Zack defeated the SOLDIER anti-monsters, he put his sword away, never noticing if the kid was still with him.

He called Angeal to tell him to get out of there, when he hung up. "C'mon, Kai. gotta move..."

Then that is when he noticed that she wasn't even with him, which isn't like Kairi. He looked around for her, turning his head left and right. That was when he noticed something coming from above him.

He looked up to see another anti-SOLDIER monster coming at him, he took his sword out, needing to finish it right now and look for Kairi. So he jumped in the air and took it down with one strike.

He stood close to it, keeping sure it was dead.

Then the anti-monster hit him as it got up, sending him to the wall. He fell down, groaning as he put his hand to his head. He raise the sword at it, trying to focus.

"Not good."

Then there was a sound of someone striking it down, he waited until it collapsed, wondering if it had been Kairi.

But it was Angeal. And in his hand was the buster sword. "That's one more you owe me."

"You lost your focus." he said to him as Zack shook his head.

"Uh...yeah."

Zack noticed that Angeal had the sword out, the sword that he never uses because of tear and rust thing.

"Oh, sorry if your sword has any wear, tear and rust on it."

Angeal put his sword on his back again, saying. "You're a little bit more important than my sword."

He then looked at him, put his finger and thumb closely together. "But just a little."

Angeal does a small laugh then puts his hand out to him, which Zack takes and he pulls him back onto his feet.

Then Zack remembers about Kairi. "Kai's missing, she was behind me and then the next she was gone."

Angeal's face had nothing but worry. But then there was a cry of pain coming from one of the rooms.

Zack and Angeal went into the room to find Kairi curled up into a ball, and the same man that was in training was standing over her with a whip with some kind of nail tied to it.

"I should've killed you when I had the chance, you sinful little bastard! Return to whence you came!"

Zack watched as Angeal striked the man down before he could do anymore damage and Zack saw Kairi, she was in a bad state.

In such a short time, she had bruises, cuts, her SOLDIER uniform was basically ripped and her entire body was shaking from pain and possibly fear.

Zack watched as Angeal cradled her, looking over her.

"Princess bunny."

Kairi let out a frightened whimper, a sound Zack rarely hears from her and it scared him, it made him wonder how bad the abuse had gone before Angeal had found her.

"Kairi, it's okay, it's over." Angeal said to her comfortingly. "He's dead, he isn't going to hurt you anymore. I'm so sorry."

"Daddy..."

"Hey, hey." Angeal said, grabbing onto Kairi's face. "Look at me, you can sleep and I'll carry you and when you wake up, myself and Sephiroth will be right beside you."

Kairi's whimpering slowly died down and there was nothing but small and deep breaths coming from her.

Angeal then stood up with her in his arms.

"Let's go, she needs medical attention."

They left the city and got back out into the forest.

It was dark still, but no doubt that dawn was in a few hours. The two men stopped as they heard someone running behind them and they turned to see Director Lazard.

"Oh...what happened to her?"

"Billy. He found her but he's dead."

Director Lazard nodded, relief all over his face. "Hopefully she can move on from that horrible childhood from now on."

"Doubt it, that kind of trauma never goes away." Angeal told him. "But she'll pull through. She always does."

Director Lazard nodded. "Being on site is taxing."

"You didn't have to come personally." Angeal told him.

"This operation will bring an end to the war. I wanted to see it through."

Director Lazard then turned to Zack, talking to him and praising him about the mission for ending the war with Wutai.

"Zack, do you know the difference between a 1st and 2nd?"

Zack shook his head and shrug his shoulders.

"Going above and beyond is always the exception. That's...SOLDIER first class, remember that."

Kairi whimpered in her sleep, a deep frown on her features that showed her destress.

"Hey, it's all right. We're going home." Angeal said to her gently as if talking to a sleeping baby.

"Zack, let's go. Sooner I have Kairi back in Midgar, the less I can worry. Sephiroth is waiting."

They turned around and Angeal and Lazard started to walk away, heading to where the helicopter was waiting for them all.

"Sephiroth? The Hero?!" Zack asked excitedly. "Yay, I get to meet a hero!"

But then someone was behind him and he took out his sword to see guys in masks.

Zack defeated the new guys, but then Angeal called out to him. "Zack, come on."

He ran to catch up with them to see more of them, then another two appeared from the trees.

"Zack, take the director to safety and come back for us." Angeal told him. Zack looked at him to see him lying Kairi on the ground.

"Contact Sephiroth."

"Zack can handle it."

Zack took the director to safety and then ran back to Angeal to find him missing, Kairi was still on the floor unconscious.

He finally got a good look at the new guys that attacked them. "What? These guys aren't Wutai troops."

But then he saw a ball floating in the air, when it shined bright a Ifrit came out.

"A summon? Who called it out?"

Zack fought it, despite the fact it wasn't that strong but it was tough to beat at the same time. But once the fight was over, the ifrit got back up and sent a fireball at him.

But then when he looked up he saw Sephiroth protecting him and Kairi and ended the summon in one strike.

"Holy..."

Sephiroth turned around to Kairi, knelt down beside her and placed a hand on her forehead. "What's happened to little Kai?"

"Her abuser hurt badly. I don't know what the damage is, though but I can tell it's pretty bad. Angeal killed him before he ended up killing her."

Sephiroth shook his head, he placed a hand on her head and one of the materia glowed in his hand, cure going into her.

"That should do it for now until she has medical help."

Sephiroth then went to the new enemy, removing the masks from their faces. Zack looked at them in shock.

"Genesis..."

"The missing SOLDIER first class?" Zack asked in shock.

Sephiroth then removed the other mask from the other one to show they are identical.

"They're identical." Zack said.

"A Genesis copy."

"A human copy?"

Sephiroth then turned around to him with a slight glare. "Where is Angeal? He wouldn't have left our daughter out here alone wounded and unconscious."

"I thought he was fighting around here somewhere." Zack said as he looked around slightly.

"humph. So he's gone, too. Little Kai is going to be upset."

Zack turned around just in time to see him picking up Kairi into his arms, her head resting against his chest.

"What? Wait, what does that mean?" he asked the first class.

"It means Angeal has betrayed us as well."

"No way!" Zack argued with him. "I know what kind of guy Angeal is! He wouldn't betray us, leave her. Angeal wouldn't betray us, never!"

Sephiroth looked like he wanted to say more but he didn't since a soft whimper of pain caught both of their attention.

Her eyes barely cracked open, her pupils were publited and unfocused as if she wasn't seeing Sephiroth.

"Pa?"

"Hey, sweetheart." he said in a soft voice. "It's me."

"hurts."

"I know, little one. Just rest and when you'll wake up I'll be there, I promise."

He laid a gentle kiss on her forehead. "We'll be home soon."

Kairi lets out a small sigh and closes her eyes, letting unconscious take her again. Sephiroth looked at Zack, his glance going all hard again.

"Kairi needs medical attention. I understand your grievance but ou-my daughter's needs will always be my top priority."

With that being said, Zack watched Sephiroth walk ahead with Kairi in his arms.

Angeal hadn't been kidding when he said, Sephiroth and Kairi have a special connection between them.

Zack went after them, finally heading back to Midgar.

The next few days Zack and Sephiroth would always come to check on Kairi, who was still in a medical coma, not just for her physical injuries but for her emotional and mental state.

Zack felt guilty for letting it happen in the first place, he should've kept a better eye on her when they went into that room.

Now Kairi was hurt and stuck in a dreamless sleep, he had to admit, though, he has never seen her look so peaceful. she wasn't smiling or frowning.

She just looked to be somewhere in between.

But after the fifth day of Kairi being in a coma, her fingers start to twitch and she lets out a soft moan.

Sephiroth took her hand and his other hand stroked her hair gently, pushing her hair away from her face. "Little one?"

Kairi's eyes opened and she looked at him with a slight panicked look on her face. She reached out for the tube that was giving her oxygen through her mouth.

"Shh, it's helping you to breathe, you need to calm yourself." Sephiroth told her gently but firmly as he stopped her from pulling it out.

Zack waited until she was more calmed, her eyes moved to look at him and he couldn't help but grin at her.

"Hey, welcome back to the land of the living!"

She just rolled her eyes at him., but she looked back at Sephiroth, who looked at him.

"Zack, look for someone to take it out."

Zack found a doctor and they watched as they took the long tube out, making Kairi cough and splutter from the discomfort.

"Papa...where's...daddy?"

Zack had a funny feeling that would be the first thing she'd ask, but it didn't make it any easier.

He looked at Sephiroth to see mental pain as he decided on what to tell her.

"He's away for a bit, but he wants you to eat, rest and get better. But don't worry, I'll be here when you wake."

"Oh, okay..." she said and she fell asleep again.

Sephiroth sighed and Zack spoke up. "You had to lie to her?"

"She's too sick to deal with it emotionally, I'll tell her the truth once she's a bit stronger."

...

Sephiroth, a week later, went to Kairi's room to see if he could get her to eat.

At first after leaving the medical bay, she had been doing good with eating and doing everything she loved to do, but in the last few days she's been very low and miserable.

He was worried about her mental health.

Sephiroth knocked on the door and opened it to find her sitting on the window still, hugging the toy bunny that Angeal had bought for her years ago.

Sometimes, Sephiroth wished she was still a 4 year old innocent girl.

"Child, stop moping, please." he told her gently.

"When is daddy coming home, papa?" she asked, looking at him.

Sephiroth sighed and shook his head, deciding he had to tell her the truth now and not later.

"He isn't coming home, little one.."

she hugged the toy tighter to herself with tears in her eyes as her face showed hurt and confusion.

"What?"

"Angeal isn't coming home, he's left us." he told her gently.

Kairi's lips temples and she hid her face in her arms, crying loudly and he walked to her, sitting beside his daughter on the window, bringing her for an embrace and feeling like his world is only beginning to tumble down on their heads.

He has to protect her and raise her just as they always planned to do since Angeal saved her when she was 4 years old.

But... just how he wished everything could go back to the way it was...