A/N: Alright, alright, here's the next chapter! Please don't hurt me!
Chapter 20
Zack paces back and forth furiously in the lounge of the SOLDIER floor as he waits for Genesis to come down after his helicopter lands on the top of the Shin-Ra headquarters. Kunsel couldn't do anything but watch his friend worry tirelessly over what happened. He was worried, too, not only for Zen but for Zack as well. When he told Zack about what happened to the young woman, the guy nearly collapses out of extreme stress at the front door. Although, Kunsel didn't fare that much better, but seeing Zack getting this emotional was something he wasn't used to seeing.
Not far from them stood Angeal, leaning on the wall nearest the training room. He was also worried for Zack, but even more concerned with the disappearance of a SOLDIER member of all people. A disappearance usually meant desertion and deserters don't get treated very well if they were discovered. He knows that Zen was not the type to abandon her closest friends so easily, but the possibility was still there.
After another thirty minutes of waiting, the elevator dings open to reveal a rather emotionless Genesis. Zack was the first to reach him, dashing towards the man as soon as he steps out of the elevator.
"What happened to Zen? Where is she?" demanded Zack, gripping onto Genesis' jacket intensely.
Genesis seems to be staring off into space, not really noticing Zack and his erratic behavior.
"Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess," he recites melodiously. He then turns his gaze towards Zack, his expression unchanging. "We seek it thus and take to the sky."
"Don't give me your LOVELESS crap now!" Zack exclaims impatiently. "What happened to Zen?"
"Zack, calm down," commands Angeal, pulling the young man from Genesis with the help of Kunsel. "Overreacting is not going to get you anywhere."
"He knows where she is! He just won't tell us!" Zack argues back angrily, struggling to break free of the men's grip on him.
"Zack, get a hold of yourself!" pleads Kunsel, arduously holding his friend back from violently assaulting Genesis. "It's obvious to see that Genesis is still in shock about what happened to Zen. We're not going to get an answer from him now while he's like this."
Realizing that interrogating the First Class SOLDIER so soon was going to be pointless, Zack finally concedes and falls onto his hands and knees in defeat.
"Damn it," he curses, closing his eyes tightly to prevent the tears from falling.
As Zack struggles with his emotions, Genesis begins to walk towards the SOLDIER lounge.
"Ripples form on the water's surface," continues Genesis, heading towards the windows. "The wandering soul knows no rest."
Cicero walks briskly through one of the many metallic hallways that connect the Shin-Ra headquarters to the upper plates of Midgar. These passageways allowed Shin-Ra and certain city personnel to do maintenances undisturbed, away from the public eye. For Turks such as Cicero, these were essential to executing their many missions for the company, as enemies outside of Shin-Ra and Midgar are unaware of these utility halls.
He suddenly notices a helmeted SOLDIER member coming in his direction. As he adjusts his eyeglasses, he instantly recognizes the individual as a Second Class rank from the red uniform. Cicero thinks nothing of it as SOLDIER members also have authorization to make use of these hallways to patrol the city.
The SOLDIER member passes by him and then stops abruptly. Cicero stops in his steps as well, but makes no move to turn around. He had a strong feeling he knew this particular Second Class SOLDIER.
"I'm sorry for your loss," he says outloud. "Sir Kunsel."
The SOLDIER member remains in his position facing the other direction. "You say that as if she's already dead."
"It's in my experience that those who end up MIA tend to never be seen again," explains the Turk. "It's easier for those close to the missing to simply assume they're dead."
"Zen's not dead. She's alive," asserts Kunsel firmly, clenching his fists. "I know she is."
"You say that with such confidence," notes Cicero. "What makes you so sure she's still alive and well?"
"When you've been friends with someone like Zen, you just know," Kunsel explains matter-of-factly.
"Is that so?" wonders Cicero, adjusting his glasses again. "Are you sure it has nothing to do with… your spiritual bond with the Planet?"
Kunsel remains steadfast in his position, but Cicero knows that he's struck a chord with the young man.
"I know what you are…" exclaims the Turk. "Cetra."
He hears the sound of a sword being withdrawn and turns to see that Kunsel has his SOLDIER-issued sword's blade at the Turk's throat.
"How long have you known?" demands Kunsel, his Mako eyes blazing beneath his SOLDIER helmet.
"You don't see very many people with brown hair and green eyes," says Cicero, remaining calm and composed. "Also, I am a Cetra myself. Those of us with more experience with our powers can sense others like ourselves."
Kunsel's eyes widen at the revelation, but his grip on his sword remains firm and steady.
"Your hair…" he began.
"It's amazing what a little hair dye can do to change one's appearance so drastically," explains Cicero.
Kunsel has a hard time envisioning the Turk with brown hair as he has been used to seeing him blonde for so many years.
"Why can't I tell where she is?" he inquires, still holding the sword at Cicero's throat.
"Bonds are tricky little things," answers the Turk. "All life on the Planet are connected in some way or form. Imagine if you will, a simple string attached to people who know each other, even us. Like the web of a spider. Relationships such as friendship can strengthen a string between two individuals into a strong cable. When you flick that cable, it resonates more strongly than the strings, do they not? But when a web vibrates, can you tell where the vibration originates? No. That is why you can sense that your friend is still alive, but can't pinpoint where she is."
Kunsel looks on at the man curiously. He never really understood the extent of his Cetra abilities so this explains a lot of things.
"Is there a way to find Zen with my powers?" he asks.
"That," replies Cicero with a smirk. "Is much more complex than you think. Certainly isn't something that can be taught quickly, considering how much time you have to find her."
Kunsel furrows his brows upon hearing that. Shin-Ra is definitely not going to give him and Zack the time and resources they need to find Zen. She could be hurt or worse, which is all the more reason to find her as soon as possible. But the needs of the company outweigh the needs of the people that help keep it alive and he knows it. Still, as a Second Class, there must be something that he can do.
"So…" he exclaims. "What happens now?"
"That all depends on you," responds Cicero. "Obviously, killing me will not bring you closer to finding your friend again. And there's no point in me spreading the word about your Cetra heritage as that would endanger myself as well."
Kunsel narrows his eyes at the older man. Something tells him that the Turk did not have Shin-Ra's interests high on his list of priorities. "Why are you here?"
Cicero lets out a small chuckle at the question. "The answer… lies with your missing friend."
With that, the Turk smugly turns around and continues on his way, leaving the young SOLDIER member to contemplate on his words.
That evening, Zack collapses facedown upon his bed in a flustered heap. He had spent the whole day worrying over Zen's disappearance and was tired both physically and emotionally. He heard nothing from Genesis since the First Class SOLDIER member's debriefing and training with Angeal did little to ease his troubled mind.
Whispers have begun to spread around Shin-Ra of Zen abandoning Shin-Ra or even joining up with the Wutai resistance. But those that knew Zen well strongly believes otherwise, which gave Zack some sense of relief. At least for the time being.
Turning himself over, Zack glances over at his bookcase where a handful of books and reports lay horizontally in scattered piles. He leans over his bed and reaches out for one particular report that documents an incident that occurred one month after he, Zen, and Kunsel were promoted to Third Class SOLDIER status. An incident that nearly ended their SOLDIER careers as soon as it has started.
He opens to the first page where a photo of Zen was paperclipped to a report page. A scrawled out sentence sticks out strongly on the page:
Suspected of murder.
Zack narrows his eyes at the words and turns the page to read the rest of the report.
A/N: Well, how else would Kunsel know so much about what Zack's doing in Crisis Core? The only plausible explanations are: he's a pre-Reeve and planted some sort of device on Zack to monitor him (which is really creepy); or he has Cetra powers, which could enable him to sense the life force of a person he's bonded with (since Aerith was able to tell when Elmyra's husband died). Yeah, the latter is a lot more appealing.
Don't worry, you'll find out more about the incident Zack is reading about in the next chapter. :) I'm not going to leave you guys in the dark about it.