Warnings: THIS STORY WILL BE EVENTUAL ZACKxCLOUD, (-cough-yaoi-cough-)!! IF YOU ARE AT ALL OFFENDED BY THIS, I RECOMMEND NOT READING ANY FURTHER. Okay, are they gone? Good. Also…there's mild swearing.
Disclaimer: Why do I even bother writing this? Not like anyone ever reads these. So…Yes, I own Final Fantasy VII! –cackles madly- …what's this? You're actually reading it? Eh…I mean, -grumbles- No, It's not mine. I own none of these characters or the rights. I do, however, own this plot.
The targets' names were unimportant, but word had gotten around that one of them was 1st Class SOLDIER Zack Fair.
I tried hard to deny the feeling in my gut pronouncing that rumor as true: Zack was dead, wasn't he? He'd died around four years ago.
'Killed in Action', the email had read, along with the words stating that Sephiroth - the 1st class general himself! – had been pronounced likewise.
I'd seen the small note at the bottom: 'Two infantrymen were also killed'…
No names had been given for those two fallen men. I remember feeling angry – despite the tragic circumstances – that no one had bothered to say what they'd been called. I was an infantryman, wasn't I? If – someday – I was killed during my services for Shinra, was that all that would become of me? A general proclamation of my demise? No name, no letters to my parents…no one would even know the difference.
That was a long time ago, though…by now I've come to realize that all us infantrymen were to the higher-ups was faceless, unemotional figures that were sent by the thousands to high-level danger zones with little training.
And I knew now that they hardly even cared if none of us came back as long as we got the job done.
And I knew now that life wasn't fair…Shinra was no different, but who was? Not any other job, that's for sure. Many were worse than Shinra, anyway.
I was lucky to get my job as it is.
Not like those idiotic Turks…sure, they got paid a lot, but did they ever actually do anything besides snoop around and all that crap? What a horrible job that would be.
No, I was in it to become a hero. I still remember the speech Zack gave us…back when I was first initiated as a member of Shinra.
Never forget…
Speaking of Turks, apparently a couple of their helicopters had been spotted awhile back. But…I don't remember that they'd been assigned to this mission. It wasn't anything they'd be involved in, anyway…search and destroy was all it was, really.
Embrace your dreams…
"Targets detected: southward approximately ninety degrees adjacent to us. Move out!"
I straightened and began to rise as I felt my comrades doing likewise next to me. I still felt the adrenaline rush, even after serving for…was it four years now? Five…? I lost count.
To become a hero, you've gotta have dreams.
Our guns were already loaded and ready as we got into position.
And always remember;…
My finger tapped impatiently on the trigger.
…protect your SOLDIER honor.
I was too far back to see when it first rounded the corner, but I knew from the gunshots when it did.
As men around me began to fall to their knees, I did a brief double-take. Wasn't this just a couple of escaped lab experiment? At least one was dangerous – we'd gathered that when we'd discovered the twenty corpses of the guards on duty when it escaped – but surely it couldn't have the intelligence to know how to take down several dozen troops already without – apparently – even hesitating once.
It took a moment for me to realize what I was supposed to do when the man in front of me crumbled to his knees with a cry of agony after taking a deep cut to the gut, spurting scarlet blood across the barren rocks. Instincts took over, though, and I bravely took a step forward onto the semi-front lines, my standard boots making a squelching sound as they slid across the blood and gore.
No amount of training could have prepared me for what I saw, however.
Instead of the brutally grotesque, hardly human monster I'd anticipated, I was met with the sight of…well, one of the most beautiful creatures in the world.
Now, don't get the wrong idea…I'm not like that. It's just that, well…no one could have denied it.
He danced delicately throughout the volcanic rock, feet never seeming to brush the blood-spattered, body-ridden ground for more than a second. Lithely, his powerful, pale arms swerved and intermingled amongst the throats and chests and bellies of his oppressors, never even seeming to contact them before they collapsed to their knees in surrender. His electric blue eyes flashed violet in his intensity, narrowed and scrutinizing as they were. He held the presence of a wolf – silently, swiftly coming and going before his prey even realized that he was a threat - they'd been distracted by the beauty of those penetrating, intelligent orbs - before it was too late. His black hair hung in his smooth, handsome face, which was viciously glaring at us all in that terrifying way that sent men screeching bloody murder before his long, beautifully crafted buster sword even touched them.
It was Zack, (so the rumors were true), but it was unlike anything I'd ever seen before.
Was it true…? Was he a monster now? He didn't look like one…but then again, what made someone a monster?
Was it their looks? Or was it their past, their choices? Or perhaps…it was merely the non-humanness of them. A monster…that was when someone forgot how to feel human.
Because – after all – weren't emotions the only thing that kept humans from becoming monsters? Without pity we'd ignore those in need. Without trust we'd be fending for ourselves.
Without bravery there would be no heroes.
And this – this madness – that Zack, (no, it was 'Project Z': it was no longer deserving of a name), was truly and most definitely displaying – feral and horrifying as he was – did that not show that Shinra was right in destroying it?
Yes.
So I stepped forward and brought up my gun.
Because, Zack, this is for you. I don't know what happened to you in those labs, but you're not the same anymore. No longer are you fighting for peace and honor: you are killing for sport, now. You and Project Z are different beings entirely.
The monster was borrowing your face. It gave me no choice but to smash it in.
Because you would have wanted this monster dead before it slandered your name.
Even if it made your heart stop beating.
Because you were brave like that.
Half an hour later, I stared at the tired, panting form as it started to loose its rhythm at last. I couldn't help but cringe as it took a beating to the head. We were surrounding it now, (even a first class SOLDIER couldn't stop a whole army of us), and it knew what was happening…I could see it in its eyes.
Its eyes, Zack, it was using your eyes. Like it actually felt sad…like it was actually living for something besides itself.
I only faltered for a second, though. I knew what it was doing – trying to use our human emotions against us…
I boldly stepped forward as fifty more bullets tore through its lean, muscled body. It fell to its knees, (finally!), just like it had made so many of us do only a few moments before.
Another thing about life? It was ironic.
Another twenty bullets in the back and a few sharp hits to the cranium later, we finally got it lying on the rocky, sharp ground, the scene strangely contrasting. Here was this magnificent, terrible creature - its eyes so full of mirth and life - with its toned, broken body lying unwillingly against such a dead, blood-soaked soil. While it fought for its pathetic existence, what held it down was something that many less-powerful beings had trodden on with ease.
There was that irony again.
My fellows started to surround it; I stopped them. I was their Captain, after all: I could tell them what to do.
And I knew that I needed to do this.
I'm doing this for you, Zack.
With those thoughts and a small smirk, a raised my gun and aimed for its head.
I pulled the trigger before even fully looking at its bruised face.
What I saw when my gaze finally lowered to his eyes, though…that's something I'll never, ever forget.
Blue…like the sky that should have been above Midgar. Blue like the early morning ocean - untouched and unreachable. And it was their – right in front of me – those pools of blue that were so beautifuland yetso terrible at the same time. They stared at me, (me!), pleading and HATING and LOVING and willing and stubborn and sobbing and smiling and hurt and loyal and wise all at the damn, (damn you!), same time.
That's when I knew, Zack, that I'd made a mistake. As the bullet, (my bullet), went flying through the air and, with a sickening cracking noise, buried itself into your forehead…I knew I'd made a mistake.
And I realized that even more when I stayed behind and hid against a razor-sharp rock as the rest of my, (celebrating!), troop left. I watched as the blonde teenager dragged himself along the ground, his innocent, blue eyes staring confusedly at your unmoving form.
"Z-Zack…" he muttered as he got closer to your side. He was shaking slightly as he stared into your broken, gasping, now ghostly pale and hurting face.
When you opened your eyes, I trembled. The look you gave him – so full of love and friendship and loyalty…and still I could tell that you were hiding the utter agony you must have been in by the mere look in your eyes. Your pale lips smiled anyway.
"Cloud…for the both of us."
"B-both…of us…?"
You reached up and touched the back of his skull, pressing down gently on his soft blonde hair until his head rested on your bloody shirt. The moment was short, but I could tell that – for you two – it seemed to last a lifetime.
And I could tell you never wanted it to end.
But, of course, it did, eventually, and Cloud's curious, now-blood-stained face looked over at you.
"Here."
It was so, so hard to watch as you struggled to lift the sword, (it used to be another SOLDIER's, didn't it? Angeal was his name, right?), you used to wield so effortlessly, but after only a moment, you managed and placed it into Cloud's gloved hand.
He stared at it dazedly.
"My honor…my dreams," you said through small gasps.
"For the both of us…?" Cloud said, unsure of what you were implying.
"Live."
I turned around as that one, (tragically stunning and final), word fell from your cracked lips, unable to watch the rest.
They said soldiers weren't supposed to cry.
But I was tired of following the rules, anyway. I'd done it all my life, and now look where it got me? Murdering an innocent…believing a HEROhad become a monster.
I was disgusting.
The world thought so too, apparently, for that's when it started to rain.
When I finally got a hold of myself a few minutes later, I turned and looked again. Cloud was gone. I heard you mutter something under your breath, and I shot to your side.
You were alive still? Impossible!
"Those wings…I-I want them, too…" you were saying. Your eyes were closed, and I imagined that – in your dream – you were seeing something that made you happy.
Your hand reached upward – towards the torrential sky, (it was like your eyes: terrifying and determined and beautiful and blue) – and, not thinking, I took off my glove and carefully, gently, held your up reaching hand. Your muscles tensed, and for a second I froze, but then I saw that you were smiling.
You were always smiling, even when you didn't feel like it. I'm only now beginning to realize all that you did for us infantrymen. We were way below your ranks, but you treated us like equals.
"Would you…?" you began to say, and my eyes widened behind my helmet. It was almost as if you were talking to me. But when I thought about it, I guess you must have been talking to someone else. Someone more important. Or maybe…was it anyone who would listen…?
"Would you say that I became a hero?" I jumped as your eyes flew open. But you weren't looking at me…more like something beyond me. Over my shoulder. I looked behind me, but no one was there that I could see.
"Yes," I answered at once.
That was when your eyelids - slowly, gently – closed. You smiled – a real smile, this time.
"And I was telling the truth. You, Zack, were…" he faltered slightly, as though he had misspoken. He didn't correct himself, though, "the very definition of a hero."
The man paused briefly in his story-telling, avoiding the other man's penetrating gaze.
"I healed your wounds to the best of my ability. I checked…and, your pulse – it was still faintly there. The Turks showed up not long after. I explained as best I could.
"They contacted Tseng, who agreed to hide you here – a cave near the base of the Nibel Mountains – until you were out of the limelight and more completely healed. It's been five years since that day, and so far your recovery has been a miraculous success. Apparently, you were actually dead for awhile, up on that cliff…but then something – or maybe someone? – made your heart start beating again. You've been in and out of a coma, these past years, but they are finally giving you a mostly clean bill of health, and you're free to go as you please whenever you want."
"What do you mean, 'mostly clean bill of health'? And who are these doctors you're talking about?" the man asked after a brief pause.
The captain sighed. "It's not guaranteed that there will be no side effects…but as far as they can tell, you're truly fine. Don't worry; if you have any problems, you'll easily find help. They've healed you far past the state of death. Perhaps you'll get a few headaches once in awhile, and you still have some scares, but nothing major.
"And for as whom the doctors are, exactly, I'm not entirely sure. They were here when the Turks flew us in. From what I've gathered, many of them come from some of the surrounding towns. Nibelheim and Modeoheim…places like that. When their town burnt down, many of them had no place to go except Midgar. While that's where most of them ended up, a few skilled ones stayed behind…Let's just say that Tseng has connections and leave it at that."
At the end of his explanation, the room was met with silence. The former captain looked up, finally, at the man sitting across from him.
Zack Fair didn't look a day older than 18, though by now, he was in his mid-twenties. His long, spiky black hair wasn't as long as it used to be, (the doctors had been forced to cut it during surgery), and it was duller and tangled, cut unevenly if you took a closer look. Strands hung in his face, and he kept brushing it back subconsciously as the other man talked. His eyes hadn't changed though. They were narrowed in suspicion at that moment, but they hadn't changed.
"So…everyone thinks I'm dead, then?" Zack asked finally, his voice more devoid of emotion than usual. "Or did the Turks go and blab to everyone? I wouldn't be surprised, especially if Reno found out," he added on as an afterthought.
"Yes. Everyone thinks you're…dead. We made sure of it. If anyone else inside Shinra had known you were alive, they'd have stormed this place. And don't worry; we made sure Reno kept his mouth shut."
"Hm. But, why did the Turks help in the first place? They're part of Shinra. They shouldn't have cared if I'd died…"
"I was wondering that myself," the former infantryman explained, "but then I asked Tseng about it…and, well, he said that…he had some letters to deliver to you. And…he didn't want you dead: there was no reason to kill you. Captured alive would have been enough."
"So…they're letting me go now because…?"
"There's no reason to keep you. You're not a threat against Shinra anymore…because there is no Shinra anymore," a polished, dark-haired man said as he stepped into the secluded room.
"Aw…Hey there, Tseng, old buddy old pal. Nice to see you again. I see you haven't changed mu- Wait…what did you say?!" Zack's eyes widened as he stared at his former, (semi-)friend and partner.
Tseng looked somewhat rueful. "Shinra Electric Company is no more, thanks to that friend of yours. We were more than demolished about four years ago. All that's left of us is the president – now it's Rufus Shinra, not his father – and a few remaining Turks. Everyone else either died or found a different job."
"What are you-?" Zack started wearily, confusion and apprehension evident on his now-pale face.
"Cloud Strife. You remember him?" At the small smirk on Tseng's lips, Zack could tell that was a rhetorical question. "Unfortunately, Shinra got a bit…eh, carried away in their removal of the Mako energy from the planet. Rufus even admits it himself…it was clearly out of line. He thought that ruling the people through fear would be a more effective method than his late father's…but he was wrong.
"That was a long time ago, though. Around four years ago, Cloud and his friends – you remember Avalanche? – put a stop to Shinra… Ever since then, the president has been trying to repay his debt he owes to the people. He feels guilty for his mistake."
"Hm," was all Zack said as he eyed the Wutaian man critically. "Well, that's some story you've got there…I can believe the whole 'Rufus got too greedy', and all that sht…but, I'm not sure I can imagine that he feels that guilty. That guy was a real self-indulging bastard, last time I checked."
Tseng's slanted eyes narrowed infinitesimally. "Believe what you want…but remember that this so-called 'bastard', as you're calling him, is releasing you without any further complaints."
"I would take that into consideration…" Zack said, starting to relax and get back to his old self, "if I'd done something wrong in the first place. But I didn't. So…you're argument is kinda weak. Sorry, buddy, I win again."
At that, Zack leaned back in his chair and laughed lightheartedly. "Eh…but no big deal, Tseng. Can't erase the past, y'know? I guess it's good that Cloud took care of all that crap with Shinra…"
"Right," Tseng said curtly as he turned to leave. "Well, if that's all the questions you had, then-"
"Hey, wait a sec!" Zack said rising languidly from his chair in protest.
"…"
"…"
"…Well?"
"I just wanted to say…um…Thanks, Tseng."
"It was nothing."
"No, it was something. You tried to save my life…and with his," he gestured at the silent ex-infantryman, "help, you managed to do it. I owe you one. And, uh…tell Rufus I said, he'd better not have given Cloud too hard of a time, otherwise I'll have to kick his rich-boy ass, m'kay?"
Tseng smiled for the first time. Ever. Well, at least that Zack had seen. "Alright. Oh, and one more thing." From his suit jacket he produced a small box with a clear covering on it. The words 'SEALED' and 'CONFIDENTIAL' had been taped on, which made Zack even more surprised when Tseng handed it to him.
He was never really good with secrets. Didn't Tseng know that?
Eh, whatever. Not like he didn't like secrets.
"Thanks. What's in it?" Zack asked eagerly, shaking the box. He looked inside the clear top to see a stack of messily stacked envelopes.
"It's letters. All 88 of them," Tseng said simply, and with Zack's blank look, added, "They're from Aerith."
"Really? Wow, she wrote me 88 letters…? Oh, that's right! I remember getting the 89th letter…she said it would be her last…" Zack paused at that, trailing off. He blinked and looked up at Tseng, whose face had remained even stonier than usual.
"Hey…how is Aerith? Is she super rich? Ha! I knew my 'Midgar full of flowers, wallet full of money' scheme would work! I hope she got her flower cart fixed right."
Zack continued to ramble on and on, neither of the room's other occupants intervening. Their silence was rather unnerving.
"Hey, seriously, what's Aerith up to? You guys are still watching her, right? You'd better be, Tseng! Remember when I made you promise to keep a close eye on her? I-"
"Zack," Tseng interrupted sharply. Zack looked over at him, bemused by his somber expression.
"What?"
"Aerith Gainsborough is dead."
Zack blinked. Then he blinked again. "Huh?"
"She's dead, Zack. Sephiroth killed her?"
"Sephiroth? What? Sephy? Heh, you're joking, right Tseng? Honestly, Sephiroth was acting like a maniac last I saw him, but-"
"Zack," Tseng continued sharply, "I don't joke. You know that as well as I do. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but she's gone."
Zack's eyes widened. "W-What do you mean, 'gone'? But…what about these letters? How'd she manage to write letters if she were dead?"
"She wrote those before. She died about four years ago. While she was trying to stop Shinra…with Cloud and Avalanche, remember?"
"Dead…?" Zack said again, not understanding. How could Aerith be dead? Sweet, loyal Aerith, tending to her flowers in that church of hers…afraid of the sky because it all seemed so…open to her. That Aerith? She couldn't even leave Midgar, much less go on a journey with Cloud and a bunch of whack-jobs. Okay, so, admittedly, Avalanche had helped save the world, or whatever, but they were still all whack-jobs. Except Cloud. And Aerith…but Aerith wasn't with them. She was at home, in the Sector Five slums. Probably selling flowers right now. Not dead. That was just silly.
"Cloud can tell you about it, then. We will give you directions to where he's staying. You'll find something to do in Edge. Oh, by the way, Midgar was destroyed in a few…unfortunate events. All that city is now is ruins. There's a new city just outside of it, though. It's called Edge. The Turks will probably give you a ride to just outside of it, right Tseng?" It was that ex-infantryman again. Zack had almost forgotten he was in the room.
"That's correct. Come along, Zack. The helicopter is just outside," Tseng said as he started walking out the door.
Zack followed him, but paused in the heavy metal doorframe. He turned around and looked at the man before him – the man who had taken his life then given it back.
"Hey…thanks, I guess."
The man smiled sadly and shook his head. "I can't tell you how sorry I am, Zack. So, SO sorry. I-"
"Yo, hurry up, Zacky; we ain't got all day!" came the distant voice of Reno.
Wanting to ask one more thing, Zack turned back to the man. "Where will you go?"
"Me? Ah, I'm living just outside of here. In Nibelheim. We built it back up. It's looking pretty nice. Visit any time you like."
Zack noticed how the man had said 'we', and smiled gratefully. "Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
Zack never asked his name, but the infantryman didn't really care. The smile the kid, (alright, so Zack was older than him, but he looked younger; something about the Mako in his blood stunting his growth, he thought), had on his face as he ran to the helicopter was enough.
"Can we drop him off here?"
"Reno…we're in the middle of a desert."
"Your point?"
Zack glared at the offending redhead. "You're such an ass."
"Thanks, hun, I love you too."
"Not as much as I do, 'No-kinns."
Rude shut his eyes under his sunglasses. "Are you sure you two weren't separated at birth? Because you're acting pretty similar."
"You're comparing me to SOLDIER boy over there?"
"You're comparing me to Turkish delight over there?"
"I rest my case."
The rest of the ride was mostly made up of silence. Tseng had disappeared again, (no surprise there), by the time they landed in the outskirts of Edge.
"Here's your stop. Try not to get yourself killed again, alright?" the black man – Rude – said with a small smirk. "The bar 7th Heaven – the place Cloud will probably be at, that is - is a popular place. Go to the fountain in the center of Edge. You'll find it from there."
"Wait a second," Zack complained as Reno attempted to shove him out of his seat, "you're telling me I'll probably find Cloud in a bar? Like, he's always there? Wow, he's fallen a long ways, hasn't he?"
Reno laughed at that. "Well, I think-"
"He lives in a room above it. His friend – Tifa – is the owner."
"Okay…but, wait," Zack started again as Reno grumbled about something utterly, well, Reno-esque, whatever that meant. "You mean I'm supposed to just…walk into the bar? After everyone thinks I've been dead? Sorry, but I'm not buying that would go over well…Could you at least-"
"No," Reno growled as he finally managed to tear the lean, raven-haired man from his seat. "Now get outta here. We've got stuff to do that doesn't involve your scrawny ass."
"Reno," Rude said slyly from his seat, "does anything you do ever not involve someone's ass?"
It took a moment for Rude's words to register, but when they did, Zack was laughing madly and Reno was glaring.
"Speak for yourself, idiot…" Reno grumbled as he sat back down in the pilot seat.
And with that, Zack leaped from the copter just as its motor started revving up. After the black, whirring machine disappeared into the sky, Zack turned to observe the city that would become, (hopefully), his new home.
It wasn't too hard to find the fountain in the center of Edge. Admittedly, Edge wasn't very large or structured yet, but, still, Zack was feeling rather good about himself when he caught sight of the water sculpture after he'd only been walking ten minutes.
Finding this '7th Heaven', though, was a little more complicated. He'd had to ask several people, (and, apparently, prostitutes were still around; that had been a bit awkward), before he got sufficient directions.
After only about five minutes, he spotted the sign.
'Seventh Heaven' it read, with the slogan under it reading 'A slice of paradise in, (here, the word 'Midgar' had been crossed out), Edge'. Right…why was it that that name sounded so familiar…? He could have sworn he'd heard it before…
He was still pondering this when he walked in the door. It was probably a good thing, too, that he was distracted, because it might have taken him a bit longer to walk in if he'd been thinking about it.
Well, hey, Zack wasn't a wimp…But apparently, Cloud had saved the world. With this in mind, an overwhelmed Cloud probably meant an impulsive and/or angry Cloud which meant, 'sucks for you, Zack, because you don't have a weapon and you've been in a comatose state for around five years'.
Basically, it was all summed up to 'ouch'.
So, it was a good thing that he was distracted when he walked in. And apparently, luck was on his side at the moment, because Cloud wasn't in the main room. An out-of-shape, weaponless, and distracted Zack meant 'double ouch'.
Unfortunately, though, a few people who recognized him were in the room. Those being Tifa and, (sort of), Yuffie, mainly.
The sound of shattered glass promptly broke Zack out of his stupor.
Zack had walked in while Tifa had been mid-conversation, so her mouth was already partially opened as she caught sight of him. It stayed agape for a brief moment, her wine-colored eyes widening. "What the hell?" she finally breathed.
"Hunh?" was Zack's intelligent response. He looked up wearily, having momentarily not realized where he was, (okay, so he was a little out of practice, but in his defense, he'd never really been that aware). "Oh…eh, hi?"
Tifa's eyes narrowed dangerously. Zack blinked and started slowly backing away, just as one might do when an angry lioness was about to attack. Something stopped him from behind mid-stride, though, and Zack whirled around to face his obstacle.
"Hm…do I know you?" the teenager asked, her large dark eyes surveying him curiously. Her black hair was cut just below her chin; her pale skin only accented more by her dark clothes. She was Wutaian, Zack realized at first. Then he recognized that look.
Oh sht, was all that went through his brain just as recognition dawned in the teen's eyes.
"Oh! You're that meanie man who stole away all my treasure when I was little! I remember now! You were in SOLDIER, right? During the Wutai War…what was your name again, Mr. Meanie-face?"
"Zack," Tifa said stonily from behind the counter. "Care to explain what the-?!"
"H-Hey, calm down, sweetheart," Zack said, turning back to her, his voice shaking slightly at first but gaining confidence by the end of his sentence. "What's with all this hostility?"
"You're dead," she stated simply, her eyes looking murderous. Zack supposed it was to hide her shock. And maybe her awe, too, at his smoldering good looks.
"Heh…yeah, about that…" Zack said, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked around the dimly-lit room to see that there were very few occupants. In fact, they all seemed to be friends rather than customers, by the way they all seemed so comfortable and only a few had drinks in their hands.
"'About that', is what you say? That's it? What the-?!"
"Calm down, Tifa," I low, rather monotone voice said from a dark corner. Zack looked over there to see a ghostly pale man with long black hair. He seemed to like red and black, by his clothes choice. "Give us time to introduce ourselves. You're Zack, obviously. We've heard a lot about you. My name is Vincent Valentine."
"Whoa, there, wait a second!" Zack said, staring at said man with newfound awe. "The Vincent Valentine? The Turk? But I thought you were dead?"
Vincent 'hmphed' from his corner, and another voice spoke before Zack could continue. "We could say the same for you, correct?"
Zack looked over at the speaker and did a double-take.
"And before you say anything, yes, I talk. And my name is Red XIII. That saved a lot of questions, there, didn't it?" said the red lion-wolf like thing. It looked extremely fierce and savage, but its (his) soft, low voice said differently.
"I'm Cid Highwind, kiddie, and don't you foget it!" said a blonde man, cigarette lazily dripping from the side of his crooked mouth.
"Barret Wallace," said a burly black man. One of his arms from his elbow down had been replaced with a large gun. His heavy, brusque face – beady brown eyes included - was looking at him with contempt.
"And I'm Yuffie Kisaragi, the world's-!"
"'Greatest ninja', right? Hm…you've upgraded from 'Wutai's greatest ninja', I see," Zack finished with a smirk. "Yeah, I remember you. Congratulations! You're the reason I decided never to have kids!"
"Thanks, I-! …Hey! That was mean! You wanna take this outside?! Huh, do ya?! Do ya?! I could take you on when I was little, I could take you on now!" Yuffie said, her eyes narrowing and her fists clenched to her side in an over-dramatic display of suspicion.
"Wait...ya mean she coul' take 'ou on whe' she wa' jus' a little tyke? Damn, boy, you mus' be sum sorta sissy!" Barret said with a raucous laugh.
Zack's eyes narrowed. "Oh yeah…she got me real good back then."
"Heck yes I did!" Yuffie exclaimed, her eyes bright with pride.
"Yeah, I mean, she was crying half the time, but it was really intimidating. Right, Treasure Princess?"
"Oh foofie…" Yuffie grumbled disappointedly, her egocentric, high mood already being completely demolished.
"Get back on subject," Tifa snapped as Barret and Cid started laughing at the disheartened ninja. Needless to say, the room was quiet at once. "Now, Zack, care to tell us how you survived? Because you were very, very dead last time we checked."
"Ouch, babe, that hurt," Zack said sadly as he brought his hands to his heart. With another death glare from Tifa, though, he sighed seriously. "Alright…well, it's kinda like this…"
So he told them about a Captain in the Shinra military helping him all those years ago, and about how the Turks had flown him off to a safe place and kept him a secret from their superiors until Rufus – who hadn't really cared that Zack had survived - had taken command. He told them about how he was – apparently – in a mild state of comatose those past years, how he briefly remembered opening his eyes once in awhile and seeing white-clad people standing over him, but he had – seeing as he was quite disoriented - automatically assumed that he was just back in Hojo's laboratory and didn't think anymore of it. He told them about waking up fully at last, and how he'd nearly strangled one of the doctors before the Captain could come in. When he was finally done with the story, the room was silent.
He looked at each of their faces to see that they all held similar, mildly-understanding-but-still-skeptical expressions on their faces. Tifa, the only exception, was looking worried.
"So…you never asked his name?" Vincent spoke at last. "This 'Captain' that you speak of?"
"Nope," Zack said, leaning back languidly in his chair again. "I saw his face – of course, he wasn't wearing a Shinra uniform anymore – but he just looked like an average guy. Brown hair, brown eyes…nothing particular memorable. Didn't ask his name, either. Would've been polite, I suppose, but I was a bit preoccupied, so…"
He trailed off. Everyone was staring at him again, causing him to shift uncomfortably. While it's true that he would have usually enjoyed all this attention, the look on their faces was making him feel rather unnerved.
"What about…Cloud? What will he do? I'm almost afraid to think about it," Tifa softly said to the room in general, her eyes cast downward, long brown hair falling into her face.
"What…What do you mean? I mean, I can expect him to go into shock at first. He might get a little angry and all that, but nothing I can't-"
"No," Tifa said, looking up at him, her eyes filled with dislike for Zack and sadness for Cloud. "You don't understand. He's just starting to get over your death, Zack. You…you don't understand what it's been like for him. He hardly even talks anymore. He flinches away from everyone…well, he lets the kids give him hugs sometimes, but it's not the same… I don't think I've seen him truly smile ONCE in five years. He never laughs, he never starts a conversation with anyone…
"BUT…he's getting better. He's healing. It's taken a long time, but he's starting to come to terms with it. Slowly, he's getting there.
"And now, you just…walk in, like there's not a problem in the world. Can you imagine what Cloud would feel like if he saw you now?" She scoffed, her eyes tightening shut. "It would take him twice as long…no, he may NEVER heal, when you-"
"When I what?" Zack cut in. His eyes were glaring at the floor as if the unobtrusive, squeaky planks had done something horrendous to him.
Tifa opened her eyes and Zack met her gaze. It was as though there was no one else in the room, the intensity in which they were glaring. Zack didn't fully understand Tifa's point, but he realized what she was trying to do.
She was trying to keep Zack away from the last friend he had. Whatever her reason was, Zack would fight her to the end if he had to.
"Leave. Now. Cloud will be back at any moment, and once he sees you, there will be no undoing it."
"No."
"Leave, Zack. This is my bar, and it's closed right now. I'm kicking you out. Or will I have to kick you out myself?"
Zack snorted, a smirk gracing his delicate features. "Go ahead and try, Ms. Tour Guide."
As the words rolled off Zack's tongue, Barret lunged to his feet in outrage. Turning on the obviously less-built man, he shouted vehemently, "Now, lis'en here! Yew worse then scum, goin' off an' remindin' Tifa of that day! She ain't done nothin' wrong 'cept tryin' to protect her frien'! Now git out befo' I hafta throw you out myself!"
"Why?" Zack shot back. His fists were clenched behind his back as he struggled to maintain an even voice.
But before Tifa or Barret or anyone could shoot back a retort, a sound interrupted them that made everyone freeze.
A door was opened, then shut. Careful, unsure footsteps were heard stepping through the narrow hallway connecting the back entrance to the main room.
"I'm ba-…" A familiar, soft, baritone voice stopped mid-sentence. Zack shivered automatically. He didn't dare look up at the blue-eyed gaze that he could feel watching him.
It seemed like ages that the silence lasted. Not a soul moved. The street noises had faded from Zack's keen ears. An explosion could probably go off and he wouldn't notice.
Finally, he managed to make his neck cooperate. He looked up into the blue, blue eyes that he'd seen so often writhing in agony in his frequent nightmares.
"Hey…" Zack said finally, after finding his voice at last, "Cloud. It's been awhile."
Tbc…
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End Notes: -nervous laugh- Hello…-waves- Sooooo…let me explain. I just bought a PSP, (finally!), and the game, Crisis Core. I finished it in less than three days. It was awesome. I highly recommend it. And…well, I saw one of the last scenes of the game, when Zack's vision was fading, and a Shinra Captain stood above him, smirked, and shot him through the head. Needless to say, I was upset. What kind of sick person would SMIRK as he shot someone as awesome as Zack, I wondered. So, this little scenario came to be that it was around one in the morning and I was blessed, (HA! Blessed…more like cursed), with a plot bunny. I wrote out the beginning of this story…from the perspective of the evil (Pure EVIL!) infantryman.
That's all it was ever supposed to be. Get it out of my head. End of story. I didn't even expect to post it. But…I wasn't satisfied with the ending. So, I came up with this idea: What if someone had helped Zack AFTER he was attacked and Cloud left his side? What if he wasn't fully recovered until AFTER Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus and all that? So…This story was born from the prospect that Zack actually lived. It's hope for all you fans out there, (like me! –sob-), who understand that Zack's death helped Cloud become who he was, but cried when he died, all the same.
Here's to hope, then. –raises glass- I hope you'll go with me when I go through the land of 'What ifs…' that so many authors go to but rarely come out of. It's going to be a bumpy ride, but remember: I'm doing this for myself just as much as you.
So…I hope there is no confusion. And I'm not abandoning my other story. –sweatdrop- Please, don't kill me! I'm an awesome multitasker, I swear!
Reviewww? Puh-lease…? For Zack? No? Aww…you hurt his feelings!
b9 iNe
