Fearless
Disclaimer:
run4life: *pelts into kitchen waving a stack of papers while wearing extremely slippery socks*
"I GOT THEM! GUYS, I GOT THEM! I-ACHOO!"
*feet go out from under her and she slams onto the ground*
UltimateFreedom: *GAAAAAAASP*
run4life: *yells at guy in a suit chasing her who grabs the papers back and runs*
"Dammit, those were the deeds to FFVII..."
A/N: Just sayin', this did actually happen...minus the dude in a suit. And the papers are actually a hairdryer. But still. Don't ask. All I can say is that I do own this chapter/entire story, duh, and I'm rather proud of this one, so enjoy it :) Brief hysterics-just some random stuff I threw in because a couple of reviews mentioned the idea of the three getting caught, even though it doesn't exactly follow the mood of the chapter-, then later some mushy stuff, angst problems, some important answers/clarification...yeah. And listen to Dear Agony by Breaking Benjamin during the inset middle-ish end-ish part. You'll understand...
Chapter 25: Even Heroes Cry
-A few minutes later-
"I knew I wasn't just going insane!" Zack pointed dramatically at Cloud, who sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Yes, very good. Now that we've ruled that one out…"
"Are we not supposed to be searching for the intruders?" a deep, slightly rough voice spoke up.
"Ah, right, right…alleged intruders, though, don't forget, Vincent!" Zack spun away from his two companions and now pointed down the hallway with his sword. "Onward!"
"Maybe if we put a leash on him he could track the scent…" Cloud murmured, mostly to himself. He thought he might have detected a slight lifting of one side of the Turk's face, but it was hard to tell.
"So if we heard it in the training room and Angeal heard it from his office… Hey! What wazzat?"
"Hmm? Oh, nothing," came the wide-eyed, naïve reply.
"Yeah, don't go all 'innocent chocobo' on me," Zack grumbled, stalking down the hall.
"As long as you don't stab me to death with one of those porcupine quills of yours—"
"Hold on. Stop a moment."
"Thank you, Vincent, see, someone understands, that was below the belt with the—"
"Fair, kindly keep quiet; I was referring to the noise."
"What—ohhh."
An irregular clunking noise was traveling through what did indeed seem to be the ceiling. It was getting rather close to the three. It almost sounded like a few people trying to make their way along an echoing tunnel, and talking to each other…
In fact, that was exactly what it sounded like. Vincent's eyes—a golden-amber color that reflected light back in an odd manner—slid to a grate that covered the air vent high up on the wall that slanted diagonally there, ahead of them. He looked at Zack and Cloud and motioned with his head for them to look. The grate covering was no longer there…as if someone had moved it away.
The voices were coming closer, and seemed to be feminine. They echoed endlessly off the inside of the vent, now undoubtedly where all the commotion was coming from, and were unrecognizable because they were warped so much.
"Is it still open?" Tifa hissed to Yuffie.
"Heck, I dunno, I wasn't the last one in!"
"Yeah, we left it…open…" Diana realized slowly. "Oh, crap, I hope nobody noticed—"
"Considering I don't see the barrels of rifles staring us in the face, I think we're pretty much good," Tifa concluded.
"True. Okay, ninja girl, you…" Diana began, trying to make room for her small friend to go ahead of her and ending up in an awkward position braced against the three-foot-high ceiling.
"I'm not going first! What if—"
"I thought you were the great ninja princess of Wutai?" Tifa made a joking face at Yuffie.
"Well, yeahhh, but—"
"Would someone hurry up already, my arm is getting tired heeeeere—!"
The three men had pressed themselves against the wall beneath the opening, so as not to be immediately seen by what sounded like three females attempting to exit through said opening. They had planned to analyze the situation and then move in to question the three on what they might be doing in an air vent tunnel in a Shinra building. They, however, had not planned on a klutzy (mako-infused SOLDIER Third Class who was lethal in battle) nineteen-year-old falling out of her awkward position behind the opening that was slanted forty-five degrees in comparison to both the ceiling and the wall.
So she toppled clumsily out and down headfirst like a bundle down the laundry chute, yelling in surprise. Thank Gaia the ceiling itself was high; otherwise she might not have had time to hit the ground rolling and land in a crouch. That was when she noticed the three figures staring at her. She instinctively grabbed for the hilt of her new sword at her hip. It wasn't there, and she quickly realized that she wouldn't be needing it.
Fudge.
"Uhh…" she started intelligently, but was interrupted by Tifa dropping gracefully from the opening and Yuffie following behind, proclaiming "Wheeee…!…ee?"
"Well hi there, guys, what's crackin'?" Tifa grinned broadly, looking around expectantly. It didn't work. Cloud was giving her the 'what-the-hell-just-happened' look.
Diana straightened up and sheepishly found Zack's eyes. He was giving her the 'what-the-hell-did-you-get-yourself-into-this-time' look and realizing that he hadn't seen her since the attack on Sunday.
Yuffie had locked eyes with Vincent and the two were currently locked in a rather intense staring match. Vincent's glare said 'what-the-hell-am-I-ever-supposed-to-do-with-you?'
"…What have you three been up to?" Zack finally asked after possibly the most awkward silence of Diana's life.
Di bit her lip. How was she supposed to explain this…? She could come up with no good excuse, so instead she just stepped up to him and hugged him around the middle. He blinked and hesitantly hugged her back, wondering vaguely what was going on.
"Sorry," she mumbled innocently into his shoulder. "We got bored and went exploring. Then we spied on you. And might have possibly caused some people to think they were going insane…"
"But we're back now!" Tifa continued cheerfully. "And no harm done, right?" She gave her boyfriend a charming smile. Cloud rolled his eyes and grinned back grudgingly, muttering something like "Let's go" and looping his arm around her waist to lead her off to walk down the hall (even if he did still look like he had absolutely no clue what he was doing touching a girl.)
"Exactly!" Diana turned her face up to Zack's.
He shook his head slowly. "One of these days…" he snorted.
Yuffie held out her arms hopefully to Vincent, grinning widely. He blinked once at her slowly, then quickly snatched her up to throw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, causing the other four to go into laughing fits. "Hey! Hey! Put me down, you cheater!"
Diana started to say something, but realized that the damn air vent was still open. "Ah, hang on a sec." She turned to regard the opening, judging the distance.
"No, let me do it," Zack offered, stepping towards her.
"Nah, I got this, just a second…" She took a few steps back and rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet a couple of times before taking two quick strides toward the wall—and kept running, climbing up the wall. She pushed off and grabbed the edge of the hole, swinging back and forth as she groped for the grate lying on the floor of the tunnel. Aha. She let go quickly and just held onto the grate, pulling it into place while avoiding crushing her fingers, and dropping back to the floor with a quiet whump.
"…What am I going to do with you…?" Zack despaired, shaking his head again in slight bewilderment.
Yuffie was still yelling at Vincent. "Fight me like a man! Or are you afraid to face the wrath of the Great Ninja Yuffie—?"
"I feel like if she had her shuriken on her, Vincent would be a pincushion before too long," Diana mused. "Then again, if I'd had anything with me, you might have had a narrow escape when I saw the three of you standing there…"
Zack laughed, walking down the hall with her and surprising her by taking her hand. She blushed faintly. "Yeah, but unlike Vince, I would've 'fought you like a man'," he air quoted with the other hand.
"Oh, yeah?" Diana teased him. "Bring it on!" She watched him sharply out of the corner of her eye to see if he would take her seriously. The chances were good.
His gaze flicked to their intertwined hands, and before she could connect the dots, he had taken a hold of her forearm and tried to throw her backward over his hip. However, she let him do so, and carefully measured and used the momentum to help herself grab onto Zack and fling him over backwards as well. They both slammed into the ground and promptly engaged in a wrestling match, rolling haphazardly down the hallway.
Eventually they were both just reduced to laughing. They stopped moving, and Diana expected to land on the floor next to Zack. However, she ended up on top of him, and that made it much more difficult to catch her breath. He, of course, wasn't fazed in the least, and only grinned mischievously before rolling over and standing, pulling her with him.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending) for Diana, Zack was a born strategist and she found herself trapped between Zack, his arms, and the wall. He leaned forward, slowly, so that their faces were only an inch apart. She continued to meet his gaze squarely, daring him to do what she knew he was going to. It wasn't like she was complaining—it was just fun to confuse him by standing up to him once in a while.
Zack stared back at the bright, unwavering green-blue eyes patiently. After a good ten seconds—an eternity and a half—he lost his fortitude. "Damn you," he muttered, and closed the distance between them. Diana barely heard Tifa's giggles as she reached up and wrapped her arms around Zack's neck, running a hand through the surprisingly soft onyx spikes. He pulled her ever closer, his strong arms around her waist, like he wasn't going to ever let go…
Until.
"Hey, Zack— Uh."
The two snapped their heads around simultaneously, still in each other's arms.
Diana sighed. "You really do have a knack for making things awkward, Angeal. Really."
-Four days later: Monday, 1 July-
"Yo, mail came for you." Shane tossed an envelope at Diana, who was sprawled on her bed. Confusion crossed her features for a moment before she realized what it must have meant.
She silently thanked Gaia that her friends didn't swamp her to read the letter to them like a bunch of girls would have. That could get interesting fast. She recognized her mother's neat script.
Dearest Diana,
Of course you're forgiven. What else can we do for our girl? Glad to hear you're safe, although I'm sure you know that we don't entirely approve of you not telling us what city you're even in. With any luck, you're still on the continent (your father claims he wouldn't put it past you.) I'm so glad you've found people your age to spend time with when you aren't otherwise occupied—it sounds like you have a job of sorts?
Diana sighed. She kind of had set herself up for that assumption, hadn't she?
It also sounds like you're enjoying it a lot. Dad and I just want you to be safe and smart, and we're both pleased that you've found living arrangements and such. We were only slightly nervous that you make it sound like you're off having adventures! I bet you are. Thinking of your brother as well? I'm so proud of how well you're doing. The situation hasn't improved much here. People are burying it like a bad dream instead of confronting the problem like they should…but enough said about that.
I can't entirely blame you for leaving us like you did. You're absolutely right that you never would have gotten away otherwise. Not that we exactly approve of your decision, but I'm trying to understand.
You can absolutely visit whenever you like—we'll always be here. Bring your friend if you'd like. You know we have lots of extra room. Your father says that, better yet: bring this boyfriend along too! (You know, we have to meet him, I want to know everything! I'm so excited.)
Diana resisted the urge to do a classic facepalm. Of course, Mom. Of course. This was what she got for being somewhat of a tomboy all these years. They completely overreacted when something entirely normal occurred…
I just wish we could come and see all your wonderful acquaintances! Well, maybe not because you don't appear to want to be found quite yet. But someday, perhaps. So you say this good friend of yours to whom you owe so much is a bartender and a martial artist? A bit of an odd combination, perhaps, but I hope you can learn something from her about taking care of yourself.
The other three in the room looked at Diana as she began to crack up helplessly. First, the mention of meeting 'all her wonderful acquaintances' brought thoughts of her roommates…followed by her First Class 'acquaintances'. She didn't really want to think about a meeting between Genesis, Angeal, and Mr. and Mrs. Loveless. Then it was hilarious all over again because her mother was worrying about Diana defending herself! She had much bigger problems than that, certainly…but her parents weren't going to find that out any time in the near future.
I'm not sure what you mean by things you can't put into a letter, but we can certainly talk when you visit. With that in mind, hopefully we will see you soon. Take care and have fun!
Love always,
Mom and Dad
Diana exhaled loudly and flopped back on the covers. "Letter from the parents," she elucidated.
"I thought you ran away?" Shane cocked his head to the side. "They know where you are?"
"Yeah, I did, and no, they don't. I wrote them a few days ago. I mean, they haven't heard from me, at all. They're the type to worry, too." She sighed. She supposed she should respond…
-Tuesday, 2 July, 2357 hours-
Diana woke with a start, her eyes snapping to the numbers on the clock. She almost groaned. Not even midnight and a sort-of nightmare already?
She had been quite literally paralyzed as events unfolded before her. She was stuck inside what was like a giant glass box, able to see out but no one able to see her. Occasionally, though…somehow, someone would catch sight of her.
Tifa. Zack. Devon.
Help me, they would scream at her. Come help me. But she couldn't, no matter how hard she tried, how hard she pushed and pulled, how loudly she tried to yell back that she was trapped.
She shuddered and blinked. She was wide awake now. Suddenly, she was hit with the urge to take a walk. Maybe she just needed to go move around, or something. So she slipped on a loose button-down shirt and cargo pants, not bothering with shoes. Sneaking out the door wasn't too hard with SOLDIER senses and three snoring roommates. Besides, a walk never hurt anybody, right?
Wandering silently and aimlessly through the halls of the building, she stopped suddenly in front of the door to the roof. On a whim, she tried it and somehow found it unlocked, having expected the opposite.
Shrugging, she proceeded up the narrow steps to push open the trapdoor at the top. She was immediately assaulted by a torrent of water in her face.
"Ah, holy—" she cut off the curses as she remembered to keep quiet. Opening the door had released several gallons of water from where it had apparently pooled. And it was still raining quite impressively.
Grinning, she stepped onto the rooftop and closed the trapdoor silently. A boom of thunder made her jump very slightly, and she resisted the urge to laugh. This reminded her of a time she'd had with her brother a few years back.
They had been about sixteen and confined to the house for the night in an inexplicable mood swing from the parental control department. The 'rents were out to dinner, apparently, and Devon had suggested they sneak out anyway. She had heartily agreed, and after a long chain of terrorizing and creeping out the general public, the two had been discovered by their parents dancing on the roof of the single tavern in town. It had been storming that night.
Sighing, Diana walked across the roof, almost slipping several times. It was really great to watch a storm, she thought. Lightning flashed and splattered the scene with white briefly, and she saw that the clouds had actually taken on an odd shade of dark purple. How unusual. She had seen it before, but it was still rare. What if they turned green from all the mako in the atmosphere? She chuckled, walking to the railing at the edge closest to where the storm was moving in from. She could just barely see the mountains in the distance with her mako eyes, across the desert. For being a person not particularly artistically gifted, she thought that people should take photographs of thunderstorms more often. But maybe that wouldn't work right. Painting the scene? That could turn out really cool… As lightning cracked again, closer this time, she looked down the side of the building to the ground. How high up was she—six stories? Something like that. A bolt of electricity made her look to the sky again—that had been a real fork of lightning, and it had struck something. She could smell it on the air. Hm. Not like it really concerned her, but she wondered absently what the chances were of—
"Hey th—"
"Ahh!" she exclaimed while launching a spinning roundhouse kick in the direction that had previously been behind her.
A person was standing just a few feet away, and they promptly flew about twenty feet back through the air. Who are you and why didn't I hear you— she began to rage to herself, then stopped abruptly.
Damn it all, she recognized that spiky hair.
"Shit, Zack, remember the last time you took me by surprise?" She was at his side with inhuman speed, skidding on her knees, before she had to remember to try to tone down the physical signs of mako.
Zack groaned, sitting up. "Oh, Goddess, it is you. Yeah, I remember, but technically you jumped me, so my Goddess your eyes are bright!" he transitioned without taking an extra breath.
"Oh—are they?" Dead giveaways sucked. "Weird. I blame the mutant genes," she waved a hand dismissively. "Are you okay?"
"Fine, fine, just… Wow, you really do pack quite a punch. Or kick. Either way." He sat up all the way and turned his blue spotlight gaze on Diana through the rain. She was kneeling next to him, looking mildly anxious.
"I really do need to control myself once in a while. This is getting old," she muttered.
"Nah, I knew better, I shoulda done that a better way…" he protested. His wet hair stuck to his forehead, and his spikes were drooping more than usual.
"Don't go trying to blame yourself, Zack Fair, I know how you work," she teased him, feeling a bit better.
"Me blaming myself? Isn't that just the pot calling the kettle black? I mean, if you want a really great example of blame-taking, look no further than the corner of this roof—" Zack gestured widely.
"You mean a great example of overdramatizing?" she snorted.
"Perhaps, but that can't always be bad, is it?"
"Let's test that. Answer me truthfully: are you hurt anywhere?" she crossed her arms stubbornly.
He huffed and turned on the 'I'm-an-honest-and-innocent-puppy' eyes. "Noooo, I'm not. I'm indestructible, nothing can hurt me!" He smacked his chest jokingly, water flying off his dark shirt in little droplets.
"Oh, you're so full of it," she laughed, pushing him playfully.
When he didn't respond, Diana met his eyes in apprehension. He was studying her thoughtfully.
"What," she cocked her head to the side.
"When are you going to tell me what you were doing up here in the first place?" he wrinkled his nose, only half serious.
Diana suddenly had a thought as she glanced away, looking for a way out of that. Well… She was feeling a bit daring tonight, and maybe it had a little bit to do with the rain that was still pouring down on them. They were both soaked by now, and the storm was nearly right on top of Midgar.
"I've got a better idea," she said, then turned to meet the indigo eyes again. Before she could elaborate or Zack could ask her to, she leaned forward quickly and pressed her lips to his.
She had taken him by surprise, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to go along with it wholeheartedly. He shifted around to face her fully, sitting up on his knees to pull her closer.
As usual, her mind was as effectively scrambled as if the flickering lightning had struck her. But it didn't really matter, because it was just her and Zack and their feelings together right now.
Being the instigator, she decided to break off the kiss and to stand up quickly, just to irritate him. Doing so, she turned to him, laughing lightly. He was already standing as well and looking at her in mock disappointment. Walking to her previous spot by the railing, she turned her face to the sky again to continue to be peppered by thick, slightly warm raindrops.
"So why were you up here?" Zack joined her.
Shoot, he didn't forget after all. Oh, well. It was a good try. And I'm not exactly complaining, either, she thought mischievously. "Just taking a walk. Couldn't sleep," she said vaguely.
He made a face. "Only you would go for a midnight stroll on the roof during a thunderstorm," he sighed. "So now what?"
"I was wondering the same thing myself," Diana murmured, somewhat absently. She leaned on the waist-high railing. Suddenly Zack was right behind her, one hand appearing on the rail next to her. Turning so her back was to the edge, she realized how close he was. She always had to look up to see him, but he was really close. So she hopped up on the railing in an attempt to get up higher. She was almost at his level now…kind of.
He laughed at her efforts, his hands on either side of her now. "But aren't you afraid of falling?" he asked, a bit quietly.
She grinned and shook her head. "I'm not afraid of anything."
At this, Zack shrugged in grudging acknowledgment. Then his expression changed to a roguish smile. "So where were we again?" He moved closer, and as he did, Diana had another impulsive thought. When he was just a few inches away (tempting though it might be to just comply) she pushed off the rail with her feet, careful not to hit Zack in the face, flipped over backwards, and landed standing on the opposite side of the barrier, on the few feet of flat space before the real edge.
Looking up, laughing, she saw a mildly amazed Zack shaking his head. "You really are something, you know that?" he said.
She didn't respond, just moved forward to lean over the railing towards him. He met her halfway, kissing her almost carefully. Apparently not about to waste their time, he reached over and picked her up clear off the floor and over the railing, back to him. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her as close as he could. She flung her arms around his neck to run a hand through his soaked dark hair, and he made a little involuntary noise in the back of his throat. Diana suppressed the urge to giggle.
Zack had to be the one to end it this time; both their breathing was a little irregular. Taking her face in one hand for a moment, he traced over the scar on her cheekbone with his fingertip. How awful that must have been. For her to have gotten it so many years ago, and keep it so distinctly. He also knew for a fact that this girl did not scar easily, physically or mentally.
Something crossed her face as he touched the scar, and Diana knew it, too.
"Hey, Zack…come to think of it, I really did want to talk to you," she began.
"Yeah? What about?" He took a seat on the wet floor. It was still raining.
She copied him. She took a deep breath, then pointed to the scar. "This. I wanted to put right something I told you once…"
She couldn't tell him the entire truth. She just couldn't. It couldn't all go to hell quite yet. Because he was the one person that she was really, truly terr—freaked out about telling. He could hate her forever…but later. But she wasn't going to go along with the slightly smaller lie on her shoulders, so she was going to try to give him as much of the real story as possible.
"Remember on our first date, how you asked me where I got it?" She almost blushed—whoa. When you called me pretty.
"Uh-huh," he said. "And what you told me isn't what happened, was it?" he continued in the same breath.
"…You're right. I didn't say so because…"
"Wait, so you did lie?" He was freakishly calm.
"Not—yes. Yes, I did. I couldn't talk about it then…I just couldn't."
"I'll trust that, then. I suppose." Crap, it looked like he was feeling all wary now. Way to go, you little idiot, she thought scornfully to herself.
"…Thank you. It's just painful. You want the real story?"
He blinked. "Wait, so…you're going to tell me?"
She blinked back. "Well, there's no going back now, is there?"
He was silent for a moment, turning it over in his head and seeming to accept things for the moment. "Go ahead."
"A Wutaian soldier did it," she started bluntly. "It was a broadsword, and I'm lucky I got away with what I did."
His eyes widened and his nostrils flared slightly, all apprehension gone in an instant. "A soldier? How…is that possible?"
She sighed, sitting down on the cement. Zack joined her. "It was about…three months ago—wow, that long? I suppose that's right—but anyhow. My brother and I…and my cousin…we were in the mountains, near Kalm. We were just walking. Our cousin, he might as well have been our brother. We acted just like it—" and it was true, too: Jonathan had practically taken over Devon's role after he had died, and had been a well-known addition to the twins before, making them quite the infamous trio of teenagers. "—Anyways, all of a sudden, these troopers come out of nowhere. There were…" she thought, "maybe ten, a dozen of them? All had swords and guns, the whole nine yards. Who knows, maybe they were doing recon on all the cities remotely close to Midgar; we never found out. So they see us, and both Jonathan's and Dev's eyes have always been really bright, it runs in the family, and they had a couple weapons on them for protection, so I guess they mistook them for SOLDIERs on an errant mission or something. They…" she sped up, trying to get the words out as fast as she could now, "just attacked us, no mercy, and somehow I got smashed across the face, and turns out fractured my wrist too, and there was no way we were going to get out of there." Her eyes narrowed. "I wasn't even armed. J–Jon was the only one with a sword, and he yelled—he yelled for us to—to run, and…" she had to stop. She choked down whatever was struggling to come up her throat, and coughed in a weak attempt to still her voice. "…and to leave him, and I—we had no choice, we didn't have any way to defend ourselves—we got shot at on the way—and we barely made it into town before they could really catch us…the guards took care of those few, but the rest…we went back later, and…and there wasn't even a body—" a choking noise broke out from between her lips and her whole body shook once.
"Ohmygoddess." Zack took her into his arms quickly. He stroked her hair as she planted her forehead on his shoulder and gave into uncontrollable heaving sobs that racked her suddenly delicate frame. He shifted and pulled her onto his lap, murmuring softly to her.
How could someone so broken be so strong? If only he'd had any idea. No wonder she'd lied about it. He didn't want to imagine the amount of pride it had cost her to confide in someone, either. She was always so closed up, in a way—and now that Zack knew the things that he did, it was hardly a surprise.
Abruptly, he remembered a certain time just about a month ago. He had stayed behind, trying to give his comrades a chance to escape…including Devon. Then the kid had flung himself in front of Zack in an utterly idiotic and desperate move… Trying to prevent the past from repeating, Zack now realized. He choked back something foreign rising in his throat as well.
"Your brother saved my life once. Remember that?" he said quietly. "He wouldn't let the past repeat."
She shook again. That had been her…and those had been exactly her thoughts.
Never again…
'What is it with you SOLDIERs and your altruistic suicide?'
'Run! You have to run! I'm giving you a shot!'
'Trust me, it's good for remembering past mistakes…'
'Don't you dare die on me!'
…How could this happen to me?
"How long has it been since you let yourself do this?" he murmured, feeling heartbroken for the poor girl in his arms. She didn't break down. Ever. But now the aura emanating from her just felt…hopeless. Like a current was dragging her away, and she couldn't hold on waiting for salvation any longer.
She tried to say something incomprehensible. Then she finally managed a watery but somehow unwavering, "Never." Not a single time had she cried for her brother. For a while, it was just the simple inability to comprehend. After all, there had been no body. What were the chances he might walk through the door, fully alive and laughing, at any time? But after that…she had just slowly hardened into a shell and then a core of impenetrability. Since leaving home, though…that protection had begun to crack, and whether that was a good or a bad thing, she had yet to decide. And it had just been shattered to pieces.
She was crying, Zack realized numbly. He wasn't sure she had been capable…but apparently she was. "Oh, dragonfly…" He remembered the nickname he had given her, realizing that she really was that fragile. Never? Never. Wow. Small wonder she was a mess now… He squeezed her closer to him and murmured to her soothingly, the pounding rain drowning out her sobs.
Something small, wet, and unfamiliar coursed down her cheek swiftly. Then another one. And a third retraced the path of the first, leaking into the corner of her mouth. It was salty and warm, different from the tainted cool rain that kept beating down on the rest of her. A large, warm, and solid something was shielding her from the worst of it—oh, it was Zack. Of course it was Zack…of course he would stay to be there for her… A fourth, from the other eye this time. More than she had cried in years, by now. And since that day…never.
-Early April; three months ago-
"Di—GO!"
She couldn't argue. He wasn't going to let her argue. He wasn't going to let her dismiss the order, or ignore him, or be stupid about it; he just wanted her to, just this one time if ever, listen to him and run. It was all she had to do.
She froze in place, eyes wide, mouth slightly open in shock and fear, trembling in small quivers, completely unsure of what to do.
He knew she wasn't going to leave him there. But all he wanted was for her to get away. There was no way to get her to go successfully, unless he pushed her all the way down the mountain. But that couldn't happen. He couldn't look away for a second. He couldn't spare a glance to the trees around him, nor to the ground beneath his feet that was carpeted with snow, or to his weapons, or to his sister. And there was no way to get her out and away. No way at all…
"No," she said in a small voice before she became assertive again. "No, never! I can't—I won't—"
"Di. Go. I love you. Now, go." He steeled himself. Although for what, he wasn't quite sure. Anything could happen. Anything can happen in a heartbeat…
"N–no! I—" she paused suddenly, eyes still wide. She took in the shape of her brother standing in the snow, his back to her. He felt her eyes on him and sent up several urgent, desperate prayers. If you're listening…
Her posture relaxed, then hardened, like she wasn't planning on doing anything but the exact opposite of his words… "I love you, Dev." Then she suddenly turned and pelted away down the mountain.
Thank you. Oh, thank you… Smart girl. Smart, smart girl… Devon praised his sister. He then realized that these faceless enemies in front of him weren't going to let her get away. She could get away and raise the alarm—at least, he prayed to Gaia again that that was exactly what she was planning on doing. Then maybe these people would be caught… He purposefully didn't think of what would happen to him in any situation. One could call that a character flaw of his. The tendency to throw himself in front of other people to protect them, regardless of his own safety or situation or condition. Not even just people he loved; anyone who was in trouble. He constantly laid things on the line for ones he hardly knew, or didn't at all. Most people didn't understand this strange habit of his… Constantly taking proverbial the bullets for others. Hopefully it was enough to save someone he loved possibly the most in this world…this one time. It was all he was asking for.
The entire exchange and tangent of thought took all of a few seconds, and then the soldiers facing him down realized that target number two was making an escape. One yelled something. It confused Devon momentarily, because he had assumed that the speech seemed garbled at first on account of the helmet the speaker was wearing. When his mind didn't work through and comprehend the distorted words, he realized that it was in fact a foreign language. It sounded…Wutaian. That was exactly what it was.
Either way, three of the soldiers barked a reply in unison and went tearing off to Devon's left. Down the hill. Towards the town. After his sister. He involuntarily half-lurched toward the three, but knew there was no hope. He would be a goner the instant he took his attention off the eight-odd others in front of him.
So he screamed. "Di, look OUT!" he yelled, praying she could hear him, or hear them coming. Or better, outrun them. She was abnormally fast. And she had a good set of lungs on her. She could yell for help from the guards. She would be okay.
He prayed quickly again.
The one who seemed to be in charge snapped something else in the choppy, harsh language.
Four massive sidearm were raised. Four shots blasted off. Four bullets screamed just past Devon.
Their eyes widened behind their visors, invisible to the teenager standing before them.
The eyes of the teenager—for that was in truth all he was—narrowed.
And he charged them with a violent yell, broadsword swinging.
He was going to give it his all. He was going on another insane endeavor. He was going to let his instincts and training take over.
And he would take on the world,
Just
Like
That.
It was too bad that he and his skills hadn't gotten the chance to join SOLDIER.
He was bleeding…
It was too bad it had to be this way.
Too much. Too much, too fast, but he could take it. He could take anything for the sake of what he was now fighting to defend.
It was too bad that he had nothing left to give.
He was spent, utterly and completely and in agony…
It was too bad this had to be the end.
…And irreversibly.
It was too bad that something still remained to make it hurt.
He hoped that she had gotten away. He could almost hear her, yelling his name… Almost. Was it almost? It seemed awfully real. But his ears could detect no female voice through the snow-draped trees.
He inhaled shakily, fighting hard to take that breath. He had fought until the end…
Someone looking at him would wonder how, or why, he was still alive. Blood was everywhere, soaking into the powdery whiteness all around and tainting it forever. Blood spilled by faceless enemies. Blood infused with the honest purity of its previous owner, now lying in the snow, choking on each weak signal of life that slipped past his lips.
Yet it was his perfect end.
He refused to just disappear, to be forever erased from the history books. He hoped they would remember him… Because he knew there was no more hope now.
For the both of us…
He thought it barely consciously, not expecting his thought to be continued by a quiet little voice coming from an unfelt corner of his mind. It was probably a hallucination that it echoed,
"For the…both of us?"
You're gonna… he thought, barely able to form coherent thoughts in sentences anymore, and almost forgetting who he was thinking of in these thoughts. Almost.
"You're gonna…?"
He smiled gently, eyes just barely half closed. Live.
Carrying on the hallucination was taking all too much energy, and he just exhaled peacefully, leaving it at that. His breath was taken away swiftly, disappearing into the chilly air. Freezing, wet something was soaking through to his back, different from the hot stickiness that seemed to be everywhere at once. Maybe that was because it really was everywhere…
He didn't want to leave. He had a life, friends, family. A future. The whole world ahead of him. But he was trying to save someone, so…it was…okay. He didn't want it to have to be this way. But there was no going back now, and there was no other way to have done it. It was going to be okay now…his perfect end.
Couldn't the slow suffering end already? He wanted to be done with this… The enemies he had killed laid a ways away, blue and cold already. Why was it taking so long…? He tried and failed to turn his head, but with the movement, he took notice of a little glow in the midst of the darkness that he saw the sky as. It was a deep blue, actually, but he could hardly even feel anymore, never mind see…
Take me with you. Carry me, lift me up…
Carry me to heaven's arms…
Let me go; all you have to do is light the way for me.
My breath is gone already; this is the end of it all.
The last thing that filled his vision was a flash of brightest, glassy lavender.
Dear agony… I will end where I began.
And then the lights went out on the one last breath he had fought for.
-The present-
Diana was gasping heavily, dry sobbing again, the tears winding down finally.
Zack rubbed her back, cradling her in his arms.
It took her a moment, but she worked an arm free of where it had been lodged in her fetal position and wiped briefly at her face before encircling his middle with both arms, holding on like he was a life preserver. Which, in an ironic manner of speaking, he was. "Thank you," she whispered, able to get the words out clearly.
"It's okay," he murmured again. "You don't have to explain anything else, just hold on, you're okay…"
"Thank you," she insisted simply.
"I – what? Oh, Gaia, don't go and thank me now—" Having a thought, he reconsidered and relented "—but if it'll make you feel better, then okay. You're welcome." After a moment, he spoke again. "We should go…"
"Oh – oh, of course. Yeah," she mumbled, shaking her head and wiping off the other side of her face, streaked with rain and tears. It was still spitting sprinkles down on the two.
Zack took one more considering look at what he could see of her face, and just went and picked her up, one arm behind her back and the other under her knees. She buried her face in his chest again, looking very small and breakable at the moment.
Once they had maneuvered back down the steps and into the building again, Zack shifted Diana effortlessly to his back. "Where do you want to go?" he asked softly. Because, in all honesty, he had no idea what to do with her. Taking her back to his place would just be weird at this point, and he was pretty sure that she would want to be mostly alone in a little bit, if he knew her well at all.
"Just take me back to m…my brother's dorm," she mumbled, eyes drooping closed with the weight of the world on her mind.
"Will you be okay there?"
"Uh-huhmm." Goddess, she was tired…so tired… She didn't even care at this point; she could deal with her girliness in the morning.
"'Kay. One minute." He smiled gently back at her and the ghost of a smile appeared on her lips as her eyelids drifted closed again.
A few moments later, he had used his master key into his friends' dorm and finally agreed to leave her there. She said (albeit somewhat blearily) that she would crash on the couch. So he gathered her into another tight embrace and kissed her forehead, bidding her goodnight and leaving for his own rooms.
She promptly stumbled around and across the room to her bed, flopping down on the blessedly soft surface, not even sure if her head was still on straight. She was asleep in a land of no dreams before her head even hit the pillow.
A/N: *wails* Why are these people so tortured? Oh yeah...I invented this...right, right. So Zack knows the kind-of truth now. He gets it, even if he's still misinformed on who exactlyl is dead. And I'm not just bringing this up over and over again to make things more painful-Devon's role is actually really important. You'd kill me if I told you why, but the story kinda comes back to haunt her later. I mean, more so. But, other than the depressing stuff, I thought the air vent episode was kinda hilarious XD Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading, and please review! :)