Behind a cropping of boulders a gloved hand twitched and a pair of stunning deep blue eyes slowly blinked open. In his slumped position he could only stare blankly down at what he presumed to be his own black clothed lap, wondering vaguely what it was that had woken him. His damaged mind flitted randomly from thought to thought, seemingly not having just one worth focusing on, but in reality being truly unable to force his mind to cooperate.

Everything was jumbled up, he knew his name but he couldn't remember. Memories seemed to leap out at him too fast to really understand them. He felt ill and alone. The urge to find out where he was and if somebody was with him suddenly surfaced in his head. Cloud tried to raise his head to look around and find out where he was but misjudged his strength and gasped in pain as his head smacked against the rocky crop. Lifting his hand to cradle the back of his head with a wince, he realised that despite his unusual strength, his body seemed to be sluggish and heavy as if drugged.

Dismissing it for the moment he cracked one eye open to scan the landscape in front of him, and with a quiet sound of frustration, brought his other hand up to rub unsteadily at his eyes. Everything in front of him was blurry and bright, like he hasn't used his eyes in long time and they had become overly sensitive to the light.

Sighing he once again cracked one eye open, hiding it behind pale fingers for a few seconds before dropping them back to the ground beside him.

Looks like…desert. Why…a desert?

He remembered that not long ago there had been a lot of loud noises, men shouting, guns exploding, and the metallic clanging of metal on metal. He didn't like it and the memory made him want to curl in on himself and return to the silent darkness, but he knew it was important to stay awake.

It was a battle. Why do I know the sounds of battle?

Closing his eyes again, he slumped back against the rocks, his body beginning to tremble. His heart began to speed and adrenaline pumped through the long disused muscles. As much as he disliked the noise it had for some reason been familiar to him. His body was reacting instinctively—albeit belatedly—to the sounds of battle and Cloud knew he had to find out what had happened. Maybe the reason he was sitting here in in the middle of nowhere would be found where the disturbance had originated from.

When those thoughts rose in his mind they brought confusion and he wondered why it was any concern to him. He wasn't the one fighting, was he? Was he hurt? A small crease appeared on his brow. He wanted to reach up and rub his aching head but hands were shaking too badly.

No . . . not hurt, then why. . . .

What was so important?

Who had been fighting?

With an unconscious movement his left hand pushed against the ground, and his right not being quick enough to catch him, sent him tumbling sideways into the dirt. A harsh breath was drawn as he landed bonelessly on the ground and his head smacked against a smooth rock, pain briefly making him dizzy before collecting himself and tilting his head up to look up.

His arms tingled as the numbness began to dissipate and he began to drag himself forward. They didn't hurt at all but they refused to respond to his minds instruction—or maybe it was his mind that wasn't working properly. He struggled stubbornly, succeeding in getting his legs to join in an uneven tandem, and established an odd lurching crawl across the sand and rock.

Cresting the side of the largest boulder, he pulled his arms under him for support and glanced up to where the battle sounds had come from. His eyes reflexively squinted against the wind and rain he was now exposed to outside the shelter of the rocks. As he peered forward they rested on the still form of a man who lay near the edge of the cliff.

Lost in his mind, Cloud responded to the instinctive urges of his body to be close to this person laid out in front of him and began his odd crawl across the stone surface of the cliff. He knew that this person meant comfort and safety, even if he didn't understand why.

Glazed violet eyes looked up to a grey sky, the towering clouds crying heavy tears for the glowing spirit that was gradually dimming. The drumming of the rain against the hard soil drowned out the fragile breaths of the sprawled young man, and beyond him Cloud could see that the edge of the high cliff overlooked the great metal city of Midgar.

Zack Fair, SOLDIER 1st class, betrayed by his own organization—by the same people he had considered comrades and friends, lay dying. A gaping wound in his chest evidence of the failure of his last stand against the army of troops, sent to silence himself and Cloud for good.

I think this time…I really…messed up.

As his blood trickled out onto the barren ground beneath him slowly staining it a deep ruby shade, he took comfort in the thought that he had at least protected Cloud. He hadn't failed, not completely.

When Cloud finally reached the side of the fallen man, he pushed himself to his knees and leaned over him slightly, bringing the man's face into plain view. Curiously he cast a glance down the others body, noting the deep red stain covering his chest alongside numerous other cuts and copious amounts of dirt and blood that was splattered all over him. Though his face remained blank, a feeling akin to panic began to spread through his body and he looked back up to the face and the familiar features that he couldn't yet place.

This man…is dying.

And that thought hurt him so much. It made his heart clench so tight that it hurt to breathe.

Zack's dulling eyes locked on the grey sky above him did not believe that the face suddenly in his line of sight was real. Maybe his subconscious had shown him that which he most wished to see before his sight vanished for good. However, his eyes were different. Clouds eyes had never glowed with the taint of mako before the experimentation by Dr. Hojo, and also, he had never opened his eyes since their escape.

These shone with a green tint around the pupils—a sure sign of mako treatments—so then, that would mean that he was real. Cloud was awake with him! Relief swamped his heart with the confirmation that his final battle had not been in vain.

I need to talk to him!

"Zack?"

Cloud!

"Ugh." The groan seemed to jerk his whole body and the blonde jumped nervously in response to the sudden movement.

Zack winced from the sudden flare of pain that had erupted from uttering that weak sound. When he had been still, he could ignore it with his foggy thoughts, but the movement had brought with it a rending pain that caused his body to feel like it would rip apart. He concentrated on the face above him and fought not to slow his breathing once more, so as to dull the pain.

Staring up at Cloud he tried to smile for the blonde but the pain made it difficult. Emotions were starting to reflect off of Cloud's face as his memories began to surface, kindly reminding him of what this man had meant to him. Zack had been with him for so long protecting and caring for him. Cloud felt his throat becoming thick with emotion.

Zack felt peace as he haltingly began to speak. He wanted to tell Cloud not to be upset, not to worry, everything was going to be fine; but he couldn't lie to him. He wouldn't be here to protect Cloud anymore; the blonde would have to be strong on his own now.

"For the both of us…Cloud."

"Both of us?"

"Yeah. You're gonna…you're gonna—," Zack's breath caught in his throat and he painfully reached up to pull Clouds head to his chest, unconcerned for the moment about the warm blood that spilled freely from the gaping wound the blonde's cheek now rested against.

"Live -" He breathed.

Cloud fought the feeling of panic as he felt the warm blood against his cheek and coating his hair, but the shock of Zack being so cold against his skin overruled the panic and he tried to focus his attention on the words Zack was saying to him. It was hard because his mind wanted to wander but he couldn't let it; this is what was so important to him. The reason he'd had to wake up and move.

"You'll be…my living legacy," Zack ordered, his voice rumbling with emotion.

Cloud lifted his head, the crimson against the blonde of his hair a startling contrast, and Zack's comforting hand fell limply to the ground. Confusion evident on his delicate features as he—still suffering from the poison—attempted to comprehend the words while his mind still rebelled at the fact that Zack was dying.

Zack smiled up at Cloud and reached out unsteadily to his side. He felt for the Buster Swords' hilt, gloved fingers brushing against the rough material of it.

"My honour," he stated quietly as he willed his failing muscles to grasp the hilt. "My dreams," he continued as he carefully lifted the Buster Sword towards the attentive blonde, the blade softly scraping through the dirt.

"I leave to you now," Zack said as he offered the familiar weight of the legendary blade to Cloud. He watched as Cloud hesitated, his arms pausing mid-reach as he fought internally to decide whether to accept the precious gift or not. The hesitation was painful to see and as Cloud finally grasped it with both hands. His beautiful face showed recognition of the significance of this gesture, even if his mind was still fighting with the reality of it.

Zack encouragingly pushed the sword towards him, satisfied that Cloud gripped it tighter instead of letting it fall.

"I'm your—living legacy," Cloud repeated, grasping the sword like an anchor to his chest. Cloud continued to gaze down at Zack's still smiling face, even though his eyes had began dimming the mako glow fading from them as his body began to shut down. Then without another sound his eyes closed to the world outside him.

The shock of watching Zack's last moments seemed to break a dam in Clouds mind, and he gasped heavily in distress as a torrent of memories all involving Zack barged to the forefront of his mind. Unable to halt the flow he screamed in anguish as his heart seemed to twist in his chest and shatter with the death of his cherished friend.

Zack, still hovering in his still body, heard the anguished scream and wished with all his heart he could reach out and comfort Cloud, but he was leaving. His breath halted and his vision already faded to black.

Please don't hurt for me, Cloud.We might not like it, but it's time for you to continue your life on your own. You're awake now. You're strong and kind. You need to survive and grow and you'll do great things.

Remember me with happy memories and embrace your dreams. If you want to be a hero you need to have dreams.

I'll watch over you until we meet again.

The tortured scream ended, leaving Cloud gasping and he looked down at Zack's body once again, the memories settling but his heart still racing. This was wrong in so many ways.

Zack had been a ray of sunshine in so many lives; his warmth and enthusiasm brightened the souls of the countless people that surrounded him. That it was cut so short so brutally, it just—it just wasn't fair!

Those who had done this to Zack, he wanted them to pay—With his mind made up a look of determination settled on his youthful face. They were all going to pay!

"Thank you."

For everything you've sacrificed for me.

"I won't forget." Cloud rose steadily to his feet, the strong blade of the Buster Sword supporting him. Looking upon the figure of his beloved friend for the last time his emotions threatened to spill over, and he closed his eyes to stop the flood of tears he knew would come if he continued to stare at Zack's body.

"Goodnight," Cloud said quietly and turned away, pulling the heavy weight of the Buster to his side. He couldn't look anymore. Being sad was not going to bring him back and it wouldn't punish the people who had done this to them.

"…Zack."

TBC