A series of drabbles looking into the relationship between Cloud Strife, Aerith Gainsborough and Zack, spanning across genres and ratings. Some are vaguely AU, assuming that Aerith met Cloud while he was in Shinra. Written to a list of ten themes.

o6 Distance

Silent Rapture

Zack wasn't sure if it was possible to feel physical pain in the Lifestream. It was so different being dead, when even your emotions were left hanging somewhere in the distance and felt altogether empty—they were more of vague,misplaced memories then anything else.

But as he watched Aerith's spirit linger over Cloud's, even though his heart had been torn apart by bullets years ago, Zack swore he felt it skip a beat before hammering against his chest.

He wasn't breathing, it was true; but he wasn't dead (yet) either. Aerith seemed to have a remarkable ability to save the boy over and over, and Zack watched her work with half-hearted interest, his spirit feeling particularly dull today.

Just let him die, he thought bitterly. Zack was surprised at himself—firstly for forgetting that everyone could feel your thoughts ripple through them in the Lifestream, but mostly, it had just been so long since he felt such a wave of selfishness flood through him.

Cloud's spirit was strong—even clearer than Aerith's, in fact—and all he needed was a little gentle binding to get it back to his body in one piece.

"Sorry friend," he muttered almost coldly, knowing Cloud couldn't hear him anyway. "Looks like there's no place for you here."

And it was a lie, of course. Looking over to Aerith, he saw her gently fade a little as Cloud was swept away once more; and as he moved over, wrapping ghostly arms around her, he felt her thoughts pour out into the Lifestream.

"We both wanted him dead, didn't we?" she murmured—and had she been alive, Zack knew she would have been crying over a heart-wrenching feeling of guilt she couldn't quite feel anymore.

He wanted to reply, to say something to comfort her, but even his thoughts were blank—Cloud was already a million miles away, leaving them to drown in the Styx.