The Last Shinra Soldier ➝ Final Fantasy VII ✓

Wutai's Greatest Warrior!

We continued past the Leviathan Shrine and through the courtyard, ignoring the wall and racing up the stairs on the opposite side. My wound hindered my movements slightly, though I tried to keep up with Zack, keeping my face impassive. But he must have caught on, for her ordered me to stop.

"Just take one of the potions," he pleaded. "You're obviously in a lot of pain; there's no point pretending you're not! Please, Rowan. Do it for me."

My eyes widened in shock. He really cared that much? My lips quivered slightly, my heart thudding harder against my chest. No, what was I doing?!

"I... well... fine," I muttered exasperatedly, reluctantly delving into my bag and producing another vial. I hesitantly removed the stopper, glancing fleetingly at Zack, and gulped down the liquid after a nod of approval. The potion sloshed down my throat like fire, burning the insides of my mouth with it's blazing tendrils. I spluttered and wheezed, wrinkling my nose in disgust. Zack chuckled and patted me on the back.

"I know, it's horrible, but it'll help the pain."

I nodded, my throat still burning, but the pain in my side had receded, and I was able to walk with no hindrance. The stairs led to a bridge overlooking the same courtyard. A small building stood opposite us, torches poised on the roof glimmering like beacons in the night. We leaned against the railings, catching our breath from the strenuous climbing, and peered into the many darkened windows of the building. Nothing but shadows greeted us back, and we made to skid down the slope when Zack held me back.

"You stay here until I know it's safe."

I raised a eyebrow, hands on hips. "You think I can't take care of myself!?" I scoffed, scowling in mock offence.

"Well, we can't have a pretty young lady like you getting hurt now, can we?" He claimed with a wink. It was a bit too late for that! I thought, involuntarily clutching my hip.

I rolled my eyes. "You sure know how to please a woman," I muttered as I watched him stride down the slope, head held high. My stomach suddenly erupted with butterflies, and I felt the urge to chuckle. Did he really care that much for me?! Or was it just pretence?

I studied the courtyard from above, leaning my elbows against the railing and cupping my chin. I saw Zack's thin form step cautiously forward and my eyes averted to the roof of a building adjacent to me; a figure was poised on the tiles, it's head turned towards Zack. I hastily got him on my headset, fearing I'd scare the figure off if I called out to him.

"You've got company."

He acknowledged with a quiet murmur before a voice sprang out of nowhere and the figure leapt from the roof with a series of graceful twirls and poses, landing with a huff in front of the bewildered SOLDIER. "One, avoid unnecessary training!"

A kid?! At first I thought my eyes were deceiving me, but a small child stood before Zack, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth in determination.

"Two, protect Wutai at all costs!"

I chuckled lightly to myself, intrigued as to how he was going to handle the situation. I hadn't bothered to hang-up the call, and heard everything through the speaker. Zack huffed and straightened up, ready to dismiss the child.

"Three, ugly Shinra SOLDIER dudes... must be PUNISHED!"

Oooh! I bet he took that one to heart. "Who are you?" His voice sounded strange and strangled as he tried to push away the insult.

Jutting out her chin proudly, she positioned her hands on her hips and announced in a voice imbued with self-respect, "I'm Wutai's greatest warrior! If you wanna go further, you'll have to go through me!"

What was this kid playing at?

"You shouldn't be playing here, it's dangerous! Go home to your parents!" I found the prospect of Zack trying to be nice to a kid rather sweet and couldn't prevent a grin spreading across my face.

The kid abruptly darted to one of the statues arranged either side of her and bounced off it, coiling over Zack's head in mid-air. His gaze followed her smooth leap with wonder, and she landed behind him with a grunt. "You're the one who's going home! If you insist on going any further, you'll have a fight on your hands!" Then she took off, sprinting towards Zack with her arms flailing wildly by her sides.

Zack scratched his head and I heard him mumble under his breath: "Oh, man... what am I supposed to do here?"

As the kid warrior advanced on Zack with a series of 'punches' (barely touching his clothing from what I saw), and 'kicks', emitting odd words such as, 'Whap!', 'Pow!' and 'Bam!', the SOLDIER decided to play along. I chuckled in amusement as he collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach, his face contorted in agony. "Arrrrgh! No! You got me!" He groaned, receiving a 'humph!' of approval from 'Wutai's greatest warrior'.

"There! That'll teach you to mess with me! Once again, I've brought peace to Wutai!" She declared proudly.

Then she was off like a rocket once more, disappearing from sight amongst the myriad of pillars and statues lining the courtyard. Zack brushed away all traces of pain and huffed in relief, suddenly realising he had left his headset on.

"Wow. You really ought to have been a performer! Amazing acting skills you got there!"

"Haha, very funny, Rowan."

"Is it safe for me to come down?"

His only response was a huff of annoyance, before he switched his headset off.

"Oh, good job I stayed up there. No chance of surviving that encounter," I declared dramatically upon reaching Zack, waiting for me at the door of the single building with his arms folded over his chest.

Zack glared at me, rubbing his head. "Whatever," he huffed. "We'd better see what's inside here!" He gestured towards the building and I nodded, offering him a genuine smile before kicking the door off it's hinges and peering into the darkness.

~~~

A/N: Thoughts on the chapter? This fanfic has only got, like, two parts left? Wow. Short story, huh!?

~ _imagine_fantasy_