Disclaimer: I do not now or before and most likely not in the future, own Final Fantasy, Square Enix or any of the characters.

A/N: Just so everyone is on the same page, Yuffie does not know Zack in this story. I forgot to mention it earlier. Responses to guest reviews are at the end of the chapter. I hope everyone had a safe Holiday!

Reviews, critiques and flames are welcome. I absolutely love all reviews about the story as it gives me motivation, I use good constructive criticism to help my writing improve and I feed the flames to the fires of my imagination.

Thanks to my before posting betaQueen of Jokers and my after posting beta SubZeroChimera!

"Do not read as children do, to amuse yourself, or like the ambitious, for the purpose of instruction. No, read in order to live." –Gustave Flaubert

Chapter 51

As they rode, they could see Junon off in the distance. Junon was famous for its sunsets and this one was no different and in the back of the truck, Yuffie was entertaining with stories of her travels and adventures.

"Well you know, just the other day, I came across some guy who was nuts-o out of his head. Probably on drugs or something."

Tifa continued to look over the map, "I'm sure you come across all kinds of people when you travel as much as you do."

Aerith straightened her back in alarm, "Tell me more about that guy."

Yuffie looked up, "Huh, oh, the crazy guy?"

Aerith nodded her head intently, "Can you tell me anything about him, what he said, what he looked like," Fidgeting in place, she couldn't hide the fact that she was anxious. Aerith's movements caught Tifa's attention and she sat up to pay more attention.

Yuffie arched her back in a stretch, "Oh, I don't know, he was talking to himself and something about going back to the beginning."

Tifa put her hand on Aerith's arm, "What did he look like?"

Yuffie smiled, "Well, I bet he cleans up pretty well," Yuffie leaned on to one hand and seemed to daydream a little, "He was real big, tall and lean, lots of muscles and really awesome black hair."

Aerith gasp and put her hand over her mouth and turned to Tifa, "It's him! It has to be!"

Yuffie looked around curiously, "He who?"

Tifa asked, "What else did he say?"

"Well when he wasn't rolling around on the ground holding his head and crying, he was saying he was sorry," Yuffie shrugged and looked at both of them, "Also leave me alone and something about that he didn't understand. That was about it. That crazy guy is a friend of yours?"

Aerith nodded her head, "He is why we're out here. We've been looking for him."

Tifa banged on the window to get Barret's attention. Harding pulled the small window open, "Hey guys, Yuffie said that she saw Zack."

"We'll tell Cloud and Seph when we get to Junon," Replied Barret.

Finally making it to Junon, Cloud pulled to the side of the road just outside of town. When Sephiroth pulled up beside him, "We are making good time, but still no sign of him."

Sephiroth nodded in agreement and added, "The truck is way back there, wonder what happened. We weren't going that fast."

"I'm going to go on ahead and scope things out," Cloud headed toward town. Sephiroth pulled out his wig and started the long task of tucking his hair.

After another 30 minutes the truck finally pulled in behind Sephiroth. Tifa jumped out before the truck had come to a complete stop. Sephiroth threw his hands up, alarmed, "Whoa! What's the matter?"

As Tifa ran toward him, "That girl, Yuffie, she saw Zack!"

"She did?!" Sephiroth briskly walked to the rear of the truck, "Yuffie, can you tell me what he said, looked like, acted like, anything," He was growing impatient.

Before Yuffie could answer, Aerith stood up and Sephiroth put his hands around her waist and lifted her out of the truck, "Seph, he didn't seem well," She put her hand on his arm.

His eyes dropped, his shoulders sagged, "We have to find him and soon."

Tifa stepped forward, "Where is Cloud?"

Sephiroth pointed at a figure walking toward them. Yuffie jumped out of the truck, "If you are going across to Casa Del Sol, you can count me in. I love that place."

Harding got out and pulled Sephiroth to the side, "I have the mix ready. I don't know how long it will take to kick in or any side effects."

"Yes, but what are the side effects if we don't do this?" He asked rhetorically, studying Harding's face.

Barret opened his door and met Cloud, "What's the deal up there? Any luck?"

Rubbing the back of his head, "There was a ship that just left about 3 hours ago. The only thing available for us to get on doesn't leave for another couple of days."

Tifa ran toward Cloud, "Cloud!"

"Tifa? What's wrong?"

"Yuffie said she saw Zack," Catching her breath, "He was headed this way day before yesterday."

Cloud's eyes seemed to explode with the thought of feeling like a failure to his friend, "Damn it! We must've just missed him!" Cloud turned away from the group and brushed his hair with his hand in a quick move of frustration.

Sephiroth came up, "Harding has the injections ready."

Cloud turned to him, "Good, maybe we can get Jade out of our heads." Cloud's hands were on his hips and he hung his head low.

While they were talking Harding approached them, "There is one thing. You may not be able to help him if you can't continue the 'link' with him."

Tifa grabbed Cloud's arm, "What? You're linked?"

Cloud and Sephiroth looked at each other and Cloud dropped his gaze. He sighed, "No. Well yeah, kind of."

"What do you mean kind of?" Tifa crossed her arms.

Sephiroth held his arm out in front of Cloud and looked at Tifa, "We don't know if it's Zack, or just us."

"I don't believe this. Why didn't you tell me?" She crossed her arms. Cloud kicked at the ground in a show of his uneasiness.

Cloud looked at Tifa, "We weren't even sure about it." Cloud hated lying to her, but he just wanted to get the subject out of the way so they could continue on, "Regardless, we still need to find Zack."

"How long have you kept it from us?" She lifted a puzzled glance up to him.

Sephiroth spoke up, "We can discuss this later. Right now we need to book passage on that next ship."

"What does this all mean?" Tifa's eyes bounced between them.

Cloud and Sephiroth looked at each other, Cloud answered, "We don't know. This is all new to us. Well me anyway."

That night at dinner, Cloud spoke to Sephiroth alone. The music wasn't very loud, but there was a bustle around the restaurant. Everyone else had left and gone back to the Inn leaving the two men with their thoughts, "I think that I am going to wait for my injections. If there is a way to help Zack, and I destroy that, I couldn't forgive myself."

Sitting across from him, Sephiroth twirled his empty beer bottle. He signaled to the waitress for another one, "I have been thinking the same thing. The things I am feeling that I think are coming from him, it is not good."

Cloud finished off his drink and pushed the empty bottle off to the side, "I don't feel it all the time, just sometimes. You?"

"It's just about the same," Looking around the room, he leaned in and his voice lowered in volume, "I have felt a little different since the encounter at the house."

"I have too, but just a little. It's almost like I have a little more confidence," Cloud sat back in his chair, "I really don't want Tifa to know about what's happening with Zack. She is libel to think that it'll happen to us too. Then I'll never hear the end of it."

Stressed eyes fell to the table top, "Aerith too. I think that Aerith has a little advantage that Tifa doesn't."

"About Zack, what do you think it means?" Cloud leaned on his elbows onto the table, "Why do we feel different?"

Sephiroth shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, but I feel that I am feeling Zack a little more as we get closer to him." He sighed, "I wonder if he can feel us coming for him?"

"Once we find him, we can ask him ourselves. The only thing that concerns me is what Yuffie said he looked and acted like," Cloud asked for another drink from the waitress as she passed by. He looked intently into Sephiroth's eyes, "We are going to find him and we are going to figure it out together."

Sephiroth drank the last of the beer in his hand, "Agreed."

"Hey… loser… wake up!" A nudge stirred him, "You gonna go eat? Get your ass moving." Zack opened his eyes slowly, "I said get up!"

Sitting up, he held his head, "Where?" The confusion wasn't just on Zack's face; he could feel it on the end of every nerve.

"Geez, not only are you a pussy, but you're stupid too," When Zack looked behind him; Davis was sitting up on a crate. His hands were perched beside his knees and he leaned forward, "If you're gonna get to where you're going, you gotta eat." Zack stood and looked over crates and cages and noticed a door on the far end. Walking slowly, his hands brushed along the sides of the crates. The wooden crates scraped at his hands as he brushed past them, he didn't notice. Reaching the door, he peeked out to the deserted hall, "Try that door on the right up there." Davis pointed to a steel door. Pushing his hand out, the door opened with a squeak. It appeared to be a pantry of sorts, "Grab some of that there!" He pointed to boxes of toaster pastries, "Yeah, you like those don't ya?"

Zack looked over the boxes without touching them. His eyes darted around until he outstretched one finger and ran it along the boxes, "Is it real?"

"Yes you fuckin idiot!" Davis smacked him in the back of the head. The force caused Zack to fall forward into the shelves and some of the items fell to the floor by his feet. He righted himself and looked over at Davis and the sting of tears burned his eyes. Davis pointed to the boxes impatiently and said, "Well, get one!" Zack dropped his eyes and reached out and grabbed one of the boxes and returned to the hold. Sitting down, he crossed his legs and greedily ate one pastry after another. Crumbs sprinkled his legs and the floor in front of him, Davis sat across from him as he picked at his teeth, "So, what do you think little Cloud and Sephiroth are doing?"

Zack leaned back on the crate behind him, his lips moved silently, as he seemed to try to understand his situation.

Hopping off the crate and moving closer to him, Davis straddled Zack's outstretched legs and squatted down to his face, "I bet they are living it up now that you're not there ruining their fun." Zack's eyes welled and his fingers went to his hair. Pulling his knees up, he rested his elbows on them, "So how do you feel about them now?"

He began rocking back and forth slowly as he pointed to one side, then the other in the slow rhythm to his equally slow chant, "I love him, I love her, I love him, I love her…" He repeated it several more times until Davis slapped him across the face. Zack's hands went back into his hair as he began to cry.

"You're freakin me out!" Davis sighed and sat next to him and rubbed Zack's back adoringly, "Now who is it that you're talking about? Come on you can tell me," His voice was smooth like silk, "I want to know who it is that you're thinking about right now. I know who the 'her' is, but who is the 'him' that you love?"

Zack stopped rocking and pulled his hands out of his hair, his face wet with tears his eyes plead, "You won't hurt him will you?"

Davis stopped rubbing his back. He tapped his fingers on the crate next to him and sighed in disappointment, "I guess not."

His fingers ran through his hair and he grabbed two handfuls of it. In a worrisome tone, he couldn't hide his uncertainty, he spoke slowly, but gently fumbled his words, "I have to protect Cloud, I have to protect Cloud. He needs me to protect him. Cloud… protect, save, love, my brother, Cloud… protect…" His rocking began again, but faster and then he began to slap himself in the head once, twice, "Stop it!"

Davis grabbed his wrist, "Okay. I said I wouldn't hurt him. Yet," He grinned, deep in thought.

With Zack still rocking and in an almost imperceptible whisper, he repeated, "Protect Cloud… save Cloud… love Cloud… protect Cloud…"

Davis patted his back and caressed his face. Zack leaned into his touch and his whispering got quieter until he stopped, "There you go Z, you're almost ready, just a little longer still," Davis laid him down on his side and went back to rubbing and patting his back and Davis smiled to himself.

The ship did not make any side stops; it was an express to Casa Del Sol. Instead of five days, it took a couple of days. Davis kept Zack company, "Remember, when the ship docks in a couple of hours, be very quiet when you sneak off," He whispered in his ear.

A smile crossed Zack's face and he nodded his head. Slowly he spoke, "Yeah, okay… gotta find the beginning, gotta find and protect Cloud… yeah."

Davis pursed his lips and in a mock mothering tone, "That's right, you gotta take care of little Cloud." He ruffled his dirty black hair, "Don't ya?"

When he looked at Davis, Zack's eyes shimmered and he let a smile cross his lips, a loving smile reserved for those he cared for.

"Guest" and "Truth" reviews: You mentioned something that I wanted to touch on. I wouldn't necessarily say that Zack is "pathetic" or some "dude' bitch" when he is in the middle of a nervous breakdown with a little bit of overwhelming insanity thrown in. I understand your desire for Zack to kill that "Insignificant OC" but it is VERY difficult to kill something that doesn't exist anywhere but his mind. This is not yaoi, and if you think that "Davis" is actually my OC Davis Whitmore, then you're mistaken. This "Davis" represents a breaking point for Zack, he is the first man that he killed in cold blood and is a weak point for Jenova to break through to the very strong-willed character that is Zack.

"Real Truth" review: Thanks for leaving a review and I'm sorry that you didn't like that part, but it is life. Like you said, it happens and she was "testing" her love for them both. I know it is a weak argument as why they cheated, but that is how it formulated in my mind. It will come in to play later.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reads, favorites, subscribes and/or reviews, I appreciate your time and I dedicate all of this to you. To quote another author, "Getting reviews makes me feel all warm and squishy."

Please send me your reviews if you want. It is really easy. Just click your arrow in the little box, write what you thought or felt about the chapter and then click right down there, just below the box. A little lower… a little to the right… yeah, right there! Click it! *grinning*