"Help Me..." {Zack Fair}

[insanity]

Wrapped in bandages, scared and half naked, a young girl panted and ran as fast as she could, whimpering and yelping everytime she bumped into someone. She groaned as she attempted what she only thought was an apology, though her vocabulary was not understood by those that she apologised to.

She held her head in her hands as she ran, people giving the half naked girl odd looks, what was some who was barely dressed doing running down the streets? Even she didn't know, she ddn't know what was going on. Her panting increased as she turned the corner, only to trip and fall into a puddle. The young girl groaned, panicking slightly as a shiver ran through her body, she immediately scurried away from the puddle and crouched up in a corner.

"S-S-Sssssscaareeedaah!" she whimpered, hugging herself as she rocked back and forth. It had begun to rain and already it was getting dark, she yelped as a shadow made its way into the alleyway she was in. She whimpered and hugged herself, she didn't like this place, why was this person stumbling towards her slurring?

She didn't want to be here.

[Deleted]

"Man... I'm so full..." Zack groaned, a hand rubbing his far-too-full stomach. The raven-haired man had made the mistake of getting a three course meal at a local restaurant... big mistake. Well, he had thought he was famished.

"At least it was good." Zack moaned, gripping his stomach as it rebelled against him, "I think I'm gonna be sick."

Stumbling to the side of the street, Zack leaned against a wall, heaving lightly. Oh... and it just started to rain too. "Today just isn't my day, is it?"

Grumbling at his own inadequacy, Zack stumbled into the nearest alleyway, trying to find some sort of cover from the rain.

Though, he was surprised to find that someone already occupied said alley. He blinked a couple times, mako-infused eyes adjusting to the darkness of the alley. However, what he saw was quite pitiful.

There was a girl, shivering in a dark corner, barely clothed at all. Eyes widening, Zack immediately removed recently purchased jacket, after all, he didn't want to walk around advertising that he had once been a part of SOLDIER.

"Are you okay?" Zack murmured, reaching out his arm to off her his jacket.

[insanity]

The young girl made the same groaning sound over and over as she rocked back and forward, the back of her head lightly hitting against the wall behind her. "Mm... mm... mm... mm... mm!" she shivered more, burying her head in her knees. What was going on? She couldn't think, she didn't know what to do, she was so confused.

Groaning as a puddled splashed on her, she looked up to see the slurring man walking towards her, her features became quite innocent and puppy-like as she scurried away, luckily the man collapsed in a heap where she once sat. It was then her head bumped into someone's leg, she yelped again as she looked up at the stranger, she remained on her hands and knees, like some sort of cat.

"Nyeh..." she murmured, her voice sounding quite uncertain, her emerald eyes blinked at the sight of the jacket he presented to her. What was that thing? What was he trying to do? She had no idea, no one had ever done this for her. Was that weird thing meant to give her something?

Either way, she just stared at it, as if expecting it to do something magical.

[Deleted]

Zack blinked, looking over to the collapsed figure and then to the girl that was huddled in a corner. Cocking his head curiously, he looked at the jacket, which was still sitting in his hand, and then to the girl who was staring at it.

"Uhh... you're going to catch a cold if you don't put it on." Zack prodded, raising an eyebrow. Already he could tell something was off about this girl, though he couldn't exactly place it. Had she never seen a jacket before?

"Like this." Zack insisted, slowly, he attempted to drape the jacket over the girl, trying not to startle her. "It'll keep you warm."

Having released the jacket, Zack took a couple steps back, thinking that it would be the right thing to do. "Ehhh... my name is Zack, what's yours?"

Yea, that would be good, start off with the simple questions.

[insanity]

The young girl blinked as she looked back up at Zack, what did he mean she'd catch a cold? What was that? With a pout the girl held out her hand and swatted the air, as if trying to grab something, well, this man was a little silly. Whatever he said she was going to catch, she had not yet, what did he mean?

She then jumped slightly as she felt the jacket being put over her, she looked over at it before looking at him, a confused childish frown appeared on her face. "Wuu... warm!" she repeated, tugging at the jacket a little, a slight giggle escaped her, it sounded quite chirpy.

It was then her head started to hurt, he really asked a lot. What meant a name? He called himself Zack, that was a name? Right? What did people always say when she was around? At least, she hoped its what they said.

"Arrr... Arrriiiee... Aria!" she giggled, clapping her hands together playfully, she then blinked, looking up at the man, before she could say anything else, she let out a rather cute sneeze.

[Deleted]

Zack scratched his head as the girl swatted at the air, "No no, that's not what I meant... I meant... uhhh... nevermind."

"Wuu... warm!"

Laughing at the girl's reaction, Zack's mako-blue eyes sparkled at the sight of the girl wrapping his jacket tighter around her. "Yea! It'll keep you warm!"

When he saw her react to his introduction; however, his brow furrowed again. Had this girl never talked to people before? Still, she had come out with her name. Smiling, Zack nodded and stuck out his hand.

"Nice to meet yo--...!" Zack started, only to have his hand sneezed on. "Ugghh... See? What did I tell you!"

Shaking his head, he shook out his hand a couple times, slinging off whatever mucus had connected with his hand. "You have no manners, you know that?"

Of course, Zack was joking, more for his own benefit than anything. By now, he had figured out that the girl probably wouldn't understand most of what he said.

"Man... this storm's really starting to pick up..." Zack muttered, looking up at the sky as the intensity of rain drops started to pick up. "Come on, let's get you inside."

Walking towards the entrance of the alleyway, Zack glanced over his shoulder and smiled before waving his hand in a beckoning motion. "Come on then, don't you want to be warm?"

[Deleted]

ooc: Hey you guys, may I please join? This seems like it will be intresting. Besides, I think Zack could use a little help here... lol

[insanity]

(Feel free to, Raze)

Aria blinked and tilted her head as the man began talking again, now what was he talking about? He seemed to be a little mad, but he was smiling? She didn't understand, why was he mad if he was smiling? Maybe he was a little bit stupid.

She let out a sad chirp as he began to walk away, she just stayed there, not understanding why he was leaving? Didn't he like her? Was he mad at her for making yucky stuff go on his hand? Why was he leaving!?

Aria pouted as she just sat there, clueless to what he was trying to do. She didn't understand what he was saying, something about being warm, but how?

[Deleted]

Looking back at the girl, Zack sighed, this might be a little harder than he initially thought. She seemed to be sad... did she think he was leaving her? Please, how could the ever virtuous Zack Fair ever leave a fair maiden in distress?

Walking over to the girl, Zack knelt down and held out his hand, offering it to the girl. Smiling as to not to scare her, Zack lightly took her hand.

"Come on, let's go." Zack said, jerking his head toward the main street, "It's not good to be cold. You need to get inside."

Getting to his feet, Zack lightly tugged at the girl's hand, trying to get her to move from her frozen spot.

[Deleted]

He was off duty, merely wandering around aimlessly; on the alert for signs of conflict. The sky was an ugly grey color, rain was obviously about to come. It was cold out, but the Hybrid felt unpleasantly hot. The Turk uniform he wore, as well as the thick, yet soft, black fur that covered every inch of his body... It added up to make him almost sweat underneath.

As the Turk wolf-man hybrid passed through the streets, few weird looks were sent his way. People were running every direction, hurrying to find a place to get out of the rain. The denizens of this area had long since grown accustomed to a freak like him passing through. His Turk uniform was enough to discourage whispers anyway.

As he walked, the usual self-pitying thought ran through his head; like a broken recorder repeating everything over and over again. He still viewed himself as a mere tool to the Turk Organization, and the higher-ups usually treated him likewise. It always got on his nerves. Recently, he had become a bit more snappy though, quick to lose his temper. His total lack of self-control often made such outbursts a gruesome sight to behold. So he was desperately trying to center and calm himself, never quite succeeding.

The first splatter of rain hit his nose, and the ears flattened to his skull irritably. He didn't mind the rain, but it would do nothing to lighten his mood. It was then that a familiar smell reached his sensitive nose. He turned slowly in the direction, eras flicking froward in interest. In a flash of fur, he had run up the side of the nearest building, digging his claws in to scramble gracefully to the roof. Crouched over, he silently approached the edge of the roof, and found himself gazing down into an alleyway. The short word exchange soon had him clued in on what was going on, his ears not missing a single word. Then Zack had wrapped a jacket around the pitiful human being, and was obviously trying to help the girl get up and move.

Crimson eyes glinted with happiness at seeing Zack again. He had been on a mission with the SOLDIER before. It had been a while since they last spoke. He wanted to jump down and say hi, but no doubt; the girl might freak out. So he settled for a different approach. "Zack..." he called softly, just loud enough for the two below him to hear. "Wait a moment, I may be able to help out."

He quickly made his way down the side of the building instead of jumping, tail swishing carefully to keep his balance on small footholds. He finally reached the ground, and walked up to the pair. "It's great to see you again, Zack; but let's save the catching up for later." His eyes fell sympathetically on the female. "Helping her is more important right now."

He slowly approached the girl, a pleasant smile spreading across his soft-furred face. "If I may...?" He asked carefully, offering his open arms to her. He would carry her into warmth, the warmth generated by his own furry body would help keep her warm until then.

[insanity]

Aria's thick eye lashes fluttered in confusion as the man, Zack, grabbed her hand. She stared at it for a while, wondering what he was trying to do exactly, her held tilt to the side at his smile, why was the corners of his mouth pointing upwards, it looked a little weird, he looked silly! It seemed like such a playful thought, one that made her let go of his hand and clap once again.

She watched as he left again, she only reached out and let out a soft whining sound, pouting softly, why did he keep leaving and coming back?

The young girl, well, woman, blinked at the sound of the man's name being called out, but his lips hadn't moved. That meant someone who knew Zack must've been around, she tilt her head back, pressing her lips together much like a fish as she saw something strange pouncing down towards them. She made another weird sound as she looked behind the puppy-man, watching his tail with awe.

"Woof!" she giggled, swatting at his tail, tugging it a little before hugging it, it was fluffy and soft "wuuuu... waaarmm!" she chirped, nuzzling his tail, she wasn't sure what the word meant, but it must've been a nice word, besides, she felt all fuzzy when Zack put a jacket on her, and now hugging this things tail made her feel the same.

She tilt her head far back as she remained crouched, the puppy-man walked towards her, her head tilt to the left, then to the right. Again, she noticed his mouth go all funny, just like Zack's had done, then his arms opened out. "Woof!" she giggled, an image of her foster father appeared with his arms stretched out, and as a child, she jumped into them, hugging him.

Aria wasn't that big, she wasn't tiny, but a little petite, it wouldn't be a problem for the puppy-man to hold her. She giggled again as she leaped into the puppy-man's arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and clinging to him much like a koala bear. "Woof!" she nuzzled him again and again, he was so soft and fuzzy "wuuu... waaarmmm!"

She nuzzled once more before looking up, stretching herself upwards a little, climbing up the puppy-man's body slightly and started nibbling on his ear.

[Deleted]

Zack blinked, she really didn't get anything he was doing, did she? Did was proving to be difficult. Suddenly, as his name was called, Zack's mako-enhanced eyes darted up to see a familiar turk coming up to him.

"Raze!" Zack smiled and waved at the mutt-like ex-turk. "Haven't seen you quite awhile!"

Still, Zack had to be on his guard, just because they were friends it didn't mean that Zack could trust the ex-turk entirely. After all, even if ShinRa Inc. was through, most turks still served under the infamous Rufus Shinra.

So he would remain guarded for now, amused as the girl bounded up to his old friend, Zack crossed his arms and pouted. "Well it's just a walk in the park for you huh Raze?"

Shaking his head and frowning, the raven haired man began to turn, "come on, let's get her inside."

[Deleted]

Raze flinched as the girl grabbed his tail. Goodness... She looked frail, but she certainly had a good grip. "Hey... Careful... The thing's attached." He gently pulled his tail away, feeling relieved. Then she was in his arms, and he stared at her in surprise. He hadn't expected her to understand what he meant when he held out his arms. But then, he was messing with his ear. Oh joy... He flicked it, wincing slightly as she started biting it. The ear was the most tender part of any dog-like animal. Simply to amuse the girl, and maybe get her to leave his ear alone, he growled softly, forcing a small bark from his jaws. And he immediately regretted it. He was not some domestic dog-pet thing. "A walk in the park? Pfft... You think I find this easy? This is why I'm not ever going to get myself a girl and children." The ear twitched again.

Turned to Zack, a glitter blazed in his eyes. It was more amused than irritated though. "Zack, you're never going to let me forget this, are you?" He whimpered as another twinge of pain met his ear. Zack had started to walk off, and he followed quickly, holding the girl with ease. She held very little weight, and the Hybrid's Mako-enhanced strength made her light as a feather. Another product of those experiments... But he didn't want to dwell on the past right now.

[insanity]

Aria giggled cheerfully as she nibbled continuously on the puppy-man's ear, seeing no bad in what she was doing, in fact, if it made her happy, it was alright... right? She made countless odd sounds as she nibbled softly, tugging at his ear lightly much like another puppy would do.

Hearing him growl only made her giggle more, oblivious to the fact that it was irritating him. He was a funny doggy, she soon stopped nibbling his ear and stared at him, making strange chirpy sounds as she poked his wet nose with hers. "Beep... beep... beeeep!" she chirped, pulling a funny face with each time she poked before snuggling into his fur again "fwwuuu.... fwuuffyyy!"

She still clung to him like a koala, not once did it cross her mind that these people were bad or not, there was no telling what they'd do to her.

[Deleted]

"Nope..." Zack chuckled openly at his friend's expense. "Never."

The raven-haired man had thought the biting ear thing was funny, but she the girl started honking the nose, that's what really got him laughing.

"Yes Raze, woof for your new master!" Zack proclaimed loudly, laughing hysterically as he did it. Who would have thought that a fierce turk like Raze would be turned into a small, domesticated puppy like now?

"Anyways..." Zack started... putting a hand on his chin and scratching it thoughtfully, "... where should we go? Hmmm... Ahh! Over there!"

It was a local tavern, and to be honest, Zack really needed to use the potty. Especially after that meal. "Here we go!" Zack yelled out, kicking the swinging doors open and striding in.

It was a dingy place, actually filled with what would seem like Edge's low life. Well... it was placed near the alleys of Edge... It was to be expected.

But it didn't seem to faze Zack, not at all. Not the smell, not the trash, not even the slanted gazes he was given. Zack just trudged in, humming happily as he did so.