Gongaga, Gaia, Saturday Fandom Time

[puppy_fair]

The chanting of monsters still echoed loudly in Zack's ears as he slumped down into the overgrowth, holding Cloud close in his arms and trying not to look as shaken as he felt. Genesis had been there, and Hollander, and while they'd given up on him, saying that his cells had already been mutated as part of the process of becoming SOLDIER, Cloud's

Comments

[flowering_mind]

It was still too early to meet, so Ino wasn't at their rendezvous point--she was in Gongaga proper, carefully wrapping plates while Zack's mother and father bustled around, looking for one last thing, anything, to take with them. She hadn't told Tseng all of her plan, after all, but there had been no way in hell Ino was leaving Zack's parents behind. She remembered the way they had been, too old and sad and lonely in that other Gaia.

As soon as Reno had dropped her off, Ino had made her way to them and told them where they were going and why. They'd taken it better than she'd thought they would--but possibly because they'd be able to see Zack and because... her cheeks warmed. She was basically as good as their daughter.

She took a moment to send a text to Zack.

Looks like it's going to be a moonlit night.

[puppy_fair]

Good, Zack's answering text came. A bright moon is a good omen, right?

Or would it just complicate things, giving the infantry more light to see him by?

[flowering_mind]

I hope so.

After a few minutes, she added: It's always made me happy, to have the moon out.

[puppy_fair]

You always did notice that sort of thing more than I did. The fuller the moon, the better to travel by, though.

Zack looked up through the canopy of the trees, frowning quietly at the moon above. In the night, the frogs were coming out, chirping and croaking their song to the jungle around them. He kind of hoped they left well enough alone, tonight. Not that a frog would be much of a challenge, but a rescue would probably be complicated somewhat if one or both of the people needing rescue was a small amphibian.

[flowering_mind]

The night was clear. Cold, for Fire Country. It was the start of February

[puppy_fair]

Zack was perfectly aware that the medic nin who was looking after Cloud was doing her best. He was perfectly aware that there was nothing that she was going to do to hurt the boy, that taking care of wounded fighters was probably an everyday occurrence for her. And in light of that, he almost, almost felt bad for hovering.

Looming, more like it. Cloud had been Zack's only human contact for months now, and it wasn't so easy to bite back the need to protect him now that they were safe as he might have thought.

"Ever have one of those days where nothing seems real?"

He was mostly just speaking aloud. It was habit, after speaking to Cloud for all those months if only to preserve his own sanity.

"Today is one of those days, I think."

[flowering_mind]

It felt pretty surreal to her too, in all honesty.

She had nothing to say to her dad, or to anyone else who'd come, and Zack... Zack didn't look like he wanted to be disturbed. So Ino just waited while the medic did her work.

[puppy_fair]

And when the medic was done, when Zack really couldn't come up with more excuses to loom and to hover and to stare at the poor medic like a hawk, that was when he took a few steps back. Didn't dare turn his back on Cloud just yet.

A few more steps.

And then, as though it caused him physical pain to wrench himself away, he turned and made his way back toward Ino.

And there he stood, awkwardly.

"... Hi."

This... he had not expected this would be so awkward.