Zack's Final Mission
Chapter 7: The Turks
"Tseng!" Zack called again surprised to see him but even more surprised at the expression on his face. Tseng looked down to the ground and closed his eyes thinking about something they couldn't have guessed. It was then the Turk lifted his hand to reach for his gun buckled in his belt, took it out and pointed it at Zack. "What are you doing man?" Zack motioned to get his sword in defence but it wasn't there on his back. Force of habit. He thought while blocking Aerith from Tseng's way behind his body.
"I'm sorry." Tseng shook his head sadly but remained with his arm stretched holding his gun in his hand pointing it in the direction of Zack's head. "You were supposed to be dead."
"Well sorry I disappointed you!" Zack replied sarcastically glaring at him. "You're not seriously going to kill me in front of her." He glanced behind him at the girl who was staring attentively at Tseng above Zack's shoulder, she looked concentrated on something. Her lips trembled lightly as if she was ready to say something but hesitated.
"I wasn't planning on it, but I am following orders." Tseng coolly replied.
"What's wrong with you?!" Zack asked unbelievingly. "Why are you here then?"
"I came…" Tseng paused for two seconds before answering. "To take her." He tilted his head to look at Aerith and took a better grip of his gun expecting the next reaction from him. And he was right to do so. The minute Tseng stopped talking Zack had already jumped to him trying to reach his gun but Tseng avoided his advance by rolling to the side. Zack quickly followed him and blocked Tseng by the shoulders placing his strong arm around his neck and starting to strangle him. In despair Tseng shot two times to the air in the directions he could without noticing where to.
"Stop!" Aerith yelled at the top of her lungs. "STOP!"
They did as she asked them and Zack immediately loosened his grip at Tseng's neck but remained blocking his moves as he held him by the shoulders with his arms. Tseng also stopped shooting and kept back motionless in Zack's grip.
"Why are you doing this Tseng?" Aerith asked approaching the two men.
"Stay where you are!" Zack cried at her. "Please don't come near him." Aerith did as he told her to and stopped walking.
"You weren't like the others…" She continued speaking while Tseng avoided meeting her gaze. "You didn't follow orders you didn't agree with."
"How do you know that?" Tseng looked up at her, this time to meet the confrontation.
"Because if you were… I'd had already been captured." She continued.
"You don't know what you're talking about. I have to take you." Tseng looked away again. Aerith took one step closer to him to Zack's discomfort; he closed in on the grip to make him unmovable. She reached for the man's chin with the tips of her fingers closed in her hand and lifted it so he turned at her.
"What are you doing Aerith?" Zack asked surprised and she winked at him playfully reassuring him.
"The Tseng I know would help us." Aerith smiled kindly at the Turk.
"I can't do that…" Tseng tried to escape Zack's arm with no success. "I'm sorry." Part of him wished Zack had never existed, part of him wished that things could have been different between him and the flower girl, part of him knew she could never stay with him and that small part of him was making him react like that because he knew Zack would take her far away from him. Seeing Zack there with her had awakened feelings he thought were long gone.
"Tseng, please." Aerith pleaded. And she wasn't helping Tseng's resolve; he could never resist those eyes. "For old times sake?" She tried.
"I'll be in trouble in Shinra." Tseng confessed sighing.
"Who cares what you'll be!" Zack exclaimed disgusted by the Turk's words. After all that has happened he couldn't believe that man was still willing to be loyal to the corporation who had almost shattered his dreams. Unless there was more behind the story he was telling. Had he missed something in between?
"The gun I just shot…" Tseng spoke. "It has an interior chip inside each bullet. Every time we press the trigger and a bullet expels from the tube it activates it and sends a signal to the closest member of the Turks to call for help as well as to Shinra. It's a new technology they created for safety reasons." He explained glancing around expecting some company. "Soon enough someone will be here."
"And why should we believe you?" Zack gritted his teeth impatiently. "That could be an excuse for us to set you free."
"You don't really have a choice do you?" Tseng gasped for air from the tight grip of Zack's arm that didn't quiver a bit. "Unless you're lucky… I suggest you do as I say."
"What do you mean unless we're lucky?" Zack asked.
"Tseng please let us go." Aerith asked softly while looking around nervously. She didn't want to get caught; not right now that he was finally here with her. She didn't want to jeopardize everything by getting caught and Zack killed for good this time
"You have to let me go first." The Turk requested.
"I knew it!" Zack didn't let go of him. "I don't trust him, not anymore. Aerith what if he hurts you?"
"I would never hurt Aerith!" Tseng yelled indigenised.
"Oh really!? That coming from someone who pointed a gun at her and said he was going to take her." Now it was Zack's turn to be incredulous.
"I wasn't pointing it at her!" Tseng replied annoyed. "I was just following orders to take her I wasn't going to hurt her."
"And what do you think they'd do the minute you walked into Shinra with her? Offer her some cookies with tea so they can sit down and chat? Give me a break Tseng!"
"Let him go free." Zack felt the cold end of a gun on the side of his head followed by a slightly familiar woman's voice. But what surprised him the most was the astonished gasp of the voice as soon as she recognized who he was. Zack slowly turned his head to the left to put a face on the voice he heard and saw standing there a long wavy brown-haired young woman with light brown shallow eyes widened at him.
"Zack…" The young lady whispered in shock with eyes filling with tears.
"Great…" Tseng rolled his eyes. "Just as I didn't hope it would happen…"
"Cis- Cissnei?" Zack stammered letting Tseng loose. The man in the black suit took advantage of his distraction and quickly got away from the spiky-haired man, fixing his black jacket and tie as he did.
"It really is YOU!" Cissnei jumped excited and without thinking she placed her arms around his chest laughing.
"Oh?" Aerith blinked watching Zack embarrassed and giggled.
"Hey!" Zack quickly pushed Cissnei a few steps back glancing at Aerith. "I swear I don't know what she's doing!" He laughed nervously.
"Oh don't be silly!" Cissnei quickly replied punching Zack lightly in the arm. "I'm just really happy to see you! Every one thought you were… you know…" She looked down avoiding the matter.
"And I really will be if you keep popping up like mushrooms and threatening me with guns to my head! Geez no one deserves dying three times in a month!" Zack rested one hand in his waist.
"I'm sorry about that Zack…" Cissnei bit her lower lip feeling bad about what she had done. "But I didn't recognize you at first. It seemed impossible to be you…"
"I don't mean to interrupt but we should resolve this." Tseng suggested at last.
"What's there to resolve?" Zack asked turning to glare at Tseng. To him, Tseng wanting to do something to Aerith was reason enough not to trust him ever again and he was more than willing to forget every bit of friendship that he might have had with him, a long time ago if it ever was there he wasn't sure about anything anymore. Just the thought of having Aerith suffering in any way made his blood start boiling and his hands to turn into fists. "You just have to let us go."
"I'll escort them to Midgar's exit." Cissnei commanded turning to Tseng. "You should head back and report the shotguns. They'll be asking questions soon."
"What do you mean escort us to the exit?" Aerith asked confused.
"Well it's obvious you two can't simply walk around Midgar freely. There are Shinra men everywhere and you, Aerith, practically have "wanted" written all over Shinra's building. Also, they are well aware of Zack's situation, it seems he has left quite an impression on men there. They know him and if they spot him running around here who knows what will happen?" Cissnei explained. "What a double team you guys make huh?"
"So that basically means we are not allowed into Midgar." Zack concluded thoughtfully.
"For your own safety and until things calm down around here, yes it basically means that." Tseng nodded reaching for something in his pocket and bringing out a large envelope that he handed to Zack who hesitated on picking it. "Take this money with you and before you leave Midgar make sure you buy some weapon. You don't know what's out there and if you want to succeed protecting Aerith you're going to need it."
"Didn't I succeed with you?" Zack smirked at Tseng who rolled his eyes back at him.
"Don't you go playing hero out there." Tseng replied before turning his back at them and walking away. "Times have changed. You'll need protection." He waved them goodbye with the back of his hand and disappeared in between some houses.
"Follow me." Cissnei directed the way.
"Before you go there's something I want you to know." Cissnei grabbed Zack by the arm and prevented him from walking. Noticing the sudden pause between the two Aerith kept walking leaving a safe distance between them but far enough so she politely wouldn't hear the conversation.
"Look Cissnei…" Zack scratched the back of his head. "I know you've always sort of had this thing for me but you have to understand I'm with Aerith… She's the one…"
"What?! NO!" Cissnei yelled appalled. "Ewww I can't believe you just said that! You totally ruined the moment now!"
"Then… What?" Zack blinked confused.
"I'm… sort of… your sister." Cissnei looked down grabbing her own arm by the elbow uncomfortable.
"What?" Zack laughed unbelieving the young woman in front of him. "That's not possible. How-"
"Not by blood. Your parents adopted me two years after they took you to be a SOLDIER at the age of 13." Cissnei explained still not looking at him but staring blankly down at the ground. "I was 10 at the time, homeless, hungry with no where to go… Your parents took me in and raised me ever since. They told me about you and how proud they were of you. Whenever they received a letter from you telling them of your missions and adventures I'd always listen to them amazed at your doings! I've always looked up to you like a model to follow. I wanted to follow my big brother's steps. That's why I, later on, joined Shinra."
"Why didn't they ever tell me this?" Zack was serious now looking at her.
"They didn't want it to get to you; you were so focused on your job that I might have distracted you in a way. They felt that you'd get all protective of your little sister that you'd do stupid things. They told me you've always acted by your heart rather than your head." Cissnei gave him a tiny smile. "And that was my decision too. I didn't want to be an extra burden for you to worry about. I have your last name in my name, Fair. But I never use it; I don't want to draw attention. Well I've said it now it's time for you to go!"
"Hey wait!" Zack called mortified. "You can't just drop the bomb and leave! Do you realize what this means? I can't just leave you here all alone!"
"You did before didn't you?" Cissnei smiled at him. "And I can protect myself well enough don't worry! See, that's why I didn't tell you all of this before! Now go! Aerith is waiting!" She turned him around and pushed him by the back hiding the fact that she was about to burst into tears for she knew she wasn't going to see him again that soon again. "Oh by the way, Tseng asked me to give you this." She handed him a small black box with white tape surrounding it which had in big black letters the word "confidential" across it.
"What is this?" But before he had time to look at her again, Cissnei was gone.
"Is everything alright?" Aerith's voice came from behind him.
"Yes…" Zack paused for a moment to look at the blank place where Cissnei had been seconds before. "We're ready to go!" He made sure the new sword he had bought was where it had always belonged in.
Note: Hi everyone! I can't thank you enough for the lovely reviews you sent me!! I hope you liked this chapter! Zack and Aerith will be on their own from now on!! Thank you so much for reading, and feel free to tell me what you think!