Chapter Six

AN -

Angeal carefully picked his way over the numerous boulders that were scattered over this section of road. Some were small, nothing more than a minor inconvenience that could be dodged, but others stretched across the whole road and required them to scramble up and over. To their left there was almost a sheer drop, where the old road had climbed into the lower reaches of the mountains. To the other side a large scree slope stretched up away from them, the likely cause of the boulder field they now had to get through. Unfortunately, it meant that there was no alternative to just pushing their way through it.

Barret dropped down heavily behind him with a thud. "I ain't designed to do this." He grumbled, glaring up ahead of them and wiped his brow. The sun was beating down on them now and even Angeal could feel the sweat beginning to bead on his forehead, prickling against his skin and sticking to his hair. Jumping to the top of the next boulder, he scanned the path ahead only to see that it was more of the same. Sephiroth was just ahead of them, swinging up onto yet another large rock. Red was much farther down the path, his four paws and natural agility making easy work of the uneven surface.

A string of muffled curses had him turning back around to see Barret hopping, glaring at an offending rock that he had evidently just kicked. Light footsteps alerted him to Sephiroth returning.

"Our progress is slow." Sephiroth stated. "We must increase our pace or we will not meet with the other group at the designated time."

Barret glowered. "We're goin' as fast as we can, SOLDIER boy. Ain't all of us got them enhancements."

"I'm sure we will get faster," Angeal reassured Sephiroth. "If I remember correctly, once we drop down out of these hills the route flattens out again. Besides, even if we are late I suspect the worst that will happen is that they have to camp out by the mines for a day or two longer. Genesis will be unbearable, but they'll be fine."

Sephiroth twitched minutely, so subtly that if Angeal hadn't known him well he might not have caught it. He then stalked off, soon catching up with Red at the head of the group.

"What's his problem?" Barret asked grumpily as he scrambled up the next rock. "He always like this or what?"

"Yes and no." Angeal paused for a moment and watched his friend. "Does he get impatient, yes. He just operates on a different level to everyone else and sometimes doesn't understand why we can't keep up. Willing to show it, even to us? That's not normal. Cloud's story must have significantly affected him."

Sephiroth's figure in the distance half turned towards him and Angeal smiled apologetically, realising he was likely to have heard every word. Sephiroth leapt down from the boulder he was standing on, momentarily disappearing from view.

"Touchy, ain't he?"

Angeal decided that the best response was probably silence. They continued on, the quiet atmosphere punctuated by Barret's continued complaints, muttered under his breath but audible to all his companions.

As darkness fell, they decided to rest up for the night. Despite the slow going they had covered enough ground that they didn't need to push too hard to make it to the mine entrance on time. Given the hazardous nature of the boulder field even in daylight, continuing to traverse it at night was asking for trouble. In addition, the occasional noises they'd heard during the day were suddenly much closer as dusk made the predators bolder. Luckily, none had yet dared to approach – probably realising that there was a greater danger than themselves lurking amongst the travellers.

Sephiroth kept hold of his sword as he surveyed the small clearing they decided to camp in. It wasn't much, but a small stream passing close by gave them a water source and the area was mostly free from boulders. Most importantly, the slope above looked stable and unlikely to come down on them in the night. The rocks that did lie on the ground were bedded in, suggesting they had been there a long time.

Angeal lit the fire with a quick blast from a borrowed materia, while Barret pulled a couple of rocks over to sit on.

"I will take first watch." Sephiroth stated abruptly. Angeal paused and looked over from where he was looking through the supplies they brought.

"Do we need a watch? What will harm us out here?"

"Shinra could easily come across us." Sephiroth replied. "We are in the open. I will also scout to ensure we are not disturbed by monsters." As if on cue, a distant howl was brought on the wind.

Angeal shrugged, he still didn't think it was necessary but if it kept Sephiroth happy… "Wake me after a couple of hours, I'll take second watch."

"Best count me in too." Barret said. Red simply flicked his ear and stretched his front legs out in front of him. Sephiroth departed with a swirl of his black coat. Angeal huffed at his dramatics. Sometimes he was as bad as Genesis.

"I am going to hunt." Red announced, standing tall. "If I find anything of a decent size I will bring it back."

"I don't remember there being much to find out here." Angeal told him, thinking about the times he had taken this road in the past. "I think once there was some form of deer out here, but those have long since vanished. I think you'll be lucky to find anything bigger than a squirrel."

Red tilted his head in acknowledgement. "We shall see." With a few quick strides, he too was gone.

Barret snorted as he settled on one of the rocks he'd been shifting. "How long do you reckon it'll take us to get to the mine?"

Angeal thought for a moment. "Last time I did this, which was a while ago, it took just over a day to get through this mountainous section and then another two days travelling around the northern edge of the marsh. But the road is worse now, I think it will take at least two full days getting through these rocks. Then I don't know, it will depend on how bad the rest of the route is."

Barret took a bite out of an energy bar and nodded as he chewed slowly. "Anything from a couple o' days to a week, then." He crumpled up the paper and stuck it into his pocket. "I hope Tifa's ok. Aerith and the merc, too."

Angeal stuck his hand in the bag and hunted around to find his own bar to eat. "They mean a lot to you."

"Tifa, yeah. I still remember when I first met her. Quiet girl, but a fire in her eyes, ya know? Course, now I know why. Looked after my Marlene like a natural too. Real kind soul. That Aerith, she's the same. The merc…" Barret scoffed and shook his head slightly. "Well, he grows on you."

Any further conversation was cut off when Sephiroth stalked back into the camp. His expression was dark and tense. "There are no monsters nearby." He informed them, sounding disgruntled by the fact. Angeal sighed and stood up, pointing to one of the two tents they had erected.

"Go and rest, I'll take first watch." Sephiroth looked like he was going to argue but decided against it as he turned on his heel and disappeared into the tent. Barret stood and stretched out.

"I'll head in now, don't wanna miss out on my beauty sleep."

Angeal waved goodnight and Barret slipped into the second tent. A few minutes later, the camp reverberated with his snores.

A deep sigh heralded Red's return. Empty handed, not that Angeal was surprised. The way he was licking his lips suggested that he had at least managed to feed himself though.

His ears twitched irritably as he listened to the snoring, before making his way over to the far side of the fire. "I'll sleep here," he responded to Angeal's curious glance. "There is no escaping that sound, but at least I don't have to be trapped inside a tent with it."

Angeal thought personally that Red made a very good point.

The next morning, they broke camp early as the dark sky began to lighten. Sephiroth's mood didn't seem to have improved much overnight; he glowered around at them all as he waited for Barret and Angeal to be ready having packed up his own supplies in record time. When they set off he soon disappeared out the front with Red again, leaving Angeal toiling with Barret at the back of the group.

The terrain was similar to that they had covered the day before, although the further they walked the more the dusty brown land was slowly turning green. Unfortunately for Barret at least, the increased plant life also led to increased numbers of insects – most of which seemed to think he'd make a good meal.

Slapping off yet another biting bug that thought his upper arm looked delicious, Barret scowled over at Angeal. "And why ain't you gettin' bothered by these buggers?"

"It's the mako," Angeal explained with a slight smile as he trudged on. They were making better time, rounding the edge of the mountains a couple of hours ago and were now slowly working their way down towards the edge of the marsh. Occasionally they caught a glimpse of it in the distance, a lurid green that contrasted sharply with the grey of the mountains and the blue of the sky.

Barret grumbled and slapped at his arm again but kept going. Red was walking with them, flicking his tail to try to hit flies away from his flanks. "It isn't just you," he told Barret as he incinerated another bug with the flame on the end of his tail. Barret grunted in acknowledgement of shared pain.

Sephiroth was waiting on top of the next small rise, his frame still tense. Angeal jogged forwards to reach him. "We're making good time," he started, but Sephiroth merely gazed at him with those bright green eyes.

"We are not out of the mountains yet." He stated coolly, looking at their road ahead. Angeal bit back a sigh. It seemed Sephiroth was in one of those moods where he would stubbornly cling to his irritation for as long as possible, picking at it like an old wound until it festered and grew exponentially.

"Come on," Angeal started walking, knowing from long years of experience that there was no point trying to talk to him until the worst of his anger had passed. Angeal didn't know exactly what was causing it – though he could guess. The many glances that Sephiroth was directing to the east were a bit of a giveaway, even if Sephiroth would likely deny it.

As dusk began to fall they finally reached the edges of the marsh. Angeal paused whilst they were still on the high ground. "We should stop here for the night." Sephiroth's eyes flashed but Angeal held up a hand. "It will be much more comfortable than trying to rest at the edge of the marsh." As campsites went, the place Angeal had chosen wasn't bad at all. It was level, clear of debris and easy to keep watch over. There was also a small pool they had passed a few moments before, created by run off from the mountains, that would work for bathing. Angeal hadn't been there for some time but he could clearly remember the marshes being damp, muddy and full of insects.

Sephiroth frowned but finally acceded, dropping the pack he was carrying by the edge of the clearing. It was as they started to build a fire that they heard the first howl, echoing around the rocks. It was much closer than the one they had heard the previous night. Almost eagerly, Sephiroth got to his feet and readied Masamune. Angeal looked over at him.

"Going to take out your frustrations on Kalm Fangs?" The carnivores hunted in packs, possibly once a cross between a fox and a wolf before being mutated into the monsters they were now. Despite their numbers, they didn't pose much of a challenge and were unlikely to approach their camp. Angeal suspected that Sephiroth was just itching for a fight.

A glare was the only answer he received as his friend swiftly departed. Red snorted and lay down close to the fire Barret had just set ablaze. Barret sat near him, using an old log for a seat. The three of them sat in companionable silence for some time, only breaking it to murmur the occasional comment to each other.

It was late when Sephiroth came back into camp, covered in mud and blood. He was holding his sword loosely by his side, but still radiated tension.

Angeal looked him over closely. "Do you feel any better?"

"I am fine." Sephiroth said dismissively.

"You know, there are other ways of-"

"I am fine." Sephiroth repeated, before stalking away towards the pond to clean up.

Angeal sighed and slumped down onto the rock he was using as a seat. "For all he would like us to believe otherwise, he is as immature as Genesis when he wants to be."

Barret scoffed. "From where I'm sitting, all of you are just kids."

"I'm twenty-three." Angeal replied, an indignant edge to his tone.

"And when I was your age you were barely into double digits." They fell silent, gazing past the campfire into the darkness beyond. Eventually Barret heaved a sigh. "O' course, you ain't been a kid for a long time, have you? None of you have. That's what Shinra's done to you, taken your childhood and stopped you being kids."

Angeal didn't like how that sounded. "I wanted to sign up to SOLDIER." He said defensively. "It was choice I made, I wanted to follow my dreams with honour."

"Yeah, and how old were you when you joined them?"

"Fourteen."

"Tha's what I mean." Barret faced him, the firelight reflecting in the sunglasses he was still wearing despite the late hour. "Fourteen is too young to sign yer life away." He turned back to the fire. "Tha's how they lure you in, false promises of fulfilled dreams and a better life. Then once you realise it's all bullshit, you're in too far and can't leave. They take young kids like you, like Cloud, hell even like that boy Zack, then take away yer childhood and yer freedom and for what? To toss you aside and leave you to die? Shoot you down for wanting a life outside them?" He shook his head. "It ain't right, that's all I'm sayin'."

Angeal opened his mouth to argue, but the words stuck in his throat. It wasn't like that, surely? He'd joined of his own free will and could have left at any time.

Except… Professor Hollander always took such an interest in his and Genesis's progress, calling them his 'Banora boys'. He'd thought it was such an accolade, to have made such an impression that one of the key proponents of the SOLDIER programme was personally invested in him. But now… now it felt like a leash. He wouldn't have been allowed to leave, because SOLDIER needed him. Hollander needed him, to further his own ambitions.

And that wasn't even thinking about Sephiroth, who had been born and bred to be the perfect SOLDIER – not to mention Hojo's personal triumph.

Any objections died with the thought. If President Shinra or Hojo knew that Sephiroth was out there somewhere outside of SOLDIER's control, they would have done anything to bring him back. Or, at the very least, stop him from existing outside of them. Angeal felt momentary relief at the thought that they no longer could hold any power over Sephiroth, except their successors would probably be more of the same.

Barret gave him a knowing looking before standing up to stretch. "Well, time to call it a night I reckon."

"I'll take first watch again," Angeal murmured, too much going through his mind to allow him to sleep. Barret gave him a short nod before disappearing into a tent. Red settled at the far side of the camp, tail twitching as he too shut his eyes. Soon, as was now becoming habitual, Barret's loud snores were the only noise reverberating around the mountainside.