About a week ago, I submited a chapter of a story I was writing. But after a while I realised I didn't like where it was going. So I remade it. This is the result. Good point: It's finished. So no worries about that! If you've read the first one some thing might be familiar, especially the beginning, but I changed alot. Most noticably the name of the ship. What was I thinking?

Enjoy!

Zack, captain of the starship Highwind, was not a happy camper.

Currently he and his crew were somewhere on some no-name planet in one of the furthest corners of the know galaxy on a punishment mission. Yes, a punishment mission. It seemed that despite belonging to a mostly indipendent organisation with minimal ties to starfleet, the higher-ups there still had enough power to punish him because he was not up to protocol.

After taking command of the Highwind when his friend and former mentor Angeal had been reassigned, he had started to recruit new crewmembers to fill in the positions that fell open. Now, a little over two years later, he had filled all open positions but one. And of course it was the one starfleet deemed most important. Never mind that I had to find replacements for over half the crew.

When starfleet had learned he still hadn't found a first officer, they had summoned him for a meeting – read interrogation – immediatly. After a two-hour long lecture about what a bad example he was and how it was important to follow the protocols, during which Zack had to do his hardest not to yawn, they had finaly come to the heart of the matter.

"Why have you not chosen one already?"

And honestly, Zack had no idea. He could have chosen a current crewmember anytime he wanted, as was the norm. He knew each and everyone of the ones in senior positions would do a wonderfull job. And yet …. It just didn't seem right.

Yuffie was too young, Barret was too hotheaded, Tifa was needed to keep Barret in check, Cid couldn't stop swearing if his life depended on it and Aeris was needed in the medical bay. That left Reeve and Vincent.

Despite how Zack admired Reeve's steady logic and cool persona, he couldn't in all honesty say he trusted the man to have his back. Oh sure, Reeve would do all in his power to help Zack or any other crewmember, there was no doubt about that. And when it came to politics and science there was no one better. But Reeve wasn't a fighter. And considering the dangerous missions they handled on a regular basis, he wanted his first officer to at least be on par with him when it came to that.

Vincent was the opposite. While the man could – and probably would – never beat him in hand-to-hand or short range weapons, he was a remarkable gunman and a good leader. Zack had left him in command a few times already and he had risen to the challenge easily. There was just something about Vincent that stopped Zack from trusting him completely. It wasn't because the man never talked about his past – nearly nobody ever did and Zack had made it clear he wasn't going to force them – it was just something about Vincent. There was no other way to explain.

But what really stopped him from appointing Vincent was the suspicion that he would refuse anyway. It seemed the man was more content to stay in the background. Ready to take command when he was needed, but otherwise leaving it to others to handle. Zack couldn't really blame him for it.

So that left …. nobody.

It hadn't really been an issue for them, they seemed to be working fine the way they were, but of course starfleet felt the need to intervene. Did they really think I would just pull one out of thin air as if by magic?

He had tried to explain. Really, he had. But it seemed they had made up their minds before he had even entered the room. The only one that had looked like he knew what Zack had tried to talk about had been Lazard, his direct superior officer. It was his steady gaze that had stopped Zack from saying something that he would regret.

So here they were, several weeks later, on what starfleet had deemed suitable punishment. Of course, they hadn't exactly worded it like that. No, the mission report had stated that the mission requires a distinct set of skills, of which they had found lacking in other vessels contacted. In other words: nobody wanted the mission and Zack had gotten the short end of the stick. Joy.

Their mission objectives were pretty straightforward at least. Some scientists hadn't reported in for a mandatory briefing and starfleet had been contacted by their employers to send a ship to check up on them, which they had delegated to the SOLDIER-branch – meaning Lazard – on the grounds of them being better equiped for rescues. It was what they were there for after all.

Zack had taken it in stride. The mission required him to travel a long distance. It would take a good two weeks to even reach the planet. It would give him time to formulate a plan for his current problem.

He wasn't holding much hope in finding anybody, it had been over a month since anybody had heard from the scientists. Who knew what had happened during that time. Nontheless, he had to take in consideration that someone might be in need of medical attention, so when it came time to select the team accompanying him to the planet he made Aeris one of them. For the other members he chose Vincent and Yuffie, along with some of Barret's men, so that he had a good mix of long and short distance fighters. Tifa was left in charge of the ship.

He had wanted to take Barret with him, but since he had no idea what the situation was like on the surface he decided against it. Barret wasn't really made for stealth. No matter how much he protests to the contrary.

Once Vincent had landed the shuttle – not too close to the complex, but not too far either – he turned to his crew for a last-minute briefing.

"Alright people, listen up. Two weeks ago a non-military company last contact with some employees stationed here. It's unclear what they were doing here, but we need to be on the lookout for seven people. Two of them are scientists, the others security. Photo's have been uploaded to your PDA's. Check them before we move."

"Why didn't they send their own ships?" Biggs asked.

"A good question. I wish I had an answer, but they're not very forthcoming with information. We're lucky I managed to get the exact number of people we need to find."

A murmured "Typical" followed that statement.

"Anyways, since we don't know the situation, we will be taking a carefull approach. It could be as simple as a broken communicator, but I'm not taking any chances. Vincent, you take Yuffie and Wedge and go east. You should end up at the back of the building where there should be a backdoor. Aeris, Biggs, you're with me. Remember, stealth is our greatest advantage at the moment. Don't do anything to mess that up." He gave Yuffie a pointed look at the last sentence. "It should take us about an hour to reach the building. When you are in position, radio the other team."

Vincent nodded and turned to leave, but another question stopped him in his tracks.

"What about local wildlife?" That was Yuffie. Good. The question showed she was paying attention and thinking ahead.

Aeris answered before he could. "There is nothing to worry about. The planet hosts one creature that might be harmfull to us, but they are nocturnal. We should be fine as long as we don't stay for the night."

Nobody questioned her. If Aeris said it was so, then that's how it was. Belonging to a race that had a very stong connection to the flow of life, she always knew precisely what to expect when it came to plants and animals. He had asked her about it once. She had answered that sometimes the planet itself was sentient – usually only slightly and on very rare occasions completely – and it would tell her what she asked. The crew had learned not to question her. After all, why bother arguing with someone who could literally talk to a planet?

"Alright, you heard the lady. Move out, people."

And with that, both groups went of in their appointed directions. Zack watched Vincent's group disappear into the dense bush before he turned and started walking in the direction of the building, his Buster Sword hanging on his back. He enjoyed finally having the room to make it worth carrying it around. Usually it just sat in his room.

The trek took them longer than he had thought. They had seen the large trees when coming down, but the shrubs and vines that litred the forest floor had been hidden from view. The vines had small hooks that attached themselves to their clothes and on more than one occasion they had had to stop and untangle themselves. As it was, their clothes already sported a multitude of small rips and their arms and legs were covered with cuts. To make matters worse, for the last twenty-five minutes the ground had begun to go up and showed no sign of leveling out.

What should have taken them just a little more than an hour, took them two. By the time they reached the building the sun was low in the sky and one of the moons – the planet had four – was already showing. Since he hadn't heard anything from Vincent, he assumed the other group wasn't doing much better. And considering they had to go a little past and then double back to avoid being seen, it would take them longer to get into position.

When they finally reached the edge of the clearing the building was in, Zack took one look and swore. Next to him Aeris' eyes widened and Biggs uttered a choked 'Damn'.

The building itself wasn't too big. It only had one floor and was surrounded by a chainlink fence – which seemed flimsier than it actually was. Standard procedure for scientific outposts, they tended to have the labs underground. But that wasn't what had made him swear.

Something had obviously attacked the building. And had won. Part of the fence lay flat on the ground as if trampled and the reinforced steel doors offering entrance had been blasted off their hinges. Two bodies lay before the destroyed doors, blood long since dried around them and bits missing where the local wildlife had eaten them. Determining the cause of death would prove impossible.

Whatever had happened had happened fast. They had never had the chance to send a distress signal or a chance to organise themselves long enough to fight back.

"I tought you said there wasn't anything here that would be a problem apart from the one creature. And I'm pretty sure they were prepared for that, seeing how they were here for years." Biggs querried.

"I … I don't understand." Aeris wispered back "This planet isn't very strong. I can't talk to it right now, but it did say there was no danger before fading. It mentioned to avoid going north, but I didn't think it relevant since we were going the opposite direction."

"Doesn't matter. We can't do anything about it now." Zack interrupted. Without taking his eyes of the scene infront of him, he removed his communicator from his pocket and contacted Vincent. There was a tense silence while they waited for a response and a collective sigh of relief when it came.

"We are about ten minutes from the target. Apologies, we ran into some difficulties concerning the vegitation." Trust Vincent to apologise for things that were out of his control.

"It's fine. We only got here ourselves. Contact me when you reach the clearing and be extra vigilant. There could be trouble."

"Understood." Came the reply.

They didn't have to wait long before the communicator crackled back to live.

"The backdoor you mentioned is open. There does not seem to be any movement."

"There wouldn't be" Zack mumbled to himself. He continued in a louder voice " Right, proceed with caution. We will meet in the library, which holds the stairs to the basement. Something happened here, people. I don't want us finding out that something is still here the hard way, so no splitting up. Aeris, you stay between me and Biggs. No, no arguments. I know you can handle that stick you call a weapon, but I need my only medic out of the line of fire."

"Understood."

"Gotcha!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Let's go."

And with that they were off. Zack kept his gaze on the building infront of them, trusting Biggs to watch the back. He gave a quick warning when they reached the fence as there was a chance there was still electricity running through it. He didn't want anybody hurting themselves before they even made it inside.

Once they reached the smashed doors, Zack slowed down. He avoided looking at the bodies more than absolutly neccesary and changed to breathing through his nose. Yep, the smell was as bad as he had expected. He saw the others do the same out of the corner of his eyes, Biggs looking a little greener than before.

Cautiously peering around the corner, he was met with an empty corridor. Muffled sounds were coming from the other end of the building, sounding suspiciously like the clanging of metal against stone, making him cringe. Looks like Vincent and the others found the kitchen.

Slowly stepping towards the first door he peered inside, sword poised to strike. The sound of door opening behind his told him Biggs was checking out the room opposite. A small bedroom met his gaze. Two bunk beds, a dresser and a desk. Standard work provided room. Deeming it safe, he turned to the second door where the same view was located. All the same exept one detail.

On one of the bunk beds was another body. This one was slightly better preserved – as in not eaten by animals – and the cause of death stood out in stark relief.

"Gunshot wound. Poor bastard never even stood a chance." Biggs said.

The revelation was troublesome. The fact that a gun had killed him indicated that the perpetrator was humanoid. Which meant that either one of their own had for some reason turned on his colleagues and killed them or a third party had attacked them. The broken fence and smashed doors indicated the latter.

Moving over to the next two rooms showed another bedroom – this one with three bunks – and a communial bathroom. Both empty of anything exept furniture.

The last room they entered was the library where the others were waiting for them. There were shelves upon shelves filled with books and research papers. A computer terminal stood against the back wall. The entrance to the basement right next to it. Just like the rest of the building, there was nothing that indicated the gruesome tragedy that had happened here.

"Anything?" He asked Vincent. Going by Wedge's pale face and Yuffie's unnatural silence, he could pretty much guess the answer.

"Two bodies. Both shot. One in the head, the other the chest. No indication of a struggle. It happened fast."

"Right. Counting the three we found, that makes five. I'm willing to bet those were the guards stationed here. So that leaves the scientists. Let's hope they had more luck."

Going down the stairs wasn't as quiet as he'd liked, thanks to the wood groaning with each step, but it didn't take them long to reach the bottom. And by now he was pretty sure there was nothing living here. Whatever had attacked the place was long gone. But it never hurt to be cautious, so he didn't let his guard down just yet.

The first room they entered seemed to function as a warehouse of sorts. Over a dozen cages, varrying from small to large, were stacked haphazardly throughout the room. The smell of death hung heavy in the air, making the hairs on the back of their necks stand up. A quick glance into the cages revealed the source of the smell.

Seven of them held the carcass of some kind of creature. What kind of research were they doing here exactly? Stepping closer in order to see clearer, Zack wrinkled his nose. Some of the creatures had been shot, while others seemed to have just starved to death. What a way to go.

Throwing a last glance around the room, he led his team to the door imbedded in the right wall. Upon opening it was revealed to give access to a corridor. Three doors were looming up ahead, all of them opened a crack.

Next to him, Vincent made a motion indicating he should take point. Seeing the logic in the mans silent statement – he couldn't use the Buster sword in the small corridor – Zack gave a nod and stepped back. With another silent command, Wedge came forward and together the two of them moved into the corridor. The rest of the group followed at a short distance, Yuffie and Biggs taking the rear.

The two paused at the first door only briefly, apparently what was behind it didn't require much checking. When he passed it, he threw a quick glance inside. What he saw surprised him. The room revealed to be another bathroom. Although 'bathroom' was was Zack being generous. A bunk and a smaal attached bathroom. That was it. Maybe the scientists stay here when they are to tired to go upstairs.

Seeing Vincent and Wedge position themselves infront of the second door, he motioned for him and Yuffie to take the last one. Positioning himself so that he could move fast if need be, he entered the room slowly. Yuffie followed close behind, her hand holding a smaller version of her throwing star.

This room turned out to be the lab. Out of all the rooms the had seen in the building, this one was the biggest. At the far end of the room was a glass cylinder attached to the floor and ceiling. Various tubes snaked from the floor to the bottom of the tank, sizes varrying from being big enough to put his head in to so small only his pinky finger could fit. The glass door giving access to the tank stood open. Dried green was splattered on the side and floor as if the tank had been filled when it had opened. Moving closer revealed the dried stuff to have an tangy earth smell, like compost. Zack's eyes widened when he realised what it was. Mako! What's that doing here?

Right in the centre of the room was a metal slab standing directly under a large spotlight. Leather and metal restraints hung from various points. Next to the slab was a small table – metal, like the rest of the lab – with an assortment of tools usualy found in hospitals. Aeris was studying them with narrowed eyes. Yeah, I'd like to know what they were doing here too.

Other than the intruments and a few files located on a desk, the room was empty. No sign of the scientists. He was just about to turn and find Vincent and Wedge, when the two men came in. The former met his eyes and gave a slight shake of the head, holding two fingers up at the same time.

Two bodies. The scientists. Great.

"Let's get out of here, people. No sense in staying here longer than neccesary." He said and started for the stairs.

"I'd like to take these papers, Zack." Aeris started. He looked at her and recognised the serious expression on her face. Something had caught her interest and she wouldn't take no for an anwer.

Now, their mission stated to find the scientists and leave everything else. And normally Zack would have complied without a second thought – at least, he'd like to think so – but the macarbre surroundings and strange creatures had made his curious. There was more going on here than normal research and he didn't like being in the dark.

"Fine, make it fast. Yuffie, Wedge, give her a hand. The rest of us will go outside and see if we can't find anything that could help us determine what happened here."

Aeris gave him a small smile before turning and helping the younger girl with collecting the papers. Turning, he made his way back outside, the two others following close by.

"What do you think?" He asked them once they were out.

"Something feels wrong. This is not the type of mission we should have gotten." Vincent stated, appearing deep in thought.

"What do you mean?" Biggs asked.

"He means that this has the classic signs of a highly classified project, it might even be illegal. We never should have gotten the command to come here. Hell, we never should have even known this planet existed. I'm beginning to think someone led us here."

"So that's why you're allowing Aeris to take those papers."

Before Zack could either confirm or deny that assesment, movement to their left drew their attention. They saw a flash of yellow and blue before a humanoid figure disappeared into the dense bush. Not wanting to lose time Zack started shouting orders while running in the same direction the figure had disappeared in.

"Biggs, warn the others! Vincent, you're with me!"

Whoever – or whatever, you could never be sure – was trying to run from them sure knew the area. It wasn't long before all they had to follow was the rustling of the vegetation. Not long after that, he realised he had somehow lost Vincent. He wasn't to worried about the man though, he could look after himself and would no doubt catch up soon.

He caught another glimpse of yellow before him. They seemed to be reaching a clearing, seeing as light started filtering through the trees in front of him. Speeding up just a little bit and burst into the light.

Only to realise that he was heading straight for a cliff. He heard a distant shout of "Look out!" moments before the danger registered. Oh crap! His momentum prevented him from stopping in time and he could feel himself stepping on empty air, before his body started falling forwards to accomodate to gravity.

There was a sharp tug on his right arm, stopping him momentarily from furthering his decent, and he had just enough time to see a shock of blond hair, a youthful face and bright blue eyes – A kid? – trying to pull him back before he began falling again, taking his would-be rescuer with him.

He instinctively curled his body around the other on the way down, something inside him screaming to protect the person he had incidentaly dragged over the edge with him. The kid gave a startled yelp with the action.

A stray treebranch knocked him out before they hit the ground.

Zack woke with a groan. For a few seconds, his thoughts were scattered and he couldn't really understand why his head hurt or why he was apparently laying on the ground. I swear, this is the last time I'm drinking with Cid. With that stray thought, memories returned and his eyes snapped open.

Taking in the forest around him slowly, he quickly concluded he was currently alone. The boy he had seen on the cliff, the one who had tried to pull him to safety, was nowhere in sight.

Gingerly, he pulled himself up. The Buster sword had luckily decided to be nice and stay where it belonged – as opposed to slicing him to ribbons on the way down. A fact he was grateful for.

"Zack! Zack, please respond!"

The sudden noise made him jump. Putting one hand over his rapidly beating heart in an effort to prevent it from jumping out of his chest and using the other to reach for his communicator, he answered the frantic summon.

"I'm here."

"Zack! Oh, thank the planet! Are you alright?" Aeris yelled. Her voice souded frantic and worried. He could already imagine the scolding he would receive whe he saw her again – followed by a hug and a kiss, of course.

Taking quick stock of his body he realised that, other than the bump on the head and a shallow gash on his arm, he was in perfect condition. It wasn't really all that surprising. Thanks to his heritage, his body was sturdier than most. Thank you, great grandparents, for deciding to live on Gongaga.

"I'm fine. Just took a bit of a tumble, that's all."

"Zack" That was Vincent "Did you see what attacked you?"

Oh, whoops.

"Ha, well …. not really? I mean, nobody attacked me. I sort of …. fell." And wasn't that embarrassing to admit. He could already picture the incredulous faces of his crewmembers.

"Do you want us to pick you up with the shuttle?"

He took a moment to ponder the question, taking in his surroundings again.

"No, the forest's too dense. Head for the shuttle and wait for me. If I come across an opening in the trees, I'll contact you and you come and pick me up. If not, I'll meet you there."

"Understood."

"Be careful, Zack."

"I will, I promise. I'll see you soon." He responded with a small grin. Throwing one last look to the top of the trees above him, to where he assumed his crew to be, he started heading north towards where he remembered the shuttle to be.

He had been walking for a good while and his surroundings hadn't changed even a little. Everywhere he looked he say trees, trees and oh, look …. trees. Had he not been going steadily uphill, he would have thought he was walking in circles. Luckily, the vinelike plants they had encountered on their way to the facility were absent here so he had an easier time walking. If all went well, he should reach the shuttle within the next hour. His only worry was that he wouldn't be able to reach it before it got dark. And considering he had fallen quite a distance, that was a very real possibility.

Casting a glance at what little sky he could see inbetween the trees, he realised his worry would soon become a reality. Already the sun was hidden from view, only the fading light showing that it had not set all the way. He had about another half hour before it would be dark completely. He hadn't really forgotten Aeris' warning.

I should probably start looking for shelter and just continue in the morning.

He was just about to reach for his communicator when something barreled into him from the side, sending him crashing to the ground. Only his reflexes prevented him from taking the full brunt of the attack. As it was, he could feel his breath leaving him on impact.

Glowing blue eyes were watching him from a few metres away, the trees hiding whatever-it-was' form. Going by the eyes, it was big though. Really big. He was pretty tall himself and the thing's eyes were still a few heads above him. But what really worried him was that despite its size, it was completely silent.

Even with his sharper than normal hearing, he hadn't heard anything until the thing had literally knocked him of his feet. And even then it had made a minimum of noise.

Great, big AND silent. Life hates me.

He had just enough time to roll out of the way when the thing attacked for a second time. Quickly snatching the Buster sword from his back, he assumed a fighting position. His eyes followed the glowing eyes – and he was lucky life gave him at least that breather – while he strained his ears to the maximum, hoping to get an earlier warning when it moved.

This time he was able to predict when the thing charged and with a quick dodge followed by a swipe of his sword, he was able to hit it before it got out of reach. He had a momentary glimpse of pale fur before it disappeared between the trees again. Bastard really knows how to use the area to his advantage.

And the terrain was indeed ideal for the creature. While it had ample space to move swiftly and silently, Zack had next to no room to swing his sword properly. He had been lucky to wound it on the first try. He doubted he would get lucky again. Especially since the creature seemed to have realised the danger of the sword and was changing tactics.

It charged him again and just like the last few times Zack dodged out of the way. But this time the thing didn't retreat. It followed its original attack up with a second, just as vicious, swipe, managing to hit him on his back. He managed to stay upright, but for the second time that evening he had the wind knocked out of him.

Turning, he saw the creature charging him again. Shit. Moments before it would have reached him, he noticed another set of blue eyes and felt something tackle him out of the way. What is this, national tackle Zack day?

"What the hell are you doing? You can't fight it here!"

Huh, whatever had barreled into him this time could talk. He should probably answer the question. After he got his breath back. Just give me a moment.

The voice didn't give him a moment. A surprisingly strong hand grabbed his arm and started dragging him forward. Having still not regained his breath, he didn't protest when the person – because thats what it was – started dragging him away opposite from where he had been going.

"Come on, you idiot! Don't make me regret this!"

Hey, that wasn't fair. In the last few hours he had fallen off a cliff, had been walking upward the whole time trying to get back to his team and had had the wind knocked out of him more times than he cared to count. He was allowed a few minutes to recover. And the kid knew about least half of that.

Because now that he had a better look at his rescuer, he could see it was the same person that had grabbed him back on the cliff. Although he could only see the back of his head, he'd recognise that shock of blond hair anywhere. Wonder if he has it dyed.

The kid – lets call him Spiky for now, fits with the hair – ran at a punishing speed. Weaving through the trees, occasionally jumping over roots. All the while maintaining a strong grip on Zacks arm, as if afraid to lose him. And hey, maybe he was. Zack had to do his hardest to keep up with him. Even with his stamina, Spiky was outrunning him easily.

Absently swinging his sword on his back, he tried to prevent himself from falling over roots and other obstacles he could only barely see in the dark. He had a feeling that if he fell behind, Spiky wouldn't wait for him.

He couldn't hear the creature following, but then it had been nearly silent for the whole time. For all he knew it could be right behind him. That thought made him put on another burst of speed, so much so that he was starting to overtake Spiky, who threw him a surprised look. He refused to look behind him though, fearing that he would be met with two glowing blue eyes towering over them.

Finally, after what seemed like hours but was probably only minutes, they seemed to reach their destination. The ran into a large clearing the size of one of those football fields back on Earth and Spiky came to an abrupt stop, making Zack flail to avoid crashing into him.

"What the hell are you doing?" he cried, miffed for almost hitting the ground again.

"It won't attack here. It knows it would lose if it did. We should be safe." And damn it, the kid didn't even sound winded. He was breathing harder, yes, but opposed to Zack gulping in air like a drowned man, he sounded like he had just gone for a light jog.

"How can you be sure?"

"Look."

And Zack looked. Spiky was looking at the direction where they had come from and when Zack turned his gaze, he could see movement in the trees. A few moments later a figure stepped out in the clearing.

For the first time, Zack could see the creature that had been attacking him. As he had realised early on, it was big. It stood a few head over him and was bulkier than Barret. White fur covered the humanlike arms and legs and a powerful tail swung lazily behind it. It reminded him of a gorilla, albeit the biggest one he had ever seen – not that he had seen many, mind you. Tusks the size of his forearms portruded from its upper lip. The creatures blue eyes were watching them intently, but it didn't seem to feel any need to come closer.

Next to him, Spiky moved his hand to the band of his baggy trousers. He realised only now that a large sword was attached to the belt and the blond had put his hand on top of it, ready to draw if needed. Following the example, Zack put his hand on the hilt of the Buster sword.

A few tense moments passed before the thing gave a loud snort and turned around. Both men stayed watching the place it had disappeared a little longer. Eventually they deemed it safe enough and Zack gave a loud exclamation of relief.

"Phew, finally!" he said while falling on the ground in an undignified heap "Thanks, Spike! I owe you one!"

"…. Spike?"

"I thought I was a goner for sure! I swear that thing was out to get me and ….. hey, where are you going? Wait!"

The blond, who had been walking away, turned and threw him a questioning gaze.

"What?"

"Where are you going?" he asked again.

"I'm …. leaving, I guess."

"Yeah, I noticed that. What I meant was why are you leaving? That creature is still out there."

"I will be fine. I know what to do."

"Okay. Then what about me? What if it came after me again?"

He could see the reluctant acceptance forming in the other's eyes and decided to go for the finishing shot. "I mean, it'd be a real waste for you to save me only for me to get killed anyway. Right?"

"Fine. We'll stay here for tonight. No use going in the dark, I suppose."

Zack grinned. Score one for Zack.

"Great! Name's Zackary Fair, by the way. I prefer Zack."

The blond looked at him with narrow eyes, as if to see if he was trying to pull a trick. Zack kept his expression as open as possible. Aeris did always say he had an honest face. Finally, he replied.

"Cloud Strife."

Let me know if you liked it! Chapter two should be up soon, depending on my internetconnection.