(A/N) Now this won't just be Cloud's take on what just happened. Instead the story will progress but from his point of view. (That was really just a note for me though)
I also need to correct something in the last note; my friend wasn't the only one who suggested the change. It was also… *looking for it* Hmm… Interstella! Thank you for the suggestion you guys! For some reason it really didn't occur to me to do it this way but it's already working out so much better than before! So, again, thank you!
I didn't know what to make of any of this. We'd landed in Wutai of all places. I thought this was a hostile area or something but the people paid us no mind, no one but that strange Yuffie girl anyway. She was someone else who everyone seemed to expect me to know. I had no idea who she was. But she seemed to know me. It was creepy.
For the time being I'd been left with Vincent while the others were off whispering about something. Was it really so bad to let me in on things? Anything, anything at all. They were all treating me like a damsel in distress. Which I had to admit I kinda was. But I didn't have to be that way. If I could get my hands on a weapon of some sort or if Zack kept his word about training me I think I'd be able to defend myself. I wasn't so bold as to think a little training would fix everything and this guy, whoever he was, wouldn't be able to hurt me. I wasn't even so confident as to think I could fight Yazoo on my own. But I'd be able to hold my own against any other potential distractions.
Maybe I wouldn't attract so much attention if I wasn't stuck in the stupid outfit!
But that was something I'd have to get over I suppose. I'd told Zack that I hated it, he didn't exactly agree with me… but he didn't seem to like the belt either. Not that he could do anything about it. He had no idea how to get the dumb thing off! And pleading with Vincent did nothing. I couldn't be sure of what his motives were for keeping it on but he was persistent about it.
I didn't know how I felt about Vincent. He wasn't as scary as I thought he was but he didn't go out of his way to make himself seem friendly either. He was nice but cold and unapproachable. I could try and start a conversation but he wasn't good at maintaining it. It always turned into an awkward situation that made me feel like I was talking to myself… Or at the very least I felt as though I were annoying him with my rambling. So having him watching me always led to boredom. What was I supposed to do? Sleep like Orion? I wasn't tired.
It made me wonder though. What had to happen to make someone so glum? Vincent seemed very… defeated. As though life had gotten him down so many times that he'd stopped trying to get up at some point along the line. And at times he acted as though he'd found the strength to go on.
I guess it really wasn't any of my business. His past must be something he'd like to forget. Who was I to make him think about it?
But when I wasn't trying to figure out the enigma that was Vincent, I was stuck on this outfit. I really needed to change. Just because I was a guy didn't mean I didn't care about cleanliness. I'd been wearing it for days and hadn't had the chance to bathe during that time! I felt gross. How could they just let me stay like that? It was torture! Not only for me but it had to be affecting them too. I could only imagine what foul thing I smelled like. It was awful! But maybe Vincent wasn't the one I should be complaining to. Whenever it came to things like this Tifa seemed to be the one calling the shots. Should I be whining to her? I don't know if I could do that.
"Hey Cloud!" Zack said as he approached with the usual stride.
"What did they say?" Vincent asked.
"Tifa wants to talk to you herself, I'll watch Cloud."
The gunman nodded before heading back towards the ship.
"Are you going to train me now?" I really hoped so. I was sick of causing so much trouble. All of these people were trying to help me and I could've sworn I'd never met them before.
"Not just yet." He answered taking my arm and leading me out of view. "First I've got something I know you're gonna like!"
"What?"
"Close your eyes."
"Is that really necessary?"
"Yes." He said putting my hands over my eyes.
"Fine." I sighed. Zack wasn't mean. He wouldn't trick me like the other cadets did. I still couldn't help but feel a certain dread though. I'd been fooled so many times in so many cruel ways. And all in such a short amount of time. But a moment passed and nothing happened. I just felt something around my waist fall away. "Huh?"
"Ta-Dah!" Zack sang while waving his hands.
"What did you…?" I looked down only to find the accursed belt on the ground. "You found out how to get it off?"
"Nah, I didn't. I just knew you were miserable so I cut it off."
"Did they say that was okay?"
"Nope. But they're having some trouble thinking about how you feel. You and I know that they're just trying to consider your safety, yes?"
"Yeah."
"I don't want you to start thinking that they all don't care about you."
"I know." I didn't know exactly why they all cared so much but I could tell they weren't faking their feelings. Be that as it may, they still tried to keep me in that fruity outfit I hated and I didn't like that. And I was almost certain I'd be stuck, I was just thinking about it before Zack finally took mercy on me and set me free! This was something that made me feel like I should do something for him in return… but what? I wasn't all that aggressive. The first time I kissed him I was so embarrassed. It was a lot less likely that he'd reject me this time but it was still too much. Just thinking about it made me blush, I could feel it! I couldn't do that! But I couldn't hide it either, that just made it worse. Especially when people like Kozue made fun of me for it!
"Cloud? Are you okay? Your face is all red."
"I'm fine." The last thing I wanted was for him to notice! But I couldn't stop thinking about it. The other night he almost kissed me on the lips! I didn't exactly react very well. It wasn't awful but I wasn't too sure I wanted him to do that. Maybe I just wasn't comfortable yet… And perhaps I shouldn't be. All of this crazy stuff was happening and I was forming a relationship? What was I? Crazy? What would that do to Zack if I… didn't make it…? Not that I didn't believe he could protect me. It was just something that I always had at the back of my mind. I could die. How many people had that hanging over their heads? Was it really fair to get close to someone when you didn't have much time left?
I could've gone on like that for hours but my train of thought was broken when Zack unexpectedly pulled me close. How was it that his embrace always made me feel so safe? My concerns were put on hold, if only for a moment. Sadly, they couldn't disappear completely. But there was no harm in letting him hold me. Just for a few minutes.
But wait. I was trying to think of a way to thank him. He'd gotten the belt off! He'd done it without hurting me too! I probably could've saved myself a lot of grief if I'd just let Kozue do it when he'd offered but… This was counterproductive. Even though I had to find some way to thank Kozue as well.
"Kweh?"
"Oh no…" Zack sighed. "Orion's awake, fun's over."
I frowned when he stepped away from me. I didn't want him to stop but he didn't have a choice. Orion seemed to get upset whenever we were close like this. Not a clue why.
"Where's the nearest shower?" I couldn't wait anymore!
"Ooh… I think you're gonna have to wait until Yuffie takes to our new place."
My jaw dropped. I had no idea what to say. I'd been waiting for days and now I had to wait even longer? It wasn't fair. Geez, my life was a mess. Even small things like this didn't go quite right. Oh well. The belt was gone and that was all I should've cared about.
"At the very least, are there any clean clothes? Not girl clothes!" My hair would have to stay a mess, not that it was noticeable, but the smell might ebb away a little if I changed. I just refused to have a repeat of what Tifa did to me. What was she thinking? Contrary to the belief of some I was indeed a boy! Although it could've been worse. At least it wasn't a dress.
"Oh yes. I got you some clothes, but they're back on the ship."
"Well what are we waiting for?" I asked before running back towards the ship. It was great to finally have that evil belt gone! I just couldn't wait to ditch the rest of the outfit as well! I was so close to finally being rid of this problem! It occurred to me that the stupid thing is one of three outfits that I have and I'd probably have to wear it again at some point… but that wasn't something I wanted to think about right now.
"Cloud!" Zack called whilst he caught up. "Don't get too far ahead of me."
His comment made me slow to a walking pace, "What could happen in the ten yards between here and the ship?" Not much more than tripping and falling. But that wasn't life threatening.
"You never know, we're in a strange land after all."
"Yes, but that girl is from here," I answered. "I assumed you had some sort of permission to be here. Like a treaty or something."
"Not exactly…" I heard him murmur.
A few minutes later I was tossing the evil articles of clothing into the hamper on top of my uniform. I'd been stuck in that thing and unhappy for so long the change didn't feel real. I was so afraid that any minute I would wake up from a dream or something. What would I do if that happened? Find Zack and hope the same thing happens?
"Never thought I'd miss jeans so much…" I sighed, as Zack entered the room. It's amazing how many great things people take for granted. It was too many things to list.
"Stop being dramatic!" Zack laughed, "You weren't wearing it for that long."
"It felt like a long time."
"I bet."
Good! Someone was finally agreeing with me on things! Just because they were guarding my life at the moment didn't mean they could do whatever they wanted. Of course Zack never really acted as radical as the others. I could never understand what was wrong with them. Whenever someone came up with a bad idea it was always either Tifa or Cid, not a very good track record… Oh! I'd completely forgotten about something of vital importance!
"Zack, where's my phone?"
He smacked a hand to his forehead while making a sound of sudden realization, "You've really got to keep better track of it." He replied as he took it from his pocket and handed it back to me.
I'd never planned on falling out of the airship. But I figured that must've been obvious so I only rolled my eyes. He was right though. This was a life or death situation and a form of communication would prove useful for a variety of possible problems.
"Wasn't that broken anyway?" Zack went on to ask.
I hadn't even thought of it but it was. Yazoo had stepped on it when I'd first encountered him. It was broken beyond repair… completely destroyed… But I'd gotten sick after and when I got better it was just there. There wasn't much time to question it but now I felt as though I had to wonder. But it was only a feeling. I really didn't care. If some strange magical something wanted to fix my broken belongings, let it. It'd save me quite a bit. So I shrugged.
"That doesn't strike you as odd?"
"What does it matter?" I asked, "It's only a phone."
"Or is it?" Zack pondered. "Could it be bugged?"
"No." I shook my head, "Loz and Yazoo were too focused on manhandling me. Neither of them picked it up after breaking it." Now that Zack had me thinking about it… "Who are they anyhow?"
"Yazoo and Loz? They're the guy's minions."
"I know that. But who are they?" They seemed to be more than mindless grunts.
"I don't know. They're Loz and Yazoo."
That was a very simplistic and vague answer… Ah well. I had to be used to this by now. Everyone lied to me… about everything. I couldn't help but obsess about it a little. It was really annoying. A guy could only take so much. And when I thought back on how my life had been going so far, shouldn't things start going my way soon? I sure hoped so.
"We'd better get back outside." I said, trying to keep my mind off of the annoying topic.
"We don't need to right away." Zack answered.
"Won't the others be worried?"
He made a look that indicated he was thinking about it, "They might." He shrugged, "But they know I'm with you. I don't think they'll panic."
Why was he…? Was he going to try something again? I really didn't know what to do when he did that! Do I just let him or do I stop him? It wasn't fair to block him at every turn but I was just too confused by all of this. I knew I really liked- No, I loved Zack but it was my first relationship! I'd never even tried to be with a girl before; I had no idea what I was doing! And I didn't want to mess anything up by doing something stupid. Was what I was currently doing considered stupid? I wish I could just ask him about all of this but I was too afraid that that would be a dumb move! How would he respond to it?
I could feel my heart begin to pound in anticipation. He was closing the gap between us! What should I do? I couldn't help but relate what I was feeling now to my usual reaction to terrifying situations. I couldn't breathe and my heart was in my ear! Of course my face was hot and pink, that was normal. But the heat elsewhere was new. My body was behaving very strangely. I didn't know what I wanted. My mind and body seemed to have a different opinion.
"Cloud? What's the matter?"
I tried to answer but what came out was inaudible. He was just so close.
"It's okay," Zack went on. Once again he pulled me into his arms. My ears registered the skitter of Orion's feet coming down the hall but Zack kicked the door closed. "I'm fine just holding you. If you don't want me to do something then I won't. You only need to say so. I'm not going to force myself on you."
It was easy for him to say that but to follow through with it appeared to be a harder task. I trusted him but I knew firsthand that he got carried away sometimes. He never did anything terrible and I never really said anything when he did, so was it my fault? This was almost too much to put up with. It was just as I'd said before; I had no idea what I was doing! It was frustrating. There were all of these feelings that I couldn't identify and a strange sensation in my core… maybe even lower…
"Cloud you look… uncomfortable." He sighed. It felt as though he might let go but I didn't want him to. Despite my signaling he released me and stepped back. I didn't want that!
Wordlessly, I wrapped my arms around his waist and clung to him.
"Wha? Cloud what are you doing?"
I just buried my face in his shirt. There was really no explanation for what I was doing. I just didn't want him to let go yet. The moment was too perfect for it to end so quickly. Why did it ever have to end? Why? Was it so much to ask that all the problems go away? Why was I always singled out for ridicule and punishment? Life certainly knew how to kick a guy. And as if that weren't enough it made people hate me. It wasn't like I ever outright complained. I was just realistic. Apparently that irritated people. Aw, who was I kidding? Realist in most situations was just another word for pessimist. I was hopeless.
I felt him shift and rest his chin on my head. But it only lasted a moment. Tifa was looking for me again, we both could hear her.
"Why does she always try to separate us?" Was it so wrong for us to be alone together for more than a moment?
"It's like I told you. She's just worried about you."
"But it's you, not this other guy, she's threatened by you!"
"Not so loud." He whispered, "I know. And if it bothers you just tell her to back off."
"But she doesn't listen to me." It was so annoying. I was just trying to get through this as best I could and she kept getting in the way of that. It wasn't fair. And, as bad as it was, she didn't look like she was doing it on purpose. Or at least not consciously. Still, it was annoying! Being around Zack made me feel better and she constantly pulled me away. But… what Zack was suggesting… I didn't know if I could do it. Telling someone off was a sort of skill that I never possessed. I just couldn't get angry enough.
"I see." Zack sighed. He released me and stretched before resting his arms behind his head, "Well, you need to make her listen eventually. But, for now, I'll handle it."
How was he going to manage that? Tifa didn't listen to him either. Even though she really should. Zack was a high ranking official in the military. If anyone knew how to handle stuff like this it'd be him, right? That's what made all of this so confusing. No one appeared to respect Zack at all. I mean, I guess they didn't have to. They were civilians. But they should at least give him some credit.
I followed Zack out into the hall; the whole while trying to imagine what would happen if I stood up to Tifa. The scenarios didn't end very well… How was I, or anyone for that matter, supposed to do this without giving the wrong impression? Sure, they all pretend to be alright but secretly they're angry. I guess the best way really was to be angry myself, I'd never been pushed that far before. Not like this anyway. The other cadets did horrible things to me every day but I never found the courage to do anything about it. And this time I was supposed to be angry with a friend. A friend who I knew only had my best interests at heart. It felt as though it'd be quite difficult, but at this rate it wasn't impossible. She was coming across as controlling, as though she thought she were my mother. I didn't need another mother; in fact, I didn't need a father. I was just fine. I guess that was why my only problem was with Tifa for now. She was the only one behaving in such a way. No one else was trying so hard to be parental. Zack definitely wasn't trying to be my father and neither was Vincent or… Cid? Yes, his name was Cid. Regardless of the name, he was acting like even less of a father than the other two. They were all concerned. But I'd like to think that a father wouldn't suggest locking their kid in their room in order to protect them.
And… yes, Kozue posed as my father in that town but he didn't act like one. He was just… Kozue. Just the same as he had been. But he didn't like me very much. And he didn't exactly try to hide it…
"Oof!" I looked up and realized I'd been so caught up in my thoughts that I'd bumped into Zack. I stepped to the side and peered around him. He'd found Tifa. She had a smile on her face that at times seemed fake. This was one of those times. She wasn't happy. I could feel it. I didn't want to go with her so I hid back behind Zack.
"Where were you?" She asked. The question seemed harmless enough but I was too suspicious of her to believe that she had simply been wondering.
"In his room." Zack shrugged. "Why? Is something going on outside?"
"No," She replied, "But you disappeared all of the sudden. And-" She stopped talking and her eyes focused on me. "What is he…? You took the belt off!"
"Yes." Zack answered calmly.
"Why would you do that?"
"Because he hated it."
The simple and obvious answer confused her for a moment. She looked like she had been blindsided or something. Did she really expect me to believe that they didn't notice how unhappy I was when they stuck me in that outfit? C'mon! Zack was the only one who paid attention but I complained all the time!
After a minute of silence Zack shrugged again and walked past her, I was quick to follow. If I didn't I was sure I wouldn't see him again for hours.
"Where are you going?" She asked, not moving from her place in the hall.
"Nonya'." Zack answered back nonchalantly.
I couldn't help but admire that. He didn't care about the consequences at all. I knew he was right though. It really was none of her business where we were going. She was smothering!
A moment later and we were down below with Zack's bike. Wait… Something about that didn't feel right. Whose bike was that? I'd assumed it was his but now that felt wrong. It almost felt like my heart was telling me the bike was mine. That couldn't be right either. I had no idea how to ride a motorcycle. How would I? I'd get sick.
"What are we doing down here?" I asked.
"I'm just assessing how much work actually needs to be done."
What was that supposed to mean? Was there something wrong with the bike? That's what it looked like. He was looking it over and stooping down. Eventually he pressed something that made two side compartments spread from the axle. Impressive. Very impressive. I really liked the bike, I didn't know why but I felt drawn to it. Was it because it was shiny or something? I'd never seen this thing before.
I was a little distracted as Zack selected a blade out of the compartment. I definitely didn't expect what happened next. He threw the sword in my direction!
My mind was screaming at me to dodge it but for some reason I stood my ground. I was certain it would hit me but my hand, suddenly moving on its own, reached out and grabbed the sword by the hilt. I was shocked by how quickly my reflexes were in that moment I didn't even notice how I'd ended up on the floor, "Hawha…?"
"Are you alright?" Zack ran over.
"What just happened?"
"You uh… well… you caught the sword," He smiled and laughed nervously, "But the weight of it threw you backwards and made you fall."
"Why did you do that?"
"To see if you would catch it."
"But… you threw a sword at me," I still couldn't believe he did that! "Isn't that dangerous?"
"Yes, but I gave you enough time to dodge and you didn't. You caught it. Don't you see how great that is? It's amazing!" When he saw that I still wasn't happy he stopped smiling and helped me up, "Amazing aside, I'm sorry I scared you."
I wanted to tell him it was fine but it really wasn't. I coulda been maimed! And no amount of materia was going to reattach my severed arm! Although, I guess it was pretty cool that I caught it. I had no idea I could do that. I guess I was alright. I didn't have to be mad at him. But I didn't tell him that. He ought to know since I wasn't storming out. And if he didn't he could just torture himself.
He picked up the sword and examined its saw-like blade. This time he handed it to me; I took a firm grip of the hilt but as soon as he let go it became very difficult to hold it. It was so heavy I didn't think I could wield it. And Zack had made it look so light.
"That one's too heavy, eh?" He asked, taking it back.
"What's it made of?"
"I don't really know. It must be some sort of military alloy because as far as I know it can cut through anything. And I mean that. It cuts through everything as though it were butter."
That sounded even more dangerous than before…
He walked back over to the bike and replaced the sword in its compartment, "So we've got to start small," He produced a smaller blade, about half the size of the last one; it was almost like a dagger. When he handed it to me I was very surprised to find I could hold it. It was still a little heavy but I could hold it without much trouble. Hopefully he didn't want me to wave it around or anything.
"Should I really be handling a real sword this early on?"
"Oh no," He gasped, "No, no, no. I'm just gauging your strength. I'd have to be crazy to expect you to handle a sword right away."
"But it's fine to throw one at me?"
"Yyyees."
Okay… That made about as much sense as catching the freakin' sword. What was wrong with me? These last few weeks, though the most eventful, had been awful. I was always confused. It gave me terrible headaches! I didn't know how much longer I could suffer through this.
"So… I guess we should go outside and find a stick for you to practice with," Zack sighed. "You seem to already have some idea on how to handle a blade though."
I looked at the sword in my hands, "I'm just holding it." Or was he seeing something that I wasn't? I suppose a professional sword wielder would have a better idea of what I was doing right or wrong.
"You're right," He replied as he took the sword from me, "But you hold it in a way that implies you've handled swords before."
"…Maybe a wooden one once or twice," I muttered. And even when I did that I'd only walk out back and whack a tree with it. I didn't have any friends back home to play with. But that seemed to be common knowledge at this point.
After Zack finished putting the swords away we went outside and did exactly as he'd said. I found a sturdy stick and waved it around as he instructed. I continued to surprise myself throughout the first day of training. I knew how to do a lot of the basic moves he'd asked of me. It wasn't much of a feat since they were only basic moves but they were more than just beating a tree with a stick. There were a few that my body just wasn't cut out for but I knew how they should've been executed. I was really starting to scare myself. And scaring myself was an entirely new concept for me. I just couldn't explain how I knew all of this stuff. The knowledge felt like it came out of nowhere.
Still, as amazing as it was, I was not going to be able to defend myself against the known enemies with a stick and basics. If anything it would only make them laugh. Like Yazoo did when I tried to fight him… But he had every right to. After how easily he'd beaten me.
"Don't worry about the slip-ups!" Zack said as though he'd been following my thoughts. Of course that was only what it felt like, obviously he was referring to the techniques that I'd failed to do. "You just need to get your strength up! I'd start working on it soon. You're getting kind of soft." He whispered while poking my arm.
I pouted in response despite knowing he was only teasing. I was never much of a good sport when it came to teasing like that; never did anything about it but it still hurt a little. Maybe because I was always worried that the teasing was coming from some sorta truth that they were trying to point out. Not that I was concerned about my weight or anything!
"Aww, don't pout Cloud!" He exclaimed as he hugged me a bit tightly.
I was in no mood for it. I wasn't angry, but I didn't want a hug either. So I tried to get loose, he ignored it. So, rather than try to pull away, I pushed him.
Surprisingly, he went down. But he still had a hold of me. It was just like when I kissed him. He even turned it around on me and rolled over so I was underneath him.
"Pinned ya'!" He smirked.
I was aware of my poor reaction the last time this had happened, but I could tell he wasn't going to hurt me. He was wrestling or something. I couldn't compete with him. Where was he expecting this to go? I still tried my best to fight but my attempts were laughable.
"Hey guys!" A feminine voice called, "Whatcha doin'?"
I looked over to see the other girl, not Tifa, running over. That was a relief. I needed a bit of a break from Tifa for the time being. This girl had to be Yuffie since the number of women with us only went from one to two. I could see she had Orion with her, so that's where he went after Zack locked him out…
Attempting to get up I found that Zack wasn't moving again. He was just staring at Yuffie. The two did seem to clash whenever they came in contact with each other. Or at least Zack appeared to bristle at her approach. A very distrusting air about him but in a serious way. More like a childish vendetta or something. And Yuffie wasn't exactly helping the situation by sticking her tongue out.
"Zack, get off!" I decided I wanted to get to safety before someone exploded.
Unfortunately, my shout only reminded him of what he was doing before Yuffie showed up. "Find a way to make me."
"I can't!" It wasn't as though I hadn't tried. He was too strong!
"C'mon."
"Gaia, what do you want me to do?" I gasped, "You're expecting too much of me on day one!"
"No, I just don't want you to give up."
"Zack, just get off." Yuffie sighed exasperatedly.
"I will when you get lost." He pouted.
"Why do I have to leave?" Yuffie asked, "I want to talk to Cloud too!"
"We're not talking, we're training!"
I thought we were done training… This was getting ridiculous! I wanted to get out of the dirt but it didn't look like I was going to get a say in the matter. Not until they stop arguing anyway. I felt like the toy two children were fighting over… It wasn't something I liked either.
Maybe I could escape while he was distracted! Wait… no. He had me pinned at the shoulders. I couldn't just slip away without him noticing. Dang!
"Kweh!"
Oh great. It sounded like Orion had joined in on the argument as well. Like that was going to help with the noise. And I couldn't cover my ears with my arms being held down. Well this moment had quickly gone south! But I had to admit I preferred little distractions like this rather than the bigger problem. What exactly was it that Yuffie had done to Zack? Or vice versa… I never got the update.
Suddenly the weight left my shoulders and I could see that Zack had been pulled away by Vincent. The gunman then picked me up and gently put me back on my feet before giving the two a stern look.
"If you two have a problem I suggest you work it out before something like this happens again."
"There's no problem, Vincent." Yuffie argued.
"Yeah, we weren't being serious or anything."
"If you insist then fine. Just don't get Cloud caught in the middle."
I was glad that someone was finally standing up for me but I was still baffled by it being Vincent. Why was he so protective? Zack was too but I understood that. With Vincent it was a bit of a mystery. It was like we were close friends or something. I guess we were friends but I hadn't known him long enough to be close friends.
"I just wanted to spend some time with Cloud too!" Yuffie pouted.
"I think you should guide us out of this clearing first." Vincent answered.
"Has Cid finished hiding the ship?"
Vincent nodded.
Finally! She was going to lead me to a shower! A much needed shower. I thought I needed one before but now it was all the more obvious. Not only did I have a few days of stink on me but now I also had the sweat and dirt from training. Honestly, if I could smell the stench I must've been giving off right now I think I'd pass out! I didn't even want to think about how greasy my stupid hair was!
Rather than me smelling worse than a sewer-dwelling Sahagin, the trip to our new lodgings was a fairly pleasant one. I didn't really contribute to the conversation. Tifa and Yuffie chatted enough for everyone anyhow. And from what I could tell Vincent wasn't much for socializing. Cid appeared to keep to himself because he didn't want to talk to Zack. Not that Zack cared. He was fine walking next to me. I thought about holding his hand while we walked, and I was sure he wouldn't mind, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I'd be too embarrassed.
Yuffie led us to a village that looked very… interesting. I guess that would be the nicest way to describe it. The buildings were definitely out of the ordinary but they were all framed with bright red. Not that I didn't like red but it made everything look kinda fake. Maybe even cheesy. But only slightly. I suppose to the typical tourist the village would look fantastic and beautiful, what with the water and all the bridges connecting the buildings… Y'know, the more I looked at it the less offensive it seemed to get. But it was still cheesy. At least the people weren't in costume.
Speaking of people, they were all staring at Zack. And not in the way I would've expected. It was a very strange look that each of them wore on their faces. I couldn't even guess what they were thinking. But it looked like he knew since he was trying his best to hide his face from them.
We reached a house at the edge of town, next to a road leading into the mountains. It was a fair size. It almost looked like an inn and, judging by the brighter paint, it was newer than some of the buildings in the village. Outward appearances aside! If we didn't go inside soon I was honestly going to jump into the pond nearby!
"Calm down, Cloud." Zack nudged me, "What's got you so nerved up?"
"You don't smell that?" I whispered, "I think I'm even starting to smell it."
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't give me that. You of all people can totally tell I reek!"
He looked a little distressed while trying to decide if he should tell me the truth or not but, "Well yes. You do have a bit of an odor to you…"
"See!"
"But you're not the only one. So I don't really pay attention to who hasn't showered and who has."
"What?" That didn't really make any sense.
"Sensory adaption."
"What?"
"It's basically when your mind ignores something that's constantly there. It's what stops you from going nuts over the constant feeling of your clothes and such." He said, waving off my ignorance. Of course I didn't expect to know stuff like that; I hadn't been in lessons for that long either. Until only just recently I knew what my mother knew. And even though she was quite the intellectual in comparison to some, she didn't know everything.
When the door was finally opened I almost couldn't stop myself from pushing past everyone and running inside. Every second was murder! I just couldn't wait any longer.
So when Yuffie offered a quick tour of the house I stayed behind. Zack hung back as well, probably to play the bodyguard or something. Made no difference to me at this point; as long as he was going to help me find a bathroom… Or not, no search was needed. It was one of the only rooms in view with the door open.
I walked over to it with a bit of urgency but stopped, "Something wrong?" Zack asked.
"Well…" How was I supposed to put this? "The last time I was alone in a room Yazoo came in through the window." The thought of having him come in while I was in the shower was definitely disturbing. But the only solution I could think of would be to have Zack in there. That was almost equally embarrassing! Although, since we were kinda together it felt a bit more appropriate… But I couldn't even bring myself to hold his hand! Then again it wasn't as though he'd be in the shower with me, just in the room. Gah! This was awful! Was I just over thinking it again?
"Cloud I… don't really know what you're asking." Of course he did! He just wanted to hear me say it.
I shut my eyes and said, "Comeinwithme," So fast I hardly understood it.
"Huh?"
I really didn't want to say it again! My face was so red I felt dizzy! I couldn't see it but I knew it was. Zack's expression only proved me right. The only thing that came as a shock was that he wasn't laughing at me. He was just smiling.
"Could you repeat that?" He asked.
"I…!" I didn't feel like I could. My voice wasn't working correctly. It was like I'd shut down from humiliating myself. I had to force out every word, "Would you… please… come in with… me?"
He actually didn't look like he was expecting that, "You serious?"
"Y-yes. But! Not in the shower! Just in the room…" I didn't think I'd ever felt so small, and I was short!
"Sure, if that's what you want." He answered calmly. I could see he got a bit of color to his face as well but not nearly as bad as I always did. This was gonna be so awkward…
~Genesis P.O.V. ~
The last few days had been the most agonizing in all my years! I couldn't understand how this had happened, I'd been so careful! It usually took quite a bit for me to lose my composure but I swore I would scream if this wasn't fixed!
"Get lost, pest." I growled.
"But you didn't change your mind!"
Yes, Kadaj had been following me since Nibelheim. I didn't know how he did it but somehow he was there waiting for me outside the sewers. I'd been doing everything I could think of to shake him but nothing worked. He always came back! It was like a nightmare! He wouldn't leave me alone, always following me and whining at me to go home with him. It seemed those days spent in the mako tube had taught him nothing. Why did he think it was okay for him to continue harassing me like this? Honestly, I could kill him if I ever had enough. I'd thought of it a few times but he was just so pathetic. The instability of his mind combined with his young age made him appear to be so far gone. He may have no idea what he was doing or what the consequences were. At the very least I'd allow myself to hit him whenever he tried something. The little jack ass kept on touching me; it'd gotten to the point where I'd kick him whenever he got within three feet of me.
I'd never been on edge like this before. I really should just kill him and be done with it. There was no time for all these distractions, I was in position to infiltrate Neo Shinra but if Kadaj were to make something go wrong…
"I'm never going to change my mind and betray my friend." I told him once again, "Just go. You're a hindrance."
"I need to either turn you or destroy you. I can't go until you change your mind. Nii-San would be angry with me."
"Stop getting in my way or I'll destroy you." I glared.
"Ooh! Scary Mr. Pretty!"
"I have a name." I rolled my eyes. All of the other names he came up with were just stupid and more annoying than a baby screaming.
"I know, you're name is Gen."
"Genesis." If he was going to say my name he was going to say it properly! "Stop making up nicknames for me and just go back to Sephiroth."
"I told you I can't." He pouted stepping closer. Too close! With barely any thought my leg swept his feet out from under him and kicked him back into a boulder. "Ouch!"
"Stay away from me," I warned. Next time I might end up pushing him off a cliff and not on purpose either. He'd made that sort of response a reflex. And he didn't appear to care; he just got up and came back. Again, he was getting to close! This was really pissing me off. I spread my wing and shot up in the air before he had time to think.
I waved my arm and drew a rune on the ground that would temporarily bind him to that spot. That should give me enough time to get into the Neo Shinra building without a tag-along.
He watched me go but I didn't feel bad about leaving him there. Hopefully a monster would take care of him for me. It was a horrible thing to hope for, I know. But I just couldn't handle it. I didn't remember what to do in this kind of situation and it would be such a relief it would just go away.
I didn't land when I reached the building; those blasted Turks would be in there for sure. It'd be a bad idea to cause an uproar, even if it was an attempt to make them leave, that would only put them on alert and make things more difficult than necessary. But it also didn't feel very smart to go in there while they were all inside. I was confident that I could defeat them if they were made aware of my presence. However, that didn't mean it wasn't something I would've liked to avoid. I'd need time in order to get the information I wanted. And I wasn't entirely sure what I was looking for. Not only that but I had no idea where they kept their files and such.
Although, with a bit more I thought I realized that time wasn't actually a luxury I possessed. I had to act now if I was going to be of any help to anyone. "Whatever then." I sighed as I flew down to the roof. It looked as though even years after the tragedy of meteor this company hadn't gotten to its feet. I was able to get through the door and inside as easily as opening it. And I didn't hear or see any alarm system. They seemed to be lacking in any sort of protection.
Angeal's voice suddenly entered my mind and made me jump slightly, "What are you doing, Genesis?"
"I'm helping." I answered without speaking, continuing on into the halls.
"I asked you to trail Zack and Cloud. Not break into buildings."
"Stop worrying. I'm trying to find a way to help everyone, even Sephiroth."
"He can't be helped. He's gone Genesis."
I ignored that. My old friend couldn't be dead because of me. That was merely what people had convinced each other had happened. They'd given up on him, I couldn't. This was my fault I had to fix it. There had to be a way.
"Just be careful." Angeal sighed before fading away.
While dealing with that I'd made it past eleven guards and entered the basement. Security was laughable! This was too easy. Had the almighty Shinra company really fallen this far? Something in the back of my mind was nagging me but I was too busy to care. I could see what I had been looking for. I'd searched a few other rooms on the way and found nothing. This had to be it. The files they'd salvaged from the old empire. Hopefully there would be something in there relating to Sephiroth.
I knelt down in front of the portion of the cabinet that contained the correct ones. The rest of the wall was more current stuff.
"This is it?" There wasn't much. I didn't find anything relating to Hojo's experiments much less info on SOLDIERs. I did get a little lucky with the find of two separate folders on Sephiroth. Setting them aside, I continued looking through and found something else interesting. Apparently someone had mixed in a folder taken from a different organization. I had to stop and ask myself if I should really let myself be distracted by this when I should've just left with what I needed... I still looked through the folder. It appeared to be about a place called Deepground. "Oh yeah…" That place. Crawling with those monsters that they'd melded with my genetics. That wasn't important, so I tossed it aside. Honestly. I didn't want to think about that mess ever again and I didn't think I'd have to after burying that fool, Weiss.
I had no desire to be lumped in with those crazed children; I'd had plenty of that with all the Hollander mess and the clones of myself. Foolishness, the lot of it.
Dropping the remaining folders, I gathered up the two on Sephiroth and found a place to sit while quickly fumbling through them. It still wasn't anything too useful for my cause. How very discouraging. One of them was completely about his later actions when he was against Shinra. The other also had a lot to do with that as well. Nope. It looked like the old president had thrown out a lot of information that referred to him as the General. It looked like they didn't want to be associated with him anymore either. Too bad for that.
It did teach me quite a bit about his actions while I had been asleep. Very temper tantrum-esque. Clones of himself- the thief- killing people, killing the president, blah, blah, blah. There were several side-notes talking about his, dare I say, creepy obsession with Cloud. Based on what I read that sniveling little kid was going to turn into someone worthy of saving. He'd certainly done a good job of cleaning up our mess. After he'd cleaned up his own act of course. There were some things on him in the same folder due to his close relation with Sephiroth. All useless, interesting, but useless. That is until I discovered I'd overlooked something. Sephiroth had been born like any other child and as such he did in fact have the record to prove it! He'd just never seen it. From the looks of it and the yellow color of the paper it had been put away and never looked at again. But this, although seeming small, had everything I ever could've hoped to find! The horrid name of that blue bitch was nowhere to be seen!
I folded the paper and put it in my pant pocket before practically jumping up.
"What's got you so happy?"
I froze. How did this always happen? I thought I'd lost him…
"How'd you find me, Kadaj?"
"Nii-San told me." He answered innocently. His expression didn't match his voice though. He looked evil, as though he could actually hurt someone. "Did you change your mind?" He asked, getting too close.
I fell back on my reflex and brought my leg up to kick him. Once I did he only brought his hand up and caught my ankle. I tried to pull it back but his grip was like a vice and getting stronger. My face reflected the twinge of pain I felt and yet he wouldn't release me.
"Guess that's a no," He frowned, "I'm sorry to hear that." He sighed and gripped my foot with his other hand. Looking up to stare at me, he quickly twisted until there was a loud snap.
"AUGH!" Son of a bitch!
"Lovely!" He let go and clapped his hands together.
Since he'd let go my leg fell and made me gasp in pain when my broken ankle hit the ground. I didn't want to look weakened by it but I also could stand on it, I had no choice but to sink to the floor.
"Looks like they heard you…"
I looked at him in confusion and soon heard what he was referring to. There were footsteps on the floor above and they were headed for the stairs. That miniature bastard! Now, more than ever, I wanted to kill him! He must not have been aware of how angry I was because he had the gall to approach me.
"Get away from me!" I hissed.
"I'm not going to kill you." Kadaj said kneeling down, "I'm going to let them handle that." He shifted his eyes to show me he was talking about the people running towards us. "I just wanted to say goodbye."
He leaned in for a kiss but I wouldn't have it. My arm shot out and I wrapped my hand around his thin neck. "Fuck you!" If he thought I was going to allow that then he was most definitely deluded! I was about to snap his neck when he disappeared into a cloud of black smoke. "Damn!"
"What is going on in here?" A man asked coming through the door. He wore a suit and had his black hair pulled back, Tseng. He was followed by the rest of them, Rude, Reno, and Elena. Great! I'd been caught! If I got away Kadaj was in for it!
"What happened?" A man in a wheelchair called from the top of the stairs. His question was overall ignored. When he asked again the woman ran back up.
"Genesis?" Tseng gasped.
"Aint he supposed to be dead?" Reno asked. Rude nodded.
"No, he only disappeared. He was never confirmed dead," He answered regaining his calm demeanor, "Why are you here now?"
"He's probably helping Sephiroth." Reno shrugged.
"No!" They probably wouldn't believe me but I wasn't going to stay silent and let them just assume whatever they wanted without even attempting to correct them.
"Why isn't he attacking?" Tseng wondered aloud.
"He's hurt." Rude pointed out.
Ah Minerva! Someone finally noticed that I was doubled over in pain. Too bad the possibility that nothing would be done about it was high. These people weren't on my list of allies; neither was anyone. I think, at this point, my only friend was Cloud… But he wasn't aware of who I was. Once he knew he'd probably turn on me… It didn't matter now though. I was all but done for. Sorry Angeal.
(A/N) Oh noez! Genesis got captured! His piece came out longer than I thought it would. Meh, he's got more going on than Sephiroth… for now…