Hey everybody! Thanks for the reviews! They've certainly made my day! Now without further ado, here's chapter three...enjoy!:)
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII
Aerith's Hero
As the elevator doors opened to Hojo's lab, Zack saw Hojo standing at his desk, reading one of the books that Zack had brought over earlier.
"You're late, SOLDIER."
Zack stepped out of the elevator. "Professor, you know I have a name, right?" Aerith followed and stood behind him, partially hidden from Hojo's view.
Hojo looked up from the book. "You're name is not of any importance, SOLDIER." His eyes fell upon the girl standing behind Zack. "I see you brought specimen AG01 here. Satisfactory work for a 2nd Class."
"Stop calling me SOLDIER! I told you my name!" Zack yelled. "And her name is Aerith, not 'specimen AG01'!"
Hojo ignored him as he closed the book he was reading and placed it on top of a stack of books. He walked over to the pair, grabbing the girl by the wrist and holding her chin up with the other hand.
"The eyes of a half-Cetra. This one is interesting, indeed. You'll make a fine specimen for my experiments."
Zack's blood boiled at hearing Hojo's words. He was ready to go and punch him in the face for treating Aerith like some lab rat, but he held back. If he struck the old man, he would be expelled from SOLDIER for sure.
As Hojo continued to look at Aerith, he noticed her avoiding his gaze.
"I'll teach you to defy me!" he hissed, shoving the girl against the wall. The hand around her wrist was now around her neck, strangling her. Hojo squeezed harder as he saw Aerith's hands trying to pry his fingers from her neck.
"Aerith!" Zack gasped as he inched closer to them, his gloved hand straying close to the hilt of his weapon...
"Don't make this any harder or you'll regret it!" Hojo yelled, slapping her across the face. Zack saw tears streaming down her face and from where he was standing, he could hear her starting to wheeze and cough from the lack of air. Her hands had stopped trying to pry Hojo's hand off and were now hanging limply by her sides. He grabbed the hilt of his sword, whipping it out and placing the steel tip against Hojo's neck.
"Let her go, Hojo, or else!"
Hojo continued to hold her by the throat. "Don't you dare meddle with my affairs, SOLDIER boy!" He felt the blade's cold steel against his neck.
"The moment I accepted this mission and stepped into this accursed lab, your affairs became my affairs as well. So I suggest you let her go before I slice your head off!" Zack growled
Hojo pulled Aerith from the wall, threw her towards Zack, and hurried back to his desk. Zack dropped his balde and ran to catch the girl before her body hit the floor, sitting and holding her into a tight embrace as she sobbed into his shirt.
"It's ok, Aerith. I got you."
"Yes, I need backup. Now." Zack heard Hojo say. He looked in the direction of where the old man was standing, speaking on the phone. "I want your SOLDIER boy removed from my research and taken to Lazard." His heart sank at hearing those words. Now he'll never be able to protect Aerith from Hojo.
"Hmph. Consider packing up your things, SOLDIER boy!" Hojo said, flipping his phone close and returning it to his pants pocket. "I'll make sure you never see AG01 ever again! She's mine!"
"She's not yours! She doesn't belong to anybody!" Zack retorted, his Mako-filled eyes glaring at the scientist with hatred. "And this won't be the last time you'll see me, Professor Hojo! Mark my words!"
"Zack..." Aerith whispered, drawing her face away from his shirt and looking at him.
Zack looked at her tear-streaked face, but before he could utter a word, they heard a ding and the elevator door opened, revealing two Shinra guards and Angeal.
"Arrest this man!" Hojo demanded, pointing at Zack. "He has gotten in the way of my research and should be punished!"
Aerith sat up, fresh tears streaming down her face as the two guards took Zack by the arms and forced him on the floor. He never stopped looking at Aerith as the guards applied the cuffs to his wrists.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be ok." Zack assured her, grunting as one of the guards planted a leather boot on his back while the other applied chains to his ankles as well.
"Shut your mouth, Zack! You have no right to be speaking with anyone!" the guard, who was applying the chains, said.
"What's going on here?" Angeal asked, looking at the fuming scientist.
Hojo tried to control his flaring temper as he explained, pointing at Zack lying on the floor. "This man has meddled with my research! He threatened me with a weapon for examining my specimen!"
"You call strangling Aerith examining?" Zack interrupted. "You're lower than dirt!" He gritted his teeth as he felt one of the guards kick him on the side.
"Didn't I tell you to shut up!?"
"Professor Hojo." Angeal started, looking down at Zack. "I'll make sure Zack doesn't get in your way again."
Hojo walked over to his desk and retrieved his clipboard, staring at his notes. "He better not, or mark my words, SOLDIER will pay for his foolishness!"
"What do we do with the girl, sir?" the guard asked as he and his partner walked over to Aerith, standing behind her.
Hojo walked away from the group, sitting at his desk and taking another book from the stack. He waved a hand at them, motioning them to leave his lab at once.
Angeal pried Zack's sword off the floor and nodded to the guards holding Aerith. As the soldiers started leading the girl away, he walked over to Zack, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him away.
As the doors closed and the elevator began to descend to the 49th floor, Zack felt someone fumbling with his restraints. Turning his head, he saw the two guards unlocking the chains at his wrists and ankles and clipping them on their belts. He also saw Angeal releasing Aerith from her chains as well.
"Zack, I'm leaving the girl to you. Take her back to her cell and then report to the Briefing Room." he said, clipping the cuffs to his belt and returning the sword to him. "Here, this is yours."
"Thanks." Zack said as he stood up and took the blade from Angeal, securing it on his back.
The elevator door opened and Angeal stepped out, followed by the two Shinra guards. Zack remained in the elevator with Aerith, taking the keycard Hojo had given him and swiping it on the slot.
"Don't forget to report to the Briefing Room after you take her back to her cell, Zack." he heard Angeal say from the other side of the closing elevator door. Zack was staring down at the steel floor of the elevator as the elevator started to ascend towards the 67th floor. Orders were orders, but he wished he could take Aerith somewhere nice like that restaurant he saw on the 2nd floor. He was pretty sure Aerith didn't enjoy eating prison food at all. But how could he get her out of her cell, even if it only meant letting her out for an hour?
"So pretty..." Aerith mumbled, breaking Zack out of his thoughts. He stopped rubbing his head and looked up, seeing her standing and gazing at him. Hearing this, he chuckled and pointed at his face.
"The face?" he asked, grinning. She shook her head and giggled.
"No, the eyes!" Zack folded his arms and looked away, still grinning.
"You like them? Then take a closer look." he said, looking back at Aerith and leaning closer to her. "Eyes infused with Mako energy. A SOLDIER trademark!"
An akward silence followed as Aerith stood there, looking deep into Zack's sky-blue eyes. She looked away momentarily before looking back and giving Zack a playful shove on the arm
"Oh you!" she laughed, a tinge of pink beginning to show on her face. The elevator halted as it arrived at the 67th floor, its door opening to allow the pair to exit. As they walked down the corridor towards the detention cells, Zack couldn't help but laugh as he noticed Aerith avoiding his gaze. He placed his hands behind his head.
"What's so funny, Zack?" Aerith asked, looking at him. Once again, that silly grin was plastered on his face.
"Nothin'." he replied, turning his head away from her gaze and showing her his spiky hair. "Maybe you shouldn't look at me. It makes your face look like an apple!" Zack pretended to stumble slightly as Aerith gave him another playful shove.
"And I think you should stop look at me before you fall on your face from stumbling!" Both laughed at the comment, but the joy only lasted for a moment when they stopped in front of Aerith's cell. She watched as Zack took Hojo's keycard from his pants pocket and swiped it on the slot.
"Well, I guess this is a goodbye then." Aerith said casually, waving to Zack as she walked toward her cell. Zack watched, speechless, as she walked on. His thoughts went back to that moment back at the lab where he was holding her in his arms. How he wanted to go up and give her another embrace right now.
Before stepping foot into her cell, Aerith spun around, facing Zack. "Zack?" Immediately, she found herself staring at his sky-blue Mako eyes.
"Yeah?" She averted his gaze, looking down at the floor.
"I...I'd like to give you something before you leave." Zack looked at her, puzzled. Something to give him? She was a prisoner, so what was this 'something' she had in her possession?
Aerith walked over to him and leaned towards his face.
"This." she said, planting a kiss on his left cheek. Zack's body froze and his heart beating faster as her lips met his skin, but it only lasted for a few seconds until Aerith pulled away from her kiss and walked away, returning to her cell.
"Consider that as a thank-you gift for saving me back at the lab."
"N-no p-problem..." Zack stuttered, walking slowly to the keycard slot and swiping Hojo's keycard again. He stood there staring at her until the automatic cell door blocked her from his view.
"Aerith..." he said softly, bringing a gloved hand to his left cheek where she had kissed him.
In her cell, Aerith lay on her cot, listening as the sound of Zack's footsteps faded away. She sighed knowing that kissing him on the cheek wouldn't be enough to repay him for saving her from Hojo, but how could she possibly do so if she was Shinra's prisoner?
"I hope we meet again...Zack. Then, I'll get another chance to repay you...for saving me" she said, yawning and drifting off to sleep, exhausted from today's events...
Thanks for reading!:) To be continued...
