated by the forest and the breeze.

Aside from Yazoo's happy burbling, it was a quiet group that moved into the dimness. They walked through a forest that wasn't made of trees but of bushes. Most of them were taller than Zack and they clumped together impassibly. That meant the group had to spend a lot of time walking around them. Not normally a problem, but this late in the spring the ground wasn't frozen. Instead of hard dirt, they walked over mushy and gooey mud that clung to their boots, or tripped over roots and high grass clumps, or they slid on loose gravel that appeared unexpectedly.

It became less of a march and more of a dance.

It wasn't so big a deal with the altered fighters. Their enhancements allowed them to practically skim over the hazards. Tifa was light enough on her feet, and her backcountry childhood was near enough, that she could keep herself bouncing over them but she was risking a sprained ankle or worse. Tseng tried but most of his work took place in cities and buildings. He'd spent years walking—and sneaking—over man-made surfaces. Just like the Modeoheim mission, it didn't take long for the Turk to be trailing even farther back than the fighter, unable to find his stride in the difficult terrain.

Cloud, in front with Sephiroth, turned back to look at the others. "Should we help?" he asked.

Sephiroth paused and stood at attention, as trying to sense what dangers awaited them. "I would like to reach the foothills today. These woods are too thick and there are too many places for danger to hide." He looked up at Meteor, still small in the sky, but considerably larger than it had been. They had been seven days in the valley of the Ancients. If the rate of approach remained constant they had twenty days, maybe twenty-five, before Meteor blotted out the sky and destroyed the planet.

"Up and over?" Zack asked as he and Yazoo drew even with them.

The General shook his head reluctantly. "We can't use too much of our energy this early in the journey; we don't have enough food packed to restore it."

"I dunno, Seph, I don't feel like I've used any energy at all." Zack bounced a little, "In fact I feel exactly the same as I did this morning," which was odd considering...

"Same here, Sir," Cloud corroborated. He rotated his shoulders, still getting used to the odd, low-hanging sword harness he carried. "I'm a little chafed from the straps but not feeling tired at all."

"Hmm." The General assessed his own energy levels, knowing from years of experience exactly what he should feel like after a half-day march over similar terrain. He didn't feel the way he should. In fact, when he examined himself deeper, he could feel a steady charge emanating from the earring he wore. As if the god were using it as a conduit to supply him with the energy he needed to complete his task. More mystical shit, as Zack would say. However, they would be foolish not to take advantage of it. "Very well. Vincent," he turned to the red-cloaked gunman only to be stopped short by flashing red eyes.

"We are not being carried out like a sack of potatoes," the gunman's voice resonated with an immortal presence. The General was sure that Vincent didn't realize he'd used a plural pronoun to describe himself.

"I was going to ask; if we fly the others out of the bush will you be able to keep up?" Sephiroth's voice was mild.

"It might take me longer; I won't be able to run in a straight line," he answered. If the thought of being left behind bothered him, it was impossible to tell from his voice.

"It would be best if he didn't travel alone, wouldn't it?" Cloud asked. "I mean, we don't know what monsters might be out there."

Vincent's growled, 'I'll be fine' was drowned out by Zack's "He's right." The First scratched his head, "No offense to Vinnie-and-all-his-parts, but he's just one guy."

"And what if he has to divert really far off course; how would he find us again?" Cloud pointed out. "I could stay with him then it wouldn't be a problem." It was the General's turn to growl but it was soft, instinctive, and easy to ignore. "I'll be able to home in on you even if we exit the bush at different points." One of Vincent's eyebrows went up in a question so Cloud explained briefly, "It's the Jenova cells; they like to be close to each other."

Whatever Vincent had planned to say back was interrupted by Zack. The SOLDIER First had leaned forward and was scowling ferociously at the gunman's forehead. "Were you born knowing how to do that?"

The gunman jerked back. "I beg your pardon?"

"The thing with your eyebrow," he wiggled his own in illustration. "Did you train yourself or did you always know how to do it?"

Baffled, Vincent drew back into his collar like a turtle hiding from danger. "I've always been able to lift one eyebrow."

"Shit!" the SOLDIER spat out disgusted, "I'm never gonna figure out how to do that."

"Umm," Yazoo said tentatively, "Why don't you just hold down one eyebrow with your finger. When you lift both it will force them into the positions you want. It will train the muscles despite themselves."

"That'll work?" Zack asked intrigued.

"It should," the silver-haired youth responded, "It's how they taught me to do this," and then the boy lifted his left leg straight up and over his head in a standing split. His audience, every single one of them, winced.

"O-kay," Zack said still squinting in sympathetic pain, "I... guess it'll work then."

They went with Cloud's plan which meant that Yazoo travelled by foot as well since there was no one to carry him. He hid a wistful look at his winged companions by scraping off the mud on his boots on a clump of tough grass. Cloud, standing close beside him, gave him a soft shoulder bump in sympathy.

He wasn't going to mention it, but the Corporal thought the connection between them, between all of the people infected with the Jenova virus, was getting, not stronger, but clearer, but if they didn't mention it he certainly wasn't going to. It wasn't something they could change, not way out here. Instead, he waited right wrist on left wrist, tidily folded in front of him since he couldn't get his arms around his complicated harness to do a proper 'at rest'.

Predictably, the dark-haired First was bubbling with enthusiasm at being able to fly again. Cloud had to admit that the idea of being in the sky was a lot more appealing than slogging it out down here. Cloud hid his smile behind his best NCO-face when, with a sly, sideways look at the ex-Turk, Zack turned to Tifa and spread his arms wide. "Tifa, babe! Come ride me!" His little wing hands beckoned her closer with gestures of delight.

With her own chortling laugh at Vincent's involuntary growl, she agreed. That left Sephiroth with Tseng once again. A firm grip, a high jump and they were off.

It was a quiet trio left behind to run through the forest but, with sideways glances and smirking half-smiles, the two youngest knew the race was on. They didn't even wait for Vincent to cast Haste, but just took off running, dodging around impassible thickets or just jumping over them. It was a simple way to rejoice in being alive and healthy and strong.

Up above, Zack was twirling with Tifa, more gently than he had with Yazoo, but more than what Cloud had put her through. Her prayers were constant but Sephiroth decided that the true gauge of how scared the fighter actually was were the rare changes in pitch and volume. He had no fear that the Commander would drop her so he turned his attention to the silent Turk he carried.

"There is a problem between you and my Second-in-Command," he stated baldly. He knew what tact was, and sometimes practiced it, but decided it wasn't necessary with Tseng.

Proving the General's surmise correct, Tseng responded calmly, "He saw me at the Nibelheim laboratory at least once." The Turk stopped speaking, but the General waited knowing that there must be more. "He guessed that I didn't report their captivity to anyone at ShinRa."

Sephiroth didn't say anything just ran through the scenarios in his mind. Reporting or not reporting—which would've been better or safer, or more in keeping with friendship which was likely where the problem arose. Sephiroth knew that the First had considered Tseng, if not a friend, then at least a 'comrade-in-arms'. They'd survived several nasty missions together and Zack would feel that that should've created a bond even knowing the other man was a Turk. He could see how the First would feel betrayed by what Tseng had done, but he could also see that it likely wouldn't have improved their circumstances. Sephiroth hadn't spent much time in the company of the previous President or Board, just enough to know that nobility and humanity weren't concepts they were familiar with.

Well, neither was he really…

He had his loyalties, people he would tear down heaven for and be damned to anyone else. He wasn't sure many of the old board had felt that way about anyone other than themselves. He couldn't believe that telling any of them that Rupert Shin-ra's pet scientist was experimenting on a couple security personnel would've inspired any of the Directors to protest. Except, perhaps, Reeve, but nobody had listened to him. So, reporting the truth would have saved no one and, if Sephiroth's suspicions were correct, the delay had actually served several beneficial purposes.

Still, it was a perfect time to remind Tseng—and through him, Rufus—that Sephiroth was nobody's tame pet.

"Zack will assume you used the information as a negotiating tool in order to force me to sign the contract with Rufus."

"But it was a negotiating tool." Tseng didn't even blink at the confession.

Sephiroth hummed a disagreement. "There were only a few laboratories Hojo could've used for someone of Zack's strength and abilities. Nibelheim was top of the list."

Tseng blinked at the General's lack of outrage. "You needed Rufus' forces in order to mount a rescue."

Sephiroth chuckled, a rumble felt more than heard. "I could've gotten them out on my own, I didn't need an army for that; however I couldn't have examined them, or healed them, or given them a comfortable place to recover on my own."

Tseng frowned—that wasn't how he and Rufus had figured it. "You honestly believe you could've walked into a top security lab as easy as walking down the street?" Tseng's cool voice was tinted with disbelief.

Sephiroth finally glanced down at the Turk, his eyes flashed, "If I had wanted, I could've walked straight into the ShinRa Tower and killed Rupert Shin-ra in his gaudy imitation throne, and there would've been nothing any of you could've done to stop me." He smiled, eyes slitted, as if he enjoyed the image his words had conjured.

It was altitude, Tseng told himself, altitude and not fear that caused his stomach to clench.

He wished he believed it.

They reached the foothills not long after that. They'd angled their flight to land close to the trio's likely point of emergence but, a last minute deviation by the group in the forest, meant they would have to go north to meet up. At least the ground here was clear and mostly firm which let Tifa and Tseng move much easier and faster than they had before.

Zack's wings were drooping. "How long was that?" he asked, stretching out muscles stressed by the unaccustomed movement.

"An hour, or a little more," the General answered. He too was working out unusual aches.

"Maybe it's because I'm not used to it, or maybe it's just damn hard work, but I need to eat something." The big First was rubbing his stomach as he said it. "Not as much as I should, maybe, but something."

"Have a nutrient bar," Sephiroth suggested, eyes straight ahead so his friend wouldn't see the teasing glint in them. The General knew very well what Zack—and every other SOLDIER he'd ever encountered—felt about the dense snacks. Zack didn't disappoint.

"Ew, fuck, Seph…" Zack's face was scrunched up in horror, "Why don't I just grab one of those bushes and chew on it? It'll have the same texture but, maybe, it'll taste better." The familiar griping was somehow soothing to both of them.

They moved easily through the thinner growth on the exposed flank of the mountains. The wind was stronger and colder, and Sephiroth made a mental note to move closer to the bramble to use it as a wind break when they stopped for the night.

Low, stunted trees grew in protective clumps. The group avoided them as likely homes for predators. Once they came across a pair of huge raptors, sitting on the tallest tree. The pair looked at them hungrily, necks stretching, beaks clacking. Sephiroth was able to make them back away by growling, glaring, and spreading his wings out to their full extension. The display caused Zack to nearly fall over laughing. Tseng was just glad for the short rest stop.

It was only a couple rolling hills later that they met up with the rest of their party. Vincent was seated on the ground, one leg pulled up so that he could rest a gauntleted hand over it. He was watching Cloud and Yazoo practice their hand-to-hand fighting. Although, really, it was Yazoo teaching Cloud some moves and then correcting him when the soldier got them wrong. Cloud still had that air of being settled and surrounded in his own bubble of contentment. Yazoo was getting there; at least he no longer looked like he would run away if someone said 'boo' to him. It was obvious to Sephiroth that running like a deer through the woods had been good for the pair. A 'bonding experience' Zack would call it. He could've been jealous but he decided that anything that would keep him from having to kill his cloned brother was a good thing. Besides, the smile the Corporal gave him when their eyes met was all the reassurance he needed.

"Any difficulties?" he asked.

"None," Vincent answered.

"Then I'd like to continue. We should be able to cover another thirty to forty kilometres today." Cloud took his place beside the Silver General while Yazoo fell in beside Tifa and described, in detail, the race through the scrub and how Vincent won easily and Cloud had come in second—but only because he, Yazoo, had misjudged the width of a thicket so had jumped into it rather than over it. The silver-haired youth was sure to keep her between him and Tseng, something the dark-eyed Turk was perfectly aware of.

"I am hardly likely to eat him," Tseng muttered under his breath.

He had forgotten that Vincent, once again trailing along beside him—more to keep Tifa in sight than to protect the Wutaian—had his own enhancements. "I think he's more afraid that you'll send him back to a lab."

Tseng lifted his chin, embarrassed at having been heard but not going to admit it, "Neither am I going to send him back to Hojo."

"I don't think it has to be Hojo's lab," Vincent returned. "I'm sure he would equally dislike any laboratory you might send him to." The gunman turned crimson eyes on the Turk, "I think the same could be said for all of us."

Tseng chuckled, seemingly unfazed. "First Fair threatens me and now you. You seem to think I'm a danger to you all."

"Of course," Vincent confirmed, "You're a Turk." Whatever Tseng might have said in response to the odd compliment was lost as shouts erupted from further ahead. Commander Fair's distinctive war cry was heard and the two gunmen rushed forward to discover that the others had wandered into a Trickplay nesting ground and were under attack.

Normally Trickplays were quite timid but this was the time of the year when the tunnels were filled with newly born kits. All of the adults' protective instincts were in full, aggressive swing. Since the tunnels were communal and could house hundreds of families, there were a lot of animals popping up around the group. On their own or even in groups of three or four, they wouldn't do much damage. In these amounts, it was a different story.

Zack and Cloud both had their huge swords out, using them to block the stones and the magic being thrown at the members of their group. Of course, that left them vulnerable to other forms of attack, like the mountains that suddenly erupted under their feet, inviting a twisted ankle or a broken leg. Tifa was trying to run in between casts to hit the creatures and take them out that way, but too fast. By the time she ran up to one, it had usually dropped down into its hole. Yazoo was shooting, and hitting. His calm precision reminded Vincent of his own gun work: shoot, shoot, shoot, reload; repeat. It was kind of eerie. However, even his uncanny aim was hardly making a dent in the mass of attackers.

"What is it with this fucking continent and getting fucking jumped by fucking mobs?" Zack shouted in disgust as he took a step forward to swing at one of the Trickplays only to have it drop under the ground, dig itself under his feet and explode in a shower of toxic fumes that made his eyes water and his lungs burn. "And how the fucking shit do these guys move their fucking tunnels?"

"They are creatures of the earth, Zack," Sephiroth answered. He ordered them to use their materia to clear a path to the north. After all, they didn't need to kill the creatures, just get away from the nesting area.

Zack coughed once and again, bending over with the force of it. The Trickplays took advantage of his distraction and threw some rocks at him. None of them were large, but they would hurt if they hit. They didn't.

"Nice dodge, bat-boy," Cloud said as he hit more stones away from his friends while jumping over another eruption.

Tifa asked, "Can I use Quake, and collapse their tunnels?"

"Unfortunately, no," the silver-haired SOLDIER responded, "They absorb earth magic."

"That's what I figured," the fighter said with a determined sigh. "Right, I'm on Esuna duty," and she cast the cleansing magic on the dark-haired SOLDIER. His wing hands waved a thank you at her.

"What about flying out?" Tseng asked, casting barrier to give them somewhat better protection against the flying rocks.

"Not a good idea," Zack said just before casting a thin wave of ice out in front of them. "They really didn't like Cloud or Seph's wings."

"Probably thought we were birds of prey, looking for dinner," the blond theorized as he threw out a sputtering line of fire.

"That's when all their friends showed up," the SOLDIER finished.

The team was bunched up in a loose circle, making their slow way out of the nesting grounds. Small walls of flame ran over the ground, followed by ice and then by wind as the team cast their attack materia in sequence and it was working. Nobody was getting hurt; not them and not the Trickplays. Until Yazoo's Bolt misfired.

To be fair they all knew his control was shaky and, for the first couple of casts, they'd all watched carefully in case of an accident, but nothing had happened. In fact, the young clone seemed to be a natural at it. That's why none of them were expecting the lightning to hit the way it did; especially not who it hit.

Vincent's mouth opened in a silent scream as blue light crackled over and through him. This was a full blast of electricity at a nearly Mastered level, not the wimpy stuff the boy had been throwing at the Trickplays. Yazoo whispered, "I'm so sorry," but Vincent no longer cared. Thin black smoke was gathering around him.

"Aw shitfuck," Zack swore. "C'mon Vinny, hold it together man," he pleaded even as he stepped up his own materia use. They began to move a little faster.

The smoke grew denser, swallowing the blue sparks still jumping over the gunman's body and then he flashed. A ball of purplish-light expanded, contracted, and disappeared. Where Vincent had been, now stood the huge, purple beastie from the helicopter crash. The thing looked like a bulked up Guardfang on two legs. It also looked pissed. It roared loud enough to cause landslides on the distant mountains. The sound made a small flock of birds break from the trees in a panicked dash for safety. It certainly worked to scare most the Trickplays back into their holes. Then Vincent's beast started chucking incandescent balls of lava-like stuff at anything that moved and that got rid of the rest of the small mammals.

Unfortunately, Vincent didn't discriminate with the lava-ball hucking. He threw the fiery molten goo at his teammates too. At least, he threw it at everyone but Tifa so, while the rest of the team was busy hopping and ducking, and backing away, Tifa moved in closer. She was dwarfed by the size of it-him-whatever, in fact, she barely reached the ribcage yet the fighter placed a small hand on the beast's spiked arm.

"Galian," she said firmly, "It's okay. None of these people want to harm you." The beast turned its massive face towards her. "It's okay, you're safe." She repeated and the creature-that-had-been-Vincent let the lava balls disperse and lowered its taloned hands.

Zack, looking at the size of the teeth in those jaws leaned over to Cloud and whispered, "Your ex-girlfriend is fucking crazy, you know that?"

"Dr. Imeera said it was the water," Cloud whispered back. Zack stared at him but the Corporal had on his best NCO-bland face.

"Nibelheim water makes you crazy?" Zack said doubtfully.

"It explains why I like you." Cloud dodged the First's half-hearted swipe.

Crazy or not, Zack noticed that Tifa's voice calmed Galian enough so he, it… whatever, followed along peacefully enough. It was hard to ignore the drooling, grunting and growling but it helped when Yazoo, staring wide-eyed and with his gun half-drawn, said in a shocked voice, "Are you seriously allowing that thing to come with us?" He turned his pretty blue kitty-eyes to Zack and Cloud.

"We're letting you come," Cloud said softly. "You're dangerous and you've tried to kill everyone." He wasn't accusing but merely stating a fact.

Yazoo's eyes narrowed but it was in thought not in hurt. He knew Cloud hadn't said it to be mean. "Aren't you afraid?"

"Nah. He's good," Zack replied, assuming a nonchalant pose, "As long as we don't try to kiss Tifa." Galian hissed at him and raised a glowing hand that Tifa pushed back down.

Cloud snorted, "At least he keeps the rodents away." The Corporal had been watching the ground looking for the tell-tale humps that would reveal Trickplay burrows. The only ones he could see were distant enough to be ignored. Little heads poked out suspiciously, watching them, guarding their tunnels, but coming no closer.

Once out of the nesting grounds and relatively safe, Sephiroth announced that they would be practicing with their materia after supper, rather than hand-to-hand combat, so as to avoid any more unfortunate accidents.

Zack smiled at the silver-haired clone who lifted his chin in offended pride, looking all the world like an offended kitten. Still, the SOLDIER didn't want to make the kid feel bad. To distract him, Zack worked on training his eyebrows to lift independently of each other by holding one down with his fingers. He looked silly enough that the clone snickered at him and even Sephiroth's eyes glinted in amusement.

It was even better when Cloud had them trying to curl his tongue, something the blond had always been able to do. When Tifa displayed the same ability Zack commented dryly, "Is that something else you got from the water?" But the play was enough to calm them all down and allow them to back away from whatever fears and mistrusts the Trickplay encounter had raised in them. Sephiroth exchanged a long look with his SiC and knew that it was exactly what the SOLDIER had planned. Zack was always trying to keep their reactions to each other balanced; it was too bad he couldn't see the lack of understanding in himself.

The General knew he would have to do something about it and soon. They were too near the end to risk his friend's blind prejudice getting them killed.