AN: Ah I got some new reviewers and I'm so excited and pleased that more and more people are liking this story! Thank you everyone who reviewed, and even you non-reviewers that enjoy this story! Every word I recieve makes me want to type away another twenty chapters all at once. Unfortunately, that's impossible of course, and this chapter is totally raw so if you see a total mess-up please tell me about it?
I've discovered that it's an extremely painful and time-consuming process to try and find a Beta. I must've gone through thirty profiles and I'm still dissatisfied, so if anyone has any advice or ideas for me I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks for reading, on to chapter nine! :)
CHAPTER NINE: Preparations and Percolations
Sunlight shone in a crystalline-clear window of glass, spreading over white and pink sheets and encasing the small room with a glow of warmth and life. It touched over spilled brunette hair as lovingly as the calloused hand that stroked through the long strands. Zack smiled tenderly at the beautiful woman's still face and let his thumb brush over her cheek. Velvety smooth and rosy, the woman's skin always transfixed the Guardian, and when her hair was loose from its usual braid and fanned around her shoulders like this, he couldn't take his eyes or his hands away. He ducked down and pressed his lips to hers lightly before drawing away and cupping her perfect face in his rough, tanned hands.
He always felt like a tirelessly working peasant holding a princess in his arms every time he was near her, and he doubted the breathless feeling would ever fade. It had been there ever since he was old enough to understand what the emotions were. The deepest love beat beneath his ribs with every pulse of his heart, even though he had still been a child when he met her, and she a full grown woman. Now he was the same as her in appearance, and couldn't help but want to hold and kiss her like the lover he'd always wanted from her.
Drawing away with the most soundless of sighs, he placed a steady hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly, fixing a smile on his face, "Aer. Come on, Aeri, rise and shine, face the day!"
Zack knew by heart the system in which Aerith Gainsborough woke up and he could have made a fortune on betting on the routine. First she made a drawn out sound between a whine and a whimper, then she snuggled deeper into the sheets and pillow she cradled between shapely arms. After that Zack would have to give her another, more insistent nudge, and she would kick the sheets away from her legs and release her choke hold on the pillow. Finally he would be faced with two shimmering, emerald green eyes staring up at him dazedly.
Tried and true, this morning played out exactly how he'd expected, and he smiled down at the groggy woman, "Well, good morning Angel. Breakfast in bed?"
"Zack…" perfect pink lips stretched in a yawn as the Guardian leaned to the side, half-rising from the bed to pick up the tray from the bedside table.
He continued without allowing her to complain about the early hour, as he knew she would. One would think such an ancient Angel as Aerith would get out of bed without objection, but Zack had to face this every morning, "You have morning prayers in half an hour, while I will gather the rest of the Knights for training. At noon we will need to escort Tifa, Kairi, and Namine to Twilight Town as we have planned. So you need to get up quickly, alright? Today's gonna be a busy one."
Aerith yawned again while sitting up and began eating the simple breakfast of bread, strawberries, and fruit juice without question. Zackary Fair rose from the edge of the bed and went to the single, door-less closet to pick out one of the many monotonous robes that Aerith would wear for the day. It was all white and gold. That was all the Angels and Guardians were allowed by tradition. Zack almost missed the days he could wear black, but the sacrifice- to him- was small compared to the gain. The opportunity to stand by Aerith's side every day for the rest of their lives.
Picking out a simple dress that would allow more mobility, his eyes scanned over the cloth with meticulous practice. The gold stitching of a heart ringed with a halo was directly in the middle of the breast, and was also bordering the cuffs of the bell sleeves and the bottom hem of the dress. Unlike most of the other Church garments, it didn't have a collar, but instead dove down to end just beneath the collarbones. Zack almost envied it for a moment, feeling the tightness of the collar hugging his throat uncomfortably. It was a sensation he had long gotten used to though, and he laid the clothing on the sheets by the Angel's feet with a tiny smile.
He raised his eyes to the reticent brunette and saw that she had finished only half of her miniscule breakfast before setting the platter to the side, and his smile fell. Her eyes turned sharp as they fixated on his, as if daring him to comment. He didn't.
"I'll see you after morning prayers, then."
"Gods bless, Zackary. Lead our Knights well."
"Yeah, yeah," he muttered as he shut the door behind him with finality, letting it echo louder than usual to inform her of his disapproval.
She had been eating less and less the past few months, and had lost much weight, making even the most form-fitting of clothes hang off of her already scarily small frame loosely. The only time he'd dared question it, she had snapped at him for the first time in their entire life together. And so he'd resolved to stay silent until it got so drastic that the situation had to be addressed. What else could he do, after all?
The sun was inching its steady way upward in the pale morning sky when he stepped out of the Cathedral with a spring to his step. A smile was plastered on once more as he strode off towards the thick copse of woods just yards from the outside of the dome barrier. Stepping through the shimmering wall of green, blue, and gold was always disorienting and made him pause to catch his breath for a moment, even after doing this thousands of times before. It was like stepping through someone's body; the dome was sentient in a way that was both enthralling and disturbing.
Minutes later he was leaving the densely packed trees into a large clearing that was seemingly random. But many other people were already gathered, all draped in the gold and black that proclaimed them as Knights of the Church.
He gave a cheery wave, eyes immediately locking on the two foremost figures heading the group. To them he gave a sheepish grin, rubbing at the back of his hair in a nervous gesture, "Ah, hey Angeal, Genesis. Sorry I'm a little late. Aerith, you know?"
The redheaded ex-soldier smirked and uncrossed his arms to brace his hands on his hips in a faintly feminine gesture, "Zackary. Always distracted by your little bird."
Angeal looked much less amused and more concerned. Zack cast his eyes away from his old mentor, knowing his gaze could give everything away, if Angeal didn't already know about Aerith's deteriorating health.
"Aaaanyway, let's get this show on the road!" Zack grinned at the rest of the Knights, waving them closer, "Aqua and Terra? Why don't you guys head it off?"
The two youngest Knights straightened at being addressed and nodded in unison, but Aqua was the first to speak- always the perfectionist and approval-seeker.
"The Clandestines have made no motion to contact us, but also have not made any other moves against the Military. Our domestic informants are as clueless as us."
"So basically, nothing new on that front. Terra, you have anything to add, buddy?"
"Only that the Military security within Twilight Town has been exponentially increased. Also, Turks have been confirmed in the city as well."
Murmurs rose between the other men and women, an uneasy tension resonating throughout the area with the body heat. And that's when Zack noticed someone missing. Wakka and Tidus were standing together, the taller leaning against the trunk of a tree and the younger in a relaxed slump, arms crossed loosely but mouth set in a firm line. Cid, Yuffie, and Barret were standing just off to the side of Angeal and Genesis, all looking unusually serious at the mention of the Turks. And there was Eraqus standing behind his pupils, a hand on each of their shoulders, scarred face set in his mask of neutrality.
Vincent Valentine was nowhere to be seen.
Zack filed this away before sighing greatly and raising his hands, "Well, let's get going on drills. Nothing we can do about the Turks or security other than taking a few of us with the girls later today. Genesis, if you would lead?"
Weapons of choice appeared in experienced hands and the familiar drills commenced, blades and flashing metallic stars cutting through the morning sunlight and hissing through the air as bodies moved and danced with each other in fluid, practiced moves. Genesis twirled from person to person, followed by Angeal, Zack, and Eraqus, giving each Knight a different form of opponent to tackle. Minutes of this passed, with the only chatter coming from the more experienced barking out corrections and encouragements, until Zack stopped in front of Yuffie.
She was a sprightly little thing that proudly proclaimed her status as 'ultimate ninja' and had the skills to back up the big mouth. Her dark eyes glittered as she grinned up at Zack and went through some new moves that he murmured praise at, but still he deflected each lithe attack with the giant blade of the Buster Sword or twisted away at the last moment. Theirs truly was a dance because of Yuffie's type of fighting. She fought quick and she fought dirty, and had taught Zack a thing or two about this certain structure of fighting style. Which was really no style or structure at all, just a bunch of desperate tosses, dodging, and punches- something the Guardian hadn't experienced before he met the flighty teenager.
"Hey Yuffie," he said pleasantly as he dodged a precisely thrown star that would have left a nasty ass scar had he been a half second slower, "you hang with Vincent a lot, right? You and him are buddies?"
Her response was a grunt when she came fist-to-steel as she struck the flat of the Buster, coming face to face with her mirror reflection, "Yeah, so?"
"Do you know where he is right now? It's weird that he missed a gathering."
He wasn't nearly as winded as her and she practically wheezed a response as she stumbled into a cartwheel to dodge a lazy sword swipe, "Yeah uh, we're not that close, Porcupine. He's probably off daydreaming somewhere like usual. Yeesh, I bet he got lost in his head on the way here- OUCH! Gods, watch how hard you SWING that THING!"
"You get distracted too easily, you have to hold focus even in the middle of battle. If you don't hurt, you won't learn."
"DAMN IT ZACK!"
He retreated, laughing when she attempted to chase him whilst clutching a rapidly bruising shin. He commended her silently for making five steps before falling on her ass with a loud, high whine. And then he swung his blade up to block a sword that descended dangerously close to his shoulder, grinning at Tidus past the clashing metal.
"Well, well. Someone's been learning. When did you get so fast, kid?"
The blonde's handsome features were pulled taut in somberness, though, and he pushed forward, feet pressing into the ground as he forced Zack backwards. Only mildly put-off, the Guardian pressed right back, clapping a palm to the Buster and tilting it at an angle to let Tidus's blade deflect and swing clumsily to the side. He leapt back to avoid a cleverly-aimed boot meant to trip, readying Buster once more.
"You've got the spunk and the speed, but your tactics still need some work. You leave too many openings even a novice could exploit, and though you're strong you're too overbearing with your opponent. One slip up or underestimation and you're dead as a dandelion."
"Why won't you let Riku join the Knights?"
Random though the harsh inquiry was, it wasn't unexpected. Zack sighed once more, tired of Tidus's question game. He'd been demanding an answer for the past four or five years and the Guardian was becoming sick of it. He had no idea what drove the kid, and couldn't do anything about the anger the blonde harbored for him, so he hadn't been able to change a thing in those years. Why didn't he let Riku join the Knights? Tidus wouldn't understand.
"I have my reasons." The unbearably repeated answer every single time left a bitter trail on his tongue on its way out.
Swords clanged together once more, with more vigor this time as Tidus got serious and began to let his impatience through the strained mask he was wearing.
"Did you ever even consider it, Fair? He's more than proved himself to us. He's the best Guardian an Angel could have!"
Ooh. Ouch. Looks like the kid had built up his arsenal of derisive remarks since last week. Zack exaggerated a wince and patted his chest with the hand not using his sword to block Tidus's angry, ungainly attacks.
"That hurt, man. Especially coming from someone who could never understand the huge duty being a Guardian entails."
Usually Zack was never the type to shoot back biting words, but he had just never gotten along with Tidus, and the kid's continual childish antics were enough to earn the Guardian's rare temper. But damn did the insufferable blonde have a good arm, and a fairly good head between his shoulders. If he hadn't, he would have been discharged long ago.
From the corner of his eye the ravenette glimpsed a momentary stiffening in Wakka's shoulders, but the redhead didn't step in to defend his pal. Good for him. Wakka was a good guy, and even he was sometimes annoyed by Tidus's pestering. Zack wasn't sure if that was for his sake, or if it was because of some kind of jealousy over Tidus and Riku's close friendship.
It didn't really matter, as long as the young man stayed out of this little conflict. The meeting of steel came once more before Zack decided to put an end to the skirmish by giving a deft twist of his body, putting all the force he had into swinging the blonde off-balance. Tidus went spinning to the ground in a heap of ungainly limbs and muffled complaints sounding into the dirt and grass of the clearing.
The Guardian stifled the atypical sneer threatening to break out on his face and turned away, "Fix that balance, Tidus. It's atrocious."
Then he was on to Eraqus's students, ignoring the glare burning into his back as he parried and swung half-heartedly. Sometimes it just became boring when he was so much stronger and more knowledgable than these students, but it was all worth it in the end. Starting out, not many of these people would be able to stand their own against a salamander, much less a soldier of the Military. It was obvious in the young man he now faced. Terra was always a quiet do-as-you're-told type of teenager, but lately he'd finally been making progress in finding himself. Being close to the Gods, Zack could see the darkness residing in the boy. It had been receding as of late, and just a faint wisp of light could be seen through the pulsating black.
And so he had changed his tactics for the boy. Instead of beating him into shape, Zack had switched to gently but firmly cheering the boy on, telling him of dreams and honor and the shining future of the Kingdom. This had seemed to help a lot, and Zack was now gifted with a respectful nod from Master Eraqus every time he passed him or sat near him wherever they were.
Recognition from a man that mysteriously powerful was enough encouragement for Zack to extend the support outwards to the rest of the young ones, and suddenly he had turned into everybody's big brother; everybody's hero and role model. It was as endearing to him as it was frustrating. He had always wanted to be a hero of course. A hero to Aerith, a hero to the country, to the world… but he wasn't even close to that point yet. He hadn't even become known to the Military yet. He was just drifting until everything was set up and ready over in the East.
Right now, Cloud and his allies were their greatest hope, and that didn't sit right with Zack. He'd always gotten along with the blonde, yes, but the rest of the gang he wasn't so trusting of. The only other one he knew of was Reno, but there had to be more. Someone ingrained in the North Branch.
The Guardian Knight shook the thoughts and concerns away as he turned to Aqua. Giving an easy grin since she was one of his favorite students, he raised his blade defensively and let her strike first. Just as her blue blade struck his silver one, though, a shout rang through the trees.
Every heel turned as one and various weapons lifted toward the source of the noise. Zack strode to the front, blade slung lazily over his shoulder as his sharp violet eyes scanned the tree line.
"Zack! Zack Fair!"
The Guardian recognized the raised voice immediately and hurried forward just as Riku broke through the shadows of the forest, shaking leaves from dirtied white and gold garment agitatedly, an unsettled heat burning beneath pale skin, making the young silverette look like a cat being ruffled the wrong way.
"Riku, what is it?" He asked quickly, sliding his monster of a sword into the harness on his back.
"Zexion and Demyx are gone."
"What?" Zack sent a rigid look towards the murmuring Knights and met Angeal's curious navy eyes, "Take over for me?"
"Of course, Zack. Go on, then."
The ravenette strode into the woods, grabbing Riku's wrist and dragging him along as he went, quickening to a near-sprint. Once they were behind the dome barrier and standing before the Cathedral, Zack finally skidded to a halt, rounding on the younger Guardian.
"What's going on?"
"All I know is Demyx and Zexion are gone. Their travel bags are gone, too."
"They ran away?"
"Looks like it… what should we do? Having no Angels in the city is dangerous. The barrier will fall and I don't know if Sora will survive another one."
Zack paused at the words and cursed beneath his breath, ruffling his ebony spikes in a gesture of extreme frustration. His eyes darted around, taking in Riku's mild but obviously miffed expression and the Cathedral behind the young man. The pale spires rose high and rosy colored glass glinted in the morning sunlight. This had been home for more than a decade for him, and it was being put in danger. All because of that damn Zexion. Demyx wouldn't have gone off alone, and was probably kicking and screaming the whole way away. The blonde Angel would have told Aerith they were going. It had to be Zexion.
"Sora will have to be able to defend Radiant Garden on his own. We need Aerith to come with us to Twilight Town. Sorry, it's not an option. You're going to have to leave him here and come with us."
A strange, muddled look overtook the silverette's striking face, making the boy look puzzled and… scared?
"Zack… I have never left Sora's side in the past seven years- not once. We have not been more than a mile away from each other for almost a decade."
Zack nodded and bent at the waist, bracing his hands on Riku's shoulders so that he could peer into the other's face easier. Violet eyes softened as they darted between tumultuous aqua, "I know, Riku, and I am so sorry to put you in this position. But this is important. Please. You'll only be away for a day at the most. I promise."
†
Creeping towards noon, the sun found Aerith, the most ancient of Angels, searching through the rooms of the Cathedral of Hearts hastily, the skirts of her dress twirling around her legs as she hurriedly explored the Cathedral from one end to the other. By the time she finally located her quarry her feet were aching from the unused-to exercise in her heavy boots. She practically limped into the courtyard from the dining hall and breathed a deep sigh of relief when she saw a head of spiky brunette hair drooping towards the ground where he sat cross-legged.
Aerith opened her mouth to call his name and started forward, but froze when she noted the shaking of the teenager's shoulders. Her lips sealed closed and she began moving once more, letting her boots fall silently on the faintly glittering grass and ignoring the water that soaked into the hems of her skirts. She kneeled down beside the boy and draped an arm over his shoulders comfortingly, drawing his small body into hers as the muffled cries finally came out in little gasps.
He kept his face resolutely down and away, hands grasping opposite arms tightly and shoulders hunched up. His whole posture resonated stiff discomfort and emotional agony. Aerith could only tighten her hold around the boy and smile softly, attempting to let her peaceful aura wash over him.
"Sora," she murmured, rubbing his shoulder tenderly, "he will only be gone for a day. He'll come back."
"What if he gets hurt?" Sora choked out haltingly, struggling against the obviously unstoppable flow of tears, "What if Riku gets hurt and I'm not there? What if he dies and I'm not there to help him? Aerith, what do I do?"
Aerith's smile widened and her voice strengthened, "You chin up, little Angel. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. Your and Riku's is a bond I have never in all my years seen before. No matter how far away you are from each other, you are still connected."
"How?" Sora wondered, finally looking up to reveal a blotchy, tear-stained face and so, so wide sky-blue eyes.
"Here," Aerith tapped his chest lightly, laughing kindly when the youngest Angel jerked his head down to follow the motion of her hand, "your hearts are connected."
"That's right, Sora. All our hearts are connected, but you and Riku are on a whole other level."
The two brunettes looked up at the grinning young lady standing before them with her hands folded neatly behind her back, a scarlet veil falling over her face from the tiny white cap fixed in her burgundy hair. Her dress was simple with no designs, only two wide stripes of white framing a red stripe down the middle of her body. It was the uniform of the medics, and Kairi looked absolutely angelic in it as she tilted her head merrily.
"Well? Sora? Are you going to perk back up or am I going to have to drag Riku in here?"
The boy's eyes locked onto the ground and his lips quivered once more when he muttered, "We already said our goodbyes."
"Geez, you sound like he's going away for a year, silly! Shed some tears for me, right? I'm going to be gone a lot longer than that stubborn brute!"
Sora's body stiffened in Aerith's hold and he jumped up quickly, a grin stretching his lips to reveal a crescent of white teeth. He hopped forward and enveloped his second best friend in a crushing hug, and Aerith just sat and peacefully watched the two teenagers embrace lovingly. If only these people could spread this love over the entire country, the entire world, there would be no blood spilled by human hands.
The ancient woman climbed to her feet unsteadily, stumbling for just a moment, and walked to the two friends. She put a hand on each of their shoulders and smiled brightly,
"Kairi, we must be going soon. It's noon. Has Zack gathered everyone out front?"
"Yes, Aerith. But Zack wanted you to be aware that Vincent Valentine is nowhere to be found."
The woman's brow furrowed confusedly and worriedly. Vincent was supposed to be a peace-keeper of sorts on their journey to Clandestia, since he was of half of each culture. With him gone, as well as the other Angel and Guardian…
"Vincent, Demyx, and Zexion; all gone without a word and without a sound. Where in the world did they go?" Kairi murmured as if to herself, but her look to her two companions showed that her inquiry was sincere.
Aerith shook her head slowly, squeezing the teenagers' shoulders lightly, "I haven't an idea, but I know that they would not just leave like this normally. They're doing something important, I'm sure. Something good for us, so we can only pray for them."
Sora and Kairi nodded soberly before stepping away from each other and Aerith. The oldest Angel smoothed her dress down and glanced around her feet at the water droplets that clung to the long strands of vibrant grass and lustrous flower petals. She suddenly grinned widely and knelt down to scoop up one of the flowers. Its stem had no leaves and the flower was open with large triangle-shaped yellow petals surrounding a red-tinted center and pollen powdering the inside. Little wet crystals were nestled into the crooks and crannies of the flower, and Aerith made sure to be extra careful as she held the plant out for Sora to take, not letting a drop spill.
The boy accepted it hesitantly, gazing up at Aerith questioningly. She leaned down so that they were eyelevel and gave a tiny tilt of the head to indicate the flower, "Taste the water from that flower, feel the golden pollen on your fingertips, and smell the perfume that this flower is offering, and know that there is life all around you. Know that if so many precious wonders could be contained all in just this tiny plant, how many wonderful things are out there in the world. Miracles are real, Sora. I know that you understand that, perhaps better than everyone else."
Sora nodded and cradled the flower to them. Kairi said a quiet goodbye and departed with a wave. Aerith paused at the door and looked back for just a moment, giving a tiny sigh of relief when she saw Sora placing the flower to his lips. Going through the Cathedral once more was a much easier ordeal now that she had a restored confidence in their youngest Angel.
Walking through the front doors with Kairi, she was faced with a small group of Knights gathered behind Riku and Zack, surrounding Namine and Tifa in a protective ring. Kairi passed her to join the other medics, straightening her veil carefully. Aerith trotted over to Zack, barely noticing that one of her legs didn't seem to be working right. She was having to limp slightly to keep an even pace, but she ignored it to wrap an arm around her Guardian's waist, letting her body sink into his.
However, she caught Riku's faint grimace of longing and pain at the gesture and felt only a moment of guilt before Zack's arm tightened around her shoulders.
"Are you ready?"
She nodded and let Zack lead the way to the far edge of the city. Many minutes later they were approaching the large metallic hangar that held all of Radiant Garden's public vehicles. Zack didn't even pause before directing everyone into an enormous armored truck, helping Aerith up into the passenger side before climbing up into the driver's seat. The space behind the seats was open so Riku perched right behind them as the ravenette revved the monstrous vehicle to roaring, grumbling life.
"Hey," the silverette snapped, making Aerith turn slightly to peer at him through the corner of her eye. His face was scrunched as if he had tasted something extremely bitter, and Aerith couldn't contain her tiny laugh at his waspish inquiry, "when's the last time this pile of shit was on the sand?"
Zack only laughed, but Aerith couldn't help but ask, "That's right. You've never ridden in a truck, have you Riku? I assure you it's perfectly safe."
"Yeah, death traps are usually safe," the boy drawled sarcastically.
The older Guardian rolled his eyes and expertly twisted the wheel to turn out of the hangar and straight into the sand of the desert. A vehicle of this size wouldn't be able to straddle the line between desert and forest, so they would have to move south in the desert all the way down to Twilight Town.
When Riku didn't cease with the mumbled complaints, Zack laughed, "Riku, are you going to be a baby the whole way there? I thought you were better than this."
"Forgive me for wanting to live."
"Your lack of trust in me hurts real bad, Ri-Ri."
"I'll give you something that hurts real bad if you ever call me that again, Puppy."
Aerith turned to the glass window on her side, smiling out at the passing forests just miles away on the horizon. Gritty sand sprayed up from the wheels and tittered off the glass, a sound that was lulling the Angel to sleep, along with the droning backdrop of Riku and Zack's bickering. Just as her consciousness was fading, fingers twined with hers and a warm hand pressed against her palm. A smile flickered across her lips before exhaustion won out and she faded from reality.
†
"They are coming."
Sora jerked upright from the pew he had been sitting in, eyes widening at the loud, comingled voices speaking in unison. Tidus and Selphie rose after he did, questioning him worriedly, but he couldn't hear them. All he knew was the roar of the ages whirling through his head, and those deep, echoing words.
"They are coming, Sora."
"Who is coming?" He whispered, vision flashing between blinding white and dark silhouettes to Tidus, Selphie, and now Terra's shocked faces.
"Hurry- the barrier-"
They didn't have to say another word; Sora's legs were moving faster than he'd ever run before, sprinting from the Cathedral and to the edge of the dome, heart thundering when he saw a small army of trucks and cycles just miles away, coming from the desert. The Angel slammed to his knees not five feet from the shimmering field of energy and planted his palms on the ground, forehead already glistening with sweat and breath coming shallowly as he pushed all his power into the ground, and up into the other flows of energy.
The dome lit like a beacon; a sudden bright gold flashing lightning-fast over the three layers of the barrier, then sinking into the light, turning Demyx's water golden and Aerith's green webbing power silvery.
"TERRA!" He shrieked over the hum of energy thrumming around them and reverberating with pulsating life.
The Knight rushed to his side hesitantly, obviously extremely torn and conflicted, "Yes, Sora? What do you need?"
"I need you to spread the emergency alarm! Get the civilian brigade together and get everyone else underground! I'm going to hold this as long as I can, but you need to get everyone to safety! Try to find someone that can go after Zack and Aerith, too! Hurry!"
The Knight hastened away without question or comment, and Sora returned his focus to the task at hand, seeing that the hostile vehicles were coming up fast. He watched in a muted type of panicked fascination when the twenty-ton metal machines made an impossibly smooth transition from sand to grass, and suddenly he could make out too many details on the cycles and leading transport vehicle thundering towards the dome.
He felt the vibration of the tires echoing through his bones and he snapped his eyes shut, hugging his body to the ground as he bent his entire mind on the dome. The energies were shivering at the excitement, writhing within its lineless confines, making it seem even more unstable than it really was.
"Come on," Sora whispered, pressing his brow to the dirt and praying with all his heart and soul, "please help my people."
The impact of tons of metal hitting the barrier at once sent a bright white flash through the sky, illuminating everything within a mile in blinding light. A scream rang through the white, soon joined by another, and then another.
The Gods were not pleased.
AN: Terrible cliffhanger, I know. Bleh! Like it? Hate it? I know I made Zack and Tidus total assholes toward each other and that's a little strange, but you gotta have some inner conflicts between people, and that's the one I settled on so sorry if you thought it was horrible butchery of Zack or Tidus's character. Anyway, thank you for reading and feel free to verbally lynch me if you feel the urge! :) Thank you again my wonderful reviewers!
Next chapter- Cloud, because I can't help but feel guilty for pushing him to the side for so long. Back to the Military!