Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, they belong to Square Enix and Tetsuya Nomura.

AN: Well guys, its been a nice run and I just plain ran out of any real ideas on how to end this fanfic and its just been a kind of a bear to finish out...kind of like it has for the author of the fanfic "Special Discount". I've personally run out of inspiration to finish this out, hence the kind of lack luster Epiloque attached on this FINAL chapter and if you guys feel I've jipped you in regards to an ending to this fanfic, as confusing as it may seem due to the use of Wolf Pack Ranks for Angeal, Zack and Cloud, then I apologize for phailing you guys in regards to the ending of this...

But I thank you all for the reviews and alerts/faves I've gotten on this. Its been an interesting fanfic to work and post to here and I hope you guys have enjoyed reading it as confusing as it may read to you all. ^.^

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 7-Outcomes Are Always Harsh

"What makes you so important to him?"

CLUNK!

"STOP IT! STOP HITTING HIM!"

OOOMPF!

"…Tell us, Strife…what makes you some damn more important then the rest of us…?"

WOOMPF!

"GAH!"

"CLOUD!"

"Z-Zack…AAH!"

"Pick him up and put him against that wall…" the sound of a metal bat started to pat itself into the fleshy palm of the voice's hand, "Either you give us one good reason not to beat your ass into oblivion, Strife, or, well, I guess we're just going to have to mess up your little boyfriend in front of you…or maybe we should mess you up while your man watches."

Evil glints and lips were licking themselves as dark chuckles started to dance out from the silhouettes as their hands started to reach for him as his screams started growing louder and higher in pitch, but their hands darted away as did their footsteps as the sounds of MPs and Security started to dash in as the only thing that was touching or at least reaching out to him now were familiar hands. A familiar was hoarsely whispering against his ear, asking him to stay awake, but it hurt too much to stay awake; he wanted to sleep, he had to sleep, sleep would help the pain go away.

Pain was all he had known since coming to SOLDIER Cadet Training, it had all been humiliation to the hazing that had been rendered on him after his attack on 2nd Class SOLDIER Zack Fair, but now, the pain had been inflicted for a different reason and it was that new type of pain that was bringing cause for the Doctor to order the man's wrists to be strapped to his bedside under orders that he may become a harm to others if not only himself. His screams had been muffled by a makeshift gag as he fought to scream against the Hellish nightmares playing Hell on his psyche; he had not seen Zack since the attack and being bound, gagged and feeling as if he been blindfolded to the world, he feared he would go mad.

"Does anyone work in this place or is it only working when you all damn well wish to be working?" Angeal seemed to bark out as he turned to the fading into unconscious raven haired teen at his side as he looked for someone, "I've got an injured person here!"

A Nurse came around the corner as she instantly snapped to attention and to her duty as she called out for further assistance as Zack was pried from his Alpha Mentor's arms and carted away, "…I'm sorry for the delay, Mr. Hewley; we've had our hands full with the young man that was brought in from that scuffle…" her eyes gazed down the Hallway where she saw the others attending to Zack and now and again, someone was peeking in on Cloud, "…That poor boy…he didn't deserve all of that; it's a miracle those men didn't kill him or at best, Mr. Fair…or…I can't bring myself to think what they would've done had they cornered that young man alone…"

"Yeah…I'm grateful too," Angeal knew all too well the sickly minds that wandered the hallowed halls; he had all too many times or had mistakenly walked by a room when he heard the anguish screams of a young man being taken down by another and not in a manner that was much like just playfully wrestling with another, "…Do you know how soon it will be before he or 2nd Class Fair will be allowed visitors?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hewley, I do not have that information, but I'm sure the Doctor should know that for you as soon as he finished his examination of Mr. Fair," a soft, caring smile crossed the young Nurse's face as she caressed a hand against the man's shoulder as she seemed to guide the man down the hall towards Zack's room.

Anguished, muffled screams could be heard from Cloud's room as his bed thrashed about, did no one care about his Hellish nightmares or the hurt on his psyche to the point he would possibly at best dislocate a part of his body. That would've caused just as much anguish as the pains that wracked his body from the fight, but as much as his psyche was becoming attacked and thrashed by the Hellish nightmares; he made an attempt to sleep off the pains. His mind was left unaware that standing in the doorway, amidst the sounds of Nurses even the Head Doctor ordering the man to return to his room and to rest himself was Zack who could care less about his own well being at the moment. Internally, beyond either man's line of vision, their own internal demons were watching over one another; Zack's had taken a liking to Cloud's and could in its own way, be seen nursing the fallen one of Cloud's.

"Come on…you can't give up just yet…" the blackened wolf began to softly lick at the injured other, softly whimpering and whining, nuzzling its nose in against the thrashed, beaten and bloody mane of the other, "…Come on, don't you quit on me yet…you've got to fight off these guys or else they'll win…do you want that for your guy? I know mine doesn't want that for your guy…My guy is willing to do whatever is possible to help you both, but you've got to do some of the work too…"

Softly and slowly, the injured snowy white had managed to lift its head, ears flattened against its head and saddened at its own state as it appreciatively licked at the other's chin, "…I'll be fine…I just need to rest for now…It hurts even now to move, but will…" its soulful eyes stared up at the blackened wolf, "…will you stay at my side through the night?"

A soft chuckle of concern came from the blackened one, "…I would even run the darkest woods of Hell for you…yes…I'll stay by you for the night…"

"Mr. Fair, you can't do th---"the Nurse began to intercede but Angeal stepped in on the men's behalf, "…Mr. Hewley?"

Angeal watched as the wounded soul of his Beta student move in next to the bound form of the Omega, "…Let them be…if those two are to be student and Mentor in the future, they must learn to live together like that…one watching over the other…"

It confused and befuddled the Doctor to no end, but the Nurses did as the man had asked, "…Watch over him, Pup…one day, he may be the one that saves your life…"

Neither man moved about the bed; not a single movement was seen from either one throughout the night and into the next morning, aside from the occasional twitch. Within the days that followed, both men were given a clean bill of health and were allowed to roam about the Halls freely without problem or reason to question every footstep that formed or stepped out behind them. The nightmares that Cloud had endured since the fight had all but subsided to nothing more then a mere dark memory that had been suppressed through the help of talking with someone of a professional standard that knew how to help the situation. As well as Zack, he had become the strength for the young man and the two were inseparable.

Or so it would seem.

Epilogue:

"…I set about to end both our lives…" dreary and rainy, that's how it had been even that day, "…I promised…I promised Angeal I would watch over you as you would me…and what do I do…"

A scoff came from the blonde's lips, "I went got us in the biggest trouble ever…probably worse then the time after we got released from the Infirmary and Psychiatric Watch…Remember, how we went after those bastards that tried to beat the living tar out of us, especially me," a choking sob rose forward, "You, You did all you could then and even during the time of when I…"

"…Stop beating yourself up…it wasn't your fault…" the voice had been there since those first dreary days that he had lost Zack, "Besides…I never blamed you. You became strong…stronger then any of those puny little squirts of Omega back then…And who do you have to thank for that?"

Arms had wrapped about Cloud's waist, but there was no flesh and bone to place to them, just the sensation that there was someone there as weight shifted against the man's frame, "…Come on, tell me, who do you have to thank for making you an ass kicking Omega, nearly Beta wolf in that crazy pack of SOLDIER wannabes?"

"…Zack…" the arms slipped away a wayward smile crossed the blonde's lips as the tears began to roll, "…Thank you…for always helping remember who I was and who I've become…"

Something soft seemed to nuzzle in against the man's neck, "…As they will you tell you…and I have told you…even though I'm not here…in our own dorky way…we wolves…we mate for life…"

"…That we do, Zack," soft blue eyes looked up to the skyline, "…That we do…"

~The End~