Summary: Monsters aren't the only things Zack has to fight. But things are better than they were a year ago. Weirder, but better.
Chapter 8: New Beginnings Aren't Easy
It didn't take long to get to Sector 7. The chocobos hitched to the cart kept up a smooth lope that ate the distance and was (in Zack's opinion) a lot nicer that being on the back of one. Cloud would probably still beat them though. He'd just pointed his green chocobo at the mountains of debris and ran up and over. Quick, efficient – kinda cool. Zack still preferred the cart.
Of course, part of that might've been Aerith sitting on his lap.
There were good reasons for this. The wagon was crowded. Only way to fit everyone in, yadda yadda. He didn't care. He just wrapped his arms around her and enjoyed her wicked little smile as she shifted her behind on his crotch a little more than the uneven road required.
Most of the travellers got off at Wall Market, eliminating Aerith's excuse to be on his lap, but there were enough people still on that Zack had to hold Galatine's wide blade in front of himself until he cooled down. Aerith gave him a happy, knowing wink that had Zack's smile growing bigger than the bulge in his pants.
Aerith sat very close and they chatted softly about what Sector 7 might be like in between some kissing. A skinny old dude in the other corner of the wagon looked at them in disapproval, but they ignored him.
The next stop was the old playground they used to go to. Judging by the crowd, it was still a popular spot. A few people got off; a couple people got on. And then they were at the Sector 7 gate. It was so close to the playground that Zack couldn't help but wonder why they'd never gone there before. And then they waited for the gate to open… and waited.
Even Aerith's presence was failing to distract Zack from the discomfort of fitting his 190 cm frame into a low-roofed wooden cart. Finally, at exactly noon, an alarm on the gate finally rang. The sound of large gears starting to move drowned out all conversation. The gate started moving, inching open. It was a massive slab of metal and it took ages for it to creak wide enough for the cart to get through.
No wonder the Sector 7 run only happened five times a day.
They were dropped off close to a chain-link gate guarded by a couple helmeted infantrymen. They had to wait for the older corporal to dig the keycard out of his uniform, walk over to the reader, and wave the card in front of it. Then the gate had to be unhitched and pushed open – slowly so the squeaking wheels didn't pull out of the tracks. Every step silently informed the crowd that opening the fence was a massive inconvenience.
Nobody cared. As soon as it was open wide enough the passengers were sliding through to the residential areas of Sector 7, sliding past the disgruntled guard. Others pushed the other way, groups of young people heading to Wall Market to party or work.
He and Aerith waited until the initial rush passed. They weren't in a hurry, and if anyone bumped his sword, they'd end up injured for sure. When the gate was wide enough, he offered his arm to Aerith and she wrapped her strong hands around it, and they ambled through.
Zack knew the moment the guards spotted the sword, but he ignored them, and they ignored him, and none of them caused problems for the other.
The entry point was a fairly big area with corrugated tin and chain-link fencing separating it from the wastelands. Just this one bit matched the lower half of Sector 5 in size. There were a couple broken down trucks across the way, with armed guards near them that had Zack's eyebrows lifting.
There was a constant stream of suit-wearers passing through and Zack recognized the clothing as the unofficial uniform worn by most of Shinra's office worker army.
A sign said that there was a train station close by, so did that mean that these were Shinra workers commuting to and from the plate? It made him curious because Shinra had housed all their workers above-the-plate five years ago. It was one of the perks of the job. Why had that changed? If he stopped one a random secretary or bureaucrat, would they tell him? Would they recognize him?
He put the question aside to ask Cloud later.
Because it was a busy throughway, there were shops trying to catch the worker bees and entice them into spending some of their gil. There was also food and it was past lunch.
Zack looked at the menu boards. It was a little pricier here than in Sector 5, but the offerings were also more varied, with menu items not native to the eastern continent. Zack mentally tallied up his depressingly small amount of gil and regretfully decided to hold off on buying lunch.
"Wanna browse the shops?" he asked Aerith.
She smiled and said yes, and after that it was kind of like the first day they met. They went from shop to shop and Aerith looked at the wares and haggled gently when she found something she wanted. The shopkeepers here were just as helpless against her relentless good will as the ones in Sector 5.
Zack smiled and watched and made sure that she got to enjoy the experience without being hassled.
The pink ribbon in her hair bobbed as she spoke. It looked like the same ribbon he'd given her that day, but it had been nearly six years. How long did fabric last? It had to be new…
Zack decided it didn't matter if it was the original or a replacement. She was wearing his ribbon just like she'd promised. He leaned down and gave it a kiss. She smiled up at him absently, but quickly returned to her negotiations.
Aerith was looking at dresses when Zack recognized a suit coming from the direction of the train station. That colour and cut didn't belong to a worker bee.
He wondered if he should try hiding in the shop he was currently in front of, and then realized that would be stupid. He was big, the shop was small, and the Turks already knew he was alive anyway.
He watched Cissnei and another female Turk, one he'd never seen before, trying to look like they were just the same as everyone else – just one in a crowd. To Zack, at least, it was obvious they didn't belong, but nobody else was watching them or even edging away.
Cissnei finally felt his eyes on her. She looked up, looked surprised, and then smiled – a small smile, but just as true as the one she'd given him that night on the coast. Quietly and efficiently, she pulled her companion out of the passing stream. Her pace didn't vary – neither excitement nor fear was revealed in her step as she walked over to where Zack stood. She stopped, close enough to be heard, but far enough away to have room to draw a weapon if needed. Cissnei had always been a very good Turk.
She looked up at him. "Zack. Interesting shirt," she said. "It's good to see you despite it."
Zack's eyebrows went up. "Is it?"
"Actually, yes." She gave that same small smile. "There was a great deal of upset in the office when the army reported your death."
"Riiiight."
She ignored his sarcasm. "When Reno reported your survival, it was a great relief."
"Hello Cissnei," Aerith said, joining them. "You look well."
"Thank you, Aerith." Cissnei dipped her head. "So do you."
"Well, you know…" Aerith twirled her hair. "It helps when your declared-dead boyfriend turns out to be not-so-dead after all."
The Turk beside Cissnei inhaled as if surprised at Aerith's caustic comment. Zack decided she had to be new to be giving so much away. She was taller than Cissnei (but most people were), with blonde hair cut asymmetrically short, and brown eyes. She looked familiar, but also not.
"Who's your friend?" He jerked his chin at the newbie.
"Uhh," Blondie said.
"This is Elena," Cissnei said. "Elena, this is Zack Fair, formerly of SOLDIER, and Aerith Gainsborough."
Aerith held out her hand. "I'm a Priority 1 Asset, so you'll probably be assigned to watch me at some point."
"Oh, uh. Wow. You're much prettier than your pictures!"
Zack burst out laughing. It was fun to watch a Turk – even a young, inexperienced one – stammer and blush like a regular person.
Cissnei dipped her face, embarrassed for the newbie. Aerith just smiled. "Thank you. I don't suppose anybody looks their best in covert surveillance photos." Her arm was tight against his back. It braced Zack. Maybe it braced her, too.
"So what brings you to Sector 7?" Zack asked. "And don't say us." He flicked his finger between him and Aerith. "You weren't looking for us when you got off the train."
"Eco-terrorists," Elena said. "Like Avalanche."
Aerith frowned. "I though Avalanche was destroyed months ago. The news said they were the reason some of the Sector 6 plate collapsed."
Again, Elena-the-innocent blushed and stammered and tried to backtrack out of the conversation. Cissnei sighed. "We heard rumours that a splinter group has formed."
"And that's a bad thing..." Aerith's voice could've been mocking or it could've been honest curiosity. It was hard to tell with her.
"It's a bad thing if they try to blow up the reactors like the original group tried to do!"
Looking at the newbie Turk, Zack smiled his best 'meet the public' smile. "Seems to me that a lot of people think mako power isn't great for the planet. Most of my family – the ones that survived anyway. Well, they might, in fact, have a problem with Shinra's reactors."
They'd have a hard time arguing that one, he thought. Sure, his mum and pops were still alive, but he'd lost aunts and uncles and cousins when the reactor blew. (Cissnei might've warned him away from visiting his parents when he was near Gongaga, but he'd found other villagers to talk to, people who'd given him a list of the dead.)
Cissnei looked at him. Her expression seemed friendly and guileless, but she was still a Turk. Who knew what she saw in his face.
"Right now, we don't have any reason to be interested in an anonymous veteran returned to Midgar," Cissnei said. "No report exists on you. Please don't make Tseng have to change that."
Zack snorted. "No report," he said skeptically.
"No official report then," she corrected. She paused, frowned and looked away briefly before straightening to look him in the eye. "Elena, why don't you go get us some yakisoba." It wasn't a request. Elena's eyes darted around the group, but she could do nothing but agree.
"Get mine with extra beef."
"I prefer extra vegetables," Aerith said with a fake smile.
Elana looked to Cissnei. The senior Turk nodded once, and Elena scurried away.
In unspoken agreement, they shifted further from the stores. Cissnei turned her back on the crowds and covered her mouth. "The Turks aren't what we used to be," she said.
Zack's eyebrows went up. "You're not Shinra's loyal attack dogs?"
It was Cissnei's turn to frown. "Our loyalty has been… strained, for quite some time," she said. "Right now, it's being bought with the lives of our absent team members. As long as we obey, they will not be killed."
"Holy shit," Zack murmured.
"Tseng will do what he can to protect both you and Ms Gainsborough," she went on. "But if you force him to choose between your lives and theirs…"
Zack's jaw clenched. It's what he'd told Aerith yesterday, what Tseng had said last night. Didn't make it any more pleasant to hear. "Understood." Beside him, Aerith was a steady wall of warmth. "It's a good thing I have no political bent then, isn't it." He managed a smile.
Cissnei nodded once. "A very good thing," she agreed seriously.
Then Elena was back with their noodles and Zack couldn't stand the idea of waiting there, with them – forcing small talk like his live, Aerith's life, hadn't just been threatened. "Thanks for the noodles," he said. His smile was still tight and fake. "We'll just let you get on with your business. Keeping Shinra safe from the world."
"Uh," said Blondie. "Isn't it the other way –"
"It was nice to meet you, Elena," Aerith said in her brightest voice. "I'm sure we'll see you again."
All Cissnei did was nod. Then she and the baby Turk joined the latest load of Shinra employees heading home at the end of the day and disappeared.
Zack held his box of yakisoba. It smelled delicious, warm and spicy, but Zack's appetite was gone.
"Gonna eat that or just stare at it?" Cloud's voice made him jump.
"Cloud!" Aerith practically shouted. Maybe she'd been surprised too. "How long have you been here?"
Cloud grabbed the box from Zack's hand. "Recognized the suits. Thought I'd wait until you were finished."
"Not a fan of the Turks?" Zack asked, taking his noodles back.
"Is anyone who isn't one?"
Cloud had a point.
Zack opened the box and took a bite. As soon as it hit his tongue, he was ravenous. Seared beef covered in a rich Gongagan sauce… He gobbled the noodles down, barely pausing to chew.
"Do you need more?" Aerith held up her half-eaten box.
Zack realized he was trying to dig a tiny chunk of mushroom off the bottom of the empty box. He blushed. "Aaah, no. I'm good."
A small smile flickered across Cloud's lips. "C'mon then. I'll introduce you around."
As they left the square, Cloud told them that over seven thousand people lived in Sector 7, which made it huge compared to Sector 5. Most of the residents were Shinra employees who couldn't afford to live above the plate.
"Why is that?" Zack asked. "It's only been a handful of years since I left, and babies don't happen that fast."
"Sector 6 plate collapsed," Cloud said. "Shinra isn't rebuilding it, but people need a place to live. Train runs most often here. Also the closest sector to the sea, so this is home to lots of immigrants who don't qualify to live up top even with a job."
Apparently, Sector 7 had a whole area filled with Wutaian refugees, and street filled with ones from Gongaga. Fort Condor people were started to congregate, and Corel… It was Terra, but in miniature, which explained the spicy food offerings.
All around, Zack could hear the sounds of hammering and small machinery. Shouts of work crews were layered under that.
"So, if so many people are moving in, Zack could sell some of that equipment we found to the construction crews here," Aerith said.
Cloud waggled his head. Zack took it a maybe.
"When I set up here, my place was on the edges. Now I'm kinda in the middle," Cloud said. "Thinking of moving out again. Better for Deza, and I'm not too fond of the crowds either."
The path widened and split then split again. Cloud jerked his chin to the side. "Motorcycle shop. Good reputation. Said you were interested."
Zack stopped to look at the Hardy-Daytona being worked on in the shop's entrance. It was a model that had been old before Zack could legally drive, but it was in beautiful condition. The two men working on it stopped their conversation to stare at him.
Zack waved. "Beautiful work," he said. "I'll be back later to talk." He gave the guys two thumbs up before whirling away.
Cloud led them through narrow, covered alleys and broad paths paved with more corrugated tin and rough metal slabs. Everywhere there were people, talking, shopping, making things, living their lives. The buildings weren't concrete and stone, like in upper Midgar, but wood and salvaged steel. They looked mostly solid and definitely permanent. He saw several people brushing the dirt from ratty front steps – cleaning windows…
Even more than Sector 5, Zack got the sense that the inhabitants didn't think of this as a slum. It was home. It was their home, and efforts had been made to make it a city and not a shanty town. Colourful murals were painted on large walls, decorative borders on small ones. Neon signs and flashing multi‑coloured lights glowed in the under-plate dimness. Children laughed and dogs barked, and it was alive in ways Zack had never seen above‑the‑plate.
The first place Cloud took them was to a… well, not an indoor mall, but a covered one. It was made from huge pipes stuck in the ground. The top was easily three metres above them. It had room for dozens of shops, but instead it was pretty much deserted – only a couple merchants had goods laid out for sale. One of them had an actual table and a chair instead of a blanket. Of course, that was they guy Cloud took them to.
Niam, the salvage dealer with the recurring drake problem, looked disturbed when Aerith sighed in disappointment at the news that there were none right now. He rallied quickly though. "We got giant fucking rats nesting in the back of the building," he said to cheer her up. "They steal the food, bite the people. Nobody wants to come here with them around. 's why we're so empty."
"We can help!" Aerith said eagerly.
The guy looked at Cloud who asked, "On the Watch board?"
Niam nodded. "Yeah. Had a couple already try, but there's half a dozen of the bastards."
Cloud looked at him, but really what was Zack going to say? "Go mercenaries."
Aerith clapped her hands. "It's very exciting."
The rats were huge, Zack would give the guy that, but their fiercest attack was throwing dust at in their faces.
"Concentrate on one," Zack said. "Once it's out, we move to the next." And that's what they did.
One after another, the rats went down, filling the air with the distinctive green sparks of death.
Zack sustained their only injury – a nasty bite on his arm that stung like a motherfucker. It also turned a nasty purple colour very quickly.
"Poison," Cloud said after giving it a look. He looked up at Zack. "Second time today."
"Will Healing–"
Cloud was already shaking his head. "Need Cleansing materia or an antidote." He reached into a compact pouch he had attached to his belt and pulled out a vial. It was maybe 100 millilitres of purpley-green liquid that Zack recognized.
"Have they improved the flavour?" he asked.
"Not even a little," Cloud smiled.
They did a quick search of all the nooks and crannies, making sure there wasn't any more of the rats before heading back to Niam, the salvage guy. He gave them 100 gil and a deal on a leather bracer with two materia slots. Cloud split the gil between them and gave Aerith the bracer.
"Me?" Aerith asked, stunned. She held her hands tight to her chest.
Cloud just rolled his eyes. He took one of her hands and uncurled it. Into her palm he placed 34 gil. "Earned it," he said, strapping the bracer to her right wrist. "Easiest rat fight I've had."
Zack looked at her pleased blush and felt like bursting. He had no right, but he was still proud of her, wanted to shout to passerbys that she had picked him.
"C'mon," Cloud said. "Let's get a Cleansing materia."
Apparently, Cloud had a deal with a local item shop owner. He told everyone that's where he bought his potions and equipment, and the owner gave Cloud a discount. "No weapons, though," he added. "Shame. Best weaponsmith here is a butthole."
The road curved slowly and then opened into another wide area. It was some kind of hub and taking up one whole side was a large building, with a sign that doubled its height: 'Seventh Heaven'.
"Is that an inn?" Zack asked as they passed it.
Cloud shook his head. "Bar," he said. "We can stop there later. Item shop first. Aerith, if you smile, you'll get a better deal. Up to you, though."
At the item shop, Cloud introduced them as "partners", as if they were a team, but he also called them friends and it was a different kind of warmth in Zack's chest. Cloud had been unfailingly kind, generous, competent and fun.
He suddenly wondered if Kunsel was still sending him messages.
"Aerith needs materia," Cloud said, leaning on the counter. "Whaddya got?"
Aerith gave Jeckie a wide smile, "I just started using it, but I'm really good."
"She is," Zack said. He fingered the SIM card Cloud had taken from his old PHS. It was SOLDIER issue and over seven years old. Would it work in a commercial version?
"Also, antidotes," Cloud said. "Damn doom rats."
"You cleared them out?" the merchant said.
Cloud nodded, and between that and Aerith's smile, they got a brand-new Cleansing materia for half price, and a cheapish iron bangle that she insisted go to Zack.
"You got a PHS or two?" Zack asked. "Doesn't have to be new; just has to work."
And so they haggled a little more. Jeckie had one in stock that went to Aerith, since she had the money for it (and Zack's SIM card wouldn't fit). The merchant promised to scrounge up another one, and older one. Then it should work.
Zack smiled and shook hands on the deal, and tried not to feel like he'd just put a huge fucking beacon on top of his head.
Once out of the store, Aerith popped the new Cleansing into her new bracer and tried it out on Zack. "It feels different than the Cura." Which she also cast on Zack for comparison.
"Can add another slot to your staff at my shop," Cloud said, leading them to their next stop. Then he looked at her. "If you want."
Aerith thought about it, hand to chin. "You know what? I think I do want." Then she had to program Cloud's PHS ID into her PHS and send him a message – with a winky face emoji.
Cloud didn't say anything, but Zack saw his little smile flicker as he tapped out a reply.
He took them around a corner to a building with a large porch. There were notice boards on the side of it, and and well-armed men and women stood in front reading the listings. To the side of the boards, tables and chairs were set up. People with badges sat on one side taking notes as other people made complaints or reported monster infestations or whatever. Maybe they were bookies taking bets. There was too much noise for Zack to hear what was being said.
In front of everything, stood an older guy with a neat beard and cap. He leaned on the railing and was talking the same white-haired boy who'd stopped them in Sector 5 last night. Chadley or Geordie.
Turned out the guy was Wymer, head of Sector 7's Neighbourhood Watch, (and the kid was Chadley). Both of them would pay them to clear out monsters, but where the Chadley paid in unusual or cheap materia, the Watch paid in gil and goods.
Aerith, unsurprisingly, was totally onboard with either option.
She took the Assess materia Chadley needed them to use (even though they already had two) and together they went off to fight some kind of mutated fang thing that had moved into the scrapyard to the south that they were clearing for development.
"Like I said, Sector 7's still growing." Cloud sounded neither happy nor sad at being proved correct.
As they walked around the scrapyard, clearing out rats and gorgers as they looked for the mutated fang, Zack thought about what it meant that this sector was large enough to support an organization like the Watch. The group had money for the rewards, a weapon exchange program, and a training facility with places for both physical training and monster familiarity workshops. Sector 7 had a freaking council and the Neighbourhood Watch had a seat on it.
This place was permanent.
Well, he'd known the settlements under the plate were permanent, but Sector 5 always seemed… Well, he'd always thought (and maybe it was an upper-Midgar bias) but he'd always thought that one day all the residents would say 'fuck it' and move out, because, c'mon! They didn't have power; they didn't have cars - they didn't have theatres or the latest consumer goods. It meant life under the plate had to be pretty horrible, right?
Except it wasn't. It actually seemed pretty nice.
After escaping from Nibelheim, Zack had just run – anywhere, anyplace that didn't have Shinra in it. He'd tried Wutai, but they'd all known what he was, and even a SOLDIER First could go without proper rest for so long. He'd gone home to Gongaga because he had no place else to go. That had taken him to Banora, and the final showdown with Genesis. Afterwards, he'd thought of sticking around – dumbapples were delicious and why the hells not? But Banora had felt like an ending, not a beginning.
Then Angeal's griffon had showed up with Aerith's letter and it was like a huge hook in his chest pulling him to her. He'd had no thought but that he wanted to see her again, one more time. Perhaps a final time, and he hadn't really thought beyond that. Yeah, he'd joked to himself about becoming a mercenary – something he though would be the complete opposite of Angeal's vaunted SOLDIER ideals.
When he'd seen the regiment of infantry lining the road in front of him, he'd known. He wasn't making it out alive. He'd accepted it. Sent out his last love to Aerith – still so far away – and showed Shinra what their most successful experiments could do.
And when he couldn't wield Angeal's Galatine anymore, he'd used his fists. And when he couldn't use his fists, he'd used his words.
And when he lost his words, he'd still had his dreams.
At one point, he thought he'd seen Angeal reaching out a hand to him, but instead of his mentor's dark, heavy features, there'd been a slim, blue-eyed blonde, and Zack hadn't been dead at all.
Now he had Cloud and Aerith, and life as a mercenary under the plate was maybe not without its own honour, and he could live here. With them.
He could have a life.
"Just breathe, Zack," he heard, and "It's okay. We're safe," when he felt magic being cast near him.
When the spots cleared from his vision, there were three somethings dissolving into the Lifestream, close enough to him to have been a serious threat. Cloud was casting a healing spell over himself, and Aerith was chugging a potion – ether from the smell.
"Well this is embarrassing," Zack sighed, and really, really wished he could sink into the gravel.
"Only been two days since you were mostly dead," Cloud said as if that explained everything.
Aerith looked at him, eyes huge with concern and love. "Honestly, considering everything? You're doing really, really well. You're building a whole new you, right?"
Building a new him… A new Zack Fair. That sounded about right. One that wasn't Shinra's weapon. One that wore garish T-shirts, and kissed his girlfriend on a chocobo wagon. One who only had to maintain his own honour, and not anybody else's…
"Yeah," he smiled. He straightened and pulled in a breath. It was smoggy and smelly and free. "Let's go be mercenaries."
They tracked the fang down in a small cul-de-sac and finished it. Cloud harvested some stuff while Aerith watched in fascination. After that it was an easy walk back to the Beginner's Hall, where they collected their rewards. Cloud was just as particular about divvying up the gil this time, making sure they each got an equivalent share.
Cloud pointed out the Savings & Loan office sandwiched between the Neighbourhood Watch and the weapons shop. "Safest place in the sector," he joked, but Zack considered what would be necessary to get a bank account down here.
Next, Cloud, took them to the area of the sector that was predominantly Wutaian. "Need to meet the Head of the Benevolent Society, Master Kenagi," Cloud said. "It's like the Neighbourhood Watch, but only for Little Da-chao."
"Why do they have a separate one?" Aerith asked.
"Because the original leader of the Watch told the original Wutaian refugees to fuck off when they came to report monster sightings."
"Oh," Aerith said disappointed.
"Yah. Better now, but they keep their own monster board. Guy we're going to meet is the enclave's council member," Cloud went on. "If Little Da‑chao had a mayor, Kenagi would be it."
It was easy to tell when they entered the Wutai enclave. The people on the road spoke in rapid-fire Wutainese, and many wore versions of the traditional dress. The buildings still looked like under the plate, but it also didn't. Roof edges occasionally had that up-tilt that Zack had seen on the buildings in Wutai. Most shops had hung large round lanterns outside announcing their wares in Wutaian script along with signs in Common.
Everywhere around him, Zack was reminded of the war so many years ago – the war that he'd helped win for Shinra.
Zack slowed down. "Uhh…" Were the residents staring at him?
"Y'know," he said, coming to a halt. "Maybe this isn't a good idea."
Both Aerith and Cloud turned to stare at him, but it was Aerith who asked why.
Zack scrubbed a hand through his hair. "I fought in Wutai. You knew that, right?" Cloud nodded. Aerith didn't. "The only reason they lost was because of SOLDIER."
"You planning on refighting the war?" Cloud asked.
"No!"
"So shouldn't be a problem." Cloud shrugged and kept walking.
Aerith giggled. She also gave him a kiss so he'd feel better. And it worked (or at least it was a distraction). People stared at them – so very out of place in this little section of the slums.
Then again, it could've been his T-shirt, and the way Aerith pulled him along by his hand… It could've been a lot of things other than his glowing eyes and huge sword.
Eventually, Cloud took them to a small building. Outside, notices in Wutaian and Common were hung to a pole. Inside, it was a Wutaian teahouse that doubled as Little Da-chao's social hub. A few of the tables had patrons sitting at them. Many of the patrons had large muscles and big swords.
Cloud led them to the back, and introduced them to an older Wutai man named Kenagi.
Kenagi looked at Zack's eyes and frowned.
"He has the glowing eyes of a Shinra SOLDIER. How is he here?" There was just the hint of an accent as he spoke in Common. Cloud said nothing, letting Zack answer for himself.
"Uhh… Shinra pronounced me dead four years ago, and tried to kill me again this week?"
"So you hate Shinra now." There was no judgement in Kenagi's voice.
Zack's knee-jerk reaction was to say yes, but that wasn't true. 'No' wasn't true either. He sighed. "Aspects of it… Certain people? Yeah. But mostly, I just want to live my life now. As long as they don't come after me – or my friends – I'll leave them be."
Nothing in the older Wutaian's expression indicated whether he thought Zacks' answer was smart or stupid, naive or cowardly. Kenagi looked at him, stared into Zack's eyes, looked at his gloved hands, didn't wince at his shirt. Zack tried not to shift, but it was hard. Angeal used to have the same ability to make Zack feel X-rayed, and it brought back so many memories he had of being a SOLDIER Second.
"Zack Fair," Kenagi said, proving he'd been recognized. "SOLDIER fought honourably in a dishonourable war."
He turned to Aerith, who dipped in a what could've been a courtesy. "Aerith Gainsborough. I grow and sell flowers when I'm not killing monsters with my friends," she said brightly.
He repeated her name carefully, stumbling a little at the 'th' sound the way Tseng always did. Kenagi gave her the same intense examination that he'd given Zack, but Aerith looked back. It was Kenagi's turn to shift uncomfortably.
"You have interesting companions, Cloud Strife," the old guy finally said. He gave Aerith one last look, but that was it apparently.
They'd passed. He and Aerith could now come by and pick up monster hunts without needing Cloud's company. In fact, they got asked to complete a small job right away.
Cloud said it was an indicator to all the local bounty hunters that they had Kenagi's approval, rather than something they actually needed help with. "Don't have weapons the way the Neighbourhood Watch does. Even so only hire out for the toughest monsters."
"Like drakes?" Aerith asked.
Cloud tipped his head. "Or worse."
Like that didn't sound ominous.
It didn't take them long to complete the job (more huge fucking rats) and collect the reward. In fact, it was only late afternoon by the time they were done. Cloud suggested that they go to his place for a bit, so he could add the new materia slot to Aerith's staff.
"How long will it take?" Zack asked. "Aerith needs to get back to Sector 5 before dark," Zack said.
Cloud squinted up at the plate. "You'll miss the 1700 run, but there're two more after that."
Aerith made a face. "I don't want to go home."
"Gonna be sore tomorrow," Cloud pointed out. "Lotsa different muscles used in a fight. Materia's a strain, too."
"Plus Elmyra's going to be worried," Zack added.
Aerith stopped, grabbed him and pulled herself closer. "I want to spend more time with you." She stepped even closer, pressed a little harder. "You know, alone."
Zack's brain shorted out with wonder and hope and disbelief and love and… He just couldn't believe this was real. That he'd made it back to her. He held her face like she was precious (because she was) and kissed her the same way.
Cloud cleared his throat. "I'll use the Watch's workshop," he said. "I can be gone for an hour, maybe hour and a half. Then, me 'n Deza'll take her home."
Zack didn't take his eyes from Aerith's magnificent face. "Don't want to put you out."
"No worries," Cloud said. "I like riding Deza."
So Cloud took them to his place, a narrow two-story building built between other narrow two story buildings. Half the bottom was open on two sides, to make a pen for Deza. Who was nested down on some old blankets, head tucked under a wing while he slept. The other half was thick walls and sturdy locks – Cloud's workshop, Zack guessed.
Cloud led them up narrow stairs to the second floor. He took off Iron Blade while he pointed out the features of the small unit: full kitchen, full bathroom ("just use the Fire materia by the tank to get hot water"), his bedroom.
And the spare bedroom with the futon in the cupboard he kept for friends.
"You still got condoms?" he asked, cool as if asking them if they wanted a drink. It made Aerith giggle and Zack shuffle his feet as if he were a teenager again. "There's some in my bedside table if you run out."
"Thanks, dad," Zack said, pushing his friend out the door. "We'll be fine." He slammed the door shut and leaned on it. He swore he heard Cloud laugh as he went down the stairs.
Then it was just him and Aerith. And an hour of complete privacy.
"Shower?" he asked. They'd fought a lot of monsters today.
"Later," she said, and Zack had to swallow. She held out a hand and Zack took it. She pulled him in, and he let himself be pulled.
"Let's use the rest of your condoms," she said, and then laughed at him as he blushed. He kissed her to shut her up. And then he kissed her because she tasted wonderful. She tasted of life and happiness and a future he'd almost given up on.
It didn't take long for kissing to be not enough. She ran hands over him. Finding the sword harness blocking her access, she made an unhappy sound, so Zack scrambled for the buckles. Then remembered he should probably take off the buster sword first if he didn't want it breaking right through Cloud's floor.
Once his sword was on the ground it became a bit of a race to see who could touch the most skin, who could take off the most clothes without breaking the kiss.
As far as Zack was concerned, they both won.
When they finally made it to Cloud's guest futon, he was more than ready to repeat what they'd done last night. Hands, mouth, some judicious rubbing… It had been all either of them needed.
Aerith had other ideas though.
She pushed him down gently, then kneeled on top of him. "Condom?" she asked.
He held up the strip Cloud had given him yesterday.
Aerith took one. She opened it, and with a look of supreme concentration she started rolling it down his erection.
Zack had to close his eyes because, Odin's balls, how was he expected to survive watching Aerith do that?
He flung an arm over his face to hide behind and panted and tried to think of something – anything – to keep his body under control.
He knew the moment she saw him; she laughed, a waterfall of joy. He reached out his other hand to her torso. Not just for her breasts (those were a bonus) but to just feel her breathing.
Then she slid down onto him.
He moved his hand away in case he unconsciously gripped too hard. Good idea, because she was slipping down so slowwwww…. It was agonizing and wonderful, and his fingers dug holes in Cloud's futon.
"Oh," she said, soft and surprised. "You're so warm!"
Fuck. Answer. "Um, SOLDIER. We run hot. Ran hot." Is SOLDIER even a thing anymore?
Her giggle was more of a sigh. "It's nice. I like it."
He let her work herself on him, let both of them get used to this new level of intimacy though he knew there would always be a part of him that would never get used to having this.
When he finally thought he could control his strength, he trailed his hands over her body, feeling her skin, her warmth which was a hundred times better than the artificial heat of mako.
He watched his hands touch her breasts. They were small and firm, and they filled his hands perfectly. Her nipples were hard, and everything about her felt so good, so good….
"Oooooh." She was all the way down, or he was all the way in? Didn't matter. She was making little circles with her hips.
"Fuck," he said. "Too good."
"Are you warning me, Zack?" she asked smiling. "Telling me you're not going to last?"
He nodded, but her eyes were closed. "Yeah. Yes. Yes… Goddess…"
She took his right hand and pulled it down her body, down over her ribs, over her belly. All the way down until their fingers were buried in their pubic hair.
"Better take care of me then."
So he did. He rubbed and circled and pressed until she shuddered above him and around him, making small sounds of surprise and delight.
Then he shuddered under her, and in her, and he groaned in painful bliss.
"Fuuuuck," he moaned.
"Mmmmmm," she agreed, letting out a slow, contented sigh. She draped herself over him carefully. Not moving enough for his softening penis to slide out.
Zack let himself drift, smiling stupidly, content.
She smiled against his chest. "Two left."
.o0|0o.
Johnny came into the bar the way he always did: arms wide and voice loud. "Tifa! My beauty queen! My muse! I've got good news for ya!"
Tifa just rolled her eyes and mixed the drink for customers who actually had gil. "If this is about your deal with Monxie–"
He waved his hands and shushed, as if it was a secret. He rushed closer to the bar. "I'm trying to get out of that," he said.
Tifa just looked at him. "Good luck." He didn't have a chance.
"No, it's about that friend of yours, the mountain man," Johnny said and grabbed all Tifa's attention. "I saw him come out the Beginner's Hall earlier. He was carrying a staff."
"He was where?"
"Beginner's Hall. Apparently, he spent the evening adding materia slots to a woman's staff," Johnny said. "You think he finally got a girlfriend?" The question was pointed – Johnny thought the only reason Tifa said no to him all the time was because she was hung up on Cloud. It wasn't. Even though Cloud liked girls as well as, you know, men, their relationship wasn't like that.
However, if he was back in the sector, he was supposed to have come to see her. They'd nearly collected the money they needed to hire him for… For the job, so They had things to discuss and plan.
"Biggs!" she called out. "Take over?"
Biggs gave a nod, getting up from his seat. As soon as he moved, Jessie and Wedge got up and moved to the bar. Jessie had a napkin she'd covered in rough sketches and formulas.
Yes, Tifa thought, her chest filling with anticipation. They were nearly ready for Act One.
AN: Thanks to Skuld on Discord for for pointing out some unintentional racism in my depiction of the Wutai transplants. I fixed it.