Fair Strife

by WeissHewley

An alternate ending to the Final Fantasy VII: Last Order. FIRST PERSON, ZACK’S P.O.V Zack Fair fights Sephiroth, Cloud freezes up resulting in his death. Zack reacts unlike any thing he’s ever acted like. Can he handle this much of a strain? Implied zxc

Fair Strife

Fair Strife

WARNING: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, Cloud Strife, Zack Fair, Sephiroth… etc, etc, etc. Implied ZackxCloud CloudxZack ZaxCloud

Mild swearing.

Summary: An alternate ending to the Final Fantasy VII: Last Order.

FIRST PERSON, ZACK'S P.O.V

Zack Fair fights Sephiroth, Cloud freezes up resulting in his death. Zack reacts unlike any thing he's ever acted like. Can he handle this much of a strain? Implied ZackxCloud CloudxZack ZaxCloud

Mild swearing.

A/N: This is for my friend, and a song fic to the song "Kryptonite" by 3 Doors Down: Whom, I do not own. --;;;

x3 Enjoy. FEEDBACK PLEASE.

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My arms were cocked back, prepared for a strike at the General, but he caught me off guard, sending me flying back into the tanks about the turquoise, seemingly-glowing room. The silver headed General must have jumped, and landed softly in front of me because it had taken me a moment to realize he was there. Smoke from the tank I had been forced against, my head hung over a little bit, I could feel blood seeping slowly down my forehead. With a strained effort, I lifted my head a little bit, my eye twitching a little as I did so. Without moving, I could feel that something inside me was broken, some bone – but I didn't have time to think about which one. All I knew was that it was in my abdomen somewhere. Blinking the blood out of my eye lids, I tried to see the general as much as I could. I couldn't do much, my arms were limp by my sides, palm up. His slowly growing snickers sent a shiver up my spine.

"You're pathetic. After all your training, you don't even deserve death." I heard him hiss. I gritted my teeth together, wanting to spit out something clever in reply, but the moment I clenched my fists on the ground next to me, I caught the sight of the silver Masamune swinging in an upward direction. I only wished I could have stopped it before I felt something heavy hit my head – I expect it was some metal part of the tank I was pressed against – and my eyes closed. After that point, I don't remember hearing anything for a while. The last sounds I heard were the evil cackles and heavy foot steps away from me. I wanted to get up and stop him from getting to Jenova. I couldn't hear anything for at least fifteen minutes, because when I finally came back around, I could hear the slashing of swords again, and my eyes were still drooped. However, I craned my neck as much as I could, my body still felt so weak and useless. But when my eyes finally opened and I could see a SOLIDER standing with my buster blade against Sephiroth's masamune Blood had covered my whole forehead, and by this point, I was trying my best to move and regain my body, but I couldn't. I groaned, shifting my position so I was sitting up, and my whole body was sitting straight up. It hurt me so, but I had to see who was fighting the general. I closed my eyes tightly, inhaling a deep breath to try and escape the pain my abdomen was causing me. I must have missed something, because when I re-opened my eyes, the helmet of the SOLIDER was off and spiky headed man I'd come to love was standing with my buster blade at his side. His expression was so upset, scared… I wanted to get up and help him. Trying to push myself up, I smothered a shout with one of my leather-covered hands. My legs were too weak for me to stand up. My, possibly, broken ribs seared pain up and down my spine and to my brain.

"Look who's awake to watch you suffer." I heard Sephiroth sneer, my eyes glared more than daggers and hate at him. He swiftly assumed a position behind Cloud, the masamune at the blonde's neck. My friend's eyes were wide with terror, and Sephiroth was smirking like the psychotic, homicidal, man he was.

"Let… him … go now… Sep…hiroth." I tried to threaten him, but the panting in between my words caused my words to become hoarse. He snickered again and shook his platinum head.

"No, I don't think I will. I want you to watch, suffer while he does." He cooed out to me, Sephiroth was just toying with my mind again. He wouldn't really kill Cloud, I tried to continually remind myself. But something struck in me. Something told me that he would, but I wanted to believe he still had heart enough not to. I tried to shake my head, trying to tell him not to do it. All I could see for a response was the dark glare he held, with the smirk forming on his lips symbolizing his hate.

"S…Seph…" I tried to plead, but my voice cracked horribly. How could I convince him with a voice that lacked confidence to barter?

"Say good bye." The General spoke to me, his sadistic tone dripped off the three words with the heavy implication he was really going to slit the man's neck.

When I looked at Cloud, wondering why he hadn't fought back yet, I took note of the fact he was nearly crying. He looked as though he was going to cry, the buster blade was dropped by his side, and Cloud looked as though he had no more strength to even try to fight. In fact, I think he was crying over me. But I couldn't tell, at that point.

Then, the shining of crimson liquid dripped down the pale neck and across the silver blade, my eyes went from Cloud's teary eyes to the current actions of Sephiroth.

"No…" I muttered to myself, forcing my legs to support me as I stood up. "… no…" I murmured again, pressing my elbow against the metallic, bent, and distorted tank that seemed to have stopped spraying large amounts of smoke after a while. I hissed in pain, but continued to slowly rise. "No… No!" I shouted, furrowing my brows and sending a fierce glare at Sephiroth.

"Z…Zack…" Cloud choked. My expression instantly turned into an emotion of severe worry when I heard my name being choked out in such a fashion.

"Cloud." I whispered in to the air. I knew it wasn't loud enough for him to hear, but I had to say it.

Sephiroth ran the rest of his sword across Cloud's pale skinned neck and moved away, toward the large tank containing Jenova, though his gaze remained on me, as if waiting to see what I would do. My blonde companion collapsed. My eyes were instantly dilated, for I stopped paying attention to the platinum haired general. Cloud was on his back, but his knees were folded under him, and his arms were in distorted positions on either side of his body. "No!" I yelled once again, my voice cracking as I did so.

The evil cackle of a successful Sephiroth entered my ears but I didn't care. Cloud was dying. I needed to get him to safety… I needed to save his life.

I took a walk around the world to
Ease my troubled mind
I left my body laying somewhere
In the sands of time

I tried to take a few steps toward Cloud, and I limped a full step before I fell flat on my face, moving my left arm out in front of my face to brace me for the fall. But I wasn't going to give up. The impact of my abdomen and the ground sent a severe pain through my body, the intense pain causing me to yelp out in pain. But that didn't stop me. With an angry face full of determination, I pulled myself forward, practically crawling. "Cloud, don't leave. I'm coming for you," I said with a sense of hope in my tone. Cloud wouldn't die on me! He wouldn't give up his life!

It took a moment, but I breathed out heavily, and pulled myself onto my knees as I reached his side. "Cloud! Cloud!" I shouted to him, placing a strong hand on his chest. "Don't leave me here, alone!" I pleaded angrily. "I need you!"

"Z…ack." I heard him choke. At the sound of his voice, I grabbed the fabric of his SOLIDER shirt, tugging at it. For the first time in a long while, my eyes were brimmed with tears.

"Don't talk." I whispered, my tone going gruff again. "You'll damage yourself …"

"Zack… I…" He wanted to keep speaking, I know he did, but I couldn't let him strain himself any further.

"Shush." I quietly commanded, smiling a bit and choking back a few tears.

I watched the world float to the dark
Side of the moon
I feel there is nothing I can do, yeah

"I owe you…"

"You owe me? For what?" I laughed, trying to keep the situation light, no matter how many tears built up behind my eyelids.

"For…" His body jerked upward, and his eyes began rolling toward the back of his head.

"Cloud! Stay with me!" I watched him, his eyes seeming to come back into focus, but not greatly, and I began to wipe the blood off of his lips. His mouth was letting blood escape, especially every time he coughed. I gripped the hand closest to me with my own right hand. "Don't abandon me!"

"Tha…k yo…u." He coughed, spitting blood directly up into my face. I didn't mind, I just blinked it away as I did with the blood that was starting to dry up from my own head wound. I watched the blonde, pulling up the hand I was holding, putting it next to my cheek like he use to do by himself. The weak fingers uncurled themselves from my grasp and touched my cheek through the leather gloves he wore. "I…"

"I love you, Cloud…" I whispered into his hand, pulling it to my mouth as I kissed it softly. When my upset eyes averted from the stitching in his gloves to his eyes, I couldn't help but smile when I saw his thin, soft, stained lips forming a smile. The first genuine smile I'd seen on him, aside from the ones I saw when I was assured we were alone.

I watched the world float to the
Dark side of the moon
After all I knew it had to be something
To do with you

I really don't mind what happens now and then
As long as you'll be my friend at the end

When he closed his eyes slowly, I shook his body, trying to get him to respond somehow. "Cloud… Cloud, please…" My voice was an optimistic kind of sad, trying to just think Cloud needed to close his eyes. That was all he needed, right? He wasn't going to die! He was a SOLIDER. SOLIDERs didn't quit. I moved my hand from his shirt, touching his bloody chin softly. When I removed my hand from his chin and put it back on his chest, the smile disappeared. His chest rose up in a brutal convulsion, and his back arched up, before dropping violently to the ground. The hand I was holding tightened on my own, and I gripped back as equally strong. "Don't let go, Cloud…" I whispered, staring at the body suffering through lack of oxygen to the brain. And gradually, the pressure on my gloved hand was released. When the muscled arm connected to the hand I was holding turned limp, the smile on my face slowly died to a frown. Inhaling once, I tried to choke back the tears for just one more minute.

If I go crazy then will you still
Call me 'Superman?'
If I'm alive and well, will you be
There holding my hand?
I'll keep you by my side with
My superhuman might
Kryptonite

A single tear broke through my tough barrier. I slowly let go of his hand, and stared at the motionless body. His chest didn't even rise to try and take a breath. I put my hand on the blonde's throat, to try and hide the long wound. Upon touching it, I found it to be rather deep, and my hand retracted immediately. Staring at it with watering eyes, I was amazed Cloud had survived as long as he had. I shook my head, from side to side. "You're not gone, you're not gone…" I told myself, multiple times over. I curled my hand into a fist, slamming it on the ground, jerking my head up to look at the ceiling. "DAMN IT!" I shouted, unable to stop myself. After that, the tears streamed steadily down my cheeks. "Cloud… Cloud Strife…" I said quietly, shifting my completely astounded gaze to the stationary body in front of me. "I absolutely… no doubts… love you." I threw my aching head onto his chest, both of my hands following after me, and gripping his shirt. "I love you, you hear me! I love you!" I cried, my voice filled with the sadness of ten thousand men. The salty tears exiting my eyes fell and seeped into his shirt. Through the entire area around me, all I could hear was my own sobs and pleas. I wanted, no, I needed Cloud to be alive. I needed him. He was my lifeline and my confidant. Not only was I in love with him, I was in need of his friendship. My blood stained glove… I stared at it, touching my own face with it and leaving a print of blood on the cleanest patch of skin I had. I was a bloody mess, as was Cloud. The crimson blood leaking all over his body, and even spread out around him after he was … gone. The entire area was a mesh of his blood, dirt, and metallic rubble. My face was a dripping bloody machine. I leaned forward in a pained motion, and swiftly stole a kiss from the immobile Cloud.

You called me strong, you called me weak
But still your secrets I will keep
You took for granted all the times I
Never let you down
You stumbled in and bumped your head, if
Not for me then you would be dead
I picked you up and put you back
On solid ground

I winced as I tried to adjust myself into a proper position, trying to stay with Cloud, wanting to be with him. I couldn't let him go so easily. The ShinRa fools would be there soon, finally figuring out what happened, and Cloud would be hauled away and I would be locked away for good. What was the point? I needed to stay positive, but it was so hard to do when I just saw the person I loved more than anyone die, right before my eyes. I was Zack Fair, he was Cloud Strife … we needed each other. With the unfair injustice coming to an end, I pushed myself off my lover's body. "I'm so sorry, Cloud. I couldn't protect you… I should be the one …" I murmured, wiping my eyes trying to clear my vision of all tears. With an entirely strained effort, I stood up once more, withstanding the pain my legs coursed through the rest of my body. Clenching my fists again, I turned around. Sephiroth and Jenova's head were gone. "Sephiroth!" I shouted, as if challenging the man once again. "Get back here! You can't leave like this!" My attempts to get the ex-general back were soon discovered futile as all my strength was exerted in my shouting. I fell to one knee, then the other, and before I knew it, I was laying stomach first on some of the rubble left behind from the fighting. "Cloud… Cloud… My Cloud…" I muttered to myself time and time again. "Gone… gone, gone, gone…" My mind was officially malfunctioning, and I kept drifting in and out of consciousness. "Take me, take me, no don't, yes do…" The break down continued. "No, I don't want to go. I want to live for you." Bit by bit, my eyes closed and my mind spoke outrageous things to me. "I love you, I love you, I hate you, I love you. I miss you, come back. Cloud, Cloud, Cloud…. I need you. Come home now." The last thing I recall, is the charging of feet, and the heavy foot steps of the SOLIDERs originally hunting Cloud and myself. I would have put up no fight, even if I could. This was the end to my story. And my life.

If I go crazy then will you still
Call me Superman
If I'm alive and well will you be
There holding my hand
I'll keep you by my side with my
Superhuman might
Kryptonite