YAY! 3 reviews! I'm so happy. Alright then how about 5 new reviews for the chapter after this? PWEASE? *gives you the puppy dog eyes that you can't deny.*
And without further ado:CHAPTER 2!!!
Chapter 2
"CLOUD!"
Tifa ran out of Seventh Heaven and towards him. She brushed a loose strand of her hair back and behind her ear. By now Cloud had hoped that she had realized that it was hopeless to run after him. It was hopeless to care for him when he didn't want to be cared for. When they were little kids in Nibelheim, Tifa had been popular and he hadn't, but she was still nice to him. Yet, she had only been nice because she pitied him at that time.
Now it was different, Cloud honestly felt sorry for her, because it was impossible. It was impossible for him to love her when he still loved Zack.
I wish I could've told him.
Sighing, he swung a leg off of his bike, Fenrir, and headed into the bar. Tifa followed behind silently, knowing that he wasn't in the mood to talk, most likely. Tifa called for the kids and Cloud was met with a blur of brown and then had Marlene attached to one of his legs.
"Cloud! You're back!"
Denzel appeared from the stairs, a smile gracing his lips. "You're back."
Cloud merely nodded, sat on one of the bar stools and pulled Marlene onto his lap. He listened silently as she told him about school and things of that sort. But he was really just listening to the pleasant thrumming of her voice. To tell the truth her voice had the same calm effect that Aerith's had had. Maybe he would take her to the church one day and show her the flowers.
He felt a tug at his sleeve and looked down to see Denzel staring at him. "Are you staying the night, Cloud?"
Suddenly the room was quiet. Marlene's voice stopped and Tifa stood stock still, a half polished glass in her hand.
I guess it couldn't hurt.
Pursing his lips Cloud nodded and Marlene clapped her hands while Denzel smiled. Now was the task of telling the kids he actually wanted some sleep right now, without hurting their feelings. Thankfully, he didn't have to, because Tifa told them that Cloud had a delivery tomorrow and he needed his rest. Once the kids had left to their own rooms Tifa fixed him with a look.
"There was a call for the delivery service?"
She nodded and passed him a piece of paper with the details on it. "Somewhere outside of here, they just gave general directions, and Cloud…."
He looked up from the paper towards her, but not looking into her eyes. He couldn't stand the sadness he knew they held.
"Cloud….Be safe."
He nodded and left, heading to go see the church before he went to bed.
It's cold here. Did I die again? No, this doesn't feel like the life stream. Did Namine….
Almost immediately following that thought Zack felt himself sit up and he forced himself to open his eyes. What he saw was bringing back a lot of memories all at once. The first was of him, lying on this cliff, Cloud hovering over him, the buster sword in a backwards grip, blood covering one side of his face. The next was of Aerith. Their first date, and him giving her the ribbon so she would remember him.
Namine had done it. She had saw it fit that he be brought back, and she had done it. But now what? He was here on a cliff miles away from Midgar. How the hell was he suppose to get there? Walk?
"No silly, you're suppose to fly. Really how else do you think you're going to get there? Cloud walked all the way there you can too!"
Ok, now he was hearing voices. That wasn't good. Maybe Namine had made him insane while she was at it.
"Baka! You're not insane!"
Suddenly a warm presence appeared, as if it was in the back of his mind. A face appeared before him, a few seconds later, a whole body. A solid body. Well bodies are appearing out of nowhere, which meant he was definitely insane. It was a girl who had a strikingly almost exact face as Namine, but this girl had red hair and a pink dress. Not at all like the white dressed blond girl who had brought him here. The red head waved and stuck out a hand.
She helped Zack to his feet and then stood across from him, a smile on her face. "My name's Kairi. Namine sent me to help you, because obviously you're not smart enough to get along on your own."
"Hey! I resent that!"
With a wave of her hand she dismissed his comment and pointed towards Midgar. "It shouldn't take very long to walk there. But first I have some things I need to tell you."
He nodded and waited for her to begin.
"First of all, I will be your escort through this world. You can't go over a mile away from me on your own free will without dropping dead where you stand. Basically if you leave me without being captured or something of the like, then you will inevitably be sent back to the life stream. Now don't give me that look! All the things I'm going to tell you are rules set by Namine."
Zack crossed his arms and pouted, but sat comfortably, to prepare himself for the rest of her speech. "What else?"
Kairi glared and also sat down. "I was getting to it! Anyways, in order to get you here and back alive and breathing she had to force everyone to forget about you. All your friends, your family and your enemies, they've all forgotten you exist." she raised her hand as Zack was about to say something and took a breath. "But all paperwork about you is still around somewhere. So if you wanted you could prove to everyone how you're a big bad soldier boy. Also your birth certificate is also existing, so if you went to Gongaga and showed your momma who you are, I'm sure she would believe you."
Zack immediately felt the sadness worm it's way into his heart. Everyone had forgotten about him… that means….
"So Cloud's forgotten me too?" he whispered.
Kairi's averted her eyes but shook her head in a 'no' filling his heart with unsuppressed hope.
"Cloud has forgotten you died, but nothing else. He remembers your time in SOLDIER and he also remembers you time with that evil man, Hojo, but he doesn't know how he got to where he is now or what has happened to you. It's your choice whether or not to tell him about it."
Nodding, the two stood and turned to face Midgar. Zack chuckled and yelled. "I'm coming Midgar!!"
And with that they jumped from the cliff towards the sandy fields that eventually would lead them to Midgar, and to Cloud.
Stopping outside of the Church, Cloud looked around. He felt as if he had forgotten something, something important but he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out what it was. Oh well, he thought, pushing the doors to the Church open slowly, he shut them behind him and walked past the pews and up to the flowers. They were all white lilies. A flower, that to Cloud, represented purity and strength. He looked up at the broken roof and watched as it rained down onto the flowers.
I wonder where Zack is…. I haven't heard from him in over a year, since we got out of Hojo's lab.
Cloud sighed and sat on one of the pews seats. He unhooked his sword and slowly took of his shoulder pads, laying them carefully on the ground. Reclining his head back, with his arms stretched over the back of his seat he stared up at the sky. There was always on thought that always popped up into his head whenever he sat in this Church.
Why haven't I told him yet? I know I love him but….Oh yeah I know why! Number One I haven't seen him in a year, and Number Two, he likes girls! He loved Aerith. I miss her…
A dark voice entered in his head and it laughed at him.
You mean you miss him.
Love it? Hate it? TELL ME!!
