"Lightning..." Zack whispered. "don't do this, please. I love you. Please don't leave." Zack pleaded. He didn't want Lightning to go, he NEEDED her in his life. She was his everything, his light, his world, his soul mate. Although they were both "to young" he didn't care. He loved her and he knew it for a fact.

She continued to pack up her things, and completely ignored his pleas. When he reached for her hand, tears streaming down his face, she pulled away. "I have to go. There's nothing I can do, I can't change the way I feel." she said, bold and harsh. "I guess we just weren't meant to be."

He knew that this was it. She had made up her mind and she didn't love him, or rather she 'wasn't in love with him.' That's the line that hurt the worst. They were about to celebrate their sixth month anniversary together, when suddenly everything changed. She changed, and now she was walking out. Out of the door, out of his life. Forever. "Don't go.." he tried. With one final attempt. "I love you.. please don't do this." He couldn't see through his tear filled eyes, but he heard. He heard her say "I'm so sorry, Zack." and then the door slam shut.

It was to late. She was gone. All he had left were the shattered memories of their perfect love. Apparently perfect wasn't good enough.

As soon as Lightning walked out of the door she hurt. She knew she just destroyed the most importatn person in her life, and she knew he wouldn't forgive her. Not completely anyway. He was such an imperfect angel, and she just broke him down. Took his heart and threw it at a brick wall. And why? Because she was to scared of what they had become so fast. She was so afraid of getting hurt, that she thought she had to be the one doing the hurting. 'I beat him to the punch. He won't be able to hurt me now.' she thought to herself. So, she broke his heart before he could break hers.

That was right, wasn't it? "I don't know what's right anymore." she said aloud.

And so, life went on. Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. Lightning moved on. Or so she thought.

Zack wasn't so lucky. He developed a habit of taking the most dangerous missions he could find, anything to take away the pain he felt inside. He'd rather be hurt physically than emotionally, but he knew the pain would always be there. Without Lightning he was nothing.

She made his dark life bright, she helped him forget all the tragedy of being in SOLDIER. When she left it all came back, and now there was more. This was the second time he'd lost his best friend, only this time it was by choice, not by death. He didn't give himself time to think, because she was all he could think about.

Until one day when everything would change...

Zack hadn't slept in 3 days and he was on the worst mission yet. He had to go deal with enemy forcest outside the city.

When he got there he saw that the rest of SOLDIER had already taken care of it, and without anything else to do, he decided to wander.

After an hour of walking around he spotted something that changed his life forever.

He was walking by what looked like an old abandoned warehouse, when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. The door of the warehouse was open and , Lightning's favorite weapon, Lionheart, was wedged in between the door and the wall. Knowing that Lightning wouldn't have left it like that, he automatically got suspicious. He decided to take a look inside, fearing the worst.

When he took a step inside he heard Lightning scream. Sprinting, he ran to find the source of the scream. As he stepped into a room, he saw her there. Bloodied and beaten. Over her, her attacker stood, with a knife held to her throat.

Immediately Zack unsheathed his sword and prepared to kill the man who threatened the woman he loved. Even after she shattered his heart, he would give everything he had, just to see her breathing. So, with one swift move he knocked the knife out of the attackers hand and steadied himself to fight. The man grabbed his knife and swung at Zack. He dodged it and took a swing at the man. Just like Zack, he dodged the blade and in one movement, the fight was over.

Zack felt the blade rip through his shirt and plunge deep into his chest. Cold blood swirled down as he fell to the ground. He heard Lightning gasp and then everything was dark, although he could still here. "Next time, it will be you, instead of your little boyfriend." the attacker said, then left in a hurry. He heard Lightning talking, but couldn't make out what she said, but heard a phone close.

"Zack..." Lightning said. "Please don't do this. Please don't leave me. I love you. I've loved you this whole time. I was afraid of getting hurt. I never thought I was good enough for you and I was thankful for every day I had with you. You're my one. I don't care if we're to young.. I don't care if the odds are against us. I want to defy the odds. I want to be together forever." she sobbed, and grabbed Zack's hand. Her hand, the feeling, warmed him. "Help is on the way, please.. just don't leave."

Then everything was dark.