( PRODIGAL )

She rarely heard his accent. Then again, Cloud was usually on the silent side. His accent though made Yuffie giggle, it’s not every day someone went back to their hometown roots. “Aw, I missed ya, Spikey.”  

          “Mmmm.” Was all he said in response at being missed, though he missed her too. Having her around brought some sort of normality, despite how odd it was to keep having someone break into your house. It was... comforting. Normal was comforting and made him feel less on alert with someone around to the point where it was obvious that he visibly relaxed more with company. 

           The topic of Zack was always one that made his eyes get this sort of glossed look, like he was as much into the conversation as he was thinking about something else. It was such a strange feeling that he would never really admit to having. “Yeah. He left yesterday some time.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and read through his messages and let out a sigh, “He’s doing okay. Back to his puppy self.”  There was some silence for a moment as his mind wandered before he heard the timer of the coffee pot go off and he started to move around Yuffie to gather various items for his coffee.

Biting her bottom lip in contemplation, Xion finally gave in to her curiosity. “Okay.” She turned quickly, making her way to the kitchen. She was only gone for a few moments before returning back with a damp towel. She crouched down in front of the intruder, her arm extended out with the towel. “For your wound.”  

Silence filled the room, mixing in the with the tension that arose earlier. She wanted to ask all these questions but Xion knew she had to pick her questions carefully. She didn’t want to believe that the military were conducting human experiments. Her uncle was a researcher for the military and his field of work is exactly that; conducting experiments. She didn’t want to believe the man, but deep down, Xion had this feeling that the military was not all that they seemed. 

              Reaching out for the towel she offered him, he blinked in confusion at the kindness he was being shown, even at the small gesture. “Thank you...” He spoke quietly, putting the towel against the open wound with a sharp inhale at the small rush of pain. As the room got silent again, he couldn’t place why but he felt very... comfortable with the girl who’s home he had invaded. The atmosphere was still awkward and kept him from completely relaxing, but he didn’t feel like she would lash at him. He wasn’t all that intuitive of a person, but he could gather that she was at least smart for her age at her curiosity in things most teens wouldn’t care about.

              Not even having the opportunity to go over them in full himself, it was a bit... dangerous to show her. And what would she do with that information? To a degree, he believed everyone had the right to know what sort of disgusting things they were doing... But there was this overwhelming feeling of dread and against his better judgement he shrugged his shoulder to allow the bag that was there to slip down to the ground and he gestured towards it.

               “S’all in there.” There was also the chance that she’d run with t, though he didn’t think she would.. he still sat up straighter and narrowed his eyes quizzically and concerned. Cloud couldn’t help but look at her... Fifteen? Sixteen? He didn’t know how old she was but for whatever reason, from what he could remember.. in her eyes he could see a bit of himself and that terrified him. There was this sort of fear that the world would corrupt her too and he might have been the one to expose how twisted things could be.

“You’re a shit liar,” Zack challenged, pushing his features into a grim smile. He tugged at Cloud’s arm since he couldn’t reach to turn Cloud’s face back towards him. “You need to eat. And, by the smell of things, shower.” His smile dissolved, the strain in his eyes belying the worry beneath the jab. “Whenever I get some grub in me, you’ll eat with me, yeah?”

As much as he wanted Cloud healthy, Zack wasn’t quite ready for him to go just yet. There was something about being so weak, so vulnerable… It made him want to stay close to the one he loved. To the one he’d become like this to protect, and that he’d go through so much worse for without a whisper of a complaint. But a promise to eat would be good enough; surely someone had been bringing Cloud at least enough to keep him going, whoever had been changing these suspiciously clean bandages for him. And whoever’s house they were in.

            However, his gaze quickly softened with an exasperated sigh at the other. “Yah, fine.” There was something about seeing Zack in such a state that made him want to reach out and hold him in some way. His wrist, his hand... something to continue to convince himself that he was really okay. Whenever Cloud had tried to actually sleep, his mind was plagued with the images of the blood that covered Zacks body. What it was like to watch the life leave his friends eyes, his only real friend....

                                        It was because he was weak. If he were stronger....

             There was a distant look in bright eyes that gave away how deep in thought he was. Now that he wasn’t in that horrible state, he was stronger now... He could protect Zack this time... or if Zack wanted it, he’d leave and protect himself. Clouds biggest worry was ever being a burden again, to not have the strength to protect the people he cared about. Once more, Zacks voice brought him back to his senses and he blinked a couple times in rapid session at his words kind of.... shocked that Zack would want to stay with him, but there was a relief that washed over him. The idea of going it alone was... daunting.

      Not getting much information on his partner, he could only infer as to why she hadn’t spoken to him yet and chose not to ask any personal questions -- not that you ever should to begin with. “Sorry ‘bout being late.” He finally apologized for his tardiness as he looked over the map. This probably wouldn’t be so bad. It wasn’t even that difficult of a mission and it would require minimal verbal communication. If they both were as good as the man who hired them both seemed to think they were, it should be a piece of cake.

       Doing his best to memorize all important information on the map, but took special attention and care into remembering where the guards would be stationed so they can avoid them or be prepared. Watching her movements, as soon as she had chosen a path he studied a bit closer at the other entrances they wouldn’t be using in case they needed to make abrupt escapes as quickly and quietly as possible. But things never went according to plan, so he knew better than to think about it too much.

        Call it luck or something else, he was grateful that she went a long with him and even more grateful to the faulty wiring and whatever caused it to shatter. Coming to a halt, he dropped the bags in his arms so that he could lean up against a wall, raising his arm up to wipe away the sweat that at gathered against his forehead. He knew better than to assume that things just happened be coincidence, so he narrowed his eyes at her in speculation for a moment, wanting to press some sort of question but being cut off by her voice before he could really even work up courage to ask.

        “Stealing back from thieves.” His lack of a plan was starting to show as he needed to deliver all but one of the bags to the police station... somewhere he probably shouldn’t be, considering he was supposed to be a dead man. He looked at them with a sigh, no particularly wanting to ask this girl for more help, because that would either require explanation or for him to come up with someone on the spot... and the latter was something impossible.

@shadowofalegend

She’s done this before. It was almost too easy for the girl to scale up the building. Living in Aelluria, there was not that much to do but climb trees. The girl was practically a master of this by now. Now here was the hard part, getting in. Perched awkwardly between ledges, Yuffie had to keep balance while sliding the window open. Frostias was an icy cold place and Yuffie learned that the hard way. She kept slipping whenever the opportunity presented itself.

“Tch, silly Cloud!” the girl grinned to herself as she lifted her body into the room, “Nothing can stop the amazing Yuffie from breaking into—I mean entering into a home! I’m so good at this, I can do this in my sleep!” 

Her mission was complete: she had infiltrated the home. 

After shutting the window, the girl headed towards the living area. Her intentions were to spend the night seeing how she didn’t have enough money on her to rent out a room. The place was small but it was the perfect size for two people living together and the occasional couch crasher. This was Yuffie’s second home, aside from the dojo, she knew that she was welcomed, even if Cloud had an annoyed expression majority of the time.

“Hm…what to do…what to do…”

       For a second, he stayed still, wondering if maybe he could fall back asleep but that was probably something that he’d have to leave behind. With an even louder groan, making sure that Yuffie heard him, he sat up and ruffled his hair, fixing it if that was a possible thing. Stretching his arms up with a yawn, he pulled one arm over his chest and shifted his back around, various bones cracking as muscles tensed and eased with a sigh. Standing up and turning to look at the girl, his face was far from friendly.

        In fact he probably looked near murderous. Or as much as he could be with still being overall secretly happy to see her.

        “I would say ‘nice ta see ya.’ but ‘m notta liar.” Country accent think with the tiredness in his voice and lack of care of formality. It was sarcastic and rude, but he was mostly joking in his dry-deadpanned sort of humor way. Walking over to the kitchen, he busied himself next to Yuffie by starting to get coffee going, making a full pot because while the girl really didn’t need it, it’d be there if she wanted some. And then of course enough for him to have multiple cups.

Without a doubt, Riku’s favourite place to hang out were the beaches of Solias. Even on the most troubling days, a trip to the beach where the sound of the waves crashing against the shore were enough to put him at ease. It was also the place where he’d often hang out with Kairi. In fact, they had their own particular spot they would always go to, a downed tree they would usually sit on and end up talking for hours. Rarely did he see anyone else in the spot, so it was always a little odd to see someone else there.

And this time when Riku arrived at his usual spot, there was someone else there. Because a lot of people typically didn’t come to this part of the island, he felt inclined to go and talk to the guy. From what he could see, the man wasn’t the tallest of people, however, his blonde, spiky hair seemed to help him a little bit in the height department. After looking analyzing the other male for a few seconds, he slowly waked up beside the blonde and looked out to the red sun setting over the water.

       His mind often became a whirlwind in the silence, but instead he just looked out to the lowering sun, letting the sound of gentle waves and the smell of the salt fill his mind instead. Removing his shoes, he rolled up his pants to stand in the water, just admiring everything and losing himself a bit at natural beauty and something so pure. Until a voice shattered his dream like state, causing him to flinch a bit at the unexpected noise.

        The mercenaries mind started to wander. In the files that he was able to read thus far, he did recall them experimenting on children, which made him sick to his stomach to remember. “I wouldn’t really do it if there was a choice.” After he spoke again, he slowly moved his hand to his injured arm, pressing hard against the open wound as to not get blood on this poor girls carpet. That sure would be a story to explain to her parents.

         Not knowing if there was exactly a way to look “innocent” at this point he tried to think of... some sort of conversation starter. But talking was not in his already short list of skills. So instead of anything, he just kind of kept looking at her and wondering if she was one of the kids that have been harmed in this. If so, was she aware that she was being used? There was an odd sort of desire to protect her from whatever it was even though he had no responsibility. Maybe he just wanted better for the afflicted kids then he was given. He needed to get her name and he needed to search through the files in his bag, having only the chance to skim prior.

      Never again. He was stronger now. He didn’t need protecting, he wouldn’t be a burden to Zack any more... Instead he’d protect him too. If it even happened again, he swore next time it would be him. Zack deserved life more than he did.

      He looked away, tilting his head upwards like he was looking to the ceiling for answers to Zacks questions. “Mmm... ‘bout a week and a half.” It may have been closer to two weeks, but his only memory was a bit scattered. He found out it hard to differentiate reality from hallucinations or nightmares. Things of the distant past were blurring together, fading as he thought about them less. To answer the next question, to push some worry away, he lied. But of course, he was a bit of a bad liar, his words awkwardly placed. “Gee, thanks,” He spoke sarcastically in a snarky remark at the comment, “No. I got up for... water and... food.” There was a tone of question in his voice, like ‘is this a plausible story.’

Not interested.

Yuffie was excited. It was clear to see that. There was a bounce to her step and enthusiasm dripped with every word spoken. She was running, long bags of plastic were cradled in her arms. She couldn’t wait to get to their home. She couldn’t wait to pull out the multiple dresses and show them off to the boys. All the make up, all the accessories, all the shoes. This was truly a jokecoming true. Zack Fair. First Class Soldier. In a dress.

Yuffie shrieked in excitement at just the thought. This encouraged her to pick up the pace. Skidding to a stop at their door, she knocked feverishly, her feet bouncing from side to side. 

“Clouuuuuud!” she whined, her forehead landed on the door with a thud, “open up! I know you’re in there and I don’t want to break in! I might ruin the dresses.” Yuffie waited a whole five seconds before giving an exasperated sigh, “Stop taking so long!” She banged on the door once more before it flew open. “Oh!”

There at the doorway was Zack, just the person she wanted to see. Her lips curled into a grin, her eyes gleamed mischievously. She could already imagine the situation that was about to come and she just couldn’t wait to see one of her closest friends in a dress. 

“Zack~” she sang as she invited herself in. It was a habit to head straight to the couch. That was her spot in the entire vicinity. “You don’t even know how excited I am!” she laid the bags of clothing down and twirled back to face the other. “We’re going to make you so beautiful that all  the guys will fall for you. Even the bouncer will be so shocked he would have to let us in.” Her hands were on her hips, a confident pose that radiated energy, “And since I’m helping, you know it will go amazing. Only one girl is needed for the job and that’s me! The amazing Yuffie. No need to hold your applause…” 

The plan was to infiltrate a club where their target was a known regular. It was very exclusive, and almost impossible to get in without an invite unless you happened to be a beautiful woman. Yuffie could handle that easily enough, but Zack… well, Zack would be disguising himself as Zoey for the night. Yuffie had assured him that she could pull it off, and teasing aside, he did trust Yuffie. They were going to go to the club that night, and she’d said she’d need a couple of hours to get him ready. He couldn’t imagine why, but looking at everything she’d brought…

      He opened the door for Yuffie and allowed her to walk in, narrowing his eyes at the plethora of objects she was carrying with a heavy sigh. His quaint little home was going to turn into a dress up game and he was really not mentally prepared for all of that. It’s not like he told anyone that he had met beyond his home town, and he had planned to keep it that way... but just the idea of wearing a dress was enough to make him sick and if Zack wasn’t so gung-ho about this he would have found something to occupy himself for the night. Instead, he moved to sit on the couch, pretty much as far as you could get away from Yuffie while still remaining on the same couch.

       Looking over to Zack, he rolled his eyes just a bit, hiding his unease with a caustic attitude. “Ya really think you can hide those arms?” Though he was talking about Zack, he was looking at Yuffie and addressing her, almost as if the other wasn’t even in the room. His hands were on his knees, kind of hunching over a bit, finger tips nervously tapping against clothed skin. “And if you got him heels you’re both done for.” He really did mean for it to be a joke but it sounded rude none the less.

Zack felt as though he’d been underwater for a long time. There was a painful weight in his lungs, a certain stillness in his perception, and a fog in his mind that he couldn’t quite shake. His eyelids felt heavier than lead, and as he struggled to open them, he realized how much everything hurt. Had he been run over by a train? It certainly felt like it. Every inch of his limbs, his chest, his head… He couldn’t remember… He finally opened his eyes, feeling the light piercing his retinas, and saw Cloud dozing upright in a chair next to the bed he was apparently in.

Oh. He did remember, and even though just breathing hurt, he couldn’t help but let a small smile grace his features as he forced the hand closest to Cloud to reach out, just barely managed to brush the other’s wrist with the tips of his fingers. He was real. He was alive. And so was Zack, it seemed. He hadn’t meant to wake the other up, but Cloud began stirring at Zack’s touch, apparently not sleeping very deeply. At the sight of bleary blue eyes blinking down at his hand on Cloud’s wrist, Zack’s smile turned into a mischevious grin.

“Now I know I’m in heaven, because I’m looking at an angel.”

      His assumption was that it was nurse, it usually was. As a hand brushed against his wrist he made a small ‘Mmmm’ noise as he woke up from his light sleep. Bright optics fluttering open slowly to look at the hand against his wrist before blinking a couple times in shock. The feeling of tiredness quickly left him as his eyes had shot open, darting from his wrist to Zacks grinning face in hasty repetition. There was a sigh of relief in his voice and it felt like a hundred pounds had been lifted from his shoulder, but the light feeling left at Zacks words, causing him to jolt up and face to feel a bit hot against his will.

      That sure was Zack all right and he at least was the same. Unaware of the blush that tainted his all too pale cheeks. An angel was something he wasn’t even in the slightest, but maybe with light seeping in from the window behind him illuminating his frame, maybe he did. Not responding to the embarrassing comment, he grabbed the water that was on the side table and put it in Zacks hand quickly. “Drink something first.”

     He was overwhelmed. That was all he could think of. He didn’t know what to say or what to do, let alone how to feel. Relief, honest happiness... but guilt and pain every time he looked upon Zacks face. It was a miracle, and those were things he had long since learned not to believe in. In thought, curious as to if all of this was one of his terrible dreams playing a life joke on him, he reached out and rested a shaky hand against Zacks shoulder, nearly gasping at how very real he felt.