A/N: Hello everyone, and welcome to my first official FF7 fanfic.
After writing a few fics for Yu-Gi-Oh! I wanted to dive into a new fandom. This particular story spawned from a variety of things. First of all, many months ago JollyBigSis sent me the link to an awesome FF7 fic. Then I also started browsing the fandom, and found some ZackxCloud fics that made me fall completely in love with the pairing! I was more of an CloudxSephiroth before that. Then I realised how annoyed I was that I'm only really familiar with the original game and the movie, due to not owning a PSP or any PS. I only knew about the others from what I've read about them. Thankfully, I found an LP on YouTube of Crisis Core, and have spent many hours drooling over it. Oh boy, did I see the shipping possibilities of the two spiky-haired boys.
And then, out of the middle of nowhere, this story was born. I just started writing it to see how far it would take me, and it took a long while before I stopped. The vibe feels good, and I quickly had a general feel for the main plot. Figuring out the details wasn't that hard and only made me grow more excited.
So basically I'm feeling really good about this story, and I hope my first real dive into the FF7 fandom (not really counting Materia Duel) will be entertaining.
So let me briefly get into a couple of things:
1) I will update once every 2 weeks on Monday. It's no use to ask me to update any sooner.
2) I love reviews with constructive feedback. I want to learn and grow.
3) This fic will be T-rated, though there are some dark and sexual themes. I don't write lemons though, only allude to them, so I should be safe.
Without any further ado, I'll let you get to reading. Remember, I do not own FF7 or any of its characters, Zack and Cloud rock, and Sephiroth is the best antagonist ever created. Oh yeah! And I love reviews!
Enjoy!
0o0o0
Chapter 1
The first memory that Cloud had was both an agonizing and a fond one. He didn't remember quite how old he was back then, but he guessed he was around four years old. Back then the children of his hometown of Nibelheim usually gathered together to play, but even at his young and innocent age Cloud was being picked on. The other children called him names, saying that he looked like a chocobo due to his blonde spiky hair, and always found some reason to leave him out. If he was the only kid wearing a green shirt, then the rule of the day was that kids with green shirts weren't allowed to play along. It always hurt him, and made him wonder what he had done to deserve it, but when he started crying the kids would laugh at him, calling him a chocobo cry baby. That hurt even more.
Luckily there was one kid who always stood up for him. Even though he was two years older, Zack had always looked after him. And that's where the agonizing memory turned into a fond one.
"Cloud!" Zack, who had just walked up to the cluster of gathered children only to see Cloud standing a little ways apart, called out, "What have these guys done this time?" He asked of the crying blonde, grabbing his shoulders with both hands and lowering himself to the younger's eye level.
Cloud sniffed and removed his hands from his face, looking at the dark, spiky-haired kid in front of him with relief, "Z-Zack, they-they won't l-let me p-play with-with them."
"Pfft. That chocobo cry baby really can't take anything. We were only joking around." One of the other kids defended himself.
Zack felt himself become angry and turned around to face the speaker, barely managing to keep himself from punching the kid in the face, "Well my dad says that it's not a very funny joke if you make someone cry. And he doesn't like being called that, so stop it!"
"Yeah whatever." The kid looked behind him to see his friends nod in agreement at their leader's reply.
"Why do you insist on protecting him Zack?" Another kid spoke up, "My dad says that he needs to toughen up and stop crying so much, otherwise he won't become a man."
And that's what angered Zack even more. Cloud wasn't only picked on by his peers, but even some of the adults in this town considered him the runt of the litter. In his young age Zack didn't understand it, but it just felt wrong to him nevertheless.
"Well, your dad can just mind his own business. Meanwhile Cloud and I will go play somewhere else. And we're going to have a lot more fun than you could ever have." Zack turned back to the blonde, "Isn't that right Cloud?"
Cloud smiled through his tears and fervently nodded his head. Zack stood back up and took his hand. Cloud dried his tears as Zack led him away from the mean kids to go and play somewhere else.
Whenever Cloud thought back to that specific moment, and the similar moments that followed it, he would smile. Zack was always there for him, protecting him, and never asked for anything in return except his friendship. He always allowed Cloud to choose what they were going to do, and stood up for him whenever someone was mean to him, even if it was an adult. Over time, Cloud began to admire his friend for his strength. Both of them didn't have any siblings, but they thought of each other as brothers. Zack was one of the few people who made him smile.
0o0o0
Today was another boring day. Zack was leaning on the counter of the small item shop he owned, wondering whether anything interesting was going to happen that day. Then again, he lived in a backwater town in the middle of nowhere. Nothing interesting ever happened here. Besides that, Zack felt little for the people who lived in it. Even though he was now a young man of eighteen, standing on his own two feet, he couldn't forgive them for how they had treated Cloud in the past, and continued to treat him today.
Zack sighed and looked to his right, where the object of his concern was sitting on a stool while quietly reading a book. The years hadn't been kind to his best friend. He was very quiet and withdrawn from the world around him. He barely smiled and generally only talked to Zack. The townsfolk said he wasn't right in the head, and that Zack only burdened himself by continuing to take care of him. But Zack refused to acknowledge that. He didn't blame Cloud for being the way he was. This town had never accepted him, which was quite a big deal in a small town such as Nibelheim, where everyone knew everyone else. It had gotten worse over the past year though. Before that, Cloud would at least attempt to mingle from time to time, but after his mother, his last remaining relative, died, he had pretty much shut down. If it wasn't for Zack, who was the only one willing to pick him up and take him under his wing, who knows what would have become of the blonde.
Zack looked back towards the door when he heard it open. He straightened up and saw a young girl walk inside his shop. He couldn't help but smile a little when he saw who it was.
"Heya Tifa." He greeted warmly.
Tifa returned the smile, "Hi Zack." She greeted back, before turning her gaze to Cloud, "Hi Cloud." She tried, but the blonde gave no response, but kept his eyes on his reading.
"Cloud." Zack admonished while turning his attention back to his unresponsive friend, "The least you can do is say hi back."
The tension in Cloud's shoulders was unmistakable as he slowly lifted his eyes from his book. He looked at Zack pleadingly, occasionally shifting his eyes to the long-haired brunette standing near the doorway. He resembled a little kid having his first encounter with a Nibel Wolf. The message was clear to all occupants of the room. He was scared and was begging the only one he trusted to not having to comply.
"It's okay Zack." Tifa said softly as she slowly approached the counter, "I understand."
Her eyes lingered for a moment on the blonde, who quickly lowered his head back to his book. Zack felt bad for the girl. Out of all the people, Tifa was the only one he did like. Even though she was popular among the other kids, she never participated in their bullying of Cloud. She had even been nice to him on many occasions, but had never really gotten the chance to get to know him, because her father never approved of it. He wanted his daughter to stay away from him, saying that he had a bad influence on her. Even though Tifa didn't agree with her father, she would never openly defy him, and thus kept her distance from the blonde. Yet Zack suspected that she would have liked to become his friend. But now Cloud wouldn't even acknowledge her, let alone speak to her. Out of all people he thought Cloud would be a little bit more relaxed around Tifa, but he guessed that he was wrong about that.
"Fine." Zack sighed and turned his attention back to the brunette, "What can I get you today Tifa?"
"We're out of our supply of potions. Work at the reactor has been hard lately, and my dad has been using them nearly daily. Can you help me out?"
"Sure. I got a new supply of them only yesterday, so I've got plenty. I can grab you a box from the storage room. There's twenty in there. Will that be enough to last you a while?"
"Yeah, that should do it."
Zack smiled at her, "Okay, I'll go get them then. I'll be right back."
As soon as he had spoken those words Cloud quickly slipped off his stool and joined Zack's side. Zack sighed, but allowed the blonde to follow him to the storage room where he kept his ware not currently on display. That was something else about Cloud. He couldn't bear to let Zack out of his sight. Not having his raven-haired friend in his sight, or within earshot at least, would cause him to panic. It sometimes annoyed Zack that he could never be truly alone, but understood Cloud's need to have him near. Zack was the only person he had left in life, and he needed to make sure that he wasn't going to leave him. It was an anxiety the blonde had picked up after losing his mother.
"So are you going to tell me why you didn't even greet Tifa just now?" Zack asked his friend while he rummaged through the boxes to find the right one.
Cloud's gaze turned to his feet, while one of them traced invisible patterns on the floor, "You know why." He replied softly.
Zack sighed again and turned his attention to the uneasy blonde, "No I don't Cloud. Tifa is a nice girl. She's the only one who even bothers to acknowledge that you're there, and this is how you repay her kindness? I know you're scared, but you should try to open up a bit."
Cloud shook his head, "I don't want to." He whined, his voice betraying the fact he was on the verge of tears.
"Hey." Zack said gently as he walked up to Cloud and hugged him. Cloud immediately relaxed at the gesture, while Zack continued, "It's all right Spiky. I understand if you're not ready yet, but please think about it. You don't want to have to cling to me forever, do you?"
"You're not going to leave me, are you?" Cloud asked in shock as he looked up pleadingly into Zack's eyes, "Please don't leave me Zack, please!"
Zack shushed him and gently pressed the blonde's head to his shoulder, "I'm not going anywhere Cloud. I promised I would take care of you, remember? When have I ever broken my promise to you?"
"Never."
"And I'm not about to change that." He confirmed, placing a kiss on top of his blonde spikes. He then gently pushed Cloud back, but held him by his shoulders and looked him into the eye, "I promise that I won't leave you, but that doesn't take away the fact that I want you to think about what I just said."
Cloud hesitated for a moment, but nodded eventually, reassured by his friend's promise. It made Zack smile at him, before releasing him and going back to finding the box. He soon found it and brought it back to the front of the store where Tifa was still waiting for them.
Cloud silently sat back down on his stool and picked up the book he had left on the counter so he could continue reading it. It almost seemed as if nothing had happened, but Tifa wasn't fooled. She had heard Cloud's outcry for Zack not to leave him. It had broken her heart to hear such desperation in his voice. She hadn't heard the rest of the conversation, but knew from that that something had occurred. She had bitten her lip when she heard that, using all of her strength to keep herself from walking to the back and comforting the blonde herself. The only thing that stopped her from doing so was the fact that Zack was the only one who could calm Cloud down, and that her presence would probably only aggravate the situation. But that didn't make her feel any better. She wanted to do something to help Cloud, but not being able to do anything for him made her feel utterly helpless.
If she was truly honest with herself she knew exactly where these feelings were coming from. Tifa had always felt something for the blonde boy, even though she never really got to know him. He wasn't like the other boys, who tried to prove either their strength or bravery to her in order to get into her favour. When they were young she simply thought that boys were stupid for doing that, but when they all grew up to be teens it turned into something more. She started to understand that she was popular for the simple fact that she was the only girl their age, and that they were simply trying to impress her enough to go out on a date with them. But not Cloud. Cloud never tried to impress her. Whenever she did talk to him he was always simply being nice to her, without any expectations, and that made her smile.
"Hi Cloud!" Tifa called out at the boy sitting on top of the water tower in the middle of the town.
"Hey Tifa!" Cloud called back, waving cheerfully at the girl.
"What are you doing up there?"
"I'm waiting for Zack. I've got something great to tell him." He said with big smile, "Hey, you wanna know it too?"
Tifa smiled, happy to be invited to be included in whatever they boy had to say, "Sure, but how do I get up there?"
Cloud laughed and stood up, walking over to the other side of the tower, "Zack showed me. Just climb up on this side. The boards are fairly close to one another, so it shouldn't be that hard."
With the help of Cloud, Tifa successfully climbed to the top of the tower. From it she had a great view over the town, so she understood why Cloud and Zack used it as their meeting place. They both walked back to the other side and sat down. They chatted for a bit while waiting for Zack to arrive a few minutes later.
"Heya Spiky." The raven-haired boy greeted him as he rounded the corner. Upon seeing Tifa, he shot her a smile, "Oh heya Tifa. I didn't know you were invited too."
Zack moved to sit down next to Cloud. Tifa noticed the way Cloud looked at him with adoration, and felt a pang of jealousy. But that feeling quickly faded away when Cloud turned his attention back to her with a big smile.
"I hadn't, but she happened to come by and I thought she might like to know it too."
"All right then Spiky. Don't leave us in suspension. What is it?"
Cloud's eyes grew with excitement. Tifa thought it was cute how Cloud didn't hide it to act all tough in front of her. Even though he was one year older than her, he was never afraid to be the child he was.
"Dad's going to take me to the reactor tomorrow! He's going to show me everything!"
"Wow! That's awesome Spiky." Zack said with a smile, "Your old man is going to show you the ropes, eh?"
"Yeah." Cloud nodded, "I'm so excited! I wish tomorrow was here already."
Tifa chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm. Most of the people of Nibelheim worked at the Mako reactor situated in Mount Nibel. For that reason it was considered as dull by most other boys, but apparently not for Cloud. He obviously took pride in his father's job.
"What does your father do at the reactor?" Tifa asked.
Cloud turned his attention back to her, a thoughtful expression on his face, "I'm not sure actually, but he's no doubt going to show me."
"I bet he will." Zack confirmed, "Before the day's out, you'll know everything, and then you can show those brats how smart you are."
Cloud blushed at his friend's comment and lowered his gaze, "I don't care about them." He said softly, "I just want to be just like my dad and you Zack."
"Awe, you flatter me Spiky." Zack said while ruffling the younger boy's hair.
Cloud's smile returned as he batted his friend's hand away. Zack laughed, and Tifa couldn't help but laugh along. After a brief romp in which Zack tried to ruffle Cloud's hair again, while Cloud tried to keep him from doing so, Zack eventually put his arm around Cloud's shoulders and hugged him close. Tifa felt that pang of jealousy again at how close the two boys were, but she quickly shrugged it off. They were best friends, of course they had a bond. Besides, it wasn't like Zack was keeping Cloud away from her. If anything Zack always seemed to appreciate Tifa's kindness towards the younger boy.
"I want Cloud to be Cloud, though." Zack suddenly spoke up, making both others regard him with curiosity, waiting for him to elaborate, "I like you this way Spiky. Just imagine two Zacks running around town. The townsfolk would be driven nuts!" He said, causing the three of them to laugh again. The thought alone was enough to have them in stitches.
After a while their laughter subsided and Tifa spoke up, "So, you want to work at the reactor when you grow up Cloud?"
Cloud turned to her again and shot her another smile, "Yeah! Just like my dad."
Tifa chuckled, "And what about you Zack?"
Zack suddenly turned serious. He lifted his eyes to gaze up at the blue sky above them, "Me? Well I would like to get out of this sleepy town once I'm old enough. I want to see the world and protect those in it. I want to join SOLDIER, so I can become a hero."
The way Zack spoke those words told the two other children that this was a big dream of his. Cloud looked at him in admiration again, and even Tifa couldn't help but be impressed.
"What about you Tifa?" Zack asked after a short moment of silence, focusing his attention on the girl.
"Me?" Tifa asked, surprised that Zack had asked her that, "Well, I'm not sure really. I'll probably marry once I'm old enough and become a housewife or something."
"Tsk." Zack scoffed and rolled his eyes, "A tough girl like you? Don't make me laugh Tifa. I can't imagine that you would be happy like that. Come on. What's your dream?"
Tifa sighed and turned her attention to her dangling feet, thinking about what the older boy had said. A small smile suddenly creased her lips, "Well, I uhm…I would like to work in a bar. You know, meeting lots of different people and being able to talk to them. Perhaps even help them out?"
Cloud, who had listened to her attentively, gave her a big smile again, "I think that's a wonderful dream Tifa! I think it really suits you, don't you think so too Zack?"
Zack nodded in agreement, "Cloud's right Tifa. You should embrace your dreams."
Tifa smiled in appreciation as she turned back to face the two boys next to her. Any of the other boys would have mocked her over this, but not Zack, and certainly not Cloud. She felt a surge of affection for the both of them well up inside of her.
"Hey." Cloud spoke up, breaking Tifa from her thoughts, "Let's make a promise."
Zack cocked his head in curiosity, "What kind of promise?"
"Let's promise one another that we will make our dreams come true."
Zack smiled affectionately at his blonde friend, "Yeah, I think that's a good promise. Count me in, Spiky."
Cloud beamed at his raven-haired friend before turning his attention back to Tifa, "What about you Tifa?"
Tifa was a little bit hesitant. She knew that her father had other plans for her, and that there was no way she could make her dream come true. But here she had an opportunity to become a part of something with Cloud. Giving in to this desire, she smiled at the two and nodded.
"All right. I promise."
Tifa blinked to hide the tears that threatened to form in her eyes at the memory. That was six years ago, and although it was a happy one, it also reminded her of how they all couldn't hold up to that promise. Cloud was in no state to work at the reactor, and Zack's care for him prevented him from leaving his side and join SOLDIER. Instead he had taken over the item shop, which up until that point was run by an old man in need of retirement, so he could always have Cloud near him without any trouble. He hated the job, but he was willing to make that sacrifice for his friend. And Tifa was where she expected to be. Now that she was fifteen, her father had already begun scouting for potential match ups for his daughter. Her chances of leaving town and work at a bar were next to nothing. Instead, she, just like Zack, was stuck in this hellhole.
Ironically, the memory also signified something even more painful, for it was the last day that Cloud had smiled so readily. The next day, while Cloud's father was showing him around the reactor, there was a sudden malfunction. The official reports about what had exactly occurred said that mister Strife had been careless while trying to fix it, and had fallen over the railing and right into the pool of liquid Mako below. But Tifa remembered that Cloud had been screaming something about a monster attacking and killing his father in front of his eyes when other workers had brought him back to town. It was from that day on that Cloud started to change, especially when people started calling him nuts, claiming that the shock of losing his father had driven him mad. For some reason, Tifa never believed them. Having lost her own mother only a year before this incident she knew how it felt to lose a parent, and she hated how the town never did anything to help out Cloud and his mother. No, there was something fishy about the entire story.
"Tifa? Hey, you okay?" Zack's voice cut through her thoughts, startling her.
The raven-haired young man was looking at her with concern, but Tifa quickly shot him a smile, "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just lost in thought, that's all." She tried to reassure him, but judging from his expression she knew she wasn't very convincing.
"Then why are you crying?"
Tifa reached up with her hand to touch her cheek. Sure enough her fingers were met with warm moisture. Without realising it, she hadn't been able to hold back her tears after all. She started wiping at her face, "Uhm…I uhm…I was jus-"
"Thinking about Cloud, right?" Zack supplied softly, his own expression turning mournful.
"Uhm…yeah…" Tifa admitted, wiping the last tear away, "Sorry about that."
"It's all right Tifa. I understand."
Zack glanced to his side to see Cloud pretending to ignore them and continue reading, but he saw how he was watching them from underneath his blonde bangs, while chewing his lower lip. He sighed, knowing it was futile to hope that Cloud would actually do something to make Tifa feel better. He also didn't understand why the blonde stubbornly continued to block everyone but himself out. He was convinced that Cloud could become better, and that interacting with Tifa would be a way to start, but there was only so far he could push him.
"That'll be a 1000 gill Tifa." Zack said as he turned back to the girl, changing the subject back to what Tifa had come here to do in order to prevent the situation from becoming even more awkward.
"Right." Tifa replied as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the money, "Here you go."
Zack took the money and deposited in a wooden box underneath the counter, "Come back if you need some more. You know where to find me."
Tifa nodded and took the box off the counter, "I will, thanks. Bye Zack." She then hesitated for a moment, glancing over to the blonde, seeing the bright blue of his eyes peek from under his bangs, "Bye Cloud." She said in a whisper before turning to walk away.
"Bye...Tifa."
The words had been spoken very softly and hesitantly, and for a moment Tifa thought she had imagined it. But when she turned around she could clearly see Cloud quickly avert his gaze, and turn his attention back to his book. She also saw how Zack was staring at the blonde in surprise. She smiled, knowing that Cloud had actually spoken to her.
0o0o0
A/N: So…you like? Personally I like how I've been able to take small little elements from the canon and incorporate them into my little AU. Like the promise.
Now my goals for this story is characterization most of all. I'd like to keep the characters as IC as possible, though Cloud will inevitably be OOC due to his anxiety. Then again, in the game he turns quite emo after the Temple of the Ancients until he gets himself sorted out in the Lifestream, only to turn emo in Advent Children again… In any case, I love feedback, so please tell me whenever you feel that I'm straying from their personalities.
Another goal is dialogue flow. When I wrote Overcoming Differences (my previous story) I eventually started to notice that I might be adding too much description to a conversation. I spelled out the emotions and the movements of the characters that it started to bother even myself. It is part of my writing style, but I want to try and let the dialogue and the situation speak for themselves without spelling it out to the reader all the time. If you understand what I mean and are willing to give me feedback on this, by all means do so!
Until next time! Leave a review on your way out please!
