A Hero Dies But Once

[guiltyred]

Title: A Hero Dies But Once
Challenge: Fate Worse Than Death
Author: GuiltyRed
Rating: PG
Characters: Zack, Kunsel
Team: SOLDIER
Word Count: 100
A/N: Joudama, I blame you. I wanted to write something fluffy, but got clobbered with this one instead. (Seriously – thank you for real, for inspiring me. It’s been way too long.)


Kunsel tried not to think about anything beyond the moment. He tried not to remember summers and fishing and leaping into the swimming hole like a couple of monkeys, or ghost stories and laughing eyes and the promises between best friends. He tried to believe that this was necessary, for the greater good somehow in a world gone mad.

As he pulled the trigger with a hundred other marksmen, he told himself that Zack, in death, would be at peace, while he would have to go on living with the cowardice of following a bad order. Mercifully, he was wrong.

Shunt

[joudama]

Title: Shunt
Author: joudama
Rating: PG
Characters: Genesis, Sephiroth
Team: SOLDIER
A/N: Pre-game, during the war in Wutai.

--

"Angeal's being shipped back to Midgar," Genesis said tersely.

Sephiroth rubbed his temple, glad Genesis couldn't see it.

"He's being shunted sideways. They can't demote him. So they're sending him to baby-sit baby SOLDIERs," Genesis said disgustedly. "Why?"

"Someone has to train the new recruits. He'll be good at it."

"There's no glory in that! And I need him here!"

"I know," Sephiroth said softly.

"...you did this. Why?!"

"Have you spoken to him lately?"

"No. Gwongnaam's still hot."

"I have," Sephiroth said. And it's because the war won't kill him, he thought. What it has done is worse.