Spoiled Yet Selfless
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy characters are owned by Squaresoft and not by me yadda, yadda, yadda. I you are reading this, then I pity you.
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The team took the next day off, sleeping in, eating, and sharing stories. Zack was quite popular within the group, however, Cloud and Sephiroth, spent time alone, Sephiroth on the ship (the people of Kalm wouldn't exactly appreciate the idea he was back), and Cloud who knows where.
Flashback
They mounted the Highwind just as it started to take off, the screams of the beasts dying in the distance as the ship tore off toward safer grounds. They traveled far, the crew even shaken from the howls of the demented monsters. Landing by Kalm, they picked up supplies, especially food, and Tifa, Cait, Barret, Cid, Yuffie, Zack, Red and Vincent headed for the inn to rest. All of them had questions, and knew they wouldn't get answers from Sephiroth or Cloud, but Zack look worn, so they agreed to rest. Upon awaking, they ordered food, exchanged names, and that's when it started.
Vincent was staring out the window, Barret, Zack and Red sat on the floor, and Cid, Yuffie, and Tifa sat on a bed.
"So, you're the infamous Zack…" Cait said.
"Hm?" Zack raised an eyebrow, sipping from his cup. "What do you mean by 'infamous'?"
"Long story," Barret stated, who received a hit on the head by Yuffie. "Ow! The hell was that for?"
"Don't be so insensitive, Barret! He deserves to know!" Yuffie turned to him. "Cloud really holds you in high regard, Zack."
Zack nodded. "He was always an eager kid, quiet and a bit naïve though. Always heartbroken when he found out the truth to things."
"More than you know, Zack," Red interrupted. "But we'll leave that tale later to someone who can better tell it." He gave Tifa a look, and Zack looked at her. He nodded again. I don't remember her being this silent… He thought.
"I mean not to be hasty, Zack, but could you explain what's going on?" Vincent said, looking away from the window for once.
"Yeah," he muttered, turning his gaze to the ground. "It's gotta seem weird, three dead people coming back-"
"Wait a #$$#^%& minute!" Cid shouted. "What the hell do you mean three?!"
Zack looked up again, pain and betrayal in his eyes. "There's three. Me, Sephiroth, and one other... The last one is an enemy of the planet, who has control over three warriors, and now an army of Jenovains."
"Not… Jenova?" Cait whispered.
"No…. No, but you would wish it had been…" Zack nearly stuttered, lowering his head sorrowfully. He laughed, a sort of heartbroken laugh. "It's almost ironic, you know? The fact that she saved the planet.. Now only to destroy it. It's so hard to look at Aeris and think that someone who was so kind is now the person I have to kill."
Almost everyone in Kalm looked up, as the sound of shouts erupted from the inn.
"But what do you mean?
"No.. I can't believe it!"
"$%#^%^&* hell!"
Zack calmed himself, and rose a hand to stop them. "Listen. There's a threat endangering the Planet. It's being led by Aeris, who is claiming we're all being used. She mentioned some sort of Overlord, but we don't know if such a being truly exists. She commands three people, Lodia, Avian, and Ranez, Ranez seems to be the leader. They're searching for a power of some sort, probably held in materia. Aeris's power has changed dramatically, gone from white magic to necromancy, and from the looks of it, it doesn't seem to be materia. What's worse, she wants Cloud, needs him for her plan. Sephiroth was sent by the planet to stop her, but was doubtful that Cloud would listen, so I was brought back as well. We managed to hold her off, but in return she has awakened the Jenovains, the creatures who were stored in the Jenova room. We haven't tried to bring one down yet, but no way will it be easy. The electric charge Aeris sent through them has caused them to adapt faster. They can survive on their own, not to mention, they have Jenova cells in them, so it will be extremely hard to kill one, let alone eleven. I don't know how she's doing it, but she's got them doing her will."
"This must be worse than grave, for it's known to anyone who even briefly studies the Centra and the Planet that the Planet never brings back anyone unless the circumstances are over extreme," Red murmured
"And we still don't even know the half of it." Zack shook his head.
/Flashback
Zack headed toward the empty fields of Kalm.
"You should go explain it to him, Zack," Tifa had whispered. "Please, he'll only believe you."
He shook his head. On the hill side facing the ocean sat the young mercenary. He rested his chin on his arms on his knees, blank eyes pondering the waves.
"Hey."
He approached him. Cloud didn't respond. He took a seat next to him, using one arm on the ground to hold his balance, the other on a knee bent to his chest. For a few moments neither said anything, as Zack watched the sun begin to set on the horizon.
"Why?"
Zack raised both brows, startled by the shaken, tired voice of the young Strife. He waited for him to continue. Clouds eyes twinkled in the dying sunlight, and for a moment, he looked exactly like he did when he was fifteen, fragile and torn.
He closed his eyes. "She said she would come back… Come back when it was all over…"
Zack gave him a sorrowful look, unsure of what to say.
"When will it be over?"
The true Ex-SOLDIER looked back to the waves. "No one will know Cloud. But for now, what matters is that we protect the Planet."
"Does it?"
He looked back at Cloud, who had a sick grin on his face, glazed eyes, sparkling on the outside from the unshed tears, dull inside, he laughed, and the image was almost lost. He stood up, the ocean spray on his hair like morning dew.
"She promised. She promised that she'd come back if she gave her life to save the Planet. But she never did. The Planet never let her come back to me." He sneered. "And what do I get in return? Another chance to risk my life and the lives of the others again? Last time, I fought for money, then I fought for my past, and when Aeris died, I fought for her. Now, I have to try to kill her. What do I have to fight for now?" The false humor finally melted into anger.
"You still have your friends, Cloud," Zack offered softly, standing up with him.
"What's left of them!" Cloud looked at him for the first time, and the look on his face made even Zack squirm slightly. "Jesse, Biggs, Wedge, and Aeris all died for the f***ing Planet! And what about you?!"
"Cloud, I came back for a reason, the Planet needs our help!" Zack nearly yelled, almost desperately. He rested a hand on Cloud's shoulder to comfort him, but Cloud pulled away angrily.
"Exactly," he muttered dangerously low. "I'm beginning to think Aeris was right. We are tools for the Planet, and face it Zack, you and Sephiroth are living proof of it." He started to storm off. Zack was taken aback from his words.
But I've got a mission, to protect him from Aeris, and whether he likes it or not, I'll be damned if I don't keep it.
Zack gritted his teeth. He ran after Cloud, and grabbed him by the shoulder, turning him around. Cloud, furious, pushed him away with one hand. However, Zack, who was starting to get rather pissed, recovered, grabbing both of his shoulders. Cloud did the same, and a struggle ensued as Cloud attempted to push Zack away again.
"Why won't… you just leave.. me alone!" hissed Cloud.
"Why the hell are you so pissed!?" Zack shot back.
"Oh… and you're not!?" Cloud pulled back, and Zack stumbled forward slightly.
"Don't lie Zack! I know you're just as ticked as I am! You don't want to hurt her anymore than I do! Well, maybe you can manage to put your feelings aside on this, but I can't!"
Zack seethed at this. Was he calling him heartless?
But no, he kept his calm. "Fine, Cloud, what is it you want then?"
"What I want?" Cloud lowered his voice, and the tears threatened to fall. He began to shake. "I want her back!"
"Cloud, you gotta admit, she did come back, just not the way you would have liked it," he hissed.
"Don't try that kind of nonsense on me, Zack," he growled his name out so darkly. "Why should I help the Planet when it's done nothing for me but given me hell?"
"Oh, so it's the Planet's fault! The fact it gave you a life, and you just didn't get what you wanted?"
"No! It's Sephiroth's fault for killing her! It's Jenova's fault for using him in the first place! It's the Cetras' fault for believing her lies! Ghast for discovering her!" His voice began to weaken, getting quieter by the moment, and the tears started to fall. "It's Barret's fault for allowing me to join AVALANCHE, Tifa's fault for encouraging me to stay…" His voice had almost reach a whisper, and all anger in Zack was lost, feeling heartbroken for his friend. "And…"
"And it's my fault for meeting her in the first place…… It all leads back to me…." With this, he fell into a kneel, bent over with his hand on the ground, his body shaking with silent sobs. Zack gazed at him with compassion. He kneeled by his friend, once again resting a hand on his shoulder. This time, he succeeded.
"Cloud…."
"Zack… For a good portion of my life, I lived a lie. I had no memories of my own, I was you for six years. Then.. I met her…. And she knew… .She knew I wasn't me… And though she couldn't tell me who I was… She hinted that I wasn't being myself… Where Tifa lost courage to tell me, she began to show me the light… And when she … "He wiped the tears away, his voice calming to normal, and he stopped shaking. "When I let her die, when I saw Sephiroth slaughter her in front of me.. It must have been the first time since I could remember that I cried. First time I really showed emotion. And I began to realize I wasn't entirely a puppet. No matter what Sephiroth said, No matter how much I fell for what he said, I always remembered what Aeris had said…. Had done…" He sat back, his frustration gone, exhausted from his emotional outburst. "I'm sorry Zack…"
Back to being the old Cloud. Zack grinned.
"It's alright. We're going to pull through on this one. There's gotta be a way to help her."
Cloud nodded, his voice filled with unsure fatigue. "Yeah, we can't give up. We never did before, why start now?"
Zack grinned. "Exactly. Now, let's get the gang back to the airship, so we can discuss what we're gonna do. I'll explain everything as we walk back.
Cloud nodded again. "Thanks Zack…"
"Anytime man, anytime…."
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SSJ4 Sailor Menz: Yeah, I like this one too, mainly because It's starting to get stuff moving. ^^'
Noleriand: Thanks, I was aiming for that. Got bored of reading the same kind of thing.
ch3m: Nope, I won't forget it. The other day, I was thinking of doing Tifa/Seph, but well, I still don't think she would be happy with him after he, ya know, killed her dad, burned her town, nearly killed Cloud and herself, and tried to destroy the world… And no that wasn't sarcasm. I am, however thinking of doing a Tifa/Seph friendship.
So, blah blah blah excuse blah blah blah busy blah blah blah got bored.
Moving on, I decided to change how I'm doing this. I'll write down possibilities, and you can tell me whether you like them or not.
Obviously, this is Cloud/Aeris, so yeah.
Possibilities:
CidxShera
TifaxSeph friendship
TifaxZack
AvianxYuffie Bro/sis friendship
Also, if you want to, pick who you want Lodia or Avian to be with. I can't decide nor think of any. ^^'
And if you don't understand something, ask in the reviews.