All But Blood
http://www.akane.org/fanfiction/allbutblood.htm
By: Krista Perry <KPerry@aros.org>
Final Fantasy Seven

This fic is told from Zack's point of view. If you haven't played FFVII 
all the way through, and don't know who Zack is (sometimes romanized as 
"Zacks" or "Zax"), you might want to bypass this spoiler-filled fic. 

Warning: This fic contains less-than-pristine language, violence, and 
non-explicit adult themes. 

~*~

Chapter One:

	"Hey, kid, you doing okay?" 
	A storm raged outside, wild and merciless. Rain streamed down the 
truck's back windows, so that it was nearly impossible to see anything 
of the surrounding forest except a dark green blur. The rain was 
pelting so hard against the shell of the truck, it sounded like we were 
encased inside a steel drum that was being beaten relentlessly. We were 
perfectly dry inside, but the air was stale and musty, smelling 
unpleasantly like four men who had been on the road too long without a 
shower. The vehicle bounced and jostled over the muddy, rutted road, 
making it a little difficult for me to keep my footing as I stood next 
to my friend, who sat slouched on a wooden crate with his head between 
his knees. 
	Cloud lifted his head slightly, and favored me with a watery-eyed 
glare. The poor kid looked positively green. "Don't call me that," he 
muttered, casting a brief, anxious glance over to where Sephiroth sat 
on a crate near the front of the truck. "Anyway," he said, looking down 
again, "I'm fine." 
	Oh, whoops. I'd forgotten how much he hated being called "kid." 
And here I'd gone and called him that in front of Sephiroth, whom he 
practically idolized. Some friend I was. 
	Still, I was worried at how sick he was looking. "Are you sure? I 
could ask the driver to stop for a bit..." 
	"I said I'm fine." And then, quieter, he said, "But, thanks." 
	A more transparent lie had never been told. But I could also see 
Cloud's usual innate stubbornness and pride surfacing in his sickly 
features. Knowing him, he would probably swallow his own tongue before 
he would allow himself to puke in front of Sephiroth. 
	"Okay, if you're sure..." 
	He nodded briefly without looking up. With a sigh, I wandered 
over to my crate and sat down. Sephiroth glanced over at me and raised 
a questioning eyebrow. I just shrugged, feeling a bit helpless. 
	Poor Cloud. I'd specifically requested to bring him along for 
this trip because I was hoping to cheer him up. I even brought Marlow 
along as the last member of the team, because I knew he was the quiet 
type, and had never been among the crowd that had harassed Cloud at 
cadet school. True to form, Marlow was dozing at the back of the truck, 
ignoring us completely. 
	I had been surprised that Cloud hadn't been as excited about this 
mission as I hoped he'd be. He'd been down-right reluctant to 
come along, until I finally coaxed him into it. Now I could see why he 
wasn't all that excited. I'd never had motion sickness myself, but it 
didn't look fun. 
	Oh well, I thought, feeling somewhat bummed out. So far, my big 
plan to get Cloud's mind off his troubles at Shinra was a huge bust. On 
top of that, I'd been hoping to have someone to talk to on the trip. I 
mean, I brought Marlow along because I knew he would keep to himself 
until it was time to follow orders. And Sephiroth was a cool guy and 
all, but he was never really the chatty type. 
	Suddenly feeling bored out of my skull, I reached into my pocket 
and pulled out the new materia that I'd been issued right before we 
left, and rolled it around in the palm of my hand. It glowed faint 
green in the gloom. 
	"What kind is it?" Sephiroth asked suddenly. 
	I looked up at him, surprised. Was he actually starting a 
conversation? "Huh? Oh, it's a Lightning Materia. I just got it." I 
grinned, and clenched my hand around it in a fist. "I can't wait to try 
it out." 
	The corner of Sephiroth's mouth turned up in a half-smile. "Just 
like a kid," he said. 
	I shrugged, smiling. Unlike Cloud, I didn't mind being called a 
kid, even though I was nineteen. Heck, in the presence of the great 
Sephiroth, I felt like a kid. There was just something about the guy 
that made you feel... smaller. But I had long ago determined not to let 
it bother me. "So," I said, stuffing my materia back into my pocket. If 
Sephiroth was in a rare talkative mood, I was determined to take 
advantage of it. "What do you think about these monster reports we're 
supposed to be investigating? You think there's anything to it?" 
	"I wouldn't be surprised," Sephiroth answered calmly. "If the Mt. 
Nibel Reactor is malfunctioning, leaking raw Mako into the environment, 
it could easily result in rapid, unnatural animal and plant 
mutations." 
	I pursed my lips tightly, thinking about the Mako treatment I'd 
been given when I entered SOLDIER a couple of years back. It was just a 
little mist, but breathing it was painful as heck, like trying to 
breathe acid fumes. And I remembered how startled I was afterwards, to 
look into a mirror and see the strange, faint glow of Mako coming from 
my own eyes. 
	As if reading my mind, Sephiroth said, "The amount of Mako 
exposure necessary to cause such severe mutation is far greater than 
the minuscule amount to which we were exposed. Also, the Mako we were 
given was specially treated and purified. So don't worry, Zack," he 
said, and there was mild amusement on his face. "We may be more 
resilient than normal, but you and I are both fully human." 
	"Well, good," I said, grinning rakishly, to cover the relief I 
felt at being so reassured. "Because I'd really hate to tell my 
girlfriend that she was dating a monster." 
	Sephiroth opened his mouth to reply, but whatever he was about to 
say was lost as something suddenly slammed into the truck with bone-
jarring force. The truck lurched and skidded almost a complete 360 
degrees, sending the four of us flying against the right side of the 
truck, before it came to a stop. Thinking back on it, it's amazing that 
the truck didn't roll. 
	In the abrupt silence that followed, Sephiroth, Cloud, Marlow and 
I quickly untangled ourselves from the jumble we had landed in, and did 
a quick once-over for injuries. Sephiroth and I were both fine. Cloud 
was pale, and looking greener than ever, but otherwise seemed unharmed. 
Marlow, though, was bleeding from a small gash in his forehead. 
	"Hey," Marlow said, reaching up and pressing his gloved hand 
against the wound. "What in the world was that?" 
	"That," said Sephiroth, reaching over to where our weapons had 
slid in the collision, "is one of our monsters, if I'm not mistaken." 
He retrieved Masamune, and I followed suit, grabbing my Buster Sword. I 
took a quick moment to reach into my pocket for my new Lightning 
Materia, and slip it into one of the empty slots on the huge blade. 
	Whatever was out there, it was big. It was stomping around, 
causing a huge racket with its impact tremors. We could hear it 
breathing, snuffing around the back of the truck. I turned to Cloud, 
who was looking a bit wild-eyed with panic. "Check on the driver, see 
if he's okay," I said. "Sephiroth and I will handle this." 
	He seemed grateful to have something useful to do, and he nodded, 
swallowing hard, as if trying to force back his nausea. "Okay," he 
said, with probably more vigor than he was feeling. 
	And then Sephiroth opened the back doors of the truck. The wind 
lashed stinging rain into our faces, but that didn't stop us from 
seeing what was lurking out there. 
	It was big -- at least the size of a house -- and green, with 
great leathery wings and long, sharp claws, each one the size of my 
Buster Sword. It looked at us, its eyes drawn by the motion of the 
truck doors opening, then bared all sixty million of its jagged teeth 
and snarled in a way that said we were lunch. 
	"Oh boy," Marlow said from behind me, and I silently agreed 
with him -- but in a good way. Nothing like fighting a Mako-created 
dragon in the driving rain to get the adrenaline pumping. 
	"Lemme take him," I said to Sephiroth. 
	He glanced over me, and raised an eyebrow. "All right, go 
ahead." 
	That was all the permission I needed. I leaped forward, and 
brought my Buster Sword down full force on the creature's scaley 
hide... 
	...at which point, it made a noise similar to "clang," and slid 
off harmlessly. The dragon roared furiously, stomping its feet, then 
lashing out with razor claws that I only barely managed to dodge. 
	Uh-oh. Okay, so physical attacks didn't work. It was time to try 
out my new Lightning Materia. I quickly cast the spell, and watched as 
massive bolts of electricity arced across the creature's body, then 
waited to see how it affected the beast. 
	Nothing happened. 
	Well, not precisely nothing. I had managed to get it really 
pissed off. It turned towards me with its mouth open, and I could see a 
gleaming red light glowing deep within its gullet. "Oh crap," I said, 
and dodged just as a massive stream of flame erupted from the dragon's 
mouth. 
	Feeling sheepish and slightly singed, I hurried back over to 
Sephiroth. "Um, on second thought," I said, "maybe you should take this 
one." 
	Sephiroth only shook his head and smiled slightly. 
	Then, moving so fast that I could barely see him at all, he 
leaped forward with Masamune. The long, thin blade sang through the 
air, slashing in an arc at the dragon's neck. And then, just as 
swiftly, Sephiroth was at my side again, and calmly sliding Masamune 
back into its sheath. 
	I blinked, and looked at the snarling dragon. "Um..." I said, 
wondering how to tell my superior officer that he missed, and that 
maybe he shouldn't be putting his sword away when we were all about to 
be eaten, or fried to a crisp... 
	...until suddenly, the dragon made a terrible choking noise. 
Flames erupted violently from its mouth. It took a shuddering step 
forward... 
	... and then its head slid right off its neck. It landed on the 
ground with a great, resonating thud, followed quickly by the rest of 
its body. 
	I blinked again. I could feel the stupefaction on my face as I 
looked over at Sephiroth. 
	He just gave me a half smile, and turned back to the truck. "Come 
on," he said. "We need to take care of everyone and fix the truck. This 
little altercation is going to put us behind schedule." 
	I looked over at the truck. Cloud was standing out in the rain, 
with the wounded and barely conscious driver draped carefully over one 
shoulder. He was staring with wide eyes, his jaw hanging agape as 
Sephiroth walked up to him. 
	Sephiroth held out his hand and cast a third-level Cure on the 
driver, who immediately stirred. "What the..." the driver said, and 
then fell silent as he caught sight of Sephiroth, and the dead dragon 
beyond. Cloud, still looking a bit shell-shocked, managed to help the 
fully-recovered man back onto his feet. 
	"Are you feeling all right?" Sephiroth asked. 
	Cloud started when he realized that Sephiroth was talking to him, 
and not the driver. 
	"Me? Um... yes, sir, I... I feel fine. I wasn't hurt or anything, 
sir." 
	"Weren't you feeling ill earlier, though?" 
	Cloud's face reddened slightly. "Yes sir, but... Cure spells 
don't really help much with motion sickness." 
	"Ah." Sephiroth nodded, then looked at the driver. "How soon do 
you think we can be back on the road?" 
	The driver blinked, then looked over at the damaged vehicle. 
"Uh... I'm not sure, sir, but I'll get on it right away and give you a 
time estimate after I assess the damage." 
	"Excellent." Sephiroth then walked over to cast Cure on Marlow, 
who was sitting in the back of the truck, looking as amazed at the rest 
of us as he held a cloth to his bleeding forehead. 
	I went up to Cloud, grinning hugely. "Didn't I tell you?" I said, 
still feeling giddy from the adrenaline high. I threw my arm around his 
shoulder and shook him a little. Probably not the best thing to do 
considering his recent motion sickness, but he just swallowed hard and 
took it. "Didn't I tell you how cool it was going to be, seeing 
Sephiroth in action?" 
	Cloud nodded, glancing over at the decapitated dragon. "That... 
That was incredible," he whispered, almost reverently. 
	"That's just the beginning," I said, stepping back and clapping 
him on the shoulder. "The reports said that the Nibel Mountains are 
practically swarming with monsters. I'd say we'll definitely have the 
chance to see more of the same, and we might even be able to polish up 
our own techniques in the meantime. Doesn't that sound great?" 
	Cloud smiled a little, showing the first sign of enthusiasm that 
I'd seen in him in days. "Yeah, it does, actually." 
	I grinned. "Just you wait, Cloud. You are going to be so glad I 
talked you into coming on this mission." 
	After all we still had Nibelheim ahead of us. I was sure once we 
finally reached his home town and he got to see his family and friends 
again, he would cheer up even more. I knew he had to be just dying to 
see that Tifa girl he was always talking about. 
	Yes, once we reached Nibelheim, things would be even better... 

~*~ 

	Cloud is screaming. 
	That one hoarse, despairing scream, and my memories shatter, 
falling from my mind in jagged pieces. And the scream is followed by 
another, and another until it seems like one unending scream of 
anguish... 
	Even with my eyes clenched shut, even as I struggle to regain my 
focus; to once again remove my consciousness from this living 
nightmare, I can hear everything. His screams, from just a few meters 
in front of my cylinder prison, where he lies strapped to Hojo's 
experimentation table, rake across my senses, rasping painfully through 
each nerve in my body. And yet I don't dare open my eyes, for fear of 
what I'll see... for fear of what Hojo might be doing to him now. 
	Hojo must be finished with the delicate work of removing the 
samples of Jenova-tainted tissue and fluid from Cloud's innards. 
Otherwise, Cloud wouldn't be screaming now, or thrashing so frantically 
in his metal restraints. Hojo has a Master Time Materia at his 
disposal, after all, and he wouldn't allow his Stop spell to wear off 
unless he was ready to move on to... less precise forms of torture. 
Procedures that didn't require his completely alert-and-feeling 
specimen to remain absolutely still. All part of his research to see 
how fast Mako- and Jenova-enhanced bodies can recover from "massive 
physical trauma." 
	I haven't heard any bones snap yet. But then again, the sound 
might have been drowned out by the screams. 
	And then, the screaming trails off abruptly, dying out like a 
falling star, and I can hear Cloud's ragged, sobbing voice as he 
whimpers with the sudden relief. He's half crying, half catching his 
breath. 
	"Well now." I can hear Hojo's voice; can almost see him leaning 
over Cloud with that terrible, cold, twisted smile of his, even with my 
eyes closed. "Are you going to persist in your stubbornness, or are you 
going to tell me about the voices you are hearing? If you tell me now, 
I might consider canceling these last few tests." 
	Cloud sniffs, then inhales shakily. "I-In Your D-D-Dreams." 
	"Well, if that's how you're going to be," Hojo says 
indifferently. And I hear the sudden piercing whine of a small rotary 
saw blade. 
	Oh, no, not that. Not that. Hojo, you son-of-a-...
	And Cloud is being so brave. He's not saying a word, and I know 
he's going to try not to scream again. 
	But sometimes, you just can't help it. 
	My eyes are clenched shut, every muscle in my body is tensed to 
the max, but I desperately try to focus and find my calm center 
before... 
	Too late. The whirring saw blade makes a sudden wet cutting 
noise, and Cloud's first involuntary cry of agony stabs through me, and 
I can feel myself shaking. 
	I used to force myself to watch, out of guilt. I allowed the 
sight of Hojo's torturous experiments on Cloud to sear into my brain, 
and used it as fuel for my anger, and my desire for escape and revenge. 
	But that was five years ago, when I was full of my usual 
confidence; before I knew how bad it would be. Before I knew that 
escape would be harder than I thought. Before I knew we would be 
trapped here in this basement laboratory for five freaking years. Now 
it takes all my self control not to go stark raving mad, and allow my 
own screams to mingle with Cloud's. 
	No. Escape first. Go crazy later. That's my motto these days. My 
litany of sanity. 
	Escape first... 
	Someone is retching in the corner of the room. And, from the 
sound of Hojo's disgusted reprimands, it sounds like one of his 
flunkies can't handle the work of torturing Cloud. Poor Hojo. Good help 
is so hard to find. 
	So... the only problem is, how to escape? Five years, and you'd 
think a SOLDIER 1st Class would have figured something out by now. But 
Hojo has been inhumanly vigilant and cautious in the supervision of his 
two prized specimens. 
	And at the moment, Cloud's sobbing screams are making any 
coherent thought difficult, filling me with overwhelming grief and 
rage... 
	Man, what are they doing to him? 
	I have to focus. I have to block it out... I have to think... 
	Augh... a bone snapped. Definitely heard it. Ack, another one. 
Are they breaking his arms? His legs? The screams are like razors in 
my head. 
	Cloud... 
	My usual methods aren't working. This is bad, I've never had such 
a hard time focusing before... Come on, idiot, think! What was it 
Master Zangan taught about meditation? 
	Think... 
	Sometimes... sometimes a good memory can help remove yourself 
from suffering... 
	A good memory... 
	I reach into the depths of my mind, desperately searching for 
something... anything that might distract me from this horror... 
	Searching... 
	Cloud's screams... It sounds like he's dying; like they're 
killing him, though, after all this, death might be a relief... 
	I clutch my head, pressing my hands against my ears. Please, I 
know I have good memories somewhere, of a life beyond this endless 
nightmare, but I can't think... 
	Searching... 
	Focus... 
	... 
	...and then, amidst the screams... the scent of wildflowers... 
	A memory... oh please, a good memory... 
	Focus... 
	... 
	... wildflowers... 

~*~ 

	I found her in the church. 
	She was kneeling by her miracle flowers. How she managed to get 
those things to grow in the poisoned earth of Midgar, I could never 
figure out. It was just one of those things she did. 
	Like when she looked up as I stepped through the massive wooden 
doors of the church, and smiled at me; those eyes of hers, as green as 
fresh spring leaves, shining with a delight that just made me melt 
inside. I'd known a lot of girls before, but nobody had ever had the 
effect on me that she did. I felt a goofy grin spreading on my own face 
in response to her smile as I walked to her side and sat down next to 
her on the soft grass that surrounded the flower bed. 
	"Hi," I said, trying to sound devilishly roguish, but I think I 
came off sounding more like an over-eager schoolboy. Probably because, 
now that I was sitting so close, I could smell her hair. Fresh, and 
clean, with a hint of jasmine, and the sweet fragrance of the 
wildflowers that she somehow managed to coax from the barren ground. 
Her long golden-brown tresses framing that flawless face... I wondered 
if her smooth, white skin was as soft as it looked... 
	...and I immediately stopped wondering, before the heat I felt 
rising to my face developed into a full-fledged blush. I couldn't quite 
seem to stop grinning like a fool, though. Man, if the guys could have 
seen me now, they'd be laughing their heads off. The mighty SOLDIER 1st 
Class, felled by the smile of a woman. 
	But, darn, she was beautiful. And sweet, and smart, and strong, 
and... just perfect. 
	She raised an eyebrow at me, still smiling, though her eyes 
glinted mischievously, as if she could read my thoughts. I wouldn't be 
surprised if she could. "You're late," she said. 
	My hand slipped behind my head, and I felt my grin turn sheepish. 
"Yeah, sorry about that. I got held up in a meeting. They're reviewing 
SOLDIER applications later today, and I guess they thought they needed 
some of my input first. I put that delusion to rest pretty quickly, 
though," I added jokingly, and she laughed. 
	Oh, man, I loved to hear her laugh. 
	"Well, if that's the case, you're forgiven," she said, in a way 
that clearly showed she was never mad at me in the first place. 
	And then I remembered the package. I sat up and reached into my 
pocket and retrieved a wide, flat white box. "Oh, um..." I said 
intelligently, as I held it out to her. "I got you something on the way 
here." 
	"Zack," she said, taking the box carefully in her delicate hands. 
"You didn't have to." The reproach in her voice was not quite enough to 
hide the pleased look on her face. 
	"Well, I was walking through the shops in Sector 5, and it kinda 
caught my eye." I watched, with barely contained eagerness, as she 
opened the box to reveal a length of carefully folded pink silk ribbon. 
	"Oh, Zack." She pulled it out and smoothed it between her 
fingers. With her head lowered, she looked up at me through her long, 
thick lashes. 
	My head felt light with euphoria. She liked it! The goofy grin 
was back, with reinforcements. "It's for your hair," I explained, 
rather unnecessarily. "I thought it would go with your dress. I was 
considering getting you flowers instead, but, well..." I winked at her. 
	"You seem to have a corner on the flower market here in Midgar." 
	I was hoping to make her laugh again, but instead, she looked up 
at me, with a strange, gentle expression, her green eyes shimmering in 
such a way that it was a good thing I was already sitting down, because 
I could feel my knees liquify. 
	"Thank you, Zack," she murmured softly. "It's beautiful." And 
then, to my surprise, she reached out with one hand to touch my face, 
then leaned forward to kiss me quickly on the cheek. 
	I blinked in surprise. Wow. Well, so much for not blushing. But 
at least I wasn't alone, because as she pulled away, I could see that 
her face was flushed as well. 
	We sat in silence, both of us contemplating the flowers. I leaned 
forward, so that my folded arms were resting on my bent knees. "You 
know," I said after a long moment, once I was sure my face was back to 
its regular hue. "I was thinking of maybe borrowing a company car and 
going for a drive... outside of Midgar. Maybe getting away from all 
this pollution and darkness... get some fresh air and sunlight." I 
glanced over at her. "I was thinking... maybe you'd like come along." I 
wanted to see her in real sunlight, with the wind in her hair. I wanted 
to see her amidst rolling green hills; see her face framed by brilliant 
blue sky. That was where she belonged. Not this miserable, filthy city. 
	She looked at me, her eyes alight. "I haven't been outside of 
Midgar since... since..." She shrugged, laughing a little. "I can't 
remember." 
	Not surprising. Most people who live in the ever-darkened slums 
beneath the plate of the upper city don't stay because they want to. 
	"It's a date, then," I announced with a grin. Then, something 
occurred to me. "Hey," I said. "If you don't mind waiting until the end 
of the month, I have a bit of leave time coming to me. If you'd like, 
we could make a whole day of it. I could pick you up first thing in the 
morning, and we could drive out to Kalm, and enjoy the scenery along 
the way." 
	"That sounds wonderful!" she agreed enthusiastically. "A whole 
day outside of Midgar. I could make us a picnic lunch!" 
	Actually, I was thinking about taking her out to lunch at one of 
the restaurants in Kalm, but I liked her idea much better. A picnic 
with Aeris in some shady meadow, far from civilization, seemed like 
paradise to me. I was about to agree with her wholeheartedly, when she 
suddenly paused, and pursed her lips in a frown. "Oh, wait," she said, 
and I felt a sinking sensation in my stomach. 
	"What's wrong?" I asked. I was surprised at the sudden, pensive 
look on her face. "You still want to go, don't you?" 
	"It's not that," she said, biting her lower lip. "It's just... I 
just remembered. My mother. She wants to meet you." 
	"Your... mother?" I blinked. "Wants to meet me?" 
	"Yes," she said, her voice faintly pleading, "and I've been 
putting off telling you, because I didn't want to pressure you, and it 
wasn't really necessary with us meeting like this nearly every day, but 
if I leave Midgar... If you take me out for a whole day..." 
	Ah. Of course. Midgar was a dangerous city, and, while Aeris was 
more than capable of taking care of herself, it stood to reason that 
her mother would want to know what kind of man her daughter was seeing, 
especially before she allowed her to be placed wholly in his care for 
an entire day's excursion outside the city limits. 
	I straightened, and flashed her my most gallant smile. "Aeris... 
I would be delighted to meet your mother." 
	Now she blinked. "You would?" she asked. 
	"Of course. It would be my pleasure to meet the woman who has 
raised a daughter of such beauty, intelligence and charm." 
	Her cheeks flushed pink again. "Zack..." 
	I grinned. It was fun seeing her get flustered like that, though 
I meant every word. "Really, it's no problem," I said. "When do you 
think would be a good time to meet her?" 
	She paused thoughtfully. "Well... how about if you come over to 
my house for dinner? I'll need to give Mom some warning, though. Is 
three nights from now all right with you? Say, seven o' clock?" 
	I quickly ran a mental check of my schedule for the next few 
days, and, thankfully, found that evening clear. "I've got a training 
session with some cadets at five," I said, "but I think I can get 
cleaned up and over to your house by seven." I looked down at my usual 
SOLDIER outfit, and grimaced. "This probably isn't appropriate dinner 
attire, though," I said. 
	"No," Aeris agreed, with a half smile. Then she closed her eyes, 
as if pained. "Which also reminds me..." She looked at me 
apologetically. "I should let you know, my mother really, really... 
dislikes Shinra." 
	Uh-oh. "Well," I countered, "you 'dislike' Shinra too, but you 
like me anyway, right?" 
	She sighed. "That's different. I know you." Which was true 
enough. Ever since we'd first met, it seemed she had the ability to 
look straight into my soul with those luminescent eyes of hers. If it 
were anyone else who could do that, I would probably be freaked out. 
But with Aeris, when she looked into me like that, it felt... I don't 
know. 
	Good. 
	"My mom, though," she continued. "She has had some bad 
experiences with Shinra in the past. I have a feeling it might be hard 
to convince her of your, um, good intentions." 
	I nodded agreeably. "Then I shall endeavor to make the very best 
impression," I said. "Hm, I think I've even got a suit stashed 
somewhere in my closet." I paused, frowning. "I don't like wearing it 
much, though. I think it makes me look too much like a Turk." 
	"And that's a bad thing?" Aeris said, her eyes teasing. 
	I blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?" I said, feigning hurt 
feelings. "You think a Turk looks better than me?" 
	"I've seen the Turks," she said nonchalantly. "Whatever else they 
may be, they're sharp dressers. A couple of them are cute, maybe..." 
She paused just long enough that her tease coaxed a pseudo-pout from 
beneath my half smile. "Not nearly as cute as you, though," she 
soothed. "I, for one, would love to see you in a suit. Even if it makes 
you look like a Turk." 
	"You mean, 'especially' if it makes me look like a Turk,'" I said, 
and she laughed. "Very well," I said with a heavy sigh. "The suit it 
is." 
	She smiled. "Thank you, Zack." 
	I shrugged and grinned. "Just trying to keep up my reputation as 
the nicest guy on the Planet." 

~*~ 

	Somewhere, far outside the confines of my mind, the screaming 
finally stops. 
	And... I'm still sane, I think... 

End Chapter One