AHHHHHHHHHHHH! Mina-san, gomen nasai! *bows repeatedly* I am so sorry that I haven't updated in a month! Vacation time sort of...got away from me...
I'm just going to let you get right onto the story, because you've waited long enough, right? RIGHT!
Thank you all so much for your patience, I apologize again. I shouldn't be doing this to such faithful and encouraging readers. *Corner of Woe* I also apologize that this chapter is short. My second semester of freshman year (of college) started today, so it's back to routine, which means more regular updates! I will update again soon -hopefully within the week. Thank you all again! Happy reading!
-Chapter 49-
Kiku
I felt a hand on my shoulder shaking me. "Kiku."
I turned over a little, trying to sink back into sleep.
"Kiku, it's night. We'd better get moving."
I lazily opened my eyes and peered up at Zack. It was indeed darker out than it had been when I'd gone to sleep. I rubbed my eyes and ran a hand through my hair. "Right." I blinked, waking myself up. "How's Cloud?"
"About the same," Zack replied. "Though I think his eyes are open a little more now..."
I looked over at Cloud, wondering if he'd ever be...well, I guess normal after this whole thing. I wanted to believe that he'd be fine, that everything was going to work out. But I'd been feeling more pessismistic than usual lately, though I was doing my best not to show it. Something was telling me that a lot had changed in the time we'd been in those tanks.
And we still weren't sure just how long we'd been in there.
"Same plan as before?" I asked, getting up and grabbing my katana.
"Right," Zack said, nodding. "You clear the way, I'll watch out for Cloud." He started lifting Cloud up from the bed, slinging his arm over his shoulders again.
I noticed that Cloud wasn't in his grunt uniform anymore, but was now wearing a SOLDIER 1st Class uniform. I figured Zack had changed his clothes. That was for the best, I thought. That mako-soaked uniform hadn't been doing him any good anyway.
Zack looked at me. "Feeling better?"
I nodded. "Much better." I glanced around. "Now let's head out. This place gave me the creeps during the day. At night is just making it worse."
Zack laughed. "Whatever you say, boss."
So we headed back out of the mansion, and back to the town.
I still got an eerie, weird déjå-vu feeling when I looked at the now-rebuilt Nibelheim. Was the town still inhabited? Or was it deserted completely since its original population had been killed?
Well, it may have been night, but the grunts were still on full-strength. Unfortunately for them, the sleep Zack and I had gotten had restored our energy levels somewhat. We were stronger now, and ready to take them on.
I drew my sword and stood over Cloud, daring any of them to try to take him.
Suddenly, a hand shoved me in the back, knocking me to my knees.
I heard a garbled voice refer to me as "an especially dangerous sample" and warn the others to "watch out."
You'd better watch out, I thought, jumping back to my feet and spinning to face them. I extended my sword, the tip barely touching the chest of one grunt. "You want him, it'll be over my dead body."
Well, they didn't take the hint, so I had to...well, you know. Hey, I didn't like it either. But I didn't want to end up back in a mako tank for who knows how long. And I was convinced that I was willing to do almost anything to make sure Zack and Cloud were safe. That might sound weird, coming from me, but I loved them too much to say that I only cared about my own well-being. I didn't much care about my own well-being anyway, in case you're wondering. And when I said I loved Cloud, I mean like a little brother or something. I knew who loved him for real, and I was determined to get him back to her in one piece.
Zack walked over as the last of the grunts that had been attacking me fell at my feet. "This is pretty rough," he said, sheathing his sword.
"You're telling me," I replied, sheathing mine as well.
"You okay?" he asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"I will be." I looked at him. "It doesn't matter much right now. We don't have time."
He nodded after a moment. "Right." He looked at Cloud. "Okay, we're getting out of here!"
I nodded as he lifted Cloud up from the ground. He looked at him and said, "Stay with us, Cloud."
;;;;;
It felt like we'd been walking for hours. And everything was starting to look the same. The same trail, the same trees, the same rocks, the same grass... It felt sort of like walking in circles, even though we'd been walking in a virtually straight line.
I could hear Zack breathing heavily next to me. "Damn it!" he muttered. "There's no end to this."
I looked up a little ways ahead, and pointed out a clearing that was off the main path.
We veered off the trail, walking into the clearning.
Zack set Cloud on the ground once more, leaning him against an old tree stump. "Let's take a look around," he said to me.
"Okay," I said, nodding. "Cloud'll be okay?"
"Yeah," he said. "Like you said, this is pretty well secluded from the path. They'd really have to look to find him."
I nodded, then glanced at Cloud one last time before following Zack down the trail once more.
We didn't run into too much trouble. Just a couple Shinra machines with their weapons set to "Kill anything that moves," but other than that...
The trail ended at a large body of water. I didn't know if it was an ocean or a lake, and I didn't feel like tasting the water to find out. (Yeah, I know there are other ways, but...)
I looked up at the full moon, looking at the moonbeams reflecting off the water. I sighed quietly.
"Where do we go from here?" Zack murmured, wondering aloud.
I shook my head. "I don't know."
Zack
I looked at Kiku, her un-scarred figure softly illuminated by the full moon. The look on her face as she looked out on the water could've been serene, if I hadn't been able to read the worry and fear in her eyes. Maybe the look was more wistful than anything else.
I followed her gaze, exhaling. We can't do much when we've got Cloud to worry about, I thought. I looked up at the sky. Angeal...what should I do?
I looked back at Kiku. I stepped closer and put my arm around her shoulders. "We'll be okay."
She nodded and gave me a small smile. "Yeah. Of course we will be."
The sound of footsteps reached our ears, and I felt Kiku's shoulders tense.
I smiled and gave Kiku a knowing look.
She looked a little confused, but didn't turn.
I let my hand fall from Kiku's shoulders. Without turning, I said, "Hey, Cissnei. Been a while."
I heard her start. "Zack? K...Kiku? The fugitive samples... Are they you?"
"It would appear so," I replied.
Who's that? Kiku asked.
She's a Turk, I thought back.
I saw Kiku's eyes narrow as she inhaled. That's going to be a bit problematic.
Maybe not...
Cissnei gasped a little. "What did they do to you in that place?"
I half-turned to look at her. "Well...this and that..."
Kiku turned to look at her. "So...Cissnei, is it? You're here to take us back, right?"
She catches on fast, I thought.
Kiku
Cissnei looked at us sadly, then hung her head.
"Please!"
Even I was startled by Zack's sudden plea.
"Just walk away!" Zack clenched his fist in frustration. "I thought we could outrun the army..." He glanced at me, then looked back at Cissnei. "...but the Turks are a different story."
"Zack..." Cissnei's voice was tight, and it sounded like she was going to cry. "I'm sorry." She raised her hand, her weapon gripped between her fingers. It was a large sort of metal star. "This is my job!" she cried. "If you want to escape, you'll have to-" She stopped short. I thought I saw her grip on the star loosening.
Suddenly, she snapped her head up and flung the star at Zack.
I ducked, and Zack quickly drew his sword to deflect the attack. He then pointed his sword at Cissnei.
Her weapon landed behind her, embedding itself in the sand.
She and Zack stared at each other for a few seconds, then she took a step forward.
"Step back," he said.
She stopped, looked at me, then looked back at him.
"Next time...I'll really have to..."
Cissnei remained silent, but I felt that she understood what he meant.
Zack kept his sword pointed at her, but took my hand in his. "Come on, Kiks," he said quietly. "Head back to the trail and start running. I'm right behind you."
I nodded, and went behind him, running back to the trail. His footsteps followed a few seconds later.
We reached the clearning, where Cloud was still waiting.
I sat down next to Cloud, pulling my knees closer to me as I looked at him.
Zack looked at Cloud, then looked around. He sighed. "So the Turks are here, too," he said. "It's too dangerous to move now."
I nodded.
Cloud didn't move.
"We'll rest here until morning." He smiled. "Then we'll leave at dawn." He smiled wider. "Eh, we'll be alright!"
His smile seemed every inch a true smile. He really believed we were going to be okay, and that we'd figure some way out of this.
It amazed me. Especially since there was a little voice at the back of my head that was telling me to just give up. I was getting tired already, and my hope was beginning to wear thin.
Well, I thought, if Zack can stay optimistic, then maybe I can, too.
Zack's smile fell when the sound of a twig snapping broke the silence.
I jumped to my feet, Zack and I both drawing our swords. We were shocked to see Cissnei walking through the bushes toward us.
I immediately stepped over so I was between her and Cloud, and Zack half-stepped so he was somewhat in front of me.
She saw Cloud, and her eyes widened. "Wait," she said. "He's... He's the other sample they collected at Nibelheim."
I hated those words so much, they made me sick. They reduced us to nothing more than samples in Petri dishes, to microbes floating through a slide in a microscope. We weren't humans anymore. We were merely samples.
"Why did you come here?" Zack demanded, nearly shouting. "I told you to go away."
"He doesn't look well," Cissnei said, still referring to Cloud. "Is he alright?"
"Mako addiction," Zack said. "Severe case."
I was surprised to see a sad -almost pitying- expression cross Cissnei's face. "The experiments, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Zack replied.
Cissnei sighed shortly. Then she pulled out her phone, pressed a button, and put it to her ear.
"Hey!" I almost-yelled.
"What are you-?"
Cissnei held up a hand, cutting of Zack's question. "Tseng," she said.
A shiver ran up my spine at the name.
"I've lost the targets."
Zack and I stared at her in shock, lowering our swords.
After a moment of silence, Cissnei hung up and put her phone away. She looked at me, then at Zack. "That's how it is. So get away safely." And with that, she turned and started to walk away.
To my surprise, I stepped after her. "Cissnei."
She stopped.
"...Thank you."
She turned back, smiling a little. She walked closer. "Here's a present." She lifted my hand and set something inside it.
I looked and saw that she'd put a set of keys in my palm.
"If you think you can trust me, then use it." She leaned in a little closer. "And take care of them, okay?" She smiled and walked away.
I smiled after her, then looked down at the keys. She's alright, I thought. I mean, for a Turk.
;;;;;
Zack
"Keys?" I asked. "What do they go to?"
Kiku shrugged. "I don't know. She said, 'If you think you can trust me, then use it.'"
"Hmm," I said, thinking. "I wonder if they go to..." I looked at her. "Keep an eye on Cloud. I'll be right back."
She nodded and went to sit on the tree stump Cloud was leaning against.
Cissnei wouldn't give us keys without a reason, I thought, staring to look through bushes and into other clearings. So that means they have to go to something around here-
Ah-ha! I thought, a wide smile spreaing across my face.
"Kiku!" I called.
Her footsteps quickly grew closer. "What?" she asked. Her eyes settled on what I'd found, and she smiled as well. "Alright! I'm driving!"
"Since when do you know how to drive a motorcycle?" I asked.
She scrunched her mouth up to one side. "Fine. Here." She dropped the keys into my hand.
Yeah, Cissnei had given us the keys to a motorcycle. Crazy, right? It even had a sidecar.
I went back and got Cloud, putting him in the sidecar. I sat on the motorcycle, starting it. "Okay!" I said happily. "We're home free now!" I looked at Kiku. "Well, are you coming or not?"
"Truth be told, I've never been on a motorcycle before..." She bit her lip.
"It's perfectly safe," I said. "Come on."
She continued biting her lip as she sat behind me on the seat.
"All you have to do is hang on, okay?"
She wrapped her arms tightly around my middle.
"Yeah, I think you've got that part down." I laughed and patted her hand. "You'll be fine."
"If you say so," she said, speaking loud enough to make sure she could be heard over the engine.
We drove out of the clearing and back to the road.
Okay, I thought. Back to Midgar we go.
