Zack had never felt quite to stupid as he did when Vincent had found him in the alley at Kalm, after all; what kind of idiot runs off after thieving kids when you and your partner are being hunted by one of the biggest companies on the continent.
"How did you find us so quick?" Zack asked as he and Vincent quickly made their way back towards the main streets where Zack had last been with Cloud.
"Cloud is using the same plan to get away from Shinra as we have used in the past... or future I suppose. The end goals may now be different, but I knew that he would come this way first." Vincent replied, his face giving nothing away as he watched every person around them, his hand ready on Cerberus under his cloak.
"Ok then," Zack replied, feeling that small spike of jealousy once more at the gunman's knowledge. "What about Shinra through, how did they find us so quickly?"
"There have been teams of Turks sent to all the outlying villages, as well as here and Junon. There are not many places to that are close enough to travel to around Midgar without stopping. Here and Junon would be the most likely places for anyone to go to."
"Then why would Cloud risk coming here first?" Zack asked, trying to understand why Cloud, with such a high knowledge of tactical movements and Shinra itself, would come to one of the two most expected places.
"Of the two, Junon would be the most expected place, as it has easy and direct access to other places. Kalm is almost a dead end."
"That makes more sense then." Zack said, hoping that this would mean that the Turks wouldn't be expecting them here, and therefore wouldn't be looking that hard. Cloud was probably still waiting for him on the main street, having already gotten the camping gear that they needed.
The closer Zack and Vincent got the main street where the Festival was the more crowded and packed the street became, it had to be getting close to mid-morning now, and the streets were alive with the sounds of bartering, laughter and chatter.
"It could take a while to find him in this..." Zack muttered, his eyes scanning over the crowd looking for any sign of Cloud.
"Did you set up a meeting place for if you got separated?" Vincent asked, his eyes also scanning the crowd for any kind of threat.
"Not really..." Zack replied, "But maybe he went back to the Inn. It's not far from here."
"We will check there first then."
It took a little bit longer to navigate the crowd and get to the Inn than Zack had thought it would, but once they were inside and away from other people the relative silence was almost deafening. Scanning the small tavern room, Zack felt his heart sink when he could see no evidence of his missing partner.
"Where were you when you left him?" Vincent asked, having already surveyed the nearly empty room.
"A little ways further down the street." Zack replied, already dreading trying to find the blond in such a crowd.
"Who are you looking for dear?" Both men turned to see an older lady looking at them from where she had be wiping down some tables, Zack remembered her from when they left that morning, Cloud had said that she had been the one to supply them with the delicious bread that he had eaten.
"My partner, the blond man that was with me this morning." Zack replied, hoping that maybe she had seen him.
"I haven't seen him since the two of you left this morning.." The lady replied, "Is he in some sort of trouble?"
"He may be." Vincent replied before Zack could say anything, "There are some people that think he is someone else and want information that he does not have."
Zack was a bit surprised with Vincent's answer, it had always seemed to him that the gunman was stand-offish and not likely to involve anyone he didn't trust.
"Hmm, I believe I may be able to help you." Rhonda said, her mind racing.
"How?" Zack asked.
"I have my ways." Rhonda replied with a small smile before turning towards the bar area where her husband was wiping over glasses preparing for what would be a busy day, "Dear, get these young men a drink please, I'll be back in a moment."
"I should go with you." Zack said, fearing for a moment that she could get hurt if Cloud was indeed cornered by the Turks.
"No, you will sit and enjoy a drink. I will bring your companion back soon." There was no arguing with that tone of voice.
Zack gave a pout that immediately reminded Rhonda of a puppy, and as she walked past them towards the entrance of the Inn she automatically reached out and gave Zack's hair a little ruffle.
Rhonda walked out into the crowded street as though it was empty, years of waiting tables giving her an easy grace that allowed her to wind through the crowd easily. Within moments she had seen what she was looking for and walked over to one of the young boys that constantly ran up and down the streets pick pocketing.
"Kayleb!" She called over the noise of the crowd , the boy looked up at the sound of his name, and his face lit up with a smile.
"Auntie Rhonda!" The boy greeted, running over to hug the older lady. Rhonda was not related to the young boy by any means, nor any of the other children who called her 'Aunt', but it was a title she had taken with great pride from the children that she had fed and allowed to stay in the inn during the colder months.
Rhonda quickly described the man that she knew as Fenrir, and explained that she needed to find him quickly, and asked if he or any of the other kids that would be running the streets today had seen him. The moment Kayleb heard the description he paled slightly and was quick to nod his affirmative.
"Yeah, I saw him before. He nabbed me when I got 'is friend's pouch. Didn' say nothin' to me, just grabbed me and held 'is hand out for the pouch while his friend ran afta Mills and Jakob."
Rhonda smiled softly, but the sound of it Fenrir knew how to handle pick pocket kids in a way that would ensure their respect in future.
"Did you see where he went?" Rhonda asked.
"Yeah, he pulled 'is hood up and went into that alley down there." Kayleb said, pointing a little ways down the street to said alley, "It looked like he saw someone he didn' wana talk to."
"Ok, thank you Hun." Rhonda said, ruffling his hair and dropping a couple of Gil into his small hand, "Get yourself a treat."
"Thank you Aunty Rhonda!" The boy beamed before running off down the street to no doubt buy something full of sugar.
Setting her shoulders back, and hearing the cracks that ran down her back in response, Rhonda muttered that she was getting to old for this and marched towards the alley entrance, all to aware that Fenrir's friends had been watching from the Inn windows. The moment she turned the corner into the alley, she realised that the two boys had been worrying for a reason, Fenrir was faced with a rather large bald man, who looked as though he meant business with his black suit, black glasses and no-nonsense stance.
Quickly placing her hands on her hips and putting a scowl on her face Rhonda called out with a voice that she once used on her son when he would act up. "Fenrir? There you are, I have been looking for you all morning! Slacking off on your duties on Festival day of all days. How could you?"
To his credit Fenrir didn't miss a beat and fell into character as though he was a professional actor. "Sorry Rhonda... I just..."
"I don't want to hear it! Get your ass back to the Inn and in that kitchen to work." Ronda growled.
"Yes Rhonda." Fenrir replied, turning around with his head bowed and shoulders hunched; looking every bit a chastened young man. The two walked back to the Inn like that, and it was only when they were safely behind the closed doors of the Inn that Fenrir dropped the act, removing his hood and once more standing tall like the proud man he obviously was.
XxXxX
Cloud sat back after hearing Zack and Rhonda finish their side of the tale, a steaming mug of coffee in his hands. They were all seated in the family dining room, separated from the tavern and Inn area so that no one could interrupt or over hear them.
"Thank you." Cloud said to Rhonda, once again amazed at the woman's kindness.
"It's not a problem dear." She replied.
Cloud took a long sip of his drink, and looked over to Vincent who had so far been silent throughout the exchange. Cloud hadn't been overly surprised to find the gunman there; he had always had a knack for showing up just when needed, just like when he had for all intents and purposes lost to Kadaj and his brothers in the Forgotten City and Vincent had been the one to get him out of there.
"How have you been Vincent?" Cloud asked.
"I have been well." He replied, "It has been interesting to see how different things are now."
"Yeah, it's refreshing." Cloud agreed before turning to Rhonda "Thank you again, for everything."
"As I have said, it is not a problem dear. I am not sure what you are involved in, but I know you are a good man. Call it a woman's intuition." Rhonda said with a wink.
Cloud chucked and smiled at the woman, there was a part of him that wished he had met her the first time he had been running from Shinra with Avalanche on the hunt for Sephiroth.
"I feel it is only fair to tell you that my real name is Cloud." He said.
"It is a fitting name dear." Rhonda laughed, and for the first time in a while Cloud felt colour warm his cheeks in response to a comment from someone other than Zack. It was nice. "Well I must get back to work now, the room you used last night is yours again tonight. I recommend leaving at first light tomorrow though."
Cloud and Zack thanked Rhonda once more before she left the room, heading back into the bar which was loud with the many Festival goers that had decided to hit the alcohol. The small dining room was silent for a while as all three men sat in silence, considering their next moves and how close they had come to a bad situation on what was essentially their first day. Cloud hadn't expected Shinra to organise quite this quickly, but he supposed that he should have taken into account the fact that at this point in time Shinra is still the most powerful company and had no one really opposing them at all.
"Sorry for running off Cloud, I should have known better." Zack said, breaking the silence.
"It's fine." Cloud said, "It's half the fun for those kids to get people chasing them all over town. Which reminds me."
Cloud fished in his pocket and grabbed Zack's pouch that he had recovered from the young boy and handed it over to him. Zack's eyes lit up as though he had just received an unexpected birthday present.
"I thought I would never get it back!" Zack said, practically vibrating in his chair. Cloud chuckled.
"The kids you chased handed it over to another kid before they ran." He explained. "Once they are caught, they usually hand it back without a fight, the trick is to catch the right kid."
"Smart little rascals." Zack muttered, attaching the pouch to his belt securely.
"They have to be to survive." Cloud explained before turning to Vincent, "Did you come across anything that can help us?"
"Yes and no." Vincent replied, "Jenova will be transported to the Nibelheim facility in around two months, and will be there for the foreseeable future. Hojo himself will be spending much of his time there for a while."
"Jenova..." Cloud muttered. He hadn't been sure exactly where the calamity had been stored, and to know for sure where it would be was both a weight and a burden; he had spent many sleepless nights wondering how he was going to go about destroying Jenova. I need to kill Hojo as well if I am to make sure that the future is safe... "We will need to make our way there after we have escaped Shinra's reach then. It would be pointless to go before then as security and Hojo will not make things any easier, especially now that Razor has told Hojo about me."
Zack and Vincent nodded their agreement, but Cloud still felt unsure about everything. He had a rough plan forming in his mind, but there was so much to do and the dangers kept piling up. Shinra would be a hindrance, the Darkness, despite being quiet at the moment, will be trying as hard as possible to keep him from carrying out his plans, and Hojo himself would be watching out for him and undoubtedly setting a trap or two in his determination to get a hold of him.
"What are your plans?" Cloud asked Vincent.
"I will move ahead and scout for trouble." Vincent replied, "I will join you in the Forgotten City. I assume you plan lose Shinra there before heading to Nibelheim?"
"Yeah," Cloud replied, "I also want to see if some of the more useful and rare materia is there as well."
Vincent nodded before standing from his chair, taking a long moment to study the blond man before him. Cloud seemed... Brighter today, and he had an idea that it was thanks to Zack once more. A part of him wanted to stay with them and travel as a group as they had when Avalanche had found him, but he was the only one who could more freely, and being able to scout ahead for trouble was invaluable.
"I will leave tonight as they won't be looking for me, be cautious as you travel Cloud."
Cloud nodded once and stood from his chair. "I will be, you watch out for yourself as well."
With a nod to Zack, Vincent left. Zack found it odd how the man always seemed to want to be alone, but he supposed that it must be normal because Cloud didn't mind it at all.
"Come on, we should get an early night sleep." Cloud said, making a move towards the stairs. Zack followed him out into the bar area and up the stairs to the same room that they had occupied the night before and he couldn't help but grin to himself when he remembered what had happened between the two of them.
Once they were inside the room and the door was safely latched behind them, Zack moved up behind Cloud and wrapped his arms around his waist, resting his chin on the blond's shoulder so that the soft spikes tickled his cheek. Cloud let out a soft sigh and relaxed into the warm body behind him. He didn't think that he would ever tire of this feeling.
"I got something for you today." Zack murmured quietly.
Cloud turned around so that he was face to face with Zack and raised an eyebrow, not sure if the raven-haired man was being serious or if he was being suggestive. Zack was smiling softly, and he laughed at the amused and unsure look on the blond's face. Apparently gifts were a rare thing for him.
"Close your eyes and hold out your hands." Zack instructed, laughing properly at the suspicious look he got in return. "I'm serious!"
"Okay, okay." Cloud said, closing his eyes and holding his hands out, his mouth twitching against a grin as he fought the urge to peek. He heard the rustle and jungle as Zack reached into his pouch, and he began to wonder if that was why he had gone running after those kids to insistently to get the pouch back.
Cloud felt the cool touch of metal touch his hands and two items were sat on his palm, and for some reason the weight felt familiar and his heart began to race even before he opened his eyes. With a quick breath Cloud looked down at his palm to see the very same Fenrir wolf pendant and earring that he had worn for so many years and he felt like all the air had been punched from his lungs. He had originally brought the pendants after his flight with Sephiroth once he had remembered who he was. He had hoped that by carrying the symbol of Fenrir; a wolf god that was very prominent in Nibelheim belief and the one that he had always felt the closest with, that he would always have a reminder of who he was and where he came from.
He stared down at the oh so familiar items in his hands and wondered how in the hell such treasured items would come to be in his possession yet again.
"You okay Cloud?" Zack asked, finally breaking through his thoughts. He looked up at the worried look of the man that he cared about the most in this world and let out a shaky breath. Of course it would be Zack that would so casually gift him something that meant to much.
"I... Yeah, I'm better than okay." Cloud said with a nod. Maybe, just maybe this was a sign that this was how things were meant to be. "Thank you. You have... no idea how much this means to me."
"Really?" Zack asked, he had felt that the items would suit Cloud, but he hadn't been expecting anything like this.
"Really." Cloud said with a nod before grabbing Zack by the collar of his shirt and pulling him forward and into a deep kiss.
Tomorrow will be better Cloud thought as he pulled away from Zack and smiled as he placed the pendant and earring on the table to be worn when they get up in the morning We will get out of Kalm and move on to Bone Village within a couple of days and lose Shinra that way...
Zack and Cloud went to sleep that night, curled together for warmth and comfort, both feeling a calm determination to fight whatever came their way...
Hello everyone. Yes I am still alive. I apologise for the over year long wait for this chapter, but as mentioned in my previous notes, my life fairly went to shit, and I have since been battling with depression and a loss of direction in my life. Today marks a good day for me and I have finally made what will hopefully be some good changes, and for the first time in a long, long time I have had the motivation to actually write something. Hopefully this will be a regular thing once more in my life as I have missed it dearly. If you feel that I'm taking to long to update, feel free to send me a PM to see where I am at, support from everyone will go a long way to keeping me writing and my head above water.
Thank you to everyone that has stuck by me!
