Long Author's Note: Due to a related combination of food-poisoning, sleep deprivation, asking for a friend's help and general distraction, this story was deleted instead of edited. My sincerest apologies to those parties who were annoyed by my inattentiveness (and particularly those of you who added it to your favorites). I hope you can forgive the blunder. –O. D. S. While I am aware of, and have integrated, a bit of the plot behindCrisis Core, this is based more around a mesh of events taking place throughout the original FFVII, FFVII: Advent Children, and FFVII: Last Order. As there are various plot holes betweenLast Order and the original game (and Crisis Core for that matter), I didn't think anyone would mind if I took a few liberties with the story here and there. Feel free to flame if you would like, but you have officially been warned.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not the outstanding music, the intriguing characters, the stunning backdrops, the spell-binding world, the engrossing plot…Absolutely nothing but a single, cherished copy of a 3-disc odyssey and a satisfying DVD that I hope you all own, too.
We're Friends…Right?
The black-haired man grinned fiercely against the rain, his chest pounding with a heavy mixture of exhaustion and adrenaline. The speedometer had maxed out long ago, and the engine of the stolen motorcycle whined in protest as he pushed it further still.
"You alright back there, Cloud?" he called, keeping one hand steady on the gas and using the other to cut down an approaching ShinRa soldier.
The blonde boy gave a soft moan from his place against Zack's back, his mako-poisoned eyes wide and vacant.
Zack winced as he glanced back at his comatose friend. Even if they were able to drain the alien cells from him, no amount of joking could change the fact that Cloud's blue eyes would be forever ringed with that chemical-induced glow. He tightened his grip on his Buster Sword and sliced through the engine of another ShinRa vehicle. "We'll be there soon. I promise."
Why did you want to be a SOLDIER?
Heh, that's an easy one. Seemed like the best way to make my dream come true. Zack squinted through the icy bullets of water as the storm worsened, struggling to keep an upbeat attitude against such impossible odds. How obvious everything had been back then! He shook his head at his old self and nearly swerved off the road as his wet hair remained stubbornly glued to the front of his face.
The loud squeal of tires was deafening as two new bikes came up on either side of him. In one fluid movement Zack moved his hand from the clutch to Cloud's lower back, gripping the boy tightly as he pushed hard against the rear brake. In a flurry of sparks the vehicle slowed, leaving his unwelcome entourage swerving wildly into one another before crashing in a spectacular explosion of men and scrap metal.
"Too easy…," the ex-SOLDIER said with a laugh, readjusting himself on the motorcycle as he sped up again. But that had always been the problem with ShinRa. It had all just been too easy…
The dark-haired boy moved his gaze from the road before him to the side view mirror, scanning the scene carefully for another potential assault. The mirror was a mess of water and mist, and his attempts to wipe it clean did little to improve his field of vision. Still, his strained watch was rewarded, and, for now at least, the road was bare. He caught Cloud staring blankly at him through the reflection and smiled again. "Hang in there!"
Zack tightened his hold on the rubber-lined handlebar, ignoring the painful ache in his fingers as he pushed himself further. Why hadn't he stolen a coat or something? It was freezing! He squirmed against Cloud in an effort to warm himself, nuzzling serenely into his body heat. "You might not talk much, babe, but at least you're hot," he yelled over the engine, snickering at his own joke.
The boy did not respond, but his head bobbled against the other young man's back, his blonde hair itching Zack's neck.
The SOLDIER flushed at the unintentional tickling, but kept silent. For once, his brain could not seem to supply the casual commentary for which he was so well-known, and it scared him. He wanted Cloud to wake up, and talking to him meant he was taking action. Talk to Cloud, get to Midgar, talk to Cloud, get to Midgar faster…his very heartbeat seemed dedicated to those two unquestionable tasks.
What's your dream…?
Zack shrugged. I just want to be a hero. A real one. He felt the blonde boy sigh against him, and gave a grim nod of determination. Hewould save him! "Cloud…I…" the young man began uneasily.
His awkward start was interrupted by a thirsty roar from the motorcycle engine. Surprised, the boy looked down at the gas meter only to find the arrow set at a very dead zero. By the sound of the machine's thunderous objections, they would be lucky to make it even a mile farther, and there wasn't a gas station in sight.
With a sigh, Zack slowed the bike to a halt, gave it a swift kick in the engine, and threw Cloud over his shoulders. Then, sword in hand and his characteristic smile returning, he ran as fast as his legs would carry him. "Could be worse, I guess. At least the rain slowed down," he laughed, raising his face to the light drizzle.
He jogged a few miles in silence, enjoying the run after spending so much time on the bike. After four years of captivity, they were finally free. Zack could have kept running forever. No disappointments, no expectations. Ah, life really could be good!
His euphoric chuckling was interrupted by the loud blast of a car horn behind him. ShinRa…!
"Hey you! Over here!"
Slowly, Zack turned, his face blank as he prepared to strike. He would have to be careful to keep Cloud safe, and that severely limited his movement. His mind was so preoccupied with battle that for a moment he did not process the tanned old farmer waving him over to his decrepit old truck. "You're not ShinRa…"
"Who…? Bah, nevermind. What are you kids doing out here all by yourselves? Your friend looks to be in pretty bad shape."
"We're headin' to Midgar," Zack explained, flashing a particular cheesy grin.
"Midgar?" the old man scratched at his coarse gray whiskers, his dull eyes scrutinizing the pair carefully. "It would take you hours to walk all that way."
The boy's perma-smile remained intact. "I know! Think about all the time we could save if we got a ride! Why, I bet even this dirty ol' bucket could get us there in ten…twenty minutes, tops."
With a self-disgusted grunt, the elderly gentleman gestured to the bed of his truck, "I get it, brat. Get in. I'll take you as far as I can go."
Zack was already pulling down the tailgate and propping Cloud inside, carefully adjusting the old SOLDIER uniform he had scavenged from ShinRa Mansion. "You really do look pretty good with that," he said, hopping inside and putting the rusty old barrier up again, "almost as good as me."
Cloud remained as distant as ever, his entire face drawn into a blank frown. His head wobbled like a broken doll's as the engine rattled against the frame that encased it. Zack couldn't stand it.
Feeling jittery, he stood up and stretched, finding his balance atop the swaying trailer and exploring its short surface in all of eight steps. No good… He couldn't have been on the thing for a full ten minutes, and he was already bored. A mischievous smirk tugging at his cheeks, he moved to the front of the truck bed and rapped hard against the rear window of the cab. "Yo, old guy! We at Midgar yet?"
The driver's angry glare met Zack's through the rearview mirror, and he appeared to be struggling against throwing the boy from the vehicle. "Quiet down, brat! You're lucky I even gave you a ride!"
The young man laughed merrily and tapped absent-mindedly on the roof of the truck for a moment. Suddenly energized, he walked over to where Cloud sat and crouched beside him. "Sooo…What're you gonna do when we get to Midgar?"
Cloud continued to rock back and forth, his eyes staring straight ahead.
Reluctantly, Zack stood up again and crossed his arms over chest. "Well, I know what I'm gonna do. I got a place I can crash for awhile." He thought distantly of Aeris and shook his head, "No wait, the mother lives there, too… Hah, guess that's out…"
Cloud trembled vaguely, still deaf to Zack's musings.
"Yep, gotta change my plans!" He turned back to the blonde boy eagerly, "Hey, wanna start a business? We'll need some money no matter what but…what could we do? Any ideas, Cloud?"
The boy's head bobbed aimlessly, and Zack grinned again, "Hey, old man! What do you think I'd be good at?"
The farmer sounded annoyed, "What're you yapping about now, boy? You're still young! Young folks should try everything! Go out and look for what you really want."
"'Try everything.' Well, that narrows it down, doesn't it?" Zack slumped back down to the truck bed. "Try everything…Hey!" Inspiration brightened the green-blue of his eyes. "Of course! I'm gonna become a mercenary! Yeah! Thanks, pops!"
The old man scratched the back of his head from his place behind the steering wheel, "Didn't you even hear a world I said?"
"Listen, I'm gonna become a mercenary and that's that. Boring stuff, dangerous stuff, anything for money. I'm gonna be rich!" He beamed from his place between Cloud and the farmer. "So Cloud? What are you gonna do?"
"Son, listen to me, you got it all wrong."
The jerking turned the blonde boy's head toward Zack's, and his lips twitched gently. "U…uhhh…" he managed, his eyelids half-closed.
The soon-to-be-mercenary slid closer to the other boy. "Just kidding…I won't leave you hanging like that. We're friends, right?" With a content sigh he placed his head atop Cloud's, laughing quietly to himself as the boy stopped shaking. "Mercenaries, Cloud. That's what you and me are gonna be…understand?"
In a strange, half-crooked motion, the boy seemed to nod.
---
Cloud frowned at the light drizzle as he adjusted his glasses and revvedFenrir's powerful engine. The motorcycle purred to life, its glistening black surface covered in clear pearls of water. His sword felt heavy on his back, and he leaned close to the handlebars as the bike gained speed. He wanted to ride forever, to find somewhere beyond even the Lifestream…
" YOU HAVE: ONE-NEW-MESSAGE."
The young man grimaced at his cell phone, toying with the idea of "accidentally" dropping it while driving. But no, he couldn't. A rash attempt to avoid annoying calls was hardly worth facing the wrath of Vincent Valentine when he returned without it. With grudging obedience, he listened to the earnest message following his missed call.
"Cloud…It's Tifa. I hope I'm not bothering you. You've seemed so distant lately… I guess I just wanted to be sure you were doing well. Marlene and Denzel are noticing too, and I don't really know what to tell them. We miss you…the real you. Please…give me a call."
The boy sighed and moved his gaze from the road to his phone. The "real" him? And who was that, exactly? Of course, he knew who he wasn'tnow, but did that mean he really knew himself? Incapable of dwelling on it without feeling a sense of loss, he ripped the battery from his phone and shoved the separated pieces back into his pocket. He did not need anything else to think about.
Cloud ducked slightly as he rode through the wooded stretch of land, trying with little success to keep the disheveled branches from scratching at his face, hair and arms with their crooked, knobby fingers. His body seemed to know exactly where he was going even as his mind wandered, and he did not double-guess himself as the tight-knit forests gave way to parched hill and rock. He simply drove, almost enjoying the rain now that he did not have to think. Quietly, he willed Fenrir on, yearning to go farther and farther until there was nothing else. Beyond nothing else; he wanted to ride until—
The blonde-haired man pulled on the front brake with all his might, nearly flying off his bike in an effort to avoid sending the beloved vehicle reeling off a cliff. So this was where his subconscious had taken him…
With unnecessary caution, the boy dismounted and made a careful step forward. This was where he had wanted to be all along…Why had it taken actually being here to know that?
"I didn't expect to visit you today," Cloud said softly, walking over to the familiar broadsword with the oversized blade. He took off his shades and threw them in the dirt before slumping down to examine the rusting weapon. It glimmered proudly in the light rain, and the sound of the drops ricocheting from its surface was both peaceful and heart-wrenching.
---
"Damn…that was close, huh?" Zack said with a shaky grin, dragging Cloud along the rocky cliff as gently as he was able. "Sorry, I would give you another ride, but my arm's a little out on me. I wasn't exactly expectin' an ambush." He nodded toward his bleeding limb and allowed himself a half-hearted laugh. "Guess that just means they're gettin' better."
He turned sharply at the sound of gunshots in the distance, nearly dropping Cloud to the ground as he reached for his Buster Sword. His stance relaxed minutely as the area lulled back into silence, and he delicately laid his poisoned ward in a makeshift cover of rocks."I'll be back," he mouthed as he ran back to check on the noise.
BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! CLLKK!
Such a familiar sound…Cloud thought, his eyelids fluttering vaguely.Not good. Danger. I know that sound. After a few minutes of silence, a dark silhouette staggered over to him, his profile clearly recognizable even in his half-focused stupor. Zack Fair…? Zack is here. Danger must be gone. I'm not alone. Zack is here.
BAAAM!
The silhouette flew backwards, dark liquid spraying from its chest. Cloud somehow knew this strange substance too. The red liquid that was both so dark and so bright… His eyes unsteadily followed as a trio of men in ShinRa uniforms ran past and gathered around the crumbled heap that had once been a silhouette; a silhouette that had once been Zack.
One aimed its gun. The thing that made the noise before, Cloud recognized now, as he trained his gaze on the weapon. It all moved so slowly. He could have called out easily if his tongue hadn't felt so heavy. He could have shouted Zack's name a thousand times if someone hadn't sewn his lips shut. His body struggled to do something as his friend slowly attempted to get up, his forehead nearly bumping into the blackened barrel of the soldier's gun. His entire being screamed in protest as the soldier's finger slowly pulled back the trigger.
BAAAAAAAAMMM!
Time moved normally again, and the heap that could not be Zack crumbled back down to the rocky earth. They were leaving now, those strange, armored men. Cloud understood from the relaxed way they held their weapons and strolled out of view that they had achieved their goal. All but one, anyway. He moved closer, his weapon trained on the boy's brain as though the dark metal could see the critical organ at work beneath his mess of blonde hair.
"Hey! What do you want me to do with him?" the ShinRa lackey called to his higher officer.
What a strange joke this is… Cloud mused. I should tell them. I should tell them it's not…funny… "…Ah…ughhh…"
Another silhouette stood over him now. It was not one he knew…not one he liked. "…Forget it. Just leave him."
The shadows disappeared again, and something wet fell onto Cloud's cheek. Was it raining again…? Why did it always seem to be raining? His eyes trailed back to the ground. The other silhouette!
Unable to stand, the boy clumsily clawed toward the bloody mess, his arms straining to carry the dead weight of his lower-body. He needed to see this man! The boy's heartbeat quickened with this primitive understanding. This man was important to him somehow…
The dark-haired young man watched him, his blood-covered face broken in two by a crescent flash of white teeth. He was still smiling…
Trembling, Zack reached for Cloud's head and put it to his chest. The blonde boy did not move from the spot, but stayed dumbly where he was, staring into the face of the cheerful dying boy. He accepted the man's sword unthinkingly as it was thrust into his hands, never once moving his head from its forced resting place. Even as his ear struggled to pick up the man's faint breaths, he could not seem to find the will to move.
"Cloud…" Zack laughed shakily for the last time. He had done it. He knew for sure now. He knew Cloud would live on. He was finally a real hero...He could finally die. "You are the proof that I existed," he whispered, losing his hold on the boy's head as he closed his eyes. "You are…"
---
"You are…"
Cloud wiped the rainwater from his eyes, ignoring the fact that the clouds had already given way to sunshine. He stared hard into the Buster Sword's hard, faithful surface, his gaze boring into his own intent reflection. Amidst the mix of dust and water, only his eyes glimmered with any clarity. The green-blue eyes of someone who had been directly exposed to mako…the eyes of a SOLDIER. The eyes of Zack Fair.
He ran his hand along the side of the sword and, for just a moment, wrapped his fingers around its hilt. With the dazed movements of someone coming from a dream, the boy scribbled something into the dust, found his shades and stumbled toward Fenrir. It was time to go back home…time to keep living.
And there, left behind in the strange mixture of earth and clay was Cloud's last good-bye. The good-bye he had wanted to say back then…the good-bye his lips still could not form.
I am the proof of your existence, and you were the reason for mine.
Criticism is gratefully accepted and happily returned.