Chapter 8: Blood Lust
** Warning ** This chapter is rather violent...that is part of why this story is rated M. Also, there's quite a bit of cussing. Read at your own discretion. (: Other than that, we learn some things about Zack and Aerith.
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It took Zack a great deal of persuading to get Aerith to stay at home with her mother while he went on the stakeout with Tifa and Cloud.
"Aerith, it's a stakeout. It could be dangerous...we're going after Shinra's men...you know, trailing Turks and stuff. Seeing as you don't have the best track record with those guys, you should really stay here. And not leave."
"Zack," Aerith sighed, pouting. "You said you had to stay with me, to protect me, didn't you?"
"I didn't really mean all the time. Everyone needs their privacy, right? Besides, if you stay here, with your mom, you'll be safe. The Turks don't know where you live, do they?"
Aerith hesitated for a long moment, and Zack was afraid that he would have to cancel the stakeout (or, tell Cloud and Tifa to go on their own) so that he could stay behind and keep Aerith safe. It was so difficult having several jobs. Finally, she shook her head with a defeated look.
"No, they don't know. I guess I don't have any reason not to stay here, hmm?"
"Exactly," Zack said, patting her shoulder sympathetically. "I won't be that long though, promise. Just...have a nice night with your mom, kay? Not everyone gets the leisure, you know." A guilty look flashed across Aerith's face. She opened her mouth to say something, but Zack held his hand up, interrupting her.
"We can talk later, I really have to go, alright? I'll see you later! Bye!" Zack was already running off in a hurry to meet Tifa and Cloud before Aerith could say goodbye. He felt a bit badly for leaving her behind, but it couldn't be helped.
Zack met up with Tifa and Cloud at the bar, who were both glaring at each other.
"Eh, trouble in paradise?" Zack asked, causing the two to turn their glares onto him. "Sorry," he said quickly, raising his hands in defense. "It was only a joke."
"Someone's a jealous jerk, he just won't admit it." Tifa huffed. Cloud clenched his jaw furiously, not saying a word. Zack grinned at the pair, feeling sympathy for Tifa.
"Well, jealous jerks come around eventually," he assured Tifa. "Are we ready to go? Or are you two going to squabble the entire time? Stakeouts don't work particularly well when people are bickering...it kind of gives away the element of surprise, you know?"
Cloud merely glared at Zack and Tifa (a feat that involved a stony face and darting, angry eyes) and grunted. Zack took that as his agreement.
Tifa sighed heavily, nodding her head. "We'll be fine. No more bickering."
"Great," Zack enthused, bouncing eagerly on his toes. "Well, time's a wasting, so let's get going." Zack placed a hand on both of their shoulders and started steering them away from the bar and into the slums, toward the center of the city where the massive Shinra building stood ominously in the middle.
In between each sector of the slum, Zack grew warier, alert for any monsters nearby. He knew that Shinra didn't patrol the slums like they patrolled the city above, and many monsters had made their home in the rubble down below. A few times, they ran into one of the said monsters, but Zack took care of them with ease. Cloud looked rather irritated that he wasn't needed to help, and by the fact that Tifa looked mildly impressed by Zack. Zack distinctly heard Cloud mumble, 'big deal'.
Zack grew quieter as they neared the Shinra building, his jaw clenching as they drew closer. Memories of his life there flashed in his mind. People he had considered as friends, who had been sent on missions, and had died. Behind him, Tifa and Cloud were whispering fiercely to one another; it sounded like a pipe had leaked and was hissing behind him. He whirled around, glaring at them with hard eyes, mentally screaming at them, "SHUT UP!"
Are they crazy? They're going to get us caught. This isn't some sort of game. Fortunately, they both hushed up. He ducked into a dark alleyway where they could sit and wait with the Shinra building still in sight. He sat down on the street, glancing at Tifa and Cloud who mimicked his movements.
"Now, we wait," Zack said, returning his view to the building.
–
Zack knew he had never been the most patient person ever, but when it came to a stakeout, he could sit perfectly still, with only the slightest movement as he took shallow breaths. Behind him, Tifa fidgeted, though Cloud remained mostly still as well. Zack figured that Cloud's SOLDIER training must have come in handy a little. He, however, had been trained to meditate for hours at a time by his mentor, Angeal.
Zack suppressed a pang of grief for his deceased mentor and friend, focusing more intently on the building. He would avenge Angeal.
He stiffened as he watched a group of Turks – he could tell by their neatly pressed suits who they were – walk casually out of the building. Most of the group contained Turks he hadn't seen before, though two were familiar. Zack recognized the red haired female from the last Turk visit, and the leader of the group, who he had seen briefly during his time as a 1st Class SOLDIER, though they had never been formally introduced. His name was Tseng, and he was clearly still in charge of the Turks as he motioned with his hand, and the others followed. Zack looked back sharply at Cloud and Tifa, who had also been watching the Turks, and nodded subtly, signaling the others to be ready to move. As soon as the Turks turned the corner and were out of eyesight, Zack raised his hand up by his ear, then swiftly pointed it forward with two hands before lunging out of the alley, barely making a sound.
He, Cloud, and Tifa trailed the Turks carefully, being careful never to get close enough to alert them, but never far enough away to lose them. Zack began to grow uneasy at the Turk's route. He only hoped that they weren't going where he thought they were going.
"Aren't we heading for the church?" one of the Turks asked Tseng, who shook his head slightly.
"She won't be there," Tseng replied, and Zack motioned for Cloud and Tifa to stop, as the Turks had stopped moving as well. Zack held his breath, listening intently.
"Then where is she?" the same Turk asked, looking slightly miffed.
"She'll be at her home, I'm sure of it...follow me."
Zack's first instinct was to run out at them and stop the Turks – he was positive they were talking about Aerith.
She said they didn't know where she lived! He thought woefully, berating himself for leaving her. He restrained himself from blowing their cover, though. Maybe if we follow them just a bit longer, they'll reveal why they're so eager to get their hands on Aerith.
Tseng suddenly stopped again, raising a hand and signaling for quiet. Too late, Zack stopped Tifa and Cloud from ceasing their footsteps, and Zack cringed, realizing that the crunch of gravel had alerted the Turks.
"We're being followed," Tseng said quietly, so quietly Zack almost didn't hear it. He missed the next part of what Tseng said, but he watched as two unknown Turks were sent back in his direction, while the rest plunged on ahead.
"Damnit," Zack cursed under his breath, quickly turning to Cloud and Tifa. "They know we've followed them. They've sent back two to deal with us, and the rest have gone up ahead. I'll deal with these two, you both follow the rest, quickly. Make sure they don't take Aerith, got it?"
Tifa and Cloud nodded quickly, their bodies tensing visibly as they prepared themselves to run for it. Zack held up his hand, waiting until the two Turks drew in closer, holding his breath. As soon as the Turks were close enough, Zack nodded, then drew his blade with a sudden cry, hoping to startle the two. Tifa and Cloud broke for it, sweeping past the two bewildered Turks, who quickly regained focused and drew their guns. Zack went into action swiftly to prevent Tifa or Cloud getting shot. He brought the blunt end of his blade down quickly, hitting one of the Turk's hands, causing him to cry out in pain and drop his gun. This drew the attention of the other Turk, who whirled around the fire at Zack, but he brought his blade up with surprising speed and deflected the bullet, which ricocheted off the metal and into scrap metal on the side of the pathway.
Determined to finish the fight quickly and get to Aerith, he lowered his sword, holding on with one hand, pulled his right arm back and swiftly punched both of the unfortunate Turks in the face, causing them both to grab their noses in pain. Planting his sword firmly in the dirt (he was sure that Angeal must be rolling over in his grave), Zack gripped the handle, simultaneously leaping into the air and swinging his body around with as much force as he could muster, using his sword as a central point, delivering two successive kicks to the Turks' heads. They both crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Zack landed easily, looking down grimly at the two bodies, then pulled his sword out of the ground, glancing up at the sky.
"Sorry, Angeal."
Zack leapt over the two bodies, strapping his sword onto his back as he went. As his feet hit the ground, he took off down the path, putting on an extra burst of speed, praying that Cloud and Tifa had stopped the Turks from getting Aerith.
It felt like the longest road of his life, but Aerith's house finally came into view' his heart sank. Cloud was surrounded by five of the Turks, holding his sword out, an angry look on his face. Tifa was struggling with another Turk, who was attempting to hold onto her and avoid getting punched at the same time. Zack thought his heart stopped for a moment when he saw Aerith struggling between Tseng and the female Turk. Aerith looked up from her struggle, her eyes meeting his own.
"Zack!" she cried out, only to have the female Turk clamp a hand over her mouth.
Zack felt the anger building inside of him, and he felt his body shudder in anticipation.
"I warned you before," he said slowly...dangerously. He narrowed his eyes, raising his right arm up to his sword, lifting it with ease. Everyone had stopped; all eyes were on him. "I warned you that if you came back, I would kill you," Zack continued, gritting his teeth. "Now, you've brought me to this. I really didn't want to do this, but you gave me no choice."
Tseng snapped his fingers, and the Turks surrounding Cloud and the one holding Tifa suddenly stopped what they were doing, then rushed toward Zack. A dangerous smile grew on his lips, and he chuckled lowly. Then he let out a cry of rage, swinging his sword around violently, cutting the arm off the first Turk to reach him. The Turk fell to the ground, screaming with pain, and as the smell of coppery blood filled Zack's nose, his eyes dilated at an alarming rate, so that his eyes nearly looked black. He ignored the screaming man, already twisting his sword into the next move, slicing downward with vicious force, removing the legs from the next Turk. The man crumpled to the ground, eyes wide, mouth open in a silent scream.
The four other Turks hesitated; one let out an animal moan of terror, and Zack grinned maliciously.
"I did warn you," he whispered, then lunged forward, his sword slipping into the chest of the next Turk like a knife through butter. A gurgling, bubbling noise emitted from the dying man's lips, and blood spilled from his mouth, trickling down his chin and onto his now open chest.
Zack felt it rising in him, taking control of his mind and his body, but he couldn't stop it now. The blood was everywhere, and the monster inside of him screamed for more. He let out an beast-like roar, so loud that his throat felt raw from the effort. Another swing of his giant blade, and a man lost his head; it bounced away, an expression of fear frozen on its face. Another downward slice, and the last Turk standing in his way was ripped in two, the top half of his body sliding off his lower half, while the rest crumpled downward.
The blood was everywhere, soaking the ground, permeating his senses. Zack's chest heaved, his breath ragged in his anger, in his uncontrollable thirst for more blood. His eyes focused on the two remaining Turks who held Aerith, and Zack growled lowly. He dropped his sword; he would tear them apart with his own hands.
With alarming speed, Zack lunged forward again, reaching out for the female Turk. He clamped one hand around her throat, lifting her from the ground effortlessly.
"Cissnei!" Tseng cried out, wrenching Aerith away from Zack. Aerith stumbled, falling to the ground, sitting forgotten as Tseng watched with horror as Zack tightened his grip around Cissnei. Then his face became a mask of calm again, and he stepped forward slowly.
"Well done...You've made your point. Now, put the girl down; I've called for backup, and you'll be no match against all of us," Tseng informed Zack.
"Cut the crap," Zack snarled, his hand still clenched around Cissnei's throat, who was gasping pitifully for air. There was so much blood around Zack...he inhaled deeply, trembling, his pupils dilating and contracting wildly. "Why are you after Aerith?"
"Excuse me, but this isn't the part where the 'bad guy'," here, Tseng made air quotes with his hands, "reveals all to the 'good guys'. We aren't stupid. If you don't know, then we're not telling," Tseng finished, glancing at Cissnei, apparently without care, but Zack could practically smell the fear roiling from both of them.
"Fuck, do you know what you're dealing with?" Zack demanded, relaxing his grip on Cissnei as he tried to regain control of himself.
"A glorified mercenary, apparently."
"No, a god damn fucking SOLDIER."
"Honestly, I see no problem with that."
"No, not one of your fucking SOLDIERS. They're pansies compared to me. I'm old school. Like Angeal, and Sephiroth old school."
Tseng's eyes widened, and for the second time that day, his calm exterior faded. He tried to regain it, but Zack could tell he was freaked.
"That's right," Zack spat, his body twitching again. "So you will leave and not come back, or you know what I'll do to you. I will kill you all, and you won't be able to stop me. You'll all die before I ever do."
With great effort, Zack dropped Cissnei, who fell to the ground ungracefully, gasping loudly and massaging her bruised throat. Tseng leapt forward, pulling Cissnei to her feet. Without a backward glance, the two hurried off, away from Aerith's house. Zack was suddenly all too aware of Cloud, Tifa and Aerith, all staring at him in horror. He laughed horribly, twitching, trying to regain control of himself.
"You don't know what this is like, do you Cloud?" Zack grit out, squeezing his eyes shut.
"No," Cloud replied gruffly, completely at a loss for what was happening to Zack.
"No, you wouldn't. They changed the program...their precious 1st Class SOLDIERS started to degrade...fall apart and die. They shot us up with so many drugs, so many different kinds of DNA from the very monsters we killed. We started to become like them, in a way," Zack gasped, his muscles straining, crying out, and his every instinct screamed to kill the rest of them. He curled up, trying to breath through his mouth so he couldn't smell the blood around him. He needed to meditate, soon.
"Then why aren't you degrading, too?" Cloud asked hesitantly.
"They'd found a way to stop it by then, of course," Zack said bitterly. "That didn't stop Angeal from degrading. It was too late for him. And Sephiroth...he disappeared, but he was on a completely different level from the rest of us. He didn't get shots like us...he just was."
Cloud didn't know who Zack was talking about when he spoke of Angeal, but everyone in SOLDIER had heard of Sephiroth.
"You all need to go. Take Aerith. I need-" he gasped again, his breath coming out in ragged breaths. "Just go. GO!"
Cloud stepped toward Aerith, but she shook her head, instead, stepping toward Zack. Tifa's eyes widened, and she shook her head fiercely. Stupid girl, she was going to get herself killed! Didn't she just see Zack slaughter everyone?
"Zack?" Aerith spoke hesitantly, softly.
"Please, Aerith, go..." Zack moaned, gritting his teeth, sounding both pleading and completely dangerous. Aerith didn't heed him, though, and continued to walk forward, stepping over and around dead bodies, a sad, understanding look on her face. She came around to Zack's front, and knelt down in front of him, where he still sat, curled up, trembling from the effort of controlling himself, reigning in his impulses.
"Zack, look at me," Aerith commanded softly, but he shook his head fiercely.
"No, you need to leave -"
"I need you to look at me, Zack," she whispered, and she rested both hands on his face and lifted it slowly until she could see it again, his face still scrunched up, his eyes screwed shut. "Open your eyes."
Zack clenched his jaw tightly, a vein pulsing in his temple as he ground his teeth together. Very slowly, he opened his eyes, which were still dilated.
"Just look me in the eyes, Zack," Aerith instructed gently. Zack's mind screamed at him, KILL HER. Spill the blood from her neck... Zack shuddered visibly, closing his eyes again.
"No, look at me, Zack," Aerith said again, and he opened his eyes, staring into the green depths. She smiled softly at him, her thumb brushing over his cheek soothingly. "See? It's not so bad."
Zack felt his body begin to cease its shaking, and his breathing became less constricted. Then Aerith leaned forward and kissed his forehead gently, and he closed his eyes again, sighing in relief as he felt his terrible impulses melt away. Because he had his eyes closed, he didn't see the soft green light surrounding him and Aerith, but Cloud and Tifa watched with wide eyes. Aerith pulled away, and Zack's eyes fluttered open, and he stared at her, aghast.
"How did you do that?" he breathed.
"I didn't do anything," she assured him, still smiling. "You did it yourself. You just needed some encouragement."
"I could have hurt you, Aerith," Zack said, anguished. He knew he would have killed them all and felt no remorse until he had regained control of himself. He didn't know what he would have done if he had killed them.
"No, Zack. You're my bodyguard, and I trust you. You saved me, again."
"You don't hate me?" he shuddered, hanging his head. "I killed them...slaughtered them all. This is why I hate killing...once I start, I can't stop."
"I don't blame you Zack...you were only doing your job. You've warned them before, haven't you? And besides, you did stop. You let them go."
"I shouldn't...I know what I'm like..."
"Its okay," Aerith said softly, wrapping her arms around him in the warmest hug he'd ever received.
"I'm different..." he whispered, hating Shinra, hating himself.
"I know...I understand," she whispered back, rubbing his back soothingly. Zack didn't know how she could understand, but he believed her. He wrapped his arms around her and shuddered again, feeling hot tears spill out of his eyes. He sobbed, great, body wracking sobs, trying to forget about all the men he had just ended.
–
Cloud pulled Tifa away from the scene, and kept pulling her until they were far from Zack and Aerith.
"I told you he was dangerous. Did...I've never..." Cloud stopped, staring down at the ground, looking faintly sick. "Fuck!" he finally swore, apparently at a loss for what to say.
"We are so dead," Tifa whispered, her face pale and drawn.
"What?" Cloud muttered, obviously still thinking about the destruction Zack had caused.
"When Zack finds out that Aerith's the Ancient and that we've betrayed him...he's just going to kill us."
"Er...maybe we should tell him now, and just forget the whole thing," Cloud said slowly. He had never been one to back down, but seeing the acts Zack had just committed made even his blood run cold.
"No...we need to give him space...after a few days, we'll call him and have him come to the bar...we'll explain everything...and..." Tifa stopped, rubbing a hand over her face. "Oh god," she whispered, shaking. "There was so much blood," she whispered, a nauseous feeling bubbling in her stomach and rising in her stomach. She thought she was going to be sick.
"Tifa..." Cloud said softly, and she looked up, her eyes blurry with tears, and was surprised to see Cloud looking at her with such concern.
"Cloud..." she whispered, her lip trembling against her will. "He seemed so nice, you know? So normal..." she swallowed heavily, sniffling. It was horrible to see all those men die, even if they did work for Shinra. The way they had died...she didn't think she'd ever be able to erase the memory of it from her mind.
But seeing Zack like that...eyes nearly black, and laughing dangerously, as though he had enjoyed it – it had been worse, when she knew what he was like normally.
Or maybe that's not how he is normally. Maybe its a mask. What if he's really that monster?
A strangled noise escaped her throat, and she covered her face again, not wanting to cry in front of Cloud. She was surprised when she suddenly felt his arms around her, pulling her in. He rubbed her back comfortingly, and she couldn't stop the tears from leaking out of her eyes as she buried her face in his chest, trying desperately to block the images from her mind.
–
Aerith held onto a sobbing Zack, focusing on him so she wouldn't have to see the bodies around her. She could smell the coppery scent of blood. It was invading her sense of smell, but she did her best to ignore it, did her best to ignore the Planet's protests at the blood that was slowly permeating the soil.
She was terrified. She was horrified at what she had seen Zack do, at the men who had crumpled beneath his sword. The screams...she thought she could still hear them, echoing in her ears. The screams of men who had been ready to kill Zack and kidnap her, but the screams of men nonetheless. In death, they had all sounded the same: scared.
But she continued to comfort Zack, despite what she had seen, despite the murderous look that had gleamed in his dilated eyes. His pupils had grown so big they nearly ate away the beautiful blue that usually resided in his eyes. She was shaking as he clung to her like a child, but she doubted that he could tell with his own trembling. He kept moaning, "I'm so sorry," and she rubbed his back consolingly, whispering soothing words in his ear, his hair tickling her face.
She tried to focus on the feeling of him, instead of the blood of the men he had killed soaking her dress.
Aerith had known he was dangerous, but she hadn't realized he was like this. But she still comforted him, still consoled him and whispered that it was okay. He was different, and she saw that, had seen it happen before her eyes, and understood. She was different too.
So Aerith held onto Zack as his sobs began to cease, until he was only shaking in her arms, still murmuring under his breath, sniffling and sighing on her neck, because she understood what it was like to be different, and because she thought that she loved him, despite everything.
I could love him, even if he's different.
–
A/N: Okay, end of chapter 8, folks. Very dramatic, I know. :x But, it was time for some action, I say! It was rather violent, but...I wanted it to be. Now we understand why Zack never liked to kill...
Please, please, review! I really want to know what you guys think about this chapter (too violent? Too much cussing? Just the right amount?) Again, thank you to all my lovely readers. (:
Also, if any of you like to read Harry Potter fan fiction, I've started one of my own, and it's posted, so far up to chapter 3. Thanks.
