Disclaimer-I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of the Final Fantasy 7 characters. Final Fantasy 7 and all of the Final Fantasy 7 characters rightfully belongs to Square-Enix. I own nothing.
Hello everyone. Here's Chapter 11, I hope that you all enjoy it and please review. I always appreciate your reviews. I would also like to say that the name and the slogan of Zack and Cloud's mercenary business in this chapter was all clearshot01's idea. So, the credit for that goes to clearshot01. Thank you so much clearshot01. I really appreciate your help. There is a few cuss words in this chapter too by the way. Well, please enjoy the chapter.
Fight for Freedom
Chapter 11
"Jenova," Zack reads the inscription out loud as he continues staring at a small incubator in front of him. The glass of the incubator has been shattered and fragments of glass now litter the floor around it. His bright blue mako eyes suddenly widen in surprise because he remembers that name. As he takes a closer look, he can't help but notice that it looks as if it has been broken from the inside..How strange...
"Hey, Zack? We have a survivor," Cloud informs as he kneels down beside a young Shin-Ra infantryman who's been seriously wounded. He carefully removes the infantryman's helmet to reveal a young man with light brown hair that's been neatly combed back. The infantryman looks like he's about fifteen years of age.
Zack forces his mind back to reality after he heard Cloud's voice. He turns around and quickly makes his way towards his younger best friend. Stepping around several dead bodies of Shin-Ra infantrymen which are beginning to dissipate into small green specks of energy as they join the Lifestream as he does so. After he makes his way to Cloud, he kneels down next to them. Although he doesn't know this teenage boy, Zack can't help but feel concerned about him. Zack swallows a hard lump in his throat because the infantryman is so young.
Kunsel quickly removes his own helmet to get a better look at the young man. He recognizes him as one of the new recruits. "Does anyone have any potions or a healing materia?" the former SOLDIER 2nd Class asks. He quickly digs in his pockets, in search of something that can help the boy. When he discovers that no one has any, he immediately begins searching the dead bodies of the infantryman in the room who hasn't joined the Lifestream yet.
"Here. Use this," Cissnei quickly hands Cloud a piece of cloth to apply pressure on the large slash wound on the young man's side.
Cloud has no idea where she found it at, but he doesn't care about that right now. He immediately takes it and the young Shin-Ra infantryman cries out in agony when Cloud presses it against his wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
Zack finds himself gently grabbing the young man's hand in an attempt to help comfort him. "It's alright, kid," he tells him in a soft and compassionate tone.
The young infantryman softly whimpers in pain before he gazes up at them through half-opened eyes that are surprisingly full of trust in response.
Zack can't help but notice the look that he's giving them. He's looking at them as if they're allies rather than enemies. Zack assumes that it's because they're wearing SOLDIER uniforms except for Cissnei, who is wearing her turks uniform. Since Aerith, Barret, and Nanaki are standing far off to the side next to some large crates, the infantryman's unable to see them and therefore is unaware of their presence. Judging by the look in the infantryman's eyes, Zack believes that he has mistaken them for his fellow comrades. None of that really matters to Zack at the moment. The infantryman is hurt too bad to be a threat. Zack finds this whole situation so sad because the infantryman's quite young and he knows that somewhere out there, he has a family and friends who love him dearly.
"Here. I found this," Kunsel announces with a hopeful smile on his face as he gives Zack a healing materia that he has found on a dead infantryman.
"Thanks," Zack tells his friend as he immediately starts using the materia on the young guard. Zack can't help but smile when he sees the wound close after using it a few times on him. He feels so relieved now because he knows that he'll live.
Now that his injuries are healed, the young infantryman has the strength to lift a trembling hand and weakly grips Cloud's arm as he faintly whispers to him, "Sir? It b-broke..out."
Cloud keeps his bright blue eyes locked on him as he asks in a soft tone, "What broke out?" The infantryman's eyes suddenly start to slide shut as he begins to lose consciousness. Cloud gently shakes him on the shoulder to keep him awake so that the boy will have a chance to answer his question.
The infantryman's eyes widen in response before he gazes up at him and whispers through quivering lips, "Monster." A deep breath leaves him as his eyes slowly closes.
Cloud gives him a gentle shake on the shoulder again as he softly encourages, "Hey? Hey, hang in there." When the infantryman remains completely still and silent in response, Cloud quickly checks for a pulse on the side of his neck. He locks eyes with Zack and informs him, "He's still alive. He's just unconscious."
"Well, well, well." Zack and Cloud jump to their feet and the group immediately turns around after they hear that voice to see professor Hojo standing behind them. He fills the room with his insane laughter before he looks at Zack and Cloud after looking at Aerith and Nanaki as he tells them with a creepy smile, "My specimens have returned to me."
Cloud can feel his body tremble some as he looks at Hojo. This is the first time that he's seen the mad scientist since..Oh, dear Gaia. He really doesn't want to think about any of that. When Hojo takes a couple of steps towards them, he instantly feels like he wants to get as far away from him as possible. However, he refuses to let his past fear of Hojo get the better of him. He isn't an unarmed sixteen-year-old boy anymore. So, he stands his ground and glares at him. Like Zack, Aerith, Nanaki, and anyone else, Cloud hates being referred to as a 'specimen'. They each have a name and 'specimen' isn't it...It also brings back some terrible memories, however he pushes that out of his mind because that's definitely one of the last things that he ever wants to think about. He furrows his eyes in bitter hatred as he shouts, "Shut-up!"
Hojo looks at Cloud immediately after hearing his outburst. "I thought that I had already extracted that smart mouth out of you, specimen two." He lets out another cold laugh that shakes the group to the core. "I am the one who gave you the physical prowess and abilities of a SOLDIER 1st Class and yet you dare speak to me that way?!" He grins as he quickly reaches into a pocket on his long white lab coat. He pulls out an unseen item and lightly tosses it in front of Cloud's feet.
Cloud instinctively picks it up to get a closer look at what the item is. His eyes widen in horror as he stares down at the item in shock..It's a stainless steel surgical knife and the blade appears to be stained with a reddish color. Cloud isn't sure if it's rust or remnants of dried blood. He can feel his body tremble even more and his breathing becomes heavy and uneven as he stares down at the dreadful item in his hand. He wants to drop it, but the small surgical knife surprisingly feels heavy all of a sudden and it feels like he's unable to. The former infantryman's eyes widen even more as he continues staring down at it and his breathing becomes heavier as his mind automatically replays the terrifying sounds of his and Zack's screams from the past.
A cold smile appears on Hojo's face as he seems to notice Cloud's reaction. His smile grows wider as he asks the former infantryman, "Tell me specimen two, do you think of me every time that you use your abilities?"
Zack quickly snatches the surgical knife out of Cloud's hand and throws it in Hojo's direction before he shouts in Cloud's defense, "I'll give you something to think about you sick twisted son-of-a-bitch!"
After hearing Zack's sharp outburst, Cloud manages to snap out of it before he narrows his eyes and clenches his fists in response. He hates Hojo probably as much as he does Sephiroth.
Hojo looks at Zack as he states, "Specimen one, I heard that you killed approximately three-thousand-eight-hundred and eighty-seven Shin-Ra infantrymen altogether before your arrival to Midgar." He continues peering at Zack from behind his glasses and laughs before he adds, "Most intriguing indeed."
Barret aims his mechanical gun hand at Hojo while Zack and Cloud draw their swords before Zack narrows his eyes to deliver Hojo a scornful glare as he demands in a harsh tone, "Give us one good reason why we shouldn't tear you apart."
Hojo laughs in response and he replies, "That is not a good idea at the moment." He looks past the group as he asks, "You see them?" Everyone in the group looks behind them to see five infantrymen aiming their assault rifles at them. They feel a little surprised to see that some infantrymen has survived the attack. They look back at the mad scientist as he continues, "They won't allow that." He grins at the group as he comments, "I would like to acquire some combat data from all of you. However, I'm quite busy at the moment because Sephiroth has returned."
A shiver travels down Zack and Cloud's spine as their jaws drops after hearing Hojo's words about Sephiroth being back.
Hojo's grin appears to grow as he stares at Zack, Cloud, Aerith, and Nanaki from behind his glasses as he adds, "Perhaps I will at another time." Hojo evacuates the room before the infantrymen surround the group.
When an infantryman points his weapon at him, Barret is quick to act as he takes him down with his mechanical gun hand while Nanaki leaps onto another one and pins him to the floor. When he hears a loud noise like thunder, followed by a sharp pain in his hind leg, Nanaki yelps in pain. It doesn't take him long to realize that he's been shot. He glares down at the infantryman and snarls at him, revealing his long sharp teeth. The infantryman tightly closes his eyes and cries out as the animal leans towards him, about to finish him off. Nanaki suddenly backs off when he notices that the man has fainted. He decides to spare him since he's no longer a threat as he staggers off of him.
Cloud leaps over an infantryman before he slashes him with his sword while Zack hurls another one onto the floor, knocking him unconscious. Kunsel continues dodging the last infantryman's bullets until the man needs to reload. The former SOLDIER 2nd Class immediately takes that as his chance as he leaps towards him and punches him in the face, knocking him unconscious.
"Nanaki!"
Everyone turns around to see Aerith kneeling over Nanaki after hearing her worried shout. The animal lays down on the floor as he lets out a pained grunt and calmly tells her, "I'm alright. It's not that serious."
Aerith doesn't waste any time and performs her limit break, Healing Wind, on him. Everyone in the group watches in amazement as the bullet wound in Nanaki's hind leg closes up and the bullet falls out.
"Damn," Barret speaks up when Nanaki climbs back up onto his feet. "That's better than them potions."
Zack looks at Barret and asks, "Oh, you had those before?"
"Yeah."
Zack smiles as he asks, "Do those taste funny to you too?"
Barret gives him a serious glare as he replies, "Well it ain't no chocolate milk, SOLDIER boy."
Zack softly chuckles at Barret's words. "Alright, I guess that we should probably go ahead and search them for anything useful," he orders.
Everyone does as they're told and Cloud's eyes slightly widens when he discovers two x-potions on one of the infantrymen. He wonders if these will heal Mikhail's injuries. He stuffs them into his pocket as he makes a mental note to save them for Mikhail when they get back to Seventh Heaven.
When they're finished with their search, Zack tells everyone, "Come on. We need to get going."
"Wait. What about him?" Kunsel asks, referring to the young infantryman that they saved moments ago.
Zack folds his arms across his chest as he thinks for a moment. Sure Sephiroth seems to be long gone now, but leaving the boy here to wake up and see the room littered with pools of blood along with the bodies of his dead comrades certainly isn't a very generous thing to do. "Bring him. There's a place for him to rest downstairs by the gym. We'll drop him off there."
Kunsel quickly marches over to the unconscious infantryman and gently tosses him over his shoulder. The boy's wounds are completely healed thanks to that healing materia that they used on him earlier. So, Kunsel knows that he doesn't have to be extra careful of how to carry him.
Barret narrows his eyes and crosses his arms. He does think that it is good to help the boy, but he knows that Shin-Ra isn't very merciful or generous with their group at all. "Shin-Ra wouldn't do this for any of us," he tells them with resentment. Unlike the rest of the group who sees the infantryman as a young teenage boy, Barret sees him as a Shin-Ra infantryman.
"Not everyone who works for Shin-Ra is bad, Barret," Cissnei tells him. "There's a lot of good people who work here too."
"Oh." Barret glares at her after hearing her statement. "Like the ones who killed Biggs and Wedge? Or how 'bout the ones who killed Jesse? Are those the 'good people' that ya mean?"
Cissnei casually folds her arms across her chest as she calmly replies, "That isn't what I meant. I-"
Barret quickly interrupts her in a loud accusing tone, "Than what do you mean Turk?!" He glares at the young infantryman who Kunsel is carrying and adds, "He coulda been one of the ones who was shootin' at us in the streets a few days ago for all we know!"
Zack decides to speak up in defense of his friend, "Barret? That's enough." When Barret turns his head to glare at him, Zack continues, "The kid thinks that we're on his side."
Barret raises an eyebrow and questions, "The hell ya talkin' about?"
While Zack remembers the way that the infantryman looked at him as well as trying to tell them what happened here before their arrival, he tells him, "When we were helping him, he thinks that me, Cloud, Kunsel, and Cissnei are still with Shin-Ra. So if he fought against us, than he wouldn't think that."
Barret leans up against a nearby crate. "Whatever."
Zack takes a deep breath and says, "Okay everyone. Let's go." The group turns around and begin to make their way down the hallway to leave.
"Hey, Cloud?"
Cloud turns his head to see Kunsel marching beside him. "Yeah?"
"Remember when me, you, and Zack used to work here? Man, things have really changed. You know, not long after you and Zack was gone, Shin-Ra started using a lot of machines."
Cloud can't help but wonder why the company started doing that. For the most part, he feels like he doesn't really care why, but he does feel a little curious. However, he decides to remain quiet.
Even though he's met with silence, Kunsel decides to continue, "When Shin-Ra lost Sephiroth, there wasn't any more 1st Class SOLDIERs that they had. So-"
Cloud is quick to interrupt as he tells him in a bitter tone that's pointed towards Shin-Ra, "They had Zack, but they obviously didn't care." Cloud looks in front of him to see Zack and Aerith walking beside each other about ten feet away from them. He believes that if you're ever in a firefight or any bad situation, there's no other person with the skills who matches Zack. Zack is always a great friend to have on your side no matter what the situation is. In his mind, there's no one else who can ever replace his older best friend.
Kunsel lightly pats him on the shoulder and softly says, "I know." He takes a deep breath before he continues, "They basically got to where they replaced SOLDIER members with machines because the only SOLDIER members that were here was 2nd and 3rd Classes." He stuffs his hands in his pockets before he adds, "That made a lot of the guys feel quite obsolete."
Cloud simply nods his head in response and remains quiet.
"Ha! We oughta make them feel 'obsolete'!" Barret says in a loud tone. Kunsel and Cloud didn't realize that he was listening to their conversation. As they walk down the halls that's littered with dead bodies and pools of blood, Barret tells them, "Can't believe that crazy ass general did all this."
Even though Hojo claims that Sephiroth is alive, Cloud isn't sure if that's true or not. The crazy old scientist is probably up to something and may be trying to mislead them. Of course, he knows that there's a chance that Hojo may be right because he knows better than to underestimate Sephiroth. The former general of SOLDIER can't be back..can he? Cloud threw him into the endless depths of the mako reactor in Nibelheim five years ago. He ended there. Cloud's mind is full of uncertainty as he thinks to himself, 'He has to be dead, but...' Cloud takes a deep breath before he tells Barret, "Sephiroth is dead."
"The hell ya know that, Spiky Two?" Barret questions in a deep tone as he looks at Cloud.
Cloud turns to look at him and replies, "I'm the one who killed him five years ago."
"Really?"
Cloud remains quiet and nods his head in response.
"Well, that sure in the hell don't keep 'em from walkin' around and killin' everyone!"
Meanwhile, when Aerith thinks about what Hojo said, she can't help but feel a little troubled by it. She trusts and loves Zack with all of her heart. However, she has seen how fierce that Zack can be in battle and he's highly protective over the ones that he cares about which of course is a good thing. He has killed several people along with monsters when he used to work for Shin-Ra. She has known Zack for a long time and despite the fact that he's killed people, he's also very capable of being incredibly kind and sweet. She knows that if Zack really has killed all of those Shin-Ra soldiers than it was out of self-defense. She knows Zack and she knows that he would never do something like that unless he had to. However, her heart feels heavy when she thinks about the families and friends of those soldiers. She hesitates before she asks, "Zack?"
"Huh?" he replies while keeping his eyes locked on the hallway to keep an eye out for any Shin-Ra troops as they continue walking.
It's hard for her to ask him such a thing but she feels like she needs to know if it's true or not. So she looks down as she hesitantly continues with her question, "Did you really kill all of those people?"
Zack suddenly looks down at her with wide bright blue eyes. He's surprised that she has asked him that. Back then during that situation, he didn't want to kill any of those soldiers. He recognized a lot of them because they once served under his command. He did what was necessary to keep himself and Cloud alive. Shin-Ra sent countless infantrymen out to find and eliminate them. When those troops did find them, they were clearly determined to carry out their orders. So, Zack's hand was forced. He didn't want to do it but he had no choice and he certainly didn't enjoy it. "I did what I had to do," he answers in a stern tone as he locks his eyes on the hallway again.
"Zack, I'm not doubting you...But did you?"
The former SOLDIER can't help but feel a little annoyed at Aerith's persistent question. He understands why she's asking him. He doesn't like to talk or think about that is all. He did tell her what happened to him and Cloud after he fell through the roof of the church..again. Of course he didn't feel comfortable about going into detail so he left a few things out. Having to fight and kill mass numbers of infantrymen along their way here was one of them. Now that she's asking him about it, he's not going to lie to her because he knows that it's important to be honest. She is his girlfriend and he loves her after all. He looks back down at her and takes a deep breath before he answers her, "Yes." When he sees Aerith's lips part to let out a soft gasp and a saddened look appear on her face, he's quick to add in a defensive tone, "You don't understand, Aerith. We were constantly being hunted down by Shin-Ra and Cloud was very sick. I did whatever I had to do to survive and to protect my little brother." They continue walking as his eyes meet the hallway again, not realizing the last words that he just said. He truly does see Cloud like a little brother which of course is why he's so highly protective over him. When they were on the run, there was so many times when Zack felt like he was watching his younger best friend die. In the past and even now, he can't bear the thought of ever losing Cloud. They both have been through so much together and therefore, they understand each other probably more than anyone else because of what they've been through.
Aerith looks down at the floor and apologizes, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"
Zack interrupts her as he quickly replies in a soft tone, "No. I'm sorry." He takes a deep breath and explains, "Talking about that whole past issue brings out the worst in me."
A small warm smile appears on Aerith's face as she gently wraps her arms around Zack's arm before she trails her hand down and interlocks her fingers with his in an attempt to comfort him. Her smile widens a little as she thinks about what Zack just called Cloud a moment ago. Personally, she thinks that it's really sweet that Zack and Cloud are close. Her boyfriend can be such a sweetheart and she knows that those soldiers deaths wasn't his fault. She does feel better that she told him what was on her mind instead of keeping it to herself. She reaches up and places a gentle kiss on the side of Zack's cheek.
Zack smiles down at her and gently holds her hand in response. He takes a deep breath before he decides to reveal to her, "Ya know, when all of that was going on..I really wanted to see you. I missed you so much and I couldn't let them keep me away from you. You kept me going, Aerith. You're the reason why I wanted to get to Midgar so bad." He affectionately kisses her on the head and adds, "I love you so much."
Aerith rests the side of her head against her boyfriend's arm. "I love you too, Zack. I waited for you for all that time because I really missed you too. I missed everything about you; your voice, your smile." She smiles as she tells him, "I remember when I'd be at the church with the flowers and you'd walk through those doors with a big smile on your face and.."
Zack decides to complete the rest of the sentence for her as he smiles and says, "And I'd say, 'Honey, I'm home!'" He finds himself softly laughing as he remembers the memory. He looks down at her with a bright smile on his face to see her looking up at him with the most beautiful smile. He really missed everything about her too.
Aerith softly giggles at the fond memory and she's delighted to know that he still remembers that. "I was waiting for you to walk in and do that again." She laughs before she innocently jokes, "I wasn't expecting for you to come through the roof of the church again. I was expecting for you to come through the doors instead."
Zack finds himself laughing at her words. "Yeah, me too."
When they make it to their destination and everyone stops walking, Kunsel tells everyone, "Well, this is his stop." He shifts the infantryman's weight on his shoulder before he marches into the room next to the gym. He's almost immediately greeted by an older man who works for the company. The man has on a dark blue suit and a tie, so Kunsel knows that he isn't an infantryman. When he notices the shocked expression appear on his face, he quickly explains, "He was injured." Kunsel decides to not mention his friends so that he won't attract any unwanted attention. He continues, "I found him and I used a healing materia on him. His injuries have been healed."
"Ah yes." The man points towards one of the beds and says, "You can lay him down over there. I'll get a doctor for him."
"Thanks," Kunsel says after he gently lays the young infantryman down on the bed.
A look of concern appears on the man's face when he sees the young infantryman's face. "How did he get hurt?"
"Sephiroth is back..At least that is what everyone's saying."
The man's eyes widen in disbelief immediately after he hears Kunsel's reply. "I heard that there was a security breach on the upper floors...But I certainly didn't hear anything about him being responsible for it." He makes his way towards the unconscious infantryman and immediately begins to check his side when he notices the large cut on the shirt of his infantryman uniform as well as the blood stains. A small smile of relief appears on the man's face when he notices that the infantryman's injuries are completely gone. "Do you know him?"
Kunsel's eyes wander towards the floor from underneath his helmet as he answers, "I know that he's a new recruit, sir. I do not know him personally though, sir."
"Oh, alright," the man tells him as he looks at the former SOLDIER 2nd Class. "His name's Peter. I've only been working here for about a week. He showed me around the building and introduced me to some of the other employees. He's a nice boy." Kunsel can feel a small smile appear on his face after hearing the man's short story. His eyes widen in surprise some from underneath his helmet but he manages to remain completely calm when he hears the man suddenly ask him, "What's your name young man? I'll tell him that you helped him when he wakes up."
Kunsel isn't sure if everyone who works here knows about him siding with his friends or not. He doesn't want to take any chances. So he replies in a calm tone, "Oh, I'll try and come by to see him later."
Much to Kunsel's disappointment, the man is persistent as he smiles and tells him, "Well, please just tell me your name young man."
Oh dear Gaia..Should he lie or be honest? How in the world is he going to get himself out of this one? He knows that this man won't leave him alone until he answers him. Kunsel remains completely calm. He's very smart, so he can figure this out with no problems at all. He thinks for a few seconds and he recalls the man saying that he's only been here for 'about a week'. So, chances are this man may have never even heard of him before. Him and his friends are leaving anyways. Sephiroth has also attacked this place so he figures that with such chaos, this man probably won't think much of his betrayal of Shin-Ra. He knows that he's taking a chance, despite that however he decides to reply, "Kunsel."
"Oh. My name's Todd," the man replies with a kind smile. "I'll tell Peter that you helped him, okay?"
"Alright. Thank you."
"No. Thank you so much for bringing him here to safety, Kunsel."
The former SOLDIER 2nd Class smiles before he leaves the room. He closes the door behind him and takes a deep breath of relief when he realizes that the man seemed to not know who he is.
"So? How did it go?" Zack asks as he looks at his friend.
"Better than I thought." They all begin to make their way down the hallway. Everyone feels eager to leave the building as quickly as they can. There's just something about being inside the headquarters of the enemy that makes them feel uncomfortable.
After safely making it out of the Shin-Ra building a few minutes later, they quickly begin making their way back to Seventh Heaven. On the way there, while walking beside his best friend now, Cloud decides to remind Zack something. "Hey Zack?"
Zack smiles at him. "Yeah?"
"We still don't have a name for our business."
They continue marching to their destination while Zack thinks to himself, trying to think of a name for their business. He uses his imagination, eagerly in search of something that sounds good and catchy. He feels excited when he finally thinks of a name as well as a slogan. A big smile suddenly appears on his face as he cheerfully announces, "Fair Mercenaries!" He wraps an arm around Cloud's shoulders before he continues, "And our slogan can be 'The results will be worth the Strife of our prices'." Since Cloud remains quiet in response, Zack decides to ask him, "What do you think, buddy? Do you like that one?"
"Yeah." Cloud really does like that name as well as the slogan. However, he finds himself asking his older best friend, "Why is your last name in the name and mine isn't?"
"It's in the slogan," Zack clarifies. "I think that's a good one because it has our last names in it." He says the name and the slogan again, "Fair Mercenaries; The results will be worth the Strife of our prices."
A thought suddenly dawns on Cloud before he asks, "Doesn't the slogan make our prices sound expensive?" When Zack looks at him, Cloud tells him, "It sort of sounds like people would have to struggle to afford our prices. That's what strife means."
Due to his younger best friend's words, the former SOLDIER 1st Class is suddenly reminded at how it seems like Cloud lives up to his last name because he has struggled a lot. His name really fits him. Zack smiles at him and jokes, "Well, it's not my fault that you take your name too literally, Cloud."
Cloud just looks up at him with a blank stare. He remembers a time when he looked in the dictionary in the past, just looking up various words and definitions out of boredom. He came across his first and last name. One of the definitions for 'Cloud' read, 'Something that's obscured'. The definition for 'Strife' read, 'To struggle'..Dear Gaia, that really does describe him! Oh well, he doesn't really care that he does in fact tend to live up to his name. He's never done it intentionally and he actually hasn't thought about it until now. He does like the name and the slogan that Zack has come up with. He was just sharing his thoughts and concerns to Zack because he wants to make sure that their future customers won't get the wrong impression.
Zack laughs and says to him, "I'm just kidding buddy."
Cloud replies in his usual calm tone, "I know. I like the name and the slogan is really good."
Zack smiles as he adds to reassure his younger best friend, "Our prices won't be too high. They'll be affordable because if they're not than we probably won't get very much business. Besides, we'll get the jobs done so good that people will think that we're the best."
Cloud remains quiet for several seconds before he informs Zack, "We'll need to make a sign."
Zack's smile widens as he cheerfully exclaims, "I know! We can make the sign ourselves. It'll be so cool looking!"
"Have you ever built a sign before?" Cloud asks.
Zack suddenly bursts out laughing at Cloud's question. He has built things before, but not signs. He built three flower wagons for Aerith instead.
Cloud doesn't understand why Zack's laughing. There's no way that his question was that funny, was it?
Zack pats his friend on the back before wrapping an arm around Cloud's shoulders again. He calms down after a few seconds and when he notices Cloud staring at him with a confused look on his face, Zack decides to inform him, "No, I've never built really cool looking manly signs before." He softly chuckles and jokes, "I built really cool looking manly flower wagons instead."
A small smile appears on Cloud's face after he hears Zack's confession. He jokes, "Well, instead of being mercenaries, maybe we can go into the floral business."
Aerith softly giggles before she speaks up, "I don't see why you can't do both."
"Now ya see? Aerith sees my talent," Zack jokes.
Listening to Zack talk about her flower wagons reminds Aerith of something that she's been waiting a long time for. "Zack? When all of this is over, can you please fix my wagon for me?"
"What happened to the other two?"
Aerith gently wraps her arms around her boyfriend's bicep with a smile as she says in the sweetest tone, "The one that's broken is my favorite one because it's the prettiest. Please, Zack?"
He loves her so much that Zack can't bring himself to say no to her, especially when she gives him the sweetest look like she is now. Besides, all she wants is for him to fix her flower wagon. It's nothing major. "Yeah. As soon as all of this is over, I promise that I'll fix it for you."
Aerith happily smiles and says, "Thank you, Zack." She reaches up and places a gentle kiss on his cheek.
They walk into the door of Seventh Heaven and they're immediately greeted by a young girl who's very delighted to see them. "Daddy!" Marlene exclaims with a big smile on her face when she sees Barret walk inside the bar.
When he sees her running up to him, Barret kneels down some with his arms stretched out. "Hey, baby girl!" he says as he returns the smile. He wraps his arms around her and gives her a big hug. He really missed her while he was away and he feels so happy and grateful to see her again.
Marlene hugs him back and tells him, "I missed you daddy."
"I missed you too, Marlene."
Their hug comes to an end when the young girl holds up a sheet of paper and tells him with a big innocent smile, "I drew you a picture." She turns the paper around and shows it to him.
Barret's smile widens as he looks at it. It's a picture that was drawn and brightly colored with crayons. It's a landscape picture with a big yellow sun, a bright blue sky and some large mountains in the background that's surrounded by trees. "Thank you. That's really good." He takes the picture and the girl's smile widens even more when Barret tells her, "You're my favorite artist." He climbs back up to his feet and holds her hand. "I know jus' where to put this," he says as they make their way to the fridge. He grabs a couple of magnets and hangs the girl's artwork up on the fridge.
"Welcome back," Tifa greets them as she walks into the room. She smiles as she walks over to Cloud and tells him, "I see that you and Zack brought everyone back safely."
Cloud nods in response. "Yeah." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out two small bottles and hands them to Tifa. "I found these earlier. They might help Mikhail."
"Oh, thank you Cloud. I'll go ahead and give these to Zyloff." She urgently makes her way back up the steps and into the bedroom. "Zyloff? Will these work?"
Zyloff looks up at her as Tifa gives him the bottles. "X-potions? I think that these might work. Thank you." He has experience with different types of healing potions and x-potions are the most potent. He's seen bad injuries heal almost instantly after people takes them. He believes that there's a high chance for this to heal Mikhail's broken leg and he feels eager to try it. "Mikhail? Hey? Come on, wake up," he softly tells Mikhail as he gently shakes him on the shoulder in an attempt to wake him up. The teenager softly moans in response before his eyes slightly open. "Hey, son? You need to drink this okay?" He holds the bottle up to Mikhail's lips as he adds, "This will make you feel better." A smile of relief appears on Zyloff's face when he sees Mikhail drink the x-potion. After almost a minute passes, Zyloff watches in astonishment when the jagged bone that's sticking out of his leg merges with the other end of bone and sinks back into his leg before the wound closes. The man takes several deep breaths of relief as he lightly squeezes the teenager's hand in comfort. "I love ya, son," he softly tells him before he places a gentle kiss on his forehead. He lightly strokes his hair and adds, "More than anything."
"Damn. Didn't know that it could heal broken bones."
Zyloff turns his head after he hears Barret's voice to see the rest of the group watching them. He feels a little surprised because he didn't know that they were there.
Nanaki lightly places his front paws on the edge of the bed and stands himself up on his hind legs to get a closer look.
A soft moan escapes from Mikhail as he slowly begins to open his eyes. Through blurry vision, he sees what looks like two round eyes. He feels confused when he notices that the eyes are attached to a red face. He blinks his eyes a few times so that his vision is more clear. A sharp gasp leaves him when the red face continues staring down at him and it's mouth opens and says, "Hey everyone? He's waking up."
"Ahh!" Mikhail cries out in surprise when he realizes that it's a talking animal with bright red fur. He quickly sits up in alarm to see everyone looking at him.
Zack can't help but burst out in laughter after seeing Mikhail's reaction.
Zyloff smiles at Zack in amusement before he looks at Mikhail and softly tells him, "It's alright, Mikhail. He's a friend."
Nanaki places his front paws back onto the floor before he looks up at Zyloff. "Your companion will be alright."
"What is that thing?" Mikhail asks in confusion as he stares down at Nanaki.
Nanaki lets out a soft growl in annoyance to the teenager's question. "I am not a 'thing'," he clarifies.
"Uh, s-sorry," he nervously apologizes. He's never seen anyone like Nanaki before and he decides to make that clear as he adds, "I just..I never seen someone like you before." He's surprised to see Nanaki and Cissnei because he's never seen them before. He looks up at Zyloff with a confused expression on his face. "Did I miss something?"
Zyloff smiles at him and answers, "Yeah. You missed a few things."
Mikhail's eyes suddenly wanders down towards his leg and that's when he realizes something. His leg doesn't hurt anymore at all. "My leg..How did it...?"
Tifa interrupts him and answers, "Cloud found a couple of x-potions and Zyloff gave it to you."
"Really?" Mikhail asks. "What happened? Where did he find those?"
Zack informs him, "Aerith, Kunsel, and Barret got caught by Shin-Ra. So, me and Cloud went to rescue them and we met Nanaki. Cissnei helped us and they decided to join us. That's when Cloud found those potions on a guard that he took down." A few silent seconds pass before Zack remembers something that's very important. "Oh, and Sephiroth's back and he killed the president."
"Whoa..," Mikhail replies with eyes wide with surprise. He manages to climb out of bed and stands up, surprisingly with no trouble at all. He makes his way towards Cloud and nearly falls when he suddenly loses his balance some when he reaches the former infantryman. Cloud instinctively grabs him by the shoulders to catch him so that the teenager won't fall. Mikhail suddenly looks up at Cloud with a big smile on his face as he cheerfully tells him in an excited tone, "Thank you so much for getting that potion!" He tightly wraps his arms around Cloud for a hug and blurts out, "If you were a girl, I'd kiss you!" Everyone laughs at Mikhail's words except for Cloud, who's face turns about ten different shades of red from embarrassment. When Mikhail realizes what he just said and how awkward that it sounded, he tells Cloud, "Um, sorry. I'm just really happy because the pain is gone and I can walk again!"
"Uh, sure," Cloud replies after Mikhail stops hugging him. Cloud looks at Zack and Barret and suggests, "We need to go after Sephiroth."
"Damn right, SOLDIER boy! We gotta figure out what that crazy guy's up to!" Barret agrees.
"So, when do we leave?" Tifa asks.
"We gotta take Marlene somewhere safe first. I ain't leaving her here by herself," Barret tells them.
"She can stay with my mom," Aerith kindly advises in a soft tone. "My mom loves kids. She'll take good care of her, Barret."
Since Barret feels like Aerith is a very trustworthy person, he says to her, "Alright. We'll leave now then and take Marlene to your momma's before we look for that maniac."
"Where should we start the search?" Zyloff asks Barret.
Barret crosses his arms and leans against a nearby wall before he suggests, "The closest town outside of Midgar is Kalm. We oughta start there." He looks at his friends and orders, "Awright everyone! We gotta hurry the hell up and leave!"
While everyone is getting ready to leave, Nanaki looks at Mikhail after he feels his eyes on him. His feelings are proven right when he sees the teenage boy staring down at him. "What is it?"
Mikhail continues staring down at Nanaki like how a little kid would a puppy as he asks, "Can I pet you?"
Nanaki tilts his head to the side some as he finds himself unsure of how to reply to that. A few seconds pass before he decides to answer, "No. You may not."
After everyone gets ready to leave and after dropping Marlene off at Aerith's mother's house, they make their way outside and stop in front of a four door truck.
"This is going to be rather cramped," Kunsel states as he looks at everyone and the one truck that they all have to fit into. This is the first time that everyone has tried to figure out their seating arrangements for the truck ride because they didn't use the truck to take Marlene to Elmyra's house. Since it's a short distance away, they decided to walk instead.
Zack pats him on the shoulder. "We'll figure it out."
"I'll drive." When the others look at Zyloff after his sudden statement, he decides to add, "Ya know, since it's my truck and all."
Mikhail smiles and excitingly shouts, "I call dibs on the front passenger seat!" He quickly climbs into the truck to claim his seat.
Barret and Nanaki climb into the back of the truck while Zack looks at Aerith, Cloud, Tifa, Cissnei, and Kunsel and says, "Okay, I think that some of us might have to sit on someone else's lap."
Kunsel's eyes widen as he looks at Zack then Cloud and then back over at Zack. "Don't look at me. I'll just sit in the back with Barrett and Nanaki." He marches over and climbs into the back of the truck.
Zack lightly rubs the back of his neck as he tries to figure out everyone else's seating arrangements. "Okay, let's see..Cissnei, you can sit in the middle." He barely manages to hold back a grin as he continues, "Aerith can sit with me."
"What about us?"
Zack looks at Cloud and Tifa after hearing his question. Zack fails to hold back a grin as he tells his younger best friend in a hushed tone after Tifa walks over to talk to Barret, "You and Tifa can do what me and Aerith are gonna do." When he notices the blank stare that Cloud's giving him, Zack adds, "Ya know, just have her sit on your lap."
Cloud's eyes instantly widen in surprise and his face reddens after he hears his older best friend's words. He manages to reply in a nervous tone, "Um no, I'll just sit in the back with the others."
"There isn't anymore room back there." Cloud's face reddens even more and Zack can't help but softly laugh at how shy Cloud is at the moment. "It's not a big deal, Cloud. Aerith is going to sit on my lap. Just follow my lead." He climbs into the back seat of the truck and sits down. A big and bright smile instantly appears on Zack's face when Aerith climbs into the backseat of the truck and sits on his lap. He wraps his arms around her and gently pulls her closer to him. "I'm really enjoying this truck ride already."
A small smile appears on Aerith's face after hearing her boyfriend's statement. She replies in a soft tone as she manages to hold back a laugh, "Oh, you.."
Zack softly laughs before he quickly places a gentle kiss on Aerith's cheek. "When all of this is over, how about we go on a date?"
Words couldn't explain how much that she missed Zack when he was gone. She actually feels great that Zack asked her to go on a date. She smiles and replies, "Oh Zack, I'd love to."
The former SOLDIER gently wraps his arms around her even more for a hug and affectionately kisses her on the cheek again. He tells her with a flirtatious smile, "I love you."
After witnessing Zack and Aerith's interactions together, a small sigh escapes from Cloud. Why can't it be that easy for him? Whenever him and Tifa does so much as talk to each other, he always gets nervous. Cloud takes a few deep breaths before climbing into the backseat after Cissnei climbs in and scoots over to where she's sitting in the middle seat. When Tifa walks up to him, he looks down and says in a nervous tone, "Umm, Zack said that since there isn't anymore seats left, you'll have to sit on me.." he shakes his head before he corrects himself, "I mean, my lap."
Tifa does her best to try not to laugh at Cloud's mistake in words before her face suddenly turns red some after she realizes what he just said. She looks around to notice that there really isn't anymore seats left..except for Cloud's lap. Her face reddens even more as she climbs in and sits down on her blonde knight in shining armor's lap and closes the door.
Cloud can feel his face turn ten different shades of red as he gently wraps his arms around her for safety purposes. Not long after the truck starts moving, Cloud suddenly begins to feel a little nauseous. He hates having motion sickness. He takes several deep calm breaths with hopes that it'll help calm his stomach down. It does help some as usual, but he usually feels even better if he were able to rest his head on something. He soon finds himself leaning forward and gently rests his forehead against Tifa's back. The young woman doesn't even seem to notice because she doesn't say anything. So he assumes that she doesn't mind. When they suddenly hit a large pothole, he instinctively tightens his hold on Tifa some to try and make sure that she'll remain safe during the ride. It only takes a few moments for them to pass through the gates of the city of Midgar and they make their way into the wastelands.
While holding onto Tifa, a memory from the past seems to instantly find its way to the surface of Cloud's mind. He takes a deep breath as his mind replays the memory.
'Cloud, this is all your fault! What if she dies?!' Those words echoed in Cloud's mind over and over again as he continued to lay on the cold hard stone ground at the bottom of the mountain. Tifa's father and a couple of other men from the village had already left with Tifa. Of course, they left him there without a care in the world. He knew that it would probably be up to his mother to help him...if they even told his mother where he was at and what happened. He tried to crawl his way back to the village a few moments ago, but his legs hurt so much that it felt like they were on fire..especially his knees. A soft whimper escaped from his lips when he remembered the horrified look that was on Tifa's face when the bridge broke and she fell through but she was still holding on to the bridge. Without any hesitation, he quickly raced towards her. As soon as she saw him, she desperately cried out, "Cloud! Please help me!" He immediately grabbed her hand and did his best to help pull her up. The next thing that he knew, there was a loud snapping sound and they both fell. Everything went black afterwards.
Cloud's mother gasped in sheer horror when she saw her nine year-old son curled up on the hard stone ground at the bottom of the mountain. She kept her eyes locked on him and she stretched her arms out as if she were trying to reach for him as she desperately raced towards him with tears streaming down her face. She gently grabbed him and held him in her arms. "Cloud?" she asked in a shaky voice that was filled with worry and concern.
"Mother?" Cloud said as he gazed up at her. He felt terrible when he noticed that she was crying.
She managed a smile because she felt so relieved to see that he's okay. He did cut his knees up pretty bad, but it's nothing major as long as she tended to his injuries when they got home. She felt furious at how he was just left there. How dare they leave her young son there when he needed help. She sat her anger aside for now and held him a little tighter as she placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Come on, Cloud. We're going home, okay?" She picked him up, doing her best to be as gentle as possible in the process and carried him home.
Once they got home, she gently laid him down on his bed before she got the medical supplies out and began to clean up his injuries and bandage up his knees. Hot tears began to breach through Cloud's eyes and trailed down his face as he suddenly started to cry.
The look on his mother's face saddened and she felt terrible because she thought that he was crying because he was in pain. She briefly stopped putting peroxide on his cuts and scrapes so that he could recover from the sharp stinging feeling. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."
Cloud wasn't crying because his legs hurt, he was crying because he was deeply concerned about Tifa. He knew that he did the right thing, he just didn't understand why he was being punished for it. "Mom?" His voice sounded shaky as he continued, "D-did I do something wrong?"
His mother looked over at him as she answered in a soft and gentle tone, "No. You didn't do anything wrong, Cloud. I'm proud of you for trying to look out for her."
Tears continued to trail down his face as he gazed up at her and said, "But Tifa's dad said that she could die." His heart sank and he suddenly began to cry even more as he told her that. Cloud felt that it was his fault because he tried to save her but he failed. He thought that he wasn't strong enough..If only he were stronger...He didn't mean to be bad and let her get hurt...he was only trying to help.
"Hey, it's okay, sweetie." When Cloud started to cry even harder, she compassionately told him, "Cloud, everything's going to be alright, okay? Just settle down." She leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead and stroked his messy blonde spiky hair some until he calmed down and his cries softened. When she noticed that he calmed down, she gave him a warm smile while she continued to clean up his injuries again. Since she knew that it was going to take a while for all of the gashes and scrapes on his knees to heal, she told him in a gentle and caring tone, "I want for you to stay in bed. Don't you get up and be running around until you get better. If you need anything, than just let me know, okay?"
"Okay, mom."
After about two weeks had passed and his injuries had finally healed, Cloud was tired of being cooped up in the house. He really wanted to go outside and play. Although he knew that he didn't have anyone to play with, so he had no idea what to do when he got out there. There were so many times when he wished that he had a friend. Someone who would hang out with him and treat him like a person. Despite that however, he eagerly ran up to his mom and asked, "Mom? Can I go outside and play?"
His mother gave him a big smile as she looked down at her son. She stretched her arms out and replied, "Only if you give me a hug first."
A big smile appeared on the young boy's face as he wrapped his arms around her. "I love you, mother."
She gave him a kiss on the top of his head and replied, "I love you too."
Since she had to get some firewood for the fireplace, she decided to go outside as well. She also preferred to keep an eye on Cloud since everyone in the village didn't like him except for her and Tifa. She really didn't trust her neighbors around him and because of that, she didn't like for him to be outside by himself. "Hey, I'll go outside too. We need some firewood." Once they made their way outside, before Cloud had a chance to run off, she told him, "Stay where I can see you, Cloud."
Cloud turned to face her and answered, "Yes, mom." He eagerly ran to the other side of the house but stayed where his mother could still look up and see him just like he was told. He smiled when he saw a stick that was laying on the ground because his imagination quickly took over and he pretended like it was a sword. He picked it up and pretended to slay monsters as he began to play his favorite game, SOLDIER. He made several slashes and stab movements as he made sounds as if he really was fighting against monsters, "Ha, hi ya." He swiftly spun around and made another sword swipe with the stick as he imagined himself fighting against a vicious behemoth. When he spun around again, he lost his balance and fell flat on his back. His eyes widened in surprise when he heard someone giggling. He tilted his head back and it felt like his heart skipped a beat when he realized that it was Tifa. He gasped before he quickly climbed to his feet.
When Tifa realized how uncomfortable Cloud looked, she gave him a kind smile and said, "It's okay."
He felt relieved and grateful to see that she's recovered. However, he knew that they weren't allowed to even come near or speak to each other. Cloud stared at her with wide blue eyes and told her in a nervous tone, "Um, we're not allowed to be around each other."
"I..I just wanted to thank you for helping me."
Cloud felt confused because he didn't help her. He tried but when he tried to help her, the bridge collapsed. He shyly looked down at the ground and replied, "You're welcome."
"Hey! I told you to stay away from my daughter! What were you scheming this time, huh?!"
Cloud couldn't help but feel scared as he looked down at the ground and answered in a frightened and shaky voice, "N-nothing."
"Dad, we were just talking," Tifa told him.
Her father turned to her and scolded, "And you! I told you to stay away from him!" He turned his attention back on Cloud. "I'm sick of you causing trouble, you damn brat!"
Cloud's eyes widened in terror when Tifa's father began to advance towards him with a spiteful glare. The young boy's body trembled as he began to take a few steps back to try to put some distance between them. A soft whimper escaped from his lips when his back came in contact with the towering stone wall behind him.
The next thing that Cloud knew, his mother defensively stood between him and Tifa's father. Cloud's mother gave the man a hard glare as she ferociously warned, "If you ever come near my son again..!" she decided to stop herself there because she was so angry that she almost threatened him and she didn't want to speak that way around two young children. Personally, she really did wish that Cloud and Tifa could be friends. Dear Gaia knew that Cloud needed a friend around his age so that he had someone to play with. Unfortunately though, Tifa's father clearly wouldn't allow that. Even though, she thought that since Cloud's father had passed away a few years ago and Tifa's mother had recently passed away, they'd be good friends because they'd both be able to relate to each other.
"Woman, you need to keep that punk of yours under control!"
Cloud's mother narrowed her eyes at him even more as she yelled, "You're the one who needs to keep yourself under control!"
"I don't want him around my daughter!"
When Cloud saw Tifa's father give him a ferocious glare again after he peeked his head out from behind his mother, he found himself holding onto the back of his mother's shirt as he continued to hide behind her.
His mother continued to argue with him as she replied, "And I don't want you around my son!"
The atmosphere was thick and heavy as they started to go their own separate ways. Cloud's mother turned around and gently yet firmly grabbed Cloud's hand to guide him back inside of their house while Tifa's father did the same with Tifa. As he was being led away, he had his eyes locked on Tifa as he gave her a little wave and said in a shy and timid voice that was just above a whisper, "Bye."
Tifa looked at Cloud and waved back as she quietly whispered so that her father couldn't hear her, "Bye."
Cloud's thoughts are interrupted and his mind is forced back to reality at the sudden and unexpected sounds of gunfire flying past them.
"Whoa!" Zyloff shouts in surprise when a bullet shatters the glass of the side view mirror on his truck. He takes a quick glance into the rear view mirror and his eyes widen in surprise when he sees two Shin-Ra military jeeps racing after them from behind.
Barret pounds a fist on the window of the back of the truck and shouts, "Yo! We got company!" He doesn't waste any time and begins shooting at their enemies.
Mikhail looks behind him to tell his friends, "Hey? Tell Kunsel that there are molotov cocktails in the box back there." He quickly opens the glove box and grabs a lighter. "Here." He hands it to Cissnei and adds, "They can light them with this."
Since it's harder for Zack and Cloud to turn around with Aerith and Tifa sitting on their laps, Cissnei turns around and opens the back window. "Kunsel? There are molotov cocktails in that box over there." She gives him the lighter as she says, "Use this to ignite them."
"Mikhail?" The teenager immediately turns his head to look at Zyloff after hearing his name being called. Zyloff pulls out his pistol as he orders him, "Take the wheel!"
Mikhail immediately does as he's told as he reaches over and grabs the steering wheel. Zyloff aims his pistol out the window and returns fire in an attempt to help Barret and Kunsel take down their relentless pursuers. When Mikhail notices that the truck is slowing down, he tells Zyloff, "Pops? Let up on the brakes! Hit the gas!"
Zyloff quickly complies. He's so focused on shooting at Shin-Ra right now that he didn't realize that his foot was on the brake pedal. He steps down on the gas pedal until he can't anymore in order to go as fast as possible for his truck. He carefully aims his pistol and just as he squeezes the trigger, his driver turns the wheel so sudden that the truck begins swerving all over the place, causing him to miss the target. He finds himself feeling a little annoyed as he shouts over the sounds of gunfire, "Mikhail? Do you mind?! I'm trying to help take these guys down before they take us down!"
Mikhail roughly turns the wheel again, causing for the truck to swerve around a couple of trees and the tires loudly squeal in response. "Well, we're being shot at by a bunch of crazy Shin-Ra dudes! So I'm trying to use evasive maneuvers!" He turns his head and his eyes widen in excitement when he sees Kunsel throw a molotov cocktail at one of the jeeps. The glass bottle shatters and the jeep is briefly engulfed in flames, catching its tires on fire. "Whoa! That was cool." He immediately turns back around to keep his eyes on the...Well, he can't say road because there is no road. They're currently driving on the grass right now.
Zyloff turns around to look at his adopted son to see that Mikhail looks like a kid who's having way too much fun with an exciting video game. He can't help but sigh and roll his eyes at the sight. "Stay focused and stop making us swerve all over the place! Ya keep it up and you'll flip us over!"
"Oh," is Mikhail's simple response as he realizes that Zyloff is right. He does need to be more careful. "Sorry!"
"Yeah! Awright!" Barret victoriously shouts when him and Kunsel manages to blow up one of the jeeps.
"Ahh, I think that our tires have been shot, pops!" Mikhail shouts in surprise when it's suddenly really hard for him to control the truck. "We need to stop!"
To not throw everyone in the truck foreword, Zyloff easily steps down on the brake pedal until they eventually come to a complete stop.
As soon as they stop, Cloud quickly opens the door and scoots Tifa off of his lap. He stumbles out of the truck and releases his stomach contents into the nearby bushes. Oh dear Gaia..The rough truck ride did a number on him. He was feeling sick earlier before the attack but now he feels even sicker due to motion sickness.
"Is everyone okay?" Zyloff asks in concern.
"Yeah. We're okay," Cissnei answers.
Zack places a gentle kiss on Aerith's cheek and hugs her from behind when he realizes how shaky that she seems from the attack. "You okay?" he asks her in a soft tone.
She nods her head in response. "Yes. I'm fine Zack."
He feels relieved to know that his girlfriend is okay, but he does feel concerned about Cloud too. Zack opens the door to let Aerith and himself out before he marches over to his younger best friend. "Cloud?" The former infantryman stays hunched over and coughs before getting sick again. Zack is briefly reminded of the time in Junon when he was chasing down Professor Hollander and he came across Cloud at a checkpoint. The boy was so sick from the helicopter ride and Zack felt bad for him. When Cloud stops getting sick, Zack asks in a gentle tone, "Hey, buddy? Are you okay?"
Cloud stands up straight and wipes his mouth off with his arm. "Yeah. I'm alright, Zack."
Zack gives him a small compassionate smile and lightly pats him on the shoulder. He feels relieved that Cloud isn't getting sick anymore. He's never had a problem with motion sickness before but Cloud has it pretty bad. The poor boy can't even ride in a car without taking a chance of getting sick. He reaches a hand into his pocket and pulls out a breath mint. "Here." He hands it to Cloud with a small smile on his face.
"Thank you." Cloud immediately accepts it and pops it into his mouth. He really does appreciate his older best friend giving him the breath mint so that he has a chance to get the rancid after-taste out of his mouth from getting sick earlier.
"That was a very interesting ride," Cissnei tells Zyloff and Mikhail as she leans up in her seat some.
Mikhail looks at her with a big smile on his face and reveals to her, "This was my first driving lesson."
"And thankfully it was a short one," Zyloff tells him as he runs his hands through his hair in an attempt to help relieve the adrenaline rush that's flowing through his body.
Mikhail softly laughs in amusement after hearing his adopted father's words. "So, did we win?" Just as he asks that question, he hears something that sounds like a truck or a car. He turns his head to look at a nearby hill where the sounds are coming from and his eyes widen when he sees the second Shin-Ra jeep appear as it drives over a hill. A deep sigh leaves him and he throws his head back into the headrest of his seat as he says in an annoyed tone, "Ah! Don't tell me..!"
"Hey ya'll! That jeep is comin'! Get ready!" Barret warns as him, Kunsel, and Nanaki climb out of the back of the truck.
"They never do give up easily," Zyloff says as he gets out of the truck, along with Cissnei and Mikhail.
Mikhail laughs and jokes, "Shin-Ra doesn't like to go away they're like cockroaches."
Zack's bright blue mako eyes wander towards the jeep which soon comes to a complete stop and several infantrymen leap out of it. Zack gently wraps an arm around his younger best friend's shoulders to lead him towards the truck for cover. "Come on, Cloud."
Cloud sighs in frustration at the situation. He thought that Barret, Kunsel, and Zyloff took down both of those jeeps but evidently they only took down one. A soft grunt leaves him as he draws his sword to prepare himself for a fight. He does feel a little bit better, but he still doesn't feel the greatest right now. Of course, Cloud pushes that aside right now. Him and his friends have bigger problems to worry about.
"Freeze! Put your hands where we can see them!" one of the infantrymen commands as they aim their weapons at the group. When a few seconds pass and Barret, Zyloff, and Mikhail continue aiming their weapons at them in response while Zack and Kunsel draw their swords, the infantryman adds in a loud and threatening tone, "Drop your weapons and surrender now! All of you!" When no one in the group complies, he warns, "You can't win! You're out numbered! If you don't surrender right now, we will open fire! This is your last warning!"
"Ya'll can take your damn surrender and stick it where the sun don't shine!" Barret replies with a loud booming voice as he gives their enemies a ferocious glare.
A grin appears on the infantryman captain's face in response. "Fine. Have it your way then." He grins even more and orders his comrades, "Engage the enemy! Shoot to kill!" The infantrymen begin shooting at them immediately after hearing their commanding officer's order.
The group is quick to act and immediately dive for cover behind the truck until the infantrymen cease fire to reload their weapons a moment later. Since their enemies are currently reloading, they quickly take this opportunity to come out from behind Zyloff's battered truck to fight back.
After successfully taking down a couple of infantryman, Cloud immediately hears a loud ferocious roar. He can't help but feel surprised because they're fighting Shin-Ra infantrymen and yet he knows that he just heard a monster. Before he gets a chance to turn his head to see where that noise came from, a dark humanoid creature with large dragon-like wings crashes into him. He unwillingly drops his sword as the monster slams into his chest. He grunts when the air's knocked out of him and his eyes widen when he feels himself endlessly falling all of a sudden. It doesn't take him long at all to realize that the monster has pushed him off of a nearby cliff and he's now plummeting towards the river below.
Cloud lets out a pained grunt when something suddenly catches his ankle and he finds himself hanging upside down on the cliff side. He lifts his head up to see what's stopping his fall to discover that it's a tree branch that's caught around his ankle. He quickly reaches up in a desperate attempt to free his ankle. However, his bright blue eyes locks onto the monster when the winged beast lets out a predatory snarl before it begins to fly towards him. Cloud doesn't waste any time as he shoots a fire materia at the branch. He feels relieved when the branch gives way, releasing his ankle in the process. He uses his enhanced reflexes and strength as he pushes himself away from the cliff side with his feet. The monster growls in frustration when it crashes into the side of the cliff, annoyed at the fact that the human moved out of the way just before it hit the cliff.
The former infantryman gasps in surprise when he hears the monster let out another ferocious roar. Cloud quickly turns his head to see the monster swiftly flying towards him. Before he even has a chance to react, the monster swoops down and grabs him with his clawed hands, stopping his fall. The creature glares down at him with eyes as black as coal and snarls, revealing teeth as sharp as razor blades. When the monster attempts to bite him in the shoulder, Cloud quickly punches it in the mouth, knocking out several of its teeth in the process. 'There, eat that,' he thinks with a smirk. Surprisingly, the monster briefly shakes its head in response before it furiously growls at him, keeping its strong hold on him. Cloud continues punching it in the face without holding back his immense super-human strength until the creature finally releases him. Cloud continues his rapid descent again and he can't help but feel relieved when the monster lets out a roar of defeat before it flies away. Cloud assumes that the monster has decided on giving up the fight. After the monster's retreat, Cloud continues falling and he finds himself thinking how nice it would be to fly...or teleport. That would be nice too.
And there's Chapter 11. I hope that you all enjoyed it and please feel free to review if you'd like. I always appreciate reviews. I would like to thank clearshot01 again for helping me with the name of Zack and Cloud's mercenary business. The name as well as the slogan was all clearshot01's idea. Thank you so much clearshot01! I really do appreciate you helping me with that. Ya know, one thing that I must say is that I actually feel bad for Cloud. Ya know, because of how he was treated when he was a little kid and the poor guy has been through quite a bit even after he grew up. I actually kinda felt bad when I typed up the flashback scene in this chapter. I never really understood why people were so mean to Cloud. He's such a sweetheart...usually. I was actually wanting to put the scene in when they leave the Shin-Ra building from the game. But I decided not to simply because it wouldn't have been the same without Tifa. So I just decided to have them leave in a way that wasn't nearly as cool as in the game. I'm also going to have Zyloff and Mikhail leave in Chapter 13. There will still be some scenes with them, but only a few in future chapters. They'll stay in contact with the main characters through a cell phone once in a while and other than a few small scenes here and there, that'll probably be it. Anyways, thank you all for reading, reviewing, and for taking the time to read this. I really appreciate it.