When food finished, Zack brought back the dishes to his house, though he came back to the barn shortly after. He plopped himself down besides Cloud and smiled happily.
"So what's your wing look like? I saw Sephiroth's before, you know, when he tackled me and almost dislocated my shoulder. But I haven't seen yours."
Cloud looked down at the ground, letting worry and dread sink into him. He still was the only one who had such an odd, non-feathered wing. Even if in the last group of children, there were those with black wings, none had anything remotely close to what he had.
It still made him nervous about what others would think of him, especially humans. If humans already were afraid of Winged Ones who had wings with pretty and soft feathers, then his would definitely be something they'd fear.
But Zack was kind, and he had treated him fairly so far. Cloud started to have a little hope that maybe it would be okay to show him. Maybe Zack would still be just as friendly as he was, even after he saw Cloud's wing.
"Uh, mine's different," he explained. "Like, really different."
"Oh? How so?"
Taking in a deep breath, Cloud let his wing show. He stretched it out as far as he could, all while avoiding Zack's gaze. He couldn't bear to see how Zack was going to react, now that it was out in the open to see.
"Whoa!" he heard Zack exclaim. "That's your wing? That's so cool!"
Cloud lifted his head, shocked that Zack actually was excited about it. "R-Really? You don't think it's weird or anything?"
"What? No way! I think all wings are cool, and I've never heard about one like yours before, so that makes it extra cool!"
Cloud blushed a little. "T-Thank you. So, um, you wanna see me fly a little?"
"Oh, you bet I do!"
Cloud pushed himself to his feet, looking around the barn. He knew he would have enough height to at least hover by the ceiling, but he didn't feel confident enough to fly around in such a small space.
Besides, Sephiroth was also watching them, no doubt ready to interject at a moment's notice.
Stretching his wing out, he started to move it, letting himself be pushed off the ground and into the air. He fluttered around, deciding to only move a few inches above Zack's head. The entire time the older boy watched with eyes full of armament and delight. He grinned through every second of it, even after Cloud landed and hid his wing away.
"That was so cool! You did it as if it were nothing!"
"At this point it kind of feels like that. It was really hard at first to get used to it though," Cloud replied.
"Still! Thanks for showing me! Aw man! Aerith will be so jealous when she hears!"
"Aerith?" Cloud asked.
"Oh yeah, you were sleeping when I mentioned her before. She's my girlfriend, and the best girlfriend too! She's a believer that your people shouldn't be locked up, like me. And she is just the kindest person ever. Maybe if you guys are looking for another place to hide, you can look for her!"
"We won't be staying in this town long," Sephiroth cut in. "I agreed we could stay another day, but that's it. After that, we move on further past this town."
Cloud's heart sank a little. He knew it was best for them to get away from where Hojo was, but he couldn't help feeling sad leaving Zack behind. They had just met, but already Cloud felt a close connection to him. He didn't want to say goodbye, but knew he had to expect it to come sooner than later. He would say goodbye, and probably never see him again after that.
"Yeah, I know, but it was just a thought in case!" Zack offered.
"Now, I do have a question. Do you happen to have a map of the world? If I am to plan where we are going, I will need to gather some form of direction."
Zack started to move towards the door. "Sure thing. Let me go up to the house and grab it."
The raven-haired boy had just pulled the door open a crack when he closed it. He turned around and started to walk towards the corner of the barn.
"We gotta hide you guys," he said quickly.
He started to brush away some of the hay that had piled up in the corner. Underneath it, Cloud could see a square shaped door built into the floor.
"You saw guards from the facility," Sephiroth stated.
"They're heading up on the property. No doubt they are searching the area, but I can hide you guys down here," Zack said as he opened the special door, revealing a hidden underground room. "Get down there quickly so I can cover it up. There should be a light switch down there to turn on everything, but, uh, might just have to find it yourselves."
"Seph?" Cloud asked, feeling his heart racing.
If Hojo's men came in here now, they would be found and brought back to the facility. They would be back where they started, and probably with a less-likely chance to ever escape again. He didn't want to go back, not even wanting to think about being in that place.
Cloud felt Sephiroth guide him along to the opening. "Quickly, Cloud. There's no time to waste."
They went down the small ladder that led into the underground room. As soon as they were both down there, Zack closed the hatch without warning. Above them, they could now hear Zack's footsteps and hay being pushed over the door.
A few seconds later, they could hear Zack's voice through the wood faintly calling for Mercury. The floorboards above them creaked for a few moments until everything was silent, no one making a single peep for the longest time.
Soon, Cloud couldn't take it anymore. They were standing in a dark room, not having found the light yet, and their eyes were only beginning to adjust. He reached his hand out slowly, towards the direction he knew that Sephiroth was standing.
"Seph?" he whispered as softly as he could.
"Shh," Sephiroth shushed him. He pulled Cloud into an embrace and held onto him firmly. "We mustn't make a sound."
From above, Cloud could hear the barn door opening. "Yes?" Zack's voice asked. "Something I can help you with?"
"We're on the lookout for two Winged Ones. They escaped from our hands the other night. Have you seen any sightings of them?" a voice asked. Cloud figured it was probably one of the guards. Hojo himself wouldn't come out searching for them.
"Nope! Haven't seen any winged people around. Just me and my chocobo."
"Hmph, well we are just going to have to take a look around. They could very well be hiding without you knowing."
"I think I'd know if someone snuck into my barn. My chocobo doesn't like strangers. Might wanna steer clear of him, he's been in a mood lately, and he may bite."
"We don't care about any old chocobo. Just let us take a quick look around," another voice grunted.
"Fine. Just don't mess anything up. Parents should be home any day, and they expect the place to be clean!"
Cloud pressed himself closer to Sephiroth as he heard feet moving over the entire barn. The floor creaked and groaned as the guards searched the entire place, but they never once came close to where Cloud and Sephiroth hid.
Before long the guards started muttering softly, too hard to be heard through the floorboards.
Then one of them spoke up. "Alright. It's clear here. But kid, if you see anything, call this number. The Winged Ones are dangerous and shouldn't be confronted."
"Can do," Zack said. "Totally will keep it in mind."
The door slammed seconds later, and then there was total silence. Cloud breathed in and out as slow as he could be, trying not to let his nerves get the best of him. He was strong, and he knew that he could hold it in and not freak out during this. After all, Sephiroth was calm as could be on the outside. If it wasn't for Cloud pressing his head to Sephiroth's chest, hearing his rapid heartbeat, he would've believed Sephiroth wasn't afraid at all.
When he was younger, he was certain Sephiroth wasn't afraid of anyone or anything. He always had been so quiet and stoic that to a young mind that was the only reasonable answer. Now that he was older, Cloud knew Sephiroth probably got scared sometimes, but he did well to keep it hidden underneath.
Cloud relaxed a little once he felt Sephiroth running his fingers through his hair. The sensation calmed each itchy nerves, bringing both their heart rates down as well.
"Just a little longer," Sephiroth whispered.
"Can we at least find the light?" Cloud whispered back.
"Maybe, but it may just be best to let our eyes continue to adjust. I'd rather not risk it, but maybe soon if we must stay down here longer."
Cloud wasn't entirely sure how turning on a light in an underground bunker would be risky, but he trusted Sephiroth. Whatever he said, Cloud would do and follow as the little brother.
Minutes passed and nothing seemed to happen above. It was still completely silent up there, aside from soft coos from the chocobo that could sometimes be heard. Wherever Zack had gone, he hadn't come back yet, and Cloud wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He only hoped that Zack was trying to get the guards to leave still, or maybe went to do other chores around his farm to make him look less suspicious. It was worrisome either way, unable to see what was happening above.
But all they could do now was wait.
Eventually, enough time had passed that the two of them sat down on the floor. Sephiroth had even found the light switch and turned it on, giving them a look into what this underground bunker looked like.
It was like Cloud had expected. It was small, but it had a bed, bathroom, and even a small kitchen area. A perfect little place to hide in case anything ever happened on the surface. Though Sephiroth told Cloud he assumed this place was used as a storm shelter, rather than a place to hide from the law or otherwise.
After some more time passed, the two of them heard Mercury moving above them. Then there was a small knock against the wood.
"Hey, it's all clear guys," Zack's voice said before opening the hatch. "You two doing alright down there?"
"We've managed," Sephiroth answered. "And we do have you to thank for that."
"I'm just glad I could get them out of here without having them tear up the entire place," Zack replied.
Sephiroth slowly made his way out of the bunker first, with Cloud following quietly behind. When they were up there, Zack closed the panel and faced the two of them.
"So what are you two going to do now?"
"We still need to move on," Sephiroth answered.
"But won't they be looking for us further out there? Cause they didn't find us here?" Cloud asked.
"Perhaps, but we can go in a different direction that they may have gone. Zack, did you happen to see which way they headed after they left?"
Zack hummed. "I think they headed northwest. That's where the bigger city is."
"Then we can try to go in the opposite direction, hopefully heading away from them."
Cloud looked at his older brother, trying to understand his reasoning. "But why so soon? Why can't we wait here longer until they are long gone from the area."
"The longer we stay here, the more of a risk we take. We are still far too close to the facility, and I'm certain they will have plenty of soldiers scouting the general area for the next few weeks," Sephiroth explained. "That is why we must leave."
Cloud wanted to protest. He wanted to find a reason that they could hide down in the bunker and stay there for days. But he knew Sephiroth had his mind set on leaving, and deep down he knew what Sephiroth was saying probably was for the best. Cloud just wished he didn't have to say goodbye to Zack so soon.
Shuffling over to him, Cloud managed to look at his friend. "I guess that means we gotta go soon. But thanks, Zack. You're a really nice person. I'm glad I got to meet you."
Zack flung his arms around Cloud, giving a tight squeeze. "I'll miss you! But hey! If you manage to show that Winged Ones aren't to be feared and people accept you, I bet we can see each other again!"
"Yeah," Cloud grinned. "That would be nice."
"Then let's hope for the best, okay?" Zack said as he relinquished Cloud from his grasp.
"We will."
They waited until the dead of night to make their move. Sephiroth led, with Cloud trailing right behind him. Cloud waved to Zack one last time before the two of them headed east, out into the nearby forest, where they hoped they wouldn't be found.
They had a map at least to guide them now, with it being one of the last items Zack had given them. Wherever they decided to go though, it was going to be hard. The two winged boys knew how most others would receive them, none being as caring and as nice as Zack was. Avoiding anyone was probably their best bet, but they still had no idea what would lie ahead of them.
Hope you all enjoyed! Be sure to let me know what you thought. Reviews and feedback are always nice to see!