Aerith was fine at first, really she was.
None of her messages got through and most of her calls resulted in a No Service sign popping up on her PHS screen, but Zack messaged about their safe arrival in Nibelheim and that comforted her the first night he was away.
The next morning her inbox was empty. She forced a grin while heading downstairs and got seated at the table as her mom set a plate of pancakes before her. Then the woman sat down herself and Aerith looked her in the eye as she said, "Last night I proposed to Zack and he proposed to me and we both said 'yes'."
After spitting out her tea and swabbing the resulting mess, her mother was quite happy to help her prepare for the ceremony. They started by creating a list of attendees. She penned down her mother and Cloud in an old yellow-paged notebook, but couldn't think of whom else to invite except a few street urchins she was fond of. Next she listed Zack's parents while estimating his friend invitees would amount to ten at most, for though the SOLDIER was prone to making friends everywhere he went, he only ever titled a handful of them close friends.
That taken care of, Aerith then considered potential wedding venues. She hoped Zack wouldn't mind having it in Midgar since she couldn't leave city limits. Also it needed to be indoors if they married above plate, just to minimize the chances of her seeing the sky and panicking mid-vow. The place should be small too considering their short guest list, and not overly expensive as Zack wasn't a wealthy man. Though he was going to be, just you wait, he swore.
Her eyes drifted to the flower vase on the table and suddenly the slum church sprang to mind. She would have dismissed it, but in her head she saw its wood polished, sun shining on an altar set up in front of her lush garden and cream white ribbons adorning the pews. The idea quickly nestled in her bosom like it was always meant to be. After all, the church was where they met so wouldn't it be poetic to marry there?
A call from Cloud ended her daydream, but she eagerly answered. It troubled her to hear the Planet was sending Cloud rather morbid dreams, although everything else in Nibelheim was thankfully going alright. He hadn't gotten the chance to investigate the Shinra Mansion yet, though planned to soon, and it comforted her to hear nothing bad befallen him or Zack. He had to hang up sooner than she preferred, but that simple call abated her fears for the rest of the day.
It only got better the following morning as she finally got ahold of Zack. His chipper greeting and the sound of his voice, all its soft edges and tender melodies, alongside his promise to visit Aerith the second he set foot in Midgar kept her spirits up for days.
But two nights passed with nothing.
Her calls didn't go through and if anyone was calling from Nibelheim, she wasn't receiving them either. However, it was only two days, so she balled up the dread and misery stabbing needles in her chest and tossed them to the back of her mind while she sold flowers in the slums. When she spotted Tseng watching her from behind the slide at the park, it took great self-restraint not to ask if he heard anything. He wouldn't answer anyway.
A week passed. Aerith woke up, snatched her PHS off the dresser, saw no new messages, and called and called and called. Zack, Cloud, Zack, Cloud, Zack, she tried them both repeatedly as she paced her room. No Service flashed on the screen. She tried again but No Service was the only response.
That night she sped out her house feverish with worry, holding her PHS up like a torch and praying a change in location would strengthen the signal.
It didn't work. She jerked left, sprinting to the train station in the hopes the top plate would carry a signal better when her phone beeped.
She smashed the inbox button hard enough to chip a nail.
Subject: (no subject)
From: Cloud
I'msorry
Rushed and lacking an explanation, his message kept her up all night. It didn't help that her calls wouldn't go through the next morning and all attempts to find Tseng throughout the day proved futile. It took her five hours to realize it wasn't just him, but all the Turks were missing, gone, vanished, and for the first time in years Aerith was completely alone. She hated it.
Another week passed and she was certain something awful happened. The Turks knew it, their dour expressions said so. She knew it because every night the Planet screamed the same wretched words in her dreams.
His death begins in Nibelheim. His death begins in Nibelheim. Zack was dead in Nibelheim. A dragon's flames scorched his flesh until it bubbled and warped and charred to ash. An old enemy ran his sword through Zack's heart and left his corpse bleeding in the dirt, his unseeing eyes reflections of the cloudless sky. A forest fire raged and he choked and wheezed as the smoke blackened his lungs. The sky opened up, the wind snatched her Zack, and he was lost to the heavens above.
She was being paranoid, acting so silly. Any day now Zack would call and explain everything or walk through those church doors, get down on one knee, and present her the loveliest ring. She told herself this day after day, busying herself with flower selling in the meantime. She ignored her mother's despairing looks across the table as she browsed through a wedding magazine and commented on dress styles. She watched the movie adaption of Loveless on television and didn't relate to the girl waiting for the hero to come home unaware her hero was already dead. The television went black during the credits reel due to its sleep timer, but she kept staring at the screen and waiting for the hero to come home.
Aerith always was good at ignoring reality when it didn't suit her, which was why she maintained the facade for weeks.
Until her flower wagon broke. The cart upturned, wood splintered, bows tore, and its insides bled red all over her pink dress. Aerith crumpled beside her roses, and clutching the broken wheel to her chest, the tears rained down.
"Don't be late."
"I wouldn't dare."
The autumn wind tousled Cloud's hair while he savored the scent of fresh oxygen. Sitting on the edge of the caravan parked to the side of the dirt road, Cloud's stomach finally settled after fifteen hours of his dinner threatening to come back up.
He was tempted to snack on some granola bars like the infantrymen behind him were, but based on how small the mountains looked in the distance, they still had hours to go. There was no need to risk upchucking granola in front of the general, he wasn't that hungry, so he ignored the urge and soaked up the sun instead.
"Cadet."
Cloud jumped, eyes flying open as his head whipped to General Sephiroth. The man was leaning against the caravan, arms crossed and previously staring off into the distance, but now his full attention was on Cloud and the boy struggled not to cowl.
Smoke stung his throat and heat blistered his skin, but he ignored this as he replied. "Sir?"
Sephiroth held his eyes for a full second before inclining his head towards the lake where a certain SOLDIER rested among the grass. "Tell Fair we are leaving in five minutes."
Cloud inwardly cried over the shortness of his reprieve from nausea, yet dutifully saluted. "Yes, sir." He hopped off the vehicle and crunched through the viridian field, admiring the rich blue waters ahead as it been a while since he seen a natural body of water, and stopping a few feet behind Zack.
Spread-eagle at the edge of the lake and staring up at the cerulean sky, the First sighed. "I wish I could show this sky to her..."
"Zack," Cloud inched closer. "We have to go soon." He noticed the First was frowning. "Something the matter?"
"No, just daydreaming." Zack curled up then launched himself into a crouch and stood. Cloud's eyes sparkled at the display. He wished he could perform a neat trick like that, maybe then he could impress Tifa.
"Hey," Zack pointed to Cloud's scarf and he looked down to see yellow petals sticking out its confines. "Is that a real flower?"
"Yes, Aerith gave it to me." Cloud winced, wanting to take it back when Zack gaped at him. Stupid motion sickness, it kept him up all night and now he wasn't thinking straight.
"You know Aerith?!"
Cloud shrunk because he was pretty sure Aerith didn't want Zack to learn about their connection since it would involve mentioning Zack's death. Even if Cloud told him the truth, there was a chance Zack wouldn't believe him, and if he did Zack really didn't need to hear the details of his passing. It was traumatizing enough seeing the vision when it wasn't even Cloud dying, so undoubtedly the vision would disturb Zack and there was no reason to put the First through that when Aerith and he were going to prevent his death anyway.
"Um, yes." Cloud stared down at his boots. "Three days ago I was assigned to guard her and she gave me this flower as thanks." He tugged out the withered lily, holding it in a loose grip. "Didn't realize she was your girlfriend till later."
The First set his hands on his sides and grinned. "Is that so? What a coincidence. I was going to introduce you guys soon myself, but I guess Shinra beat me to it."
Cloud was going to ask why Shinra cared so much about Aerith, but a sudden gust tore the lily from his grasp. His arm snapped out as Zack's did and their hands overlapped on the stem.
"Boy oh boy... The price of freedom is steep."
Their eyes widened and Cloud inhaled sharply as he realized Zack's mouth hadn't moved except to part in silent shock.
"You'll be...my living legacy."
The blood drained from Cloud's face as the patter of rain roared in his ears, either his memory or the vision playing out now.
"My honor, my dreams, they're yours now."
"I'm your..."
Zack's gaze slid to Cloud's mouth and he turned ash gray upon seeing the blond wasn't speaking.
"...living legacy..."
The rain faded from Cloud's mind, but he swore there were raindrops sliding down his cheeks. Zack stared at him, mouth an 'O' and eyes fixed on his. It was only when Zack's face blurred that Cloud realized he was crying, and he wanted to wipe the tears away, but couldn't budge. If Cloud did the spell would be broken, the ramifications of what just happened would hit him, and he wasn't ready for that.
The caravan engine thundered to life and Cloud jumped, tearing the flower out Zack's fist, and the SOLDIER blinked. However, Cloud didn't wait for Zack to find his voice. He swiveled on his heels and ran, ducking his head as he leapt into the caravan and jamming his helmet on while ignoring the general's stare. Smoke ran up his nose and burned his nostrils, making his stomach acids boil and swish as he collapsed onto a crate.
The van wasn't even moving and already Cloud wanted to throw up, especially when that familiar set of black boots stepped in. He clutched his middle, hoping Zack would recognize the motion as him contending with nausea and thus unable to hold a conversation. This didn't seem likely, however, for as soon as the caravan started moving Zack strode over to him.
"Did you enjoy the break?"
General Sephiroth's voice was a symphony of the grandest orchestra as it diverted Zack's attention from him.
"Yeah." Zack sounded pleasant if a bit distracted, gaze lingering on Cloud with a frown before he turned to Sephiroth and to Cloud's relief, moved on. "It gave me time to think."
Sephiroth scoffed, but Cloud thought maybe the man was just clearing his throat.
Zack seemed sure he wasn't as he pouted at the older male before carrying on like nothing happened. "Think, should I have an outdoor wedding or indoor one? 'Cause where I'm from it's tradition to get married outside to test whether a marriage is meant to be, like couples will separate mid-ceremony if it rains during their wedding because they think it's a sign they'd be unhappy together. Problem is my fiancé doesn't like the sky so much so an outdoor wedding might not be possible."
Zack jabbered on and the others offered their two cents while Cloud was all but forgotten. Zack only paused his ramblings once as they drove up the rocky road to Mt. Nibel and Cloud groaned particularly loud when the van hit a pothole. The First bent over and asked if he was okay, gently patting his back. He waved him off, skin burning beneath Zack's hand, and the raven-haired frowned, but then the caravan rocked.
Sephiroth left the vehicle to confront the dragon outside and Zack followed, but for some reason Cloud's gut clenched at the image. Zack leaving him sick within the safety of the van while he went out to fight a powerful foe was wrong, deadly.
The sickness kept Cloud's mouth glued shut while he stretched out his hand to the First and mentally begged him not to go. His call went unheeded though as Zack, back straight and muscles taunt, marched into the pouring rain.
In bed at the inn, Cloud's hoping for a dreamless sleep was for naught. The second he closed his eyes he was baking under the sun, strong arms holding him up and desert dust irritating his nose. Gently yet swiftly the arms propped Cloud against a rocky surface. Gloved fingers ruffled his hair and he knew who they belonged to before he cracked open his eyes to see Zack smiling through a haze of sunlight.
There was something wrong with him. Zack's smile gleamed, but it was strained at the corners and there was a hardness to his jawline. His eyes held something potent and sharp, like he was trying to convey an importance to him.
Cloud tried asking what was wrong, why were his eyes so sad? Yet his body wouldn't cooperate until Zack was walking away. Cloud raised a trembling hand, but the blazing sun seemed to swallow Zack whole before he could reach him.
The safety clicking off a hundred guns resounded in air soon after, and though the noise was far off, it came from where Zack went. Cloud ordered himself to rise, move, do something, but all he managed was a slight twitch at the cost of dropping his arm.
"Come and get it!"
Rapid gunfire was the response to Zack's battle cry and Cloud's heart hammered in his chest while a low whine escaped his lips, but his consciousness was fading fast. The world whirled into a mash of colors and once he shut his eyes to clear his sight, he couldn't get them open again. Sleep spun its web over him and he was fully cocooned in it while Zack was left to die.
Cloud lurched up in bed, choking on air and skin glistening in the moonlight. He coughed until his breathing regulated and tried wiping the sweat off his brow, but his hand grasped air as the room wobbled and twisted before his eyes. Chest heaving, he slumped against the headboard to wait out the vertigo.
Never before did a dream from the Planet leave him so scared. Maybe because this was the first time Cloud saw the images accompanying the dialogue. It was too much like the day he met Aerith and witnessed that awful vision. Seeing and hearing made Zack's death too real.
The room came into focus and he was grateful to see no one occupying the other bed. Cloud fell asleep practically the second they arrived in Nibelheim, partially because he didn't get any rest yesterday, but mostly to avoid talking to Zack. Concerned as the SOLDIER was by their shared vision, Cloud knew his friend wouldn't deprive him of sleep after the hours of motion sickness he endured. This evidently was true as Zack wasn't here, but likely out exploring the town. He hoped the First didn't expect to find a jewelry shop, for in Nibelheim wedding rings were typically passed down through family or purchased out of town.
Cloud sighed, sat up and slid his legs off the bed, but froze when his boot crunched on something. He lifted it and gasped upon seeing his lily flattened on the ground. Dropping to the floor he gently plucked the battered flower and was relieved it didn't crumble to dust in his hand, though it was rather limp.
He frowned, wondering if a little water could save it, and got up to find it a container. His eyes narrowed as he surveyed the room until he spotted a vase on the dresser. He took out its plastic flowers and gently set his lily inside, then hurried out the door with the borrowed vase in hand.
And promptly hit a wall.
"Woah." Cloud blinked away stars as Zack's hand plopped on his shoulder and steadied his swaying form. "You alright, buddy?"
Cloud caught a glimpse of Zack's worried face and quickly looked to his flower. "Yes, sorry." He moved aside so Zack could enter the room. "I was just getting some water."
The First shifted based on the rustling sound, but didn't step forward. "For the flower?"
Cloud nodded, twitching with nervous energy as his brain couldn't help except replay the image of his friend lying in a pool of blood, bullets spraying into his chest, and Cloud too weak and useless to save him.
"Oh, I can do that for you." Zack reached for the vase and Cloud remembered the last time they both touched the flower, so eyes wide, scrambled back.
"No! I, uh, can take care of it myself." He said prior to noticing Zack was still in the doorway, leaving him with no place to run as a heavy beat of silence filled the air.
Cloud swore his breaths got more and more audible the longer the silence carried, and blood pressure on the rise, adrenaline gushing into his veins, he practically jumped out his skin when Zack sighed. Then tensed, knowing a bombardment of questions were incoming.
"Okay." Zack stepped in and cleared the doorway. "Try to make it quick, we've got an early day tomorrow."
Cloud gagged on the sour and bitter pill that was his friend's toneless formality. Zack clearly wasn't happy, yet neither was he mad, and somehow that made it worst so Cloud made it easier on them both and skittered out the room. He dashed down the staircase, ignored the restroom that was his original destination, and burst out the front doors.
The chilly, stagnant air was the ice cold bucket of water he desperately needed dunked on his head. He inhaled heaping gulps of it and staved off a wave of tears as he dragged himself forward in the zigzag pattern typical of a drunkard, not stopping until his feet hit the water tower. He couldn't resist looking up and grinned like a madman when he saw the stars twinkling like they had his final night in Nibelheim.
Though his smile soon faltered. He couldn't keep his promise, would never save Tifa when she was in a pinch, not weak and pathetic as he was. Even in the future as a SOLDIER First he couldn't save Zack. No, Cloud simply laid back and fell asleep while someone shot up his best friend. Pathetic. Cloud was so pathetic mere visions got him teary-eyed. He even sobbed like a baby in front of Aerith, someone who arguably should have been a sobbing mess herself, but she was stronger than him.
Aerith hadn't lost her cool since that first vision. Afterwards she been nothing except calm, pragmatic, and tenderly compassionate. He understood now why she was always on Zack's mind. The girl's aura was soothing, like stepping into a mother's embrace. She gave one the feeling of being coddled, and within her arms, he felt untouchable to all things bad.
He needed that feeling now, so after balancing the vase on one of the water tower's planks, he yanked out his phone. His foot tapped impatiently as it rang and rang, and his face fell when No Service flashed on the screen. He sighed, returning the PHS to his pocket. Aerith was likely asleep regardless, but he still wished to hear from her. Just knowing he wasn't alone in this, even if she didn't give any advice, would be enough for him tonight.
"Cloud?"
He swung back, heart leaping to his throat, and was only mildly relieved to see Zack instead of a townsperson who would spread word of his arrival. Though the SOLDIER was hardly better. Eye glow especially radiant in the darkness of night and a worried, yet reserved expression on his face, Zack clearly came for answers.
Cloud looked away, but Zack pleaded. "No, don't do that." His voice was soft and sad like he was trying to coax a scared animal, and it affected Cloud immensely only because he was exhausted. Physically and emotionally drained. All this hiding, the horrible drive over, the Planet's constant interference, and no Aerith to spread balm over his internal wounds. Cloud couldn't take it. One day and he'd already cracked. Such a weakling.
Cloud looked up and fought off the instinct to run when Zack came near enough to touch, but not enough to crowd. He must have really looked a mess if Zack was being so considerate. Normally the First was happy to drag Cloud into his misadventures, sometimes literally tossing Cloud over his shoulder despite his very vocal protests.
"A lot of strange things have been happening lately." Zack crossed his arms and Cloud noticed his sword was missing. He looked oddly young when freed of its weight, and Cloud couldn't help but think he was awfully young to be on death row. "At first it was just Aerith acting weird. She changed her outfit, got more flirty, stuff like that." He chuckled lightly when Cloud flushed scarlet before sobering. "I thought I figured it out, that these were signs she wanted to marry me, but then this morning happened and I realized she wasn't the only one acting strange."
He stiffened as Zack's eyes gouged into his soul. "You ran from me." Cloud flinched, though the First had stated it non-accusatory. "You tried avoiding me, and I meant to talk to you about it, but the mission and engagement distracted me. Not that it's hard for me to get distracted." He rubbed the back of his neck, but Cloud was too tense to see the humor.
Zack's arm lowered and he turned to the moon. "Whatever's going on with you and Aerith is related to that stuff with the flower, I'm sure of it." His eyes never left the luminous orb in the sky as he finally asked, "Care to explain?"
"Not really." Cloud whispered, eyes squeezed shut.
Zack didn't react, didn't move a muscle, and Cloud swallowed thickly when abruptly Zack scoffed. "I figured," he said like he was more resigned than angry about it. "So how about I do the talking and you just listen?"
Cloud blinked, stunned by the offer, while Zack crossed his arms behind his head and smiled under the moonlight. "I've given it some thought and figured whatever that stuff with the flower was, you recognize it, and it scares you." Cloud didn't reply, but Zack nodded like he agreed. "It's also why you ran from me, something scared you."
Cloud bit his lip, mentally hitting himself for running that day. It was just he saw Zack and wasn't sure if he was going to cry, scream, or give the First the biggest hug, but knew whatever he did would make Zack suspicious so Cloud ran to avoid it all. Though it was apparent now that did nothing except delay the confrontation.
"Going back to Aerith," Zack's arms dropped, and hands balled up, he scowled. "She's scared too. I didn't even notice till the night we left, and she said she didn't want me to die."
Cloud gasped, and looked away as Zack turned a critical eye on him. "It didn't make sense why Aerith all the sudden worried when she's always known I was SOLDIER. I'm still not sure what triggered it, but I do know all this started two weeks ago. I also know it has something, if not everything, to do with me." He grinned a razor sharp smile. "Egotistical, maybe." His expression darkened. "But when we touched that flower, I heard my voice saying things I've never said before and I'm the only person connected to both you and Aerith so..." Zack sighed, and Cloud kept his eyes on the floor as the First breached the distance until they were inches apart.
He flinched as a gloved hand landed atop his head and the First admitted. "I'm not mad at you or Aerith, Cloud. I'm sure you have your reasons for keeping me out the loop." His hand gently mussed Cloud's hair and the blond quivered, tears stinging his eyes. It was the vision all over again, Zack holding him close and Cloud unable to react properly. "Just know I'm here for you, and whatever is going on you can tell me once you're ready. No matter how crazy or weird it is, I'll listen and we'll figure it out together."
Cloud wanted to spill everything then, but his throat was clogged up by the intensity of his feelings.
Soon the hand left his hair and Cloud mourned the loss as the First said, "Now I don't know about you, but I'm heading to bed. Seph isn't going to let us sleep in tomorrow. Trust me, I've tried before, and he just stared at me until it got so awkward I couldn't sleep so I got up anyway."
Cloud blinked, suddenly imagining General Sephiroth standing over his sleeping form and couldn't decide if that was comical or terrifying. Both?
"Yeah," Cloud choked out through the lump in his throat, surprising Zack. "Let's get some sleep."
He couldn't maintain eye contact very long, but as Zack beamed and slung his arm over his shoulders, Cloud thought maybe things would be alright after all.
Cloud was lagging behind the party as they traveled up Mt. Nibel and Zack glanced worriedly at him. He spared the other two unenhanced individuals glances as well, but it seemed Cloud was the only one falling behind. All of them were sore and banged up in places, excluding Sephiroth, and Zack was grateful for that since he expected at least one death when the bridge collapsed.
His mako-infused eyes slid over to the infantryman walking beside Tifa and narrowed. There was something off about that guy. For one, the infantryman released a rather high-pitched yelp when the rope bridge snapped, which was odd considering the man sounded softly gruff the rare times he spoke. Also Zack was one of the first to fall off the bridge and thus got the perfect view of everyone falling above him, which was why he glimpsed that same infantryman fluidly twist midair so his feet were set below him as well as bend his knees to brace for impact.
Not only was that an impressive feat for a mere infantryman, but it was oddly familiar. The man's graceful and precise movements were something he seen before, yet he didn't recognize him. How could Zack when the guy wore his helmet even more than Cloud did?
The raven-haired scowled as they stopped in front of the reactor. Once again there was someone acting strange around him, and he couldn't help but think it had something specifically to do with him. The same annoyance he felt on his forced vacation to Costa del Sol flared up, as everyone was watching him with their own agendas while he was left in the dark.
"I want to go inside and look too!"
Zack paused halfway up the reactor's metal staircase to see Tifa, eyes bright and starry as she stared at the mako reactor. Zack understood, the reactor in his hometown was also regarded as a special, almost supernatural, place. The fact only Shinra employees were allowed inside only added to its mystique when he was a kid, but it also meant...
"This is a top-secret facility. Non-Shinra personnel are not permitted inside." Sephiroth voiced his thoughts, ignoring Tifa's soft protest and turning to that strange infantryman. "Keep the young lady safe."
Tifa's cheeks puffed up and she scowled at Sephiroth's retreating form. Zack sent her a sympathetic look, but knowing rules were rules, continued up the stairs when his ears picked up a scuffling sound. He looked back to see Cloud looking uncertainly from the infantryman blocking Tifa's path to Sephiroth.
Zack grinned and waved him over. "You're with us."
Cloud quickly raced up the steps. "Thanks," he said as they headed into the reactor.
"Sure thing, Spiky." Zack patted his back while the door clang shut behind them.
The ceiling rained burgundy light on their heads while gray pods lined the sides of the metal staircase before them. Each ledge contained two pods on the right and left, glowing turquoise through their oval windows. The air, stuffy and damp, chilled Zack's exposed skin.
Look out!
The First stilled halfway up the steps, allowing Sephiroth to pass him, as all his senses flew into high alert. There was an enemy nearby, a powerful, dark entity full of malice. Look out! His senses screamed while his heart pumped faster, hands inching towards his sword handle as he scanned the area.
"Jenova."
Zack whipped back to Cloud, hearing the same anxiety he felt replicated in the cadet's tone. The blond was still standing on the lowest ledge, rigid with his chin angled up. The SOLDIER followed his gaze to the very top of the staircase where a lime green light illuminated an engraving over a doorway.
JENOVA
That...that was Sephiroth's mother's name, right? Zack suddenly stood in front of the thick cement doorway beneath the name and bared his teeth upon finding it sealed. He reached for his sword, intending to slice through the door because she couldn't be allowed to live. Jenova ruined everything. She was a plague. He wouldn't let her win this time-
Zack recoiled, hand jerking away like he touched fire. Where did that come from? Those thoughts weren't his, they were alien to himself, and gave him the disturbing sensation his body was not his alone.
A sharp squeaking snapped Zack to awareness and he looked down to see Cloud struggling to turn a valve on a wall below, which must have been the source of the malfunction they were investigating. Across from Cloud stood Sephiroth. Zack could only see the top of his silver hair, but it seemed the First was staring at a pod.
Zack rushed down, body sparking with tension and alarms still going off in his head. Jenova... Jenova started everything. I have to stop her!
Zack shook his head free of those unfamiliar thoughts, lips a terse line as he reached Sephiroth. He didn't want to pry, but needed to ask what the general thought his mother's name was doing in Nibelheim's mako reactor. However, Sephiroth moved aside, wordlessly inviting Zack to appraise the pod before them, and Zack was admittedly curious so he stepped forward and peered inside.
And reared back from the sunken, black eyes on the face of the horned, living or dead, didn't matter, abomination staring at him through mako. Sephiroth stiffly explained how these creatures were exposed to higher concentrations of mako than the average SOLDIER, but his words were background noise. Sharp teeth splintered through the creature's gums while its jaw was splayed open in what seemed to be a silent howl of agony, and Zack would pity the creature if he wasn't so aghast.
"Are they...monsters?"
Zack turned to Cloud whose expression was hidden by his helmet, though he reeked of fear as he approached the pod. For some reason Zack didn't want him near it, didn't want that mako blue shine to streak across Cloud's skin.
Sephiroth moved away from the pod and back facing him and Cloud, twisted the knife further into Zack's chest by revealing Hojo, the head of the Shinra science division, created these creatures. The revelation hit Zack like a hurricane struck a canoe, leaving him breathless and dazed. Up, down, left, right, each was either or none at all, Zack just didn't know anymore.
Maybe he never knew anything.
"General?"
Cloud's concerned inquiry made Zack look up right as Sephiroth grasped his head in a very human display of pain and the alarm bells in his head grew so shrill, Zack mentally went deaf. He sped to Sephiroth's side because he knew something was wrong, something was very wrong. This was when it all went wrong.
Sephiroth struck him in the chest and Zack's ribcage shivered from the force as he toppled off the ledge, but hands latched onto his armor straps, and he couldn't thank Cloud properly as the infantryman lugged him up because the wind been knocked out of him.
"You ok-"
"Am I the same as these monsters?"
The touch of horror layered over Sephiroth's voice as the man faced away from him and Cloud doused Zack in worry until he was drenched in it.
"I knew ever since I was a child, I was not like the others. I knew mine was a special existence."
Zack's teeth clacked together as he swallowed his tongue to prevent himself from instantly protesting. This was unfamiliar territory he wadded in and every step he took could be bringing him closer to a landmine so Zack erred on the side of caution, ignoring the voice demanding he say something! This is my chance to save him!
"Am I..." Sephiroth raised his trembling hands, eyes acid green shards and an almost childish desperation etched into the crevices of his face. His pallor a sickly shade of green as it was warped by a nearby pod's glow.
"...a human being?"
"Of course you are!"
Sephiroth and Zack spun to Cloud, who stood taller than either Firsts ever seen him stand as he tore the helmet off his head. Furious shouldn't have been a label connected to the little blond, but in this moment it was the only adjective Zack could use to describe Cloud's march towards the stunned general.
"You're different." Cloud jabbed a finger into Sephiroth's face and the First flinched, which convinced Zack he was dreaming because Sephiroth never flinched, and certainly did not flinch from guys eye level with his chest.
"But being different doesn't make you bad or weird." The heat in Cloud's words ran a little too hot to not have a special meaning to the cadet, but there was no time to address this as Cloud lowered his hand and head bowed, said, "It doesn't matter how you came into this world, doesn't matter who or what your parents are. Heritage isn't what people should judge you for and shouldn't be a scale you use to measure yourself. It's what you do, the actions you take that matter, and that's why I know you're not a monster, Sephiroth."
Cloud either forgot proper protocol for addressing superior officers or threw it to the wind amidst his rant, but regardless it struck a chord in the general as his catty eyes widened to saucers.
"You're a hero, Sephiroth...M-my hero."
They saw the bravado depart from Cloud like a tire going flat as the boy suddenly seemed to realize what he was doing. His cheeks flushed and he cowed until suddenly there was an ant where there once stood a roaring lion. Sephiroth eyes didn't shrink in the least in response, still very much in shock, and Zack's own mouth continued to hang open until he manhandled it close.
Then nobody spoke. Cloud too mortified, Sephiroth too shell-shocked, and Zack about to speak when an unholy screech rippled from above and they turned to a pod sparking from the top ledge. The pod ruptured open, and the creature tumbling out of it might have horrified Zack more if only the lightning hadn't cascaded across the room and struck the only person who couldn't take it.
Cloud fell and Zack just barely caught his smoking figure as he thudded onto his knees. "Cloud!"
His little buddy groaned, but his eyes stayed shut and muscles went lax while Zack cradled him in his arms. "Sephiroth, we need to-"
The First stopped upon seeing he was alone. His fellow SOLDIER was nowhere to be seen and as concerning as that was, Zack needed to prioritize.
He carefully righted Cloud as he stood, secured Cloud's arm around his neck, and hugged the blond's middle as he led them to the door.
He was hoping to see Sephiroth as he stepped out the mako reactor, but wasn't expecting to see the strange infantryman and Tifa engaged in battle against a humanoid monster covered in silver armor.
The infantryman smashed a familiar red shuriken onto the monster's head and it stumbled back, but could not recover before Tifa dashed forward and kicked its middle. Zack was pretty sure the monster was already dead as it went flying into the sky and disappeared from sight.
The infantryman remained at the ready position, still clutching the shuriken, and Zack finally found his voice as he approached them. "Cissnei?!"
The girls spun around and Zack recognized the way the infantrym- Turk twirled on the balls of her feet and wanted to slap himself for his ignorance, but Tifa's eyes suddenly doubled in size and she extended her pointer finger straight at them while screeching, "C-Cloud?!"
Said trooper was going to murder Zack upon waking, and it was too much really. Sephiroth's existential crisis and subsequent disappearance, Shinra's dirty laundry flapping in the wind, and now a dual identity reveal. It was like that soap opera he heard some old couple gushing over as they passed a television in a Sector 5 shop window, which was why when Cissnei took off her helmet and smiled like the cat that ate the canary, Zack walked straight past her. When Tifa chased after him calling Cloud's name, he told her he would message her later and hurried faster down the mountain.
Okay, new mission. Help Cloud, find Sephiroth, and ignore everyone for the next hour because the world didn't make sense anymore and Zack, for the first time in his life, needed a vacation.
Cloud woke up from the first dreamless sleep he had in weeks and couldn't properly appreciate the change since his head felt like a elephant was sitting on it. He sat up despite his joints' protesting and ignored the tingling sensation in his limbs. The electrocution must not have hurt him too bad, otherwise the raven-haired man sitting on the bed across from him would be ordering him to take it easy. Zack could be quite the mother-chocobo after all.
"I never pegged you for a sleep-talker."
Cloud blinked twice and cocked his head. "I'm not."
Zack's eyes narrowed before his expression opened up and he crossed his arms. "Must be a recent development then. You were calling my name." Cloud paled, equal parts embarrassed and concerned by what he may have revealed in his sleep.
"You said you didn't want my dreams or honor." Cloud's breath hitched and his gaze hit the floor. "You also said you didn't want me to die." His nails dug into the comforter below him. "Add to that what Cissnei, a Turk who disguised herself as the other infantryman, told me." Cloud's head jerked up, and Zack's lips twitched in a brief grin. "Yeah, shocker, right? She was assigned to protect me after somebody told Tseng there was a threat on my life. Based on your reaction, I'm guessing Tseng's informant was Aerith." All traces of levity were swept from his face. "It's kinda funny how everyone seems to think I'm going to die lately."
Cloud's lips pressed together. There was no need to respond, Zack wasn't stupid, so Cloud pulled his legs up, rested his chin on his knees, and stared at the wall. Who cared if it made him look like a child, Cloud felt like one under Zack's scrutiny. "Can you..." He swallowed, vocal chords strained. "Give me ten minutes?"
Zack stood. "Sure thing, I gotta run an errand anyway." Footsteps clomped away, but the pep in Zack's step was missing and the door shut a little too firmly behind him.
Cloud waited to see his raven hair surface below the window and for the First to leave the inn before pulling out his phone and speed dialing Aerith. It only rang once and then his name was chirped through the speaker. He was so utterly surprised to hear Aerith's greeting, he remained mute for a long second, but soon got his tongue working.
"Aerith? Is it really you?" He smiled as the flower girl's giggles echoed across the speaker.
"Of course, silly!" She beamed through her voice. "How have you been?"
Of course he did not mention being electrocuted nor Zack's catching on to their plans. He didn't want to worry her and there was really one thing he wanted to discuss anyway. "Has the Planet spoken to you again? Or given you dreams like the ones I've been having?"
She went silent and he held his breath, ear smushed beneath his PHS and turning red from the pressure.
"No, I'm sorry," she said like she could see his shoulders slumping over the phone. "The Planet has been quiet since it gave us that vision."
Cloud exhaled, running his hand through his blond locks while frigid, calloused fingers knotted his insides. "Oh."
He didn't know what he expected, but certainly not a negative reply like this. He been certain Aerith knew what was happening, like last time when he first started getting those dreams and it turned out Aerith heard the same thing from the Planet. He thought a similar thing was happening now because if it wasn't, the Planet was reaching out to Cloud and only Cloud, but why would it do that? He wasn't special, not strong like Zack or brave like Aerith, so why was the Planet contacting him?
Caught in a vortex of confusion, Cloud didn't realize Aerith was talking until she asked, "Read the journal?"
He guessed what she was asking about and said, "No, I haven't looked at the journal since we got here. Why?"
Her voice was sly, but kind, as she urged. "Give it a look over. I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for in there."
Cloud frowned and turned to pull the journal out from under his pillow. "I-" He saw movement from his peripheral and facing the window, noticed Zack returning to the inn. "Gotta go."
Aerith hummed a little sadly. "Okay, I'll try to call you tomorrow. Take care of yourself, Cloud."
"Don't worry." He watched Zack disappear somewhere below, likely pushing in the front doors now. "I'll keep an eye on Zack, we'll be okay."
A beat and then a breathy, "Thank you," whispered in his ear before the call ended.
Cloud shut his phone and slid it into his pocket. Then he deftly opened the notebook and his brow furrowed at the writing on the back of the cover.
Dear Cloud,
I hope the information in this journal serves you well as you investigate Nibelheim.
I wish I told you some things about myself earlier, but we've run out of time so it will have to wait for your return to Midgar. Until then, trust your feelings. I know they'll guide you to the answers we seek.
Love,
Aerith
Cloud read it again, then shut the journal and hid it under his pillow. Aerith must have written that letter when they were talking in the church. He thought she was only jotting down notes, but based on the letter's blotchy penmanship, she wrote both at the same time.
Cloud set his chin on his knees and hugged his legs. Trust your feelings, she said, but what were his feelings?
The door creaked open and Zack languidly entered the room. As the First came over and sat on the bed across him there was trepidation, anxiety, uncertainty, and guilt swirling in his gut. Wait. Aerith hadn't been talking about literal emotions, but feelings. Sensations and instinctive reactions he had to things. So what was he feeling right now?
I want to tell him the truth.
"Zack?" His voice was soft as a kitten's meow and he went to bury his red face into his calves, but saw Zack's eyes held not an ounce of impatience. There was simply a concerned query simmering within them, so he turned to the First and said, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you anything yesterday, but I wasn't sure where to start or if you'd believe me. And it really freaked me out when I learned about your dea- it, and I'm not even sure this is the right thing to do-"
"Hey, hey," Zack waved him down, hushing him as worry rounded out his eyes. "Calm down, take a deep breath."
But Cloud couldn't. It was a struggle to speak at first, but now that he begun, everything was blubbering out in a jumbled gush.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Cloud shook his head, pressure building behind his eyeballs as Zack set his hand, so warm and alive, on his shoulder and Cloud suddenly overflowed.
"The Planet said you're going to die!"
Zack's arm went slack and his hand fell off Cloud, but a dam been broken so the words kept coming. "I was having weird dreams and it didn't make sense until I met Aerith and she told me the Planet told her you were going to die, and then the Planet showed us a vision of you dying and it was horrible! You were on the ground and there's so much blood and I'm useless, I just sit there and watch you die, and it's all my fault. I know I'm the reason you die, even the Planet said so! You die for me 'cause I'm not strong enough-"
A hand caught his neck and pulled his head down into the sturdy space between Zack's neck and shoulder pad, silencing his babble. Zack's heartbeat pulsed beneath Cloud's throat and the First couldn't possibly know this was the same thing he did in the vision, but once again he held Cloud close and gave him something solid to grasp while the world broke apart around him.
Cloud felt safe, safe enough to let his tears run freely and soak the collar of Zack's uniform for minutes, days, hours, but he didn't. Instead Cloud latched onto the front straps of Zack's uniform like they were lifelines. A small part of Cloud wondered what right he had to feel like crying when he wasn't the one given a death sentence, but that voice was quickly snubbed as Zack crushed him against his chest.
The First didn't say a word as Cloud shuddered before letting go of the straps, and the older boy pulled away, though his hands stayed on Cloud's elbows. "Better?" His blue eyes sought his and Cloud nodded, fresh out of words. Zack grinned encouragingly before becoming serious. "How about you try telling me everything from the beginning?"
Cloud nodded again, and did exactly so. The odd dreams, meeting Aerith, the Planet's messages, the incident with the flower, and the dreams the Planet had been sending Cloud lately. He explained it all the best he could in the simplest terms so as not to overwhelm his friend.
He didn't quite succeed, however, as Zack looked like a building fell on him once Cloud was finished. The blond waited quietly since his throat was dry and irritated from all the talking he done, until Zack finally looked up.
His smile was a shaky thing and he was definitely two shades paler than normal, but he wasn't hysterical, so Cloud figured he wasn't too bad off. "Zack?" he asked to make sure.
The First nodded. "I'm alright. You just gave me a lot to think about." He tried to smile, but it quickly fell apart.
Cloud frowned in sympathy. "I should have told you, but we didn't want to scare you."
Zack hummed, though his eyes were focusing on something next to Cloud. The blond followed his gaze to the vase holding his lily on the dresser. To his joy, the petals didn't look so withered anymore, the water did help!
"What if we talk to the Planet?" Cloud turned, cocking his head, so Zack elaborated. "You said you guys can't figure out how I die or what Nibelheim has to do with it, so what if we ask the Planet?"
Cloud shook his head. "Aerith already tried. Didn't work."
"Yeah, but she's not you." Zack regarded him and he squirmed under the attention. "The Planet seems fond of you. I mean, why else would it send you so many visions?"
"I wouldn't call that a good thing." The bitter rebuttal slipped out before Cloud could stop it.
Zack gave him a sympathetic look. "I think it's trying to tell you something, and you haven't been hearing it out."
"What?"
Zack got up, grabbed the lily out the vase, and Cloud flinched back when he held it out to him. Sympathy became pity as Zack took in Cloud's wide eyes and ragged breathing. "It scares you, and that's why I hate to ask this of you."
Cloud couldn't look away from the lily, a cherished gift turned enemy, as Zack said, "But I think the only way we'll get an answer is if you stop running from it."
Cloud's face screwed up, a rejection on his tongue, until he saw the desperation lurking in Zack's eyes, and couldn't say no. His best friend needed him and if it took some courage to save him, so be it.
He squared his shoulders and faced Zack head on. "Let's ask."
Zack smiled in quiet gratitude and held the flower out to him. Cloud's hand cautiously reached out, wavered over the flower, and in an abrupt motion clasped over Zack's hand. Still Cloud gasped when the world turned black and he heard Zack shout from what sounded far off before Cloud found himself back under the sun.
"What are you going to do once we get to Midgar?" Zack asked that familiar question as he lounged against the interior of a sunny yellow truck.
"We're friends, right?" Suddenly Zack was standing, eyes closed as he turned his face to the sun. Cloud wondered if he somehow missed the rest of Zack's speech, but couldn't dwell on it as a metal object whizzed by his head and Zack threw himself over him.
For the first time ever, Cloud considered the possibility he was injured as Zack bodily lifted him out the truck like he didn't expect Cloud to move himself.
However, once more time seemed to flash forward over and over again.
Zack's hand ruffled his hair. Gunshots rang out. Zack handed him the Buster sword. Cloud screamed to the heavens.
Cloud fell back onto the bed, colors flourishing around him, and blinked rapidly until his eyes adjusted. Then he sat up just in time to see Zack sink bonelessly to the floor, body slumping against the bed. He should have warned the First how the debilitating the Planet's visions were...
The First still hadn't moved.
"Zack?" Cloud slid off the bed, crouching beside his friend and gently shaking his shoulder.
Zack didn't make a sound as he fell forward. Cloud caught him with an oomph, and his lips parted to say more when he noticed it.
Zack wasn't breathing.
There was no heart beating in his chest nor oxygen flowing through his lungs.
Zack was dead.
And Cloud killed him.
Sorry this chapter was a little late, and thanks for all the favorites, follows, and reviews. They all mean a lot to me :)
