Title: The Puppy and the Kitten
Fandom: FF7 AC
Rating: M for later chapters.
Warnings : PostAC, AU, Yaoi.
Characters : Zack x Kadaj. Most FF7 characters make their appearance.
Summary: An unlikely pairing, but hey, anything can happen in fandom. This is a little fic of how the puppy found his kitten, and together they try to live for each other.
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v - εуλ 0009, early summer
He tried so hard to keep himself from smiling too smugly. He swore he was literally beaming with pride. Any more, and his ethereal being would probably outshine the rising sun within seconds.
"Ha! He finally knows who's been saving his ass everytime he sticks it too deep into trouble!" He mentally did his own little victory jig.
"Oh lay off it already, won't you! He was just feeling a little awed from… a touch of divine intervention," came the soft reply. "MY intervention, don't you forget that!" the female voice added tersely.
A couple of faint wisps of mist swirled lightly, away from entrance to the ruined Church. Children's laughter and the sounds of splashing water echoed within.
"Aww, c'mon, let the guy have his day. I need some cheerin' up, babe, for all the hard work I've done."
He edged closer, until he could reach out and hold her from the back. He nuzzled her neck, while breathing in the warm scent of sunshine and summer blooms.
"You'll get no sympathy from me until and unless you finish your job. We've still got those three souls to deliver, in case you've forgotten."
He felt steady hands gently push him off. Damn, that ruined his mood. "'Tch! Why do I have to do it?"
"Just because. And no excuses, because I'm sure I've already taught you well enough for the past few years," a hesitant pause, and then she continued, "I've got a date with the flowers. Three golden fields of them along the highway, waiting for my tender loving care." The last few words were intentionally emphasized and he thought he heard some birdsong in the background.
"Again?" He could imagine himself slumping in disappointment. Were it not for the way she had said it, he wouldn't have guessed what she had actually intended to do. He'd spent enough endless days and nights in existence to understand what was going on.
A finger pressed gently on his lips.
"No more questions. Now shoo, get to work, peasant."
He rolled his eyes and gave his trademark scowl tinged with sarcasm, "Yes, oh mighty Princess of the Promised Land."
With that, he obediently shuffled away, glee soon returning to his face as sunlight filtered from rapidly disappearing clouds, bathing his form with glorious golden hues. It was going to be a beautiful day.
Somewhere in the grasslands surrounding Midgar, wind chimes tinkled and bellflowers swayed lazily with the cool morning breeze.
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"Mother…?"
Silence. There was no reply. Again.
Alone.
Abandoned.
A sudden gust of cold wind sent shivers down his body, although he was sure he didn't have any of his senses, well.. how should he put it… intact. His universe has been, and had been for the past few hours (or was it days?) just green. Green, plain green, boring green, green of all tones and hues imaginable as far as he could see, touch and feel. Not that he had any fingers or even a hand to lift that sickly curtain of green wrapping around him a little too close for comfort.
Kadaj cursed the green and instinctively curled himself into a ball, hoping to keep himself warmth if he wasn't already frozen over by the onslaught of more chilling winds. He mentally chant to himself that green was the cause of his misery. He swore that he would set fire to every house, building and even to the last blade of grass – anything that's green. Especially vegetables. He hated them anyway, and yes, before anyone asked, Loz sucked at cooking too. He WILL burn all the vegetables to ashes the next time he's allowed to touch the stove. Kadaj also made a promise to himself to colour all his healing materia black, and even put on coloured contact lenses, if he ever has the chance to do so.
He winced inwardly. Memories of the living world surfaced at the wrong time, and he felt a little more despair than before.
"Mother…!" he called out one more time desperately, unaware that he was on a verge of crying.
"WHOA! Sorry I'm late, kid!"
Kadaj yelped and jerked, shocked at hearing another voice in the Lifestream.
He whirled around, stunned to see another soul in this desolate place, although he didn't recognize the person. Black spiky hair nearly reaching the broad shoulders, glowing indigo-blue eyes shining brightly against the background of green, and a very wide grin plastered on his face. The last detail was disconcerting to Kadaj, who was used to all things gloomy and black. But at least this newcomer wasn't green, and that made it a hell lot better for Kadaj.
The man definitely looked older than Kadaj and he guessed him to be in his early twenties. The man wore a rather familiar-looking sleeveless blue uniform which Kadaj had seen in some old, faded posters that still clung to many fallen walls in the Midgar ruins, that rudely screamed of "Uncle Shinra wants you! Join SOLDIER today!". Kadaj never really understood why they advertised an overtly plump regal-looking President up front with a line of well-muscled SOLDIERs posing in a variety of rather disturbing mannerisms at the back. But that's really besides the point, because…
"You're not.. Mother," Kadaj stated, mouth still agape and Mako-green eyes staring up in confusion.
The other man rolled his eyes (again) and gave an indignitant snort. "Obviously."
Kadaj watched as the other man looked around. He seemed to be searching frantically, and it became obvious that there was absolutely no trace of whatever he had in mind.
"Where are the other two?"
Kadaj wasn't the sort of person with much patience nor tolerance for incompetence to begin with. He shrugged and answered with a subtle snarl, "They're not here… obviously." Kadaj took a little satisfaction in stressing that last word.
The other man glared at him with a hint of annoyance, but then with a muttered curse, he looked away and started scratching the back of his head, probably lost as to what to do next.
"Holy hell! Tonberry Knives up my ass, where could they have gone?!" he groaned, upset and angry at himself, and started pacing around restlessly. Kadaj coolly shrugged, snickering at the disturbing mental image.
Kadaj's little moment of self-indulgence was shaken when he heard a loud, obnoxious shrilly (however impossible that maybe, but yes, the damage had been done), "AERIS!! We've got a SI-TU-A-TION here!". Each deliberate syllable echoed off all 360-degrees of invisible walls of Lifestream, and Kadaj had to cover his imaginary ears because it was very, very painful, and that sent shudders down his spine. Running Souba down a blackboard – which was worse than using your own fingers, really – couldn't even match the intensity of the deafening pandemonium.
"Let's go, kid! I've got a schedule to run, and you're coming along!" Kadaj bristled at being called a kid for the second time. Before he could pout or strangle the other person – whichever would be perfectly fine, anyway – the older man hurriedly grabbed what Kadaj thought was his own arm and hauled him up. Kadaj squeaked (oh the horror), surprised. Well, he hadn't actually thought of standing since he couldn't even visualize his legs, let alone his own body. Unlike the other man, that lucky bastard with such a, hmm, nicely-muscled build, and hmm.. now that he noticed it, hmm.. the exposed, tanned arms and the tight-looking biceps just underneath those shoulder pauldrons.
He felt himself being lifted. Ah, so he could actually stand. Oh joy. He wondered why he was moping around the Lifestream floor for the past few hours (days, he started to believe). He pictured an imaginary mallet striking his head in a moment of self-punishment for his own incompetence.
Then there was the sickening sound of a crack. No, no, that mallet was NOT part of it. And his head was just fine and dandy.
Next, a splintering sound. Something gave way underneath where Kadaj stood.
The older man tightened his grip on Kadaj's arm reflexively and he was dragged along downwards with Kadaj's weight. "What the—?!" he shouted, caught surprised.
Kadaj watched helplessly in horror as he felt himself free-falling, faster and further down, spiraling and spinning into impossible depths. His vision darkened and blurred, fear and nausea welled up from inside, maddening green rushing past him, through him and knocking out his breath all at the same time. The other man kept holding on, fear and terror painfully clear on his face, and together, they went down.
Kadaj thought he caught a glimpse of a female's hand reaching out from above him, but he was sinking too fast, and he was fast fading away.
"Mother…?!" he cried out.
"ZAAAAAAAACK!!" he heard a female voice scream, but Kadaj was already lost in the murky darkness.
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Cloud nearly skidded Fenrir off the highway, but thank goodness he didn't tumble unceremoniously off the path and made a complete wreck of his newly fixed-up bike. He pulled to an abrupt stop by the side and stared at the distant horizon.
Miles and miles of golden summer blooms and green grasslands, stretching as far as the eye could see.
He thought he saw a flash of pink among the flower fields just a few heartbeats ago.
"No.. it couldn't be," he murmured when he was certain that there wasn't anyone else in the area.
A thought occurred to him.
Deciding to follow his gut feeling, he turned Fenrir around and revved up the engine, speeding off towards the direction from whence he came.