By a Fraction of a Degree

A FFVII Fanfiction work by findthetiger129

Rated T for Violence and Language.

I do not own Final Fantasy VII, or any of the characters, trademarks or likenesses from Final Fantasy VII or its spin-offs That honor goes to Square-Enix.

Part II: Reunion

Chapter 44, What Are We Now?

? [ ν ] – εуλ ?

Zack felt like he'd been floating for a very long time, though he supposed it could have been anywhere from a few minutes to several years. It was hard to say exactly where he was in this space but something about it felt familiar… he found himself looking up at a vast beautiful sky. Wherever it was that he lay, the view was absolutely stunning. He stretched and tried to sit up to find he was in an open field. Now that he saw it for what it was, it looked an awful lot like his own inner space... and yet… off in the distance, he could have sworn he heard the trickling of water some distance away. Standing up, he decided to go see what it was. He soon caught sight of a lake, so still in the gentle light of the afternoon it reflected the clouds and blue emptiness of the sky like a mirror.

Without bothering to question it in his dream-like state, he stepped out onto the water, walking across the surface as though it were ground, until at last, up ahead, he caught sight of a familiar figure standing with a single white wing stretched behind him. Even though he carried no sword, there was no mistaking the identity of this man.

"Angeal?" Zack called.

The man looked up at him. "It's been a long time Zack… I saw what happened…"

"Yeah, I wish I could have helped, but Cloud did it. We won. Right?"

Angeal frowned, as though thinking. "I want to say that's what happened. Only time will tell…"

Zack looked around the area curiously and then asked. "So… did I die… or something?"

Angeal shook his head and then gestured towards a path leading away from the shore down which Zack could have sworn he heard voices.

Zack looked down the path and then turned back to his mentor. "Listen, I've had a lot of things I've wanted to to say. About how I… how you died… how I've missed having you around. But I guess after what happened in Nibelheim, the only thing I think I really want to say is thank you. If you hadn't shown up, I might not have gotten us out. And even though you were gone, you helped keep Aerith safe all that time through your copy."

Angeal shook his head and smiled sadly. "Don't mention it." He looked up at the sky thoughtfully for a moment or two and then back at his protégé. "So Zack, do you still want to be a hero?"

Zack grinned sheepishly. "More than anything, though I don't think it's for the same reasons anymore. When I first joined SOLDIER, I just thought it'd be awesome to make something of myself… and maybe pick up a few girls on the way… but I guess it's not so much that now as it is being able to protect what matters… and doing the right thing… you know? Not even Shinra could give us that."

Angeal nodded. "It's funny how growing up can change your perception of things." He looked down the path he had indicated again. "You'd better get going. They're probably worried."

"Yeah..." Zack paused for a moment. "I guess this is goodbye?"

"Probably. Unless you're an idiot, I'll be one with the Planet long before you stop breathing."

Zack put out his left hand, perhaps unconsciously still aware that his right shoulder was injured.

Angeal took it. "Be careful out there Zack."

"I'll try." With that, he turned and walked to shore before turning down the path towards the origin of the voices, not looking back once…

January 5th [ ν ] – εуλ 0008

Tifa was sitting out on the porch, watching Yuffie play with Marlene and Jessie when Barret stepped outside, having just returned from his turn on patrol. Things had been really quiet since their return, though people had been going off in shifts to look around the area, just in case Shinra had discovered their location. Barret walked out onto the the grass just as the ball the three girls were throwing around went astray and he caught it in his left hand with a grin before tossing it to his little girl.

"No news?" he asked.

Tifa shook her head. Zack had stirred a little early this morning but he'd remained unconscious.

Barret sighed. "You don't think somethin' happened to 'im do ya? In the Lifestream?"

"I don't know, but Sephiroth did tear him up pretty badly before," she said.

Barret looked out over the clearing before taking a seat in a rocking chair on the porch. "I was wonderin', have ya had any thoughts on what you're gonna do now?"

Tifa leaned against one of the support beams as she looked at him. "I'm not sure. What about you?"

"I don' know," he said. "Still tryin' ta think about it."

Jessie had paused when they started talking and now that she'd listened for a while, she came over. "Here's an idea," she said. "Why don't we reopen Seventh Heaven?"

"What?" Tifa asked.

"You always seemed so happy running it in Midgar. I doubt we can go back, since Shinra's still after us, but down here in Mideel, if you used a fake name, I doubt anyone would notice."

"That's a great idea!" Barret agreed. "We can still fight o'course, but we're not blowin' people up. We gotta change minds and we gotta start somewhere!"

"Not to mention, I expect Tifa'll be even happier since she'll be able to stay close to a certain someone." Jessie glanced significantly towards a window that looked in on the kitchen where she could see Cloud had just gathered a tray with some mugs of tea from Elmyra before walking back towards the stairs. He'd probably be trading out with Aerith soon. They'd been watching over Zack since yesterday.

She had to admit, she really hoped whatever they did, she could stick around. Cloud was all she had left from Nibelheim. The closest thing to family she could claim, aside from Marlene and AVALANCHE, and she felt that there was still a lot to do, before they even considered moving on with their lives. Even with Sephiroth gone, Shinra still endured, and Rufus was still planning to take over the world completely.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," she agreed with a smile.

"It's settled. We'll see about findin' a place in town when we're ready, and we'll make it so people can come and get drunk together, and talk and forget for a while. We still need to fight, but havin' a safe place ta go when we ain't fightin' is important too."

Barret was grinning for once and Marlene noticed and walked over. "Did something good happen daddy?" she asked.

"I'd say so. We're gonna bring back Seventh Heaven again, and it'll be better than the one in Midgar!"

"Yay!" Marlene cheered.

At that moment, Tifa looked up and saw Cloud watching them. He had apparently come back down after delivering Aerith's tea and he was smiling shyly as he stood in the doorway. "I'll help," he offered. "If you want me to."

"Of course she does!" Jessie exclaimed. Tifa merely returned his smile with one of her own. She felt hopeful for the first time in a while, surrounded by friends, and yet, having their own private little moment just for them. Maybe it would work. She really hoped it would, not just so she could feel she was living again, but for those who had died when Mako Reactor 1 exploded too.

January 6th [ ν ] – εуλ 0008

Kunsel was out training at the helicopter landing with Cloud when Dr. Rayleigh returned from work accompanied by a man he'd never met before. He was middle-aged, with dark hair and a neatly trimmed mustache and goatee, and he wore a blue business suit that looked as though it had seen better days. The two swordsmen stopped what they were doing and watched him warily for a moment before they saw the entourage of three cats walking behind him, one carrying a briefcase and papers.

Freya had been watching them from nearby, and upon seeing the man, her face lit up and she walked out to meet them. "Reeve. It's been a long time since I've seen you face to face."

That it has," he agreed. Seeing there was no danger, Kunsel walked over to join her along with Cloud and Reeve nodded in their direction. "Kunsel, Cloud Strife, it's a pleasure to finally meet the two of you in person," he held out his hand to the Ex-SOLDIER first in greeting and Kunsel took it, shaking it firmly.

"I wondered after Cait joined us, what I'd do if I ever did finally meet you," he admitted. "But a lot's changed since then." He gestured that they follow him to the lodge.

Reeve shook Cloud's hand and nodded in acknowledgement of the statement. "It certainly has. I've been out of the loop since Veld found me passage across the ocean. Has Zack shown any sign of improvement?"

"He's still out of it. It didn't help that he got dropped into the Lifestream while already unconscious. But we've been taking good care of him. Aerith said this morning that she thought she saw his hand move," Freya said over her shoulder. She had fallen into step next to the doctor as they walked along the path.

"That's a good sign," Reeve agreed. Upon reaching the lodge Kunsel saw their own Cait Sith unit sunning himself atop his robot mog, but upon seeing the other units behind Reeve, he hopped down and scampered over to them with a happy cry.

"Och! Me brothers! Yeh made it out I see!"

Marlene was helping Elmyra in the kitchen at the time and she glanced out the window curiously and upon seeing all the cats out there, she ran out to see what was going on. The little robots seemed to be talking among themselves animatedly while Reeve had collected his belongings and was in the process of introducing himself to the other members of the Lodge. A few minutes later he was seated at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and Kunsel and the others had gathered for a meeting.

"The last Cait Sith I left in Midgar reported something to me while I was on the ship," Reeve said. "It seems that Rufus has decided he wants us all eliminated if he can find us. He's apparently concerned over what will happen if word gets out about our little insurrection."

"We won't let that happen," Cloud said. "If Rufus wants to come after us, we'll fight him every step of the way."

"Or take the fight to him," Cid added. "Seems to me, that if he doesn't give up tryin' to shoot us, we're perfectly justified fightin' back. Why not just go in and take him out?"

"If we do, it won't be immediately," Freya said. "But it is something we'll need to think about. One thing we need to remember is that if we go directly for Rufus and we fail, he will double his efforts to find anyone who survives. Plus we'll be fighting not only the Turks, but Shinra's army, SOLDIER, the navy, and the air force. If we decide to go for it, we'll need to be ready to anticipate everything he could throw at us."

"She's right," Kunsel agreed. "Not to mention, who knows what else might be out there?"

"Either way, losin' ain't somethin' we can do!" Barret said. "We fought too hard against Sephiroth to turn around and give up now."

"In that case," Cissnei said folding her arms as she considered the problem, "We'll probably be needing Veld, and the other renegades even more."

"You're right," Mao agreed. "We're fortunate he has a vested interest in keeping us alive."

Yuffie looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

Mao gave her a grim look. "His connections to us along with Reeve for one thing, and with Vincent. Not to mention, there's no love lost between him and Hojo, if you know what I mean."

"That's another thing," Reeve said, his expression becoming grim. "I probably should have said something earlier, but Hojo has escaped."

"What?!" Several voices in the room echoed the exclamation.

"Does anyone know where he could have gone?!" Cloud demanded.

Vincent, who had up until this moment been leaning against the wall on the far side of the room was suddenly standing at the table, his normal hand supporting him as he leaned in to the conversation. "How did it happen?" His expression was calm, but his voice carried an urgency it rarely held.

"All I know, is that a man in a strange uniform was seen letting him out of his cell," Reeve reached into his pocket to reveal a photograph. "As you can see, the uniform is very unusual. It's almost like a SOLDIER's except, he's much more armored. And those blue lines? They appear to be tubes."

"There seems to be some kind of symbol on the front too," Tifa said, reaching down to point at it. "But I can't make it out."

"The camera wasn't a high-end model," Reeve observed. "It wasn't advanced enough for us to get a clear look. Not only that, but Cait was looking through a ventilation shaft at Rufus's computer monitor when he saw this."

"So it's another dead end then," Kunsel groaned.

"Not exactly," Mao said.

"What do you mean?" Cissnei looked up at her partner.

"When we were still at Shinra, I ran a mission for a man in the Science Department who was developing a Mako powered suit, thinking that maybe it could help augment SOLDIERs in the field. I don't know what happened to him, but if I can find him, he might know something." He picked up his katana. "I think it's worth investigating at least, don't you?"

Tanjuu also stood at that moment. "I agree, and most likely, it will take us straight into Midgar. If anything so much as twitches, we'll know."

"Should I go with you?" Cissnei asked.

"You and Freya can stay here," Tanjuu said gruffly. "We both know that's what you'd rather do, and two Turks are more than enough."

Mao nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, we'll be fine." He ruffled Cissnei's hair as he walked past her, and before they knew it, he was gone. Tanjuu and Freya merely exchanged looks before the former gangster too disappeared out into the woods.

After a moment, Reeve cleared his throat. "Well, that's how things stand at the moment."

"I see," Vincent said. "Perhaps it is time I also left."

"Where are you going?" Kunsel asked.

"To check the Black Materia. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to take stock of all the locations we can use for safe havens as well, just in case this one is actually found. I will return in three days." With that he too had walked out the door.

"Do people always come and go like that?" Reeve asked.

"Some more than others," Freya commented.

January 9th [ ν ] – εуλ 0008

Cloud was sitting by Zack's bedside, and had been there since earlier in the morning. Aerith had been watching him through last night and had ducked out for a little while to get a little sleep. It was becoming a regular cycle now. Occasionally, Kunsel or Freya or Cissnei would take a turn, but for the most part, he and Aerith had been keeping things going. Perhaps he felt he now had an understanding of what Zack had gone through during the time he himself had been caught in the Mako's grip.

No, he hadn't waited four years yet, and he hoped he never would. Never mind that Zack had faced most of that alone. Right now, Cloud had Tifa, and Freya, and Aerith, and the others to help shoulder the burden. There was no way he could completely understand. But at least he could do this. He worked away in a sketchbook that he'd brought with him. It had been an idea he'd had after talking to Kunsel last time they'd trained. At some point, he needed a stronger sword, so he'd been working on a design for one. The Buster Sword was Zack's even if what the doctor said was true. He had simply borrowed it, and eventually, it would be best to construct one that was really and truly his. He'd done a little practicing with that move he'd used against Sephiroth, but he felt that if he had a blade that could match his strength and desire for versatility, maybe he could also truly master what in his mind he was now secretly calling the "Omnislash." Maybe, he could even take it further than he had when he struck the final blow.

"What'cha doing?" He looked over his shoulder to see Freya standing there, looking at his drawing with interest. He'd been trying to figure out how to design the sword to carry multiple blades, as he'd rather liked the freedom of that flexibility but didn't so much care for having to keep them all in his sword harness at the same time. As a result, he had been trying to design a mechanism that would adequately suit the purpose of detaching them when he wanted them detached while holding them secure when what he wanted was a larger single blade.

She stroked her chin as she looked over the picture. "Are you trying to come up with a replacement for the sword you broke?"

"I'm hoping it'll replace all of them actually," he admitted.

"Ah…" she walked over to another chair Kunsel had brought up from the kitchen. "Sounds interesting. Although I expect with all that metal, it'll probably be just as heavy as Zack's sword… or worse." She grimaced before giving their patient an affectionate glance. "Even so, I hope he'll be able to use it again, one day."

"If I know him, if he can't use it with his right, he'll probably try going at it with his left if we let him." Cloud shook his head with a small chuckle.

"I believe it," Freya agreed. As he watched, she flipped the chair around before she sat down, crossing her arms over top of the back of it, a gentle smile on her face. "You know, the day before you woke up, when Rayleigh came, it was just the three of us, and since you were still out of it, Zack was working on this crossword. He looked up at you and asked you like you were actually awake, if you knew a seven letter word for huge," she shook her head. "Of course you didn't answer, but because of that, we started playing a word game there in the hospital. We were both pretty bored. But weirdly enough, the very next day, you opened your eyes, and… do you remember what you said?"

"I still don't remember a lot from back then," Cloud admitted.

"Loveless…" Freya said. "It was the answer to the last round of the game."

Cloud shook his head. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Nothing. It was total nonsense out of context," she said. "It's just, Someone told me once, that if you talk to someone while they're in a coma or unconscious, it'll give them something to focus on, so they have something to try and come back to. It may not seem like they can hear you, but on some level, he can probably hear us right now. On some level, he's probably laughing too."

"He would," Cloud agreed, running a hand through his spikes. "He'd probably even be telling us to play the game again and see if it worked."

"Well, why not?"

"It's not like it's magic or anything," Cloud said.

"No, but you could think of it as a beacon for someone floundering around in the dark," Freya suggested. "Besides, he's probably bored out of his mind just lying there."

Cloud nodded. "Yeah," he considered for a moment. "All right, I've got one," he looked over at Zack, lying on the bed. "You hear that Zack? You can ask questions too, if you want."

Freya smiled though she had a faraway look in her eyes, as though still remembering something from a long time ago. "All right, yes or no questions… Hmm… Is it alive?"

"No."

"Okay… so is it a mineral?"

"Sort of."

"It's made of a mineral."

"Yes."

"Is it a structure or building of some kind?"

"No, and that's four," Cloud said, going back to his drawing.

Freya frowned, as she considered the next question. "Is it something you can carry?"

"Some can."

"But others can't?"

"Right, and that counts as a question. Six now."

"Is it a tool?"

"Sort of."

"A weapon?"

"Yes."

Freya suddenly looked over at the weapon leaning against the wall next to Zack's bed. Cloud had dutifully cleaned it again after the fight with Sephiroth and in spite of the fact the direct sun was on the opposite side of the house, it still seemed to glisten in the light coming in from the window. "I think I know," she said. "The Buster Sword. You can do better than that."

"You found me out," Cloud said though he didn't look up from his sketch pad.

Freya considered for a moment before speaking again. "Okay, here's one."

Cloud paused in his work and frowned thoughtfully. "Is it alive?"

"Yes."

"Is it a plant?"

"No."

"An animal then."

"Technically…" Freya hedged.

"Is it smart?"

"Oh yes, very much so."

"Human?"

"Yes, and that's five," Freya held her hand up cheerfully. "You have fifteen left."

"So it's someone in particular?"

"Yes."

Cloud looked up at the ceiling. "Is it a man or a woman?"

"She's definitely female," Freya said.

"Does she live here?"

"Yes."

Cloud considered all the girls who lived here, as there were now several. "Is she older than… Yuffie?"

"Definitely," Freya agreed.

"Is she older than you?"

She gave him a mock look of hurt before answering. "No. And that's ten. So far, I'm winning."

That definitely narrowed it down. Cloud considered. That left Cissnei, Tifa, and Aerith, but which one? He ran a hand through his hair, thinking. But then he saw Freya glance over at Zack…

"It's Aerith, isn't it." He guessed.

"How did you know I was coming?" He looked behind him to see the woman in question walking into the room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"I didn't," he answered, rubbing the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. "We were playing a game, and you… happened to be the answer."

"Is that so? What game?" Aerith walked over to check on Zack before taking a seat on Cloud's bed.

"Twenty questions," Freya said. "We thought he might be bored," she gestured to Zack's sleeping form.

"Well, do you mind if I join you?" Aerith asked.

"Not at all," Freya said. "You can go next."

"All right," Aerith thought for a moment and then a smile lit up on her face. "Okay, I have it."

"Is it alive?" Freya asked immediately.

"No," she said.

"All right, is it organic in any way?"

"No."

"Okay, so it's a mineral of some kind?"

"You could say that."

Cloud looked up from what he was doing. "Is it big?"

"Yes," Aerith nodded.

Freya thought for a second before asking "Is it a building?"

Aerith nodded again and her smile got a little wider. "Yes."

Cloud looked down at the sketchbook again but couldn't seem to keep his mind on it anymore. "Is it in a particular city?"

Aerith nodded.

"Junon?" Freya asked.

"No."

"Midgar," Cloud guessed.

Yes."

"When you said big," Freya mused, "did you mean like the Shinra building? Or just a building in general?"

"Just in general," Aerith said. "It's not terribly large, but compared to a person it would be big."

"I get it. So is it above plate?"

"No," Aerith said. "And that's ten."

"The… church… Fell through her roof…"

All three of them looked at the bed. "Zack?" Cloud stood up and walked over. What he saw made him feel like his heart had jumped into his throat. A pair of bleary violet eyes looked back up at him. Aerith was suddenly at his side just as he saw his friend blink and look up at them.

"Hey," his friend said softly, a small grin spreading across his face. "Did you… get the number… of the… thing that hit me…?"

"Not exactly. Sephiroth's gone though," Cloud answered.

"Good…" Zack reached out with his good arm and before Cloud knew what was happening, he'd grabbed his shoulder and pulled him down into a hug. "I knew you could do it," the Ex-SOLDIER whispered.

Any thought of arguing fled, as he felt Zack let go of him and he had to hurry to get out of the way so Aerith could get close enough to him to give him a gentle kiss and tell him how worried they'd been. It was all right though. As he saw Freya hurry off to go get the others, he felt himself relax. Things would be okay, eventually.

January 10th [ ν ] – εуλ 0008

Later, Zack couldn't recall much of the next few hours, but thankfully, his mind was beginning to clear by the end of the next day, and he was able to come down and join everyone in the living room. It was a heartening sight when upon his triumphant walk down the stairs, supported by Cloud, everyone who was waiting in the kitchen cheered.

There had been a big dinner, courtesy of Elmyra and his mom while Cid and Barret brought out several bottles of vintage dumbapple wine they'd managed to find at the fishing village. He couldn't help but be touched when Aerith didn't want to leave his side. They spent a significant amount of time with him seated in a place of honor in a comfortable chair by the window, where the warm summer breeze could waft into the room while everyone compared notes with him about what had happened down in the caves. The most memorable part of the evening though, was when Kunsel walked up to him during a lull in the conversation where the others had gone to refill their drinks and pressed exactly ten gil into his palm.

"What's this for?" he asked.

Kunsel shook his head, and said simply "You won the bet. Congratulations, hero."

Zack cocked his head to the side for a moment, thinking about this, and then he remembered. "Oh… but Cloud did what he did on his own. He deserves the credit for that one."

Kunsel shook his head and looked over to see Cloud had stepped out for a moment. "Yeah, he was definitely a hero on that count. But you were what you needed to be for the guy who needed you, and you stood with him at the precipice and talked him back when he almost went over the edge. That's also pretty heroic if you ask me."

With that, he walked outside, leaving Zack alone with his thoughts. It had taken his own S-cells to do it, and he doubted that he'd ever be able to figure out exactly how he'd done it (not that he wanted to ever again), but at the very least, he'd done some good. For now, that was enough. He smiled and tucked the gil into his pocket.

January 11th [ ν ] – εуλ 0008

Zack was out on the porch when Vincent returned from wherever it was he'd gone. When he spotted the man in red, he nodded in greeting. Vincent approached him, leaning against the wall of the lodge next to him.

"I'm glad to see you're doing better," Zack commented.

"Compared to Hojo, Sephiroth was a child with a letter opener," Vincent replied, looking out over the clearing. "Though it is good you are awake."

Zack looked up at him. "Listen, about what happened. I shouldn't have…"

Vincent shook his head. "You made the decision that seemed best at the time. I cannot fault you for that. Because you made that decision, the world will endure, Sephiroth will fade, and we will find Hojo another day. An apology isn't necessary."

Zack stood up, deciding it was time to go for a walk. "All right then. Don't disappear too soon. I've been brought up to speed on most of what's going on, but we need to make plans."

Vincent nodded though he remained where he was. Zack walked towards the path to the helicopter landing. Rayleigh hadn't exactly given him a clean bill of health yet, but he felt pretty good today, and to tell the truth, he felt too constrained just sitting around. Kunsel had gone off to carry out a monster exterminating job near one of the northern villages along with Freya, and Cid and Barret had left to go with Nanaki to visit Bugenhagen, so the place felt oddly quiet. Even the girls were busy since they'd gone off to get supplies. As he approached the landing, he could hear someone moving around in the grass, and when he stepped out into the sun, he saw that Cloud was working by himself. Training with the Yoshiyuki and the Butterfly edge. The Buster Sword was leaned against a tree nearby

"Nice form," he commented, as Cloud brought the two swords in front of him to block an imaginary opponent while stabbing at him at the same time.

Cloud stopped, lowering his blades. "Are you sure you should be out here?"

Zack grinned. "The doc'll probably throw a fit, but I figure if I hurry, I can be back before she notices I'm even gone."

Cloud chuckled at that. "I should have guessed."

Zack sauntered over to where the Buster Sword was and noted that it shone brilliantly in the afternoon light. There was a shadow at his feet as Cloud walked up behind him. "You cleaned it up?" he said, and looked back just in time to see Cloud nod. He returned his gaze to the blade, before flexing his sword arm. He knew something hadn't been right since he'd woken up. He could feel pain (a lot of it actually) and he could move it. But it was definitely not the same as before. His dexterity was definitely not what it was, for one, and his arm, which at one point had been able to bear the Buster Sword like it was nothing, now trembled under the weight of a dinner plate. He'd tried that last night and had been rather disconcerted by the result. It would probably be a while before he could even consider writing legibly either. However, part of him wanted to see what would happen, so he reached out to the grip and tried to pick up his weapon.

It wouldn't budge. He just didn't have the strength anymore and even that effort caused him to gasp from the strain of the effort. Finally, he reached out with his left, lifted the blade, and very carefully, let gravity sink it into the ground. "I guess what she said was right," he said after a moment, but then his face hardened. "But I don't care. Maybe I can't right now, but one of these days, I will fight with the Buster Sword again."

"Yeah," Cloud agreed.

Zack glanced around the clearing as though to see if there were any onlookers daring to disagree with him, but then his eyes landed on a sketchpad sitting next to where the sword had been. He picked it up, looking at the top drawing and realized it was of a series of swords. "What's this?"

"You said I should find a better sword. I thought why not just make one?"

Zack perused his work a little longer, flipping through the filled in pages and he nodded appreciatively. "That's a really neat design you got there. Any ideas on how you're going to build it?"

"I haven't figured that part out yet, but I thought we could find someone."

"Oh we will," Zack was grinning as he put his good hand on Cloud's shoulder. His right hand was shaking a little under the weight of the sketchbook but he determinedly tried to ignore it. "This is going to be one hell of a sword, but it suits you perfect!"

He looked over at the Buster Sword. "I tell you what. Until you find a way to build this thing, you can hang onto mine a little while longer. I know you'll take good care of it."

Cloud's eyes widened slightly. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I am! Though I guess one other thing we need is to decide what we're doing from here on out."

"What do you think that is?" Cloud asked.

Zack frowned, deep in thought as he felt a cool breeze waft across the clearing, noting only the faint hint of salt in the air as it blew in from the ocean. "Rufus seems like he's going to keep coming after us, but…" He paused before giving up on that thought, and starting a completely new one, a new inspiration in his eyes. "Just taking down Shinra isn't really good enough without some idea of what happens next. We could do that, but it doesn't solve everything in the long run, and if we don't do this right, it could make things worse. If anything, I think what we want should be bigger."

"So what are we fighting for?"

Zack knelt down in front of the Buster Sword, pressing his forehead against the flat of the blade where the two materia slots were placed before straightening his posture to answer. "We should fight for a better future. One that doesn't involve mako, or labs. One where the weak don't live in fear of the strong. And we should fight to help those who need us."

"What are we then?" Cloud asked. "We're not Shinra, or the Turks, or SOLDIER, and we're definitely not AVALANCHE."

"GUARDIAN," Zack said decisively, getting back to his feet, his left hand still on the hilt of the Buster Sword. "We'll call ourselves GUARDIAN. I don't want people to hear it and think of blown up bodies, or SOLDIER, or Mako, or fear. I want them to think of heroes, and hope, and safety, and I want them to think of freedom. Freedom that we'll all have one day." He lifted the Buster Sword one more time with his left hand, and as it reflected the light of the sun throughout the clearing, he held the grip out to Cloud.

His friend looked at it for a moment, and then solemnly reached out to accept it. In that instant, both men held onto the grip of the sword, in an unspoken promise, and then Zack let go. Cloud backed up a step, swinging the blade around in a circle before securing it on his back.

End of Part II

And now, we have hit another major milestone. As of now, Part II is officially over. Sure took us long enough.

Oh, and in the original game, Tifa only just regained consciousness, and Cloud's still missing. We're a bit more than a week early. Meteor fell on the 21st. And, yeah... about that Meteor... *looks around* Where is it? No WEAPONs either! Things can't possibly work out this well can they? Well, over the next few weeks we're going into interlude mode as we follow the aftermath in "On the Way to a New Future" before moving on to Part III. It will be exciting! I just know it!

See ya next time!