Splintered Dreams
"Hojo"
Chapter 28
There were times, Zack thought, as he tugged on a pair of khakis, that fate was a real bitch. Or had really bad comedic timing. He wasn't sure which.
Hey, Fair, why don't you get all nice and cozy with your girl, calm down that adrenaline rush, and then BLAMMO, face to face with another monster.
His breath was stuttered and his fingers shook as he fumbled with the buckle of his pants. It wasn't as if he hadn't already seen Hojo before; he really shouldn't be this upset, he fumed. But it felt like a punch in the gut. For a moment—brief though it was—Zack had felt content and at peace.
Hojo was a sour reminder that peace was an illusion so long as Sephiroth and Shin-Ra were loose on the world.
The bedroom door parted, just wide enough for a voice. "Decent?"
"Yeah." The word was muffled by the hem of his shirt, stuffed between his teeth, so he could concentrate on the button that refused to fit into the hole.
Tifa had changed also, and under normal circumstances Zack would have been disappointed to see the itsy bitsy bathing suit exchanged for loose cotton pants and sleeveless top, but as it was now, his nerves were frayed to snapping and he could barely focus on getting his own pants on.
Quiet, she watched him for a minute, then, very calm and efficient, she stepped in front of him and halted his hands. "Zack."
Through the fall of his bang he looked at her and watched her face soften and worry flood her eyes.
Anguish.
It was there in swirls of blue and brilliant green and it broke her heart.
Tifa recalled white knuckles on a bathroom sink, and a rough voice that was both hollow and haunted. Nightmare was what Zack had called Hojo, and seeing his pale face and stricken expression now, Tifa knew that for Zack truer words were never spoken.
Hesitant, still uncertain as to what and how she was supposed to act, she brushed his hair back, searched his face.
Gruff, he chuckled, looked away. "Damn pants," he muttered.
"Here," she reached for the button, but Zack stepped back.
"Only so much touching like that a guy can take," he said, but there was no feeling behind it. Familiar teasing laced with unfamiliar strain. "I can manage."
"Okay," she nodded, fingers curling into her palms. Then, because she couldn't stop herself, "What did he do to you, Zack?"
"Oh, y'know, a little of this, a little of that," he shrugged, turned away.
Patient, she waited.
After a stretch of silence in which only the curtains sighed, he spoke, "Do you remember how I told you that Cloud and I were taken to a lab beneath Shinra Manor...?"
Something awful tightened in the pit of her stomach, and Tifa nodded. "Yes."
"Well, meet the mad scientist in charge of our...treatment."
She had no words for that, no answer or reply. She had no idea what 'treatment' Zack and Cloud—her heart clenched a bit there—had endured. All she knew was that whatever had happened, it had been bad enough for Zack to risk life and limb in order to escape it.
Years, he'd said. They'd spent years in a lab...
"We were specimens," Zack continued, voice flat, completely without inflection. "For what, I still don't know. All I know is that there were tubes and Mako and endless days on a cold table being cut open and sewn back together." A shudder ran through him and he bowed his head.
Feeling sick, she she moved around to face him again. "Barret can question him," she offered. "You don't have to—"
With a breath, he straightened. "No. I'll do it." He met her gaze, his eyes hard with resolve. "I'll do it."
"All right." She stretched up to place a soft, fleeting kiss against his dry lips. "When you're ready. Take as long as you need."
"One more." Zack tugged her into his arms. Gentle, almost shy, he settled his mouth over hers.
Tifa let herself mold closer, her hands moving to cradle his face. Let him take from her comfort and strength, in any form he could, she thought, and opened for him.
"Maybe two," he mouthed against her, and this time there was genuine warmth behind it.
The tight fist around Zack's heart lessened a bit whenever he touched Tifa, so he kept his fingers twined with hers as they made their way to the cottage's main room, where their friends and Hojo waited.
Greasy, was the word that came to mind when Zack's eyes found and rested on the thin man seated in one of the dining chairs. Long hair—un-combed and perhaps unwashed—tied in a loose pony tail that hung limp along a rumpled white coat. A lab coat at the beach? Was he for real with that shit?
"Hojo." The name was thorns on his tongue.
Behind his glasses, narrow eyes blinked. "It took me some time, but I remember you now." He leaned forward, thin lips parting in a perversion of a smile. "It's been a longtime, Zack Fair."
Zack felt Tifa's fingers tighten on his in silent reassurance.
"What are you doing in Costa Del Sol," Zack asked, making certain not to show how much the Professor's presence disturbed him.
"I would think that's obvious," Hojo's reply was mildly amused. "Working on my tan."
Zack grit his teeth. "Don't bullshit me. Answer."
"That was an answer," Hojo replied evenly. "I was enjoying a well deserved vacation until your friends here accosted me."
Barret snorted.
"Why did you leave Shin-Ra?" Zack demanded.
"My employers no longer sought the same goals I did. Not that it is any of your business."
"Why come here?" Zack pressed. "What are you after?"
"I have said all I am going to say."
Barret leveled his gun arm at Hojo's temple. "Looks like he don't wanna talk and we ain't got time to waste. I say we shoot him and move on."
A low rumble from Red and a nod. "Agreed. We need not endure the presence of vermin any longer than necessary."
Zack studied Hojo for a full minute, his expression contemplative and disturbing. Finally, he shrugged. "Sure. Splatter his brains. He's useless."
"I would think you and I are after the same thing," Hojo interjected as Barret cocked back.
Zack held up a hand. "And that would be?"
"Sephiroth."
"You saw him here?"
"No," Hojo replied. Then, almost agitated, "Have you?" When Zack didn't respond Hojo smiled. "Ah. I see. Interesting. And here I thought you were a failure... Do you feel it, Fair? The Calling?"
The man had officially gone off the deep end, Zack thought, watching as Hojo adjusted his glasses and beads of sweat appeared on his bone white brow.
"Is it crawling in your blood? The urge to go someplace?" Hojo laughed, a harsh abrasive sound and there was a malevolent fever in his eyes as he spoke. "You won't be able to resist it, you know. I made sure of that. No, no, no. When He calls, you will answer."
"You're a nut," Barret muttered.
Hojo swung his head towards him. "You mock what you are too inept to understand. You have no idea..."
"Enlighten me."
"Your pathetic brain couldn't handle the information," Hojo sneered. "A lifetime, a hundred lifetimes and we would only barely be scratching the surface of the Ancients and their powers."
"What powers?" Aerith stepped forward, her emerald eyes shining faintly beneath the lanterns. "Tell me, Professor, what of the Ancients and Jenova. Do they share the same blood? Same history?"
Zack reached out, took her hand. The last of her kind, he remembered. Human, and something...else. Something great and terrifying and mystical. Profound and frightening, he could only imagine how hard it was for her to have so many questions and no answers. No one to answer.
"Ah, the Ancient," Hojo sighed, hand reaching up as though to touch her, but he let it drop when Red growled. "Tell me, how is your mother Ilfana?"
"You don't know?" Aerith frowned. "She died."
"That's...unfortunate." Hojo moved to stand, but a large hand on his shoulder shoved him back into the chair.
"Sit." Barret glowered.
"So many new developments," Hojo continued to mumble, glassy eyed. "Potential, potential..."
Zack decided he needed to regain the Professor's attention. "Hey," he snapped his fingers in front of Hojo's face. "Pay attention. Where is Sephiroth going? What is he after?"
"The answers are neither here nor there, for now it is the beginning and the end." Another sharp laugh. "It begins now. No more failures." He blinked up at Zack. "No more pathetic failures." He grinned and it was cold. "Where is the other one? The one that screamed and begged for a number? He was worse than you, with all his weeping and whimpering."
Zack flinched, and beside him he felt Tifa tense.
"Does he mean Cloud?" she whispered.
"Yes, that was his name, I believe. I would presume he died, as weak as he was—grk--!"
"Shit!"
Barret swore and Zack was stunned when Tifa suddenly launched herself at the Professor. The dining chair fell back with Hojo being straddled and Tifa's hands curled ruthlessly around his neck.
"Bastard," she seethed.
"Tifa," Zack rushed forward, curved his arm around her waist, tugged, and got an elbow in the side. "Tifa, stop." Hojo's eyes were glazed, rolling back and her fingers tightened until crescents bled against pale skin.
"I'll kill you!" she hissed at Hojo even as Zack attempted to haul her back. "Let me go! Zack! Let go! You sick bastard, I'll kill you!" She kicked at Hojo, grief and anger forming a violent madness in her. "Let me go!" She fought to break free.
"I can't," Zack murmured quietly into her ear, wincing as her flailing accidentally jabbed ribs and shins. Chaining his own anger at Hojo back, he tightened his grip. "Tifa, it won't bring him back."
When she screamed and managed to wrench free long enough to punch Hojo in the face, Zack simultaneously cheered and wept inside. "It won't bring him back," he whispered again, raw and aching for her—with her. "It won't. No matter how much we want it, it won't." He locked his arms around her and pulled her far enough back that Hojo could scramble away, braced against the sideboard, clutching his throat and gasping for air.
Holding tight, Zack drowned out everything else—her fear, her rage, her pain—with tenderness and love. He turned her in his arms, hugged her to his chest. Against his back her fingers clawed and rough sobs wracked her shoulders and a broken name shattered his heart.
"It's okay, I've got you." He kissed her hair, hugged her close. "I'm here."
Across from them Barret stared, silent and stunned, and Aerith pressed her hands to her mouth, her own tears leaving streaks against her cheeks.
"Holy shit," Yuffie breathed in the shocked silence.
"Fiesty creature," Hojo rasped, sticky smile on his face. "What a wonderful experiment you would be."
Rage rolled in Zack and his head snapped up. It was brutal, tearing its way through him and sending his blood pulsing with the need for blood and vengeance. But he wouldn't leave Tifa, wouldn't let her go when she was clinging so desperately to him—to herself. Over dark hair, Zack's eyes blazed with enough threat that the professor fell silent.
"Barret," he growled.
"Yeah?"
"Take that out of here."
"With pleasure." Rough, Barret yanked Hojo from the floor.
Zack tightened his hold on Tifa, bowed his head over hers protectively as he murmured soothing, nothing sounds. She'd needed to get this grief out for months, and as painful as it was for her, and for him to witness, he knew it was necessary. He gave Aerith a pleading look and she nodded, ushered Red and Yuffie from the room.
Alone, Zack gathered Tifa up, cradled her in his lap as he rocked her and listened to the harsh, choked sounds that clogged her throat as she wept and wept.
There was no hell dark enough, nor fire hot enough, for the likes of Hojo, he thought.
"It hurts," she gasped into his shoulder. "It hurts so much."
"I know." Zack felt his own eyes burning. He brushed at her hair, let her cry.
Slow, the tears and trembling ebbed, until silent and empty, she lay quiet in his arms.
"Sorry," she sniffed.
"Don't be." He lifted her face, brushed her tears away with his thumbs.
She laid her head on his shoulder, took a long, shaky breath. "Okay."
Zack felt his lips curve a bit. "Okay," he echoed. And when she snuggled into him, her head tucked beneath his chin, something loosened in his chest and soared, because they were, he realized. Together, they were stronger, and together they would heal.
A little later, when the shock had settled, and the house was once again quiet, Zack found himself standing on the back deck, face to the glowing moon, unable to shake Hojo's chilling words from his mind. Is it crawling in your blood?
Frowning, Zack ran his hands over his face. Hojo had done so much shit to him, it was hard to say what might be crawling around inside of him, and that thought alone was chilling, but couple that with some bizzarro link with Sephiroth and Zack felt ice on his bones.
The hiss of the sliding door grabbed his attention and Zack turned, nodded a greeting when Barret stepped out behind him. "Where is he?" he asked.
Barret didn't answer at first, instead moved to lean against the rail, staring up at the sky. "Tied him in the basement. Red's guarding the door," he answered after a time. He cocked his head, studied Zack. "Something tells me I probably shoulda just shot the fucker."
"Probably."
"How's Teef?"
Zack tousled his hair with one hand. "She's resting. Aerith and Yuffie are with her."
Barret took a slow inhale. "I ain't never seen Teef act like that."
He sounded uncertain, and a bit off, and Zack couldn't blame him. Tifa was their tether, the one that pulled them back when they strayed too close to the edge. Witnessing her fall over it headlong was unsettling to say the least. But she had needed it—maybe not accompanied by the angry outburst—but the grief needed an out before it ate her alive.
"She needed it," Zack echoed his own thoughts.
To his surprise, Barret simply nodded. "Sometimes we all need to let go." And then surprise turned to utter astonishment at the big man's next words. "I'm just glad she's got you there to hold her up when she falls." And with that, Barret stalked back into the bungalow.
Shaking his head, Zack followed, smile teasing the corners of his mouth. "I knew you liked me."
"Don't push it, Princess."
"Wanna hug?"
"Get the hell off of me!"
"Aw, c'mere."
"I will shoot you."
"If you two are done flirting, can we maybe decide what to do now?" Seated on the counter, one leg dangling and the other tucked beneath her chin, Tifa watched them. "We don't have time to flake" she said, before either man could speak.
"No one thought you did," Barret gruffed, ruffled her hair.
Taking it in stride, Tifa blew the now loose strands from her face and gestured to the table where Aerith and Yuffie also waited. "So, Zack? Where now?"
Wasn't she something? he thought with pride and a grin. "There's not a lot of options from Costa," he answered. "Corel is the only town near enough to make sense to travel to. I say we head there."
Barret was already heading for the door. "I'll let Red know. We should move soon," he said over his shoulder. "Avoid Shin-Ra and make use of the dark."
"Agreed." Zack nodded.
"Aw, I was hoping we could stay here and have some beach time," Yuffie pouted.
"When this is over, we should come back," Aerith said, rising to her feet. "When we can enjoy ourselves and sunbathe and sip drinks with little umbrellas in them."
"That'd be fun," Yuffie grinned, rubbing her hands. "What is it with you and the little umbrellas, by the way?"
"They're cute."
"Ah."
It was a nice sentiment, but in truth, it was unlikely that they would ever not be enemies of Shin-Ra, and Zack doubted that any of them would have the luxury of normalcy ever again, but looking at expectant green eyes, he found himself unwilling to break that fragile hope.
So, instead, he grinned, and said, "Just as long as Tifa wears that bikini again," and enjoyed the blush that followed.
AN: **waves** So, it was Tifa's turn to break a little and for Zack to pick up the pieces. I hope it didn't seem to cliche or predictable, and I'm looking forward to the coming chapters as a lot more action takes place. THANK YOU for those of you that continue to read this story. :D You guys are the best readers and reviewers on the planet. I appreciate your patience very much and hope you enjoy the read!!