Well, I feel stupid. This was supposed to be up yesterday. Sorry.
Chapter Ten - All To Protect
"Hey. Hey." Zack nudged Cloud in the ribs. "Wake up, we're going."
"Mfgl. What time is it?"
"5AM. I want to get back to Seventh Heaven before we pick up our own Turk shadow."
Cloud stretched and yawned. "Yeah. Okay."
The two friends tiptoed their way out of the house. The didn't even dare put on their boots until they were outside.
Zack grinned. "Race ya to the playground!"
"Huh? What? Hey! Wait!"
They only got as far as the passage to Sector 6.
Aerith laughed as Zack skidded to a halt, Cloud running into him with enough force to knock both of them to the ground. "I thought you might try to sneak away without saying good-bye."
"I wanted to leave before the Turks showed up, and I figured you were still asleep." Zack picked himself up, trying not to sound too annoyed with her. She did know how dangerous the slums were at night, right?
"Well, I wasn't." Her face grew serious. "You're into something dangerous, aren't you? Even though ShinRa is looking for you, you're exposing yourself."
"Yeah. I, I'd like to think it's for a good cause." He made a quick note of the staff she carried. He couldn't remember her having a weapon five years ago. Dang it, he was supposed to protect her.
Aerith cocked her head. "I'd like to talk to your new friends."
"Heh. What are you, my Mom?"
"Maybe you need a little mothering."
"Uh, I'm still here."
Aerith and Zack looked back at Cloud. For his part, Cloud was most definitely not looking at them. Zack grinned.
"Yeah, you are. And I beat you, by the way."
Cloud scowled. "We're not at the playground yet."
"Oh yes! Let's go to the playground." Aerith clapped her hands. "It's been such a long time."
The broken highway was also a long walk. Especially for Cloud who had to listen to Aerith and Zack talk. He wasn't quite sure why he thought of Tifa at those moments. He remembered his promise to her and his failure to keep it, but besides that and some vague images of her walking up a mountain trail in a blue dress there wasn't much he remembered. The rest was stuck in that fog, just close enough to the surface for him to know it was there and to have feelings associated with it.
"Come sit with me!"
Cloud realized that in his mental searching he'd completely missed that they were at the playground. He also noticed something else. An overly ornate carriage pulled by a chocobo. In the back was...
"Tifa?" Cloud choked. What the heck was she wearing? "Tifa!"
Aerith and Zack looked at the fast disappearing carriage.
"That's Tifa?" Aerith asked. "She looked strange."
"Yeah." Zack jumped down from the moogle slide. "Cloud and I will deal with this. You should go home."
"No. I'm coming too."
"What? No, you, oh never mind." There wasn't time to argue. Cloud was already running after the carriage with Aerith following.
By the time they reached the neon lights of Wall Market the carriage had disappeared.
"Aerith, this is a really bad place for a girl to wander around."
"I'm not wandering around. I'm looking for a friend with two big, strong bodyguards to protect me."
Couldn't argue with that. Zack's protective instincts would have him just about killing anyone who so much as looked at Aerith the wrong way. He could probably hold it back to a bloody nose, maybe a death glare if he tried real hard.
"So, any ideas where to start looking? You're kind of the local expert."
"Hmm. The carriage looked like it belonged to Don Corneo, so I suppose either the Honeybee Inn or his mansion."
"The what?" Zack and Aerith looked back when Cloud spoke. It was too easy to forget he was there.
Zack blushed a bit. "The Honeybee Inn is sort of a, well, it's supposed to be entertaining."
"It's disgusting, from what I heard. Why would Tifa be going there?" Aerith wasn't sure who Tifa was, but she seemed to be connected to Cloud in some way. The whole situation didn't sit right with her.
Cloud strode passed them, his entire body seeming to radiate touch-me-and-die, even if he didn't understand the feelings behind that power, or that he was radiating like that.
Aerith certainly noticed, though. "He seems to be taking the bodyguard job very seriously."
"I think it's more concern for Tifa. Remember how I said there was a girl he liked? Well, it turns out she's alive and running a bar in the slums."
"Tifa?"
"Yeah."
"Then we better hurry."
*7*7*
The doorman at the Honeybee definitely felt the threatening aura coming off of Cloud. He barely started his welcome speech (just as well, it was rather insulting) when he gulped on his words.
"Where's Tifa?" Cloud said, his voice a flat monotone.
"Ah, you're quick," the doorman said, his eyes on the taller, but for the moment less threatening, man behind Cloud. "She's our newest girl. But I'm afraid you can't see her right now as she's having an interview with Don Corneo."
Zack put a hand on Cloud's shoulder before the younger man could act. "Thanks. We might be by later." He then led Cloud away to meet up with Aerith a few doors down.
"Hey," Zack said to Cloud, "mind turning the volume down a bit? You nearly had that guy soiling his shorts."
"What volume?" Cloud blinked uncomprehending.
"You practically have a sign over your head announcing murderous intent. I know you're worried about Tifa, but you've got to simmer down or I'll have to dunk you in ice water."
Cloud took several deep breaths before speaking again. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I feel like this."
"Are you kidding? Man, you are dense."
"Sorry."
Zack whapped Cloud on the back of the head. "Enough with the sorries, already. Now let's go rescue Tifa."
"Uh. Yeah."
The trio walked through Wall Market up toward the central edge of the sector where Don Corneo had his mansion. A single guard stood before the door. The guard raised his left hand as his other unstrapped a gun at his side.
"Hold it! The Don isn't interested in men, so don't let me catch you snooping around. ... Hey, you got another cute one with you!"
Zack started to reach for his sword but Aerith put a hand on his arm. Gently, she led Zack and Cloud back around the corner they just came from.
"I'll go take a look," she said. "I'll let Tifa know you're all safe."
"No! You won't!" Zack held Aerith by both arms. "It's too dangerous."
Cloud nodded in the background.
Aerith blinked as if confused. "Why?"
"Uh." Zack's face started to turn red. "You DO know... what kind of... place this is, don't you?"
"Then what am I supposed to do? You want to go in with me?"
Zack's chin fell to his chest. "Well, I'm pretty obviously a guy, so I don't see how I could."
"We could bust down the doors," Cloud suggested.
Zack shook his head. "Tempting, but it'd cause too much commotion. Tifa might be in there for a, ahh, good reason that we don't know about." He caught himself before saying the word 'mission'. By this time he had let go of Aerith and was busy scratching his head.
"I don't see any way of getting in subtly," Cloud said.
"No kidding, but I'm not letting Aerith go in there alone... why are you laughing?"
The last comment was directed at Aerith, who barely hide a mischievous giggle behind her hand.
"Zack, why don't we dress Cloud up as a girl?"
"What?" Both men shouted.
Zack managed to collect himself first, pushing his companions further away from the mansion. "Uh, Aerith, as amusing as that sounds, don't you think Cloud's been through enough trauma for one life time?"
"Well, then, I guess I'm going in alone."
"No. You. Are. Not."
"Which is it? Because not saving her isn't an option."
Zack clenched his teeth and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to think. There had to be a way, but unfortunately he wasn't seeing it. Short of demolishing a sizable portion of the mansion.
"I'll do it."
Somehow, neither Aerith or Zack had expected him to say anything on the subject.
"Uh, are you sure?" Zack wondered for a moment if Cloud had really processed what they were asking him to do.
"If it's to save Tifa, then yes." Cloud looked straight at Zack, his jaw set and eyes steady, if still a little glassy.
"Yeah." Zack still didn't like this plan. "First thing is finding a dress your size. Then there's dealing with that death glare you have going on."
Cloud closed his eyes and tried to relax. The thought of whatever might be happening to Tifa while they waited made that difficult.
Aerith clapped her hands, snapping Cloud's and Zack's attention to the present. "Now that that's settled, let's go about getting Cloud all pretty."
Both men groaned.
*7*7*
The most frustrating part of the next couple of hours, for Zack at least, was the lack of something to do. Aerith handled getting the inebriated dressmaker away from his booze. All Cloud had to do was stand in one place and get measured. The dressmaker muttered something about a buddy of his being jealous of Cloud's slender frame. It took a lot of will power for the two young men to resist the urge to leave and never come back.
Then there was the waiting. Dress making took time, even if a ready-made dress was being used as a base. They spent the time getting a bite to eat and discussing what else would be needed for a convincing disguise.
That is, if Aerith talking and Zack grunting could be called a discussion. Cloud said even less. He had agreed to this, but the process was freaking him out a little and he didn't want the others to know.
One thing Zack did contribute was point out that Cloud smelled of sweat and machine oil. The guy needed a bath, desperately. The problem was where to get a bath. Aerith's house was too far away and the inn would require that they spend the night, not to mention pay.
Zack felt around in his pocket. A rather round, sweaty man had mumbled something rather strange earlier before pressing a thin card into Zack's hand. There hadn't been a trash can nearby at the time so Zack had just pocketed it. Granted, with the state the slums were in one more piece of litter wouldn't make much difference, but old habits died hard.
He found it and pulled it out. As he thought, a membership card for the Honeybee Inn.
Aerith noticed it, too. "What is that?"
"Some old guy got cold feet and pushed this on me. It's not the ideal place for a bath, but at least the water's clean. I hope."
Aerith's eyes twinkled. "Is anything clean in that place?"
"How would I know? The first time I visited the slums was when I met you. And I sure didn't have any reason to go there after that... wait that didn't sound quite right."
"I know, Zack." Aerith laughed. "You should see your face right now."
"Uh, yeah." He could just guess what his face looked like at that moment.
"Hmm," Aerith continued, "technically I suppose that card belongs to you, and Cloud isn't the only one here who could use a bath."
Zack tried to cover his shock with a smirk. "You sure you trust me in that place?"
"Is there a reason I shouldn't? Besides, Cloud will be there, too. I'm sure you two will behave yourselves."
"I don't know if I want to leave you alone out here." Zack lowered his smile.
Aerith waved him off. "I'll stay at the dressmaker's until you come back."
Zack groaned slightly as he stood up. "Sure. Come on, Cloud." The two left the diner and headed toward the Honeybee Inn.
I really enjoy writing Zack and Aerith banter. They make romantic scenes so easy. Generally, I don't do romance at all because it just comes out awkward. Hehehe. Cloud in a dress. I really feel sorry for the guy. Especially since the rest of the fandom won't let him live it down.