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Sephiroth cast a glance over the town before sighing, resigning himself to leaning against a building near the treeline; it appeared to be an abandoned house. The quickest way to be found was to remain stationary, after all, and while he was still unfamiliar with the layout of the village he would have to rely on Zack to find him soon.

Relying on Zack. The notion wasn't nearly as laughable as it had been several months ago, though the thought did still bring a small smile to his face. Frankly, he'd been a little put out that Shinra would have him go at this mission alone, but he also had to baby-sit a collection of wet-behind-the-ears recruits as well? And no Zack to keep him from becoming too irritated...perhaps it was best that Sephiroth was whisked away to this strange world after all. A mass murder wouldn't have looked very good on the report.

Still, there were a few peculiar things said and done that Sephiroth didn't quite like; most of all, Zack's reaction to his arrival. He hadn't seemed just surprised, he had seemed almost -if Sephiroth didn't know better- angry, or frightened. It wasn't something one often saw within the young man.

It was unnerving.

If there was one thing you never forgot about Sephiroth, it was his appearance. The man was outrageously tall, and that hair went on forever. It was hard to miss. Zack was grateful for that as he rushed through the village, spotting the familiar figure leaning against a building.

"Seph!" he called, disregarding rank entirely in favour of jogging over with an uplifted hand. He skidded to a halt in front of his general, instincts driving him to move the hand to his forehead in a smart salute. "General, sir, Private Fair reporting for duty!"

... Well alright, he could joke a little.

Unable to suppress a smirk, Sephiroth bowed his head to hide the gesture instead, pushing off the building to stand unaided. "Consider yourself lucky, Fair. I lost count." It wasn't often that Sephiroth found himself in a good mood, and honestly the circumstances of their meeting weren't exactly good ones, but Zack just somehow seemed to make even a bleak situation much more hopeful than it really was.

Which was why Sepiroth was surprised that Zack had given up so easily on a means of escape. If nothing else, the SOLDIER was tenacious.

"I've always been lucky," Zack grinned cheekily, scuffing a hand through his hair. "So, uh, did you learn more about the place? I wish I had more info, but a lot has been going on since I arrived here."

He shifted from foot to foot, not wanting to look or feel nervous, but not really able to help himself. This was Sephiroth... really Sephiroth. Not the crazy one obsessed with his mother.

His General, his hero, was back.

"Yes. Someone referred me to a rather useful guide; I suggest you peruse it, you might actually retain some useful information for once." Sephiroth flipped idly through the journal in the strained and distant lamplight of the streets before snapping it neatly shut.

"I am assuming those are the mountains you were referring to?" Sephiroth asked, jutting his chin in a rather ungraceful gesture at the dark shapes looming in the distance. Zack hadn't been exaggerating when he'd said they appeared dangerous; it would be wise to acquire some kind of rope, at least, before their attempt.

Zack set his hands on his hips, lifting a brow. "Why should I read it when I can bother you for the details?" he teased flippantly. "You can fill me in later, one way or another. For now I think we ought to figure out how to climb those mountains." He followed Sephiroth's gaze, eyes narrowing. He hadn't climbed a mountain since Nibelheim. "I don't know if we'll accomplish much, but it's worth a shot, right?"

"Quite." Resolutely, Sephiroth stuck the journal through his belt and started for the sillhouettes, steps not even slowing as he began a conversation with Zack.

"Question, however. Why the utter shock at my appearance? And at my sounding somewhat 'normal,' whatever that implies."

It figured. Seph wasn't going to let any mysteries pass by unresolved. It was comforting, in a way - another sign that it was really him.

Zack pursed his lips, starting forward after Sephiroth, keeping his eyes averted. He wasn't going to lie about it - Seph had been lied to far too often in his life - but the truth was ugly, and Zack didn't want him to go crazy again. "I don't know if I can tell you yet," he finally managed to reply, falling into step beside his former commanding officer. "It's a long story, and a hard one to tell. To be honest, I don't want to tell you at all."

But I know it's inevitable.

To press the issue or not; Sephiroth debated his choices, the pros and cons, all while considering the familiar and warm prescence at his shoulder. If he demanded answers he knew Zack would give them to him not out of obligation to a commanding officer, but as a friend...but it was fairly obvious that the brunette didn't walk to talk about it.

Sephiroth didn't usually allow such unsettling details to evade his grasp, but if Zack didn't wish to speak about it, then there had to be a good reason. The man was an insufferable chatterbox, through and through, and to lock down on a topic like that was a clear sign that Zack thought Sephiroth was better off not knowing.

Now, the question was, should he trust Zack's judgement?

"...We will need to acquire some supplies if we are to scale those mountains. I can manage without rope and shoes, but frankly I would rather not." Sephiroth glanced about for a sign of any kind of shop that would sell rock-climbing equipment, but was met with only residential buildings.

Zack shot Sephiroth a brief, grateful smile, then shifted back to the task at hand. "There are buildings around that carry some supplies. We might be able to find something useful. Oh, and if you can learn to control you wings, you'll be able to hover a little. They're too small to fly with, but it's better than nothing." He gestured with a hand, shifting direction towards the village instead of the mountains. He doubted they'd find much, but it was worth a shot, right?

Giving the aforementioned appendages an experimental twitch, Sephiroth frowned; what utterly useless little things they were. Why anyone would consider the addition an improvement was beyond him, but all the same he worked to stretch the new limbs, the feeling foreign and familiar at once.

Now that's strange.

Not missing Zack's smile but not acknowledging it either, Sephiroth reached for his wallet only to find it missing. Then came the question of the monetary value of gil here, in this place. "What do they use for currency?"

"Currency?" Zack echoed, then grinned. "There is none. The natives here are really peaceful and nice. If there's anything you need, you just gotta ask for it and it's yours. I bet you'll like it here. When the Malnosso are leaving us alone, it's a pretty sweet place."

"Ask and ye shall receive?" Sephiroth arched a thin brow, and would have folded his arms over his chest if it wouldn't have made walking so very awkward. "That isn't exactly a wise course of action. Without order and a system of trade, the natives are sure to run out of resources sooner or later. It's human nature to consume and destroy, after all; look at the state of the Planet."

Something was definitely suspicious. Sephiroth filed the tidbit of information neatly away for later recall, if necessary, and turned to give Zack a reproachful stare. "And however 'sweet' a place this may be, I hope you aren't entertaining the idea of staying."

"I don't know if you've noticed," Zack commented idly, "But we're not exactly human here. And their society is a lot different than back home. I think we'll manage. Those Malnosso guys wouldn't let us starve after all the trouble they've gone to keep us here."

He glanced over at Sephiroth, then away. "Not with the Malnosso running the show, that's for sure. They're no better than Hojo." Mentioning the man who'd kept him imprisoned for four years brought a dark glint to his eyes, a tightness to his fists. He wasn't the type to hate, normally, but Hojo was definitely deserving of his contempt.

"The physiology may be different, but the nature is the same." Sephiroth dismissed the notion that the society could run peacefully with an idle wave of his hand. "Sooner or later, someone foolish will arrive and devour the resources, create a monopoly, and once again Shinra will be born with different skin." It was no secret to anyone that Sephiroth hated the company he was leashed by, but it was certainly a step up from Hojo's filthy clutches.

Speak of the devil. A certain tightness entered Zack's voice, one that had not been there before, and even without looking Sephiroth could hear the bones creak and pop in protest within his fists. Granted, Hojo wasn't exactly affable, but Zack had never shown a particularly intense loathing for the man before, more of an indifferent disgust. Something had certainly happened, and as it closely involved Zack's well-being, Sephiroth was not about to let it slide. "What happened?" His tone was sharp, no-nonsense and unforgiving; he hoped Zack wouldn't dance around this one.

Damn it, Hojo. Regardless of what you've done to me, keep your hands off of him.

Zack hesitated, hearing Sephiroth's tone, and resumed his walk, chin lifted. He wasn't about to answer directly, so instead he murmured, "How old do you think I am, sir?"

By Sephiroth's reckoning, he ought to still be 18. Five years wasn't a lifetime, but it had made a big difference. Not to mention four of those years spent 24/7 in a Mako tank.

Sephiroth's cheek twitched; he hated these little run-arounds. Trusting that this had a purpose, Sephiroth humored him with the answer he was most likely expecting. "You're eighteen." Young for a SOLDIER, but Sephiroth suspected that the answer was not quite true.

Zack wouldn't have asked it otherwise.

Zack smiled tightly, glancing over at his companion, and shook his head. "Twenty-three," he corrected, looking ahead again, hands clasping together behind his head. "You've missed a lot, apparently. I wish I knew how to tell you just how much."

How the hell was he going to explain a missing five years?

Twenty-three. Five years...so there was a five-year gap in which Sephiroth was not present.

Then it cannot be avoided. I'm sorry, Zack.

Halting his stride, Sephiroth waited for Zack to notice before asking quietly, "Zack. What happened in Nibelheim?"

Zack heard Sephiroth stop, heard the question that was inevitable, unavoidable. He slowed to a halt soon after, lips pursing tightly. He didn't once look at his friend as he spoke.

"It was a routine mission, your standard search and destroy. Stray monsters from the Mako reactor." He lowered his eyes, studying the grass with an odd determination. "You found something there. It... drove you insane, made you kill everyone in town. I tried to stop you, but--" He didn't need to go on. He knew his own skill, and so did Sephiroth. In a one-on-one battle, it was certain defeat, if not death.

Insane...that Wutai girl mentioned this earlier. This cannot be coincidence.

Squashing to temptation to ask what he had discovered, Sephiroth plowed onward with an eerily steady voice. Granted, he was not that rattled; he knew his limitations, and while he was certainly much more resiliant than the normal human being, he also knew that he was not past mental flaws.

Though it would have to be something particularly foul to cause...that. Logic and reason were Sephiroth's cornerstones, and the idea of losing both would be...

"Did I kill you?"

...it was not the question he had meant to ask, but once it left his lips, something reached deep inside of him and twisted in a way that was physically painful.

Zack winced. He tried to fake a laugh, but it was so miserable-sounding he gave up and shrugged his shoulders. "No, I lived. Not sure if I was better off because of it, though... Hojo came along to clean up the mess you'd left behind. He found me and the only surviving trooper and locked us up in his lab for four years."

He pointedly avoided the escape and his own demise. He doubted Sephiroth would be pleased to hear about that.

Hojo-! Anger, white hot and unfamiliar, flared inside of him and Sephiroth struggled to keep from clenching his teeth. Not only was he furious with the conniving, slithering wretch of a scientist, he was also furious and disappointed in himself. Attacking Zack, nearly killing him...razing a town to the ground.

Sephiroth knew he was powerful, and knew he was antisocial to a T, but he had never considered himself needlessly violent or particularly irrational. That he would commit such atrocious acts in the future-

No. Now...he would not.

"...show me to this equipment store, Zack." Sephiroth resumed his pace, brushing past the SOLDIER without a glance. "I must leave here as soon as possible."

I have a scientist to murder.

Zack watched as Sephiroth brushed past him, continuing on towards the village. That was it? Now that he knew he was going to go crazy, he wanted to go back immediately?

... He better not shut me out again. He scowled, starting forward again, passing Sephiroth to lead the way towards the shop.

"You know," he called behind him, though he didn't look back, "This whole thing started when you stopped talking to me and listened to the weird voices in your head. In case you were wondering."

And that was all he had to say on the matter.

...the little irritant. Of course he would say something like that. But then again, Zack wasn't the type to lie...

On the other hand, what was there to say about it? This wasn't exactly a problem to be discussed, such as dissension in the ranks or a miscalculation on ration detail. This was his mind, his very being. His sanity. He was going insane just thinking about going insane.

Zack had a point. And how Sephiroth hated that; opening up and sharing his thoughts, even with the only person he considered a friend, was so very difficult after all. It left you vulnerable to attack and weak in situations where you needed to be strong. An isolated person may be lonely...but he was also safe. "There are no strange voices in my head now," Sephiroth shot back rather acidly. It wouldn't do to take his anger out on Zack, but...

Unfortunately, he was an easy and available target.

Zack snorted, but said nothing. He didn't feel like starting an argument, and he was already having a hard time holding back his anger. There was so much he wanted to ask Sephiroth, so many questions he'd screamed and snapped during the ordeal at the Nibelheim, but this wasn't the same Sephiroth who could answer those questions. That Sephiroth had already died, long ago.

"This is it," he finally broke the silence, gesturing towards a shop. Hopefully it would have something useful. And maybe they could talk about something else.

Pushing inside the shop without a word, Sephiroth browsed for any type of clothing remotely similar to his own and was horribly disappointed to find an assortment of cottons and wools, of all things. Only a few more minutes of looking yielded him a pair of boots mildly adequate, and a cable and pick set for the rather tame version of rock climbing. It would have to do.

Tucking the items beneath his arm and feeling rather like a common thief, he sent Zack a probing gaze, almost as if to ask, Is this all right?

Zack glanced over at Sephiroth, catching his questioning gaze, then sighed faintly. He grabbed the general by the wrist, rather informally, and dragged him out of the store, waving a hand to the cheery Filial running the place. The native didn't even move, clearly unbothered that they'd taken the materials.

"I told you it was okay to just take it," he muttered as soon as they were outside, glancing at the equipment Sephiroth carried. "Are we ready to get going?"

Damn, everything was so tense now. So much for a happy reunion.

Shifting the rope on his shoulder, Sephiroth sent Zack an annoyed glance as he paused to pull on the boots. "I didn't want any trouble," he offered by way of explanation; it wouldn't do to have an attack now, without his blade. He was more than capable with hand-to-hand combat, and he was sure that he could manage in any situation that arose in which he would have to fight, but conserving energy for the mountain climb was also a top priority. "And I imagine there's not much else to prepare."

Not even Sephiroth could disregard the rift slowly opening between him, but for the first time he could remember, he was at a loss as to what to do. He supposed Zack would have liked for him to open up and talk, but what did he want him to say?

People were complicated. It was so much easier being cold and unapproachable.

I guess not," Zack shrugged his shoulders, hesitating a moment, then sighed. It wasn't worth staying mad over, and from the sound of it, Sephiroth was starting to fall back into his icy self. That was the last thing Zack wanted.

"Okay!" he announced, clapping his hands together, "Time to go rock climbing. Now since you're a city boy, it's pretty obvious that you're going to need my help. Just stick close to me and I'll make sure you don't fall on your ass and die, alright?"

See how Mister Broody-Face liked that, ha.

Sephiroth snorted back a scoff; if this was Zack's way of trying to lighten the situation...well, it was working, but it was just plain ridiculous. "Says the man who was afraid of these mountains in the first place," he breezed easily. "I'm afraid that I'll be taking point, Zackary, and if you have any objections I'm sure the judge will listen during your court-martial."

As if he would actually do something as greenhorn as fall off of a mountain. He may not make it a habit to scale local ridges, but Sepiroth was fairly certain he could handle a little hiking.

"You can't court-martial me," Zack quipped, hands on his hips, "I'm already out of the army. The SOLDIER program's been disbanded, and even if it hadn't been, there's no chance in hell I would've gone back to the ones who left me for dead. No thanks."

Plus there was the nasty little fact that they'd gone and shot him to death right outside the town, but he wasn't about to mention that.

Hesitating for just a moment, Sephiroth blinked in utter surprise. "...The SOLDIER program, discontinued? I can't see the President giving up his precious super-army without a fight." Then another idea sunk in, and Sephiroth stopped entirely, folding his arms as he lifted a brow. "And 'left you for dead?' What exactly are you referring to?"

Something told him it wasn't what had happened in Nibelheim...not that that particular demon was an issue Sephiroth was suited to slay just yet.

Zack's comedic expression faltered at Sephiroth's question. Why the hell did that man have to be so good at reading people?

"Can't you just let it be, Seph?" he managed after a moment, swallowing hard. After seeing the man's reaction to Hojo's treatment of him, he didn't want to think about what Sephiroth would do if he found out Zack had been killed by Shinra grunts. "You really don't want to know, trust me."

"Unfortunately I must disagree with you. I would very much like to know, but as you are so eager to keep me in the dark, I'll humor you for a bit longer." Sephiroth's patience was wearing thin, and coupled with the gnawing worry at word of his impending mental meltdown -a feeling he was sure he would soon become familiar with- he couldn't help but feel a bit of icy indignation rise to the surface.

It wasn't very fair of him, he knew. So he closed his eyes, drew a breath and continued cooly, "I'll leave it alone. But Zack...if you expect me to talk to you, I expect you to return the gesture."

Not very kind of him at all.

Zack was quiet for a long time, back turned towards Sephiroth as they made their way towards the mountains. Sephiroth had a point. A very good one, in fact. As irritating as it was, Zack had to acknowledge that.

Finally he spoke, his voice quiet, and surprisingly calm, his words simple and to the point. "I'm dead, Seph."

"That's strange, because from my standpoint you look very much alive." Sephiroth was sure there was a point to the peculiar statement, but he was also very sure that Zack wasn't dead.

After all, he would know. He would have felt it.

"Of course I do here," Zack snorted, scuffing a hand through his hair. "The Malnosso bring people back to life. When I go back home, chances are I'll go right to the Lifestream."

It was a morbid thought, but there was a difference between optimism and sheer blind hope.

Never before had Sephiroth heard such a defeatist tone in the boy's voice, and he didn't like it in the least. His immediate reaction was to find a way to resolve the problem, to rid Zack of the source of his pain, but unfortunately the source was neither here nor rectifiable, so that left him with dreadfully few options. He could try to cheer Zack up, supposedly.

The very thought nearly made him laugh aloud.

"...Zack, I..." Sephiroth trailed off, unable to even propose a suitable solution, or even a theory; he knew nothing of this world, and knew nothing of the circumstances of Zack's death.

What he did know, however, was that he was brought to this land apparently five years from when Zack had been taken. If they were still of the same time when they returned...perhaps he could prevent it from happening. Sephiroth wasn't sure how he would go about doing just that, but the idea of losing the only person he allowed himself to become close to was the nearest he would ever come to a crushing feeling.

"Don't say anything," Zack lifted a hand dismissively, still not looking back as they walked. "I don't want some half-assed attempt at comfort. It would sound way too wrong, coming from you." Finally, he glanced back, a small smile crossing his lips. "You're supposed to give me a snippy comment on how I ought to tough it out and get my damn work done. I don't need coddling - I'm a First Class now, remember?"

Begrudgingly, Sephiroth had to admit that Zack had a point; any attempt to comfort him would surely end in embarassing ruin, and the idea of him doing something as ridiculous and offering a hug made him give an involuntary shudder. And while the issue seemed a bit more monumental than a simple, 'suck it up,' would fix, Sephiroth knew a little stability would go a long way.

"I wouldn't know, with how slowly you are walking," Sephiroth snorted, and gazed up as they reached the foot of the mountains. "I shudder to think of dragging you up to the top of the peaks, Fair, so if you would so kindly pull your own weight I would greatly appreciate it."

It was a familiar routine...and falling back into it was as easy as it was safe.

"I was going slow for your sake," Zack protested, mock-glaring. "You're such an old man and everything. White hair - and I know you're just pretending those wrinkles don't exist!" He waggled a finger. "Denial is bad for your failing health, and so's running up a mountain. Take your time. It's not like the rocks are going anywhere."

"Private Zackary Fair, I am twenty-five. Any supposed wrinkles or otherwise are a direct result of your endless pestering, I'm sure." Testing a foothold, Sephiroth gazed up the nearly vertical mountainside with a small frown and debated on who should go first. If he went first, he could secure the footholds, but if Zack went first then Sephiroth could catch him, should he slip and fall.

...why was he assessing the situation as if Zack were a helpless child? The boy -man, apparently- was perfectly capable of scaling a mountain without any help or hand-holding. The sudden protective nature was not only irrational, it was inexplicable.

Perhaps because Zack's admittance to his death made him appear all the more fragile now.

"Aww, demoted, seriously?" Zack pouted, starting up the mountain while his superior was checking out the scene. "I don't really deserve that, do I?"

He probably did, but it was more fun to pester Sephiroth and give him those wrinkles. "C'mon, slowpoke, Before I start dragging you up by the hair."

Supressing a scowl, Sephiroth began the arduous climb beside Zack, searching his own grip across the rock face. "The purpose of the rope was to secure a line and tie the two of us together," he pointed out with a fleck of irritation. "You racing up without it frankly makes me carrying it here a moot point."

"What, so I really can drag you around?" Zack replied playfully. "No way, man. You're supposed to lasso me to safety with it when I fall."

He shifted his grip, climbing steadily, though carefully. Joking aside, he really didn't relish the thought of losing his grip and falling on his ass.

"I do not lasso, Zack, I'm not a chocobo farmer." Sephiroth glanced over at the other man's progress and turned quickly to hide a childish smirk. He was nearly even, and he had started later than Zack.

Old and decrepit indeed.