Eternal Fall

Final Fantasy and its characters are owned by Square Enix.
Warnings: …Surprisingly none. O.o; I’ll have to make up for that in the next chapter. *coughs*

Eternal Fall: part XI: Friendship


~~~~~~~~~~
Four years later....
And now the clock slows….
~~~~~~~~~~

President ShinRa sat at his desk, looking over important documents and smiling to himself. The war with the Wutai was over, and he was now the most important man in the world in the public eye. Who could deny him now? He sat back in his chair and waited patiently for his next meeting. He was to meet the man responsible for taking command of the ShinRa army and leading them to victory.

"What more can you tell me about him?" the president asked as he scratched his large stomach. "I wanted to find out more, but I've been extremely busy lately."

"I know very little," Dr. Hojo said, pacing slowly. "I've been busy as well. All I know about him is that he was part of the Jenova project."

"Yes, that much I know. I assumed you would be curious about the results."

"Thank you for inviting me, Mr. President."

President ShinRa turned to the young man at his side. "And what have you heard, Reno?"

The young new Turk blinked at the sudden mention of his name. "I've heard many things that can't possibly be true," he said softly.

"Such as?" Hojo ventured.

Reno sighed and continued, thinking of how foolish he would sound. "The stories of this man are obviously blown out of proportion, but everyone swears to me that this information is true." Reno looked up, surprised that Hojo seemed to be taking him so seriously. "Apparently he was promoted to general three years ago at age eighteen, which is unheard of. They say he uses the legendary Masamune blade... the one from old Wutai tales. They also say he can cut down an entire army on his own. He moves so fast that no one can see him. He is not only a materia master, but also a mage… of all things. Fairy tale loving fools.... What else...? Oh yes, he is immune to most magic spells, his injuries heal impossibly fast, he can summon, has superhuman strength, unmatchable intelligence, and..." a smile cracked on Reno's lips. "Some of the more frightened witnesses say he can fly."

President ShinRa found this all as amusing as Reno did, and they both laughed together, picking apart the details. Mages... summons... flying... it was all childish nonsense made up by frightened Wutai children. Hojo, however, was taking this more seriously, though he didn't believe in mages either. He also found himself chuckling at the comments about flying.

A knock came on the meeting room door.

"Enter," President ShinRa said, after regaining himself.

"He is here," a secretary said. She was standing in the doorway, her eyes shifting nervously to the man who stood out of site.

The President stood to greet him. "Please, let him enter."

A couple booted footsteps were heard before the man entered the room. He wore tall black boots that covered his calves and knees, and his black pants disappeared inside of them. His metal belt had the SOLDIER logo, and he wore black gloves. What was more striking was his long trench coat inspired jacket, which was held by a belt at the waist, and came down to his calves. Heavy silver shoulder guards rested on his shoulders, and two leather belt-like straps crossed his toned chest, which was the only part of him left partially exposed.

The man stepped forward and stood at attention, and at a height of 6'1'', he towered over the president. His features were very youthful, even beautiful. His long silver hair caught the unusual light in the room and shimmered from the top of his head to his calves. Suddenly, Hojo stood and walked over to the man slowly, his eyes wide. The man shifted his gaze to Hojo. His pupils weren't round, but rather, vertical slits, much like a cat. And his eyes were a bright jade color, with a soft green glow.

"Have I come at a bad time?" the man said, his voice young and deep. At only twenty-one years of age, he seemed to have more strength and composure than any of them. They finally realized they were staring.

"Oh... oh yes!" the president managed to say at last. "You look so... familiar."

"We have met before, Mr. President. But I was nothing more than a boy."

Hojo continued to stare. Reno felt oddly uncomfortable with this man in the room. There was a strange energy in the air now.

"What is your name, General?" the president asked, offering the man a seat.

The man sat after the president found his seat as well. "My name is Sephiroth, Mr. President."

President ShinRa nearly fell out of his chair when he heard the name. Hojo had suspected, but still couldn't believe it.

"S... Sephiroth?" the president gasped. "The young boy who--"

"The same," Sephiroth said. His features were completely calm and composed at all times.

"I see you... you..."

"Grew?" Sephiroth offered. "Yes, I did manage to break five feet after all."

Hojo circled Sephiroth slowly. "You are a general of the ShinRa army now?"

"I am."

Hojo took away the short report that Reno was holding and handed it to Sephiroth. "Tell me what is true and what isn't," Hojo said.

Sephiroth looked over the list of his skills quickly, his green eyes still serene. He handed the paper back to Hojo. "It is all true," he said plainly. He was still as modest as ever.

The president also had a list of Sephiroth's achievements, awards, and other random facts. He looked up at the strong,poseposed man in front of him and smiled. With Sephiroth around, no one could rise up against them. And the man was completely obedient. He was ShinRa's puppet now.

"I understand that you are to take some time off, and then go instruct the new first class members of SOLDIER," the president said with a smile.

"Yes sir, Mr. President."

"You've done very well, Sephiroth," the president grinned. "I couldn't be more proud to have you around. You've served us well and saved countless lives. And now Wutai is completely quiet and secure. I don't think we'll ever have another soldier quite like you. You should be proud!"

"Thank you, Mr. President."

Sephiroth turned to Hojo slowly. "If you want me to participate in any experiments, please inform me as soon as possible. I am extremely busy, and do not want to have to fit them into my schedule later."

Hojo nodded, hiding the fact that he found Sephiroth intimidating now. "Very well. Tomorrow, if you are free."

"Very well, I will be there at 0600 hours," Sephiroth said with a slight nod.

The president stood, and so did Sephiroth.

"You are the strongest man in the world now, Sephiroth," President ShinRa said. "I'm glad you're on our side. If you have any problems, don't hesitate to come to me."

"Yes sir, Mr. President," Sephiroth said.

He left soon after, and was glad to be out of there. It did not please him to see the president or Hojo again. He walked out of the ShinRa building and decided to make his way to the recently built military base for the incoming members of SOLDIER. He got onto his motorcycle and sped off towards the new base. He didn't know what to do with himself now that the war was over. It would be on his mind for a long while.

Sephiroth rode to the military base and hopped off of his motorcycle. He walked up to the plain, single story building that would be his home for now. It was on the edge of the military base, so he wouldn't be bothered if he didn't want to be. He used his key and opened the door. When he walked inside he could already see that it was clean and well-furnished. It was more comforting than he was used to. There was a living room, kitchen, bathroom... everything he needed. He walked into the living room and put his pack down on the large bed. He realized that this whole place was for him, and that fact surprised him. He immediately decided not to get too attached to the place. Besides, he had another room located in the dormitory for an unlucky group of SOLDIER recruits.

There was a knock on the door, and Sephiroth went to see who it was. He opened the door and found himself staring into a pair of glowing, bluish-purple eyes.

"I saw you ride up," the young man smiled. "Need help unpacking anything?"

"I don't have much. Please, come in."

The young man walked in and looked around. "Nice! So this is your place, Seph?"

"This, and somewhere in the dormitory area."

"Cool, so I'll see more of you!" the young man said with a smile. "Mind if I--"

"Do as you please."

"Thanks!" said the cheerful young man as he flopped down on the couch. Sephiroth sat down in a comfortable armchair not far from him.

The young man's name was Zack. He was a few years younger than Sephiroth. He had spiky black hair that reached down to his mid back, and he was nearly as tall as Sephiroth was. He was always cheerful. In the event that he did get angry, he was a force to be reckoned with.

Sephiroth remembered meeting him. It was when Seph turned eighteen and was promoted to General of the ShinRa army. Zack was always there in the background, fearlessly fighting by Sephiroth's side, always there to back him up, even when the young general had no idea he was around. Sephiroth wasn't the kind of person who needed help, but Zack always made his life a little easier.

One day, Sephiroth was exhausted from fighting day after day without rest. He had been fighting non-stop, and always kept watch so someone else could sleep. It finally started to take a toll on him, and that happened to be the one moment a suicide fighter broke through. Sephiroth hadn't realized what happened until Zack jumped in front of him to take the bullets. The young general caught him before he hit the ground.

"Why did you do that?" Sephiroth asked him in the infirmary. "I can probably survive any attack they throw at me."

"You never know when they'll hit just the right spot," Zack said sleepily. "You can never be too careful. Besides, this army needs you more than they need me."

"You shouldn't be speaking now."

"No, I want to say this before... you know. You're my hero, general. And I have an eye for this kinda thing, ya know? I know when someone has a good heart... and I know when they'll do great things. Something tells me that I can't let you die."

"That is why you were always around to help me," Sephiroth said softly.

"Aw man," Zack smiled. "You saw me? I thought I was being slick."

Sephiroth placed his hand on Zack's shoulder. "Thank you."

"Hey, no problem," Zack murmured as his eyes slowly started to close. "Hey... I'll see you... as soon as I'm better...."

Sephiroth remembered leaving that night, not comprehending why someone would risk his life for him without knowing him. Of course, Seph did that all the time.

As promised, Zack was back on his feet in no time. And now he saw no reason to hide the fact that he would always be by Sephiroth's side. They fought together and protected each other. And as much as Sephiroth tried not to get close to anyone, he found that he enjoyed Zack's lighthearted company, even if he didn't show it. But Zack knew somehow.

And now, the cheerful teen was relaxing on Sephiroth's couch.

"Hey, Seph," Zack said, breaking Sephiroth out of his memories.

"Yes?"

"You and me, we're friends right? You know you can talk to me about anything. I mean, I know you're above me and all. I'd never act casual around you in front of other people, I promise. But, like now...."

Sephiroth blinked at this. "Don't you have other friends, Zack?"

"Well, yea! And I'll introduce you to them! You need friends, Seph."

"I've never had any."

"Oh come on. You've had at least SOME friends, right?"

"Never."

"Well, shit!" Zack said, sitting up. "Then you have to be my friend."

Sephiroth didn't know what to say. It was as though becoming friends with Zack was condemning the happy young man to death. Sephiroth saw Zack as another fragile human who might be gone at any minute. But at the same time--

"Yes, Zack, we are friends."

"Good! I wouldn't let you say 'no' to me anyway."

Another knock came on the door, and both men stood.

"Enter!" Sephiroth said.

The door opened slowly, and Garamonde-sensei walked through. He looked no different than he had when Sephiroth left.

"Oh, I did not know you had company."

"No sir! I was just leaving sir!" Zack said, standing at attention. "Thank you, sir!" he said, turning to Sephiroth and winking before running out the door.

"Garamonde-sensei," Sephiroth said, approaching the man. "It is good to see you here. I had hoped you continued teaching."

"Yes, I'm still here," Garamonde said, patting Seph on the shoulder. "Look at you! It is amazing. You are a general, and a famous one at that."

"It was the best progression for me," Sephiroth nodded.

"Still as modest as ever, I see. Are you happier now?"

"Happier? I... yes. I suppose so."

"Good, and do you have a hobby now?"

"Yes, but it's a secret," Seph said with a slight smile.

Garamonde-sensei smiled. "I understand."

After talking for a while longer, Garamonde left to instruct his new students. Sephiroth sat down and found the large package that he had delivered. He opened it up and pulled out a black electric guitar, which Zack had taught him to play after Zack found it in Wutai. He sat there and played for a while, discovering some sad melody. Once satisfied, he left to find the dormitories.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Attention!" Zack called out when Sephiroth stepped into the long corridor.ere ere were rooms on both sides, and busy recruits were moving in. They all stood at attention as Zack had commanded.

"As you were," Sephiroth said as he started down the hall.

Sephiroth walked over to Zack. "You are this floor's leader?" he asked.

"Sir, yes sir!" Zack responded. "My room is next to yours, sir. You’re at the head of the hall.”

Sephiroth looked down the hall at the nervous recruits. It wasn't just him they were intimidated by. Zack didn't sit well with them at the moment either. Of course they would be nervous if they knew anything about Zack's record on the battle field. And Zack's sword had recently been delivered. It was a massive sword... long, about a foot wide, and extremely heavy. But Zack could handle it as easily as a regular katana. His strength was unreal. He would never be as strong as Sephiroth, but he was still one of the most successful members of the SOLDIER project.

Zack walked into his room, which was almost completely set up. Sephiroth watched as he set a small picture of his parents on the dresser, followed by a picture of a pretty young girl dressed all in pink.

"Who are they?" Sephiroth asked.

"My parents," Zack pointed. "They're so proud to have a son who fights for the good of others. I'm sure your parents gush all over you too."

"...I don't have any parents."

Zack looked up with a frown. "Who took care of you?"

"...I did."

"Where did you stay?"

"The old military barracks. They've been training me since I was young."

Zack's eyes widened in surprise. "No wonder you didn't have anyone. I'm sorry, Seph. I had no idea."

Sephiroth shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

"But--"

"Who is she?"

Zack looked at the other picture. "That's my girlfriend. She's the sweetest thing in the world, Seph. A heart of pure gold." He turned to look Seph in the eye again. "So... do you like anyone?"

"No. No one."

"Let me guess. You've never had a girlfriend, right? Wait... do you like guys or girls?"

"I don't know."

"Who is more attractive? Me or my girlfriend?" Zack said with a bright grin.

Sephiroth looked at the picture, then at Zack, then back to the picture. "Me."

Zack nearly fell to the floor laughing, and Sephiroth found himself chuckling as well.

"Hey, let's go meet our unfortunate recruits," Zack said, giving Seph a pat on the back.

They went down the hall together, meeting the new recruits and asking them questions. They asked about their intentions, education, hobbies, and families. If they saw someone who might give them trouble, they scared the hell out of him to let him know who was boss.

For some reason, the last door down the hall was locked.

"Maybe he hasn't arrived yet?" Sephiroth asked.

"Yea, we'll get him later."

The two walked away, leaving the mystery room behind for now. But there was someone inside, and he breathed a sigh of relief as the two went back down the hall.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, Sephiroth walked back to the dormitory, after hours of lab tests. Hojo seemed very pleased with the results, and Sephiroth remembered why he disliked Hojo so much. He walked up to the fourth floor of the dormitory and started down the hall to his room. There was something nice about being on the top floor. Perhaps it was less noisy? Or maybe he just liked the view.

The first door he passed was the one that he and Zack thought was unoccupied the day before. He stopped and knocked curiously. There was no answer. He knocked again, and waited. Still no answer. He glanced down the hall to see most of the recruits getting to know each other. There was a chance the boy from this dorm was with them, but perhaps not.

Sephiroth felt through an inner pocket on his jacket and brought out a card key that worked on all of the doors for this floor. He dropped it into the slot above the door handle and slowly opened the door. There were clothes and various items around the room. Unlike the other rooms, this one was made for one soldier only. Sephiroth opened the door a little wider, and walked in. All of the recruits were required to check in with him yesterday, but this one had not. He decided that protocol was best, and he walked inside. He heard a small noise in the darkness and continued forward. Blonde spiky hair reflected the light that barely came in through the blinds. There was someone sitting in the corner of the room.

"This room is a mess, soldier," Sephiroth said, approaching him. "Clean it and report to me as soon as--"

The blonde shifted only slightly, and Sephiroth realized something was wrong with him. He knelt down in front of the young man. The boy sat there in his boxers alone.

"It's not my fault..." the young man whispered.

"What isn't your fault?"

"The bridge. It's not my fault."

Sephiroth blinked, not understanding. "Look at me."

The blonde tilted his head back and tried to focus on Sephiroth's face. His eyes shifted slowly, and he fell back against the wall. Sephiroth easily lifted him up and placed him on the bed. It was then that he discovered that the boy had self-inflicted cuts all over his body. Those were easily healed by Sephiroth, especially since none of them were deep enough to hit anything vital. After healing the boy, he realized how weak he still was.

"You bettot bot be drugged," Sephiroth murmured.

The boy slowly started to curl his fingers around Sephiroth's hair as the young general sat on the bed. He didn't seem to realize what he was doing.

"What's up, Seph?" Zack asked, as he walked through the open door. He then realized the recruit was there. "Sir, is there anything I can assist you w--"

"Call sick bay and tell them we need this boy picked up immediately."

Zack nodded and quickly ran down to the emergency phone in the hallway.

Sephiroth felt the boys pulse and surveyed his breathing while Zack made the call. He then turned the light up in the room just enough to check his pupils.

"Am I dead?" the boy asked.

"No," Sephiroth responded as the blonde continued to finger through the young general's silver hair as it fell over his hand. "State your name."

"My... name...."

"Your name, soldier. What is it?"

"...Soldier?"

Sephiroth sighedtly.tly. "Do you recall taking any drugs or alcohol recently?" he asked, not expecting much of an answer.

"Cloud...." the blonde murmured.

"What was that?"

Just then Sephiroth recalled the only name on the list of the soldiers who didn't check in with him.

"Your name is Cloud Strife?"

"Yes...."

"There's nothing to see here," Zack called out to the concerned recruits in the hallway. "Go back to what you were doing." He walkn ann and ran his fingers through his black hair. "So how is he? Someone is coming for him."

"He will be fine," Sephiroth said, grabbing a towel from the floor and wiping the sweat from Cloud's forehead. "It seems as though he's on some drug. And...." Sephiroth pulled out the blade for Zack to see. Zack nodded knowingly, and the blade was tucked away again.

Cloud suddenly grabbed Sephiroth's wrist and held it as the young general sat wiping the sweat from his forehead. His blue eyes met Sephiroth's for an instant, and for a brief moment, he seemed completely focused. Sephiroth was about to say something when a small group from Sick Bay came into the room.

"How is he, General Sephiroth?" one of them asked. "Any breathing complications?"

"He seems stable."

Cloud was put onto a stretcher and covered with a blanket before he was taken away. Once the room was cleared out, Zack walked over and put a hand on Sephiroth's shoulder.

"What was that look he gave you?"

"I don't know. He isn't himself."

"Maybe he thinks you're as sexy as I do."

"Stop that," Sephiroth said with a grin.

~~~~~~~~~~

That night, there was a knock. Sephiroth put down his book and rose from his chair to open it. He decided he would spend most of his nights in his dormitory room to assist Zack and the new recruits. He didn't bother to use the view screen since he had no one to hide from. When he opened the door, he found Zack there.

"Hey," Zack said. "The kid from earlier came to talk to me. He's waiting in my room, and I had to convince him that you wouldn't eat him alive if I sent him in here."

"You shouldn't lie," Sephiroth said with a slight smile.

"Come on, Seph, he's scared. I already chewed him out because I have to be a hardass or no one will take me seriously."

"And I don't?"

"People are scared shitless of you anyway!"

Sephiroth rose an eyebrow. "Send him in."

"Cool. I'm going to bed, so I'll ask about it tomorrow," Zack said before going back into his room.

Cloud emerged soon after and shut the door behind him. Sephiroth stood aside to let him enter his own room before closing the door. Cloud stood at attention, and Sephiroth slowly circled him.

"You wanted to see me?" Seph asked in a rough tone.

"Sir! Yes sir!"

"What is it?"

"I came to check in as ordered, sir! I also came to apologize for the incident this afternoon, sir!"

"Exactly what caused that incident, Strife?"

Cloud hesitated for a moment.

"I asked you a question, soldier!" Sephiroth said, raising his voice.

"I poisoned myself... sir," the blonde said.

Sephiroth took a long look at Cloud. The boy was fairly short, and somewhere in his early to mid teens. His blonde hair would be fairly long if it weren't so spiky. He had sad, deep blue eyes, but there was a definite innocence in his features.

"Why did you poison yourself?"

"For that moment, I wanted to die, sir!"

"I suggest you see a counselor, Strife."

"I saw one before returning here, sir!"

Sephiroth resisted the urge to tell Cloud how much he understood him. There was a certain distance he had to maintain with the other soldiers here. He had already vied ted this by making friends with Zack. But being so close in age to Zack, and being closer in age to Cloud than any other senior officer, he couldn't help but understand them in some ways that the other senior officers couldn't.

Cloud went through the necessary paperwork and questioning. After his last question, Sephiroth met his eyes for a moment.

"Cloud," he said, his green gaze burning into the teen. "It's hard, I know. I understand. But this," he said, holding up the razor, "This fixes nothing. I will have Zack checking up on you. If you ever try to harm yourself again I will persly fly find a way to bring you back from the dead just to kill you with my bare hands. Is that understood?"

Cloud stared back into the young general's eyes. "Yes sir," he said, understanding. He knew that Sephiroth didn't want to be harsh. "It won't happen again, sir."

Cloud stood up to leave, and Sephiroth saw him out.

"Thank you, sir," Cloud said before returning to his room.

Sephiroth glanced at Zack's door, which was open a tiny bit. He walked over with soft steps, and then gave the door a slight kick. The door flew back and hit something.

"OW!" Zack yelled. He peeked out from behind the door.

"I knew you weren't going to bed," Sephiroth chuckled as Zack rubbed his head.

"Yea, so I'm nosy," Zack grinned. "I'm glad you weren't too hard on him though."

"I just hope he'll be okay."

"Yea, me too. Anyway, time for bed," Zack smiled, opening his door wide. "Do you wanna have sex first, or do you wanna just cuddle?"

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and smiled as he walked back into his room. Zack laughed as they both shut their doors and went to bed.


~*~*~*To Be Continued*~*~*~

(I’m surprised people are getting addicted to this story so fast. o.o; Unlike my previous fanfic, which had sexual situations around every corner, this one is pretty tame. Then again, it’s hard to just throw in the sex scenes. Or is it…. *Shifts eyes as she sneaks off to write another chapter.*)