Chapter 61: Yuffie Recovers

Yuffie finally stirred.

The first thing she saw was Zack sitting on the edge of the bed with his head down.

She immediately touched his shoulder.

"Hey," she said groggily.

Zack immediately turned to face his girlfriend.

"You're back!" he said in relief.

"You're back!" she echoed before raising herself to her knees, wrapping her arms around his neck, and kissing him.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"We'll deal with that later," she assured him.

She then looked down, and saw her underwear and bare legs staring back at her.

"Where are my pants?" Yuffie groaned.

"I wanted you to be comfortable," Zack replied. "They stayed on until I got you in here."

Zack knew that was a lie, but he also knew Yuffie would be beyond embarrassed if the prime Reno and Rude had seen her underwear.

"So nobody saw my granny panties?"

"Nope," Zack insisted. "And they're not granny panties. They're called full-bottom."

Yuffie sighed in relief. Feeling cold, she climbed back under the covers.

Then, something caught her mind.

"Where's Sage?!" she exclaimed.

"I don't know," he answered. "Denzel's missing, too. They're looking for both of them."

"Who's they?" she asked.

"Reno and Rude," Zack replied, "that is, the prime Reno and Rude from the original timeline, are out looking for them."

"I don't trust them," Yuffie dismissed as she climbed out of bed. "Do you?"

"Not really," Zack replied.

Yuffie then scanned her boyfriend.

She noticed his skin was paler than usual.

She noticed his eyes were glossy.

She did not notice the bedroom door creek.

"You're sick," Yuffie observed.

"Yuffie," he began, "I-"

"That's why you left, isn't it?" she interjected. "So you wouldn't infect us? Zack, you know you can spread it around long before symptoms appear."

"I've got it," Zack confirmed solemnly.

"You better not give up!" Yuffie warned. "The Zack I fell in love with sure as hell wouldn't!"

He gave her a sad look.

"You are?!" she exclaimed.

"They can't cure it," Zack replied. "Besides, you know the timeline fights back. Maybe it's just…my time."

"Bullshit," Yuffie dismissed. "I ought to smack your face. Denzel hasn't given up. He's got it for sure. And as for us, we're a couple. We get through things together."

Zack was silent.

"Unless you're not as committed as we thought."

"I am," Zack said. "But the timeline is the timeline. I'm infected. I can't help anyone. Not my family, not my friends. Nobody. I went to flush myself and get my life extended."

"Dilly-dally shilly-shally," muttered Yuffie.

Suddenly, both Zack and Yuffie heard a chuckle in the corner of the room.

Suddenly, the prime Reno appeared.

"You know, in the original timeline, the prime Tifa said the exact same thing."

Yuffie was immediately pissed.

"Get out!" she snapped. "I'm in my panties!"

"And under the covers," Reno added. "We're all in our underwear under our clothes, aren't we?"

"I suppose," Yuffie admitted as she folded her arms. "Did you find them?"

"No, only a witness," Reno answered. "Kadaj's gang took the kids."

"Took them where?" Zack inquired.

"They're at their base now," the prime Rude replied. "The Forgotten City."

"Aw, shit," Yuffie sighed.

"The what?" Zack asked.

A few minutes later, the prime Reno and Rude were gone.

Yuffie had gotten out of bed, and was stretching.

"The Forgotten City," she sighed. "I never wanted to think about that place again."

Zack had wondered what was so bad about that place.

Then, it dawned on him.

He had heard rumors it was where Aerith, his former girlfriend, had been killed.

But he had also heard that she had been killed outside the Nibelheim Reactor.

There was only one way to be certain.

"Is that…where….Aerith…."

"Yes," Yuffie interjected. "Well, it's where we thought she was killed. But she faked her death."

Zack sighed.

"I guess I know where I need to go now."

"You can't," Yuffie informed him. "The ferry to the Northern Continent is shut down because of the pandemic. And the teleporter is well guarded."

"I can use it," Zack said. "Diplomatic privileges.

"You're ambassador to the Eastern Continent, not the Northern Continent," Yuffie pointed out. "I don't think you can go anywhere but the Western and Eastern Continents."

Zack took out his phone, and called the one person who could possibly help him in this situation.

MEANWHILE…..

I was seated at my desk, working on this very memoir, when my cell rang.

I answered it without looking to see who was calling. I know that can be a dumb thing to do, but I also can't think of who calls instead of texts or emails these days.

"Hello?" I naturally said.

"Hey Cissnei," the voice greeted.

"Zack!" I exclaimed happily.

We caught up for a while before he actually told me about needing to get to the Northern Continent.

"And I can't go there," he said, "because it's guarded, and my diplomatic privileges are on the Eastern Continent only."

"You can if I have Geostigma," I pointed out. "I'll email the president of the Northern Continent. I'll tell him I have Geostigma and that you'll be going in my place."

"But what if you need to go there?" he naturally asked.

"Just go," I insisted. "Sage needs you. So does Denzel."

After the call ended, I promptly emailed the president of the Northern Continent and told him what I said I'd tell him.

I was happy to do that for Zack; he was my best friend, along with Tifa. I wouldn't hesitate to risk my butt for him.

Of course, now I had to remain in quarantine for fourteen days.

Tobin wouldn't have to cancel his socially-distant book tour; he was on his last stop today anyhow.

MEANWHILE….

Zack hung up the phone.

"It's a done deal," he announced. "Cissnei's taking the fall. She's going to say she has Geostigma so I can go to the Northern Continent in her place."

"That's one hell of a friend you got there," Yuffie said as she walked over to Zack. "She did save your ass, after all."

With that, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"I guess that means you going again," she said. "Kiss your girlfriend goodbye?"

Zack pressed his lips against Yuffie's. He then put his hand on her butt through her panties.

"Hey!" she reprimanded. "No hanky panky for a while! I'm still recovering from…whatever it is."

"Loz injected you with something," Zack replied. "Some sort of neurotoxin."

"Bummer," she said.

"Hang in there until I get back," he commanded.

"Don't ghost me this time!" Yuffie warned.

"I won't," Zack assured her. "I promise."

They kissed again.

Then, Zack was out the door.

LATER….

Zack sped down the road on his motorcycle. He remembered where the teleporter was; this time, he would take it straight to the Northern Continent. It occurred to him that he had no idea where he would end up, but he realized he would simply have to cross that bridge when he got to it.

Soon, he rounded the bend.

The teleporter was right there.

And the guards were gone.

Instead, they had been replaced by two people he had been all too familiar with.

It was Jack and Sumner Balen.

"Pay the toll," Jack commanded.

"Not now, gentlemen," Zack dismissed. "I'm in a hurry."

"Then I'd pay the toll," Sumner demanded. "Forty gil."

Zack looked at Jack and Sumner skeptically.

He drew his buster sword.

"You're really going to risk your lives over forty gil?"

Without replying, the brothers slowly backed away.

"Haven't you got anything better to do?" Zack asked.

"As a matter of fact," Sumner began, "I think we have."

"Then get to it," Zack commanded. "Be off."