Final Fantasy VII 1. Chapter 1: Piolet

_OhmyGod, it was the Plot Bunnies, I swear! They pinned me to the wall with ink pins and shoved paper in my face,_  
_demanding I act upon this plot! Okay, not really, it was all me. :3 Anyway, I'm very glad you clicked on this story to check it out! This idea was based off Zack's nickname, and a need to do something different than what I usually do :) Well, if you're ready to go, I suppose I'll end this up here :p_

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_~X[Chapter 1: Piolet]X~_

Cloud knew they were just feet behind him, chasing after him at lightning speed. Time seemed to crawl at a snail's pace, yet his heart was racing quicker than the speed of light. It was dark here, it was dark everywhere. Running around at night tended to make it pitch black, especially on the night of the new moon. Dour black clouds hung overhead, and a light midnight's fog had whisked at the ground and air around him. Most of the mist clung to his heated skin to cool him down as he ran. It still wasn't enough to stop the persistent sweating as he ran across the uneven terrain.

His worn out sneakers crunched the dry leaves below his feet. Without a need for sight, he automatically knew where he was; 'The Forest of Senshi'. This place was haunted by all things strange and evil known to man. Trolls, shapeshifters, Banshees, and any other kind of horrible creature you could think of was locked away in the center of the ever-decaying forest. A special seal around the edges allowed humans in and out, but it was highly frowned upon to enter. Each individual creature had it's own seal within the forest, to keep it bound to a certain spot in a certain form.

Regardless of warning signs and decaying forest life, Cloud had entered anyway. Hopefully THEY wouldn't be stupid enough to follow him in here. He was wrong about that. If anything, their footsteps crunching against the ground only seemed to grow quicker and faster than before. Those damned bastards! Why wouldn't they leave him alone?

He didn't know what he had done wrong this time. It had all started off as a typical Thursday morning at school, Hell, ANY typical morning. While trying to get his stuff out of his locker, the local band of school misfits and rejects had slammed his books from his hands and down to the floor. As the blonde went to pick them up, his head was slammed into an adjacent locker beside him, more than once. This stupid band consisted of no more than three people, but they still managed to make Cloud's Junior year of high school a living hell.

"Give up, blondie! You can't run forever!" One of the voices growled. There was a harsh pant following his shout. He was growing weary. Hopefully, the others were too.

Cloud kept a comeback to himself, trying to save all of his energy in fleeing, not insulting. He heard heavy wheezing all around him, he heard the crunch of leaves beginning to slow. Were the others finally falling behind? Maybe they realized where they were in this deadly forest and were going to slow down and turn around. But he was wrong when he realized HE was the one wheezing. HE was the one slowing down. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. He couldn't let them get to him! He had done so well to avoid them for longer than ten minutes!

Pushing his muscles to the max, he continued down into the depths of the forest, too afraid to turn around and see how close they were. He felt like a helpless mouse running from the king of all cats. If they caught him, he was going to be in a hospital for weeks! It's not as if they put him there before on multiple occasions anyways... The worst part of it all, was he couldn't tell his mother about it. The band of misfits threatened to hurt his mom if he squealed to her. He hated all of this so much! If only he was stronger!

_'Strength...What you wish...'_ A hazy voice echoed from a far off distance in front of him.

Oh great! Some night-crawler had heard his plea. These creatures were masterminds at pulling innocent humans into their tight grasp by promising them wishes and power if they did the same for them. Except the human offered a heftier price. He shook his head, trying to pour the last of his stamina and willpower to his legs. If he didn't concentrate, he was going to get it for sure! The front and back of his shirt was saturated in perspiration, and a thin glaze of the salty substance trickled down his forehead and made the hairs on the back of his neck stick down.

_"I...Power...'_ The voice rasped once more, sounding more determined to grab a hold of the blonde.

He should have expected this. The deeper into the forest you got, the more your presence would be sensed by the night-crawlers in here. But this voice seemed powerful, as well as the deadly dark aura that little voice emitted. This must be a truly powerful monster to be able to throw his voice from deep inside, all the way to the near perimeter of the forest seal.

Lost in thoughts -and the voice of the night-crawler- The blonde had failed to see a tangled root shooting up from the dying forest floor. His shoe had been snagged, then gravity took care of the rest. He went flying for a few seconds, then began to tumble down a steep hill; head over heels as the world was thrown into unbalanced circles. Which way was up? What about down? After a few seconds of tumbling and sliding, he finally skidded to a stop down on some flat ground. No grass was here, just red dirt and a small amount of mud from the mist surrounding the air.

"We've got him now!" A victorious voice howled. A crumbling of small rocks and pebbles told the blonde that they were making their way down to his level.

Cloud tried to move, he really did, but found the fall had mangled his right ankle. The world swam with little fireflies in his eyes, and spots of black threatened to pull him into a sate of unconsciousness. Trying his best to look over at the scratches and wounds on his body, he noticed thick red blood bubbling from his arms and legs, and the crimson substance had encased around his ankle and entrapped it in a sickly glory of red. How could he have been so careless?

_"I'm...Here...You see me?"_ The once hazy voice of a night-crawler echoed again. This time, it's voice was nearly clear as day, but bits of static intercepted a few words.

Cloud looked up, to try and find that voice that sounded so powerful all of a sudden, but he was only looking into the faces of the four that were chasing him. A whimper of fear escaped from the blonde's hardly opened lips. Those tears that had swelled in his eyes once before had magnified and grew in size. So his eyes released the load they could no longer hold. This was it.

"Well, well. It's about time you slipped up, Blondie." The youngest of the three cackled deeply.

Even though he had been the youngest in age, he was certainly the biggest in size. He had walls of muscle stacked underneath his skin, and those cold blue eyes of his, as well as that blue hair, that framed his thickly chiseled face. He stood tall, he was the tallest of the three. Not to mention the strongest. His beatings were always the most painful to withstand. He was Azul; youngest of the reject band of bullies known as Deepground.

"You know, you really tired us out, Hon." The only female of the group playfully cooed.

She stepped on his left cheek with her stupid bright red stilettos. God knows how she chased after him in those death traps. Her flaming red hair only seemed to brighten her eyes of equal hue, except those were brighter than her hair and seemed to glow eerily in this dark light. She had thick red lipstick painted across her thick lips, and her huge rack was nearly busting out of her top. She was Rosso of Deepground, the second youngest in the group.

Rosso shoved her thick heel deeper into the blonde's cheek, not letting up until she heard a small grunt of pain from the incapacitated boy beneath her. Cloud tried to crawl away military style, but soon found himself at the mercy of the eldest of the Deepground trio. Even though his beaten body begged him to keep his head down, he did not and found himself staring at Weiss; Eldest of the Deepground group.

His thick white hair masked his eerily thin face like the color of pure wings against a darkening never ending night. His eyes, so light of a blue they were nearly white, glimmered in a hungry fashion to put the blonde through pain. He might not have been the tallest or strongest of the group, but when it came down to brass tacks, he was good at making the little blonde scream in agony more than Azul ever could.

"Going somewhere?" He quietly asked. Yet a sadistic smile became etched across his face.

Cloud lowered his head, and nearly thought he could disappear into the dirt and mud if he concentrated hard enough. It was a pitiful -not to mention useless- attempt. Before he knew it, a booted foot connected to his jaw, sending his face looking up at the dark and clouded sky as all the air left his lungs from the pain. Another booted foot pushed against the back of his head, then slammed it into the dry dirt, cracking it in multiple places just from the pressure alone. The blonde had to bite his lip to keep from screaming out.

Rossa then nudged his body over to where Cloud was laying on his side. She had her fun kicking him in the gut with those damned heels of hers a few times. Azul then joined in on the fun, gripping the blonde by the collar of his shirt and hoisting him into the air like a helpless rag doll. He then threw him to the ground with enough force to make the ground shake beneath his small body. The bluette then followed up with a rough punch to his throat.

Cloud coughed and gagged harshly, unable to even scream at this point. Tears cascaded down his cheeks, creating transparent rivers down his dirty face. Then all three of the Deepground group gang up on him, kicking and punching. Rossa even spit in his eyes, and Azul had plenty of fun just watching the blonde cry out in pain and writhe on the ground as he beat his stomach in senseless. Weiss just smiled as he kicked at the immobile blonde, laughing like a maniac on occasion.

The torture seemed to drag on for as long as it possibly could. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes felt like hours. So by the time they stopped beating him to a pulp, it had felt like eons had passed. Blood streaked down his face, his arms, and every inch of unclothed skin upon his person. His right eye was beginning to swell and blacken, making his vision a bit hazy and off centered. It hurt to breathe, to even twitch or utter the smallest sound. God knows what kind of internal damage they must have done to him this go round. This would defiantly land him in the hospital for sure.

"I had fun today, Hon. Get patched up soon so we can play again." Rossa sweetly cooed as she nudged his face with her bloodied heel.

The other two remained silent with words, but did snort or chuckle as they passed the blonde. They made their way back up the steep ledge the useless teenager had fell from only five minutes ago. Blood blurred his vision, painting the world in deep crimson. He blinked his good eye, trying to get the thick substance out of his eye. He felt weak, weaker than usual when they beat him up. It was getting even harder to breathe, and his body was beginning to feel cold and clammy. Oh God...Was he dying? No, he couldn't be!

Cloud writhed on the ground, desperate to try and get up, but his body lacked any kind of strength. He coughed some and whimpered a bit, but that was about all he could do. He was in so much pain, his body was sore and littered in blood and bruises. He never knew you could get beaten to death by fists and feet alone. He was going to die. He was going to die in a forest of night-crawlers. No one would come to find his body in here, not even during the day. People always stayed away from this place. The crawlers would find a way to break their seals and eat him alive! -Okay, slightly exaggerated- But he WAS going to die down here.

With the last of his fleeting strength, he let out a mighty scream to the sky above him, and even as his voice began to give way, he kept screaming. He didn't want to die! Not like this! As much has he cried out, he received no reply but the echo of his own cries. Even though most of the clouds above had dwindled away, there was still no moon in the sky. It was going to be a pitch black death for sure.

_'...Over here...I'm...Here...'_ The voice spoke up once more.

Cloud rolled his head over to the right, where the voice was coming from. It was very close, he could tell that much. He must be just feet away from whatever night-crawler was calling to him. Or at least, where the crawler was sealed within. The blonde strained his ears to try and pinpoint the location of the quiet voice, but right now, all he could hear was his own wheezing.

_'...That's right...Over here...In front of...'_ It spoke once more.

Cloud squinted his one good eye -for the other was too swollen to do so- Yet could not see any strange object which the night-crawler might be sealed within. He was able to roll his body over on his side, and he dug his fingers into the ground to keep a grip on his world, which was beginning to fade into black. He wasn't about to make a deal with a devil or whatever this crawler happened to be, but the next sentence it spoke changed his mind completely.

_'Do you want to live?'_

At that once sentence, Cloud somehow found a hidden strength deep within, and he began to pull himself towards the origins of the voice. It hurt like hell, but he wasn't ready to die. He left a trail of his blood on the red dirt and decaying leaves as he pulled himself across the cracked and dry ground. The aura suddenly flared, and it was strong. Whatever this night-crawler had to be, it was _POWERFUL_. Somehow, as if he was hungry for that power alone, the blonde began to crawl even faster towards the source. No more than a few feet from him, hiding behind thick shrubs, there was the seal.

It was a massive rock of limestone, reaching at least six feet from the ground up. Everything around the rock was decayed -as if it had been dead for years now- and even the dirt lacked nutrients or moisture. It was like a patch of red desert in the middle of a forest. The land surrounding the rock was barren of any grass, and was sheltered by withering trees that looked to have suffered a terrible fate in a brutal winter storm. It was a place frozen in time for eons.

_'Do you want to live?'_ The voice asked once more.

Of course the question seemed rhetorical to Cloud. He pulled himself closer to the pillar of limestone, nearly seeing his own reflection as he drew close. His reflection was cloudy and blurry at best, but the blonde could clearly see crimson all over the outline of what was his body. The aura was so strong here, it was as if gravity had increased by twice its' usual perimeters, and the dying seventeen year old could not hold his head or body up no longer.

_'If you accept...You will be my master, and I will give you strength, give you power...But you will belong to me, and to me alone in mind, body, and soul. While you can bend me to your will, I may do the same to you. Do you accept these charges for another chance at life?'_

Feeling numb, as if he had no control of his body, he found his head trying to nod out a 'yes' response. His voice even croaked out some foreign agreement unrecognizable in his own mind. He heard that voice chuckle lowly, and he knew there was no going back for what he had done. An urge in his body screamed 'What have you done?' at him, but a small part of his heart had rejoiced at another chance to live, to see his mother and friends once more. To shock the holy hell out of Deepground.

_'Now break my seal.'_ The voice commanded.

Without hesitation or second thoughts, Cloud immediately pulled his hand up against the pressure of the higher density of gravity, fighting the downward pull that seemed like tons of magnets repelling one another. With a final cry, he slapped his bloody right hand against the limestone. Instantly, the pressure of enforced gravity left, and he felt light as a feather. A dark aura swelled from the limestone rock as cracks began to chip away at the once smooth stone. The aura swirling around the pillar and himself was black, maroon red, and dark purple, and it was ominous.

Loud pops and cracks resonated throughout the dying forest as the rock began to crumble. A cloud of white dust swirled with the mist in the air all around the blonde, hiding a tall figure from the depths of the rocky prison it was entombed in. As the dust faded away, the figure became more clear and focused, minus the blonde's swelling right eye. At the sight of the night-crawler, Cloud's breath managed to flee from his lungs.

He was tall, standing at about six"three, and he had some muscles bulging under his skin. They were not as big as Azul's, but still looked just as terrifying. He had hair of midnight's black, styled in disheveled looking spikes, and eyes of cerulean azures, tinted the slightest bit of sky blue around his small dilated pupils. He was clothed in nothing more than a black turtleneck tank top that cut off just a few inches above his waist. Under the tattered looking shirt lay old looking bandages that served no purpose other than as clothing. His arms were also bandaged up, the tattered material stopping at his knuckles.

He had matching pants to his shirt, colored the same hue of black. Yet just a few inches past the knees, the pants were poofed out, then tucked snug against his bandaged skin beneath. He was void of any shoes, standing on the dead ground in his bare feet, the bandages cutting off right above his ankles. Atop his head were thick black ears, shaped like that of a wolf. A thick bushy black tail went to compliment the ears. Past peachy colored lips, tinted in a hint of mischievousness, Cloud could see the faint shimmer of two long canines poking past, but not that far out.

His aura as mighty, as well as his fearful stance. But all of a sudden, his firm eyes relaxed and that suffocating black smog of a presence dissipated back into his body, almost seeping into his naturally tanned, sun-kissed skin. A smile flickered across his face, and it was a playful one. Those long canines protruded from his lips just a little bit more, but behind those, were more human like teeth.

"It's been awhile since I've had such a young and cute master." He spoke, differently than when he was sealed inside the limestone.

He crouched down on the dying ground, balancing on the balls of his feet as he hovered right in front of Cloud, still smiling. His right hand came out and tenderly brushed against the blonde's right cheek. Sharp nails tenderly agitated his skin as they smoothly ran by. The cuts on his face began to vanish, and as the wolf looking night-crawler danced his fingers across the wounds of the awestruck blonde, the injuries began to close up and heal as if they never existed. Even the blood -fresh and dry- vanished in the thin midnight air.

"There! All fixed up." The male night-crawler said, flashing Cloud an even greater grin.

This couldn't have been the same creature that beckoned the blonde to come closer. No way! His voice had been deeper, more demanding. Now it was light and carefree, almost as if the voice he had earlier was not his own. A rubicund blush flustered across his cheeks, now regaining more of a healthy color. Why was the night-crawler staring at him like that? It was making him nervous!

"Just to let you know, I'm not an average night-crawler. I'm a Tasonosenshi, or what you humans call a 'Shapeshifter'. And we Tasonosenshi's have our ways of working our magic on you humans, such as a deep and confident voice." The shapeshifter spoke, beginning in his lighter voice, then tapering back down to that deep voice from before.

Cloud's eyes widened. Not only had he bargained his life and soul to a night-crawler, but a Tasonosenshi to boot! These creatures were one of the most powerful beings sealed inside the forest. They were the strongest, the mightiest, and the most demanding of their contractors. But he hadn't been thinking when he agreed, he just wanted to live!

"So-" The shapeshifter began, now plopping his rear onto the dry ground as he sat criss cross in front of the blonde. "-Since you're my master, yet I'm your contractor, I do believe you need to tell me your name." He finished, slowly wagging his black tail side to side.

"I..uh-I'm Cloud." The blonde stammered, that blush increasing in intensity. How could a shapeshifter basically have two different personalities? And was his desire to live so great he willingly contracted himself to one?

"Cloud, huh? Cool! My name's..." The shifter began with a big grin, but then his smile fell and he looked disappointed and nearly...ashamed. "-Actually, I have no name. I'm named whatever my master chooses to call me.' He finished up, a bit softer than when he began.

The blonde could hardly think right now, never the less think of a name to who he had bonded himself to for life! His mouth moved, yet no sound escaped his lips. He stammered silently for a few moments, and the shifter watched his mouth move in near perplexion it seemed.

"Do you need help, Master?" The Tasonosenshi asked, cocking his head to the right ever so slightly as his black ears twitched. His tail still continued to faintly swish.

"n-No, um...You-You're name is uh..." Cloud stuttered, not being able to think straight right now. As if he could think of his own name right now! Too much had happened in the last ten minutes, and his brain was beginning to lag.

"-Zack! That's your name!" The blonde blurted, shouting out the first name that came to mind. This was the name of his old childhood friend that he lost contact with many years ago when the ravenette had moved away to a different country. They never kept in contact afterwards.

"Zack? I like it!" The shifter spoke with a bounce in his voice. That big grin spread across his face even wider, and his tail began to wag even faster. But then he stopped all of a sudden, and a serious look became etched into his youthful looking face.

"-I nearly forgot. Now that we are contracted together, I have to grant you a wish or two in exchange for your soul. You can back out of this now, but if you do, you die." He deeply hummed, a dour and near sensual look replacing the serious one. Yet his tail slapped softly at the dying ground, and his ears twitched on occasion.

Cloud was struck silent at this news. If he were to back out now, he really would die. Yet if he agreed, his soul, mind, and body, would forever belong to a shapeshifter until he expired. What pros and cons would come with these decisions? His own blue eyes looked into Zack's. The shifter was patiently waiting for an answer, but still looked serious and dark. Fearing to run the ravenette from his patience, he finally spoke.

"I won't back out. I accept." Cloud spoke. He tried to sound confident, but his voice said otherwise, and a harsh squeaky whisper escaped from his mouth.

"You're certainly a strange one, Master. Now...Tell me what you want, and I'll make it happen." Zack responded, his dark tone still holding dominance over the lighter one.

Cloud didn't have to think twice about what he wanted. He sucked in a deep breath before responding with; "Give me strength to defend myself."

"Is this all you require? Nothing more?" The shifter asked one last time, just to confirm his contractor's request.

"Just do it, will you?" The blonde said, not wanting to repeat what he just said.

A smile flickered across Zack's face. "Good...I think you just might be my favorite Master yet." He said as his darker tone began to disappear. Yet an eeriely happy smile flickered across instead, similar to a never ending grin rivaling a falling moon with a face.

"This is going to hurt, Master." The shifter spoke before he pulled back his right arm, building some tension. His ears even flattened down to his head, and his thick tail stopped moving or beating the ground.

Cloud was about to ask what was going to hurt, but he knew the answer the instant Zack's clawed hand penetrated through his chest. He felt the ravenette's hand moving around inside of him; Searching. Seering and burning pain erupted through the blonde's chest. It felt as if he was shot through the chest, then had burning hot water and acid poured into the hole. He felt the Shifter squeeze his very heart, and his claw like fingernails dug into the organ, leaving deep gashes.

The blonde whipped his head back and let loose a bloodcurdling scream the harder those sharp nails dug into the tender organ. A stream of Zack's dark aura swirled from his body, curled around his arm, and penetrated Cloud's chest, drying the fresh blood and sealing the gashes. The shifter removed his hands, and the dark aura he had placed inside the blonde instantly closed up the wound he himself had inflicted. Then the pain was gone just as quick as it came.

"There...I've marked you, Master. Now you must find something to mark me. It does not have to be at this very moment, but soon." Zack spoke, patting Cloud on the chest where he had jammed his hand into.

And just like that, Cloud Strife sold his soul to a Tasonosenshi...

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_A/N: Whew! Talk about a long chapter! :D Did you like it? Leave me your response or questions in the reviews and let me know what you thought! :)_

_Since there's never that much to discuss in the first chapter, I bid you all farewell until the next chapter! :)_

_Toodles!_  
_~Zimithrus1_


	2. Chapter 2: Make Room

_Huzzah! Chapter two of Transmogrify it out and ready for a reading! Special thanks to the people that have already faved and followed and reviewed! It means a lot to me! Anyhow, I'll end this little header right here :) Enjoy!_

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_~X[Chapter 2: Make Room]X~_

Cloud still sat there on the forest floor, half still in disbelief for what he had done, and half for observing the Tasonosenshi he sold his soul to. The ravenette nightcrawler was sitting on his rear, staring right back at the blonde. His face was hard to read, nearly expressionless. His thick black tail was softly thumping against the ground, and his hands were pressed against the ground in the gap of his legs. His ears remained stationary on his head, only slightly twitching when a soft breeze caressed the leathery appendages.

His left ear twitched firmly, and instantly, Zack pulled his left leg up and scratched at it with his foot, squeezing his eyes shut tight and sticking his tounge out when he hit the right spot. His tail began to beat at the ground even louder and faster the more he scratched at the itch. Cloud just blinked absently. He didn't know what to think about this weird nightcrawler. One moment, he was dark and ominous, and in the next, he was just like an innocent dog.

When the itch had been properly scratched, the shapeshifter pulled his leg back down into its former criss crossed position, and those eyes went right back to staring at Cloud, as if he had never scratched at his fluffy ear in the first place. Zack was definitely an oddball. He made it seem as if Tasonosenshi's were nothing to be afraid of, as if they were just some silly scary story. Finally pulling himself back to reality, and breaking the silent stare with the nightcrawler, the blonde stood up from the forest floor. The ravenette's eyes followed his every movement.

"Come on, it's past midnight and I need to get home." Cloud told him as he turned on his heel and looked towards the cliff he had fallen from just minutes ago.

"'Kay!" Zack exclaimed as he sprang up to his feet, just about towering over the young blonde.

The small teen began to walk towards the rocky cliff, stepping carefully over tangled roots gnawing bitterly at the dying ground. The shapeshifter followed right behind, not as cautiously as the blonde though. He just stepped right over whatever was in his way, and kicked some twigs out of his path, huffing softly. His black tail swished side to side behind him, free to move due to a small slit in the seat of his strange pants. Cloud was careful as he began to make his way up the little cliff, grabbing onto some hanging tree branches that seemed to stretch out their limbs to assist him out.

He would make sure he had decent footing before taking another step up the steep slope. On occasion, he would slip slightly, and throw his hands out in front of him and dig into the ground to keep balance. After regaining lost ground, he would continue on at his own comfortable pace. A soft breeze picked up and blew the blonde's clothes and hair around. It was cool, tinted with a soft midnight's dew. As he made his way up the cliff, the fog was beginning to clear up and make visibility better. The sky was still dark as could be, lacking clouds by this point.

Finally reaching the top of the steep slope, he stood tall and stretched out his legs, a bit worn from the climb up. Oddly enough, he did not hear Zack behind him, just silence instead. He turned around and looked back down at the base of the cliff. The ravenette was standing there cockily, bandaged arms folded across his chest and his weight leaning on his right hip. Even from this distance, Cloud could see a little smug grin on his face. His left ear was flattened to his head, and the other was shot upright, unmoving. His tail flicked low to the ground.

"Master, you sure are slow." He teased. His darker tone from earlier had came back and overtook the lighter tone he had once possessed.

For some reason, that little comment annoyed the blonde. His cheeks flourished into a rosy red color, and even his ears began to heat up. His baby blue eyes narrowed, and his golden yellow eyebrows began to pull to the center of his forehead. He clenched his fists at his side before spitting out his response.

"Oh shut up, you!" He retorted, a light snort following from his nose.

His annoyance only caused Zack to laugh, and his ears perked in amusement as his tail began to swish side-to-side quickly. The ravenette then approached the cliff, still chuckling on occasion, then dug his claw-like nails into the cracking dirt. With that, he began to climb his way up, using his claws as an anchor as he clawed his way up the dry cliff. A few bits of stray dirt slipped from under his claws and feet as he ascended, but it was only a minor distraction to him, and did not stop his speedy pursuit.

The ravenette made it to the top of the cliff much quicker than the blonde previously had, and he stood tall upon standing on solid ground. His thick tail flicked in amusement as he dusted his hands from the old dirt. The gentle breeze picked up a little more and let the clothing of the two flutter in the wind. A few crickets began to chirp in the distance, and even a few fireflies lit up the desolate forest in a soothing beacon of warn light. Since they were closer to the perimeter, life was beginning to spring back up left and right.

Zack did a double-take at the world around him, spinning in a small circle as his ears twitched multiple times, honing in and locating the sounds of the forest. It had been so long since he had last enjoyed the outside world. The soft orchestra from the crickets nearly made him hum along softly, and it relaxed him to a point. The small fireflies fluttered delicately through the air, caressing the gentle breeze as they flew by. The trees near the perimeter of the seal had more life than the ones by his prison. Lush green was scattered throughout the treetops. The soft hoot of an owl echoed faintly in his superior hearing range.

Cloud watched as the shapeshifter observed the world around him. To be honest, he was content in just watching the ravenette react to a world that had once forgotten of his presence. He was a big ball of mystery, acting serious one minute, then awestruck and childlike in the next. He was afraid when he had made the deal with the Tasonosenshi, but now that some time had passed since then, he became less fearful. But that still did not change the fact that he gave himself to a shapeshifter. He would have to adjust.

As Zack completed his second circle in place, he realized the ground here was much softer than where his confinement had been. He looked down to discover lush green grass spurting from the ground, and dancing faintly in the soft wind, all around him. Even stretching beyond him and his Master. He smiled as he curled his toes into the fresh blades of dew kissed grass. His tail flicked happily behind him. It had been too long. He had forgotten how beautiful the outside world was.

"This is fantastic, Master!" Zack beamed brightly, a big grin spreading across his face like a knife over warmed butter.

"Okay, could you knock it off with the 'Master' stuff? It's a little embarrassing." Cloud sheepishly admitted, as his right hand began to embed itself into his hair and ruffle it slowly.

"You...Want me to call you by your name?" The ravenette asked awkwardly, as if he wasn't supposed to address the blonde by his name.

"It would be appreciated. Why did you start calling me 'Master' in the first place?" The frail teen asked, removing his hand from his hair as he looked at Zack right in the eyes.

"well, all my other masters wanted me to call them Master. So I thought you'd be the same as them." The shifter honestly spoke, still grinning away happily. But his tail was barely flicking now.

"Well, I think it's just awkward, so, just call me by my name, okay?" The blue eyed human concluded, pushing his small hands into his pockets.

"Okay, Cloud!" Zack quickly exclaimed, throwing a bounce into his voice as his tail resumed it's more natural wagging.

Suddenly feeling hot in the face, the blonde turned away from the shapeshifter as his ears began to heat up. He continued to walk, searching for the way he had once come so he could get out of here already. The ravenette followed right behind him once more. The two stayed silent, but the world kept playing its natural music. Crickets continued to chirp through the still midnight air, and a few owls added in some baritone hoots to the mixture. The blades of grass crumpled and crunched under their feet as the two continued their walk towards the perimeter.

There was a break in the trees, and beyond them, there was a large grassy field. In the distance, faint warm light rose into the sky like softly burning candles burned down to the wick, where they flicker brightly before dying away in a puff of smoke. Beyond this big grassy plain was the neighborhood Cloud lived in. Beyond that neighborhood, was where the city slept. Noting that they had made it to the edge of the forest, the blonde broke into a sprint, feeling lighter than a feather right now. The air felt fresher now that he as closer to his home.

Zack had began to sprint behind the blonde as well, making sure to keep close to his contractor. He paused right where the trees ended, even though the younger teen ran right through the seal like it was nothing. The ravenette was a little worried. Before he had been sealed to that limestone rock, he had once roamed freely. He tried to break through the perimeter seal once before but suffered for his actions back then. When he tried to leave through the line of trees, a seering and burning pain lapped at his skin, then a strong jolt of electricity followed that, zapping him backwards from the seal and leaving him bleeding from the burns.

Cloud turned around when he noticed that the ravenette was not behind him. He had a light smile on his face. When he saw a near worried look on the shapeshifter's face, the blonde's smile fell a bit. A Tasonosenshi looking scared? That just didn't seem to settle well. Those beings were supposed to be fearless, scary... Not Human. Seeing one of these mighty monsters looking scared was scary in its own way. Everything he was taught about these creatures was proven wrong every second he spent with the ravenette.

"Zack, you coming?" Cloud asked, making sure to throw his voice now that the wind outside the forest had picked up even more than before.

The ravenette looked up at him with a sad smile. His ears flattened to his head and his tail hung low and still, nearly finding solace tucking in between his legs as if he truely was frightened of taking a step out of the border of the trees. He fidgeted slightly, and he started gripping his fingers, beginning to wring them out as a worried little pout overcame his face. His right foot began to rub at his left leg, and even a reddening blush crept across his cheeks.

"I...I think I'm..." The ravenette began, but he didn't finish his sentence. He didn't want to admit that he was actually scared.

He looked down at the ground, continuing to wring his fingers out. He could see a bit of his own tail poking out from in between his legs. He didn't need to voice what he was thinking. It was clear enough he was actually a little scared. He heard soft footsteps approaching, so he coyly looked up to see Cloud walking towards him, yet he had a soft -almost understanding- smile on his face. He paused just a foot or two away from the taller teen, looking up at him with kind blue eyes,

"It's alright. Everyone's scared of something...Human or not." The blonde said, his grin becoming just a little bit bigger. He reached out his hand and grabbed onto the ravenette's. "-I'm actually scared of you." He admitted with a blush.

"Well that's a given." Zack responded more playfully, his ears beginning to perk back up, even if his tail remained where it was.

Cloud just lightly pulled on the shifter's hand, gently tugging him from his spot. At first, the ravenette did not budge, nearly immobilized. But by the third encouraging tug, he moved slowly. He closed his eyes tightly when he began to step out of the seal. He found himself even beginning to hold his breath. After a few seconds of standing still, he pryed his right eye open to find the blonde smiling at him. Zack whirled around to see he had indeed made it past the seal, and he was just fine.

A big grin spread across his face as he looked back at Cloud, a bright shimmer began to flood his eyes and make them shine, even in the darkness of the new moon midnight. There was a moment's pause in time, and the two just seemed to stand like that for a few moments, untouched by even the faint breeze. It was as if the moment had been frozen for only a few seconds.

"I did it!" Zack exclaimed, elation swelling in his voice. His ears perked all the way up, and his black tail began to wag swiftly side-to-side.

Cloud fished him out a smile, then finally let go of his large hand, pulling his own back to his side. He turned back around to see the comforting lights of the neighborhood in the distance. The soothing glow was still dim as ever, yet it made his chest burn in a comforting warmth. But he then remembered he would be bringing a strange man home. What would his mother think? Especially if she could sense that he was a Tasonosenshi! Anxiety began to bubble in the blonde's brain.

"What will my mother think if I bring back a strange man home with me in the middle of the night?" Cloud voiced his problem aloud as he turned to Zack, wondering if he somehow might have an answer.

The ravenette did not seemed the least bit worried or phased by the change in the blonde's mood. Instead he just pulled his hand to his chin, beginning to pace and hum quizzically. Of course he knew what to do, he just wanted to tease the blonde a little bit. He wasn't going to lie, it was fun to see him get all flustered when he was teased. He was definitely one of the funnest masters the shifter had encountered in quite some time. He watched the blonde squirm in place for a few more moments before he pulled his hand from his chin, holding it up as if he just now formulated a solution to his problem.

Cloud's face shifted into a look of perplexion as Zack widened his stance, his eyes becoming more serious and strangely concentrated. The blonde was about to pop off with some sarcastic remark, but his mouth was left hanging open as he began to hear loud pops and snaps coming from the shifter. He saw his arms and legs roughly jerking and pulling, as if trying to leave his body by a willing force of some kind, and the shifter's back was beginning to hunch and curl in on his body.

The ravenette's hands and feet began to morph, resembling thick black paws, and deadly sharp claws had been unsheathed from the appendages. There were more pops and snaps resonating through the air as Zack's spinal structure began to change form. He sunk to the grassy field on his hands and knees, growling savagely as his facial structure underwent a morphing stage. Thin slivers of whiskers shot out and elongated from his cheeks, which was now beginning to form into a thick black snout.

Where there had once been skin was now beginning to grow a heavy amount of midnight black fur, the same color as the ravenette's hair. His bones snapped once more, aligning in jerky and breakneck motions. And after a few more moments of growling and snapping, a large pure black wolf stood in front of Cloud. He was massive in size, even in this form. Standing about four feet on all fours. His eyes were still as blue as could be. Yet he took a soft seat on the grass, resting on his haunches.

"Why so surprised? I Am a Tasonosenshi after all." Zack the wolf seemed to chuckle. His tail began to wag behind him as his eyes glimmered in amusement.

Cloud should have figured. The name Tasonosenshi means 'Shapeshifter'. The ravenette was bound to have another form or two. But it still came as a shock to the blonde. Not being able to throw away the look of surprise washed over his face, he was greeted by gruff chuckling that sounded more like harsh barking from the newly transmogrified wolf. He rose from his sitting position and ran his sleek body against the teen's left leg, growling affectionately just like a common dog.

"Shouldn't we be going now?" Zack suggested as his sharp gaze looked beyond the blonde and towards the glowing light of the neighborhood.

"Uh, yes...l-Let's go." Cloud stammered, beginning to walk towards the ever distant residential area.

The newly turned wolf followed right beside the blonde, wagging his tail and twitching his fuzzy ears as he trotted along side at even stride. The grassy field had seemed to swallow up the wolf, for his head was barely poking out from the thick green blades, and his tail swished side to side, beating gently against the lush life. For Cloud, the grass came up to his hip, but he was still able to move through the green currents fluidly. A few more stray crickets provided them with soft music, and a few wandering fireflies lit up the desolate field in soft specks against the black night sky.

The two were silent as they continued their trek towards the neighborhood. The dim light had increased, but only by a little bit. That was to be expected though, not very many people would be up and about at this time of night. His mother certainly would be, panicking and fretting about him for sure. It wasn't as if coming home well past midnight wasn't a natural occurrence, but she always worried due to the bruises and dried blood that would litter his lithe body when he returned.

Since Zack had healed his wounds when they first contracted, the blonde would have to think of how to reiterate his story so his mother didn't jump to any hasty conclusions. She was good at doing that. Even since childhood, a scraped knee was like a broken bone to her. The woman had always been overprotective of her little baby, even if he wasn't so little anymore.

Cloud was brought out of his deep thoughts when his shoes connected to concrete, rather than grass and dirt. He blinked once and did a quick double-take. Zack stopped beside him, looking around as his Master did. His claws clicked against the concrete sidewalk when he shifted his weight. Upon hearing a few faint noises from inside a few of the houses that were lit up, his ears perked and twitched. The blonde resumed walking through the backstreets of the neighborhood. A few street lamps illuminated their path in a soft orange glow as they continued on.

The duo followed the curves of the street, taking rights and lefts where necessary, and even double glancing at a street name posted atop a stop sign. Cars were parked in driveways and against the sides of the roads, void of any kind of life in the dead of this night. It was always this quiet and serene every time the blonde would limp his way back home on any other given night. The crickets chirping had long grown faint, left alone back in that grassy field, and the fireflies swarmed only there, never following the blonde into his neighborhood.

Taking one more right, the blonde found himself on the street where his home was located. It was a dead end street, melding into a cal-de-sac. His house was at the end of the circle, on the left side of where the circle began. His house was the only one with nearly all its lights on. His mother had even left the living room blinds open, and he could faintly see her pacing from inside the well lit house. Zack's ears twitched and his eyes locked onto the house.

It must have been the darkest, yet brightest, the ravenette had ever seen. Inside, it seemed warm and welcoming. But outside was a whole new level. The grass was yellow and dying, even in the middle of spring. There was a thick weeping willow on the right side of their yard, bending by time's will and fate's design. The hanging branches were alight with a yellow green life, yet it looked as dead as the grass in the front yard. padding his paws against the driveway, he could feel the cracks and chips within the concrete. A few thick green weeds sprouted out from the thicker cracks.

The brown coated garage door was dented in and looked old and rusted. It could have used a fresh coat of paint years ago, and was now suffering from the neglect. There was even an old and rusting car on the left side of the driveway in front of the beaten up garage door. It was resting against bricks, and tires were missing on the front axle. Rust was the primary paint for the old car. It looked like an old muscle car that had flourished when the shifter had last been free. Looking at the model, he was right. It was a fading El Camino, that once had a sense of glory, but now long lost by time.

The bricks of the house were even a very dark brown color, as well as the siding of the house. Grime and dirt lay pressed into the exterior design, and even the concrete steps that belong to the porch were old and cracked. When warm light flooded over his black coated body, Zack looked up to see the front door was wide open, even if the screen door in front of it was closed. He then looked at the blonde beside him, to see a sad smile on his face as he approached the front door.

Cloud pulled open the screen door, and it squealed and groaned loudly as the hinges complained about being moved. He stepped into the well lit and soothing house, first greeted by white linoleum at the doorway, but soon branching off to tan brown carpet that was soft and plushy to the touch. He made his way from the doorway and further into the living room, clearly aware that Zack had sat on his haunches by the doorway. He had grown awfully quiet when he had seen the house.

The pacing woman from earlier had stopped in the act when she heard the door open. She quickly turned around on her heels to look towards the front door. When she saw her boy walk in, she lost composure and threw herself at him, squeezing him tightly and taking a large shaky breath. Cloud looked down at his mother, who looked nearly like his own counterpart. She had thick blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, yet her bangs stayed down to lightly curve around her full face. Her blue eyes were the same shade as her son's, but only a tad bit darker due to older age.

She was a short woman, riding only at about five foot three, and just four inches shorter than her son. Not only that, but she looked young. Too young to be the mother of a seventeen year old. She was plainly dressed in a loose fitting orange tank top, and light grey sweat shorts, ending a few inches above her knees. The clothes looked to be too big on her small frame. She was just as thin and lithe as her son, if not more so.

"Oh, Cloud. You're back!" She cried with great emotion as she refused to let him go from her frail arms.

She did however, pull away from him to get a look at his face. She saw no bruises or blood anywhere on his body, but did take notice of how dirty his clothes and skin were. She gently brushed some crumbling dirt from his shirt and hair, becoming even more motherly, if the blonde counterpart thought that was even possible.

"You're not beaten up for once, but you're all filthy! Where were you?" She quickly demanded as she pulled at the bottom of her shirt up and brought it to her mouth, licking it before wiping at her son's face.

Cloud sputtered and pulled away from his mother before responding. "I was just out like usual. But I accidentally bumped into some people and they were the kind of guys that took it the wrong way." The blonde explained, somewhat white lying.

The first part was true. He ran into Deepground on accident on his way from from school. He tried to evade them, but they wouldn't have any of that and immediately began to chase after him when he made a run for it. Yes, they had even been after him well passed sunset. They were insane and loved making him scream. If he hadn't made a pact with a Tasonosenshi, he'd surely be...

"-But before it got too serious, someone saved me." Cloud finished as he saw that familiar sad look in his mother's eyes once more.

"Who did?" She quickly asked, her eyes alight in a bright shimmer. This was certainly a first for her, and she wanted to know who helped her baby when he needed it.

The blonde teen turned his eyes towards the front door, only finding Zack peeking around the corner, still in that wolf form of his. "-He did." Was his blunt response.

His mother looked over, staring at the black wolf before taking slow steps toward it. She eyed the beast with every careful step. She had always been a bit wary of the canine persuasion. Upon stopping at a foot or two in front of the dog, she knelt down, pulling her knees to her chest. She held out her right hand cautiously, uncertainty behind those blue eyes of hers. Zack lightly sniffed at her hand, registering the scent of the young woman before him. Her aroma smelled of sweet peas and a fresh spring rain. Her aura was soothing and welcoming.

"Did you help my boy out today?" She asked coyly, a faint blush was beginning to etch its way across her cheeks.

The shifter barked once, then gently licked the hand still offered out to him. His actions earned him soft and delicate giggles from the petite woman, and her hand then reached across the wolf, petting at his thick black fur. To let the woman know he appreciated the affection, he allowed his tounge to lop from his mouth and he panted softly, wagging his bushy black tail none the less for emphasis. She spoke something of him looking 'very cute', then used her delicate fingers to gently scratch behind his right ear.

Oh, she found his good spot! Instantly, his right hind leg began to thump against the carpet, and his tail began to wag even faster. His panting increased in speed and volume and the ear being twitched perked all the way up, silently telling her to scratch there some more. Her own giggling increased as well and she scratched at the desired spot until the wolf felt over on his side, still kicking his hind leg out and panting. Cloud just rolled his eyes from his spot in the living room. That shapeshifter was just a wild card.

She stopped scratching behind Zack's ear, then stood up from the floor, turning around to face her son with a soft smile on her face. The shifter behind her rolled back onto his haunches, sitting there quietly, yet with a canine grin across his snout. His tail continued to wag behind him as he looked up at the two.

"He doesn't have a home. Do you think we could take him in?" Cloud asked.

"Well-" His mother began.

Before she should get another word out, Zack jumped on all fours and started barking enthusiastically. He dashed from his spot by the door and lept at the blonde he had contracted himself to. The young teen wasn't expecting that and tumbled onto the floor with a startled grunt. The current wolf stood on top of him, barking and wagging his fluffy tail in excitement. The blonde shot him a small glare, but the shifter just barked again, then licked his cheek.

"He does seem quite attached to you. I guess we could." She responded with a giggle as her right hand covered her mouth as she laughed.

Cloud pushed Zack off him then sat up, shooting another glare at the wolf as he wiped the fresh slobber from his cheek with the back of his hand. He still continued to wag his tail and pant. Deciding to no longer be on the floor, he stood himself back up and dusted his shirt off. He could have sworn he heard the wolf chuckle. His mother had given him another hug and a kiss to his cheek, bidding him goodnight and how he should be getting to bed soon. With that, she returned to her bedroom, shutting off most of the lights as she went. She shut her bedroom door softly behind her.

The blonde teen made his way down the hall towards his own room, and Zack followed, trotting alongside with a spring in his step. He noticed pictures decorating the halls of the wall. There were a few baby pics of his Master, a few of his mother, and a few of a man he had not seen before. This man had been on the frail side like the others in the house, but he had some muscles forming on his arms. He had chocolate brown hair and emerald green eyes. He was dressed in military garb, yet he held a kind smile on his face.

Next to the picture was a young Cloud, and his mother next to him. Both were dressed in black, standing next to a closed coffin. Even though the scenery in that picture was bright and lively, not a cloud in the sky and the sun shining brightly, the faces in the picture were sullen and dark. The picture was like polar opposites of itself. That man must have died in action. Finally pulling himself away from the picture, he turned around and saw the blonde looking at the picture with a sad smile on his face.

"Come on, Zack." Was all he spoke before turning a right at the end of the hall where his room was.

It was then painfully obvious that man had been the father of his current master. From the looks of it, he departed from them when the blonde must have only been a minor five years old. He quietly followed the blonde to his room, becoming nearly as sullen as the faces in the picture. His contractor must have not had a very good life.

Then or now...

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_A/N: And there's chapter two for you! Long enough I hope! XD I'm trying to make all the chapters a certain word count, and it's pretty tough to do since I mostly wing my stories :p_

_Anyway, let me know what you thought of the story and ask me any questions if need be :)_

_Toodles for now!_  
_~Zimithrus1_


	3. Chapter 3: Second Chances

_Yay! Chapter three of Transmogrify is out and ready for a reading! I hope you have all enjoyed the story so far and hope you will continue to like it :) Without further ado, I give you chappie three!_

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_~X[Chapter 3: Second Chances]X~_

Cloud's room was located on the last room on the left side of where the hallway had split into two directions. The brown oak door was wide open, yet the lights in the room were all off. Zack trotted inside first, still cleverly disguised in his wolf form. Even though his sight was more superior over the average human's, this room remained quite dark and it was hard to pinpoint exactly where everything was. A ceiling lamp flickered into life suddenly, blinking once before remaining lit up to bathe the room in a soft fluorescent glow.

The Shapeshifter pivoted his head, looking left and right and all around him. He gently whiffed at the air with his delicate nose coated like velvet. He registered the scent of the room; Fresh cherries with a tinge of faint vanilla. The carpet under his paws had changed in color, from a tan color to more of a beige tone. The walls were a peachy off white color, but was mostly obscured from posters hanging all over them. Towards the left of him, there was a large queen sized bed draped in royal blue sheets and comforters. The pillowcases had been the same color, but only lighter in hue.

On the right side of the bed, a small end table sat still. There was a small lamp perched upon the solid wood that was currently off at the moment. Next to the lamp, a red colored digital clock displayed the cerulean numbers of twelve twenty-five. A dot on the left side of the clock showed that it was AM, and it would blink softly and slowly on occasion. Looking back towards the bed, he noticed an old and ragged looking toy. A small chocobo to be exact. He let his eyes trail back to the rest of the room.

Across the bed, there was a wooden door that was appearing to splinter in a few places. The shifter inferred that it must be the closet. Next to the decaying door, there was a small entertainment center with a boxy television, looking no bigger than sixteen inches. Rabbit ear antennas sat atop the contraption. Under the television, a small game console rested on one of the shelves as well as a few games. It looked to be untouched for quite some time, since there was now a thin layer of dust on the electronic device.

On the wall adjacent to the bed, there was a small dark oak bookshelf, littered with books of all kinds, from sci-fi down to fantasy. A few comics were ever scattered in between the mix. A few trinketal objects sat in the unoccupied spaces of the shelves, a glass dragon on one, and a moogle on the other empty space. Including the large furniture and wall space, the room had been quite small, and there was little walk room in the center of the room, and a small path to be able to reach the bed.

Squinting his wolfish blue eyes, Zack noticed how worn this furniture was, as if it had been rotting here for years upon years. The walls even sported small cracks in certain areas and the carpet seemed worn out and ready for retirement. This family must be lesser than middle class. The entire house had been a bit too small for comfort. His previous Masters had all had bigger and fancier houses, but this one was much too different from the others. It would be a nice change of pace.

The transmogrified wolf was brought out of his stupor when the door shut with a quiet click. He whirled around on his paws to see Cloud glancing around the room for a brief moment. There was a small smile on his face, but it wasn't a happy one. It seemed forced and not all there. His own blue eyes trailed back to the shifter watching him with near analytical eyes.

"I know it's not much, but it's all we have right now. Money's tight around here because of all my hospital bills." The blonde responded, his voice was almost a murmur.

Zack assumed that he was put in a clinic because of those few people that found fun in beating him senseless. From what he had heard between his Contractor and his mother, this was almost a natural occurrence. Finally having enough of being in this form and that depressed tone from the blonde, he slowly began to change back to his more humanoid form. Spinal structure began to alter once more, and most of the fur began to recede away as tanned skin took its place. When his transformation was completed, he was hunched on his hands and knees, bushy black tail softly wagging.

His old clothes from earlier had replaced the black fur on his body, and even the bandages returned to his arms, legs, and midrift again. His fuzzy black ears twitched softly when he heard the blonde gasp in a quiet fashion, and a smile flickered across his face. He knew what kind of look the boy had on his face right now. He suppressed the urge to snicker.

"_What are you doing?_ What if my mom sees?" Cloud harshly whispered, glancing back at his bedroom door with nearly a 'caught red handed' look on his face. That sadness was gone now and replaced with tension that almost made the shifter want to laugh.

"Relax, she went to sleep. No harm." Zack responded, getting up from the floor as a smile spread across his face so effortlessly.

"No harm? What do you mean _'No harm'?_ She'll get suspicious if she sees me in here with a freaking gorgeous stranger!" The blonde exclaimed, still whispering loudly.

"Did you just call me Gorgeous?" The shifter teased, a sly grin tugging at the corners of his lips as he gave the blonde a sensual look.

Cloud was about to say something, but no words came out. His mouth hung open and his eyes were firm, but they quickly turned to surprise. His face instantly broke out in a rubicund blush that made him rival the redness of a tomato. His eyes shot over towards his bed as that blush began to redden even deeper in embarrassment what what had slipped out of his mouth unintentionally.

"y-You're hearing things! I didn't say that!" The blonde quickly countered, dropping the whisper as his voice took on cracking from his embarrassment instead.

"Oh, I know what I heard." Zack said with a devil's grin, moving to stand right in front of the blushing mess of boy. He had used his lower registers of his voice again, the tone he used to sucker the teenager into freeing him.

"Sh-Shut up, you!" Cloud exclaimed, pushing the ravenette away as the redness in his face refused to leave.

The shifter began to laugh and his tail flicked from side to side in his amusement. This only further upset the blonde and he crossed his arms over his chest, huffing out in annoyance. Why did the stupid Tasonosenshi find fun in aggravating him or embarrassing him? Couldn't Gaia or the Goddess ever give him a break for once? He was brought out of his thoughts when the shapeshifter began to speak.

"So, what makes you think I'm gorgeous? The face?" Zack continued to sensually tease. He kept using that dour tone in his voice to further rile the blonde up.

"_Nothing does!_ Hey! Back up, will you?" Cloud snapped, getting more irritated when the ravenette began to step closer and invade his personal space.

Instead, the shifter only stopped right in front of the smaller boy, then grabbed his chin with his right hand and tilted the blonde's face up to his own. The lithe teenager fell silent in a matter of seconds, and that blush flustered even deeper. His heart began to hammer in his chest, what the Hell was about to go down? The Tasonosenshi leaned in close to the more fuller face just inches below his. A sensual grin etched its way across his bow-shaped lips once more.

"Why don't you just try and make me?" He whispered, a soft growl that somewhat resembled a purr echoed from his voice and into the blonde's ear.

Cloud instantly pulled away from the ravenette, worked up in ways that he didn't understand and didn't want to understand. He muttered a soft '_Knock it off, perv.'_ under his breath as his eyes found solace in looking down at the worn out carpet as he tenderly held his arms close to his chest to embrace himself bashfully. The ravenette's tail began to wag in amusement, and his black ears twitched softly.

"I'm just teasing you, Blondie." Zack responded with a quick wink of his right eye. His voice went back to it's normal register and an innocent grin played with his lips, rather than a sensual one.

"Good..." Cloud muttered, still looking down at the ground. His face began to gain it's natural pale color as the blood left from his cheeks at long last.

"Earlier, you said your wish was to have strength to defend yourself." The shifter suddenly spoke, his tone becoming quite serious at the moment.

"Yeah, that's right. What about it?" The blonde asked, finally looking up from the floor as he relaxed his body again, seeing how the subject had changed.

"I assume that the strength you wish for is to give those people a what for that constantly beat on you. Am I correct?" Zack asked, walking over to the large bed and plopping himself down on it without consent.

"You bet." Cloud responded firmly, determination laced thickly in his voice.

"I see. I can grant your wish at any time, but there is a catch." The shifter spoke, falling onto the mattress as he stared up at the ceiling.

His tail was resting between his legs to avoid being crushed from his own weight. The fuzzy appendage was only twitching by this point as the matter at hand became serious. His ears were perked straight up, honing in on the blonde's breathing as it suddenly spiked, obviously not expecting what had just been said. He heard the blonde approach swiftly, and suddenly, his head was hanging over the shifter's, blonde spikes in controlled disarray with the force of gravity.

"What do you mean there's a catch?" He demanded, his eyes narrowed and pinpointed now.

"I can't magically give you strength in one moment, like '_Poof_'! And there it is. No, it doesn't work like that. Wishes down't work like that at all actually." Zack explained, his eyes trained onto the blonde's own.

"So-" Cloud began, but was quickly cut off.

"-This isn't a fairy tale, Kid. It doesn't just magically happen, no wave of a wand or flick of the wrist. It's something that you yourself have to accomplish. All I can do is help make that wish become reality." The ravenette bluntly stated, quickly sitting up to look the blonde square in those eyes at close range.

He saw those blue eyes quickly swell with moisture that only future tears could bring. Yet they were quickly blinked back. A determined look quickly replaced the feeble weak one that had appeared just seconds ago. He pulled back from the bed a bit and his posture straightened up. He didn't look like that beaten boy from before, but almost like a whole new person.

"I don't know what or how exactly this all works, but, help me. I'll show Deepground that they can't beat me up forever." Cloud seemed to snarl at the end when that band of bullies had been mentioned.

"Oh yeah, you're definitely one of my favorite Masters. You're such a strange one, very intriguing." Zack spoke playfully, his tail pulled behind him to wag with excitement as he ears twitched a few times.

The blonde glanced over at his clock, reading the time that had been displayed as one o' three in the morning. He still had school tomorrow. It almost made him fidget uncomfortably, but then he remembered he had a Tasonosenshi at his beck and call. Not that he wanted to use him as just a thing to protect him, he looked to human, acted, too human to be treated like a tool. An idea suddenly popped into his head.

"Zack, I want you to accompany me to school tomorrow." Cloud decided out loud, addressing the shifter directly.

"Uh, _what?_" The ravenette asked, a 'come again?' look spreading across his face. His tail stopped wagging.

"Come with me to school tomorrow. I want you to keep Deepground off me for the day." The blonde explained, approaching the shapeshifter currently sitting on his bed.

"I don't roll that way. Last time I went around a school, it didn't end well." Zack responded flatly.

Cloud scowled at him, crossing his arms over his chest as his eyes narrowed at the ravenette. He shifted his weight to his right hip, and he even began to tap at the floor with his left foot in an impatient manner. The Shifter only snorted through his nose, eyes as firm as the blonde's in his decision. He too crossed his arms over his chest, and the two locked into a deadly stare. One could see the sparks flying from their eyes due to the tension.

"As your Master, I order you to accompany me tomorrow." Cloud demanded, nodding his head to emphasis his demand.

"Playing the _'Master_' card are we? Sorry Blondie, since you haven't marked me, I don't have to follow your orders." Zack responded huffily, head cocked into an arrogent position.

The blonde quickly broke the stare and dashed to his closet, throwing the splintery door open. He searched through a few shelves as he muttered a few choice words under his breath. The Shifter watched him with narrowed eyes, but his tail began to flick side to side in perpetual amusement. The seventeen year old stopped his search and balled something up in his fist before turning around and shutting the closet door behind him. He approached the shifter with cautious steps.

"Just what are you trying to-" Zack tried to inquire, but was suddenly tackled.

He fell against the mattress with a soft flop, and out of instinct, a warning growl escaped from his mouth. The blonde was hovering over him, his hands locked around his neck as he tried to fasten some kind of object to him. There was a small snap sound, and instantly, the boy removed himself from the Shifter. The ravenette quickly sat up and his hands went to inspect his neck. He was perplexed when he felt this fabric around his neck, and when he moved, there was a soft jingling sound.

"What the **_Hell_** did you just put on me?" Zack demanded, narrowing his eyes at the blonde once more.

"A dog collar." Cloud bluntly stated, sticking his tounge out after finishing his sentence.

"One: Where do you get the impression that I am of the _house pet_ persuasion? And Two: Why in Odin's name do you have a dog collar in your closet?" The Tasonosenshi growled, trying to tug at the collar with his hands.

He kept jerking at the stupid material, but strangely, the fabric did not rip or tear in the slightest! He used his sharp nails to scratch at the accursed neck wear, and even tried to lean his head down to get his fangs in on the action. No matter what he did, he could not remove the atrocious thing! He glanced up towards his Master with hardened eyes, silently demanding an explanation to the bewitched object.

"You can't take it off because that's what I used to mark you back. Now you have to listen to me." Cloud stated with a haughty laugh following the statement.

Oh yes, this boy was very much different from the rest of his other Masters. It was as if he had two different personalities like he himself had. One minute, he was a helpless and frail teenager that seemed as if he needed constant protection, and the next, he was a stubborn and headstrong teen. Impulsive and reckless almost. It almost made him wonder how he was able to sucker someone like him into freeing him from his limestone seal back in the Forest of Senshi?

"Fine. I will accompany you to school. Then you'll have to owe me something. That's how a contract works. I scratch your back, you scratch mine, understand?" Zack inquired in a near accusatory manner.

"Deal." Cloud responded, dropping the haughty act from earlier and falling into more of his quiet and near insecure demeanor.

A silence settled over the two in the moment. The only noise audible was their own quiet breathing and an ear ringing pause of silence. The AC sputtered up, groaning and moaning before getting to work in cooling the room and the rest of the house down. The shapeshifter flicked his tail from side to side, and his ears twitched on occasion. Other than that, the two remained quiet and stationary. The blonde took a quick glance at the time, only to realize it was nearly two in the morning. He needed sleep desperately.

"Alright, I need to get some sleep." Cloud spoke up as he flicked on another switch right beside the one that turned the ceiling light on.

The switch made fan blades attached to the ceiling lights begin to spin slowly in the beginning, then they picked up the pace to circle quite quickly. It gave the bedroom an extra cool wind to circulate. The Shifter's tail poofed out and an involuntary shiver racked around his body. The blonde made his way back to the closet and opened up the door. He shut the door behind him, and it spiked the Tasonosenshi's curiosity.

"What are you doing?" He asked aloud.

"Changing! I'm not sleeping in these dirty clothes!" The seventeen year old shouted back, raising his voice so it would be heard from behind the closet door and over the woosh noise of the ceiling fan.

For some strange reason, that thought alone caused the shifter to blush. What on Gaia was he thinking anyway? He shook his head, and the jingling noise on the collar started up again. There was a bell attached to this accursed contraption. Out of all things the blonde could have marked him with, he chose a collar? That damaged his pride as a fearsome Tasonosenshi a bit. He felt more like a common house pet with this silly thing! Yet beyond that, he did not question it any further.

The blonde opened up the closet door and stepped out, dirt pressed clothes from earlier balled up in his hands. He was wearing nothing more than a loose white t shirt and black silk shorts ending two inches above his knees. He tossed the ball of clothes into a small white basket beside his bedroom door, then pulled his arms above his head in a stretch. He went over to the small lamp beside his bed, clicking it on before making his way over to the two switches and turned the ceiling light off. He then made his way over to the bed, only to find that the shapeshifter was staring at him.

"What?" He asked as he made his way onto his bed, sitting on it cris cross.

"Nothing!" The ravenette quickly protested, pulling his eyes away from the blonde as he looked at the blue colored sheets instead.

"Well, whatever I guess." Cloud muttered to himself as he pulled the blankets up and over his body, lightly pulling the shifter with him.

No longer liking the amount of cold air in the room, Zack changed form to his wolf appearance, the midnight black fur instantly covering his transformed body with a soothing warmth. He could still feel the cool air ruffle at his fur, but it wasn't as bad as before. He situated himself on the foot of the bed, hoping the blonde wouldn't mind him sleeping on the bed as long as he was in this form. He turned in a circle two times before resting his head in his paws. His bushy tail curled around his hind legs and his ears were slightly down.

"Goodnight, Zack." Cloud spoke before he reached over and turned the small lamp off, coating the room in soft darkness.

"Goodnight to you as well." The ravenette responded, closing his beady blue wolfish eyes for the night.

The room was nice and cool as the shapeshifter slumbered, and his fur kept him nice and warm. It was the perfect balance of cool and warm. Not only that, but the blonde allowed him to sleep on the bed. His other Masters all had him sleep in the floor. None of them even told him goodnight like the blonde had done for him. Definitely different from the rest. He knew he hadn't slumbered for long, but a strange noise had awoken him sometime in the night.

He gently lifted his head up from his paws and blinked his wolfish eyes, glancing around the room to try and locate the sound through sleep coated senses. A quick look at the clock told him it was only three twenty-eight in the morning, so they hadn't been sleeping for very long. It was silent again, the noise had vanished. A soft growl escaped his snout as he laid his head back down, not sensing anything wrong. As soon as his eyes closed once more, that noise sprang back to life, still quiet as could be though.

He pulled his head up once more, eyes narrowed at what the heck it was and what was causing it. It was silent again, and he thought about laying his head back down again. Before he could, it happened again, then once more. His head turned towards the source of the sound, coming from the front of the bed. Now that the sleep had left his eyes and became more alert, the room wasn't so dark for his enhanced eyes. He saw the blonde shifting in his sleep, whimpering. That's what the sound had been.

He rose to his feet, gently padding his way across the lumpy figure of the blonde hunkered under thick covers. He stopped his advance when he was right beside the blonde's head. He leaned in slightly to get a look at his face. It was screwed up in the fear that only a nightmare could bring. Yet he still whimpered like he was scared or injured. His mouth twitched slightly, but no words escaped. Just whining that got a little louder.

Zack gently laid himself down next to the blonde, resting his wolfish head on the crook of his neck, growling softly. At that, the blonde's whimpers died away, and he rolled over on his other side, closed eyes facing the shifter now. His arm unraveled itself from the blanket and draped over the ravenette's furry body, then gently pulled him closer in his sleep.

That had been the best sleep the shapeshifter had gotten in decades...

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A/N: And there's chapter three for you guys! Hope you enjoyed it! :) Well, don't be afraid to leave me some feedback, it's greatly appriciated! If you have any questions I'll be more than happy to answer them :p

Well, until the next chapter my good readers!

Toodles! :3  
~Zimithrus1


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