#aqua veil! * visage.

[raindnce]

tag drop.

[prismaticpichu]

Old story that never quite made it to AO3, so I’m pie-chucking it your way! Thx for taking it off my plate! <3

x~x~x~x~x~x

Untainted

Zack withdrew his blade from the corpse's chest, standing in silence. Only seconds ago this man was alive, breathing... feeling. Now, his own blood dribbled from the sword that had plunged through him.

Zack hated blood.

It represented the life that flowed through all people, there from the very beginning. And just as easily as it's given, it could be taken away. It was only a matter of those willing to take it.

The brunet lifted his gaze, turning around to see his comrade cut down the last of the rebels. Two children were taking refuge just a few yards behind him, huddling close as they were forced to watch the battle unfold. They couldn’t have been any older than eight.

Zack felt a pang in his heart, deep and visceral and unforgiving. Never should anyone have to witness violence at such a tender age…

Then again, should most people at all?

Somewhere in the fog of his mind, he heard the relieved cries of a mother as she entered the scene. She embraced her children, tears spilling, expressing her eternal gratitude as the woman ushered her offspring to safety.

But somehow, Zack couldn't stop his thoughts from traveling elsewhere.

"Zack."

The commanding yet familiar voice awoke him from his stupor. "Yeah, Seph?" He tried to mask the shakiness in his voice, unsure of how effective it was.

Sephiroth fished out a cloth as he cleaned his katana, seemingly unruffled. "I alerted the other SOLDIERs of the attacks," he reported. "They are going to come and take over. Until then, we are to wait for their arrival."

Zack pretended to smile. "You got it!" However, the facade quickly buckled; he sighed, trudging to a nearby rock and seating himself atop. The aqua eyes ached with a certain sadness, watching the stars glisten overhead and emblazon the obsidian sky.

He was surprised when someone joined him on the makeshift bench.

Sephiroth simply sat, waiting for the other to speak. He wasn't going to spur Zack into sharing—not unless he was willing. At least, that was what he would have wanted.

"Seph…"

“Hmm?"

Zack looked up with afflicted, dim eyes. It was so different from his usual self… and Sephiroth didn't like it. Not at all.

“Why do we have to kill?" Zack wondered.

Sephiroth was taken aback. It was something he had pondered in the past, when he was younger—more foolish. Being raised by scientists who wanted nothing more than a weapon, he was taught that killing was an essential part of his existence; moreso, that killing was his existence. As a young child, he naively adopted their mindset. But now, he knew better. He's been taught better… shown better, figuring out the world for himself. There was still much he had to learn, but he would pass on what he could.

"We do it to protect others," he finally answered. "Sometimes it is just a necessity for the greater good."

Zack digested his response, but was not satisfied. That was clear from his still-troubled visage. "Why can't we protect everyone though? Why do people have to die so others can live?"

Sephiroth closed his eyes, contemplating the earnest question. Zack was pure. It was a horrible realization to grasp, but he wasn't going to sugarcoat: that would only place a temporary veil over his eyes.

"That's not how it works," Sephiroth explained. “When you have beliefs or values, you defend them. And in order for there to be defense, there has to be those against whom you are fighting a battle. And in that battle, people are bound to fall. "

Zack shifted. "Yeah, but… why does there have to be a battle in the first place?"

Sephiroth turned to him, the emeralds tame yet uncertain. "I don't think anyone knows the answer to that."

Zack returned to the stars as if his answers were written there, the charcoal locks falling over his eyes and mirroring the dismal sway of his legs.

"What about the people we have to punish?" he asked then.

"What about them?"

“I mean, what if fighting them wasn't the answer? Why can't we just… guide the people who do wrong on the right path?" He looked back to his friend. "That way they'll have a chance to redeem themselves, and no one will be hurt."

Sephiroth shook his head. "Some people are not willing to be guided. Other times, they have done far too much damage to be cleansed."

"That's not true!" Zack spat without thinking. "Everyone can be redeemed! You just gotta let them!"

"And that's where the problem lies," Sephiroth said, keeping his voice level. "You can't always allow dangerous people to roam free, even if in captivity. Within that time, they can potentially harm many more innocents. And that would be an unfavorable trade, wouldn't you think?" He regarded where the hostages had been. "Without taking out those men, children could have been killed. That would have been a much worse fate."

Zack idly kicked a pebble. "I don't want any innocent people to be hurt… but I don't want the 'bad guys' hurt either. I just want them to not hurt anybody else."

"I understand," Sephiroth nodded. "But you can't rely on them not to, Zack. People can be, and often are, manipulative. They may claim to have changed, only to fool others into letting their guard down. There is a point where people simply cannot be trusted again."

"How do you know if you don't give them a chance?" Zack whimpered. "It's… not fair."

"And it wouldn't be fair to put others at risk either," Sephiroth argued. He grunted, his gaze rising to the sky himself. "The idea of 'fair' is an illusion; things will always be sacrificed."

The sapphires looked pained, boring into the soul of someone who was much too cynical to relate. However, that by no means meant he wasn't going to try.

"That being said," Sephiroth continued, "there are times where death may be a mercy."

Zack blinked, confusion now written is his eyes.

Sephiroth elaborated. "More times than not, someone who is so willing to take lives from others, are people who aren't in their right minds. Ending their reign may very well be the best way to save them."

The brunet was silent for a moment, pensive. "…I wanna be able to save them before death does." His voice was no louder than a mumble, too quiet for anything but enhanced ears to catch.

Sephiroth let out a sigh. "I know you do." He wanted to say with confidence that he could save everyone. If only the world worked like that.

Zack frowned then, his countenance guilty. "I'm sorry for all of this, bud. I knew what I was getting into when I joined ShinRa. I really oughta just do my job, quick and easy… like you."

"No," Sephiroth said immediately, more harsh than intended. "Don't ever be like me, at least not like that. You have a sense of integrity that is astonishing — admirable even." He met his comrade's eyes. “I myself wish our missions could be done with less bloodshed. And although that is something I still desire, I have long accepted what cannot be changed. You, Zack, you haven't given up. It is people like yourself that break boundaries and set new ones, people that won't stop fighting. Not just for yourself or your beliefs, but for everyone. That is nothing to apologize for. That is a gift."

Zack could only stare. For an indeterminable amount of time, the two simply sat in silence, the weight of their conversation wheeling overhead like birds.

Until slowly, mist began gathering in the aqua orbs, and a sniveling Zack struggled to find his voice.

"Thanks, Seph..."

A faint smile budded on Sephiroth's lips. Zack was becoming happy again. That is what he wanted to see.

He was about to speak when the rustle of nearby leaves cut into their discussion. "General, sir!" saluted a SOLDIER as he shuffled out of the bushes. "Sargent Chandler and I are ready for our shift."

Sephiroth nodded, standing from the rock and gesturing for Zack to follow.

Wiping the last of the haze away, a smile rejuvenating, he happily obliged. Zack leapt off with a new spring in his step, rushing to trail his best friend out of the woods. Out from where the nightmare began.

"Before we go back…" Zack stretched his voice. "Can we stop for ice cream?"

Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because it makes things better!"

"It's late."

“Aww, c'mon, Seph! I'll pay!"

"Get it on your own time."

“I wanna go with you, though!"

"Zack-"

"Please, buddy?"

The silver-haired man shook his head, amused. "Fine." He made his response sound as begrudging as possible.

Zack whooped in triumph. "Great! I know a place!"

So, the two continued their walk, Zack laughing and joking and pointing out the stars he found best. As they exited the forest, Sephiroth laid a hand on his friend's shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

Smiling, Zack resheathed his sword.

[hauntscreation]

lost the meme.   »    @jshepard​​ asked:  

“ i’m fine, by the way. ”

   ❛  … i presume if you weren’t, you would not be here to tell the tale.  ❜    but regardless of the outsider’s taunting, the stories this man told were unusual  ——  just enough to pique his interest and keep him from walking away, which was an achievement in of itself.  a gaze of faux - aqua held onto its illusion of normalcy, as if the veil of obsidian did not exist, even if momentarily;  it focused ‘pon the visage of the stranger before him, a glare that never ceased, despite the slight tilt of head.

    ❛  you’ve had quite the adventurous life, it seems.  i would even say mine pales compared to yours.  ❜    not that the other knew of his true identity or the decades  —  centuries, millennia  —  spent absorbing, confronting and exploring information, leaving for a colorful, infinite life.  regardless of this   ...   humans never failed to fascinate. 

[gaiabein-blog]

 The mere instance her name was brought up to him, Terra had made haste into locating her in this, what he would come to discover, this vast city. 

 “Excuse me, but does the name Aqua sound familiar to you?” Breathless inquiry through a rushed afternoon bid farewell the chapped lips of the failed master. Disappointment veiled over his visage when he was given a regretful no as a response. “Thank you,” he nodded in gratitude. Only prudent to do so. And, he was on his way again. Last recollection held, if only vague by the constant battle against the shadows, she was trapped in the realm of darkness. Contact --- lost shortly minutes afterwards. This location was unknown and foreign, surely darkness lingered among this city though its impact was no more than a trivial little thing. So, did she make it out? Sin of his if he allowed his hopefulness soar for his dear friend? Unbeknownst to the feckless youth just how much ground he had come to cover but the burning daylight of a welcoming morning had subsided and diminished to that of an afternoon lit by a warming sun. Judging by the lack of leads on her location he perhaps had not covered enough ground. Just how large was this city anyway?

 Query asked a couple of times now but to no success. Was he perhaps looking in the wrong place within this mass location? The reckless man placed his weight to rest minimally against a sturdy wall whilst sole limb lingered into the confinements of his pocket. “Where are you?” Question inquired to no one in particular. Hand embraced by the warm weight of a familiar star shaped memento. The surprise was quick and slight upon eyes as blue as the sky before his gaze turned that of a man lost in venture being welcomed by a beloved family member back home when his eyes rested upon the wayfinder. His grip tightened, holding it to his chest, his eyes closed. Aqua was here, he was more than certain of it. And so, the man pushed off his weight. Dear memento placed back in safekeep and at last continued to pace on searching for his friend.

.aqua ▐╎▸  @exiledindarkness