After prying information from Aerith the next day as he was forced to go out and deliver flowers, Zack learned enough to know how to contact Genesis during the day. He learned it wasn't possible to do it without having a run in with Cid, but Zack was willing to risk it. He was going to rebuild his old friendships whether it killed him or not. As they went back home Zack couldn't help but notice that they hadn't gone to Cloud's house for the past couple days like she said she did every day.
"Why haven't we given anything to Strife to the past couple days?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow as he looked across the street at Cloud's house. He couldn't help but have silently wished to go over there just so he could see Cloud again. He knew that would sound very pathetic said out loud though so he said no reason as to why it bothered him.
"He's not home." Aerith said shaking her head. Zack looked down at her, confusion written all over his face. After saying no one ever left this town the one person Zack would think would never leave wasn't here? He waited for Aerith to elaborate. "Well he said he would be leaving a couple days ago, when you were still busy with your house. He had to go into town, he'll be back later today but I know he won't want to be bothered when he gets back." She said, it wasn't the best of explanation but it got the job done.
"Alright, I guess everyone has their reasons to leave every once and a while." Zack said with a shrug glancing over at Cloud's house for another moment before he followed Aerith up her driveway. "I'll be right back, I'm going to go grab the movies, alright?" he said with a smile not stepping up onto the porch after Aerith. The two of them had decided while they were out selling flowers that Zack would show Aerith some really scary movies. Aerith seemed a little nervous knowing that she probably wouldn't be able to keep composed for long even after just hearing a few of the titles Zack had said. Her lips folded into a thin line as she nodded. Zack couldn't help but laugh at the face before he turned and ran across her lawn down to his own house.
Inside he jumped up the stairs and into his room dropping to the floor next to the boxes he had brought up the day before. Ignoring the 'Misc.' box he had gone through which was still open, he grabbed a box labeled 'Movies, Games, Books' and opened it up. He rummaged through the boxes he had put at the top of the box until he got to his movie collection. He picked up a few of them before heading back downstairs, locking the door on his way out. He walked more slowly across the lawns to Aerith's place. Elmyra was outside watering the garden they had out front. None of the flowers looked like the ones Aerith sold so Zack was a little curious as to where she grew them, but didn't ask any questions. Elmyra waved at him and told him to go on inside. He did just that.
"Zack I'm in the living room." Aerith called through the house. How she knew it was Zack that had just walked in he had no idea but he guessed it had something to do with the sound of his heavy footsteps. He kicked off his shoes and walked into the house and into the living room where Aerith was sitting on the couch watching TV her arms wrapped around a pillow, Zack laughed. He walked over to the TV and knelt down in front of it opening the DVD player and putting in one of the movies he had brought.
"Hey there," he started, she yawned in acknowledgement. "I'm going to start you off with something easy. It's predictable and really fake." He said accenting the word 'fake'. He went and sat down next to Aerith as she set up the TV from where she was sitting.
"What is it?" she asked. Zack smirked.
"Jaws." He stated. Her eyes opened wide and she clutched the pillow in her arms even tighter, Zack noticed it and bit back a laugh, "Scared of sharks?" he asked not being able to keep the smirk off of his face. Aerith nodded slowly and Zack couldn't help but laugh, "As I said before, this one is easy, the shark is so fake. You can honestly see the rubber it's made of. And sharks don't get that big." He said with a shrug, resting his arms on the back of the chair behind him.
"It's not scary?" she asked sounding very unsure as though she was having her doubts about this whole movie thing.
"I don't think so." Zack said shaking his head, "Don't worry though we can turn it off if you get too scared." He said unable to hold back his smirk as the movie started to play. Zack had seen this movie many times before and saw everything coming long before it happened; a big animatronic shark wasn't going to scare him. That ominous theme seemed to really get to Aerith though. She always seemed to be fine up until it played then she would fling herself at Zack, hiding behind his arm having one eye peek out from behind his bicep her hands clutched tightly around his forearm. Any straight guy would immediately take advantage of such a situation but Zack just found her reaction humorous though he didn't deny her the comfort she obviously got by being close to him, though the fact that she found even just his presence calming was a bit unnerving, he didn't mind being friends with her but he didn't want to be anything more than that. Another picture of Cloud shot through his head and he shook his head to discard the image and behind that image were the beautiful scarlet eyes he had first seen the day before. Where had that come from? He closed his eyes and sighed, leaning slightly against Aerith. She seemed to relax at the lightest of brushing between their bodies.
By the time the shark blew up Aerith seemed to have calmed down slightly, "See it's fake. I mean you have to admit you could tell it was fake when it attacked the helicopter or jumped on the back of the boat." he stated. Aerith had let go of Zack's arm and went back to having her arms wrapped tightly around the pillow in front of her.
"I guess." she said quietly. Zack smiled almost fondly at her, she acted like a little kid more then she knew. At least more then he thought she knew.
"Ready for the next one?" Zack asked with a cocked eyebrow. Aerith's eyebrows furrowed slowly falling farther towards the middle of her forehead.
"No?" she practically asked, more like she was testing the ground seeing if that answer was even acceptable to Zack. It wasn't. They were going to continue to watch movies until the sun fell behind the horizon whether she wanted to or not.
"Well, too bad, I'll let you cling to my arm if you need to don't worry." he said with a laugh getting up and walking over to the DVD player taking out the first movie then flipping it with a less gory more supernatural movie. It was a rather crappy B-movie but it got the scaring job down pat. Especially with Aerith who screamed when anything remotely scary popped up. Again she spent most of the movie wrapped around his arm and again Zack found it funny and made no move to take advantage of her insecurity, but he did briefly wonder if she wanted him to try something though the thought made him shudder, right as Aerith jumped at something else that was apparently scary.
When this movie ended Zack finally looked over at the clock. It was only 4 in the afternoon. He frowned lightly; he was waiting till it was dark to play some of the scarier movies. He moved off of the couch, "Okay for this next one I was trying to pick between it and the Grudge. You may as well see the original even though it's in Japanese. One of my friends told me it's better than the English version of it. It's called Ju-On. It's not really all that scary until the end either." He said with a shrug putting it into the machine, "I hope you're ready to do some reading." He said as he sat back down next to her and triggered the movie to play. When it started he couldn't help but laugh, "You know if it has Japanese school girls in it something bad is going to happen." He said shaking his head. Aerith didn't look very pleased and she was already clinging to Zack's arm.
She was relatively silent as they watched the video, Aerith only jumped a couple times as the movie went through. Zack had noticed her breathing pick up quite a bit at certain times but she had no serious reaction till near the end of the movie, when that girl comes down the stairs crawling like an animal with her jaw gone and her tongue just moving around. Aerith screamed as her nails dug into Zack's tan arm he flinched slightly at the sharp pain. She started up a chant of, "Oh my god" saying it over and over again as she pressed her face into the back of Zack's shoulder. Zack frowned; he took his eyes away from the TV screen and looked at the young brunette girl. He sighed as he ran his hand through her hair trying to help calm her down.
"Hey, calm down…it's just a movie…" he stated quietly in a hushed voice, he kept one eye on the screen, "And a poorly done one at that…" he said to himself in addition. He turned back to Aerith his fingers practically massaging her scalp, "It's almost done don't worry." He said, this reminded him of back when he was young, when he had someone who would do this sort of thing for him. He smiled fondly at the thoughts; a time when movies like this had scared him. When he was still back in school with…suddenly the memories turned sour and he fought not to remember them, glad that that scene in the movie was over, "It's done, don't worry." He said and she looked out from behind his shoulder. In the next fifteen or so minutes the movie ended and Aerith completely emerged from behind Zack's arm with a sigh. Zack smiled at her as he turned off the movie.
"Can we take a break from the movies?" Aerith asked as Zack got up to retrieve his DVD from the machine. He thought about it for a moment as he put the CD in the case and placed it with the other movies he had brought. He stood up straight and stretched getting the kinks out of his back. "Like go for a walk." She suggested tilting her head to the side. Zack looked at the young women who had her hands in her lap and was biting her lip lightly, she obviously needed a break.
"Alright not a problem. I could probably walk out these kinks in my back." He said turning his torso sharply to the point where his spin cracked. He reached down and touched his toes then back up before sighing in relief and looking at Aerith. "You got anywhere particular in mind?" he asked putting his hands on his hips. Aerith smiled at him and he was glad she was already a bit happier.
"No I just thought we could wander around. We can visit places we used to go to when we were little." She said happily getting to her feet. Zack mulled over what she said for a moment before his smile widened, despite the fact that it was quickly getting dark what Aerith was suggesting sounded like a lot of fun.
"Alright, that sounds like a lot of fun." He said with a nod. Aerith nodded back as she practically danced down the hall towards the door. Zack laughed slightly shaking his head as he followed her, a little less excited obviously. Though he had to admit that excitement was something that was not so slowly creeping up towards him. He had a feeling he knew where Aerith was going to take him. There were, after all, only two places he and his group of friends really hung around and one of those was the park. He pulled on his boots as Aerith walked on outside and stretched. She turned and looked at Zack her eyes urging him to hurry up which he did with a laugh.
They walked for a while and Zack was shocked at the fact that he had been right and that he could remember the way to the place they were going. "So nostalgic…" he said with a sigh running his hand through his hair.
"And it's not different from when we were little too." Aerith said with a smile as she looked up at Zack. Then she looked off at the sun set. Zack turned his head to watch it as well until the two of them fell behind trees and into the small patch of forest just outside of the city. They headed down a trail that had been beat down by countless feet to a familiar place to both Zack and Aerith, something like a little time capsule that would never be forgotten because of all the fun that had occurred here.
Zack walked through the break in the trees and smiled happily letting out a content sigh crossing his arms and looking at his surroundings, Aerith was right it hadn't changed in the least. Trees surrounded this little clearing on three fronts. One of which was the one they had come through which was the only clear way into this little spot. At the far end, opposite where they had just come in was a creek, living out in a place like Nibelheim the water here was almost clean enough to drink, almost, but they never did; though swimming in it was something they used to do. Looking at the water now Zack was pretty sure he would still be able to swim in it. There was a slope from where he stood down to the water with a flat area on either end big enough for you to sit down easily. There was one stunted tree in the middle of this clearing with a rope hanging down from one of the higher branches and a tire tied to the end. It was clear into the creek and Zack remembered how much fun they used to have just swinging into the water. On one side under the shade of the tree there were a few stumps from when the newer trees were just plants and the old dead trees were cut down. They made great seats but aside from those, closer down to the water, there was a stone bench off to the side so someone sitting there wouldn't be kicked in the head by someone swinging into the water. And the grass that covered everything was healthy and green and soft under foot and it was the main thing that drove the friends to hang out in this area.
He followed Aerith as she walked down to the bench and sat down. He sat down next to her and looked down at the clean creek, "So nostalgic…" he said again, he found himself saying it a lot, because that is what this all was. He was living a dream right now. Since he was merely 10 years old he had dreamt of coming back to Nibelheim. Sure it wasn't all going exactly as he had planned, but there had been a few moments already where he felt like he did now. Things that made him so glad he was finally back here.
"It must be." Aerith said through a sigh. Zack looked down at her but noticed she had gotten a little bit closer. He was slightly surprised by her sudden closeness but it didn't really bother him too much, she had been clinging to him for most of the afternoon already. She leaned and rested her head on his shoulder; again he didn't mind too much, it was a friendly and comforting gesture that Zack knew all too well. He almost instinctively put his arm around her shoulders and smiled down at her. That was when she finally caught him off guard, "Zack, I really like you, would you…uh…y'know… go out with me?" she asked shying away slightly tilting her head down to attempt and hide her blushing face, but she also seemed as though she was prepared for rejection. Zack dropped his arm and pushed her off of him lightly before grabbing her chin and turning her so she would look at him.
"Aerith, I like you too, but honestly as nothing more than a good friend. You remembered me and I was so happy." He ran a thumb over her bright red cheek, "But it's not possible for us to be together. My heart already belongs to someone else." He said with a quivering smile, his blue eyes caring yet lost as though in his own world. "You understand right?" he asked tilting his head to the side slightly.
"I understand Zack, I'm sorry, I didn't know." Aerith said pushing Zack's hand away from her face and turning to look back down at the water.
"I didn't expect you to know, it's not something I broadcast." Zack said with a shrug and a light sigh.
"So what's she like?" Aerith asked after a pause. The question caught Zack off guard quite a bit.
"Huh?" he asked looking down at her with a cocked eyebrow. Aerith was smiling at him already seeming to be in higher spirits. She had been acting as though she was expecting to be rejected anyways. Zack still felt bad for hurting her though.
"The person who stole your heart from me." She said punching his arm lightly. She was already joking about it? That too caught Zack off guard. He had expected her to be a little more upset then this.
"Oh, shy, small, cute. Seems really hard to catch right now. Just an unrequited love for the time being I guess." Zack said with a shrug and a light smile, his eyes off into the distance as he pictured Cloud in his mind's eye.
"Why'd you leave Midgar then? You have to keep going; you're such a great guy you can win her over no problem." Aerith asked turning so she was facing Zack and resting her hand on his knee. He looked down at it before looking into her green eyes, they seemed so sincere. It was clear that this girl didn't know how to be mean, didn't know how to carry a grudge.
"Ah, they don't live in Midgar, that's why I left." He said shaking his head.
"Did you love anyone in Midgar?" She asked after a short pause. Zack didn't know why she changed the subject like that, but he was rather glad she did. He didn't want her to know right off the bat that he liked Cloud; it was something he would like to keep a secret until he could really talk to him.
"Anyone I loved?" he murmured frowning slightly as he thought over the word, "Well…I used to think so…But that was back when I was young. I won't make a mistake like I did back then again." Aerith frowned at the words as well.
"What do you mean by that? What was she like?" Aerith questioned, which surprised Zack, he didn't expect her to question on something that so obviously bothered Zack. But she was a girl gossip was something she loved he guessed. He knew he couldn't tell her everything though. She probably wouldn't understand.
"Complete opposite of the person I like now: cynical, pushy, sadistic." Zack shuddered slightly at the recollection. He had never been very serious about the other guy, but he had been such a great comfort at the time that he couldn't say he really hated being with him, though the way he acted now probably made it seem like he had hated it. It just wasn't something he liked thinking about. "Could be such a sweetie sometimes though." He sighed under his breath looking off to the side and rubbing the back of his neck. "But that's in the past, can we drop the subject?" he asked looking back at Aerith as he shook his head.
"Alright I'm sorry." She said before looking down at the water as it flowed down in front of them. Zack found the water calming. They were both silent as they stared into the waters ever darkening depths as the sun fell completely behind the horizon. Finally as the woods started to darken completely before the moon was hidden by clouds Aerith spoke, "I think we should head back."
"Yeah, I kind of want to go to bed." Zack said nodding a sigh escaping his lips. He smiled and Aerith as he stood up and offered her a hand. She took it lightly and he helped lift her to her feet as they headed off back the way they came. Zack let Aerith lead because she knew the area better than him and he wanted to think a little bit more. The two of them were silent until they came up to Zack's house. He smiled as he looked at her, "I'll come get my movies another day."
"Alright. Bye." Zack couldn't see her face clearly but he could tell by her voice that there was a chance she was crying now maybe he had really hurt her. He frowned as he let his hand find her cheek he rubbed his thumb under her eye and sure enough it was moist. A pang rang through his heart. She did really like him, he hated this feeling but he knew it was impossible and it was better that she knew right off the bat, especially since he knew they could still be friends. Aerith pushed Zack's hand away and turned her face down towards the ground.
"Don't cry, I'm not worth it. You'll find a nice guy one day. It's just not me." He said as he lifted her head up again, he gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Good night Aerith." Zack could barely see the small smile she gave him.
"Good night Zack and good luck with Genesis tomorrow." She said before hugging him tightly then continuing down to her house. Zack watched as she left with a small frown on his face before sighing and heading up to his house. He went upstairs and fell onto his bed. He laughed slightly into his pillow and looked across the room at the box on the floor which still had his album full of pictures in it.
"Yeah…I'm going to need all the luck I can get dealing with him." Zack said as he started to drift into a deep sleep.
Zack's eyes cracked open reluctantly as a bird chirped loudly outside his window. He groaned and pushed himself up onto his elbows. He glared in the direction of the window before sighing and getting up. He practically fell off the bed and crawled over to his boxes of stuff. He dug through one of them until he found a watch. He squinted at the small hands as they ticked by. His eyes opened wide as he realized what time it was. It was already 10:30 AM; he had wanted to be out of by 10 at the latest. "Damn." He hissed as he got up and ran down out of his bedroom and into the bathroom to have a shower and do something with his hair.
He wandered back to his room drying out his hair with his towel and grumbling to himself, he was taking a lot longer then he would have liked to take. He dropped the towel on the floor next to the door as he got himself dressed; just a navy blue button up with three buttons in the middle done up and a pair of dark jeans He went back to the bathroom and did his hair then headed back into his room. He pulled on some socks as he sat down next to his box he pulled out the album that had the pictures of his last week here in it. He smiled down at the cover as he opened it; he looked through the pictures a few times before deciding to take the whole thing with him.
The drive to Cid's auto shop was a short one. Zack saw both Genesis's truck and Cid's truck parked outside. He gulped slightly as he stepped out of his car the small album in hand. He was not looking forward to seeing Cid when he went in. He stepped inside and sighed in relief when he saw Genesis sitting at a desk with his feet up on the top. He was staring up at the ceiling and looked bored out of his mind. As Zack took a few steps in he looked up with a cocked eyebrow, his confusion only deepening when he saw it was Zack who was walking in.
"Did someone run over that ant of a car of yours?" Genesis asked moving his feet off the desk to sit properly. He smirked at Zack who rolled his eyes and sighed. He opened the little book he had and looked for a decent picture. The first one he came across was one that was quite obviously taken by Sephiroth of himself, Genesis and Angeal; it was the one he had first looked at the day he had found them. Zack smirked down at the picture before looking at Genesis.
"You said you didn't know me before. I over reacted to that like I did because… we used to be best friends." Zack said with a small smirk ready to gauge Genesis's reaction and hopefully not piss him off or freak him out to much. Genesis's grin turned to a frown in a second as he glared at Zack.
"I told you before; I have never met you before in my life." Genesis stated just as Zack threw the picture down in front of him. Genesis blinked as he looked down at the picture with a cocked eyebrow. He picked it up and examined it, his eyes opening wide in shock. He looked at the picture then at Zack then at the picture again, "What the…" he mumbled.
"This picture begs to differ. I used to live here eleven years ago. You, Sephiroth, Angeal and I used to hang out all the time, you guys used to treat me like a puppy. You were always bothering Tifa and whenever we fought Aerith would have to come and split us all up. Normally it was either you and Sephiroth or you and me starting the fights." Zack explained crossing his arms as he flipped through the pictures some more, "All of these were taken in the week before I left for Midgar." He said with a sigh opening the book to two more pictures which included Genesis putting it down on the table in front of him: including the one of him getting slapped by Tifa and a the candid of him, Sephiroth and Angeal. Genesis looked completely shocked just looking at the pictures. Then he winced and rubbed his head. Zack couldn't help but be hopeful. Genesis groaned and his forehead hit the table. "Hey, you okay?" Zack asked with a frown.
"I'm fine, I'm just…confused." Genesis sighed. Silence fell over the two of them and the sound of machinery not far off was really starting to bother Zack. Genesis had lifted his head from the desk and was looking off to the side and out a window; it was obvious he was actually deep in thought. After about ten minutes, though it could have been less than that, Genesis turned to him. "Wanna go out for lunch? We need to talk a bit more." Genesis asked. Zack blinked a couple times slightly surprised by the rather sudden offer.
"Alright, that sounds good." Zack was very happy through his confusion, it seemed as though he had finally gotten through to Genesis. Maybe things would go a little bit more as he had expected from now on. Genesis stood up and handed Zack the pictures he took them and they headed out. Even more to Zack's relief he had avoided a confrontation with Cid. He followed Genesis to his truck already knowing it wouldn't be possible to get Genesis into his little car. Zack got into the passenger seat of Genesis's truck as the older man went to turn on the truck. He tried starting it a couple times. His eyes started to open wider as he continued to try. Then he smacked the steering wheel.
"FUCK!" he yelled before rubbing his temple. "I'll be right back, gotta talk to Cid. We're taking your car." Genesis said opening his door and hopping out of his truck and rushing back into the building. Zack blinked a couple times and he slowly got out as well. He headed across the parking lot to where his car was parked and sat himself inside as he waited for Genesis. His eyes closed and he let out a sigh he couldn't believe how well that had worked. He would have to try jogging Cloud's memory later as well.
Zack jumped when the car door opened and Genesis practically fell into the seat next to him. He looked all but happy right now. He closed the door harder than necessary before turning and looking at Zack. "Hey, is your truck alright?" Zack had to ask. He frowned as Genesis huffed and looked away and pulled on his seat belt. He ran a gloved hand through his hair and glared out the window shifting around in his seat slightly as though trying to find a way to sit that was actually comfortable. This was the last thing Zack wanted, a pissed off Genesis was never a good thing, ever since they were little. So Zack couldn't help but try to lighten the mood, "You were exactly like this when you were younger too. If things don't go your way you pout and get angry and snap at whoever tries to tell you something different." Zack said shaking his head and turning on his car. Genesis blinked a couple times as he turned to look at Zack he frowned and his eyebrows were furrowed.
"Like you're doing right now." He stated, it was far from a question and it made Zack laugh and shake his head.
"You've never scared me, Genesis. Angeal, Sephiroth and I were the only ones who would even bother with dealing with you when you were all pouty." He said with a shrug looking out the window then smirked at Genesis, "We could take a few of your sissy punches. Even though I'm four years younger than you."
"Sissy, eh? I'd like to see you say that now." Genesis said undoing his seatbelt before jumping at Zack getting in a punch to the side of his head. He was right, he was a lot stronger then he had been when they were younger, but Zack was too. No little boys could get into SOLDIER. Zack grabbed Genesis's wrists and tried to push him back seeing as his seatbelt was cutting into his collar. Genesis growled lightly as he pushed back. If that was how he was going to be Zack let go of one of Genesis's wrists to undo his seatbelt with his now free hand Genesis punched Zack solid in the gut earning a groan from the younger man.
"Cheap shot." Zack said shaking his head and pushing Genesis back by the face.
"Wanna see a cheap shot?" Genesis asked. Zack's eyes widened as he knew what was coming next and opted to save himself the pain.
"Uh, no I don't." He said letting go of Genesis's face. He opened the car door, repositioned himself so his feet were on Genesis's chest and flipped him out of the car onto the pavement. Genesis groaned as Zack rolled out of the car after him. Genesis grabbed his gut and groaned again. Zack frowned and knelt down next to him. "Are you alright?" he asked. He didn't expect to have his ankle grabbed and jerked out from under him sending him back. The back of his head smacked against the car door and he groaned in pain as Genesis got up. Zack quickly pushed himself to his feet as well as Genesis went to punch him. Zack caught his fist, then the other fist very movie like. He met Genesis's head half way to keep the amount of pain minimal. He took a sharp breath as he flipped his hands to grab Genesis's wrists again. In a swift movement he pulled his head back pulled Genesis's wrists together and threw the older man down onto his knee. Genesis groaned in defeat as he slid to the ground clutching his stomach.
"God damn it…" he hissed out.
"Can we get going now?" Zack asked with a large smile. Genesis smirked up at him, obviously much happier now. Genesis pushed himself to his feet and brushed off his jacket.
"Yeah alright." He said walking back around to the passenger side of the car and getting in as Zack sat back down and closed the still open driver side door. Genesis shook his head and laughed lightly, "You really are strong." He stated looking at Zack as the two buckled themselves in.
"Well I would hope so," Zack stated starting up the car again and backing up out of the parking lot, "I was in SOLDIER for four years." He said with a laugh. Genesis was silent for a moment before he burst into hearty laughter. Zack cocked an eyebrow as he looked at the brunette out of the corner of his eye. "What's so funny?"
"Two things." Genesis said holding up to fingers, "One; I just picked a fight with a guy from SOLDIER and two; I'm really starting to remember you." Zack perked up at that second reason, his eyebrows shooting high onto his forehead as he looked and Genesis and ignored the road, not that there was anyone else around anyways. Genesis shook his head, "How can I not remember something when all this proof is shoved into my face."
"That's a relief." Zack said with a sigh and looking back at the road. He pulled into the parking lot of the most popular little restaurant in town. He stopped the car as Genesis got out. Zack was close behind him. First thing Genesis had to do though was stretch. He turned to Zack and smirked.
"How can you stand such a tiny thing, I was only in it for five minutes at the most and I'm in pain." He stated. Zack sighed.
"You could be in pain because I threw you on the pavement about five minutes ago." He retorted.
"Okay, point taken." Genesis said. Zack shook his head as the two of them headed in. They sat themselves down in a booth near a window and a waitress with long red hair came by and took their orders, she had a Russian accent and wore rather revealing clothes.
"When'd they add a bar to this place?" Zack asked looking away from the waitress to Genesis who was practically ogling the waitress's ass.
"Huh?" he practically gasped as he turned and looked at Zack. "Oh the bar, right. Uh, when Barret moved in he asked the manager about adding on a bar. It was a good idea for both of them. And bringing in these waitresses has helped a bit too." He said glancing to the side at the waitress who had served them. Zack rolled his eyes but laughed. Zack couldn't help but remember that Aerith had told him that Tifa worked at Barret's bar and he looked around for someone who could be her, but he didn't see her.
"It's like no one even left this place." Zack said with a sigh. Genesis looked at him, his head tilted to the side. Zack laughed slightly and scratched the back of his neck, "Well I mean come on, who is gone: Sephiroth, Angeal, Rufus…" he paused before adding in a quieter tone, "Cissinei." It still hurt to think about her and the fact that she was actually dead. Genesis didn't seem to really notice how upset it made Zack, or he was just trying to make him feel better.
"Yeah Angeal's gone, he left about eight months ago for a job in Midgar under Shinra. Rufus hooked him up with the job." He explained. He smirked at the waitress as she gave them their drinks and took their orders, he winked at her and she just rolled her eyes and giggled as she walked away. He turned back to Zack and continued with his explanation, "But Rufus isn't really gone, he still lives here he just works in Midgar with his father. Last time I checked…Sephiroth was in the same situation. Sephiroth is around a lot more though." He said with a shrug. Zack's eyebrows shot up.
"Sephiroth is still around!" he questioned rather loudly.
"Well yeah. I guess." Genesis said giving Zack a motion as though to quiet down which he obeyed slightly embarrassed over that sudden outburst.
"It'll be great to see him again. Do you have any idea when he will be coming back?" Zack questioned looking at Genesis hopefully. To his disappointment Genesis shook his head.
"Sorry I have no clue what Sephiroth's schedule is like. I just know he's busy really often. He works as a modeling agent. The job suits him." Genesis said with a shrug.
"Someone intimidating like Sephiroth…" Zack said looking off to the side. He had to think about it for a moment but he had to admit, it was a job he could see Sephiroth doing.
"Yeah but on top of being intimidating he's smart, sly, stubborn, smooth, not to mention he could pull off being a model himself." Genesis added, smirking at the waitress as she gave them their food. Zack thought over what Genesis had said. He had never heard Genesis compliment someone so much before. Maybe he was jealous? Maybe he respected Sephiroth? Zack wasn't completely sure. Zack was brought back to reality by a rather grossed out sound Genesis made. Zack cocked an eyebrow and looked at him; he had his gaze off to the side. Out of curiosity Zack followed the brunette's gaze.
His eyes rested on another pair of men that their waitress was serving. The only difference he really noticed was that the waitress was laughing and talking to them and even seemed to be hitting on the two of them, who just laughed jokingly. Both of them had hair down to the middle of their backs. One had silver, nearly white hair, he had blue eyes and his bangs covered one eye and one spike at the side flew up and out like a cowlick. The other had black hair that was spiked forward at the front but also covered one of his off red, nearly orange, eyes. The black haired man didn't have his hair tied up but it was pushed back with a white head band which looked sort of like a bandage. The red headed waitress seemed to really like both of them.
"What, you jealous Genesis?" Zack asked looking back at his friend who was eating quickly, his shoulders hunched forward and his gaze aimed down at the white table top. In a split second his gaze sharpened into a glare which he directed up at Zack, who had to take a sharp breath to keep from flinching under that icy blue gaze.
"I would never be jealous of scum like them." He stated with a razor like tongue. Zack blinked a couple times not understanding why Genesis was being so fierce.
"What's wrong with them?" Zack asked looking at the two who were laughing together and talking to one another happily before looking back at Genesis who was glaring at them with his lip twitching in what seemed like disgust.
"Just look at them, it's gross." He said glancing at Zack out of the corner of his eyes then back at the two. Zack looked back at the two of them, and a small blush formed along his cheek bone as he watched the two who were now holding hands on top of the table lean towards one another and kiss. Zack thought it was sweet, the two of them seemed so happy. A smile fluttered onto his features just to be dashed away at Genesis's next words, "Ugh…gays, that's so disgusting." Zack frowned and turned quickly back to his food. He ate silently and Genesis did as well. This was suddenly not going well again. What would Genesis say if he found out Zack was gay, would he shun him like he so obviously did those other two. He chewed at his lip slightly as he mulled these thoughts over warily.
When they finished eating the two of them headed back out to the car, "So do you have to go back to work?" Zack asked leaning against the door of his car.
"Yeah, Cid probably didn't do anything with my truck. I'm probably going to have to fix her up myself when I get back there." He said with a sigh pushing his hair back with one hand just to have it all fall back exactly where it was before. Zack nodded as he sat down in his little vehicle. Genesis went and got in the other side. He sighed loudly, "This thing really is small, there's practically no leg room or anything." He huffed closing the door a little harder than necessary.
"It's more practical to drive something like this in the city. To be honest sticking out was something I didn't want to do any more of." Zack said with a sigh as he pulled out of the parking lot and out onto the road, driving down towards the auto shop.
"You don't seem like the kind of person who would stick out to much." Genesis stated looking at Zack with a cocked eyebrow. Zack laughed and shook his head.
"It wasn't really me who stood out; it was who I hung around with. They were…different to say the least I guess." Zack said with a shrug and a laugh. Genesis nodded, understanding, but he didn't question any further which Zack was thankful for. He continued to drive until he pulled into the parking lot of the shop. He parked in front of the building and Genesis sighed as he opened the door and stepped out. He paused before turning back and leaning down to look at Zack.
"Hey, thanks…I'm glad I got the chance to remember you. You are very stubborn aren't you?" The brunette said with a smirk.
"I've had people say that, yes." He said with a wide smile, he hadn't been happier since he got here, things were starting to go better, Genesis had admitted to remembering him, Sephiroth was still around, Angeal wasn't completely gone…there was one thing that he really had to see if he could change now. "I'll see you later Genesis." Zack said with a wave. Genesis laughed as he stood up and stretched; resting his hand he put his hand on the top of the door.
"Even if the morrow is barren of promise nothing shall forestall my return." Genesis said quoting his favourite book, Zack remembered when this brunette had first got that book, it had been something he had been forced to read for school. Even in Midgar Zack had been forced to read it, a great story but he didn't love it as much as Genesis did. Genesis closed the door of the car and Zack waved to him again before driving off. He knew where he was going now; he had one more thing to deal with before he went home. He looked down at the book of pictures lying on the seat next to him.
Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return…
He parked his car in the driveway up to the quaint white house with the light coloured shingling. Zack took a deep breath as he stopped the car and stepped out. There was no car in the driveway he noticed and wondered if maybe Cloud was still out, even though Aerith said he would be back yesterday. Zack shook his head and the thoughts left as he approached the front door. Standing in front of the door he took another deep breath. One hand was clenched tightly around the photo album the other reached forward and pressed the door bell. He heard it ring inside the house and he started to chew at his bottom lip.
"Mew." Zack blinked as he heard the sound. He looked down at his feet and saw an adorable little calico cat with amber eyes looking up at him. He laughed slightly as he bent down and pet the small animal on the head.
"Hey there, are you Cloud's cat?" he said, it didn't have a collar but he himself wasn't sure what exactly talking to the animal would prove. He shook his head and stood up straight. The cat rubbed itself against his leg before walking over to the door and sitting in front of it, mewling up at it. Zack smiled at the small animal and was slightly distracted until the door opened, he watched the cat run inside as his eyes widened and his trailed quickly up Cloud's frame to his confused looking blue eyes. "Um, hi I'm Zack, I recently moved in across the street." He said pointing at his house. "And, I have something I would like to show you, do you mind?" He questioned unable to help but be hopeful. Cloud was frowning though and he looked both confused and creeped out.
"Alright. Come in." the blond finally said with a nod walking back into the house. Zack's heart leapt as he stepped inside and looked around he noticed where Cloud had put his shoes and took his off there as well. He headed inside looking around a little as he did. The whole place seemed rather neutral. Cloud was standing in the doorway which looked like it led to the kitchen, "You can go sit down in the living room." The blond said pointing down the hall towards the living room where Zack could see a long couch and a coffee table. He nodded to Cloud before going and sitting down in the middle of the couch and putting the little photo album down on the table in front of him. He heard the sound of something hitting plastic; he would assume he was feeding the cat. After that Cloud came out into the living room and sat down beside Zack on the couch and looked at him with a small pout and a cocked eyebrow.
"Well you said you didn't remember me the last time I talked to you a week or so ago. Zack started, handing the book to Cloud, "These pictures were taken when I lived here eleven years ago." He said. Cloud looked at him then took the book and opened it, looking through the pictures.
"I'm not in any of these." Cloud stated as he looked at all of the pictures, "These are taken here but…It doesn't really prove anything if I'm not in them." Cloud said glancing into Zack's eyes, Zack looked back into Cloud's and he got lost for a moment before shaking his head.
"No, there is one of you trust me." Zack said turning a few of the pages himself to the back of the album. He couldn't help but get slightly choked up just looking at the picture of himself and Cloud sitting on top of the roof of his house, especially since he was sitting next to that adorable little blond boy right now, except…he wasn't little anymore. Cloud though was frowning down at the picture and examining it thoroughly. "That's of us on the roof of my house." Zack stated through a sigh. Cloud looked at him for a moment then back down at the picture.
"I don't remember this…" Cloud stated shaking his head. Zack's heart sank. Cloud was chewing at his bottom lip, "But it does look…familiar." He said in a small hushed voice. Zack didn't know what to feel now, so what if it was familiar, he didn't remember it the way Zack had hoped he would.
"That's alright; you can look through the rest of them if you want it doesn't really matter." Zack said with a shrug. Cloud nodded as he started to slowly flip back through the pictures examining each one with what seemed like endless curiosity. Zack looked down at the pale blue carpet as he tried to think of something that might possibly jog Cloud's memory. As he was thinking a cat walked up and brushed against his leg, it was a different one from the calico, this one was black and white, it had a mask of black fur across its green eyes and black legs and tail the rest of it was white except for two small black spots on its side. It looked up at Zack and meowed, Zack smiled as he pet the small animal. Then something came to him that might make Cloud remember him. "Hey, have you ever wanted to be in SOLDIER?" he asked Cloud with a smile. The cat jumped up onto his legs and curled itself up and Zack continued to pet the now purring creature.
"Well…yeah, but that was just a childish dream." Cloud said after a moment's pause. He closed the photo album and put it back down on the table. He looked down at his cat on Zack's lap and scratched its chin, seeming to be rather deep in thought as he did so, his blue eyes looking completely lost.
"Yeah? You know I was in SOLDIER. First class at that." Zack said with a smirk watching Cloud's hand as he pet the cat.
"That's cool." Cloud said then an awkward silence surrounded them, and Zack felt completely crushed. He didn't even remember their promise…the promise that Zack had been sure to keep in all aspects. He stared at Cloud's hand as his jaw clenched and he fought back the painful lump in his throat which could only bring on tears. He was not going to cry in front of Cloud.
"Uh, I think I should get going." Zack said standing up, the cat jumping off of him at the last second. He picked up his photo album. He turned and looked at Cloud who stood with his arms crossed, "I'm sorry for bothering you." Cloud shrugged as he followed Zack down to the front door. Zack pulled on his shoes as he looked at Cloud again, "I hope we can talk some other time though." Cloud nodded.
"Alright, bye Zack." Cloud said with a curt wave. Zack nodded as he headed out the door, he didn't look back as he heard the door close behind him. He sighed heavily as he walked down to his car, threw the small book into the passenger side and drove himself down and across the street to park in front of his house. His forehead hit the top of the steering wheel as he parked. He felt the sudden urge to spill everything on his mind to someone. He had to go talk to Aerith. He got of the car and cut across the lawn to Aerith's house.
He had to wait a few moments after knocking on the door for the young brunette to answer it, "Oh, hi Zack! Come in." she said stepping aside and motioning him inside. Zack stepped in and kicked off his shoes and followed Aerith into the living room, he stopped in the doorway.
"You mind if we go somewhere a little more private…?" he asked quietly. Aerith looked at him with a cocked eyebrow from where she was getting Zack's DVDs. He sighed but smiled as he added, "I don't want your mom to see a grown man cry." He said looking down at her. Aerith's eyes widened as she noticed how glassy and red Zack's eyes were. She nodded as she jumped to her feet and headed upstairs, Zack followed her silently. She headed into the room which was obviously her bedroom. The walls were a pale pink colour, and the furniture was almost if not all white. Aerith was seated on the bed, where she patted a space for Zack to join her. He did.
"What's wrong Zack?" She asked throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly, if anything it made Zack feel even worse.
"Well…you know the person…who I said had captured my heart…?" he asked, the words were not hard to form, but incredibly difficult to actually speak. He didn't want to hurt Aerith any more then he had the other day.
"Yes." She stated rather sharply, which Zack hadn't really been expecting. None the less she kept a hold on him, keeping him close. He noticed now her fingers running through the hair which rested against his neck. Such a calming feeling, but again, it only made him feel worse about what had happened and what he was going to say.
"They're actually the reason I came back here in the first place…" he stated. Aerith stopped moving for a second before sighing and continuing to move her fingers through his hair, "It's…Cloud." He stated, he closed his eyes and expected the worst, bracing himself completely. Aerith stopped again before letting go of him. He chanced opening one eye as he looked up at her from his hunched over position.
"Cloud Strife?" she asked in a rather disbelieving tone. Zack just nodded, not trusting himself to be able to say anything more without breaking down into tears. "You're…gay?" She asked, she seemed very reluctant to say the word though, but Zack didn't blame her. Again Zack just nodded in answer to the question. "And the person in Midgar….was a guy too?" She asked. Zack nodded. He heard Aerith sigh in relief; it was weird how obvious she had made it and how clear that it made her relieved. Zack looked at her with a cocked eyebrow, "So I never had a chance from the beginning…and it had nothing to do with me as a person." She stated her thoughts before laughing slightly and hugging Zack again, "I'm actually relieved." She said in a quiet voice.
"I'm just glad you're alright with it." Zack said wrapping one arm around her and hugging her back. Aerith though seemed to notice the second side to that sentence, which Zack wished she hadn't.
"Did Genesis say something?" She asked with a stern look.
"No, not to me at least, he has no idea. Don't worry." Zack said shaking his head, it didn't seem to completely fulfill Aerith's want but it was all she was getting. She let go of him again and sat there looking up at the white stucco ceiling, her hands clasped in her lap.
"So, Cloud…" she breathed out with a small frown.
"I went to see him today…after I talked to Genesis, I seemed to have jogged his memory so I wanted to try with Cloud too." He explained with a shrug, "But…it didn't work, he still has no idea who I am or…I guess more accurately, who I was." He said his head lowering again as he sighed.
"You would have a lot of trouble getting Cloud to remember…even more then Genesis…he would never hold on to a memory." Aerith explained, "So much has happened to him since you left, he hates his past, 'the past is over it is nothing to live for' or something like that." She said with a shrug. Those words crushed Zack completely. He put his head in his hands as he fought back the urge to actually have tears drop. But with those words he had been completely cast away by the person he loved. Aerith seemed to notice how upset it made him though as she put a hand on his shoulder, "So what if he doesn't remember the past, this gives you a chance to have him know the new you, the you today, make him fall in love with you Zack." She said happily. Zack lifted his head and looked at her; a quivering smile pulled its way onto his face as he pulled her into a tight hug which seemed to catch her off guard.
"Thank you so much Aerith." He said a single tearing catching to the fabric on her shoulder. "I am going to make him fall in love with me. He…no... all of you are the reason I am still sane right now…I don't want to lose any of you." He said with a sigh. Aerith hugged him back tightly at the words.
"That means a lot coming from you Zack. I am sure everything will work out fine for you." She said letting go of him and pushing him off of her, "I mean it Zack." She said. Zack nodded.
"I know."
Again, another part I didn't have planned out until later but worked now. D8, Aerith wasn't supposed to confess to Zack until later, but this was supposed to be the chapter that he told her he liked Cloud, so i figured it would work better in this chapter. Anywho, I'm really looking forward to writing the next chapter, my love is making his first debut in that chapter eee. Anyways read, enjoy, tell me what you think 8D.
~Fire