Life Long Forgotten - Zack

You...You'll be... my living legacy.

Slowly brilliant blue eyes rimmed in green blinked open, their glowing depth brightening in an attempt to combat the darkness in his room.

His room... It was strange, being able to actually think that term once more, and have it actually mean something more than a vague memory. 'What am I doing here though...' A frown pulled at his lips, eyes sweeping around the darkened room. He had been in the lifestream watching spike as he about blew everything, and the next thing he knew he was feeling pain for the first time since his death, and then seeing Angeal above him, feeling the warmth rolling off his body.

How... how had he gotten here?

He was not supposed to be here as well, Aerith didn't have the power to send him back, so...how?

Lifting a hand, he made a soft humming noise, feeling once more the sensation of having a physical body. Was strange and honestly, kind of creeped him out after having spent how many hundreds of years as nothing more than a spector.

"And to think, Sephiroth is terrified of ghost.."

Oh they had a hell of a laugh when Sephiroth first learned how to bend the lifestream to his will to allow him to pop up onto earth to visit Genesis. Genesis had about had a heart attack, but once he found out what was going on he had made the crack that Sephiroth while afraid of ghost was now one himself. They had not let the man live it down the entire time in the life stream.

Hearing heavy footfalls outside in what he knew to be the apartment, he turned his head slightly simply listening to sounds that had once been so familiar. 'Angeal...'

Rolling onto his side he simply looked at the door that led out into what he knew to be the main living room of their joint apartment. No doubt the hulk of a man was pacing back and forth, that natural mother chocobo instinct having kicked up in the man.

Tears started to burn in his eyes, remembering the dark day he had been forced to take his second fathers life.

Brushing them away he slowly sat up, determination filling his very blood. No... If Spike was sent back to fix the past, he was damn well making sure Angeal didn't follow down the same path. The man was the world to him, there was no possible way he would survive his death a second time.

Aerith had been the only one to help him through... Aerith... She wouldn't be back. She would have been far too weak, even if she could bring herself back as well. 'Just means I need to take a swan dive through that grate again!' THAT was going to be fun...NOT!

Now came the hard part, while he wanted nothing more than to burst out of the room screaming Angeal's name and hugging the man till he was on death's door once more, he knew Angeal would know he was different. It was an unconscious change after his death, but even Zack had realized it in himself that he had matured over night. What was he like again before his death? Oh yeah, a bubbly, slightly air headed six foot puppy that was ignorant of the workings of Shinra and the world, with huge idealistic dreams. The same dreams that had spurred a little blond chocobo to join in the hopes of becoming a hero like Sephiroth.

Cloud... the tiny little infantryman that had managed the unthinkable. He had become even more powerful than Sephiroth.

Memories of his current life flitted across his mind's eyes, just hours ago said little cadet had thrown Sephiroth. Chuckling softly he buried his face in his pillow a wet spot starting to appear on it, the chuckle turning into a quiet sob. So many different memories and emotions were hitting him, this was the only way he knew how to let them out.

He almost missed the sound of the vent above his bed popping open, and the lighter weight settling down on the bed. "Zack..." Slowly Zack lifted his head, that Zack had been nearly identical in sound to the one uttered so many years ago on the cliff face outside Midgar. Looking up, the vision in front of him flashed for a second before it came back into focus on brilliant blue eyes rimmed in green, and unbelievably spiky blond hair.

A small smile crossed his lips reaching up fluffing the already spiky hair. "Hey Spike..." He watched as one of the first bright smiles in so long crossed Cloud's face, second before he was chocobo glomped.

Laughing softly he wrapped his arms around the young boy, feeling the soft shaking through the corded muscles of his back. Closing his eyes, Zack tightened his grip pulling Cloud closer. He would not let Cloud take this all on to his shoulders alone, he would be there to help take the weight of this burden.

Feeling a sharp pain in his side he yipped very much like his puppy namesake and looked down seeing those blue eyes glaring at him. "What did I do?!" He kept his voice down hearing the footsteps in the livingroom stop.

The little chocobo continued to glare at him, " a closet Zack...really."

"Hey!... It was funny.." Zack jerked again at the growl and the sharp pinch to his side. "Hey it was Aerith idea not mine...ow okay it was my idea...Cloud!" The last part came out as a puppy whine. He jumped off the bed trying desperately to get away from those pinching fingers.

"Zack, did you enjoy the life stream?"

Feeling a trap Zack looked up to his friend, trying to give him the best puppy eyes he could. "It was alright..."

"Good.. cause I'm sending you back!"

Yipping Zack bolted from the room, an irate chocobo behind him. Both charged past a very startled Angeal, he didn't know the two were awake, let alone see Cloud enter Zack's room.

Leaping over the couch Zack found himself in a standoff with the angry chocobo across from him. "Come on Cloud, you have to admit it's funny, you can now tell Tseng you came out of the closet... OH SHIT!" Zack barely managed to dodge Cloud's lunge for him.

He had barely made it a few feet around the couch before his weapons harness was grabbed by a very familiar strong grip. Swallowing he turned big puppy eyes up to his mentor, though almost instantly realized his mistake as Angeal's eyes went wide seeing the first class green ring.

"You're kidding..."

Tseng sighed moving back to his desk, sitting back in his chair. Now he remembered why he had been so stressed out all the time, already he was missing their quiet life in the village.

"I wish I was, that was the first thing Vincent did upon waking up in the past. She wasn't in the reactor, which supports the theory that Hojo moved here there prior to Nibelheim."

Cursing Genesis started to pace in front of the large desk, his boots muffled by the thick carpet. He absently noted that he needed to have a talk with Lazard about getting carpet put into their offices.

"This throws a monkey wrench into everything..." Hojo was one of the most paranoid fucks on the planet, even by the time Cloud reached the village, they were still trying to decipher some of Hojo's files. They were so heavily encrypted that even Reno who was a master hacker had extreme difficulty decoding them. The files pertaining to Project 'S' and Jenova were some of the most heavily encrypted, now that the bastard was alive again...meant it was going to be even harder for them to track down Jenova.

Rubbing his temples Tseng looked up at Genesis, knowing he was probably going to get a fireball thrown at him. "If we can't unlock where she is, our only option may be to allow the events follow their previous course."

Genesis froze mid step, furious pale blue eyes snapping to calm amber. "Do you care to repeat that Turk..." Eyes narrowing Tseng stood up and moved to stand in front of Genesis, being naturally a good several inches taller than the man. "So we're going to start this again, Commander." His voice was dripping with venom.

Hearing that voice was like a bucket of ice water being thrown no his temper. Flushing at what he had done Genesis turned away, looking sheepish. "Sorry Tseng..." Nodding slightly, Tseng moved back to his desk sitting on the edge, arms folded over his chest. "I know it's not something you want to hear, but remember history has already changed simply by our mere presence here. Sephiroth didn't have Vincent the last time, now they are sitting in Veld's office..talking I hope. That is already in a step towards keeping him grounded, we also have approx two years until Nibel is due to take place, that will give us time to ground him more." Tseng ran his fingers over the smooth surface of the desk. "Besides, without your desertion from SOLDIER, he has no reason to investigate your and Angeal's disappearance, meaning he won't discovered Hollanders files about project 'G'. Without that discovery he won't dig farther into the circumstances of his own birth..."

Genesis glowered at the Turk, he really hated how bloody smart that man was at times. He hadn't even thought of that yet, but it seemed the man had already come up with a complete plan.

"The only fatal flaw, is what spurred Hojo to act when he did. Zack informed us that Sephiroth was planning on deserting Shinra, he had hit the breaking point with them hiding information about you two..."

"Without Sephiroth's desire to leave..."

"Hojo wouldn't have a reason to act yet, he wouldn't move Jenova to the Nibelheim reactor, leaving her wherever she is hidden."

Sighing softly Genesis fell into one of the leather chairs before Tseng's desk, gloved fingers rubbing at a headache that was quickly building behind his eyes. "Well..." Another deep sigh and he carded his hands through his hair. "We have two years to figure out where the alien bitch is... that also gives us two years to figure everything out."

"Hey Genesis! You ever coming out?"

Hearing Sephiroth on the other side both men sent each other knowing looks. Sephiroth never shouted through the door, he would come in with or without knocking.

Moving over to the big filing cabinet against the far wall, Tseng pulled out two super soakers and threw one to Genesis. "Alright Seph, just give me a minute to get my pants back on." Genesis quickly ducked a swat for his head. Looking over he made a kissy face, this being an old game between the two of them.

Tseng glared darkly, pointing to the super soaker and pointing to Genesis. Oh Genesis was sure the Turk would get him at some point, Tseng never made idle threats.

Leaning against the door jam, Tseng placed a hand on the door knob and silently counted to three and threw the door open.

AN: I foresee a very wet Crimson commander in the next chapter XD Poor puppy, the mamaboo has seen his eyes...This isn't going to end well for the puppy.

So review people, I'll try and get some more chapters done... As to the reader of Donum Deae.. progress! I have half a page written XD I think I might make this chapter really short just to get it out of the way because of just how badly it's fighting me.. we'll see.. so please be patient.. I am working on the other stories slowly. Sariento Kage is going through a complete re-write and one chapter is done, but i want the next two done before i switch it over.. so watch for that one to update. Snowday is also fighting me... *sigh*