A/N: Short and sweet. I guess this is a spoiler for Disk 2; it takes place after Zack and Cloud escape from Niebelheim. I wanted it to be a bit more shounen-ai, but Cloud was simply too insane.

Disclaimer: Zack, Cloud, and their story belong to SquareEnix.

Down and Down

By Akira

The air was swimming, colours inverse darting fish, lights in ripples, currents, waves. He was pulled towards the ground by a force too strong to fight, too slow for the pain, pain in his elbows, tailbone, skull. The Planet seemed to want to press against his back, since it had pulled him down so, the grass pushing past the hem of his shirt and scratching, tickling, brown against his neck, the sky too big and too full of relentless motion to move against. Space was spinning twilight out of control, shifting his Mako-glow eyes too fast, pulsing his blood rapid fire. He would fall, fall, through into nothing.

A sound came by his right ear, and came again. "Cloud," it said. "Cloud."

The colours were different on that side, blurs of black and tan and Mako.

"Cloud. They're coming, and we can't let them find us. I know you feel sick," the voice said, softer now, and a light, cool pressure came to rest on his forehead, "but we have to find somewhere they can't."

His eyes closed, weighted down by the swirls and ribbons of lights behind his eyelids, the hand stroking the hair from his forehead green soothing arcs. His skin burned, burned, frigid air pouring into his lungs and bursting forth white-hot steam, chest heaving.

"Cloud…" The voice sounded broken now, cracked and tossed away. Everything was moving; he came to rest against something strong and he clung, like a child or a limpet or a piece of chewing gum under a chair. "Don't…leave me, Cloud…"

Strong muscles moved under dark-tanned skin, the smell of human salt and experimental chemicals; he was lifted and the world danced once again. Nausea uncurled in his belly, rising upwards to sway in the back of his throat and strike between his ears. Zack would make everything right. He was Zack.

"I'll keep us safe."

I trust you, Cloud tried to say, but it only came out a fever strangled sort of gasp.

Lips burned against his scorching forehead, a forever red-hot imprint. "I know."

--Ende