As the two sat there in the room, silence weighed heavily on them until the elder man's voice peirced the atmosphere. "I have a new mission..." Bright blue eyes widened in horror, blonde spikes hanging in their view. "What?!" Echoed the younger's voice, a small look of pain written on his face. "Don't look so scared. It'll be okay, Cloud." The wolf-ish man murmured, turning his head to face his beloved Chocobo. "Zack...what about last time? You said the same then...and you nearly met your end..." Murmured the blonde, his voice shrill with fear for his elder lover. "I promise, this time it'll be okay." The look in Zack's eyes told the blonde he wasn't being truthful, the gleam told the truth.
Weeks turned to years since the raven had left for his mission, leaving the blonde to think on everything he'd been told. From behind him, he heard the opening of the door. Knowing it'd be pointless to get up, or even pray it was Zack. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the redheaded Turk Reno and the bald Turk Rude. The taller man's eyes were cast down, giving substance to the depressed man's fears. Reno's voice cracked through the silence, speaking shakily. "He didn't make it..." Was the only thing that was spoken, leaving a heavy feeling in the air. "No..." Murmured the blonde, his mako eyes closing slowly as he felt them sting. "He lied then...promising he'd come back, but I knew he was lying..."
A gray sky hung outside the window, reflected in crying eyes. "I'm sorry...I know you wanted him to come back..." Said the ever quiet Rude, trying to console his now distant friend. Shaking his head, Cloud shut his eyes as he fell to the floor. Watching the Chocobo's body shudder and quiver with sobs, Reno turned his eyes away. "Cloud..." Muttered the redhead, turning and exiting the home with his companion. "You lied to me...you knew you weren't coming back..." The blonde sobbed, starring at the wet floor beneath him. Slamming his fist against the floor, he let out a loud scream of agony. Feeling his heart shatter in his chest, he collapsed to the ground. His eyes remained open, pouring the salty tears he'd held back since Zack had left. "I won't be able to hug you anymore...I won't be able to confide in you anymore...I won't feel safe anymore...and I won't be able to be happy anymore..." As the sky darkened into night, sleep overtook Cloud's sobbing form.
"Lie to me...tell me that it's gonna be alright..." He murmured in his dreams, seeing the figure of the raven standing before him. Mako infused eyes looked at the ground as he saw the figure look away, his grief obvious when he spoke. "You promised you'd come back..." Cloud said, wipping his eyes on his one sleeve. The figure smiled saddly as it reached out, taking the blonde in it's arms. "I know..." It said, Zack's bright eyes glowing in the darkness of the dream. "You lied...you knew you wouldn't be coming back!" Cloud screamed, bursting into a fit of tears once more. Zack watched, his blonde sliding from his arms to the dark ground beneath them. "I can't believe this...I'll never be able to be with you again...I can't wake up and see your smiling face anymore..." The pain held in the blonde's voice was strong, echoing into the silence of the room.
"Please Zack...even if it is a lie...tell me I can stay with you forever..." "I'm sorry...I can't lie to you anymore...You still have a life to live. And you'll live it for both of us. Go on, Chocobo...live your life, don't forget, but don't let it destroy you either...And remember, I still love you." The raven said, kissing the blonde's forehead as he smiled, fading away as the blonde woke from his dream.