Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

The Whys of What Ifs

Chapter 5 - The Fury Within: Hard Knowledge

"That thing that attacked Sephiroth… was that the second One-Winged Angel?" A petite, blonde woman, Usagi, the Lunar Queen, asked him.

"The sefer? No," He replied in a calm, even manner, belying his real unease.

"And the monster that Sephiroth transformed into… that was the One-Winged Angel, wasn't it?" Usagi asked, her eyes keen with withheld knowledge and wisdom, although her face was still pale.

"He's not called that without a reason, dolly," He replied drolly, watching the Senshi try to make sense of his answers and not lose their patience.

Zack waited in the foyer of the Celestial Warrior of Fire's home, talking with them, seeking to answer their questions. The end of the battle had given them many questions, some of which he did not feel comfortable answering. Some of which he had been ordered not to answer. Some of which the mercenary himself did not know.

It discomfited him.

No matter how important or convoluted the mission was, the mercenary had always felt up for it. It had been so ever since the being known as Phobideum found him. So long ago, it seemed now. Zack's memories of those days were hazy, but he clearly recalled the feeling of confidence that had enveloped him when Phobideum had recruited him, for reasons he couldn't quite remember. At a time Zack couldn't quite recall. The battle's end had shaken him. He did not doubt Phobideum, but he wondered what else the guardian had failed to tell him.

Zack's eyes clouded over in thought. He passively listened to the Senshi talk amongst themselves.

Sephiroth should never have survived the hideous wound the sefer had inflicted on him. Sephiroth's lungs had practically melted under energy of the spear. But Sephiroth had not only survived, he had healed the horrific wound within a matter of seconds. It was inconceivable. Such things should not have happened. Not really.

Sephiroth should never have been able to pull the spear from his body. His hands had blackened and cringed away from the harsh energy. But Sephiroth had not only pulled the azure plasma spear from his side, he had crushed it by main force! The spear dissipated as though it never was, the terrible wound vanishing along with its maker. It was unthinkable. Such things would not have happened. Not really.

Sephiroth should not have been able to stop the sefer, even after the SOLDIER healed his injury. The sefer was incredibly strong, strong enough to give Zack, in his underpowered state, a run for his money. But Sephiroth was like no other force that Zack had ever encountered, with the possible exception of Phobideum or some of the Cetran High Councilmen. It was impossible. Such things could not have happened. Never.

But it did.

The One-Winged Angel had burst from his hidden place in the lower reaches. The transformation was sudden, but not instantaneous, and oh, so horrible to watch. The last few pitiful shreds of trenchcoat had been torn from Sephiroth's body by the wings' emergence. Zack had almost retched at the sight, restrained only by previous training and experience. The two standing Celestial Warriors did not have this experience, though. Their leader, the Celestial Warrior of Holy, had turned her face in horror of the sight, vomiting on the ground. The Celestial Warrior of Darkness did not throw up at the sight, but her already pale face had lightened several shades. Zack did not blame them.

The wings! They were images of horror, the left stained in ichor and blood, the right as deeply stained, but mutilated in horrific fashion. The right wing ended abruptly and in disjointed fashion, as though someone had been slicing through the wing in maniacal glee and could not decide whether they liked slicing down or slashing across the appendage.

The sefer had never stood a chance. The winged one of the lower depths had ripped him apart and tossed the remains aside like a rag doll. Zack remembered that the corpse had molded and shifted, the resulting face staring at the nameless horror behind the one few dared name… The mercenary blocked further thoughts of the gruesome battle from his mind, seeking to regain his usual coherent mind.

'I fought dozens of battles. I've killed hundreds of men. The sefer's death doesn't bother me. Wouldn't bother me if a few dozen more like him died, stupid bastard… The thing that bothers me is the monster that killed him, the winged one of the lower depths. His host has got to stick around for a while, and he knows me, or at least an alternate version of me. Poor son of a bitch. I almost feel sorry for him.' Zack sighed, mentally and physically. The Senshi looked at him, curious of his thoughts.

Zack looked up and thought: 'I need a drink.'

The mercenary stood up and turned to leave. The Celestial Warrior of Darkness, Hotaru, had taken it upon herself to watch Sephiroth. Until the SOLDIER awoke, he would be fine. Haruka, the Celestial Warrior of Wind, demanded, "Where are you going?"

Zack eyed her in his peripheral vision. "When Sephiroth wakes up, tell him I went to my favorite vacation spot. He'll know where to find me."

"Wait a minute. I thought you said you were different from the Zack that Sephiroth knew. How is he supposed to know where you're going to be if you're so different from the person he knew?" Michiru, the Celestial Warrior of Water, asked him, eyes narrowed.

Zack paused, sighed, and deposited his giant broadsword on the floor, where it clanged. He didn't care that it was good point under normal circumstances. These weren't normal circumstances and these Senshi were getting in the way of his drink. He just wanted a damn drink. Was that too much to ask? Might as well tell them something. Phobideum hadn't specifically forbidden him to tell them about this subject, and it would get them off his back.

"The same people are the same in certain ways even if they have different outlooks or experiences. This is just one of those things. Satisfactory?" Zack looked around, saw a few slight nods and a few more confused looks. Good enough.

He resumed walking out the door. No one tried to stop him this time.

As the mercenary cleared the door of Rei's temple, he spotted a beautiful woman with long emerald hair and deep garnet eyes walking towards the entrance. He kept walking, hiding his surprise.

'Her…'

As the two passed each other, he gave no clue that he recognized her, save a slight nod of acknowledgement. Zack rolled his thumb along his index, middle, and ring fingers. The woman paused for a moment, gave him a considering look, and walked on. She did not see his slight hand movement.

Zack walked out onto the sidewalk, humming and trusting to the usual directions to find the nearest good pub. They had never failed him. He felt, if not happy, then at least satisfied.

He was on the job.

* * * * * *

'Do we even have the slightest clue of what we're dealing with? I don't know even what that sefer was. It was so powerful. And according to Zack, there are more out there. How can we stop them all? And what of the other two One Winged Angels? If this is the general that Phobideum mentioned, and I think it is, then what of the insane one and the god? Sephiroth held back. He could have used that blade of his against us. And what would we have done then?' Hotaru brooded, watching over Sephiroth as he recovered from his transformation in one of Rei's spare bedrooms.

What had held Sephiroth back? Hotaru did not know. The silver-haired warrior had fought with grace, skill, and cunning, using the Senshi's own attacks to his advantage, but he had done nothing more serious than knock them unconscious. The youmas had received a far worse treatment. The handsome general could have done much worse to them, but he had not. Could he have an aversion to unnecessary fighting?

Hotaru did not know. The One-Winged Angel certainly had none. The memory of the battle still held her…

~~~Flashback~~~

The azure energy spear held Sephiroth to the tree. He struggled in vain; trying to pull the weapon from his chest, face contorting in pain. Skin melted from his hands, the white of bone glimmering shortly as Sephiroth withdrew his hands and they regenerated. Already exhausted by the battle with the Senshi and the youmas, Sephiroth slumped, the spear digging even more deeply into his chest. The emerald glow of his eyes began to fade…

"Sephiroth! No!" Hotaru raced towards him, not sure of what she could do, but determined to try. However, it was not to be. She slowed her mad rush even as she realized it. The glow had vanished from Sephiroth's eyes by the time Hotaru had reached him. He was dead.

Hotaru's face was set in shock as she softly whispered, "No…"

Zack was incensed. "You stupid little bitch! That's it! You're gonna' die today!" He drew the huge weapon from the sheath on his back and held it in a double-handed attack position. Usagi recovered herself, pulling her wand into attack position.

The sefer sat slack-jawed, shell-shocked, "(Sephiroth) is going to kill me…" he finally whispered in vague despair. Hotaru pulled herself together, rematerializing her Glaive, and prepared to attack the sefer when a loud booming voice interrupted.

"Lacking brains, the sefer seeks to challenge what the Heavens fear. If so, let him speak now to seal his fate, for it is upon him."

Hotaru turned to face the speaker and realized in shock that the voice actually belonged to Sephiroth, who now was not only alive, but standing tall, as if not pinned to a tree by an enormous energy spear, his eyes shining, rather than green, red with a grim malice. Hotaru felt a sense of relief mingled with a deep feeling of dread.

A shade of movement and pearl white wings sprouted from his back, though the right wing was incomplete, ending shortly after its midpoint. Blood oozed from the malformed wing, as though it had a fresh wound.

The sefer's eyes widened at the One-Winged Angel's statement. "Master (Sephiroth)…" Terror rimmed his words, fear of the creature few had even dared to remember.

Red eyes narrowed, considering briefly. "So it is, so it shall be. Fate is choice and the choice is made." The One-Winged Angel moved as if to stretch its shoulders. The effect was instantaneous. The tree it was pinned to shattered away from it, raining down shards of timber in every direction. Hotaru had to recall her Silence Wall to deflect falling debris.

Time seemed odd, at least to Hotaru's perception, in the next few moments. The feeling that it was not really she who was watching the events crept upon Hotaru. It was a most unusual backdrop to events that unfolded. The grim figure of the demonic/angelic Sephiroth calmly removed the sefer's deadly weapon from its chest and shattered it with a simple squeeze. The huge wound in his chest melted and flowed like water, filling in the gap in a matter of moments. No sign remained of the horrible injury. It was as though the wound had never happened.

The One-Winged Angel howled, the cry of a creature neither human nor bestial nor angelic nor demonic, and charged the stunned mirror image, holding its head low, and its wings horizontally straight. The sefer vainly attempted a defensive stance, but against the force of the red-eyed Sephiroth, it was merely wasting precious milliseconds. At the last moment, the One-Winged Angel hooked right, bringing its left wing around and into the sefer's body.

The feathers of the wing, sharper than the finest steel, sliced through the mirror image's body with all the force of a hurricane. The image faded from around the sefer and for moment, time stood poised, awaiting an outcome. The outcome came when the sefer's upper body slid from the remainder in a short gout of all too crimson and, seemingly, all too human blood. The upper half rolled shortly in the grass before becoming dust, following the path of the youmas it had succeeded, the lower half joining it a moment later. The One-Winged Angel straightened up, its wings slowly fading into the ether.

Hotaru faced the One-Winged Angel warily, unsure of her strength in comparison to this new force. It stood calmly, eyeing Hotaru in its peripheral vision. Hotaru dimly saw Zack sheathe his sword, and followed suite by desummoning her Glaive. If the One-Winged Angel could destroy a creature as powerful as that sefer had been with such a simple move, then even her Silence Glaive would avail her little in a fight with it. The One-Winged Angel nodded to itself, as if pleased by the symbol of Hotaru's trust, the desummoning of the Glaive, that the creature would not attack her.

"When he wakes up, Celestial Warrior of Darkness," the demonic/angelic creature addressed her in mild tone that still conveyed its innate power, "tell him not to have such terrible nightmares. I could not sleep for his dreaming of days past. Tell him to reminisce on more pleasant dreams. Perhaps," it paused, as if considering, "you could help him to release his inner demons so that I can get a good night's rest. A rowdy bunch they are, yes indeed…" The last part was mumbled and barely comprehensible.

Hotaru had several questions she wanted to ask the One-Winged Angel, confused about his statements, but could not. As soon as it finished speaking, it closed its eyes and collapsed. Hotaru, swiftly followed by Zack and Usagi, rushed forward to check on its condition.

As it turned out, the One-Winged Angel had no condition. Green glimmered steadily in those eyes instead of the deep red of the deadly creature. Sephiroth was back.

But how? Hotaru could only wonder.

~~~End Flashback~~~

'What's going on? Are we in over our heads?' Hotaru sat wondering, unaware of the recent intruder into the room.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Pluto asked her.

Hotaru, startled but relieved, turned around. "Setsuna, you're back! Where have you been?"

"I've been looking through the Time Archives to try to find something that could help us. However, usually I'm given free rein to find what I need. This time the actual writer of the Archives met me at the door with a small stack of books and practically told me to get lost." Setsuna replied, her usually tone edged with frustration and slight shock.

"The writer of the Archives?" Hotaru asked, tone curious. Setsuna rarely mentioned anything relating to her actual duties as Guardian of Time.

Pluto sighed, "The Time Archivist is known as the Omniscient, simply because it refuses to give its name and it can see everything past, present, and future in a single instant. Usually he never even leaves his study, letting me look through what I need. It was quite a surprise to be turned away like that. That has never happened to me."

Hotaru sighed and then looked up. "So you're in the dark as much as we are on this one, eh?" The Senshi of Silence concluded.

"Bingo." A slightly sullen Guardian of Time replied.

"As interesting as this conversation is, ladies… you wouldn't happen to have anything for a headache, would you?" The figure on the bed asked, now conscious and busy rubbing his forehead.

"Sephiroth! How long have you been awake?" Hotaru asked, pleasantly surprised by his quick recovery.

"Just long enough to hear your friend," Sephiroth nodded toward Setsuna," start to talk about the Omniscient. By the way, who are you?" He asked Setsuna.

Setsuna appraised Sephiroth with cool, calm eyes. "I am Setsuna Meioh, otherwise known as Sailor Pluto. Pleased to meet your acquaintance, Sephiroth of Midgar. I believe that I will go get some medicine for you while Hotaru answers some of the questions that I'm sure you must have. If you will excuse me." With that, the mysterious Guardian of Time left the room.

Hotaru looked back at Sephiroth, then blushed slightly, realizing she had just been left in the room with a gorgeous, half-naked male. One who had saved her life. Sephiroth, for his part, did not seem to notice, reclining easily on his elbows with a half amused, half cautious look in his eyes.

"Well, I'm sure that you must have some questions about what you're doing here, huh?" Hotaru finally said, somewhat lamely in her mind.

Sephiroth's cheekbones twitched, his emerald eyes flashing ironically before he caught himself smoothly, placing a mask of coolness before her eyes. "Indeed, the first of which is why I am not dead. The only hypothesis I can venture is that you, Zack, and that girl with the more elaborate uniform, I'm guessing that she is your leader, am I correct?" he paused, then continued as Hotaru nodded, "somehow defeated that doppelganger of mine, what did Zack call it, a sefer?, anyway, and somehow your group managed to pull that spear out of me and heal me using that healing power that you mentioned before I died. Am I correct, Miss Hotaru…?" He gestured for a last name.

"Tomoe. My name is Hotaru Tomoe. I am also known as Sailor Saturn. As for your theory, I am afraid you are incorrect. By the time I had reached the tree, you were already dead." She finished in a small voice.

Sephiroth nodded, brow furrowed in thought, eyes reflective and edged with slight confusion. "Then what, pray tell, happened? How am I still alive when I should be dead?" He leaned forward slightly, eyes gently demanding the answers.

Hotaru closed her eyes for a moment, and then nodded. "You may not believe me, but this is what happened after the sefer attacked you." She recounted her tale as she remembered it: the sefer's reaction, the One-Winged Angel's emergence, the death of the sefer, and the One-Winged Angel's words to Sephiroth. Sephiroth remained still, eyes unreadable, his features trained, as he listened. He made no commentary during Hotaru's narrative. She concluded "And when we checked on the One-Winged Angel, we found it was you. You had returned from the land of the Dead. You were alright."

Sephiroth bobbed his head slightly in acknowledgement of her narrative. "I see. That was a most interesting, and if I may say so, improbable, tale." He spoke strangely, with an odd edge in his voice.

Hotaru bowed her head, letting her hair cover her eyes. "I see. You do not believe me."

Sephiroth's head snapped up, as if stung. "I said it was an interesting and improbable tale. I meant under normal circumstances. As far as I know, having a doppelganger attack me is not normal." He smiled slowly, his sense of irony infectious as a similar smile appeared on Hotaru's face. His smile faded a bit, and his tone became more serious. "I believe what you say because I do not see how your tale can be disproved. Your eyes do not allow it."

Hotaru's eyes widened slightly at that phrase. "What do you mean?"

Sephiroth was about to answer when Setsuna returned with the headache tablets and a glass of water. He quietly took them from her, a thoughtful look in his eyes, and she quickly retreated from the room, leaving the two alone.

Sephiroth eyed the tablets for a moment before tossing them into his mouth. To Hotaru's surprise, he began chewing the pills! His demeanor changed instantly, from calmly chewing to a desperate reach for the glass. Hotaru giggled slightly in amusement, sympathy, and surprise as he guzzled the water. Sephiroth finished with gusto, putting the glass down on a nearby table, his face twisted with disgust. Hotaru thought that at that moment, he looked very much like a seven-year old kid that had just been given some very bad tasting medicine. She almost laughed out loud at the thought.

Sephiroth saw her face and shot her a dirty look. Hotaru calmed down, however her smile was still in place. "You're supposed to swallow them whole, not chew them up."

"Thanks for the info." Sephiroth said sardonically, and then looked to his right, where he spotted his sword lying on the floor. "Where is Zack?" He asked suddenly, levering himself out of bed.

Hotaru's concerned gaze was interrupted by the question. "Zack? He should be in the foyer, talking to the rest of the Senshi."

Sephiroth nodded, picked up his sword, and left the room without another word. Hotaru was about to follow when she noticed something lying on the bed Sephiroth had so recently vacanted. Two somethings actually. Headache pills.

Hotaru's eyes narrowed as she considered the implications. If the headache pills were still here, then Sephiroth had never actually chewed them. 'He was acting!' Hotaru realized suddenly. But why? It hit her what question she had asked him before Setsuna arrived with the tablets.

'Sneaky bastard. Well, he's going to answer my question!' Hotaru thought righteously as she charged after Sephiroth.

"…favorite vacation spot, eh? That shouldn't be hard to find." Sephiroth spoke with an amused tone, glancing about at the Senshi.

"Hold on a moment, Sephiroth," Ami said, blushing slightly. "I don't think you'll exactly fit in walking around town without a shirt on and holding an enormous longsword!"

As Hotaru entered the room, Sephiroth deflected her charge with a question. "What was it that the One-Winged Angel said, Hotaru?" Before Hotaru could respond, Sephiroth answered the question himself. "'Reminisce on more pleasant dreams' was it? Perhaps I should, but since I cannot." Sephiroth shrugged and closed his eyes, and then opened them. Hotaru was the only Senshi that could look into his eyes. His eyes, as he gazed at her, held an aspect Hotaru had never seen in his eyes before.

The gaze was terrible, burning past flesh, chilling to the bone. It seemed to be the gaze of another being entirely, a calm, insane, malicious, benevolence. Hotaru did not know whose gaze it was, but she knew it was not Sephiroth's. The gaze troubled her. It troubled her terribly.

Sephiroth closed his eyes again. Hotaru couldn't have been happier.

The air around the general simmered, seeming to fold in waves. Sephiroth nodded.

As the air returned to normal, Sephiroth's body faded to nothing and was replaced in an instant by another's. This person was dressed in a grey trenchcoat with a red cross emblazoned along the bottom, with close-cropped blonde hair and green eyes. A scar split his face diagonally.

Before Hotaru could recover, he spoke. Hotaru sighed in relief when the voice he used was recognizable as Sephiroth's. "So it is, with nightmares running loose in the fields where dreams dance." He looked at Ami. "Satisfactory, ne?"

Ami nodded once, slightly taken aback at this turn of events.

Sephiroth glanced back at Hotaru. "We both have questions that need answering. If you will accompany me, I'll answer what I can, and you can answer what you can. When we find Zack, maybe he'll have some more answers." He explained simply. He walked a few paces towards the door. "You coming?"

Hotaru nodded. "Yeah, just a second."

As they walked out the door, Hotaru asked him: "Where are we going?"

Sephiroth shrugged eloquently. "A bar." He answered shortly.

Hotaru eyes widened slightly. "Oh."

From inside the temple, shouts could be heard.

"He's taking her WHERE!?!"

"Now, now, Haruka calm down!"

Sephiroth chuckled. At what, no one knows.

* * * * * * *

In the depths of a beautiful castle where darkness reigned, thirteen minions of evil met. Twelve wore the same face.

The thirteenth was that face.

"You saw what happened to the first fool who tried to fight my other self. Do not underestimate him! Bring him back!" (Sephiroth) raged.

The twelve sefers nodded and left. (Sephiroth) was alone. A cold, cutting laugh rang out.

"So your first attempt has failed, eh, (Sephiroth)? Because of your arrogance, you are even further behind than you were."

"He cannot escape twelve sefers. It is impossible." (Sephiroth's) voice was icy.

The voice was untouched. If anything, it became crueler still. "Still arrogant I see. You do not see what he has that you do not."

(Sephiroth) snarled and turned, disappearing into the darkness, muttering: "Impossible."

If he had stayed a moment longer, he would have heard the most contemptuous, pride-scouring, mocking laughter ever ring out.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Chapter 6 - Variations of Truth: Breaking Point