Silmeria - Thanks for the wait. Enjoy the chapter

Disclaimer - I claim no rights to Final Fantasy VII

Chapter Four - The Wolf's Inquiry

"You smell nervous." Tifa murmured, placing a hand on his shoulder as he tied on his apron. Outside, she could hear the excited chatter of people as they got ready to open their shops and inns. The night always brought the best and the worst of Midgar out and Tifa wondered if she made a mistake in starting Cloud out on a Saturday night. It was the weekend and those who worked long week shifts wanted to come and take a load off and fill their bellies and hopefully find a willing body to warm their beds for the night. The thought of an inebriated Sentinel harassing Cloud sent a shiver of anger down her spine. She wanted to open her mouth to tell him that he didn't have to work tonight, but she could see the disappointment flash through his blue eyes at the rejection. Cloud had been working hard these last few days and even Jesse complimented his talent for making drinks and serving. He would make a good worker, of that Tifa had no doubt, but she worried as a friend and Sentinel what tonight would do to such a sensitive soul like Cloud's.

"I'm fine." Cloud blinked at Tifa, securing the strings of the apron into a neat, little bow that made Tifa smile on the inside. Cloud had a penchant for being neat which could be a good thing, she supposed. "Why do you ask?"

"You smell nervous." Tifa repeated in a firmer tone. "I just want you to take an easy tonight, okay? Jesse's going to be trailing you and Wedge and Biggs are going to be at the door if someone's bothering you, okay?"

"Tifa." Cloud sounded exasperated and Tifa suppressed a smile at the sound of it. It was just like a Guide to frustrated with an over-protective Sentinel, but with Cloud's parents gone, she was the only family that he had left, so she couldn't really blame herself for taking a step in being cautions could she? She took a step and looked at him, blinking at the outfit he had chosen to wear which consisted of black pants, a tight red quarter sleeve shirt and normal tennis shoes. The look was normal if not for the necklace that he bore. It was the Shield that the Goddess Minerva bore in battle against the Great Sorceress Jenova no more eight millennial ago and she couldn't understand why he was wearing it. The Shield necklace was meant for those who didn't want bond and wasn't Cloud looking for a Sentinel and not avoiding one like the plague?

"What's your game?" Tifa asked him softly, staring at the necklace as if it would burn her if she touched it. She had nothing against those who wanted remain alone, but this was a stretch too far. Cloud needed a good Sentinel to find and settle down and he wasn't going to find one wearing that blasted thing.

"Nothing." Cloud reached up and touched the necklace causing a scowl to emerge on Tifa's features. "I'm just playing the safe card tonight, is all." Cloud's eyes dimmed at the disappointed look his friend bore. "It's not forever, Tifa, I just want to be safe tonight, yeah? Even with Wedge and Biggs at the door and Jesse wandering the floor, that's not going to stop the occasional man or woman harassing me, is it? Which is why I'm wearing the necklace. I'm hoping that people at least respect the Goddess' wishes, no?"

"Of course." Tifa murmured, diverting her eyes at the question. Despite the fact that Midgar was a rather liberal city, it still respected the Goddess Minerva greatly. They respected the fact that some of her pure-blooded children still lived among them. Zack being rumored to be one Her Children with his ability to shift into his spirit animal which was that of a wolf and Cloud was deemed one of Minerva's Children with his ability to cast magic without the use of materia and to bear children. Tifa tilted her head to the side when she remembered Old Woman Alyssa's words. The old woman was certainly on the right track and Tifa wondered if she said would come true?

He would bear a wolf.

Tifa's lips twisted at thought of Cloud being pregnant. It wasn't so far-fetched and neither was the fact that Cloud and Zack were mostly likely destined to be with another, but who was she to tell the future?

"Are you okay? You looked kind of dazed."

"I'm fine." Tifa gently pushed him towards the front of the bar where people where starting to come in and taking their normal seats. Already, she could smell the grill burning and the taps being turned on. It was going to be a long night.

"Here," Tifa handed him a small notepad and slipped a small can of mace into his apron pocket much to his protest. "No buts, it's standard protocol and trust me, you're going to need a new can before the year is out." she pushed him gently again. "Good luck."

Cloud stood near the bar, wincing when a group of customers waved him over with wild grins and already empty glasses.

Right, good luck indeed.

By the stroke of midnight, Cloud was drenched in beer, his mace can half-empty and his pocket filled with gil from tips-inappropriate and otherwise. His hair was a matted mess from the sweat thanks to the heat coming from so many bodies being close together.

First nights were horrid and should rot in the last level of the Lifestream.

Thankfully, the night was winding down and most of the customers were leaving-stumbling-out of the bar with an lazy wave in Tifa's direction and a leer in Cloud's and only a few quiet regulars remained. It was okay, the bar was closing at three a.m. and he could at least make these last few hours, right?

He moved to start to clean the tables that had been emptied when he felt a hand tug at his apron ties, he whirled around with an insult on his lips when he met a pair of amused violet eyes.

"C-Zack-" Cloud shook his head, suddenly flustered at seeing the Alpha of Midgar sitting at one of the empty booths. He quickly lowered his head in respect. "Alpha Sentinel Fair. Good Evening."

Zack blinked before a small snort escaped his lips as he leaned back against his seat. "Well, that didn't take you long to figure it out, did it? And please, call me Zack, it makes socials interactions go a little smoother."

"Right." Cloud nodded, his eyes scanning the bar and despairing when most of the customers were content for the moment. Great. "What would you like to drink?"

"A glass of wine sounds good and something for yourself, yeah? I'm sure Tifa wouldn't mind if you took a small break."

"Oh, I, um," Cloud's face heated when Zack's lips pulled into a soft smile, but his eyes were stern as if he dared Cloud to say no. "Sure, of course, I'll be right back."

Cloud turned on his heel, his face still heated and his heart racing against his chest as he stopped at the bar and placed his tray on the counter, well aware that Tifa was giving him a concerned look that quickly faded one of amusement when she spotted Zack in a dark booth at the back of the bar.

"Oh, well, at least your night will get better." Tifa turned to shelf, not bothering to ask Cloud what he needed as she pulled out a bottle Cosmo Canyon wine and poured a single glass before placing a can of soda beside it. "Enjoy."

Cloud nodded tightly, grabbing the tray and all but stomping back in the Alpha's direction and gently and with a tight smile placed the single glass of wine on the table before situating himself across from Zack who held up his glass in thanks.

"How's the job treating you?" Zack asked, his nose twitching at the obvious smell of bear that came from Cloud's clothing. "From the smell of it, not good?"

"It went fine." Cloud lied, instantly regretting it when he saw Zack's lips twitch at the obvious lie. "It...went as well as first nights go, Zack."

"Which meant it probably sucked." Zack stated with a grimace, taking a sip of his wine and licking his lips causing Cloud to lower his head to his own unopened can of soda. It would be best if his thoughts didn't go into inappropriate territory around the Alpha of Midgar.

"It did." Cloud remained quiet, his leg jumping up and down as silence descended upon them both. He wanted to know why Zack had a sudden interest in him. He wasn't attractive nor was he the social type. He had just lost his remaining parent and had issues that ran a mile long so he didn't understand why Zack paid attention to him.

"Tell me about yourself." Zack prompted suddenly causing Cloud to look up and see Zack staring at him with calculating eyes that were nothing compared to the amused ones he had been graced with. "What's Nibelhiem like?"

"I'm sure Tifa told you?" Cloud blinked when Zack shook his head. It wasn't that much of a surprise that Tifa remained rather tight lipped about her hometown-not the best memories at time. "It's not a very well known village, but we're located at the base of Mt. Nibel and there's not a lot of people living there since many of us move to bigger towns to get better paying jobs."

Zack nodded and urged for him to continue and Cloud shuffled in his seat, not know what else to say about his life or hometown. "Well, if it interests you, we don't produce many Guides?"

"No?" Zack murmured, tilting his head to the side in curiosity. "Your village must run along Jenova's Course."

Cloud blinked at the term. "Jenova's Course?"

"I'm surprised you've never heard of it before. It's not well known among Guides and Sentinels from the smaller towns and villages, but Jenova's Course is a term to describe places that unable to produce Guides due to Jenova's manipulation of the course of life." Zack took another sip of his wine, his lips pursuing at the taste of it. "During the War of the Goddesses, Jenova sent out a malicious curse that eliminated a rather good portion of Guides to the point that Cetra Guides were only to be married to tribal leaders." Zack's hand tapped gently along the glass, his eyes dimming. "It was a rather unpleasant time among the Cetra, that war, but thankfully, Guides started popping up after Jenova was sealed, but there are moments where Guide's declined and a lot of people still think that Jenova's influence is still around."

Cloud shivered, his hands coming up to wrap around his arms at the thought. Of course, he had heard of the Goddesses War, but Jenova's Course? No, that was something that he should have heard of as a Guide. Then again, Nibelheim's educational system wasn't the best Gaia had to offer and he could see Jason not placing such a story into their lessons. They didn't have a lot of Guide's and he didn't want to scare away the ones that managed to be born.

"Why do they call it that?" Cloud asked, his voice hushed as the bar slowly emptied, he moved to stand but saw Jessie shake her head as she passed, giving him the okay to remain seated. "Jenova's Course?"

Zack stared at him for a long moment, before his hand inched across the table to grab one of Cloud's slightly shaking hands to encase it in his own. "Are you alright? Your heart is going a million miles per minute."

"I'm fine. I-I just wasn't aware that my hometown-" Cloud shook his head. "I had no idea..."

"It's through no fault of your own, Cloud." Zack reassured him firmly. "The past, it effects us all in one way or another and you're aware now and that's all that matters." Zack sat back with a tight sigh. "Like I said, the reason it's called Jenova's Course is because her route of her devastation was precise. She moved from the North directly to the Southwest which is Icicle Inn all the way down to Nibelheim. No one knows why she did it, but there have been theories."

"Theories?"

"As a Goddess, Jenova had incredible foresight, but she had no visible control over it. It was random, but what she saw was enough for her to wipe out Guides, her and Minerva's First Creations. It's claimed that Jenova saw a Destined Guide thousands of years into the future. It was said that this Guide would be the one to send her back to the depths of the Lifestream and seal her away for good."

"And the Destined Guide was along this course she set?"

"Yeah, but she didn't know where exactly, just along that route and thus she created Jenova's Course." Zack responded grimly. "The Grand Sentinel-Guide Council at the time hoped that the Guide and his/her defendants would survive, but eventually the whole thing was forgotten after Jenova was sealed by Minerva."

"So, we just forgot?"

Zack shrugged, but his eyes belied the anger at the ignorance. As an Alpha Sentinel, it was duty to protect his city, even from myths. "We just forgot, it happens when it concerns history. Do you feel better? That story does have a tendency to frighten a few people."

"I'm fine." Cloud reassured quickly, rather embarrassed that he was frightened by what could be considered a nighttime story at this point. "So, you're a lover of history?"

"Yeah, I don't look like the type, but being knowledgeable, even about the past, can have immense benefits for the future. Plus, knowing what the world was like millennia ago is interesting. What about you? What does the mysterious Cloud Strife like?"

"The Theory of Magic." Cloud admitted softly, his lips pulling into a shy smile. "We produce magic, ask for the Goddess' Blessing through materia, but did the Cetra do the same thousands of years ago? Or did they do without? Can you imagine? An entire city or village full of free wielding casters?"

"I can imagine," Zack leaned closer, closing his hand over Cloud's still untouched can of soda. "I can imagine."

Cloud looked down, and his heart stopped as he watched the soda become encased in ice under Zack's large hand. His skin itched as he felt the magic emanating from Zack's larger form. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He couldn't believe that he wasn't the only one.

He wasn't the only one.

To cast magic was not only an extremely rare talent, but it was wildly revered and Cloud wouldn't be surprised if Zack held this secret close to his heart. He did the same, afraid of the world's reaction to a free magic user.

As the ice encased the soda can, Cloud reached forward and placed his hand over Zack's, halting the spell and shivering at the cold that attacked the sensitive skin of his palm.

"Stop." Cloud swallowed back a shiver when Zack's twitched under his own. "What you're doing is dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Zack murmured, his tone deadly, as if insulted by Cloud's claim. "It's a blessing-"

"I know," Cloud whimpered at the wording. Blessing. It was a true blessing, but in the eyes of those who were greedy, too noble and aristocratic to see the benefits. "But, you mustn't do it again, understand?" Cloud removed his hand, taking the can and stuffing it into his apron before rising. "I'm sorry, I have to go, my shift is coming to a close-"

"Wait," Zack demanded. "What do you mean it's dangerous-?" Zack's eyes widen in realization. "You're not-? You can't-?"

"I have to go." Cloud moved away from the table, stopping in his tracks when Zack called back to him, almost desperate.

"Can I talk to you again? Soon?"

Cloud closed his eyes at the question. This was dangerous, what they were doing, but how could he deny the Alpha? It was one of the few things in this world that you didn't do.

"Soon."

It wasn't a promise, but it was enough for now.