Cloud was vaguely aware of the motorcycle stopping.

Even though his vision was out of focus and the colors distorted, Cloud was able to make out Zack jumping off of the bike and walking over to him.

He felt Zack put his arms around him and lift him up over his shoulder.

" How are you doing Cloud? " He heard Zack whisper.

" Uhh…." Cloud moaned, his tongue feeling thick and heavy, not allowing him to form the words he wanted so badly to say.

" Still the same huh? " Zack asked.

Cloud felt Zack set him down on something…. a chair perhaps? Cloud couldn't tell, it was difficult to do or understand anything anymore.

" You go find Genesis, I'll wait here and watch Cloud. " He heard someone else say.

" Alright. Cloud, you wait here, okay? Lazard here will look after you. I'll be back in a bit, don't you worry. " Zack ruffled up Cloud's hair with a grin.

Cloud wanted to stop Zack from going, not wanting his friend to live him here all alone with someone he didn't even know but his body refused to obey him.

" Z…Zack…" He whispered somehow.

Zack's eyes widened and he knelt, franticly, beside Cloud, putting his hands on his young friend's shoulders.

" Cloud? You in there buddy? "

" Ugh…." Cloud moaned, hearing Jenova's voice inside his head again. " Make it stop…. please…Zack. "

" Make what stop, Cloud? "

But Cloud had already slipped into unconsciousness.

….

When Cloud woke from his tormented half sleep, he saw that Zack had returned with Genesis.

It had been a long time since Cloud had last seen the red-haired Ex-SOLDIER, back in his former glory walking around with his two best friends and the ever present book, LOVELESS.

Now Genesis looked just how Cloud felt, horrible beyond belief.

Somehow, he had made his degradation stop but he had several cuts. Dark bags drooped under his eyes.

His eyes moved violently under his eyelids. A bad nightmare of some sort, Cloud supposed.

Wait…he was thinking clearly, he could see better than before!

Did that mean…the Mako poisoning, Zack had told him he had, was finally going away?

He still heard her voice in his head, calling to him, whispering his name, telling him her thirst for power.

Cloud tried to call out to Zack, who was a few feet away picking apples of a Banora White, to tell him how sorry he was for not being able to be any help.

Speaking was still beyond his strength.

He wanted to sob.

This was all Zack's fault for asking him to come along with him, telling him that it would do him good to go back to Nibelhiem and see all his friends and family!

No…this wasn't Zack's fault, why had he even begun to blame his best friend for something he had no control over whatsoever?

It was all Hojo and Hollander's fault. They are the ones that started experimenting on living beings.

It was Hollander's fault for experimenting on Genesis, who later learned of his past and told his two best friends that they too, were monsters. That resulting into Sephiroth going insane and trying to destroy the world. Yippee. Isn't that just spiffy, in every tale there is almost always someone trying to take over the world! Can't they just get over the world domination thing and get a grip?

He watched Zack pluck one last apple of a branch and walk over to them, a goofy grin on his face.

Zack took Cloud's hand and placed an apple in his palm, ruffling up his hair again.

Zack knew that Cloud had hated that, but it was so tempting to touch the soft, blonde, spiky hair and he hoped that it would get a reaction out of his comatose friend.

He closed Cloud's limp hand around the purple apple.

" Here you go, Spiky. " He smiled softly.

His only response was a tortured groan.

" You're welcome. " Zack grinned taking the groan as a thank you. He gently patted his friend's hand before going over and giving an apple to Genesis as well.

He stared at the apple in his hand, taking in the marvelous color and shine along with it's perfect shape. The apple itself was perfect in every way, a little like…Tifa.

If Zack had thought to look over at Cloud he would have seen the corners of his young companion's mouth twitch almost into a smile.

Already feeling exhausted, Cloud began to doze off again, not hearing the small conversation between Zack and Genesis, only knowing that they were speaking to one another by seeing their lips move.

He tried to move his head to get into a more comfortable position but the pain that flared up behind his eyes and traveled through his body like electricity made him freeze.

Okay, he seriously needed to get control over his body again, sitting hunched over like this, unable to move his neck was really starting to be a pain – literally. He felt like he had slept on it wrong, only this was much worse because it didn't go away.

The same went with the headache too.

He stared at the ground wistfully, wishing that he had enough control over his body to at least be able to fall onto the lush green grass and sleep rather than sleep sitting up in this chair. Sleeping in a chair was very uncomfortable for Cloud.

Though he knew that if he would be able to fall to the ground and attempt to sleep, Zack would, worried about his friend, put him back up in the seat.

He could already see the small frown of concern on Zack's face if he did so.

Cloud was glad to have such a good friend.

He winced as Jenova's irritating voice called to him again.

He truly had never felt so bad in his life.

He hardly noticed when Zack began to walk over to him with a sigh, picked him up and slung him over his shoulders as if he weighed no more than a feather.

Cloud hung onto the purple apple with trembling fingers, already worn out at the effort it took to hold on to the apple that his best friend had given him.

He was going to keep the apple for as long as he could and, once he got better, split it with Zack, Just thinking about the sweet taste made his stomach growl, earning a laugh from Zack.

" Are you hungry Cloud? Well that's a stupid question, one why would your stomach be growling? And two, you haven't eaten in days so there's no doubt you'd be hungry. Sorry pal, I don't know what all I could do for ya'…. " Zack's voice trailed off sadly.

Zack didn't know how much Cloud appreciated his friend's efforts at trying to speak to him. Even though he couldn't answer, he was glad Zack cared enough to say that he was there.

Thank you so much, Zack, for everything. Cloud wanted to say to his friend and did, though not physically. Zack knew, somehow, that Cloud was thankful.