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icedark_elf ([personal profile] icedark_elf) wrote2010-06-28 03:18 pm

Fic: Interconnected 7/10(TenSet 04/09-Touch)

Title: Touch
Author: GW Katrina aka [insanejournal.com profile] icedark_elf
Beta: [insanejournal.com profile] skeren
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Claim: Zack Fair
Themeset/Prompt: Ten Set 04, 09-Touch for [insanejournal.com profile] story_arc
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 1,252
Link to Archive Post: Interconnected



It was a nice day out, and Zack had dragged Cloud out to enjoy it.

Things had finally settled in the house, and as Zack had gotten more strength back, he had gotten more restless. Which lead to him and Cloud working outside together. At first, it had been with the birds, keeping them active and healthy. Then they slowly worked up to sparring with one another.

It was light touch sparring, of course. Zack wasn’t up to anything too fast or too hard yet, but he and Cloud could do this, light, slow sparring, working their way up to full strength. Zack was recovering faster than anyone had expected, but he still tired easily.

At the moment, what Zack and Cloud were doing was more like a game of tag than anything. For all that Zack wasn’t up to full speed, he was still damn quick, and Cloud had to do some twisting in order to avoid being poked with a hard finger. Zack just chuckled. “Getting slow, Spike.”

“It’s not my fault that....” He trailed off, and both men stopped their spar, heads turning to listen. Cloud knew he had heard something....

There was a cry, and something leapt from a nearby tree to land on Zack, who yelped, staggering and almost falling. Moving to help, Cloud paused when he realized it was a person. A person he -knew-.

“Yuffie?”

She didn’t answer him, too busy growling and thumping Zack on the head as the man yelped, and tried to toss her off. Not sure what was going on, or even what he was supposed to be doing here, Cloud just sort of stood there for a moment before moving to try to pry her off of Zack. About that point an time, though, Zack managed to get her into a headlock, panting a bit. “Brat, what was that about?”

Yuffie just huffed at him, glaring at him as she tried to get out of the headlock. “I’m gonna strangle you when you let go.”

“I guess you are still mad at me, then?”

“And I don’t think you will strangle him, Yuffie.” Cloud turned, seeing Zack’s mom on the porch, who was just looking at them, a brow quirked. “Zack, let your cousin go. She knows better than to jump on people like that, true, but holding her just keeps her close to you.”

With a mutter, Zack contemplated it. “I will if she promises to not damage me anymore. She hits a lot harder than she used to. Baby cousin got stronger.” A teasing tone, but he didn’t let her go, just looked down at her.

With a muffled curse, Yuffie tried to struggle free, and Cloud saw her freeze when Jerusha continued from on the porch. “Yuffie, dear, did you know that Vincent was your uncle?” Calm tone, though there was a definite undertone of ‘you did something wrong’ that even Cloud could pick up. Nor was he the only one, given the way that both Yuffie and Zack both went still. Nice to see that some things were universal, and that tone was one of them.

Yuffie fidgeted, “Maybe?” She was looking anywhere besides the woman on the porch, and Cloud had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Sitting beside Jerusha was Vincent, who had the most horrified look on his face that Cloud had ever seen. His friend didn’t seem to know what to do with this new news over his family. Though it did make sense, in a twisted way. Godo was a ninja himself, and who else would he prefer but fighters? And if there was anyone as bouncy as Zack, Cloud had to admit, it was Yuffie.

Finally, Zack did let go, ruffling up Yuffie’s hair as he did, grinning faintly. Though he looked tired again. “Sorry, Spike. I think we’re going to have to continue this later. I’m going to sit down for now.”

Concerned, he watched Zack walk to the porch where Jerusha began to fuss over him a bit, making him sit down and pressing a glass of juice into his hands. Though the more he studied Zack, the more Cloud noticed that it wasn’t that the man was hurting. Just tired. Which was understandable, and made him relax a little.

“What’s wrong with him?” This was a low little murmur from Yuffie, who had moved to stand beside Cloud. Absently keeping track of her hands, just in case, though she hadn’t really stolen materia from him in a while, Cloud watched Zack a few more moments, then looked to her.

“It’s been just over a....” he paused a moment to figure the time, “a month since they found him. No idea of how long that lab had been abandoned, and how long he had just been surviving off of the mako. He’s alive, but he’s still recovering.” Cloud looked at his friend again, who was chatting with his mom and uncle. “We’re working on building up his endurance again, but it’s been slow going. Though the doctor said the rate of recovery was amazing. Zack was building up muscle mass and weight in general pretty well when we left. Just got to get him fully recovered.” He gave her a -look.- “Which means no jumping on his head until he’s ready for it.”

Yuffie just rolled her eyes at him, and watched the people on the porch as well. “You know, I think that Aunt Rusha is going to be kinda mad at me for a while. Since I never mentioned that Vinny was my uncle.” A glance to Cloud. “Not that I was positive, you know. I always figured that he was dead, and I didn’t have as many stories as Zack did over him. Mom never talked much about him, and the war was always going on, so it wasn’t as much a priority. Though I knew when Zack went missing.” A scowl from her as she glanced at Cloud. “I was looking for him when I ran into you guys.”

Which would explain why Yuffie was so far east of her home. Cloud had always wondered. “And Zack joined trying to find out about Vincent.”

“I was so mad at him. Didn’t he know that they were fighting my people? Aunt Rusha’s people? Then he just went and joined them. And fought us. I know he was in some of the battles.” There was pain there, and Cloud didn’t think he could help her with that at all. Only time could do that, and talking to Zack. Hopefully, they’d be able to work things out.

“Still can’t believe you and Vincent are related.”

Yuffie laughed at that. “I know. I wonder if he used to be more friendly before. In any case....” She trotted up onto the porch, and popped Zack on the arm with a punch. Grinning, she sat down on the railing, and started chatting with them.

For a moment, Cloud felt very much the outsider. He was the only one in this place who wasn’t related somehow, and he wondered if he really shouldn’t leave.

Then he noticed that Zack was glancing at him, a faint smile on his face. It was one of his regular checks, always making sure of his people.

Zack needed him, for, if nothing else, moral support.

With a faint smile, Cloud went to join them on the porch, already ready to tease Vincent about being related to the most unlikely of people.

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