"You're going to get yourself killed."
"Me? No way. I'm too good-looking."
"I'm not going to allow your to throw your life away like this, you know that right?"
"It's not your decision!"
"I'm not giving you a choice."
A Turk and a SOLDIER. No surprise they'd be arguing. But this argument was about something serious. Cloud, comatose with Mako poisoning, sat a few feet away while Zack, his friend and mentor, stood in front of him arguing with the red-headed Turk named Cissnei. It was in the dry desert that Cissnei had tracked down Zack before he ran out to face an army alone.
"I'll be fine!"
"No you won't!...No, you won't."
"I've gotta do this for Cloud."
"Is it really worth it if you lose your life?"
"Yes! I'm going to protect him!"
"Why does this matter to you so much?"
"Because someone once told me to hold on to my honor. And if I turn away from this battle and go back with you, I'm leaving my honor behind."
Cissnei shifted her weight and crossed her arms uncertainly. She stayed silent for a few moments, contemplating her options. Finally, she said, "Is this really what you're going to do?"
"Nothing you can do to stop me."
"Promise me you won't get yourself killed?"
"Please. Who do you think-"
"Promise me."
"...I promise."
Cissnei gazed at Zack thoughtfully. After a moment of doubt, she grabbed him by the front of his armor and kissed him deeply. Even through his armor, she could feel his heart beating rapidly with her own. His confusion lasted all but a moment before he kissed her back and placed a gentle hand on the back of her neck. There they stood for one perfect moment, before Cissnei leaned away. She stepped away and adopted that distant facade she used to hide her pain. "Better not kill yourself."
Flushed, Zack stared at her with a dumbfounded expression. "I'm gonna make it out, Cissnei. And when I do-" He grinned at her with his irresistible puppy-dog charm. "-I'll be back to follow up on that kiss."
Three days, four hours, and thirty-two minutes later Cissnei stood on a barren cliff stained with blood. Some Turks had removed HIS body before she'd gotten there, thankfully. Cissnei stared at a pale and dry indentation in the ground where he must have lay as he died. Tears did not come to her. Sadness didn't touch her body. She'd broken off from the world. She simply stared at the ground where he spent his final waking moments.
"You promised."
You lied.