Lost and Found

“Lost and Found”
Chapter 4: Abduction
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(Warning: Possible spoilers for all FF7 game/movie titles)
*Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all related characters belong to Square-Enix. This fiction piece is strictly a non-profit exercise of creativity and entertainment for people (like me) who can’t get enough of this world and the characters.*
~***********************************************~

“Aerith, you should eat,” Tifa prompted when they were brought another meal later that evening. “You haven’t had any food in over a day!”

Aerith’s stomach complained as she gazed down at the casserole on the plate she held. She was really hungry, but this meal was poisoned like the last one. Looking around to be sure none of the guards were nearby, the Cetra leaned closer to her friend and told her what Scarlet was trying to do to her.

“Are you sure?” Tifa gasped. She certainly wouldn’t put it past the sadistic woman to try it but she wondered how Aerith could have detected the poison. She looked suspiciously at her own plate.

“I’m sure,” Aerith informed her with a confident nod. “Don’t worry, I’ve checked out everyone’s food and mine is the only one that’s poisoned. I think Scarlet’s jealous of me.”

A few feet away, Cloud and the others were exchanging ideas of escape in low whispers and they stopped when they overheard Aerith and Tifa’s conversation. Cloud swallowed the bite of food he’d taken and approached, with the other men following behind. “Scarlet’s trying to poison you?”

Aerith nodded. “I can see the taint,” she tried to explain. “It’s in my water, too.”

They exchanged looks between them, each of them frowning with anger. Reno considered the plate in the Cetra’s hand and a slow grin spread over his face. “Well, let’s not disappoint the bitch, yo.”

“Excuse me?” Tifa blurted with wide eyes.

“She doesn’t have to know her plan isn’t working,” Reno shrugged. “We can stash Aerith’s food somewhere for evidence and share ours with her so she doesn’t go hungry. When Soldier Boy comes back and finds his girl lying on the floor ‘dying’, he’s gonna ask questions, right? I’m betting he likes her enough to be upset when he finds out, even if he can’t remember why.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Cloud admitted thoughtfully, his blue gaze on Aerith.

“If he cares for her at all, it could give us the edge we need to escape,” Tifa agreed. She’d seen the look Zack gave Aerith that morning, before he’d left. There was more in that look than sexual interest, she was sure of it.

“So we hide the food and drink and I pretend to get sick?” Aerith summarized.

“If you don’t start showing some symptoms, Scarlet’s going to get suspicious,” Rude said with a nod. “It’ll at least buy us some time.”

“Here, girl,” Barret said as he took Aerith’s plate and handed his over in exchange. “Eat some of mine while I find somewhere to hide yours.”

“I don’t want to take away food from you guys,” she protested.

“You aren’t,” Cloud said with a shrug. “If we all share a little nobody’s going to go hungry.”

Aerith smiled at him and the others, touched by their efforts. “Okay,” she said as she forked up a bite. “I’ll try not to pig out.”

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

Zack returned with his men a couple of hours after dinner was served. He got out of his vehicle and entered the fort, with his rebel fighters following behind. In his left hand, he held a white lily that he’d spotted outside the hydro plant they’d struck. He wasn’t sure what instinct made him pick it and he felt a blush threaten to surface as the guards looked at the flower curiously. He didn’t owe them any explanations so he walked past without a word and went straight to his room. Once there, he filled a glass with water and placed the flower in it. He took a bath and as he was changing clothes, someone knocked on his door.

“It’s open,” Zack called. He began to towel dry his hair and he looked up as one of Scarlet’s men came in. “What do you need?”

“I think you should come down to the cellar where the prisoners are, Sir,” explained the rebel, “That girl you’ve taken a liking to is sick or something.”

Zack frowned. “How sick?”

The man shook his head. “I’m not sure, Sir. She’s laying on the floor and she’s shaking.”

Zack wasted no time. He tossed his towel aside and exited his room in a hurry. He came across Scarlet on the way and she followed him. “Such a shame,” she said with false concern, “it looks like the little dear is more fragile than I thought.”

Zack scowled at her and didn’t answer. He climbed down the ladder with Scarlet following close behind and he spotted Aerith near the back of the cellar, with her head pillowed in Tifa’s lap. He pushed his way through the other prisoners and knelt before the girl, reaching out to touch her face. Her skin was clammy and her lips were too pale. Tifa and her friends glared accusingly at him and he returned their gazes and clenched his jaw grimly.

“When did this start?” He demanded. “She was fine when I left this morning.”

“It started after lunch,” Cloud offered, “and she’s been getting worse all day.”

Zack considered the information and looked around suspiciously. “Could be food poisoning,” he murmured—having no idea how close to the mark he was. “Has anyone else been sick?”

Barret shook his head. “Just our girl Aerith,” he rumbled. He gave Cloud a questioning look and the blonde mutely shook his head in a subtle gesture. Scarlet was standing right there so trying to tell Zack about what she’d tried to do was a bad idea, right now. What was frightening was how convincing Aerith was being. She’d somehow made her own body temperature drop and her shivers were likely genuine.

Zack began to gather Aerith into his arms and he looked at Tifa’s frowning visage and sighed. “I’m going to take care of her,” he explained. “A warm bed will do her a lot more good than a dirty cellar floor, sweet cheeks.”

Tifa reluctantly relinquished her friend to his care, reminding herself that Zack was unlikely to hurt Aerith and if the two of them were alone together, it would provide a chance for Aerith to tell him about Scarlet’s plotting. Zack picked up the Cetra bride-style and she weakly put her arms around his neck as he lifted her.

Zack glanced at Scarlet as he started for the ladder. She looked inappropriately pleased with Aerith’s plight, but given her malicious nature and jealousy toward other females, that wasn’t very surprising to him. “I’m taking her to my room,” he informed the blonde. “I’ll meet you in the main lounge to give you a report after I get her settled in.”

“As you wish,” answered Scarlet lightly.

Zack gently lowered Aerith to her feet at the ladder and instructed her to grab hold and start climbing. “I’ll help you,” he told her when her hands trembled with effort. He pressed against her from behind and climbed with her, bracing her and helping her along. Once they reached the upper floor, he picked her up again and carried her to his room.

One of the guards saluted Zack respectfully and opened his bedroom door for him. Zack paused at the threshold and regarded the man. “I’m locking my room when I leave,” he informed him. “Nobody gets in or out without my permission. If the lady needs anything, you come get me. Understand?”

“Yes, Lieutenant,” answered the guard with a nod. He closed the door behind Zack as he walked into the room.

Zack carried Aerith over to his bed and eased her down on it. He removed her boots and covered her up, pausing to put his palm to her forehead and check her temperature. “I’ll have a medic sent to look you over after I come back,” he told her. “Just try to get some sleep.”

She nodded amicably and her eyes caught sight of something beyond his shoulder. “What’s that on the nightstand?”

Zack turned and grimaced. “Uh…just a flower. I picked it before we came back from the mission.”

She gave him a sweet little smile that made his heart clench. “Why?”

He shrugged uncomfortably and lowered his gaze. “I dunno. I just figured a girl like you probably likes flowers.” In fact, it had been a gut certainty but he wasn’t about to tell her that. It might encourage her to keep trying to make him swallow her weird story.

“It’s very pretty,” Aerith agreed. “Thank you, Zack.”

“Don’t mention it,” he answered softly. He stood up to go but she caught his hand.

“Zack?”

“I won’t be gone long,” he assured her, mistaking her gesture. “Just rest.”

“I need to tell you something,” she insisted. “There’s something going on that—“

He leaned over and kissed her, interrupting her. “Later,” he said in a firm yet soft tone. He gave her a wink and stood up. “Whatever it is, it can wait.”

Aerith sighed and closed her eyes, not arguing with him further. As he left the room, she went into a meditative trance to regulate her body temperature back to normal. Now that she would have him alone, the deception wasn’t necessary. She could only hope he’d believe her when she told him the truth.

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

Zack finished going over the reports with Scarlet and he ordered a meal to be brought to his room before returning to check on Aerith. She appeared to be resting when he entered and he stopped at the bedside and gazed down at her. The color had returned to her cheeks and lips and she was no longer shivering. With a puzzled frown, Zack placed a hand over her forehead to see if she’d gone from clammy to feverish. Her body temperature felt normal to him.

Oak-green eyes opened to regard him and the shapely lips pulled into a little smile. “Hello.”

“Hello, yourself,” Zack said. He sat on the edge of the bed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Looks like you’ve made a pretty drastic recovery. Here I was worried you might have something serious, too.”

“It would have been serious,” agreed Aerith, “If I’d eaten the food Scarlet sent me.”

His dark brows furrowed. “What are you getting at?” He had a sinking feeling he knew where this was going.

“Scarlet tried to poison me,” Aerith explained. “I tried to tell you before you left but you wouldn’t let me get a word in edge-wise.”

“She poisoned you and you just shrugged it off in a half an hour?” Zack smirked. “Somehow I’m having trouble buying it.”

“I said she tried to poison me, you hard-headed…ugh!” Aerith sat up and caught hold of both his hands. “I staged my condition. I know how to alter my body chemistry a little and I purposely dropped it a few degrees so she’d think it was working. My friends shared their meal with me when they found out she was trying to poison me.”

Zack’s mouth curved with amusement. “Hard-headed, eh? You’ve got some spunk, Sweetheart…I’ll give you that.”

“Just go to the cellar and see for yourself,” Aerith persisted, her jade eyes pleading on him. “We hid the last meal she sent. Do you have ways to detect poison?”

“I’m the Lieutenant in a resistance group,” Zack said dryly, “You bet your sweet ass I’ve got ways of detecting poison.”

She sighed and nodded, her tension dropping as he became less doubtful. “I know you think she’s your ally, but is it really hard to believe Scarlet would do something like this to someone she sees as a rival?”

“A rival?” Zack repeated. He clamped his mouth shut a second after saying it. Yes…a rival. Scarlet always treated female prisoners worse than males and she’d already made it abundantly clear that she wanted to get down Zack’s pants.

“Okay,” Zack murmured, “I’ll go check it out...after I eat some dinner myself.”

She nodded, having no argument against that. There was a knock at the door and Zack answered it and took the plate and drink from the fighter that brought it. He nodded curtly to him before shutting the door. Aerith scooted over to give him some room as he set his glass of water on the nightstand and started eating.

Zack paused after swallowing a bite and he glanced at Aerith. “Did you get enough to eat?”

She shrugged. “I’m okay, thanks.”

Evidently the answer wasn’t enough to satisfy him and he held the next forkful out to her, holding the plate under it to catch any bits that fell off. Aerith tried to shake her head but he raised his eyebrows at her, his gaze saying he wasn’t going to stop until she’d eaten some.

With a little sigh, Aerith allowed him to feed her the mouthful of casserole. Truthfully, she didn’t like casseroles. This one was tuna and the only thing that redeemed it for her was the cheese melted through it. As she chewed the portion, Zack gave her one of those smiles that made her tingle all over. He forked up another bite for himself and offered her a drink of his water. She took the glass with a thankful nod and drank a few swallows before handing it back to him. He fed her another mouthful and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Bullheaded. Zack was just plain bullheaded and nothing was ever going to change that. It was kind of sweet though, the way he was sharing his dinner with her.

~Do you try to be romantic or is it just in your nature?~ Aerith silently wondered as she swallowed another bite.

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

Zack escorted Aerith to the bathroom after dinner and once she relieved herself, he brought her back to his room and locked her in while he went downstairs to check on her story. Her friends looked up at him warily as he went into the cellar and approached them.

“Aerith said you guys have something for me?” He said it softly and meaningfully.

They exchanged looks and Reno went to the corner of the room, reaching between a couple of old storage barrels to pull out a plate of drying food. Zack walked over to him and knelt down, producing a little plastic baggie he’d brought with him.

“Scrape a little off in here,” whispered the lieutenant as he held the bag open.

Reno nodded, for once keeping his mouth shut as he moved to comply with the suggestion. After he scooped three hefty forkfuls of the casserole into the open bag, Zack sealed it and slipped it into his cargo pants. Thankfully, the guards weren’t very concerned with what their superior did, so they paid no attention to his actions. Zack straightened up and studied Cloud for a moment before leaving.

“Aerith’s going to be fine,” he shot over his shoulder as he reached the ladder. It bothered him…every time he looked at Cloud the blonde seemed more familiar to him. The others did too but Aerith and Cloud gave the most powerful sense of familiarity, for some reason.

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

“I want you to keep this under your hat,” Zack told his chemist as the man began to test a portion of the food. “If this is poisoned and word gets out before I can investigate, I might not catch the culprit.” He’d told a little fib and said that it was his food he suspected of poisoning, to deter the man from asking too many questions. He made sure not to implicate Scarlet. He couldn’t say what he was going to do if he found out Aerith was right. Right now, he just wanted to know the truth.

“I won’t say a word,” promised the chemist absently. “I’m glad you came to me instead of eating it, first.”

Zack shrugged. “Can’t be too careful. After the last time I don’t take chances if the food smells a little off.”

The chemist nodded and finished mixing the compound with the food. He sat back and the two of them waited silently for a chemical reaction that would occur with most poisons. After about five minutes, smoke began to curl up from the food and there was a crackling sound as the chemicals had a cooking effect on it.

“Well there’s your answer, Sir,” the chemist said with a wave at the sample. “It’s been poisoned, all right. Do you want me to try and identify what kind it is?”

Zack’s hands clenched into fists and he shook his head. “That’s not important. I got my answer and now I’m going to start investigating. Remember to keep it to yourself.” With that said, he left to take care of a few things before acting on the decision he made.

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

Zack looked very unhappy when he returned to his room. Aerith looked up at him as he approached and for a horrible moment, she illogically feared he was going to strike her. “Well?” she dared to ask, wincing at the cold anger in his eyes.

“Get your boots on,” Zack said.

Aerith slowly complied, wondering what he was thinking. When she finished getting the boots on she stood up, searching his eyes for clues. “What are you going to do?”

He stared at her wordlessly for a moment before brushing a stray lock of hair away from his eye. “You’ll see.”

She didn’t like his answer, not one bit.

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

“You five, come with me.” Zack motioned to Cloud and his group, his tone stern and unbending. They looked at each other and complied, having no other real option. Had Aerith gotten through to him? Was he going to help them? Going by his current stony expression, it seemed unlikely. The guards flanked them as they climbed up the ladder behind Zack and Aerith was on the next floor, waiting with a nervous expression on her face.

“I need five men to come with me,” Zack said to one of the guards. “And get the prisoners’ belongings.”

“Sir?” the guerilla asked nervously, his face confused.

“We’re going to bury these prisoners out in the fields,” Zack said shortly. “I’m washing my hands of them. I’ve already got a couple of transports ready and I’m not in the mood to wait.”

Aerith went pale and Cloud quickly caught her around the waist as he legs threatened to give out on her. Tifa was staring at Zack with disbelief and her dark eyes were stunned and fearful. Barret sputtered a curse and Reno started cussing like a sailor. Rude held his partner back as the redhead made a move toward Zack.

“I’ll make it quick,” Zack promised them. “Unless you give me trouble.”

“How could you do this?” Cloud asked in a rough, tight voice. “You could at least let the women go!”

Zack didn’t budge. “Sorry, can’t do that.”

All of them were too stunned to put up much resistance as they were cuffed and herded out of the fort. To die in a fight or be executed by an enemy was one thing. To die at the hands of a friend was quite another.

Scarlet watched them go and she didn’t try to contain her smile. She’d been worried when the Cetra bitch miraculously recovered from the poisoning but it seemed Zack wasn’t falling for her charms, after all.

“That’s my boy,” Scarlet whispered, relaxing a bit.

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

They were loaded into a transport vehicle and the men that were coming with Zack boarded the other one he’d picked out to follow him. One of them suggested it might be wise for a couple of them to ride in the lieutenant’s vehicle with him in case the prisoners got out of line, but he waved it off.

“If they try anything I’ll kill one of the women,” he said coolly. He saw Cloud shut his eyes and he knew his words were taken seriously. “It’ll be fine, just follow behind me so we can get this over with.”

The fighter saluted him and joined his fellows in the second vehicle while Zack climbed into the driver’s side of his own. He adjusted his mirrors and ignored the please and threats shouted at him by his prisoners in the back. He reached down under the seat covertly and withdrew the remote he’d stashed there, pressing his lips together grimly as he set it on the seat beside him. The vehicle lurched into motion as he put it in gear and he drove out of the fort with his handful of men following behind.

“I’m so sorry, guys,” Aerith said tearfully. Her heart hurt so badly. Zack was lost to her and her friends were going to die because she couldn’t accept that.

“Don’t beat yourself up over this,” Cloud said. “We’re not dead yet.”

Reno looked at the trunk containing their belongings and he frowned. “Why’d he take our stuff? I mean, he could have just burned it or something.”

“Guess he wants to bury it with us when he’s finished,” Rude surmised.

Zack rapped his knuckles against the netted window separating the front from the back. “Settle down, kiddies. Don’t make me come back there.”

They stopped talking—more because they could think of nothing else to say than because he’d ordered them to.

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

They drove until the fort was a tiny dot in the distance and Tifa almost fell over when Zack suddenly gunned the engine and picked up speed.

“What the fuck,” Reno blurted as he too almost fell off his bench. He looked through the back window and watched the following hum-v fall behind by several feet.

In the front, Zack looked through the rearview mirror to gage the distance between vehicles as he lifted the remote with his free hand. “Sorry guys,” he mumbled. “It’s nothing personal.” He pushed the red button and the other vehicle exploded, sending a cloud of black dust and shrapnel into the air. Zack winced and he kept driving until he thought he was far enough away not to be hit by flying debris. He pulled the vehicle to a stop and got out, circling around to the back and opening the doors.

“Out you go,” Zack said to his stunned prisoners. They sat there blinking stupidly at him and he sighed and fished the keys to their handcuffs out of a pocket. “I’m not going to kill you. Now get out so I can take those cuffs off.”

Aerith went first, having the most reason to trust him. He put an arm around her and helped her out, quickly freeing her wrists from the cuffs. The others followed and soon they were standing unrestrained, staring at him with confusion.

“You staged it,” Cloud murmured, breaking the silence.

Zack shrugged. “I had to. There’s no way I could have just taken you guys out for a joyride without good reason. I’ll tell them you blew up the other car and got away. Oh…uh…one of you are going to have to give me a few smacks, to make it look good.”

Tifa shrugged and slapped him across the face. The others winced and Zack rubbed the spot with a grimace. “Not bad,” he complimented, “but I meant a few punches.”

Tifa’s hand clenched into a fist but she couldn’t deliver the blow. She sighed and shook her head. Beside her, Cloud put an arm around her and looked up at Zack.

“Come with us,” Cloud said.

Zack frowned at him and shook his head. “I’ve got some things to work out. I don’t think you’re my enemies but I can’t remember us being friends, either. Besides, I’ve got a few choice things I’d like to say to Scarlet.” He scowled as he spoke her name and his gaze slid to Aerith as his protective urges flared up.

“The WRO and ShinRa’s going to be breathing down your neck, man.” Reno opened the trunk and started redistributing everyone’s weapons and belongings. “They gave Blondie here the chance to come and get you out before it happens but as soon as we make it back to my bird, I’m gonna have to radio in and confirm your location. Think your little rebel group can fight off the whole damn army, hotshot?”

Zack smirked without humor. “I almost did, once.” The memory of the bullets tearing into his body was one of the few he’d retained.

Cloud heaved a frustrated sigh. “You don’t remember why the army came after you? You don’t remember protecting me?”

Zack stared at him like he’d sprouted a second head. He shook his head slowly. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, kid. It doesn’t matter anyway. As soon as I get back, I’ll get my people on the move again. We’ll be out of there before your ShinRa dogs can find us, Turk.”

He approached Aerith and cupped her chin, looking into her eyes. “Goodbye, fawn. Hope I don’t have to fight your friends again in the future.” He lowered his dark head and gave her a lingering kiss before stepping back. He tried to ignore the feeling that a vice was clamped around his heart as he walked away from her to get back into his vehicle. He might never understand why he was so drawn to her, but at least now, she would be safe.

Aerith watched him go helplessly and she clutched her newly retrieved staff in both hands, her eyes going from the back of Zack’s head to her weapon. Pressing her lips together with grim determination, she began to move.

“Good luck, guys,” Zack called over his shoulder. “Hope your transportations not too far—“

*CLUNK!*

Aerith stood over her would-be lover and watched with regretful eyes as he collapsed to the earth in a sprawling heap. Her friends stared with wide eyes as she knelt by Zack’s side and rolled him onto his back with a grunt of effort.

“Damn, remind me never to make the ladies mad!” Reno blurted.

Cloud hurried to Aerith’s side and gave her a puzzled look as she checked the back of his friend’s head to be sure she hadn’t caused serious damage. “You…you knocked him out,” observed the blonde stupidly.

“Yes,” Aerith agreed with a sigh, stroking Zack’s spiked, dark hair. “He left me no other choice. I’ve got to finish healing him but the big dummy won’t listen!” Out of sheer frustration, she slapped Zack on the side of the face, giving him another matching red handprint to go with the one Tifa had graced him with on the other side.

“I’m no healer,” Reno remarked, “but I’m pretty sure smacking around an unconscious guy isn’t the way to go, doll.”

Aerith grimaced up at him and gestured at Zack’s prone form. “Help me get him into the vehicle. We’ll drive to the helicopter and take him home with us.”

Reno went through his jacket as Rude, Barret and Cloud picked Zack up and carried him to the back of the hum-v. He swore vilely when he noticed his cell phone missing. “Hey, did any of you guys get your cells back with your stuff?”

Tifa checked her vest and shook her head. After getting Zack settled in the back of the vehicle, the others did the same. “Looks like they destroyed them,” Cloud guessed. “Makes sense, if they want to keep hidden.”

“Damn,” Reno sighed. “I liked that phone, too. It had all my porn…er…pictures of kittens on it.”

Tifa smirked at his back-pedaling and reached for the discarded handcuffs while Cloud positioned Zack. “Aerith and I are big girls,” she said to the Turk as she fastened a set around Zack’s wrists. “We won’t collapse at the mention of porn.”

Reno shrugged. “Hey, I’m just trying to be a gentleman, yo. Uh, you sure one set’s going to be enough to hold this guy? He ain’t exactly average in the strength department, man.”

Cloud and Tifa looked at one another. They knew what Zack was capable of too and it was better to use too much caution than not enough. “Hand me a couple more sets,” he said to Barret, holding his hand out. “We should probably cuff his ankles, too. Zack knows how to do some serious damage just with his legs.” Members of SOLDIER were trained to use their entire bodies as weapons and Cloud didn’t want to take the chance. Zack wasn’t likely to cooperate with them at first, until Aerith could purge more of Sephiroth’s influence from him.

“I think you’ve done some good already,” Cloud mentioned to Aerith as he and Tifa tripled up on the cuffs binding Zack’s wrists before moving on to his ankles. “I don’t sense the Sephiroth cells as strongly as I did yesterday.”

Aerith unlaced Zack’s boots and took them off. She relaxed a little at Cloud’s words and allowed herself a faint smile of triumph. “Let’s hope the Black Lifestream hasn’t done permanent damage to him. I think I can have him healed in a few more sessions but I need peace and quiet to concentrate.”

“We’ll make sure you get that when we get back to Edge,” promised Cloud.

“We can set up the attic as a bedroom for you two,” agreed Tifa. “We’ll need to buy another bed, but we’ve got some extra furniture stored up there anyhow.”

Aerith blushed. “Thanks, guys. Um…let’s see how this works out before we start making big plans, though. He might not want to stay even after I’ve healed him.”

“I doubt that,” Cloud said honestly. The idea of Zack wanting to leave Aerith once his head was on straight again didn’t seem like a possibility to him.

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

Zack regained consciousness in the chopper, when they were almost to Edge. He groaned and his head lolled as he came out of it. He blinked in confusion when he saw where he was and his confusion faded to anger when he caught sight of Aerith, sitting strapped into the seat across from his. He went to move and he realized why his arms were cramping—they were cuffed behind his back. He smirked when he realized how many pairs of cuffs they’d used on him. Either someone did their homework or there was some truth to their bizarre story.

“How are you feeling?” Aerith asked him, her sweet, pretty face full of concern.

“Like someone hit me over the back of the head,” growled Zack. He glanced at her staff, resting under her seat. “I wonder who?”

Aerith bit her lip. “I’m sorry about that,” she said sincerely, “but you wouldn’t come of your own free will and I want to help you. I know you don’t believe it now but you aren’t yourself. Only a healing will set things right.”

Zack stared at her incredulously. He looked at Cloud, sitting next to Tifa on Aerith’s left. “You guys are insane! I’m not sick and I don’t need a healer!”

“Your spirit’s sick,” Cloud informed him, his blue eyes steady on him. “That’s why your memory’s messed up.”

“If you still want to leave after I’ve finished,” Aerith said with lowered eyes, “I won’t try to stop you. Just humor me Zack…please?”

“It doesn’t look like you’re giving me a choice, are you?” Zack muttered, testing his restraints. They were all out of range for him to try attacking any of them and his head was still spinning in a way that made him sick to his stomach. Being in the air didn’t help, either. “Think I might get sick,” he warned, not joking in the slightest.

Aerith predictably unfastened her safety belt and crossed the distance, sitting in the empty seat beside him. Zack seriously considered taking advantage of her proximity but he couldn’t bring himself to attack her, even when that voice inside urged him to. Her hands reached out and stroked his face and he found himself relaxing under the gentle touch. Her fingers spread over the back of his head and he felt a warm sensation over the painful bump she’d given him. The dull throb in his head faded and he felt an overpowering urge to sleep.

“It’s okay,” Aerith coaxed as she stroked his hair and watched him struggle to keep his eyes focused and open. “You’re safe, Zack. Go to sleep.”

He wanted to defy the suggestion but Aerith’s potent spirit magic worked its way into his soul, planting the suggestion and causing his body to obey against his will. He sighed and slipped into an easy slumber before he knew it, his head drooping to rest against her shoulder.

“Why didn’t you just do that before?” Barret asked as he watched Zack fall asleep at Aerith’s simple suggestion.

“It takes a certain amount of concentration,” she answered, still stroking Zack’s hair gently. “There wasn’t time to do this before and I had to act fast to stop him from leaving.”

“Well, it’s good to know you can do that,” Tifa sighed. “I’ve got a feeling your going to have to do it a lot, when we get home.” She frowned with worry as she considered Denzel and Marlene. Careful not to alert Barret, she whispered in her husband’s ear; “Are we sure it’s safe to keep him in the house with the kids?”

Cloud nodded without hesitation. “Zack would never hurt a kid. Not even with his mind screwed up.”

“Maybe,” Tifa said reluctantly, “but how can we be sure?”

“Because he didn’t hurt any of us,” Cloud shrugged. “If he won’t hurt us, he won’t hurt a child.”

Tifa was forced to agree with that logic. Zack had demonstrated a ruthlessness that was unlike him, but he’d also been a gentleman in his treatment of them…at least, to everyone except Aerith. Tifa was sure her friend was no longer virginal, if she’d been so before last night. She couldn’t imagine Aerith looking at him with the same love in her eyes if he’d actually forced her but then, Aerith was an exceptionally forgiving person. Tifa made a mental note to ask her about what happened, as soon as she could think up a tactful way to go about doing it.

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

Reno dropped them off in Edge and he and Rude helped them get Zack into a taxi before leaving for Junon. The taxi driver gave them a curious look when he saw the way Zack was cuffed but he noticed how well armed they were and he wisely kept his mouth shut. Barret helped them get Zack into the house and into the bed Aerith had been using. He stuck around after that and Tifa went to pick up the kids and get something for dinner.

“I hope Aerith knows what she’s doin’,” Barret muttered as he sat down beside Cloud on the couch. The Cetra was in the office with Zack now and he and Cloud were trying not to think of what might happen if she failed to cleanse him.

“It’s Zack,” Cloud murmured. “She won’t give up on him.”

There was a low moan of pain from behind the closed office door and Cloud tensed and looked down the hallway. He hadn’t expected the sound and when it happened again, he gave Barret a look before getting up to see what was wrong. He silently opened the door a crack and looked in. Zack was lying on the bed with Aerith kneeling beside him. Her hands were spread out on his chest and there was a green glow suffusing them and his body. Zack struggled in his sleep and shuddered, his expression filled with pain as she worked over him.

Aerith stubbornly pressed on despite the pain Zack was expressing, so Cloud assumed it was normal for the process to hurt. He winced in sympathy and silently shut the door.

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

Aerith paused in her work to catch her breath and give Zack a break. They were both breathing heavily and his body was wracked with pain. She laid her head on his chest and sighed, rubbing his stomach soothingly. She wished with all her being that she could do this without hurting him. Forcing him to sleep through it at least ensured he wouldn’t remember the pain when she finished each session.

Zack tensed and Aerith gasped as he tried to sit up. He’d shaken off her hold on his spirit and he was awake and trying to break free. She quickly sprawled on top of him, using her whole body to hold him down while she struggled to make his spirit sleep again. He growled incoherently and bucked beneath her, trying to raise his arms to get a hold on her. They had changed the position he was cuffed in to spare him some discomfort, binding his hands and wrists at the front instead of the back. Cloud hadn’t wanted to do it but Aerith insisted. The Cetra realized now that if he got his arms around her she might pay for her mercy with her life.

“Zack, please,” Aerith murmured, keeping her voice soft and soothing. She looked into his angry eyes and willed him to understand. “You have to let me finish.”

“Know why they say never to trust a pretty face?” Zack snarled, “Because it usually hides a conniving mind, that’s why! You’ll let me go if you know what’s good for your, Sweetheart.”

She shook her head. “I can’t do that. I understand why you’re angry but I can’t let you go. If you won’t go to sleep I’ll just have to do this the hard way.” Biting her lip with regret, she poured her energy into him. He tensed beneath her and his eyes went wide and staring as the pure energy resumed devouring the black corruption.

“I’m sorry,” Aerith whispered, her vision blurring with tears as he clenched his teeth and cried out.

~There HAS to be a better way! Maybe if I change my tactics, he won’t suffer so much.~

It hadn’t occurred to her before to try a different method to purify his spirit. Maybe if she concentrated on helping his spirit expulse the black energy instead of trying to dissolve it? She concentrated hard and experimented, stroking his hair with one trembling hand.

Zack’s breath caught as the burning agony receded and something…else…replaced it. He stared up at Aerith’s tense face with alarm and confusion as the sensation made his body sing with pleasure.

“Wh-what are you…doing to me?” gasped the former Soldier, shifting restlessly beneath her. He hardened in his pants and flushed with humiliation as the girl’s potent energy seemed to tickle every erogenous zone he possessed. “That’s naughty, little lady,” Zack grunted, trying again to dislodge her. His muscles wouldn’t obey his command and he only managed to writhe weakly.

Aerith opened her eyes and regarded him with wary curiosity. “Is it hurting you?” she whispered uncertainly. His face was flushed and his lips were parted. The expression on his face could have been pain, but it looked a lot like the expression she’d seen him make when he was making love to her.

“N-no,” Zack gasped. “It’s…molesting me is more like it…shit…what is that?” His breath caught again and his pelvis pushed upwards.

Aerith felt his arousal grind against her hip and she blushed brighter than he was blushing. “Oh,” she said, cringing a little. Well, it was better than hurting him, wasn’t it? “You only have to put up with it for a little while, Zack. I can’t keep it up for very long without wearing myself out. I’m sorry it’s making you uncomfortable.”

Zack thrust against her again and moaned helplessly. Aerith suddenly wished she had locked the door before starting this, but knowing how dangerous Zack could be she hadn’t wanted to risk the obstacle between her and help, if he decided to attack her. She kissed his gasping mouth softly, trying to muffle his breathless curses and groans. At once, she realized that was a mistake when his tongue thrust into her mouth aggressively. She started to pull back but he lifted his head to follow her, evidently determined to keep kissing her. She allowed his tongue to dominate her mouth and she returned the kiss, trying not to let it distract her from her task.

She was able to keep going for several minutes longer than she had the first time, because now she didn’t have the guilt of causing him pain in the process. Still, she felt a different kind of guilt as his breathing became ragged and uneven. She felt like she was taking advantage of him, even as she instinctively rubbed back against the hard bulge he was desperately grinding against her. Zack broke into a sweat and ended the kiss, tossing his head as her ministrations threatened to make him disgrace himself.

“Aerith,” he panted, “you’re gonna…make me…come in my pants.”

She bit her lip again and lowered her forehead to his shoulder, whispering an apology but not stopping. She was rapidly losing her strength and she wouldn’t be able to continue doing this for much longer anyway. “Just hold on, Zack,” she pleaded breathlessly.

“Sh—it,” Zack grunted, his body tensing as the pleasure reached a climactic stage. “Ah, hell…baby, I can’t…you…unh!” With a last cry of defeat, Zack thrust against her and shut his eyes. He grunted softly as he came, leaving a sticky mess in his undies and pants. It was an unusually long orgasm, drawn out by the sensations coursing through him from Aerith’s energy.

Aerith realized what had happened and she held on for a moment longer before ending the session. She couldn’t guess who’s face was redder…hers or Zack’s. He was catching his breath beneath her and staring up at her with amazed confusion. She gave him a sheepish look and stroked his cheek with her fingertips.

“I didn’t mean for it to do…that,” she tried to explain. “It was the only other way I could think of to do this and the alternative was for you to be in pain.”

Zack swallowed. He felt strange and it wasn’t the typical sexual afterglow he was accustomed to. Now he thought of some of the things he’d done recently and there was a strange feeling of shame.

“What are you doing to me?” he asked her again, confused beyond measure. He should feel some animosity toward this woman, but instead he felt…love? The bitterness inside of him wasn’t as sharp as he was used to.

Aerith dared to give him another kiss. “I’m healing you, Zack. That’s all.” She was pleasantly surprised when he kissed her back before she could pull away. “Does that mean you think you can forgive me?” she murmured when the kiss ended.

“I don’t know what to think anymore,” he answered truthfully.

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

-To be continued