A Letter to Home

[theheroics]

Sender: Zack Fair
To: All
Subject: No Subject (Backdated to the first week)

[ Words that begin to appear in the journals are written slowly, as if with intent. The handwriting is... coherent at best at this slower pace, but every word is coming in gradually and seemingly with more frustration.

Guess who thinks this is just a plain ol' journal to use? ]

Dear Aeir
What's up!?
Hello! Hey th———

Hey Aerith.
Hope things are going well?? good for you

[ UGH ]

Sorry it's taken so long for me to write back... I know youve been waiting a long time
I can't call right now but soon, okay?
how are the flowers? you swimming in gil yet?
Theirs theres lots of weird stuff going on that I'll explain when I get back.
So... yeah. See you soon
Regard [ No that was SO STUPID ]
bye

[ The words at the bottom of the page are suddenly cut out, as if completely disregarded or tossed away.

But seconds later another one appears: ]

Hello!

[ Nope that one is gone, too. ]

Comments

[theheroics]

[ Zack will continue to pout just a little more at the reply, but he can’t say it wasn’t unlike Cloud. He normally kept to himself in the first place, as reserved as he was in the past. At least it seemed like he was coming out of his shell just a little bit… ]

Yeah, well, there’s a lot you don’t know about me. [ How’s that for being mysterious?

… He’s only half kidding though, as the words stung a little in his mouth. But Zack will play it off as normal banter by letting a soured chuckle roll off of his lips.

He’ll finally lift his head as both hands roll over his face and into his hair before throwing his back against the chair. He doesn’t look at Cloud, not yet, and simply turns his eyes to the ceiling. ]

Everyone’s got hobbies, right? I just… am not good at this one, yet.

[ Writing was hard, okay!? ]

[spikyheaded]

No, you're right. There's a lot I don't know.

[The two of them had just met a while back, after all. And in that time Cloud hadn't made himself easily available for idle small talk.

Yet, he somehow finds himself here now.]

If the pile of trash is any indication— [Okay, he'll stop himself there. Instead, he'll ask:] So who's Aerith to you?

[Even if he is curious, he's able to keep his voice level. Knowing what he knew about her and the fact that Zack used to work for Shinra in the past, Cloud had his suspicions. Better not to show his hand right off the bat.]

[theheroics]

[ … Ouch. Way to take his words and throw it back in his face?

It pained him, physically, and Zack finds himself wincing slightly at the reply. Sure the implications would be lost on the blonde, but it didn’t stop the aching feeling he was beginning to experience deep within his chest. But he already promised himself he wasn’t going allow the feelings to linger. He would brush it off and bury it for Cloud’s sake.

For now, he has to deal with the man’s snarky remarks instead.

Zack goes to open his mouth to snap back when the other question arose, stopping him in his tracks. Huh. Figures it would down to that considering the subject matter was literally scattered around them ]

Why? You know her or somethin’? [ Turning his gaze over to Cloud while his head still remained cocked in the air. He wanted to try to pick up on any changing facial expressions as his brows furrow together quizzically. ]

[spikyheaded]

[Cloud just barely notices the wince as he looks back at Zack, and he wonders why he reacted that way. All he had said was the truth, but why did it seem like there was more to Zack's expression?

Instead of pursuing that line of questioning even further, he shakes his head. He probably just imagined it, and even if he didn't, it was not of his business anyway.]

She's—

[A friend, he almost says. His brows crease. While true, he still didn't know how Zack had known her. It was probably better to tread carefully. Shifting his weight, he breaks eye contact and turns away from Zack, staring at the wall across the room instead.]

Yeah, I know her. We met in Midgar. Did a couple of jobs for her.

[theheroics]

[ Jobs for her? Now that was something new to him. He did mention going to Midgar, and his curiosity is at his peak. ... But he'll hold off, at least for the moment. Cloud seemed to be open with his answering, so Zack felt as it he could do the same. ]

Heh. Sure is a small world out there.

[ Or so he thought before arriving here. Now... well, he wasn't so sure.

He glances down to the papers on the floor before idly kicking the nearest one with his foot. His voice is kept low, but there is a fondness to his words, as if he was reminiscing ]

I guess you could say... she was someone really special to me. We hung out all the time, or tried to at least when I wasn't away. [ He sighs, turning his head to the side to gaze at the other man's profile. ] Helped each other a lot back then.

[spikyheaded]

[Somehow Cloud wasn't surprised to hear Aerith had helped Zack out a number of times too. That just seemed to be in her nature, wanting to lend a hand where she could, to as many people as she could. She had done the same for him so he could get his name out there as a mercenary for hire.]

Special to you, huh? That would explain the letters.

[Cloud's looks towards Zack from his periphery, then to the pile of papers again. Okay, maybe he was wrong to be suspicious of him.]

How long has it been since you last saw her?

[theheroics]

When your phone's out of service for so long, guess letters are the next best thing.

[ So many letters. 88 of them. Recalling the number only brought out another pang of guilt in his chest that he had to breathe through.

He felt awful, making her wait like this. Even recalling the last letter she sent made his face harden at the thought. The last one... ]

Five years. [ He said simply, voice dripped in regret. For someone who was always so open with his emotions, fighting this one down was becoming more and more difficult the more the memories began to rise up inside of him.

He sits motionless in the chair, allowing his eyes to drop to his hands. ]

But— [ He breathes again, smoothing out the corner of his mind as the other presence in seemed to ground him. He couldn't dwindle on this. Not with the fear of anything triggering Cloud's memories again. ] —it happens, I guess. Looks like you were there to keep her company.

[spikyheaded]

[Five years. Even Cloud can understand how long that much time could be. That was the same amount of time that had passed before he saw Tifa back in Midgar as well. He had missed her during that time, too.

And now here too, having been in this dream world of sorts for a much longer time. The news she had delivered to him at the castle the night he arrived still hadn't fully sunk in yet. He hadn't thought about it since then, having pushed it deep within his consciousness. Yet it somehow reared its ugly head now...

But this wasn't about him, or Tifa, and he didn't have any intention to bring something like that up, anyway. So he shakes his head and gets back on topic.

Aerith.]

You could say that. She's also helped me and a few others, more than any of us really asked.

[That save in the church. Spreading the word of Cloud the merc at Sector 5. Saving Tifa. Marlene. The list seemed to keep going. Somehow, the thought of it is able to get a bit of a smile out of Cloud together with a breath that just barely sounds like a laugh and could be mistaken for exasperation.]

Sometimes it feels like she's just asking for trouble, though.

[theheroics]

Ahaha! You're tellin' me! [ Okay... this was actually nice. Zack had been so hung up about the negative feelings that it made it a little difficult to focus but somehow, in his own way, Cloud was slowly dissipating the worries. ]

She was so hung up about making this wagon to sell her flowers. And when I finished it? She didn't even like it! So much for being grateful.

[ Cloud's smile, while small, was infectious. And for a moment talking about shared experiences helped push back the raw and hurtful emotions of her absence.

It was nice to be able to talk about her to someone else other than the Turks. ]

She's really somethin else. Wouldn't have even met her either if I didn't fall through the roof of the church that day!

[spikyheaded]

[And that was probably the first time Cloud's expression shifts fully during this entire conversation. Whatever Zack had said at first was lost to him. Gone was the briefest of smiles that broke through his usually cool demeanor, immediately replaced by a pair of raised eyebrows.

He blinked once, twice before pushing himself off his position against the wall. Turning his body fully to face Zack, his eyes are wide in surprise, his mouth hanging open. Did he hear that correctly?]

Hold on. You fell through the roof of a church? Was it onto a patch of flowers?

[theheroics]

[ ... Oh. Whoa, what the!?

The reaction startled Zack too; jolting a bit in his seat when Cloud had turned suddenly towards him.

He clocked his reaction, noticing his surprise as Zack's face molded to match. ]

Huh!? Yeah... it was- [ Wait, why was he being so specific? Surprise soon turned to confusion, and the man moved to place his hand on the back of his chair to steadily begin to pull himself up. ]

-Why the face? It's not like I actually crushed any of them! [ He didn't take Cloud for a flower guy, and he never gave that indication from all the conversations they had before. ]

[spikyheaded]

[Similar to Zack, the response he got only confused him even more. It was bad enough that he seemed to be suffering some kind of déjà vu from what he'd just learned, but he didn't want him to get the wrong idea either.]

I'm not worried about the flowers. [He says with a furrowed brow and a shake of his head.] It's just that I fell through the roof back when I met Aerith.

[Just what was going on here?]

[theheroics]

[ ...

He stares, eyes desperately reading Cloud's demeanor. ] You've got to be kidding me.

[ He was, wasn't it? Not like Cloud was much of a jokester, but he had his comebacks from time to time. ]

Just tell me if you're pulling my leg. Ain't no way that happened to the both of us!

[ Aerith what are you doing to these boys and how are you drawing them towards you like this!? ]

[spikyheaded]

Do I look like I'm joking?

[His tone is as flat as the look he's giving Zack. With his eyebrows knitting even closer together, he crosses his arms in front of his chest again.]

Fell from the top plate, right through the ceiling, and landed on the patch of flowers. She was there when I came to.

[She's just collecting all of the SOLDIER boys like bees to honey.]

[theheroics]

[ Zack balks a little at the face, but recovers quickly to try and better assess the situation.

His mouth still hangs open though, a clear sign of his confusion, before a hand goes to rub the backside of his neck. ]

Just like me... [ A pause, his tone scoffing. ] Guess we both saw an angel that day, huh?

[spikyheaded]

[That's one hell of a weird coincidence. But he's never been one to use flowery words like that.]

Guess you can call it that.

[His days had been one thing after the other since he started helping AVALANCHE. With the bombing, the multiple encounters with the Turks, and the jobs Aerith had suggested he took, he had his plate full back then.]

Did the jobs I mentioned after we met, then headed back to Tifa and the rest at Sector 7.

[theheroics]

[ He's... still trying to wrap his brain around it, too. Zack knew whacky things happened to him all the time, but for that to happen to Cloud, too? Now that was just weird. ]

Oh, that's right! You did mention you did a few jobs for her... what kind?

[ Looks like he met up with Tifa in Midgar, too. Sounds like one hell of a party he wasn't invited to.

To think there was a time didn't even want to see her. But he didn't want to mention that, not yet. He wasn't sure if Cloud even knew about the events of Nibelheim, let alone his interactions with Tifa during that time. Just one step at a time. ]

[spikyheaded]

Mostly helping around the Sector 5 slums so I can get my name out.

[While he was appreciative of the sentiment, it was definitely one way to get acquainted with other places in Midgar he hadn't been to prior.]

Dealt with some monsters at the edge of town, looked for a couple of kids. Pretty much anything that was available. [Cloud raised his hand and shook his head as he recalled this particular one.] She even asked me to be her bodyguard from the Turks.

[theheroics]

[ Oof. The Turks. That certainly struck a cord with him.

But a bodyguard against them? Now that caused his eyebrow to raise a little. They said they would watch over her and keep her safe, then why- ]

They weren't tryin' to hurt her, were they?

[spikyheaded]

Not hurt her, no. They were trying to take her back to Shinra HQ.

[Because she was the last remaining Ancient. Once again, he didn't know how much Zack knew about Aerith's past, but he'll err on the side of caution for this one. It wasn't as if it was his secret to tell anyway.]

They eventually got to her in exchange for a little girl's safety. But we made sure they didn't have her for too long.

[He, Tifa, and Barret owed it to her to get her out of there, after all. So he made sure to at least reassure Zack of that. In fact, he might be looking a little proud of himself for that.]

[theheroics]

Heeeey Mr. Hero! [ He can sense that look!! Zack leans his body over in the chair as far as he could go to reach over to nudge Cloud, rough enough to try to move him slightly, before grinning. ]

Glad you were able to keep her safe! I'd have to rough both you and the Turks up otherwise. Could never tell what those guys were thinking. [ And never really wanted to mess with them, either.

... Maybe after the whole ordeal with him and Cloud they turned sour. Too many questions, never enough answers. ]

[spikyheaded]

[The nudge does exactly what Zack wanted it to, catching Cloud unaware, and jostling him slightly from where he stood. Despite it, he still manages to let out a cocky hum.

But his expression shifts to something more serious. The Turks weren't the problem. At least not completely.]

The Turks are just Shinra's lapdogs, following his orders. They think she can lead them somewhere that has more mako for them to use. [Cloud shakes his head.] But even Aerith doesn't know where that is.

[theheroics]

More mako?

[ The sentence is enough to dampen the playful mood, and Zack settles back into the chair with a heavy creak of his weight against wood. ] Think they’d have plenty of that stuff already.

[ It was hard for him to slowly begin to realize just what kind of corporation Shinra truly was. Before he would just blindly follow orders, all too enthralled with the joys of raising his ranks to really consider the consequences. And even now he had a difficult time wrapping his head around it all.

He never took the time to consider, but somehow he felt as though Cloud knew a bit more about it then he did. What he did know however was about mako and what it could do to a person or place. That he was all too familiar with. ]

Sounds like you all got into some pretty serious stuff.

[spikyheaded]

[Serious would be an understatement for the things he had found himself caught up in. From blowing up the mako reactor in Sector 1, to finding themselves inside Shinra HQ to save Aerith, to eventually fighting Sephiroth, the last few days before he was whisked away to the dream world had been quite eventful.]

You know about Sephiroth, right? How he was suddenly declared killed in action? [Cloud makes no mention of the events that transpired back in Nibelheim. At least not yet. But still, he tenses, his hand closing into a fist.] Apparently, he's alive. We were hot on his trail before I wound up here.

[theheroics]

[ ...

Zack tried to hold back his surprise. His heartbeat so loud it drummed against his ears he was sure Cloud could hear it.

"You know about Sephiroth, right?" ]

He's... alive? [ No. No. This couldn't be right. Cloud had defeated him, he was sure of it. He could remember the noises coming from the other room in the reactor, he knew Cloud had finished the job... that he had avenged his hometown.

That against all odds he had defeated Sephiroth. So then how...? ]

That can't be right...

[ Zack folds his arms over his chest to try to keep himself still. Trying to not let himself be too involved. His hands squeezed against his arms to control his breathing. ]