Cloud meets the Chocobo SOLDIERs and gives them checkups! And plot happens.
Chapter 2
Zack could only glare at the three before him. He was so close to getting Bill to get Cloud to come down and they decided to fight where Zack put them out of sight? He was done with them. The SOLDIERs he knew were not these three before him. No, these three were children. Utter children.
With a groan, Zack stalked up to the three still fighting and smacked them all with his wings. A love tap that actually sent them all to their knees, to Zack's utter shock.
"What was that for?" Came the indignant and enraged response from Genesis, his red feathers fluffing out in anger.
'Threat posture,' Zack thought. 'Cloud taught that you were to stay away from an enraged chocobo that was posturing.'
Zack went over to Genesis and hit him again.
"Listen to me and listen well," he growled out. "You three are going to knock it off or I'm going to put you all into your places by force. Now you three are going to follow me and you're going to stay quiet and not mess with each other."
Genesis looked livid, but he huffed and turned his head away from Zack, clearly not wanting to listen to orders. That was until Angeal bumped him and made him follow, and saw Sephiroth following Zack like a lost baby chocobo.
Zack found himself cooing gently to Seph, like a mother would her children when scared, and using his wings to keep Sephiroth, who was taller than him, close to him as he led the way back to Bill's house. But he still caught the conversation going on behind him.
"The small one is strong," Genesis was spitting out, glaring at Zack's back. "Strong enough to knock us all down with one wing."
"It's probably just us not being used to having the body of a chocobo," Angeal responded, nudging Genesis with his head. "And stop trying to set him on fire with your eyes. It's not going to work."
Zack shook his head and tuned out Genesis' grumbles. "Why did I expect anything else from him?"
"You can hear them?" Came the soft whisper from beside him. Zack looked up to see Seph watching him curiously. "I can barely make out what they are saying unless I focus on them."
"Really?" Zack asked. "How long have you known them?"
"I met them a month ago," Sephiroth said, even quieter. "I don't think they like me much. But I guess not being liked and in a chocobo body is better than going off to war in a human body to slaughter innocent people."
Zack paused in his steps, and since he had a wing holding onto Sephiroth, Seph stopped as well. Met a month ago? War? What? "Sephiroth, how old are you?"
"Hojo says that I'm twelve."
Zack was whirling around to face the two others before they even stopped moving. "How old are you both?"
"I'm fifteen," Angeal stated, blinking in confusion.
"Twenty-five," Genesis said, blinking at the three around him.
"Last thing you all remember!" Zack managed to get out through the rapidly forming lump in his throat.
"Mud and rain before I fell asleep," Sephiroth quietly answered. "And pain, like someone had stabbed me."
"I had an appointment with Hollander after I got back from my time in Wutai," Angeal said, confusion taking over. "Except transport was shot down from the sky, last thing I remember was fire and overwhelming pain."
"An insane scientist trying to use me to make the perfect weapons because a certain blond warrior killed his last perfect weapons," Genesis stated, eyes narrowing in thought. "I was certain that I had hidden far enough inside their precious tower of metal that they couldn't reach me though."
Zack felt like dying, he honest to god felt like dying. "Holy…"
Angeal looked at him then, head tilted in curiosity. "What about you? What's the last thing you remember?"
Zack looked up at the sky, then down to the ground. "Setting Sephiroth and Angeal souls to rest with my girlfriend in the lifestream."
"The lifestream?" Came the slightly condescending response. Zack looked up to see Angeal watching him, his eyes showing just how much he liked the idea of the lifestream.
"I don't see why not," came the airy response from Genesis. "If the goddess could cure me of a disease, not even science could cure, then the lifestream can exist. The place where all souls go to rest and become one with the planet."
"You're just a basket case of problems Minerva didn't want to deal with," Zack said without thinking. "It took far too long to get Angeal to finally settle and join the lifestream, and Seph kept breaking out to follow his damn crush and try to make him fall for him with the weirdest courting rituals ever. I don't think Gaia could handle more than one depressed believing themselves to be a monster super soldier in the lifestream at that time."
Everything was silent, Zack finally realizing what he said. Then Genesis laughed, the sound airy and melodic to the four SOLDIER chocobos, but like a melodic kwek to anyone else. With eyes glowing in amusement, Genesis knocked his head against Zacks and huffed.
"It is good to see you again, pup."
"I fucking missed you," Zack responded, letting his head fall into Genesis' chest. "Watching you through the lifestream and trying to help was killing me, even though I was already dead."
The melodic laugh rang through the air again.
FINAL FANTASY 7
The roar of the bike dulled to a low rumble as Tifa neared the farm. Everything looked fine, nothing broken or on fire from what she could see. In fact, all the chocobos were calm and playing contently in the fields, Bill lounging on the fence watching as she approached.
"Hello Tifa," Bill greeted as she cut the engine and he approached.
"Bill," Tifa said, climbing off the bike and meeting him halfway. "Cloud called saying that it sounded like you were in trouble, something about things breaking and then not being able to get in touch with you again."
"He had all right to be worried and get you to come out," Bill stated, shaking his head. He then started moving off towards his house. "The damn birds were behind my house fighting. Almost blew a chunk of the place off as well."
Tifa blinked, confused. Cloud told her it sounded like Bill was under attack, nothing about birds. Following him, she voiced her confusion in one word. "Birds?"
"The whole reason I called Cloud in the first place, except it was only one bird before the fighting began and I saw the other three. I was scared more for the birds then myself, hell you would too. A silver, black, and red were fighting, and the black that was with me when the fighting started ran into the fighting soon as he saw. The black was smaller than the other three and I was worried that he would be killed and so would the other ones, but he just ran in and smacked them all over the head and made them submit to him." Bill gushed, his voice filled with awe and wonder. And as they turned the corner she could tell why.
Four mako enhanced chocobos, one silver, one red, and two blacks were all gathered right next to scorched and battle ruined land.
"You called Cloud about them right?" Tifa asked, moving closer to the birds even though Bill had stopped.
"Only about the smaller black, then my phone was smashed and broken when I dropped it and things were falling."
Tifa pulled her PHS out and pushed the speed dial number for Cloud, then threw the phone towards Bill and continued her slow but purposeful pace to the four birds. She heard Bill start talking to Cloud, Cloud probably mother chocobo-ing him, but she kept her purpose clear. She was going to get to those birds.
She stopped when the smaller black turned his head to look at her, holding still and staying calm when she saw him climb to his feet and turn towards her.
"Kweh!"
Suddenly, all Tifa could see were black feathers and bright blue eyes. The smaller black had just slammed his body into her and wrapped his wings around her to help her keep standing, something Tifa knew chocobos couldn't do, their wings didn't move like that, Cloud had shown her when he had to take x-rays of a broken wing. Something about the bone structure didn't allow the movement of the wings forward that far.
Tifa laughed as she felt the bird start rubbing against her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Cloud was the doctor not her, she just listened to what he said to tend to the birds when gone for more than a day. Cloud would just have to inspect them when he got here.
"Kwek! Kwek!" Then the bird was gone, to be replaced by the three other birds, but these ones stopped close enough for her to touch their becks.
The Red one looked a bit wary, but eventually stuck his head out to push her lightly, his sapphire blue eyes sparkling with a soft playfulness. Tifa chuckled and ran her hand through his dirty feathers. "You are so dirty," she said softly, only for the red bird to pull back and look at the smaller black as if to confirm the fact. She laughed when the smaller black nodded his head and the red one deflated and fell to the ground, clearly being dramatic. "That's not helping keep you clean."
The red one glared at her, did a huff and wandered over to Bill, who had finished talking to Cloud and had come closer. Tifa watched for a quick moment as the red bird studied Bill then shifted and wandered back over to lay on the ground behind her legs to the right, the smaller black watching the entire time.
The second one brave enough to approach her was the larger black with steel-blue eyes, his head slowly coming closer to her and then retreating. She smiled and kept her hands clasped in front of her. The babies in the pack and new wilds Cloud found and tamed were the same way. She had learned patience with Cloud, she could be patient with a scared chocobo for weeks.
Thankfully she didn't have to be patient for weeks, as the black eventually cooed softly and then nuzzled her head before moving to lay next to the red. Moving slowly to not startle the silver chocobo, Tifa turned around and gently placed her hand on the black.
"Can I look at you closer?" She asked, after getting the blacks' attention. The taller black looked over at the smaller one, then cocked his head in confusion. Tifa looked over to see the smaller black shake his head in what was clearly frustration, lay down then stand up and spread his wings out. She looked back at the taller black to see he was still confused until the red nudged the black.
"Kwek." Then the red was standing, looking down patiently at the black, who stood after a long moment. Pleased, the red spread his wings and stood still, watching the black again. But the black didn't spread his wings as the red did, he looked scared.
Tifa reached over carefully to the red and gently ran her hand over his outstretched wing. The red turned his head to look at her, then shifted his wing closer to her, letting her get a better view of the appendage.
"Kwek." The red sounded proud of himself, almost smug. Then the smaller black was shoving himself between them, glaring bodily harm at the red before moving her closer to the larger black that finally looked calm enough to allow Tifa to check him over.
"Red is a little dirty but otherwise in perfect health from what I can see," Tifa said softly, eyes flicking over to Bill who nodded and made a note in his book for Cloud. "Taller black is dirty as well, but also in perfect health. The smaller one is hyper, really dirty, and perfectly healthy. Now to see about the silver."
Tifa turned around to look at the silver, only to stop and blink as the silver was close enough to touch her but had been looking over her shoulder at what she was doing to the other three. Fluffing up his wings and settling down he let her run her fingers through his feathers letting out soft coos and rumbles of pleasure as she worked.
"Silver is in perfect health, he has some grass stuck in his feathers and dirt on his neck, but seems calm enough."
When Tifa stopped checking the silver, he pushed himself into her side and cooed for her to continue petting him.
Bill laughed and shook his head. "Cloud says they should be here in an hour, said something about not believing I'm alright until he sees for himself no matter what we say."
Tifa laughed and moved to sit down between all four chocobos. "Well, he is a mother chocobo, Bill."
The smaller black let out what sounded like a short burst of a laugh, before settling beside Tifa and resting his head on the silver one who had decided Tifa was a comfy pillow and had fallen asleep. With a small chuckle, Tifa shifted to make it more comfortable for the silver and black without waking the silver up or removing his head from her. Life was about to get so much more interesting with these four around.
FINAL FANTASY 7
Cloud knew he was worried for no reason, Tifa was with Bill, he was fine, and apparently, he had three more wild mako enhanced male chocobos to take under his care and tame. But that didn't stop him from being the first off the Shera when Cid landed and gave the go to leave the ship. Of course, he also wasn't expecting to be body-slammed as soon as he got off the ramp by a black chocobo, only his enhancements and Vincent's appearance helped him stand his ground as the black left to jump around him.
"That has to be the most hyperactive and person loving wild mako enhanced black I believe we have ever seen," Vincent stated, amusement in his voice but his face a dead mask. "I believe he was looking forward to seeing the loved and adored blond chocobo."
Cid's gruff laughter rang out from the top of the ramp.
"Thanks for reminding me you have a sense of humor, you damn vampire."
Cloud grumbled as he strode past the prancing black and towards where Tifa and Bill were calmly waiting with three other chocobos. Cloud took in the three chocobos appearances as he approached. The red and black were clearly dirty but looked content to just sit at Tifa's feet and watch him approach, sapphire blue eyes filled with content and humor, steel blue eyes content but wary. The silver one was clearly feeling safe enough to sleep, his head on Tifa's lap as she sat on the fence Bill was leaning against. Taking in Tifa and Bill's appearance finally let his mind fall to ease as Bill had no signs of injury and the air had no lingering smell of materia being used nearby.
Then he noticed Tifa was watching something to his right, her eyes hard and confused.
Glancing over to see what she saw, he stopped. The black chocobo that had jumped on him in excitement had fallen to follow him on his right side, like he had seen military men do to those superior to them, like he had seen Zack do with Sephiroth while he was still a trooper.
'Military trained? Who trained him and why? For what purpose?'
The black cocked his head at him and in a fashion only chocobos could manage smiled at him, his head cocked just at the right angle to show off vibrant violet eyes from the sunlight. Eyes Cloud could never forget even in death, eyes belonging to Zack Fair.
Cloud quickly turned his head back to Tifa, knowing even though his face was a mask she would be able to see his conflicting emotions within his eyes. And he was right, though Tifa also looked as if she had seen a ghost, one she had only seen the day their lives turned upside down and all hell broke loose.
Cloud needed to examine all four of the chocobos, the coloration of the feathers, eye color, if they had any sign of recognition in them. He had to be sure before he brought any more pain to himself.
FINAL FANTASY 7
"Cloud is going to check all of us over," Zack said to the three with him, his eyes taking in everything about the empty barn Cloud had led them all into. "He's going to be a bit rougher than Tifa but he will also be gentle. He is going to have to feel around for anything off with our bones, any scars we might have, any injuries we are not aware of, how our feathers are faring, basic chocobo raising checkups."
"And the machines they are bringing in?" Seph asked, standing closer to Zack, clearly curious about the activities he was woken up for. His eyes screamed curiosity but also fear.
"You want to check them out?" Zack asked, tilting his head towards them while watching Seph.
"He said to say here though," Seph cooed softly, his eyes still glued to the machines. "Will they hurt us?"
Zack laughed and nudged Seph, then started walking towards the machines. "Come on, Seph! As long as we don't break any of them I can explain them all to you, and any I can't I can just ask Spike!"
Genesis nudged Angeal to get his attention. "Do you want to follow them and learn about the machines as well?"
"No," Angeal said, his eyes watching Sephiroth with fondness. "I know what all of them are, Seph is the one without a proper education or childhood. Let Zack teach him."
Zack laughed and nudged Seph closer to one of the machines. "Let's see here," A quick cock of his head and Zack had pushed the machine lightly to see it better. "This one is a weight machine, it will allow Cloud to measure your mass to see where you sit on the scale for weight. Mako enhanced birds have different weights from normal birds, mostly because we have more bone structure and muscle than the others. The one next to it is an x-ray machine, just in case, Cloud feels something wrong with the bones somewhere. Let's hope he doesn't have to use it, don't want one of us to have something broken now do we?"
"No," Seph answered, moving to poke and ask about other machines, and Zack happily explained them all. He explained about the heart monitor, the counters, the pressure tests, and the various other machines that checked other vitals all while being unintrusive. By the time Sephiroth's curiosity of the machines was sated, Cloud was leaning against the door to the barn watching them, a small frown on his face.
"Okay!" Zack spoke up, leading Seph back to Angeal and Genesis. " I'll get the first check-up so you guys can see how this goes without being scared. This is going to be a bit uncomfortable because Cloud is going to be rougher, but don't worry, we're all going to be fine. Just do what I do and this will go quickly!"
"What if he asks us to do something differently?" Angeal asked, his head cocked to the side.
"I'll be by your sides for your check-ups," Zack answered, standing taller and nudging Angeal. "Any commands you don't hear from him while he's looking over me, I'll show you what they are. I know how to do this, I've watched him raise chocobos far too long to not know all his commands."
Zack knew he was right in going first, he had no problem doing what Cloud asked, making sure the others heard the command and registered it to a movement. He knew Cloud well enough to read the others' eyes. Cloud wasn't confused about him knowing the commands, he was scared. Zack knew that Cloud was the only one on Gaia that still raised chocobos to follow military commands, but watching Cloud start fearing that the wild chocobos might not actually be wild but lost and might have another disaster on his hands was making him hesitate slightly on following the commands, but he knew for the others he had to show them that it was going to be okay. The only relief Zack felt was when he came back over with Angeal and then Genesis and did the commands to show them what Cloud wanted when something new came up.
Unfortunately, Zack forgot how unique Sephiroth's eyes were and when Cloud got to the last test, getting them to follow a light so he could see into the eyes, Zack knew Seph would have to look right at Cloud and Cloud would likely overreact to the sight of the eyes of his greatest enemy *coughstalkercough*.
Zack watched, ready to jump and stop Cloud from hurting the baby that was Seph, but stood slack-jawed as Seph's eyes acted just like a cat's getting really huge in the lights beam, and then back to slits when the light went away, Cloud no the wiser as he had turned his back and didn't see Seph's eyes turn into slits. Zack had just relaxed when Cloud turned back around suddenly and Seph and Cloud were eye to eye.
"Sephiroth," Cloud whispered, his voice filled with awe and longing.
Sephiroth's eyes lit up with recognition. He shifted to push his head against Cloud's chest and cooed softly, "My beloved golden one."