Adult-FanFiction.org : Final Fantasy

Sentient Love	By : Hnoss Category: Final Fantasy VII > Yaoi - Male/Male > Cloud/Zack Views: 981 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII and I'm making no money here either. All of this is purely for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Sentient Love

Flora_Winters

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII and I'm making no money here either. All of this is purely for entertainment purposes only.

Summary: Dreams lead Cloud back to The Forgotten City where he comes into contact with a spirit made flesh. A blast from the past wants this young avatar for their own devious designs and it is up to the ex-SOLDIER to protect him at all costs. Language, MM, OC, Violence

Chapter Six

/ Rain fell from the stormy sky as if Heaven itself were crying for him as he slipped over slick black rocks and stumbled through deep puddles of cold, muddy water. Like a zombie, he struggled to make his way up the steep cliff side, and every haphazard step he took, his heart cried out and ached from deep within his trembling chest.

Please don't leave me! Don't walk away, Zack. Why are you smiling like that for? Stay here with me. You don't have to go by yourself. We can hide together. There is plenty of room in here. They'll give up. Come back! Please come back! DON'T GO!

Trapped somewhere with the depths of his poisoned mind, his agonized psyche screamed out like thunder when he heard the rapid gunfire echoing down from the top of the cliff.

ZACKARY!

His body struggled against the brute force of the elements in order to scale the cliff as quickly as he could. Salty tears along with the rain in his eyes blinded him as he pushed himself to climb upwards faster and faster. He had to get to him. He had to save him.

He reached out and grabbed hold of an exposed plant root that looked secure, but it gave way. His breath escaped him as he felt gravity take hold of him. He fumbled and tumbled down that cliff along with rocks and other debris. He came to a rolling stop on his side in the thick mud. Slowly lifting up his head, he turned his gaze back towards the cliff he'd just fallen down. At the top, he could see bright flashes of light and loud booms that echoed across the sky.

Crawling to his knees, he struggled to stand upright again, and when he finally managed not to fall back down, all he could hear was the gently pouring rain. Everything else had gone perfectly silent.

Had Zack won? Was he coming back to get him?

Once more, he began his ascent, climbing as quickly and as carefully as he could. He climbed, and he climbed, and he climbed. He used his muscles and dug his fingers as if they were made of steel into the sides of the cliff and pushed his way to the top. No amount of pain was going to stop him from reaching the top.

He kept climbing until he was able to run again. He was running and stumbling like a drunk through a field of boulders and high natural pillar formations. Lightning flashed across the sky, striking at something in the distance. His lungs burned and every muscle in his body felt like they were on fire as thunder boomed loudly overhead.

"ZACK!" He shouted, realizing he was in somewhat control of his mind again and the sound of his hoarse voice startled him. He slid and fell to his knees, landing hard on his bruised hands. He took a deep breath in order to calm himself and when he lifted his eyes, he'd wished he'd never been born at all.

There Zack was. A lone figure sprawled in the mud. He was lying close to the edge of a steep drop off and Midgar was shining brightly in the distance. Their very destination so close. Scattered all around the scorched and blackened earth were various pieces of shattered armor and broken weapons.

No…no…no..no..no..no..NO..NO…NO…NO….NOOOOOOO!

Cloud crawled across the ground towards him. It felt like everything was suddenly moving in slow motion. He looked down at Zack and found him to be covered in blood. He was cut horribly and there were so many bullet holes in his chest.

"Zack?"

The dark headed swordsmen grunted in pain and his handsome face relaxed a bit when Cloud spoke. He opened his glowing blue eyes and smiled up at him with blood staining his usual white teeth. "Chocobo Head…"

"I don't know what to do," Cloud whispered, moving his hands frantically, but not wanting to cause more damage by adding pressure. "I don't know how to help you…"

"It's all right," Zack grinned, drawing in a deep and what appeared to be a very painful breath. Cloud watched in horror as fresh blood oozed from the holes in Zack's chest. "It's just a flesh wound…I'll get better…" Tears streamed from his blue eyes.

Zack reached out and gently placed his hand on the back of Cloud's spiky, blond head. He pulled him down and had Cloud rest his head against his chest. "You're safe," Zack smiled up at the sky. Cloud let him hold him there, even though he could smell the sharp copper scent of his blood. Zack pressed his head down hard for a second, ruffling the back of his head. "You're safe. That's all that matters now." He coughed and dropped his hand back to the ground and Cloud slowly lifted his head back up. The side of his face was a crimson mask. He was wearing Zack's blood. Zack turned his head to the side and he reached out for his Buster Sword, dragging it over towards Cloud. "Take this."

"I can't take your sword," Cloud whispered, shaking his head. "You're going to need it."

Zack chuckled even though he was silently crying. "I really do love you, Chocobo Head," he said, prompting him to take the blade. "But…you are so blond…sometimes."

Cloud bit his bottom lip and his hands started to tremble even harder. He shook his head and tears began to fall.

Zack was dying. He was going to die. He was going to die out here in this terribly, lonely place. He was dying right before his eyes and there wasn't a goddamn thing he could so to save him.

He reached for the sword and took it with both hands. Zack briefly touched his hand before Cloud pulled the large sword towards himself. A brief second of silence passed between them.

Cloud then dropped the sword and curled up beside Zack, placing an arm around him, trying his very best to hold onto him with all his might. It was as if he were trying to keep Zack's spirit from fleeing it's pain ridden and battered shell.

"I love you," Cloud told him, breathing warmly against his neck. "I love you."

"I'm happy," Zack said, moving his good arm to hold him closer. "Do you…Do you smell flowers, Chocobo Head?"

Cloud laughed. "Of course I can," he lied, tears bleeding straight from his heart. All he could smell was blood and mud.

"Would you look at that?" Zack grinned, blue eyes glazing over. "They're so bright…and yellow…like…"

"Yeah?" Cloud asked, bottom lip trembling.

"They're…all around us," Zack smiled bigger, closing his eyes. "I'll…pick one for you…"

Zack stilled and Cloud lifted his head up and looked at him. "Zack?" He asked, gently touching his bloodstained cheek. "Zack?" His chest was no longer rising and falling. Cloud shook him. "ZACK!"

A wind blew all around him and lightning split the sky.

"DON'T GO!" He cried, putting his head to his chest, not hearing a heartbeat. He squeezed his eyes shut against the torrent and gnashed his teeth. "DON'T YOU FUCKING LEAVE ME HERE!"

No breath. No pulse. No heartbeat. He was all alone now.

He drew Zack up into his arms, holding him close. "I HATE YOU!" He threw back his head and some kind of animal cry escaped him. He rocked back and forth as the rain poured down harder than before. "Please…please come back…I love you…" Zack remained silent and still. All the beauty in the world was dead.

In that moment, if he'd had the power, he'd have punched the world into powder.

He screamed and he screamed and he screamed. /

Cloud didn't have much to say at breakfast that morning. His dreams had shaken him pretty badly and he didn't want to ruin anyone's already horrible morning. So, he'd eaten his fruit salad and pretty much just kept to himself at the table. Tifa and Yuffie were still hung over from partying hard last night and Vincent looked as if he'd just taken a delicious sip from someone's throat.

"It has been three days already, Vincent," Yuffie groaned from her corner at the square table, lifting her head out of her half empty bowl of cereal. Milk dripped down her chin, which she paid no mind to at all. "You…"

Vincent left the table faster than anyone could blink and Yuffie moaned, dropping her head back into her cereal. Tifa rolled her eyes and continued to slowly suck on a sausage link. The two of them had gotten so drunk, that they each had to take turns holding back the other's hair while they puked their guts up into the toilet. Tifa had hugged it for much of the night and they were probably going to do the same thing tonight.

"How did you sleep, Cloudy?" Yuffie gurgled from her bowl.

He put his now empty plate down and pushed it away from him across the smooth surface of the table. "I slept good," he lied, giving her a smile she couldn't see from her funny position. "Better than most really."

He'd had a few drinks himself and actually had enjoyed himself at the bar they'd gone to. There had been live music and lots of people drinking and dancing. It had been one big party, and apparently it was like that every single night here in Costa del Sol.

Tifa pulled her sausage link from her mouth, making a loud popping sound with her lips. "You did?" She asked, looking him over as if she didn't quite believe him.

He nodded his head. "Yep." He lied, giving her his warmest smile. "I really think all this sun, snorkeling, and partying is doing the trick." If he wasn't dreaming about crawly bugs, slithering snakes, horny zombies, and dead people in flames trying to eat him, he was always dreaming about Zack dying in his arms. He relived that moment over and over and over in his dreams all the time. It was never going to go away. Nothing was ever going to stop it from happening.

Both girls smiled at him. He honestly couldn't believe Tifa had bought his lie so easily. She must have been really hung over then. He moved to get up, but then sat back down when the voices started to assault his ears again.

Who the flaming fuck is he?

Oh, him? That's the new bitch they recruited.

Look at that hair. He looks like a porcupine.

Don't make eye contact with that one.

That boy is a spooky one.

I heard he's a snob. He doesn't talk to anyone. Probably thinks he's better or something.

He sure has a pretty mouth. I got something big to stuff in there.

"Cloud?" Tifa asked, banging on the table with her spoon to get his attention. "Are you hearing them again?"

"Look at me now then!" He yelled at no one as he rose from the table in a burning rage. "I killed all of you, saved the damn planet, and I'm still breathing, so fuck off! Do you not know you're dead? Talk, talk, talk! That's all you cunts do! Well, you're all dead now, so shut the fuck up!" He hurled his plate across the room where it struck the opposite wall with so much force it exploded into powder, leaving a good sized dent in the wall.

"What?" Yuffie snorted milk out her nose, coughing as she lifted her head from her bowl. "What's happening? What's going on? Are we under an attack?"

Tifa looked like her period had came early as Cloud stormed out of the room.

7777777777777777777777777777 777777777777777777

After easily tying up and gagging Cid's armed men again, Vincent stepped into Cid's bedroom on the Highwind with a grace and silence the dead would envy. He couldn't believe those guys had been armed with garlic and sharp sticks and he rolled his eyes at the stupid trap that was supposed to dump a bucket poorly labeled with "Holy Water" over his head.

The blond pilot was sound asleep on his stomach with the sheets halfway down his naked body. He gazed to see that Cid had smartly bolted the bed firmly to the floor this time, so he couldn't easily flip it with him again like he had done the last two mornings.

Cursing under his breath, he glanced around for something else he could do in order to wake the bastard up in a horrible manner. Perhaps he could wake him by putting a pillow over his stupid face, but that would probably piss off everyone. Blowing up an engine sounded like a hoot, but that would probably piss everyone off as well.

So, with a defeated sigh, Vincent decided to do something totally different this time around. He slipped under the covers with Cid and wrapped his pale arms around the muscular captain. Cid mumbled something in his sleep about not wanting any goddamn tea and snuggled closer. The guy was like a furnace and Vincent basked in that body heat.

I have missed this.

He gently squeezed Cid for a second and then proceeded to close his eyes for a few minutes while he basked in Cid's warmth. He never saw Cid smiling.

7777777777777777777777777777 777777777777777

With a critical eye, Rufus looked from Reno to Rude while thumbing his nose at them. He made slow circles around them both as if he were a shark about to attack some unsuspecting prey. He took a step back and cocked his blond head to the side, taking in every detail, every hint that could possibly give away their identity. Finally, he shook his head and smiled in a pleased manner. He knew his TURKS inside and out and even he couldn't see past their disguises. Even though they both looked like two black condoms.

"Can you breathe wearing that?" He asked in some concern, worrying they might fall over from asphyxiation at any moment.

Reno nodded, and stretched a bit, pulling on his outfit in a downward motion. "It likes to ride up into my crotch," he groaned in an annoyed manner, looking as if he were playing with himself.

Rufus stepped further back and admired Rude's work. The both of them reminded him of living shadows or some kind of ninjas clad in skin tight material that hid every trace of their identity. It was truly amazing work. Wherever had he found such excellent material?

"You have done excellent work, Rude," he grinned from ear to ear, blue eyes shining with future victory at hand. "Today is the day."

Both Reno and Rude bowed to him as he walked between them. It was now time for him to get dressed as well. He needed to make himself look like he wasn't the Rufus Shinra Cloud and his team remembered. That way it would throw them off their guard and be more entitled to come to a stranger's aid.

He'd found himself the perfect disguise. It was all raggedy and he'd cover himself with dirt and all that mucky stuff dirty people wore all the time because they didn't know any better.

Before the looking glass, he slowly began to unmake Rufus Shinra right before his steel blue eyes. When he was finished with his meticulous applications, even he couldn't recognize the dirty looking stranger looking back at him from the glass. It made him smile even bigger.

He made his way back out onto deck where his TURKS were lounging and he was pleased to see they'd removed their masks. He made a slight coughing sound and they both spun around to face him.

"Whoa, Pal!" Reno raised his metal rod in a menacing manner at him. "You just boarded the wrong fucking vessel."

Rude stayed his partner's hand. "You look good, Boss."

Rufus was suddenly only half pleased with himself. "How did you know it was me, Rude?" He asked.

"Um," Rude removed his hand from Reno's hand and scratched the back of his bald head. "I'm the one who chose the disguise…Boss."

"Right!" Rufus clapped his dirty hands together, turning his back to them. "Yes you did. Wonderful choice! Even I couldn't recognize myself in the mirror. Well done!"

Both TURKS looked at each other with some worry.

"Now," Rufus exclaimed, spinning back around on his heels to face them. "I need for this little venture to go exactly as planned. Do not allow Cloud the chance to attack. He may very well kill the two of you without meaning to do so. When I'm out cold, escape as quickly as you can and head back to Edge. I'll be in touch the moment I'm on the in."

"Sir!" Both TURKS said, bowing.

Rufus was excited.

"Goddamn it!" Reno hissed, pulling at his crotch.

Rude rolled his eyes and put his mask back on.

7777777777777777777777777777 777777777777

Cloud angrily made his way down to the beach where he plopped down on his back in the warm, white sand. He stretched out in the golden sunlight, letting the gentle waves tickle at his feet. His chest rose and fell with every deep breath he took in order to try and calm himself down. He'd popped some more of his pills before running out of the villa on Tifa and a stumbling Yuffie. They'd been calling his name and holding their heads as if they would explode, but he had ignored them. He didn't want to talk about it. That was the last thing he wanted to do. It would be like reliving it all over again and that wasn't what he wanted.

He needed to do something, anything in order to distract himself from his feelings. He rolled over onto his stomach and rested his head against his arms. He'd noticed in the mirror that he was starting to get dark again and he liked it. He'd also noticed that a lot of guys and girls had been looking at him these past few nights at the bars. A few of them had been brave enough to make subtle passes at him, but he'd shown no interest in their awkward advances. Nobody would ever be able to compare to the one who had been taken away from him, and there was nobody willing to put up with his random crazies.

Are you going to help me build a sandcastle or are you just going to stand there drooling over how sexy I am without a shirt on?

He squeezed his eyes shut and dug his fingers deep into the sand.

Come on, Chocobo Head. Grab a bucket and help me.

"STOP IT!" He yelled, bringing both his fists down really hard, causing sand to explode in a cloud all around him.

He heard a sniffle before him and he quickly lifted his gaze. There was a little boy looking right at him with tears in the biggest eyes he'd ever seen. His eyes widened when the little guy began to cry. He reached out to tell him he was sorry and hadn't known he was there, but the little boy turned and fled.

Cloud watched him vanish over a tall dune and his heart sank like a heavy stone. He'd just scared the shit out of a little child. He dropped his head back down and sighed heavily. He was readying himself for an angry parent to come give him a stern talking down to, but he jumped to his feet when he heard the kid suddenly scream.

He bolted to the top of the dune and looked down. The kid was being pulled down into a sandworm's trap. The little guy was kicking and struggling, throwing sand at the worm, but his efforts weren't doing anything to hinder it from sucking him down into that dark hole.

"Hang on!" Cloud yelled and began sliding down the dune as if he were on a snow sled. He raised his hand and fired off a pool ball sized fireball. It struck the sandworm and the creature released the boy and sank back down into its hole alone.

The boy was on his feet when Cloud reached the bottom of the dune and ran over to him. "Are you okay?" He asked, going down on his knees, looking the child over with critical eyes, and breathed a deep sigh of relief to find the boy had not been bitten.

"Thank you." The little guy whispered, keeping his head lowered.

"Stand back," Cloud told him, walking over to the hole. He positioned his hand palm down and released a glowing hot stream of fire down into that dark hole. A few meters away, the sandworm came to the surface writhing in flames and Cloud quickly incinerated it with fire from his other hand. When he was certain there was no more threat, he cut off the stream of fire with a thought.

The little boy was now looking at him with the biggest eyes he'd ever seen and that was when he really took notice of the kid. He had short, spiky black hair and deep blue eyes. A sharp pang stabbed his heart because it made him wonder if this was what Zack had looked like at such a young age.

"WOW! That was so totally AWESOME!" The little boy yelled, running up to him. "You're a superhero!"

Superhero? Yeah, right!

The boy wrapped his arms around Cloud's right leg and hugged it tightly. "You're amazing!"

Amazing? No.

The boy grinned up at him and Cloud noticed he had a small gap between his two front teeth. "Where are your parents?" Cloud asked, gently trying to dislodge him from his leg.

"Back at the inn," the boy answered, suddenly looking really ashamed for some reason. "I snuck away in order to come look for shells."

Of course you did.

"Come on," Cloud said, dragging his leg with the boy still attached to it as if he were a little monkey. "I'll take you back to them."

"Aw! That's no fun." The kid whined, still not releasing him. "Come on! Teach me what you just did. That was so totally cool! I want to shoot fire from my eyes. Teach me how to do that."

Cloud actually laughed out loud at his antics. "I don't think that's actually possible."

The boy whined again.

The two of them suddenly froze in their tracks when a loud explosion caused them both to flinch. Cloud quickly lifted his head and turned his gaze towards the harbor just in time to see the lighthouse go up in black flames. He lifted the gawking boy up into his arms and began running when he heard the shouts and screams. People were frozen in shock and pointing. Some were running.

"TERRORISTS!"

"WEEZE ALL GONNA DIE!"

"NOT THIS BULLSHIT AGAIN!"

He ran up the sandstone steps just in time to see two women come running out of the inn. They were both looking around with panic filled eyes and they both suddenly spotted Cloud. "Tony!" They both yelled, running up to him, and Cloud released the boy into their custody. "Where have you been?" The other one fussed over him. "What did we tell you about wondering off?"

"What's going on?" Cloud asked, trying to make sense of the chaos around him.

The woman holding Tony spoke. "We just saw the news a few minutes ago. Shinra warehouses on the outskirts of Edge were just bombed and now something just blew up here."

Shinra…

"Get down to the beach," Cloud told them. "People are gathering there. It should be safer."

He took off running towards the harbor and he heard Tony shout from behind. "Go get'em, Superdude!"

Superdude?

People were racing by him and he ran faster when he heard another loud explosion.

7777777777777777777777777777 7777777777777777

Cid fell out of bed with a grunt and Vincent threw open the side window, looking out across the harbor at the burning lighthouse. This was not how he wanted to start off his day. He had wanted to get the hell out of here before Cid had the chance to wake up, but it was too late now.

"What the fuck's going on?" Cid mumbled, getting to his feet, scratching his backside before stretching onto the tips of his toes.

Vincent whirled around on him like a dark thunderstorm. "Put your clothes on!" He snapped, rushing by him. "I think we're under attack." He did his very best to ignore Cid's morning wood, while he tossed clothes at the pilot.

Cid caught his pants and began hopping around as he got dressed as quickly as he could.

7777777777777777777777777777 7777777777777777

Yuffie grabbed her head and moaned. "Who ordered a demolition squad this early in the morning time?" She whined, walking outside behind Tifa. "Can't they see I'm dying?"

Tifa walked across the veranda and saw people running all over the place. Most of them were making their way down to the beach.

"TERRORISTS!" A woman screamed, diving headfirst into some bushes.

"WEEZE ALL GONNA DIE!" A man shouted, jumping over a wall.

The drag queen from the bar last night got her basket of fruits knocked out of her hands and she made a sour face at the bottom of the steps. "NOT THIS BULLSHIT AGAIN!"

She spotted Cloud running by at full speed while barefoot. He looked to be making a beeline straight for the harbor. "Cloud!" She yelled after him and grabbed her head as it pounded. He was too far ahead to hear her.

She spun around and grabbed Yuffie by the wrist when another explosion went off somewhere close by. "Grab your weapons," she said, leading her back into the villa. "We have to get to the harbor and fast."

Yuffie complied and ran to equip her stuff.

This is bullshit! Tifa fumed as she put on her fighting gloves. So much for a peaceful vacation. And it was going so well, too.

7777777777777777777777777777 7777777777777

The violet sphere of glowing light vanished before her and Marlene opened her eyes, discovering she was standing in a darkened alleyway. She stumbled forward and reached out to steady herself against a cement wall. It took her several moments to orient herself and to catch her breath, because she felt like she'd been running for her life. She took a deep breath to clear foggy brain and she could smell smoke in the air. A few people ran by the alley, shouting about a fire and that people needed to evacuate the area immediately.

She pulled her hand away from the wall and saw that she'd left a print of it. Her eyes widened and she took a step back, until she was pressed up against another wall. Her hands were coated in a dark red substance. It was thick and smelled of copper.

"What?" She asked nobody, looking at her hands in horror. She moved forward and stumbled out of the alley and saw the bright glow of flames in the distance. It was the Shinra warehouse district and it was all in flames.

Her eyes found a puddle of water and she quickly went over to it. She knelt down and began to wash her hands off as fast as she could. The red stuff was even under her nails. She scrubbed them hard.

What's going on? How did I get here? How did I get paint all over my hands?

The only things she could remember was leaving school with Denzel. They had both been walking home together. They'd been talking about meeting at the arcade, and that was when she started to draw blanks. She couldn't remember anything after waving goodbye to him.

Home. I gotta get home.

She turned away from the red puddle and started to run.

To be continued…

Another chapter finished. YAY!

I was doing some reading today and found that people are talking about there being a remake of Final Fantasy VII. I remember reading about Squre Enix saying they weren't going to do that until they made a game that surpassed Final Fantasy VII. Well, I just have this to say. They might as well just give up. Nothing will ever surpass the spirit that lives within Final Fantasy VII.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Leave me a review if you do.

~Flora
- 5
- 6
- 7
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Sentient Love