Disclaimer: I don't own. I don't sell. I don't do court. ;)

A/N: This is the only angst-ish chapter...i dont do angst very well...the rest is happy.

:UNLIKELY MIRACLE:

:LOST SOULS:

"There he is!"

"Get'em!"

Cloud whipped around and his eyes widened. He knew those voices. They belonged to his best friends or boyfriends or whatever you wanted to call them. He loved them more than anything else...except when they sounded like that.

When they sounded like that it usually meant, no wait, always, it always meant that he should run. And run he did. He turned and ran, not even waiting for them to explain themselves. He ran straight out of the village and into the meadow behind the granary.

The chase didn't last long, it never did. Cloud was small and agile but Zack and Squall had much longer legs. They tackled him to the ground and pinned him.

"Where were you yesterday?" huffed Squall.

"My mum needed help birthing one of the cows," Cloud replied pleadingly. It was the truth but Cloud suspected that it wouldn't matter to them.

"You expect us to believe that?" asked Zack poking his side.

Cloud yelped and swatted at his hand, "I-It's the truth! I swear! You can ask my mum and you can see the newborn. In fact why don't we go now? The new born needs a name and you guys can help me name her? How 'bout it guys?"

"Excuses, excuses, you know we hate that don't you?" Squall smirked and poked Cloud's other side.

Cloud yelped again and tried to squirm away without any luck, "NO! They're not excuses! I swear- eep!"

Cloud's not-so-best friends tickled him mercilessly while telling him how disappointed they were. How they waited 'til sunset for him by the lake. How their entire week of planning had been foiled because a certain little blonde decided not to show up or send word that he couldn't make it and how that certain little blonde ought to be taught a lesson.

When they finally let him up Cloud was gasping for breath. "It's not fair," he pouted, "You always do that me. And I really was busy! I don't tell cows when to go into labor!"

Squall and Zack laughed and kissed his cheeks. Cloud blushed and mumbled, "It's still not fair." Cloud crossed his arms, turned and headed back towards the village. The boys followed putting an arm around his shoulders.

"You know that's not entirely true," Zack grinned slyly, "Squally here's ticklish too."

"Hey you said you wouldn't tell!" cried Squall.

"I crossed my fingers!"

"Zack!"

They argued playfully all the way back to the village. Even though they were in a time of war the three boys always found time for fun and laughs. Times were hard for every one. Zack had lost both his parents in the war. Cloud's father was fighting in the war as well. Squall's father had lost an arm. There was no one in the village that was left untouched by the war. But for Zack, Squall and Cloud having each other was all that mattered.

"So I'll meet you guys by the shop for lun-"

"Hey what's that?" cried Squall cutting Cloud off. They turned to look at what Squall was pointing at. A large fighter plane was flying past overhead.

"Look there's more!"

"Wait something's falling out of them!"

"THEY'RE THE WAR PLANES! RUN! RUN!!"

KABOOM!

"It's an attack! Head for cover!" cried Zack. He grabbed Cloud's and Squall hands and ran. "Whatever happens, don't get separated!"

A bomb blasted the house next to them and sent the boys flying. Squall and Cloud got up slowly. Cloud was holding his side, while Squall tried to wipe the blood flowing from his face.

"Where's Zack!?" cried Cloud frantically.

"There!" Leon pointed. They wove around the other villagers towards the burning building. "Zack!"

Zack didn't move. He didn't get up. Cloud shook him. "Zack! Zack get up!"

Squall looked horrified, "C-Cloud, he's not breathing. Zack's not breathing!"

"WHAT!? NO!! ZACK GET UP!!" Cloud cried.

"Cloud!" "Squall!"

The boys turned turned.

"Mum!?" "Pa!"

Cloud's mother and Squall's father ran up to their sons and picked them up and ran.

"NO! Wait! What about Zack? We can't leave him! Mum we can't!" cried Cloud trying to struggle out of his mother's arms.

"Pa! I'm not leaving him!" argued Squall pulling away from his father.

"We can't do anything for him anymore. He's better off now." Squall's father replied picking up his son. More bombs fell. And the building where Zack lay exploded.

"ZACK!" the boys screamed. The parents split up and began going in different directions.

"Hey! No! Pa! Where are you going? Go that way! No! Cloud!"

"Squall! Mum no! Go the other way!" The boys reached for each other but their parents kept running searching for shelter.

The ally Squall's father had turned into exploded and Squall was thrown against a brick wall. He groaned, "Pa! Pa!? Are you alright!?"

"SQUALL! NO!!" cried Cloud. The ally had just exploded and he couldn't see whether Squall had survived.

Squall looked up. He could still see Cloud being carried away by his mother, screaming his name. He watched in slow motion as a bomb headed fell from the sky right towards Cloud and his mother, "CLOUD!"

When the ally exploded Squall had heard a blood curdling scream. NO! Rocks flew at him and hit his head. His vision blurred and darkened. He had lost them all. At least he knew that he had lost enough blood to be able to join them.

A/N: Do you like it? Should I continue? :) PLEASE REVIEW!! FYI there is more to the story.

Edited. Thank you Tobi-Uchiha :)