AN: Ahaha, this chapter makes me laugh. Three years ago I was convinced this was uber-dramatic and suspenseful. But it's definitely not. My favourite part is when I tried to useth Old Englisheth. Oh dear. Well, put your scuba gear on, cause it's time to hop into the watery plot. And by watery I mean unsubstantial. Really. There are so many loopholes in this it's worse than swiss cheese. So dive under if you really want to. When go under, you might not come up.

Disclaimer: Blahblah, don't own anything, blahblahblah.

Chapter Three

When the bar opened the next day, Cloud somehow wasn't surprised to see the man in the grey cloak walk in that afternoon. Marlene and Denzel were out on a day trip with Barret, and Cloud was taking another day off due to lack of sleep. He was half-expecting to see the man in red come in as well, but so far, he hadn't.

While taking a break around 3:00, the cloaked man came up to the bar and sat beside him, ordering another drink. Tifa raised an eyebrow in question, and Cloud shrugged. After getting his drink, the man remained at the bar.

"You are Cloud Strife, are you not?" he asked softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Cloud looked up, surprised at the man's soft voice. "Yes, I am. Do you know me from somewhere?"

"I have heard of you, yes. Your delivery service as well."

"Ah. Do you want to place and order?" Cloud asked running his finger around the top of his cup.

"No, no thank you. The fact that you run a delivery service is not all that I know."

Cloud stopped breathing. This man was trouble, and he knew something important, something Cloud was dreading. "And what would that be?" He asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Hm. A good question. Shall we call it your past?" He asked, chuckling at the stricken look on Cloud's face.

"What do you mean?"

The man looked at his drink. "You miss him, don't you?"

Cloud swallowed, trying to calm himself down, trying to believe what he was hearing. "Who?"

"You know very well who, Mr. Strife. I don't feel like playing games with you right now."

Cloud stared at the table sadly. "Zack," he whispered.

The man nodded. "Tell me, Mr. Strife, what would you do to see him again?"

"Anything! Anything at all! Anything and everything!" Cloud looked at the man urgently. The man's head turned in his direction, and Cloud found himself staring into bright purple eyes. Cloud tried to hold his gaze, but he had to turn away.

"Ah. Well then, what would you say if I told you that there was a way to bring your friend back?"

"What?" Cloud was speechless. The man's words kept running through his head over and over again. "Zack…" he thought "I could bring him back?" His head ached.

"I…"

"No, Mr. Strife." The man held up his hand, silencing Cloud. "This not the time or the place to talk. We shall meet again, and then we will be able to discuss the matter without fear of being overheard." The man stood up, ready to leave.

"When? Where? How will I find you?" Cloud was desperate. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Could this man really bring Zack back to life? How was that possible?

"Do not fret, Mr. Strife. Carry on with your daily schedules; all shall be arranged. Good day, Mr. Strife." The man turned swiftly and disappeared out the door, leaving Cloud confused and close to tears.

Taking the man's advice, Cloud returned to delivering packages. The previous day's conversation was troubling him greatly, and drove in a circle three times during one delivery before he realized what he was doing. After Cloud's circle adventure, he drove back to the store, where one of his delivery boys, Matt, was waiting for him.

"Another package? For me?" Cloud asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, not really. It's just that none of us know the address." Matt answered, looking guilty.

"Let me see it." Cloud took the package and scanned the top. The address for delivery was in the worst part of the slums; a very dangerous district. "I know where this is. I'll go deliver it." Placing the package behind him, Cloud sighed. He started up his motorcycle again and sped off deep into the slums.

The house itself was not in bad condition. For being in the slums, it was actually rather nice. Double checking the address, Cloud walked up to the door and knocked.

The man in red leather opened the door, glowering at Cloud with bright purple eyes. Cloud tried to say something, but no sound would come out.

"Ah! Is that our guest we are expecting? Move aside, my boy, let him in!" A voice called out. Cloud knew it at once; it was the cloaked man. The man in red leather stepped away from the door, his shaggy brown hair covering his blazing eyes.

There the man stood, still in his grey cloak. The hood, however, was down, and his face could be seen. The man had a kind face, wrinkled with age. He had short white hair and thin eyebrows. He was smiling, his smile reflected in those familiar purple eyes.

He waved his hand at Cloud urgently. "Come in, Mr. Strife, please!" Cloud swallowed at walked in, eyeing the man in red leather warily. "Have a seat, Mr. Strife." Cloud sat in a large armchair across from an identical chair where the man sat. "I don't believe I ever told you my name, did I?"

"N-n-no, you didn't." The blonde answered, trying to find his voice.

"Hm. Well, I am called Davoid. It is a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Strife."

"Cloud. Please, call me Cloud." He just couldn't believe what was happening.

"Very well, Cloud. Have you met my son, Forigh?" Davoid asked.

"We've met before." Forigh hissed coldly, glaring at Cloud. Cloud returned the glare, but said nothing.

"Forigh, why don't you go make some tea. Cloud, would like some tea?"

"No, no thank you, Davoid." Cloud was still staring at Forigh.

"Alright. I however, would like some tea. Forigh, put the kettle on for me, my boy."

"Yes, Father." Forigh made a face at Cloud before leaving to the kitchen.

"Now then, Cloud, you remember what I told you yesterday, don't you?" Davoid asked, folding his hands in his lap. Cloud nodded, his heart pounding. "Good. I suppose that you are wondering how that is possible, are you not?" Cloud nodded again, unable to speak. "Are you familiar with the town of Gongaga?"

"Yes." Cloud managed to say. Gongaga. Zack's hometown.

"Your tea, Father." Forigh was back, still looking disgusted at Cloud's presence in his home. He left the room, and Cloud heard a door slam.

Davoid looked confused for a moment, but that moment quickly passed. "Well, in Gonga, I discover something extraordinary. Do you know what I found?" Cloud shook his head. "I found two pieces of paper." Davoid took two folded pieces of paper out of his cloak. "The first I realized was a page from an old play called 'Loveless.' Have you heard of it?"

"No. It doesn't sound familiar."

"I didn't think you'd know. In any case, it was the second page that intrigued me. The front reads, 'To find that which has been stolen, you must look to the Sky. To retrieve that which has been dead, you must look to the Soul. To restore that which was loved, you must look to the Heart. Sky, Soul, Heart, the river of life will give back.' Does this mean anything to you, Cloud?"

Cloud bit his lip, thinking. Was this some kind of formula, explaining how to bring back Zack? "No, I don't really know what it means."

"What do you want it to mean, my boy?"

"I want it to tell me how to bring Zack back." Cloud said softly, beginning to choke up.

"Can you read the back?" Davoid asked suddenly, handing the paper to him. Cloud flipped it over the frowned.

"Of course. It says, 'The Sky beith visible when death doth loom near. Revealethed to only those who knoweth love. Knoweth love, and ye shall see the sky. Not all that is killed truly dies. The Soul remains, and to find it, ye shall embrace death as a new beginning, and not as an ending. Love beith the strongest bond. The Heart is the giver of life, it beith the house in which love is held. The water of the Heart will use love, and shall showith the Sky. The Sky will find the Soul, and all shall begin again.' What the hell does that mean?" Cloud asked, looking up. "This is just weird gibberish!"

"Is it? I think that this passage is telling us how to bring back someone from the dead. 'All shall begin again?' Does that not refer to coming back to life?" Davoid smiled.

"So, this is it? This is how I bring back Zack?"

"I would assume so. Does it say anything else?"

Cloud scanned the paper. "Yeah. 'A new beginning must start at the place of an old beginning. Ye shall recite the words above thrice at thine altar. With thine Heart's water, and with thine love, ye shall succeed.' Does that mean Zack will come back in Gongaga, where he was born, his 'old beginning?'?"

"I believe that is a safe guess. The question is how he will be brought back." Davoid thought for a moment before speaking again. "When it says 'The water of the Heart,' I think it means blood. In forest outside Gongaga, I saw a statue with runes, similar to the ones you are reading. I think that is the altar the passage speaks of."

"So I find that statue, cut myself, read the paper three times, he he'll come back? That seems too easy…." Cloud pouted, doubtful that it would work.

Davoid laughed. "I think that the actual procedure will hurt physical, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, and will be a very grueling process, however long it will take. Are you up to it?"

Cloud took a breath, and then nodded. "Of course! But when should I go to Gongaga? Are you going to come with me?"

The old man smiled, a sad and thoughtful expression. "I wish I could. I would love to see such a miracle. However, the years have not been kind to me. I cannot leave Midgar, nor can I travel very far from this house. My journey to your friend's tavern was very hard to make. You should leave when you feel ready, and if this ritual works, I would love to see the 'results.' Cloud, I fear that I have kept you here for too long. I hope to see you soon."

Confused and dazed, Cloud took the piece of paper and walked to the door. "Davoid, how do you know about Zack and me?" He looked back at the old man, his eyes pleading for an answer.

"You seemed a bit out of it at the time, but I was the man you and Zack hitched a ride with on the way to Midgar. You two rode in the back of my truck. There was gunfire, and Zack pulled you away and let me drive off. I saw you around the city some time after that, but I never did see your friend. Eventually, through some contacts, I learned of his fate." Davoid looked like he wanted to say something else, but shook his head instead. Recognizing the goodbye, Cloud walked out the door, got on his motorcycle, and sped away.

Davoid, now standing at the window, watched Cloud leave. "Best of luck, my friend. I'm counting on you." He whispered.

"Father? There is a letter for you." Forigh stood in the hallway, and envelope in his hand.

"Ah, yes, yes, very good. Thank you, my son." Davoid turned away from the window, letting the curtains fall back into place.

"I might be gone a while, though." Cloud took a sip of his water, watching Tifa wipe down the bar.

"Really?" She asked, taking Marlene's dinner plate away to the sink.

"How long will you be gone, Cloud?" Marlene looked at him with her big eyes, filled with a worry expression.

"I'm not sure. Two or three days, maybe. Hopefully not any longer than that. I'm also hoping to run into an old friend there." The blonde turned away from Tifa's quizzical expression and took Denzel's plate.

"Do we know him?" The orphan boy asked.

Cloud laughed. "Probably not, Denzel. I'm leaving early tomorrow, so I'll be gone before you two wake up." The orphans both pouted, then hugged him and Tifa good night. Before they ran upstairs to bed, they gave Cloud another hug, wishing him luck on his delivery. "I'll need it." He thought.

"Say, Cloud." Tifa leaned against the counter, dropping her washcloth into the sink. "Just where is the delivery?"

"Gongaga"

Chapter Three

END

A/N: Everyone still alive, yes? No? Well, we'll use the dead bodies for when the sharks come by. The water only gets deeper. Until next time.