Hey everyone! I'm back! For a little bit anyway lol. I've been writing like crazy the past few days to get some stuff ready to submit. I had a lot more planned for this chapter but it was getting lengthy and I need a bit of a break so I decided to just submit this now and I'm gonna continue working on the next chapter. Should only be another day or so before it's out. On that note, I have to say this chapter is dialogue-heavy, mainly focused on Zack. Hope that's cool. It'll be back to Cloud in the next chapter. Thanks for waiting around for me guys! See you shortly!
Disclaimer: Don't own FFVII
Chapter XXI
"You sure you don't want to lie down?" Dr. Farva, the doctor presently working on cleaning out a small wound over Zack's shoulder blade questioned. The wound had been caused by some of the falling concrete that had hit him in the terrorist's compound. The wound needed to be cleared of the dirt and bits of concrete before it could be stitched closed.
"No, I'm fine," Zack assured him. He barely noticed the tweezers digging through his skin. He was too preoccupied with his phone that he could tell had been ringing the past ten minutes. It was on vibrate. The doctor and nurse in the room hadn't seemed to notice. When it started to vibrate for about the fourth time, he asked if the nurse wouldn't mind handing it to him. She fished it out from under his shirts and armor lying nearby. He flipped it open and answered, not sure who would be calling.
"Zackary!" a woman's frantic sounding voice spoke. It wasn't just any woman. It was his mother. He groaned inwardly.
"Hi, Ma," he replied less than enthusiastically.
"Don't 'Hi, Ma,' me," his mother shot back at him in a mixture of anger and depleting panic. "Do you know how long I've been trying to call you? Why have a phone if you aren't going to answer it?"
"I'm in the infirmary, Ma, I couldn't answer—" he began to explain.
"The infirmary?!" she spouted, interrupting him. "I knew it! I heard something on the radio about some terrorist explosion and I knew you had to have been there. I tried calling the headquarters and they wouldn't say anything. Your father's going to have a heart attack. If he has a heart attack it'll be that company's fault—" she ranted.
"I'm not having a heart attack," he heard his father say calmly from somewhere in the background. "Why don't you sit down before you have one?"
"I don't need to sit down," his mother spoke back to his father. "What I want to know is why you didn't call to tell us you were going back into the field."
Zack realized she was talking to him once again.
"Ma, c'mon, I was busy. It was kinda a big deal for me. I was leading the mission," Zack explained.
"Busy? You couldn't find two minutes to call your mother? To tell her about your big news?"
Zack rubbed his face with his one hand. He groaned openly then. "Alright, I'm sorry. I should have called," he said in surrender.
"You know, Angeal always used to make sure you called home. We only hear from you every month or so now," his mother pointed out
"I know, Ma," Zack said softly, trying not to think about Angeal. He couldn't help it though. It was true. Angeal has basically forced him to call home every week with the threat of dropping him as a protégé if he didn't. Angeal had his philosophical reasons for it of course. He believed in never taking for granted how important family is and fully advocated keeping those family ties strong. It wasn't that Zack wasn't grateful for his family. He loved them, but he didn't like to divulge to his parents what SOLDIER was really like. Or what his job entailed. Or how much he really liked his job.
"Are you alright?" his mom questioned then, her tone a little less sharp. "What happened? You got hurt?"
"No it'sssss—" he broke off in a hiss as the doctor pressed some gauze dabbed in alcohol to his shoulder.
"Zackary?" his mother's voice drew his attention back.
"I'm fine, Ma. It's just routine check-up after a mission," he lied.
There was a bit of a pause on his mother's end before she asked without hesitation "Are you still dating that girl who sells those flowers?"
He let out a bit of dry laugh. "Yeah, Ma." He watched at the doctor was preparing a suture needle to stitch his shoulder wound closed with.
"When do we get to meet her?" his mom inquired.
"Uhh…I dunno, Ma. It's not like I get much time off to take trips home, ya know."
That was also a lie. He'd had plenty of opportunity. He just didn't want to go home. He couldn't go back there while he was removed from field duty. He just felt strangely ashamed. He felt the need to prove himself before going back there.
"Well, you can't hide her forever, sweetheart," his mother said and he smiled a little.
"I uh, gotta go now, Ma," he said in return. "Say 'hi' to Dad. I'll…I'll call you soon."
"Alright," she said with a little disappointment. "We love you, honey. Happy New Year."
"Love you too, Ma, and yeah, Happy New Year," he said in return before hanging up. New Year. He had forgotten about that. What a way he was going to be spending New Year's Eve.
As he slipped the phone into one of the pockets in his pants he was reminded suddenly how tired he was. It was about 10 a.m. He just wanted to be done with the medical crap so he could go back to his room. He had already been granted temporary relief of post-mission questioning given the doctor had diagnosed him with having some minor head trauma. It certainly felt like more than minor. Whatever had knocked him out down in the compound had left a pretty good welt on the back of his head. Still, his mind was filled with things concerning him, namely, what he'd found down in the compound. He was more than just a little curious about it.
"I'm going to recommend you stay here for the night while you get some rest," the doctor said then as he was working on sewing him up.
"No, that's not necessary," Zack replied, shaking his head.
"Officer Fair, you were given a pretty good concussion, it's customary that you be monitored for at least twelve hours in such an event," the doctor argued.
"Really, I'm good," Zack insisted.
"Well I can't force you to stay, but if you are going to leave, at least have someone check on you a few times," the doctor suggested.
"Yeah, sure," Zack agreed, though he wasn't serious about it. He'd had more concussions than he could count and he was sure he'd have a hell of a lot more in the future.
When the doctor had finally finished, Zack headed down toward the room where Cloud had been kept in but found the cadet gone when he'd gotten down there. He suspected it meant he'd finally been released from the infirmary but he waited until a nurse confirmed it before smiling to himself over the thought. He signed some injury paperwork before leaving, thankful that the forms had already been filled out for the most part, probably by the doctor. He then began his walk back over to the main building, dragging his feet tiredly.
He had intended to go directly to his room but couldn't help stopping by the office. He wanted to check and see if Kunsel was around. He knew it was technically not allowed until after he'd gone through post-mission questioning, but he just had to tell his friend about what he'd found down in the terrorist compound.
It was around lunch time so he wasn't expecting too many people to be in the office. Kunsel didn't typically eat down in the cafeteria, if he ate lunch at all. He was usually so busy doing whatever he was supposed to be doing at the time he couldn't be bothered to stop. Kunsel was indeed at his desk in the office, though it didn't actually seem like he was doing anything in particular. Staring at a computer absent-mindedly. Zack approached him and saw his friend's eyes look up as he neared him. Kunsel pushed himself back a little from the computer in front of him. He shook his head and laughed a little when Zack pulled a chair from one of the nearby cubicles and sat down in front of Kunsel's desk.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Kunsel asked then. "You couldn't handle one lousy night in the infirmary?" he added as he leaned back in his chair.
"Are you kidding?" Zack replied fast. "I can't handle a few lousy hours in the infirmary." He sat down across from his friend.
"Man…" Kunsel said through a long exhale. "You look like shit. You have a building fall on you or something? I think this mission business may be a bit much for you," he joked.
"Ha, ha," Zack returned. "You wanna be shot again?" he asked lightly. Kunsel smiled.
"You talk to Aerith yet?" his friend asked.
"No," Zack admitted, resting the side of his face in the palm of his one hand. "Did she call you?" he questioned and Kunsel nodded. "Was she freaking out?" he asked next.
"A bit," Kunsel confirmed. Zack rolled his eyes as he thought about it. "It's not her fault. You didn't hear the radio broadcast. Since people can't seem to keep their mouths shut, people all over headquarters were talking about what was going on and within the next few hours there were stories being aired claiming a city block had been blown up and that an entire group of SOLDIERs, plus civilians, had been killed. It wasn't until about four in the morning that they got the story straight. That it was just you in there. Which didn't exactly help matters."
Zack shook his head in annoyance. "No wonder Ma was freaking," he muttered.
"Your mom called you?" Kunsel said in surprise.
"Yeah, she was pissed."
Kunsel laughed a little. "Didn't know you guys got radio broadcasts out in Gongaga," he mocked. Zack only threw him a glare in response. Kunsel grew serious then. "What the hell happened down there?" he asked finally.
"Man…suicide bomber," Zack revealed. "It was a kid," he added, shaking his head sadly. "Couldn't talk him out of it, ya know."
Kunsel looked back at him sympathetically. "It's not your fault you couldn't stop him," he pointed out.
"Yeah…" Zack agreed with a slight nod. "I know." He thought about it briefly. "I found something down there though. May not have had there not been an explosion."
"What was it?" Kunsel inquired.
"Discs. Hundreds of them."
"Discs? Of what?" his friend asked curiously.
"I'm not sure. I think copies of hard drives and surveillance from Shinra," Zack answered slowly.
Kunsel's eyes widened slightly. "What? Are you serious?"
Zack nodded. "There was stuff down their labeled 'Wutai' as well," he continued. "I grabbed a few of them and gave them to Doke before I was carted off to the infirmary."
"No, wait a minute," Kunsel said then, shaking his head. "You said there were hundreds of these discs down in that compound?"
"Yeah," Zack reaffirmed.
"That makes no sense. Did Doke know?" was Kunsel's next question.
"Well, duh. I wasn't gonna keep it a secret. The building was scheduled to be destroyed."
"But the building was destroyed, Zack," Kunsel revealed suddenly. Zack stared back at him, not understanding.
"What…" he struggled to say something.
"The place was detonated almost immediately after you got out," his friend explained.
Zack was at a complete loss for words. He regained them shortly.
"You're fucking serious," he said in disbelief. Kunsel nodded once again. Zack rose from his chair then and without another word headed for the door. Kunsel already knew where Zack was heading.
Zack all but stormed Lazard's office. The secretary refused at first to even call into the man's office, saying that he was busy. In response to that, Zack planted himself firmly in the room and refused to leave. Finally, she gave in. Lazard admitted him almost immediately.
"Zack, please, have a seat," the man offered as Zack entered his office.
"No thanks," Zack said sharply.
"You know, when you were granted temporary relief from post-mission questioning, it was assumed that you'd be in your personal quarters getting some rest," Lazard commented.
"Did Doke not talk to you when I got out of the compound?" Zack said in return, ignoring his statement.
"He did," the director confirmed.
"Well, did he happen to mention a shitload of discs I found in the compound with apparent connection to Shinra and Wutai?" Zack asked next.
"He did mention something of the sort," the man said with a nod. That only fueled Zack's anger more.
"Then what the hell, sir?! Was it not something worth checking out before destroying?" Zack questioned.
The director leaned back in his chair a little farther. "Normally? Yes. I divulged the information to the vice president and the decision was to continue with the scheduled detonation."
Zack shook his head in exasperation. "I don't get it, sir," he said in a softer tone, leaning his forearms on the edge of the back of one of the chairs in front of him.
"It's not your concern, Zack. You did the job you were supposed to do. Your mission was completed successfully," the director began.
"But sir, don't you think it would have been better to at least look at some of the discs? It seemed to me that they had some potentially important and probably stolen information on them," Zack pushed on.
"It's not my job to question the decisions made by our superiors," Lazard responded simply. Zack was about to continue with his argument but the director diffused his attempt. "It's finished now, Zack. Go. Get some rest now. You'll need it if you're going to be heading back out into the field to lead another mission."
Zack was sure the surprise registered on his face.
"Lead?" he mouthed. He shook his head then. "I screwed up though, sir," he claimed.
"How?" the director inquired.
"Uh, the place got blown-up pre-maturely. Kingsley was almost in the middle of it. Couldn't even manage to keep him outside where he was supposed to be," he explained.
"But you also had your team cleared out of the building before the explosion. You secured the targets we were after, and as far as Kingsley's concerned, he came forward immediately to explain why he was in the building when he shouldn't have been. He credits you for making it back out without injury."
Zack averted his eyes before bringing a hand to his face, rubbing it tiredly.
"You're relieved of your duties for the next twenty-four hours, Zack. Go get some sleep. Just make sure you report to the tank for post-mission questioning tomorrow morning at ten," Lazard instructed.
Reluctantly, Zack nodded and rose to leave. He didn`t go back to his room, however. As tired as he was, he left the headquarters building and headed for the train station. He could have just called Aerith. Told her he was fine and that he'd see her soon. But he decided instead to see her now.
She wasn't at the church when he arrived but he waited for her, suspecting she'd return sometime that afternoon. He made a fire in the hearth and fell asleep at the back of the church while waiting but he woke when he felt movement against his chest. He smiled as he felt a warm arm wrap around his torso. Aerith.Without opening his eyes he lifted his left arm and circled it around her body hugging close to him. He placed his right hand on the back of Aerith's head and ran his fingers through her hair slowly.
"I'm so glad you're okay," she whispered after a few moments.
"Told you I would be," Zack said back.
"Were you hurt?" Aerith asked then.
"Not bad," Zack assured her. "Just sore, and tired."
"I thought I'd lost you," she said sadly.
"Never," he said as he finally opened his eyes to look at her. He removed his hand from her hair to place it behind his head.
"Guess you can't really talk about what happened…right?" she asked, though she did know the answer already. SOLDIERs weren't permitted to talk about their missions with civilians, and in some cases with each other.
"Unfortunately not. I would if I could," Zack said sadly.
"I know," she sighed.
"Something's not right," Zack said then. Aerith raised her head to look at him.
"What?" she asked in confusion.
"I think the vice president is up to something. Or trying to hide something. I dunno."
"What do you mean?" Aerith inquired, shaking her head slowly as she rested her chin on his chest.
"I dunno. I just…I found some things in the terrorist compound I thought the company may be interested in but the vice president ordered the building destroyed anyway. It was such a quick decision. It's not like the company to not look into things that concern them. I just—I get this feeling sometimes like he's trying to take over, to worm his way to presidential position somehow," he explained.
"Why? It's not like he's not going to become president eventually. Surely his father plans on handing the company over to him," Aerith countered.
Zack thought about it. "Yeah, I guess," he agreed.
Aerith rested her one cheek back on his chest and hugged him tighter. "How long can you stay?" she asked softly.
"Forever," was his answer.
She giggled in return. "I wish."
"I should be back at the Academy soon. In case someone comes to check on me. I haven't gone through post-mission questioning yet. I shouldn't really be here."
"Ohhh" she groaned. "Can't you just spend the night here, with me? It's New Year's Eve."
He laughed lightly. "Sure. Screw protocol. Screw Shinra." He was only partly joking. He was still thinking about the vice president. He couldn't help the thoughts that came to his mind. What if Rufus had been connected to those discs he found in the compound? What if Rufus had given them to the terrorists? And what if Rufus had known ahead of time about the attack that was to take place at the banquet hall on Christmas? What if he'd helped plan it?"
It didn't really add up. If Rufus was working with the terrorists then why come back with a strike against them? Unless that was always his plan. To use them and screw them over.
The whole thing made Zack's head throb more insistently. He didn't know if he was going to be able to let it go.
When he got back to his room he called Doke to ask him about the discs he'd given him.
"I don't have them, if that's what you're asking about," Doke said tiredly. "They were taken by the Evidence department. You should know that's the way it works."
Zack groaned against the receiver. "I'll never get clearance to see those things," he stated dully. "Who works down there? Anyone I know?"
"Sorry, man. I would have tried harder to keep hold of 'em, but you know how they pounce on you post-mission. We're required to turn over everything but the clothes on our backs," Doke said. It was true. Often times, even their weapons were confiscated for a few days while investigations and paperwork were being wrapped up. When Zack had come back from his last mission to Wutai he hadn't seen Angeal's sword for nearly a month.
"Yeah, I know. It's alright," Zack replied in acceptance. "I just…can't believe the vice president would have that place blown up, knowing what was in it" he added.
Doke scoffed. "I can."
"Why?" Zack inquired.
"Well he was ready to blow the place with you still in it when you weren't responding on your communicator," Doke revealed. "Those things suck by the way, we got an order coming for new ones."
"What the hell do you mean? Did he call during the mission?" Zack asked, ignoring Doke's slight diversion.
"I called him," Doke clarified. "Well—not Rufus. Lazard. When you weren't responding, I called Lazard's office and Rufus answered. He ordered that the compound be detonated immediately. Like right that goddamn minute. He didn't give a crap who was still inside. All he cared about was that the targets were in custody."
Knowing this didn't exactly give Zack a good feeling inside. He knew already that SOLDIERs were still expendable no matter who they were and that missions needed to be carried out to the end even if a SOLDIER's life would be at stake. Before he was able to get communication out to his team when he was stuck in the compound, it was expected that they would follow their original orders and detonate the place. He accepted that but that's not generally how things went. SOLDIERs did care about one another and would do what they could to make sure their team stayed alive. Further, it was uncharacteristic of Shinra to be careless with their SOLDIERs. There had been such a reduction in numbers in the past year that they needed every one they had.
"I wouldn't have done it, you know," Doke said then.
Zack shook his head though Doke couldn't see it. "Done what?"
"Blown the place with you still in it," Doke answered. "I mean, if it got to the end of that countdown and you still hadn't answered. I woulda gone in after you."
"Missions are more important," Zack said in return.
"Not always, and sure as hell not this one," Doke argued.
Zack smiled. "Well, thanks."
"You're a tough kid, Fair," Doke said then and Zack rolled his eyes. Almost no one had referred to him as a 'kid' since Angeal's death. He was one of the youngest first class officers and technically, he was a kid. He didn't feel it though. And he was sure as hell glad most of his peers treated him as their equal, though Angeal had said once that he had advanced too fast for his own good. He never explained further what he was meaning but Zack figured it had something to do with not enjoying his childhood. The way he saw it, he had been childish enough while under his guidance.
"Get some damn sleep," Doke said then.
"Yeah, you too," Zack replied before closing his phone and placing it on the table next to the bed. He rolled over onto his left side and stared at the door. "You're up to something, Rufus. I know it," he said aloud before finally closing his eyes.
000
New Year's celebrations were virtually non-existent at Shinra. Not even a week ago, there had been the shooting at the banquet hall. It seemed that most people weren't in the celebration kind of mood. Zack woke from a long, much needed sleep at around 8 pm. He groaned deeply as he dragged himself off the bed, rolling his injured shoulder slowly to rid it of some of the stiffness. He could have gone back to sleep if he wanted to but his stomach was nagging him to be fed. He wasn't sure what he was going to get his hands on at the time of night it was but he had a thought that there may be some kind of party going on downstairs.
When he opened the door to his room his eyes fell to something sitting just outside. It was a case of beer. There was a piece of paper taped to it. He bent over to pick up the case, bringing it into his room and setting it on the bed. He read the piece of paper then.
Happy New Year from the team of Mission 0-480-a
He smiled before heading out of his room and downstairs. When he got down to the foyer he could tell there was at least some sort of event going on. But he didn't check it out right then. He headed down to the cadet dorms instead, stopping at Dorm B. He was a little surprised to find Cloud not at his bunk, but he had heard some water running in the bathroom as he passed by and was pretty sure it would be Cloud. Resting on the cadet's bed was the book he'd given him for Christmas. He picked it up slowly and turned it over to see what page he was in the middle of reading.
"Sir," a voice spoke then from across the room. He looked up to see Cloud coming toward him.
"You're actually reading it," Zack said in return, holding the book up briefly.
"You're okay," Cloud replied as he stopped next to the bunks.
"Sure am," Zack responded simply. "I don't remember this thing being very interesting. But now it actually seems like a good read," he commented, still looking at the book.
"You can have it back, if you want, sir," Cloud said a little uneasily.
"Oh no, that bad huh?" Zack joked.
"No," Cloud said fast. "I like it, I just thought…I mean it was yours, if you wanted to have it back to read…"
"Nope," Zack said, setting the book back down on the bed. "I'm good. I'll borrow it if I ever have the urge to read it." Cloud nodded in understanding. "How you feeling?" Zack asked then.
"Uh, alright," Cloud answered as he leaned against the bed frame next to him. "Still kinda sore. I'm hoping to get in a few days of training before all the cadets come back and classes resume."
Zack gave him a look of mild disapproval. "Don't work yourself too hard, alright?"
"Yes, sir," Cloud agreed.
Zack smiled a little and then looked back over his shoulder at Johnny's bunk. "Six not here tonight?"
"No, sir. He probably won't be back until one when he's supposed to check back in."
Zack frowned. "Hmph. Hope he's staying out of trouble."
"Probably not," Cloud replied lowly and Zack laughed.
"Yeah, probably not," he agreed. "Come on," he said then and nudged Cloud in the arm as he headed for the door. He looked back when Cloud didn't immediately follow him. "Come on," he repeated.
Instead of asking Zack where it was he wanted to go, Cloud just followed along. It wasn't like he had anything better to do. He could hear what sounded like a party going on as they neared it in the main building.
"You hungry?" Zack asked him then.
"Uhhh…" Cloud didn't know how to respond. Did saying yes mean they were going to join the party?
"Course you are," Zack said before Cloud could say anything else. Instead of leading them into the room where the party was going on, he led them down the hall. He stopped at a door and Cloud read what was written on it.
"This is the kitchen, sir," he said a little uneasily.
"Yep, I can read too," Zack replied, sticking his head in the door. "Hey!" he called out into the kitchen. "Finley!"
A moment later a guy in an apron came to the door. "What up, Fair?" he said as he shook hands with Zack.
"My buddy and I are starvin' out here, you think you could hook us up?" Zack asked. The guy laughed.
"I don't know that you'd like what we're serving. It ain't burgers and fries."
"Is there cake?" Zack inquired.
"Three kinds," Finley announced.
"Well I guess that makes up for it. C'mon man. Be nice I almost died," Zack said with a fake pout.
"Ha! That's funny. You're goddamn invincible," Finley replied before glancing back into the kitchen. "Alright," he said at last.
"Yes!" Zack exclaimed and went to follow him into the kitchen.
"Hey! You know you're not allowed in here. Bento will be pissed if he sees you. Just wait your ass out here," he ordered. Zack sighed in acceptance, stepping back from the door.
"Why aren't you allowed in the kitchen, sir?" Cloud asked after a moment.
Zack laughed before he could answer. "I was ordered to do some work in here for while a year back. I drove the head chef nuts. He threw a meat clever at me," he explained.
"A meat clever?!" Cloud repeated in shock.
"Well…it was a plastic display meat clever," Zack clarified. "But it still hurt!" he added. Cloud shook his head and laughed a little as he thought about it.
The door to the kitchen opened again and Finley appeared with two Styrofoam containers.
"Here ya go, don't say I never did nothin' for ya," he said as he handed the containers to Zack.
Zack took the containers happily. "Thanks man, I owe you," he said and Finley waved him off before ducking back into the kitchen. Zack turned and smiled smugly at Cloud before handing him one of the containers. "Pays to have connections," he told him before leading him to the elevators.
"You mind keeping me company for awhile 'till I pass out again?" he asked as they approached the elevators and Zack hit the 'up' arrow.
"Sure," Cloud agreed.
He still felt a little awkward when he entered Zack's room. Zack pulled out the chair at his desk for Cloud to sit in. He set down his food while he opened the case of beer on the bed.
"How old are you again?" he called back to Cloud.
"Fourteen," Cloud answered a little lowly.
"That's what I thought, here" Zack replied and reached behind him with one of the bottles. He wagged it a little until Cloud took it from him. Of course Cloud was underage. They both were technically. But one wasn't going to hurt.
"Really?" Cloud said as he looked at the beer like it was a foreign object.
Zack looked back at him and shrugged. "It's not like you got morning drills or anything. You've drank before, haven't you?"
"No, sir," Cloud replied softly. Zack looked at him fast.
"What? Not even a little? A taste? Nothing?" Zack fired at him in surprise. He sat himself down on his bed with his back against the wall. The cadet shook his head a little bashfully. "Wow, I mean, I wasn't expecting you to have been getting tanked or anything but…you never went into your parent's stash and just tested it out?"
"No, sir. My mother didn't have any alcohol in the house," Cloud explained.
"Oh, well…you may not like it very much then. Beer's a little bitter." Zack twisted the cap off his bottle and laughed a little as Cloud struggled with his.
"Shuddup," Cloud said as he laughed himself.
"Don't worry, I'm sure it's not cause you're weak. The cap's probably just on extra tight," Zack mocked. With the aid of his shirt put over the cap, he was finally able to get it off the bottle. Cloud sniffed it a little first. "What the hell are you doing? Just taste it!" Zack ordered and the cadet complied.
Well he didn't have a disgusted look on his face, so that was probably a good sign.
"What do you think?" Zack asked, opening the container he had in his lap.
"It's weird," Cloud said, looking at the bottle's label as if it would explain its 'weirdness.' He opened his own container and looked in it. He recognized one thing. The cake. "What is all this stuff?" he asked.
"Hors d'oeuvres," Zack said. "And they aren't bad." When Cloud stared back at him, he went on. "They're appetizers basically. Ya know, what they serve at parties, get-togethers, etcetera." When Cloud still looked a little confused he added "God, who are you? Remind me where it is you're from again."
"Nibelheim," Cloud replied as thought he really didn't want to give up the name of the place.
Zack shook his head and put one of what Cloud thought looked like a taco made with lettuce instead of corn shell in his mouth. "So backwater," he said through a partially full mouth. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised."
"Where are you from, sir?" Cloud inquired.
" Gongaga."
Cloud laughed then. "Hey!" Zack piped up, picking up one of his appetizers and throwing it Cloud's way. The cadet caught it before it pelted him. "You've heard of it I take it?"
"No," Cloud replied, "Just sounds…ya know, 'backwater'," he explained and held up what Zack had thrown at him. "What is this?" It looked a little like the hole of a donut.
"I can never remember the actual names of the things so I just make them up. I call that a cheese donut hole," Zack said and Cloud nodded. Exactly as he'd thought. "Try some stuff. It looks weird but most of its good." Cloud picked up something to put in his mouth and Zack stopped him. "Except that. It's mountain slug."
"What?" Cloud exclaimed looking at it with disgust.
"No, I'm kidding, it's not," Zack laughed. Cloud threw him a distrustful look. "I swear," he assured him, watching with amusement as the cadet chewed it tentatively. "Well?" he asked.
"Yeah, not bad," Cloud agreed.
After a minute of eating, Cloud asked "Did you always know you wanted to be in SOLDIER?"
Zack shrugged a little. "Sorta, I guess. I knew I wanted to do something like it. But pretty much I didn't even think about it until a few guys from the town were heading out the one September to try out. They said I should come along, so I did."
"Did they make it into SOLDIER too?" Cloud asked next, taking another gulp of beer. It tasted even weirder now that he was eating.
"One did. But he got himself an eye injury early on as a third class. Lost most of the vision in his left eye so he couldn't go on. Well he could have, I suppose. But he would have been confined to a desk most of his time. So he quit instead."
"That sucks," Cloud said, imagining how horrible it would be if that happened to him. His dream killed in an instant.
"Eh, he was kinda a dick," Zack said, shrugging again. "What about you? You always want to be in SOLDIER?"
Cloud nodded. "Well, since I was six anyway. Some SOLDIERs came to the town to do something at the reactor. At night they told the kids some stories about SOLDIER. And about General Sephiroth. We were all in awe. Since then, I always wanted to be that kind of person. Someone people look up to. Someone strong and…I dunno, fearless I guess…" He averted his eyes then. "It's dumb, I know—"
"No, it's not," Zack argued. "It's good that you have a goal like that to motivate you."
Cloud nodded slowly. "What's he like to be around? The general?" he couldn't help but ask.
"Ya know," Zack said, pausing to take a drink. "General-like."
"You don't like him?" Cloud asked tentatively. "I just thought…maybe you were friends."
Zack thought hard about how he should answer. "Well, I'm not sure he really has friends. I would have liked to call him a friend but…I dunno, I think two were enough for him. When he lost them, he just didn't want anymore."
"Angeal, right?" Cloud spoke hesitantly, not sure if he should be asking so many questions.
"Yeah," Zack answered, nodding. "And Genesis Rhapsodos. Genesis was a general as well, though it's not really talked about. He was de-ranked only shortly after becoming a general. They were good friends though. Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis. Angeal and Genesis died around the same time and I think it just…hit him harder than he would like to admit, being the tough, 'fearless' man he is."
"Angeal was your…" Cloud began but trailed off, again not sure if he was heading out of line with his questioning.
"Mentor?" Zack finished for him. "Yeah." Looking at Cloud, he could tell he would like to know more. If it were anyone else, he wouldn't have gone on, but he didn't mind it so much with Cloud. "It wasn't easy, losing Angeal as a SOLDIER, or a mentor. Or a friend. He was…an incredible person. If there was ever someone to look up to…"
"Instead of Sephiroth, you mean?" Cloud asked, a little bit of disappointment in his tone.
"No. Angeal was different than Sephiroth. Either made a good role model," Zack tried to explain by keeping his personal feelings aside but it wasn't really working out. He gave in and just got to the point. "Honestly, I was in awe of Sephiroth, just like you. I'm ways I still am. When Angeal died I just wanted him to help fill the void. To be there to share in a little of the burden. The pain. But he left. At the time I was angry at him. I'm not entirely sure now that I'm not still a bit angry but…I'm sure he was dealing with more than I'd ever understand."
Cloud nodded in understanding, though his eyes were lowered slightly.
"Sorry if that, I dunno, tarnishes your image of him, or whatever," Zack apologized awkwardly. Cloud looked up at him.
"No, you haven't. I know. People aren't just one-dimensional. It doesn't change the way I look up to him. Makes me a little sad though. For him. And you, sir."
Zack scoffed and took another drink of beer. "Don't be. Life's too short to be sad."
Cloud took another sip of his own beer before asking "How long has the general been gone?"
"Almost a year," Zack responded before taking a bite of cake.
Cloud looked away a moment then said "He'll come back right?"
Zack shrugged. "Only the general knows that," he replied and then smiled.