Crisis Core: The Novel

Chapter 49 - Brotherhood

Cloud drifted through levels of unconscious sleep, dreaming in staccato snap-shots to a soundtrack of vinyl violins. Ravenhair twirled around his fingertips, pulling away. Desperate, he reached for it in darkness, drawing toward a faint light that grew more brilliant by the microsecond, until it blinded him in sheerglare. He squinted, and the light brought him back.

He awoke on his bed at the Inn, a splitting migraine pounding behind his eyes. Grunting in pain, he struggled to sit up, and found Zack waiting on his own bed across from him. A knowing grin crossed the SOLDIER's lips. He was glad Cloud was awake. How long had he been asleep? Furthermore, how long had Zack been watching over him?

"Tifa's safe, don't worry," Zack explained.

"How did you—"

"You called her name, in your sleep."

"...Ngh." Cloud curled up in an embarrassed heap, pulling his knees to his chest.

"You know her?" Zack asked, an even tone in his voice. He wasn't making fun of Cloud, he spoke like an older brother, like he already knew what was going on. Cloud shrugged at his mattress.

"...Sorta."

"You talk to her?"

"...No."

Zack remained quiet for a moment, letting Cloud gather himself. This wasn't like the time they'd guy-talked in Cloud's room. He wasn't pushing him. Cloud got to set the pace of this conversation, but when he didn't speak for a long time, Zack nudged him.

"...I sense an issue there..."

The young boy pulled in tighter, hiding his eyes under the bend of a forearm, but the older boy leaned back on his hands with that casual, relaxed air.

"...I'm up to talk..."

No use, Cloud turtled.

More silence, for a long time. Zack's shoulders slumped at the world. If Cloud wasn't going to talk, then Zack was.

"Teh, I'm one to talk," he spat, more to himself than anything. Cloud glanced up to see a troubled furrow on Zack's brow.

"What happened?" he asked.

Zack was silent for a long time, like he was going to say something profound, and then...a huge sigh.

"I don't know, man...I thought I knew, but..."

He fell back, arms behind his head, like the whole world made no sense. A great groan, nothing mattered anymore.

They sat there together in a culminating silence as their world fell away. They might not have been government workers caught in the tangle of protocol, but college kids hanging out in their dorm room, commiserating about life and love and everything in between. Cloud felt it. He knew Zack felt it too.

"If only I were SOLIDER," Cloud sighed. "I could have...done more."

Zack lay staring up at the ceiling.

"SOLDIER is like a den of monsters. Don't go in."

Cloud cocked an eyebrow. Zack wasn't himself.

"Zack?"

But Zack stood up and strode to the other side of the room, where his sword rested against the table.

"I'm with SOLDIER so...fighting's all I do. Sorting things out is someone else's job. What's going on? Who's the enemy? It makes no difference to me!"