For those that have read 26 Moments of Zack and Lightning, or at least the chapters Karma and Quarter, especially the latter, this chapter will be familiar.

also, sorry for the slow updating, i've suffering through a major writer's block for a while -_-; still sort of is but its starting to come back to me!

A Dying SOLDIER

Claire kept Odin still as she watched the Shinra army creep by, unwilling to be seen by them. She was sure, that even with her best effort, they were an eye sore if they looked. Odin was nothing more than a large white spec against the auburn sand. If the army looked up, they'd see them both standing still, peering at them curiously. She didn't know if they would do anything if they saw them standing here, watching them pass by. But she really doubted they would do anything. Even from the good few mile distance she was from, Claire could see them limp heavily on the sand, and their grumbling was loud enough that she could hear them groaning blurred words from where she stood.

Even then, she kept her distance. She wanted to stay as far away as possible from Shinra and anything related to it. Five years ago, Shinra's promise for security broke at their greatest mascot's inhumane antics, and destroyed everything she held dear. Even when they rebuilt it, Claire couldn't bring herself to return. There was nothing to return too. Serah was gone. Serah was the only thing she truly had in the village, the only thing she could cling too.

She lost her to Shinra's creation.

She quickly pushed away the memories of fire and debris, refocusing her attention on the soldiers and glancing down the path the soldiers were limping from, seeing a trail they stomped into the ground with their heavy, uneven walk and overloaded trucks that sunk into the earth. There were dark red dots thoughts scattered all over the ground on that trail.

Odin shifted uneasily beneath her as he sensed her intentions. Warningly, he rumbled at her, turning his head and peering down at her with a single green eye. Ignoring him, Claire slipped off the bird, slowly moving towards that trail that they were leaving.

Rumbling warily behind her, Odin slowly followed, glancing up at the soldiers as he followed her. Claire walked towards their trail they left, mindful to be a good distance from them as she drew closer. The soldiers never glanced back at her though; too lost in their own world, too focused on their bleeding wounds; they never thought to look back.

She followed the beaten trail for fifteen minutes and froze when she saw a lone dark shape on the ground seven feet from her, stains of dark liquid laid out around the figure. Odin rumbled warningly behind her, glaring at the figure and shifting uneasily on his feet, and snapping Claire out of her tense daze. Instinctively, she ran over, thoughts on the still human figure and the help she could provide. Seeing someone else die was the last thing she could handle.

It was only when her hands fell on top of the worn, black clothing and seeing the lazy and glazed glwoing blue eyes flicker to her blankly did it suddenly click in her head what she was near, what was dying before her.

Like she had touched fire, Claire drew away with gasp, her hand smeared red with his blood. Wide eyed and shaking, she ran from the body, burying herself right against Odin's ivory feathers. The bird in response rumbled loudly down at the body, shifting slightly as he glared down at the body, Claire shaking against him.

They were gone.

Shinra didn't have them anymore, there shouldn't be anymore of these monsters.

Yet one was here.

Here!

Out in the middle of the nowhere.

Clutching Odin's feathers tightly, Claire darted around the bird and hopped onto his back intent on running off and never looking back. She paused when she saw red on Odin's feathers. Red that came from her heads...

Gripping his feathers tightly, Claire struggled with herself, silently telling herself over and over again that he was dead. He had to be dead. Why did she even care if a monster was alive or not? He was a monster, better to let him dead. To help convince herself, she glanced down, noting the large handful of soldiers from the group that were easily cut down, most if not all cut in half in someway, laying still for the scavengers.

He did that to them. He could do that to her and Odin.

But when she looked back at him, she didn't see the weapon he should have that was used to take out the Shinra army. Unless they took it... Claire blinked when she noticed a trail leading away from the SOLDIER, like someone was dragging away a large weapon. She could almost see a dot on the horizon, heading towards Midgar. She turned back the SOLDIER lying limply on the ground, nudging Odin to slowly walk by the monster as she silently told herself not to look.

But she did look. She looked down, seeing his hollow eyes follow her, blinking weakly.

Odin stopped, his reins pulled back to keep them still. Cursing under her breathe, she hopped off Odin, ignoring the bird as it squawked at her disbelievingly. Ignoring him, she scuttled through her saddlebag and grabbing the light green sphere she always kept close. Returning to the monster's side, she sat down beside him, staring at him as she debated with herself. He stared up at her, blinking his eyes slowly.

She almost drew away when he smiled at her. A warm, kind smile that seemed only a friend would receive. Like this monster he had a friend that he saw before him, not a stranger. Then his eyes fell close, his smile still in place.

After a few stiff moments, Claire's hands flew to his neck, pressing against it to feel a weak pulse drum against her hand, almost nonexistent. Biting her lip, she set the Materia down beside her, and pulled out her survival knife. Taking the blade, she slid up the black uniform, cutting along the seam and splitting the black material and giving Claire a good look at the pale, scarred skin beneath the uniform, along with bloody, dark holes scattered all over.

Grimacing, she gently tugged the torn uniform off, sliding it along his skin and spreading it out to give her better access. Sighing to herself, she took the light green Materia, squeezing it and shivering at the sudden warmth that slithered up her arm and spreading out through her body.

Once the stir inside her settled, Claire focused on the SOLDIER, silently trying to convince herself one last time that this wasn't the right decision to make, that this would end horribly... By the time her thoughts ended, she already set her hand on the middle of his chest, feeling the firm body beneath her palm, quivering slightly at her touch.

Automatically, Claire closed her eyes, her thoughts and worries gone as she pushed and willed the Materia inside the SOLDIER mentally scoping the damage. Finding the only bad wounds were the bullets he still had inside his body. Her eyes opened and she peered down at him, already tired at the idea of what she'd have to do.

Sighing, she set her other hand down on him to help and started to will and push the bullets out of his body. They came slowly, wiggling like hard, short worms to get out of his body, each and every single bullet she found and tugged at added to the mental strain of the healing magic. His body twitched and convulsed under her, moaning in pain as the bullets started to come out; Claire gritted her teeth whenever his body moved, jumbling her connection with metal bits inside him, desperately pressing on him to keep him still.

She took it as a good sign though, despite the turmoil it was putting her through. A good sign that he could be saved.

Once every last single bullet was out of his body, she all but collapsed on him, her head and hands resting against his stomach. Her body shook from the strain as sweat beaded down her face and leaking onto his own sweaty and quivering body. She heard Odin shuffle behind her, chirping quietly as he nudged her.

"I'm fine," she uttered weakly, "just give me a minute. Just a minute."

Cooing, Odin settled down behind her, observing and waiting.

For the past few minutes, Claire breathed deeply, breathing in the heavy smell of blood, sweat, and metal; easily coating over the wasteland around them. When she had her bearings, she rose up, still trembling, but kept her hands glued to the SOLDIER. She willed the Materia to work with her, feeling it pulse beneath her fingers, draining inside his body and sweeping each hole that was bleeding, closing up the wound.

It was all she could do before she fell back, collapsing against Odin, shivering as the magic left her, the Materia dropping to the ground and rolling a few inches away. Panting, she silently thanked the Planet that Odin was a sturdy bird. Warily, she eyed her work, frowning in dissatisfaction.

His wounds were far from healed. She could tell just by looking that they would open with one wrong move. But he wasn't bleeding to death anymore, she congratulated herself on that at least. Slowly, her eyes roamed over his body, taking in the details of his muscles, distantly noting where each future scar will be. She could see how SOLDIERS were so greatly admired, she even remembered how they could be so admired. They were men that risked a lot in their life, taking in a substance into their body that killed off most. For surviving, they got superior powers, powers that put them above other humans, powers that they used to help and protect.

Or so they were supposed too. It seemed that was just a far off dream now. SOLDIERS died out five years ago, as far as she knew, there were no survivors of these "heroes" left.

Or there shouldn't be.

"Why are you out here," she found herself asking, resting her eyes on his face, jumping when she noticed that his half lidded eyes were staring back at her. He blinked at her, her words hollow to his ears. Claire shifted uneasily under his stare, ghosting her hand over his eyes to block the glowing stare.

When she removed her hand, his eyes closed again, sleeping mutely on the sand.

Odin chirped behind her, nuzzling her head lightly with his beak. "I'm fine," she breathed, running her fingers over the bird. "I'm fine."

She didn't know if this man will be. If he stayed still long enough and rested, he'd be fine; but she couldn't just up and leave. He was vulnerable. Shifting against Odin, Claire peeked up, realizing that it was sunset already and she could barely see the army anymore. Claire tugged and pulled the saddle off the bird, unwinding the blanket she had and casting one last look at the SOLDIER.

She could always snuggle up with Odin. He provided enough heat along. She didn't have any plans snuggling up to this man though. "Would you find water?" Claire asked the ivory chocobo, holding up two canteens. Without a sound, Odin took the canteens and trotted off, searching for drinkable water for them all. With Odin off, Claire set to settling the SOLDIER in, sweeping the blanket over. She debated with herself on whether she should bind him up, but he wasn't going to be moving anytime soon. So long as his wounds didn't open up, he should be fine.

Or so she kept telling herself.

Claire sighed to herself, running a hand over her face and massaging it.

What was she doing? Why was she saving him? He was a SOLDIER, he could be just as bad as the hero; he even wore the uniform that as follower of Shinra wore.

This man was bad news. She shouldn't be here, hanging around him. Especially if he woke and was better. It could prove to be quite disastrous. Claire peeked at him between her fingers, running over the possibilities in her mind. It didn't look like he would be waking up anytime soon, and she and Odin could take a day of rest then be gone at dawn the next day.

She didn't know if she really could bring herself to do that.

"I hate you," Claire weakly grumbled. Why did he have to be SOLDIER and look so human at the same time? A helpless human on the verge of death, that she couldn't help but try to revive.

Maybe she did too well a job. She went stiff when she saw those glowing eyes peering at her again, this time, she really knew that he was awake compared to the last few times. He didn't stare blankly at her, not like before where his eyes were dull and empty. Now the blue in his eyes were vivid and bright, a sharp contrast to the golden sunset around them.

Claire half expected them to narrow, to sharpen with a murderous intent. But those eyes just glinted against the light as a small smile rose up on his face. Like he was relieved to see her, happy to have her presence. For a moment, all dark thoughts and opinions she had of this SOLDIER were gone, blinking down at his eased expression.

Then his eyes fell closed though his smile stayed in place, almost as if he was at peace, despite all the pain he must be feeling. Unconsciously, Claire brushed some his stiff dark hair away from his bloodied and sweaty forehead, silently contemplating how could he be content with how he was in his current state. The SOLDIER's head leaning into her touch as her fingers continued to weave out the tangled strands.

When Claire realized what she was doing, shook her head quickly, leaning away and turning her gaze out to the wasteland, searching for her bird as she waited for Odin's return with the water. Once the bird returns, she'll clean everyone up, clear away the blood. Tomorrow, she'll consider moving them away from this site and all the surrounding bodies. It couldn't be good staying in this place too long.

While she was lost in her muse, the man's head was still leaning towards her, waiting for those comforting fingers to return.

out of the two chapters that inspired this story, Quarter has a bigger influence than Karma

though indirectly, Cloud appeared wandering away on the horizon, heading towards Midgar.

now in the few times they showed Zack's death there was a scene where it was raining and where it wasn't. i decided to stick with the former since rain might have gotten in Claire's way.