Crisis Core: The Novel

Chapter 44 - Visions of Light and Darkness [Part 1]

"What do you and Sephiroth talk about until 3AM every morning?" the other SOLDIER asked Zack as they patrolled through town.

"Oh, you know, our conversations carry across a wide range of deep topics and tend to be very long-winded."

"Aw gross! Are you guys talking about the horizontal hora?"

"I'm talking about philosophy, you sick freak!"

"Jeez, talking philosophy is how straight dudes have sex."

"Well, what can I say? Out here you gotta take what you can get."

Sephiroth laughed when Zack told him that, full and bright. He'd been off his medication for a while now, and his personality was starting to come out with the full clarity of the color spectrum. He was actually the most dead-pan guy on the face of the planet, and his dry humor had Zack in stitches. Wow, Sephiroth, able to act like a human being for the first time since he was Zack's age.

"So can you turn the volume up on that thing in your ear?" asked Zack, brimming with enthusiasm.

"I can adjust the levels to where I can hear a pin drop from the other side of town, but why would I want to?"

Zack's eyes popped out of their sockets.

"Are you kidding me?! Crank that thing up!"

"And make my ears bleed when you talk like that into them? No thank you."

"I'll be really quiet, I promise," he whispered, Sephiroth didn't buy it. "C'mon I swear it'll be great c'mon!"

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and turned the implant up.

"...A few people...three houses down...having a party..."

Zack cocked an ear out the cracked window.

"...What are they doing?"

"...Double-penetration."

"NO WAY!"

Sephiroth lurched back, audio feedback screeching in his ear. He almost backhanded the idiot sitting across from him while Zack turtled up with a sheepish grin. Sorry!

"Rrrrgg, no wonder Angeal was a raving mess when he first started training you," Sephiroth groaned, resetting his implant.

"Aw what? No way, Angeal loved me!"

"Indeed, but all of his off-hours during that first six months where spent with me at the bar getting wasted on scotch. He was great with dogs but he was this close to putting you in a shock collar."

"Hehehe," Zack chuckled.

"However, I will admit that I got endless satisfaction out of throwing his lectures back at him. But oh Angeal, remember patience and honor...he took a shot for each."

"Haha. Well did you and your student click right away?"

"God no. Two Scorpios together? I think the whole world heard our shouting matches."

"Angeal said he used to talk to her. He wanted to know if anything he said got through to her. Maybe you know what he meant?"

***

Sephiroth walked through the hall of SOLDIER wing with his student, a sixteen year old girl with an attitude problem and a huge chip on her shoulder. Even his closest friends thought he was downright insane to take a teenage girl under his wing. She strode next to him in silence like a cat on the prowl.