Zack's Final Mission
Chapter 5: The Report in good hands
Darkness.
"Hey Zack!" He heard Angeal's voice echoing somewhere through the black void. "Quit being lazy!"
"But I feel so good here… so relaxed."
"Aww man! This is boring!" Angeal laughed. "Living is the real deal!"
"I went praying for you this morning in the church… Do you remember our church? The flowers are blooming so well." Aerith kneeled beside Zack while dipping a piece of cotton gently in the warm water of an earthen pan and softly cleaned his face from the red stream of dry blood that coloured his white skin. "But then I was startled by someone crashing down the roof, just like you did when I first met you."
"Is this yours?" The blond haired man asked looking around at the flower bed. He acted as surprised as you did when you saw the flowers! "I'm sorry…"
"It's ok… they broke your fall." I told him.
"He said he was a mercenary and he was dressed in a uniform just like yours. I asked him to help me get home because the Turks appeared and I was afraid they would do something to me. To tell you the truth he reminded me of you…in a way."
"It's not the first time they follow you?" The man asked surprised once we reached the safety of my house and I shook my head, of course not, they are always around.
"I had to tell him I am an Ancient. I kept getting the idea he wanted to tell me something but I have no idea what it was. He bought me a flower earlier, before falling down the roof of the church. He said he had given it to a girl named Tifa who is working at a Seventh Heaven bar or something like that. When you get better, we should go there. You promised me one date remember"
"He also had eyes like yours, with a strange glow… mako infused." Aerith kept telling him while cleaning his wounds. She paused to caress his cheek with the back of her fingers, tracing a line from the top of his eye and down next to his mouth. "But yours are prettier!" She smiled but then suddenly her eyes looked blankly at him wishing he could open his again to look at her.
By then Aerith had already tried healing him with her materia but what she was only able to do was close the surface wounds he had from the bullet holes and there were no scratches in his arms anymore. Also the knees where he had taken serious damage were almost fully-healed. But Zack remained motionless. Asleep. As long as he kept breathing Aerith wouldn't stop trying.
"He asked me about the Cetras, but I myself don't know much about them. All I know is that we can speak with the Planet and unlock it. When we die… we return to a place called The Promised Land."
"He said his name is Cloud Strife." As soon as Aerith pronounced his name, the fingers in Zack's right hand twitched lightly.
Cloud woke up startled by his dreams and sat up looking around. The curtains covering the window of the Inn he was staying were letting the small amount of morning light that the city's plates allowed to reach the streets came in by its corners. Getting up, he drew the curtains to the side letting the light come in and illuminate his body.
He rubbed his eyes tiredly and reached for the uniform trousers he had folded on top of a bedroom's chair. When he picked them up upside down he noticed a piece of paper falling down onto the floor from one of its pockets. After picking it up, he unfolded it carefully and scanned the content of its text with his eyes. Hurriedly he proceeded to the outside of the Inn.
Aerith closed the white curtain behind her and held the earthen pan full of reddish water against her waist holding the other edge with her hand to go change the water and return to try to use her powers on Zack again. But as she started walking towards a faucet in the middle of some metal-built houses she noticed by the corner of her eyes someone's shadow stopping a few feet next to her. She turned and saw the man she had met yesterday standing there.
"Oh hello!" She smiled resting the earthen pan on the floor. "Going already?"
"Yes I need to get to Sector 6 to go up to the city again." Cloud answered looking intriguingly at the water recipient on the floor.
"Oh… There's a sick man I'm taking care of…" Aerith noticed the direction of his gaze. "He… means a lot to me you know?"
"I asked around to know where I could find you." Cloud looked back at her. "I wanted to give you something before I left." Cloud stretched his arm to her revealing a piece of white paper that he handed her. "You said that your materia has always been good for nothing… I found this in my pocket and thought it could help you."
"What is it?" Aerith took the paper hesitantly.
"You should read it." Cloud nodded assuring her. "I don't remember clearly but I think I took this from a mission in the Shinra Mansion a while ago, or it has been in my uniform's pocket before I even had it I don't know."
"Oh…" Aerith looked closely at Cloud's face and she couldn't help wondering if he was feeling well, he seemed confused about something. "What happened to you Cloud? Do you need any help?"
"No… I'm fine." Cloud shook his head promptly. "About what's written in there… promise me you won't take it personally…"
"Ok! But don't worry that much! Everything will be alright!" Aerith smiled kindly not thinking about her at all but worried about him. She picked up the water recipient once more. "Well then... Thank you for everything Cloud, I will read this as soon as I change this water."
"One more thing…" Cloud interrupted Aerith's march, thoughtfully trying to remember something long forgotten but that was trying to make way and become clear in his memory. There was something familiar in that girl; something about her name he wanted to remember. "Good luck with your friend." He shrugged unsuccessfully.
"Boyfriend." Aerith giggled and Cloud returned the smile with the corners of his lips. "By the way, if you want to go back up to the city from sector six, the only way is through Don Corneo's mansion! The security has been tightened."
"I'll keep that in mind, thank you." Cloud turned in the opposite direction, leaving the girl dressed in pink with her thoughts.
She reached for the hot faucet coming from the brick wall and turned it open while she emptied the pan down the framed drain on the floor. Unfolding the piece of paper Cloud had given her while the water filled the earthen pan she lifted the paper in front of her chest. Her mouth opened in surprise as her nature-green eyes read it attentively.
Shinra Report number 2990
Ancient Experiment
Number of subject: 134
After many attempts to understand the workings of these beings, we finally came to some clearings. The subject in matter was able to use her powers without any source of influence by any kind of materia, although they are perfectly able to use materia they can work without it as well.
It appears that the only materia she cannot use or comprehend is the one called Holy and when she tries to use it, it interferes with her own Ancient powers making them less potent or useless. It seems this kind of materia is meant to do only one thing and they all refused to confess what it is.
The Holy materia they carry with them is not the portal to the Promised Land, however it is believed it contains great power within it. The ways of its usage are yet to be discovered.
After interrogating the subject continuously, the subject refused to give us anymore answers.
After the tests and research done on the subject she did not survive.
- End of Report
Aerith's eyes filled with tears as she finished reading the report. It disgusted her the way they referred to the poor soul they concentrated their experiences on as "subject". She wasn't a subject, she was a person, she could laugh, cry, smile, walk, feel. How dared they kill all of her family to try to reach the Promised Land, a place that was out of their reach in every way possible. That Ancient could have been a member of her family and because of what they did to them Aerith was the last one of them alive.
One of a kind.
And she felt so lonely at times, so misunderstood.
"Promise me you won't take it personally."
How could she not take it personally? But Cloud was right, he didn't give her that report for her to know what they did to the Ancients, he wanted to help her understand her materia and her Ancient powers. Crumpling the piece of paper with her shaking hands she rushed back to the metal tube tripping on the water pan but leaving it there spreading the water all over the dark floor.
No wonder she couldn't get hold of her materia, she didn't understand what to do with it.
"Let's do this." Aerith kneeled beside Zack but this time instead of inputting the green materia inside her wrist, she pushed it to the side making it roll to the corner of the small space they were in.
Aerith closed her eyes and concentrated on healing Zack. Breathing evenly and slowly Aerith started feeling a sort of warmth eradiating from her chest. She asked the Planet to help her heal him, to grant her the opportunity to make Zack come back from his slumber and so the warmth became stronger. She opened both hands with their palms up to the sky in front of her chest and tried to balance the warmth in between them. It started getting heavier and she struggled to keep the pressure only in between her hands without it leaving her seize.
She slowly opened her eyes and saw a fluorescent green bulb of light hovering in front of her. As it glowed the light blew a tender comfortable wind to her face. This was it; she could control it perfectly after so many failed attempts to do it. The Holy materia holding back her powers were making it harder for her.
Slowly she controlled the light green radiance down towards Zack's upper body until she pushed it into him with both her hands.
"Please…" She whispered panting from pushing the strong light into his body. "Please let him come back."
Zack's body lifted a few inches in the air and glowed in a brilliant white light. Seen from the outside, the huge metal tube flashed once causing the curtain to burst open vertically in one sudden blow and then it went back to silence and calm a second later.
Zack opened his blue eyes and Aerith smiled happily and releaved before falling down to the side next to him, asleep.
Note: Ah! They just don't get the chance do they? When one is awake the other one is asleep, now Zack is awake and Aerith goes to sleep! I hope you liked this chapter! Next chapter will be the reunion… Finally! Thank you so much for the reviews everyone! I really appreciate it!