This is dedicated, with all my heart, to Sheno. Go on Youtube, search "ZackxCloud Ever, Ever After." First result. That video is the Sole. Reason. For this fic. Then tell her how awesome she is.

For a long time, the only sense Cloud was left with was sight. The other senses, rendered useless once the novelty of the mako-tank's strangeness had worn off, had gradually faded. But sight had stayed with him. The ever-changing rota of white-coats wandering in and out was enough to keep his eyes from giving up. And when it got boring, he only had to look sideways, to the tank on his right, and he remembered why his eyes hadn't closed yet.

Sound had returned soon after, but his brain tuned it out to white noise, only the soft hum of voices intruding into his mind, teasing at his curiosity. Words made sense, when he focused really hard, but the effort cost him energy towards regaining some motion in his mostly-atrophied limbs. Or, more importantly, forcing out words that had so far become jumbled together as "Unh," and other incoherent sounds, but were intended to be thanks to the man beside him. The one who was always beside him.

Smell, that was next. It had been the smell of the bike that had done it. Nothing, in Cloud's mind, smelled stronger than a bike running full-throttle. Had his body responded to the urge, he would have been choking at how that acrid smell assaulted his senses, and he was sure his eyes had watered when the stench of burning rubber had been added to the mix, a tyre shredded against the tarmac as they made a sharp turn. Slowly, as his nose got used to the bike-smell, he noticed other scents. Like someone cooking a roast in a house they went roaring past, the slight tang of the oil they used to polish their swords, the strange not-smell of mako that clung to him.

For a long time, it was these three senses, gradually growing more acute and filling his world with a little more depth. It was a shock to the system, then, to feel the weight of a hand on his head, fingers briskly ruffling his spiky blonde hair in a way that he hadn't felt in so long. Zack hadn't ruffled his hair since...well, since before the tank.

With great effort, he forced his head to tilt against the pull of gravity, nudging against that touch. Into his line of vision slid a chin, a fall of black hair, a mouth framing words. That was better. He focused his attention on the sounds, and they became clearer.

"Cloud? Hey, buddy. Can you hear me?"

It was a long moment before he could coax his gaze up to meet shining blue eyes.

"Hi there." Zack's hand hadn't moved from his hair, and now it brushed back through his spikes in a gentle motion.

"Don't you worry. It's almost over now."

Something in the older man's tone sent a cold wash of fear down Cloud's back, bringing a jolt of energy to his limbs. Zack was rising now, his hand slipping from the blonde's hair, and Cloud found himself gripping hard onto his wrist. As his friend's questioning gaze met his, he struggled to form words, anything that didn't begin with "M," "N," or "U."

"Whu..." It was a start. It was a sound that promised more syllables, maybe even a sentence. Licking his lips, feeling a little more energy return, he tried again.

What do...you mean..."Almost over...?""

Violet-blue eyes slid from his, and Zack shifted uncomfortably in his viselike grip.

"I mean this is it. Last battle. After this, we'll be free."

But his face didn't say 'free.' It didn't tell him 'riding off into the sunset,' and it certainly didn't say 'happily ever after.' No, the look in Zack's eyes, the stubborn set of his jaw, told Cloud more sinister things. Things like 'the only way,' 'for your own good,' and, most painful of all, 'sacrifice.'

Slowly, carefully, the blonde peered around the stone monolith that sheltered them.

"Shit," he breathed. He had never seen so many people in one place before, hadn't dreamed that ShinRa commanded this many men. There were over a thousand out there, easily, and they were all gunning for the two of them. A bullet ricocheted off the stone above him, and Zack yelped, pulling him back.

"Zack, that's gotta be more than a thousand men out there!" His lips were still slightly clumsy, but the words were a coherent, angry hiss, "even you can't survive that many!"

It came again, that look. The 'sacrifice' look.

"I can win," the taller man replied, his tone giving nothing away, but his eyes saying everything.

"No."

"What?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is the mako-trip still messing with my speech?" He knew his voice was sharp, biting, "I said "Hell. No.""

"I heard ya," Zack retorted, every bit as sharply, "I was waiting to see if you had any bright ideas, because in case you hadn't noticed, we're running out of options!"

Releasing the wrist he had been holding this whole time, Cloud rose smoothly to his feet.

"Oh, hell no."

"That's my line," he half-smirked, "and why the hell not?"

"Because it's pointless, us both going out there! If we both die, then they've won!"

"This isn't about beating ShinRa, Zack!" Hurt laced Cloud's tone, turned his mouth into a bitter twist, "it's about "together!" It's about "I'll never leave you, Cloud! We're friends, right?!""

Silence fell between them for a second, allowing them both to clearly hear the metallic ping. As such, both of their hands shot out in preparation, but it was Cloud's fingers that wrapped around the grenade that had been thrown, Cloud's vicious overarm throw that sent it careening back into the enemy's midst. Zack looked at him then, eyes alight with something like hope.

"You...You're really better, aren't you?"

Cloud rolled his eyes. "I have god-knows-how-much Mako coursing through my system. I have had a very, very long rest. I cold probably take you in a fight right now."

"Oooh," the black-haired man gave a wolfish grin, "I'll make you eat those words, shortass."

Sobering for a moment, Cloud smiled slightly. "Seriously. I'm good."

"Reckon you can take on five hundred or so out-of-shape slackers who think they're tough, then?"

"Bring it on. Together, we could beat that rabble. And an army, as well."

I make no promises about updating, as well you should know. But I do love you. All five of you. :q