As a way of apologising for the delay of the last chapter, and for the cliffhanger ending :), I've decided to get this one out ASAP despite being quite busy.
So enjoy!
In his mind Cloud could hear the laughter of his enemies as he floated in the blissfulness of unconsciousness, it seemed strange to him that he could hear anything at all, and in a disconnected way he realised that it was nothing more than his own imagination.
Nothing made sense to him as his mind attempted to piece together the tattered feelings that were still racing through his mind from his last conscious moments; he felt fear but could not understand why, he felt a sense of urgency but could not figure out what for, he felt a rising panic and concern but could not figure out who it was for...
Cloud, you need to wake up...
The voice that floated to him was far away, and for the moment Cloud was tempted to think that it was once again his imagination that was attempting to drag him from his slumber. There was urgency in his mind, but it made so sense and it was easy to ignore.
Cloud...
The voice called again, this time managing to stir some form of awareness within Cloud's mind, but almost as quickly as the awareness came it was being threatened by the lure of blissful nothing.
Cloud, awaken!
He was so close to the surface now and it would only take a slight effort to rouse himself from sleep... But why should he?
Dammit Cloud, wake up!"
Crystal blue eyes slowly appeared as Cloud was finally able to drag himself from unconsciousness, they focused quickly on Vincent crouching next to him, signs of concern visible in the depths of those crimson eyes. The memories of the crash came back quickly as Cloud looked around; the plane had obviously come down hard and had sheered a path through a thick copse of trees leaving a long crater in its wake. The plane had come to pieces under the creatures attack and hadn't had a chance of holding up in the resulting impact, leaving large chunks of metal and mechanical equipment lying around and most likely being the reason as to why he was laying in the open.
Smoke rose in lazy black drifts but any fires that had once had once burned were now either dead or dying leaving nothing but char and embers behind. The sky above was coloured orange, purple and pink, indicating an incoming sunset.
Turning his inventory inwards, Cloud assessed himself for injury before attempting to move. He was stiff and sore, and there was a tight pain in his left leg but upon stretching it he figured that it wasn't anything too bad.
Sitting up gingerly, Cloud turned his attention to Vincent. As usual the gunman seemed unharmed despite the destruction that surrounded them, something that had to do with the healing properties of his demons and the natural skill the gunman possessed.
"I am fine." Vincent stated upon noticing Cloud's assessment. Cloud nodded his acknowledgement and slowly sat up casting his eyes around the immediate area for Zack and Angeal and upon not seeing them he could only hope that they were not to far away and that they were ok.
With a sigh Cloud looked down at his leg and saw that there was piece of shrapnel embedded just above his knee, causing him to groan slightly. It was a small injury considering the nature of the crash, but it was in a place that would be quite painful while moving. Deciding that it didn't matter and that he needed to find Angeal and Zack, Cloud reached down and pulled the metal from his leg without emotion, he then proceeded to tear a long strip from the bottom of his shirt to bandage the wound and stem the flow of blood.
Vincent watched for a moment before turning to scan the area, it wouldn't do to let an enemy sneak up on them now while they were separated from the others. When the creature had successfully launched its second attack the gunman had been holding position at the back of the plane and had managed to brace himself by digging his claw into the metal beside him. Vincent had watched as the others were thrown roughly around the plane as the air craft spiralled out of control and began a sickening descent towards the ground a few hundred feet below. It had been through sheer will that Vincent had held tight as the creature tore into the hull of the plane and began attempting to claw its way inside.
A well placed bullet form Cerberus had put an end to that.
The creature had disappeared with one eye less, but still alive as the plane made first contact with the ground; resulting in a bone shuddering crash that practically tore the hull in half. Using the skills that he had learned from his time in the Turks, and calling on the immense power of Chaos, Vincent had propelled himself from the out of control craft. He would have much preferred to help his companions but even he wouldn't be able to find the balance to ride out the sickening jolts of the plane to get to them.
After that it had been a fairly easy, yet still daunting task of locating the others. He had come across Cloud first who was the closest to the lowly burning remains of the cockpit and at first he had feared that the blond had been seriously injured. Thankfully after a quick inspection he had found that while his friend was littered with cuts and bruises the extent of his injuries had been a piece of metal embedded into his leg, something that would heal quite quickly due to the Mako and Jenova cells running through Cloud's body.
"Have you found Angeal or Zack?" Cloud asked, bringing Vincent's full attention back to the blond.
"No, not yet." Vincent answered, he wouldn't verbally admit it, but he had been much more concerned for Cloud, as there were very few people that Vincent counted as a true friend, and the blond swordsman was probably the first one that had ever fully accepted him in their motley group.
Cloud nodded once, scanning the area once again for the slightest sign of his friends. His eyes fell upon the remains of the cockpit and he figured that it would be a good idea to check on the pilots and see if maybe Zack or Angeal had ended up in that area of the plane.
Standing up slightly stiffly, Cloud was grateful to find that First Sword was still in its sheath on his back. Moving over to the remains of the cockpit, Cloud had to move several large pieces of damaged sheet metal to actually gain access to the pilots area.
All that remained of the pilots was a bloody, tangled mess. Their fronts looked as though someone had put meat grinders to the skin and exposed the organs within. The windshield was completely non-existent and all the machinery was completely shot. A quick scan told Cloud that Zack and Angeal were not, and never had been, in the cockpit area...
Thankfully.
Moving away from the cockpit, Cloud turned to Vincent who was still waiting where he had woken up.
"Both pilots are dead." He relayed, having no issue with seeing death after so many years of it, "We need to find Zack and Angeal though, we have no way of knowing what enemies are in the area... The were most likely thrown from the plane before I was." Cloud continued thoughtfully.
Vincent nodded as they both looked down the distance of the crater, and in an unspoken agreement the two moved to opposite sides and began to walk, looking for their missing companions both in the centre of the crater and along the outskirts.
Now that Cloud actually had time to think he realised just how foolish he had been; he should have anticipated the attack well before it ever happened; they were vulnerable in the air and there had been no way that Cloud could have expected these pilots to know how to handle an areal assault; after all, they were most certainly not Cid. Cloud knew that if anything had happened to either Angeal or Zack that he would never forgive himself... As it was, he now had the two pilots to add to his ever growing list of failures...
Vincent was also occupied with his own thoughts and self-imposed duty of scrutinising the slightest details of his surroundings. Much like Cloud, the gunman was currently berating himself for not seeing the attack coming, and Chaos, who was quite enjoying the show that was unfolding, was taking it upon himself to 'help' his host in his quest for self damnation.
They found Angeal first, the tall First was laid up on the edge of the crater on Cloud's side, but he had almost been missed due to a large piece of debris coving the majority of his body.
"Vincent!" Cloud called upon finding Angeal. The caped gunman made his way over quickly as Cloud threw the large sheet metal away from Angeal. Both men were pleased to see that aside from the expected bruising, cuts and scratches, Angeal seemed to be in good condition.
The First Class SOLDIER woke fairly quickly and after mumbling something along the lines of 'damn bird shit', proceeded to take awareness of his surroundings before scanning Cloud for serious injuries, something that both men put down to a friendly reaction, but even Angeal found it odd that he held no inclination to see if Vincent was ok. Angeal's second response was to look for Zack and upon not immediately finding him he turned to Cloud, planning on grilling the blond until he had some answers, both on the whereabouts of his student and the attack that had brought them down.
"We still need to find Zack." Cloud said, anticipating the questioning and deciding to derail it before it started.
"Fine, but I would still like some answers soon." Angeal responded as he stood up. Cloud nodded his agreement, but offered up no further chance at conversation as he began moving once again.
The longer Zack was missing for the more concerned Cloud became; the raven-haired man was strong and resilient, but if he was seriously injured then even the mako wouldn't be enough to keep him alive, and with the chance that another attack may come at any time it would be bad if he was cornered alone.
Both of these situations and more ran through Cloud's mind causing the blond to quicken his steps in the hopes of finding his companion sooner. After a while of walking Cloud began to fight a rising panic. The thought of losing Zack once again after all they had been through since he had come back was heart-wrenching, and it reminded Cloud exactly why he had closed off from all those close to him in the first place. It would be his fault again; he would fail the man he was now pretty sure he had quite deep feelings for, a second time... It would be his fault, his own stupidity... his own fucking fault!
Cloud hadn't realised that he had wandered farther away from the edge of the crater until he felt a hand land on his shoulder, succeeding in snapping him from his out of control thoughts and bringing his mind back to the present. Looking over he found Vincent standing behind him, his crimson eyes once again holding that hidden concern that only time had taught Cloud to read.
"We will find him." Vincent said softly. He, like the rest of AVALANCHE, knew how the death of Zack had nearly destroyed Cloud the first time; how it had -in conjunction with the mako addiction- nearly destroyed his mind and very identity to a point that he had very nearly not come back from. He could almost sense the blond's thoughts, even if outwardly Cloud had automatically put up a mask of indifference.
"Vince..." Cloud said softly, looking away. The blond wanted to express his thoughts, but he didn't know how.
"He will be ok." Vincent assured, hoping to Gaia that he was correct.
Anything that Cloud would have said in reply was cut off when Angeal walked over. It wasn't that Cloud didn't want the man to know what was going on in his mind; it was simply the fact that he wasn't ready to let the tall First in that far yet.
"Everything ok?" Angeal asked upon reaching the two. Vincent had removed his hand from Cloud's shoulder now, but a subtle tension was still in the air.
"It's fine." Cloud answered before beginning to walk once again. His thoughts were now under better control as he moved through the remains of the trees along the edge of the crater.
Only minutes later a soft noise reached Cloud's ears and he paused, not sure whether or not he had actually heard anything. The noise sounded again, this time slightly louder and Cloud recognised it as a groan. Moving quickly towards the source of the sound Cloud came across a sight that would haunt him for years.
Zack lay in a small clearing of trees, looking quite battered and bruised; something that would have come from being thrown from the plane so soon after initial contact with the ground. The raven-haired man was pale and a sheen of sweat covered his skin, and a large gash was open on his forehead, leaving blood to matt in his hair and coat the side of his face a sickly crimson colour.
But the worst part was the large branch of a tree that was firmly impaled in Zack's lower stomach.
For a moment, Cloud's heart stopped beating.
When another shuddering breath passed through Zack's lips though, Cloud was finally able to move. Quickly moving to Zack's side he began to assess the damage, pushing all thoughts from his mind and simply moving on auto-pilot. The branch was embedded deep into Zack's lower abdomen and had likely punctured something vital. Cloud knew that he would need to remove the branch, but in doing so he could also cause more complication. The branch itself was splintered and severely broken, meaning that there was likely to be several large splinters in Zack as well.
That added to the risk of Zack bleeding to death, both outwardly and internally didn't bode very well.
Cloud was at a loss as to what he should do. Either he leave the branch in and watch his friend. No his loved one. Die slowly from internal injuries, or he removed the branch and watched Zack bleed out.
Quickly looking around, Cloud was surprised to see that Angeal and Vincent hadn't followed him and were most likely still looking else where. Once again Cloud's thoughts threatened to overwhelm him, and his mind itself threatened to crack beneath the weight of his despair.
Oddly enough, one of the threats that Sephiroth had once made came to mind:
"Shall I give you despair?" The silver-haired demon had asked, and if he had been here to ask that question once again in that moment, Cloud would have replied that he wouldn't have needed to give it. He already had it.
"S-Spike?" The broken voice only just registered in his mind, but once it did Cloud could focus on nothing more that he slight sliver of mako blue-green eyes that slowly appeared.
"Z-Za..." Cloud just could find a way to speak past the lump that had formed in his throat. The situation was just to similar to that day on the cliffs near Midgar...
"Don't look like that Buddy." Zack said, his voice soft but surprisingly strong. Cloud could only avert his eyes. "Listen..." Zack continued, his eyes wandering slightly towards the reason for his pain, "...Get it out."
"But..."
"Please..."
As Cloud looked down on his friend, he knew exactly what Zack was doing; like every SOLDIER, Zack understood death and he knew his options, none of them had the equipment necessary to help him so he was left with a prolonged death if the branch was left in, or a quicker, less painful death if it was removed.
Cloud hated both with a passion. He hated the feeling of helplessness that was consuming him; spreading from his heart outwards. But Cloud also knew that he could no more ignore Zack's request than ignore the fact that his own damned heart was still beating.
So it was with a heavy heart that Cloud placed one hand upon Zack's stomach near the wound, and the other on the branch. He took a few breaths and slowly counted to ten before wrenching the branch from his friends body.
Zack's pained gasp cut through his heart like a knife and he found his eyes stuck on the now freely bleeding wound for only a second before he was instantly trying to stem the flow of blood using his own hands.
Cloud could almost see the life being drained from Zack's body, yet he could do nothing. He could only sit and watch his friend slipping away from him for the second time.
Shifting slightly closer to Zack in an attempt to put more pressure on the wound, Cloud's knee came into contact with something that made a small clink when hit. His eyes were drawn downwards to see that the bag of materia they had found the day before was still attached to Zack's belt.
In a flash of hope, Cloud quickly pulled the bag open and emptied its contents onto the floor next to him. There had been healing materia in the pouch! If there was any way that he could possibly save Zack it would be the materia.
Quickly locating and snatching up two of the healing materia Cloud wasted no time in channelling his will and energy into the small orbs, despite the fact that he had not equipped them in the conventional method of a weapon or brace the power began to flow and the green healing light began to stitch itself into Zack's wound.
The process was painfully slow for Cloud, and incredibly draining but as he watched the blood flow began to slow and the flesh began to stitch back up. The materia was shinning brightly and it was almost scalding to touch, but Cloud didn't ease up at all; instead pushing himself further.
After what felt like an eternity the green healing threads receded from Zack's body and the shine died down from the orbs. Cloud's body felt drained and tried, but as he looked upon Zack's sleeping form, now free from pain he knew that it was worth it. Never before had Cloud felt quite so relieved as he did in that moment.
Letting his hands fall down from their position above Zack's body, he allowed the two materia to fall from his grasp.
"Not this time..." Cloud whispered to himself, "Not again..."
Cloud wasn't sure how long he sat beside Zack for but eventually the sounds of someone moving through the bushes roused his attention enough for him to look around in time to see Angeal and Vincent move into the small clearing.
Both paused upon seeing the two before moving over quickly.
"Cloud?" Vincent asked warily. He could see the blond's exhaustion, more mental than physical and for a moment he allowed his own doubts to prevent him from fully assessing the situation and he feared Zack was dead.
"I'm fine Vince." Cloud answered, his voice was ragged but calm. Focusing his full attention on the situation this time, Vincent saw the evidence of Zack's wounds; the blood surrounding him and coving Cloud's hands, he also saw the materia scattered around Cloud and a bloody branch that lay not far away. He knew exactly what had happened then.
Angeal, who had moved instantly to Zack's side felt his own waves of relief washing over him. Zack was still pale, but he definitely seemed to be ok. He wasn't sure what he would have done if Zack hadn't made it.
Angeal had seen Cloud wander off earlier, but had decided to continue checking down the length of the crater first. It had only been when he had reached the end and looked around that whole area that he began to grow truly concerned. Vincent had followed him down, checking the other side of the crater, but when Cloud hadn't re-appeared for a length of time both men began to suspect something was wrong, so they went in search of their blond companion as well as their raven-haired companion.
"It won't happen again..." Cloud said, his voice almost to soft for the tall First to hear. Looking up at the blond, Angeal could see that Cloud was distracted and obviously out of it. Turning his eyes to the darkening sky, the tall First knew that they wouldn't be going far tonight.
Getting up Angeal moved to gather some of the brambles that the crash had destroyed to prepare a fire, and it wasn't long before there was a small blaze going next to Zack and Cloud. At some point the blond had either laid down, or had fallen and was now laying on his side next to Zack.
The look of dried blood, or drying in some cases slightly disturbed Angeal, but he knew that it would be something to deal with in the morning. It would be a tedious night and he cloud only hope that no further attack would come while they were two people down, as it was Vincent and himself would have to remain on watch to be ready.
Vincent, who had remained nearby standing watch could only try to anticipate any attack that may come their way. As it was he could think of several different scenarios that would leave them at a distinct disadvantage. The biggest factor for concern was that Cloud was, for the moment, lost within himself. It wasn't the first time the gunman had seen the blond like this, but he had certainly hoped that it would be the last, yet he could also fully understand the reasons behind it as well; Cloud had adamantly blamed himself for both the deaths of Zack and Aerith, but it had been Zack's death that had affected him the worst, so to come so close to loosing the raven-haired man a second time would have had an extreme mental effect on Cloud, and that coupled with the physical strain of using unequipped materia to such a high extent would leave Cloud simply drained.
Vincent could only hope that their situation would improve in the morning...
XxXxX
It was indeed a very tense night, but thankfully no attack occurred and after what seemed to be an age, the first beams of light began to wind themselves into the world, painting the sky brilliant colours and lightening the hearts of the occupants of the small clearing.
Zack had woken late during the night, he was sore but now in good health so Angeal had given him the small amount of food they had as the fall First knew that it would be important for Zack to have some proper energy for whatever may lay ahead, after all the process of healing with materia was not only exhausting for the person doing the healing, but also for the one being healed.
Cloud had spent the night plagued by nightmares every time he closed his eyes and had eventually given up on the idea of rest and simply sat there looking into the flames of the small fire that Vincent and Angeal kept burning through the night.
Now that sunrise was well and truly on its way, the small group decided that they should probably put some distance between them and the crash site, knowing that if anyone undesirable was looking for them they would look there. The group had next to no supplies; something that each person was accustomed to, but also not looking forward to.
They were perhaps a day or two away from Midgar if they moved at a fast pace and hoping that they would be able to bypass the Forgotten Forest and head straight for the desolate desert areas that took up a majority of the land leading to Midgar.
Right then Cloud wished he had Fenrir.
The group moved at a steady pace and by midday they had left he forest area behind them and had began to trek over a large grassy plain with rolling hills taking up the most of the visible horizon.
There had been minimum talk between the four companions throughout the morning, and what little talk there had been had been between Angeal and Zack. Cloud hadn't spoken a word since the confusing sentence the night before and as usual Vincent didn't have anything important to say and therefore saw no need to speak. Zack, although still more pale than usual and lacking his normal bounding energy had attempted to brighten the mood several times but received no response other than half-hearted returns from Angeal.
Cresting the top of one of the larger hills on the plains the group came to a stand still as they viewed the way ahead. In the distance and to the far right the shadowy outline of the Forgotten Forest stood eternal sentry, anything to the left of that became nothing more than blurred lines.
Vincent looked upon the Forest, still so small and far away in the soft afternoon light, and almost wished that he could retire there for now; it was a place that he had spent much time in after joining Cloud and his group in their hunt for Sephiroth and the iridescent trees had become a home of sorts when he was alone, the Forgotten City within stood as a testament to the past and all its wonders.
The group continued to walk...
It was nearing nightfall when Angeal decided that it was time to begin looking for a place to remain for the night; they had encountered little more than the odd beast throughout the day, but even he knew that travelling at night was a dangerous prospect.
The best that the group found in terms of a shelter for the night was a large fallen tree, rotten and hollow with age. It seemed to be luck really, when one considered that fact that any trees on the plain were few and far between.
"This will have to do." Angeal said, breaking the silence that had befallen the group over that past few hours.
"Home sweet home..." Zack muttered sarcastically, surveying the tree. The raven-haired man didn't want to admit it much, but he was exhausted and couldn't wait to simply rest for a few hours. They were close enough to the desert plains for the air to be fairly dry, making the once green, fresh grass now dry and brittle.
Once again the group set about collecting any burnable material to make a camp fire for the night, this time they were forced to use mostly quick burning grass as the bark on the tree had since fossilised from years of sunlight and wind.
By the time darkness fully descended over the group, there were all seated around a low burning fire, each feeling the effects of a long day with no food or drink, but also glad to be close to the final leg of the walk home. Eventually Vincent went in search of some more sustainable fuel for the fire, although Cloud suspected that the gunman was also scanning the area and simply having some time to himself; it had been a common occurrence from the first time Vincent had travelled with him. Soon enough Angeal allowed himself some much needed rest after his night vigil the previous night, leaving Zack and Cloud to themselves for a while.
Zack was worried with the fact that Cloud still hadn't said a single thing; he was worried that it was his fault, that his request for Cloud to pull the branch out had hurt the blond somehow. Looking over at Cloud, Zack could find no outward form of any emotion whatsoever as the blond looked into the fire, much like he had been doing the night before when he woke up.
"Hey, Cloud?" Zack called softly, hoping that he could both get some answers and relay his concerns. The only sigh that Cloud even acknowledged him was a quick flash of cerulean blue eyes looking in his direction before focusing on the fire once more.
"Common Spike, talk to me here." Zack said, and upon getting no verbal response he continued with his thoughts anyway, "Look man, I'm sorry if I did something wrong or if what I asked last night hurt you, but..." Zack sighed, not knowing how to continue.
"It wasn't you." Cloud said when Zack stopped. His voice was flat; emotionless, and his eyes didn't move from the fire. It was the truth as well, Cloud's thoughts had been firmly on how he was going to kill Razor the next time they met as his anger at himself and the Darkness bubbled beneath the surface. He didn't like to admit just how much Zack had scared him the day before, but the feelings that had come over him had been all to familiar.
"That what's wrong?" Zack pushed, not quite believing that he wasn't the cause.
"It wasn't you." Cloud repeated and paused before sighing and deciding to continue, "It was just a situation that was... far to familiar to me."
Cloud knew that with that one sentence he would be stepping into dangerous territory, but he couldn't really help it either; how was he suppose to explain that Zack's death had destroyed him once and coming so close to a second time had threatened the same dark abyss? How was he suppose to explain that he was angry with himself? Angry with the Darkness for the pain it had put him through? Angry with fate for being so cruel as to take such a pure soul as Zack's so early the first time, and the threat of taking it yet again, only this time even sooner?
"What do you mean?" Zack asked, wishing at that moment that he could read Cloud's mind just so he could have an idea of what was truly going through the blond's mind.
"I've lost... a lot of people close to me." Cloud evaded smartly.
"I'm sorry Spike," Zack said, moving to sit next to Cloud, "I promise I won't do that again..."
This time Cloud did look at Zack, the raven-haired man was completely serious and it both warmed Cloud and scared him even more.
As Cloud settled down on his side planning on at least faking sleep and staying close to Zack, he knew that he wouldn't sleep well for a while yet, and as he once again stared into the dying flames of the fire an unwelcome thought ran through his mind;
Don't promise something you know you can't keep...
XxXxX
The next day the group wasted no time in pushing past the last of the grassy plains and heading onto the desert areas that would eventually lead to Midgar. Of the group Vincent was probably the more knowledgeable regarding the area, having spent many years simply exploring the lands. Cloud would be a close second, having first done deliveries all over the land and therefore travelled through, and then having spent a large majority of his time in the desert and the deserted slums after contracting Geostigma.
Between the two, they were able to really push on and by mid-afternoon they had their first sight of Midgar in the distance. Everyone, even Vincent, was looking forward to food, drink, a shower and a nice warm bed. Angeal had already made it perfectly clear that Zack and Cloud would both had to get checked by the medical staff when they arrived at Shinra. After that the atmosphere surrounding the group was considerably better with the end of this particular journey nearing an end.
Within the hour the group took their first steps into the city limits and began their trek towards the Shinra compound. At some point Vincent had simply melted into the crowd with only Cloud seeing it. The blond knew that the gunman would be heading off in search of a place to stay with minimal people interaction involved.
When the remaining three finally reached the Shinra compound they finally allowed themselves to relax a little bit as they approached sustenance, a nice warm shower and a soft bed.
Later that night as they were all sitting in the cafeteria after getting a clean bill of health from the medical staff, Angeal and Zack both regretted loosing the food that Ms Strife had so lovingly made them...
Well, a nice long chapter within a few days is always good :) I hope you all enjoy.
And wish me luck, for the theatre production I have a role in is happening tonight!
