paixaorpg | The Force of Change [active]

Angeal stood against the wall of the hotel, arms folded and wings tucked securely between him and the foundation as he waited. If there was one thing he was good at, it was waiting. Especially since he'd finally found a familiar face, and that familiar face had information for him.

In all honesty, he had to wonder why it had to be a Turk here. Weren't they still hunting him down? ...whatever. If Reno was planning on pulling a fast one, he'd be faster. Monsters weren't supposed to show mercy.

Waiting...

Still hunting him down? Not in the least, given that he'd gone and died. No need to hunt for a dead man. Not even if he had come back to life. As for pulling a fast one... Reno might not have had a whole lot of morals, but he had no illusions about being able take down a SOLDIER.

And really, in either case, Angeal didn't have long to wait before an all too familiar redhead came sauntering down the street, looking for all the world like he wasn't concerned in the least about talking to a man he'd last seen dead. (He wasn't, to be honest.)

Edited 2009-02-17 01:14 (UTC)

Angeal smiled a bit to himself when he'd spotted that familiar, blindingly red hair not too far down the street, and hefted himself off the wall, stretching the wings out a little. Just because they were an extention, it didn't mean he couldn't feel anything. They still cramped like any other body part.

He didn't need to wave or shout. It was obnoxious and unnecessary. The dark-haired man simply stared in the other's direction and nodded slightly.

"Reno."

"Hey," Reno answered with a nod and a lazy wave as he drew near. "Lookin' pretty good there f'r a dead guy."

And looking pretty much as the last known reports in his file had had him, not that Reno was going to be mentioning that. As far as he was concerned Angeal's death had pretty much severed any ties he had to both SOLDIER and ShinRa, so he wouldn't be getting any company secrets any time soon.

Luckily, he didn't need to share any secrets to get Angeal up to speed.

"I work out." Angeal replied without a beat, a small smirk twisting that hardened face. It soon faded, however, as the SOLDIER focused on the more pressing matter at hand.

Resolve unflinching, he calmly demanded. "Tell me everything. What's been going on in this supposed future? What happened to ShinRa?" The next question's tone was harsher, though still mostly calm.

"What happened to SOLDIER? To Zack and Sephiroth and everyone else?"

"It ain't 'supposed'," Reno answered sharply. "'Swhat happened."

There was a brief pause and then he continued on. "An' it's a long story. Long 'n not exactly pretty."

Not that he minded one way or another in the end. But he had a feeling that Angeal might, given some of the people involved.

"I've got time." Angeal shrugged, retracting the wings a bit. They were getting in the way, as usual. Minor details. Focus. "And nothing is ever 'pretty'. Talk."

It was a struggle to keep his voice even and level, given the situation. But Reno knew things he didn't, and he hated secrets.

"What happened?"

'What happened?' Now there was the opening to a can of worms if ever he'd heard one. But in for a gil, out for a chocobo, or however that phrase went. And without going back on his word there was really anything for it.

"After you dyed, things were okay f'r a bit," he began. Not entirely problem free, but okay. "Right up to the point where Sephiroth went a little insane an' decided that torchin' Nibelheim sounded like a good idea, despite him bein theoretically out on a mission. Took Zack an' Cloud t' take him down, in th' end."

Edited 2009-02-17 20:38 (UTC)

"...insane?" Angeal repeated coldly. "Sephiroth. Burned an entire village to the ground?" It was too farfetched to even consider believing. Sephiroth may have been one of the best SOLDIERs ShinRa had to offer, but going crazy and murdering innocents? That wasn't his style. What could have possibly driven him to...

Sephiroth was in for a long talk.

"And what happened after that? Why did ShinRa fall?"

"It didn't fall!" It had very nearly been erased during Meteorfall and the years after but dammit, they'd stuck by their president and rebuilt. Or would rebuild, but it was the same in the end.

"Yeah. Somethin' somethin' chosen of the planet, somethin' somethin' his mother. Anyway, Hojo picked up Zack and Cloud in the aftermath and holed them up in that lab of his out there, while ShinRa rebuilt Nibelheim at what I'm assumin' was great personal expense."

Now for the fun part. Having to tell Angeal that Zack had been a lab toy. Fun.

"Four years later, we get a call sayin' that a couple of Hojo's specimens have gotten loose an' can e please go an' pick 'em up. Only along th' way we find out the 'specimens' are Zack an' Cloud. Strife got th' worst 'f it; Zack was tryin' to keep him safe, I guess?" There was a brie pause, barely worthy of the name and then he was continuing on. "Anyway, next thing I know th' orders change t' 'search an' rescue'. Th' only problem is it's like lookin' for two needles in a haystack with them out in th' wasteland outside 'f Midgar an' th' ShinRa army gets there first."

Hopefully Angeal would be smart enough to pick up what happened next.

Angeal had to supress his urge to smirk at Reno's hasty reaction. ShinRa was the root of everything; the experiments, the torture... the only salvageable part being SOLDIER, and his brotherhood with his comrades in a difficult time. He couldn't return anyway... he was an abomination. A monster. He'd betrayed ShinRa, and therefore SOLDIER as well. He couldn't even say he had his pride anymore...

The faint hint of a smile faded when the red-head began to explain everything to him, and the age-old anger supressed within him began to flood back to the surface. So Zack had... just like him...

The more he spoke, the less he cared about kicking old wounds. "And you just let them do that to two innocent boys? You didn't try to convince them otherwise, that, oh I don't know, it was a bad idea?" He wasn't sure of the relationship between the Turks and the scientists, but his assumption was that they'd, at the very least, be able to talk to them.

"And Zack took care of the army?"

"We didn't hear much about it, t' be honest," Reno answered with a shrug. "We were just there t' get people there and take care 'f the clean up." What happened in the Science Department wasn't really their business, and it wasn't like they didn't have problems of their own in the time that had passed. "All we knew was that Zack 'n Cloud had up an' vanished, t' be presumed dead."

Not that that had turned out to be the case, unfortunately.

"Try th' other way around. Cloud was pretty much out 'f it, th' way I heard it, so I'm guessin' Zack died t' save his friend."

ShinRa and their secrets. Some things never changed, it seemed. Angeal was still very much convinced at all of this - arriving in Paixao, Reno's story, the fact of him being from the future - was all just some sick dream or gimmick of the Lifestream. There was no possible other explaination for it all.

And the last part hit him hard, like a brick to the face.

"...Zack's... dead?"

Zack's breathing sounded harshly in his ears as he raced in a black blur towards the Actua Are hotel Angeal had listed in his journal. Only one thought raced through his mind, whether in affirmation or comfort, Zack didn't know: Angeal. Angeal was alive.

The responses had been too candid, practically oozing with Angealism that it couldn't have been anyone else. Zack had been subjected to Angeal enough to know the difference between a pathetic imitation and the real deal, and he prided himself on that, Zack reminded himself as he leapt over a few vendor wagons standing in his pathway.

But...how was this possible? Alive?

He hadn't wanted to do the task given to him, the man had forced his hand back then and Zack, even to this day, never stopped wishing that it could have been different. It was always left to those who stayed behind to suffer, and if Angeal was here, then...

Zack skidded to a halt near the front entrance of the hotel as a flash of red hair caught his eye. His eyes were inevitably drawn at the next moment, however, to the person who loomed next to the redheaded Turk. He was actually there, present, alive, leaning back with his arms crossed as if he'd been plucked straight out of a ShinRa hallway. Without thinking, without understanding what he intended to do, Zack crossed the distance between them and tried to introduce his right hook to Angeal's face.

Well, technically speaking Zack was dead. Hard to mistake it when you've seen a guy shot full of more bullets than is really healthy for anyone, even they were a SOLDIER. So yeah, he'd died. It was just that it seemed that Paixao wasn't really a place that cared about technically, when you got right down to it and had gleefully pulled Zack out of wherever the hell he'd been after he'd died. (Reno's current bet was the Lifestream, but he hadn't really asked)

So he both was and wasn't dead, a fact that Reno had just opened his mouth to begin explaining before a blur resolved itself into Zack. And that was quite possible one of the best explanations (or distractions) he could find.

"Not quite," he finally settled for, although he wasn't in the least bit sure Angeal would be listening to him anymore.

Angeal hadn't the slightest second to react before a hard fist knocked him straight in the face and sent him sailing to the ground. Coughing, the SOLDIER attempted to right his bloodied jaw and spin around, trying to find out what the hell just stuck him.

Mako-blue eyes widening, in a mix of shock and disbelief, the winged man froze. Was that... Zack? Since when did he look like... that?

Using the wall as leverage, the SOLDIER picked upself up carefully and smirked at the younger man, shaking his head in amusement. "...not even a warning? Cruel, even for you, Zack."

He didn't want to think about him being dead, after all.

Zack grimaced, making a strange expression that warred between grinning madly at the words and letting the surge of pain that struck him at the sound of the low voice show. Memory might have dulled the tones a bit but he still hadn't forgotten that look of amusement he used to poke out of Angeal.

Except, he wasn't eighteen anymore, and he'd already lived past his dream.

He drew his arm back again, panting, wanting to let loose with another fist to show Angeal just how much his death had affected him, nearly screwed him up. He found himself glomping onto the man instead, sideways and with much force. Indistinct mumblings could be heard somewhere from the vicinity of Angeal's ribbed vest and if Reno dared to even mention later how big boys didn't cry tiny emo tears, Zack was going to break his kneecaps one.

...So much for not being eighteen anymore.

Whether or not Reno would bring the fact that Zack had broken down into tears at the sight of Angeal was something that only time would tell. You know, just like everything else potentially embarrassing that he routinely stored away for possible later use. Possibly when one or both of them was drunk.

But for the time being he wasn't going to make a comment (and people said he couldn't be quiet). No, for the time he'd just wait and watch, a distinct smirk on his face. He'd let them deal with the surprise of finding someone not dead first.

He should've expected this.

Rather than returning the hug, or anything someone normal would do after years of not seeing each other and assuming the other dead, Angeal pushed the younger man away, a scowl evident on his face. He was glad to see Zack again ~~though he'd just seen him a couple days ago~~, but the hugging was going a bit too far. And the crying. SOLDIERs didn't cry.

Rubbing one gloved hand to his temple, the winged man shook his head. "Pull yourself together, Zack. You're embarrassing yourself."

Rubbing off a small bit of wetness onto Angeal's shirt to be contrary, Zack mumbled "No love, man," as he was pushed back. He seriously needed to cure Angeal of his aversion for pouncings, or at least find a way around his glomp-dar. At least the man hadn't tossed him clear across the room like last time. Then again last time, he had declared his love for Angeal in front of the Director of SOLDIER after finding out that the man had placed in a recommendation to push him to First Class.

...maybe he was doing it wrong?

Leather gloves rubbed across his face, erasing the remaining traces of his slip in emotions and leaving a disgruntled look behind. "Well gee, Angeal. Sorry for being a bit overwhelmed by the fact that you're alive again and kicking. Don't know what I was thinking."

If Zack was looking for someone to pounce on, there was always Reno, although abruptly grabbing on to one of the worlds most dangerous (un-makoified) people was not necessarily the smartest of moves. But it was a possibility, should Zack be desperately looking for one.

"Bet I can guess what you were thinkin'," he remarked with a smirk. No, it hadn't been hard to tell at all.

"Reno. Shut up." Angeal snapped, casting the Turk a glare that would normally send most Second Classes running. They may not have been a part of ShinRa anymore, but that didn't mean the First Class wasn't capable of delivering a nasty punishment for smart-ass talk.

And as for Zack...

"People say it's normal to happen here." He sighed, lowering his arm. "I don't see why you'd be happy to see me. I betrayed ShinRa, I tried to kill you. I should be dead."

Ooooooh. Reno got "The Look". Would it have been bad for Zack to shoot the other man a smug look? After all, it was pretty rare that it wasn't directed at him.

"People? What people? Surely you don't mean Reno." Reno was hardly the barometer for normal. None of them were, but the redhead seemed to swagger to a whole symphony of his own.

...Wait, what? Oh goody joy Marlboro on a stick. This again. Angeal earned a glare for his words, Zack not about to put up with those spiraling thoughts again. Zack could be just as stubborn as Cloud when the situation called for it, and if he had to beat the idea into Angeal's head with the Buster that the man deserved to live, deserved to be there and be missed, then he gladly would.

"Oh, shove it, Angeal." Zack swallowed once in nervousness before pushing the feeling down. He'd mouthed off to his mentor before, but not on this scale. Angeal wouldn't wipe the floor with him so soon after seeing him again, right? Besides, this was important and so worth it. "You're important to me. We all betrayed ShinRa at the end, and trust me, ShinRa was worth betraying."

Unfortunately for Angeal, Reno had long since developed an immunity to glares. After all, more often than not he was glared at by someone in the course of an average day. So really it wasn't all that much of a surprise.

Which wasn't to say that he didn't notice the glare. It was just that he didn't let it stop him, just like so many other things that most people would take to mean 'okay, stop talking'. Besides, he'd gotten worse looks from Tseng before, so all that really made a difference here was that it was Angeal and not one of the usual suspects.

"Hey. We ain't all betrayed ShinRa." Zack and Angeal, sure. But Reno's loyalty was and always would be with the Turks and through them, to ShinRa.

"Then that's your problem." Angeal retorted lowly, not wanting to hear about the subject any longer. What ShinRa did to him, to Sephiroth and Genesis and Zack and Ifrit knows how many more, was a crime against humanity. He didn't deserve to walk free on any world. Not Paixao, not Gaia...

And Zack still wouldn't let him go...

Why?

His gaze lowered. "You'd rather let someone live and suffer, Zack?"

"Aw, really? So all those attempts at knocking the old man ShinRa off were just Rufus' way of saying 'I love you, dad'? How sweet." It was no secret on base that Rufus had been essentially "grounded" in Junon for being a bit overzealous in his succession duties. Zack definitely remembered the time; he'd lost his drinking buddy for almost a year, after all.

"Being alive means you can make reparations." Zack's arms dropped to his sides now that it looked like Angeal would stay put. The older SOLDIER could still fly away but honestly, how far could he get in a domed city? He leaned forward, eyes glowing intensely and voice pitched low as the next part wasn't meant for Reno's ears. "You and me, you said we'd fight against anything that tormented this world. Well, anything that tormented Gaia anyway. Are you gonna go back on your promise?"

Zack paused, letting that sink in before he decided to take another gamble. "Where's your honor, Angeal?"

Reno hadn't forgotten that time either. Junon was nice and all, but it had gotten more than a little boring when your only mission for the foreseeable future was basically to babysit the Vice-President.

"There's ShinRa and then there's Shinra." In other words, the company, and the man. Men. "Shinra Sr. was an ass an' th' worlds better off without him. But I never betrayed th' Turks."

And the Turks were ShinRa, although they'd never much liked working under Rufus' father. But they had because well, it was their job and the only way out of the Turks was... not an option at this point in time. He had a job and be hook or by crook he was gonna keep as long as he possibly could.

"I never said that." Angeal retorted, though it lacked any anger or frustration. "I said that our enemy was all that created suffering. I created suffering. I'm not going back on my promise this way. It's better if you just forgot about me, Zack."

The bigger man began to turn away, intending to just head back inside. Zack didn't need to concern himself with someone like him. He wasn't worth it. "I lost my pride long ago. You still have yours." One gloved hand clenched into a fist, even as his back was turned. "My honor, my pride... it died with me."

Zack shot Reno a knowing look, one that stated exactly how much he knew about Shinra loyalty. The SOLDIERs at the time were loyal to one man, and it sure as heck on a haywire wasn't Shinra Senior, or Heidegger for that matter, regardless of how much the oversized man hemmed and hawwed about his 'lackeys'. Zack had no doubts that the Turks operated much the same.

Just because that man happened to be playing at president at the moment was just plain coincidence.

"No go, Angeal. I'll never forget you, so you can just screw it with the whole 'Let me wallow in my own misery' thing, got it?" Zack started to follow Angeal, a finger pointing at the taller man to emphasize his point. He was not about to let the man go off on his own again. "I'm not a kid anymore. Stop coddling me."

"It didn't die. I just borrowed it," Zack stated with the assurance of one who believed wholeheartedly in what he was saying about Angeal's honor and pride, one palm tapping twice at the very familiar sword hilt protruding past his shoulder. "And now I'm returning it back to you, though I'm tellin' ya, Angeal, if you even think about charging me interest for keeping it so long, I'm gonna default."

Once upon a time, Zack's idea of ShinRa loyalty would have applied to the Turks. They'd been more loyal to first Veld and then Tseng than the President at that point. (Really, the man had had no idea of how to use the Turks best.) And so they'd muddled along, sticking to each other, until Meteorfall.

Meteorfall had changed everything. Gone was the company, and with the world in shambles they could very easily left what few remains there were. But they hadn't. They'd stuck by Rufus, and consequently they were easily as loyal to him now as they were to each other.

Not, of course, that Reno was going to mention that. Let Zack keep his thoughts. Not like it mattered one way or the other to him. Nor was he going to say anything else at the moment. He'd give Angeal and Zack a bit more time, first.

At the younger man's words, the SOLDIER simply shook his head to dispel the thought of actually being cared about. Why did he insist on following him, not letting him just... go and be forgotten? What did he ever contribute to anything?

Mako eyes met mako eyes then, even if he didn't completely turn around. The Buster Sword was the first thing his vision registered, and a look of hurt seemed to pass the aged SOLDIER's face. "Keep it. I don't need it." He muttered, nearly inaudible. "I don't ever need it again. It's yours."

Zack opened his mouth to argue, certain that the sword did rightfully belong to Angeal. But...did it really? Still? Angeal had given him the sword at that last moment, to pass on the legacy of upholding what the sword stood for originally, what Angeal personally felt he hadn't fulfilled. Giving it back now, especially with how Angeal felt about what happened, was probably too soon.

And in a way, Zack didn't want to give the sword back, at least not yet. It still reminded him that his mentor had cared, that Cloud had regretted his loss, that he had realized his dreams of being a hero.

Well. No sweat. There was more than one way to skin a frog, as they said in Gongaga.

Zack crossed his arms, the weight of the sword seeming to double in that one second. "Looks like I don't have a choice. We'll just get you something else, Angeal. You can't go defenseless in this city for long." Zack's tone brooked no refusal. Angeal needed a weapon if he was going to combat against the Heartless.

"Might wanna listen t' that one," Reno chimed in, the comment mostly meant for Angeal. "City ain't a safe place."

Oh, it might well look safe, but looks could and often were deceiving - he was proof enough of that. And even if it wasn't the Heartless, there were still the Lumens to keep an eye on. And from little he'd managed hear, going up against either of them unarmed... wasn't the smartest thing in the world.

"Unless you wanna try flirtin' with death, that is."

"I can find something myself. I'm a grown man, Zack. I don't need you to hold my hand." Angeal explained, turning away once more. "Focus on yourself. I'll be fine."

And even if he wasn't... oh well. Not like he had much to contribute. Zack was old enough to not need him now. He'd been the one to help him walk, and now the younger SOLDIER was running on his own. He'd done his part.

Seeming to finally notice Reno's presence, the winged man shot a glare at the Turk. "You have no idea about that. Don't assume things about people."

"Hey, hey! Don't insult Angeal that way. He's way smarter than that," Zack exclaimed with mock offense at Reno, completely disregarding that as SOLDIERs, they not only flirted with death, they practically courted it. Whoever heard of an old, retired SOLDIER? Of course, the fact that the program wasn't that old to begin with...

"I'd rather hold your wings, Angeal," Zack said firmly, tone uncharacteristically quiet. He'd rarely managed to enjoy his own hard-earned wings when he'd woken up in this place. That and he was starting to see where this conversation was going, and he didn't like it one bit. "And besides," Zack continued in a minimally lighter tone, "How do you know I won't get killed, huh? It's a dangerous place and there's safety in numbers, isn't that right? Or did you forget that little fact in basic strategy?"

Like Turks didn't? There was a reason there weren't all that many old Turks around and it wasn't just because of 'rookie mistakes' (although that did account for some of the losses). They might not get into quite the same many of things as SOLDIERs did, but the job was hardly without risk.

ShinRa seemed to do that a lot, not that Reno was complaining.

"Wasn' assuming," he shot back at Angeal's remark. ...Well, okay, maybe he was a bit, but sometimes a little assumption was necessary. "An' I know." SOLDIERs didn't make SOLDIER by being idiots, after all.

"You can't keep holding my hand, Zack. I've done what I can for you. You can't keep depending on me." He moved to continue walking off, but stopped short. They did need to have this talk, didn't they? Not like it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance if they were going to all be trapped in this city, but still. "If you're from the future like you say you are, and you've done just fine without me, you can let me go. It's not like I can get out of here alone anyway. I'll still be around."

Against my will.

That part wasn't added.

There was a tense silence after that, waiting for either of the two to respond. Whether or not they did, he thought he made his point clear enough. Whether Zack decided to take it to heart, however, was a completely different matter.

"Are we done here?"

"This isn't dependency. It's comradeship. And there's nothing wrong with wanting to watch your back. Or have you watch mine." Zack was starting to get frustrated. He knew Angeal could be stubborn and difficult, especially when he'd made his mind up about something, and most especially when he made his mind up about what was good for others. (Too bad he was wrong some of the time.) At least this time, Genesis wasn't around to stir the pot.

"You bet your ass we're not done here, Angeal. But fine. Leave." It wasn't like Angeal had many places to hide. "But we're gonna have this conversation sooner or later. You got that? You're not dilly-dallying out of this." And preferably at that time, they wouldn't have an audience for their argument. As it was, they were giving Reno enough fuel.

Zack turned, showing Angeal his profile as he waited for the man to do what he did best lately- leave Zack behind. Their reunion certainly hadn't gone the way he'd always thought it would but then, should he expect otherwise?

More than enough, as matter of fact. None of which he would be using right away, but neither would he be forgetting. Someday what he'd picked up on might come in handy. More so if there ever came a day when he wasn't the sole Turk in the city, but hey. He could be patient, when the situation call for it.

"'S always nice t' have someone watchin' your back."

But he wasn't going to stop Angeal from leaving. That he would be trusting to Zack. His mentor, his job. Reno was just an innocent bystander.

The angered tone sounded unusual coming from someone like Zack, but he refused to let the feeling show openly. "I'm nobody's 'comrade'. Not anymore. If you've lasted this long without me, I don't have to watch your back anymore. You're strong enough, and you've grown. That's what's important." And if Reno was just going to add ridiculous input, why did he even stick around? The SOLDIER shook his head, exasperated with this entire meeting and throroughly annoyed by everything.

But... still. Nice seeing the puppy grow into such a fierce protector. He almost smiled... almost.

His boots thumped against the unnatural ground towards the entrance to the hotel once more, to be left alone for the remainder of his time here.

"We're done."

The Force of Change [active]

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