Sephiroth couldn't help but be a bit surprised when Angeal got lost. In his defense, when Genesis teased him about it, the brunet reminded them that he and Zack had been fighting in the slums for a couple of hours the other day, and while he'd kept an eye out for the church, it had taken a bit of searching to actually find it, especially seeing as the part of the sector with the church had been more or less abandoned. So it took them a bit longer to get to the building than they would have liked, even with their fast-pace when walking and sometimes outright jogging. Still, within half an hour, they were hurrying through the doors of the old building. Sephiroth wondered who had built it and what sect had worshiped here. Maybe he could look into it at some point? When he didn't have half-a-dozen other potentially planet ending problems that he had to research.

As soon as they got inside, they scanned the room. Something smelled strange to Sephiroth, kind of sweet… almost too sweet. He frowned as his gaze fell across the crumbling pillars, the broken benches and… flowers. The game had been right. Flowers were growing in Midgar. Barren, drained Midgar. Angeal had confirmed it, but still, seeing it for himself was something else.

"Zack?!" Angeal called. Sephiroth noted Genesis closing the doors behind them from the corner of his eye. He gave his attention to his red-headed friend as the man turned and almost immediately caught sight of the flowers. Or, at least The Silver General assumed that was why he froze in surprise with his eyes fixed on the very thing Sephiroth had been studying only moments before.

"There is no hate, only joy, for you are beloved by the Goddess…" the thespian whispered.

"Zack!" their dark-haired friend said again.

"Angeal?" a head of black, spiky hair popped up over the back of one of the benches. All the tenseness in the larger SOLDIER seeped out of him for several seconds at the sight as he slumped in relief. Then he straightened and marched forward, hands very purposefully at his sides judging by how stiff they suddenly were. Sephiroth's eyebrows rose. He hadn't seen Angeal that angry in a while.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was? No leave, no missions, no phs and no one knew where you were! I thought you'd—" Angeal cut himself off, obviously not wanting to admit what he'd had very good reason to suspect. Although, admitting that the company they all worked for occasionally had people disappear to experiment on wasn't likely something that would help any of them right now.

Zack, now sitting up, looked down in shame. For that moment, he looked like the fifteen-year-old boy he was. It suddenly struck Sephiroth as to how young he was – how young they all were. Angeal (all of them, really) was only four years older than the boy. He knew that many people considered a person to be a child until the age of eighteen… but what exactly did that even mean? A child. He'd come across innocent, naive young humans before, but he certainly wasn't one himself. Hadn't been for a very long time. He knew that wasn't normal, but it didn't really hit him as to just how abnormal that was until that point. Zack shouldn't be fighting. Not because he wasn't competent or good at it… actually, Sephiroth couldn't think of one reason for that boy to not train for war other than his age, but it still felt wrong to send someone that young into battle.

"Sorry, 'Geal," Zack muttered.

Angeal put a hand to the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "What possessed you to come here of all places? You know the Turks keep that girl under watch."

Zack didn't look up. "Didn't know where else to go," he said. "I did try calling you."

His mentor frowned. "Zack, what happened?"

The boy looked up then, biting his lip. Then he looked over his shoulder at the two other SOLDIERS, brows furrowed in worry. The boy was not difficult to read. Yet another point to his youth and inexperience.

Angeal followed his protege's gaze and blinked at his two friends. "Right. Zack, meet Sephiroth and Genesis. I know you've seen them before, but it's long past due for a formal introduction. He then looked at his two friends and gestured them forward. "Genesis, Sephiroth, meet my student Zachary Fair."

Zack stood up and saluted as the two other SOLDIERS approached. "It is a pleasure to meet you, sirs!" he said crisply.

"At ease," Sephiroth said.

"Indeed. You wanted us here," Genesis said. "Let us dispense with the formalities."

Zack blinked at them, then glanced at Angeal who nodded. The SOLDIER Third relaxed and grinned. "Heh, yeah. Thanks."

"So, why did you ask for us?" Genesis inquired, almost bored sounding. It was an impressive farce.

For a moment, Zack looked lost, staring at the two of them as if seeing something that pained him. Then he shook his head.

"Sit down. This might take a while," he said as he walked into the aisle and began pacing. When no one so much as moved, he paused and looked up. "Um… please?"

Angeal let out a long-suffering sigh. "Very well," he said, and sat down on the front pew. "If this is how you'll explain what you're doing here, then fine." Sephiroth didn't say anything but found a seat on the front row besides Angeal. Genesis rolled his eyes dramatically, but eventually took his own seat besides Sephiroth. Zack continued to walk back and forth, but moved so he paced in front of them.

After a moment, the youth took a deep breath and turned to them, arms folded as if he were disciplining them. Sephiroth found that thought rather amusing.

"First, you all need to know this: Wings don't mean monsters!"

Silence.

Angeal looked about as confused as Sephiroth felt while Genesis looked distinctly unimpressed.

"Zack," the largest SOLDIER started, sounding tired.

"I'm serious!" he interrupted, leaning forward. And there was the energy Sephiroth was used to hearing about and seeing from the boy. "You all need to know that monster is as monster does! It's not how you look or what you wear or what sprouts from your back that makes you a monster! It's your choices!"

More silence, then:

"What… brought this on?" Sephiroth asked.

"Indeed," Genesis drawled. "Is there something either of you aren't telling me? Since when do any of us have wings?"

"No," Zack said, "you might not… not right now, but… aarg! No! It's just something you all need to know! It's important, okay?" He intentionally and pointedly waited for them to all nod (Genesis doing so with a roll of his eyes and only after a harsh look from Angeal) before going on.

"And something else," the boy looked right at Genesis, hands on his hips. "Do you know how much SOLDIER looks up to you? To all of you? If any one of you left right now, you'd probably take a good third of the SOLDIERS with you! Turning around and making them into creepy clone copies is not cool! And what's worse, you don't need to do that to get people to support you!"

This… was getting more confusing by the second and Sephiroth was beginning to think that young Zachary had, perhaps, had a mental breakdown of some kind. He didn't seem to be a danger to himself, or them… yet, but it was still worrying.

"And you!" he turned to Sephiroth, who felt his eyebrows rise in surprise. Not many people were that forward with him, especially people he'd only just formally met. "I know you know better than to listen to anything Hojo says! Even if he's written it down! That guy is bad news, so don't take anything he says as anything remotely true! You of all people should know this!"

Sephiroth felt his expression dry out. "I do," he said, deadpan.

That seemed to take the wind out of Zachary's sails. "Oh. Well… good. Remember that.

"And you," he regained his former fervor and turned to Angeal, who seemed to be working through some shock. This must be very out of character for the younger SOLDIER. "Angeal… if you ever feel so unworthy that you don't think you can live, you do not have any right to death by student! There is absolutely no honor in that! I don't care what else is going on!"

What?

Angeal looked genuinely shocked and a little hurt at that.

"Zack," he started, but the boy cut him off.

"If you ever ask me to kill you I'll… I'll… I'll kill you!" He seemed to realize what he'd said because then his eyes widened in horror. "Th-then I'll bring you back and then I… I won't do it! You…" and he seemed to lose his energy again, almost shrinking in on himself. "Angeal, you can't leave me like that."

The boy sounded so utterly broken right then that Sephiroth had to reconsider just how badly this mental break had gotten to the boy. The child didn't have tears on his cheeks yet, but he could see some gathering in his eyes.

"I… I want to be a hero. I want to save people, not hurt them – not kill them. Promise me, Angeal… promise me you won't ever make me do that. Please."

Angeal's expression of worry had returned tenfold and he stood, putting his hands on the other boy's shoulders.

"Of course I won't, Zack, but I agree with Sephiroth: What brought this on?" Angeal asked. "This isn't like you at all."

The boy shook his head. "I… you… you won't believe me," he said, voice small. "You'll think I'm crazy."

"Too late," Genesis muttered to Sephiroth, just low enough for him to pick it up without the other two hearing.

"Zack, I'm your mentor and I want to help, so please, trust me," Angeal said, his voice quiet but firm as steel.

The boy looked up at his teacher, and for a moment, Sephiroth thought he wouldn't tell them. They waited in a charged silence as the boy studied his mentor's face. Then he deflated and nodded.

"It's… well… not last night but the night before, when I got back to my room I found a package on my bed."

Sephiroth felt his blood freeze in his veins. Next to him, Genesis stiffened then shifted positions to subtly reach into the pocket where he'd stored his jammer. Likely an unnecessary precaution, but an appropriate one, considering.

"It didn't have a return address and it had… well… it had a…" he paused. "You'll really think I'm crazy," he said.

"A video game," Sephiroth said.

Zack looked over to him, eyes wide. "Yeah! How did you know?"

"We know," Angeal said slowly, "because Sephiroth got the same thing. Final Fantasy VII?"

The youth nodded, looking relieved. "Yeah. Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core."

Sephiroth frowned. "Crisis Core?" Those words certainly hadn't been anywhere on the game they'd played. Had it been a different game? Related, almost certainly, but was it the same?

"Did it have… seemingly random, highly improbable events that would occur, but then you'd find evidence it was true?" the Silver General asked.

Zack frowned. "Kinda? I mean, it had the Turks in it and it was pretty realistic about them. It also… had Aerith in it. And I was the main character."

"You?" Genesis sounded almost offended.

The youth nodded. "Yeah. At first, it was the coolest thing! But then…" He looked up at Angeal. "You… you left with Genesis, and you both had wings on one side of your body but you could still fly with it and you made the SOLDIERS who left look like you, except you made monsters look like you, Angeal. And then you made me kill you and Genesis kept looking for the gift of the goddess and Sephiroth went crazy and… I hated it! I don't want the future if it happens like that!"

More silence as the SOLDIERS digested that. There had been too many similarities to think that these games weren't related (Sephiroth tried not to cringe at Zack's throw-away comment that 'Sephiroth went crazy'), but what was the difference?

"So… this game had Angeal and me in it?" Genesis asked slowly.

Zack nodded. "Well yeah. Although after Angeal…" he paused and looked over at his mentor. "After I made First, no one seemed to want to acknowledge that you ever existed and the Turks took the idea of hiding company corruption way too seriously. No one would even mention you guys." He paused and seemed to think about that for a moment, and then his eyes widened. "Wait, your game doesn't have

you in it at all?"

"No," Sephiroth answered curtly. "It seems to follow one Cloud Strife, and his… friends."

Somehow, Zack's eyes grew even wider. "Cloud? Blond kid from Nibelheim; way too short for his own good; spiky hair that makes mine look tame?"

Sephiroth blinked. "Yes."

"You know him?" Genesis asked.

"I did in the game. He was…" he paused, seeming a little choked up, "my friend."

"Was?" Angeal asked, frown deepening.

Zack's expression went from upset to outright pained. "They… they killed me…" he said. "ShinRa. I… I did everything for them, and… and they sent so many… so many people… battalions… but I had to protect Cloud. I… I couldn't let them get him…"

The younger teen looked so utterly betrayed, and he didn't seem like he was really present, but living out something in the past. Had his game traumatized him so? Then again, hadn't the game they'd been playing traumatized Sephiroth? Not like this, perhaps, but it had been… extremely unpleasant. Zack speaking of himself as the character in his game was far different than Sephiroth's intentional distancing from his own game counterpart, but perhaps it was because he was playing as himself. Though that implied more accuracy to the game maker's interpretation of Zack's persona. Sephiroth knew he was avoiding thinking on how he was beginning to see how he, himself, could be twisted, especially considering Jenova's influence. Or maybe just admit it… as much as he did not want to.

Angeal must have recognized the signs too, because he quickly reached out again, putting his hands on his protege's shoulders and ducking down to try and make eye contact. "Zack," he said firmly. "Zack, look at me."

The boy blinked several times, then looked up at Angeal. If this was how he acted about something like this – that he hadn't even lived through, even if it was about him – then maybe he really wasn't cut out for SOLDIER. Sephiroth made a mental note to discuss it with Angeal later.

"The person on the screen wasn't you," Angeal said solemnly. Zack looked so small right then – not an easy feat for someone who was well on his way to growing taller than Genesis.

"But… he did exactly what I would have done," Zack whispered. "Who… whoever made the game knew me so well…" his eyes widened and he gasped. "Th-that… I… How? I never asked why…"

And his already sickly skin paled even further. "A...Angeal… how did they know I'd do that?"

"We think there's a mole," Sephiroth said, seeing no reason to not speak up. Zack needed grounding right now, and an explanation could do that. Logic always grounded Sephiroth.

"My bet's on a Turk," Genesis piped up in that carefully controlled nonchalance that wasn't nearly as carefree as he could make it sound. It was… surprisingly kind of him.

"In the game we got, Sephiroth is the antagonist," Angeal said, trying to sound light, but he wasn't nearly as good of an actor as Genesis. "Sephiroth, of all people."

"He… kind of was in mine too. I mean, there was this creepy lady with a weird skin color and glowing eyes and creepy… er… things all over her body—"

"Jenova?" Sephiroth asked, proud that he didn't do so through gritted teeth.

Zack blinked, but then looked relieved. "Yeah. That's why I said not to believe Hojo. He wrote a bunch of crap about her being your mother. I mean, that can't be true, right?"

He wasn't reassured by the silence that met his proclamation.

"Right?" he asked again, any humor he'd regained falling away.

When he only heard more silence, he turned almost frantically to Sephiroth. "Oh, come on! You can't possibly believe that!"

Sephiroth looked away. "I was always told my mother's name is Jenova."

"We don't know what to believe right now," Angeal said quietly, his hand on Zack's shoulder (the boy didn't even have his pauldrons on, he must have been extremely distressed) squeezing in reassurance.

"We will investigate," Sephiroth said, his voice hard.

"We already have another candidate for his mother, though," Genesis added on. "One 'Lucrecia'."

Zack relaxed and his good cheer began to return again. "That's great! What can I do to help?"

The others blinked at him.

"You… wish to help?" Sephiroth asked.

Zack nodded firmly. "Well, yeah! Why wouldn't I?"

More staring. He said it with such conviction – like staying out of everything hadn't even occurred to him. Sephiroth was beginning to see what Angeal saw in this earnest, pure-hearted boy. While the other SOLDIERS were there for a paycheck or for fame or out of loyalty or even just because it had never occurred for them to leave (as had been the case for Sephiroth himself) Zack… was different.

"Why… did you join SOLDIER?" Sephiroth found himself asking, wanting to confirm his suspicions, because he wasn't sure he could believe someone that good existed in the world.

Zack blinked at the non-sequitur, then puffed out his chest. "I'm gonna be a hero! Like you!"

Beside him, Genesis folded his arms and rolled his eyes. "Always about Sephiroth."

And there was the Genesis Sephiroth hadn't seen much of for the last three days. The Silver General didn't even dignify the comment with an acknowledgment.

"Why?" Sephiroth pressed.

Zack faltered, blinking. "Why what?"

"Why do you want to be a hero?"

"Sephiroth," Angeal started, but Sephiroth held up his hand for just a moment, gesturing that he had a reason and meant no harm. The dark-haired man frowned but backed down for the moment, although not without sending his friend a silent warning.

"I… want to help people. I like helping people," Zack finally said. "Also letting people know, once I show up, that they can count on me and that I can give them hope." He shook his head and held his arms up to each side in a 'what are you going to do' gesture – as if anyone would really understand what he was saying. "There's no better feeling in the world. That's what I want to do for the rest of my life. That means I gotta get paid for it. I mean, I guess I could be a mercenary who helps people on the side, but I'd prefer to focus on helping people if I can! That means I gotta be a SOLDIER! A SOLDIER First!"

"And I suppose the fame has nothing to do with it?" Genesis asked, sounding about as incredulous as Sephiroth felt, and far more skeptical.

Zack shrugged. "It doesn't hurt. I like being around people too so it doesn't bug me. But if I show up and am just the 'SOLDIER First that can help', I'm fine with that. But I have to be a First before people will really be able to feel safe. Not gonna stop 'till I'm at the top!"

More silence as the three older men took that in. Off to one side, Angeal looked torn between snickering at his friends and looking on his student in pride.

Finally, Genesis broke the silence by turning to Sephiroth. "And here I thought you were always destined to be the hero if I couldn't take that role from you."

Sephiroth raised one eyebrow at him. "Then what role do I fall into in your play? There isn't a fourth role."

Genesis thought on that for a moment while Zack looked back and forth between them, confused. Angeal had turned away, trying to hide his snickers.

Finally, the red-head looked up, triumphant. "There is a fourth character, besides the love interest." Genesis paused and looked between Sephiroth and Zack for a few seconds, then smirked up at the larger man. "You're not the love interest, are you?"

"Huh?" Zack butted in. "What do you mean?"

Meanwhile, Sephiroth felt his expression dry out again. "No."

"Ah, well then, there is someone else there throughout the entire play – arguably the most important part seeing as it is their fault there is no fifth act."

The silver-haired man frowned. That made no sense.

Genesis' grin widened at his confusion. "The observer, obviously; the Narrator. We would not have such a tale to be told if it had not been witnessed."

Sephiroth blinked in surprise. "You think I am the narrator?"

His friend scoffed. "Of course not. The Narrator is obviously me. Such a position would need a knowledge of artful literature and how to build it."

"Obviously," Sephiroth deadpanned.

Angeal couldn't stop hiding his laughter anymore as he snorted, rather loudly, which just seemed to make him want to laugh more.

Meanwhile Zack looked between the three of them, utterly confused. "I don't get it," he said.

Genesis scoffed again, condescending and superior. "Of course, you don't. Have you ever even read Loveless?"

The younger boy cocked his head to one side. "No, I get that. I've read it before and in the game I played, you wrote the fifth act. At least… I think it was you."

The red-head froze, eyes widening in shock. "I… what?"

Zack nodded. "Yeah. But what I don't get is why we can't all be heroes? Why can there only be one? I know it's a common part of the plays, but it isn't in the actual script."

The other three just stared at him… again. Sephiroth had to admit, he had a point.

"Surprisingly thoughtful, defying fate," Genesis said, looking up thoughtfully with a hand on his chin. Then he nodded. "I like it."

Considering what their fate might be, Sephiroth found himself agreeing with his friend… again. He still found the concept a little surreal. He wondered if it would ever not be… strange.

"As much as I'd like to continue this discussion," Angeal said, trying to hold back his grin as he held up his PHS for the others to see. "We really need to get back. Aerith just texted me and let me know that she's on her way here, so if her Turk watchers didn't know we were here before, they will if we don't leave soon. Zack, I can excuse you from your morning classes, but I can't just overlook this. You'll be cleaning the SOLDIER toilets for the rest of the month for disappearing like you did."

The boy's face fell. "What?! But Angeal—"

"No buts," Angeal shook his head, expression back to solemn. "I know you were upset – and I can't blame you – but just leaving like that is dangerous. You could have gotten very hurt and we wouldn't have known where to look for you."

Zack's face screamed skepticism. "I'm a SOLDIER Third. What, besides another SOLDIER, could hurt me in Midgar?"

"You'd be surprised," Genesis muttered darkly.

Angeal nodded. "It's that kind of an attitude that gets people killed, Zack. Even if something looks harmless, that doesn't mean it is. Even if it's unlikely you'll get hurt, that is no excuse to let your guard down."

Zack suddenly looked pained again, likely remembering something else from the game, before he slumped a little and nodded. "Okay, Angeal. I'm sorry for worrying you."

The larger SOLDIER put his gloved hand on Zack's head. "You were forgiven the moment I saw you alive and well. I wouldn't be a good mentor if I didn't discipline you for this, but I'm more relieved that you're alright than anything else."

"Well, then, if we are done here," Genesis said, already walking past them and towards the exit, "shall we?"

They all stalked out of the church, closing the doors behind them and trekking through the Sector 5 slums at a pace that would deter anyone attempting to stop them. Purposeful, but not rushed. At first, they trudged through the half-hazard walk-ways in silence, but Sephiroth knew they would have to discuss, well, everything soon. Unfortunately, just as he'd planned on speaking up, they happened into one of the more populated areas in the sector and someone spotted them. Most of their group was rather famous and so, due to the staring and pointing and hushed whispering as they passed, they didn't get the chance to really talk until they got onto the train that would take them up to the plate.

Fortunately, due to the time of day, the train was mostly empty and they found a car they could ride on alone. A few warning glares from Genesis and Sephiroth discouraged people from following them.

"I don't think we have enough time to go over everything," Sephiroth said, once they were situated, "but we need to know. Zachary, I understand this was difficult for you, but we need you to write a report on the game. We need to know what happened in the game, why, who seemed in on any secrets, and anything else that might be of any potential importance."

Zack's lips thinned as he nodded firmly. "Right. I can do that." Then his face softened and he looked a little embarrassed. "And I'd prefer it if you called me Zack. I'd use that on my official records if I could."

Sephiroth felt the corner of his mouth twitch a little. The boy was just so… earnest. "Zack, then," he said with a nod.

The boy practically beamed. Then, as if a switch had flipped again, he slumped a little. "I wish I hadn't gotten so upset last night. Then I could have just shown you all the cut scenes."

Blinks all around. "The… what?" Sephiroth asked.

Zack perked up at that. Just watching the boy's swinging emotions was exhausting. How did he manage to pull off so much energy?

"The cut scenes. Most games now-a-days have a list of scenes you can rewatch – usually scenes that are part of the story but you don't actually play in them. The really good ones are way better quality and the game gets recorded onto your gamestation so you can go back and view them. Once you finish a game… although I didn't completely finish."

That drew the other SOLDIER's attention. "You didn't finish?" Sephiroth asked.

Zack tensed, the uneasy – almost angry – expression returning and he didn't meet the other's eyes. "Remember I said they killed me? I… didn't exactly see the end of the game. I just… sort of…" he ran a hand through his hair. Then he shook his head and turned his attention on the others. "Seeing yourself lying on the ground in blood as your best friend comes up to you and it begins to rain… it…"

He stopped and took a deep breath.

"I'm pretty sure it was the end or really close to the end of the game, but… I didn't find out for sure because I threw the gamestation across the room. With SOLDIER strength, we'd probably be pretty lucky if it could be fixed."

Though the act had been rough and careless to say the least, again Seprhiroth found himself sympathizing – empathizing even. It wasn't something he often felt.

"I hope you didn't break it or we'll have to play it all over again," Angeal said, voice stern but also hesitant. He also looked haunted, and like he might faint at any given moment.

Zack shuddered.

"Wait… you finished your game?" Genesis asked.

Zack blinked. "Uh, yeah. Why?"

The three older SOLDIERS exchanged glances.

"We barely got through the first disk and we've been playing for more than 20 hours," Angeal said.

Zack's eyes widened. "Oh. Yeah… no. Mine wasn't nearly that long. I don't think it would take more than a couple of hours to watch all the cut scenes."

Sephiroth hummed. So it wasn't the same game. A prequel perhaps? The first story? A sequel (although he doubted it, unless Zack is somehow alive in the game they'd been playing)? Exactly when did it fall in the timeline? His musing was cut off by Genesis voicing a question.

"So we can simply watch these… scenes? Instead of playing the game?"

Zack blinked, then took another deep breath as he nodded. "Yeah, we should be… although we might have to play the end again… Or… um… you would. I don't want to see that again. Because I…" he faded off, then swallowed. "Watching yourself die on screen sucks. I was just… laying in the rain and I gave Cloud my sword – the one Angeal gave me – and then just died. I…" He paused, swallowed and took a deep breath. "That's when I threw the gamestation."

Sephiroth felt his brow furrow, reminded yet again of the intense emotions their game had evoked and thoughts of broken furniture. Genesis had looked away and Angeal, if anything, looked even paler. Unhealthily so. He'd been standing the whole ride, but at that point he (wisely, in Sephiroth's opinion) sat down.

"So that was the mess I saw on your bed earlier," the mentor said.

Zack turned to him. "What?"

Angeal forced a smile. It looked painful to Sephiroth. "I went to double check and make sure you weren't hiding from me or something."

"Why would I hide from you?" Zack asked, frowning.

The older man raised one sardonic eyebrow at his student. "It wouldn't be the first time you'd done something rather ridiculous despite common sense."

Zack chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, sheepish. It was forced, but normal enough to put everyone on more solid ground. "Yeah, okay. You got me there." Then he seemed to realize something. "Wait! You went through my stuff?!"

Angeal shook his head. "No. I saw your phs charging on your nightstand and wanted to see if you were hiding in your closet or under your bed. That's all I checked. I didn't rifle through anything, but I did see a mess of parts on your bed. Your roommate must have put them there."

Zack sighed. "Yeah. I was afraid of that. Looks like I'll have to play it again." He sounded thoroughly depressed as he slumped back against the seat, turning to watch the walls outside as they passed by.

"Zack," Angeal said, "it's okay. We can play it at some point, and you don't have to—"

The youth shook his head, gaze firm as it landed on Angeal. "No, I can handle it, and you guys have your own game to play, right? And if it's anything like mine, you shouldn't have to split your focus..

"Besides, I gotta try and fix it before anyone can replay it anyway. Actually, it might be cheaper to outright replace. Almost positive it would be faster, though those aren't exactly on the store shelves any more, and second-hand shops will take a lot a legwork or PHS calls and time unless I'm lucky. Maybe Kunsel knows someone who's selling theirs. But yeah, I can handle all that and the game itself, too."

Sephiroth and Genesis exchanged glances, both impressed at the boy's determination. Sephiroth took back his previous thoughts that Zack might not be cut out for SOLDIER. Angeal, meanwhile, looked so utterly sad, but also proud.

"Don't push yourself too hard, Zack."

The boy nodded and smiled a little, even if it looked pained. "Yeah. I won't."

"Take regular breaks, and come see us if something upsets you too much."

Zack nodded again, this time fondly. "Right."

"And I want you to promise me—"

"Oh, stop mother-henning the boy," Genesis cut in. "Honestly, Angeal. He's a teenager. He can take care of himself." The red-head paused and looked Zack up and down. "Well, mostly."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Zack asked.

Genesis just smirked at him. Then he leaned forward. "Also, please record what the games says the Fifth Act is."

This time the fond, if exasperated look on Zack's face was aimed at Genesis. "Right. Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing will forestall my return."

The Commander's eyes widened a bit, but then a truly pleased grin stole across his features. "Close, it's, 'Nothing shall forestall my return'. And you will need far more practice to deliver it correctly – the cadence and tone were completely off… but you show more promise than these two inerudites."

Zack didn't seem to know how to take that. Angeal just watched his friend, expression deadpan. Sephiroth raised one amused eyebrow.

"Is that even a word? I thought it an adjective, not a noun."

"Unappreciative boors, then?"

Angeal rolled his eyes. Sephiroth just raised his eyebrow further. Meanwhile, Zack snickered. Sephiroth let the light atmosphere linger for a few moments before bringing them back to the matter at hand.

"In any case, I know you have your own training and classwork, Zack, so I will ask you to finish your report within two days. Write down everything you can remember. You can do something more thorough at a later date."

Zack's smile dimmed, but he nodded. "Right. I'll do that."

"Meanwhile, we will attempt to finish our… game."

"Not tonight," Angeal cut in, folding his arms and fixing his two friends with a stern gaze. "Sephiroth has had four hours of sleep in the last 48 hours. I've had two in the last 36 and Genesis hasn't slept at all. We need our rest."

Sephiroth wanted to argue, but the firm frown on his friend's face dissuaded him. He wasn't happy about it, but he nodded.

"Oh, very well," Genesis said grumpily.

Angeal nodded. "Good."

"I still plan on trying to get information from the science department later today," Sephiroth said.

The other SOLDIER frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea on four hours of sleep. Especially not when it involves Hojo. Plus it might not even be on the main network. Hojo's arrogant, but he's also rather paranoid. We may have to try to gain the information multiple times, so best to not draw attention to ourselves."

Well, when he put it like that…

"I actually agree with Angeal," Genesis cut in. "Neither that man or the company are to be trifled with. We will need to be at our best to stay ahead of them."

Yet something else that annoyed him, but…

"Oh, very well," Sephiroth said, repressing a sigh. "I will move onto one of the other major points of critical investigation."

Angeal's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "And they are?"

Sephiroth met his gaze. "Interviewing Cloud Strife."

Silence.

xXx

AN: Fun Fact: 'Inerudite' means 'ignorant' or 'ignoramus'. My program does not like it. LOL

Yes, I just left it there. *evil grin* I will have you know, my wonderful beta, Imagination7413, thought I should put more at the end. I vetoed it because I'm cruel like that. *ahem* What? It was the perfect ending! But yeah, blame me. *runs away cackling… again* *Because I can*

Discord: discord dot gg /cwbXvzbab3 (dot = . and no spaces)

Also, I was tired when I posted this, so if something doesn't make sense, it was my fault and I'd be happy if you'd point it out to me. :)

P.S. I got a gift work! Someone's interpretation of Zack when he was playing Crisis Core. So much luv! ScribeofReaper on AO3 wrote "Advanced Release: Zack in Crisis" (such a great title) archiveofourown dot org /works /28824429 If you'd like to check it out (again, no spaces, dot = . )