The Terran Rangers/Final Fantasy VII by Heather Ray (summer beach reads txt) 📕

talking about?" Zack demanded, "I'm fine."

Billy rose to his feet, and help the back of his palm to Zack's forehead. "No, you're not fine. You have a fever, Zack. You need rest."

"No I don't," Zack sustained.

Billy frowned. "Dying won't help Aisha," he said in a low voice, "and this Space Virus is probably running rampant through your system. You need rest if you're going to be strong enough to accompany us when we see Bugenhagen."

Zack's frown remained, but he nodded in consent.

"Fine, I'll take a little break."
Chapter Thirteen

Goldar rose from the throne he had assumed when the gates to the clammy throne room opened, and the sound of three pairs of heels clicked against the cold granite. A grin crossed his feral face, and he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. Rito, who had fallen asleep on the floor beside the throne, perked up when he heard Goldar's deep laughter echo through the chamber. He too stood up, and took notice.

Standing before the throne stood three women, all the peak if physical perfection. The first was a redhead with ivory skin and blazing ruby eyes. She wore a multi-toned catsuit that was black from the heels of her boots to about the thigh, and then became increasingly lighter shades of gray. The differing tones created the image of a bright fire, with all the different colors of a deadly flame within. She grinned at Goldar, revealing sharp teeth, and held her hands on her hips.

Beside her stood another woman, whose face mirrored the redhead's exactly. She, however, was of a milk-chocolate skin tone, and her pitch black hair hung from a ponytail that sat high on her head. Her deep green eyes shimmered with malevolence, and a harsh grin was painted on her chocolate lips. She was dressed in black as well, but her outfit consisted of a gown that reached her ankle, with slits reaching all the way past her hips, and a golden chain hanging on her hips like a belt. The top portion of the gown was a turtleneck, made of the same shiny vinyl-like material as the rest. Draped on her shoulders was a wispy black cape, that flowed behind her with every move she made.

The final woman was of a bronze skin tone, with curly snow white hair tumbling over her shoulders. Her uniform was a silvery gray tunic that reached about mid thigh, a thick black belt, and black leggings that connected with her three inch heels. A playful smile danced in her bright violet eyes, and she licked her lips flirtatiously.

"Sheesh," Rito mumbled. "So these are the kind of monsters Finster really likes to make."

"I heard that," Finster muttered walking into the throne room slowly. He stretched out his arms, and a yawn escaped his lips.

"So what are they, and can they defeat the Power Rangers?" Goldar asked.

"They are the Dreadkin," he answered, "three sisters of immense beauty and might. This monster design was actually from an ancient conquering race known as the Grenika, who spanned the universe in the year --"

"Finster," Goldar muttered with contempt, "you're rambling."

Finster blinked. "Oh, so I am. In any case, may I present Blaze, Shade, and Nirvana."

The three sisters bowed once their name was called, starting with the redhead, and ending with the third. Each woman smiled maliciously at Goldar.

"What do they do, besides stand there and look pretty?" Rito asked.

"Blaze controls the Black Flame, which is something like the opposite of solar fire. Shade can teleport, become intangible or invisible, and can send her opponent into a cold void universe within her cape for a short period of time. And finally, Nirvana can alter perception. Hearing, vision, balance...you name it."

"Excellent," Goldar chuckled, scratching his snout. "If the Power Rangers did somehow survive Contagion, then they'll surely fall to this fighting force!"

"Of course," Finster yawned, walking towards the gate. "If anyone needs me, I'll be in bed. I'm thoroughly exhausted."

"I wonder what's wrong with him," Rito thought aloud.

"Who cares," Goldar said dismissively. "Ladies, prepare to meet the Terran Power Rangers."

Chapter Fourteen

Zack lay on his back, staring up at the bottom of the bed suspended above his own. Even though he was lying in the comfortable darkness of the crew quarters, he couldn't drift to sleep. It didn't take long before he began to shiver slightly, but he forced himself to think about something else. He realized the frustration of having to wait was aggravating his symptoms, and without the Zeo shard's presence, he had to fight off the disease with his own immune system. Fortunately, the shard had already serious weakened the virus while he was still in the CAC, but he wasn't completely healed yet. Now, his own life was at stake as well.

"Zack," a soft voice whispered, as light passed into the room through the small opening in the door, "are you awake?"

"Yeah," Zack answered, glancing at the door. Tifa entered the room, and sat down on a chair she placed beside Zack's bed. She touched his forehead with her hand.

"Wow," she said, "you really are warm! What did Billy call this again...?"

"A fever," Zack said quietly. "Don't worry, though. I'll be fine."

"Its no trouble," Tifa said, placing a cold compress on his head, "Billy said this should help."

"Yeah," Zack whispered, holding the ice, wrapped in a towel, on his forehead. "It does. Thanks."

"Like I said, it's no trouble," Tifa said, rising to her feet. "We should be arriving at Cosmo Canyon in about two hours. You should take this chance to get some rest."

Zack shrugged, and closed his eyes. Tifa walked to the door, but then glanced back at Zack. "You love her, don't you?"

Zack's eyes shot open. "Huh?"

"You love her...the girl you're trying to save," Tifa repeated. "Don't you?"

Zack blinked. "What makes you say that?"

"Well...back in Mideel, when you thought there was no hope, you showed such despair, just at the thought of it. Of life without her. And when the possibility arose that she could be saved, you beamed with excitement and hope. Billy showed similar feelings, but yours were magnified. And just now, you displayed so much anger at her predicament, and you placed her well being before your own. It could only be love."

"I..." Zack muttered, gazing at Tifa in surprise, "I mean...I do

care about her. Aisha's one of my best friends. We have a lot in common, and we try to help each other out. But we're friends. Its a different kind of love."

Tifa nodded, a grin crossing her lips. "I've been down that road before. Let me tell you a little story, Zack."

Tifa sat back down beside Zack's bed, and stared at the wall, her mind immersed in memories.

"Cloud and I grew up together," she started. "He actually lived about two houses away from me. We hung out together, played together, and even climbed Mount Nibel together. We even shared our dreams with one another. I remember so clearly when he told me his greatest wish was to join SOLDIER

, and be a great warrior. We were inseparable."

A small sigh escaped her lips, but she continued. "When we were teenagers, Cloud left Nibelheim, to join SOLDIER

, like he always dreamed. It was years until I saw him again. But when I did, it was like he never left. True, a lot happened to both of us...but we were close friends again, just like before. I really loved the idea of having him back in my life. But no matter how much I cared about him, I couldn't imagine him as anything other than a close friend. Until...I couldn't have him anymore."

Tifa's smile fell, and her eyes closed. "There was another member of our little group, named Aeris. She was gentle, graceful, beautiful...and she had such a innocence and love of life about her. And it was obvious that she fell for Cloud. And slowly, the feeling was reciprocated. I didn't notice it at first...but eventually, I realized how close they were. I couldn't understand why I was so jealous. Aeris was a close friend of mine, but I still...I couldn't help but wish, sometimes, that she wasn't with us. But then, she died."

Tifa took a deep breath, and tears formed in her tawny eyes. "Sephiroth stabbed her in the back, right in front of Cloud. He moved too quickly and purposefully for Cloud to do anything about it. I...I think it was the first time I ever saw him cry. And ever since then, he hasn't been the same. He's been so hard, as if all his emotions have died. Only on rare occasions, he lets his guard down, and shows a brief image of the man he used to be. It hurt me so much to see him suffer, and a part of me felt guilty that I didn't wish them the best when they were together. Not long ago, he was critically injured -- it was a deadly case of Mako poisoning. The doctors were sure he would die, but I wouldn't believe it. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't imagine life without him. It was then that I realized I had loved him. It took that much for me to admit it to myself, what I feel for him. But it was too late. Yes, he made a miraculous recovery, but he was still out of my reach. He's in love with Aeris. She's gone, but her memory will always be with him. If I had taken a chance earlier, and accepted what I felt and told him, then we may have had a future together. But I didn't...and I lost him."

Zack kept his eyes on Tifa, completely speechless. Soon Tifa pulled herself back to reality, and she wiped at her eyes with her fingertips. She cleared her throat, and looked down at Zack.

"My advice to you...don't make the same mistake I did. Its hard to see the line between 'friends'

and 'more than friends'

, but it'll be obvious when you're time's up.