EDITED: 6/14/14
Chapter Eight: Masamune
"Sephiroth?"
Zack knew the sword from the moment he laid eyes upon it. The strange, ethereal glow of the blade, the carvings on the hilt, twisting and turning in sharp points. He had, on more than one occasion, nearly fell to that sword. Now, it wasn't his body impaled, but that of the President of Shinra Inc. Funny, Zack realized, how your own weapons could turn on you.
"Looks like most of your problems just died, Barret," the ex-SOLDIER joked. "Except we're going to get the shit for this. We're poor bastards." Zack looked down to the ground, a few small laughs racking his body.
"We should get out of here before someone shows up and quest-" Cloud started, but was cut off by an obnoxious squealing. "The fuck?"
Zack looked up where the sound had come from - behind a stone column - and on instinct grabbed at the moving object. Palmer squealed again and fought for freedom.
"Barret, come help me," Zack grunted when the fat man kicked at his leg, catching his ankle with the bottom of his expensive leather shoe. The black man glared menacingly, enough to daunt Palmer into standing still for a moment, before grabbing the horrified man's opposite arm. "So, Palmer... haven't seen your fat-ass in years. Care to explain what's going on?"
"Palmer, as in the Head of the Space Exploration Department?" Aeris asked Red, who stood near her feet.
"One of a kind, this man," Zack interjected. "Bastard if I ever knew one. Also has a thing for things that would make any human's stomach churn. Isn't that right, Palmer?"
"Please don't kill me!" he whimpered pitifully. "I don't know what I saw, I swear!"
Cloud pulled out his katana. "So you have no clue why a sword is poking out of your boss's back? I'd say you did it but you seem to be too much of a spineless coward."
Zack squeezed a little tighter. "My thoughts exactly. Now, tell us what you saw or I swear Cloud will have some fun with that sword and I won't be able to stop him." The blond looked deranged enough to scare Palmer, who shrank as far into himself as he could. Spineless coward.
"It was Sephiroth! I swear it was him!"
Zack loosened his grip on the pig's arm for a brief moment, giving Palmer the window of opportunity to break free of both Barret and himself, running past Cloud. He flapped his arms wildly, running toward the balcony where a helicopter was already landing.
"Who in the world could that be?"
"No clue, Aeris, but it can't be good. There's no way everyone knows about Shinra being dead," Tifa said, motioning to the window. "It looks like whoever it is knows Palmer."
Zack sighed. There was only one person he could think of who would be at Shinra at the worst possible moment. "Rufus," he informed the group. "I'm willing to bet both my nuts that's Rufus Shinra. Cold-hearted bastard, that one."
"Aw, shi'. Thought Shinra'd be over now tha' this waste o' flesh is dead. Now I gotta worry 'bout some punk-ass kid wit' sum' God Complex runnin' 'round?" Barret spat onto the floor.
"I heard no one's ever seen him bleed," Tifa started.
"Or cry," Aeris finished softly.
Red's voice was passive. "He's going to become the next president now that his father's passed on. I feel your problems are only beginning."
Zack turned to hear what Cloud had to say but the sight before his eyes was a tad unnerving. Cloud stood behind the dead Shinra president, mildly pulling at the sword embedded in the flesh.
"I don't think it's going to come out, Cloud," Zack wrinkled his nose in disgust.
"But Zack, that's Sephiroth's sword. Why is Sephiroth's sword stuck in the president's back?" There was the barest hint of hysteria in the blond's voice. "Sephiroth couldn't do this, could he?"
"Sure Sephiroth could do that. He's a brutal monster with no soul." Tifa turned, giving Cloud a disturbed look. "After all, what he did to us was worse than this."
Zack wanted nothing more than to cover the woman's mouth to silence her, but that, he knew, would lead to more consequences. Zack couldn't deal with the repercussions of his refusal to tell Cloud the truth... Not yet, anyway. There were more important things to do, things that didn't involve telling your closest friend that his idol had wiped out his entire hometown, murdered his mother, nearly killed his childhood crush and then sentenced him and his friend to five years in a vat of Mako. No, it could certainly wait. The time for ruining childhood dreams was not now, especially with a blond man standing at the edge of the heli-pad, tapping his foot impatiently against the granite ground.
"I've got an idea," Zack twisted the hilt of his Buster Sword in his hands nervously, "there's a new president out there that needs a lil' AVALANCHE welcome, right? Well, why don't we give him the warm welcome he's expecting?"
The air on the balcony was cold, tinged with the wetness of an oncoming storm and the slick winter wind. It soothed Zack's hot skin, even if he himself could not detect his own body temperature. There was the musky smell of Mako and dirt in the air, a smell that stuck to clothes. Coupled with the breeze, it made an odd juxtaposition.
Upon first glance, Rufus Shinra seemed to be a man of few words and piercing stares. His blue eyes were sharp chips of frozen water – puddles of rain frozen over. Zack remembered those eyes, the eyes of a calculated genius staring through him during the few and thankfully far between meetings he'd been forced to endure during his time as a SOLDIER First-Class.
Though the man wore white, it was not difficult to see how small his body was. Reno had once joked about the man, a teenager six years ago, that he could easily break if you touched him the wrong way. This was later proven false when Zack saw the boy take down six Wutaian ninjas with nothing more than a sawed-off shotgun, but in the beginning the violet-eyed man had agreed. Apparently the Shinra heir had learned from the best in the business.
Rufus stood staring over the side of the building. A dog, perhaps one of Hojo's experiments from the tentacles swinging from his skull, wagging like multiple tails, sat next to him. Rufus' strawberry-blond hair was slicked back except for a stubborn streak in the front that blew in the wind. Except for the new, larger body frame, the man didn't look much different than he had six years before.
"I was beginning to think you would spend the rest of the night staring out that window." He flicked a cigarette, something Zack hadn't seen a moment before, from his fingers and over the side of the building. "Now, will you introduce yourselves or should I start randomly guessing from the brief information Palmer gave me?"
"A flower girl from the slums."
"A breeding experiment."
"AVALANCHE member, ya scum!"
"Same here."
"Shinra... something or other."
Zack took a step forward, meeting Rufus' chilly gaze. "Ex-SOLDIER, but you knew that already. So, Shinra, what are you planning on doing now that you have all of Midgar underneath your little manicured thumb? I never thought anyone could possibly do worse than your father, but since you went through all of that Turk training I wouldn't be exactly surprised. So, care to share your ideas with me and the crew?"
"Well, may I start off by saying that is quite a crew. Now, on to more important matters, may I ask how you planned on leaving this building with your internal organs still in your body? Killing the President of Shinra does have its repercussions, though you won't see me complaining. After all, this has now given me sole ownership of the old man's assets, the city of Midgar with it. I believe Palmer mentioned something about Sephiroth, but according to the media he has been dead for years. Dead men don't get up and kill off the President of Shinra, do they, Fair?"
Zack saw Barret fly toward the Shinra heir, impulsive. With the sudden movement Rufus reached into his suit and pulled out his gun, pointing it between the AVALANCHE member's beady eyes.
"Tsk, Tsk. I figured you and your company would have some scrap of manners. Now, Wallace, control your temper. I was to begin my speech. Is it that difficult to listen to your new president?"
"You jus' the prez' 'cause your old man croaked!" Barret seethed. Zack wanted to roll his eyes at the actions of his boss but dared not show an undivided front with Rufus calculating every move.
Rufus smiled coldly. "That's how some of the most powerful men in existence have come around. Their fathers die, tragically some may say, and the heir takes power. My father ruled this world by money – I will be different. I will control this world with intense fear. There is no reason to waste money on frivolous people whose contribution to this world is nothing but making the Shinra Power Company stronger. Harnessing our SOLDIERs and Turks, I believe I can make this world bow down to their newest leader, to me." He turned his gun towards Tifa, who had taken a step forward.
The woman's voice was acidic, "Well, he likes to make speeches just like his father."
Zack looked over to Tifa, glaring sourly at Rufus, who continued to smile as if he had not a care in the world.
"I think his old man was just a little under his league though, don't you?" Zack hoisted the Buster Sword. "Now, it'd be best for you guys to go kick some ass out the door and get out of here as quick as you can. Think you can lead 'em, Barret, or should I make Red do it?"
"Why'd I do tha'?" Barret straightened, glowering at Rufus. "I wanna kick this puny little manipulatin' bastard's lily-white ass."
Zack resisted the urge to smack himself, already opening his mouth to explain it to the daft man, but Cloud beat him to the punch. "It's some big crisis for the Planet, Barret! Come on, we need to get outta here before the robo-guards and SOLDIERs show up," the blond stated harshly, his Mako-blue eyes blunt.
It's good to know that Cloud can at least pull his own, Zack thought as he watched Cloud motion for the group to follow him. Despite the situation, he smiled at the blond's ability to take charge when needed.
"Kick his rear and come find us," Cloud shouted as he ran by.
Zack nodded his head then turned to his opponent. "I plan on doing exactly what my good friend told me to do." The ex-SOLDIER smiled, showing his bared teeth like a wild animal.
The battle started when the Rufus sent the canine to attack, attempting to take a chunk out of Zack's upper thigh. He barely had the chance to move as the black beast's teeth snapped precisely where his leg had been nano-seconds before. The ex-SOLDIER wheeled back, delivering a swift kick to the beast's skull, sending the animal crashing into the side of the building.
During this time Zack was avoiding the bullets whizzing by his head, deflecting one with the Buster Sword. Rufus looked calm and collected, unmoving from his position on the balcony until Zack took his time away from the black beast and focused it on the newest President.
"So, Fair, ever thought of coming back to the company?" the blond jeered as he let off several more bullets, unblinking when one of the shotgun shells grazed his left cheek. Zack dashed forward and thrust the blunt side of his sword at Rufus' legs. He barely avoided the crippling attack, jumping up onto the building's edge, pulling the trigger a few more times before jumping past Zack and landing close to the beast.
"Sorry, I almost killed your doggie. Your parents should have told you not to play with things with shit growing out of their heads." Zack ducked left then lifted the Buster Sword to protect his face from another round of bullets.
Rufus sneered. "Dark Nation, why don't you treat our little SOLDIER to a bolt of lightning?"
Blue-white lightning bolts crashed into Zack's stomach, knocking the breath out of him.
"Well, that is all for now. I don't believe you even put a lasting mark on my body… though you don't seem to be fairing very well. Hmph, perhaps it would be best for you to simply give up if even I can defeat you. Oh, once-impressive SOLDIER First-Class, you have fallen into a pit you cannot scratch your way out of." RUfus tossed his blond hair, not even a hint of sweat on his face. "Now, I believe that is my helicopter. It was an interesting meeting," the sneer widened then Rufus added, "Dark Nation, come."
A helicopter swooped down. Zack barely had time to curse before the President and his companion were safely aboard and fast drifting out of sight.
Zack had once been strong enough to kill behemoths by the dozen, destroy summon monsters thrown at him, even able to hold his own against the three Legends of SOLDIER. Now he was undermined by one puny blond with a shotgun. He trudged down the stairs, seeing Tifa standing near the door, tapping her foot facetiously on the ground, both arms crossed.
"Zack! Hurry up!" she yelled when she gained sight of him, prompting Zack to turn his moody walk into a slow jog.
"What're you doing here? I thought you were going with Cloud and the others," Zack panted, leaning up to see if the others were hiding somewhere behind the busty woman. They were not there.
The woman motioned for the door, "We've got to leave! Cloud just came by a second ago and told me that we need to get down to the first floor as quickly as possible. I don't have any keycard, so we're going to have to run it. You ready?"
Zack sheathed his sword, shaking his head. With his other hand he reached into his pocket, pulling out his wallet. Everything had been tossed into one of the storage closets near the cells. He silently thanked Reno and his bipolar tendencies, sliding the keycard out, dangling it in front of Tifa's eyes.
"I really don't like running around, toots."
So, at this moment, I really, really owe Reno Sinclair every damn thing under the sun, Zack thought, looking out of the glass elevator, watching the darkness shrouding the sky. The air, as the descended back down to the first floor, seemed to become thicker, smoggier. The air weighed heavier on his shoulders and Zack fought the urge to stomp his foot on the ground, knowing he'd look like a child throwing a tantrum.
Tifa clucked her tongue. "So, who gave you that?" she gestured to the keycard, which in all of its plastic glory smirked up at Zack from between his honey fingers. It was beginning to grow warm and slick with a few drops of perspiration. Zack looked down at the small words - 'Shinra Electrical Company' – and saw a few small bar codes and a number, followed by the name 'Sinclair, Reno'.
"Err, found it on one of the guards way back, y'know, when we got out of that little box with everything covered in blood. Yeah, I found it in the guy's hand and figured it would have some type of use, don't you think?"
Liar, liar. You're not even that good of a liar. Take some lessons from that Turk and maybe you won't suck so much, his mind chimed in and the black-haired man had to restrain himself from slamming his head down onto the cold glass.
"Oh. Well, that's good. I think it's starting to rain." Tifa let the subject drop though Zack could hear the twinge of doubt in her voice.
Shrugging, he said, "Maybe you think it's raining but it probably isn't. In a nut shell, you're basically seeing all the pollution and shit they're sending into the sky. It makes it look like storm clouds but they never let out rain. They just make the place look gloomier than it already does."
Tifa was looking at him, a small frown marring her face. She opened her mouth once then twice until she just nodded and drew her eyes back outside. "Well, I remember how ugly my home was when they built that terrible reactor... The town had been so beautiful, so green and lush, even with the Nibel Mountains not too far away. Even the mountains looked pretty, in a haunting way, until the Shinra came. They took away the grass, the clean air and the crystal-clear water. They took away pools of blue. Do you understand what I'm talking about?"
Pools of blue that Shinra took away.
"I might not be a genius but I get your drift. What about it?"
Tifa pursed her lips. "You might not want to believe it, but those pools are fragile. The water can be corrupted and destroyed. I grew up with those pools, watching them grow from a small ditch in the road into a lake. I won't just let you take them. You're a good man, Zack but this isn't something you can handle."
Pools of blue.
"But who said I would try to take them away? And who would I take them away from?"
"Well," she started, "I can see it in your eyes, even if you don't realize it. And they've been mine since I was a child and I don't like the idea of you trying to fight them from me. I like you, Zack, quite a bit, but this isn't something I'm going to give up on. Seven years of waiting hasn't changed anything."
Shinra took away.
Zack smirked, shaking his head. "My hands are full, doll. Wouldn't try anything, anyway."
"Yes, yes, you would."
Blue.
When the elevator door slid open, Zack was greeted with the comical sight of Aeris, giddy with happiness, jumping up and down as Barret attempted to shoot holes into the walls, all bouncing off and clinking to the ground.
"It worked!" she smiled proudly, turning to Zack. "Simple magical extraction, something a child could do really. Draw the magic out of your attackers but what I did was draw it out of the building. The mako is feeding the structure of the tower."
"Erm, sorry to sound stupid, but what are you talking about?"
Aeris gave a brief laugh as Barret swore, lowering the gun. "Nuthin' gettin' through that sucker, Aeris!"
"Well, that's a relief! Thank you, Mister Barret!" she replied, waving her hands in the direction of the burly AVALANCHE member. Turning back to Zack, she continued, "I was able to extract a rather large amount of energy from the building - enough to be able to keep this barrier up until Cloud comes back, at least."
The saliva in Zack's mouth dried before he could open his mouth. Cloud, where had he gone? Surely he wouldn't be stupidly heroic and try to take on all the SOLDIERs who must have been waiting outside. Cloud was strong but if a pipsqueak new president could take Zack down then it wasn't hard to think of what could best the blond. Not to mention, the violet-eyed man's eyes shot up into his brows, Cloud hated killing. He wouldn't last two seconds outside, even if he was strong enough.
"What do you mean 'until Cloud comes back?' He didn't go out there, right?"
Barret answered. "Naw, shi'. You think I'm gunna let the lil' runt go runnin' out there and try an' take on that many guys? I might not like him sometimes but I ain't gunna let him go kill himself. Damn, you a bigger fool than I thought."
Tifa strode forward, looking around. "But where is he? And where's Red?"
Aeris smiled. "Cloud said something about stealing and Red figured it would be best for him to follow. I can't see Cloud as having sticky fingers, can you?"
"Well, I can actually." Zack smiled, "Shinra scum are taught how to steal, you know. Normally it isn't stupid things like money or anything but blueprints and weapons. Of course Cloud would know how to steal. He's pretty good at it - or better than his shot at least. Guess we'll just have to wait a minute to see what he's got himself into."
Not two minutes later, a large blue truck bounded down the stairs with a petrified Red sitting in the back, bobbing up and down. A determined expression on his face, Cloud sat in the cab, fingers turning the wheel to keep the vehicle from tipping to either side.
"Stop this monstrosity!" Red yelled as was thrown about again. Zack had to restrain a deep, bellowing laugh.
"I am! Quit yapping!" Cloud gritted out. The truck swerved off the stairs and before it was able to crush anyone the blond stomped his foot on the brakes, stopping a few meters in front of Zack.
"Nearly made minced meat out of me! Don't think you should be behind the wheel of anything that has a motor. Everyone values their lives here." He tilted his head to watch a wobbly Red jump from the back of the vehicle, his hind legs shaking violently. "You okay there, buddy?"
Red snarled. "Perfectly fine," he sat himself on the floor to conceal his shaking limbs, "though I have met better drivers. Cloud isn't quite adept when it comes to anything that can move. I would suggest he be given a scooter. It would be the safest, easiest starting point."
"That's your opinion," Cloud said, opening the door to the truck. "I drive perfectly fine as long as it's on an actual road, not a flight of stairs. Pardon me for not being able to cater to your high standards."
Zack laughed again. "Aw, Cloudy's getting a little hurt by the big, bad doggy." He walked forward, smashing his hands against the blond's protesting cheeks. "But Zacky won't let the mean little beast eat poor Cloudy-woudy."
"I don't think faces are supposed to bend that way," Aeris laughed.
Miffed, Cloud shook his head, catching Zack off guard. "I don't think Red's a dog. What I do think is that Aeris isn't going to be able to keep this barrier up for much longer. It looks like it's already cracking." He pointed to the iron door, where a small materia-sized hole was beginning to form behind the barrier. "We should get going."
"But there's no way you're going to fit all of us in that truck," Tifa pointed out, motioning to the blue vehicle.
Cloud tossed the keys up into the air, then to Tifa. "Oh, I know that. I've handled everything, Tifa. You just need to drive the truck. I got Zack and me something else," and at this, the blond grabbed Zack by the wrist, dragging him behind the truck.
A new motorcycle sat in the back of the truck, the black paint shining like onyx. The ex-SOLDIER felt compelled to kiss the shining black beauty though Cloud's presence and the inevitable teasing he'd get for it deterred him.
He must've been grinning because Cloud had a self-satisfied smirk on his face. "See, I'm not a total moron. I'll be driving, you'll get to swing your sword at the Shinra. That work for you?"
"I won't be able to drive her?" Zack stretched forward, petting the leather seat.
"No way I'm letting you have that much fun," Cloud said lightly though Zack knew the real reason. Forcing Cloud into a situation where he'd have to kill wouldn't be the brightest idea.
The blond gestured in the direction of their companions, "You can get the others, right? I think there should be enough room."
Perched on the backside of the roaring bike, Zack brandished his sword, ready to attack at a moment's notice. The blue truck was a few feet behind, Aeris' keen eyes darting in every direction.
Zack mentioned the lack of enemies to Cloud. Without taking his eyes off the road, the blond yelled over the rush of wind, "Who knows what they're thinking. We're nearly up to the highway and the place is deserted."
A few buildings passed by, all darkened. It was eerie, to say the least, Zack thought. Midgar was never this quiet; there was always something, no matter how minor, floating around the city. Drugs and prostitutes were more common below but on the Upper Plate there were secret rendezvous places for people selling out their companies to opposing businesses, upper-class men sneaking off to see their lovers, buildings which were considered to be brothels only if you walked inside. Both sides of the plate were equally dirty.
"They're waiting for the opportune moment, like they always do," Zack mumbled, tightening his hand on the hilt. "Just watch. When we get to the highway there's going to be dozen-"
"Looks like we've got company," Cloud cut in and pulled on the throttle.
The black-haired man jerked his head to look over his shoulder. "Oh shit, we were right."
Cloud's voice was strained, "About everything except for the dozen part. I'm going straight through them. Warn the others to just plow on after us and not stop for anything."
"Jeez, Cloud, make it sound like they're going to kill us," Zack whispered, not loud enough for the blond to hear over the deafening exhaust and the rattle of nearly a hundred other motorcycles. He made a short one-handed signal to Aeris whose face turned ashen. The brunette turned to say something to Tifa, who then slammed her foot down on the gas, catapulting the blue truck into the next lane, past the bike and pulled into their lane.
"What in Holy's name are they doing!" Cloud bellowed as he quickly swerved to the side. Zack had to grip his thighs down to the leather to prevent himself from being forcefully bucked off. Carefully, he turned himself around, fumbling only once, so he could face the same direction as Cloud.
He leaned forward, putting his lips close to Cloud's ear. "They're going to be running their asses over with the truck so we can get by. Don't panic so damn much, Cloud." A few strands of blond hair tickled Zack's face. Exhilarated, he smiled.
Zack swung his sword to the side, slashing the tires of yet another grunt's bike. The orange vehicle sped off to the side, colliding harshly with a guardrail and the grunt's body flew over the side. The same scenario had panned out so many times, Zack thought as he turned to see Cloud's hair streaked with the blood of their enemies. "Sorry 'bout that," he grinned.
"Quit making a mess." The blond took his left hand from the bike and rubbed blood from his eyes.
"It isn't just me. How many damn bodies have you run over with this beast?"
"Too many to count. Now quit talking to me and swing your damn sword!" The blond jammed his foot on the brake, angling the motorcycle to the right, narrowly avoiding another motorcyclist riddled with bullet holes in the process.
Zack turned back to the road, noticing the assorted colors covering the asphalt. "There can't be many left. Get in front of the truck so I can see if there're anymore up there."
Cloud obeyed, getting the motorcycle in front of the blue truck, the front of which was spattered with red. "Doesn't look like anyone's up there," he stated, "but we've run out of road."
"What!" the ex-SOLDIER shouted, sitting up. Several 'Danger! Do not enter!' signs were hanging from the guard rails, signs that Zack barely had time to notice. Before his eyes, the road opened into air.
"Shit!" Zack yelled as the bike screeched to a halt a few feet away from the edge. The heavier truck slid past and stopped less than an inch from the sudden drop, every face in the vehicle looking pasty white. That wasn't what worried Zack though. Pursuing them came a large mechanical beast, large guns equipped to its arms rolled, the end spikes leaving gaping holes in the highway.
After a brief moment, Zack jumped from the bike, Cloud snapping up, his katana already poised before his body. An enormous fireball few from the monster's arm. The truck's occupants scattered, vacating the vehicle at super-sonic speed. When the fireball hit a moment later, the entire vehicle burst into flames.
"Use Ice and Lightning!" Zack yelled at the women, "You aren't going to be able to land a punch on this fucking beast." Aeris nodded, popping out a deep green materia, her eyes already shut in concentration. Tifa, on the other hand, tossed a piece of materia to Red, who caught it in his mouth.
Barret was already shooting various holes into the robot to little effect - one of its arms was reflecting an enormous amount of the lead back at the group. "Aw, shit!" Barret yelled, taking cover near the truck's remains.
Zack turned to give orders to Cloud until he noticed the blond was already in front of the monster, his eyes filled with blue electricity, katana a blur. The robot gave an awful lurch to the side, releasing a sound close to nails screeching on a chalkboard. It was a familiar sound, one Zack had heard in the reactor. Was it just him or did all Shinra-made robots create a Gaia awful sound when they were forcefully attacked?
Four spells whizzed by Zack's head as he pushed the sword into the gaping hole Cloud had created, a chunk of ice narrowly missing his head. He pulled the Buster Sword from its prey. Barret blew more bullets into the hole Zack had just enlarged, making the ex-SOLDIER shout a quick, "Watch where you shoot that shit!" as another bolt of lightning crashed near him.
"Argg!" Cloud yelled, the lightning-bolt shredding the insides of the monster, one last fireball being launched at the blond. Zack tried to grab the blond, to pull him away from the heat, but his body was sent reeling back from the force of the impact.
The Roller Ball shot back, its internal wiring exploding, the blue sparks slashing out from its center. It was dead, or at least disabled, but that was something Zack was not worried about. The crumpled body on the ground surrounded by fire was more important than the dead robot.
"Shit, Cloud!" Zack yelled, watching Aeris send an ice spell at the fire, causing thick smoke to spew from the dying embers. "Shit, what was that?"
A deep cough came from inside of the smoke. "Moron," the voice grumbled, "it was a fireball, if you hadn't noticed."
Zack reached forward, his eyes and nose filling with the dark smoke, and grabbed blindly for Cloud's body. "You in there Chocobo-head?" His fingertips touched skin - Cloud's hand, Zack noticed after a second - and he pulled at the blond.
"No, Zack. I'm hiding in the car, waiting to go home."
It was good to know the blond's attitude hadn't disappeared.
The second thing the black-haired man noticed was that the ends of Cloud's hair were fried and black soot was covering his face. There were cuts adorning the blond's body and a gouge in the purple material of his shirt.
"You aren't dead!" Aeris clapped her hands together, summoning a green light to caress Cloud's battered form. "Thank goodness! You had me worried for a moment."
Cloud grumbled under his breath. Zack discerned "stupid fire" and "I'm not gonna to die. I'm not that weak."
"Aww, Cloud, don't whine so much. Your face gets all scrunched up. Makes you look like an old man," Zack mocked. "And she's right, you know. I thought you were going to become a plucked Chocobo. They taste good, but I'd be kind of afraid of eating you. Too many bones."
Cloud rolled his blue eyes.
Blue.
Please Review.