First of all, here's my confession-I have never played any single Final Fantasy game, never watched the film of Advent's Children or otherwise had any exposure to the whole media, except for watching a walkthrough of Crisis Core after watching a fanvid for it and thinking I liked the look of Cloud, and should check it out. So you are warned-I am writing this because I liked the walkthrough, though I doubt I'll ever start playing the game, and because I thought of a story connected, and because when I looked up other fanfiction for Final Fantasy VII there was not enough of this kind of story. So I hope it works!

I saw Zack basically carrying Cloud for miles and miles and miles in Crisis Core, and it seemed like such an amazingly heroic and noble and powerful thing I had to write something based on it. As before, you are warned that I know very little about any of this-this is based on my impressions only. A short oneshot based on that incredible act of friendship. NO SLASH.

Brothers

The road stretched ahead, further than Zack could see, as if it went on forever. He could not allow himself to think of the future in any case-maybe a road that never ended was all his destiny was ever going to hold in store for him. Maybe it was fitting that it should be so. Night was falling fast, casting long shadows across the road, so that Zack walked through a striped field of black and white, vanishing and reappearing, while the stars mocked him from so far away. He had long since passed the limits of his own strength, long ago left exhaustion behind. He did not know how long he had been walking these past days, since escaping that cursed mansion with Cloud, he only knew that it had been so long he had forgotten beginning.

Against him, Cloud was almost dead weight, barely able to move his own feet. Zack's arm around his shoulders was all that was keeping him upright at all-his eyes were closed under the strands of white-blond hair falling into them and he seemed to be unconscious. Every breath was shallow and laboured, and his face was paler than ever, and streaked with sweat. Mako addiction-how was it possible? It was just the worst of bad luck, and Zack was really getting sick of that. Often the boy stumbled and nearly went down, desperately weak and, Zack was terrified, maybe dying.

But he could not die. Sephiroth and Angeal were both gone, both lost, and Aerith was far away. Cloud was all that Zack had left to fight for, to live for. He needed the failing young infantryman as much as Cloud needed him, and if Zack let him die a whole world would end.

"You get that, Cloud?" he whispered as they stumbled on. "I'm getting you out of this. You're gonna be okay. You're gonna make it. I promise." Cloud shivered in response, and his eyelids flickered-it was the most encouraging sign of life Zack had seen since they had left the manor, days ago. "You hear me? We're gonna survive. Both of us."

Cloud made a sort of quiet whimpering noise, and his head bobbed as if he was trying to answer. Zack did not hesitate, dragging the boy to the side of the road and easing him gently down behind a large boulder, out of sight. Cloud's head lolled forwards, his body curling in on itself. "Hey, hey. Take it easy. Can you hear me, Cloud?" Zack was kneeling beside his friend, gripping his shoulders, peering intently into his face. He reached out to brush back the spiky blond bangs, and was exhilarated when the gesture elicited a response. Cloud's eyes half-opened, revealing dazed half-moons of clearest blue, and he looked up at Zack with something that was almost recognition.

"Cloud? C'mon, that's it, you can do it. You're gonna be okay, you hear? I'm here with you."

"Za...uh…Zack?" The youth's voice was a mere whisper, broken and hoarse, but it was a voice, a sign of life. Zack felt a kind of incongruous wild joy well up within him.

"Yeah, it's me, Cloud. I'm here."

"Where…where're…" His face was grey with the effort of speaking and Zack was terrified that he would simply lapse into catatonia again-at all costs he must keep his young friend awake.

"We're out of Nibelheim. We're on the road to Golgaga. My hometown, remember? How're you feeling?"

"D'know," Cloud mumbled. "Dizzy…what…what happened…me?" He managed to lift a hand towards Zack's face and the older man caught it, never taking his eyes from the white, exhausted face.

"Mako addiction I think. Don't you remember? They caught us, tried to…I don't know. We were test subjects, I think. But we're outa there now. You thirsty?" He had picked up a gourd of water from one of the soldiers he had killed back at Nibelheim, and now, as Cloud's head dipped slightly in assent, he pulled it from his belt and pulled off the cap with his teeth, then cupped the back of Cloud's head in one hand, with the other holding the gourd carefully to the boy's cracked lips, tilting it up gently. Cloud made a noise of surprise when the cold liquid came into contact with his mouth, but he drank deeply, desperately. Zack smiled faintly, then pulled the gourd away-Cloud stared up at him with an expression of dazed betrayal.

"I'm sorry, but if you drink too much you'll get sick. You've been out of it for days."

"Zack…" Cloud whispered. "Gonna die…"

Zack set the gourd down and drew closer to his exhausted friend, letting him rest his drooping head on his shoulder, an arm around his back to keep him from falling. "No," he said fiercely. "No, Cloud. I'm gonna make sure you survive." Cloud's eyes were drifting closed again and Zack shook him gently. "Hey. Stay with me, okay?"

"Wanna sleep…" His head slumped against Zack's shoulder, the spiky blond hair falling into his face again. "Don't…don't wanna die, Zack…"

"You feel that bad, huh?" Zack muttered darkly. "Well, I know you feel like hell. Cloud. Stay awake. Listen. But it'll pass. I promise you it'll pass. You're not going to die, you hear me?" The boy was sinking back into unconsciousness again and there was nothing Zack could do-he had no idea how to help Cloud, no idea how long he was likely to survive this. No matter what his bravado, he was terrified for his friend's life himself. "Cloud, please. Work with me here."

"Zack," Cloud mumbled. "You…you should go…leave me…you…can't die…"

"I'm not going anywhere," Zack returned sharply, pulling the kid's skinny body closer. "And neither of us are going to die." He sucked in a sudden deep breath, feeling momentarily desperate. "Dammit, Cloud, you're gonna be fine, you hear me? You…you're my brother. You're like my little brother, Cloud, you hear? And there's no way in hell I'll let you go. Whatever it takes." He spoke the truth-somehow his feelings towards Cloud had changed-from comrade-in-arms, to fellow prisoner, to Sephiroth's killer…to brother. Out here in the wilds, alone and feeling so broken inside from all that had happened, this shattered, desperately sick infantryman who had somehow become as important as a younger brother, was all Zack had left to believe in. Irrationally, he felt that so long as Cloud survived there might just be a life for them to salvage.

"Cloud. Hey, Cloud-" But there was no response. The boy had gone limp against him, succumbing to unconsciousness once more, and when Zack shook him he did not stir. Zack stared down at him, hopeless. He had been hopeful, just briefly, that Cloud might make it. His being awake and at least partially coherent had boosted his optimism immensely…and now, so suddenly nothing once more. His newly claimed brother, falling away again.

"No," he said suddenly, raising his head into the darkness. "No. You can't give up now, Cloud. You can't." He had woken once-all was not yet lost. Somewhere deep down, Cloud was still fighting. Zack still had something left to fight for.

"Just keep fighting, Spiky," he muttered, hugging the kid close to try and warm his icy though motionless body. "Keep fighting, little brother."

…

Zack was woken by the first rays of dawn sunlight that smashed apart his dreamworld. Blinking, stiff and aching, he looked up into the sky-he was still seated against the rock, holding a still-catatonic Cloud tight against his side. He winced, stretched his arms, then eased Cloud to the side and stood up. The road was as empty as ever, barren and yawning in the weak sunlight; Zack looked ahead and he felt a tremor of uncertainty run through him, felt a whisper of weakness. How could he hope to accomplish what he had set himself to do? It was so far, and Cloud was so weak, and he felt so alone. How could he-

He glanced back at Cloud, then bent down and pulled the boy's arm over his shoulder, rising carefully and dragging him to his feet. Cloud slumped against him, barely able to stand, but Zack refused to let him fall. "Hold on, Cloud," he told him as he began to walk, pulling his friend with him. "Hold on. I'm going to make sure you live, no matter what."

He fixed his eyes on the far-off horizon and allowed a grim smile to curl his lips. He had a new battle to fight, and he did not intend to lose. Cloud depended on him. Cloud, his brother.

Zack vowed that he would not fail. He would save his friend, whatever the cost. In that moment that was all that mattered.

I just thought that they did seem a lot like brothers at times, and was so moved by what Zack did for Cloud I had to explore it a bit. I can write other Cloud and Zack stories if anyone wants, though bear in mind that they will probably be very AU. I just like them.

Please review, I really appreciate even negative comments, and in this case of course I have almost no background knowledge so feel free to point out anything I messed up. But I'd really love to know what you think!