Part 2 Chapter 4

"Boo!"

Vincent glanced over his shoulder at the man who had managed to almost sneak up behind him. He gave a wry smirk, eliciting a startled look from the SOLDIER, "You failed again, Kightblade. I heard you open the door."

"Drat." Zack pouted, crossing his arms over his uniformed chest. "Why can't ya just let me think that I managed it? I'd be perfectly happy for the next week or so." the SOLDIER paused, before adding, "and just call me Zack, okay? 'Fair' makes me feel like my dad. So what're you doing here?"

"You need to earn it, Fair." Vincent's shoulders rose and fell in a dismissive gesture, "Aeris has her garden here, you?"

Zack glanced toward the front of the church and easily spotted the pink-clad girl. She was kneeling in a patch of flowers that grew out of a hole in the wooden floor, "Just visitin' old memories, I guess. I used to come here before I joined SOLDIER. I haven't been back in years and I just finished my mission in Sector Four so I have extra time…Well…not really extra time…but I'm sure Seph can handle my squad for a bit longer."

"Seph?" The name rung a warning bell in Vincent's head but he couldn't remember where he'd heard the name before.

"Sephiroth," At Vincent's blank look Zack gaped at him, "You've never heard of Sephiroth? Where've you been for the past twenty years, on the moon?"

"Nibelheim," He leveled the black haired man an uninterested stare, "Should I know him?"

"No wonder…Nibelheim is in the middle of nowhere. But even they get news of General Sephiroth." Still no reaction, "He's the leader of ShinRa's Elite SOLDIER unit and almost single-handedly responsible for winning the Wutai war. He's also my superior officer and part time friend."

"Oh…Why would he agree to watch your squad?"

Zack chuckled, leaning against the back of the pew Vincent was seated in, "He didn't have much choice in the matter. As his friend, I have lots of blackmail ShinRa would kill to get their hands on. Of course, I wouldn't actually tell them…but he doesn't realize that. On the other hand, he could just be humoring me…either way works. I just hope he doesn't train them too hard; I actually like a few of my students. Especially one of them, but he just annoys me so much at times. Keeps callin' me sir, I keep thinking Seph is standing right behind me or something…Unfortunately he's also the most skilled in the squad…"

Vincent couldn't help the subtle smirk that Zack's words brought to life. He had to admit; the other man did draw the silence away. Normally he wouldn't even consider letting a ShinRa employee near his charge, but Zack was like an open book to the ex-Turk. This was not the first time Vincent had run into the SOLDIER beyond their first meeting and he knew it wouldn't be the last. He didn't really mind the SOLDIER's mindless chatter anyway, it was a handy distraction and Zack didn't expect the taciturn ex-Turk to join in like Aeris did. In a way, the jovial teenager reminded him of Cloud.

Zack's stories about his squad's misadventures over the past few months chased away the loneliness that Vincent usually felt when shadowing the flower girl. Not that Aeris was trying to ignore him or anything, but a shadow is supposed to follow and watch unseen. That was why Vincent had chosen a seat in the back of the church instead of in the front near Aeris. Zack's stories helped fill up the time, and yet at the same time did not distract him from his charge. However, despite the SOLDIER's seemingly open attitude, he never gave anything about himself away in his stories. Zack's past was as much of a mystery to the gunner as Vincent's was to Zack. Surprisingly they both liked it better that way. Of course, that didn't stop Zack from trying to pry.

It had become a game between the two men, to try to see who could get more information out of the other. Neither of them had a real clear lead, Vincent had years of training under his belt and Zack was just plain stubborn, but the challenge kept them entertained. Zack had been in the middle of regaling Vincent with yet another tale of when Aeris finally noticed his presence, "Zack! What are you doing here?"

She scrambled from her feet, brushing the dirt from her dress. The black haired SOLDIER paused in mid sentence, he had forgotten that Aeris was there. There were times when he would focus almost intently on the flower girl, and there were others when he completely forgot about her, "Err…nothing much Ms. Gainsborough, just keepin' Vincent company."

Something flashed in the flower girl's eyes but was soon replaced by that same sweet smile, "I'm glad. I've been trying to get him to lighten up since I met him."

"I am right here." Vincent reminded them both, somewhat annoyed that they were talking about him. Zack had the decency to look sheepish, but Aeris just smiled that knowing smile, clapping her hands together, "I know! When do you have to be back at the barracks?"

"Um…" Zack scratched his head uncertainly, "Technically, now…but my mission briefing said I had until eight to report. Why?"

"Why don't you join us for supper then? I don't think my Mother would mind. Do you, Vincent?"

The gunner shook his head. Zack's face lit up at Vincent's acceptance. It was one thing for Aeris to say it; she seemed to be trusting by nature. However, he knew enough about the black-clothed man to guess that he did not trust easily. The fact that Vincent was even letting Zack near his charge, knowing that he worked with Shin-Ra, was a miracle in itself. His grin was practically blinding, "I'd love to!"

Of course, as fate would have it, his PHS chose that very moment to ring harshly. He sighed and glowered at it, pulling the device out to check the number that flashed across the screen. He deflated, throwing Aeris and Vincent a disheartened look, "I need to take it, it's the infirmary."

He flipped the device open and pressed it against his ear, giving an irritated greeting to whoever was on the other end, "This is Lieutenant Fair."

Pause.

"The General called? What'd he say?"

Silence.

"What!?" He yelled—no, it was more like a shriek—at the person on the other end of the connection, "I'll be right there." He flicked the phone closed and stuffed it in his pocket, "Can I take a rain check on that invitation? One of my students is holed up in the infirmary, something about a bad reaction to the medicine."

Aeris gently touched his arm, "It's okay, and the invitation is always open. Just drop by the house any time."

Vincent's eyes closed as he nodded in agreement with the flower girl, "Another time then."

-

"I told you not to give him that." The first thing that Zack heard upon reaching the infirmary was Sephiroth's icy cold voice. He nudged open the door, peeking in carefully to assess the situation. There stood Sephiroth in all his glory, full six foot one height towering over a person whom Zack assumed was a doctor. Zack shivered at the frozen look in Sephiroth's eyes, he wondered what had happened to get his friend so angry. The doctor had only told him the bare minimum, that Strife had been admitted to the infirmary, so he didn't know the exact details. The doctor shook under Sephiroth's anger, trying vainly to explain himself, "W-we didn't know about Cadet Strife's condition! Lieutenant Fair's squad wasn't due for a medical exam until tomorrow!"

"What's wrong with Cloud?" Zack demanded, pushing the door open fully and announcing his presence. If there was anything wrong with his cadets someone would pay…The doctor jumped at the chance to get away from the general and quickly scurried toward the lieutenant, "T-the G-general brought in the boy with a severe case of Malboro poisoning-"

"How'd he get near a Malboro?" Zack rounded on the General, "I agreed to let you take them into the Standard training grounds, not everyone is all powerful like you!" Sephiroth's eyes flashed, but Zack could clearly see that his words had hurt him, "I did take them to Standard." Sephiroth said coldly. The doctor shivered, the temperature seemed to have dropped ten degrees, "I split them into two teams, and trusted Strife, Orion, and Howell to stay by the gate. I returned to find them missing. Apparently, they wandered into the SOLDIER grounds. I managed to get there before the Malboro killed any of them, but Strife was badly poisoned."

"That doesn't explain why he's still in the infirmary. The medical staff always keeps anti-toxins on hand."

Sephiroth half-turned his head to look away, "You are aware that your student has natural Mako in his blood correct?"

Zack nodded, "Yeah, what about it?"

Sephiroth tilted his head toward the cowering doctor, "They gave him a normal anti-toxin."

Sephiroth swept out of the room as Zack's yells filled up the infirmary. It was not as if he didn't care about the boy—of course, he was concerned the cadet had been his responsibility. He just didn't feel comfortable in the same room as his lieutenant at the moment. Zack's comment on Sephiroth's strength had hurt. The General knew he had a problem understanding the limits of un-enhanced humans, but that didn't mean Zack had to rub it in his face like that. He knew that Zack was just worried about Strife; the SOLDIER always became a little irrational when it came to the safety of someone under his responsibility. Nevertheless, it did not make it hurt any less.

"Sir…?"

Sephiroth pulled himself out of his melancholy thoughts and glanced at the black-haired cadet that sat patiently in one of the plastic chairs outside the infirmary, "What is it, Grant?"

"A-are…" He paused, as if trying to gather up his courage, "Are you alright sir?"

Sephiroth half-turned toward the nervous scout, a perfectly sculpted eyebrow arching as he settled back into his indifferent persona, "Yes…why?"

"When I used sense earlier…" Grant paused uncertainly, obviously unnerved by the General's blank stare, "I sensed a…large amount of mako in you…enough that there should be fatal side effects—how is that possible?"

Sephiroth shifted uncomfortably at the line of questioning, but at the same time, he was impressed with both the kid's observation skills and his bravery in actually confronting him about it. At long length he let out a resigned sigh, "I'm the General, Grant, I'm supposed to be able to do the impossible."

"But even human beings have limits…" Grant whispered to himself, but he didn't press the General anymore. Sephiroth was grateful, the boy was far too smart for his own good, and he had touched too close to the truth for his peace of mind. His enhanced hearing caught the whispered words and he shook his head ruefully, therein lays the root of my problem.

--

"Ungh…" Zack's head snapped up and he moved his chair closer to the hospital bed. As soon as he had finished harassing the doctor for his stupidity, he had all but demanded to be led to where his blonde student rested. Luckily, it was far enough away that he hadn't been woken by noise and commotion caused between Zack and Sephiroth.

The black-haired SOLDIER studied the form that lay on the bed, noticing the faint green glow that had danced around his wound had faded. That was a good sign; it meant that all of the poison had finished being removed from his system. Zack quickly settled himself at the edge of the bed, "Hey spike…are you okay?"

"Zack…?" The boy's voice was faint as glowing blue eyes opened, "What happened? I feel like I've been hit by a truck…"

"You must be out of it." Zack chuckled humorlessly, "You're calling me by name…" His expression grew serious, a rare mood for Zachary Fair, "What do you remember?"

The cadet pushed himself into an upright position, putting his hands to his head, "Not much…Gwydion was getting restless after the General left…All of a sudden he announced that he was going to look for the general and left. Kyros and I didn't want to leave him alone so we followed. We finally convinced Gwydion to turn back when both he and Kyros were knocked out by a blow to the head. I couldn't just leave them there so I stayed and fought…I can't remember anything else."

"Seph found you," Zack said quietly, making a mental note to talk to Howell about following orders, "He also killed the monster. He brought you back here and since you were poisoned the doctor administered the anti-toxin—the standard kind that reacts violently with mako." He paused, giving the blonde a thoughtful look, "Maybe we should tell them about your condition. Just in case something like this happens again. The doctor who gave you the anti-toxin knows already."

"NO!" The protest tore from Cloud's throat with such force that it made Zack reel back in surprise, "They can't know! It would be bad…very bad. Please Zack—" The blonde was practically begging him now, "Don't tell them! Don't let them know I'm different!"

The SOLDIER First was torn, but at length he conceded to the cadet's insistence, "Fine…but you had better start working on leveling up your own Heal and Restore Materia. If this happens again…I won't hesitate to inform them."

"Thank you…" He leaned back down on the bed, nodding off soon after. Zack just put his head in his hands, moving off the bed and back into his chair, "I'm a pushover aren't I?"

"Yes."

Zack didn't even have to look to know who it was, "Thanks for trying to make me feel better."

The silver-haired general merely shook his head at the sarcastic remark, closing the door and leaning back against it. "What do you want, Seph?" Zack sighed into his palms, "I'm not really in the mood for your brand of teasing right now."

"I can tell." Sephiroth's cat-like eyes moved to the blonde on the bed, "I wanted to make sure he was alright."

"Why do you care?" Zack asked bitterly, although he regretted them the instant they left his mouth. He just wasn't in an apologizing mood. Sephiroth understood this, but it still hurt to have that tone directed at him by his best friend, especially after their earlier argument. He stiffened involuntarily before replying in an empty monotone, "Strife was under my command when all this happened, and of course I feel responsible."

Zack winced; he hadn't meant to make Sephiroth clam up again. It was a defense mechanism of sorts. The General always became...somewhat detached when hurt. If he didn't do something quickly, it would take him days to get the silver-haired man to open up again, "Look…Seph…"

He could feel the General's eyes on him and he continued, "I-I'm sorry…I'm just angry at the world right now. I'm angry at Howell for running off, angry at the Doctor for not listening to you, angry at you for not keeping them in sight, angry at Cloud for wanting to hide, and mostly angry at myself for not being there."

There was a moment of strained silence before Sephiroth moved away from the wall, wrapping his arms loosely around Zack's shoulders in an awkward hug, "I know…pretty bad day, no?"

"Mmhmm…" Zack nodded, leaning back into the General's stiff embrace. He knew what Sephiroth was trying to do, he was trying to comfort him in his own way, "The only good thing was that I ran into Vincent and Aeris today…"

"Vincent…" Sephiroth repeated, trying to place the name, "Right…he's the gunner you became obsessed with about a month back…"

"I'm not obsessed." Zack scowled softly, it darkened when he saw a familiar gleam in Sephiroth's cat-like eyes, and "I'm not."

"Oh…?" One silvery eyebrow rose in question, "I'd say you were. After all, you did go so far as to root through Shin Ra's records—an unsuccessful search I may add—in an attempt to find out more about him."

"I'm not obsessed." Zack pouted quietly to himself. Sephiroth just shook his head in exasperation, his silver hair dancing with the movement, "Sure…"

The SOLDIER First class growled at the general, "Just because I have friends outside of Shinra does not mean I'm obsessed." The comment didn't get a rise out of the general, so the only things that Zack had to nurse his wounded pride was the fact that Cloud was going to be alright, and that Aeris hadn't retracted the invitation.

A/N: about half as long as usual, but that is because I had cut the chappie in half n.n; I couldn't think of much else to add.

I luff the Vinny and Zacky friendship. It's so much fun, and if Zacky can get through Sephy, he can get through Vinny right? I find it so interesting to write cause I've yet to see it elsewhere (I haven't really looked, but meh) and it's impossible, canon-wise.

Next chappie will have Vinny-Aeris interaction, Vinny-Zack, and possibly Cloudy-Seph. Possibly, I dunno. If people want the Cloudy-Seph interaction part (possibly even pull in a few of the other cadets) tell me. It's not pre-written like the rest is, but I feel that I've been neglecting those two charries...not on purpose...but Zack and Vinny are fun to write for reasons already explained...

But yeah, review and tell meh your opinions! I like them very much. Very much...