Crisis core-6

Right after Genesis' attack of Shinra.

* Slam!

Heidegger slammed his fists on the table and jumped from his seat. " This is completely unacceptable! Sir, these SOLDIERs are getting out of hand. We can't just let them run around doing whatever they want. We need to take care of them immediately." Heidegger exclaimed.

He was sitting in the president's office, alongside the other heads of Shinra to discuss what actions they should take after the events of Genesis attacking Shinra two days in a row. 

" Two times, they've attacked us, and two times those so-called First-class SOLDIERs have failed to bring them in." He continued.

" Is it so hard to understand why, Heidegger? After all they are all connected." Scarlet told the man. She was staring at herself in a mirror applying lipstick and when she was done, she popped her lips and smiled leisurely at the older man. " Angeal, Sephiroth, Genesis, and Exodus practically grew up together."

" Don't forget about, that new kid." Palmer spoke up.

" Yes, but what exactly do you want to do, Heidegger?" President Shinra asked the man in front of him. " I've already given you and your army permission to handle the threats, so why haven't they been dealt with?" 

" Those SOLDIERs keep getting in the way!" Heidegger exclaimed. " Especially that brat with the black and white hair."

" Exodus?" Reeve asked.

" Exactly. He just shows up whenever and wherever and does whatever he wants. He's disrespectful, arrogant, obnoxious, and dangerous."

" Hm.... I agree, the behavior of the first-class SOLDIERs have been getting erratic. What do you propose we do? Surely you don't think getting rid of him is the best option." President Shinra spoke.

" That's exactly what I'm thinking." Heidegger stated.

" That's foolish, Heidegger." Hojo told the man. " Even with your best men, one of my worst projects is still far above anything you could come up with. Even with the advancements I've made in SOLDIER, Exodus and his brother remain my finest works." Hojo exclaimed. 

" There is another possibility." Reeve spoke. 

Everyone's attention to turned to the man and he said this. " If we need to move him out of the equation, then how about sending him on a vacation?" Reeve said.

" What?! He breaks the rules, so we reward him?" Heidegger asked. " Have you lost your mind Reeve?"

" No. But I also know that if you want to eliminate any chance of him interfering in your operations, the best thing to do would be to remove him from the equation entirely. Send him somewhere. Okay, then how about this, send him on a goose chase."

" Hm?"

" It's simple, we tell him Genesis and Angeal have been sighted somewhere and then we send him. Preferably, somewhere far. Junon is a few days away, Corel is further, Gongaga is mountainous, that would keep him busy searching. We have options." Reeve explained.

" Hm... Fine. If it keeps that runt out of my way, I don't care what we do." Heidegger huffed.

President Shinra leaned back in his seat and took a drag from his cigar, blowing out a large cloud of smoke, before speaking. " Either of those options work. Just get it done."

....

The next day.

Exodus and Kunsel found themselves moving through the mountainous region of Gongaga. They had received a report of Genesis copies being sighted in the area and the two of them were sent to investigate, in the hopes of finding Hollander's lab.

" Man, of all places, how did we end up here?" Kunsel groaned.

He and Exodus were stuck trekking through the thick forest alone and on foot. A boring and tedious task. 

" We've been searching for hours, and we still have nothing." 

" Right." Exodus muttered. " Hey, Kunsel are we at the right coordinates?" Exodus asked the man.

Kunsel reached for his phone to check the details of the mission once again. " Yeah. This is the exact area they gave us." Kunsel told the man. 

" Let me see it." Exodus told the man. He took the phone from Kunsel and stared over the details. " Yeah... This is what it says.... But... There's nothing." Exodus muttered in disbelief.  He stared at the screen in silence, before suddenly a white feather dropped down in front of him, and a moment later Angeal appeared.

" Angeal!" 

" Whoa, the first class?"

Kunsel reached for his sword, but Exodus stopped him with a wave of his hand. Kunsel looked at Exodus and stood down. 

" What are you doing here, Angeal?" Exodus asked the man.

" I'm here to see you, old friend." 

" What's going on?"

" Hollander and Genesis."

" I know, they're here, right."

" No."

" What do you mean, no?" Exodus asked the man.

" Hollander and Genesis are in Modeoheim. You won't find them here."

" What? But... Oh, of course. I should have known this was bait. Those old bastards!" Exodus cursed.  He turned around for a moment rubbing his face out of frustration and anger of not seeing the ploy coming. 

Of course, they wanted him out of the way. He had actively gone against their wishes in eliminating the two rogue SOLDIERs. 

" Angeal I-"

When Exodus turned back, Angeal was gone, leaving behind a single white feather.

Exodus quietly grasped the feather in his hand, until it disintegrated into nothing.

" Hey, boss. What are we going to do?" Kunsel asked the man.

" Kunsel.... I'm going to Modeoheim." He said. " I want you to go back to Shinra."

" What?! Why?!"

" All this is our business. It started with us. We should be the ones to end it." Exodus told the man. " The way things are going... There's only way one-way things are going to end... I can see it. I won't drag you into our mess any further. I won't let Shinra kill my friends. And If I keep getting in the way, they're going to try and take me out to. If that day comes, I don't want you to get caught in the crossfire."

" Boss, you know, I'm on your side."

" Yeah. But...."

" Hey, there's no buts involved. If you're going, then I'm goin to, got it. End of the story." Kunsel told the man.

Exodus found himself with a smile on his face. " Alright then. I guess we're about to spit in the company's face together. Let's go, Kunsel, we've got a long trip to Modeoheim."

....

Exodus and Kunsel began their long trip to Modeoheim.

Meanwhile Zack and Tseng, along with a couple of infantry men from Shinra's army were already on the way there. 

However, the Helicopter carrying the men was suddenly shot down, by an enemy RPG. 

The Helicopter spun wildly out of control as it plummeted to the snow-covered ground. 

The explosion was powerful, thankfully however, other than a couple of cuts and bruises, everyone seemed to be fine. 

" No signal out here." Tseng muttered.

" Yeah, well at least we're in one piece." Zack said to the man. " We'll be alright."

" Thankfully, we have someone used to this kind of terrain."

" Yeah, yeah I'm a country boy." 

" We would have reached Modeoheim by now if we hadn't crashed.... SO, we need to make up for lost time." Tseng stated.

Zack stepped forward to take the lead. " Alright, follow me then." He told the group.

Being from a backwater region, Zack was used to traversing harsh environments. 

At first, the group stayed tightly close together, however as they continued moving through the mountain, Tseng and one of the infantry SOLDIERs started falling behind. 

" Yo! Don't fall too far behind!" Zack turned and yelled to Tseng. He then turned back and looked at the Infantryman next to him. " At least someone's keeping up."

" Well, I'm a country boy too." The young man said to Zack.

" Really? From where?" Zack asked.

The infantryman was quiet for a moment before replying. " Nibelheim."

Hearing the ridiculous name caused Zack to laugh in the young man's. face.

" What about you?" The man asked defensively.

Zack spun around with a smile on his face. " Me? Gongaga!"

It was the young man's turn to laugh now, causing Zack to get defensive as well. 

" Hey, what's so funny about that? You know Gongaga?!" Zack asked. 

" I'm sorry. It's just such a backwater name."

" Ditto Nibelheim."

" Like you've been there." 

" I haven't. But there's a reactor there right? A mako reactor outside of Midgar usually means-"

The two men looked at each other and then mouthed " Nothing else out there!" at the same time causing them both to laugh.

Zack turned and faced Tseng as he climbed towards the two. " Good news, Tseng. Me and-" Zack paused for a moment, when he realized he didn't know the soldiers name.

The infantryman paused for a moment before removing his helmet and revealing his spiky blonde hair. " Cloud." The young man spoke.

" Me and Cloud here are both backwater experts! Oh yeah!" Zack yelled.

" Good. Carry on then." Tseng told the two.

Zack and Cloud nodded and continued on forward as Tseng and the other soldier continued to struggle up the mountain path. 

It was quiet for a moment, but as the two men walked Cloud worked up the nerve to ask him a question that had been bothering him.

" Hey, Zack..."

" Hm?"

" SOLDIER... What's it like?" He wondered.

" Hm? I'm not getting the question." Zack responded honestly. " You should learn once you join up, man."

" If I can join, you mean." Cloud spoke. His voice sounded more defeated and depressed. 

Zack looked at Cloud and patted him on his chest. " Hey, don't worry, man. If I could do it. You can too." He said.

Cloud nodded, but still he doubted whether or not he could do it.

" Hey, Cloud, look." Zack spoke. His voice had gotten serious.

Cloud looked at what Zack was pointing out and saw a dig site, swarming with SOLDIERs.

Zack and Cloud crouched down and approached the edge of the mountain path, while keeping an eye on the facility. 

" It's Genesis." Zack muttered.

Tseng approached the two men from behind, joining them in observing the site. " That's a mako excavation test site." Tseng told the two.

" Okay, I'll check it out." Zack told the man. 

" Wait." Tseng told the man. " Our main mission is reconnaissance. Engaging Genesis was not expected."

" Not expected, so just let them be? Unreal." Zack complained.

" Regardless. We need more intel. It's possible there's a larger force inside the building."

" Okay, how about this then; I go first, avoiding combat if possible, and sneak inside. Then I take a look around. If I can take them, I will. If not I'll bolt." Zack told the man.

Tseng sighed heavily under his breath.

" Come on, man. I'll prove that SOLDIER isn't just a bunch of mindless thugs." Zack argued.

" Okay then. The entrance is behind that warehouse." Tseng told the man. He pointed to the Warehouse at the back of the site. 

" Gotcha!" Zack exclaimed.

" I'm sure you know this but mind your body temperature. If you stop moving too long your body temperature will drop, if that happens just do what you normally do to get it back up." Tseng explained.

Tseng was referring to Zacks constant habit of doing squats seemingly for no reason at all out of nowhere. 

" Oh yeah. Right!" Zack exclaimed. " Alright, then. I'll be back!" Zack jumped down the path, leading towards the facility and disappeared behind its walls.

Zack crept through the dig site, hiding behind piles of old logs and broken-down machinery. To his luck, it seemed the soldiers guarding the front entrance weren't very accustomed to the cold weather or the constant snow. 

It was thanks to this cover of flurry white that Zack was able to sneak into the facility without causing a hitch, at first. 

Zack entered into a large open area in the facility.  There was old mining equipment, an old elevator shaft, and lots of ventilation. 

Lots of it, looked old and run down, a sight befitting an abandoned site. The only thing that seemed to still be in working operation was the main elevator. 

" I guess, this is where I go next." Zack muttered. 

Zack entered the elevator and pressed the button to go up, further. Zack's gut clenched as he approached the top, in his mind he was preparing himself for the worst.

Zack's elevator placed him right at the top of the facility, where the drill was that had been used to mine for Mako. And there, stood Hollander, and Genesis, who appeared to be suffering from the degradation process. Genesis' constitution was weak. He could barely hold his sword above the ground. His beautiful brown hair had turned almost gray in color. His skin was becoming paler and paler, and there were even signs of cracks appearing on his flesh. 

In other words, he was close to the end.

"What are you doing, Genesis?" Hollander asked as Genesis held his sword to his throat. " You need me, Genesis. Remember that. Without me, you can't stop the degradation."

" The Jenova cells." Genesis told the man. Informing Hollander that he didn't need him.

Zack quickly jumped in front of Hollander, knocking Genesis' blade down with his own.

Genesis could barely keep his arm up, with Zack's force bearing down on him, another sign of how weakened he had become. Once a match for even the strongest SOLDIER, he was now being overpowered by Zack. 

Hollander tried to make a break for the elevator but was stopped by the unexpected arrival of Cloud Strife, who had followed Zack into the facility.

" Stop!" Cloud shouted as he grabbed Hollander.

" Cloud, good job!" Zack told the young man.

Hollander fought with Cloud briefly, before shrugging the young man off of him.

Genesis finally managed to shrug Zack off of him, and lunged at Hollander again, only for Zack to get in his way once more.

Zack braced himself and acted as shield for Hollander.

" Genesis, nobody knows where the Jenova cells are being kept." Hollander explained. " Not even Hojo knows."

" Then I shall accept my fate willingly. But I'm taking the world with me!" Genesis exclaimed.

Genesis lunged at Zack with his blade.

Zack parried the strike.

Genesis didn't let up and stabbed at Zack with the tip of his blade multiple times, before locking blades with Zack once again.

Hollander, in the meantime, ran off.

" Cloud, go!" Zack yelled.

Cloud nodded, understanding what it was Zack wanted him to do, and ran off after Hollander, intent on not letting him escape. 

Meanwhile Zack and Genesis faced off. 

Zack managed to parry each and every single stroke of Genesis' sword, which angered the former SOLDIER to no extent. 

" Hm!" Genesis grunted. He charged Zack and tried stabbing him again, only for Zack to grab his arm and headbutt him back. " Gaaaaah!" Genesis howled in frustration. " Howl in terror, Shinra lapdog!" Genesis raised his hand and his black wing sprouted from his left shoulder. 

Then, multiple feathers fell off of his black and started glowing red. With a wave of his hand the feathers raced towards Zack and exploded upon contact. 

Zack was hurt.

Even though, he was injured, Genesis was still strong with magic.

" Gotta remember who I'm fighting." Zack muttered to himself. He tightened his grip on his blade and leaped into the air. His sword started to glow red. " All right! Here comes the big one!" Zack swung his blade down at Genesis and multiple red balls of fire shot towards the man like comets. 

The explosions engulfed Genesis and knocked him to the ground, injuring him.  

Genesis collapsed onto one knee. He was hurting badly.

" HMMMMM!" Genesis grunted. " Dreams of the morrow... Hath the Shattered soul.... Pride is lost.... Wings.... Stripped away. The end... Is nigh." Genesis muttered. He tried desperately to get back to his feet. But the degradation coupled with the injury he suffered, Genesis collapsed onto the ground, his black wing falling sadly in the wind. " Such is... The fate of a monster."

" We are not monsters, you hear me! We're SOLDIER!" Zack told the man. " Where's your honor, Genesis?!"

Genesis gritted his teeth and struggled to get to his feet. He wasn't done yet. " Even if the morrow is barren of promises... Nothing... Shall forestall my return." Genesis limped towards the pit, of which led to the dark of the earth. " If this world seeks, my destruction... It goes with me." Genesis muttered. And then with beady eyes and breaths so ragged, he leaped into the abyss, allowing himself to be swallowed by darkness.

Zack ran after the man and looked down into the pit. " Genesis." He muttered sadly.

.....

Zack eventually exited the facility. With Genesis gone, there no longer was any reason for him to remain. Hollander was the only one left to take care of.

However, when Zack reached the surface once again, he noticed both Tseng and Cloud were missing.

" Huh? Where did they go?" He wondered. He looked around the area and observed some tracks leading into a nearby hole in the mountain path. " They must have gone that way. I should follow them." 

Zack took off into the snow, chasing after the trail, which eventually led him right into the town of Modeoheim itself.

The town was abandoned and run down for the most part. Some buildings remained intact, but much of it was still in ruins. However, the town's bath house, seemed to not only be in shambles, but for whatever reason, it was also the only building in the town with power. 

Zack followed the trail, right towards the Bath house, and stumbled upon an injured Tseng. 

" Tseng!" Zack yelled.

He approached the injured Turk and observed him. He had no clear signs of injury. No blood or cuts, or any open wounds of any kind. But from the way Tseng was holding his stomach he knew he was in pain.

Tseng coughed a few times, still struggling to breathe, and raised his hand and pointed to the halls beyond him. " U-up ahead... You have to catch Hollander... Angeal is waiting for you." He said.

Zack nodded in affirmation, and Tseng closed his eyes. His part in all this was done.

Zack stood up and swallowed. The dark hall in front of him, seemed to be so small and constricting, or at least appeared to be. 

Zack followed the hallway to a hole in the wall, each footstep he took became heavier and heavier. The Hole led up a side of ventilation that carried Zack to the upper floor of the bath house. It is there at the very peak, that Zack finally came face to face with Angeal, who had been waiting for him. 

Angeal stood in the glowing light, waiting. 

" It should have been me." He spoke. " I should have stopped Genesis."

" Yeah? Then why'd you send me?" Zack asked.

Angeal turned, with his buster sword in hand, and faced Zack. " To prepare you for your next fight."

" Have you lost it?" Zack asked in disbelief.

It was then Angeal swung at Zack multiple times, forcing Zack to dodge out of the way.

" Angeal, what are you doing? Stop it!" Zack yelled. 

" That girl is waiting for you, right?" Angeal.

A face appeared in Zacks mind. A smile. And in that moment, Zack inhaled a sharp breath and reached for his sword. " Angeal, don't do this." Zack told the man. 

Angeal rushed Zack once again.

Zack raised his blade to stop Angeal, and locked swords with him.

" Hehehe! Very good, Angeal." Hollander muttered as he entered the room. " It is time exact vengeance for our family's suffering." 

" Family?" Zack muttered.

" NO! My father is dead!" Angeal yelled at the man. He shoved Zack to the side and glared at Hollander.

" Dead? Fine. Do it for your mother then."

" My mother's shame, made her take her own life." Angeal declared.

" Shame? She should have been proud. Proud to be the namesake of our project. Project G... Or should I say Project Gillian."

Angeal grabbed Hollander by his collar. " Don't say her name.

" The woman implanted with Jenova cells. Genesis, who had her genes mapped onto him in the fetal stage. Yes, Genesis was a failure, I admit it. But you, Angeal... You were actually bred inside Gillian's body... You... You are perfection." Hollander exclaimed.

Angeal shoved Hollander to the side in anger.

" Zack... I am perfect.... A perfect monster. My cells can absorb genetic traits and pass them along to others." Angeal explained.

" A two way conduit... Jenova's powers have been passed on to you completely." Hollander told the man.

Angeal's face scrunched up into a frown. His eyes turned red, and his lips quivered. " Zack, do you remember what I said. about our enemy being all that creates suffering?"

" Yeah... But you're not one of them." Zack told the man.

" But I created my own suffering..." Angeal muttered. " Zack... Let me show you." Angeal raised a hand and suddenly, monsters bearing Angeal's signature look appeared.

" Stop it! You don't know what you're doing!" Hollander yelled.

Angeal ignored Hollander and continued forward, angering Hollander.

" Damn it! At least one sample!" He shouted. Hollander tried rushing Angeal, only for the man to swat him away with ease.

The monster's surrounding Zack all of a sudden moved in. Zack raised his sword, ready for them to attack him, however that is not what happened. The monsters for some reason all ran past him, confusing Zack greatly. 

They had instead pounced on Angeal, who screamed out in agony as the monsters ravaged his body.

It was then, that a bright red explosion, blew the roof off of the bath house.

....

In the distance, Exodus and Kunsel, who were just now arriving by helicopter saw the blast.

" What was that?!" Kunsel wondered.

" Not good, that's what. Can't this thing move faster?!" Exodus asked the pilot.

" I'm sorry, sir. But I'm already moving as fast as possible." The pilot replied.

Exodus punched the back of the seat in frustration. " Damn it! Hurry up!" He yelled. He looked at the smoke blowing in the distance, his eyes narrowed. " Hold on guys... Just a little longer."

....

When the smoke cleared away, Angeal had changed. Gone was the form of man. He was now a true monster. His upper body remained the same, but he had undergone severe changes elsewhere. His legs had turned into those of a monstrous quadrupedal monster with claws. He had grown two large and robust arms with sharp claws that wielded a large trident in one hand, and a shield in the other. But the most disturbing change was the mouth that replaced his waist. 

Zack was left in shock as he stared at the abomination in front of him.

Angeal lashed out at Zack with his trident and cut him twice across the face in the shape of an x.

" Angeal! What happened to honor?!" He asked.

But the man no longer had the ability to speak to him. All that remained was a mindless monster, made to kill.

Angeal rushed Zack with his shield and slammed him across the room.

Zack spit up a glob of blood as all the wind was knocked from his body. Zack felt the pain drumming through his entire body, almost as if a train had just run straight into him.

Zack grabbed his blade and narrowly avoided being run through by Angeal's trident.

Zack rushed Angeal and tried to cut the man across his chest, but Angeal used his shield to deflect the strike, knocking Zack backwards.

Zack hit the ground and jumped to the side, skipping his way to the side of Angeal's body. He attacked the arm wielding the shield, slamming the edge of his blade down. 

The beasts hide was thick, but slowly the blade started to inch its way through the thick flesh.

Sensing the danger, the beastly Angeal, thrashed about, throwing Zack off of him, and then started slamming its paws on the floor. All of a sudden, it raised its trident up to the sky and a torrent of electricity shot towards Zack.

Once again, Zack narrowly avoided death, by dodging at the last minute. As he looked at the sharp hole in the wall, Zack remembered his training with Angeal and Sephiroth and was thankful for listening when he did.

Zack raised his sword again, knowing that the beast wasn't going to let him get close to his wounded arm again. And he couldn't risk fighting at a distance, or else it would use its magic against him. 

" Man, o man. Even Genesis wasn't this powerful. You really are something Angeal." Zack muttered.

Knowing he had to do something fast, Zack decided. " I'm going to unleash everything I got, all at once! Are you ready?!" Zack yelled. He held up his blade swung it at Angeal, unleashing a barrage of Firey explosives on the beast. 

Angeal raised its shield to block the attack but was quickly consumed by the flames. The smoke provided perfect cover for Zack, allowing him to get in close and with one powerful swing, severe the arm of the beast that was holding the shield.

The beast swatted Zack away as it roared out in pain. It grabbed at its severed arm and collapsed onto the ground.

With the beast disorientated, Zack rushed in once more. He raised his blade, and similar to Sephiroth and Exodus, cut the beast 8 distinct times across its body.

The beast had tried to defend itself with its trident, but each of Zacks attacks grew faster and stronger.

"HAAAAAH!" Zack's last attack severed the beasts only remaining arm, leaving it defenseless. " This is it..." He muttered. 

Zack readied his blade to deliver the final blow. 

" Remember this Zack, embrace your dreams and whatever happens, Uphold your honor as SOLDIER!"

Zack remembered Angeal's words to him, and with tears in his eyes he Leaped at Angeal and cut the man directly across his abdomen. 

Blood splattered across Zack's face, and Angeal's beastly body collapsed on its back.

Zack looked down, watching as Angeal's body slowly reverted back to normal, and Angeal opened his eyes once more.

" Zack... You have my thanks." Angeal muttered softly. He reached for his fallen buster sword and lifted it towards Zack. " This is for you."

" Why angeal?" Zack muttered. He grabbed Angeal's sword as tears began falling down his face.

Angeal didn't answer, instead, he smiled. He smiled brighter than he had in a long time. " Protect your honor, Zack... Always." With those words, said, Angeal took one last look at Zack and then closed his eyes....

For good.

.....

" Come on, Kunsel, hurry up!"

" Right!"

Exodus and Kunsel were running up the stairs of the Bath house, when suddenly they came across Tseng, who was still passed out from his injuries.

" Shit, Tseng..." Exodus and Kunsel both ran over to the man and Exodus checked to see if he was okay. " He's still breathing. Kunsel, take Tseng and get him out of here. I'm going ahead!" Exodus shouted.

" Right, boss!"

Exodus nodded and Kunsel took over as Exodus started running down the hall ahead. 

He was breathing heavily, sweat dripped from his forehead, his heart felt like it was in his throat. It felt as though the world was on his shoulders and every step he took threatened to break the ground beneath him.

But the worst was yet to come.

Exodus climbed the levels of the Bath house to the very top, he grabbed on to the hilt of his sword and prepared himself. However, he hadn't prepared himself, for what he saw.

The moment he crossed the boundaries into the next room. The weight of the world finally came crashing down. 

Sam dropped his sword and his gun and fell to his knees. Every breath in his body gathered together and exited all at once as the sight of Angeal's lifeless body lay on the floor in a puddle of blood.

[ Why Instrumental- Crisis core reunion]

Zack turned and faced Sam as tears welled up in his eyes

" Ha... Ha. Haaaa. Haaaaaaa!" Sam's breathing started to grow heavier and raspier. Becoming frantic. 

Memories of a life time now gone started flashing in his mind.

.....

" Welcome our two newest members. Angeal Hewley and Genesis Rapshodos." Lazard spoke.

Sam and Sephiroth watched as Angeal and Genesis walked into the SOLDIER headquarters for the first time.

" Hello. My name's Angeal."

" And I am, Hm! Genesis!"

.....

" Oh come on, Angeal?"

" No. You can't keep taking everything for granted, Sam. This isn't a game anymore. We're SOLDIERs."

" Yeah? So?"

" So, that means we have a duty. 

" What duty is that?" 

" To embrace our dreams, and no matter what happens we uphold our honor as SOLDIER!"

....

" Angeal, Genesis, what are you guys doing here?" 

" Well, it is your guys' birthday's, right? You and Sephiroth both?"

" Well, yeah but-"

" No, buts!" Angeal exclaimed.

He grabbed both Sephiroth and Sam by the wrists and dragged them out of their room.

" Come on, let's celebrate."

...

" I'm disappointed in you, Sam." Angeal stated.

" For what? I did what I thought was right." Sam told the man. " Isn't that what you always talk about? Honor and crap? I couldn't let those people go down. Not like that."

" I'm not talking about that." Angeal told the young man. " I'm talking about all these damn wounds. You got sloppy and you got hurt because of it."

Sam retreated slightly and glanced to the side in shame.

Angeal walked over to him as he sat on his bed and patted him on the shoulder. " You did the right thing, but make sure to take care of yourself as well."

....

" The sky is beautiful, even here in this fake world. It is splendid. Have any of you ever wondered what lies beyond that beautiful veil so high in the sky?"

" Yes." Genesis spoke. " Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess." He raised his hand to the sky. " We seek it thus and take to the sky. Ripples form on the water's surface. The wandering soul knows no rest."

" Heh! Loveless Act-1"

" You remembered?"

" Of course!" Sam exclaimed. " Hey, guys..."

Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth all looked to Sam in question, their eyes locked firmly on him. 

" Have any of you wondered what we're going to do after this war? I don't know about all of you... But I'm tired of this fighting. One day, I hope to do something different."

" Oh yeah? And what's that?" Angeal asked.

" I want to try building something for a change."

" Like what?" Sephiroth asked.

" I don't know yet. But whatever it is, I want you all there with me. It'll be hard, but I know with the four of us together, we can accomplish anything.  Let's end this war so that next generation doesn't have to. And then, let's go build something new... Together. What do you say?"

" Hm, that's an awful lot of conviction from a man who was staring at a wall for a week." Angeal joked. " I like it! What about you, Genesis."

" Hm, Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul. Pride is lost, wings stripped away. The end is nigh. There is no hate, only joy. For you are beloved by the goddess. Hero of the dawn, healer of worlds." Genesis spoke. He then smiled. " That sounds like a fine dream, my friend."

" I agree." Sephiroth muttered.

The four men all raised their hands to the sky together.

" Heh! Then it's settled. Let's do our best so that we can spread our wings and fly!"

...

The flashes ended and Sam was next to Angeal, clutching onto his lifeless body, his face beat red, tears and snot falling down past his mouth. Sam's screams were loud and vicious. So loud, that Kunsel heard them from below the Bath house. 

" ANGEAAAAAAL!!!!!!!"

........

Sephiroth awaited the return of Zack and Sam. The minute their helicopter touched down in Shinra HQ, he was there waiting, along with members of the Turks organization, Reno, Rude, and Cissnei.

" Sam!" Sephiroth called out.

The moment, Sam stepped off the Helicopter and looked at Sephiroth, he wrapped his fingers in his own hair and started shaking his head back and forth as tears started welling up in his eyes again.

Sephiroth stared at Sam with his mouth agape.

He couldn't make it in time. He failed. They were both gone. The closest friends... No, the closest thing they ever had to a real family. And now they were both gone.

Sam started to scream. Harder and harder every second, the weight hit him again like a train and he collapsed.

Sephiroth crossed the distance between the two in mere moments, and covered his brother with his body, but he couldn't drown out the screams heard throughout the entirety of Shinra Hq. 

......

One friend dies, one flies away, the one that remains becomes the hero- Loveless.

The four hands of the brothers, dwindles sadly to only two.