Author's Note - I promise, I really am writing up the next TEUF chapter... but this one's got plot bunnies running rampant. D;
It's also taking a Cloud/Zack-ish direction in my mind, but it's also got some potential to be a Cloud/Tifa and Zack/Aerith...
We'll see...
Oh, and thank you for the reviews. Glad I could keep you interested, dudes/dudettes. ;)
For this chapter, we had CC's track: Encounter playing... you'll understand why soon enough. Eh heh.
For the record, I may be tweaking some monster appearances... and probably locations... sorry 'bout the latter if I screw up.
And so begins the trek of the 2k+ chapters... minus the A/Ns, of course. (Seriously, I write these after the chapter.)
Warnings - OC involvement, blood, gore, story/canon butchering, language etc. You know...
This'll change chapterly (so not a word), just in case.
Chapter 1 -
It had been about two months now.
Zack hadn't shown any signs of waking up. Regular humans didn't take this long to wake up from near-fatal wounds normally, and Cloud knew SOLDIER's weren't supposed to take this long to recover.
'Ex-SOLDIER,' he reminded himself, closing his sky-blue eyes. They were no longer part of Shinra. In fact, going back would prove to be suicidal, according to their cloaked saviour. According to the stranger, Shinra had changed in the past few years - five years, give or take. Cloud had no recollection of how much time had passed, only that the last thing he remembered before waking up in that Wasteland was being impaled on the end of Sephiroth's sword, Masamune.
He was so sure he'd died then...
Yet here he was, inside a makeshift shack with nothing but a makeshift fire for warmth in the center of the single-room building. Zack took up the only bed in the place, and the stranger had insisted Cloud used the ragged-looking couch in his stead. The blond had often tried to get the cloaked figure to take the bed instead, especially since he always left early in the morning, and returned much later in the evening. The ex-Shinra infantryman hadn't the faintest idea of what the man (or boy, judging from the fact that he was kinda short) was doing outside. He figured there must be something.
Truth be told, Cloud hadn't any idea on who their saviour was.
Not once had the stranger taken off his cloak. In fact, all that Cloud really knew was that he had a little girl with him. A little girl who, the blond noted, was quite... eccentric.
She was small, probably only four or five. Her chocolate-brown hair came down to about her chin, and the cut itself was rather choppy. She usually wore a pure white, long-sleeved dress with polyester lining over a black tank top and pleated, cream-coloured skirt. The black boots she wore were a few sizes too big, coming up to her knees and fitting snugly up top before pooling around her ankles as one brought their eyes lower. It was an odd style of dress, yet he didn't comment. Her name, he'd learned, was Sasha.
She was certainly far more talkative, child or no child. She usually drew in the dirt floor of the shack, humming some kind of tune to herself that could have been a nursery rhyme. Maybe 'Mary had a Little Chocobo' or something along those lines. Sometimes she would talk to him, other times attempt to get him to play with her while the cloaked stranger went out and did whatever it was he did.
None of it, in all honesty, made any sense. He was practically on pins and needles, wanting more than anything for Zack to wake up and explain just what the hell was going on. He wanted to know why he was still alive, how he'd ended up in the wastelands outside of Midgar, why Zack had almost died trying to apparently save him. He wanted to know who their saviour was, what his purpose was, what his plan, if any, was.
He wanted answers to the thousands and thousands of questions running through his—
"Cloudy~!"
The sudden attack from behind snapped him out of his thoughts, a small grunt escaping him as he was forced to throw out his hands against the side of the bed so he wouldn't end up falling on top of Zack, as he was sitting right in a chair right next to said bed. Sky-blue eyes blinked once before he was able to register the fact that there was now some kind of small person resting its chin on the top of his head, tilting his head back to find Sasha's onyx-black eyes looking down on him.
... What was she even standing on to get that high... ?
"What's up?" he asked, slightly confused when all he received was a giggle in response. The girl was as mysterious, if not more so, than the cloaked stranger.
"Nothing~!" she replied in her sing-song voice, giggling again before she jumped down (giving Cloud a chance to realize she'd managed to climb on the back of the chair) and practically jumped in front of him, making quite a show of it.
"Nothing, huh?"
"Nothing~!"
It was another game she liked to play, he'd figured out quickly enough. There was always something running through her brain, something Cloud hadn't been able to figure out. She was a child, yet far more complicated than any adult he'd ever met. There was usually some kind of point to her games, though.
"Zack's gonna wake up soon," she suddenly proclaimed, causing his eyes to widen. It wasn't the statement, but rather the way she said it, the way she sounded so sure of herself.
"How... ?"
Before he had a chance to elaborate, she giggled and ran off to the other end of the room, and Cloud found himself actually getting out of the chair to watch her. Once again, she was now drawing in the dirt, humming that silly tune of hers, body swaying to whatever she was hearing in her head. This time, though, something in him pulled him to her side, examining the drawing that she was creating.
Except that it wasn't a drawing.
Sky-blue eyes widened as the so-called 'drawings' turned out to be a calendar, detailing events from what he was sure was from up to twenty-five years ago. The birth dates of Sephiroth, Zack, and himself were all included, right down to the second. Looking down to where she was drawing more details, he caught the last three entries she'd written down:
October 0007, 4:02 PM: Big monsters attack; Cloudy fights them
October 0007, 4:58 PM: Cloudy gets hurt; Sasha tries to help; Zack wakes up and helps
October 0007, 5:13 PM: Ru-Ru comes back
There were several moments, he noted, in which 'Ru-Ru came back.' It wasn't entirely difficult to figure out just who 'Ru-Ru' might be, but he doubted that was even a real name. It really sounded more like a nickname than anything.
"Did you... write this?" he asked, looking at the little girl. She paused in her work, eyes coming up to look into his own, looking like he'd asked some kind of silly question.
"Mm... I did," she replied, sitting back on her legs, hands resting on her knees.
"Is Zack really gonna wake up?"
"Yup!"
She grinned. It was silly, displaying all her childish innocence; and Cloud found himself smiling as well, despite the confused feeling now running through his very core. How could anyone, even a child, be this... optimistic?
A loud screech sounded through the air, and he swore his ears were going to rip to shreds at any second. No questions could be uttered as a loud CREAK! sounded throughout the shack, directing his attention to the door as it suddenly burst inward. He grabbed Sasha, protecting her with his body from the wooden shards. He didn't dare look up when he heard the roof get ripped off, flinching as the shards dropped (thankfully harmless) on top of his back. Only when he heard a fierce roar did he look up, sky-blue eyes widening as a very real dragon was perched above, looking ready to eat them and swallow them whole. And from the size of it, it probably could.
"What the hell's a dragon doing in a place like this?" he found himself whispering, his hold on Sasha loosening unconsciously. He didn't realize it until she had dashed out of his arms, reaching out to her in an attempt to stop her. The dragon roared, angered by the movement somehow, its head striking out at him, and it was all Cloud could do to roll out of the way and avoid getting eaten whole. 'Zack,' he remembered, looking over to the ex-SOLDIER's still form, making a dash for it. Before he could even get anywhere near, however, the dragon's claw suddenly swooped through the shack, throwing up dirt and shattering the place to smithereens, knocking him away...
... and right at the feet... of a Behemoth...
It took every ounce of his strength to roll out of the way as the thing's claw came down, smashing the very spot he'd been in only seconds before. He scrambled to his feet, backing away as quickly as he could, unable to completely comprehend just how he was supposed to fight without a weapon.
"Cloudy!"
His head turned in the direction of voice, finding Sasha over by the rubble, waving her hands somewhat frantically. He made to run over towards her, but stopped as she shook her head and started pointed towards the ground before planting her hands flat on it. Puzzled, he hesitantly looked down, stumbling back a bit as something long, shining, and surrounded by a giant water bubble suddenly shot out. He instinctively grabbed it, hands wrapping around what he was soon able to discern as a sword's hilt once the water melted away.
The Buster Sword's hilt.
Startled at the thing's sudden appearance, wide eyes looked back at Sasha, who made some kind of 'Shoo'ing motion with her hands and pointed behind him. It was then that he was reminded of the Behemoth's presence, letting out a small yell as the thing's claw came crashing down again, sending him flying and crashing a good few feet away. He used the sword to pull himself up, snatching it out of the ground and wielding it... only to have it weigh him down. The thing was too heavy. He'd never had any training with any kind of sword, let alone one so big. As an infantryman, he'd only been given a standard-issue gun, and even then his aim had been on the poor side of things.
Still, as he looked towards Sasha, the girl cheering him on excitedly, performing what he could only assume as some kind of dance routine. Eyes momentarily glanced over at the shack, widening at the realization that it was destroyed.
Destroyed...
Destroyed!
Zack was in there...
Cloud bit his lip, grip on the sword tightening as some kind of adrenaline coursed through his body. At first he flinched, the dragon coming back and landing next to the Behemoth as the two approached, almost within attacking range. Then it swept him away, and his body took control of itself.
The two creatures raised their claws, slamming them down into the ground, crossing one another's paths. Cloud jumped, however, and made a surprisingly high one at. He maneuvered the Buster Sword in his hand, getting a better grip as he plunged down first on the dragon, managing to slice off its head. It let out one final screech before dropped, lifeless body parts still as its blood oozed into the dirt. He couldn't help but stare, shuddering at the side of the red liquid and quickly turning his gaze away.
The Behemoth, on the other hand, was a different story. It pounced, the giant creature baring its teeth. The sword was lifted once again, blocking the massive thing before it could crush him. He grunted as it pushed back, however, digging him further into the ground and creating something of a crater due to its strength. Using every ounce of strength he could muster up, Cloud pushed against the monster, slashing and shoving it back enough for him to get out of the crater, facing it as it stood back up. Chills ran down his spine as the beast growled, predatory eyes filled with hunger.
He couldn't afford to be beaten just yet.
The air around him suddenly got hot, a bright flash of red his warning as he brought the sword up to defend against the spell. He yelped as he was knocked back, skidding slightly before he was able to push against the ground and flip back onto his feet, struggling to get into a defensive stance as it slashed again and again.
His arms were beginning to shake, for despite the rush of adrenaline, he wasn't built to wield a sword nor to fight against such a beast. After all, he'd just been an infantryman. He was amazed that he was even able to lift Zack's sword, let alone swing it around. And with some degree of skill, he noted mentally.
'What's going on?'
Cloud's luck clearly ran out when the Behemoth swiped particularly powerfully, knocking the Buster Sword aside. He briefly heard Sasha calling his name, sky-blue eyes darting between her and the beast just in time for him to raise his arms up as it swiped him aside. He was sent flying, a grunt of pain escaping as he landed rather painfully near the ruins of the shack. Judging from aching and the warm liquid he could feel on his head, as well as the nausea and faint feeling, that blow had managed to hurt him. Little hands were shaking him somewhat frantically, and he could barely open his eyes enough to see Sasha's worried face. He sat up quickly, regretting it almost instantly as he was nearly sent right back down...
"Cloudy!"
Except someone caught him from behind.
He would've been shocked or reacted better if he hadn't been struggling to stay conscious at this point, but that still didn't stop sky-blue eyes from widening as equally blue, though enhanced and glowing due to mako influence, met them with a grin to match the usual cheeriness. The familiar mane of black hair, the typical scar on the left side of his chin...
"Z-Zack," he managed breathed out, not surprised that his voice had given out on him. The ex-SOLDIER only grinned wider, winking at him.
"Hey. Long time no talk, huh? You look like crap, though."
A wave of warmth washed over Cloud as a green glow surrounded him, ebbing away most of the pain in his head. Zack seemed surprised by the sudden spell, scanning around the area for the source. The Behemoth's roar brought their attention back to the danger at hand, heads snapping at the beast as it crouched low, ready to pounce. The ex-SOLDIER whistled, one hand above his eyes as though he were trying to shade them.
"A Behemoth, huh," he remarked. "Don't see that every day, especially out here."
Cloud honestly couldn't help but smile a little at this friend's familiar attitude, his usual collected one. He almost never panicked, and it certainly was helping the situation a little.
Though they were still very much in danger.
"Alright. Just hand me my sword and I'll—"
Zack's eyes fell on the Buster Sword quite some distance away, behind the Behemoth. Cloud visibly saw the colour fade slightly from the ex-SOLDIER's face, confusion taking over as it seemed to finally sink in just where they were and what the situation currently was. Time for contemplation was over, apparently, as the Behemoth struck once more. The single wound Cloud had managed to inflict on it (which turned out to be a simple scratch on its left front leg) did nothing to deter it, and the three scattered, with Zack taking over the fight in a heart beat as Cloud dragged Sasha away from the battlefield.
"Go, Zacky, go!" the little girl cheered, giggling and squealing in delight. The blond had to wonder just what about the situation was so exciting, but as he looked over to find Zack looking at them, he figured that her enthusiasm was going to be enough to help them survive long enough. Long enough until 'Ru-Ru' came...
The ex-SOLDIER immediately got into combat mode, seemingly ignorant of the fact that he wasn't in his typical SOLDIER uniform anymore. Still, it was certainly something to watch the dark-haired man fight. Watching him duck and dodge, flip and jump, easily avoiding the Behemoth's attacks and the dragon's corpse. It didn't take long for Zack to get his hand on the Buster Sword, wielding it expertly, returning to the usual battle stance Cloud had seen only a few times before his five-year memory lapse.
"Hey, ugly! Have some of this!" Zack taunted, jumping high with his sword above his head, bringing it down fast as he managed to create a large gash in the arm it brought up in defense. The Behemoth roared in pain, retaliating instantly, but the ex-SOLDIER was quick to defend and used the momentum to land safely. The dark-haired man grinned, charging in again and sliding under its belly, creating a nice-sized gash. He ended up with few drops of its blood on him here and there, but it was a small price to pay as the beast howled in pain now, stumbling as it turned to face him, crouching low and ready to pounce. He easily fell back into his killing-machine routine, the elite fighter he managed to turn into.
A hack here, a slash there... the Behemoth quickly got covered in cuts and gashes, its blood pouring out as it continued to struggle, determined to eat the new opponent before it for a meal.
And then the exhaustion sunk in. It hit him like some kind of steam roller, knees buckling underneath him. It was all Zack could do to stick the Buster Sword in the ground, using it to keep standing, and even that was a challenge.
"Zack!" Cloud yelled as the Behemoth pounced, but Zack couldn't even lift up the Buster Sword up, let alone move out of the way.
Something, however, suddenly zipped through the air, a clear metallic sound sounding in its wake as it sliced through the Behemoth's neck like a hot knife through a stick of butter. Sky- and mako-blue eyes widened as the giant beast collapsed with a resounding THUD!, kicking up dirt everywhere. Sasha made a beeline for Zack almost as soon as the dust had cleared, giggling excitedly for some odd reason or another, and Cloud was inclined to follow the ecstatic child.
Zack was back.
Zack was alive.
'But... '
"Oof! Take it easy, kiddo," the ex-SOLDIER chuckled weakly, watching Sasha run circles before dropping his head down, pulling himself to his feet. He struggled and nearly fell, but Cloud caught him first, supporting his friend. Their eyes met, both staring emotions swirling in both as reality began to sink in with the both of them.
Then Zack's eyes widened; and Cloud frowned in confusion before he was suddenly snagged in some kind of bear hug, struggling in the intense grip.
"Holy... Cloud! You're awake! I mean, you're walking and talking and... and everything!"
"Zack... need... air... !"
"Right, right, but... Gaia, do you know how long it's been since I last heard your voice? I mean, holy shit, it's actually gotten deeper!"
Cloud was beginning to see stars, gasping for air when the ex-SOLDIER finally loosened his grip in time for the two of them to be taken back down to the ground. The blond struggled out of Zack's arms, rolling off to his side. The dark-haired man was laughing at this point, arms spread out wide on either side.
"Oh, man, I must've been out of it to actually miss that," Zack continued, sighing in content as he calmed himself. "Shit... can't move at all... "
Cloud pushed himself up into a sitting position, looking down at his friend. It was still... hard to believe. Remembering that day two months ago still gave him nightmares, each time waking him up. He'd had to check over and over to make sure Zack was still alive in that little shack, still breathing, still fighting to live... and now here he was, up and about ('Well, lying down exhausted,' he noted to himself), and... and living. How was he supposed to react to that?
"Zacky's got a potty mouth!" Sasha gasped dramatically, onyx-black eyes wide and hands covering her what was probably a wide 'O' mouth. The two ex-Shinra employees finally remembered her presence, with Zack managing to lift himself up into a sitting position, staring at her.
Mako-blue eyes blinked. And stared.
"Uh... Cloud?" the ex-SOLDIER started, looking to the blond who looked right back at him. "When did you have time to make a kid?"
It was completely involuntary, but Cloud found his face heat up in an instant, a blush obvious on his otherwise-pale cheeks as he quickly shook his head, tripping over his words.
"S-She's not mine! S-She's—"
The large object from earlier suddenly zipped past them from behind, causing their attention to divert back to it. Sasha suddenly squealed in delight as she chased after it, where it stopped not even three feet from them.
Or rather... it was forcibly stopped by the dirty-blond youth now standing beside the two ex-Shinra employees, holding the flashy object-now-able-to-be-identified: a boomerang much, much bigger than the youth. It didn't have an overly complicated design, holding the stereo-typical boomerang shape but perhaps a bit less angled, making more of a 120 degree angle rather than a typical 107 degree one. Now that it was closer, Cloud and Zack could see that its edges were sharp. It easily towered over the youth and the two men, yet he clearly couldn't have been much older than sixteen. He was clad in a black, sleeveless turtleneck and brown leggings; brown, metal gauntlets covering his hand and arm up to his elbow; brown, metal grieves coming up from within his lighter-brown, couldn't-possibly-be-anything-but-steel boots (with some kind of ankle guard in behind the ankle that didn't look entirely secure) and up to about mid-thigh. His eyes, too, were onyx-black like Sasha's, and he had a similar facial structure as the little girl (if she didn't have baby fat, any way).
The difference, however, was that his eyes were glowing with mako, however subtle it was.
The youth placed a hand on Sasha's head, smiling affectionately at the girl when she stopped running around him, before his face took on a serious expression as he regarded Cloud and Zack.
"Well... good to see you're awake, Fair."