Part 2 Chapter 5

-Five Days Later-

Cloud was bored. With a capital B. He'd been locked in the Infirmary for a few days now, for 'observation' the doctor had said. He was fine, and he should have been able to leave by the second day at the most. He had a feeling Zack was behind the delay, wanting to make sure that there wasn't any more of the antidote inside his blood stream, and he appreciated the concern. But being confined to a hospital bed, doing nothing but sleeping was starting to get to him, and the recent dreams were really feeding his need to get out.

The doctor with his impeccable white coat spawned nightmares of some other doctor-like figure—though his mind kept insisting that it was some sort of mad scientist—and left Cloud itching with the desire to leave although every other time he tried Zack or someone else had intercepted him within a few minutes and bodily escorted him back to the room.

A sound from the entry to the room drew Cloud out of his funk and he looked up, half expecting it to be the doctor again. Or failing that, he expected Zack. The actual visitor was neither of the aforementioned people, and Cloud quickly stopped himself from gaping as the silver-haired man pulled the door shut behind him. He scrambled out of bed, slightly ruffled and confused, just about to snap into the customary salute when the general stopped him with a shake of his head.

"Sir?" Cloud asked, trying to find a way to ask his question without sounding bewildered. In the end he gave up the useless venture, deciding to just straight out ask what the general was doing in the infirmary.

Sephiroth raised a silvery eyebrow in slight amusement before shrugging, "I heard from Zack you were still in here. Why?"

Cloud echoed the motion, however it lacked the customary grace and control that thrummed in every one of the general's movements. The jerky, non-fluid element of his own was a testimony to his annoyance at being confined to the room, "Hell if I know. But I do know two things. I am perfectly fine, and I want out."

Sephiroth couldn't help a flash of sympathy, he himself had often seen the inside of a hospital room as a child—indeed he had lived in one for the first ten or so years. Coming to see the boy himself, Sephiroth couldn't help but question his subordinate's refusal to discharge the irate blonde. It was really odd; he was obviously back up to full capacity if the way he paced around the room was any indication, faintly reminding the general of a caged animal. Maybe…

Cloud continued pacing for a few minutes, stretching muscles that had little exercise since his run-in with the toxic monster. He'd managed to sneak in some basic practice moves when the doctor had left him alone (which didn't usually happen unless the white-coated man believed him to be asleep) but overall he'd been confined to the bed, and Cloud never had been one to sit meekly by—his escape attempts were obvious indicators of that.

Eventually he noticed that the general had slipped out again, and didn't think anything of it, after all Sephiroth was the most important SOLDIER in the entire army, so he was probably quite busy. He kept up his furious pace; enjoying the feeling of stiff muscles loosening and the distraction the exercise gave him. He was so absorbed in the movements that he failed to note the reappearance of the General, a small folded piece of paper in hand.

Glowing green eyes watched the cadet for a few minutes, traveling back and forth, back and forth, as the teenager walked the breadth of the room. He couldn't help but wonder how the cadet was able to, well, not really ignore, but not acknowledge his presence the moment he set foot into the room. Sephiroth wasn't an egomaniac; he didn't have an over-exaggerated vision of his importance, but every other cadet, and even a majority of the higher ranks generally stopped and gave him some sort of notice. The only ones who could brush off his commanding and looming—he mentally thanked Zack for the description—was his aforementioned subordinate and Hojo himself. It led Sephiroth to the conclusion that it was a trait shared by those who were used to his presence, yet he'd only just met Cloud the day he'd been poisoned. Maybe it was the near death experience, they always gave a SOLDIER—or anyone, really—a new view on everything.

Cloud was so comfortable in his presence that he didn't realize the general's arrival until the SOLDIER cleared his throat, drawing slightly glowing blue eyes to meet green ones. Sephiroth brandished the paper he held, tossing it toward the waiting blonde, "I've gotten the doctor to approve you for leave. Take advantage of it."

Cloud's expression went from puzzled to flabbergasted, hovering in the bewildered spectrum before finally settling on confused gratitude. He caught the paper, unfolding it and assuring himself that it was indeed the order to his freedom, "Sir? I—Thank you."

Sephiroth gave him a small smile—nothing more than a twitch of the lips—before letting his usual authoritative countenance slide over him like a cloak. He cleared his throat before turning his back on the cadet, readying to leave, "I don't want to see you back in this infirmary, you understand cadet?"

The general could imagine the gratitude melting into a wide grin, just as he heard the blonde's heels snap together in an obvious salute, "Yes Sir!"

--

Where to go, where to go. Now that he was finally free of the bare white walls of the infirmary Cloud wasn't quite sure what to do. There wasn't much he could do in the compound without running the risk of running into Zack before the SOLDIER 1st received the news that he had been discharged. Maybe he should take advantage of the break in training and head down to Sector Six, training as well as his recent stint in the Infirmary had prevented him from seeing Vincent and Aeris in a while.

Mind made up, he left the building, following the compound's circular path toward the front gate. He flashed the guards his pass—basically a Get out of Jail Free card that he'd found folded inside his leave forms, signed by the General and everything—and waltzed right out the gate, taking a small amount of pleasure in the thought that Zack would flip if he found out.

…The man had kept him locked up in a hospital room for far too long; Cloud was entitled to a little grudge.

Since it was the middle of the day the streets of Lower Midgar were busy, people going here and there about their every day life. He watched them for a little, wondering if the large dark-skinned man had opened his bar yet, but resisted the urge to go check it out. He'd decided long ago that he wouldn't seek out the people in his dreams—well, beyond Vincent, Zack, Aeris, and the General, anyway—he had no right to intrude on their lives.

Scooting passed Wall Market, an image of a frilly purple dress was pushed forcefully from his mind, Cloud soon found himself in the residential district of the Section. He knew the path by heart, taking the elusive alley between the last building and the wall. It was very difficult to find the entrance if one didn't know what to look for, the dirt road didn't seem like more than a dead-end from the main Zone. It was only once the walker followed the path, noticed the lightening of the ever-present gloom of lower Midgar, the small shoots of grass poking through the graying soil, and finally the picture-esque white gate that they realized just what they stumbled upon.

A small smile lit the blonde's face as he spotted the large white house, closing the gate behind him as he continued to follow the path to the house. A quick knock on the door brought footsteps from inside, and the portal swung back to reveal an older woman with graying brown hair and a kind face.

"Cloud!" She exclaimed happily, moving aside to admit the boy into her home, "Aeris and Vincent aren't home yet, but they will soon. I'm just making dinner."

"Anything I can do to help, Elmyra?"

"Of course. Why don't you stay for dinner as well?"

The door closed.

-An hour later-

"Mom! We're home!" Aeris' voice echoed through the house, following behind the sound of the door closing. Elmyra looked up from where she and Cloud were setting the table, "We're in the kitchen!"

Footsteps followed the declaration, and the flower-girl appeared in the doorway, "Mmm, something smells goo—" She cut herself off, letting out a faint cry of delight, "Cloud! It's been a while!"

"'lo Aeris." Cloud would have waved, but he had a piping hot dish in his oven-mitt protected hands. He would have said more but the girl moved, clearing the way for not one, but two other people to enter the room.

"Cloud." Vincent stated, a pleased tone coloring his voice. Cloud grinned, glad to see the marksman was well, nodding a greeting to him as well, "Heya Vincent."

"SPIKE!?" The last voice was more startled than pleased, drawing Cloud's eyes to the third and final member of the group. He was surprised to find himself face to face with the man he'd been annoyed with for the past few days, and from whom the General had liberated him. A wicked smirk crossed his face, and this time he did wave, shifting the dish to one hand and giving the SOLDIER a cheery greeting, "G'afternoon Commander."

"What are you doing out of the Infirmary!?"

He spun around placed the dish on the counter, pulling off a mitt and withdrawing his leave/discharge notice. He flashed it at the gaping 1st Class, "I've been officially discharged from the Infirmary, sir."

Zack was quiet for a moment, before groaning, "…Seph…"

Vincent chuckled at the entire affair, finally linking Cloud to Zack's troublesome cadet. Aeris laughed, not really understanding the affair but finding the proceedings humorous. Elmyra just blinked, counting the number of people before saying, "Oh dear…I think we may need some more plates."

-One Month Later-

"Wow! I've never left the city before!"

Aeris used her hand to shield her eyes from the onslaught of sunlight that was usually quite painful for the normal slum dweller. It really was a shame; the sun was so beautiful when it was allowed to shine naturally. Most slum dwellers didn't have much contact with natural light, born in the slums, die in the slums—most never even made it above the plate. Aeris counted herself lucky, she was used to seeing the sun due to the gap in the plate above her house, it was one of the few reasons her garden thrived. Vincent rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm, not really comprehending the reason for the bounce in her step, for the awe in her voice; the land outside of Midgar was nothing but a wasteland. Aeris' small garden was far more impressive.

The journey from Midgar to the Chocobo Ranch and back was a good two-day journey by foot alone, but the fact that Vincent planned to ride the return trip would enable them to get back just as the sun was going to set. It had been almost a year since Cloud and Vincent had left their birds at the ranch, and they had finally saved up enough money to house the two Chocobos at the Midgar Stables. It hadn't been very hard to get the money, it had just taken a longer than usual time to accumulate enough. As a cadet in ShinRa's military program, Cloud's paycheck was not very great, but the blonde sent what he could in order to reach the desired amount. Just the day before the blonde had handed over the last of his contribution, asking Vincent to fetch the birds the next time he had a free day. Having a chocobo stabled nearby would be an asset in the coming years--he was getting close to finishing his training and was well aware that they would be sent out on missions soon, regardless of whether or not he got a high enough score on the ShinRa Military Exams to be scouted for SOLDIER. It would cut down costs in the end; SOLDIERs had to pay out of their own pocket to rent one of the birds from ShinRa. Vincent really hoped it wouldn't come to this— but they would also provide a reliable method of transportation should Hojo ever stumble across Vincent's presence in the city and Cloud's connection to the doctor's former guinea pig.

Cloud hadn't paid for the entire twenty thousand; doing so was far beyond the limits of his monthly salary. Vincent had helped foot the cost as well, earning money by killing many of the monsters that lurked in the slums and selling off the items they dropped when defeated. Twenty thousand Gil was a ridiculous price for two chocobo stalls, but in the end, the positive outcomes from the action would save them either even more money, or their lives.

Vincent hadn't wanted Aeris to come along on the trip, but the flower girl had been insistent. She hadn't wanted to be confined to the house while he was away—her mother had forbidden her from ever going out of the yard without Vincent or Zack's company—and as fate would have it, Zack couldn't have gotten away from Headquarters anyway. Eventually she had gotten him to allow her to come along; there was just something about Aeris that made it very hard to say no to her, even for Vincent.

Vincent's thoughts drifted away from his brown-haired charge and toward the cheerful SOLDIER. He didn't know when Zack had become such a casual part of his and Aeris' lives. After those first couple awkward meetings, Zack had just eased his way into Vincent's very short list of people with whom he actually enjoyed spending time. The only others who had ever made the list were his foster family, Cloud and Lucia. Aeris and Elmyra he didn't mind being around, but neither of them had quite made the list yet.

While he didn't doubt his reason for letting the black-haired SOLDIER hang around, he sometimes wondered why Zack kept coming back. He knew that the other's interest was once based on curiosity alone, was it still, or had it surpassed it into a borderline friendship? The last time Vincent had seen him he couldn't help but voice his question.

"Why do you come back?"

Zack had been uncharacteristically quiet then; apparently, he hadn't been expecting a question of that sort. It had taken a while to answer, and frankly, Vincent didn't think it really answered the question at all.

"I don't really know. I like it here."

If the gunner were to be completely honest, he would admit that he liked having Zack around. He even had begun to look forward to the SOLDIER's visits; Zack was a person who did not know things the way Cloud and Aeris did. He didn't feel sympathy like Mrs. Strife did. He was a new start, someone he could get to know on his own time. Zack was not a faceless coworker like the many of different Turks and SOLDIERs he had met in the past, but he also wasn't unnervingly familiar like Cloud and Aeris…He just was.

Zack was a distraction from the demons both in his head and in his past, a voice to fill up the lonely silence that he tended to wrap around himself. Aeris talked to him from time to time, but it was not the same. She was too quiet, too reserved. Her words did not draw him in as Zack's could. The silence would have driven him mad at one point, toppling his already unstable psyche over the edge and into the demon's grasp. His mind had never fully recovered from the nightmare that had once haunted his waking steps, but in Nibelheim he hadn't really noticed; Cloud and Lucia had chased away the darkness that had clawed at his soul. However, here in Midgar, with his only anchor on sanity sequestered in the SOLDIER Headquarters, the shadows had returned.

"Vincent," Aeris' voice pulled Vincent from his dark thoughts. He glanced at the sky, noting that they should be nearing their destination any time. Aeris followed his gaze, but shrugged when she could not realize what had caught his attention. She twirled her weapon, a delicate white wooden staff, before leaning it back against her shoulder, "What're Chocobos like? I've never seen any up close."

"They are birds. Big yellow birds," Vincent said flatly, his blood red eyes shifting to the girl who walked at his side, "Birds that seem to like the taste of my hair."

Aeris threw back her head and laughed at the image of a big yellow bird chewing on a scowling Vincent's hair, her long braid dancing as her shoulders heaved with mirth, "That's a funny image. So…what're their names?"

"Zero and Sol. Don't laugh." Vincent added when he saw that her shoulders began to shake again. Aeris covered her mouth with one hand, "Someone wasn't really creative."

Vincent glared at her, but the effect was lost when they crested the hill. Aeris let out a happy shout, "There it is!"

The gunner didn't say anything but began to make his way down the hill, following the excited pink-clad girl as she almost ran the last mile. Aeris was a conundrum. She was just so…so…happy, but at the same time very perceptive. She was usually so mature…but then she just turned around and acted so much like a child. As he watched her pause at the edge of the enclosure, he suddenly remembered a memory from so long ago; it was an image of a child, from the time before he left Kalm to join the Turks. A traveling circus had come to the small town and had set up a small petting zoo on the outskirts of town near his childhood hideaway. Vincent had always been a rather shy, but curious child. He had sat in the bushes for hours, watching the delighted expressions on the children's faces as they touched the animals. He could see that same look on his charge's face as she caught sight of the nearest chocobos. A duo of birds had wandered away from the main flock and the larger of the two began causing a scene as they spotted his approach. Vincent put his hand to his head and gently kneaded his temple, Sol was mad at him for leaving her there for so long. He knew it was Sol causing the ruckus; he could easily see the streak of darker yellow feathers near the tip of the wings.

The owner of the ranch, Choco Bill, came out of the house, having been drawn by the Chocobo's noises. He took one look at the pair before realization dawned, "Mr. Valentine! My, it's been so long."

"Indeed." Vincent replied as the man ambled over, "I wish to transfer our Chocobos to the Midgar Stables."

"I'd been wondering when you'd arrive to do so, expecting it even. Most military types come 'round to do so roughly a year later." The gunner's eyes narrowed, wondering how Bill had deduced that they—or Cloud, to be precise—were military. Either Choco Bill missed the look, or he did not choose to comment, "How is young Mr. Strife anyway? Have you left him behind for a fairer companion?" He smiled teasingly at Vincent's charge. The gunner rolled his eyes, his lips twitching behind the red mantle—he had chosen to wear his old clothes since there was no chance of Hojo discovering him this far from Midgar. His new outfit was nice, but he still preferred his old ensemble, it was far easier to move in, and the mantle managed to hide his arm, "Cloud couldn't come today, and Aeris is my…charge."

"Ah…is that all?" The man laughed and shook his head. Abruptly he paused, as if he just recalled something, "Ah yes…I have something for you."

He ignored the gunner's confused inquiry and ambled off to the large barn that housed the Chocobo stables right behind the paddock. He returned moments later carrying a large oval shaped object. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be…"An egg?" Aeris moved away from the fence and peered closer, "Why does Vincent get an egg?"

"Well…about that…" The owner sounded rather embarrassed, a faint pink coloring his face, "A few months back we had another customer, a rather ambitious young man with a black chocobo. One day Billy accidentally let the bird out and it got into the pen. Two eggs resulted from the incident… The young man—Joe I think his name was—took one egg and told me to give the other to the owner of the other chocobo…"

Vincent took the egg without another word, supporting it gently in the crook of his arm. He had to be careful, while it might be covered, the sharp ridges of his metallic arm could possibly harm the egg. He winced as he felt a tug on his hair and glanced behind him, sighing in exasperation as he realized that he was still standing by the fence of the enclosure. Sol had stretched her neck over the wooden barrier, capturing yet another lock of his hair in her beak. Vincent didn't even try to convince the bird to let go, he knew it would be useless. In the end, he just ignored the small pain in his scalp, noticing that Choco Bill was still talking, "I'd take care of it for you as an apology, but all of the stables are full at the moment. Unfortunately I also don't have the energy to try and keep up with a Chicabo in the pen; Billy is too young to handle a Chicabo."

"We can keep it at home." Aeris look positively glowing at the idea, "We can convert that empty section of the garden into a small stable or a coral. Mom won't mind, she's always had a soft spot for baby animals."

"Good, good! I'm relieved. If it turns out anything like the father it'll be an impressive bird when it matures."

Vincent didn't pay much attention to the owner as he began getting the chocobos ready for travel. Sol had finally released his hair, and the gunner was too preoccupied trying to prevent the situation from occurring again. Luckily, Sol had decided to behave, and soon she and Vincent were both demonstrating to Aeris how to ride a chocobo correctly. She picked it up rather quickly and soon they were ready to depart. Zero moved uneasily beneath Aeris' light weight, but didn't try to dislodge her or anything. The chocobo was just a little annoyed that Cloud wasn't there.

The gunner shook his head and threaded his fingers through Sol's bright yellow neck feathers, keenly aware of the extra weight of the egg in his arms. He was very nervous about transporting the egg all the way back to Midgar. Chocobo rides were not very smooth by definition, and all it would take was the slightest jerk against the raised metal ridges on his arm to break through the shell. Unfortunately, he didn't have any choice in the matter. Aeris wasn't experienced enough to attempt steering with one hand and Vincent could not hold the reins with his claw, he'd end up cutting them in two.

Sol shifted uncomfortably beneath him, turning her head to look at him with one big black eye. She squawked impatiently, eager for the journey to begin. Vincent sighed and glanced to where Aeris had been riding Zero around the perimeter of the ranch, getting used to directing the bird, "Finished Aeris?"

"I think so." The brunet drew back on the reins, slowing Cloud's chocobo to a walk and maneuvering him over to where Vincent and Sol waited, "I've just never done this before!"

It turned out that Vincent's fear had been unfounded; Sol had taken painstaking care to choose the smoothest path to avoid any unintentional damage to the egg. The dark gunner suspected that the yellow birds were far more intelligent than most people gave them credit. The journey itself had been rather uneventful, and the return trip to Midgar was a lot shorter on chocobo-back. In a short three hours, they were back at the gates of Midgar, just as the sun began to dip below the horizon. Both Aeris and Vincent dismounted the chocobos once they reached the gate, leading the birds to a large building just inside the city proper. Vincent couldn't help but notice that the Midgar Stables were a lot more elaborate and better kept than most of the houses in Lower Midgar—AKA the Slums.

The manager of the stables studied the duo appraisingly as they approached, eyes flickering to the docile pair of birds. He was a nondescript looking middle-aged man, but the ex-Turk could see the edge in his stance. Most people in Midgar did not use the stables, due to ridiculous prices. The only ones who did were ShinRa's SOLDIERs and merchants. "Ya here fer business?"

Vincent nodded slowly, "Two stalls."

"Yer money first, ten grand per bird," Vincent reached into his cloak before pulling out a decent sized bag and depositing it in the manager's outstretched hand. He quickly stowed it away and gestured to the inside of the building, "Thank-ye sir, bring them birds this o' way."

Vincent motioned for Aeris to grab the reins and lead them further inside. The flower girl did as asked, following the gunner as he disappeared down the aisle of the stable. They passed many empty stalls, but Vincent could easily see the clipboards hanging beside the doors and the metal nameplates above them.

At last the manager stopped in front of a stall without a nameplate, "'ere at the Midgar Stables we group the birds by rating. What're these?"

"Rating?"

He sighed, "The bird's ratin' o' course! Darn city folk, they don' know nothing about Chocobos nowadays."

He peered closely at the two birds trailing behind Aeris, "The male is a pretty good 'un…but the female…she's one o' the better I've seen. Where'd yeh find 'em?"

"Nibelheim Area."

The man's eyebrow rose, "That area's usually full o' average birds, the better ones are pretty hard ter find in that region. Did ya catch 'em?"

Vincent shook his head, "My companion did."

"One o' these birds his?" The manager had started moving again, bustling around and checking the equipment hanging in the stall, "Ye'll have ta give me 'is name ta register the bird to him."

Aeris suddenly remembered something, smacking her forehead lightly with the back of her hand in annoyance, "The owner of the Chocobo Ranch told me to give these to you." She pulled a manila folder out of her knapsack. He took it, flipping through the pages within, "Ah, Yer former customers o' Bill. Good man he is, a fine judge of chocobos. So the female 'Wonderful' bird is years and the male 'Great' is this Cloud-character's."

The man took the reins from Aeris and with a soft word coaxed Zero inside the stall. After much shuffling and squawking, he had the bird settled in. The manager took a set of papers from the manila folder and attached them to the empty clipboard on the wall. He then took Sol's reins in hand, glancing briefly at the egg being carried gently in Vincent's arms, "I take it Yer going ter raise that 'un yerself?"

Vincent nodded.

"A word o' advice, Build a pen, chicabos love ter run."

-Next Day-

Zack whistled softly to himself as he passed through the residential area of Sector Six, making his way down the well-worn path that led to Aeris' house. It had been well 'nigh a month since he had last been able to sneak away from Headquarters to see Vincent and Aeris, and he found himself missing their company. Things had been overly busy at work, what with the SME coming up in a few weeks. It was the exam that would determine the fates of his students; he had done all he could for them in the year they had been under his command. In the end, he wasn't too worried about their prospects; they had greatly improved since the beginning of training. The fact that Zack…convinced Sephiroth to train with them at least once every other week while he slipped off to Lower Midgar seemed to have had a hand in that.

While Cecil and Gwydion might not quite have what it takes to get into SOLDIER, they still had their own talents. Cecil Anderson himself had decided to forgo the exams and take up a job in the Air and Space Department. Fighting was all and good—according to him—but it held nothing against the sky. Gwydion Howell had expressed an interest in Mako Sciences, especially after he had learned about his own teammate's plight in the days following the Malboro Incident. He still wanted to get into SOLDIER, but he had a scholarship for Midgar University to fall back on if he wasn't scouted. Galen Vitalis also had shown some interest in Mako Sciences, but his mind and heart were dead set on becoming a fully trained medic, something that Zack fully encouraged—there were not near enough competent field medics.

He didn't worry about Kyros Orion; the A Class cadet would be able to pass the exam without much difficulty. Herne Grant was already being watched by the Turks, the First Class SOLDIER hadn't been surprised when Tseng—an old friend of his and the leader of the Turks—had approached the black-haired cadet with an offer that most cadets wouldn't even dream of refusing.

Cloud Strife though, Cloud had turned down the offer that Tseng had also extended to him. The blonde had only one goal in mind and nothing short of the apocalypse could dissuade his from taking his chosen course. Cloud wanted to join SOLDIER, and Zack had no doubts that the talented blonde would get in. The cadet was already a class above what Zack had been when he had been scouted; Zack had gotten in as a Class A.

Cloud was a Class S, the only one in the entire program.

Zack couldn't help but be proud of his kids, and it annoyed him greatly that his time with most of them was almost up. Sure he'd see Cloud, Kyros, and perhaps Gwydion in SOLDIER, and maybe Grant around the Headquarters but it wouldn't be the same. They wouldn't be his kids anymore; they'd be his comrades…

He shook his head, spiked locks flying with the force of the dismissal. The exams were still weeks away, he could worry about it then. Right now, he wanted to visit his…well he really didn't know how to label Vincent. He wasn't sure what the dark gunner thought about their peculiar relationship, but he considered Vincent a friend. He didn't really know what it was that drew him to the taciturn man; it wasn't purely curiosity anymore. Zack also didn't really know when his motive had changed—from curiosity to sincere friendship.

He pushed open the gate of the dainty white picket fence that surrounded the large—large for Lower Midgar anyway—lawn and stepped into the sunlight that filtered down through the gap in the plate. This plot of land was one of the very few places where such gaps existed, and Zack suspected it was one of the reasons that Aeris' garden grew so well, even in the almost lifeless earth. True sunlight and rain managed to find its way through the gap, and the flowers grew tall and beautiful under the flower girl's nurturing touch.

He glanced at the garden that blossomed just to the right of the quaint white house, flowers and shrubs rising high enough to obscure even Sephiroth's tall frame with their leafy boughs. Since it was spring, the green walls were splashed with color, petals of varying shapes and colors flowered from the veil of leaves.

He admired the blooms before he directed his gaze to the double-story white house. Zack found himself wondering why Aeris' mother still lived in Lower Midgar, if she had enough money to live in and take care of such a large house then she probably could've moved up into the less shady Upper Midgar. Speaking of Aeris' mother, he spotted the older brown-haired woman sitting on the porch, "Elmyra!" He called the woman's attention to himself. They had met a few times when Zack came by to spend time with Vincent and Aeris; she was a nice woman, a little cautious but nice nonetheless.

"Zack," She looked up from her sewing and smiled kindly at him, "I was wondering when you would show up again."

"Eh…heh…"Zack laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head with one hand, "I've been givin' my kids some last minute instruction for the upcoming SME."

"Is it exam time already?" Elmyra shook her head, "Time has passed by quickly…Anyway you have a good time young man, Aeris and Vincent are out in the garden."

"Thank'ye ma'am," He tipped his head toward the kindly woman, "'twas nice talkin' to you."

"Think nothing of it. You know you are welcome any time you like." She laughed, "You are practically part of the family."

Zack thanked her once more before continuing on his way, heading around the house to find the entrance to Aeris' maze-like garden. As he traveled deeper inside he became aware of a soft banging sound somewhere to his right. Not really feeling like getting lost in the leafy maze, he cupped his hands around his mouth, "Vincent! Aeris! You guys here?"

Something crashed just to his right and he heard a soft grunt of pain quickly followed by Aeris' concerned voice. He briskly made his way toward the sound and soon found himself in a little used corner of the garden. A wooden structure had begun to take shape within the wall of greenery; it looked like a little hut without a roof. He moved closer toward the structure and noticed a ladder leaning against the wall. Aeris knelt at the foot of the ladder, murmuring worriedly at a red and black bundle on the ground.

"Zack!" The flower girl turned around sharply, shooting a disapproving look at the SOLDIER, "Don't do that!"

"It's fine Aeris. I'm sure he didn't mean to startle me." Vincent's voice drifted from the pile of red and black as it moved to a sitting position. Zack couldn't help but stare; he had never seen Vincent in anything other than his black ensemble. He liked this one better; it seemed to suit the dark man well, gave him a bit more color to his pale-but-not-sick-pale skin.

The most radical change in the outfit was the addition of a high-collared red cloak that rested on his shoulders and flowed down to his ankles. The top part, which obscured the bottom part of his face, was securely belted shut by two buckles, followed by one more just below that. There were two others, but they were left undone and hanging. The ends of the cloak were tattered, but that only seemed to heighten the article's intimidation factor. Beneath the cloak was an outfit similar to his old one, except that the shirt was actually a shirt and not a sweater. His right hand also still sported that same shooting glove and something gold glinted within the many folds of the cloak, but was hidden away before Zack could get a good look at it.

Vincent stood up, brushing the dirt off his pants with his right hand, the left stayed noticeably absent. Zack raised an eyebrow before giving the gunman an appraising look. "What were you doin' on the ground?"

Vincent rolled his blood-red eyes, "I fell, idiot. All of your yelling threw me off balance."

Aeris giggled, trying—and failing—to stifle the sound with her hand. Zack adopted an affronted look, "What? Is it officially 'Pick on Zack Day'?" The SOLDIER waved his arms in emphasis, "First Sephiroth threatens me with a weeks worth of Janitorial Duty and now you two are making fun of me!?" He huffed irritably, muttering, "No respect…"

The flower girl managed to control her mirth for a few moments, just long enough to speak, "What did you do this time?"

"Uh…nothing?"

"He made the General watch his squad." Vincent's airy voice drifted down from his perch on the ladder. He had climbed back up and continued hammering nails into the boards that held the structure together. That explained what all the commotion was about. Zack also wondered how he was managing to do that with only one hand, "How'd you know?"

"Simple." The gunman glanced down at the fuming SOLDIER, "You are here, are you not?"

Aeris dissolved into laughter and Zack crossed his arms in annoyance, "Stupid smart vampire…"

"You just contradicted yourself." Vincent shot back, "I can't be both stupid AND smart." He paused in his hammering, adding almost as an afterthought, "And I'm not a vampire."

"Gah!" Zack threw his arms into the air in an overdramatic display of exasperation, "The walking ice cube has a sense of humor! The world is doomed!"

Zack quickly ducked the hammer that was tossed at his head, watching as it clattered to the ground behind him, "Alright already, no need to get violent. You win." He picked up the tool and handed it back up to the irate gunner, "What are you making anyway?"

"A chocobo stall."

"Oh…that's nice." He paused and blinked, taking a few minutes to process that statement, "Wait, wait, and wait, a CHOCOBO Stall?"

"Yes, Vincent received an egg from the owner of the ranch when we went yesterday." Aeris handed Vincent another plank of wood to nail on.

"ShinRa forbids those birds anywhere is the city! Well…except the stables of course." Zack knew that these two held no love for the company, but he didn't think they would blatantly disobey the law.

"They don't have to know! Please don't tell on us. Please?"

Zack knew he could not stand up against Aeris' pleading voice and wide, hope filled eyes. He muttered softly to himself, ("I'm gonna get fired for this…") and coughed before speaking loudly enough for both of them to hear, "Fine, I won't. But I get to name it."

"Okay." Aeris said, just as chipper as she had been before Zack brought up their illegal activities, "In that case, you go up there and take a turn; Vincent's been working all day. Vincent!" She raised her voice so that the gunner could hear her over the bangs of the hammer, "Let Zack do some of the work now, get down here and take a break."

Zack was tempted to ask why she wasn't helping, but refrained when he found himself staring at a vacant ladder. He blinked, "Vince…?" Glancing around the enclosed space, he found Vincent sitting at the base of a small tree, the only tree that had taken root in the entire garden, "Vince-"

"Leave him alone, Zack." Aeris laid a restraining hand on his arm, "He hasn't been looking too well lately."

Zack studied the sharpshooter, whose crimson eyes were closed in rest. Now that he looked, he could see a strange pallor to his skin. Of course, Vincent was almost paper-white on a good day, but this was worse than that. Today the gunner looked a sickly pale instead of the normal "I don't go out in the sun" pale. Vincent sat with his back against the tree-trunk, his head rested lightly against the rough bark and his shoulders rose and fell with every breath. Zack smiled subtly, watching as the gunman's guarded stance relaxed as he drifted off to sleep. The SOLDIER felt honored that Vincent had felt safe enough to sleep in his presence, "Yeah, he has to be tired if he fell asleep that fast. Do you have any idea what's wrong?" He kept his voice quiet, an uncharacteristic action for the normally outspoken young man. Aeris hesitated, but shook her head at last, "No, not really. Something has been keeping him awake at night; I guess it's either nightmares or memories…"

'Or maybe both'

-

"Vince, you gotta wake up." The gunman blinked his eyes open, staring up at the young man who had woken him. Zack sat back on the ground in front of the gunner, reminding him vaguely of the dream from which he had just woken up. He couldn't remember the last half of his dream…but the first had been unpleasant…

Zack smirked at him, "Sorry for wakin' ya sleepy-head, but you've been asleep all afternoon. I can't stay much longer to keep the lovely lady company." His smile slipped when he saw the gunner nod, "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Zack." Vincent intoned quietly as he rose to his feet, thinking idly back to what he could remember of the nightmare, "It was just an unpleasant memory."

"Oh?" Vincent could almost see the black-haired SOLDIER warring between curiosity and worry; eventually curiosity won out, "What was it about?"

The gunner glanced at the warrior out of the corner of his eye. He was tempted to withhold the information. But in the end he decided to humor his friend, the wily SOLDIER would probably bother him about it until he gave in. Plus, it wasn't like he had to tell Zack everything—he hadn't even told Cloud everything. Not that he had to, Cloud seemed to know anyway. "Just an encounter with a very evil man, a man I wish I could just forget entirely."

"No details for me, eh?" Zack smiled ruefully, "'tis okay though, I really didn't expect an answer at all. You're a lot friendlier than Seph in that aspect. He wouldn't have even told me that little bit." The SOLDIER scowled, "It took me ages just to get him to speak to me civilly. I guess you could just chalk it up to being "The" General," Zack mimicked the quotation marks with his fingers, ", and me just being a newly promoted First Class…but he still has that anti-social complex…" He paused, as an idea seemed to dawn on him, "H-hey! Maybe I could drag Seph down here to meet you…and Aeris as well." He added the flower girl as an afterthought, "It might just be good for the both of you…that is if it's alright with you and Aeris. I know how much you despise The Company." He paused, looking at the gunner thoughtfully, "You know…I never really figured it out. If you hate ShinRa, why are you here? Why do you put up with me?"

Vincent was caught off guard by the suddenly serious questions. The first answer was easy, it was the second that he had to stop and think on for a moment. He kept forgetting that Zack was a member of SOLDIER, and as such was under complete control of the ShinRa Corporation. The man was such an anti-thesis to everything Vincent associated with the company, "I'm here looking out for someone—not Aeris." He added when he saw the way Zack's eyes flicked toward the tip of the house that could be seen over the shrubbery and flowers, "I hate the company because of one man, which does not mean I despise those who work for them indiscriminately." Vincent flicked a lock of hair out of his face, his lips twitching into a wry smile that was hidden behind his mantle, "I understand that working for ShinRa is some people's best option; or only option in the case of fighters." As was the case with me, the gunner added silently.

"So true," Zack laughed softly, moving his hand to flick an imaginary tear from his eye. On the other hand, it might have been real; Vincent couldn't tell with the way Zack's face was angled, "Personally, both Seph and I would rather be anywhere but under that…" Zack muttered a few unsavory words under his breath, his eyes turning to glare up at the plate accusingly, "…man's thumb. But the only things I'm good at are computers and fighting, both of which you can't do anywhere else other than ShinRa for a decent wage…and Seph…" He paused, "Well, he's too valuable to the higher ups…" He sighed, abruptly very serious, "Sure I could probably become a mercenary and get a pretty good pay working for Fort Condor or Wutai, but I can't just leave Seph here. I don't doubt that if he had a choice he'd leave too, but I doubt they'd let him go…"

"I understand your reasoning. Cloud is following a similar path, getting closer to the company in order to help someone." Vincent's lips curled into a bitter smile before he said, "He always speaks in riddles."

"So do you, my dear friend." Zack clapped the gunman lightly on the back, "So do you."

Vincent shrugged, nudging off Zack's arm, "And you are so annoyingly transparent."

"Someone has to be," Zack replied promptly, shaking off the seriousness of the former topic, "With so many stiffs like you and Seph around I have to take up the burden of being social."

"Really," Vincent deadpanned, half-turning to regard the completed chocobo stall. Zack had somehow managed to put a roof on it while he was asleep, "You do a good job of it."

"Thank you." The SOLDIER beamed cheerfully, "But enough flattery, there is a set of lovely ladies waiting for you at the house and I'd better go save my squadron from Seph, I just hope he's not taking his anger out on them. They don't need to be holed up in the infirmary ("Again") for their tests." He stuck his hands in his pocket, "Send me a message when the egg hatches, alright?"

Vincent nodded and began gathering up the tools scattered around the gardens, "It shouldn't be for another month."

"After the exams then, that's good. I'll have more time to be down here then." He waved lightly to the gunman, tapping his fingers against his forehead in his own little salute, "See ya then, Vince."

Zack turned and began to walk away. Vincent paused in his search and retrieval mission, watching the man's retreating back. Before he was out of sight Vincent called out, "Zack! The answer to your second question…"

The SOLDIER paused and glanced over his shoulder, head tilted questioningly. The light of the setting sun filtered through the gap in the plate, highlighting Zack's spikes of black hair and setting it ablaze in red and gold. Vincent took a breath before shaking his head, "…nevermind."

Zack looked confused for a moment, before he shrugged it off. He had a good idea as to what his friend had been trying to say. Some people just had a hard time saying it.

A/N: Finally done! Not sure if this chapter is up to par, but I refuse to fiddle with it anymore. Cloud was soo uncooperative, reminding me why I prefer Vinny and Sephy's viewpoints. Heck, even Zack's. There isn't much Cloud POV in the original draft, just cause I liked leaving him a mystery.

Hope it was worth the read, and drop a comment if you liked it. Or even if you hated it. I love feedback—if something doesn't seem right, tell me how to fix it!

Now…off to sleep…'m about to pass ouuzzZZZzzzZZzz