Disclaimer- I claim no rights to Final Fantasy VII
Chapter Seven - The Wolf's Executioner
"Gone?" Kunsel murmured, kneeling down on the ground and taking a closer look into the graves. "For how long, I wonder?" Kunsel's green eyes flickering to the carriage where Cloud laid in a fitful sleep-too distraught to provide useful information. He turned to Zack whose jaw was clenched and eyes darkened with rage and disgust. He had witnessed such a look before when one of the visiting dignitaries tried to make the Lady Aerith Faremis his mistress-the fifth one, he believed- "When did he bury them, m'lord?"
"It was during the last dredges of winter." Zack responded somberly. "Even in the dead of winter, it takes time for bodies to decompose and the animals in the area have no need to dig for the food seeing as there's plenty of wildlife in the surrounding areas even in the winter."
Kunsel's eyes shuttered, turning into a deep, moss green. "You think that someone has taken the bodies, m'lord?"
Zack lips thinned, his own eyes shuttering at the question and he turned away, his gaze on the lone carriage where Cloud slept, deep and in grief. "It would not be the first time, my friend."
"No." Kunsel muttered, tone displeased and disgusted. "It would not, m'lord." Kunsel rose, dusting off his trousers with a trembling, gloved hand before it returned to the hilt of his sword. "Shall we head to the Alchemist Guild then, m'lord? To investigate?"
"No." Zack responded tightly. "Lord Sephiroth is more closely connected to the Alchemist Guild thanks to the Lady Lucrecia so it would be best if we sent him in our stead." Zack's brow furrowed at the command as did Kunsel's.
"M'lord." Kunsel began, his tone cautious, knowing better to step on Zack toes along with questioning his orders-a lesson well learned in the beginning of his career- "The Lord Sephiroth is an honorable man, but he draws attention to himself, m'lord."
"That may be so, my friend, but the leaders of the Alchemist Guild are prone to loosen their tongues around those that support their cause. And with Lady Lucrecia being Sephiroth's mother and an advent and earnest supporter of the sciences, they are bound to give him information on their activities." Zack's face darkened. "Although, Sephiroth won't approach them without a valid reason."
Kunsel let out a tight sigh, his jaw clenching at Zack's incredulous but right reasoning. Sephiroth was a pure-blooded noble through and through and Cloud was a low-born Omega and if Sephiroth saw fit, then the matter would be swept under the rug. The man was loyal and did things that the rest of the council along with Zack himself didn't have the stomach for.
"And you having designs for the little one won't help your case, m'lord." Kunsel smirked tightly at Zack's low curse. "So, either I or Sephiroth approach the Alchemist Guild and our methods will be starkly drastic." Kunsel's smirk melted into a toothy grin that spoke of blood and violence. "Wolves don't curb their appetites until the bones are licked clean."
"Indeed." Zack lips pulled into a dark smirk before it faded and a thoughtful look pulled at his features. "Let us approach this matter quietly. I don't want to spook the Alchemist Guild and force them to hide their little experiments. I want this matter investigated and all reports are to be given to me and only me. Should the need arise, hand the reports to Cid."
"Lord Genesis and Angeal?"
Zack shook his head sharply. "Angeal is already watching me because of my interactions with Aerith and Ifalna. I don't need this to make another notch against the belt so to speak. So, Kunsel, have your best and discreet look into this matter on the outside and I'll do it from the inside. And remember, quietly, my friend, quietly."
"Aye, m'lord. It shall be done with haste." Kunsel looked around, shooting the empty graves a grim and sympathetic look. "Shall we continue searching for clues, m'lord?"
"Yes." Zack responded, his heart heavy. The day had been long and while his heart bled for Cloud, the need for evidence forced the feelings to the back of his mind. As Alpha and Ruler of Midgar, the last thing Zack needed to do was accuse a Guild of untoward actions and single them out among many, however, the Alchemist Guild was known to do rather unorthodox experiments-some of which, Zack approved, much to his displeasure- "I don't think we'll find anything, but it wouldn't hurt our cause if we swept the area. The Alchemist Guild are a intelligent and curious folk, but espionage isn't one of their forte's. One of them left a trail and we'll find it."
"M'lord." Kunsel cast the carriage a sympathetic look before meeting Zack's equally own. "And the little one?"
"I will take care of it." Zack murmured, his chest aching at the thought of Cloud's sad blue eyes, staring at him with hope, with desperation. He wouldn't let the Omega down. He would do all that he could to set his future mate's heart at ease.
Even at the cost of his own.
"M'lord." Kunsel turned on his heel, leaving Zack to his own depreciating thoughts. For the first time in half a decade, he felt his stomach drop to his feet as he approached the carriage and carefully pulled the door open, his nose twitching as the smell of grief and anger greeted him. Climbing inside, he was greeting with Cloud's hunched figure, wrapped in his spring cloak with his face turned towards the closed window.
"Nothing?" Cloud murmured, answering Zack's question on whether or not the Omega was still sleeping. Cloud turned, giving Zack the chance to take a better look at the younger man's face and Zack wasn't surprised to find that the pale skin was flushed and the eyes had turned puffy. He wanted to reach across the bench and take Cloud into his arms, but the defensive way that Cloud had held himself meant that he didn't want to be approached. Not now.
"No, but we're still looking." Zack responded. "I...know that this is distressing, but was there anything special about your parents? Anything that would draw attention?"
"No." Cloud shook his head, eyes becoming more alert at the question. "My mother stayed at home to raise me and my father was a swordsman-an Alpha." Cloud shook his head. "There's nothing special about us Strife's except that we're just known hard workers. I-" Cloud's lips pinched. "I didn't have a happy childhood once I presented, but no, nothing special."
"You're mother was an...Omega, correct?" Zack asked tentatively. The last thing he wanted to do was offend Cloud with his questions. The younger man was already upset with the disappearance of his parents bodies and the last thing he wanted to do was send him into a fit.
"Yes." Cloud's face was pinched, his skin paling at the thought of his mother and father. "She had grown ill these last few years and our funds had run low and we could no longer afford a doctor to treat her."
Which meant Cloud's father had taken them to Midgar with no intention of returning. Zack frowned at the thought. It wasn't uncommon for families from the outer villages to come to Midgar seeking some form of work or help to move things along, but what was more common was for bonded parents to bring their Omega child to the city in hopes of them joining the Church or having an Apprenticeship with a Master who was pitying enough to do so. Omegas didn't work because they were steadily becoming more rare as the world advanced which not only worried Zack but his Council as well.
Eventually, he knew the measures taken to secure an Omega could cause civil unrest between the upper families and that was the last thing Zack needed on his plate.
"I don't understand." Cloud whispered, reaching up and wiping away the stray tears that had fallen down his cheeks. "Why would they take them?"
"I don't know." Zack murmured, finally giving into his urge to reach over and take Cloud into his arms, grateful that the smaller man didn't flinch from his touch. "But, I promise that I'll try to find out as much as I can, okay?"
"I know." Cloud murmured, lifting his head and giving Zack a trembling smile that broke the man's heart. "I know that I can count on you, Zack."
Zack swallowed at the words, his heart twisting at the thought of Cloud's parents bodies being strung up in the deep recesses of the Alchemist' Guild. Being experimented on like they were never alive, as if they never had a full and healthy life. He couldn't stand the thought of them being picked apart, their arms and legs being spliced open and their organs being harvested for study.
Zack's jaw clenched and pulled Cloud closer, burying his face into the blond hair and inhaling the scent of citrus and forest that he had fallen in love with. This couldn't stand. This shouldn't have come to pass. He shouldn't never allowed so much freedom to the Guilds. Not when they were grave robbing. Goddess save them all.
"Don't you worry, Cloud." Zack pulled away, staring down into those sapphire eyes he had come to adore. "You can count on me. You can always count on me."
Two weeks later found Zack standing in his study with Kunsel who was wearing a tight lipped expression and those expressive green eyes were a moss green and he looked ready to bare teeth at the thought of what was in his report.
"All of this." Zack tossed the thick stack of papers on the desk, the action sending other reports fluttering to the ground. "Under my nose." Zack shook his head, turning his back to his friend and soldier. "How could have this happened?"
"M'lord."
"Don't tell me that this isn't my fault." Zack grunted out, his jaw clenching and his hands itched to rip the report in half and toss it into the fireplace. His promises to Cloud over the past several days felt empty now and while the younger man hadn't been prying, there had been a sense of curiosity in his letters when he inquired to how Zack was doing. He never asked about the investigation, but the question was clear in his letters and Zack never had the heart to answer it. It took hours upon hours of discreet movement to even infiltrate the Alchemist Guild and he could never be more proud of Kunsel for accomplishing such a feat. But, what was in the report caused his heart to still and his soul and mind to become wary.
Experimentation
On humans, animals and the monsters that roamed the lands. It didn't matter if they were dead or alive and the thought of those beings suffering caused bile to rise in his throat and he had lost his lunch more than once through the reading of the report. And what made things worse were the signatures on the bottom.
Sephiroth Crescent and Genesis Rhaspodos.
His people had signed off on this? They allowed this atrocious behavior?
Why?
"If I may speak freely, m'lord?"
"Always."
"I ask that you confront them about their actions. Lord Crescent and Rhaspodos are good men, but their decisions don't always include the feelings of others." Kunsel was quiet for a moment as if he was struggling with his words. "They are both respected and honored within our ranks. They must have a good reason."
"I do not care." Zack stated, snarling at the thought of it all. "I can imagine those people and creatures faces as they're tortured and for what? Some inane experiment? What gives them the right to play with others lives? What gives them the right to rob graves and deprive those who are still living the chance to properly grieve? How would they feel if they found their parents grave disturbed?" Zack slammed his hands down on the table, scattering the papers on the ground. "It matters not what the excuse was, nothing said could excuse this, Kunsel. Nothing."
Kunsel lowered his head, allowing his Alpha to rage. The man was understandably upset, but what threw Kunsel for a loop was the why. Why did Lord Crescent and Rhaspodos do this? Two men of inexplicable honor playing with innocent lives? While Zack wasn't looking for excuses, it would be up to Kunsel to find out the reason why those signatures were at the bottom. He had to do it for them. Zack and Cloud.
"Bring them to me." Zack commanded suddenly, drawing Kunsel out of his thoughts. "Did you not hear me, Kunsel? Bring them to me."
"M'lord." Kunsel protested, raising his hands to calm the Lord. "M'lord. I ask that you let me continue this investigation."
Zack's brows furrowed at the request, taking a deep breath, he took a seat and stapled his fingers under his chin. "Why? We know who's doing this, Kunsel. I don't see why we would need to continue this investigation. Explain."
"M'lord." Kunsel stepped closer, planting his own hands on the table and staring into Zack's-his old friend's-eyes. "I believe Sephiroth and Genesis are doing this for a reason-not a selfish one mind you."
"That's just the hero worship talking, my friend." Zack shook his head, his bangs swaying with the movement. "You've always admired them from afar-loved them even."
"M'lord-" Kunsel's cheeks flushed at the blunt statement. Of course, his relationship with the lords had always been formal and he cared about them from afar, but that didn't mean he was going to be swayed by such emotions. "I beg you m'lord, just a little longer? A week at most."
Zack blew out a small breath, leaning back against his chair and placing his cheek in his hand. "...Very well. A week. That's it and no more than that. If you find nothing then they will be dragged to me. In chains if necessary."
Kunsel swallowed, remembering the last time someone was brought in chains to Zack's office. They didn't leave alive. "Yes, m'lord. A week."
Zack's expression flickered with doubt, his lips thinning at the thought of the entire situation before him. Never did he think the closets people to him would do such an atrocious thing, but alas, secrets were dangerous things to behold and Zack would drag them to the light by any means necessary.
"I do hope you find something, my friend." Zack confessed. "Something that would explain this erratic behavior-this betrayal. I want my peace to continue in my lands and the last thing I want is to cut down two of my most influential council members. Find what you can, Kunsel and don't let me down."
"M'lord." Kunsel bowed his head, turning on his heel and left Zack to his thoughts which were quickly descending into a bout of chaos. He rose and paced the office, his arms folded over his broad chest. He never liked staying in his office. He felt caged and branded by his duties and titles, but for once, he enjoyed the quiet of the space. It gave him time to think about his next move. It gave him time to think of who else was involved in this mess. It didn't help that his thoughts kept straying back to Cloud who was waiting back at the Apothecary for a letter or even a visit. But, Zack couldn't visit or write him. Not after what he learned. He couldn't look Cloud in the eye and tell him that it was possible that his own council members could be behind his parent's disappearance.
What kind of Alpha couldn't protect his own Omega? Couldn't keep their promises? What kind of leader was he to have missed this?
A knock at the door follow by it opening forced Zack out of his pitying thoughts. He looked up to see Angeal entering the room with a quick bow and raise of the head that was quickly followed by a frown when noticed the state of the room and Zack's pale face.
"Zack?" Angeal questioned swiftly, stepping carefully towards his nephew. "What's going on? What happened? Are you alright?"
Zack shook his head, instantly wondering if Angeal was involved with the whole thing as well. Was Cid and Shera as well? He didn't know who he could trust, but he knew that Angeal was honorable enough-kind enough-to never hurt another on purpose.
"Angeal." Zack spoke up, his breath shuddering when those blue eyes met his own. "I can trust you, right?"
Angeal's features flickered with surprise before a solemn expression crossed his face. "Of course you can trust me, Zachary. We might not agree over your visits or decisions, but you can trust me. You can always trust me."
Zack was silent for a moment before waving a hand towards the chair. "Then, please, sit. We have much to discuss."
He didn't know if he was doing the right thing with confessing to Angeal, but with Cloud counting on him and Kunsel doubting Sephiroth and Genesis' movements, who else could he turn to but Angeal?
He just hoped that he was making the right decision for Midgar and Cloud.