3- Enter Zack

[ZaCloud]

“Are you ready to cooperate now?” the deep voice asked for the two million, five-hundred twenty three thousand, eight hundred and forty seventh time.

“We have been, damn you,” the weak, shaky voice of the black-haired prisoner answered. Fear and anger made his already vivid violet eyes blaze fiercely. “We told you our name, rank, and serial numbers, told you all we already know, and can’t answer the rest cuz we just don’t know anything!” His muscular but thinning arms tightened around a smaller figure beside him in the dark cell.

The bearded overseer grinned, then bellowed out a horse-like laugh. “Hey, Takra!” he called over his shoulder, “Did you hear that? He thinks this is an interrogation now! Awwwhawhawhawhaw!”<br>
“They were bound to go insane eventually,” a higher-pitched voice hissed from behind the barred door, “Not that they were all there in the first place… that’s why they’re here, after all.” As the husky, hairy man stepped aside, the more recent speaker’s thin, angular face appeared in his place. “Stop deceiving yourselves,” he said condescendingly, “You’ve given yourself an imaginary goal, Prisoner. You have no silence to keep. You have nothing to fight for. This is not an interrogation; it’s just torture.”<br>
The spikey black-haired man on the floor, covered in gashes and bruises, managed a determined smirk. “Guess your big dog couldn’t take a joke,” he wisecracked, “I already know that. Was just hoping you’d like a little game, is all. And my name’s Zack Strife.”<br>
“’Scum’ and ‘Prisoner’ is all both of you are named,” Takra sneered, “Your group is responsible for our setback… The Valley of the Promised was within our grasp! Seeing you two drifters break will at least help the Senate feel better.” He then smiled darkly. “Your companion seems well on his way… Perhaps we’ll take him over the edge today.”<br>
The smaller, younger man in the cell let out a tiny, weak moan of dismay, shuddering reflexively. He had always caught the worst of the endless months in this Senate hell-hole. He clung helplessly to his big brother and only friend, trying to stop reacting to his own pain and fear.

Zack refused to loosen his own grip, placing a hand comfortingly in the youth’s unruly, spiky blonde hair. “Since he has such a head-start,” he said to Takra, managing to sound collected and logical despite his growing tension, “Maybe you should work on me instead. I’ve got a damn long way to go, after all.”<br>
Takra chuckled quietly. How very true… But his experience over the months showed him that Zack was too strong-willed to be substantially cracked by even the worst pain.

But making the smaller one scream, and beg to die, and awaken all night to sobbing nightmares… That seemed to devastate the black-haired one plenty.

“…I… I’ll be alright, big bro…” a small voice stammered.

Zack looked down at the pale blue eyes which still held a small defiant spark. Broken… but somehow held together. Broken, but not destroyed.

Zack’s eyes stung with the beginning of tears. “Claude,” he whispered, “I can’t stand seeing them hurt you anymore… You’re all I have left in this crappy existence. Please stop trying to take my place out there.”<br>
Takra sighed with irritation. “It’s already been decided. Now cooperate, or the usual will happen.”<br>
“Don’t do it this time, please…” Claude weakly said.

But Zack leaned his little brother against the wall, and took up position between him and the cell door, eyes grim, but lips held in a defiant smirk. This did no good for anyone… but it was the only thing he could do to at least feel like he was protecting Claude.

The big hairy bloke appeared with the stun gun, muttering “Stupid prisoner,” as he shot Zack. The young man screamed with pain, caught in the beam’s arresting field for several grueling seconds, then collapsed with a convulsive quiver.

“Zack…” Quiet tears slid from Claude’s blue eyes.

Then the beam hit him, and all was pain and red, then silence and black.

***

Stop it…<br>
How long has it been?

Please!

Weeks?

Aaaaagh!

Months?...

AAAAAAGHHH!!!!
Years maybe?...
Stop it! Stop it…<br>AAaaaaAAAAAAAAAGHH!
AAAAAAAGH!!!

Zack’s screams echoed Claude’s, answering tears with tears. It hurt him more than pain itself, to hear Claude in such unspeakable agony, for so long. The boy had been through enough… too much! Claude’s entire life had been spent trying to prove himself worthy to others, and always being cast aside or ridiculed. It had been Zack’s attempts to protect him from others in their clan, that had turned them into outcasts. They had had to fend for themselves for most of their youth. The dessert showed no more forgiveness than their ex-peers, but the two of them had done their best to survive without causing real harm to anyone; they did not want to be like other drifters, so the worst they did was steal from passer-bys, always leaving them with enough supplies to survive the dessert trek.

But when they had heard that the Senate was looking for the Valley of the Promised… They could not stand by and allow this already powerful group to gain still more power. It was the Senate who had destroyed their predecessors’ status, after all, leaving all Strifes too impoverished to live in the cities, leaving them as drifters. So, they had joined a group who shared their hatred of the Senate, and concern for the balance of power. Together, they had set out to stop the military power from finding out too much about the Element of Prosperity.

What a twist of fate… that they had both been rendered unconscious at that battle, but not dead. Two brothers, miraculously surviving the bloodshed… and yet, submitted to a fate worse than death itself. When a second Senate squad arrived to see what had happened, the boys were captured and taken back to Zion. The word had been that there were no survivors… because their lives did not even matter to the Senate.

Now, here they were… targets for Senate frustration. Prisoners, not humans. All they had ever had was each other for support, for friendship, for family… And now, with nothing but pain and hopelessness around them, they were more important to one another than ever.

As Claude tried to remind himself the pain would end… the torment would end… he could almost hear Zack whisper to him, “Don’t give up, bro… I’ll get us out of here within a month. I’ll find some way, or we can die together. Just don’t give up.”<br>
And Zack, in turn, could somehow hear a reply in his mind, the voice pained but determined. “I won’t give up… As long as you’re with me, I can make it.”<br>
***

At least three more weeks had gone by… Zack paced the small width of the cell, both for exercise and to allow himself to think. He only had vague escape plans, the same plans he had been mulling over since their first day here. But those would all be for nothing if they couldn’t get beyond the building they were held in. At least there were no guards in the immediate area; that was because the soldiers were confident that the door would hold against anything. Indeed, Zack’s rigorous testing against the metal alloy had only proved that point.

“Maaaan,” he sighed, stopping and assuming the classic ‘thoughtful’ pose, hand to his chin. “I know there’s a way out, but it keeps eluding like a greased pig. Silly ‘way out’, hold still a minute.” He then pantomimed chasing a small, slippery animal, with his usual exaggerated motions.

Claude, who was sitting in the far right corner, managed a slight smile. One of his eyes was swollen shut, and his body was covered in dried blood and burn marks. At least he could still draw some strength from Zack’s natural optimism, but not much anymore.

Chuckling a bit after his playful burst, Zack sat down beside his brother. “Well, it’s just around the corner. I’ll catch it.”<br>
“…I don’t think so,” Claude answered quietly.

Zack frowned slowly. He couldn’t blame the kid; it did look rather hopeless, really. If they were caught, there was more danger of them being separated than killed… and that would be worse than anything. But escape seemed like a distant, unlikely thing now. And hope only seemed to hurt Claude anymore.

So Claude had given it up.

“I can just live,” he continued solemnly, “If you were gone, I would die, but with you around I can just live.”<br>
“Well this is no life for you,” Zack said, “for either of us. I’ve made up my mind then… It’ll be soon, Claude. First opportunity I see if I think it can work.”<br>
“…And if it doesn’t work, we die together?”<br>
Zack swallowed, then nodded.

***

They were too careful… They always had their guns ready, and a knife to Claude’s throat whenever he was returned to the cell. They knew Zack would never endanger the life of his friend.

They must have been particularly angry this week… They were taking Claude out every day now, for many days in a row, and he was in worse shape each time. If not physically, then psychologically. Zack was more determined than ever before to get him out of this. One day of it was unbearable. Yet they had been through months of it, doubtlessly.

During this time, Zack was forcing himself not to make his fruitless stand anymore, when they came to get Claude. He planned to give them time to get used to that, to open one more avenue of escape. Maybe, in the time it took Claude to approach the door and be taken out, Zack could find a moment to dash for it without them both being shot.

But he knew that time for Claude was running out. On this day, there was no more light in his eyes. He was like a moving body, able to cry out in pain but unable to feel anything else. In reaction, Zack could not make a single joke, or even sound remotely hopeful as he spoke words of comfort while they tried to sleep on the hard floor.

[ZaCloud]

What the hell?...

Zack looked down at the unconscious forms of the hairy dog-man and Takra, both of their heads bloody. He looked at his hand, which held one of their stun-guns. It, too, was bloody. He blinked with surprise.

Then he remembered… Claude had started screaming during the night. No doubt a reliving of his time here. And the bastards had come to watch his pain. Zack had more or less lost it, rolling near the door, but was focused enough to know that enough was enough. So as the overseers neared, their guns entering the bars to keep aimed at Zack, he leaped upward and snatched both their arms, and their weapons. With threats that the guns had been set to kill (a bluff; he wasn't sure how to do it), he demanded the door unlocked. The bigger badguy was scared enough to comply, whereupon both of them were bludgeoned into unconsciousness.

Zack shook with shock at what he had been able to do in his anger. He wondered how it was that he didn’t kill the monsters in human bodies… But then he took a deep breath and quickly re-entered the cell, picking up his weak, trembling brother.

“We’re get’n out now,” he whispered. He got no reply, nor any indication that he had been heard. Claude was still alive, but not much else.

The elder brother’s anger and sorrow returned when he felt how light Claude had grown. Exercise left good muscling on the boy’s body, but he was still so weightless and limp. But Zack had no time to mull over this, and at least it made Claude that much easier to carry. He slowly exited the cell once more, looking around at his surroundings. This was the basement, he knew, so hopefully he wouldn’t encounter too many people. He quickly shoved the two sleeping jailers into the cell with his feet, and locked them in, then made his way, a step at a time, toward freedom.

Fortune was finally on their side; he found an abandoned locker room, where he found some Senate foot-soldier uniforms. Hoping to be less conspicuous, Zack quickly replaced his tattered clothing with an outfit, then did the same for Claude. The motion obviously hurt the boy, but he kept his eyes closed and did not react other than with quiet groans. Learned helplessness. This gave Zack yet another reason to hate the Senate forever.

Just as he was picking Claude up to leave, he noticed a locker door that was being propped shut; something was too big inside for it to close completely. Curious, he pulled the door open with the toe of his new boot. And against the crook of his ankle, he caught a giant, wide sword that fell out.

He smiled and emitted a bitter yet happy chuckle. “Heh! Claude! The bastards’ve been using Fjalar!” He knelt and picked up his big sword, looking at it. It was a bit scarred, but not much more than it used to be. At least it had a nice shine to it now. It even had elemental stones in the mod-slots; Thunder and Ice. Nice additions... he'd have to test them later. But now there was no time. He experimentally brought the sword to his back, to see if the gun-holding magnets on the back of the shoulder shield and belt would hold the blade. It stayed in place perfectly.

“Well, they’ve got nice threads at least,” he admitted, “Finally, some luck for us. Now let’s see if there’s enough o’ that left to get us out of here.” With Claude in his arms, he headed out.

Zack ascertained that they were not in a very important or major building; he only encountered two guards, each of whom fell victim to the stun-gun. Bad guys or not, it was not in Zack to kill anyone outside of desperation... though he did wish there had been time for real revenge against the overseers.

At least he was right when he found what he guessed to be tunnel exit. It led straight to a parking lot. There were a few soldiers around, but so far they hadn’t noticed them. Good.

Zack looked around briefly, then smiled when he saw a sleek, red Equinox Firefly. A car he had always dreamed of owning. Oh yeah, he thought, We even get to escape in style!

With his lock-picking skills coming back to him, and a few solid wires he had found, he soon had Claude in the passenger seat and himself doing a quick hot-wire. The strong engine roared to life. Zack backed out carefully; he had only driven an old truck a few times, but at least he was able to get the feel of the car fairly quickly; it handled like a dream.

There was no dramatic squealing of tires, no crashing through gates, and no big-budget chase scene; Zack merely took out the gate guard with a stun beam, hitting him in the throat so he couldn’t scream, and drove calmly onto the open road, obeying the speed limit and thus drawing no attention.

He thought the city wall would be trouble… but the patrollers paid him no mind since he had the uniform and look of a soldier. He also must have looked similar to the car’s owner, for the gate attendant waved him on without making him pull in closer.

Zack’s smile grew wider and more genuine as he watched Zion shrink in the rear-view mirror. “I think… I think we’re gonna make it, Claude,” he said slowly, shaking his head in disbelief, “I won’t say the words ‘till we get that place out of sight.”<br>
There were tense minutes, as the road became a mere dusty path, the vegetation thinned, and finally Zion was no longer in sight.

“…We’re free, little brother! My God, we’re free…”

***

Claude was so tired. He didn’t feel the cold, hard floor anymore, and he felt he would not be tortured for quite a while, so he slept deeply. Not that there was anything to wake up for anymore…<br>
“Wow, this guy must go into the dessert a lot,” Zack’s voice said cheerfully, “He’s got plenty o’ water stowed in the back an’ the trunk! An’ the tank’s got plenty o’ gas. Man, for once things are goin’ our way! This is cool!”<br>
The engine and motion slowed, then the latter stopped. He then heard The Good of the World say in a more gentle voice, “Here, bro… Have some. I know you’re thirsty.”<br>
He managed to swallow what was given to him, giving relief to his dry lips and parched throat.

“You can go back to sleep if you want… Can’t blame you. When you wake up though, you can finally get the real taste o’ Freedom.”<br>
“uhhnn…” Claude quietly acknowledged, falling back asleep.

***

“…so that’s why we gotta really make somethin’ of ourselves, ya know? We won’t stay in the dessert any longer than it takes to cross. I’d say this car can make it; it’s a solar hybrid, so there’s no real worry about fuel most o’ the way, just so long as it can start back up.”<br>
“…cross…?”<br>
“Ah, you heard me? Cool! So you think it’s fine? For us to go to Midgar?”<br>
“…Midgar…”

“Yeah. We’ll find some way to get a job, maybe rent an apartment. Hell, we can be mercenaries or flip burgers or whatever, as long as we can earn a roof over our heads an’ live like human beings for once. No more driftin’ for us! Is that fine?”<br>
“…This is a nice dream…”

“It’s real, buddy. We’re really headin’ to the big city, an’ we-- whoah! I think a bat flew past the headlights! Heh! That was cool, at least we didn’t hit ‘im. But anyway, I’m not kidding. We’ll finally get to eat decently, an’ not have to creep around an’ scrape for food in the wilderness anymore. You’ve always deserved better. Well you’ll get it now… You won’t hafta act tough an’ mean anymore, won’t hafta fight bullies or get ignored by family. I’ll take care o’ you. I promise, bro…”

***

“I’m stoppin’ for the rest o’ the night… Gotta get some shut-eye. But if you need me, just wake me up. You know I wouldn’t get mad at ya.”<br>
“…k…thank you…”

“You know you don’t hafta thank me for anything. Goodnight, buddy.”<br>
***
(End of Part 1)

[ZaCloud]

“C’mon bro… Please eat at least a few bites. You’ve eaten lizards plenty o’ times before. It’s a lot better’n the crap they’ve been feedin’ us.”<br>
Claude drifted back to awareness enough to open his mouth, and slowly chew and swallow.

“That’s better. Was afraid I’d hafta chew it for you again. Poor kiddo… So messed up you can’t even enjoy our first days of freedom.”<br>
“…days?”<br>
“Yeah. We’re probably a little over half-way across now. Car’s runnin’ a little rough when it gets hot, but I think there’s still enough water left, an’ the sun’s been out enough so it doesn’t hafta switch to gas often. Man, it’s good to hear your voice again; been talking my own ears off all this time. Here, eat some more.”<br>
***

“Damn… I think that’s it this time.” He exited the car, then after many minutes, re-entered. “It’s just been too hot for too long… This puppy’s not goin’ anywhere. This sucks… I wanted to keep her too. But by the time we’d find her again, I’m sure other drifters would have her stolen, stripped, or sold. Well… We’re almost there. Maybe a week on foot. I’ve been close before, so I know the territory. Just follow the creek-bed, is all we gotta do. Well, I’ll get some water packed up somehow, figure some stuff out, and we’ll be on our way.”<br>
Time passed, Zack’s voice muffled from outside of the car. He was still talking a lot, like he always used to, ever cheerful and confident in spite of all they’d been through. That was how he dealt with everything, by making a joke or game out of it. Except when things were seriously bad, of course…<br>
Next thing he knew, Claude was once more being carried. He allowed himself a bit more awareness than before. Finally, he noticed the severe heat beating down from above. Heard the rhythmic footfalls of the one good thing in life… Well, just maybe he’d be able to experience some simple joys now. Books, television, car shows… But up until now, the only source of kindness and entertainment had been Zack. His role-model. His family.

Zack’s breathing and heartbeats were comforting, and lulled Claude to sleep once more.

***

Monsterspainfearnostoppleasebloodagonyno!

“Shhh! Claude, ssshhhh, wake up.”<br>
Claude heard horrible screams, and knew they were his own. But there was no pain other than his still-healing aches… it was just a nightmare again. It was no less distressing though, for it had been his reality for such a long time. He buried his face against Zack’s chest, sobbing and shaking.

Zack held him close, patting his back and whispering reassurances. “Shhhh… Everything’s alright now, Claude… Those bastards will never touch you again. Not as long as I live. I’m right here.”<br>
Slowly, Claude drew back to look around. It was then that he was aware enough for everything to sink in. It was nighttime, under an open sky. He could see the stars, for the first time in so long. Everything was too blurry though, for him to be completely sure. But he could feel the cold night air, and the dusty earth and sparse grass beneath him.

“We’re… *sob* we’re really free?”<br>
“Yeah, kiddo… We are. Welcome to your new life.”<br>
Claude shook his head as he tried to take it all in. “I… I had stopped believing…*sniff* But it really… Man I’m gonna bawl.”<br>
“Go ahead,” Zack said gently, “just muffle it on me. Nobody can tell you ya can’t cry anymore. It’s just me an’ you, from now on.”<br>
***

“Heh, all that sleepin’ didja some good, kid. You’re keepin’ up real well.”<br>
Claude walked beside Zack, carrying the scant remainder of their water. The difference in their size was pretty substantial. Claude walked with a somewhat meek gait, as he was still quite sore and unused to walking on open ground. Zack’s strides were long and a bit jaunty, matching his optimistic mood.

“Just a couple more days, let’s keep it up. ^_^” Zack said lightly.

Suddenly, there was a shout from the left. “Heeeey!!! Is that you, Zack?”<br>
They both looked in the direction of the feminine voice with surprise. “…Liz?!” Zack called out. The woman jogged up, smiling a bit stiffly. Her red curls bounced with the motions. She was clad in a plain smock; being a drifter, she had no access to anything fancy.

Despite the fact that Liz had only been an acquaintance from their old clan, the two young men were happy to see a familiar face, even if it was one that had been more or less indifferent to them in the past.

“Fancy meeting you after all this time,” she said, cocking her head to the side. “I thought you two died with the rest o’ the group that went out. Well, let me just ask one thing.”<br>
“Yeah, whassat?”<br>
“Did they live to see you flee like cowards?”<br>
Zack’s eyes widened. “No! I mean, it wasn’t like that! We were captured, we were too injured to do anything. We killed the last few Senate troops then collapsed—“

“Enough of your lies, traitors. Normally I wouldn’t care; the cause was stupid. But my father died in that battle. Many important people did. And I knew that would probably happen, because you two were there! Die!”<br>
From behind the skeletons of dead trees, and desolate boulders, sprang at least eight drifters with machine guns. They opened fire in an instant.

Caught completely off guard, but with reflexes still reacting, Zack screamed in dismay as he drew his Buster Sword from his back, and tried to deflect the bullets. But the number and velocity caused the flat of the blade to slam into him, knocking him back. He grabbed onto Claude and pulled him to the ground with him. In moments, Fjalar was thrown aside by the deadly rain of bullets, but by then Zack was covering Claude’s body protectively with his own.

“Act dead,” he whispered desperately, “Act deaaaAAAAH! OOoough!”<br>
Claude was still frozen in shock. It was too much, and he drew back into himself, as hot sticky blood blanketed his skin.

***

I have to go back… Back to Zack! I have to see if he’s ok! I have to…<br>
Claude forced his eyes to focus, blinking the layer of dust off of them. The people with guns were gone. Then he noticed it was hard to breathe… Zack’s weight was still on top of him. He tensed, waiting for any movement, any sign of a heartbeat or breath against his back.

There was nothing.

With a choked cry, he scrambled out from under the limp weight, and turned the man over. Zack was completely masked in blood, riddled with bullet holes, and did not move.

“…Zack?” Claude whispered. Then he spoke it. Then he screamed it. Over and over, shaking his brother’s body, trying to awaken him.

“It’s only a dream!” he screamed, “You’re not really dead! It’s only a dream! Wake up, Zack! *sob* Wake up! WAKE UP, PLEASE!!”<br>
But nothing would awaken Zack from this eternal slumber. His body was growing cold. His head rolled limply with each futile shake. His face was blank, eyes half-open and glazed. No longer bright and alive. Zack would never breathe again. Never speak. Never joke, laugh, talk incessantly. Would never again hug Claude and tell him everything would be ok.

Nothing would be ok.

Ever again.

His brother, friend, his everything… was gone forever.

Claude screamed into the sky. Screamed and cried until he felt his neck would burst and his chest would crumble. They had just gotten free… Zack had hopes and dreams, had his whole life ahead of him. It couldn’t be over. Not now, not like this…<br>
And Claude couldn’t stand to be alone.

Something broke inside of him. An almost audible snap. He fell to the ground, and his tears became silent though they still fell in heavy streams. His glassy eyes were staring at Zack’s cherished sword, the Fjalar.

There he lay, as his heart, mind, and soul adapted to keep him from dying.

After a few minutes, he slowly sat up. Still looking at the sword, slowly actually focusing on it. What a cool sword… Battle-scarred, tried-and-true.

“I can’t stand seeing them hurt you anymore… You’re all I have left in this crappy existence.”<br>
“Don’t give up, bro…”

“I’ll take care o’ you. I promise, bro…”

The person didn’t have to be alone. Zack wasn’t ready to die, so he wouldn’t. No. He was still right there, with the person who needed him, like he’d promised…<br>
Right there, with him.

The blonde youth crawled forward, and picked up the sword. He swung it a few times, growing accustomed to its weight and balance as he had long ago. Then he put it away on his back, and looked to the north.

“…Midgar…” he said quietly.

He then headed off with long, jaunty strides.

***

Because he had the military jacket wrapped around his waist, the blonde youth only drew momentary attention from the townspeople; he couldn’t be a current member of the Senate if he wasn’t in full uniform.

He had bathed in a pond, then had made the rest of the journey nonstop through the night. He was ready to take a nap. But without a piece of currency on him, a roof and bed would have to wait.

First, being the adventurous and curious person he was, he walked around to take in the sights, smells, and sounds of Midgar. It was a lot different than any place he had ever been. It was almost overwhelming. Buildings, cars, people, everywhere. Shops, restaurants… Places and things he had only heard about, or caught distant glimpses of.

[ZaCloud]

“Pretty damn cool.”<br>
“What’s pretty damn cool?” a tall, brown-haired woman asked.

The young man blinked, noticing her standing in front of him. He then blushed mildly and chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “Oh, I’m just new in town,” he answered, “It’s way nicer and bigger’n I thought it’d be, is all.”<br>
“Oh, I see,” the woman said, nodding. “So, you’re from Zion?”<br>
“Huh? Oh, oh the clothes… Yeah, I came from there. Got this stuff from surplus.” His eyes then darkened. “…I’m no Senator though, that’s for sure…”

She cocked her head slightly, puzzled at the sudden change in the man’s mood, then shrugged slightly. “Well, good to know that; those guys creep me out. Anyway, my name’s Amber. Amber Thompson.” She extended her hand toward him.

The young man was tense for an instant, barely able to stop himself from jumping back from her hand. This puzzled him, but he recovered so swiftly she must not have noticed. He smiled warmly once more, and automatically shook her hand with a firm yet gentle grasp. “I’m Zack Strife,” he answered.

“Well, it’s nice meeting you, Zack,” she said, “I’d stay and chat, but I’ve got places to go. Maybe we’ll bump into each other again sometime.”<br>
“Maybe,” he said with a slight nod. Then, “Um, thank you for talking to me, even for this moment.”<br>
Once more, she was puzzled. Another swerve, this time to shyness. What a strange kid…<br>
“It’s… no trouble,” she assured him, “But anyway, I’m off.”<br>
Zack winked and pointed to her with a finger-pistol. “Later, babe.”<br>
Yes, Amber thought as she walked away, A very strange kid… But interesting.

Zack watched her leave, then started walking once more, when he heard the alarms going off in a nearby store. A man ran through the door with an elaborate stereo system, rushing blindly from the protests of the clerk.

The blonde quickly drew his sword, and casually lowered it so the thief tripped and fell. While this stopped him, however, the impact also caused the stereo to break open.

Whoops, thought Zack, but his expression remained suave. “You break it, you buy it,” he said with a smirk.

“What are you doing you son of a—“ The thief stopped his angry burst when he looked up in time to see the young man, casually resting the biggest sword he’d ever seen across his shoulder like it was a mere broomstick.

To add to the criminal’s surprise and fear, the bright blue eyes suddenly narrowed, and a dark smirk made its way to Zack’s mouth. “Yeah, you should be afraid, scumbag,” he growled in a dangerous tone. He kicked the older man’s face viciously, sending him flying several feet and rolling to a limp stop, knocked out and already bleeding terribly from the nose and mouth.

Zack then approached and picked him up by the collar, dragging him toward the store. Stunned onlookers stepped out of his way, and the clerk seemed unable to decide between fear and gratitude.

But then Zack’s bright, warm smile returned in its entirety. “Sorry about the commotion, sir,” he said with a hint of goofy embarrassment, “But I figured he’d have to pay for that stereo either way, and get jail-time regardless… There are police in this town, right?”<br>
“Uhh… Yeah,” the clerk answered.

“Good,” the youth said brightly, dropping the limp, gurgling criminal on the threshold, “He shouldn’t be going anywhere for a while, so you may as well call ‘em and order a pick-up.”<br>
“Th…Thank you, young man,” the older one managed at last.

“No prob,” Zack said casually, folding his hands behind his head, “Not like this was outta my way or anything. Well, have a nice day.” He wandered off, whistling an old folk tune.

***

That was the nice thing about the Buster Sword blade’s width; in a pinch, it could actually be limited shelter.

Zack had propped the sword up against some empty crates beside a building on a less-populated street, and was lying curled up underneath it on the military jacket. This was pretty nice… Not as cold as the desert got at night, and one got used to the occasional cars going by.

He craned his neck a bit, enough to look at the stars. They were a bit faded, due to the lights in the area, but he could still see several of the brighter ones. He sighed, feeling awed at the open sky. For some reason, it felt so special to him, so sacred, as if he hadn’t seen it in a very long time.

Then, he shook his head and murmured, “Why did I trip that guy? It was dumb… I should have done something else. The clerk could have sold that thing and gotten double money for his troubles… I’m so stupid…”

No you’re not, kiddo, he heard, Everyone makes mistakes. Stopping him was what mattered, anyway.

“And… and he thanked me,” Zack whispered, eyes suddenly tearing up, “I didn’t do anything great… Why would someone go through the trouble of thanking me?”<br>
Zack’s hand went gently to his own cheek. “No need to feel down in the dumps,” he softly said to himself, “You did deserve thanks. Not everyone in the world is mean or evil… We’ll meet more good people. Maybe even make friends. Whatever happens though, I’m right here.”<br>
“…Thank you,” he whispered, smiling sadly as he drifted off to sleep.