Hi again, ^_^
Hi, Perry-san! *waves furiously*
<snip>
Heh. Well, I haven't played FFVII since... oh, god, I don't know how
long ago. And since the only time I did play it was during one hellish
week
of being sick out of my skull with fever most of the time, I'm probably
more
than a little rusty on details. But, I'll give it my best shot. :)
Thanks, I appreciate it. ^^
[snip]
"Hey, kid, you doing okay?"
A storm raged outside, wild and merciless. Rain streamed
down the truck's back windows, so that it was nearly impossible
to see anything of the surrounding forest except a dark green
blur. The rain was pelting so hard against the shell of the
truck, it sounded like we were encased inside a steel drum that
was being beaten relentlessly. We were perfectly dry inside, but
the air was stale and musty, smelling unpleasantly like four men
who had been on the road too long without a shower. The truck
"Personally, I kinda like that corn-chip smell..."
(bonus points to whoever catches the ref. :)
Sounds familiar, but I'm terrible with quotes. ^^;
bounced and jostled over the muddy, rutted road, making it a
little difficult for me to keep my footing as I stood next to my
friend, who sat slouched on a wooden crate with his head between
his knees.
Put your head between your knees and kiss your... er, never mind.
^_^;;
^_^;;;
Cloud lifted his head slightly, and favored me with a
watery-eyed glare. The poor kid looked positively green. "Don't
call me that," he muttered, casting a brief, anxious glance over
to where Sephiroth sat on a crate near the front of the truck.
"Anyway," he said, looking down again, "I'm fine."
Oh, whoops. I'd forgotten how much he hated being called
"kid." And here I'd gone and called him that in front of
Sephiroth, whom he practically idolized. Some friend I was.
Is he being sarcastic, here? It kinda reads that way, to me.
(hey, _I_ would be... ;)
Well, I guess Zack is just a nicer guy than you are. ;-)
[snip]
I had been surprised that Cloud hadn't been as excited about
this mission as I hoped he'd be. Hell, he'd been down-right
reluctant to come along, until I finally coaxed him into it. Now
I could see why he wasn't all that excited. I'd never had motion
sickness myself, but it didn't look fun.
Dramamine is your Friend.
Heh.
Oh well, I thought, feeling somewhat bummed out. So far, my
big plan to get Cloud's mind off his troubles at Shinra was a
huge bust. On top of that, I'd been hoping to have someone to
talk to on the trip. I mean, I brought Marlow along because I
knew he would keep to himself until it was time to follow orders.
And Sephiroth was a cool guy and all, but he was never really the
chatty type.
Er, no... calling Sephiroth chatty would be akin to calling Mt.
Everest
a big rock.
^_^
Suddenly feeling bored out of my skull, I reached into my
pocket and pulled out the new materia that I'd been issued right
before we left, and rolled it around in the palm of my hand. It
glowed faint green in the gloom.
"What kind is it?" Sephiroth asked suddenly.
I looked up at him, surprised. Was he actually starting a
conversation? "Huh? Oh, it's a Lightning Materia. I just got
it." I grinned, and clenched my hand around it in a fist. "I
can't wait to try it out."
*bzzt* *zap*
*thud*
Sephiroth: (poking the unconscious Zack with a toe) I think you just
did.
<chortle> Hm, maybe I should add that to the scene...
[snip]
I pursed my lips tightly, thinking about the Mako treatment
I'd been given when I entered SOLDIER a couple of years back. It
was just a little mist, but breathing it was painful as hell,
like trying to breathe acid fumes. And I remembered how startled
I was afterwards, to look into a mirror and see the strange,
faint glow of Mako coming from my own eyes.
Oooh... now is this a detail I missed, or your own elaboration?
Either
way, I like. :)
It's my understanding that all SOLDIERS are infused with Mako when they are
first accepted into the program. This is why, in the game, nobody doubts
Cloud's claim that he's an ex-SOLDIER -- because he has Mako eyes.
As if reading my mind, Sephiroth said, "The amount of Mako
exposure necessary to cause such severe mutation is far greater
than the minuscule amount to which we were exposed. Also, the
Mako we were give was specially treated and purified. So don't
worry, Zack," he said, and there was mild amusement on his face.
"We may be more resilient than normal, but you and I are fully
human."
*cough* Or not...
^_^
"Well, good," I said, grinning rakishly, to cover the relief
I felt at being so reassured. "Because I'd really hate to tell
my girlfriend that she was dating a monster."
...
Okay, I'm gonna leave THIS one alone. That's just TOO easy. :)
^_^;;;;;;;;;;;
[snip]
"That," said Sephiroth, reaching over to where our weapons
had slid in the collision, "is one of our monsters, if I'm not
mistaken." He retrieved Masamune, and I followed suit, grabbing
my Buster Sword. I took a quick moment to reach into my pocket
for my new Lightning Materia, and slip it into one of the empty
slots on the huge blade.
That's one thing I both liked and was confused by, in the game. Cool
looking weapons, to be sure... but howinhell d'ya carry around, let alone
_swing_, a sword that looks to weigh somewhere in the neighborhood of a
quarter-ton? :)
You just gotta be really really really really really really really really
incredibly strong. ^_^
[snip]
It was big -- at least the size of a house -- and green,
with great leathery wings and long, sharp claws, each one the
size of my Buster Sword. It looked at us, its eyes drawn by the
motion of the truck doors opening, then bared all 60 million of
Just a personal thing, here, but I'd really suggest spelling out
'sixty', instead of just writing the number. It'd flow easier.
Good point. I'll change it.
[snip]
Sephiroth held out his hand and cast Cure3 on the driver,
Ah... I know it's a FFVII fic and all, but I'd find a different way to
say this, were I you. Perhaps something as simple as "a third-level Cure
spell" or somesuch.
Another good point. Will fix.
[snip the torture scene]
Eeeeewwww.... okay, that's harsh. I have to admit, though, it's a
nice
touch. :)
Mwa-hah-hah-hah! ^_^
[snip]
my face was back to its regular hue. "I was thinking of maybe
borrowing a company car and going for a drive... outside of
Midgar. Maybe getting away from all this pollution and
darkness... get some fresh air and sunlight." I glanced over at
her. "I was thinking... maybe you'd like come along." I wanted
to see her in real sunlight, with the wind in her hair. I wanted
to see her amidst rolling green hills; see her face framed by
brilliant blue sky. That was where she belonged. Not this
miserable, filthy city.
Hmm... I seem to recall that the area surrounding Midgar was pretty
nasty in it's own right, though...
Well, once you get near the town of Kalm, it's not so bad, and in comparison
to Midgar, it's down-right pretty.
[snip]
"No," Aeris agreed, with a half smile. Then she closed her
eyes, as if pained. "Which also reminds me..." She looked at me
apologetically. "I should let you know, my mother really,
really... *dislikes* Shinra."
Oops. Dangit. Ain't that always the way? I mean, they're such a
respectable, honorable company, too... can't see why ANYBODY wouldn't like
them... ;)
Heh.
[snip]
I shrugged and grinned. "Just trying to keep up my
reputation as the sweetest guy on the Planet."
Arrgh... medic... must ... have... insulin!
What's a dark torture-fic without a little sappy romance thrown in for good
measure? ;)
~*~
Somewhere, far outside the confines of my mind, the
screaming finally stops.
And... I'm still sane, I think...
If you think that, you aren't.
;)
Right. ^_^
+++
To be continued.
YAAAY! :)
Well, I have to admit, I like this. A lot. I don't usually care for
FF* based fics, but this one has potential... and, of course, your
inimitable style. :)
Thanks. *^_^*
Speaking of which...
Obligatory Nag:
When are we gonna see more HoI, Perry-sama?!?
Plllleeeeeeezzee?
I'm working on it. Really. But these days, my muse seems to have a 10
minute attention span. She keeps flitting from fic to fic. But hey, at
least I'm writing *something,* right? ^_^;;;
Okay, now that that's done with... :)
Looking forward to more!
Thanks for the feedback! ^_^
-Krista