AN: So sorry this update took so long. Wishing everyone an early Merry Christmas and thank you for all the comments, follows, and favorites!
Burning Close
Chapter 3
Sighing a breath of relief after an extremely tiring Saturday night, Tifa stepped down the cement stairs of the bar and was about to journey her way back to the inn, when a loud voice called out.
"Yo!"
Tifa turned, unseeing.
It was pitched black in the wee hours of the night with thick clouds hiding the moon. Despite being the infamous "Wall Market" of Sector 6 filled with bright lights and shops that opened till the break of dawn, the present Wall Market was nothing like the past. Johnny's Heaven was one of the few businesses that were still awake at midnight, let alone past midnight. Streetlights were turned off for conserving energy. Neon signs that decorated the area were long abandoned. In a way, Wall Market was even more unpleasant and scarier for girls now than before.
"Finally done for the night?"
Footsteps made her face to her left. A dark figure was walking toward her. She would recognize those wild spikes anywhere… except they didn't belong to who she wished to see. Her heart cringed.
"Zack?" Tifa tilted her head, surprised that the man was still here.
He was close enough now and she could see the round eyes that emitted that strange indigo—violet even—glow.
"What a night, huh?" Zack grinned. Even his teeth shone in the darkness.
"What are you still doing here?" the woman asked. "It's nearly 2 in the morning—"
"For our date of course!" His voice was excited.
"W-what? In the middle of the night? You're kidding!" Tifa exclaimed. "I really need to get some sleep—"
"Pretty please? It'll be fun, I promise." Zack was so close to her that she could smell the Corel wine still in his breath. Unconsciously, she took a step back.
"I still have to work tomorrow—"
"But not till late afternoon, right?"
Of course he'd know my schedule…
She suppressed a yawn.
"Come on," he suddenly grabbed hold of Tifa's left hand, "it'll be quick. I promise."
Tifa wanted to throw him off. But her curiosity won her over.
Their steps were loud in the silence. Tifa could barely see her own hand in front of her. How could he-? Oh right, his Mako senses of course.
The man walked swiftly in long strides, a destination determined in his pace.
"Zack?" Tifa was uncomfortable walking in the dark. Trying hard not to step onto the man's heels, she stumbled in her own footsteps. "W-where are we going?"
"We're nearly there," the voice in front of her replied.
A minute later, he stopped abruptly. The barmaid nearly collided onto his broad back.
"Here we are."
Bright white light suddenly shone in front of Tifa's eyes. She squinted, quickly realizing the light was from Zack's cellphone. The light moved upwards, and she watched as the man climbed expertly on top of a worn down round surface. Glancing around the shadows, she took in her surrounding. A metal slide protruded from the Moogle head that Zack was now sitting on; broken swings hung still in the dark; further ahead, the broken remains of the Sector 7 gate lurked in the darkness…Tifa looked away hastily, hoping to erase the heart wrenching images penetrating her mind.
"Come on up!" Zack's hand appeared in front of her.
Frowning slightly, Tifa grabbed the hand and skillfully jumped onto the smooth surface. Settling herself beside the man, she hugged her knees close to her body, their backs facing the glooming debris of her bitter past.
At once, the flashlight from Zack's cellphone disappeared. Blackness engulfed them again. Tifa hugged herself closer, slightly shivering in the early hours of the night.
"So," the voice beside her spoke, (when did his voice become so deep and so…calm?) "how was your day?"
The barmaid shifted, finger picking unconsciously at a spot on her shorts. "Like any normal bar day on a typical Saturday night."
She felt the man grin in the dark. For some strange unknown reason, she didn't dare turn her head to his direction. She could tell the blue-indigo eyes were focused on her, clearly reading her nervous expression, which only made her even more nervous, with her finger picking at the spot on her shorts—
"Quit doin' that, will you?"
Swift fingers clutched onto delicate fingers.
Her breath hitched.
"That's better…" Calloused hand tightened the grip. "It annoys my ears."
Sensing Tifa's questioning eyebrows, Zack added, "my enhanced senses are more alert in pitch dark. So your scratching is kinda annoying, especially when everything is so still and quiet. You know what I mean?"
She knew. She knew how the darkness and the silence work with Mako. It was the same for him…
…Fingers intertwined. Rough hands on soft skin. Warm breath tickled her neck as he whispered, "I could hear your heartbeats. They're so loud in my ears."
His voice nearly made her heart stop. His face was so close, but she couldn't even see his beautiful blue eyes. It was dark all over. No moon, no light. No sounds of the nature. Only his breathing and her own heartbeats in their ears…
"Tifa?" He squeezed her hand.
Tifa blinked, unaware of her wandering mind. "Um, sorry," she stammered, heart suddenly beating fast. "I guess I dozed off…"
Zack whistled. "Was my story really that boring?"
At that, the barmaid turned to the man. "Story? Sorry, I—"
He chuckled. "I'm just kidding! I haven't started yet."
Feeling the violet eyes on her again, Tifa's face blushed furiously, heart pounding.
"Are you ok?" His voice was suddenly filled with concern. "You look flushed!" He squeezed Tifa's hand again. "And you're really hot." His hand let go and rested on Tifa's forehead. "Do you have a fever or somethin'?"
Ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump—
"I'm fine!" Tifa waved her hands frantically, shaking off Zack's hands. Sooner or later he's going to ask why my heart's beating so fast! "So what were you saying? Your story?"
"Oh right, my story." The ex-SOLDIER paused. "Well, there's not much to it because I lose all memories."
"But how?" (Her heart was still hammering).
"It's a long story…" Zack sighed.
"So, you're not gonna tell me?" Tifa smirked.
"I'll tell you…if you go on a second date with me," he grinned.
The barmaid rolled her eyes. "Really?"
"Come on, Tifa," the man nudged her playfully. "I could do better than this. A night under the black night sky?" He motioned to the heavens. "With no stars? Gimme a second chance to do better."
Her curiosity got the better of her. "Oh all right."
"Woot!" Zack jumped and did a fist pump.
"Now please start your story," Tifa muttered, hoping she wouldn't regret her decision.
"Well to be honest," he started, "I don't know how I lose my memories."
Tifa pinched his arm. "You playing me?"
"Wow you're pretty strong—" he felt ruby eyes glaring daggers at him. "Okay, okay." He took a deep breath. "So one day, I woke up and found myself in a bed. I had wounds all over, my head was pounding with pain…"
…Bright…lights…
Hey…
Soft…
It's time…
Voice…
Where am I? I sat up. Or tried to, as my arms were sore as hell. I glanced around the room. It was dark and musty. I looked down and saw bloody bandages wrapped around my torso. My head pounded with sharp pain like a hammer's been hitting my head nonstop for the past several days. I threw the dirty blanket off myself and got off bed. Or attempted to, because the next thing I knew, I fell onto the wooden floor, legs weak and numb. Pain like I've never felt spilled through every nerve. What the fuck did I do to get myself such injuries?
I hear footsteps coming my way. I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn't move. I pushed myself up with my arms, but they were so goddamn sore! I clenched my teeth, groaning in pain as my arms trembled—
"Zack?"
A man scurried next to me and dragged me off the floor and back to the bed.
I grimaced, hands reaching my head. It was like someone was crushing my brain.
"Does it hurt? Where does it hurt?"
"Who are you?" I gritted my teeth.
"…"
"Who are you?" I bellowed. I could barely open my eyes. Fuck, the pain was unbearable!
"I'm…I'm Kunsel."
Kunsel?
"Don't you remember me?"
Kunsel…who?
"We were…in SOLDIER together…"
S…SOLDIER?
"You were in First Class…One of the very best."
Wait…what?
"But one day, you disappeared while on a mission. We all thought you were dead…"
Who…?
"You're… Zack. Zack Fair."
…
"Kunsel said he found me on the outskirts of Midgar. Dead. Or nearly dead," Zack muttered. "He was convinced Shinra was behind this. That maybe I found out about some corporate secrets so they wanted to get rid of me."
Tifa bit her lips. "You didn't try to find out what happened?"
"I did for a while…" Zack sighed. "It was only then that I learned about our planet's crisis—meteor and geostigma and all that fun stuff." He paused. "I was in a coma for more than a year," he gave a bitter laugh, "I had no idea of the sufferings, the fights that people have gone through. I missed all the grand fun. Tsk. So I thought, to hell with it, the heavens must have wanted to save me one more time, preventing me from all these shit. And I guess…I just kinda went along with it."
Meteor and geostigma… Tifa shook away the memories to the depths of her mind.
"Maybe it's for the better," she said softly.
Zack glanced at her curiously. "How so?"
"Those were…very painful days," Tifa murmured.
…This day will never come again, so let me have this moment…
"Days when you wonder if tomorrow is your last day…"
…They're all gone. Died for the planet. Will they... will they ever forgive me?…
"Days when love ones are gone one by one…"
…The universe... people... the planet... How wide and big... No matter where I go and what I do, it won't change a thing…
"Days when you start doubting yourself, whether all the fighting was worth it…"
…As long as I'm with you... As long as you're by my side... I won't give up even if I'm scared…
"Days when you wonder if…you're really just all alone in this world…"
All of a sudden, intangible shocks flared up inside her. She clutched at her heart, desperately pushing down the bubble bound to burst any moment, the little quivering locket that had been hidden deep inside her, full of emotions, full of memories, full of pain. She suppressed a gasp, lips pursed, but trembling.
At once, a heavy hand patted her head softly, and gently brushed through the black, silky threads. Up, down, up, down…
"There, there…" Zack whispered. "You must have gone through so much…"
Tifa hid her face in her knees. Her heart felt heavy, like bricks were in it, but she had no strength to move them.
"Everyone has a painful past…and that's okay…"
Up, down, up, down…
The continuation of his fingers brushing through her hair, the continuation of his gentle, soothing voice…
"Tifa, it's okay to cry…"
And so she did.
AN: Can anyone make a wild guess who "woke" Zack up?