Date: 2008-12-08 14:11 Subject: FFVII Fic: Interrupt (4/?) PG13+ Security: Public Mood: hopeful Tags: darkfic, fandom: ffvii, fic, sephiroth, title: interrupt, zack

No, I haven't forgotten about this fic. I just got distracted by other not-quite-so-dark fic during NaNo month, and to be honest, I think maybe four people are actually reading this one, let alone commenting, and I'll admit I'm a review whore. I update sooner when I see that people actually want to see more; posting a chappie only to have it vanish into the void without a ripple is rather depressing. :/

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Title: Interrupt
Author: SkyFire (rabid_plotbunny)

Fandom: FFVII:CC
Characters: Sephiroth
Rating: PG13+
Summary: Shinra makes a decision and Sephiroth must face the consequences.

Warnings: WIP. AU, darkfic. And I mean Dark Fic. As in not happy, at all, period. Death-themes abound, though no one dies in it.

Previous chapters: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

Disclaimer: FFVII and its compilations belong to some huge company and not me. *sobs*



Zack shook his head, but the memory of that last revelation kept echoing in his head and refused to leave.

What are they terminating?

Me.

They had injected him with something, then left him to die. Alone.

"Y-you don't mean that," Zack denied, unable to accept that Shinra would do such a thing, especially after having put what must be an enormous amount of gil into the man. "That can't be right! Why would they do that? It doesn't make sense! Why?"

"After Genesis left, taking Hollander and millions of gil worth of Shinra equipment and machines, then Angeal... Those defections cost Shinra money and men, and he has decided to cut his losses. He cut funding to the Jenova Project and ordered all its samples and research to be destroyed."

Zack watched as Sephiroth panted, forcing the words out around the shuddery breaths. The small shivers had escalated to an easily visible convulsive tremor, passing over the silver-haired man every few seconds. "But that's Genesis and Angeal, not-"

"Hojo," Sephiroth cut in, "was Hollander's assistant for years as he worked towards his degree, and it was apparently Jenova-cell research stolen from Hollander that let him enhance me. Research and notes from Hollander's work on Genesis and Angeal."

"But-"

"I found out this morning. I always thought that my enhancements were like any other SOLDIER's; Mako-based. But I'd been injected with Jenova cells since before my birth."

"That doesn't mean anything! How can they do this?! You're the most loyal person I know!"

"Zack, it's too late. There's nothing anyone can do now."

Zack felt the almost overwhelming urge to slam his fist into something solid. He stood, began pacing in an effort to work out the angry energy. "Damn it! There has to be something! I have potions and healing Materia! What did they give you?"

"A Dr. Crescent used to work with Hojo during the early stages of the Jenova Project. Before her death, she engineered what is basically an anti-Jenova virus, designed to seek out and destroy all Jenova Cells. It was seen as a sort of failsafe in case the experiment... me... in case I became uncontrollable, or if Shinra ordered the project's termination for whatever reason. Potions and Materia would be useless."

Zack looked away, letting that sink in. He had never hated the Company as much as he did in that moment. How could they do that to Sephiroth? Inject him with something before he was born, then just decide to destroy him when the whim hit? That, along with the debacle that was the fallout after Genesis' and Angeal's defections, was showing him a side of Shinra he didn't like and really couldn't agree with. He was loyal, yes, but not stupid. He didn't think he could stay once Seph was....

Wait.

"You say this virus was designed to kill off Jenova cells, right?" he asked, returning to his friend's side. "But you're not all Jenova, there's other stuff in there too, like your parents. You're human, no matter what you've gotten put in you. So maybe it won't be as bad as we think right now. I mean, it looks pretty ba-"

Zack broke off as Sephiroth convulsed, then threw up onto the floor in front of him.

They both stared in disgust and growing horror. Unlike normal sick, this was a thick, tarry black ooze that bubbled, hissed, and seethed, looking anything but harmless.

Setting aside the questions for the moment in favor of taking care of his friend, Zack helped him to his feet, having to bend almost double to support him as they slowly shuffled toward the bathroom since the cramping pain wouldn't let Sephiroth straighten. He was sick four more times on the way there, finally collapsing with an unhappy moan against the toilet, only to find himself leaning over it not a moment later.

Leaving Seph alone for the moment, Zack went to clean up the messes, finding a bucket and cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink. At least the black stuff had stopped sizzling by the time he got to them, and had turned almost watery.

Gods, was that what was going to happen to Seph? He'd tried to sound optimistic around the other man, but he could only lie to himself for so long. The sounds of violent sickness from the other room only brought home the realization that the other man might not be around for very much longer, and that it was Shinra who was responsible. His best friend was likely dying, and all he could do was clean up the sick.

His throat tightened and his vision blurred as a wave of helplessness rushed over him. Then he scrubbed at his eyes with the back of one hand and turned back to cleaning with a vengeance as he tried to distract himself.

It didn't work.

All too soon, he was done. The messes were mopped up, the couch straightened, the coffee table put near the door to be taken out. He put the cleaning supplies back where he had gotten them. He got a glass from a cupboard and poured in a Potion before topping it off with water. It might not do anything, as Sephiroth had said, but he was going to try anyway, damn it! That done, he headed back to the bathroom.

He found Seph there, leaning limply over the toilet seat, apparently too weak to keep his head up, convulsive shivers shaking his entire body with their force. His eyes were wet, there were tear-tracks down his face, and he looked utterly humiliated. Zack's nose told him why not a step in the door; the smell of sick mixed with shit and urine.

He wanted to cry.

But "Let's get you cleaned up," was all he said. He held out the glass in offering. "Do you want some water first?"

The silver head jerked slightly in a tiny nod. He took the offered glass in shaking hands and drank, the look of shamed humiliation on his face joined by disgust whenever he shifted. He looked away. "I... I... The convulsions, I couldn't..."

"It's all right," Zack soothed, running a soothing hand up and down the shivering back. "It happens. We'll get you cleaned up and you'll feel better. You'll see."

Sephiroth's expression told him that he didn't believe a word of it but he allowed Zack to help him up once more, barely managing to stay vaguely upright as Zack carefully removed the tall boots, peeled off the soiled pants.

Zack helped Seph to the shower, washed away the sweat and filth, soaping and cleaning until they were both satisfied. He would have liked to have him soak in the tub for a while but the other man was barely conscious as it was and he decided it would probably be better to get him dried off and into bed. He lowered him to kneel on the floor of the shower, the warm water pouring down his back.

"You just stay there a moment, I'm going to find you something to wear." Once Zack was reasonably sure Seph would be all right for the few minutes it would take him, he darted out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. He looked around. All right. Now, if he was sleepwear, where would he be...?

He checked the dresser, made a face as he saw everything meticulously organized by type and color, somewhat surprised that Sephiroth owned clothing in colors other than black. And hey! there were the dark blue pajamas with the little silver kittens that he'd gotten Seph for a joke a little while back. He hadn't thought the man would actually have kept them! He grabbed them, then headed back to the bath.

Zack set the pajamas on the counter, then pulled a few large towels from a shelf and went over to the shower where Seph was now slumped against one side, looking somewhat like a miserable, wet cat.

He turned off the water, then wrapped one of the towels around the other man before helping him out. He dried him quickly, efficiently, wrapping the impossibly long hair in two towels before getting him into the pajamas.

By the time he was done, Sephiroth wasn't anything that could truly be called awake, so he decided to carry him. It was a bit awkward, mostly because Seph was taller than him, but he managed. Soon enough, Sephiroth was tucked into bed, a heap of blankets covering him and a bucket ready at the bedside, just in case.

TBC...