Howl at the Midgar moon II
Chapter 2
"Is that where big brother lives?" A man with long gray hair asked. "Do you think he will be happy to see us?"
"Not a chance." The leader spoke.
"Don't cry Yazoo." The buff one mocked.
"But mother is with him?" Yazoo asked as he ignored his brother's comments.
"Maybe not…" Kadaj said as he focused deeply into the wasteland. "Hold on…he's coming." He studied as a blond man on a motorcycle drove through the wasteland towards Midgar. He motioned to his other brothers as they revved up their engines and chased after the blond.
They quickly caught up with Cloud. Cloud looked to his left and right. His eyes met the men with gray hair eyes. 'What the hell…' Cloud thought as he instinctively opened the sides of his bike and grabbed two swords. Cloud quickly ducked as the one man shot a gun at him. He slammed on the brakes to avoid being sandwiched between the two men.
Cloud looked up onto the cliff side as he sped. It gave him chills to watch a man who vaguely resembled Sephiroth standing on the spot he had lost Zack many years ago. He watched as the man lifted his arm into the air. Cloud watched as black smoke began to surround him. Large beasts erupted from the black smoke and hunted Cloud.
Cloud sped as quickly as he could, cutting down beast after beast. It seemed like no matter how many he cut down they were replaced with two more. Cloud cut through one beast to his left but froze as his blade was met by one of the men with gray hair. "Where's mother!"
Cloud looked at the man with confusion and forced the man back as he drove away from the man and the beasts. Cloud watched as the other man with silver hair sped straight towards him. It was a game of chicken. Cloud had no intent on turning. He wanted to finish one of the men off so he could focus on the other.
Yazoo sped towards Cloud with a large smile on his face. He seemed to enjoy battling. Their bike grew closer and closer. Right before the bike collided Yazoo flipped the bike over Cloud's head. He smiled at Cloud as he fired as shot. It was perfectly aimed to hit his riding glasses. It was a warning….
Cloud did not hesitate a moment, even though his forehead hurt. He cut down beast after beast as he tried his best to hunt the two men. But he quickly became aware that he was greatly outnumbered. The beasts had surrounded him. They all sprinted towards him. Cloud had never felt more at one with Zack. He imagined how his friend had fought such great numbers. But he was a disappointment…he was going to die without killing the gray haired men. The world would be in danger if these men were out for destruction. Something told him that they were. Thoughts of Tifa, Aerith, and the kids being in danger scared him.
Cloud closed his eyes as the beast all jumped towards him. But in an instant the beast vanished. Cloud quickly turned to look at the men with gray hair. The leader had a smile on his face as the other two men joined him on the hilltop. Cloud watched as they drove away.
LINE_
Zack sat on the stool and stared at the children as he returned to the bottle. He hoped it would give him some sense of comfort. The possibility of diluting the past seemed to be a great option at the moment. And forgetting the current situation would be even better. Aerith would plaque his mind no matter how far away he got. He needed to find the cure…he needed to find Sephiroth. "How is he going to come back…I need him to..." Zack said aloud as he realized he had two pairs of innocent eyes on him.
"Don't worry! He'll be back soon!" Marlene said. It gave Zack chills as the words left her mouth.
"Who…" Zack asked as he downed another shot.
"Cloud silly! He's out on a delivery but Tifa said that he would be home as soon as he could." Marlene said as she looked at him quizzically. "Who were you talking about?"
"A nightmare hahahaha!" Zack said with a smile as he ruffled Marlene's hair. "I was just thinking out loud about a dream I had last night!" Zack said covering his tracks.
Denzel looked at Zack with a studying look. "That's a lie! Tifa said you were dead!" Denzel said as he pointed a finger at him.
"Dead…how could I be dead if I'm still here?" Zack said as he grinned.
"Wait! The flower lady cried about you all the time! Denzel's right!" Marlene spoke up and stepped back.
Zack smiled but quickly frowned. It comforted him that Aerith had mourned his death but it also filled him with a feeling of guilt. "I'm sorry…but it's hard to explain…" Zack began as Tifa walked down the stair and interrupted.
"That's enough from you two! Upstairs now! Go do your homework or something!" Tifa shouted.
"But…can't we go outside and play?" Denzel pleaded.
"Fine…but not for too long… I don't want you to get sick." Tifa said with concern.
Zack watched as the kids turned to run to the door. Zack felt his mouth drop as he realized that Denzel had been infected with Geostigma. But Zack quickly stood up and knocked over the stool. "Stop! Go upstairs now…no questions just go!" Zack yelled.
Everyone looked at him with a bit of fear. "What is it Zack?" Tifa asked.
"Something's not rights…I can feel pieces of him…It's not safe to be outside. " Zack said as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand.
"Zack…what's going on?" Tifa asked with a look of concern.
Zack looked at her with a blank face. "I don't know…but it's not good…it feels like before…"
Tifa looked at Zack with a slight look of panic. "Oh…I think I should go check on Aerith…" Tifa said avoiding the past. She turned and looked at the bar. "Zack…please stop drinking…you'll run us out of business…here try one of these…" Tifa said as she got behind the bar and began to shake liquid in a cup and added a lime. "Here…this will make you feel a bit better…too much is happening too fast."
Zack grabbed the drink and downed it quickly. "Yeah I really would like to hit the brakes about now… damn…what's in this thing?"
Tifa smiled. "That's the SOLDIER special. It's the only thing that gives Cloud a buzz….speaking of he should be home soon…" Tifa said as she began to walk away.
Zack did not stop her. He merely walked over to one of the tables. And sat in a chair and leaned back. He began to think deeply as his surrounds became fuzzy.
"How am I alive…Aerith had to have used the materia to bring me back…it's the only way things sort of make sense…" Zack said with a sigh. "What about Sephiroth…is he coming back…
"I will never be a memory…" Sephiroth's words from the past haunted Zack's mind almost as though Sephiroth had spoken them.
Zack knew that Sephiroth was coming. He could feel his presence even though it was very faint. Zack could remember every slash of his sword at the fallen General. He could also feel every scar under his shirt. "Scars…a reminder that the past was real…" Zack said as he thought of the Masamune and the bullets tearing through his chest.
He had died twice. Something told him that the third time would be the charm. Not many people got to cheat death. But had dodged it twice. Yet this time his life was at a high price…"The planets doomed…and I can't do anything about it…I need…I need to find Sephiroth…but he's dead…fuck!" Zack cursed as he slammed the table.
But at that instant the door shot open and a blond man came sprinting into the house. "He ran right past Zack and sprinted up the stairs. "Tifa! Tifa what's wrong?" Cloud asked with great concern.
Zack listened closely as the two began to talk. "Cloud…did you greet our guest downstairs?"
"I don't have time to greet guests. You sounded like something was wrong on the phone…what's going on?"
"Aerith sick….she got really sick at the church."
"Dammit! I knew I should have stayed. It's my duty to protect her…" Cloud said as his voice got shallow.
Tifa took a deep breath. "She's in a coma Cloud…The doctors don't know how to help her…but her savior is downstairs…you should go see him…" Tifa said as she held back a smile.
"I need to find a cure for Geostigma…for Denzel…and for Aerith…." Cloud said as he turned to walk down the stairs. Tifa did not say a word. She only followed the man down the stairs. Cloud froze midway down the stairs as his eyes met a familiar sword propped against the bar…"The buster sword…" Cloud whispered as he walked forward. His legs began to feel like jello with each step.
He turned to his left and his eyes met a familiar pair of blue eyes. Zack smiled as he leaned back in his chair. "Sup buddy?" Zack said with a smile.
Cloud looked at the dark haired man with a dumb founded look on his face. He turned to look at Tifa who only smiled lightly and motioned with her head to go to his friend. Cloud took one clumsy step forward as his eyes began to shake. He prayed that what he was seeing was real and not a dream. Something told him that he could not stand losing Zack one more time. His mind would shatter to never be repaired.
"Zack…" Were the only words Cloud could force from his lips.
Zack gave a moan and leaned forward on his chair. "You're not going to tell me that you're back to being all quiet and moody. I thought we got through this already." Zack said as he walked towards Cloud.
"How…" Cloud said as his words got caught in his throat.
Zack opened his arms and walked closer. "Give me a hug buddy. We'll figure all this stuff out. I promise."
Cloud walked over to his friend and grasped him tightly. "This…better not….be a dream…" Cloud mumbled as he held his friend.
Zack frowned as he felt his friend's chest quiver as they hugged. Cloud had truly broken when he died. Something Zack felt horrible for putting his friend through twice in one life time. It wasn't fair for Cloud to have the burden of loss and the burden for caring of Aerith in his stead. "Cloud…I'm so sorry….I should have waited…but you need to understand that I did it for you most. I could not bear to watch my best friend fall." Zack said immediately regretting his wording.
"And you think I enjoyed watching you die! Once was more than I could bare…the memory of you bleeding and gasping for life on the cliff side was more than enough for one life time! But you made me watch twice!" Cloud said in anger as he pushed Zack away.
"Cloud…I'm sorry…but you need to understand…you weren't ready to fight an enemy like Sephiroth. I wouldn't have beaten him if I had to worry about you…" Zack said with a heavy heart which was growing heavier by the second.
"I can handle myself! While you were gone I fought off the remaining WEAPONs! I protected everyone! Stop worrying about everyone else and just worry about yourself!" Cloud said in anger.
Tifa walked forward and placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "Hey…just hear him out okay? You know he only did because he loves us all."
Cloud looked at Zack as a few tears still slipped down his cheeks. Zack began to pace back and forth. "Cloud…I am really sorry buddy. Trust me I never meant to die…I never meant to leave Aerith behind….trust me when I say this…it hurts me more than you can imagine. I left behind everyone I loved…everyone I cared for…but I would do it again. Ask yourself this Cloud. Would you give up your life to protect Tifa? The Children? Aerith?"
Cloud nodded his head and wiped his tears. "I would…in a heartbeat."
Zack smiled. "Then I think deep down you understand…but I understand how much that had to hurt. And for that Cloud…I am truly sorry."
Cloud looked at his friend and stepped forward. He grabbed Zack by the shoulders and pulled him in and hugged him once more. "You're forgiven…just don't you ever do that again…."Cloud pulled away and gave his friend a questioning look. "Speaking of…how did you come back?"
Zack frowned and looked to Tifa. "Are the kids upstairs? I don't want to scare them."
"Yes they are. Don't worry about them." Tifa said.
"Okay…I think we should sit down for this." Zack said as they all walked over to one of the tables.
"So explain." Cloud said as he sat backwards on the chair.
"Okay…well I'll do my best to explain. But you see I was in the lifestream or something…" Zack said as he scratched his head trying to explain. "But for some reason I hadn't fully dissolved. For reason I don't think that I will ever be able to explain. But what felt like only moment's to me actually were years down here…Man I can't believe I left Aerith alone for two years…" Zack scolded himself.
"Go on…" Cloud said with a hint of attitude.
"Well I was sort of resting until I was rudely awakened by a boot…Sephiroth's boot. He didn't dissolve either…" Zack said as he looked at the others. Tifa seemed horrified, yet Cloud did not seem to be surprised.
"You mean he's not dead?" Tifa asked.
"No…he's very much dead…but his spirit is very much alive. I think he has something to do with this illness that's going around. "Zack said as he folded his arms.
"So he'll be back just like you…" Cloud said as he grew tenser.
Zack looked at his friend and frowned. In his absence Cloud had become a rough man. He seemed cold and empty. Something Zack knew that he would remedy. "I'm not sure…You see I think I was only revived because Aerith prayed for me."
"But she prayed for you every day. How was it different this time?" Cloud asked.
"This is the bad news… you see…she used the holy materia…and it shattered when I returned." Zack said as he frowned.
"So you're telling me if Sephiroth comes back and summons the meteor again…that we're all fucked." Cloud said as the anger began to grow in his cold eyes. He was not angry at Zack but at the fact that he was helpless and was unable to protect the others.
"Yeah…but we need to kill him to stop this stigma from spreading." Zack said as he locked onto Cloud's left arm. It had been covered in a very odd way. 'He has it…' Zack thought to himself. He did not want to scare Tifa.
"That may explain what happened to me earlier." Cloud spoke up.
"What happened?" Zack said as he looked at Cloud. He had a small cut on his forehead which his hair covered well.
"I was out in the wasteland near…" Cloud began but quickly paused. "I was attacked by three men. They all had gray hair and eyes like Sephiroth."
Zack immediately tensed up. "I felt them from here… but did you kill them?"
"No…I was out matched and beaten with ease…I think they were testing me." Cloud said as he felt failure over run him.
"Don't take it too hard Spike. There were three of them. And they felt like Sephiroth…but pieces. I think it's safe to say that they are the link to the revival of Sephiroth…how I'm not sure." Zack said as he tried to figure things out.
"Well they are running around looking for something…" Cloud said as he looked at Zack.
"Okay…We head out in a few hours. We should get some rest and stock up on food." Zack said.
"You guys can't go after them alone! Let's call the others!" Tifa spoke as she stood up in defiance.
"No…Call them but have them on standby…. I think Midgar will be their target. Cloud…you and I can handle them. Buster bros for life right?" Zack said as he stood and put his fist in the air.
"Damn right! We should hurry. The sooner this ends the better." Cloud said as he looked at Tifa. "I need you to make sure you take care of the kids and Aerith…"
"Of course…but I really want you guys to talk to the others before you…" Tifa said as she watched Zack run into the kitchen. "What the?"
Zack came running out with two trash bags. "Let's get a move on! We can rest when we're dead!...Um no pun intended…" Zack said as he threw Cloud a bag filled with can goods.
"No! You guys rest!" Tifa shouted.
"Sorry Tifa…but he's right…we need to end this quickly." Cloud said as he turned to Zack. "Our transportation is in the garage."
"Okay cool. I'm going to go say good bye to Aerith first!" Zack said as he sprinted up the stairs.
LINE_
Zack walked up the stairs with a heavy heart. He knew going out on the road meant that he would have to leave Aerith behind. He wanted nothing more than to sit by her side day in and day out until she woke. But fate seemed to have a different idea for him. One that he was not happy about. But he knew that it was necessary to protect the planet and everyone he loved.
Zack opened the door and smiled at the sight of the slumbering girl. He walked up to her and laid in the bed next to her. HE wiped the hair from her face and smiled. "Hey…." Zack said as if he was going to get an answer. He frowned as the women remained silent.
"I need to leave for a little while….I know I know I just got back…But I need to go…some bad men are out there stirring up some stuff and are probably hurting others. And I know it has something to do with Sephiroth but….I have to do what I have to do…I'm sorry That I can't be with you….to care for you…but I think I'm doing the only thing that I can do for you…" Zack said as he sat up and threw his legs off the side of the bed.
He stood up and let out a deep sigh. It broke his heart to leave Aerith behind. He could only hope that she would be safe in Tifa's care. Zack walked to the door and looked back at Aerith with watery eyes. "I'll be home soon…I love you…" Zack said as he walked out the door and closed it behind him.
LINE_
Tifa slammed her fist into the table. "Cloud! No! You're not allowed to go after them! You said it yourself! They beat you! WITH EASE! You're not allowed!" Tifa said as she began to cry.
"Tifa….you need to understand…that we're doing this for you…and the kids…" Cloud said as he walked up to the girl and put a hand on her shoulder which she rejected quickly. "Zack will be with me…together we are the planet's best hope to stop those men…and to prevent Sephiroth's revival."
"I know that….but why does it always have to be you two? You both have had it hard enough…when will it be your turn to rest." Tifa said as she grabbed Cloud's hand. "What about us? Things were going great with us until Denzel got sick…"
"I know…and we will work on it once everything is over…but for now I need you to care for the kids and Aerith." Cloud said as he hugged Tifa. He did not say more. Any talk about their feelings for each other made him want to run.
"Cloud…" Tifa said as they were interrupted by Zack's foot steps down the stairs.
"Hey guys… Cloud you ready?" Zack asked as he refused to make eye contact. He rubbed his eyes hoping that it would get rid of their redness.
"Yeah let's go…"Cloud said as he looked at Tifa. But he quickly turned and gave her no affection. A departure that made him feel more comfortable.
LINE_
Zack and Cloud walked into the garage. There were two bikes. One Zack was very familiar with and another which seemed much older. "Hey Spike…Where did you get all those swords? And that bike?" Zack said pointing to the older bike.
Cloud smiled briefly. Zack had always been obsessed with weapons. "I made this sword…it's actually one sword but it breaks down into six pieces. Pretty cool huh?"
"Totally. What does it look like when they all are connected?" Zack asked.
Cloud's face got red as he began to feel embarrassed. "A lot like the buster sword…"
Zack smiled. "Must be a great design then!" Zack said as he put the buster sword to his forehead. He had greatly missed the blade since the day he lost it on the roof top of the Shinra building.
"Yeah…it is." Cloud said as he walked up to Fernir. "Oh…wait this is your bike…" Cloud remembered.
Zack smiled. "Nah man…you keep it. You could probably use those compartments more than I could. Anyway…where did you get this bike?"
Cloud grinned. "Actually I stole it from the Shinra building years ago. We were escaping after we saved Aerith and I rode it down the stairs like a boss." Cloud quickly wiped the smile off his face as he realized that he had showed a lot of emotion to Zack before he was ready. Zack had a way with making people feeling more comfortable.
"Sweet! I assume you restored it? It looks almost brand new." Zack said with a smile. "Actually I remember it! I remember back in my days at Shinra Angeal would yell at me when I touched the exhibits. This one time he got so mad at me for sitting on it…good times."
"Well it's all yours." Cloud said as he put all but one of his swords into the bike.
"So where to first?" Zack asked as the two men fired up the engines as the garage door opened.
"Well we got a call from Reno earlier today. Tifa said it sounded urgent. So we're heading to Healen."
"Where's that? It's a village built near the Chocobo farm." Cloud said as he looked to his friend. "Ready?"
Zack put the buster sword on his back and grinned. "Hell yeah!" The two men exploded out of the garage with loud roars of their engines.
LINE_
AN- Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait. I had a bunch of stuff going on. I still need to catch up on reading several fan fics and writing my own. Most of this chapter was done weeks ago but I just added the last part. Sorry it's on the short side. I just don't want to much happening in one chapter right now. Next chapter will be a good one! Zack and Cloud plus Rufus!
By the way! Thank you all for your reviews! They really do motivate me! Keep them coming! Now I need to go read some fan fics!