Second Chance

Old Friends

Morning, World Restoration Organization, WRO, Headquarters...

Zack entered the large building, stopping at the entrance lobby to catch his breath. He lost his way a couple of times on the way to the base; he ended up being slightly late to his meeting with Reeve. The lady at the receptionist's desk looked at him confused, making him a bit self-conscious. Finally, he straightened his posture and made his way to the reception. "Hi, umm... I have an appointment with director Reeve."

"A moment please Mr...?"

"Zack, Zack Fair."

"Mr. Fair. Yes, the director is waiting for you in his office."

"Good, where is the office?"

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Aerith moved to the kitchen in the back after Zack left; Barret grumpily went out to watch over the kids in the new playground constructed near the square. Tifa and Cloud were alone in the bar, sitting in silence. "We'll need to invest in a wheelchair for Aerith. Do you think we could get one?"

"Yeah, it should be. I can pick one up on my way back."

"Drive safe."

"ok."

Tifa felt awkward after that exchange; she had hoped for something a bit more romantic but followed him regardless to the front door. She watched over him as he got the packages on the Fenrir, and she muttered a quiet sigh.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, startling her from her daze.

"What? N-no nothing at all."

"You sure?"

"Y-yes, I'm sure-!" She gulped; Cloud was standing right before her without realizing it. The fabric of his shirt was slightly touching the tip of her nose; he was too close for comfort. "Um, Cloud?"

Cloud lowered his face to Tifa's, kissing her. Then, he guided her back into the bar and pinned her to the wall, not breaking their contact as it got deeper. They didn't part till they heard the crash of a pot and looked over to the direction of the kitchen.

Aerith waved her arms defensively. "Oops! My bad!" She leaned her body over and picked up the pot she had dropped accidentally. "Don't mind me, please continue like I wasn't here!".

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Zack scratched his head and looked over the door with the label 'Research Lab.' He lost his way to Reeve's office, even after stopping a few employees for directions. 'This place needs its own map' he held the bridge of his nose and lifted his head with a sigh. Lucky for him, one of the WRO soldiers was in the hall with papers in hand. Zack quickly went over to the soldier and tapped his shoulder. "Hey, mister, can you direct me to your boss' office?"

"Uh? Oh yeah... first door at the end of the hallway."

"Ok, thanks."

Zack patted the busy soldier's back hard enough that it caused the guy's helmet to fall off easily. The man was so surprised that he dropped all his papers and stood in shock for a few seconds, looking down at the scattered reports on the floor. The man then turned and stared at Zack, surprised. "H-how were you able to do that with ease?!"

"Eh?"

"No one could hit me before- wait a sec."

The man leaned forward, examining Zack from head to toe. He even rubbed his eye to fix his focus, just in case. Finally, his eyes widened, stepping back, glancing between Zack and the papers on the floor multiple times. "Y-your SOLIDER first class Zack Fair?!"

"Um... well yes."

"D-do you remember me?"

It was Zack's turn to stare at the man in front of him. He had Mako-infused eyes, which meant he was in the SOLIDER like he was, but his messy short dark brown hair wasn't very familiar. However, there was something about him, something that was oddly familiar. "Um... are you Luxiere?"