So, you all like that last chapter? I hope so! reviews make me feel special!
…
"I hate you so much." Cloud mumbled, beating his wings in time to Zack's after he'd manage to correct his fall. Zack was laughing, hard.
"Oh my god that was great, you gotta admit. Alright then, c'mon, soldier boy. We've got somewhere to be." Zack said, whapping Cloud with one of his wings before he angled over the City in the Sky's version of Midgar. Cloud followed, somewhat awkwardly, his sword banging against his leg when he clumsily turned.
"Where are we going?"
"Banora. Meeting some old friends." Zack said, looking over his shoulder with a grin.
…...
Zack landed with grace in an open field, folding his wings completely out of sight as he turned to look for Cloud. His wait wasn't long, a mass of golden feathers streaked by him and landed with a thud, tumbling head over heels. Cloud skidded on his face for a few feet before coming to a stop. Zack jogged over, kneeling down to his friend.
"I give that a solid two, your landing needs some work." Zack replied, helping Cloud up.
"No kidding...this is humiliating..." Cloud said, trying his best to brush the grass stains off of his vest and spitting out the dirt in his mouth. Zack laughed again, pointing to his own teeth.
"You got a little something..." Cloud raised an eyebrow, then tweazed a large piece of grass from between his teeth with a gloved hand, sighing as he did so.
"Great...who are we meeting, anyway? And where are they?" Cloud asked, dusting himself off again and rubbing the grime off of the Fenrir wolf's face on his shoulder.
"You'll see...and they should be around here somewhere..." Zack said, looking and listening intently. He heard a clang of metal on metal and perked up, jogging towards the sound.
"This way!" he called to Cloud, waving. He easily kept pace through the knee-high grass, losing himself again in the beauty of the surroundings before nearly crashing into the back of Zack. His friend was looking straight ahead, a small smile on his lips. Cloud looked around him and his eyes widened.
Genesis and Angeal were currently locked in a friendly but intense fight, Angeal's broadsword crossing loudly with Genesis' red rapier again with a clang. More blows were exchanged and parried, and Zack finally stepped forward, cupping his hands around his mouth.
"Yo! Angeal! Genesis! Someone I want you to meet!" Zack called. Both of the elder guys lowered their swords and looked Zack and Cloud's way, Angeal with welcome and Genesis with interest.
"Good to see you, what brings you out this way?" Angeal asked, sheathing his sword. He didn't have the Buster Sword on his back, apparently even in death it remained passed on to Zack. Zack gave a giant step to the side, revealing his shorter blonde compatriot that was standing mostly behind him.
"Angeal, this is Cloud. Genesis...I think you've met him before." Zack said. Genesis nodded slightly, sheathing his own rapier on his hip.
"Yes...the young infantryman with severe mako addiction that you fled with..." Genesis said coolly. He shook out his own black wings and looked towards another part of the field.
"I have something to attend to... Even if the morrow is barren of promises...nothing shall forestall my return..." Genesis said before pushing off the ground and flying away.
"Even here he still recites that damn play, doesn't he?" Zack remarked. Angeal huffed, his gaze falling on Cloud.
"You...I know you... you're the rotten little SOLDIER that ruined my sword!" Angeal said, stepping past Zack and up to Cloud, looking down on the much shorter soldier. Cloud withered, throwing up his mental shields already. Angeal stared at him a moment before straightening and continuing with his rant.
"I mean seriously! What is wrong with you, letting something that symbolic rust into a piece of scrap metal? Oh god, the RUST. And how the hell did you manage to chip it? I had that sword for ELEVEN freaking years and couldn't scratch it if I tried!" Angeal said. Zack snickered quietly and Angeal snapped his head towards him.
"Don't even start with me! You had to go and die and leave my sword to this imbecile!" Angeal said, angrily yanking a dumbapple off of a branch near him. He examined it for a minute, then Zack lost it and busted up laughing. Angeal took his opportunity and threw the apple, scoring a direct hit on Zack's forehead.
"OW." Zack yelped, rubbing the spot where the dumbapple had connected. Angeal raised an eyebrow, tilting his head before looking at Cloud.
"I think we may have just come up with a new game... Help me, Cloud, and I just might forgive you about the Buster Sword." Angeal said, jumping up and shaking an armload of dumbapples from the tree above him. Zack backed away slowly, holding his hands out as Cloud picked up a few as well.
"Uh...guys? Can't we talk this over?" Zack said. Angeal smiled.
"Of course not, you're out of practice, Zack. Now, defend yourself!" Angeal said, hurling another apple. Zack was quicker this time and drew the buster sword, slicing the apple in half when it would have hit him in the face. Cloud smiled, he was already liking Zack's old mentor, and he deviously raised his arm, dumbapple in hand.
"Cloud? Traitor!" Zack yelled, but good-naturedly. Cloud smiled wider and threw his apple, soon he and Angeal were pelting Zack mercilessly, enough so where Zack shook out his wings and took off.
"Alright guys, c'mon!" Zack whined, hovering. Angeal and Cloud exchanged glances, reloaded, and shot out their own wings as well, flying in high-speed pursuit of their friend. Angeal and Cloud, who both rarely laughed, were now almost hysterical.
In the middle of this, Genesis returned to have three guys with variously colored wings streak by him, two pelting the other with dumbapples. Genesis sighed, shaking his head but smirking nonetheless.
"Just like when we were kids...eh, Angeal?"