A/N: We decided to drop one more chapter this month. Hope you all enjoy, and thank you to MarleNadia and Arrankor for their reviews!
I wonder if Wel, Dan, Meiday, and the other boys who left the village are doing alright? All the boys left for the city. They all called me out to the water tower. They all said the same things.
Tifa looked up from the internal thoughts transformed into words across a page of her diary, looking about the open window to her room. Admiring the glittering starlight in the heavens above, the comfortable chill in the air of an otherwise strangely mild December evening.
Ah, except for Cloud. He said something about joining Soldier? I wonder how long he's been thinking about that. He was always pretty distant from everyone else, but still bothered about everyone else. To be frank, he was kind of a strange kid. Always getting into fights. It wasn't like he was fighting because he was angry, more like he was testing something. What was he trying to test? His own strength?
Tifa frowned in the middle of gnawing the end of her pen, an otherwise bad habit. It was hard to say what exactly went through Cloud's mind whenever he'd fight. He'd never behaved aggressively around her , as if he was trying to prevent her from witnessing that lousy attitude.
And yet, who was she the one to mull over bizarre behavior? Certainly, tonight she'd taken herself by surprise, almost blurting out the idea of a promise, Cloud appearing hesitant before he agreed. Oddly serious. Still, it had been nice to spend time with her next-door neighbor, the pair falling into a comfortable silence after a shooting star above seemingly sealed their future.
Pity she was late due to piano lessons and homework. Thankfully, Cloud didn't seem to mind. It seemed like he waited outside for Tifa for a good while, his eyes widening in surprise once she finally arrived. She had tried inviting him inside, away from the chilly night, but Cloud politely declined, mumbling something about not being wanted.
What did Cloud mean by that? Sure, perhaps Papa would sometimes act irritable when spotting Cloud next door quietly leaving his house each morning, but…
Tifa yawned sleepily. Such serious thoughts for a kid her age could wait until another day; there was school tomorrow. Hm, maybe I'll ask Cloud if he wants to walk to school together?
Setting her diary inside the desk drawer, she slipped out of her white one piece dress before changing into her nightgown. Time to brush her teeth and hit the hay.
Tifa frowned, footfalls light into their bathroom to not wake her father fast asleep in his room. He was always so busy as town mayor, also missing Mama as much as Tifa herself did. A shame that Tifa couldn't remember much of those days.
Slowly brushing her teeth while staring back at her sleepy reflection—oh no, did she have a hair out of place during their talk at the water tower?—she wondered what the future held.
Will Cloud visit with Soldier, soon? I hope he'll do well, climbing up the ranks.
The clock on the wall quietly ticked the seconds away while Tifa finished cleaning her bar, Seventh Heaven.
Avalanche held no official meeting tonight. Rather, she had tomorrow off to restock the bar's supplies. Tonight, she'd quietly reflect while cooking an early dinner for her friends. And mull over things, in brief solitude.
Maybe her own past memories—mama dying from her illness—were fuzzy due to childhood? To the natural passage of time. Certainly, that had to be it.
There was the present to look forward to. Something more important. Tangible. She'd closed the bar today, too, so that her small family of friends could enjoy a peaceful meal together. Once everyone finished their own errands that evening and returned home. So Marlene, at least, could have some happy memories.
After all, they were about to do something that would most assuredly ruin their rather uneventful life in the Slums.
Soon, in a short couple of months, Avalanche was going to make a move against Shinra. They were going to blow up a Mako reactor, a stalwart symbol of Shinra's power, and then the rest of them if Avalanche wasn't caught before hand. If they all survived the first mission...
She turned towards the large pot of stew simmering on the stove and began stirring. The Mako reactors had to go. She'd seen the effects on Mount Nibel when she was younger, and eight of those metal parasites sucking up the Planet's blood created a dead zone miles upon miles wide.
Yes, for the Planet to have a future, they had to be destroyed.
Revenge boiled in her gut. Shinra had to pay for what they had done.
Maybe Sephiroth massacred her hometown on his own, but if Shinra hadn't built a Mako reactor there some twenty five years prior, and he'd never been dispatched, none of this would have happened. Tifa wasn't even sure why the Silver General had gone on a rampage one evening; it was as if he had simply snapped. Zack, another Soldier, had gone after him. But she'd been too out of it from blood loss to remember what happened after claiming she hated Zack.
Everyone she knew, dead. Except for one...Cloud Strife.
Cloud. Her next door neighbor, and the boy that promised one beautiful starlit night to come to her whenever she was in a pinch. But, he never came...not that she thought her dream was realistic. He hadn't been there. He went into Soldier...A small chill came to her spine at the thought. Were they enemies now? Would they have to face him soon, and would he be a Shinra loyalist?
Maybe he didn't care what happened to Nibelheim, because no one ever really liked him there.
But he had a mother! Maybe he just didn't know. Maybe he ran away, or he was dead, or...
She shook her head to get rid of her rambling thoughts. The thought of Cloud being in Soldier made her feel sick to her stomach whenever it surfaced, but that didn't mean he couldn't be persuaded to join them against his employer, right? It didn't mean he was a soulless husk of a man. Even despite herself, Zack seemed an honest sort...Was he alive, too?
Tifa snapped around in surprise at the sound of the bar door opening. Did Biggs forget to lock it, again? She tsked to herself and came from behind the bar to greet and shoo off the would-be guests.
They put her on edge, covered in black cloaks and slightly hunched over. "Excuse me, but we're cl—"
Then she saw the soft glow of indigo eyes eerily staring at, or through, her. Soldiers.
She stiffened a bit, not from fear, but from disgust. Tifa cleared her throat and crossed her arms. "We don't serve Shinra here because they cause too much trouble with the locals when they drink," she said with a hint of iciness to her voice.
The stranger held up his free hand, and she noticed a large sword handle poking out from behind his shoulder, further putting her on edge. He waved his hand disarmingly. "H-hey now, we aren't here for booze! And um, we aren't Shinra, either."
The pugilist narrowed her eyes. Did he take her for a fool? "The Mako eyes give it away, sir."
"Fine, fine..." The stranger's eyes darted about nervously. "Uh, the sundries shop down the street was closed for the night...I...was wondering if you had a Potion, or water, or something."
Whatever cooked atop the stove behind the bar smelled good . Comforting, like back home in Gongaga. And that lingering scent of brisket, and freshly baked bread that patrons or other residents must've savored...Zack could only hope his growling stomach wasn't terribly obvious.
Or something? Tifa noticed his eyes looking her up and down and his try-hard smile fading into a slight frown. And despite herself, she rolled her eyes. "We aren't an Item shop."
"Uh, right, right..."
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Tifa's gaze shifted down to see a small splotch of blood underneath him. His comrade had been rather quiet, leaning on the first man this entire time. The pale faced Soldier looked around, then let out a huff of air, as if holding in whatever physical pain he was experiencing.
Ugh. Something to mentally distract, and calm this weird atmosphere…What should I do?
Happily, Zack took notice of the pinball machine off to the side of the small restaurant.
"Well, buddy, would ya look at that! How much Gil you wanna bet that I can get the high score?"
Groaning through his cloak, his blond companion's head lolled to his side. Cloud had fallen in and out of lucidity through that morning, shortly after Zack woke him up. Before sudden gunfire resulted in a startled truck tire's hastily squealing away and the clashing of steel against steel. Since then, Zack's brave front for his shoulder injury was increasingly difficult.
The bartender, impatiently tapping her fingerless gloved hand against her arm, remained unimpressed. Zack couldn't help wince. No good, huh?
"...Sorry. We'll leave ya alone." Maybe they could ask for a glass of water elsewhere. Neither had any clean water since Kalm.
"Uhhh..." The other one began stirring a bit.
"Easy there, Cloud," the first man whispered.
A gasp escaped the woman. "What did you call him?" she demanded.
He hesitated, then licked his lips. "...Cloud?"
"Uuuhhh...Re...on." There was shuddered breath.
Wishing her quickening heart would calm, Tifa came closer, mouth dry as the Corel desert. Could it be? He wasn't the only person on the Planet with that name, but...she had to know.
Her curiosity more than overwhelming, with one light tug of his hood, that familiar mess of spiky blond hair—damp from sweat—was evident.
"Cloud?! Wh...what's wrong with him? Where..."
Widening eyes, a million questions immediately ran through Tifa's mind. For now, she cut them off to catch her racing thoughts. He's here, he's here, he's here.
Hood fallen against his back with arms crossed, Zack was in silent disbelief about having another soul to bluntly discuss the matter with, after months of solitude. Tifa's eyes widened further as she gazed upon a face she never thought she would see again.
"Tifa?! Um, it must've been awhile! Cloud has...Mako poisoning. A pretty severe case, too."
She swallowed the forming lump in her throat, white knuckles clenched at her sides. "Zack...was this..." Her hardening gaze met those familiar Mako eyes—truthfully, she felt like a fool to not recognize the 1st Class sooner. "Did Shinra do this to Cloud?" She made no apologies about her openly bitter tone.
"Well..." Zack scratched the back of his head, before shaking it. "It's...a bit of a complicated story. We're on the run from them, though."
"...Ahh...?"
Tifa bit her lip, a hand ever so gently resting on Cloud's shoulder, helping her old friend into a chair. Before anything else, she ensured both men had fresh water to drink. Zack, still standing, disregarded any manners to noisily chug his share, while Cloud needed Tifa's help holding up his glass, managing to sip.
"We'll talk about the details later. Right now, Cloud needs help. Because we're in the Slums, the real medicine they have on the Upper Plate is out of the question...So, how about something soothing to relax tension in his muscles? Especially so he won't be restless when he should be getting a full night's sleep."
Tifa looked at Zack and gently tilted her head. "Maybe a bath?"
"Yeah, something...He's not doing too good." Zack brought his now free hand to his side, nursing it while taking a deep breath through his nose. Despite the bittersweet reunion, he still seemed a little stressed.
"You aren't either, Zack." No wonder he wanted a Potion.
"...Ti...Uuhh..."
While Tifa spoke, her former next-door neighbor—oddly enough—seemed to...nuzzle into her hand, as if he were a puppy seeking shelter from an approaching storm. Was that a flicker of recognition in those heavily clouded green eyes? Her hand ever so slowly cupped against the warmth of his cheek. Staying.
Not green. They shouldn't be green. Tifa maneuvered herself to reach for a bar napkin, wiping away some of Cloud's drool without comment, ruby eyes softening in utter sadness. Not quite despair. Not yet.
Unceremoniously all but collapsing against a countertop bar stool with the tension leaving his body, Zack didn't even hide the fatigue across his tired features, worry lines occasionally ceasing his forehead and corners of his lips while replying.
"You don't even know the half of this, looking after him." Minor blood loss, Zack could handle. The emotional factor, however…He was so incredibly tired, but immediately added—slight edge to his voice, "Through no fault of Cloud's own, mind you! Anyway...I think a bath could help him settle down a bit. Poor guy tosses and turns a lot at night. That's when his really bad attacks happen."
Reluctantly, Tifa left Cloud's side. He let out a little moan, displeased and pleading. She quickly locked the door, glancing at the pinball machine. "Zack, do you have enough energy to help get Cloud downstairs?"
The raven-haired man looked back at her while scratching at his scruffy chin. He achingly stood back up and walked over to his sick friend.
"Y-yeah. Come on, Spike. It's time to get you cleaned up!"
Tifa enjoyed the surprised look on Zack's face when the pinball machine—aww, did that mean he couldn't play it?—turned out to be an elevator that led to a large, underground bunker that housed what looked like a rather large family; and now her family might grow again. They carried Cloud into the bathroom, decorated with white tile and little knick knacks she and Jessie had collected from one place or another.
As the bath filled, Tifa left the pair and fetched a few Potions to help the subtly bleeding Zack. When she returned he had helped himself to a hot wet rag, wiping any trace of grime from his face and neck. Eagerly downing each bottle of liquid in three audible gulps, the look of relief on his face was the happiest she had seen him since Nibelheim...Nibelheim...
"Zack," she began as they stripped Cloud and together, ever so slowly easing his body into warm water, "what happened after Nibelheim?"
He looked down, mouth a straight line. Seems it had rattled him almost as much as it did her.
"Cloud. He beat Sephiroth."
Her brows creased together, and she shook her head. "I don't remember him being there."
Zack's eyes moved back up again to meet hers. "He was. Remember that quiet grunt that kept lookin' at you?"
"I...yes?" She looked down at Cloud, then back at Zack, then shook her head again. "It wasn't Cloud, was it? He's a Soldier, a 1st Class like you!" Or did Shinra make him Soldier after he beat Sephiroth? Then, why were they running from Shinra?
"He was never in Soldier," he quietly denied. "Deserved the honor for sure, but he was just a grunt. Said he couldn't show his face in town until he became one. Silly, huh?"
"Cloud..." She gently rubbed some of Jessie's shampoo into his soft, wet hair. A little whimper escaped his lips as she tickled his scalp with her fingers, then a quiet sigh. "How did he get Mako poisoning?" she nearly whispered.
It was nearly a full minute when she realized she hadn't gotten an answer, and she turned her head to see him either staring into the water, or at Cloud's chest. Quickly she followed his line of vision to a horrible deep scar almost underneath Cloud's heart. Similar to the one across Tifa's own chest, that ugly reminder in between her breasts and the beginnings of her belly. Well-hidden thanks to her white tank top.
"Zack...?"
"After Cloud beat Sephiroth, he almost bled to death. I remember Zangan coming in and haulin' you off, he even gave Cloud a quick Cure before escaping. Then, Shinra came."
The bitterness had entered Zack's voice at their mention. He swallowed heavily before continuing. "I thought they were gonna save us. We couldn't stop Sephiroth from destroying your village, but we stopped him from trying to kill everyone on the Planet, right?"
The 1st Class continued, "I thought...we would be heroes to Shinra. But, Hojo took us down to the basement in the Shinra Mansion with the other survivors and, well...He did a little of this or that to us. Whatever it was he wanted us to do, our bodies didn't do, so he stuffed us in tanks for a while. Not really sure how long we were in there."
Her mouth was gaping open in absolute horror and sorrow for what Zack described. Survivors? Experiments? Tanks? They had been through hell, and they didn't even know how many years they had lost!
"Oh, Zack..." She couldn't tell him just yet. He was putting on a strong face, she knew, but he needed rest. "I-I think you should get some sleep, we can talk more later."
"What about Cloud?"
"I can handle him from here." She dumped a bowl of water over his head, the blond emitting a subdued noise of surprise at the sudden cold chill, Tifa washing away suds on his now clean hair. "Take the room that's down the hall and to the left."
"If you're sure..." Zack bit his lip. Glancing between the pair, with Tifa's tired eyes in serious concentration while tending to Cloud as her childhood friend muttered nonsense, his unfocused eyes gazing at his bathwater.
The swordsman shakily stood, his hand offered a comforting squeeze to Tifa's shoulder. "Thank you, Tifa." His voice was still oh so tired, albeit thankful. Genuine.
In all honesty, some rest certainly sounded good, considering his injuries. There wasn't much damage because of his pauldron, but it had bruised and strained the muscles from the force. Zack was glad that scuffle at the security checkpoint wasn't a headshot, and their driver sped off to safety at the first signs of conflict. And, at least Cloud began displaying gradual signs of recovery, occasionally becoming lucid before going back into his stupor.
"Once things calm down, I'll see if I can find Cloud a suitable weapon. He'll need it, when he recovers."
Not if. But when. TIfa couldn't help brightly smile at Zack's honest hope regarding Cloud. Something she had to remember, her fingers ever so slowly tracing the ugly reminder of his victory against Shinra's former hero gone rogue, Cloud visibly flinching when Tifa began to gently scrub that area.
What did Sephiroh discover that made him raze our town? He's long dead, according to Shinra's papers, but…
"Hm. There'll be time for that. For now, please get your strength back." She looked at him and nodded. "You're both in good hands. My friends and I won't let Shinra find either of you."
Relief washed over his features, and despite how ragged he looked, the release of that coiled up tension from being on the run for so long abated finally made him almost look like a completely different person. Being safe and sound was as valuable as gold to him, she realized.
"Some day, I hope to repay you for this. Really."
"Good night, Zack." She turned back to the tub, feeling it was best to keep her eyes on Cloud in case he suddenly had an attack and found himself face-first in the shallow bath water.
"Good night Tifa. Night, Spike." He nodded, quietly shutting the door behind him to offer some privacy, readying himself for bed. Wearing only his boxers to bed wouldn't be terribly awkward around the barmaid, now would it? Maybe she could do their laundry.
Certainly Tifa was gorgeous and kindhearted, but his heart along ago belonged to somebody else.
Making it to Sector Five will have to wait, huh? Disrobing near the makeshift cot in the personalized bedroom, Zack neatly left his clothes and Cloud's in a pile in a small basket that seemed to serve as a laundry hamper. He had thought about taking a shower after Tifa was done with Cloud, but he was completely and utterly beat.
It can't have been for a year or more that we were away, right?
He sighed to himself, sitting atop the somewhat stiff mattress to dry the blood off his sword that Tifa had made no comment on. He had no other way to deal with that checkpoint en route to Midgar. He'd used his cloak to clean the weathered thick blade, figuring that the dark fabric would hide any stains left from his clean up.
Zack checked the floor to make sure no blood had stained it, then took a good look at the room he was going to be sleeping in. There were a couple of pin ups on the concrete walls, painted a fading, pasty blue. A dresser with a cinderblock being used as a leg sat across the small room from him, holding a supply of gauze tape and a few fabric bandanas. A nightstand stood snugly against the bed, which held a simple lamp and a few personal items.
Finishing up he laid his aching body onto the bed, appreciating not so much knots of an aged mattress but just how safe he finally felt. Safe, in good hands, somewhere Shinra couldn't find them. He could sleep on a rock covered in hot sand just for safety . Zack's eyes closed as a relieved sigh blew out of his lips, and he was soon completely dead to the world.
He had done it: he had finally gotten them on the road to a new life.