Hi again, ^_^
Well, apparently people *do* read FFVII fanfiction. ^_^ And
since that's where my muse seems to be focused for the time
being, here's another chapter. Here's hoping it doesn't suck.
Feedback, public or private, is both desperately craved and
greatly appreciated. ^_^
Note: This fic is told from Zack's point of view. If you
haven't played FFVII all the way through, and don't know who Zack
is (sometimes romanized as "Zacks" or "Zax"), you might want to
bypass this spoiler-filled fic.
The Prologue to this fic can be found on my site at:
http://www.akane.org/fanfiction
Warning: This fic contains less-than-pristine language, violence,
and non-explicit adult themes.
"All But Blood"
Chapter 1
A Final Fantasy VII Fanfic
by Krista Perry
"Hey, kid, you doing okay?"
A storm raged outside, wild and merciless. Rain streamed
down the truck's back windows, so that it was nearly impossible
to see anything of the surrounding forest except a dark green
blur. The rain was pelting so hard against the shell of the
truck, it sounded like we were encased inside a steel drum that
was being beaten relentlessly. We were perfectly dry inside, but
the air was stale and musty, smelling unpleasantly like four men
who had been on the road too long without a shower. The truck
bounced and jostled over the muddy, rutted road, making it a
little difficult for me to keep my footing as I stood next to my
friend, who sat slouched on a wooden crate with his head between
his knees.
Cloud lifted his head slightly, and favored me with a
watery-eyed glare. The poor kid looked positively green. "Don't
call me that," he muttered, casting a brief, anxious glance over
to where Sephiroth sat on a crate near the front of the truck.
"Anyway," he said, looking down again, "I'm fine."
Oh, whoops. I'd forgotten how much he hated being called
"kid." And here I'd gone and called him that in front of
Sephiroth, whom he practically idolized. Some friend I was.
Still, I was worried at how sick he was looking. "Are you
sure? I could ask the driver to stop for a bit..."
"I said I'm fine." And then, quieter, he said, "But,
thanks."
A more transparent lie had never been told. But I could
also see Cloud's usual innate stubbornness and pride surfacing in
his sickly features. Knowing him, he would probably swallow his
own tongue before he would allow himself to puke in front of
Sephiroth.
"Okay, if you're sure..."
He nodded briefly without looking up. With a sigh, I
wandered over to my crate and sat down. Sephiroth glanced over
at me and raised a questioning eyebrow. I just shrugged, feeling
a bit helpless.
Poor Cloud. I'd specifically requested to bring him along
for this trip because I was hoping to cheer him up. I even
brought Marlow along as the last member of the team, because I
knew he was the quiet type, and had never been among the crowd
that had harassed Cloud at cadet school. True to form, Marlow
was dozing at the back of the truck, ignoring us completely.
I had been surprised that Cloud hadn't been as excited about
this mission as I hoped he'd be. Hell, he'd been down-right
reluctant to come along, until I finally coaxed him into it. Now
I could see why he wasn't all that excited. I'd never had motion
sickness myself, but it didn't look fun.
Oh well, I thought, feeling somewhat bummed out. So far, my
big plan to get Cloud's mind off his troubles at Shinra was a
huge bust. On top of that, I'd been hoping to have someone to
talk to on the trip. I mean, I brought Marlow along because I
knew he would keep to himself until it was time to follow orders.
And Sephiroth was a cool guy and all, but he was never really the
chatty type.
Suddenly feeling bored out of my skull, I reached into my
pocket and pulled out the new materia that I'd been issued right
before we left, and rolled it around in the palm of my hand. It
glowed faint green in the gloom.
"What kind is it?" Sephiroth asked suddenly.
I looked up at him, surprised. Was he actually starting a
conversation? "Huh? Oh, it's a Lightning Materia. I just got
it." I grinned, and clenched my hand around it in a fist. "I
can't wait to try it out."
The corner of Sephiroth's mouth turned up in a half-smile.
"Just like a kid," he said.
I shrugged, smiling. Unlike Cloud, I didn't mind being
called a kid, even though I was nineteen. Hell, in the presence
of the great Sephiroth, I *felt* like a kid. There was just
something about the guy that made you feel... smaller. But I had
long ago determined not to let it bother me. "So," I said,
stuffing my materia back into my pocket. If Sephiroth was in a
rare talkative mood, I was determined to take advantage of it.
"What do you think about these monster reports we're supposed to
be investigating? You think there's anything to it?"
"I wouldn't be surprised," Sephiroth answered calmly. "If
the Mt. Nibel Reactor is malfunctioning, leaking raw Mako into
the environment, it could easily result in rapid, unnatural
animal and plant mutations."
I pursed my lips tightly, thinking about the Mako treatment
I'd been given when I entered SOLDIER a couple of years back. It
was just a little mist, but breathing it was painful as hell,
like trying to breathe acid fumes. And I remembered how startled
I was afterwards, to look into a mirror and see the strange,
faint glow of Mako coming from my own eyes.
As if reading my mind, Sephiroth said, "The amount of Mako
exposure necessary to cause such severe mutation is far greater
than the minuscule amount to which we were exposed. Also, the
Mako we were give was specially treated and purified. So don't
worry, Zack," he said, and there was mild amusement on his face.
"We may be more resilient than normal, but you and I are fully
human."
"Well, good," I said, grinning rakishly, to cover the relief
I felt at being so reassured. "Because I'd really hate to tell
my girlfriend that she was dating a monster."
Sephiroth opened his mouth to reply, but whatever he was
about to say was lost as something suddenly slammed into the
truck with bone-jarring force. The truck lurched and skidded
almost a complete 360 degrees, sending the four of us flying
against the right side of the truck, before it came to a stop.
Thinking back on it, it's amazing that the truck didn't roll.
In the abrupt silence that followed, Sephiroth, Cloud,
Marlow and I quickly untangled ourselves from the jumble we had
landed in, and did a quick once-over for injuries. Sephiroth and
I were both fine. Cloud was pale, and looking greener than ever,
but otherwise seemed unharmed. Marlow, though, was bleeding from
a small gash in his forehead.
"Shit," Marlow said, reaching up and pressing his gloved
hand against the wound. "What the hell was that?"
"That," said Sephiroth, reaching over to where our weapons
had slid in the collision, "is one of our monsters, if I'm not
mistaken." He retrieved Masamune, and I followed suit, grabbing
my Buster Sword. I took a quick moment to reach into my pocket
for my new Lightning Materia, and slip it into one of the empty
slots on the huge blade.
Whatever was out there, it was big. It was stomping around,
causing a huge racket with its impact tremors. We could hear it
breathing, snuffing around the back of the truck. I turned to
Cloud, who was looking a bit wild-eyed with panic. "Check on the
driver, see if he's okay," I said. "Sephiroth and I will handle
this."
He seemed grateful to have something useful to do, and he
nodded, swallowing hard, as if trying to force back his nausea.
"Okay," he said, with probably more vigor than he was feeling.
And then Sephiroth opened the back doors of the truck. The
wind lashed stinging rain into our faces, but that didn't stop us
from seeing what was lurking out there.
It was big -- at least the size of a house -- and green,
with great leathery wings and long, sharp claws, each one the
size of my Buster Sword. It looked at us, its eyes drawn by the
motion of the truck doors opening, then bared all 60 million of
its jagged teeth and snarled in a way that said we were lunch.
"Holy shit," Marlow said from behind me, and I silently
agreed with him -- but in a good way. Nothing like fighting a
Mako-created dragon in the driving rain to get the adrenaline
pumping.
"Lemme take him," I said to Sephiroth.
He glanced over me, and raised an eyebrow. "All right, go
ahead."
That was all the permission I needed. I leaped forward, and
brought my Buster Sword down full force on the creature's scaley
hide...
...at which point, it made a noise similar to "clang," and
slid off harmlessly. It roared furiously, stomping its feet,
then lashing out with razor claws that I only barely managed to
dodge.
Uh-oh. Okay, so physical attacks didn't work. It was time
to try out my new Lightning Materia. I quickly cast the spell,
and watched as massive bolts of electricity arced across the
creatures body, then waited to see how it affected the beast.
Nothing happened.
Well, not precisely nothing. I *had* managed to get it
really pissed off. It turned towards me with it's mouth open,
and I could see a gleaming red light glowing deep within its
gullet. "Oh crap," I said, and dodged just as a massive stream
of flame erupted from the dragon's mouth.
Feeling sheepish and slightly singed, I hurried back over to
Sephiroth. "Um, on second thought," I said, "maybe you should
take this one."
Sephiroth only shook his head and smiled slightly.
Then, moving so fast that I could barely see him at all, he
leaped forward with Masamune. The long, thin blade sang through
the air, slashing in an arc at the dragon's neck. And then, just
as swiftly, Sephiroth was at my side again, and calmly sliding
Masamune back into its sheath.
I blinked, and looked at the snarling dragon. "Um..." I
said, wondering how to tell my superior officer that he missed,
and that maybe he shouldn't be putting his sword away when we
were all about to be eaten, or fried to a crisp...
...until suddenly, the dragon made a terrible choking noise.
Flames erupted violently from its mouth. It took a shuddering
step forward...
... and then its head slid right off its neck. It landed on
the ground with a great, resonating thud, followed quickly by the
rest of its body.
I blinked again. I could feel the stupefaction on my face
as I looked over at Sephiroth.
He just gave me a half smile, and turned back to the truck.
"Come on," he said. "We need to take care of everyone and fix
the truck. This little altercation is going to put us behind
schedule."
I looked over at the truck. Cloud was standing out in the
rain, with the wounded and barely conscious driver draped
carefully over one shoulder. He was staring with wide eyes, his
jaw hanging agape as Sephiroth walked up to him.
Sephiroth held out his hand and cast Cure3 on the driver,
who immediately stirred. "What the..." the driver said, and then
fell silent as he caught sight of Sephiroth, and the dead dragon
beyond. Cloud, still looking a bit shell-shocked, managed to
help the fully-recovered man back onto his feet.
"Are you feeling all right?" Sephiroth asked.
Cloud started, when he realized that Sephiroth was talking
to him, and not the driver.
"Me? Um... yes, sir, I... I feel fine. I wasn't hurt or
anything, sir."
"Weren't you feeling ill earlier, though?"
Cloud's face reddened slightly. "Yes sir, but... Cure
spells don't really help much with motion sickness."
"Ah." Sephiroth nodded slightly, then looked at the driver.
"How soon do you think we can be back on the road?"
The driver blinked, then looked over at the damaged vehicle.
"Uh... I'm not sure, sir, but I'll get on it right away and give
you a time estimate after I assess the damage."
"Excellent." Sephiroth then walked over to cast Cure on
Marlow, who was sitting in the back of the truck, looking as
amazed at the rest of us as he held a cloth to his bleeding
forehead.
I went up to Cloud, grinning hugely. "Didn't I tell you?" I
said, still feeling giddy from the adrenaline high. I threw my
arm around his shoulder and shook him a little. Probably not the
best thing to do considering his recent motion sickness, but he
just swallowed hard and took it. "Didn't I *tell* you how *cool*
it was going to be, seeing Sephiroth in action?"
Cloud nodded, glancing over at the decapitated dragon.
"That... That was incredible," he whispered, almost reverently.
"That's just the beginning," I said, stepping back and
clapping him on the shoulder. "The reports said that the Nibel
Mountains are practically swarming with monsters. I'd say we'll
definitely have the chance to see more of the same, and we might
even be able to polish up our own techniques in the meantime.
Doesn't that sound great?"
Cloud smiled a little, showing the first sign of enthusiasm
that I'd seen in him in days. "Yeah, it does, actually."
I grinned. "Just you wait, Cloud. You are going to be so
glad I talked you into coming on this mission."
After all we still had Nibelheim ahead of us. I was sure
once we finally reached his home town and he got to see his
family and friends again, he would cheer up even more. I knew he
had to be just dying to see that Tifa girl he was always talking
about.
Yes, once we reached Nibelheim, things would be even
better...
~*~
Cloud is screaming.
That one hoarse, despairing scream, and my memories shatter,
falling from my mind in jagged pieces. And the scream is
followed by another, and another until it seems like one unending
scream of anguish...
Damn. Even with my eyes clenched shut, even as I struggle
to regain my focus; to once again remove my consciousness from
this living nightmare, I can hear everything. His screams, from
just a few meters in front of my cylinder prison, where he lies
strapped to Hojo's experimentation table, rake across my senses,
rasping painfully through each nerve in my body. And yet I don't
dare open my eyes, for fear of what I'll see... for fear of what
Hojo might be doing to him now.
Hojo must be finished with the delicate work of removing the
samples of Jenova-tainted tissue and fluid from Cloud's innards.
Otherwise, Cloud wouldn't be screaming now, or thrashing so
frantically in his metal restraints. Hojo has a Master Time
Materia at his disposal, after all, and he wouldn't allow his
Stop spell to wear off unless he was ready to move on to... less
precise forms of torture. Procedures that didn't require his
completely alert-and-feeling specimen to remain absolutely still.
All part of his research to see how fast Mako- and Jenova-
enhanced bodies can recover from "massive physical trauma."
I haven't heard any bones snap yet. But then again, the
sound might have been drowned out by the screams.
And then, the screaming trails off abruptly, dying out like
a falling star, and I can hear Cloud's ragged, sobbing voice as
he whimpers with the sudden relief. He's half crying, half
catching his breath.
"Well now." I can hear Hojo's voice; can almost see him
leaning over Cloud with that terrible, cold, twisted smile of
his, even with my eyes closed. "Are you going to persist in your
stubbornness, or are you going to tell me about the voices you
are hearing? If you tell me now, I might consider canceling
these last few tests."
Cloud sniffs, then inhales shakily. "G-go to hell, you b-
bastard."
"Well, if that's how you're going to be," Hojo says
indifferently. And I hear the sudden piercing whine of a small
rotary saw blade.
Oh, shit, not that. Not that. Hojo, you son-of-a-bitch...
And Cloud is being so brave. He's not saying a word, and I
know he's going to try not to scream again.
But sometimes, you just can't help it.
My eyes are clenched shut, every muscle in my body is tensed
to the max, but I desperately try to focus and find my calm
center before...
Too late. The whirring saw blade makes a sudden wet cutting
noise, and Cloud's first involuntary cry of agony stabs through
me, and I can feel myself shaking.
I used to force myself to watch, out of guilt. I allowed
the sight of Hojo's torturous experiments on Cloud to sear into
my brain, and used it as fuel for my anger, and my desire for
escape and revenge.
But that was five years ago, when I was full of my usual
confidence; before I knew how bad it would be. Before I knew
that escape would be harder than I thought. Before I knew we
would be trapped here in this basement laboratory for five
freaking years. Now it takes all my self control not to go stark
raving mad, and allow my own screams to mingle with Cloud's.
No. Escape first. Go crazy later. That's my motto these
days. My litany of sanity.
Escape first...
Someone is retching in the corner of the room. And, from
the sound of Hojo's disgusted reprimands, it sounds like one of
his flunkies can't handle the work of torturing Cloud. Poor
Hojo. Good help is so hard to find.
So... the only problem is, how to escape? Five years, and
you'd think a SOLDIER 1st Class would have figured something out
by now. But Hojo has been inhumanly vigilant and cautious in the
supervision of his two prized specimens.
And at the moment, Cloud's sobbing screams are making any
coherent thought difficult, filling me with overwhelming grief
and rage...
Damn it, what are they *doing* to him?
I have to focus. I have to block it out... I have to
*think*...
Augh... a bone snapped. Definitely heard it. Oh shit,
another one. Are they breaking his arms? His legs? The screams
are like razors in my head.
Cloud...
My usual methods aren't working. This is bad, I've never
had such a hard time focusing before... Come on, idiot, think!
What was it Master Zangan taught about meditation?
Think...
Sometimes... sometimes a good memory can help remove
yourself from suffering...
A good memory...
I reach into the depths of my mind, desperately searching
for something... anything that might distract me from this
horror...
Searching...
Cloud's screams... It sounds like he's dying; like they're
killing him, though after all this, death might be a relief...
I clutch my head, pressing my hands against my ears.
Please, I know I have good memories somewhere, of a life beyond
this endless nightmare, but I can't *think*...
Searching...
Focus...
...
...and then, amidst the screams... the scent of
wildflowers...
A memory... oh please, a good memory...
Focus...
...
... wildflowers...
~*~
I found her in the church.
She was kneeling by her miracle flowers. How she managed to
get those things to grow in the poisoned earth of Midgar, I could
never figure out. It was just one of those things she did.
Like when she looked up as I stepped through the massive
wooden doors of the church, and smiled at me; those eyes of
hers, as green as fresh spring leaves, shining with a delight
that just made me melt inside. I'd known a lot of girls before,
but nobody had ever had the effect on me that she did. I felt a
goofy grin spreading on my own face in response to her smile as I
walked to her side and sat down next to her on the soft grass
that surrounded the flower bed.
"Hi," I said, trying to sound devilishly roguish, but I
think I came off sounding more like an over-eager schoolboy.
Probably because, now that I was sitting so close, I could smell
her hair. Fresh, and clean, with a hint of jasmine, and the
sweet fragrance of the wildflowers that she somehow managed to
coax from the barren ground. Her long golden-brown tresses
framing that flawless face... I wondered if her smooth, white
skin was as soft as it looked...
...and I immediately stopped wondering, before the heat I
felt rising to my face developed into a full-fledged blush. I
couldn't quite seem to stop grinning like a fool, though. Man,
if the guys could have seen me now, they'd be laughing their
heads off. The mighty SOLDIER 1st Class, felled by the smile of
a woman.
But, damn, she was beautiful. And sweet, and smart, and
strong, and... just perfect.
She raised an eyebrow at me, still smiling, though her eyes
glinted mischievously, as if she could read my thoughts. I
wouldn't be surprised if she could. "You're late," she said.
My hand slipped behind my head, and I felt my grin turn
sheepish. "Yeah, sorry about that. I got held up in a meeting.
They're reviewing SOLDIER applications later today, and I guess
they thought they needed some of my input first. I put that
delusion to rest pretty quickly, though," I added jokingly, and
she laughed.
Oh, man, I loved to hear her laugh.
"Well, if that's the case, you're forgiven," she said, in a
way that clearly showed she was never mad at me in the first
place.
And then I remembered the package. I sat up and reached
into my pocket and retrieved a wide, flat white box. "Oh, um..."
I said intelligently, as I held it out to her. "I got you
something on the way here."
"Zack," she said, taking the box carefully in her delicate
hands. "You didn't have to." The reproach in her voice was not
quite enough to hide the pleased look on her face.
"Well, I was walking through the shops in Sector 5, and it
kinda caught my eye." I watched, with barely contained
eagerness, as she opened the box to reveal a length of carefully
folded pink silk ribbon.
"Oh, Zack." She pulled it out and smoothed it between her
fingers. With her head lowered, she looked up at me through her
long, thick lashes.
My head felt light with euphoria. She liked it! The goofy
grin was back, with reinforcements. "It's for your hair," I
explained, rather unnecessarily. "I thought it would go with
your dress. I *was* considering getting you flowers instead,
but, well..." I winked at her. "You seem to have a corner on
the flower market here in Midgar."
I was hoping to make her laugh again, but instead, she
looked up at me, with a strange, gentle expression, her green
eyes shimmering in such a way that it was a good thing I was
already sitting down, because I could feel my knees liquify.
"Thank you, Zack," she murmured softly. "It's beautiful."
And then, to my surprise, she reached out with one hand to touch
my face, then leaned forward to kiss me quickly on the cheek.
I blinked in surprise. Wow. Well, so much for not
blushing. But at least I wasn't alone, because as she pulled
away, I could see that her face was flushed as well.
We sat in silence, both of us contemplating the flowers. I
leaned forward, so that my folded arms were resting on my bent
knees. "You know," I said after a long moment, once I was sure
my face was back to its regular hue. "I was thinking of maybe
borrowing a company car and going for a drive... outside of
Midgar. Maybe getting away from all this pollution and
darkness... get some fresh air and sunlight." I glanced over at
her. "I was thinking... maybe you'd like come along." I wanted
to see her in real sunlight, with the wind in her hair. I wanted
to see her amidst rolling green hills; see her face framed by
brilliant blue sky. That was where she belonged. Not this
miserable, filthy city.
She looked at me, her eyes alight. "I haven't been outside
of Midgar since... since..." She shrugged, laughing a little.
"I can't remember."
Not surprising. Most people who live in the ever-darkened
slums beneath the plate of the upper city don't stay because they
want to.
"It's a date, then," I announced with a grin. Then,
something occurred to me. "Hey," I said. "If you don't mind
waiting until the end of the month, I have a bit of leave time
coming to me. If you'd like, we could make a whole day of it. I
could pick you up first thing in the morning, and we could drive
out to Kalm, and enjoy the scenery along the way."
"That sounds wonderful!" she agreed enthusiastically. "A
whole day outside of Midgar. I could make us a picnic lunch!"
Actually, I was thinking about taking her out to lunch at
one of the restaurants in Kalm, but I liked her idea much better.
A picnic with Aeris in some shady meadow, far from civilization,
seemed like paradise to me. I was about to agree with her
wholeheartedly, when she suddenly paused, and pursed her lips in
a frown. "Oh, wait," she said, and I felt a sinking sensation in
my stomach.
"What's wrong?" I asked. I was surprised at the sudden,
pensive look on her face. "You still want to go, don't you?"
"It's not that," she said, biting her lower lip. "It's
just... I just remembered. My mother. She wants to meet you."
"Your... mother?" I blinked. "Wants to meet me?"
"Yes," she said, her voice faintly pleading, "and I've been
putting off telling you, because I didn't want to pressure you,
and it wasn't really necessary with us meeting like this nearly
every day, but if I leave Midgar... If you take me out for a
whole day..."
Ah. Of course. Midgar was a dangerous city, and, while
Aeris was more than capable of taking care of herself, it stood
to reason that her mother would want to know what kind of man her
daughter was seeing, especially before she allowed her to be
placed wholly in his care for an entire day's excursion outside
the city limits.
I straightened, and flashed her my most gallant smile.
"Aeris... I would be delighted to meet your mother."
Now she blinked. "You would?" she asked.
"Of course. It would be my pleasure to meet the woman who
has raised a daughter of such beauty, intelligence and charm."
Her cheeks flushed pink again. "Zack..."
I grinned. It was fun seeing her get flustered like that,
though I meant every word. "Really, it's no problem," I said.
"When do you think would be a good time to meet her?"
She paused thoughtfully. "Well... how about if you come
over to my house for dinner? I'll need to give Mom some warning,
though. Is three nights from now all right with you? Say, seven
o' clock?"
I quickly ran a mental check of my schedule for the next few
days, and, thankfully, found that evening clear. "I've got a
training session with some cadets at five," I said, "but I think
I can get cleaned up and over to your house by seven." I looked
down at my usual SOLDIER outfit, and grimaced. "This probably
isn't appropriate dinner attire, though," I said.
"No," Aeris agreed, with a half smile. Then she closed her
eyes, as if pained. "Which also reminds me..." She looked at me
apologetically. "I should let you know, my mother really,
really... *dislikes* Shinra."
Uh-oh. "Well," I countered, "you 'dislike' Shinra too, but
you like me anyway, right?"
She sighed. "That's different. I *know* you." Which was
true enough. Ever since we'd first met, it seemed she had the
ability to look straight into my soul with those luminescent eyes
of hers. If it were anyone else who could do that, I would
probably be freaked out. But with Aeris, when she looked into me
like that, it felt... I don't know. Good.
"My mom, though," she continued. "She has had some bad
experiences with Shinra in the past. I have a feeling it might
be hard to convince her of your, um, good intentions."
I nodded agreeably. "Then I shall endeavor to make the very
best impression," I said. "Hm, I think I've even got a suit
stashed somewhere in my closet." I paused, frowning. "I don't
like wearing it much, though. I think it makes me look too much
like a Turk."
"And that's a bad thing?" Aeris said, her eyes teasing.
I blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?" I said, feigning
hurt feelings. "You think a Turk looks better than me?"
"I've seen the Turks," she said nonchalantly. "Whatever
else they may be, they're sharp dressers. A couple of them are
cute, maybe..." She paused just long enough that her tease
coaxed a pseudo-pout from beneath my half smile. "Not nearly as
cute as you, though," she soothed. "I, for one, would love to
see you in a suit. Even if it makes you look like a Turk."
"You mean, 'especially if it makes me look like a Turk,'" I
said, and she laughed. "Very well," I said with a heavy sigh.
"The suit it is."
She smiled. "Thank you, Zack."
I shrugged and grinned. "Just trying to keep up my
reputation as the sweetest guy on the Planet."
~*~
Somewhere, far outside the confines of my mind, the
screaming finally stops.
And... I'm still sane, I think...
+++
To be continued.