Chapter 21

All girls together

A/N: Well frustration is my name! My own fault, I had no one to blame but myself. So I had this chapter almost completely done a few weeks ago, then forgot to save. And we had a wind storm… yeah.

So…take two!

A/N 2: I am attempting to blend BC and CC into the same timeline. Having never played BC or CC I unfortunately know next to nothing about the personalities of Avalanche during that time period. I'm doing a ton of research but if anyone can give me any tips on characteristics or traits of the leading members that would be a HUGE help.

.,,.

Tifa pushed through the rotting church doors steaming from her little 'chat' with the Soldier. Sure he seemed all friendly and harmless, but she knew a lot of people who appeared that way at first and were anything but! Tifa knew he was at least somewhat important to Cloud; it was obvious back in Nibelheim. She decided she was going to watch him closely and when he came bursting in the salle to drag her down here she knew she had her moment.

One of the first things she noticed about him was that while he acted like a wriggly little puppy, he fought just like a nibel wolf. He was fierce and fearless and adapted almost immediately to her own style, working around it so that by the third encounter with fiends they moved together seamlessly.

The second thing she noticed was his rather bad interrogation skills. Tifa wasn't fooled one bit when he started asking after her previous training. The Turks have been trying relentlessly and far more subtlety to find out who trained her. She would never tell. If Shinra found out there was a Wutain Master unaccounted for, especially so close to one of their reactors, they would raze Nibelheim to the ground. The Gods only knew what they would do to Wutai itself. Shinra was an interesting place and far better than anything she left behind but she was under no illusion of just how dangerous it could be too. Cloud was very quick to let her in on a few ugly truths before that quack temporarily silenced him.

Tifa only managed a few harsh strides before the surroundings brought her to a standstill. The church wasn't anything like she imagined it would be. She thought that given its location it would be a rusty metal wreck fitting perfectly with the rest of Midgar's slums. A wreck it might be but it was more like an ancient ruin. The walls and columns were all cut stonework with real wood benches and beams. It even had intricate stained glass windows that were for the most part still intact. It had a light and peaceful feel to it Tifa thought as she slowly walked down the main aisle.

The flower garden in the middle of the floor was a nice touch.

Tifa didn't see Cloud as she looked around but there was a girl with a long brunette ponytail sitting on the front row. Maybe this chick knew where Cloud was. As she came closer to her she could hear the girl humming some sort of lullaby that sounded strangely familiar. Like something she heard in a dream, like something her mother sung when she was small. She was just about to call out to the girl when Zack decided to burst in loudly startling Tifa out of her skin.

"Shh," the girl admonished softly "he's sleeping."

"Oops! Sorry. Hey Aeris." Zack said, bashfully rubbing his hair.

He? Tifa quickly rounded the bench and there was Cloud, sleeping peacefully with his head in the girl's lap. It was surprising as Cloud didn't trust strangers any easier than she did and with the changes he'd obviously gone through in the few short years he's been gone she can't imagine that it got any better. Yet there he was curled up facing the back as calm as she'd ever seen him.

Zack bounced up to them and started flirting badly with Aeris. Tifa tuned him out as she crouched down next to Cloud just watching him breathe. She could only see his back but the story it told her was one of horror. Where all the tubes and what-not the Quack stuck into her friend were now old scars, but what was worse were all the other ones she didn't know about. The scars that had been hidden underneath the green slime were now starkly visible. He looked like he'd been mauled by a dragon at some point, chewed up and spat back out, then stabbed through with a sword several times. She reached out to touch one of them.

"Careful," Aeris said in that same soft voice "he gets jumpy if he's startled."

"Jumpy?" Tifa asked dryly.

"Mm-hhmm" Aeris nodded.

Tifa studied the girl and Aeris studied her right back. Zack was watching them both uneasily.

"Hmm, Aeris right? Can you do me a solid and move over there?" Tifa asked pointing a distance away "You too Soldier."

"OH, um, okay." Aeris carefully moved out from underneath Cloud's head and moved over to where Tifa indicated pulling a protesting Zack along with her. Tifa stood back up once the two were at a safe distance.

"What are you going to do?" Zack asked warily.

"Wake him up."

"I'm not one hundred percent that's safe." Zack cautioned.

"It's probably not." Tifa agreed. She eyed the bench cautiously. Cloud was a demon to wake on the best of circumstances and these were not the best circumstances. Her friend had been suffering horribly every second of every day for the last month.

This could get very ugly very fast…

It really was the safest way…

He would understand…

Eventually…

Maybe…

With a single powerful kick Tifa struck the base of the pew shattering it from under Cloud's weight. Tifa immediately back flipped out of the way missing the flowerbed by inches and just in time too. As the bench shattered under his weight, Cloud lashed out violently with a strangled shout. Pieces of debris flew all around him barely missing her as she ducked down. A shout from Zack had her guessing one of the shards struck him.

Good.

"Settle down Cloud!" Tifa shouted in her best impression of Cloud's mom.

Cloud froze mid rampage at her voice. He quickly lasered in on her with fierce precision that shot dread down her spine. There was no recognition as he stared at her, just a cold calculating assessment. Tifa stayed crouched down until the strangeness started to fade away.

"Tifa?" Cloud asked, a chill still in his tone but melting slowly away as confusion sank in.

"You back Strife?" Tifa asked without moving.

"I don't know…where am I?"

From off to the side Tifa noticed Zack inching forward but she quickly waved him back. Cloud wasn't in control yet and Soldier or not, if Cloud decided to attack he could do some serious damage to Zack. Cloud didn't follow chaos without reason after all.

"A church in the slums." Tifa said.

"Aerith's church?" Cloud asked distractedly "I was dreaming of her again."

Tifa didn't know what to make of that so in the custom of all Nibelheimians, she chose to ignore it. Cloud was obviously still lost in his head. What that Dr. Quack did to him was enough to mess with anyone's sense of reality.

"Hey there Spike," Zack said softly, completely ignoring her warning "are you with us buddy?"

Tifa flinched expecting Cloud to flip out but he hardly moved. Instead he also flinched back as if Zack's voice pained him. It wasn't anything she'd ever expect him to do and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. Cloud never flinched, at anything. Even when he had real reason to, he never flinched.

"Zack?" Cloud asked with a small voice. He tilted his head slightly towards Zack's voice without looking at the Soldier.

"Yeah Cloud, you're kinda scaring us here."

Cloud shook his head violently as if trying to shake off unwanted thoughts like water. Tifa glared at Zack, though the Soldier ignored her to focus on her friend. She didn't like how much he was able to affect Cloud. He went from a deadly wolf to a sad puppy just at the sound of Zack's voice. That wasn't a Cloud she knew and she hated not knowing.

"It's no use, he won't look at us." Aeris spoke up from where she still stood off to the side.

"What do you mean?" Tifa asked. He had no problem focusing in on her after all.

"Well, the entire time we were here he wouldn't look at me. He'd talk but he wouldn't face me. I don't understand why though."

"You're not there." Cloud said so painfully it could break her heart "You're never there."

Tifa watched Cloud closely. She could practically see the pieces of his psyche pulling themselves back together. He'd had meltdowns before but this had to be the worst breakdown she'd ever seen him suffer. She glared over at Zack again but pulled up short. While Aeris looked concerned, Zack looked completely distraught.

Who was he? Cloud's boyfriend or something? What was going on with him? Just how long have they've known each other? Regardless, she was going to have to keep an even tighter eye on the Soldier. She didn't trust him…yet.

"Cloud, do you remember me? Do you remember who I am?" Zack asked pressing forward again.

Zack waved her back toward Aeris, Tifa hesitated but Zack just waved more insistently. Cloud's gaze stayed focused on her until she passed Zack. He recoiled back a few steps as if seeing Zack was physically painful. Just what was going through his mind?

"Zack? I don't…" Cloud started.

"You came back remember? You said you had a job to do so you came back." Zack said coaxingly. He kept edging closer but staying out of Cloud's direct line of sight.

"I came back." Cloud echoed.

Whatever Zack was doing, it seemed to be working. Cloud was staying calm, he was listening. He didn't need her at that moment. Tifa glanced around her and spotted the other girl and moved to her side. She had her hands clasped in front of her as if she were praying. Well…they were in a church.

"Aeris right? I'm Tifa. Sorry for destroying your bench there." Tifa said.

"That's alright, most of the pews are crumbling anyway so it's not much of a change. At least the flowers weren't hurt." The girl said.

Zack had pulled the duffle back with Cloud's clothes in it and was starting to pull out his gear. Cloud was now looking at Zack. He wasn't altogether back yet but he was getting there. Tifa and Aeris both gasped as Zack worked loose the drawstring hold Cloud's pants up and let them drop to the ground. The girls both instantly turned their backs to the boys giving Cloud at least some modesty, although Cloud didn't seem to need it.

"You're friends with Cloud right?" Aeris asked still blushing bright red.

"Yeah, you can say that." Tifa answered trying to get her own flush under control. "We were neighbors growing up together. He was the only guy who didn't think I was a prize chocobo, and useful only for the status of owning me."

If Tifa came off sounding bitter, it's probably because she was. All of the boys would hang around her showing off trying to get her to be 'his' girl but none of them ever had any interest in anything she wanted or had to say and because she chose a fighting Goddess instead of one of the artistic or family orientating ones, none of the other village girls would have anything to do with her. It became so much worse after her mother died and that damn bridge broke. Her father tried to lock her up like she was spun glass and deny her the one person in the entire town who treated her like a person. Then Cloud left and it got so much worse.

"I know the feeling." Aeris said dryly.

The comment snapped Tifa out of her morose thoughts. Tifa looked at her, yeah she appeared all sweet in her pretty white dress and meek demeanor, however as Tifa caught the other girl's eyes she knew Aeris knew exactly what she was meant. Being a pretty girl in this type of neighborhood…

"So" Tifa said a little awkwardly "is Zack your friend or is he your 'friend'?"

,..,

Zack had managed to get Cloud into something more substantial than the 'hospital' pants and was in the process of zipping up Cloud's vest when he glanced up to see the softest expression he'd ever seen on his friend's face. He looked over to see what put such a unique countenance there. Cloud was watching Aerith and Tifa. The girls were giggling over something or the other, Zack had no idea what it could be about but he would bet Cloud knew. It was either that or…

"Did you plan on this?" Zack asked slightly suspiciously.

Cloud turned back to him, he still wouldn't look Zack in the eyes but he was finally acknowledging him. It was progress.

"Plan it? No, I didn't plan it… But I wanted it to happen." Cloud said wistfully, glancing back over to the girls.

"Why is that?" Zack pressed.

"They were the best of friends before. Inseparable."

Zack sighed at his friend's distraction as he finished zipping it up. So far he had Cloud's pants on him and his vest. He still needed to get the boots on him and he had no clue as what to do with the bondage gear straps or the heavy leather skirt and sleeve. Cloud was no help of course. Now that he was calm he was off in LaLa land or whatever.

"Your friend Vincent told me to bring her with me when I got the call to find you." Zack said giving up on the bondage gear "How did he know?"

"Vincent has his own tasks. Right now they coincide with mine, but I don't know how long that'll last."

Cloud yielded gracefully to Zack pushing him back onto an unbroken pew. Zack dragged the footwear next to him and knelt to start fitting them on. As Cloud became more and more aware he started looking more and more amused by the situation, at Zack's expense no doubt, and still no assistance. The girls were certainly no help, Aerith was now showing Tifa her garden and completely ignoring Zack's struggles.

"Huh, I thought you and he were working together towards the same end." Zack commented. One shoe on, one to go.

"Yes and no." Was all Cloud said.

Zack was going to push a little bit more when Cloud froze suddenly. Zack rose to his feet slowly as Cloud tilted his head back to the door as though listening to something on that he could hear. Zack knew that look well, it meant something was coming. Cloud rose silently to his feet and practically glided over to where the two girls were.

"Tifa," he called out quietly "can you walk Aeris home for me? Zack and I have some business to take care of."

Tifa asked him something in that mountain language they use that Zach didn't understand and Cloud replied just as quietly in that same language. Zack cursed himself for not paying attention in the mandatory foreign language courses when he was still in training. At the time he thought the only language he needed to know was the main dialect of Wutai. Clearly he was wrong.

"Is something wrong?" Aerith asked timidly.

"Not really, but I shouldn't let it wait. Tifa, do you want us to pick you up at Aeris' house or make your own way back?"

"I haven't had the chance to explore down here so if I can get back in Shinra, I'll stay awhile." Tifa said after a moment.

"Here," Zack tossed her his entrance key "I'll just tell them I lost mine again."

"I'll see you when you get back then." Cloud said with a slight nod. "Try to stay out of trouble while I'm not there to share it."

"No promises." Tifa smirked with a saucy grin.

With that Tifa grabbed Aerith by the hand and pulled her out of the church. Cloud's head was once again cocked to listen to…whatever it is he was listening to. Zack strained his own ears but he couldn't hear anything out of the ordinary.

"What was that about?" Zack asked.

"We're going to have company soon." Cloud stated as he methodically organized and attached the bondage gear.

"What kind of company?"

"Avalanche."

Zack was instantly on high alert. He also instantly regretted not bringing his own sword. He didn't think he would need it when he gathered Cloud's stuff. Zack hoped that Angeal doesn't find out or he'll never hear the end of it. If Angeal ever woke up that is. Cloud was finishing up the final few straps. Whatever was going on with him seemed to have disappeared in the face of whatever was coming next. Zack searched the area for anything that could be used as a weapon but all he could see were rotten planks and flowers.

"Here," Cloud said thrusting a hilt into his chest "I don't think you'll need this but it couldn't hurt."

Zack took the handle and studied the blade. It was as wide as a buster sword but only about half as long. It was surprisingly heavy too.

"How?..."

"It splits apart."

"Oh."

Sure enough, there was now a clear space carved in the side of the monster sword that was perfectly smooth just a few moments ago. Huh, no wonder it was so heavy.

"Why?"

"Long story."

"Oh."

Zack waited patiently for all of thirty seconds before the adrenaline became more than he could endure. So he started doing squats much to Cloud's amusement. Cloud himself was once again in his full attire complete with his skirt. Just like when they first met.

"So why the skirt?" Zack asked impulsively.

Cloud looked confused for a second before glancing down at himself. It was like he didn't realize just how weird he looked in a half skirt. Maybe it becomes a trend in the future? Zack shuddered at the thought.

"It's protection." Cloud finally said.

"Protection from what?"

Cloud shifted cagily. Zack noticed he had a habit of doing that. Zack just had to wait him out and Cloud would eventually give. He was just like Sephiroth in that aspect. He was just like Sephiroth in a number of aspects actually.

"From my wing." Cloud finally answered. "Unlike the others mine doesn't have feathers, it has spikes." He gestured to the sleeve and skirt "This is to keep it from cutting me open in a fight."

Whoa…

"Can I see?" Zack asked.

His response clearly startled Cloud a bit. It was obviously not the response Cloud was expecting. But come on! If he could handle Angeal his mentor having wings, he could so deal with his friend from the future having one too!

"Maybe later, if everything goes well." Cloud eventually promised.

"Will I get one?" Zack asked suddenly "You know, a wing of my own."

"I doubt it." Cloud said after pondering it for a moment. "The wings are a form of mutation caused by degradation which in turn is caused by Jenova. Since you've already been 'cured' and haven't developed a wing beforehand, It's highly unlikely it'll happen."

Zack was actually a little bummed that he wouldn't get to fly like the others. So what if it was weird or something, he wanted to know what it felt like to move so freely like that. It seemed like it would be so much fun. He wasn't hiding his sulking very well if the quiet amusement on Cloud's face was anything to go by.

"Sorry." Cloud said with little real sympathy.

"It's alright." Zack pouted in good humor "I bet it made traveling awesome though."

"I wouldn't know. I did most of my traveling by either airship or on my motorcycle."

"Seriously?"

Cloud shifted his grip on the sword and changed his position subtlety. It was all the warning Zack needed to get ready. He stalked silently through the debris until he was across the aisle. This way they could attack from either side without getting flanked themselves if a fight broke loose.

"I had a lot of baggage back then." Cloud said keeping the conversation going.

"Nasty stuff. I avoid it at all costs." Zack continued cheerfully "Reminds me too much of responsibilities."

"One should always be held responsible for their crimes." A booming female voice interrupted from just outside the church door.

Zack and Cloud were ready as the doors were broken down dramatically by none other than Avalanche Leader Elfé with one powerful punch. She entered the church through a cloud of dust, followed closely behind by Shears then Fuhito. Cloud hadn't moved a muscle, instead he maintained his ready yet relaxed pose he took just seconds before. Zack did his best to copy him as the trio strolled in. Elfé was instantly glaring maliciously at them. Shears looked all around the chapel while Fuhito simply appeared bored.

When they were almost two thirds of the way up Cloud shifted slightly causing Elfé and the others to freeze. Cloud didn't look it, but he was ready to tear them apart and they knew it. Zack forced his own posture to a more laid-back one. It was clearly going to be up to him to keep this from becoming a bloodbath.

"So what brings you to this neck of the wood?" Zack asked jauntily.

Shears turned to glare at him while Elfé and Fuhito studied Cloud. Cloud stayed calm but the wildness from earlier was starting to creep back. Zack also really didn't like the attention Cloud was getting from the Avalanche scientist.

"Where's the Ancient?" Elfé suddenly demanded harshly.

"…The who?"