Splintered Dreams

Chapter Ten

"To Wall Market"

The upstairs of the Honey Bee Inn was a quieter rendition of the bustling downstairs. The stairwell and corridor were dimly lit and Zack supposed it was because the clients up on this floor were in favor of their privacy.

The main corridor—long and wide—extended out from the staircase in two directions. At the top of the steps Tifa turned to him. "Okay, which way?"

"What makes you think I know?"

Not buying his innocent act for a second, she crossed her arms, tapped her foot.

"To the left," he muttered with a frown, making her laugh. It was warm and inviting, and completely unsympathetic. When he shot her a narrow look, she nudged him aside with a gentle bump of her hip.

"It was years ago," he reminded her as she passed.

"So you mentioned."

He placed a hand to his chest. "I don't have to defend myself."

The smile she sent him over her shoulder was teasingly smug. "Then why are you?" Her playful little jaunt had his eyes wandering in ways they probably shouldn't.

Zack swallowed thickly; his collar—among other things—suddenly, uncomfortably, tight. He wiped a hand down his face, took an uneven breath. It wasn't as if he'd done anything wrong, he told himself. Tifa was an attractive woman, and he was a guy. A horny guy. A horny guy standing in the hallway of a brothel, with a hot woman.

Under normal circumstances he'd be grinning at his luck, but of course, among other things, his luck had changed of late, and instead of taking advantage of the situation he was counting to twenty and trying to picture Barret naked.

Down the hall a bit, Tifa paused when he made no move to follow. "Coming?"

Of all the ways she could have worded that. He let out another breath. "Yeah." With a solid image of Barret locked in his head, Zack started toward her.

She made an open hand gesture toward the closed doors lining the hallway. "You really think Corneo is in one of these rooms?"

"Only one way to find out." Past experience had proven that the keyholes in the rooms were large enough to peek through. His lips curved as he crouched down, remembering just how much trouble he'd gotten into the first time he'd been caught gawking through the doors. The room, however, was vacant. "Notta. Empty. You?"

Velvet brown eyes blinked down at him. "You want me to spy on people. Here?"

"No," he corrected. "I want you to look into the room and see if Corneo is inside. How else are we gonna know? Knock door to door and offer cookies?"

She hated when he was logical. She really did.

Resigned, she took a quick breath, darted a glare at Zack, then leaned down to peer into the next room. What she saw inside had her sitting back on her heels, and turning a deep shade of red. "Oh, my..."

Zack perked. "What's up?"

Blushing, she shook her head. Embarrassed amusement played with the corners of her mouth, turning them up in a smile that Zack very much appreciated.

"Sorry. It's just that...Wow. I had no idea...just wow." She pressed a hand over her eyes, laughed. That's what she got for peeking, she thought, unable to shake the image of the two very old, very naked lovers making good use of a round bed and silk ties.

"Corneo?"

"Uhm...no."

Even more curious now, Zack moved over to where she stood "What is it?"

Tifa stepped back, shook her head. "That'd just be rude," she tugged his arm. "Come on."

He ignored her protest—and her tugging—to lean down and take a look for himself. After a moment, he let out a low whistle and when he turned his head up toward her his eyes were alight with mirth. "Grandpa's still got it."

"Zack," She hissed and pulled him to his feet, nudged him into motion. "Come on."

He tossed the door one last look over his shoulder before grinning down at her. "That was interesting."

"That was disturbing."

He laughed, angled his head. "Aw, come on. Don't you hope we're like that at eighty-something?"

She placed a hand on his back, prodded him forward. "I'll be sure to reserve you a room."

"Make sure it has those silk tie things and the feather lash. Those looked fun." White teeth flashed over his shoulder and—despite her intention not to—Tifa found herself laughing back.

He made it look so easy, she thought as they made their way. To lose himself in a moment, to find the humor—the normalcy—in places where there shouldn't be any. It was a talent, a charm, and a gift all in one and she was glad he shared it. Shared himself.

And in that moment, Tifa felt infinitely sad for all the people in his life that he wasn't sharing himself with in favor of their fight. They must miss him terribly, she thought with a pang. She knew she would, when the time came. But she didn't like dwelling on that though, so she pushed it aside in favor of a more current topic. "So...how did your visit go?" she asked.

"My visit?" He peered into another keyhole.

"With Aerith," she provided, doing the same on the opposite side of the hall.

"Oh," he considered the question. "Good," he said. "Short, but good. I'm glad I got to see her."

Guilt tightened her face. "You really shouldn't have left her to come here. I'm fine. I can handle this on my own."

"Tifa..." There was a hint of warning in his voice.

"She's important to you."

He turned, stared straight into her eyes. "So are you."

When she would have looked away, Zack strode purposely forward, put a hand on her arm, and waited for her to look up at him. Sometimes she forgot just how tall he was, she thought absently, held by the brightness of his gaze.

She had no defense for this, she thought with a sudden, inexplicable panic. She could barricade herself against his charm, and even his quiet sadness, but his direct sincerity left her feeling uncharacteristically vulnerable.

She moistened her lips. "Zack, I..." But she did know, because it was the same for her, and she really didn't know what to say to that. How to deal with that. She wasn't like him, she rationalized. Expressing her emotions was difficult. After her mother had died, hugs were rare in her house, and although her father loved her—she knew this—he was awkward and often uncomfortable with expressing it. It was a trait she'd apparently inherited. So she said the only thing she could think of to say: "Thank you."

"Tifa—"

"We'd better keep looking." She tore her eyes from his and purposely looked past him down the hall. She could feel his gaze heavy upon her, but refused to meet it again, afraid of what he'd see in hers.

"...Yeah, okay."

Another two doors down and still no Corneo...and Tifa still wasn't looking at him. He watched her, from the corner of his eye, walk the hall, the key and chain spinning around her finger. Having spent the past several months with her, Zack knew that Tifa only fidgeted when she was nervous or agitated, and he had the sinking feeling that he was the source of her agitation.

She was trying to erect those invisible walls again, and he was tired of them. He liked it when she let him inside; when she wasn't so guarded. His eyes wandered over her soft features. She had an passive face, but try as she might, her eyes always gave her away.

She was stopped in front of a door, and those expressive eyes flicked between the key in her hand and the door number.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what room it was, but still he asked. "Ivy's room?"

She nodded, didn't turn. "Looks like."

Voices, speaking low and fast, caught his attention and Zack stood hurriedly. "You hear that?" he asked her.

She inclined her head, listened for a moment. "I don't hear anything."

"I do." He started toward her. Down the hall, movement caught his eye.

A shiny shoe, a dark pant leg.

Shit. He knew those starched suits. The fucking Turks.

They rounded toward them.

Zack went with instinct rather than logic and pressed her into the frame of the door. "Kiss me."

That brought her head snapping around. "What?"

He crowded her against the door. "Just kiss me."

"No, I will not kiss yo—Mmph!"

He didn't have time to argue with her, so instead he yanked her against him, covered her mouth with his and pressed her flush against the door. The kiss went deeper than he'd intended with her mouth parted in protest as it was, but as the taste of her flooded his mouth, Zack couldn't bring himself to regret it.

She tasted like she looked, he thought in a flash—strong and sweet.

When she started to pull away he gripped her hips, held her closer. Not yet, he thought, and tried to convince himself that it was because the Turks were coming. Not yet...

He was impressed with his self-restraint. He didn't push, didn't ask for more, but he held himself in check. That was, until her lashes swept down over those deep eyes and her lips softened beneath his.

Then he pressed. Slanted his lips over hers and sank in—a slow slide of heat and tongue. A low sound escaped the back of his throat when he felt her tentative response. Time fell away and everything inside of him swelled; brightened.

"Where the hell do you think he is?"

The voice jarred him back and Zack reluctantly—far too reluctantly given the situation—remembered his reason for kissing Tifa.

"Don't know. This is where Tseng said he'd be."

"Call HQ and find out what the hell we're supposed to do now."

The voices were almost on top of them. Zack shifted, angling his body so that he shielded Tifa. He heard a lewd chuckle, felt eyes on them, but then the men were moving again. Hastily, Zack fumbled behind Tifa for the keyhole. A moment later he shoved open the door and practically tumbled them onto the floor.

Inside, he chanced a look down into her eyes, now shining an indescribable shade, and he suddenly wanted things from her that he had no right to want. With her lips still parted and her expression slightly dazed and wary, she looked far too inviting and Zack felt the strong urge to kiss her again.

His mouth twisted, and he realized how dangerously close to crossing a line that should not be crossed between them. Reluctant hands moved to her shoulders, set her gently away from him. "Turks." He stated, voice tight.

She blinked, languidly at first, then more rapidly as her senses returned. "What?"

"Turks," he repeated, turned away from her, away from temptation. "In the hall." He opened the door a fraction, peered through.

She shifted behind him. "Looking for us?" Her voice was cool and even, and Zack didn't know if he was relieved or irritated by that.

"I don't think so. I think they're here for the Don too." He tilted his head, listened, found the voices were quieter, moving down toward the other end of the hall. "I think they're gone." He opened the door, slipped out into the hall, motioned for her to wait. He returned a minute later. "Ready?"

She shook herself, nodded once. "Yeah, let's go."

She was shaken. That much was a given. That kiss had caught her by surprise and left her reeling.

Part of the problem, she reasoned, was that she hadn't thought of Zack that way—hadn't allowed herself think of him that way, she corrected—because it was dangerous. He was dangerous. That sweet charm and those easy smiles were far more threatening that a thousand swords, and they could cut much deeper if she let them.

She realized that he had used the kiss for cover, but for some reason that didn't lessen the effect it had on her. Her lips were still tingling and her heartbeat was still galloping recklessly behind her ribcage. But it was the ease she felt in his arms that alarmed her.

It had been fleeting, no more than a minute, but in that minute Tifa had felt peace.

Determined to push the whole thing from her mind, at least for the moment, she swept her hair behind her ear and followed Zack down the staircase. At the bottom, they spotted Ivy heading up.

The redhead blinked in surprise, walked up to them. She cocked her head. "Finished already?"

Ignoring the comment, Zack handed her the room key. "Is Don Corneo going to be around tonight?"

"You know I can't talk about our clients," Ivy protested, with a furtive glance around.

"Ivy," The way he said the name was silk smooth and covered in honey. It had Tifa's brows arching.

Zack leaned a bit closer to the other woman, his own mouth tilted in a crooked half-smile."Normally I wouldn't ask. Normally I wouldn't even care, but we all know the Don's a regular and I, uh, have some business with him. So, be a darling...where is he?" He chucked her under the chin and gave her a wink.

Blushing, Ivy touched her chin absently, in the spot Zack had just touched. "I never could refuse you." The look she sent him spoke volumes and Tifa shifted, glancing from one to the other. Zack was relaxed, his smirk playful and his posture confident and Ivy was responding. Eyes wide and mouth slightly parted, Ivy looked as though she expected him to swoop in and kiss her at any moment.

Which, Tifa thought with a pang, wasn't entirely out of the question.

"He's holed up in his mansion. Word has it that he's looking to settle down, get married. Apparently he's inspecting potential brides tonight and has quite the list of requirements."

Tifa inclined her head. "Such as?"

Ivy's eyes darted speculatively between the two of them, and Tifa suspected their cover was blown, but Ivy simply shrugged and answered. "Well for one, rumor is that he expects a virgin bride," she gave an indelicate snort. "Yeah, good luck there," she sighed, continued, "Young, healthy, ripe—"

"Ripe?" Zack interrupted with a grimace.

Ivy made a disgusted face. "I know, right. But yeah, those are just some of the ridiculous demands the Don has for his new bride. So, if you wanna see him, go to his house. I doubt you'll get in—it's no men allowed, but that's where he is."

"Ivy, you're an angel." Zack brushed her cheek with a quick kiss and hopped down the remaining steps.

"And you, Zack fair, are a devil," she scolded with a breathless giggle.

His grin was unrepentant and as wicked as the namesake. "Guilty."

He made it so easy...

When he motioned for her to join him, Tifa followed, but at a more sedate pace, her mind wandering away from Zack and to the problem at hand. It was easier to shovel her emotions away for the time being and focus on Corneo.

Tifa made up her mind to pursue Corneo into his home. She mentally ticked off the list Ivy had cited, and nodded to herself. She could pull it off.

"I need to grab something," Zack cut into her thoughts. "One sec."

"Sure." She crossed her arms, waited.

Zack approached the front desk, keeping an eye out for unwanted Turk company, while Tifa hung back. She twisted a lock of her hair around her finger while she watched the other occupants of the lobby—mostly men, smiling outrageously at the women in costume—and contemplated just how little she knew of social interaction.

Zack, on the other hand, apparently had ample experience. Several female heads turn to follow in his wake, and she wondered just how easy it was for him to slip into the role of flirt, charmer...seducer. So much for shoveling that aside, she thought with a rueful shake of her head. Ok, Tifa, focus.

A loud clang and a holler had her whipping around, her hands tightening to fists. Her defense, it turned out, was unwarranted. The commotion was at the front desk where two associates—both heaving and sweating—were attempting to haul the Buster Sword from beneath the counter. Zack, with an almost arrogant casualness lifted the sword away from them, spun it—one handed—over his head and slid it into its slot on his back.

"Thanks, guys." He tossed each a small pouch of gil. He inclined his head toward the female audience. "Ladies."

Tifa rolled her eyes at the gasps and sighs.

Outside the door, he asked, "So what now?"

Tifa tipped her head, gave him a slanted stare. "Now, we go shopping."

"Shopping," he repeated slowly.

"Of course. You can't expect me to meet my future husband in this." She gestured to her bar outfit and Zack cringed.

"I thought you'd say that."

He would've tried to talk her out of it, if he thought for one second she'd listen, but the stubborn set of her jaw, the line of her spine and the hard glint to her eyes all told him that anything he said was likely to fall on deaf ears. So, as a result, he found himself standing in a small dress shop, with curious eyes watching his every move, waiting for Tifa to step out from behind the flimsy curtain.

Bored, Zack leaned his cheek against his knuckles and favored the blushing checkout girl with a resigned sigh coupled with a lopsided half-smile. It wasn't that he held any particular objection to watching a woman try on clothes, but after the fifth—or was it sixth?—dress had been rejected, despite his assurances that they all looked "fine", he was getting edgy. What the hell did the dress matter anyway? Really? Tifa was a knockout in sweatpants. The trimmings were irrelevant.

A rustle of fabric behind him had him turning. Holy Leviathan! It was like taking a sledgehammer to the chest, he'd later conclude. A jarring expulsion of breath followed by an adrenaline jump start of his heart.

His vision honed in on her and it was as though she were the only one in the small boutique. She was simply stunning. There really was no other word for it. He had always known she was beautiful, he had a brain and eyes, it wasn't exactly a big mystery, but she had never looked so…womanlybefore. Her hair was scooped back, held in place with two silver combs and her solitary, small earring glinted beneath the shop lights.

Dark material—the color of the Gongagan sky at night—clung to smooth shoulders and traveled along a delicate collar bone and down to hug a trim waist. The fabric wasn't flashy or shimmering, but sleek and soft. It's simple lines made her appear taller. Her legs—those lean, toned legs—were revealed from mid-thigh down to dainty toes that wiggled in sharp stiletto heels.

She turned, revealing the extraordinarily low cut, open back, and the silken texture of her bare skin. "Well?" she prompted when he didn't speak.

"I—uh—I...uhm..." He couldn't find words. Couldn't formulate thought.

Her smile was satisfied and feline. She turned to the checkout girl. "This one."

Zack hastily straightened away from the counter, stumbled over the small step and nearly sent a mannequin tumbling to the floor.

Amused, Tifa's smile widened to a full grin. "Zack! Be careful."

"I should be saying that to you," he caught the display, righted it. "You're liable to give the man a heart attack before we can ask him any questions."

She gave him a quick, embarrassed laugh, brushed her hair back over her shoulder. "Thanks. I think."

Now level with her, he circled her. For the first time in their acquaintance his eyes were alight with something other than humor. They glinted with genuine male appreciation and he did nothing to mask it. She was damn easy on the eyes, and he was tired of pretending he didn't notice. He noticed. He noticed everything about her.

Like the way her hands were wringing one another, indicating discomfort. Okay, Fair, back off. He stepped away, moved to the checkout. "How much?"

"Seven hundred." The girl leaned across the register. "I gave you a discount," she whispered.

"Aren't you sweet." Zack fished out his pouch, counted out the appropriate amount. "Worth every ounce," he told the girl.

Behind him, Tifa blushed.

Wall Market was packed, crowded to the point of discomfort and annoyance. People were milling around, vendors were calling out wares and coupons for food and prescriptions were being handed out to everyone that passed.

Don Corneo's mansion—a gaudy brick building with elaborate carvings—was located on a small hill that overlooked all the hustle and bustle like an omnipresent shadow. Zack stared up at it from the foot of its winding drive.

Beside him, Tifa smoothed her dress, straightened her shoulders. "Okay." She took a breath. "I'll go in, get as much information as I can. Where should we meet up?"

He adjusted his Buster Sword on his back, stared up at the mansion. "I don't like the idea of splitting up."

"You heard Ivy. It's no men allowed."

"I still don't like it." Hated it, in fact. "Just get out safe. I'll find you."

She placed her hand on his arm, gave him a conciliatory pat. "I'll be careful."

"Tifa," he rubbed the back of his neck. "Before you go in. I just want explain...about the kiss."

"What about it?" Her eyes were steady, inquiring, and he found himself wondering at her thoughts.

"I saw the Turks and I did the only thing I could think of." The truth, as it was, wasn't very romantic, but it was the truth, and he went with it. "Here's the thing... I didn't think, I just reacted."

"Well, then, there's really nothing to be said." She looked over at a street vendor, and Zack was left staring at her profile.

He shifted, moved up her right so that he was looking at her.

She surveyed the crowd. "Zack, look, I know you meant nothing by it, so stop worrying about it, ok? I'm not going to kick your ass over it."

Well, shit. This was going great. He ran a hand through his hair, down his face. Flirting was his thing, he thought agitatedly. This should be easy. He'd smooth talked a dozen girls, had them falling at his feet for Ifrit's sake, but this was different. This mattered. She mattered. "Tifa."

"If you want," she continued, "We can just forget the whole thing even happened."

Zack wondered just how she planned on doing that, because he sure as hell couldn't get the way she felt pressed against him out of his mind. The way she had tasted. The small breathy sounds she had made. He intentionally bit the inside of his cheek hoping to deflect his wayward thoughts and the growing hardness in his pants.

"I'd love to, but there's just one problem," he informed her.

She cocked her head. "Hm?"

"I want to kiss you again."

"What?" Zack felt a flare of satisfaction that he'd caught her off guard.

"I'd like to kiss you," he repeated, his voice low, his eyes a dark, unreadable blue.

"Why? See some more Turks?"

His lips quirked at that. She was a handful. So strong and yet so utterly feminine."No. Because I want to, but more importantly, because you want me to. I want to kiss you again, but only if you want me to kiss you. I won't if you don't," he paused, took a breath. Smooth, Zack, real smooth. With a self-disgusted head-shake he finally just looked her in the eyes and asked, "May I?"

Her teeth worried her bottom lip as her eyes searched his face. He could almost see her trying to rationalize, compartmentalize and sort it out. Her, him, them. He shifted his weight, hands tingling and sweaty. Finally, just when he was beginning to wish the ground would open and swallow him whole, she nodded.

"If you do decide to kick my ass, make sure you hit somewhere unimportant to me." With that, he lowered his head slowly, teasing her. A breath away, then back a bit, then closer, and just when she thought that she just may kick his ass, his lips touched hers. Firm and soft and skillful they plied hers apart.

Oh!

Tifa felt her world tilt dangerously and her hands fluttered like wounded birds before taking his shirt in a death grip. She closed her eyes against the tenderness etched on his handsome features. His tongue lingered over her lips, then slipped inside, tasted, stroked, cajoled. She sighed, opened, allowed him in. He gave her long, drugging kisses that made her breath catch.

His hands were gentle, but firm, and his mouth was patient but she felt the hunger lying beneath.

She had no idea how long they stood like that, locked together amidst the chaos of Wall Market, but when he eased back, a muscle twitched in his jaw and his eyes were a vibrant color that she had never seen before.

"Been wanting to do that for awhile now," he whispered, ran the pad of his thumb along her bottom lip.

She leaned back, saved from response by a couple of teenage boys sprinting between them, breaking them apart. One of the two turned and whistled, hooted at Zack, "Good job, man!"

With more calm than she felt, she adjusted her dress and plastered a smile on her face. "We'll call that a kiss for luck," she told him.

Zack knew better than to push. His own smile was pinched at the edges, but he nodded. "I'll be waiting for you." His voice was calm, but his eyes had storms in them.

Inside her, somewhere deep inside her, something ached.

Zack waited until she was inside before he started up the hill behind her. No way was he letting her do this on her own.

AN: A short update, but I wanted it up for the New Year. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for reading, and especially for taking the time to review! Happy New Year! Next chapter we meet the Don. :)