Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. More to come soon if you're still interested.
Songs for the chapter: 1. Dig (Everything and Nothing Remix) - Mudvayne; 2. The Darkest Side - The Middle East; 3. Kiss Me Like You Mean It - Amy Kuney
Chapter XXV
Zack's heart was beating in his chest so hard it actually hurt. The moment the truck had pulled to a stop he had stood up from where he was crouched amongst the cargo. He had been listening to the sounds of voices outside. He wasn't sure why but he had assumed his target, the so-called Blackjack was going to be alone. But of course he wasn't. It was only moments before he could hear the door being unlatched. He'd already pulled the gun and was holding it ready. He cocked it just before the doors were pulled open. He fully intended to begin shooting as soon as he could make the shot. As the night air burst into the truck, he locked his aim on the person ahead of him. He could tell the man was a little shocked. They were both still as they locked eyes. It hit Zack then, that pang somewhere inside him, a feeling of familiarity that had his arm beginning to lower without him even thinking about it. The man was masked. All he could see were his eyes, and yet he was sure he recognized him. A man, just a young man, who was once just a teenager at the SOLDIER Academy. Still only a teen when he was killed...
Suddenly, the man was ducking away. Something was going on. He could hear shouting and the sounds of doors shutting. He wasn't sure what was going on but he was very aware of the fact his hesitation in shooting had just meant a failed mission Scorch was probably going to be pretty unhappy about it. Quickly, he slipped the gun back in his waistband and began rummaging through the boxes around him frantically. Somewhere in there was Cloud's medication. He'd seen the boxes being loaded.
"What is that?" Cloud questioned on the rooftop where he was standing with Reno. He'd just watched the vans take off away from the box truck and the driver and passenger had run off as well, leaving Zack on his own. In the distance he could see two black vehicles approaching. One was a car and the other an SUV.
"Turks," Reno said as he lowered his binoculars. "They're coming to arrest pretty boy."
"What?!" Cloud exclaimed in shock following after Reno as he headed for the fire escape ladder back to the ground. "We have to get to Zack first!" he called.
"You should just jet out of here, baby boy, they aren't coming for you. They don't even know you're here," Reno suggested when he touched down on the pavement.
"No way!" Cloud protested. "I'm not leaving Zack! Come on, you can get us out of here in your car," he urged, making a move to start running to where they'd left the car. He stopped fast when he realized Reno was just standing there. "Reno!" he called urgently.
"I can't," Reno said back and Cloud approached him again.
"Yes, you can—" he started to argue.
"No!" Reno snapped almost angrily. "I can't be seen by the others with you and Zack, Cloud!"
"Reno—" Cloud began to plead but the Turk shook his head.
"Take my car," he instructed then. "The keys are in it, go!" he pushed, pivoting to leave in the opposite direction.
"But—" Cloud tried once more.
"It's all I can do!" Reno yelled back at him. "I'm sorry," he added before he was disappearing down the alley.
"Shit!" Cloud cursed once before he gave up on Reno and made his way quickly to the Turk's car. He couldn't remember when he'd last driven a vehicle, or if he even knew how but he knew he'd figure it out because he had to. He was only going down the street anyway. The incoming Turks were already in the rear view mirror when he pulled up to the back of the truck. Zack was jumping out the back of it with a small box under his one arm. Cloud called out his name from the driver's side window and Zack stared through the windshield in shock.
"Cloud?" he questioned.
"Turks are coming!" he shouted anxiously and Zack was quick to come to the door. Cloud moved over into the passenger side so Zack could drive. Zack handed him the box he was holding and told him to put it on the floor. He started the car moving fast, though the Turks were already too close for comfort.
"What are you doing here?" Zack asked, the familiar hint of annoyance Cloud was used to from him.
"Later!" Cloud shot back at him.
"Is this Reno's car?" Zack said then as he glanced around the vehicle. "What the hell is going on, Cloud?" he demanded to know.
"We followed you here," Cloud explained. "You can be mad about it later," he added fast. "Reno must have got a message from someone, probably Rude. Turks are coming to arrest you."
"How'd they know where I would be?" Zack asked and Cloud shook his head. "They're right behind us," Zack said then when he looked back in the mirrors.
"Can we lose them?" Cloud questioned.
"We're sure as hell gonna try," Zack replied as calmly as he could. He drove as fast as possible through the streets. Luckily it wasn't a part of the sector with a lot of night activity. Still, he had to avoid a few cars by driving in the oncoming traffic lane. They were headed toward the edge of the sector when a third black vehicle, a car, joined the others behind them. The chase at that point had gone on just under ten minutes but until that third vehicle showed up, it had almost been as though they were just being followed very closely. The moment that car arrived, the other two peeled off to the left on another street.
"What the fuck is going on?" Zack questioned aloud, alternating between watching the road ahead and the car still behind them.
Just moments later, the car that had peeled off reappeared when it skidded out from one of the adjacent roads right ahead of them and slammed on its breaks, forcing Zack to do the same. Cloud looked to the left and saw the black SUV heading straight for the driver's side of the vehicle from the street the other vehicle had just come. "ZACK!" he shouted by way of warning but there wasn't anything Zack could do. The SUV slammed Reno's car, pushing it across the cement as the sounds of tires screeching, busting glass and crushing metal filled the area. The car was stopped abruptly when it was jammed up against a parked vehicle on the side o f the street. Cloud's head connected with the window in the door at his side and his shoulder and right knee slammed against the door. When they'd stopped moving he reached a hand to his head, not sure how bad he'd just hit it. It hurt a lot. He heard Zack coughing but before he could check his condition or say anything the busted driver's side door was being pried open and two Turks were reaching in. Cloud looked over then to see Zack being pulled out of the car. He reached his hands out fast to try and grab hold of him, but it was too late.
Zack groaned in protest and pain as he was dragged back from the vehicle, watching it with slightly blurred vision as he tried to get his senses back. His left shoulder felt like it was on fire. He hadn't fully recovered yet from the injury he'd received at the warehouse and it was like being hit by that massive hook all over again. He could barely think straight for a moment after being pulled from the vehicle but he realized soon enough who had a hold of him. The two Turks had his arms but as he began to struggle against them he slipped from their grip and his back hit the asphalt. One of the Turks appeared in front of him and reached down to grab hold of him again. He lifted his one leg fast and kicked the Turk back, giving him just enough time to reach for the gun he still had in his waistband. It made little difference as he didn't even get a chance to fire before the gun was kicked out of his hand by the second Turk. Before he could make another move the Turk aimed his own gun down at him and without hesitation fired.
The bullet hit him in his chest. No, not a bullet. A dart. He really didn't get much of a look at it before he was slipping very suddenly into unconsciousness.
Back at the car, before Cloud had been able to make any real attempts to move, a Turk had gotten into the driver's side of the vehicle and pulled the smashed up door closed the best he could. A second Turk had climbed into the back and all within 20 seconds or so the vehicle was moving again. It only took a few moments for Cloud to make the decision to jump from the moving car. He didn't care how fast it was going. He grabbed the handle next to him and pushed the door open. The Turk in the backseat was fast to try and stop him, circling an arm around him from behind, but Cloud grabbed his arm and threw himself forward, pulling the Turk with him, the man must have smacked his face good on the back of the headrest. The Turk's arm slackened and Cloud ripped himself away from it, kicking the door open a second time and attempting to jump once more. He felt the Turk in the driver's side try to grab hold of him but caught a bit of his shirt only briefly as he was leaping from the vehicle.
He hit the asphalt hard and rolled a few times before coming to a stop. He heard the screeching of the car's tires just ahead as it was brought to an abrupt halt. He pulled himself to a stand and moved to run. Behind him, the car was reversing fast. It only took a second to catch up to him. Suddenly, the bumper was hitting the backs of his legs, throwing him forward and back onto the ground. The car was stopped before it ran over him completely. He wasn't able to lift himself up as quickly the second time. He had just scrambled to his feet when the Turks had gotten out of the car. He was just out of their reach as he started into a run again but he didn't make it very far before he felt something pierce the back of his shoulder. He reached back to feel for what it was and touched the end of a dart. Gripping it hard he pulled it from his shoulder. He realized with horror he'd been tranquilized when he was only able to make a few more strides before he felt his knees becoming weak and his whole body getting heavy. He hit the ground once more on his knees and his upper body followed fast. In just seconds he felt completely paralyzed and his consciousness started to fade away.
Just before passing out, he heard some sort of commotion. Gunshots were fired and a Turk fell next to him with what looked like the shaft of a crossbow bolt protruding from his chest. That was the image he was left with as he closed his eyes one last time and slipped into darkness.
000
Before Zack had even opened his eyes, upon coming back to consciousness, he was immediately aware of a heavy pain in his chest and found it nearly impossible to take in a good breath of air without feeling as though he was being suffocated. When he finally did open his eyes he couldn't tell where he was. He was lying down on what could have been a cot. He didn't recognize the ceiling above him.
"Wh-wh," he struggled to speak but found himself having to stop to take in one short, strangled inhale after another. He heard the sound of footsteps and a figure appeared over him, a familiar face looking down at him while he forced his heavy eyelids open to look back up at him.
"Hello, Officer Fair," the man spoke.
"Cadet Six," Zack managed to get out. Of course, the man wasn't a cadet in the SOLDIER Academy anymore. He wasn't really anything anymore, but he had been a First Class Private in the Shinra Army. PFC Johnny Six. "You're dead," Zack marvelled.
"So are you," Johnny said back.
Zack found himself trying to hold back the urge to cough. He just couldn't get in a good breath. The need to fill his lungs with oxygen and being unable to do so was so painfully uncomfortable it had him almost panicking.
"The tranquilizer you were shot with was injected partially into your lung tissue and it's affecting your respiratory system," Johnny explained. "You should recover fully in a few hours."
"Cl-Cloud," Zack stuttered out. "Where is he?" he asked.
"Here," Johnny replied, nodding his head to someplace nearby.
"I want to see him," Zack said as he tried to lift his own head and shoulders, only to find them to be terribly heavy and achy. Johnny placed a hand under his head and helped him lift it enough to see where Cloud was lying on another cot, apparently still unconscious. "Okay," Zack breathed out as he lay back down and tried to calm himself. He and Cloud were safe. The Turks hadn't captured them. Everything had happened so quickly he hadn't really felt the fear of the possibility they'd be caught, but he felt it now. They'd had an incredibly close call. If it weren't for Johnny...Johnny. Was he really the man Scorch had sent him to kill? What were the odds of that? Especially since Johnny was supposed to be dead.
"H-help me s-sit up," he said to Johnny. His whole body hurt as he he was sitting he found it a little easier to breathe and was finally able to get a better look at the former army man. There were definitely things about him that had changed. He looked at least a decade older, even though it had only been about four years since Zack last saw him. Several small scars were visible on his face and neck from what he could see. Johnny's hair was longer now than he'd seen it before and it hid most of his forehead and some of the sides of his neck. "I need air," he rasped, trying to stand up. His mind was reeling over everything that had just happened and what was happening now.
Johnny helped him stand and walked him out of the room into a larger one that looked to be a living room, though there was no furniture to define it as such. It occurred to Zack suddenly that the only light in the rooms were coming from candles and old lamps.
"You live here?" he remarked.
"I stay here when I need to," Johnny answered simply. "Most nights I stay outside the city if it's warm."Only in the past few days had the cold from the approaching winter started to set in.
Johnny led Zack over to some glass doors that he opened to reveal a stone balcony that faced a wide open view of land. Wherever they were, it had to be the very edge of the city.
"Are we on the plate?" Zack asked, though they had to be. Nothing but sky above. "I didn't know there were buildings like this anymore," he added. The building was brick. It had to be one of the first built on the plate before new contemporary and industrial designs were adopted. Buildings like it were only found in the slums, so Zack had thought.
"This one's slated for demolition," Johnny said as he let Zack go at the railing on the balcony and rested his forearms on it. Zack leaned on it and watched Johnny a moment in awe.
The last time he'd seen Johnny it was during the viewing of a presumed execution video. He and a fellow soldier, Gary Alden, had been executed by Wutaian rebels about a month after being captured on a mission in Wutai. There had been no way of positively identifying either Johnny or Gary though as their faces had been covered during the execution and the video footage unclear. Video experts deemed the footage legitimate and Shinra declared Johnny and Gary officially deceased.
"What in the hell happened to you?" Zack asked. "Obviously you weren't executed as everyone thought."
Johnny looked back at him a moment before answering. "I don't know who was executed in mine and Gary's places. I assume they were Wutaian soldiers. Gary and I were gone by then, taken to a small island off the main coast."
"Imprisoned?" Zack questioned.
"In a way," Johnny answered. "The first few weeks we were caged with the others. After that we were allowed to wander. There was nowhere to go. No way off the island. Only one village. The conditions on the island were pretty harsh."
"There were others? Shinra troops?" Zack said in surprise.
"A few," Johnny confirmed. "There was a reporter that had been captured. Some civilians and some Wutaian troops."
"How long were you there?" Zack spoke in slight wonder.
"Almost three years," Johnny revealed.
"Did you try to escape?" was Zack's next question. In the back of his mind were the memories of the times he and Cloud had tried to escape from the Shinra Mansion.
Johnny thought about and spoke softly. "Just once. I left the village and went into the forest. I was out on my own about a week. I fell down an embankment and cut up my leg. The wound became infected pretty quickly and within a few days I was delirious. The village fishermen found me on the beach one morning unconscious and took me back. It was a few weeks before I could walk again, and a month had passed by the time I was strong enough to leave the house I was kept in. After that I just...made the best of what I could."
"Made the best," Zack repeated his words, not really understanding.
"It was just a village of regular people. There were guards but...for the most part the people treated us like we were visitors. We worked. They taught us to hunt, to farm, to fish, to build and repair the houses...to fight like traditional Wutaian warriors."
"Sounds fantastic," Zack said a little sarcastically, thinking of how his and Cloud's captivity was nothing like that. "Why leave?"
Johnny smiled a little. "It wasn't all bad, but it wasn't all good either," he stated. "We were still just outsiders and it wasn't freedom."
Zack nodded in understanding. "How'd you get away?" he asked.
"I stole a boat," he said as though it were obvious.
"Why didn't you just do that to begin with?" Zack said back sharply.
"It took a certain amount of planning and convincing certain people I was trustworthy," Johnny explained.
"Did Gary come back with you too?" Zack wondered then.
Johnny shook his head but didn't say anything. The answer was pretty obvious. Gary hadn't been alive when Johnny left.
"What happened to him," Zack asked as he looked down at the floor.
"He left his spirit in Wutai the day we were shipped to the island," was Johnny's only answer.
There was a bit of silence before Zack asked "Why'd you come back to Midgar?"
Johnny shrugged. "It's the only place I've ever considered home I guess."
"I guess I know the feeling," Zack said before attempting a deeper breath. He looked back the way they'd come through the living room and into the room where Cloud was still unconscious. Johnny followed his eyes.
"It's good to see him," he said quietly. "When I read what happened in Nibelheim...I was...disappointed," he explained. Zack nodded. "Where did they hide you?" he asked then and Zack grimaced.
"Just outside Nibelheim," he answered sadly. "In the 'custody' of Professor Hojo."
Johnny nodded. "For how long?"
"Four years," Zack revealed. "Until we were saved by a doctor who used to work for Hojo."
"That's lucky."
"No," Zack denied. "It was Cloud. She always felt bad, because of him. I could see it in the way she looked at him."
"Was it like the stories?" Johnny asked then and Zack looked at him.
"No. It was hell," he clarified before taking a slow breath and shaking his head. "Cloud would have been so happy to see you. It was hard for him when they declared you dead."
Zack was shamed to think of it. When Johnny had been declared officially dead Cloud had refused to believe it. He thought the execution video to have been faked and he'd been right. Zack had been the one to finally convince him otherwise.
"Would have been?" Johnny said back in confusion.
Zack sighed, rubbing at his chest a little where he'd been shot with the tranquilizer. It still felt sore and tight, though his breathing was becoming easier. "He has no memory of anything before our capture," he replied. "He has no idea he was ever in the army."
"Hasn't he asked about his past before what happened in Nibelheim?" Johnny questioned as he stood straight and crossed his arms. Zack nodded. "What did you tell him?"
"He thinks he was a First Class SOLDIER."
"You told him that?" Johnny asked.
"I didn't tell him otherwise," Zack explained. Johnny just looked back at him a moment before he turned to look out on the dark horizon again. When Johnny didn't say anything Zack asked "Don't you want to know why?"
Johnny shook his head. "Not really."
It was an answer Zack couldn't really accept. He felt the need to explain. "The last four years were nothing but pain and fear. Cloud lost his family and his home in that fire in Nibelheim. He nearly lost his life in the reactor and he lost his freedom that night. And over the next four years I watched him lose himself, his memories, his innocence. The shit Hojo did to him put him in a coma for months and when he finally woke, when what he thought were memories were coming back to him, I couldn't tell him what he believed wasn't true. In his mind he was a SOLDIER and his family's alive. Am I supposed to kill his dreams and his mother all over again?
Johnny wasn't looking at him. Zack had the feeling his explanation had really meant nothing. Maybe because he had a hard time believing his own words.
"He's a lot stronger than you give him credit for," was Johnny's response.
"No," Zack denied. "I know better than anyone how strong he is, but he's not the same. He's sick, he needs to take medications to function, he—"
Suddenly, Zack remembered something. The medications he'd taken from the truck. They'd been in Reno's car and no doubt that's where they still were.
"Shit!" he exclaimed quietly to himself, slouching to his elbows on the balcony railing in front of him. "The medications..." he uttered sadly, knowing how difficult it would be to get a hold of them now that he couldn't go to Scorch.
Johnny stepped away from the balcony. Zack was too busy being consumed by his ponderings over how to figure the situation out that he didn't bother to turn to see where he was heading. He returned a minute later, setting a box down on the thick railing next to Zack. Zack recognized it immediately.
"Are you—" Zack stuttered out in surprise. "Are you serious? I can't believe you—"
"Is that what you got involved with Scorch for?" Johnny asked before reaching into his pocket. "Or was it this?" He set a bottle down on the railing. Sirex. "Pretty weak behaviour for a SOLDIER," Johnny said and Zack scoffed.
"That's funny coming from you, Six," he responded fast.
"Running's not the same as using," Johnny defended calmly.
"You dropped, I know that," Zack shot back in annoyance.
"Mm, okay," Johnny said before he turned to go back inside the apartment.
"Did you really claw your way back to Midgar from life as a POW just to run for another dealer?" Zack called after him.
Zack wasn't sure why he was so angry so suddenly. He knew Johnny didn't deserve his anger. Johnny had saved his and Cloud's lives. If he'd shot Johnny it would have been a very different outcome.
"I don't work for Scorch," Johnny argued as he faced Zack again.
"Oh, right, you're a fixer, I forgot."
Johnny sighed a little. "Who said that?" he asked.
"One of his other employees. She said you 'fix situations'." Zack revealed.
"I don't work for Scorch," Johnny repeated.
"But you did," Zack argued.
"I don't work for anyone," Johnny denied. "I do jobs for a number of people."
"And what jobs does a fixer do?" Zack asked curiously.
"Whatever the person pays for." Zack raised an eyebrow and Johnny smiled ironically. "Those days are long gone," Johnny said before shaking his head slowly. "Scorch's real name is Robert Inger. I met him years ago when I was pushing."
"The competition?" Zack asked.
"He gave me three cracked ribs and a concussion for dealing in his zone when I was fourteen."
Zack wasn't completely surprised to hear it. Scorch certainly seemed ruthless. He'd had one of his men beat a woman black and blue in her apartment. Why wouldn't he do the same to a kid?
"I didn't know who I was doing a job for when I was contacted by one of his men and he didn't know who he was hiring," Johnny continued. When I met with him for payment and he saw who I was he refused to pay. I warned him if he didn't pay I'd make business difficult for him."
"So he sent someone to take you out," Zack stated.
"Twice apparently," Johnny replied. There was no doubt that Zack felt shame for it. "Why'd you agree to do it?" Johnny asked after a moment of silence.
Zack shook his head sadly. "There wasn't a choice," he said simply but decided to elaborate when Johnny looked at him expectantly. He started at the beginning, sort of.
"He has mako sickness," he began. "Cloud. When we were held captive we were exposed to mako in various forms. A lot of mako. Sometimes raw. Towards the end, Cloud was being given so much he became poisoned and that's what sent him into a coma. He came out of the coma after we'd escaped but he was still sick and couldn't remember anything. I got hold of the medications for treating the sickness but his exposure had been too great and the drugs became ineffective. A doctor told me to try this." He nodded his head toward the box. "I heard Scorch was the only one who could get it..."
"It wasn't enough," Johnny said and Zack looked at him a little confused. "He needed you on another hook," he clarified.
Zack gave a slight nod. "I knew what he was trying to do," he said sadly. "He got me to owe him. But it's more than that. It's this," he claimed, looking at Cloud's medications. "Without it..." He shook his head. "Doesn't really matter. Won't be going back to Scorch now."
"There are other ways. Scorch doesn't manufacture the medications himself," Johnny pointed out. "What happens if Cloud doesn't take it?" he asked then.
Zack thought back on what it had been like. It wasn't that long ago, though every day in the slums since they'd been back had felt like years. "It's begins almost like a flu. He sweats and trembles while his muscles start to get weak. After a few hours they begin to cramp and stiffen. Paralysis starts to set in while trembling becomes shaking. Soon after he can't keep anything in his stomach. He throws up. Bile at first, then blood. A fever takes over and drags him into a nearly continuous unconsciousness. When he wakes he hallucinates and when he sleeps he has nightmares, leaving him tossing and turning. Without intervention, his organs begin to fail, he seizes and his breathing becomes laboured as his heart slows...He wasn't supposed to need the medications after this long but I guess there's just too much mako in his system. The drugs give him hallucinations, which he needs other medications to combat."
He left out the other part. The Jenova part. For some reason she seemed to show herself only when Cloud was overcome by the sickness, or possibly during the hallucinations he'd had as a result of the medications. Maybe she needed Cloud to be physically weak for her to have any influence on him. He hadn't contemplated it much.
"What kind of hallucinations?" Johnny asked.
"I dunno. He would never really talk about it. He said he saw Sephiroth a few times," Zack explained.
"The general."
"Yeah," Zack confirmed.
"I can help you get the medications," Johnny said after a moment.
Zack stared back at him a few seconds before shaking his head. "No, it's too much of a risk—"
"It's not. I know people," Johnny argued. Of course he would. Johnny had been involved in the world of drugs from a young age. It made sense that he had connections.
Zack nodded finally. "That would be great," he said softly. He thought for a moment. "There's something I need to ask of you and I'm sorry it's going to be entirely out of line, especially after what you did for us tonight but...I don't want Cloud to see you, Six."
He felt like an asshole the second the words left his mouth. He watched to see what Johnny's reaction would be. He kind of expected the ex-cadet to tell him to fuck himself.
"Hmph," was all he verbally responded with at first as he looked upwards. If the request made him angry it was difficult to tell.
"I'm sorry, Six. I know it's a terrible thing to ask. I've been lying to Cloud so often I can barely keep up and I-I know one day it will hurt me and him if I don't come clean but I, right now I just have to—"
"You want me to leave?" Johnny interrupted. His tone was unexpectedly calm and accepting which surprised Zack yet again. "So I'm not here when he wakes up, which should be soon."
"Yeah," Zack answered softly. "That would be great." Johnny nodded once and started to head back inside.
"You're welcome to stay the night," he offered without looking back.
"Six," Zack called and Johnny looked back briefly. "How will I find you for..."
"Here. I'll be here for the winter," he said before disappearing back into the apartment.
It wasn't long after Johnny left that Cloud woke, just as confused as Zack had been, wondering where they'd ended up. Zack told him the truth for the most part, that Blackjack, the man he'd been sent to kill,, had saved them from the Turks and brought them to that location.
"Why would he do that?" Cloud asked expectedly. "Help us after you tried to kill him?"
"He used to be a SOLDIER," Zack lied, providing the rumor Rayna had first supplied.
"So you know him?" Cloud spoke with a little surprise. "Do I know him?"
Zack shook his head. "You never worked together," Zack said simply while he pushed through some of the hair at the side of Cloud's head. When he woke up he said it hurt a lot, saying he'd hit it against the window in Reno's car. He located the spot quickly enough. He used a flashlight he'd found nearby to illuminate the area. It was swollen and bruised. "Yeah, you hit it good." Zack announced. "Look at me," he instructed. He used the flashlight to check his friend's pupils. He wasn't surprised they didn't react to the light. "We have a winner," he joked a little.
"I'm alright," Cloud insisted.
"You're concussed," Zack retorted. "You think you'll be alright to walk?" he asked and Cloud nodded. They didn't have very far to go. Zack had gotten a pretty good idea of where they were on the plate. He didn't want to risk going to the train station in case more Turks were waiting for them so he did the next thing that came to mind and called Kunsel, asking him to meet them not far from Johnny's.
"We should go then," Zack suggested.
"What about Blackjack?" Cloud asked.
"I already thanked him," Zack replied as he urged Cloud along. He had someplace to go before they headed back to the slums. He just hoped he wasn't too late. Cloud caught on fairly quickly as to where they were going as well but said nothing. When they neared their destination they could see Kunsel's car from down the street, illuminated by one of the street lights. When they reached it, Kunsel practically jumped out of the driver's side and hugged Zack tightly, surprising him a little.
"I'm so glad you guys are okay," Kunsel said as he stepped back once more. "Are you sure you want to go back to the apartment? There's probably someplace safer I could take you—"he began.
"No place is completely safe anymore," Zack cut in. "We never really were safe," he added, thinking of how quickly Tseng and the others had located him and Cloud . "Here," he said then as he passed the box of medication over to Cloud. "Wait here," he instructed. "I'll be back in a minute."
"Where are you going?" Kunsel was quick to question.
"There's something I have to check on," he answered vaguely as he headed for the door to a nearby apartment building. Kunsel watched after him a moment in confusion while Cloud just sighed and got in the passenger side of Kunsel's car.
Zack knew he was beyond a little late, but he'd told Rayna he would come back for her when he'd finished the job Scorch gave him and he hoped she would have believed him.
When he approached her apartment unit he could see the door was partly open and it struck him with an immediate uneasy feeling. He peered through the space between the door and the frame before pushing the door open. Everything looked the way it had when he'd been there earlier except that there were some packed bags near the bed and an eerie silence resting upon the room.
"Rayna!" he called out as he raced for the bathroom, already knowing she wasn't in the apartment. He was too late. Scorch or one of his men had already come after her, maybe to finish the job he'd started, or maybe because of him. For failing to kill Johnny. He shook his head as he turned away from the empty bathroom. He was surprised when he turned around to see Rayna coming through the apartment door. "Rayna," he said her name with an exhale of relief.
"You came back," she said.
"Where were you?" he asked. "The door was open, I thought—"
"Door's broken," she said back, shutting the door behind her. It began to ease itself open again when she let go of the knob. "Only stays shut when it's locked," she explained. "I just stepped out for some cigarettes. For the ride."
"Ride?" he repeated.
"Yeah," she spoke as she moved slowly toward her bags. "I was going to head to the bus station. I didn't think you'd be coming back," she divulged.
"I said I would," he pointed out.
"I know, I..."
He took a few steps toward her. "What?" he asked.
She looked at him straight. "I thought you'd be dead." He smiled a little uneasily. "You killed Blackjack?" she asked then and he shook his head.
"No, he's still out there," he said.
Rayna nodded, looking down. "Zackary—" she began and he interrupted.
"It's Zack," he corrected. She gave a bit of a forced smile in acknowledgement.
"I have to go," she said.
"I know," he agreed. "That's why I came."
"Zack," she began and Zack knew where she was heading.
"Come on," he said as he reached for one of her bags.
"Stop," she said softly, putting her hand on his as he grasped the handle of the bag.
"What?" he spoke back.
"Just...don't," she urged and he let the bag go. "You don't have to do this. I never expected you to—"
"Rayna—" he tried to cut in.
"No!" she shouted unexpectedly. She took a few quick breaths. "This is really hard for me."
"What is?" he asked.
"I take care of myself. I've always taken care of myself. I had a good thing going. Scorch thought he had me under his thumb but I used the son of a bitch and I got what I wanted. And then you came along and fucked it all up," she declared. "I've never told anyone how I felt about them and meant it. Until you." Zack looked away a little shamefully, focusing on the fragments from a broken plate on the kitchen floor. "I really don't know what to do with that," she said sadly.
"I'm sorry," he said, meeting her eyes once more. "I'm sorry for ruining things for you. And I'm sorry for all that's happened because of me." Her bruised face was evidence of the trouble he'd caused for her. "I used you," he admitted. "And you don't deserve that. You didn't deserve any of this," he said as he looked around. "I want to make it right," he claimed.
She shook her head. "I don't need to be taken care of. I don't want that," she said. She watched him a moment, waiting for his response. After a few seconds of silence she looked away. "I have to go," she said. This time she reached for her bags.
"I don't want you to go," Zack finally spoke and she looked up at him. "I don't know what else I can say but that I don't want you to leave."
That answer clearly didn't satisfy her. She released a light scoff and reached again for her life that was packed away in two bags. She took hold of them and stood straight. She didn't look at him again as she turned to head to the door.
"Please," he said softly and she paused.
She looked back at him. "Would you do something for me?" she asked and he nodded. "Kiss me."
It seemed an odd request. "Okay," he agreed, coming towards her.
"Not like before," she said and he hesitated. It took him a moment but he knew what she was meaning. All their kisses in the past had been fueled by lust or narcotics. She wanted something more real. Just a plain kiss.
"Alright," he agreed, coming to stand in front of her. She put down her bags before straightening in front of him and waiting. He started by lifting a hand to brush back some of the hair from her face so he could see both her eyes clearly. He kept his touch gentle. Her face was so terribly bruised. His hand lingered in the hair at the side of her head as he lifted his other one and placed it on the other side of her head. He looked at her a few long seconds, staring deep into her eyes, like gazing into the hollows of a dark forest. It was so vivid he could almost feel himself getting lost.
Ever so slightly, he tilted her head a little with his hands as he lowered his own toward her. He watched her eyes close before shutting his own and his lips touched hers tentatively at first. He felt her breath whispering across his skin before he pressed his mouth a little more tightly to hers. A rush of warmth went through him and he deepened the kiss a little. Part of him wanted to go farther with it but that's not what she'd asked for. When he pulled back her eyes stayed closed a moment while he held on to her with his hands.
"Come with me?" he asked when she remained silent. Her eyes opened then and her expression was unreadable at first.
Then it seemed as though a weight was being lifted off her and she nodded before she managed a barely whispered "Okay."
They left her broken apartment and he took her down to the street where Kunsel and Cloud were waiting.