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Part 1 Chapter 3

Mid January - Year 3

Midgar

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Zachary Fair, a newly promoted SOLDIER Second Class, hated office work. He would much rather be out in the field killing monsters, fighting rebels, or even just doing plain old ordinary guard duty. Unfortunately, due to his dubious position as the "General's Aide", it was very unlikely that he would be called away on an assignment more than four times a month, perhaps less if the general had a mission of his own. If Sephiroth were called out on a mission then it would leave Zack with all the paperwork. Nothing ever got done on those days since Sephiroth was the only one that actually made good time with the humongous load. Whatever wasn't done spilled over into the next day's work, which slowed the entire office down for a few days until it was all caught up. It goes without saying that the general had been getting increasingly irritated by his subordinate's lack of progress and had repeatedly requested a replacement—if he had to have an Aide, they should actually do some of the work. Heidegger hadn't quite laughed at the request, but he had enjoyed declining it immensely.

Zack himself wouldn't have minded being transferred back to the active units—it would mean more missions. Nevertheless, he did not really have much to complain about with his posting, he was paid more than the average recently promoted 2nd Class and given quarters in the First Class Barracks (which were much larger than the Second/Third Barracks plus you got the entire quarters to yourself! No roommates!). Sometimes he was frustrated by Sephiroth's quiet nature, but he had long since taken it upon himself to crack the general's icy shell.

Between the two of them, they eventually settled into some semblance of a working partnership. Zack would file stuff that needed to be filed while Sephiroth did the rest. The general didn't really mind doing most of the work, because he'd been doing it before Heidegger got it into his head to assign him an Aide. Moreover, filing kept Zack quiet.

Over time, Zack began to notice a weekly anomaly in the General's usual dawn-till-dusk routine. Every Wednesday he left the office early, leaving Zack to deal with whatever work was left at that point. The Second Class didn't think too much of it, he figured that Sephiroth used the time for extra training or something. He didn't have any reason to think otherwise, until now.

Zack sighed in relief as he finished the final papers, leaning back in Sephiroth's chair and stretching his arms. His gaze passed over the clock on the wall, an action that caused him to snap back and take another check, "Wha? Ten o'clock already?"

He shook his head at the amount of work Seph had left him with, usually he was gone long before now. He rose from the chair, leaning over and straightening up the papers on the desk. There was no reason to leave them messy; it would just get Sephiroth mad at him. While Zack enjoyed the fact that he was the only one who could actually get a reaction out of the cold man, he didn't enjoy being on the receiving end of his anger.

It only took a few minutes before Zack was out of the room, locking the door behind him as he took off down the hall of the Administration building. He smiled and waved at a few of the night owls, getting one or two greetings back in return. One such person stopped him in his trek for a few minutes, "Hey Zack, why are you working so late?"

"It's Seph's off day I guess, he left me a load of work to do." Zack ignored the startled look he got from the other worker. No one ever called the general anything but "General", "Sephiroth", or the occasional "sir". Of course, Zack wasn't just anyone. Even Sephiroth had given up on trying to correct him and grudgingly accepted the nickname. It could've been so much worse, and it would've been, knowing Zack's limitless imagination and knack for annoying him.

"I saw the general just a little while ago, he didn't look very good."

"Really?" Zack tilted his head curiously, "Where?"

"He was getting off of the lift from ShinRa HQ. I think he was headed back to the dorms."

"Thanks, I'll ask him about it tomorrow." He yawned, belatedly covering his mouth with a gloved hand, "'m too tired to go looking for him right now."

After saying goodbye to the night worker Zack continued through the halls of the administrative department, exiting the building and heading into the night-shrouded compound.

--

It would be a while before Sephiroth awoke, and the first thing that he noticed was that he was not in his own apartment. He couldn't quite pinpoint what first brought him to that conclusion, it could've been a slight smell in the air, not necessarily unpleasant but different from the constant sterilized odor his own rooms held. It could've been the furniture he was laying on; the texture and feel completely alien from what he was used to. But the thing that really tipped him off was the sound of someone else's breathing.

His eyes snapped open, and he found himself looking up at an off-white ceiling. Sephiroth propped himself up on his elbows, the blanket that had been covering him slipping off his shoulders and pooling down around his waist.

"You're up…" He wasn't too surprised to hear Zack's voice, turning his head to see the cobalt eyed SOLDIER coming out of another room and sitting down in a small armchair. The general frowned, the action nothing more than a tightening of his lips. "How did I get here?"

"That's what I'd like ta know. I found ya unconscious outside in the hall. I knew I couldn't carry ya upstairs to your own room so I just brought ya in here." The younger man raked his fingers through his hair uneasily. "What happened?"

Sephiroth stiffened, and turned his gaze away from the Second Class. "It's none of your business."

Zack pursed his lips angrily; couldn't the idiot see that he was worried about him? He'd never seen the General the way he had been last night, all of his guards dropped and so completely vulnerable. Frankly, it had—and still did—give him a good scare. Sephiroth had looked like death warmed over, the silver-white strands of his hair only serving to sharpen the unhealthy pallor of his skin. For a moment, Zack had even entertained the thought that he was dead, but quickly discarded it when he noticed the soft but shallow breaths that had been moving the general's chest. He hadn't been expecting a full explanation, but he had been hoping for something. "Does it have anything to do with your leaving early every Wednesday?"

The general ignored him, rising from the couch and heading for the door. He paused in the entryway, glancing somewhat impassively over his shoulder. "Do not worry, Fair, I'll be well enough to do my duties tomorrow."

"I don't care about the damned paperwork!" Zack slammed his fist against the wall, the force of the impact and the noise most likely waking up whoever dwelled in the apartment beside him. Cobalt eyes hardened, "I'm worried about you, idiot. It had to have really been something to take you down."

Sephiroth shrugged, "I'll be fine after a few hours; I always am."

Zack sighed, accepting what he could get from the stoic man. He knew that pushing any further would just make him angry, "Fine, you win. I won't ask ya' anymore. But, if it ever happens again, my door's open for you."

Sephiroth nodded after a moment of hesitation. He was about the leave when his subordinate stood up and strode over, "One more thing, and call me Zack okay?"

"Alright…Zack"

Despite the somewhat odd circumstances, Zack felt his chest warm at the use of his first name. He watched the general leave, most likely heading up to his own rooms to get ready for another day of work. Sephiroth hadn't declined his offer, which meant he had some hope of getting through to the person beneath all of the General's ice. The thought made up for the tiring, worry filled night.

-Nibelheim-

It was strange, not being in the mountains. He'd gotten so used to their desolate peaks and empty passes that the wide openness of the plains made him feel skittish, vulnerable. He didn't like the sensation; he didn't like it at all. He wondered, and not for the first time, why the Head had deemed it necessary to assign him to another patrol. Howard had told him something about an abnormal amount of Nibel Wolves in the plains to the southeast, but the only monsters they had encountered were easily handled by the original patrol.

Overall, he considered the entire thing a waste of his time. The chatter of the hunting party ahead of him had been grating on his nerves all afternoon, and he couldn't wait until they were back in the village. One person he could handle, even two were fine, but the five men in the patrol he'd been assigned to were just too much. He grit his teeth, focusing on the soft grinding sound to try to tune out his companions. He made a resolution that he wouldn't ever leave the Northern Patrol again, even if Howard had insisted on assigning another person to it. Fear of the mountains had escalated after Meire's death, and the Head had tried to appease the village folk by upping the number of people in the parties.

Vincent sighed in relief as the group entered the town limits; he wouldn't have to put up with them much longer. They just had to report to Howard and then he'd be free for the rest of the day.

"Valentine!" He was surprised to see Malachie coming toward him, the man had pretty much avoided him since Cale's death the year before. He didn't like the worried look on the other man's face and dropped back away from the main group. "What is it?"

"Cloud and Tifa are up in the mountains!"

Vincent stiffened, "Why hasn't anyone gone to get them?" Tifa Lockheart was the mayor's daughter and lived next door to the Strifes. He didn't know her very well, but Cloud talked about her sometimes. She was often seen around town with her friends, a group of three other children from the surrounding houses. They especially liked to hang out around Zangan's Dojo, and Cloud had once told him that Tifa studied under the martial arts master. Nevertheless, no matter how skilled the girl was, she was too young and inexperienced to survive in the monster-infested mountains for long; the same was true for Cloud.

"We just found out a few moments ago, her other friends came back and told us that she was planning to go past Mt. Nibel and that Cloud had followed her. Howard sent me to get you, because you know the mountains better than any of us." Almost every patrol he went on was into the mountains; as a result, Vincent knew the hills and caves like the back of his hand.

Vincent grit his teeth, why hadn't the people taking his patrol stopped the girl before she even left the town? Children were not allowed out of the village limits without a parent or other adult. He decided not to wait around for Malachie to explain anymore, he knew where they were headed—Mt. Nibel—and he knew a few shortcuts that would get him there a lot faster than the main trail. He could only hope he could overtake them before they got too far into Dragon territory; while no dragon had been spotted since the Blue, the upper peaks were infested with them.

--

"Tifa stop! It's dangerous out here!" Cloud desperately tried to get the girl to turn back, but she wouldn't listen. She staggered as the rotten bridge swayed in the wind, her hands clinging onto the rope support for dear life. Even then, she did not turn back, only giving the boy a tear filled glare.

"Leave me alone Cloud. Momma's on the other side of the mountains; I have to go find Momma!"

The boy shouted out a rapid denial, stamping his foot against the rocky ground to emphasize his point, "Do you want to die, Lockheart? 'Cause that will be the only thing you'll do if you cross that bridge. Its suicide and you know it!" Cloud stood by the beginning of the rope bridge, in between the two wooden posts that were the hanging bridge's only support. Tifa was already over halfway out, her forward progress halted by the haphazard movement of the walkway.

A sudden gust of wind howled through the rocky ravine, knocking the hysterical girl to her knees as the wood beneath her rocked even harder. She couldn't help the tears welling up in her brown eyes, traveling down her face to join the dried stains that she had formed when news of her mother's death had come to her. Her knuckles were turning white from holding onto the ropes so hard, fearing that if her grip slackened she would be thrown off into the seemingly bottomless chasm. She didn't want to die; she had to see Momma again.

"Tifa!" Cloud cried out, darting onto the dancing planks with little to no concern for his own safety. He had to get Tifa out of here; the bridge would collapse if much more strain was put on the ropes. Unfortunately, he didn't factor in the added weight of one thirteen year old boy. He had barely gone two steps when he felt the wood behind him give, and he just barely heard the sound of the ropes snapping over the roar of the wind through the narrow crevice that made up the ravine, "Tifa!"

He was thrown back as the bridge fell out from beneath him, landing roughly on the stone edge of the crevice. He teetered on the brink, mind half-numbed with shock, only to be saved by someone's grip on his shirt; lifting him up as the unmistakable hum of magic filled the air. Cloud didn't look to see who had caught him; his eyes were riveted on the figure of the unconscious girl floating gently toward him, buoyed in what appeared to be a tiny whirlwind. The swirling cloud deposited her gently onto the ground before fading away, taking the low thrumming with it.

"She'll be fine."

Cloud didn't react to the soft-spoken reassurance, making no move as he continued to stare at Tifa's prone form, watching the shallow rise and fall of her chest. The wind in the valley began to howl again, tossing about lose strands of her brown hair as the magic's influence died; giving nature free reign once more. The grip on his shirt loosened, and his slack muscles gave him a one-way ticket to the hard surface of the mountainside as soon as the person supporting him let go.

"I knew it would happen…" His voice was hollow, echoing with the surety of his words. He couldn't bring himself to believe that she had been saved from her own stupidity, and that he wouldn't wake up to find himself a permanent addition to the landscape. There was a shift of cloth behind him, before his rescuer reached down to help him up again, all without saying a word.

--

"Why were you two up there?"

It had been the first thing they had spoken since they had returned to the village, dropping off the fainted, but perfectly safe, Tifa Lockheart at her home with her hysterical father. Cloud didn't acknowledge the speaker, continuing to stab and thrust violently at opponents only he could see. The wooden sword, the original long since scrapped and replaced, wove and danced through the air, calming the boy with the focus required in such an action.

"Cloud?"

He paused in mid-swing, tearing his gaze away from his imaginary target to look at Vincent. The cloaked man had refused to leave the boy alone once they'd returned Tifa to her home, and Cloud hadn't really cared about the company. He just wanted to sort out the jumble of thoughts in his head; what better way to do so than mindless practicing? Vincent didn't like to talk much anyway, so Cloud had been able to ignore his presence up until the present.

The brief respite didn't last long, the wooden weapon continuing along its path and moving into the motions of one of the few katas that Cloud had managed to pick up watching Zangan's weapons classes. Vincent sighed and shook his head, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. Cloud had been acting strange since his last vague words at Mt. Nibel. "I knew it would happen" What had he known would happen, the bridge collapsing?

"…I tried to stop her…"

Cloud hadn't ceased his movements. If anything, the attacks were coming even harder and faster as he let loose all the frustration that had been roiling inside him.

"I knew what she would try to do. I thought that maybe, since I knew, I could stop her from getting hurt. But nothing's changed!"

He spun around, the next strike hitting a tree trunk with a loud, furious, thud. Then another, and another, the bark coming off in flakes and fluttering to the forest floor.

"If you hadn't come, she would've been severely hurt, or worse! I couldn't have done anything but take the blame for the entire thing…What good is knowing if you can't do a darn thing about it?!"

"Cloud…"

The boy just proceeded, his wooden weapon beginning to splinter and crack as he continued to pound against the trunk, the words seeming to pour out in one huge rush now that the dam had been breeched, "If I can't even change such a small event, then how can I be sure that it won't happen? What if burning the Library wasn't enough? What if there were copies floating around somewhere? I wouldn't be able to do anything if he got a hold of those; if I stay here, I wouldn't even know until it was far too late."

Vincent kept his comments to himself, completely left in the dust by Cloud's monologue. The boy did seem to be talking more to himself then to Vincent, which would be a good thing considering he had no idea what the blond-haired boy was talking about. He understood the reference to the day of his Awakening, but he never did find out what Cloud had been hoping to accomplish with the action. He hadn't asked, the slightest mention of that place sent Cloud into a brooding silence, but he had still tried to puzzle out the answer on his own.

Crack.

The sword splintered, the blade snapping in half as it made contact with the trunk, the loud sound followed by Cloud's cry of pain as he dropped the ruined sword to the ground. Vincent was at his side within the next few seconds, taking the child's hand into his and inspecting the damage. The wrist was starting to swell, and he could see a few painful looking splinters embedded in the pale flesh, "It looks like you sprained it…"

Vincent tore a strip of cloth from his cloak, using it as a makeshift bandage and wrapping it tightly around the area, but not tight enough to cut off the circulation. He'd have to wait until they got back home to put it on ice, but at least the makeshift bandage would prevent Cloud from moving it too much or jarring it accidentally, "Your grip was too tight, and you were putting too much pressure on the sword. If you are going to keep this up, you should join the classes."

Cloud wasn't listening; instead, he looked up at Vincent with a new resolve in his eyes. He cradled his hand to his chest before making his declaration. The sharpshooter faltered mid-step, he'd just started back to the village when Cloud spoke, "…come again?"

"I'm gonna join SOLDIER." Cloud looked off into the distance; the afternoon sun would be nearing the mountain peaks soon, deepening the light grey-ish purple to black, "As soon as I turn fourteen I'm going."

"…why?"

Cloud didn't look back at him, instead the boy started walking, heading back down the path that led directly to the village gates. When he answered, Vincent had almost missed it, only his years of training allowing him to catch and decipher the softly spoken sounds.

"What is the point of knowing, if you do nothing?"

What was Cloud talking about? Vincent couldn't answer.

A/N: Sorry, a Naruto roleplay guild took over my life. I forgot all about my fanfics . Yes there are some references to the sidestory in here, it is supposed to take place in between this chapter and the last. I'll get it up eventually, as a separate story. You'd get to find out more about Malachie and Meire, fun ne?

Anywho, next chapter Cloud heads off to Midgar. Fun, right?