Happy Thursday (er, Friday?) everyone!
Thank you all for so patiently waiting for this chapter! I had a lot going on these recently - I was babysitting the baby nieces and nephew, three kids under three, for the past few weekends. So, as you can probably imagine, it was hard to find time to write and edit in all of that. But now we're back to a normal schedule! Which I'm super excited for, by the way.
Also, thank you all (again) for all of your kudos and wonderful comments. They honestly make my entire day :)
Last thank you goes to my amazing beta, silver-doe287, for making this chapter actually readable lol.
Enjoy the chapter! :)
Corneo's bedroom was everything that a bedroom shouldn't be. It temperature was cold, the atmosphere was unwelcoming, and the gaudy décor was overwhelming. A dragon statue hung over the bed with its claws sunken into the bed's wooden frame. Bricks of gold were scattered haphazardly scattered across the floor. Flowers drooped in their ceramic pots. Cluttered bookshelves stretched to the ceiling, and the books themselves spanned across all subjects – medical science, Gaian history, business marketing strategies, and more, yet all of their leather-backed spines were dusty. It was clear that they hadn't been opened in a long while, and their only purpose was to make Corneo seem smart and everyone else seem stupid.
Cloud tried to ignore the overwhelming clutter as he leaned back against the wall and sighed. The empty potion bottle rested beside him, and he idly traced its glass lip with his finger as his mind replayed the events of the day: from waking up and realizing Zack was alive, to finding out Tifa was auditioning to be someone's wife, to right now… He was exhausted, and yet he found that he couldn't close his eyes. He instead kicked off his heels, stretched his legs out before him, and allowed himself a brief moment to relax.
Zack was doing the exact opposite. He was pacing the room with the expression of a man obsessed. With every long stride, his shiny black shoes reflected the scarlet lamplight and the look in his eyes only became more severe. Cloud's mako-stained gaze lazily tracked Zack's movements; back and forth he walked, to the point where it was triggering Cloud's motion sickness, and Cloud had no choice but to turn away.
Something's wrong, he knew, but he couldn't bring himself to worry about it. When was something not wrong these days?
"How are you feeling?" Tifa suddenly asked. She was sitting beside him, her legs delicately folded beneath her and her expression pinched with concern. "Doing okay?"
"Yeah," he replied after a pause, and then he managed a small smile. "Jus' tired. And you?"
"I'm doing okay." Tifa smiled hesitantly in return, only to flush and drop her gaze to her wringing hands. "I am ready to head home, though. It's… been a day."
Cloud's expression dimmed. "Yeah," he agreed, but his attention snagged at the word, Home. It tugged at something within him, dragged up soft memories that pinched where it hurt the most, and he swallowed hard against the emotion that suddenly welled up within him. "Um, Tifa…"
"Yeah?"
"When do you think we'll leave?" The sooner they got out of Corneo's bedroom, the better.
Zack's footsteps suddenly faltered, but he resumed his fervent pacing a heartbeat later. "We'll leave as soon as Leslie gets here," he stated. "He's getting our stuff, but he should be here soon."
Tifa shifted her weight against the wall. "But doesn't that put us at risk?" she asked. Her casual tone had an undercurrent of anxiety, and it had Cloud instinctively tensing. "The longer we sit here, the more likely it'll be that Corneo's henchmen will wake up. Or Corneo will wake up, for that matter," she added.
"I know, I know. But Leslie has something of mine. Two somethings, in fact, and I..." Zack ran an impatient hand through his air with a sharp exhale. "I just can't leave without them."
Cloud lifted his head. The Buster Sword and Aerith's box of letters, he realized, and opened his mouth to ask Zack -
- but he was effectively cut off by a loud crash outside, which was closely followed by "Shit," and then the sound of quiet footsteps as someone ascended the stairs. Cloud immediately stiffened and moved to stand, to at least be more prepared to defend himself, but Zack lifted a hand.
"It's okay," he said, eyes pinned on the open door. "It's Leslie." He said the name like it was a prayer spoken in a dark, and the glow in his eyes faded a fraction. "He made it."
"Was there any question?" came a muffled voice, and then Leslie himself appeared at the doorway. His pale hair was mused, his cheeks were flushed, sweat pricked his brow, and he had an annoyed tilt to his lips as he stomped into Corneo's bedroom. "Though you also didn't tell me that you had so much crap," he added as he threw two large, wrapped bundles onto the floor. Zack's Buster Sword quickly followed, and it hit the plush carpet with a muted thud. "What are you, a hoarder or something?"
Zack dryly chuckled. "It's not all my stuff," he replied, and then vaguely gestured behind him. Corneo's unconscious body lay sprawled on the oversized bed. "He's all yours."
Leslie's expression shuttered. He strode over to the bed, eyes shadowed by his cap, and for a moment all he did was stare down at Corneo's face. "I see someone broke his nose," he finally said.
"He was asking for it," Aerith stated. Cloud shot her a grateful look.
"I don't doubt it." Leslie's lips twitched into what could have been a smile, yet his expression smoothed immediately as he glanced over his shoulder towards the rest of the party. "You all should leave," he told them. "There's a secret exit underneath here -" he tapped the ground with his shoe for emphasis, "- so as soon as you're ready, I'll open it for you. It'll eventually lead towards Sector Seven."
Sector Seven. The name hit Cloud like caffeine in a shot of expresso, and his pulse quickened a fraction. That's…
"So it heads straight home," Tifa murmured at his side.
Home. It was that word again, and Cloud felt that familiar pinching ache in his chest. Sector Seven wasn't exactly home to him. Not yet, as old scars were still smarting, but if Tifa thought of it that way…
… Well, maybe he could get used to the idea.
Eventually.
"Awesome," Zack replied, cutting off Cloud's thoughts, and was already opening up the nearest cloth sack. "Nice," he said under his breath, and then with a glance towards Cloud, continued, "C'mon Spikey, looks like we got our clothes. Which means -" he nodded towards Tifa and Aerith, "- that the other one is for you guys."
"And Tifa, there's also a change of clothes for you!" Aerith pulled a pink blouse out of the second bundle. The blouse was very reminiscent of Madam M's garb but had a straight cut, no ribbons or frills, and subtle flowers embroidered into the design. "And… ooh, look at this!" she added excitedly. "I love this skirt!"
Aerith hauled a mint-green skirt out of the bag. It had a silken quality to it, and it shimmered faintly in the light. Tifa tilted her head, concerned. "Doesn't it look… expensive?" she finally asked.
"You deserve expensive," Aerith replied emphatically.
"It's not very practical, either..."
"Doesn't matter," Aerith stated, and she dropped the clothes in Tifa's arms. Tifa accepted them with an uneasy expression. "How about we change in the one of the walk-in closets? And no peeking, from either of you," she added with a scowl at the boys. "If I catch either you, I'll be mad!"
Cloud went pink."I… I would never -"
"I should be saying that to you," Zack interrupted as he grabbed both his and Cloud's change of clothes. "Weren't you the one all excited to see me in a tux? And," he added with a wicked smile towards Aerith, "didn't you get jealous of Madam M from the hand massage?"
Cloud stared at Zack as if he had lost his mind, but his warning glance went utterly ignored as Zack shot Aerith a dark wink.
Aerith flushed a brilliant color and sputtered, "Zackary Fair, I would never -"
"Can you all please just change and go?" Leslie loudly interrupted.
Zack laughed in response, and the party momentarily split up. The girls went to change in the oversized closet, and the boys headed just outside to a nearby storage room.
Cloud followed close behind Zack, feet bare and ears burning. Does Aerith think that I'd peek? he thought, he wouldn't peek. Ever. He didn't… He didn't do stuff like that. Other guys might, sure, but he was different from all of -
"- a to Spikey. Gaia to… Ah, there he is." Cloud blinked to find Zack staring intently at him, and Zack grinned when he noticed that Cloud was now paying attention. "Thank the gods. Lost you for a second."
"Sorry. I, ah…" He cleared his throat. "What did you, um, say?"
"I said I got your clothes," Zack said as he unceremoniously dumped them into Cloud's arms. Cloud immediately recognized his gray hoodie and jeans, and when Zack put his shoes – his own shoes – on the ground, he nearly went light headed with relief. "Happy not to wear those heels anymore?"
Cloud smiled. "Yeah."
"And check it out." Zack pulled another item out of the bundle: a small box emblazoned with cheerful woman dabbing her face, and the words 'For sensitive skin' were written out beneath her. "Madam M even packed you some makeup remover wipes. Nice."
Cloud pressed a hand against his cheek, only to grimace at the thick powder that caked his fingertips. "Thank the gods," he muttered as he brushed his hands off on his dress. They left behind pale streaks against the navy blue silks. "I never want to wear this stuff again."
"Aw, don't say that, Spikey." Zack shrugged off his suit jacket, grinning all the while. "You looked pretty good in makeup. Bet we could make some money off of that."
Cloud, who had been trying to get the braided extensions out of his hair, looked up in horror. "No."
"I'm just kidding." Having freed himself from his jacket, Zack worked on unbuttoning his shirt as he kept talking. "But seriously – you did kill the look. Hell, Reno wanted to ask for your number."
"Reno did?" Cloud's horror reached new heights. Like sure, Reno had seemed to like his, er, performance, but for that like to go a little bit deeper… Cloud turned away, the back of his hand pressed against his lips. "I'm gonna be sick."
Zack laughed at his reaction. "Look, don't worry about it. It just means you did an amazing job during your dance. Hell, even I barely recognized you."
Cloud buried his hands in his face. Heat licked his neck and burned the tips of his ears. "Can we stop talking about this?" he asked, his voice little more than a mortified squeak. "Please?"
"Sure thing," he replied, still laughing, and then he unbuttoned the last button on his dress shirt. He let the garb fall to a heap to the floor.
And what remained were scars. Long scars, the deep kind that left craters and ripples in his tan skin, and any blush Cloud had went strikingly cold. He had already seen them before back when Zack had decided to try on Madam M's dress, but to see them again…
Cloud tore his gaze away as a new warmth flooded his cheeks: Shame. Shame because he knew that Zack got many of those scars from the lab, and probably even more while trying to defend him while he was incapacitated with mako poisoning. Bullet holes, claw wounds, precise knife slits… Zack's muscular back was a canvas of hurt, a map of pain, a story of all the times the world had let him down.
Cloud's eyes pricked, and he quickly turned around before Zack could see.
I have to do better.
Upset, he pulled off the black shoulder wrap with more force than necessary, then moved on to free himself from the dress' mesh sleeves. It was tight, but he managed well enough. Yet it was only with Zack's help was he able to get the corset loose enough to slip off, and Zack chuckled the entire time he undid the sashed, silky ribbon.
"Now we're even," Zack said as the corset fell heavily to the floor.
Cloud huffed, recalling how he had helped Zack into Madam M's dress, as he kneaded his sore ribs and stumbled out of the thick skirts. Soon he was pulling on his normal clothes, which was such a contrast to the uncomfortable, tight, heavy dress that he almost had to take a moment to breathe.
"You good, Spikey?"
Cloud snapped his eyes open; he hadn't even realized that he had closed them. "I'm fine," he replied instinctively, and then took the makeup removal pad that Zack was holding out to him. It was cold to the touch. "You don't have to… keep worrying about me."
Zack chuckled, but this time the noise sounded strained. "Sorry, force of habit," he said, which had Cloud internally wilting as he scrubbed his face of blush, lipstick, eyeshadow, and whatever else Andrea had put on him. "But seriously, Cloud. Talk to me. It's been a busy day, and I just…" Zack hesitated a moment, then continued, "I want to make sure you're okay."
Cloud's expression dimmed, and he slowly lowered the makeup pad; it was smeared with shades of tan, pink, and black. It had been a busy day. Hell, it had been a busy few days. Just yesterday he had helped Barret and the others blow up a reactor – which felt like a lifetime ago now – only to wake up this very morning in an unfamiliar house filled with unfamiliar people. And Zack, he mentally tacked on, who apparently hadn't died in Nibelheim after all…
Cloud opened his eyes, but his mako-stained gaze lingered on the floor.
… And how quickly things had gone wrong afterwards.
Without thinking, his hand lifted to close around the fabric above his heart. "Busy day," he quietly agreed, then he looked up to Zack with a faint smile. "But I'm okay. Tired," he admitted when Zack's eyes narrowed in disbelief, "but okay."
"Does your head feel fuzzy?"
Cloud shook his head. "Not too much."
"Not too much?"
"The potion helped."
Zack scowled. "That's good… Well, usually I'd give you another potion, but at this point they'd probably do more harm than good." His scowl deepened and he run an impatient hand through his hair, while Cloud hunched his shoulders as if it was entirely his fault. "Honestly, rest is probably the best thing for you right now. Which we'll do as soon as we get back home."
Home. The word once again set off a hollow ache echoing through Cloud's chest, and he shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Um… Which one?" he asked uncertainly, because he had a feeling that Zack didn't mean Tifa's apartment.
But Zack only stared at him as if he had been struck. "Which one?" he echoed after a lengthy pause.
"Y – Yeah." Cloud had thought that it had been an innocent enough question, but Zack's uncomprehending tone had him questioning that. "Like, Tifa's apartment, or..."
Understanding suddenly lit Zack's expression. "Oh. Oh. That's right, you were..." He shook his head with a faint laugh, which had Cloud tilting his head in confusion. "Um, well, I think Sector Seven is closer, so how about we stop there first and drop off Tifa? And then we can go to Aerith's… We can…Oh, shit."
Cloud started at the new venom in Zack's tone. "… Zack?"
"Tseng. The Turks. They know where Aerith lives." Horror had Zack's eyes widening, and their mako glow burned hot enough to stain his cheeks a brilliant shade of jade. "And Tseng'll be looking for me. And you. So we can't… We can't hide out at her house." He turned around sharply, and his hard footsteps rang dull against the floor he now stared blankly at. "We can't go back. Tseng will find us, and that'll mean that Shinra will find us. And we can't let that happen. I won't let that happen."
Zack continued to stare at the floor, wide-eyed and weaponless, and Cloud didn't know what to do. The intensity in Zack's tone scared him. It promised that horrible things would happen if Shinra found them, and considering how scarred Zack's body was, those things seemed quite horrible indeed.
Cloud swallowed past his sudden fear. "Zack..."
But Zack continued as if he hadn't heard. "We'll figure it out," he stated, more to himself than to Cloud. "We always do. Midgar is a big city, and the Turks can't have eyes everywhere. We'll just take our time and figure it out, because you know, you can never be too careful with… with Shinra watching all the time." He suddenly glanced at the corners of the room, stricken. "Gods, what if Corneo installed cameras? Think there's cameras in here?"
"Zack."
Zack jolted. "What? What's wrong? Are you okay?"
"Are you okay?" Cloud suddenly wished he was tall enough to look Zack in the eyes. "You seem… I don't know…" He fumbled for the right word, and eventually settled on, "Agitated."
"Agitated?" Zack blinked and then smiled, all teeth and sharp edges. "I'm not agitated. I'm great. We saved your girl -" Cloud's cheeks warmed, "- got the bad guy, and now we all get to leave in one piece. Finding out where to stay the night will be a cinch. We'll figure it out. So, yeah. I'm good. Are you good?"
"You already asked me that," Cloud told him with a frown, and Zack made a strangled sound more akin to ripping metal than any sort of chuckle. "But… But Zack, if you weren't okay… You'd tell me, right? Like I know that I'm sick an' all, but -"
"You're not sick," Zack interrupted.
"I have mako poisoning," Cloud deadpanned. "But even despite that, would you still… I don't know, tell me if you're not okay?"
For a long moment, no one spoke. Zack only stared at Cloud with a mixture of bafflement and something a little more broken, and Cloud forced himself to meet his gaze despite the embarrassed flush heating his cheeks.
But then Zack smiled.
"I forget sometimes," he hesitantly began, "that you've really woken up." He looked as if he was going to say more, but then he only shook his head with a crooked smile and reached forward to ruffle Cloud's hair.
"Hey." Cloud batted Zack's hands away with a furious scowl. "I'm being serious..."
But the words died in his throat, because there were tears in Zack's eyes. Actual tears, and it suddenly struck Cloud that he had never seen Zack cry. He didn't even really think that Zack could cry. After all, Zack was also the most positive, optimistic person that Cloud knew, and the Zack he remembered would have laughed, or made a joke, or… something.
But then he had to remind himself that his memories were five years out of date, and a lot had happened since then.
"Um… Zack..." Cloud hated how creaky his voice sounded. "Are you -"
Zack ruffled his hair again, which effectively cut him off. "Yeah, I'm good, I promise. Sorry for losing it for a second there," he added, and then he laughed. Something within Cloud loosened at the sound of it. "I'm fine. It's just been a long day."
Cloud flicked his eyes up. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure," Zack promised, and he gave Cloud's mused hair one last good ruffle before he dropped his hand. Cloud immediately attempted to straighten it. "Anyway, want to join the girls? I bet they've finished changing by now, and then we can go… somewhere." Zack's expression dimmed, but his cheerful persona returned a moment later. "Maybe Tifa will let us stay with her," he added as he reached for his Buster Sword.
Cloud's expression softened. "She would."
"Well, someone sounds confident," Zack teased. "And… don't worry, okay? If there's something wrong, I'll tell you. Like how I told you all that stuff this morning. I promise."
Cloud's gaze dropped down to the floor. Something about Zack's earlier behavior still had him on edge, but… If Zack promised… "Okay," he finally relented, and he raised his gaze. "Ready to go?" he asked with a flimsy smile.
Zack sighed. "So ready," he muttered, and he adjusted the Buster Sword on his back before reaching down to grab his box of Aerith's letters. Soon the two of them were heading back to the Corneo's bedroom. Just as Zack had predicted, both Tifa and Aerith had already changed; Aerith was wearing her pink dress and red jacket from earlier that morning, while Tifa had donned Madam M's more dressy attire. The latter looked distinctly uncomfortable in the pastel outfit, and Cloud's cheeks reddened as he watched her adjust the tight fit of her blouse.
Leslie pushed himself off the wall when he noticed Zack and Cloud enter the room. "Finally," he muttered. "Thought the Don would wake up before you guys got here."
"That's not our fault. The makeup wouldn't come off," Zack protested.
Cloud glanced at him from the corner of his eye. The makeup had come off just fine, but if Zack didn't want to mention their talk – or his realization that they couldn't go back to Aerith's house – then Cloud also wouldn't mention it.
"Oh, Cloud!" Aerith suddenly bounded up to him, effectively distracting him from his thoughts. "Check out what Tifa and I found for you!" She held out her hand, and Cloud stilled as she realized that she was holding a pistol. Zack went pale beside him. "We found it in Corneo's nightstand. Lucky us, right?"
The pistol had clearly been heavily customized. Instead of sporting a single barrel, this one had three barrels along with three matching cylinders – all of which had already been loaded with bullets, Cloud noticed after a brief inspection. The grip was made of abalone shell, and the pistol's solid black finish was interlaced with arching silver. A gray wolf formed the forward sight.
"This is nice," he admitted as he accepted the gun and shifted it back and forth his hands.
"Definitely too nice for Corneo," Tifa added.
Cloud nodded his agreement as he relished the feeling of cold metal against his palms. It felt good to hold a weapon again, to know that he could defend himself again, and he gripped the pistol a little tighter as his earlier thought once again passed through his mind:
I have to do better.
"Cloud, are you sure you want a gun?" Zack asked. His voice sounded strained, maybe even a little nervous. "You won't need it."
Cloud aimed the pistol at the wall and, peering down the forward sight, closed a single eye. The world shifted into shades of green. "I want it," he affirmed.
"But you won't need it," Zack said again. "I will -"
He was abruptly cut off by Aerith's finger against his lips. "Zack, it's fine," she told him quietly. She was clearly trying to keep Cloud from overhearing, so he pretended to be too focused on the pistol to pay attention. "Remember what we talked about earlier, with the whole normal thing?"
Cloud's ears pricked. Normal thing?
"I mean, yeah, but..." Zack rubbed the back of his neck. "Ugh, whatever. Okay. Okay, fine. Cloud gets a gun."
"I guess now would be a good time to tell you that I found a quarterstaff and a Fire materia?"
There was a pause, then: "A what?"
"But look, the staff's adjustable. See? It gets small!"
"No no no, Aerith, you can't fight -"
There was a mute smack as Aerith flicked his nose. "Watch me," she stated. "But don't worry, I'll be fine. I'll leave all of the big ones for you, okay?"
Zack made a faint noise in response, and when it became clear that their conversation was over, Cloud finally lowered the pistol.
"Well?" Tifa asked beside him. "Like it?"
Cloud nodded. "I do. It has a nice weight."
Tifa beamed, as if she had picked it out special for him instead of stolen it out of a slum lord's nightstand. "That's what I thought, too."
A harsh sigh echoed through the room. "For fuck's sake, you all talk too much," Leslie muttered, then said a bit loud, "Move away from the bed. I'm going to open the entrance."
Cloud did as ordered, as did the rest of the party, and watched as Leslie reached towards the dragon hovering the bed's headrest, grabbed its left claw, and pulled down. There was a harsh clank. Gears groaned and ground together. Cloud placed a steadying hand on the wall as the ground rumbled beneath their feet, and then without warning, a piece of the floor fell away to reveal a secret access at the foot of the bed. A dingy ladder led down into the murky dark.
Aerith looked delighted. "Awesome," she grinned.
Tifa, on the other hand, looked significantly less delighted. "This goes to the sewers," she said with a glance towards Leslie. "Doesn't it?"
"That's right." Leslie strode forward until he could look down into the hole. Humid air wafted up from the entrance, and he wrinkled his nose against the rotted smell that began to fill the room. "It won't be pretty, but it'll get you to where you need to go."
"Sounds like shit," Zack said, and then he laughed at his own pun.
Tifa followed Leslie's gaze with a frown. "It's… dark, isn't it?" she noted after a pause.
Cloud silently agreed. Not only was it dark, but a humid mist obscured the floor from view and the smell was almost enough to make him want to risk going to Sector Seven through the streets, Turks be damned.
"So." Aerith glanced at the rest of the team. "Who wants to go first?"
"I vote Zack," Cloud stated. Zack laughed.
"I don't care who goes first, as long as you all just go," Leslie added with a hopeless air about him.
"I also vote Zack," Aerith said, and she gave Zack a pat on the back. "Go on, Mr. SOLDIER. Clear the way for the rest of us."
Zack made an indignant sound. "I would have anyway," he announced, but then he paused as he grabbed the railings. "Thanks, Leslie," he said before he began to descend into the sewer system. "For everything."
"Don't mention it," Leslie replied with a shrug. "Just leave."
Zack emitted a bark of laughter, and before long the sound of his boots hitting the floor echoed up from the dark.
"All right, Cloud." Aerith glanced towards him with a grin. "Your turn."
"We'll be right behind you," Tifa promised.
Cloud grimaced. He really didn't want to climb down, but because the only other option was to stay here in Corneo's bedroom…
He shoved his new pistol into the back of his pants – safety on – and began the slow climb down the ladder. The rungs were damp against his bare palms and rusted iron flaked against his grasp, but before long his shoes were touching the hard ground.
He blinked into the dim light. Water trickled down the stone walls and pooled onto the floor in tepid puddles, and the cracked tiles beneath his feet exposed the mossy, moldy dirt beneath, while pipes – massive, concrete structures that were large enough for a car to drive though – poked through the walls like oversized IV needles.
Cloud tried to take light breathes as he made his way towards Zack, who was squinting into the gloom with a slight frown.
"What is it?" Cloud asked, referring to Zack's pensive expression. He could hear the ladder clanging behind him as Aerith made her way down, followed closely by Tifa.
Zack's lips pursed. "Dunno," he finally replied, "but something's… off."
Cloud crossed his arms over his chest as Aerith's footsteps pattered towards them. "Like?"
"…Dunno." Zack's gaze landed on a metal gate set in front of them, and he slowly reached over his shoulders for the hilt of his sword. "It's just off."
Aerith followed his gaze, eyes narrowed against the dark. "What's off?"
"Is something wrong?" Tifa asked as she reached the bottom and joined the party. Cloud shot her a wane smile when she stopped beside him.
"Zack's SOLDIER senses are tingling," Aerith told her in a conspiratorial whisper.
Zack huffed. "They're instincts," he told them without glancing their way. Instead he focused on the giant metal grate in front of them, eyes narrowed and hand wrapped around the hilt of the Buster Sword. "Honed on the battlefield after years of training, thank you very much."
Cloud's chest panged then, but he wasn't entirely sure why. Maybe it was because he couldn't tell anything was wrong – besides the rancid sewer smells of course, and the crusty mascara he hadn't been able to wipe off entirely – or maybe it was because Tifa was standing close enough that if he reached his hand out just a fraction, their fingertips would brush together, and he wasn't sure if he could handle that.
"Do you hear that?" Zack asked.
All Cloud could hear was the heavy thuds of his beating heart as he kept his focus on Tifa. Her nails were painted a bright pink, the same shade as the flowers on her earlier dress, and they faintly trembled. His brow furrowed. She's shaking, he realized, and his gaze flicked up to her face in silent question. But there were no answers etched onto her features; her eyes were focused straight ahead, her lips were pressed together in a stubborn line, and her shoulders were rigid beneath her pastel blouse. She was the picture of determination.
And yet her hands were shaking.
"Spikey," Zack enunciated, "do you hear that?"
But Cloud was still distracted. He suddenly had the wild notion that he should hold her hands, that that would be the good and proper thing to do considering the circumstances. She'd appreciate it, right? The reminder that he was here for her? Or would she get upset that he noticed? Or maybe she'd be upset that he thought that she would even need his help. After all, she hadn't needed him so far… Why would now be any different?
It wouldn't be, Cloud thought glumly, and he shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Cloud," Zack said again, "I'm asking you -"
"I don't hear anything," Cloud interrupted, and there must have been something in his tone because Zack was suddenly turning. Concern brightened his mako-stained eyes.
"What is it?" Zack asked. "Did you hear anything? See anything?"
"No."
Cloud's tone was more bitter than he intended, but it was too late to take it back. He could only glower at his shoes as Zack blinked in surprise. It was only after a heavy pause that he replied, "Well, if you do notice anything, let me know, okay?"
"…Okay," Cloud promised. He could feel Tifa giving him an odd look beside him, but he pretended not to notice.
Zack nodded. "Thanks, buddy," he said, and then he turned back to the grate. He stared at it a moment longer, but after a while he slowly lowered his hand from the Buster Sword's hilt. "Well," he continued, "Guess it was just a false alarm. How about we sta -"
- but then a horrendous squealing noise cut through the room, interrupting him. The iron gate was forced open; not with chains and ropes, but with a flash of claws and teeth and horns. A single red eye blinked at them from behind the broken iron bars.
"Guys?" Aerith breathed. She was holding her staff with a white-knuckled grip. "What's that?"
A roar burst forth from the dark chamber behind the gate, and then a large shadow shifted; No, not a shadow, Cloud realized a moment later. A monster.
Tifa's raised fists lowered a fraction. "It's huge," she murmured with wide-eyed horror.
There was another shriek of ripping metal, and then the creature itself lumbered into the dim light.
Cloud sucked in breath as adrenaline pumped through his body, and the world shifted into shades of green. Information slowly filtered into his cracked mind; he recognized the monster as an Abzu, a beast that had once hailed from the western continent's costal plains until it had been hunted to near extinction for its horns. He also knew that it had incredibly thick skin, was quick on its hoofed back legs, and quickly killed its prey using its poisonous forked tongue – a tongue that now dragged against the floor as it dangled between its wickedly sharp teeth.
Long story short, the monster was shockingly difficult to kill.
Cloud snapped his pistol up, and the wolf-tipped sight did not waver in the dark. "Zack," he hissed as thick beads of drool dripped from the Abzu's mouth. "What should we do?"
Zack seemed entirely unfazed by the monster's appearance. His expression, a cross between determination and something else, could have been carved from stone. Not even his muscles quivered as he held the Buster Sword in front of him, and Cloud felt another pang; but unlike before, this time he immediately recognized the sudden ache as jealousy. The realization had him going cold. Zack was his best friend; Zack had even called him his brother, a term that even now had Cloud's vision going watery. Not only had Zack promised to bring him to Gongaga to meet his family – to even live with them if that's what Cloud wanted – but Zack had also saved his life more times that he could remember.
I'm horrible.
The thought slipped across his mind, and his lips lifted in a bitter smile. The tip of his pistol wavered in the air.
And I have to do better, he reminded himself, and he slowly exhaled. Tension leaked from his body. His finger pressed against the trigger, and he could feel its slight resistance as he added pressure, but then Zack held up a single fist: the infantry command to stop, which had Cloud instinctively freezing in place.
"What?" Cloud asked, his voice a low murmur. His tongue rounded out the hard T so it didn't make as much noise, and when he glanced towards Zack, he was surprised to see that the other's expression had shifted from grim determination to something more akin to pity.
"It's chained," Zack eventually pointed out. The Abzu cocked its head to the side as he slowly lowered his weapon. Sure enough, thick metal chains had been wrapped around the monster's feet, and a similar collar had been clasped around its neck with a metal cord dangled below it. "It's coloration is also off. It should be more of a sky-blue color, and its horns should be branched to show its age. But instead they're…" Zack took a step forward, "… not."
"Zack, be careful," Aerith whispered.
Cloud's aim didn't deviate from the Abzu's heart, just in case it suddenly decided it was done standing there and wanted to rip their heads off – Or worse, he thought dimly. "We should leave," he finally said with a quick glance towards Zack. "What if it gets bored?"
"Or hungry?" Tifa added nervously.
For a long moment, the only sound was moisture dripping down the walls, then: "But it's chained," Zack replied simply, brokenly, and it was then Cloud noticed that Zack's gaze was a hundred miles away and buried five years in the past.
And that's when he got it. He suddenly understood with such crystalline clarity that it hurt.
The Abzu is a prisoner here, he realized, and: We used to be prisoners, too.
"Cloud, did you know that we actually saw a herd of these guys near the Mithril Mines?" Zack asked, effectively snapping Cloud out of his thoughts. "They live in the swamps down there and feed on burrowing animals, hence the long tongue. They're also fairly docile, and they prefer being in large herds." Zack slowly set the Buster Sword on the floor, then stood back up with both hands raised. Pity lingered in his expression. "I wonder how long this one has lived down here," he continued softly. "Years, definitely. Maybe ten? Or twenty? …And we only had to do five." He tentatively reached a single gloved hand forward, fingers down and wrist lifted, and the Abzu craned its neck to sniff at his palm. "I'm sorry," he whispered, addressing the Abzu now as its horns pulsed a dim blue color. "People can suck sometimes, can't they?"
The Abzu made a small sound, one far too delicate for such a large creature.
"They really can." Zack's voice barely audible in the dim quiet, and with that, he slowly reached down for his sword.
Cloud's eyes went wide as panic trilled through him. "Zack, wait."
"Relax." The blade's edge scraped across the stone as Zack took a step closer to the Abzu. "I'm just gonna free it."
Tifa's hand snapped up to grip Cloud's sleeve. "Right here?" she asked, sounding strangled. Her hold tightened on Cloud's arm, and Cloud pretended not to notice. "Right in front of us?"
"Don't worry, it won't hurt anyone," Aerith promised. She seemed to be standing a little taller now, and the look in her eyes was brighter and stronger than before. "It's just… scared."
"It wants to be free," Zack stated, and with that he cut the Abzu's chains off one by one. The heavy links fell to the floor with a dull thud and exposed the skin previously hidden, which was pale, rippled with scars, and oozed a mixture of clear liquid and blood.
Cloud's stomach twisted at the sight of the wounds, and he had to look away. The gun still trembled in his hands. He wasn't entirely sure why.
The Abzu didn't seem accustomed to the lack of weight around its neck. It shook its head, pale horns bobbing in the dark, and when it didn't hear the clanking iron it then arched its back and roared in freedom. The sound reverberated up the walls and the floor rumbled with its force, and Cloud's arm flew up to futilely block its cry. His eyes stung; not from fumes, but from something far deeper, an ache that had his other hand twisting the fabric above his heart.
"Be free, little guy," Zack murmured.
The Abzu sniffed the air, and then it was running. It rammed through a nearby brick wall before it turned the corner and charged deeper into the sewers, bellowing all the while, a happy sound that had goosebumps peppering Cloud's skin.
For a long moment, no one spoke. Silence reigned in the dimly lit gloom until Tifa finally murmured, "There it goes."
"Why do you think it was down here?" Aerith asked.
Zack grimaced. "Corneo probably fed it his failed brides," he replied with brutal honesty, and then he dragged his gaze towards the ceiling. Cloud looked upwards as well, and he could just make out the faint outline of the trap door Leslie had opened for them. Light seeped in through the thin cracks. "Don't recall Leslie mentioning that fun little fact, though."
Tifa's expression hardened. "Do you think he did that on purpose?"
Zack continued to stare at the ceiling, the mako in his eyes burning. "Guess we'll have to ask him the next time we see him," he responded, and after a pause briefly smiled at them before he made his way towards the ruined brick wall. "Either way, we need to start moving. The further we are from Wall Market, the better."
"Think it's safe out there?" Tifa wondered as the rest of the party followed him.
Beyond the broken brick wall was a tunnel. This one was far wider and slightly better lit, for better or worse. Murky water trickled down the path's center while pale lanterns hung against the walls. Pipes snaked down from the ceiling to spew brackish liquid onto the brick floor. Questionable contents splattered the tiles.
Zack wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, it's safe enough," he finally replied, then added under his breath, "I think."
Aerith's lips thinned as she inspected the tunnel. "What do you think will happen to the Abzu? Think it'll escape somewhere?"
Cloud's expression dimmed. I don't think so, he wanted to say, but he held his tongue. Some things were better left unsaid.
But then Zack said with ragged certainty, "No." Water splashed beneath his boots as he made his way deeper into the tunnel. "It'll die down here. It's weak from captivity and wouldn't know how to survive in the wild anyway, even if it did somehow make it out of the city. But," he added after a pause, "at least it won't die a prisoner."
Aerith made a small noise, and she reached over and gently clasped Zack's hand in her own. He jerked, surprised at the sudden contact, but then she smiled up at him. He hesitantly returned her expression, but there was something sadder in his smile, a little more brittle, and his lips seemed bruised as he mouthed, Thank you.
Cloud, suddenly feeling like he was intruding on something private, dropped his gaze to his hands. He stared at them a moment. Fresh callouses were developing on his palms and the pink nail polish was chipping at the edges, and he resisted the urge to pick at them as his gaze once again returned to Tifa's hands. They swayed a bit as she walked. Her slender fingers were lightly curved, her knuckles were nicked and bruised from her earlier fights, and there was a certain dangerous grace to them; they were equally capable of caressing a cheek and punching one, a fact that Cloud was all too aware of.
"Cloud?" Tifa's soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and damn it all, he just about jumped. "Something wrong?"
Cloud shoved his hands into his pockets to distract from his heating blush. "Nope," he replied, and soon their dull footsteps and the dripping pipes were the only sounds in the Wall Market sewers.
The Sector Eight slums weren't terrible, as far as slums go. Strung lights dangled across buildings made of cracked plywood and faded tarps, electric wires formed a tangled spiderweb above the dirt road, and old billboards – seemingly ready to snap at any moment – leaned precariously into the street. Radio static hissed out of a cracked windowpane. Fires whipped out of charred trash cans. Neon signs flickered in the dusty dark like fireflies; one would burst briefly with light before going dark, but there was always another one to quickly fill the void.
And yet, despite the dilapidated, worn-down atmosphere, there was a strange homeliness in the air. There were children playing in front of doorways. Flower wreaths – true flowers, instead of the plastic woven things that Cissnei had become accustomed to in upper Midgar – were hung on faded doors. Gray walls had been hidden behind watered-down paint, weeds grew with the cracks in the road, and a few of those brown stalks even supported flimsy leaves.
Cissnei was careful not to crush the bursts of green beneath her shoes as she scanned the road with a practiced eye. Unfortunately for her, black hair wasn't exactly an uncommon feature. Neither was possessing a tall stature, and though Zack's height certainly differentiated him from the crowd, no one here was that tall… so she kept walking, with Zack's old PHS burning a hole through her pocket all the while.
I'm betraying the Turks.
The thought skidded across her mind without warning, and her features tightened a fraction. Not only was she about to betray the Turks, but she was also about to betray Tseng, which was such an abstract concept that she could hardly comprehend it. Lying to his face – pointedly, about agreeing with his plans of using Zack to assassinate President Shinra – was one thing. But to go out of her way to betray him?
Incomprehensible.
And yet here she was, doing exactly that. She tilted her head to the sky; or rather, where the sky had been replaced by metal plates with winking lights, and suddenly – desperately – wished she could see the stars. The stars had always comforted her. They had kept her company when she had been alone, listened her when she cried silently to the night, and guided her when she felt lost. She felt lost now, yet only Shinra's pride and joy – the metal plates that divided the upper and lower sectors – stared down at her, their lights as cold and unfeeling as the company's namesake.
No mission is impossible for the Turks, she reminded herself, and though she knew that she wouldn't be a Turk much longer – betrayers never lasted very long – she would at least complete her one, final mission:
To ensure that Zack and Cloud would never have to look over their shoulders for Shinra again.
She placed a hand over her heart, as if to lock that small hope away there, when a sudden voice said nearby, "Have you seen Aerith?"
Cissnei went cold. Aerith was a name she was acutely familiar with; not only had Zack spoken about her quite a bit back then, but Tseng had also been looking after the young woman in Zack's stead. It also couldn't be understated that Zack had crossed the entirety of Gaia to be reunited with Aerith.
Therefore, Cissnei thought as she moved to the side of road to retie her shoelaces, it's safe to assume that wherever Aerith is, Zack will be also.
Stooping down, she shot a quick glance towards the source of the voice. A blond, thirty-something woman was standing outside of what appeared to be a school or an orphanage, and she was talking to a dark-haired, younger woman who appeared to be in charge. Children dressed in surprisingly clean clothing ran past as they spoke.
The dark haired woman crossed her arms over her chest. "No, I haven't," she replied. It was a lie, judging by the slight flutter of her voice and her tone's tight pitch, and Cissnei suppressed a scowl.
"Really?" The other woman scowled. "She said that she was going to Sector Seven, but she hasn't come back. It's past sunset, and I -"
But Cissnei didn't bother to stop and listen to the rest. After retying her boots that didn't need retying, she got abruptly to her feet, dusted off her pants, and began walking towards Sector Seven. The strung lights lit her features various pastel shades as she passed beneath them.
I'm on my way, Zack, she thought. Zack's PHS weighed heavily in her pocket, and on instinct she tilted her head towards the sky, towards the dark expanse where stars were supposed to be shining.
Yet there were no stars to be found.
Elena peeked out from behind the building, her brown eyes narrowed against the lit lamp hanging above her.
So, Cissnei's on the move again, huh?
Cissnei – no, her target – was heading out of Sector Eight the exact way she came in, which was annoying considering that it had been a pain to go unnoticed through the dirty slums the first time around. But that doesn't matter, Elena quickly reminded herself. A Turk wouldn't complain about something so… so trivial. Besides, Cissnei was acting suspicious; between her odd behavior during meetings, looking through a KIA'ed First Class SOLDIER's stuff, and now sneaking around the slums, Elena just knew that Cissnei had to be up to something.
And unfortunately for Cissnei, Elena had something to prove.
Her hands tightened into fists at her sides, and after an appropriate amount of time, she ducked out from behind the building to move into another structure's shadow. Her heart pounded in her chest. If she could prove to Tseng that Cissnei wasn't acting in the Turks best interest – if she could prove to Tseng that she was better than Cissnei – then not only she could prove that she deserved to be part of the Turks, but she'd also prove to Tseng that she was reliable. It was an open secret amongst the Turks that she was an obligatory hire – her elder sister Gun had been a Turk once, and had vouched for her hire on her behalf – and because of that, she didn't have as much respect as the other members.
But this will change all that, she thought with a bitter smile, because come on… to be ranked lower than Reno, of all people? Well, that was perfectly unacceptable. Maybe she wasn't as good as Tseng himself, but she was certainly better than the notorious red-haired playboy.
And she was determined to prove it, too.
She kept to the shadows as she followed Cissnei to Sector Seven. She stayed behind every building, mingled with every crowd, and even pretended to order a drink from an outdoor cafe while avoiding Cissnei's scrutinous gaze at the streets. Even better, Cissnei's passing glance seemed to overlook her every time, which only bolstered Elena's confidence more.
I can do this, she knew, because she could stay unnoticed from someone as experienced as Cissnei…
She couldn't suppress her grin as Cissnei, completely unaware of her tag, slowly ascended the stairs into some Sector Seven bar. Elena made a mental note of the name: Seventh Heaven.
Once upon a time, Tseng had told her that the local watering holes were the best place to get information. Which means that Cissnei wants to know something, Elena thought as she, after a lengthy pause, hunkered down beneath one of the cracked windows. But what?
That was the million gil question, wasn't it? Because if she found out what Cissnei wanted to know, and if it was something worth reporting to Tseng, then that would mean…
… Well, that would mean everything, now wouldn't it? So Elena flipped open her PHS, readied the voice recorder, and began her long wait.
So the Wall Market arc is winding to a close, which is why this chapter may read slower than usual; right now, I'm basically doing my best to tie the Wall Market arc in a pretty little bow, and then we'll set ourselves nicely for the next arc and eventual end of Halcyon Days. I also really wanted to address Zack's stress and anxiety from another POV, and also begin introducing how the party dynamic works when they're all together. And, of course, there's Cissnei and Elena's side story as well, which I won't go into just yet ;)
Anyway, that's the gist of it! To summarize, this chapter is basically to get from point A to point B, and hopefully none of you found it too boring? ^_^" If you'd like writing updates and story previews, feel free to follow my twitter at Rand0mSmil3z - everything gets posted there first :)
Until next time, have a wonderful rest of your day / week / month, and I wish you nothing but the best :)
