Butterfly Effect: Chapter 15
Jul. 14th, 2006 06:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bard_linnAuthors: Bard Linn and Kiraya
Genre: General/Drama
Pairings: None, at the moment.
Rating (Overall): PG-13
Summary: "Whether he becomes an ally or an enemy, we need to know as much as possible about him."
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all associated characters and symbols are the exclusive property of Square Enix and its associates. We’re just borrowing them for a while.
Chapter 15
“Zack!” It had taken Cloud a few moments to get his voice back after Tifa’s farewell kiss, but now that he had he could still barely get a word in edgewise.
“It’s so cute, you and her!” the dark-haired man told him, still grinning broadly as he followed Cloud to the truck, Sephiroth trailing silently behind. “You’re like childhood sweethearts!”
The blond shook his head, exasperated. “Zack, I didn’t even know— Vincent?” The SOLDIERs looked past Cloud, who had paused halfway into the truck, to see the former Turk sitting in what had been Arthur’s seat on the trip out. “What are you doing here?” his protégé asked. “Where’s Arthur?”
“He is sitting in the front with the driver,” Vincent said calmly. “I arranged it with him last night.”
Cloud blinked, recalling Arthur’s strange behavior. “…oh. But…why are you here?”
“I am going to Midgar.”
Short and to the point… but still utterly baffling. Cloud resisted the urge to sigh; he had forgotten how obscure his mentor could be some times. “But why are you going to Midgar?”
Vincent gave his student a long look. “To kill Hojo,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Silence reigned. “Uhh….”
“If I may” Zack interjected, leaning forward, “I’d like to point out that, while I’m sure the rest of us can wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment, now is really not a good time for that. Hojo is held in high favor with the current administration. Assuming you could even get into his lab — which is likely to be quite difficult, with the sheer amount of passwords and sensors it has, not to mention the guards — you’d be killed as soon as you tried to make a move… if you were lucky,” he added, face serious. “And even if you did succeed, they’d probably execute you within a few days.”
A dark look entered the gunner’s eyes. “I am well aware of the security of the ShinRa Building, Lieutenant, and the risks involved in this venture.”
Zack glanced at Sephiroth, looking for some support, but the General said nothing, his face expressionless as he took his seat in preparation for their return trip. The other SOLDIER forced his frustration down with great effort. Of course Sephiroth wouldn’t mind Hojo being killed; Zack knew how much he loathed the scientist, had probably wanted to do the deed himself for years. However, if Hojo died now, they wouldn’t be able to find out what he (and that alien thing) had been doing in the mountains, why ShinRa had gone to such lengths to create this elaborate setup, and Zack had the feeling it could be very important. There was no way Zack was going to tell all of that to Sephiroth though… not about the dark thing in the reactor that bore the name of his “mother,” anyway. It looked like it was up to him and Cloud.
More likely just Cloud, he amended, considering Vincent didn’t seem inclined to listen to him at all.
“Things have to have changed some in the past twenty-five years, Vincent,” Cloud was pointing out. “ShinRa’s technology today is probably completely different from what you’re used to working with.” He glanced at Zack, who shrugged helplessly; his specialty was people, not computers. The blond closed his eyes in thought, using the breathing exercises Vincent had taught him to try and keep himself calm. Giving in to his very real fear that his mentor would never return if he left now would not help at all. “Vincent,” he tried again, “now isn’t the time. It wasn’t the right time yesterday, and it isn’t today. I promised I’d become strong enough to help you; I’m not there yet, and we both know it. Will you wait? Wait until I can help? Wait until the time is right?”
The raven-haired man sat in silence for a long moment, his gaze firmly fixed on Cloud’s anxious face. Finally, he nodded ever so slightly. Cloud visibly relaxed, slumping into the seat next to his mentor. “Thank you.”
“…But you’re still coming to Midgar,” Zack said, not quite a question.
“Cloud made an excellent point,” Vincent replied. “I will need to refamiliarize myself with ShinRa’s computer systems before I can make a move.”
“In that case, we’re going to need to figure out where to put you….” Zack trailed off, thinking. “We can’t let you stay out in the slums; you’ll never be allowed back into the ShinRa compound. My room is out; I get a lot of visitors, and if I keep throwing them out people will start to wonder what’s going on.”
“I obviously can’t take him, since I live in the barracks.” Cloud sighed, obviously disappointed.
“Leaving him in a deserted area would be a possibility, but it causes difficulty with food and facilities,” Sephiroth observed.
“Well, I guess that decides it! You’ll have to stay with Seph, then.”
“…What?” Cloud exclaimed, his incredulous stare echoed more severely by the General and the former Turk.
“It’s our best option,” Zack explained. “Seph’s got plenty of space, and even a small kitchenette. He doesn’t get many visitors — well, besides me, anyway, and most of the others end up at his office instead. Vincent will be fine there.” He smiled, pleased with this conclusion. “And don’t tell me you don’t know how to live with other people, Seph,” he added as the General narrowed his eyes. “You’ve done it before.” Sephiroth said nothing, but his glare promised his aide they’d discuss this at great length later.
Silence settled over the group for a while until Zack took to talking about inconsequential things, just to pass the time. Well used to his friend’s idle chatter, Cloud tuned it out, growing drowsy even as the truck bounced over the rough roads away from Nibelheim. Motion sickness aside, the last few days had been pretty tiring. He absentmindedly nodded in response to Zack’s latest query — and then sat up in surprise as he processed what the dark-haired man had said. “Zack!”
“Shiva’s icy heart, I wish I had been there to see it! Some things really should be captured on film.” The SOLDIER grinned, glancing at the blond out of the corner of his eye. “You’d think Cloud would’ve known better than to run in the hallways, but there he went, and bam— right into Seph!”
Vincent frowned. “Cloud…”
The trooper swallowed. “Yes, sir?”
“I’ve told you several times about keeping your surroundings in mind at all times, Cloud. Don’t let it happen again.”
“Yes, Vincent.” Cloud sighed, burying his head in his hands. Vincent wasn’t supposed to have found out about that, but Zack just had to…! Making a face, he began plotting how to get back at his friend.
Noting Vincent’s disapproving tone, Zack decided to give the trooper a break. “Hey, he’s still pretty good, Valentine. Managed to trail Seph for… oh, it had to be at least a couple months before I caught him at it.”
Unfortunately, Zack’s intended compliment backfired. Well aware of his student’s idolizing of Sephiroth, Vincent only frowned further at good training time wasted on such frivolous activities. Cloud sank down into his seat, trying to hide his embarrassment; Sephiroth appeared to be ignoring the scene entirely. Sensing defeat, Zack quieted and, after a moment, began examining his materia.
Slowly Cloud relaxed again as the stress of the past few days began to catch up with him. His head sank against his chest as his eyes drooped shut. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to rest for a little while…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cloud awoke rather suddenly as the truck jerked to a stop. His sleepy mind unprepared for the sudden movement, the youth fell sideways, only to land on something significantly softer than the truck’s hard seats.
“Ohhh, what I wouldn’t do for a camera—”
The blond chose to ignore Zack, carefully lifting himself out of Vincent’s lap, not looking at his mentor. For his part Vincent kept his face absolutely blank, giving no indication as to what was going on in his mind. Sephiroth had fixed a similar look upon his own face, ignoring the antics of his aide in favor of standing. “We’ll be stopping here for the night. Sinclair, make the necessary arrangements.”
Still snickering under his breath, Zack exited the vehicle and headed off towards the small town’s inn. Sephiroth glanced at Vincent and then left as well, intending to speak to their driver about tomorrow’s journey.
“You need to work on that.” Vincent’s comment was calm and cool, not disapproving but merely factual.
Cloud flushed, knowing exactly what his mentor meant. He had a bad habit of letting his guard down completely when he felt truly safe, and he always felt safest around Vincent. Trying to change the subject, Cloud dug into his pocket and fished out the materia he had found yesterday. “Do you recognize this?”
Vincent’s eyebrows raised a mere fraction. He took the smooth blue sphere and carefully examined it. “I believe this is an Elemental materia. Where did you find this?”
“In the materia cave,” Cloud answered. “What does it do?”
“Nothing, on its own. This is a type of support materia meant to be paired with elemental magic materia — Ice, for example. When set in a weapon, they add damage of the same element to one’s attacks; when set in armor, they protect against damage of that element.” He handed the orb back to Cloud. “I take it they have not taught you much about materia?” The youth shook his head. “Typical. But as I was saying, that materia needs to be equipped in a linked slot. You don’t have anything for it yet, but…” Vincent passed his student a small green stone. “Hold on to this. Neither of these materia is very developed yet, so I suspect they’ll pair well. We’ll have to look into getting you an armlet later; this town is too small to have a store with something worth your money.”
Cloud turned the gem over in his hands. It seemed familiar, though he couldn’t place the feeling. Carefully prodding the materia with just a touch of power, he felt it warm in his hands. “Fire?”
The former Turk nodded. “There are ways to check what materia does without activating it. You’ll need to learn them before you start working with it on a regular basis. There are some materia, Summons in particular, with which using that little trick can have a potentially lethal outcome.” Cloud paled. “If you wish, I could teach you…”
“Please?”
Satisfied his student hadn’t changed his mind even after yesterday’s events, Vincent nodded. “In that case, I expect to see you daily after you come off duty.”
“Umm…”
“Wait a minute! That’s when I have ‘im!” Zack interjected, poking his head back through the door. The blond glared at the eavesdropper, who continued undeterred. “And don’t think for a minute you’re good enough to stop our training, Cloud. You’ve still got a long way to go, but I’d bet my entire year’s salary that you’ll be better with the sword than any other weapon!”
Since that tallied with Vincent’s own observations, the sniper was hardly going to refute it. However, he was not going to completely give Cloud’s education over to the SOLDIER by any means. “You seem to have neglected to give him any substantial training in materia theory or tactics,” he pointed out.
Zack waved the objection away. “And how long have I had ‘im? We’ve barely gotten started! And you’ve neglected his greatest strength. Cloud should have started swordwork the moment he was able.”
“Stop it!” Cloud snapped, getting annoyed. “Zack, I’m not abandoning your training. Vincent couldn’t teach me sword technique, and I know I have a lot farther to go. But I’m not giving up his training, either! It’s helped me a lot in the past. Why can’t I do both?”
The two dark-haired men looked silently at him, then each other for a long moment, considering the boy’s words. It was the SOLDIER who spoke first. “…That’d be pretty difficult timewise, Cloud. You’ve got time on duty and required training hours you have to do—”
“You’re on duty a lot too, even when I’m not. What about then? And I’ve been overdoing the gym training requirement anyway,” Cloud countered.
“—and you can’t just go to Seph’s quarters any time you want,” Zack continued. “It’d be more than a little odd, an average trooper regularly visiting the apartments of the General of SOLDIER, and that’s one of the few places you’d be able to work together uninterrupted and privately. Midgar is a far cry from Nibelheim, you know.”
Cloud thought hard. “I could try to avoid the surveillance—” he began.
Zack was already shaking his head. “It won’t work that way.”
“Lieutenant Sinclair does raise an important point, Cloud,” Vincent put in. “Once we arrive at Midgar, it will be far more difficult for us to meet without raising suspicion. It might be best if I focus on theory for now, until a more suitable arrangement can be made. In the meantime, I will give you a list of several books I’d like you to read.”
Zack nodded. “And even if you could manage to sneak around undetected in such a high-security area, your absence is likely to be noted sooner or later. If you ever got caught, the cat would be out of the bag entirely. Sure, not everyone in ShinRa is as sharp as I am—” he jabbed his thumb towards his chest, that familiar twinkle returning to his eyes “—but even they would find a common regular avoiding security cameras pretty suspicious,” he concluded, effectively killing the last of Cloud’s objections.
“It will still be necessary to hide your skills,” the former Turk agreed.
The lieutenant threw his arm around Cloud’s shoulders. “No worries, though, all right? Once you get into SOLDIER, people will start expecting the unexpected from you. You’ll be able to show off more.”
“You’ll also receive a higher security clearance, which will make arranging meetings much easier,” Vincent added.
Cloud nodded, just glad the pair had reached a truce. It really wasn’t pleasant, being the object of tug of war between such strong-willed individuals!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sephiroth and Zack had a long-standing routine when it came to ShinRa facilities. Whenever they entered a room they planned to stay in for a significant amount of time, they immediately conducted a sweep for spy equipment. When they entered the cabin they had been assigned aboard the ship carrying them from Costa de Sol to Junon, they found no less than five recording devices scattered about the room.
“You’d think they’d get the hint after a while,” Zack said with a sigh as he tossed the last of the bugs out the window into the ocean below. With their enhanced hearing, even SOLDIER Thirds could find the tiny devices if they tried, provided no other noise interfered. In Sephiroth’s case, the constant hum they emitted was enough to induce headaches by the end of the day, even with other sounds to help tune it out.
“Some things will never change, Zack.” Sephiroth glanced at his aide. “Observations?”
The raven-haired man shook his head. “You go first. I have a feeling we’ll overlap.”
“The accessible sections of Vincent Valentine’s Turk file indicate he was— is an extremely talented sniper and spy,” the General said, gazing out the window. “While I have not seen him in combat, I believe the records to be truthful.”
“For once,” Zack muttered.
His superior inclined his head at that. “The file reports him missing in action, presumed dead; it discloses no information on his final mission. Considering his former occupation, I would be surprised if he hasn’t been gathering data about us from the moment we first met.” He turned to look at his aide. “I have full confidence in his abilities as an infiltrator, as well; I checked the security tapes a short while ago, and there hasn’t been so much as a hint of his presence since we’ve boarded.”
Zack whistled. “Impressive, even for a Turk.” As Sephiroth gestured for him to contribute his own observations, he shifted slightly. “Well, there’s definitely more to him than meets the eye… and I don’t mean those monsters of his, either.”
“Monsters?” Sephiroth echoed, intrigued by the plural.
The younger SOLDIER silently cursed, realizing his slip. “Cloud did say he has transformed before, but he looked different.” Though what he really meant was the other one… the demon whose name he still didn’t know, the one who had stopped that Jenova-thing in the reactor.
“I see,” his superior said neutrally.
Zack leaned back against the wall, folding his arms behind his head. “Let’s see… The man is a fantastic shot, no question about it. The way he moves is uncanny, too… almost completely silent. He seems very knowledgeable in his way, and from his bearing I suspect his family before the Turks was pretty well off. Too educated to pretend to be anything less.” He shrugged. “Other than that, I can’t think of much.”
“Well, it’s a start,” Sephiroth allowed. “Whether he becomes an ally or an enemy, we need to know as much as possible about him.”
“I doubt he’ll become an enemy of his own free will, as long was we don’t threaten Cloud,” Zack replied, wearing a strange expression Sephiroth had never seen on his friend before.
If the General had been better at reading faces, he might have recognized the look of someone who had learned a truth though a bitter, trying experience.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The minute he entered the cabin he had been assigned with Arthur, Cloud chucked his bag on his bed and stretched, yawning loudly. “I’m going to go to bed, Arthur. Why don’t you grab a shower?”
Arthur opened his mouth in confusion, only to find Cloud’s hand clasped over it. The blond gestured towards the adjoining bathroom, and the pair quickly made there way into the small room. Barely able to move, Cloud perched on the toilet to give them some more room and released Arthur, closing the door.
“What—?”
Cloud shook his head firmly, holding a finger to his lips while turning on the shower with other hand. “Now we can talk, but keep it down. The water should cover the sound of our conversation if we’re quiet.”
“Why did you—?”
“The rooms are probably bugged,” Cloud told him, “but odds are they’re pretty low-tech, considering our accommodations. We’re not really anybody important, anyway. Still… it never hurts to be careful.” Especially this time around, with their additional companion.
Arthur gave Cloud a long, calculating look. “You know a lot more than you let on, Cloud. And while we’re on the topic… Mr. Valentine isn’t really a ShinRa operative at all, is he?”
Hiding his amusement at ‘Mr. Valentine,’ Cloud considered how much to tell his fellow trooper. The other boy wasn’t stupid in the least, and he doubted they could keep up the fiction around him for long. “Not in the usual sense, no,” he conceded. Not anymore, anyway. “I… can’t really tell you more than that, except that he can’t be seen.”
The other regular frowned. “But you said the ship is bugged—”
The blond grinned. “Have you seen him?” Arthur shook his head. “Then neither has anyone else. Don’t worry. Vincent is good at what he does.”
After that Arthur seemed content to let the matter rest, so Cloud left the bathroom, lying down on his bed. Now that he wasn’t focused on keeping his comrade from spilling secrets, though, he was all too aware of the swaying motion of the ship. Grimacing, he rolled over. Sleeping on the journey always seemed to help some; at least he wasn’t sick until he woke up that way. On the other hand, he had been sleeping in the truck for most of the day’s trip to Costa del Sol, trying to do the same thing… and now he was wide awake.
His mouth twisted as his stomach lurched again. He tried some of the focusing exercises Vincent had taught him, said the alphabet backwards, counted prime numbers. No good. He’d best get up on deck, where the night breeze would hopefully calm his upset stomach, before he lost what little dinner he had eaten.
Arthur came out of the bathroom just as Cloud was heading for the door. “Going outside?” The blond nodded hastily. Well acquainted with the other’s motion sickness from the trip out, Arthur made no comment on his pale face, instead turning to briskly drying his hair. Cloud exited quietly and went straight to the deck, not even bothering to be stealthy about it. He was in a bit of a hurry, and after all, it’d be a little weird for the taps in their room to say he was going somewhere only for him never to show up.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
By this time of night the deck was clear, except for the occasional crewman, for which Vincent was grateful. It was a good place to sit quietly and think without having to be on the lookout for uninvited guests — at least, more so than usual.
The former Turk frowned, thinking of the events of the past several days. Why had he given into Cloud like that? His need to destroy Hojo was what had kept him going for years, and yet… and yet he’d abandoned it, at least for the moment.
::Come now, Vincent. We both know why you did it… or have you forgotten exactly what those bright blue eyes do to you?::
He sighed. There was another problem. Just when did you get so talkative?
Chaos’ laugh echoed eerily in his mind. ::You were always so boring before. Never did anything really worth my time. Now that She is awake, though… things should become much more interesting.::
Who is ‘She’? Vincent asked, determined to get something out of the creature.
The demon had other plans, however. ::You’ll find out in your own time. There is such a thing as too much information at once, you know.:: His tone turned mocking. ::And do stop trying to change the subject, Vincent. Are you still trying to deny how you feel about the boy?::
Fine; he’d come to care about Cloud—
The demon laughed mockingly. ::Ah, exercising that little human ability again? Your race is so very fond of self-delusion. Isn’t that what happened with Lucrecia as well? You honestly thought she’d leave big bad Hojo for you, her mentor’s only child? Just like a fairy tale!::
Vincent’s lips curled into a silent snarl. Shut up!
::Why should I? What are you going to do, Vincent? You know you can’t kill me…:: Chaos’ voice was far too smug for Vincent’s liking. ::…though the reverse may not be true.:: The former Turk stiffened as his left hand moved to his throat, the claws softly caressing his pale flesh, almost like a lover’s touch. ::You do know what I’m capable of…::
You can’t survive without a body to inhabit, Vincent argued, fighting the panic blossoming in his chest. He couldn’t die here, now, leaving Hojo alive, leaving Cloud—
::Now now, the good professor never got a chance to actually try that, did he? I just might make it through this — but you most certainly wouldn’t.:: The claw squeezed lightly, just barely breaking the skin, tiny droplets of blood oozing crimson around them. ::Be truthful with yourself, boy. You’ll only cause yourself more problems in the end otherwise.::
The former Turk let out an uneven sigh. All right. I love Cloud. Satisfied?
The spirit chuckled and lowered the limb. ::For now. You’d do well to remember that yourself, though. With things going as they are, you may need that very emotion sooner or later. She’s always underestimated it, and more than one parent has bested Her for their child’s life in the past.::
~I still think we never should have bothered with the brat in the first place. That same sentimental attachment has become more hindrance than anything else.~ A snarl, harsher and far less sane than the thin veneer of urbanity on Chaos’ voice. ~The demonspawn was within our grasp! If he had not interfered…~
Vincent stiffed at Hellmasker’s thought, seeing red; Chaos merely sighed. ::Fool. This is why you will never best me for control.::
~We could have taken them both! If that boy hadn’t gotten through to the human—~
::We’d likely be sitting in a cell, awaiting the scientist’s tender ministrations again.:: Chaos changed the pitch of his voice, sending it below Vincent’s ability to hear. ::Do not be a fool. To drive the little one away would go completely against the human’s will. Or were you asleep when I told Her about at least appearing to cooperate with one’s host?::
~We—~
::Are still subject to that attachment because of its strength. Besides, should anything happen to our human, the little one is our best candidate for an alternate host, if we find we cannot continue awake and aware like this outside of a body. He does not fear us, and we would be all that remained of his beloved mentor… This attachment may well prove useful to us in the end.::
Uneasy at the sudden silence in his mind, Vincent remained absolutely still, listening for the slightest hint that the demons had settled their differences. Just his luck that two of them would awaken so close together…
“Vincent?”
The dark-haired man started, cursing his inattention, fighting down the urge to draw his gun as the voice interrupted his inner stakeout. “Cloud…”
“Are you okay?” Vincent noted his protégé looked distinctly pale, a condition undoubtedly brought on by the ship’s gentle rocking. Cloud tilted his head a little as he peered up at the former Turk out of the corner of his eye. “You look upset.”
“…I’m fine, Cloud.”
::More lies, Vincent?:: Chaos needled.
I am well aware I am not fine. However, that does not mean I have to inform Cloud of such, Vincent retorted.
A dark chuckle. ::Well played.:: Vincent relaxed as the voices finally withdrew, settling in the far corners of his conciousness. For now, at least, he would have peace.
“Are you sure?” Cloud asked, turning just enough to get a better look at his mentor. Vincent thanked Gaea for the boy’s unenhanced vision. Between the darkness and his high collar, the traces of blood on his throat and claw shouldn’t be noticeable.
“I will be fine.”
Cloud said nothing, only moved a little next to his teacher. Vincent examined the boy’s position with a critical eye and found himself pleased. Since he had approached Vincent, Cloud’s movements had been deliberately casual, hardly indicative of him speaking to someone; to the average watcher, he would merely appear to be leaning on the guard rail, staring out over the waves. Cloud’s voice was soft enough that no one would hear it unless they were extremely close, and microphones would merely catch the sound of the waves.
“Did everything go okay with Sephiroth?” Cloud finally asked, eyes still fixed on a point in the distance.
“Well enough,” Vincent replied. “There is still much more… but I suspect he is not ready to hear it yet.”
“And you aren’t ready to tell him,” Cloud added softly.
Vincent raised an eyebrow at that. It seemed Cloud’s time in Midgar had given the child — no, not ‘child’ anymore — a bit of boldness where his mentor was concerned. First tricking Sephiroth into meeting Vincent, and now that little observation… Sometimes Vincent wondered if Cloud had any sort of discretion when it came to involving himself in such delicate matters. “Perhaps. In any case, I believe you should go back down below deck. You cannot stay here all night.”
“Hmm.” Cloud sighed. The look he gave his teacher clearly said he thought Vincent was avoiding him, but he backed away from the rail without complaint. “By the way…” The youth paused.
“Yes, Cloud?” Vincent readied himself for one of Cloud’s inquisitive questions. Or, perhaps, given what had happened earlier, a too-insightful comment.
The blond turned and looked Vincent right in the eye. No, not in the eye, but… deeper, as if looking at someone — or something — else. “I just wanted to thank you for what you did in the reactor. You didn’t have to spare Zack, but you did, and… It really means a lot to me.” Cloud inclined his head and returned belowdecks, leaving a reeling Vincent behind him.
Was he just talking to… to you? the dumbfounded sniper thought at Chaos.
The demon did not reply, but Vincent could feel the weight of his thoughts as the both of them stared after the boy who’d wrought so many changes in their lives.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cloud and Zack hadn’t gotten much time to talk since they had returned to Midgar. The SOLDIER exams had just passed, causing a huge influx of paperwork in the offices of SOLDIER, and so many days Cloud found himself working alone in the gym, trying out the moves Zack showed him when he managed a bit of free time, or sitting in his room with his head buried in one of the books Vincent had recommended.
It was at the end of one such solo practice session about a month after the Nibelheim mission when the blond heard a familiar voice rang through the air. “Cloud!”
The trooper paused in the process of putting away his equipment, glancing over his shoulder to see Zack coming across the gym towards him. He smiled broadly, pleased to see his friend again. “Zack! Finally managed to escape?”
“You bet!” the SOLDIER replied, glad to see Cloud in a good mood. “Look, I’m sorry I’ve been missing practice, but I should be able to make it from now on. The fall rush has slowed for now, at least.”
“Great!” The trooper’s enthusiasm was clear. “I could really use your help; I’m pretty sure I’m getting out of position on the—”
Zack slapped his forehead. “Titan’s bones, Cloud, is weapons training the only thing you ever think about?” He received a blank stare in reply, and sighed. “Look, how about we go out to dinner tonight?”
Cloud shrugged. “No thanks,” he said, his standard response to social invitations.
The dark-haired man growled in exasperation, grabbing his friend and dragging him into what Cloud considered ‘his’ training room. The blond raised his eyebrows at that, suspecting the SOLDIER wanted to say something in private. “I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer this time, Cloud. You need to be more social, dammit,” Zack told him vehemently, just a hair’s breadth away from shaking him by the shoulders. “It’s vital that you learn how to work with people, both in critical situations and everyday life.” He shook his head. “Honestly, Vincent really screwed you over there.”
Cloud went deathly still, glaring fiercely at the dark-haired man. It wasn’t quite on par with Sephiroth’s intimidating stare, but it was still pretty impressive. “And what precisely do you mean by that, Zachary Sinclair?”
Despite his enhancements and skill, Zack found himself made uneasy by Cloud’s frosty tone and overt hostility, sheer willpower the only thing stopping the SOLDIER’s years of training from automatically sending him into defensive mode. He had been teaching Cloud sword technique for almost seven months, but in the comfortable routine of sparring sessions, with the trooper’s unit permanently assigned to Midgar, it had never really sunk in that the kid could easily kill a man. And his other training was clear as well; now more than ever the blond really felt like a Turk — perfectly composed, completely professional, and highly dangerous. Swallowing reflexively, Zack raised his hands and tried to calm his friend down. “Hey— hey now, Cloud, just relax, all right? I didn’t mean it like that.”
The blond didn’t move. “Then what exactly did you mean, Zack?”
The SOLDIER let out a long breath. “Look, Cloud. What I’m going to tell you next you can never repeat, all right?”
The teen nodded shortly, blue eyes still steely.
“Part of the SOLDIER candidate evaluation process is based on how well you interact with your peers. SOLDIERs have to be able to work well with one another, and with the regulars too. Vincent, while he’s been a big help to you in many ways, has been training you, at least on the social side of things, into a miniature Sephiroth, and that is not going to help you. You aren’t anywhere near his level of skill, nor do you have his other… unique qualifications.” Zack shook his head. “If you really want to get into SOLDIER, it is imperative that you learn how to interact with people.”
“…Oh.” It didn’t look like Cloud had quite forgiven him yet, but the blond did seem to have finally relaxed a little.
The SOLDIER offered him a small smile. “I’m willing to help you out there, if you’ll let me. I do know a thing or two about this sort of— yeah yeah, okay, you can stop that now,” he admonished as Cloud rolled his eyes, “but we need to start small. So, dinner?”
The blond hesitated just a moment. “…oh, all right.”
Zack grinned, clapping him on the back. “Great! Grab your stuff, then; we’re taking a little trip down to the slums. Time to rub elbows with the civilians, trooper! And don’t wear your uniform,” he said over his shoulder. “And hey, if it helps… just think of this as another kind of training, all right?”
Cloud nodded slowly. “Why do I get the feeling I’ve gotten myself in trouble?” he asked the air as he followed Zack out of the room.
“Oh come on, it won’t be that bad,” Zack teased. “Promise.” He glanced around, tone turning serious. “Though, um, we never really got a chance to talk about that… other thing…”
It took Cloud a moment to realize the SOLDIER had meant the incident back at the Nibelheim reactor. He shook his head. “Relax, Zack. It’s not a big deal.”
“Cloud—”
“No, really,” the blond insisted. “I thought about it for a while and really, none of that was your fault. I know better than most what… what that person—” he wasn’t really comfortable mentioning Hojo by name here “—can do to someone.”
“I suppose you would,” Zack agreed, understanding what Cloud had meant. The teen had practically grown up around Vincent, after all, and probably knew more of what Hojo had done to the former Turk than even Zack knew about Sephiroth. “Even so—”
“Pay for dinner and we’ll call it even,” Cloud joked.
“Pffffft. In that case, we’d have to do take-out, which defeats the purpose of this excursion, so no go. If I treat you, word’ll get out and I’ll have to start paying for everybody I go out with, and my paycheck isn’t big enough for that.” Zack put on a mournful expression.
“Hey, it’s still bigger than mine!”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
To say Cloud was uncomfortable would have been the understatement of the year.
It hadn’t been bad at first. Despite the shabby surroundings, Zack had found a rather nice little restaurant in the slums, equipped with both a bar and small tables. The food was rather good, and the dinnerware was pretty clean, considering the restaurant’s location. No one gave him a second glance, though one or two murmured at Zack’s tell-tale eyes. Really, it was almost impossible disguise a SOLDIER, but it seemed general policy around here not to ask too many questions of fellow customers.
Which might have been why Zack had chosen the place, actually, now that Cloud thought about it.
Cloud had started really opening up to Zack, talking to him about some of the things he had learned with Vincent over dessert, when a group of SOLDIERs in civilian clothes entered. They made a beeline for Zack and sat around the lieutenant, greeting him cheerfully. All too soon Cloud found himself fading into the shadows, eventually exiting the restaurant entirely.
By now night had fallen, making things here below the Plate a little more dangerous. Cloud pretended to stretch, making sure his gun was secure as he did so. The trooper wasn’t sure if Zack had noticed the weapon or not, but he hadn’t objected either way. Cloud wasn’t going to go traveling around here unarmed, that was for sure.
“Would you like to buy a flower? They’re only a gil...”
Cloud looked over to see a pretty girl in a pink dress, bright green eyes staring at him in entreaty. He dug into his pocket. “Sure.” The flowers in her basket looked amazingly healthy, for local produce. “Don’t see many flowers around here. Your work?”
The girl smiled as she handed him one. “Yes. I grow them in a church, where they manage very well.”
“They’re amazing.” Cloud’s finger’s traced its soft petals, and he was abruptly assaulted with memories of home. Before he had come to Midgar he had often been conscripted by his mother to work in their garden. It had never been his favorite chore, but he had always preferred it to inside work. “I haven’t seen flowers like this since I was home.”
“You aren’t from Midgar?”
Cloud shook his head, surprised at how comfortable he felt talking to her. Still, there was something about her that put him at ease. “I’m from Nibelheim. The western continent.” He held out his hand. “I’m Cloud Strife.”
The girl took it. “Aeris.”
“Just Aeris?” Cloud asked, raising his eyebrows.
“For now,” Aeris replied with a mischievous smile. “So why are you down here? You don’t look like a slum dweller.”
Cloud flushed. “That obvious?”
Aeris shook her head. “Not really. You seem pretty good at blending in.”
“Well, I’m waiting for a friend. He got stuck inside.” Cloud waved behind him.
“Ah. Would you like some company?”
Cloud shook his head. “I don’t know. He might be a while, and I’m sure you have stuff to do—”
“Hey, Cloud, where did you—?” Zack halted at the restaurant’s entrance, staring at the young woman next to his blond friend with an indecipherable expression on his face. “Aeris.”
Clutching her basket close as their eyes met, the flower girl seemed just as — surprised? Upset? Cloud couldn’t quite tell — as the SOLDIER was. “Zack…”
An uneasy, almost oppressive silence fell as the two of them simply stood there looking at each other, making Cloud feel as if he had somehow intruded on a very private conversation and sweet Gaea this was awkward, he thought as he shuffled his feet. He really wasn’t sure how much more of it he could take…
His blue eyes darted around, looking for an escape, lighting up as they fell on the weapon Aeris had tucked under her arm. “Oh, a staff! Have you been fighting with it long?” Okay, so it wasn’t the best icebreaker in the world, but… well, it was first thing he could think of.
…which probably meant Zack was right about the weapons training thing, but Cloud didn’t want to think about that.
Good icebreaker or not, it did suffice to snap Aeris out of it. “Oh! I… I have to go. It was nice meeting you, Cloud!” she called back over her shoulder.
Zack started after her, his hand outstretched. “Aeris, wait!”
Too late. The pink-clad girl had already vanished into the crowd without a trace. The dark-haired man stared after her for a long moment, then let his shoulders slump with a defeated sigh, turning away down the path that would lead them back to the train station. Cloud walked beside his friend, trying to find something to say. Unfortunately, he’d never been very good at dealing with people when they were upset.
“So, um… about the learning-to-be-social thing… do you think—”
“Shut up, Cloud.”
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Genre: General/Drama
Pairings: None, at the moment.
Rating (Overall): PG-13
Summary: "Whether he becomes an ally or an enemy, we need to know as much as possible about him."
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all associated characters and symbols are the exclusive property of Square Enix and its associates. We’re just borrowing them for a while.
Chapter 15
“Zack!” It had taken Cloud a few moments to get his voice back after Tifa’s farewell kiss, but now that he had he could still barely get a word in edgewise.
“It’s so cute, you and her!” the dark-haired man told him, still grinning broadly as he followed Cloud to the truck, Sephiroth trailing silently behind. “You’re like childhood sweethearts!”
The blond shook his head, exasperated. “Zack, I didn’t even know— Vincent?” The SOLDIERs looked past Cloud, who had paused halfway into the truck, to see the former Turk sitting in what had been Arthur’s seat on the trip out. “What are you doing here?” his protégé asked. “Where’s Arthur?”
“He is sitting in the front with the driver,” Vincent said calmly. “I arranged it with him last night.”
Cloud blinked, recalling Arthur’s strange behavior. “…oh. But…why are you here?”
“I am going to Midgar.”
Short and to the point… but still utterly baffling. Cloud resisted the urge to sigh; he had forgotten how obscure his mentor could be some times. “But why are you going to Midgar?”
Vincent gave his student a long look. “To kill Hojo,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Silence reigned. “Uhh….”
“If I may” Zack interjected, leaning forward, “I’d like to point out that, while I’m sure the rest of us can wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment, now is really not a good time for that. Hojo is held in high favor with the current administration. Assuming you could even get into his lab — which is likely to be quite difficult, with the sheer amount of passwords and sensors it has, not to mention the guards — you’d be killed as soon as you tried to make a move… if you were lucky,” he added, face serious. “And even if you did succeed, they’d probably execute you within a few days.”
A dark look entered the gunner’s eyes. “I am well aware of the security of the ShinRa Building, Lieutenant, and the risks involved in this venture.”
Zack glanced at Sephiroth, looking for some support, but the General said nothing, his face expressionless as he took his seat in preparation for their return trip. The other SOLDIER forced his frustration down with great effort. Of course Sephiroth wouldn’t mind Hojo being killed; Zack knew how much he loathed the scientist, had probably wanted to do the deed himself for years. However, if Hojo died now, they wouldn’t be able to find out what he (and that alien thing) had been doing in the mountains, why ShinRa had gone to such lengths to create this elaborate setup, and Zack had the feeling it could be very important. There was no way Zack was going to tell all of that to Sephiroth though… not about the dark thing in the reactor that bore the name of his “mother,” anyway. It looked like it was up to him and Cloud.
More likely just Cloud, he amended, considering Vincent didn’t seem inclined to listen to him at all.
“Things have to have changed some in the past twenty-five years, Vincent,” Cloud was pointing out. “ShinRa’s technology today is probably completely different from what you’re used to working with.” He glanced at Zack, who shrugged helplessly; his specialty was people, not computers. The blond closed his eyes in thought, using the breathing exercises Vincent had taught him to try and keep himself calm. Giving in to his very real fear that his mentor would never return if he left now would not help at all. “Vincent,” he tried again, “now isn’t the time. It wasn’t the right time yesterday, and it isn’t today. I promised I’d become strong enough to help you; I’m not there yet, and we both know it. Will you wait? Wait until I can help? Wait until the time is right?”
The raven-haired man sat in silence for a long moment, his gaze firmly fixed on Cloud’s anxious face. Finally, he nodded ever so slightly. Cloud visibly relaxed, slumping into the seat next to his mentor. “Thank you.”
“…But you’re still coming to Midgar,” Zack said, not quite a question.
“Cloud made an excellent point,” Vincent replied. “I will need to refamiliarize myself with ShinRa’s computer systems before I can make a move.”
“In that case, we’re going to need to figure out where to put you….” Zack trailed off, thinking. “We can’t let you stay out in the slums; you’ll never be allowed back into the ShinRa compound. My room is out; I get a lot of visitors, and if I keep throwing them out people will start to wonder what’s going on.”
“I obviously can’t take him, since I live in the barracks.” Cloud sighed, obviously disappointed.
“Leaving him in a deserted area would be a possibility, but it causes difficulty with food and facilities,” Sephiroth observed.
“Well, I guess that decides it! You’ll have to stay with Seph, then.”
“…What?” Cloud exclaimed, his incredulous stare echoed more severely by the General and the former Turk.
“It’s our best option,” Zack explained. “Seph’s got plenty of space, and even a small kitchenette. He doesn’t get many visitors — well, besides me, anyway, and most of the others end up at his office instead. Vincent will be fine there.” He smiled, pleased with this conclusion. “And don’t tell me you don’t know how to live with other people, Seph,” he added as the General narrowed his eyes. “You’ve done it before.” Sephiroth said nothing, but his glare promised his aide they’d discuss this at great length later.
Silence settled over the group for a while until Zack took to talking about inconsequential things, just to pass the time. Well used to his friend’s idle chatter, Cloud tuned it out, growing drowsy even as the truck bounced over the rough roads away from Nibelheim. Motion sickness aside, the last few days had been pretty tiring. He absentmindedly nodded in response to Zack’s latest query — and then sat up in surprise as he processed what the dark-haired man had said. “Zack!”
“Shiva’s icy heart, I wish I had been there to see it! Some things really should be captured on film.” The SOLDIER grinned, glancing at the blond out of the corner of his eye. “You’d think Cloud would’ve known better than to run in the hallways, but there he went, and bam— right into Seph!”
Vincent frowned. “Cloud…”
The trooper swallowed. “Yes, sir?”
“I’ve told you several times about keeping your surroundings in mind at all times, Cloud. Don’t let it happen again.”
“Yes, Vincent.” Cloud sighed, burying his head in his hands. Vincent wasn’t supposed to have found out about that, but Zack just had to…! Making a face, he began plotting how to get back at his friend.
Noting Vincent’s disapproving tone, Zack decided to give the trooper a break. “Hey, he’s still pretty good, Valentine. Managed to trail Seph for… oh, it had to be at least a couple months before I caught him at it.”
Unfortunately, Zack’s intended compliment backfired. Well aware of his student’s idolizing of Sephiroth, Vincent only frowned further at good training time wasted on such frivolous activities. Cloud sank down into his seat, trying to hide his embarrassment; Sephiroth appeared to be ignoring the scene entirely. Sensing defeat, Zack quieted and, after a moment, began examining his materia.
Slowly Cloud relaxed again as the stress of the past few days began to catch up with him. His head sank against his chest as his eyes drooped shut. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to rest for a little while…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cloud awoke rather suddenly as the truck jerked to a stop. His sleepy mind unprepared for the sudden movement, the youth fell sideways, only to land on something significantly softer than the truck’s hard seats.
“Ohhh, what I wouldn’t do for a camera—”
The blond chose to ignore Zack, carefully lifting himself out of Vincent’s lap, not looking at his mentor. For his part Vincent kept his face absolutely blank, giving no indication as to what was going on in his mind. Sephiroth had fixed a similar look upon his own face, ignoring the antics of his aide in favor of standing. “We’ll be stopping here for the night. Sinclair, make the necessary arrangements.”
Still snickering under his breath, Zack exited the vehicle and headed off towards the small town’s inn. Sephiroth glanced at Vincent and then left as well, intending to speak to their driver about tomorrow’s journey.
“You need to work on that.” Vincent’s comment was calm and cool, not disapproving but merely factual.
Cloud flushed, knowing exactly what his mentor meant. He had a bad habit of letting his guard down completely when he felt truly safe, and he always felt safest around Vincent. Trying to change the subject, Cloud dug into his pocket and fished out the materia he had found yesterday. “Do you recognize this?”
Vincent’s eyebrows raised a mere fraction. He took the smooth blue sphere and carefully examined it. “I believe this is an Elemental materia. Where did you find this?”
“In the materia cave,” Cloud answered. “What does it do?”
“Nothing, on its own. This is a type of support materia meant to be paired with elemental magic materia — Ice, for example. When set in a weapon, they add damage of the same element to one’s attacks; when set in armor, they protect against damage of that element.” He handed the orb back to Cloud. “I take it they have not taught you much about materia?” The youth shook his head. “Typical. But as I was saying, that materia needs to be equipped in a linked slot. You don’t have anything for it yet, but…” Vincent passed his student a small green stone. “Hold on to this. Neither of these materia is very developed yet, so I suspect they’ll pair well. We’ll have to look into getting you an armlet later; this town is too small to have a store with something worth your money.”
Cloud turned the gem over in his hands. It seemed familiar, though he couldn’t place the feeling. Carefully prodding the materia with just a touch of power, he felt it warm in his hands. “Fire?”
The former Turk nodded. “There are ways to check what materia does without activating it. You’ll need to learn them before you start working with it on a regular basis. There are some materia, Summons in particular, with which using that little trick can have a potentially lethal outcome.” Cloud paled. “If you wish, I could teach you…”
“Please?”
Satisfied his student hadn’t changed his mind even after yesterday’s events, Vincent nodded. “In that case, I expect to see you daily after you come off duty.”
“Umm…”
“Wait a minute! That’s when I have ‘im!” Zack interjected, poking his head back through the door. The blond glared at the eavesdropper, who continued undeterred. “And don’t think for a minute you’re good enough to stop our training, Cloud. You’ve still got a long way to go, but I’d bet my entire year’s salary that you’ll be better with the sword than any other weapon!”
Since that tallied with Vincent’s own observations, the sniper was hardly going to refute it. However, he was not going to completely give Cloud’s education over to the SOLDIER by any means. “You seem to have neglected to give him any substantial training in materia theory or tactics,” he pointed out.
Zack waved the objection away. “And how long have I had ‘im? We’ve barely gotten started! And you’ve neglected his greatest strength. Cloud should have started swordwork the moment he was able.”
“Stop it!” Cloud snapped, getting annoyed. “Zack, I’m not abandoning your training. Vincent couldn’t teach me sword technique, and I know I have a lot farther to go. But I’m not giving up his training, either! It’s helped me a lot in the past. Why can’t I do both?”
The two dark-haired men looked silently at him, then each other for a long moment, considering the boy’s words. It was the SOLDIER who spoke first. “…That’d be pretty difficult timewise, Cloud. You’ve got time on duty and required training hours you have to do—”
“You’re on duty a lot too, even when I’m not. What about then? And I’ve been overdoing the gym training requirement anyway,” Cloud countered.
“—and you can’t just go to Seph’s quarters any time you want,” Zack continued. “It’d be more than a little odd, an average trooper regularly visiting the apartments of the General of SOLDIER, and that’s one of the few places you’d be able to work together uninterrupted and privately. Midgar is a far cry from Nibelheim, you know.”
Cloud thought hard. “I could try to avoid the surveillance—” he began.
Zack was already shaking his head. “It won’t work that way.”
“Lieutenant Sinclair does raise an important point, Cloud,” Vincent put in. “Once we arrive at Midgar, it will be far more difficult for us to meet without raising suspicion. It might be best if I focus on theory for now, until a more suitable arrangement can be made. In the meantime, I will give you a list of several books I’d like you to read.”
Zack nodded. “And even if you could manage to sneak around undetected in such a high-security area, your absence is likely to be noted sooner or later. If you ever got caught, the cat would be out of the bag entirely. Sure, not everyone in ShinRa is as sharp as I am—” he jabbed his thumb towards his chest, that familiar twinkle returning to his eyes “—but even they would find a common regular avoiding security cameras pretty suspicious,” he concluded, effectively killing the last of Cloud’s objections.
“It will still be necessary to hide your skills,” the former Turk agreed.
The lieutenant threw his arm around Cloud’s shoulders. “No worries, though, all right? Once you get into SOLDIER, people will start expecting the unexpected from you. You’ll be able to show off more.”
“You’ll also receive a higher security clearance, which will make arranging meetings much easier,” Vincent added.
Cloud nodded, just glad the pair had reached a truce. It really wasn’t pleasant, being the object of tug of war between such strong-willed individuals!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sephiroth and Zack had a long-standing routine when it came to ShinRa facilities. Whenever they entered a room they planned to stay in for a significant amount of time, they immediately conducted a sweep for spy equipment. When they entered the cabin they had been assigned aboard the ship carrying them from Costa de Sol to Junon, they found no less than five recording devices scattered about the room.
“You’d think they’d get the hint after a while,” Zack said with a sigh as he tossed the last of the bugs out the window into the ocean below. With their enhanced hearing, even SOLDIER Thirds could find the tiny devices if they tried, provided no other noise interfered. In Sephiroth’s case, the constant hum they emitted was enough to induce headaches by the end of the day, even with other sounds to help tune it out.
“Some things will never change, Zack.” Sephiroth glanced at his aide. “Observations?”
The raven-haired man shook his head. “You go first. I have a feeling we’ll overlap.”
“The accessible sections of Vincent Valentine’s Turk file indicate he was— is an extremely talented sniper and spy,” the General said, gazing out the window. “While I have not seen him in combat, I believe the records to be truthful.”
“For once,” Zack muttered.
His superior inclined his head at that. “The file reports him missing in action, presumed dead; it discloses no information on his final mission. Considering his former occupation, I would be surprised if he hasn’t been gathering data about us from the moment we first met.” He turned to look at his aide. “I have full confidence in his abilities as an infiltrator, as well; I checked the security tapes a short while ago, and there hasn’t been so much as a hint of his presence since we’ve boarded.”
Zack whistled. “Impressive, even for a Turk.” As Sephiroth gestured for him to contribute his own observations, he shifted slightly. “Well, there’s definitely more to him than meets the eye… and I don’t mean those monsters of his, either.”
“Monsters?” Sephiroth echoed, intrigued by the plural.
The younger SOLDIER silently cursed, realizing his slip. “Cloud did say he has transformed before, but he looked different.” Though what he really meant was the other one… the demon whose name he still didn’t know, the one who had stopped that Jenova-thing in the reactor.
“I see,” his superior said neutrally.
Zack leaned back against the wall, folding his arms behind his head. “Let’s see… The man is a fantastic shot, no question about it. The way he moves is uncanny, too… almost completely silent. He seems very knowledgeable in his way, and from his bearing I suspect his family before the Turks was pretty well off. Too educated to pretend to be anything less.” He shrugged. “Other than that, I can’t think of much.”
“Well, it’s a start,” Sephiroth allowed. “Whether he becomes an ally or an enemy, we need to know as much as possible about him.”
“I doubt he’ll become an enemy of his own free will, as long was we don’t threaten Cloud,” Zack replied, wearing a strange expression Sephiroth had never seen on his friend before.
If the General had been better at reading faces, he might have recognized the look of someone who had learned a truth though a bitter, trying experience.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The minute he entered the cabin he had been assigned with Arthur, Cloud chucked his bag on his bed and stretched, yawning loudly. “I’m going to go to bed, Arthur. Why don’t you grab a shower?”
Arthur opened his mouth in confusion, only to find Cloud’s hand clasped over it. The blond gestured towards the adjoining bathroom, and the pair quickly made there way into the small room. Barely able to move, Cloud perched on the toilet to give them some more room and released Arthur, closing the door.
“What—?”
Cloud shook his head firmly, holding a finger to his lips while turning on the shower with other hand. “Now we can talk, but keep it down. The water should cover the sound of our conversation if we’re quiet.”
“Why did you—?”
“The rooms are probably bugged,” Cloud told him, “but odds are they’re pretty low-tech, considering our accommodations. We’re not really anybody important, anyway. Still… it never hurts to be careful.” Especially this time around, with their additional companion.
Arthur gave Cloud a long, calculating look. “You know a lot more than you let on, Cloud. And while we’re on the topic… Mr. Valentine isn’t really a ShinRa operative at all, is he?”
Hiding his amusement at ‘Mr. Valentine,’ Cloud considered how much to tell his fellow trooper. The other boy wasn’t stupid in the least, and he doubted they could keep up the fiction around him for long. “Not in the usual sense, no,” he conceded. Not anymore, anyway. “I… can’t really tell you more than that, except that he can’t be seen.”
The other regular frowned. “But you said the ship is bugged—”
The blond grinned. “Have you seen him?” Arthur shook his head. “Then neither has anyone else. Don’t worry. Vincent is good at what he does.”
After that Arthur seemed content to let the matter rest, so Cloud left the bathroom, lying down on his bed. Now that he wasn’t focused on keeping his comrade from spilling secrets, though, he was all too aware of the swaying motion of the ship. Grimacing, he rolled over. Sleeping on the journey always seemed to help some; at least he wasn’t sick until he woke up that way. On the other hand, he had been sleeping in the truck for most of the day’s trip to Costa del Sol, trying to do the same thing… and now he was wide awake.
His mouth twisted as his stomach lurched again. He tried some of the focusing exercises Vincent had taught him, said the alphabet backwards, counted prime numbers. No good. He’d best get up on deck, where the night breeze would hopefully calm his upset stomach, before he lost what little dinner he had eaten.
Arthur came out of the bathroom just as Cloud was heading for the door. “Going outside?” The blond nodded hastily. Well acquainted with the other’s motion sickness from the trip out, Arthur made no comment on his pale face, instead turning to briskly drying his hair. Cloud exited quietly and went straight to the deck, not even bothering to be stealthy about it. He was in a bit of a hurry, and after all, it’d be a little weird for the taps in their room to say he was going somewhere only for him never to show up.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
By this time of night the deck was clear, except for the occasional crewman, for which Vincent was grateful. It was a good place to sit quietly and think without having to be on the lookout for uninvited guests — at least, more so than usual.
The former Turk frowned, thinking of the events of the past several days. Why had he given into Cloud like that? His need to destroy Hojo was what had kept him going for years, and yet… and yet he’d abandoned it, at least for the moment.
::Come now, Vincent. We both know why you did it… or have you forgotten exactly what those bright blue eyes do to you?::
He sighed. There was another problem. Just when did you get so talkative?
Chaos’ laugh echoed eerily in his mind. ::You were always so boring before. Never did anything really worth my time. Now that She is awake, though… things should become much more interesting.::
Who is ‘She’? Vincent asked, determined to get something out of the creature.
The demon had other plans, however. ::You’ll find out in your own time. There is such a thing as too much information at once, you know.:: His tone turned mocking. ::And do stop trying to change the subject, Vincent. Are you still trying to deny how you feel about the boy?::
Fine; he’d come to care about Cloud—
The demon laughed mockingly. ::Ah, exercising that little human ability again? Your race is so very fond of self-delusion. Isn’t that what happened with Lucrecia as well? You honestly thought she’d leave big bad Hojo for you, her mentor’s only child? Just like a fairy tale!::
Vincent’s lips curled into a silent snarl. Shut up!
::Why should I? What are you going to do, Vincent? You know you can’t kill me…:: Chaos’ voice was far too smug for Vincent’s liking. ::…though the reverse may not be true.:: The former Turk stiffened as his left hand moved to his throat, the claws softly caressing his pale flesh, almost like a lover’s touch. ::You do know what I’m capable of…::
You can’t survive without a body to inhabit, Vincent argued, fighting the panic blossoming in his chest. He couldn’t die here, now, leaving Hojo alive, leaving Cloud—
::Now now, the good professor never got a chance to actually try that, did he? I just might make it through this — but you most certainly wouldn’t.:: The claw squeezed lightly, just barely breaking the skin, tiny droplets of blood oozing crimson around them. ::Be truthful with yourself, boy. You’ll only cause yourself more problems in the end otherwise.::
The former Turk let out an uneven sigh. All right. I love Cloud. Satisfied?
The spirit chuckled and lowered the limb. ::For now. You’d do well to remember that yourself, though. With things going as they are, you may need that very emotion sooner or later. She’s always underestimated it, and more than one parent has bested Her for their child’s life in the past.::
~I still think we never should have bothered with the brat in the first place. That same sentimental attachment has become more hindrance than anything else.~ A snarl, harsher and far less sane than the thin veneer of urbanity on Chaos’ voice. ~The demonspawn was within our grasp! If he had not interfered…~
Vincent stiffed at Hellmasker’s thought, seeing red; Chaos merely sighed. ::Fool. This is why you will never best me for control.::
~We could have taken them both! If that boy hadn’t gotten through to the human—~
::We’d likely be sitting in a cell, awaiting the scientist’s tender ministrations again.:: Chaos changed the pitch of his voice, sending it below Vincent’s ability to hear. ::Do not be a fool. To drive the little one away would go completely against the human’s will. Or were you asleep when I told Her about at least appearing to cooperate with one’s host?::
~We—~
::Are still subject to that attachment because of its strength. Besides, should anything happen to our human, the little one is our best candidate for an alternate host, if we find we cannot continue awake and aware like this outside of a body. He does not fear us, and we would be all that remained of his beloved mentor… This attachment may well prove useful to us in the end.::
Uneasy at the sudden silence in his mind, Vincent remained absolutely still, listening for the slightest hint that the demons had settled their differences. Just his luck that two of them would awaken so close together…
“Vincent?”
The dark-haired man started, cursing his inattention, fighting down the urge to draw his gun as the voice interrupted his inner stakeout. “Cloud…”
“Are you okay?” Vincent noted his protégé looked distinctly pale, a condition undoubtedly brought on by the ship’s gentle rocking. Cloud tilted his head a little as he peered up at the former Turk out of the corner of his eye. “You look upset.”
“…I’m fine, Cloud.”
::More lies, Vincent?:: Chaos needled.
I am well aware I am not fine. However, that does not mean I have to inform Cloud of such, Vincent retorted.
A dark chuckle. ::Well played.:: Vincent relaxed as the voices finally withdrew, settling in the far corners of his conciousness. For now, at least, he would have peace.
“Are you sure?” Cloud asked, turning just enough to get a better look at his mentor. Vincent thanked Gaea for the boy’s unenhanced vision. Between the darkness and his high collar, the traces of blood on his throat and claw shouldn’t be noticeable.
“I will be fine.”
Cloud said nothing, only moved a little next to his teacher. Vincent examined the boy’s position with a critical eye and found himself pleased. Since he had approached Vincent, Cloud’s movements had been deliberately casual, hardly indicative of him speaking to someone; to the average watcher, he would merely appear to be leaning on the guard rail, staring out over the waves. Cloud’s voice was soft enough that no one would hear it unless they were extremely close, and microphones would merely catch the sound of the waves.
“Did everything go okay with Sephiroth?” Cloud finally asked, eyes still fixed on a point in the distance.
“Well enough,” Vincent replied. “There is still much more… but I suspect he is not ready to hear it yet.”
“And you aren’t ready to tell him,” Cloud added softly.
Vincent raised an eyebrow at that. It seemed Cloud’s time in Midgar had given the child — no, not ‘child’ anymore — a bit of boldness where his mentor was concerned. First tricking Sephiroth into meeting Vincent, and now that little observation… Sometimes Vincent wondered if Cloud had any sort of discretion when it came to involving himself in such delicate matters. “Perhaps. In any case, I believe you should go back down below deck. You cannot stay here all night.”
“Hmm.” Cloud sighed. The look he gave his teacher clearly said he thought Vincent was avoiding him, but he backed away from the rail without complaint. “By the way…” The youth paused.
“Yes, Cloud?” Vincent readied himself for one of Cloud’s inquisitive questions. Or, perhaps, given what had happened earlier, a too-insightful comment.
The blond turned and looked Vincent right in the eye. No, not in the eye, but… deeper, as if looking at someone — or something — else. “I just wanted to thank you for what you did in the reactor. You didn’t have to spare Zack, but you did, and… It really means a lot to me.” Cloud inclined his head and returned belowdecks, leaving a reeling Vincent behind him.
Was he just talking to… to you? the dumbfounded sniper thought at Chaos.
The demon did not reply, but Vincent could feel the weight of his thoughts as the both of them stared after the boy who’d wrought so many changes in their lives.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cloud and Zack hadn’t gotten much time to talk since they had returned to Midgar. The SOLDIER exams had just passed, causing a huge influx of paperwork in the offices of SOLDIER, and so many days Cloud found himself working alone in the gym, trying out the moves Zack showed him when he managed a bit of free time, or sitting in his room with his head buried in one of the books Vincent had recommended.
It was at the end of one such solo practice session about a month after the Nibelheim mission when the blond heard a familiar voice rang through the air. “Cloud!”
The trooper paused in the process of putting away his equipment, glancing over his shoulder to see Zack coming across the gym towards him. He smiled broadly, pleased to see his friend again. “Zack! Finally managed to escape?”
“You bet!” the SOLDIER replied, glad to see Cloud in a good mood. “Look, I’m sorry I’ve been missing practice, but I should be able to make it from now on. The fall rush has slowed for now, at least.”
“Great!” The trooper’s enthusiasm was clear. “I could really use your help; I’m pretty sure I’m getting out of position on the—”
Zack slapped his forehead. “Titan’s bones, Cloud, is weapons training the only thing you ever think about?” He received a blank stare in reply, and sighed. “Look, how about we go out to dinner tonight?”
Cloud shrugged. “No thanks,” he said, his standard response to social invitations.
The dark-haired man growled in exasperation, grabbing his friend and dragging him into what Cloud considered ‘his’ training room. The blond raised his eyebrows at that, suspecting the SOLDIER wanted to say something in private. “I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer this time, Cloud. You need to be more social, dammit,” Zack told him vehemently, just a hair’s breadth away from shaking him by the shoulders. “It’s vital that you learn how to work with people, both in critical situations and everyday life.” He shook his head. “Honestly, Vincent really screwed you over there.”
Cloud went deathly still, glaring fiercely at the dark-haired man. It wasn’t quite on par with Sephiroth’s intimidating stare, but it was still pretty impressive. “And what precisely do you mean by that, Zachary Sinclair?”
Despite his enhancements and skill, Zack found himself made uneasy by Cloud’s frosty tone and overt hostility, sheer willpower the only thing stopping the SOLDIER’s years of training from automatically sending him into defensive mode. He had been teaching Cloud sword technique for almost seven months, but in the comfortable routine of sparring sessions, with the trooper’s unit permanently assigned to Midgar, it had never really sunk in that the kid could easily kill a man. And his other training was clear as well; now more than ever the blond really felt like a Turk — perfectly composed, completely professional, and highly dangerous. Swallowing reflexively, Zack raised his hands and tried to calm his friend down. “Hey— hey now, Cloud, just relax, all right? I didn’t mean it like that.”
The blond didn’t move. “Then what exactly did you mean, Zack?”
The SOLDIER let out a long breath. “Look, Cloud. What I’m going to tell you next you can never repeat, all right?”
The teen nodded shortly, blue eyes still steely.
“Part of the SOLDIER candidate evaluation process is based on how well you interact with your peers. SOLDIERs have to be able to work well with one another, and with the regulars too. Vincent, while he’s been a big help to you in many ways, has been training you, at least on the social side of things, into a miniature Sephiroth, and that is not going to help you. You aren’t anywhere near his level of skill, nor do you have his other… unique qualifications.” Zack shook his head. “If you really want to get into SOLDIER, it is imperative that you learn how to interact with people.”
“…Oh.” It didn’t look like Cloud had quite forgiven him yet, but the blond did seem to have finally relaxed a little.
The SOLDIER offered him a small smile. “I’m willing to help you out there, if you’ll let me. I do know a thing or two about this sort of— yeah yeah, okay, you can stop that now,” he admonished as Cloud rolled his eyes, “but we need to start small. So, dinner?”
The blond hesitated just a moment. “…oh, all right.”
Zack grinned, clapping him on the back. “Great! Grab your stuff, then; we’re taking a little trip down to the slums. Time to rub elbows with the civilians, trooper! And don’t wear your uniform,” he said over his shoulder. “And hey, if it helps… just think of this as another kind of training, all right?”
Cloud nodded slowly. “Why do I get the feeling I’ve gotten myself in trouble?” he asked the air as he followed Zack out of the room.
“Oh come on, it won’t be that bad,” Zack teased. “Promise.” He glanced around, tone turning serious. “Though, um, we never really got a chance to talk about that… other thing…”
It took Cloud a moment to realize the SOLDIER had meant the incident back at the Nibelheim reactor. He shook his head. “Relax, Zack. It’s not a big deal.”
“Cloud—”
“No, really,” the blond insisted. “I thought about it for a while and really, none of that was your fault. I know better than most what… what that person—” he wasn’t really comfortable mentioning Hojo by name here “—can do to someone.”
“I suppose you would,” Zack agreed, understanding what Cloud had meant. The teen had practically grown up around Vincent, after all, and probably knew more of what Hojo had done to the former Turk than even Zack knew about Sephiroth. “Even so—”
“Pay for dinner and we’ll call it even,” Cloud joked.
“Pffffft. In that case, we’d have to do take-out, which defeats the purpose of this excursion, so no go. If I treat you, word’ll get out and I’ll have to start paying for everybody I go out with, and my paycheck isn’t big enough for that.” Zack put on a mournful expression.
“Hey, it’s still bigger than mine!”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
To say Cloud was uncomfortable would have been the understatement of the year.
It hadn’t been bad at first. Despite the shabby surroundings, Zack had found a rather nice little restaurant in the slums, equipped with both a bar and small tables. The food was rather good, and the dinnerware was pretty clean, considering the restaurant’s location. No one gave him a second glance, though one or two murmured at Zack’s tell-tale eyes. Really, it was almost impossible disguise a SOLDIER, but it seemed general policy around here not to ask too many questions of fellow customers.
Which might have been why Zack had chosen the place, actually, now that Cloud thought about it.
Cloud had started really opening up to Zack, talking to him about some of the things he had learned with Vincent over dessert, when a group of SOLDIERs in civilian clothes entered. They made a beeline for Zack and sat around the lieutenant, greeting him cheerfully. All too soon Cloud found himself fading into the shadows, eventually exiting the restaurant entirely.
By now night had fallen, making things here below the Plate a little more dangerous. Cloud pretended to stretch, making sure his gun was secure as he did so. The trooper wasn’t sure if Zack had noticed the weapon or not, but he hadn’t objected either way. Cloud wasn’t going to go traveling around here unarmed, that was for sure.
“Would you like to buy a flower? They’re only a gil...”
Cloud looked over to see a pretty girl in a pink dress, bright green eyes staring at him in entreaty. He dug into his pocket. “Sure.” The flowers in her basket looked amazingly healthy, for local produce. “Don’t see many flowers around here. Your work?”
The girl smiled as she handed him one. “Yes. I grow them in a church, where they manage very well.”
“They’re amazing.” Cloud’s finger’s traced its soft petals, and he was abruptly assaulted with memories of home. Before he had come to Midgar he had often been conscripted by his mother to work in their garden. It had never been his favorite chore, but he had always preferred it to inside work. “I haven’t seen flowers like this since I was home.”
“You aren’t from Midgar?”
Cloud shook his head, surprised at how comfortable he felt talking to her. Still, there was something about her that put him at ease. “I’m from Nibelheim. The western continent.” He held out his hand. “I’m Cloud Strife.”
The girl took it. “Aeris.”
“Just Aeris?” Cloud asked, raising his eyebrows.
“For now,” Aeris replied with a mischievous smile. “So why are you down here? You don’t look like a slum dweller.”
Cloud flushed. “That obvious?”
Aeris shook her head. “Not really. You seem pretty good at blending in.”
“Well, I’m waiting for a friend. He got stuck inside.” Cloud waved behind him.
“Ah. Would you like some company?”
Cloud shook his head. “I don’t know. He might be a while, and I’m sure you have stuff to do—”
“Hey, Cloud, where did you—?” Zack halted at the restaurant’s entrance, staring at the young woman next to his blond friend with an indecipherable expression on his face. “Aeris.”
Clutching her basket close as their eyes met, the flower girl seemed just as — surprised? Upset? Cloud couldn’t quite tell — as the SOLDIER was. “Zack…”
An uneasy, almost oppressive silence fell as the two of them simply stood there looking at each other, making Cloud feel as if he had somehow intruded on a very private conversation and sweet Gaea this was awkward, he thought as he shuffled his feet. He really wasn’t sure how much more of it he could take…
His blue eyes darted around, looking for an escape, lighting up as they fell on the weapon Aeris had tucked under her arm. “Oh, a staff! Have you been fighting with it long?” Okay, so it wasn’t the best icebreaker in the world, but… well, it was first thing he could think of.
…which probably meant Zack was right about the weapons training thing, but Cloud didn’t want to think about that.
Good icebreaker or not, it did suffice to snap Aeris out of it. “Oh! I… I have to go. It was nice meeting you, Cloud!” she called back over her shoulder.
Zack started after her, his hand outstretched. “Aeris, wait!”
Too late. The pink-clad girl had already vanished into the crowd without a trace. The dark-haired man stared after her for a long moment, then let his shoulders slump with a defeated sigh, turning away down the path that would lead them back to the train station. Cloud walked beside his friend, trying to find something to say. Unfortunately, he’d never been very good at dealing with people when they were upset.
“So, um… about the learning-to-be-social thing… do you think—”
“Shut up, Cloud.”
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