Savior

The Man Behind the Mask

 The shopping for weapons and food had gone well, although Hollie was still miffed at Cloud for forcing her to use a bow instead of letting her use a sword like she wanted. "Why can't I use a sword?" Hollie whined to Cloud for the fifth time as they crossed flower filled meadows.

He sighed, "I told you already. You shouldn't be that close to a monster since you're so inexperienced."

"But I was in the kendo state championship!!"

"And by your own admission you said it's nothing like real sword fighting."

"Jerk..." she mumbled.

He stopped and looked at her "What'd you say?"

"Nothing~!" she said in a sing-song voice, before running ahead with Daisey.

"Don't run ahead!"

"Kids these days," Zack laughed.

Cloud sighed in exasperation, "I know right."

Aerith giggled, "You're acting like a dad, Cloud!"

"Wha---what?"

"He is, isn't he?" Tifa smiled.

"Yeah!" Zack laughed.

"So that's why you didn't want me carrying her," Kunsel said with realization, "Because you were acting like an over-protective dad!"

Cloud blushed embarrassed, "Well someone needs to look out for them."

"That's so sweet of you!" Tifa said.

He blushed further at her compliment. "So where do they live?" Kunsel asked. "We have to take them back to their real parents."

Cloud and Zack frowned, "Daisey said that they've only got each other," Cloud said. "But then again, Hojo said he kidnapped them before several years ago, and they didn't remember. So their real family is probably out there somewhere."

"There's allot'a pain in this world now'a days," Barret said.

The others agreed, then heard the girls squealing loudly and looked up to see a ranch ahead of them. The girls were at a fence petting several chocobos that gathered to them. The chocobos were snuggling them and preening their hair with their beaks making the girls giggle. "Aww! So cute!" Aerith and Tifa cooed.

Cloud stared at the birds with a very strange look on his face, Tifa laughed, "Don't tell me you're still afraid of chocobos!"

"I was never afraid of them to begin with!" he shouted embarrassed.

"Right~!" she said.

Zack laughed hysterically along with Barret and Kunsel, "Chocobo head's afraid of chocobos!!"

"I'm not afraid of them, Zack!" Cloud shouted, "And stop calling me chocobo head!"

His anger only made the others laugh more, so he growled in irritation and walked up to the girls and the chocobos. When the chocobos saw him they let out excited 'Kweh's and when he got up to them they nuzzled him as well. They are kinda cute, I guess. he thought to himself as they preened his hair. Aerith and Tifa giggled "That is so adorable!! It's like you're part of their family!" Tifa cooed as she went up to them as well, they were slightly scared at first but sniffed her and then added her to their herd as well.

Aerith and Zack joined next, while Nanaki, Kunsel, and Barret stood back and watched. Finally Nanaki walked up and started talking to them, and Barret joined to with a "What the hell!" Kunsel was left watching, they seemed to have so much fun, so he finally decided to walk up. A chocobo lifted its head up to look at him, they had a stare down for a moment before the chocobo let out a loud 'Wark' and fled in terror, making the others follow suit at his alarm.

"Aww..." the girls said disappointed.

"That is so cruel..." Kunsel said. "They like you guys! Even him!" he said pointing to Nanaki, "But not me!"

Daisey looked across the field at the chocobos huddled in the corner watching Kunsel warily, then looked back to Kunsel. "It's your helmet," she said.

"Huh?"

"Animals like to see faces."

"With your helmet on, you look like a scary monster," Hollie added.

"Thanks a lot..." he muttered.

"If you want to be accepted you have to remove your helmet," Daisey said.

"I---I never remove my helmet..."

"What're you afraid of?" Hollie asked, "It's not like you look like Voldemort or anything right?"

Daisey laughed hysterically. "Who's Voldemort?" Tifa asked.

"He's an evil bad guy from a book who has blue skin and no nose," Hollie pushed her hand against her nose for added affect.

"Kunsel doesn't have a nose!?" Zack asked obnoxiously, "You mean this whole time one of my best buddies has been a fish!?" making all who understood him laugh loudly.

Kunsel folded his arms, "What did Zack say?" Aerith repeated for him, "Thanks a lot, Zack," he laughed. He took off his helmet to reveal short light brown hair, he looked perfectly normal, except for his eye color. His eyes were a strange mixture, his left eye was grayish silver like the moon, and his right eye was brilliant, circling his pupil was a thin line of cerulean blue, circling that was a wide bright emerald green line, and circling that was a thin red line, both eyes with the mako glow.

The group stared at him in awe, "That looks incredible!" Aerith and Tifa said in unison making Zack and Cloud irritated that the girls they loved were so amazed with him.

"Oh my God..." Hollie gaped, "You have amazing eyes! They look so cool!"

"Yeah!" Daisey agreed.

He blushed, "Uhh... Thanks..." The chocobos started walking over now that his helmet was off, he went up to them and let them sniff his hand, and pretty soon they accepted him too. One of them started preening another's ear and, like a magic trick, pulled out a red ball, handing it to him with a cheery 'Kweeeh!' "Materia!?" he said surprised, "Thanks!"

"What kind?" Cloud asked.

"Summon materia; choco/mog!" the twins said in unison.

The chocobo chirped at them as if saying "Yep!"

"We need to get a chocobo to cross the marshes!" Hollie said.

"Let's go talk to Choco Billy!" Daisey added before they both ran to the barn with the others following.

"Howdy there!" Choco Billy called, "Do you want a chocobo?"

"Yep!" they said hopping in front of him.

"You folks are out of luck! We're all out of chocobos. I'm taking care of the ones out there for someone else."

"Can we get a lure then?" Daisey asked.

"Sure can! I'm sellin' em' for 2000 gil."

"We'll buy it," Cloud said as he counted the cash and handed it over.

"And some mimmet greens!" Hollie chirped.

"Yeah."

"Alrighty. How much do you need?"

"How many people can fit on a chocobo?" Hollie asked.

Choco Billy looked at all of them, "Usually two average adults. So if you need to get somewhere quickly I'd say you'd need five chocobos."

"Then we'll take five stalks," Daisey said.

"Alrighty," he said before he exchanged goods with them, "Pleasure doin' business with you folks!" They said their goodbyes and went on their way to catch a chocobo.