As Days Flew By

By
chocobotails & her partner

(Warning: This Fanfiction may contain spoilers of Final Fantasy VII)

~Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all related characters belong to Square-Enix. This fan fiction is firmly a non-profit piece of literature for the amusement of its audience. ~

Author's Note: This fan fiction was written by TWO authors. It's a collaborative piece created by myself and my writing partner (who wishes to remain nameless). I take only the credit for my portion of the work. This is a role-play fan fiction. (Role-play [RP] - the act of "becoming a character" with another partner through literature.) The main character is Zack Fair, played by my partner while I play Cloud Strife. The both of us mainly share all sub-characters.

Also, the x x x means a time skip. If you understand the Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core game, you should be able to piece the time-skips together.

Prologue

"Angeal!"

The name was blurted out almost indistinctly. Then the shatter of glass was heard, water following quickly behind. The almost thick, green liquid spread on the floor, shards of glass lined the tube from where the water had broken free. Among the debris laid a young man, most likely in his early to mid-twenties. His body was cloaked in a uniform; much like the one's worn from ShinRa's elite First Class SOLDIERS. His ebony spikes were matted and sodden, though as they began to absorb the air of the room, they started to flair upwards. He seemed to grip at the damp floor, his soaked, leather, black gloves almost making a squeaking sound as they firmly rubbed together when his hand formed a fist. The male groaned, getting to his feet rather warily, his legs feeling weak from not being in use for so long. He clung to the edge of a nearby table, his grip tense as he steadied himself. A profound exhale elapsed his lips before he studied his situation, taking in the scene of experimental tools and tables before him.

He grimaced at their sight, as if they caused a recollection in him that he did not wish to see. Rather leisurely, he let go of the table, continuously remembering to take concentrated breaths as he stood there to calm his shaken nerves. He swirled around on his heel, seeing the destroyed glass cylinder from which he had freed himself. Then his eyes grew wide and he walked to the tube beside it, pressing his hands against the glass. His eyes peered up inside at the individual trapped in the tube, a young fair-haired male floated lifelessly in the sea green fluid.

"Hang on...I'll get you out of there." The black haired man said a bit breathlessly, his fist pounding onto a push button on the controls near the experimental chamber. The green liquid now seemed to seep into an open vent at the base of the cylinder, and the youth's body began to shift in the water. Once the liquid had almost vanished, the door flung open, the tube seeming to discharge the blonde boy's body along with small puffs of smoke. The SOLDIER quickly grabbed the other, holding him in a taut embrace for a moment before setting him down near the experimental slab. "Cloud..." he muttered, crouching down, facing him to study the boy deftly. The man known as Cloud stayed soundless, his body did not stir at the call of his name, and this made the other man shake his head in discontent. He lifted the other's head with nimble fingers, seeing that Cloud's eyes had in fact opened, only to reveal vacant sapphire-bottle green hues. The spiky, black-haired male frowned, muttering abstractedly, "Mako Poisoning..." before standing up gradually.

He sighed thickly, running his hands through his mane as a motion to unwind himself. Then he lifted the flaxen male off the ground and slung the boy's arm around his shoulder. "Were getting out of here Cloud... Are you ready?" The boy's head drooped and the other smiled to some extent, taking that as a 'Yes', he began to march with some difficulty out of the experimental room.

x x x

"God damn it! I've been through enough Shinra shit! Can't they just leave us alone!" The black-haired male shouted crossly as the Shinra grunts opened fire on him and the still-unresponsive Cloud. The now "Ex-SOLDIER" pulled his sword from his back, glaring at the grunts before him. "Look. I'll give you guys one more chance to back the fuck off!" His cerulean optics narrowed, and his stance grew dangerous and threatening. Some grunts took his word and fled; others stayed their ground and pointed their artillery towards the man. The midnight haired man shook his head before commenting, "You guys...really should have followed them..." His remark was directed straight towards the rest of the grunts, some now, with terror written on their faces. The Ex-SOLDIER raised his sword and charged for the grunts. The next moment was a complete blur.

x x x

"Okay...half way there now..." The male panted, grinning at his own words. His eyes flashed to the male beside him as he carried him along. "...what do you think of staying at Gongaga...hmm?" Cloud of course, did not answer back, though as he carried the ex-cadet, the pointed-haired man pretended he had. "...Yeah...ma and pa...they'd love to meet you...I'm sure...you'd like 'em too...if you weren't well...sick."

He shrugged his shoulder when Cloud began to slip from his arms, making the blonde's inert body move closer on Zack. "...I'll show you so much there Cloud...You'll love it. Especially the beach... It's great this time of yea-" He paused, halting his steps entirely before looking down contemplatively. "Wait...what time of year is it, anyway? How...long were we in Nibelheim...? It couldn't have been long, right?" He bit the bottom of his lip, his indigo eyes filling with a sudden mystification and apprehension at the reflection. "Right?" He repeated before he shook it off, his fret and uncertainty replaced with a sudden fortitude. "Let's just... keep moving..." He said simply as he began his sluggish march on the hillside between Nibelheim and Gongaga.

x x x

"Cissnei! Leave us alone." The man said brutally as he stood in front of Cloud. The wavy redhead opposite him had a wearisome expression on her fair face. Cissnei's features seemed flooded with sympathy and hurt. "Is he..."

Her eyes focused on Cloud, the male's eyes also shifting to look behind his shoulder before commenting in a deadly monotone voice, "Mako Poisoning." His words were rigid and clung to the cold-ness in the forest air. She shook her head before pulling out her phone, instantly causing him to become defensive. "What are yo-" His words froze the instant she lifted her hand.

"They're not here, Tseng. I think they traveled near the coast; they are going to head straight to Midgar, skipping over Gongaga. He won't ever think to go there and put his parents in harm's way." There was a long silence and the tension grew in the ex-SOLDIER as he waited for the call to end. Finally, she smiled and answered, "Yes. I'm sure of it. Zack has a girlfriend in Midgar he would want to see. Not only that... but he'd probably want to give you guys at ShinRa a piece of his mind." She laughed flippantly, her eyes instantly averting to the man before her, who seemed dumb-founded at that very moment. Hearing another chuckle off the other end of the phone, she closed it gingerly, turning to face the man still holding a sword to her.

"Why...?" The male lowered his weapon, his lips unable to find words to respond to what he had just saw. Before he could think of anything, she spoke, her words mellifluous and affable, "Because... at one time or another... we were friends, Zack and even if it's my job to take you in..." She paused for a moment of thought before continuing. "...it's also the job of a friend to watch out for each other... Seems like a better job." She smiled before stepping back a little. "Go to Gongaga Zack... and don't you ever think of stepping foot in Midgar... Or, at least...until this all blows over."

The man named Zack before her now put his sword onto his back, lowering his armed-alert finally. "Cissnei..." He mumbled in a grateful voice. She gave a saddened look, almost as if she was going to cry. Then, rather surprisingly to Zack, she tossed a set of keys his way.

"Take it." She pointed in the direction of a rather shiny new ShinRa motorcycle with; fortunately, a second person compartment. Zack looked down at the keys in his hand sentimentally before his eyes rose to her, and he gave her one of his authentic smiles. She looked at him, tears clinging to her cheeks. "Go now!" she demanded, watching Zack give a dutiful nod before he picked Cloud up and ran towards the bike.

It was only seconds later she heard the thunderous roar of the engine as the bike came to life. Then she watched, with heartrending eyes as the vision of Zack Fair faded into the distance. "Goodbye Zack... may we never see each other again."

x x x

The bike slid to a stop easily on the dirt road, sending small rocks and an entire dust cloud in the air. The engine died and the ex-SOLDIER got off noiselessly, his eyes at once peering into the settlement ahead.

There it was, his modest hometown of Gongaga.

It was almost the same way he had left it, though he could effortlessly tell there were additional buildings added in the township, and in all probability new townsfolk as well.

Zack looked over at Cloud sitting in the add-on seat of the motorbike. "What do you think, Cloud? This is gonna be our new home from now on. You and me together, how does that sound?" He strolled over to where Cloud was sitting, crouching down to give him a doggish smile. "You'll like it, Cloudy. I just know you will." His voice seemed keyed up now, the obligation and troubles all falling off his shoulders.

Zack stood, bending over Cloud before delicately picking him up bridal-style in his arms. He then gently set Cloud onto the ground, holding up his index finger for a moment. "Hold on a sec." The raven haired man now ran to the handlebars of the motorcycle, pushing on them at full-force. Surprisingly, the bike began to move. It shocked Zack, considering how arduously heavy the bike looked. He could not help but speculate now: What exactly did Shinra do to him other than mako exposure? Seemed like there had to be more to it than that, at least to him.

Finally, he reached a patch of foliage, shoving the motorcycle into the nadir of it, hiding any perceptible spots from scrutiny using the brushwood and vegetation around him. After a couple minutes, he stood back; slapping his leather-gloved hands mutually before smiling proudly, as if he was admiring his toil. He trotted back over to Cloud, picking the fair-haired young man up with no difficulty, sliding him with care over his shoulder. "Okay Cloud, I hope my parents won't freak out too much when they see us." Zack then carried on, holding Cloud delicately on his shoulder as he crossed the threshold of the village he once called home.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Authors Note: A small Prologue I know, I worked on it really fast so I could get my partner involved in the story quicker. Just wanted to sum up main points, I'll begin posting chapters soon, got alot of proofreading and corrections to do.