Chapter Four: Old Habits
Tsiang stands knee deep in slimy brown sewer water, the sludge squishing under his shoes with each step. "Who thought it would be so difficult to catch a rat. They're so small and helpless… like me."
Suddenly Ryiah's voice comes from seemingly no where, echoing through the enclosed sewer pipe. "Are we gonna take another cab? Or do you own a car? You should own a car, Valentine, a man as attractive as you."
"Actually, I fly," Valentine's voice responds.
"Because you're a…" Zack whispers, although still audible from Tsiang position under ground. "Vampire. I knew it."
Valentine hails a cab. "Get in," he says before he tells the driver to go to Nibelheim.
Tsiang watches them from a gutter on street level, his eyes peering through as he watches their feet enter a cab parked on the side of the road. "Ryiah? Nibelheim?"
Levei and Cloud decide that the best location for someone on the run to hide out would be an deserted building so their next stop on the search would logically be the Shinra mansion.
Levei walks around the musty halls, kicking up dust as she goes. Her boots echo through the empty hallways as she looks into cobweb riddled rooms with Cloud closely following behind.
"It doesn't look like anyone has been in here for a while," Levei notes. "Is Valentine not living here anymore?"
Cloud shakes his head. "He got an apartment."
"Oh, hopefully it's a nice one. It'd be terrible for him to go from a mansion to a crappy-" Levei stops short from Cloud's expression. "What? Is it really that bad?"
"...yeah."
"Oh...well...if we ever see him again, maybe I could buy a new apartment...he deserves a lot more than a run down apartment…"
"I'm sure he has other things on his mind."
"Mysterious men like that usually do…" Level sighs and returns to Cloud's side.
From down the stairs, they hear a door creak open.
"Did you hear that?" Cloud asks.
"No, I don't think so…"
Cloud grabs Levei and pulls her into a room, and they press themselves against the wall. Levei puts a hand on her gunblade, looking at Cloud and waiting for a signal of some kind.
"What should we do?" Levei whispers.
"We need to get downstairs and see what's going on," Cloud responds.
"I'm right behind you."
Downstairs at the front door, Ryiah walks in with Valentine and Zack in tow. Ryiah looks around, taking it all in.
"I see you've really fixed up the place… Not really much of a 'summer home' like you promised. This was supposed to be my vacation, after all," Ryiah says.
"I promised you nothing," Valentine simply states.
"Since we'll be hiding out here for a while, let's fix up the place! Throw some paint on the walls, dust off these cobwebs." Ryiah walks into another room.
"I still don't like it here," Zack says. "It's creepy. I feel like something's going to jump out at me."
A door closes somewhere else and Zack jumps.
"Man up, soldier," Ryiah scolds. "I mean hero. I mean...Turk in training…"
"You heard that, though, right? A door closed. I'm not crazy." Zack turns and frowns at Valentine, as if he should explain the sudden noise.
"No one dares to come in here. I made sure rumors were spread of ghosts inhabiting the place, and Shinra is no longer using it. There can't be anyone else here."
"Unless...there really are ghosts," Ryiah says.
Just as she finishes her sentence, the three hear footsteps.
"You can't stab a ghost!" Zack exclaimed. "What do we do?!"
"There's only one thing to do," Valentine says.
"Scare them away," Ryiah says.
Valentine stares at her. "I was going to say ignore them, but..." He glances at Zack. "Whatever will make him shut up."
"I can be scary! I can scare a ghost!"
"We'll leave it to you then," Ryiah tells Zack.
"I'll be in the basement. Come find me when you're done."
Ryiah salutes and Zack leans to Ryiah, whispering, "Is he...going to take a nap…? Wait, wasn't this place already known for being haunted by...vampires?"
"The vampire moved out. Now this place is haunted by the ghosts of vampires..."
"You're making this up as you go along, aren't you?"
Ryiah shrugs. "Probably."
Zack sighs as a creak comes from somewhere upstairs. "Shh, did you hear that? There's something up there."
"You'd better hide."
"Hey!"
"...so you can jump out and scare whatever it is."
"Oh, right! Okay!" Zack quickly runs and hides under the stairs.
Ryiah dusts off an old chair in a dark corner and sits down, hidden by the shadows.
In another room, Cloud leads Levei down the hallway near the stairs and peeks around the corner and then pulls back. He sees Zack underneath the stairs.
"What? What is it?" Levei asks, still behind him.
"...you don't want to know."
"Uh, yeah, I kind of do. Is it a vampire? Don't tell me you're still scared of that stuff."
Cloud slowly shakes his head.
"Is it dangerous?"
"More than you know."
"Then let's go kill it," Levei says, going out from the corner and starting down the stairs.
"Wait…" Cloud reaches out to grab her, but misses, and reluctantly follows.
Zack jumps out from under the stairs as soon as they come down. "Booowahhh! Be gone with you vampire ghosts from the underworld! I don't have my sword on me, but if I did you'd...well, you probably wouldn't be killed 'cause you're already dead, and I couldn't hurt you, 'cause you're see-through...but you'd...see how awesome I look with a sword! Boo!"
"...are you done?" Cloud asks.
"Am I...wait, Cloud? Is that you?"
Cloud stares at him.
"It's great to see you!" Zack grabs him around the neck.
"...please...don't..." Cloud mutters.
"It's just Zack," Levei says, putting away her gunblade and turning to leave.
"Levei..." Cloud says.
Zack lets go of Cloud and looks at her. "It's, uh…" He clears his throat. "Nice to see you again."
Levei stops and turns to him. "You, too. I can see you haven't changed a bit."
Zack looks her up and down. "I can see you have."
Levei smiles and shakes her head. "Still the same Zack."
"What are you doing here?" Cloud asks.
"I could ask you the same question!" Zack says excitedly.
Cloud doesn't answer but looks at Zack expectantly.
"We're… on vacation?" Zack finally says.
"We? I don't see anyone else. Why are you wearing a suit? … did you get married?"
Zack looks around but can't spot Ryiah anywhere. "Where'd she go?"
"Figures you'd marry someone that avoids you. She's probably just in it for the money anyway." Cloud shrugs.
"Hey! I'm not married! I'm here with Valentine, remember, the vampire? Don't worry Cloud, he won't eat you this time."
"I'm not worried. Valentine and I are acquaintances actually, we've worked together in the past."
"What? No way!"
"Where is he?" Cloud glances around.
"He said he'd be waiting in the basement."
"Let's go."
The three begin their descent into the Shinra mansion basement. "So what are you two doing here? …together? You having a reunion and didn't invite me?" Zack asks, sounding almost hurt.
"Actually, we're the ones getting married," Levei says.
"Wait, what?!"
Levei takes a deep breath. "I guess this is one of those things that stays fun forever…"
Zack glances warily between Cloud and Levei. "Very funny, guys…"
Cloud opens the door to the basement.
"Why did you say Valentine was here?"
"He's, uh, helping me out."
"If he's helping you with our outfit…" Levei gives him a once over. "I'd say he's doing a very good job."
Zack adjusts his black tie with a charming smile.
"Vincent? Are you down here?" Cloud calls out. "It's Cloud."
Valentine sits up from inside his coffin. "Have you come to relieve me?" he asks.
"Wh-why would you do that?!" Zack exclaims. "Why are you in a coffin again?!"
"Old habits."
"We ran into this guy upstairs. He said you came here together. Is this true?"
"Afraid so. I'm helping him and the Turk with...a chore."
"The Turk?"
"Oh yeah, Ryiah was with me. I don't know where she went…" Zack says, looking around. "Probably hiding somewhere to scare a ghost."
"I won't ask any further questions…" Cloud says.
Levei crosses her arms. "That wouldn't surprise me. She's the only person I know who is scarier than ghosts."
Cloud looks at her thoughtfully, while Zack turns to Valentine and says, "That's Cloud's way of agreeing."
Valentine looks from Zack to Cloud, who shrugs.
"So, now that we've all be reacquainted, let's get down to business," Levei says, pulling out her phone.
"Business…? To defeat the Huns?" Zack asks.
"Do you have something to do with this?" Levei asks, showing him the mission.
"I...uh...umm...the one time I need Ryiah and she's not here…" Levei continues staring at him, waiting for a better answer, which he promptly tries to give. "Look, I don't know what's going on. Somehow overnight I became a threat to Shinra, and no one will tell me why. I'm trying to figure it out, but you have to believe me that I did nothing wrong."
Levei narrows her eyes at him, and then nods. "I believe you."
"You do?" Zack asks with surprise.
"Why else would you have teamed up with him?" She points to Valentine. "You're not exactly a fan."
Valentine nods.
"Wait, Zack is the one they're looking for?" Cloud asks. "I thought he was a hero now. You didn't...pull a Sephiroth, did you?"
"Cloud! Do you really think I'm capable of burning down a whole city?"
"Capable...no." He looks Zack up and down. "But there has to be a reason you're a red-level threat."
"Believe me, I wish I knew why. You have to help me figure it out. I would have come to you first if I wasn't hiding out. You...you were my best friend."
"But instead you went to...her," Cloud says bitterly, looking away.
"I didn't! I ran into the Turk and one thing led to another! It was always you, Cloud. Always you…"
"Was me. Now it's the Turk. Did I really mean so little to you? After all we've been through?" He continues to look away dramatically.
Zack takes Cloud's hand. "You meant the world to me. Y-you still do! Cloud! Please look at me!"
Cloud closes his eyes and turns to Zack. "You hurt me, Zack. I don't know if I can forgive you."
"I'll do anything! Just please don't leave me again. Not again…"
Valentine turns to Levei with a disturbed look; she responds with a shrug and turns to them with an annoyed look. "Regardless of who went to who first-"
"Wait, how did you get roped into this?" Zack cuts her off. "Are you...here to see me?"
"I wasn't even sure it was you," Levei replies. "I was just on a mission."
"A mission…" Zack says, a sad look on his face. "Sounds like you."
Levei nods. "But...I'm glad it wasn't a real threat."
"What do you mean real threat? I'm very threatening!"
"I don't think you're helping prove your innocence."
"Oh..right..heh…" Zack rubs the back of his head. "But I'm glad you guys are here, too. I need all the help I can get."
"It really does seem like nothing has changed…" Levei says with a smile.
Zack sees her smile and brightens up. "Okay, we need to find Ryiah!"
"Does she have a plan?"
"She always does. I think it's a Turk thing," Zack says.
"We're not just talking about any Turk here," Levei points out.
"...you have a point…"