Warnings: Zack speaks, therefore he swears. Other than that, not much

Chapter 48 : An End has its Start

Bob agreed to lend them some of his chocobos. Despite the initial impression he'd given him, the chocobo mage wasn't completely oblivious to what was happening outside of his valley. He just didn't care much. They left him and his birds alone and that was good enough for him. But, when the General told him that their eventual goal was to break up the world and travel the stars on its remains, Bob had to believe him. He picked out some blue ones that could cross the inlets that nearly divided the northern continent. However, he wouldn't give them the birds until he satisfied himself that they would be properly taken care of so they all spent most of the day day—one viciously brutal day—learning how to saddle, ride, groom, feed and generally baby the big creatures.

To no one's surprise, Sephiroth proved to be the most competent, and it wasn't because he was comfortable around the creatures. It was just that the General expected them to obey him the same way he expected everyone else to, so they did. He got the bull chocobo of course since every herd, even a small one filled with humans, had to have one. Its name was simply 'Boss' and Zack snickered at the serendipity of it.

When it was Zack's turn to be assessed, he grinned and bounced over. He'd been trained on chocobos—all SOLDIERs were—and he was confident that he'd remember the skill. It turned out that he was decent with them. He rode well enough but he lacked Sephiroth's discipline. The female Bob matched him up with soon learned that her rider was a marshmallow when presented with large, sad eyes and Zack would give her treats or petting whenever she used them. It didn't take her long to have the First thoroughly trained. The sight of the big swordsman melting at her soft, sad warks made Cloud happy and he made sure to take lots of photos to use as blackmail material later. It nearly balanced the idiot he'd made of himself on the ice.

Tifa, Tseng and Yazoo were okay on the birds. They rode like the beginners they were. The nicest thing Bob said about them was that they wouldn't kill their mounts or themselves. It was obvious to everyone which the old man considered the most important.

Cloud turned out to be the best rider in the whole group. He had an intuitive sense of balance and control that made even Bob whistle in appreciation. It also encouraged the old man to give the blond soldier a faster, more responsive bird. Sephiroth, looking at the smug pair, warned the Corporal about not out-running the rest of them once they were away from the cave. Cloud's face fell but he nodded acceptance of the order.

It was Vincent who gave Bob the most trouble. The ex-Turk was knowledgeable and experienced enough that he would normally have paired the gunman up with a bird like the one he'd assigned to the mountain boy. He would have... except that Sephiroth's bull chocobo didn't trust him. The animal never stopped watching Vincent and the look in its eye was beyond suspicious. It knew there was something strange about the biped and it didn't want Vincent anywhere near his harem. Since the bull set the tone for the herd, none of Bob's better hens wanted anything to do with Vincent and he couldn't put another male in the herd—that would be beyond disastrous.

It became a challenge to the old man, to see if he could find that one bird that could shrug off both Vincent's otherness and Boss's distrust. The old guy muttered names in between supervising them as they mucked out the stables or mended tack—things that would hardly come up as they crossed the frozen north. Zack whispered to Cloud, and Cloud agreed, that the old man was having them do the chores because he didn't want to and, after taking a particularly pungent pile out to the compost heap, neither of them could blame the guy. Finally, Bob stopped, said "Durn it. I shoulda thought of her earlier," and ran out of the barn saying he'd be back in a couple hours.

It was the perfect chance to take a break. They put down the tools they wouldn't have on the rest of the trip and therefore didn't need to know how to use, and split off into smaller groups. Vincent and Tifa wandered off into the skimpy bushes. They didn't snuggle but their closeness was apparent. When Yazoo made as if to follow, Zack put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him, "They probably want some new couple time, Sprite. You'd only feel uncomfortable."

Yazoo looked at the SOLDIER in puzzlement. "What do you mean?"

Zack blinked. "You don't see it?" The teenager shook his head. How could anybody not see it, Zack wondered. Baffled, he ran his hand through his hair. How was he going to explain body language to the innocent-but-not lab experiment he had no frigging clue. Especially as that could open up questions about his own relationships that he wasn't quite ready to answer.

He was saved from embarrassing social awkwardness by Sephiroth's arrival. "Forgive me for interrupting but I must speak to Yazoo," he said.

Zack was more than happy to hand over the teenager to his CO. He'd go find Cloud and they could spar for a bit which was a much better way to spend the afternoon than explaining hormonal drives or shovelling shit. He turned away with a bounce in his step until he saw Tseng and was reminded of a conversation left unfinished. Then he thought maybe they didn't need to have that conversation anymore. After all, he'd jumped into the ice to save the guy and Tseng had tried to save him right back. Surely that counted as a heart-to-heart?

He sighed knowing that, on a mission, saving each other's lives didn't count for anything. It was just part of the job.

"Hey, Tseng," he called out, "Wait up."

The Turk stopped and turned around. He was looking a little more ragged than he usually did. His suit was slightly rumpled and there were spots where dirt and other things had changed the colour. He'd lost his hair tie someplace and the dark strands hung straight down to just past his shoulders. It didn't make him appear any more approachable though. It only made him look like a bad-ass who'd been fighting... and won. He looked at Zack with dark, unreadable eyes and waited for the SOLDIER to speak.

"I just wanted to say thanks," Zack said as he stepped up beside the shorter man. Tseng's eyebrows went up in question. "For not letting go, back in the water. You could've; Shiva was pulling on me pretty hard and it would've made your rescue a lot easier."

"You also saved me by finding that air pocket for me to breathe in, so the honours are even," the Wutaian responded in his standard level tones.

Zack scratched his head. Tseng's response kinda let him off the hook but not really. In fact, the more he thought about it, the worse it became because now he didn't know how to go on. He couldn't joke with the Turk because, as far as he knew, Tseng didn't have a sense of humour, and he didn't do serious with people he didn't consider really close. If it were Cloud or Aerith, or even Seph, he could do the heart-to-heart but not Tseng. And he kind of wanted to not get emotional with the Turk because he had the feeling that would put him at a disadvantage.

Shit, he sucked at this kind of stuff. "Umm," he began uselessly.

Taking pity on him, Tseng restarted the conversation. "I meant to tell you earlier how much I regretted never having received the order to rescue you or Corporal Strife."

"Uh," was all Zack could think to say: it almost sounded like an apology but he wasn't sure.

When Tseng started walking back to Bob's cave, Zack followed along. "If it's any consolation, although I can't think why it would be, it was my report on your incarceration that led Veld to begin serious investigation into Hojo's activities."

"Why?"

"Because he'd lied about the events in Nibelheim," Tseng answered. "He's the one who told the President that you had been killed. Yet, when I was visited the lab, you were obviously alive and hooked up to equipment that had never appeared on any official requisition."

"He was embezzling," Zack concluded.

"Exactly," the Turk confirmed. "President Shin-Ra might not have minded Hojo appropriating the occasional SOLDIER but he would certainly have drawn the line at stealing his money."

"Amoral bastard." If he sounded bitter, Zack figured he'd earned the right.

Tseng grunted non-committedly. Even now, loyalty to the old regime kept him from voicing his personal opinion. However, he could offer one small thing; "I find Rufus Shin-Ra learned much of what not to do by observing his father. He certainly had ample opportunities."

Zack choked, "Why Tseng... that's nearly condemning."

Dark eyes briefly swivelled his way. "Hardly."

They walked a little further in silence. Zack knew he could leave it there but it still didn't feel right. "Hey Tseng," he said and waited until he had the Turk's attention. "I'm sorry I was such a dick to you before. I was angry at the situation and the company and, and everything. I took it out on you, because you were here and Shin-Ra and Hojo and the rest, weren't. So, sorry," he repeated.

Tseng looked at him. "No apologies are necessary," he finally answered. "Considering the circumstances, I thought you behaved with remarkable restraint." Zack couldn't be certain—the lights in Bob's place sucked—but he was pretty sure there was a twinkle in the Wutaian's eyes that could, maybe, be called teasing... almost.

"Okay, so that means we're good." The simple statement was certainly safer than asking if the Turk was laughing at him. He valued his life too much now that he had it back.

"Yes, Commander. We're 'good'." And, damnit! That was a smile flirting around Tseng's face. The bastard was laughing at him.

Should he call him on it, Zack wondered, scrubbing hands through his thick hair. He decided not to do anything. He'd never been able to get the best of the Turk in verbal sparring, and he'd been in practice then and familiar with Tseng's tactics. Sometimes, the SOLDIER thought, you just have to know when to retreat.

"Okay then, I'll, uh, leave you to organize the supplies in here… or whatever." Zack backed up and out of the cave. It was a good thing he didn't look back or else he would've seen the controlled, but full and very satisfied, smile settle on the Turks lips. Some of Tseng's skills had gotten rusty over the past few years; it was nice to be able to practice them again.

In another area of the yard, Yazoo looked up at his intimidating brother-father-clone with wide eyes. There was so much about the older man that reminded him of Kadaj but there was more that didn't. Kadaj had never had the General's discipline or icy control. Or his quiet affection, which seemed like a disloyal thought even as Yazoo knew it was true. Kadaj had been selfish, noisily demanding all their attention and devotion no matter what the situation. Sephiroth didn't demand it but he got it just the same.

Unconcerned by the comparisons running through the young man's head, the General placed his gloved hands on the rough timber fence. It was rickety and rotting, and he thought the chocobos remained on the other side out of politeness rather than anything else.

Promises were like that, Sephiroth mused.

"Back in the underground city, I stated that you would not have to come with us to the crater if you did not wish to do so. Now it's time to make your decision." As usual, his speech was blunt and went directly to the point. "If you still wish to avoid Hojo's base then we will leave you here. I'm sure Bob wouldn't mind having you. Or you could head to Junon if this is too close. I'd recommend finding Commander Fair's flower girl as she is the most accepting person I've met. Or you can come with us. The choice is yours."

"You're letting me choose?" Yazoo's eyes, mirror to the General's own, widened even more in surprise.

"I promised. Did you expect me to... welch?" Sephiroth looked down at the younger man who shook his head silently. The silver-haired warrior smiled slightly. Yazoo had trusted him and, considering his background, that meant a great deal. "Very well then," he continued, "have you made a decision?"

"Can you win without me?" the teenage fighter asked. He'd thought about it but every option was scary.

"It is impossible to know if your presence, or the lack of it, will be the pivot on which the success of the mission rests. I am not an oracle," Sephiroth said in his calm baritone, so like that of his young clone-brother. "However, you are a skilled warrior and familiar with the facility. You have received a god's blessing. None of these factors are lightly dismissed."

Yazoo waited for the General to say something more, something coercive or cutting, like Hojo or Kadaj would've said but he remained silent looking out over the multi-coloured birds scattered in bunches around the pen. Yazoo opened his mouth to ask another question, then rethought and closed it. Then he opened it again. "They've dug the crater into a maze, you know."

"Commander Fair assures me he can navigate it—one of the side-effects of Hojo's experiments—however, if you are trying to ask if I would like you to come, then the answer is yes, of course I would." Sephiroth said without looking at him. "You are one of us, a member of our team as surely as Cloud or Ms. Lockhart."

Yazoo looked away, beyond the birds and the stunted forest to the mountains. Just barely, in the distance, he could see the top of the Northern Crater. Its height and distinctive flat top made it easy to pick out. Sephiroth didn't rush him. When one of the chocobos wandered over to them, the General ran his gloved hand through the feathers as if they had all eternity to wait for Yazoo's answer.

"I'd like to come," the young clone finally said. His voice was quiet but firm.

"Then you shall," Sephiroth said as simply. And he let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

Bob came back slightly after dinner. He looked somewhat damaged but triumphant. "C'mon there, fella, I think I've found the bird fur ya."

Of course they all piled out of the cave, not just Vincent. There, standing in the open, was a large black hen. Boss was looking at her, trying to nudge closer to her and claim her, Zack supposed, but the black just stared at him with this look that said the male was an idiot. The blue male drooped at being ignored.

Cloud leaned close, "Does she remind you of that receptionist in the tower? The one who sneered at everyone while waiting to catch a rich lover." Zack took another look at the bird and decided Cloud was right.

"This here is Esmeralda. She doesn't scare easy and doesn't like to be bossed by anyone." The large black stretched her head out to Bob in a delicate, but absolute, demand to be scratched. "If she doesn't mind yuh, Boss'll have to accept it since she's a black."

"They have a ranking based on colour?" Cloud asked. He hadn't really been paying attention during supper yesterday and may have missed that piece of information.

"Ah-yup," Bob replied. "Only thing higher than a black is a gold, 'nd I've never seen one."

Cloud nodded and shut up. The last thing he wanted to do was to start another chocobo breeding tutorial. Luckily Vincent chose that moment to step forward. He had his arms down, looking as non-threatening as a tall, skeletal, former Turk and lab experiment could. The black looked at him then turned back to Bob who continued to scratch her head gently. It was a firm dismissal of the gunman's threat.

Vincent raised his bare right hand, smoothly, steadily. He presented it briefly to the bird; she barely flicked a sniff at it. He stretched out his fingers and rubbed along her eye socket. She looked at him a moment before graciously allowing him to continue the caress. She even closed her eyelid to better enjoy it.

"That's it," Bob announced, "She'll take yuh as rider now. Just don't ever furget that she's doin' yuh a favour." Everyone watching knew that's exactly what the black would think, too.

"She reminds me of Scarlett," Zack commented to a chorus of agreement from those who'd met the notorious director. Vincent didn't know who that was. It was irrelevant anyway. He knew who Esmeralda reminded him of, had recognized the attitude as soon as the female had stared at him and dismissed him. His mother had looked at him the same way.

*Well,* Chaos piped in, *Unlike your mother, if the bird gets too uppity we can let Galian eat it.* For once, Vincent didn't mind being in agreement with his demon.

The next morning went smoothly. They were packed, loaded and on their way within an hour of rising. Zack thought everyone must've felt like he did: like it was time to have this done—done so they could move on to the next part of their lives.

Sephiroth rode in front, a show of dominance that the male bird required and that the General was comfortable with. Tseng and Yazoo came next but he would hardly describe them as 'riding together'. They didn't speak and barely glanced at each other. Still, as the day passed, Yazoo lost that I-expect-him-to-shoot-me-any-moment air and stopped jumping whenever the Turk got too close. Cloud followed behind them and in front of Tifa and Vincent. Now there was an odd pair, Zack mused, the nearly silent and practically immortal ex-Turk with the bouncy, vibrant and friendly ex-terrorist and small town princess. They were cute together though and Zack wasn't inclined to pour water on anyone's romance. The world contained little enough happiness for most people; it only made sense to grab whatever one could. Speaking of grabbing happiness…

The SOLDIER's eyes examined his blond friend and lover, looking for any signs of discomfort. They'd been pretty fierce last night—and the night before if he wanted to be honest—and he was sure Cloud had lied when he said he felt okay, but the soldier was moving smoothly on his chocobo, sliding it back and forth between the two odd couples that bracketed him, sharing little bits of time with each of them.

As if he could sense Zack's eyes on him—which, with their shared Jenova cells, wasn't impossible—Cloud turned around to look at the dark-haired SOLDIER. It was barely more than a quirk of the lips, and the pink tone on the mountain boy's cheeks could've been from wind burn, but Zack knew better. The dark-haired warrior smiled back and silently gave thanks for existence of Cure materia.

It hadn't been a bad way to start a dangerous mission.

They spent three days crossing the northern tundra, moving beyond the stunted tree-bushes that had surrounded the chocobo mage's place. Even the clumpy grasses gave way to icy nothingness. If it hadn't been for the mountains on their left, their world would've been flat, shiny emptiness.

Only Tseng had brought sunglasses so Bob had given them shades made of carved bone with narrow slits to see through. None of them had asked where Bob had gotten the bone from, just like they hadn't asked about the meat hanging in the larder. None of them wanted to find out they'd been eating Bob's protégés—it seemed almost like cannibalism. However, none of them could deny that the odd devices worked, which was good considering the sun stayed up for most of the day now. Even at night, between the moon and Meteor, it barely got dark.

It was certainly too bright and barren for any of them to sneak off for some private time together. Too cold too, Zack mused, lying on his back between Tifa and Tseng and acting like a heating pad for the two unaltered humans. The chocobos were placed like a wind break around them and they had feathered pads to keep them off the frozen ground, but it was still damn cold. Even Valentine's cheeks were pink at the end of the day and he'd started snuggling up behind Yazoo. The poor guy had yelped as if afraid he was being eaten. He'd actually sounded like a kid rather than a battle-hardened warrior. It had been a good sound though, normal and human and young.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" came a deep voice out of the dimness.

"I was just thinking that you're cute when you're frightened, Sprite." Yazoo sputtered and Zack smiled and prepared to tease the clone some more.

"Go to sleep, Commander, Yazoo," Sephiroth's smooth voice. "We will reach the base of the Crater tomorrow and, even with enhancements, the climb will be difficult."

"It's too bright," Zack said in response. "I feel like I'm back in my cell at the lab."

"I know what you mean," Cloud's soft tones floated over to him. "They never turned the light off."

"Always watching," Yazoo agreed.

"It's to make you disorientated," Vincent commented, "You loose track of time and that keeps you off balance and vulnerable."

"It's a valuable interrogation technique," Tseng added.

The former Turk had to agree, "Cheap, safe and effective."

"Creepy," Cloud came back with, "especially when you know they're watching." Yazoo hummed his agreement.

"When I get back, I'm buying the thickest, darkest curtains I can find to hang in the bedroom," Zack said.

"I want my own bathroom," Yazoo mused, "with four real walls, not three walls and a fake mirror."

"A vacation someplace with no mako, no labs… not even a pharmacy," Zack shot back.

"I just want to get back alive," Cloud said softly, "I'll worry about all the rest of it then."

"I'll agree with that." It was Tifa finally joining the conversation.

"Our chances of surviving are likely to be improved by actually sleeping," the General suggested firmly. The others—mostly Zack and Yazoo—grumbled a bit, but they settled and soon their breathing sounded in soft counterpoint to the noise of the birds. Cat-green eyes looked over comatose bodies to where spiky blond hair shone in the moonlight. His future, his life… if only they survived to reach it. Then Sephiroth closed his eyes and followed his own advice.

They reached the base of the mountain by mid-morning of the next day and they all stood for a moment trying to see the top. It wasn't a sheer cliff but it was steep and whatever path existed was going to be narrow and treacherous. Strong winds blew snow and ice around the crater making the day dim and blurred. The sharp particles scraped at their skin making exposed surfaces raw. Tseng and Tifa were bundled to the eyebrows but still huddled into their coats and mitts. Even the mako-enhanced warriors had donned protective clothing because fighting the environment took too much of their reserves. Only Vincent looked unaffected by the weather. He didn't look happy but, as Zack pointed out, he never did so that wasn't an indication of anything. The ex-Turk hadn't responded to Zack's teasing, just stood, like a statue, with his bright red cape moving around him like a living thing.

They dismounted and removed their equipment and supplies from the chocobos, tying up the reins and the stirrups as they'd been instructed. Bob had been very clear that the blues couldn't take them up the mountain. He'd also been very clear on what he'd do to them if he found out they'd tried. It had been an empty threat but heartfelt so they fed the birds the last of the grain and, with a pat or two, let them free to run back to the ranch. Vincent's black gave the slope a wistful look but eventually followed the others, catching up easily.

"This is it," Zack said looking up, "Team Forlorn Hope is about to storm the breach."

"The situation isn't that dire, Commander," Sephiroth said repressively.

Zack grimaced, "Yeah well... I'll be happy if Shiva keeps her fucking hands to herself this time." He rubbed the fire materia the General had insisted he wear. It was active but at a very low level. The SOLDIER could feel the warmth creeping through his arm and, quite frankly, it was freaking annoying. He understood the concern behind his CO's order though and kept his complaints to himself.

Tifa and Cloud came back from scoping out the base and announced they'd found a track the group could probably climb. "Couldn't we fly?" Yazoo asked wistfully. For some reason the clone was the most sensitive to the cold of all the enhanced fighters; some change in the mix Hojo had used to create him.

Sephiroth also looked up the steep path. "The winds are too strong. We wouldn't be able to maintain control and would likely be tossed into the side of the mountain."

"Plus, we'd leak heat from our wings like nobody's business," Zack added. He'd popped his little wings out yesterday as an experiment. It hadn't gone well, hence the fire materia.

Yazoo didn't sigh as he shouldered his pack. Tifa gave his arm a reassuring pat. He gave her a mournful smile in return. Tseng raised his eyebrows at the by-play. Yazoo had looked harmless. More than harmless, he'd looked helpless which Tseng knew was the last thing the clone was. The ability to downplay one's own strength was a useful tool when one was a Turk and Tseng had to respect that in the boy even as he doubted his veracity.

As the only one with any experience climbing snow-covered mountains, Cloud took the lead. He didn't tell them that he could smell the animals that had used the trail. Zack would just bark at him again.

The scents were faint, possibly from before DGS had taken over the crater, but the traces were still there. If goats could climb it then so could they. It was muscle-breaking work though. Between the intense cold trying to burrow into them, the wind trying to pluck them off the mountain and steal their breath, and the constant struggle to stretch and grip and climb, it didn't take long for the party to be gasping. Cloud called a halt at the first flat spot to let them recover. He didn't let them sit—they would've frozen to the rock—but even stamping their feet or doing squats was an improvement. Five minutes, then it was back on the path.

"And I thought you were a slave driver," Zack muttered to the General.

"I heard that," Cloud called back.

Only Zack had the energy to talk. It was a light-hearted rambling complaint that covered the weather, the mountain, the food, the past, the future and his patron god. He never touched on their mission or Hojo and the others realized it was because those thoughts he couldn't keep light. Mention the former head of the Science Department and the big First's hands would squeeze rock into powder. Since his commentary gave them all something to think about other than how cold they were, they were careful not to bring up the creepy professor.

They'd been climbing for a couple hours before they stopped for food. Sephiroth used Fira to heat up their drinking water. There wasn't anything in it aside from sugar but the hot, sweet drink helped them combat the cold.

Still, the constant drain was starting to tell on the unenhanced members of their party. Tifa, especially, was starting to look beyond weary. She was the shortest member of their group and had had to work the hardest to reach the hand holds. Vincent hovered close to her, saying nothing but making his concern obvious. Zack could practically feel the gunman vibrating with the need to offer help to the fighter. Vincent knew his woman though and kept his mouth firmly shut. Tifa rewarded him by wrapping him around her at the breaks and letting herself rest against his strength.

"We'll need to make camp soon," Sephiroth said. "We have to let our bodies adjust to the altitude."

"Plus the temperatures will start to fall," Cloud added.

Zack looked at him, "It's going to get colder?"

"Sun goes behind the peak and the wind picks up, so yeah," the mountain boy responded.

"Perhaps there's a cave," Tseng suggested, dark eyes searching the cliffs.

This time Yazoo answered, "There's lots of caves and tunnels in the crater," he said hopefully, "A lot of them are connected to the main areas too. If we find one with a tunnel we could do the rest of the trip inside."

"I haven't seen any that we can get to." Cloud was also searching the side of the mountain. "Trust me, I've been looking."

"We'll continue for another hour," the General said, "If we haven't found a way in we'll have to find a more sheltered spot and set up the tent."

Zack sighed; he wasn't enjoying this any more than anyone else in the group. "Let's mosey then." As Cloud started up the track, picking his way carefully over loose stones, he heard Yazoo ask the dark-haired First why he said that and what exactly did 'mosey' mean? The blond had to smile. It was the same question he'd asked the jungle-bred swordsman when he'd first heard him use the word so many years ago.

It didn't take long for the Corporal to realize that Sephiroth's one hour timeline had been optimistic. Even with the enhancements and the mako and the conditioning it took less than a quarter hour hard climbing to make him tremble. "Shit," he muttered. He had to pause, clinging to the rock face and let his muscles recover. It didn't take long but still... If he felt this weak then what were Tifa and Tseng feeling like?

"Cloud?" Sephiroth's voice was anxious.

"We need to find a place to stop soon, Sir," the soldier answered.

The General's answer was drowned by a short cry. It was Tifa, calling out in surprise. Her voice was quickly followed by Vincent's gruff tones which started angry then turned into a roar. Cloud risked looking down only to have to pull himself tight to the side of the mountain as Vincent's Galian Beast sped past him in a blur. It had Tifa safely cradled in one arm even as it leap-frogged up the mountain path. The creature was uncaring about any of the others desperately holding onto the icy surfaces.

"Holy fucking shit," Zack's voice sounded in faint prayer. He was clinging to the rocks, face tucked in while he waited for his heart-rate to slow.

"Maybe he knows where we can find a cave," Sephiroth said hopefully, as if he hadn't nearly been run over by two hundred kilos of purple monster. Cloud, grateful he hadn't squeaked in surprise or made any other embarrassing sound, agreed faintly. He released the stone he was gripping and started moving to follow where Vincent's creature had led.

It was a cave.

Galian had already dismembered the former inhabitant—they couldn't identify exactly what kind of animal it had been—that called the cavern home so the team didn't have to fight anything. Not that they could've as they were all suffering from the cold and the altitude, and adrenaline crash.

"Nice work, Vince," Zack said to the returned-to-human gunman as he surveyed the bloody remains. "It would've been nice if you'd've left some bits big enough to cook for supper though."

The ex-Turk barely looked at him from where he sat, exhausted, on the floor. "It's Vincent."

"Whatever," Cloud interrupted, "How are we going to clean this up so we can sleep in here?"

They wound up kicking the larger bits out of the cave and over the side of the cliff. They tossed over the tainted snow as well, hoping that it would keep scavengers away from their small refuge. Sephiroth used his Firaga to melt the ice lining the walls and the ceiling with the idea that the water would rinse off the floor. There was a lot of ice so it didn't take long for a disgusting stream to run out the entrance and down the trail they'd just climbed up.

"So much for getting rid of the bloody snow," Tifa said with a sigh, watching the water run down the steep path, soaking in and colouring every surface pink.

"Hopefully the chunks at the bottom are more attractive," replied Yazoo, who was standing beside her. Even as he spoke, ravens were descending on the crimson meat scattered over the cliff-face. A couple flew back up, fighting over a large, juicy bit of intestine.

"That is the most disgusting thing I've seen," she said, hand over mouth, "and I've seen a lot of nasty things."

Yazoo was peering over the edge, watching the scavengers fight over the choice bits. "Vincent melting Kadaj was worse," he responded sadly. Tifa conceded the point.

Even though the melting ice hadn't been very efficient in terms of cleaning out the blood, the heat made the cave nice and cozy. They hung a blanket over the opening to keep the warmth in. The cloth soaked the cave in twilight and they instantly realized just how tired they were. It didn't take the weary group long to eat and settle in for sleep and, this time, they all slept quickly and easily.

The next day was more of the same. Climb for a while, warm up for a while, then more climbing. They checked every cave they came across or could easily access to see if it linked to the maze DGS had built inside the crater walls. Time after time they were disappointed. At least warming up in a cave was easier than warming up on a flat spot outside. Sephiroth would pick a rock and heat it until it glowed and they'd huddle around it trying to reclaim their lost body temperature.

"I still think I should've gotten Ifrit," Zack muttered. So far he'd been just as susceptible to the cold as any other SOLDIER First would've been. Being Shiva's chosen hadn't proved to have any great benefits at all and the swordsman was feeling kind of gypped.

"Then you shouldn't have been so eager to grab the first item out of the box like a curious puppy," was Sephiroth's unimpressed rejoinder.

"Hey!" the First protested.

"Woof, woof," Cloud grinned. Zack swatted him on the back of the head in punishment.

"Wow," Tifa said, watching the by-play. "I think I'm really glad to be involved with someone who's more mature."

Zack snorted and was slapped on the head by Cloud. He rubbed it—Cloud really needed to learn his new strength—but decided to redirect the conversation. "So, Vince–"

"It's Vincent." The response had become automatic.

"Yeah, whatever," Zack shrugged it off, "You said you had four other... others, inside you. We've seen Chaos, Galian and Hellmasker. Who's the fourth?" Vincent blinked at him and stayed quiet. Zack barrelled on, "We should know in case he shows up because, if he's anything like Hellmasker, we need to get into another room ASAP."

The gunman sighed. Unfortunately, the annoying First had a point: the team should know what they might face. "He's called Death Gigas."

"Death Gigas," Tifa said carefully without inflection. So carefully that Vincent knew her tone hid a world of meaning.

"That's a weird name, even for a lab-made creature," the silver-haired clone said. He obviously had never received tact lessons.

"It is no worse than Yazoo, or Cloud." Vincent responded. Zack snorted. "Gigas is large and strong, very strong. He is also slow and..." He searched for the words to describe this, his final aspect. *Stupid* Chaos supplied. "Stupid," The demon's description was accurate. "He is very stupid."

"Great," Zack mocked lightly, "How stupid?"

"If he needed to go to another room, he would bash down the wall rather than take two steps sideways to the door." Cloud started to laugh but quickly changed it into a cough. "If he appears, and you are in front of him, he will attack you. He will attack anything that's in front of him."

"Will he turn to attack others?" Sephiroth asked.

"Only if they attack him."

"Not very useful then," the General hummed.

Vincent shook his head once in agreement, "No. He's why they decided to up the intelligence factor in Hellmasker."

Zack's eyebrows went up but he didn't say anything. He knew Hellmasker was a painful topic for the ex-Turk and, quite frankly, he could feel for the guy. Fucking scientists. You'd think they'd learn to stop fucking around with things they knew nothing about and then foisting the result off on some poor bastard who didn't deserve it.

They spent the night in the cave, huddled around each other even though Sephiroth had heated the stone they were sleeping on. Tomorrow, if they didn't find passage from a cave, they'd reach the top of the mountain. They could make their way down to the bottom from that opening. Either way, it could be the last time they'd be together. Words didn't need to be said, they all knew.

So they piled under the blankets, even Tseng and Vincent, and listened to each others' breathing and felt each others' warmth. And if they prayed to the god that had adopted them, they did it in the quiet of their own minds.