(Zack)
I don't know why, but I was just extremely happy that I could move my hand! I can't believe that was the best thought I'd had in the last hour, 'Aw man, look, I can move my hand!' Wow…what a miracle…
I need to get out more.
I can't believe Midgar changed in such little time…even the slums had seen better days. Well, I know I did half the damage to the church and all but, hey, you'd think there'd be someone to take care of the other stuff…
Just until fifteen minutes ago, did I notice I was sword-less… That's my signature thing…and Cloud forgot it! …Or did he?
Yep. He did. I blame him.
So Zack Fair without a sword…I wonder if that'd make it harder for people to recognize me…who knows? Heck, I'd not know me.
I'd forgot where Aerith was…but it wasn't hard, I just had to follow a couple of people before finding the church.
"Mommy, why isn't Flower Girl here today?"
"She isn't feeling well, darling."
"Huh, I guess no flowers today…"
"Oh, I wonder what's wrong…"
"Now what am I gonna get Alicia for our anniversary?"
Honestly…it wasn't that hard…
When I got to her it was extremely, extremely hard to recognize her…her personality anyway…She'd always be smiling or something like that…
She was not smiling actually, and she had no clue I was in the room…it wasn't my expectation for our little reunion. Nope, nope, nope, not at all.
She sat, huddled with her flowers, with her back to me. I looked back at the doorway and noticed an overturned basket of flowers. They seemed to be half-wilted, with brown, crisp tips to each petal. As I walked closer, I noticed the pale pink ribbon lying on the floor…Hey, that's mine, that's not supposed to be there! May I ask why it is?!
I listened; she choked out a soft little noise before she chucked something metal halfway across the church. It clinked as it made a chip in the stained-glass window before it clanged onto the ground.
"What the hell was that?" I thought, my eyes widening at that throw…I didn't know she had an arm like that! She flinged that thing halfway across the church!
"Finally, I was getting bored, at least you have my thoughts to entertain you."
That's right! Cloud couldn't hear me but he could hear Aerith, right?
"What was that and what's wrong with her?" I begged.
"She's mad that you still aren't there for your 'special holiday.'"
"Our whositswhatsit?"
"Zack, you made it up! You don't remember do you? That day between February 7 and February 9? What is it?"
I thought for a moment before answering "…Tuesday…?"
"No, first of all, it's a Thursday. Second of all, you both came up with a holiday to celebrate one birthday together instead of two separate ones…February eighth is the day between both her birthday and yours you idiot!"
"I either have horrible timing or excellent timing."
"You bet! She is mad…"
"Oh crap…and that object she threw…?"
"Your dog tags…" I swear, Cloud was laughing at me…I can see he's glad he doesn't have to face the wrath of the flower girl. I swear if looks could kill…I'd be dead...deader...
I already know I'm in trouble.
I listened to Aerith begin to cry…I mean it wasn't like normal crying like most girls do, like 'sob, sob, sniff, ew gross, boogers'…she was choking back every sob she could manage. It was like she'd die if she didn't.
"It's nice to see she's okay," Cloud mumbled , "I'll just…disappear…until you need me…"
He's giving up? That easily? Oh well…that's a plus for me I guess.
I leaned down and picked the tiny piece of pink fabric up off the ground. I'm in trouble…I actually thought of making a run for it, but that would probably put me in even deeper.
She hunched over the patch of dirt, ripping up weeds leaving the entire patch empty.
I knelt down quietly behind her—I have a talent for be frightfully silent—and began to retie the bow back into her hair. Her back straightened but she remained soundless.
I tested my voice quickly and as quietly as I could. "U-um…" She kept her back turned from me, as if she had never noticed I spoke. Maybe she didn't. I still sounded like me, even though now I'm half of Cloud…technically…not really…no.
"I'll wear it forever!" I mimicked in a poor impression of her voice. "I guessed you'd get bored of that ribbon anyway…do you want another one?"
"N-no!" She turned around to face me with this…look…on her face. It was actually funny…it wasn't confused, or happy, or sad, or angry…but I can tell you it wasn't blank.
"C'mon Aerith…it's frayed and fading at the edges…"
"You're silly…" Her face brightened up and she tightly wrapped her small arms around my waist. She has a huge vocabulary and yet the only thing she calls me is…silly. I thought she defiantly be calling me things that you would probably never wanna say in a church. "It's just an excuse for a date, isn't it?"
"No…n-not exactly…?"
"Wonderful save, Zack…she'll never guess that you're lying." Cloud chuckled.
"Shut up!" I yelled back at him.
"Wha…?" Aerith asked, her green eyes looking up at me, "Did you say something?"
"No…I didn't…"
"Oh," that was all she said.
Did I open my mouth? I don't remember talking. Just yelling at Cloud in my head.
The day was…awkward. She stayed real quiet, like there was something watching her. She would stand next to me with this blank stare on her face. …and that was it. It was kinda depressing in my case because I haven't seen her since I made that promise a few years back… and now she decides she's forgot how to talk! She finally did warm back up to me when we were walking through Midgar again.
"You know, I thought the worst…" she whispered.
"Huh?"
"Zack, what happened to you?"
It was kinda creepy, but I think she knew something was up.
"Whaddya mean?" I'm sure I looked stupid to her, well, I know I look stupid to her.
"You're…different," she smiled and shrugged, "I guess that was to be expected, huh?"
"Different? How so?"
"Well, we can start with your sword," she giggled, "then your left arm…"
I looked down, am I the completely oblivious one here?
"Oh…you didn't know…weird, huh?" Sighing, she gently took my arm and with her index finger, she traced a scar, then another one…then another one…until she was at the joint where my shoulder connected to my arm—where I knew she could just barely reach.
"And there!" she struggled trying to point out where another bullet had hit me near my neck. "You're full of holes!"
Oh, so that was her explanation.
"Doesn't it hurt at all?" Almost automatically, her hands shot away from my arm and this weird shade of pink crossed her face. I know she must've felt bad for touching the "wounds." If you even want to call them that. I didn't even notice I had them. Never got the chance to see myself yet really… I wonder how bad off I really am.
"No, actually. I just noticed it."
She giggled softly. "Honestly, what DID happen? I had this…feeling…that you were just…gone…"
She knew. How the heck did she KNOW?
"And then when you came in you didn't feel like you…"
But she's oblivious…that's a good sign.
"What happened?" She finished.
"Um…I honestly…can't remember." Then an idea popped into my head that wasn't a lie, but wasn't really the truth either. "I'm on the run. Shhh."
She smiled, turning her face forward. I knew she didn't believe me.
I COULD remember but DID I want to explain how a test subject that has who-knows-what inside him got shot fifty million times and the only way he survived is that his best friend is currently inside his brain…yeah, I see how that'll go over.
"Oh…" she quickly changed the subject, "I sell flowers on this corner! The man in that shop over there presses them and makes them into bookmarks." She pointed across the street. "It's a junk shop, but he sells all kinds of stuff…"
I could see what she was trying. Reminding me without "reminding me." That shop was where I got her the ribbon. I opened my mouth to say something before a drop of water hit my head.
"Oh, it's raining!" She squealed and quickly ducked under the edge of the roof of one of the shops. I ducked under there with her and she laughed like an idiot, "We'll get wet." When it rains, it must be when she draws a blank on things. Actually, she was never that bright to begin with. (I shouldn't say that.)
Actually, it wasn't pouring, it was just a drop here, a drop there…not too bad. "You know," I began, "I remember—"
And THIS is when it starts pouring! We stood there with three other people—remember; Midgar is a crowded place—and watched a white rain hit the streets.
I took one step out from under the eaves and just watched my shirt get soaked.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"Easy," I said smirking, "I'm getting wet. I haven't seen rain in a while." (And enjoyed it because I'm not in agonizing pain.)
She came out from under the eaves too, "there's something about rain…" she whispered as I found a puddle.
I probably looked like I was four…or younger maybe…jumping from puddle to puddle. I stopped when I saw a mud-stained Aerith next to me. "Ah…sorry…I got your dress dirty."
"It's okay," she laughed leaning down over the puddle.
I saw what she was gonna do.
"No Aerith, no!"
She put her hand in the water.
"Don't! Don't splas—,"
I found myself very, very wet. "Now we're even," she said.
"Not even close!" I kicked the water under my feet up at her and she attempted to dodge it…
"You two are gonna catch a cold…" Cloud warned in a singsong voice.
"Shut up. I don't catch—,"
Aerith sneezed very delicately into her hands before continuing to splash around in the rain. This was a warning sign that I was too stupid to notice before I knew what getting sick was like…My first time getting sick was when I was just starting SOLDIER, It sucked. I think I was like fourteen or fifteen when I first caught the flu…I never even caught a cold before so really…I thought I was gonna die! Fever…headache…you're tired all the time…but I took great pride in keeping my food down. I mean if you're sitting there all day puking your brains out, then suddenly you're like, 'oh yeah! I just ate two saltine crackers and they're still in me!' Then two hours later, you cough 'em back up…
"Aer, are you getting cold?" I didn't want to force the curse of "No-Solid-Food" on her.
She sniffed, "no, are you?"
"Y-yeah, I'm cold."
"Oh…" she frowned, "Then let's head back…"
She was really reluctant to get outta the rain for someone who didn't wanna get wet in the first place…
She sighed, "Are you gonna head back to work soon, then?"
"Oh hell no," I told her, smiling, "screw SOLDIER, I quit."
"W-why?" She asked startled, with a surprised look on her face.
"Let's just say that four years did something…and it wasn't exactly pleasant. I say it's a very good reason to quit."
She shuttered, "but what about your dream?"
"Do you remember when you told me that you knew about the story of the hero that protects the Planet? And people told ya that was SOLDIER? Then you said SOLDIERs didn't seem very nice and all they do is fight…then you said you were afraid of them; which made you afraid of me at the time. And then I told you I was in SOLDIER and you said that I didn't scare you…" I trailed off for some reason even though I was done. Wow…I remembered all of that?
"You remembered all of that?"
"Ye—sssss!" I threw both of my arms into the air as if it was some kind of big accomplishment…actually it was but…
"Well, obviously there has to be some better way out there, Aerith! Or else how would other heroes come around when SOLDIER is gone?" I grinned, "Besides, dreams can change too!" I held a finger up, "First I want to get all the creepy voices outta my head…"
"Hey! That's me you're talking about!" Cloud yelled
"I know."
"Second," I held another finger up, "I wanna get another job…and third, this is the most important of 'em all so remember it, 'kay?"
She nodded enthusiastically, "I will, I will!"
"Okay, the third thing is that I…"
Everything blacked out. I mean seriously, I couldn't see a thing and all I could do was hear…
"Oh shit." Cloud mumbled.
"Cloud what's happening?" I yelled.
"..."
"Cloud, that's really cliché! What's going on?!" Now I was mad. What I was going to tell her was important!
"I dunno but Aerith's looking at me funny…"
"What do you mean 'you'?"
Baaaang! The noise from the pole could wake the dead...(Haha...poor choice of words) It echoed off the pole and vibrated through the air.
"Lemmie take over again!" I yelped as soon as I heard her fall onto the sidewalk.
"I don't know how or for how long!"
"Just long enough to get my comatose girlfriend home!"
My vision slowly came back and I knew Cloud had all access to my thoughts now…I didn't bother to block him out now because I didn't really see the point…
I knocked on the door to her house with my foot, struggling to keep Aerith up. Her dress made her keep slipping through my arms. She groaned occasionally and I knew when she would come-to I would be bombarded with very awkward questions.
"Ms. Gainsborough, lemmie in! Lemmie in! Lemmi—!" The door opened at my—very--uncoordinated plea. "Oh, hey."
"I can see you're back," the small woman smiled sweetly, but I knew she probably DID hate my guts right about now, "well, how are you, Zack?"
"Uh, good…thanks…I guess…"
"May I ask why you are soaking wet and carrying my unconscious daughter?"
Well, when you put it in that context…
Yeah, that smile hides a whole lot.
"Pole dancing…?" I began with an awkward grin. She didn't look happy about that. I sighed, "We were playing in the rain puddles…and she ran into a lamppost…"
"Ah," she nodded, quietly laughing to herself. "We should get her upstairs then."
The house itself was kinda small and upstairs was no difference. I rammed my head into every doorway I walked under and twice hit my head on the low ceilings. Now I know how my dad felt, being so tall in our little shack…I'm glad I left before I grew.
My arms kinda collapsed when I finally got the chance to put her down. For a little person, she sure was heavy. I was almost out of the room…
Aerith bolted straight up, "I know who you are!"
"Well that's great, Aer. Glad you remembered after fifteen minutes."
"No, no," she protested, "Who else you are."
"Huh?"
"Cloud…! I knew you seemed familiar. Cloud Strife is in there!"
Then, once again, everything went blank.
Man, my life really sucks right now.
Here is chapter 3! Sorry, I thought I'd uploaded this, turns out I didn't. For those of you looking for something that sounds like "Clack" you won't find it here in the yaoi sense. I don't write fanfics that have anything to do with sound effets that start with the letter "C". (So no Click either.) This is going to be strictly comical and interesting. Anyway, I own nothing because if I did Zack's name would've stayed Zax. WHAT?! It sounds awesome!